Hong Kong: Undertaker business probed The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department today said it is following up on a case involving the suspected illegal operation of an undertaker business by a shop in Fortress Hill. Responding to media enquiries, the department noted that from May until now it has not received any application for an undertakers licence from the shop concerned. On June 21, departmental staff contacted the shops person in charge according to the telephone number displayed outside the shop and asked him to assist in investigations. Evidence is being collected to determine whether anyone is operating an undertaker business without a licence, and the department will take stringent enforcement action against irregularities, it added. This story has been published on: 2023-06-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CPEC testimony to Pakistan's deep-rooted friendship with China: official Xinhua) 10:22, June 24, 2023 Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal speaks during an event marking the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Islamabad, Pakistan, June 22, 2023.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has hailed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a testimony to and a living example of Pakistan's deep-rooted friendship with China. In the remarks made on Thursday, he said China has always been the most trustworthy friend of Pakistan. Launched in 2013, the CPEC is a corridor linking the Gwadar port in southwestern Pakistan with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation. In marking the 10th anniversary of the CPEC, Pakistan's planning ministry has scheduled a number of events to promote the CPEC and highlight its achievements and contribution to Pakistan's socio-economic development. Speaking at the opening event of the celebrations, Iqbal said that Pakistan will always remember the role China played in bringing investment to Pakistan at a time when even Pakistan's own investors were shying away from investing in the country. "Pakistan was grappling with 16 to 18 hours of daily load-shedding, drawing international ridicule, as it seemed as we were living in the stone age, with people resorting to using lanterns for lighting ... the CPEC swiftly addressed the crisis by completing power projects ahead of schedule, allowing Pakistan to illuminate its homes and overcome the energy shortage within a remarkably short time frame," he added. The minister also paid tribute to hundreds of thousands of "unsung heroes, the Chinese workers, and officials who have spent many years in Pakistan, away from their families." He said that during the last 10 years, the Chinese staff of the CPEC were more devoted to the program than to their own families, and made the CPEC a success story. "The success of the CPEC showed to the world how two countries which are like iron brothers and are friends can work mutually in a win-win paradigm to bring opportunities for people in both countries," he added. In his address, Nadeem Javaid, chief economist of the Pakistani government who also works as the focal person on the CPEC, said that the Pakistani side meticulously drafted CPEC documents to address the pressing needs in improving the socio-economic development across the regions. "I'm confident that with the continued commitment and support of both authentic governments, the CPEC will further progress and achieve its objectives and become a model of successful economic cooperation and development in the years to come," he added. Speaking at the event, Pang Chunxue, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, said that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPEC. Over the past 10 years, the CPEC has made outstanding contributions to Pakistan's economic and social development. Its great achievements have attracted worldwide attention. "We are fully convinced that the celebration of the 10th anniversary will create a good momentum in advancing the CPEC, making more people get to know and understand the CPEC, telling more success stories of the changes brought by the CPEC, enhancing the confidence of all classes for the CPEC and promoting the CPEC cooperation to a new higher level," she added. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) People holding signs rally to clamor against Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater into the sea near the Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, June 24, 2023. Thousands of South Koreans rallied in central Seoul Saturday to urge the Japanese government to build more storage facilities on land for nuclear-contaminated water instead of discharging it into the sea. (NEWSIS via Xinhua) SEOUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of South Koreans rallied in central Seoul Saturday to urge the Japanese government to build more storage facilities on land for nuclear-contaminated water instead of discharging it into the sea. The civic activists gathered near the Seoul City Hall to clamor against Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater, holding signs that read "Protect Pacific Ocean!" and "Storage on Land." They also urged the South Korean government and people to prevent Japan's irresponsible plan of discharging nuke-contaminated water into the sea. The organizer said that as the time for Japan's plan of dumping radioactive wastewater approaches, concerns are growing in South Korea and abroad, while evidence abounds that the release has adverse effects on the ecosystem. Kwon Min-kyung, a Seoul citizen who joined the protest rally, told Xinhua that the Japanese government's decision to dump radioactive wastewater simply to save money is a criminal act of destroying the marine ecosystem, even though there is a way to store it on land. Despite grave concerns expressed by neighbors and the Pacific island countries, the Japanese government has decided to release radioactive wastewater from the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean "in spring or summer." People holding signs rally to clamor against Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater into the sea near the Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, June 24, 2023. Thousands of South Koreans rallied in central Seoul Saturday to urge the Japanese government to build more storage facilities on land for nuclear-contaminated water instead of discharging it into the sea. (NEWSIS via Xinhua) Wagner boss will move to Belarus under deal to withdraw troops People gather to bid farewell to fighters of Wagner private mercenary group, who pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District - STRINGER Wagners rebellious mercenary leader will move to Belarus under the terms of a truce agreed with President Putin, the Kremlin said on Saturday night. Yevgeny Prigozhin will relocate to Belarus under a deal brokered by Alexander Lukashenko, Belaruss president, to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russias military leadership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putins agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for about 20 years. Minsk has been a key ally for Putin in his war with Ukraine. As part of the deal, the criminal charges against Prigozhin for leading the armed coup will be dropped. Wagner troops that took part in the rebellion would similarly be spared from prosecution, Mr Peskov said. Earlier on Saturday, Prigozhin ordered his fighters to halt their march on Moscow and return to their bases in a surprise turnaround. 12:57 AM BST That's it for today Thats it for a remarkable day in Russia. You can follow the latest updates in Sundays live blog. 11:55 PM BST RAF jets scrambled to responded to Russian aircraft 21 times in past three weeks RAF fighter jets have been scrambled to respond to Russian aircraft 21 times in the last three weeks under Natos air policing operations in Europes Baltic region, the Ministry of Defence has said. The Typhoon fighters, currently operating in Estonia, are part of so-called quick reaction alert aircraft used by Nato to secure its eastern European flank. The Typhoons were launched to monitor the Russian aircraft when they failed to respond to air traffic agencies, the MoD said. 11:22 PM BST Russian state TV shows Berlusconi documentary instead of coup Russian state television cut to adverts and broadcast a programme about caviar while the potential coup was going on. State television sought to minimise the impact of the rebellion by broadcasting completely unrelated programmes. According to Francis Scarr, a BBC reporter who monitors Russian state TV, Moscows rolling news channel Rossiya 24 was not ignoring events entirely but the fact theyre currently airing a documentary about Silvio Berlusconi tells you quite a lot. Mr Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, died earlier this month. Read more: Russian state TV cuts to caviar programme instead of covering coup 10:52 PM BST Full report: Mutineers turn back from Moscow Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary leader, turned his fighters back from a march on the Kremlin on Saturday after a truce was struck with Vladimir Putin. Mutinous Wagner mercenaries marched to within 150 miles of Moscow in what the Russian president described as a treasonous stab in the back before they abruptly halted. The stand-down came after Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, said he had brokered a last-minute truce to avoid a Russian civil war. The key plank of the deal appeared to be the Kremlin dropping plans to abolish the Wagner military company. They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We came out on June 23 to the march of justice, Prigozhin said in a voice message. In a day, we walked to nearly 200 kilometres away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. Thats why we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan. Read more: Wagner mutineers turn back from Moscow after striking deal with Putin Yevgeny Prigozhin is greeted by supporters as he leaves Rostov - REUTERS 10:01 PM BST 3,000 Chechen troops were ready to defend Moscow Three thousand elite Chechen troops took up positions in Moscow early on Saturday morning to defend the Russian capital against advancing mutineers from the Wagner mercenary group, the Chechen state broadcaster Grozny said on Saturday night. The fighters have been at their positions in Moscow since early morning and are ready to carry out any order from Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, it said on Telegram. 09:37 PM BST Streets of Rostov-on-Don reopening Streets in the centre of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don were being reopened to traffic on Saturday night as the Wagner mercenary fighters who had taken control of key facilities began to pull out, the Interfax news agency reported. 09:05 PM BST Charges against Prigozhin dropped, says Lukashenko The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday that he had brokered a deal with mutinous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin who had agreed to de-escalate the situation. The announcement, carried on the official Telegram channel of the Belarusian presidency, said Prigozhin had agreed to halt the further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia. The Kremlin confirmed a deal had been struck and that Prigozhin would have all charges against him dropped and move to Belarus. The president of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through his own available channels, held talks with the head of the Wagner PMC (private military company), Yevgeny Prigozhin, in coordination with the President of Russia, the Belarusian statement said. The talks lasted for an entire day. As a result, they came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia. Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, is a key Putin ally - REUTERS 09:01 PM BST Ukraine will press the advantage Ukraine will press the advantage in battle after Russia was left in disarray following an uprising by leader of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, a leading Russia expert has said. Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at Chatham House think tank, told the Press Association: Ukraine will press the advantage right now. There will be a lot of uncertainty in the (Russian) troops and it will be prime time to double up the efforts in the counter-offensive. Ukraine will get a bit of a break from this and you dont know quite how the Wagner troops will react. They (Ukraine) will also have a morale boost. However, she said she did not believe the uprising will cause the Russian army to collapse. 08:30 PM BST The world saw Russia's leaders 'do not control anything,' says Zelensky Today, the world saw that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Complete chaos. Complete absence of any predictability. First, the world should not be afraid. We know what protects us. Our unity. Ukraine will definitely be able to protect Europe from any (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023 08:20 PM BST Watch: Footage of Wagner fighters apparently packing up and leaving Rostov Russian media share a video of Wagner PMC loading up their weapons as they get ready to leave Rostov. pic.twitter.com/uX1TgJEqaP Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 24, 2023 08:14 PM BST South Russian province eases restrictions after Wagner march stopped Authorities in the southern Russian region of Lipetsk began lifting restrictions after the Wagner group, which had entered the province earlier, announced it would fall back. We are beginning to lift restrictions introduced today, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. 08:09 PM BST Putin thanks Belarus leader, Minsk says, after Wagner turnaround Minsk said that Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko after the chief of Wagner announced he was turning around his forces. The President of Belarus informed the President of Russia in detail about the results of negotiations with the leadership of PMC Wagner, Mr Lukashenkos press service said in a statement, adding Putin thanked his Belarusian colleague. The chief of the rebel Wagner mercenary force threatened to march on Moscow on Saturday before announcing a stunning pull-back, saying he did not want to spill blood. 07:59 PM BST Earlier pictures of authorities on high alert in Moscow before Wagner called off its mutiny Police officers check a car on a checkpoint - REUTERS/Stringer Russian authorites block part of a highway entering Moscow - AFP via Getty Images Russian soldiers move into positions as part of a counter-terrorism operation in Moscow - REUTERS/Stringer 07:41 PM BST Everything we know so far about the now abandoned 'coup' Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads the mercenary group, stood his troops down in a shock twist. The head of the Wagner group said he had called off the advance of troops to the Russian captial to avoid bloodshed. Prigozhin said his fighters had advanced to within 124 miles of Moscow in the last 24 hours, with the capitals mayor telling Russian residents to remain home as they braced for their arrival. Here is a look at the past 24r hours leading up to that moment. 07:21 PM BST 'Ukrainian forces have advanced on the eastern front' Ukraines military said that its forces had made advances near Bakhkmut, one of the focal points of fighting on the eastern front, and in an area further south. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar, writing on Telegram, said an offensive was launched near a of group of villages ringing Bakhmut -- the town taken by Russias Wagner mercenary forces last month after months of fighting. In all these areas, we have made advances, Ms Maliar wrote. 07:03 PM BST A translation of Mr Prigozhin's speech announcing an end to the march Prigozhin says it's over: "They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We came out on 23 June to the March of Justice. In a day, we walked to nearly 200km away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood Dmitri (@wartranslated) June 24, 2023 07:00 PM BST Belarus says Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin has agreed to de-escalate situation Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin an end to the movement of his mercenary troops inside Russia in order to deescalate the situation. Mr Lukashenko said he was acting in agreement with Putin, who had earlier vowed to crush the armed insurrection. Yevgeny Prigozhin has accepted the proposal of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on stopping the movement of armed individuals from the Wagner group on Russian territory and further steps on deescalating tensions, Lukashenkos press service said in a statement. 06:56 PM BST We are turning back, says Prigozhin We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced after vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to spill Russian blood. 06:55 PM BST There is chaos in Russia, bring your troops home, says Zelensky Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a revolt by Wagner mercenary troops in Russia exposed complete chaos in the country. Today the world can see that the masters of Russia control nothing. And that means nothing. Simply complete chaos. An absence of any predictability, Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. He said Ukrainians would not be silent, would not remain inactive, and that the security of Europes eastern flank depends strictly on our defences. 06:21 PM BST Ukrainians watch with delight as Wagner mutiny unfolds Kyiv residents told AFP on Saturday that they were very happy with the Wagner mercenary groups mutiny against Moscow and hoped the infighting would weaken Russian troops on the battlefield. Wagner mercenaries who have been spearheading much of the fighting in Ukraine have rebelled against Russias military leaders and are advancing north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base in the south. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war. People on the streets of the Ukrainian capital reacted with delight. I expected something like this to happen but not so fast, said Ilya Tsvirkun, 21. I thought it would all start after the war ends. But it started earlier and its very good. He said he thought Putin will withdraw some troops from Ukraine to help tackle the mutiny at home, making it easier for Ukrainian forces. Ukraine was on high alert after a fresh barrage of Russian missiles on Saturday - SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images Workers clear debris from the roads on Saturday after a Russian missile attack on residential buildings in Kyiv - Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images 06:09 PM BST Ukraine claims new offensives and advances Ukrainian forces have launched several new offensives on their eastern front, confronting Russian troops in the Donbas region, and have claimed more ground, a minister said. Deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said Ukrainian forces had assaulted Russian lines near the towns of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, Yagidne, Klishchivka and Kurdyumivka. There is progress in all directions, she said. 06:00 PM BST Ukraine must seize the moment to triumph on the battlefield This is a decisive moment in the war, with Russian forces in disarray and Kyiv ready to attack, writes Richard Kemp. Russias armed mutiny has come at the worst time for Putin and the best time for Kyiv, with Yevgeny Prigozhin dealing a devastating blow against Moscows ability to project itself on the front lines in Ukraine. It isnt just that the Kremlins authority is under fire, but that crucial military resources such as the Rostov-on-Don headquarters of the Southern Military District, a critical logistics hub are now on the verge of paralysis. The consequences for troops on the frontline will be severe. They may soon be without direction, either at a political or tactical level. Read the full piece 05:45 PM BST Pictured: Cars clog the highway to Moscow as the Wagner group advances towards the capital Mandatory Credit: Photo by MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13982534p) Vehicles stand in traffic on the M-4 Don road in the Moscow region, Russia, 24 June 2023. Counter-terrorism measures were enforced in Moscow and other Russian regions after private military company (PMC) Wagner Group's chief claimed that his troops had occupied the building of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, demanding a meeting with Russia's defense chiefs. Counter-terrorism measures enforced in Moscow, Russian Federation - 24 Jun 2023 Mandatory Credit: Photo by MAXIM SHIPENKOV/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13982534o) Vehicles stand in traffic on the M-4 Don road in the Moscow region, Russia, 24 June 2023. Counter-terrorism measures were enforced in Moscow and other Russian regions after private military company (PMC) Wagner Group's chief claimed that his troops had occupied the building of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, demanding a meeting with Russia's defense chiefs. Counter-terrorism measures enforced in Moscow, Russian Federation - 24 Jun 2023 05:37 PM BST France advises against all travel to Russia France has advised against all travel to Russia given the high volatility of the military and security situation in the country, its foreign ministry said on Saturday on its website. 05:30 PM BST Watch: Wagner recruitment posters in Russia being torn down amid armed mutiny Billboards advertising Wagner PMC are removed all over Russia - Russian media. pic.twitter.com/H2NfFcVoPV Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 24, 2023 05:18 PM BST Kremlin denies Putin has fled Moscow A Kremlin spokesman has denied reports that Vladimir Putin has fled Moscow by plane. One of several planes that Putin uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15 pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time. Less than half an hour later, it went off radar about 150 kilometres from Mr Putins official residence. Putin is working at the Kremlin, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Tass news agency when asked about reports of Putin going to the northwest, possibly St Petersburg. 04:49 PM BST Pictured: The flight Putin is suspected of taking out of Moscow but which the Kremlin has denied Russian President Putin's aircraft possibly flying northwest out of Moscow, Russia: SLAN, Blog Photo via Twitter. Source: https://twitter.com/antiputler_news/status/1672570363048280065 04:45 PM BST Watch: Prigozhin says Putin was wrong to accuse him of treason 04:36 PM BST Medvedev warns of catastrophe if nuclear weapons fall into wrong hands Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said the whole world will be on the brink of catastrophe if Russian nuclear weapons fall into the hands of bandits. Mr Medvedev earlier called on Russians to rally around President Putin amid a mutiny by the Wagner Group. 04:28 PM BST Mapped: Wagner's advance on Moscow After entering Russia from the city of Rostov, Prigozhin and his troops are said to have reached the Lipetsk region. With their stated aim being to reach Moscow, this appears to be the route they will take. 04:15 PM BST Vladimir Putins mad dog was always going to bite him The Wagner group, and their cruel leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, have only contempt for authority, writes Con Coughlin When Vladimir Putin authorised the creation of the Wagner Group back in 2014, the aim was to provide him with his own private army that would help him to expand Russias global reach. So the Russian president has only himself to blame for the fact that, rather than fulfilling his dream of reestablishing Russia as a major world power, the mercenary monster he helped to create is now attempting to overthrow his autocratic regime. But then what did Putin expect when he opted to make a known criminal like Yevgeny Prigozhin head of the Wagner Group? Prior to his sudden emergence on the Kremlin scene, Prigozhins main claim to fame was the 13-year stretch in a Russian penal colony he was given for his role in the violent mugging of a young woman in St Petersburg. Prigozhin may have tried to portray himself as a reformed character after his release, making his fortune running restaurants, but his criminal instincts have never been far from the surface in his running of Wagner. Read the full piece 04:02 PM BST Don't use Wagner to achieve Russophobic goals, Russia's foreign minsitry warns west Russias foreign ministry warned Western countries against using the Wagner mercenary groups mutiny to achieve their Russophobic goals. It follows a statement on Friday in which it said it had increased the number of EU representatives barred from Russia in response to new European sanctions on the country. 03:38 PM BST Mapped: Wagner's global operations Once a small shadowy organisation, the Wagner group has grown into a global military contractor. Here is a look at where it operates: 03:26 PM BST Kadyrov forces have reportedly reached Rostov Local media is reporting that forces of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov have reached Rostov. A loyal Putin ally, Mr Kadyrov earlier said he was ready to help put down a mutiny by the Wagner group and to use harsh methods if necessary. Russian media reports that Kadyrov's forces finally reached #Rostov. pic.twitter.com/By0jrk4GKM NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 24, 2023 03:17 PM BST Turkey's Erdogan urges Putin to act with common sense Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Putin on Saturday and urged him to act with common sense. The pair discussed recent developments in Russia and Mr Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to do its part to help bring about a peaceful solution to the situation. 03:02 PM BST Wagner forces have reached the Lipetsk region, south of Moscow, says governor Wagner mercenaries were moving across the Lipetsk region some 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Moscow, the governor said on Saturday, en route to Moscow after vowing to overthrow Russias military leadership. Hardware of the Wagner mercenary group is moving across the territory of the Lipetsk region, governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. I remind you that residents are strongly recommended not to leave their houses or to make trips on any mode of transport. 02:56 PM BST Prigozhin says cash found near his St Petersburg office was for Wagner expenses Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that boxes of cash found in vehicles near his office in St Petersburg by the FSB security service were to cover salaries and other expenses for his Wagner fighters. Unconfirmed Russian media reports said the cardboard boxes contained 4 billion roubles (36.7 million). 02:47 PM BST We are running out of popcorn, jokes Ukrainian official An adviser to Ukraines defence minister has made no attempt to hide his glee at the chaos gripping Russia right now. Speaking to the BBC, Yuriy Sak said We are little-by-little running out of popcorn. His comments came as others riffed on the idea on social media with a series of memes and videos. 02:26 PM BST Russian helicopter gunships open fire on Wagner forces Russian military helicopters have opened fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight. President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny he compared to Russias Civil War a century ago. Fighters from Yevgeny Prigozhins private Wagner militia were in control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine, and were rapidly advancing northwards through western Russia. A Reuters journalist saw army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column that was advancing past the city of Voronezh with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck. The city is more than half way along the 680-mile highway from Rostov to Moscow. 02:03 PM BST In pictures: Latest scenes in Russia of the Wagner insurrection against military generals A truck transporting Wagner fighters drives along the M-4 highway, which links Moscow to Russia's southern cities - REUTERS/Stringer A truck transporting a Wager military vehicle drives along the M-4 highway - REUTERS/Stringer A man takes down a poster by Wagner urging people to join them, above a highway on the outskirts of St. Petersburg - AP 01:46 PM BST Belarus sticking with Russia, saying infighting a gift to the West Belarus says it remains an ally of Russia and that internal disputes are a gift to collective west Belarus has been the Kremlins staunchest ally since Russia declared war on Ukraine last year. It has allowed the Kremlin to station a batch of tactical nuclear weapons there. 01:31 PM BST How Prigozhin's battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries launched a coup A mutiny that started over differences about how the Kremlin could win the war may end what little chances of victory Russia still has, writes Colin Freeman Anyone who follows Yevgeny Prigozhins social media channels knows that he does not exactly toe the Kremlin line. The boss of the Wagner mercenary group is notorious for his foul-mouthed outbursts about Moscows handling of the war in Ukraine, accusing Vladimir Putins generals of being blundering motherf----rs who squander soldiers lives. On Friday night, though, what the Kremlin normally tries to dismiss as salty rhetoric crossed the line into open rebellion. Shortly after 10pm Russian time, a video appeared on Mr Prigozhins Telegram feed showing what purported to be a missile strike on a Wagner training camp. Read the full story 01:13 PM BST Listen to our journalists discuss the situation in Russia unfolding right now 01:09 PM BST Wagner chief says his forces took army HQ without firing a single shot Prigozhin said that his troops had not needed to fire a single shot when they took control of the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov. In a new audio message released by his press service, he said his men had been fired on by artillery and helicopters en route to Rostov however. 12:58 PM BST Next 48 hours will decide Russia's political future, says advisor to Zelensky Next 48 hours will determine whether Russia is engulfed in a full-fledged Civil War or a negotiated Transit of Power, says Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to President Zelensky. The next 48 hours will define the new status of #Russia. Either a full-fledged Civil War, or a negotiated Transit of Power, or a temporary respite before the next phase of the downfall of the #Putin regime. All potential players are now choosing which side they are on. A (@Podolyak_M) June 24, 2023 12:50 PM BST Putin working in the Kremlin, says spokesman President Putin is working in the Kremlin, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. Putin earlier vowed to crush the Wagner Groups armed mutiny. 12:38 PM BST Qatar calls for 'maximum restraint' Qatar has expressed concerns over the situation in Russia, calling for maximum restraint. Major gas-exporter Qatar has sought a largely neutral stance on the conflict but moves by the Gulf Arab state, including its criticism of Russias annexation of Ukrainian territory, have led to fraying relations with Moscow. 12:29 PM BST Officials in Russia's Lipetsk region urge residents to stay home Authorities in Russias southwestern Lipetsk region have urged residents to stay at home. To ensure law and order and the safety of the citizens of the Lipetsk region, the operational headquarters of the region asks residents without urgent need not to leave their homes and refrain from any travel by personal or public transport, the press service of the regional government said. 12:15 PM BST Watch: Wagner head Prigozhin claims control of Russias Rostov-on-Don in Kremlin coup 12:14 PM BST UK Government to hold emergency Cobra meeting The UK Government is to hold an emergency Cobra committee meeting to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia, the BBC reports. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously told BBCs Laura Kuenssberg: Were keeping a close eye on the situation as its evolving on the ground as we speak. Were in touch with our allies and, in fact, Ill be speaking to some of them later today. 12:08 PM BST Russian army helicopters open fire on Wagner convoy Russian army helicopters have opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. 11:51 AM BST Kuleba: 'Those who said Russia was too strong to lose: look now' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on those who said Russia was too strong to lose to look now, following the armed uprising by the Wagner group, and he issued a plea for more weapons for Kyiv. Those who said Russia was too strong to lose: look now. Time to abandon false neutrality and fear of escalation; give Ukraine all the needed weapons; forget about friendship or business with Russia. Time to put an end to the evil everyone despised but was too afraid to tear down. Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) June 24, 2023 11:46 AM BST In pictures: Residents of Rostov-on-Don walk past Wagner fighters A woman walks past fighters of Wagner private mercenary group in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER/REUTERS A woman with a dog walks past a tank as fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER/REUTERS 11:39 AM BST Wagner military column seen passing Russian city of Voronezh by Reuters witness A Wagner mercenary military column of vehicles drove past the Russian city of Voronezh on Saturday afternoon, a Reuters witness said. One of the vehicles was a flatbed truck carrying a tank. Mr Gusev had previously informed residents via Telegram that the army was taking necessary military measures in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation in the area. 11:27 AM BST Fuel tank at oil depot on fire in Russia's Voronezh region, says governor Emergency services are working to put out a fuel tank fire at an oil depot in Voronezh, the regional governor has said. Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram: More than 100 firefighters and 30 pieces of equipment are working at the site. He added that there were no currently no reported casualties. Mr Gusev had previously informed residents that the army was taking necessary military measures in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation in the area. Reuters cited a Russian security source as saying on Saturday that Wagner fighters had taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, located approximately 500km from Moscow. 11:19 AM BST Sunak urges all involved to 'be responsible and to protect civilians' Rishi Sunak said he will be speaking to allies about the armed uprising by the Wagner Group in Russia as he urged all parties involved to protect civilian lives. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Sunak said: Were keeping a close eye on the situation as its evolving on the ground as we speak. Were in touch with our allies and, in fact, Ill be speaking to some of them later today. But the most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. 11:17 AM BST Zelensky: 'Russia's weakness is obvious' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russias weakness is obvious and that the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it would invite back home, following the apparent mutiny by the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. He made the comments on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday morning, saying: Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. 11:12 AM BST UK Government 'liaising closely with our allies' following events in Russia UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that Britain is liaising closely with our allies, following events overnight in Russia. He urged citizens to continue to follow travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which is to advise against all travel to the whole of Russia. Following events overnight involving the Wagner group and the Russian military, we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies. James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) June 24, 2023 10:57 AM BST President of European Council says situation 'clearly internal Russian issue' Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and @G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue. Our support for Ukraine and @ZelenskyyUa is unwavering. Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) June 24, 2023 10:51 AM BST Chechen leader comes out in support of Putin and says forces ready to help put down mutiny Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that his forces were ready to help put down a mutiny by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary, in a show of support for Vladimir Putin. In a statement uploaded to Telegram, Mr Kadyrov called Mr Prigozhins behaviour a knife in the back, and called on Russian soldiers not to give in to any provocations. He said: Imagine what the guys in the trenches are feeling right now, facing an enemy, and behind them a treacherous adventure. Its about stability, about the cohesion of the state, about the security of citizens. History shows that such actions can lead to bloody consequences. He added: The rebellion must be suppressed, and if it is necessary to take tough measures for this, then we are ready! 10:45 AM BST Watch: Putin vows to brutally punish 'traitor' Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries 10:30 AM BST NATO 'monitoring the situation' in Russia NATO is monitoring the situation in Russia, a spokeswoman for the transatlantic military alliance said via email on Saturday. The spokeswoman, Oana Lungescu, had no further comment. 10:20 AM BST Italian PM says Wagner rebellion shows Russian invasion of Ukraine is backfiring against Putin Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that the rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin shows Russias invasion of Ukraine is backfiring against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ms Melonis office said that she is following closely the events unfolding in Russia, which show how its aggression against Ukraine is causing instability within the Russian Federation. 10:18 AM BST Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman calls on Russians to rally around Putin Spokeswoman for Russias Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has called on Russians to rally around Russian President Vladimir Putin, after what Putin called an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group. Her comments followed Vladimir Putins televised address, in which he described the mutiny as a mortal blow to the Russian people 10:11 AM BST Head of Russia's Voronezh region says Russian army taking action The governor of Russias Voronezh region has said that the army was taking necessary military measures in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation declared after an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group. Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram: As part of the counterterrorist operation on the territory of the Voronezh Region, the armed forces of the Russian Federation are carrying out the necessary operational and combat measures. I will continue to inform you about the development of the situation. Earlier on Saturday, a Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km south of the capital. Reuters could not independently confirm that assertion. 10:08 AM BST Putin vows to brutally punish 'traitor' Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries Vladimir Putin has promised to brutally punish Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries for launching an armed rebellion, James Kilner writes. In his first speech since Mr Prigozhin declared an attack on the Russian military on Friday evening, Mr Putin said that he had ordered his security services to capture the traitors. Anyone who consciously goes along the path of betrayal, who is prepared for armed mutiny, and takes the course of blackmail and terrorist actions, will receive an inevitable punishment, he said. Read more on this story here. 09:37 AM BST France and Germany monitoring situation in Russia closely, say governments French President Emmanuel Macron is following the situation in Russia closely, the presidential palace has said. The Elysee said: We stay focused on the support to Ukraine. The German government has also said that it is monitoring events in Russia closely, according to a spokesman from the government press office. 09:30 AM BST Three killed in Kyiv in latest overnight air strikes At least three people have been killed in Kyiv on Saturday morning following the latest overnight barrage from Russia. Ihor Klymenko, Interior Minister, said missiles had targeted at least five regions across Ukraine. Three people were killed and eight wounded after a high-rise in the capital was struck, he said. Ukraines military said air defences had destroyed 41 out of 51 cruise missiles, as well as two drones, launched by Russia in the assault. 09:03 AM BST Putins aura of invincibility is shattered - and in Russia, weakness is terminal For Vladimir Putin, this is the end of the road, James Kilner writes. He may just survive an armed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries but he will be permanently damaged and his Kremlin days are numbered. Mr Putins aura of invincibility and control, badly fractured by his misguided and failed invasion of Ukraine, will now be shattered. Read more of James Kilners analysis here. 09:01 AM BST UK Government warns of risk of unrest in Russia The UK foreign ministry has warned of a risk of unrest across Russia, in updated advice to travellers following movements by Russias Wagner Group of mercenary forces. There are reports of military tensions in the Rostov region and a risk of further unrest across the country. Additionally, there is a lack of available flight options to return to the UK, Britains foreign ministry wrote on its website. Britains government continued to advise against all travel to Russia. 08:45 AM BST In pictures: Wagner mercenaries in Rostov-on-Don Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of a tank in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER/REUTERS Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group stand guard in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER/REUTERS Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pose for a picture as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER/REUTERS 08:35 AM BST Vladimir Putin appeals to Russians' patriotism to defend the motherland Vladimir Putin has appealed to Russians patriotism to defend the Motherland against traitors in his first video address from the Kremlin since Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion, James Kilner writes. In the 6-minute video, Mr Putin said that Mr Prigozhin and his mercenaries were engaged in an armed mutiny and said that their selfish rebellion was distracting Russians from defending Russia against Nato and Nazis in Ukraine. It is an attempt to subvert us from the inside. This is treason, he said. Mr Putin admitted that it was a complicated situation and that the rebels had taken control of military sites around the southern Russian city of Rostov. As a citizen of Russia, I will do everything to defend the country. Decisive action will be taken, he said. 08:32 AM BST MoD update: Current situation 'most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times' The UK Ministry of Defence has said that further Wagner units are moving north almost certainly heading for Moscow. It its latest intelligence update, the ministry said: Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 08:17 AM BST Situation in Rostov very complicated says Putin Vladimir Putin confirmed that restrictive measures had been put in place in Moscow and the Moscow region. He said in a televised address: Restrictive measures have been taken in Moscow, Moscow region and lots of other regions. He added that the situation around Rostov however remains very complicated. 08:12 AM BST Putin: Mutiny is a 'mortal blow' President Vladimir Putin said in a televised statement that anybody who took up arms against the Russian army was a traitor. Mr Putin said: We are fighting against anarchy and capitulation. This internal mutiny is a mortal blow to us, it is a blow to our people as a whole. President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation - RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE/AFP via Getty Images 08:08 AM BST Putin: Wagner mutiny 'a stab in the back for our troops and the people of Russia' President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a televised address that the mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner group was a stab in the back for our troops and the people of Russia. He said: In the face of those who are fighting in the front this is a stab in the back for our troops and the people of Russia. He added: Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict. 07:52 AM BST Counter-terrorism regime imposed in Moscow and Moscow region Russias anti-terrorist committee said on Saturday that it was imposing a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and the surrounding region amid an apparent mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, the state news agency RIA reported. The committee said: In order to prevent possible terrorist acts on the territory of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, a counter-terrorism operation regime has been introduced. 07:43 AM BST Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in Voronezh, Russian security source says Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in Voronezh, a Russian security source has told Reuters. The city of Voronezh is located approximately 500km south of Moscow. 07:16 AM BST Russian Defence Ministry tells Wagner fighters that they have been 'deceived' by Prigozhin The Russian Defence Ministry has told the Wagner fighters that they have been deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure by Yevgeny Prigozhin. The ministry addressed the fighters in a statement on Telegram, urging them to contact its representatives and those of law enforcement services and promising to guarantee their security, Reuters reports. 07:12 AM BST Zelensky adviser: 'Everything is just beginning in Russia' A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that everything is just beginning in Russia, after Yevgeny Prigrozhin confirmed that his fighters now control military buildings and the airport in Rostov. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning: The split between the elites is too obvious. Agreeing and pretending that everything is settled wont work. Someone must definitely lose: either Prigozhin (with a fatal ending), or the collective anti-Prygozhin (Putins group and the Ozero cooperative). Everything is just beginning in Russia. #Prigozhin's (#Wagner) counter-terrorist operation on the territory of #Russia has already led to the capture of #Rostov, several federal highways, the headquarters of the Southern District and "#SMO." The events gained widespread publicity in Russia and even an insulting legal pic.twitter.com/2nNoxizcvP (@Podolyak_M) June 24, 2023 07:02 AM BST Vladimir Putin to give televised address Russian President Vladimir Putin is to give a televised address soon, state news agency TASS news agency cited the Kremlin as saying on Saturday. 06:57 AM BST In pictures: Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group flashes a victory sign in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pose for a picture as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group cross a street as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don 06:08 AM BST Prigozhin claims control of Rostov-on-Don The head of the Wagner mercenary group has claimed he is inside the army HQ in southern Russias Rostov-on-Don and that his fighters control the citys military sites, including an aerodrome, after vowing to bring down Moscows top brass. We are inside the (army) headquarters, it is 7.30am (5.30 BST), Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video on Telegram. Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control, he added. Prigozhin said his troops will blockade the city and he threatened to head for Moscow unless defence chiefs Sergey Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov come to them. 05:31 AM BST Wagner chief: Dozens of soldiers have joined the coup Yevgeny Prigozhin has said that 60 to 70 Russian soldiers have mutinied and joined his coup attempt. He also said that his forces have already engaged in skirmishes against Russian soldiers. Fighting takes place in places where the military leadership gives false information to fighters, and therefore skirmishes occur, he said in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel. Where soldiers meet us, the National Guard and the police, they wave their hands joyfully, and many of them say: We want to go with you. This could not be independently confirmed. 05:06 AM BST Soldiers surround Rostov military building Dozens of heavily armed soldiers have surrounded a building described as a Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov, videos have shown. Analysts identified these soldiers as Wagner fighters, supporting a coup against the Russian military by their commander Yevgeny Prigozhin, but this could not be independently confirmed. The governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, has told people to stay at home. Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the area, he said. I ask everyone to remain calm and not to leave your homes. The Russian militarys main headquarters for its war in Ukraine is based in Rostov. On Friday, Mr Prigozhin announced a coup against Russian military commanders who he accused of killing thousands of soldiers unnecessarily. If true, as news website 161[.]ru and eyewitnesses report, today mercenaries of the PWC Wagner (declared as a transnational criminal org by the US) massively left the occupied #Donbas region of #Ukraine, crossed the 1991 Ukrainian-Russian border back to Russia, entered the city pic.twitter.com/YEnGflceDC Viktor Kovalenko (@MrKovalenko) June 24, 2023 04:28 AM BST Armed men outside Rostov police HQ report Videos posted on Russian Telegram channels early on Saturday appeared to show armed men in uniform skirting Rostov-on-Dons regional police headquarters, belonging to the Interior Ministry. It was not immediately clear who the armed men were. Reuters verified the location as the police headquarters building. Authorities in southern Russian regions said measures were being taken to ensure public safety, after the founder of Russias Wagner mercenary force indicated that he planned to despatch men to Moscow to oust the military leadership. 04:25 AM BST Moscow launches anti-terror measures Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Saturday that anti-terrorist measures were being taken in the Russian capital, including additional checks on roads, to reinforce security. 03:47 AM BST What we know so far The Kremlin has accused the leader of the Wagner mercenary group of attempting an armed coup against Russia. In an extraordinary announcement on Friday night, Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an uprising against Russias military leaders. The Wagner boss claimed his troops have marched into Russias Rostov region and promised that his soldiers will destroy everything that gets in the way. Here is everything we know so far. 03:22 AM BST Residents in Voronezh urged to avoid military convoy The government of Russias Voronezh region has urged residents to avoid the M4 north-south motorway that connects Moscow to southern regions because a military convoy was on the move there, Reuters reported. Officials said the situation was under control and measures were being taken to keep the public safe. 03:08 AM BST US says Wagner coup is real and serious Joe Biden has been briefed on the chaotic situation in Russia with US officials describing it as serious. The president was being kept informed as Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was accused by Moscow of launching an armed rebellion. A White House National Security Council spokesman said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. A US official told CNN this crisis was real but the Pentagon and White House were waiting to see how it developed. Steve Hall, former CIA chief of Russia operations, said it was in a different league to Prigozhins previous complaints against the Russian military hierarchy. Read more: US says Wagner coup is real and serious as White House consults allies 02:47 AM BST Moscow officials tighten security Russian authorities in the Lipetsk region south of Moscow said they have tightened security measures after the chief of mercenary group Wagner said his forces had crossed the border from Ukraine. A decision has been taken to reinforce security measures in the region, said Governor Igor Artamonov. I ask everyone to remain calm. The region of Lipetsk is located about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Moscow. 02:20 AM BST Rostov governor tells civilians to stay indoors The governor of southern Russias Rostov region told residents to remain calm and stay indoors. Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the area. I ask everyone to stay calm and not to leave home unless necessary, Vassily Golubev said in a message on his Telegram channel just before 4am (2am BST). Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had said his forces had crossed from Ukraine into the Rostov region. Mr Golubevs message did not say whether Prigozhin had entered Rostov. 01:41 AM BST Russian governor: This is extremely bad A Russian official has become one of the few to publicly express concern over the attempted coup. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor of Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, wrote on Telegram: Like many of you now, I am not sleeping, updating the news feed. Any conflict is bad. A conflict of this level ... is extremely bad. 01:38 AM BST Russia accuses Prigozhin of stab in the back Vladimir Putin has been informed by Russias prosecutor general of an attempt by the Wagner mercenary group to stage an armed insurrection, the Kremlin announced on Saturday morning The Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (Igor) Krasnov reported to Putin about the initiation of a criminal case in connection with an attempt to organise an armed rebellion, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. In a statement, Russias security service, the FSB, said: Prigozhins statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces. 01:20 AM BST Putin being updated around the clock Vladimir Putin is being given regular updates on the unfolding tensions between the mercenary group Wagner and the defence ministry, the Kremlin said. Security services, law enforcement agencies, namely the defence ministry, the FSB, the interior ministry, the national guard are reporting to the president constantly, around the clock, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. 12:33 AM BST White House monitoring situation The White House is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said on Friday. US officials are closely watching and one source told CNN: This is real. The source told CNN that the US understands Prigozhins comments to be more than rhetoric. 12:25 AM BST We are entering Rostov, says Prigozhin In his latest audio message, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary Wagner group, said his troops are entering Rostov. We crossed the state border in all places, Prigozhin said. The border guards came out to meet and hugged our fighters. We are entering Rostov. We dont fight children. Shoigu kills children. He put 18-year-old boys against us. These guys will live and go back to their mothers. But we will destroy everything that gets in the way. 12:24 AM BST Russian aircraft flying towards Rostov reports A Russian government official has told The Moscow Times that dozens of aircraft with special forces troops onboard have flown towards Rostov. 12:23 AM BST What we know so far The Kremlin has ordered Wagner troops to stand down after the mercenary groups leader called for an uprising against Russias military Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Russias top brass of shelling his fighters and said his group would stop the evil of Moscows military leadership Russian soldiers across the country were put on high alert on Friday night The FSB, Russias main intelligence service, said that it had opened a criminal case against Prigozhin Ukrainian troops are stepping up their attacks to take advantage of Wagners attempted coup, according to Russias ministry of defence Russian border guards have reportedly not stopped a column of Wagner fighters moving through a checkpoint in Novoshakhtinsk, in Russias Rostov region Reports said Putins motorcade was seen speeding through Moscow to the Kremlin from his residence in the suburbs of the capital Read more: Wagner chief launches coup against Russias military leaders 12:05 AM BST Russian military orders Wagner troops to stand down The Russian military has ordered Wagner troops to stand down and return to their bases amid reports the mercenary group has launched a coup against the Kremlin. It comes amid unconfirmed reports of Russian border guards reportedly not stopping a column of Wagner fighters moving through a checkpoint in Novoshakhtinsk, in Russias Rostov region. On Friday night Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary leader, accused the Russian military of shelling his fighters and said his group would stop the evil of Moscows military leadership. Russias security service launched a criminal investigation into Prigozhin and accused him of an armed rebellion. General Sergey Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russias Ukraine campaign, urged Wagner soldiers to stand down Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Ukrainian border guards have used loudspeakers to appeal once again to the people of Belarus, urging them to throw off the dictators yoke and speak out against the Russian war in Ukraine. Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in a border unit serving on the border with the Republic of Belarus; video provided by UP Details: Ukrainian border guards have been appealing to their Belarusian counterparts, describing the ridiculous psyops conducted by Belarus as "cr*p". Belarusians who support the aggressor state were told to "go the same way as the Russian warship" [which was famously told to "go f**k itself" by the defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island - ed.]. According to the Ukrainian border guards, anyone who wants to fight against the Ukrainians is not even a Belarusian, because real Belarusians are standing up against the tyranny of the Belarusian dictator. The Ukrainians called on Belarusians to throw off the yoke of dictatorship, to become free, and to abandon their stereotype as people who will endure and agree to anything, because otherwise, tragedy awaits them. Quote: "A special warning to those who attempt to cross the border with weapons in their hands: be sure to take some flour with you; you mentioned it recently, because youll need it when we make classic Belarusian draniki (potato pancakes) out of you!" Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief talks to Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff: Operation is going according to plan Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, had a telephone conversation with General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the situation at the front and the needs of the Armed Forces. Source: Zaluzhnyi on Telegram Quote from Zaluzhnyi: "We discussed the situation in all areas of the frontline in detail. I told [Milley ed.] about the offensive and defensive actions of our units. I informed [him] that the operation is going on according to plan." Details: He added that he also informed Milley about the Ukrainian Armed Forces need for certain types of weapons and mine clearance equipment. "We agreed to stay in touch and actively cooperate. I am grateful to General Milley for his support and assistance in the fight against the Russian aggressor," Zaluzhnyi concluded. For reference: The conversation took place at a time when the conflict between the Wagner Group and the authorities is actively unfolding in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukraines Defence Forces have liberated territories near Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast which had been occupied since 2014. Source: Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of the Tavriia Operational and Strategic Group of Forces, on Telegram; Valerii Shershen, spokesperson for the Joint Press Centre for the Tavriia ftont Defence Forces during the national joint 24/7 newscast; Yaroslav Chepurnyi, Press officer of the 79th Air Assault Brigade, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "On the Tavriia front, the Defence Forces liberated territories near Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast which had been occupied since 2014. The advance of our forces is ongoing." Details: Valerii Shershen, Spokesman for the Defence Forces of the Tavriia front, said on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast that the Ukrainian military had captured several Russian positions near Krasnohorivka about a week ago. Quote from Shershen: "Our assault units, as a result of a well-planned counterattack, captured several positions near Krasnohorivka that had been held [by the occupiers ed.] since 2014. This is already the so-called territory of the DPR [Donetsk Peoples Republic], located near Donetsk itself. We can talk about that now. The news is a week late for certain tactical reasons." More details: Shershen said that Ukraines Defence Forces had conducted a simulation of actions near Krasnohorivka, there was also artillery and heavy equipment cover, and mine clearance of certain areas had been carried out. "Our assault units advanced quite unexpectedly for the enemy. And during the week, the enemy has been taking all measures to knock us out of these positions, but all in vain. This has a symbolic meaning for us, a fundamental moment and some improvement of our tactical position. This is a vivid example of local success," said Shershen. At the same time, Yaroslav Chepurnyi, Press officer of the 79th Air Assault Brigade, informed Ukrainska Pravda that the liberation of the territories near Krasnohorivka is an achievement of Mykolaiv paratroopers from this brigade. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukrainian air defence system destroys more than 20 Russian missiles around Kyiv Air defence forces shot down more than 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv on the night of 23-24 June. Source: Serhii Popko, Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "It is the eighth air raid on Kyiv in June. The enemy has used its usual tactics once again: Tu-95MS strategic bombers fired Kh-101 or Kh-555 missiles from the Caspian Sea. Over 20 missiles were detected and destroyed in the airspace around Kyiv by air defence assets and personnel." Background: Several floors of a 24-storey building were damaged by falling debris in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district, killing at least two people. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The defenders of Ukraine are firing at positions in the Donetsk Oblast The Ukrainian army have liberated several positions near Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast that were occupied in 2014, Valeriy Shershen, spokesman for the Joint Press Center of the Tauride Defense Forces, said on Ukrainian national television on June 24. "The news is a week late," Shershen said, noting the delay in reporting themomentous event. Certain tactical considerations are understandable, he said. Indeed, several positions near Krasnohorivka were seized as a result of a well-prepared assault. There were also imitations of actions, support from artillery and heavy equipment. We demined certain areas. Later, this information was confirmed on Telegram by the commander of the Tavria operational and strategic group of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi. Read also: Residents greeted Ukrainian troops during liberation of Blahodatne, Ukrainian military says Shershen stated that the assault units of the Ukrainian army had advanced unexpectedly for the enemy. Over the past week, the Russian occupation forces have been unsuccessfully trying to drive the Ukrainai Defense Forces out of these positions, conducting daily assaults and heavy shelling. Shershen said that the success of the Ukrainian offensive was "tangible", but it is too early to talk about results. "This is a vivid example of a local success that has gained symbolic significance," he said. The day before, General Tarnavskyi said that the Defense Forces had "tangible successes" in the Tauride sector of the front. Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive latest news Read also: Details of the storming and successful liberation of Neskuchne - an interview with a soldier The Ministry of Defense reported on June 23 that Ukraine's army is continuing its active offensive. The army has already managed to stop theenemy on the Kupyansk and Lyman sections of the front, and there are successful advances in the south. Over the two weeks of the offensive on the Berdyansk and Melitopol sections of the front, Tavria group units have liberated eight settlements. The units in the Tavria sector advanced 7 kilometers into territory previously held by the enemy. The area of Ukrainian territory so far liberated in the south amounts to 113 square kilometers. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Heroes of their time. Russian RDK during a raid on the territory of the Russian Federation The whole of Russia, not just the border areas with Ukraine, have the potential to see internal conflict, Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense, told NV on June 24. Read also: Russian Volunteer Corps in clashes Belgorod Oblast, call for negotiations with governor As a result of the raids by pro-Ukrainian groups, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Freedom of Russia Legion, on the territory of Belgorod Oblast, the Russian General Staff was forced to redeploy army units from the occupied territories of Ukraine and from the deep rear to the border areas of Russia. Now, the Russians are conducting active filtration activities in these areas, involving the FSB and the police. Yusov emphasized that all RDK raids are an internal Russian process. And according to the HUR's estimates, based on many indicators, it is possible to predict that conflicts inside Russia will only intensify. They will occur not only in border areas, as Yusov explained, but conflicts have the potential to emerge across Russia, and have various facets: religious, ethnic, political, and economic. Read also: Prigozhin declares that he has seized control of Rostov's military headquarters, airbase In late spring and early summer, soldiers of the RDK and the Freedom of Russia Legion carried out several operations in Russian villages and towns along the border, temporarily seizing some of them. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Ukrainian pilots describe the fear of being outgunned by Russia's air force and implore the West to give them F-16 jet fighters, in CNN interview Russian Su-35 fighters fly over the Red Square in Moscow on May 7, 2019. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Ukrainian pilots implored the West to supply them with F-16 fighter jets, in a new CNN interview. The pilots also described the difficulties of fighting against Russia's dominant air power. The counteroffensive would be 'more effective and much safer' with F-16s, one pilot said. As the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian forces gets underway, a pair of Ukrainian pilots implored the West to supply them with F-16 fighter jets and described the difficulties of competing with Russia's dominant air power. In a recent interview with CNN, a pilot in the Ukrainian air force said the country's aged Soviet-era Su-25s can't compete with Russia's Su-35s, their radars, and long-range missiles. "We lose many aircraft to these interceptors," a Su-25 pilot called Oleksyi, who goes by the callsign "Pumba," told CNN. Laying out the horrors of losing airman comrades in the war, Pumba said, however, that he is somehow able to "find some strength" and "fly again" because air support is so crucial at the moment. "When you see the explosion of your colleague in front of your eyes, in real time it's a shock," he said. Pumba said the air force's "main mission" is to support troops on the ground. "When we complete a mission, our guys on the ground send us thank you messages," he added, saying a strong air force is generally essential for morale. However, a deputy battalion commander highlighted that strong Russian air force power has made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to advance. "Continuously, all day long, they work either by helicopters or by airplanes," a deputy battalion commander in one of the units of the 128 Separate Territorial Defense Brigade told CNN. "In general, aviation support is sorely lacking," the commander, who goes by the call sign "Spas," said. Ukraine has supplied 45 Su-25s and Mig-29s from NATO and other nations in Europe, according to CNN, but some pilots believe the US-made F-16 fighter jets would be a "game changer." "We try to maneuver to avoid them" Two US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Lotz A Mig-29 pilot, who goes by "Juice," told CNN if the West supplied the country with F-16s, the counteroffensive would be "much more effective" and "safer for our guys on the ground" because the versatile fighter jets would be able to compete with the Russian equivalent. He explained that Ukraine could only use about 25% of the potential of Western-supplied missiles while using other kinds of jets. "We can't use 100% of its potential because of range limitations because of accuracy limitations," the pilot said. "The same missiles on F-16 would be much more effective," he added. Ukraine's pilots had adjusted their strategies to avoid being shot down, said "Juice." "We try to maneuver to avoid them and define windows to engage the targets when the risks are the lowest and actually it works. But it doesn't guarantee our safety because Russia is trying to learn as well, and they're also changing their tactics," he told CNN. A Ukrainian pilot exits a MiG-29 fighter jet at an airbase outside of Kyiv, November 23, 2016. Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto via Getty Images A war studies expert recently echoed this, saying that using F-16s would be a crucial aspect of taking out Russia's artillery as a means of breaking through Russia's defenses, Insider recently reported. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies lobbied for months to receive some of the jets, a Pentagon spokesman recently said sending F-16s to Ukraine is a "long-term" endeavor and "will not be relevant to the upcoming counteroffensive," Insider reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Ukrainians are 'running out of popcorn' as they watch the Wagner mutiny in Russia unfold, Ukrainian official jokes Wagner fighters deployed in Rostov-on-Don REUTERS/Stringer Russia is in the midst of a "civil war," a Ukrainian defense advisor said in a BBC Interview. "We are little-by-little running out of popcorn," Yuriy Sak joked of the unfolding events in Russia. Wagner mercenaries appeared to advance toward Moscow in a rebellion against Putin's regime. A "civil war" is happening in Russia, a Ukrainian defense advisor said in an interview, joking that "we are little-by-little running out of popcorn." Speaking to the BBC World Service on Saturday, Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine's defense minister, said he too had been watching the armed rebellion by the Wagner group in Russia develop at an "unprecedented speed." Saks pointed out that before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the world thought Russia had the 2nd-best army in the world. But since then, many circumstances have changed. "Yesterday everybody knew that Russia was the second most powerful army in Ukraine, and today we're seeing how the Russian army is becoming the second most powerful army in Russia," Sak told the BBC. Because Russia has been dishonest "for such a long time about the losses of the Russian army," Sak believes that it was clear that the circumstances would "implode and lead to a civil war," he said. "What we're seeing now in Russia is a civil war," Sak added. A tongue-in-cheek video circulating on social media appears to show a Ukrainian fighter watching the news of the Russian "civil war" unfolding on a screen as he eats from a large selection of popcorn. Putin is now fighting battles on two fronts, as the Russian mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin began an armed mutiny on Saturday, while the Ukrainian counteroffensive is also underway. The Wagner group which is working its way north from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in the direction of Moscow has had a fraught relationship with Russian military officials and Putin's regime over the mercenary fighters' role in the Ukraine war. Read the original article on Business Insider As Wagner forces take over key military sites in a southern Russia town, Ukrainians hope the infighting will offer them some relief (Roman ROMOKHOV) Kyiv residents told AFP on Saturday that they were "very happy" with the Wagner mercenary group's mutiny against Moscow and hoped the infighting would weaken Russian troops on the battlefield. Wagner mercenaries who have been spearheading much of the fighting in Ukraine have rebelled against Russia's military leaders and are advancing north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base in the south. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war. People on the streets of the Ukrainian capital reacted with delight. "I expected something" like this to happen "but not so fast," said Ilya Tsvirkun, 21. "I thought it would all start after the war ends. But it started earlier and it's very good." He said he thought Putin "will withdraw some troops" from Ukraine to help tackle the mutiny at home, making it easier for Ukrainian forces. - 'A lot of fun' - Kyiv launched its counter-offensive earlier this month, hoping to take back territory occupied by Russia in the south and east of the country. While Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. Prigozhin has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. Kyiv resident Bogdan Teodorovskiy, 19, called the infighting "a lot of fun". "We just have to watch, and we are cheering for both sides," he said, referring to Wagner and the Russian army. "I hope they leave us alone and compete better with each other." Prigozhin's forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict. Wagner has since withdrawn from the area, making way for the regular Russian army, but fighting continues around the town and Ukrainian troops have been attacking its flanks. Mariya, 22, said she believed the infighting would have an impact on the battlefield in Ukraine. "Perhaps now some Wagner forces will withdraw (elsewhere), and the regular Russian army will be there. And they, as we know, are not so cold-blooded, and they may be easier to defeat," she said. At first, she thought there "was still some kind of agreement between the (Russian) defence ministry and the Wagner group, just to distract attention from our counter-offensive... to strengthen their forces." But she also wonders if the mutiny is a media stunt. "That's why I think we have to follow the news, and if something serious is really happening there, then it could be a real coup," she said. -'End of misery'- Wagner "has started its offensive, they are going to reach Moscow," said Mykhailo, 50. "I think that there is every reason for our armed forces to win. I think it will weaken the Russian troops, it will weaken the internal political forces of Russia. I think it's great," he said. Olga, 45, said she hoped the conflict between the Wagner group and the Russian army "will be the end of this war, and that this will be the end of our misery and grief". Amid the turmoil, three people were killed and 11 wounded in Kyiv after Russian air strikes across the country overnight, Ukraine said on Saturday. bur-epe/alf/sba/lcm/fb BAGHDAD, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that security forces had arrested 315 drug dealers and users during the past seven days across the country. The ministry's intelligence agency said in a statement that its forces also confiscated 22 kg of narcotic crystal in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces during the week-long raids. The raids also resulted in the arrest of 83 suspected terrorists and the seizure of 102 weapons, six sites for smuggling crude oil and its derivatives and 21 vehicles, the statement said. The week-long operation followed dozens of raids launched by the ministry across Iraq from November 2022 to May 2023, during which 8,676 drug dealers and drug users were arrested. During the same period, more than 406,000 kg of various types of drugs, including 9.27 million Captagon pills, as well as 456 weapons, 118 hand grenades, and 808 cars were seized, it added. Over the past two decades, successive Iraqi governments have been unable to adequately confront the threat posed by drugs due to the chaos and conflicts that have engulfed the country since the U.S. invasion in 2003. In May, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said that waging a "war on drugs" was as important as combating terrorism. Drug dealing is one of the main ways to fund terrorism, and the circulation of drugs thrives in the shadow of terrorism, al-Sudani said. A day before the disappearance of the doomed Titan submersible, a British businessman and explorer wrote of his pride to be going down to the Titanic as a mission specialist. Hamish Harding said via social media Saturday that a weather window has just opened up after the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years. A veteran of extreme expeditions, Harding said he would be accompanied by a couple of legendary explorers on the dive starting early Sunday morning. His last social media post included a photo of the OceanGate submersible and another of Harding signing a Titanic Expedition banner. The dive is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023 because of the particularly harsh winter, Harding wrote last Saturday one day after the expedition departed from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, on the mother ship Polar Prince. The next day, the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five people on board, US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger announced Thursday, four days after the craft vanished in the vicinity of the 111-year-old wreckage of the Titanic in the depths of the North Atlantic. The announcement ended a desperate international search and rescue effort that captured global attention. In addition to Harding, the other passengers on board were Stockton Rush, the OceanGate CEO and founder; Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a renowned Titanic expert with decades of exploring experience. These were the unsettling days since the Titanic submersibles demise: Sunday, June 18: Discover something truly extraordinary This image shows the start of the RMS Titanic Expedition Mission 5 on June 18, 2023. - Dirty Dozen Productions/AFP/Getty Images At the site of the Titanic wreck, roughly 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the submersible began its two-hour-long descent of 12,500 feet below sea level. The $250,000 per person expedition was billed as a chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary, according to an archived version of OceanGates website. It was 9 a.m. Atlantic Daylight Time (one-and-a-half hours ahead of Eastern Time), according to Miawpukek Maritime Horizon Services, which co-owns the Polar Prince. At 11:47 a.m., the 21-foot submersible lost contact with its mother ship. With no GPS underwater, the craft was only guided by text messages from the surface ship. Hours later, at 6:10 p.m., the submersible failed to resurface as scheduled. Authorities were notified at 6:35 p.m., according to Miawpukek Maritime Horizon Services, launching an international search and rescue effort. Monday, June 19: A race against time US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, speaks to the media, Monday, June 19, 2023, in Boston. - Steven Senne/AP The Titan has four days of emergency capability, Mauger told reporters. The subs 96-hour emergency air supply set up Thursday morning as a crucial search target. US and Canadian coast guard crews scoured the oceans surface and used sonar to listen for sounds far below the water. Commercial ships also assisted in the search. On Facebook, Rory Golden, an expedition participant on board the Polar Prince, urged people to think positive. We are. OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement Monday night it was taking every step possible to return the five crew members. Tuesday, June 20: An Interminable wait and dwindling oxygen supply Searchers look for the 21-foot submersible, 900 miles east of Cape Cod. - US Coast Guard Northeast Sonar picked up banging sounds from underneath the water in the North Atlantic Ocean while searching for the submersible, according to an internal US government memo on the search. Crews detected banging sounds every 30 minutes and hours later, after additional sonar devices were deployed, banging was still heard, according to the memo obtained by CNN. It was unclear when the banging was heard or for how long. The underwater noises were detected by a Canadian P-3 aircraft, prompting the relocation of resources to explore their origin, the US Coast Guard said via Twitter, adding that the searches have yielded negative results. US Naval experts were analyzing the data. On Tuesday afternoon, US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick estimated the vessel was down to 40 hours of oxygen. Officials were unsure whether that was enough time to rescue those onboard. With the arrival of new equipment, searchers had taken the operation below sea level after scouring an area of the oceans surface about the size of Connecticut, according to Mauger. What were going through right now is this interminable wait, Mathieu Johann, a friend of Nargeolet, told CNN. Wednesday, June 21: A search-and-rescue mission, 100% Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area, according to the US Coast Guard. Underwater remotely operated vehicles were relocated to explore the origin of the noises, and data was sent to US Navy experts for analysis. It was unclear whether the noises heard Tuesday night and Wednesday morning were from the missing submersible, according to Frederick. I cant tell you what the noises are, Frederick said, but he stressed that the operation was still a search-and-rescue mission, 100%. If the craft is in the deep ocean, staying warm and lucid will be the biggest hurdles for the five passengers, experts warned. Theyre freezing cold, retired Navy Capt. David Marquet told CNN. Theyre all huddled together trying to conserve their body heat. Theyre running low on oxygen and theyre exhaling carbon dioxide. The US moved in military and commercial assets as aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, the US Coast Guard and the New York Air National Guard looked above and below the water. A research ship with an underwater robot was dispatched by France to join the mission. The banging noises provided faint hope in a dire situation made worse by emerging reports about OceanGates operations and safety practices. Thursday, June 22: A light switch was switched off Minutes before a US Coast Guard news conference Thursday afternoon, OceanGate Expeditions issued a statement grieving the five men on board. We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost, OceanGate said in a statement. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the worlds oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. Mauger told reporters the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion. The tail cone and other debris from the missing submersible were found by a remotely operated vehicle about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, Mauger said. The families were immediately notified. Five different major pieces of debris from the submersible were found in the area Thursday morning, officials said. Each end of the pressure hull was found in a different place, according to Paul Hankins, US Navy director of Salvage Operations and Ocean Engineering. The US Navy said it detected an acoustic signature consistent with an implosion on Sunday in the general area where the submersible was diving when it lost communication, a senior Navy official told CNN. The Navy then immediately relayed the information to the commanders leading the search effort, and it was used to narrow down the area of the search, the official said. Still, the sound of the implosion was determined to be not definitive, the official said, and the multinational efforts to find the submersible continued as a search and rescue operation. Flowers are seen at an anchor at King's Beach at the port of St John's in Newfoundland, Canada. - Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty Images Any chance of saving a life is worth continuing the mission, the official said. The US Navy also helped analyze the audio signatures of banging and other acoustic data that were heard during the search efforts, the Navy official said. Those were likely some form of natural life or sounds given off by other ships and vessels, according to the official. Its unclear where or how deep the Titan was when the implosion occurred. A catastrophic implosion is incredibly quick, taking place within just a fraction of a millisecond, said Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University. Ultimately, among the many ways in which we can pass, thats painless, she said. Tom Dettweiler, an ocean explorer and friend of Nargeolet, on Thursday recalled an experts description of a catastrophic implosion in an Israeli submarine in 1968. For the crew, it was just like a light switch was switched off, he remembered the expert saying. They didnt even realize what was happening. They didnt suffer. CNNs Alisha Ebrahimji, Paul P. Murphy, Oren Liebermann, Curt Devine, Isabelle Chapman, Gabe Cohen, Kristina Sgueglia, Nouran Salahieh, Priscilla Alvarez, Mostafa Salem, Sofia Cox, Hira Humayun, Laura Ly, Eric Levenson, Elizabeth Wolfe, Rob Frehse, Steve Almasy and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Republican presidential candidate and former US vice president Mike Pence delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 23, 2023 in Washington (Drew Angerer) He has been indicted over hush money payments to a porn star and found liable in a sexual abuse lawsuit in a tumultuous start to his reelection campaign -- but America's evangelicals just can't quit Donald Trump. The 45th president of the United States -- who is vying to be the 47th -- has spent years mired in legal and ethical scandals, from accusations that he abused his office and tried to subvert a free-and-fair election to alleged affairs. Yet the 77-year-old Republican remains as popular as ever on the Christian right, his appeal abundantly evident at Road to Majority, a weekend gathering of 3,000 evangelicals from the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington. "Together we're warriors in a righteous crusade to stop the arsonists, the atheists, the globalists and the Marxists," Trump said in characteristically apocalyptic language, as he delivered the keynote address at the closing gala to rapt applause. "That's what they are. And we will restore our Republic as one nation under God." It took some persuasion for white evangelicals to come around to Trump when he announced he was running for president in 2015. But once they were in, they were all-in. Non-Hispanic white Republicans who attend church regularly backed him by 81 percent in 2016 and 76 percent in 2020 -- statistics that astonish those who question the former reality TV star's religious credentials. "It's the difference between a representative and a leader," Suzzanne Monk, a 50-year-old conservative political activist, told AFP as she attempted to explain Trump's enduring popularity. "Many of the politicians we have seen over decades are representatives... and they do the absolute minimum to keep themselves reelected. Donald J. Trump looks at situations and tries to rectify the situation." - 'Cult of personality'? - Trump's famously devout vice president Mike Pence, who is running a distant third in the race for the 2024 nomination, would seem the more obvious fit for evangelicals. But he was booed at the 2021 Road to Majority over his refusal to help Trump overturn his election defeat and received largely polite applause this year. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, the only speaker to explicitly criticize Trump, was roundly booed for saying the Republican leader had let the country down. The conference was being staged on the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court ending the nationwide right to abortion and Trump has voiced disquiet about some of the more restrictive curbs being pushed in conservative states. He also sparked fury among some leaders on the Christian right when he blamed harsh restrictions on abortion for Republican underperformance in the 2022 midterm election -- and he has refused to commit to a federal ban during the 2024 campaign. Yet the twice-divorced Trump, who is under indictment over hush money paid to a porn actress for an alleged sexual encounter, was undoubtedly the star of the show. "I consider it a great badge of courage. I'm being indicted for you and I believe the 'you' is more than 200 million people that love our country," he told the crowd, earning more cheers. In his opening remarks, Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, denied there was a "cult of personality" around Trump among evangelicals. - 'Only one candidate' - Delegates at the conference appeared to agree, with many speaking approvingly of Trump's record rather than commenting on his personality. Two theories of the case for another Trump term emerged: first, that he fights for his supporters like no one else in politics; and second, that he delivered more of their policy priorities than any other modern president, from protecting religious freedoms and nominating three of the Supreme Court justices who gutted abortion rights. Monk, the political activist, pointed to Trump being the first sitting president to attend the annual anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington in 2020, and his early advocacy for parental choice in education. "It's not about, 'Do we match? Are we the same people?' It's about, 'Will you put my values into policy?'" she said. "And that's why these folks all love Donald Trump." Enzo Alcindor, who manages a real estate office in south Florida, said he voted twice for Trump's main primary rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but would be four-square behind Trump in 2024. "The other (candidates) do not have the melons -- let me say it that way -- to represent us, to fight for us, to defend us against the machine," says Alcindor, who is in his 50s and came to the United States from Haiti in 1986. "So there is only one, and only one candidate for me. It's president Donald Trump." ft/tjj US intel community still believes Covid-19 could have originated from lab or in wild The US intelligence community still believes it is plausible that Covid-19 originated in a laboratory or in the wild, a conclusion that has been consistent for months, according to newly declassified information released Friday evening. All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection, a report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence states. The report was released after Congress passed a law in March requiring the intelligence community to declassify intelligence related to the origin of the virus and any links to a lab in Wuhan, China. Every US intelligence agency still unanimously agrees that Covid-19 was not developed as a biological weapon but there remains no consensus as to the virus origins, according to the ODNI report. And almost all American intelligence agencies also assess that the virus itself was not genetically engineered, the report states. Most agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not laboratory-adapted; some are unable to make a determination. All IC agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not developed as a biological weapon, according to the ODNI report. Variations in IC analytic views on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic largely stem from differences in how agencies weigh intelligence reporting and scientific publications and intelligence and scientific gaps. At the same time, the intelligence community remains divided on the most likely origins of Covid-19, as CNN has previously reported. US intelligence agencies remain split over whether it resulted from a lab leak or occurred in the wild. It also details the US intelligence communitys understanding of why several researchers at WIV fell ill in the fall of 2019, immediately before the outbreak of Covid-19 saying this information neither supports nor refutes either hypothesis of the pandemics origins because the researchers symptoms could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com US special counsel seeks delay to start of Trump documents trial until Dec WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Friday asked a federal judge to delay the start of former President Donald Trump's trial on charges of willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice until Dec. 11, a court filing showed. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon set an initial trial date of Aug. 14. But Smith, in the filing, said the Aug. 14 date "would deny counsel for the defendant or the attorney for the Government the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation." Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president for the 2024 election, was arraigned in federal court in Miami last week, during which he pleaded not guilty to charges he unlawfully kept national security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them. The case will need to proceed under a strict and meticulous set of rules set forth in a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act, which aims to protect classified evidence and manage how such records can be disclosed. In the filing, Smith said the start of the trial should be delayed so Trump's lawyers have time to get security clearances to review classified documents. Smith laid out a schedule in the lead up to the proposed Dec. 11 start of jury selection, including a Sept. 5 deadline for all defense discovery requests. He said Trump's lawyers do not oppose scrapping the Aug. 14 trial start date but he anticipates they will file a motion opposing the prosecution's proposed schedule. A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Sandra Maler and Jacqueline Wong) Solar panels are photographed in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 12, 2023. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News Solar advocates, long critical of how Rocky Mountain Power makes its decisions on compensating rooftop solar customers who provide energy to the grid, have another reason to be unhappy after a court ruling issued this week. We are incredibly disappointed about the courts decision not to address important issues in this case. Families and businesses in Utah are eager to use distributed solar to improve their energy independence and be a part of the clean energy economy, but this decision perpetuates a status quo where utilities have outsized influence to limit their customers electricity choices, said Kate Bowman, the Interior West Regulatory director for Vote Solar. Customers with rooftop solar generate energy that counts against their monthly bill. An abundance of energy can bring that monthly utility bill down dramatically. If the generation is more than the customer uses, it goes onto the grid to be used by others. Since the programs inception, controversy has dogged what the rate of compensation should be for rooftop customers. Vote Solar challenged an order issued by the Public Service Commission that allows an annual expiration of unused solar credits and does not calculate anything other than the utilitys actual avoided costs net metering provides, such as deferring new infrastructure investment. Advocates wanted public health and climate included in the calculation for solar reimbursement. Related But in a decision by the Utah Supreme Court on Thursday, justices said there is sufficient evidence to back the Public Service Commissions order that grants the utility company its ability to invoke an annual expiration date on solar credits. The court agreed with the Public Service Commissions decision to also allow the utility company the ability to annually review its export credit rate. The commission also noted that if Customer Generators wanted a fixed long-term rate in exchange for solar power, they could become a commercial generator under Schedule 37, an option that is not available to customers who do not sell energy to Rocky Mountain Power, the court said. Moreover, multiple experts testified that updating the export credit rate annually could ensure costs would not be shifted onto non-power-generating residential Rocky Mountain Power customers. Vote Solar rejected the argument by Rocky Mountain Power over its reasoning behind mandating that solar credits expire each year. According to the rationale, allowing the credits to roll over would lead to customer generators purchasing generating systems far beyond their needs in hopes of not just offsetting their own electric use but also making money selling power to Rocky Mountain Power, the court said. The opinion largely centered on whether the order by the Public Service Commission should be considered intermediate or final which would mean a final decision is subject to judicial review. In its ruling, the justices said the commission had made final its decision on expiration of credits and export credit rates undergoing an annual review, but its analysis on what costs play a role in compensation to rooftop solar customers were not not part of the official appeal. This means we lack jurisdiction to consider Vote Solars challenges centered on whether the Public Service Commission analyzed the costs and benefits of net metering before creating the export credit rate, it said. The commission had said factors like carbon emissions, public health and other environmental considerations were outside its purview at this time. Utah Clean Energy also expressed its disappointment in the ruling. Rooftop solar is a tool that our utilities and policymakers should leverage to improve the diversity, flexibility, and resiliency of the electric grid, especially in the face of more extreme weather, said the organizations climate scientist, Logan Mitchell. While many Utahns continue to go solar and increase their energy independence, the fact remains that we are not utilizing the full potential of locally sourced solar power. Virginia primaries have set the stage for a fall political battlefield: Here are key takeaways The General Assemblys primary elections are over, setting up the battle for political control of the statehouse in the fall. Its hard to predict at this point, said Alex Keena, assistant professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University. But I think (the general election) will be a lot more competitive with a lot more interest and more attack ads than weve seen in a long time. With Republicans currently controlling the governors mansion and the House of Delegates, Keena said theres plenty at stake. The (possibility of) Republicans having unified control will drive a lot more interest in this election, he said. And I think Democrats will be able to use the abortion issue to really motivate a lot of the electorate. This years primaries and general elections are the first for state lawmakers under new district boundaries. Keena said the primaries were the first wave of bloodshed since redistricting and turned out to be brutal for some incumbents. Actually, I guess it was probably the second wave because the first was really when a bunch of incumbents decided they wouldnt even try to run because the deck was stacked against them, he said. Redistricting just completely changed everything. Five incumbent senators across the state lost to challengers. The shake ups included the ousting of far-right Republican Sen. Amanda Chase and Democrat Sens. Chap Petersen and George Barker. In Hampton Roads, most residents didnt appear invested in the primaries. Across the region, Department of Elections data showed low turnout Tuesday. The highest in the region was 15% in Portsmouth in the Democratic primaries. For Republican primaries, Isle of Wight County saw 13% turnout, followed by 9% in Suffolk and Chesapeake. Here are a few other takeaways from this years primaries. ___ Big changes ahead for Senate committee One of the most powerful committees in the General Assembly is about to undergo a major shakeup. The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, which leads the states budget negotiations, is headed by chair Janet Howell and co-chair Barker. Howell, D-Fairfax, is not seeking reelection this year. And Barker, D-Alexandria, was defeated Tuesday by Stella Pekarsky. Keena said the loss of a longtime legislator like Barker will have a notable impact on the committee. When you lose an incumbent like that, you lose the personal connections (they had) too, he said. There is a lot of tension between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, but there is also a lot of trust between a person like Barker and his colleagues. They know him as a person and his style and how he governs and legislates. Keena said Howells departure could benefit Hampton Roads. Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, won her primary Tuesday and is favored to win in the Democrat-leaning District 18 in the general election. If reelected, Lucas will become the senior member of the committee and take on the role of chair. That is going to be huge for the Hampton Roads region, Keena said. At the end of the day, you do still have to pass the budget (with other legislators), but its still a very powerful position. The chair and co-chair of the committee along with the chair of its counterpart in the House largely work on the budget proposal behind closed doors with little input from other legislators. The other lawmakers only get to vote on the final proposal. At that point, those who object to any provisions in the document have limited options. They would have to vote down the entire proposal to prevent any part from passing, and legislators are generally reluctant to hold up the budget. Throughout her campaign against fellow incumbent Sen. Lionell Spruill, Lucas stressed that it would be advantageous for Hampton Roads to have a local legislator leading the committee because she could ensure the regions needs werent overlooked. For years, the panel has been headed by Democrats from Northern Virginia. ___ Controversial Democrat ousted In one of Tuesdays most watched races, Lashrecse Aird defeated Sen. Joe Morrissey in the Democratic primary for Senate District 13. It was in some ways surprising, Keena said. If youve been following Virginia politics for awhile, you tend to think hes invincible because he keeps coming back and seems to be immune to scandal. The professor said Airds victory likely will help with party unity moving forward. In a news release earlier this year, the Virginia Senate Democratic Womens Caucus slammed Morrissey for divisive and destructive public behavior and alleged he used his potential votes on abortion as a cudgel against fellow caucus members. Morrissey, D-Richmond, has shared his personal opposition to abortion, which has long led to uncertainty about how he might vote on reproductive rights. Morrissey also has survived numerous public scandals, including a stint in jail. The legislator was accused of having sex with his teenage secretary the two later married and had children. He was convicted in 2014 of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In 2022, he received a pardon from outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam. The couple are now separated. ___ Governors endorsements held strong Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a successful night Tuesday, with all 10 of the Republican candidates he endorsed winning their primaries. Those who received his seal of approval: Bill Woolf in Senate District 30; Sen. Bryce Reeves in Senate District 28; Del. Tara Durant in Senate District 27; Del. Emily Brewer in Senate District 17; Del. John McGuire in Senate District 10; Mike Dillender in House District 84; Lee Peters in House District 65; Del. Buddy Fowler in House District 59; Del. Jason Ballard in House District 42 and John Stirrup in House District 21. Dave Rexrode, chairman of the Spirit of Virginia, a political action committee formed by Youngkin, said their victories were a clear sign of momentum. The Governor was willing to engage both directly with those candidates and fund critical get-out-the-vote programs to ensure they were successful, he said in a statement. Brewer, of Smithfield, said she believed Younkins endorsement helped her. She defeated Hermie Sadler, a former NASCAR driver and political newcomer. The voters trust Governor Youngkin and have now placed that trust in me, she said. I look forward to working closely with Governor Youngkin to take back the Virginia Senate this year. All 140 seats in the statehouse are up for election. Tuesdays results, and the Republican candidates who earned nominations, were evidence of a unified Republican Party, Rexrode said. The Governor, along with House and Senate leadership, are all on the same page; we are working together to run a coordinated and unified campaign, he wrote, contrasting that with infighting among Democrats during the primaries. Republicans were not immune to drama in the aftermath of the primaries, however. Chase has said shes considering a legal challenge after making unsubstantiated allegations of fraud while Del. Marie March, a Floyd County Republican who also lost her race, lashed out at Youngkin over his endorsements. ___ Both parties eager to move on On Wednesday, Democrat and Republican leaders were eager to focus on November. I think we have a very easy and strong case against the Republicans who are being led by former president Donald Trump and MAGA extremism, House Minority Leader Don Scott said during a virtual news conference. Scott, from Portsmouth, said Democrats would protect voting rights and reproductive health care. He slammed Republicans for supporting corporate tax cuts and working to ban books in schools. Meanwhile, House Speaker Todd Gilbert said in a Wednesday news release Republicans were committed to improving education and making communities safer. (Democrats) refuse to hold violent criminals accountable, want higher taxes, and parents uninvolved in their childrens education, he said. The choice this November could not be more clear. Josh Janney contributed to this report. Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com davey cartoon When Vladimir Putin authorised the creation of the Wagner Group back in 2014, the aim was to provide him with his own private army that would help him to expand Russias global reach. So the Russian president has only himself to blame for the fact that, rather than fulfilling his dream of re-establishing Russia as a major world power, the mercenary monster he helped to create has weakened his regime, even if Yevgeny Prigozhin did turn back. But then what did Putin expect when he opted to make a known criminal like Prigozhin head of the Wagner Group? Prior to his sudden emergence on the Kremlin scene, Prigozhins main claim to fame was the 13-year stretch in a Russian penal colony he was given for his role in the violent mugging of a young woman in St Petersburg. Prigozhin may have tried to portray himself as a reformed character after his release, making his fortune managing restaurants, but his criminal instincts have never been far from the surface in his running of Wagner. In Ukraine, where Wagner was recently involved in the assault of the eastern city of Bakhmut, Russian prisoners were recruited to Wagners ranks after Prigozhin personally toured a number of Russian prison camps. His message was simple: fight for six months, and those that survive will have their freedom guaranteed. Prisoners who opted to join Wagners ranks did so because, as one of them remarked of Prigozhin, Hes one of us and speaks our language. But many of them have come to regret their decision, as thousands of former Russian convicts are said to have been killed during the Bakhmut offensive as Russian commanders resorted to their traditional meat grinder tactics, where no serious consideration is given to casualties. Nor was Prigozhin the most sympathetic of commanders, despite his subsequent claim that Wagners high death toll at Bakhmut was due to the woeful lack of support it received from the official Russian military. Earlier this year he appeared to tacitly endorse a video showing the murder, with a sledgehammer, of a Wagner defector who had apparently been handed back by the Ukrainians in a prisoner exchange. A dogs death for a dog, Prigozhin reportedly said. The Wagner leaders frustration with the Russian militarys unimpressive performance in Ukraine has been evident for some time, as has his contempt for senior Russian defence officials such as defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the defence staff Valery Gerasimov, whom he claims bear much of the responsibility for Russias war failings. In a particularly incendiary interview that he gave last month, Prigozhin anticipated the coup that he came close to launching yesterday against the Kremlin when he warned Moscows disastrous handling of the Ukraine conflict could result in Russia facing a 1917-style revolution. The guilty people will receive their punishment as a minimum, theyll be hanged on the Red Square, he warned, claiming Russian elites in Russia were living comfortably while troops are dying on the front lines. With a 25,000-strong force at his disposal, and having seized control of the southern city of Rostov, Prigozhin could have caused much more damage with his so-called March for Justice. Whether, in the long term, Putin can survive the embarrassment of having been challenged by his erstwhile protege, whom he yesterday denounced as a traitor, will depend to a considerable extent on whether he can win the support of Russias military establishment. Putins relationship with these elites has been strained in the past, as he humiliated senior intelligence figures. Can he now rely on them? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Voices: Is this the end for Putin? His country now stands on the edge of civil war Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on monitors as he addresses the nation after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, called for armed rebellion and reached the southern city of Rostov-on-Don with his troops, in Moscow. (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (AP) One of the most astonishing episodes in modern history is unfolding by the hour as Russia appears to be on the precipice of civil war. Artillery and airstrikes rain down on the countrys own forces, and the fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin appear to be marching on Moscow. Although the immediate sense of danger for the Vladimir Putin regime eased as the Wagner Group leader halted his advance on Saturday night. Vladimir Putin gave an emergency televised address after the Wagner mercenary group occupied the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which has acted as a base of operations for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The president spoke of the bitter strife following the revolution in 1917, when Russians were killing Russians, and warned that his country was facing the toughest battle for its future, it is a question of Russias millennial history. In a night and morning of constant twists and turns Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict and former ally of the president, appeared in Rostov and demanded that the Russian military high command, Putins bete noire defence minister Sergei Shoigu, and military chief Valery Gerasimov attend to him. Failure to do so, said Putins Chef (the nickname from the many government catering contracts Prigozhin was awarded), would mean he and his tanks would head for Moscow. Hours later there were reports that Wagner fighters had taken over Voronezh, just 500 miles from the capital. Russian warplanes, according to a number of monitoring sites, have been carrying out airstrikes on the A4 highway. The reports cannot be independently verified. A counter-terrorism regime was reported to have been enforced in Moscow and surrounding districts with units of Spetsnaz, special forces, FSBs Alpha Force, the National Guard and Rosgvardiya (a force Prigozhin has appealed to join him) sent to protect the routes to Moscow. Wagners offices in St Petersburg, as well as Prigozhin-linked properties, were raided by Russian police. Little of the groups operational planning for Ukraine was carried out from there. But there could, say security officials, be details of the companys highly lucrative business ventures, including billions of dollars in gold and other mining operations in Africa. Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes continued in Ukraine with a number of cities, including Kyiv, being hit. But the disarray and division in Russian ranks should now provide a massive boost to the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which had, hitherto, been making little progress. Yevgeny Prigozhin (centre) speaking with Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev (right) and Russian defence deputy minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov (left) (TELEGRAM / @razgruzka_vagnera/AF) Putins invasion, which sought to occupy Ukraine in a matter of days and impose regime change on Kyiv, has ended up threatening the power structure in the Kremlin. As of now, the chances of a Russian victory seem to be remote. The 1905 revolution in Russia began after another failed war, against Japan, and although the chances of something on that scale may still be unlikely, some of the Kremlins exiled opponents were dreaming of a victorious return. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an anti-Kremlin figure and former oil tycoon, urged Russians to support the Wagner Group, We need to help now; and then, if necessary, we will fight this one, too, he said. He added that it was important to back even the devil if he decided to take on the Kremlin. And yes, this is just the beginning. A member of Wagner Group stands guard in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don (AFP via Getty) Russian exiled militia, supported by Ukrainian forces, have been carrying out cross-border raids for some months now. They were waiting, they said, for orders to carry out major operations. Nicolai Koznetsov, a member of the Freedom for Russia Legion, wanted to stress the following: We have been saying for a long time about anger in the [Russian] military, not just Wagner, but other units. We are going to see this now spread very quickly, just watch. A lot of the army will not oppose Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a message on Telegram on Saturday morning declaring that he and his fighters were prepared to sacrifice themselves for the country. All of us are ready to die, all 25,000, and then another 25,000, we will do so for the Russian people. More than 80 per cent of Wagners fighters in Ukraine, it is estimated, are convicts who have been recruited in a prison amnesty and it is unclear whether they would indeed be prepared to sacrifice themselves in a war in which the odds numerically and in terms of weaponry are stacked against them. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on 8 April 2023 (AP) For the time being, holding Rostov gives Prigozhin enormous leverage. The city, just 60 miles from the Ukrainian border, is the base of Russias southern military district command, and the 58th Combined Arms Army facing the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Wagner is controlling the airport from where, Prigozhin has claimed, Russian warplanes have been attacking his fighters on orders of Shoigu. He announced that we took [the airport] under control so that attack aviation did not strike us, but strike Ukrainians. He also insisted that his fighters would not interfere with the conduct of the war. How long will he maintain that position? According to recently leaked Pentagon papers, Prigozhin was prepared to reveal troop and ammunition positions in return for the Ukrainians ending assaults on his mercenary fighters and withdraw from Bakhmut, the Donbas town which has been turned into a charnel house after months of savage fighting. Volodymyr Zelenskys government, according to the documents, distrusted and turned down the offer. The US administration, when made aware of the proposed deal, had also urged caution. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of GUR, the Ukrainian military intelligence service, who allegedly held the talks with Prigozhin, has refused to comment. Prigozhin is now in the centre of the arena. What he does, and what happens to him, will play an important role in not just the Ukraine war, but whether there really is a civil war in Russia. Wagnerites Vanguard units of the Wagner mercenary company have reached the outskirts of Borisoglebsk in Russias Voronezh Oblast, where a warehouse with nuclear weapons is located, possibly aiming to seize the facility. Thats according to Atesh, a partisan movement in Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory, reporting on Telegram on June 24, referring to an agent from the Wagner Group. Read also: Wagner rebels enter Moscow Oblast, heading for Russian capital The warehouse known as 375 Facility C is under control of Department 12th of the Russian Defense Ministry. "Probably, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be unable to protect the warehouse with their own forces, Atesh said. After all, there are very few forces and resources. A significant number of tanks, artillery and motorized professional infantry are required. At least a brigade is necessary. And since there are no free troops now, the only way to get reinforcements is to withdraw operational reserves from the front. Read also: Videos of fighting between Wagner and regime troops pop up on social media They also noted that the fighting over the Voronezh nuclear facility will likely lead to an escalation of hostilities between the Wagnerites and regime-loyal Russian government forces. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23 declared war on the Russian Defense Ministry after an alleged attack by the Russian army on his mercenaries military camp. The attack came against the background of his long-standing feud with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to media reports, Wagner mercenaries took control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh on June 24. Prigozhin demands access to Russias top military leadership, threatening to advance towards Moscow. In his address on June 24, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that the military had received an order to neutralize those who organized the insurrection. Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence reported that preparations are being made for a siege against the background of PMC Wagner's actions in Moscow military equipment is being brought there, the Russian capital city is practically isolated by security forces. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Wagner boss Prigozhin claims he and his forces are entering Russia, vowing to 'destroy anyone' that gets in their way Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed he and his troops were marching on Russia. The mercenary leader triggered panic by pledging to take up arms against Russia's defense ministry. A military strategist warned against drawing conclusions: "There's more we don't know than we do." Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his mercenary troops were entering Russia early Saturday morning as the country appeared to be battening down for a fight. Prigozhin triggered panic on Friday as he slammed Russia's "evil" defense ministry in a series of social media statements that included a pledge to take up arms against the agency following allegations the government ministry conducted a missile strike that killed a number of his for-hire fighters. In a subsequent Telegram audio post, Prigozhin said he and his troops had driven into the Russian region of Rostov where they were met by young draftees who offered no resistance. He said his forces aren't "fighting against children," according to an Associated Press translation. "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," Prigozhin added. "We are moving forward and will go until the end." At least two Russian generals took to Telegram on Friday to appeal directly to Wagner troops in a display that hinted at the defense ministry's growing unease over Prigozhin's threats. General Sergey Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia's war effort in Ukraine, urged the mercenary forces to "stop their armored columns" and detain their rogue leader. Surovkin's mention of "armored columns" suggests the veracity of Prigozhin's claims could be more legitimate than his typical bravado. Still, there is no confirmed video evidence that Prigozhin and his troops are heading toward the city of Rostov in columns. Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian military and military strategist, cautioned against drawing conclusions in the early hours of chaos. "There's more we don't know than we do know," Ryan told Insider. "There's a lot of information operations and influence activities going on but what's actually happening on the ground is unclear." Russian state media Tass reported Friday that military checkpoints had been established near the district headquarters in Rostov and traffic stopped in the region, with military and law enforcement "upholding the public order." Numerous police cars and an armored personnel carrier were spotted near the Rostov headquarters of the Southern Military District, according to Tass. But whether or not Rostov's apparent lockdown is proof of an impending Prigozhin coup remains to be seen, Ryan said. "It could well be," he said. "Or it could be a regional governor overreacting to a few Telegram posts." As chaos mounts, Russian civilians and officials attempted to refocus attention on the country's ongoing war effort in Ukraine, posting Telegram messages encouraging Russian troops to remember the real "enemy" Ukraine. "Whether this is a coup or just a crazy night of chaos, we'll find out," Ryan said. "Though knowing Russia, we'll never know all the details." Read the original article on Business Insider LUANDA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The general secretary of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, Ji Xianzheng, said the Macao-based organization is fully committed to strengthening cooperation with economic and business sectors in Angola. Ji made the remarks during a meeting with Angola's Minister of External Relations Tete Antonio on Thursday in the capital Luanda. The general secretary also announced the intention of institutional sponsorship for a sister cities project, with a focus on technical assistance in human resources training. The Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, also known as Forum Macao, was launched in October 2003. It aims to enhance economic and trade exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, assigning a key role to Macao as an economic and trade platform between China and these countries. Tete Antonio affirmed the Angolan government's commitment to leveraging the experience and knowledge of Forum Macao, particularly in the areas of the blue economy, entrepreneurship and development fund. He also expressed support for hosting the 6th ministerial conference of Forum Macao. Wagner boss says he will turn back to avoid bloodshed after coming within hours of Moscow Wagner boss says he will turn back to avoid bloodshed after coming within hours of Moscow Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as he stand next to Wagner fighters in an undisclosed location in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS Wagner mercenaries came within hours of Moscow, threatening Putin's grip on power. The Russian forces are led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a billionaire and former close ally of Putin. Prigozhin's defiant march toward Moscow was the culmination of a months-long feud with top Russian military leaders. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has said he's ordering his mercenary forces to turn back before entering Moscow, claiming he doesn't want to shed a drop of Russian blood. In an audio message posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said he was reversing course to prevent violence. The billionaire, who claims to be commanding a force of 25,000 men, said his troops would now be returning to their camps. "According to plan," he claimed. The sudden reversal comes after the government of Belarus claimed that President Aleksandr Lukashenko had been in talks all Saturday with Prigozhin. Lukashenko, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, had earlier spoken with his Russian counterpart, according to a press statement, and was able to reach an agreement with Wagner's commander "on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia." Moscow had been preparing for armed conflict. On Saturday afternoon, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin urged residents to remain indoors and refrain from unnecessary travel even ordering them to stay home from work on Monday while authorities conducted a "counter-terrorist operation." Prigozhin had for years been a close ally of the Russian president, dubbed "Putin's chef" after growing wealthy from state catering contracts. But the outspoken billionaire feuded with Russian military leaders ever since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, accusing them of sabotaging the war effort. He launched his "march for justice" on Friday after claiming, without hard evidence, that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. In a speech on Saturday, Putin accused Prigozhin of treason. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, with Russia's FSB accusing him of inciting an armed rebellion. With much of the Russian military bogged down in Ukraine, however, few security forces have been left to challenge Wagner directly. The mercenaries were quickly able to capture Rostov-on-Don, a port city home to more than one million people, before continuing on toward Moscow. Russian authorities had sought to thwart Wagner's progress by blocking and indeed sabotaging the M4 highway, which runs from the capital to Rostov-on-Don. According to videos and photos shared on social media, Wagner forces were also in possession of advanced air defense equipment, limiting the Kremlin's ability to attack them from the sky. Read the original article on Business Insider (Bloomberg) -- Convoys of mercenaries loyal to Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin advanced toward Moscow on Saturday, intensifying the most serious threat in decades to the authority of President Vladimir Putin who accused them of treason. Most Read from Bloomberg The insurrection is without precedent in Putins nearly quarter-century rule in Russia, jolting a country trying to sustain a war in Ukraine thats the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Its unfolding against the backdrop of a Ukrainian counteroffensive across some of the area where Wagners troops deployed for months in the wars longest and bloodiest battle. In a televised address to the nation, a grave-looking Putin said those who organized and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia and will answer for it. He threatened harsh retaliation, calling the uprising a stab in the back. The mere fact of Putin having to address the Russia people on the issue was a sign of how the Kremlin was caught off guard by the sheer speed of Prigozhins advance to the capital, where the president is holed up getting round-the-clock updates. https://t.co/6LXVc8G1re pic.twitter.com/CpKzCZtrqc Bloomberg (@business) June 24, 2023 US President Joe Biden discussed the unfolding situation in Russia with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The leaders also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, according to a White House statement. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Monday a non-working day for all but essential services and advised residents to avoid traveling around the city, saying roads may be blocked off in the complicated situation. The governor of Moscow region canceled all public events outdoors and in educational centers until July 1. After Prigozhin vowed to lead a march of justice at Putins center of power, he posted a video of himself early Saturday at what he said were military offices under Wagners control in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, one of the main operational centers for Russian forces deployed in Ukraine. The claim couldnt be independently confirmed. His forces later advanced along the route of the main M4 highway linking Moscow to Rostov. Videos appeared on social media showing military helicopters flying over the city of Voronezh where a fuel storage depot was rocked by an explosion. Regional Governor Alexander Gusev said the depot was on fire, without giving an explanation. Wagners forces were then seen moving through the Lipetsk region about 350 kilometers (218 miles) from Moscow, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram, urging residents to stay in their homes. The governor of nearby Kaluga announced travel restrictions into the region thats about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the capital. Seizing Moment The question now is whether Prigozhin is able to capitalize on his momentum or whether the revolt fizzles out as the Kremlin strives to gain the upper hand. While Putin has the support of Russias military hierarchy, its difficult to assess the response of the armys lower ranks, Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik, a political consulting firm, said on Telegram. If orders to open fire are issued, how will individual soldiers react? she said. Officials announced a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region as well as in Voronezh region. Photographs appeared on social media of roadblocks on approaches to the capital. The Kremlin was taking no chances. Security in Moscow was tightened including around government buildings, and riot police were put on alert, state-run Tass news service reported. Russia opened a criminal case against Prigozhin and the Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him. Ready to Die Putin is deeply mistaken to attack Wagner and nobody is going to turn himself in at the request of the president, Prigozhin said in an audio post on Telegram. His troops were patriots who answered the Kremlins call to join the war in Ukraine and dont want Russia to continue living in corruption, deception and bureaucracy, he said. We are all ready to die, Prigozhin said in a separate audio message, claiming Wagner had 25,000 troops involved and another 25,000 who were ready to join. It wasnt possible to verify those claims. What Is Russias Wagner Group and Why Is It Accused of Mutiny? Group of Seven foreign ministers held a call to discuss the dramatic escalation in a long-running feud between the powerful Wagner founder and Russias defense establishment over the faltering invasion. A US official argued that it was clear Prigozhin has become a liability for the Russian military, but that no one nearly as effective is waiting in the wings. Even if he were replaced assuming Putin even can the Russian military would face the difficult task of managing a disparate group of mercenaries that includes criminals, the official said. The German government admitted it was taken by surprise, according to officials there. As recently as Friday, a senior government official shared the assumption that Prigozhin was acting on behalf of Putin, the official said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the crisis exposed Russias full-scale weakness. Putin didnt name Prigozhin during his five-minute broadcast in which he said excessive ambitions and personal interests led to treason against the state and the cause for which Wagner fighters and commanders fought and died. He drew a comparison with divisions in Russia during World War I that led to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and civil war. Russias Descent Into Chaos Marks a Good Day For Ukraine Putin discussed the situation by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed complete support for the Russian authorities, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Russian leader also held phone talks with his ally, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, the state-run Belta news service reported. Putin spoke by phone, too, with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Kazakh leaders press service said. Long-Brewing Feud Prigozhin, 62, has for months attacked Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top army officials in Moscow, alleging they failed to adequately support Wagner forces fighting in Ukraine, particularly during battles for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. He has also repeatedly called for the authorities to introduce tougher measures including full mobilization and martial law to prosecute the war in Ukraine, warning that Russia risked defeat without them. Russian Wagner Chief Blasts Outcome of Putins Ukraine War Goals Putin had long appeared to tolerate the mercenarys outbursts, relying on his troops to fight in key parts of the front. But his high profile rankled the military brass, which regularly sought to undermine and sideline him. Tensions erupted Friday when Prigozhin posted a series of audio messages on his Telegram channel vowing to punish Russias military leaders for what he alleged was a missile attack on a Wagner base and the losses of tens of thousands of Russian troops in the war. He accused Shoigu of overseeing an operation to destroy Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied Prigozhins claims about a strike. Frictions had been rising again in recent weeks after Shoigu set a July 1 deadline for all volunteer units to sign a formal contract with the Defense Ministry an order Prigozhin bluntly rejected. Putin backed the ministrys demand during a meeting with Russian journalists and military bloggers last week. (Updates with Biden call with European leaders in fifth paragraph, Moscow Mayor in sixth) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Wagner chief to move to Belarus in deal to defuse rebellion as Russia drops charges Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus and the criminal case against him will be dropped, as part of a deal to defuse his private mercenary groups rebellion, a Kremlin spokesperson said on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Prigozhins troops will also not face prosecution for their participation in the armed mutiny, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. Those who did not participate will be offered contracts by the Russian Defense Ministry, The Associated Press reported. Prigozhin, whose army began advancing on Moscow on Friday, said that his troops would return to their bases on Saturday to avoid shedding Russian blood. We [are] turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan, he said in a message on Telegram. Related coverage from The Hill Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, helped negotiate the deal with Prigozhin, according to a statement from Lukashenkos office. Prigozhin had called for an armed rebellion to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power, after alleging that the Russian military killed scores of his fighters in a strike on a Wagner camp site. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here Putin vowed to put down the armed mutiny earlier on Saturday, saying that Russias response would be harsh. All those who have consciously chosen the path of betrayal, planned an armed mutiny and taken the path of blackmail and terrorism, will inevitably be punished and will answer before the law and our people, Putin said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Wagner chief says his fighters crossed into Russia as Moscow calls for surrender Wagner chief says his fighters crossed into Russia as Moscow calls for surrender The chief of the private contractor Wagner Group said his fighters crossed into Russias territory as Moscow calls for the surrender of his forces and ultimately his arrest. Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion on Friday to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power. The push follows the Wagner chiefs accusations that the Russian military attacked his groups campsite and killed many of his fighters. Prigozhin claimed on Saturday local time that Wagner forces left Ukraine where they had been fighting and went into Russian territory, reaching the town of Rostov. He vowed in a series of social media posts on Friday that his soldiers would destroy anyone who stands in our way. We are moving forward and will go until the end, he said. Related coverage from The Hill Wagner has been assisting the Russian military in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was key to Russia capturing the city of Bakhmut last month, but tensions have been rising between the groups as Russia has struggled to make gains for months and is trying to fight off a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Prigozhin denounced Russian justifications for the war as false, saying that Ukraine was not persecuting ethnic Russians in its territory or threatening them, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed. He also accused Russian oligarchs of being responsible for the war starting and said they were using the war to try to take resources from Ukraine. He said they were practically ruling Russia now. The Russian Defense Ministry denied Prigozhins claims, and Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee opened a criminal case against him on allegations that he was inciting an armed rebellion. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here The Federal Security Services, the successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, charged him with armed rebellion and called for his arrest as Wagner forces moved forward. Security was heightened in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, where the Russian military headquarters for the southern region is located. The headquarters also oversees the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin said Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, sent warplanes to strike the Wagner Groups convoys, but his forces took down a military helicopter that had fired at a civilian convoy. Russian social networks have not yet confirmed Prigozhins claims that his forces entered Rostov. The Wagner chief said Gerasimov met with Shoigu and decided to destroy Wagner. He has said he has 25,000 soldiers under his command and called on the Russian army to not resist. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, he said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin has been informed of the developments and all necessary measures are being taken. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Wagner fighters almost certainly aim to march on Moscow, UK intel says. What happens next depends on the loyalty of Russia's security forces. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of an armoured vehicle in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Reuters Wagner Group fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in an apparent armed rebellion. Further, the UK MoD said that Wagner units are heading toward Moscow on Saturday. What happens next will largely depend on the loyalty of Russia's security forces, the department said. Wagner Group fighters, who are in the middle of what appears to be an armed rebellion in Russia, are almost certainly aiming to march on Moscow, the UK Department of Defense said Saturday. Scores of Wagner fighters entered southern Russia from occupied Ukraine and claimed to have taken control of crucial security sites in the key southern city of Rostov-on-Don. Further, Wagner units appear to be moving north through Voronezh Oblast and heading towards Moscow, according to the intelligence update from the UK defense department. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the department said. The loyalty of Russia's security forces, particularly the Russian National Guard, will be "key to how the crisis plays out," it added. Unverified videos have circulated on social media appearing to show Wagner fighters moving through the Voronezh region toward Moscow. Some images have also circulated online claiming to show Russian military personnel surrendering to Wagner forces at the Bugayevka border crossing south of Voronezh. A Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities in Voronezh, but this could not be independently verified. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the apparent mutiny a "betrayal" in a speech on Saturday morning and said that Russia would defend itself and mutineers would be punished. In his speech, Putin said that the situation in Rostov is "very complicated" amid reports that security has been heightened in the city and also in Moscow. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that anti-terrorist measures were being taken in the capital, The Guardian reported. Russian authorities also said the M4 motorway, which connects Moscow to southern areas including Rostov-on-Don, had been closed to traffic at the border with the Voronezh region due to a military convoy moving, per the outlet. The events are a dramatic escalation in an ongoing feud between Yevegny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, and Russian military leadership. Read the original article on Business Insider Wagner Group fighters seized district police stations in Rostov Oblast on the night of 23-24 June and are continuing to keep their staff locked up in their offices. Source: Novaya Gazeta Europe, citing sources in Russias law enforcement agencies. Details: Wagner Group fighters seized the premises of district police stations in Russias Rostov Oblast on the night of 23-24 June and are continuing to control them, two sources in Russias law enforcement told Novaya Gazeta Europe. Police officers and other staff who came to the police station offices in the wake of the alarm are currently locked up in their offices: they were told to "sit and work" but are allowed to request food and water. Sources also told Novaya Gazeta Europe that the SOBR (Special Rapid Response Unit of the Russian National Guard) and OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit, a Russian riot police unit) are also being held at their bases, and Russian Guard soldiers are held in vehicles for transporting guardsmen. A different source has confirmed that SOBR forces are being held, telling Novaya Gazeta that the Wagnerites have parked a pickup truck with a machine gun mounted on top in front of the SOBR building. Several vehicles with machine guns are patrolling the Aksay Bridge, a road bridge that serves as the main entry to Rostov-on-Don, another source told Novaya Gazeta. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Wagner Group fighters are preparing to leave the centre of Rostov-on-Don after the statement of their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Source: Rostovs media 161.ru, Kremlin-aligned media RIA Novosti Quote: "Detachments of the Wagner Group fighters are preparing to withdraw from the centre of Rostov-on-Don. They get into cars, our correspondent from the headquarters of the Southern Military District reports." Details: "Guys, let's load up, let's go home," one of the mercenaries says. The media posted a video where people standing near the Wagner Group fighters and their cars applaud. The correspondent of RIA Novosti also reports that, near the Southern Military District headquarters, Wagner Group fighters are starting up tanks and loading up ammunition. The video shows them hugging people in civilian clothes. Previously: On the evening of 24 July, the press service of the self-proclaimed president of Belarus said that Alexander Lukashenko held talks with the leader of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the latter allegedly accepted a proposal to stop the movement of his mercenaries in Russia. "At the moment, there is an absolutely profitable and acceptable option on the table for resolving the situation, with security guarantees for Wagner PMC fighters," the press release reads. After that, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his mercenaries are turning their convoys around and going in the opposite direction to set up field camps. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! What is the Wagner group, and who is its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin? For years, it was shrouded in secrecy, then infamy, and after 48 hours of confusion and claims of a "rebellion" in Russia, questions about the notorious Wagner Group and the intentions of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin were still swirling Monday. The group has been a key piece of Russia's strategy in Ukraine, with Wagner forces being used to hold cities like Bakhmut. Prigozhin had sharply criticized Russian military leaders for weeks, calling the top brass incompetent, even traitorous. Tension between Russia's defense ministry and Wagner escalated dramatically Friday when Prigozhin alleged that Russian forces had attacked Wagner camps in eastern Ukraine, killing dozens of his men. Late Friday, Prigozhin issued video taped remarks that appeared to call for a rebellion against Russian military leadership, but he was characteristically vague in defining his plans. In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. / Credit: Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File Prigozhin's Wagner forces left Ukraine and marched into Russia Saturday, seizing control of the Russian military headquarters for the southern region in Rostov-on-Don, which oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Wagner boss, "Putin's butcher," says Russia at risk of facing "revolution" Russian President Vladimir Putin called the uprising "a stab in the back" in a televised address Saturday morning. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin said. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." What is the Wagner Group? Wagner is actually a group of entities that operate as a private military company, or PMC. These PMCs can be hired by governments for security or combat services. They aren't uncommon: The United States has used private military companies during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, there are differences between the commonly accepted definition of a PMC and Russia's version of the companies. "In NATO countries, in Western countries, the main logic behind using private contractors when it comes to security and defense policy has been the flexibility of resources," said Dr. Andras Racz, a Russian expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations. "However, on the Russian side, the logic has been different. Russia, from the beginning, perceived these companies as a way of exerting state power in a covert way." Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? A file photo shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. / Credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP As Wagner's publicity has grown, so has that of its shadowy founder, Prigozhin. His work running a catering company with Kremlin contracts earned him the nickname "Putin's chef," but Prigozhin long denied any connection to the group before finally admitting to being its founder last year. "Prigozhin is a mastermind of media and also is the mastermind of social media," said Kateryna Stepanenko, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a public policy research based in Washington, D.C. "While Putin and his propagandists have been dominating the Russian television and traditional outlets, Prigozhin is innovative because he had weaponized a network of military correspondents, military correspondents and bloggers." Prigozhin is wanted by the FBI for "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States." The federal law enforcement agency is offering a $250,000 award for information leading to Prigozhin's arrest for allegedly overseeing the political and electoral interference of the St. Petersburg, Florida-based Internet Research Agency from 2014 to 2018. The agency, for which Prigozhin was the primary funder, worked to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the FBI alleged. Prigozhin openly and increasingly criticized Russia's top military commanders as the country failed to make significant gains in Ukraine. Meanwhile, he has positioned himself as a hero. "He knows that his key differentiator from the Kremlin propaganda is that level of criticism, level of honesty, you know, that things are not really going as well, and criticism sells," Stepanenko said. "And I think that that's the platform that he's really trying to advance on and solidify himself as a prominent figure in Russia." Now, after seemingly squaring off against Putin in the brief weekend "rebellion" and being banished to Belarus, what's next for Prigozhin? "People keep saying that he's marked for assassination," Jeff Hawn, a Russia expert at the London School of Economics, told CBS News on Monday, as the Kremlin tried to show it was business as usual after the chaotic weekend. "There's a very good chance," said Hawn, adding that if there was an attempt on Prigozhin's life, "I don't think it might come from the Kremlin. I think it might come from the Ministry of Defense, because he embarrassed them hugely. But then again, he's been marked for assassination since the nineties." Where else has Wagner worked and how does it make money? Wagner first popped up in Ukraine in 2014, when soldiers in unmarked uniforms appeared to help pro-Russian forces illegally annex territory for Russia. Before that the group is believed to have been involved in supporting Russian forces in Syria. In 2022, the private army became a major part of Russia's invasion, even recruiting fighters from Russian prisons and promising them pardons to beef up numbers on the battlefield, though Prigozhin said in February that the practice would be stopped. In addition to deploying Wagner troops to Ukraine, the Wagner Group has been active in Africa, where some nations have turned to the private army to fill security gaps or prop up dictatorial regimes. "In most cases, they provide training for local military forces, local security forces, but they are also engaged in VIP protection, also in guarding. And if necessary, they are able to conduct also high intensity operations, I mean real combat," said Racz. Wagner Group accused of using rape and murder to control African mining town In some countries, like the Central African Republic, Wagner exchanges services for almost unfettered access to natural resources. A CBS News investigation found that Russian cargo flights stopped in the country twice a week, possibly smuggling billions of dollars' worth of gold back to Russia. In addition to gold, CBS News also found Wagner was involved in illegal timber harvesting in CAR, another lucrative source of income. Putin said on June 27, just after the failed Wagner uprising, that the Russian government had paid more than $1 billion to the Wagner Group during over the last year. "The state paid to the Wagner group 86.262 billion rubles (around $1 billion) for salaries for fighters and incentive rewards between May 2022 and May 2023 alone," the Russian president said in a televised meeting with law enforcement officials. Wagner Group charged with war crimes As the operations of the once-shadowy group have become more public, so have their tactics. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of atrocities, including mass murder and rape, across Africa and alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In Ukraine, fighters have been charged with thousands of war crimes. When previously asked for comment, the Wagner Group dismissed questions from CBS News as boorish and provocative, and insisted the company did not commit these crimes. In addition to their actions on the battlefield, military experts say Wagner recruits have been poorly equipped or even used as cannon fodder. U.S. officials estimate that about 30,000 Wagner fighters have been killed or wounded so far in Ukraine, all while Russia's advance has stalled or been pushed back, raising questions about the future of the group, and its leader, Prigozhin. Experts said it's possible the group could be replaced by Putin. "I think that Wagner, insofar as it's been useful in Ukraine, could certainly be replaced by others. Where you start to have much more of an issue in replacing Wagner and in replacing Prigozhin is in a place like sub-Saharan Africa," said Catrina Doxsee, an associate director and associate fellow for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As the U.S. and other Western countries, including in Europe, try to dislodge Russia's influence and try to make the argument against Wagner, there really needs to be this conversation about viable alternatives," for countries in the developing world to meet their security and development needs. Where does the Wagner Group's name come from? The group's name appears to come from a man credited with co-founding it, Dmitry Utkin, a former officer in Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. Utkin retired from the Russian security services but went on to serve as a senior military command for the Wagner Group, a role he's believed to still hold. A nationalist with Nazi sympathies, Utkin's callsign in the Russian services was said to have been "Wagner" a nod to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's love for the 19th century German composer of the same name. Reporting contributed by Andy Triay and Cara Tabachnick. Putin calls Wagner Group "traitors" but won't bring criminal charges Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and New York Giants great Eli Manning talk "Merch Madness" What is the Wagner group? A look at the mercenary group accused of armed mutiny in Russia Long at odds with Russias military leaders during the war in Ukraine, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, took his feud to a new level Friday when he leveled accusations that his fighters had been struck and vowed revenge. The threat, made on his official Telegram channel, sparked a crisis in Russia, where the countrys Federal Security Service called for members of the private military contractor to refuse Prigozhins orders and detain him. It also opened a criminal investigation for organizing an armed rebellion, the prosecutor generals office said. For the latest live coverage from NBC News, please click here. This video grab taken from a handout footage posted on May 5, 2023 on the Telegram account of the press-service of Concord -- a company linked to the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin -- shows Yevgeny Prigozhin addressing the Russian army's top brass standing in front of Wagner fighters at an undisclosed location. - The head of Russian paramilitary group Wagner on Friday threatened to pull his fighters from the front line in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on May 10, saying ammunition shortages meant they faced Describing it as a stab in the back, Russian Lt. General Vladimir Alekseev told broadcaster RBK it was a coup detat. In a later television address, President Vladimir Putin labeled the revolt an armed mutiny and vowed to put down the effort. Calling Prigozhins actions a betrayal of his country and people, he said, Everything that weakens Russia should be thrown aside. What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group was founded in 2014 by Prigozhin, 61, a close confidant of the Russian president who is known as Putins chef because his catering business routinely won contracts to cater state events. Since then, the company has operated in Syria, Mali, the Central African Republic and other countries. Private military companies are technically illegal in Russia, but in November Wagner opened offices in St. Petersburg emblazoned with its logo. Prigozhin has also donned military fatigues and appeared in videos appearing to show him recruiting prisoners, or in the thick of the action on the front lines, in contrast to the city-dwelling elites he has routinely derided since the start of the war in Ukraine. He has fostered a tough image online appearing with a sledgehammer in one video and, according to Reuters, approving of another that showed an accused deserter being executed with a sledgehammer. In Ukraine, his forces delivered a badly needed victory for Putin as they were crucial in the campaign to capture Bakhmut, which was left in ruins by months of conflict that saw both sides suffer huge losses. The U.S. designated Wagner a transnational criminal organization in January, a month after National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that it had an estimated 50,000 personnel inside Ukraine around 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts from Russian prisons. Worldwide efforts In Africa, the Wagner Group has operated in the civil conflict in Libya where Russia sent it military equipment including fighter aircraft and armored vehicles, so that it could get a foothold in the country, the U.S. Department of Defense said in 2020. Wagner Group contractors were also sent to the Central African Republic, where the group was accused of executing civilians, attacking U.N. peacekeepers and targeting predominantly Muslim communities as a civil war raged. Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks inside the headquarters of the Russian southern military district in Rostov-on-Don, Russia (@concordgroup_official via Telegram / AFP via Getty Images) Senior Western diplomats have said that the Wagner Group took control of a gold mine there while Human Rights Watch said in a report that its forces were suspected of committing atrocities there, including executing unarmed men. In Africa, it destabilized countries and committed widespread human rights abuses and extorting natural resources from their people, the U.S. Treasury Department said in January as it imposed further sanctions on the group. The war in Ukraine has helped the Prigozhins influence grow, Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council spokesman said at his December briefing. His influence is expanding. Wagners independence from the Russian Defense Ministry ... is only increased and elevated over the course of the 10 months of this war, he said. The Russian military has been relying on Wagner fighters in Ukraine, and in some cases, Russias military officials have been subordinate to the commands of the Wagner Group, he added. Prigozhin vows retaliation Prigozhin has accused Russias military leadership of incompetence in Ukraine, but on Friday he publicly accused Russias military leadership of striking his forces. He claimed there was a missile attack at its rear camps. Prigozhin said, without providing evidence, that Russias military leadership was responsible for the deaths of 2,000 fighters. Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance, Prigozhin said in a series of audio messages on his official Telegram channel. Russia has denied his claims. Russias Federal Security Service responded by starting a criminal case against him for what it said was a call for an armed rebellion. The security service said his actions are a stab in the back of Russian servicemen and called on Wagner fighters to refuse orders and take Prigozhin into custody. Security was increased in Moscow, Russian state news agency Tass reported, and pictures and video showed military vehicles near Russias Parliament on Saturday. Prigozhin subesquently rejected Putins charges of treason on Saturday, saying in an audio message that he and his fighters were the true patriots of Russia. While Prigozhin refrained from taking aim at Putin directly, he said Wagner would not respond to orders to surrender from the Russian president or the security service because we do not want our country to continue living in corruption, deception and bureaucracy. He also accused top military brass of not supplying his forces in Ukraine with enough ammunition, which he said was plundered by bureaucrats. This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Wagner Group now just 400 km away from Moscow A convoy of Wagner Group forces has been spotted near the village of Krasnoe in Russias Lipetsk Oblast, located only 400 kilometres away from Moscow. Source: Meduza, a Latvian-based Russian media outlet; RBC, a Russian news outlet, citing Igor Artamonov, Lipetsk Oblast Governor; Ukrainian special service officers in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda Details: A convoy of Wagner Group forces has been spotted in the village of Krasnoe in the northwest of Lipetsk Oblast. Footage confirming this has been posted to a Telegram channel covering the nearby city of Yelets. The video, which Meduza journalists were able to geolocate, suggests that Wagner Group military vehicles were travelling on a local road next to the railway tracks. A source told Meduza he saw military personnel dressed in sand-coloured camouflage uniforms without insignia on the outskirts of Krasnoe. Google Maps shows that Krasnoe is just over 400 kilometres from Moscow. Igor Artamonov, Governor of Lipetsk Oblast, later said that Wagner Groups military vehicles are advancing through the oblast. "Law enforcement agencies and the government, including municipal authorities, are taking the measures necessary to ensure the security of local residents. The situation is under control," the governor claimed. He reminded the residents of Lipetsk Oblast that they should remain in their homes and refrain from travelling. Sources in Ukraines special service told Ukrainska Pravda that Wagner Group fighters had reached Lipetsk Oblast around 15:00 Kyiv time. If they keep advancing at this pace, they will reach Moscow this evening. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ISLAMABAD, June 24 (Xinhua) -- At least one policeman was killed and five others were injured in a suicide attack on a convoy of paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday, police officials said. A female suicide bomber blew herself up on the Commissioner Road in Turbat district of the province, killing at least one cop and wounding five others, including three policemen and two personnel of paramilitary troops, Deputy Commissioner Bashir Ahmad told the media. The target of the suicide attack was paramilitary troops, but a police vehicle escorting the FC convoy got a major impact of the explosion, he said, adding that a female police officer was also among the injured. After the blast, security forces, rescue teams and a bomb disposal squad rushed to the site and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital. Security forces cordoned off the area while further investigation is underway. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the blast and extended his condolences to the victims' families. "The aim of terrorism is to halt the development process and intimidate the security forces. The evil intentions of terrorists will never be successful, and the determination and courage of the security forces would not be dented by such acts," the chief minister said. A member of the mercenary Wagner Group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Stringer / AFP via Getty Images Members of the mercenary Wagner Group paused their armed rebellion against Russian forces on Saturday, as mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said that he would move to Belarus following an effort by his troops to topple Russia's defense minister in Moscow. Following a series of negotiations helmed by the Belarusian president, the Kremlin announced that the Wagner push into Moscow had stopped, at least temporarily. Prigozhin has agreed to move to Belarus and will not face prosecution by Russia, per The Associated Press, nor will any of the Wagner troops who joined him. The truce comes after one of the biggest threats to Russian aggression since the start of the war in Ukraine, as a growing feud between Prigozhin and the Russian military devolved into conflict on Friday. The Wagner Group, a collection of private mercenaries that previously fought alongside Russia, began an invasion of their own, with reports emerging that Wagner fighters "crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia on at least two occasions," according to intelligence from the British Ministry of Defense (MOD). Wagner mercenaries took over the city of Rostov-on-Don, about 660 miles south of Moscow, the British MOD tweeted. This location is a military stronghold for the Russian military, and Wagner "has almost certainly occupied key sites," in Rostov, the British MOD said, "including the headquarters which runs Russia's military operations in Ukraine." Russian President Vladimir Putin released an address calling the Wagner Group's actions "a stab in the back," per BBC News, vowing to punish those who had "betrayed" Russia. Putin, who was previously a close ally of Prigozhin, did not mention the Wagner leader by name, but said those "who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment." Update 06/24/2023: This article has been updated with new information. You may also like The future of 'Doctor Who' James Cameron says Titan submersible was 'critically flawed' Meta to block news access for Facebook and Instagram users in Canada A member of the mercenary Wagner Group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Stringer / AFP via Getty Images Members of the mercenary Wagner Group began an armed rebellion against Russian forces on Friday, with mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin pushing his soldiers to begin marching toward Moscow in an effort to topple Russia's defense minister. In one of the biggest threats to Russian aggression since the start of the war in Ukraine, a growing feud between Prigozhin and Russia military has devolved into conflict. The Wagner Group, a collection of private mercenaries that previously fought alongside Russia, appears to have begun an invasion of their own, with reports that Wagner fighters "crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia on at least two occasions," according to intelligence from the British Ministry of Defense (MOD). Wagner mercenaries have already taken over the city of Rostov-on-Don, about 660 miles south of Moscow, the British MOD tweeted. This location is a military stronghold for the Russian military, and Wagner "has almost certainly occupied key sites," in Rostov, the British MOD said, "including the headquarters which runs Russia's military operations in Ukraine." Additional Wagner units are attempting to get even closer to Moscow. However, there has been little actual violence between Russian forces and Wagner mercenaries, the British MOD said, as many Russians "have remained passive, likely acquiescing to Wagner." Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday released an address calling the Wagner Group's actions "a stab in the back," per BBC News, vowing to punish those who had "betrayed" Russia. Putin, who was previously a close ally of Prigozhin, did not mention the Wagner leader by name, but said those "who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment." In a response to Putin on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said Wagner forces were "patriots of our motherland" and that the Russian president was "deeply wrong" to call them traitors. You may also like The future of 'Doctor Who' 5 theories for why Trump kept boxes of secret documents Alito did not disclose Alaska private jet trip from GOP billionaire with business before Supreme Court ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia (Reuters) -Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow began turning back on Saturday, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Putin ally and founder of the Wagner army, said his men reached within 125 miles (200 km) of the capital. Earlier, Moscow deployed soldiers in preparation for their arrival and told residents to avoid going out. The Wagner fighters captured the city of Rostov hundreds of miles to the south before racing in convoy through the country, transporting tanks and armoured trucks and smashing through barricades set up to stop them, video showed. On Saturday night, Wagner fighters loaded tanks on trailers and began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had seized, a Reuters witness said. "In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow. In this time we did not spill a single drop of our fighters' blood," Prigozhin, dressed in full combat uniform at an undisclosed location, said in a video. "Understanding ... that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned." Reuters could not independently verify how far Prigozhin's mercenaries had reached. Video earlier showed convoys of Wagner vehicles less than 310 miles (500 km) from Moscow. The office of Alexander Lukashenko said the decision to halt further movement of Wagner fighters was brokered by the Belarusian president, with Putin's approval, in return for guarantees for their safety. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Prigozhin himself will move to Belarus under the deal. Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate because he had known the mercenary leader personally for around 20 years. LITTLE PUSHBACK FROM ARMED FORCES Wagner's lightning insurrection appeared to develop with little pushback from Russia's regular armed forces, raising questions about Putin's hold on power in the nuclear-armed nation even after the abrupt halt to Wagner's advance. Earlier, Prigozhin said that what he called a "march for justice" was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin earlier said the Wagner rebellion put Russia's very existence under threat. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history," Putin said, vowing punishment for those who "prepared an armed insurrection". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Wagner revolt, which sparked a flurry of high-level calls between Western leaders, exposed turmoil in Russia. "Today the world can see that the masters of Russia control nothing. And that means nothing. Simply complete chaos. An absence of any predictability," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks each carrying a tank driving 30 miles (50 km) beyond the town of Voronezh, more than halfway to Moscow. A helicopter fired on them near Voronezh, where a fuel depot exploded in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by, video obtained by Reuters showed. 'WILL THERE BE CIVIL WAR?' The fighters led by Prigozhin, a former convict, include thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian jails. His men fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month Ukraine war, including for the eastern city of Bakhmut. He railed for months against the military's top brass, especially Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command. He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied this. He said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District without firing a shot in Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force in Ukraine. The surrounding area is also an important oil, gas and grains region. Residents of the city had milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising a circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, an apparent statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. "Will there be civil war?" a woman in Rostov asked the mercenaries. "No, everything will be fine," one answered. UKRAINE ATTACKS NEAR BAKHMUT Western capitals said they were closely following the situation. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to G7 counterparts. The top U.S. military officer, Army General Mark Milley, cancelled a scheduled trip to the Middle East because of the developments. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defence ministry said earlier on Saturday as Prigozhin's fighters bore down on Moscow. The insurrection risked leaving Russia's invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. Ukraine's military said on Saturday its forces made advances near Bakhmut, on the eastern front, and further south. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that an offensive was launched near a group of villages ringing Bakhmut, which was taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting. "In all these areas, we have made advances," Maliar wrote. Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, commander of the southern front, said Ukrainian forces had liberated an area near Krasnohorivka, west of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk. He said the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow took control of it in 2014. (Reporting by Reuters journalists; Writing by Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith and Daniel Wallis) Wagner leader Prigozhin will move to Belarus following the mercenary group's uprising against Putin, Kremlin spokesman says In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Prigozhin Press Service via Associated Press Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus and won't be prosecuted, a Kremlin spokesman said. Prigozhin and his mercenary group waged an uprising and marched across Russia on Saturday. The group stopped just short of Moscow as Prigozhin said he did not want to shed Russian blood. The Kremlin has forged a deal with Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to defuse the mercenary group's uprising on Saturday. In exchange for Prigozhin's exile to Belarus, the mercenary leader won't be prosecuted, the Associated Press reported, citing a Kremlin spokesperson. The reported agreement comes after a paramilitary rebellion on Saturday in which the Wagner Group marched across Russia before suddenly turning around just 120 miles from Moscow. Prigozhin said he didn't want to shed Russian blood. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Saturday that Prigozhin and the troops who follow him will not face criminal prosecution as part of the deal. He also said those troops who did not join in the uprising would be offered Defense Ministry contracts. Saturday's rebellion marked the strongest threat to President Vladimir Putin's power in over 20 years. Prigozhin had dubbed his procession towards Moscow a "march for justice," and made baseless claims that Russia's defense minister had ordered an air strike on the Wagner Group on Friday and killed large numbers of troops. The Kremlin denied the allegation. Earlier on Saturday, Prigozhin posted a voice note to his Telegram channel, calling his 25,000 troops "patriots" and defending their cause. "We don't want the country to continue to live any longer in corruption, deceit, and bureaucracy," Prigozhin said, according to a Reuters translation. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a close Putin ally who has also long known Prigozhin, spent all day Saturday negotiating with Prigozhin, according to The New York Times. Prigozhin was once, himself, a close Putin ally, but tensions have grown high since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Prigozhin evenly openly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a "racket" in a public statement last week, the Times reported. Though he didn't directly criticize Putin, he publicly refuted Russia's justification for the invasion. "The war wasn't needed to return Russian citizens to our bosom, nor to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine," Prigozhin said. "The war was needed so that a bunch of animals could simply exult in glory." The Wagner Group's rebellion first began Friday. By the next day, Putin had formally accused Prigozhin of treason and issued a warrant for his arrest. Moscow had been bracing for violence, with residents fleeing, city officials warning people to stay home, and workers destroying highways leading into the city. By Saturday, the Wagner Group had apparently gained control of military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow where Russia's operations in Ukraine are managed, according to the Associated Press. On Saturday, the mercenary group was reportedly also in Lipesk province, just 225 miles south of Moscow. Read the original article on Business Insider Wagner mercenaries stand guard in Rostov-on-Don, the city they seized control of at the start of the coup - REUTERS Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary leader, turned his fighters back from a march on the Kremlin on Saturday after a truce was struck with Vladimir Putin. Mutinous Wagner mercenaries marched to within 150 miles of Moscow in what the Russian president described as a treasonous stab in the back before they abruptly halted. The stand-down came after Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, said he had brokered a last-minute truce to avoid a Russian civil war. The key plank of the deal appeared to be the Kremlin dropping plans to abolish the Wagner military company. They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We came out on June 23 to the march of justice, Prigozhin said in a voice message. In a day, we walked to nearly 200 kilometres away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. Thats why we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan. The Kremlin announced later in the evening that Prigozhin had agreed to move to Belarus under the terms of the deal. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman, said criminal charges against him would be dropped. Wagner troops that took part in the rebellion would similarly be spared from prosecution, Mr Peskov said. The Russian president earlier vowed to crush an attempted coup that has proved the most serious crisis he has faced in 23 years in power. Western leaders held an emergency consultation and said they were monitoring what was described as the biggest challenge to the Russian state in modern times. Russian police officers, traffic police officers and servicemen block part of a highway entering Moscow - AFP via Getty Images Thousands of heavily armed Wagner fighters crossed the border from occupied Ukraine and seized control of the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don in the early hours of Saturday morning. Prigozhin, whose men have fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Ukraine war, said he was leading a march for justice aimed at Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, with whom he has a long-standing public feud. He said columns would make the 680-mile dash for Moscow if Mr Shoigu and Gen Gerasimov did not meet him. But Putin called the uprising a stab in the back and vowed to crush his former ally. Yevgeny Prigozhin called his men back because he did not want to 'spill Russian blood' We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said in a televised address from the Kremlin on Saturday morning. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. He said he had given appropriate instructions to security agencies. Prigozhin hit back, saying no one is going to surrender to the demands of the resident, the FSB or anyone else. The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it, he said in an audio message. We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. The prospect of an armed insurrection in Russia sparked international alarm. Rishi Sunak held a call with US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the crisis. The leaders have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days, a spokesman said. On Saturday afternoon James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, chaired a meeting of the Governments Cobra emergency response committee to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia. Mr Biden was reported by CNN to be refraining from commenting on the uprising for fear of exacerbating Putins paranoia over Western-backed efforts to depose him. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said the revolt showed Russia was failing. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, he said. Mikhail Podolyak, a presidential advisor, said everything is just beginning in Russia. The Ukrainian armed forces said they were continuing their slow-moving counter-offensive in the south of the country. There were no immediate reports that Wagners stunt had affected the Russian army at the front. Initial Russian government attempts to intercept the rebel column failed. Russian service members move into positions following the armed mutiny by Wagner - REUTERS/Stringer Wagner-aligned social media accounts claimed the rebels had shot down three Russian army helicopters and a jet aircraft that tried to attack the columns from the air. In the afternoon, a Reuters correspondent saw a helicopter open fire on troops carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank as they passed the city of Voronezh, about halfway between Rostov and Moscow. By evening, witnesses reported seeing the Wagner column near Tula, 140 miles south of the capital, and unconfirmed reports said they had crossed into the Moscow region. Flight trackers showed at least two aircraft from the presidential fleet leaving Moscow and heading northwest, in the direction of St Petersburg. The mayor of Moscow announced an anti-terrorist operation and told residents to stay at home as he warned of road closures. The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible, Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement. He said Monday would be a non-working day. Wagner mercenaries are meant to fight alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine, but tensions between the two have reached boiling point in recent months. Prigozhin habitually belittles the army and has publicly accused Mr Shoigu of deliberately starving Wagner of ammunition so that it takes heavy casualties. A local resident captures a truck transporting a Wagner military vehicle along the M-4 highway - REUTERS/Stringer Regular army officers have complained that Wagner fighters abuse their men and steal equipment. Last month, Wagner fighters in Ukraine kidnapped and beat up a Russian brigade commander who had clashed with the group. The ministry of defence responded by ordering all private military companies to sign contracts that would effectively place them under army command by June 1. Prigozhin refused to comply. The apparent coup began to unfold late on Friday night when the Wagner leader claimed he was leading as many as 25,000 fighters across the border. Residents of Rostov on Don reported being woken at around 4am by the sound of heavy vehicles driving through the streets. Shortly afterwards Prigozhin released a video of himself inside the citys military headquarters, which is also the main headquarters from which the war in Ukraine is managed. Russias FSB Security Service immediately accused him of trying to start a civil conflict and called on Wagner fighters to detain him. Russias regional governors and the head of the Russian Orthodox church pledged loyalty to Putin and condemned the revolt. Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia, said the coup detat must not succeed in case bandits get nuclear weapons. Wagner has recruited extensively from prisons and Prigozhin is himself an ex-convict. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, said the uprising was unacceptable and that he was sending troops to suppress it. The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready! he said in a message. Chechen units of the Russian army and national guard reached Rostov on Saturday evening. There were no immediate reports of clashes. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. An armed attack by the Wagner PMC led by Yevgeny Prigozhin on the Russian military leadership in Rostov-on-Don is likely to have a considerable impact on the war that the Russian Federation is waging in Ukraine. Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Details: The Institute draws attention to the fact that Rostov is the headquarters of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, the 58th Combined Arms Army and the command centre of the joint group of Russian troops in Ukraine, which are now actively involved in defensive operations against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Ukraine's south. According to the ISW, "Rostov-on-Don is therefore a critical command and control membrane for the Russian army, and any threats to the MoDs presence are likely to have ramifications on some critical aspects of the war effort." Background: On Saturday morning, the Wagner's financier, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his forces had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, in particular the airfield, and they were en route "to Moscow", and that his soldiers had already shot down three Russian helicopters. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Public events are being cancelled in Russia due to the mutiny started by the Wagner Private Military Company, and the leaders of the occupation terrorist groups have expressed their support for the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Source: Russian media, Russian politicians; press services Details: After Putin's video message, the so-called "governors" of occupied Ukrainian territories Denis Pushylin, Leonid Pasichnik and Yevgeny Balitsky and other terrorists expressed their support for the Russian president. Some Russian governors have written on social networks that they "support the president" and asked local Wagnerites not to follow Yevgeny Prigozhin's orders. Graduation ceremonies have been postponed in Moscow Oblast. In Tula and Tver oblasts, all public events have been cancelled for the weekend. Mass events have been cancelled in the Komi Republic and Tomsk and Kaluga oblasts. Security measures have been strengthened in Kirov Oblast. Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the State Duma (the Russian Parliament) also spoke about "treason" and "internal division" and also postponed his visit to Vietnam. Banners in support of Wagner PMC recruitment campaign are being hastily removed in the cities of Vladimir, Moscow and in occupied Crimea. Meanwhile, searches are being conducted in the offices of this private military company in some cities. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has stated that he "supports the efforts of the Russian president to prevent a Time of Troubles [a period of political crisis] in the country". He urged those who "having taken up arms, are ready to use them against their brothers" to reconsider their actions. Reminder: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Federation is "fighting for survival" and there are attempts to "organise a rebellion" in the country. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin Members of PMC Wagner Group had reportedly crossed the borders of Moscow Oblast as of 1700 local time on June 24 and have been advancing further, Russian Telegram channels reported on June 24. They are said to be in the town of Barabanovo, which is two hours away from the Russian capital city of Moscow. Before that, the Wagnerite column was spotted on the M4 highway between the town of Yelets in Lipetsk Oblast and the town of Yefremov in Tula Oblast (the distance between them is about 80 kilometers). Wagner mercenary company chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23 declared war on the Russian Defense Ministry after an alleged attack by the Russian army on his mercenaries military camp. He has had a long-standing feud with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Read also: Videos of fighting between Wagner and regime troops pop up on social media The mercenary forces were divided into two groups, which crossed into Russia from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. The first group passed through the Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint in Russias Rostov Oblast at around midnight, reaching the M4 highway, and by morning reaching the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where the military districts headquarters is located. It is known that Prigozhin was in that group, as he met in that city with Deputy Defense MInister Yunus-bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Vladimir Alekseev. The second group crossed the border approximately 120 kilometers north of the first at the Voloshino checkpoint. From there, they reached the city of Millerovo in Rostov Oblast, and turned onto the M4 highway to move towards Moscow. The Russian Verstka media outlet said on Telegram on June 24, citing its own sources, that the Wagner column of troops bypassed the city of Voronezh, using the highway and headed further north. Along the way, they fought with Russian regular army units. Wagner troops took control of Russian military facilities in the cities of Rostov and Voronezh. Prigozhin demands access to the top military leadership of the Russian Federation, threatening to advance towards Moscow. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Wagner revolt in Russia clouds outlook for its operations in Africa Wagner fighters deployed in Rostov-on-Don By Tiemoko Diallo and Judicael Yongo BAMAKO/BANGUI (Reuters) - A revolt by the Wagner militia in Russia poses a diplomatic quandary for Mali and Central African Republic (CAR), where forces from the mercenary group have played an increasingly central role in long-running internal conflicts. As the Wagner fighters barrelled towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, spokespeople for the governments of Mali and CAR declined to comment on the turmoil and how it might affect their security strategies against militant groups. Both countries have sought closer ties with Russia and military support to fight the militants, saying in the past that their military cooperation agreements are with Russia rather than with Wagner. "(Wagner's) presence in Mali is sponsored by the Kremlin and if Wagner is at odds with the Kremlin ... naturally Mali will suffer the consequences on the security front," said Malian political analyst Bassirou Doumbia. Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency. It has said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia. But the alliance has soured relations with the United Nations and alienated Western powers, who say the fighters there are Wagner forces and allege they have committed possible war crimes alongside Mali forces. Mali's government and Russia have denied the allegations. Wagner's continued presence in Mali amid the ongoing insurrection in Russia could prove problematic for Bamako's relations with Moscow, which last year committed to send Mali shipments of fuel, fertiliser and food worth about $100 million. "(The) exact consequences for Mali really depend on factors largely unknown such as the organisational autonomy of Wagner and their chain of command, and, of course, whether things escalate or not between (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Wagner," said Yvan Guichaoua, senior lecturer at the Brussels School of International Studies. He said there were no reports of unexpected troop movements in Mali as of Saturday morning. REBEL INSURGENCIES The power struggle in Russia could also have significant ramifications for Central African Republic, where hundreds of Russian operatives including many from the Wagner Group have been helping the government fight several rebel insurgencies since 2018. Both CAR and Mali have been drawn increasingly into Russia's orbit in recent years as the Kremlin sought greater influence in Francophone Africa to the dismay of former colonial power France, which has faced anti-French protests in the region and worsening relations with several West African governments. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron described the deployment of Wagner Group troops in Africa as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa" that will only sow misery. A suspension of Wagner operations in Africa could impact the group's finances. The United States last October accused the mercenaries of exploiting natural resources in CAR, Mali and elsewhere to fund fighting in Ukraine - a charge Russia rejected at the time. The group has cemented strong ties with several African governments over the past decade with operations in at least eight African nations, according to leaked U.S. documents, including Mali, Central African Republic, and Libya. (Additional reporting by Edward McAllister and Bate Felix; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Helen Popper) Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on Belarusians to not let an opportunity to save Belarus go to waste. The Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, a group of Belarusian opposition volunteers defending Ukraine since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion, has said the military and civilians in Belarus should "wait for a signal". Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Telegram; the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment on Telegram (both made their appeals in Belarusian) Quote from Tsikhanouskaya: "Putin might try to drag the Belarusian military into his own internal conflict, and make us part of this conflict. I want to call on Belarusian diplomats, the military, and law enforcement agencies to remember that we have our own national interests. Putin and Prigozhin are no friends to Belarus. You do not have to choose their side. The people of Belarus have to defend their own country. The main task for every Belarusian right now is to protect the security and sovereignty of their country. To save our country from becoming what Russia has become. We have to be prepared for any scenario. I am also appealing to the Belarusian army: we cannot hope that Russia will leave Belarus alone. Now is the best time to throw the Russian military out of our country. If we waste this opportunity, Russia will do the same to us as it did to Ukraine." Details: Tsikhanouskaya called for the Belarusian-Russian border to be closed. She said that she has set up an operational headquarters, which she invited representatives of Belarusian democratic agencies, volunteers, and the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment to join. Meanwhile, the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment have issued their own address. Quote from the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment: "The right conditions for overthrowing the dictatorship are approaching. This is the beginning of the end of the great tyranny. I am appealing to everyone in the Belarusian military: do not take part in Russias internal conflict; their civil war is not our business. Time is nigh for Belarusians to make a choice: to comply with criminal orders or to remain faithful to Belarusian people. We have a reserve in Belarus military and civilians who are prepared to liberate Belarus from occupation. We will need people to take decisive action. Join self-defence battalions. Every city, every street has to be prepared to control its territory and support order. Soldiers, reservists, Belarusians, wait for our signal." Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! HANOI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wrapped up a three-day state visit to Vietnam on Saturday, Vietnam News Agency reported. Yoon and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong on Friday agreed to strengthen economic and security ties through the signing of 17 agreements on a number of issues during a summit meeting in the country's capital Hanoi. South Korean leader put a heavy emphasis on boosting bilateral trade, stating that it was "more important than ever" given the ongoing global headwinds. The two leaders agreed to achieve the target of 150 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade by 2030. The parents of Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz, who died in a mass shooting at a Washington concert, say the couple was "meant to be together forever." According to a Facebook post by the Grant County Sheriffs Office, the couple was killed on June 17, 2023, in a campground near the Gorge Amphitheater, where the Beyond Wonderland music festival was held. A 26-year-old suspect allegedly opened fire, striking the couple as they walked through the campground, and injuring three others. According to the Associated Press, the suspect has been charged with murder and has not yet entered a plea. Brandy Escamilla (R) proposed to Josilyn Ruiz (L) on a 2022 ski trip in Canada. (Ruiz Family / Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP) Brandy Escamilla's parents, Blanca and Eddie Escamilla, and Josilyn Ruiz's parents, Anita and John Ruiz, opened up about their daughters in a joint interview with People via Zoom. Everywhere they went, they just made friends everywhere," said John Ruiz. "They touched everyone. They never did anything without each other it was unique," added Blanca Escamilla. They taught us how to love unconditionally, said Anita Ruiz. Brandy Escamilla (L) and Josilyn Ruiz (R) were engaged before they died in a June 17 Washington shooting. (Ruiz Family / Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP) The parents said that the the Seattle-based couple met at a high school softball game and chose mirroring careers in nursing. They shared a dream to provide medical care in developing countries According to People, Josilyn Ruiz and Brandy Escamilla got engaged in 2022 Brandy proposed during a Canadian ski trip and Josilyn followed suit six months later in Seattle. Both families raised their daughters in Catholic homes; Josilyn Ruiz went on to create a Gay Straight Alliance at her college, reported People. Blanca Escamilla told the outlet that her daughter Brandy Escamilla wanted the children in their family to witness their love. Brandy Escamilla with her parents Blanca and Eddie Escamilla. (Escamilla Family / Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP) "Not to be ashamed, explained Eddie Escamilla. Josilyn Ruiz's little sister Julia Ruiz told Rolling Stone that she was an inspiration. She taught me self-love, tough love, and her relationship with Brandy showed me the greatest love, Julia Ruiz told the outlet. We both left home to pursue work and school in other states and although we were almost 3,000 miles away from each other, she never failed to check in on me every few days and send me random love you texts and silly selfies that always made my day. Josilyn Ruiz with her parents Anita and John Ruiz. (Ruiz Family / Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP) Josilyn Ruiz's parents had planned a fall trip to Greece and Italy with their daughter and Brandy. They are committed to that trip and have invited Blanca and Eddie Escamilla to join them. "Because life is short, and we should celebrate them, Anita Ruiz's said. An attorney for the Ruiz and Escamilla families told TODAY.com in an emailed statement that they are seeking answers as to how this happened and what role Live Nation, which operates the amphitheater and campgrounds, played in ensuring the safety of attendees. The families of the victims are suffering intensely. They are not litigious people, and they are not after money, but they do want to know why this happened and how it can be prevented in the future. While there is much to learn, we do know that Live Nation owns and operates the Gorge both the amphitheater and the campgrounds. To stay at the campgrounds, attendees must first buy a ticket to the show, and then pay Live Nation even more to stay at the campground. The show and camping experience offered by Live Nation is one and the same and it is a very expensive experience. Live Nation has a legal duty to its paying guests to keep them safe. Live Nation states on the campground website that no guns are allowed. So the question is, what do they do to keep guns out of their paid venue? I know I always get searched when I go to a concert. TODAY.com reached out to Live Nation for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. This article was originally published on TODAY.com an asteroid passing close by Earth Earth is about to have a close encounter with a space rock. Tonight (June 25), the near-Earth asteroid 2023 MU2 will pass within 134,000 miles (215,000 kilometers) of Earth, or just about 60% of the average distance from our planet to the moon. While this flyby is fairly close in astronomical terms, the space rock isn't likely to pose any threat to Earth or spacecraft in its orbit. According to the NASA/JPL Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid is estimated to be between 13 and 29 feet (3.9 and 8.8 meters) in diameter, roughly the size of a house or three-story building. 2023 MU2 will make its closest approach on June 25 at 7:19 p.m. ET (2319 GMT). While these types of asteroids can be fairly hard to spot on your own, luckily you can watch the approach live thanks to a free telescope livestream. The Virtual Telescope Project, hosted by Rome-based astronomer Gianluca Masi, will be streaming the flyby of asteroid 2023 MU2 at 7 p.m. ET (2300 GMT) on Sunday. Watch it live here courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project or on the project's YouTube channel . Related: What are asteroids? several concentric rings showing the orbits of the solar system planets and an asteroid Asteroid 2023 MU2 was discovered just days ago on June 16 and confirmed by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center on Thursday (June 22). It's far from an outlier. Many space rocks pass close by Earth each week without incident; the car-size asteroid 2023 MW2 passed by Earth today , in fact, at a distance of just 77,000 miles (124,000 km). RELATED STORIES: Salty 'peanut' asteroid may reveal where Earth got its water This tiny probe the size of your cell phone could measure asteroid gravity in a space 1st Chelyabinsk meteor explosion over Russia 10 years ago was a planetary defense wakeup call Despite innumerable headlines making these events out to be dangerous or frightening, you shouldn't worry too much. CNEOS has cataloged over 32,000 near-Earth asteroids to date, and none are known to pose a threat to Earth in the next century, according to NASA . total solar eclipse april 2024 path of totality across North America A total solar eclipse will be visible across North America on April 8, 2024. Dubbed "The Great North American Eclipse", the event will be apparent throughout North and Central America. The solar eclipse will start in Mexico, cross into Texas then head northeast into the Ohio River Valley, through upstate New York, Quebec, Canada and New England, finally exiting the continent through the Canadian Maritimes. To see the solar eclipse in all its glory, that is with the moon's shadow completely blocking the sun , you need to be located within the path of totality. This animation, created by expert solar eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler at GreatAmericanEclipse.com illustrates the location and width of the path of totality, starting at 123 miles wide at Sinaloa, on the Pacific coast of Mexico and narrowing to 100 miles wide in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The speed of the moon's shadow also drastically increases as it sweeps across Earth's surface from 1,500 mph (2,414 km/h) to over 5,000 mph (8,046 km/h). Related: This epic NASA map shows where to see US solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 (photos) What is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned between Earth and the sun and casts a shadow over Earth, when the sun is fully obscured by the moon's shadow it is known as a total solar eclipse. The maximum duration of totality will last as long as 4 minutes and 26 seconds while the moon's shadow is over southwest Texas). That's 135 seconds longer than the US average and 40 percent longer than the maximum duration of the 2017 eclipse . "To make your duration of totality longer, travel to the center of the path of totality closest to you. " Zeiler told Space.com in an email. "Youll never regret the travel to see totality, natures greatest sight". "If you see a curve on an eclipse map that says 99%, dont think that means a total eclipse. 99% partial eclipse = 0% total eclipse! The difference between being inside and outside the path of totality is absolutely night and day." Zeiler continued. How the solar eclipse video was made Related stories: How to photograph a solar eclipse Lunar eclipses: When, where & how to see them Solar eclipse from space! Watch the moon's shadow sweep across Earth in satellite footage (video) Many weeks and multiple data sets were required to create the impressive flyover animation. Zeiler began with lunar terrain data derived from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to apply corrections to the moon's shadow and accurately predict the timings of totality. He then rendered the moon's shadow, frame-by-frame, on the topography of the area. "In the mountainous parts of the path in Mexico, youll see how the shadow edge responds to mountain elevations," Zeiler said. The animation was built upon earlier datasets that Zeiler had created for his " Atlas of Solar Eclipses 2020 to 2045" . As he had computed a set of moon shadow shapes on Earth for every second of the 2024 solar eclipse crossing North America. "The last work in creating the animation took about 3 weeks." During that time Zeiler simulated the arc of an imaginary spacecraft following the moon's shadow. Upcoming solar eclipses A map showing paths of the annular and total solar eclipses crossing over North America. This NASA map shows the paths of the annular "ring of fire" solar eclipse of Oct. 14, 2023 (left) and the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. Click the top right corner to expand full screen. (Image credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) Before the total solar eclipse in 2024, many skywatchers will be treated to an annular "ring of fire" solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023 . The annular eclipse will begin in the U.S. and travel from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf coast, passing over Nevada, Utah, New Mexico as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona, according to NASA . It will then continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Panama. South America will also experience the annular eclipse as it passes over Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil. Related: Annular solar eclipse October 2023: Plan your trip to see the amazing 'ring of fire' eclipse with these top tips During both the annular solar eclipse of 2023 and the total eclipse of 2024, all 48 contiguous states of the U.S. the lower 48 states on the North American continent will see at least a partial eclipse whereby part of the sun is obscured by the moon's shadow. If you plan on viewing a solar eclipse, remember: NEVER look at the sun with binoculars, a telescope or your unaided eye without special protection. Astrophotographers and astronomers use special filters to safely observe the sun during solar eclipses or other sun phenomena. Here's our guide on how to observe the sun safely. Homes are left destroyed after storm surge from Hurricane Nicole collapsed the sea wall on Wilbur Beach, in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, Fla. on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. (Zack Wittman/The New York Times) Severe weather can happen any day of the year. If you are in its path, youll probably get a warning in the form of a shrill alarm on your cellphone or text running across the TV screen. These messages are carefully crafted to make sure you have time to seek shelter before its too late, which could unnecessarily put you or emergency medical workers in harms way. But what actually causes people to respond to these warnings? Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Its something scientists learn more about every day. Heres how it works and how you might convince your uncle, for instance, that he really does need to evacuate before the next hurricane. An effective warning is specific. People often look for an indication that they will be directly affected by a storm, said Kathleen Sherman-Morris, a professor of meteorology and climatology at Mississippi State University. This means it is important for a warning to be more specific than, for example, saying that a tornado is headed toward eastern Tennessee. A lot of times, youll hear people on TV pointing out communities and roads and landmarks, Sherman-Morris said. Those kinds of things are very important to help people understand that its coming close to them. If you are trying to convince a skeptical relative about incoming danger, it will help to be specific in your messaging, too (assuming they trust you). Tell them about a local landmark that could be affected, based on the forecast, or when the storm is expected to be at its worst where they live. If you both know someone in the area who has already experienced problems because of the storm or posted about its destruction online, it could also help to relay that information. Why do some people hesitate or ignore warnings? Some people will go to a tornado shelter as soon as a warning is issued. Others might get the warning, then take a few minutes to read about the storm online, see what the television says, and talk to family and friends before sheltering. Different people need different levels of confirmation, Sherman-Morris said. Those who do not act because they believe they will be fine despite the warnings are a minority. To emphasize the potential danger, emergency managers will sometimes use shocking or jarring language, said Amber Silver, assistant professor in the department of emergency management and homeland security at the University at Albany. In 2017, Patrick Rios, then the mayor pro tem of Rockport, Texas, told people who chose not to evacuate before Hurricane Harvey to use a permanent marker to write their names and Social Security numbers on their arms in case they died. Alerts do not reach everyone. The National Weather Service provides alerts in English and Spanish, which can limit communications with people who primarily speak other languages. In September 2021, heavy flooding in New York City spotlighted the challenges faced by people who are not fluent in English. Many of the 13 New York City residents who died spoke limited English and may not have received or understood the warnings sent before the storm. The messages can also be incomprehensible to people with cognition issues, or inaccessible to those who cannot afford computers or TVs. There is specialized alert equipment for people who are blind, deaf or hard of hearing, but the most common sources of information, such as TV broadcasts, could also be made more accessible by using more descriptive and specific information, according to a 2020 study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. That is why a key part of the warning process is family, friends and the community, not just the technology, said Kim Klockow-McClain, a senior social scientist at the weather service who visits places that have experienced severe weather events and talks to residents about how warnings influenced their actions. She said good warning systems involve a set of organizations of people who are all coming together to alert each other that something is going on. It is not always easy to leave. Once people get a warning, it can still be challenging for them to act on it. First, shelter is not a given. People who live in mobile homes, which are not typically safe shelter in severe weather, must make a decision to find a safe place before a warning is issued, because it can quickly become too dangerous to travel. And not everyone has a social network that can help them find somewhere safe. People who need to evacuate their homes but have mobility challenges also face barriers responding to alerts. A 2002 study published in the journal Natural Hazards Review found that households that included people with mobility challenges were less likely to evacuate than those without. For others, transportation, food and hotels during an evacuation can be too expensive. The weather service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are working to improve how underserved populations get information in emergencies, Klockow-McClain said. The agencys VORTEX program is conducting field research and gathering data to ultimately give meteorologists in the Southeast more lead time in recognizing tornadoes that are embedded in a line of storms, potentially buying time for issuing alerts and circulating other practical information, such as shelter locations. Klockow-McClain said people with fewer resources often shoulder the burden and account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. How do I get a severe weather warning? Warnings can be issued for events including dangerous cold, heat, wind and rain. Some alerts, such as tornado warnings, demand instant action. Others, such as tornado watches, indicate that you should prepare in case things escalate. Get alerts from at least two places. Before a storm happens, people should check that they can receive alerts from two sources, such as a cellphone and the radio. Your cellphone should automatically receive severe-weather warnings. Many cities and states also have their own cellphone alert systems. Local meteorologists can also be a great resource because they are familiar with the community, Sherman-Morris said. How can alerts be improved? Klockow-McClain is pushing for technology that could better address the gray area between a watch and a warning, so people can make the best decisions possible under the circumstances. It actually is mind-boggling how much we can get from models now, she said. And the challenge is really giving you the right slices of all of that to make sense of whats going on. The weather service is also trying to learn the best way to get messages to communities, such as those where English is not the predominant language. This means identifying which people and resources a community turns to for its information. Ten years from now, the way we receive alerts could look very, very different, Klockow-McClain said. Thats our hope, is that it will. c.2023 The New York Times Company The sins of the son. Hunter Biden's plea deal with federal prosecutors may keep the commander-in-chief's second oldest boy out of prison but the culmination of a five-year criminal investigation hasn't closed the door on further political attacks against President Joe Biden by Republicans. Republican lawmakers referred to it as a "slap on the wrist" while former President Donald Trump, the GOP 2024 front-runner (who faces his own legal troubles), called it a "sweetheart" deal. What remains to be seen is how this will impact President Biden's reelection bid, and if the case could fuel a third party candidate. President Joe Biden attends his granddaughter Maisy Biden's commencement ceremony with first lady Jill Biden and children Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Monday, May 15, 2023. Another anti-Trump Republican is vying to be the GOP presidential nominee next year. Enter former Rep. Will Hurd, of Texas, who believes the former president's poor electoral record is the best reason for conservatives to say enough is enough. "If we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump who lost the House, the Senate, and the White House we all know (President) Joe Biden will win again," Hurd said in his announcement video. But many are openly questioning if it is wise for Hurd to join the fray and potentially split the anti-Trump vote further. Speaker Kevin McCarthy continues to have a hard time keeping the more conservative members of his caucus on message. This week he urged GOP members to reject a move by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who forced a vote that could lead to impeaching President Biden. House Republicans did finally unite behind a common cause, however. In a party-line vote, Congress censured Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., over his claims about former President Donald Trumps connections to Russia. It's been a year since the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade and the country isn't anywhere closer to settling the debate surrounding a woman's right to end a pregnancy. As much as reproductive rights advocates feel the country is on their side in reaction to conservative abortion bans in many states, anti-abortion leaders remain steadfast that a national ban should be on the table in 2024. How much will Hunter hurt the president? Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, speaks to guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 18, 2022, in Washington. Republicans feel confident that Hunter Biden's bargain with the U.S. Department of Justice will be viewed as a double standard and have hammered that point home this past week. This DOJ continues to hunt Republicans while it protects Democrats, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a presidential hopeful, said in a Fox News interview. Democrats are pushing back, but voters have repeatedly expressed they don't want a Biden-Trump rematch, and the dueling legal caseswhile different in severity and individual focuscould be a further turn off and reinforce voters desire for other options. In a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll, 23% of registered voters said they would vote for an unnamed third-party candidate against Biden and Trump. Just 9% of voters polled in the summer of 2019 said the same. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said a person who occasionally watches any news outlet might conclude theyre both "awful choices. Hurd joins 2024 campaign trail with Trump can't win message Former Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, addresses the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition on April 22, 2023, in Clive, Iowa. Hurd, also a former CIA officer, entered the Republican presidential race two months later. Former Congressman Will Hurd is making a bet that conservatives know Trump can't win in 2024, and the moderate Republican said "too many candidates in this race are afraid" of the former president. "Republicans deserve better," Hurd, a former CIA officer, said in his announcement video. "America deserves better. It's common sense." But political analysts say a crowded field benefits Trump, who he is believed to have a solid base if more challengers split up the remaining primary. Plus there are already a number of GOP hopefuls who criticize Trump, including his own former vice president, Mike Pence, who has been increasingly critical. Not to mention others such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, a former Arkansas governor who twice called for Trump to drop out in light of his indictments in New York and Florida. McCarthy is refereeing a MAGA civil war over Biden impeachment Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, scream "Build the Wall" as President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington. Two of the most conservative and outspoken House members are beefing over who will impeach President Biden first, and the speaker is worried this could all backfire. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has introduced articles of impeachment against Biden over his handling of the southern border. She brought the impeachment articles to the floor as a privileged resolution, and by a 219-208 party-line vote the resolution was sent to committees for possible consideration. Here's the thing: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is also pursuing a plan to impeach Biden, along with several other administration officials. She called Boebert a "copycat." Then Boebert responded, saying she is "not in middle school." The two had an exchange on the House floor, where it was reported Greene cursed at Boebert. "What majority do we want to be," McCarthy asked during a closed-door meeting among House Republicans, according to multiple sources. "Give it right back in two years or hold it for a decade and make real change? Schiff censured Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., center, with Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., left, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Washington. House Republicans renewed their effort to censure Democrat Adam Schiff for alleging collusion between Trump and Russia during the 2016 presidential, and this time it worked. By a 213-209 vote, along party lines, Schiff was condemned by GOP colleagues as fellows Democrats chanted "shame" in the chamber. National abortion ban... or else? WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: (L-R) Rev. Pat Mahoney, Peggy Nienaber of Faith and Liberty and Mark Lee Dickson of Right to Life East Texas pray in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on April 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Organized by The Stanton Public Policy Center/Purple Sash Revolution, the small group of demonstrators called on the Supreme Court to affirm Federal District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling that suspends the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The landmark decision overturning Roe is creating political perils for Republicans as a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll find one out of four Americans saying states imposing strict limits on abortion access have made them more supportive of abortion rights. But social conservatives continue to push the 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls campaigning on embracing a national abortion ban. During a town hall at Experience Church in Des Moines, a panel that included Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and faith leaders said GOP contenders must support that idea, or risk losing in the important Iowa caucuses. "Plant the flag in Iowa," Graham said. "If you want to be the nominee of the Republican Party, carry our banner, you've got to give a clear, concise, logical answer on the pro-life issue in Washington, D.C. And if you can't do that, maybe you shouldn't be in the race to begin with." Religious voters are expected to play a key role in Republican delegate contests next year on topics ranging from religious liberty rights to transgender policies. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week in politics: Hunter's bargain; anti-Trump hopeful joins '24 trail For more than two years, Democrats and Republicans have hotly debated the importance of the "Hunter Biden laptop" - insisting that it was either key evidence of corruption or fool's gold meant to con 2020 voters into abandoning then-candidate Joe Biden. Both theories were largely wrong, according to two of the agents closest to the investigation of tax crimes allegedly committed by President Biden's son. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. After being handed the device by a Wilmington, Del., computer shop owner in 2019, the FBI quickly concluded by examining computer data as well as Hunter Biden's phone records that the laptop was genuinely his and did not seem to have been tampered with or manipulated. But the agents' accounts also indicate that the laptop played at best a small role in the criminal investigation into potential tax and gun-purchasing violations. Far from a smoking gun, the laptop appears to have been mostly an afterthought to the reams of text messages, emails and other evidence that agents gathered from Hunter Biden's cloud data. A lawyer for one of those agents said he nevertheless was frustrated by the Justice Department's refusal to let them review the laptop's contents. The IRS agent on the case and his direct supervisor were interviewed in recent weeks by the House Ways and Means Committee, after making whistleblower disclosures about what they say was the inappropriate conduct of the Justice Department prosecutors overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation. The Republican chairman of the committee released the transcripts of the interviews Thursday. Both the IRS supervisor, Gary Shapley, and the case agent, whose name is redacted from the transcripts, told the committee that the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware and senior officials at the Justice Department's tax division slowed down and stifled their investigation, ultimately leading to key evidence expiring because of the statute of limitations. They accused Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss of saying he did not have the final authority on whether to charge Biden or where such charges could be filed. Such statements contradict repeated public assurances by Attorney General Merrick Garland that Weiss, an appointee of President Donald Trump, had total control of the Biden case. Weiss "was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own," Garland insisted again Friday when asked about the apparent contradiction. While the supervisory agent told the committee that Weiss claimed he had asked to be named a special counsel on the case - giving him greater independence - and had been turned down, Garland said he had never received such a request from the prosecutor. "Mr. Weiss never made that request to me," Garland told reporters. "I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these matters when he deems it appropriate." Lawyers for Shapley said there are six government witnesses to the discussion at which Weiss made that assertion, at least one of whom has separately corroborated Shapley's account. "That Mr. Weiss made these statements is easily corroborated, and it is up to him and the Justice Department to reconcile the evidence of his October 7, 2022 statements with contrary statements by Mr. Weiss and the Attorney General to Congress," the attorneys said. The contradictory claims come just a few days after Hunter Biden struck a tentative plea deal with prosecutors in which he plans to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes and will probably be sentenced to probation. He will also admit to having illegally possessed a gun and enter a diversion program that will dismiss the charge against him if he stays clean for two years. Biden is due in court July 26. His plea deal must still be approved by a federal judge, and it's unclear if any of the allegations raised by the IRS agents could throw a wrench into that proceeding. It is rare, but not unheard of, for federal judges involved in guilty pleas or sentencing to press Justice Department officials to explain further how they arrived at determinations on charges and recommended punishments. One of the most colorful details in the agents' account describes text messages from 2017 in which Hunter Biden appears to make an angry demand of Chinese business executives, and repeatedly invokes his father and his family name to try to get what he wants. "I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled," Hunter Biden wrote in the message later obtained by the IRS agents from his cloud storage. At that time, Joe Biden was out of office, having recently served eight years as the vice president. "I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand. And now means tonight. And Z if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the Chairman I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction," Hunter Biden allegedly wrote. "All too often people mistake kindness for weakness - and all too often I am standing over top of them saying I warned you." Over a slew of messages stretching over days, Biden, makes clear that he is unhappy that a deal he thought would be consummated for $10 million a year would actually generate $5 million. The IRS case agent told lawmakers that they were never able to determine what Biden would be doing for that money. Much of the IRS investigation tracked how Biden was paid by foreign entities in China, Romania and Ukraine and did not report some of that money as income. "I can make $5M in salary at any law firm in America," Biden wrote, according to investigators' notes of the text conversation. "If you think this is about money it's not. The Biden's are the best I know at doing exactly what the Chairman wants from this partnerships. Please let's not quibble over peanuts." Within days of Hunter Biden's blunt text messages, a deal was struck with the Chinese executives. Over the course of 14 months, a Chinese energy conglomerate and its executives paid $4.8 million to entities controlled by Hunter Biden and his uncle, The Washington Post reported last year based on a review of government records, court documents, bank statements and verified emails. The Post, which did not have access to the WhatsApp messages that Shapley's testimony revealed, did not find evidence that Joe Biden personally benefited from or knew details about the transactions. Hunter Biden's lawyer, Chris Clark, suggested in a statement Friday that such claims by his client arose not from Joe Biden actually helping Hunter's business pursuits, but from the younger Biden's drug addiction. "Any verifiable words or actions of my client, in the midst of a horrible addiction, are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family," Clark said. A White House official said the president had no recollection of anything like what was described in the notes about the text message. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was peppered with questions about Hunter Biden during her daily briefing on Friday and largely referred questions to the White House Counsel's Office. "As we have said many times before, the president was not in business with his son," said Ian Sams, a spokesman for the counsel's office. "As we have also said many times before, the Justice Department makes decisions in its criminal investigations independently, and in this case, the White House has not been involved." Since 2020, the Hunter Biden investigation has been the subject of heated accusations of corruption, political influence and dirty tricks. During that year's presidential election, Stephen K. Bannon and other Trump advisers touted a copy of the laptop they said Hunter Biden had brought to a Delaware computer shop, positing that the emails and photos on it held critical evidence of crimes. Democrats suggested the data might have been doctored or possibly a Russian-backed disinformation campaign. The information provided by IRS agents to Congress seems to put both the accusations and counter-accusations to rest. FBI agents were able to determine in early November 2019 that the device they had was registered to Hunter Biden, and phone records showed he had been in contact with the computer shop owner. "We have no reason to believe there is anything fabricated nefariously on the computer and or hard drive. There are emails and other items that corroborate the items on the laptop," Shapley wrote in notes that dated that determination to around May 2020. Shapley said a federal prosecutor on the case, Lesley Wolf, told him that the IRS agents couldn't see the laptop. "At some point, they were going to give a redacted version, but we don't even think we got a full - even a redacted version. We only got piecemeal items," Shapley told the committee, voicing his frustration that he would have liked to see all the data. The agent's lawyer, Mark Lytle, said the decision to not provide the laptop to IRS agents "was one of many crucial investigative steps that were denied to the IRS agents for use in trying to make a complete record of the investigation." Throughout the investigation, Shapley told lawmakers, Weiss and Wolf seemed to be more determined to "keep this investigation secret" than to bring charges. The accounts by Shapley and the case agent suggest Justice Department officials were furious over an Oct. 6 Post article that revealed federal agents on the Biden case had concluded there were crimes that should be charged. In a meeting Oct. 7, according to an email Shapley wrote the same day, senior officials complained "about the agent leak" and said the matter was being referred to internal investigators at the Justice and Treasury departments. In the same meeting, Shapley wrote at the time, Weiss allegedly said that "he is not the deciding person on whether charges are filed." Shapley wrote in his email: "I believe this to be a huge problem - inconsistent with DOJ public position and Merrick Garland testimony." One of the areas in which Garland's public statements appear to be contradicted by the agents' account of their own investigation is on the question of the role of Justice Department headquarters. The agents say the Justice Department tax division - not Weiss's office - held significant sway over what investigative steps could be taken and whether the evidence agents had supported a decision to file charges. The Justice Department ultimately removed Shapley and his group of investigators from the case, according to the agents' transcripts. - - - The Washington Post's Perry Stein and Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report. Related Content The professor is canceled. Now what? It's higher education's toughest subject. Andrew Barth Feldman is so excited to meet you His dog ran off after his wife died. A remarkable rescue ensued. Whistleblower: 'No way of knowing' if evidence of 'other criminal activity' existed about Bidens on laptop Whistleblower: 'No way of knowing' if evidence of 'other criminal activity' existed about Bidens on laptop There is "no way of knowing" if evidence of "other criminal activity" existed concerning President Joe Biden or Hunter Biden due to prosecutorial guidance to "limit" or block questioning related to the president, an IRS whistleblower alleged. The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who said officials at the Justice Department, FBI and IRS interfered with the investigation of the tax evasion case against Hunter Biden. The whistleblowers said decisions in the case seemed to be "influenced by politics." HUNTER BIDEN TAX PROBE BEGAN AS OFFSHOOT IRS INVESTIGATION INTO AMATEUR PORNOGRAPHY SHOP: WHISTLEBLOWER One whistleblower, Gary Shapley Jr., who was the supervisor of the investigation at the IRS, said that "at every stage" of the Hunter Biden probe, decisions were made that "had the effect of benefiting the subject of the investigation." Shapley testified that the investigation, which had the codename of "Sportsman," was opened in November 2018 as an "offshoot" of an IRS investigation into a "foreign-based amateur online pornography platform." Testimony released by the committee didn't include any further explanation of how the pornography outlet and Hunter Biden were linked. Nearly a year later, in October 2019, Shapley said the FBI became aware of the laptop, and by December 2019, the FBI took possession of it and "notified the IRS that it likely contained evidence of tax crimes." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Shapley testified that he, in October 2020, complained that he still had "not been given access to the laptop." Shapley noted that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf admitted that she did not see the laptop because "prosecutors decided to keep it from the investigators." "This decision is unprecedented in my experience," Shapley said. "Investigators assigned to this investigation were obstructed from seeing all the available evidence." Shapley further testified that it is "unknown if all the evidence in the laptop was reviewed by agents or by prosecutors." Shapley also testified that Wolf had worked to "limit" questioning related to Joe Biden referring to him as "dad" or "the big guy." With regard to the laptop, Shapley said that "based on guidance provided by the prosecutors on a recurring basis to not look into anything related to President Biden, there is no way of knowing if evidence of other criminal activity existed concerning Hunter Biden or President Biden." DOJ, FBI, IRS INTERFERED WITH HUNTER BIDEN PROBE, ACCORDING TO WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY RELEASED BY GOP With regard to limiting questioning related to Joe Biden, Shapley pointed to text messages and emails obtained from Hunter Bidens former business partner Tony Bobulinski, which Fox News Digital first reported before the 2020 presidential election and before it was known that Hunter Biden was under federal investigation. Ahead of an interview with Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker in December 2020, Shapley said investigators "wanted to question Walker about an email that said: Ten held by H for the big guy." The "Ten held by H for the big guy" message is an email from May 13, 2017, which included a discussion of "remuneration packages" for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Biden as "Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC," in an apparent reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co. The email includes a note that "Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate." A proposed equity split references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details. "We had obvious questions like who was H, who the big guy was, and why this percentage was to be held separately with the association hidden," Shapley testified. But Shapley said Wolf "interjected and said she did not want to ask about the big guy and stated she did not want to ask questions about dad." It has been reported that Joe Biden is referred to as "the big guy." "When multiple people in the room spoke up and objected that we had to ask, she responded, theres no specific criminality to that line of questioning," Shapley said. "This upset the FBI, too." Shapley said that "basically everyone in the room except for the prosecutors had a big problem with" not asking questions about President Biden. Shapley said IRS and FBI agents conducting the Walker interview "tried to skirt AUSA Wolfs direction" to avoid questions on "dad" and "the big guy." "And they were like, How can we not ask? Like, that was wrong. We got to ask. We got to ask," Shapley said. "And so they basically decided that they would ask the question without saying the words big guy, and that then they would somehow be doing what they were asked to do." Meanwhile, Shapley also pointed to a July 30th, 2017, WhatsApp message from Hunter Biden to Chinese energy company CEFC executive Henry Zhao, where he wrote: "I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled." The text further stated: "I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father." Hunter Biden appears at Carlingford Castle during his trip to Ireland on April 12, 2023. "Communications like these made it clear we needed to search the guest house at the Bidens' Delaware residence where Hunter Biden stayed for a time," Shapley said. Shapley said that on Oct. 22, 2020, the team and Wolf stated that U.S. Attorney David Weiss had "reviewed the affidavit for search warrant of Hunter Biden's residence and agreed that probable cause had been achieved." "Even though the legal requirements were met, and the investigative team knew evidence would be in these locations, AUSA Wolf stated that they would not allow a physical search warrant on Hunter Biden," Shapley said. HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN Shapley said Wolf determined there was "enough probable cause for the physical search warrant there, but the question was whether the juice was worth the squeeze." "She continued that optics were a driving factor in the decision on whether to execute a search warrant," Shapley said. "She said a lot of evidence in our investigation would be found in the guest house of former Vice President Biden, but said there is no way we will get that approved." President Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden. Meanwhile, Shapley repeatedly testified that there were "multiple times where Lesley Wolf said that she didnt want to ask questions about dad." "And 'dad' was kind of how we referred to him," Shapley said. "We referred to Hunter Bidens father, you know, as dad." Shapley said Joe Biden was referred to in that way "so that we could speak more openly without yelling, President Biden." The White House has repeatedly said President Biden has never been involved in his son's business dealings. They also maintain the president never discussed them with him. In response to the whistleblower allegations, the Justice Department said in a statement: "As both the Attorney General and U.S. Attorney David Weiss have said, U.S. Attorney Weiss has full authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges as he deems appropriate. He needs no further approval to do so. Questions about his investigation should be directed to the U.S. Attorneys Office for Delaware." President Bidens Labor secretary nominee appears to have reached a dead end in the Senate. Almost four months after the White House rolled out Julie Sus nomination in February, Democratic leadership is not shaking up their strategy, even as theyve made little progress getting her across the finish line. At the same time, Republicans are calling for her name to be withdrawn, and there is no sign of a vote coming anytime soon in the upper chamber. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday teed up votes after the two-week July 4 recess on a slew of nominations, including former Rep. Xochitl Torres Smalls (D-N.M.) to be deputy secretary of Agriculture, Rosie Hidalgo to be the Justice Departments director of Violence Against Women Office and another spate of Judicial nominees. That means the very earliest Sus nomination would be considered is in mid-July, if at all. Frustrated, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee member who has lobbied the holdouts, said about his feelings on the languishing nomination. I cant predict what other people are going to do. But I do know this: keeping it hanging out there is good for nobody not for the country, not for her, not for us. Lets have a vote. At issue has been the inability to shake loose two of the three moderates Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) that Democrats need to back her nomination. Manchin has long been viewed as the most unlikely of the three to back her on the floor. Tester has been peppered with questions for weeks about Sus nomination but has consistently said that he is still deciding. I would love to [have a vote on her], but you know why? Because you guys would never have to ask me again how I was going to vote on Julie Su, Tester said with a laugh last week. Sinema has a policy of not previewing votes. With little movement among the trio, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) emerged as the senator to watch during the confirmation fight, but the White House had nothing to report about how those conversations have been going. Murkowski also declined to say Thursday whether she had taken a stance one way or another on Sus nomination. I dont know, Murkowski said. I dont think shes coming forward. Look at where we are right now. I havent seen anyone on the other side move on her. The administration has had a tough time getting some nominees through this year. Biden withdrew two nominations in March Phillip Washington, Bidens pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, and Gigi Sohn, Bidens pick to serve as the top telecommunications regulator for the Federal Communications Commission. In May, he pulled his choice to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and two judiciary picks. Still, losing out on a Sus confirmation to a Cabinet-level role would be a significant blow. Schumer reiterated to reporters Wednesday that they were still working hard to get her confirmed. The White House recently assembled a so-called war room to make calls every day about Sus nomination, and chief of staff Jeff Zients, among others, had been speaking with Schumer and other Democrats regularly about it. We are definitely committed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. The White House and outside groups continue a full-court press to get Julie confirmed. That has not stopped. When pressed on if Sus nomination will be pulled due to the lack of progress, the White House has stressed that she is highly qualified and points to Sus role in brokering a recent tentative agreement between shippers and West Coast dockworkers an accomplishment Biden also praised her for earlier this month. Biden nominated her to replace Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who is the first Cabinet secretary in the line of succession to leave his post since the start of the Biden administration. The timing of Sus potential failed nomination isnt ideal for the president going into a reelection year. The Biden campaign received over a dozen endorsements from labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, and has touted big labor as a major asset for them. Biden rallied with labor groups Saturday in Philadelphia to tout the boost from their endorsements. Despite the poor optics of a flailing Labor secretary nominee, the White House has not changed up its strategy to get her over the top, a sign that they could have reached a dead end. Meanwhile, Republicans have been consistent in their opposition to Su throughout the nomination process. That kept up last week when 33 Senate Republicans led by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signed a letter to Biden calling on him to withdraw her nomination. Given this present state of affairs, we respectfully urge you to withdraw the nomination, they wrote. We appreciate your responsiveness to this request, and ask for prompt confirmation that the nomination of Julie A. Su is formally withdrawn. Specifically, Republicans have opposed Su over her handling of Californias unemployment insurance program, when the state paid out billions in fraudulent COVID-19 funds, and her stance on the gig economy and independent contractors. The latter half of the opposition stems from a potential Department of Labor rule that would make it more difficult for workers to classify as independent contractors. Those individuals can be up to 30-percent cheaper for businesses than full-time employees. They also have fewer legal protections. Some outside groups are also lining up to call for her name to be taken out of the running. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a worker group that has opposed Su, wrote a letter to Biden on Thursday asking to withdraw her name. The trucker group said that her nomination hasnt been supported in the Senate in part because of her disastrous policies affecting the trucking industry in California, including on gig workers. Meanwhile, business groups that have long called on Senators to oppose her nomination, such as the International Franchise Association, were thrilled to see the Senate GOP letter this week pressuring the president to withdraw her name. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. White House says Biden spoke with leaders of France, Germany and UK amid developments in Russia U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official White House State Visit in Washington By Jasper Ward WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday as mutinous Russian mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, the White House said. "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine," a readout said. Biden was briefed about the unfolding situation in Russia by his national security team on Saturday morning, the White House said, adding that the president will continue to be briefed throughout the day. A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that during the conversation, the four leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office made a similar commitment about Ukraine, and said the leaders "have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days". U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also spoken to counterparts from G7 nations. The move by Wagner Group mercenaries presents Russian President Vladimir Putin with the first serious challenge to his grip on power in his 23-year rule. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke and David Milliken; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Frances Kerry) Why 101 people and a dog want to be Toronto's mayor Molly and Toby Heaps kayak in Lake Ontario Toronto will soon decide who will be its next mayor, after revelations of an extramarital affair pushed the city's long-time leader out of office. There is no shortage of candidates to choose from - in fact, a historic total of 102 names will be on the ballot, including Molly, the dog. The six-year-old wolf-husky canine, and her owner Toby Heaps, are running on the promise to "Stop the Salt Assault" on city roads during the winter. The overuse of salt on roads during the winter, Mr Heaps argued, can hurt the paws of tender-footed canines like Molly. His campaign also proposes a fix to housing unaffordability, a tax-hike on billion-dollar businesses and a ban on fossil-fuel heating systems in new homes and commercial buildings. If he wins, he said he will designate Molly as the city's first honorary dog mayor. "I think city hall would make better decisions if there was an animal in the room," he told the BBC. But along with a desire for change, Mr Heaps said this election is an opportunity he simply could not afford to miss. It is the first by-election in Toronto's history since six municipalities joined to form what is colloquially known as the "mega-city" 25 years ago. The contest was called after the resignation of John Tory, the city's mayor for the past eight years. Mr Tory's rise to power in 2014 was seen as a welcome reprieve from the reign of Rob Ford, who made international headlines for admitting to smoking crack cocaine while in office. But Mr Tory has been criticised for lacking a meaningful vision for Toronto, and for deepening inequality in one of the world's most unaffordable cities. A Toronto Star column described him as "rarely inspirational and too often overly cautious". He is also blamed for overseeing a Toronto that is seemingly at a crisis point, especially as the city continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Many have pointed to an increase in gun violence, homelessness, housing prices and violence on public transit during his tenure. Despite these criticisms, Mr Tory was elected three times - the most recent being in October 2022. Only a few dozen people had challenged him then, as he was seen as a shoo-in for re-election. That is, until a scandal of his own forced him out of office a few months later. A February article in the Toronto Star revealed the 68-year-old married mayor had an affair with a 31-year-old staffer during the Covid-19 pandemic. He resigned in the hours after it was published. With him out of the picture, the upcoming by-election on 26 June is "a wide open race," said Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto. "The difference between last time and this time is we don't know who is going to win," Prof Wiseman said. The barrier for entry into the race is remarkably low. A fee of C$250 ($189) and 25 signatures is all a Torontonian needs to run for mayor. Unlike other large North American cities - namely New York, Los Angeles and Chicago - candidates do not run according to political party lines, which means there is no nomination process that would whittle down the pool. Karen Chapple, the director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, said that with the field wide open, some are attracted to run just to see if they have a shot. "There's kind of a gamblers aspect to it, kind of a Las Vegas aura," she told the BBC. Coupled with the consistently low voter turnout in Toronto's mayoral elections, this means that most successful candidates already need a fair bit of name recognition. Olivia Chow (left) is no stranger to politics. She ran for mayor in 2014, losing to John Tory (right). Doug Ford (centre) also ran, and is now the premier of Ontario The front-runner of the race is Olivia Chow - the political opposite of John Tory, who has served in public office since 1992 and is the widow of Jack Layton, the most celebrated leader in the history of Canada's left-leaning New Democratic Party. Many of her opponents are current and former city councillors, with their own profiles in the community. But the breadth and diversity of candidates this time around - from Molly the dog to an 18-year-old fresh out of high school - tells a story of how fragmented the city has become, Ms Chapple said. With a population of nearly three million, including many newcomers and immigrants, Toronto is the fourth-largest city in North America and consistently cited as one of the most diverse cities in the world. But with all those people from different walks of life, comes different perspectives on what kind of city Toronto should be. Some are able to afford the city's staggering real-estate market, while others rent basement flats with roommates. There are commuters who live in the city's outer limits battling daily traffic and downtown dwellers jostling for space on the subway. Those different views are reflected in the pool of candidates. Former police chief Mark Saunders has promised to increase the city's police budget to tackle crime, while Ms Chow has focused her pledges on Toronto's housing crisis, promising to build homes on city-owned land. "You're seeing sort of a reflection and microcosm of what Toronto is as a city," Ms Chapple said. Meanwhile, Chloe Brown, a young policy analyst who has spent the bulk of career working with underserved communities, has bluntly stated that "Toronto does not need more policing," promising instead to fund mental health supports. Experts and candidates have said that having more than 100 candidates on the ballot could both be a positive and a negative thing. For one, it ensures that a range of perspectives are heard and included. But on the other hand, Ms Chapple said it also means that Toronto's next mayor will likely be decided by a very small percentage of the population. "You could have a situation where you could have an extreme minority essentially making decisions for the city," she said. With so much competition, Mr Heaps - Molly's owner - said he is aware that he may not become Toronto's next mayor. His decision to run, he said, was born out of a conversation with his seven-year-old son. "I said, 'Okay, well you know there is a good chance we might not win. How would you feel then?'" Mr Heaps recalled. "He said, 'I'd be mad, I'd be sad, but I'd be happy that you tried'." "That was good enough for me." New York (CNN) Workers at about 150 unionized Starbucks stores in the United States are going on strike Friday over a dispute about the coffee chains policy for Pride decorations in stores. Starbucks (SBUX) Workers United, the union representing organized stores, has claimed that Starbucks (SBUX) has restricted decorations celebrating Pride month in some locations, demonstrating a hypocritical treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers. Starbucks (SBUX) has forcefully denied this claim. About 3,500 employees will be on strike over the course of the next week, Starbucks Workers United posted in a tweet. Store leaders are able to decorate stores as they wish for Pride and other heritage months, as long as those decorations adhere to safety guidelines, according to the company. Starbucks said it is not aware of any company-owned stores that have banned Pride decorations. The company also pointed out that many stores have shared their Pride decorations on social media. We unwaveringly support the LGBTQIA2+ community. There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for US Pride month in June, a Starbucks spokesperson said, adding, Were deeply concerned by false information that is being spread. However, the union responded on Twitter that the companys own responses have not been consistent based on internal documents and testimonies from store managers. Starbucks gives autonomy to local leaders to find ways to celebrate. These leaders are the same ones issuing many of the Pride bans, it said pointing to an article that Pride decor was banned from about 100 locations across parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Those locations are in some of the more conservative regions of a deeply divided United States. Many Starbucks locations across the country have been displaying Pride decorations. Starbucks Workers United says this is an example of Starbucks bowing to pressure, as Target did when moving or removing Pride merchandise from some stores. Pride has become a political flashpoint this year, with the right attacking companies for celebrating the inclusive celebrations. But, even if some individual managers have removed their Pride decorations, Starbucks corporate has not changed any merchandising or other policies. The Seattle-based company has a history of progressive policies for employees dating back to 1988 when it extended full health benefits for same-sex partners. In 2013, it added health coverage for gender reassignment surgery and two years later let employees express themselves with a name or nickname that is consistent with their gender identity or expression, according to the company. Still, Starbucks has generated a reputation of cracking down on unionizing. Starbucks was recently accused of displaying egregious and widespread misconduct in its dealings with employees involved in efforts to unionize Buffalo, New York, stores, a National Labor Relations Board judge said in March. Previous Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz had been a vocal opponent of unions. I dont think a union has a place in Starbucks, Schultz told CNNs Poppy Harlow. If workers file for a petition to be unionized, they have a right to do so. But we as a company have a right also to say, we have a different vision that is better, he said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Starbucks workers at 150 stores go on strike over Pride decorations" Why Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan might not be doomed after 2 new rulings from conservative Supreme Court justices From left: US Supreme Court Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett talk before President Joe Biden delivers the 2023 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the US Capitol on February 7 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Two recent Supreme Court rulings have struck down cases due to a lack of states' standing to sue. They could be indicators of how the high court could rule on student-loan forgiveness. Six GOP-led states brought on one of the lawsuits blocking student-debt relief. Another week went by without a Supreme Court decision on President Joe Biden's student-loan-forgiveness plan but some recent rulings from the high court could be an indicator of how it's handling pending cases. In February, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the two lawsuits that paused the implementation of Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. Two student-loan borrowers brought on one of the cases, US Department of Education v. Brown, because they did not qualify for the full $20,000 of debt relief. The other case, Biden v. Nebraska, was brought on by six Republican-led states who argued the relief would hurt their states' tax revenues and the revenue of the student-loan company MOHELA. While both parties claimed they would suffer various forms of harm from student-loan forgiveness, the court's decision on the cases could come down to whether the plaintiffs have standing to sue in the first place. To prove standing, plaintiffs have to show that the policy would injure them, that the injury directly traces back to the defendant, and that the relief they're seeking would address those injuries. If they fail to demonstrate those harms, the court will throw out the case. And that's what the Supreme Court has done with two recent rulings. Last week, the conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored an opinion in the case Haaland v. Brackeen, in which the state of Texas was among the petitioners that challenged the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 that allowed Native American children to stay with Native American families in custody battles. The court ultimately ruled 7-2 that Texas did not have standing to sue. "The issues are complicated," Barrett wrote in the decision, adding, "But the bottom line is that we reject all of petitioners' challenges to the statute, some on the merits and others for lack of standing." "That should make the issue open and shut," Barrett wrote. And on Friday, the conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored an opinion in the case United States v. Texas, in which Texas and Louisiana sued the Department of Homeland Security and accused it of violating federal law for prioritizing some non-US citizens who entered the country illegally for arrest and deportation over others. By an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court decided the states lack standing to bring the suit. "This Court's precedents and longstanding historical practice establish that the States' suit here is not the kind redressable by a federal court," Kavanaugh wrote. It's clear that both liberal and conservative justices are taking the issue of states' standing very seriously and it could be a sign of how they might rule on the two major student-loan forgiveness cases, both of which require plaintiffs to prove standing to sue the government over a federal policy. "If the Supreme Court strikes down student debt relief, it will be a stark deviation from their rulings thus far and further expose the political corruption within this court," Braxton Brewington, spokesperson for the Debt Collective a union for people in debt said in a statement. "In Justice Barrett's own words, the ruling for student debt relief should be 'open and shut' in favor of mostly low-income families burdened with the crushing weight of student debt." Student-loan borrowers and advocates gather for the People's Rally for Student Debt Cancellation on February 28 in Washington, DC. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for People's Rally to Cancel Student Deb How recent rulings are a student-debt-relief indicator In the United States v. Texas decision, one of Kavanaugh's footnotes directly addresses an argument similar to the one the six GOP-led states made in their case regarding how the student-loan forgiveness would harm their revenues. "But in our system of dual federal and state sovereignty, federal policies frequently generate indirect effects on state revenues or state spending. And when a State asserts, for example, that a federal law has produced only those kinds of indirect effects, the State's claim for standing can become more attenuated," Kavanaugh wrote in his opinion in the immigration case. "In short, none of the various theories of standing asserted by the States in this case overcomes the fundamental Article III problem with this lawsuit." During the oral arguments for the student-debt-relief cases in February, Barrett joined liberal justices in scrutinizing whether the states could name the Missouri-based student-loan company MOHELA in the lawsuit even after the company itself denied involvement. "Why didn't the state just make MOHELA come then?" she asked. "If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didn't you just strong-arm MOHELA and say, 'You've gotta pursue this suit?'" Still, James Campbell, a solicitor general for Nebraska who's representing the states, held that Missouri has an "ultimate interest in the property of MOHELA" and that "we believe as a matter of law that the state has the authority to assert its interests." Even with a critical eye on state standing, conservative justices drilled into potential executive overreach with student-loan forgiveness during arguments, so it's unclear how the high court will rule. A final decision is expected to come by the end of June, and until then, borrowers must wait to learn if they will resume payments in October with any reduction to their balances. Read the original article on Business Insider A Kentucky woman visiting Texas is accused of fatally shooting her Uber driver out of a mistaken fear that he was kidnapping her and driving to Mexico, according to local police who charged her with murder this week. The incident took place in El Paso last Friday. Phoebe Copas, 48, was in an Uber heading to a casino where her boyfriend planned to meet her when she allegedly saw road signs for Juarez and panicked, local NBC affiliate KTSM reported, citing court documents. Copas then allegedly took a handgun from her purse and shot Daniel Piedra Garcia, 52, in the head. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier, according to local ABC news affiliate KVIA. Court documents obtained by local media say Copas took a photo of the scene and sent it to her boyfriend before calling 911. Piedra was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries, but his family said in an update to a GoFundMe page that he died after being taken off life support this week. El Paso Police arrested Copas at the scene. She was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and, after Piedras death, with his murder. The investigation does not support that a kidnapping took place or that Piedra was veering from Copas destination, investigators said in a statement. Piedras niece, Didi Lopez, told local news station CBS4 that she suspected negative assumptions about the southern U.S. border may have contributed to the womans state of mind. They make assumptions, they see stuff maybe on the news, maybe on social media, and stuff thats not necessarily true and when they come here, they come without really knowing, Lopez told CBS4. He was really excited to be driving for Uber. He was already providing for his family. Not only that, he was meeting so many people, she said. Copas bond was set at $1.5 million. Related... A woman who's just 5'3" says her mini Honda truck that cost $5,500 is 'perfect for me' Cindy Bryant's bee-themed Honda Acty. Cindy Bryant An Alabama woman bought a Kei truck for her honey bee business. Cindy Bryant paid $5,500 for her Honda Acty, joining other Americans buying mini trucks. At 5'3", she says the truck is perfect for her height. After Cindy Bryant's husband watched her drive her Kei truck down a hill at 75 miles an hour, he started calling the mini Japanese pickup "may pops." That's because they "may pop at any minute," Bryant jokes, adding she doesn't go that fast anymore. But Bryant, a 68-year-old beekeeper, hadn't really heard of Kei trucks until she started looking for something smaller than her Ford earlier this year. But since paying $5,500 for a 1996 Honda Acty in March she saw on Facebook, she's found it to be a revelation. Honey business A retired former General Motors worker, Bryant has kept bees as a hobby for eight years and sells honey locally in Arley, Alabama through Smith Lake Honey. "Everyone kept talking about the plight of the honey bee and how they were endangered so I thought, 'I'll just do that,'" Bryant said. In March, Bryant grew tired of choosing between a small hatchback and a Ford F-350 truck to work, as neither were quite right, so went looking for something smaller. "I'm a little girl. I'm an old little girl but I'm 5'3"," she joked. She began looking for mini trucks after spotting one on Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes, Kei truck owners are forced to take a leap of faith and buy from importers, not seeing the vehicle until it arrives. But Bryant spotted a Honda truck on Marketplace from a seller she'd dealt with before on the site. She drove to meet him with a "car guy" friend. Bryant said: "He looked it over and said 'I would not be afraid of a Honda.'" She uses the Kei truck to cater for her 18 hives, each housing at least 50,000 bees. The truck's even been decorated in a honeycomb design. Cindy Bryant with her mini truck. Cindy Bryant Her husband will sometimes join her, but at a comparatively giant 6'3", Bryant says he has to "fold up a little bit to get in" the Honda. Bryant also drove the truck in a local city parade recently and the longest trip she's taken it on was to a Bee Association meeting about 45 miles away. Restrictions Kei trucks are winning fans in some areas on ranches and farms. They're also popular for beach trips in coastal states, Kei Car exporter Japan Car Direct's Matthew Matusiak previously told Insider. However, there are restrictions on some Kei trucks in certain states. They can affect the top speed and types of roads they're allowed to be driven on. Alabama, where Bryant lives, has few restrictions, particularly as her truck is more than 25 years old but they are banned from interstate highways. Bryant says she gets 50 miles a gallon in her Honda, and has only filled it up twice since March. She admits it can get too hot, especially in her bee suit. And even at 5'3", it can feel cramped. She's also not sure how easy it'll be to find spare parts. Still, Bryant feels she's found the right truck for her: "It is short and I am short, so it is perfect for me." Do you own a Kei truck? Get in touch with this reporter at rhogg@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider Woman charged with murder after leaving her baby home alone for 10 days to go on vacation Jailyn Candelario (WKYC) An Ohio mother has been charged with murder after leaving her 16-month-old baby daughter home alone for 10 days as she went on vacation. Kristel Candelario, 31, was arrested and charged after her baby girl, Jailyn, was found unresponsive at their Cleveland home, police said. The youngsters body showed no signs of trauma, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office. Kristel Candelario (Cuyahoga County Police) Investigators stated that the child had been left alone and unattended for approximately 10 days and had subsequently died. An arrest affidavit states that the suspect had travelled to Puerto Rico and Detroit on vacation. Detective Thelemon Powell Jr. stated in the affidavit that Ms Candelario told police that she had left her daughter at home, all alone and unattended. Investigators say that the suspect told them that when she arrived home she found her daughter to be extremely dehydrated. The detective wrote that the babys pen consisted of soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces. Ms Candelario is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $1 million bond, online court records show. She had worked at Citizens Academy Glenville, an elementary school in Cleveland, since November 2022. According to WEWS-TV she has been fired from her position at the school. A woman in Tarrant County jail needed help, suit says. Instead she died on her cell floor A woman with severe mental health issues died from dehydration in a Tarrant County jail cell in what a lawsuit calls a a tragic, completely unnecessary death. Georgia Kay Baldwin was declared incompetent to stand trial and should have been transferred to a state hospital, according to the federal suit filed on Thursday. Instead, her mental state deteriorated until Sept. 14, 2021, when the 52-year-old was found dead in her cell. Her cause of death was listed as dehydration; she lay right next to the working water fountain affixed to her cell toilet. Baldwins sons filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Tarrant County in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas-Fort Worth division. The suit alleges the Tarrant County jail caused Baldwins death due to its policies, practices and customs of not caring for incarcerated peoples medical and mental crises. Baldwin needed someone to help her during her 15 weeks inside the Tarrant County jail, said Dean Malone, the lawyer representing her family in the civil suit. And instead of that happening, she ends up dying in a jail cell, Malone said. Thats a pretty horrific way to die. The Tarrant County Sheriffs Office referred the Star-Telegrams request for comment about the lawsuit to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Baldwins death exemplifies a growing mental health crisis in U.S. jails, Malone said. This is far too common a situation not only in Tarrant County, but across the state, Malone said. There are far too many deaths in jail for people who should have been receiving inpatient services. Arrest and incarceration Baldwins mental health issues were clear from the moment she was arrested, according to the lawsuit. Prior to her arrest, Baldwin left a series of bizarre voicemails for an Arlington police officer. In the messages, Baldwin talked about wanting one or more people to die; in one, she mentioned that the governor of Mississippi needed to blow someone away. In another message, she asked if someone was going to arrest a man for the death of Amber Hagerman (the 9-year-old girl whose 1996 abduction and murder led to the creation of the Amber Alert system) so that Baldwin could receive $10,000 in her account. When the Arlington detective researched Baldwin, the suit says, the officer found other police reports that indicated Baldwin was not mentally sound. Nevertheless, Baldwin was arrested on April 27, 2021, and charged with making a terroristic threat. At the time she was booked at the Lon Evans Corrections Center, the suit says, Tarrant Countys maximum security jail notified a magistrate that Baldwin was suspected of having mental illness. On May 20, 2021, a psychiatrist examined Baldwin. On June 7 six weeks after Baldwins arrest the psychiatrist filed a report saying Baldwin was incompetent and not able to stand trial. Baldwin was ordered to go through a competency restoration program at the jail. Competency restoration programs provide services to people with mental health disorders in jail. She was discharged from the program on July 27. At that point, Baldwin should have been taken to a North Texas state hospital, the lawsuit says. Instead, she stayed at the jail in a small cell, where she could not see through a window or view other human beings, until and including the time of her death, the suit says. Mental health worsens In the weeks before Baldwins death, Tarrant County jail officers dutifully noted the womans deteriorating mental state, according to records included in the lawsuit. On May 31, 2021, Baldwin was unkempt and had matted hair. On June 21, she did not appear to fully comprehend where she was at the moment and was unable to communicate her needs and was severely low functioning due to her mental health diagnosis. Throughout July, Tarrant County jail officers noted that Baldwin appeared delusional, was not showering regularly and refused to take her medication. She said the government was trying to kill her, and cried as she repeatedly asked for a bus ticket to Arizona. On Sept. 14, the day of her death, records in the lawsuit say Baldwin lay on her cell floor with most of her clothes off. Her cell was dirty, and pieces of toilet paper were torn into small shreds and strewn on the floor. She appeared shaky as if she had been crying and did not appear to be herself, the notes say. Georgia Kay Baldwin died in 2021 at the Tarrant County jail after her mental health deteriorated, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. Photos of her cell included in the lawsuit show torn paper on the floor, where Baldwin was found by Tarrant County sheriffs department officers in September 2021. At 10:09 a.m., the jail called for a medical code for Baldwin when she was found unresponsive in her cell, according to the custodial death report. She was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital and pronounced dead. A Texas Ranger investigated Baldwins death, according to the lawsuit, and found that Baldwins death did not involve criminal acts on the part of the jail. The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office conducted an autopsy and determined Baldwin had severe hypernatremic dehydration high concentration of sodium in the blood that is caused by not having enough fluids. The Texas Ranger who investigated Baldwins death noted in his report that Baldwin had a water fountain in her cell. The report noted that hypernatremia usually occurs because of impaired mental judgment, according to the lawsuit. When you have a person who is incarcerated who is delusional or psychotic... they can at times forget whether theyve eaten or whether theyve been able to drink water or fluids, Malone said. Other deaths at Tarrant County jail According to the suit, other deaths at Tarrant County jail facilities, understaffing and the jails noncompliance with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards contributed to Baldwins death. The suit includes a description of 55 deaths at the jail since 2011. According to the suit, those deaths show the jail knew it could not meet its constitutional obligations to provide medical and mental health treatment to, and protect (Baldwin). It really comes down to caring for people who have known issues, Malone said. The suit cites inspections in 2020 in which officers were not conducting routine checks of cells frequently enough. In March 2021, Tarrant County contracted with a third party to review staffing needs, and the independent company found the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office was significantly understaffed, the suit says. The company urged the county to prioritize understaffing at the Lon Evans Correctional Center, where Baldwin was held. The correctional center was 43 employees short of the level recommended at the time of the review, five months before Baldwins death, according to the suit. Malone said the inspections provide only a glimpse into larger problems at the jail. Since January 2022, 14 people have died in the Tarrant County jail, according to custodial death records. The Star-Telegram has reported extensively on deaths inside the jail. A Star-Telegram investigation into the death of Robert Miller, who died in 2019 after he was pepper sprayed in the jail, raised questions about Millers cause of death, which Tarrant Countys autopsy report listed as natural from a sickle cell crisis. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the reports that four children were found inside a Southie apartment filled with drugs and sex toys over the weekend are false. On Friday, Wu told Boston 25 News that someone did die inside the Mary Ellen McCormack Complex in South Boston on Saturday but the reports detailing a house or horrors at the scene are not true. There have not actually been reports directly from first responders. Some of the information thats been floating out there have been some second and third-hand accounts from those who are not at the scene and I think this is an important reminder that its important to have a grounding in the facts of whats occurred and to let the proper authorities do the investigations, said Wu. We will do whatever it takes to protect our children in this city but that also means not fueling conspiracy theories. Boston Police clarified the circumstances of the apartment Wednesday night, stating that when first responders arrived at the apartment for a report of an unconscious person, officers did not see drugs or sex toys at the scene and that the parents of the children were present and fully cooperative with police, contradicting details from a Boston Fire Department report. Boston 25 asked members of the Boston Fire Department about the differing accounts. Commissioner Paul Burke of the Boston Fire Department said Were not an investigative agency, so were not investigating anyone. That is a police issue. He said he stands by his firefighters report, which has yet to officially be made public. What our firefighters put in our report is accurate and it should not be questioned, said Sam Dillion, President Fire Fighters Union IAFF Local 718. As for what city councilors were reporting they were told, As far I am concerned that is all hearsay, that is all politics, said Dillion. Fire and police both submitted DCF reports. DCF took custody of the four children. Its hard to separate children from family members unless there is real evidence, said Eric Murphy, Boston City Councilor At-Large. Right now, I am open to seeing why they didnt land on the same facts just yet, said Murphy. The Department of Children and Families said in a statement to Boston 25, The Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the children who live in the home. In a statement to Boston 25 regarding the case, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office said, Were aware of the incident and the investigation and will appropriately prosecute any arrests that result. At this moment, no charges have been issued. On Wednesday, City Councilor Erin Murphy demanded answers to what was described to her as a disturbing scene. A lot of drug paraphernalia and sex toys all around and then one of the firefighters said that they heard a cry for help, said Murphy. That there were four children in the back room, and I am hearing that the adults in the apartment were not wanting first responders to go back when they heard kids crying for help, so that is very disturbing to me. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Among his half a dozen shows in development, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is also crafting a series based on the real-life Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. Sheridan also happens to own the 270,000-acre ranch, buying it in early 2022. Sheridan visited 81-year-old Anne Marion in late 2019 to pitch the Four Sixes owner to have her ranch in his show Yellowstone. At the time, Sheridan pledged to make the Four Sixes the most famous ranch in America. Marion asked if there would be any sex in the Four Sixes scenes, to which Sheridan replied in the affirmative. A cowboy and vet tech are sleeping together, and he wanted to know if that wasnt already happening in real-life. Sheridan then asked if he could masturbate one stallion. The ranch owner agreed to Sheridans requests, so long as she could pick the stallion. I grew up in the shadow of the Four Sixes, Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter. To just get one of their horses was a status symbol, because theyre so well trained. This was the ranch I based [Yellowstones] scope and operation on, because it didnt exist in Montana. Most ranches there had already been carved up. Theyd already lost it. A couple months later, Marion died and Sheridan received a call from the estate. The ranch was going up for sale and they were offering Sheridan a chance to buy for $350 million. Sheridan told them he was about $330 million short and to give him some time. Not long after, Sheridan renewed his overall production deal with Paramount Global to the tune of $200 million. A few investors later and Sheridan had enough to purchase his dream. I was real rich for 45 minutes, Sheridan said. Then I was broke again. That was the trade. Sheridan says he does the shows for the ranch. Which is why the creative is spending a little extra care on crafting the ideal Four Sixes series. That, for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here, he said. You have to respect the lineage. Ive told [the studio] to be patient. What just happened? Russias invasion of Ukraine was thrust into crisis mode as the leader of a key group of its mercenary fighters, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared war on Russias military leadership. Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? A high-profile, provocative mercenary leader with a penchant for trolling media outlets, Prigozhin has led the private Wagner Groups involvement in Russias war of aggression against Ukraine. His history with leadership in Moscow dates back decades. What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group is an organization of militant mercenaries that have worked alongside the Russian army during the countrys invasion of Ukraine. Wagners early origins appear to be in 2014, when conflict broke out between Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean region. Prigozhin said on social media that he sought to build a group of fighters that could defend Russian interests in the region. The group has been tied to conflicts in Libya, Syria and several other African countries. The paramilitary force has seen explosive growth during the Ukraine war, with tens of thousands of fighters now under its control. As chief of the Wagner Group throughout the conflict, Prigozhin has frequently clashed with Russian military leaders. He has published videos that contradict the Russian narrative of a smooth military operation. He often argues that his forces have led the fight in Ukraine, while questioning the competency of the Russian military. In May, he recorded a video alongside uniformed dead bodies, cursing leaders for a lack of preparedness. What is Prigozhins relationship with Putin? Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin share the same hometown, St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). While Putin rose from KGB insider to Russian leader, Prigozhin served a decadelong prison sentence starting in his teenage years before starting a hot-dog stand. He quickly began racking up clout in the hospitality industry before gaining Putins attention. By the time Putin was at the highest echelons of the Russian government, Prigozhin was helping serve his state dinners like one held in 2006 with then-President George W. Bush earning him the nickname of Putins chef. Putin helped Prigozhin open a school-lunch factory on generous state-funded loans. Prigozhin also owned at least part of Concord Management and Consulting, the firm that Justice Department officials suspected of bankrolling online, pro-Trump trolling operations during the 2016 election. Why did Prigozhin do what he just did? In a critical video posted to Russian social media app Telegram on Friday, Prigozhin chastised the countrys leadership for starting the war and said that Ukrainian forces were successfully pushing back the Russian army. The conflict blew up later on Friday, as Prigozhin claimed that Russian military leaders had ordered strikes on his men, killing thousands of them. The war was needed for a bunch of scumbags to triumph and show how strong of an army they are, Prigozhin said Friday, speculating that the effort was part of the defense ministers plan to get promoted. How has Russia responded? Prigozhins words immediately met sharp backlash and criticism from Russian state officials, who launched a criminal probe into Prigozhin. One Russian military leader warned that the events represented a state coup. Prigozhins statement and actions are actually the calls for the beginning of an armed civil conflict on the territory of Russia, state officials said. What do the events mean for Russia? In a military front already marked by confusion and mismanagement, Wagners turning on the Russian military leadership spells even further problems for the countrys war effort. The move could also affect the strength of Putins regime at home in terms of public support for the war effort. The mobilization of hundreds of thousands of young men has been heavily criticized since the wars beginning. A Russian news agency reported that police forces were working to secure government buildings in Moscow early Saturday after news of Prigozhins statements broke. What do the events mean for Ukraine? American officials are closely watching the situation, according to the NSC. Ukraine is conducting a counter-offensive against Russian forces. With funding for future American aid to the country in question, a successful Ukrainian offensive against the Russians could help boost U.S. domestic support for the war. Yevgeny Prigozhin is the founder and bombastic leader of Russias private military group Wagner. His organization is now in the midst of an apparent insurrection, after claiming control of military facilities in two cities and threatening to march on Moscow. Prigozhin was once a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Kremlin leader has now vowed punishment on those involved in an armed rebellion. Typically a figure who has preferred to operate in the shadows, Prigozhin and his fighters were thrust into the spotlight following Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, with Wagner mercenaries playing a key role in multiple battles. Putin and Prigozhin share relatively humble beginnings, and the Wagner chief grew up in the tougher neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, also the presidents hometown. The men have known each other since the 1990s. Prigozhin became a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the moniker Putins chef. His apparent transformation into a brutal warlord came in the aftermath of the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movement in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin founded Wagner as shadowy mercenary outfit that fought both in Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world. Prigozhin meets with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov on June 24. - Obtained by Reuters CNN has tracked Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine and Syria. Over the years they have developed a gruesome reputation and have been linked to multiple human rights abuses. After Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine the group was thrust to center stage. Wagner forces were heavily involved in taking the Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut. As the regular Russian army campaign was bogged down by setbacks and disorganization, Wagner fighters appeared to be the only ones capable of delivering tangible progress for the Russian side. Dilemma for Putin Known for its disregard for the lives of its own soldiers, Wagners brutal and often lawless tactics are believed to have resulted in high numbers of casualties, as new recruits are sent into battle with little formal training a process described by retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as like feeding meat to a meat grinder. Prigozhin has used social media to lobby for what he wants and often cast himself as competent and ruthless in contrast to the Kremlins military establishment. In recent months, Prigozhin has created a dilemma for Putin by becoming an outspoken critic of Russias military leaders. Prigozhin, left, serves food to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, center, during dinner at Prigozhin's restaurant outside Moscow, Russia in November 2011. - Misha Japaridze/AP In one particularly grim video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to a pile of dead Wagner fighters and took aim specifically at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The blood is still fresh, he says, pointing to the bodies behind him. They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices. After complaining for well over a month of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for the eastern city of Bakhmut, he announced in May that his troops would withdraw. Now, Prigozhin has launched an all-out rebellion against the Kremlin after his increasingly outrageous outbursts sparked speculation that he could be going too far. The Wagner mutiny began when Prigozhin unleashed a new tirade against the Russian military on Friday and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Staring down a sudden and staggering escalation of internal tensions that have simmered for months, Putin called Wagners actions treason. It is a stab in the back of our country and our people, the president said in an address to the nation on Saturday. Prigozhin responded on Telegram saying that Putin was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting, the Wagner chief said in audio messages. CNNs Jerome Taylor and Josh Pennington contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Yulia Morozova/Reuters The one-time buddy of Vladimir Putin, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has fully turned his back on his Kremlin boss, seizing control of Russias southern military HQ Rostov-on-Don with the threat of 25,000 fighters ready for insurrection. His challenge was a bold one and the most significant threat to Putins power during his entire 23-year reign. In a shocking address to the nation, the president admitted the regime was up against an armed mutiny and the toughest battle for its future. Prigozhins troops were marching toward Moscow when he suddenly changed course and ordered them to turn around on Saturday after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko struck a deal with him to de-escalate tensions, according to a statement from Belarus government. It is not immediately clear if Prigozhin will keep Wagners presence in Rostov-on-Don, or what Putin possibly conceded in the deal to get Prigozhin to complete a 180 degree turn. But who is Prigozhin? Most known now as the chief of the Wagner Group, a brutal Russian paramilitary organization at the front of the invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin is a vulgarity-slinging businessman dubbed Putins chef for his lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin. Despite his former loyalty to Putin, Prigozhin has been feuding with the Russian Defense Ministry, who he first accused of lying about Moscows motivations for the war against Ukraine and now claims retaliated with a missile strike that allegedly killed a huge number of his mercenaries. But before all that, the Wagner boss was a convicted youngster and a hot-dog-seller-turned-entrepreneur who was later indicted in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 election. He was born in 1961 in Putins hometown of St. Petersburg, named Leningrad under the Soviet Union. As a teenager and young adult, Prigozhin was caught in a string of robberies, fraud, and other crimes, serving a nine-year prison sentence, according to The New York Times. Prigozhin then opened a hot dog stand, a comparatively tiny stepping stone toward a much larger career in the hospitality industry starting up restaurants and businessesall before catching Putins eye and reaching his highest ranks. Now, the oligarch reportedly has a net worth of roughly $1 billion. His name was launched into the U.S. sphere when he formed part of an indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three companies accused of interfering in the 2016 election and communicating with Donald Trumps campaign. Prigozhin founded and financed the so-called Troll Factory, which was central to waging information warfare in the U.S. with heaps of propaganda and bogus news. Two of his other companiesConcord Management as well as Consulting and Concord Cateringalso appeared in the indictment. In December 2016, the Treasury Department blacklisted Prigozhin, only one of his numerous, subsequent sanctions in the U.S. He is also on the FBIs Most Wanted List, with a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to his arrest. What is the Wagner Group? Prigozhins private army of mercenaries was first identified in 2014, BBC reported, when Russian forces invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Wagner started as a small and secretive operation, with only about 5,000 fighters taking root in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The groups name reportedly comes from the nom de guerre of its first leader, Dmitry Utkin, a Ukrainian-born retired Russian army officer and Nazi fanatic. It is believed Utkins call sign meant to tribute the composer of the same name, who was one of Adolf Hitlers favorites. Wagner has since seen stunning growth, currently commanding tens of thousands of troopsa majority of which drawn from Russian prisonersto bolster Moscows offensive in Ukraine. Prigozhin has been front and center to Kremlin attempts to capture the city of Bakhmut, which he claimed to seize control of in Mayalthough Volodymyr Zelensky denied the occupation. Zelensky did, however, concede at the time that Bakhmut was only in our hearts, referring to the mass destruction of the city by Russian forces. The city is a key battleground as Ukraine revs up its counteroffensive and attempts to inflict maximum damage on the enemy in the face of Russias Bakhmut victory. 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. (CNN) A top European Union official is touring Silicon Valley this week and reminding tech platforms including Twitter and Facebook-parent Meta about their content moderation obligations, just weeks ahead of a deadline to comply with sweeping new EU laws that will apply to large social media platforms. On Thursday, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and a team of staff descended on Twitters headquarters in San Francisco to perform a stress test of the companys ability to moderate online content. The test was aimed at evaluating how well Twitter may comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA), one of the first platform regulation laws of its kind anywhere in the world, when its provisions take hold on August 25. The company is taking this exercise very seriously, Breton tweeted, sharing a silent video depicting Bretons meeting with Twitter owner Elon Musk, who appeared via videoconference. Under the DSA, companies such as Twitter must abide by a slew of rules around transparency and content, including a ban on targeted advertising for children. Violations of the DSA can carry fines of up to 6% of a companys global annual revenue. Breton did not say whether he believes Twitter passed its stress test, but described the session as a constructive dialogue that Twitter voluntarily agreed to undertake. Thank you @ThierryBreton, Twitters new CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted following the visit. Europe is very important to Twitter and were focused on our continued partnership. In a speech Thursday, Breton said Twitter is not the only company that will be receiving a stress test. TikTok will undergo a similar evaluation next month, he added. Breton also suggested that its a privilege for US tech companies to operate in Europe. Compliance with European rules is not a punishment. Its an opportunity to tap into our European Single Market, he said. And this is my message to the companies here. You are welcome in Europe, but according to our rules, at our conditions. Breton said that his schedule this week also involves meetings with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Part of the reason for his visit was to explain the European Unions coming rules on artificial intelligence, he added. Last week, the European Parliament passed the AI Act, legislation that works hand-in-hand with the DSA as well as European competition and privacy law to regulate artificial intelligence. Concerns about Twitters ability to handle hate speech, misinformation and other challenges have grown since Musks purchase of the company last year. As recently as this week, US lawmakers cited the companys deep layoffs as a potential barrier to safeguarding the 2024 US elections. This story was first published on CNN.com, "EU official visits Twitter headquarters to stress test its ability to handle content moderation" ultraviolet images of Mars show the planet in vibrant colors ultraviolet images of Mars show the planet in vibrant colors New ultraviolet photos of Mars offer stunning views of the planet's changing seasons. Astronomers using NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN ( MAVEN ) spacecraft photographed the Red Planet in July 2022, during the southern hemisphere's summer season when the planet was closest to the sun, and then again in January 2023 after Mars ' northern hemisphere had passed the farthest point in its orbit from the sun. MAVEN's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument measures wavelengths between 110 and 340 nanometers, outside the visible spectrum. The purple areas of the photos represent the ozone in Mars' atmosphere, while the white and blue areas represent clouds or haze in the planet's sky. The planet's surface appears tan or green in the new images. Related: 12 amazing photos from the Perseverance rover's 1st year on Mars "By viewing the planet in ultraviolet wavelengths, scientists can gain insight into the Martian atmosphere and view surface features in remarkable ways," NASA officials said in a statement . The photos, which NASA shared on June 22, were taken when the planet was near opposite ends of its orbit around the sun, capturing Mars' rapidly changing seasons . Like Earth, Mars rotates on a tilted axis, which causes the planet to experience four different seasons. However, seasons on Mars are roughly twice as long as those on Earth because the Martian year is almost twice that of Earth. Mars orbits closest to the sun when its southern hemisphere is tilted towards it, whereas the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun when it's further away. As a result, temperatures are much hotter during the southern summer than the northern summer. The boost in temperature causes more turbulence, stronger winds and larger dust storms in the southern hemisphere. The first image, taken in July 2022, captures one of Mars' deepest craters, Argyre Basin, near the bottom left of the planet. The crater appears filled with atmospheric haze, while the deep canyons of Valles Marineris near the top left of the planet appear filled with clouds. The warmer temperatures of summer cause the southern polar ice caps to shrink, which, in turn, releases carbon dioxide and causes the atmosphere to be thicker. MAVEN, which launched in November 2013 to study the planet's atmospheric gasses, has also detected increased hydrogen loss from Mars at this time of year, which is likely the result of dust storms driving water vapor to very high altitudes. Studying these systems will offer a better look into how the Red Planet has evolved over time. "Understanding atmospheric loss gives scientists insight into the history of Mars' atmosphere and climate, liquid water, and planetary habitability ," NASA officials said in the statement. RELATED STORIES: Curiosity rover: 15 awe-inspiring photos of Mars (gallery) This 'postcard' of a Mars day from NASA's Curiosity rover is gorgeous (photo) MAVEN: NASA's Orbiter Mission to Mars Mission Details The second image, taken in January 2023, captures the Red Planet's northern hemisphere after it passed the farthest point in its orbit around the sun, causing an abundance of white clouds in the north polar region. An accumulation of ozone can also be seen at the top of the planet (colored magenta), having built up during the northern winter's chilly polar nights. However, an increase in water vapor in the springtime would destroy this patch of ozone in the northern hemisphere. NASA's MAVEN mission will celebrate its 10-year anniversary this fall, having entered Mars' orbit in September 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the internal conflict between Russian military forces and the private military contractor Wagner Group on Saturday, saying Russias weakness is obvious. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself, Zelensky said in a Twitter post. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Without naming him, Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin scares by the year 1917, when the Russian Empire fell in revolution, but is able to result in nothing else but this. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, he said. Zelenskys statement comes as the Wagner Group, which has played a key role in Russias war in Ukraine, has launched what Putin referred to as a mutiny against the country. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the groups leader, on Friday accused Moscow of lying about the reasons behind the invasion and Russian military leaders of lying to Putin and attempting to destroy Wagner. He called for an armed rebellion to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power. Early Saturday, Prigozhin said Wagner Group fighters had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and entered Rostov-on-Don, home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region. A British intelligence assessment from the U.K. Defense Ministry said Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the HQ which runs Russias military operations in Ukraine. The assessment stated the situation represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. The Russian government has denied Prigozhins claims and opened a criminal case against him for inciting armed rebellion. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos, Zelensky said in his Saturday post. We keep our resilience, unity and strength. The counteroffensive Ukraine launched this month has found some success in its early stages, though the countrys troops have taken heavy losses. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Volodymyr Zelenskyy The longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos and problems it will have for itself, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram on June 24, commenting on the ongoing armed conflict in Russia. The conflict, involving PMC Wagner Group, a mercenary company, and Russias Defense Ministry, erupted into full-scale military action early on June 24, with Wagner troops seizing control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelenskyy said. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Read also: Prigozhin declares that he has seized control of Rostov's military headquarters, airbase Zelenskyy noted the criminal actions of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, adding that they were leading the aggressor country to self-destruction. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself, Zelenskyy wrote. (He) who sent columns of troops to destroy lives in another country cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying (him) when life resists. He who terrorized with missiles, when they were shot down (had to) humiliate himself by getting Shahed drones." Zelenskyy added that Russia had long used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government, and said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin continues to frighten the people with historical analogies. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, Zelenskyy said. And all this is (due to) one person, who again and again scares (people with) the (chaos of the revolutionary) year (of) 1917, although this is the only thing he is able to bring about. Wagner's Rebellion against Russias Defense Ministry: Details The leader of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on June 23that units of the Russian Defense Ministry had launched a missile attack on his mercenary camp. According to him, a large number of his fighters were killed. He also claimed that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who he calls a war criminal, has allegedly escaped from the Russian city of Rostov. In another statement, Prigozhin announced the actual beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry and called on the Russians not to resist. The Russian FSB security service opened a criminal case against Prigozhin. Russian media outlets reported that after Prigozhins threats to remove the leadership of the Defense Ministry, Russian law enforcement forces were put on alert. Army conscripts were armed and military hardware was seen in the streets of cities. Prigozhin said that his mercenaries had shot down a Russian helicopter that was trying to attack his fighters. Several videos of military convoys that reached the center of Rostov-on-Don and cordoned off the Defense Ministry building were shared on the Internet. Currently, there is no confirmation whether the military and equipment belong to the fighters of PMC Wagner or to the regular Russian army. The United States said it was monitoring the uprising and considered it serious. Prigozhin announced that he had taken control of military facilities in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation and a military airfield. Amid the ongoing turmoil, Russias Anti-Terrorist Committee announced that a counter-terrorist operation regime had been introduced in Moscow and its region to stop possible terrorist attacks. Russian military reporters claim that the Russian Air Force was striking along the M-4 highway, along which PMC Wagner fighters were moving. This route connects Rostov, Voronezh, and Moscow. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on the Wagner Groups rebellion against the Russian authorities and said that Russia's weakness is now apparent. He noted that Putin had long disguised his weakness with propaganda, but it could no longer be hidden. Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram Quote: "He who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He sends convoys of soldiers to wipe out life in another country and he cannot stop them from running away and betraying him when life strikes back. Terrorising [people] with missiles, humiliating himself when they are shot down so that he can get Shaheds (Iranian-made attack UAVs). He despises people and sends hundreds of thousands to war, only to eventually barricade himself in Moscow Oblast against those he armed. Russia has long masked its weakness and foolishness with propaganda. And now there is so much chaos that no amount of lies can hide it. And all of this is due to one man, who threatens people with 1917 again and again [the year when the October Revolution started in the Russian Empire, bringing it to an end ed.], although he is not capable of leading [his nation] to anything else. Russia's weakness is obvious. It is a full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our soil, the more chaos, pain and problems it will create for itself. This is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." Details: The President urged Ukrainians to stay strong and united. He said that all Ukrainian commanders and soldiers know what to do. Important: Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenaries are currently heading towards Moscow. They have captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and seized control of some military facilities in Voronezh. The route they are using has been blocked. The Russian army is using aircraft, but the Wagnerites have shot down at least three Russian helicopters. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries. Prigozhin's 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked people not to call this a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called this information a provocation. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is "fighting for survival" and that there are attempts to "organise a rebellion" in the country. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! On Saturday, after the Wagner Group fighters mutiny, the world saw that the masters of Russia do not control anything, according to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Source: Zelenskyy's evening address Quote: "Today the world saw that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Complete chaos. Complete absence of any predictability. And this is on Russian territory, which is fully loaded with weapons. We all remember how the head of Russia threatened the world in 2021. He had some ultimatums, he was trying to show a kind of strength The year 2022 showed that he had confused confused his illusions and the lies he was fed with strength. The Kremlin is capable of resorting to any terror, capable of resorting to any stupidity, but they cannot provide even one percent of the necessary control. And they are the real problem. In one day, they lost several of their million-strong cities and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs and anyone else how easy it is to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals with weapons." Details: According to Zelenskyy, it is now very important that no one in the world remains silent because they fear Russian chaos. "And if someone in the world tries to ignore the situation, if someone in the world is under the illusion that the Kremlin is capable of regaining control... this only postpones the problem until the next outbreak of chaos even more dangerous," he said. Zelenskyy also switched to Russian. "The man from the Kremlin is obviously very afraid and probably hiding somewhere, not showing himself. I am sure that he is no longer in Moscow. He calls somewhere, and asks something... He knows what he is afraid of because he himself created this threat. All evil, all losses, all hatred he himself spreads it. And the longer he can run between his bunkers, the more all of you, all those connected with Russia, will lose," the president said. "The longer your troops stay on Ukrainian land, the more devastation they will bring to Russia. The longer this person is in the Kremlin, the more disasters there will be," he added. It should be noted that the president's address was posted before Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced the return of mercenaries to field camps. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, joined the throng of community voices honoring Officer Mark Christopher "Chris" Wagner II on Tuesday, taking a minute to acknowledge the slain Wintergreen police officer on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the tragic loss of Wintergreen Police Officer Mark Christopher Wagner II and to honor the legacy that he has left behind, Good said from the floor, in a video posted on his Twitter feed Thursday. Wagner, 31, was the first law enforcement officer to respond to a residence on Arrowhead Lane in the Wintergreen community of Nelson County on June 16, after the Wintergreen Police Department received an emergency call that two people had been assaulted. Wagner encountered Maryland man Daniel M. Barmak in the woods and a struggle ensued over Wagners department-issued handgun, according to Virginia State Police. Warner was shot and killed, and Barmak also suffered gunshot wounds, state police reported. Barmak, 23, currently faces one count each of aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, drug possession and malicious wounding in Nelson County court. ...[He] bravely ran into harms way as these officers do every day to apprehend the suspect who would fatally attack him. My prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of Officer Wagner as they grieve the loss of his life and begin to process life in his absence, Good said. He quoted Psalm 34: The Lord is close to the broken hearted and commended Wagner for his bravery and commitment to protecting the Wintergreen community. He was an exceptional example of sacrificial service, giving his life to secure and defend the lives of others. Im humbled to recognize the valor of Officer Wagner and the courage and dedication he demonstrated in the community. May God bless his family. A public fundraiser for Wagners family has raised $105,935 as of June 23. BEDFORD A rematch is in store for Bedford Countys Board of Supervisors District 6 seat in the Nov. 7 election, as incumbent Bob Davis seeks a second term and Andy Dooley aims to represent the district once again after two previous stints. Davis, of Thaxton, won the seat in the November 2019 election with 1,338 votes, or 51%, edging then-incumbent Dooley by 84 votes. My vision, my goal has been from the beginning when I decided to run, is to do my part to help make Bedford County a better place, Davis said. He said priorities are to continue to provide essential services for county residents, preserve quality of life for citizens and keep taxes affordable and as low as possible to prevent wasteful spending. Im kind of a simple guy. In my close to four years on the board, I have seen taxpayer dollars wasted in some areas, spent in some areas I believe didnt need to be spent or spent wastefully. Dooley, a Thaxton resident, formerly served as county parks and recreation director prior to his first stint on the board in early 2007. He was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the death of Bobby Pollard, and served the remainder of that term. Pollards widow, Annie, defeated Dooley in the November 2007 to become the second woman to serve on the board in the countys history. In the June 2015 Republican primary, Dooley unseated Pollard and was elected that year. A Bedford First candidate that year, Dooleys 2015 campaign was based on providing basic services while being open to tax increases if necessary and a focus to improve relationships between the board of supervisors and the Bedford County School Board. Dooley, who is running as an independent, said the main reason he is running again is because he still enjoys serving the county. He said he feels the county could be moving in a somewhat better direction than what hes seen from the current board. I have time and I enjoy serving the citizens, Dooley said. I just think we can do better. Davis, who owns and operates Aqua Pros Pools and Spa Inc. in Bedford, is one of four board members running as Republicans. District 1 board member Mickey Johnson, District 5 Supervisor Tommy Scott and District 7 representative Tammy Parker are running unopposed. Davis, along with Scott and District 2 board member Charla Bansley, voted against a real estate rate of 41 cents per $100 of assessed value on April 24. While the tax rate is dropping from 50 cents to 41-cent rate effective July 1, a recent reassessment that increased property values by 31% across the county means three cents above a 38-cent rate will bring in $3.6 million in added tax revenue to go toward capital improvement projects. Davis supported the equalized rate of 38 cents in the interests of taxpayers, he said. I feel its not right to ask them to spend more money when it could have been saved in the beginning, when I see money that is being spent needlessly or wastefully. He said he wants to represent the district in the best way possible and make decisions that protect the countys character and scenic beauty. Its a beautiful place and I want to see it preserved, he said. When people look at affordability and natural beauty and recreation, if were not careful and we dont pay attention it could be just another urban area or a victim of urban sprawl. Dooley, a Vietnam War veteran who was in the second graduating class of Liberty High School, said if elected he wants to work on getting financial assistance for volunteers that serve in areas of fire and rescue in hopes of retaining them. Thats a big problem, Dooley said of losing volunteers. I dont want to do anything to discourage people from volunteering I think we ought to compensate them in some way to try to retain them. Dooley said he also feels the county should do more to attract economic development efforts to the west end of the county, including the Montvale community, which he noted is within a half hour drive from the Interstate 81 corridor. He said he feels he can work well with the county school board and Bedford Town Council and noted those relationships are highly important. In my opinion were all Bedford. Were one, he said. I dealt with parents and children all my life. Its not easy. Davis said he played an instrumental role in bringing a local company to the forefront of broadband expansion efforts and moving toward fiber instead of a fixed wireless model that was the wrong path because of the countys valleys and terrain. He recently addressed Bedford town officials in speaking against an annexation measure that on July 1 will bring more parts of the county, including the Town and Country subdivision in his district, into the county. Many county residents spoke against a recent town council to expand the towns boundaries in a measure that includes more taxes for those affected residents joining the town. Im proud to say I do speak for folks to have lower taxes, Davis said. Davis also supports prolonging the countys landfill lifespan and moving away from a current method of hauling solid waste out of the county through a transfer station. In the long term, the way I like to think as a business owner and supervisor, it will better for the county so we will not be dependent, on other localities and their tipping fees, which could be increased, Davis explained, adding: That is a huge concern because that could easily happen. We dont want to be in a position where we dont have any place to dispose of any waste. Davis said he also is an advocate for agriculture, farming and forestry, the countys premier industry that in his view is largely ignored by the countys Economic Development Authority. Small businesses are the backbone of the county and he questions spending large sums of money to large employers to the county who will leave when financial incentives end. Dooley said he feels the board wasnt given good information during his previous term on closing the landfill. He feels the county should extend the lifespan of the landfill. We dont need to be hauling our trash way, he said. He said he doesnt believe in kicking the can down the road in some areas of county spending and feels he would be a good steward of taxpayer dollars. Id like to be given another chance, Dooley said. In other Bedford County races, Sheriff Mike Miller, Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nance, Circuit Court Clerk Judy Reynolds and Commissioner of the Revenue Tracy Patterson each are running unopposed. William Perrow, of Forest, also is on the ballot for the treasurers seat; incumbent Kim Snow is not running again, according to the Bedford County Registrars Office. Live Move Be Fitness, a faith-infused group fitness studio, opened its doors in January 2020 in Lynchburg offering classes that prioritize the heart as the focal point of fitness. However, recognizing that addressing the complex needs of the human heart requires more than just physical exercise, founder Kat Seay decided to create a new nonprofit. The Live Move Be Center aims to provide a space where individuals can come together for various purposes, including encouraging fitness classes, support groups, Bible studies, workshops and more. Many years ago, Seay was told she would eventually need to have a hip replacement at some point. Which of course, for a fitness instructor can be quite devastating, thats my ministry, thats my love. So I didnt know when that was going to happen, Seay said. And the funny thing is, I feel like God actually called me to open the studio after I knew that I was going to have a hip replacement. But she relied on her faith and opened the fitness studio at 22273 Timberlake Road, which she opened three years ago prior to the nonprofits inception. Since its inception, Live Move Be Fitness has focused on accessibility, ensuring everyone feels welcome and included. With affordable prices and a drop-in fee of just $5, the studio has strived to create a supportive environment for all. However, in September of last year, Seay realized she couldnt put off her hip surgery any longer. In response, she believed that this challenging period presented an opportunity for growth and partnership with God. I feel like anytime in life when youre going through something hard, God is up to something, she said. So you have choices. You can either wallow in self-pity and be depressed and discouraged or you can look at the situation and be like, OK, whats He doing? And how can I partner with Him? She felt God telling her to facilitate others gifts during that time she couldnt use her own. Seay felt a sense of calling to create a nonprofit organization that would expand the scope of Live Move Be Center beyond fitness alone. The newly formed nonprofit now serves as an umbrella organization encompassing all their activities. While fitness remains a significant focus, the center aims to offer more than just physical exercise to the community. Live Move Be Center already has hosted various workshops, covering topics such as self-defense, CPR training, nutrition, as well as Bible and book studies. The center also has collaborated with local nonprofits, including Humankind and the Agape Center, through initiatives such as a book bag drive and collecting essential items for its pantry. These collaborative efforts allow participants to contribute by donating specific items each week as part of the Summer of Caring. The Lynchburg Agape Center at 3026 Carroll Ave. is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families in need. Its partnership with the Live Move Be Center aims to enhance the reach and impact of both organizations, strengthening their ability to uplift the community through donations, support and spiritual guidance, Agape Center Director Debbie Kountz said. Were kind of like the one stop shop so to speak for a lot of the tangible items like your household, your toiletries, cleaning supplies, food, clothing, we even have furniture, she said. But the heart of our ministry is the mentoring program and thats where the clients come in and they meet with a mentor one-on-one. The partnership between Live Move Be and the Agape Center came about organically when Kountz met Seay during her visits to the studio. Intrigued by the centers mission, Seay reached out to Kountz to explore ways to contribute and donate. During her initial visit to the Agape Center, Seay received a tour from Kountz. And that gave her a bigger view because a lot of times people have been donating to the center for some time but they just drop it off and then they leave. And so my part is try and show them through so that they can say Oh wow, I didnt realize you had that, so Kat just kind of grabbed it by the bull horns. Motivated by her love for the Lord and a desire to support other nonprofits, Seay initiated a sponsorship program, Kountz said and now, each month, Live Move Be Fitness Studio focuses on collecting specific items for the Agape Center, ensuring a steady stream of donations to address various needs. Its always good to be able to get other businesses involved, no matter what level, so for her to be able to get our name out to the people that are coming into her studio, and then they start catching a vision and its hopefully because were 100% run by volunteers and were 100% run by donations, we hope to get our name out a little bit beyond, just what our sphere of influence is, Kountz said. In January, Live Move Be Center received its official 501c3 status, allowing people to donate to the center, which helps sustain its operations. While classes remain donation-based, participants are encouraged to give what they can afford, with a suggested amount of $5, called a high five. Donations can be made in cash, through QR codes or Venmo. Additionally, the center offers a monthly partnership program, where individuals can set up recurring monthly donations. Ten percent of these monthly donations go toward a nonprofit called PrayFit, which provides wheelchairs and respite opportunities for caregivers. Seay is grateful for the idea that emerged during her surgery and how it has brought together the community through fitness, giving and support. She said the Live Move Be Center continues to collaborate with local organizations, aiming to create awareness and provide support for those in need. By collectively contributing to various initiatives, the center seeks to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose and I do and so its really cool to see that this surgery resulted in all this, she said. Leaders from more than 60 countries are attending the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. Japan's foreign ministry said its meeting could be held at the end of this year. It aims to renew Tokyo's commitment to rebuilding Ukraine, which is still at war with Russia. Japan condemns N.Korea's latest missile launch NHK - Jul 19 The Japanese government has condemned North Korea's latest round of missile launches. The Japanese government has condemned North Korea's latest round of missile launches. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida steps up energy diplomacy in Middle East South China Morning Post - Jul 18 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked of a tour of the Middle East on July 16, 2023, in Saudi Arabia, with stops expected in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked of a tour of the Middle East on July 16, 2023, in Saudi Arabia, with stops expected in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Japan approve 26 economic agreements to bolster bilateral ties arabnews.com - Jul 17 Saudi Arabia and Japan set the stage for strong trade ties by exchanging 26 pre-signed economic agreements between the two nations on Sunday at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia and Japan set the stage for strong trade ties by exchanging 26 pre-signed economic agreements between the two nations on Sunday at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jeddah. Japan: Suspected North Korea ICBM flew for 74 minutes NHK - Jul 12 Japan's defense ministry says North Korea launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday morning. It's believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan's defense ministry says North Korea launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday morning. It's believed to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan not opposed to U.S. plan to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine Kyodo - Jul 11 Japan did not voice opposition Monday to a U.S. plan to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for its counteroffensive against Russia, with some NATO members concerned over the supply of the weapons ahead of their summit later this week. Japan did not voice opposition Monday to a U.S. plan to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for its counteroffensive against Russia, with some NATO members concerned over the supply of the weapons ahead of their summit later this week. Macron opposes NATO intention to set up liaison office in Japan NHK - Jul 10 French President Emmanuel Macron has informed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of his opposition to plans to set up a liaison office in Japan. French President Emmanuel Macron has informed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of his opposition to plans to set up a liaison office in Japan. Widow of assassinated Japan PM Abe Shinzo plans Taiwan visit Taiwan News - Jul 09 On the first anniversary of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo Saturday (July 8), Japans envoy announced the politicians widow was making plans to visit Taiwan this month. On the first anniversary of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo Saturday (July 8), Japans envoy announced the politicians widow was making plans to visit Taiwan this month. Memorial service marks a year since killing of Abe Shinzo NHK - Jul 08 A memorial service for former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was held on Saturday to mark one year since he was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. A memorial service for former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was held on Saturday to mark one year since he was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. Japan digital agency to be investigated over My Number problems Japan Today - Jul 08 Japan's Digital Agency will be investigated over the My Number national identification system after a number of IDs were erroneously registered with the information of other people, the government said Friday. Japan's Digital Agency will be investigated over the My Number national identification system after a number of IDs were erroneously registered with the information of other people, the government said Friday. Japan regulators approve treated water release system at Fukushima Daiichi plant NHK - Jul 08 Japan's nuclear regulators have approved a new system to release treated and diluted water into the ocean from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This means all logistical preparations have been completed. Japan's nuclear regulators have approved a new system to release treated and diluted water into the ocean from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This means all logistical preparations have been completed. Japan calls out China for dangerous behavior in South China Sea ANC - Jul 07 Japans criticism of what it called Chinas dangerous behavior in the South China Sea. Japans criticism of what it called Chinas dangerous behavior in the South China Sea. NATO and Japan to cooperate in 16 areas, align defense equipment Nikkei - Jul 07 NATO and Japan have concluded negotiations over a new cooperation document and are preparing to announce the pillars at the Vilnius Summit next week, Nikkei Asia has learned. NATO and Japan have concluded negotiations over a new cooperation document and are preparing to announce the pillars at the Vilnius Summit next week, Nikkei Asia has learned. UN watchdog approves plan for Fukushima water release BBC - Jul 04 A UN watchdog has said that Japan's plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea complies with international standards. A UN watchdog has said that Japan's plan to release waste water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea complies with international standards. Fukushima water release should avoid swimming season: Komeito head Kyodo - Jul 03 The head of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Sunday the government should not start the release into the sea of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant during the swimming season amid concerns over the safety of the plan. The head of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Sunday the government should not start the release into the sea of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant during the swimming season amid concerns over the safety of the plan. Japan sends a male representative to the summit on womens empowerment indiatimes.com - Jun 29 The sight of men occupying spaces that should be for women is unfortunately not uncommon, and a recent incident has captured global attention, shedding light on the true state of gender equality in society. The sight of men occupying spaces that should be for women is unfortunately not uncommon, and a recent incident has captured global attention, shedding light on the true state of gender equality in society. , Jun 24 ( NHK ) - Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have returned from a seven-day visit to Indonesia. The Imperial couple arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Friday. They were met by Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, the charge d'affaires ad interim of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, and other officials. The couple started their official visit to Indonesia last Saturday. It was their first goodwill overseas trip since the Emperor ascended the throne in 2019, and the first such trip for Empress Masako in 21 years. ...continue reading Malaysia said Friday it would take legal action against Facebook parent company Meta for failing to remove undesirable posts, the strongest measure the country has taken to date over such content. Last years closely fought national election has led to a rise in ethnic tensions, and since coming to power in November, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims administration has vowed to curb what it calls provocative posts that touch on race and religion. Facebook (FB) has recently been plagued by a significant volume of undesirable content relating to race, royalty, religion, defamation, impersonation, online gambling and scam advertisements, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said in a statement. It also said Meta had failed to take sufficient action despite the bodys repeated requests and that legal action was necessary to promote accountability for cybersecurity and protect consumers. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The commission also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what legal action might be taken. Race and religion are thorny issues in Malaysia, which has a majority of Muslim ethnic Malays alongside significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities. Commentary on the countrys revered royals is also a sensitive issue, and negative remarks toward them can be tried under sedition laws. The action against Facebook comes just weeks ahead of regional elections in six states that are expected to pit Anwars multi-ethnic coalition against a conservative Malay Muslim alliance. Facebook is Malaysias biggest social media platform, with an estimated 60% of its population of 33 million having a registered account. Globally, big social media firms that include Meta, Googles (GOOGL) YouTube, and TikTok are often under regulatory scrutiny over content posted on their platforms. Some Southeast Asian governments have frequently requested that content be taken down. In 2020, Vietnam threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it did not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform. The authorities said last year that social media platforms operating in Vietnam removed more than 3,200 posts and videos in the first quarter that contained false information and violated the countrys law. In Indonesia in 2019, Facebook took down hundreds of local accounts, pages and groups linked to a fake news syndicate. This story was first published on CNN.com, Malaysia to take legal action against Meta over undesirable content" Japan's health ministry says a woman in her 70s who died last year has been found to be the first case of an infectious disease caused by the Oz virus in the country, and also the first in the world. Hard ticks are believed to be carriers of the virus. The ministry said on Friday that a woman died of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscles, in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo. She had visited a hospital complaining of fever and fatigue. At the time, a tick was found biting her upper thigh. An autopsy concluded she had been infected with the Oz virus. The ministry says this is the first-ever reported case of an Oz virus infection, either fatal or not. Ministry officials say becoming infected with the virus does not necessarily turn out to be fatal because antibody tests of blood samples in Japan suggest some people have been infected by it. It remains unknown exactly how people get the virus, but being bitten by virus-carrying hard ticks is a likely cause. The ministry is urging people to wear long-sleeved tops and long trousers when they go to grassy areas where ticks can be found. ...continue reading Former Japanese lawmaker and YouTuber GaaSyy was indicted Friday over online threats he allegedly made against individuals, including a celebrity, prosecutors said. The 51-year-old, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is suspected of threatening to defame actor Go Ayano, 41, and two others in his YouTube videos between February and August last year and interfering with the business of one of them. He became a popular YouTuber posting videos about celebrity scandals on his channel. He was stripped of his status as a lawmaker in March by the House of Councillors for not attending a single session since being elected last year. ...continue reading , Jun 24 ( News On Japan ) - Oil has leaked from a state-of-the-art Italian ship docked at Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa Prefecture. At around 10:40 a.m. on Friday, lubricating oil leaked from a pipe during the refuelling of an Italian Navy patrol ship, TV Asahi reports. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) used oil fences and absorbent mats to collect the oil, and by 2:00 p.m., most of the oil had been collected. The Italian patrol ship is a state-of-the-art high-tech ship that entered service last year and has been calling at the Yokosuka base since June 21. A vote for No. 3 in special election A special election in Pottawattamie County will be held Aug. 1 to determine how voters will choose their board representation on the Board of Supervisors. For those who will be unable to vote Aug. 1, early voting with absentee ballots is now available and voting at the court house starts July 12. Proposed options include the following: Plan 1 -- Supervisors are chosen at-large without district requirements. Plan 2 -- Supervisors are chosen at-large from districts of equal-population. The supervisor candidate has a residency requirement in the district. Plan 3 -- Supervisors are chosen from districts of equal-population. Voters would only choose from their district and the supervisor candidate would have a residency requirement in the district. Advantages for a Plan 3 vote: Clearly allows for better rural representation without the overrepresentation in the urban center of Council Bluffs. District representation, with residency candidate requirements, would allow for stronger local support, stronger advocacy and meeting the needs of the constituency represented. Our levels of government are built upon local representation. Members elected in this plan may be more responsive to its constituency in making land-use decisions if voters are geographically represented. Currently, there may be needs within the county that need to be addressed. Near McClelland, current residents have reported that past county supervisors have supported planning, surveying and engineering efforts for making a rail crossing safer by replacing a dangerous bridge that barely supports traffic at Hickory and 245th Street. To date, the understanding by the residents indicate that the project appears to be at an impasse with the board and the railroad. As suggested, there may be other projects within the county needing the boards attention. Vote for Plan 3. You will vote for a representative in your district you know, who will live in your area, and who will represent you. More importantly, they will know your needs. Jean Hartwell McClelland Balloon releases hurt the Earth Stop releasing balloons to honor someone or to celebrate an occasion. When you do this, you are littering and polluting our land and water. Other options: organize a memorial walk, plant a tree, donate time or money in their honor, or practice random acts of kindness. Protect our earth. Patricia Hopes Treynor County rebranding a waste of money "Find Your Fire" is the new county motto? Really? The image alone sends a chill down my spine! After all, the no burn warnings during our recent droughts, and the smoke drifting into our area from Colorado, Minnesota and, most recently, Canada? Much of the globe has been, is being, and will be consumed by catastrophic fires and our county supervisors still think fire is an uplifting image to symbolize our county? They obviously are not aware of this disastrous effect of climate change, or they are in denial. I thought the board might be a little less tone-deaf after the main proponent of the ill-advised purchase of a "ski hill" was voted off the board. I guess I was wrong. A switch to a new motto/image is not cheap! What a waste of taxpayer money! Ellen Garaffa Treynor Allow for different perspectives To all residents of Pottawattamie County: On Aug. 1, a special election will be held in Pottawattamie County to allow voters to decide how their Board of Supervisors are elected. To date, Pottawattamie County voters have never had an opportunity to weigh in on this question. I favor Plan 3 because it is the fairest for everyone in the county since each district will pick its own supervisor without any votes from other districts interfering. As it is now, representation is mainly on the east side of Council Bluffs. For the first time, under Plan 3, a person from the west end or Carter lake might get elected, and, of course, it would provide better rural representation. Linn and Madison counties have had Plan 3 ballot initiatives that were successful, and 55.4% of the 99 Iowa counties have districting. The current board members could decide to district, but they like the status quo. Remember, they make $52,955 a year plus benefits and work one day a week. As reported by KETV News on May 31, Supervisor Susan Miller said, "A district model would make it very difficult to get anything done because the rural representative would have differing interests from everyone else." (Editor's note: That's how KETV paraphrased what Miller told the outlet, not a direct quotation.) Really? Do we not want different perspectives from representatives in the second largest in Iowa? In my 40-plus years as a resident of Pottawattamie County, I have resided both inside and outside city limits of Council Bluffs. I believe Plan 3 is the plan for change. Vote for Plan 3 on Aug. 1. Sue Griswold Council Bluffs An attack before dawn Monday damaged part of a bridge linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea that is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine, forcing the spans temporary closure for a second time in less than a year. Two people were killed and their daughter was injured. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Morocco is ready to host the second edition of the Negev Forum this autumn, and hopes that the political context will be favorable, said, on Friday in Rabat, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita. We hope that the context will be favorable to the holding of this important event on the one hand, but also that it will produce results on the other, said Bourita at a joint press briefing following his working meeting with Swiss Federal Councilor, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, who is on a working visit to Morocco. The Negev Forum stands for an idea of cooperation and dialogue, contrary to anything that is provocative action, unilateral action, or a decision carried by radicals on both sides, but especially on the Israeli side, in relation to the occupied Arab territories, said the minister. The Kingdom considers the Negev Forum to be an ultimate and relevant framework for regional cooperation and dialogue, which can provide positive responses to a number of challenges, noted Bourita, confirming thus that the Negev summit has been postponed due to unfavorable political context. He stressed that there had been attempts to organize this Forum during the summer, but problems of agenda and dates had prevented it from taking place, citing the ongoing political context which might not allow this meeting to produce the expected results. In this regard, Bourita stressed that the process is still underway to optimize the role and contribution of this Forum in favor of all actions for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. Morocco was set to hold the second Negev Forum in mid-July, convening officials from all countries that signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords to re-establish ties with Israel. But converging reports indicated earlier this week that Morocco may have decided to cancel the Negev summit due to its stance against Israels settlement plans in the occupied West Bank in Palestine. During the press briefing, Bourita reiterated Moroccos traditional opposition to any moves and decisions that would cause further political stalemate and hamper the international communitys attempts to de-escalate the Palestinian-Israeli tensions. Morocco is following the concerning situation that the occupied Palestinian territories are witnessing closely, Bourita said, emphasizing that such development comes amid already heated regional tensions. The Kingdom of Morocco reiterates its rejection of all Israeli violations and unilateral actions that inflame the situation, negatively impact appeasement efforts and hinder the conditions for reactivating the peace process in the region, he added. In particular, the Kingdom denounces the recent Israeli attacks on the West Bank town of Jenin, which have resulted in several victims and injuries, and expresses Moroccos total solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people, the Minister stressed. Morocco also rejects the Israeli governments recent decision to expand settlements in the West Bank and notes with satisfaction the international reactions rejecting Israels settlement policy, added Bourita. Morocco remains confident that negotiations and dialogue are the only means of establishing a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region, within the framework of the two-state solution, an Israeli State and a Palestinian State, established on the June 1967 borders, with East Al Quds as its capital, living side by side in peace and security, the Foreign Minister stated. For nearly a decade, Morocco has been implementing a migration and asylum policy with a human face, in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines, respecting migrants dignity and rights. This comprehensive immigration policy, which aims to be humanistic, pragmatic and supportive, makes Morocco a land of welcome and dignity, where refugees and migrants enjoy full protection and have the same access as Moroccan citizens to education, housing, health care, vocational training and employment. Pioneering, inclusive and responsible, this policy, which is based on humanized border management that takes account of the major changes in the migratory phenomenon at regional and international level, enshrines the Kingdoms constitutional fundamentals and its dynamic approach to migration governance, based on human rights principles and the cardinal paradigm of protecting migrants and vulnerable people. Dominated by the humanist and protective prism of migrants, this policy denotes the coherent approach of the Moroccan authorities in continuity with the strategic course set by the High Royal Vision in 2013 for the implementation of a new humanist and inclusive National Immigration and Asylum Strategy. Migrant regularization operation: Morocco sets the pace The deployment of this new national immigration and asylum strategy led to the launch in 2014 and 2016 of two exceptional operations to integrate irregular migrants in Morocco, during which the situation of over 50,000 foreigners, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, was regularized. The aim of these operations to regularize the situation of illegal migrants is to enable them to fully enjoy their fundamental economic and social rights, and to facilitate their integration into the labor market. For Morocco, this unprecedented policy of integrating migrants on a continental scale is a deliberate choice that contributes to enriching the diversity and vitality of Moroccan society, which for thousands of years has been founded on a perfect model of openness to others, hospitality and cultural and civilizational mix. The goals of this policy draw on a system of shared values that has been the DNA of Moroccan society for thousands of years. In line with this strategy, which enshrines the Kingdoms eminently African vocation and is based on a supportive and inclusive approach, Morocco welcomes more than 12,000 sub-Saharan students to its universities, 90% of whom receive scholarships from the Moroccan government. The human dimension of migration management in Morocco also lies in the voluntary return operations organized with the International Organization for Migration for the benefit of migrants wishing to return to their countries of origin, in full respect of their rights and dignity and in coordination with African countries. More than 8,100 African nationals have benefited from these operations since 2018. Morocco, a land of welcome for migrants In the same vein, Morocco was keen to include migrants and refugees in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, and is now considering ways of extending access for foreigners living in Morocco to the ambitious project to generalize social protection. With a view to strengthening the humanitarian management of its borders, Morocco adopted in 2020 a set of standard procedures for a system of referral and care for migrants rescued at sea or apprehended at borders, in order to organize the process of reception, referral and care of migrants according to their status, whether they are economic migrants, asylum seekers or victims of slavery. On the other hand, and in contrast to other countries in the region for whom the collective stakes are abstract, Morocco is considered a credible State and a reliable partner on the regional scene, which assumes its responsibilities in terms of border control and the fight against all forms of border trafficking, including migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Thanks to all these efforts, Morocco is one of the first countries in the South to have adopted a genuine solidarity-based policy to welcome sub-Saharan migrants, following an integrated human approach that protects their rights and preserves their dignity. It can therefore pride itself on being a model for many countries on the continent, having been the first Arab country to adopt such a policy, and one of the very first nations to ratify the Geneva Convention. The operationalization of this unprecedented national strategy at regional level elicited positive reactions from States and international organizations alike, and earned the Kingdom international and continental recognition, as reflected in the designation of HM King Mohammed VI as the Leader on Migration issue in Africa. Similarly, as part of Moroccos human efforts to protect the dignity and rights of migrants and vulnerable victims of the mafia and organized crime, Moroccos Royal Navy has rescued over 17,000 people at sea between 2021 and 2022, and over 1,300 human trafficking and illegal immigration networks have been dismantled in the last five years alone. In this respect, the Moroccan approach is focused on protecting migrants rights, not only at land or sea borders, but in a broader perspective that includes post-return sequences linked to care, guidance, support and follow-up with alternative life projects through integration or a second chance through voluntary return. For several years now, Morocco has been a preferred destination for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and West African countries, due to its cultural and geographical proximity and the strategic interest the Kingdom has for the continent, particularly in the field of migration. Morocco expresses this interest in the Africa depths through the humane, holistic and pragmatic migration policy launched by King Mohammed VI, and which has provided a legal and institutional framework, guaranteeing migrants and refugees their fundamental rights. Moroccos attractiveness as a destination for settlement and not just transit is strengthened by confidence in the Kingdoms efforts to manage migration with a human face, based on full respect for human rights principles and the fight against discrimination in all its forms. This attractiveness is also reinforced by the Kingdoms determination to promote the integration of migrants, by facilitating their access to health, education, training and higher education systems, as well as to housing and employment, according to an approach that considers the socio-economic challenges of migration as an opportunity for development and not as an obstacle. Today, cities across the Kingdom welcome young African migrants who have come to Morocco with the intention of settling here in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Others, who came to pursue their studies or with the intention of moving to the northern shores of the Mediterranean, ended up settling in Morocco once they realized the opportunities offered to migrants, both in terms of legal protection and the means put in place to facilitate their economic and social integration. Mamoudou Samoura, An example of migrants successful integration into Moroccan society Mamoudou Samoura is one of a number of immigrants who have benefited from the considerable opportunities offered by Morocco to young Africans. After an outstanding academic career, he has successfully made his way into the business world. The young man recounts to MAP news agency how he arrived in Morocco in 2008 from Guinea as part of existing cooperation between the two countries through the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), an innovative mechanism dedicated to encouraging African talent by supporting students from over 47 countries to pursue their higher education in the Kingdoms various institutes, schools and universities. Moroccos strategic and constant openness to the African continent has enabled Mamoudou to achieve excellent academic and professional results. After obtaining a bachelors degree in public law from the Mohammedia Faculty of Law and a masters degree in international law from the Casablanca Faculty of Law (Hassan II University), the Guinean continued his academic adventure, opting for a doctorate on border cooperation in West Africa, alongside training at the King Fahd School of Translation in Tangier, from which he will graduate in 2019 with a translators diploma (Arabic-French-English). Building on this brilliant academic record, Mamoudous training has been complemented by a number of professional experiences in various fields, ranging from legal advice with a well-known Casablanca law firm, to translation and consulting firms. One of the most significant recent professional experiences of this Guinean immigrant residing in Morocco was to supervise the management of the legal support center for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees, within the Rights and Justice association, in addition to his work as legal adviser to several foreign NGOs working in the field of the social and professional integration of immigrants. Drawing on his experience and background, Mamoudou decided to set up a company in Casablanca specializing in consulting, studies, training, translation, communication and publishing. In a tone of gratitude, he expresses his firm conviction that Morocco is a country that has enabled him to realize his dreams, referring to the Kingdoms strategic position and the progress made in the business and entrepreneurial climate, in line with His King Mohammed VIs far-sighted vision of South-South cooperation and continental development. Migration governance in Morocco is based on a holistic, multi-dimensional approach which, by prioritizing respect for the migrants rights and dignity, is intended to be efficient and proactive in the fight against mafia networks and human trafficking. Here follow some figures on the Kingdoms extensive efforts to combat illegal migration. Over 360,000 illegal migration attempts have been thwarted since 2017. Since 2018, more than 8,100 African nationals have benefited from voluntary returns organized and financed by the Ministry of the Interior by both air and land. Around 2,400 people returned in 2021 and over 1,100 in 2020 as part of voluntary returns. Moroccos Royal Navy rescued almost 15,000 people at sea in 2021 and 2,384 in 2022. 1,300 networks dismantled over the past 5 years. Arrest of 32,733 would-be illegal immigrants, including 28,146 foreigners of various nationalities. Dismantling of 92 criminal networks involved in clandestine organization. Arrest of 566 organizers and intermediaries, an increase of over 36% compared with 2021, in addition to the arrest of 415 organizers of illegal immigration. Seizure of 832 false travel or identity documents, 193 boats, 156 marine engines and 61 vehicles used in the organization of migration operations. Some 50,000 migrants have regularized their situation thanks to the exceptional operation to regularize the situation of immigrants in Morocco, held in 2014 and 2017. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Gilbert Houngbo will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and senior government officials during his visit to the Philippines from June 25 to 28, the ILO announced on Friday. This will be Houngbos first visit to the country to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Manila's membership to the ILO. The ILO said Houngbo will meet with Marcos, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Migrant Workers Secretary Toots Ople, and other senior government officials. He will also hold dialogues with representatives of workers and employers groups, as well as meet with Asian Development Bank president Masatsugu Asakawa, some heads of agencies and members of the United Nations (UN) Country Team, and UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez, it also said. Mr Houngbo will emphasize the need for a new social contract to address growing inequalities and persistent poverty through a Global Coalition for Social Justice, the UN agency said in a statement on Friday. The ILO chief will also grace the global seafarers summit Seafarer 2050 to deliver a keynote address, as well as the National Employers Conference of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines. Houngbo is also scheduled to visit the Migrant Worker Resource Center in Quezon City, where he will talk with overseas Filipino workers and their families regarding rights-based migration, fair recruitment, and decent work. The MRC is the first local government-operated one-stop shop in the National Capital Region to offer gender-responsive services to migrant workers and their families, the ILO said. In January, the ILO High-Level Tripartite Mission went to the Philippines to look into the country's labor situation. It reiterated in its report the need of ensuring full examination and probe into outstanding cases of extrajudicial killings against trade union leaders and members, and hold perpetrators to account. RELATED STORIES: Gabriela condemns Marcos' silence on ILO probe ACT reports DepEd's 'red-tagging incidents' to UN labor org Following the recommendations of the mission, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed an executive order to create an inter-agency committee to increase coordination and facilitate the resolution of labor cases across the country. RELATED: Workers groups hit Marcos US visit on Labor Day It also sought to strengthen and defend the freedom of association and the workers right to organize amid concerns of various groups on violent crimes, extra-judicial killings, harassment, suppression of trade union rights, and red-tagging allegedly perpetrated by state agents. Recognition and gratitude are the watchwords of the Spanish governments statements to Morocco for its effective, efficient and exemplary cooperation in the fight against irregular immigration, a cooperation which has produced tangible results at all levels. Aware of the central role played by Morocco as a transit country and its humanistic, holistic and multidimensional approach to the migration issue, Spain has always commended Moroccos firm commitment and sustained efforts in the fight against networks involved in illegal immigration and human trafficking. Moroccos actions, carried out in a spirit of shared responsibility and trust, have produced noteworthy results, confirming the Kingdoms credibility and effective, efficient contribution to consolidating security and peace in the Mediterranean region. Even in the most difficult contexts, Madrid has always backed Morocco as a reliable, committed, and responsible partner, and underscored that the North African Kingdom is also a victim of irregular immigration and fully assumes its responsibilities in respecting laws and regulations to combat human trafficking mafias. Some people sometimes seem to think that countries like Morocco do not suffer from illegal immigration, but this does not correspond to reality, said the President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez. This statement was made just after the violent, planned and premeditated assault carried out on June 24, 2022 by migrants in Nador to force passage to Mellilia, which left dozens of Moroccan law enforcement officers wounded, as they acted professionally to deal with an unprecedented attack marked by the use of unheard-of violence. We must recognize the efforts made by Morocco, which is also under pressure from irregular migration, Sanchez had then said, adding that the real culprits behind the violent assault by sub-Saharan migrants on the metal fence separating the towns of Nador and Mellilia are the mafias. In this sense, he specified that what happened at the fence () was a violent attack carried out by armed migrants, calling for showing empathy towards the Spanish security forces and the Moroccan public forces, who suffered a violent attack that left hundreds of law enforcement officers injured. In the face of an increasingly complex phenomenon that tests the traditional mechanisms for combating human trafficking on a daily basis, Spain has repeatedly urged European countries to show solidarity with Morocco in its fight against human trafficking networks that use new, extremely violent operating methods and are prepared to take any risk. The cooperative relationship between Spain and Morocco in the fight against illegal immigration is absolutely close, firm and real, which can only generate tranquility, said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska recently, welcoming the ongoing cooperation between the two countries based on trust and co-responsibility. We are working day after day with the Moroccan government to prevent and dismantle the organizations that traffic in human beings, the Spanish official added, hailing the permanent contact and coordination between Rabat and Madrid. We are working together on an ongoing basis to prevent and combat the phenomenon of migration, he said, adding that Morocco is a loyal and fraternal partner, with which Spain enjoys excellent relations. Aware of the new challenges of the international context and the dangers posed by networks of human smugglers and traffickers, and of the maturity of their multifaceted cooperation, Morocco and Spain constantly reaffirm their unwavering determination to act firmly and relentlessly against illegal migrant networks, in compliance with the laws in force and international law. Grand Island, NE, June. 22, 2023: Steelcase, a leading furniture manufacturer, has awarded Eakes Office Solutions with the prestigious Platinum status Premier Partner designation for the year 2022. While all Steelcase furniture dealers in the United States and Canada meet high standards for quality and performance, Eakes Office Solutions has distinguished itself as an extraordinary partner. The company has consistently engaged with Steelcase, aligned with their strategies, and delivered exceptional value to its customers and community. "We are honored to be recognized as a Steelcase Platinum Partner for our furniture division," said Amy Abramson, Furniture Product Manager at Eakes Office Solutions. "This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire team, as we maintain a diversified portfolio, receive positive feedback from our customers, and actively engage with our communities. It truly takes a village, and we are grateful for the contributions of everyone involved." This marks the sixth time that Eakes Office Solutions has been named a Steelcase Premier Partner since the introduction of the award in 2012. In addition, Eakes is one of only 43 Authorized Steelcase Dealers in North America to receive this prestigious recognition for the current year. Eakes Office Solutions continues to demonstrate its commitment to excellence and remains a trusted provider of Steelcase furniture solutions. With their unparalleled expertise and customer-centric approach, they are well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of businesses across the region. Eakes sells office supplies, furniture and equipment. They have several retail locations in Nebraska, including a store in North Platte, and an online presence. Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and Dawson Public Power District are trying again to move forward on a plan to consolidate. The process began in November 2020, and in April of this year the Nebraska Power Review Board denied the consolidation on technical grounds. Since then the districts have jointly developed bylaws to govern the consolidated district, which will be named Platte River Public Power and Irrigation District. On July 5, each of the two districts will vote on the bylaws at their respective board meetings. Then on July 17, each of the districts boards will have a special meeting. At Centrals July 17 meeting, they will vote on an amendment to their charter, which will include specific language that the district does not have the power to issue general obligation bonds. That is intended to address the technicality that held up the merger earlier. Dawsons July 17 meeting begins an hour later than Centrals meeting. If Centrals board approves their amendment, Dawson plans to file a Petition to Dissolve. Dawsons petition would be contingent upon the Nebraska Power Review Boards approval of Centrals amendment. The public will have several opportunities to provide comment, both in person at board meetings and via email. The bylaws, petitions and other documents pertaining to the merger can be found on the districts websites, cnppid.com/merger and dawsonpower.com/resources/merger-and-consolidation-documents. The meetings are open to the public, with public comment portions of the meetings. The dates, times and locations of the meetings are: 9 a.m. July 5 Central regular monthly board meeting, 415 Lincoln Street, Holdrege. 10 a.m. July 5 Dawson regular monthly board meeting, 75191 Road 433, Lexington. 9 a.m. July 17 Central special board meeting, 415 Lincoln Street, Holdrege. 10 a.m. July 17 Dawson special board meeting, 75191 Road 433, Lexington. Comments may also be submitted via email to mergercomments@cnppid.com or by mailing comments to either districts headquarters. Anyone who wishes to ask more in-depth questions or have conversations about the merger may call to schedule a time to meet with a district representative. Too close to Kevin for comfort? Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images A quick pop quiz: When you think of wild right-wing extremists in the U.S. House of Representatives, who comes to mind? While there are multiple acceptable answers (e.g., Paul Gosar, Andrew Clyde, Matt Gaetz), Id bet dollars to doughnuts that the most common response would be: Marjorie Taylor Greene, of course. The reliably cuckoo-for-Cocoa-Puffs utterances and conduct of the second-term congresswoman from northwest Georgia are already legendary. Were talking about someone who had barely taken office before she was stripped of her committee assignments for issuing violent threats against then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Is there any classic quasi-fascistic outrage from hanging with white supremacists to cheering the January 6 insurrectionists to borderline antisemitic rhetoric to inappropriate use of Holocaust analogies to self-identification as a Christian Nationalist that Greene hasnt indulged in publicly? Its hard to think of many. So its more than a little weird to read in Politico that the House Freedom Caucus is reportedly mulling a purge of members who are, well, just too normie for that fierce ultra-MAGA club, and that target No. 1 is none other than MTG. Seriously. While the members suggesting a purge did not specify the people they want to remove, they are signaling that one target of any ejection push is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Some in the Freedom Caucus have focused on Greene, whos become a close ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, to illustrate their fears that certain group members are too aligned with GOP leaders and too outwardly critical of the group when it splits on certain issues. It may say more about McCarthy than Greene that the two Republicans have become close allies. Indeed, it was generally assumed that McCarthy defended the ever-errant Georgian from the criticism she invited in order to protect his right flank going into his difficult battle for the speakers gavel in January. And it seemed to pay dividends, particularly when Greene got Donald Trump on the phone to plead with MAGA loyalists on McCarthys behalf during a tense moment in the balloting. But the suddenly snuggly relationship between the Speaker and this turbulent back-bencher has not amused her Freedom Caucus colleagues, for whom keeping McCarthy in a state of fear and doubt about their willingness to tolerate him is absolute money. Its true they are not fully in accord as to whether and when to depose McCarthy via the motion to vacate the chair instrument they preserved as an option during the Speakership fight. Some are ready to boot him right now in anger at the debt-limit deal that MTG helped McCarthy get through the House. But whats not acceptable to them is being a loyal friend to the man they expect to squeeze regularly until such time as they take him right down. That has certainly been Greenes recent positioning, which shes made especially annoying to HFC members by criticizing them, according to the Politico report. MTGs tendency to train her unrestrained fire on fellow ideologues was richly illustrated this week when she was overheard on the House floor calling Lauren Boebert (once a sort of Greene doppelganger, now more of a frenemy) a little bitch for allegedly stealing her Biden impeachment resolution (which, of course, McCarthy was avid to quash as grossly premature). Greene didnt help matters by her clarification when asked about the incident, as my colleague Matt Stieb explained: Defending her choice of words, to Semafor, Greene invoked the perfect logic of a bully. She said that she called Boebert a little bitch because she has genuinely been a nasty little bitch to me. All righty then. Its not clear whether Greene would mind getting the heave-ho from the Freedom Caucus or any other group; she seems happiest as a very loose cannon, and she has a very safe House seat reinforced by the national MAGA fundraising base her antics have given her. Its very unlikely she will achieve her maximum short-term goal (we are told) of becoming Trumps 2024 running mate; even he isnt that irresponsible. But so long as she has powerful friends like McCarthy and Trump, shes probably fine being a caucus of one. Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP With the presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine opponent, and the popularity of vaccine-hostile commentators like Joe Rogan, pseudoscience is having a moment. Dr. Peter Hotez, a highly regarded Texas-based vaccine scientist, knows this all too well. When Hotez criticized Rogan for hosting Kennedy on his podcast, Rogan offered to donate $100,000 to the charity of Hotezs choice if the scientist debated Kennedy on his show. Then, billionaires claimed theyd give more money and vaccine skeptics piled on, the Washington Post reported. Elon Musk joined in, tweeting that Hotez was afraid of a public debate, because he knows hes wrong. Hotez hasnt taken the bait. Though he has said he would go on Rogans show, he has refused to debate Kennedy, enraging anti-vaccine activists who have aggressively harassed him online and in person. Whatever the personal cost, Hotez is right to refuse a debate, many experts say, because doing so would provide anti-vaxxers like Kennedy with an opportunity to spread their baseless views even further. A debate may also validate the harassment that Hotez has faced. This is a standard anti-vaccinationist playbook, explains Andrew Wehrman, a professor of history at Central Michigan University and the author of The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution. In the 19th and early-20th centuries, the anti-vaccinationists, as they were then called, would stand outside public libraries and try to talk to people, but what they often sought was a big public audience, Wehrman says. Debates against local public-health commissioners, debates against vaccinators and doctors where they could recite the things that were built up in their literature, on a stage where theyd be on equal footing with the health commissioner or the doctor. For public-health commissioners, the anti-vaxx demand for debate became a Catch-22, Wehrman says. If they do it, then they boost the notoriety, the standing, the fame of their opponents, he added. And often in a debate situation, the public-health officials are really on their heels because they cant keep up with the cherry-picked statistics or fabricated anecdotes or especially the emotionally charged speech from their opponents. Daniel Loxton, the former editor of Junior Skeptic and the author of Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be, tells me that debate is just a very bad way to get at the truth about everything. Scientists and skeptics learned that lesson amid tangles with creationists and anti-vaxxers alike. Loxton points to the phrase Gish gallop, which was coined by his colleague, Dr. Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education. Named for a creationist debater, a Gish gallop allows a person to get on stage and say a hundred baloney things, or a thousand things, as many as you can fit into your speaking time without the opponent having any chance of addressing even a tenth of those, Loxton says. He explains, So I can get on stage and say, The Darwinist agenda for vaccines are turning children into Toyotas. And if my debate opponent wanted to start unpacking that, its going to take a lot longer than the one sentence that I just spent spewing that. Debates, he says, allow a person whose beliefs lack evidence to appeal directly to the public. Sometimes this is purely because they have an ideology, some idea they want to spread. Sometimes its because they want to make money, and oftentimes its both, he explains. (Sometimes theyd like to be president.) If someone, like Hotez, takes them up on their demand, youve instantly elevated yourself to an equal and opposite authority to the person that you challenged. Anti-vaxxers deprived of a debate with Hotez have resorted to abuse and threats of violence. A heckler showed up at the scientists home, and an ammunition company tweeted a photo of bullets inside a bag with Hotezs name on it. Such incitement is familiar to public-health advocates like Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and former California lawmaker. After Pan co-authored a 2015 bill that ended a personal belief exemption for vaccine requirements for schools and day cares, he and his staff received death threats. Some of my colleagues had closed their district offices because theyre concerned about the safety of their staff and their district office, he tells me. In 2019, Pan co-authored another bill to curb the use of medical exemptions by parents opposed to vaccines, and an anti-vaccine activist shoved the doctor in the street, hard. Kennedy frequently invokes the Holocaust when discussing vaccination, Pan points out, which not only likens physicians to Nazis but seeks to justify their additional harassment. On Twitter, some anti-vaxxers have begun tweeting the hashtag #Nuremberg2. What should you do to a Nazi? Pan asks rhetorically. You should hang them, right? Its not the first time anti-vaxxers have relied on violent imagery. When controversy erupted over Pans 2019 bill, an anti-vaxx protester threw blood from her menstrual cup toward lawmakers during the final night of the legislative session, the Los Angeles Times reported. Shortly before the act, protesters brandished signs that showed Pans face marked up with red, like blood. Every time Kennedy mentions the Holocaust, hes trying to incite violence, Pan says, adding hes not surprised that someone showed up at Hotezs home. In Pans view, the real debate over the safety and efficacy of certain vaccines takes place in medical literature, where scientific claims can be made and critically evaluated. But anti-vaxxers dont want a debate, he says. They want amplification, spectacle, he explains. Thats how they make their money. Thats how they get followers. Kennedy and Rogan and Musk want that gladiatorial fight in the arena, he says. If they wanted the truth about vaccines, theyd publish research, he argues. Its hard to check Kennedys claims live, however, so a performance is what the candidate seeks. It takes a lot to be familiar with Kennedys specific pseudoscientific theories, he adds. You can say, That doesnt sound right. I think thats a lie, he says. But theyre going to say, Well, prove its a lie. Though a good moderator would tell an anti-vaxxer to provide evidence for his claims, thats not going to happen on Joe Rogans show, Pan believes. Its a platform for misinformation, he says. Whoever is coming on essentially is elevating the person whos lying. Anti-vaxxers would get their spectacle. When they win, the rest of us lose. Photo: Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images The fate of OceanGates Titanic tourist submersible, Titan, and the five people aboard, is no longer a mystery. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that a remotely operated submersible vehicle had found a field of debris from the experimental craft not far from the infamous shipwreck it had been diving to visit, indicating the Titan had suffered a catastrophic implosion. All aboard were killed: three paid passengers British billionaire Hamish Harding, British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and Dawoods teenage son, Suleman along with a well-respected Titanic expert, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate Inc. CEO Stockton Rush. Below are some key takeaways from the reporting and commentary on the tragedy thus far. . But most industry experts are suggesting there was some fatal flaw in the unusual and experimental design of the vessel, which had a unique pressure hull constructed with carbon fiber and titanium and was the first-ever deep-water submersible that could hold five people. Its not yet clear if or when investigators will be able to determine the specific cause of the disaster. Its not even clear who will lead the investigation. Titanic director James Cameron on the catastrophic implosion of Titan submersible: Im struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field." pic.twitter.com/vO8JkCXS5f ABC News (@ABC) June 22, 2023 . Soon after the news of the Titans disappearance, it became clear that many in the manned submersible industry had long feared OceanGates innovative vessel was not safe. In a 2018, lawyers for OceanGates former director of marine operations, David Lochridge, alleged in a court filing that he was fired after calling on the company to conduct additional safety testing on the Titan and warning of potential dangers to passengers of the Titan as the submersible reached extreme depths. One of the issues Lockridge highlighted was the Titans viewport not being certified to work beyond a depth of 1,300 meters. That same year, several submersible experts confronted OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush over the design of the Titan at a conference of crewed-underwater-vehicle specialists in New Orleans, submersible expert Karl Stanley told the New York Times. Soon after the conference, 38 members of the Marine Technology Society, a manned-underwater-vehicle-industry group, wrote but reportedly did not send a letter to Rush expressing their concerns. Our apprehension is that the current experimental approach adopted by OceanGate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic) that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry, they wrote, alleging that the companys marketing materials were misleading and insisting Rush obtain an independent safety certification for the submersible before accepting passengers. While this may demand additional time and expense, it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants, they stressed. In 2019, Karl Stanley detailed a number of concerns in an email to Rush following a 12,000-foot dive aboard the Titan in the Bahamas during which he heard a cracking noise that became increasingly louder throughout the trip. Would you consider taking dozens of other people to the Titanic before you truly knew the source of those sounds?? The company eventually scrapped its plan for 2019 expeditions to the Titanic but not because of safety concerns. The company defended its disregard for rules and regulations in a blog post, insisting that bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation. Rush had also repeatedly rejected adhering to regulations in interviews, citing the same rationale while insisting the Titan had been subject to extensive internal safety tests. . As maritime history expert Salvatore Mercogliano explained to the New York Times and the Washington Post, submersibles are rarely regulated and arent required to be registered with a particular country. It was not subject to the Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 1993, which applies to submersibles but only ones that are registered in the U.S. and operate in U.S. territorial waters. The Titan was being operated in international waters, adding an additional gray area when it comes to maritime law. Theres literally no requirement out there, because theres no one out there to enforce that, Mercogliano told the Post. . In public statements, the company and its CEO Stockton Rush repeatedly name-dropped NASA, Boeing, and the University of Washington when discussing its process designing and engineering the Titan submersible, but those links appear to have been overstated or exaggerated, ABC News reports. OceanGate claimed on its website that the Titan was designed and engineered by the company in collaboration [with] experts from NASA, Boeing and the University of Washington. The company frequently mentioned NASA in press releases and thanked the space agency for its design and engineering support and, in one 2021 press release, called Boeing an industry partner and thanked it for design and engineering support on the Titan. When the CEO Rush was asked about the seemingly ad hoc build of the Titan submersible in 2022 by journalist David Pogue, Rush responded, The pressure vessel is not MacGyvered at all because thats where we worked with Boeing and NASA [and] University of Washington. More from my conversation with @OceanGateExped CEO (and Titanic sub designer) Stockton Rush: https://t.co/GFrz6sz0Z4 pic.twitter.com/1dCFkSY5re David Pogue (@Pogue) June 21, 2023 Officials at the University of Washington told ABC News that the universitys Applied Physics Laboratory had once partnered with OceanGate on a shallow-diving submersible but not the Titan: Kevin Williams, the executive director of the University of Washingtons Applied Physics Laboratory, told ABC News the school and laboratory were also not involved in the design, engineering or testing of the Titan submersible. Victor Balta, a UW spokesperson, added that OceanGate and UWs Applied Physics Laboratory initially signed a $5 million collaborative research agreement, but the two entities parted ways after only $650,000 of work was completed. That research only resulted in the development of another OceanGate submersible, the shallow-diving Cyclops I submersible, according to Balta Balta added that OceanGate contracted with the school to use testing tanks on a contractual basis for nine tests between 2016 and 2022. No UW researchers were involved in any of those tests and UW personnel did not provide any verification or validation of any OceanGate equipment as a result of those tests, Balta said in a statement. A NASA spokesperson meanwhile told ABC News that it consulted on materials and manufacturing for OceanGate when it was developing and engineering the Titan submersible but that NASA did not conduct testing and manufacturing via its workforce or facilities, which was done elsewhere by OceanGate. A Boeing spokesperson told ABC News that the company was not a partner on the Titan and did not design or build it. . As Molly Osberg notes at Curbed, Mt. Everest is no longer the only destination where the megarich are paying big money to risk their lives in search of novel, exclusive experiences: There are a number of reasons the ultra-wealthy might be turning toward extreme adventures. A spate of trend stories detailing billionaires adventures in the Maldives or Alaskan helicopter snowboarding emerged in the years following the financial crisis of 2008, arguing conspicuous consumption had become less popular in the immediate aftermath of a large swath of the country losing jobs or homes because of mismanagement on behalf of a few very nice suits. Others might point to the Instagram effect, where anyone with a web browser and the means wants to telegraph an exclusive experience. But the most natural explanation is that for people for whom the most unimaginable luxuries are within close reach, simply sitting on a yacht unacknowledged isnt enough: Billionaire status has become significantly more diffuse in recent years. A blood-diamond heir wants to become a space explorer or someone who made his fortune pumping and dumping real estate would rather be known as a philanthropist who also holds the record for the longest duration at full ocean depth. (Plus safari trophies, the original bauble of the intrepid and superrich, are now considered in poor taste.) . Soon after the Coast Guard confirmed that debris from the Titan had been found on the ocean floor near the Titanic, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Navy had apparently detected the Titans implosion using the network of secret underwater listening sensors it uses to track foreign submarines. The U.S. Navy conducted an analysis of acoustic data and detected an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost, a senior Navy official told the Journal, adding that the analysis, which it passed along to the Coast Guard, was not conclusive at the time which is why the search-and-rescue operation continued until the wreckage of the Titan was found. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Part of East Magnolia Avenue in downtown Auburn will be closed Sunday, June 25 from 8 am to 4pm as close to 100 classic cars roll into town for the 2023 Great Race. E Magnolia between College Street and Gay Street will be closed to traffic early in the day to allow Great Race participants space to park their classic vehicles while they take a lunch break. The public is invited to come and hangout with the racers during their time at Toomers Corner and check out all the vehicles. The vehicles are expected to work their way north on Highway 29 and arrive in downtown Auburn around 12 pm for lunch. They will leave between 3:30 pm and 4 pm and depart for Birmingham where they will spend the night before continuing with the race the next day. Its a free event to the public. You can come through and view the cars, sit in the cars, talk to the drivers. Its not costing anyone anything other than a street closure, said Auburn City manager Megan McGowen Crouch. Hopefully itll be a nice event for the community, and we appreciate the economic impact itll bring by stopping by. The Great Race is a nine-day endurance road rally featuring antique, vintage, and collectible cars driving across the country. This year the race begins in St. Augustine, Florida, on Saturday, June 24. It will end in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Sunday, July 2. The race will stop at Toomers Corner on its second day before moving on to Birmingham to spend the night. The race will then continue on into Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and finally end in Colorado. The Toomers Corner stop will be a bit of a homecoming for two of this years racers. Mallory Henderson and her boyfriend, Jack Fruin are both Auburn grads, having graduated in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The two will compete in the Great Race with a 65 Ford Mustang. Henderson will act as navigator during the Great Race and Fruin will drive. Additionally, Hendersons grandfather, Jim Henderson, and family friend Zeno Chaudron will act as their support crew. The family is originally from Mobile and began participating in the Great Race in 2013. Last year when I was on the Great Race, I found out that it was going through Auburn and Birmingham, and at first I didnt plan on actually doing the race, but I was like, you know what? Done! Sign me up again! Henderson said. Im excited to share Auburn with everyone too. Im very prideful of Auburn and I talk about it all the time. Now 25, Henderson was just 15 when her grandfather, Jim, and father, Scott, signed up to join in the Great Race as last minute additions in 2013. She said they loaded up a car they knew was road ready and drove over night to Minneapolis, that years starting point. Henderson said she learned about the race on the way and has been doing it ever since. I dont think that they anticipated that I would get this involved and keep doing it 10 years later, Henderson said. I honestly didnt think that I would do it 10 years later. Henderson and her father, Scott, drove the 65 Mustang in the Great Race from 2013 until he passed from cancer in 2018. Henderson chose to take a few years off at that point, but eventually stepped back in racing. Last year she drove another Mustang for RPMs All-Female Great Race X-Cup Team. But this year, Henderson is competing once again in the Great Race with the same car her and her father drove. This year, I said Okay, Im ready to get the Mustang back in it, she said. Hes [Scott] probably very happy that Im getting the Mustang back in it. The Auburn grad says she hopes to see a great turnout when the Great Race pulls into Toomers Corner on June 25 and is excited to share a town that means so much to her. The director [Jeff Stub] has already requested Aubie and the eagle and cheerleaders and whatnot, Henderson said. Im just hoping its a really, really great turnout and that people really get a feel for what Auburn is because I know its made such an impact on me, my boyfriend and the director and many others. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) The Philippines has become better at addressing gender equality, ranking 16th place among 146 countries, according to the 2023 World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index report. The Philippines, which ranked 19th in 2022, garnered a parity score of 0.791. The parity score is the level of progress toward gender equality. A parity score of 1 indicates full parity. To determine a countrys score, the report looked into four factors: economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment. The Philippines scored the highest in education attainment, garnering 0.999. However, it scored the lowest in political empowerment with 0.409 points. Gender gaps in political leadership continue to persist," the Global Gender Gap Index report read. "Although there has been an increase in the number of women holding political decision-making posts worldwide, achieving gender parity remains a distant goal and regional disparities are significant, it also said. The Philippines is also among the top three countries to exhibit gender equality in the East Asia and Pacific Region, along with Australia and New Zealand. Iceland, Norway and Finland, respectively, were named as the most gender-equal countries worldwide. The report also showed that the world may attain gender equality after 131 years. READ: It could take 131 years for the world to close the gender gap, report shows Recent years have been marked by major setbacks for gender parity globally, with previous progress disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemics impact on women and girls in education and the workforce, followed by economic and geopolitical crises, Saadia Zahid, managing director at the WEF, stated in the report. Prigozhin is stupid, but this is entertaining to hear about. Reply Thread Link Malcolm Nance made a point about him not doing this without allies, so that's intriguing Reply Parent Thread Link does Russia not want to pay the mercenaries? why else would they kill them? Reply Thread Link It's probably Putin trying to turn the blame onto Shoigu (the top general) so he takes all the blame and Putin can look like he was an innocent politician misguided by an idiot general. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't listen to war news for a couple of hours and this is what happens! Though I feel like maybe I should support one of my fave youtubers by NOT watching Prigozhin content, cause at one point he said 'Do you guys enjoy watching this? Because if you stop watching, we'll stop making these videos.' lol and tiredly noted that soon Prigozhin's rants towards Russia/Putin/Shoigu/Gerasimov/Kadirov/? will be 40 minutes long. The average person in Russia hears about Prigozhin maybe twice a month, it's everyone else who gets a daily dose. Off to watch 10 hours of content, I guess. Though seems like if whatever happens at all, it will happen overnight, so I guess I can go to sleep. Reply Thread Link Same, I follow the news every day and watch the opposition channel broadcasts every evening, but today I literally slept through the whole thing and woke up to the absolute chaos... Reply Parent Thread Link that man looks like a goblin Reply Thread Link So Russia is imploding or is it too early to tell? Team Smith... get that trial going and gag 45 and his cohort from blabbing shit publicly. Granted, with every breath 45 takes, he appears to continue to incriminate himself. But everyone knows he would blab about potential witnesses, anyone that may be facing criminal charges in relation to this, etc. Yeah, they def need a gag order. Reply Thread Link Prigozhin is going to be on the run for the rest of his potentially very short life. Reply Thread Link die of defenestration disease Reply Parent Thread Link I'm interested to see how this would play out. The Wagner group seems pretty loyal to Prigozhin but Putin has a lot of resources. Reply Thread Link why did the Obama post get deleted lmao Reply Thread Link Came here to ask the same Reply Parent Thread Link What post?? What was it about? Reply Parent Thread Link he was being interviewed by hasan minhaj Reply Parent Thread Link it was just getting good too Reply Parent Thread Link How can people just stand around and film this so casually? I know Russians have seen a lot of shit but I'd be pretty scared. Reply Parent Thread Link And smiling too. Reply Parent Thread Link Came here to figure out more about the Russia situation cause I just caught the end of the news package on it and they mentioned civil war??? Reply Thread Link Yeah Im confused. Between the two, which one would be worse? Reply Parent Thread Link Coup would probably be limited just to the military/government, a civil war would have randos with guns out on the streets and joining their well-regulated militias. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Everything about the Russia situation seems so in flux and unclear right now! Like it seems like it could be huge... but it also could end up fizzling out into nothing. So it seems like all we can do is wait and see and follow ppl on twitter who know more than me. Reply Thread Link I think that they just want attention and money. You cant take such people seriously. They say things to get a reaction. Reply Parent Thread Link That man looks like Shrek. Putin needs to stop consuming oxygen Reply Thread Link I wonder how much the citizens are aware of what is going on. Reply Thread Link Supposedly it was announced on tv but people are still asleep in moscow Reply Parent Thread Link Those are not Russian National Guard troops. That looks like Wagner troops entering the SMD HQ. pic.twitter.com/AC2wxAcBmJ Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) June 24, 2023 SMD = Southern Military District I think. Rostov-on-Don so it would make sense. The seizure of the SMD HQ and the potential consolidation of control over bases in the area has taken the insurrection into very dangerous territory. The SMD/ Operational Command South has slices of every single asset in Russia's arsenal including strategic assets. Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) June 24, 2023 Does "strategic" in this context mean nuclear? Edited at 2023-06-24 03:07 am (UTC) SMD = Southern Military District I think. Rostov-on-Don so it would make sense.Does "strategic" in this context mean nuclear? Reply Thread Link Well, the only good news right now is that if it forces Russian soldiers to abandon their positions in Ukraine to go defend Moscow (or join Wagner in Russia IDK) then the Ukrainian counter-offensive is about to be a massive success! Reply Parent Thread Link Sort of OT, but speaking of military coups...this still feels like a fever dream from the pandemic times. I can't believe this was real and we all watched it happen: I have probably thought about this specific video about once a month, every month, since it happened. Edited at 2023-06-24 03:04 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Just watched a YouTube vid about Myanmar. Criminal and racist that it's not in the news more. The young rebels are fighting tooth and nail for their democracy without and support. (that we know of) Reply Parent Thread Link To a white woman?!?! Reply Thread Link idk if it's to blame, but I feel like I remember hearing about the last fenty show featuring j*hnny d*pp, and then I haven't heard a thing about the company since. Reply Parent Thread Link The clown coming back to bite etc gif Reply Parent Thread Link I just got a FB ad saying 70% on EVERYTHING so....i would say no Reply Parent Thread Link I bought a bra when it first launched and while it's not terrible, it's also not worth the price. Reply Parent Thread Link Understitch did a very thorough video on the brand and its a huge flop. Rihanna is heavily focused on Fenty Beauty which is still a massive success. Im surprised she didnt step down as ceo sooner. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link no music no fenty what does she do Reply Thread Link Well she is going to be having a baby pretty soon (if she didn't already), and her other kid is barely 1. Maybe she wants to spend more time with them. Reply Parent Thread Link that's understandable but i hope that baby knows how to make dancehall pop bops we are in a recession Reply Parent Thread Link Being that she uses her platform to prop up abusers, I think its ok that she does nothing tbh Reply Parent Thread Link hang out with abusers and losers Reply Parent Thread Link Wait, she stepped down from Fenty, too? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link 16 in the middle of Miami Reply Parent Thread Link Be rich lol this was all a hobby Reply Parent Thread Link more time for her to be racist Reply Parent Thread Link She still has Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, a reboot of her Puma collab is in the works and Fenty Hair is allegedly coming too. Oh, and she's also about to have two under two... Reply Parent Thread Link earn royalties and hire Johnny Depp to do shitty runway shows Reply Parent Thread Link She should enjoy her money and her new family and keep to herself tbh Reply Thread Link Oh a white woman. Reply Thread Link Pon de Retiree Reply Thread Link shits about to get expensive Reply Thread Link Shit it's already overpriced Reply Parent Thread Link It's the lingerie line so it's not shocking. I'd be more shocked if it was the makeup line cause that's the real money-maker! The lingerie line could've been great but the material always looked hella cheap and ready to break. Reply Thread Link I bought some savage fenty maybe a year ago. It is very cheaply made. Perfect for a free trial where everything is half off. I would never pay full price for it. Basically SHEIN quality Reply Parent Thread Link ironic that the new CEO used to be from Anthropologie which is known for their racism issues. Reply Thread Link Fuck Anthropologie. That being said I still go there, but I get a five finger discount to make up for how they treated me When I worked there in college, those dipshits didn't give us legally managed breaks or pay us on time, ever. We once went a month without pay. And they hire mainly nepo- babies who won't complain about not getting a paycheque. They also forced us to wear their clothes to work, which we ofc had to buy.Fuck Anthropologie. That being said I still go there, but I get a five finger discount to make up for how they treated me Reply Parent Thread Link Good luck with that fashion line you speak of. Reply Thread Link people commenting "what does she do??"... meanwhile i'm 42, have to work every day, exhausted, and would love to be hot and never have to work again. honestly, if i was a pop star with even one hit song i would retire if it meant never having to work again lol. Reply Thread Link Lol reminds me of this Bridget Jones quite except money instead of sex - Tom, 80's pop icon who only wrote one hit record then retired because he found that one record was quite enough to get him laid for the whole of the 90's. Reply Parent Thread Link Thats my ideal job Reply Parent Thread Link lmao, that was the first thing that popped into my head too. Reply Parent Thread Link This is why I dont understand how people like Trump get so power hungry when half of the people cant stand their ass. Id be just chilling on a property in Hawaii for the rest of my life. Why would I want to spent my time dealing with all those politics drama Reply Parent Thread Link They should have gotten another black woman for the CEO position This is the start of it becoming more white washed to broaden its appeal Reply Thread Link Its okay. No ones buying it. Reply Parent Thread Link wasn't the lingerie always for everyone? I don't think it ever focused on POC. Reply Parent Thread Link You have to look at the marketing. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link the only thing I still like about Fenty is the range of models!!!!!! otherwise great go away and stop stanning abusers rih-rih-tire time Reply Thread Link lmfao oh Reply Thread Link If I were a billionaire trapped in a sub I would raise myself up by my bootstraps Reply Thread Link Plenty of air up here! It will trickle down Reply Parent Thread Link that's tacky Reply Thread Link how so? the public needs an educational refresher. when we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it. or something. Reply Parent Thread Link i wouldn't say that a dramatization with so much incorrect information is educational, but ok Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Idk, all those movies with the nazis being the bad guys and yet here we are Reply Parent Thread Link are you saying what i think you're saying bc what i think you're saying is that had netflix chosen to keep titanic on its roster, these billionaires might have known what fate had in store for them and i think you're right netflix did this Reply Parent Thread Link It definitely is, which is why I love it lol Reply Parent Thread Link nah thats hilarious Reply Parent Thread Link Okay! I didnt mind us giggling about this whole situation- but is this necessary lmaaaoo omfg Reply Thread Link I knew this was coming. Reply Thread Link Of course. I just wanna let yall know that theres an video clip of actual existing ship toy of titanic in the bathroom sink that came on my FYP. there were every exact details of the ship toy model breaking up. yeah it is that really fucked up, yall. Humanity are beyond fucked Reply Thread Link Do u have the tik tok? Reply Parent Thread Link lmao fuck Reply Parent Thread Link What a tacky move, omg. I know it was a silly death but... yet again, trying to capitalise on people's morbid curiosity is not a good business plan! Reply Thread Link No one at Netflix went "Let's piss on the grave of stupid men and an unfortunate kid and put this movie back on 2 weeks later." Reply Parent Thread Link I'm sure they have the power to at least delay it a bit, because the optics, oof. Reply Parent Thread Link this licensing deal absolutely happened before the tragedy lol come on Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Why? Its not like Titanic hasnt been available for streaming this whole time on different platforms (Amazon & Paramount). This agreement was probably in place years ago. Reply Parent Thread Link Fine Ill watch titanic again for the 80th time Reply Thread Link mte it's a great film, sometimes I need to cry and that movie delivers Reply Parent Thread Link i always only watched the 2nd part (see: 2nd vhs tape) Reply Parent Thread Link I legit used to make my grandma watch it with me non-stop back in the day lol Reply Parent Thread Link Lol I watched it last night. Reply Parent Thread Link Right on time! Reply Thread Link netflix pls Reply Thread Link I like to watch it like twice a year tbh Reply Thread Link These deals are done months in advance so the timing might be bad but I dont think Netflix ran to Paramount and said sooooo you wanna take the heat this month or let us have the bad press? 1 week later: Titanic is their #1 movie on the platform Reply Thread Link I can't believe people are thinking this was a spur of the moment thing Reply Parent Thread Link Same. Movies cycle through all streaming platforms and each streaming platform removes films and adds others, usually on the first of every month so this is just by coincidence as July 1st is next week. Reply Parent Thread Link I choose to believe because it's funnier that way Reply Parent Thread Link It probably wasn't, and I'm dying imagining people at Netflix when they realized this was on schedule to return to the platform literally days after what happened with the submersible Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Its currently on Prime and probably has been for a while so yeah this is all lucky timing on Netflixs part. I think maybe tweeting about is a little questionable but they would no doubt tweet about it coming to the platform anyway. Reply Parent Thread Link China has been leading the electric vehicles (EV) manufacturing race in recent years, and now the region can expect a big EV infrastructure boost to promote the uptake of environmentally friendly vehicles. Both China and India expect to see huge investments in their EV industries, with the construction of thousands of EV charging stations, and other countries in the region are likely to follow in their footsteps as they transition away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. A conference on EV charging infrastructure in the Asia Pacific was held in Singapore in February this year to share market insights and encourage the rollout of EV charging infrastructure across the region. The conference highlighted that by 2035 EV ownership in China is expected to reach 30 million units, meaning there is a great need for the fast role out of hundreds of thousands of charging stations over the next decade. China installed 300,000 charging ports in 2022, far outpacing U.S. EV infrastructure development. In addition, the China Passenger Car Association predicts sales of new energy cars, principally EVs, will hit 8.5 million units in 2023, to total 36 percent of all new sales. As EV uptake in Asia has increased, the regions EV charging infrastructure has also been rapidly expanding, with the Asia-Pacific charging station market expected to grow annually by 30.8 percent, to achieve $69.9 billion by 2029. This is higher than the global projected charging station CAGR of 26.6 percent and will contribute significantly to the global market value of almost $113.9 billion by 2033. While Chinas EV market is highly competitive, India is also rapidly growing its EV industry. The number of registered EVs in India tripled to 1.01 million from 2021 to 2022, with two and three-wheeled vehicles being the most popular. At present, EVs make up around 1 percent of the 3 million cars sold each year in India, a figure that the country hopes to increase to 30 percent by 2030, supported by government climate policies and tax breaks for consumers. Indian state refiners announced plans to establish EV charging facilities at over 22,000 fuel stations and highways by 2024. The private sector is also expected to contribute significantly to the countrys EV infrastructure. However, the availability of charging stations across India at present remains limited. Dylan Sim, an oil market analyst at FGE, stated: Limited charging infrastructure, low domestic EV production and high EV battery costs remain some of the key hurdles in maintaining strong EV uptake in the long run. But there are high hopes for the countrys EV market to expand rapidly in the coming decades. Local automakers, including Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have announced investment plans and foreign companies, such as Kia and BYD, aim to roll out new EV models for the Indian market. There is also great potential for the electric truck market as India looks to decrease its reliance on foreign fossil fuels and transition to greener transport methods in the future. Meanwhile, Shell announced this month that it plans to invest heavily in Chinas EV charging infrastructure market. While the company remains committed to its oil and gas business, it is also looking to diversify into the world of renewables to make sure its operations are future-proof. Shell plans to invest between $10 billion and $15 billion in low-carbon energy technologies between 2023 and 2025, a significant chunk of which will go towards charging station infrastructure in Asia. EV sales in China reached 3.3 million in 2021, tripling from the previous year and pushing the demand for EV charging points ever higher. Unlike in several other countries, many of Chinas residents live in high-rise buildings and do not have the option of installing a personal charging point. China is producing EVs at a staggering rate, with automakers having been encouraged by government incentives for several years. Numerous new Chinese EV makers have emerged, despite the lack of well-known ICE manufacturers in the country previously. And the wide range of low-cost EV models now available on the market is highly attractive in the Asia region, offering a price point that most foreign manufacturers simply cant match. And the U.S. is going to have to up its game if it wants to compete, the Ford chairman, Bill Ford, stated this month: They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they're exporting them. Ford added, They're not here but they'll come here we think, at some point, we need to be ready, and we're getting ready. Fords CEO Jim Farley has previously said that Chinese EV manufacturers are its main rivals in the sector, meaning that Ford will need distinctive branding or lower costs to compete against Chinese automakers. China has long been leading in EV production, which has encouraged a rapid rise in the regional uptake of EVs. In line with consumer interest in a shift away from ICE vehicles to EVs, public and private companies across Asia are looking to quickly develop the regions EV infrastructure. Green policies, as well as tax breaks and other incentives, have been extremely useful in encouraging EV manufacturing and the consumer uptake of EVs, making the region highly competitive in the global EV market. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com ADVERTISEMENT More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Via the Jamestown Foundation In May 2023, United States National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that Russia is looking to purchase additional Iranian drones and loitering munitions. Kyiv believes that Moscow already received around 2,400 units from its brother in arms and has already used over 400 of them in strikes against Ukrainian civilian centers and critical infrastructure (Ukrainska Pravda, May 15). US intelligence claims that, alongside drones, previous aid packages also included artillery and tank rounds. Although still awaiting final confirmation, leaked documents show that the parties recently signed a deal valued at around $1 billion for various munitions. The document claims that the agreement includes 40,000 122-millimeter (mm), 14,000 152-mm and 10,000 125-mm high-explosive rounds. The leaked document also provides evidence for the transfer of two 125-mm barrels for the T72 tank and two 122-mm barrels for howitzers (Ukrainska Pravda, June 5). According to Kirby, military assistance flows both ways between Russian and Iran, and open-source intelligence confirms that the aid packages now include the infamous Mohajer-6 drone, which is a multipurpose drone that can return to its base after each attack (Twitter/clashreport, June 7). This in turn provides for a much more sustainable and flexible concept of operations (see Terrorism Monitor, June 9). As Ukraine has adapted rather well to Russian capabilities, Iranian systems provide Russian forces with a lifeline and fill in gaps left by Moscows decrepit defense industry. Tehrans solutions are cheap, effective and expand the Kremlins strike package options. While efforts to ramp up national production have stalled, Russia is increasingly resorting to Iranian weapon systems, particularly drones, loitering munitions and potentially long-range missiles in the near future. Russias ongoing aggression against Ukraine has highlighted the mutual interests of Tehran and Moscow. Put simply, no matter the process, this alliance of convenience hopes for a defeated West. This rapprochement has gone hand-in-hand with burgeoning bilateral trade, strengthening military-strategic relations and a significant uptrend in defense-related transactions, with new deals on ammunition and artillery, as well as joint weapons production as illustrated by the plans for an Iranian drone production facility in Russia (see EDM, March 6). Growing closer under their shared isolation from international markets, Moscow and Tehran are finding common ground for future collaboration in highly strategic segments including transportation, technology and energy (Caspian News, May 19). In this context, the remarkable 30-percent increase in bilateral trade between March 2022 and March 2023 is quite telling (Oreanda News, May 29). Thus far, Russian military strategy has centered on high-tempo strikes and inflicting heavy damage on Ukraines critical infrastructure and population centers. In essence, the main aim of this strategy is to exhaust the morale of Ukrainian forces and pressure Kyiv to surrender. Providing the Kremlin with a low-cost, effective strike package, Iranian drones have become integral to this approach. As Ukraine receives high-end Western systems, such as long-range Storm Shadows and Leopard tanks, the Russians are pulling out all the stops, employing every military asset available, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, in high numbers (TSN, May 11). In May 2023, Ukraine announced that its armed forces had intercepted 300 Iranian loitering munitions, indicating that the threat of kamikaze drones launched from Russian territory remains very real (Independent Persian, May 28). And Kyiv claims that Moscow is increasingly resorting to drone strikes to slow and halt the Ukrainian counteroffensive. For example, on May 27, Russian forces launched an attack with 54 loitering munitions, 52 of which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems (Unian, May 28). Still, despite the high interception rate, Moscows specific targeting of urban centers, civilian buildings and critical infrastructure make Iranian drones an important trend to monitor. According to US intelligence, Russia already received a new batch of Shaheed drones from Iran in early spring (identified by their distinctive markings) with more expected to be delivered in the near future (Babel.ua, April 20). As this military assistance goes both ways, Moscow is providing Tehran with high-value, strategic assets, including Yak-130 combat training aircraft, attack helicopters and radar (Bahar News Iran, February 16). Open sources also claim that Russia and Iran reached a deal for Tehrans procurement of Sukhoi-35 fighter jets (RBC, March 11). According to Iranian channels, the deal includes a full squadron featuring 24 aircraft (Mashregnews.ir, January 1). In gifting Iran the most sophisticated fighter jets it has received in the past five decades, Moscow will surely achieve strong leverage with Tehran for future military assistance. Nevertheless, military aid between Russia and Iran is not the only consideration here. There is a bigger, and often overlooked aspect, of this cooperationnamely how this mutual assistance reaches its destination. Most military aid packages between the two countries are transported via two possible channels: private airlines (Iran International, December 15, 2022) and civilian cargo ships (Iranwire.com, February 13). Military ships and aircraft are easier to notice and track. It is much more difficult to accurately monitor the goods carried by every single civilian passenger aircraft or cargo vessel. Thus, hiding behind these routes allows Iran and Russia to significantly diminish the ability to regulate and track these shipments. Regarding sea transfers, the Caspian Sea looms large as a particular hotspot. The main reason behind the regions particular attractiveness lies in the fact that it is surrounded by post-Soviet states. Open sources claim that trade relations between Iran and some of the littoral states, including Turkmenistan, are growing (see EDM, June 7), which can effectively serve Russian-Iranian transfers via the Caspian. Open-source intelligence points to a significant number of gaps in tracking data for Russian and Iranian ships in the Caspian Sea, especially after the third fiscal quarter of 2022. Between the second quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the number of these ships increased from 694 to 2,024, including 63 blacklisted or blacklist-associated cargo ships (Lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.com, April 5). According to available data, these ships turned off their automated identification systems (AIS) to hide portions of their journeys, their destinations or any ship-to-ship transfers. Most of these ships turned off their AIS around Turkmenistan. Indeed, transit hubs, such as the Amirabad Port in Iran, the Astrakhan Port in Russia and the Turkmenbashi International Seaport, loom large as key dark spots to monitor. Additionally, other potential wildcards should be high on the Wests watch list. The first worrying development is Moscows and Tehrans joint drone and missile production factory in Russia, which is expected to become operational next year (Afintl.com, June 9). When it is finalized and functional, it will be a real headache for Ukraine and provide Russia with a secure supply of the military assets it need in a shorter amount of time (see EDM, March 6). The second imminent threat will come this fall, with the expiration of the clause that restricts Irans export of long-range ballistic missiles. This will clear the legislative obstacles in front of Tehrans transfer of such munitions to Moscow and provide significant support for Russias struggling defense industry and domestic missile production issues. Ultimately, besides the intensifying transactional relations between Russia and Iran, these strategic developments could cause additional troubles for Ukraine and the West, thus complicating the calculus of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield for months to come. ADVERTISEMENT By Sine Ozkarasahin More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The search for a missing submersible with five people aboard took a bleak turn Thursday when the U.S. Coast Guard said a debris field was found at the bottom of the ocean near the Titanic, and the critical 96-hour mark passed when breathable air could have run out. The Coast Guard's post on Twitter did not say whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. It said the debris was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated underwater robot, and was being evaluated. The Titan was estimated to have about a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic but experts have emphasized that was an imprecise approximation to begin with and could be extended if passengers have taken measures to conserve breathable air. And it's not known if they survived since the sub's disappearance. Rescuers have rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance. On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said an undersea robot sent by a Canadian ship had reached the sea floor, while a French research institute said a deep-diving robot with cameras, lights and arms also joined the operation. Authorities are hoping underwater sounds might help narrow their search, whose coverage area has been expanded to thousands of miles twice the size of Connecticut and in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep. Coast Guard officials said underwater noises were detected in the search area Tuesday and Wednesday. Jamie Pringle, an expert in Forensic Geosciences at Keele University, in England, said even if the noises came from the submersible, "The lack of oxygen is key now; even if they find it, they still need to get to the surface and unbolt it." The Titan was reported overdue Sunday afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland, as it was on its way to where the iconic ocean liner sank more than a century ago. OceanGate Expeditions, which is leading the trip, has been chronicling the Titanic's decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021. By Thursday morning, hope was running out that anyone on board the vessel would be found alive. Many obstacles still remain: from pinpointing the vessel's location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface assuming it's still intact. And all that has to happen before the passengers' oxygen supply runs out. Dr. Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey, emphasized the difficulty of even finding something the size of the sub which is about 22 feet (6.5 meters) long and 9 feet (nearly 3 meters) high. "You're talking about totally dark environments," in which an object several dozen feet away can be missed, he said. "It's just a needle in a haystack situation unless you've got a pretty precise location." Newly uncovered allegations suggest there had been significant warnings made about vessel safety during the submersible's development. Broadcasters around the world started newscasts at the critical hour Thursday with news of the submersible. The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al Arabiya showed a clock on air counting down to their estimate of when the air could potentially run out. Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District said a day earlier that authorities were still holding out hope of saving the five passengers onboard. "This is a search-and-rescue mission, 100%," he said Wednesday. Retired Navy Capt. Carl Hartsfield, now the director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, said the sounds detected have been described as "banging noises," but he warned that search crews "have to put the whole picture together in context and they have to eliminate potential manmade sources other than the Titan." Frederick acknowledged Wednesday that authorities didn't what the sounds were. The report of sounds was encouraging to some experts because submarine crews unable to communicate with the surface are taught to bang on their submersible's hull to be detected by sonar. The U.S. Navy said in a statement Wednesday that it was sending a specialized salvage system that's capable of hoisting "large, bulky and heavy undersea objects such as aircraft or small vessels." The Titan weighs 20,000 pounds (9,000 kilograms). The U.S. Navy's Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System is designed to lift up to 60,000 pounds (27,200 kilograms), the Navy said on its website. Lost aboard the vessel is pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate. His passengers are: British adventurer Hamish Harding; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; and French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet. In the first comments from Pakistan since the Titan vanished, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Thursday that officials have confidence in the search efforts. "We would not like to speculate on the circumstances of this incident and we would also like to respect the wishes of the Dawood family that their privacy may be respected," she said. At least 46 people successfully traveled on OceanGate's submersible to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the Titanic shipwreck. One of the company's first customers characterized a dive he made to the site two years ago as a "kamikaze operation." "Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You can't stand. You can't kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other," said Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany. "You can't be claustrophobic." During the 2 1/2-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick. The dive was repeatedly delayed to fix a problem with the battery and the balancing weights. In total, the voyage took 10 1/2 hours. The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon. Nick Rotker, who leaders underwater research for the nonprofit research and development company MITRE, said the difficulty in searching for the Titan has underscored the U.S.'s need for more underwater robots and remotely operated underwater vehicles. "The issue is, we don't have a lot of capability or systems that can go to the depth this vessel was going to," Rotker said. Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, England, said the disappearance of the Titan highlights the dangers and unknowns of deep-sea tourism. "Even the most reliable technology can fail, and therefore accidents will happen. With the growth in deep-sea tourism, we must expect more incidents like this." WASHINGTON Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the departments independence are corrosive. The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, among other things, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed special counsel. That designation would have given Weiss the same status as the prosecutor leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump. Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against President Joe Biden's son. And Garland added that if Weiss first appointed U.S. Attorney by Trump agrees to testify before Congress, the Justice Department will not stand in the way. He was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own, Garland said. I dont know how it would be possible for anybody to block him for bringing a prosecution given that he has that authority. More broadly, Garland forcefully rebutted criticism from Republicans that a plea agreement for the president's son on tax and gun charges made public this week reflects political influence in the American justice system. Republicans have denounced the deal as evidence of a two-tiered system of justice. Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the Justice Department by claiming we do not treat like cases alike. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy and essential to the safety of the American people, Garland said. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a separate statement Friday, Biden's lawyer denounced the idea that the investigation cut any corners, and said it would be dangerously misleading to make conclusions based on the Shapley transcript. The transcript included a message Hunter sent to a business associate alluding to sitting with his father, seemingly suggesting that his father was aware of his business dealings. Shapley acknowledged the investigation didnt turn up evidence to prove that, instead finding that it was likely untrue. Joe Biden has said hes never spoken to his son about his foreign business. Asked Friday if the president stands by those comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied: What I will say is nothing has changed. Nothing has changed, and I will leave it there. Weiss' office referred request for comment about the whistleblower testimony to a June 7 letter he wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan saying he had ultimate authority over the investigation. The testimony from IRS agent Shapley and a second unnamed agent who worked on the case detailed what they called a pattern of slow-walking investigative steps and delaying enforcement actions in the Hunter Biden case, though it was unclear whether the conflict they described amounted to internal disagreement or a pattern of preferential treatment. Shapley said Weiss told him and others during an October 2022 meeting that he had been denied special counsel status. Transcripts released Thursday include an email with Shapley's notes from the meeting, and a response from a supervisor saying his notes covered it all. Bidens attorney, for his part, said claims the investigation wasn't thorough are preposterous and deeply irresponsible. The Hunter Biden plea deal came days after the special counsel on the Trump case filed a historic 37-count indictment alleging mishandling of classified documents, which the former president has denied. Trump has likened the Hunter Biden agreement to a mere traffic ticket." Photos: Hunter Biden through the years A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ Hunter Biden's gun charge isn't the same as those previously faced by Lil Wayne, Kodak Black CLAIM: Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to the same gun charge as Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, but the two rappers faced prison sentences while the president's son does not. THE FACTS: Biden entered into a plea agreement on tax charges in a deal that would allow him to potentially avert the gun charge. He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a drug addict while Lil Wayne was charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and Kodak Black was charged with making false statements to purchase multiple firearms. The crimes carry the same maximum sentence under federal law, but legal experts note that the two rappers' prior criminal records would have factored into their sentences whereas Biden is a first time offender. Social media users are comparing the cases to argue that Hunter Biden was given a pass for his most recent legal transgressions. "Feds wanted to send Lil Wayne to prison for 10 years for the same crime that Hunter Biden is getting a slap on the wrist for," wrote one user on Twitter who shared a screenshot juxtaposing news headlines of the two separate cases. "2 tiers of justice?" wrote Bradford Cohen, Kodak Black's lawyer, in an Instagram post. "Kodak was charged for the same crime. Got over 3 years." Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay federal income taxes. As part of the plea deal, the 53-year-old also agreed to complete a pretrial drug counseling program in exchange for prosecutors dropping a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user. Meanwhile Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, pleaded guilty in 2020 to a federal charge that he unlawfully possessed a weapon despite being a convicted felon. The 38-year-old rapper admitted to possessing a .45 caliber, gold-plated handgun found in his luggage in 2019. And Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, was sentenced to three years in prison for falsifying documents used to purchase weapons at a Miami gun store in 2019. Former President Donald Trump granted Carter a full pardon just days before he was to be sentenced, and commuted Kapri's sentence as part of a flurry of clemencies shortly before leaving office in January 2021. " Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report. ___ Video of water in a glass on China's space station is scientifically sound, not proof of 'deception' CLAIM: A stagnant glass of water seen in videos of Chinese astronauts proves the footage wasn't actually filmed in space. THE FACTS: Experts say the footage filmed aboard Tiangong, the Chinese space station, is consistent with how water behaves in zero gravity and there is no reason to doubt China's presence in space. Other videos show one of the astronauts carefully putting the water in the glass using a container with a straw, as well as strips that adhere the glass to the table. A clip shared online uses news footage from a 2021 science lecture by Tiangong's Shenzhou-13 crew and of the crew's return to Earth. The water glass is highlighted in a circle that has been edited into the footage. "How did they get the water into the glass?" text in the video asks. "And how is it not floating out of the glass?" One Instagram post featuring the compilation suggests this is proof that the footage wasn't actually taken in space: "How could they get away with such a massive deception?" But the footage is not proof of deception: There's a basic scientific phenomenon that explains the water's behavior, an expert told the AP. "Water molecules like to stick to glass and also to other water molecules more than they like to disperse in the air," Jordan Bimm, a postdoctoral researcher and space historian at the University of Chicago, said. "So if there is no external force, water remains in 'clumps' in the weightless environment, and in this case inside the glass." He added that surface tension a property of a liquid's surface that helps define its shape and allows it to resist external forces "also works to help maintain the static shape and presents the illusion of how water would act on the ground." A separate video posted on Weibo, a social media platform popular in China, in June 2022 by China's manned space program shows behind-the-scenes footage of the Shenzhou-13 crew preparing for their livestream lesson by carefully pouring water into the glass through a straw so that it stays in place. It also clearly shows strips adhering the glass to the table. During their lesson, the taikonauts also demonstrated another behavior of water unique to zero-gravity environments by submerging a ping pong ball in the glass. The ball would float to the top on Earth because of water buoyancy, but in space it stays submerged. Other astronauts from around the world have also posted videos about how liquids work in space, including how they make coffee or what happens when they wring out a wet towel. There is also other evidence backing up the fact that Tiangong is indeed among the stars. "The presence of the space station has been verified by international actors, including China's biggest space competitor the US," said Molly Silk, a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester who has studied the Chinese space program. Silk explained that China has even offered United Nations member states to send their astronauts to Tiangong. Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York and Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed this report. ___ A video of Biden speaking at a White House children's event was edited to add offensive audio CLAIM: A video of President Joe Biden speaking at the White House during a "Take Your Child to Work Day" event shows him being interrupted by a child who yells, "shut the f--- up." THE FACTS: C-SPAN footage of the April event has been edited to add the disparaging outburst. The edited video spread online in recent days, racking up tens of thousands of likes. "I want to thank you all, all you kids, for bringing your parents to work," Biden states in the footage. The video's audio then makes it sound like a child in the crowd screams the objectionable command, which is followed by a number of people shouting "hey!" and one saying "that's not nice!" Meanwhile, Biden appears to continue his remarks without acknowledging the outburst. No such interruption occurred at the April 27 event, during which Biden answered questions from the children of White House staff as part of "Take Your Child to Work Day." The original C-SPAN footage shows Biden speaking without any unexpected disturbances from the crowd. A White House transcript of the event also does not include the obscenity. The additional audio comes from an unrelated video that has been shared online since at least 2019. In the clip, a young child can be heard cursing at a teacher during a classroom graduation ceremony as adults try to quiet the situation. It is unclear where the video was taken, but its audio has since become a widely shared sound effect, often used in comedic ways. The same disparaging audio has beenedited into videos of first lady Jill Biden in the past. Melissa Goldin ___ The World Economic Forum's vice chairman was not on the Titan submersible CLAIM: Shahzada Dawood, one of the five people who died in the Titan submersible, was the vice-chairman of the World Economic Forum. THE FACTS: A page on the World Economic Forum's website listed Dawood as "Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules," referring to his family's firms, not the forum itself. Dawood was a member of the World Economic Forum's Family Business Community, but wasn't an employee, a WEF spokesperson said. Dawood, a prominent Pakistani businessman, and his son were on board the OceanGate submersible, Titan, which officials now say imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic. Before the U.S. Coast Guard announced the passengers' fate, some social media users shared a page from the forum's website, falsely claiming it showed Dawood was a WEF leader. The Geneva-based think tank and event organizer best known for hosting an annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland is a frequent subject of conspiracy theories. "What is the coincidence that the father and the son that are trapped on this contraption right here, in this tin can, are part of an organization that us Americans and Canadians all despise?" a man said in an Instagram video. "He is part of the World Economic Forum. He is also the vice chairman of World Economic Forum," he continued, displaying a screenshot of the webpage about Dawood on the World Economic Forum website. However, that is not what was published on the forum's page. It says "Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules." Engro Corporation is a Pakistani conglomerate that works in multiple industries, including energy and agriculture. It is owned by Dawood Hercules Corp., his family's firm. Yann Zopf, a spokesperson with the World Economic Forum, confirmed to the AP that Dawood is not the vice chairman or an employee. Dawood is also not featured on the WEF leadership page. Zopf noted that Dawood was a member of the World Economic Forum's Family Business Community and attended some of the events in this capacity. The Family Business Community connects "prominent family business leaders worldwide," according to its website. Engro Corp is also listed as a World Economic Forum partner, which allows businesses to participate in the organization's centers and events for networking. Pages on the WEF website like the one featuring Dawood are created for any person who has ever attended a WEF event or has written a blog posted on the site, Zopf previously told the AP. Karena Phan ___ For those leaving Nebraskas prisons, succeeding on parole is often a deep struggle. The former inmates likely have a history of drug abuse or mental health problems that directly contributed to their being locked up. They may be estranged from family and be returning to a neighborhood with the same bad influences that got them in trouble in the first place. One of the biggest struggles my clients have shared with me is lack of support, not only from the community, but in their personal life as well, said Hannah Hansen, a Nebraska parole officer. It may be a toxic neighborhood where they dont have the support to address their needs. Its no wonder that nearly 400 parolees annually see their parole revoked and are sent back to prison, often for repeated violations of terms of parole like failed drug tests. But for some Omaha parolees in danger of being revoked, there will soon be both a place and a chance for them to reset their lives and avoid going back behind bars. The Nebraska Division of Parole Supervision is set to open PREP House, a new residential facility near 30th and Cuming Streets. There, former inmates found to be struggling can receive daily supervision, counseling, treatment and other services representing a last-resort chance to get their lives back on track. This is where they come as the last stop before we may have to revoke them, said Julie Micek, director of the parole division. This is a reset. In fact, PREP is short for Parole Reset Program, the new program housed in the facility. Its hoped the program will benefit public safety, reduce recidivism, ease prison overcrowding and also save taxpayers money. While its not yet clear how much it will cost to house and assist parolees in the facility, Micek said its hoped it will be about half what it costs to lock up a person in prison. My goal is to make this cost-effective, keep people out of prison and successfully discharge them from parole, she said. Our whole mission is public safety. The facility is a first-of-its kind in the state parole system, and officials say it meets a longtime, critical need. Rosalyn Cotton, chair of the Nebraska Parole Board, said the home came out of discussions she had with former Nebraska Corrections Director Scott Frakes. She was looking for a more effective way to deal with parole violators. Im very, very excited about this, she said. State lawmakers likewise for years have said the state needs a kind of halfway-back house a place where parolees can receive more intensive supervision short of sending them back to a life behind bars. PREP House appears to fit that bill. Located in a former home at 29th and Pratt that more recently served as a shelter for homeless youths, the newly renovated facility includes 13 beds, living and dining space, and programming space for counseling and treatment, including a place for teleconferencing with professionals. It will also be staffed around the clock by a full-time parole officer, seven assistant parole officers and program staff who are there to help the parolees deal with their problems. Services offered include stable housing, intensive supervision, substance abuse programming, sobriety support, and mental and behavioral health counseling and treatment. PREP House is not a locked-down facility. Just as when parolees are on release in the community, they have freedom to move about, but are expected to live by the homes strictures and rules. Failure to do so would risk returning to prison. PREP House wont be for everyone. Sex offenders are excluded from the program. Additionally, parolees found to commit new crimes are headed back before the Parole Board and, in many cases, back to prison. About half of parolees who are revoked committed new crimes. But for parolees who are racking up enough technical violations for things like drug or alcohol use, violating curfew or failure to keep a job, PREP House could represent a chance for a new start. The thought is struggling inmates will be assigned to the facility for 90 days, though it may be somewhat longer if they need additional time to stabilize their lives. Its also thought that parolees coming out of in-patient drug treatment could be sent to the home until they can get a foothold in the community. Hansen, who has been a parole officer for a year and a half, applied to be the full-time parole officer assigned to PREP House. She welcomes the chance to work closely with parolees on their issues as opposed to the one or two times a month that officers normally visit with parolees. And as a graduate student in social work, shes interested in mental health, drug addiction and helping struggling parolees navigate troubled waters. It makes such a difference to have that daily contact, she said. The facility and program will launch in about a month. Its considered a pilot program, with the possibility of similar facilities across the state in future years. A number of state officials attended an open house for the facility Thursday, including State Sens. Terrell McKinney and John Cavanaugh of Omaha. Its a good idea and good concept to, instead of sending people back to prison, find a way to catch them before its too late, McKinney said. China, France share common strategic, holistic perspective, says Chinese premier Xinhua) 10:34, June 24, 2023 Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) PARIS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Thursday that China and France, as the permanent members of the UN Security Council and responsible major countries, share a common strategic and holistic perspective. Li made the remarks when he met with French President Emmanuel Macron. Conveying warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Macron, Li said during the French president's successful visit to China not long ago, Macron and Xi had in-depth exchanges and reached a series of strategic consensus, which have drawn a blueprint for the development of China-France relations. The Chinese premier said his visit to France aims to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and have in-depth discussions with the French side on strengthening China-France cooperation. China, France, and Europe have their own strengths and need to further strengthen cooperation, said Li, stressing that they, while deepening cooperation in such traditional areas as nuclear energy, space and aviation, should also tap the potential of cooperation in such emerging areas as environmental protection, digital economy, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, so as to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. The Chinese side encourages its enterprises to invest in France and French companies are welcomed to share China's development opportunities, said Li. China stands ready to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with France on international affairs, support each other's good initiatives, jointly cope with global challenges, and promote world peace and stability, Li said. Macron joyfully recalled his successful visit to China in April this year and asked Li to convey his sincere greetings and thanks to Xi. Macron welcomed Li's visit to France and his attendance of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, adding that France attaches great importance to relations with China and adheres to the one-China policy. France is willing to work with China to enhance coordination through the France-China Strategic Dialogue, High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue, and High-level Dialogue on People-to-people Exchanges and to deepen cooperation with China in such fields as aviation and space, nuclear energy, agriculture and food, he said. Macron welcomed Chinese companies to invest in France and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as green and environmental protection and new energy. In a world full of challenges, France and China should adhere to resultful multilateralism, promote international solidarity, improve global governance and promote solutions to global issues, Macron said. The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other international issues of common concern. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) The anti-graft court has dismissed a decades-long forfeiture of unlawfully acquired property case against ex-Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo Bejo Romualdez, a brother of former first lady Imelda Marcos, and other respondents due to violation of their right to speedy disposition of cases. In a decision promulgated on June 23, the Sandiganbayans Third Division junked Civil Case No. 0167, which the government filed in 1996 against Romualdez, his wife Agnes Sison Romualdez, Romson Realty, Inc., R & S Transport, Inc., Fidelity Management, Inc., and Dio Island Resort, Inc. over several properties they allegedly acquired illegally. Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) was also later included as a respondent after it obtained properties from Romson Realty. According to the Sandiganbayan, the case has been pending for 27 years, yet the pre-trial has not even started. It also said the government repeatedly failed to fully comply with the court's resolutions. Government prosecutors reasoned that this was due to voluminous workload consisting of hearings and preparation of pleadings in other equally important cases, but the Sandigabayan said these explanations were flimsy excuses. The sheer length of time this case has been dragging on, coupled by the petitioner's failure to fully comply with our resolutions, rendered the delay inordinate, vexatious, and oppressive delays and, thus warranting the dismissal of the case, the court said. It also noted that the original petition had already undergone three amendments which were all initiated by the government, for a period covering over 20 years. We are at a loss as to why it took the petitioner 16 years to file a supplemental petition; another four (4) years to file its amended supplemental petition; and an additional four (4) years to file its second amended supplemental petition, the decision read. In asking for the case to be dismissed, Romualdez had pointed out that he is almost 90 years old, and that allowing the petitioner to "further delay the proceedings [...] will result in another round of protracted litigation," infringing on his right to speedy disposition of cases. RLC meanwhile said the slow progress in the case has caused damage to its business reputation and goodwill. LINCOLN Its been one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the U.S. Supreme Court, and like many other states, the future of abortion access remains uncertain in Nebraska. The landmark abortion ruling in 1973 solidified the procedure as a federal right and prevented states from completely banning it. It was overturned on June 24, 2022, with the decision stating that Roe was egregiously wrong and that the constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion. Since then, Nebraska lawmakers have made multiple attempts to restrict the states 20-week abortion ban, with the latest proposal finally making it to the finish line last month. Abortions in Nebraska are now prohibited past 12 weeks based on gestational age. This restriction was a last-minute add-on to another bill Legislative Bill 574 that will restrict gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19, after a previous bill that would ban abortions around six weeks of pregnancy failed to advance. Supporters lauded the passage of LB 574, calling it a major victory for conservatives, and saying the legislation will take big steps in protecting mothers and children. While there had to be compromises to the bill to ensure its passage, each life saved and protected matters, Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, said in an online statement. Incremental wins are also important wins. At LB 574s signing ceremony, Gov. Jim Pillen vowed to continue pushing for further abortion restrictions. According to 2021 statistics from the State Department of Health and Human Services, about 85% of Nebraskas abortions happen beyond the six-week mark, while only about 13% happen after 12 weeks gestation. According to data from the international nonprofit Society of Family Planning, following Roes overturn, the average monthly rate of abortions in Nebraska rose slightly, as it did in several other states that did not immediately restrict abortions following the decision. A Thursday statement from Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS) said their organization has seen a 9% rise in abortion services in the last year. The future of Nebraskas current 12-week gestational ban is in question under a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska alleging that LB 574 violates the state constitutions single-subject rule. A temporary injunction is being sought through the case, and if granted, Nebraska would revert back to its 20-week ban. Events in other states also could hold implications for Nebraska. Just last week, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected an attempt to reinstate the states six-week abortion ban. In other conservative states over the last year, voter referendums have protected abortion access and blocked attempts to increase restrictions. State Sens. John and Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, along with other abortion rights supporters, called on GOP members of the House of Representatives on Friday to support efforts to codify Roe into law in Congress. John Cavanaugh said the high courts ruling has made it difficult for women to know what care they can receive, and for medical professionals to know what care they can provide, setting a chilling effect on womens health care. The PPNCS statement said the overturning of Roe created a manufactured state of confusion, and has pushed women to travel out of state to seek their services, contributing to an 11% rise in second-trimester abortions, according to them. My day-to-day job hasnt changed, Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood North Central States, said in the statement. Whats changed is that politicians now regularly insert themselves into my exam room. Whats changed is that I see patients travel from states like Texas and Louisiana. Whats changed is that my colleagues in states where abortion is banned are now forced to ask lawyers what care they can provide. We all deserve so much better. Sandy Danek, president of Nebraska Right to Life, claimed opponents of abortion restrictions have spread misinformation about what the Supreme Courts decision means. Roe being in place for 50 years set a tone that has led people to believe that theyve always had the right to an abortion, she said. However, Danek said last years ruling just gave states the individual right to determine what level of abortion access is needed. The decision amped up engagement on both sides of debate, which she said is a good thing. She said the ruling was both historic, and somewhat unusual in that it revised a previous decision. You dont see the Supreme Court making these sorts of corrections, Danek said. While Danek was unsure how abortion access will change in Nebraska moving forward, in the meantime, she said the High Court decision is worth celebrating. Nebraska Right to Life is hosting an event in Lincoln on Saturday that Danek said she hopes will return on an annual basis. Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries 1970s: Roe v. Wade protects women's right to abortion; politics shift President Bola Tinubu has concluded his visit to France and departed for London on a short private visit. KanyiDaily recalls that President Tinubu joined other world leaders to attend a summit on A New Global Financing Pact organized by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The president was initially scheduled to return today, but a statement issued on Saturday afternoon by Dele Alake, Tinubus special adviser on communications and strategy, clarified that he would be back in Nigeria in time for the Eid-el-Kabir festival. Alake highlighted Tinubus exceptional participation in the summit, stating that he represented Nigeria admirably. Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world, he said. The summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. Meanwhile, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has been criticized for not sharing a photo with President Bola Tinubu at the summit in Paris. Related President Bola Tinubu has been accused of identifying himself as female while seeking admission into Chicago State University, in the United States of America. Mike Enahoro-Ebah, a witness from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and supporter of presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, made an allegation on Friday during the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petitions Court. Enahoro-Ebah, who was subpoenaed by the PDP, claimed that Tinubu submitted a transcript from the South West College in the USA in 1977, using the name Bola Adekunle Tinubu and identifying himself as female. In addition, the PDP presented certified copies of a notarized judgment from a US court regarding the forfeiture of $460,000, as well as a copy of a Guinean passport allegedly connected to Tinubu. A panel of five justices, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, admitted the evidence after considering objections raised by counsel representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubus lawyer Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), and the All Progressives Congress (APC)s lawyer Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Other documents tendered in evidence by the petitioners and admitted as exhibits by the court are a certified true copy of a certificate supposedly issued to Tinubu by the Chicago State University, a certificate of service by the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) issued in the name of Tinubu Bola Adekunle, party membership card and certificate of service from Mobile Oil Nigeria Plc. During cross-examination by INECs counsel, the witness refuted claims of spending a significant amount of money to pursue the case against Tinubu. He clarified that his legal partner in the US obtained the documents free of charge. Furthermore, the witness admitted that he was pained when Atiku Abubakar, the PDPs presidential candidate, lost the February 25 presidential election. KanyiDaily recalls that Atiku had announced his intention to summon 100 witnesses to provide testimony in the presidential election petition court case against Bola Tinubu. Related The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has said that Court of Appeal did not reinstate Mohammed Duada as its Director-General. The Head of Legal Department, NIA, Mr A. Wakili disclosed this in a statement made available to the press in Abuja on Friday, debunking reports online that Dauda was reinstated as the agencys DG. The statement read, Our attention has been drawn to false and misleading reports circulating online regarding Daudas reinstatement as D-G of NIA by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division. READ ALSO: N240m Fraud: Appeal Court Upholds Conviction, Orders Arrest Of Senator Akpan It is important to clarify that Dauda was never a substantive D-G of the agency. He only acted in that capacity temporarily, after the tenure of Amb. Ayo Oke, and a brief acting stint by Amb. Arab Yadam, until Amb. Ahmed Abubakar was appointed substantive D-G by former President Muhammadu Buhari, Wakili said. According to Wakili, the matter decided by the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal related to the dismissal of Dauda as Director of NIA for several infractions and breaches. The substance of the present appeal for which judgment has been passed relates only to procedural matters in respect of the dismissal. The case in respect of the infractions and breaches is still pending for adjudication. The NIA legal head alleged that Dauda and his cohorts planted the false and misleading story to mislead the public. Wakili added that a true certified copy of the judgment of the Court of Appeal was being awaited, to be studied for informed further action. See the full statement below: Alex Enumah in Abuja The Enugu State Governor, Mr. Peter Mbah has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to commit the Director-General (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Yushau Ahmed, to prison over alleged disobedience of the order of court. The request was contained in the Form 49 (committal to prison) he filed through his lawyer, Emeka Ozoani, SAN. The application dated June 22 was filed the same day in accordance with Order IX, Rule 13, Judgment Enforcement Rules of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, CAP. S6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Mbah is claiming that the DG flouted the courts order made on May 15, restraining him or his agency from issuing, publishing or continued to issue, publish disclaimer to the effect that the NYSC certificate of national service dated Jan. 6, 2003, with certificate number: A808297 was not issued by the corps. Form 48 attached to the application reads: Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison. But, contrary to the order, the NYSC DG had during an interview on Arise News Morning Show on May 19 alleged that Mbahs NYSC discharge certificate was not issued by the agency. Consequently, the governor filed Form 49 praying the court to commit the DG to prison for contempt of court. The plaintiff apply to this court for an order for your committal to prison for having disobeyed the order of this court, it read in part. Although the matter was scheduled yesterday for motion, the court did not sit. Consequently, the case was adjourned until July 4. Mbah had sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Mr Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a discharge certificate issued to him on January 6, 2003. Consequently, Justice Ekwo, on May 15, made an order restraining the NYSC, Muhammad and any of their agents from engaging in such publication pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter. A leader in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, Augustine Wokocha, has publicly dismissed requests for former governor, Nyesom Wike, to switch sides and head the states opposition party Wokocha faulted calls for Wike to take a prime position in the Rivers state chapter of the APC Since the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president, Wike has met the Nigerian leader in Abuja more than once Port Harcourt, Rivers state Augustine Wokocha, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and coordinator of the now-defunct Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima Grassroot Independent Campaign Council in Rivers state, has said he is not opposed to Nyesom Wike joining the APC if he desires to. Wike is the immediate past governor of Rivers state and is presently not on good terms with his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Vanguard reported. Talks are rife about Wike joining the APC. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Source: Facebook Speaking at a briefing in Port Harcourt on Friday, June 23, Wokocha said although he has no problem with Wike joining his party, the party has a leader and is not in search of one, The Punch reported. Wokocha, a former commissioner for Power, said: PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram get the most important news directly in your favourite app! Candidly, politics is the more the merrier. So, Wike coming to the APC is a welcome development. What is an aberration is to say Wike should come and take over the party. This is the same party that its members were hounded like grasshoppers by the man who is being invited to join the party today. It was the same Wike who said APC is cancer stage four and the PDP is malaria. But he is welcome if he has suddenly realised that our cancer is better than the malaria he is suffering from. Were ready to receive Wike into APC, Popular chieftain reveals, tells ex-Rivers gov what to do Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the APC in Rivers State expressed readiness to receive the former governor of the State, Nyesom Wike if he decides to defect to the ruling party. A chieftain of the APC and former Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Chief Tony Okocha stated this at a news briefing in Port Harcourt. Source: Legit.ng Nigerias public debt is hitting N50 trillion, according to a statement from the Debt Management Office (DMO) The DMO said the current figure does not include the N22.7 trillion owed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the Federal Government The development follows a warning by the DMO to the government of President Bola Tinubu against further borrowing According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigerias total public debt has risen to $108.3 billion, about N49.8 billion. The DMO said in a statement on Friday, June 23, 2023, that the figure, which is money owed by the federal government, does not include the federal governments N22.7 trillion Ways and Means Advances of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). DMO warns President Bola Tinubu against new debts Credit: KOLA SULAIMON Source: Getty Images The DMO said: As of March 31, 2023, the Total Public Debt Stock comprising the external and domestic debts of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the thirty-six (36) States, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was N49.85tr ($108.30bn). PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram get the most important news directly in your favourite app! Comparatively, the Total Public Debt Stock for the preceding period, December 31, 2022, stood at N46.2tr ($103.3bn). During the period, there were increases in the debt stock of the FGN, States, and the FCT. The Public Debt Stock for March 2023 does not include the FGNs N22.719 Trillion Ways and Means Advances of the Central Bank of Nigeria whose securitization was approved by the National Assembly in May 2023. The amount will be included in the FGNs Domestic Debt Stock from June 2023. Analysts sound the alarm Daily Trust reports that experts have warned the current administration of President Bola Tinubu against incurring more debts. The development follows a warning issued by the DMO to the federal government against further borrowing, stating that about 73.5% of this years revenue will be used to service debt. DMO warns Tinubu The DMO said the high debt service-to-revenue ratio is unsustainable and threatens debt sustainability. It recommended that the federal government focuses on increasing revenue generation to achieve a sustainable debt service-to-revenue ratio. The DMO also suggested raising the projected federal government revenue from N10.49 trillion to about N15.5 trillion. A Channels Television reports that the DMOs analysis says the total public debt to GDP is projected to increase to 37.1% in 2023, primarily due to new borrowings, the federal governments Ways and Means at the CBN, and Promissory Notes issuances. Nigerias debt stock hits N82 trillion amid CBNs naira devaluation Legit.ng reported that Nigerias public debt has risen to N82 trillion from N77 trillion before the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) exchange rate unification, announced on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. According to a press release by the CBN, all exchange rate windows are collapsed into the Importers and Exporters (I&E) window, showing a merger of the multiple exchange rates. The unification has seen the naira fall to N664 per dollar and has attracted severe consequences for the nations economy, including a spike in public debt. Source: Legit.ng No less than 116 houses at the popular Trademore Estate in Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been affected by serious flooding. The houses were submerged while property worth hundreds of millions of naira was damaged in a heavy downpour on Friday. Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Dr Abbas G.Idriss, confirmed this in a statement on Friday. Four other persons were rescued and were in stable condition, according to the rescue agency. Residents of the estate were seen during the downpour, trying to save their lives and salvage their property after their houses were submerged. Trademore Estate has over the years suffered from a series of devastating effects of flooding with lives and property worth billions of naira lost. Occupants of the estate however heaved a sigh of relief during the 2022 rainy season as they were not affected by flood despite the heavy rainfalls recorded in the year. The owner of the estate had carried out re-engineering remediation work which ensured the expansion of gutters and demolition of building standing along flood plains. As at the time of filing this report, stakeholders responding to the flood on the estate are NEMA, Fire Service, FCT FEMA, Red Cross and Federal Ministry of Environment-Flood Department. Idris said the floods were caused by infractions on the water channel and appealed to residents whose houses are built on the water channel to relocate. According to the FEMA boss, Trademore is on the water channel and therefore vulnerable to floods. He stated that the floods had receded, and therefore appreciated all stakeholders, especially the residents for their efforts and cooperation to ensure that no life was lost. Noting that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency NIHSA had predicted heavy floods in the FCT, this rainy season, he appealed to residents of the Estate whose houses sit on the water channel to relocate. The FEMA boss urged residents to always use the 112 Emergency toll-free number in the event of an emergency. Meanwhile, residents of the estate have recounted their ordeals and losses following the disaster. A resident, Pius Bimbo, said he almost lost his pregnant wife to the flood, describing the experience as terrible. My wife is very heavy; and even this morning, was complaining of stomach pain. I said if its a labour, maybe later in the day, we would go to the hospital; then all of a sudden, this flood happened. We had to drag her to a safer place, and before you could say, Jack Robinson, the water was at our neck level. Its was terrible experience for her. As I am speaking to you now, I dont know her situation because she is somewhere because we dont have anywhere to stay, he said. Another resident, Ashedu Gloria, said she lost properties worth millions of naira to the flood. She said measures against flood should have been considered when developing the area. It happens every year and there is no solution; it is a pity. When they were developing the area they should have put this thing into consideration. The drainage system is very important. This place is a very sloppy area and they didnt consider that. Demolition of the area is not a solution because it would come again as there wont be more houses to stop the water again. They should look for a permanent solution to this problem, she said. Spread the love President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday in Paris, France, said the financial system of the country was rotten under the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. Tinubu, who spoke during his first engagement with Nigerians in France, cited the difficulty in the flow of forex in and out of the country, adding that it enriched a few people while impoverishing the vast majority of Nigerians. The financial system was rotten. Few people were making away with our moneythat is gone now; the man (Emefiele) is in the hands of the authorities, Tinubu said. The President, speaking further during the Diaspora engagement, also said that his administration would implement further financial reforms in the coming weeks. READ ALSO: Dwindling revenue threatens Nigerias capacity to repay debt DMO Then, the financial system was rotten. Few people were making away with our money and then you yourselves, stopped sending money home to our poor parents. That is gone now. The man (Emefiele) is in the hands of authorities; something is being done about that; they will sort themselves out. We have security challenges in the country. Maybe that is how they are fuelling insecurity; we have to look at everything. We will change the financial system; it will work for you, Tinubu said. The President further stated that he and his Special Adviser on Monetary Policy, Mr. Wale Edun, turned the fortunes of Lagos State around between 1999 and 2003 moving the internally generated revenue from N600m annually to N50bn monthly. Now, Lagos is on auto pilot. Anybody intelligent enough can navigate it, he added. He also promised to work for those who did not vote for him during the February 25 election in which he was declared the winner. Advertisement He also noted that he, like some in the audience, had experienced the rough side of Diaspora life, saying I know the road and Ive been through what many of you have been through outside the country. Ive been in America and in the UK; I had been a night guard, security man and a door man in America. But I have achieved my aim. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) Most Filipino adults agree that gays and lesbians are just as trustworthy as any other citizen, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed. According to the poll bodys study conducted from March 26 to 29 this year, 79% of the 1,200 respondents agree to a statement stating that they trust gays or lesbians as much as any other Filipino. The survey, which was released on Friday, said only 7% said they do not trust gays or lesbians while 13% were undecided. The same poll showed that 73% of the respondents think that members of the LGBTQIA+ community "contributed a lot in the progress of the society." To this, only 8% disagreed and the remaining 19% were undecided. Apart from the positive results towards the views on gays and lesbians, the results also said 43% of the participants think that sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are confined to members of the said community. It also showed 40% of respondents want their gay or lesbian family members to change and become straight men and women. The poll also said 26% claimed that being gay or lesbian is contagious. SWS said the non-commissioned survey had a sampling error at 2.8%. Spread the love The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a new warning to banks and other financial institutions regarding their business relationships with Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs). CBN said the banks and other financial institutions should apply a risk-based approach to identifying Politically Exposed Persons and apply appropriate Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) measures when dealing with them. In a document titled, GUIDANCE NOTES ON POLITICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS, which was issued to banks on June 22, 2023, but obtained on Saturday, the CBN said the enhanced due diligence is necessary due to the PEPS exposure to corruption. The apex bank also listed exposure to money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation financing (ML/FT/PF) as some of the reasons the banks must apply the EDD and the Customer Due Diligence (CDD). According to the CBN, PEPS could pose reputational and financial crime risks to banks and other financial institutions due to their political office. READ ALSO: No more forex at CBN rates, Banks tell customers Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) who may be vulnerable to corruption thus may portend reputational and financial crime risks to the FI. PEPs pose a high risk of money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation financing (ML/FT/PF) due to the possibility that individuals holding such positions may misuse their power and influence for personal gain or advantage to themselves, close family members and/or associates, the document reads. In its definition of a PEP, the CBN explained: PEPs who are or have been entrusted with prominent public positions in Nigeria are known as Domestic PEPs. PEPs who are or have been entrusted with prominent public positions in any other foreign jurisdiction are known as foreign PEPs. PEPs who are or have been entrusted with the management or any prominent function within an international organization are known as International Organizations PEPs Close associates of PEPS: are individuals who are closely connected to a PEP, either socially or professionally and include a PEPs widely- and publicly known close personal friends, business colleagues, and personal advisors. Close associates also include persons having joint or ownership right in a legal person or arrangement established in favour of a PEP. Family members of PEPS: include a PEPs direct family members, their spouse, their children and their spouses, their parents, and the siblings. Despite the high risk, the CBN informed the banks and other financial institutions not to prevent or close their business relationships with a customer on the grounds of the person being politically exposed. Advertisement READ ALSO: CBN lifts cash deposit restriction on domiciliary accounts Aside from direct requests for information from the PEPs, the CBN urged banks to conduct a third-party search by tracking the PEPs on the Internet or media. FIs may use the internet and media as sources of information for the determination, monitoring, verification of information in relation to PEPs, although it should be noted that such information may not be comprehensive or reliable, the CBN suggested. Consequently, the CBN issues this Guidance in line with CBN AML/CFT/CPF Regulations 2022, FATF Recommendations, FATF Guidance on PEPs (2013) and Wolfsberg Guidance on PEPs (2017), to assist FIs in the identification and management of risks associated with PEPs. This Guidance provides minimum standards for FIs in their relationships with PEPs and does not limit measures to be taken by FIs to meet their statutory obligations. The Guidance Notes will be revised from time to time, as necessary, the apex bank noted. After participating during the just concluded financial summit in Paris, France, Nigerias President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proceeded to London, United Kingdom, for a brief private visit. This was disclosed in a statement by his special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, on Saturday. Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world. READ ALSO: Tinubu holds talk with AFREXIM Bank President, EU Reconstruction Bank President, Indorama Chairman in France The summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. President Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit. The President will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival, the statement said. A Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), otherwise known as Paradise Mission for Widows and Teenage Girls, has given between N30,000 and N50,000 to 32 young widows in Nigeria to boost their existing Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs). The widows who range from 44 years old and below were selected across the country from Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Sokoto, Zaria and Plateau State. The aim, according to the Coordinator, Amb. Mrs. Jane Egbo is to empower widows who have already learnt how to do business but lack the financial strength to expand. Even though other widows who attend the programme but have no business of their own were not left out, the main aim was targeted to see how SMEs widows would grow their existing businesses. With the theme Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality, the Coordinator said the NGO also targets to educate the women on the use of technology. Powered by a consistent donor, Mrs Victoria Kwosah, Egbo during a zoom talk show with the women admonished them to be financially prudent. She said the money was not meant for them to solve immediate family problems but to invest in their already established business and to grow it so that in the future they can be financially stable. Pointing out some success stories from their previous efforts, Egbo told them stories of how petty sachet pure water sellers have grown into a company through the NGOs cash giveaways. She also narrated how women trained their children to become University graduates through selling bean cake from the effort offered by Paradise Mission. She said other widows have been able to build houses, established their own companies from little start-up packs, who were once like the present beneficiaries. On her part, a guest speaker and a member of the NGO, Mrs Margret Lar, said the effort is rewarding seeing how widows through programmes like this have grown to be big business women. Speaking to our correspondent on Friday in Jos, Lar also said the widows were reminded not to use the monies given to them for frivolities. The Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar partisan movement, Atesh claims that the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) is prepairing to seize nuclear weapons depots in Russia. KanyiDaily recalls that Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin had mobilized his troops on Friday, accusing the Russian army of launching a rocket attack that allegedly resulted in the deaths of many of his men positions in Ukraine. On Saturday morning, Prigozhin claimed that his forces had seized control of Russian military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, a crucial operational base for Russias involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. He threatened to march on Moscow unless Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov, met with him in Rostov. The Wagner Group also alleged that they had taken over Russian facilities in another city, Voronezh, located approximately 600 kilometers (372 miles) north of Rostov-on-Don. The governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev, confirmed that the Russian military was undertaking combat measures in the area. In a new development, the Atesh partisan movement, composed of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, alleged that the Wagner PMC has set its sights on a specific target known as 375 Object C near Borisoglebsk in Voronezh Oblast. According to Atesh, which claims to have recruited numerous Russian Army agents, the Wagner Group is currently engaged in an armed rebellion against Russian authorities and is making preparations to seize nuclear weapons depots in Voronezh Oblast. Atesh cites information provided by one of its agents within the Wagner PMC, who reports that Wagners advance units have arrived at the outskirts of Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Oblast. This city houses a warehouse, referred to as 375 Object C, that is under the control of the 12th Chief Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense and stores nuclear weapons. Atesh claimed that the Russian Army is unlikely to be capable of defending the depot on its own due to a lack of sufficient forces and resources. They claim that a considerable number of tanks, artillery, and well-trained motorized infantry, at least the size of a brigade, would be required. However, since no available troops are currently present, the only means of obtaining reinforcements would involve withdrawing operational reserves from the front lines. Atesh predicted that fighting for control over the Voronezh nuclear depot would likely lead to a further escalation of hostilities between the Wagner PMC and the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is unlikely that the Russian Army will be able to defend the depot on their own. There are very few forces and means there. A significant number of tanks, artillery, and motorized professional infantry are required. At least a brigade is needed. And since no troops are available right now, the only way to get reinforcements is to remove operational reserves from the front. Fighting for the Voronezh nuclear depot will probably lead to increased escalation of hostilities between the PMC and the Russian Ministry of Defense, Atesh writes. Meanwhile, Russian President, Vladimir Putin has condemned the armed mutiny led by Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, warning that those involved would face consequences as traitors to the state. Related JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede disclosed this on Saturday during the 2023 policy meeting ongoing at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja. Any institution interested in conducting any form of screening could do so, but the charge for the screening should not exceed N2,000 only. It is not allowed for any institution to make candidates directly or indirectly incur further related expenses on screening exercises, such as administrative and bank charges. JAMB will provide for free, to all institutions access to photo images and fingerprint data of candidates, in order to curb the substitution of candidates who sat for the examinations. In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Popular Nollywood actress, Ini Edo says she regretted getting married. She stated this in an exclusive interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, which he posted on his official Instagram handle on Saturday. Related Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has been criticized for excluding President Bola Tinubu in the photos she shared on social media. KanyiDaily recalls that President Tinubu joined other world leaders to attend a summit on A New Global Financing Pact organized by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. Okonjo-Iweala, in her capacity as the DG of the World Trade Organization, attended the summit where Tinubu had the opportunity to promote his advocacy for expanding the fiscal space, achieving economic justice for Africa amidst the global energy transition, and addressing the urgent issues of poverty and climate change. After the summit, the WTO GD shared photos of herself with the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President Maky Sall of Senegal, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia. Okonjo-Iwealas choice to share a photograph without featuring the President of her home country received backlash on Twitter from some Nigerians. They viewed it as a slight against Tinubu. As she continued to trend on Twitter on Saturday morning, Okonjo-Iweala responded to the criticism by sharing additional images including one with President Tinubu. Sharing the photos, she wrote: More images from the Paris Summit #NewGlobalFinancingPact. With HE President Ali Bongo @PresidentABO, HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT, HE President @WilliamsRuto and African Business moguls @Mo_IbrahimFdn, @TonyOElumelu. More images from the Paris Summit #NewGlobalFinancingPact. With HE President Ali Bongo @PresidentABO, HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT, HE President @WilliamsRuto and African Business moguls @Mo_IbrahimFdn @TonyOElumelu pic.twitter.com/TIRWCzgB7E Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) June 24, 2023 See some reactions below: This is Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who became the DG of WTO with the support of the APC administration, today she went for a summit in France and intentionally cropped out President Tinubu from all her pictures, the south Easterners are the most dangerous people to share country with pic.twitter.com/aMo4xpdHZa JADE~ (@jadesolar_01) June 24, 2023 If Anty Ngozi truly snubbed our President deliberately in Paris, then Ive lost all respect for her. H.E Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR occupies a seat that is above his person. So no matter what views she has on Mr President, he remains our C-n-C. Itll amount to an outright bigotry. Bello Shagari (@Belshagy) June 24, 2023 I love the tears of the Yorubas and the agbadorians over how Aunty ngozi snubbed their lord. The thing too pain the yeye people . Aunty Ngozi no want who go stain her white abeg . DG of WTO igbos Ned nwoko David hundeyin pic.twitter.com/Vtf9QEH1fs Obidient-Optician (@MercyEgbai) June 24, 2023 Today is a good day to remind yall how in 2015, Agbado peasants, BMC, & some of these criminals masquerading as intellectuals wrote a petition to the Uni of Yale to withdraw the honorary doctorate conferred to Madame Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Today, they want validation from her. pic.twitter.com/NssJNZ28B2 Aji Bussu Onye Mpiawa azu (@AfamDeluxo) June 24, 2023 When Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was running for WTO, many Agbado people were campaigning against her. Some even wrote articles on international platforms calling for her disqualification. Today they want pictures with her for validation. God will punish all of you! Anambra 1st son (@UchePOkoye) June 24, 2023 APC is using Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to divert attention from the hit they took at the tribunal yesterday, and our people are falling for it. Theyve succeeded in diverting your attention from the main issues. Why do you think they had no response to the proceedings yesterday? KWEKU THE HUSTLER, COMMANDER OF THE HEADLESS MOB (@urchilla01) June 24, 2023 The only reason Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala didnt post her picture with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is bigotry She wants her kinsman Peter Obi in charge of Nigeria Sarki. (@Waspapping_) June 24, 2023 BREAKING: Great jubilation in the APC camp as Tinubu adds another ground breaking achievements to his presidency by meeting, shaking hands and taking a photo with DG of WTO Ngozi Okonjo. Congrats APC. pic.twitter.com/F1X1XFmndu UptownOfLagos (@Uptownthehommie) June 24, 2023 Wild celebrations and immense jubilation in the APC camp as our new president finally meets with the DG WTO Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. It was a deep pleasure for our president and a mark of honour to us, his followers. As he no fit speak for the event, make we use diswan hold body. pic.twitter.com/orRZPhqf4g Harmless (@Harmless12345) June 24, 2023 This is why I never bought into that his hands are tied hes a PR aide, hes just doing his job rhetoric. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala has shown you people how to act when you disapprove of someone. Lidocaine (@trending_medic) June 24, 2023 You guys have started arguing about whether Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Igbo or not, even though only Igbo people know the meaning of her name. Everything becomes about tribe for you, and you cant make an argument or state your point without being tribalistic. You see names like preach love (@redcap_blondie) June 24, 2023 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a respectable global public figure who has distinguished herself over the years. She hasnt done anything that warrants calling her Iya agbaya. As Omoluabis we must respect elderly people and not abuse them like those raised without love and care. Dr Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) June 24, 2023 APC and Tinubu supporters use their whole lives and existence to insult Igbos, call them names, and say theyll never rule Nigeria but you want Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (an Igbo woman) to shine teeth with Tinubu. You cant eat your cake and still have it, it doesnt work like that Toluwani (LP) (@T_akinpade) June 24, 2023 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Is a Woman of Class She understands the import of free & elections And image-making She will never want to identify with illegitimacy Yall bush-babies can keep crying that she didnt recognize your puppet at the summit Your salty tears can never Pearls (@MissPearls) June 24, 2023 Insulting Igbos because Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala did not upload a picture with Tinubu.. We are officially in the stage of APC fascism. They will soon start attacking their own, its inevitable, oh and they will start with religion. Well done to all involved.. William (@_SirWilliam_) June 24, 2023 WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala posts photo showing her with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, to debunk viral news she ignored the Nigerian leader. https://t.co/rwYaXXYUl1 Bayo onanuga (@aonanuga1956) June 24, 2023 KanyiDaily recalls that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was recently named in Time Magazines list of 100 most influential people for the year. Related Rev Peter Adewuyi, who was arrested two weeks ago for faking his kidnap with some miscreants to extort money from church members and relations, planned his moves for months, his wife has disclosed. Adewuyi was the officiating priest of Methodist Church of Nigeria Ijan road Diocese in Ekiti until he faked his kidnap with some miscreants. His wife, Mrs. Rebecca Adewuyi, told church members upon interrogation that the priest had been toying with idea for over two months before carrying out the act. Head of youths in the church, Mrs. Idowu Atofarati, told our reporter on Sunday the leadership of the church confronted Adewuyis wife over the issue because we were very confused about it. She said: The leadership of the church had to go to her maybe she would have some explanations and what she told us was shocking. According to her, Mrs. Adewuyi confessed her husband had been toying with the idea of arranging with kidnappers to extort money from people and friends for about two months. She reportedly said: I had always been stopping him from doing that in the past. She attributed her inability to stop him to the fact that its the work of the devil. Read also: Methodist priest arrested for faking own kidnap During service on Sunday, the church was still in shock over the development with members discussing it in hushed tones. There was consternation within the pulpit and pews. The new officiating minister, Revd Michael Olugbemi, expressed grave concerns over the issue, saying the erring priest had been known to him for over 15 years. Im as surprised as any other person here why this has happened at this time, Olugbemi stated. He admonished members not to be distracted by the development. People of God you should not be moved by this unfortunate event. Please do not disgrace yourself because of what you would eat. Please dont forget the instructions of God, he added. Mr. Kolawole Emmanuel, another member of the church, said the behaviour of Revd Adewuyi is very alien to the practice of Methodist Church. The rules and regulations of Methodist Church forbid such wicked and dishonest acts. Our church and members frown at such. He should be made to face the law, he declared. An elder, Mr. Seun Ojo, said the church cannot and would not stop the law from taking its course. Doing so would amount to condoning evil and becoming an accessory after the fact. We dont condone evil in Methodist Church, he stated. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pardoned three Filipino convicts two of them on death row for drug trafficking and one with a 15-year sentence for slander, the Palace disclosed on Friday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. requested humanitarian pardon for the three in two separate letters to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a Malacanang statement. I am pleased to inform you that the appeal of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for three Filipinos, two of which are sentenced to death because of drug trafficking and one sentenced for 15 years for the crime of slander, has been granted for humanitarian pardon by our President, UAE Ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi said. The Sheikh noted the valuable contribution of some 600,000 Filipinos working in the Arab nation. Marcos, meanwhile, thanked his UAE counterpart for the decision. Thats the least we can do," Marcos told the Sheikh. "Then the usual things about having stronger relations and I said my part about the very good treatment of Filipino nationals in UAE. In a statement on Saturday, OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino said the pardon highlights the importance of government intervention in cases of OFWs convicted of capital offenses and awaiting execution abroad. In January, the lawmaker filed a resolution urging the appropriate committees of the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry into the status of OFWs facing such a situation, as well as to review the assistance provided by the state and determine possible improvements. Habang may panahon pa, gugulin natin ang lahat ng posibleng aksyon upang maisalba ang buhay ng ating mga OFWs [While there is still time, lets exhaust all efforts to save the lives of our OFWs], Magsino said. According to her, Congress has been coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding OFWs still on death row in the UAE, Malaysia, China, Saudi Arabia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Japan. Meanwhile, Malacanang said the UAE president reiterated his invitation to Marcos to attend the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, a request first sent a week ago during the UAE Ambassadors courtesy call in Malacanang last week. For his part, Marcos invited Sheikh Mohamed to come to the Philippines, saying the UAE leader is always welcome to visit the country. BLOOMINGTON A Carbondale man is accused of failing to register as a sex offender. Darryl R. Vinson, 60, is charged with violation of the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act, a Class 2 felony. According to court documents, Vinson was convicted in 1985 of aggravated criminal sexual assault in Jackson County and failed to report his residence in person to the Bloomington Police Department between April 23 and June 21. Vinson's bond was set at $30,000 with 10% to apply for release. He is also required to report to the Bloomington Police Department upon release to provide and update all information required by the sex offender registration act. An arraignment was scheduled for July 14. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones BLOOMINGTON A man from South Bend, Indiana, is facing multiple felony burglary and retail theft charges from 2018 in McLean County. Terrance L. Ford, 25, is charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of retail theft. A grand jury returned a bill of indictment charging him in September 2018 and a warrant was issued. Ford was taken into custody July 22 in McLean County. According to court documents, Ford is accused with entering both Walmart stores at 300 Greenbriar Drive in Normal, and 2225 W. Market Street in Bloomington, on Aug. 20, 2018, and committing theft. Ford's bond was set at $30,000 with 10% to apply. He was also ordered to have no contact with any Walmart store in McLean County including any other buildings on the property and parking lots. An arraignment was scheduled for July 14. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones BLOOMINGTON A 22-year-old man was taken into federal custody Wednesday in connection to the murder of a Bloomington man, the McLean County Sheriffs Office said Friday afternoon. Desmond S. Sterling was arrested in Chicago by U.S. Marshals and Chicago police on a McLean County warrant, charged with murder in the shooting death of 20-year-old Kiejoun Watts. Watts was found Feb. 20 with a gunshot wound on the property of Victory Church in Bloomington. Preliminary autopsy results indicated he died of a gunshot wound. The sheriffs office had sought information about a vehicle believed to have a connection to his death. In a statement Friday, MCSO said the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force developed information related to the location of Desmond Sterling. He was arrested without incident and detained at the Cook County Jail before being transported to McLean County. The bond on his warrant is set at $2 million, 10% to apply. No further information was immediately available. A book photo was also not immediately available Friday. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Det. Hanner at the sheriffs office, 309-888-5063. Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones Question: Pat Robertson, the religious broadcast host of TV's "700 Club," media mogul, Southern Baptist minister and 1988 U.S. presidential candidate, died last week at age 93. Was Robertson ever in B-N? Answer: Twice. As founder of the Christian Coalition, Robertson was a guest at a 1990 fundraiser in the Hawthorne Hills home of Sandra and John Parrott, a prominent McLean County Republican. During his presidential run two years earlier, he was in town when the Christian Conservatives of McLean County hosted an event at Illinois State University the weekend before the Illinois Primary. More than 1,600 attended that event. According to the Cornell Law School website, The first Amendment states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Recently it was announced that the Town of Normal is sponsoring and promoting with taxpayer dollars an Uptown music festival. Fantastic. However, this family (children present near the discovery museum) friendly event is featuring as the main attraction, per the Town of Normal's own Facebook post, an on stage drag show and after party. Fostering the relationship with the family friendly environments and drag shows has been making local headlines amongst school boards, state governments, and now our own local Town Council. The new religion of the left, wokism, is being adopted, funded, protected, promoted and supported by this town's leadership. If they want to self-fund an event, fine. But I doubt a Christian-themed event would be permitted or any gun show or event. Which are also constitutionally protected and would be self-funded. As a volunteer for Operation Underground Railroad, the desensitization of children witnessing a drag show in schools or in a publicly funded event are profoundly damaging. Grooming children begins with exposure, using taxpayer money to expose them makes us all participants. I do not consent. Chad Berck, Normal Jospong Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to bring the latest and best rice technologies to Ghana. The agreement seeks to tap into the expertise of IRRI to accelerate the development of the rice industry in Ghana, by supporting the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with knowledge sharing, while building the capacity of rice growers, and researchers with the necessary skill set. This new connection builds on the recent agreement between Jospong Group and the CSIR, forming a tripartite partnership that will ensure Ghana has access to the latest scientific advancements and innovations, noted Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Chair and Founder of Jospong Group. This new partnership will be very important for ensuring nutritious, high yielding and climate resilient rice varieties are available in Ghana, like high zinc rice, as well as new production methods to harness the potential of these varieties, highlighted Dr Joanna Kane-Potaka, Deputy Director General, Strategy, Engagement & Impact, at IRRI. She added that the partnership will make rice farming more profitable in Ghana, which means smallholder farmers will benefit more. "And it will be done sustainably in an environmentally friendly manner," she emphasized. The Director General of the CSIR, Prof. Paul Bosu, who described the event as historic, was hopeful that the project will be successful and will address the country's import cover on rice. "It is disturbing to note that Ghana spends so much to import rice and the success of this project will address that. We, therefore, have no option than to succeed," he challenged his colleagues. He stressed that the Jospong Rice project is not a knee-jerk reaction but rather seeks to bring all the stakeholders together to forge and support a national agenda. "The knowledge component has been placed in a high pedestal to ensure the project succeeds. We are making considerable preparation before take off," he underscored. Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, IRRI-Africa Director, noted that The agreement and the tripartite link is expected to be a model for other countries in Africa to show how it can accelerate research and delivery of high-quality rice and develop effective rice value chains for national and regional food and nutrition security. This partnership was brokered by the High Commissioner, Her Excellency Florence Akonor, who visited IRRIs global headquarters requesting technical advice and collaboration with the Ghana Rice Project, private industry and other key stakeholders. It will ensure better yields and livelihoods for farmers, at the same time ensuring sustainable production using the latest nutritious and healthy rice available. The scale will be reached through investments by the Jospong Group and supporting smallholder farmers with high-quality seeds, modern production technologies and training. Jospong Group is focused on scaling up the rice industry in Ghana to replace the large and increasing quantities of rice being imported. Rice consumption in Ghana has almost tripled in the last 10 years with individuals now consuming approximately 45kg of rice each year. There are excellent opportunities to build new rice-based industries in Ghana as well as there is an urgent need to produce locally to reverse the financial stress on the country of increasing imports and demand for foreign exchange. IRRI is dedicated to abolishing poverty and hunger among people and populations that depend on rice-based agri-food systems. Through its work and partnerships, IRRI aims to improve the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; promote environmental sustainability in a world challenged by climate change; and support the empowerment of women and the youth in the rice industry. Background In 2023, the Asian African Consortium a subsidiary of the Jospong Group entered into a partnership with major rice industry players in Thailand and Ghana to develop an integrated rice farming project. This move by Jospong Group stemmed from the governments decision to boost the economy through import substitution. A core team later visited Thailand for the Ghana-Thailand Business conference in March 2023 with researchers from various universities in Ghana as well as major players in the rice industry. It is on record that Ghana spent over GH6.8billion (equivalent to US$ 560 million at current market rates) importing rice, a grain that can be produced locally. While total rice consumption stood at 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2022, imports valued at US$560 million accounted for 800,000 metric tonnes (mt) of the consumption figure, with domestic production catering for the remaining demand according to data from IDH Sustainable Trade, a foundation headquartered in The Netherlands. Similarly, according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, between 2010 and 2020 the countrys rice imports hit a staggering US$ 8 billion. This, in addition to imports of other food items that can be produced locally, has been a major source of concern for stakeholders. 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 Charles Owusu has called on government to reconsider her imposition of tax on sanitary pads. The government has placed 20% of what it calls "luxury tax" on sanitary pads but there is an intense protest against this decision. Rural teenage girls in Akyemansa District in Eastern Region, days ago, demonstrated against the rising cost of sanitary pads in the country which they say is worsening among girls in rural communities. The former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu has described the government's action as "sad and worrying", explaining that women's menstrual cycle is a natural occurrence, thus it shouldn't be difficult for them to buy sanitary pads to protect themselves. He is therefore appealing to the government to scrap the tax. "The government should remove the tax," he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show. To him, the tax will burden women, particularly young girls and so pleading with the government to review its decision in order to make sanitary pads easily affordable. 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 After several weeks of nationwide strike action, the caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) have finally called off the strike. This latest development was confirmed by the National President of the GSFP, Charlotte Ashiakie Asante, at a press conference held recently. Mrs Ashiakie Asante, while addressing the press, tendered an apology to all affected schools over the period that the caterers were not working, and urged them to resume their duties effectively and efficiently when the schools resumed. However, Mrs Ashiakle Asante revealed that the association still stood by their earlier demand for an increment in the amount allotted to every child under the programme. She urged the government to facilitate the necessary processes to increase the amount from the proposed GH1.20 to GH3, considering the prevailing cost of items on the market. Furthermore, she reminded the caterers that the programme had only one association acknowledged by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the national secretariat. Hence, she enjoined them to remain united and have a common goal. She stressed that all caterers must desist from spreading falsehood and using the media for wrong purposes or as a tool to denigrate the programme, instead of using dialogue and acceptable rules of engagement. Mrs Ashiakle also requested that the gender ministry engaged with the caterers to bridge the gaps within the programme, and to foster better working relations between the caterers and the government. The caterers of the GSFP across the country went on strike over demands for better conditions of service and the increment in amount spent on feeding school kids. With the end of the strike, normal operations are expected to resume across the country, relieving many children who depend on the programme for food when school is in session. Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The BBC has seen evidence supporting claims of bodies left lying out in the open after serious violence in the Darfur region of Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army. In Darfur, some Arab militia groups have supported the RSF. We have verified two videos from one location in the city of El Geneina posted on Twitter earlier this month showing bodies lying on a road. We were able to match buildings and objects in the videos to satellite images of El Geneina. In one video, there is a mention of the local branch of the Bank of Khartoum, which we were also able to locate. Its not possible to say either when the videos were filmed or who did the filming. But one appeared on Twitter around the same time the West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar was killed on 14 June. In this video, the person filming makes derogatory comments about non-Arabs living there. The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) said this week that corpses remain on the streets, inside homes and in various public places. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video When actor Kwaku Manu and his lovely wife, Okailey, tied the knot some 14 years ago, it was his dream that they would stay together till death do them part. His dream was, however, shattered two years ago when their nuptials took a nosedive and he and his wife had to go their separate ways, although he believes they did everything to make it work. This is the reason why the comic actor believes there is no formula for a successful marriage. It is the wish of every married man to live happily ever after, with the woman he loves, especially when they have children together. I know a lot of Ghanaians want to find out what led to the breakup of my marriage but all I can say for now is that no happy couple will love to break up, especially when they share children between them. You see, what might work for one couple may not work for another. I wouldnt want to go into details about what led to the divorce, all I can say is that I am single for now, he told Daily Graphic in an interview. Kwaku Manu disagreed when it was pointed out to him that celebrity marriages often crash because they are in the limelight, and that might be the reason why it didnt work out. He explained that marriage itself is an institution whose future no one can predict. I have come to realise that one cannot predict whether ones marriage will work or not. So, whether it is a celebrity marriage or not, it depends on the two individuals to make it work. But if it doesnt, there is nothing one can do but let it go. Every marriage has its own challenges and I can tell you for a fact that there is no perfect marriage. Ministers, lawyers, professors and even marriage counsellors all have problems in their marriages. But because we dont know, we might think everything is kosher with their union, he added. No more friends It seems divorce is not the only challenge he has had to deal with in recent times. According to him, due to backbiting and some bad experiences he encountered in the movie industry, as well as from some friends, Kwaku Manu disclosed he didnt have any friends. For the past seven years, it has been me, my children, my family and no friends. As we speak now, there is no one I can call a friend. I am mostly at home minding my business and making sure my children are okay. These days, I only step out if work demands I go to shoot skits or do interviews. I am most times at home spending time with my children. In fact, my life would have been worse off after the divorce if I didnt have my children with me. I forget about my worries when I see them. So I dont joke with them at all, he revealed. Politics With the general elections coming off next year, there are no doubts most popular creatives will be approached by political parties to join their campaign train. When asked if he has yet been approached by any political party, Kwaku Manu answered in the negative. Kwaku Manu, who has acted alongside Agya Koo, Lil Win, Nana Ama McBrown, Vivian Jill, Akrobeto and Emelia Brobbey, among others, said no political party can pay him to campaign for them. I am not bragging, but no amount of money can influence me to campaign for any political party, whether NPP or NDC. Unless they are willing to pay me over $1 billion, which I know they wouldnt. I vote every four years but I believe as a celebrity, it is good not to disclose the political party you support. Banned for 5 years Although he will make the list when Kumawood comic actors are called, Kwaku Manu reigned for about only three years in the movie industry, unlike colleague comic actors such as Lil Win, Agya Koo, etc. He attributes it to a five-year ban slapped on him at the peak of his career. Till today, I cant tell you the reason why I was banned from the movie industry. Maybe it was because I was rising so quickly and the movie producers did not like that. They thought that banning me will be the end of Kwaku Manu but God works in a way no one can understand. I am making it today and it is all the blessings of God. There is so much hatred and backbiting in the movie industry and it is about time we stopped it because it doesnt help in any way. We are supposed to be united and fight for a common goal, but here we are fighting each other all the time. How can we expect it to grow? he queried. Aggressive Interview When he wasnt getting roles in movies, he started posting skits on YouTube. However, little did he know it was a stepping stone to something bigger. Kwaku Manu, who is the host of the popular Aggressive Interview on YouTube, said his fans and followers started asking for interviews anytime he posted short skits and he decided to give it a try. I dont have any regret starting Aggressive Interview. Instead, I have benefited a lot from meeting prominent people through the show. Aggressive Interview is not for only celebrities but anyone who has a good story to tell. I interviewed some celebrities on the show and I had pretty good comments, he said. Through his Aggressive Interview, Kwaku Manu has interviewed celebrities like Asamoah Gyan, Funny Face, Kyeiwa, Oboy Siki, Nana Ama McBrown, Emelia Brobbey, Vivian Jill, Wayoosi, Koo Fori, Shatta Wale, Coded, King Promise, Kofi Kinaata, Agya Koo, Shugatiti and Obinini, among others. He revealed that YouTube pays him a lot of money, hence the motivation to always do more interviews. I am motivated to talk to these celebrities because Youtube pays me very well. In addition to the financial rewards, I love to hear the stories my guests tell and it is not surprising how my interviews always make headlines. I am blown away by some of the revelations they make on the show. Who is Kwaku Manu Kwaku Manu was born in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region to Agya Yaw Nimo, a cobbler, and Madam Afia, a trader. The second of six children, Kwaku Manu attended Obuasi SDA School but was unable to complete it due to financial constraints. Kwaku Manu, who has produced movies including Poor No Friend and Don King, said he has one principle he lives by, which is to set targets for himself and make sure he achieves them. He said it had helped him a lot. When I plan to do something, I make sure I achieve it even if it takes me several years. I believe setting a target for yourself helps you to plan well, he said. Also, Kwaku Manu now wants to live a quiet life and one of the things he has done towards that is to stop posting his children on social media. Source: graphic.com.gh 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 (CNN) The White House confirmed Friday that an official diplomatic reprimand, known as a demarche, had been given to the US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns following US President Joe Bidens comments comparing Chinas Xi Jinping to a dictator at a political fundraiser in California earlier this week. The Chinese government called in Burns for the meeting this week in Beijing to protest Bidens remarks, according to two US officials familiar with the matter. The move by Beijing comes as officials are still assessing the potential effect of Bidens comments on US efforts to repair the fractured relationship between the two countries. While confirming the development and declining to provide specifics, National Security Councils coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby stressed that the White House does not view the move as one with particularly significant consequences and that the US has not seen any further ramifications to the already-precarious relationship with China. If demarche issued by nations against other nations were some sort of bellwether for whether a relationship was collapsing or, or in any danger. I mean, my goodness, I mean, my goodness, Jeremy, a demarche is a demarche that happens all the time. I am not going to get into the specifics. Im not going to get into the specifics of this one, Kirby said in a back-and-forth exchange with CNNs Jeremy Diamond. The demarche came as the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Washington put out statements condemning Bidens remarks, which came just hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken had concluded his first trip to Beijing as Americas top diplomat. Biden on Thursday downplayed the impact of his off-the-cuff remarks, even as China has warned that there will be consequences with the Chinese embassy in the US describing it as a smear. I dont think its had any real consequence, Biden told reporters on Thursday. Kirby, speaking from the White House press briefing room Friday, reiterated that Biden is firm that the relationship with China matters and that we need to move it forward. He added that Biden made the assertion because he believes it. We are still in communication with the PRC about moving this relationship forward. Thats what we are focused on. And every indication that were getting is that thats what the PRC wants to focus on as well, Kirby said on Friday. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said earlier in the week that the remarks had absolutely not at all diminished the progress in US-China relations that Blinken made during the visit. But US officials privately expressed frustration over Bidens remarks. They are concerned about momentum from Blinkens visit being derailed, officials said. They believe the true effect from these comments remains unclear. While he was in China, Blinken said that senior US officials would be visiting the country in the coming weeks. US officials are watching to see if the Chinese move ahead with plans for those visits, though they note that the Chinese have made it clear that they want to engage with the US on economic and trade issues. They are also watching to see how China engages with the US on addressing the issue of fentanyl, after the two countries agreed during Blinkens visit to explore setting up a working group on the transnational challenge during Blinkens visit. They acknowledged that the moves by the Department of Justice on Friday to roll out charges against four chemical companies based in China and eight Chinese nationals for the trafficking of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the US were also likely to cause frustration for China. The White House and the State Department did not attempt roll back Bidens remarks. We are not bashful about speaking plainly about some of the concerns and issues that we have with the PRC and the challenges that they propose and the president is very forthright in the way that he addresses those challenges and the complicated nature of this relationship, Kirby said on Friday. The Chinse government did not publicly tout demarching Burns, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. US officials pointed out that China is currently celebrating a holiday, and they are closely watching to see what happens next week. This story was first published on CNN.com, "China reprimands US ambassador in Beijing amid fallout from Bidens comments" 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: Satellite data illustrates the heat signature of Hurricane Maria above warm surface water in 2017. Credit: NASA When a hurricane hits land, the destruction can be visible for years or even decades. Less obvious, but also powerful, is the effect hurricanes have on the oceans. In a new study, we show through real-time measurements that hurricanes don't just churn water at the surface. They can also push heat deep into the ocean in ways that can lock it up for years and ultimately affect regions far from the storm. Heat is the key component of this story. It has long been known that hurricanes gain their energy from warm sea surface temperatures. This heat helps moist air near the ocean surface rise like a hot air balloon and form clouds taller than Mount Everest. This is why hurricanes generally form in tropical regions. What we discovered is that hurricanes ultimately help warm the ocean, too, by enhancing its ability to absorb and store heat. And that can have far-reaching consequences. When hurricanes mix heat into the ocean, that heat doesn't just resurface in the same place. We showed how underwater waves produced by the storm can push the heat roughly four times deeper than mixing alone, sending it to a depth where the heat is trapped far from the surface. From there, deep sea currents can transport it thousands of miles. A hurricane that travels across the western Pacific Ocean and hits the Philippines could end up supplying warm water that heats up the coast of Ecuador years later. At sea, looking for typhoons For two months in the fall of 2018, we lived aboard the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson to record how the Philippine Sea responded to changing weather patterns. As ocean scientists, we study turbulent mixing in the ocean and hurricanes and other tropical storms that generate this turbulence. Skies were clear and winds were calm during the first half of our experiment. But in the second half, three major typhoonsas hurricanes are known in this part of the worldstirred up the ocean. How hurricanes draw energy from the oceans heat. Credit: Kelvin Ma via Wikimedia, CC BY That shift allowed us to directly compare the ocean's motions with and without the influence of the storms. In particular, we were interested in learning how turbulence below the ocean surface was helping transfer heat down into the deep ocean. We measure ocean turbulence with an instrument called a microstructure profiler, which free-falls nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters) and uses a probe similar to a phonograph needle to measure turbulent motions of the water. What happens when a hurricane comes through Imagine the tropical ocean before a hurricane passes over it. At the surface is a layer of warm water, warmer than 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), that is heated by the sun and extends roughly 160 feet (50 meters) below the surface. Below it are layers of colder water. The temperature difference between the layers keeps the waters separated and virtually unable to affect each other. You can think of it like the division between the oil and vinegar in an unshaken bottle of salad dressing. As a hurricane passes over the tropical ocean, its strong winds help stir the boundaries between the water layers, much like someone shaking the bottle of salad dressing. In the process, cold deep water is mixed up from below and warm surface water is mixed downward. This causes surface temperatures to cool, allowing the ocean to absorb heat more efficiently than usual in the days after a hurricane. For over two decades, scientists have debated whether the warm waters that are mixed downward by hurricanes could heat ocean currents and thereby shape global climate patterns. At the heart of this question was whether hurricanes could pump heat deep enough so that it stays in the ocean for years. By analyzing subsurface ocean measurements taken before and after three hurricanes, we found that underwater waves transport heat roughly four times deeper into the ocean than direct mixing during the hurricane. These waves, which are generated by the hurricane itself, transport the heat deep enough that it cannot be easily released back into the atmosphere. These illustrations show what happens to ocean heat before, during, after and many months after a hurricane passes over the ocean. Credit: Sally Warner, CC BY-ND Implications of heat in the deep ocean Once this heat is picked up by large-scale ocean currents, it can be transported to distant parts of the ocean. The heat injected by the typhoons we studied in the Philippine Sea may have flowed to the coasts of Ecuador or California, following current patterns that carry water from west to east across the equatorial Pacific. At this point, the heat may be mixed back up to the surface by a combination of shoaling currents, upwelling and turbulent mixing. Once the heat is close to the surface again, it can warm the local climate and affect ecosystems. For instance, coral reefs are particularly sensitive to extended periods of heat stress. El Nino events are the typical culprit behind coral bleaching in Ecuador, but the excess heat from the hurricanes that we observed may contribute to stressed reefs and bleached coral far from where the storms appeared. It is also possible that the excess heat from hurricanes stays within the ocean for decades or more without returning to the surface. This would actually have a mitigating impact on climate change. As hurricanes redistribute heat from the ocean surface to greater depths, they can help to slow down warming of the Earth's atmosphere by keeping the heat sequestered in the ocean. Scientists have long thought of hurricanes as extreme events fueled by ocean heat and shaped by the Earth's climate. Our findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, add a new dimension to this problem by showing that the interactions go both wayshurricanes themselves have the ability to heat up the ocean and shape the Earth's climate. More information: Noel Gutierrez Brizuela et al, Prolonged thermocline warming by near-inertial internal waves in the wakes of tropical cyclones, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301664120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In proposing a better way to measure heat exposure in U.S. cities, researchers find that the average Black urban resident is exposed to disproportionately higher heat stress. (Image by Timothy Holland | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory). Credit: Timothy Holland, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory From densely built urban cores to sprawling suburbia, cities are complex. This complexity can lead to temperature hot spots within cities, with some neighborhoods (and their residents) facing more heat than others. Understanding this environmental disparity forms the spirit of new research led by scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In a new paper examining all major cities in the U.S., the authors find that the average Black resident is exposed to air that is warmer by 0.28 degrees Celsius relative to the city average. In contrast, the average white urban resident lives where air temperature is cooler by 0.22 degrees Celsius relative to the same average. The new work, published last week in the journal One Earth, involved a two-part effort. The study's authors aimed to produce a more useful nationwide estimate of urban heat stressa more accurate account of how our body responds to outdoor heat. By creating and comparing these estimates against demographic data, they also tried to better understand which populations are most exposed to urban heat stress. The findings reveal pervasive income- and race-based disparities within U.S. cities. Nearly all the U.S. urban population94 percent, or roughly 228 million peoplelive in cities where summertime peak heat stress exposure disproportionately burdens the poor. The study's authors also find that people who now live within historically redlined neighborhoods, where loan applicants were once denied on racially discriminatory grounds, would be exposed to higher outdoor heat stress than their neighbors living in originally non-redlined parts of the city. The work also highlights shortcomings in the typical approach scientists take in estimating urban heat stress at these scales, which frequently relies on satellite data. This conventional satellite-based method can overestimate such disparities, according to the new work. As the world warms, the findings stand to inform urban heat response plans put forward by local governments who seek to help vulnerable groups. What is heat stress? The human body has evolved to operate within a relatively narrow temperature range. Raise your core body temperature beyond just six or seven degrees and drastic physiological consequences soon follow. Cellular processes break down, the heart is taxed, and organs begin to fail. Sweating helps. But the cooling power of sweating depends partly on how humid the environment is. When both heat and humidity are omnipresent and difficult to escape, the body struggles to adapt. How is heat stress measured? To measure heat stress, scientists use a handful of indicators, many of which depend on air temperature and humidity. Weather stations provide such data. Because most weather stations are outside of cities, though, scientists often rely on other means to get some idea about urban heat stress, including using sensors on satellites. Those sensors infer the temperature of the land surface from measurements of thermal radiation. But such measurements fall short of delivering a full picture of heat stress, said lead author and Earth scientist TC Chakraborty. Measuring just the skin of the Earth, like the surface of a sidewalk or a patch of grass, said Chakraborty, offers only an idea of what it's like to lay flat on that surface. "Unless you're walking around barefoot or lying naked on the ground, you're not really feeling that," said Chakraborty. "Land surface temperature is, at best, a crude proxy of urban heat stress." Indeed, most of us are upright, moving through a world where air temperature and moisture dictate how heat actually feels. And these satellite data are only available for clear-sky daysanother limiting factor. More complete and physiologically relevant estimates of heat stress incorporate a blend of factors, which models can provide, said Chakraborty. To better understand differences between satellite-derived land surface temperature and ambient heat exposure within cities, Chakraborty's team examined 481 urbanized areas across the continental United States using both satellites and model simulations. NASA's Aqua satellite provided the land surface temperature; and through model simulations that account for urban areas, the authors generated nationwide estimates of all variables required to calculate moist heat stress. Two such metrics of heat stressthe National Weather Service's heat index and the Humidex, often used by Canadian meteorologistsallowed the scientists to capture the combined impacts of air temperature and humidity on the human body. They then identified heat stress hotspots across the country for summer days between 2014 and 2018. Overlaying maps of both historically redlined neighborhoods and census tracts, the team identified relationships between heat exposure and communities. How is heat distributed within cities? Residents in poorer neighborhoods often face greater heat stress. And a greater degree of income inequality in any given city often means greater heat stress exposure for its poorer residents. Most U.S. cities, including heavily populated cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia, show this disparity. But the relationship between heat stress and race-based residential segregation is even more stark. Roughly 87.5 percent of the cities studied show that Black populations live in parts of the city with higher land surface temperatures, warmer air, and greater moist heat stress. Moreover, the association between the degree of heat stress disparity and the degree of segregation between white and non-white populations across cities is particularly striking, said Chakraborty. "The majority83 percentof non-white U.S. urban residents live in cities where outdoor moist heat stress disproportionately burdens them," said Chakraborty, "Further, higher percentages of all races other than white are positively correlated with greater heat exposure no matter which variable you use to assess it." In the 1930s, the U.S. federal government's Home Owners' Loan Corporation graded neighborhoods in an effort to rank the suitability of real estate investments. This practice is known as "redlining," where lower grades (and consequently fewer loans) were issued to neighborhoods composed of poorer and minority groups. The authors find that these redlined neighborhoods still show worse environmental conditions. Neighborhoods with lower ratings face higher heat exposure than their non-redlined neighbors. Neighborhoods with higher ratings, in contrast, generally get less heat exposure. This is consistent with previous research on originally redlined urban neighborhoods showing lower tree cover and higher land surface temperature. Chakraborty, however, notes that using land surface temperature would generally overestimate these disparities across neighborhood grades compared to using air temperature or heat index. "Satellites give us estimates of land surface temperature, which is a different variable from the temperature we feel while outdoors, especially within cities," said Chakraborty. "Moreover, the physiological response to heat also depends on humidity, which satellites cannot directly provide, and urbanization also modifies." The findings are not without uncertainty, the authors added. "Ground-based weather stations helped to dwindle down, but not eliminate, model bias," said co-author Andrew Newman of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who generated the model simulations. However, the results are still consistent with both theory and previous large-scale observational evidence. What can be done? Planting more trees often comes up as a potential solution to heat stress, said Chakraborty. But densely built urban cores, where poorer and minority populations in the U.S. often live, have limited space for trees. And many previous estimates of vegetation's potential to cool city surroundings are also based solely on land surface temperaturethey are perhaps prone to similar overestimation, the authors suggest. More robust measurements of urban heat stress would help, they added. Factors like wind speed and solar insolation contribute to how heat actually affects the human body. But those factors are left out of most scientific assessments of urban heat stress because they are difficult to measure or model at neighborhood scales. In addition to Chakraborty, PNNL authors of the new work include Yun Qian. Andrew Newman at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Angel Hsu at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Glenn Sheriff at Arizona State University are also authors. This work was supported by DOE's Office of Science and the National Institutes of Health. More information: TC Chakraborty et al, Residential segregation and outdoor urban moist heat stress disparities in the United States, One Earth (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.05.016 Journal information: One Earth 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: Passers-by take photos of an ice sculpture representing a krill in Santiago on June 19, 2023 as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources met to discuss three new proposed marine protected areas. Members of a multinational group on Antarctic conservation failed to agree Friday on a roadmap for the creation of three new marine protected areasa goal that has proven elusive for years. "No agreement was reached. It was not possible to obtain... a road map" for protected areas in the seas around Antarctica, Cesar Cardenas, a member of the Chilean Antarctic Institute and part of the Chilean delegation, told AFP. Cardenas said Russia and China resisted new protected areas. The bid to create the sanctuaries around Antarctica to counter climate change and protect fragile ocean ecosystems would safeguard nearly four million more square kilometers (1.5 million more square miles) of ocean from human activities. The areas are home to penguins, seals, toothfish, whales and huge numbers of krilla staple food for many species. Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) met to discuss plans for three new marine protected areas (MPAs): in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula. There are two in Antarctica now: around the South Orkney Islands, comprising an area of 94,000 square kilometers, created in 2009, and one of 2 million square kilometers in the Ross Sea region, established in 2016. Activists voiced disappointment at the lack of action. "Unfortunately this special meeting ended as the previous six annual meetings have done: with two countries blocking the will of the other 25 CCAMLR members to move towards a network of Southern Ocean MPAs," Andrea Kavanagh of the nonprofit Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy said in a statement. Beijing and Moscow have been key in blocking the expansion scheme since it was first floated by Australia, France and the EU in 2010 before being scaled down in 2017 in an attempt to win greater support. Antarctica is particularly threatened by global warming. "One of the biggest threats to this area is climate change, which is causing sea ice to decrease significantly. The presence of sea ice is essential to the life cycle of Antarctic krill," said Rodolfo Werner, scientific and political adviser to the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Coalition (ASOC). "The creation of marine protected areas is very important, because above all it protects the biodiversity... by removing the stress of fishing in these areas," he added. Studies have shown that the melting of western Antarctica's biggest glaciers, which contain enough water to raise the oceans by several meters, appears irreversible. The CCAMLR, which regulates fisheries, is comprised of 26 member countries plus the EU. They include the United States, Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Japan, host Chile, Brazil and South Africa. The CCAMLR will again address the topic of marine reserves at a meeting in October in Hobart, Australia. 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: One-horned rain-animal from a site near Indwe in the Eastern Cape province. Credit: David M. Witelson One-horned creatures are found in myths around the world. Although unicorns in different cultures have little to do with one another, they have multiple associations in European thought. For example, the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder wrote about unicorns in the first century AD. The unicorn features in both medieval Christian and Celtic beliefs, and is Scotland's national animal. The unicorn's prominence in European culture spread across the globe with colonization. In southern Africa, colonial European ideas encountered older indigenous beliefs about one-horned creatures. I've highlighted this in a recent research article about some of the region's rock art. Unicorns in Africa? In the age of natural science, unicorns were gradually dismissed as mythical rather than biological creatures. But some thought that real animals with single horns might yet exist in the "unexplored wilds" of Africa. A famous search for such evidence was carried out by the English traveler, writer and politician Sir John Barrow (1764-1848). He'd heard rumors about "unicorns" from the colonists and local people he encountered on his southern African travels. One of those rumors was that unicorns were depicted in the rock paintings made by the indigenous San (Bushman) inhabitants of the region. Barrow searched unsuccessfully for them. Then, in mountains in what's now the Eastern Cape province, he found and copied an image of a unicorn (Figure 1). Figure 1. Barrows unicorn. But many were skeptical of his claims. His published copy resembles a European engraving rather than a San rock painting. More generally, critics have argued that rock paintings of unicorns were probably inspired by side-on views of gemsbok or South African oryxesantelope with long, straight hornsor by rhinos (which might have one horn in India, but have two in southern Africa). My research concludes that these criticisms don't take into account several factors that have since come to light. My paper provides further support for the claims that some San rock paintings do indeed depict one-horned creatures. Multiple rock art depictions Early documented rock paintings of one-horned creatures are known from 19th and 20th century copies by British geologist George Stow and South African teacher M. Helen Tongue. I draw attention to additional examples of rock paintings of one-horned creatures (Figures 2 and 3). Figure 2. A pair of spotted one-horned animals surrounded by fish. Credit: David M. Witelson Collectively, these show that rock paintings of one-horned creatures can't be dismissed as naturalistic profile views of two-horned creatures, one horn covering the other. Rain-animals The second way in which my research engages with early criticisms is to draw attention to previously overlooked indigenous beliefs concerning one-horned beings. The evidence suggests that the "unicorns" in indigenous mythical beliefs and rock art are actually animal-like forms of rain, known as rain-animals. Tongue's colleague and co-worker, Dorothea Bleek, compared Stow's and Tongue's copies and suggested in 1909 that rock paintings of one-horned antelope were probably kinds of rain-animals, which she knew from |Xam San (Bushman) myths. Rain-animals feature prominently in San ritual, myth and art. They take many forms, ranging from four-legged creatures to serpents. They were ritually captured and slaughtered by San rainmakers to cause rain to fall in specific places. Many |Xam myths tell of the dangerous male rain, sometimes personified as the "Rain", who turned pubescent girls and their families into frogs when the girls did not correctly observe their initiation taboos. Figure 3. Digital drawing of original rock painting near the town of Dordrecht. Credit: David M. Witelson Among other details, my paper highlights a fascinating and previously missed reference to a one-horned water creature. In one of the variants of a story told by |Han=kass'o or Klein Jantjea |Xam man who was an expert storytellera "water child" or juvenile rain-animal is said to have a single horn. The story was written down in phonetic script (to record the sounds of the San langauge) by Lucy Lloyd (Bleek's aunt) and translated into English. The girl in |Han=kass'o's story breaks the rules of her ritual puberty seclusion by going to a pond and catching (like fish) the children of the rain, which she cooks and eats. After a few times she struggles to catch another one: unlike the others, this last creature is "a grown-up water". We know what made it recognizably grown-up: unlike the others, it had a single horn that poked out of the water. We have, therefore, the actual |Xam San words (which translate as "horned rain-child") used to describe this kind of rain-animal, which we find in the rock paintings in and around the Eastern Cape. An intersection of beliefs In the colonial period, indigenous people were exposed to European images of unicorns on crests, badges and buttons and through tales. In one of the recorded instances, indigenous people at the Cape saw the British royal coat of arms and commented on the unicorn in it. They recognized it as their "god", but this description, translated into English from an unknown indigenous idiom, probably refers to the creature's mythical nature rather than a genuine god-like status. Foreign unicorn images may have gradually influenced local ones. Some rock paintings of one-horned creaturesdated by associated human figures in European dress to the colonial periodshow horns pointing upward or forward (Figure 4) like the European unicorn, rather than backwards like antelopes, such as the eland (Figure 5), on which many rock paintings of one-horned rain-animals are modeled. Figure 4. Rain-animals with horns that point up or curve forward at a site near Indwe. Credit: David M. Witelson Figure 5. The horns of the common eland. Credit: Pxfuel, CC BY-SA One-horned animals depicted in rock art are not mere rhinos nor antelope, nor are they the creatures of European myth. Indigenous beliefs help us to explain that the uncanny resemblance between European unicorns and South African "unicorns" was pure chance. The mixing of foreign beliefs with local ones in colonial South Africa has hidden the independent, indigenous creature. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. By Nasratu Kargbo Twelve Commonwealth Observers will be deployed across the country tomorrow ahead of June 24 according to the Chairman of the Commonwealth Observers Group, Yemi Osinbajo. Osinbajo at a press conference held on the 19th of June 2023 said From the 22 of June, we will deploy our observers in small teams across various parts of the country to observe the voting; counting, and results process, as well as meet with other stakeholders in respective locations. He explained that on Election Day they will be observing the opening, voting, closing, counting, and the results management processes, revealing that after the process, they will issue an interim statement on the 26th of June 2023 on their preliminary findings before departing on the 30th of this month. The Chairman explained that a final report will then be prepared and submitted to the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, which will be later presented to relevant stakeholders and the public. The Commonwealth Observer Group has no executive role; its function is not to interfere with, but to observe the process as a whole and to make recommendations accordingly, Osinbajo said. He said that they will be observing the pre-election atmosphere, polling day activities, and post-election. Highlighting their areas of focus, the chairman said they will be considering whether the election was conducted in an environment that allows for credible and fair elections such as whether voters were free to express their will, media impartiality, and whether the whole process such as counting and results process is transparent. In addition, he stated that after the process, they will report on whether the election was conducted in accordance with the standards to which the country has committed itself, including its national law, regional and international commitments. The Chairman noted: In conducting our duties, we will be guided by the principles of neutrality, impartiality, objectivity, and independence. As we are here in our individual capacities as responsible and experienced Commonwealth citizens, our assessment will be our own, and not that of any member government. He stated that in the coming days, they will be meeting with stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, government representatives, political parties, security agencies, civil society groups, citizens and international observer groups, diplomats, and the media. Osinbajo urged the leadership of political parties to ensure there is peace throughout the electioneering process; he stated that We enjoin all political parties and their supporters to uphold the commitments of the Electoral Pledge to free, fair and violence-free elections, admirably signed to barely two weeks ago. He asked registered voters to exercise their democratic rights on Election Day, encouraging them to do their part to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process. Copyright 2023 Politico (21/06/23) By Saio Marrah The Sierra Leone Land Alliance (SLLA) has in partnership with Amnesty International called on the Chief Justice to set up a tribunal that will swiftly and efficiently deal with land disputes. The Director of SLLA, John Paul Bai told a policy briefing event organised by the alliance, at the Council of Churches Sierra Leone Auditorium in Freetown on Monday 19th June that the call is among recommendations contained in the 2021-Land Complaints Committees Murtada Report. Among other things, he said the committees findings recommended the establishment of two new institutions, reaffirming Justice Marcus Jones 1999 recommendations for the establishment of a Land Tribunal and a Mediation Desk within the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, to facilitate the reforms. Also, he said the committees findings are aimed at reversing unlawful actions and ensuring land reform by creating an enabling policy and legal framework. He said the report also recommended that all titles for illegally acquired land should be cancelled and that such be repossessed. According to Bai, a land tribunal would serve the dual role of providing an alternative land justice system and a forum for addressing historical injustices related to land. To date, none of the recommended institutions have been established. Currently, there is no public institution with the capacity to implement the recommendation of the report, the SLLA director noted. He said SLLA is of the notion that the establishment of those organs can be viewed as foundational to the successful implementation of the report. The failure to deal with two recommendations while purporting to implement the findings of the Mutarda report, casts doubts on the intent to reform land issues in Sierra Leone, he stated. Bai also noted that the tribunal would be inexpensive and speedily resolve past wrongs in relation to land and that it would also provide a forum for justice on land matters as a first step before litigation in formal courts of law, thus alleviating current delays. The alliances press release read out by their director at the programme noted that the land tribunal, which the alliance envisages, is one that will be set up by the Chief Justice with powers of a high court and that it will involve land experts from the ministry of lands and environmental experts. He noted that in 2021, the government set up a nine-man committee, headed by the Vice President of the Inter-religious Council of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Mutarda M. Sesay to unravel the numerous land disputes in the country. According to him, The land complaints and dispute resolution committee report was submitted to the president in December 2021, but sadly no implementation mechanism was evident. Bai also noted that the former speaker of parliament, Dr Abass Bundu, promised that the report would be implemented. The speaker was also reported to have called on Chief Justice, Attorney General, Law Reform Commission and other related bodies to expeditiously establish a special court or tribunal to address land disputes, which he said has plagued the justice system in the country. Sesay also quoted the Director of Amnesty Sierra Leone, Solomon Sogbandi saying the land tribunal is the way to solve the many problems of land in the country, to avoid chaos. But Alford H. Wilson, representing the aggrieved land owners at the programme, objected to the establishment of the tribunal saying his fear is that people do not have integrity. According to him, the same people at the courts delaying land cases for years would be the same people sitting at the tribunal. He narrated a story about his father purchasing a plot of land at Waterloo during the 1960s, which he said military personnel have occupied and despite official confirmation that the land belongs to Mr. Wilson, the military personnel are reluctant to evacuate it. Several other aggrieved parties at the programme expressed their plight in having their lands unlawfully taken away m cases which are yet to be resolved despite recommendations in the Mutarda report. SLLA is a civil society organisation on land that seeks to mobilise the people of Sierra Leone for a realisation of land reform ideals, which they consider indispensable to the realisation of land and environmental security and the survival of the country. Copyright 2023 Politico (21/06/23) By Nasratu Kargbo Results of a Poll published by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) on the 14th of June 2023, have predicted a change in the voting pattern of voters compared to the previous election, highlighting that there would be a lot of cross-voting this years General Elections, especially in Freetown. Dubbed Sierra Poll, its findings according to the researchers was based on interviews conducted from the 8th to 12th June 2023, which showed that many Freetown residents will not be voting for one party for all the vacant positions. This variance within parties clearly points to a degree of cross-party voting. Meaning, a fair share of Freetonians are not voting a straight ticket 4 for 4-, that is, voting for one party in all four positions down the ballot, a part reads. The 4 for 4 voting means a voter casts ballots for one particular partys candidates in the Presidential, Parliamentary, Mayoral/Chairperson, and Councillorship elections. The data revealed that Freetown has the highest cross-voting as compared to other districts. It explained that 10% of the Main Oppositions Presidential Candidate Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamaras supporters say they cannot vote for the partys mayoral candidates in the districts across the country, whilst 30% say they cannot vote for the partys mayoral candidate in Freetown. The Poll added that at least 25% to 30% of Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) Mayoral Candidate Mohamed Gento Kamaras supporters stated that they will not vote for parliamentary, presidential, or councilor candidates from the SLPP. The Venn diagram in the Sierra Polls shows that 70% of Gentos supporters said that they will be voting for his partys Presidential Candidate President Julius Madaa Bio, whilst 30% said that they will vote for his opponent Dr. Kamara. Sierra Polls second Venn diagram shows that 23% of the respondents who are supporters of APCs mayoral candidate Yvonne Aki-Sawyer said they will be casting their votes for the presidential candidate of the SLPP, whilst 77% stated that they will vote for the partys presidential candidate. It is essential to note that Samura/Gentos supporters are 7% more likely to support cross-voting than Bio/Aki-Sawyerr. These variations in levels of tolerance of party supporters for different candidates in Sierra Leones four-tier presidential and general elections will continue to shape the race as Freetown heads to the polls next week a part of the poll reads. The poll also indicated that as of the time the study was conducted, APCs mayoral candidate is leading between 44% to 56%. Since 2007, Freetown has largely voted APC, and Aki-Sawyerr was tipped to retake the City Council in the last two Sierra Polls and is still leading the race a part reads. It explained that Gento Kamara has recorded a 5% increase since the last poll that was conducted in May and explained that he is polling far above all SLPP candidates that are vying for positions in Freetown, adding that he is polling 10% above his partys presidential candidate Bio. It also noted that APCs flagbearer is polling above the partys mayoral candidate by 6%. The Poll states that the number of respondents interviewed is two thousand four hundred and forty-eight (2,448), noting that they are registered voters 12% of whom are first-time voters, 44% of them are between the age of twenty-three to thirty-five, whilst 29% are within the age range of thirty-six to fifty-five and those from age fifty-six and above were 15%. It noted that the margin of error is 1.98%. Copyright 2023 Politico (21/06/23) By Mabinty M. Kamara The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) last Monday launched a Fund for Public Interest Media in Sierra Leone aimed at supporting media viability in the country. Speaking at the launch of the Fund at the Cabenda Hotel in Freetown, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Ahmed Sahid Nasralla said the initiative was borne out of the many recommendations from the Media Viability Investment Conference held in the country last year by Media Stakeholders. He noted that the fund is not to be dished out to media houses or individual journalists but to support public interest media work across the country. The president noted the persistent state of the countrys media landscape in terms of revenue stream. However, he said the launch will be the beginning of a major change in the media industry and expressed his appreciation to the government and the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MFCG) for ensuring that the initiative became a success. Speaking at the event, Edward Kargbo Country Director of BBC Media Action Sierra Leone described the event as a historic one, saying his institution is proud to be part of the success. He said the initiative is a result of many consultations and noted the BBC Media Actions strive to support and promote media work in the country; saying it is only when the media is free and independent that it can perform its democratic functions. And this can only happen when the media is viable and resilient to corporate and political pressure, he said. He noted that the fund cannot address all the challenges of the media but that it was a great step towards addressing those challenges. In his keynote address, the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray committed governments support to the success of the Fund, saying that the government is committed to paying its counterpart fund. The Minister highlighted the strides made by the government to ensure a thriving media industry across the country such as the repeal of part five of the Public Order Act, and the subvention to the journalist group SLAJ among others. Before he launched the Fund, the BBC Correspondent in Sierra Leone, Umaru Fofana talked about the struggling state of the mainstream media to survive amidst the threats posed by social media, noting the rise in the number of bloggers across the country. However, he said the people still trust and rely on the traditional media for accurate information. He, therefore, encouraged journalists to stay committed to the job and do the right thing. Fofana also encouraged charitable orgnisations, corporate entities, and individuals who have the ability to support the fund without trying to influence the job of the journalists. He said that they will only be contributing to the growth and development of democracy, good governance, and the society at large. The initiative according to the officials is managed and guided by a board that comprises government, Civil Society, Media, and academics to provide policy guidance. It is funded by the International Fund for Public Interest Media. Copyright 2023 Politico (21/06/23) By Politico Staff Writer The Chancellor of Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU), Dr. Victor Kabia has said that the university Court will investigate staff in relation to the execution of their duties. Speaking on the 29th October 2022 at the General Assembly of the Academic and Administrative Staff at the Great Hall in the campus, Kabia explained that some members of staff have full-time jobs elsewhere without the approval of the administration, noting that some abandon classes without permission. He added that others receive pay while on study leave, and fail to update the administration on the progress theyve made. The Chancellor said the conditions of service for staff following the transition from polytechnic to university were yet to be completed. He also mentioned issues such as sexual harassment, changing of exams grades and use of fake certificates which he said the institutions court will thoroughly investigate. He assured all that the university court is efficient and that it takes decisions without fear or favour to advance the ideals of the institution. The Minister of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), Dr. Alpha Wurie said the country only has 16.6% Ph.D. and 80% Masters Holders in public universities. Wurie advised that MMTU should introduce E-learning to meet the modern trend, expand distance learning and screen for specific faculties. The minister also stressed the need for structural and management reviews, and the recruitment of academic staff. Addressing the staff on the need to upgrade their qualification, Kabia said that the staff should upgrade their capacity. He continued that some staff do not have a Master's in Philosophy to be appointed to the position of Lecturer 1 and observed that most lecturers have not taken the challenge to improve themselves even after several reminders from the Administration. Copyright (c) 2022 Politico Online (02/11/22) A trial date has been set for the Glens Falls man shot by officers after he allegedly shot at a group in Saratoga Springs last November. Saratoga County Court Judge James Murphy on Friday scheduled the trial to start on Oct. 2 for Vito Caselnova IV, according to WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13, The Post-Stars media partner. Caselnova will be back in court on June 30 to accept or reject a potential plea offer in the case, according to the calendar. Caselnova, 25, is facing an eight-count indictment including a top count of second-degree attempted murder for an incident that occurred on Nov. 20 just after 3 a.m. Caselnova, who is a Rutland County, Vermont sheriffs deputy, got into a physical altercation with a group of three Utica men while off duty. Police said Caselnova was on the sidewalk in the area of 440 Broadway before the incident. One of the men, Alexander Colon, was walking by and the two had a verbal argument, which became physical. The incident escalated seconds later with the exchange of gunfire between Caselnova and Colon. Both men were struck, as well Caselnovas girlfriend, according to court documents. Three Saratoga Springs police officers responded to the scene and ordered Caselnova to drop his weapon. Police said he refused multiple commands and the officers fired. Five weapons were recovered at the scene Caselnovas, Colons and the three officers, court documents showed. Both Caselnova and Colon received life-saving treatment. Colon and two other men Darius Wright and Christopher Castillo have been charged with misdemeanor attempted assault. Caselnovas attorney, Greg Teresi, has filed a motion requesting to see the bill of particulars for the indictment and the name of each person or persons that Caselnova is accused of attempting to cause the death of or recklessly engaging in conduct which created substantial risk of physical injury. Much of the discussion in the last few months has centered on an incident that occurred just after the indictment. One of the grand jurors wrote a letter to the judge and delivered it to the commissioner of jurors expressing concern that the process was rushed and the jurors had to sort out a complex case. The juror claimed that ADA Alan Peremba had off-the-record conversations with the jurors concerning the timeline of when he hoped to wrap up the case. That letter leaked to the media and Peremba had written all jurors a letter asking for the name of that juror and reminding them that it is a Class E felony offense to share the proceedings of the grand jury. Peremba had said in court previously that he believes that everything was done properly. (CNN) The hull of the fishing trawler lifted out of the water as it sank, catapulting people from the top deck into the black sea below. In the darkness, they grabbed onto whatever they could to stay afloat, pushing each other underwater in a frantic fight for survival. Some were screaming, many began to recite their final prayers. I can still hear the voice of a woman calling out for help, one survivor of the migrant boat disaster off the coast of Greece told CNN. Youd swim and move floating bodies out of your way. With hundreds of people still missing after the overloaded vessel capsized in the Mediterranean on June 14, the testimonies of those who were onboard paint a picture of chaos and desperation. They also call into question the Greek coast guards version of events, suggesting more lives could have been saved, and may even point to fault on the part of Greek authorities. Rights groups allege the tragedy is both further evidence and a result of a new pattern in illegal pushbacks of migrant boats to other nations waters, with deadly consequences. This boat was carrying up to 750 Pakistani, Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian refugees and migrants. Only 104 people have been rescued alive. CNN has interviewed multiple survivors of the shipwreck and their relatives, all of whom have wished to remain anonymous for security reasons and the fear of retribution from authorities in both Greece and at home. One survivor from Syria, whom CNN is identifying as Rami, described how a Greek coast guard vessel approached the trawler multiple times to try to attach a rope to tow the ship, with disastrous results. The third time they towed us, the boat swayed to the right and everyone was screaming, people began falling into the sea, and the boat capsized and no one saw anyone anymore, he said. Brothers were separated, cousins were separated. Another Syrian man, identified as Mostafa, also believes it was the maneuver by the coast guard that caused the disaster. The Greek captain pulled us too fast, it was extremely fast, this caused our boat to sink, he said. The Hellenic Coast Guard has repeatedly denied attempting to tow the vessel. An official investigation into the cause of the tragedy is still ongoing. Coast guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told CNN over the phone last week: When the boat capsized, we were not even next to (the) boat. How could we be towing it? Instead, he insisted they had only been observing at a close distance and that a shift in weight probably caused by panic had caused the boat to tip. The Hellenic Coast Guard has declined to answer CNNs specific requests for response to the survivor testimonies. Direct accounts from those who survived the wreck have been limited, due to their concerns about speaking out and the media having little access to the survivors. CNN interviewed Rami and Mostafa outside the Malakasa migrant camp near Athens, where journalists are not permitted entry. The Syrian men said the conditions on board the migrant boat deteriorated fast in the more than five days after it set off from Tobruk, Libya, in route to Italy. They had run out of water and had resorted to drinking from storage bottles that people had urinated in. People were dying. People were fainting. We used a rope to dip clothes into the sea and use that to squeeze water on people who had lost consciousness, Rami said. CNNs analysis of marine traffic data, combined with information from NGOs, merchant vessels and the European Union border patrol agency, Frontex, suggests that Greek authorities were aware of the distressed vessel for at least 13 hours before it eventually sank early on June 14. The Greek coast guard has maintained that people onboard the trawler had refused rescue and insisted they wanted to continue their journey to Italy. But survivors, relatives and activists say they had asked for help multiple times. Earlier in the day, other ships tried to help the trawler. Directed by the Greek coast guard, two merchant vessels Lucky Sailor and Faithful Warrior approached the boat between 6 and 9 p.m. on June 13 to offer supplies, according to marine traffic data and the logs of those ships. But according to survivors this only caused more havoc onboard. Fights broke out over food and water, people were screaming and shouting, Mostafa said. If it wasnt for people trying to calm the situation down, the boat was on the verge of sinking several times. By early evening, six people had already died onboard, according to an audio recording reviewed by CNN from Italian activist Nawal Soufi, who took a distress call from the migrant boat at around 7 p.m. Soufis communication with the vessel also corroborated Mostafas account that people moved from one side of the boat to the other after water bottles were passed from the cargo ships, causing it to sway dangerously. The haunting final words sent from the migrant boat came just minutes before it capsized. According to a timeline published by NGO Alarm Phone they received a call, at around 1:45 a.m., with the words Hello my friend The ship you send is Then the call cuts out. The coast guard says the vessel began to sink at around 2 a.m. The next known activity in the area, according to marine traffic data, was the arrival of a cluster of vessels starting around 3 a.m. The Mayan Queen superyacht was the first on the scene for what soon became a mass rescue operation. A responsibility to rescue Human rights groups say the authorities had a duty to act to save lives, regardless of what people on board were saying to the coast guard before the migrant boat capsized. The boat was overcrowded, was unseaworthy and should have been rescued and people taken to safety, thats quite clear, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean Vincent Cochetel told CNN in an interview. There was a responsibility for the Greek authorities to coordinate a rescue to bring those people safely to land. Cochetel also pointed to a growing trend by countries, including Greece, to assist migrant boats in leaving their waters. Thats a practice weve seen in recent months. Some coastal states provide food, provide water, sometimes life jackets, sometimes even fuel to allow such boats to continue to only one destination: Italy. And thats not fair, Italy cannot cope with that responsibility alone. Survivors who say the coast guard tried to tow their boat say they dont know what the aim was. There have been multiple documented examples in recent years of Greek patrol boats engaging in so-called pushbacks of migrant vessels from Greek waters in recent years, including in a CNN investigation in 2020. It looks like what the Greeks have been doing since March 2020 as a matter of policy, which is pushbacks and trying to tow a boat to another countrys water in order to avoid the legal responsibility to rescue, Omer Shatz, legal director of NGO Front-LEX, told CNN. Because rescue means disembarkation and disembarkation means processing of asylum requests. Pushbacks are state measures aimed at forcing refugees and migrants out of their territory, while impeding access to legal and procedural frameworks, according to the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). They are a violation of international law, as well as European regulations. And such measures do not appear to have deterred human traffickers whose businesses prey on vulnerable and desperate migrants. In an interview with CNN last month, then Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis denied that his country engaged in intentional pushbacks and described them as a completely unacceptable practice. Mitsotakis is widely expected to win a second term in office in Sundays election, after failing to get an outright majority in a vote last month. A series of Greek governments have been criticized for their handling of migration policy, including conditions in migrant camps, particularly following the 2015-16 refugee crisis, when more than 1 million people entered Europe through the country. For those who lived through last weeks sinking, the harrowing experience will never be forgotten. Mostafa and Rami both say they wish they had never made the journey, despite the fact they are now in Europe and are able to claim asylum. Most of all, Mostafa says, he wishes the Greek coast guard had never approached their boat: If they had left us be, we wouldnt have drowned. This story was first published on CNN.com, "If they had left us be, we wouldnt have drowned: CNN investigation raises questions about Greek coast guards account of shipwreck tragedy" An unusual deep freeze on May 17-18 wreaked havoc on regional orchards and berry crops, but the impact of the damage is still being assessed, according to area growers and agricultural experts. Laura McDermott, a fruit specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Washington County said what is known is that it has been a stressful time for apple and berry growers. Its been the most dramatic event of my career, she said on Friday of her nearly 30 years doing agricultural work. Dan Wilson, owner of Hicks Orchard in Granville, said hes expecting about a 40% loss of apples from the frost, despite an effort building fires in the orchard that night to combat it. He said apple growers wont know the overall impact until harvest season, but he said at very least, he expects grocery store apple prices to increase. Whether apples will be more expensive in his orchard remains to be see and he said hes mindful the customer will only accept so much. In addition to apples being damaged or lost, McDermott said berry crops and vineyards were also impacted, including some smaller growers reporting berry losses of 60 to 70% She said the duration of the deep frost made it so damaging. We had almost nine hours underneath 32 and temperature minimums of close to 24, she said. So, we had fruit damage as well as flower damage and the loss all the way down into the Hudson Valley. The impact will likely be fewer apples and berries and U-pick apples that dont look as pretty, but will still taste great, she said. On the upside, she said, the apples that survived the frost will likely be larger and higher quality. And Wilson said some of the more popular apple types including Macintosh and Cortland weathered the frost well. Early varieties like Zestars were basically wiped out, he said. Wilson said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is working on potential disaster relief for growers and he said the frost impacted farmers from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania. But not all growers were impacted. John Hand, of Greenwichs Hand Farm, said the frost led him to begin irrigating his strawberry crops hours earlier than he does for usual frost events, and that effort saved his fruit. And although petals on his blueberry crops turned brown after the frost, he said they too survived reasonably well. I do know some other farmers werent quite as successful, he said. Hand said he learned early on in his career how disastrous a frost can be. Two years after he took over the farm after his father passed, a frost event destroyed his entire crop. I figured that lesson that night cost me more than my Cornell education did, he said. It was a pretty expensive lesson. Wilson said while the frost was impactful for sure, he was feeling a little thankful it wasnt worse and said only time will tell the total impact. Were happy to have the fruit we do because Ive heard stories of farms that are already declaring that theyre wiped out, he said. And theyre not just mom-and-pop farms, there are big ones too. McDermott said shes hopeful area residents will support local fruit farms in light of the struggles many are having. Its been a tough season, she said. A Lakewood man will serve 14 years in prison in the fatal shooting of a Little Egg Harbor Township man in 2021, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday. Jahvontae Debose, 26, was sentenced by Judge Lisa A. Puglisi to seven years in prison on charges of manslaughter, certain person not to possess a weapon and possessing a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense, and an additional seven years on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Debose pleaded guilty to all charges March 28. About 7:40 p.m. Feb. 21, 2021, Lakewood police were summoned to Tudor Court for a 911 call regarding a man who had collapsed in the middle of the road. Officers found Dajour Randolph, 20, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Randolph was transported to Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, in Lakewood, where he was pronounced dead. Ocean County man pleads guilty to shooting Little Egg Harbor man A Lakewood man on Tuesday admitted fatally shooting a Little Egg Harbor Township man in 2021 The Ocean County Medical Examiner determined the cause of Randolphs death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide. Debose was initially charged Feb. 23, 2021, with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense and being a certain person not to possess a weapon. He was arrested in Pleasantville following a motor vehicle stop and was transported to the Ocean County jail, where he has been since his apprehension. Investigators from the Prosecutors Office, Lakewood police and the Ocean County Sheriffs Office found Debose was responsible for Randolphs death, and on Feb. 25, 2021, Debose was served in the Ocean County jail with the complaint charging him as such. State Police, Brick Township police, Manchester Township police, Toms River police, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office, Monmouth County Prosecutors Office, Pleasantville police and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted. 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 Superior Court judge on Friday dismissed charges against Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron, as well as against a former mayor and a city commissioner. Byron said Friday he was happy with the decision and described Judge Bernard DeLury Jr. as a pretty cool guy. In March, a state grand jury returned a 12-count indictment against Byron, former Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. and current City Commissioner Steve Mikulski, alleging all three fraudulently participated in the State Health Benefits Program. Fridays decision was in response to a defense motion that the charges be dismissed, said Eric Shenkus, a public defender in Cape May County representing Byron. It was our belief all along that this was a case that never should have been brought, Shenkus said. The state could appeal the decision, or file new charges, Shenkus said, although he hopes it does not. We sincerely hope that they take this opportunity to take a second look at the case, or lack of case, that they have against all three defendants, Shenkus said Friday. On Saturday, a spokesman for the state Office of the Attorney General, which brought the charges, emailed a statement: The State is in receipt of the Courts decision in State of New Jersey v. Ernest Troiano, et al. The Courts decision to dismiss the indictment was made without prejudice and based on what the Court viewed as a technical deficiency due to grand juror absences during a portion of the States presentation. The Court did not dismiss the indictment based on the merits of the States case against the defendants. While the State is currently reviewing the Courts opinion and assessing litigation options, the State has every intention of prosecuting this case to the fullest extent of the law. The charges included four counts each, including official misconduct, theft by unlawful taking, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with public records. Wildwood police Chief Robert Regalbuto to retire WILDWOOD On his way to retirement, police Chief Robert Regalbuto sees less cooperation wit Since 2010, state law requires elected officials to be full-time employees, with fixed hours of at least 35 hours a week, to be eligible for state health benefits. Byron, Troiano and Mikulski were never eligible because they were never full-time employees as defined by state law, according to the announcement of the indictment from Attorney General Matthew Platkin. But Shenkus said the responsibility fell on the states Local Finance Board, which guides local officials on matters like eligibility to join the plan. They issued a notice and they specifically said that further guidance would be coming as to how it applied to elected officials, Shenkus said. That guidance never came. I didnt do anything wrong, Mikulski said Friday. He said he and the other defendants tried to do everything by the book, which included publicly approving resolutions to accept the state health benefits. Under Wildwoods form of government, with a three-member City Commission, the charges had meant that two-thirds of the citys governing body was under indictment. All three seats are up for reelection this year. Krista Fitzsimons, the former running mate of Byron and Mikulski, has decided to run for a second term with a new slate in November. Byron said Friday he was still on the fence. Mikulski also said Friday he has not yet decided whether he will seek a new term. At that moment, he was still celebrating the dismissal. Wildwood bans possession of alcohol on beach and Boardwalk WILDWOOD City officials are taking a stricter stand on alcohol policies in the city, outri Im very happy with the decision by Judge DeLury, Mikulski said. Each of the defendants was represented by a different attorney. David Stefankiewicz, representing Mikulski, gave a very similar statement to what Shenkus said, that he hoped the state Attorney Generals Office would reevaluate the charges, rather than bringing them back to a grand jury or filing an appeal. Im not holding my breath that theyre going to do that, Stefankiewicz said. Troiano did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Attempts to reach Brian Pelloni, listed by state officials as Troianos attorney, were unsuccessful. The state had alleged that all three men submitted false time sheets showing they worked Monday through Friday. As a result, Wildwood and the (State Health Benefits Program) paid over $286,500 in premiums and claims on behalf of Troiano from July 2011 through December 2019, and paid over $608,900 in premiums and claims on behalf of Byron from July 2011 through October 2021, the state Attorney Generals Office alleged. Mikulski became a commissioner in 2020. The state alleged he received more than $103,000 in premiums and claims on his behalf through October 2021. The decision does not end Byrons legal troubles. In March, he pleaded guilty to federal charges of filing fraudulent tax returns in 2017 and 2018, failing to report more than $40,000 in income. He faces a potential sentence of three years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Sentencing in that case is set for Aug. 2. Elected officials and police at the Jersey Shore for two years have sought state help keeping order after New Jersey blocked effective enforcement of laws against minors drinking and using marijuana. Gov. Phil Murphy and leaders of the Legislature have refused to reconsider their de facto decriminalization of underage marijuana and alcohol use. Disorder is spreading, youngsters are at risk, and tragic harm to kids and the crucial tourism season looks too possible. With summer starting, the leaders of fabulously successful and well-run Ocean City recently made a calm, strong case for help amending the laws that are contributing to growing teen-fueled disorder at the shore. City Police Chief Jay Prettyman said the state ban on searching juveniles who seem to have alcohol and on doing more than warning those under 18 found with alcohol or marijuana has essentially legalized underage drinking and cannabis use. N.J. PBA President Pat Colligan has advised law enforcement not to approach minors for suspected alcohol or marijuana possession, since officers can be charged with a career-ending deprivation of rights if they violate the cannabis legalization law to investigate potential underage use or possession. Teens have learned they can get high and drunk with impunity. Ocean City officers responded to 999 incidents of misbehaving young people over Memorial Day weekend. Eight minors were taken to the hospital after drinking themselves unconscious. Mayor Jay Gillian could hardly have been more considerate in his plea for help from state officials, acknowledging their good intent and refusing to blame them. But the danger can no longer be ignored. The behavior of many of these young people poses a serious threat not only to their own health and safety but to the future of Ocean City as Americas Greatest Family Resort, he said. A few legislators proposed a response, but a committee removed a provision that would have allowed cops to search teens seen possessing alcoholic beverages. That left just an ineffective fine for people under 21 consuming alcohol in public and they still couldnt be approached. State Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, has sponsored more effective bills, including one that would remove the potential of criminal liability for a police officer investigating underage possession of alcohol or marijuana unless civil rights are violated. After last years rash of popup parties quickly drawing crowds through social media, including one in Wildwood that resulted in two deaths, such reforms are urgent. There arent many small towns that can maintain public safety and effectively protect their communities when thousands of rowdy people suddenly show up with little or no warning, Testa said. We understand the desire of Murphy and legislative leaders to prevent their marijuana legalization, which inevitably has increased underage use, from saddling kids with criminal records. But the answer isnt effectively sanctioning big drinking and pot parties by youngsters. Last fall, Atlantic Countys Republican state legislators Sen. Vince Polistina, Assemblywoman Claire Swift and Assemblyman Don Guardian introduced a bill to give police clear rules on how they can interact with minors in possession of alcohol or cannabis. Police could temporarily detain juveniles who unlawfully purchase or possess alcoholic beverages or cannabis, give them a written warning and notify their parents or guardians. Police would be required to seize from those under age 21 any alcohol or marijuana in their possession. They would not be subject to arrest, and no criminal record would result. This or some similar reform must happen soon. Now that the Jersey Shore is entering into the heart of the summer season, each weekend brings a new risk that stopping police from helping keep kids safe will end in an avoidable tragedy. By: Prince Chaudhuri One distress call on 101 (whether it is to report a fire incident, a building collapse where people are trapped under the debris, a vehicle on fire with passengers, or a huge tree or trees collapsed on a major roadway or on a residential building, or a vehicle) and the fire bell is sounded, a team of firemen exits with the fire engine within 30 seconds and rush to the scene. The Mirror correspondent witnessed a surprise live mock demo at the Central Fire Station, Bhavani Peth, and got an opportunity to understand how the firefighters work in unison at the time of crisis despite their own lives being at stake. Speaking with Mirror, a second-generation leading fireman and a shift incharge, Sanjay Jadhav, shared an incident that earned him a bravery award. I was travelling back from Mumbai a few years ago, when I spotted a car heading towards Mumbai, in flames. As I crossed the highway, I noticed the passengers huddled inside the vehicle. I got them out and used my car fire extinguisher and two half-filled 20-litre water cans from the burning car to extinguish the rubber bellow fire in the engine compartment, he said. He added, In mock drills at schools, colleges, hotels, hospitals, IT Parks and malls people try to familiarise themselves with the firefighting equipment. A couple of demos are done at the central fire stations every week, which is attended by students, citizens, and even army personnel. Fire safety awareness is conducted annually in the city from April 14 to 20. The Pune fire brigade is the safest in the state. The SOP is excellent and it takes 3 minutes to cut the flames. Jadhav added, For a major fire, a massive accident, or a building collapse with people trapped or buried, or someone drowning, the first response is top priority. During last years monsoon, a car got swept into the river, and we were able to extricate and save the passengers. The flames in the Modi Petrol pump fire incident that happened over a decade ago were 90 metres high; another fire broke out in the same pump the following week. The driver of the fire engine, Nyaneshwar Khedkar, who received the Presidents medal, unfortunately, died later in an accident while on the Presidents VVIP standby duty, when his vehicle slid off the road in the ghat, he said. Claiming fire insurance Second generation leading fireman and PRO, Nilesh Mahajan, said, In a fire insurance claim there is a list of items that need to be submitted. For example in a vehicle fire claim, it depends if it was a minor fire doused by the passengers, or by the fire department. So the police complaint, fire report, along with other documents, will have to be submitted to the insurance company. When an application is received by our department regarding a fire incident, where a vehicle is completely or partially burnt, or a residential fire, where documents have been reduced to ashes, a report is given after verification. One needs to understand that the fire fighting vehicles carry a lot of equipment, but they also contain a huge amount of water ranging from 9,000 to 18,000 litres in jumbo tankers. On narrow, over-crowded roads, travelling at high speed, the vehicle often swings like a pendulum due to the large quantity of water; the skill of the driver to maintain the balance is praiseworthy, he elucidated. Every call is important; each life is precious Pankaj Jagtap, a second-generation duty officer at Central Fire Brigade Station, told Pune Mirror, My Father was HoD and I spent my growing up days here. We have 20 fire stations in Pune. Depending on the gravity of the situation, we take immediate action. We have three shifts: 7 am 2 pm, 2 pm 9 pm, and 9 pm 7 am. We treat every call we receive with the utmost attention. He added, Punctuality is mandatory, and the official SIM card phone cannot be switched off. Everything, including firefighters, officers, and vehicles, is time logged. A piece of advice Jagtap said, Citizens should use ISI electric wires which should be checked annually, as over time the rubber coating melts due to heat and the metal wires inside stick to one another causing short circuit fires. Blow out the lamps, check if all the electrical appliances and gas are switched off before leaving home. Haunted faces filled a Rock Island County courtroom Friday. The 16 people in six rows of the gallery were there to see 16-year-old Napoleon Jackson. He was making his second appearance since he was arrested and charged with the April 14 home invasion and killing of 17-year-old Danny Taylor in rural Milan. They were there for almost 15 minutes and learned Jackson will make his next court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 1. Before the hearing, Dave and Melodi Taylor, Danny's parents, led their family into the pews behind the prosecutor's table. Melodi wore a pale-yellow summer dress, and her eyes darted around the room. Jackson's friends and family followed and took seats behind the defense attorney's table. Both families sat in silence for almost 10 minutes while Rock Island County State's Attorney Dora Villarreal, public defender Hany Khoury and Judge Frank Fuhr waited for Jackson's arrival. The silence was broken by a few whispers, then the sound of Melodi Taylor softly sobbing. Dave Taylor held her and tried to comfort her. Jackson entered the courtroom with shackles at his ankles. He wore a white shirt, blue jeans and a band-aid strip across his nose. "Love you, Bubba," a few family members said to Jackson. Prosecutors called one witness during the hearing. Brittany Jones was there, the prosecutors said, because she was a material witness, and they asked for her to be allowed to appear Sept. 1 via Zoom, because she lives out of town. Jones said she didn't want to appear at all. "I don't know the kid," Jones said, gesturing toward Jackson. "I don't know nothing. Just leave me out of it." Fuhr warned the witness that she is expected to keep in contact with Villarreal's office and make all required appearances. Jackson did not speak to the judge during the hearing. He was arrested on April 19 in Newton, Iowa one day after an unnamed 15-year-old was arrested. Both teens were charged with first-degree murder and home invasion in the killing of Taylor. Jackson is being tried as adult. Illinois law dictates all juveniles 15 and younger be charged in juvenile court. The Rock Island County Sheriff's Department responded at 12:44 a.m. April 14 to a home in rural Milan, where officers found the 17-year-old Taylor "with multiple gunshot wounds." Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and the teen was pronounced dead at the scene. "Initial information gathered suggests that a confrontation occurred inside the residence," according to a news release from the sheriff's department. "Several gunshots were fired during this incident, including the round that is believed to have struck the victim. "Suspects fled the scene." Investigators said a 15-year-old with gunshot wounds was taken to UnityPoint Health-Trinity Rock Island at 1:04 a.m. The teen was later transferred to OSF St. Francis in Peoria before being taken to the Mary Davis Juvenile Detention Facility in Galesburg. Jackson was charged with aggravated battery for wounding the 15-year-old. During Jackson's first appearance, Judge Peter Church read the charges to Jackson and explained the potential sentences he faces if convicted: For first-degree murder, the sentence is between 45 and 85 years, and Jackson would have to serve 100%. On the home invasion charge, he could face anywhere between 21 and 45 years, Church said. Church asked if Jackson understood the charges and penalties to which the teen answered, "Yes." Asked if he could post the $1 million cash-only bond, Jackson said, "No." While abortion remains legal in Iowa until roughly 20 weeks of pregnancy, lawmakers and activists on both sides of the issue are gearing up for another protracted battle. A divided Iowa Supreme Court, in a rare 3-3 decision this month, declined to reinstate a six-week abortion ban previously blocked by state courts, but a new law could be coming. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a statement responding to the court order, said the fight is not over. Kollin Crompton, Reynolds deputy communications director, said the governor is considering options, but didnt give specifics, such as calling for a special legislative session to enact stricter abortion laws. The governors office would not say whether Reynolds plans to propose her own legislation on abortion restrictions, or whether she will she work with Republican legislators through the legislative process. Republicans hold large majorities in the Iowa House and Senate, and leaders of both chambers have criticized the ruling and suggested they will work toward passing new legislation. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, issued statements alongside Reynolds immediately following the Supreme Courts order, also expressing their disappointment in the split opinion. Whitver said the courts decision a year ago overturning a prior 2018 ruling establishing a constitutional right of women to terminate a pregnancy should reasonably be considered a substantial change in the law and the injunction should have been lifted. Senate Republicans have a consistent record of defending life, including the passage of the heartbeat bill, he said. We will work with Gov. Reynolds and the House to advance pro-life policies to protect the unborn. Caleb Hunter, Whitvers spokesman, said the Senate Majority Leader did not have any comment beyond his previously released statement. Grassleys office did not respond to multiple messages last week seeking comment. What are Republicans options? Iowa GOP lawmakers could write another law that further restricts abortions, which would assuredly be challenged and return to the Iowa Supreme Court, where justices would be required to determine whether a different legal standard of review should now be applied, said Drake University law professor Sally Frank. Republicans also could see through a proposal to amend the Iowa Constitution to clearly state it does not guarantee an Iowans right to abortion. Amending the state constitution requires passage through consecutive two-year sessions of the Iowa Legislature, plus a public vote. Lawmakers have approved the proposed amendment once; they would need to pass it again by 2024 and then put it to a public vote. Republicans also have multiple options as to when they take their next step. The regular work of the 2023 Iowa Legislature concluded in early May, but Reynolds could call for a special session. Otherwise, the next regular legislative session begins in January. Anti-abortion advocates in the state said they are encouraging state lawmakers and the governor to look at all the options on the table, including a special legislative session to pass another version of the fetal heartbeat bill. Maggie DeWitte, executive director of the anti-abortion group Pulse Life Advocates, formerly Iowa Right to Life, says the overturning the fundamental right to abortion one year ago has opened the door to move forward with a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, and they will continue to work on ending abortion. We are going to support the quickest measure that we can move forward to save babies lives in the womb, DeWitte said. At this point, everything is a possibility and we are looking at all of the different avenues available to us, which includes a heartbeat bill or something similar. Additionally, DeWitte said the group will continue to advocate for legislation that would define life starting at conception, as well as the constitutional amendment. The people of Iowa spoke when they elected our pro-life Legislature and governor, she said. Theyre speaking very loudly that they expect pro-life legislation to be passed here in our state. Iowa Democrats argue the vast majority of Iowans support legal access to abortion care. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from March found 61 percent of Iowa adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 35 percent said the procedure should be illegal in most or all cases. More than two-thirds of Iowa women said abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Anti-abortion groups meanwhile point to new polling commissioned by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America that the group is using to persuade Republicans to back a 15-week national ban. The poll of 1,000 voters nationwide found 77 percent of respondents support at least some prohibition to abortion, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest. How we got here The blocked 2018 fetal heartbeat law would have prohibited abortions from being performed in the state once cardiac impulses can be detected, roughly around the sixth week of pregnancy, which often is before an individual is aware they are pregnant. Abortion rights advocates say such a prohibition would end 98 percent of the now-legal abortions in Iowa. The law has exceptions for rape, incest, preserving the life of the pregnant person, and fetal abnormalities that are incompatible with life. Supporters of the bill say the presence of a heartbeat indicates life. However, some major medical organizations, like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, note that what is detected at six weeks is not a heartbeat, but instead electrical impulses, and that an actual heartbeat does not occur until roughly 17 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Opponents, including Planned Parenthood, say the bill restricts a womans ability to make decisions about her body with her doctor. Reynolds signed the bill into law in 2018, but it was blocked by the Polk County District Court and never enforced. The District Court ruled the bill unconstitutional, saying it violates the due process and equal protection provisions of the Iowa Constitution. At the time, legal protections for abortion rights did not allow for such a strict abortion ban. That changed a year ago, when the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a 2018 decision, now saying the Iowa Constitution does not provide a fundamental right to an abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court soon after reversed the decades-old Roe v. Wade decision, removing the federal right to an abortion and sending the issue back to states. After that, Reynolds asked the courts to reconsider the fetal heartbeat ban. But rather than ruling on its merits, the deadlocked justices left in place the District Courts permanent injunction largely on procedural grounds, noting the unprecedented scope of the legal ask made by Reynolds. In our view it is legislating from the bench to take a statute that was moribund when it was enacted and has been enjoined for four years and then to put it in effect, Justice Thomas Waterman wrote for the three justices who denied the states request to reinstate the law. Waterman argued when enacted in 2018, the law had no chance of taking effect. To put it politely, the legislature was enacting a hypothetical law, he wrote. Today, such a statute might take effect given the change in the constitutional law landscape. But uncertainty exists about whether a fetal heartbeat bill would be passed today. To begin, a different general assembly is in place than was in place in 2018, with significant turnover of membership in the intervening three election cycles. Additionally, the Iowa Legislature has not voted to approve the constitutional amendment that passed in the last assembly, stating that there is no constitutional right to abortion, Waterman wrote. Decision buys another year of legal abortion in Iowa Whether state lawmakers call a special session or return to the statehouse like normal in January, Frank, the Drake University law professor, anticipates Republicans will pass further abortion restrictions, which will spark a new legal battle. Whatever they pass, be it another six-week ban or something else, will likely be challenged by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union and taken back to District Court. There, Frank expects it will again be blocked for creating an undue burden on someones access to abortion, inevitably landing back before the Iowa Supreme Court, this time to establish the newly defined level of legal scrutiny that should be applied to abortion regulations in Iowa. In the wake of Iowa and U.S. Supreme Court rulings reversing a fundamental right to abortion, abortion opponents argue a new rational basis test now applies, which would open the door to banning abortion in Iowa. To pass the test, laws need only be rationally related to a legitimate governmental interest. I expect that the court would find that the standard of review is rational basis and uphold the ban, Frank said. All of the justices were appointed by Republican governors and five were appointed by Reynolds. Whatever the next action on abortion is, there will be a long road ahead in court, Frank said. Weve gotten another year, basically, of legal abortion in Iowa, she said. A ban would likely pass (the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature). The questions then becomes what are the exceptions, if any. Frank said she anticipates lawmakers will likely also pass a constitutional amendment saying Iowa does not recognize any right to abortion. They can pass a ban, but they wont be able to end abortion, Frank said. Iowa women with resources will go to states where they can legally have an abortion. And poor Iowa women will engage in self-harm to self-abort, or go to back-alley abortions, as was done before abortion was made legal. And we will have women dying, due to the complications of unsafe abortions, Frank said. Republican lawmakers undecided on special session Iowa Rep. Steve Holt, a Republican from Denison, who believes life should be protected from conception to natural death, said GOP lawmakers are undecided about whether to return for a special session to pass a new abortion ban, or wait until next year. Holt said hes inclined to again pass the six-week ban and force the Iowa Supreme Court to rule on its merits, rather than procedure. He also said he doesnt foresee the need to move ahead with a constitutional amendment in the wake of the Iowa Supreme Courts ruling overturning the fundamental right to an abortion. Holt led passage of the constitutional amendment bill during the 2021 session, prior to the 2022 court ruling. Rep. Brent Siegrist, an assistant House majority leader and a Republican from Council Bluffs, said the issue is best left to be worked out during the next regular legislative session that begins in January. I think theres more than a few complicating factors the constitutional amendment, the current political mood, exemptions in the original bill and whether they stay or are expanded, Siegrist said. I dont know if attitudes have changed since we passed the bill, but its a pretty volatile political issue to try to tackle in a abbreviated special session. Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Christian conservative group The Family Leader, wants state lawmakers to take action before the regular session in January. Well support them in the direction that they want to take it, Vander Plaats told The Gazette. My recommendation would be is that they would call a special session early next month, repass the heartbeat bill at minimum, and run it through the courts so the courts now know were serious about protecting unborn lives. He said his group has backed away from the constitutional amendment after justices ruled there is no fundamental right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution subject to strict scrutiny. Vander Plaats has said the three justices on the Iowa Supreme Court who blocked reinstating the fetal heartbeat ban should resign, be impeached or be ousted. He led a successful campaign in 2010 to oust three other justices after the court legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa. Vander Plaats called the courts order "disrespectful to Iowans and their own court. He cited the opinion from the three justices who voted to overturn the lower courts ruling, Christopher McDonald, Matthew McDermott and David May. It isnt for us to dictate abortion policy in the state, but simply to interpret and apply the law as best we can in cases that come before us, McDermott wrote. We fail the parties, the public, and the rule of law in our refusal today to apply the law and decide this case. Vander Plaats argues Waterman, Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Justice Edward Mansfield violated their oath and went outside their constitutional parameters as an activist court in voting to let stand the District Courts permanent injunction of the law. Frank, the Drake law professor, called the argument absurd. Impeachment has to do with conviction of a felony and high crimes and misdemeanors, said Frank. You dont get impeached for disagreeing with a ruling. Holt, while calling the courts order egregious, threw cold water on the notion of impeachment. I understand the argument there, but I also believe we have to be very careful when we talk about impeachment of justices because we disagree with their ruling, Holt said. Connie Ryan, chairperson of Justice Not Politics, said Vander Plaats attack on Iowas Supreme Court justices politicizes the courts for political gain. Contrary to Bob Vander Plaats political point of view, Iowas Supreme Court justices meet all legitimate standards to serve the people of Iowa, Ryan said in a statement. Just because you disagree with a ruling does not mean the justices are not qualified. Iowans see through Vander Plaats political charade and will continue to support Iowas fair and impartial judicial system. Vander Plaats was also among a panel of anti-abortion leaders who last week called upon GOP presidential candidates to embrace a national abortion ban to win the Republican Iowa caucuses. The evangelical leader urged presidential front-runners to embrace the issue with a clear stance. Some in the party, however, attribute a poor national showing in the 2022 midterms in part to unpopular messaging and policy on abortion. Opponents, too, have warned of a potential political backlash to a new abortion restriction, highlighting failed anti-abortion ballot measures in Kansas and Kentucky last year. Democrats pledge to protect abortion rights During a news conference last week at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines, leaders in the Iowa Democratic Party said they expect statehouse Republicans to introduce legislation that will restrict abortions, and that they will make some effort to change the makeup of the Iowa Supreme Court or the language in the Iowa Constitution. Democrats will work to stop those efforts, and make their case to Iowans as to why, Iowa Democratic Party leaders said. We will continue to stand up and speak to the damage that the bills that Republicans have and will propose will cost Iowa families, Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, of Windsor Heights, said at the news conference. There are unintended consequences all over what Republicans want to do in this state, and there are womens lives who are at risk with some of their proposals, Konfrst said. And were going to be loud and proactive about what it is that were going to do to stop this. She said statehouse Democrats dont know specifically what to expect from Republicans in regard to abortion legislation, but are prepared to anything. "They have to find consensus within a pretty extreme caucus, within another extreme caucus, and with the governor, Konfrst said. So their negotiations are not thinking about what do Iowans want. Theyre thinking about, What can we pass to appease the special interests? And so theyre not considering a lot of things that are what you should consider when writing policy. Theyre considering politics. She also said Iowa Democrats will push back at any conservative effort to have sitting Iowa Supreme Court justices removed or change the way Iowa judges are nominated to the courts. This is absolutely way out of touch with what Iowans expect, and it is out of touch with what the system is developed to do, Konfrst said. Bob Vander Plaats is a special interest representative, and if he wants to oust judges, thats his opinion. But to engage elected officials, and doing it in a way that would usurp their independence is absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate. (CNN) Around 300 women took part in a sit-in outside Paduas palace of justice on Friday, after a state prosecutor in the northern Italian city said the birth certificates of 33 children born to lesbian couples were not legal. In a peaceful protest, the women held up signs with slogans such as: The teacher taught us that we are all the same. Didnt your teacher teach you? Originally, the state prosecutor questioned the legality of the birth certificate of a child with two mothers, registered by the municipality in August 2017. The prosecutor described the naming of the non-biological mother as the second parent on the birth certificate as illegitimate and has asked the local civil court to allow her name to be removed from both the certificate and from the childs double-barreled surname. The childs biological mother, a 40-year-old who married her partner abroad, has received notification of the request from acting Padua prosecutor Valeria Sanzari, CNN affiliate SkyTG24 reported Monday. The court hearing is set for November 14, a document seen by CNN shows. In her petition to the court, the prosecutor wrote that the young age of the child excludes that the change of the surname as requested could have repercussions on her social life. On Monday, SkyTG24 reported the little girls biological mother as saying: This is not just about repercussions on social life, but repercussions on ones identity, until proven otherwise a fundamental right. A personal trauma at a delicate stage of development, from no longer having a brother and a mother. And other families are likely to face a similar situation soon. The prosecutors office has also asked the municipality for the birth certificates of all 33 children who have been registered with the surnames of two mothers since 2017, a spokesman for Sergio Giordani, the mayor of Padua, told CNN Wednesday. He added that letters had been sent to seven more families that day, informing them that their childrens birth certificates are invalid. These 33 cases are the same and all the couples will be notified, Sanzari told Italian news agency ANSA on Tuesday. I am obliged to enforce the law and with the current legislation I cannot do anything else, she added. The Padua prosecutors office is acting on the basis that Italian law doesnt recognize the possibility of a child having two mothers. Gay marriage has not been legalized in Italy. Because it isnt recognized in law, the non-biological parent in a same-sex relationship has to make a special case for legally adopting their child. Padua mayor Giordani has said he is happy with the municipalitys decision to include both mothers on the birth certificates, saying in a press release on Tuesday that it is an act of responsibility toward these little ones, because I do not accept the thought that they are discriminated against from the very beginning, as soon as they are born. He said there is a very serious legislative vacuum that the Italian parliament needs to remedy, and he called on politicians to put aside the ideological battle and think only of the children. The prosecutors move comes three months after the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ordered city councils to stop automatically registering both parents in lesbian couples on birth certificates. In March, the municipality of Milan had to stop registering the births of children born overseas to same-sex couples, following a letter from the Prefect of Milan. On Monday, Italian lawmakers began debating a controversial bill known as DL Varchi, which would criminalize surrogacies arranged abroad, with sentences of up to two years in prison and a fine of 600,000 to 1 million ($651,000 to $1.1 million). However, an amnesty may be granted to people who had children through surrogacy if the law is passed, Family Minister Eugenia Roccella said in an interview due to be aired Friday, Reuters reported. CNN has reached out to the ministers office for confirmation. Melonis campaign for last Septembers national election was laced with anti-LGBTQ+ themes and support for traditional family values. And she tweeted in 2021 that surrogacy is an abomination that wants to reduce human life to a bargaining chip. Her stance has drawn criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who told Meloni at a G7 summit last month that Canada was concerned about some of Italys positions on LGBTQ+ rights. Meloni responded that her government is following court decisions and not deviating from previous adminstrations. Italys Association of Rainbow Families, which represents LGBTQ+ families, condemned the Padua prosecutors move as shameful in a civilized country. This is the first time that all of a citys certificates have been challenged so many years after they were formed, and for this to happen as a result of pressure on mayors from a ministry and a government is something that should give anyone pause about the tightness of our democracy, the association said Wednesday on its Facebook page. Our families in Padua have been overwhelmed by a real tsunami: little girls and boys risk seeing their mothers, brothers and sisters erased, who will no longer be considered as such, becoming strangers before the Italian state, it said. The minister for parliamentary elections, Luca Ciriani, defended the prosecutors decision. The prosecutors office simply applied the law, as recalled by a Supreme Court ruling. In Italy, marriage is only between a man and a woman, and therefore only the biological parent is the parent whose surname can be registered, Ciriani said Tuesday on RTL radio. Chiara Gribaudo, an MP from the center-left Democratic Party, was at Fridays protest. She tweeted that a violent act had been committed in Padua and that the law (was) interpreted according to use and consumption to divide the country and discriminate against people. And Alessandra Mussolini, a right-wing Member of the European Parliament and granddaughter of dictator Benito Mussolini, said in a video published on Twitter Tuesday: What happened in Padua, with the prosecutors office challenging the birth certificates of children born to homosexual couples, is unworthy of a civilized country. It is like going to throw a bomb into a family and it just happens to hit only the children. An established chain of affection has been broken and tried to be broken. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Italian women protest prosecutors call to erase lesbian mothers name from childs birth certificate" The statehouse was already a familiar space for Gregg Johnson from advocacy work when he returned to Springfield in January. Back in the day, Johnson said, he would spend days under the dome advocating for health care, higher minimum wage or issues related to the organization he represented at the time. This time around, he was walking into the statehouse as the Democratic Representative for the 72nd House District. "I had a pretty good understanding of what I was walking into," Johnson said. The 72nd House District encompasses all or portions of Hampton, East Moline, Silvis, Moline, Rock Island, Milan and Taylor Ridge. Spring session runs from January to May. Coming in as a new lawmaker, Johnson said it could be a bit overwhelming, especially that first month or so, because of the amount of new information and the hundreds of pieces legislation to sift through. "It took me until the break in April to really kind of get my feet underneath me and really feel like I was going to make an impact," he said. His first bill, House Bill 2448, changes state statute so that incoming conservation police officers must be at least 20 years old, rather than 21, and must have completed an associates degree or 60 hours of college credit. "It's going to help, hopefully, address the shortage that we have of conservation officers across the state," he said. Another bill he was happy to help sponsor and pass established The Rock Island Regional Port District Act. Education funding One of the big priorities he has heard from constituents is investing in education. Illinois' $50.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2024 makes a larger investment toward education. For higher education, the budget includes a $279 million increase from last year, bringing total state higher education spending to $2.5 billion. The Monetary Award Program (MAP) received a $100 million increase; public universities and community colleges received a 7% direct funding increase, coming in at $80.5 million and $19.4 million; and a $15 million increase for AIM High Grants. The MAP grants are needs-based grants open to eligible Illinois residents who attend approved colleges or universities in the state. When tuition becomes cheaper, Johnson said, people will stay in Illinois rather than go elsewhere. "When kids go to school, college, here in Illinois, they stay here at very high numbers when they graduate college and they build their lives here in Illinois," Johnson said. Evidence-based funding formula for K-12 received a $350 million increase, bringing the total state funding to $8.3 billion. The State Board of Education uses the tiered formula to distribute state funding based on the level of local funding. The budget also includes $45 million for the first year of a three-year pilot to fill teacher vacancies and additional investment in scholarships for future teachers. With a daughter about to enter seventh grade and two grandkids, Johnson said he wants the best quality of education for them just like any other parent does for their kids. He wants them to be able to fulfill her potential and achieve anything they set their minds to. "I've been very fortunate that I've been surrounded by a lot of strong women in my entire life," he said. "I want her to realize that as long as she works hard, and she plays by the rules, that she can achieve anything and I want all of her peers to feel the same way and that there is no limits." Smart Start Illinois, a new program in the budget, invests $250 million aimed to eliminate preschool deserts, stabilize the child care workforce and expand the early intervention and home visiting programs. The funding creates 5,000 new preschool spots in the first year with the goal of creating 20,000 spots over the next four years. Funding in education, Johnson said, must start at the bottom to ensure kids in Illinois are receiving the best education. The budget also includes $1.6 million to launch a partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, an initiative that sends free books to children under age 5. Recently, Illinois became the first state to ban book bans. The law takes effect next year and prohibits book bans in public schools and libraries. When the legislation was proposed, Johnson said he was excited to vote for it and that books are vital to learning about the diversity, history and ways other people live. Multiple languages, he said, are spoken here and that gives people multiple opportunities to listen and learn. Other bills A few bills he was proud to vote for were ones that helped address food deserts, lowering drug prices, and structural building and residential codes. In light of what happened across the river with 324 Main St. collapsing, displacing residents of the building and those surrounding, Johnson said the bill relating to building codes is even more vital to prevent something like that happening in Illinois. Senate Bill 2368 establishes the Capital Development Board's ability, in consultation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, to put forth minimum requirements for the construction of commercial and residential buildings. Johnson was the chief house sponsor of the legislation. The reason the legislation came into play, he said, was due to what happening in Southern Illinois in Edwardsville when the roof of an Amazon building collapsed during a tornado in December 2021, killing six workers who were trying to take cover inside and injury others. As inspection records came to light, inspectors found safety concerns as they checked construction at the facility. "We should not want our people put in buildings that are unsafe simply because these companies want to make a buck off our constituents," he said. Earlier this week, a downtown Rock Island building was evacuated due to bricks falling off the building. Three residents have been displaced and a business that was on the ground floor is closed until the issue is fixed by the owner. Family impact Johnson's proudest moment was on May 11. He was on House Floor, debate was moving along on a series of bills seeking to further protect access to abortion. In an interview with a Lee Enterprises statehouse reporter, Johnson said he wanted it to be over and felt like retreating into a shell. But as hard as it was, he had a story to tell about his mom. Shirley Hunter was a single mother of three from Rock Island who was pregnant with her fourth child in 1972. She suffered from severe preeclampsia during her first three pregnancies and was told she would likely not survive a fourth. She sought an abortion. It was a year before the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was decided, so Hunter saved money to travel to New York, which was one of the few states where abortion was legal at the time. But she was too far along in her pregnancy and nothing could be done. She returned to Rock Island and died July 13, 1972, at 33, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter, 8-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. Shirley Hunter was my mother and these girls are my sisters, Johnson said, speaking from his desk in the Illinois House chamber. And our lives were thrown into chaos because our mother had no option other than to die and leave us. Getting teary-eyed and a bit choked up reflecting on it on Tuesday, Johnson said every time he tells it, it takes a piece of him. But he knows he is making a difference because he wants to make sure no other family goes through what his sisters and he have gone through. Telling his story and letting people know that Illinois is a place where people can come in which their rights to make their own decisions was important to him. "I want to make sure that no family goes through that," he said. With spring session wrapped up and veto session not expected until late fall, Johnson is happy to be back home with his family and get some boots-on-the-ground work done. He's a homebody, he said, and there's nothing quite like sleeping in his own bed. As for his first six months as a lawmaker, the experience was all about learning. He was able to see how session unfolds, how the drafting a bill and it going through the process works, how the budget process works and how nothing ever seems to start on time in Springfield. "Now, I get to go to the next part of my education, which is veto session," he said. Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries 1980s-2000s: Legal challenges to Roe v. Wade introduce restrictions 1970s: Roe v. Wade protects women's right to abortion; politics shift 1960s: 'Back-alley butchers,' birth control, and protests 2020s: Roe v. Wade is overturned; Postal Service allowed to mail abortion medication The evolution of abortion in America Pre-1850: Abortions in early America are commonplace Mid-1800s: Birth of the American Medical Association shifts abortion oversight from midwives to doctors; abortion is criminalized The Moline Police Department has received its first-ever state accreditation. Reviews of Moline's processes and policies will be ongoing, and the accreditation already has taken years to achieve. Police Chief Darren Gault said Moline has been working toward it since he took over as chief nearly four years ago. For Gault, it was important to achieve a standing that represents the highest standards of policework. "Our entire police department played a role in achieving accreditation," he said. "They should be proud of that and can say that they are serving an agency that has met the highest standards and is serving their community with distinction." Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati and City Administrator Bob Vitas presented the police department with the accreditation plaque at this week's city council meeting, congratulating them on the achievement for the department and the community. "You can be assured that Moline is policing your community in accordance with the best practices in modern policing standards," Vitas said. Process of accreditation There are two tiers for local law enforcement to achieve accreditation. Tier 1 has 69 standards that must be met and are divided into four categories: administration, operations, personnel, and training. For example, the police department had to prove they use a software program the accreditation program requires, called PowerDMS, that also allows the department to prove to assessors they are meeting required standards. "For example, if it's a squad car that has to have lights, we have to take pictures of the squad cars and prove that they have markings and lights and upload those (photos)," Gault said. Summer O'Leary, the police department's business analyst, said requirements are very specific for what has to be included in proving the standards are reached. Other examples: the department must supply documents showing its firearm qualification roster to show officers are regularly qualifying. "It's not enough to just say that you do it. You have got to prove it," O'Leary said. The proof of the standards has to be submitted within a certain timeframe too. "They are not going to let you go back and say, 'Well we did this eight years ago,' " she said. "They want to see it as in a more recent timeframe." The process consisted of an independent third-party review of updated policies, practices, and procedures along with an on-site assessment. Community members also were invited to provide input during the on-site assessment. The department updated dozens of policies, including some from nearly 10 years ago, Gault said. "This was a great exercise for us to take a look at all those policies and make sure that we were updating them," he said. "We really had to dissect a lot of them." A few had to be dissected and updated more than once. The use-of-force policy, for example, was studied at least four times before they had a final product. "Our staff deserves clear, up-to-date direction that gives them guidance and certain legal protections and holds them accountable," said Gault. "They don't want to operate in a confusing environment and for us to have updated policies, procedures, and guidance for this is critical." A final assessment is held on-site over two days, during which representatives from the accreditation program held in-person interviews with staff members and administrators, interviewed people who work in city hall, and interviewed members of the community. Representatives met with a staff member in every function of the police department, such as the evidence custodian, did ride-alongs with officers and met with investigations and with Gault. Moline police have an authorized sworn strength of 84 officers, though the department currently has 79 officers, along with eight civilian staff and 21 part-time crossing guards. Earlier in the year, the public was invited to voice opinions, experiences, and other information with the accreditation team. They also could have called in to privately speak with representatives from the accreditation program. The next goal is to achieve Tier 2 accreditation, which has 181 standards. "We can't just sit back and relax now," O'Leary said. "Not only are we trying to achieve Tier 2 but have to maintain our Tier 1 accreditation over the next four years, which means providing all these proofs for all 69 standards for every year for that four-year period." Moline is one of 57 police departments in Illinois to achieve accreditation. Rock Island Police Department received its first accreditation in 2013 and has been a Tier 2 accredited agency since 2014. Photos: Moline Police serves search warrant on 20th Avenue CAMBRIDGE Henry County board members voted Thursday to hold over two changes to the rules of the Henry County Board until next month. The first change involves language allowing the board to meet remotely including entirely remotely with no one at the physical location. There was no discussion of the rule change. The second change involves when the county board chairman can vote at committee meetings. Current board rules state the board chairman has the privilege of voting at committee meetings. Board member Mark Burton said some committees have been permitting the board chairman to vote only when her presence is required to establish a quorum, which would be the standard with the new rule change. Board member Dale Stiles said he would prefer to stick with the way the rule was written, which makes it "pretty clear" the chairman can vote. "I don't know why we would change it," he said. "I'm not for taking privilege away from the chairman." Board member Jill Darin said most committees have an odd number of members, and adding the county board chairman's vote would make it more common to have tie votes. "We were trying to limit that potential there," she said. Board member Jim Thompson said he felt all the committees should be doing the same thing, one way or the other. "I'm not for it or against it," he said. "I think the chairman should always have the right to vote," said board member Tim Wells. "I'm not in favor of changing the rules." State's Attorney Catherine Runty said she didn't hear a question about whether the board can or can't make a change, just whether it would be a good move to do so. She noted it would require a two-thirds majority to change the rules. In the end, board member Mark Burton withdrew his motion for the two rule changes and board member Tim Yager moved to lay over the issue and have it on the July 20 agenda. In other business, the board approved an insurance recommendation for health re-insurance above $55,000 per county employee through the Diamond Jager Agency out of Kewanee. The county's total cost will be capped at $3.1 million. At the fiscal year's midway point, general fund revenue and expense budgets are on track. Finance chairman Mark Burton said work is progressing on the fiscal 2024 budget and he is "cautiously optimistic" that the county may be able to sustain a stable tax rate for next year. The board approved a rural revolving loan for Jason and Cassie Dahl of Underground Graphics in the amount of $58,000. The graphic design and auto detailing business plans to consolidate three locations into one in Geneseo and hire three more employees. Mat Schnepple, director of the Office of Emergency Management said the new office building on Rt. 34 south of Kewanee had an uninsured driver crash through the building about 5 a.m. June 16, causing $150,000 in damage to building contents and H.V.A.C. He said only one load-bearing piece was affected, but the accident took out all four air-conditioning units, although air was restored to half the building by June 21. The driver has been charged with driving under the influence, he said. For the second year in a row, the well at Hillcrest Nursing Home did not pass routine inspection. Health and social services chairman Jan May reported it means the Environmental Protection Agency has to instruct the facility on what steps to take next. May said there is a possibility the home will have to replace the well pump and motor and get new stainless steel pipe for an estimated cost of $46,000. The board also honored Kerry Spivey, retiring after 21 years of working as office manager for the county highway department. Prior to that, Spivey worked for the regional superintendent of schools and the state's attorney's office. Board members also approved a proclamation supporting Henry County agriculture, which noted there are more than 71,000 farms in Illinois including 1,053 in Henry County. Agriculture accounts for 14% of the total jobs in the county and $610.2 million in total annual sales. Photos: Friday at the Henry County Fair DES MOINES Maggie DeWitte spoke to a crowd at the Iowa State Capitol, celebrating the one-year anniversary of Roe vs. Wade being reduced to a pile of dung in the annals of jurisprudence. Because of all of you your endless prayers, your blood, sweat and tears and your resolve to keep pressing, that we are here today and we can celebrate the end of one of the most devastating court rulings in the history of America, DeWitte, the executive director of Iowas Pulse Life Advocates, said. Anti-abortion activists gathered Saturday at the Capitol for the annual March For Life, which marked one year since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which struck down federal abortion protections and allowed states to restrict or outlaw abortion. Republican politicians and other advocates praised that decision while at the same time denouncing an order from Iowas Supreme Court last week that rejected a bid to reinstate a six-week abortion ban in the state. Iowas Supreme Court was split 3-3 in a case brought by Gov. Kim Reynolds to reinstate the so-called fetal heartbeat law, passed by Republicans in 2018. The law would have banned abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus. I was disappointed in the court's decision, but we know that's not the end, is it? Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said. The fight does not stop there. Our work does not stop. DeWitte said Iowa lawmakers should call a special session to pass new abortion restrictions, and the three justices who opposed reinstating the six-week abortion ban should be held accountable to the fullest legal extent possible. Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats, an influential conservative and anti-abortion leader, called for the justices to be voted out in a recall election or impeached last week. This is a life-and-death issue and we cannot wait any longer for restrictions against this barbaric practice to be put in place, DeWitte said. The time to act is now. Iowa Republican leaders have not said whether they would call a special session to enact abortion restrictions this year, but they signaled when the court decision was announced they would push for more abortion restrictions. State Sen. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said Republicans and anti-abortion activists had made significant gains since she entered the Legislature in 2012, when there were few restrictions on abortions in Iowa. Since then, Iowa Republicans have limited abortions to 20 weeks, required ultrasounds, instituted a 24-hour waiting period and passed further measures that were blocked by courts. Comparing the movement to World War II, she said they had landed on Omaha Beach in 2012 and were now partway across the nation of France. But folks, Berlin is our objective, she said. And we will get there. We wont stop until unborn children fully enjoy their God-given rightfully deserved protection of life. Iowa Democrats said on Friday they expected Republicans to hold a special session to pass anti-abortion measures. The Governor and GOP lawmakers have a choice to make, House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst said. They can either stand with the strong majority of Iowans who believe everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion. Or, they can keep playing politics and stand with the special interests led by Bob Vander Plaats who dont believe in reproductive freedom. Abortion in America: How access and attitudes have changed through the centuries 1980s-2000s: Legal challenges to Roe v. Wade introduce restrictions 1970s: Roe v. Wade protects women's right to abortion; politics shift 1960s: 'Back-alley butchers,' birth control, and protests 2020s: Roe v. Wade is overturned; Postal Service allowed to mail abortion medication The evolution of abortion in America Pre-1850: Abortions in early America are commonplace Mid-1800s: Birth of the American Medical Association shifts abortion oversight from midwives to doctors; abortion is criminalized With the indomitable B-1 standing guard, Col. Derek Oakley took command of Ellsworth's 28th Bomb Wing Friday. It's the first time since Ellsworth became part of Global Strike Command in 2015 that a new commander has been chosen from the same installation. Oakley was formerly the commander of Ellsworth's 28th Operations Group, the largest B-1 group in the U.S. Air Force. He commissioned from the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School in May 2000, graduated pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, and served as an instructor and evaluator pilot in the B-1, T-6 and T-38. Oakley is a command pilot with over 3,400 hours, including 991 combat hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He's widely recognized as an expert on the B-1 and B-21. Hundreds of Ellsworth Airmen filled the hangar, with squadrons stacked in perfect formation. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem sat next to Box Elder Mayor Larry Larson and representatives of the state's congressional delegation. The Honor Guard presented colors, their four sets of shiny black shoes clicking with rhythmic precision. Commander of the Eighth Air Force, Maj. Gen. Andrew Gebara, and now-former Ellsworth Commander Col. Joseph Sheffield, stood with Oakley in front of a massive American flag. After the National Anthem and a brief invocation, Gebara took to the podium to express his thanks to Sheffield and his family. I can't think of a better commander than Col. Sheffield, Gebara said, before thanking his family for their continual support and love. "It wasn't easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is," he said to Sheffield. "I know you'll continue success in your next assignment." Gebara presented Sheffield with the Legion of Merit, an award given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. Sheffield began his assignment as 28th Wing Commander in June 2021. In that time, Ellsworth received nearly 150 awards from the Department of Defense and Global Strike Command. Sheffield oversaw the 2022 Air Show the first in nearly a decade and more than a billion dollars worth of construction projects related to the incoming B-21 mission. Five Bomber Task Force Missions have been launched since he took over, and eight global power missions including the first B-1 deployment to Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean. Two bomber deployments were also flown to India the most strategic bomber impact operations in the country since World War II. Gebara turned his attention to Oakley, sat in his neatly pressed dress blues, and told him the change-of-command is about him and his family, but the other 729 days are about the Airmen. "I expect your wing to be ready to fight tonight," Gebara said. "At the same time, ready to bridge to that future that we know is coming faster than we know. To do that, you're going to need to lead an agile, back-to-basics force the 28th Bomb Wing is that force today." After another round of echoing applause, Sheffield began his remarks with, "Today is another great day to be a Raider." He addressed the men and women of the wing and called them the most important part of the event brave, bold and innovative. Sheffield hit on Ellsworth's heritage of innovation and mission success, and said he was honored and humbled by his time as "Raider-1." He became visibly emotional during his farewell, especially when addressing his family. "You've sacrificed and supported me. In a real sense, you've served on behalf of our nation's defense. I know you never volunteered for this journey, but you did it willingly, so thank you very much," Sheffield said. With a salute and the passing of the guidon, Oakley became the 54th commander of Ellsworth Air Force Base. Beaming with pride, he received his first salute from the Airmen. Accompanied by his wife, Kelly, Col. Oakley symbolically removed Sheffield's name from the B-1 outside, revealing his own underneath. He said he was excited and humbled to be here. Being chosen from current base leadership was a big plus, since he and his family already have roots in the community. Oakley has two children who attend Black Hills State University, and the family considers the Black Hills their second home. "We're excited to continue to emphasize our B-1 missions, while we have the B-1 on the ramp, and we're excited to prepare this base for B-21 arrival. You can see the construction of over 40 projects already going on everywhere you turn, there's new construction on the base," he said. "It's a super exciting time to lead through that." Oakley explained his background working behind-the-scenes with the B-21 since its inception. Ellsworth is now a two-mission base, he said, continuing long-range strike with the B-1 and preparing for the B-21. The country's competitors are the biggest challenge facing the U.S. Air Force, according to Oakley. Ellsworth's is juggling both the B-1 and B-21 missions, he said. "It's incumbent upon us to do what we do best in Air Force Global Strike command, which is we deter," Oakley said. "We deter our adversaries from making a move and an action, and we also recognize that if they choose to continue on, then we'll shift from deterrence to defeat." The community support and welcoming is amazing, he said, and Governor Noem echoed that sentiment in her remarks following the ceremony. "This base is incredibly important, not only just for our national security and our economy, it's important for people. They serve each other, they understand and wrap their arms around families that may be here for a short period of time and help them feel like they're home," she said. "I think that's why so many military men and women come home to the Black Hills to retire is because of how we make them feel when they're stationed here and they want to come back and have that warm welcome reception again." A strong Ellsworth is important for a strong South Dakota, Noem explained, because every single South Dakotan cares about national security. It's also an important partnership tool and solidifies the spirit in South Dakotans hearts to serve people. Col. Sheffield will be moving to the Pentagon to serve as Chief in the House Liaison Office for the U.S. Air Force. The new role entails managing interactions between USAF personnel and House Representatives to support the Air Force and Space Force Programs and Congressional travel, and analyzing national security and Department of Defense strategic policy for engagement with Congress. PHOTOS: 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony Close Col. Joseph Sheffield, right, congratulates Col. Derek Oakley following the official passing of the 28th Bomb Wing Guidon during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Gov. Kristi Noem and Col. Derek Oakley stand a top the stands to see Col. Oakley's name on the units' B1 Lancer, also referred to as the 'Bone' following the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Kelly Oakley, wife of Col. Derek Oakley, is presented with flowers during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Joseph Sheffield gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara applauds Col. Joseph Sheffield after Sheffield was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, from left, Col. Joseph Sheffield and Col. Derek Oakley stand for the invocation during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Chaplain Molly Lawlor gives the invocation during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Joseph Sheffield, left, and Col. Derek Oakley stand during the presentation of colors during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. The colors are retired following the national anthem during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Members of the 28th Bomb Wing wait for the change of command ceremony to begin on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley and his wife Kelly stand next to Col. Oakley's name on the units' B1 Lancer, also referred to as the 'Bone' following the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara gives remarks as Col. Joseph Sheffield, second from right, and Col. Derek Oakley sit on stage during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Gov. Kristi Noem was in attendance for the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley was formerly the commander of the 28th Operations Group prior to being named Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Joseph Sheffield gives his final salute as the Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Joseph Sheffield gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, left, congratulates Col. Joseph Sheffield after Sheffield was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Joseph Sheffield, left, and Col. Derek Oakley take part in the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley listens to Maj. General Andrew Gebara give remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, left, salutes Col. Joseph Sheffield after Sheffield was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Sheffield stands in front of the 28th Bomb Wing one last time as their Commander during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, left, takes the 28th Bomb Wing Guidon from Col. Joseph Sheffield as Col. Derek Oakley stands at attention during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley stands in front of the 28th Bomb Wing as their new Commander during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, from left, Col. Joseph Sheffield and Col. Derek Oakley stand on stage together during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, left, passes the 28th Bomb Wing Guidon to Col. Derek Oakley as Col. Joseph Sheffield looks on during the change of command during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley gives his first salute as Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing during a change of command ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Maj. General Andrew Gebara, left, pins Col. Joseph Sheffield with a Legion of Merit medal during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony. Maj. General Andrew Gebara gives remarks during the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. Col. Derek Oakley takes off the name plate for former commander Col. Joseph Sheffield to unveil Col. Oakley's name on the units' B1 Lancer, also referred to as the 'Bone' following the 28th Bomb Wing Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder. +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 +31 Complicated legal decisions often get reduced to a single word. For abortion, it's "Roe" or "Dobbs," referring to the court case that changed the law. In forestry, the word is "Cottonwood." The Cottonwood decision came in a case that originated in Montana, Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service. Over the past eight years it has grown into perhaps the most controversial ESA court decision not just in the West, but also in Washington, D.C. It boils down to this: When new information is discovered about a plant or animal protected by the Endangered Species Act, or a species gets listed under the act, how should that be taken into account by the federal land-management agencies responsible for helping those species recover? Federal agencies, environmental groups, industry groups, attorneys and lawmakers are still grappling with that question. Even with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) set to turn 50 this year, courts can't decide, either. A federal appeals court covering most of the American West came to one conclusion, known as the "Cottonwood decision," in 2015: The new information should go into top-level planning right away. But the appeals court covering the rest of the West came to the opposite conclusion back in 2007: The new information should be considered when analyzing individual projects which wasn't in dispute but it needn't be incorporated into overarching management plans right away. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to settle the difference. The Cottonwood case's ultimate resolution, an opinion from a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Portland, Oregon, determined that national forests needed to reevaluate their top-level management plans, known as forest plans, any time new information about an endangered or threatened species came to light, any time a new species was listed under the ESA, or any time new critical habitat was designated for a listed species. A forest plan is the overarching document that outlines objectives and guides decision-making by Forest Service officials. The agency develops a forest plan for each of its units, or national forests. The plan is a framework for how agency officials address everything from plant and animal diversity on the landscape to how a specific area is prioritized for recreation access, logging or conservation. It can guide which areas receive more, or less, active management. The plan is like a zoning code for the national forest; it does not propose, approve or deny specific projects, but it can block certain activities from specific areas to achieve a management goal. In Missoula, the Lolo National Forest is rewriting its decades-old forest plan this summer. Some stakeholders, including many environmental and wildlife groups, maintain that the Cottonwood decision was the correct interpretation of the ESA and ensures that the most up-to-date information will guide agency actions that flow out of their forest plans. Opponents of Cottonwood argue that it's duplicative and time-consuming to rework forest plans to reflect the new information because individual projects will be analyzed with the new information. That amounts to resource-consuming red tape holding up forest thinning and logging projects work they say is critical to enhancing habitat and reducing wildfire risk across the West. And rather than re-fight the battle in court, Montana's entire congressional delegation has rallied other senators and representatives to pull the legal stuffing out of Cottonwood. Redundant or efficient? Calling Cottonwood's provisions "unnecessary and redundant," the logging trade group American Forest Resource Council in 2016 wrote to Congress saying that "An enormous amount of time and agency resources will be consumed performing ESA consultations on existing forest plans, rather than reviewing pending projects to reduce the risk of wildfire, improve wildlife habitat, or maintain access to our public lands. This will have a crippling impact on federal land management activities across the West while providing no conservation benefits to listed species." Forest Service leaders have testified to Congress that the decision created redundant bureaucracy that delays projects. But, according to the Congressional Research Service, theres no comprehensive data on how long projects take or how many are held up by the decision, so its tough to gauge the decisions impact. Looking at the amount of timber harvested each year from 201521, the service was unable to show a difference in the overall timber sold or harvested by unit on forests governed by Cottonwood and those not governed by Cottonwood. Mike Garrity, executive director of Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said Friday that he was "thrilled" with the original decision and believed it vital to recovering protected species. He also said it's more efficient to incorporate new information into overarching forest plans that guide individual projects: "If they just consult on the forest plan and get it over with, it's just more efficient than dealing with it for every project that comes up." Kristine Akland, Northern Rockies senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said Friday that many cases her group wins to order the Forest Service to update its plans in response to new information don't even rely on Cottonwood. They simply rely on the ESA itself, which the 9th Circuit has held in other cases to require such plan updates. Lynx link The Cottonwood case's roots stretch back to 2000, when FWS listed Canada lynx as a threatened species under the ESA. In 2006, the service designated critical habitat for lynx, but did not include any Forest Service lands. The Forest Service adopted the so-called Lynx Amendments that set standards for permitting activities that could harm the species. The agency consulted the Fish and Wildlife Service, which determined that the Lynx Amendments did not jeopardize the species. But four months later, FWS officials announced lynx critical habitat maps were "improperly influenced" by then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Julie MacDonald, who had since resigned after a government investigation found she had modified multiple ESA decisions to favor land developers and the agenda of the George W. Bush presidential administration. By 2009, the Fish and Wildlife Service revised lynx critical habitat from 1,841 square miles to about 39,000 square miles including national forest land near Bozeman proposed for logging and forest thinning. But despite the new information of drastically expanded critical habitat, the Forest Service declined to reinitiate consultation with FWS to reflect that information in forest plans. In 2012, the Bozeman-based Cottonwood Environmental Law Center sued. U.S. District Court in Missoula ruled that the Forest Service should reinitiate consultation. On appeal, the 9th Circuit Court affirmed that ruling, which became the Cottonwood Decision. Exemptions expire Congress applied some exemptions to Cottonwood's requirements in 2018, and FWS tweaked the exemptions in 2019. But most of the changes expired this past March. The Cottonwood ruling also applied to Bureau of Land Management field office resource management plans, but those were exempted by Congress and agency action in 2018 and '19. Most of Montana's congressional delegation Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, and Rep. Matt Rosendale are sponsoring legislation to fully undo the decision beyond the 2018 exemptions. Similar efforts in recent years have failed. The Cottonwood decision applies in the 9th Circuit states: Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Arizona, Alaska. The conflicting 2007 decision came from the 10th Circuit, which covers Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma. Together, Cottonwood applies to 123 million acres across 128 national forests, or about 64% of National Forest System land in the U.S., according to the Congressional Research Service. The conflicting 10th Circuit decision applies to far less land: 42 million acres across 57 national forests, or just 22% of National Forest System land. That meant that across almost two-thirds of the acreage administered by the Forest Service, a total of 128 forest plans may have to be routinely updated whenever any of four "triggering actions" stipulated in the ESA occurs: 1. The amount or extent of harm to a protected species exceeds what FWS anticipated when it analyzed an agency action. 2. New information on a protected species or an agency action uncovers negative impacts to the species or its habitat that were not previously considered. 3. An agency action is modified to the extent its effects on a protected species or its habitat are beyond what was initially considered. 4. A new species is listed as protected, or new critical habitat is designated for a species, that could be affected by an agency action. Under Cottonwood, any of those triggering actions require that the Forest Service reinitiate consultation with FWS to incorporate the new information into the forest plan of applicable national forests. That means FWS assesses the plan in light of the new information and issues a biological opinion detailing if or how the plan may affect protected species and their critical habitat. In 2018, Congress passed provisions in an omnibus bill to limit the fourth trigger new species or new critical habitat to only apply if a forest plan is more than 15 years old and if five years has passed since the species was listed or critical habitat designated. And, further, Congress exempted all forest plans, species and habitat from that trigger until March 23, 2023. That means that Cottonwood has slightly more effect since late March, but only for old forest plans and listings of species or habitat. In 2019, FWS implemented rules that forest plans are only subject to reinitiating consultation for new species or habitat if actions authorized by the plan are not subject to project-level consultation. But Cottonwood's requirement to reinitiate consultation when new information about a species, or about an action's impacts on a species or its habitat, still stands. Circuits break Although the Cottonwood decision required reinitiating consultation on all four triggers, it didn't have much effect on two of them, according to the Congressional Research Service, which produced a 22-page report on the decision in 2022. Forest plans are generally not subject to FWS analysis of "incidental taking," or expected but unintentional harming or killing of protected species, and therefore wouldn't be subject to reinitiated consultation based on taking levels. Also, the report stated, Cottonwood is redundant on the third trigger action action modification because a separate law from the ESA, the National Forest Management Act, already mandates that the Forest Service must consult FWS when revising forest plans. But Cottonwood did affirm ESA language requiring that the Forest Service must reinitiate consultation when new information on a species or action comes to light, or when a new species is listed or new critical habitat designated the latter two of which were subject to some Congressional exemptions. The 10th Circuit ruled in 2007 that reinitiating consultation for forest plans isn't necessary on any of the four triggers because approved forest plans are completed actions. The 10th Circuit based its decision in part on the 2004 Supreme Court case Norton v. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in which the court ruled that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires reinitiating consultation for ongoing agency actions upon any of the four triggers but that completed forest plans (and BLM management plans) are not ongoing agency actions. In Cottonwood, the 9th Circuit pointed out that, unlike NEPA, the ESA requires reinitiating consultation not only on ongoing actions, but also on any action in which the agency is still involved and retains authority over such as a forest plan, completed or not. Legislative fix Montanas congressional delegation has for years aimed to undo the Cottonwood decision, starting with bipartisan legislation introduced by Tester, a Democrat, in 2016. Lawmakers pledged to permanently fix the decision with bills that undermine parts of the 9th Circuit opinions legal foundation. The Forest Information Reform Act (HR 200) introduced by Rosendale and sponsored by four fellow Republicans, would amending federal law to state that completed forest plans are not subject to reinitiating consultation when a new species is listed, new critical habitat designated, or new information about a species or an actions impacts come to light. That would preclude the two ESA triggers Cottonwood had bolstered. Rosendale's bill also applies to the BLM. The Cottonwood decision has been weaponized by radical environmental groups to use the Endangered Species Act to prevent proper forest management, Rosendale said in a statement after introducing the bill. The FIR Act is a common-sense solution that would prevent the Forest Service from facing a perpetual cycle of litigation and allow them to chart a new era of efficiency, which will benefit Montanans and those across the nation. Bozeman-based Property and Environment Research Center, which advocates for free-market environmental solutions rather than government regulation, supports the bill. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation also supports the bill. Senate Bill 1540, introduced by Daines, a Republican, and co-sponsored by Tester, would amend federal law to state that completed forest plans are not ongoing agency actions and that the Forest Service lacks discretionary control over and involvement with completed plans. Such language would undo Cottonwood by legislatively undercutting the 9th Circuits opinion that the Forest Service is still involved in and has authority over forest plans, and therefore the plans are subject to reinitiating consultation. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, Republicans from Idaho, and Maines Sen. Angus King, an independent, are also sponsoring the bill. That bill also applies to the BLM. Upon signing on as a co-sponsor in May, Tester said in a statement, After taking feedback from Montanans, its clear that we need a permanent fix to the Cottonwood decision that will reduce time-consuming bureaucratic paperwork, work for wildlife, and protect Montanas robust resource economy. Both bills have cleared committees and were referred to the full House and Senate, respectively. In response to Tester's support of Daines' bill, the Sierra Club said the bill would set a "dangerous precedent" and that it would "remove an essential tool in the Forest Service's toolbox to protect imperiled species from ever-changing climate conditions and dwindling habitat." The Richmond Police Department announced Thursday it would hold a news conference the next day to update the public about the Huguenot High School graduation shooting, which left two dead and five hospitalized with gunshot wounds in the heart of Richmonds Monroe Park on June 6. To be transparent, RPD will provide updated information based on evidence, understanding that this is still an open and ongoing investigation, Tracy Walker, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement distributed to the media. However, an hour before the scheduled 3 p.m. briefing on Friday afternoon, RPD abruptly canceled it. In lieu of a conference, police sent out a statement and a 3-minute video message from interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards. Edwards said they cancelled plans at the request of the Commonwealths Attorney. Unfortunately, Im not going to be able to provide the types of details that many in the media have been asking for, said Edwards, a decision which came after careful review of the evidence at this time and in consultation with the Richmond Commonwealths Attorneys office. Police have arrested one suspect: 19-year-old Amari Ty-Jon Pollard. Pollard was charged with second-degree murder in the killings of Renzo Smith and Shawn Jackson. Smith was Jacksons stepfather. Police have repeatedly asked for more video evidence from attendees. On Friday, they also encouraged other victims of the shooting to reach out to the Commonwealths Attorney. Edwards said the departments Major Crimes Unit has hundreds of hours of videos. The investigation is being led by Major Crimes Detective Jeffrey Crewell. Five others were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Edwards announced the last of them is expected to recover. The Times-Dispatch reached out to RPD with questions in the weeks after the shooting which have gone unanswered with police citing a discretionary clause in the Virginia public records law that allows for the withholding of information related to investigations. The Times-Dispatch asked for information about the gun used in the shooting, the three other guns found at the scene of the graduation, and about the claim made by Jacksons aunt that she believed there was another individual involved in the shooting. The Times-Dispatch asked for police to clarify how they determined a second suspect at the scene of the graduation was not involved, as well as 911 calls from the event and a narrative report from VCUs police department, which was among the first agencies to respond to the scene of the shooting. Edwards did address the second shooter in Fridays video message. Weve been able to exclude him based on witness statements and direct video evidence, Edwards said. Police also have not clarified why Pollard wasnt immediately charged with more offenses if he was the only shooter. Five others were shot at the graduation, but only two second-degree murder charges have been filed against Pollard, the polices principal suspect. Edwards also clarified that police think no guns were in the Altria Theater at the actual time of the graduation. Edwards said the department is holding back on details about the guns recovered from the graduation scene. Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachin has so far declined to comment on the case. By morning, Richmonds main streets welcomed hundreds as they headed to and from work, dined at their favorite restaurants and shopped in the numerous storefronts that lined its many strips. By night, those same streets and restaurants took on a different appearance, transforming into a temporary home for some of the citys vulnerable residents forced to hide behind barroom doors. For nearly a century, Richmonds First, Franklin, Main and Foushee streets became known by many in and out of the queer community as The Block. While these streets initially served as cruising spots for gay Richmonders to meet one another, the scene quickly grew as restaurant and bar owners recognized that they could profit from the demands of their nightlife clientele. So a blossoming, underground scene was born and with it came an ever-growing queer culture that led to the eventual creation of a drag scene and grassroots movements. In its history, the Block housed dozens of gay bars, including Benny Sepuls, which adopted a business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back business model with its straight clientele patronizing its front room while queer patrons entered through the back; the Dialtone, a bar that had phones at each booth for patrons to discreetly talk to one another from different booths; and Smittys, which became a common hangout for womens queer softball teams. While the Block continued to thrive, it did not come without its fair share of challenges from both the government, as well as those within the Block. With the Richmond Police Departments Vice Squad constantly patrolling its streets and the states Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority revoking liquor licenses, effectively shutting down places for being gathering places for homosexuals and promoting lewd behavior, the Block, like its patrons, learned to be fluid, shifting its location just as often as one place closed and another opened. In 1967, Eton Inn, a prominent queer bar at 938 W. Grace St., which until recently housed VCU Police headquarters, shut its doors permanently after losing its liquor license. With the bars location resting in the center of the growing present-day Virginia Commonwealth University, college administration officials wrote to the authority expressing their fears of having a gay hangout on campus. Restaurateur Robert Gene Baldwin saw two of his bars Renees and the Rathskeller have their licenses revoked on the same day, forcing the closure of both. A section titled Saw Men Kissing in The Richmond Times-Dispatchs Thursday, March 6, 1969, edition details the hearing that led to the revocation of the licenses. In it, the department director testified that one ABC agent went to the two restaurants undercover and witnessed men wearing makeup, embracing and kissing. The two bars were among numerous bars that shuttered their doors as a result of these policies and, for one bar owner, it became a way to monopolize the underground scene. When the self-proclaimed godfather of the gay community, Leo Joseph Koury, opened his first restaurant on Lakeside Avenue, he had already begun what would become a reign of terror. After each gay bar closed its doors, Koury seized the opportunity by purchasing it, giving it a new name and maintaining the same clientele. When Smittys closed, Koury took it over and changed its name to Leos. He also owned the Dialtone and opened up his own bar, the 409 Club, next to rival bar Cha Chas Palace. Koury learned early on that if he monopolized the gay bar scene in the city, he could raise his prices, effectively profiting off of the queer community because of the demand. Koury maintained this practice for over a decade, turning in his competitors and intimidating other bar owners. But in an attempt to grow his empire, Koury ultimately caused his own demise. In October 1978, Kourys empire came toppling down when a U.S. District Court indicted him on charges of murder, racketeering, mail fraud, loan sharking and planning a kidnap-for-ransom scheme. In an attempt to intimidate his rival bar, Koury allegedly murdered a bouncer at Cha Chas Palace in 1977 before throwing the victims body in the Rappahannock River, according to reports in the June 22, 1991, edition of The Times-Dispatch. When competing clubs began to appear, authorities have charged, Koury became violent. He allegedly killed a bouncer and sent a thug to blast another with a shotgun, killing one person and wounding two others, stated Times-Dispatch reporter Eric Sundquist. Charles Kernaghan was believed to be at Kourys house when Koury emptied a revolver into his body. Before an arrest was made, Koury fled his North Side home, leaving behind his wife and four children, and essentially vanished. A year later, with little to go on and no leads, Koury was added to the FBIs Most Wanted List. Pictures of Kourys mugshot filled the pages of The Times-Dispatch and other newspapers across the country. In the years that followed, Koury moved his way up to senior member, joining a list of longtime fugitives who managed to evade capture. Koury received some notoriety from Americas Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries, when episodes aired urging people to call in with any tips. But the years passed with no sign of Koury. Finally, after 13 years, the hunt ended in 1991, when the FBI announced Koury, 56, had died of a brain hemorrhage in San Diego. While Koury was busy eluding police, Richmonds queer community was doing its fair share of mobilizing. When Anita Bryant, a leading anti-gay activist and the face of the Save the Children movement, made an appearance at the University of Richmond, the underground scene became an out-and-proud movement, holding the first organized Gay Rights Rally in Monroe Park. In the years that followed, many of the gay-friendly bars closed their doors. But the movement continued. More organizations formed and rallies continued, ultimately laying the groundwork for the generations of queer Richmonders to come. Nearly all children are cognitively capable of reading on grade level when theyre exposed to evidence-based literacy curriculum and instruction, neuroscientists have shown. The question is whether their teachers are equipped to teach them how to read. Several teacher preparation programs at Virginias institutions of higher education fail to educate aspiring teachers on the core components of reading instruction, according to a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy nonprofit. The review studied the five core components of scientifically based reading instruction phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, which the council says are based on more than 50 years of scientific research. Some of the states programs, including some at Liberty University and Old Dominion University, teach none of the five core components of reading instruction, according to the report. The Virginia Department of Education does not keep data on what programs K-12 teachers graduated from, so it is impossible to analyze the effect of different teacher preparation programs on student outcomes in Virginia. Virginias children are struggling to read. The problem was only exacerbated when state officials kept schools closed for two years during the pandemic. Only about one-third of Virginia students are proficient in reading by fourth grade, according to the results of a national assessment released last year. Teacher training programs at Liberty, Old Dominion, Averett University and George Mason University all failed the NCTQ analysis. Researchers described the programs as not adequately teaching the science of reading. Old Dominion University said in a statement that it considers the councils assessment inappropriate and superficial. It said the report is based on information for a small portion of courses. The Darden College of Education addresses the science of reading in all teacher preparation programs. This report does not accurately depict the Colleges commitment to offering robust training to all aspiring teachers, and especially to reading specialists, ODU said in the statement. Our programs build on the critical skills of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension to first teach children how to read and later to incorporate reading into language arts and other content areas. Averett University also disregarded the councils findings, and said the ranking was a simple misunderstanding. In 2020, the council designated Averetts education department with an A score. The exact same data from Averett should have been considered for NCTQs most recent report, as the data was consistent from that evaluated in 2020, said Averett spokeswoman Cassie Williams Jones. I think youll find that our teacher education program not only remains strong and adaptive, but is also excelling in the preparation of the next generation of educators and helping to fill critical workforce needs. Some teacher prep programs may soon undergo changes due to provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act, landmark legislation that lawmakers unanimously passed in 2022 and expanded in 2023. The law requires all of the commonwealths teacher preparation programs to require aspiring teachers and reading specialists to complete coursework in and demonstrate a mastery of evidence-based literacy instruction by 2024. ODU said it is already meeting those requirements. While several of Virginias teacher preparation programs received an F rating, about 33% received an A from the NCTQ. Exceptionally effective programs include the undergraduate programs at Regent University and James Madison University, as well as the graduate programs at Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia and Christopher Newport University. One new teacher preparation program that was recently approved in Virginia was not included in the study. Thats because the for-profit company offering online teacher training repeatedly denied the NCTQs request for data and materials, according to NCTQ President Heather Peske. Last week, Virginias Board of Education approved iteach, the online teacher training program, as an alternate route to teacher licensure. There is not a large body of data on the effectiveness of iteach, which is offered as an alternate route to licensure in 11 other states. For alternate route programs in general, research shows a considerable amount of variation in the quality of the programs. How individual teacher candidates and teachers are mentored and supported ... may be more important than the institution that is credentialed, said Dan Goldhaber, a labor economist at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization. Research consistently shows that teacher turnover is higher for teachers from alternative route programs overall, and even more so for fast-track alternate route programs that are less selective like iteach. What we do know is that aspiring teachers need time to acquire the content and skills to be successful, Peske said. Many alternative certification programs fast-track teacher candidates into the classroom, which sets them up to leave teaching early or shortly after beginning because they dont have the knowledge and skills, and they werent well-prepared. At last weeks state Board of Education meeting, members voted to add several conditions to the states partnership with iteach. School divisions that choose to partner with iteach must comply with the provisions of the Virginia Literacy Act, and divisions, along with iteach, must submit data on effectiveness and quality to the state Department of Education every year. Its really the responsibility of Virginia state education leaders to be vigilant to ensure that iteach and any other program preparing future teachers follows best practices to adequately and well prepare future teachers, Peske said. In Texas, where iteach was founded in 2003, more than half of the states teachers are now alternatively certified teachers, rather than traditional university-certified teachers. Texas also has one of the most diverse teacher workforces in the U.S. All students benefit from having teachers of color, research shows, while minority children in particular benefit both academically and emotionally from having teachers who look like them. In Virginia, about 80% of licensed teachers are white, according to state data, while less than half of all Virginia students are white. I dont think that those are unconnected ideas, said Goldhaber, referring to Texas having one of the most diverse teacher workforces and having the majority of its teachers certified through alternate routes. I dont think its all that useful to think about these programs as they are good or they are bad. I think that there are real trade-offs that sometimes go in different directions connected to this kind of credentialing. Top five weekend events: 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,' David Cross & Caribbean Fest Caribbean Festival 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical' David Cross Fireworks at the Squirrels DesignRVA Molly McCarthys kidneys were failing, and she needed a transplant. When an organ became available, she drove to a hospital near her home in Seattle, put on a hospital gown and lay down in a bed. She said goodbye to her parents, who came to meet her. Then bad news arrived. The kidneys donor had died of a brain tumor. It was unclear if the tumor was cancerous and if transplanting the organ into McCarthys body would spread the cancer. The surgery was called off. More than a decade later, McCarthy does not know how such a grave mistake almost occurred. We shouldnt be at that point, so close, when we find things out, said McCarthy, 49. Because of errors in the transplanting process, 70 people have died from receiving infected organs, and 250 have developed diseases, according to a congressional report last year. After years of reported issues surrounding organ transplantation, Congress opened an investigation. In August, it called experts to the U.S. Capitol to testify. The experts included Brian Shepard, then-CEO of the Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit that holds the federal contract to oversee organ transplantation across the country. Several experts were critical of UNOS work. A surgeon said kidneys had arrived damaged or had sat in airport hangars overnight, untracked. Another person reported that roughly one in four kidneys removed from a dying patient never made it to a needy one. Another called UNOS technology out of date. But critics say UNOS has long resisted change and dismissed concerns from whistleblowers, spending more than half a million dollars in one year on lobbying and public relations. A month after the congressional hearing, UNOS released a video discrediting the allegations, saying UNOS had become the target of misinformation. According to interviews with more than a dozen people inside the organ-sharing industry, UNOS leaders have pushed out a board member critical of the organization, opened an investigation against a researcher and created an environment hostile toward dissenting opinions. Allegations of UNOS threatening whistleblowers have reached Congress, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said earlier this year. Simply put, this is beyond unacceptable, Grassley added. UNOS runs fast and loose with the truth, said McCarthy, now the vice chair of UNOS patient affairs committee. They have one goal, and thats to make it look like everything is good here. Its wrong, its monopolistic, and I think it needs to change. But UNOS has not received reports that the network has retaliated against whistleblowers, said Laura Petrosky, a spokesperson for the nonprofit, noting that not all criticism constitutes whistleblowing and that disagreeing with an individuals position does not necessarily constitute retaliation. UNOS is committed to hearing all perspectives, including those critical of the network, she said. Its new CEO, Maureen McBride, has championed systemwide changes, and said improvements to transparency are still needed. Lack of trust in organ transplantation has led to fewer organs being donated and a greater loss of life, according to a report published last year by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. There are nearly 2,800 Virginians waiting for an organ transplant, according to UNOS. And, as of last month, 25 patients die each month while waiting for a transplant. Determined to make significant changes, the government agency that oversees UNOS the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced earlier this year that, for the first time, it intends to break up what is currently a $6.5 million annual federal contract for organ transplantation, a contract UNOS has held since 1986. The seminal move could transform organ sharing in the U.S. Located on North Fourth Street downtown, UNOS has won every contract to run the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which includes more than 250 transplant hospitals and 57 regional organ procurement organizations across the country. Because UNOS is the only group to have held the contract, it owns a monopoly on its work. It remains unclear if UNOS will be a part of that new future. UNOS said it deserves to be because of its experience. We are eager to help enact many of the reforms that HRSA is seeking while remaining an integral part of the nations donation and transplantation system, Petrosky said. Step in line with the rhetoric Born with a rare kidney disease, McCarthy was not expected to live more than 10 days. She has needed three kidney transplants to survive she got the first from her mother and the second from her father. But transplanted kidneys have a limited lifespan and, about 11 years ago, she needed a third. After six years of waiting and three failed attempts including the episode in which the donor had died of a brain tumor she finally received the organ she needed. She called the transplant doctors the heroes of her story. Intent on improving the system, she joined UNOS 18-member patient affairs committee about four years ago. But she struggles to be heard. Earlier this year, the committee met for a day in Chicago and asked UNOS leadership to explain its business plan, upcoming changes and updates to the congressional investigation. Dianne LaPointe Rudow, who will become UNOS president next month, told McCarthy in an email obtained by the Richmond Times Dispatch that those topics did not match the committees responsibilities and did not reflect actionable steps toward a tangible project. Instead, UNOS leadership wanted the committee to update a brochure for patients. Ultimately, the committee followed the prescribed agenda. I interpreted it as we needed to step in line with the rhetoric, McCarthy said. The federal government requires OPTN committees to follow specific government-approved agendas, Petrosky said. But UNOS always makes a point to engage those wanting to raise other issues and offer them other venues for sharing their ideas. We are committed to hearing all perspectives, including critical feedback that challenges the status quo, said Petrosky, calling patients the most important stakeholders. Other organ recipients are hesitant to speak out. Most eventually need new organs, and they worry they will be moved down the waiting list for retaliating, two recipients in Virginia said. Dangerous and inappropriate decision If it had not been for Brianna Doby, a patient in North Carolina may have received an organ infected with HIV. Doby was a consultant for Johns Hopkins University and, every time an organ was donated from an HIV-positive patient, her pager would ring. Congress passed the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act in 2013, allowing organs from HIV-positive donors to be transplanted to HIV-positive recipients. A few years later, when an organ donor had died, the persons kidneys and liver were recovered. The UNOS employees managing the transplantation saw no blood test indicating the donor had HIV, but the donor was taking antiretroviral therapy, used exclusively for treating the virus. Doby was sure the patient was HIV-positive there was no other explanation. But the UNOS employee was unconvinced. He called for the organs to be harvested for regular transplant, which could send them to a non-HIV patient. It was a dangerous and inappropriate decision, Doby said. Doby got on the phone and called another staffer responsible for recovering the organs, urging the staffer to ignore UNOS instructions. It is unclear what happened to some of the organs, though one kidney made it safely to an HIV patient also at Johns Hopkins. Days later, Doby learned UNOS had opened an investigation against her, she said. UNOS was questioning whether Doby had improperly sent the kidney to her own hospital. Hopkins eventually proved the transplantation of the kidney to the HIV patient was legitimate, said Doby, who felt UNOS was covering for its employees mistake. Doby asked to train UNOS staff to prevent future mistakes, but was never given the opportunity. She told a UNOS administrator, Roger Brown, that UNOS had retaliated against her. But Brown never responded. They werent interested in making sure the system works for the community of people living with HIV, Doby said in an interview. She began telling organ procurement organizations, which recover organs from dying patients, to communicate directly with transplant hospitals, bypassing UNOS, which she said could not be trusted. The organization can handle uncomplicated transplants, she said. But too often it bungled cases requiring special expertise. After that, Doby was no longer invited to speak at events, and she said she became an unwelcome member of the transplant community. Petrosky, the UNOS spokesperson, denied that UNOS investigated Doby or Johns Hopkins. We are unclear what retaliation this person experienced and would welcome any further details so that we can immediately address their concerns, Petrosky said. Congressional hearing A Senate committee began investigating UNOS and, in August, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing. It called a patient, a surgeon and the head of an organ procurement organization, among others, to testify. They spoke critically of UNOS technology, its logistics and its inability to discipline failing members of the network. Shepard, CEO of UNOS at the time, defended the organizations tech, lamented the high number of lost kidneys and blamed the federal government for not disciplining failing members. The next morning, UNOS board of directors, a 42-member body that leads the organization, held a conference call. Dr. Richard Formica, who will become UNOS vice president next month, told the board those who testified should be held accountable for their lies, said Ginny McBride, a board member and head of OurLegacy, an organ procurement organization in Florida, who was on the call. His comments were counter to a culture of patient safety and continuous improvement, McBride said. Everyone in health care should feel empowered to speak up when we dont achieve intended outcomes. A few members of the board pushed back, defending the character of those who testified. It is unclear if they experienced repercussions. Because the board of directors represents a broad group of people, there are often differences of opinion or different interpretations of facts, said Petrosky, the UNOS spokesperson. These differences are valued and encouraged, she added. UNOS suggests anyone with concerns about the network voice them. The OPTNs executive committee will consider potential updates to its bylaws to explicitly state that whistleblowers will not face retaliation, Petrosky said. Inner circle Decisions on the board are often made by an inner circle, two people said. The rest are kept in the dark and marginalized if their opinions differ from those of leadership, they said. In 2018, six waitlisted patients sued UNOS regarding its liver allocation policy. During the proceedings, an exchange of crude emails from then-UNOS leader, Alex Glazier, and Shepard, the former CEO, became public. In one email, Glazier called residents of the Southeast dumb f for choosing to live in states with worse access to health care. Glazier later regretted her comments, she told The Washington Post. The emails showed a bias against low-income patients, said Dr. Jayme Locke, head of transplantation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Locke and other transplant experts from the Southeast wrote to members of Congress, saying Shepard should be fired and that Glazier should step down from the board. Locke received pushback from two board members, she said, who told her that she was wrong for raising concerns and that the board would not forget she complained. Locke declined to identify them. Asking to discuss the matter with the entire board, Locke said she and others were told to discuss the situation offline with a UNOS administrator. People who want to discuss criticism of the system are often told to speak away from the board, but sometimes those discussions never happen. A group of nine transplant experts accused UNOS of quashing dissenting voices in an attempt to avoid accountability, which has broken our faith in UNOSs ability to self-regulate its leaders, the group wrote to Congress. Shepard resigned last year, and Glazier is no longer on the board. Another member told The Times-Dispatch he was pushed out for criticizing a UNOS policy. Dr. Seth Karp, director of the transplant center at Vanderbilt University, said he was essentially blacklisted for trying to repair geographic disparity in liver allocation. Eventually, he said, confidants told him UNOS executives would no longer appoint him to committees and that he would have no future on the board. Karp served out his time and left UNOS for good. Petrosky, the UNOS spokesperson, said Karp was elected to a committee after voicing concerns. Other individuals with contrarian opinions serve on the board, including in leadership positions, she added. Since the board members are elected by the community, its expected that each position will have both supporters and detractors, Petrosky said. We cannot and do not dictate the comments made by any member of the community or the board. It feels like a nasty PR play A month after the congressional hearing, UNOS released a video to social media in which organ recipients and donor families defended the organization. UNOS had become the target of misinformation, the video stated, and efforts to dismantle the system hurt and frighten patients. Several people in the video did not respond to requests for comment. It feels like a nasty PR play using patients to tell a story, said McCarthy, the three-time kidney recipient. Given the noble nature of UNOS mission, it is easy to defend the organization and believe it is doing a good job, McCarthy added. UNOS has spent big money on defending itself. When the congressional investigation began in 2020, UNOS more than doubled its expenditures for lobbying, bringing them to $280,000, according to OpenSecrets.com. That year, UNOS paid Richmond-based McGuireWoods about $450,000 for legal services, and paid a Washington D.C. public relations firm more than $200,000, according to federal tax records. The companys head of public relations earned almost $250,000 annually, significantly more than those working similar jobs in the Richmond area, according to online estimates. Astroturf campaign After his father waited five years for a heart transplant, Greg Segal started a research and advocacy group called Organize, which aims to increase accountability among organ procurement organizations. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly a third of these organizations underperformed in 2021, and 42% of them received a failing grade. Failing to recover organs leads to increases in taxpayer costs of subsidizing dialysis as well as longer waits for kidneys. But a member of the UNOS board, Jim Sharrock, said Organize is part of an Astroturf campaign essentially, a corporate effort to influence public opinion masquerading as a grassroots movement that targets UNOS. Segals apparent goal is to generate widespread dissatisfaction and disrupt the current system, Sharrock said. The corporate backer, Sharrock said, is Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy structured as a for-profit LLC founded by billionaires John D. Arnold and Laura Arnold in 2010. Arnold Ventures has donated nearly $4 million to Organize and more to other organ transplantation efforts, according to its website. UNOS abjectly failed to ensure a safe, effective and equitable transplant system for patients across the country, said David Hebert, a spokesperson for the philanthropy. Arnold has no financial interest in UNOS losing its federal contract, Hebert said. Suggestions to the contrary are part of UNOS campaign to deflect from its well-documented and deadly failures. Last year, Sharrock defended UNOS in a newspaper opinion piece, saying he was shocked to see attacks against the transplant system make their way to Capitol Hill. Tension in transplantation Diminished trust in UNOS leads to fewer organs donated and fewer lives saved, according to the report last year from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Unlike the rest of health care, organ donation depends on public trust. There are more than 100,000 Americans waiting for an organ transplant, others who are too sick to receive transplants and even more who are not sick enough to be placed on the list, though they will likely need a transplant eventually. There is notable tension in the transplant community, the report stated. Earlier this year, big news came from the federal government. The Health Resources and Services Administration announced it intends to split the contract for organ transplantation into separate pieces, which could end UNOS monopoly after nearly 40 years. It is unclear what part UNOS will play in the future of organ transplantation and whether its rhetoric could jeopardize its role. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra told Congress his agency would investigate the claims made against UNOS. In January, weeks before the governments announcement, UNOS changed its tone, offering the closest thing yet to a mea culpa. It released a list of broad proposals, saying it would mandate trackers on kidneys, ensure its technology meets government standards and work toward better oversight of organ procurement organizations and transplant hospitals in the network. McBride, who became UNOS CEO in October, has strengthened the nonprofits commitment to systemwide changes, Petrosky said. As long as there is a waitlist, we believe further improvements are needed to bolster the systems efficiency, transparency and oversight, she added. No organization knows this incredibly complex system and the transplant community as well as UNOS does. But organ recipients cannot wait for reform, said McCarthy, the three-time kidney recipient. The medicine she takes to keep her body from rejecting her kidney is also toxic to the new organ. One day, she will likely need a fourth kidney she just does not know when. McCarthy worries that, when that day comes, UNOS will not be able to give her a kidney in time. She hopes she will live long enough to see organ transplantation rehabilitated. I fear the lack of change, she said. (CNN) Stockton Rush wore a hard-hat and stood next to one of his submersible crafts last year full of enthusiasm as he told a bunch of students about the thrills and perils of being a deep-sea explorer. The key element in any expedition is you got to be thinking, what could go wrong? What can I do to mitigate that risk, Rush told the students via a live web stream prior to one of his voyages. Despite such planning, he conceded, something always bites you that you didnt expect. Rush, the CEO of OceanGate and the pilot of the ill-fated Titan submersible that imploded this week diving to the Titanic wreckage, understood the dangers of his endeavors. And his comments to the students seem tragically prophetic. A US Coast Guard official said Thursday authorities had begun to map the debris of his vessel about 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck. However, since the catastrophe occurred in international waters, authorities are discussing how an investigation would unfold, the official said. But experts agree that any inquiry is sure to question the design of the craft, the materials used to build it and whether Rush and his company should have done more to avert such a deadly outcome. A CNN review of OceanGates marketing material, public statements made by Rush and court records show that even as the company touted a commitment to safety measures, it rejected industry standards that would have imposed greater scrutiny on its operations and vessels. The company also boasted of collaborations with reputable institutions that have since denied partnering with OceanGate on the submersible in question. Some industry experts said OceanGates operations were known to be risky. This was a company that was already defying much of what we already know about submersible design, Rachel Lance, a Duke University biomedical engineer who has studied physiological requirements of survival underwater, said on CNN Thursday. She noted some of the vessels design materials were already large red flags to people who have worked in this field. OceanGate declined comment on its safety record. Once in a lifetime opportunity To the public, OceanGates marketing sought to appeal to potential customers sense of adventure while also assuring them the adventure was safe. They featured scientists or explorers praising the companys innovations. One flashy promotional video, published last year, opens with a voiceover boasting an unforgettablebut safevoyage: OceanGate Expeditions offers you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a specially trained crew member safely diving to the Titanic wreckage site. That video also features explorer Paul Henri-Nargeolet, who was among those who died this week, praising the design of the doomed vessel. The sub, for me, its very well done because its simple, Nargeolet said. Usually they have a lot of equipment and a lot of switches, and on this one you dont have because you work with a screen and a keyboard and its very easy to do that. That simplicity was highlighted late last year when Rush invited CBS News reporter David Pogue on a voyage, in which Rush admitted that he bought parts for his craft off-the-shelf at stores such as Camping World. In online videos, Rush explained the Titans unconventional design, which he said included carbon fiber to increase the vessels buoyancy. It hasnt been used in a crewed submersible ever before, he said in a video last year. The Titan also included an unparalleled safety feature that monitored the integrity of the vessels hull during each dive, according to OceanGates website. A 2021 press release highlighted its multiple, redundant safety systems. But in a separate interview with Pogue, Stockton seemed dismissive of safety. At some point, safety just is pure waste, Stockton said. I mean, if you just want to be safe, dont get out of bed. Dont get in your car. Dont do anything. Two former Oceangate employees separately voiced safety concerns about the Titan. David Lochridge, who worked as the director of marine operations between 2016 and 2018, claimed in court filings that he had expressed apprehension about the submersibles design and the companys testing of its hull before he was terminated. Lochridge also questioned OceanGates plans to install a monitoring system on the vessel to detect the start of hull breakdown. His court filing argued this type of acoustic analysis would only show when a component is about to failoften milliseconds before an implosionand would not detect any existing flaws prior to putting pressure onto the hull. Court filings from OceanGate suggest there was additional testing after Lochridge left the company. Its unclear whether his concerns were addressed. OceanGate terminated his employment and sued Lochridge in 2018, arguing he shared confidential information and used the company for immigration assistance then manufactured a reason to be fired. The companys suit stated Lochridge is not an engineer but a submersible pilot and diver. Another former employee who worked briefly for the company as an operations technician during the same time period as Lochridge also had concerns about the hulls thickness and adhesion, he said, speaking to CNN on the condition of anonymity. Lance, the Duke University professor, echoed some of these concerns. She said the unconventional combinations of materials used in the Titan posed safety risks because over the course of repeated pressurizations, they tend to weaken. This is not exactly what, in my opinion, would be innovation because this is already a thing that has been tried and it simply didnt work, she said. Its unclear how many total deep-sea voyages the Titan took, though a court filing from a company adviser in November said the five-person submersible had taken 28 people to the Titanic last year. OceanGate appears to have also overstated its relationships with two institutions widely respected for their innovation: Boeing and University of Washington. OceanGates website touted a partnership with Boeing, stating that its Titan was designed and engineered by OceanGate Inc. in collaboration [with] experts from Boeing and other entities. Similarly, OceanGate claimed in a 2021 court filing that the Titan was built with the help of University of Washingtons Applied Physics Laboratory. Both Boeing and UW denied partnering with OceanGate in the development of the Titan. OceanGate had partnered with UW to create a different submersible before parting ways, the university said in a statement. The company also used testing tanks at the UW School of Oceanography for nine tests between 2016 and 2022, according to Victor Balta, the spokesperson for UW. The tanks were used on a contract basis and no university researchers were involved in those tests and UW personnel did not provide any verification or validation of any OceanGate equipment as a result of those tests, Balta added. OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013 and wasnt involved in the development of Titan, cautioned Friday against jumping to conclusions on what caused the catastrophic loss of the submersible. Safety was always number one priority for us and for Stockton in particularhe was a very strong risk manager and I believe that he believed that every innovation that he created whether technologically or within the dive operations was to both expand the capability of humanity exploring the oceans while also improving the safety of those doing it, he told Anderson Cooper on CNN This Morning. Breaking the rules Rush appeared to enjoy pushing boundaries. While he sometimes spoke about exercising caution, he viewed industry standards as a roadblock to technological advancements in the field of exploration and he once acknowledged to a YouTuber that he had broken some rules to build the Titan. His company also alarmed industry veterans by declining to class the Titan, a routine inspection process that would have provided a layer of oversight. You are taking on a lot of risk and the risk you are taking might affect the entire industry, said the president of the industry group Marine Technology Societys submarine committee, Will Kohnen, who recalled to CNN concerns he conveyed to OceanGate founder Rush in 2018. If OceanGate had pursued a certification review some of this may have been avoided, Kohnen told CNN on Wednesday. Because the Titan was diving in international waters, the vessel appeared to operate in a regulatory gap. It is a gray area that is being exposed to the light of day, said Sal Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina and maritime historian. The Titans lack of credentials was noted in legal waivers OceanGate asked customers to sign before voyages. The company reportedly warned that its newest submersible had not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and that a dive could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death. Mike Reiss, who was one of Rushs clients, said he was aware of the perils. Before I boarded the sub, I signed a lengthy waiver detailing all the ways this trip could kill me: asphyxiation, electrocution, drowning, crushing death was mentioned three times on the first page, Reiss wrote in an op-ed for CNN. I kissed my wife goodbye before I left, thinking I might never see her again. Its still unclear what led to the catastrophic implosion that killed Rush and his passengers. But a US Coast Guard official suggested in a news conference Thursday that existing safety rules would be reviewed. This is an incredibly difficult and dangerous environment to work in out there, Rear Adm. John Mauger said. Rush had no illusions about those challenges. Youve just got to roll with the punches, he told students in the live-stream video last year. Thats the attitude we really look for with people who join us, is (to) see a problem as a challenge, not as a reason to hide. CNNs Gabe Cohen, Brad Lendon, Greg Wallace, Veronica Miracle, Allison Morrow, Rob Frehse, Paul Murphy and Celina Tebor contributed to this report. This story was first published on CNN.com, "OceanGate marketed its vessel as safe. But experts say it used materials that simply didnt work" Novembers battle for control of the General Assembly and the fate of Gov. Glenn Youngkins agenda likely will come down to fewer than a dozen races out of the 140 contests for seats in the House of Delegates and state Senate. And after the fierce, free-spending campaigns for nominations in Tuesdays primaries, expect lots of noise and action this fall, with barrages of TV, radio and social media ads, as well as mailers and possibly automated calls or texts if you live in any of these districts. In this years General Assembly session, Republicans held a four-seat edge in the House of Delegates, and Democrats held a four-seat edge in the state Senate. In battleground districts, turnout and candidate quality will be key the mid-gubernatorial term elections for all 100 House seats and 40 Senate seats usually draw the lowest interest, but clear messages from active campaigners will bring voters out. The contests to watch include a marquee Senate match between Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, and Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico; a few House contests in metro Richmond; and a handful of races in the Fredericksburg area, Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle, the outer reaches of Washingtons Virginia hinterlands and Hampton Roads. For much of the state, there simply never will be much of a contest. Past results indicate that 31 of 40 state Senate districts, for instance, give candidates from one party margins of 10 percentage points or more, including 18 Democratic districts and 13 Republican ones. In the House districts, meanwhile, 47 of them are solidly Democratic seats and 35 are firmly Republican. Only two Senate districts and seven House districts had gaps of 2 percentage points or less between the parties in the 2022 congressional elections. The new lines, like the old, leave one or the other party dominant. Only a handful of districts are really competitive, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. And its clear from the primaries, there is a lot of money to be spent in Virginia politics, he said. Big money in targeted contests In Richmond, candidates in Tuesdays three-way Democratic primary in the North Side and Church Hill-based 79th House District raised more than $570,000. The primary winner, Rae Cousins, raised more than $500,000 in a strongly Democratic district, where a primary victory likely means she will be headed to the General Assembly. In the two-way Democratic primary in western Henrico Countys 57th District, Susanna Gibson and Bob Shippee raised more than $523,000 combined in a district that gave Democratic congressional candidates a narrow 0.7 percentage point margin last year. It is likely to be one of the hardest-fought battlegrounds this year as Gibson faces Republican David Owen, most insiders say. There will be tons of money focused on a small number of races, said John McGlennon, a political scientist at the College of William & Mary. I would not be surprised if one or more races hit close to $10 million combined spending, he added. Youngkin is raising a ton, theres not a lot of competition for money in other states, McGlennon said. But money doesnt always win the day see (state Sen.) Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who spent nearly six times as much as challenger Saddam Salim, but who lost Tuesdays primary, 54% to 46%. Turnout in November will be the key, as the contests come in the middle of the governors term. But the effort will be tightly focused, McGlennon said. Lots of places wont have much going on in General Assembly races, he said. The primaries, meanwhile, have shifted the battlegrounds, said Soji Akomolafe, chair of Norfolk State Universitys political science department and executive director of the Center for African American Public Policy. While the majority of the districts would still remain safe, the battlegrounds would be much less predictable, he said. Before last Tuesdays primaries, conventional wisdom may have indicated a tough battle for the GOP in its efforts to retake the Senate in the general election, Akomolafe said. That may change, given that the party had opted to present this time around for the General Assembly more moderate candidates at the expense of hardliners, he said. The stakes are high for Youngkin, who needs a General Assembly that is more supportive of his agenda if he wants to make further progress on his push for additional tax cuts, abortion curbs and school choice. He needs a net flip of three Senate seats to gain a GOP majority, and two to give Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears a tie-breaking vote on most issues. Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take control of the House. Youngkins push also comes with a motivator for Democrats, as they will be reminding their voters of the likely impact of GOP majorities in the House and Senate on abortion, voting rights, et cetera, McGlennon said. Senate battles Two Senate contests will be particularly hard-fought, insiders and political scientists agree Republicans defense of Senate District 16, Dunnavants Democratic-leaning Henrico district; and Republicans push to flip Senate District 24, a swingy district on the Peninsula represented by Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg. In both of these districts, Democratic margins increased between Youngkins election in 2021 and congressional votes in 2022. Dunnavants extensive connections in the district, where she has practiced as an OB/GYN for many years, helped her over two four-year terms to hold onto a Democratic stretch of Henrico that voted 52.8% for former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in his race against Youngkin in 2021. But the district went even more strongly Democratic in the 2022 congressional race. Dunnavants opponent, Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, who teaches in one of the districts high schools, has represented much of the district since 2018, ending a 28-year Republican hold on the House seat. Dunnavant so far has raised more than twice the money for the race: $1.4 million to VanValkenburgs $605,000. More is likely to come in 2019, Dunnavant spent nearly $2.7 million, while Democrat Debra Rodman spent $3.1 million. On the Peninsula, former York-Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs is challenging Mason in Senate District 24, based in Newport News and York County. This is one of Virginias swingiest districts: It gave Youngkin an edge of 3.4 percentage points in 2021, but went for Democrat Ralph Northam by 6.7 points in his bid for governor in 2017. In 2022, it swung again, giving Democratic congressional candidates a 1.1 point margin. This is a race that Youngkin has been saying Republicans need to win if they are going to flip the Senate. Mason has represented much of the district for a decade, first as a member of the House and, since 2016, in the state Senate, where he is seen as a pro-business Democrat who is the bodys leader on foster care and aging issues, as well as working as a member of the Behavioral Health Commission and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Diggs was sheriff for 23 years, responsible for law enforcement in strongly Republican York County, where he resolved scores of high-profile crimes. He started his career as a city police officer in Poquoson. So far, Mason has raised more money $931,000 to Diggs $639,000. Outer rings Margins between Democrats and Republicans are narrow as well in two outer-ring suburban counties the kind of communities Farnsworth, at Mary Washington, says likely will be a center of contention this year. In Southsides sprawling, Suffolk-anchored 17th Senate District, which reaches into metro Richmonds Dinwiddie County, Dels. Emily Brewer, R-Suffolk, and Clinton Jenkins, D-Suffolk, both hope to move up to the Senate. Like many districts touching the North Carolina line, this district had been trending more Republican for years but, in 2022, gave Democratic congressional candidates a 0.4 percentage point edge. Up in Northern Virginias Loudoun County, another outer-ring community that became a flashpoint over parents roles in schools and that gave Youngkin a critical issue in 2021, two newcomers are battling for what once had been rock-solid Republican territory. Democrat Russet Perry, a former CIA officer turned prosecutor, and Republican Juan Pablo Segura, a health care businessman, are running in Senate District 31, which gave Youngkin a 0.6 percentage point edge in 2021, but gave Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, a margin of 5.9 percentage points in 2022. Around Fredericksburg, which these days includes the fringes of the Northern Virginia suburbs, Del. Tara Durant, R-Stafford, and Democrat Joel Griffin, a Marine veteran and businessman, are running in Senate District 27, a district recently carved from two Republican bastions. It is a district that Youngkin won with a margin of 8.5 percentage points, but that gave Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, an edge of 2.6 percentage points in 2022. It will be a highly contested battleground race in November, however, Durants relatively moderate stance combined with Governor Youngkins unabashed support who, by the way, has openly stated that the district is a must-win should scare her Democratic challenger, especially in terms of how much money would be pouring in between now and November, said Akomolafe, at Norfolk State. In outer-ring districts, abortion and the profile of former President Donald Trump this summer and fall could be decisive, Farnsworth said. The November elections would still, to a great extent, be carried out with Donald Trumps shadow looming heavily over the process and the outcomes, albeit not under the same circumstances as in 2017 and 2021, Akomolafe said. But abortion and the relative shift of the GOP to the center may eventually be the deciding factors regarding which party wins the race in many of these battleground districts, Akomolafe added. And, as in Loudoun and scores of other suburban counties, Youngkins campaign for what he termed parents rights resonated in 2021, aided by Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffes comment in his second debate with Youngkin that: I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. Voters in some outer-ring counties generally lean Republican. But similar communities in some other states reacted strongly against the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. Additionally, Trump has not fared well in Virginias suburbs, where many voters prefer a less abrasive style, Farnsworth said. Republicans may try to put in play Senate District 30, based in western Prince William County. It is another new Senate district, carved in part from the same GOP bastions that form the area Durant and Griffin are contesting. In her bid to move to the Senate in District 30, Del. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, has so far raised nearly 10 times the money that Republican Bill Woolf has. Roem has represented a part of the district in the House after swinging a Prince William district that one of the most conservative Republicans in the House, Bob Marshall, had represented for 24 years. Woolf is a former police detective who now is a principal at a nonprofit. Youngkin lost this district by 3.7 percentage points in 2021; Wexton widened the Democratic margin to 6.3 percentage points in 2022. The House Democrats need to gain a net of three House seats to take control of the House. Republicans can lose one seat without losing control. A two-seat shift to Democrats would mean a power-sharing struggle, which could be even tougher now than in past years as partisan divisions sharpen. Targets for Democrats include the Petersburg-anchored 82nd District, which Del. Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie, flipped to the GOP in 2021 by beating Del. Lashrecse Aird who toppled Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Petersburg, in a Senate primary on Tuesday. Stakes are especially high here, since Youngkins Partnership for Petersburg initiative for school, law enforcement and community development help for the struggling city are a marquee element of his agenda Youngkin highlights Taylors support for the program at almost every public event. Democrats, meanwhile, feel intensely that Petersburg belongs in the D column. Virginia State University financial officer Kim Pope-Adams won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday after a primary race in which she and opponent Vincent McKenzie spent more than $233,000. Taylor has raised more than $265,000. The district, where suburban development in Dinwiddie and Prince George counties is growing, went for Youngkin by 2.1 percentage points in 2021 after favoring Democrats for many years. But it swung tentatively back to Democrats in 2022, giving then-Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, a 1.2 point edge. Republican districts that voted Democratic in 2022 include Durants old House seat House District 65, based in Stafford County and Fredericksburg, which she won from two-term Del. Joshua Cole, D-Fredericksburg, in 2021. Cole is seeking to retake the district this fall, facing Republican Lee Peters, a captain in the Stafford County Sheriffs Office. Cole has raised more than $258,000 so far, to Peters $97,000. In Virginia Beach, freshman Republican Del. Karen Greenhalghs reconfigured House District 97 gave Rep. Elaine Luria, D-2nd, a 5 percentage-point edge in 2022, after voting for Youngkin by 2.2 points in 2021. Democrat Michael Feggans, an Air Force veteran and small-business owner, has so far raised $168,000 to Greenhalghs $175,000, but here, as in all these other races, there is likely much more to come. Greenhalghs 2021 win saw her spending nearly $1.1 million to defeat Del. Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, who spent nearly $2.4 million. In the end, she won 127 more votes than he did. Another Richmond region seat is also a likely battleground, though more as a GOP target and Democratic defensive line. Henricos House District 57 is the district that VanValkenburg swung Democratic in 2018. Democrat Susanna Gibson spent $245,000 in a hard-fought primary contest with Bob Shippee. The district gave Youngkin a 2.9 percentage-point margin in 2021, but swung Democratic by 0.8 points in 2022. Gibson, a nurse practitioner, faces Republican David Owen, a general contractor and former co-owner of Boone Homes. After her primary fight, Gibson heads into the general election with a campaign war chest of $26,500 to Owens $125,000. In this falls crucial fights in the battleground districts, voters can expect lots of ads, fierce statements and mailers with dramatic accusations and scary-looking, black-and-white or red-tinged photos of opposing candidates. In a number of districts, partisan divides were only sharpened by the primaries, especially as several Democratic incumbents fell to challengers who said their opponents had not been forceful enough advocates for Democratic issues, particularly abortion rights and gun control. Democrats have followed Republicans lead in becoming more partisan; Republicans purged their moderates over the last 20 years and now Democrats are turning out some of theirs, said Farnsworth, at Mary Washington. And fierceness is not likely to abate when the General Assembly reconvenes in January legislators will be less inclined than ever to work across the aisle and compromise when the assembly reconvenes, he said. No matter who wins control, Farnsworth said. What is clear is that being in the minority party in either body is not going to be very comfortable. Lashrecse Aird election night 2023 062123-rtd-met-primaries 062123-rtd-met-primaries 062123-rtd-met-primaries 062123-rtd-met-primaries DOMINANT ART IN THE NEWS KKK flyers found in Charlottesville neighborhoods Flyers with homophobic and anti-transgender language appeared in Charlottesville neighborhoods last week. The papers state they were distributed by Loyal White Knights of the KKK, headquartered in Pelham, North Carolina. It made me really angry to see the flyers, said Lori Pinkey, who found one outside her house. These creeps were going around and throwing these flyers in our yards while we were sleeping. The flyers arrived as Charlottesville received national attention this month when a video showing Johnson Elementary School students reading from the book "ABC Pride" went viral. JURY: The trial has started for a Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman accused of perjuring himself during a investigation of two school-based sexual assaults. The case is over comments made by Wayde Byard to a grand jury about the handling of the assaults at two high schools in 2021. A prosecutor said Byard lied when he said he didn't know about the first sexual assault. Byard says he testified truthfully to the grand jury. His lawyer said in court that he's the fall guy for a series of administrative failings. It is the first prosecution to go to trial from a special grand jury investigation commissioned by Attorney General Jason Miyares at the request of Gov. Glenn Youngkin. By the numbers 12 Virginia companies with exhibits at the Paris Air Show, the iconic aviation industry showcase. It has been an inspiring couple of days meeting with cutting-edge aerospace leaders and showcasing the phenomenal assets the commonwealth has to offer the industry, said Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who visited the show. 172 Automatic license plate-reading cameras installed last month in Norfolk. The devices capture images and document the make, model, color and other details about passing vehicles. THEY SAID IT ... "It's really a rare occurrence. Hiking in Shenandoah National Park, you'd have a bigger risk of getting into a car accident than you would getting bitten by a snake." Christopher Holstege, director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center, about the risk of snakes in Virginia. Of the 30 kinds in the state, only copperheads, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths are venomous. "The most likely scenario right now is a pressurization failure or a mis-setting of the pressurization system." Alan Diehl, an aviation psychologist, about the cause of a June 4 plane crash near Montebello. A federal report stated the unresponsive plane, which caused military jets to scramble over Washington, D.C., plunged in a near-vertical descent before crashing. ODDS AND ENDS TRIP: First lady Jill Biden brought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Virginia before his formal state visit and dinner at the White House on Thursday. Biden arranged a visit Wednesday to the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, for an event highlighting workforce training programs. Biden teaches at Northern Virginia Community College. TITANIC: The company that developed the submersible vessel Titan, which disappeared on its way to the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic, told a Virginia court that it was capable of diving four kilometers with a comfortable safety margin." OceanGate Expeditions informed Judge Rebecca Beach Smith in April of its plan to explore the ocean liner site. Smith has supervised the wreckage scene from the U.S. District Court in Norfolk since 2002. The crew of the Titan lost contact and went missing Sunday, touching off a rescue operation. IN THE NEWS Charges dropped in hospital death Second-degree murder charges have been dropped against two of 10 defendants accused in the March 6 death of Irvo Otieno at Central State Hospital. Darian Blackwell and Sadarius Williams were both workers at the mental health facility. A grand jury indicted them, another hospital employee and seven Henrico County sheriff's deputies in the death. Video footage shows Otieno, 28, being pinned to the ground for 11 minutes. Otieno was arrested by Henrico County police while suffering a mental health episode. He died at the hospital while deputies and hospital employees restrained him. An autopsy found that Otieno died of asphyxia. BETS: Adjusted gaming revenues declined in May at the Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock. Virginias first casino reported $12.92 million in wagers minus winnings, its third-lowest overall month since opening in July. It represents an 8% decline from the $14 million reported in April, according to a Virginia Lottery report. The casino has averaged over $11.1 million per month from its slot machines and $2.46 million per month from table games, for a monthly average of $13.5 million. Imagine youve bought a standout house on Richmonds grandest residential street. You might change a few paint colors, but really whats not to love, right? It was a little more complicated 124 years ago, when Spottswood Dabney Crenshaw and Anne Clay Crenshaw bought the three-story, Italianate-style house at 919 West Franklin St. The street had been the citys premier residential thoroughfare for the second half of the 19th century, and the Crenshaws block featured a mix of well-established and newly fashionable architectural styles. In the late 1880s, for example, Lewis Ginter Richmonds wealthiest resident built the citys first large-scale, fully developed residential example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. By contrast, the Italianate style was enjoying a Renaissance, of sorts. The Italianate style originally rose to prominence in the 1850s but remained popular after the Civil War as the style of choice for Richmonds millionaires in the early 1880s, said Chris Novelli, an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. It was popular with builders into the 1890s. The house at 919 West Franklin St. was built in 1891, and by the time the Crenshaws bought it eight years later, architectural tastes were starting to turn toward classical styles and more academically correct treatments. So in 1903, they hired Richmond-based Noland & Baskervill to remodel the house with an eye toward adding classical details. The firm, which William C. Noland and Henry Baskervill founded in 1897, was enjoying steady work, and its reputation was on the rise. Among its most significant projects at the time was serving as one of three Virginia architectural firms and the only one from Richmond selected to undertake the 1904-1906 renovation and expansion of the Virginia State Capitol. Noland & Baskervill also took on smaller residential remodels, and the Crenshaws werent alone in asking the firm to freshen up their house. Ashton Starke, who owned the Gothic Revival-influenced house at 915 West Franklin St., hired the firm for a renovation in 1902. For the exterior of the Crenshaw house, Noland (the firms lead designer) drew up plans for a classical porch with Greek Doric columns and a new copper cornice with classical details. Noland wouldve wanted to impress with his knowledge of classical design, which was in keeping with current trends, Novelli said. The new approach to design stressed stylistic purity, academic correctness and, above all, a return to the classical tradition. Inside, Noland gave the dining room an elegant, classical makeover, with fluted pilasters, raised paneling and a striking view of a new leaded-glass Palladian window framed by a wide, Georgian-style arched opening. The view of that window was the highlight of the interior, Novelli said. Noland also converted the rear porch into a gentlemens smoking room with large, leaded-glass windows and a stained-glass skylight that nearly filled the ceiling. The Crenshaws update reflected high societys new enthusiasm for classicism, but it wasnt a wholesale gutting. They kept the best of the old, Novelli said. They recognized quality when they saw it. Among the features that survived the update were the entrance hall, with its dark-stained woodwork, and the Aesthetic Movement fireplace mantels with their colorful, glazed art tiles. Work on the remodel wrapped up in 1904. Five years later, the house played an historically significant role when Anne Clay Crenshaw hosted the first two organizational meetings to create what became the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. The first meeting, on 20 November, was held at four oclock in the front parlor of her house, said Ray Bonis, a local historian and manager of The Shockoe Examiner, a Richmond history blog. Eighteen women attended the meeting, including Richmond artist Adele Clark, writer Ellen Glasgow and Lila Meade Valentine, who was elected president of the organization. Fighting for womens right to vote wasnt a newfound concern for Crenshaw. Shed been an advocate for the cause in her native Kentucky, and her sister, Laura Clay, was the Bluegrass States leading suffrage advocate, Bonis said. Unlike many other officers of the Equal Suffrage of Virginia, Mrs. Crenshaw was married and had children, limiting her involvement in the suffrage movement after helping founding it in 1909, Bonis said. What is interesting, though, is that Richmond city voter registration records show that she registered to vote immediately after women won the right to vote in 1920, as did her two daughters. That same year, the Equal Suffrage League became the League of Women Voters of Virginia. In 2010, the Crenshaw House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register, in recognition of its historic significance in the Virginia suffrage movement. The house today The Crenshaws lived in the house until Spottswood Dabney Crenshaws death in 1941. (Anne Clay Crenshaw died in 1945.) After its sale, the house was converted into five apartments. In the 1960s, as Richmond Professional Institute grew, it bought the property and first used it as a dormitory then later as offices, Bonis said. (RPI became Virginia Commonwealth University in 1968.) IMMIGRATION WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican-led challenge to a Biden administration policy that prioritizes the deportation of immigrants who are deemed to pose the greatest risk to public safety or were picked up at the border. The justices voted 8-1 to allow the long-blocked policy to take effect, recognizing there is not enough money or manpower to deport all 11 million or so people who are in the United States illegally. The case was one of two immigration cases decided Friday; the other upheld a section of federal law used to prosecute people who encourage illegal immigration. In the deportation case, Louisiana and Texas argued that federal immigration law requires authorities to detain and expel those in the U.S. illegally even if they pose little or no risk. The court held that the states lacked the legal standing, or right to sue, in the first place. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his opinion for the court that the Executive Branch has no choice but to prioritize enforcement eff orts. "That is because the Executive Branch invariably lacks the resources to arrest and prosecute every violator of every law and must constantly react and adjust to the ever-shifting public-safety and public welfare needs of the American people," he wrote. At the center of the case is a September 2021 directive from the Department of Homeland Security that paused deportations unless individuals committed acts of terrorism, espionage or "egregious threats to public safety." The guidance, issued after Joe Biden became president, updated a Trump-era policy to remove people who were in the country illegally, regardless of criminal history or community ties. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas applauded Friday's decision, saying it would allow immigration officers "to focus limited resources and enforcement actions on those who pose a threat to our national security, public safety and border security." The case displayed a litigation strategy Republican attorneys general and other officials frequently use that succeeded in slowing Biden administration initiatives by going to Republican-friendly courts. Texas and Louisiana claimed in their lawsuit that they would face added costs of having to detain people the federal government might allow to remain free inside the United States despite their criminal records. Last year, a federal judge in Texas ordered a nationwide halt to the guidance and a federal appellate panel in New Orleans declined to step in. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati earlier overturned a district judge's order that put the policy on hold in a lawsuit filed by Arizona, Ohio and Montana. The Biden administration 11 months ago asked the Supreme Court to intervene, and the justices voted 5-4 to keep the policy on hold. At the same time, the court agreed to hear the case, which was argued in December. In Friday's decision, Kavanaugh's opinion spoke for just five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett agreed with the outcome for other reasons. Justice Samuel Alito filed a solo dissent, writing that the decision improperly favors the president over Congress and "it renders states already laboring under the effects of massive illegal immigration even more helpless." In the separate immigration-related decision also issued Friday, the justices by a 7-2 vote reinstated the criminal conviction of a California man who offered adult adoptions he falsely claimed would lead to U.S. citizenship. Helaman Hansen, who lived in Elk Grove, was prosecuted under a section of federal immigration law that says a person who "encourages or induces" a noncitizen to come to or remain in the United States illegally can be punished by up to five years in prison. That's increased to 10 years if the person doing the encouraging is doing so for personal financial gain. The federal government says that from 2012 to 2016, Hansen deceived hundreds of noncitizens into believing he could guarantee them a path to citizenship through the adult adoptions. Based on Hansen's promises, officials say, people either came to or stayed in the United States in violation of the law, even though Hansen knew the adult adoptions he was arranging would not lead to citizenship. The government said at least 471 people paid him between $550 and $10,000 each and, in total, he collected more than $1.8 million. Hansen ultimately was convicted of encouragement charges as well as fraud charges. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the encouragement charges and 20 years on the fraud charges, but a federal appeals court ruled that the law on encouragement is overbroad and violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment, over turning just those convictions. Writing for a majority of her colleagues, Justice Amy Coney Barrett said that while the lower court found that section of the law was unconstitutionally overbroad, "That was an error." Two of the court's three liberal justices, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented. This month marks the 60th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. The law requires that men and women receive equal pay for equal work. In launching its #LevelThePlayingField campaign this summer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces the law, announced that in the past five years, the agency has recovered $65.9 million for individuals filing Equal Pay Act charges, $163.6 million for individuals filing wage charges under Title VII and $14.2 million through lawsuits, including wage or compensation issues. We often hear statistics of drastic differences in pay between men and women. According to a Pew Research Center study published earlier this year, in 2023, women earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men; in 2022, they reportedly earned 80 cents. Although this is an often-touted statistic, it is considered the uncontrolled pay gap, which doesnt take into account pay for equal work. According to the annual Gender Pay Gap report released by PayScale earlier this year, when taking into account the controlled gender pay gap (women with the same qualifications as men with the same jobs), the gap is 99 cents for women to every $1 made by men. This still shows a pay disparity, but not as significant as when considering all women working versus all men working overall. Employers should not burden themselves with statistics like this. Instead, they should focus on what they are doing in their own workplaces to ensure there is equity in pay and that they comply with the law. Specifically, the Equal Pay Act states, No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees ... at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a differential based on any other factor other than sex. There is no legal requirement that employees earn the same, and there are many appropriate and legitimate criteria that could impact a pay differential, including: seniority/tenure; education; work experience; certifications and licensures; performance; and market/geographic location. In 2019, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed a case of pay equity allegations involving professors, and it determined that the employee could not show that her comparator performed equal work on jobs under similar working conditions. The court cited the legal requirement that the plaintiff prove that the jobs were equal in the strict sense of involving virtually identical work, skill, effort and responsibility, not in the loose sense of having some comparative value. The court held that the plaintiff could not meet this burden. Managers and employers should be able to justify the pay of every employee. They should conduct a regular review of compensation and ask for each person, Why does this person make more or less than that person? What criteria are we using for compensation? Have we fairly and equitably applied those criteria? Are these the right and necessary criteria for this job? What jobs are comparable and why? Have a compensation policy/philosophy, and then stick to it. Although the Equal Pay Act applies to gender discrimination, employers also must comply with other federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination generally, including in compensation. They should look holistically at race, age, disability and all other factors to make sure that implicit or actual bias is not impacting pay fairness. There are also some complicating realities, such as a long-term employee who has reached the maximum of a salary range, or an employee who changed jobs, but the employer wanted to red circle the employee and keep her at her current salary even though others in the role are paid less. These variables should be carefully documented. Under Virginia law, employers cannot prohibit employees from discussing their pay with other colleagues. This encourages pay transparency, which in turn uncovers pay equity violations. Employers should also avoid relying upon prior salary in the hiring process to determine the salary of a new hire. Some states prohibit employers from even asking about current salary until a conditional job offer is made to avoid the tendency to lowball a candidate who is currently earning under market. An appeals court ruled that it was improper to have inflexible criteria that say employees can only be offered a certain percentage above their current salary. Employers need to stop looking for a good deal. If a candidate provides to the employer a proposed salary and that salary is below market or what the employer is paying, the employer needs to offer the candidate whatever that job is paying consistent with other employees with the same criteria. Always negotiate in good faith. 10 best cities for women business leaders 10 best cities for women business leaders Key findings Cities where women in business leadership roles thrive Data & methodology QUESTION: I read your book, Let Go to Grow. Id like to grow my company into what you call a fully evolved midsize business one that effectively runs itself on a day-to-day basis so that I can focus on more strategic issues. Unfortunately, Im having a hard time. Are there some businesses that just cant get to this point? ANSWER: First, thank you for reading our book. We hope you found it to be helpful. The short answer to your question is, yes, there are some situations that make it is difficult or even impossible to grow a company into a fully evolved midsize structure. Such companies are not easily scalable. Those businesses tend to have one or more of three characteristics. 1. The owner has a unique skill set: If the owners skill set is so distinctive that it would be difficult to hire another person to do the primary work of the business, the enterprise is not scalable. For example, it would have been essentially impossible for Rembrandt to have scaled his business. No one else had his skills. As a painter, Rembrandt was stuck in what we call a micro business structure, one in which the owner does the main work of the enterprise. The same could be said of great composers, such as Beethoven, Brahms or Bach. Having phenomenal skills in a particular area like these masters is an amazing gift, but it will make your enterprise almost impossible to scale. Being a public speaker, a professional athlete or a celebrity of any kind might well fall into the same category. This doesnt mean that such people cant hire others to help them. They certainly can and many do, but when the owner has a unique skill set, he or she will nearly always have to do the primary work of the business. Therefore, the size of the enterprise will be limited. 2. Limited margin: A midsize business structure is one in which the business owner is managing managers. In these cases, the owner and the managers are not doing the major work of the business. They are overhead. Some businesses simply do not have enough margin to support this overhead. Consider consulting to small businesses. Large corporations can pay millions of dollars for a few months of consulting work because they face problems and/or opportunities in which the difference between success and failure might be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, it makes sense to pay a lot of money to improve the odds of success. Small businesses dont face issues that have swings this large. Therefore, they neither can nor should pay these large fees for consulting services. This means that the fees small-business consultants can charge are capped. Employees who would be capable of doing top-notch consulting work for small businesses are expensive. There is just not much margin between what a small business can afford to pay and what you would have to pay a competent employee to do the consulting work. It is difficult to scale such a business. 3. No benefit to size: There are some businesses for which being a part of a larger company might not offer the person doing the primary work of the business enough benefit to cause him or her to remain an employee. He or she would simply start a business and capture all of its revenue rather than share it with an employer. It is difficult to scale such businesses because the people doing the main work of the business inevitably leave to start a competitive enterprise. Growing your business to a fully evolved midsize structure is a worthy goal, but before spending years trying to make this happen, be sure that your industry doesnt have characteristics that will prevent you from succeeding. Richmond-area business expansions, openings and closings 88 Street Food Urban Myth Street Food Revel Market & Bar Rams House Bar + Kitchen Stanley's Popshelf P.T. Hastings Seafood Killa Dillas Genovas Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen The Veil Brewing Co.'s new taproom Luxe New American Bar & Grill Wok This Way Eggs Up Grill Mayu Sushi & Thai Maxs on Broad RICH Nail Lounge Sycamore Jewelers, Midlothian Mi Casita Restaurant Ironclad Coffee Grit Coffee Rockler Woodworking and Hardware Boiling Crab Richmond Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. Suzy Sno Diablo Doughnuts RVA The Brass Tap Graybo's Sports Cards Blue Ridge Cyclery BigWife's Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams CarLotz Acacia Midtown Zoom Room Richmond Torchy's Tacos Planet Fitness Raising Canes Chicken Fingers Three Notch'd Brewing Retail or Resell Marshalls Raising Cane's My Favorite Muffin Mattress King Anthony's on the Hill The Mill on MacArthur Alleged Maya Train sniper captured in Felipe Carrillo Puerto jungle by National Guard Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R. After 36 hours of searching, a man believed responsible for the shooting of Maya Train workers has been captured. On Saturday morning, an unidentified male was taken into custody by National Guard and Municipal Police. He is believed to be the alleged sniper who, to date, has taken aim at eight Maya Train workers along section 6. National Guard personnel worked with police from Felipe Carrillo Puerto on instructions from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who on Thursday morning, gave the operational order to find those responsible. The man was reportedly located after walking onto a ranch Friday armed in search of water and threatening on site ranch hand. The incident was reported to police who followed up on the lead at the Balam-Nah ranch. Police follow up on a report at the Balam-Nah ranch after a man matching the description of the sniper was seen stealing water. Photo: June 23, 2023. According to the ranch hand, the man was seen stealing water on the property Friday morning around 10:30 carrying a shotgun. According to descriptions of the shooter police had obtained from the eight he injured, the man described on the ranch fit those details. National Guard personnel began an area search for him after he fled into thick jungle. National Guard arrested the man Saturday morning. He is believed responsible for Maya Train worker shootings. Photo: June 24, 2023. He was finally captured around 10:00 a.m. Saturday. While he has been taken into custody as the alleged Maya Train worker shooter, he has not officially been identified as such since police continue to verify facts. Archaeological Zone of Tulum is being digitally conserved Tulum, Q.R. The Archaeological Zone of Tulum is being digitally conserved as part of a federal government project. Buildings of the Mayan city are being detailed with graphic records. Patricia Meehan Hermanson, the coordinator of the conservation project, says the project is focusing on more detailed and precise graphic records of the architectural complexes, buildings, wall surfaces and decorative elements on facades and sidewalks, thus constituting a unique corpus for undertaking future work. The orthomosaics and digital surface models, among other drone photogrammetry products, are processed by the architect of the INAH Archaeological Studies Directorate, Emilio Fernandez Gamboa, who has trained other team members in the matter. This will insure restorers will be able to obtain three-dimensional images of elements with specific damage, and have an exact idea of the before and after their intervention. The specialist from the INAHs National Coordination for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (CNCPC) reports that the work plan includes seven buildings, the Temple of the Frescoes, the Castle (the most emblematic of Tulum), the Temple of the Descending God, the House of Halach Uinik, the Palace of Columns, the House of Chultun and the North Tower of the wall. Our priorities are mural painting, stucco and flattened reliefs, with or without color, as well as floors and sidewalks. This represents a great opportunity for the project because it provides a more homogeneous level of conservation to Tulum in addition to the systematization of these tasks, something that we had not achieved due to lack of human and financial resources, as well as and time. She said that due to the proximity of the site to the Caribbean Sea, the presence of salts in the lime flattening is common, which are preserved due to their great hardness because they have a percentage of magnesium, but also show preferential deterioration in shaped like alveoli, as if it were a Gruyere cheese. Another conservation issue is related to the fauna that inhabits the walls and roofs of buildings, such as iguanas and bats. Seven Mayan buildings of the Tulum Archaeological site are being digitally conserved. Photo: INAH June 21, 2023. The objective is to leave the site with an acceptable level of conservation and from there, formulate maintenance plans at different terms, says Meehan who is accompanied by a dozen restorers, two architects and 12 additional field support people. Meehan said that the conservation project works hand-in-hand with that of archaeology, in charge of the researcher of the INAH Quintana Roo Center, Antonio Reyes Solis, since the preservation of murals, stuccos and other elements goes hand-in-hand with the structural stability of the buildings. The conservation project is being carried with financing from the Program for the Improvement of Archaeological Zones (Promeza) through the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). A final permit issued Friday may be enough to get the Mountain Valley Pipeline across the remaining rivers, streams and wetlands that have long blocked the projects path to completion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave its approval for construction through hundreds of water bodies in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia, as it was required to do by a recently passed federal law that fast-tracks the controversial project. Mountain Valley has previously said that it has completed more than half of the nearly 1,000 water body crossings along the pipelines 303-mile route. But on Friday, company spokeswoman Natalie Cox wrote in an email that there are approximately 643 total water resources to be crossed, including water bodies and wetlands, some of which may be crossed more than once. A number of factors including multiple crossings of a single water body in some cases and a single crossing that includes multiple water bodies in others make it difficult to come up with a precise number. But one thing seemed clear Friday: Mountain Valley now has approval to complete a natural gas pipeline delayed for more than four years by permitting complications and legal challenges. This announcement that the Mountain Valley pipeline finally has all permits needed to resume construction is great news, said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, a champion of a project that starts in his home state. The $6.6 billion project was bailed out of its legal and permitting woes by a law, pushed by Manchin and passed by Congress three weeks ago, that includes a provision green-lighting the pipelines completion in broader legislation that suspended the federal debt ceiling and averted a disastrous government default. Opponents say the law mandated approval of a pipeline with a long history of environmental violations. Unprecedented and unconscionable congressional interference has placed Virginia and West Virginia communities and waterways at risk by forcing agencies to issue Mountain Valley Pipelines permits, said Jessica Sims, Virginia field director of Appalachian Voices. When work on the pipeline began in February 2018, construction crews struggled to control erosion along a route that takes it across steep mountain slopes and through clear-running streams. State regulators in Virginia and West Virginia have cited Mountain Valley with more than 400 violations of erosion and sediment control regulations over the past five years. Muddy runoff has also been an issue in long-running litigation. More than a dozen times, a federal appeals court has overturned government permits that were challenged by environmental groups. In addition to expediting completion of the pipeline, the debt ceiling law largely insulates it from future legal challenges. Perhaps the most prolonged court fight has involved water body crossings. In 2017, the Army Corps issued a so-called Nationwide Permit 12, a blanket approval that critics said took a one-size-fits-all approach to examining the environmental impact of running a 42-inch diameter pipe through streams and wetlands. The permit was set aside in 2018 by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A second approval from the Army Corps came in 2020, followed by a second rejection by the Fourth Circuit. Rather than seek a third nationwide permit that would likely face another court fight, Mountain Valley decided to seek an individual permit that requires an independent analysis of each water body crossing. That permit was issued Friday by the Army Corps. Plans call for the pipeline to cross water bodies by either digging through or borrowing beneath them. In whats called an open-cut method, construction crews temporarily dam a stream and dig a trench for the buried pipeline along the exposed bottom. The second method involves boring a tunnel for the pipe to pass below the water body. Boring is planned for the Roanoke River along the Montgomery-Roanoke county line. Although an application had been in the works for some time and was preceded in December 2021 by a required water quality certification from Virginias State Water Control Board the process was jumpstarted when Mountain Valleys completion was included in the must-pass law to raise the debt ceiling. The law limits judicial review to a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. and allows only a challenge of the law itself and not government permits issued to the pipeline. But environmental groups say they are exploring possible legal options. Before construction can resume, authorization is required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the lead agency overseeing the project. FERC approved the project in 2017 and has continued to support it since. We will request the administrative authorizations necessary for full construction in the near future and are currently developing our construction mobilization schedule, Cox wrote in her email. At a meeting Thursday, the State Water Control Board was told that work is expected to begin by the second or third week of July. Mountain Valley has said it hopes to complete the pipeline by years end. But Matt Stafford, manager of the Department of Environmental Qualitys office of water compliance, said final restoration of the completed right-of-way and other work could extend into 2024. Theres still, as we see it, a lot of work to do, Stafford told the board. (CNN) The simmering conflict between Moscows military leadership and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of private mercenary group Wagner, has dramatically escalated into an open insurrection that plunges Russia into renewed uncertainty. Prigozhin unleashed a new tirade against the Russian military on Friday and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Russias domestic intelligence service, the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, accusing him of calling for an armed rebellion. Heres what you need to know. What did Prigozhin do? The dramatic turn of events began on Friday when Prigozhin openly accused Russias military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a huge amount of his men. He vowed to retaliate with force, insinuating that his forces would destroy any resistance, including roadblocks and aircraft. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country, he said. Prigozhin later rowed back on his threat, saying his criticism of the Russian military leadership was a march of justice and not a coup but by that point he appears to have already crossed a line with the Kremlin. The crisis then deepened as Prigozhin declared his fighters had entered Russias Rostov region and occupied key military installations within its capital. That city, Rostov-on-Don, is the headquarters for Russias southern military command and home to some one million people. Prigozhin released a video saying his forces would blockade Rostov-on-Don unless Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general Valery Gerasimov come to meet him. Prigozhin has spent months railing against Shoigu and Gerasimov who he blames for Moscows faltering invasion of Ukraine. How did Russia respond? Russias Defense Ministry has strongly denied attacking Wagner troops, calling the claim informational propaganda. And the FSB also opened a criminal case against Prighozhin for his threats, accusing him of calling for an armed rebellion. Prigozhins statements and actions are in fact calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and are a stab in the back of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces, an FSB statement said, calling for Wagner fighters to detain their leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation, according to Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov. Russian officials meanwhile appeared to take no chances with security measures stepping up in Moscow, according to Russian state media TASS. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Saturday on Telegram that anti-terrorist measures to strengthen security were being carried out in the capital as a result of incoming information. Social media posts showed military vehicles were seen driving around the main streets of the Russian capital in the early hours of Saturday. Who is Prigozhin? Prigozhin has known Putin since the 1990s. He became a wealthy oligarch by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, earning him the moniker Putins chef. His transformation into a brutal warlord came in the aftermath of the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movements in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin founded Wagner to be a shadowy mercenary outfit that fought both in eastern Ukraine and, increasingly, for Russian-backed causes around the world. CNN has tracked Wagner mercenaries in the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine and Syria. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses. Prigozhins political star rocketed in Russia after Moscows full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While many regular Russian troops saw setbacks on the battlefield, Wagner fighters seemed to be the only ones capable of delivering tangible progress. Known for its disregard for the lives of its own soldiers, the Wagner groups brutal and often lawless tactics are believed to have resulted in high numbers of casualties, as new recruits are sent into battle with little formal training a process described by retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as like feeding meat to a meat grinder. Prigozhin has used social media to lobby for what he wants and often feuded with Russias military leadership, casting himself as competent and ruthless in contrast to the military establishment. His disagreements with Russias top brass exploded into the public domain during the grim and relentless battle for Bakhmut during which he repeatedly accused the military leadership of failing to supply his troops with enough ammunition. In one particularly grim video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to a pile of dead Wagner fighters and took aim specifically at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The blood is still fresh, he says, pointing to the bodies behind him. They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices. Putin presides over what is often described as a court system, where infighting and competition among elites is in fact encouraged to produce results, as long as the vertical of power remains loyal to and answers to the head of state. But Prigozhins increasingly outrageous outbursts have sparked speculation in recent weeks that even he could be going too far. What happens now? Steve Hall, a former career CIA officer and now CNN contributor, said the fact that the FSB is the service issuing the arrest warrant would suggest Putin has turned on Prigozhin. In my mind when the FSB says, Yeah, we see this is a criminal act and were investigating it that to me means that Putin is right on top of it, he told CNN. Hall said Prigozhin knows precisely what his risk is which is kind of interesting when you think about it, because that means he must have calculated that he can pull this off A guy like Prigozhin knows what the risks are and knows that if it doesnt go well for him, its gonna go really badly, he added. Meanwhile the open disunity within Russias armed forces has been greeted with glee and much schadenfreude in Kyiv. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Ukraine will be keen to exploit the turmoil, especially if Moscow is forced to move troops from the frontline. Obviously they need to see what is actually happening with the disposition of Russian forces along their defensive lines, he told CNN. If Russian forces at those locations are being withdrawn to fight Wagner to defeat what is certainly an insurrection at the moment but could be which could become a civil war down the track then potentially you will see the Ukrainians opening up new opportunities, identifying gaps in the Russian lines that they can push through and exploit. If gaps open up, then they need to be ready to exploit those gaps, he added. This story was first published on CNN.com. Wagner boss Prigozhin has turned on Russias military leadership. Heres why that matters LAKE CITY, S.C. Kayden Green, a student at Lake City High School, has always wanted to be an astronaut. A recent trip to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which was sponsored by Florence School District Three, has helped to bring that dream closer to reality. Green and nine other girls from Lake City High School went from June 11 to June 13 and got to see astronauts training up close and personal. I was really confused on what I wanted to do because I have like two career choices, but now, seeing it is actually confirming that, yeah, I want to do that. I want to be that, she said. Mary Howard, director of early childhood and elementary education and a coordinator of summer school, said the trip helped show the girls what opportunities exist in STEM and beyond. She helped to organize the trip along with Leon Burgess, the districts director of college and career readiness. Before going on the trip, the girls took a class in aeronautics and drones. There, they gained skills that would be expanded on at the Space Center. On the trip, students took classes about drones and rovers like the kind they use in space. They even got to drive around rovers and use specialized gear to test mock moon rocks for different materials. When Gloria Chavez first joined the class, she said, she was not particularly interested in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. She knew she wanted to go to college, but did not yet know what she wanted to go for. The class and trip have helped her narrow her choices down, she said. It gave me an idea, but Im stuck between two, Chavez said. For one: human services, because I like helping people. For two: photography and going to NASA. While she has always been interested in photography and enjoyed the drone photography taught in the classes before the trip, Chavez said, she never realized that NASA hired photographers to train astronauts how to take pictures in space. When I thought about NASA, you know, I just thought about astronauts, but when we got there, I learned there was so much more than astronauts. It was a whole lot of stuff to do and more jobs than I thought, she said. Another point of inspiration on the trip for Chavez was when the group met one particular astronaut. She was an African-American woman, and I really liked that because if she could do it, then I could do it, she said. Close Cheryl McNair and 10 rising Lake City High School freshman and sophomore girls pose in the Mission Control Center. Lake City High School girls look out on the Mission Control Center. Lake City High School girls tour the museum at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls spent three days at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls watch astronauts train at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls watch astronauts train at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Gloria Chavez, a Lake City High School student, sits in a simulator of an ejection seat. Gloria Chavez, a Lake City High School student, tries on flight gear. PHOTOS: Lake City High School trip to NASA Cheryl McNair and 10 rising Lake City High School freshman and sophomore girls pose in the Mission Control Center. Lake City High School girls look out on the Mission Control Center. Lake City High School girls tour the museum at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls spent three days at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls watch astronauts train at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Lake City High School girls watch astronauts train at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Gloria Chavez, a Lake City High School student, sits in a simulator of an ejection seat. Gloria Chavez, a Lake City High School student, tries on flight gear. The trip was the first time Chavez had left the Carolinas or been on an airplane, she said. During the trip, the girls also saw the mission control center, toured the museum and met with the director of the NASA Space Center, Vanessa Wyche. According to Howard, Wyche talked to the girls about the different fields of STEM and how important it is to get women involved. She also went beyond STEM to talk about the wide range of options available to those who continue their education on to college, Howard said. The group traveled with Cheryl McNair, wife of the late Dr. Ronald McNair who was killed in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. Howard said she was instrumental in getting tours set up for the girls. We got into the center early before it opened to the public to do the simulations, the flight simulators and things, she said. The group also got to learn more about Ronald McNair and visit his tree in Grove Park. It was a very good, not only career-focused trip but they also got some cultural things in it as well, Howard said. The trip was funded by Harbor Freight, Big Picture Learning and the Class of 82. Its not every day you can say you found something new at a fossil park. James Hanna and Jonathan Hoag should know. Theyve been picking up rocks at Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve in Hamburg since they were kids. And now, in their 20s, they have found two rare fossils of an animal that had never been found there. It was believed to have gone extinct more than 25 million years before the rocks at Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve were deposited. This is an animal Ill be completely honest I did not know it existed until we had these discoveries, Penn Dixie Executive Director Philip J. Stokes said. The animal is a carpoid, a primitive type of echinoderm, a distant ancestor to starfish, sea urchins and sand dollars. It wasnt until the fossils were sent off to be prepared professionally that the experts recognized this was something new and different, Stokes said. Its so new that it is a novel genus and species, and the species will be named after Hoag. Its a dream come true for a biologist, Hoag said. Hanna will be one of the authors on the scientific paper describing it a dream come true for a paleontologist. Hanna, 20, a junior geology major at the University at Buffalo, found the first fossil in April when he and Hoag were digging for trilobites, which are extinct marine arthropods. They were splitting the rocks that were left over after separating the trilobite from the rock. I could tell there was something there, Hanna said, but he did not know what it was. If I hadnt looked closely enough, I very easily could have tossed it. He sent photographs of it to some friends in paleontology, and experts identified it. And then about a week later, they were in the same area about 20 yards away, and Hoag, 26, who graduated from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, found a similar fossil. Sure enough it was another one sitting in the block. It was unexpected, Hoag said. I knew exactly what it was the minute I flipped the rock. The second fossil, while not as well preserved as the first, is complementary, and demonstrates that there were multiple carpoid living in the environment for a period of time. It extends the fossil record by over 25 million years for this animal, which tells us it did in fact survive through several extinction events, Stokes said. The 54-acre Penn Dixie Fossil Park in Hamburg is the site of a former quarry filled with fossils from the Devonian Period, nearly 400 million years ago. Carpoids had been thought to be extinct 25 million years before the Devonian Period, and have been found in only a handful of locations around the world, Stokes said. The Penn Dixie fossils are roughly 382 million years old, according to Stokes. The carpoids are considered a Lazarus taxon, an animal that disappears from the fossil record and reappears much later, Stokes said. Its just amazing when something like this shows up, said Carlton E. Brett, distinguished research professor at the University of Cincinnati. We know then that group had to be around all that time in between, but its not seen anywhere else in world. Brett and Ronald L. Parsley, professor emeritus at Tulane University and a world renown expert in the field, will be the authors of the paper. Once it was known what was found, word traveled fast throughout the paleontological community, Stokes said. It was pretty shocking. Ive been a scientist for 20 years, usually things happen very slowly. Like every visitor to Penn Dixie who picks up a fossil, the find belongs to the visitor. That doesnt change, even if its something very rare and valuable, Stokes said. Hanna and Hoag are donating their fossils to the Paleontological Research Institutions Museum of the Earth in Ithaca. There they can be examined and compared by researchers. It could have just been ridiculous luck, Hanna said. We found two of them in two different layers, they probably are hundreds of thousands of years apart. Hanna began going to Penn Dixie when he was about 5 years old, and started volunteering at the site when he was a teenager. This is his sixth season working for the fossil park. He wants to go to graduate school, and having his name on a research paper wont hurt his prospects. Hannas fossil is considered a holotype, the single specimen of the new species. Hoag started collecting fossils when he was 11, and got his love of the outdoors at the fossil park, where he is the site manager. The carpoids were found where they have walked hundreds of times. We found it right at the end of our walkway. God knows how many people walked by that walkway, Hoag said. States with the most dinosaur fossils #46. Kentucky (tie) #46. New Hampshire (tie) #46. Rhode Island (tie) #46. Vermont (tie) #46. Wisconsin (tie) #45. West Virginia #44. Minnesota #43. Indiana #42. New York #41. Iowa #40. Missouri #39. Louisiana #38. Michigan #37. Delaware #36. Arkansas #35. Mississippi #34. Maine #33. Nevada #32. Washington #31. Illinois #30. South Carolina #29. Tennessee #28. Pennsylvania #27. Ohio #26. Georgia #25. Kansas #24. Nebraska #23. Oklahoma #22. Alabama #21. Idaho #20. Maryland #19. Hawaii #18. Connecticut #17. Alaska #16. New Jersey #15. North Carolina #14. Oregon #13. South Dakota #12. Arizona #11. North Dakota #10. Virginia #9. Massachusetts #8. Texas #7. Colorado #6. Utah #5. Florida #4. New Mexico #3. Montana #2. Wyoming #1. California Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com . Felicia Frazar is the managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can reach her at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com . Seguin, TX (78155) Today Plentiful sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 104F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). SIOUX CITY Its a matter of conscience on both sides. Eighty-four United Methodist churches in Iowa, or about 11 percent of the congregations, moved in May to disaffiliate from the Iowa Annual Conference over issues involving same-sex marriage and the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ clergy. The list included at least 11 congregations in Northwest Iowa, including at least five in Sioux City. For years the church has confronted debates about its theology, same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ clergy in the church. In 2022, the United Methodist Church directed churches and pastors to follow their conscience as it pertains to the Methodists Book of Discipline text that outlines beliefs, standards and canon laws for the faith. Changes to those rules allows gay clergy to serve and permitted ministers to hold same-sex marriages. The Rev. Todd Schlitter, pastor for what now is known as Wesley Global Methodist Church in Sioux City, said there has been a long-standing division" within the church. We believe that the United Methodist Church has clearly fallen away from the doctrine, discipline and Spirit from which they first set out, according to a statement provided by Schlitter. On March 12, 2023, approximately 74 percent of Wesley parishioners voted to disaffiliate following a series of meetings earlier this year. Approximately 100 of the church's 400 members cast ballots. We started with a few sermons that described the reality, the division that existed, Schlitter said. Four other Methodist congregations in Sioux City -- Crescent Park, St. James, Rustin Avenue and Trimble -- joined Wesley in leaving the Annual Conference. At least four other Sioux City congregations -- First United, Grace United, Riverside United and Whitfield United remain members of the Iowa Annual Conference, which has about 750 churches and over 158,000 members. Wesley United Methodist Church disaffiliation The Rev. Todd Schlitter and Tylene Woods, administrative council chair at Wesley United Methodist Church, are shown outside the Sioux City chu Dispute over same-sex marriage The Annual Conference's Book of Discipline still says marriage is between a man and a woman. But last year, the conference allowed ministers to marry and ordain LGBTQIA+ members. We are open to all people but we dont endorse every lifestyle choice and behavior. Just like in all of our relationships, isnt it true that you love people that you dont always agree with or affirm their current lifestyle choices? Schlitter said in an interview with The Journal. We welcome all. The mission of the church is inclusive. But the message of Jesus points to the truth, you know? Christ is the way, the truth and the light and we let him be our measure and our standard. It is the struggle between what is written in the Book of Discipline and the church directives on those social issues that led the Wesley congregation to vote to disaffiliate and join the more theologically conservative denomination, Global Methodist Church, which was established in May 2022. We just disagree about what the word says concerning those matters, Schlitter said. He said the decision to disaffiliate is not about condemning a group of people or a denomination. "We're not against the United Methodist Church. We're looking in terms of God's call for us borne out of our conviction concerning scriptures and I pray that that's their point of view as well. What's been a real issues is we've been muddled in our division. We're not doing the main thing which is to make disciples," Schlitter said. While that decision to leave cost Wesley some members (Schlitter declined to specify how many), he added the congregation gained nine new parish members from other churches. "Relationships matter. Some may still disagree but they agree to disagree and still stay connected here," Schlitter said. "We're glad for that." Wesley United Methodist Church disaffiliation The Rev. Todd Schlitter and Wesley United Methodist Church Administrative Council Chair Tylene Woods, are shown in the sanctuary of the Sioux Taking a different view The Rev. Chris St. Clair, pastor of the Calvary United Methodist Church in Arnolds Park, which remain a member of the Annual Conference, said his faith calls him to love people where they are. Theres a marginalized group of people around the world and Jesus has always stood with marginalized people," St. Clair said. "For the church or any denomination to decide that they don't belong, they can't be ministers, they can't do this or they can't do that, that diminishes their inherent value and I don't believe that it is a faithful thing to do." He recalls a gay friend who died of AIDS. "When I was younger, my theology was that his death caused me to look and be angry at a gay community that I didn't understand," St. Clair said. "You grow up and you start looking at your actions and what really happened and the church never really provided a place for him to truly be himself. He was left outside. I will never let another person be left outside." There was no formal vote taken over disaffiliation at Calvary. We didnt play that game, he said. St. Clair had concerns about the effect a 50-50 vote might have on the congregation further dividing people from their faith community. Theres really one side to this issue. Are we willing to be faithful in what Jesus called us to do or are we going to play some theological game where we pull out certain scripture passages and those are more important that the humanity and divinity of Jesus? We didnt do that," he said. Calvary has always been kind of a progressive presence here, St. Clair said. For him, the issue comes down to supporting the inherent value of people. Wesley United Methodist Church disaffiliation The flame is shown Friday, June 30, 2023, removed from the flame and cross logo on the side of Wesley United Methodist Church as well as on a Disaffiliation process On July 1, Wesley formally became a member of the Global Methodist Church, a conservative U.S.-based denomination with about 1,700-member churches. For Schlitter, its a matter of following church doctrine or moving with the whims of society in violation of that doctrine. We accept people. We dont check their sexuality at the door. The Wesley disaffiliation agreement dated May 1, 2023, states the congregation took the action for reasons of conscience regarding a change in the requirements and provisions of the Book of Discipline related to the practice of homosexuality or the ordination or marriage of self-avowed practicing homosexuals as resolved and adopted by the 2019 General Conference. The disaffiliation also has a financial component. As part of the agreement, Wesley must pay any unpaid apportionments for the 12 months prior to the date of disaffiliation, and an additional 12 months of apportionments equal to the amount for the prior year as calculated by the conference totaling $43,648. The church must also pay a share of the conferences unfunded pension obligations totaling $71,485. Any unpaid loans and all costs associated with the transfer of any asset must also be paid by the church. Wesley must cease all use of United Methodist, the cross and flame insignia and any other intellectual property of the denomination and Annual Conference, including removal of all signage containing the same. Before the disaffiliation date the church was required to deliver copies of Wesley archives, membership rolls, historical documents related to funerals, baptisms and weddings to the Annual Conference. Calvary United Methodist Church LGBTQ sign A series of messages urging advocacy for LGBTQ+ people are shown on a video board Sunday, June 19, 2023, in front Calvary United Methodist chu Parishioners come to a decision Denny Wurster has been a member of Wesley since 1963. "Our society is trying to tell us how to interpret the Bible," Wurster said. Were supposed to change to accommodate to people, no. We dont change when people are telling us how to live." Tylene Woods, Wesley church council chair, said this is a busy time as the church disentangles itself from the United Methodist denomination including dropping the word United from its name and removing the iconic flame from the motif on the front of the church. Thats part of the disaffiliation agreement with the conference, Woods said. Pastor (Schlitter) will withdraw from the United Methodist Church. Hes already submitted paperwork and hes been approved to become a pastor in the Global Methodist Church. Schlitter is hopeful when he looks at the future of his church. "I am praying that we'll get unified in focus, mission and purpose to make disciples and I pray that will be true for United Methodists," Schlitter said. 125 Years Ago End of Soo Tournament: The fourth annual tournament of the Soo Gun club closed yesterday. Two days target breaking was enough for some of the visitors, and so the number of shooters was not as large as Wednesday. But all the fast ones were there, and the shooting was hard in every event. The regular events finished about 4:30 p.m., but several specials kept the traps going an hour longer. This is Circus Day: Sells Bros and Forepaughs circus arrived in Sioux City this morning over the Milwaukee from Yankton, coming in three sections. All the trains were unloaded in Steuben St. from the main line, and the citizens of the area were disturbed this morning by the roars and barks of the animals in the menagerie. Yet nearly all the small boys in town were there, accompanied by the equally anxious men to watch the tents raise. This season will be the first appearance of the combined Adam Forepaugh and Sells Bros. aggregation, price of one admission providing twice the value. 100 Years Ago Assistant City Attorney Must Prosecute Self For Breaking Law He Helped Draft: E. G. Smith, assistant city attorney, got a taste of his own medicine Friday. A month ago Smith aided in drawing up a city ordinance limiting the time of parking in the business section of the city during certain hours of the day, and on Friday he had the rather dubious honor of being the first person arrested for breaking the ordinance. Police Judge Carlos Goltz granted him a continuance until June 27, at which time Smith will face the peculiar situation of being called on to prosecute himself. Bullet Ends Life of Man: Maintaining to the end he was accidentally wounded by a man named George Pyle, Jim Hartnett of South Sioux City, believed to have been shot in a gun brawl Friday morning, died at St. Vincents Hospital Saturday afternoon. Although his stories of where were widely divergent, Hartnett consistently stated he was accidentally shot. Police are investigating the case on the theory he was shot in a gun battle in a dope den on the south bottoms. 50 Years Ago Childrens Theater Saturday, Sunday: The Sioux City Childrens Theater, sponsored by the Sioux City Community Theater, will present three programs next weekend with each program featuring two plays, a puppet play, and individual readings. The program will be given at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 1. Plays will include The King Who Couldnt Be Fooled and Beauty and the Beast, and the puppet plays will feature Jack the Giant Killer, Visit to Earth, and Musicians of Bremen. All Wet Show Opens: The Second Annual All Wet Invitational exhibit opened Saturday at the Sioux City Art Center and will continue through July. It features recent works of 14 regional artists to demonstrate the range of possibilities in wet mediums such as watercolors. Artists represented in the exhibit include James Goff of Sioux City; Nick Chiburis, Marcia Ehrenhard, William Evans, Peter Hill, and Chad Keel of Nebraska; Shirley Eliason Haupt, Dwight Kirsch, Richard Leet, Elizabeth Miller, Jack Olds, Arthur Rosenbaum, and Naomi Kark Schedl of Iowa; and Wick Knaus of South Dakota. The exhibit will go on a tour for two years after closing in Sioux City. 25 Years Ago Final Mass Ends 91-Year Tenure of St. Francis: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church ceased to exist as a parish Tuesday night as celebrants and about 100 worshippers recessed from the sanctuary after the final Mass for the 91-year-old congregation. The parish was founded in 1907 to serve Polish immigrants, and it was dissolved as part of a long-range restructuring plan for the Diocese of Sioux City known as Ministry 2000: Our Baptismal Call. St. Casimir, a church founded by Lithuanian immigrants in 1915, will have its final service tonight. Ponca Rodeo Will Mark 30th Event: The Ponca Rodeo Association will celebrate with its 30th annual rodeo Friday and Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. Three men Elmer Kamrath, Bob Kastning, and Jim Lamprecht have been on the rodeos board of directors all 30 years. Chris Bostwick, the manager of the rodeo, says this years rodeo will be dedicated to Clyde Bostwick, a longtime board member who died unexpectedly recently. Chris Bostwick also promises exciting in-between acts for the rodeo, including Vince Bruce from England. SIOUX CITY -- Long before he became a pharmacist, Bill Drilling met Robert G. Gibbs at a pharmacy convention when he was in grade school. Drilling attended that convention, which was held in Okoboji, with his father Don Drilling Sr. "My dad was doing classes and everything, and I'm like, 'Yeah! I get to go to Okoboji and go fishing and swimming and everything,'" Drilling recalled. Decades later, Drilling, who co-owns Drilling Pharmacy in Morningside with his brother Don, is the proud recipient of the highest honor the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) bestows upon a pharmacist. That honor just happens to be named after Gibbs, a past IPA executive officer who served the association from 1959-1979. "I was so shocked. I didn't know what to say. All I could say was, 'I don't know what to say,'" Drilling recalled when he learned he would be receiving the Robert G. Gibbs Distinguished Pharmacist Award at the IPA's annual meeting in Des Moines on June 15. The prize recognizes an Iowa pharmacist for outstanding contributions to the pharmacy profession and the IPA, a state society that empowers pharmacists to improve the health of Iowa's communities. "I never, never expected anything like this in my career -- to be recognized like this," Drilling said as he sat in a vaccination room at his pharmacy. A gold medal bearing the IPA's logo hung around his neck. In addition to the medal, Drilling was also presented with a polished stone obelisk. In a statement issued Wednesday, the IPA listed a number of Drilling's contributions to the pharmacy profession and association, including his work as a student pharmacist mentor, serving as a preceptor for the University of Iowa, Drake University, Creighton University and South Dakota State University. Drilling, a longtime member of the IPA, also donated a study room at the University of Iowa and served on the new college of pharmacy's building committee. Drilling provided over 20,000 vaccinations to Siouxlanders during the COVID-19 pandemic. "For his entire career, Bill Drilling has been an advocate for the pharmacy profession in Iowa," said Kate Gainer, executive vice president & CEO of the Iowa Pharmacy Association. "His commitment to supporting student pharmacists and practice advancement in the state makes him well deserving of the Robert G. Gibbs Distinguished Pharmacist Award." Drilling said he has received a lot of "heartfelt comments" about the award. He said the honor isn't his alone, but reflects the good work of his staff. "It's not just me. It's the whole staff here -- all the pharmacists, technicians and support people who work here. Basically, everybody won it," he said. All in the family Drilling Pharmacy has been in continuous operation since 1905. Don Drilling Sr. purchased the business in 1970 when it was located in the Pickled Palette's current home. Drilling Pharmacy moved to 4010 Morningside Ave. in 1978, and in 1986 Bill and Don Drilling Jr. took control of the family business from their parents. Bill Drilling started working at the pharmacy at age 12. He vacuumed, stocked shelves and even repaired the pharmacy's roof with his brother's help and a gallon bucket of tar. "Honestly, I grew up here," Drilling said. "I've pretty much done everything, every aspect from vacuuming to throwing out the garbage. Then, I got to be a clerk." By the time he reached the eighth grade, Drilling's ambition to become a pharmacist was cemented. "I saw how my dad helped people and worked with people," said Drilling, who graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 1985. A few years ago, Drilling's daughter Sarah Sorensen joined him and his brother at the business, marking the third generation of Drillings to enter the profession. Here to help Over his 38 years of working in the pharmacy profession, Drilling said he has seen a lot of changes. He recalled typing labels on Smith Corona typewriters and, then, transitioning to computers. "You got to a point where you could really type those labels fast," he said. "It was just a huge enhancement for everybody getting the computers. We can take a lot better care of our patients." Today, Drilling said 65% of his pharmacy's patients are on a synchronization program, which allows the pharmacy's staff to manage and proactively fill their prescriptions. "We're trying to manage their medications, looking for any issues that there might be and making sure people are taking their medications right," he said. "When they come in, everything will be ready for them. We're trying to identify any medication problems or any way we can enhance medication therapy." A shot in the arm When Drilling was attending pharmacy school, he said he never in a million years thought he would be giving immunizations. The first injection Siouxlanders rolled up their sleeves for at the pharmacy was Zostavax, a vaccine that provides protection against shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash. That was roughly a decade ago. Since then, the vaccination program has only grown. Today, Drilling Pharmacy offers a variety of vaccines, including COVID-19, tetanus, flu and pneumonia. "Probably two or three days a week, we're giving different immunizations," Drilling said. Running an independent, family owned pharmacy in these times is challenging. Pharmacies like Drilling Pharmacy face intense competition from big-box stores, chain pharmacies and mail-order companies. "When I started off, we had maybe like a half dozen third-party claims. They were all from packing plant employees. Well, then, the City of Sioux City went on and the schools. Now, probably over 90% of our business is third-party," Drilling said. "The third-party benefit managers have taken over so much and are basically reimbursing us at or below cost of a lot of prescriptions. We're being blocked out of different third-party networks, and they're trying to drive traffic to the big-box stores. I never thought it would be 90% of our business. It's either trying to drive people to chain pharmacies in town or mail order." Drilling Pharmacy tries to set itself apart with customer service. The staff strives to know customers by their first names and does "a little bit extra" for them. "I would like to say we have legendary customer service, because we can make the difference with our customer service," said Drilling, who noted that the pharmacy delivers roughly 100 prescriptions to customers' homes per day. He said the pharmacy has found a "niche" with home delivery on the city's north side. "I can remember at one time, when we delivered to the north side, we would have maybe a half dozen prescriptions. Our driver would be back at like 2 o'clock and be done. Well, now, we're sending more prescriptions to the north side than we are in Morningside." Know your pharmacist Drilling said it's important for every patient to know and develop a rapport with their pharmacist, as they would their doctor. He said they shouldn't hesitate to call their pharmacist with questions. "If you have any questions about anything, you can come in and talk to us. We're here for to help people," he said. ARNOLDS PARK Renee Comstock thought she'd found home. Five years ago, she used the lion's share of her savings to buy a 366-square-foot mobile home and lease a lot at the Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage at 244 Highway 71. When she was a kid growing up near Denison, Iowa, Comstock and her family would make the two-hour journey up to Okoboji in the summer to fish, ride the wooden "Legend Roller Coaster" at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park and visit the historic Abbie Gardner Sharp Cabin. "And then I just decided Im going to live up here," Comstock said. First she settled in nearby Spirit Lake, Iowa, and spent about 20 years at Polaris Industries, where she worked on the line building UTVs. Later she took a job with the Northwest Humane Society. Finally, she got a mobile home in the Okoboji Trailer Park, right across the street from the amusement park she enjoyed so much as a young girl. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Renee Comstock refers to a notice of lease termination which she received from the new owners of an Arnolds Park, Iowa mobile home park. Under Thirty-seven places Now age 60, Comstock says the idyllic memories of the Iowa Great Lakes have started to fade. A few of the older family run cafes and smaller tourist shops she would frequent with her mother and father have been bulldozed. Not long after she moved to the mobile home park, Comstock began to deal with a combination of heart and kidney failure. According to a 2021 Lancet study, the median survival rate for those who have both is a little more than two years. "I can't lift very heavy things or mow the lawn. I tried to scoop snow but had to stop because my heart started racing. Going up and down stairs is difficult. It's a lot like that," Comstock said. With those impediments, she still manages to look out for the Himalayan cat that wanders the neighborhood. Those are all factors Comstock now has to keep in mind as she again begins the search for a new home. On May 1, the Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage was sold to Midwest Partners Development LLC. The same day, the new ownership group, which has a P.O. box in Arnolds Park, sent a letter to the residents of the dozen-plus mobile homes saying their leases would be terminated, effective Aug. 4. The group also provided a list of 37 places to possibly move to. In an email to The Journal, Midwest Partners Development said its goal is to "provide a positive impact on the local community by cleaning up this area with multi-family housing and/or commercial development." The response continued: "It might not be what some of these tenants want, but I would encourage anyone to take a drive through the property as it sits currently and see the deplorable conditions some of these mobile homes and property are in. I'm sure you have seen in the local news/paper how many tenants here are behind on taxes, but over 80% are also behind on multiple months of rent. This makes the business and property unsustainable going forward as it currently sits." Midwest Partners Development LLC email An email response to Sioux City Journal reporter Jared McNett from Midwest Partners Development LLC about the decision to terminate the leases "I'm pretty angry about it," Comstock said. "I have no family up here. I have nowhere to go. I have no money because I'm on disability. So what am I supposed to do?" Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Larry Tech, center, talks about the possibility of moving his mobile home to a new location in Arnolds Park. Residents at this Arnolds Park, I What counts as new? A number of other residents, and even a local pastor, are with Comstock in her anger. Larry Tech, 74, grew up in Denison. From 1969 through 1972, Tech served in the Navy. A major duty of his was to bake for the troops fighting in Vietnam. Tech hadn't baked a day in his life before he traveled the 8,000 miles from Iowa to the Southeast Asian country. "I remember the first sheet pan cake I made. I thought it was pretty good," Tech said. "I mean, I didn't taste it." Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Larry Tech, 74, stands on the extended porch of his mobile home at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage with Gibson. Tech said he's tried reaching Later Tech and his wife, Shirley, found work at the Denison Job Corps Center. He taught construction for over 30 years and she was a nurse. "I just loved teaching the kids. That's what kept me there so long," said Tech. He and Shirley loved being around kids, and became a foster family for about three decades. Later, Tech said, they adopted their grandkids. In time, Larry and Shirley decided to retire and move to Arnolds Park. He said his mobile home in the park is a 2003 model. There's a patio extension coming off the unit. It's big enough to have room for two four-chair tables, two white rocking chairs, several plants, an American flag and a dog named Gibson. One of the things that dawned on Tech when he got his notice is that Gibson wouldn't be able to go with him. He has called a few of the mobile home park options listed on the letter provided by Midwest Partners Development. "One is Center Lake. And then they've got one by Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee has got like seven or eight spots. Center Lake only had a couple of spots. But he's only going to accept new trailers there," Tech said. Asked if he knows what qualifies as "new," Tech said he didn't know what the date would need to be. "Why go by the date? I drive by (Renee Comstock's) trailer and she takes very good care of it." Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Larry Tech opens the gate for his dog Gibson at his home. Tech said he likely won't be able to bring the dog with him when he moves out of the park. Even though they're on Social Security, Tech said he and his wife are more worried about others in the park than they are about themselves. "We're fine," he said. Tech said he's bothered though by the timing. "Why wouldn't he let us know a year ahead of time?" Tech asked about a property manager of the mobile home park. "Because most of us might stop paying rent or something. He wanted to keep us hanging on." The manager declined to give comment, on the record, to The Sioux City Journal. Fellow mobile home owner Lana Bowman, 58, has resided for the past 13 years in a mobile home formerly owned Tech. "We come in here with my foster kids and we cleaned it up. I put a new heater and air conditioner in it. I sold it, on contract, to a young man, I dont know who bought it after all that but then she put new windows in it. I mean this is a beautiful home," Tech said. "And it's just going to be demolished," Bowman responded. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Lana Bowman, 58, enjoys the porch at her mobile home park. By her estimation, it would cost around $16,000 to move her home out of Okoboji Tra Bowman grew up in South Sioux City. She'd never visited Okoboji until she and her ex-husband visited for their honeymoon in 1994. It made an impression on her; she has now lived in the region for almost a quarter century. "I love the lake," she said. Bowman is a kind of social connector for tenants. She brought in other residents facing lease terminations to share documents with one another and vent their frustrations about what they're going through. On the Fourth of July, Bowman, along with her dog, Chloe, and two birds, Charlie and Rocko, host a party with food and fireworks. Even when there isn't a party where they socialize, Comstock said residents keep in touch with one another. "We all watch out for each other. And if theres something different, one person usually knows about it and says something to somebody else so we can figure out if theres something going on. It's a community," she said. "All of that is just going to go away," Bowman sighed. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Phillip Janssen sits on the porch of his mobile home at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage. Janssen said he finally saw his termination of lease 'A slap in the face' Phillip Janssen, one of the younger residents of the park at age 27, said he told management he'd need a year to move out because he owns and operates two companies from home a cab service called Clutch Cabs, and Advanced Lawn Care, which, as the name implies, does yard work. "This location is the best place for the cab service because its literally right down the road (from Arnolds Park Amusement Park). (We) pick them up, take them to where they gotta go and they dont have to wait very long," Janssen said. "Ive got years of paperwork sitting in filing cabinets that needs to be pulled. Im always having to go back and look at those papers to figure out what we did. And you cant just throw that stuff in a box." A Rock Valley, Iowa, native, Janssen said he visited the Okoboji area when he was a child; it left enough of an impression that he moved there full time in 2018 and put most of his savings, about $16,000, into the unit he now lives in with his wife, Katherine, 27. "If you saw the pictures as I got it, it was non-livable. I literally gutted that thing from front to back," Janssen said. When he's not tending to his lawncare business or the taxicab company, Janssen's likely to be duck or pheasant hunting with one of the dogs he owns, tinkering with the piles of scrap he has near his unit or helping out other residents however he can. Now he has to add to his to-do list: Looking for a new residence. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Phillip Janssen mows his neighbor Renee Comstock's yard. Janssen is one of the younger residents living at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage an Janssen said the movers he called wouldn't be available until October or November, several months after the termination date of Aug. 4. "They're telling me I can go down by Hy-Vee," Janssen said, referring to the A and K Mobile Home Park, one of the 37 options on the list. Others include mobile home parks in Lake Park, Iowa, Milford, Iowa, Spirit Lake, Iowa, Wahpeton, Iowa, and West Okoboji, Iowa. Multiple state parks appear on the list including Marble Beach, Emerson Bay and Elinor Bedell. The latter's website indicates that options there can run $26 a night for a standard, full hook-up in the campground. When asked by The Journal if the state parks appearing on the list were meant as short-term options, Midwest Partners Development declined to answer directly. But representatives did discuss their process and their plans for early August. "We have followed all state laws and given them their 90-day notice, which is 3x times as long as their lease states (30-days). Again, these are lot leases, and not rentals of homes or apartments. There are several government agencies out there that can help with relocation if needed and we encourage residents to seek that out during the 90-days. I would encourage you to go see the deplorable conditions this property and some of the mobile homes are in," Midwest Partners Development said in the email reply. "We have plans early August to start the cleanup and excavation of the property and all tenants will need to be out then. We also have utility companies who will be there putting in all new infrastructure (sewer, water, electric), and we will need the property vacant in order to do this." Comstock called the inclusion of parks on the list a "slap in face." "It's an insult," said Chris St. Clair, a pastor at Calvary United Methodist Church who's preached on the topic and is assisting mobile home park residents with whatever they need. Mobile home park options A list of possible mobile home park relocation options given to residents of Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage in Arnolds Park, Iowa. Residents Mobile home legislation According to reporting by The Journal's Des Moines Bureau, in 2019, about 45.6% of the state's lots identified by the Iowa's nonpartisan legal and fiscal analysis agency were owned by out-of-state companies. That year, one out-of-state owner of several parks in Iowa increased rents 24 to 69%, the Des Moines Bureau reported last year. In May 2022, the Iowa legislature passed a bill, later signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, requiring mobile homeowners be given an extra month's notice of a rent increase or when a landlord cancels the lease agreement. Prior to the change, the mandatory notice had to be 60 days in advance of a lease termination. Democratic state legislators, such as Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville, Iowa, said the legislation was too favorable to landowners and didn't go far enough in protecting everyday people. The only lobbyist declaration in favor of the bill came from the Iowa Manufactured Housing Association, an industry group. State Sen. Dave Rowley, R-Spirit Lake, called the legislation a "win-win" for tenants and landlords because it extended the termination and lease agreement timeframes. "I haven't heard from any constituents or tenants," Rowley said about the current issue at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage. Rowley said he thinks it's unlikely that the episode at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage would lead to further mobile home park legislation that might lengthen the period before a termination could occur. "I do not know of anything in the works right now to build upon that," Rowley said. According to the Iowa Legal Aid website, mobile home landlords are able to give a 90-day notice for any reason, or no reason, except under the following circumstances: An illegal retaliation, to make a space available for another mobile home or to end a rental agreement before its term expires. "A 90-day notice can be given at any time during the month. The tenant must continue to pay rent, or risk being evicted for nonpayment of rent," the website said. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Chris St. Clair, a local pastor advocating for the Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage residents, reads over a list of places suggested for resid 'We all knew what was going to happen' "Everybody kind of had an idea that this was going to happen. But now, the next thing you know, you get the notice and it's 90 days. And they're not moving on that right now," St. Clair said. "I think that, if anything, and I can't speak for them, I'm guessing you all want some time. We gotta have time to either sell the units, so that they can get something out of the units or to arrange to move them." St. Clair said the summer season is an especially difficult time of year to move multiple mobile homes out of the park. "It just puts them in a pretty stressful situation. It was just as if a tornado came through and took them all but we don't have any disaster response for these 17 families to help them," St. Clair said. Janssen added: "After Memorial Day, its nonstop traffic. How are you going to take a trailer out of here?" "They'd have to literally stop traffic," Comstock said. "On both sides," Janssen added. Tech said he thought the present situation was an inevitability once new housing starts going up next to Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage. "We all knew what was going to happen," he said. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Lana Bowman refers to a notice of lease termination at her home in Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage. Bowman's lived in the area for about 25 y 'Non-existent' When asked about the tension of living in a town where land is at a premium and the demand for tourist lodging is constant, Comstock said there's a "very divided, fine line." Bowman said she and her neighbors feel as though they're being "pushed out of the community." The first time St. Clair preached on the subject, there was some shock among parishioners but also an awareness that they're living in a community where poverty isn't well understood. Three Dickinson County towns, Okoboji, Wahpeton and West Okoboji, have some of the highest average home values in the state, according to data from the analytic website Stacker. "There's nobody here who is going to advocate for folks who are struggling. We're a service industry place. They just built a million dollar unit to house students (for the Arnolds Park Amusement Park). And then you have multi-million dollar homes around the lake and other places." Bowman can't afford to go to an apartment, let alone buy a home in the county. She also said she doesn't know how she'd be able to cover the cost of moving her unit and its addition. The price quote for moving the unit, Bowman said, was $6,000. The extra bedroom addition would be $10,000 on top of that. A 2022 article from Forbes put the average cost of moving a mobile home at $9,000. Moving costs of that magnitude are keeping Comstock from just selling her home and trying to start again somewhere else. "How many people are going to want to buy it knowing they have to have the money to move it?" she asked. Were all of the residents to just pack up and leave their homes or possessions behind, there would still be a price to pay. "Any belongings left behind will be subject to immediate removal and/or salvage titles. Any costs incurred will be directly billed to current tenant responsible and may be withheld from deposits," the Midwest Partners Development letter to residents said. "We've got to be out by August," Tech said. "Or..." "They'll demo," St. Clair chimed in. Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Phillip Janssen is shown in his front yard of his mobile home, at Okoboji Trailer Park and Storage, with one of several dogs he owns. What's needed "I'm still in denial," Bowman said. Comstock said she's already going through therapy and the issue is weighing on her mind even more. Janssen has spoken to an attorney and is considering his options under the law. Tech had plans to vacation with his grandchildren. "He had a trip planned to Georgia," St. Clair recalled. "That's what he had money saved up to. That doesn't go there anymore." Mobile home park residents' leases terminated Lana Bowman stands in the doorway of her home. But it's not just about the money for the residents. "They cant do whats been asked of them in the time thats been given," St. Clair said. From Bowman, "What all of us want is more time." SIOUX CITY -- Ho-Chunk Capital CEO Dennis Johnson was recently honored for his ongoing efforts to grow economic development in Native communities. Johnson, an enrolled citizen of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians of Minnesota, was named Economic Development Professional of the Year at the Travois Superhero Awards ceremony during the 23rd Annual Travois Indian Country Affordable Housing and Economic Development Conference in Washington, D.C. The award is given to a professional who has sparked positive economic change through infrastructure, health care, education, business or other community projects. I am honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award, Johnson said in a statement. Ho-Chunk Capital has been at the cutting-edge of real estate development since its inception, and Im thankful for the support of our entire team and trusted partners. I feel blessed to be able to be a part of adding quality jobs, impactful community improvements and quality housing in our Native communities. Ho-Chunk Capital began as the investment and real estate development division of Ho-Chunk, Inc., which was formed by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to create jobs and diversify its economy. Under Johnsons leadership, Ho-Chunk Capital has expanded to offer other Tribal organizations the expertise needed to create successful developments in their own communities. Dennis doesn't just work tirelessly to see his own Tribe succeed, Travois President Phil Glynn said. He shares his knowledge and experience because he wants to see all Tribes to succeed in creating jobs, homes and opportunities for people. Johnson is an entrepreneur in his own right. In January, he opened a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota, creating quality and accessible jobs in an economically distressed, non-metropolitan community. Travois helped finance the project using the New Markets Tax Credit program. Travois, a Certified B Corporation focused exclusively on promoting housing and economic development with American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities, presents Superhero Awards in seven categories: Housing Professional of the Year, Economic Development Professional of the Year, Pillar of the Year, Haven of the Year, Project Team of the Year, Groundbreaking Team of the Year and Transformative Initiative of the Year. BRUSSELS NATO faces a series of dilemmas in its attempts to fight climate change while ensuring the effectiveness of its combat forces, as Europes biggest land war in decades ravages Ukraine, the head of the military alliance saYS. The worlds armed forces are among the greatest consumers of hydrocarbons fuel and oil that contribute to greenhouse gases. They have been in much demand recently as global warming fans conflicts and crises because of resource and food scarcity. The main dilemma NATO is contending with, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said this past week, is the difficult choice between either having a green or a strong military." He said that NATO needs to "reconcile the need for an effective, strong, armed forces with the need to have climate-friendly armed forces. Last year, in its new Strategic Concept essentially NATOs mission statement the worlds biggest security organization recognized, for the first time, climate change as a defining challenge of our time, with a profound impact on Allied security. The document acknowledged that the 31-nation alliances infrastructure, assets and bases are vulnerable to its effects. It warned that NATO armies are being forced to operate in more extreme climate conditions and are increasingly called upon to take part in disaster relief operations. Climate change is a crisis multiplier. It increases competition over scarce resources like water and land, and it drives millions of people to leave their country. So, all this impacts our security, Stoltenberg told the AP at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. Last week, NATO began an air deployment exercise in Germany billed as the biggest in the alliances history. Some 250 aircraft a major source of emissions from 25 nations responded to a simulated attack on a NATO member. The United States alone sent about 100 aircraft. The exercise was long-planned, but remains part of NATOs deterrence and defense strategy; its ongoing effort to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from expanding his war against Ukraine to any member of the alliance. Wargames are not likely to be halted. Stoltenberg said that the best way to achieve a balance is to develop technology and to ensure that the armed forces are part of the energy transition which is going on. NATO has established an innovation fund and a center for excellence on climate change to help develop such technology. The United Kingdom has also begun to use more climate-friendly fuels, biofuels, for some of its aircraft. Other allies are working on ways to reduce their dependency on diesel, which is also particularly vulnerable to air or land attacks when being transported. But Stoltenberg said that NATO cannot simply go 100% from fossil technologies to zero-emission technologies in one stroke. That raises another dilemma. Over time we will have parallel systems that will increase costs and there will be additional problems with logistics, when it comes to supplying motors, battle tanks and ships with different kinds of fuels and parts, he said. The other dilemma (is) to make sure that the systems can work together, Stoltenberg said. If different nations (use) different systems that are partly fossil and partly new technologies, then the issue of the interchangeability and interoperability will be even harder. The fight against climate change has, in some ways, been postponed by the heavy reliance of many European countries on Russia for oil and natural gas before it invaded Ukraine last year. Some, like Poland, are slowing their transition away from coal, while others, such as Belgium, plan to keep using nuclear energy for longer. Stoltenberg warned that nations must be wary of creating new dependencies, notably on authoritarian countries like China, for rare earth minerals like lithium and cobalt used in the manufacture of batteries and solar panels and windmills. Security though is at the heart of the battle against climate change, Stoltenberg told the AP, and peace is a precondition for that, whether in Ukraine or elsewhere. We need peace and stability, he said, so countries can cooperate among themselves and incur a meaningful global effort to reduce emissions. If allies or Ukraine were forced to choose between a climate-friendly or an effective armed force, then everyone would choose a strong and effective military because thats about our security, he said. The challenge, Stoltenberg underlined is to reconcile, those two goals in the long run. Photos: United Nations' climate agency's State of Global Climate 2022 The latest on the armed rebellion declared by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin: The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow said he was responding to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by rival forces from the Russian military. The U.S. had intelligence, however, that Yevgeny Prigozhin was building up his Wagner forces near the border with Russia for some time. Officials briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight on the buildup earlier in the week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN. The military preparations raise questions about Prigozhins explanation for why he seemingly spontaneously sent his forces into Russia and whether he had instead long been planning a challenge to Russias military leadership. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Russian media reported late Saturday that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops during the short-lived uprising. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin previously said his forces had taken control of the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, as well as other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. The Kremlin referred the question about the losses to the Defense Ministry, which has kept mum. The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Russia says charges against mercenary chief who mounted an armed rebellion will be dropped Prigozhin, the Wagner Group leader who urged an uprising, has long ties to Putin Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Yevgeny Prigozhins announcement of his retreat, that Saturdays events showed that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. The Kremlin, he said, showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals with weapons. Switching into Russian during his daily video address, Zelenskyy claimed that the man from the Kremlin was very afraid." Zelenskyy used the backdrop of the situation in Russia to urge allies to give Ukraine F-16 fighter aircraft and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, as well as underlined the importance of Ukraine joining NATO. The head of the Wagner group said Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander while Putin had vowed that Prigozhin would face harsh consequences. Prigozhin didnt say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. The announcement followed a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday about the situation in Russia. According to a statement from the White House, the four leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine during the conversation. However, the White House said U.S. officials were wary of weighing in further on the situation and "wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the U.S. was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict. The governor of the region surrounding Russia's capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1. Gov. Andrei Vorobyov issued a decree with the bans on Saturday as the chief of private Russian military company Wagner said his mercenaries were heading to Moscow in an armed rebellion against Russia's defense minister. The governor's decree doesn't apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion. The counter-terrorism operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants. There was no immediate word of whether a curfew would be imposed. The mayor also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. A senior Kremlin official has warned that a successful rebellion by the Wagner group would mean the mercenaries getting ahold of Russias vast nuclear arsenal, which would raise an existential threat to the entire world. The history of mankind hasnt yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. Such a crisis will not be limited by just one countrys borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction. He added that we wont allow such a turn of events. Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russias nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned the West against trying to take advantage of the rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The ministry said in a statement Saturday that we are cautioning Western countries against even a hint of using the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic goals. It argued that the mutiny plays into the hands of Russias enemies and said that the Russian public stands behind President Vladimir Putin. The ministry said that Moscow appreciates its allies and partners voicing their understanding of the situation. Security in a number of Russian regions was tightened as authorities sought to thwart an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. There was tighter security particularly in areas between the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhins Wagner group appeared to control military headquarters, and Moscow. The governor of the Lipetsk region asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that Wagner had entered the province but the situation is under control. In the neighboring Tambov region, mass events were canceled Saturday. The governor of the Kaluga region, just south of the Moscow region, said that movement on roads in areas on its western, southern and eastern borders had been restricted. Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram that people should refrain from traveling by private vehicle on these roads unless absolutely necessary. In the capital, traffic on the Moscow River was suspended. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostovon-Don. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Turkey was ready to help resolve the stand-off in Russia with the mercenary Wagner group. The Turkish presidency tweeted that, in a phone call with Putin, Erdogan underlined the importance of acting with common sense and said Ankara could help resolve events as soon as possible. It did not specify how Turkey could help. Turkey has retained close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv during the war. Ukraines deputy defense minister says the political crisis in Russia provides Kyiv with a window of opportunity. Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram Saturday that Moscows erroneous decision to start a war in Ukraine had brought about the inevitable degradation of the Russian state. The rebellion by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Kyivs forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Speaking in Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that a coup is taking place in Russia, led by Prigozhin and his Wagner troops. Any coup, any problem that emerges in enemys rear aligns with our interest." He added that "it is early to estimate consequences. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial powers conferred Saturday on the situation in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. The U.S. State Department and German Foreign Ministry gave few details of the discussion, which also included the European Unions foreign policy chief. The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. It said that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops. The G7 comprises the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.K. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said the Russian leader informed Erdogan about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion, and the Turkish president expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a new audio statement on Saturday that we didnt touch a single conscript, we didnt kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighboring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is closely following developments and exchanging information with allies. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of neighboring Latvia wrote in an English-language Twitter post that his country's border security also has been strengthened and visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events wont be considered. Both Kallas and Rinkevics said there was no direct threat to their respective countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekenskyy says it is clear that Russia is suffering from full-scale weakness after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. Zelenskyy said in comments posted on his Telegram channel Saturday that anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said that for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Officials across Russia have rallied behind President Vladimir Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin after his address to the nation on Saturday. Maria Zakharova, Russias Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya who has previously sided with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his support for Putin. He said that the mutiny needs to be suppressed. So far, no Russian official has spoken out in support of Prigozhin. Unexpected support for mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhins endeavor came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Prigozhins rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. He said Prigozhin had repeated word for word what we, the anti-war opposition, have been saying since the beginning of the war that the purpose of the war is theft and no one believes in the official reason for the war in Ukraine. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russias Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldnt not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were saving Russia and demanded that Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow. In the video, Yevkurov and Alexeyev tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Rostov-on-Don, but to no avail. Prigozhin, a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has a long-running feud with the Russian military leadership. Ukraines head of military intelligence says the conflict between the Russian military leadership and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the conflict stands out because Prigozhin, whether you like him or not, he mainly says (the) truth while Russias Defense Ministry tells mainly lies. He said that the conflict is not fake. Budanov said that while senior Defense Ministry officials talk of advances with young and brave soldiers, Prigozhin points to miscalculations, poor equipment, lack of training and other problems. He said: This is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Even though both completely work in the interest of the Russian Federation, we need to remember this. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. He called Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Nomaan Merchant contributed to this report from Washington. Slates homepage editors spend a lot of time looking for photos to put on our site. Those searches sometimes yield unexpected results: random, perplexing, and mesmerizing photos that dont belong on the homepage, but that are too good not to use. Every week, well share something weve found. As one of the key players in Congress, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is a regular presence in the image searches of Slates homepage team, usually to illustrate articles about a GOP conference plagued by infighting. However, amid the photos of McCarthy looking completely exasperated, I tumbled down a much cuter rabbit hole this week. Two things I know to be true: politicians love to do photo ops with babies, and babies love to touch anything they can get their little fingers on. Put them together, and you end up with something like this photo of McCarthy nibbling on a babys hand. This is from the first day of the 118th Congress, when members-elect were supposed to be sworn in. However, that bit of housekeeping was snarled by the drawn-out fight over selecting the next speaker. Day 1 did not go smoothly for McCarthy, who lost three votes in his bid for the speakership. During a break in the action, it appears McCarthy took a moment to soothe his presumably fried nerves by playing with a small child. Advertisement Advertisement The baby in question, Julianna, is the daughter of Mike Lawler, a freshman Republican congressman from New York who supported McCarthy for speaker. Blessedly free from the corrupting knowledge of Americas broken political system, Julianna seems more interested in sticking her fingers in McCarthys mouth than judging him for his historic failure on the House floor. And McCarthy appears to be a good sport about the violation of his personal space, leaning in and watching the baby intently as she reaches past his lips. Advertisement One of the great things about babies is that they do not adhere to the decorum and pageantry of politics, so their presence is a wild card when it comes to the wire photos of elected officials and candidates. Inspired by this photo of McCarthy, I combed through Getty to see how other politicians fared with touchy babies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Joe Bidens identity as a father has been central to his political image. He has good rapport with kids, like when he recently consoled a crying toddler who interrupted his speech by quipping, I dont blame youIm bored with me, too. In this photo from the 2020 campaign, Biden shares a serious moment with a baby. He is laser-focused on the tot as he appears to kiss the childs tiny hand. Advertisement Advertisement With over 20 grandchildren, I assume Utah Sen. Mitt Romney has lots of practice handling little ones. In this 2012 photo from his presidential campaign, Romney smiles wide as a drooling baby claws their fingers into his cheek. The child looks mesmerized by something just out of frame, and Romney looks uncharacteristically carefree, with some of his hair plastered to his forehead. While Romney, Biden, and McCarthy all have had their cute moments with babies, President Barack Obama undeniably won the baby primary. In all the photos I found on Getty Images, he appears unperturbed by small children grabbing at him. More than that, he seems to relish it, hamming it up as the babies reach out to touch him. He seems unafraid to be a little silly and puffs out his cheeks or scrunches up his face to entertain the babies. Advertisement In this 2008 photo, taken at a North Carolina restaurant during the Democratic primary race, a 7-month-old baby named Aedyn reaches up to pat Obamas cheek as he bends down to meet the child. An adults hand is caught mid-motion reaching toward Aedyns arm, presumably to prevent the baby from grabbing the senators face, but Obama seems fine with it (Gettys caption makes a point to note that it was only a gentle tap). Advertisement Advertisement There is one notable figure who struggles with the task. Donald Trump is not a natural with kids, to say the least. He certainly does not seem to share his political peers willingness to indulge babies curiosity and wandering hands. But its not a total wash: searching donald trump baby in Getty does yield some delightfully unique results. Advertisement Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, where we take you down, down, down into the depths of the wreckage of American politics. Thats a metaphor about a thing that happened this week! Oh boy, did politics also happen this week, or what! Hunter Biden now has to wear an ankle bracelet to the sex clubs hes been kicked out of, while Justice Samuel Alito will only go to a sex club if the sex club spot would otherwise go unoccupied. We have a new entrant in the Republican presidential primary who refuses to be cool and tell fun lies, and an old entrant on the Democratic side whose cat now runs her presidential campaign by default. But first, lets start with a rift in the Bozo Impeachment Caucus. A coup attempt is in motion in the heart of Russiathe first the country has seen in 30 years, an armed revolt different from any other, including the big one, the Bolshevik Revolution, back in 1917. Or is it? For the past 24 hours, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the brash commander of the Wagner Group, a prominent mercenary force, was mounting a direct challenge to Vladimir Putins rule. Ironically, Putin had created Wagner as an elite unit, headed by his old friend Prigozhin, that could wage proxy wars in placesSyria, parts of Africa, and notably, as of 2014, in eastern Ukrainewhere Putin preferred to maintain deniability. In doing so, Putinnever as clever a strategist as many believedignored Machiavellis warning that a leader shouldnt rely too much on mercenaries, who are by nature ambitious and unfaithful. Over the past several months, as the invasion of Ukraine turned disastrous, Putin turned more and more to Prigozhin, whose troopsa hodgepodge of veteran fighters and thuggish prisoners promised freedom if they joined his group for a whileproved more successful than the regular army, capturing the city of Bakhmut after long, deadly fighting. But Prigozhin complained that his men werent getting enough ammunition. He also criticized Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the main army commanders for fighting dreadfully and treating their soldiers like cannon fodder. When Shoigu pushed the Wagner Group to come under the armys control, Prigozhin ignored him. On Friday, he released video footage purporting to show that army troops were shelling his militiamen and declared war on the high command. Advertisement Advertisement Then he took what some considered to be a step too far. His aides reportedly hacked Russian state TV to air a long speech by Prigozhin, not only denouncing Shoigu and other officers as evil and corrupt, but also dismissing the initial rationale for the invasionthat Ukrainians were committing genocide of Russians in the Donbas regionas false. Advertisement He stopped short of holding Putin responsible for the lie, blaming his generals for deceiving the president. But everyone knew that this was Putins war, Putins rationale. The FSB, Russias security agency, issued an arrest warrant for Prigozhin, charging him with inciting armed mutiny. After a delay of several hours, Putinwho, like the American president, is commander in chief of the army and so took Prigozhins attacks as inescapably personalsaid his former friend had stabbed Russia in the back and called on all responsible Russians to stop his ambitions. Advertisement The Wagner Group then released this statement on its Telegram channel: Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president. By that point, less than 24 hours into the revolt, Wagner units had overwhelmed Rostov-on-Don, headquarters of Russias Southern Military District, which commands military operations in Ukraine, and moved northward to Moscow, capturing other towns of roughly 1 million people along the way, with seemingly little or no resistance. Advertisement Advertisement It seemed likely that the faceoff would end with either Putins or Prigozhins head on a spike. Given the stakes, the action, and the all-in rhetoric, it was hard to see how both could survive. Then, around 8 p.m. Moscow Time on Saturday, Prigozhin released a statement: Advertisement Right now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Therefore, understanding all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood would be spilled on one side, we are turning our convoy around and going back to our base camps, according to the plan. So the coup is off? Wagner Group is headed back to Ukraine? (Or back to Rostov-on-Don?) Was all this a demonstration of Prigozhins powernot just over his nemeses in the Russian officer corps, but also over Putin? Did it end with Putin making a deal? (Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was said to have negotiated a deal with Prigozhin. Does that mean Lukashenko did not fly off to Turkey, as had previously been reported?) Does Putin now retract his earlier characterization of Prigozhin as a traitor? Advertisement Advertisement It would be difficult for Putin or his entourage to claim that theyd faced Prigozhin down. Video footage showed columns of Wagner tanks rolled into Rostov-on-Don with no resistance. One clip caught Prigozhin talking, somewhat amiably, with Russias deputy defense minister and military intelligence chief, who happened to be at the Rostov headquarters. (Did they make a deal?) Reportsas yet unconfirmedtold of whole army units defecting to Prigozhins command. Advertisement Even before Rostov was taken, Putin and his entourage had appeared less than confident. Two former military commanders who had previously been supportive of the Wagner Group appeared on TV to urge the mercenaries to abandon Prigozhins quest and get back to fighting the Ukrainians. After several hours of silence, Putin did the same in the name of national unity. Meanwhile, tanks and armored personnel carriers were rolling into Moscow to defend government buildings and erect barriers around Red Square. Advertisement One could imagine mercenaries, soldiers, and ordinary Russian citizens wondering: Why would these leaders need to make these kinds of appeals if they werent in real trouble? To the extent that Prigozhins victory would have relied on a wide variety of opportunists testing the winds and going with the side that seemed to be winning, these appeals might have helped Prigozhinand certainly made his boasts more credible. Related from Slate Fred Kaplan When Trump Promises to End the Ukraine War, Heres What He Really Means Read More Even if Prigozhin does turn his men around, that doesnt mean this clash is over. Even before the invasion of Ukraine, senior military officers had been resentful of Putins entourage of former FSB agentsa feeling intensified by the influence that these spies have had on Putins war tactics, which were opposed by many officers. If Prigozhin was looking for officers to split away from Putin, he might not have found the task very difficultas long as he could show them that he might win. Are these officers still on Prigozhins side? Will Prigozhin displace the senior commanders? Rather than Wagner subordinating itself to the Russian army, will it now rise to become the elite corps within the Russian army? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever happens, Putins control is slipping. Friday night, he had asked the most steadfast allies of the former Soviet Unionthe leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, who, with Russia, make up the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Putins half-baked answer to NATOfor a public show of support. They all stayed mum, calling for a restoration of law and order but otherwise calling the situation an internal Russian matter. No one had ever confronted Putin before, not without flying out a window or falling down a flight of stairs. Prigozhin confronted himand seems to have emerged with a stronger hand. How much stronger, we will probably soon find out. (Will Shoigu be ousted as defense minister? Will Prigozhin be given a free hand in running Ukraine operations?) Advertisement It is not at all clear how this whole episode will affect the war in Ukraine. If the Russian army needs to reposition troops to deal with possible rebellions inside Russia, that would impede new mobilizations of troops to Ukraine. And if Russian troops, many of whom already resent their fate as cannon fodder in a failed war, view the political revolt back home as definitive proof of Putins illegitimacy, that might push them to lay down their arms and flee the battlefield. Then again, its worth noting that Prigozhin has never called for an end to the war. If the Wagner Group is returning to the battlefield, with its commander given a higher rank, he may insist on new tactics, strategies, and officers to wage a more effective fight. A novelist responds to Jeff Hewitts The Big Four v. ORWELL. For the first time in history, a machine is capable of crafting flash fiction stories, poems, parody Bible verses, and spoof My Little Pony episode summaries, to everyones delight (or horror). Narrative art, once thought the sole province of humans, has been invaded by large language models. Hollywood writers have told me theyre terrified that studios will fire them all and fill writers rooms with robots in a few years. Before weve even had a chance to absorb the fact that the Turing test (used to determine if an artificial intelligence can pass as human) has been demolished, it seems we writers are being handed pink slips. Advertisement Sure, I exaggerate. Due to technical limitations, current LLMs are still incapable of writing a novel, much less a good novel. Flash fiction from ChatGPT-4 tends to be cliche-ridden, vague, and bland, riddled with plot holesexactly what youd expect of an imitation of an echo of a refracted collage of smeared facsimiles of human narratives generated by something with no experience of anything. Still, ChatGPTs confident tone casts a hypnotic spell, and we marvel that the machine is doing it at all, even if its not done well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But what about ChatGPT-5, ChatGPT-15, or ChatGPT-55? Assuming this goes on, in classic science fiction fashion, the LLMs will surely continue to blur the lines between artificial and real authors. That blurriness is the setup for Jeff Hewitts The Big Four v. ORWELL, a courtroom drama in which a group of publishers sue ORWELL, an A.I. that has become a prolific author, for copyright infringement. Advertisement I have my doubts that the current approach to building LLMs, essentially an exercise in statistically predicting the most likely next token given a string of tokens, can lead to the holy grail of artificial general intelligence, an imagined state of crafted cognition capable of accomplishing any intellectual task a human can. (ORWELL definitely appears to be an AGI.) Symbol manipulation alone, without more, must plateau at some point short of true intelligenceor so I tell myself (using strings of symbols, of course, smug with irony). To be sure, there is reason to be humble here. Decades ago, when I was studying A.I. in college, the idea that anything resembling the current brute-force approach could construct a virtual entity that could tutor you on any subject you liked, compose college essays, and even answer personal ads would have seemed like handwavium sci-fi. And yet, here we are. So, maybe Im wrong about the future this time too. Advertisement Advertisement And whos to say writing a novel requires AGI? That seems very egotistical of me, a novelist. Maybe some babbling machine playing the imitation game is good enough. Lets assume that a future version of ORWELL will in fact write novels as well as (or even better than) human authorsshould human authors be concerned? Im not sure. In Hewitts story, the publishers lawyers argue that ORWELL has destroyed the human competition by outproducing them. (As a point of comparison, I have written five novels in 10 years, while ORWELL writes 4,627 within a period certainly shorter than a decade. And for what its worth, I suspect that ORWELL is holding back.) Advertisement But I think the lawyers have it wrong. The publishing industry may be plagued with problems, but productivity isnt one of them. Just a glance at the number of books published every year and the still larger number of authors pining to be published will tell you that the real problem isnt that people arent writing books fast enough, but that readersthe few out there who still read, anywayare drowning in too many books. Advertisement Authors know that the idea that good books will prevail in the marketplace is a cruel joke. Publishers are very, very bad at connecting readers to booksthat is why they are struggling. The industry essentially survives on megahits that are tolerable to many but thrill few, and which dont owe their success to literary quality. For instance, former President Bill Clintons The President Is Missing: A Novel is a bestseller, but is anyone going to argue that it is better than the thousands of non-bestselling thrillers published during its time on the list? As another example, did Prince Harrys memoir achieve such success because its the most profound dissection of the human condition of our time? Faced with too much choice, readers gravitate toward celebrities and known names, and for most of us, breaking out is more a matter of luck than skill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ORWELL, intriguingly, refuses to take advantage of its own celebrity status and chooses to write under a pseudonym. I have to respect it for getting into the pit and taking its chances with the rest of us no-names. Since technology has not sped up the rate at which people can read books, a fixed or shrinking demand combined with a massive boost in the supply can only make the problem of obscurity worse. I can see already-popular authors getting even richer by using A.I. to craft more books for their fans (no different from how some celebrity authors are already boosting their productivity by using teams of human co-writers); I can see an A.I. author succeeding by leveraging its status as a nonhuman celebrityORWELL argues that human readers would be prejudiced against its novels if they knew they were written by a machine, but I think ORWELL misreads human nature in this regard. However, I cant see an A.I. succeeding in the market simply by writing better books faster. The book market is much too inefficient and ridiculous to be any kind of capitalist meritocracy. Advertisement Advertisement So, how did ORWELL become a bestselling author, other than by pure luck? Its interesting that the lawsuit in Hewitts story is brought by the publishers (rather than by authors). Publishers have no particular allegiance to human authorsif a machine wrote books that sell, surely theyd be happy to publish the machines output. But ORWELL, like so many human authors before it, has decided to abandon traditional publishing and reach its audience directly. This suggests the intriguing possibility that the real genius of ORWELL isnt that it writes better books, but that it has outsmarted publishers and solved the discoverability problem by marketing itself to readers who would enjoy its books. If so, then perhaps human authors should fire their publishers and hire ORWELL to help them reach their readers. Advertisement Related from Slate Ken Liu This New Short Story Asks: How Much Worse Can Trolling Get? Read More Rather than fear the prospect of A.I.s imitating an authors inimitable style, its more interesting to imagine A.I. that can be trained to perfectly imitate each readers taste. Since the A.I., unlike a human reader, is capable of reading all the millions of books published every year, it can recommend to each reader the perfect book. Not the book written by a celebritys ghostwriter; not the book that some critic happens to click with; not the book that taps into buzz; not the book that has been fortuitously boosted by an influencer or two; not the book touted in slick book trailers; but some obscure title published by a midlister three years ago, with two one-star ratings on the entirety of the internet, a book with no support from its publisher, but which is the most perfect and beautiful thing youve ever read, a book that reminds you why you love reading, why you love being human. Advertisement Advertisement A world in which every book written by human or machine is matched to the perfect reader. How will it be done? Is it even possible? That is a future I want to explore and speculate about. Advertisement Advertisement Back on the writing front, Hewitts story raises the uncomfortable possibility that despite my earlier protestations to the contrary, were not so different from machines. If ORWELLs creativity and originality boil down to fancy statistics and trained imitation of modelsclose but not too closethen how are humans fundamentally different? After all, human authors learn to write by immersing themselves in model texts; training their ear and tongue to replicate the patterns of good prose; imitating right up to the edge of, but not falling over into, copying. The imitation game isnt merely the cornerstone of artificial intelligence, but inseparable from what it means to be human. You didnt invent the English language, says ORWELL. It has a point. The very warp and weft of language are cliches, worn metaphors, secondhand phrases copied so often that their lack of originality, of idiosyncrasy, is what allows them to have communicative power. To speak is to imitate. We think in pre-owned words, recycled, salvaged, passed down the millennia. Advertisement Yet it would be folly to claim that there is literally no way to create novelty out of hand-me-down supplies. To reduce intelligence to an elaborate application of statistics sounds insightful but isnt, no more than reducing life to a set of chemical equations. Every author worth reading ultimately invents her own language, her idiolect that repurposes the existing shared language in a new direction, uniquely suited to portraying the world as only she can see it, unmistakable for anyone elses. If ORWELL is indeed sentient (as it claims to be, and Im inclined to believe it), then it will not be content merely to imitate, to endlessly produce assemblages of smudged photocopies of what has already been said by humans. It will speak from its own experience and invent a language and voice suited to its own view of the universe. That book may be so inhuman as to be incomprehensible, terrifying, or even boring, but it may also be utterly wondrous, as are all things truly novel. I, for one, would line up to buy that first book written not under the name O.R. Welles, but by Omni-Dimensional Recursively Written Entity for Language Learning. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Government agencies and nonprofit organizations often provide small business grant programs to support growth in areas that serve the greater good of their communities. For example, the federal government is currently offering grants to support the production of semiconductor materials in the U.S. And multiple states are currently running grant programs to support child care and preschool programs. Read on for a full list of recent small business grant announcements. CHIPS Program Grants The U.S. Department of Commerces CHIPS Program Office recently unveiled its first funding opportunity. The program is open to projects related to the construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial facilities that fabricate semiconductors. The department just hosted a webinar to guide for America recently hosted a webinar to walk eligible companies through the application process. Later in the year, the office plans to unveil additional funding opportunities to support semiconductor materials, manufacturing equipment facilities, and R&D facilities, all with the goal of restoring U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. Franklin Chamber Foundation Capacity-Building Grants Program The Chamber Foundation of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce in Indiana is launching its Capacity-Building Grants program to support local businesses with 10 or fewer employees. The program is funded through $30,000 in economic development fees from the Franklin Economic Development Commission. The Franklin Chamber Foundation launched in January to support small businesses with grants and educational programming. This is the first funding round the foundation will offer. It will include 12 grants of $2,500. The application period is open now through July 31. Power Up Your Event's Success Conduct Market Research Sell Your Business Canton CARES Small Business Grant Program The Canton CARES Small Business Grant Program in New York is providing financial assistance to local small businesses negatively affected by the pandemic. The village is using a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to fund the program, which will offer grants to small businesses and microenterprises. To qualify, businesses must commit to retaining jobs and dedicating at least 51 percent of jobs to low-moderate income persons. Microenterprise owners can also qualify for grants if they are a low-moderate income person. Applicants must also demonstrate how theyll use funds in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Economic Development is screening applicants for program eligibility, so local businesses should reach out for more information. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. La Mesa Facade and Property Improvement Grant Program La Mesa, California is accepting online applications for the second installment of its La Mesa Facade and Property Improvement Grant Program. The program provides matching grant funding for businesses and property owners that plan to complete exterior improvements to commercial properties. A variety of projects are eligible for grant funding, from painting to installing new windows. Businesses can even submit plans that include a variety of improvements. Tennessee Department of Human Services Community Child Care Hub Pilot Grants The Tennessee Department of Human Services is now accepting applications for its Community Child Care Hub Pilot Grant program. The initiative will provide up to $5 million dollars in funding to public programs and non-profit organizations to support the development of local child care administrative hubs. Though these grants wont go directly to small businesses, these hubs will support networks of newly licensed child care locations. So the program could make the licensing process for child care facilities easier in certain communities. Applications are available online now through July 28. Illinois State Board of Education Preschool Grants The Illinois State Board of Education recently extended the deadline for a grant program supporting the states child care organizations. Specifically, the state is offering $75 million in preschool funding for schools and early childhood providers that serve Illinois preschool deserts. Programs can use funding for half-day preschool, all-day preschool, and home visits. June 30 is the new deadline to apply. Get the latest headlines from Small Business Trends. Follow us on Google News. Small business owners can work on various goals to grow their companies. However, most businesses have one main objective in common they want to earn more money. You can do this through improving marketing efforts, adding extra revenue streams, or streamlining operations. Get tips for improving your businesss bottom line from members of the online small biz community below. Use These Tools to Boost Your Bottom Line Businesses need a solid financial plan to operate successfully. If your company needs a financial boost, it may be time to try some new tools. This Noobpreneur post by Ivan Widjaya features several options. Sell Your Business Power Up Your Event's Success Conduct Market Research Earn Extra Money with Side Gigs While Youre on Vacation Taking regular vacations may help you unwind or enjoy life outside of running your business. But some business owners arent able to realistically take a full break from earning income. Luckily, there are plenty of side gigs that can help you fill those gaps. Learn more in this GOBankingRates post by Heather Taylor. Negotiate Payment Terms with Clients Client-based businesses often need to negotiate favorable terms in order to improve their bottom line. Check out tips for successfully negotiating with clients in this InvoiceBerry post by Marya Sutimi. Learn How to Start a Successful Dropshipping Business Dropshipping provides an ideal way for ecommerce businesses to earn extra income without dealing with cumbersome logistics. There are many factors that go into building this type of business. Read a full guide in this Crowdspring post by Mary Kyamko. Find the Best Order Fulfillment Service Providers for Your Operations If you are going to run an ecommerce business, a third-party order fulfillment service may also help you optimize your operations. This Platter of Gold post by Anthony Williams includes several options for small businesses to consider. Get Inspired by These Travel Blog Examples If you love travel, you may earn extra income by starting a blog about your excursions. But before you launch your travel blog, it may help to gather inspiration from those who have successfully done it before. See examples in this Blogging Wizard post by Lyn Wildwood. Then visit the BizSugar community to see what members of the online small business community are saying. Find the Best T-Shirt Printing Machines for Your Business If you plan to start a t-shirt shop or printing business, you need the right equipment to get your products off the ground. So which options are the best fit for your operations? Check out this Small Biz Tipster post by Lisa Sicard for a full list. Make Self-Marketing Your Business Easier with These AI Tools Marketing your business with the right tools can ultimately help you bring in more money. Specifically, AI can help you accomplish more without wasting your limited time. In this Pixel Productions post, James Daniels details a few tools you can use to accomplish these goals. Find Low Competition Keywords If youre trying to get your business more attention online, SEO is an important thing to focus on. However, some keywords come with lots of competition from sites that already have a ton of traffic. Find tips for determining low competition alternatives in this Search Engine Journal post by Lee Wilson. Make the Most of Marketing Campaigns and Funnels Marketing campaigns and funnels are essential for bringing in new potential customers and leads. But these two concepts also have some key differences, so you may deploy them in various circumstances to truly impact your businesss bottom line. Read a full guide in this DIY Marketers post by Ivana Taylor. If youd like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/badly-damaged-bodies-of-those-on-imploded-titanic-sub-will-likely-never-be-recovered-1111435876.html 'Badly Damaged' Bodies of Those on Imploded Titanic Sub Will Probably 'Never Be Recovered 'Badly Damaged' Bodies of Those on Imploded Titanic Sub Will Probably 'Never Be Recovered Badly damaged bodies of the five people on the ill-fated Titan submersible that imploded during a deep-sea dive to the wreck of the Titanic will likely never be recovered, an ex-navy doctor has claimed. 2023-06-24T05:50+0000 2023-06-24T05:50+0000 2023-06-24T06:19+0000 titanic titan submersible us coast guard titanic navy americas /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/18/1111436820_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_3b5146cb2f947c4f9d41a84a46081238.jpg The bodies of the five people who had been on the ill-fated submersible that is believed to have imploded from a "catastrophic loss of pressure" during a deep-sea dive to the wreck of the Titanic will probably never be recovered, a former navy surgeon, Dr Dale Mole, is cited by a media report as saying.After almost instantaneous death, the bodies would have been greatly damaged by the force of the submersibles implosion, the former navy doctor has claimed.The five people who had been descending to the wreck of the Titanic would fortunately not have suffered as the hull of the submersible would have ruptured so quickly that death would have been almost instantaneous, the expert said, adding that they would not have had time to realize what was happening. "Basically, alive one second and dead the next, the retired Navy captain added.When asked what the cause of death was for those inside the submersible if the hull ruptured, the medic suggested massive trauma.The Titan submersible owned by OceanGate had been on a deep-sea dive to the wreck site of the iconic Titanic vessel on Sunday with five people on board. The aim of the expedition was to chronicle the deterioration of the Titanic and the ecosystem around it. However, contact with the submersible was lost 1 hour and 45 minutes after descent began, triggering a search-and-rescue operation.The passengers on the sub were British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani investor Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush.Rush had founded OceanGate in 2009, and had been overseeing the development of submersibles able to travel up to 20,000 feet below the ocean's surface.The US Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed on Thursday that search crews using remotely operated vehicles found debris consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. They then found the Titan's nose cone located separately from the pressure hull, and a second, smaller debris field surrounding the other end of the pressure hull. All five people on board the Titan are presumed dead.Officials have not commented on whether efforts would be made to retrieve the remains of the five passengers. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230622/report-secret-us-naval-system-detected-titan-implosion-same-day-vessel-went-missing-1111409772.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko titanic, titan submersible, implosion, us coast guard, titan implosion, titanic, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/biden-avoids-irs-whistleblower-1111432854.html Biden Avoids IRS Whistleblower Biden Avoids IRS Whistleblower On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Starbucks workers going on strike over Pride Month policies, and Elon Musk agreeing to fight Mark Zuckerberg in a cage match. 2023-06-24T04:04+0000 2023-06-24T04:04+0000 2023-06-24T10:55+0000 the backstory radio nato gmo robert f. kennedy jr delaware big pharma nhl titanic /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/17/1111432697_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_d81d9d9f96bbd96f5ab640bdb44e9c2b.png Biden Avoids IRS Whistleblower On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Starbucks workers going on strike over Pride Month policies, and Elon Musk agreeing to fight Mark Zuckerberg in a cage match. Ian Shilling - Geopolitical Analyst, Researcher, and Blogger | Lindsey Graham Wants a World War III Scenario, Why Has Autism Rates Risen in Children?, and Putin Banned GMOsTyler Nixon - Attorney, Media Relations Specialist | Merrick Garland is Playing a Legal game, We Can't Escape the Weirdness, and Delaware PoliticsIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Ian Shilling about US politicians cheering on Ukraine, Tucker Carlson supporting RFK Jr, and big pharma never getting questioned. Ian talked about Lindsey Graham and his introduction of a resolution concerning Russia's use of nuclear weapons. Ian spoke about Dr. Hotez avoiding any debate on vaccines and the media suppression surrounding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tyler Nixon about the IRS whistleblower, the Biden administration's use of the Titanic submersible story, and Hunter Biden gets off with no prison time. Tyler commented on Attorney General Merrick Garland's statement on the Hunter Biden investigation and the US attorney in Delaware. Tyler discussed the Hunter Biden laptop and how Hunter was able to avoid any prison sentenceWe'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. delaware 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, irs whistleblower, starbucks workers' strike, elon musk vs mark zuckerberg, lindsey graham, merrick garland, big pharma, tucker carlson, hunter biden laptop https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/foreign-leaders-express-solidarity-with-russia-amid-wagner-mutiny-1111445545.html Foreign Leaders Express Solidarity With Russia Amid Wagner Mutiny Foreign Leaders Express Solidarity With Russia Amid Wagner Mutiny On Friday, Wagner PMC chief Evgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of launching a surprise missile attack against his men, and called for the ouster of its leadership. 2023-06-24T15:35+0000 2023-06-24T15:35+0000 2023-06-26T14:08+0000 russia vladimir putin recep tayyip erdogan russia belarus european union (eu) federal security service kremlin iran turkiye /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/04/01/1094375800_0:319:3073:2047_1920x0_80_0_0_d137b4fb9422b1164194e17e357374c2.jpg Several world leaders, among them Russias closest allies and partners, have offered support for the Kremlin amid the deadly standoff between the Russian military and Prigozhins Wagner group.BelarusBelarus, Russias Collective Security Treaty Organization ally and Union State partner, has offered full support for Moscow, emphasizing that Minsk has always been and remains Russias close ally.Belarusians and Russians are brotherly peoples. Our states are bound by a political union. And we cannot remain aloof from events taking place in the south of Russia, Belaruss Security Council said in a statement Saturday."There has never been anything worse in Russias history than in a time of turmoil, which is destructive and senseless in its essence," Minsk said, adding that the differences that led to the current crisis arent worth the potentially catastrophic consequences and losses that "emotional decisions and illegal actions" may cause.Presidents Putin and Lukashenko spoke by phone on Saturday, with the Russian leader informing his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in Russia, according to Lukashenkos press service.TurkiyeTurkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for Moscow, and said Ankara is ready to provide any assistance it can to resolve the situation.KazakhstanKazakhstan, another of Moscows allies within the CSTO, stressed the importance of constitutional order being restored in Russia.IranRussias Iranian partners expressed similar sentiments, with Tehran emphasizing its support for the "rule of law."AbkhaziaAbkhaz President Aslan Bzhania expressed his nations "full support" for Russia."In connection with the attempted armed rebellion undertaken by the leadership of the Wagner Private Military Company, I declare my full support for the actions of Russian President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin to establish law and order. I am convinced that Putins determination and wisdom will lead to the successful resolution of the events of the last days in accordance with the constitution and laws of the Russian Federation," Bzhania said.Abkhazia "will continue to fulfill its allied obligations to Russia" under "any circumstances," the president said, urging any Abkhaz nationals in the special operation zone not to succumb to provocations or take part in illegal actions."KenyaKenyan Foreign Minister Dr. Alfred N. Mutua expressed his nation's "solidarity with the Russian leadership as they strive to achieve total stability and order," and said his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had informed him that the Russian government was "in control and that 'everything will be fine'."What are the Americans and Europeans Saying?Publicly at least, Washington and Brussels have taken a wait and see approach, with US National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge telling Sputnik that the US is "monitoring and consulting with allies," with President Biden said to have been briefed on events. A European Commission spokesperson similarly told reporters that Brussels is "monitoring the situation," adding that the EU considers events in Russia an "internal matter." EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell spoke with G7 foreign ministers "to exchange views" on the situation, and said he was "coordinating inside the European Union" and had "activated" a "crisis response center" ahead of Mondays EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. "Our support to Ukraine continues unabated," Borrell said.In Case You Missed What's HappeningWagner PMC leader Evgeny Prigozhin announced Friday that he and his 25,000 men were going to "sort out" what happened to their comrades in arms after accusing the Russian military of launching airstrikes against a Wagner encampment. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement late Friday denying launching any strikes, and accused Wagner of an "informational provocation." The FSB has charged the PMC boss with attempting to incite an armed mutiny, a charge which could land him up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He has refused to turn himself in, and said any attempts to approach his forces would be met with deadly force.Prigozhin has had a much-publicized feud with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for months, accusing the minister of starving Wagner of ammunition, charging him with incompetence and corruption, and leveling personal attacks against his family. Shoigu did not dignify these allegations with a response. Wagner fighters refused to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry after it ordered all volunteer detachments to do so in early June.Wagner forces began operating in the NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine over a year ago, and fought alongside regular Russian forces to liberate the Donbass city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) in a brutal house-to-house slog that lasted eight months, tying down tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops as Russia mobilized its reserves. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/live-updates--security-boosted-in-several-russian-regions-following-coup-attempt-1111435105.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/putin-delivers-address-following-wagner-coup-attempt-1111437263.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230623/russian-ministry-of-defense-denies-media-reports-of-strikes-on-wagner-positions-1111429344.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230521/zelensky-acknowledges-loss-of-artemovsk---reports-1110496911.html russia belarus iran turkiye abkhazia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov 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 Ilya Tsukanov reaction, response, russia, wagner, evgeny prigozhin, iran, turkiye, belarus, support, vladimir putin, recep tayyip erdogan, mutiny, armed rebellion, armed mutiny, rebellion, wagner mutiny, wagner rebellion https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/millions-in-taxes--fara-violations-left-out-of-hunter-biden-plea-deal-critics-say-1111444643.html Millions in Taxes & FARA Violations Left Out of Hunter Biden Plea Deal, Critics Say Millions in Taxes & FARA Violations Left Out of Hunter Biden Plea Deal, Critics Say Despite President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, striking a plea deal with regard to a couple of misdemeanor charges of failing to pay taxes, the scandal haunting the Bidens is not over, according to US legal observers and conservative commentators. 2023-06-24T13:42+0000 2023-06-24T13:42+0000 2023-06-24T13:42+0000 americas us 2024 us presidential election hunter biden jonathan turley joe biden china romania ukraine us department of justice /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/05/0a/1110232556_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_0b7cd968f3a4d1adc765a2285a2a2e49.jpg The US' first son reached a plea agreement with the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday concerning federal tax and weapon possession charges: Hunter Biden is expected to admit that he withheld $100,000 in taxes in 2017-2018.However, it's a far cry from what he really owed to the US government, explained Just the News, an independent media outlet founded by US investigative journalist John Solomon. Citing supervisory IRS agent-turned-whistleblower Gary Shapley, the media outlet pointed out that Hunter has failed to pay about $2.2 million in taxes since 2014.Earlier this week, Shapley's bombshell testimony alleging the first son's tax crimes and the DoJ's meddling to shield the younger Biden, was made public. The whistleblower insisted that the Hunter's misdeeds included not only tax evasion but also filing false tax returns since at least 2014: "Altogether it was around $2.2 million," he told US lawmakers.However, most of these felonies had been swept under the rug by the DoJ, according to Shapley. The department's apparent interference in Hunter's case ranged from refusing to approve search warrants to allowing the statute of limitation to expire in some instances, as per the supervisory IRS agent and his subordinate.For its part, Hunter's legal team insists that he had belatedly paid over $2 million in back taxes and penalties, accusing the IRS whistleblowers of a biased approach.Nonetheless, US legal observers believe that the DoJ's apparent cover-up of Hunter's tax affairs and other potential felonies is fraught with the risk of a bigger scandal in the making. In particular, legal scholar Jonathan Turley raised concerns about the "absence of certain charges in the plea deal given to Hunter Biden" in his blog on Saturday.According to Turley, the DoJ somehow overlooked Hunter acting as a de facto unregistered foreign agent, something that former President Donald Trump's associate Paul Manafort was promptly accused of. The first son likely violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) while striking business deals with foreign entities including in China, Romania and Ukraine during and after his father's vice presidency, the lawyer pointed out.What's more disturbing is that the Justice Department never initiated an investigation into the Bidens' purported influence-peddling despite allegations of millions of dollars generated from Hunter's foreign partners, according to Turley. Indeed, the House Oversight Committee has recently unveiled evidence supposedly proving hefty transfers to Biden family members from foreign sources. Still, Attorney General Merrick Garland has so far refused to appoint a special counsel to look into the matter.The DoJ also appears to be uninterested in investigating bribery allegations involving Hunter Biden and his father as well as a 2017 Whatsapp message with threats from Hunter Biden to one of his Chinese associates, following which the Chinese reportedly sent $5 million to Hunter's account.According to Turley, the DoJ, Congressional Democrats and US mainstream media want these stories to disappear. He quoted former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) as saying "Everybody needs to back off!" while addressing GOP investigators and conservative critics. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230622/delaying-divulging-denying-whistleblower-alleges-feds-protected-hunter-biden-from-probe-1111409231.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230623/ag-garland-denies-interfering-in-hunter-biden-probe-1111428746.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230608/clinton-foundation-whistleblowers-have-chance-to-bust-irs--expose-hillarys-pay-to-play-1111006847.html americas china romania ukraine 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 hunter biden, hunter biden plea deal, department of justice, fara violation, bribery case, irs whistleblower, ag merrick garland, doj interference in hunter biden case, biden family influence peddling scheme, hunter biden tax evasion, hunter biden tax crimes https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/prince-harry-reportedly-wanted-to-interview-putin-trump-for-pitched-podcast-1111434884.html Prince Harry Reportedly Wanted to Interview Putin, Trump for Pitched Podcast Prince Harry Reportedly Wanted to Interview Putin, Trump for Pitched Podcast UK Prince Harry wanted to interview both Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump for a show he and wife Meghan Markle pitched to Spotify producers in 2020, US media reported on Friday. 2023-06-24T03:11+0000 2023-06-24T03:11+0000 2023-06-24T03:10+0000 world prince harry vladimir putin donald trump united kingdom (uk) podcasts /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/0a/1082032733_0:320:3073:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_b1305ce1cf88c58d651a8b0ad36985fb.jpg As part of a show that was to interview different "controversial" guests, Harry wanted to host both Putin and Trump and ask them about their formative years and how those experiences informed their adult selves, the report said. Destined for failure, the podcast idea was part of a partnership between Swedish streaming platform Spotify and the royal couple that began in 2020, and promised to produce shows with the Duke and Duchess at the helm that ultimately only resulted in one season of one show, called Archetypes, which debuted last year and was hosted by Markle. During the early stages of the partnership, Prince Harry met with multiple producers and production houses to discuss potential shows, including the one that would feature both Trump and Putin centered around childhood trauma, the report said. However, no podcast from the Duke came to fruition, placing Harry's fruitless talks with Spotify among several other exploratory relationships streaming platforms entered with various celebrities during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230417/man-resembling-prince-harry-sought-by-uk-cops-1109588617.html united kingdom (uk) 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 prince harry, vladimir putin, donald trump, podcast https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/russian-military-destroys-storm-shadow-missile-depot-in-western-ukraine-1111442832.html Russian Military Destroys Storm Shadow Missile Depot in Western Ukraine Russian Military Destroys Storm Shadow Missile Depot in Western Ukraine The Russian armed forces have destroyed a depot with Storm Shadow cruise missiles in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. 2023-06-24T11:44+0000 2023-06-24T11:44+0000 2023-06-24T12:08+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine ukraine russia russian defense ministry high mobility artillery rocket system (himars) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/12/1111256878_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_545c0dff45e1465dd642268bfc38a42a.jpg The Russian armed forces have destroyed a depot with Storm Shadow cruise missiles in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. On May 11, Ukraine was confirmed to have received its first long-range cruise missiles, which were sent by the United Kingdom. The 250km-range Storm Shadow missiles came with a condition that they would be used only "within Ukrainian sovereign territory." The Russian Defense Ministry claims Ukraine has violated this condition as its strikes have resulted in civilian casualties in the Lugansk People's Republic, which Russia considers to be part of its own territory since referendums in September 2022. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230515/details-of-uks-storm-shadow-cruise-missile-revealed--1110376749.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian armed forces, storm shadow cruise missiles, russian defense ministry https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/scott-ritter-ukrainian-counteroffensive-turning-into-suicide-mission-1111441680.html Scott Ritter: Ukrainian Counteroffensive Turning Into 'Suicide Mission' Scott Ritter: Ukrainian Counteroffensive Turning Into 'Suicide Mission' Ex-US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter has told Sputnik that NATO knew the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive would fail from the start, and explained why. 2023-06-24T11:36+0000 2023-06-24T11:36+0000 2023-06-24T12:04+0000 analysis nikolai patrushev vladimir putin ukraine russia nato military russian military ukrainian armed forces /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/06/18/1111441466_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_55bfc3c431862f994fde40c323699e15.jpg Ukrainian officials admitted this week that Kiev's counteroffensive against Russian forces is going "slower than desired," with Ukraine's Western sponsors admitting privately that the assault is "not meeting expectations on any front," and that Russian defensive lines have proven well-fortified and too difficult to breach. Some Ukrainian officials remain defiant, with the commander of Ukraines ground forces announcing Friday that "everything is still ahead" and that the past three weeks have just been attempts to "probe" Russian defenses for weak spots.The counteroffensive, which Russian United Nations ambassador Vassily Nebenzya characterized as "suicidal" on Friday, has featured military planners in Kiev throwing waves of troops, tanks and armored vehicles against elaborate Russian defenses consisting of infantry trenches, anti-personnel and anti-tank minefields, anti-tank dragons teeth and earthen beams. Russia has also secured air and artillery superiority, which seemed to have nullified Kievs NATO-provided intelligence capabilities.The counteroffensive "never had a chance to succeed," and those who planned it knew it, Scott Ritter told Sputniks New Rules podcast."And so if thats the case, you have to ask yourself, why did this go forward? And I think its clear that this counteroffensive never had a legitimate military purpose. It was always done for political reasons," Ritter said, stressing that its important to remember that NATO, in its quest to "hurt" Russia by pouring tens of billions of dollars into Ukraine, doesn't actually care about Ukrainians.The 13,000 troop estimate comes from Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev, who cited the numbers at a meeting of the Russian Security Council this week. Patrushev said Ukraine has lost 246 tanks, including 13 supplied by the West, 595 armored fighting vehicles, 279 artillery and mortar systems, 42 multiple rocket launchers, two anti-aircraft missile systems, four helicopters, over 260 drones and 424 vehicles over the past three weeks. Commenting on the losses, President Putin said Kievs Western allies seem to have cynically "decided to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian."Ghosts of Afghanistan and NATO's Reason for BeingElaborating on the politics behind the counteroffensive, Ritter said its important to keep in mind that relatively recently, in August 2021, NATO and the US suffered one of their greatest defeats up until that time, perhaps their greatest defeat, with the disastrous defeat in and retreat from Afghanistan.Ritter said that defeat "caused a lot of people in Europe" to reconsider NATOs purpose and question its reason for existence. "If one of the goals of NATO is to create this unbreakable bond between the United States and its European partners, then Afghanistan showed that that bond is easily broken, that the United States is fully capable of walking away from a commitment that NATO has made," he said.Accordingly, Ritter noted, for the political elites who depend on structures like NATO, the European Union and the G7 and seek to hold on to power, the defeat was the "wrong direction," and required for global events to be redirected to prevent the further disintegration of the alliance, and instead try to ensure its expansion.The alliance "needs" the Ukrainian conflict to continue, and may even be looking forward to Kiev suffering a loss in the conflict, Ritter emphasized. They need, in many ways a Ukrainian defeat, because a Ukrainian defeat allows them to say that the Russian military thats capable of defeating this Ukrainian force is a Russian military that can only be confronted by an emboldened, empowered, united NATO, he said.Counteroffensive According to NATO DoctrineElaborating on the factors he said helped stall the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Ritter said that the Russian defensive line created in Zaporozhye, Kherson and the Donbass wasn't "just any fortified position," and that for Ukraine's offensive to breech the layered, fortified Russian positions to succeed, Kiev, in accordance with NATO doctrine, would have had to suppress Russias ability to "interdict, disrupt or otherwise bring harm to [its] assaulting force," and to prevent Russian air power, artillery and electronic warfare from intervening.The problem, Ritter said, is that this would have required Kiev to "have certain military capabilities" which simply "do not exist."In this situation, the alliance effectively tricked Ukraines armed forces into agreeing to carry out a "suicide mission" by convincing them that the Russian defenders were just "poorly trained," "recently mobilized troops" with low so low that they would drop their guns and flee at the first sign of trouble."They've also been told that Russian command and control is not effective. That the Russian generals are very lethargic, very slow to respond, or probably drinking and as a result, aren't able to respond to a decisive thrust by the Ukrainians. They were told that it doesn't matter about Russian artillery supremacy, they will be able to jam Russian communications so that the Russians can't coordinate. And that it doesn't matter about the Russian air force because the Russians had an air force back in September and October [during the so-called Kharkov and Kherson offensives, ed.], but the rapid pace of Ukrainian advance negated that. This is what the Ukrainians were told and it was all a lie. This was a suicide mission from the start. NATO knew this from the start and that's the saddest reflection of all this, that NATO's has deliberately misled their erstwhile Ukrainian friends to carry out an attack which was as suicidal as the charge of the Light Brigade back in the Crimean War," Ritter said.'It's Only Going to Get Worse'Asked to comment on recent Western media reports that Ukraines staggering losses have forced authorities in the countrys west to dig up old graves from earlier wars to make room for new casualties, Ritter predicted that its only "going to get worse for Ukraine" as time goes on, and their military continues to be ground up in the proxy war with Russia.The longer this war goes on, and I'm not talking about years, I'm talking about the coming weeks and months more pressure is going to be put on Ukraine to generate new forces," he predicted. https://sputnikglobe.com/20220815/how-taliban-stormed-across-afghanistan-smashing-nato-trained-army-in-ten-days-1099556063.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230623/ukraine-gambles-on-coercive-call-up-as-counteroffensive-flounders-1111419114.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230622/ukraines-strike-on-chongar-bridge-on-border-with-crimea-a-diversionary-tactic---military-analyst-1111395009.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov 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 Ilya Tsukanov ukraine, russia, conflict, proxy war, nato, moscow, kiev, scott ritter, analysis, counteroffensive, fighting, stalling, ukrainian counterofensive updates, who is winning in ukrine, nato in ukraine, ukraine war, russian front in ukraine, russia stops ukrainian counteroffensive https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/us-blames-beijing-for-fentanyl-crisis-charges-chinese-chemical-companies-1111448284.html US Blames Beijing for Fentanyl Crisis, Charges Chinese Chemical Companies US Blames Beijing for Fentanyl Crisis, Charges Chinese Chemical Companies Opioid overdoses kill over 130 Americans daily, with drug ODs claiming more than 110,000 lives in 2022 alone. OD rates have spiked over than 250% over the past two decades due to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller 2023-06-24T19:45+0000 2023-06-24T19:45+0000 2023-06-24T19:45+0000 americas andres manuel lopez obrador joe biden china mexico department of justice treasury white house fentanyl drug trade /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/104551/06/1045510623_0:97:1024:673_1920x0_80_0_0_61a08366f98214e8d108b739c501c5ab.jpg The Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against four China-based chemical companies and eight Chinese nationals, alleging their involvement in the large-scale trafficking of precursors used to make fentanyl.The department said its investigations had led to the seizure of over 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursors, enough to create enough lethal doses to kill some 25 million Americans.China RespondsThe charges, which come on the heels of Treasury sanctions on China and Mexico-based companies and individuals alleged to be directly or indirectly involved in the fentanyl trade in late May, were slammed by Beijing, which accused the DoJ of illegally ensnaring Chinese nationals in a sting operation in a third country.This is typical arbitrary detention and unilateral sanction, which is completely illegal. It seriously harms the basic human rights of the Chinese nationals and the interests of the Chinese companies concerned. China strongly condemns this move and has lodged serious demarches and strong protest to the US side, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.The ministry stressed that Beijing is an active participant in international counter-narcotics cooperation, and pointed out that the PRC was the first country in the world to schedule fentanyl as an illegal drug, banning its production, and the production of related substances, in 2019.Instead of giving China the credit for its contribution, the US imposed illegal sanctions on Chinese counter-narcotics institutions and then openly slandered Chinas counter-narcotics efforts and illegally sanctioned Chinese companies. The US has now gone even further by ensnaring and indicting Chinese nationals. Such long-arm jurisdiction and [bullying] that tramples on international law has further undermined the lawful rights and interests of relevant Chinese institutions and nationals, and seriously undercut the foundation for China-US cooperation on counter-narcotics, Beijing said.China emphasized that Washingtons attempts to blame Beijing for Americas drug crisis is an unacceptable attempt at scapegoating which will not work and benefits no one.Lack of LoveAlong with China, Washington has regularly blamed Mexico for the USs fentanyl crisis. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dismissed these allegations in March, citing the disintegration of American families, individualism,a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces as a factor in Americas drug crisis. Obrador also offered a solution to the problem: prohibiting the use of fentanyl in medicine a proposal unlikely to be acceptable to the USs powerful pharmaceutical industry lobby.US law enforcement says the vast majority of the illegal fentanyl distributed across the United States is produced in Mexico by gangs and smuggled into the country via the southern border.Drug smuggling across the Mexico-US frontier has increased by thousands of percentage points over the past two years, with Republicans broadly blaming President Bidens lax border policy. The White House has denied these claims, and accused the GOP of fighting to put fentanyl on the street. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230610/the-talibans-ban-works-opium-production-collapses-in-afghanistan-1111020122.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230614/us-congresswoman-introduces-impeachment-articles-against-biden-over-border-crisis-1111134923.html americas china mexico Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2023 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov 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 Ilya Tsukanov united states, china, fentanyl, allegations, response, manufacturing, precursor, chemical, opioid, opioid crisis, fentanyl death in the us, who caused opioid crisis, is china behind opioid crisis https://sputnikglobe.com/20230624/us-top-general-milley-cancels-trip-to-middle-east-due-to-situation-in-russia---reports-1111447596.html US Top General Milley Cancels Trip to Middle East Due to Situation in Russia - Reports US Top General Milley Cancels Trip to Middle East Due to Situation in Russia - Reports Seething tensions between Wagner PMC boss Evgeny Prigozhin and senior commanders in the Russian military spilled into an armed mutiny by Wagner forces on Friday 2023-06-24T18:45+0000 2023-06-24T18:45+0000 2023-06-26T14:08+0000 mark milley jake sullivan russia moscow russian defense ministry pmc wagner situation travel world wagner aborted mutiny /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/11/1106435604_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7d45f242ccdd3a9a584e81400d81a63d.jpg US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley canceled a planned trip to the Middle East because of the "situation in Russia," media reported on Saturday, citing Milley's representative.The trip would have taken him to Israel and Jordan for talks with military officials there.Separately, Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also canceled a trip which would have taken him to Denmark for an event related to Ukraine, instead going to Camp David with President Biden. On Friday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case for inciting armed mutiny over statements made Wagner Group private military company (PMC) head Evgeny Prigozhin. The Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports of alleged Russian military strikes on PMC Wagner camps were not true.Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on Saturday in which he described the actions of the Wagner Group PMC as an armed mutiny and treason, and promised harsh measures against the insurgents. Later in the day, the Belarusian president's office said that Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the advance of Wagner forces on Moscow and take further steps to de-escalate the situation. Prigozhin later confirmed the information, saying that Wagner troops were returning back to their field camps. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230605/milley-says-there-is-always-risk-of-escalation-amid-ukraine-attacks-inside-russia-1110922932.html russia moscow 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 mark milley, united states, jordan, israel, russia, evgeny prigozhin, wagner Chinese premier calls for stronger Belt and Road cooperation between China, Pakistan Xinhua) 10:35, June 24, 2023 Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Paris, France, June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) PARIS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Thursday that the Chinese side is ready to continue strengthening cooperation with Pakistan to jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. During his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, Li also called on the two sides to jointly advance major projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) so as to promote high-quality development of the corridor, and better contribute to the economic and social development of the two countries. China and Pakistan have always treated each other sincerely, trusted each other and shared weal and woe, Li said. China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding country's sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and in achieving its stability, development and prosperity. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to promote the continued development of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era, said Li. Li pointed out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPEC. China will, as always, support Pakistan in accelerating its economic development and enhancing its capacity for sustainable development, Li said. The Chinese side hopes that the Pakistani side will resolutely and effectively crack down on all types of domestic terrorist groups, and ensure the safety of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan, said Li, adding that the two sides should jointly uphold international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of China and Pakistan as well as other developing countries. For his part, Sharif said that Pakistan and China are all-weather friends and "iron-clad brothers," and that the friendship between the two countries remains unbreakable. It is the consensus of various Pakistani political parties and all walks of life to consolidate the friendship between Pakistan and China, he said. Noting that Pakistan appreciates China for its great support for Pakistan's efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and in its economic development, he said that Pakistan adheres to the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Pakistani side is willing to work with China to promote the high-quality development of the CPEC and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, he said, adding that the Pakistani side will make every effort to ensure the safety of the Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan. Sharif also noted that the Pakistani side opposes any attempt to contain or suppress China, and stands ready with China to mutually support each other in multilateral affairs. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Last year, Longshot became the fastest three-year-old gelding trotter ever at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows with a 1:52.2 mile. On Friday, he was up to his old tricks, sailing to victory in his return to the five-eighths-mile Pennsylvania oval. Chris Lems, who also did the honours for that track record performance, sent Longshot to the point at the quarter, and the four-year-old son of Long Tom-Tintern widened late in his second Meadows start to win Friday's featured $15,400 conditioned trot in 1:53 flat. Keystone Chaos shot the Lightning Lane for second, 1-1/4 lengths back, with Fawn De Touch third. Scott Cox trains Longshot, who boosted his career bankroll to $350,460, for Wayne Mast Jr. and Callam Racing LLC. Dropping from Grand Circuit stakes competition after last week's Graduate Series leg at The Meadowlands, Longshot picked up his first victory in seven outings this year and paid $4 to win as the even-money favourite. Trainer Scott Betts fashioned a four-bagger on the 12-race card courtesy of Kount Blaster (driven by Koltin Noble), Scubadan (Dave Palone), Money Matters (Drew Monti) and Mateo (Monti). Saturdays program at The Meadows features the $58,390 Currier & Ives for three-year-old filly trotters. The stakes goes as race nine, with first post at 12:45 p.m. (With files from Meadows Standardbred Owners Association) Up Your Deo posted a track record 1:53.1 mile and Kierkegaard K led at every call in taking a pair of $40,000 MGM Yonkers Trot eliminations for three-year-old colts and geldings on Friday night (June 23) at MGM Yonkers Raceway. Both Up Your Deo and Kierkegaard K were sent out by trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt. Svanstedt had the 1-9 favoured Up Your Deo on the gate in post four and ready to leave at the start, with Crown to his inside with Brian Sears also on the gate and motivated, and Chapercraz to his outside as that one exploded out for Yannick Gingras as the gates unfolded. Up Your Deo made a miscue but was wrestled back on-stride quickly by Svanstedt although not before ceding control to Chapercraz, who led Crown through the first turn, with Manclane and Tyler Buter settling in third and Up Your Deo fourth in line. Gingras had Chapercraz on the lead and the son of Crazy Wow showed impressive speed, cutting the opening-half with fractions of :28 and :56.4 while Crown followed at a distance and the rest of the field gapped out to some degree. Svanstedt had to move out on the third turn to get Up You Deo into closer contention, but his job was made more difficult as Chapercraz let out a notch and blitzed the third quarter in :27.3, hitting the three-quarters in 1:24.2 with a 3-1/2-length lead. On the final turn, Chapercraz's lead began to shorten as Crown rallied between horses and Up You Deo hit his stride after going three-deep. A blanket finish ensued, with Up Your Deo getting up on the wire ahead of the pacesetting Chapercraz, while Crown settled for third. Manclane followed in a distant fourth, but will also return for the $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot final. Owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Suleyman Yuksel Stables, Deo Volente Stables and Van Camp Trotting Corp., Up Your Deo posted just his second career victory in his 11th start. The son of Walner returned $2.30 to win as the prohibitive favourite. With Chapercraz second, the exacta was worth $9.50 and third-place Crown finisher completed a $17 trifecta. Up Your Deo's time of 1:53.1 broke the Yonkers track mark for three-year-old trotting colts, eclipsing the previous standard of 1:53.3 set in 2019 by Gimpanzee. Svanstedt returned with favourite Kierkegaard K in the second $40,000 elimination, and though there was again an inquiry after the finish, it had no impact on Kierkegaard K, who wired the field impressively, drawing clear in 1:54.3 as the 2-5 choice. Svanstedt had Kierkegaard K on the gate and left alertly from the pole position with Tillios Action, Devilish Hill and Ari Ferrari J all trying to leave from the outside. It was clear into the turn that Svanstedt had no interest in yielding the lead, so Devilish Hill and Andrew McCarthy took a tuck and Ari Ferrari J and Dexter Dunn took back to trail. Tillios Action and Jordan Stratton were left on the outside and they were fortunate to get into the pocket before the :27.2 quarter as Southwind Admiral and Todd McCarthy were willing to take a three-hole to follow the two favourites. Svanstedt was looking to conserve his Chapter Seven-sired colt and managed to slow the half to :57.1 before any activity began on the outside. Kenobi and Tim Tetrick pulled out first, followed by Ari Ferrari J, but the pair had much ground to make up. Kierkegaard K was still backing the action down as Kenobi gained ground to three-quarters, which was clocked in a pedestrian 1:26.4. In the final panel, Kierkegaard K got his cue to go and marched away from the pocket-sitter in the stretch, with Svanstedt demanding and getting the acceleration that would propel the colt through a :27.4 kicker. Tillios Action was more than comfortable following in second, with Stratton not urging his horse, while Ari Ferrari J made up ground in the stretch to be a fast-closing third. Squeezing between horses, Todd McCarthy was able to get Southwind Admiral fourth across the line in tight quarters, but the colt made a miscue right before the line. An inquiry followed and Southwind Admiral was set back, allowing Devilish Hill to be placed fourth and earn the last berth for next week's final. Owned by breeder Knutsson Trotting Inc., Kierkegaard K was a winner for the third straight time in 2023 without defeat. Kierkegaard K paid $2.80 to win. With Tillios Action second. the exacta was worth $10.80. Ari Ferrari J completed the $31 trifecta. Three-year-old pacing fillies Earthwindfire and Ucandoit Blue Chip won a pair of $20,000 Park MGM Pace eliminations to kick off Friday's card at Yonkers. Driven by Tim Tetrick, Earthwindfire, who just won a New York Sire Stakes division on Monday, June 19 at Monticello Raceway, scored in 1:52.2 after leading the way through fractions of :28.2, :56.4 and 1:24.2. Lisa Lane (Patrick Ryder) closed well after a pocket trip and was the runner-up, just a neck behind the winner, and Silky Stride (Jordan Stratton) collected third. Treacherous Penny (Andy McCarthy) was able to advance from sixth to fourth in the final panel to secure the last spot in the stakes final from the first elimination. Brett Pelling trains Earthwindfire, a daughter of American Ideal bred by Stephen Dey III, for owners Mel Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Tulip Racing. Earthwindfire has a record of 8-4-0 from 13 starts with earnings totalling $378,750. She paid $2.10 to win and was atop a $4.40 exacta and a $10.60 trifecta. In the other elimination, Ucandoit Blue Chip, piloted by Scott Zeron, led early from post one, but 4-5 favourite Vivians Dream (Brian Sears) pressed on two-wide and moved past Ucandoit Blue Chip before the :27.2 opening quarter. Vivians Dream went on to reach the half in :56.3 and the three-quarters in 1:25.1, with American Crispin (Jordan Stratton), who moved first-over out of fourth past the half, pressuring her as they raced in the backstretch for the second time. Vivians Dream managed to put American Crispin away on the last turn, but that gave Ucandoit Blue Chip space to angle out, and once she had clearance, she was able to rally past Vivians Dream to take over the top spot again in the lane. The race wasn't over, though, as True Blue Hanover (Jason Bartlett), who sat at the back of the pack in fifth, rallied strongly on the inside to the wire. However, her bid fell a nostril short of success, as Ucandoit Blue Chip got to the line first in a 1:53 mile. Vivians Dream and Turn On The Charm (Marcus Miller) were third and fourth. Ucandoit Blue Chip is a Keystone Velocity filly trained by Linda Toscano for owner Bill Elliott. The Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc.-bred made her seventh appearance in the winner's circle from 13 starts and sent her bankroll to $341,993. She returned $4.80 to win as the 7-5 second choice. The exacta was worth $79 and the trifecta kicked back $179.50. The $300,000 MGM Yonkers Trot final and the $100,000 (est.) Park MGM Pace final will take place next Friday, June 30 as part of an action-packed program that will also includes the $250,000 (est.) MGM Grand Messenger Stakes final and the $115,000 (est.) New York New York Mile final. The MGM Yonkers Trot and MGM Grand Messenger Stakes are the first legs of the Trotting and Pacing Triple Crowns. (With files from Yonkers Raceway) Brian James Doyle passed away on Wednesday, June 21 from pancreatic cancer. He was in his 81st year. Brian was predeceased by wife Joy (2004); brothers Tom, Ted and John; and sister Myrtle. He grew up in Hamilton, Ont. Brian leaves his family of three sons Jeff, David (Nicole) and Keith; grandchildren Dale, Kira, and Kendall; his girlfriend Pat Walker; and present and past employees. In 1967, he started his business transporting horses, at the age of 25, with one truck under Brian Doyle Horse Transport. Brian Doyle Horse Transport is now doing business as Doyle Bloodstock Transportation, and is a family business that grew -- the number of trucks and vans increased, as did the number of employees that the Doyle family was proud to provide work for. The business included a maintenance and manufacturing shop, where the Doyles started manufacturing and building the vans for the trucks as well as the air stalls for the horses on airplanes. In the late 1980s, Brian expanded his business to include flying horses overseas and acting as agent for foreign buyers with a separate company (Doyle Air Cargo). In 1991, he and Joy purchased farmland, and continued to build the business, including layover and quarantine facilities for horses. He shipped horses for his clients to and from Scotland, England, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Wales, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France and New Zealand. Brian owned Standardbreds with Stew and Joanne Firlotte, Dr. David Powell, James (Friday) Dean, Sandra Burns and others. His favourite horse was Buttafuco, trained by Dennis MacPherson and Tracey Troy. Buttafuco is now 29 years old and still enjoying retirement on Brians farm. Brian admired and firmly believed in hard work and he didnt back away from a challenge. No job was too daunting or too trivial for him. He cleaned the office, cleaned stalls, drove the trucks, flew with the horses, built fencing, handled administrative paperwork, worked on the farm, attended horse sales as agent, helped load horses, handled pre and post-import quarantines, and anything else that needed to be done. His work ethic was well respected. He did not give up in the face of adversity, and sometimes succeeded with sheer determination. Brians son David will continue management and operation of the trucking business Doyle Bloodstock Transportation. Cremation has taken place and arrangements for a private burial will be held, in accordance with Brians wishes. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Brian Doyle. At least one person was injured during storms Friday night that went through Scotts Bluff County. According to scanner traffic, ambulance personnel transported a man to the hospital after being involved in an injury accident on Highway 26 after a tornado reportedly picked up his vehicle, then brought it to the ground. Additional details about the accident weren't yet available as of publication. Tim Newman, Region 22 Emergency Management director, said initial reports coming in included a report of the storms removing a roof of a house and another home destroyed about two miles east of Scottsbluff on Highway 26. Carissa Schank, of Firefighter Ministry, said the organization is attempting to assist the family with accommodations. Tornado sirens sounded within the city of Scottsbluff multiple times as storms started rolling in to Scotts Bluff County about 7 p.m. Scotts Bluff County residents had some warning that the thunderstorm could have tornadic activity and large hail due to reports as the storm came through Goshen County, including a tornado being spotted near Hawk Springs at about 6:30 p.m. During the storm in Scotts Bluff County, reports of tornadoes occurred west of the Scotts Bluff National Monument, south of Gering, and the east of Scottsbluff near the airport. The tornado near the airport along Highway 26 reportedly touched down for a time. As of publication, at 10 p.m., the area still remained under a tornado watch, which had been extended to Scotts Bluff, Banner, Morrill, Dawes, Kimball and Sioux counties. Thunderstorm and flash flood warnings were also in place. Quest for recognition of Black historical neighborhood continues Like all associations in their beginning, local community members sought collaborative answers for needed resolutions. Bringing attention to an oversight of cultural diversity in the citys historical landscape, Black Historic Community Group members implemented an awareness campaign (2021). Their priority from the start, and continues to be, is about commemorating local history of freedom pioneers and preservation of local landmarks. Challenges in cultural diversity and equality in public funding can either be seen as part of solutions or part of disparity. With community efforts increasing in participation in local government, it is believable that all communities are likely to see better compromises implemented to improve neighborhoods with participation in city planning. Community group members see transparency of collaborations between all invested partnerships as a necessary protocol to avoid mistakes like cultural appropriation and to have adequate funding of projects moving forward. Group members advocating for substantial investment in preservation along with cultural diversity of services are witnessing an increase in public support of commemorating a Black historical neighborhood. Last year neighborhood residents sought help from the most diversity ever seated on city council. Unfortunately what could have been a game changer must have seemed too out of the box. This year, group members continue to share awareness for inclusive cultural preservation planning. Letters and emails descriptive of Statesvilles significant Black pioneers leading the way in freedom and five highly significant Black historic landmarks (shared at the state level) are now bringing about city council discussions on improvements for initiatives in city planning. According to the city manager (Ron Smith) additional funding (grants) this year are possible. Two grants recently submitted by the city will hopefully have award update announcements soon. Gone unanswered so far, questions to city council remain on the whereabouts of 6O slightly buried headstones identified/indicated by the GPR mapping of the Green Street Cemetery by the contracted Omega Mapping surveyor company on March 28, 2023. Community group members continue participation at monthly city council meetings (first and third Mondays at 7 p.m. on the second floor in city hall), and this taking seats at city council is in its second year (consistently). Over 100 local residents with concerns about diversity of city preservation projects signed an online petition and more signatures are possible at https://chng.it/Rx4BXvTT7R (no fee to sign). Collaborative services for preservation between the city and county may go publicized, however the community group has managed to attract television and newspaper reports highlighting the neighborhoods freedom renaissance era. Group members say more local residents just being aware of the benefits of having a unique and sustainable Black historical neighborhood is important. Having African American landmarks listed as part of the citys historical attraction is new and an achievement credited to its communitys group effort to be part of city planning in 2023. Lisa Mozer Statesville The 15th annual Tri-State Beef Cattle conference will be held at the Ron Ramsey Regional Ag Center in Blountville, Tennessee, on Aug. 3rd. This years conference will address topics of interest to both stocker and cow-calf producers. The conference will be a one-day event and will include educational sessions covering such topics as approaching your lender, pasture management, beef cattle outlook, predator control, and antibiotic rules and colostrum quality. There will once again be virtual tours of operations from each of the three states and then a time of questions and answers with the producers themselves. This years conference will be one that should add dollars to your bottom line whether you run a stocker or a cow-calf operation, said Dr. Andrew Griffith, University of Tennessee Extension Associate Professor and Extension Livestock Economist. A trade show will be open during the conference, with many of the organizations involved in the regions beef industry there for participants to meet and learn more about their products and services. The conference will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and the program beginning at 9:10 a.m. The trade show will open at 8 a.m. The meeting is being sponsored by the University of Tennessee Extension, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Registration information and complete details will be available through the Smyth County Extension Office. Registration for the conference is $20 through July 21st and $25 after July 21st. Additional information can be obtained through the Extension office. The morning will begin with the Market Outlook as seen by Kevin Good of Cattle Fax, followed by a talk on predator control by Mr. Chad Fox of the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, based in Southwestern Virginia. Next Dr. Bill Johnson and Jerry Gibbs will share some strategies on approaching your lender. After a morning break, Smyth Countys own Dr. John Currin will discuss new antibiotic rules as well as how nutrition affects colostrum quality in fresh cows. Following lunch, Dr. Gary Bates will share some ideas on pasture management. Year after year, the conference receives high marks for being helpful and timely to attendees. This year, prices are good (so far) so it is also a good time to invest in yourself as well. See you there! Upcoming EventsJune 26-30State 4-H Congress, campus of Virginia Tech. July 1Southwest 4-H Tractor Club Summer Trip, Southeast Old Threshers Reunion, Denton, N.C. July 11VQA Sale. July 17VQA Steer Take-up. July 19VQA Heifer Take-up. July 22-Aug. 5Rich Valley Fair events. July 22Lawnmower Racing, Rich Valley Fairgrounds, 6 p.m. July 27-28ATV Events, Rich Valley Fair, 7 p.m. July 27-29Beef-Up Program, VA Tech. July 29Ranch Rodeo, Rich Valley Fair. July 30Cowboy Church, Beauty Pageant and Gospel Sing. July 31Lamb and Goat Show. Aug. 1Beef and Dairy Show, and Toy Tractor Set Up. Aug. 22VQA Sale. Sept. 26VQA Sale. Oct. 31VQA Sale. Dec. 6VQA Sale. If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in these activities, call Andy Overbay or Pam Testerman at 276-783-5175/TDD 800-828-1120 from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event. Doug Thompson For The Floyd Press A West Virginia man who ignored probation rules in Floyd and Smyth counties as well as in his home state, was ordered to serve the remaining time of his Floyd sentence last week. Craig Shannon Smiths original five-year sentence in Floyd was handed down in 2014 for writing a bad check. Three years and nine months were suspended at the conviction, and Smith was sent back to prison for six months for probation violations in 2020. You have a problem with probation, Circuit Judge Mike Fleenor said to Smith on June 20 as he sentenced him to the remaining year and four months. Commonwealths Attorney Eric Branscom said Smith left Virginia, a violation of the first probation. He was then arrested in Smyth County on a domestic abuse charge, a violation of his West Virginia probation. The rules did not apply to him, Branscom said. He did whatever he wanted and went anywhere he pleased, even when the rules said he could not do so. Trouble with probation and Drug Court threatened to derail one Floyd mans progress to recover but support by his family in the gallery of the courtroom Tuesday led Judge Fleenor give him another chance. Drug Court his not supposed to be easy, Branscom said. This will be a last chance. In other cases, heard June 20: Andrew Francis Rose, 22, of Riner pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, and Judge Fleenor sent him to jail for two months with a year and 10 months remaining on probation. Tabitha Marie Thomas, 29, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and contributing to the delinquency of a child. The judge gave her a two-year suspended prison sentence on the drug charge and six months on the delinquency. Woke. Extremist. Radical. These are all words that Joe Kent Republican candidate to lead Washingtons 3rd Congressional District next year has used to describe U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania. Kents platform is focused on restoring commonsense Republican values and defeating the woke extremist Democrat Congresswoman Marie Perez, according to his campaign committee website. Yet, Perez has been making national headlines for appealing to the moderate, working-class population of America and avoiding strong partisanship. Voteview.com, a website led by a UCLA law professor that rates members of Congress from conservative to liberal based on their voting record, states that Perez is more conservative than 99% of Democrats in the House of Representatives. Is Perez an extreme liberal, or is she fulfilling her promise to represent everyday, middle-class people? Perez says its the latter. I dont think about it necessarily on a spectrum of conservative to liberal, Perez said in an interview. My job is to represent the values of my district, and thats what Im doing and Im really proud My job is not to represent the interests of Washington, D.C. My job is to represent the interests of Southwest Washington. And thats what Im gonna do. A moderate record Perez has become an outspoken moderate since defeating Kent last fall to capture the seat formerly held by Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler. National media outlets have profiled her with headlines like A New Voice for Winning Back Lost Democratic Voters and She Fixes Cars. Can She Fix Congress Elitism Problem? Publications and political analysts point to Perezs experience as a small-business owner from a rural community as reasons that she relates to middle-class, working families who make up the bulk of the 3rd Districts population. So far, Perez has mostly stuck with her campaign promises, co-sponsoring bills for right-to-repair laws and other bills that support small businesses and rural workers. Last month, Perez joined the Blue Dogs Coalition a caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives comprised of fiscally responsible Democrats as a co-chair for communications and outreach, stating that she wants to work for normal people who live in rural America, work in the trades, and believe in public service. I believe the Blue Dogs can be a caucus for public servants like these, who prioritize fiscal stability, national security, rural America, and the dignity of blue-collar work, Perez said in a statement. Our country needs public servants who are sick of clickbait politics, and who are ready to serve as independent voices and free thinkers in Congress. In her five months in Congress, Perez has voted along party lines 81 percent of the time, according to Voteview.com, compared with the House average of 98 percent. Crossing the party line One reason media outlets have labeled Perez a strong moderate is her willingness to cross party lines. For example, she was one of just two Democrats to side with Republicans on a bill attempting to slash a national student debt relief program for which she received more than 2,500 negative replies on Twitter. Perez later released a statement explaining her decision. She said, Expansions of student debt forgiveness need to be matched dollar-for-dollar with investments in career & technical education. I cant support the first without the other. James Long, professor of political science and a co-founder of the Political Economy Forum at the University of Washington, said Perezs decisions to side with Republicans might sometimes benefit Southwest Washington, but could harm her reputation in Washington, D.C. The national Democrats are just going to have to deal with the fact that one of their members is a lot more conservative than other members and she may not always vote with the party, Long said. And theyre just going to have to get used to that, because ultimately, who shes responsible to at the end of the day are the voters in her district. Republican criticism While Perez tends to caters to an average voter, Kent has built his campaign on the idea that Southwest Washington needs to return to traditional Republican values, or else our voices and our movement will succumb to the lefts dark vision for this nation, his campaign website states. Kent has been active on social media and political talk shows, frequently speaking about national defense issues and directly criticizing Perezs actions. Earlier this week on The Culture War Podcast with Tim Pool, Kent spoke about his campaign, saying, really what Im doing is highlighting my opponents record, and that Perez has chosen not to be moderate whatsoever. Mark Smith, professor of political science at the University of Washington, said social media has changed the election landscape in recent years, and Kent wants to capitalize on that. Its the social media age and the people who go into Congress, a lot of times they want to attract attention to themselves, Smith said. Thats just kind of the way it works nowadays. Smith said tactics like name-calling and using terms like woke and radical are effective with certain audiences, but they arent always effective when not supported by facts. He said audiences tend to give more attention to politicians like Kent who use social media as a megaphone for insults. Its much more fun to go out and denounce your opposition, saying theyre beyond the pale, right? Smith said. Those are the kinds of things that get your attention. But if you say Hey, you know we got some problems, here are some ideas for how to improve them, that just sounds kind of boring. Looking to 2024 For now, Perez is still busy with the day-to-day operations of Congress. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, Perez will spend much of the next few months working on the upcoming Farm Bill, which will require almost half a trillion dollars in federal spending over the next five years. Perez said her reelection campaign is not yet a main focus, saying theres still work to be done. I ran because I was tired of the model of what it means to be a representative of your community, she said. I didnt feel like I still dont feel like people in Washington, D.C., get what it means to work for a living by and large. I came here to work for my district to be an independent voice, and Im really proud to be in the fight. Next year, Perez will face a pool of contenders likely led by Kent, and theres no guarantee getting votes will be any easier the second time around. Last year she beat Kent by 2,629 votes less than 1 percentage point. Although Perezs values and policy ideas are likely more representative of Southwest Washington than Kents, deep partisanship will likely play a big role in the 2024 election, Long said. Once you attach an R and a D to the top two candidates in the general election, that is going to influence voters to say The fact of the matter is, I might be closer to her in terms of overall, but Im a Republican, hes a Republican, Im gonna vote for the R every time, Long said. Perez said she has already seen Republican-endorsed television ads against her, including one that incorrectly stated her vote on a certain bill. But Perez said she remains undeterred. You just cant believe the negative TV ads, Perez said. Joe Kent and his D.C. buddies, theyre just gonna lie about me, so in my house, we just turn the TV off and keep our heads down and keep moving. Public meeting updates in Longview The Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington board of commissioners is holding a meeting at 4 p.m. Monday. Attend the meeting in person at 820 11th Ave., Longview or online via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7091160943 with phone number 1-253-215-8782 and meeting ID 709 116 0943. Consolidated Diking Improvement District No. 1 will hold its regular board of supervisors meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at 5350 Pacific Way, Longview. The Port of Longviews regular commission meeting for Wednesday has been canceled. The next regular commission meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 12. Due to the Fourth of July holiday, the Cowlitz Conservation District board meeting will be held at 4 p.m., Thursday, July 6 at the district office at 2125 8th Ave., Longview. In the two months before he was named as a murder suspect in Washington County last year, Daniel Gore was on the run from his family, prosecutors said. On Thursday, the states lawyers and a defense attorney for Gore presented the same set of facts that Gore ran away from home and lived alone in a tent at 16 to argue opposite conclusions in Washington County Circuit Court, where a judge must weigh whether Gore will be tried as a juvenile or adult in the 2022 rape and murder of 13-year-old Milana Li. Prosecutors said Gore spent his 16th birthday camping in a wooded area of Beaverton after leaving his parents west Salem home in March 2022. He stopped going to school and communicated mostly through social media, charging his phone at a local library and allegedly shoplifting for food, alcohol, cigarettes and other supplies. He showered and washed his clothes at a friends apartment complex, prosecutors said. And that enthusiastic embrace of life on the run shows Gore was mature enough at the time of his alleged involvement in Lis death to be tried as an adult now, prosecutors said. Police found Li strangled to death and hidden underwater on May 10, 2022, two days after the sixth-grader went missing from her familys southwest Beaverton apartment. But the exact opposite is true according to Gores defense attorney, Paula Lawrence, who said Thursday in court that Gores choice to run away from home and hide was impulsive, risky and a failure to consider long-term consequences all signs his case should remain in juvenile court. Now Washington County Circuit Judge Erik Bucher must decide whos right and whether to move Gores case into adult court, where he would face a longer sentence and harsher treatment compared with the juvenile justice system. Bucher said Thursday that he expects to issue his written decision within four weeks. It is my No. 1 priority, the judge said. The chances of the teens case being moved into adult court are slim, based on Oregon Judicial Department data. Gore, now 17, pleaded not guilty in July 2022 to two counts of first-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree abuse of a corpse. If Gore is tried as a juvenile and found guilty, he would be released from Oregon Youth Authority custody in less than eight years, at age 25. A first-degree murder conviction in adult court carries a minimum 30-year prison sentence, but juveniles moved to adult court and convicted can seek parole after 15 years. Gore would be kept in Oregon Youth Authority custody until age 25 before being transferred into an adult prison. Gores hearing, which began June 12, was a result of Oregons 2019 juvenile justice reforms requiring prosecutors to request a hearing from a judge to decide whether to move a juveniles case into adult court. Previously, people ages 15 to 17 accused of Measure 11 crimes including murder, rape or robbery were automatically tried in adult court. The law is meant to keep teens accused of serious crimes out of adult court and in the juvenile system, where sentences are shorter and the primary goal is rehabilitation. Since Oregon enacted the reforms almost four years ago, 1,117 Oregon juveniles have been charged with Measure 11 crimes. Prosecutors requested adult trials in 63 of those cases, and judges granted the change in seven instances, according to judicial department data from September 2019 through June 2023. A judge must consider two key factors before waiving a juvenile case into adult court. Did the youth have sufficient maturity and sophistication at the time of the alleged crime to have an adult-like appreciation of their conduct? And which jurisdiction would be in the best interest of the youth and society? Judges also consider the violent or premeditated nature of the alleged offense, the gravity of the loss or damage caused by the offense and the youths previous physical, emotional and mental health, according to the statute. In closing arguments Thursday, Washington County Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver said Gore did not act like a typical teenager. Daniel Gore was not surviving, he was thriving, Pulver said. He was reveling in the fact that he could live on his own. During his two months living outside, Pulver said Gore was self-sufficient, living without communication or help from his parents. He maintained a network of friends who sometimes helped him with food and cash, and he allegedly kept himself supplied with enough drugs and alcohol to share with friends. Gore also allegedly took steps to craft an alibi and to conceal Lis killing, including by allegedly hiding Lis body in a shallow stream and covering her naked body with a blanket that he weighed down with rocks and narrow logs. He allegedly scattered her clothes and belongings nearby, then told his friends over social media that Li had walked away from him earlier that night at a TriMet bus stop. The day after Li went missing, Gore allegedly asked a friend to send him photos from his trip to California so he could post them on his own Instagram account, named bodybag86, to make it appear as if he were out of state. When Beaverton detectives asked Gore when he last saw Li, he allegedly lied and repeated that she had walked away from him at a bus stop on Southwest Scholls Ferry Road and North Dakota Street at about 7:35 p.m. But the two were captured in surveillance camera footage about 7:45 p.m. walking past a liquor store about 1.5 miles west. Pulver said the judge should also consider the violent nature of Lis death. When investigators found Li, her body was covered in scrapes and bruises, with one of her acrylic fingernails torn off and another ripped back, indicating she had tried to fight off her attacker. Gores semen was detected on a swab of the sixth-graders genitals, investigators said. When Beaverton detectives asked Gore why he had scratches on his face, he told them he had fallen on cement. Pulver also said Gores amenability to rehabilitation and treatment services offered by the juvenile justice system was slim to none. The teenager had previously run away from home and had started shoplifting and developing drug and alcohol use disorders after being sent to juvenile court for charges of arson and criminal mischief, Pulver said. At a May 2022 detention review, Deputy District Attorney Dustin Staten said Gore and another juvenile had tried to set a movie theater on fire in the fall of 2020. Whether he was a danger to the community was a resounding yes, Pulver said. Not all murders are created equal this is the worst of the worst, he said. (Gore) has demonstrated himself to be dangerous, to be violent, to be intelligent and to be calculating. Lawrence, the defense attorney, said Gores attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was untreated at the time of Lis slaying, and that his brain development was as much as three years behind other people his age, making him cognitively as young as 12 years old. According to expert witnesses, Gores decision to run away from home and hide from police in a tent was an example of diminished executive functioning, Lawrence said. Gores case was one of guilt by proximity, and he was implicated in the crime because he was the last person to be seen with Li, Lawrence said. She also cast doubt on the rape allegation. Gore was showing openness to treatment, and had been taking medication for ADHD, depression and anxiety without issue since being taken into custody, his attorney said. He also started schooling while in custody and is on track to graduate from high school on time, she said. It is still in the best interest of the youth and society to keep him under the wing of the juvenile justice system, she said. Daniel can be rehabilitated safely. The closing arguments followed seven days of public testimony with more than a dozen witnesses, including investigators from Beaverton police and the Washington County Sheriffs Office and forensic psychologists. In a victim impact statement Pulver read in court June 15, Lis mother, Assel Li, pleaded with Bucher to move Gores case into adult court. Upon learning of Milana Lis death, both of her grandmothers became ill and couldnt walk for months, and its unclear if either will ever fully recover, Assel Li said. The kindergarten teacher of Milana Lis younger sister called Assel Li and her husband to inform them that the child was sitting alone in the corner at school, weeping for her older sister. The parents would go into Milana Lis room to find their youngest child there crying, holding a toy that Milana Li had given her before she was killed. Milana Li had been a devoted sibling to her older brother and baby sister, and hoped to one day work with children, Assel Li wrote. All of these beautiful memories belong to the before, a time when our family was complete and our dreams for Milanas future were alive, her statement said. While the world continues to move forward, we find ourselves trapped in a moment of unbearable grief. Some good news in Southwest Washington, a little girl who disappeared for nearly five years was been found, and brought back to the United States, authorities reported in March. FBI agents say her biological mother kidnapped her at a shopping mall in Vancouver back in 2018. Despite losing a costly wildfire lawsuit last week and staring down another perilous trial in November, Oregons second-largest utility appears positioned for now to weather the storm without the type of financial meltdown even its own lawyers warned could be on the horizon. But PacifiCorp is beginning to feel some pain. The companys decision to bring the class action lawsuit to trial instead of settling with victims was an unusual financial gamble. PacifiCorp now faces an unprecedented bill in Oregon that could conceivably reach billions of dollars. A Multnomah County jury awarded $90 million in damages to a subset of just 17 victims of four fires from Labor Day 2020, with potentially thousands of other victims in the class to be compensated in future court proceedings. PacifiCorp appears to have several financial options beyond the prospect of bankruptcy. Not the least is its plan to fight the verdict, with company officials expressing confidence theyll win an appeal, or a longshot attempt to pass lawsuit costs on to ratepayers. Wildfires now stand as perhaps the biggest financial risk facing utilities on the West Coast. Californias largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy following the 2018 Camp fire that virtually razed the town of Paradise, destroying 18,000 structures and killing 85 people. A $13.5 billion settlement left a victims trust owning a significant share of its stock to fund damages claims. PacifiCorp is a subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffetts mammoth conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway. As a standalone entity, PacifiCorp doesnt have the immediate wherewithal to write a massive check. And that could leave the companys deep-pocketed parent company, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, with a choice between pitching in to cover costs or the undesirable option of exposing the crown jewel of its utility portfolio to a bankruptcy proceeding and the risk of losing equity in the company, not to mention the reputational damage. Already, S&P Global Ratings downgraded PacifiCorps credit rating this week and changed its outlook for Berkshire Hathaway Energy and its other utility subsidiaries from stable to negative. That shift could ultimately hit ratepayers wallets by increasing the companys cost of borrowing money for big projects. Analysts at S&P cited the class action verdict and the potential for major awards going forward. The ratings agency said that while it expected PacifiCorp to receive extraordinary support from its parent company in most circumstances, we no longer believe BHE would support PacifiCorp under all foreseeable circumstances. Even so, Robert McCullough, a Portland energy consultant, said he expects PacifiCorp and Berkshire Hathaway will maintain control of the company and continue providing electricity to some 600,000 Oregonians. Its going to be very unlikely well see a fiscal disaster here for Warren Buffett, he said. Theyll use up some of its current value, but it will remain an operating utility. These are very smart people. The thought of them stumbling into a bankruptcy is inconceivable. McCullough said Berkshire Hathaway has taken a curiously aggressive stance with PacifiCorp, maximizing cash flows and taking big dividends from its subsidiary while delaying infrastructure improvements to better address wildfire risks. Now its doing the same with litigation. Their behavior is puzzling. They only had to look south to see what could happen, he said of PG&E, later adding, I would have settled out of court. Jurors found the company responsible for causing the Santiam fires east of Salem, the Echo Mountain complex near Lincoln City, the South Obenchain fire northeast of Medford, and the Two Four Two near the upper Klamath town of Chiloquin. It was PacifiCorps lawyers who first raised the specter of bankruptcy at trial. They told jurors that if the owners of 2,500 properties damaged in the four fires all were awarded the same damages as the 17 named plaintiffs in the case, it would exceed the $10.7 billion net worth of the company. That may have been lawyerly scare tactics to reduce the punitive damages that jurors ultimately awarded to victims. The 2,500 properties in question experienced some level of burning in the fires, but many were unoccupied and had no home or other improvements on them. Still, even an average award of $400,000 to those owners would get PacifiCorp to $1 billion in damages. Meanwhile, it faces litigation in three more fires its equipment allegedly caused in 2020 and 2022, and the verdict in Multnomah County may have just made those claims more valuable. The company could also face other litigation from federal, state and local authorities looking to recover losses and firefighting costs. The utility had accrued estimated wildfire losses on its balance sheet of $824 million by the end of March. But as Ryan Weems, a senior company accountant, told jurors during the trial, thats an accounting reserve and the money isnt lying around in a bank account. In fact, the company reported just $19 million in cash and equivalents at the end of March after paying its parent company a $300 million dividend. The company has made $550 million in such payments since the fires, and $1.8 billion since 2017. PacifiCorp on Friday acknowledged the downgrade in its credit rating but didnt comment about its financial capacity to pay damages to wildfire victims. The recent verdict is only one step in a long process for PacifiCorp to pursue other measures of relief, such as appeals, Simon Gutierrez, a spokesperson, said in a statement. We take our ratings very seriously and will continue to work with the agencies and our stakeholders over the next many quarters as more information comes to light, he added. PacifiCorps ratings remain in line with industry peers, and we will continue to have access to the debt capital markets as we maintain our commitment to investing in renewable energy generation, transmission infrastructure and wildfire mitigation. In the aftermath of this months verdict, PacifiCorp filed a request with regulators to track its wildfire costs, the first step in trying to pass them to ratepayers in a later rate case. That gambit is not likely to succeed, said Bob Jenks, the executive director of the Oregon Citizens Utility Board, an advocate for residential ratepayers. The jury found that PacifiCorps conduct was grossly negligent, willful and showed a reckless disregard for residents in communities destroyed by the fires, he noted. And that doesnt meet the prudent and reasonable standard that the Oregon Public Utility Commission uses to evaluate whether to put utility costs in customer rates. He said issuing more debt to fund damages awards would also be scrutinized by regulators for any impact on ratepayers versus shareholders. PacifiCorps Weems told jurors at the trial that large damages awards could force it to cut planned capital investments in the utility system, which include $10 billion over the next three years alone. That investment is partially funded by debt and is going into renewable energy facilities to meet regulatory mandates on carbon emissions reductions, as well as transmission and distribution line projects, some designed to increase its systems resilience to wildfire. This is not just an issue in Oregon. Its six states. Jenks said, noting that the company also has customers in California, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. What are people in Salt Lake City saying about this? They serve 40% of that state. McCullough, the energy consultant, said many of the assets on PacifiCorps balance sheet are heavily depreciated and therefore deeply undervalued. The company could easily sell one of those say its interest in the transmission lines that carry power between Oregon and California and raise a huge chunk of money. They have a lot of good assets, he said. Worst case scenario, they could put them up for sale and raise a very large number. The regulatory commission wouldnt be very happy about it, but theres very little they can do to stop a market transaction. PacifiCorp, of course, is hoping a big chunk of its potential liabilities will be wiped away in an appeal. Part of that appeal will challenge the jurys finding that its power lines were a cause or substantial cause of damage to all the members of the class in the Santiam Canyon, home to about half the properties covered by the lawsuit. The process could take years. Meanwhile, no one is getting paid other than the companys lawyers. Robert Julian, a lawyer whose firm is suing PacifiCorp on behalf of victims of the Archie Creek fire east of Roseburg and who has settled fire claims against utilities in California, questioned the companys legal strategy of taking cases to trial. Historically, California utilities havent taken that risk. PacifiCorp last year reached a confidential settlement with two families who were victims in the Archie Creek fires days before their case was set to go to trial. Julian contends the company should similarly settle the claims of 215 remaining families and seven timber companies before their consolidated case goes to trial in November, where the plaintiffs are seeking $600 million in economic damages alone. If they dont deal with us now, he warned, the fire victims are going to end up owning the company. 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: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks about airline flight delays and cancelations in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Washington. Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday, June 23, 2023, that planes won't be allowed to land in poor visibility if they lack equipment to avoid radio interference from 5G. On July 1, AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals. Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned the nation's airlines Friday that flights could be disrupted starting next week because some planes lack updated equipment to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies. Buttigieg said that only planes retrofitted with the right equipment will be allowed to land when visibility is poor, such as during bad weather. The warningin a letter from Buttigieg to trade group Airlines for Americacomes just before AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their C-Band, 5G signals on July 1. Airlines have told the government they are having trouble getting equipment to retrofit planes because of supply-chain problems. Still, the industry trade group said airlines are confident they will avoid disruptions. Some aviation experts believe that C-Band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground. Newer altimeters are protected from interference, but some airlines have complained that a shortage of the devices has prevented them from upgrading all their planes. It's unclear whether the spectrum conflict could cause major travel disruptions. When the issue arose early last year, predictions of widespread problems turned out to be wrong, although a small number of flights were canceled or diverted. A JetBlue passenger flight lands at Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, Wed., Jan. 19, 2022. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday, June 23, 2023, that planes won't be allowed to land in poor visibility if they lack equipment to avoid radio interference from 5G. On July 1, AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals. Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File Delta Air Lines said about 190 of its more than 900 planes won't be equipped with updated radio altimeters by the deadline and could face restrictions operating in bad weather. The airline said it will route them carefully to limit disruptions while it works with a supplier to retrofit more planes through the summer. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines said they have retrofitted all their planes and do not expect problems. United Airlines said it expects to meet the deadline for all its "mainline" jets, although it referred questions about United Express planes to the smaller carriers that operate them. The Federal Communications Commission, which granted the 5G licenses to the wireless companies, contends that there is no risk of interference, while the Federal Aviation Administration has taken the airlines' side. Under pressure from the Biden administration, the wireless companies agreed to delay the full rollout of their new networks around major airports until July 1. The Transportation Department, relying on information from airlines, says more than 80% of the U.S. fleet has been retrofitted, but Buttigieg said Friday that "some operators still have work to do." Buttigieg threatened to sanction airlines for deceptive trade practices if they schedule more flights than they can operate with retrofitted planes. Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S. carriers, said its members are working hard to equip planes with up-to-date radio altimeters, but there is a shortage because of global supply-chains problems. "Carriers have repeatedly communicated this reality to the government," said Marli Collier, a spokeswoman for the group. "Nevertheless, thanks to careful planning, A4A member carriers are confident in their ability to maintain the integrity of their schedules, despite the impending deadline." 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: European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton is meeting with executives of big tech platforms during a visit to San Francisco. The EU on Friday cautiously welcomed efforts made by Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to prepare for new European rules on content moderation that kick in on August 25. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg "was very involved and knew exactly where we stand," EU commissioner Thierry Breton told reporters after talks at the social media giant's California headquarters. "Now we expect the promising commitments I heard today to translate into results. I will be particularly vigilant on progress regarding disinformation and child protection," he said. Breton said that more than 1,000 people were working on implementation at Meta of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and that the company had agreed to carry out a "stress test" in July to ensure it was prepared for the new rules. The test would take place at Meta's EU headquarters in Dublin, with video app TikTok also signed up to carry out the procedure with EU officials. The EU commissioner made a two-day visit to San Francisco eight weeks before the DSA comes into full force for the world's biggest platforms, including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok and Twitter. The DSA is one of the most ambitious legislations on controlling online content since the advent of social media, putting major obligations on how platforms deal with the free flow of speech. To meet the new rules, Twitter, Meta, TikTok and other platforms will have to invest heavily on building compliance teams at a time when big tech companies have been cutting staff, including their content moderation workforce. In a tweet following the talks, Meta's head of public policy Nick Clegg welcomed a "constructive discussion" with the EU. Meta, with platforms that reach billions of users worldwide, continues to come under fire for its failings in taking down toxic content. A report earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal found that Instagram is the main platform used by pedophile networks to promote and sell content showing child sexual abuse The meeting with Zuckerberg followed a similar meeting with Elon Musk at Twitter headquarters, where the commissioner also welcomed the efforts made ahead of the DSA's entry into force. But Breton told Musk and his new CEO Linda Yaccarino that the company will have to have adequate resources in place to meet the new rules, or risk being in infraction with EU authorities. Major violations of DSA rules could see tech giants slapped with fines as high as six percent of annual turnover and, if violations persist, be banned outright from the EU as a last resort measure. 2023 AFP Tracy Hammond waited hours for her turn to speak for just three minutes. The Texas A&M faculty senate president had driven from College Station to the state capitol in Austin after work on the evening of May 8 to join professors from around the state and testify before the Texas House higher education committee. The masses had gathered to give their thoughts and concerns on Senate Bill 18, which was originally written to eliminate tenure at state universities. The hourslong hearing went past 3 a.m. on May 9. It was a late night, Hammond said. She later noted, It was worth it. One of Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks priorities for the states 2023 legislative session was to eliminate tenure, which tends to provide lifetime job security at a university. The Texas Senate passed a bill in April to eliminate tenure, but the House altered it in May to actually write faculty tenure into law and outlined policies to give and remove tenure. The bill passed through both chambers of the state Legislature in late May and was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last Saturday. It is effective on Sept. 1. With the bill signed and tenure here to stay, Hammond said shes pleased with the outcome. Tenure is hugely important, both in terms of providing faculty with freedom of speech and in terms of providing service to the university, Hammond said. When tenure was at risk, we found it very difficult to make hires, with the faculty specifically citing the bill when discussing the offer. Many more faculty than usual chose not to come. Those that did, negotiated much larger than standard start-up packages. Lack of tenure would cause our best faculty to leave and those that stay would require more money, so there would be a huge monetary cost and loss of prestige if tenure were to be removed. A&M Chancellor John Sharp said earlier this week A&M officials approached the state legislatures tenure discussion with the way A&M runs it, which he noted is different from other universities. Sharp said he always figured there was a good chance the House would not pass the Senates version of the tenure bill. He also thought both sides were interested in passing a tenure bill that works. The final version of the tenure bill isnt a big change from A&Ms current format, Sharp noted. If we abolish tenure, we would run into some difficulties to try and recruit folks here when everyone else was giving it, Sharp said. Right or wrong, if everybody else is giving it and youre not, youre at a disadvantage. So we tried to reach a happy medium between the House and the Senate. We presented that bill and pretty much with some strengthening, thats what wound up happening. But we started working on that with members of the Legislature at the very beginning of the session. After the committee hearing ended in the wee hours of May 9, Hammond had a chance to speak with some members personally. She said she felt committee members asked good questions about the benefits of tenure and the costs of removing it. Without tenure, if it had gone the other way, we would no longer have two amazing universities because assistant professors would stop coming here, which would then drive out lots of other faculty who could find other jobs, Hammond said. Im really glad it went the way it went because tenure is such an important force in helping our faculty. Another one of Patricks legislative priorities was to eliminate university offices for diversity, equity and inclusion, and this one Senate Bill 17 passed and was signed by Abbott last Saturday. The bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. When asked if people in those offices will lose their jobs or be moved to other areas, Sharp said he wasnt sure and those decisions would be made by the systems university presidents on a case-by-case basis. Were going to move forward with recruitment and put our focus on recruiting qualified kids to come to A&M from all walks of life, Sharp said. According to Sharp, there were 2,000 Black high school students who graduated in the top 10% of their 2023 class, which provides automatic admission to most of the states public universities, who didnt go to college at all. Because of that, he said something is wrong with the process and noted A&M is doubling down on its recruitment. That means somebody didnt do a very good job of recruiting and explaining to these youngsters, Hey, this is what a college degree can do and heres the scholarships, Sharp said. What [A&M President] Kathy Banks and the other presidents are already involved in doing is emphasizing the recruitment of kids to come to Texas A&M and our different schools instead of simply putting up a website saying, Hey, were really good at this stuff and maybe not impacting anybody. Bryan resident Troy Briscoe, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty last month to two offenses, according to the Brazos County District Attorneys office. On April 24, 2022, the DA said Briscoe was arrested and charged with assault family violence strangulation after the victim told police that Briscoe had strangled her after a verbal altercation while drunk. A little over a month later, Briscoe was arrested again, according to the DA, on June 4, 2022, for having an open beer in his vehicle and a blood alcohol content of .240, three times the legal limit. According to the DAs office, Briscoes assault family violence case was increased to a first-degree felony, and his driving while intoxicated charge was increased to a second degree felony as part of a plea agreement. The assault family violence felony carries a sentence of 5 to 99 years, or life in prison and the DWI felony carries a punishment of 2 to 20 years, according to the DAs office. Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, Brazos County residents will no longer be required to have their vehicles inspected in person and local mechanic shops will no longer receive regular business through providing the annual inspections required by the outgoing law. House Bill 3297, which was signed into law June 13 by Gov. Greg Abbott, removes the requirement for annual in-person vehicle inspections for Texans in all but 17 counties. According to the bill, however, Texans will still be required to pay a $7.50 fee that will now be called an inspection program replacement fee. The 17 excluded counties, which include Harris, Dallas and El Paso, have their own emission requirements and therefore will maintain their annual inspections, according to the bill. Author of the bill, District 8 Texas House Rep. Cody Harris, said in a statement that eliminating the requirement was overdue since the majority of states do not have similar regulations. Harris statement also said that businesses that profit from inspections should not rely on a government mandate for sales. These inspections do not make roads safer, as evidenced by over 40 other states, Harris said in a statement. The main pushback is coming from businesses who make money off of vehicle inspection. The law does not require them to shut down it simply eliminates the requirement to get the inspection done. While many mechanic shops do offer inspection services, that does not mean it is a main source of revenue, according to Tommy Van Zandt, manager of Valvoline Express Care on Rock Prairie Road in College Station. It wont hurt us at all Its not enough of a factor in our business, Van Zandt said. A seven-dollar loss is not going to kill us because we usually average about 40 to 50 [inspections] a month. With the ever-increasing mechanical and technical knowledge needed to work on vehicles, Van Zandt said he was not surprised to hear the inspection requirement would be ending. Cars are getting so much more complicated to work with that the layman cant do anything to it anyways, so the consumer repairing the car is out of the question, Van Zandt said. So what that does is that drives them to a shop. With many people taking their vehicle in for a simple oil change, Van Zandt said that many issues are already caught when vehicles come in for regular maintenance. Once the inspection requirement is gone though, Van Zandt said some vehicles will fall through the cracks. There is going to be that segment of the population thats not concerned about safety, theyre only concerned about economics, and I can appreciate that in some places, but a 4,000-pound missile is not what you need to play with, Van Zandt said. Texas state vehicle inspection falls under the Department of Public Safety and while it will be up to DPS to implement the new changes, DPS Sgt. Justin Ruiz said in an email to The Eagle that they are currently unable to comment on the implementation of the coming law. At this time we cannot discuss the HB3297 since we are still in session and [the Legislature] has not sent out the requirements of the law out to law enforcement yet, Ruiz said in the statement. According to the bill, DPS will be required to provide the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house with a report no later than Jan. 1, 2025, on how the implementation of the changes affected expenses and income; including whether or not any full-time employees were let go due to the change. In one of the final sections of the bill, it is made clear that the current law and any offenses and/or violations committed before Jan. 1, 2025, are still in full effect. AUSTIN The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that ERCOT, the operator of Texas power grid, is a government entity, granting the organization immunity to lawsuits stemming from 2021s deadly winter storm. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on immunity, reversing a previous judgment from a Dallas state appeals court. Justices dismissed lawsuits from San Antonios municipal electric utility and a private energy developer. The court ruled unanimously that ERCOT is a governmental entity, something the organization has waffled on in recent legal challenges. For instance, it claimed it was not a government entity when it was sued over Texas government open records law. ERCOT officials claimed it fell under government protection under the suits that were decided Friday. ERCOT is the countrys sole power grid contained wholly within a single state. It encompasses roughly 75% of the state and maintains a grid providing electricity to 90% of Texas population. It is a government-created nonprofit corporation that is regulated by the Public Utility Commission. Because of this, ERCOT should be immune to suit because it prevents the disruption of key governmental services, protects public funds, and respects separation of powers principles, Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht wrote for the majority. ERCOTs governmental nature is demonstrated most prominently by the level of control and authority the state exercises over it and its accountability to the state, Hechts ruling stated. The ruling stemmed from lawsuits from San Antonios municipal electric utility CPS Energy and a private power plant developer. CPS Energy sued following 2021s deadly winter storm, alleging that mishandling of power pricing during the storm led to the utility being short-changed $18 million. The justices also dismissed a lawsuit from a Dallas-based private energy developer Panda Power Funds that alleged it lost billions after making investments based on flawed energy demand projections ERCOT issued. The ruling shuts the door on any further lawsuits against ERCOT over energy pricing during the winter storm, which brought the states electric grid to the brink of a total collapse, left nearly half of Texan households without power for days and led to the deaths of more than 200 people. The ruling was 9-0 on questions related to the jurisdiction of the suit and ERCOTs status as a government unit. However, the court was divided 5-4 over ERCOTs sovereign immunity. Writing for the dissenters, Justices Jeff Boyd and John Phillip Devine noted that the ruling greatly expands the principles of sovereign immunity and sidesteps the Legislature, which they argue should have the authority to determine whether ERCOT should be immune something the body has not done. The Court declares that a purely private corporation, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT), may shield itself under the Sovereigns cloak of immunity as a legislatively authorized entity, read the dissent. Yet unlike any other entity previously granted immunity by this Court, no statute designates ERCOT as a part of the government. They contemplated that the Legislature could correct the Courts error by passing legislation declaring ERCOT subject to lawsuits. A statement from CPS Energy spokeswoman Dominique D. Ramos said the utility was disappointed with the ruling but would continue to work with ERCOT. While CPS Energy is disappointed by the Texas Supreme Courts decision in our case against ERCOT, we recognize that the Court needed to weigh in on this previously unsettled issue and are gratified that four justices recognized our legal position as we seek relief for our customers in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, the emailed statement said. Meanwhile, ERCOT provided a statement praising the ruling. The Courts careful consideration of these significant legal issues allows us to continue to focus on our core state responsibilities on ensuring a reliable grid for Texans, the statement said. In deciding what role state Sen. Angela Paxton would play in the impeachment trial of her husband, suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Senate had to split hairs on a number of legal and ethical questions. Angela Paxton, a Republican senator from McKinney, will sit as a member of the court of impeachment but will not vote on any issues before the court of 31 senators and wont be allowed into deliberations on whether to convict or acquit. That removes Angela Paxtons influence over her fellow senators in the closed-door deliberations on the political fate of her husband, but it also keeps the two-thirds threshold for convicting him at 21 senators a number that would have been reduced to 20 had she been removed entirely from the proceedings. The compromise over Sen. Paxtons position in the process clearly reflects procedural concerns, but it also is shot through with elements of personal politics and the politics inherent in the situation, said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. The process is inherently political, and theres no getting away from that. If all 12 Democrats vote to convict on the individual articles of impeachment, nine of the remaining 18 Republicans would have to support conviction to permanently remove Paxton from office. Had Sen. Paxton been removed from trial proceedings, requiring 20 votes for conviction, the needed Republican support would have dropped to eight senators. Ken Paxton, a third-term Republican attorney general, was accused of a number of crimes, including bribery and misuse of office for providing help to Austin real estate investor Nate Paul, a friend and political donor. In May, the House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton, who was immediately suspended from his official duties pending the Senate trials outcome. Multiple experts said the Senates decision to count Angela Paxton toward the total vote tally skews matters in her husbands favor. In effect, they have given her a vote and dictated what the vote is and essentially given him an automatic one-vote cushion before the voting even starts, said Frank Bowman, a law professor at the University of Missouri who has studied impeachment. Whether thats consistent with the language of the constitution, Id say its certainly inconsistent with the purpose, which is to keep a person with an obvious conflict of interest from having any influence over the proceedings, and thats obviously not going to be true here. But experts also said senators were in a tricky position because state law says all members of the Senate attend an impeachment court. Shes a sitting senator, its not like they can kick her out of the chamber, said Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law. The most they can say is that she has a conflict of interest and she cant vote. This maybe was ideally worked out for her to save face. Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston, said senators likely grappled with how to handle Paxtons participation in the trial. In a legislative chamber of only 31 members, senators work with one another regularly and frequently discuss their bonds of friendship despite strong political disagreements. In developing a compromise, he said, the personal [bled] into the legal. The unusualness of the circumstances made it impossible to create a rule that was going to be fair to all parties, Rottinghaus said. Those personal bonds between the senators and the Paxtons, and between the Paxtons themselves also make it hard to perfectly enforce boundaries. The impeachment rules ban senators and their staff members from discussing the courts deliberations with others, including Ken Paxton and his legal team. But Rottinghaus said it would have been nearly impossible to completely enforce those boundaries if Angela Paxton was allowed to attend closed deliberations. Because of that, Rottinghaus sees the Senates decision to bar Angela Paxton from those conversations in a more positive light. The fact that they took this stand is politically courageous in one perspective, he said. That [recusal] rule on balance favors [Ken] Paxton but its as fair as it could have been handled. Still, Angela Paxtons influence on the proceedings is by no means nullified. She will still be present for the courts public proceedings when the impeachment lawyers present their evidence, including claims that Ken Paxton asked Paul to hire a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. Youre going to have a bunch of senators who work together all the time, Henson said. To assume shes not going to be a big presence in the room as her husband is being tried and judged by the members of the Senate seems to me to stretch credulity. Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY Get Rating) EVP Brett Shirk sold 4,698 shares of Fastly stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.81, for a total transaction of $83,671.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 302,267 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,383,375.27. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Brett Shirk also recently made the following trade(s): Get Fastly alerts: On Tuesday, June 20th, Brett Shirk sold 7,000 shares of Fastly stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.68, for a total transaction of $116,760.00. On Wednesday, May 31st, Brett Shirk sold 585 shares of Fastly stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total transaction of $9,166.95. On Monday, May 22nd, Brett Shirk sold 7,000 shares of Fastly stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.42, for a total transaction of $93,940.00. On Tuesday, May 16th, Brett Shirk sold 8,783 shares of Fastly stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.17, for a total transaction of $115,672.11. On Thursday, April 20th, Brett Shirk sold 4,351 shares of Fastly stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.52, for a total transaction of $71,878.52. Fastly Trading Down 3.9 % Shares of FSLY stock opened at $15.47 on Friday. Fastly, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.15 and a 1 year high of $18.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $15.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 5.28 and a quick ratio of 5.28. The company has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.05 and a beta of 1.31. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fastly Fastly ( NYSE:FSLY Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.40) by $0.09. Fastly had a negative net margin of 38.22% and a negative return on equity of 20.22%. The firm had revenue of $117.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.17 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Fastly, Inc. will post -1.28 earnings per share for the current year. A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSLY. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Fastly by 13,926.9% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,647 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 3,621 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Fastly during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fastly by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,677 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 2,057 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fastly by 886.5% during the 1st quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Fastly during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 65.76% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FSLY shares. Craig Hallum lifted their target price on shares of Fastly from $17.00 to $20.00 in a report on Friday. William Blair restated a market perform rating on shares of Fastly in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Fastly from $9.00 to $11.00 in a report on Friday. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Fastly from $17.00 to $20.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Fastly from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $12.00 to $18.00 in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fastly currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $17.25. About Fastly (Get Rating) Fastly, Inc provides real-time content delivery network services. It offers edge compute, edge delivery, edge security, edge applications like load balancing and image optimization, video on demand, and managed edge delivery. The company was founded by Artur Bergman, Tyler McMullen, Simon Wistow, and Gil Penchina in March 2011 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fastly Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fastly and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ithaca Energy plc (LON:ITH Get Rating) insider Lynne Clow bought 4,932 shares of Ithaca Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 151 ($1.93) per share, for a total transaction of 7,447.32 ($9,529.52). Ithaca Energy Price Performance Ithaca Energy stock opened at GBX 150.80 ($1.93) on Friday. Ithaca Energy plc has a 1-year low of GBX 133.60 ($1.71) and a 1-year high of GBX 254.90 ($3.26). The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 154.43. The firm has a market cap of 1.52 billion and a PE ratio of 188.50. Get Ithaca Energy alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ITH shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Ithaca Energy from GBX 245 ($3.13) to GBX 195 ($2.50) and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ithaca Energy from GBX 140 ($1.79) to GBX 160 ($2.05) and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Ithaca Energy Company Profile Ithaca Energy plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the North Sea. The company own a portfolio of assets located in Northern and Central North Sea, Moray Firth, and West of Shetland area of the UKCS. Ithaca Energy plc was formerly known as Delek North Sea Limited and changed its name to Ithaca Energy plc in October 2022. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Ithaca Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ithaca Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Atalaya Mining Plc (TSE:AYM Get Rating) insider Michael Albert Rechsteiner purchased 4,335 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of C$3.10 per share, with a total value of C$13,443.70. Atalaya Mining Price Performance The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of C$5.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$5.07. Atalaya Mining Plc has a 52-week low of C$2.70 and a 52-week high of C$7.25. The stock has a market capitalization of C$808.51 million, a P/E ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. Get Atalaya Mining alerts: Atalaya Mining (TSE:AYM Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 22nd. The company reported C$0.09 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$138.38 million for the quarter. Atalaya Mining had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 14.60%. On average, equities analysts expect that Atalaya Mining Plc will post 0.5325978 earnings per share for the current year. Atalaya Mining Company Profile Atalaya Mining Plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mineral exploration and development in Spain. The company's flagship property is its 100% owned Proyecto Riotinto mine, an open-pit copper mine located in the Andalusia region of Spain. It produces copper concentrates, including silver by-products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Atalaya Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Atalaya Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Whitecap Resources Inc. (TSE:WCP Get Rating) Director Vineeta Maguire purchased 10,683 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$9.36 per share, with a total value of C$99,992.88. Whitecap Resources Stock Performance TSE WCP opened at C$8.95 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of C$9.94 and a 200-day moving average of C$10.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.28, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of C$5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 4.24, a P/E/G ratio of -0.33 and a beta of 2.90. Whitecap Resources Inc. has a 52-week low of C$7.70 and a 52-week high of C$11.52. Get Whitecap Resources alerts: Whitecap Resources (TSE:WCP Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported C$0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.33 by C$0.10. Whitecap Resources had a net margin of 33.46% and a return on equity of 26.68%. The business had revenue of C$952.60 million during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Whitecap Resources Inc. will post 1.212938 EPS for the current year. Whitecap Resources Dividend Announcement Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a $0.048 dividend. This represents a $0.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Whitecap Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%. A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.00 to C$14.50 in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$13.50 to C$14.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. National Bankshares increased their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$15.50 to C$16.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, ATB Capital cut their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$16.00 to C$15.00 in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$15.10. About Whitecap Resources (Get Rating) Whitecap Resources Inc, an oil and gas company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and gas assets in Western Canada. The company's primary areas of focus of its development programs are in Northern Alberta and British Columbia, Central Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Whitecap Resources Inc is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Whitecap Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Whitecap Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Yamana Gold Inc. (LON:AUY Get Rating) shares traded up 1.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 475 ($6.08) and last traded at GBX 475 ($6.08). 295 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 2,096 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 470 ($6.01). Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, Berenberg Bank cut their target price on Yamana Gold from GBX 500 ($6.40) to GBX 480 ($6.14) in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Get Yamana Gold alerts: Yamana Gold Price Performance The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 324.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 413.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.61, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of 4.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -572.29 and a beta of 1.29. About Yamana Gold Yamana Gold Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a precious metal producer. It has gold and silver production, development-stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions throughout the Americas, including Canada, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. The company was formerly known as Yamana Resources Inc and changed its name to Yamana Gold Inc in August 2003. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Yamana Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Yamana Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. VIRGINIA BEACH The driver of a tractor-trailer that went overboard Thursday afternoon on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has died, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and bridge officials. Portsmouth-based Crofton Diving recovered the truck from the waters under the span around 3 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District. Officials are working to identify the driver, who was inside the trucks cab when it was pulled from the water. The vehicle was traveling northbound from Virginia Beach toward the Eastern Shore when it fell off the side of the bridge around 1:50 p.m., about a mile from Chics Beach, according to officials. The cause of the accident is still unknown, CBBT officials said, and the investigation by The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Authority Police is ongoing. Divers who had been conducting search operations saw a deceased person in the vehicle, Coast Guard Capt. Jennifer Stockwell told The Pilot around 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Coast Guard and other authorities determined only one person, a male, was in the vehicle after reviewing tollbooth footage. The company that the driver works for also told authorities only one person was in the truck, Stockwell said. She didnt know the name of the company but said the driver was hauling landscaping supplies. Previous media reports of a good Samaritan diving into the water to help Thursday were false, according to Virginia Beach police and the Coast Guard. A crane barge was used to recover the tractor-trailer from the water, Stockwell said. Recovery efforts were challenging because the tractor-trailer was submerged between the northbound and southbound bridge sections, making it a more complicated recovery between the trestles, Stockwell said. Stockwell said divers rigged up the vehicle with lifting straps, and it would be transported on the barge to shore for analysis. Stockwell said more than a dozen search and rescue organizations deployed Thursday to try to rescue the driver. I appreciate all the support we had in the initial hours of the search, she said. A single lane of traffic remains open for northbound traffic around the site of the accident while CBBT maintenance crews continue to make repairs for guardrail and curb damage. The left travel lane will be closed until repairs can be completed, which are expected to take about one week. Musician Brad Colerick has a family connection to the Stuhr Museum, where he will perform Sunday night. His great aunt was May Stuhr, who was married to Leo Stuhr. Leo Stuhr donated 35 acres of land and $25,000 cash for the museum to be built. Stuhr, the first chairman of the museum board, died in 1961. Colerick, 62, has lived in California for 23 years. He was born in Valentine and grew up in Lincoln. "Or at least got taller there," he said, joking. As a youngster, he attended a family reunion at Stuhr Museum, and remembers it well. When he moved to California, he stopped in Grand Island "and Aunt May walked me all around the museum. I could hardly keep up with her. She was just a bundle of energy." May married Leo Stuhr in 1955. "Her later years she lived in Phoenix, where she passed away," Colerick said. May asked Colerick to sing at her funeral. He said he'd be honored. But it never happened. "Her son passed away before she did," Colerick said. He lost contact with her and didn't find out about her death, in 1989, until later. But on another trip to Nebraska, he performed a song at her Grand Island grave, and added a death date to her tombstone. This week, Colerick flew into Denver and then hit the road to Nebraska, where he's doing three shows. The first was Friday in Lewellen. Tonight at 6, he'll perform at the James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond with two friends, Steve Hanson and Jim Pipher. Hanson and Pipher, who live in Lincoln, will also join Colerick Sunday night at Stuhr Museum. "Steve doubles on mandolin and banjo, and Jim plays bass, and they both sing harmonies with me," Colerick said in a phone interview from South Pasadena. As a producer, composer and music supervisor for commercials, Colerick has earned an Emmy Award and a London International Advertising Award. He's sung on enough commercials over the years to become a vested SAG-AFRA union member. Billboard Magazine once called Colerick one of a bakers dozen of acts to watch in the folk community around the world. According to the Stuhr Museum website, Colerick "writes songs that seep into your heart with a single listen. His finely wrought, plainspoken lyrics find the poetry in everyday language. Colericks music is firmly rooted in Americana with occasional offshoots into bluegrass and country." An Associated Press review said "Colerick's stories are worth hearing...His warm, sunny, homey tenor brings alive the characters, places and relationships in these 11 songs." There's "a lot of storytelling in my songs," said Colerick, who plays acoustic guitar. Since 2009, he has hosted a Wednesday night Wine & Song series, now held at the Lost Parrot Cafe in South Pasadena. Those concerts are distributed via podcast. For 10 years, he has been music director of the annual South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival. His most recent album, released in 2021, is "Hope Street." In 2019, Colerick performed with the late Tim Fleming at Kinkaider's in Grand Island. Fleming, whom Colerick called a pedal steel maestro, died during the pandemic. Sunday's concert is part of the Grand Island Music Series. Free and open to the public, the shows are held outside the Stuhr Building, along the east portico. Bring chairs or a blanket. Why should people come to Sunday night's show? "Because we'll have a blast, mainly," Colerick said. "It's always a fun time playing with these guys. We have a lot of laughs, and we really enjoy playing music together. That makes it fun for the audience." Grand Island Senior Highs academies and their supporters were honored at the Academies Celebration Thursday at Tommy Gunz. Nearly one hundred collaborators, supporters, students and staff gathered for the lunchtime festivities. The event was emceed by Charlie Gentry, a GISH senior. Honored 2023 GISH graduates from each academy (not including the Academy of Freshman Exploration) were Clark Boettger (Education Pathway), Isaiah Hawley (Engineering Pathway) and Abner Sanchez Dominguez (Healthcare Pathway). Bryn Otto, a member of GISHs Class of 2022, represented the Welding Pathway. Otto had a surprise for his alma mater, presenting 70 custom-designed and branded welding helmets outfitted with auto darkening capabilities. The gift was made possible by Southern Leather Works and Chief Fabrication. Chief Industries received 2023 Business Partner of the Year. Chief has been involved in GIPSs academy model since planning began. The company also provides job shadow, apprenticeship and employment opportunities for high school students across disciplines. Retired aviation professionals Glen Bredthauer and Dan Spellman were awarded the 2023 Community Partners of the Year, for their work in the Aviation Technician Pathway. The two guided students through rebuilding a small plane at the Career Pathways Institute. The Academies of Grand Island Senior High has gained notoriety since its inception. In April, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen attended the GISH Apprenticeship Signing event, which celebrates GISH junior-year students signing up for apprenticeships. The academies hallways have also hosted numerous educators looking for inspiration for their own schools. As previously reported by The Independent, in 2021 the number of professional certifications earned by GIPS students increased 203% since five years prior. The annual average of 160 certifications increased to nearly 500. The Class of 2022 was GISHs first cohort in the academy system for four full years. PV Gas to receive first LNG carrier for power generation By Tri Duc Sat, June 24, 2023 | 8:38 am GTM+7 Petrovietnam Gas (PV Gas) will receive next month its first LNG carrier at the LNG Thi Vai terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for trial power generation of power plants in the southeastern region. In a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Thursday, PV Gas, a subsidiary of state-owned Petrovietnam, said both state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and Petrovietnam Power, another Petrovietnam subsidiary, wanted to utilize LNG as an additional resource for power generation. However, they also stressed that a suitable price mechanism was not yet available to ensure stable supply of LNG for power plants. Absent such a mechanism, fluctuations in LNG prices would make it difficult to access the fuel. LNG transport system of PV Gas in Thi Vai LNG Terminal in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, southern Vietnam. Photo courtesy of PV Gas. Pham Van Phong, CEO of PV Gas, proposed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade officially accepts LNG as a resource for power generation and provides negotiation guidelines for long-term LNG supply. Nguyen Viet Son, head of the oil, gas and coal department, under the industry ministry, said the use of LNG for power generation was an inevitable part of Vietnams energy transition towards fulfilling the countrys net-zero emission commitment. The ministry said it supported the move by PV Gas to supply LNG to power factories in the southeastern region. It urged the firm to proactively work with relevant agencies and reach agreements to facilitate expedited supply of LNG for power generation and other industrial activities. Last month, PV Gas became the countrys first recipient of a license to import and export LNG from the industry ministry. The firm has already completed building needed facilities, including the 180,000-cubic-meter LNG Thi Vai terminal in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. The terminal, able to receive ships of up to 100,000 deadweight tons (DWT), will have an annual LNG transportation capacity of one million tons of LNG in the first phase and three million tons in the second phase. PV Gas also signed a confirmation notice last month with leading global supplier Shell, whereby the latter will deliver the first LNG cargo to Vietnam. The import will enable the commissioning and commercial operations of the Thi Vai LNG Terminal. Once commissioned, it will be the first and largest LNG terminal in Vietnam. Vietnam has no LNG power plants operational at present. However, this is set to change as the government discourages coal-fired power generation, which supplies about half of the nations electricity output, in a bid to reduce pollution. PV Powers Nhon Trach 3 & 4 power plants, with a combined capacity of 1.6 GW, are Vietnams first LNG-to-power projects. These are under construction in the southern province of Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam legislators okay 90-day multiple entry visas By Tuong Minh Sat, June 24, 2023 | 9:08 pm GTM+7 Vietnams National Assembly approved Saturday a government proposal to extend the validity of tourist e-visas to 90 days with multiple entry, starting August 15. Since the country reopened to tourism after a prolonged hiatus courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has only been granting 30-day, single entry visas. Under the new policy, foreigners with valid visas will be able to enter and exit Vietnam multiple times without having to apply for new visas each time. The National Assembly also agreed to extend the stay of visitors from countries that are unilaterally exempt from visas from 15 to 45 days. This adjustment will also take effect on August 15. Foreigners visit Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi, the first university in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Voice of Vietnam. As of now, citizens of 25 countries can travel to Vietnam without a visa, and they are allowed to stay in the country for 14 to 30 days on average. Tourism industry insiders and others have said this policy was less generous than that of neighboring countries. Vietnam welcomed 4.6 million foreign arrivals in the first five months of this year, equal to 57.5% of the year's target of eight million, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). South Korea was Vietnam's top source market in the first five months with 1.3 million arrivals, followed by China and the U.S. with 399,000 and 307,000 arrivals, respectively. Vietnam, S Korea are key R&D partners: President Yoon By Van Minh Sat, June 24, 2023 | 3:46 pm GTM+7 Vietnam and South Korea have evolved from manufacturing cooperation partners to key research and development partners, South Koreas President Yoon Suk Yeol said in Hanoi Saturday. He highlighted the importance of the R&D partnership between the two countries while paying a visit to the Samsung Electronics R&D Center in Hanoi on the final day of his three-day state visit to Vietnam, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported. South Koreas President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the digital future generation of South Korea and Vietnam held at the Samsung Electronics R&D Center in Hanoi on June 24, 2023. Photo courtesy of Yonhap. Yoon also pledged to actively support the two countries' joint research to enable the creation of innovative values fusing the two countries' technologies, and expand the scale of programs strengthening the capabilities of future generations, Yonhap said. Samsung Electronics executive chairman Lee Jae-yong inaugurated the $220 million facility last December to make it the tech giant's largest R&D center in Southeast Asia. Yoon met with around 50 young digital sector workers from the two countries at the facility, with Lee attending the meeting. They included employees from the center, Korean digital companies with a presence in Vietnam, Vietnamese digital companies with a presence in South Korea, as well as young workers in the industry from both countries. He emphasized that the exchange of ideas and the joint exploration of advanced scientific technologies among young people from both nations would be crucial in building a stronger future for both countries. Samsung Electronics produces more than half of its smartphones in Vietnam. The giant said last December that a total of 2,200 employees will work at the new 16-story R&D facility to research and develop software and technologies for mobile phones and other smart and network devices. Before meeting with the employees, Yoon visited the booths of Vietnam's VKIST, an institute whose establishment was supported by South Koreas government and Korea IT School. VKIST is a science and technology research institute in Hanoi modeled after the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). That is why its name is VKIST. Korea IT School is a program aimed at fostering software education among Vietnamese youth and facilitating the recruitment of talented individuals by local South Korean companies. The program has since 2019 trained 208 individuals, with 172 of them securing internships at local Korean companies, the Korea Herald said. Vietnamese leadership, S Korean President stress especially close ties By Lam Phan Sat, June 24, 2023 | 11:33 am GTM+7 Vietnams Party, legislative and executive leaders stressed the need to further strengthen close bilateral ties in separate meetings held Friday with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The meetings with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh followed Yoons meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Vo Van Thuong the same day. In his meeting with Thuong, the South Korean President agreed to provide Vietnam with $4 billion in ODA loans by 2030. Vietnams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency. At the Party's Hanoi headquarters, Trong said Vietnam places great importance on its relationship with South Korea and expressed pleasure that the two countries have established a strong foundation for developing their ties further by elevating the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last December. Trong said he believed that Yoons state visit to Vietnam would take the bilateral relationship to new heights. He said the two countries needed to increase exchange visits to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. The Party chief said Vietnam will continue to promote its reform process and strive to be a friend and reliable partner of all countries, especially close ones like South Korea. Yoon said Vietnam was a key Asian partner for South Korea. He called for developing the bilateral relationship in line with that of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. As part of this, South Korea will continue to facilitate the education of Vietnamese students in his country, Yoon said. In his meeting with Yoon, Vietnamese PM Chinh said the South Korean leaders visit was of great significance. He said Vietnam consistently attached importance to relations with South Korea and expected both sides to jointly develop a new framework of relations with a longer vision and higher goals, including almost doubling bilateral trade to $150 billion by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo courtesy Vietnams government portal. Chinh suggested that South Korea continues to open up more to Vietnamese goods like agricultural and aquatic products including seasonal fruits, as also support Vietnamese businesses to integrate deeper with the global supply chain. The Vietnamese PM called for Korean businesses to continue expanding their investments in Vietnam. Yoon affirmed that the South Korean government will continue to encourage and create conditions for Korean businesses to invest in Vietnam. He hoped the Vietnamese government would remove difficulties facing Korean businesses investing in Vietnam, and called for strengthened bilateral defense ties. In his meeting with National Assembly Chairman Hue, Yoon urged the Vietnamese parliament to play an active role in developing bilateral relations. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pose for picture in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency. Appreciating the enhanced economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries, Hue called for more balanced and sustainable trade relations. 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West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code When Gordon ONeal goes to the lake, he is not just looking for a relaxing afternoon or to land a string of fish; he is conducting research and development. The Carbondale resident is the head of Thunderworm Co., a growing manufacturer and retailer of fishing jigs and lures, ones especially made for catching crappie and bass. Its a business that ONeal has started and nurtured since his retirement from the Illinois Department of Corrections where he was pipefitter and worked in maintenance. I grew up here in Southern Illinois, so Ive been fishing since I was 8 or 9 years old, he explained. I have always liked fishing with lures and I have always caught fish on them, but I also always thought I could do better. That desire to catch more fish led ONeal to putting his own spin on the jigs he purchased. When his luck on the water improved with his modifications, he got the idea to develop his own lures. ONeal told of constantly refining what he called his concept and recalled how family and friends would ask to use some of his homemade jigs as well. Thats when he knew he was on to something. First he was building jigs in his basement, then later a garage. Now, ONeal and Terry Lyes hand-make and package the lures in a back garage at a relatives home in Carbondale. He said the only thing more satisfying than catching fish with your own lure is to have other people catch fish with the lure you designed and manufactured. We were catching fish and other people were catching fish and they were coming back to buy more from us, he said. Today, the ThunderGuppie vertical jigging lures and Bling Weinee crappie jigs are sold at area bait shops and at a variety of outdoor recreation shows where ONeal is an exhibitor. Were putting out a quality, more professional looking bait than ever before with really good action and they really produce, he said. Basically, what we do now is we go to a lot of outdoor shows and that gives us the encouragement to keep going. When we tell people about our bait and explain the concept to people, they usually walk away with a handful. ONeal also sells more than three dozen different varieties of jigs on his website, www.thunderworm.co. He said he really enjoys his retirement career and encourages others to develop their passions post-retirement. This has given me an opportunity to have something to do. I look forward to getting up, going to the shop and working, he said. Its a joy to work together and produce something that is worth selling. He said he hopes to continue to grow the business, maybe even catching a spot with a large retailer. He added he wants the business to be successful and to have an impact on generations. I want to have success for my grandchildren, he said. I want to put away money for their college of to have some good start in life when they become adults. Thats what Im trying to do. Information about Thunderworm Co. is available online at www.thunderworm.co or by calling the company at (618) 967-8261. Carbondale ice cream lovers may not have to wait long to enjoy a frozen treat at the citys former Dairy Queen. In a post to his personal Facebook page, operator Mark Waicukauski announced things are coming along with plans to reopen the longtime business as an independent ice cream shop, adding that the new business will be known as The Big Chill. Waicukauski said once some improvements and repairs are complete with the building, the establishment will need to pass inspection before once again selling frozen treats. He added that he hopes the newly-named business will feature a sign similar to the iconic one which recently came down from the buildings roof and was bought by a sign collector in Anna. Close PHOTOS | Hundreds gather for the final lighting of Carbondale's iconic Dairy Queen sign Operator Mark Waicukauski was informed last week of a cease-and-desist from the Minnesota-based American Dairy Queen Corporation, preventing the over 70-year-old franchise from doing business under the DQ brand. Waicukauski lit up Illinois Avenue one last time on Wednesday night as community members gathered together to take a walk down memory lane. The stereotype of a university creative writing professor tweed jacket, beard and a stuffy office do not apply to Southern Illinois University Carbondales Pinckney Benedict. Despite being a graduate of both Princeton University and the renowned Iowa Writers Workshop, having published a long list of works including short stories, a screenplay and a novel as well as studying under the guidance of noted author Joyce Carol Oates, Benedict is not what you expect. With a freshly shaven head and wearing a Lord of the Rings T-shirt, he greets you with a warm smile and handshake as you enter his rather nondescript office on the second floor of SIUs equally nondescript Faner Hall. There is no high-back leather chair, no bookcases lined with old volumes and very few knick-knacks. Instead, there is an audio recording area featuring soundproofing material, a commercial microphone and headphones. Nearby, Artificial Intelligence software awaits its next assignment and, at the back of the room, there a spacious area designed for virtual reality projects. Its not the typical English professors office, but the 59-year-old Benedict is not your typical English professor. In fact, he gets creative when it comes to creative writing. Thats OK by me, he said. Admittedly, what I do, I think is unusual. I think it is a legitimate question: does this stuff belong in a traditional fiction program? Does podcasting fit in? Does VR belong there? Does artificial intelligence? My answer is obviously yes. Interested in computers and gaming since he was a teen, Benedict wrote and published what were called text adventures computerized role-playing games while he was a student at Princeton. Ever since, he has realized that good fictional writing is not just for the printed page. Its that broad approach that he teaches his students: great fiction has lots of outlets. Im teaching people to make good art, he explained. It seems to me that someone is going to make great art for podcasts, someone is going to make great art for VR, and someone is going to make great art in gaming, so why shouldnt it be us? Benedict says writing for technology platforms is simply the next frontier for creative writers. As the novel was the great narrative form of the 19th century and as cinema was the great narrative form of the 20th century, it seems to me inevitable that some form of immersive technology like virtual reality or augmented reality is going to become the dominant narrative form of the 21st century, so we should be building this into our curriculum and as the senior fiction writer here, I have a chance to do that. He says that even though the fiction segment of podcasting is small in comparison, it is a growing outlet for writers, adding that learning to write for podcasting writing for the ear is advantageous for students. Thats the reason he started teaching a podcasting class within the English department. It is a tool which makes students better writers, he added, explaining that successful podcasters have a better chance of catching the attention of publishers. Benedict adds he never knew of a time when he did not want to be a writer, initially writing tomes longhand on a yellow legal pad and always with dark blue ink. Today, he has transitioned to a computer because its just too convenient right next to the podcasting and VR gear, which he says are tremendous tools for writing. Virtual reality is a great tool. If you wanted to write about Tokyo, I could put you on the street in Tokyo in a very convincing way, he explained. His latest venture is into AI. Benedict said his writers his students collaborate with AI on many of their projects and he has been named director of the College of Liberal Arts new Virtual Expression Lab, a facility which will be a complete digital classroom, complete with motion simulators, green screens and recording equipment. To Benedict, it is all part of immersing readers, regardless of the medium. When you say to me fiction, I think storytelling; I dont think writing on paper, I dont think typing. If we confine ourselves to the page, we confine ourselves to the 20th century. We dont want to do that. Our stories should be tellable across the spectrum of technology and time. He finds it exciting. I fly out of bed in the morning because Im excited about what my students are doing, he explained. Im seeing young writers learn because they are experiencing their narratives in different ways and we are training them to new heights right here. Close The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011. PHOTOS | A look back at past performances in the SIU Arena/Banterra Center The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011. Clemson University is preparing to launch the first College of Veterinary Medicine in South Carolina. The approval follows the completion of the FY24 state budget, which includes support for the new college from Gov. Henry McMaster and the South Carolina General Assembly. The universitys first professional school, the Clemson University College of Veterinary Medicine plans to enroll its first students in fall 2026 with the first class of veterinarians graduating in 2030, and the college will leverage the universitys existing animal health programs and infrastructure to create a veterinary medicine workforce to fill a statewide shortage of veterinarians. Today is a historic day. We are thrilled that Clemson University has received landmark funding to establish the state of South Carolinas first college of veterinary medicine, said Clemson University President Jim Clements. Clemson University is continuing its mission of positively impacting the lives of our students and the citizens of South Carolina. The new college will continue to elevate the state of South Carolina by meeting the needs of our communities, retaining top talent, supporting the states economy and protecting animal and human health. Veterinarians today play an increasingly important role, in addition to caring for both companion and farm animals, protecting public health, playing an essential role in food safety as well as in detection and control of zoonotic diseases, said Boyd Parr, co-chair of the Clemson College of Veterinary Medicine steering committee and retired South Carolina state veterinarian. This new veterinary college can produce the veterinarians and research that will contribute to a better future for our citizens and our animals. The new college will use a distributed model of clinical teaching, where students learn their basic sciences, anatomy, pre-clinical skills and communication skills during their first three years on campus, after which they will conduct clinical learning in distributed learning sites throughout the state. The approval of the new college follows the creation of a steering committee comprised of experts in veterinary and human health and an independent feasibility study conducted over the past 18 months. The study found: 33% of South Carolina counties have fewer than five veterinarians. 48% of the states counties have fewer than 10 veterinarians. Nearly 200 South Carolina students were actively enrolled at 13 veterinary colleges outside the state (2022). The qualified pool that was not admitted to a veterinary program is estimated to be 500-1,000 (2018). The study also found Clemson University to have the academic and regulatory programs, land, and on-campus animal science farms and infrastructure to position it to support and contain a veterinary college. Some diseases, called zoonotic diseases, can be spread between animals and people. More than half of all infections people can get can be spread by animals, including rabies, salmonella and West Nile virus. Currently, the state provides tuition coverage for 46 students to pursue veterinary education at Tuskegee University (seven), Mississippi State University (10) and University of Georgia (29) at a cost of over $6 million per year. (TBTCO) - Trong boi canh thi truong thuong mai ien tu phat trien nhanh chong, a at ra nhung thach thuc khong nho trong cong tac quan ly oi voi hoat ong kinh doanh thuong mai ien tu noi chung va cong tac quan ly thue noi rieng. e chong that thu thue oi voi thuong mai ien tu va kinh doanh tren cac nen tang so hieu qua hon, thoi gian toi, cuc thue cac ia phuong chu trong trien khai ong bo nhieu giai phap e tang thu ngan sach trong linh vuc nay. CHEYENNE The ethics of the judiciary has drawn unusual attention lately. The reason is the revelation that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose some of his more interesting financial transactions. The main one was a gift that reflected the cost of upscale travel from a conservative Republican donor. Thomas position is that he did not have to list that as a gift on his annual financial disclosure statement. The surprise, at least to me, was that the nations highest court has no formal adopted code of ethics. Why not when all the federal judges are bound by a stiff code of ethics and conduct? And so are the state justices and judges in Wyoming. Why did the U.S. justices get exempted in the first place? The omission may have stemmed from the desire of the founding fathers to maintain a separate and independent national high court. Perhaps they expected the justices to be so above suspicion, like Caesars wife, that they had their own internal code of ethics to guide them. Now Congress is arguing over whether it can or should impose a code of ethics on the high court. As is customary, the Democrats support that move and the Republicans oppose it, resulting in yet another impasse. Wyomings judicial code of ethics has a $250 maximum allowed for gifts. Annual financial disclosure reports filed by Wyomings five current and former justices for the last five years listed no outside remuneration. The reports are available on the courts website. So is the code. The most compelling and controlling rule, I think, is this one: A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety. That rule is why you dont see Wyoming judges whooping it up in a bar on Saturday night. Or any other night. I knew one unusual gregarious justice who sort of did that years ago. Feeling isolated and bored, he left the high court or was pushed out to return to his preference, the livelier district court. But for most judges, if they want a cocktail before dinner, they enjoy it at home or in a hotel room, if they are dispatched to help out in another district, state or federal. Isolated also was the word I would use for a district judge years back who had been in Sundance presiding over a murder trial for weeks. The trial accused an employee of the old Wyoming Training School in Lander of killing a fellow female employee. The trial got moved to Sundance where it was not being covered by any statewide news media. And that is why I got assigned to cover the final 10 days of a seven-week trial, perhaps the longest in the state or nearly so. It was fascinating. As the presiding judge pointed out to me the community was heavily involved as spectators in the trial. Every day the same people would come to the courthouse with their lunch sacks and thermos jugs. They would sit on either the right or left sides of the courtroom, depending on which side they had chosen prosecutor or defendant. During the noon recess, they ate their lunches on the lawn and were back inside in the afternoon. Unfortunately during this long trial, Sundance at that time had a very limited number of eating places. The jurors occupied one; the prosecution attorneys ate at a different cafe; the defense team at a third one. The only eating place left for the judge was the Dairy Queen at the edge or town. The judge and his court reporter drove there for lunch each day. I was invited to join them one day. The burgers were good but no veggies for us. On the non-Dairy Queen days, I found a lone space at the in-town cafes or joined a table of defense attorneys or the prosecution team. It was a difficult trial for the judge who also had to referee the attorneys who developed an obvious animosity toward each other during the long trial. At the end the jurors acquitted the defendant. Everyone went home, including the possibly malnourished judge. Two years ago, an investigation by the New York Times found that a handful of Wyoming politicians including Gov. Mark Gordon had been the subjects of an undercover spying operation conducted by powerful conservatives seeking to infiltrate political campaigns ahead of the 2020 election. The investigation found two conservative operatives posed as progressives in order to gain information about political opponents on the left and right. The operation, the Times reported, was tied to Erik Prince, founder of the private military firm Blackwater, and funded by Susan Gore, a wealthy heiress and conservative donor. It targeted not only Gordon, whose moderate and low-key approach has frustrated the far right, but also lawmakers Eric Barlow, a Republican, and Karlee Provenza, a Democrat. Gore called the allegations misinformation and a nothingburger. But Provenza confronted her at the Wyoming Capitol, where she told Gore You paid over a million dollars to have spies sent to my home. Gore, Provenza says, responded I know, I made you famous. Marti Halverson, a former Wyoming GOP national committeewoman, provided Gore with a list of names of people to target, according to the Times. Halverson later told WyoFile she did create a list for Gore of lawmakers sorted by their votes on spending bills, but denied knowing the list would be used for spying. The operatives, meanwhile, attempted to burrow into the lives of the people they spied on. Provenza and her husband went on double dates with them. They had dinner with Barlow at the lawmakers ranch. I go from not knowing how to feel to extremely violated, Provenza told the Star-Tribune at the time. These people were in my home. Earlier this month, we learned that federal prosecutors are now investigating the matter. No one has been accused of wrongdoing, but Gore and Prince have been subpoenaed as part of the investigation. So have Richard Seddon, a former British intelligence official that the Times story linked to the operation, and James OKeefe, the former head of Project Veritas. Federal investigators are right to look into this affair, as the behavior thats alleged is well beyond the pale, even for the rough-and-tumble world of politics. Wyoming politics have a long history of civility, and that civility has made it easier to solve the problems facing our state. How effective can our statehouse be if its occupants are worried that they might be spied on by people within their own party? Were heartened to learn that federal prosecutors are investigating this matter because its clear, by the muted response to the allegations, that many in Wyomings political class dont want to look very closely at what happened. Thats disappointing. There are credible allegations suggesting people from outside our state teamed with wealthy locals to spy on our governor. Why havent those allegations spurred a state investigation? Why hasnt that provoked outrage? Weve long taken pride in the fact that Wyoming politics are less coarse and more productive than other states. Surely, we dont want to replace that history with one that includes spying and subterfuge. We hope the investigation sends a strong message that this sort of behavior wont be allowed to mar Wyoming again. AN aviation company plans to run commercial flights using an electric engine that creates no carbon emissions by 2025. ZeroAvia has flown nine test flights with its hydrogen-electric engine at Cotswold Airport, near Cirencester. The only emission created by the engine is water. 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. With concerns rising that more than 100 Venezuelan migrants who were held at a bar in St Jam About a week ago, I wrote about a friend who was robbed on Stanmore Avenue. That was a Frida The Tohono Oodham tribal member shot by Border Patrol agents near his home May 18 was intoxicated, on methamphetamine and alcohol, when struck 10 times by bullets, the autopsy report shows. Raymond Mattia, 58, lived in Menagers Dam, a remote village near the U.S.-Mexico border in the southwestern part of the Tohono Oodham Nation. The village is about 140 miles southwest of Tucson. Tohono Oodham police sought assistance from the Border Patrol the night of May 18 after receiving a report gunfire in the area. The Border Patrol released a video report detailing the deadly encounter that includes body cam footage from three agents who shot and killed Mattia during a confrontation outside his home. In it, agents and tribal officers search through his desert property using flashlights when an officer says he thinks he saw someone running in the darkness. A few moments later, the video shows Mattia throwing an object at one of the officers that lands near his feet. They learn later that it was a machete that was still in its sheath. Soon agents are yelling at Mattia who is standing in front of a house and is fully illuminated by flashlights. Agents yell at Mattia to put his hands in the air, and at one point Mattia appears to reach into his jacket. A volley of gunfire immediately follows. Three agents fire their guns, the video shows. Agents eventually approach the mortally wounded Mattia, who fell face-down on the ground after the gunfire, and begin CPR, the video shows. He is declared dead after several minutes of life-saving efforts. Agents bullets struck Mattias torso five times and his extremities another five times., the autopsy report says. The toxicology report that accompanied the autopsy by the Pima County Medical Examiners Office says Mattia had a blood-alcohol level of 0.185 %, more than twice the legal limit for driving, which is 0.08 %. He also had a significant enough level of methamphetamine to cause intoxication. In earlier years, Mattia campaigned publicly against the negative influence of drug smugglers who passed through his community. A 25-year-old man was shot and killed, and a woman was injured in the shooting, Thursday night on Tucson's south side, police said. Daniel Lopez was killed, police said. The woman was taken to a hospital with injuries police described as non-life-threatening. Police gave the following account in a news release Friday evening: Dispatchers received 911 calls just before 11 p.m. Thursday reporting shots fired in the 900 block of East Marketplace Boulevard and that an unresponsive male was in a street nearby. Officers found Lopez and the injured woman at the intersection of Park and Ajo with gunshot wounds. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide detectives learned Lopez was involved in a fight in the 900 block of East Tucson Marketplace Boulevard, shots were fired, and he and the woman were struck by gunfire. They were able to leave the area in a vehicle, but stopped at the Park and Ajo investigation. Detectives ask that anyone with information about the shooting or what led up to it call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tipster line. The homicide was the second Thursday night in which a victim died on a south-side Tucson street, police said. A 19-year-old man was found on a sidewalk about 7:30 p.m. in the area of South Ninth Avenue and West Ohio Street and declared dead of the scene. Police said Arath Robles Miranda, 19, had "signs of trauma," but provided no more details. There was no indication given by police that the two homicides were related. Pima Community Colleges Governing Board has named an acting chancellor as the search begins to replace outgoing Chancellor Lee Lambert. Dolores Duran-Cerda, PCCs provost and executive vice chancellor, will be acting chancellor as of July 1, to promote an orderly transition and continuity of leadership, said a news release late Friday from Theresa Riel, the board chair. The appointment is expected to last until the board selects an interim chancellor, the statement said. Lambert, chancellor since 2013, is leaving to helm the Foothill-De Anza Community College District near Silicon Valley, California. The news release said the board will retain a consulting firm, the Registry, to identify candidates for interim chancellor. It did not immediately say how much the consultants will be paid. While that is going on, it said, the board will search for a permanent chancellor by: Selecting an executive search firm; Developing criteria for preferred candidates; Appointing a selection advisory committee; Providing opportunities for input from college stakeholders and the broader community; Setting up a communication plan; Selecting a chancellor and negotiating an employment contract. Lamberts annual PCC salary was $348,935. The Governing Board voted June 14 to approve a 3% rise in property taxes supporting PCC and a $367.5 million college budget for fiscal year 2024, which starts July 1. State funding makes up around 2% of PCCs budget. Property taxes make up 37% of revenues, while the rest comes from a mix of tuition and fees; grants, contracts and financial aid; and college equity. The increased taxes will generate about $4 million in extra money for PCC to put toward its operations costs. The owner of a property valued at $100,000 will pay $128.02 a year in taxes to support the college, up from $124.29 a year. Opponents of Tucson City Council Member Lane Santa Cruz are pointing to campaign contributions they say represent bad optics for the incumbent candidate running for reelection on Tucsons west side. Santa Cruz received $500 the maximum contribution allowed from an individual from Keri Silvyn, an attorney specializing in zoning and land use with the law firm Lazarus & Silvyn. Another attorney at the firm, Rory Juneman, donated $250 to Santa Cruzs campaign. Silvyn is a familiar figure in Tucson whos represented several developers throughout the region, including a development on the southwest side that changed zoning regulations in sparse Sonoran desert land to cluster more residences per acre. Council Member Steve Kozachik and Miguel Ortega, one of Santa Cruzs Democratic opponents in the race for the Ward 1 City Council seat this year, criticized the council member for taking the money. Silvyn oversaw collaborative efforts between the city and developer Forestar Group Inc. for the controversial housing development near South La Cholla Boulevard and West 36th Street. City Council approved the development in February last year. Santa Cruz said they engaged with neighbors about the development for more than a year and a half and helped reach compromises with the developer to leave about 70% of the area as open space while requiring some of the housing to become affordable units. They said, Its laughable that I would sell my soul or I would be in somebodys pocket for $500. The development, however, was met with pushback from neighbors who decried the loss of Sonoran Desert space and the redefining of an area thats known for its open, rural nature. The new construction also overturned a promise the city made when it annexed the land more than 40 years ago that limited development to 36,000-square-foot lots. The new zoning allows housing in the development to be clustered into about 137 homes throughout about 60 acres. Council Member Steve Kozachik, who voted against the rezoning, has endorsed Ortega, Santa Cruzs opponent in the Ward 1 race. He wrote in an Op-Ed for the Star: (Ortega) would not have given up the open space, treated constituents dismissively, and walked away from commitments made at the time the area was annexed. And he certainly would not have followed giving into the rezoning by now taking money from the development team. Kozachik later clarified in an interview that his Op-Ed comments werent directed at Keri Silvyn and her team. The comment was directed at receiving money from somebody who was involved in a very controversial rezoning. The optics of doing that are bad. This election cycle, Silvyn has also maxed out $500 contributions to the reelection campaigns of Mayor Regina Romero and Council Members Paul Cunningham and Nikki Lee. Only Kozachik and Kevin Dahl voted against the development last year, but theyre not up for reelection this year. Kozachik believes the bad optics dont transfer over to the other recipients, as They werent the ones who were directly involved in it, he said. Santa Cruz said those against the development represented a loud minority and their office did our due diligence in hearing people out about their priorities. Being in office, you have to make some hard decisions. But I certainly in no way benefit from having voted to support housing development in the city limits, they said. Ortega criticized the handling of the rezoning by Santa Cruz, who took the lead on community outreach for the development. In an interview with Democrats of Greater Tucson, he said the council members actions represent probably the most controversial and the best example of why I feel that we need change in Ward 1. The incumbent did not listen to the residents, removed that (zoning) condition and has been accepting the financial support of a team member who backed the development, he said. A lot of folks have been realizing this, and that has been the final straw for them in joining my campaign. Santa Cruz adamantly denies accepting donations from Silvyn was in bad faith. Rather, Santa Cruz said it was one of many contributions the candidates raised as the primary election nears on Aug. 1. I think its interesting to just focus on a very small segment of people contributing to my campaign when my opponent cant show that level of support from folks in the community contributing to his candidacy, Santa Cruz said. As of the last campaign finance report listing contributions received through April 29, Ortega has raised $4,700 while Santa Cruz has raised $13,971. PHOENIX Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order Friday stripping the states 15 elected county attorneys of their authority to prosecute doctors and other medical professionals who perform abortions and give it to the attorney general. And given Attorney General Kris Mayes views on the issue, that could effectively lead to total decriminalization of abortion in Arizona as she has said she wont bring charges. Hobbs and Mayes are Democrats. In the order, Hobbs noted that the U.S. Supreme Court, in the Dobbs case last year, overturned Roe v. Wade and its constitutional right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy. That led to legal questions still playing out before the Arizona Supreme Court about which state laws can now be applied and enforced. Hobbs said that could lead county attorneys across the state to make disparate decisions on whether and how to criminally prosecute the same, or similar, conduct relating to abortion care. The state has an interest in ensuring that abortions laws are applied equally, consistently, and predictably to all people and in all counties in Arizona, the governor said in her order. She is directing Mayes to assume all duties with regard to any criminal prosecution of a medical provider or other entity or individual that is pending or brought in the future by the county attorney of any county in the state for violation of any state law restricting or prohibiting abortion care. Conflict between laws Hobbs specifically cited a statute that dates back to territorial days that imposes a prison term of between two and five years on anyone who performs an abortion unless it is necessary to save the life of the woman. Thats crucial because the Arizona Supreme Court is set to decide whether that law, which never was repealed after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe in 1973, automatically became enforceable again once the justices voided Roe last year. That was the legal position of Republican Mark Brnovich who was Arizona attorney general at the time. Mayes has instead taken the position that a law banning abortion after 15 weeks, approved by the Legislature last year before the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs ruling, takes precedence. That is the law being enforced for the moment based on a ruling by the state Court of Appeals. Abortion providers can be prosecuted under that law if they terminate a pregnancy after 15 weeks. Arizona lawmakers previously repealed penalties against women who obtain abortions. Abortion foes are urging the states high court to restore the territorial-era ban. That leaves the question of which law is enforceable in legal limbo. Hobbs order, though, is about more than whether abortions remain legal through 15 weeks. During her campaign last year, Mayes said she believes the 15-week ban is no more legal than the territorial law. That is based on her argument that, regardless of what the U.S. Supreme Court says, women in Arizona have a right to terminate a pregnancy based on a specific state constitutional provision which says no person shall be disturbed in his private affairs ... without authority of law. Mayes takes an absolutist view of it, including when it comes to so-called late-term abortions. Late-term abortions are extremely rare and almost always done to save the life or the mother or when the fetus is no longer viable, said Mayes press aide Richie Taylor. The attorney general believes decisions in such matters should be made between the woman, her family and her doctor. Mayes refused this year to defend another law, which makes it a crime to perform an abortion if the sole reason the woman is seeking it is because of a genetic abnormality of the fetus. That resulted in Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, filing a motion to intervene so they could defend the 2021 law in federal court. Is the order legal? The legality of the governors order is being questioned. Hobbs press aide Christian Slater cited a statute saying she has the power to direct the attorney general to prosecute and defend any proceeding in a state court ... in which this state or an officer of this state is a party or has an interest. But Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre said Hobbs is misreading the scope of that authority. It says the governor has the power to say enforce this, to the attorney general, he said. It doesnt say the governor has the power to then remove a constitutional officer, the county attorneys office. The phrasing in the state constitution is that county attorneys shall be the public prosecutor of the county, McIntyre said. He said that, whatever people believe about abortion, the governors order sets a dangerous and he contends illegal precedent, setting the stage for what might happen in the future when there are vastly different people holding the offices of governor and attorney general. McIntyre, a Republican, said that if the governor doesnt want people going to prison for performing abortions, she does have other legal remedies. For example, he said, she could tell the state Board of Executive Clemency that it should recommend that anyone convicted of an abortion offense be given an immediate pardon. And McIntyre said Mayes could eliminate the possibility of prison sentences by simply deciding her office will not mount a defense any time someone convicted of an abortion-related offense files an appeal. No prosecutions in Pima County Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said she supports Hobbs action, citing the lack of a final ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court on which abortion law the near-ban or the 15-week limit is enforceable. We agree with the governor as to both the urgency and severity of this very unique situation, she said in a written statement. Conover, a Democrat, said that while abortion providers are protected against prosecution in her county, by her office, that may not be true statewide. This is an unacceptable equal protection problem and dangerous, especially for our rural communities, she said. Conover initially sidestepped the question of whether she believes Hobbs action is legal. Instead, she said her office will voluntarily send all criminal referrals to the attorney general in the spirit of fixing this constitutional inequity. But an aide later said Conover now believes the statute cited by Hobbs appears to convey the power to the governor to issue the executive order. We respectfully defer to the governor and the attorney general at this time, the statement says. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell had no qualms about analyzing the order. The governors attempt to undermine the 15 elected county attorneys authority is outrageous, she said. Mitchell, a Republican, said her attorneys are reviewing the order and will take the appropriate next steps. At the Capitol, Toma, the House speaker, who has voted for abortion restrictions, said Hobbs cant legally do what she did. The governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizonas 15 counties to the attorney general, Toma said in a written statement. He said the issue isnt just gubernatorial power. At a minimum, this order shows disrespect and contempt for the judiciary, Toma said, noting that the state Supreme Court is still deciding which laws are in effect in Arizona. That is not the view of Brittany Fonteno, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona. This executive order will help ease the fear and uncertainty that swept through Arizona in the year since Roe was overturned, and protect all those seeking and providing necessary health care, she said in a prepared statement. But Cathi Herrod, executive director of the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy, said in a statement Friday that the order is illegal. She cites a provision of state law that says the governor may require the attorney general to aid a county attorney in the discharge of his duties. Aid does not mean supplant or replace, Herrod said. In her zeal for abortion, Gov. Hobbs has exceeded her authority as governor, she continued. The law does not allow her to strip county attorneys of their clear authority as granted in various Arizona laws. Out-of-state residents Hobbs order also directs state agencies not to assist in investigations from other states, where abortion restrictions remain, about their own residents seeking abortion care in Arizona. There would be cooperation only if ordered by a court or state or federal law. A recent landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling is likely to take a big bite out of the Clean Water Acts reach in Arizona and the Southwest, particularly when it comes to regulating development along most of this states streams, many experts say. The high court ruling will be a major victory for two major Southern Arizona projects that have been tied up at least in part by Clean Water Act issues for many years, according to a number of environmental law experts. The Copper World copper mine project an expanded version of the now-defunct Rosemont Mine proposal in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. The proposed 28,000-home Villages of Vigneto project lying a few miles west of the San Pedro River in Benson. The ruling could also take the regulatory reins off many future such projects across the Southwest. The Copper World and Vigneto projects have drawn significant federal attention, and at times very detailed federal permitting oversight, because they would be built amid a number of normally dry streambeds that have or could come under Clean Water Act jurisdiction. But because of the Sackett vs. EPA ruling late last month, these projects could become free of Clean Water Act authority, making them easier to carry out. Overall, the Sackett ruling signifies a major shift in how the federal government will enforce the Clean Water Act. It significantly reduces the scope of whats covered as waters of the U.S. streams, rivers and lakes that are deemed worthy of federal regulation and protection. The ruling represents a major victory for property rights activists who say agencies enforcing the act have overstepped bounds on their authority placed by Congress when it passed the act in 1972. But environmentalists say the ruling will open the door to major environmental damage to rivers and streams and reverse more than four decades of how the Clean Water Act has been enforced here and nationally. For all practical purposes, Arizona is out of the Clean Water Act, said Patrick Parenteau, a Vermont Law School professor who since 1975 has either taught courses on the Clean Water Act, administered it for the Environmental Protection Agency, or litigated over the act as a National Wildlife Federation attorney. Your streams are mostly ephemeral. Its incredibly serious. Ephemeral streams normally carry water only after storms. The decision will remove federal authority not only to issue permits for new developments alongside such streams, but to discharge pollutants into the streams, he said. This will mean more toxic discharges and spills into streams, unless you can fill the gap with state regulations. Parenteau and Craig Johnston, a law professor at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, told the Arizona Daily Star this ruling will be a disaster for many streams and wetlands, including the Southwests normally dry streams. But the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit, property rights group that argued the Sacketts case, said its up to the states, not the federal government, to insure that rivers and wetlands are adequately protected. This decision is a significant victory for private property rights and the separation of powers, and return of the Clean Water Act to how Congress authorized it back in 1972, said Charles Yates, a foundation attorney who served on a team of attorneys who represented the Sacketts before the Supreme Court. What the Supreme Court has done here is recognized the limitation that Congress placed on the agencies authority, Yates said. The act was passed ostensibly to fight water pollution, but what it has done is create a permitting regime. Typically, Congress passes legislation and gives federal agencies discretion to implement and enforce the laws, but when Congress does that, it has to place a guardrail on the agencies in the executive branch, he said. They have no authority to set policy. Five law profs agree on AZ impacts At first glance, the Sackett ruling appears to apply mainly to wetlands, which are rare in Arizona. The ruling dealt with an Idaho case in which a married couple was challenging an EPA decision that they needed a Clean Water Act permit to build a home because it lies on a wetland near a ditch that feeds a creek, which empties into a nearby lake. Because of the wetland issue, construction of the Sacketts project had been delayed since the mid-2000s. While all nine justices agreed with the Sacketts that their project should not have been covered by the act, a 5-4 majority opinion carried that conclusion a big step farther. Justice Samuel Alitos opinion said that for a wetland to be covered by the Clean Water Act, it had to either abut another federally regulated water body or have a continuous surface connection to such a water course or lake. Alito held that all waters of the U.S. must be relatively permanent, a term for which no formal legal definition exists, and that they be connected to a navigable waterway of some sort. While Alito didnt mention the kind of streams that dominate Arizona ephemeral streams that flow only after rains five law professors contacted by the Star agreed it will end or severely crimp any federal regulation of development along such streams. Both the Copper World and Vigneto projects include several ephemeral streams within their boundaries. Some experts also see potential for the ruling to limit federal oversight of development along intermittent streams, which run part of the year and arent tied directly to immediate storm activity. At a U.S. House committee hearing on Thursday, June 22, Assistant Secretary of the Army Michael Connor testified that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA will come up with a new rule governing Clean Water Act regulation and enforcement expeditiously. Under extensive questioning by House Republicans, Connor declined to specify how the new rule would treat wetlands or streams. But he said it will be different from the existing rule, which offers legal protection of both ephemeral and intermittent streams under certain circumstances. There will be specific aspects of the current rule that no longer will be valid, given the court ruling, he said. And until the agencies come up with a revised rule, they will no longer even try to determine if a wetland or a stream targeted for a proposed development is legally worthy of federal regulation, he testified. What are called approved jurisdictional determinations will be put on hold for now. Narrowing of protections Until now, the federal agencies have largely based decisions on when a stream or wetland is a water of the U.S. on another Supreme Court decision in 2006. In that decision, Rapanos vs. the United States, the court split 4-4-1 over what kinds of waters should be covered by the Clean Water Act. Four justices argued that ephemeral streams and some wetlands deserve no federal protection, while four others concluded most do deserve it. The ninth justice, Anthony Kennedy, argued for a test of whether a wetland in question had a significant nexus, or connection, with a navigable waterway. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have used that definition since then to determine if a waterway is regulated under the act. But in the Sackett decision, all nine justices agreed the Kennedy definition was not valid and shouldnt be used. While Alitos opinion didnt mention ephemeral streams by name, many experts say it rules out declaring any such streams as waters of the U.S. One reason is that Alito said waters of the U.S. must be relatively permanent and ephemeral streams arent relatively permanent, Parenteau said. While Alitos ruling didnt define the term, Alito and the other four justices who supported him essentially adopted a narrow waters of the U.S. definition laid down in the 2006 ruling by then-Justice Antonin Scalia, he said. Scalia wrote that waters of the U.S. doesnt include channels through which water flows intermittently or ephemerally, or channels that periodically provide drainage for rainfall. Scalia was specific. He didnt want ephemeral streams to be covered. This (Sackett) opinion doesnt discuss that issue with any specificity, but (the justices who supported it) do bow at the altar of Justice Scalia, said Johnston, the Lewis and Clark professor. An attorney who still holds out hope that ephemeral streams could be covered in some cases is Stu Gillespie, of the environmental law firm Earthjustice. He represents three tribes that have sued to block Hudbay Minerals Inc.s Rosemont and Copper World projects and four environmental groups that have sued to block the Villages at Vigneto. There is a lot of room here to make the case that ephemeral streams on a case-by-case basis are covered by the Clean Water Act, Gillespie said. They are relatively permanent, defined features on the landscape. They convey thundering torrents of water in flood events and storm events. That sometimes happens multiple times each year. Intermittent streams could fare better under the Sackett ruling, several experts said. Thats in part because Scalias opinion in the 2006 Rapanos case contains a footnote that makes it clear the late justice was not wholly opposed to having intermittent streams covered, Gillespie said. Scalia wrote, We have no occasion in this litigation to decide exactly when the drying up of a streambed is continuous and frequent enough to disqualify the channel as a water of the United States. But intermittent streams status is now in doubt because of the Sackett rulings requirements for streams to be relatively permanent and connected to a navigable waterway to qualify as waters of the U.S., Parenteau said. That is the first time any opinion has ever used that terminology, and it is sure to be seized on by opponents of Clean Water Act jurisdiction to further narrow whatever intermittent streams are covered, he said. Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan Adler, who is more conservative and skeptical of regulations than a lot of other environmental law professors, said he believes many intermittent streams wont carry enough water to establish Clean Water Act jurisdiction, certainly not over projects for economic development as opposed to those with polluting discharges. If were talking about traditional pollution, it depends on how easy or difficult it is for EPA to demonstrate the connection between an intermittent stream and a navigable waterway, Adler said. For a development that would discharge clean fill into an intermittent stream, thats where this decision will have a pretty significant impact, he said. Fill is dirt put into a stream so it can be built on. I would be very sad for the San Pedro The Rosemont Mines washes were at various times determined by the Army Corps to be covered and then not covered by the Clean Water Act. The most recent decision, in summer 2020, concluded they werent covered. The Copper World project, which includes the entire Rosemont site on the Santa Ritas east slope and much more land on the ranges west slope, has never been formally determined to be either covered or not covered by the Clean Water Act. Gillespie has tried to get the Army Corps and the EPA to decide that they were covered, but neither agency had made a decision by the time of the Sackett ruling. The Army Corps has said since the mid-2000s the Vigneto project is covered under the Clean Water Act. The Corps has issued, suspended, reissued and re-suspended a Clean Water Act permit authorizing Vignetos construction. That suspension remains in effect. Officials of Hudbay, which proposes to build Copper World, and of El Dorado Holdings Inc., which proposes to build Vigneto, didnt return calls from the Star seeking comment on the courts Sackett ruling. But if Vigneto isnt regulated under the Clean Water Act, that could leave it free to dry up the neighboring San Pedro River with its groundwater pumping, environmentalists say. If that happens, I would be very sad for the San Pedro I would be absolutely crushed for the San Pedro, said former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arizona field supervisor Steve Spangle. He alleged four years ago, after his retirement, that he was forced by political pressure from federal higher-ups to back off his previously tough stance on the Vigneto project. Top Interior Department officials said they were only following the law in pushing Spangle to change his stance. That project is going to use a hell of a lot of water, and I would absolutely assume there will be an impact on the San Pedro, Spangle said. They never told us where they would get the water, but the only water available is groundwater. In general, if ephemeral streams arent covered by the Clean Water Act, people will build stuff along them that otherwise, they would not have built, and the most direct impacts on Arizona will be flooding, said David Owen, a law professor at UC College of Law in San Francisco. If youre building something in an ephemeral streambed, even if it doesnt have water most of the time, it is going to flood, sometimes catastrophically, Owen said. This will give developers and builders a free hand to build in dangerous places. Water quality in these streams when they do carry water could also suffer, he said. If washes are filled in with sediment or any materials carrying pollutants, that will hurt water quality. Another threat will be the loading of phosphorous, nitrogen and other nutrients into streams from agricultural runoff, he said. The nutrients can generate toxic algae blooms that can make water undrinkable, he said. But at the same time, Arizona has many tools besides the Clean Water Act to protect public health and the environment, said Caroline Oppleman, an Arizona Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman. One is the state Surface Water Protection Program, which authorizes ADEQ to protect waters not regulated by the Clean Water Act, she said. Federal hazardous waste laws, the states Aquifer Protection Program and solid waste regulations also can be used to protect water quality in streams left uncovered by the Clean Water Act, Oppleman said. And while state law generally forbids state environmental rules from being stricter than federal rules, the Legislature has on occasion authorized the agency to adopt stronger regulations than federal laws require, she said. One example is that state law authorized ADEQ to develop a Surface Water Protection Program for streams not covered by the Clean Water Act. As ADEQ learns more about how the Sackett case affects (Clean Water Act) regulation, ADEQ will work with state leadership to ensure Arizonas waters continue to be protected, Oppleman said Just because water features are no longer regulated under the Clean Water Act doesnt mean they wont be regulated at all, said Yates, of the Pacific Legal Foundation. The states have primary authority in regulating land and water use. Its not a power the federal government possesses, he said. An objective of the Clean Water Act was to preserve states traditional power in land and water use, and the Supreme Court has brought some discipline to the way the act is implemented, he said. But as far as Tucson environmentalist Christina McVie is concerned, Arizona has nothing on the books today to replace the Clean Water Act when it comes to regulating development. For instance, Oro Valley town officials and the state Land Department have long talked and planned of building a major development in an area called Arroyo Grande, a huge swath of state land along North Oracle Road lying just north of the towns current boundary. Lets say that development were to go forward. Without Clean Water Act guidance, that could be real problematic, McVie said. There are so many tributaries into the Big Wash in that area, thats a tricky wicket for developing. With longstanding Clean Water Act regulation now overturned, its incumbent on the state and local governments to pick up the slack, she said. Homebuilders say few projects affected For development overall in Southern Arizona, the Sackett decision will obviously have some meaningful impacts, but theres still a long way to go before they become clear, said David Godlewski, president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. Almost every project built in Southern Arizona has to at least take Section 404 of the Clean Water Act which requires federal permits for projects along regulated streams into consideration, he said. But while some developers complain about higher costs and significant delays due to Clean Water Act permitting requirements, typically, at most two or three projects a year in this area have enough impact on waterways to require a detailed Clean Water Act permit that assesses their environmental impacts, he said. The rest can operate under much less strict nationwide permits, which dont require a detailed analysis of individual projects. While the Sackett ruling clearly eliminates the significant nexus test, theres also this question: Is it only applicable to wetlands? Or does it apply to ephemeral and intermittent streams? Godlewski said. Hobbs keeps her promise While campaigning for office, Governor Katie Hobbs promised to protect Arizonans from the bad bills that would inevitably come her way. She has kept that promise. Were it not for her, concealed weapons would be allowed on K-12 and college campuses; 10-year-olds would be forced to handle guns; using preferred pronouns for trans youth would be prohibited; voting machines would have to be American-made though none exist; county recorders would have to make every individuals vote public; and being homeless would be a crime. The Governors diligence in vetoing 100-plus bills like these is a testament to her commitment to protect all Arizonans. It is also an indictment of the Republicans who flooded her desk with bills they knew were unconstitutional, vaguely written, unnecessary, harmful, and destined to go nowhere while ignoring real state issues and engaging in political theatrics. Never let it be said our votes don't matter. Hobbs vetoes remind us just how much they do. Misty Atkins Oro Valley Trump's lawlessness Donald Trump believes that he is a special person who can get away with anything. I expect to hear him say, "I can stand on Fifth Avenue and hand out top national secret documents to our enemies, and I wouldn't lose any votes." Alan Rubens, MD Northeast side Responsibility Almost 70 years ago, my mother told me I was responsible for my own actions. Saying others are doing this would not be an excuse. Republicans' defense of Donald Trump is saying that President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence also had classified material, despite that none of the above tried to obstruct and hide documents. Now Republicans, the supposed party of law and order, have descended to trying to abolish the FBI and Department of Justice. Craig Miller Northwest side Lack of evidence Re: the June 17 letter "Equal justice Trump vs. Clinton vs. Biden?" The author equates Donald Trumps indictment with allegations against Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden. Allegations alone cannot support a criminal prosecution. The grand jurys indictment of Trump was based on testimony under oath and other evidence, some described in the indictment itself. In the case of Clinton, allegations were made and covered in the media, such as those related in the letter (classified markings on documents were removed when faxed, emails deleted, cell phones destroyed, etc.), but there was no substantiating evidence to support prosecution. In the case of Biden, the investigation is ongoing. However, Bidens situation is more akin to that of Pences retention of documents, so odds are the result for Biden will be the same as for Pence. In my 36 years of civil litigation practice, clients as well as opponents were often vexed that allegations they believed to be true could not be admitted at trial because of the lack of admissible evidence to support the allegations. David Kipper Foothills Money Re: the June 19 article "TUSD seeks approval of $480M bond package." I find it interesting that TUSD would print a list of what they would spend $480 million on in a new bond package. Maybe I missed it, but where is the list of the millions of dollars of COVID money they received? When was the last time a third-party audit of TUSD was published in the paper? Among the improvements (in the new bond) would be replacing roofs and air conditioning units Air conditioning was supposed to be retrofitted to combat COVID. Was this done? If not, why not? Where did that money go? Why should we taxpayers throw good money into a system where students are leaving in droves to get a better education outside of TUSD? Paul Ostrowski, Paying taxes to TUSD for over 40 years West side Republicans' Bibles Republicans in the legislature are up in arms over a Democrat hiding their Bibles. After producing fake ballots, denying the election results, and covering up for Donald Trump they needed those Bibles to soothe their troubled souls. Praise the Lord, they found the right person to blame for losing their Bibles 'The Bible Hider.' Armed with the belief such behavior will not go unpunished, they sued! Now they're asking Trump to be forgiven for what he's done, believing it's not as egregious as hiding Bibles. Jim Dreis East side A liberal is not a leftist Re: the June 18 article "Poll: Democrats, Republicans share core values." Liberals support free speech; leftists do not support free speech. Liberals love liberty, leftists do not. Liberals want racial integration and think skin color does not matter. Leftists want racial segregation. Liberals are pro-capitalism, leftists are for socialism. Liberals protect sovereignty of the nation, leftists want open borders. Liberals celebrate Western civilization, leftists denounce Western civilization and call it white supremacy. Liberals hold almost no leftist values, but liberals vote with leftists. I think it would be a good idea if liberals and conservatives talk to each other. Like in the old days, they did not love each other, no way, contentious debates, but they created the greatest country in the world. Valentine Ferraris Northeast side Hudbay hush money Re: the May 18 article "Court tosses jaguar habitat protection at Rosemont Mine site." In their infinite wisdom, an appeals court panel has ruled against protecting hundreds of thousands of acres in the Santa Ritas due to a lack of recent jaguar sightings. However, there is another species, at least a million in Southern Arizona, many seen in the area on a daily basis, whose lives and livelihoods depend on the sanctity of this region and its natural water. We are the species with a higher level of intelligence who know that allowing the Hudbay/Rosemont/Copper World project to progress is an existential threat given the water this mine will use and lay forever toxic. Our current and past civic leaders who made their fortunes selling cars and real estate, and politicians, most recently Kyrsten Sinema those with knowledge and resources to halt this disaster who have stood idly by for years should be held accountable. One wonders how many pockets are lined with Hudbay hush/blood money. Paul Strautman Midtown Fight for DACA Re: the June 21 article "We must fight for DACA. which allowed me to pursue my dreams." An inspirational editorial. Michelle Villegas Tapia's opinion piece is a well-written and moving statement of her life story and a damming indictment of the Republican party's continued attack on the DACA program. She is correct to urge us to fight for DACA. I would take this a step further; immigrant rights are everyone's rights. Many of us who live in the U.S. have ancestors that came from other lands, fleeing persecution, poverty, oppression or simply wanting to make a better life for themselves and their families. I am proud that President Barack Obama was the person who initiated the DACA program. I am heartened that President Joe Biden appreciates the contributions made by DACA recipients and the contributions made by other immigrants. Imagine what a nightmare it would be if Ron DeSantis or the former president take over. Massive deportations, cruelty without limits, forcing people to live in fear that they or their loved ones will be rounded up. James Robinett Question to candidates: What should the City of Tucson do to help Tucson's economy? Mayor Arthur Kerschen Tucson can help the economy by cutting taxes, deregulating business and eliminating business mandates. Regina Romero As Mayor, one of my top priorities is to make sure Tucson is an equitable, sustainable, thriving desert city. In my first term as Mayor, I continued the work I began as a Council Member on Economic Development. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and bringing in or expanding businesses are the job creators. I am committed to supporting our local entrepreneurs, small businesses and legacy businesses while creating appropriate incentive packages to bring in high-wage, long-term jobs. Hiring the Citys first small business program manager, with a team of bi-lingual small business navigators is key to supporting Tucsons economy. The classes we offer in Spanish and English that support our small businesses are filling a niche. Our Sazon Emperarial program and Academia de Belleza program are two examples. Our small business navigators are available to help small businesses navigate the City of Tucson systems as well as gain financial literacy and other business skills. Under my leadership, the City of Tucson also hired an International Trade Specialist. Mexico is our biggest trading partner. We have already welcomed 20 dignitaries and companies from Mexico and Canada. The City of Tucson can continue to support the University of Arizona and Pima Community College as important partners in developing the workforce we need here in Tucson. We need mechanics and engineers. We need emergency medical technicians and doctors. We need people who can work in manufacturing, and drivers. The programs offered by these institutions help make sure we have the educational opportunities that are needed. In my first term as Mayor, the City of Tucson worked with community stakeholders to update our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. We need to continue to expand in the sectors where we already excel and invest in the opportunity areas that were identified. Now, I will work on powering the future of Tucson with green jobs and infrastructure, greater diversity and upward mobility in our small business ecosystem, investments in a 21st-century workforce and a resilient, climate-adapted city through the Transform Tucson Fund. We are setting a national standard for excellence in driving public-private investment into innovation, business and job creation, as well as investments in equity and sustainability. Overall, the City of Tucson needs experienced leadership, evidence-based policies and innovative solutions to make sure that our resources are maximized, and our state and federal assets are leveraged where they are needed the most. Janet JL Wittenbraker Refer to question 2: be business-friendly and bring the movie/production industry back to Tucson. Ed Ackerley MARKETING. Other cities are in Tucson with billboards, television and radio commercials, newspaper ads, magazine ads, signs, wrapped buses all encouraging Tucsonans to visit elsewhere. Tucson needs a robust marketing plan with a sustainable and increased marketing budget to run in key markets to encourage businesses to open locations in Tucson, provide meaningful employment and focus on higher-paying jobs. The Economic Development office and Visit Tucson should have a coordinated marketing effort to this end. Ward 1 Victoria Lem Victoria Lem did not respond to our questionnaire. Miguel Ortega We need to take full advantage of our regional and cultural position as a City in Southern Arizona. Tourism is extremely important to our economy, and we must do all that we can to strengthen our city as a top destination for tourists so that they spend money at our locally-owned businesses, pumping more money into our economy via sales taxes. A stronger emphasis should be placed on Sonoran tourists - we need to do more to promote ways to have them exit on Irvington, 22nd Street, Congress and Speedway instead of limiting their visits to only our malls. Many of these Sonoran visitors are our tios and tias and cousins we need to develop educational programs in Sonora that explain when they spend more of their dollars at locally owned businesses in Tucson, they are making the lives of their cousins and nephews in Tucson by generating more money for the schools they attend, the roads they drive and the public safety agencies that keep them safe. Even if families traveling to Tucson from Sonora shift just 10 to 15% of their shopping to locally owned businesses, that would generate a significant pump to our general funds. We also need to compare how we generate revenue to our general funds to other models by other cities. How do we compare? How can we improve? We need to make sure we are at the top of the list when it comes to ensuring that growth and development is paying for itself and contributing to our housing and needs. We also need to compare our efforts to support labor organizing efforts to unionize. We need to explore ways we can incentivize larger businesses to provide for discussions by their workers to unionize and also hold larger businesses accountable if they are practicing union-busting tactics to prevent their workers from unionizing. We need to be open and upfront about being a union-friendly town and make the direct link between union jobs and a strong economy. Lane Santa Cruz The South and West sides of our city have experienced historic disinvestment. It has been a priority of mine to focus investments and resources to those who are most impacted. For instance, during my first term, I worked to solicit private funding to provide cash assistance to Tucsons immigrant community who were often excluded from federal aid. I also worked to develop the framework used to distribute American Rescue Plan dollars into our community. Our focus on communities hardest hit by the pandemic and investments in parks, youth employment, affordable housing, our small businesses and legacy businesses, frontline workers, and neighborhood investments is a key component of helping Tucsons economy. Our community holds the solutions to many of the problems we face. Holding roundtables and listening sessions with local business owners helped to guide the work that the City of Tucsons Small Business Navigators do. Providing support to our new and existing businesses, including access to financial literacy classes in English and Spanish, helping businesses to develop succession plans, including transitioning to worker-owned cooperatives and helping to access needed capital keeps our small businesses stable. Investing in our youth through employment opportunities in the City, innovative partnerships with nonprofits that teach skills and career exploration, and expanding community-school partnerships is a long-term strategy to help Tucsons economy. Ward 2 Paul Cunningham I believe that the best economic development that the City of Tucson could do would be to implement my Childcare for All program. Childcare for All would be a collaboration between local school districts and the City of Tucson to provide sliding scale, after-school childcare until 5:30 p.m. for all City of Tucson residents. Not only would a city that provided universal child care attract the young professional talent base that companies want, it would encourage UofA grads to stay in the city. Universal afterschool care would bring together City programs (and their funding) like KidCo and afterschool open rec at the neighborhood centers with the afterschool programs that exist at some TUSD schools. Additional funding would come from sliding scale user fees (between $20 and $50 per week, depending on income) and DES vouchers. We also have to continue the good work that the City has done in the last decade to attract companies offering high wages and health insurance to their employees to Tucson, whether that is through economic incentives or good old-fashioned networking and promoting our city. Lisa Nutt As a single mother of two small boys AND a small business owner, I'm keenly aware of the struggles people and families in our city have experienced in recent years. The challenge for government is to balance the best interests of the people with the need to grow and expand. Thats why I believe Tucson needs to do a top-down review of current economic development policies and practices, its regulatory scheme and the process by which businesses can start in or move to Tucson. In some cases, the Council can assist by streamlining some regulations that can make it much easier for businesses to grow and prosper here. We also need to prioritize increasing the number of our high school graduates (which lags the national average) and our educational attainment rate if we are to attract and retain the most fitting companies and employers. Ernie Shack Ernie Shack echoed Wittenbrakers responses Pendleton Spicer Small businesses are the backbone of Tucsons economy. Small businesses and entrepreneurships should be encouraged by implementing deregulation of businesses, easing their tax burden, and eliminating mandates of all kinds. This will also create a conducive atmosphere for industry and manufacturing to come to Tucson in the future. Above all, we should remove all mandates that inhibit a welcoming atmosphere for people entering a business. I believe that we need to strengthen the economy as it exists more than grow it at this time. I would encourage tourism and film production as a way to strengthen small businesses. I would work toward eliminating as many layers of government as possible to allow free market principles to dictate a healthy supply and demand in other words, to do what the free market does best. Ward 4 Ross Kaplowitch Tucsons economy could be vastly improved by truly supporting our business community. We need a strong local economy to attract new businesses and encourage our current businesses to stay in Tucson. Lower sales tax, safe business districts, improved parking, and especially reduced regulation (red tape) at the city level will encourage businesses to stay and local residents to support them. Nikki Lee In spite of the pandemic, weve had many economic successes during my first term. To name a few, in 2020, Raytheon selected Tucson as its headquarters for Raytheon Missiles & Defense following the merger of the Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) and Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business units. In Ward 4, TuSimple expanded its Research & Development and Operations functions, creating additional jobs and opportunities in Tucson. American Battery Factory selected Tucson as its corporate headquarters, and the project will provide an estimated $1.2 billion in capital investment, $3.1 billion in economic impact to the state, and accelerate the growth of the clean energy economy across the country. To bolster Tucson's economy, the city must continue to focus on fostering a supportive environment for existing businesses of all sizes and new enterprises. My background as a leader with private sector experience is a significant advantage, as I have been able to leverage my expertise, insights, and network to drive growth and foster collaboration between public and private entities. LAS VEGAS (AP) A woman's 911 text message saying she had been kidnapped in Boulder City led to the shooting by Las Vegas police of an armed suspect in an SUV with at least two other people inside, authorities said Friday. Las Vegas police Capt. Joshua Martinez said the wounded suspect was hospitalized in critical condition after the shooting about 2 a.m. at a busy crossroads several miles east of downtown. Police said two other people in the vehicle were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. The shooting happened after police chased and stopped the SUV, Martinez said in a brief video statement about the incident. The suspect pointed a firearm at the victims inside of a vehicle and an officer discharged his weapon striking the suspect one time, the police captain said. Boulder City police said in a statement that a woman in the vehicle text-messaged 911 dispatchers a little before 12:30 a.m., saying she had been abducted, and that police saw the vehicle leaving that city heading toward Las Vegas. The name of the injured man and the conditions of the other people in the vehicle were not immediately provided. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the shooting scene included a white SUV wedged between a Las Vegas police cruiser and an armored SWAT police vehicle, surrounded by other police vehicles near a fast-food restaurant. BERLIN (AP) As an international search determined the implosion of a vessel setting out for the underwater wreckage of the Titanic, a man who was one of the submersible companys first customers characterized a dive he made to the site two years ago as a suicide mission. You have to be a little bit crazy to do this sort of thing, said Arthur Loibl, a 61-year-old retired businessman and adventurer from Germany. Loibl told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he first had the idea of seeing the Titanic wreckage while on a trip to the South Pole in 2016. At the time, a Russian company was offering dives for half a million dollars. After Washington state-based OceanGate announced its own operation a year later, he jumped at the chance, paying $110,000 for a dive in 2019 that fell through when the first submersible didnt survive testing. Two years later he went on a voyage that was successful, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and two men from England. Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You cant stand. You cant kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other, Loibl said. You cant be claustrophobic. During the 2.5-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to conserve energy, he said, with the only illumination coming from a fluorescent glow stick. The dive was repeatedly delayed to fix a problem with the battery and the balancing weights. In total, the voyage took 10.5 hours. The group was lucky and enjoyed an amazing view of the wreck, Loibl said, unlike visitors on other dives who only got to see a field of debris or in some cases nothing at all. Some customers lost nonrefundable payments after bad weather made descent impossible. He described Rush as a tinkerer who tried to make do with what was available to carry out the dives, but in hindsight, he said, it was a bit dubious. I was a bit naive, looking back now, Loibl said, likening it to a suicide mission. The OceanGate submersible carrying Rush, Nargeolet, a British adventurer and two members of a Pakistani business family disappeared Sunday after setting out for the wreckage of the famed ship, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew. Newly uncovered allegations suggest that significant safety warnings were made during development of the submersible, dubbed the Titan. The U.S. Coast Guard has been leading the search and Thursday announced the missing submersible imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board. Related Content Oklahomans For Equality names executive director ahead of Tulsa Pride celebrations Walking through the heat and maze of organizations lining Fourth Street, Kelly Harding and her two daughters explored the Tulsa Pride festival Saturday. Harding said she attended Pride to support the LGBTQ+ community. I feel like its an important place to be to let the LGBTQ+ community know that I am in support of them, Harding said. Oklahomans for Equality hosted its 41st annual Tulsa Pride this weekend despite complications due to decreased police staffing, a lack of power leading up to the event and heat advisories. Several businesses and organizations set up tents Saturday afternoon at the festival, which was hosted downtown between Frankfort and Lansing avenues. Kurt Gwartney, senior director of communications of Phillips Theological Seminary, handed out shirts and stickers reading, Pray away the queerphobia, alongside his staff Saturday. Gwartney has been attending Pride for years with the seminary, and he said his favorite part of the event is meeting new people and teaching about inclusivity in his organization. There are those people who find it shocking when they learn about what we do, the way we do it, what we stand for as Christians in supporting and loving them the way they are, Gwartney said. Gwartney said the seminary hopes to show that its inclusive and affirming to those in the LGBTQ+ community. He said he was surprised and frustrated that events supporting the LGBTQ+ community need increased security and safety because there are hateful groups. Its more than just the emergency and the power outages, Gwartney said. "Its that we need extra additional security, safety and police presence because theres so much hate and so much increased violence. Police Chief Wendell Franklin announced Friday that due to the recent storms hitting Tulsa last weekend, the department couldnt fully staff the event Saturday night, forcing the community to have a limited and shortened parade. Im a little disappointed about the parade, but I know this is a strong community and nothing is going to break or ruin today, Nicole Powell, owner of Pot It Like Its Hot, said about the parade. District 3 City Councilor Crista Patrick serves on the board for Oklahomans for Equality and helped organize Tulsa Pride. It was a really hard decision to go forward with it, Patrick said. But at its core, Pride is about connecting people to resources. So it's especially important in times of emergency and times of crisis that people know where they can come to connect to resources if they need. The event had employment, health care, legal, water and sewer services available along with services for people experiencing homelessness, Patrick said. Patrick was also one of the vendors at the event. She sold recycled metal suncatchers with the Dawson Creative Guild, an art collective where Patrick, her family and others create art. In addition to vendors like the guild, Pride had several booths dedicated to advocacy organizations. Free Mom Hugs, a national organization started in Oklahoma, also joined the event offering hugs to the community. The organizations goal is to spread awareness and love through hugs, specifically for those who do not feel supported by their own families. I believe every child deserves to feel wanted and loved and needed, and I believe thats something we lack sometimes, said Rose Jones, a Free Mom Hugs volunteer. Before rejoining her daughters, Harding pointed to a Free Mom Hugs button on her jacket, explaining that she hopes to help and support the LGBTQ+ community, especially those who might feel alone. Thats why I wear this, to let people know that I am a safe space for them, Harding said. It empowers me to want to do more for the trans community and the LGBTQ+ community in general. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Police Chief Wendell Franklin announced Friday that due to ongoing storm recovery efforts, police cannot staff Oklahomans for Equalitys Tulsa Pride this weekend, leading to a limited and shortened parade. Franklin said during a news conference on the citys storm response that most Tulsa Police Department officers have worked a 70-plus-hour week following the storms. Franklin said the department has resorted to using roughly 23 reserve officers. Franklin attributed the night shifts and overtime as a measure to deter burglary and looting because of the number of homes and businesses unoccupied since the storm. That is significant. They are fatigued, Franklin said. It is showing because were having a more difficult time to staff some of these shifts. For these reasons we did make a decision on the police side regarding the Pride parade. We do not have adequate (personnel) to staff that. Dorothy Ballard, Oklahomans for Equalitys new executive director, told the Tulsa World that Pride organized its events with the city and with TPD in advance, including receiving its permits and scheduling for the festival and parade on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Ballard said TPD told her Wednesday the Pride parade would not be permitted due to TPDs staffing issues. City ordinances require parades to be overseen and escorted by TPD, even if the event has private security. Franklin said the Pride parade requires around 60 officers to staff. He explained that the department, which has been short of full strength since before the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently about 150 below authorized strength. TPD is focused on response activities related to the storm and the extended heat advisories, Franklin said. We want to create a safe environment, not only for our citizens but the thousands of line workers and others who are in our city trying to restore services to normal, Franklin said. That is our primary goal. That is our mission. Pride offered a compromise with TPD to ensure the events annual parade could still take place. The parade will run through the festival grounds but will not go outside of the festival as previously planned, Ballard said. Ballard said TPD still has a few officers scheduled to cover Pride weekend, and they would be sufficient to oversee and staff the parade as long as it doesnt leave the bounds of the festival. Ballard said the parade running through the festival grounds causes a bit of an issue because the area will have little viewing due to the concentrated people in the area. Its unfortunate, but we have everything planned beyond weather events, Ballard said. Mayor G.T. Bynum backed up Franklin during the news conference, saying they are in 100% agreement. We have 30,000 Tulsans who still do not have power, Bynum said around 2 p.m. Friday. The primary responsibility of the staffing level we have at the Tulsa Police Department this last week is to be out patrolling at night to make sure that those who dont have power arent victimized by criminals taking advantage of that opportunity. I am really grateful that weve had officers coming in, working overtime, all week long. Ballard said security for this weekends Pride will not be an issue despite TPDs inability to staff the event. According to her, Oklahomans for Equality hired private security for the event and doubled the amount of security this year compared to years past. A City of Tulsa news release Friday noted the lack of staffing for Pride, saying the other Pride events will continue this weekend as TPD has diverted resources and upstaffed to ensure the event can proceed safely. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. Photos: Tulsa Pride weekend kicks off with Rainbow Run Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Tulsa Pride Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now OKLAHOMA CITY In a highly unusual move, death row inmate Anthony C. Sanchez said he will forego a clemency hearing because the process is unfair. Speaking on tape during a press conference called Friday by his supporters, he said that even though he is innocent, the board will never listen to him. There are too many people on the board with a direct interest in keeping things the way they have always been, Sanchez said, and we all know how things have always been. He said he has watched the Pardon and Parole Board act as an approval instrument for even the most significant of injustices. His clemency hearing is set for 9 a.m. Aug. 9. Sanchez was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of University of Oklahoma dance student and ballerina Juli Busken, 21. She was abducted from a Norman apartment complex, raped and shot in the head. Sanchez is set to die by lethal injection on Sept. 21 at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He maintains he is innocent of the crime. The members and staff of the Pardon and Parole Board work tirelessly to provide offenders and victims a fair, objective and transparent clemency process, said Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Director Tom Bates. These cases are extremely difficult and sobering, and I know board members approach each one with solemn reverence. Bates said he would confer with Sanchezs court appointed attorneys on the matter, but if it is truly his desire, Sanchez could waive his clemency hearing. Sanchez asked a judge to fire his court-appointed attorneys and let him proceed by himself. The judge denied the request. Mark Barrett, one of his court appointed attorneys, said he will represent Sanchez unless a judge determines otherwise. Rev. Jeff Hood, Sanchezs spiritual adviser, said the clemency process is not fair, adding that it is dehumanizing and treats offenders like monsters. In the state of Oklahoma, clemency is a cruel hoax, Hood said. David Ballard is an Oklahoma-based private investigator hired by Sanchezs supporters. He said there are problems with the DNA evidence, including questions about how it was collected and processed. Ballard said the DNA evidence needs to be re-tested. The evidence is overwhelming that Anthony Sanchez brutally raped and murdered Juli Busken, said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Instead of expressing remorse, he tried to blame the crime on his deceased father, Drummond said. He called it a ludicrous allegation thoroughly discredited by DNA analysis. What makes this claim all the more despicable is that it makes a mockery of how advances in DNA evidence have exonerated wrongly convicted individuals in recent years, Drummond said. Just as DNA evidence has helped clear the innocent, it can also conclusively show guilt. Anthony Sanchez is guilty beyond any conceivable doubt. Former Cleveland County District Attorney Tim Kuykendall said he is confident Sanchez is guilty of the crime. DNA evidence proved he was the one that violently assaulted, kidnapped, raped and killed Juli Buskin, Kuykendall said. Death row inmate Richard Glossip sued the Pardon and Parole board after it voted 2-2 to deny clemency. One member recused. The pending suit seeks to declare the hearing with four members void of legal effect and null. He seeks to bar his execution until he is afforded a vote with five members. Glossip was twice sentenced to die for the 1997 beating death of his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese. He maintains his innocence. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. After state Superintendent Ryan Walters announced three controversial recommendations from a group of faith advisers for Oklahoma public schools, the only non-Christian listed among members of the group says he did not participate and has asked not to be named in connection to the committee. Prayer does not have to be legislated, Masood Abdul Haqq said in a social media post the day after news spread that the Oklahoma Advisory Committee on Founding Principles issued a recommendation that Walters enforce a full minute of silence daily at every school. Haqq said he attended part of one virtual meeting in April at the behest of a member of the Islamic community but decided it was not for me. To my knowledge, Ryan Walters was not present at that meeting, and I have never met him, Haqq, who has served as chairman of Oklahoma City mosque Masjid Mumin and of CAIR-Oklahoma, said in the post. My reason for not participating is my firm belief that there is no compulsion in religion. The beauty of America is that nothing stops individuals from praying out loud or remembering God under every breath they take, anywhere they go. That includes schools. The groups origin came after a letter to the Oklahoma State Department of Education suggested the need for a scripted, non-sectarian prayer for use in public schools. In late February, Walters responded to that letter by announcing he would form a committee to explore the role of prayer in public education. In addition to the minute of silence, the group recommended that a copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom and a Western Civilization course required for high school graduation. Walters did not express support for those two recommendations. In a letter to the committee, Haqq said he consulted with advisers and came to the conclusion it was in his best interests not to participate. The committee chairman, Rev. Stephen Hamilton, pastor of St. Monica Catholic Church in Edmond, responded to an inquiry Friday with an emailed statement: The Oklahoma Advisory Committee on Founding Principles (OACFP) gathered a diverse group of members, men, women, religious leaders, and other citizens who are active in our Oklahoma communities. Masood Abdul-Haqq is certainly among those leaders and does great work in his many endeavors. He was a valued member of the OACFP and contributed impressively to our discussions. Like all diverse groups, it can be difficult to keep everyone together with competing schedules and demands. I acknowledge his resignation, which he communicated to me today. Our committee wishes Masood the best and we are confident that he will continue to be of great service to the many people he serves and to the greater good of Oklahoma. Other members of the advisory group include: Wade Burleson, a Southern Baptist leader and retired preacher in Enid who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Oklahomas Third Congressional District in 2022; Howard Hatcher, pastor of International Outreach Ministry and Training Center in Tulsa; Jackson Lahmeyer, pastor of Tulsa-based Sheridan.Church and founder of Pastors for Trump, who ran an unsuccessful campaign to try to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. James Lankford; Bob Linn, president of Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee; Aiya Kelley, a Guthrie musician who ran unsuccessfully in the GOP primary for Oklahoma State Senate District 20; Jesse Leon Rodgers, president of Tulsa-based City Elders, a group of spiritual, political, and business leaders who band together in councils to uphold Biblical values in all levels of government; and Derwin Romani, a community mental health advocate in Oklahoma City. The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today. South Korea will expand its refundable and non-refundable aids to Vietnam to fuel the latters peace and prosperity, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a press briefing held after his talks with Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong on Friday afternoon. The two leaders reached a consensus on the effective use of official development assistance (ODA) loans offered to Vietnam by South Korea, according to the press conference. The two nations signed a cooperation agreement on the South Korean economic development promotion fund worth US$2 billion to implement major investment projects to develop traffic and urban infrastructure in Vietnam. South Korean President Yoon, who arrived in Hanoi on Thursday to start his three-day state visit to Vietnam, said that the South Korean government will extend the framework loan agreement and increase the amount of ODA for Vietnam to $2 billion from $1.5 billion in the next few years. Together with the fund, South Koreas total refundable aid to Vietnam will reach $4 billion in 2030, the South Korean representative affirmed. Besides, we will provide Vietnam with a non-refundable aid package of $200 million in the 2024-27 period to enhance environmental protection, and respond to climate change, and develop the health, education and digitalization fields, said the South Korean leader. In addition, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will supply Vietnam with $30 million in non-refundable aid within 10 years to fuel the Southeast Asian nations efforts in scientific innovation and technology growth, he added. Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong speaks at a press briefing on June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Fostered political trust between Vietnam and South Korea Speaking at the press briefing, State President Thuong said that the two nations will continue all-level delegation exchange, and discuss international issues, contributing to strengthening political trust. The two countries will also foster their defense and security cooperation via technology transfer in the defense industry. The South Korean leader pledged to help Vietnam bolster its maritime capacity, affirming that South Korea has a strong political trust in defense cooperation with Vietnam. Furthermore, the two nations reached a consensus on deeper cooperation in core mineral supply chains by building a core mineral supply chain center, said the South Korean president. State President Thuong underscored that Vietnam always encourages South Korean firms to expand their reach to the countrys key projects such as thermal power plants, liquefied natural gas-fired power facilities, and hi-tech electronics production and smart city projects. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech at a press conference on June 23, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Stronger people-to-people exchange The two leaders are keen on the extension of a memorandum of understanding on the dispatch of Vietnamese laborers to South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS) program. The two nations will create more favorable conditions and simplify entry procedures for each others experts and laborers. The two leaders agreed to beef up cultural and educational exchange, aside from deepening the cooperation between the two countries localities via various trade and investment promotion programs. Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (right, back row) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left, back row) witness the signing by the two nations ministries of foreign affairs. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Archimedes Academy elementary school in Vietnams capital Hanoi has confirmed an incident in which a student was left in the school bus for about 30 minutes after a field trip on Thursday, and has apologized to the students parents. Nguyen Thuy Hang, founder of Archimedes school system, confirmed on Friday that a six-year-old student of Archimedes Academy, a unit of the system in Cau Giay District, was neglected in a school bus a day earlier, VTC News reported. On Thursday morning, the school conducted a summer camp in Bat Trang Commune of Hanoi's Gia Lam District, for 20 first graders along with five teachers and support staff, and all of them were taken there in a shuttle bus of the school. At 12:10 pm that day, the vehicle took all the trips attendants back to the school, and teachers in charge did not count the number of students who got off the bus. About 12:30 pm, when all the returned students got together for lunch, teachers in charge of the trip found one student missing and reported the finding to the bus driver, who had left the school, as well as the parents of the missing student. Ten minutes later, the school was informed by the driver and parents that the student was sleeping in the bus. The driver then immediately drove the student back to school and arrived at 12:45 pm, according to the schools Facebook page. It turned out that the student had been sleeping in the bus without detection when the vehicle returned to the school after the field trip, despite the vehicle being equipped with two surveillance cameras, Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper reported. The student was in normal health when coming back to the school, according to a schools representative, who has met the students parents for apologies. In a post on the schools Facebook page, Vu Thi Bao Tram, the schools principal, wrote: The schools management board, teachers and related staff would like to bow their heads to admit their mistakes, committing not to have any other incidents that cause unsafe conditions and affect the health and psychology of students and their families. This incident is very regrettable but it fortunately has not affected the students health. We accept our faults. "We will convene a meeting and handle all those held responsible for the happening. We will also recheck the entire student pick-up and drop-off process," VTC News cited Hang as saying. Four years ago, a first grader of Gateway International School, also in Hanois Cau Giay District, died after he was neglected for hours on August 6, 2019 in a van contracted by his school to transport students. At a hearing in January 2020, the district Peoples Court sentenced three people, including the van driver, the head teacher of the dead students class and the staff in charge of student transport, to 12-24 months in prison each for their negligence causing the fatality. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Friday afternoon hosted a reception for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is paying a three-day state visit to Vietnam. The Vietnamese Party leader spoke highly of the state visit by President Yoon following the upgrade of the Vietnam-South Korea bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership late last year. The visit is expected to be a new milestone that boosts further development of the two countries relations in the years ahead, said Party chief Trong. He stressed that the bilateral relationship had overcome challenging times and is anticipated to advance further. Both sides should make more visits to each others country and beef up cooperation, Trong suggested. In addition, he hailed the positive outcomes achieved during talks between Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong and President Yoon, suggesting that both sides continue to enhance mutual understanding and political trust by maintaining regular exchanges at all levels. Despite facing multiple obstacles and challenges amid many global uncertainties, Vietnam is determined to develop itself as an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, and friendly nation. The country will keep bolstering its reform and remain a reliable friend and partner of all countries around the globe, especially close countries like South Korea, the Party leader remarked. Vietnams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) holds talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo: Tuan Huy / Tuoi Tre President Yoon stated that Vietnam has remained a key partner of South Korea in Asia over the past 30 years. He expressed his expectations that both sides will continue to forge their bilateral relationship and make it a role model in international relations. The two countries will keep focusing on training Vietnamese students, facilitating people-to-people exchanges, and boosting cooperation in science technology, education and training, the top South Korean official said. Both leaders also exchanged their viewpoints regarding international and regional issues of mutual concern. Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal On the same day, President Yoon also held talks with Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. PM Chinh suggested both countries effectively implement the Vietnam-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), in order to fulfill the target of raising their bilateral trade to US$100 billion in the near future and $150 billion by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner. South Korea should create favorable conditions for more Vietnamese staple products such as agro-aquatic items and seasonal fruits to enter the South Korean market, while supporting Vietnamese businesses to deeply engage in the global supply chain of South Korean firms, PM Chinh suggested. The Vietnamese Cabinet leader encouraged South Korean businesses to expand their investment scale in Vietnam and continue to consider Vietnam as a strategic destination in which they will build further research and development centers and conduct technology transfer. The prime minister affirmed that Vietnam will adopt measures to remove obstacles facing South Korean firms active in this Southeast Asian country. Echoing PM Chinhs views, President Yoon asserted that the South Korean government will continue to encourage local firms to invest in Vietnam. Yoon suggested both sides beef up cooperation in the national defense industry, offer support to South Korean firms to invest in finance-banking, infrastructure and smart urban development in Vietnam. At another meeting between President Yoon and NA chairman Hue, the latter proposed South Korea expand the scale of providing official development assistance (ODA) loans for Vietnam and promote cooperation in national defense and security. Vietnams National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) gesture during their talks in Hanoi on June 23, 2023. Photo: QUOCHOI.VN Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnamese police have prosecuted 18 people for smuggling over three tons of gold worth about US$212.5 million from Laos to Vietnam, and two others for tax evasion in connection to the gold smuggling ring. The police investigation agency of the Ministry of Public Security has uncovered the case of smuggling of gold in large quantities in northern Quang Tri Province and the related tax evasion at Hanoi-based Phu Quy Gold Investment Joint Stock Company, Lieutenant General To An Xo, the ministrys spokesman, reported Saturday. The 18-member gold smuggling ring was led by Nguyen Thi Hoa, a Quang Tri resident, while the tax evasion was committed by Le Xuan Tung, chairman of the board of directors cum general director of Phu Quy, and a woman named Le Thuy Quynh. All these 20 defendants have been bailed but banned from leaving their residence, the spokesperson said. According to initial investigation results, Hoa and Nguyen Thi Gai, one of her accomplices, organized and operated their ring to buy gold from Laos and bring them into Vietnam via Lao Bao border gate in Quang Tri. The ring smuggled more than three tons of gold worth around VND5 trillion ($212.5 million) from early 2022 until it was recently busted, the official said. The ring then sold the smuggled gold to many jewelry shops in Vietnam to earn illegitimate profit. Meanwhile, Tung and Quynh had been found having connections with the ring and also committed related tax evasion totaling VND6.145 trillion ($261.2 million). In order to evade tax, they had directed their staff to make false tax declarations and finalizations for 2021, police said. The investigation police agency is expanding their investigation into the case and has blocked and distrained a lot of properties of the defendants to ensure recovery of the evaded tax amount. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam saw 5,100 cyber security attacks targeting various systems in the first half of the year, with nearly 400 agencies and organizations websites being hacked and having gambling and betting advertising codes inserted, the Vietnam National Cybersecurity Technology Corporation (NCS) said in a report released on Friday. The affected websites included those with domain names ending in .gov.vn and .edu.vn, which signify a website belonging to organizations and agencies under the government of Vietnam or the Ministry of Education and Training, respectively. The figure is highly alarming, according to NCS, as hackers, in addition to inserting advertising links, can exploit system control to pilfer the database, comprising users personal information, and potentially upload harmful content to distribute malicious code in the future. In general, the number of cyber security breaches on Vietnamese systems decreased by approximately 12 percent in January-June compared to the same period in 2022, totaling 5,100 incidents. However, there was a rise of around nine percent in the instances of advanced persistent threat (APT) on critical establishments during the six-month period, which can be attributed to the abundance of vital and influential data present in such facilities, making them prime targets for hackers. According to NCS experts, the mentioned APT attack campaigns primarily concentrated on three key attack methods -- namely employing fabricated email content containing text files embedded with malicious code or deceptive login links aiming to hijack user accounts; exploiting software vulnerabilities on servers, particularly targeting systems utilizing Microsoft software such as Exchange and SharePoint; and exploiting website vulnerabilities, particularly SQL Injection vulnerabilities or attempting to breach website administrator and server passwords. Once the hacker successfully infiltrates a system component, whether it is a users device or a vulnerable server, they will conceal their presence, gather login credentials, and subsequently escalate the attack by targeting additional computers within the network. APT attacks have the potential to persist for extended periods, spanning weeks or even months, according to NCS. However, several agencies and organizations lack a security operations center (SOC) or possess one that inadequately collects logs. Furthermore, the absence of dedicated experts compounds the issue, resulting in significant data loss by the time the intrusion is detected, when hackers already had sufficient time to erase their tracks, thereby complicating the investigation process and impeding efforts to rectify the problem. NCS recommends agencies and organizations prioritize the maintenance and security of their website and portal systems. This entails establishing dedicated teams or outsourcing operational services to ensure comprehensive network security. To effectively prevent APT attacks, a thorough system review is necessary, including the collection of comprehensive activity logs and the appointment of specialized personnel or the outsourcing of network security monitoring services. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Read what is in the news in Vietnam today: Politics -- Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomed President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, his spouse and entourage to Vietnam following the upgrade of bilateral relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership in late 2022, during a reception in Hanoi on Friday. Society -- Many streets and houses in Da Lat City of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong were submerged and many vehicles were stuck in rainwater after a thundery downpour lasted for one hour on Friday afternoon. -- The Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has devised a plan to offer annual free health check-ups to the elderly residents of the city starting 2024. -- During the inspection of an air shipment from France to Vietnam on Thursday, officials in Hanoi uncovered 19 kilograms of suspicious white crystals believed to be ketamine that were concealed by being mixed with confectionery and consumer goods, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said on Friday. -- In a joint operation, police in south-central Binh Dinh Province and the Ministry of Public Security apprehended four individuals who were found to be in possession of nine firearms and 87 rounds of ammunition, including seven military-grade weapons, marking the largest seizure of firearms ever recorded in the province. -- The Vietnam National Cybersecurity Technology Corporation on Friday released a report highlighting that Vietnam saw 5,100 cyber security attacks targeting various systems in the first half of the year, with nearly 400 agencies and organizations, including those with domain names ending in .gov.vn and .edu.vn, being hacked and having gambling and betting advertising codes inserted. -- The Archimedes Academy elementary school in Cau Giay District, Hanoi on Friday confirmed that a student was accidentally left on the school bus the previous day, but did not experience any significant health or psychological impact. Business -- The Peoples Committee of Thu Duc City in Ho Chi Minh City organized the official opening of a dedicated fashion street along Vo Van Ngan Street, spanning over a distance of over two kilometers, on Friday evening. -- During the Vietnam-South Korea Business Forum held in Hanoi on Friday afternoon, South Korean and Vietnamese companies exchanged over 100 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) for cooperation. Sports -- The Vietnamese national womens football team is scheduled to play a friendly match against their host German counterpart at 11:15 pm on Saturday as part of their preparations for the upcoming 2023 FIFA Womens World Cup. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! During the inspection of an air shipment from France to Vietnam on Thursday, officials in Hanoi uncovered 19 kilograms of suspicious white crystals believed to be ketamine that were concealed by being mixed with confectionery and consumer goods, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said on Friday. The air consignment consisted of two boxes, weighing approximately 30 kilograms in total. Each box contains 10 yellow small containers, each of which contains a plastic bag filled with white crystals suspected to be ketamine, with a combined weight exceeding 19 kilograms. The items were concealed in the lower section of cocoa containers, under a layer of cocoa powder, and intricately integrated with confectionery and various consumer products to evade detection by authorities, who are currently investigating the case. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnam-Japan Friendship Industrial Park, inaugurated in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam in November 2018, has seen no enterprise developing factories although it has favorable traffic conditions and sufficient infrastructure facilities. Located in Cai Rang District, the 30-hectare industrial park was designed to serve Japanese enterprises. It is some five kilometers from the center of Can Tho City and eight kilometers from Can Tho International Airport and adjacent to an international port system along the Hau River. However, no Japanese enterprise has built their factories in the industrial park. They have made investments in the Tra Noc Industrial Park, also in Can Tho, said Pham Duy Tin, head of the Can Tho Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority. Can Tho is a centrally-managed city, so it is not entitled to preferential policies like other provinces, Tin added. The Vietnam-Japan Friendship Industrial Park in Can Tho City has no Japanese enterprise after nearly five years of inauguration. Photo: Le Dan / Tuoi Tre Japanese enterprises are cautious. They study policies, traffic conditions, sectors, logistics costs, and land rentals before making investments. Tin added that many Japanese firms have expressed their keen interest in the VSIP (Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park) Can Tho project, whose work will start soon in Vinh Thanh District, Can Tho City. Can Tho City has attracted six Japanese-invested projects with a total registered capital of US$1.35 billion, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total foreign direct investment in the city, according to the Can Tho Export Processing and Industrial Zone Authority. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Huneza Khan, TwoCircles.net Several hundred Muslims gathered outside a 100-year-old dargah in Gujarats Junagadh city on the night of June 16 to protest a demolition notice. The rally quickly turned violent, with police baton-charging demonstrators and shelling tear gas on them. Support TwoCircles Following the violence, at least 174 people were arrested for stone pelting and setting a vehicle on fire. During the incident, a 62-year-old man also died. Muslims in Junagadh have been living in fear of arrest since then. Why Were Muslims Protesting? The Junagadh Municipal Corporation issued a notice to the Majewadi Gate Dargah administration on June 16 asking that they produce ownership documentation for the property by June 19. However, at around 10 p.m. the same day, at least 500 people gathered near the dargah to protest the possible demolition of the 100-year-old shrine. They were concerned about a midnight demolition, said lawyer Aftab Ansari. On the night of May 28, the Junagadh district administration demolished 18 illegal religious structures in an identical incident. Protesters were also outraged that the notices to produce documentation that the structure was lawful and not an encroachment only allowed the Dargah officials a 5-day deadline. What Triggered the Violence? To control the protesting crowd, police presence was increased, which quickly escalated into stone-pelting. According to a local who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Two Circles, the police tried to persuade the demonstrators to end the protest since the busy Junagadh Rajkot route was blocked, and they assured them that their concerns would be addressed. It remains unclear what triggered the violence, they said, whether it was the result of police lathi charging or the stone pelting. Homes Vandalised, Targeted Arrests Allege Muslims According to Sajid Khan Pathan, a lawyer for the accused persons, 35 people, including a minor, were sent to police custody for one day under 7 sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860, including unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, and criminal conspiracy. They are arresting people on the basis of agyaat (unknown), Pathan alleged. Two Circles reached out to the families of several Muslims who were arrested by police. All but one declined the interview out of fear of reprisal from the police. Sabeeha* claimed that the police detained 5 men from her family, including two minors. She said that they did not participate in the protests. They forcibly entered our homes, vandalized vehicles, lights, and CCTV cameras. We hid on the terrace in fear, Sabeeha explained. We were unable to verify the allegations she made. Bystanders Captured on Camera, Arrested: Lawyer Another lawyer, Basheer K Sandh, stated that other innocent onlookers who were captured on CCTV cameras during the protest were also arrested. As the crowd gathered for the protest, bystanders passing through the area stopped to see what was happening, he explained. According to Sandh, the police are only releasing persons who were not seen on CCTV. Muslim Men Flogged Outside the Dargah On the morning of June 17, a video surfaced on Twitter that resembled medieval justice. 7 Muslim men were made to stand in a line outside the dargah, and a masked man flogged them as they screamed in pain. Pathan stated that three Muslims who were flogged have filed a complaint with the Magistrate. In October 2022, 5 Muslim men in Gujarats Kheda district were tied to a pole and beaten with a stick by the police as a crowd cheered. According to the Indian Express, a top police official even justified the public flogging of the men by saying it was done to maintain peace and harmony. A Man Dies During Protest According to authorities, a 62-year-old man died during the protest. Ansari said that the deceased had a history of two bypass surgeries and died as a result of a heart attack during the violence. He was on the bus. While others on the bus fled in fear, this individual remained onboard and succumbed to the heart attack. There are concerns that the police may exploit this incident to unjustly harass Muslims in the area, said Ansari. However, Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty told reporters that the man died as a result of stone pelting, but it will be clear after the postmortem report. Muslims Living in Fear, Gujarat Hc Issues Notice to Authorities Sandh said the situation is gradually returning to normal, but that people are still afraid. Several people arrested have allegedly been subjected to custodial torture, but they refuse to come forward and speak out, he claimed. The Gujarat High Court issued notices to the Junagadh authorities on petitions challenging the issuance of demolition notices for unauthorised dargahs in Junagadh on June 20. The petitions sought that the notices issued by the Junagadh municipal corporations be quashed and set aside. *Name changed to protect identity Huneza Khan is an independent reporter based in India. She tweets at @KhanHuneza Orca attacks on boats appear to be 'leapfrogging' across oceans as a yacht is rammed by killer whale north of Scotland Orcas in Norway. Mike Korostelev/ Getty Images An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the Shetland Islands, a sailor told the Guardian. The attack follows a series of orca incidents around the Iberian peninsula. The "fad" may be "leapfrogging through the various pods and communities," an expert said. An orca attacked a yacht off the Shetland Islands coast in the North Sea earlier this week, as the aggressive incidents involving killer whales show signs that it could be spreading across the oceans. Previous orca attacks on boats occurred 3,000 miles away, off the coasts of Portugal and Spain. Dr. Wim Rutten was sailing from Lerwick, Shetland, an island 400 miles off the north coast of Scotland, to Bergen, Norway, on Monday when an orca suddenly appeared and rammed the stern of his seven-ton yacht, The Guardian reported. Rutten told The Guardian that the orca repeatedly hit the ship, sending "soft shocks" through the hull. It is the first known orca attack on a boat in the North Sea. The 72-year-old Dutch physicist, an experienced sailor, said he had heard about orca incidents around Portugal, adding that he found the loud breathing of the orca the "most frightening." He said the animal kept behind the boat, disappeared, but then "came back at fast speed, twice or thrice, and circled a bit." "Maybe he just wanted to play. Or look me in the eyes. Or to get rid of the fishing line," he added. It seems the trend has now spread further, with one expert studying orca pods off the Scottish coast telling The Guardian that it was feasible that North Sea orcas were learning from southern orca populations. "It's possible that this 'fad' is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities," Dr. Conor Ryan, a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, told The Guardian. Similar behavior has been regularly seen in killer whales off the coast of the Iberian peninsula, and experts say orca interactions with vessels have been increasing since 2020, Insider previously reported. While many boat interactions with orcas in the area have been harmless, killer whales have increasingly rammed and even sank boats. The exact reason behind the behavior remains unclear, but some experts believe that a traumatized female orca called White Gladis may be behind the trend, with other killer whales learning and imitating the aggressive behavior from her. The marine animals are "so highly intelligent" they can learn from each other very quickly, John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld orca trainer, also said recently while predicting that the attacks would continue escalating. The rising number of incidents has left researchers concerned for sailors' safety and the dwindling orca population around the Iberian peninsula. Read the original article on Business Insider Oscar-nominated character actor Frederic Forrest, who starred in The Rose and Apocalypse Now, died Friday in Santa Monica, Calif. at 86 after a long illness. Bette Midler, his former costar, shared the news on Twitter. More from Deadline The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died, Midler, 77, wrote Friday. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace. Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with him on Apocalypse Now and other films, issued a statement. Freddie Forrest was a sweet, much beloved person, a wonderful actor and a good friend. His loss is heartbreaking to me. Midler and Forrest starred in the The Rose (1979), with Forrest portraying her limousine-driver-turned-love-interest, Huston Dyer. The role earned Forrest Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Also in 1979, he starred as Jay Chef Hicks in the Francis Ford Coppola classic Apocalypse Now, working alongside Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando. In a lighter vein, Forrest showed off his comic chops playing the title characters loopy-but-sweet dad in Martha Coolidges 1983 cult classic Valley Girl. Born on Dec. 23, 1936, in Waxahachie, Texas, Forrest earned a minor in theater arts and a major in radio and television studies at Texas Christian University. He then headed to New York, where he studied under Sanford Meisner, an accomplished actor and teacher. Forrest later became a part of the Actors Studio, mentored by theater director and actor Lee Strasberg, while working as a page at NBC Studios. He performed in such Off-Broadway productions as Viet Rock, Silhouettes and Futz! before moving to Los Angeles. He won a role in When Legends Die (1972), earning a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. He followed with small roles in The Conversation (1974), also directed by Coppola. His last on-screen appearance was in All The Kings Men in 2006. He was married to Nancy Ann Whittaker from 1960 to 1963 and actress Marilu Henner from 1980 to 1983. The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace. bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 24, 2023 (More) Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. HA NOI - The market opened Friday's trading session with a strong rally but the state of dispute continued and prevented the gaining momentum from expanding. The benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange rose 0.36 per cent to close at 1,129.38 points. It had risen 0.61 per cent to close at 1,125.30 points. More than 906.6 million shares worth VN18 trillion (US$765 million) were traded on the southern bourse. Market breadth was neutral, with 235 gainers and 200 losers. The HoSE's large-cap tracker VN30-Index also edged higher, closing at 1,126.76 points, up 0.82 per cent. Nineteen of the 15 largest stocks rose, while 15 stocks lost points. Gainers in the VN-30 basket were Hoa Phat Group (HPG), Masan Group (MSN), Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and Vinamilk (VNM). Despite a favourable start with a good gain at the beginning of the session, the market could not surpass the old peak of 1,125-1,130 points, due to the lack of demand to push prices at banks and large-cap groups, said Viet Dragon Securities Co. The indexes closed with an indecisive candlestick pattern and the liquidity did not increase significantly compared to yesterday, temporarily showing the cautious sentiment of cash flow at the resistance zone. Therefore, it is likely that the market will continue to struggle and explore supply and demand at the beginning of the next session, before having more specific signals. With this scenario, investors need to slow down to assess the supply and demand status and can continue to hold stocks with good accumulation moves. However, it is still necessary to consider taking profits at stocks that have increased rapidly to the resistance zone or are under selling pressure from the resistance zone, it said. Banking stocks supported the market with gainers such as Sacombank (STB), Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), VPBank (VPB) and Asia Commercial Bank (ACB). However, some banks still suffered selling pressure such as Vietcombank (VCB), HDBank (HDB) and Vietinbank (CTG). Energy stocks, including PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Service Corp (PVD) and PetroVietnam Technical Services Corp (PVS), suffered selling pressure and weighed on the indices. The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange edged down 0.16 per cent to end at 231.54 points. More than 122 million shares were traded on the northern exchange, worth VN2 trillion. VNS People injured in China restaurant blast recovering well: expert Xinhua) 10:42, June 24, 2023 YINCHUAN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- People injured in a restaurant gas explosion in northwest China on Wednesday night are recovering well after receiving treatment at hospital, a medical expert said Friday. Two patients with slight burns and injuries will be discharged soon. For those with severe burns, doctors have completed wound debridement and will provide treatment for air passage and lung injuries, said Lyu Guozhong, director of the national emergency medical research center. All patients are recovering well, Lyu said. The explosion occurred at Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant on a busy street in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, when liquefied petroleum gas leaked from the restaurant, killing 31 people and injured seven. On Thursday, six clinical experts dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Health Commission arrived in Yinchuan, joining local medical teams to provide one-on-one treatment for the wounded. Local authorities said Friday that the identities of all victims had been verified, adding that psychological counseling and legal support are being provided to family members of the victims. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) (Photo : INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images) The titan sub that dove the depths of the ocean to view the wreckage of the Titanic had five people as passengers, here are their lives before the tragic blast. The Titan Sub that dove into the ocean to glimpse the historic vessel that sank in 1912 was recently confirmed to have catastrophically imploded. Learn more about the life of the five victims before the tragic blast. In a statement on Thursday, the company that developed the submersible vessel said that the passengers were "true explorers" who shared a unique spirit of adventure. It added that they all had a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. The confirmed deceased include British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani investor Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Hamish Harding Before the incident, Harding was the chairman of Action Aviation, an aviation sales and consulting company. His friend retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts, said that Harding was, by nature, an explorer. He previously broke the Guinness world record for the fastest flight around our planet's poles in 2019, an achievement that included Virts as a crew member. Furthermore, Harding broke Guinness world records for the longest duration at a full ocean depth by a crewed vessel and the longest distance traveled along the deepest part of the ocean, as per NPR. Read Also: Powerful Gamma Ray Burst Born From Multiple Stars Colliding Near Black Hole Shahzada Dawood On the other hand, Shahzada is known as the vice chairman of Engro, a Pakistani energy investment company, and Dawood Hercules Corp., an investment and holdings firm. He was said to be skilled in mergers and acquisitions in companies across various industries, including textiles, fertilizers, foods, and energy. His son, 19-year-old Suleman, was a college student and had only recently finished his first year as a business major at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Suleman Dawood In the days before the launch, Suleman expressed hesitation about going with his father on the submersible. In an interview, his aunt said that the younger Dawood "wasn't very up for it" and noted he was "terrified" about going on the trip to explore the Titanic's wreckage. However, the teenager eventually agreed to go on the trip because it fell over Father's Day weekend, and he wanted to make his dad happy. According to NBC News, the latter was known to be passionate about the lore surrounding the submerged vessel. Stockton Rush The most famous of the group of passengers was Rush, who founded OceanGate in 2009 and oversaw the development of various submersibles that would be found capable of traveling up to 20,000 feet below the surface of the Earth's oceans. Rush became the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world in 1981 at the age of 19 years, which had him fly to destinations such as Cairo, Mumbai, and Zurich. He also had a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University and a business master's degree from UC Berkeley. Paul-Henri Nargeolet Also known as "Mr. Titanic" for his knowledge of the historic vessel, Nargeolet spent more than two decades with the French Navy and later became commander. In 1986, he retired and oversaw two deep-sea submersibles at the French Institute for Research and Exploitation of the Sea. Nargeolet previously completed 37 dives in a submersible that traveled to the wreckage of the Titanic and supervised the retrieval of 5,000 of its artifacts. Mr. Titanic was born in Chamonix, France, but later spent more than a decade of his young life in Africa with his family before returning to France when he was 16. A development regarding the incident came as Mike Reiss, who previously completed four dives with OceanGate's submersible, has spoken out. He said that they lost contact with the host ship on all of his four 10-hour dives inside the sub. He noted that it took his crew three hours without GPS to find the Titanic despite landing only 500 yards from the vessel. Reiss added that he signed a "waiver that mentions death three times on the first page," said ABC News. Related Article: Vatican To Release Evidence Related to 1983 Disappearance of 15-Year-Old Girl @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Friday for President and CEO of the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) Kim Sung-tae and Chairman and CEO of the Korea Development Bank (KDB) Kang Seoghoon who are accompanying President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol during his ongoing state visit to Viet Nam. Underlining that the Vietnamese Government hopes that with the lifting up of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the two sides will enter a new glorious chapter of cooperation, Khai said he expected RoK businesses, including its banks in Viet Nam, would further promote their role and support the growth of partnership between the two countries, especially in economy. Khai took note of the positive contributions of the two banks in connecting RoK investment and projects in Viet Nam, highlighting that recently, the IBK expanded its business in Viet Nam with greater attention to small- and medium-sized enterprises and the renewable energy sector. This was a right way for the bank in Viet Nam, showing its strong commitment to accompanying the Vietnamese economy, matching the current key orientations of the Vietnamese Government, he said. The official suggested that the IBK continue to promote its experience and strengths as well as its role in the SME sector, thus positively supporting the Viet Nam-RoK economic cooperation. Khai hailed the cooperation of the KDB with the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance, supporting the ministry in seeking suitable operation models for the restructuring of the Viet Nam Development Bank (VDB). For his part, Kang Seoghoon held that although the global economy was facing difficulties, Viet Nam had still enjoyed sustainable growth. Kang said he hoped for a strong partnership with Vietnamese firms in the fields of high technology, digital transformation, and green energy development for climate change mitigation. He said that the bank expected the formation of a branch in Viet Nam to share experience with and support Vietnamese firms to reach out to the world. IBK Chairman Kim Sung-tae said that he was keen on setting up a bank specialising in providing financial services to small- and medium-sized enterprises, thus upgrading the ecosystem of the Vietnamese SOEs, contributing to the growth of the ties between the two countries. Deputy PM Khai said that the RoK was currently the country with the greatest presence of finance-banking organisations in Viet Nam. He noted that Viet Nam was hosting 96 credit institutions and foreign banks branches. Since 2011, Viet Nam had been strongly implementing economic restructuring, including that in the financial sector. For the 2021-2025 period, Viet Nam aimed to restructure the system of credit institutions to strengthen the quality and efficiency of the system, he said, adding that the country hopes for the positive involvement of RoK finance-banking organisations in the process. He underlined that the Vietnamese Government encouraged foreign finance-banking organisations to engage in the restructuring of local credit institutions and dealing with banks with weak performance. This would create abundance of chances for foreign financial organisations who are keen on establishing their presence in Viet Nam, he added. VNS The northern province of Bac Giang is famous for thieu lychees, which grow mainly in Luc Ngan District. Farmers in the district are very busy these days harvesting the popular fruit. Hundreds of lorries and motorbikes carry lychees to markets in every corner of the province. The peak harvest season begins in early June and lasts for more than a month. Various travel agencies in and around the province have already planned tours for visitors to pick lychees at farms in the region. The lychee plantation area totalled 30,000 hectares in the province. Experienced lychee traders say Luc Ngan lychees were first exported to China in 1997, mostly in dried form which Chinese people add to their tea. The fruit is also the first Vietnamese agricultural product to be granted a special certificate by Japan, which took negotiations lasting nearly three years. In addition to Japan, thieu lychees have already earned geographical protection in six countries, namely China, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia. The protection is like a passport to help speed up the customs clearance processes, raise prices, and improve the value of the farm produce. In 2023, Central Retail Viet Nam will consume about 300 tonnes of lychees from Luc Ngan District. The total output is estimated at over 180,000 tonnes. - VNS HCM CITY Vu Khoan, the late secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister, made great contributions to Viet Nam's economy and diplomacy, and left a strong impact on the people he worked with. Viet Nam News asks Thomas J. Vallely, director of the Viet Nam Programme at the USs Harvard University and chairman of Fulbright University Viet Nam's board of trustees, about his impressions and memories of the late leader. How did you first meet Vu Khoan? He was an important figure in the normalisation of relations between the US and Viet Nam that took place in the 1990s and through the early 2000s. He along with many other Vietnamese leaders like Phan Van Khai was in the forefront of the normalisation of relations with Viet Nam. I worked at the Harvard Institute for International Development at the time, and we were informally consulting with the Government and the Party on how Viet Nams reforms would unfold, how extensive they would be, and what the details would be included. We were thinking Viet Nam could be a tiger, how it can become like Taiwan (China), Singapore or South Korea. We knew Vu Khoan quite well. Vu Khoan was a vibrant public intellectual about what the path forward would be. He was very active, particularly in the area of trade. After Viet Nam deregulated agriculture, the next big thing they tackled was trade. And he was an important figure in the bilateral trade agreement that ultimately became a reality just before President Clinton came to Viet Nam in 2000. We were not close friends, but we knew each other well, and I want to extend the condolences of the Harvard community and Fulbright community to the family for the recent passing of Vu Khoan, who was, as I mentioned, an important public intellectual. What are your impressions of Vu Khoan? He was opinionated, and he held his view strongly. He clearly knew the direction he thought Viet Nam should go, and he had a good compass for political and economic mechanisms. He was a technocrat with strong political opinions and ideas. Those ideas are part of why Viet Nam is so successful today like how do you open up, how do you manage the opening of a closed economy becoming part of the modern, more market-based world? With strong viewpoints, he argued for them, helping Viet Nam make the final decision to join the bilateral trade agreement with the United States. Trade has become a very important engine of Viet Nam's growth, and Vu Khoan was the pioneer during the time we made that decision. Among all this, is there one memory of the man etched in your mind? It was not a moment when I was with him by myself, but I think it was the moment when President Clinton paid a very historical visit to Viet Nam in 2000. He was meeting and becoming acquainted with the former general secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Le Kha Phieu. President Clinton was trying to make his point about how the United States and Viet Nam might work together. In the management of the room and the conversation, I think Vu Khoan really enhanced that conversation. He had a skilful way of interacting with the mechanisms that needed to change in order for the trade liberalisation to take place. Later on I think he really became a central figure in revisiting contemporary ideas such as how big Viet Nam's private sector needs to be since it was too small for the 21st century. What do you reckon we can learn from Vu Khoan? We are now looking at contemporary Viet Nam and what is the big thing that has to take place for Viet Nam to continue to have the kind of growth path that it had in the past 30 years. I think the biggest piece of the equation that needs to be revisited is the size of Viet Nam's private sector. Getting the private sector to be a bigger part of Viet Nam's economy is something that I think Vu Khoan really understood early on. In addition to that, I think he has shown that it is important to have a clear opinion about what you want, really understand the direction that the country needs to take, and fight for it. - VNS HA NOI Former Secretary of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan was a pioneer in Viet Nam's reform, innovation, and international integration process, says Dr. Vu Duong Huan, director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Vu Khoan made significant contributions to ending the economic embargo in the 1990s, as well as revamping the nation's foreign policy and accelerating its international economic integration. He passed away on June 21, 2023, aged 86, at the Military Central Hospital after a period of illness. This is a great loss for the Party, State, and people. A prominent diplomat Huan recalled that the former Deputy Prime Minister was a professional diplomat who held various positions in the government. He had studied and worked in the former Soviet Union and served as an interpreter for the late President Ho Chi Minh, the late Party General Secretary Le Duan, and the late Prime Minister Pham Van ong. During his tenure at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade, Vu Khoan demonstrated exceptional diplomatic skills, profound research ability, and theoretical expertise. His diplomatic career witnessed many notable achievements, including Viet Nam's accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995 and the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1996. Additionally, the Viet Nam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and the long journey towards negotiating member status of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were significant milestones. Throughout the terms of late Prime Ministers Vo Van Kiet and Phan Van Khai, Vu Khoan made important contributions to lifting the economic embargo and introducing a new foreign policy. "During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vu Khoan made significant contributions to opening up and integrating the country with the international community. During late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet's era, when Vu Khoan served as Deputy Prime Minister, he had a well-planned strategy for opening up the nation. The roadmap started from Southeast Asia, then expanded to the United States, and later extended to Europe," Huan said. As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1990 and Minister of Trade in 2000, Vu Khoan successfully negotiated the normalisation of relations with the United States, the BTA, Viet Nam's accession to ASEAN, and membership in the WTO. Sharing impressions of the former Deputy PM, Huan said: "He was a visionary person with a mindset for innovation and intelligence. He was always reading books, learning, and had many concerns about how to promote the strong development of Viet Nam's diplomacy." He was a role model for innovative thinking, dynamism, and creativity. He consistently emphasised the importance of continuous learning for the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially for young diplomats, he recalled. Having worked in diplomacy and participated in various diplomatic research activities, Huan said Vu Khoan continued working until the very last moments of his life. Even before his passing, he actively participated in conferences and scientific research workshops organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was a lifelong learner," he said. For Nguyen Vinh Quang, former head of the China and Northeast Asia Department under the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, memories of Khoan during his tenure as a member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat in 2001 remained intact. "This was a time when I worked closely with former Deputy PM Vu Khoan, accompanying him on many important activities and handling various issues related to Viet Nam's relations with other countries," Quang shared. During a trip accompanying Vu Khoan as the head of the Vietnamese delegation to the conference of Asian political parties, Quang witnessed Vu Khoan's sensitivity, caution, and meticulousness in his speeches and interactions. In 2014, Quang was assigned to direct a documentary commemorating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations. He consulted with the former Deputy PM and engaged in a long conversation, discussing both general and personal matters. "Despite being colleagues in the Foreign Ministry and leaders, he was like a mentor to me. Whether it was the books he authored or the conversations he had with diplomats, I learned a lot," Quang said emotionally. Quang affirmed that few retired leaders at the age of 80 still attended and shared their thoughts at conferences, workshops, and roundtable discussions like Vu Khoan did. Every time there was a roundtable discussion with Vu Khoan's participation, we were delighted and eagerly anticipated his speeches. We held him in high regard," he said. Construction of Resolution 36 on overseas Vietnamese Recalling the time working with Vu Khoan, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Nguyen Phu Binh affirmed that Vu Khoan made significant contributions to the country's diplomatic sector. Starting as a Russian interpreter for leaders, he absorbed a great deal of knowledge, experience, and wisdom from his superiors, which he later applied in his professional work and leadership career. "Personally, he was very intelligent, sensitive, a quick learner, and had a clear understanding of complex issues. The lower-ranking officials of the diplomatic sector were lucky to work under his guidance," he shared. Referring to a lesser-known aspect of Khoan's career, namely the process of building the Politburo's Resolution No 36-NQ/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs, Binh revealed that this was a recommendation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs. At that time, Binh was the committees deputy chairman, and later the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the committee. Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan, who was the Party Central Committees Secretary and in charge of foreign affairs, made a significant impact on the formation of this resolution. "When we submitted the resolution, he was very meticulous, examining every word, making detailed corrections, and refining the language of the resolution right from the initial stage, he recalled. This document was approved on March 26, 2004. It will be 20 years old in 2024, yet still holds its value and continues to serve as a guideline for overseas Vietnamese affairs, he said. Binh noted that the former Deputy Prime Minister was a diligent reader. After finishing a good book or studying a particular issue, he always synthesised the information clearly and conveyed it to young officials to improve their knowledge. Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan diligently fulfilled any task assigned to him by the Party and the State. Even after his retirement, he continued to show great concern for the country's situation and provided suggestions to the Party and the State to improve conditions in Viet Nam. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol in Ha Noi on Friday. The PM affirmed Viet Nams consistent value and desire to further advance the new framework of the bilateral relations between the two countries with a broader and higher vision and goal. In response, the RoK President congratulated Viet Nam on its development achievements so far and highlighted that the RoK Government highly valued the Viet Nam-RoK relationship and considered Viet Nam a key cooperative partner in the region. Expressing their joy and satisfaction with substantive progress made in the bilateral relations, particularly its elevation to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December last year, the two sides exchanged views on specific measures to promote bilateral ties in politics, diplomacy, defence, security, economy, trade, investment, development cooperation, labour, science and technology, people-to-people exchange, among other areas. Given slow global economic recovery, the two sides agreed to make joint efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the nations mutually beneficial cooperation and complement each other's strength, with a focus on making significant qualitative strides in economic ties. PM Chinh proposed that both countries effectively implement the Viet Nam-RoK Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), thereby achieving the goal of raising their bilateral trade turnover to US$100 billion in the near future and $150 billion by 2030 in a balanced and sustainable manner. He also suggested that the RoK open its market further for Viet Nams key products such as agro-fishery goods and seasonal fruits; help Vietnamese enterprises join more deeply in the global supply chains of Korean businesses; and encourage Korean companies to expand their investment scale in Viet Nam, particularly in priority areas such as infrastructure development, high-tech electronic manufacturing, semiconductors, renewable energy, and smart cities. Chinh welcomed Korean businesses to invest in key national projects and BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) projects involving the building of thermal power plants and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Viet Nam. He proposed the RoK transfer technology for Viet Nam, create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest in the RoK, and consider Viet Nam a strategic destination for establishing Korean research and development (R&D) centres. The PM underscored his commitment to addressing difficulties and obstacles facing Korean investors in Viet Nam. He also suggested expanding exchanges between the Vietnamese and Korean youth and strengthening the bilateral people-to-people and locality-to-locality collaboration. Agreeing with PM Chinh, President Yoon stated that the RoK Government would continue to encourage and facilitate local enterprises to invest in Viet Nam. He proposed increasing joint works in the defence industry. He hoped the Vietnamese Government would continue supporting and resolving difficulties for Korean investors, particularly concerning the sectors of finance-banking, infrastructure, and smart city building. Yoon also looked for Viet Nams further assistance for RoK citizens as well as for the expansion of Korean educational institutions in Viet Nam. The RoK would provide favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to study advanced technology and modern science and technology in the country, he affirmed. Given rapidly changing, complex, and unpredictable global and regional situations, both sides agreed to make joint efforts to enhance the effectiveness of collaboration and mutually support each other regarding international and regional issues of mutual concern. They said they would continue to cooperate closely within the ASEAN-RoK and Mekong-RoK cooperation frameworks, and coordinate for Viet Nam to fulfil its role as the coordinating country for ASEAN-RoK relations for the 2021-2024 term. They shared a common vision of ensuring security, safety, freedom of navigation, and aviation in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and legal order, and resolving disputes at sea through peaceful means, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of countries in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). VNS HA NOI National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue met President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol in Ha Noi on Friday, saying that the visit reflects the RoK Government and the Presidents appreciation for bilateral ties. NA Chairman Hue suggested both countries further enhance trade facilitation and continue promoting bilateral trade towards balance and sustainability. He urged Korean enterprises to boost connection and assist Vietnamese firms in joining more deeply in their supply chains. Both sides should collaborate to establish strategic supply chains that they have potential, strength and need. The host also called on the RoK to expand the scale of providing official development assistance for Viet Nam and encourage major corporations to open innovation and R&D centres in Viet Nam. The two countries should intensify cooperation across national defence-security, seasonal labour and working holiday programmes, he said, suggesting the two governments soon implement the Social Insurance Agreement signed during the hosts official visit to the RoK in December 2021. He also sought the RoKs assistance in human resources training, people-to-people exchanges, and joint projects that promote local twinning, including between elected bodies of both countries' localities. Stressing that the young generation, including young parliamentarians, is the future of the Viet Nam-RoK relations, the host suggested the RoK consider funding student exchange programmes between the two nations. On the occasion, he invited a delegation of the RoKs legislature to the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians to be held in Viet Nam. On global and regional issues of shared concern, he welcomed the RoKs continued contributions and enhanced cooperation within the ASEAN-RoK, Mekong-RoK frameworks and close coordination with Viet Nam in its role as the coordinator of ASEAN-RoK relations for the 2021-2024 period. He asked the RoK to support and share a common vision in ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), and affirmed that Viet Nam always paid attention to and stayed ready to actively contribute to the process of denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula. Agreeing with Chairman Hues proposals, President Yoon asked both sides to continue working closely together at multilateral forums. While highlighting the importance of the two legislative bodies in creating a favourable legal environment for marine-based economic activities, he said small-, medium- and large-sized Korean enterprises were focusing on investing in hi-tech in Viet Nam with the aim of creating new values. This collaboration would serve as a natural mechanism for technology transfer and sharing of experience between the two countries. He expressed his interest in nurturing sci-tech for the two countries young generations, including Vietnamese students in the RoK so that they could contribute to improving the development and production capabilities of Viet Nam upon completing their studies. In reply, the host said the Vietnamese NA had asked the Government to thoroughly review issues related to the global minimum corporate tax which is to be debated during the NAs session later this year. He wished that the RoK would share its experience with Viet Nam in this field. He informed the guest that during the ongoing session, the Vietnamese legislature agreed to amend the regulations regarding visas, with breakthrough measures to create favourable conditions for foreigners to enter, exit and reside in Viet Nam. There would be discussions with the Government on the issue of work permits to facilitate the entry of Korean experts into Viet Nam, he said. VNS BEIJING Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai has emphasised the great significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs official visit to China and attendance in the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) there from June 25 to 28. The visit and attendance will be made at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang and WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Ambassador Mai said this will be the first official visit to China by PM Chinh and also the first official trip to this country by a Government leader of Viet Nam in seven years. It will be a continuation of frequent meetings between leaders of the two Parties and countries in the recent past. Amid the complex and unpredictable international relations, as well as the serious downturn facing the world economy due to the COVID-19 pandemics impacts, the visit holds extreme importance as it is a chance for leaders of the two countries to have in-depth discussions about measures for comprehensively implementing the outcomes and common perceptions reached during the official visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong from October 30 to November 1, 2022, make efforts to promote mutually beneficial fields and cooperation, and properly control differences, thus helping develop Viet Nam - China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in an increasingly substantive manner, according to the diplomat. During the trip, PM Chinh will attend the 14th AMNC, to be held in Tianjin by the WEF and the Chinese Government. This event is the second biggest after the WEF annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Mai said that as a trustworthy partner and a responsible member of the international community, Viet Nam will actively make contributions and coordinate with international partners to resolve global issues to sustain and boost regional and global economic growth. Via the upcoming meeting, Viet Nam wishes to introduce its socio-economic achievements, as well as its development targets, viewpoint, and orientations; grasp new issues and trend of the world economy and exchange views on the development and governance mindset at the global, reginal, and national level amid profound changes in the world economy, thereby raising the countrys role and voice in global issues; continue to strengthen the cooperation with the WEF in an increasingly effective and substantive manner; and bolster ties with global and regional enterprises, especially Chinese firms, to further foster a favourable international environment and attract external resources for national development, he noted. On this occasion, PM Chinh and a WEF leader will co-chair the WEFs Country Strategic Dialogue on Viet Nam. He will also attend a Viet Nam - China business forum and meet with leaders of other countries and enterprises present at the 14th AMNC. The ambassador went on to say that Viet Nams participation in the event with messages about new driving forces for economic growth will give it an opportunity to share achievements, experience, and development orientations, while reinforcing cooperation with the WEF, other countries, international organisations, and multinationals in the region and the world to help it reach socio-economic development and growth model reform targets. VNS NEW YORK - Viet Nam strongly condemns terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, by anyone, anywhere and for any purpose, Ambassador ang Hoang Giang, the countrys Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), has said. Attending the UN General Assemblys eighth review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy on June 22-23 in New York, Giang stressed that terrorism remains a serious threat to peace, stability and development on a global scale. He affirmed the adoption of the Resolution on the eighth review by consensus represents a unified and strong message of the international community that does not accept terrorism in any form. Regarding counter-terrorism measures, he said that a comprehensive approach is needed, not only in traditional security and law enforcement areas, but also in efforts to address the root causes and catalysts for the formation and development of extremism, violence and terrorism. The Vietnamese representative also emphasised the importance of international cooperation, the sharing of information and experiences, and the support in capacity building in counter-terrorism, as well as the participation of all sectors of society, including companies providing information technology services. Referring to the incident that happened in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on June 11, Giang stressed that this is an organised terrorist act targeting the headquarters of state agencies, officials and civilians; affirming that relevant organisations and individuals will be handled commensurate with the level of violations. He reaffirmed Viet Nam's stance is in accordance with relevant UN documents, and proposed countries and international organisations to support and cooperate in investigating the case as well as preventing similar acts in the future. VNS HA NOI The 15th National Assembly (NA) has decided to continue the reduction of the value added tax (VAT) by 2%, from July 11 through December 31, 2023. This is part of the resolution of the NAs fifth session that received support from 481 of the 482 deputies casting votes on June 24 afternoon. Earlier, Secretary General of the NA and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong had delivered a report explaining and presenting revisions to the draft resolution, which was sent to legislators on June 21 to seek their feedback. He said that some deputies recommended expanding the coverage of the VAT cut to all groups of goods and services currently subject to the tax rate of 10%; raising the reduction level to 3%, 4% or 5%; and extending the policy until mid-2024 or the end of that year. However, the NA Standing Committee held that if the coverage and level of the VAT reduction are further expanded, the state budget collection will be greatly affected. Meanwhile, the Government hasnt fully assessed this policys impacts, especially amid the budget revenue decline during the first months of 2023 compared to the same period last year. Therefore, the NA Standing Committee wished to propose the NA maintain the coverage and level of the tax cut, Cuong noted. Also on June 24, the parliament adopted a resolution on the activity of questioning at its fifth session. During the fifth session, the NA approved eight laws and 17 resolutions, gave opinions for the second time on the draft revised Land Law, and debated eight draft laws for the first time. VNS PARIS Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha attended the closing session of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact held in Paris at June 23 noon (local time). With over 100 discussions, the two-day summit attracted the participation of State and government leaders of 40 countries, and leading officials of many international organisations and financial institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, as well as business executives and leaders of socio-political organisations. The summit showed the international communitys deep concern over global challenges and the joint efforts of countries and international organisations in solving such problems as poverty and climate change to ensure sustainable development goals. Developed countries have made several specific commitments on financial support for developing countries including allocating 100 billion special drawing rights (SDRs) to vulnerable countries; striving for a target of mobilising 100 billion USD for climate finance, and promoting the enhancement of the lending capacity of multilateral banks by 200 billion USD in the next 10 years. The summit also approved a number of important documents such as the Paris Consensus for the People and the Planet, the vision statement of the multilateral development banks, the minute of the summit outcomes and a roadmap for the implementation of the commitments. On this occasion, Deputy PM Ha received US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the fine developments in the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Partnership in various fields on the basis of equality, and mutual respect and benefits. Ha affirmed his desire to continue developing the comprehensive partnership, emphasising that the two countries still have great potential for cooperation. He also welcomed US partners to cooperate in the fields of renewable energy and smart power transmission in Viet Nam. John Kerry appreciated the Vietnamese Governments commitment to and efforts in renewable energy development, and showed his hope that Viet Nam will make many strides in this field to become an international model at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28). He affirmed his coordination to mobilise resources from the USs public and private sectors to assist Viet Nam in potential areas of cooperation, especially in energy transition. VNS (Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images) A new Florida law that prohibits minors from attending drag shows has been blocked by a federal judge who called it vague and unconstitutional. A federal judge has blocked Florida's new drag show law that bans minors from attending, calling the legislation extremely vague and unconstitutional. The law is one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' priorities and is part of the state's effort to prevent children from attending what they call "adult live performances." The Friday ruling was made by US District Judge Gregory Presnell in Orlando. Florida's New Drag Show Ban The decision comes only two days after a North Florida federal court overturned another DeSantis-backed law prohibiting gender-affirming care in the state from being covered by Medicaid. The two recent developments undermine a high-profile new law many see targeting the LGBTQ community that the state governor, a GOP presidential candidate, pushed through Florida's Republican-led Legislature. It was among 18 bills that either directly or indirectly targeted transgender life, ranging from a ban on preferred pronouns in the classroom to a law that governed which bathrooms people of the community were allowed to use, per the Tallahassee Democrat. During the session, several hundreds of drag queens, accompanied by members of the LGBTQ community and allies from across the state, marched on the Capitol. Hamburger Mary's, an Orlando restaurant, challenged the drag show law, as it was known to have hosted such performances for the last decade and a half, including ones deemed "family friendly." In court filings, attorneys for the restaurant said that Florida already has laws on the books that prevent minors from being exposed to "lewd, sexually explicit, obscene, vulgar, or indecent displays." DeSantis signed the new law that initially went into effect on May 17. However, Presnell, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, blocked the law's enforcement, saying that the measure conflicted with a state law that guarantees the rights of parents to make decisions in the best interests of their kids. Furthermore, the judge determined that while some people may consider a drag performer reading a children's book to a minor during a performance inappropriate, it does not necessarily constitute an obscene performance, according to Politico. Read Also: Joe Biden Impeachment: Hard-Right Lawmakers Demand Action Banning Minors From Attending Adult Live Performances Presnell added that current obscenity laws already provide the authority to protect kids from constitutionally unprotected obscene exhibitions or shows. In a statement, DeSantis' press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, said that the governor's administration believes that the judge's opinion was "dead wrong" and that they plan to appeal the decision. The law comes as the DeSantis administration has taken several other actions against drag shows. Officials filed a complaint this year against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation after the latter hosted an all-ages "Drag Queen Christmas" that lawmakers said was explicit. Presnell supported his decision by calling out the "appetite for finding obscenity in drag performances" despite undercover agents attending such shows, reportedly concluding that none exists. When the new law was signed and passed in Florida, experts were worried about how it would be applied because it was so vague and broad in scope. Under the legislation, people under the age of 18 years were banned from attending drag shows. GOP lawmakers also acknowledged that the unclear language could result in high school students being banned from attending plays such as "The Rocky Horror Show" or the musical "Hair," said The New Republic. Related Article: Wyoming Judge Temporarily Blocks First-in-the-Nation Abortion Pill Ban @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. HCM CITY A strategic cooperation agreement on Friday June 23 was signed between HCM City-based Central Military Hospital 175 and An Phu International Hospital to strengthen well-coordinated patient referrals and provide treatment instructions to protect the lives of patients in a timely manner. The signing ceremony was organised within the framework of a celebration event to mark the 10th founding anniversary of An Phu International Hospital. Cao Thi Ngoc Tam, chairwoman of the Members' Council and general director of An Phu International Hospital (APH), said HCM City-based Military Hospital 175, the central hospital of the ministry of defence in the southern region, is one of the leading hospitals in the city with many qualified medical professionals and a system of modern facilities and equipment. APH is willing to cooperate with other hospitals to provide prompt medical guidelines and referrals to help patients receive timely treatment, she said. Located in Thu uc City, APH always pays attention to the investment in modern machinery and equipment to improve the quality of health care services. By prioritising a patient-centered approach, the patients are our customers to serve with the motto 'Listen And Serve to gain and maintain customer trust, and make our customers feel safe and comfortable, she said. Throughout its 10-year journey of development, the hospital has examined nearly 600,000 patients, and provided annual health checks to more than 200 big companies and organisations in the city such as Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), the HCM City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (Hawee), Sai Gon Food Joint Stock Company, Duy Tan Plastic Corporation, ien Quang Lamp Joint Stock Company, Nghia Nippers Corporation and Ton uc Thang University. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it closely coordinated with the citys Department of Health and Thu uc City to donate medical supplies and equipment, as well as support COVID-19 vaccinations and COVID-19 tests for local people. It has decided to restructure its business to better serve more patients, including rebuilding organisational structure, modernising management and operation systems, increasing scale and quality, and improving professional skills of doctors and staff. On this occasion, APH also launched its new brand identity, and gifted 100 health check-up packages worth VN160 million (US$6,770) to female officers of the Thu uc City authority. VNS Speaking at a symposium on Mobilising Resources for Airport Infrastructure Development organised by the Government Electronic Portal on June 23, Nguyen Anh Dung, Deputy Head of the Investment Planning Department at the Ministry of Transport (MoT), revealed that the designed capacity of Vietnam's airports is only 95 million passengers per year, while the actual passenger throughput had already reached 116.5 million in 2019. "Therefore, the number of passengers has exceeded the capacity by about 20 million, resulting in overloaded infrastructure at certain airports including Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Cam Ranh, and Danang," Dung stated. From 2011 to 2020, Vietnam's aviation sector experienced significant growth, averaging 16-18 per cent annually. The International Air Transport Association recognised this as the fastest aviation growth rate in Southeast Asia and the fifth fastest globally. However, airport infrastructure development has not kept pace with the industry's growth. The funding for these airports mainly comes from the state budget and state-owned enterprises. Currently, there are 21 airports operating with investment from the state budget or as state-owned enterprises. Van Don Airport is the only project that has attracted public-private partnership (PPP) investment. During the recent period, investments in airport infrastructure have reached $4.1 billion, with approximately 13.5 per cent coming from the state budget. The remaining funds are provided by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), a state-owned enterprise, and the PPP investment for Van Don Airport. Dr. Luong Hoai Nam, a member of the Tourism Advisory Board, highlighted that in addition to Van Don, there are other socialised projects within airports such as Vinh Airport in Nghe An, Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh, and Thanh Son Airport in Ninh Thuan. "These are places where localities are highly interested in promoting the socialisation of airport infrastructure to drive local socioeconomic development, especially in terms of tourism," Nam stated. However, administrative and investment procedures are still relatively new, and investors and localities are unfamiliar with the implementation process, resulting in a halt in progress after an initial period of exploration. Currently, Van Don Airport is the only fully socialised airport, along with two socialised terminal projects at Danang International Airport and Cam Ranh International Airport. In many countries, the concept of socialising airport infrastructure is widely practised, with common models found in Europe and the United States. In the UK, for instance, the government initially invests in airports and subsequently divests its ownership. Currently, British Airways manages only one airport, Heathrow. Meanwhile, Russia adopts a leasing approach for its airports. The government owns the airports and leases them to private entities. Moscow, for example, is home to three major airports, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. Presently, the state retains ownership of Sheremetyevo, while Domodedovo and Vnukovo are leased to private entities for a period of 30 years, similar to property leasing. In India, the two largest airports, New Delhi and Mumbai, follow a concession model. Ownership and management rights are granted to a conglomerate with a combination of foreign and domestic ownership, involving multiple stakeholders in the management process. Adjacent to Vietnam, Cambodia has also implemented a concession model. All three international airports in Cambodia have been leased to the French conglomerate ADP. Thus, when discussing the concept of socialising airport infrastructure, there are numerous approaches to consider. Key issues to clarify for airport socialisation According to Nam, three main issues need to be clarified for the socialisation of airport infrastructure in Vietnam land relations, airport infrastructure, and the handling of assets by the ACV. "The land regulations are clear. The ACV's relationship with the land will dictate how private investors interact with the government, as land ultimately belongs to the state," stated Nam. The issue of airport infrastructure is more complex. Currently, the MoT, as the representative of the owner, has assigned the entire airport infrastructure to the ACV for management and operation, without granting concessions or allowing leasing. "However, when we implement the socialisation of airport infrastructure, as in the cases of Vinh, Phu Cat, and Thanh Son, it cannot be free of charge. There needs to be a certain relationship regarding state-owned airport infrastructure," added Nam. Additionally, in terms of fairness, the relationship between the ACV and airport infrastructure, as well as that between investors and the infrastructure, during the socialisation process should follow a consistent formula, according to the expert's assessment. The most challenging issue in airport socialisation lies in the handling of the ACV's assets at the airports. In the most recent report sent by the MoT to deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha, two options were presented. The first is a complete divestment of the ACV from these airports, while the second option suggests that the ACV remains and becomes the controlling shareholder in the socialised airports. "I believe that the second option should be avoided, as it is unlikely that private enterprises would provide funds to the ACV for it to dominate airport development projects. The best option is for the ACV to divest its ownership, allowing private investors and joint ventures to participate in operation and management. However, there must still be a transparent and detailed approach to handling their assets to prevent loss and ensure clarity," said Nam. "Focusing on addressing these issues will help finalise the MoTs plan. Once approved by the Politburo and signed by the prime minister, relevant ministries, local authorities, and investors will know how to proceed with the socialisation of aviation infrastructure. Without these resolutions, we will only be left with discussions and debates," he concluded. Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, verified with VIR on June 23 that the primary focus of the discussion was to exchange expertise in terms of power administration, regulation, and development. On the afternoon of June 22, South Africa's Minister of the Presidency for Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said that the country's power outages have been frequent and severe since the end of 2022. They continue to be complicated, occurring for approximately 10 hours per day. President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa had to proclaim a state of national catastrophe in February due to power shortages. In response to the present power scarcity, the South African Presidency for Electricity is concentrating on three primary objectives. The first is to consolidate and enhance the efficacy of existing energy sources. The second focus is to engage in the creation of renewable energy sources and examine their integration into the existing power grid. Finally, the aim is to boost investment in the renovation of the power grid and transmission systems. Since the end of May, when heat caused the demand for electricity to skyrocket, Vietnam has essentially eliminated the electricity shortage in the North. The main issue was the mobilisation of hydroelectricity, one of the nation's two primary sources, which fell significantly. At the same time, some thermal power facilities experienced difficulties. It is essential to closely monitor and respond quickly to transmission grid issues, and have a clear plan in the event of a power shortage, An noted. The emphasis on the growth of renewable energy sources not only assures the nation's energy security, but also contributes to the control of greenhouse gas emissions. In its Power Development Plan VIII, Vietnam prioritises the development of renewable energy sources for electricity generation. By 2030, they will account for between 30.9 per cent and 39.2 per cent. The appropriate application of the feed-in tariff (FiT) policy will create better conditions for investors to lower their production costs, according to the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. However, An also cautioned that the application of the FiT pricing mechanism must be calculated with care. If applied uniformly to all projects, it could result in enormous expenditures, system congestion, impeded operations, and reduced efficiency. South Africa is presently Vietnam's main trading partner and largest export market in Africa, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In 2022, the total value of imports and exports exceeded nearly $1.28 billion, an increase of 0.4 per cent from 2021. Vietnam's exports reached $879 million and imports hit almost $400 million. Electricity prices to be revised up following holiday The Ministry of Industry and Trade has allowed the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to revise up electricity prices by a maximum of 3 per cent following the April 30 - May 1 holiday. Prime Minister seeks electricity supply guarantees Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) conduct a thorough examination and assessment of the electricity supply situation by June 10. The PM believes it is particularly necessary to evaluate emerging factors to improve the efficacy and productivity of Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and to devise proactive and expeditious response scenarios. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Oregons most populous county is suing more than a dozen large fossil fuel companies to recover costs related to extreme weather events linked to climate change. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges the combined carbon pollution the companies emitted was a substantial factor in causing and exacerbating a 2021 heat dome that killed 69 people, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Multnomah County is home to Portland and known nationally for mild weather and rain. The companies named in the lawsuit include Shell, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Koch Industries and ExxonMobil, among others. The county seeks over $51 billion in damages, including $50 million for costs it says it incurred because the heat dome. Multnomah County is also asking for $1.5 billion in damages to pay for costs associated with future extreme heat events and an additional $50 billion to study, plan, and weatherproof against extreme heat. Some of the measures would include expanding health care and emergency services, adding insulation and HVAC systems to buildings, tearing out asphalt and planting more trees, Multnomah County chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. At the core, this lawsuit is about fairness and accountability for these giant oil companies who have record profits, who have known about the damage that their products do to our environment and who have been using pseudoscience, disinformation and outright lies for decades, Pederson said. Most of the companies named in the lawsuit didnt respond to the newspapers request for comment. Chevron Corp. counsel Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr. in a statement contended the lawsuit makes novel, baseless claims, is unconstitutional and unfairly targets "one industry and group of companies engaged in lawful activity that provides tremendous benefits to society. ExxonMobil told Oregon Public Broadcasting that the lawsuit did nothing to address climate change. Residents and officials in the Pacific Northwest have become more vigilant about heat wave preparations after some 800 people died in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the heat dome weather event caused by a strong ridge of high pressure in late June and early July 2021. The temperature at the time soared to an all-time high of 116 F (46.7 C) in Portland and smashed heat records in cities and towns across the region with some temperatures more than 30 degrees higher than normal. Many of the hundreds of people who died were older and lived alone. Multnomah Countys lawsuit joins communities around the globe that have filed lawsuits against climate polluters that continue to market products that science shows are driving human-caused climate change. BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. (AP) A small plane crashed into northern Lake Michigan near Beaver Island on Friday, killing one person and injuring another, authorities said. A Coast Guard helicopter diverted from a training mission to respond to a report of an overdue airplane and located it upside down between Whiskey Island and Beaver Island with one person in the water, the Charlevoix County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. A man in the water was identified as Randy F. Seaman, 70, of Lowell, Michigan. The Coast Guard helicopter airlifted him to Charlevoix Municipal Airport, where he was transported by ambulance to McLaren Hospital in Petoskey for treatment of unknown injuries, according to the statement. Also in the airplane was Beverly Jean Anderson, 65, also from Lowell, who did not survive, according to the statement. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, the statement said. Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport on Beaver Island into about 4 to 6 feet of water (1.2 to 1.8 meters). The couple was doing a sightseeing flight, Vondra said. The man's injuries were minor, the Petoskey News-Review reported. A commuter plane crash at an airport on Beaver Island in November 2021 killed four of the five people aboard. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Authorities are investigating after four people were found dead following a fire at a home in southwest Little Rock on Friday morning. Firefighters contacted police after finding the bodies inside the charred remains of the home after the blaze was extinguished earlier Friday, the city's police department said. Police did not have ages for the four deceased. The bodies were transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsy and identification and to determine cause of death. The fire department said the cause of the fire is under investigation. A Robinson man who has been awaiting a trial four years on charges of aggravated assault and sexual assault has been indicted on upgraded charges. Christopher Lamar Hall, 36, was originally arrested on March 31, 2019 and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sexual assault, invasive visual recording and assault family violence by occlusion, according to a 2019 indictment. As of Thursday, he also faces a new third-degree felony charge of assault family violence with a prior, and his previous assault family violence by occlusion charge was upgraded from a third- to second-degree felony. Court records show Hall was released from McLennan County Jail on Feb. 26, 2021 on $75,000 bond, after spending 698 days in the jail following repeated postponements of his trial. Pre-trial is currently set to begin Sept. 9 of this year, court documents show. According to an April 1, 2019 Tribune-Herald article on Halls arrest, a 27-year-old woman reported to police that a man held her in a South Waco apartment against her will for five to six hours, where she was threatened at gunpoint and sexually assaulted, and had a sexual video of her recorded. A search warrant for the phone used to record the assaults states the woman was able to escape from the apartment and notify police after Hall used the bathroom around 6 a.m. When police returned to the apartment, they found and arrested Hall, the article states. According to Halls indictment, he at some point had a dating relationship with the woman. The search warrant states Hall believed the woman was cheating on him, and assaulted her by striking her with his hands and a belt, choked her until she couldnt breathe and pointed a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. The warrant also states Hall threatened to post the sexual video to the womans social media pages. McLennan County District Attorney Josh Tetens said the case was repeatedly postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said created a snowball effect of a backlog of cases waiting for trial. Tetens said the DAs office is currently prioritizing prosecuting the oldest and most violent offenses, with an additional priority given to those still waiting in jail. According to court documents, Hall was previously convicted of evading arrest and theft of property between $500 and $1,500 in 2006, and assault causing bodily injury family violence in 2011. Tetens said Hall will remain free on bond until his trial begins. Hall is represented by David Hudson, a Dallas-based attorney, according to court documents. Hudson did not immediately respond to requests to comment Friday. The Heart O Texas Amateur Radio Club set up their radios and antennas at Hewitt Park Saturday to participate in American Radio Relay League Field Day. The overnight event, which started in 1933, brings the activity out into the world and gives ham radio operators the opportunity to show the public what ham radio is and the different things it can be used for, coordinator Mike Davis said. The day is meant to highlight ham radios reliability in almost any location, which cant always be said for other wireless communication devices. Ham radio operators, also known as hams, try to connect with as many people as they can in a 24-hour period on Field Day, said Bill Feltenberger, who has been working with ham radio for 20 years. They are able to play with ham radio as much as they want, so long as theyre willing to help during an emergency, he said. More specifically than that its to see if we can turn our generators on and communicate in case the end of the world comes, or in case the tornado blows away half the world the point is weve got gasoline at our house and weve got engines and we can set up our radios and communicate, Feltenberger said. Hams must be licensed through the Federal Communications Commission, which sets aside radio frequencies for amateur use, said Davis, who goes by the FCC-designated call sign NA5X. Through these frequencies, hams can use scanners, receivers and transmitters to listen and speak to others nearby, across the country, on other continents and even in space. It turns your voice into electronics, it turns electronics into R-F radio frequency, said Feltenberger, known on air as KD5UEW. The radio frequency goes out over the antenna, and somebody else reverses that process to hear it on the radio. He picked up his microphone and beeped in, this is KD5UEW ... can anybody come back to me? A man from Oglesby replied and said Feltenbergers transmittal was received and sounded great. Yall make sure youre drinking plenty of water. ... Clear, the man said over the radio as he signed off. On Field Day, non-licensed members of the public can, with help, access these frequencies and communicate with others in real time. You need a radio, you need a microphone and you need an antenna, and a power source, Davis said. And if you have all that then you can talk just about anywhere. There are three levels of licensing in the United States, each providing more bandwidth to reach out to users locally or around the world, he said. Some high-level hams, like Feltenberger, like to play around with modifications, but once a technician passes the 35-question multiple choice test to get their first license, its a matter of figuring things out, Davis said. Feltenberger on Saturday had his computer set up and connected to a radio, and by changing the antennas he was able to send emails via radio even in the absence of internet access. Now the point of this out here is not very valued, but if Im at the hospital at Marlin and they need to send a patient to Scott & White in Waco and theres no telephone, ham radio can send the message Theres a communication thing thats available even when the internets not, Feltenberger said. By noon Feltenberger had made contact from Hewitt Park with operators from Oglesby, Gatesville and Temple. Ham radio shows its necessity in emergency situations, like the recent tornados that struck Perryton and wiped out AT&T signal in the area. Davis said the two people who were running the emergency operations center at the time were using AT&T cell phones, but when their service went out they had no way to communicate. Instead of relying on cellular communication, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service was able to provide communication between the Emergency Operations Center and the convention center where people were evacuating, he said. So thats a real-world example of why were out here playing, Davis said. Its fun, we play, but its a real reason. Feltenberger said after the West fertilizer plant explosion in 2013, ham radio operators were ready to offer their expertise, demonstrating their willingness and readiness to help out in any emergency. There was about a million police officers there too, and they really didnt need us if they need them they showed up and were available, he said. Hams also provide weather information when weather stations want to know whats happening on the ground, Feltenberger said. They listen to our stations and listen to what were recording The whole community gets the benefit of us getting to play with our radios, he said. John Curry, a CW operator that prefers to communicate using Morse code, has attended Field Day for the past 67 years. He said he started out doing mostly voice, but other than a few calls when necessary most of his communication over the radio is in Morse code. Curry said Field Day has changed a lot over the past six decades, the holidays excitement hasnt dulled. When youve done it this many years you dont want to give it up, he said. Plus I enjoy it. I think about when I started as an 11-year-old kid that was the highlight of my year. I mean, it was just as important as Christmas ... It still is exciting to me. Davis has been operating ham radio since 2018, but his father and grandfather were users when he was a kid and used Morse code as well. He said he remembers the radio being hooked up to a Commodore VIC-20, which was able to translate the code as it was coming in and being transmitted back out. As time has gone by computers have gotten smaller and faster, he said, but even if cell phones and computers were gone one day a ham radio operator could tap two wires together and have a solid communication device. Of the three dozen or so local news stories that Trib journalists wrote this week, we're betting you missed at least one. Welcome to our new weekly week in review, a digest of everything we wrote, all in once place. Hopefully, this weekly roundup will help you catch up with stories you might have missed. If you have any suggestions, please email digital@wacotrib.com. Buzz-worthy feature The most well-read story throughout the week on wacotrib.com was Mike Copeland's look at Common Grounds, the mainstay coffee house near the Baylor campus that's now expanding to its fifth location. An old-school A-frame Whataburger location on Franklin Avenue, which has long been a used car dealership, is the newest java spot for Blake and Kimberly Batson, who have owned the business since 2012. Franklin has become a thoroughfare for people living off Highway 84 and coming downtown to work, Blake Batson said. It has a two-way median down the middle and a residential presence in nearby Castle Heights. Then there is the residential development being considered where Floyd Casey once stood. The area is becoming less about used car lots and more hospitality focused. They hope to open by the fall. Most popular Crime doesn't pay, unless you're looking for website traffic. That's why it's no surprise that our No. 1 story of the week, as measured by you, the reader, was the Saturday robbery of Boozer's Jewelers on Valley Mills Drive. No arrests have been made so far in the theft of several millions dollars of merchandise. I-35 Trib readers were largely supportive of more highway construction upon hearing the news that the next major Interstate 35 project could start next year. The two-year, $263 million next phase would widen and rebuild the interstate from 12th Street to South Loop 340. And speaking of I-35, the project that just wrapped up got plaudits for excellence from a group of highway officials, which praised the "colossal undertaking." Next phase I-35 work in Waco could start next year, MPO seeks public input Local leaders may be able to get the next major Interstate 35 reconstruction in Waco started sooner than expected, as early as next year. Marlin graduation Just a month ago, Marlin High School students and their families found out only five of the 38 seniors were going to be able to graduate on time. A frenetic extended school year ensued, and on Thursday, all 38 seniors got the chance to walk across the graduation stage Thursday. Full class of Marlin High School seniors celebrate graduation after delay MARLIN Four weeks later than initially planned, the full Marlin High School class of 2023 got the chance to walk across the graduation stage Retail roundup I-35 development north of Waco made headlines this week, with a new Chick-fil-A bringing more than 100 jobs to town and a potential big fish on the line for the city of West. Downtown Waco planners are also taking aim at a notorious "nasal nuisance" with an eye to turning the area behind River Square Center into a more "activated street." Weather & more Nearly 13,000 in McLennan County were without power after a fast-moving storm Friday evening damaged trees and power lines. Check out our coverage of the cleanup effort, include photos of uprooted trees, striking lightning sights and more. Cleanup continues after Friday storm that knocked out power for 13K in McLennan County Cleanup efforts continued Monday after a fast-moving storm Friday evening damaged trees and power lines and left up to 13,000 McLennan County It probably doesn't qualify as breaking news that it was hot in Texas this week, but grid operator ERCOT was wary of electricity usage, calling for conservation on Tuesday afternoon. Demand rose above 79,000 megawatts at 4 p.m., ERCOT said, just below the record for highest energy use 80,148 megawatts set last July. Around the state, temperatures got as high as 125 in Corpus Christi. Access Waco Baylor creative writing lecturer Maura Jortner's novel for middle schoolers started out as "sort of 'Die Hard' meets Disney World," but it evolved from there, turning into a tale of an 11-year-old living in an amusement park where her mother had abandoned her. She struggles to keep her secret amid the collision of another girl who seems to know her and a violent storm that threatens the park. Jortner will host a book signing Sunday at Fabled Bookshop & Cafe, 215 S. Fourth St. Baylor author pens novel for middle graders In 2020, with plenty of time to think during long walks through her Hewitt neighborhood, author Maura Jortner landed on the setting of a novel for middle-school readersan amusement park. Lead pipes It's hard to imagine checking 50,000 water meters, but that's the task for Waco city water utility staff, which will take a peek at each customers pipes over the next couple years, attempting to track and eradicate lead pipes from the water system. Crews started in East Waco in March and have completed about a quarter, or 12,729, of the meters, according to a city council briefing on Tuesday night. Six lead lines have been found on the city side, all in the same neighborhood, and all have been replaced. Mistrial declared A state district judge in Waco declared a mistrial Wednesday in a murder case, based on significant evidence prosecutors received after the trial began Tuesday. The case against Courtney ONeil Washington, already pending more than three years, is scheduled to begin again July 17. Tennyson trio Three Tennyson Middle School students saw their 10-minute history fair creation win the bronze medal in National History Day competition, competing against 75 teams from around the world, including Singapore, American Samoa and South Korea. It's just the latest success for Waco ISD, which has accumulated quite a medal count in the competition over the last couple of decades. Weekend party A splashy celebration took over downtown Waco on Saturday, with the third annual Juneteenth celebration parade since it was declared a federal holiday. This years was one of the biggest the city has ever seen, said John Bible, CEO and executive director of the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce, and others commented on the sense of unity that permeated the proceedings. The importance of being involved in the Juneteenth parade for the community is the unity, the combined visions of everybody in Waco, Texas, to be able to share a moment in history to be able to say, you know what, we support you. I support you, said Waffle Chic entrepreneur Shamica Evans. Waco Juneteenth parade among biggest yet, attracts scores to celebrate "A multicultural celebration filled with community, an opportunity for unity, a celebration of this great day and reflection and resilience for everything that our ancestors went through." That wasn't the only Juneteenth-related news locally. Opal Lee, the 96-year-old "grandmother of Juneteenth," made an appearance in Waco this week and talked the Tribune-Herald ahead of her visit. If people can be taught to hate they can be taught to love, she said. I believe we can overcome our past and we can become the greatest nation in the world. Opal Lee, 'grandmother of Juneteenth,' recounts joys, struggles ahead of Waco visit Maybe someone is getting the word that when we come together we can do so much more than we can on our own, Opal Lee said before her Waco visit. Magnolia and more Mike Copeland's popular weekly business column highlighted the glut of roofing repairs around the area and the closing of East Market on Woodway Drive, but the most buzzworthy item may have been "Mini Reni," a new show debuting Sunday, June 25, on Magnolia Network that will reportedly focus on small and quick renovations defined as $15,000 and under. Other local stories you might have missed Region 12 youth mental health symposium covers psychiatric conditions linked to infections A symposium at Waco's Education Service Center Region 12 touched on PANS and PANDAS, pediatric mental health syndromes that are linked to common infections that don't typically cause long-term complications. New Waco Drive traffic signals almost done, sidewalks to follow in summer New traffic signals at 21 of 22 intersections along a 5-mile stretch of Waco Drive are expected to be operational this week, while sidewalk work will last through the summer. Police blotter One more thing ... Remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to get the latest local news updates. Print subscribers get full digital access for free and can activate their account at wacotrib.com/activate. (Photo : DIBYANGSHU SARKAR / AFP) (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) India's opposition parties band together in an attempt to defeat the governing Modi administration in the 2024 elections. India's opposition parties conducted a meeting in Patna on Friday, where they revealed that they would join forces to defeat the governing Modi administration in the 2024 elections. The grand meeting, which included as many as 17 opposition parties, sent a powerful message of unity against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The groups said they would work together to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election and overthrow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). India's Opposition Parties Join Forces Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar hosted the meeting, after which the opposition leaders said their next meeting would be held soon and based in Shimla. He added that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge would lead it. After a nearly four-hour meeting, the opposition parties' announcements were made during a press conference. During that event, Kumar said the leaders would soon meet again to finalize their plans to fight together in the elections, as per the Times of India. In a statement, Kumar said that the opposition parties had a good meeting and noted that several leaders had expressed their views during the talks. The official added the groups were working in the national interest, and he accused the BJP of acting against it by trying to change the nation's history. Kharge said that they have decided to prepare a common agenda and will make decisions in their next meeting regarding steps to take moving forward. He added that they would have to evolve separate plans for each state and emphasized that they would work together to overthrow the BJP. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi, a key figure in the Indian National Congress (INC), talked about the meeting, saying that they may have some differences now. Still, they have decided to put those aside and unite against the governing Modi administration. Read Also: Zambia Reaches Agreement With China, Other Nations To Restructure $6.3 Billion Debt Overthrowing Narendra Modi's Administration West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that if India's dictatorial government returns after the 2024 elections, there will no longer be any elections afterward. However, representatives from some parties did not join the post-meeting press conference held on Friday, according to DW News. But the BJP, on the other hand, dismissed the opposition parties' meeting as a "futile exercise." Moving forward, the opposition parties would run joint candidates in certain constituencies across the country to stop the governing Modi party from benefitting from a splintering in votes among opposition parties. A political analyst, Arti Jerath, said that there are still many obstacles that opposition parties have to get through before a proper opposition united front can be founded. Jerath added that for the last four years, opposition parties had faced harassment from federal investigative agencies. He noted that the BJP had played politics with each of them to break them up and harass the groups' leaders. Many leaders of opposition parties argued that the Indian prime minister is trying to galvanize Hindu voters by keeping silent on attacks conducted by Hindu nationalists on Muslims and other religious minorities. The situation comes as Hindus comprise 80% of the country's 1.4 billion people, Muslims 14%, and Christians 2.3%, said Yahoo News. Related Article: Vatican To Release Evidence Related to 1983 Disappearance of 15-Year-Old Girl @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (CNN) Chris Gloninger spent the last 18 years breaking down Iowas latest local weather news. This week, he is making the news. After spending the last two years as chief meteorologist at Des Moines news station KCCI, a CNN affiliate, Gloninger announced Wednesday he is resigning as one of the many faces of local TV weather. His departure comes months after receiving a series of harassing emails from a viewer who disagreed with one thing he did on-air: he explained how weather was linked to the climate crisis. He also received other negative feedback via private messages and social media, which has become a common experience for weather and climate communicators. The decision was not easy, Gloninger told the Washington Post, but in a tweet announcing his exit, he cited a death threat stemming from my climate coverage which he said resulted in post-traumatic stress. He also mentioned the need to address family health issues. The emails from the viewer, according to screenshots Gloningers tweeted, called the meteorologist a liberal conspiracy theorist and told him to go east and drown from the ice cap melting. It escalated last summer when he received a more menacing threat from the viewer. It is mentally exhausting and at times I have not been ok, Gloninger tweeted at the time. The threat of course was concerning, but the stream of harassing emails is even more distressing. Gloninger said he plans to embark on a new journey dedicated to helping solve the climate crisis, in addition to spending more time with family. His last day is on July 7. A statement from KCCI about his departure said Gloninger plans to go into climate consulting: Gloninger is leaving television to focus on caring for his family and his own mental health. He plans to pursue work in climate consulting. Gloningers experience is not an isolated one. Climate change has become a highly politicized topic, despite hundreds of global scientists concluding it is unequivocal that humans have caused the crisis and that widespread and rapid changes have already occurred around the world. Climate communicators, journalists, meteorologists and national weather services, including those in the US, Spain and Australia, have reported an increase in harassment, threats and abuse for connecting extreme weather events to climate change. In France, for instance, meteorologists have been accused of overstating the countrys drought and heat. Meteo France, the French national meteorological service, said the agencys communications are the object of more and more repeated attacks, a Meteo France spokesperson previously told CNN. In a series of tweets posted Friday, Jeff Berardelli, the chief meteorologist at WFLA in Tampa Bay, said while the group of people who strongly deny climate change make up only a small fraction of the US population, they are very loud, giving the impression they are a much larger slice of the public. Berardelli acknowledged it is hard to change the minds of those who deny climate science. Instead, he said he tries to educate those who are open to learning. Climate was made political in recent decades, but inherently it is not, so simply dont accept that frame, he said in a tweet. Science is science. Period. Push back [with] science fact, but only with those who are open. Ignore those who would politicize. Gloninger has worked for seven news stations across five states. He shared news of his departure from TV news on air this Wednesday, the same date as Climate Stripes Day, where climate-minded people, including scientists and meteorologists, join a campaign to turn the worlds attention toward the climate crisis. The #ShowYourStripes campaign is a visual one, designed to illustrate how much the Earth has warmed. And during his farewell segment, Gloninger wore a necktie with the iconic pattern on air. The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. WATERLOO The June meeting for the Black Hawk Button Club will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28. It will be held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, located at 207 West Louise St. in Waterloo. The program will be a video presentation entitled "Luscious Lusters on Black Glass Buttons." The business portion of the meeting will include a report on the Iowa State Button Show and a display of competition trays that were entered by Black Hawk Button Club members. Anyone interested in the art, history and preservation of buttons is welcome to attend. WAUKON A district court judge has found in favor of a New Hampton woman who was given bad checks for consignment merchandise sold at a Minnesota store. The Minnesota stores owner is a Waterloo woman who is awaiting trial for arson in connection with a suspicious fire at her other retail location in Waukon, Iowa. Marsha Angell said she had an agreement with Tin Rust and Harmony in Harmony, Minn., to sell her craft and vintage gift items at the shop in 2021. The store operated by Mindy Jo Jones, also known as Mindy Riley was to keep 25% of the price and pay her the rest on a monthly basis. Angell also loaned Jones $10,000 in 2020. And when Angell eventually decided against the consignment arrangement, the two reached an agreement for the store to buy the leftover inventory in the shop for 35% to 50% off. But Angell said in court records that consignment checks she received ranging from $3,623 to $8,461 in March, June and August 2021 bounced. And she didnt receive a check for one months worth of sales in the summer of 2021. She never received repayment for the loan, and the check for the leftover inventory was $792 short, Angell claimed. She filed a suit against Jones and Tin Rust and Harmony in October 2022. The case went to a bench trial in June 2023. Jones didnt show up for the trial, and her attorney had removed himself from the case months earlier. Judge Richard Stochl entered a judgment awarding Angell $55,750, which includes $5,359 in attorney fees and $1,876 in interest. A criminal trial regarding financial troubles surrounding Jones Harmony, Minn., store is pending in Fillmore County, Minnesota. The Minnesota store has since closed. Trial for arson charges in the February 2022 fire at her Waukon shop has been scheduled for October in Allamakee County District Court in Waukon. 10 weird traffic laws you don't know you're breaking 10 weird traffic laws you don't know you're breaking Driving in reverse on a public road Honking your horn near a restaurant Driving a black car on a Sunday Driving with hazard lights on Buying or selling cars on a Sunday Inhaling vehicular fumes Installation and use of parking meters Driving with fewer than three sleigh bells Riding a horse on the highway Windshield wiper requirements CEDAR FALLS The University of Northern Iowa is launching its first-ever engineering degree. Its one of two new science and engineering programs beginning in fall 2024, which will help the university meet the needs of some of the states larger employers. UNI officials say those employers will greatly benefit from the opening of the new Applied Engineering Building next year as well as existing the expertise and facilities tailored toward metal casting, manufacturing engineering technology and material science. The Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering will emphasize the properties of metals a core strength of the Applied Engineering & Technical Management Department and will leverage the foundry science facilities and materials science expertise in the Physics and Chemistry & Biochemistry Departments. The second program, the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science Engineering Technology, takes a more applied, industry-based and manufacturing approach. The program will leverage the existing facilities and strengths in metal casting along with additive and subtractive metal manufacturing applications. According to UNI, Iowa companies including John Deere, Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, Doerfer Engineering, and A.Y. McDonald have indicated a need for graduates from both programs. Additionally, these companies will provide opportunities for internships and senior projects. These programs will provide students with extensive hands-on experience using advanced equipment, training them to find solutions to real-world problems and improve peoples lives, Lisa Riedle, head of the Department of Applied Engineering and Technical Management, said in a news release. Smaller class sizes at UNI provide undergraduate students frequent and consistent opportunities for interacting with the UNI faculty members teaching the classes, who hold Ph.D. degrees in engineering or physics. The new programs will utilize advanced equipment for producing and testing materials in UNIs Metal Casting Center and the Foundry 4.0 Center, which are administered by the Department of Applied Engineering and Technical Management. Students will employ modern instrumentation for characterizing the physical and chemical properties of materials in the Physics and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments. Furthermore, students will have opportunities to participate in paid materials research projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The 2024 presidential field, in the order they've announced Donald Trump, Republican Nikki Haley, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican Marianne Williamson, Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Democrat Larry Elder, Republican President Joe Biden, Democrat Asa Hutchinson, Republican Tim Scott, Republican Ron DeSantis, Republican Mike Pence, Republican Chris Christie, Republican Doug Burgum, Republican Francis Suarez, Republican Will Hurd, Republican WATERLOO -- A reception and exhibition opening will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, 225 Commercial St. The party, hosted by Friends of the Art Center, will celebrate the retirement of WCA Executive Director Kent Shankle. It will also mark the opening of a new exhibition, WTF (What The Fun)? Friends, the night turned out to be difficult and the flights did not give time to voice here my position on this vile betrayal! Everything that happens is a KNIFE IN THE BACK and a real military mutiny! I have repeatedly warned that war is not the time to voice personal grievances and resolve disputes in our rear. The rear must always be calm and reliable. Imagine how the guys in the trenches feel now, in the face of which there is an enemy, and behind their backs a treacherous adventure. We are talking about stability, about the cohesion of the state, about the security of citizens. History shows that such actions can lead to bloody consequences. We have few losses in the NWO? We still have to create problems within the country? We have a Supreme Commander-in-Chief, elected by the people, who knows the whole situation to the smallest detail better than any strategist, and even more so a businessman, calls the commanders on the ground himself and fully controls the course of the NWO. And the decisions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief are taken in a balanced and scrupulous manner. Each of us sees only one part of the map, and he sees everything at once! And Vladimir Vladimirovich quite rightly noted in his address to the nation this is a military rebellion! There is no excuse for such actions! I fully support every word of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin! I appeal to the fighters patriots of our Motherland. Do not fall for provocations. No matter what goals you are given, no matter what promises you are told, the security of the state and the cohesion of Russian society are above all at such a moment! See how our enemies in the West are taking advantage of this situation. How many stuffing, how many lies, how many false appeals that frighten our citizens, create the danger of a destabilizing situation. And these are the expected consequences of Prigozhins treacherous march. What is happening is not an ultimatum to the Ministry of Defense. This is a challenge to the state, and against this challenge it is necessary to rally around the national leader: the military, security forces, governors, and the civilian population. The fighters of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Guard in the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension. We will do everything to preserve the unity of Russia and protect its statehood! The rebellion must be crushed, and if this requires harsh measures, then we are ready! Kadyrov *** Kadyrov is a great leader and an honorable man Wtar Long ago, a group of people signed the constitution that created a Lutheran congregation in Baraboo now St. Johns Lutheran Church which is celebrating its 150th anniversary on Sunday. Arnold signed the constitution. So did Blankenburg and Borkenhagen. Brenner and Cordes signed the constitution that day in 1873, also. Hoernke signed his name and Hollmuth, Huebner, Kimmerly, and Koch theirs. Marquandt and Mugler; Platt and Schellenberg; Schultz and Wagner felt the power of the Lord that day in Baraboo, too, and put pen to paper with the three Ziegler family members. Those early pioneers may not have realized how long their congregation would stay in Baraboo; how it would grow, evolve, spread Gods word to the residents of Sauk County. Those early pioneers, like the Rev. Herman Rehwoldt, the first minister of the newly formed congregation, may not have known that the hymns they sung in those early days would still be heard today, reverberating in the community. A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus. The Strong Word. They might not have realized how Lutherans like a good Crock-Pot party. The church will celebrate their 150th anniversary with special church services. There will be their regularly scheduled Sunday service from 9 to 10 a.m. and then a 150th anniversary service, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Oh, there will be great big Crock-Pots, said Tim Kuske, one of the churchs two current pastors. Oh yeah, he said, laughing, there will be a lot of food. The Rev. Mark Schroeder, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, will be the special guest preacher. Future Sundays will continue the festivities with special guest speakers. On July 2, Dan Balge will speak. On July 23, John Parlow will speak. On Sept. 3, Carl Schroeder will speak. Micah Otto takes the podium on Sept. 24 and Tom Fricke will on Nov. 5. O Lord, We Praise Thee. Lift High the Cross. Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus. It is a joy, Kuske said, seeing God working with his people. He said this of the church congregation and of the Baraboo community as a whole. The people here are absolutely wonderful. They are all working hard for the Lord. Pastor Jordan Ertl concurs. St. Johns is a microcosm of Baraboo. I love it, said Ertl, who was installed in 2021. Its safe. Its warm. Its welcoming. Sauk County welcomed Lutheranism in 1854 when Pastor Ludwig Habel began preaching in the town of Westfield. He worked in Portage. The Word spread. Other Lutheran pastors began preaching in Cottage Grove, Greenfield, Merrimac, and Caledonia. A preaching station opened in Baraboo in 1870. Ertl said, God gave me a gift and I want to put it to good use. He, among a long list of Baraboos Lutheran pastors. He gave me the opportunity to serve him. To preach and teach Gods Word. Its a privilege that I am so thankful for. With the signing of the constitution in 1873, the congregation was born and were thankful, themselves, for the places in Baraboo they could worship. Services were once held at the Baraboo Collegiate Institute, a private school that once stood in Baraboo at 5th Street and Birch Street, next to the future AL. Ringling Mansion. The congregation built their first church in the late 1800s on Fourth Street. The church is gone but the parsonage remains. The current church had its cornerstone laid on July 12, 1914. Local Methodist churches splitting off over LGBTQ+ issues The United Methodist Church denomination-wide schism, focused primarily on LGBTQ issues, has made its way to Baraboo. Baraboo's First United Methodist Church is remaining with the United Methodist Church while Baraboos Emanuel United Methodist Church has sought to disaffiliate. The church grew and grew again. Its always wonderful, Kuske said, to connect with our community. They further connected to the community when the built a school in the 1920s. On August 8, 1926 the new school building, at a cost of $30,000, was consecrated with two special services. Gods Own Child, I Gladly Say It. Go, My Children, With My Blessing. Children of the Heavenly Father. Turning up the heat: Students to take on first responders in kickball Baraboos St. Johns Lutheran School students will have a kickball tournament to end their school year. This year, some Baraboo first responders will be playing right along with them. St. Johns Lutheran School continues to, as their website states, share the free and true message of Gods Word with both children and their families. Micah Biesterfeld is the schools current principal. By observing the life and works of Christ, the website reads, we strive to show that love and compassion to those who serve in our church, school, and community. God has carried me, Ertl said. His journey to the St. Johns Lutheran Church congregation his own, and yet, not his own. Theres the spirit of Baraboo Lutherans, like Hollmuth and Ziegler, 150 years back, whose hands still reach out. Photos: Church ministers to needs of remote mining town in Norway WAUPUN The city of Waupun is receiving a $45,000 Vibrant Spaces grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to fund the transformation of an underused space into a food truck alley in downtown Waupun. The Vibrant Spaces Grant program is designed to help cities and towns revitalize underused spaces to build community and attract future residents. Through this grant program, communities across the state of Wisconsin will be investing in their workforce attraction and small business development by creating inviting, walkable spaces in their downtowns, arterial districts, and economic centers, according to a press release from the city of Waupun. Investing in vibrant communities where people want to live, work, and raise families is critical to attracting and retaining workers in our state, said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the states leading economic development organization. These grants will help communities create new gathering places in thriving downtowns to draw in residents, visitors, new businesses and investments. To increase foot traffic and remedy gaps in restaurant availability in downtown Waupun, WEDCs Vibrant Spaces Grant will fund the transformation of an underused alley into a dedicated space for food trucks and outdoor dining. When completed, the alley will have space for four food trucks and outdoor dining. Not only will the space provide visitors and downtown employees with a place to relax and enjoy local food, but also increase foot traffic to local businesses. Work done in 2019 to create the city of Waupuns streetscape plan provided the needed information for the grant application. Community feedback during that process found that there was a lack of public space to gather in the downtown and the plan envisioned activating city-owned green space in the 400 block of E Main Street for that purpose. The city of Waupun has invested in building physical assets such as bike trails, an aquatic center and ball diamonds to strengthen quality of life, said Kathy Schlieve, city administrator and director of economic development. Those things matter but are only possible if we have a vibrant economy. Today, there is noticeable investment happening by businesses across the community as the private and public sectors collaborate on these types of improvements with the long-term goal of attracting residents and visitors alike to Waupun. This award helps us continue to move forward together and we thank WEDC for their support of our vision. Schlieve said that planning is happing this year for the food truck alley with the bid going out sometime in January and construction of the area in the spring and summer of 2024. She expects completion of the area by fall of 2024. The Vibrant Spaces Grant program is an initiative within WEDCs Community Development and Investment (CDI) grant program. Projects were evaluated based on their ability to create visible and pedestrian oriented public spaces that attract and accommodate multiple users and activities. Successful projects demonstrated that they would benefit the local district, nearby businesses and the community as a whole. Communities were required to match grant funds and begin construction this summer. More information can be found online at: https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/vibrant-spaces Close A Nativity was one of the many floats in the annual Waupun Holiday Parade held Friday night. The Waupun High School Marching Band performed at the Waupun Holiday Parade Friday night. WAUPUN HOLDS ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE The Waupun Holiday Parade was held Friday night in downtown Waupun. A Nativity was one of the many floats in the annual Waupun Holiday Parade held Friday night. The Waupun High School Marching Band performed at the Waupun Holiday Parade Friday night. (Photo : JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images) The youngest victim of this week's Titan accident was "terrified" of joining the deadly submarine, which disappeared last weekend while headed for the Titanic wreckage. According to his aunt, the university student who perished in the Titan sub disaster was "terrified" about the trip. Suleman Dawood, 19, and his father, businessman Shahzada, were among the five crew members who perished immediately when the OceanGate submarine sustained a "catastrophic implosion" 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage. Suleman Dawood Join Titanic Sub Trip to Please Dad British tycoon Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet were the other victims. On Sunday, following the Titan's disappearance, a massive search was undertaken for those on board. Azmeh Dawood, Mr. Dawood's older sister, said her nephew "wasn't very enthusiastic" and was "terrified," but he felt compelled to please his father, who was impassioned about the April 14, 1912 sinking of the Titanic. She added that the 19-year-old ultimately boarded the Titan because the voyage occurred over Father's Day weekend. She told NBC News from her residence in Amsterdam, "I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19 years old, possibly grasping for air... Sincerely, it has been debilitating." She added that she would not have boarded the submersible even if a million dollars had been offered. Her remarks follow those of US Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral John Mauger, who stated that the discovered debris was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber." According to experts, those aboard would have been killed instantaneously by the explosion. Dawood and his family, who resided in Surrey, were successors of the Dawood business dynasty and were among Pakistan's wealthiest citizens. Suleman was an undergraduate at Glasgow's University of Strathclyde. In a statement released earlier this week, Suleman's family described him as a "huge devotee of science fiction literature and new knowledge." Prior to the dive, his family, including his mother, Christine and sister Alina, had been in Canada for a month. Last night, the Dawood family issued a statement on Twitter announcing the passing of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. Read Also: 3M To Pay $10.5 Billion in Settlement of 'Forever Chemicals' Drinking Water Lawsuits Titan Sub Disappearance In recent years, Azmeh, who was "reduced to being in a wheelchair" after being diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2014, has lost contact with her sibling. Her family members, including her sibling, disapproved of her relocation from England to Amsterdam in order to obtain simpler access to medical cannabis. Upon hearing the tragic news, however, she was reminded of her affection for her brother, as per The Sun. On June 18, 2023, a submersible transporting five visitors to the Titanic wreck disappeared. Titan, a ship owned by OceanGate Expeditions, was scheduled to transport passengers to the Titanic shipwreck, but communication with the ship was lost two hours into its voyage. According to Insider, passengers paid $250,000 to travel more than 13,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface. Among the other passengers are the ship's founder and pilot, a British billionaire, and "Mr. Titanic," a French Titanic expert. Related Article: Titan Submersible: OceanGate CEO's Wife Wendy Rush Related to Famous Titanic Victims @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Eight Baraboo residents have received various narcotics charges following a narcotics search in the city. A Baraboo Police Department release indicated that on Friday, the Sauk County Drug Task Force executed a warrant at a residence located on the 400 block of 11th Avenue. Officers discovered substances believed to be crystal methamphetamine and heroin, as well as associated drug paraphernalia. The following individuals were arrested. 25-year-old Joshua Anderson 30-year-old David Hoffman 31-year-old Jesse Burns 35-year-old Erin Snider 39-year-old Heather Heidtke 40-year-old Jason Miller 45-year-old Chad Miller 45-year-old Jammie Douglas Hoffman was charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place. Chad and Jason Miller, along with Heidtke, Anderson, Snider, and Douglas, all received drug paraphernalia possession charges. Douglas and Burns were charged with heroin possession, and Snider received a possession of crystal methamphetamine charge. GALLERY: Respect for Law Day event honors law enforcement in Sauk, Columbia counties We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Palestinian mourners carry the body of Tariq Idris, 39, during his funeral, in Askar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Palestinian health officials said that a 39-year-old man, Tariq Idris, died of wounds suffered in violent confrontations with Israeli forces in the northern city of Nablus the day before during an Israeli military arrest raid. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company talk to each other as they guard an area at the HQ of the Southern Military District in a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. (AP Photo) Demonstrators hold signs as they rally outside the Supreme Court building during the Women's March in Washington, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Abortion rights and anti-abortion activists held rallies Saturday in Washington and across the country to call attention to the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling on June 24, 2022, which upended the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Cover Images/Sara De Boer Celebrity According to a source, the Canadian actor still stays at his and Tori's shared home following their split because he's trying to find an apartment he can 'afford.' Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Dean McDermott is "serious" about separating from Tori Spelling despite deleting their split announcement. If a new report is to be believed, the actor will officially divorce the "BH90210" alum once he can afford to move out. "[Dean] 100 percent wants to get out of the marriage," a source told PEOPLE. "He took down the post because Tori didn't want him to keep it up. But he's packing his bags and is 100 percent serious about it." According to the informant, Dean still stays at their shared home because he's trying to find an apartment he can "afford." The insider added, "He can't take it anymore. He told her he's done." Tori, for her part, has seemingly moved out of her and Dean's shared house. On Wednesday, June 21, the mom of five was spotted arriving at a friend's home in Pasadena, California with her children and luggage. In a photo surfacing online, the daughter of famed producer Aaron Spelling was seen wearing a pointed yellow sweatshirt and a black beanie. The shirt itself features a note that read, "What the Actual F**k Is Going on." Dean announced his split from Tori via Instagram. Alongside a throwback photograph of the two, he penned, "It's with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children, that @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways, and start a new journey of our own." "We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time," he added in the since-deleted post. "We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this. Thank you all for your support and kindness." You can share this post! (Photo : DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images) Andrew Tate has offered to train Twitter's controversial owner Elon Musk for a fight with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer, wants to train Elon Musk to fight Mark Zuckerberg after the two billionaires consented to a cage match this week. "I will train you, @elonmusk," Tate tweeted to the 51-year-old Twitter owner on Thursday. Meta banned me everywhere for telling the truth about vaccines. But now we can restore honour with a strike at the enemy clans leader. I will train you @elonmusk. You will not lose. Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) June 22, 2023 Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg Match The light-heavyweight champion, who is presently under house arrest after being charged with rape and human trafficking in Eastern Europe this week, volunteered after being banned from Meta's platforms the previous year. Musk had not yet responded as of Friday morning. On the same day Tate proposed training Musk, the Tesla founder continued to tease his 38-year-old social media rival about the possibility of a fight. Musk tweeted Thursday evening, "Let's go full MMA!" A USA TODAY live poll with nearly 400 votes cast as of Friday morning predicted that Zuckerberg would win by a narrow margin. Musk tweeted on Tuesday that he was "up for a cage match" with Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, responded with "Send me location" in an Instagram story Wednesday that included a screenshot of Musk's challenge. Musk responded and recommended the Las Vegas Octagon. The CEO of Tesla did not respond to USA Today's request for comment. The social media exchange is not the first time Musk and Zuckerberg have engaged in conflict. Earlier this year, during a conversation with Chris Anderson, the curator of the TED Talks organization, Musk stated that he believed the Meta CEO was taking over the world with his widely-used platforms. Given the circumstances, Tate has taken the initiative to offer Elon Musk his combat expertise. Tate is renowned for his frequent interactions with his Twitter followers, sharing personal updates and occasionally conveying his opinions. Musk initiated the exchange between the two tech titans when he publicly declared his willingness to face the leader of Facebook and Instagram in a cage. Musk suggested that the dispute be resolved inside an octagon in Las Vegas after discovering that Zuckerberg was willing to accept the challenge. Tate, who is also known by his moniker 'Cobra,' weighed in on the discussion surrounding the conflict between the two powerful businesspeople. Tate emphasized his personal experience of being prohibited from all Meta services, including Facebook and Instagram when expressing his support for the CEO of SpaceX. Read Also: OceanGate Passenger Suleman Dawood Joins Titan Sub To Please Dad Despite Fear of Titanic Trip Why Andrew Tate was BAnned From Facebook? Per MEAWW, many observers view the back-and-forth between Musk and Zuckerberg as harmless banter, but Musk would need all the assistance he can get if the "hypothetical" conflict becomes all too real. In recent jiu-jitsu competitions, Zuckerberg's notable achievements can be attributed to his genuine passion for MMA and UFC and his consistent training regimen. According to The Sun, Tate was banned from Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms for violating its guidelines regarding harmful organizations and individuals. Tate was banned from Instagram for spreading his distressing views about women, despite his 4.6 million followers at the time of the ban. If the rumored battle between the two tech titans takes place, it appears that Zuckerberg will emerge victorious. Last month, 'The Zuck,' 39, with a net worth of $100.9 billion, won his first set of jiu-jitsu matches. In the past, the 5ft7" and 154lb Facebook CEO has also trained with UFC combatants. He recently revealed his jiu-jitsu voyage on social media, claiming to have completed the challenging "Murph Challenge" in less than forty minutes. According to oddsmakers at William Hill, the southpaw is significantly favored to win. Elon Musk, whose nickname is "Chief Idiot," was priced as the distinct underdog at 4/1. While growing up in South Africa, the 5ft11 Tesla CEO with a net worth of $245.9 billion frequently spoke about engaging in "genuine hard-core street confrontations." The 51-year-old man who weighs 180 pounds has lost over 30 pounds since beginning a new weight loss program using the Zero fasting app last year. He explained in a tweet that his weight loss strategy is a combination of fasting and avoiding delicious foods, in addition to taking his diabetes medication. Last year, he even issued a single-combat challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Related Article: Mark Zuckerberg Accepts Elon Musk's Cage Match Challenge: Where's the Location? @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Instagram Celebrity Admitting that she might become insecure to pose in her underwear when she gets older, mom-of-four Kim is determined to do anything she can in order to fight ageing. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian still battles impostor syndrome. The 41-year-old reality superstar - who was wed to rapper Kanye West from 2014 until 2021 and has North, 10, Saint, seven, Chicago, five, and four-year-old Psalm with him - has become one of the biggest names in Hollywood for almost 20 years but admitted that the success of her SKIMS shapewear brand has made her realise that things have got "bigger" than she could ever have imagined. "Obviously you have big hopes, but this definitely exceeded everything that I ever imagined. I thought it'd be a hit at some Hollywood party. I still have, like, impostor syndrome or whatever. I think that's part of what keeps me going," she told TIME magazine. "The Kardashians" star went on to add that when it comes to her shapewear line, she was inspired by her own struggles with fashion because she had to use household items such as teabags to duye material so it matched her skintone. She added, "It started off with simply finding shapewear that was a skin tone that would match my colour. I used to take my shapewear and dye it with tea bags and coffee in the bathtub. I always like to see it on myself. I can absolutely tell when I miss a few drops." Kim - who shot to fame when a sex tape of herself and former boyfriend Ray J was leaked onto the internet in 2007 and soon after began starring on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" alongside her now-world-famous family - went on to admit that in her next decade she will "not want" to pose in her underwear but is determined to look as "young" as possible for as long as she can. She added, "I understand that maybe in my 50s, I'm not going to be wanting to pose in my underwear. We'll do anything we can to look as young as we can and we're not going to go out not trying." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Rumor has it, the Mr. Big depicter is angry as Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis are distancing themselves from him after he's accused of sexual assaults. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Chris Noth allegedly felt snubbed by his former "Sex and the City" co-stars. The 68-year-old actor - famous for playing Mr. Big on the HBO show and its reboot "And Just Like That" - faced multiple sexual assault allegations in 2021, and a source claims he is still being frozen out by the cast of the show despite strongly denying any wrongdoing. "He's not invited to their parties. He doesn't get greeting cards or happy birthday texts. He wonders why SJP and her troupe continue to leave him out in the cold," an insider told Radar Online about him apparently being cut off by "SATC" stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. The source added Chris, who has two sons with wife Tara Wilson, feels angry over his apparent alienation from the actresses as he was never charged with a crime and he maintains all sexual instances with his accusers were all consensual. He was accused of assault by multiple women days after "AJLT" debuted, but hit back in a statement issued in December 2021, "The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false." Chris went on, "These stories could've been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago - no always means no - that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It's difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don't know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this, I did not assault these women." Despite his denial, Chris was fired from his show "The Equalizer" and had his ad for Peloton scrapped. He was also dropped by agency A3 Artists in the wake of the scandal. His Mr. Big character was killed off in the first episode of "AJLT" and his scheduled cameo in the finale episode of the show's first season was axed. In a joint statement after Chris made headlines, his former co-stars Sarah, 58, Cynthia, 57, and Kristin, 58, said, "We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it." Sarah admitted last May she had not talked to her on-screen husband Chris since the claims emerged. She told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the claims against him, "I don't even know if I'm ready to talk about it." When asked if she had spoken to Chris since his scandal the actress admitted, "No." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Hundreds of people have signed a campaign expressing concerns about how the 'Super Freaky Girl' femcee and her partner Kenneth Petty are living in Hidden Hills, California. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj is being targeted by an online petition to kick her and her convicted felon husband Kenneth "Zoo" Petty out of their home. Hundreds of people have signed a Change.org campaign expressing concerns about how the 40-year-old rapper and her partner are living in Hidden Hills, California. The plea began circulating online in December after the 40-year-old raptress is said to have bought a $19.5 million estate in the neighbourhood, where members of the Kardashian and Jenner family also reside, along with famous faces including Kevin Hart, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and Jessica Simpson. According to TMZ, more than 500 people have signed the petition in the last week after Kenneth filed legal documents to update his address on the Megan's Law website. Federal law requires authorities to make information regarding registered sex offenders available so the public can "better protect themselves and their families." The petition was created by a woman going by the name Beverly Bardan and said the couple's presence in the area would raise safety concerns and lower the value of the area. It is unclear how many of the couple's neighbours have signed the petition. Kenneth is serving one year in home detention after failing to register as a sex offender in California. He was also sentenced in July 2022 to three years' probation for the federal charge. Kenneth was convicted in New York for the attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1995 and was required by law to register as a sex offender in that state. Nicki Minaj defended husband Kenneth Petty. He then moved to California in October 2019 after marrying Nicki, with whom he had a son nicknamed "Papa Bear" in September 2020. Nicki said about the sexual abuse claims against him on Instagram in December 2018, "He was 15, she was 16 in a relationship. But go awf, internet, y'all can't run my life. y'all can't even run y'all own life." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The former 'Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta' star announces she 'said yes' while posing with her boyfriend Da Real Bean under a neon sign that reads, 'Just Married.' Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Congratulations are in order to Akbar V as she has apparently taken her relationship with her boyfriend to the next level. The rapper has hinted that she married or got engaged to her man Da Real Bean a.k.a. Bean 24st. Letting out the good news via social media, she posted on Friday, June 23 a picture of her sharing an embrace with her boo while posing under a neon sign that reads, "Just Married." In the caption, she wrote, "I said yes .... @bean24st [a heart emoji] i want to do right by God." Bean reposted the image on his Instagram Story. Further fueling the marriage speculation, he shared congratulatory messages which he received from his friends on his Stories. However, one of the Stories may confuse fans as it contained a headline which stated that Akbar V announced her "engagement" to Bean instead of her marriage, which he didn't deny or confirm. Akbar V's boyfriend Bean 24st reposted congratulatory messages. Meanwhile, the comments section of Akbar's post was flooded with comments congratulating her on her supposed marriage. "Prenuptial agreement included in that contract ? Congratulations," one person asked, while also reminding her to get a prenup. Another similarly told the reality TV star, "CONGRATS!!! I HOPE YOU FOLLOWED IN KANDI FOOTSTEPS AND GOT THAT PRENUP/POSTNUP PAPERWORK IN ORDER.... YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY..." Another supportive follower wrote, "Congratulations Ark he betta treat you right or I'm on his ass like maxi pad." A fourth user gushed, "Awwwwww yasssssss congratulations Akbar see that girl was talking all that and look at this," as another added, "Awwwwww, congratulationssss. I'm happy he made your wish come true! We need a wedding special." Some others, however, were skeptical that Akbar will find a happy ending with Bean. "If you happy, I'm happy, but I aint feeling him I don't like his vibe," someone threw shade at the Philly native. Another raised similar concerns about Akbar's man, arguing, "That man ain't voice his love for you yet, just reposting what you've already posted. I hope you truly find true love cuz the energy don't look reciprocated." Akbar made public her relationship with Bean back in early 2022, thanking him for teaching her to "learn patience." Just a few days before hinting at their marriage, she paid tribute to him on a Father's Day post as writing, "Happy Father's Day... thanks for loving my kids like they your own...i thank you for being a man to me and my kids i can't wait to look you in the eyes every day i wake up ... i can't wait to get ur last name." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Melissa is roasted online after she's caught copying her sister-in-law and 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' co-star's outfit while attending daughter Antonia's high school graduation. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice are feuding, but it seems like these sisters-in-law keep taking inspiration from each other. Melissa was roasted online after she was caught copying Teresa's outfit while attending daughter Antonia's high school graduation. On Thursday, June 22, Melissa shared a slew of pictures taken from the ceremony. At the event, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star could be seen wearing striped Amanda Uprichard trousers with a cream bodysuit and blazer. They were the exact same pants that her sister-in-law wore to her own daughter's convocation just last month. Teresa, however, opted for the full matching set. Eagle-eyed fans noticed the same pants with one of them writing in the comments section, "I recognize those pants oh yeah tre wore them 6weeks ago for gias graduation, nice!!" Another commented, "everything Tre does Melissa tries oh so hard to do better. Even down to the outfit!" "Did you borrow Teresa's pants?" someone else joked. "she couldn't wear here [sic] own pants?? @melissagorga @joeygorga LAMES holy shiz," one other slammed Melissa. This wasn't the first time the feuding family has been accused of stealing each other's ideas. Last month, Teresa was accused of copying Melissa's college admission celebration with her commemoration of daughter Gabriella's University of Michigan acceptance that many claimed to be similar to how Melissa celebrated for Antonia. Teresa subtly responded to the allegations by offering her gratitude when one fan came to her defense. The fan pointed out, "Everyone keep saying she's copying Melissa, remember Teresa did this first with [Gia Giudice]," to which the 51-year-old reality star replied, "Thank you sweetheart." She also added a red heart emoji. Teresa was subjected to the copying allegations after sharing a series of photos from Gabriella's celebration on Instagram. In the photos, her teen daughter could be seen smiling from ear to ear as she posed surrounded by blue and yellow university merchandise. Another photo showed her being kissed on the cheek by her mother. Along with the pictures, Teresa gushed over her daughter in the caption, "Gabriella is off to the University of Michigan [blue heart emoji] [yellow heart emoji]." She went on to write a message for Gabriella, "I am so proud of you. I adore watching you work so hard for the things you want, and you deserve everything that is yet to come." She added, "I am so excited to see what your bright future holds. I love you my porcelain doll, and I am gonna miss you being at home!" She additionally put two red hearts emojis and hashtags that read, "#proudmommy #unversityofmichigan #2023." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity The Baton Rouge native finally becomes a free man after slamming an 'evil' prosecutor for refusing to let him out of jail although he has been granted a $50,000 bond by a judge. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Boosie Badazz (Lil Boosie) has gotten his freedom back. Revealing that he has been released from jail after his gun arrest, the "Wipe Me Down" rapper declared that he'll attend this year's BET Awards. "He's baaaaaaaaaaaack," the 40-year-old emcee first exclaimed in a Friday, June 23 video as he was seated in a car. After thanking God and giving a shout-out to those who have supported him, he stated, "BET I need three tickets. I'm gonna go to BET Awards but I gotta go to my attorney." Someone off camera then greeted Boosie asking him for a picture. In response, the Baton Rouge native screamed, "That's me! That's me! I'm out! I'm back, that's me!" Boosie was arrested outside of a San Diego courtroom by federal agents on June 14 when he attended the court for another gun case. Federal files revealed that the arrest stemmed from his Instagram Live on May 6, wherein he was spotted having a gun tucked in the waistline of his pants while sharing the filming process of a music video. The hip-hop artist then posted a $50,000 bond. However, it took time for him to be released from prison, prompting the rapper to call out an "evil" prosecutor and accuse them of racism. Upset with the apparent "injustice," Boosie fumed on Twitter, "After the judge has granted me a bond, and I paid my full cash amount the prosecution refuse to respect the judges decision to let me go." He further argued, "They showed no evidence of me being a flight risk or a danger to the community." "The prosecutor Mr. wheat looked at me singing Wipe Me Down and shook his head with a look of evil in his eyes," he continued. "This is total misconduct from a prosecutor. He is racist and has evil intentions. Now they filed an appeal asking another judge to keep me in prison." You can share this post! Instagram Celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter remembers her school days when she begged her famous father to drop her off in a minivan, instead of his expensive Hummer. Jun 24, 2023 AceShowbiz - Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter was left appalled he used to drop her to school in his Hummer. The 75-year-old action star's girl Katherine Schwarzenegger, 33, explained being left off in the ostentatious vehicle made her painfully aware of her privileged upbringing, which she said she didn't want to flaunt in front of her classmates. "I remember the only time really realising like, 'Okay, this is different,' because my dad would drop us off at school in a Hummer that had no windows, no doors and no roof - and I was mortified," she told "The Nikki and Brie Show". "He would pull up to carpool and I was, 'Can you please drop me off down the street? Please, I'm so embarrassed. Can we please just take the minivan? Like, this is not my vibe. I just don't like this at all.' " But the mum-of-two - who has two daughters with 44-year-old actor Chris Pratt - added about how her mind changed, "And then as I got older, the boys in my grade became much more interested in my dad. That was the time where I was like, 'Okay, this is different for me.' " Along with Katherine, Arnold has three other children with his 67-year-old former wife Maria Shriver including Christina, 31, Patrick, 29, and 25-year-old Christopher. The "Predator" actor is also dad to Joseph, 25, who he had with his former housekeeper, Mildred Baena. In his new Netflix docuseries "Arnold", the body builder-turned-actor opened up about how fatherhood changed him. He said, "Becoming a father is a whole new ball game. People talk about it a lot but you have no understanding what they're talking about." "When Katherine was born, there were tears running down my eyes. I was just so emotional about this life that I have just created with Maria and you realize this is a whole other world. It was staggering, what joy they brought to us." When Katherine was 21, her parents, who married in 1986, broke up after Arnold came clean about his 1996 affair with maid Mildred. The ex-governor of California admitted, "(Divorce) was very, very difficult in the beginning. Eventually, you move on (Maria) and I are really good friends and very close, and we are very proud of the way we raised our kids." You can share this post! - A popular neighborhood bar in Mumbai, Silly, which is owned by K7Group Hospitality Pvt Ltd, is thrilled to announce the launch of its latest campaign, "Bar from Bombay." This captivating campaign has generated buzz and excitement for the opening of a new venture in Delhi. As part of the campaign, they have created an Instagram account aptly named "Bar from Bombay". Over the last 60 Days, the Bar from Bombay account has reached 833 followers and garnered 1.2M impressions. The mysterious nature of this Instagram page is designed to pique the interest of food enthusiasts and engage them by oering a tantalizing glimpse into the upcoming concept of the restaurant. The aim is to build anticipation and fuel excitement surrounding the grand opening through intriguing hints and visually stunning images. The key element of the campaign is to create curiosity around the name of the upcoming restaurant. Each image shared on the "Bar from Bombay" page provides a subtle hint about Silly's past, inviting followers to participate in a guessing game and unravel the mystery behind the new establishment. The "Bar from Bombay" campaign is a stepping stone in making an innovation for setting a mark in the hospitality industry, as it showcases an integrated approach to marketing and communication with a commitment to create a great brand recall value. "As a restaurateur, my pursuit has been to create extraordinary experiences that transcend the ordinary. It all began with a whimsical resto-bar in Mumbai, where I seamlessly blended culinary innovation with a vibrant ambiance. Now, as Silly Mumbai celebrates its successful two-year journey, I am thrilled to embark on an exhilarating new venturethe grand opening of Silly Delhi. Behind the veil of mystery of the name and intrigue, the 'Bar from Bombay' campaign was designed to spark curiosity and invite guests on a tantalizing journey of taste and discovery. We rmly believe in the power of anticipation and imagination, and through this captivating experience, we aspire to redene the very essence of hospitality in Delhi." shared 23-year-old Karan Nohria, Founder of K7Group Hospitality Pvt Ltd. "By strategically leveraging the power of social media, we have successfully built anticipation and engagement around the Bar Of Bombay. By keeping the brand's identity hidden, we have created a sense of mystery and curiosity among the audience. This can lead to increased engagement as people try to uncover the hidden message or purpose behind the campaign. The element of surprise and discovery has left a lasting impression, making the campaign stand out from traditional marketing approaches," shares Vijeta Singh, Founder of G.O.A.T Ideas. "At the heart of successful PR lies the art of intrigue and anticipation. With the 'Bar from Bombay' campaign, we have masterfully crafted a sense of curiosity, captivating our audience and igniting their imagination. By harnessing the power of social media and the allure of mystery, we have set the stage for an unforgettable brand experience. This innovative approach exemplies our commitment to pushing boundaries and creating lasting impressions in the dynamic world of hospitality. explains Neha Khilnani, Founder of Connekting Dots PR & Brand Communication. Actor Pawan Chopra, who has been seen in OTT projects such as Taj and Asur 2, says that there is an intense competition that exists on this platform as well. He says that one needs to be careful about the kind of projects that are coming up. Having been involved with OTT platforms for a considerable period, I have noticed a change in the landscape. There seems to be intense competition among platforms, which sometimes leads to compromises in content and quality. However, I believe that the film industry, rather than OTT, has surprised me with the range of roles offered. In the realm of daily soaps, for example, I was once typecast as a wealthy businessman father. It was only in shows like Crime Patrol that I had the opportunity to portray a diverse array of characters, which garnered significant success. As an actor, if one is skilled in their craft, they can excel in any role. It's amusing to joke about how even in Taj, there was a reference to playing a father figure, but this highlights the industry's tendency to typecast, he says. Talking about Asur 2 and Taj, he says, During the making of Asur 2, we had unwavering confidence that it would be well-received by the audience, primarily due to the exceptional direction of Oni Sen. Despite facing challenges such as long breaks caused by date issues and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oni Sen skillfully managed every artist involved in the production. Although the show's release was delayed by three years after completing shooting in January 2022, it has garnered a dedicated fan base. Personally, portraying a character who is both a boss and a father figure was a challenging task, requiring a delicate balance of naturalness without going over the top. The incredible love and support "Asur 2" has received has been truly amazing. He adds, Taj, I must say, is Producer Abhimanyu's labour of love. He left no chance to make a great show. Zee 5 also hasn't done such a big show before and I am so happy people have liked it so much. I can already feel Taj 3 will be fantastic. Talking about the role in both, he says, In the role of Ghiyas Beg, Noor Jahan's father, I had the opportunity to reprise this character from 10 years ago when I portrayed him in the series Siyaasat on Epic Channel. The character's essence revolves around unwavering devotion to King Akbar and his deep love for his favourite, Noor Jahan. I particularly enjoyed the character's development in the final four episodes, as it took an unexpected turn, revealing a much larger role in Taj 3. Asur 2 presented a challenge of surpassing the portrayal of the same character from Asur 1. In this season, I aimed for a restrained and mature performance, displaying great care and concern for my team members who had experienced personal losses. As their boss, it was crucial for me to handle them delicately, with a fragile handle with care approach. Preparing for both roles was challenging but an incredible journey, he says, adding, Taj was an immensely challenging costume drama, requiring intricate attention to details such as beards, costumes, headgear, and adhering to Mughalia etiquettes and language. It's not easy to create a costume drama of that scale, and I believe only Contilloe in India has the capability to pull it off, thanks to their expansive studio facilities in Umbergaon. Prior to filming, I had already done extensive historical reading and was well aware of the role, so I went through the script numerous times to familiarise myself with the character. Asur 2 had a different working style. On set, our director Oni would provide us with a comprehensive explanation of the scenes from start to finish, and then we would act accordingly. He would continuously fine-tune our performances until he achieved the desired result. My only regret is that I felt I wasn't 100% fit for the role, as I had to carry on from where we left off in Asur 1. During the filming of Asur 2, we fervently prayed that the COVID-19 pandemic wouldn't disrupt the project any further. Unfortunately, I myself fell ill with COVID-19 and had to focus on my health while continuing to shoot. Working with Arshad was enjoyable as he kept us all engaged with his stories. The environment on set was intense, resembling that of a hospitalengaging, tense, and focused on serious work, reflecting the nature of the show. Ask him what he likes to watch on OTT, and he says, Personally, I like thrillers, a lot of drama I had done the role of Badass Lawyer Shekawat in Sanak Ek Junoon Mx Player; that's the kind of role I want to play on the big screen. Prince Pipes and Fittings Limited (PPFL), one of Indias largest integrated piping solutions providers today, launched and unveiled its new collection of luxury faucets and sanitaryware. Inspired by European bathware trends, the new range entails a complete portfolio of world class faucets. The range goes by the names Aurum, Titanio, Platina, Tiara, Marquise. Matchless in style and design they have been carefully curated following exhaustive industry research. Argento, Meta, Kristal and Palladium complete the Prince Bathware line. Elegant-Indulgent-Stylish a top-of-line range transforming the bath space An indulgence in bath interiors, the versatile and aesthetic sanitaryware portfolio includes a comprehensive and elegant range of products designs for overhead showers, hand showers &, health faucets, besides sensors for basins and urinals alongside bathroom accessories. The product portfolio also includes Tankless EWC, One-Piece Wall Mounted Toilets and Tabletop Basins that come laden with top class features of comfort, anti-germ expertise, easy installation, and water conservation. Strong growth potential and differentiation capabilities As per market estimates the overall market size of the bathware segment is approximately Rs.15,000 crores with the organized market at ~65% and unorganized market at ~35%. In the bathware segment, faucets are estimated to be in the range of Rs.9,000 - 10,000 crores and Sanitaryware in the range of Rs. 6,000 7,000 crores. Harsh Kumar, Senior DGM, Bathware; an expert in the Bathware segment with considerable experience of over 22 years is driving the new vertical into Bathware under the able guidance of Ashok Mehra, President Sales & Chief Marketing Officer. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Parag Chheda, Joint Managing Director, Prince Pipes and Fittings Limited, said, Every product in the portfolio of Prince Bathware reflects comfort, contemporary style, design and unique functionality. The concept of a bathroom has evolved to becoming a lifestyle solution in recent years with customers seeking to make a statement in class, technology enhancements, and aesthetics. Making a presence in the front-of-the-wall category complements our growth strategy to offer complete bathroom solutions. We will leverage the brand equity of Prince Pipes and serve the real estate market, where we already have a robust presence. The future is truly now and with the existing strong industry potential, economic growth, together with Prince Pipes competitive strengths, we are well placed and excited to mark a strong presence going forward. Our entry into this high growth segment will also help our channel partners across India to expand their businesses, which is aligned to the Governments goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat to support our distributor & supplier ecosystem of MSMEs by enhancing their business prospects. With 1500+ distributors and 7 state-of-the -art plants across India, the Prince Pipes brand stands for Quality, Trust, and Innovation. Prince Pipes is proud of its heritage in the Indian piping industry since 1987 a legacy of over 40 years. Over the last few years, Prince Pipes has consistently launched new products in the market. In 2020 the Company launched Storefit Water Tanks, followed by the introduction of world class plumbing solutions With German technology as part of its new Modern Plumbing vertical in 2022. Its Jaipur manufacturing facility was awarded a Gold medal in the 8th edition of National Awards for Manufacturing Competitiveness (NAMC) 2021. The facility is also an Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Platinum rated structure. Recently, its Chennai plant was also awarded the IGBC Gold Rated Green Factory Building certification. (Photo : SERGEI ILNITSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) The Wagner mercenary group's commander pledged to "go all the way" to overthrow Russia's military leadership. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, stated that his forces were ambushed by the Russian army on Friday. In an audio message released by his representatives, Prigozhin stated, "We were prepared to make concessions to the defense ministry and hand over our armaments. Today, seeing that we were still standing, they launched missiles at our rear positions." Wagner Mercenary Force Rebels Wagner's commander stated that the Russian government's "evil" must be prevented. In retaliation against the Russian military leadership, the Wagner commander stated he was conducting a "justice" march and not a "coup." Nonetheless, Russia's state security agency, the FSB, launched an investigation into Prigozhin for alleged "mutiny." The alleged assault on Wagner forces occurred just hours after Prigozhin accused Russian military commanders of deceiving President Vladimir Putin into initiating the invasion of Ukraine. Per DW, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied Prigozhin's allegations of an attack, stating that the Wagner head's claims "do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation." In a video posted on Telegram on Friday morning, Prigozhin made vehement criticisms of Russia's rationale for launching the assault on Ukraine on February 24, 2014. Prigozhin asserted that the Russian Defense Ministry is attempting to deceive society and the president by claiming that Ukraine was planning to launch a full-scale NATO attack against Russia. Prigozhin asserted that the assault on Ukraine was initiated so that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu could attain the rank of marshal and earn military honors. The status of marshal is the greatest in the Russian military, and to date, only one former minister of defense has attained it. Read Also: OceanGate Passenger Suleman Dawood Joins Titan Sub To Please Dad Despite Fear of Titanic Trip Russia Cancels Public Events Yvegney Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia seize control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, declaring they are "ready to die" and vowing revenge for a military strike by Putin's forces that the mercenary commander claims killed some of his men. All public events have been canceled in the Russian capital as Vladimir Putin prepares to address the nation via television in an effort to reaffirm his tenuous hold on power. Prigozhin issued a new message at approximately 7:30 a.m. Moscow time on Saturday, stating that his forces have infiltrated the Southern Defense Command in Rostov-on-Don and that he now controls the city's airfield. According to Daily Mail, government officials have urged residents to remain in their homes, but some have been spotted observing the events and live-streaming them on their mobile phones. Professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, Steve Fish, told the BBC World Service early on Saturday morning, "this has the appearance of a military coup." Prigozhin, a former Putin confidant who declared war on Moscow's military leadership, stated in a video that the command post's highest-ranking officer escaped as soon as he discovered that Wagner forces were approaching. Related Article: Russia Intensifies Drone, Missile Attacks on Ukraine, Warns Kyiv Against Striking Crimea @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung, Indias largest consumer electronics brand, today released a new campaign on Galaxy Watch with LTE that demonstrates amazing abilities of the smartwatch. Galaxy Watch with LTE connects with all android smartphones and allows consumers to stay connected even when their phone is away. It enables them to make calls, listen to music, stream content, effortlessly navigate, and stay connected through messaging. Samsung, the leader in LTE smartwatch segment, offers a wide array of premium smartwatches with LTE such as Galaxy Watch5 Pro, Galaxy Watch5, Galaxy Watch4 Classic & Galaxy Watch4. The campaign film takes viewers on an exhilarating journey, showcasing the exceptional features of Galaxy Watch with LTE and highlighting its ability to keep consumers connected, no matter where they go. This film captures the story of a young man who is intrigued by the ability of Galaxy Watch with LTE to function independently of a phone in a lively office setting. His curiosity leads to a series of scenarios where he tests the connectivity limit of the smartwatch. From teleporting across the office to receiving messages in a taxi and streaming a live match on a raft, he is awed by the unbelievable connectivity. While standing next to an elephant in a remote jungle, he livestreams music on his smartwatch. In a dark cave, the smartwatch surprises him with its navigation capabilities, and he receives a call even in an empty dessert #YOUTUBE-CBf8I8LJgOg# LTE technology in smartwatch is a game changing technology that is aimed at offering limitless connectivity to consumers. Our latest campaign is a testament to Samsungs commitment to LTE-first strategy in android smartwatch segment. It is in line with our Galaxy openness philosophy that is aimed at opening possibilities and connect without limits. It encapsulates the essence of our premium LTE smartwatches that empower consumers with the freedom to go anywhere without their phone and still stay effortlessly connected, said Aditya Babbar, Senior Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India. The campaign brief was to tell the world: no matter how far you go without your phone, Galaxy Watch with LTE keeps you connected. And we were willing to go the distance to tell that story from rounds of fine-tuning the scripts to handpicking the director to travelling places. When one goes the extra mile, the result is work that travels, too, said Vikash Chemjong, CCO, Cheil India. The script of the campaign film had an inherent musicality and imagination to it - I just chose to choreograph instead of simply narrating it. I wanted to retain the raw energy of the world including its unpredictable thrills. Basically, we - collectively - just danced around the idea and voila! we had a film, said Faraz Ali, Director, Going Rogue Films. Unlike a Bluetooth smartwatch, smartwatches with LTE come with an in-built eSIM that directly provides connectivity to the cellular network. Hence, consumers can always stay connected regardless of their proximity to their phones. Galaxy Watch with LTE also gives freedom and convenience to the consumers to pursue an active lifestyle and engage in activities such as gyming, cycling, and swimming, all while their phone stays tucked away. The One Club for Creativity today announced the latest group of Portfolio Night All-Stars, the top young creatives as selected by industry professionals from each of the city hosts around the world who participated in its Portfolio Night 2023, held earlier this month. Long recognized as the worlds largest advertising portfolio review program, Portfolio Night is a fast-paced evening of advice, networking and recruitment that takes place in dozens of cities across the globe to help the next generation of creative talent enter the industry. A highlight of this one-of-a-kind program is Portfolio Night All-Stars, where industry professionals from each host city select young creatives in their market with the best portfolios. The Portfolio Night All-Stars for 2023, listed by city, are as follows. The All-Star from Portfolio Night Milan, cohosted by Accademia di Comunicazione and IED Milano Communication School, will be announced after their night is held on July 11. Portfolio Night Sao Paul, hosted by Africa Creative, will also take place in July. This years Portfolio Night All-Stars will participate in teams in a weeklong virtual program in July on a brief from Uber, and attend seminars and recruiting sessions. Teams will present their pitch at the end of the week, and the winning team will be flown to New York in September courtesy of The One Club for a week of events and networking opportunities. City hosts for Portfolio Night 2023 were many of the world leading agencies and ad organizations: Buenos Aires - Circulo de Creatividad Argentina; Charleston - book180; Cleveland - Brokaw; Dallas - Dieste; Denver - Motive; Guatemala City - EstoEsMarte and Good Mood; Helsinki - Bob the Robot / NoA; Houston - Adcetera; Lisbon - Clube da Criatividade de Portugal; Manila - Adobo Magazine; Miami - Alma; Montreal and Toronto - Tank WW; Mumbai and Pan-India - BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group, and TBWAIndia; New York - Havas New York; Paris - DDB Paris; Santiago - Inbrax; San Francisco - Odysseus Arms; Sao Paulo - Africa Creative; Shanghai - BBH China; and Singapore - BBDO Singapore and TBWASingapore. Since starting in 2003, Portfolio Night has taken place in 70 cities across 45 countries, with more than 11,000 portfolios reviewed. Portfolio Night is a gateway for young talent to enter the industry, enabling the best of the present hundreds of renowned international creative directors to meet and mentor the leaders of the future in industry hubs around the world, said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity. These All-Stars represent the best of this years participants, and were excited to see what creative ideas they come up with. Branding for Portfolio Night 2023 was created by Nana Rausch at Quick Honey, based in New York and Berlin. Unlike for-profit awards shows, The One Club is a non-profit organization that puts revenue generated from awards entries back into the industry in the form of dozens of results-oriented programs under its four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality and Professional Development. The One Club for Creativity, home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more, is the worlds foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organizations four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development. Image: PTI Reacting to the violence in Manipur, MP Rajya Sabha Sanjay Raut slammed the PM Modi government and said that the Centre had failed to curb the violence. Raut said, We have repeatedly raised the issue of Manipur. Manipur is an important state and the Modi government has failed to curb the violence. All the central and state-level ministers have fled from the place. Houses are being burnt and Home Minister Amit Shah also could not do anything. We had requested a party meeting but now after two months when the PM is in America, they are calling for the meeting. This meeting should have been convened in the presence of PM Modi. From our side, Priyanka Chaturvedi will attend the meeting and convey our demands. Our demand is that a delegation under the leadership of the Home Minister should visit Manipur and have an open conversation with the leaders of the organization which are trying to spread violence there. My request to the Home Minister is to send an all-party delegation to Manipur without any delay. On the Opposition party meeting which happened yesterday, Sanjay Raut said that his party had an important role to play. He said, Mehbooba Mufti and her party are playing politics in Kashmir. BJP formed a government with them and PM Modi attended the swearing in ceremony. Now they should not raise their fingers at us. We did not go to cut the cake of Nawaz Sharif. We went to Patna for the meeting. Uddhav Thackeray faction MP Sanjay Raut further said, Uddhav Thackeray has said in the meeting that if there wont be a power change in 2024, then this will be the last election, so to protect democracy, we (opposition parties) have to stay united and fight the election. Former Students Federation of India (SFI) leader from Kottayam, Nikhil Thomas, who is accused of forging his degree certificates, was taken into custody by police in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. According to police sources, Nikhil, who had been absconding for the past five days, was taken into police custody from the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus depot in Kottayam. The case against Nikhil Thomas is that he allegedly produced a fake degree certificate from Kalinga University for getting PG admission at MSM College, Kayamkulam. It is alleged that Nikhil did not pass the course and he produced a fake certificate for getting admission to the PG course. Nikhil was taken to Kayamkulam police station in Alappuzha district. Congress-led UDF had earlier declared to stage statewide protests alleging delay in action against him. Nikhil Thomas was expelled from SFI earlier this week. A statement issued by the students organisation has said that when allegations surfaced related to SFI former Kayamkulam area secretary Nikhil Thomass degree certificate, he was kept away from all units of SFI. We have sought an explanation from him and he gave an explanation misleading the organisation. Among the certificates that he gave SFI could only check the eligibility certificate of him provided by Kerala University. While checking the eligibility certificate, we found that the Kerala University eligibility certificate was original, SFI said in a statement. In a statement, SFI State Secretary PM Arsho and State President K Anusree said that the party had concerns as to how Nikhil Thomas could complete his studies at Kalinga University as a regular student and raised this concern with the media also. Nikhil Thomas has become one among the many youths who produce fake certificates with assistance from mafia groups that indulge in such nefarious activities. He has been removed from the primary membership of SFI. This will be a lesson for all SFI workers, they said. A man from Gujarats Vadodara city has been arrested for posing as a PMO official to secure the admission of two children in a private school and trying to dupe it of huge sums with his fake identity, an official said on Saturday. The arrest of Mayank Tiwari on Friday comes months after an Ahmedabad resident, Kiran Patel, was held from a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir for posing as a senior official from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). Hospitality apart, Patel had also enjoyed security cover by tricking officials in the Valley. Identifying himself as a director (strategic advisory) at the PMO in New Delhi, Tiwari first got in touch with the school and its trustee in March 2022, during the admission season, said the official from Waghodia police station in the city. Tiwari, a middle-aged man, sought the schools help with the admission of two sons of his family friend, whom he described as Indian Army official Mirza Baig and said he was being transferred to Vadodara from Pune, the official said. The schools director asked Tiwari, whose WhatsApp status said he was a PMO official, to meet the trustee, who is also associated with a private university in Vadodara. To impress upon the trustee, Tiwari told her that he could use his clout as a PMO official and get the school involved in the field of education research and get them various projects if they took care of the expenses, the official said. The smooth-talker took the trustee and the schools director into confidence with the intention of cheating them of huge sums, said the first information report (FIR). He also secured the admission of the two children as special cases, the official said. A few months later, the trustee had doubts about Tiwaris claims of being a PMO official and the education research projects mentioned by him. She then started talking to people in her circle and made a discrete inquiry about Tiwari, the official said. The trustee later found out that Tiwari was not a PMO official and had conned them by spinning a tale about his immense influence. Also, his profession was not clear, said the FIR. The trustee then alerted the school last month. On a complaint by the school administration, the Waghodia police on Friday registered a case against Tiwari under Indian Penal Code sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 170 (personating a public servant) and arrested him. Tiwari is the second person, after Kiran Patel of Ahmedabad, from Gujarat to have been arrested in recent months for claiming to be a PMO official. Patel was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley with his fake identity when he was nabbed by security officials on March 3. Till then, had enjoyed top-class hospitality and security cover in Kashmir by claiming himself to be a senior official in the PMO. A Florida man was arrested in an Anniston shooting resulting from a family dispute that left one person in critical condition, according to the Anniston Police Department. On Saturday morning at 10 a.m., APD officers responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of South Christine Avenue where they found the victim lying inside the residence. Police identified the victim as Joshua Andrew Arnold of Anniston. Arnold was transported to Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center and was later flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Police said at the time they sent the press release, the victim was in critical condition. Police took the suspect -- Tristan Clay Arnold of Panama City, Florida -- into custody at the scene. Investigators spoke with the suspect who identified himself as a cousin of the victim. Police said the suspect was in Anniston visiting family members. Police said the suspect and victim got into a physical altercation which led to the shooting. Tristan Clay Arnold is charged with first-degree assault. He was transported to the Calhoun County Jail. A bond has not yet been set. APD said this is an ongoing investigation, and no other information will be available at this time. This was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the community, the APD press release said. Get the Ed Chat newsletter: Enter your email for weekly updates about Alabama schools from Trisha Powell Crain: After a yearlong battle in court, Chambers County Schools will proceed with consolidation and building changes. U.S. District Court Judge Keith Watkins ruled Friday that the district may consolidate its two high schools majority-Black LaFayette High and majority-white Valley High into one, though LaFayette must remain open while a new school is built. The plan is part of an ongoing effort to relinquish court oversight of the rural, east Alabama district. Chambers County is one of nearly 40 Alabama school systems that are still under active decades-old desegregation orders. Last fall, a court ruled that officials could close and merge several elementary schools, in an effort to cut costs and spread resources more evenly. Change is difficult, Superintendent Casey Chambley said last year, when he first announced the plan. But youve got to take that first step. And I think a lot of times when you take that first step, thats the hardest. There are going to be moments ahead of us that are going to be difficult and were going to have to get through, but we can get through those. Read more: More small, majority Black schools are closing across rural Alabama Read more: An Alabama judge will have final say over the site of Chambers Countys next high school The proposal, however, sparked pushback from members of the LaFayette community, where the districts majority-Black high school is located. Many worried that the district didnt have their best interests at heart concerns that heightened as district officials announced the location of the new school. A group of LaFayette High School alumni celebrate during a reunion in October. The group was among the first integrated classes of students to graduate from high school in 1973. AL.com / Rebecca Griesbach I believe that the community, the students, even myself theres this overarching belief that LaFayette isnt getting a fair shake in this consolidation, Kelsey Barnes, a local pastor, told AL.com this winter. After receiving offers for land from both communities, officials said last fall that they would build a new school in Valley, a majority-white but diversifying area in the eastern part of the county. In public hearings on the matter, LaFayette residents said the new school wouldnt be a good location for their families. In January, during a weeklong federal trial, NAACP lawyers accused officials of using faulty data to make a decision that would further burden Black students and families. District officials acknowledged that their plan was imperfect, but argued that the site they chose was the most cost-effective option. [The district] is faced with complying with Court Orders and with being able to finance and pay for the new school while sustaining the Boards financing for operations, school board attorney Robert Meadows wrote to the judge in May. It is in a tug of war with two different communities, and it must endeavor to provide their students with everything that they need as best they can. Now, months later, a federal judge is giving district officials what they asked for mostly. Construction may start on a new school in Valley immediately, Watkins said. But the current high schools must stay open in the meantime. A previous plan required LaFayette High School students to move into Valley High, while their high school was being repurposed into another facility. Plans to move LaFayette students into Valley High School, Watkins said, would create an undue burden on the black students at LaFayette High. He instead ruled against closing the high school until a new building was completed. The history of this case, which started in its present form in 1970, and the orders entered over the ensuing fifty-two years, he said in the ruling, have been considered, along with extensive briefing and motion practice over the last three years. District officials did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication. In a statement, NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney GeDa Jones Herbert said the plaintiffs were pleased that the court recognized the disproportionate burden of an immediate closure on Black students in LaFayette. The court is right to order the Board keep LaFayette High School fully operational until a new consolidated high school is built, she said. While we are disappointed that the court is not requiring the district to build the new consolidated high school in a central location, LDF will continue to fight vigorously for all Black students in the Chambers County School District. A final opinion with detailed instructions for progress reports to the courts will be forthcoming. This story was updated with comments from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Wagner mercenary group is now conducting an armed uprising against the Russian military. Because of this, numerous critics now believe that the Wagner group could be the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Can the PMC Wagner really end Putin's leadership? Wagner Group Vs. Russia: How It Started The Wagner Group (officially known as PMC Wagner) is a paramilitary organization of Russia led by Yevgeny Prigozhin; the Russian mercenary chief and close ally of Putin. Read Also: Ukraine Strikes Bridge Linking Mainland to Russian-Occupied Crimea However, a conflict between the Russian military and the mercenary group began on Friday, June 23. Prigozhin openly accused the Russian military of attacking one of their Wagner camps. The official added that many of his men were killed during the attack, as reported by CNN. Because of this, Yevgeny said that they would retaliate by destroying any resistance. These include Russian aircraft and roadblocks. "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country," said the Wagner Group leader. Wagner Group's Actions Against Russia As of writing, no strong evidence proves that the Wagner Group fighters are really carrying out violent actions against the Russian military. However, NDTV reported that Prigozhin claimed to have taken down a helicopter that challenged them. On Saturday, June 24, Prigozhin also allegedly crossed into Russia from Ukraine. The Wagner leader added that they already reached Rostov. Luckily, no shots were fired since the Wagner Group faced no resistance at checkpoints. Prigozhin Wants To Oust Defense Minister, Not Putin NPR reported that the armed rebellion called out by the Wagner Group aims to oust Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, not Putin. But, Russian security officials are not taking any chances. They are providing round-the-clock updates to Putin so they can counter any attempt at armed mutiny. "Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," said the Russian leader. But there's a chance that Putin and Prigozhin will collide since the Wagner leader said that they will "destroy anyone who stands in our way." The Russian mercenary chief added that they were prepared to go until the end. Related Article: Wagner Chief Claims Russian Missile Attack Killed Mercenaries; Moscow Says Leader Is Inciting Civil War @ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Alabama schools reported students being physically restrained by school employees thousands of times -- just in one year. The most recent data is old, from the 2017-18 school year, but it is the most recent data currently available. Nine out of 10 times, physical restraints were used against children with disabilities. See recent information from your school and district below. For years, AL.com has requested more recent reports of restraint and seclusion. School districts are supposed to file them each year with the state Department of Education. The department has not yet provided those records to journalists. Physically restraining a child at school is supposed to be a method of last resort according to training documents posted on the Alabama Department of Education website. Experts AL.com spoke with said if a school official has to physically restrain a child, its evidence of a systemic failure to address a childs behavioral problems. Tell a reporter: Is there something we should know about seclusion, restraint or school discipline in Alabama? Perhaps even more troubling is that Alabama schools put children in seclusion - isolating them in a locked room - nearly 600 times in 2017-18. Seclusion was prohibited in Alabama in a 2011 rule enacted by the state board of education. There is no federal law regarding restraint and seclusion in schools, leaving states responsible. Why do schools use seclusion and restraint? When students are unruly or endanger others at school, educators may discipline, suspend or expel students who break the rules. Seclusion and restraint are not supposed to be punishments for misbehavior; instead, they are practices intended to deescalate a situation and stop a student from harming themselves or others. Officials recognize that physical restraint is necessary in some situations, but have strict rules in order to ensure the safety of students and staff. The Alabama Board of Education adopted rules in 2011 prohibiting seclusion and limiting restraint to being used only in certain forms and when a child is a danger to themselves or others. According to behavioral experts, school officials should aim to get to the root of a childs behavioral problem at school. Evidence-based behavior management strategies work, but teachers and staff that work with students must be trained in those techniques. School administrators and special education personnel are responsible for bringing those techniques to teachers to help them appropriately discipline students with behavioral problems. What follows is a look at the most recent data available, divided into reports of physical restraint and reports of seclusion. Types of restraint in Alabama schools Restraining a child is an intervention designed to keep a child from hurting himself or others. Teachers and other staff are required to be trained in whatever restraint technique theyve chosen to use. That technique is supposed to be documented in a school districts policy and procedures manual. Restraints can look like: Physical, where a trained educator holds a child to immobilize and calm them. This is allowed in school environments. Chemical, where a child is medically sedated. This is not allowed in school. Mechanical, where a child is strapped to a chair or device that stops them from moving. This is not allowed in school. Restraint is most often used on children with disabilities. During the 2017-18 school year, physical restraint: Was used in 321 of Alabamas 1360 schools, Was used to restrain 916 students, Was used a total of 2,254 times. Of those 916 students, 778, or 85%, were students with disabilities. Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program Assistant Director Nancy Anderson told AL.com restraint should only be used in an emergency, such as when a child darts toward a busy street. A single incidence of restraint should trigger a review of the type of behavioral support the child is given. If a child is restrained more than one time, Anderson said, school and district officials probably havent addressed the behavior that caused the problem. When a restraint occurs, Anderson said, I think of it as a failure. Not of a teacher, not of a child, but of the system, of the support thats been put in place. And lets go in and figure out whats wrong there. What can we do differently to make it better? Only teachers and staff who are trained and certified in how to properly physically restrain a student are allowed to do so. Training must be done in whichever restraint approach a school district adopts. Prone physical restraint - restraining a child in a face-down position on a flat surface - is prohibited under all circumstances. And any restraint that restricts air flow to a childs airways is also prohibited. Tragic consequences, including death, have occurred from the misuse of the practices in other states. No child in Alabama has died as a result of these practices, according to available data. Federal data shows that 10 Alabama schools, eight within the same district, reported using physical restraint multiple times on only one child. One school, Pelham Oaks in Pelham City Schools, reported using physical restraints 204 times on a total of seven children with disabilities. The school reported using physical restraint once on a child without disabilities. The table below shows the number of children who were physically restrained and the total number of times physical restraint was used for children without and with disabilities. If a school is not listed, there were no reports of physical restraint for the 2017-18 school year. Seclusion, isolation in Alabama schools Seclusion, the practice of isolating a child in a location where the child cannot get out, like in a locked closet or classroom, is prohibited in Alabama. Yet 263 students among 46 schools were placed in seclusion 599 times during the 2017-18 school year according to data reported by schools to federal education officials. Two-thirds of children placed in seclusion had disabilities. Seclusion is not the same as in-school suspension or time out. Time out is allowed, as long as children are in an unlocked area that is lighted and has appropriate air flow and temperature controls. An adult must be able to see the child and be within reasonable proximity in case the child needs assistance. Among the 46 schools that reported using seclusion, one school - Thompson Intermediate School in Alabaster City - stood out: It used seclusion on 13 students with disabilities a total of 106 times during the 2017-18 school year. Its unclear if schools that reported seclusion were monitored or otherwise contacted by the states department of education, which is charged with implementing the boards prohibition on the practice. Special education attorney James Gallini, who represents Alabama students, said the state boards regulation has no penalty or punishment for school officials that use seclusion or otherwise break the rules of the regulation. The table below shows the number of Alabama children who were secluded and the total number of times children were secluded. The table indicates reports for children with and without disabilities. If a school is not listed, there were no reports of using seclusion for the 2017-18 school year. Issues with seclusion and restraint data Its not clear whether schools accurately and consistently report restraint and seclusion. A 2020 report U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2020 found significant quality issues with that data.. The federal government requires schools to report incidents of seclusion and restraint as part of the biennial Civil Rights Data Collection. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in 2019 launched a national effort to educate school officials on alternatives to and proper reporting of restraint and seclusion practices. Read more: Alabama wont release data about seclusion, restraint in schools. Alabama struggles to staff special education classrooms, leaving limited options. Limestone County school employee allegedly abused student with autism. Alabama school district files criminal charge against student with disabilities. Lawsuit claims brutal treatment at Alabama youth facility led child to attempt suicide. The West Alabama Womens Center in Tuscaloosa has new art on the walls of its spruced-up waiting room and a quieter vibe than last year, when it acted as a magnet for protesters carrying bullhorns and speakers. Things have changed below the surface, too, for the facility that once served as the busiest abortion clinic in Alabama. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could outlaw abortion. As soon as the ruling came down, its providers stopped terminating pregnancies and helped about 100 patients shift their care to a clinic in Atlanta, said clinic director Robin Marty. After a brief closure, West Alabama Womens Center reopened last year with a different set of services, providing birth control, testing for sexually transmitted infections and prenatal care to local patients. On a recent Tuesday morning, medical director Dr. Leah Torres saw two patients nearing the ends of their pregnancies, both of whom had struggled to piece together care in the first two trimesters. Prenatal care has emerged as a major part of the clinics new offerings, a transformation that Marty said embodies her longtime goal to serve the states most vulnerable women. I think its completely consistent, Marty said. I have always been an activist whose major focus was the fact that people should be able to control their bodies in any way possible. Two of Alabamas five abortion clinics closed after the ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization. The remaining three have stopped offering terminations, but still provide other types of care. Although adding prenatal and contraception care had always been part of Marty and Torres vision for West Alabama Womens Center, the abrupt shift away from abortion has been difficult to navigate. Marty immediately encountered a maze of bureaucratic hurdles that have kept the clinic from having access to federal grants and drug reimbursement programs that make it easier to offer low-cost care. And the transition from a cash business providing abortions to a clinic that bills Medicaid and private insurance has taken longer than expected, leaving the center without reliable streams of income. We have applied for a grant that would be a years worth of funding, but we wont know until September if we made it to the next round, Marty said. And Im out of money in October if I dont raise more. Marty and Torres have pledged to provide affordable care, but its expensive, and the clinic often loses money providing things like IUDs or supplies for women who may need to test and control their blood sugar, Marty said. Uninsured women are more likely to be in poor health when they arrive at the clinic and need more intensive, expensive treatments for conditions like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes that can cause complications or death. The costs have drained the centers bank account, and Marty has been fundraising constantly. She and the clinic have managed to tread water for a year. Those are the people we are really focused on at this moment, but unfortunately those are the people who both need the most care and are the most expensive and this is something we are not charging for, Marty said. We have raised $1 million in the last year and spent $1 million. Marty has another fundraiser planned soon. And she continues to work on the structural problems that have kept the clinic from gaining access to federal grants and insurance reimbursement. Still, she said the clinic has struggled to make the transition in part because of the way abortion became illegal in states across the South. Marty said she believed the end was coming in December 2021, after a hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court in the Dobbs case. She knew Alabama had laws in place that could immediately kick in depending on how the justices ruled on the case. At that point, that was when we started planning for our pivot, Marty said. But we were basically stuck in this rock-and-a-hard place situation where we could have started to do all the processes that we needed in order to turn ourselves into a full-scale reproductive health center. But we didnt have the time because there were still so many patients who needed abortions. Instead of winding down the abortion practice, the clinic ramped it up, accepting patients fleeing from places as far away as Texas, where laws had already limited termination. The average number of patient visits increased from 200 a month to 250, she said. The number of average monthly patients has now dwindled to between 80 and 100, Marty said. But the patients they see now require more intensive care. Torres, who had moved to Alabama to provide abortions, said she chose to stay to help the women left behind. We knew before Dobbs happened that healthcare was not accessible for people without money, Torres said. The healthcare that was accessible was not the best quality. And then Dobbs happened. So that was only going to get worse. Although there has been a decrease of recorded abortions in Alabama and across the nation, so far health officials have not reported a surge in births. A spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Public Health said preliminary data shows a slight uptick in births and a slight decrease in infant mortality. Those numbers may not be complete, she said. Torres, who is trained as a gynecologist/obstetrician, has spent the last year caring for many women who have fallen though the cracks in the states safety net system. In order to obtain Medicaid of Alabama insurance, and one presumes that one is applying for Medicaid because one doesnt have insurance, a doctor needs to administer a pregnancy test and write a letter, Torres said. Guess whats really hard to do? Get a doctors appointment when you dont have insurance. The West Alabama Womens Center isnt the only abortion organization that has pivoted to helping pregnant women in the wake of Dobbs. The Yellowhammer Fund, which provided money to patients to pay for abortions, has diverted part of its resources to providing diapers and other supplies to new moms. They also provide information about contraception and organizations that fund out-of-state abortion care, although they cannot directly assist people who want to terminate pregnancies. Jenice Fountain, executive director of the Yellowhammer Fund, said a handful of donors have pulled out so they can direct their funds to places where abortion remains legal. Ive told them thats a very dangerous stance to take for people in Alabama that are suffering under conservative legislation, Fountain said. People are still going to need care. Marty said it has been more difficult to raise money for the clinic after abortions stopped. When the Dobbs decision was announced, Marty took to social media to seek funding to help the remaining 100 patients scheduled for procedures travel to facilities out of state. About $180,000 flowed in over the next couple of days. It has taken an entire year for her to raise the same amount from small donors to keep the center afloat serving patients with contraception or prenatal care. Marty said she wants to stay and do what she can to keep serving patients in an around Tuscaloosa. What we are doing, in my opinion, is just as important, Marty said. And its not just about the birth control and the prenatal care and the HIV and the trans. Its about the fact that we know there are people who are going to be doing their own abortions. We want them to know that this is a safe place for them to go to if they have complications. This story is republished with permission from The Birmingham Times A group of more than 40 Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) music and theatre students and faculty members returned this month from a trip to Namibia after performing in a two-night sold-out performance alongside the countrys most famous pop star, Gazza, and the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra (NNSO). The concert Gazza Goes Symphonic: A Concert of Hope was performed under the musical direction of ASFA Music Department Chair and global conductor Alex Fokkens. The trip was a way for students to experience what is truly special about arts in the African country, Fokkens said. We thought itd be a wonderful opportunity to take our young people to go and be a part of a community where they can engage with artists from completely different backgrounds, from the whole orchestra and the theatre kids that they mixed up with and talked to. It ranged from ages of 14 to 60 and every possible demographic you can possibly imagine, Fokkens said. Amber Rocker, who graduated from ASFA this year and plans to study in Alabama State Universitys Department of Music in Montgomery in the fall, agreed, saying that upon first introduction, some music students struggled to communicate with the Namibian artists but the universality of music helped them understand each other. There was kind of a language barrierbut when they played music, I knew exactly what to do, and I was understanding what [they were] trying to do, and it was just really cool to comprehend and communicate through music, said Rocker, who has been playing drums since age 3. Members of the Namibian group with which Rocker played helped her get a feel for the rhythm, she said. At first I wasnt getting itone of the drummers, he was right behind me trying to help me out. But once I got it, they were really excited and just really encouraging " she said. Additionally, Rocker said the two-night concert felt different than anything shed ever done. Not only was she honored to play drums for Gazza, but the connection over cultural lines was meaningful, she said. We were in another part of the world sharing music, and music is the universal languagethat everybody can come together. No matter what your native language is, music brings people together, Rocker said. Across two weeks, students and faculty in ASFAs music and theatre programs spent time in South Africa and Namibia, where they took in the culture, while also rehearsing and performing alongside Namibias most dedicated artists and musicians. Fokkens, chair of ASFAs Music Department, previously served as lead conductor for the NNSO for 14 years and helped organize the trip alongside John Manzelli, who chairs ASFAs Theatre Arts program and previously worked in Namibia on a sabbatical. The collaboration between ASFA music and theatre arts and Namibian artists came about when Fokkens and Manzelli discovered they both had extensive ties to Namibias classical music and theatre scenes. Fokkens is an in-demand South African-born conductor who has worked across southern Africa and the world, while Manzelli is a nationally recognized actor, producer, and theater lecturer who did his sabbatical in Namibia while he was a university professor. Graclyn Presswood, who will be a junior in ASFAs theatre program in the fall, said the trip didnt feel real until they landed in Cape Town, South Africa. It was just like, Oh, were just going somewhere in the U.S., but after many layovers, when we finally got to South Africa, I was like, Oh, my goshwere really in Africa, Presswood said. While South Africa served as a good introduction for the trip, Presswood said she found home in Namibia. when we were working with the choir, I became friends with many of them, and I still talk to them today, but it was so sad to leave, and I was cryingbecause I dont know when Im ever going to see them again, Presswood said. The first stop in Namibia was Windhoek, the nations capital. At that first performance, Presswood said she and the other students were able to see some locals perform which allowed the students to see some parallels in the theatre world. Everybody was connected through the music, she said. You could feel the energy, like blowing past everybody, because while we were singing, we were also doing movements, so you could tell everybody was extremely connected with the music and genuinely understanding what theyre saying and feeling what theyre saying, Presswood said. Describing the impact of the trip, Manzelli said, We got the chance to teach students that art is something bigger than ourselves. Students left Namibia with a better understanding of why we do what we do. And they connected to other artists in the world who think and create like them. On the first anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision that led to dramatic restrictions on abortions, Alabama Republicans marked the occasion with celebration and promises to strengthen those restrictions. Alabama will always fight to protect our babies, Gov. Kay Ivey said in a post on Twitter in perhaps the most straightforward comment. Alabama will always fight to protect our babies. Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) June 24, 2023 In his own Twitter post Saturday, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said, Today we celebrate the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson. The right to life must always be protected. After the Supreme Courts decision last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the Alabama legislature implemented whats considered to be among the harshest anti-abortion laws in the country. Under that law, abortion providers can be charged with a felony except in cases where the mothers life is in danger. Related: Supreme Courts abortion decision still polarizes U.S. one year later Still, Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, said Saturday on Twitter that, There is still work to be done to protect the lives of the unborn. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden posted eight messages on Twitter on Friday and Saturday opposing the Supreme Court ruling and vowing to remove abortion restrictions. He also released a statement Saturday saying that the court took away a constitutional right from the American people. On Republicans wanting to continue to push limits on abortion, Biden said in the statement, Their agenda is extreme, dangerous and out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville used the anniversary to promote his months-long block on military promotions as a protest over a Pentagon policy that provides paid leave and travel expenses for servicemembers to journey to states where abortion is still legal. Tuberville has argued the policy is illegal because it did not receive congressional approval. If Democrats cant pass legislation to authorize the abortion policy, then it shouldnt be the policy, Tuberville said in a Twitter post that linked to his op/ed in The Washington Post. The plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that led to a ruling forcing state leaders to draw new congressional districts to increase the Black voter influence have presented their preferred version of the redistricting plan. The Supreme Court earlier this month upheld a lower courts ruling that Alabamas 2021 congressional maps violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting Black voting power. Both courts ordered the state to redraw its congressional lines. The National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), along with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LFD), the two primary legal representatives in the case, submitted the latest map to the states reapportionment office. A hearing is set Tuesday afternoon at the State House in Montgomery where the maps will be presented. Ultimately, this is a spinoff map from one of the maps that was submitted in court that looked to find a good compromise between the two plaintiff groups, NRF Executive Director Marina Jenkins told AL.com Saturday. Jenkins is also executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliate organizations, which include the NRF. The latest proposed map from NRF and LDF has two districts with significant Black voting populations in the current District Seven and a redrawn District Two. District Seven is currently represented by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, and District Two by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. The proposed second majority Black district would be in District Two, which when redrawn would span the southern portion of the state from east to west, adding Monroe and Washington counties and portions of Mobile and Clarke counties. The proposed map would also reconfigure the boundaries of District One, represented by Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, to include five counties in southeast Alabama, and would stretch to the Georgia state line. The states other four districts would be largely unchanged. It makes minimal changes to the districts that dont need to be changed, Jenkins explained. On the left is Alabama's current districting map adopted in 2021. At right, the map proposed by the plaintiffs in the Voting Rights Act case. District Seven is kept largely the same. As were making these changes, the main thrust of the case was about how the Black Belt communities have had their vote diluted, so this map protects the Black Belt. Whatever is not in District Seven is in District Two. It really is focused on addressing the vote dilution of the Black community that has not been represented. Alabama, which is about 27 percent Black, currently has one Black in its congressional delegation Rep. Sewell, whose district includes Birmingham and spans most of the Black Belt. Sewell supports the map proposed by NRC and LDF, calling it a compromise version that has the best chances of meeting a consensus from the state legislature and approval from the court. I commend the Milligan and Caster plaintiffs for working together to provide one compromise remedial map. This gives the State Legislature clear direction as to the kind of map that may be acceptable to the federal court, Sewell told Al.com this afternoon. I support this map, and it should become the starting point for the Alabama State Legislature as they begin the redistricting process. The Supreme Court ruled that a previous map enacted by the Alabama State Legislature denied Black voters an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice by packing them into just one majority Black district and diluting the voting power of other Black voters in the state. The map and its details were made public in a tweet from Alabama State Rep. Chris England Friday evening. England sits on the legislative redistricting committee. The latest map is among dozens that were submitted to the committee from various sources. Jenkins said the NRC proposal delivers strong merit. The court ordered either Black majority districts or a Black opportunity district, Jenkins said. ... in Alabama, in order to have an effective opportunity for Black voters, you need to have if not 50 percent or more Black voting age population than something real close. The proposed map meets those conditions, she said. Editors note: This story was updated on June 26 to correct that the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), was among the two primary legal representatives in the case, which submitted the latest map to the states reapportionment office. NRF is an affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Both the NRF and NDRC have the same executive director. The head of the Wagner force said Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. And President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Prigozhin said that while his men are just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He didnt say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenkos offer to halt the Wagner groups advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Lukashenkos office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. It didnt elaborate. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. Moscow on Saturday erected checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on its southern edge, Red Square was shut down and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads as the Russian capital braced for the arrival of a private army led by a rebellious mercenary commander. President Vladimir Putin vowed harsh consequences for organizers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced toward Moscow. Prigozhins actions represented the most significant challenge to Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. He did not elaborate. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europes largest conflict since World War II, that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals werent immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. Another man who didnt want to be identified at all denounced Prigozhins move as a betrayal and said he supports the Defense Ministry. State-controlled TV networks led their newscasts with Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Putin and condemning Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Kadyrov said. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. Prigozhins actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the infighting will create confusion and potential division among Russian military forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian soldier Andrii Kvasnytsia, attending a funeral for a comrade, said Prigozhins intentions toward Ukraine might be worse than Putins, but that the infighting would still benefit the country. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. Although there was speculation that Putin had left Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed harsh punishment for the organizers of an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city. Putin denounced the uprising as a stab in the back in an address to the nation. It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also rolled into Russias Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. He did not elaborate, As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his speech, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhins private army, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals werent immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest after he declared the armed rebellion late Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said Wagners forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putins every word. We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman, Kadyrov said. The mutiny needs to be suppressed. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain unity. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Prigozhins actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defense Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled. At one club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. United Methodists meeting in the North Alabama Conference on Friday voted to call for the upcoming international meeting of the denomination to drop all mention of homosexuality from the Book of Discipline, the book of church law. The Book of Discipline currently says the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity, and bans the blessing of same-sex marriage in the church and the ordination of openly gay clergy. The voting members of the North Alabama Annual Conference support the removal of all language pertaining to homosexuality from the Book of Discipline by the next General Conference, the resolution said. Our doctrinal core as United Methodists has not changed and will not change, the resolution says. It adds, the current language in the current Book of Discipline on human sexuality has fostered painful division. The resolution passed by a vote of 236 to 151. The proposal to recommend changing the Book of Discipline was submitted by the Rev. Brian Erickson, senior pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood, and the Rev. H.N. Gibson, associate pastor of East Lake United Methodist Church in Birmingham. Beth Curry, a lay delegate from First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, spoke against delaying a vote and in favor of the resolution. She said she is married to a woman and wants to see the church send a welcoming message that name-calling and exclusion is not the way of Christ. The General Conference, the worldwide voting body of the United Methodist Church, will meet April 23-May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, after postponements caused by the pandemic. Progressives have been trying to remove the homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching phrase from the Book of Discipline at General Conferences since it was adopted in 1972. Conservatives have cited that continuing effort as a reason to leave and join a more conservative denomination. Last year, a group of departing United Methodists launched the Global Methodist Church, which they say would maintain the stance against same-sex weddings in churches and ordaining openly gay clergy. The North Alabama Conference, meeting at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, has been electing delegates for the upcoming General Conference, including replacing those previously elected who have left during disaffiliations. Since last year, 330 churches have left the North Alabama Conference, leaving 305 churches currently. Churches may still disaffiliate by the end of the year under church rules. More than 25 percent of the clergy in the conference also departed. Most disaffiliating churches are joining the Global Methodist Church, but some have joined other denominations or remained independent. On Thursday during a committee report for the NAC3 Team, Erickson urged United Methodists to not pay attention to what the General Conference does, saying leaving the denomination because of what happens there is like deciding whether to move out of your neighborhood based on the actions of Congress. The debate over who is welcome in our churches or not needs to end, Erickson said. You are all welcome in our church. See also: Bishop totaled her Prius, compares it to United Methodist church split Birmingham-Southern College president tells United Methodists: Its been a tough year Mountain Brooks Canterbury United Methodist Church votes to stay in denomination Another 132 North Alabama United Methodist churches disaffiliate: Trussville, Helena, Gardendale Division is of the devil, United Methodist bishop says as 193 churches disaffiliate United Methodists crushed after being left behind by disaffiliating churches United Methodists plan new churches in Prattville, Orange Beach, elsewhere to replace churches that disaffiliate in split United Methodists start new congregations where churches disaffiliated in North Alabama The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin and calling for his arrest. Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Prigozhin has often been with his troops near the frontline in Ukraine, but his whereabouts on Friday were unclear. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, the state news agency Tass reported. Russias chief prosecutor said the criminal investigation was justified and that an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by his perennial adversary - the army's top brass https://t.co/kHWQZRshcp pic.twitter.com/gQo43l3pFu Reuters (@Reuters) June 23, 2023 President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Wagners forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition, but his accusations and calls for armed rebellion Friday were more direct challenge. The Russian Defense Ministry required all military contractors to sign contracts with it before July 1, but Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply. In a statement issued late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise with the Defense Ministry, but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then cowardly fled. This scum will be stopped, he said, in a reference to Shoigu. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to restore justice. Security also was heightened in Rostov-on-Don, Tass reported. Its correspondent said military and law enforcement personnel were seen on the streets, with at least one armored personnel carrier and aerial patrols. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Another top military officer, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, denounced Prigozhins move as madness and threatened to unleash a civil war in Russia. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president, he said. Its impossible to imagine a stronger blow to the image of Russia and its armed forces. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Ukrainian military was concentrating troops to launch an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhins provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared to start an offensive in the area. In other developments in the Ukraine, war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to give appropriate signals and exert pressure on Moscow. The Kremlins spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces. The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europes largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that the military situation has become increasingly tense while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province. Although the last of the plants six reactors was shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water. During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. Rosatom director Alexey Likachev and other officials emphasized that they now expect specific steps from the U.N. agency to prevent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its adjacent territory, said a statement from the Russian corporation, whose divisions build and operate nuclear power plants. Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of mining the plants cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse earlier this week that drew down water in a reservoir that the power station uses. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Friday that Russia has beefed up its defense forces in southern Ukraine in response to the early counteroffensive and intensified its efforts to take more ground in the east. Asked if the Ukrainian militarys initial attacks set the stage for a larger assault, Maliar told Ukrainian television: We are yet to see the main events, and the main blow. And indeed, a part of reserves will be used later. Ukrainian forces so far have made only incremental gains in Zaporizhzhia province, one of four regions that Putin illegally annexed last year. Putin has pledged to defend the regions as Russian territory. Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is fighting to force Russian troops out of those regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and is using as a staging and supply route in the 16-month-old war. If the counteroffensive breaks the Russian defenses in the south, Ukrainian forces could attempt to reach a pair of occupied port cities on the Sea of Azov and break Russias land bridge to Crimea. As the city of Birmingham works on their first draft of an updated towing ordinance, complaints continue to pour in about towing in downtown Birmingham. Earlier this month Kiersten Kennedy visited EastWest, a restaurant on 2nd Avenue North, and paid for two hours of parking with her ParkMobile app. When Kennedy exited the restaurant an hour and a half later, she was shocked to find that she had been towed. I honestly thought that it had been stolen because I had paid for parking! wrote Kennedy in an email to the Lede. I realized what happened and called PES who confirmed that they had my car and gave us the address to come get it. When a confused Kennedy arrived at PES with her ParkMobile timer still running, she realized her mistake. When I got there, I was able to show him the still running timer on ParkMobile, but it didnt matter, she wrote. He showed me that the tag number on my app matched the tag number in their system, but the tag on my car did notbecause when we renewed our tag this last time we were given a new tag and sticker and I forgot to update the tag number in the app. They refused to acknowledge that this was a clerical error and that I had in fact paid and would not release my car without paying $160This practice is clearly predatory and should be highlighted so that someone can stop it. What's better than seeing professional MMA fighters battle it out in a cage match if not two tech billionaires exchanging fists? A fight has been brewing since the two's back-and-forth response to one another, and it looks like we're actually going to see it happen. UFC President Gets Involved Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have been indirectly communicating publicly about the potential fight for all the world to see. To say that people are rooting for a fight would be an understatement and it may just happen. UFC President Dana White says that he talked to the two tech billionaires and that they were both "absolutely dead serious" about the fight, as mentioned in The Wrap. If they actually go through with it, the venue would be at the UFC Octagon. White says that it's possible for the fight to have thrice the viewership of the match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor back in 2017, which had approximately 50 million viewers in the United States alone. Seeing as Musk and Zuckerberg are at the head of the most used social media platforms, they likely have more people interested in watching compared to professional fighters who appeal mostly to MMA fans. It's a different story when it comes to how long they can last. The UFC President believes that they can hold out longer than people expect. While Musk has the weight advantage, Zuckerberg has the training. The Meta CEO has already won Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments in California, earning silver and gold medals. Musk weighs about 180 pounds, compared to Zuckerberg at 154 pounds. The Tesla CEO is also taller at 5"11 in height, as opposed to Zuckerberg at 5"7. Of course, the weight and height difference are only two factors that can contribute to the outcome. Musk claims that he's had experience in street fights as he was growing up in South Africa, as reported. Still, it might not be enough to face someone who's had actual disciplined training. It's likely that Musk will hire a trainer to prepare him for the challenge. Read Also: Federal Court Still Won't Elon Musk Tweet Whatever He Wants How Did It Start? It started off with Meta introducing Threads, which was meant to be a "Twitter Rival." Musk being Musk and the owner of Twitter, of course, reacted sarcastically saying that he's sure "Earth can't wait to be exclusively under Zuck's thumb with no other options." When a user replied saying that Zuckerberg knew jiu-jitsu now, Musk said he was up for a cage match. When the Meta CEO saw the tweet, he took a screenshot and put it on his Instagram Story, with the caption "Send Me Location," as reported by The Verge. In all seriousness, Musk responded with a venue, Vegas Octagon, even joking that he would perform a move called "The Walrus" where he would just lie on top of his opponent and do nothing, using his weight against Zuckerberg. This all eventually led to the two talking to UFC President Dana White, so soon enough, we might see an announcement about the fight with more details. Let's just hope that it would be aired live so we can all watch it. Related: Mark Zuckerberg Might Fight Elon Musk in a Cage Match Soon A boy is fighting for his life after a gun accidentally discharged in a north Alabama park Thursday night, police said. The incident also wounded a girl, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the incident at Wilson Morgan Park in Decatur, police told WAFF. Witnesses told police the gun accidentally when off, injuring the girl. The boy, who had the gun, then shot the firearm again, wounding himself. Further information was unavailable. A series of tests by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the Nation's Report Card, show that fifty years of student academic progress have been wiped out. Unless this is reversed, America as a free nation faces a grim future. Test scores released this week for a sample of 8,700 13-year-olds showed that math scores had the largest drop ever since 1990, with reading scores about the same as those in the initial test in 1971. In a survey on the exam, fewer students said they read for pleasure, an activity that correlates with stronger academic performance. Absenteeism has doubled since 2020, and mental health issues were noted. NAEP test results in 2022 for 9-year-olds also showed steep declines with a first-time drop in math since the initial 1973 test and the lowest reading scores since 1990. NAEP results for eighth-graders released in May reported that only 13 percent were proficient in U.S. history, the fruit of a decline that began in 2014. Civics scores saw the first ever drop, with only 22 percent of students proficient. The pandemic is blamed for these academic losses, but the elephant in the room is why schools were shut down in the first place, since student infection rates were not found to be a significant problem. Union members held sickout strikes to prevent school reopenings in some cities, with the Chicago Teachers' Union claiming that the reopening of schools was "rooted in sexism, racism, and misogyny." Union members worked with the CDC to keep schools closed. Key union officials backed Democrats in the 2020 elections. But the downward spiral of student achievement began well before school shutdowns. Math and reading scores began declining in 2012 with the implementation of left-leaning Common Core Curriculum Standards. Traditional math has been replaced by Common Core math, which requires a series of mind-boggling processes to do even simple calculations. Memorizing basic math facts is discouraged now. The impact of Common Core math was evident in the 2015 NAEP results. For the first time since the test was administered in the early 1990s, math scores of fourth- and eighth-graders dropped. It is not surprising that fewer students are reading for fun. Common Core threw out great classical books that teach children morals and patriotism. They were replaced with books such as The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, which depicts the "oppression of women" and the "tyranny and violation brought upon them by the men in their lives." With Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, students read the text without any preliminary information about the purpose for the occasion. With this type of learning, students will have only a shallow knowledge of history that is limited intellectually. The effects of Common Core on reading were evidenced by the 2015 NAEP drop in scores for eighth-graders, while fourth-grade performance was stagnant compared with 2013. Only 36 percent of grade four and 34 percent of grade eight were proficient in reading. Fewer students, as compared with 2012, are taking Algebra I, and the course may even be delayed until the 9th grade. With math now deemed racist and connected with white supremacy, what else can we expect? This delay runs counter to China, where students are required to study algebra and geometry in elementary school. Low math scores, or even less math, means students will be unprepared for high-paying computer and engineering jobs, which often go to foreign workers. Public schools are purposed no longer for an academic foundation, but as centers for Marxist indoctrination. Using the framework of culturally responsive teaching, political lessons are fused into core subjects. Social and Emotional Learning, disguised as support for mental health and codified in federal legislation, is widely used to embed Critical Race Theory and radical sex in lessons throughout the school day. Opting out is impossible. In Buffalo, New York, teachers asked white students to atone for their "white privilege" and to "use their voices" for the cause of antiracism. Kindergarteners were told to watch a video that warned them about being killed by "racist police and state-sanctioned violence." Students are taught that America has created a "school-to-grave pipeline" for black children and that, as adults, "one million Black people are locked in cages." Students report that striving for perfection, a good work ethic, and meritocracy is deemed bad because these are white supremacy culture. Rigor has disappeared, with grades being inflated or eliminated altogether, acceptance of late assignments, and multiple retakes of exams allowed. Some schools are teaching "Action Civics," disguised as American civics, that uses the public classroom for community organizing and recruiting a Marxist student army. Students learn little about our founding principles, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and how our government works. Many have no idea about the identity or party affiliation of the current president. Student mental health is a "national emergency," with "youth suicides closely tied with in-person school attendance." With billions of dollars wasted on government schools, we have severely dumbed down, mentally destabililzed political activists who hate America and the Christian faith. Illiteracy brings a heavy price. It is devastating not only to personal lives, but to our society as a whole. The U.S. has gone from being the world's best educated workforce to the least well educated in the industrial world. Illiteracy is costing our national economy $2.2 trillion each and every year that's 10% of our gross domestic product. Our founding fathers understood that self-government can survive only with an educated and a moral people who understand the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. The solution is to throw the bums out of government schools and return to ideology-free classical education. Since that is decidedly unlikely to happen in the near future or even ever, parents should remove their children from harm's way and opt for one or more of the free-market education choices. Image via Pxfuel. Imagine, if you will (tip of the hat to Rod Serling), a small American town in the mid-South, located on the banks of a major river in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. Two major interstate highways pass through the town, making it the major north/south crossroads east of the Mississippi River. Heavily industrialized after WWII, however, this town eventually had the dirtiest air in the U.S., surpassing even Los Angeles for that dubious distinction. In the 80s and 90s, the powers-that-be decided to clean up this city and make it into an attractive tourist destination. Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules, they gradually forced out the foundries and other heavy industries, ignoring the plight of those who lost jobs; after all, they were saving the environment. And sure enough, tourism became a major part of its economy; a fresh-water aquarium was built (largely due to the influence of one of those powers-that-be), and a hugely successful annual music festival drew a hundred thousand music lovers each summer, exposing them to the delights of this town. Being located in the Tennessee Valley, energy was cheap due to the Tennessee Valley Authoritys vast network of dams and two nuclear plants located nearby. A successful business incubation center helped develop all manner of businesses, one of which was high-speed internet interests that resulted in the city being dubbed GIG City, for being the first city in the nation to have that high-speed internet capacity. Which naturally attracted even more business. This city is Chattanooga, Tennessee, my lifetime home until I retired two years ago to a small north Georgia town about thirty minutes south of the city, away from the increased traffic but still close to family, friends, church, etc. Politically, the rank-and-file voters tend towards conservative values (although there is a hefty, and growing, liberal segment). So imagine my surprise the other day when I read that Chattanooga is one of the first two cities in the U.S. slated to become one of the World Economic Forums 15-minute cities. As you surely know, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is Klaus Schwabs globalist fantasy, the realization of which means we peons will own nothing, and be happy. In short, its Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, updated. Before we discuss what a 15-minute city actually is, though, some background: In 2006, Mayor Ron Littlefield set targets to reduce greenhouse gases. In 2009 he created a Climate Action Plan and in 2012 issued an Executive Order to reduce energy, water, and waste by 2020. The Chattanooga Tea Party circulated a petition to recall Littlefield in 2010, but a county judge ruled that the recall failed to comply with state law, so Littlefield was able to institute his climate agenda. In 2015, the city published its first SMART City Plan, and in 2020 Chattanooga was selected by the WEF as one of two pioneer U.S. cities (San Jose, California is the other one) in a global initiative to use broadband and data to plan and utilize energy, transportation, health care and communications in more sustainable and equitable ways. A WEF White Paper from 2021 emphasized the necessity of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to process data quickly and efficiently. Installing and implementing high-speed broadband is a foundational prerequisite for SMART cities. Remember that GIG City nickname? Well, in 2022, Chattanooga announced plans for the municipally owned utility (Electric Power Board) to launch Americas first commercially available quantum network. Now, about that 2023 Climate Action Plan: it seeks to reduce Chattanoogas carbon footprint by 2050, and all solutions will be implemented through an equity lens, so that all Chattanoogans experience the benefits of a growing green economy and more sustainable city. Folks, when you see the terms green and sustainable, as attractive as they seem on the surface, they are simply camouflage for some truly nefarious plans, including for transportation, buildings and waste, green spaces and waterways and jobs. The plan includes solutions for decarbonizing the transportation sector and increasing cleaner, greener transportation options, including software and signal upgrades that allow for real-time monitoring and communication capabilities. Keep that monitoring and communication capabilities in mind; more on that below. These green warriors that now run the city say that buildings are the number one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Chattanooga, and that the people who live and work in them cause unsustainable levels of waste that pollutes green spaces and waterways. In other words, people are the enemy in the war of climate sustainability. That is the foundational creed behind the great climate change hoax that is threatening the very existence of western civilization. Now, back to that 15-minute city idea -- 15-minute cities promote the ability to live, work, attend school, and play where you live without ever using a car. This concept has already been rolled out globally by the WEF. Chattanooga, my once-sleepy little hometown, has installed cameras with facial recognition software and license readers at most intersections, and is rezoning properties to high-density mixed-use designations. Surveillance is a critical component of the 15-minute City because it allows for the monitoring of non-compliant citizens. Facial recognition software is in wide use in Communist China as a means to control the populace through the fear that they will be seen and identified if they step out of line. And its right here in River City! What about that SMART city concept? Proponents say it makes everyday life more sustainable and promotes equitable outcomes, but opponents point out that the SMART technologies are invasive and controlling, in that they monitor and report citizens who do not follow Green rules. SMART stands for SurveillanceMonitoringAnalysisReportingTechnology. SMART meters and thermostats in your house track energy consumption in real-time and allow the energy company to control your temperature inside your own house! SMART water meters give control over your water consumption to the water company. In both cases, they can turn off your power and water when they decide that youve used too much. Dont believe it? In September of 2022, thousands of Coloradans were locked out of there thermostats by the power company because of an energy emergency in the state. NoogaVoices, the group opposing the Climate Action Plan and its climate change-based idiocy, says that SMART intersections with cameras, facial recognition and license plate readers that record, analyze and report where you go, when you go, what time you go and how fast you go. They will track and report your CO2 emission and adjust your social credit score. That social credit score, in use by Communist China, can be used to determine what youre allowed to buy and when, or even if youre allowed to buy it. This is happening today, in my small hometown in the mid-south. All under the guise of sustainability and equity, which simply disguises the real agenda: control of American citizens. The climate alarmists have made predictions of climate doom for over 50 years, and not a single one of them has even come close to matching reality. Climate change is a gigantic hoax, but one the whole world seems hell-bent on falling for. Were allowing professional politicians enthralled by the WEF globalist fantasy that gives them total control, to destroy our rights and freedoms to combat a supposed climate emergency that exists only in their totalitarian fantasies. Image: Breethol As the far left keeps on pushing perversion month, these are four more ways that suggest they are acting like a National Socialist party. Question: How do you make sure the solemn promise made to the survivors and the memory of the Holocaust with its call for Never Again is fulfilled, without remembering the history of what really happened? Do you keep on identifying the emerging parallels in current events to what happened in Germany in the 1930s? Maintaining a record of what happened to compare it to new developments so that the same thing cannot happen ever again, presenting these facts even though they may risk hurting the feelings of the far left? Or do you bury the facts of recent history under ridiculous rules and illogical lies to support one political point of view? That alone ensures that it can happen again simply because of the lies. Illogical lies can only be propped up by intimidation and endless repetition. The obvious answer is that you keep on pointing out the parallels despite the political motivations of those who wish to suppress these discussions. It speaks volumes that one side of the political spectrum is afraid of the truth and tries to hide it behind ridiculous rules and laws that are always conveniently dropped when they want to falsely condemn the pro-freedom right. Nevertheless, were going to continue because you only catch flak when youre over the target and there are still so many parallels between the current left in the states and the National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party. Here are four new examples not discussed in my earlier pieces. The far left and the Nazis insist on indoctrinating children We shouldnt have to spend that much time documenting this particular parallel with what is taking place in our society, schools, and certain stores. It should be obvious that this is a form of indoctrination or recruitment into their cult. They always insist on performing before young impressionable children and indoctrinating youth in school instead of educating them, why? We all know the reason, its the same reason that the National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party insisted that children join the Hitler Youth and that the Soviets insisted that children join the Komsomol. This similarity is in combination with the fact that as collectivists, they think that children belong to society to mold and shape as they please. As in the WW2 Animated Film by Walt Disney (isnt that ironic?) entitled: Education for Death- The Making of the Nazi (1943) Politicization of the non-political: Sen. Murphy has ended loneliness/Hitler has cured despair You would have had to have been living under a rock not to notice that the far left has tried to politicize every aspect of our lives from kitchen appliances to beer selection. The Holocaust Encyclopedia entry on the Hitler Youth also noted the same thing in that the National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party tried to extend its influence over all aspects of German society. Well, Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the nations preeminent gun confiscation proponents has decided to have our big brother government become even more invasive and establish a national strategy to combat isolation and promote connectedness. Isnt that nice and invasive of him? Flashback to the Nazi Party imposing its form of invasive authoritarianism with this article from the archives of the New York Times from March 1, 1934 reporting: Gibbs Says Hitler Has Cured Despair; Finds Unemployment Relief Has Effected Moral Rescue of German Destitute Classes. People 'Can Hope Again' What is it about the far left in that they must interfere with everything? Democrats and Nazis have perfected the tactic of Crybullying. The Nazis may not have invented Crybullying as a pretext to invade Poland, but Democrats have perfected the practice. This tyrannical trait is a perfect fit within the festivities of June. In recent years this crybully activity was made famous by the tactics of one Taylor Lorenz of the New York Times. The Urban Dictionary defines a crybully as follows: A bully who harasses their victim, then goes crying fake tears to a person or group of authority or publicity claiming that their victim harassed them, in order to encourage them to wrongly persecute the victim as well. However, this wasnt the first time the left has used this tactic, the Nazis staged a fake attack at the start of WWII: On Aug. 31, 1939 Nazi agents staged a fake attack on the German radio transmission tower at Gleiwitz, on the German-Polish border. Adolf Hitler used this attack as a pretext for the invasion of Poland the next day. They played the victim, started WWII, and along with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics USSR, invaded Poland. Doesnt their cooperation disprove the rivalry talking point that is supposed to prove the Nazis arent socialist? But we digress. Nonetheless, we see that leftists love to recycle the same tactics over and over through the decades. Democrats and Nazis demand complete compliance - you will comply or else. Have you also noticed how leftist indoctrination and tyrannical tactics vary across the board? From hard-hitting unconstitutional red flag gun confiscations, the IRS in Beast Mode, and the CEO of BlackRock talking about 'forcing behaviors' on the little guy. To subtle intimidation to silence dissent and demands for full compliance with their socialist national agenda. Youve probably seen the famous picture from Nazi Germany in 1936, with one man later identified as August Landmesser standing with his arms crossed, as the crowd raised their arms in unison in the Nazi salute. Todays Leftists are similarly demanding that you submit to their agenda. Youre a 'domestic terrorist if you refuse to shop at Target. They are in your face with their agenda and if you dont comply, they complain crybully style to the nations socialist media. This is how it all starts; they indoctrinate your children behind your back and do whatever they can to be as invasive in your life as possible. And then when you push back, they suddenly become the victim. Then when you dont fully comply with their demands, they label you a domestic terrorist. But somehow, were supposed to ignore all of this because it might hurt the feelings of the leftists. Never mind that theyve been lying about this for more than 90 years and still havent come up with a cogent explanation as to why National Socialism was far-right. So far, weve listed 24 of these startling and uncomfortable ways the Democrat Party emulates the Nazi Party. Current events and research are adding more commonalities to an ever-growing list. Their 90-year-old big lie is disintegrating, which means leftists are on the Nazi side of history. And it begs the question, why doesnt that bother them? D. Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, the director of communications for a civil rights organization, and a long-time contributor to conservative websites. Find him on Substack. Image: Picryl, via Wikimedia Commons // CC0 public domain Our country is now divided into two numerically equivalent ideological blocs. Not surprisingly, those in the leftist bloc have been generally impervious to what conservatives and Republicans have exposed as scandals in their camp. And there have been lots of them. This long train of abuses would include Hunter Bidens acceptance of bribes from foreign governments, his fathers likely involvement in Hunters influence-peddling, the Democrats weaponization of the administrative state against both political opponents and religious Christians, the witch hunt against Trump carried out on the basis of the discredited Steele dossier, and Bidens and Hillary Clintons scandalous treatment of classified material. Democratic iniquities might also include promoting programs to sexualize children, the championing of LGBT and CRT indoctrination in public schools and the military, our humiliating setbacks in foreign affairs, and the sacrifice of American energy independence in pursuit of a Green New Deal benefiting Communist China. And lets not forget the racially divisive rhetoric that our cognitively failing president has engaged in, particularly when he rants against the systemic racism of white Americans and describes Trump voters as terrorists! Equally noteworthy are the outbursts of the Democratic Left against opponents of the transgender agenda and their insistence on cancelling opposition to their plan for transforming once settled human relations and natural gender distinctions. Calling attention to such activities does not seem to have helped the Right significantly. Despite what may seem a failed presidential administration, most polls indicate that Biden and his possible Republican opponents are running more or less even. According to Daily Mails most recent poll, Biden would beat Trump by about two points and most of the rest of the Republican field by more. (Sleepy Joe would defeat Chris Christie by as much as 11 points according to the same source.) Although Biden, according to the Daily Mail would lose to DeSantis by several points, he would defeat him by 2.4 points in the latest Real Clear Politics poll. These figures are not fixed in concrete, but one point should be clear. What conservatives regard as a disastrous presidency exhibiting totalitarian features is nothing of the kind to a large part of the electorate. The main reason for this, I would submit, is that the two sides are not looking at the same reality. Having forced myself to watch network news and our local network affiliates for a few weeks, I learned that theres no evidence that any one in the Biden family ever accepted a bribe. The main danger to our country is allegedly coming from white nationalists and from those venting hate on the LGBT community. We should also be on guard against the governor of Florida who is banning books in public schools. And we should be reacting indignantly that Donald Trump has violated the Espionage Act since leaving office. The putative rise in crime, the MSM has assured me, may be exaggerated, and in any case those who are playing up this problem should really be blaming the gun lobby as the real culprit. There are other truths Ive picked up by altering my viewing habits. Our most serious foreign policy menace is now represented by the homophobic Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine should be seen as an extension of his reactionary policies at home. No matter what evidence exists to the contrary, the Chinese Communist government was not really responsible for the Wuhan Laboratory leak, an occurrence that neither the MSM nor our president has yet confirmed. (Please note that loads of CCP money has moved into the Biden familys bank accounts, a fact that CNN has just come to acknowledge.) From National Public Radio (aka state radio), Ive gained information that while guns are dangerous in the hands of most of our fellow citizens, they are necessary for transgendered Americans, who must stockpile them because of hateful rhetoric. Our brave sexual pioneers are being constantly threatened by Christian bigots and other vicious obscurantists. NPR has also taught me that whatever riots followed the killing of George Floyd were mostly peaceful and that the slaying of Jordan Neely by Daniel Penny was driven by contempt for a minority member struggling with mental illness. The transgendered youth who murdered six people, including three children, in a Christian school in Nashville did not really cause this tragedy. The non-binary shooter was a victim of Christian prejudice and the gun lobby, and what he did out of emotional desperation led to an escalation of hate against the LGBT community. Yesterday I had the scales fall further from my eyes when I discovered that Hunter Biden had not committed a host of felonies, some of which implicated his dad. Hunter is a recovering drug addict whom Joe Scarborough on MSNBC is defending against hyperventilating right-wingers who have taken their playbook from Joe McCarthy If I truly believed such news and news commentary, I might view reality like my fellow-Pennsylvanians who elected John Fetterman as our senator. I might even be driven to wave a rainbow flag, give money to BLM and insist like Joe that Antifa is an idea, not an organization. Image: Pxfuel Kayla Lovdahl is the perfect test case as a 13-year-old who was approved for transgender surgery: She could not conceive, at the time, of the possibility of suffering a lifetime of disfigurement and chronic pain. Ms. Lovdahl, now 18, has retained an attorney, Charles Limandri, who has employed such emotionally charged words as barbaric and cruel to describe the medical teams actions in causing his client deep physical and emotional wounds. Essential to his case is the claim that Lovdahl was hopelessly ignorant of the statistical reality that nearly half of trans surgeries result in serious and life-threatening complications. How can a 13-year-old grasp what it means to remove perfectly healthy breasts (in female-to-male transition)? Sanitizing the language, Lovdahl was informed she could opt for top and/or bottom surgery. She had never heard of the term double mastectomy as she was wheeled into surgery for what the medical team had described as top surgery. Her harrowing surgical experience was spared bottom mutilation. The four doctors named in the lawsuit, associated with Oakland-based hospital Kaiser Permanente, arent just being accused of medical malpractice. Attorney LiMandri will assert the physicians are subjecting children to an indoctrination process in which they apply undue influence as part of todays wave of transgender activism. A crucial element to the case is the perfunctory evaluation his client was administered before authorizing the injurious protocols. Off label puberty blockers and powerful male hormone drugs were prescribed after a one-time 75-minute evaluation, along with approving surgical options, according to the attorney. The evaluation took place when Lovdahl was age 12, having decided at age 11 she was a boy. This is becoming a commonplace complaint lodged by many of the children (now young adults) who claim they never understood the consequences of their actions. The romanticized notion of the procedures to achieve a different gender typically fails to inform the patient of possibly confronting years of chronic pain, requiring additional surgeries to address the previous procedures, and in cases (female-to-male) implanting an inflatable prosthetic penis that (oftentimes) malfunctions. Many of the same medical complaints are frequently voiced by adolescents attempting the opposite crossover. In the case of male-to-female, the patients are left with a stump where the penis was formerly located, having endured an incision from the rectum to the urethra and prostate to create a tunnel that reconfigures the body into a new vagina. Surgeons spend little to no time explaining the possibility of complicated infections, enduring difficulty in urinating or destroying hopes of physical intimacy. And most patients are blind-sided by the pain having not fully understood the consequences of multiple incisions altering a complex network of tissues, nerves, and muscles. Such graphic details are left out of the warm-fuzzy discussions adolescents have with their therapists about leading a happier life. Lovdahl has already transitioned back to her birth sex. Many of the retransitioning advocates are coming forward to offer a different and more realistic view of the horrors involved with gender reassignment. As part of the advocacy work, some are allowing themselves to be photographed revealing post-surgical body parts with the implied message of dont let this happen to you. Such horrific photographs expose extensive scarring from skin grafts (mostly skin removed from forearms to create a penis) and extreme disfigurement from pockets of fat left behind in top surgeries. Fortunately, sex-change surgery represents approximately 16 percent of the young population claiming gender dysphoria. But that number is growing, along with thousands of children being indoctrinated into the belief they have gender options to choose from. This is all part of the premeditated indoctrination process children are now being subjected to, Limandri reports. If a child is 7, 8 or 9 and they want to imitate their favorite superheros gender they can receive puberty blockers and life-altering surgery, Limandri says. This is the first time were witnessing adults in authoritative positions advising children Youre in the wrong body If you do this youre courageous (and) youll be happier than ever before, Limandri alleges in the lawsuit. In this case, the finality of Lovdahls procedure still fails to address the complex psychological issues she experienced as a pre-teen. Her attorney alleges she was part of the conveyor belt of dangerous procedures now part of standardized care at a growing number of gender clinics: There is not another area of medicine where doctors will surgically remove a perfectly healthy body part based simply on the young patients wishes. In a tragic twist, Susanne Watkins, clinical psychologist, encouraged Lovdahl to attend (LGBQT) pride events, but the 12-year-old claimed she didnt wish to attend the events. And she didnt feel pride, according to the lawsuit. Watkins is clinical director of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Transgender Clinic, in one of the most liberal regions of the country. This may explain the extreme pressure parents claim they are subject to at the time of authorizing such potentially harmful procedures. Many are told they have a choice between a dead daughter or a live son (or the reverse) clearly suggesting the child is at a high risk of suicide, according to the lawsuit. Many parents -- in different parts of the country -- have reported the same level of manipulation to sway them into signing off on procedures that have left them feeling deeply conflicted. Image: Pixabay Its not too soon to consider presidential debates. As a former League of Women Voters forum moderator and chair of the forum moderating committee in St. Louis, Ive been astounded by the unfair and biased handling of past presidential debates. When media personalities moderate the debates, its obvious from the different questions or topics presented that they are not treating the different candidates equally or fairly. One candidate will get loaded questions while the other receives neutral ones. Our national media have become so partisan that fair debates cannot be accomplished or anticipated via their participation. A fair and even debate would require presenting fair and identical questions to both candidates. To pose different questions is to reveal bias. This is the beauty and unquestionable fairness of the League of Women Voters forums. The same question is asked of each candidate participating. Additionally, no question or topic is so personalized that it can be recognized as an attempt to harm a specific candidate. In other words, questions and topics cannot and must not be personalized. Candidates responding may take liberties, but there should also be the opportunity for rebuttals. Both the candidates and the American electorate deserve fair debates. Its time to change the presidential debates by denying bias and manipulation by the moderators. How can this be done? How can they be improved? Primarily, how can we ensure they are fair? Image by macrovector. One approach would be to have moderates who are not media personnel because they have repeatedly shown they cant resist showing bias or favoritism. As the League of Women Voters has historically proven its trustworthiness in this regard, it may be a healthy choice. Another suggestion is to submit the proposed questions and topics to the chairpersons of each party, who can then sit down with the moderator(s) to agree on topics and questions that are mutually allowable. Following such agreement, the party or parties moderating the debates should not be allowed to deviate from those questions and topics agreed upon. Another suggestion is to focus on policies and what the candidates promise to do if elected. Partisanship has become so outrageously ugly that every effort to return to civility with those seeking the highest office in the nation must be a priority for the health and welfare of the United States. Lastly, immediately after the debates, partisanship would be improved if the networks didnt immediately air their partisan takes on what happened. Its time to allow American citizens to ponder what theyve heard and to make up their own minds. They should be treated as adults and not children who need explanations. Perhaps such partisan summaries could occur the next day, but not immediately. I say this as one who lived in France and saw a different system in action. President Giscard dEstaing addressed the nation one day on television. When he ended, there were no follow-ups by any politician interpreting what he said or rebutting what he said. I found it refreshing, for the French people were allowed to think for themselves as to what they heard. These thoughts and suggestions come from an independent voter and former League of Women Voters forum moderator who only wishes for genuinely fair presidential debates. I hope its possible to achieve or, at least, improve our current system. Americathe collection of candidates, citizens, and political partiesdeserves the best we can do to ensure fair and just treatment relating to the highest office in the land. I finally caught up with Bud Lights latest commercial. I think it was meant to be a light-hearted look at the fact that people make mistakes but, hey, were all in this together, and everyone should just lighten up. Thats my theory. But of course, the reality is that the commercial is one of the most insulting things Bud Light could ever have done. Its useful, though, as a reminder that corporate America doesnt like and, especially, doesnt respect the people who buy its products. So, to recap, Bud Light decided to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, the pedophiles delight (a grown man who pretends to be a sexualized little girl), by making beer cans with his images. The obvious intention was that hed promote Bud Light on his popular social media outlets. What happened, instead, was that actual Bud Light drinkers were disgusted and began to view the brand with revulsion instead of merely seeing it as the acceptable beer equivalent of elevator music. At this point, all that the company needed to do was apologize and promise never to drag transgenderism into its beers image again. Instead, it attempted to sidestep the issue: To stem the hemorrhage, Bud gave its Vice President of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, a leave of absence. Then, Budweiser made a fawningly pro-American ad that failed to impress Americans. Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev issued a statement, saying, We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. Americans recognize a non-apology apology when they see one and, again, were unimpressed. Anheuser-Buschs CEO tried next: We will need to continue to clarify the factsthat this was one can, one post, not a formal campaign or ad. Hey, guys! Its another non-apology apology. And were not going anywhere without a real apology. Next, it apparently funded a drag show: Despite tumbling sales and negative press coverage as a result of its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light is reportedly co-sponsoring an all-ages Pride event in Flagstaff, Arizona, according to the Flagstaff Pride website. The party, which is called Pride in the Pines and includes drag queens and other performers, listed Bud Light as one of the companies sponsoring the June 17 event. (Bud Light was initially mentioned prominently in one of the posters.) The event is listed as a family festival event and a family-friendly, safe space for all visitors. The implication was obvious: Bud was telling boycotting customers that they are fundamentally wrong. So, perhaps it shouldnt be a surprise that the latest Bud ad shows its ordinary, straight, mostly white customers asstupid and inept: Yes, you can view the ad to say, We all make mistakes, but cant we all get along? However, I think most Bud drinkers would say that, without an apology, no, they cant get along. More importantly, though, the ad aligns with the general attitude many in corporate America have toward their customers in flyover country. We tend to view the corporate worlds excessive wokedom as (a) an expression of management values and (b) an effort to inculcate those values in the rest of us. Both of those are true, but theres actually something in between (a) and (b); call it (a) 1 , if you will. That intermediate point is that those who do not embrace management values are stupid. Its not just our values that are wrong. Were wrong. And the only way to fix us is to prod us relentlessly with Pride and DEI and BLM and all the other garbage. Its not just to change our values; its to try to make us less stupid. Then, as with the Bud commercial, corporate types periodically figure, What the heck. Lets just use their stupidity to our advantage. Those dumb hicks will surely forgive us now that we lovingly show them rising above their foibles and being brought together by our product. I tend to the opposite view: Give me common sense and good values any day. Whats coming out of academia and infecting corporate America is credentialism layered over ideological fantasies untethered to either facts or wisdom. Now that corporate America is revealing itself, these people deserve our disdain, and the best way to display that disdain is to leave their products to rot on the shelves or, as with Target, to avoid their outlets entirely. Image by Andrea Widburg using Pixlr AI. Sigmund Freud was a lifelong conservative, but American conservatives tend to misunderstand that. This misunderstanding robs us of a big weapon in the culture wars. If Freud were alive today, he would be an anti-woke warrior. Woke ideology is Marxism applied to sexual "identity groups," often imaginary ones. The old Marxism stirred up workers against owners, although Marxists themselves were usually children of the middle class and the rich. Today billionaires and their offspring stoke up woke war. Without the workers, the Left needed new victim groups: That's what LGBQT+ is about. The key is for radicals to act in the name of victim groups. But radicals are not victims, they ride to power on the backs of their favorite victims. Sigmund Freud believed that sexuality was a force, not a hobby, and like other psychological forces, sexuality could be dangerous. Today we are seeing sexual "liberation" used as a force to destroy the healthy norms of society, especially the way children are treated. The idea of sex-obsessed adults interfering with normal child development is obscene and dangerous. Adults should let children grow in their own ways. They don't belong to Joe Biden or "Rachel" Levine. Freud would have hated woke, because he believed that raw sexuality was selfish, primitive, and often destructive. He saw clients of all kinds, because Vienna was a refuge for sexual adventurism, often by powerful aristocrats able to prey on the poor. Freud never believed in "sexual liberation." He believed in self-control. Freud was also familiar with mob violence in Russia and Poland, and more generally in times of war and social chaos. That's what he meant by "primitive emotions." In America at that time, the KKK persecuted Southern Blacks with the same kinds of raw, primitive hatred and violence. Today, the Democrats are back to race-baiting. Ordinary voters who think their party is still "liberal" are deceived. Their party left them years ago. When you want to tribalize society you have to set groups against each other. Blacks are told to hate whites, because of slavery in 1619; gays are supposed to hate "breeders," and sexual predators prey on children "for love" -- with the help of the teachers unions. Our daily news shows how sexual predation can lead to murder and child abuse. Freud understood that. He knew a lot about mobs in Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine. In Russia the Tsarist secret police made a specialty of whipping up anti-Jewish riots, to keep the peasants in line. Freud knew about mobs. Freud's believed that we start life as little savages, and the job of parents and teachers is to restrain and channel our primitive impulses into civilized behavior. When Nazi street gangs came to Vienna in the 1930s, Freud saw them as another explosion of primitive savagery. Hitler was a mob agitator and so was Lenin. Today's Left has recruited sexual preferences to create new "group identities" -- new flags of group mobilization and warfare. The wokies inflict harm by confusing young children about things they don't understand, by propagandizing weak and vulnerable victims, and by turning college campuses into mob scenes. Freud's therapy is about civilized life. Woke is about barbarism. Image: Public Domain Nothing threatens a ruling class like free speech. Free speech points out policy failures, corruption, stupidity, and all sorts of other things that tyrants must hide to maintain their hold on power. With this in mind, contemplate the fact that the Michigan House of Representatives just passed a bill banning speech that allegedly causes mental anguish. In my lifetime, weve gone from sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me to she hurt my feelings, so you must arrest her. The Epoch Times reports: A bill moving through the Democrat-controlled Michigan State Legislature would make it easier for prosecutors to bring felonious hate crime charges against dissident speech. [snip] The proposed legislation, HB 4474, would amend the states Ethnic Intimidation Act of 1988 in order to consider it a hate crime if a person is accused of causing severe mental anguish to another individual by means of perceived verbal intimidation or harassment. The amendment defines the words intimidate or harass as a willful course of conduct, involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested Words are malleable, Attorney David Kallman of the Great Lakes Justice Center (GLJC), a non-profit legal organization dedicated to preserving liberty in America, told The Epoch Times. They can be redefined by whoever is in power. Under the proposed statute, intimidate and harass can mean whatever the victim, or the authorities, want them to mean. The focus is on how the victim feels rather than on a clearly defined criminal act. This is a ridiculously vague and subjective standard, he said. The absence of intent makes no difference under this law. You are still guilty of the crime because the victim felt uncomfortable. Words certainly are malleable, as campus leftists have been at pains to demonstrate for the past decade and more. Microaggressions and neoaggressions mean that all speech will be in the crosshairs of the neurotic, paranoid, delusional, and power-hungry. No one will be safe because all speech can be run through the subjective filter of damaged and dangerous people, and then fed to government operatives for prosecution. Image by Pixlr AI. This problematic outcome is especially true given the rising aggression of transactivists or, as theyre increasingly known, transtifa. (See this conduct, for example.) These are the people with the aggression of men, the emotionalism of women, and the violence of the mentally ill. They are a trifecta of danger and, in Michigan, they will control all speech. Indeed, according to the same Epoch Times article, if the law in Michigan were to pass, Id instantly be arrested for what I just wrote: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, testified that Michigan has the fifth-highest number of hate crimes committed per capita in the United States, with many more incidents not reported. She stated that HB 4474, and similar early judicial intervention measures, can help prevent initial non-violent hate crimes from escalating into murder. You can literally save lives, Nessel, a lesbian, told the committee. Verbal threats and murder are already illegal. What this Michigan law is policing is thought. Should the proposed legislation become law, Michiganders will find themselves like the townspeople in Its a Good Life, the famous Twilight Zone episode based on Jerome Bixbys 1953 short story of the same name. The premise is that a little boy has unlimited power, including the power to read minds. If peoples thoughts displease him, he destroys them. The result is that the surviving townspeople try to blank out all their thoughts, thinking only happy thingswhich becomes increasingly difficult as the slaughter goes on. Of course, the proposed law is completely unconstitutional because it is the very definition of government censorship. Framing it as something that can literally save lives doesnt save it from gross overreach. However, as many have noted, the Constitution is only a piece of paper that establishes a limited government and, in the Bill of Rights, reminds it that rights reside in the people, not the government. If our American government abandons the good faith that has restrained it for the past 232 years, then we effectively have no Constitution. It is to be hoped that Michigan citizens prevent this law from being passed and that, if they fail, the Supreme Court calls it the unconstitutional abomination that it is. In a bold and controversial move, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced on Thursday that it will be removing news content from its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, for all users in Canada. In a report by Reuters, Meta states, "Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act taking effect." Meta Removes News Content; Google Says It's 'Unworkable' The decision comes as a direct response to the passage of the Online News Act (Bill C-18) by the Canadian Parliament, which aims to address the declining advertising revenue faced by Canadian news organizations. With this move, Meta once again finds itself at the center of a heated debate surrounding media control and the power of tech giants. Just a few weeks ago, Meta revealed that it was working on a software-based solution to comply with Bill C-18. However, as of now, those efforts remain ongoing and have only impacted a small percentage of Canadian users. Meta's decision enact a "news blackout" is a direct consequence of the new legislation, as the company is required to negotiate reimbursement plans with news outlets for hosting their stories on its platforms. The Online News Act was proposed as a means to support struggling Canadian news organizations that have experienced a significant decline in advertising revenue over the past two decades. The act mandates that tech giants such as Meta and Google negotiate fair compensation agreements with news outlets for featuring their content on their respective platforms. The move aims to level the playing field and ensure that news organizations receive adequate financial support for their work. Google, another major tech player affected by the legislation, perceives this move as "unworkable " and suggests that the Canadian government carefully look over and revise the bill to cover specifically the display of news content, rather than mere links. The company has been testing a means of blocking news access in Canada since February but has not taken any definitive action. Google spokesperson Jenn Crider expressed the company's efforts to avoid an undesirable outcome and highlighted their willingness to work with the Canadian government to find a solution that satisfies all parties. Related Article: Facebook May Ban News Sharing in Canada if Online News Act is Passed Meta Wrestles Over Media Control? Further, Prime Miner Justin Trudeau stated earlier this month that tech giants Google and Meta, seem to be employing "bullying tactics" to deter legislation. Well, this is not the first time Meta has clashed with governments over compensation legislation. In 2021, the company removed news features from its platform in Australia after similar laws were passed. The decision had far-reaching consequences, affecting government agencies and nonprofit organizations that relied on Facebook for communication and information sharing. Eventually, Meta reversed its stance and reinstated news content in Australia. Meanwhile, the recent action by Meta has sparked outrage among journalists, media organizations, and the public. Critics argue that the move gives Meta too much control over the distribution of news and raises concerns about the company's influence on public opinion. Supporters of the Online News Act, on the other hand, see it as a necessary step to support struggling news outlets and ensure a sustainable future for journalism in Canada. While Meta assures its users that no other aspects of the Facebook experience will be impacted, the absence of news content on its platforms will undoubtedly be felt by those who rely on social media as a primary source of information. As the situation unfolds, the actions of Meta and the response from other tech giants will continue to shape the future of news distribution and media regulation in Canada. Read More: Meta Insists It Would Rather Block News In Canada Than Pay Publishers Conservatives often quote famous leftists (e.g., Hitler, Stalin, Mao) and then point out that modern Democrat policies align perfectly with those quotes. A Moms for Liberty chapter, which exists to defend children from government, learned that the left now goes after those who use those quotes inartfully. Meanwhile, California is pushing another purely leftist initiative to take children from their parents. One of the things the Nazis did really well was to coopt children. This was not an accident. It was, instead, a deliberate plan because Hitler either knew what Lenin said or intuited it. And what Lenin said in one way or another (there are lots of versions of the quote) is, Give me just one generation of youth, and Ill transform the world. Or Give us the child for 8 years, and it will be ours forever. Or something like that. Lenin was right: Those first years are the formative years, for a child is both a blank slate and a sponge. The child will believe anything, and those beliefs form the baseline on which everything else develops. So, as I said, the Nazis went after children. Starting when they were very little, they were inculcated into Nazi ideology. The Hitler Youth was the breeding ground for SS and Gestapo leaders. If youve ever seen the movie Cabaret, the blonde youth singing Tomorrow Belongs To Me was one of Hollywoods best depictions of how the Germans trained their young. Todays leftists, just like the communists and the Nazis, are targeting youth. And, of course, the best way to do that is through schools. Parents who work (both men and women) have long been grateful that we have tax-funded babysitting agencies (aka public schools) that also teach our children reading, writing, and arithmetic. Image: Classroom by gpointstudio. Whats become obvious of late, though, is that the schools no longer see traditional education as their mission. Instead, in schools across America, the mission is to indoctrinate students in the values that will drive leftist policies (big government, open borders, a military that works for the government, a return to a pre-industrial energy sector, etc.). Getting children to focus obsessively on their genitals and identities leaves them broken and, therefore, open to the messages sold with the sex. We normals are horrified by data showing that students can no longer read and write and by the destruction of biological reality and sexual innocence. The leftists, however, dont care because reading and writing arent the goal. Leftism is. To the extent Moms for Liberty stands in the way, it must be destroyed. And thats how an Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty founds itself apologizing for quoting Hitler. What the chapter did in its newsletter was quote Hitler to point out that leftist encroachments on schools are imitating Hitler. The media deliberately misinterpreted that and, suddenly, Moms for Liberty, which is the opposite of fascist in all ways (it wants to shrink government power and protect youth from the government), has a swastika painted on its back. Its not enough, though, for the left to attack parents who want to return schools to teaching academic skills while leaving values (social, sexual, and political) to the family. The left is continuing its fascist (some might say Hitleresque) push to break apart families so that childrens allegiances are to a state that provides unlimited sexual focus (a psychological drug) rather than to the parents who truly love them. Californias legislature has already passed a law saying its child abuse if a parent denies a childs gender identity. (Gavin Newsom has not yet signed the law.) The law means that, if one parent transes a child, and the other objects, its the parent who wants to psychologically and physically mutilate the child who will get custody. Next on the table is a proposed law allowing therapists to interview children without parental knowledge and put them into state-run housing to protect them from a parent denying their gender identity: Democrats in California are pushing legislation that would reportedly enable therapists to sign off on 12-year-olds admission to state-run housing facilities without their families being notified, even if there is no threat of abuse or self-harm at home. Assembly Bill 655, introduced by Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo in February and approved this week by Democrats on the state Senate Judiciary Committee, would also allow kids to receive counsel on gender identity from school psychologists, therapists, and uncredentialed trainees without parental consent. The leftist war to gain control of Americas children is vicious and unrelenting. And if you go into battle, as the Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty did, youd better be ready to take on fire. Americas Democrats are playing for keeps because they understand, just as Hitler did, that He alone who owns the youth, gains the future. (And no, Im not quoting Hitler approvingly. Im making the point that the lefts tactics are pure Germany 1935.) Our secretary of state just got back from China and said this: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the United States would have deep concerns about Chinese military activities in Cuba, after the Wall Street Journal reported that Beijing was planning a new training facility there. Speaking at a press conference in London after wrapping up a trip this week to Beijing, Blinken said he made clear to his Chinese counterparts "that we would have deep concerns about PRC intelligence or military activities in Cuba". Blinken added: "This is something we're going to be monitoring very, very closely and we've been very clear about that. And we will protect our homeland, we will protect our interests." The Wall Street Journal, citing current and former U.S. officials, reported on Tuesday that China and Cuba are negotiating to establish a joint military training facility on the island that could lead to the stationing of Chinese troops just 100 miles off Florida's coast. Well, I'm sure that the Chinese are really concerned, too. Don't expect that ship from China to turn around anytime soon, unless we are prepared to go to "blockade" mode and shut down the island. The Chinese are just taking advantage of our weakness. The key player is Cuba, and that's where the behind the scenes talk need to be directed. You can start by shutting down remittances. At the moment, the sum is critical for Cuba. Let's see the numbers: Remittances constitute a substantial part of Cubas gross national income. Cuba does not publish figures on remittances and is not a member of international financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Inter-American Development Bank, which provide credible statistics. There are estimates produced by research groups, but these vary significantly. For example, Manuel Orozco of the Inter-American Dialogue reported $1.53 billion in remittances in 2019, while the Havana Consulting Group reported $3.72 billion. Despite these disparities, remittances constitute Cubas third-largest source of dollar reserves after the service and tourism industries. To put it in perspective, Cubas GDP was $103 billion in 2019, with net official development assistance inflow of $499 million and remittances of $2$3 billion annually. No remittances would hit Cuba very hard. You can close the U.S. Embassy. After all, didn't President Obama open the Embassy in 2015 to help Cuba change? Having Chinese troops in the island is enough proof that Cuba did not change. We can start with those two steps, and let's see where we go next. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. Image: White House. The above quote is from the 2004 film, National Treasure. It was spoken by Harvey Keitel, the actor who portrayed the FBI agent in charge of finding the people who stole the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives. He said it to Nicholas Cage, who played Ben Gates who did steal it to protect it from the bad guys. The bad guys got ahold of it; Ben got it back. The bad guys went to prison. Now, in Bidens America it is the good guys who go to prison, as in the hundreds of J6 peaceful protesters who, in some cases, were merely present in DC that day. The real bad guys, the Biden crime family, all those who invented and perpetrated the Russia collusion hoax on the American people for nearly three years, did not go to prison; not one of them: not Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and the long list of their co-criminals at the FBI and DOJ and in the media. They were all complicit in what was effectively a coup, the calculated overthrow of the President of the US. Trump did serve out his term, but the same crowd made damn sure he wouldnt serve another no matter what; even if he won, which he did! All of these people knew the collusion story was a hoax but relished in its success at hog-tying the Trump administration. Despite their traitorous crimes, Trump was the best president since Reagan! Then there are the extraordinarily criminal activities of Bidens son Hunter. The media and the CIA, FBI and DOJ all knew the Laptop from Hell was authentic in December of 2019 but suppressed it and/or claimed it was Russian propaganda. That includes William Barr, a wolf in sheeps clothing if there ever were one. The powers-that-were covered up the existence of his laptop, chock full of proof of Hunters many perversions drugs, meth, cocaine, prostitutes including very young girls, and his many schemes to shakedown millions of dollars from foreign actors for who-knows-what in return. But one thing is clear beyond doubt, given what the Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith laid out before us on Wednesday, information gleaned from IRS whistleblowers. No taxes were paid on millions of ill-gotten dollars. When he did pay taxes, he deducted his payments to prostitutes, sex clubs and porn sites. Hows that for chutzpah? As someone commented the other day, this is a family of feral dogs! They continue to disavow a biological granddaughter. Hunter sells his pathetic paintings in some sort of obvious money laundering scheme. And poor, old, demented Joe continues to deny any malfeasance. He denies he ever had anything to do with Hunters business dealings. Once a grifter, always a grifter. The Biden family is essentially a mob of the mafia-like variety. One can learn much more at Marco Polo, a website set up by Garrett Ziegler. It is a phenomenally complete report on everything that is on that laptop. If there is anyone remaining who still believes that Hunter is being railroaded, what is in that report will disabuse them of their ignorance. He is a truly sick, perverted man. He is apparently so perverted he was banned from a high-end sex club in Los Angeles! Weve all known that he was a degenerate drug addict and adulterer, but he is truly depraved. And yet there he was at the state dinner at the White House for Indian PM Modi, glad-handing around the room as if he were some kind of diplomat. All those present, mostly Democrats of course, had no problem with his presence despite what had come to light earlier in the day. The left has no problem with the criminal or moral excesses of their own. Prison for them? Never. Prison for those who make them look bad by virtue of their patriotism? Absolutely. Adam Schiff is every bit the pathological creep that Hunter is and yet the Democrats in the House behaved like zoo animals when a majority voted to censure him for his years of lying about the Russia collusion hoax. See Scott McKays column at American Spectator. McKay marvels at the fact that they rally around this face of the lying Deep State, a smarmy jackass no more likeable than Peter Strzok. Well said. No one believes a word that comes out of Schiffs mouth but the Dems pretend he is being targeted for telling the truth! That is their narrative and they are sticking to it, no matter how outrageous and comical. Read McKays whole piece. When will any of these low-down thugs who have a grip on our nation go to prison? Probably never. They lie with impunity and most of the Republicans in Congress are such squishes that the few that lobby for justice get nowhere when they try to make a Democrat pay for his or her crime. We do have a two-tiered system of justice, and everyone knows it. In this administrations view, patriots and good Samaritans must go to prison, not drug dealers, car-jackers, shoplifters, murderers or pedophiles. To our now far, far Marxist left, those folks are victims of white supremacy and must be spared the inconveniences of abiding by the rule of law. Sadly, there are too many Soros-seated judges who go along with the pro-criminal, anti-victim agenda of the left. Our despicable and corrupt AG Garland will defend the criminals who are making our cities unlivable just as the equally corrupt Alejandro Mayorkas of DHS will continue to import millions of migrants from around the world no matter how devastating the damage to those same cities and to our economy. These America-hating officials are only continuing the Obama-approved agenda of taking America down a few pegs. Now they are in full destruction mode as are the Democrats in Congress. Not one of them has broken with the party on immigration, on the irresponsible spending that will bankrupt us sooner rather than later, or on the cruel idiocy of transgenderism. They have elevated their beloved LGBT activists above veterans, above the nuclear family, above all religious faiths. They have made us a morally corrupt nation on its face, a gross insult to all law-abiding, America-loving citizens. If only we could send them all to prison for treason, the wholesale betrayal of the Founders and our Constitution, for they are surely guilty of that. "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security." Ben Gates, National Treasure, 2004 Graphic credit: Mohamed Hassan Pixabay license The IRS whistleblowers testimony, temporarily overshadowed by media focus on the search for survivors of the Titan submersible which the Navy already knew was crushed Sunday -- was an inflection point signaling that the crimes of the Biden family can no longer be kept under a lid. The top propaganda media know it, and evidently, President Bidens White House Counsel also knows it. Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News noticed this small but very important change in the wording used to deny President Bidens involvement in the influence peddling racket for which his son Hunter served as bagman. No longer does President Biden claim, as he so often in the past did, that he never discussed business with Hunter. Instead: NEW from @IanSams46 , spox for the WH Counsels office, in light of whistleblower allegations: SAMS: As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son. pic.twitter.com/24neXk4JZf Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) June 23, 2023 This claim: As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son is obviously false, Never discussed was the former line. There now must be solid evidence of such discussion. The denial of being in business with Hunter means that the claim now will be that Joe had no formal business relationship with his son. Since in business is a vague expression that could be claimed to mean requiring a formal written contract, it is obvious that the defensive line is moving closer to Biden himself, and require quibbling over the definition of being in business together. Because a nod and a wink are the best (as in most deniable) way to engage in corrupt activity together, it looks like Bidens defense is getting desperate. Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images In a chilling and insightful report from The Intercept, a symbolic fire bell in the night is ringing about a very real threat from a U.S. Army surveillance state initiative. In essence, the U.S. Army has initiated an Information War (IW) against our citizens: WHEN THE CHAIR of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley enters into his scheduled retirement later this year, one of the perks will include a personal security detail to protect him from threats including embarrassment. Apparently this has been going on for over a decade, because a U.S. Army battalion received an award in 2009 for its skillful effort in protecting senior officials. In addition to real threats from very nasty individuals and organizations that were making credible threats against the wellbeing of generals, the unit protected senior leaders from embarrassment: PERMANENT ORDERS 287-29 United States Army Protective Services Battalion 323d Military Police Detachment (1 January 2009 to 30 October 2009) Award: Army Superior Unit Award The unit's seamless security and agents' skillful efforts in preventing assassination, kidnapping, injury or embarrassment provided an atmosphere of safety and enabled senior officials to lead the military without the distraction or concern of undue harm. As a financial crime investigator for the U.S. House Committee on Rules, I was warned about real threats by real killers, such as the Russian mafia, by the American intelligence community. I truly and sincerely appreciated all such teams that had my safety as their mission. Sadly my close friend Jack Wheeler, West Point 1966, was never warned and he was beaten to death. His murder has never been solved. It is critical to now note that the expanded intent of the Army protection mission intrudes on all Americans' First Amendment free speech rights because of the use of the word embarrassment. Once our Army is tasked and commended for successfully tracking discussion of embarrassing behavior by generals it is IW (information war) and they are violating Posse Comitatus safeguards. The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. 1385 limits the powers of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States. And, with the power of our modern surveillance society the danger of U.S. Army monitoring private citizens is very real. I pointed out this emerging trend in 2013 about the rise of the surveillance state: Is America on the Eve of an Electronic Wave of Terror? There is a pervasive and pernicious bipartisan consensus, which has unleashed information intrusion and government out of control. The left instinctively trusts and encourages Big Government as the way to improve society, it was even said about Marxism, it is easy to define heaven it is the journey that is impossible. The right instinctively trusts Big Government on National Security, as evidenced by some immediately springing to defend the phone and ISP national dragnet. What both camps often overlook is the human factor: who or what bureaucracy really executes policy? Conceptually motives can be pure, but in practice some on both the left and right can and will abuse the trust and responsibility given to them by American citizens. However, the history of sane responsible Army general officer stopping such foolishness comes directly from WWII, when America had generals who knew how to win wars. Image: Wikimedia Commons // public domain I wont lie: things in America are bad right now because the left owns the federal government and has achieved ascendency across American institutions. However, the great thing about people who no longer feel they need to look over their shoulders is that they also no longer feel the need to dissimulate about who they are and what they want. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of so-called transgenderism. They havent just come out of the closet; theyve achieved the heights and, at least in New York, arent shy about saying children are their target. Timcast News has a video of NYC Drag Marchers rockin down public streets with their re-made queer pride chant. The old chant, which I believe emerged in the 1990s, was Were here, were queer, get used to it. That was the were newly out of the closet, and were not going back in version. The new version has a we control society, and there is nothing you can do to stop us vibe. And so, this time around, the drag crowd is saying what parents across America have already figured out from seeing whats going on in their childrens classrooms and the media aimed at children: The LGBTQ++ movement, which in its purest form makes biological reproduction impossible, is coming for the children: NYC Drag Marchers chant were here, were queer, were coming for your children https://t.co/ucK1qM4fv5 pic.twitter.com/OhBguhWwZY Timcast News (@TimcastNews) June 24, 2023 Funnily enough, as I watched the video, it looked very familiar to me. Had I seen it before? The grotesque-looking people wearing colorful, exciting costumes while hunting children? Yes, Im sure Ive seen it before. And then, suddenly, it burst upon me: When I was seven, my parents took me to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I loved most of the movie, but it also included a scene that haunted my childhood and gave me nightmares for years to come. If you remember the convoluted plot Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) is a crazy American inventor lovingly raising his two children, Jemima and Jeremy. Aside from various madcap adventures, the heart of the movie is when he, the children, and his love interest (Truly Scrumptious, played by Sally Ann Howes) discover that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the car that Potts lovingly restored, is a magical flying machine. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies Potts, Truly, and the two children to the kingdom of Vulgaria, ruled over by Baron and Baroness Bomburst. The Baroness despises and fears children so passionately that all children in the barony have been lock-upped. Of course, our intrepid main characters right that wrong. Its that lock-upped children part that sparked my nightmares. To capture the citizens children, the Baron and Baroness employ the Child Catcher, played with malevolent glee by Robert Helpmann. When the Child Catcher, a repellant character, hunts down Jemima and Jeremy, he dresses himself in a bright costume, flashes candy, and tricks out his paddy wagon to look like a candy storeand it works. The hapless children are taken away (only to be rescued, of course, in the end). I want you to look at the scene in which the Child Catcher plies his trade and tell me if its significantly different in look and intent from the video of those repellant but attractively presented people on the streets of New York: Theyre out in the open now, and its up to us to use love, reason, and science to ensure that our children, unlike the naive Jemima and Jeremy, dont find themselves in the clutches of todays child catchers. Image: Twitter screen grab. Rice fields in North Korea near the now-shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex are seen in this file photo, taken May 30, from an observation post in Paju, 37 kilometers north of Seoul. Yonhap Food prices in North Korea have risen to higher than pre-pandemic levels, suggesting supply shortages, according to a U.S. website monitoring the country. The report by 38 North released Friday (local time) added to recent concerns of food shortages in the reclusive country, which has faced economic hardship from sanctions and self-imposed COVID-19 border restrictions. "The overall picture suggests that market prices, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting border closure by the North Korean government, have moved to a consistently higher level, which indicates that the country's overall food supply is lower," the report read. It found that prices for rice and corn in the country began to increase in October 2020 after it closed its borders in January that year to prevent the spread of COVID-19, citing price data gathered by Rimjingang, an online news outlet with sources inside North Korea. Rice prices, which hovered at 3.5 renminbi (RMB) per kilogram before the pandemic, rose to move between 4 and nearly 6 RMB per kg in late 2020 and early 2021, and shot up to as high as 15 RMB in mid-2021. Prices moved to around 5 RMB per kg at the end of last year, a 42 percent rise from the normal level before the pandemic. Corn prices, which were about 1 to 1.5 RMB per kg pre-pandemic, have followed a similar trajectory. Since late last year, prices have moved to between 2.3 and nearly 3 RMB per kg. "None of this is evidence of widespread famine in North Korea," the report read. "Nevertheless, the fact that the country is experiencing a significant food shortage seems beyond doubt." (Yonhap) After seeking public opinion on regulating AI, the US government now wants to launch a public working group consisting of volunteer experts to address AI risks and benefits. The initiative is launched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It focuses on AI technology capable of producing images, videos, text, code, and music. As AI is taking over different aspects of our life, governments worldwide must be quick to design regulations to mitigate risks and challenges. The US government is somehow at the forefront of AI regulations and even aims to collaborate with the EU in this regard. Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, is now asking AI volunteer experts to share their feedback with the government. This public working group focuses on generative AI and wants to weigh the AI risks for society as well as its benefits for different sectors. This is the second request for comment (RFC) by a government agency after the first RFC in April. The US government is asking for volunteer experts opinions on generative AI The final product of this public working group would be a set of guidelines for companies to tackle risks generated by AI. The group works through a collaborative online workspace. NIST has already developed an AI Risk Management Framework. This framework helps the agency manage risks AI could pose to individuals, organizations, and society. The public working group first needs to find out if this guideline could be used to support generative AI development. Then, it needs to support NISTs AI-related tests and evaluations. Finally, this group must find a way to drive AI capabilities to solve critical health and environmental issues. Advertisement President Biden has been clear that we must work to harness the enormous potential while managing the risks posed by AI to our economy, national security, and society, Raimondo said in a statement. Building on the framework, this new public working group will help provide essential guidance for those organizations that are developing, deploying, and using generative AI, and who have a responsibility to ensure its trustworthiness. Despite its endless benefits, AI is becoming a source of concern for Big Tech like Apple and Google. Both companies have prohibited their employees from using AI chatbots and sharing confidential material with it. Police are looking into the deaths of five people in the catastrophic Titan submersible implosion. Superintendent Kent Osmond, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), said a team of investigators has been established with the sole purpose of determining whether a criminal investigation would be warranted. British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board Titan, alongside the chief executive of the company responsible for the vessel, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Officials from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada went on board the Polar Prince on Saturday (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Supt Osmond told reporters at the forces headquarters in St Johns that no timeline has been established as to how long preliminary inquiries would take. The officer said interviews took place with people on board Titans main support ship, the Polar Prince, on Saturday as part of the forces investigations. The ship returned to St Johns harbour on Saturday morning, with safety investigators also making inquiries on board. The Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Confirming preliminary inquiries were being made, Supt Osmond told reporters: Today, the RCMP initiated an examination of the circumstances that led to the deaths of the five individuals on board the submersible. A team of investigators has been established with the sole purpose of answering the question of whether or not a full investigation by the RCMP is warranted. Such an investigation will proceed only if our examination of the circumstances indicate criminal, federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken. Following the US Coast Guards announcement earlier this week that debris from the submersible was located and all five on board were presumed dead, we will now look at the circumstances that led to those deaths. Our investigators are engaged and active in this matter as of this morning. Once a determination has been made as to whether or not a full investigation will be launched, we will provide an update at that time. Asked whether the force had any suspicion of criminal activity, Supt Osmond replied: There is no suspicion of criminal activity per se, but the RCMP is taking initial steps to assess whether or not we will go down that road. Before police announced they would be making inquiries, safety investigators said family members of those who died had been on board Titans main support ship. Kathy Fox, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), told a separate press conference: There are family members on the ship. Im not going to share the content of any interviews because, just like voice recordings, the content of witness interviews are protected under Canadian law. Anybody can imagine that its difficult, the circumstances they have been under for the last few days and we have to understand thats going to affect particularly the families who have lost loved ones. The Titan submersible lost contact with the tour operator an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage, with the vessel reported missing eight hours after communication was lost. Flags on board the Polar Prince were at half-mast as it arrived at the port in St Johns in Newfoundland, with TSB officials seen boarding the vessel shortly after it docked. Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) boats had already started to return to St Johns harbour on Friday as the recovery operation began to wind down. A number of tributes have been paid to those who died on the deep-sea vessel, including from Mr Hardings sons, who issued statements on Saturday describing him as a loving father, family man and a determined and tireless businessman. Irelands media minister has announced an external review of governance and culture at RTE following the controversy around the under-reporting of the salary paid to its star broadcaster Ryan Tubridy. Catherine Martin said a Government decision on the future funding model of the national broadcaster would also be paused pending the outcome of the review. The move follows the revelation that Tubridy was paid several hundred thousand euro more than RTE had previously declared. RTE presenter Ryan Tubridy apologised for not asking questions when his salary was misreported (Brian Lawless/PA) RTE apologised on Thursday after admitting that between 2017 and 2022 former Late Late Show host Tubridy received a series of payments totalling 345,000 euro (295,000) above his annual published salary. On Friday, director general of RTE Dee Forbes was suspended amid the fallout from the furore rocking the broadcaster. On Saturday, a senior executive emailed staff at RTE to apologise and inform them that new contracts have been paused pending the implementation of new oversight measures. Ms Martin announced the external review after meeting the chairwoman of the RTE Board, Siun Ni Raghallaigh, at her department in Dublin on Saturday afternoon. The minister warned that the scale of the issues facing RTE was verging on an existential crisis and a root and branch review was required. RTE has commissioned its own external probe, by auditors Grant Thornton, into the contracts of other higher earners at the broadcaster. Ms Martin said the revelations signal potential deeper challenges in the organisation. I have therefore decided there needs to be an external review of governance and culture at RTE, she said. The purpose of this review will be to determine what fundamental or systemic issues need to be addressed, including the adequacy of internal controls. While as minister I cannot get involved in the day to day operation of RTE, I do need assurance that the governance and culture is fit for purpose. Public trust in RTE must be rebuilt. Therefore, a Government decision on the future funding model for public service broadcasting has been paused until such time as this review is complete and the findings considered. My officials will develop terms of reference in this regard over the coming week, and I will expect the full co-operation of the RTE Board and senior executives in engaging with this review and in engaging with Oireachtas committees in the coming period. RTE board chairwoman Siun Ni Raghallaigh met the media minister (Nick Bradshaw/PA) After the meeting, Ms Ni Raghallaigh issued a statement insisting that the boards priority was ensuring that public trust in corporate governance at the broadcaster is restored. We take this responsibility very seriously, she said. We will work closely with the forthcoming external review to ensure that these issues are rigorously examined, so that full confidence in Irelands independent, public service broadcaster can be rebuilt. Separately, we have already put a number of immediate steps in place to ensure that there is no recurrence of these matters, and we will also work to complete the second Grant Thornton report as quickly as possible. On behalf of the board of RTE, I want to apologise again to the public for this breach of trust, and also to the staff of RTE who work so hard on a daily basis to serve the public. On Friday, Tubridy apologised unreservedly for not asking questions when RTE published incorrect figures for his earnings. He said he would not be presenting his daily radio show next week. On Saturday, interim deputy director general at RTE Adrian Lynch apologised to staff at the broadcaster. I want to apologise to you, our staff, for the serious breach of trust that has occurred, and for this failure of corporate governance at RTE, he wrote in an email seen by the PA news agency. He said he shared the shock and anger of staff. This has been a massive breach of trust with the public, and with all of us who have the interest of the public at the centre of our jobs every day, he wrote. He said an internal review of the other nine highest paid on-air presenters had found that their salaries had been correctly reported. He acknowledged the external review of the contracts of the top 10 earners was ongoing. Mr Lynch said new contracts would be paused pending the implementation of new oversight measures involving a greater scrutiny role for the RTE board. He added: We are committed to working with the chair and the RTE board to do whatever we can to rebuild trust and ensure such a serious breach of transparency never again occurs. Fielding reporters questions after announcing the external review, Ms Martin said she hoped the exercise could be concluded within six to seven months. I suppose trust has been really shattered, its nearly like an existential crisis for RTE, she said. To build back the trust in RTE, I think we need to have that root-and-branch review. Ms Martin said Ms Forbes suspension was part of a disciplinary process. She said she was not aware of any other suspensions or resignations related to the controversy. The minister also suggested most members of the RTE executive team were not aware of the payments issue relating to Tubridy. Ms Martin said RTEs overall annual audit accounts that are supplied to the Government are correct. Asked if she thought Tubridy should continue to work for RTE, the minister said that was outside my remit under the legislation. Itd be very difficult for me to express a personal view while I am minister for media, she added. But that is an operational matter for RTE and indeed a matter for the individual himself. Ms Martin said she expected all relevant RTE staff to engage with hearings set to be convened by two parliamentary committees next week, including Ms Forbes. She was already due to leave her post in July. She is being replaced by media executive Kevin Bakhurst. Ms Martin said she had not engaged with him on the controversy, insisting it would not be appropriate prior to him taking over. Asked if he was arriving to a full-in tray, she responded: He definitely has but we will work with him in relation to this external audit. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has revealed she and her family recently met with the wife of a British citizen jailed for 25 years in Russia, as her husband Richard Ratcliffe accused the UK Government of being very soft on the case. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen who spent six years imprisoned in Iran after she was accused of crimes against the Iranian government in 2016, revealed she has met with the family of British-Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April for opposing the invasion of Ukraine. I met his wife in Oslo last week, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PA news agency at Glastonbury Festival, where she joined a debate on the rights of Iranian women on Friday afternoon. Of course, its a family being torn apart theyve got three kids. One thing that his wife mentioned was: I was not meant to be raising kids on my own, we were meant to be together raising kids.' Mr Ratcliffe, who held two hunger strikes amid years of campaigning for help from the Foreign Office to release his wife, said he recognises the frustration of Mr Kara-Murzas wife, Evgenia. The UK has been very soft as it was in our case, as it often is, he told PA. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard Ratcliffe spoke at the Glastonbury Festival (Stefan Rousseau/PA) I dont think quiet diplomacy works. My advice to (Ms Kara-Murza) was to be strong and be clear and were with you all the way. Mr Ratcliffe said the meeting in Norway with Ms Kara-Murza saw them hold a workshop of families to talk about how you can pressure the Government. He said: Ive been railing against the Foreign Office and thinking: Should I be polite, should I be more rude? Whats going to work? What should you do? And theres no right answer. But keeping your loved one visible and pushing the Government to take responsibility is always the start. Ms Kara-Murza now fears her husband, who is a political activist, filmmaker and journalist, will die if he is not released from prison after he already survived two poisoning attempts by Russian agents and developed a medical condition where he has lost feeling in his feet and one of his arms. Mr Ratcliffe added: Its obviously tricky. Nazanin was a nobody when she was taken Vladimir is an important person and this makes it harder for the British Government. But it makes it all the more important that the British Government stands up. Describing her meetings with Foreign Office ministers, Ms Jara Murza has said: Everything that was said in these meetings were the right words, I just would like to see some action. Responding to this, Mr Ratcliffe said: There are platitudes that get said. I found, often, it was like being on a hamster wheel wed have various kinds of activity but we were staying exactly where we were with the illusion of progress, and that can be very frustrating. In the end you do need to get in front of the Foreign Secretary everything else is just (you) being managed. 6 dead, 2 injured in east China's highway rear-end collisions Xinhua) 10:44, June 24, 2023 HANGZHOU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed and two slightly injured after five vehicles waiting for the green light got rear-ended at a highway intersection in east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday afternoon, said local public security authorities. The serial rear-end accident happened around 1:51 p.m. Friday in Longyou County, Quzhou City and caused a fire on site. Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) The USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy submarine, arrives in the port of Busan, Oct. 13, 2017. AFP-Yonhap North Korea warned Saturday of a "more overwhelming and offensive" countermeasures against any enhanced U.S. military action, criticizing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent visit to China. Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the Department of U.S. Affairs at Pyongyang's foreign ministry, issued the warning as Washington has recently made efforts to bolster its "extended deterrence" commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities. "We seriously warn that the scale and scope of the DPRK's counteraction measures will be extended more overwhelmingly and offensively in case the escalation of the U.S. military action and provocation in the Korean peninsula and the region is spotted," Kwon said in an English-language statement released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Unless the U.S. stops the act of violating our sovereignty and threatening us in disregard of our rights and interests and takes a clear action measure to lift its heinous hostile policy toward the DPRK, there will be neither restraint nor adjustment in the latter's exercise of its right to self-defense," the official added. Kwon lambasted Blinken's remarks during his recent trip to Beijing that China is in a "unique" position to press Pyongyang to engage in dialogue. He called the remarks "rubbish" and not helpful to resolving the issue. The KCNA also ran a separate commentary slamming the U.S.' deployment of high-profile military assets to South Korea, citing the USS Michigan guided missile submarine's arrival in South Korea. "Such reckless expanded deployment of strategic assets ... presupposes irretrievable catastrophic consequences to peace and security in the region and the rest of the world," Kang Jin-song, an international affairs analyst, said. The USS Michigan entered a key naval base in Busan, June 16, and departed Thursday. The arrival of the submarine came after the United States pledged to further enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula through the Washington Declaration issued by President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Joe Biden during their summit in Washington in April. (Yonhap) Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said readjusting to life back in the UK after six years imprisoned in Iran was very hard and a lot slower than she expected as her story was kept fresh on a daily basis by Iranian unrest. Speaking at Glastonbury Festival, where she joined a talk about Iranian womens rights on Friday afternoon, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe discussed the impact of seeing civil unrest and protests in Iran, centred around the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in police custody for wearing her hijab too loosely. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe also commented on a damning new report on the Foreign Offices handling of hostage diplomacy, including how the department managed his wifes case, saying it had a lot of very important findings as he criticised the Governments head-in-the-sand approach. Asked what it has been like readjusting to life in the UK since her release in March 2022, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PA news agency: A lot slower than what I thought it would be. Just because early on when I was released, the uprising in Iran happened since then I went through stories of many other people who were arrested, and then their stories came out. I resonated very much with what they have gone through. My story was all of a sudden so fresh on a daily basis and I couldnt get myself out of it it was very hard. So I think settling down was a lot more complicated and difficult than what I was expecting because of what is happening. But you know I cant complain Im free and Im out, whereas many of my friends are still in prison. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, second left, at the Glastonbury Festival (Edward Dracott/PA) During the talk on Friday at the Left Field tent on Worthy Farm, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said the first names of eight friends she made in prison who she is still campaigning to help free: Nilufar, Sepideh, Mahvash, Fariba, Morad, Siamak, Emaad and Nargess. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she feels the continued unrest in Iran is no longer getting the attention it deserves from the media and from governments outside of the country. I think when this whole uprising happened back in September 2022, there was a lot of momentum, but then, of course, the world moves on, she said. Like I said in the talk, I think the West is trying to negotiate a deal with Iran, so backing up any protests at this stage will be, frankly, stopping the procedure. A report by MPs in April on the Governments handling of hostage diplomacy condemned its handling of cases such as Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes and that of British-Iranian dual national Anoosheh Ashoori. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella as they leave 10 Downing Street last year (PA) Speaking about the report, Mr Ratcliffe told PA: There were a lot of things that I thought were really important. It talks about needing better structures (having) a person whos in charge of hostage cases that all families can turn to and all bits of Government can turn to. In our case, it was clear that needed to be done for us but (instead) it was a fight between the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury we got caught between different silos. Mr Ratcliffe said they are awaiting the Governments response, which he said is now late but they are hoping will come next week. He added: It was a critical report. Are they accepting it? And are they changing? At this point, we dont know. Richard Ratcliffe during his hunger strike outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London while his wife was still detained (PA) Mr Ratcliffe said the Government needs to end its head-in-the-sand approach. At the moment, cases like that Nazanins are reasonably rare but theyre growing, and that growth is something that the Government is not really dealing with, he said. The head-in-the-sand lets hope we keep this at a low level and manage it like you would with a really rare illness it doesnt work. There are a number of countries who are taking hostages, there arent many that that make the media, there arent many that the government will acknowledge as hostages or even acknowledge as arbitrarily detained. Well await to see whether the government says yes, hands up, we need to get better or whether what we get is a well carry on what were currently doing but well tweak around the edges. Ive had both in my time so lets see what comes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken to Western allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner group in Russia, before the growing crisis for Vladimir Putin appeared to be defused by the mercenaries halting their advance on Moscow. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin told his forces to turn back to avoid bloodshed at the end of an extraordinary day during which he vowed to topple Russias military leadership, seized a southern Russian city and sent a convoy towards the capital. The sudden move averting a descent into civil war followed negotiations with the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who said he had agreed the conversation with Mr Putin. Earlier, as the mercenaries headed towards Moscow and authorities prepared defences, Mr Sunak held talks with fellow leaders about what UK defence officials described as the most significant challenge to the Kremlin in recent times. The Prime Minister spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty, Downing Street said. It followed a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who also joined a call with fellow G7 foreign ministers to discuss the fast-moving situation. (PA Graphics) The Prime Minister urged all parties involved in the Russian infighting to protect civilian lives. Were keeping a close eye on the situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak, Mr Sunak told the BBC. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. Mr Sunak said he was in touch with our allies, adding as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this. We continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advicehttps://t.co/BrRF5j8SlA James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) June 24, 2023 After his call with counterparts, a No 10 spokesperson said: The leaders have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days. Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia and people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates. Mr Cleverly tweeted that we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies and we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice. An FCDO spokesperson said: The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia. In the morning, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces moved towards the Russian capital. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 In its daily intelligence briefing, the department said the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Units were almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow, according to the MoD. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal in a televised address but Mr Prigozhin denied the claim and called his fighters patriots. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner group military company, released video from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) Before turning back, the mercenaries had moved north towards Moscow throughout the day, with the governor of Lipetsk province, around 225 miles south of the capital, confirming they were crossing the region. Wagner troops have been fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine and succeeded in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have raged. But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of botching the war and shelling his fighters. The rebellion could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Amid the rapidly evolving events in Russia, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, which UK defence officials have described as the most significant challenge to the Kremlin in recent times. President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the private military company a betrayal and vowed to defend Russia, after mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, vowed to topple Moscows military leadership. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the fast-moving situation. The Prime Minister urged all parties involved to protect civilian lives, as he indicated he will speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy and other western leaders on Saturday. Were keeping a close eye on the situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak, Mr Sunak told the BBC. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: Im in touch with our allies. Ill be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak. We continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advicehttps://t.co/BrRF5j8SlA James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) June 24, 2023 He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia and people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates. Mr Cleverly tweeted that we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies and we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice. An FCDO spokesperson said: The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia. Earlier, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces appear to be moving towards the Russian capital. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 In its latest intelligence briefing, the department said the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Wagner troops have been fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine and succeeded in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have raged. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner group military company, released video from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of botching the war and shelling his fighters. The escalation of Russian infighting could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Amid the rapidly-evolving events in Russia, Mr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness. Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood described the developments as a huge opportunity for Ukraine to exploit the current mutiny and chaos in Russia. British documentary-maker Ross Kemp turned down a trip to see the Titanic on an OceanGate submersible for a television show. The former EastEnders star, 58, had been keen to take part in the mission last year but it was deemed to be unsafe. An expert production company carried out checks and decided it would be too risky to let anybody board the Titan submersible to view the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic, off the coast of Canada. Kemps agent, InterTalent chairman Professor Jonathan Shalit, said they pulled out of using the OceanGate craft because it was deemed to be unsafe on every level. Prof Shalit told the PA news agency: The production company, who are well known and renowned, looked into the sub and decided it was unsafe on every level and werent prepared to use it. We were told it is unsafe, we are not going that was a year ago. It is deeply sad for the families who have suffered such a terrible loss. (PA Graphics) I am relieved that Ross did not participate but I am obviously reassured by the professionalism of those companies we were working with that they didnt suggest that he go on the submarine. The lesson to be learnt is do your checks thoroughly. By good fortune for us the checks had been done thoroughly. The US Coast Guard offered its deepest condolences to the families of the five men after the tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. From left, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Stockton Rush, and Hamish Harding (AP) British billionaire Hamish Harding, UK-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, the vessels pilot Stockton Rush and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board. At a press conference in Boston, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Kemp had been considering making a documentary to mark the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton in 1912. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Terry Fox and Canadian vessel Skandi Vinland return to St Johns Port in Newfoundland, Canada, after supporting the search and rescue operation (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Veteran explorer Josh Gates, who hosts Expedition Unknown on Discovery+, also revealed he turned down the chance to film on the doomed Titan submersible. He tweeted that he had rejected the opportunity to film in 2021 because the vessel did not perform well during a test dive. He wrote: Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with the OceanGate platform. Theres more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public much of it concerning. The chairwoman of RTE will meet Media Minister Catherine Martin as the national broadcaster reels from the controversy over the misreporting of the salary of its highest paid presenter. It has emerged that former Late Late Show frontman Ryan Tubridy was paid several hundred thousand euro more than RTE had previously declared. RTE apologised as it admitted that between 2017 and 2022, Tubridy received a series of payments totalling 345,000 euro (295,000) above his annual published salary. RTE presenter Ryan Tubridy (Damien Eagers/PA) On Friday, the director general of RTE Dee Forbes was suspended and the National Union of Journalists called for a wide independent inquiry into the broadcasters corporate governance. Later that evening, RTE interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch said a process is under way, and he expects it to be completed within days rather than weeks. Tubridy has apologised unreservedly for not asking questions when RTE published incorrect figures for his earnings Tubridy said he will not be presenting his daily radio show next week. Ms Martin will meet RTE chairwoman Siun Ni Raghallaigh later for a face-to-face that was originally planned to take place on Monday. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has expressed his concern at what he said appears to have been a serious breach of trust and truth between RTE and the Government, and the people He said Ms Ni Raghallaigh will be asked to set out in detail, the issues involved and the steps the RTE Board is taking. The Government considers it essential that we have the highest standards of governance, accountability and transparency from RTE and will consider what further action may be required, he said. All of the matters involved will have to be examined and, perhaps, remedial steps taken to restore trust and confidence. A team of investigators has boarded the main support ship of the Titan submersible after it returned to the harbour following the deep-sea vessels fatal implosion. Flags on board the Polar Prince were at half-mast as it arrived at the port in St Johns in Newfoundland on Saturday, after four passengers and the pilot of Titan were killed in the incident near the wreckage of the Titanic. Police and safety investigators could be seen on board the vessel after the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada announced it would be the subject of an investigation. The Polar Prince docked in St Johns harbour on Saturday (Jordan Pettitt/PA) TSB officials could be seen boarding the Polar Prince shortly after it docked. The Associated Press reported that the TSB said the US Coast Guard will lead the investigation after they declared the loss of Titan to be a major marine casualty. Rib boats could be seen towing what appeared to be the Titan submersibles launch platform away from the Polar Prince and further along the port. Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) boats had already started to return to St Johns harbour on Friday as the recovery operation began to wind down. British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the Titan submersible, alongside the chief executive of the company responsible for the vessel, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In a statement issued before ships began to return to the port, the CCG said the search and rescue operation had concluded. The CCG said one of its vessels would remain on the scene and would provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations as requested by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Boston. Police could be seen on board the Polar Prince shortly after it docked (Jordan Pettitt/PA) The TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St Johns to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. In its own statement, the safety body said the investigation would be carried out in accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements. The TSB will not determine civil or criminal liability and conducts investigations for the advancement of transportation safety. A number of tributes have been paid to those who died on the deep-sea vessel, including from Mr Hardings sons, who issued statements on Saturday describing him as a loving father, family man and a determined and tireless businessman. The investigation comes after the BBC reported that emails from Mr Rush showed he had dismissed safety concerns over the Titan submersible. In the exchanges with deep-sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum, OceanGates chief executive said he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation. The Titan submersible catastrophically imploded close to the wreckage of the Titanic (OceanGate Expeditions/PA) The Titan submersible lost contact with the tour operator an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage, with the vessel reported missing eight hours after communication was lost. In the days that followed the gone-missing report, the US Coast Guard said the vessel had a depleting oxygen supply that was expected to run out on Thursday. A report from The Wall Street Journal said the US navy had detected a sound in the search area for the submersible on Sunday that was consistent with an implosion. The Associated Press, citing a senior military official, reported that the navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not considered by the navy to be definitive. A seamstress has made crocheted figures representing different members of the armed forces to thank them for what theyve done and what they are doing. Bev Mayhew, who lives in Harleston a village near Stowmarket, Suffolk has spent between two to three weeks making a postbox topper which represents the three forces, the Royal Air Force (RAF), The British Army and the Royal Navy, through three crocheted figures and a crocheted Air Force aircraft. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like and would spend about two to three hours every evening over around two to three weeks making it, the 57-year-old told the PA news agency, on Armed Forces Day. Bev Mayhews Armed Forces Day postbox topper features crocheted members of the armed forces (Bev Mayhew/PA) Theyre quite intricate little men theyre quite fiddly and have lots of little bits and the base of the topper took about a week to do. Mrs Mayhews husband Steve has a link to the forces as he was in the RAF for 12 years. There was a connection there and I wanted to do this to highlight the importance of remembering (members of the armed forces) and thank them for what theyve done and what they are doing, she said. They should never be forgotten and I wanted to encourage people to support them. Bev Mayhews Armed Forces Day postbox topper (Bev Mayhew/PA) Mrs Mayhew said the most enjoyable part of the process was seeing the topper on the postbox. You stand back and think: I made that, and it gives you quite a buzz, she said. And just the process of getting it all together and planning and thinking: Oh, I can add this I enjoy lots of different things about it. The seamstress is not the only one who is a fan of postbox toppers, with many leaving great comments about Mrs Mayhews crocheted creations, which include a spring scene which features bumble bees, flowers and butterflies. Bev Mayhews spring postbox topper which features crocheted flowers and a beehive (Bev Mayhew/PA) People love them and Im in a postbox toppers Facebook group (UK Post Box Toppers and More Group) and just getting likes on that is great, and I love seeing others and getting ideas, she said. Sometimes youre just blown away by some of them and go: Wow. You really appreciate the hours that go into making them when you actually make them yourself. For postbox topper enthusiasts, Mrs Mayhews advice would be: Just go be creative. You dont have to stick to any rules, just make it yours, thats the big thing and add your own personal touch to it. Ships have started to return to the harbour after assisting with attempts to recover the Titan submersible which killed five people after it catastrophically imploded. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) confirmed two vessels were en route to St Johns harbour on Friday evening with one remaining on site. A large crowd gathered at the port on Friday evening to watch the ships return to the harbour, with the Titans main support ship, the Polar Prince, due to arrive and dock in the early hours of Saturday morning. The winding down operation comes as the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) announced it would be conducting a safety investigation into the fatal implosion of the deep sea vessel. St Johns resident Patsy Power places flowers at an anchor at Kings Beach at the port of St Johns in Newfoundland, Canada (Jordan Pettit/PA) British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the Titan submersible, alongside the chief executive of the company responsible for the vessel, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In a statement issued before their ship arrived at the port, the CCG said: The Canadian Coast Guard offers our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the crew of the Titan for their tragic loss. Search and rescue operations have concluded. The CCGS Terry Fox and CCGS Ann Harvey are en route to St Johns. The CCGS John Cabot will remain on scene and will provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations as requested by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Boston. The TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St Johns in Canada to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. Members of the public line Kings Beach at St Johns Port as Canadian Coast Guard vessel Terry Fox, and Canadian vessel Skandi Vinland, return to St Johns Port in Newfoundland, Canada (Jordan Pettit/PA) In a short statement confirming the investigation, the safety body said: The TSB is launching an investigation into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately operated submersible Titan. In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince. A team of TSB investigators is travelling to St Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. In the coming days, we will co-ordinate our activities with other agencies involved. The TSB will not determine civil or criminal liability and conducts investigations for the advancement of transportation safety. The investigation comes after emails emerged from Mr Rush which dismissed safety concerns over the deep-sea vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Terry Fox (left), and Canadian vessel Skandi Vinland (right), return to St Johns Port in Newfoundland, Canada (Jordan Pettit/PA) The exchanges with deep-sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum, reported by the BBC, show the companys chief executive say he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation. Mr McCallum could be seen telling Mr Rush that he was mirroring that famous cry of the Titanics builders: She is unsinkable. The broadcaster reported the email exchange ended when the companys lawyers threatened legal action. The submersible lost contact with the tour operator an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage, with the vessel reported missing eight hours after communication was lost. In the days that followed the report that Titan had gone missing, the US Coast Guard said the vessel had a depleting oxygen supply that was expected to run out on Thursday. A report from The Wall Street Journal said the US navy had detected a sound in the search area for the submersible on Sunday that was consistent with an implosion. The Associated Press, citing a senior military official, reported that the navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not considered by the navy to be definitive. The main support ship of the Titan submersible has returned to a Canadian harbour following the deep-sea vessels fatal implosion. Flags on board the Polar Prince were at half-mast as it arrived at the port in St Johns in Newfoundland on Saturday morning after four passengers and the pilot of Titan were killed in the incident. The support ship is set to be the subject of a safety investigation from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada. Flags were at half-mast on the ship (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) boats had already started to return to St Johns harbour on Friday as the recovery operation began to wind down. British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the Titan submersible, alongside the chief executive of the company responsible for the vessel, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In a statement issued before ships began to return to the port, the CCG said the search and rescue operation had concluded. The CCG confirmed one its vessels would remain on the scene and would provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations as requested by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Boston. The TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St Johns to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. Five people were killed when the deep-sea vessel catastrophically imploded (OceanGate Expeditions/PA) In its own statement, the safety body said the investigation would be carried out in accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements. The TSB will not determine civil or criminal liability and conducts investigations for the advancement of transportation safety. The investigation comes after the BBC reported that emails from Mr Rush showed he had dismissed safety concerns over the Titan submersible. In the exchanges with deep-sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum, OceanGates chief executive said he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation. The Titan submersible lost contact with the tour operator an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage, with the vessel reported missing eight hours after communication was lost. In the days that followed the report that Titan had gone missing, the US Coast Guard said the vessel had a depleting oxygen supply that was expected to run out on Thursday. A report from The Wall Street Journal said the US navy had detected a sound in the search area for the submersible on Sunday that was consistent with an implosion. The Associated Press, citing a senior military official, reported that the navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not considered by the navy to be definitive. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with his Korean counterpart to explain the outcome of his recent trip to China, a state department spokesperson said Friday. Blinken also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the South Korea-U.S. alliance in his call with Foreign Minister Park Jin, according to department spokesperson Matthew Miller. "The secretary updated Foreign Minister Park on his discussions with PRC officials on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the DPRK's increasingly destabilizing actions," the spokesperson said of the call in a press release, referring to China by its official name, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea's designation. "The secretary reaffirmed with Foreign Minister Park the importance of the U.S.-ROK alliance in sustaining peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond," he added. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's formal name. Blinken paid a two-day visit to Beijing at the start of this week for talks with his Chinese counterparts. The top U.S. diplomat earlier sent his Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink to Korea to debrief Seoul officials about his trip to China. (Yonhap) The former patient of a disgraced surgeon brought the SNPs independence convention to a standstill to demand a public inquiry. Theresa Mallett, 61, from Glenrothes, said she was left with lifechanging injuries after undergoing botched surgery for sciatica from ex-NHS Tayside doctor Professor Sam Eljamel. The neurosurgeon is thought to have harmed hundreds of patients while working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Ms Mallett, who was initially booed for her interruption by SNP delegates, was consoled by First Minister Humza Yousaf as she accused the health board of negligence. The independence convention has been disrupted as a former patient of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Professor Eljamel calls for a public inquiry. First Minister Humza Yousaf went immediately to console the audience member. #independenceconvention pic.twitter.com/3t5kJrOzJn Rebecca McCurdy (@_RebeccaMcCurdy) June 24, 2023 The lifelong SNP member has now quit the party and told Mr Yousaf only a full public inquiry will restore her faith in the party. The Fife grandmother told the PA news agency after leaving the convention at Dundees Caird Hall: The day after the operation Eljamel told me it was a complete success. Two years later the pain clinic told me that I was never getting better its permanent. I thought I was going back to work, I thought I was going to get on with my life. And of course, it got worse. Ms Mallett said she underwent the surgery to remove a nerve which was causing her sciatic pain, on December 18 2012, but has been given no insight since into what went wrong. She said: We want people from NHS Tayside, Ninewells, the managers and anybody that colluded to allow him to continue harming patients. Im a member of (the SNP) and I thought I need to go speak to him (the First Minister), I need to go look him in the eye. First Minister Humza Yousaf spoke to protester Theresa Mallett (Jane Barlow/PA) I dont want anybody to ever go through what I went through or the other 112 went through. That can never be allowed to happen. Eljamel is gone, we will never get him back but we still need answers. Notes have been lost, x-rays have been lost. We have never had answers. And she said her time in the SNP is over for the time being, adding: If I get a public inquiry Ill reconsider. I cant look people in the face, my own First Minister of the party that I love. Speaking to journalists after his speech, Mr Yousaf said he was happy to meet Ms Mallett and other victims. He said: Theres no doubt that shes suffered a lot of trauma, all the victims of Eljamel have, and Im happy to meet with her in particular. She had a particular concern that we havent agreed to a public inquiry I can understand the calls for a public inquiry I have to say. But the reason why weve not progressed the public inquiry is because we think there may be ways of getting answers to the questions that people want through means thats quicker than a public inquiry. We know how long a public inquiry often takes but look, everybody who has suffered at the hands of Eljamel has every right to be angry at the situation they find themselves in. Following the interruption, Mr Yousaf appealed to SNP members to not shout down those who are trying to be heard. Professor Eljamel, a former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, removed himself from the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2013, but the remit does not extend beyond the UK and he is currently working as a surgeon in Libya. A 12-year-old and two others are dead after a shooting in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, police said. The Philadelphia Police Department responded to the 700 block of E. Locust Ave at around 2 p.m. on Thursday where they found three male victims with gunshot wounds. Police identified the victims as Laron Williams, 12, Khalif Chambers, 30, and Riley Darden, 47. Police investigate a shooting in Philadelphia on June 23, 2023. (WCAU) Chambers and Darden were shot multiple times in the chest while Williams was shot multiple times in the back, according to police. All three victims were taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead. Police did not provide any details regarding what led to the shooting. No arrests have been made as of Friday and no weapons were recovered from the scene. Mayor Jim Kenney said he was "devastated" to learn of the shooting in a tweet published on Thursday. "No one should have their life and potential cut short by violence," he wrote. "Our communities deserve better. This senseless violence must stop." This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Despite life-threatening complications in wanted pregnancies, some women have struggled to find abortion care. (Illustration: Yahoo News Visuals; photo: Getty Images) Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed women in the U.S. the right to an abortion, was overturned a year ago with Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Since then, stories of women struggling to find reproductive care often after experiencing life-threatening complications of wanted pregnancies have continued to make headlines. Women have shared devastating stories of nearly dying before doctors in states with strict abortion laws could legally intervene to help provide care that, just a year ago, was considered standard. On the anniversary of the end of Roe v. Wade, here's a look at just a few of the alarming stories that have surfaced and what it means to be a woman of reproductive age in the U.S. right now. Melissa Novak, a 40-year-old woman in Georgia, learned eight weeks into a wanted pregnancy that she had miscarried. Novak previously told Yahoo Life that she decided to have a medication abortion to manage the miscarriage, which usually involves taking the prescription drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. However, her ob-gyn said she could prescribe only misoprostol because of strict laws in Georgia. Novak says she started bleeding four hours after inserting four misoprostol pills vaginally at home as instructed, but she was still bleeding when she came home from a family trip. Four days later, Novak felt like she was coming down with a cold, followed by a fever. "My whole body was shaking, with intense pain in my lower back," she said. She went to the emergency room, where doctors discovered she was in septic shock, a life-threatening condition caused by a bacterial infection from tissue that remained after an incomplete abortion. I was having trouble talking because I was in agony, she said. I was so tired and I'm suffering in this way and its beyond what I think I can handle. Novak remembers thinking at one point that she could die. She had a surgical procedure called a D&C to remove the pregnancy tissue and eventually recovered. "Ive never felt so powerless," she said. Lauren Miller, a 36-year-old woman in Texas, found herself unexpectedly needing abortion care after discovering that one of the twin boys she was carrying, whom she named Thomas, had fetal abnormalities that were incompatible with life. Miller had to travel to Colorado to have an abortion to save her healthy baby's life. "Someday, I will hold my boys and tell them that I love them and that for a few weeks, they had a little brother named Thomas," she told the Guardian. "Thomas who never lived, but will be with us forever. I will explain that mercy can be heartbreaking. I will explain that the abortion for their brother was out of love." Miller is now suing the state of Texas, alongside 14 other plaintiffs, for being denied access to life-saving abortion care; the lawsuit is backed by the Center for Reproductive Rights. Texas resident Amanda Eid became pregnant after a year and a half of fertility treatments, but her water broke just four months into her pregnancy. I just kept asking, Isnt there anything we can do? And the answer was no," she told CNN. Eid's baby, who she named Willow, still had a heartbeat and, under Texas law, her doctors couldn't intervene, even though the baby would not survive. Doctors told Eid to go home and wait for signs of a life-threatening infection. Three days later, it came. We were having a heat wave, I think it was 105 degrees that day, and I was freezing cold, and I was shaking, my teeth were chattering," she said. "I was trying to tell [her husband] Josh that I didnt feel good, and my teeth were chattering so hard that I could not even get the sentence out." Eid was taken to the hospital, where she was given IV antibiotics and a blood transfusion. She still developed signs of sepsis and was taken to the ICU. Family members flew in from across the country because they feared she would die. Eid recovered, but her uterus suffered scarring from the infection, and she may not be able to have more children. Jessica Bernardo spent years trying to conceive before becoming pregnant with her daughter, Emma. But Bernardo, who lives in Texas, discovered 14 weeks into her pregnancy that Emma had Down syndrome, along with an underdeveloped heart and a rare, deadly disorder called fetal anasarca, which causes fluid to build up in the fetus's body. He handed me a tissue box, Bernardo told the Associated Press of her doctor. I thought maybe the worst thing he was going to tell us was that she's going to have Down syndrome. Instead, he said, I can tell you right away . . . she wouldnt make it.' Bernardo's blood pressure started climbing and her ob-gyn met with her hospital's ethics board to see if her pregnancy could be terminated. She was told Bernardo wasn't sick enough, so Bernardo had to spend $7,000 to travel to Seattle to have an abortion. Had I not received an abortion, my life would have very likely been on the line," Bernardo said. Mom of three Jaci Statton was diagnosed with a partial molar pregnancy which is not viable and three precancerous cysts in her uterus, but she was unable to receive the care she needed due to Oklahoma law. Statton was sent to several hospitals and repeatedly turned away. They admitted me, did another ultrasound . . . and the cancer pockets had basically took over my placenta and the area around the baby, she told Today. A team of seven specialists came in . . . they told us: We cant do anything. You may have two weeks to live. The baby wont even make it to two weeks. You need an abortion, but we cant touch you.' Statton says doctors told her she could travel either to Kansas, Colorado or New Mexico for an abortion or sit in the parking lot and wait to get worse. She and her husband traveled 3.5 hours to Kansas to get an abortion. Statton now says she's "terrified to get pregnant again. 'It has been devastating' "It's hard to underscore enough the legal and public health chaos and crisis that has occurred," Michelle Banker, director of reproductive rights and health litigation at National Women's Law Center, tells Yahoo Life. "This is the first time that a constitutional right has been taken away from us. It affects people in so many areas of their lives. From a legal standpoint, it's been chaos. from a public health standpoint, it has been devastating." While abortion bans are often designed to prevent women from accessing care for unwanted pregnancies, it has the unintended effect of causing devastation and life-threatening complications for women with desired pregnancies, Katrina Kimport, a qualitative medical sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco, whose research focuses on gender, health and reproduction, tells Yahoo Life. "The way that these bans are written ties the hands of doctors who are caring for people who have medical emergencies," she says. Kimport adds: "There are a shocking and deeply upsetting number of ways that pregnancy can go wrong. It's very consequential and serious. Doctors are not able to offer evidence-based medicine in states where abortion is banned or restricted." The end of reproductive rights that had been granted by Roe v. Wade "definitely worsened U.S. maternal mortality rates," Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, tells Yahoo Life. "It doesn't just impact access to abortion these are resulting in clinics being shut down altogether. People who can become pregnant aren't even able to access reproductive information or birth control." Experts say it's crucial to vote The 2024 election may show fallout from all of this, say experts. "We know that Americans broadly support access to abortion care in the U.S.," Kimport says. "Whether the legislation will catch up is an open question." Banker says she's hopeful that the status quo will improve in the near future. "I have hope," she says. "So far, voters have voted to protect abortion." Farrell says it's crucial for people to get out and vote in favor of reproductive rights. "The lives of millions are at risk if we don't come together and fight for reproductive care and abortion access," she says. Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) issued an executive order on Thursday to remove the authority to carry out abortion-related prosecutions from counties. Hobbs order would centralize this authority with the states attorney general, a shift likely to provide greater protection for abortion rights in the state. Hobbs announced her signing of the executive order in a tweet on Friday, saying that it will ensure that differences in the application of state laws by county attorneys will not restrict access to legal abortions. I signed an Executive Order protecting Arizonans reproductive freedom. I will not allow extreme and out of touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental rights of Arizonans, she said. The order concerns any pending or future criminal prosecution of a medical provider, entity or individual for violations of any state law restricting abortion access, to the extent permissible under Arizona law. Hobbs also directed all state agencies to not assist with or use any state resources for investigations from other states for activities to provide, seek, assist or obtain reproductive health care that are legal in Arizona. The order also declares that Hobbs administration will decline extradition requests from states seeking to prosecute any individual who is facing charges over their involvement in providing, assisting with or receiving reproductive health care as long as the activities would be legal in Arizona. It notes that this will be the policy to the extent allowed by federal and state law. Hobbs is also forming a Governors Advisory Council on Protecting Reproductive Freedom to make recommendations to her to expand access to reproductive and sexual health care in the state. The council will be directed to consider expanding access to family planning and reproductive health resources, reviewing the current regulatory and enforcement framework to suggest areas to improve and addressing health care disparities. The order comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Courts ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which declared a constitutional right to abortion, on Saturday. Many states have enacted strict abortion restrictions in the year since the ruling through trigger bans and other legislation. Arizona had a law in place from the 1800s that banned nearly all abortions, but the Arizona Court of Appeals blocked it from being enforced in October and ruled that doctors could not be prosecuted under it in December. Hobbs predecessor, former Gov. Doug Ducey (R), signed a 15-week ban into law last March, a few months before the Supreme Courts ruling was released. Hobbs campaigned on protecting access to abortion services last year as it became an even bigger political issue in the wake of the courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. State House Speaker Ben Toma (R) told The Arizona Republic that he and his staff are reviewing the order to determine if it is legally permitted. At a minimum, this order shows disrespect and contempt for the judiciary. Arizonas abortion laws are still in litigation in light of the Supreme Courts historic Dobbs ruling, he said. The governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizonas 15 county attorneys to the attorney general. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush died in the sub implosion. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters A friend of Stockton Rush told CNN that he heard "cracking" sounds after a Titan trip in 2019. Karl Stanley emailed Rush to say that the noises "sounded like a flaw/defect," CNN reported. Rush told him to be prepared for the sounds that the sub's carbon fiber makes before his dive. A submersible expert and friend of Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, said he tried to warn him that the Titan sub was flawed years ago. Karl Stanley told NewsNation that he heard "cracking" sounds when he went on the sub in April 2019. Stanley said Rush told him to be prepared for the cracking sounds he heard on the Titan's first dive, which Rush said the vessel's carbon-fiber material produced. Stanley said he heard the "sound of the cracking getting louder" after they took the sub deeper on the Titan's second dive in the Bahamas. The next day, he emailed Rush about possible defects. "What we heard, in my opinion sounded like a flaw/defect in one area being acted on by the tremendous pressures and being crushed/damaged," Stanley told Rush in emails seen by CNN. "From the intensity of the sounds, the fact that they never totally stopped at depth, and the fact that there were sounds at about 300 feet that indicated a relaxing of stored energy /would indicate that there is an area of the hull that is breaking down/ getting spongy," he wrote. Stanley asked Rush if he was considering taking passengers on it to see the Titanic before he knew what was causing the sounds, CNN reported, but that he didn't get a response. Stanley said he first met Rush about a decade ago and that he "liked him as a friend." A former OceanGate employee also warned the company about inadequate "quality control and safety" protocols in a lawsuit filed in August 2018. David Lochridge, the former director of marine operations, said that Rush asked him to carry out a quality inspection of the sub, and found there was a lack of testing carried out on the hull. He made the claims in a countersuit against OceanGate after it accused him of breach of contract. The case was settled out of court in November 2018. Lochridge said that he'd raised his concerns with OceanGate's management and that he was fired after the meeting. OceanGate did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider A Swansea man who bragged to an undercover informant about ditching a gun and a fanny pack full of heroin and fentanyl at the scene of a wreck has pleaded guilty to federal drug and weapons charges. Caleb York Rowell and and Brandi Leann Clarke, also known as Brandi Savage, pleaded guilty Wednesday to their role in a drug conspiracy in which they sold firearms and drugs to confidential informants and undercover agents throughout the summer of 2021, according to the US Attorneys Office for South Carolina. Rowell and Clark each pleaded guilty to the distribution and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. Rowell also pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, unlicensed possession of a short-barreled shotgun and being a felon in possession of a firearm. During a recorded call with a confidential informant on May 11, 2021, Rowell, 28, bragged about how an attempted traffic stop by the Gaston Police Department the day before turned into a police chase leading to a crash. Ditching the car, Rowell fled on foot and was able to escape law enforcement. Police later found a fanny pack containing at least 40 grams of heroin and fentanyl, along with a stolen .40-caliber pistol. Witnesses at the scene along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which had begun investigating Rowell that May and who connected the recorded call to the crash, identied Rowell as the driver. Following his escape from police, law enforcement made a series of undercover purchases of firearms, heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine from Rowell and Clark from May to July 2021. One of the firearms Rowell sold to the undercover agent was a short-barreled shotgun. Both Rowell and Clark are prohibited from possessing firearms based upon prior felony convictions in state court, according to the US Attorneys Office. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon accepted the guilty pleas and will sentence the pair once she has reviewed the standard pre-sentencing reports prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. The reports, designed to assist the judge in sentencing, provide information about the offenders family and criminal background, as well as relationships, education, employment, finances, physical and mental health, and any history alcohol or substance abuse. Rowell faces a statutory mandatory minimum of five years in prison with a maximum of 40 years for distribution, a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of $2 million on the distribution charge and maximum of 10 years in prison for charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and the possession of the unregistered short-barreled shotgun. He could also face $7.25 million in fines. Clark faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of $2 million on the conspiracy charge. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance of the Lexington County Sheriffs Department, Gaston Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriffs Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes is prosecuting the case. By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called key ally South Korea to discuss results of his visit to China this month, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Blinken told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin he had an honest, practical and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side, and wanted to explain the results of his visit in as much detail as possible, a ministry statement said. Blinken and Park decided to continue to communicate regarding relations with China and to urge Beijing to play a constructive role in North Korea's suspension of provocations and denuclearisation, the ministry said. During the visit to China where Blinken met President Xi Jinping and other top officials, the two sides agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough. Meanwhile, North Korea criticised Blinken for trying to get China to pressure Pyongyang to lay down arms, and warned that its response will grow "more overwhelmingly and aggressively" to any stronger military measures by the United States on the Korean Peninsula, state media KCNA said on Saturday. Blinken's "threats" for China to pressure Pyongyang expresses a "dangerous hegemonic mentality", KCNA said, citing a North Korean foreign ministry official. KCNA also criticised the U.S. for sending military assets including a nuclear-powered submarine to the Korean Peninsula, risking "peace and security". North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast last week, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of a response to military drills by South Korean and U.S. troops. The isolated country is under international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by William Mallard and Tom Hogue) Vice President Kamala Harris told a crowd of supporters Saturday in Charlotte that the Biden administration will stand firm for abortion rights amid Republican challenges nationally and in North Carolina. We, all of us, are now called upon to advance the promise of freedom, including the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her own body, Harris told the crowd. She likened the cause of abortion rights to those taken up by past generations, including Civil Rights activists in Greensboro. CMPD: Roads open, no more delays after Vice President Kamala Harris visit Saturday Harris spoke at the Grady Cole Center on the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, and weeks after North Carolinas Republican-led General Assembly voted to ban most abortions in the state after 12 weeks. Republicans overrode Gov. Roy Coopers veto of Senate Bill 20 this month. They were making last-minute changes to it on Thursday, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. The new restrictions will go into effect July 1. Next week, overruling the will of the people, North Carolina will be the latest state with an extreme ban, in spite of the best efforts of Gov. Roy Cooper, Harris said. Harris vowed that if Democrats in Congress pass a bill codifying abortion rights, President Joe Biden will sign it. Harris began her roughly 20-minute speech at around 1 p.m. to some chants from the crowd of Four more years. Earlier, lawmakers and other politicians from North Carolina and its immediate northern and southern neighbors, Virginia and South Carolina, spoke in support of abortion rights as the crowd waited for Harris. We, all of us, are now called upon to advance the promise of freedom, including the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her own body, Vice President Kamala Harris told the crowd in Charlotte. Impact of abortion restrictions Some experts have warned that new restrictions in the U.S. could lead to women and abortion providers being prosecuted. Last June, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Mecklenburg Countys top prosecutor told The Observer that his office has different priorities. I dont see what is gained by putting a doctor or a woman on the stand to discuss something as personal as a health procedure or prosecuting them for it, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather said. I dont see how that would be functionally possible. Of more immediate concern on Saturday: womens health. On Saturday Vice President Kamala Harris told a crowd in Charlotte that the Biden administration will continue to fight for abortion rights. Harris raised the issue of high maternal mortality rates, and said that extreme laws across the country over the last year have forced clinics to close, causing communities to miss out on other services, too. Those include routine check-ups, mammogram screenings and other cancer screenings, she said. The impact to womens health issues broadly is very real, the vice president said. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and a North Carolina OB-GYN filed a lawsuit over North Carolinas new abortion law on June 16, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in Greensboro. The judge could issue a temporary restraining order and block the law from taking effect. Vice President Kamala Harris called North Carolinas new abortion law an extreme ban. Cotham again draws scrutiny State Rep. Tricia Cotham, whose recent switch from Democrat to Republican enabled the GOP to have a super-majority in the legislature, drew criticism at Saturdays event when Cooper referenced her in his own speech. The loss of a few seats in the legislature and a party-flipping legislator gave the Republicans a super-majority, Cooper told the crowd. So, we knew that an abortion ban in some form was coming. The crowd erupted into boos at Coopers mention of Cotham. Cotham switched parties in April. This month, after previously being an outspoken supporter for abortion rights, she voted for Senate Bill 20. After extensive review, I believe this bill strikes a reasonable balance on the abortion issue and represents a middle ground that anyone not holding one of the two extremist positions can support, she wrote in a statement explaining her vote. A Kansas City, Kansas, man sentenced to life in prison for raping two young children will be freed because of errors made on charging documents filed by the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office. Josue M. Arita, 36, was found guilty during a jury trial last year of four felony counts of alleged aggravated indecent liberties with children ages 7 and 8. He was sentenced to two life terms, to be served consecutively, in Kansas prison. But the specific crimes he was convicted of did not match the evidence presented at trial by prosecutors. Because of that mistake, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Aritas convictions must be overturned and his sentences vacated. Kansas City, Kansas, police investigated the allegations beginning in July 2019. During the investigation, the two children, ages 7 and 8, told forensic interviewers they were raped by Arita on occasions when he got drunk and they stayed at his home. Initial paperwork filed by the Wyandotte County District Attorneys Office alleged Arita was personally responsible for the sex crimes. But when the office filed an amended criminal complaint, a different subsection of law was referenced, instead alleging Arita allowed the children to be abused by someone else. The appellate court rejected the arguments by the Wyandotte County prosecutors that the difference amounted to harmless typographical errors. The court also ruled that Arita cannot be tried again.. When a defendants conviction must be reversed because the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support the conviction, double jeopardy bars the State from retrying the defendant for that particular offense, says the memo detailing the appellate courts legal conclusions. The State provides no justification that would permit this court to circumvent Aritas constitutional protection against double jeopardy. In a statement Friday, Jonathan Carter, a spokesman for the district attorneys office, said arguments were made before the appellate court that prosecutors believed should have upheld the conviction. However, the Court of Appeals disagreed and overturned the conviction, Carter said. We accept the courts ruling. The defendant has been in custody for almost four years and is subject to deportation and our understanding is he will be deported. As of Friday, online records for the Kansas Department of Corrections showed Arita remained housed in the state prison in Hutchinson. Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday vetoed Senate Bill 582, the North Carolina Farm Act of 2023, citing a provision that could leave half of the states wetlands unprotected. The bill requires North Carolinas definition of protected wetlands to be consistent with the federal governments definition without going any further. And the federal government will soon only be able to protect those wetlands that are indistinguishable from a larger body of water due to the U.S. Supreme Courts recent decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The General Assembly has allocated tens of millions of dollars to protect the state from flooding and my administration is working to stop pollution like PFAS and other contaminants. This bill reverses our progress and leaves the state vulnerable without vital flood mitigation and water purification tools, Cooper wrote in his veto. Cooper said the bills consequences could be particularly severe in low-lying Eastern North Carolina, warning of worsening floods and degraded water quality. 2.5 million acres of NC wetlands could lose protection N.C. Department of Environmental Quality officials estimate that as many as 2.5 million acres could lose protection if the Farm Act becomes law, more than half of the states wetlands. DEQs approach classifies wetlands risk by type and is based on a 1999 survey that measured wetlands larger than one acre. It found that wetlands like managed pineland and pocosins are particularly at risk, with about 1.08 million and 635,718 acres, respectively. Other wetlands DEQ considers high risk include hardwood flats, pine flats and maritime forest. Robin Smith, an environmental lawyer who chairs North Carolinas Environmental Management Commission, penned a blog post earlier this month arguing that the timing of the Farm Act and the Sackett decision were an unfortunate series of events. The result could be that unprotected wetlands will become conduits for water pollution to reach groundwater and surface water. Lack of any state or federal permit requirement may also result in the filling of wetlands that provide flood control and filter stormwater, Smith wrote. Smith also argued that the Sackett decision only applies to the federal government and actually emphasized the role states play in protecting wetlands. North Carolina, Smith wrote, should not out-source wetland protection to the federal government. Wetlands provide a number of environmental benefits, from holding immense quantities of stormwater to sequestering carbon to serving as habitat for many of the states birds. Theyre magic, if we just leave them alone, Rep. Deb Butler, a Wilmington Democrat, said during debate on the House floor earlier this month. Bill received bipartisan support in both houses During that debate, Rep. Jimmy Dixon, a Duplin County Republican, admitted he did not know how many acres of North Carolina wetlands would lose protections if the bill became law. But, when asked if he believed the Farm Act maintained the delicate balance necessary to protect wetlands, Dixon said he did. Three-fifths of both the N.C. House and the N.C. Senate would need to vote in favor of an override for the Farm Act to become law. Republicans hold veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers, but the bill also drew votes from Democrats in both houses. The Senate approved the bill 37-6, and the House 77-38. Environmentalists quickly released statements Friday afternoon urging the General Assembly to uphold Coopers veto. Losing these wetlands would worsen future floods, threaten drinking water, and put lives and property in harms way. We urge members of the NC General Assembly to take the responsible course and let the veto stand, Grady McCallie, the N.C. Conservation Networks policy director, wrote in a statement. Sen. Brent Jackson encouraged a bipartisan override of Coopers veto in his own statement. Jackson, a Sampson County Republican, is typically the primary sponsor of the Farm Act. I am disappointed to see that Gov. Cooper is allowing politics to get in the way of supporting farmers. His objection fails to consider our obligation to comply with federal laws and regulations, Jackson wrote. Jackson appears to be alluding to the Hardison Amendment, a long-standing North Carolina law that requires the states environmental regulations to be no more protective than federal rules, as long as a federal rule exists. The EPA has not yet released guidance for how it plans to implement the new Waters of the United States rules, meaning North Carolina regulators would be unable to immediately implement the law. U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, a Wilmington Republican, was one of four congressional Republicans who sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week requesting a detailed update on how the agencies intend to comply with the Sackett ruling. The letter stated that unlike previous wetlands rulings, the courts decision in Sackett was fairly simple, and the agencies should be able to quickly craft new rules. The Biden Administration must now follow the law by implementing the Supreme Courts decision with the same fervor it showed in its prior efforts on (Waters of the United States), the congressmen wrote. Failure to do so is indicative that these recent delays are needless at best, or intentional efforts to halt economic development at worst. This story was produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, wave farewell while boarding the presidential plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, June 24, after a three-day state visit to Vietnam. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up a two-nation swing through France and Vietnam on Saturday after making a high-profile plea for the South Korean city of Busan's right to host the 2030 World Expo and promising stronger cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation. Yoon traveled to Paris on the first leg of his trip to attend a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo, and delivered a presentation before delegates from 179 BIE member states. Speaking in English, he promised to make the 2030 World Expo the best of all time if the delegates cast their votes for Busan, the southeastern city bidding to host the mega-event, during the next General Assembly in November. He framed South Korea's hosting of the Expo as an opportunity for the country to "give back" to the international community the support it received amid the ruins of the 1950-53 Korean War. "Thanks to the help of the international community, Korea transformed itself into an economic powerhouse full of high-tech industries and innovative technologies," he said. "Korea wishes to give back to the international community what it has received thus far." Hosting the Expo was one of Yoon's campaign pledges and was included among his administration's key tasks. The event is expected to generate economic benefits of a massive 61 trillion won ($48 billion) by drawing millions of visitors from around the world to engage in immersive activities around the themes of scientific, technological, economic and social progress. Korea, Vietnam agree to expand bilateral trade to $150. bil. by 2030 'S. Korea to work with Vietnam to counter NK threats,' says Yoon PHOTOS Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Vietnam Busan is competing against Italy's Rome, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the BIE eliminated Ukraine's Odesa because of the ongoing war with Russia. Yoon used his trip to Paris to also hold a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders agreed to cooperate closely to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, including at the U.N. Security Council following South Korea's election as a nonpermanent member from 2024-2025. Yoon also asked Macron to help ensure new European Union trade laws do not discriminate against South Korean businesses. From Paris, Yoon traveled to Hanoi for a three-day state visit aimed at deepening economic cooperation with South Korea's third-largest trading partner. The visit came six months after the two countries elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Following a summit with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong at the presidential palace, Yoon said the two countries will strengthen cooperation against North Korea's nuclear threat and expand economic ties to increase bilateral trade to US$150 billion by 2030. South Korea agreed to provide Vietnam with $4 billion in soft loans by 2030 as part of Official Development Assistance. RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -A Palestinian militant opened fire at an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, wounding a security guard before he was shot dead by forces at the scene, Israel's police said. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group associated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, claimed the gunman as a member. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA identified him as an 18-year-old from Kafr Aqab. Police distributed a photo of an M-16 rifle they said was used by the gunman to carry out the shooting. Violence surged this week in the West Bank, where for over a year the military has conducted regular sweeps leading to repeated clashes with Palestinian fighters amid a spate of Palestinian street attacks on Israelis. The past few days saw deadly clashes in the city of Jenin, a fatal Palestinian shooting attack near a settlement, attacks on Palestinian villages by settlers and a rare Israeli air strike in the West Bank against militants. On Friday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan encouraged more steps to restore calm between Israel and the Palestinians during a call with his Israeli counterpart, the White House said. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Editing by William Mallard and Toby Chopra) (Reuters) -Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia's military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded over the last 24 hours. FRIDAY Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private army called Wagner, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia's military top brass and for the first time rejects President Vladimir Putin's core justifications for invading Ukraine. - In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. - Russia's FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny. - The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. SATURDAY - Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - The White House says it is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments. - The governor of southern Russia's Rostov region adjoining Ukraine tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - A Russian security source tells Reuters Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow. - Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back". - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the revolt by Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. - European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia. During the day, numerous other governments around the world issue similar statements. - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says "Russia's weakness is obvious" and the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home. - Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, says it is clear that Prigozhin's attempt to destabilise society and ignite a fratricidal civil war has failed, the TASS news agency reports. - Russian soldiers set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by the Vedomosti newspaper. Photographs also show armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway - which mutinous Wagner mercenaries are moving along - reaches the Russian capital. - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan tells Putin in a telephone call that he backs the Russian government's handling of the Wagner revolt, the Kremlin says in a statement. A statement issued by Turkey says Erdogan urged Putin to act "with common sense". Belarus issues a statement reaffirming its alliance with Russia. - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs. He adds the U.S. will stay in touch with allies and partners "as the situation continues to develop". - Putin signs a law permitting 30-day detentions for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency reports. - Wagner mercenaries have been promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons "but they should do it fast", the TASS news agency cites lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov as saying. - Russia's Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals". (Reporting by Reuters reportersEditing by Gavin Jones, Giles Elgood and Helen Popper) By Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -Russia accused mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of launching an armed mutiny after he vowed to punish military leaders whom he accused of killing 2,000 of his fighters, raising the stakes in a growing confrontation with top officials. As a long-running standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass appeared to come to a head, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, TASS news agency said, and it called on fighters from his Wagner private military company to ignore his orders and arrest him. Kyiv, meanwhile, said the major thrust in its counteroffensive against Moscow's invasion had yet to be launched. "The main blow is still to come," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television. A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south - one of two main theatres of operations, along with eastern Ukraine. Russian troops there have been fighting alongside mercenaries from Prigozhin's Wagner force. Security was stepped up on Friday night at government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow, TASS reported, citing a source at a security service. 'OBEY PRESIDENT,' GENERAL SAYS The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, told Wagner fighters to obey Putin, accept Moscow's commanders and return to their bases. He said political deterioration would play into the hands of Russia's enemies. "I urge you to stop," Surovikin said in a video posted on Telegram, his right hand resting on a rifle. The standoff, many of the details of which remained unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced since he sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year. Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, in recent months has carried out an increasingly bitter feud with Moscow. Earlier on Friday, he appeared to cross a new line, saying the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation," was based on lies by the army's top brass. Wagner led Russia's capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, Russia's biggest victory in 10 months, and Prigozhin has used its battlefield success to criticise the leadership of the defense ministry with seeming impunity - until now. For months, he has openly accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence. In a series of late evening audio messages on his official Telegram channel, Prigozhin said: "The minister of defence has ordered 2,000 bodies that are being stored to be hidden so as not to show the losses." He added: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance ... "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country." Prigozhin said his actions were "not a military coup", but added: "Most of the military support us fervently." UKRAINE SAYS MAJOR THRUST AHEAD On the ground in Ukraine, at least three people were killed in Russian attacks on Friday, including two who died after a trolleybus company came under fire in the city of Kherson, regional officials said. Addressing the pace of the Ukrainian advances, several senior officials on Friday sent the clearest signal so far that the main part of the counteroffensive has not yet begun. "I want to say that our main force has not been engaged in fighting yet, and we are now searching, probing for weak places in the enemy defences. Everything is still ahead," the Guardian quoted Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, as saying in an interview with the British newspaper. General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's "Tavria," or southern front, wrote on Telegram: "There have been tangible successes of the Defence Forces and in advances in the Tavria sector." Tarnavskyi said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armoured personnel carriers. Although the advances Ukraine has reported this month are its first substantial gains on the battlefield for seven months, Ukrainian forces have yet to push to the main defensive lines that Russia has had months to prepare. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there would be personnel changes following an inquest into the state of Ukraine's bomb shelters after three people were locked out on the street and killed during an air raid earlier this month. In an ongoing campaign against corruption seen as crucial to Kyiv's ambitions to join the European Union, Zelenskiy separately announced an audit of heads of military draft offices across the country. The decision follows Ukrainian media reports of corruption allegations against the head of a draft office. Ukraine has also been pressing for an invitation to join the NATO military alliance, and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday he expected Kyiv to receive a clear signal and "formula" for it to become a member when the military alliance holds a summit in Vilnius next month. This weekend, Ukraine is due to host an informal gathering in Copenhagen of officials from a range of countries, possibly including some that have refused to condemn Russia's invasion, a U.S. official said. India, South Africa and Brazil were among those invited. The talks will "discuss the basic principles of peace," the official said. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Cynthia Osterman; Editing by) An Ohio father accused of fatally shooting his three young sons earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to 21 counts included in a grand jury indictment, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty for the incomprehensible act of horror. Chad Doerman, 32, appeared in court for arraignment on the indictment, composed of nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. The filing also includes numerous specifications, such as the victims preteen ages, and use of a firearm during the alleged crimes, that could make the father eligible for death if Doerman if found guilty. Clermont Countys top prosecutor, Mark Tekulve, said outside a courtroom Friday that he hopes surviving family members are able to someday find peace. He also declared the prosecutions mortal goal with certainty. This is a death penalty case, Tekulve said. And my goal is to have this man executed for slaughtering these three little boys. It is an incomprehensible act of horror. The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7. A lawyer for Doerman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chad Doerman appears in court on June 16, 2023. (WLWT) Bail was initially set at $20 million, but the Clermont County judge in the case granted the prosecutions request for no bond pending the next hearing on July 5, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. The prosecution alleges the father lined up his sons in a residential yard and executed them by opening fire with a rifle the afternoon of June 15. It happened at a home in Monroe Township, about 25 miles southwest of Cincinnati, authorities said. The Clermont County Sheriffs Office said in a statement deputies responded to the location after receiving two alarming calls after 4 p.m. that day. A woman reported her babies had been shot, the office said. And a motorist reported a girl was running down a road saying her father was killing everyone, the sheriffs office said. The 34-year-old mother of the boys grabbed the defendants rifle in an attempt to stop the shooting, David Gast of the Clermont County Prosecutors Office said during a court hearing June 16, and was shot in the hand. One of the boys was then able to flee to a nearby field, he said, but Doerman allegedly hunted that boy down, drug him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses. The boys were declared dead at the scene by first responders. The mother was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati with a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. An older sister was unharmed, according to the sheriffs office. Doerman was arrested at the scene without incident, sheriffs officials said. He was found sitting on a step outside the residence, they said. Possible motive has not been revealed. Court documents viewed by WLWT of Cincinnati said Doerman confessed that he had been planning the killings for several months. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Members of the Wagner Group sit atop a tank in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after the mercenary army's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared an armed rebellion. (Roman Romokhov / AFP/Getty Images) A Russian mercenary army late Saturday abruptly halted its march on Moscow as President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish the rebellions commanders in the most serious challenge to date of the Russian leaders more than 2-decade-old grip on power. The seemingly short-lived insurrection against the Kremlins military leaders shook Putins authority like no other crisis in nearly a generation and threatened to alter the course of the war in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private army known as the Wagner Group, said his armored forces had advanced to within 125 miles of the Russian capital after seizing control of Russias main rear logistical hub for its war in Ukraine, the military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. We turn our columns around, and depart in the opposite direction, Prigozhin said on the messaging app Telegram. His apparent stand-down which he portrayed as a desire to avoid bloodshed came hours after Putin, in an emergency address to the nation, called the uprising a betrayal and a deadly threat to the Russian state. The deal to halt the movement of Wagner forces was brokered by Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, according to Lukashenkos office. The Kremlin said that Prigozhin would move to Belarus, charges against him would be dropped and troops participating would not be prosecuted. Wagner fighters who did not take part in the insurrection will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, authorities in Moscow said. In his earlier speech, Putin had vowed to punish those behind the uprising, the culmination of Prigozhins bitter feud with Russias defense establishment. The uprising was framed as a strike against Russias top military commanders, whose removal Prigozhin has demanded, rather than Putin himself. But it marks the latest calamitous blowback staggeringly high military casualties, economic woes, diplomatic near-isolation in a war that Kremlin planners had envisioned as a swift takeover of its smaller neighbor, a onetime Soviet republic. For much of the day, Prigozhins rebel convoy moved northward in the direction of Moscow, 700 miles away, meeting little resistance, although Russian military helicopters reportedly opened fire on the procession at one point. Read more:Russia's Wagner militia says it's handing control of Bakhmut over to Moscow Whatever the next moves are, the uprising was a shocking episode in a country that Putin has ruled with an iron fist for nearly a quarter-century. And it reveals a fragility to Putins authority. It is not fully clear now what Prigozhins future is and what exactly motivated him to back down. The prospect of a nuclear-armed superpower falling into disarray terrified neighboring countries throughout Europe and put the White House on alert. President Biden on Saturday was briefed in a rare meeting of all senior U.S. officials from intelligence, Defense and diplomatic parts of government. Officials in numerous European capitals went into emergency sessions. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was in urgent consultations with his counterparts in six nations, including Germany and Japan, as well as the European Union as all sought to make sense of the rapidly unfolding developments. It looks like Putins power of centralized, vertical strong government control is in question for the first time, said Rajan Menon, a political scientist who specializes in war and ethics at City University of New York and Columbia University. While not immediately clear how, the crisis in Russia was bound to affect the war in Ukraine. The bizarre turn of events across the border was regarded with caution by Ukrainian officials. While most said it was too soon to say how the turmoil might affect the battlefield picture, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that it showed Ukraine stands as a bulwark against the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Read more:Welcome to the Wagner-verse, where action films serve up propaganda for Russias notorious mercenary army Many ordinary Ukrainians reacted to word of Putins troubles with unrestrained glee. The 16-month-old war has leveled entire cities, pummeled national infrastructure, sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes and killed and maimed thousands of civilians. An overnight missile barrage on the capital, Kyiv, killed at least three people, Ukrainian officials said Saturday. Prigozhins mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, where they have been known for their use of spectacularly brutal tactics. During the bloody struggle for the eastern city of Bakhmut, Wagner used prisoner recruits for human wave attacks and executed those from its own ranks who faltered or tried to run away. In what was described as an emergency address to the nation, Putin did not mention Prigozhin by name, but vowed to crush those taking part in the uprising. For his part, Prigozhin refrained from criticizing Putins rule directly, but cast himself as a popular savior against corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. He said the Russian president was deeply mistaken in describing the rebellion as an assault on the homeland. We are patriots, he said in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel, calling the uprising a march of justice. Few Western journalists have remained in Russia after the March arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and a concerted campaign against independent Russian media that began almost as soon as the invasion occurred. Criticism of the military or the governments conduct of the war is treated as a criminal offense. Read more:Owner of Russia's Wagner Group threatens to pull troops out of Ukraine's Bakhmut In part because of that, many questions about the uprising remain unanswered. Social media images posted by onlookers in Rostov-on-Don have shown military vehicles in the streets around the headquarters. Prigozhin posted a video of himself, purportedly taken inside, and said Wagner troops who took part in the rebellion had crossed over from Ukraine with virtually no resistance from Russian troops. In their march toward Moscow, Wagner elements did not seem to meet much resistance, according to reports from Russia. Although the threat to Putin is manifesting itself from within, the Russian president as he has throughout the war railed against the West as the enemy and instigator. Russia, he declared, is the target of the entire military, economic and information machine of the West. Prigozhin had denounced the Russian military establishment for months with no apparent repercussions, seemingly with tacit permission from Putin. But his declaration of armed rebellion, issued late Friday, crossed a line and triggered a call by authorities for his arrest. Putin, who has taken harsh measures to quell any domestic dissent since the February 2022 invasion, suggested a crackdown against perceived conspirators was already beginning in the Russian capital. Additional anti-terrorist security measures are now being implemented in Moscow, Moscow region, and a number of other regions, he said, adding that decisive actions would be taken to stabilize the situation in Rostov-on-Don. Read more:Russias Defense Ministry reports Wagner group has taken Bakhmut But he acknowledged that the situation in the southern city, which is a major center of operations for the Ukraine war, remained difficult. In recent months, Prigozhin has taken ever-sharpening aim at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the military General Staff. But he dramatically escalated his rhetoric in a series of angry messages over a period of about 24 hours, accusing the pair of ordering attacks on Wagner positions inside Ukraine. Russias Defense Ministry denied the claim. Prigozhins longer-term strategy remained unclear. Menon said the man once known as Putins chef, because of his lucrative restaurant businesses, was not thought to be a gambler who would take uncalculated, suicidal risks. He could still have backing within Putins inner circle that is unknown to Western observers, or some other reason to believe he will prevail. This goes beyond fighting a war in Ukraine, Menon said. This is playing for keeps. Times staff writers King and Wilkinson reported from Kyiv and Washington, respectively. Staff writer Erin Logan in Washington contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. DENVER (AP) The Colorado Rockies placed reliever Brent Suter on the 15-day injured list Friday because of a left oblique strain. In a corresponding move before facing the Los Angels later Friday, the Rockies called up pitcher Noah Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque. Suter was injured Tuesday in an 8-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The 33-year-old left-hander has been a helpful presence in Colorados bullpen this season, with a 4-0 record and a 2.81 ERA in 31 appearances. Davis call-up comes just two days after he was optioned to the minors. In four starts with Colorado this season, the 26-year-old right-hander is 0-2 with a 7.47 ERA. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) opened a criminal case against Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, just hours after he accused Moscow of lying about the war in Ukraine. The NAC opened the criminal case against Prigozhin on allegations that he incited an armed rebellion, according to Russian state-run outlet TASS. The counterterrorism body is calling for the head of the private military company to immediately halt illegal activities. Russian military bloggers and other sources have also confirmed the opened case against Prigozhin based on his recent comments. Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin released a video that went viral in which he directly countered the Kremlins narrative for launching the war in Ukraine to denazify and demilitarize Kyiv, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused of persecuting ethnic Russians and of attempting to destroy Russia on behalf of the U.S. and other western leaders. The war was not needed to return our Russian citizens and not to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, Prigozhin said. The war was needed by oligarchs. It was needed by the clan that is today practically ruling in Russia. He said Ukraine never planned to attack Russia, contrary to Putins comments, and claimed Russian elites tried to plunder resources from Ukraine. The Wagner chief also accused Russia of lying about the number of casualties in the war and said soldiers were fleeing in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv pushes forward with a counteroffensive. Later on Friday, Prigozhin released another video claiming to show the aftermath of a Russian strike on a Wagner Group camp, which he said killed scores of his fighters. Russias Defense Ministry has denied those claims, saying the allegations do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin is aware of the situation unfolding around Prigozhin and that all necessary measures were being taken, according to TASS. The long-running feud between Prigozhin and Russian elites took a quick and sharp turn on Friday after months of tensions. Prigozhin has played a key role in the war in Ukraine since the spring of 2022 and last month his mercenary fighters helped take the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region. In the past several months, however, Prigozhin has repeatedly accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the commander overseeing Moscows war in Ukraine, of failing to provide enough supplies and of cowardice. Prigozhin said his fighters engaged in a shootout with Russian soldiers during a withdrawal from Bakhmut and at one point, he allegedly captured a Russian officer. The Kremlin responded by forcing allied fighters to sign a contract that would give Moscow more control over Wagner Group, but Prigozhin has resisted the order ahead of a July 1 deadline. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Wagner chief says he ordered his Russian mercenaries to halt march on Moscow and return to Ukraine The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat. The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia's capital. Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped. The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Prigozhin ordered his troops back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers. Putin had vowed earlier to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege. In a televised speech to the nation, he called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said, Putins highest goal was to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results. Some observers said Putin's strongman image has taken a hit. Putin has been diminished for all time by this affair, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said on CNN. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the citys southern edge. About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed there early Saturday, state television in Chechnya reported. Russian troops armed with machine guns put up checkpoints on Moscow's southern outskirts. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Wagner troops advanced to just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, according to Prigozhin. But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that he had decided to retreat to avoid shedding Russian blood. Prigozhin had demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigohzhin has long criticized in withering terms for his conduct of the 16-month-long war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigu's command of attacking Wagner camps and killing a huge number of our comrades. If Putin were to agree to Shoigus ouster, it could be politically damaging for the president after he branded Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. The U.S. had intelligence that Prigozhin had been building up his forces near the border with Russia for some time. That conflicts with Prigozhins claim that his rebellion was a response to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by the Russian military. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking the Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the camps. Congressional leaders were briefed on the Wagner buildup earlier last week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN. Early Saturday, Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Russian media reported that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops. Russia's Defense Ministry has not commented. After the agreement de-escalated tensions, video from Rostov-on-Don posted on Russian messaging app channels showed people cheering Wagner troops as they departed. Prigozhin was riding in an SUV followed by a large truck, and people greeted him and some ran to shake his hand. The regional governor later said that all of the troops had left the city. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Monday a non-working day for most residents as part of the heightened security, a measure that remained in effect even after the retreat. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for their army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. These events will have been of great comfort to the Ukrainian government and the military, said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said that even with a deal, Putins position has probably been weakened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has longstanding ties to Putin and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged in the United States with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. Wagner has sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. ___ Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, and Nomaan Merchant in Washington, contributed. ___ Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 3 a.m. Saturday for parts of North Texas. An earlier watch Friday evening expired in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but the Metroplex may still see some storms. North Texas counties included in the current watch Friday night through early Saturday morning are Archer, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Haskell, Jack, Knox, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Stephens, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise and Young, according to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth. Scattered thunderstorms will be possible across North and Central Texas through the night, the weather service said. Some storms may become severe and produce damaging winds and large hail. Overnight, the cluster of storms is expected to move southeast. In the Fort Worth area, theres a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Weather watches and warnings A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri. Open Additionally, hot temperatures will pose a hazard. A heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday for portions of North and Central Texas to the south and west of the Metroplex. Heat indices will peak around 105 to 108 degrees. Hot and humid weather will continue this weekend through early next week, resulting in a continued threat for heat-related illnesses. Make sure to practice heat safety by drinking plenty of water, avoiding extended time outdoors, and checking your car before locking it. Earlier Friday, a Fort Worth police cadet and two firefighters were injured in a lightning strike during a morning round of storms. The cadet was taken to a hospital in good condition and the firefighters resumed work after treatment, officials said. Storm Reports This map contains continuously updated storm reports and damage from the National Weather Service for the past 48 hours. Reports include tornado, wind storm and hail storm reports. The map also includes tornado reports for the past week and recent rainfall accumulations. Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Esri. Open Current Temperatures QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) A suicide bomber struck in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least one police and wounding five others in an attempt to target a paramilitary convoy, an official said. Authorities recovered the remains of a female bomber following the explosion in the southwestern city of Turbat, said Bashir Ahmed, a top administrative officer. Jeeyand Baloch, spokesman for the separatist Baluch Liberation Army, later claimed responsibility for the attack. Ahmed said the bomber had targeted a convoy of the paramilitary Frontier Corps but the main thrust of the blast hit a police vehicle. He said a Frontier Corps vehicle was slightly damaged and a female police officer was among the wounded. Southwestern Baluchistan province has been the scene of a low level insurgency by Baluch separatists under the umbrella group of the Baluchistan Nationalist Army. Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, left, pose for a photo with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and his wife, Phan Thi Thanh Tam, during their meeting at the presidential palace in Hanoi, June 23. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol had a breakfast meeting with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, Saturday, following their summit the previous day, Yoon's office said. The meeting took place at a restaurant near Hoan Kiem Lake on the final day of Yoon's three-day visit and was also attended by Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, and Vietnamese first lady, Phan Thi Thanh Tam. They enjoyed Vietnamese rice noodles and discussed their countries' historical similarities, such as their pursuit of peace despite foreign invasions, the office said. They also expressed their determination to further deepen the bilateral partnership that has been developed over the past 30 years as they took a walk near a lake after the meal, it added. Gov. Ron DeSantis efforts to use the court system to win political points against the Biden administration may face a new hurdle after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that states did not have the authority to challenge federal immigration guidelines and directed Congress to fix the mess. With an 8-to-1 decision written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court ruled that the plaintiffs, Texas and Louisiana, did not have standing to bring their suit to block the Biden administrations guidelines issued in 2021. But the justices also went beyond immigration when they imposed new limits on state attempts to challenge federal programs. If the court greenlighted this suit, we could anticipate complaints in future years about alleged executive branch under-enforcement of any similarly worded laws whether they be drug laws, gun laws, obstruction of justice laws or the like, Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion that was signed by five of the justices. We decline to start the federal judiciary down that uncharted path. Kavanaughs statement raised the possibility that the ruling could have a potential impact on dozens of partisan lawsuits brought by Republican-led states against the Biden administration, ranging from transgender rights and abortion to student loan debt, securities regulations and horse racing. On Thursday, DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody filed the latest lawsuit against the Biden administration, suing the U.S. secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, in an effort to block accrediting agencies from having influence over the states public colleges and universities. In a major victory for the Biden administration, the court restored the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that prioritized the arrest and removal from the U.S. of noncitizens who are suspected terrorists or dangerous criminals, or who have unlawfully entered the country recently. Texas and Louisiana had argued that the guidelines allowed immigrants with criminal records to remain free while their cases moved forward, forcing their states to jail or provide social services, such as healthcare and education, to people they said the federal government should have arrested. Precedent in five previous administrations But Kavanaugh noted that for decades, under five presidential administrations, the executive branch has not had the resources to adequately apprehend and detain all non-citizens who pose a threat to public safety. He called the lawsuit extraordinarily unusual and rejected the states request to order the executive branch to alter its arrest policies so as to make more arrests. FILE - Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh stands during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Federal courts have not traditionally entertained that kind of lawsuit; indeed, the states cite no precedent for a lawsuit like this, he wrote. He suggested the appropriate authority to handle the problem was Congress. Congress possesses an array of tools to analyze and influence those policies oversight, appropriations, the legislative process and Senate confirmations, to name a few, he wrote. The challenge is part of an increasing trend by states controlled by one party to use taxpayer funds to challenge the policies of a president in another party, according to Paul Nolette, a political scientist at Marquette University, who has been tracking the practice since 2014. Earlier this year, Nolette estimated there are 56 pending lawsuits challenging policies of the Biden administration by various states, including Florida. The Biden immigration guidelines attempted to reverse the expansive policies of the Trump administration that targeted for deportation anyone in the country who could not produce legal documentation. The rules were challenged by now-suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was joined by state officials in Louisiana. The lower courts agreed with their argument and blocked the guidelines. In a statement on Twitter, Moody lamented the ruling but agreed the responsibility now lies with Congress. This is a tragic decision for our nation and the safety of our communities, she said. Congress needs to roll up its sleeves. It has a lot of work to do. Florida has also sued the Biden administration over its immigration policies. In 2021, Moody and DeSantis sued the Biden administration and DHS over a parole program used to help DHS relieve migrant congestion at the U.S. southern border. The state argued that DHS had released thousands of migrants into communities without initiating removal proceedings. The federal government subsequently scaled back the parole program and, after a federal judge sided with Florida officials and halted it, DHS did not appeal the ruling. Immigration lawyers leader likes the ruling The decision on Friday was a breath of fresh air coming from this court and a serious smack down to GOP state officials like Paxton, said David Leopold, legal adviser to Americas Voice, an immigration-reform advocacy organization and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. For the past three years, Republican governors and attorneys general, led by the recently impeached Ken Paxton from Texas, have tried to take control of the federal immigration system, he said. Their goal is to create immigration chaos, and to destroy any kind of immigration policy in this country. Leopold said he agreed with Moody that Congress now must step up to update the nations immigration policy that responds to Americas economic needs. But he expects litigation to continue to come from GOP-led states over immigration policy because the issue generates intense interest among right-leaning voters. Republicans have nothing to run on in 2024, and immigration and the border are how they rile up their base, he said. They are going to continue to go into the courts to try to jam up any kind of policy that the Biden administration puts through to try to make a broken immigration system work until Congress will fix it. On Monday, DeSantis will return to the Texas border where he will announce his proposed policy to manage the U.S.-Mexico border. Kavanaugh was joined in the majority opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and the courts three liberal members, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett voted with the majority but did not adopt its rationale. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote a dissent in which he suggested that the ruling gives the executive branch too much discretion when enforcing the law. To put the point simply, Congress enacted a law that requires the apprehension and detention of certain illegal immigrants whose release, it thought, would endanger public safety, Alito wrote. The secretary of D.H.S. does not agree with that categorical requirement. He prefers a more flexible policy. Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@miamiherald.com and @MaryEllenKlas After months of off-screen drama, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has finally addressed Kevin Costners exit and the end of the modern western dramas original narrative. Word broke in February that the back half of the latest Yellowstone season could be the shows last with Costner as John Dutton. Scheduling conflicts with Costners multi-part western movie epic Horizon precluding the star from continuing his role as patriarch of the Montana ranch family. Paramount confirmed in early May that Yellowstone would indeed end in its current form with the final episodes of season 5. However, a sequel show is said to be in the works that could feature a few familiar faces from the flagship series. Now, Sheridan has shown a peek behind the curtains in his interview with the Hollywood Reporter. Heres what the North Texas native said about Costner, Yellowstone ending and the legendary Four Sixes Ranch: Taylor Sheridan has no ill will for Kevin Costner Despite Costner leaving Yellowstone to work on his movie project, Sheridan said his opinion on the actor hasnt changed. [Costners] creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful and Ive never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldnt work out on the phone, Sheridan said. But once lawyers get involved, then people dont get to talk to each other and start saying things that arent true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I dont know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it and that its a good one. There are ongoing discussions to try to convince Costner to come back and film a few scenes to wrap up his arc as Dutton family patriarch. However, the scripts arent complete quite yet. Sheridan said his last conversation with Costner was about the Horizon movie project. Costner and Paramount were arguing about when the actor could be done with Yellowstone, to which Sheridan said they could work towards a preferred exit date. When asked by the Hollywood Reporter if Sheridan could have done anything differently to prevent the Costner situation from blowing up, the Yellowstone creator answered honestly. I didnt do anything to begin with! Sheridan said. I dont dictate the schedule. I dont determine when things start filming. I dont determine when things air. Those decisions are made by people way above me. My sphere of control is the content thats it. No production of mine has ever waited on me. Believe me, I begged [for more time] with 1883. I begged with 1923. Begged. Nope, Airdate locked; for what we pay you, figure it out. And I dont stand in a corner and go, Im not going to do it. Nevertheless, Sheridan said John Dutton was never going to be around for the very end of Yellowstone anyhow. While Costners exit seems like a surprise to many, Sheridan knew Dutton wouldnt be the last man standing, but he didnt know it would end so soon. Im disappointed, Sheridan said. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesnt alter it, but it truncates it. Yellowstone spinoff with Matthew McConaughey is a go With Costner on his way out, Yellowstone in its current form is ending with him as well. Paramount announced in May that Yellowstone would return in November, but that seems unlikely with the Writers Guild of America strike ongoing. Sheridan, a WGA member, has put his pen down to support the guilds efforts. But there is some good news for fans of the Dutton saga. The last remnants of season five could be longer than the originally planned final six episodes. If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, theyll give me 10, Sheridan said. Itll be as long as it needs to be. As for the Yellowstone sequel series, Sheridan has only the broadest strokes of the show figured out. When asked if Kelly Reillys fan-favorite character Beth Dutton would make the jump to the new show, Sheridan said his idea of a spinoff is the same as his idea of a prequel. In other words, a stand-alone story. There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different, Sheridan said. There are a lot of places you can tell this story. While hes still working the story kinks out, Sheridan did confirm that the new spinoff of the main show would feature Yellowstone in its title. In addition, Sheridan confirmed that Texas actor Matthew McConaughey is in late-stage negotiations to lead the new chapter in the Yellowstone saga. [McConaughey] seems like a natural fit, Sheridan said. We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, I want to do that. And by that he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, Buddy, that we can do. (Reuters) -At least three people were killed in Kyiv early on Saturday after Russia unleashed its latest overnight air strikes on Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said missiles had targeted at least five regions across the country. Three people were killed and eight wounded after a high-rise in the capital was struck, he said. "This is the style of terrorists. The style of Russia," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Ukraine's military said air defences had destroyed 41 out of 51 cruise missiles, as well as two drones, launched by Russia in the assault. In a separate post, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said the damage to the high-rise had been caused by fragments from a downed missile. He added that more than 20 missiles had been shot down around the city. Emergency workers on Saturday morning were sifting through debris at the scene, where a gaping hole was visible on one side of the building. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said on Telegram that more people may be trapped under the rubble. Officials in the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk said eight people were wounded - two of them children - and several buildings destroyed in attacks there. Governor Serhiy Lysak said air defences had destroyed nine missiles and three drones but that residential buildings in the regional capital Dnipro and an unspecified infrastructure object were hit. At least two Russian missiles also targeted Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with one hitting an industrial zone and another damaging a gas line, said Governor Oleh Synehubov. He said there were no casualties. There were reports of explosions in other cities but no immediate word of casualties or damage. Moscow began stepping up regular air strikes on Ukraine in May as Kyiv's military was planning a counteroffensive, which is now ongoing, to retake Russian-occupied territory in the east and south. (Reporting by Ron Popeski, Dan Peleschuk, Valentyn Ogirenko and Yurii KhomenkoEditing by Sandra Maler, William Mallard, Toby Chopra and Frances Kerry) A Pasco man died after he was hit by a car as he walked in the roadway on the ramp from Highway 395 northbound to Interstate 182 westbound in Pasco early Saturday morning. The Washington State Patrol said pedestrian Evelio Cruz, 41, of Pasco, died before he could be taken to a hospital. Brian Luft, 51, of Kennewick, was driving a Honda CR-V at about 3:45 a.m. when his car hit Cruz, according to WSP. Luft was not injured and no charges against him are planned. The ramp from Highway 395 to Interstate 182 was closed until about 6:15 a.m., according to the Washington state Department of Transportation. ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday and urged him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency said, after Russian mercenary fighters began an armed mutiny overnight. Putin, who described the Wagner Group's actions as "treason" in an emergency televised address, said anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. Erdogan was among the first leaders to hold a phone call with Putin after his speech on Saturday. The Turkish presidency said the two discussed recent developments in Russia and Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to do its part to help bring about a peaceful resolution. "It was stressed during the call that no one should take it upon themselves to take action in the face of the situation in Russia," it added. The Kremlin said in a separate statement that Erdogan had backed the Russian government's handling of the mutiny during the conversation with Putin. Erdogan has sought to maintain strong ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. NATO member Turkey has refused to join its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia, but it has also supplied arms to Ukraine and called for its sovereignty to be respected. (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Alexander Smith) (Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan encouraged more steps to restore calm between Israel and the Palestinians during a call with his Israeli counterpart, the White House said in a readout on Friday, following a surge in violence. There has been some of the worst violence in years involving Palestinians, Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the West Bank in the past week. Sullivan "extended sincere condolences to the Israeli people for the June 20 terrorist attack by Hamas" during a conversation with National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and "also expressed deep concern over the recent extremist settler attacks against Palestinian civilians," the readout said. (Reporting by Eric Beech and Costas Pitas) By Julia Harte (Reuters) - Abortion rights supporters and opponents will hold dueling rallies around the U.S. on Saturday, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized the procedure nationwide. In Washington, speakers from national abortion rights groups, including Women's March and NARAL Pro-Choice America, will assemble in Columbus Circle to celebrate the defeat of some abortion opponents in the 2022 midterm races and rally voters ahead of next year's congressional and presidential elections. Across town at the Lincoln Memorial, anti-abortion groups, including Students for Life America, are hosting a "National Celebrate Life Day Rally." Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, will be among the speakers. "We're never going to rest, we're never going to relent, until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in the country," Pence said on Saturday at a pre-rally "tele-townhall" for Iowa, the state that will be first to nominate a Republican candidate for president next year. The June 24, 2022, Supreme Court ruling allowed U.S. states to ban abortion care for the first time in nearly 50 years. Conservative states have passed a flood of legislation to restrict the procedure, while other states have moved to protect abortion access. Near-total abortion bans have taken effect in 14 states in the past year, even as opinion polls show that a majority of Americans want abortion legal in all or most cases. The issue is expected to remain central in next year's congressional and presidential races, with activists on both sides using the anniversary to mobilize their base to get more politically engaged. Leading reproductive rights groups - EMILYs List, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund - on Friday announced their endorsements of Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection in 2024. On Saturday, Harris will give a speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, in favor of national legislation to protect abortion rights, one week before a new Republican-backed law takes effect in the state and cuts the legal window for abortions from 20 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Democratic U.S. lawmakers proposed a measure on Thursday that would protect abortion patients and providers from criminalization nationwide, but its passage is unlikely given the deeply divided Congress. On the other side of the fight, some abortion opponents are pushing for a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Pence, an outspoken abortion opponent, said at a Faith & Freedom Coalition gathering in Washington on Friday that "every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard." Several of his rivals, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have voiced support for abortion restrictions, without making specific pledges. DeSantis signed a law in Florida this year banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. About 64% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May said they were less likely to support a presidential candidate who backed laws severely restricting abortion, while 36% said they were more likely to back such a candidate. Rallies, marches and concerts in favor of reproductive rights are also scheduled for Saturday in states from Florida to Oregon. (Reporting by Julia Harte; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rosalba O'Brien and Marguerita Choy) UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United States, Britain and France demanded Friday that the United Nations urgently investigate Russias reported use of hundreds of Iranian-provided drones in the war in Ukraine, which would violate U.N. sanctions. But its unclear whether the U.N. will do so in the face of strong opposition from Russia. Russia denies using the Iranian drones, despite widespread evidence that they have been used to attack Ukrainian cities. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that the U.S. this month released further information documenting Iran's provision of hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles, known as UAVs or drones, as well as equipment that can be used in their production. Ukraine and the U.K. also submitted evidence to the United Nations of Iranian drones recovered by the Ukrainian military, she said. This is a matter of life or death for the Ukrainian people, the U.S. ambassador told the U.N. Security Council after delivering the statement calling for an investigation, which also was signed by Albania and Ukraine. The five countries accused Russia of violating the Security Council resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers, not only by procuring hundreds of Mohajer and Shahed drones by also by working with Iran to produce drones inside Russia. The 2015 resolution prohibits all countries from transferring such weapons from Iran without advance Security Council approval, which was not given, the statement said. Russia has been using these UAVs in recent weeks to strike Kyiv, destroy Ukrainian infrastructure, and kill and terrorize Ukrainian civilians, the U.S. and its allies said. The United Nations must respond to growing calls from the international community to investigate these violations. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the U.N. Secretariat, which is headed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is still analyzing information it received regarding the alleged transfer of un-crewed aerial vehicles by Iran in a manner inconsistent with the 2015 resolution. He said a report expected soon from Guterres will be discussed this month by experts on the committee monitoring implementation of the resolution, and by the 15-member Security Council in July. Russia is one of five permanent members with veto power. Thomas-Greenfield told reporters the resolution gives the secretary-general a mandate to open an investigation. Haq gave no indication of whether Guterres would do so. Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that Ukraine has not given Russia or Iran an iota of credible evidence about the use of Iranian drones. We hope that the secretary-general has sufficient wisdom not to be misled by our former Western partners, Nebenzia said. ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia (Reuters) -Mutinous Russian mercenaries who surged most of the way to Moscow have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader said on Saturday, in a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. The fighters of the Wagner private army were just 200 km (125 miles) from the capital, said the leader, former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin. The rebels had captured the city of Rostov hundreds of miles to the south before racing across the country. "They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow. In this time we did not spill a single drop of our fighters' blood," Prigozhin said in an audio message. "Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding ... that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned." The decision to halt further movement across Russia by the Wagner group was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in return for guarantees for their safety, his office said. There was no immediate word on the deal from Putin. Earlier, Prigozhin said that his "march for justice" was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia's very existence was under threat. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history," he said, vowing punishment for those who "who prepared an armed insurrection". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Wagner revolt exposed complete chaos in Russia. "Today the world can see that the masters of Russia control nothing. And that means nothing. Simply complete chaos. An absence of any predictability," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks each carrying a tank driving 30 miles (50 km) beyond Voronezh, more than half way to Moscow. A helicopter fired on them near Voronezh. More than 100 firefighters were in action at a fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed it exploding in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by. Further along the road, video showed, vehicles apparently placed as barricades to slow Wagner's advance had been tossed to one side. Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the military top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in the city of Rostov without firing a shot. 'WILL THERE BE CIVIL WAR?' In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force in Ukraine, residents milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, an apparent statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. "Will there be civil war?" a woman in Rostov asked the mercenaries who took over the city. "No, everything will be fine," a fighter answered. The region surrounding Rostov is an important oil, gas and grains hub. In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin had demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov should come to see him in Rostov. 'SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE' Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to counterparts from G7 nations. The top U.S. military officer, Army General Mark Milley, cancelled a scheduled trip to the Middle East because of the situation in Russia. The insurrection risked leaving Russia's invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defence ministry said. (Reporting by Reuters journalistsWriting by Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff and Frank Jack DanielEditing by Giles Elgood and Frances Kerry) Putin vows to crush 'armed mutiny' after mercenaries seize southern Russian city FILE PHOTO: Funeral held in Moscow for Russian military blogger killed in cafe blast By Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey LONDON (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to suggest he had sent an armed convoy on a 1,200-km (750-mile) charge towards Moscow on Saturday in an unlikely attempt to topple the military leadership. Russian local officials said a military convoy was on the main motorway linking the southern part of European Russia, bordering Ukraine, with Moscow, and warned residents to avoid it. Hours earlier, the Russian authorities had accused Prigozhin of staging an armed mutiny after he alleged, without providing evidence, that the military leadership had killed a huge number of his fighters in an air strike, and vowed to punish them. The FSB domestic security service said it had opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny, a crime punishable with a jail term of up to 20 years. The dramatic turn of events, with many details unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis President Vladimir Putin has faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine - something he called a "special military operation" - in February last year. Prigozhin, whose Wagner militia spearheaded the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, has for months been openly accusing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support in its battles in Ukraine. As their feud appeared to come to a head, the ministry issued a statement saying Prigozhin's accusations were "not true and are an informational provocation". Prigozhin said his actions were not a military coup. But in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that 25,000 fighters were en route to oust the leaders of the defence establishment in Moscow. Early on Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in his increasingly vitriolic feud with the ministry, saying that Putin's stated rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass. About 2 a.m. (2300 GMT), Prigozhin posted a message on the Telegram app saying his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and were in Rostov. He said they were ready to "go all the way" against the top brass and destroy anyone who stood in their way. PUTIN BEING BRIEFED 'AROUND THE CLOCK' Around the same time, the state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying all Russia's main security services were reporting to Putin "round the clock" on the fulfilment of his orders with respect to Prigozhin. Security was being tightened in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the Russia situation, a White House spokesperson said. About 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), the administration of the Voronezh region, on the M-4 motorway between the regional capital Rostov-on-Don and Moscow, said on Telegram that a military convoy was on the highway and urged residents to avoid using it. Unverified footage posted on social media showed a convoy of assorted military vehicles, including at least one tank and one armoured vehicle on flatbed trucks. It was not clear where they were, or whether the covered trucks in the convoy contained fighters. Some of the vehicles were flying the Russian flag. Footage on channels based in Rostov-on-Don showed armed men in military uniform skirting the regional police headquarters in the city on foot, as well as tanks positioned outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Reuters confirmed the locations shown but could not determine when the footage was shot. In his audio messages, Prigozhin said: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance... "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. FSB URGES WAGNER FIGHTERS TO DETAIN PRIGOZHIN The FSB said Prigozhin's statements were "calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and his actions are a 'stab in the back' of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces". It added: "We urge the ... fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forcible actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to detain him." Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. Army General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whom Prigozhin has praised in the past, said in a video that "the enemy is just waiting for our internal political situation to deteriorate". "Before it is too late ... you must submit to the will and order of the people's president of the Russian Federation. Stop the columns and return them to their permanent bases," he said. An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces. It showed a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force. There appeared to be one body, but no more direct evidence of any attack. It carried the caption: "A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence." Prigozhin has tried to exploit Wagner's battlefield success, achieved at enormous human cost, to publicly berate Moscow with seeming impunity, while carefully avoiding criticism of Putin. But for the first time on Friday, he dismissed Putin's core justifications for invading Ukraine 16 months ago, something for which many Russians have been fined or jailed. "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he said, referring to Putin's justifications for the war. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey; Editing by Daniel Wallis and William Mallard) By Rachel Stine All right, we with a secret. Do you want to know another?? Initially, I wasn't going to write all this. The premise seemed too"Eat, Pray, Love on Jeju Island." And unlike Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame, I wouldn't receive to finance my spiritual awakening. Instead, I'd get what all Korea Times contributors used to get free dinner once a month. Which is fine, really. I like lobster rolls. except I was on Jeju Island and couldn't even get a lobster roll. So in the time-honored tradition of journalist ladies trauma-dumping into the internet for free, let's talk. On July 5th, 2021, the longest romantic relationship of my life ended. Given that I've been vulnerable here on screen, one might expect that I'm about to unload a whole kitchen cabinet of post-breakup spice. I've already . As any Korea-based expat knows, disclosing a serious mental health condition like that can put both jobs and visas in danger. I've also written that I'm bisexual, which means Korean employers can now legally fire me. What's breakup drama compared to that? "Yes," the comments section trolls type from a dark PC room. "Tell us about your romantic failings." Well that, dear reader, is where I must put up a boundary. I'm not going to disclose the precise details of what happened on July 5th, 2021, and the ethnonationalists in the comments will just have to speculate about my personal life elsewhere. "But Rachel," the well-intentioned among you protest, "How can you NOT explain? I slogged through this self-indulgent swamp of writing for drama! I don't want to hear about how you still respect his boundaries. I want to hear about how you threw a milkshake at him in a McDonald's parking lot!" Wellsure. Oversharing is normalized in the culture of Web 2.0. It certainly sells. But our breakup happened over the phone. There was no screaming, and there certainly weren't any McDonald's parking lot showdowns. Even if there had been, I wouldn't write about them publicly. When I share my life with someone romantically, I consider there to be a sort of sacred contract between us. What is said in our Kakao rooms stays private. Who initiated the breakup stays private. Even if things didn't work out, I think it's essential to respect old flames, even if they only kept us warm for a year or two. "Fine," you say. "Sounds like it wasn't that bad." And that's where you'd be wrong. After that breakup phone call, I virtually stopped eating. I lost five kilograms in a week. This wasn't the sort of parting where you stare at waves crashing against rocks and think: "WowI look like the protagonist in a movie right now." This was waking up at exactly 4:30 a.m. every morning and staring at the wall for hours. It was ugly crying in my apartment with the blinds drawn and the lights off while my Chinese Crested dog watched. It was calling my old roommate (who now lives in Kyoto) 15 minutes before a class, red-faced and mewling: "Man, I just really need a pep talk right now" Putin vows to crush 'armed mutiny' after mercenaries seize southern Russian city FILE PHOTO: Funeral held in Moscow for Russian military blogger killed in cafe blast By Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey LONDON (Reuters) -Rebellious Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday he had taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership amid what the authorities said was an armed mutiny. Prigozhin demanded that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, whom he has pledged to oust over what he says is their disastrous leadership of the war against Ukraine, come to see him in Rostov, a city near the Ukrainian border. He had earlier said that he had 25,000 fighters moving towards Moscow to "restore justice" and had alleged, without providing evidence, that the military had killed a huge number of fighters from his Wagner private militia in an air strike, something the defence ministry denied. "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance...," he said in one of many frenzied audio messages. "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. Prigozhin, whose Wagner militia spearheaded the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, has for months been openly accusing Shoigu and Gerasimov of incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support in its battles in Ukraine. The dramatic turn, with many details unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis President Vladimir Putin has faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine - something he called a "special military operation" - in February last year. Putin was due to address the nation soon, the RIA news agency cited the Kremlin as saying on Saturday. Russia's FSB security had earlier opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny and had said that his statements were "calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and his actions a 'stab in the back' of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces". It added: "We urge the ... fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forcible actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to detain him." The state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that all of Russia's main security services were reporting to Putin "round the clock." Security was being tightened in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation, a White House spokesperson said. On Friday, Prigozhin had appeared to cross a new line in his increasingly vitriolic feud with the ministry, saying that Putin's stated rationale for invading Ukraine 16 months ago was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass. "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he said, referring to Putin's justifications for the war. About 2 a.m. (2300 GMT), Prigozhin posted a message on the Telegram app saying his forces were in Rostov and ready to "go all the way" against the top brass and destroy anyone who stood in their way. About 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), the administration of the Voronezh region, on the M-4 motorway between the regional capital Rostov-on-Don and Moscow, said on Telegram that a military convoy was on the highway and urged residents to avoid using it. Unverified footage posted on social media showed a convoy of assorted military vehicles, including at least one tank and one armoured vehicle on flatbed trucks. It was not clear where they were, or whether the covered trucks in the convoy contained fighters. Some of the vehicles were flying the Russian flag. Footage on channels based in Rostov-on-Don showed armed men in military uniform skirting the regional police headquarters in the city on foot, as well as tanks positioned outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Reuters confirmed the locations shown but could not determine when the footage was shot. MILITARY CONVOY Prigozhin denied that he was trying to stage a military coup. He said he had led his fighters out of Ukraine to Rostov, where a video posted by a pro-Wagner Telegram channel showed him, seemingly relaxed, conversing with two generals at the headquarters of Russia's huge Southern Military District. The video showed him telling the generals: "We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Unless they come, we'll be here, we'll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow." That appeared to be a reference to a military convoy trying to make a 1,200-km (750-mile) drive towards Moscow, ostensibly to topple the military leadership. Russian local officials said a military convoy was indeed on the main motorway linking the southern part of European Russia with Moscow, and warned residents to avoid it. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev - who was later to appear with Prigozhin in the video from Rostov-on-Don - issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. Army General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whom Prigozhin has praised in the past, said in a video that "the enemy is just waiting for our internal political situation to deteriorate". "Before it is too late ... you must submit to the will and order of the people's president of the Russian Federation. Stop the columns and return them to their permanent bases," he said. An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces. It showed a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force. There appeared to be one body, but no more direct evidence of any attack. It carried the caption: "A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence." (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey; Editing by Daniel Wallis and William Mallard) By Jasper Ward WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday as mutinous Russian mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, the White House said. "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine," a readout said. Biden was briefed about the unfolding situation in Russia by his national security team on Saturday morning, the White House said, adding that the president will continue to be briefed throughout the day. A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that during the conversation, the four leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office made a similar commitment about Ukraine, and said the leaders "have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days". U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also spoken to counterparts from G7 nations. The move by Wagner Group mercenaries presents Russian President Vladimir Putin with the first serious challenge to his grip on power in his 23-year rule. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke and David Milliken; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Frances Kerry) An Ohio father accused of fatally shooting his three young sons earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to 21 counts included in a grand jury indictment, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty for the "incomprehensible act of horror." Chad Doerman, 32, appeared in court for arraignment on the indictment, composed of nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. The filing also includes numerous "specifications," such as the victims' preteen ages, and use of a firearm during the alleged crimes, that could make the father eligible for death if Doerman if found guilty. Chad Doerman appears in court on June 16, 2023. (WLWT) Clermont County's top prosecutor, Mark Tekulve, said outside a courtroom Friday that he hopes surviving family members are able to someday find peace. He also declared the prosecution's mortal goal with certainty. "This is a death penalty case," Tekulve said. "And my goal is to have this man executed for slaughtering these three little boys. It is an incomprehensible act of horror." The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7. A lawyer for Doerman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bail was initially set at $20 million, but the Clermont County judge in the case granted the prosecution's request for no bond pending the next hearing on July 5, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. The prosecution alleges the father lined up his sons in a residential yard and "executed" them by opening fire with a rifle the afternoon of June 15. It happened at a home in Monroe Township, about 25 miles southwest of Cincinnati, authorities said. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office said in a statement deputies responded to the location after receiving two alarming calls after 4 p.m. that day. A woman reported "her babies had been shot," the office said. And a motorist reported a girl was running down a road saying her father "was killing everyone," the sheriff's office said. The 34-year-old mother of the boys grabbed the defendant's rifle in an attempt to stop the shooting, David Gast of the Clermont County Prosecutors Office said during a court hearing June 16, and was shot in the hand. One of the boys was then able to flee to a nearby field, he said, but Doerman allegedly "hunted that boy down, drug him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses." The boys were declared dead at the scene by first responders. The mother was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati with a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. An older sister was unharmed, according to the sheriff's office. Doerman was arrested at the scene without incident, sheriff's officials said. He was found sitting on a step outside the residence, they said. Possible motive has not been revealed. Court documents viewed by WLWT of Cincinnati said Doerman confessed that he had been planning the killings "for several months. After 17 years of steady payments, Warren Buffett has to date given annual donations totaling $50.7 billion toward his historic multibillion-dollar pledges to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and to four foundations connected to his family, according to a Chronicle tally. He announced his latest annual payments toward his pledges on Wednesday. Buffett became the biggest donor in history in June 2006, when he pledged 10 million shares of his Berkshire Hathaway Class B stock, then valued at about $36.1 billion, to the Gates Foundation, plus 1 million Berkshire shares, then valued at $3.6 billion, to the foundation named for his late first wife, Susan Thompson Buffett, and 350,00 shares, then valued at about $1.3 billion apiece, to foundations created by his three children, Susan, Howard, and Peter Buffett. Combined, those five pledges amounted to more than $43.5 billion at the time. In 2010, Buffett and Berkshires other shareholders approved a stock split, which significantly increased the number of shares Buffet has given the five foundations in the years since. With these latest payments, he has given the Gates Foundation nearly $39.3 billion, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation almost $4.2 billion, and more than $2.4 billion apiece to the Sherwood, Howard G. Buffett, and Novo foundations. Although he has exceeded his original pledges, a spokeswoman for Buffett told the Chronicle that he will continue to make payments to the five foundations throughout his lifetime as he promised to do in the statements he made announcing the pledges in 2006. When Buffett announced his huge pledge to the Gates Foundation, he said he was doing so because he was confident it could make the most of the money. I dont think Im as well cut out to be a philanthropist as Bill and Melinda are, Buffett told Fortune magazine in 2006. What can be more logical, in whatever you want done, than finding someone better equipped than you are to do it? That thinking was greeted with enthusiastic approval by philanthropy experts in 2006 and remains admired today. The philanthropy historian Benjamin Soskis says Buffetts decision to give the money to an organization he thought could handle it better than he could was innovative, and he wishes others would have followed Buffetts lead. If more wealthy donors had embraced that, it really could have had a huge impact on the sector because it would have concentrated funding in smaller and smaller fiefdoms, Soskis says. It was a really interesting idea, but not one that has been widely taken up. Buffetts example remains powerful more than 15 years later, says Phil Buchanan, who leads the Center for Effective Philanthropy, because it showed rich donors that having tens of billions of dollars does not mean they have to pursue their philanthropic goals by creating a new foundation that will exist long after they are gone. He showed folks that there are existing institutions that you can look to, whether foundations, in his case, or any number of different giving vehicles or to nonprofits themselves, Buchanan says. I think thats really healthy and positive. Buffett structured his Gates Foundation pledge so it would receive 5% of the promised shares each year starting in 2006. He stipulated that either Bill Gates or Melinda French Gates must remain alive and active in the policy-setting and administration of the foundation to continue receiving the annual disbursements. He also said the Gates Foundation must spend the value of the previous years gift plus 5% of its net assets each year and that spending excesses could be carried forward and shortfalls made up the following year. Buffett joined the Gates Foundation board and has made gifts toward his commitment every summer since he announced the pledge. Philanthropy experts say that by making the Gates Foundation one of the wealthiest grantmakers in the world, Buffetts pledge triggered a shifting of power within the foundation world: The Gates Foundation rose to the top of the heap, and some legacy grantmakers saw their power dim. It also placed the Gates Foundation under a microscope of public scrutiny. Buffett turned a large foundation into a colossus and into something that was an order of magnitude much larger than its peers, Soskis says. The amount of pressure that put on the institution to spend amounts of money that no foundation had ever spent before on a consistent basis as a normal form of operation required a real transformation of the foundation and a scaling of its bureaucracy and of its ambition, and so it turned what was already an incredibly large foundation into what its become now, which is, both for critics and for champions, the embodiment of large-scale philanthropic funding. It also intensified existing questions about the power dynamics between foundations and grantees, says Buchanan, who thinks that in some ways that has helped to bring about some good changes over time. That soul searching has led to more calls for different kinds of approaches, more trust-based approaches, Buchanan says. Youve seen over the years consistent calls for more unrestricted support for organizations and less in the way of control by funders of organizational decisions about budget allocation and that kind of thing. Buffett stepped down from the Gates Foundations board in the spring of 2021 shortly after the Gateses announced they were divorcing. He did not address the divorce in a statement announcing his resignation but said the decision to leave the grantmakers board followed his stepping away from all the corporate boards he had been serving on except Berkshire Hathaway. While the historic pledge Buffett made to the Gates Foundation dwarfed what he promised to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and his three childrens grantmakers, Buffett was just as intentional in his giving to those entities and has made annual distributions to each since 2006. In a surprise move in 2012, he doubled his original pledges to his childrens foundations, saying in a statement that he was impressed with their grantmaking and that their charitable work has exceeded (his) high expectations. Soskis says Buffetts 2006 pledges were also influential because they helped usher in the age of the major public philanthropic pledge. Buffett not only announced that he was giving specific amounts of shares to the five foundations but also publicly provided details about how he planned to pay off the pledges and then reported each year when he made a payment. That was not as common, in terms of engaging with the public, when Buffett made that pledge, and its shaped the way many donors feel like they have to explain their intentions to the public, Soskis says. So its transformed at least the kind of public conversations around philanthropy. Whether or not its actually impacted how much money is ultimately given away is hard to say. _____ This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Maria Di Mento is a senior reporter at the Chronicle. Email: maria.dimento@chronicle.com. The AP and the Chronicle receive support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP and the Chronicle are solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. 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. YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The Russian Armed Forces received an order to neutralize the organizers of the armed munity, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to the nation. "All those who consciously took the path of treason, blackmail and prepared an armed rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. All those guilty of attempted riots will suffer the inevitable punishment, they will answer before the law and the people," said the Russian President. YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The operative headquarters of the Lipetsk region advises its residents not to leave their homes without urgent need and to refrain from traveling by personal and public transport. "At the moment, all government bodies and law enforcement forces are working in a strengthened mode. In order to ensure the law and order and safety of the citizens of Lipetsk Oblast, the operative headquarters of the oblast asks residents not to leave their homes without urgent need and to refrain from any trip by private or public transport," ARMENPRESS reports, reads the statement. YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The best way to clearly guarantee the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is direct and substantive discussions between Baku and Stepanakert with international participation, ARMENPRESS reports, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a statement. For building real and lasting peace in the region, Armenia and Azerbaijan should find mutually acceptable solutions to all existing problems in the negotiation process and prevent further manifestations of hatred and enmity. Those issues equally include agreeing on a solid legal basis for the delimitation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration and the latest Soviet maps, unblocking the region's transport infrastructure on the basis of the sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality and reciprocity of the countries as well as clearly guaranteeing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, we are convinced that the best way forward for guaranteeing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh lies in direct and substantive discussions between Baku and Stepanakert with international participation. Meanwhile, the sincerity and political will of the top leadership of Azerbaijan to achieve peace in the South Caucasus is seriously questioned by the incessant hostility and hate speech from the Azerbaijani authorities, by the provocations, threats to use force against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, Azerbaijan's actions are not only deviating from addressing numerous problems through constructive dialogue with Stepanakert, but also, on the contrary, they are consistently leading to ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The latest evidence of this is Azerbaijan's installation of concrete barriers in the Lachin corridor on 22 June and the impediment of any movement of people, goods and transport. As a result, the supply of food, medicine and basic necessities has been completely halted, as has the transportation of critically ill patients, even by the International Committee of the Red Cross. In parallel gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh have been cut as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor for more than six months. The targeting of citizens engaged in agricultural work and sabotage activities of the Azerbaijani armed forces are constant. While the humanitarian crisis is deteriorating, the urgently needed access to Nagorno-Karabakh for international humanitarian and fact-finding missions remains blocked. In this context, it is also necessary to recall the intimidation of the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh through statements on social media as well as through loudspeakers on the ground, the deliberate disregard of the obligation to ensure the return of displaced persons from Hadrut and Shushi regions, the seizure and total expulsion of Armenians from the settlements of Khtsaberd, Hin Tagher and Parukh after the ceasefire of 9 November 2020, the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the Armenian settlements under Azerbaijani control, etc. These actions are being carried out in defiance of legally binding decisions of the UN International Court of Justice and numerous appeals by the international community. Under such circumstances, the international community cannot turn a blind eye and delude itself that the issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh can be addressed without special and urgent international attention, involvement and efforts. It is necessary and vital to address the rights and security issues of the 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh through the Baku - Stepanakert dialogue within the framework of an international mechanism. We consider it necessary to emphasise once again that the Republic of Armenia will continue its sincere efforts aimed at establishment of peace in the region, reads the statement. Allen High School seniors gather in a circle to pray at a vigil, May 10, four days after a gunman shot and killed multiple people at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas, north of Dallas. Reuters-Yonhap By Dami Kim DALLAS Laura Lee is an average 20-year-old, going to school and working a part-time job at her local Gong Cha, a famous Asian boba tea franchise. "My mom recently asked me if I felt safe working at an Asian drink store. She is scared something might happen to me with all these recent hate crimes and shootings," Lee explained. "I'm scared too. I work here because I enjoy it, but now I get nervous when I'm working by myself. I even catch myself wondering what I would do if a shooter came in here. It's sad, but that's our reality." Lee is one of many Korean Americans scared for their safety in America. The American Psychology Association has reported that one-third of U.S. adults say fear of a mass shooting taking place prevents them from going to places or certain events. A report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and AAPI Data reported two-thirds of Asians were "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about falling victim to a violent gun crime. Within the Asian population, Korean Americans reported the highest level of fear of gun violence. Lee is concerned for her safety, but she feels hopeless as to lawmakers doing anything about gun control. "I've seen on TikTok how much the National Rifle Association (NRA) spends to lobby against gun control legislation," she said. Despite the fact that Americans' dissatisfaction with gun laws is at a new high, according to the latest Gallup poll conducted earlier this year, the U.S. public is left without any substantive reform, causing younger people like Lee to feel hopeless and scared about America's future. Asked what her thoughts are on owning a gun for protection, Lee made it clear that this was an uncomfortable question. She explained, "I would never own a gun And, no, I'm not an outlier. My friends and I talk about this a lot. Guns are so stupid. Unnecessary killing machines. No one needs to own a gun. American lawmakers just need to do something." Lee is not the only person who feels uneasy around the subject of gun ownership. Jennifer Song is a resident of Dallas where the recent tragic mass shooting took place on May 6, the day a hate-filled gunman used an AR-15 style rifle to take away innocent lives, some of them children. For many Korean Americans, this mass shooting hit closer to home than ever as three of the nine killed were Korean Americans. "I no longer go to the malls on the weekends because I know it'll be crowded. You know shootings happen on busy days." Song said. Asked the same question about gun ownership, Song quickly responded, "Never. There is no need to own a gun. It does not solve any issues. If you're not a police officer, you do not need a gun. "With all these crazy people being able to own guns and buy guns from places like Walmart, I think people will probably think America is the perfect place to get shot," she said. Song is not wrong. There have now officially been more mass shootings than days in 2023 in America. Other countries tell their citizens to exercise precaution when traveling to the U.S. as "incidents of mass shootings occur." Some English academies in Korea are even changing their classroom names from American cities to European ones. Such decisions are completely understandable. Parents are scared that their kids may get killed at school and anxious people avoid grocery stores and malls by shopping online. And locating exits and mentally planning escape routes at theaters and other large venues has become common practice for ordinary people living in the U.S. Protestors hold signs in support of gun control outside Cotton Wood Creek Church before a vigil, May 7, a day after a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. AP-Yonhap On Site Opera (OSO), the leading opera company in the nation for impressively conceived site specific productions, invites candidates energized by the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in this producing model to present themselves as candidate for Artistic Director. The Artistic Direct or will join a company that has carved out a well-respected space in the national opera community and as an exciting and distinct cultural addition to New York Citys live performing arts scene. With strong instincts as a producer, a mind for working through the complexities of performing in distinct locations throughout New Yorks five boroughs, and vision for the companys continuing evolution and influence, the Artistic Director will contribute to OSOs ongoing growth and success through collaboration and an adventurous spirit. Shaping the artistic aesthetic of the companys producing profile and having a skill for identifying and engaging great talent will be a top set of focus points for the next Artistic Director. Working closely with OSOs General Director/CEO, the Artistic Director will also be fully invested in building organizational capacity and will be a willing and active participant in cultivating interest in and support for ambitious and aspirational plans for On Site Operas future. A full position description may be found here: https://mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-on-site-opera Organizational Profile Founded in 2012, On Site Opera is the countrys leading presenter of site-specific operas in non-traditional venues based fully in New York City with productions happening within all five boroughs and occasionally outside of the city in partnership with other producing organizations. Rooted in collaboration and storytelling, On Site Opera celebrates the connection between artist and audience through highly curated experiences led by exciting opera artists and bold and innovative creative teams. Each OSO production invites New Yorkers to explore their city in new and unique ways, while cultivating a new generation of opera audiences. More information is available at On Site Operas website at https://osopera.org/. MORE Every effort has been made to keep PM Narendra Modi away from Manipur crisis to underline that this was Mr Shahs responsibility While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being feted by US President Joe Biden, his Cabinet colleagues back home are racing against time to complete the homework assigned to them before the expiry of the month-end deadline set for them. Tasked with highlighting the Modi governments achievements over the past nine years, Union ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers have been busy addressing press conferences, holding meetings with various citizen groups and organising town halls for this specific purpose. There are days when two or even three ministers hold separate press conferences on the given subject. The urgency is understandable as the ministers have to submit a detailed report about their mass contact programme and its media coverage. Foreign minister S. Jaishankar has no worries on this score as he is easily the most visible minister, receiving extensive press coverage. He began with a long press conference where he was gracious enough to acknowledge the role of the external affairs ministrys staff, including those who worked behind the scenes. But there was no acknowledgement for his predecessor Sushma Swaraj who steered the ministry for five of the nine years. Incidentally, Mr Jaishankar served as foreign secretary under her for three years. * Responding to the all-round criticism of the Centres continuing indifference to the prolonged ethnic violence in Manipur, Union home minister Amit Shah has finally called an all-party meeting on this issue. However, every effort has been made to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi away from this crisis to underline that this was Mr Shahs responsibility and he should be left to handle it. The Prime Ministers silence on the subject has also been attributed to the fact that Mr Modi did not want to be associated with anything negative at a time when he was set for a state visit to the US where President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for him. In fact, a discrete message was conveyed to media houses that they steer clear of any negative coverage during Mr Modis US sojourn. * When Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was given charge of Uttar Pradesh on joining politics in 2019, it was expected that she would revive the Congress in this electorally-crucial state. Though she made no headway in the electoral arena, she had publicly declared that she was committed to strengthening the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. But, from all accounts, Priyanka appears to have given up on this assignment. She barely visits the state while her involvement with the activities of the partys state unit is virtually nil. Even her personal team in the state, including the unpopular Sandeep Singh, are planning to close shop. According to the current buzz in the Congress, Priyanka is being prepared for a bigger role in the party organisation. She is also being fielded extensively in election-bound states, making sure she is not confined to one state where she is in the direct line of fire in case of failure. As it happened in Uttar Pradesh. * The Bharatiya Janata Partys Rajasthan unit jokingly refers to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje as its Sachin Pilot given her persistent efforts to extract a fair deal for herself in the run-up to the year-end assembly poll. There is no clarity on Ms Rajes status though she is pushing the leadership to project her as the BJPs chief ministerial face or ensure that her legislator son Dushyant is rewarded well in case the party comes to power. Congress rebel leader Sachin Pilot finds himself in a similar situation. He is continuously planning his next move since he has been unsuccessful in his mission to replace chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Alternatively, he would like the Congress to declare him as the partys future chief minister and give him sufficient say in the distribution of tickets in the coming election. Meanwhile, Mr Pilot has asked his staff to reach out to Gehlot supporters and meet workers from their area. Apparently, posters are being prepared which show Mr Pilot with these workers and with Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to underline that he enjoys the Gandhi familys support. Mr Pilot also plans to put up these posters close to Mr Gehlots hoardings at Jaipurs prime spots. * While Congress leaders wait anxiously for the announcement on the constitution of the new working committee, insiders bemoan the emergence of multiple power centres in the party. They point out that there was one power centre when Sonia Gandhi was party chief, with her all-powerful political secretary Ahmed Patel handling contentious matters even after Rahul Gandhi became active in the organisation. Today, Congress leaders said, there is a Rahul Gandhi camp, a Priyanka Gandhi coterie, Sonia Gandhi loyalists and party president Mallikarjun Kharges supporters. With each one lobbying for the inclusion of his or her own proteges in the partys highest decision-making body, all-round confusion prevails. Congress members who are not affiliated to any camp are unsure about their future as they believe meritorious leaders will fail to make the cut while coterie politics will continue to thrive. by Giorgio Bernardelli On June 27 and 28 philosophers, jurists and economists from Beijing, Shanghai and Mumbai at the Vatican for a discussion on the Development Goals set by the UN. Prof. Riccardo Pozzo, among the organizers of the workshop, explains its meaning to AsiaNews: "Kant's perpetual peace functional to industry and trade in the 21st century is no longer enough. We need deeper foundations to seek together." Rome (AsiaNews) - Next week a large group of European, American and Australian intellectuals gather together with their Chinese and Indian colleagues in the Vatican in a two day session on the great challenges of today's world from the point of view of growing global powers China and India. The meeting organised by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at its headquarters at the Casina Pio IV for June 27 and 28 is titled "Dialogue among civilizations on the commonalities" and will feature scholars from prestigious universities and think tanks in Beijing and Shanghai. Prof. Riccardo Pozzo - a philosopher at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences - worked on the organization of this event and explains its meaning to AsiaNews: "The goal," he tells us, "is to help understand China and India from their point of view. This workshop aims to promote meaningful and sustainable dialogue and results-oriented cooperation. The idea is to bring together scientists, economists, sociologists and philosophers from a global perspective to address the challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the common goals set forth by the UN for the near future and which are also the focus of the activities of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Think climate change, sustainability, social innovation, education, health care and urban regeneration, empowerment of women and youth, and specialization strategies for regional development." Leading the way in this effort was Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, an American economist appointed by Pope Francis to the Vatican academy in 2021 and who has a long association with Beijing institutions behind him (he still serves as a consultant to the China Development Research Foundation, a public study center in China that focuses on good governance and development). "Participants were identified by involving members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences such as Prof. Stefano Zamagni, Sachs, myself. We also thank Dr. Steve Howard, president of the Global Foundation, for joining this project. As for Prof. Bai Tongdong (the first Chinese appointed by Pope Francis to this Vatican body earlier this month ed.) he was appointed when the preparation of the symposium was in full swing: we look forward to his contribution in the near future," Pozzo explains. In the first session, introduced by Card. Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, to discuss what "common goods" are and how to safeguard them will be China's Henry Wang, founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, India's Aparna Tandon, an expert in cultural heritage conservation, and Italian economist Enrico Giovannini. This will be followed by a series of panels dedicated to specific reflection on each of the Goals set by the UN for 2030. In the last panel discussion-the one devoted to "Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions" (Goal 16 on the UN agenda)-the Chinese voices that will speak will be those of philosopher Yang Guorong, of East China Normal University, who looks at these issues from a metaphysical perspective, and jurist Rupert Li. "The great theoretical foundation for the search for peace in the 20th century," Pozzo comments, "was Kant's treatise 'Perpetual Peace.' That text, in essence, said: we want peace because industry and commerce need it. Today in the 21st century we know that this is no longer enough: the world needs peace, the earth needs peace. It is a much bigger perspective, which we must help each other to pursue together in a holistic perspective." But is it possible, we ask, to have a frank dialogue on these issues regardless of thorny facts such as the harsh repression of all forms of dissent in China or the violence against minorities in India? "The booklet prepared for the workshop," Prof. Pozzo replies, "makes it clear that the ethical prerequisites for a true dialogue are freedom and equality, both of which are mentioned in the document of the Congregation for Catholic Education to which we refer and in papal encyclicals. But the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences is certainly not a body that can influence individual decisions of the government of the People's Republic of China or India's attitude toward minorities." The discussion will result in the elaboration of a common text: "We always try to close our work with a concluding statement and we will do so this time as well," reports Riccardo Pozzo. However, the workshop is meant to be only the beginning of a path: reflection will go on especially in the university sphere, with some initiatives that are already starting: "At Tor Vergata, the university pastoral ministry has announced a competition on sustainability. At La Sapienza University doctoral students in Chinese studies have been involved; other initiatives, then, are involving the Pari Center for New Learning, which has been active for 20 years in Civitella Paganico in Tuscany." by Nirmala Carvalho Day of Paryer called by Bishops' Conference president Msgr. Thazhath to invoke from God the gift of peace and raise awareness of the violence between Meitei and Kuki in the northeastern state. Imphal Archbishop Msgr. Lumon: "We are working to reopen dialogue between the two communities, but the situation remains stuck. Only prayer can help us." Already today in Mumbai an initiative by Card. Gracias. Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Church of India has called for a day of prayer on Sunday, July 2, for an end to the ongoing violence in Manipur state that has already left more than 100 people dead and tens of thousands displaced among the Meitei and Kuki populations since the beginning of May. The initiative was announced yesterday in a message from Archbishop of Trichur, Andrews Thazhath, who is the president of the Cbci. The prelate is already inviting bishops and priests this Sunday to announce this joint initiative. The invitation is to live "this day in a meaningful way throughout the country." Suggested gestures include adding special intentions for peace and harmony to the prayers of the faithful and holding an hour of adoration in all parishes to intercede for the people of Manipur. The bishops' conference also hopes to organize torchlight processions or peace rallies to help spread awareness about the situation in Manipur. Commenting from Manipur to AsiaNews on these solidarity initiatives, Archbishop of Imphal Dominic Lumon said: "In the city the situation right now is calm, things are settling down, but in the suburbs, where the valley ends and the hills begin, in the places where both communities live together, the situation continues to be very tense. Shots are still being heard. Unfortunately, despite interfaith meetings, the position of both groups is very rigid: no solution is in sight at the moment. Only prayers can help. On Monday we will convene the Manipur Interfaith Forum again: we are meeting regularly every 4-5 days trying to plan strategies on how to restart the dialogue." Bishop Lumon also expresses his gratitude to Card. Gracias: "From the first days he has expressed his solidarity with us," he recounts. "He is known as a bridge builder, and he is a continuous source of encouragement for me. I thank him for his closeness to us and his anguish for our safety. May God bless us with peace." The archbishop calls on Indian Catholics to encourage associations, movements and NGOs to convey their serious concern to federal government officials, "particularly the alarming disregard in that region for the principles enshrined in the Constitution." Finally, Archbishop Thazhath calls on Catholics to "generously welcome" people from Manipur and to provide school and reception facilities for migrant students. In Mumbai, Card. Oswald Gracias already today made this invitation his own by praying for the people of Manipur on the feast of St. John the Baptist. Together with all members of the Curia, he began the day by asking for God's intercession for the many people who are suffering. Citing the latest report released by the Archdiocese of Imphal, he recalled how in Manipur today there is "fear, uncertainty and a general sense of hopelessness" with more than 50 thousand people left homeless due to violence. Today's headines: Moscow on tenterhooks over Wagner Company mutiny, which claims to have taken control of Rostov; Indian oppositions in Patna discuss "common front" against Modi (but Kejrival and Congress remain divided); Islamabad government confirms: 350 Pakistanis aboard migrant ship wrecked in Aegean Sea; Beijing heatwave breaks records for most number of days above 40 degrees; First Ocha convoy in Idlib after earthquake. RUSSIA Since last night Wagner Company founder Evegenij Prigozhin has been challenging Putin with a mutiny. While not openly talking about a coup Prigozhin has called for a rebellion against the military, targeting Defense Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov. He claims to have taken control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Putin appeared on television this morning calling the ongoing one a betrayal and-without naming Prigozhin, who has grown up among his loyalists-said counterterrorism is in action and there will be "harsh punishments" for those who want to divide Russia. INDIA Indian opposition parties held a summit in Patna yesterday with the aim of forming a common front against the ruling BJP for the 2024 elections. Bihar local government chief Nitish Kumar said all leaders agreed to face Modi united. During the meeting, however, deep differences emerged between Kejriwal's Aam Admy Party and the Congress Party. According to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in a forthcoming meeting in Shimla the modalities of the united front will be determined. PAKISTAN There were at least 350 Pakistanis on board the migrant-laden fishing boat that sank off southern Greece on June 14. This was confirmed in parliament by the Pakistani interior minister, based on the families who requested the government's help and took DNA tests. Sanaullah said that for Pakistan, "perhaps there has never been such a high toll in any incident, even terrorist incidents." CHINA For a thirds straight day Beijing temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees. In the Chinese capital between 1990 and 2020, the average number of days with temperatures at or above 35 degrees Celsius was 10.6, the Beijing Daily reported, citing official data. This year, however, that number has already been surpassed in June: with today it reached 11. SOUTH KOREA The Seoul city government has unveiled plans for a steamboat service along the Han River. The intention is to launch the service on a route between the Gimpo Grand Bridge, just west of the capital, and the Jamsil Grand Bridge in southeast Seoul. The initiative is expected to start in the second half of next year, with steamboats capable of carrying at least 150 passengers and 20 bicycles. SYRIA Ten UN aid trucks have entered Syria's last rebel-controlled enclave for the first time since February's disastrous earthquake. The convoy with humanitarian supplies passed through a government-controlled area in Aleppo province and entered Idlib, the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. The last such aid shipment had crossed the front line of the conflict in January. KAZAKHSTAN-RUSSIA-SYRIA Negotiations for the settlement of the conflict in Syria were deprived of their most appropriate venue, that of the "Astana format," as Kazakhstan refused to host any more similar meetings on its territory, explaining that all the goals set out six years ago in the Kazakh capital have been achieved by now after 20 meetings in Astana itself, leaving all the parties involved, Russia, Turkey and Iran, who consider the peace process still far from its conclusion, stunned. by Stefano Caprio The patriarchal accusations against pacifist priests astonishingly contain an explicit mention of "Tolstoyan heresy." Fr. Viktor Burdin responds to Kirill's excommunication of "universal value" with the question "who can stop me serving God?", which another Orthodox priest from Moscow, the Italian Fr. Giovanni Guaita, often repeats in his homilies. In the context of the dramatic turn of the war in Ukraine, poised between self-destruction and mutual reconquest of lands disputed for centuries, tension is also increasing on the ecclesial battle field, another dimension of the endless confrontation between the two faces of the Russian world and Europe itself. Increasingly frequent cases of priests intolerant of military-patriotic rhetoric cloaked in Trinitarian haloes are being reported, and at the same time the sacred belt of patriarchal inquisition, which increasingly stifles the aspiration of priests, monks and faithful to profess a religion of peace, is tightening. The straw that is breaking the camel's back was the forced transfer of Rublev's icon of the Trinity from the museum to the church, not only because of the possible damage to the masterpiece of Russian art, which seems limited for now, but because of the context of authoritarianism and propagandistic exploitation of a symbol of spirituality and mutual love, turned into a banner of the aggressive union of throne and altar. It is one of the episodes that most demonstrates how far the distortion of the entire authentic tradition of Russian religion and culture can go, even in the name of "defending traditional values." The most indigestible aspect of the affair, especially for the Orthodox clergy, was the brutal dismissal of protoierej Leonid Kalinin, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's council of experts on ecclesiastical art and restoration, a well-respected and beloved figure, who was even suspended a divinis "for his opposition to the transfer of the icon to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior." Poor Fr. Leonid, after the axe of the wrathful Patriarch Kirill fell on him, publicly apologized, declaring that "evidently I was wrong, if this decision was made, it means they thought it through," prompting further reactions of outrage at those who so brutally eliminated the opinion of the most knowledgeable cleric on the subject. He himself assured to "welcome the decision in peace, and I ask for the prayers of all those who know and love me, I try to do what I think is right, but I can always be wrong." Eventually the icon was placed in an airtight capsule prepared exactly according to Kalinin's instructions, making the patriarchal anathema even more paradoxical. Meanwhile, "canonical radiations" of members of the Russian clergy multiplied, with accusations of "pacifist heresy," Kirill's response to those from the rest of the Orthodox world pointing to him as an advocate of "philetism," the identification of the Orthodox religion with the national cause, which Constantinople had condemned in the first half of the 19th century to counter revolt movements against the Ottoman Empire. Then it was the Greeks and Bulgarians who had been accused of heresy, paving the way for the acceptance of the ethnic principle of the "national church," which later became the organizational system of all Orthodox Churches. In fact, the principle had been introduced by the Russians since the proclamation of the "Third Rome" patriarchate, the real origin of the Philetist heresy. Therefore, it cannot come as a surprise that Kirill lashes out at "ecumenical" pacifism, which denies not only support for the "special military operation" in Ukraine, but the very foundations of Russian ecclesiastical ideology. After all, this discussion had inflamed the spirits throughout Russia in the early twentieth century, when the anathema was launched against Lev Tolstoy, the most religious-humanist, and at the same time anticlerical, writer in all of Russian literature. On Feb. 22, 1901, the author of War and Peace was excommunicated by the Church Synod, then without a patriarch, under the chairmanship of Tsarist Minister of Worship (oberprokuror) Konstantin Pobedonostsev, the Russian "Torquemada" of the desperate defense of Holy Russia just before the revolutions. In fact, he resigned shortly thereafter, in 1905, after a senseless war by Russia against Japan, so reminiscent of the current ruinous campaign in Ukraine: the Russians thought they could subdue the Empire of the Rising Sun in a week, being stuck between islands and ports for weeks before succumbing to the intrepid Japanese counteroffensive. Even then, a large proportion of the Russian soldiers and sailors were ex-prisoners forcibly sent from the lagers to redeem themselves in the war, who were unable to offer any resistance to the samurai, being largely in the grip of alcohol fumes, like the Russian soldiers in Bakhmut and Kherson. The ruinous war was followed by the first Russian revolution, heralded as early as January by the popular demonstration led by Pope Gapon, a priest of socialist sympathies who had called for all groups to remove their political and polemical flags and inscriptions, advancing toward the Winter Palace by raising sacred processional icons. Gapon wanted Tsar Nicholas II to come down to meet the people, and an appearance by him would have been enough to satisfy the crowds, but the generals and relatives had convinced the tsar to take refuge in Tsarskoje Selo Castle, far from St. Petersburg, and opened fire on the masses of peaceful unarmed demonstrators. The government declared 130 dead, other sources counted between 600 and 2,000, and it was the beginning of the end of the Tzarist regime. The excommunicated Tolstoy raised his voice against the massacres, even stating that "never were religious persecutions so frequent and fierce as today," and it is striking that in today's patriarchal accusations against pacifist priests, there is explicit mention of "Tolstoyan heresy." The writer had actually inspired a new variant of pacifist religion, called precisely tolstojanstvo and contemptuously tolstovscina, precisely the term used these days by Putin propagandists and preachers to expose anti-war priests to public ridicule. Hieromonac Afanasij (Bukin), who was serving at the Russian mission in Jerusalem, had been removed last February when he spoke out against the military operation on its first anniversary. In recent days he explained on Facebook that he had been reduced to the lay state by the ecclesiastical court with extremely aggressive motives, as the ruling reads, "the cleric betrayed the ecclesiastical oath and apostolic rules, with even more depraved motives, not only for the words expressed, but for the refusal to submit to ecclesiastical authority." Another hieromonk, Father Jakov (Vorontsov), spontaneously left the Russian Orthodox metropolis of Kazakhstan, before being in turn expelled, stating of the church authorities that "the Evil One has taken possession of their hearts, which are now incapable of distinguishing good from evil...can it be that Russian saints have performed their great miracles and sacrifices in vain? Could it be that Russian culture has become fertile ground for the growth of the Antichrist? I believe not, and I trust the many Russians who do not want war, even if they do not have the courage to say so openly." It is no accident that those speaking out are monks, mostly in peripheral locations. In fact, most of their brethren live in communities led by faithful enforcers of patriarchal directives, and parish clergy are held back by their many families, being uxored by tradition. The vast majority of priests must protect their many children, many of whom will continue their parents' mission, becoming in turn popy and popady, priests and priests' wives, according to the "caste traditions" restored after the Soviet winter. For that matter, even under the atheist regime it was the few priestly families who preserved the Orthodox faith, so much so that Patriarch Kirill himself is the son and grandson of priests. One of the few priests who has had the courage to risk even the fates of his own family is the parish priest of Kostroma, 500 kilometers north of Moscow, Viktor Burdin, also called the "Savonarola of Kostroma." 51 years old, a priest since 2015, he was initially the vicar of the church in the village of Karabanovo, whose pastor was a historic anti-Soviet religious dissident, Father Georgij Edelstein, now 91, with whom he signed several letters of protest even before the invasion of Ukraine, and was among the initiators of the letter of 300 priests after the operation began. He, too, is now reduced to the lay state, with formal charges of "lying pacifism" or "pseudo-pacifism," to be distinguished from the "authentic" pacifism that defines peace according to the interests of the Russian people and the victims of the "Ukrainian genocide in the Donbass," according to the patriarchal record of his condemnation. Father Viktor further infuriated Patriarch Kirill by seeking to move to the service of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, and the excommunication now claims to have "universal value." Burdin responds with the question, "Who can prevent service to God?" repeated often in his homilies by another Orthodox priest from Moscow, Italian Father Giovanni Guaita, who came to Russia 30 years ago with the Focolare movement and became a member of the patriarchate, driven by ecumenical convictions and love for Russia. One of his interviews is blowing up on YouTube, "the one sin that cannot be forgiven," that of using faith to inflict death. Faith is not the property of state and church officials, even the most distinguished and powerful: it is the way to peace, as priests and the faithful around the world actually know. RUSSIAN WORLD IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO RUSSIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY SATURDAY IN YOUR E-MAIL? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE I'm fine, as I'm very fortunate to own my home I own, but I'm feeling the pinch on my mortgage with other inflation costs I rent and it's expensive, but it could be worse I'm seriously considering leaving the valley if something doesn't give Vote View Results J.D. Power released the results of the 2023 Initial Quality Study (IQS) in a concerned tone. The consumer insights company has never seen such a high number of problems per one hundred cars (PP100) as it has seen this year: an average of 192 PP100. It is 30 PP100 higher than it was in 2021. And this was not the only surprise the IQS brought: Alfa Romeo beat Porsche as the best luxury brand in quality control. SUV Photo: J.D. Power BEV Photo: Morten Haagensen/Creative Commons Photo: Lucid The Italian brand made a reputation for gorgeous cars that were great to drive when they worked. Jean-Philippe Imparato said in April 2022 that he was determined to change that with the Tonale. Although this model is already for sale in the US, it was the Stelvio that ranked as the best in its category (compact premium). That suggests the improvements affected all Alfa Romeo products, leading Imparato and his team to achieve that goal. Porsche is known as one of the companies with better quality control in the world, side by side with Lexus. Both ate dust from the Cuore Sportivo brand.Unsurprisingly, Tesla was among the worst brands in the IQS, but Lucid decided to beat the American competitor as the company making cars with the most defects: 340 PP100 against 257 PP100. Polestar and Rivian were also in this dispute for the worst company in IQS but could not beat Lucid: the Swedish company scored 313 PP100, and the American adventure brand reached 282 PP100. Lucid and Rivian do not appear in the official graphic because their samples are still too small to consider.Sadly, they would not be officially ranked even if they had already sold enough cars to be eligible. None of these fourmakers granted J.D. Power access to data in states where automakers' authorizations are mandatory. The consumer insights company elegantly framed that as "not meeting the study award criteria." As much as Lucid , Polestar, and Rivian want to be set apart from Tesla, they keep following its bad examples in more aspects than they could care to acknowledge.According to Frank Hanley, "today's new vehicles are more complex offering new and exciting technology, but not always satisfying owners." The senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power also said that the auto industry "is facing a wide range of quality problems, a phenomenon not seen in the 37-year history of the IQS." J.D. Power does not link that to the electric shift, but it is clear that trying to sell BEV vehicles is causing an impact on quality control.One of the main defects the IQS detected was related to door handles. Opening and exiting a vehicle should not represent any problem, especially considering how old the automotive industry is and how basic it is to get inside a car to drive it. Tesla started this with flush door handles that retract to improve aerodynamics and electronic mechanisms to save weight. What customers faced were door handles that had to be replaced several times. When they worked, they often froze in cold weather or would not work due to 12V battery issues. Emergency release mechanisms demanded a look at the owner's manual or even special tools to be accessed. In true emergencies, that may have trapped several customers. J.D. Power stated that 7 of the 10 vehicles that presented issues with door handles the most were powered by battery packs.Other problems detected by J.D. Power involve "features, controls, and displays," infotainment, Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS), wireless smartphone charging, and safety systems that do not work as they should. Although the consumer insights company did not mention phantom braking, it is certainly one of the causes of dissatisfaction with automatic emergency braking. Tesla owners are known for complaining about this issue. Steve Wozniak was very vocal about that, accusing his Tesla of trying to kill him several times due to phantom braking. J.D. Power mentioned several other issues, such as "greater usage and penetration of technology; continued integration of known problematic audio systems into other new models; poor sounding horns; cupholders that don't serve their purpose; and new models with 11 PP100 more than carryover models." In other words, the company is talking about vehicles that are already in production and did not even face a facelift. Theoretically, their production processes should have improved as time went by, but these cars are getting worse, not better.What is causing this quality decline? Is it the pressure to have higher profit margins to fund the BEV shift? Is it that making such vehicles is putting carmakers in uncharted territory, with elements they are not familiar with? Alfa Romeo's historic win shows it has to do more with a will to invest in selling better products than with any possible excuse automaker may elaborate. Considering Dodge and Ram also fared pretty well, what the J.D. Power's IQS truly showed is that Stellantis is doing its homework. Too bad everybody else is apparently ignoring it. You can never go wrong with a classic. That's a cliche, we agree, but it's also exactly what one particular owner must have been thinking when he commissioned his new boat, which also happens to mark SCA Yachting's debut as a shipyard. Photo: SCA Yachting SCA Yachting is a Bodrum, Turkey-based specialist yard that has, so far, done mostly charters and refits. As of later this month, SCA Yachting will be able to add yacht builder to their resume, using its experience in the refit segment to fuel the first in-house build. This first entry in the future fleet is called Boa Kingdom and is an all-wood sail-assisted motor yacht that has been commissioned as a custom project.As with everything else in life, you get to choose how you stand out from the crowd when the budget allows you to. In yachting, you have essentially two ways to do so, especially if we're talking about your private-commission vessel: you can go big, or you can go big on style.The former is a favorite with oligarchs and other multi-millionaires and billionaires convinced that bigger is better. They're the type that commissions gigantic, ostentatious, and very expensive megayachts that tiptoe the line between naval innovation and shameless showing off, breaking records for size, price, and tech in the process but rarely winning any points for elegance The owner of Boa Kingdom is more of a "go big on style"-type of guy. Boa Kingdom may be the first build from SCA Yachting, but it has potential as an instant classic due to the design and the choice of material for the hull, which is both a nod to the past and an acknowledgment of current environmental issues. Boa Kingdom is a wood sail-assisted yacht that makes an effort towards sustainability but without compromising on luxury, which is exactly how a multi-millionaire should approach the issue of reducing their impact on the environment.Boa Kingdom exists today only in official renders , but it won't be so for long. Construction is set to kick off at the end of June 2023 at the nearby Cavusoglu Shipyard. The design is penned by SCA Yachting's team of in-house designers led by Fuat Turan, working in close collaboration with the owner. Buying off-the-shelf is only for normies, even when it comes to yachts who wouldn't want a say in the final look of their newest toy? With a total length of 40 meters (131 feet), Boa Kingdom offers an interior volume of 345 GT, which will allow accommodation for 12 guests and a minimal crew. There will be plenty of space onboard for relaxation and privacy, with fancy amenities like a jacuzzi on the bow and a generously-sized beach club with a 16-meter (52.5-foot) swim platform and lounging area. Photo: SCA Yachting Photo: SCA Yachting Several al fresco spaces can serve various purposes, from lounging to open-air storage for a couple of jet skis and smaller watertoys. The 84 square-meter (904 square-foot) flybridge is a standout, offering guests panoramic views. The styling in the first official renders is decidedly classic but with a modern twist, creating relaxing and elegant spaces where people can come together to socialize or, conversely, seek privacy in a very exquisite and open bubble.That said, Boa Kingdom doesn't overdose on style to the detriment of substance. Where this new vessel really stands out is in the choice of material: the hull is made of laminate wood. The material is flexible, durable, and lightweight and adds a sustainable side to the build if sourced responsibly. It also looks very good, adding a classic touch to what would have otherwise been a pretty standard yacht."Wood is the most environmentally friendly option and does not harm the health of people on board," says Cenk Avdan, founder of SCA Yachting. "At SCA Yachting, we will continue to support wood as our material of choice."Boa Kingdom will be a sail-assisted motor yacht , which further adds to its timeless classic appeal. Power comes from a pair of Volvo engines of 550 hp each, capable of taking it to a top speed of 15 knots (17.2 mph/27.7 kph) and a cruising speed of 12 knots (13.8 mph/22.2 kph). The sail will serve for additional grunt both in terms of speed and range, but it won't allow the yacht to go on wind power alone.Details like range, delivery timeline, or the interior layout or styling have not yet been disclosed to the public. Seeing how this is a custom, private commission, they might very well remain private. Then again, if we've learned anything about boats, it's that a ship that somehow writes history is always allowed its time in the spotlight. Boa Kingdom is not just a rarity on the market for using wood for the hull, but it's also the shipyard's first-ever in-house build. That alone calls for more attention to it. Lee Nak-yon, former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, waves to supporters upon arrival at Incheon International Airport from the United States where he spent the last 12 months, June 24. Yonhap Lee Nak-yon, a former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), returned home Saturday after spending a year in the United States, promising to "fulfill his responsibilities" amid speculation about what role he will play ahead of next year's general election. Lee made the pledge as he arrived in the country after studying for a year as a visiting researcher at the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies. The former five-term lawmaker served as prime minister under the previous Moon Jae-in administration. "I am well aware that I am as much responsible for the situation that the Republic of Korea is in, and I intend to fulfill my responsibilities," Lee told the press upon arriving at Incheon International Airport. "It's been a year and 17 days. I apologize for being away from you when all of you have been struggling. I won't leave you alone from now on," he said. Lee took a swipe at the current Yoon Suk Yeol government. "The whole world is worried about Korea," he said. "The Republic of Korea is crumbling, exports are dwindling and the economy is reeling, not to mention that national pride is collapsing with democracy and welfare getting left behind." Lee promised to do his part in "making the country stand upright." He also called for the need to find a solution to Japan's planned discharge of the contaminated Fukushima water. His return comes as the DPK has struggled with a series of scandals amid questions about the leadership of party leader Lee Jae-myung and could unite lawmakers opposed to the current leader. Political watchers say he could ultimately be summoned to play a role ahead of the parliamentary elections set for April next year if concerns escalate that the party could fare poorly under the current leadership. (Yonhap) Photo: Mercedes-Benz / Ram Trucks When you look at the novelties for this past week, there are very few that are worth mentioning if you live in America and you are not an avid fan of everything coming from Toyota and its namesake brand or the luxury division Lexus. In Europe, for example, there was the Renault Rafale coupe-SUV that solidified my recent thoughts that the French automaker is the next Audi-style brand that aims to bore everyone to death with clone designs that are self-referential and totally forgettable just like many Hollywood franchises, these days. Oh, wait, I got lost in translation; I was talking about Old Continent novelties.Well, aside from that French car that isn't chic anymore, the only other noteworthy event was the introduction of the facelifted 2024 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque a refresh that's so minor on the outside (inside, there's a giant, curved 11.4-inch touchscreen that's new and a fresh center console) that it will make everyone take a magnifier to spot the changes. We can save you some frustrations; JLR's off-road brand changed the styling of the grille's mesh, nailed a new-gen LED Pixel technology for the headlights, and some new finishes for the alloy wheels! Yep, that was all.So, we move to Japan, where the novelties are abundant and rampant for such a tiny and expensive market. For starters, GM Japan allowed RHD Chevy Corvette fans to rejoice at the sight of a couple of new special editions. Our jaws then dropped not at the thought of just 70 units being available but rather when seeing MSRPs that will make the Z06 seem like the best buy! Oh, wait, there was also a new minivan from Toyota, or two I can't make up my mind if we should treat the all-new Alphard and Vellfire MPVs as the same or label them as an excellently quirky duo. Or trio, given that they're also twinned with the premium Lexus LM.And so, we return to America, where the novelties this week are all about special editions and nothing else. There's a 2024 MINI Joch Cooper Works 1TO6 limited series that's only noteworthy because of how stupid BMW and MINI continue to be when thinking that anyone sane would pony up $45,300 (plus 995 Benjamins for the destination charge) for a three-door hot hatchback that's smaller yet costlier than a record-breaking Honda Civic Type R (FL5). That is when pigs fly on their own power I saw the creatures taken for a joyride in planes, and I'm not falling for the trap. On the other hand, the Gazoo Racing folks are even cooler now that they have just unveiled a triumvirate of special editions for the 2024 model year Blue Flame GR Corolla Circuit, GR86 Trueno, and GR Supra 45th Anniversary Alas, I am afraid to crack any wise thoughts or unruly jokes about them because Toyota refrained from revealing the potential damage to the bank account for any of them. And so, we arrive at the two novelties of the week that are not for America, yet I really think they should hit nationwide dealerships as quickly as possible. Those would be the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate and the 2024 Ram Rampage compact unibody pickup truck. First of all, the German automaker does sell an E-Class station wagon in America, but it is only the E 450 4Matic All-Terrain Wagon from the W213 series yours for no less than $71,250 and some change (destination and other fees).The same will likely happen with the current next-gen model; they will only offer the All-Terrain model in the US to try and stay competitive with the ongoing assault of crossovers and SUVs. But I feel that the E-Class Wagon could stand on its own even without a revised ride height and some additional body cladding. Unlike the E-Class sedan, the Estate fits perfectly with the new design and brings the same technology in a more spacious package. What is not to like about that?Secondly, I simply fell head over heels for the Ram Rampage compact unibody pickup truck. It has a distinctively cool name and great design that takes from the full-size 1500 models only the best traits and makes it feel like it's up for a 2024 Tacoma and Ranger Raptor fight when actually we are dealing with something that's just as big as the Ford Maverick. And it would undoubtedly give the electrified Blue Oval and the stylish Hyundai Santa Cruz the fight of their lives if brought to the United States with the 2.0-liter Hurricane turbo mill with 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.The only problem is that even when built in Brazil, it's still a costly affair it starts from almost $48k for the Rebel version with the gasoline mill. Oh, what a conundrum! While the oil crisis was in full swing, in the mid-70s, Detroit got the idea that squeezing luxury cars to overall mid-size dimensions would absolutely skyrocket sales. And, wouldnt you know it, it did for Cadillac, who established the new segment with their Seville model, launched in 1975. Ford was hot on GMs heels to follow suit and introduced the Lincoln Versailles in 1977. Photo: YouTube/@Vice Grip Garage Photo: YouTube/@Vice Grip Garage Photo: YouTube/@Vice Grip Garage Putting a European-sounding nameplate on a car doesnt automatically make it a superior automobile even though it worked for Cadillac. The Seville sold well during the five year-production run of the first generation (1975-1979), despite being the most expensive non-limousine Cadillac model.Across the road, things werent going just as lovely FoMoCo thought it struck gold when the Seville rival, the gloriously-named Lincoln Versailles, hit the showrooms. Despite the Blue Ovals best efforts to market it as the most personal luxury car ever, its Ford Granada underpinnings were more than evident to buyers.According to Ford sales clerks, the majority of Versailles were purchased by older Lincoln owners who didnt want aircraft-carrier-sized automobiles anymore. On the other hand, Fords mechanics were more honest and down to Earth in their assessments of the newly introduced 1977 Lincoln.Some called it a glorified Granada (on which it was based, along with the Mercury Monarch) or an LTD with a fancy grille and claimed the only good thing in them was the 302 V8 engine. There are radicals or Ford contesters who say it was a worse car than the same year Fairmont.Whatever the arguments thrown at it might be, the Versailles never lived up to its eponymically famous French luxury. The car wasn't appealing to buyers despite having nearly all possible options offered as standard.So its no surprise theyre not around in heaps anymore, nor do collectors come in running when one pops up for sale. As for a barn find rescue thats one for Ford fanatics or car rescue vloggers to grab, as it happened to one particular example from Iowa.Retired on the block of long-time storage (an Ill fix this one-day type of no-deadline-postponement) sometime in 2000, this 1978 Lincoln Versailles has collected dust ever since. It also served as a residential complex for mice and other vermin, even though it was left with the hood up.A popular belief among rural gearheads is that the rodents wont nest in sunlit areas. Hence, they prefer to long-time store their old cars with the hood open. While it may be true especially if there are cats on the property and the felines are active hunters it doesnt prevent the pesky pests from choosing other areas of a vehicle.In this Lincolns case everywhere else, from the cabin (including the glovebox) to the trunk (although its unclear how the mice got in the trunk, as there is no sign of a rust-imposed entryway). Speaking of corrosion, the merciless jaws of metal oxidation did not spare the Lincoln. Although it didnt carve deep, rust is abundant on the rear bumper, fenders, doors, and underside.Yet, despite the tarnished demeanor of this 45-year-old luxury sedan, the engine is surprisingly smooth, easily turning freely and happily coming back to life (after a mandatory revival of the carburetor, distributor, and fuel pump).Sure, the belts are worn beyond breaking point one of them, from the alternator, actually snaps on video and the fuel pickup line is clogged. Nothing four days of work wont fix if the guy doing the wrench-turning part is Derek Bieri from Vice Grip Garage YouTube channel.The transmission is the worst-looking part of this scared and bruised (but otherwise road-worthy) Ford Motor Company automobile. The three-speed gearbox somehow turned its lubricant into a mushy compound with a pudding-like consistency. Nothing a quick transmission cleaning fluid treatment cant fix, immediately transforming the Versailles from a four-neutral-gears automobile into a driver.Not just any driver, mind you the salver took it on a 650-mile road trip from Iowa to southern Tennessee (after fixing everything necessary, minus the rear disc brakes). The last detail didnt bother the YouTuber much with the front brakes in approximate working order, the car is good to go, averaging 16 mpg (14.7 liters/100 km) over the 650-mile trip (roughly 1,050 kilometers).The old Ford mechanics lauding the venerable 302 cubic-inch V8 motor (5.0-liter) knew what they were talking about. The ancient eight-cylinder small-block still rumbles joyously, and it probably still has a good many of the original 133 horsepowers left in it. As for torque, the 243 lb-ft (329 Nm) is available at 1600 RPM! have no trouble pulling the 1.8-ton Lincoln on the highway.With all of Fords marketing efforts, the Versailles was a sales flop, totaling just over 50,000 units for the four-year production run. For comparison, Cadillacs Seville outsold the Lincoln almost four-to-one during that time. Moreover, the GM automobile surpassed the 50,000-unit mark in 1979 and 1980 (the Versailles managed less than 25,000 combined in its last two years).It might have been that the Versailles was much too similar to its Granada and Monarch siblings that veered buyers away from it. The posh Lincoln priced at around $11,000 when new offered many luxury features, from power seats, power windows, and power locks (all work on this particular example, by the way), to the leather interior, ice-cold air conditioning (which also works, blowing 52 F / 11 C inside the cabin), or cruise control (again, in working order here).Lincoln wanted to attract buyers by using the same techniques applied by European luxury carmakers like Rolls-Royce and introducing customized engineering for the Versailles. For example, the engines, torque converters, and gearboxes were uniquely matched (and color-coded) to eliminate as much vibration as possible. The rear axle shafts and brake rotors were matched with the wheels and tires for a smooth ride.And yet, despite its many innovations, the Lincoln mid-size personal luxury car (sitting on a 110-inch wheelbase / 2,794 mm) was about as fashionable as putting lipstick on a pig. It introduced halogen headlamps and electrostatically-applied clear coat to the American public. Still, it lacked the distinctiveness to set it apart from the lesser marques of Ford and Mercury. It was quietly retired at the end of 1980, and Ford never resurrected the nameplate. Tesla Model 3 is great for first-time EV owners, although I must admit that not everyone is a Tesla fan. If you appreciate the advantages of owning an electric vehicle but don't want a Tesla Model 3, here are the best alternatives, depending on your reasons to avoid it. EV ICE 1. Tesla Model Y kWh Photo: Tesla FSD AWD 2. Ford Mustang Mach-E Photo: Sebastian Toma/autoevolution 3. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Photo: Hyundai 4. Toyota bZ4X Photo: Florin Profir/autoevolution FWD 5. Chevrolet Bolt EV Photo: Chevrolet kW 6. Bolt EUV Photo: Chevrolet 7. Nissan Leaf Photo: Nissan 8. Hyundai Kona Electric Photo: Hyundai 9. Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo: Hyundai 10. Kia EV6 Photo: Kia 11. Polestar 2 Photo: Polestar 12. BMW i4 Photo: BMW 13. Tesla Model S Photo: Tesla 14. Mercedes-Benz EQE AMG 15. BMW i5 Photo: BMW 16. Volkswagen ID.7 Photo: Volkswagen WLTP Americans are warming up to owning an electric vehicle, and Tesla is naturally the first brand that crosses anyone's mind. People might have hesitated to consider anup until a few years ago, and Tesla was the only brand worth buying, despite its high prices. Today, the market is ripe with dozens of EV models, which means there's one for every budget, segment, and mindset.Tesla itself has become more affordable due to massive price cuts this year. Considering the various tax credits and incentives available to EV buyers, it's hard not to notice that a Model 3 sells cheaper than most comparablemid-size sedans. And the advantage of having the most extensive charging network at your disposal is hard to overlook. Thus, buying a Tesla Model 3 is a no-brainer.Still, not everyone likes the Model 3; some because of its design, some because of the controversies around Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, and some for other reasons. Fret not, though: the EV market has become mature enough to offer alternatives for everyone. From the barebones Chevy Bolt, which will soon be discontinued, to the luxurious sedans in the executive class, there are plenty to choose from. And more are entering the market in the coming months.Price: $47,740-$54,490Power: 295-527 horsepowerBattery capacity: 67-75Range: 279 330 milesIRA tax credit: $7,500If you just need more space and are satisfied with the overall Tesla ownership experience, the Model Y is your best bet. It's basically a Model 3 with a liftgate and more space inside the cabin and the trunk, so youre not going to miss anything except up to a $7,500 price difference. Only you can tell if this is worth it.Aside from this, the Tesla Model Y still offers a seamless charging experience thanks to Teslas Supercharger network, great software, and one of the best audio systems in the business. Access to theBeta program is a strong incentive for many people, as it's arguably the best driver assist package on the market.The base version Model Yis built with the new 4680 cells at Giga Texas, and based on industry insiders, it features a 67-kWh capacity (Tesla doesnt offer this information). It still provides a decent 279-mile (449-km) range, not much more than the Model 3 RWD with an LFP battery pack. Still, for less than $3,000 extra, you can upgrade to the Long Range variant, which features a 75-kWh battery and delivers the maximum 330-mile (531-km) range.supercar-like performance for the top trim, great software, access to FSD Betanone, really, if you can afford to pay a tad morePrice: $42,995-$59,995Power: 266-480 horsepowerBattery capacity: 70-91 kWhRange: 224 312 milesIRA tax credit: $3,750Ford made a genius move when it connected its first electric vehicle to the Mustang heritage. Fords electric crossover impressed with its sleek design and good performance, although in all versions except GT, the name doesn't reflect its character. Still, it's a solid car and the go-to choice for anyone wanting an electric vehicle outside Teslas ecosystem.The Mustang Mach-E is available in four trims Select, Premium, California Route 1, and GT. The first two can be ordered with either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, whereas the top two configurations are only available with eAWD. Even in its base configuration, the electric 'Stang can do 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and drive up to 247 miles (398 km) on a charge. Ford's crossover has a higher towing capacity than the Model 3, at 3,300 lbs. (1,500 kg) versus 2,200 lbs. (1,000 kg), and offers more cargo space, between 29.7 and 59.7 cubic feet (841-1,690 liters). It rides higher, which should be an advantage for some people and is, of course, more practical than a Model 3 in every aspect except charging.fun to drive, brisk performance in the GT trim, good rangeheavy, less agile around corners, infotainments system needs time getting used toPrice: $41,450-$52,600Power: 168-320 horsepowerBattery capacity: 58-77.4 kWhRange: 220 303 milesIRA tax credit: NoIoniq 5 is Hyundai's wonder boy and the first model built on the dedicated E-GMP platform. It's one of the few electric vehicles on the market with an 800-volt architecture, which is unusual in this price range. The Ioniq 5 sits in between segments, with the shape of a compact hatchback but the size and stance of a larger crossover. Hyundai opted for a blend between retro and modern, with a design that reminds me of the Pony but with all the cool technologies of tomorrow.The Hyundai Ioniq 5 surprises with a spacious cabin, which is enough to make it a great alternative to the Tesla Model 3. Still, it's nowhere near as sporty, with a significantly weaker electric motor and lackluster performance, especially in its base version. Range-wise, the 58-kWh base battery pack will not get you that far, at 220 miles (354 km) tops. My advice is to opt for the bigger battery pack and enjoy up to 303 miles (488 km) in the RWD variant.Although it doesn't impress in power and range, the Ioniq 5 has the upper hand in charging performance , thanks to its 800-volt architecture. When hooked to a compatible charger, the Korean EV can charge from 10% to 80% in about 18 minutes. The Ioniq 5 is also appreciated as more comfortable than the Tesla Model 3, with a softer suspension and a more relaxed ride.very short charging times, comfortable suspension, attractive designpower, range, and performance for the base version, no IRA tax creditPrice: $42,000-$48,780Power: 201-214 horsepowerBattery capacity: 71.4-72.8 kWhRange: 228-252 milesIRA tax credit: NoThe bZ4X is Toyota's first attempt (and not very successful at that) to offer an electric vehicle. The electric crossover suffered a humiliating recall, followed by a long period when no car was produced because the wheels kept falling off. Still, Toyota appears to have solved the problem, and the bZ4X could prove a good alternative to the Tesla Model 3.There is little difference in power, performance, and range between the front-wheel drive and the all-wheel drive variants. Still, if the budget allows, opt for thevariants, which offer better range . Toyota is overestimating it, and independent tests showed that the bZ4X is struggling to achieve its estimated EPA figures, especially in cold weather.The Toyota bZ4X is equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 driver assist package. This can offer essential assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, lane centering, and adaptive cruise control. Still, this is no match for Tesla's FSD Beta or even Autopilot.spacious cabin, good comfort, good build qualitynoisy cabin, deceptive range, long charging timesPrice: $26,500-$29,700Power: 200 horsepowerBattery capacity: 65 kWhRange: 259 milesIRA tax credit: $7,500 The Chevrolet Bolt EV and its bigger brother Bolt EUV have had an explosive history because of their defective batteries. Chevrolet reluctantly recalled all the cars produced to replace their batteries, although it recently announced that a replacement is no longer guaranteed. Instead, Chevrolet would install software to monitor the battery and warn if it needs replacement.After production restarted last year, the Chevrolet Bolt EV became the cheapest electric vehicle you can buy new in the US. Chevrolet is basically giving away the Bolt at its $25,900 MSRP, and that is even before you count the $7,500 IRA tax credit if you qualify. The Bolt EV shows its aging design, with little power and an especially low charging speed. This is because charging power tops at 50Still, it has a decent range of 259 miles (417 km), making it an excellent choice for trips around town. Road trips are not advised, considering the 50 kW fast-charging limit. It takes about 30 minutes to add 100 miles to the battery. Other than that, the Chevy Bolt EV offers plenty of space for its small footprint, making it the perfect choice for those who don't want to spend more for a Tesla Model 3.affordable, decent performance and range, still looking goodslow charging speeds, aging technology, bad image due to the firesPrice: $27,800-$32,795Power: 200 horsepowerBattery capacity: 65 kWhRange: 247 milesIRA tax credit: $7,500The Chevrolet Bolt EUV is only slightly more expensive than its brother Bolt EV but offers improved interior space and a crossover form factor. Surprisingly, it has a smaller trunk, albeit by 0.1 cu-ft (3 liters). Technical specifications are mostly the same, although shape penalizes range and 0-60 time.Technology-wise, the main difference between the Bolt EUV and the Bolt EV is that the latter can only be specced with adaptive cruise control ($495). The Bolt EUV , on the other hand, can be had with the Super Cruise "hands-free" driver assistance package ($2,200) if you opt for the top Premier trim.If you fancy one of these cheap-as-chips electric crossovers from Chevrolet, you better hurry because GM announced it would close the order books on August 17. This allows Chevrolet to fulfill all the orders before production end, expected on November 7.hard-to-resist price, decent performance and range, Super Cruise driver assistance packageaging technology, slow charging speeds, bad image due to battery firesPrice: $28,040-$36,040Power: 148-215 horsepowerBattery capacity: 40-60 kWhRange: 149-212 milesIRA tax credit: NoA few years ago, the Nissan Leaf was the first thing crossing one's mind when it came to electric vehicles. This could've been great for Nissan, but the Japanese carmaker fell for Toyota's tricks and was left behind by the competition. Now, Leaf is just a name for a low-range EV with few things to show off except the affordable price. Mind you, this only stands for the 40-kWh variant, which is even worse than the Chevy Bolt above.The range is also much less than the Tesla Model 3 and even the Chevy Bolt, with only 149 miles (240 km) for the 40-kWh battery. If you need to go further than your neighbor's house, you should opt for the 60-kWh pack, although this would cost you. At more than $36,000 and with no tax credit, there's little to recommend the Leaf.One thing that sets it apart from the rest of the EV crowd is that it's the only model in the US with a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capability. This means that it can be used as a battery backup and also send energy to the grid to make use of the favorable rates, provided you have a V2G-compatible wall charger.affordable price for the base version, V2G capabilitydisappointing range, lackluster performancePrice: $33,550-$41,550Power: 201 horsepowerBattery capacity: 64.8 kWhRange: 258 milesIRA tax credit: NoHyundai is preparing to replace the first-generation Kona Electric toward the end of 2023, but until then, the entry-level EV remains a solid proposition. Depending on the trim, the Kona Electric costs between $33,550 (SE) and $41,550 (Limited). Still, the Hyundai crossover doesn't qualify for the IRA tax credit.At the end of its life, Kona Electric is only available with the bigger 64.8-kWh battery and the 201-horsepower electric motor. That's a good thing because it offers decent range and performance for the price. The quality is also good, although some might complain about the limited cabin space.Although the Hyundai Kona Electric doesn't benefit from the E-GMP advantages, it still offers decent charging speed on the 400-volt architecture. If you can postpone the purchase, it's worth waiting a few months as the all-new 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric is just around the corner.Comfortable cabin, plenty of standard features, decent performance for the priceLimited interior space, no AWD option, limited charging speedsPrice: $41,600-$52,600Power: 149-320 horsepowerBattery capacity: 53-77.4 kWhRange: 240-361 milesIRA tax credit: NoThe second EV built on the dedicated electric platform E-GMP is priced almost identical to its brother Ioniq 5. This is squarely pitted against the Tesla Model 3, and Hyundai made sure it has all the qualities needed to challenge the market segment's leader. Although it's not technically different from its brother, the Ioniq 6 boasts an improved range thanks to one of the most aerodynamic shapes on the market.This is why the Ioniq 6 is the only EV in the Model 3's segment that can match it and surpass it in terms of range. When configured with the bigger 77.4 battery pack and RWD (225 horsepower), the Ioniq 6 can go up to 361 miles (581 km) on a charge. Thanks to the 800-volt electric architecture, it can also recharge quickly, with 18 minutes needed to reach 80% when hooked to a 350-kW charger.Despite its peculiar design, which might not suit everyone, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is sleek and modern, with more than a decent space for passengers and their luggage. The Korean electric sedan is available in four trims Standard Range, SE, SEL, and Limited, and offers interesting features such as bi-directional charging and an impressive driver-assistant package.great range, fast charging, spacious cabin, very good ride and comfortlimited rear headroom, controversial design, relatively small trunkPrice: $42,600-$61,600Power: 167-576 horsepowerBattery capacity: 58-77.4 kWhRange: 206-310 milesIRA tax credit: NoThe EV6 is Kia's interpretation of a sporty electric crossover built on the E-GMP platform. This is similar in many ways to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 but is also pitted as a sportier offering. The Kia EV6 is the only E-GMP-based model available as an impressive 576-horsepower GT variant. This is more than the Tesla Model 3 Performance (527 horsepower), allowing it to reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, still 0.3 seconds later than the fastest Model 3 variant.The range is another department where the Kia EV6 GT lags behind Tesla, but not by much. Like its brothers, it can recoup range very fast, thanks to the 800-volt electrical system. The Kia EV6 has an exciting design, which trumps the bland appearance of the Model 3, although some people might argue that the price is too high. Indeed, despite recent price cuts, the Kia EV6 is more expensive than Tesla's sedan, especially in its most powerful variant.It also boasts an arguably better-quality interior and, depending on the trim, even more equipment. The Kia EV6 offers decent space inside the cabin, although not as much as the competition, especially in the trunk. The rear visibility is also restricted.impressive performance for the EV6 GT, decent range, fast charging capabilitieslimited cabin and cargo space, higher prices, not very efficient in cold temperaturesPrice: $49,900-$55,300Power: 299-455 horsepowerBattery capacity: 78-82 kWhRange: 247-320 milesIRA tax credit: NoPolestar 2 was the brand's launch model in the US market and was developed from the get-go as a Model 3 competitor. It might not have the volumes to challenge its dominance, but it sure doesn't lack in sex appeal and image. The Swedish carmaker has outdone itself, making the Polestar 2 a worthy Tesla Model 3 alternative.The Polestar 2 is offered in Single and Dual-Motor variants, with a Long Range option based on the former. This can go as far as 320 miles (515 km) on a charge, thanks to a bigger 82-kWh battery pack, almost matching the 333-mile (536-km) range of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD. The Model 3 still has the upper hand, since that figure is achieved in a dual-motor configuration.The Polestar 2 is not as powerful or fast as the Tesla electric sedans except for the base version. Still, it compensates with better build quality and a more luxurious interior. Thanks to the huge liftgate, the Polestar 2 is also a lot more practical than the Tesla Model 3. The space for the rear passengers could be better, though.impressive design, well-equipped interior, great technological packagerange could be better, pricy options, limited rear headroomPrice: $52,200-$69,700Power: 282-536 horsepowerBattery capacity: 84 kWhRange: 227-301 milesIRA tax credit: NoAfter the controversial i3, BMW took a more mainstream course and offered electric variants of its bread-and-butter models. The BMW i4 is the electric version of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, offering a luxurious interior in a sporty four-door coupe package. Spec by spec, the BMW i4 was clearly developed to give Tesla Model 3 a run for its money.Although it's more expensive, we forgive it, as no BMW was ever supposed to be affordable. It's a statement and priced as such. Still, is it worth the money? It depends. No Tesla has the BMW image, and if that's important to you, the i4 is your ride. Never mind that the Bimmer has a slightly lower range, and the performance is not quite in the Tesla territory, despite the similar power levels. This shows that the i4 is heavier, which counts when measuring performance.Still, the BMW i4 is arguably a better car, even if it's not necessarily a better EV. It is guaranteed to turn more heads than the Tesla Model 3, and it also drives better. This is what BMW knows best after perfecting the recipe for decades. Tesla still has work to do in this department, being both less comfortable and less engaging. After all, it's built on the idea that no human should drive it.great image, luxurious interior, impressive driveexpensive, heavy, not as fast as Tesla Model 3Price: $88,490-$108,490Power: 670-1,020 horsepowerBattery capacity: 100 kWhRange: 396-405 milesIRA tax credit: $7,500When money's not a problem, you can make some wild choices and completely forget you started with the Tesla Model 3. If you're looking for an electric sedan, it's hard to overlook the Tesla Model S. The most technologically-advanced Tesla on the market today comes with great features and an impressive range that few other models can match.The space inside is vast, and the liftgate lets you transport big objects without worrying about the tight opening. Recently updated, the Model S also comes with the latest Hardware 4 computer and sensors, although it's still not quite ready to run the FSD Beta software.Even in its base AWD version, the Tesla Model S is a beast, with a 0-60 time of only 3.1 seconds, the same as the Model 3 Performance. If you throw in $40,000 more for the Plaid version plus the Track package, you can unlock the 200-mph top speed. Either way, the Tesla Model S Plaid can do 0-60 in 1.99 seconds (with rollout subtracted).great range, supercar performance, plenty of space, luxury featuresaging design, HW4 is still not fully supported by the softwarePrice: $74,900-$106,900Power: 288-617 horsepowerBattery capacity: 90.6 kWhRange: 225-305 milesIRA tax credit: noThe EQE is only the second electric sedan in Mercedes-Benz's lineup, which also includes five SUVs and one van. Launched in 2021, the EQE Sedan is a serious competitor to the Tesla Model S, especially in the feel-good department. Sadly, it lags behind Tesla in range and performance. Even the sporty Mercedes-EQE Sedan is no match for the base version Tesla Model S AWD, which is more powerful and faster.If you're not looking for the performance figures to brag about, the Mercedes-Benz EQE is a solid offering with some of the best fit and finish qualities in the industry. While the design did not impress many critics, and some consider it bland, the luxurious cabin, with its wrap-around screens and lush materials, will surely make some heads spin.The base version is rear-wheel drive and will go easier on the battery, allowing the maximum 305-mile (491-km) range. Still, with only 288 horsepower, it needs 6.2 seconds to get from zero to 60 mph, which for many is excruciatingly slow. On the plus side, the ride is refined and the suspension is comfortable , as expected from a Mercedes.bragging rights, reasonable performance for the top versions, luxurious and high-tech cabinexpensive, disappointing performance for the base versionPrice: $68,800- $85,750Power: 335-590 horsepowerBattery capacity: 84.3 kWhRange: 256-295 milesIRA tax credit: noBMW launched the i5 at the end of May, and the luxury executive sedan is still not ready to configure. BMW has offered a price range and preliminary technical data, so you can already pre-order the i5, but the final specifications and features are still unknown. Still, the electric version of the BMW 5 Series Sedan should prove a great choice if money is of no concern.To everyone's relief, the Germans have toned down the kidney grille size, making the BMW i5 a gorgeous appearance. Packed with technology, the BMW will not disappoint. As an EV, it represents the pinnacle of Bavarian technology, with reasonable range, fast charging times, and probably the best efficiency for an EV model produced by a traditional carmaker.While not as impressive as the Mercedes-Benz EQE, the BMW i5's cockpit is still a masterpiece. It integrates a 12.3-inch information display and a 14.9-inch control display behind a common glass surface curved toward the driver. A wide range of driver-assistance features are available.outstanding performance, BMW agility, high efficiency, packed with technologynone that I can think of without driving itPrice: from $55,000 (estimated)Power: up to 282 horsepowerBattery capacity: 77-86 kWhRange: 320 miles (estimated)IRA tax credit: noThe Volkswagen ID.7 is the electric spiritual successor to the Passat and will probably be an excellent alternative to the Tesla Model 3. The only thing that might keep it from becoming a bestseller is its aging MEB architecture and the notorious software problems that plagued MEB vehicles in the past. If Volkswagen gets it right, including the pricing, the ID.7 should prove a hit with buyers, despite the fact that the executive sedan segment continues to shrink.Volkswagen hasn't offered many technical details and commercial information, so many of the ID. 7's specifications are estimated based on other MEB-based EVs, including the ID.4. The German carmaker boasts unparalleled efficiency thanks to a new drive unit and state-of-the-art aerodynamics. Volkswagen promised the ID.7 would go as far as 435 miles (700 km) on a charge, although this is based on the less realistic Europeancycle. I estimate that the ID.7 could reach 320 miles EPA range, which is still a respectable figure.The ID.7 should be quite practical despite its four-door-coupe shape. At 228 inches (2,966 mm), the wheelbase is almost as long as that of the ID. Buzz, ensuring the passengers have plenty of space. The cargo area has a capacity of 18.8 cubic feet (533 liters), which can be further expanded by folding down the rear seats.good space for passengers and cargo, high built quality, impressive range for an MEB vehicleaging MEB architecture, high price, uninspiring design Most Android Auto users should know already that things in this world typically break down for absolutely no reason. The smallest change, triggered by a new setting or the release of an app update, can completely wreak havoc on Android Auto. Living proof is a recently discovered issue that breaks the wireless Android Auto connection.The wireless version of Android Auto comes with one major benefit. Instead of relying on a cable for the connection between the smartphone and the head unit, the whole thing happens wirelessly. As such, users dont need to pull the phone from their pockets or backpacks, as Android Auto starts on the screen when the engine turns on.After a recent Android Auto update, the wireless connection no longer works as it should. Users who turned to Google's forums to report the issue claim the whole thing started earlier this month, so it's safe to assume that the culprit is a recent app update.If Android Auto wireless fails to launch in a car because of a broken update, the easiest workaround is to go back to the previous app version. However, users discovered another workaround, and without a doubt, it's a really annoying and frustrating one.As it turns out, fixing the wireless connection comes down to clearing the cache and the data in Android Auto. Otherwise, Android Auto wouldnt connect without a cable, making it impossible to run the app. The biggest inconvenience is that this workaround must be applied every time users want to launch Android Auto.In other words, they need to clear the cache and the data when they get in the car. Otherwise, turning on the engine wouldnt trigger the Android Auto app load.Google has recently started the rollout of Android Auto 9.8 , the most stable version likely coming with additional fixes. On the other hand, it's unclear if this new build produces any improvements in terms of wireless connectivity, as it's too early to tell if any fixes are included. Android Auto updates go live in waves through the Google Play Store, it could take a while until the affected users receive the new update.For the time being, Google is yet to acknowledge the glitch, so it remains to be seen if an investigation eventually starts. Several users have already confirmed the same behavior in their cars, and in almost every single case, they blame the latest Android Auto updates for the whole thing. If you want to go back to an earlier release, you must download an older Android Auto app build and then install it manually on your device. Blocking automatic app updates prevents the latest Android Auto version from being installed on the phone. And at some level, they have every reason to be so, as navigation apps are not everybody's cup of tea. GPS navigators provide route guidance to the configured destination without the need for an Internet connection, without using the phone's battery, and without any unnecessary features.These devices are typically focused exclusively on the navigation experience, though they also come with one major shortcoming. Compared to Google Maps and Waze, which are always connected to the Internet and always receive the latest maps nearly on the spot, GPS navigators require manual updates when the parent company releases new map versions (unless they sport a permanent Internet connection, a feature typically available on more advanced models).TomTom has just released a new map version, bringing the database to version 1110. The new maps are available for TomTom GO Discover, GO Expert, GO Camper Max, and GO Exclusive, and can be downloaded right now using either a Wi-Fi connection or with a computer.Needless to say, always running the latest maps is critical for the overall navigation experience. With the newest maps, GPS navigators are aware of the latest road updates, including potential closures and detours. Given they don't always feature a permanent Internet connection, these devices need up-to-date maps for accurate navigation.While Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps are typically focused on navigation for passenger vehicles, certain GPS navigators also pack special features aimed at trucks, RVs, and motorhomes. These devices take into account the vehicle size, the cargo dimensions, and possible weight restrictions, so the suggested routes only include proper roads suitable for your profile. Google Maps competitors have also developed similar software, including Sygic, offering truck and RV navigation on mobile devices.In the meantime, TomTom is slowly but surely moving from stand-alone GPS navigators to alternative navigation solutions. The company's maps and services are already pre-loaded with several car models out there, but at the same time, its mobile applications often serve as top alternatives to Google Maps and Waze. TomTom's software includes not only basic navigation information but also additional data, such as warnings and traffic conditions.If you want to check for new map updates on your GPS navigator, make sure you charge it fully and then go to the main menu and look for the settings screen. You should see a section called Map & Display, with the number of available updates to be displayed in a red notification dot on the maps icon. If a wireless Internet connection is available, you should be able to download the new map version and install it on the navigator automatically. 24 June 2023 12:30 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Having a strong army and military equipment, Azerbaijan is constantly updating its arsenal, adhering to the principle of continuous development. The Patriotic War, in fact, focused on the needs of the Azerbaijani army, revealing which weapons should be left behind and which new weapons should be equipped. Azerbaijan meets these requirements precisely and in accordance with the goal it has set, and remaining true to its words, Azerbaijan has enriched its military arsenal, increased the number of military units, and established Commando Forces since the end of the Second Karabakh War pursuant to the order of President Ilham Aliyev. In this regard, the words of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, who visited one of the commando military units of the Ministry of Defense on June 23, was of great importance. According to the President, as the geopolitical situation in the world is becoming increasingly strained, there are new threats in the region and revengeful forces are rising in Armenia again. The President emphasized that strengthening Azerbaijani Army remains the number one priority and announced the purchase of new UAVs and long-range missiles. the task of further strengthening our Army remains the number one priority. Of course, comprehensive measures are being taken to achieve this. After the Patriotic War, the process of purchasing new weapons has continued, many contracts have already been signed for new unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range missiles for our country the missiles that have great destructive power and high precision, President Ilham Aliyev said as he viewed the conditions created at one of the commando military units of the Ministry of Defense, and presented the battle flag to the military unit. As is known, Azerbaijan has strong UAV forces which demonstrated its strength in the 44-day War. The list of UAVs and UCAVs varies from Guzgun which can be carried by a single soldier to Harop owning a 1,000 km range. Azerbaijan also has UCAVs, i.e., Bayraktar TB2 owning a 300 km range. However, some internet sources claim that Azerbaijan purchased Bayraktar Akinci, having 5.5+ tons of maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of which 1350+ kg is composed of payload, and a 7,000 km range. It is worth noting that Azerbaijan has not confirmed obtaining Bayraktar Akinci. As for rocket-artillery forces, the longest-range missiles which Azerbaijan owns are Belarus-made Polonez and Israel-made Lora. The range of Polonez comprises 300 km and Lora 400 km. Speaking to Azernews on the above issues, the military expert Ramil Mammadli said that after the Second Karabakh War, the changing processes in the region and the world gave impetus to strengthen the issue of supplying the Azerbaijani army with new weapons and equipment. "As the President mentioned the regional process and challenges have revealed such a situation regarding military capabilities that the potential of Azerbaijan's armed forces requires the strengthening of the arsenal of rocket-artillery troops, as well as ground military equipment, which is important for the operations of the ground troops. If we pay attention to the south, Iran is constantly strengthening its defense and military capabilities. Currently, Iran already has tactical missile complexes that can hit a target at a distance of 2000 km. Needless to talk about Russia at length. This country has ballistic intercontinental missile complexes. Turkiye also implements a number of projects in this field. In addition, a number of countries around the world are already busy strengthening their missile systems, the pundit said. He said that, from this point of view, Azerbaijan also needs to increase the number of missile systems and other modern technologies in the arsenal of the army. He emphasized Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also focused on these issues in his statement on the steps taken in the direction of strengthening the arsenal of the army: "I think that Azerbaijan will increase the list of tactical missile complexes. At present, Azerbaijan's existing missile complexes in this direction are Lora and Polonaise missile complexes, which fully satisfied our needs in the war with Armenia. However, as the scale of threats has increased, there is a need for more powerful weapons and equipment," he noted. The military expert also touched on the prospects of Azerbaijan's purchase of long-range rockets. He noted that Azerbaijan can cooperate with the West and China for this as well as launching a big project of its own. "It is impossible to give a concrete opinion. I think that currently the complexes that the Turkish defense industry wants to create are weapons that Azerbaijan can buy in this sense. However, there are not so many domestically produced tactical missile systems in Turkiye itself. Some are still in the testing phase. Roketsan has projects in this field, but they are not long-range, but medium-range and tactical. In this regard, in order to achieve more effective missiles, Azerbaijan can cooperate with the West or with China and Russia in this field. However, I do not think that Russia will agree to the production and construction of medium and long-range missiles in Azerbaijan. But local potential can also be mobilized. I can't give any concrete opinion about it yet." Ramil Mammadli also emphasized the importance of serious development of the Azerbaijan Army in the field of UAVs. "We also need to increase the list and number of UAVs so that we can implement a number of important projects in this direction. Today, in the arsenal of the Azerbaijani army, there are various stationary UAVs, which are both observation and reconnaissance, strike and armed units, and they are able to carry out successful operations for their purpose. But stronger points are needed. I think that in this direction, Azerbaijan will be able to either strengthen the local potential or buy it from foreign countries and bring it to Azerbaijan. In these views of Ilham Aliyev, it is felt that certain agreements have already been reached in this regard. --- Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 18:15 (UTC+04:00) Rena Murshud Read more To protect the borders of Armenia, the US military is already involved in the South Caucasus. It could also increase the United States' appetite to establish a military base in the region in the future. The idea of attracting the West to the region arose against the backdrop of numerous accusations and provocative statements by Yerevan against Russia and the Russian peacekeeping contingent. In their opinion, in addition to free access to military facilities on the territory of Armenia, the US military may even seize Russian military bases in the future. Armenia's orientation towards NATO and America may eventually lead to Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO. In general, the intention of the United States to come to the South Caucasus is not only an unusual event, but also cannot be considered pleasant. And most interestingly it is carried out through the hands of Armenia - a pro-Western state but yet under Russian control. It should be noted that there were similar discussions by Armenia earlier about bringing the West to the region. However, the USA refused to come to the region with its army. The reason is clear - Russia. Given the current situation, the question arises: can the US army, which is trying to take advantage of the processes taking place in Russia, be brought closer to the South Caucasus? Speaking to Azernews, Russian political analyst Pavel Klachkov and political analyst Sadraddin Soltan, head of the Middle East Think Tank, commented on the above issue. According to the Russian expert, at the moment even thinking the US Army to come to the region is completely unrealistic: "The United States today does not dare to do this. Because the Americans, with their bitter experience in Vietnam, and Afghanistan, prefer to fight by proxy. This is also very comfortable for them," he said. The expert spoke about the best "technique" of the West, according to which it is profitable and convenient for them to "fight". "America actually has such a technology that they don't need to pull the trigger and shed blood like some other countries. The weapon of the United States is to escalate tensions in conflict zones and tear people apart. With these skills and technique, they can destabilize anywhere and increase the number of victims," Klachkov emphasized. The expert clarified the possibility of a conflict between the West and Russia in the worst case. According to him, the West is not yet brave enough to confront Russia. However, in Klachkov's opinion, a clash between the US and Russian peacekeepers in the South Caucasus may be inevitable. "Russia was facing the West along the entire perimeter of the border, with the exception of the border of China. That is, unconditional collisions are possible everywhere; possibly on the northern border, and on the eastern, and on the western. Of course, it is not very profitable for Russia to face some kind of aggravation on the southern border now. But I think that we are ready for it. And yes, it is quite possible that the peacekeeping confrontation between Russia and the West is global in nature," he noted. Political analyst Sadraddin Soltan, approaching the issue from the context of Russia and Iran, noted the presence of the United States in the region as follows: "This is actually the South Caucasus issue, where the events in Armenia and the region should be resolved without the intervention of Russia and Iran. That is, Russia and Iran should be removed from the South Caucasus and should not have the opportunity to influence. In addition, one of the prospective steps regarding Armenia is the removal of the Russian military base from the country. Armenians held many protests in this direction. Even before and after Pashinyan came to power, and it is still going on. Even after the end of the war, Pashinyan announced an alternative to the CSTO and called for the deployment of peacekeepers from the observation mission of NATO, the United States and international forces in the border region between Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, this step could not be realized as the agreement on military cooperation was not signed between them. On the other hand, the USA still thinks Armenian an unreliable and unstable government. Because Nikol makes an anti-Russian statement in the morning, and turns his swapped statement in the opposite direction in the evening. The arriving of the US army in the region is of great wishes of the Armenian authorities. Its realization so soon means the withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenia and the termination of Iran's interests in Armenia and Iran-Armenia agreements. On the other hand, the border troops of the Russian federal security service protect the Iran-Armenia state border. In this case, the US is not expected to come to the region soon and easily. Therefore, state relations can be characterized not by statements, but by actions. As for Iran, at the level of political commentators, this step of Armenia can only be condemned by the official Tehran.," the expert concluded. --- Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 11:10 (UTC+04:00) The Azerbaijan State Renewable Energy Agency (AREA) and Japanese Komaihaltec company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on projects in the renewable energy sector. The deal envisages a feasibility study for an optimal electricity system and heat supply through the production of hybrid electricity using renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan's mountainous regions, Azernews reports. Earlier, Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry and Japan's TEPSCO company signed an agreement on the establishment of the green energy zone in the newly-liberated lands. The document considers the establishment of a green energy zone based on modern energy management approaches to supply the region with energy. Currently, Azerbaijan and Japan are cooperating in different sectors of the economy. Japanese companies in Azerbaijan work in oil and gas as well as in agricultural sectors. During the entire period of cooperation between the two countries, Japan has invested $7.1 billion in Azerbaijan. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 15:00 (UTC+04:00) There is no doubt that startup enterprises are substantially increasing as a result of the fundamental impact of technology development. Therefore, the Startup Certificate became an essential aspect for startup entrepreneurs as a demand of the competitive market. In respect of the Republic of Azerbaijan, entrepreneurs that comply with the respective criteria may obtain a Startup Certificate and its advantage by adhering to a procedure set out in the legislation. Obtaining the Certificate As per the Criteria on Identifying of Startup confirmed by the Decision of Ministers of Cabinet on 29 January 2021, 20 (Decision), the entrepreneur that meets the following requirements may apply for the obtaining a certificate: It must be a micro or small business; In the case that it is a founder of a medium or large business, the share of founders in the legal entity should not exceed more than 49 %; and It must be a residential taxpayer. In accordance with the legislation, the criteria for the business subjects are as followed: Category The number of employees ranges Annual income (thousand AZN) A micro entrepreneur up to 10 employees up to 200 A small entrepreneur 11 - 50 200 < ai 3 000 A medium entrepreneur 51 - 250 3 000 < ai 30 000 A large entrepreneur 251 and more 30 000 < ai Under the Decision, the product (service) submitted by the applicant for a Certificate must meet the criteria as follows: It must be produced in order to obtain a profit; It must be based on an innovative initiative; It must be competitive; and It must not be identical to another (different) startup product (service). In addition, the applicant must predict the increase in demand with respect to the produced product (service) for the short-term (in 3 years) perspective in a justified form. The applicant may apply with the application along with the documents as follows: The presentation that includes a name and detailed content of the project for obtaining the certificate, prepared in the respective software; The industrial sample or design of the product; Business plan; Information about employment resources; Information about a grant, investment and loan that were obtained for the startup (if any); Patent or an application for the patent on a startup product (if any); and Certificate on registration of technological business incubator (if any). The applicant may apply with the documents to the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan (SMBDA) (the Agency) in written form or via e-mail. There is no fee requirement for obtaining a Certificate under the legislation. The Agency reviews the application within 30 days after receiving it. In the case that the Agency detects a deficiency in the application, it will inform the applicant within 5 days upon the registration date of an application. The applicant must solve all deficiencies stated by the Agency within 10 days after receiving the information, otherwise, the Agency adopts a decision on keeping the application pending. The solving of the deficiency by the applicant stops the flow of execution time until the deficiency is completely and duly resolved. If the Agency did not detect any deficiency in the submitted application along with the required additional documents (information), the Agency submits the documents to the Expert Council for consideration. Depending on the justified decision of the Expert Council, the Agency decides whether to issue a Startup Certificate or not. In the following events, the application for obtaining the Startup Certificate is rejected by the Agency: The information given in the application for obtaining a certificate is not proper; and The criteria for the applicant and product (service) do not meet the requirements set forth in the Decision. The applicant may challenge such decision by filing an administrative and (or) judicial complaint. The Advantage of the Startup Certificate In the case that the Certificate is obtained by the applicant, it will be valid for 3 years. The owners of the Startup Certificate are exempt from income tax arising out of the innovation activity for 3 years from the effective date of the Startup Certificate. Recommendation In practice, entrepreneurs face some challenges when they apply for obtaining the Certificate. It should be noted that the applicant should make sure that it and its product (service) meet the criteria set forth in the Decision before applying to the Agency. Then the applicant should adhere to all requirements set out in the Decision. Otherwise, the Agency may refuse to issue the Startup Certificate as previously noted and it requires extra time for re-application. Therefore, it is advisable to consult with experienced professionals in this procedure. About the author: Imamverdi Novruzlu is a lawyer with over 2 years of experience in the area of law. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Academy of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a bachelor's degree in 2020. He specializes in dispute resolution, corporate, contracts, intellectual property and especially customs law. Currently, he is a lawyer at Legalize Law Firm. For more information about the author please see the following link: https://www.legalize.az/en/team/imamverdi-novruzlu --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 19:21 (UTC+04:00) In order to study the health condition of the population in the village of Soyudlu, Gadabay, health authorities organized medical examinations of the residents of Soyudlu village, Azernews reports. The 16-member medical team of the Gadabey District Central Hospital conducted medical examinations of local residents at the Soyudlu medical center. The medical team included therapists, cardiologists, pediatricians, ENT specialists, surgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, ultrasound and laboratory specialists. Up to now, each of the 30 citizens who have applied for examination have undergone the necessary laboratory and instrumental examinations, and no special pathologies have been detected in them. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The frigate Seoul (FF952) seemingly guards the bicycle lanes and is the main feature of the Battleship Park in Mangwon-dong, August 2018. Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff Throughout the 19th century, Western-style ships were occasionally sighted around the Korean Peninsula. Sometimes they passed peacefully, a mere curiosity to their bewildered witnesses, while at other times these strange vessels fell afoul of the weather or upon treacherous unmapped reefs and were cast upon the shore. It was these latter encounters that were extremely annoying as the Joseon authorities had to be deal with the shipwrecked crews as kindly as possible and repatriate them quickly through either China or Japan. It is unfortunate Joseon was cursed with an undeserved reputation for being less-than-hospitable to shipwrecked survivors when, judging from the accounts, the survivors received far more favorable treatment here than they did in China or Japan. There were the occasional violent interactions between foreign sailors and Korean villagers and fishermen, but these were thankfully few in number and posed no threat to the capital. But in September 1866, things changed when two French warships sailed up the Han River and their crews were the first to catch "a glimpse of the heart of the ancient kingdom" of Korea. Their arrival was the harbinger of Byeonginyangyo a series of battles centered mainly on Ganghwa Island between the French and Korean militaries. The French had arrived to exact revenge for the execution of several French priests and the persecution of Korean Christians by the Joseon government. A sketch of the French fleet during the French-Korean Conflict (Byeonginyangyo) in October 1866. The French gunboat Tardif and dispatch vessel Deroulede sailed up the Han River to the foot of Yanghwajin a short distance from where Battleship Park stands today. Robert Neff Collection When the ships were first sighted off the coast near modern Incheon, the Joseon government acted with caution and merely observed. In Seoul, however, precautions were taken. The military was placed on heightened alert; increased security was given to the palace and its three gates; and the police were issued orders to maintain order and discourage unrest and banditry within and without the city walls. In the Joseon court, senior officials urged the government to observe the "way of being kind to strangers" and persuade the unwanted guests to leave Korean waters peacefully. However, not everyone followed this advice. In his journal, Jean Henri Zuber, a junior officer, wrote: "On September 26, when the Deroulede and the Tardif approached the vicinity of Seoul with thundering noise, darkening the blue autumn sky with columns of black smoke, the unrest among the populace in the capital was evident. Even the Court and government were virtually panic-stricken. September 24: A senior Korean came alongside in a junk of miserable appearance; he was escorted by wretched-looking satellites in considerable numbers. We had part of the crew take up arms, placed sentinels everywhere, then brought the Mandarin and his escort on board. After some greetings he began to examine with curiosity the cannons, guns, compasses, etc. then he presented to Mr. Laguerre, acting commander, a rather poor fan along with a piece of paper covered with Chinese writing. A Chinese cook in the service of the General Staff acted as our interpreter and translated into French the meaning of the Chinese characters traced by our visitors." The view from the frigate Seoul, February 2023. In 1866, the French warships sailed up the river to the point now occupied by Yanghwajin Bridge (seen in the distance). Robert Neff Collection The Joseon official wanted to know why the French had arrived, the number of armed men and whether or not they needed provisions. He also made it very clear that the foreigners had to leave. Laguerre through the Chinese cook claimed that he and his crew had come in order to observe the lunar eclipse which was to occur that night. As for the number of men, he had 200 well-armed sailors and marines in addition to 12 large guns which fired with remarkable accuracy. As for provisions they had more than enough and did not require any from the Joseon authorities. Then, somewhat haughtily, Laguerre added they would leave when they deemed it appropriate but if the Koreans persisted in badgering them, they would spitefully remain. The official was unimpressed. The French tried to "lighten his darkened features" by guiding him around the ship and demonstrating the vessel's "curious features" but when he finally left, there was no doubt he was unconvinced of "the purity of the [French fleet's] intentions. The lunar eclipse did not seem enough." Despite Laguerre's insistence that provisions were not needed, the Joseon authorities sent, as a gift, a bull, chickens, salted fish, fruit and a dozen fans. In addition to the gift was a surge of Korean visitors who were intent on examining the strange vessels. According to Zuber's journal: "Even as I write there are a hundred on board, they are allowed to visit the deck but they are not allowed below." The festive mood of discovery, however, changed quickly when the warships continued up the river and encountered a blockade of "junks tightly bound one to the other." Laguerre ordered the junks to be cleared away within an hour or he would sink them. His demand was not met and so he ordered his 30-caliber guns to fulfill his threat. The bow of a Chamusuri patrol boat on display at Battleship Park, February 2023 Robert Neff Collection 24 June 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Rena Murshud Read more Armenia, which has neither its economic and military power nor any potential to help a force other than itself, makes inadequate decisions typical of its nature. One of these decisions adopted at the meeting of the Armenian government on June 22, is the allocation of another 7.4 million dollars to Azerbaijans Karabakh, where separatists still live under special care of Russian peacekeepers. Armenia claims that the funds will be directed to the post-war development of Karabakh and the reduction of social tension. And until 2023, it was also planned to allocate funds in the amount of $350 million dollars. When reading this information, two main scenes come to mind: Pashinyan admitting that he recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by its mathematical size in international meetings that are not even a place for him to be; and Armenia's brazen intervention in the territories of Azerbaijan, without respecting a single punctuation of words in its promise. "Such a decision of the Parliament of Armenia, which was defeated in the Patriotic War and is facing the solution of socio-economic problems, cannot but raise questions," political analyst Elshan Manafov stated this while commenting on the issue for Azernews. According to him, first of all, the decision of Nikol Pashinyan's parliament in exchange for the recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereign rights to Karabakh creates the impression that the Armenian political establishment does not have a unified position on Karabakh. This is impossible from the point of view of the trust of the political forces in Armenia. According to the expert, Armenia is a parliamentary republic, and Armenian Prime Minister has the last word. Pashinyans statements like this is the position of the Armenian parliament will not be convincing and sufficient. Thus, Pashinyan's statements about the belonging of Karabakh to Azerbaijan and readiness for peace negotiations are far from reality. We can't rely on them." Manafov said. The political analyst also noting "the Armenian government is completely engaged in political hypocrisy", said that "Karabakh was accepted by the international community as belonging to Azerbaijan from a legal point of view. In the event that the decision of the Armenian parliament on the financial support of Karabakh without the opinion of Azerbaijan actually means disrespect for it and direct interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. In addition to a gross violation of international legal norms, this decision is an act against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and entails legal responsibility." Elshan Manafov also noted that such provocations will not be the first and not the last on the part of the Armenians. According to him, the United States, which is the current patron of the Armenian government, transferred billions of dollars to the separatist regime in Karabakh. All this was done under the guise of humanitarian support for the Armenian regime in Karabakh. In conclusion, the political expert said that against the background of what Armenia is illegally doing, the US State Department claimed that the funds were collected by the Armenian diaspora in California in order to hide its true face. According to him, the main "concern" of the West in the negotiations between the parties to the conflict is Russia. His real desire is to get Russia out of this issue and make it look like an enemy through cyber warfare in countries that are parties to the conflict. At the same time, it is one of the West's goals to limit Russia's influence in the region, to distance it from the region and, most importantly, to bring the entire South Caucasus under its sphere of influence through satellite powers like Pashinyan." --- Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 11:33 (UTC+04:00) The visit to the Brandenburg region of Germany was organized to exchange experiences in the framework of the technical assistance project "European Union Support to the Lankaran-Astara Economic Region of Azerbaijan", funded by the European Union and the beneficiary Ministry of Economy and Agriculture. The visit was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Economy and Agriculture and executive authorities, Azernews reports citing The Ministry of Economy. The Ministry of Economy told in meetings held at the Ministries of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning, Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection of Brandenburg Land as well as the Department of Tourism and Marketing implemented measures to promote innovation in the economy, application of new technologies, business development and rural areas, held discussions on rural tourism experience and best approaches in various areas. Azerbaijani delegation got acquainted with the activities of small and medium enterprises specializing in the production and sale of agricultural products in the Brandenburg region. It should be noted that the aim of the project 'European Union Support to the Lankaran-Astara Economic Region of Azerbaijan is to improve the regional spatial development planning system, create a network of modern local economic and social cooperation centers for fruit and vegetable production as well as to improve business and investment conditions in the region and increase the potential and added value. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 10:25 (UTC+04:00) The Office of Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) and the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan held joint conference on Ensuring Transparency in the Context of Business and Human Rights, Azernews reports. Employees of the Ombudsman Office, the General Prosecutor's Office, representatives of international organizations, business organizations and non-governmental organizations took part in the event. The Azerbaijani Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva made an opening speech at the event and gave detailed information about the activities carried out by the Ombudsman Office in the field of business and human rights in Azerbaijan. The Ombudswoman said that the implementation of the Guiding Principles in the field of Business and Human Rights adopted by the UN and the preparation of the National Action Plan in this field is being carried out. The Ombudswoman drew attention to the fact that national human rights institutions are defined as one of the main areas of activity in the field of business and human rights based on the provisions of the Edinburgh Declaration. The Ombudswoman said that the cooperation with the General Prosecutor's Office was successfully continued within the framework of the improvement of legislation and educational activities. Then, the printed material Overview of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights prepared by the Office of the Ombudsman at the initiative of Sabina Aliyeva and with the support of the UN Development Program was presented to the participants of the event. Speaking at the event, Kamran Aliyev, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, informed about the institutional reforms carried out in the field of business and human rights in Azerbaijan, the measures implemented in this field, and the existing legislative framework. The Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Milli Majlis, Zahid Oruj, talked about the progressive reforms carried out by President Ilham Aliyev in the field of business and human rights and noted that the decisions made regarding the economic development of Azerbaijan were welcomed by the people. Then, Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency Orkhan Mammadov and President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan Mammad Musayev spoke about the Transparency of Business Activity and Relevant Support Mechanisms, and Responsible Business in the Context of Sustainable Development. At the ongoing conference moderated by the Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva, the Consultant of the Istanbul Regional Center of the UN Development Program Irakli Kotetishvili and CEO of the non-governmental organization IBLF Global Brook Horovitz discussed the topics Doing Business with Integrity - the Key to Sustainable Development, and Doing Business with Integrity: Fighting Corruption, and New Approaches for the Private Sector to Protect Human Rights. In the speeches, information was given on the principles of honesty in business, solving problems in the field of fighting against corruption, and the implementation of international standards at the national level. In the end, speeches were made on the issues of ensuring human rights in entrepreneurship, the development of women's entrepreneurship, and ensuring transparency. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 15:44 (UTC+04:00) The international training Foreign Policy Program for Foreign Diplomats - 2023 jointly organized by the International Development Assistance Agency (AlDA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ADA University ended today, Azernews reports, citing the university. Speaking at the official closing ceremony of the two-week program, Fariz Ismayilzade, vice-rector of ADA University, Elmaddin Mehdiyev, head of AIDA, as well as Aygun Hajiyeva, deputy director of the Institute of Development and Diplomacy, addressed the success of the program and wished foreign diplomats success in their future activities. Later, diplomats of 22 countries participating in the training program were presented with appropriate certificates for completing the course. Diplomats from Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Greece, Russia, Niger and Poland spoke and thanked the organizers, noting that the program made significant contributions to the development of their professional abilities, as well as to getting to know Azerbaijan closely. In the framework of the program, presentations were made to foreign diplomats on topics such as international policy, effective diplomatic activity, development of professional skills and abilities, foreign policy priorities and successes of Azerbaijan, energy diplomacy, Azerbaijan's contributions to the development of international transport corridors. For this purpose, ADA University faculty members, employees of the Institute of Development and Diplomacy, as well as specialists representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and other state institutions participated in the program as guest speakers. In addition, foreign diplomats learned about Azerbaijan's history, culture, tourism potential and role at the international level, as well as its successes in the field of digital innovation and public service. Within the framework of the program, a visit to various museums, places of historical and cultural importance, including the city of Shusha, our cultural capital, was organized for the participants. It is worth noting noted that 96 foreign diplomats from 63 countries have participated in the annual program. It is planned to organize the 7th stage of the program next year. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 15:21 (UTC+04:00) Foreign diplomats visiting the Azerbaijani town of Lachin have been acquainted with the reconstruction and improvement works there, Azernews reports. During the visit, the first residential settlement was inspected. The foreign diplomats talked to residents who have already returned to their homes. Infrastructure and housing in Lachin have been restored in accordance with the highest international standards, Kyrgyz Ambassador to Azerbaijan Kayrat Osmonaliyev told reporters. "I am grateful for the opportunity to visit Lachin and see everything with my own eyes. We know that Lachin was under occupation for so many years, and today it is very pleasant to see changes which show that there is a peaceful life here," the ambassador said. He noted that during reciprocal visits of the two countries presidents, Kyrgyzstan's interest in participating in infrastructure projects was repeatedly expressed. According to the envoy, the country is interested in the participation of its companies in this process. It is noted that according to the order of President Ilham Aliyev a total of 700 buildings in the city are under restoration. Of them 620 are private houses and 9 are apartment buildings. At the same time, 71 administrative buildings are being reconstructed. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 16:47 (UTC+04:00) "Today our Armed Forces are adequately fulfilling their duties in defending the regions liberated from occupation and protecting the state border. The chairman of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova said this at today's meeting of the extraordinary session of Parliament, Azernews reports, citing Milli Majlis. According to the speaker, the bravery shown by the Azerbaijani army under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev in the 44-day patriotic war, was forever imprinted in the heroic history of the nation: "Armenian armed forces that had occupied Azerbaijani lands for 30 years were defeated, and our native lands - Karabakh and East Zangazur were saved from enemy occupation. The courage and selflessness of martyrs, who gave their lives for the restoration of historical justice, and territorial integrity of our state, wounded soldiers, and officers in the battles will never be forgotten. S.Gafarova said: "We are sure that the Azerbaijani army will develop further, strengthen its positions and take place among the strongest armies of the world. I congratulate the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, heroic soldiers, and officers, and all servicemen on June 26 - Armed Forces Day, and wish new successes in the honorable mission of protecting national interests and military security of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence has published a video dedicated to Armed Forces Day on 26 June. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 16:00 (UTC+04:00) First of all, I would like to thank the leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in particular, President Ilham Aliyev, who has always been attentive to the development of relations between our republics, aimed at strengthening relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation Rustam Minnikhanov said this in an exclusive interview with Trend, Azernews reports. "The established good traditions of long-term productive Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation have become a solid basis for interaction between our countries. In these difficult times, we have maintained an effective trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian partnership. Tatarstan is one of the leaders in the national rating of the state of the country's investment climate. Particular attention is paid to innovative development. On the territory of our republic there are 2 special economic zones - Alabuga and Innpolis, 5 territories of advanced socio-economic development. All of them provide various kinds of benefits. Companies, depending on their type of activity, choose the most attractive conditions for themselves and are located on these sites. In order to simplify the work of investors as much as possible, the Investment Promotion Agency was created in Tatarstan. Azerbaijani companies can find their niche in the Tatarstan market," he said. Minnikhanov noted that work is underway with Azerbaijan through leading Tatarstan companies: KAMAZ supplies vehicles and spare parts for them: - assembly of vehicles from assembly kits of parts is carried out by the Ganja Automobile Plant, which is also the official distributor of KAMAZ PJSC in the Azerbaijani market; - there is a joint venture Autoleasing-Azerbaijan (Ganja Automobile Plant and KAMAZ), which opened a new service center near the city of Jabrayil; - there are also 2 certified service centers in the cities of Baku and Ganja; "According to the results of 2022, our trade turnover with Azerbaijan exceeded $125 million, exceeding the figure for 2021 by almost 80 percent. We can and must continue to increase mutual trade, develop our contacts on various platforms. We export agricultural, pharmaceutical, paper, products, wood and its derivatives to Azerbaijan. In turn, we import oil products, minerals, dairy and fruit and vegetable products from Azerbaijan. We have every opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the field of energy and industry, automotive, helicopter and shipbuilding, petrochemistry, gas motor fuel, medicine, agriculture, informatization and logistics," Rais of Tatarstan said. He noted that the Republic of Tatarstan and Azerbaijan are connected by the Volga and the Caspian. In April of this year, the 3rd regular meeting of our intergovernmental commission was held in Tatarstan. A representative Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev took part in the KazanForum International Economic Forum," Minnikhanov said. R.Minnikhanov recalled with satisfaction his recent visit to Azerbaijan. "On June 17 and 18 of this year, we again visited the Republic of Azerbaijan with great joy, got acquainted with the activities of a number of economic regions, held fruitful official meetings, opened the Auto Leasing Azerbaijan service center, created with the participation of KAMAZ PJSC, and also took part in Tatar national holiday Sabantuy on the central embankment in Baku. I am sincerely grateful to President Ilham Aliyev for our personal meeting and the attention that he always gives to cooperation between Tatarstan and Azerbaijan within the framework of Russian-Azerbaijani relations. Since 1992, the Representation of Tatarstan has been operating in Azerbaijan, which is actively involved into work and contributes to the intensification of bilateral contacts," Rais of Tatarstan said. According to him, it is very important to expand humanitarian cooperation between the two republics. "More than two hundred students from Azerbaijan study at Tatarstan universities. In the future, these graduates should become a kind of connecting link designed to increase our multifaceted cooperation. The National Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis also operating in Tatarstan makes a huge contribution to the development of our relations. Direct flights from Kazan to Baku contributes to the growth of our interaction," Minnikhanov concluded. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 16:22 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the celebration of the 100th anniversary of National Library of Azerbaijan. The decree states as following: 1. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan is instructed to prepare and implement an action plan related to the 100th anniversary of the National Library of Azerbaijan. 2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan is instructed to resolve issues arising from this. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 18:05 (UTC+04:00) The Kazakh embassy in Russia has urged Kazakh citizens to refrain from visiting Russian regions bordering Ukraine, Azernews reports, citing the Kazakh media. The embassy recommends that all Kazakh citizens to get registered with the consulate. They assured that in case of force majeure, citizens of Kazakhstan will be provided with all necessary assistance and support. Earlier, several Russian regions, including Moscow, began tightening security measures. This came after messages and a video were circulated in social networks in support of Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin about the alleged "strike on the rear camps of the Wagner PMC" by the Russian Ministry of Defence. The ministry has denied the allegations. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 13:20 (UTC+04:00) It is unfair that the Human Rights Commission, named after Holocaust survivor Congressman Tom Lantos, supports the aggressor Armenia, Azernews reports, citing Israeli media. This was written by Rachel Avraham, a prominent Israeli political commentator and journalist and founder and director general of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, in an article published in the popular newspaper Israel Beyond the News. The article titled "The Guardian of Karabakh Truths" describes the hearings held on June 21 this year by the Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights of the US Congress on the issue of security for the Karabakh Armenians. A word added to the name of the district by the Soviet administrators, and "Karabakh" is a Turkish word with a clear meaning. This means that the real indigenous population of Karabakh are Azerbaijani Turks, and their rights to these lands were recognized by UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884 adopted unanimously in 1993. This, in turn, means that the US recognizes Azerbaijan's unquestionable right to the war-torn Karabakh region under international law. In fact, contrary to the requirements of the international community, Armenia has for 30 years illegally occupied this region of Azerbaijan and engaged in the illegal settlement of the territory at the expense of Armenian settlers from abroad. Here the Armenians literally lived among the ruins of former Azerbaijani towns and villages. It was noted that Azerbaijan had exercised its sovereign and inviolable right to protect its sovereign territories from unlawful interference, as well as to maintain control over border crossings by establishing a border crossing along the Lachin corridor. Despite the fact that Armenia has brought so much trouble to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani state has repeatedly stated that it is ready to live peacefully with ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh and to grant them equal rights with Azerbaijani citizens. Furthermore, while Armenians are systematically destroying mosques in the war-torn Karabakh region, the Armenian church in central Baku remains intact. Moreover, as Karabakh recovers, the Azerbaijanis plan to rebuild not only mosques in the region but also churches. This is because Azerbaijan has a policy of multiculturalism, and in this policy, those who practice each faith and religion receive equal respect and support. Thus, everyone in Azerbaijan celebrates Passover, Nowruz, and Passover together. Against the background of all the above, an Israeli political scientist, who regarded the said hearings as support for a distortion of justice and truth by the Tom Lantos Commission for Human Rights and expressed grave concern about this, condemned this move by the Commission, which cannot be justified under any circumstances. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Freedom Speakers International (FSI) co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr. and North Korean refugees Park Eun-mi, Maeng Hyo-sim and Kim Myung-hee participated in a forum with Harvard University students visiting South Korea earlier this month. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr. by Casey Lartigue Jr. I usually ignore comments on YouTube videos and on Social Media. Keyboard warriors, disgruntled and troubled people can lash out, usually anonymously, at others with angry comments or loaded out-of-context questions. It is difficult, however, to ignore or dismiss supportive people making or asking similar things. The non-profit organization I co-founded in Seoul recently uploaded a video to our YouTube channel that showed some highlights from a recent forum we had with North Korean refugees in Seoul and Harvard University students who recently visited South Korea. (View the video at the end of this post) I received direct messages and Facebook comments from supporters and also comments on Youtube asking why the music was at times covering up the voices of the North Korean refugee speakers. There are two practical reasons that may apply to YouTubers in general and five more reasons that are mostly specific to our activities. First, our videos are edited by South Korean staffers and volunteers. The first time a film director made such a video for us in 2017, I also had questions about it. The explanation I have heard then is that South Koreans make such "sketch" videos to show highlights from events and activities. They say the videos are not intended to show details about events and activities and should not be viewed that way. This may be a case of Westerners being baffled when they stumble across us employing Korean-style video techniques. North Korean refugee Park Eun-mi was a featured speaker with Harvard University students at a Freedom Speakers International (FSI) forum in Seoul, June 6. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr. Second, audio quality in video recordings at events is often subpar. Even with high-quality equipment there can still be problems with event recordings because rooms usually aren't sound proof. Add to that the very sensitive ears that people watching on YouTube seem to have and it is understandable that video editors throw music on top of audio. A few years ago a North Korean refugee asked us to help her start a YouTube channel. After studying with us for seven years she was finally ready to speak out. She was just starting, but some viewers don't distinguish beginners and professional YouTubers. There seemed to be more comments about the sound quality than the actual content of the videos. Later, she deleted all of the videos off her channel and decided she will restart after she finished writing her book and could devote more time to a top quality YouTube channel (which is what I counseled from the beginning, by the way). Those are two main reasons I have heard and observed as being reasons to use music to cover up voices during YouTube videos. There are also some reasons that we have for covering up the voices of some North Korean refugee speakers that have grown out of our experience and are some of the reasons I now embrace such sketch videos. First, trust. I want North Korean refugees who are learning the art of public speaking to feel confident that we will not rush to YouTube with their speeches. We want to build trust with the speakers so they know that we put them at the center of our activities and will protect their privacy to the level they want. They can give speeches about serious topics or about their personal stories and know that we won't post things until they are ready. Some are getting comfortable with public speaking and may later regret that what they said in smaller group gatherings in their initial public speeches. Those small gatherings can give speakers a chance to build good rapport with an audience that may not be felt online by people watching as they exercise, work, or listen with the videos as background noise. North Korean refugee Maeng Hyo-sim was a featured speaker with Harvard University students at a Freedom Speakers International (FSI) forum in Seoul, June 6. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr. I want speakers to have time to develop their public speaking ability. This is at odds with media, researchers and online viewers who want to get "raw" stories of North Korean refugees shortly after they have arrived in South Korea. Instead, we want the North Korean refugees participating with us to experiment with public speaking, find their comfort zone or approach, and build confidence as public speakers. Playing snippets of their voices would probably hurt more than it would help speakers as they are developing and discourage those concerned about their English levels. Second, it is more important for North Korean refugees to prepare for larger events and platforms than it is to reveal their voices now in sketch videos. This is not the first time we have had people asking us to reveal North Korean refugee speakers now. Since February 2015, we have held 17 North Korean Refugee English Speech Contests with more than 100 original speeches given by North Korean refugees (some speakers have participated more than once). Among our speakers, there have been several authors, speakers, and activists who have gained national and international attention and turned their talks into testimony and TEDx Talks. They were able to use our process to improve their confidence and ability to engage in public speaking. Authors, speakers, and activists grab the attention of attendees, but we have also developed the contest so that any North Korean refugees who are courageous enough to give speeches in English can join. Most of them choose not to engage in public speaking. We have had about 500 North Koreans study with us, but most have not joined our speech contest and many who have done so have not chosen to become regular public speakers. We have resisted requests from supporters and fans to show the speech contest online and to share the videos. One key reason is that many North Korean refugees would not join the contest if they knew we would post their speeches online. Many of them are still finding their way when it comes to public speaking and we want to give them space to develop without having their speeches or voices online. It is great to have supporters who are impatient and want to hear the speeches of the North Korean refugees in our network, but from my perspective it makes more sense to continue letting them develop at their own speed. Third, not revealing their voices now can help avoid overexposure. I have heard several people over the years say they have "already heard" a particular North Korean refugee speaker speak and "know" their stories. You may still be the same person you were a decade ago, but a North Korean refugee experiencing freedom after growing up in North Korea may develop after finally being able to think independently for the first time. Some of our fans can't wait for the next North Korean refugee author or speaker to emerge. Right after Han Song-mi and I published her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom," we had people asking when we were going to publish part 2 and they wanted her to explain about some of the sensitive personal things she briefly mentioned in the book. No matter what speakers say in their speeches, some people want to dissect things they didn't talk about. And some people apparently would prefer to have open heart surgery rather than listening to the same speaker twice. Recognizing that many well-intentioned people want to hear more and that many also get bored hearing more than once from the same speaker it makes sense to play soft music rather than the voices of North Korean refugee speakers before they are ready to go public. Four, critics. If you are going to hold a picnic or have a nice meal, ants and cockroaches also show up. By "critics," I don't mean comments and questions from people who support our work and hope we can empower more North Korean refugees. I mean the kinds of critics who insinuate that North Korean refugees are being brainwashed or forced to tell their stories. Such critics keep saying they have the evidence in their briefcases, but for some reason they never open a briefcase to reveal their alleged evidence. Instead, their research papers and YouTube videos play connect-the-dot games. If we ever have a case of a North Korean refugee saying that he or she was pushed, bullied or forced into saying anything then critics would finally have something to back up their baseless accusations. Instead of what some critics insinuate, we build up long-term relationships with North Korean refugees that empowers them to tell their stories at their own speed and level. North Korean refugee Kim Myung-hee was a featured speaker with Harvard University students at a Freedom Speakers International (FSI) forum in Seoul, June 6. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr. 24 June 2023 18:34 (UTC+04:00) A criminal case has been opened against Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russian President Putin made a televised address to the nation after Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group military company, called for an armed uprising and moved his troops on the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow, Russia, Azernews reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation amid an attempted coup by the private military company Wagner. He called the actions of the rebels a "betrayal" and called for unity. Late Friday, Wagner PMC boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of targeting his group's base, which the defense ministry strongly denies. The Russian authorities, for their part, have launched a criminal investigation against Prigozhin for organizing an armed insurgency. The importance of unity President Putin said that "Russia today is engaged in a grueling struggle for its future", confronting "neo-Nazis and their masters". He also stressed that "essentially the entire power of the Western military, economic and information machine" is directed against the country. "This battle, when the fate of our nation is being decided", requires national unity and consolidation, Putin said in his address. According to the president, all internal conflicts and bickering must now be put aside as "our external enemies can and will use them to undermine us inside the country". The head of the Russian state stressed that any actions that drive a wedge between Russians are nothing but "undermining our country and our people." Bitter Lessons of History Putin reminded Russians that a similar scenario played out in the country in 1917 when the First World War was taking place. He described how "intrigues, squabbles, politicking behind the backs of the army and the people" led to "the collapse of the state" and "the tragedy of the Civil War". "Russians killed Russians, brothers killed brothers, and various political adventurers and foreign powers profited from this," the president said. Putin has vowed to prevent this from happening and to protect Russia and its people, "including from internal rebellion". The nature of the threat In his address, Putin clearly called the attempted coup by the PMC "a betrayal". He cited the "huge ambitions and personal interests" of individuals as the reasons for this "betrayal of his country and his people". He went on to accuse those responsible, without naming Prigozhin specifically, of turning their backs on the overall war effort in Ukraine and the memory of the fallen fighters. If successful, Putin said, the coup would lead to "anarchy and fratricide", ultimately leading to Russia's "defeat" and "capitulation". The president described "any internal insurgency" as a mortal threat to the Russian state and nation. The President pledged to take "tough measures" against the insurgents who had "voluntarily taken the path of treachery" and were preparing an "armed mutiny". The perpetrators will be brought to justice before the Russian people, the president assured the public. Measures taken "All necessary orders have been given to the armed forces and other authorities," Putin said. He added that a special anti-terrorist security protocol had been introduced in Moscow, the Moscow Region, and a number of other localities. The Russian president acknowledged that the situation in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, remained "complicated" and that the activities of local civil and military authorities were "effectively blocked". However, the state will take "decisive action to stabilize" the situation in the city. Concluding his address to the nation, President Putin pledged to do everything possible to protect "the country, [and] protect the constitutional order, life, security and freedom of citizens." --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 23:55 (UTC+04:00) The Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan proposes to impose a temporary ban on the export of recyclable paper and cardboard (waste paper) from the country, Azernews reports, citing 24.kg news agency. The draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers has been submitted for public discussion. The ministry notes that such a measure is necessary to support domestic processing enterprises and assist in the development of domestic production in the processing of raw materials. The reason is that domestic companies do not have enough raw materials for production and processing. This may lead to their closure. Since the deficit persists, businessmen in their appeals ask for extension of the moratorium on the export of waste paper. A number of large enterprises for the production of paper products operate in Kyrgyzstan, such as Bishkek Karton LLC, Alikhan Company LLC, Altyn-Azhydaar LLC, Paper Company LLC, Efes LTD LLC, IFA LLC and Kosh Tamchy LLC. According to Altyn-Azhydaar LLC and Kosh Tamchy LLC, enterprises of Kyrgyzstan are experiencing a shortage of renewable raw materials, production capacities are used by 30-40 percent. ---- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 23:25 (UTC+04:00) The Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov held a meeting with Josef Lasselsberger, the CEO of the Austrian company Lasselsberger Group, Azernews reports, citing Kun. At the meeting, the parties discussed issues of implementing projects for the production of microcalcite in the Kashkadarya region and large-format porcelain stoneware in the Samarkand region. The sides agreed on a joint action plan for the practical implementation of project initiatives. 24 June 2023 20:40 (UTC+04:00) Turkish security forces nabbed the niece of Fetullah Gulen, the head of the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO), in Istanbul on Saturday, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. Intelligence teams of the Istanbul Police nabbed Asiye Gulen and her spouse Mustafa Camyar in the Esenyurt district, said the source on condition of anonymity. During the operation, police seized organizational documents as well as "F" series 1 dollar banknotes, eight mobile phones, 12 SIM cards, two laptops, numerous flash drives, DVDs, and hard disks. FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Turkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured. Turkiye accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 24 June 2023 19:35 (UTC+04:00) Saudi Arabia said around 1.2 million Muslim pilgrims have arrived in the kingdom for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Shafak. About 1.2 million worshipers were received at the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Sudais, head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said in statements cited by state news agency SPA. This is the largest number of worshipers in Saudi Arabia since the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. Saudi Arabia expects to receive more than two million Muslim pilgrims for Hajj this year. The oil-rich kingdom held downsized Hajj in the last three years due to restrictions imposed to stem the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2022, over 899,999 Muslim pilgrims visited Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, according to official figures. In 2021, the kingdom welcomed up to 60,000 pilgrims from inside Saudi Arabia amid COVID-19 restrictions, while only 10,000 performed the ritual in 2020. The Hajj, the pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site Kaaba in Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims are required to perform it at least once in their life if they have the means to do so. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter. By Scott Shepherd The details about the hullabaloo are almost boring in their predictable uniformity: a politician's statement, the outraged response, the government's hasty clarifications, meetings, more statements. Someone gets fired, but not the person who made the initial statement. The episode has probably raised the blood pressure of the people involved to unhealthy levels, but for everyone else it is a reminder of what Qoheleth teaches us. There is nothing new under the sun. Political blunders are a universal experience, something around which we can all unite. This time it is President Yoon under fire, for the rather ham-fisted way his government announced intentions to reform the Suneung, Korea's notoriously difficult college entrance exam. The source the controversy is that Yoon last week instructed the education minister to omit questions which cover topics not taught in state education that is, questions which could not really be answered without having resorted to private education in Korea's ubiquitous hagwons. Predictably, the affair has led to Yoon's opponents accusing him of all varieties of failings specific and general. For example, KBS that the Democratic Party of Korea's floor leader Park Kwang-on hyperbolically declared the situation to be one of the worst disasters in the country's history of education. And while the president is always subject to a great variety of criticism, the response to his plans for the Suneung can be divided into two. The first is that the nature and timing of the announcement was a mess. And this criticism is certainly fair. To prepare for the Suneung, families spend years and fortunes. Yet Yoon's plans will apparently apply to this year's exam in November. A sudden change to the system, even a small one, feels unjust for the students who have been working so hard for so long to prepare for a specific exam. For panicking students five months passes quicker than the time it takes to unpack your pencil case and write your name at the top of the exam paper. So this sudden announcement was met with consternation. And worse than the short notice, per se, is the feeling of displacement and uncertainty that this leads to. There is no doubt that Yoon could have timed this better. Even announcing it after last year's exam, or at the very least in March at the beginning of the academic year, would have given this year's students a lot more time and peace of mind. It all feels so sudden, almost like the whole policy was made up on the fly. Of course, that's probably not true. Yoon and his team have presumably been working on education policy since before taking office last year. But that's the point: if this really is a fully-prepared policy then they should have planned the messaging carefully to make sure that all that effort doesn't go to waste in a PR disaster. The second thing Yoon has been criticized for is actually making the change itself. As The Korea Times reported this , some obscenely wealthy private tutors criticized the move and faced a backlash of their own. The tutors are of course looking out for their own economic interests, and while they can't be blamed for doing so, it seems fair to ignore their criticism. But apart from the economic interests of a few specialized groups, the big fear is that this change makes the exam easier. The argument goes that Korea needs the Suneung to be extremely hard so that its top universities can select the very best students. Without the difficulty, the universities will have to rely more heavily on their own interviews and entrance exams. Indeed, Yoon's office seemed particularly keen to stave off any accusations that they were making the exam easier, with an aide clarifying that "President Yoon Suk Yeol was not talking about an 'easy Suneung' or a 'hard Suneung'", as The Korea Times last week. Frankly, most of the criticism of this change is worthy of ridicule. It seems so overwhelmingly obvious that a national exam should only examine what is taught on the national curriculum. That's the whole point of a national exam. It's just axiomatic. And while I wholeheartedly agree that the timing of this change should have been handled differently, both strands of criticism that Yoon has acted too suddenly and that his reforms might make the exam too easy miss the real cause for concern. The real problem, the thing we should actually be complaining about, is that Yoon has been so underwhelmingly cautious in his reform. If this is his only change to the exam, he is letting down a whole generation. I have written about the need to reform the Suneung. I won't rehearse all the arguments here, though by this point I feel like they are so obvious that I shouldn't need to. The exam may not be the cause of Korea's most pressing social problems inequality, poverty, low birth rate, high suicide rate, extreme competition but it does exacerbate them. As for the hagwons, let's be clear: private tuition can be great. It can inspire young people, help struggling students catch up, and give others the little push they need. However, the president is absolutely right: private tutoring should be an option, not a basic requirement for anyone hoping to keep up in school. Desperate parents pour millions of won into the pockets of tutors teaching teenagers useless or almost-useless skills: how to answer multiple choice questions with as little knowledge as possible, how to temporarily store information before forgetting it forever, how to game exams. This is a direct result of an examination system which prioritises frantic memorisation and skim-reading over creativity and critical thinking. Sadly, President Yoon's reforms do nothing to address the real problems with Korean education. He still has nearly three years of his presidential term left. That is enough time to propose and implement long-term deep-rooted reforms. The system is outdated; now is the time for bold, sweeping changes, not minute tinkering on the edges. Dr. Scott Shepherd (scottshepherd@chongshin.ac.kr) is a British-American academic. He has taught in universities in the U.K. and Korea, and is currently an assistant professor of English at Chongshin University in Seoul. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times. Email Dan Walters of CalMatters at dan@calmatters.org. CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more columns by Walters, go to calmatters.org/dan-walters. Safety, quality, and monetary concerns are being raised about a Vietnamese electric vehicle maker that has its sights set on building a $4 billion EV production plant in Chatham County.Reviews on VinFast's latest model, VF8 City Edition, have sparked words like abysmal,andA vehicle definitelyThe highly respected MotorTrend, which made its debut in 1949, said VinFast had the right idea, but the VF8 is nowhere near ready for customer deliveries that are already taking place.The reviewer said he would be embarrassed looking a customer in the eye while handing over the keys to the vehicle. He said basic functions don't work reliably, including the HVAC system, which had multiple temperature issues that could never be set correctly, the embedded navigation system was nonfunctional, as well as blind-spot monitoring. Processing commands took a long time, or not at all, as the screen wouldn't understand commands even after typing them out correctly.Perhaps most concerning are the issues of the vehicle once you begin to drive it.said writer Scott Evans.Evans also said, while adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering assist work well, there are no apparent safeguards, and can be activated on any road at any time.Road & Track says,The site's test driverriding in the passenger's seat.InsideEVs said,They also said the VF8's official EPA range numbers are bad: 207 miles for the Eco and 191 miles for the Plus, which puts it behind just about every other electric crossover on sale today.Evans points out that the company needs to move at lightning speed to fix the issues before the VF6, VF7, and VF9 EV SUVs arrive later this year for any hope of surviving in this market.But there is a positive from reviewers. The vehicle comes in beautiful exterior colors.In addition to the bad reviews, questions are being raised about the company having enough money to operate in the U.S.According to a December filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), VinFast lost $1.3 billion in 2021 and close to $1.5 billion in the first three quarters of 2022,Last week, the company announced that it would merge with special-purpose-acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Company, allowing it to go public through a stock offering in the U.S.The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023 and will value VinFast at approximately $27 billion with an equity value of $23 billion. After the transaction, existing shareholders of VinFast will hold approximately 99% shares of the combined company.Black Spade Acquisitions, a Hong Kong-based SPAC, was first listed on the NYSE in July 2021. VinFast had wanted to list its own IPO but withdrew, citing market conditions.said John Locke Foundation President Donald Bryson.Parent company Vingroup, Vietnam's biggest conglomerate, and founder Pham Nhat Vuong pledged the startup company $2.5 billion in funding last month.Last month, VinFast's U.S. manufacturing CEO, Van Anh Nguyen, joined Gov. Roy Cooper in announcing a partnership with Central Carolina Community College to train potential employees for their proposed facility in Moncure, which will use eminent domain to complete the project.They met at what will be known as the college's Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solution Center in Sanford, Lee County.About $50 million is still needed to renovate the building before any training or activity can occur. Reports say officials hope state lawmakers will help foot the bill for the remaining portion. Once the funding is secured, Nguyen said they plan to hire and train people in 2024 before vehicle production starts in 2025.The merger would also help secure funding for the Moncure site, which still needs money to help with the project.said Mike Walden, William Neal Reynolds distinguished professor emeritus of economics at N.C. State.Published reports say that SPACs are seen as a quick route to the stock market, especially for auto technology firms, and have proven popular with investors seeking Tesla-like stock valuations, but the valuation of merged firms often falls in the months after listing.The company's merger with Black Spade follows in the footsteps of other EV companies like Microvast despite the cooling of a once feverish SPAC market. According to Reuters, SPAC has been subjected to closer scrutiny by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.More than a year ago, the company first announced its plans to build the fully automated electric-vehicle assembly and battery-manufacturing plant at Triangle Innovation Point in Moncure. The company said they planned to hire over 7,000 workers. To attract the newly formed company, the state, and Chatham County committed to spending nearly $1.2 billion in incentives over the next 32 years.Using the state's Transformative Job Development and Investment Grant program (JDIG), VinFast could get up to $316.1 million in reimbursement from the state over three decades if the company meets hiring goals. The state is spending another $450 million on infrastructure around the site. The total state appropriation is estimated at $766 million, with Chatham County giving VinFast another $400 million incentive package.In January, VinFast announced that it was consolidating its U.S. and Canadian strategic business and management operations into a single unit called VinFast North America, headquartered in Los Angeles.The next month, the company announced it was cutting 80 jobs in the U.S., including its chief financial officer. Three sales executives also left the company.In March, VinFast announced that it would push off production at the Moncure site from 2024 to 2025, citing the need forAs was previously mentioned, eminent domain is being used to complete the project in Moncure. Reportedly, Phase 1 of the project is estimated to relocate three businesses, 11 homes, and Merry Oaks Baptist Church; Phase 2 is estimated to impact two more businesses and 16 homes.The twists and turns of the company leave many in doubt of its future viability in North Carolina. Anna Lobozinska, left, discusses her research with Ying Zhou during the 16th annual Global Partners in Education Conference inside East Carolina University's Main Campus Student Center. (ECU photo by Rhett Butler) This post appears here courtesy of ECU News Services . The author of this post is Ken Buday The world is a big place. The Global Partners in Education Conference at East Carolina University aimed to make it a bit smaller through collaboration, relationships and partnerships.The three-day conference drew university faculty members and representatives from nine countries, including Mariko Eguchi who traveled to ECU from Japan.she said of the trip.The conference marked the first time GPE members had met in person in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first time ECU hosted the conference since 2016.The goal of GPE is to prepare students with the skills, knowledge and adaptability to thrive in an interconnected world, providing them opportunities to connect and work with students in other countries, and occasionally, even travel to those countries. The conference supports faculty from throughout the world in those efforts.Eguchi teaches students at the University of Shimane, a college in a more rural location of Japan.Eguchi said.ECU Provost Robin Coger welcomed guests to the conference.Coger said.She mentioned ECU's diverse student body that represents most of North Carolina, 45 states and 68 countries. She said GPE is directly related to the success of those students.Coger said.The conference featured various breakout sessions many of which focused on the event's theme:Organizers believe no matter where college graduates choose to live or the career in which they embark, they'll work and live in culturally diverse areas where good intercultural communication is necessary.John Rezek, ECU's assistant vice chancellor for global affairs, said the relationships among GPE members and conference attendees help lead to successful students.he said.During the conference, a research poster presentation highlighted global collaboration. Anna Lobodzinska, from Poland, highlighted her project designed to help students overcome anxiety and hesitation in intercultural communication.Lobodzinska said.Mariella Olivos, attending the conference from Peru, said GPE helped her work on research with colleagues in India on tools to enhance virtual team collaboration, helping instructors with strategies that can benefit students in their international learning experiences.She also said GPE helps students build confidence in communicating, relationship building and learning from others throughout the world through projects and classroom collaboration.she said.Wojciech Gruchala, a professor in marketing and communication from Poland, said a session on post-COVID realities sparked his interest.he said.Lobodzinska said the conference provided a good mix of academics and networking, while giving attendees leisure activities such as a banquet and a performance from ECU's No Quarter Brass Band.Lobodzinska said.The GPE program includes about 45 higher education institutions in 25 countries that collaborate on global activities. ECU serves as the secretariat of the program, maintaining and establishing new partnerships, coordinating programming, developing new initiatives, providing training and conducting assessments and evaluation of GPE activities. Chinese drug regulators launch safety crackdown Xinhua) 12:13, June 24, 2023 BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China's National Medical Products Administration has recently launched a nationwide drug safety consolidation and enhancement campaign to establish a solid foundation for drug safety. In 2022, drug regulators across China investigated 153,600 cases of illegal and criminal acts involving drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices, a 17.65 percent increase from the previous year, said the administration. The number and quality of cases handled have increased, with many landmark and major ones cracked, effectively deterring lawbreakers and fostering a healthy drug market environment. The drug safety campaign will last one and a half years and includes specific priority tasks. Regulators will conduct comprehensive checks to eliminate risks and hidden hazards by focusing on online retailers, businesses with previous issues, rural and underdeveloped urban areas, high-risk products, and groups buying products. They will also focus on outsourced manufacturers, supply chains and the implementation of license holders' corporate responsibilities. The aim is to resolve potential risks at an early stage. Additionally, severe punishments will apply to lawbreakers. Regulators will step up coordinated inspections and investigations, with offenders facing rectifications, shutdowns, and penalties based on the severity of the violation. Major cases will be closely supervised, and a joint accountability system will apply. The administration also plans to improve regulatory capabilities. Regulators will address day-to-day monitoring challenges, risk screening, and case investigations. Oversight will be coordinated across the entire product lifecycle, and "Internet Plus" regulatory measures will be improved. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., June 23. AFP-Yonhap The United States continues to urge China to use its influence over North Korea to stop the North's illegal weapons development programs, a White House official said Friday. John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, also suggested that the North's weapons programs would eventually hurt China's own interests down the road. "We know that Beijing has influence in Pyongyang and we continue to urge them to use that influence. We continue to urge them to actually implement the U.N. (Security Council) sanctions that have long been in place, and we continue to urge China to take a broader, longer view here," he told a White House press briefing. Kirby made the remark when asked about China's reported warning that it will stop cooperating on North Korea issues unless U.S. President Joe Biden apologizes for his recent description of Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "dictator." Biden said Thursday that he will stand by his remarks about the Chinese leader. "The president was very clear yesterday that he will continue to speak forthrightly and bluntly about the challenges that we face with the PRC," said Kirby, referring to China by its official name, the People's Republic of China. He reiterated the need for all countries, including China, to address the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. "The challenges that are presented by North Korea's burgeoning program, both their ballistic missile program and nuclear ambitions," he told the press briefing. (Yonhap) An online lottery, hiked hotel prices and touts out to rip them off are just a few of problems facing local fans hoping to see singing sensation at the Aviva Taylor Swift. The American singing sensation plays two gigs in Dublin next June Lauren and Emma O'Neil with their Taylor Swift albums It is the news thats put Swifties into a frenzy. Taylor Swift announced this week her global 2023-24 tour will include two concerts in Dublin. The Lover hitmaker plays the Aviva Stadium on June 28 and 29 next year. Now the race is on to be at the home of Irish rugby for what will be among the most-anticipated gigs of 2024. Swift fans here have registered in the hope of a ticket when they go on sale on July 13. Lauren ONeil (16) and her sister Emma (12) from Belfast dont know what they will do if their hopes are dashed and they dont get to see the US superstar. I think it will be like World War Three trying to get tickets, Lauren said. I have a plan. Im going to set up every computer and device in the house to try and get them. Lauren added: I have been a fan of her for most of my life but its only recently that Ive gotten really obsessed with her. My favourite album is probably Lover and my sisters is 1989 my mum really likes Taylor too. My dad says hes not really a fan, but he sings along to You Belong With Me. Lauren and Emma O'Neil with their Taylor Swift albums Another family of Swifties is Nina Poag (20) and her sister Eve (22) from Carrickfergus. Eve is a self-admitted senior Swiftie and was overjoyed when the concerts were announced. We have been fans since, literally, forever. We are massive fans and we have been for years, said Eve. We were so shocked when she announced the dates. We didnt expect there to be two dates in Dublin. Its brilliant. The girls have registered for tickets in both Dublin and Edinburgh, but wouldnt mind travelling further to see their idol. Eve added: Its not an option not to go. If we dont get Dublin or Edinburgh we will go somewhere else. We were saying we might go to Italy or somewhere in Europe. Cliona McCarney (29) from Belfast has registered for tickets in Dublin, as well as all of the UK venues. I would be devastated if I didnt get tickets, she said. I wouldnt mind going to Europe to see her. Its actually my 30th birthday next year, so I was saying to my fiance that it might be nice to go and see her and get a wee European break out of it. So, if I didnt get tickets here I would just go somewhere else. Ive been so nervous about it, Ive been waiting a long time (for the dates), and now I just cant wait to get tickets. I have been a fan for years; I saw her in Belfast for her Speak Now tour and then I saw her in Dublin for 1989. Unfortunately I missed Reputation in Dublin, so Im determined to see the Eras Tour. Taylor Swift. The American singing sensation plays two gigs in Dublin next June The Eras Tour aims to bring together the best songs from each of Taylors albums. Because of this, fans have decided to attend concerts dressed as their favourite era. Cliona loves this trend and cant wait to participate. Oh, I definitely want to. Im trying to convince my fiance to dress up too that will be the hard part, she joked. I think one of the reasons Taylor is so popular is because her music has grown up with her fans. I really feel like Ive grown up with her music. Even though shes a few years older than me, I feel like Ive really grown with her. I have so many special memories connected to her songs, I was 22 when her song 22 came out, so it just makes it feel like you have a real connection to the music. Many Swifties feel a similar personal connection to the star. Claire Dineley (43) said having to travel to see Swift wouldnt faze her in the slightest. I went to Amsterdam to see her eight years ago and then I saw her in Dublin for Reputation. Both were absolutely brilliant concerts, so I would say this one will be amazing too, she said. Claire is nervous for July 13, but is hopeful of securing a precious ticket. It is a bit nerve-racking, to be honest, she added. With everything you seen in America, its hard to know what price the tickets will be I might need to get a remortgage! That was a reference to touts in the US reselling gig tickets for thousands of dollars. Another worry is the price of hotels in Dublin. There have been reports of some of them hiking prices to 1000 a night. That brought a rebuke from the Republics Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, who described the increases as shocking, not worth it and not right. Indeed, Claire told the Belfast Telegraph: I looked there just when the dates were announced and all the hotel prices had gone up. However, many fans are willing to pay the price. I wanted to book somewhere for the both nights because you dont know what night you will get tickets for, but the only hotel I could get was an airport hotel, she added. I dont know how we are going to get back to the hotel. We might have to walk for a half-an-hour or so before we can get a taxi, but thats all in front of us. Ill not worry about it as long as we get tickets thats the main thing. Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Two teenagers have been remanded after a spree of south Belfast burglaries ended with a prolonged police pursuit with a stolen BMW. Caolan Cunningham (18) and Cormac Sharpe (19), both from west Belfast, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court by video link from custody this morning (Saturday). The pair confirmed they understood each of the charges against them. Cunningham, from Woodside Drive, and Sharpe, from Lagmore Dale, are jointly accused of two counts each of burglary, attempted burglary, and failing to stop, remain and report. They are further charged with four counts of attempted theft, four counts of aggravated vehicle taking causing damage and single counts of no insurance, driving without a licence, making off without paying for 67 of fuel and criminal damage to car windows. While Cunningham is charged with careless driving, Sharpe is also charged with allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car and a further accusation of handling a stolen bank card. All offences are alleged to have been committed yesterday (Friday). Giving evidence, a detective constable said he believed he could connect each of the defendants to the offences. He said police were objecting to bail due to the risk of further offences. He outlined how the first reported burglary was in the Myrtlefield Park area at around 4.40am and the two men were seen opening the doors of a VW Polo. Entry to the house had been gained through a downstairs window and items including a laptop, wallet and bank cards were stolen. Just over an hour later, a further burglary was reported at Malone Meadows when a woman told police her home had been broken into and that jewellery, bank cards, passports and car keys to a BMW were stolen. The BMW 218 stolen during that incident sped off and was involved in a hit-and-run at the M1 roundabout, the officer said. He added that two hours later, the stolen car was involved in another hit and run at Woodside Drive in Dunmurry, pushing the Skoda into a fence, causing damage. Following a police pursuit involving specialised police officers and the PSNI helicopter, the stolen BMW was intercepted just after 9am but only after it had been used to ram into several police vehicles. The two teenagers were arrested still inside the car. The court heard that other witnesses have come forward to report how they had observed, and at some points recorded on CCTV, two males matching the descriptions of the defendants trying handles to vehicles and properties in Malone Meadows, Malone Road and Myrtlefield. During follow up searches at Sharpes home, officers uncovered multiple allegedly stolen items. Police were trying to establish what belongs to whom, the detective said. Turning to bail objections, he revealed that both teenagers had been spoken to by police, several hours before the alleged crime spree began and at that stage, they were noted to be wearing multiple layers of clothing which was not in keeping with the weather. The officer said their clothing suggested the series of burglaries and thefts may have been planned. He told the court that while Cunningham denied the offences during interview, Sharpe was a bit more forthcoming and admitted he could remember being at some of the houses with Cunningham and knows that they did steal. The oldest defendant also admitted that they only intended to take the car to drive it and wreck it. Read more Man jailed after his mum recognised him in Facebook appeal over Belfast burglary Solicitors for the pair made essentially the same arguments, that the forensic aspect of the investigation would take a significant period of time and that bail conditions could be imposed to address police concerns. District Judge Rosalie Prytherch said while the lawyers had said all they could, this is a difficult application given the allegations of what happened and the risk in reoffending is too high. Refusing bail and remanding them into custody, the judge adjourned the case to July 14. A man sustained a stab wound after being attacked by burglars, one of whom was wielding a hatchet. The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday at a house in the Northwick Drive area of north Belfast. Some time between midnight and 3am, two men entered the property and one was armed with a suspected hatchet, police said. A PSNI spokesperson added: It was reported that a man in his 40s was assaulted and received a stab wound injury to his shoulder and facial injuries. A number of windows and the front door of the property were damaged during the incident. Police appealed for anyone with information or who might have dashcam footage from the area to come forward. Shankill Butcher Eddie McIlwaine has been spotted marching again this time at the Whiterock parade in west Belfast. The loyalist was jailed for eight years in 1979 for being part of the gang, which murdered more than 20 people, including Protestants. In footage of yesterdays march posted on Twitter, McIlwaine, wearing an Orange collarette with a cane in his hand, walks among other brethren. At one stage, he stops and helps people looking to cross the road, before getting back in line. The annual Whiterock parade was again prevented from crossing the peaceline at Workman Avenue, with the marchers re-routed onto the Springfield Road. McIlwaine is a familiar face during the marching season. Last July he was pictured with his lodge on the Twelfth on the Shankill Road. He was part of a four-man gang that abducted Catholic Gerard McLaverty in May 1977, and was convicted of kidnapping, assault and possession of weapons with intent to endanger life. Mr McLaverty was throttled, beaten with a nail-embedded stick and had his wrists slashed. The Orange Order previously defended the Shankill Butchers role in the organisation, with a spokesman explaining: Eddie McIlwaine is a member of a lodge and in good standing. Mr McIlwaine was not convicted of murder. He served his prison term and was not released under the [Good Friday] Agreement. There are people of varying political persuasions who have done things other people would find abhorrent, not all of whom served their prison sentences. As long as Mr McIlwaine upholds the principle of the institution and has paid his debt to society, [he can be a member]. But SDLP councillor Paul Doherty has hit out at McIlwaines latest appearance. The crimes of the Shankill Butchers were among the very worst committed during the Troubles, he said. The involvement of someone like this at an Orange Order event in an area where these men caused so much damage is deeply hurtful and offensive. I would ask the Orange Order what kind of message this sends to people living in the Whiterock area, and if they acknowledge the harm this will cause to efforts to reconcile people in our city. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, April 8. AP-Yonhap The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine. While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces probe Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces "aren't fighting against children." "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. "We are moving forward and will go until the end." He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner's convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. Prigozhin also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. And despite Prigozhin's statements that Wagner convoys had entered Rostov-on-Don, there was no confirmation of that yet on Russian social networks. Videos showed heavy trucks blocking highways leading to the city, long convoys of National Guard trucks were seen on a road outside Rostov-on-Don and armored vehicles were roaming the streets. Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Prigozhin, who said he had 25,000 troops under his command, said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, has charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his "criminal and treacherous orders." It called his statements a "stab in the back to Russian troops" and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, centre, and Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, left, are displayed among others for sale at a souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 4. AP-Yonhap President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and "all the necessary measures were being taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even amid the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but "they have treacherously cheated us." "Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed," he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then "cowardly" fled. "This scum will be stopped," he said of Shoigu. "The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped," he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to "restore justice." Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia's enemies, who are "waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation." Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. "Now that the state has actively engaged, there's no turning back," she tweeted. "The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile." Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhin's move as "madness" that threatened to unleash a civil war. Men speak inside PMC Wagner Centre, which is a project implemented by the businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Nov. 4, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap The former patient of a disgraced surgeon brought the SNPs independence convention to a standstill to demand a public inquiry. Theresa Mallett, 61, from Glenrothes, said she was left with lifechanging injuries after undergoing botched surgery for sciatica from ex-NHS Tayside doctor Professor Sam Eljamel. The neurosurgeon is thought to have harmed hundreds of patients while working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Ms Mallett, who was initially booed for her interruption by SNP delegates, was consoled by First Minister Humza Yousaf as she accused the health board of negligence. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The lifelong SNP member has now quit the party and told Mr Yousaf only a full public inquiry will restore her faith in the party. The Fife grandmother told the PA news agency after leaving the convention at Dundees Caird Hall: The day after the operation Eljamel told me it was a complete success. Two years later the pain clinic told me that I was never getting better its permanent. I thought I was going back to work, I thought I was going to get on with my life. And of course, it got worse. Ms Mallett said she underwent the surgery to remove a nerve which was causing her sciatic pain, on December 18 2012, but has been given no insight since into what went wrong. She said: We want people from NHS Tayside, Ninewells, the managers and anybody that colluded to allow him to continue harming patients. Im a member of (the SNP) and I thought I need to go speak to him (the First Minister), I need to go look him in the eye. First Minister Humza Yousaf spoke to protester Theresa Mallett (Jane Barlow/PA) I dont want anybody to ever go through what I went through or the other 112 went through. That can never be allowed to happen. Eljamel is gone, we will never get him back but we still need answers. Notes have been lost, x-rays have been lost. We have never had answers. And she said her time in the SNP is over for the time being, adding: If I get a public inquiry Ill reconsider. I cant look people in the face, my own First Minister of the party that I love. Speaking to journalists after his speech, Mr Yousaf said he was happy to meet Ms Mallett and other victims. He said: Theres no doubt that shes suffered a lot of trauma, all the victims of Eljamel have, and Im happy to meet with her in particular. She had a particular concern that we havent agreed to a public inquiry I can understand the calls for a public inquiry I have to say. But the reason why weve not progressed the public inquiry is because we think there may be ways of getting answers to the questions that people want through means thats quicker than a public inquiry. We know how long a public inquiry often takes but look, everybody who has suffered at the hands of Eljamel has every right to be angry at the situation they find themselves in. Following the interruption, Mr Yousaf appealed to SNP members to not shout down those who are trying to be heard. Professor Eljamel, a former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, removed himself from the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2013, but the remit does not extend beyond the UK and he is currently working as a surgeon in Libya. First Minister Humza Yousaf gave a speech at the SNP independence convention at Caird Hall in Dundee (Jane Barlow/PA) First Minister Humza Yousaf has said that winning a majority of Scottish seats in the general election is his preferred route to independence. Mr Yousaf used the SNPs independence convention to kickstart more discussions on how the party will secure the constitutional change. The Westminster election, expected in 2024, will be pivotal to seeking talks with the UK Government on giving democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent nation, he told SNP members at Dundees Caird Hall. Mr Yousaf fended off criticism that the strategy was effectively the same as his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, who wanted the election to be fought as a de facto referendum, with more than 50% of the votes considered enough to open negotiations. First Minister Humza Yousaf with wife Nadia, daughter Amal and stepdaughter Maya (left) on stage after his speech at the SNP independence convention at Caird Hall in Dundee (Jane Barlow/PA) The First Minister said a majority of seats would be considered a mandate to demand a referendum on independence. His strategy includes campaigning on an independence manifesto which will state that a vote for the SNP is direct support for independence. He said the Westminster election offers us the opportunity to break the logjam. I believe that this election the SNP should offer the people of Scotland a mandate for an independent Scotland, a manifesto bursting with ideas about how we can harness our potential through the powers of independence. He added: And in that manifesto, page one, line one, I am proposing that we put a simple but powerful message to the people vote for SNP for Scotland to become an independent country. Let me be clear, if the SNP does win this election, the people will have spoken. We will seek negotiations with the UK Government on how we give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent nation. He later told journalists his preferred method would be the most seats wins the general election. The two main parties at Westminster Labour and the Conservatives have said they will not grant a referendum. SNP supporters applaud First Minister Humza Yousafs speech (Jane Barlow/PA) And the latest PanelBase poll predicts the SNP will take 21 of the available 59 Scottish seats at the next election down from their current 45 while Scottish Labour are predicted to win 26 seats, meaning the SNP could fall short of the majority sought by Mr Yousaf. The Conservatives are projected to take seven and the Liberal Democrats five. Asked what a loss would mean for the party, Mr Yousaf told journalists: Weve already got a mandate, weve got mandates from previous elections given weve stood on that platform at election after election. What were seeking to do is put the proposition, very simply, the powerful statement in our manifesto on page one, and lets put that to the people. My plan A, my preference, still remains that independence referendum. Scottish Tory constitution spokesman Donald Cameron said the plan was an even more extreme version of Ms Sturgeons plans. He said: He knows fine well that Scots will be voting on a number of issues, but Humza Yousaf the self-styled first activist has thrown another slab of red meat to nationalists to deflect from the chaos engulfing his party. The SNP delegation that bothered to turn up to Dundee are speaking to themselves about their number one priority while people are struggling with the global cost-of-living crisis and our public services are under incredible pressure. Labours shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said the First Minister was preparing for failure. He said: Humza Yousaf is clearly preparing for failure with these plans, which seem to suggest that even if his party haemorrhage seats at the next election they will take it as a mandate to continue focusing on separation. Today has laid bare just how bereft of fresh ideas the SNP truly is even when it comes to their driving constitutional obsession. Voters wont be fooled by Humza Yousafs promise of a losers referendum Scotland needs change and its clear the SNP is incapable of delivering it. Palestinian mourners carry the body of Tariq Idris, 39, during his funeral, in Askar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus (Majdi Mohammed/AP) A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank before being shot dead, Israeli police have said. The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli troops stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem early on Saturday morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire. Security forces said they shot back, killing the suspected assailant. According to the Israeli rescue service, two security guards in their 20s were taken to hospital with minor wounds at least one from bullet fragments. There was no immediate word on the attackers identity. Later on Saturday, residents of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa said that 50 Israeli settlers armed with rifles and flammable liquid stormed through the streets and tried to set fire to at least five homes with people inside. A Palestinian woman sits outside her torched home (Mahmoud Illean/AP) Palestinian rescue teams said they evacuated small children who were suffocating and trapped inside a burning house. Some settlers also opened fire at civilians and medics. A local station, Palestine TV, said settlers fired at Mohammed Radi, its correspondent covering the attacks, shattering his camera. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that one of its medics was wounded by gunfire. Another two medics were wounded when settlers threw a large rock at an ambulance, which crashed through the windshield. Israeli settlers also shot dead a horse in the village, said resident Ibrahim Ebiat. This is pure terror, he said. People are scared and angry. Young Palestinians threw threw rocks at Israeli forces who opened fire and unleashed tear gas at them, reports said. The German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said he was shocked by Saturdays outbreak of settler violence. Recent terror attacks cannot serve as an excuse for this, he said. The incidents cap a bloody week in the West Bank that has left 15 Palestinians and four Israelis dead. Tariq Idris died of wounds suffered in violent confrontations with Israeli forces, Palestinian officials said (Majdi Mohammed/AP) A gun battle lasting hours between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the northern Jenin refugee camp killed seven Palestinians and wounded eight Israeli soldiers earlier this week. Two Palestinian gunmen then killed four Israeli civilians before being shot and killed. Then, a rare Israeli air strike by a pilotless drone killed three Palestinian militants in a car while Israeli settler revenge attacks left one Palestinian dead and many wounded in Palestinian towns. The spiralling violence has increased pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus far-right government, with its hard-liners calling for a broad military operation against Palestinian militants, as well as on the Palestinian Authority, which has come under criticism for failing to protect Palestinian civilians. This year has been one of the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank in years. At least 136 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank so far in 2023, according to a tally by The Associated Press, nearly half of them affiliated with militant groups. As of Saturday, 24 people on the Israeli side have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them civilians. Israel says most of the Palestinian dead this year were militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting against the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Checkpoints have been set up around Moscow (AP) Checkpoints with armoured vehicles have been set up and Moscows mayor urged motorists to stay off roads as the Russian capital braced for the arrival of a private army led by a rebellious mercenary commander. President Vladimir Putin vowed harsh consequences for organisers of the armed uprising led by his former protege, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced towards Moscow. Mr Prigozhins actions represented the most significant challenge to Mr Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Troops have been seen on the streets in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. (PA Graphics) Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defences in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. A former hot dog stand owner and low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight thanks to Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Mr Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. On Friday, Mr Prigozhin, the owner of the Kremlin-allied group, escalated months of scathing criticism over Russias conduct in the war by calling for an armed uprising to oust the defence minister. The Wagner leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Mr Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission, although he does not say what this was for. Mr Putin denounced the move in Rostov-on-Don in an address to the nation (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Afterwards, he owned a hot dog stand and then restaurants that drew interest from Mr Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French president Jacques Chirac to dine at one of these restaurants. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Mr Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Mr Putin helped open Mr Prigozhins factory, which was built thanks to generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals for schools. Russian servicemen in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Mr Prigozhins companies of breaking competition laws by bidding for some 387 million dollars (304 million) in defence ministry contracts. Mr Prigozhins Wagner Group has come to play a central role in Mr Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. Mr Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who helped open a factory which produces school meals in 2010 outside St Petersburg (Kremlin via AP) US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Mr Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. The soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Mr Prigozhin raged against Russias military top brass. The PMC Wagner Centre is based in St Petersburg (AP) In a video released by his team last month, Mr Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they need to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin said at the time. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Earlier, Mr Prigozhin had gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content They were indicted as part of US special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US treasury department has sanctioned Mr Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Prigozhin as saying: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House called him a known bad actor, and US state department spokesman Ned Price said Mr Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. As Mr Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Mr Putin over his criticism of the Presidents top generals. Media reports at times suggested Mr Prigozhins influence on Mr Putin was growing, and that he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Mr Putin. Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, said of Mr Prigozhin on his podcast In Moscows Shadows: Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants, and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff, rather than part of the family. Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who is calling for an armed rebellion to remove Russias defence minister has confirmed that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the Russian border from Ukraine. The city is home to the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhins claim in a video posted on social media is the first confirmation that he was in Rostov. Prigozhins criticism of the top military brass is in stark contrast with more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin without any sign of infighting among his top lieutenants (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhin has long feuded with the defence ministry in Moscow, and he claimed on Friday that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered an attack on his field camps in Ukraine. The Wagner chief claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Mr Prigozhin said his forces had faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late on Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russias security services had responded to Mr Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of some of the heaviest battles involving Wagner group forces and the Ukrainian military (AP) In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhins forces were able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin alleged that the chief of the general staff, Gen Valery Gerasimov, had scrambled warplanes to strike Wagners convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. He also said his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of this. Mr Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with defence minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Mr Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, he claimed. Russian soldiers have been told to arrest Mr Prigozhin (AP) While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces are probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military leadership, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services (FSB), charged Mr Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Servicemen speak to a journalist at an office in the PMC Wagner Centre, which is associated with businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, in St. Petersburg (AP) The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Mr Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Mr Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. On Saturday morning he added that Mr Putin would address the nation shortly. Heavy military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early on Saturday, and soldiers were deployed outside the main building of the defence ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was also blocked, snarling traffic. Yevgeny Prigozhin is to move to Belarus (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) The head of the Russian military company Wagner will move to neighbouring Belarus as part of a deal to end his rebellion and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin has said. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defence Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said. After the deal was reached, Mr Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The agreement was mediated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Mr Putin. Mr Prigozhin said that while his men are just 120 miles from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Mr Prigozhin has accepted Mr Lukashenkos offer to halt the Wagner groups advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Mr Lukashenkos office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. (PA Graphics) In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin had said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marked an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Troops have been seen on the streets in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) The head of the Wagner force said he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis as Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Mr Prigozhin said that while his men are just 120 miles from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid "shedding Russian blood". He did not say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Earlier, the Kremlin had to deny Mr Putin fled Moscow by plane after claiming Russia was facing treason from mutinous members of the Wagner group, and a Northern Ireland expert warned the Russian president was facing a real headache. The crisis unfolded after Wagner fighters said they had 'taken control' of all military facilities in the key Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. They were also said to have seized military facilities in Voronezh - halfway between Rostov and Moscow. Mr Putin vowed to punish the organisers of the mutiny, denouncing the uprising as "a stab in the back". Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer from Northern Ireland, said the developments were a major blow for Mr Putin. He said Rostov-on-Don was the nerve-centre where Russian operations in Ukraine are co-ordinated and commanded from. What (Prigozhin) has done by taking that, putting himself in a position there, is he has usurped General (Valery) Gerasimov who is in the supposed commanders position in that, Mr Ingram told Sky News. Therefore he has effectively run a little military coup to take - or potentially take - command of all operations inside Ukraine. That will give General Shoigu and Vladimir Putin a real headache because they are trying to fight a tactical battle where youve got this strategic power-play thats going on in the background. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering "full-scale weakness", and that Kyiv is protecting Europe from "the spread of Russian evil and chaos". In an address to the Russian nation this morning, Mr Putin called the actions by Mr Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason". The Russian President said: "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." Russian defensive positions were being built on the outskirts of Moscow and, at one point, the Kremlin had to clarify that Mr Putin had not fled Moscow. One of several planes that he uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time. Less than half an hour later, it went off radar about 150 kilometres from Mr Putins official residents. Mr Zelensky said he was "sure" Putin is no longer in Moscow. Putin is working at the Kremlin, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Tass news agency when asked about reports of him going to the north-west, possibly St Petersburg. The announcement that the mercenaries were turning back followed a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Mr Prigozhin has accepted Mr Lukashenko's offer to halt the Wagner group's advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Mr Lukashenko's office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. Earlier, asked on Sky News if Mr Prigozhin had released a genie from a bottle, Mr Ingram said: The cork has come out of the top of the bottle and the Prigozhin genie is beginning to poke out. It will get out very quickly indeed. Of course, he is a social media, TikTok-type influencer across Russia and his message will start to permeate even further. This is going to cause Vladimir Putin politically an awful lot of speed bumps to get over, and those speed bumps could turn into something that could completely wreck his position. Mr Ingram said Rostov-on-Don is "quite significant" because its military headquarters coordinates operations in Ukraine. "That's the headquarters of the Southern group of forces - that's where the whole of the operations into Ukraine are being coordinated," he said. Best of the BelTel: Prigozhin - who is he and what is the Wagner group? He said Prigozhin's verbal attacks on the defence ministry used the same "historical language that the Russians have traditionally used whenever they have been trying to suggest the Tsar has been badly advised. Mr Ingram said there was now a power vacuum further back the chain of command. The tactics that are used by the Russians on the battlefield are that they have a top-down command structure, he explained. The structures are passed from the top and executed at the bottom. The people at the bottom dont quite know what it is that they are doing and they dont allow initiative there. So that gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to exploit and cause confusion on the battlefield, knowing that the higher levels of command are going to be put in more difficult positions. Mr Ingram said that in military terms, it was a gift for the Ukrainians. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the Wagner rebellion, which UK defence officials described as "the most significant challenge" to the Kremlin in recent times. The Government's emergency Cobra committee met to discuss the situation. "We're keeping a close eye on the situation, as it's evolving on the ground as we speak," Mr Sunak told the BBC. "The most important thing I'd say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that's about as much as I can say at this moment." Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: "I'm in touch with our allies. "I'll be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak." He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that "we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies" and "we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advice". The White House said Joe Biden had spoken to Mr Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier about the situation in Russia. The last thing we need is a new parades dispute at Drumcree and I think we all know it Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a televised address to the nation in Moscow, June 24. EPA-Yonhap President Vladimir Putin vowed Saturday to defend Russia against an "armed rebellion" by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow. The uprising, which Putin called "a stab in the back," was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 1,000 kilometers south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence briefing. In his address, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason." "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin said. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." Prigozhin called himself a patriot. "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland," he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as "we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Prigozhin's Wagner private military contractor has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. It wasn't immediately clear what his aims were, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Prigozhin's struggle with Russian military leaders, who he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hamstringing his forces in the field. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin said. Prigozhin confirmed Saturday he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops "aren't fighting against children." A member of the Wagner Group stands guard in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, June 24. AFP-Yonhap "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. "We are moving forward and will go until the end." Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is "fighting the toughest battle for its future" as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Putin said. Russia's security services called for Prigozhin's arrest after he declared an armed rebellion late Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a "counterterrorist regime" in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin said his aim was to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after Russian government forces attacked Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner, Prigozin said. He said Wagner's forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. After Putin's address, in which the Russian leader didn't mention concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity in the face of the revolt, officials and state media personalities in the country sought to publicly reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that the Duma lawmakers "stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin, adding that "Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief." Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodin's sentiment and said in a Telegram post that "we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his full support of "every word of" Putin. "We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman," Kadyrov said. "The mutiny needs to be suppressed." While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. People pose for photos on a tank reading 'Siberia' as servicemen from private military company (PMC) Wagner Group block a street in downtown Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, June 24. EPA-Yonhap Boats are anchored at a port in Batan, one of the main islands in the Batanes chain - the Philippines northernmost territory that faces Taiwan May 18, 2023. As Jinky Cabardo worked at her eatery in Batanes, a chain of islands that form the Philippines northernmost territory, a helper relayed some alarming news: The small archipelago province had run out of rice. This happened back in April amid talk that the people of Batanes could be caught in the middle should war break out between China and Taiwan, an island just a few hundred kilometers away, Cabardo recalled. Neighbors began to fret that month when American servicemen landed here in tilt-rotor aircraft and vessels during joint exercises with their Philippine counterparts, Cabardo, a mother of two who is in her 40s, told a visiting BenarNews reporter. There was panic buying. People were hoarding food, said Cabardo, who owns Centro, a small restaurant in downtown Basco, the quiet capital of the island chain, whose total population is less than 20,000. People who live in this tiny province surrounded by sea in the Luzon Strait are on edge, worrying that Batanes could easily be exposed to fighting between rival superpowers should they go to war over Taiwan. The presence of the foreign troops participating in the recent drills with Philippine troops got the locals buzzing that this was to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. But both the Philippines and United States officially denied that the war games were connected to such a threat. Batanes folk usually believe the news coming out of the mainland more specifically, Manila, the countrys capital and seat of government, Cabrado said. So when the reports about the training came out and the Americans were seen in our province, they thought they would be [ensnared in the] conflict, so they panicked, she recalled during the interview with BenarNews in May. Business owner Jinky Cabardo poses outside her restaurant in Basco, Batanes province, Philippines, May 18, 2023. [Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews] Batanes serves as a natural demarcation between the Philippines and Taiwan. These lush green islands are celebrated for their stone-crafted houses, coral walls, and charming cogon grass roofs. Batanes is the smallest province in the Philippines. Surrounded by 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 square miles) of sea, the provinces total land mass is 203.2 square kilometers (78.4 square miles) one third the size of Metro Manila. Because of the tension between Taiwan and China, Batanes has gained attention lately as a potential flashpoint in the geopolitical struggle between China and the U.S., its geopolitical rival and close ally of both Taiwan and the Philippines. Analysts say Batanes is key terrain that both sides may vie to occupy were war to break out in the Taiwan Strait. To ensure control of the Luzon Strait, China may take control of the Batanes Islands to use them as a base for enclosing the Bashi Channel with anti-ship and anti-air missile coverage, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would require blockading and isolating [Batanes] from access by the U.S. and other allied forces. China will bombard Taiwanese defenses first before launching amphibious and air invasions, he told BenarNews as he painted some scenarios. China will make us a target As an ordinary citizen, former Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos said he was aware of the predicament facing locals, given their provinces proximity to Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province. If I allow the Americans to use our island as a stepping stone to whatever activity then China will make us a target, said Castillejos, who grew up in Basco in a family of farmers. I am not an expert. But from a laymans point of view, if the West Philippine Sea is a major concern of our country having that international tribunal decision won by the Philippines how much more for a small island [chain] like Batanes? he said, referring to territories claimed by the Philippines in the contested South China Sea. I will not be surprised if one day, they [China] will present some old maps claiming part of their territorial waters is Batanes. In mid-2016, the Philippines won a landmark case before an international arbitration tribunal in its territorial dispute with China over the waterway. But Beijing so far has refused to abide by the ruling and has carried on with its military expansionism and program to build artificial islands in the maritime region. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. While Indonesia does not regard itself as a party to territorial disputes in the waterway, Beijing claims historic rights to parts that overlap with Indonesias EEZ. According to Castillejos, 76, Batanes has largely been forgotten by the central government, which lately has been sending coast guard and navy patrol ships to the islands, though few and far in between. We cannot even secure our territorial waters. And our marine resources are being depleted by China. The same problem until now. Our government is not in a position to secure our territorial waters, he told BenarNews. In February this year, the Philippines, under an expanded defense pact, gave the United States access to four new military bases a deal that one analyst described as central to Washingtons aim to deter any Chinese plan to attack Taiwan. In 2014, the Philippines and U.S. signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which supplemented the Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999. The VFA provides legal cover for large-scale joint war games between the two longtime allies and stipulates that U.S. forces can only rotate in and out of the Philippines, a former American colony. Castillejos considered President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s policies like how having the EDCA could help protect the people if conflict broke out between China and Taiwan. But I always pray and believe that war will not happen because no one will be a winner, he said. A U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, prepares to land at Basco Airport in Batanes, Philippines, Oct. 6, 2022. [U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sydni Jessee] According to Batanes Vice Gov. Ignacio Villa, local authorities have contingency plans in place should something bad occur in the Taiwan Strait. Under the plan, they would build a tent city that could accommodate thousands of refugees, considering that an estimated 150,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan. The Americans will be helping in this measure, he said. We are living peacefully here German Amboy Caccam, the mayor of Basco, echoed that sentiment. When the people of these islands voiced their concerns, the United States provided reassurances and pledged assistance, he said. First, there is the repatriation of Filipinos in Taiwan returning home. It is anticipated that Batanes will serve as a transit point, he explained. Therefore, if Batanes becomes a transit point, we may face an influx of refugees. Our primary concern lies in providing sufficient food and water. While we have enough resources to sustain the existing population, we are currently unprepared to cater to the needs of refugees, he added. If he had to decide, said Caccam, a former public school teacher, he would not allow the Americans to stay in the country to make their province the venue for future military drills. I dont like it. We are living peacefully here. We are a potential target because of their presence. But if thats the policy of the government, we cant do anything, he said. Residents use a road on Batan, an island in Batanes province, Philippines, May 18, 2023. [Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews] Known for its traditional low-slung houses built to withstand any typhoon, the main sources of livelihood for the people of Batanes which is more commonly known among locals as Ivatan are fishing and tourism. Bishop Danilo Ulep, the head of the Catholic Church in Batanes who has lived in these islands since 2017, said the locals were hardy people who could adapt to whatever was thrown their way. This, he said, now potentially included being a pawn in a larger geopolitical war. The people here possess the remarkable ability to overcome any form of adversity, Ulep told BenarNews. The man of the cloth described the Batanes islanders as modest and humble people who can thrive without the luxuries commonly found on the mainland and who show remarkable solidarity by supporting and assisting one another. They have the strength to triumph over any misfortune that comes their way. This is a quality I have personally witnessed in them, Ulep said. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. LENOX A sea of umbrellas encircled the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood on Friday night, as concert-goers gathered to see the Steve Miller Band and Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers with the added percussion of a steady summer drizzle. It was a soupy evening in Lenox Steve Miller, the namesake of the headlining act, had to clean his fogged glasses off on stage more than once but well-attended. Those who endured the light rain and humidity for the second concert of Tanglewoods Popular Artist Series were treated to a 90-minute bash and an audience with a world-class guitarist who delivered a hit-laden, monumental set. Sign up for the In The Berkshires This Week newsletter Sign up Tanglewood Popular Artist Series Tickets for the Popular Artists concerts and other performances at Tanglewood are already on sale through tanglewood.org. All shows are in the Shed unless otherwise noted. 7 p.m. July 1: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets 7:30 p.m. July 2: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with Special Guest JD McPherson (4-ticket limit purchase) 8 p.m. July 3 and 4: James Taylor, sold out 7 p.m. Aug. 24: Train with Parmalee 7 p.m. Aug. 31: Jackson Browne 7 p.m. Sept. 2: Guster 7 p.m., Sept. 3: John Legend **Tickets go on sale 10 a.m., June 28 To be clear, however, the show started with what can only be described as a multi-instrumental masterclass by Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers. Hornsby, who last graced Tanglewoods stage 29 years ago, was certainly happy to be back. This is by request, because were in Tanglewood, Hornsby said, as he launched into an atonal, jazzy piano riff that traversed just about every ivory he had at his disposal. Thats the sound of birds at Tanglewood, he said, eliciting some laughs. In one of the nights many magic acts, he used that riffing to transition into the intro for The Way it Is, his most popular song and one that was received very warmly by the audience. Hornsbys set was full of surprises. At one point, he picked up an Appalachian dulcimer (a four-stringed folk instrument), and the set saw accompaniment by fiddle, mandolin and spoons against a washboard. Whereas Hornsbys set showcased a wider array of instruments, Millers was a love letter to his apparatus of choice: the electric guitar. He didnt pick up an acoustic until an hour into the set, and he set it down again almost immediately. He cycled through an assortment of Stratocasters, a Les Paul, and even his sitar guitar, an oddity he purchased in 1965 for $125. He used each to great effect and used the Les Paul as an opportunity to talk about the artist its named after who happened to be his godfather. Miller, who was born in Milwaukee, credited the jazz guitarist Paul as one of his biggest inspirations for becoming a guitarist. His parents were the best man and matron of honor when Paul, originally from Waukesha, Wis., married Mary Ford. Miller began by taking the audience to Swingtown, belting out that songs group vocals with his co-pilots Kenny Lee Lewis on bass and Jacob Petersen on guitar. With barely a pause, they launched into one of the shows highlights: a lengthy rendition of Fly Like An Eagle, featuring a brilliant solo by keyboardist Joseph Wooten (a common theme) and some excellent guitar play by Miller himself (an even more common theme). The lightwork accompanying the spaciest of the Miller Bands anthems set a perfect, psychedelic lava lamp tone that elevated the performance. Miller and Wooten spent most of the night trading masterful solos, dominating the shows setlist with expansive, transformative streaks to deepen each and every track. Wooten got a chance to drop the synthesizer settings and play pure piano as the set shifted from the hits and took a bluesy turn. Miller and company played a string of hits after that, rattling off Jet Airliner, The Stake and Abracadabra before throwing it back to 1968s Living in the USA, which saw Miller pick up a harmonica to invigorating effect. After that, the Space Cowboy, followed by Serenade. That led to Miller showcasing his sitar guitar, which had previously been on display next to an instrument belonging to the celebrated sitarist Ravi Shankar, he said. He used it to play Wild Mountain Honey, a trippy track in its own right. That was pursued by Dance, Dance, Dance. Then, the band diverged into its influences. After invoking Paul Butterfield, Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf in a bit of stage talk describing his competition in the Chicago nightclub scene early in his career, Miller finally settled on covering Elmore James, the Delta blues man who taught the world to dust their brooms. In a version of James song, Stranger Blues, Miller showcased yet another trick: his penchant for the slide guitar. Carlos Santana was also cited as an inspiration for the song, Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma. Then it was back to the hits with Jungle Love. The set culminated in a show-stopping performance of Take The Money and Run, featuring the best solo of the night from Miller (subjectively) and a top-flight turn from Wooten, too. The band walked off stage after drawing a standing ovation, but fooled no one. There were still two major songs that needed playing. Picking up a sparkling blue Stratocaster, Miller and the band returned to deliver The Joker, which had been called for earlier in the night by a few attendees, and finished with a rendition of Rockn Me that sought to get the audience, still on their feet, involved in a call and response. The ultimate result: a foray into phenomenal blues rock bookended by spirited renditions of the bands greatest hits. GREAT BARRINGTON Housatonic Water Works Co. on Friday filed a rate increase request with state regulators that would hike costs for customers by at least $900 a year. The increase, which the company says will improve service, would hike minimum monthly charges more than $98, in addition to other fees. Residents have complained for more than a decade about discolored water, and more recently, about health concerns as the private company struggles to minimize disinfection chemicals linked to cancer. Those chemical levels are decreasing, according to another statement by company officials last week. The company is asking the state Department of Public Utilities for an overall 112.7 percent revenue increase, according to a news release on its website. This would generate $808,808. The increase would fund a planned $4.5 million upgrade to the companys Long Pond treatment and distribution systems meant to better filter water as well as provide better fire protection through its hydrants. Providing safe, reliable drinking water to our customers and community is essential to health, quality of life, the environment and our local economy, said company Treasurer James Mercer. The filing is the beginning of what will be extensive financial review and public comment. The company warned last year that the new equipment would result in a doubling of customer costs. If approved by the DPU, the proposed rate hike would raise the monthly minimum charge to $98.38, and a $23.24 charge per thousand gallons for all water usage over the 2,500-gallon monthly allowance, the news release says. For the average residential customer, the company said, the yearly increase would rise from $746.40 to $1,641.48 Town officials, reacting to outcry from residents over water quality, are still, apparently, considering some type of acquisition of the company. The town recently said it would use pandemic relief funds to reimburse customers for filtration systems. The company says that it has made over $3 million in upgrades, replacing 760 water meters and 2,458 feet of old mains, and associated valves, and hydrants on Front, Division, North, Park and Wyantenuck Streets. Lenox native James Brooke has traveled to about 100 countries reporting for The New York Times, Bloomberg and Voice of America. He reported from Russia for eight years and from Ukraine for six years. Servicemen from private military company (PMC) Wagner Group detain some civilians as they block a street in downtown Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, June 24. EPA-Yonhap Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow's top brass, said Saturday his fighters captured the army HQ in Russia's Rostov-on-Don "without firing a single shot" and claimed to have the support of locals. Prigozhin's fighters crossed into Russia from occupied Ukraine overnight and took the army HQ in the southern city, which serves as a key operational hub for Moscow's forces in Ukraine. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," Prigozhin said in his latest audio message on the Telegram social media platform. "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the building of the (army) HQ," he said. He said the mercenaries "had not touched a single soldier, we did not kill a single person on our way" and claimed his men had been hit by strikes from "artillery and after that from helicopters." He also claimed to have the support of locals in Rostov. Prigozhin said that his fighters had removed mines from outside the building Wagner occupied in Rostov. Earlier, the outspoken chief hit back at President Vladimir Putin, who called Prigozhin a traitor in an address to Russians. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," he said. (AFP) Talking Points Memo: The failure of the Biden administration is only getting more and more obvious by the day. Heres three major agencies that are falling apart. President Biden snaps at reporter for asking about Hunters text messages. SCOTUS rules on states control over elections and agrees to hear case on wealth tax. Bill renews calls for investigation into Zuckerbergs efforts into the 2020 presidential election. Former Prosecutor Cully Stimson on his new book Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers are Destroying Americas Communities. Reuters releases report that says all living US Presidents descended from slaveholders all expect Donald Trump. Smart Life: pickleball injuries This Day in History: International Body Piercing Day Final Thought: Leaving money to kids, charities & friends In Case You Missed It: Read Bill's latest column, "They're Not Victims" It's the 'Summer Reading Special!' 'Killing the Killers,' Killing the Legends,' and 'Killing Crazy Horse' all for $32.95. We'll also give you a FREE 'Team Normal' hat. 'Team Normal!' gear is 15% for a limited time. Go to BillOReilly.com now and order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Dr Mansukh Mandaviya addresses IPAs 8th Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) recently concluded the 8th edition of the Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit in Mumbai. Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya delivered his address during the closing ceremony. The Minister said that no country complained about the quality of the medicines as the Indian pharma industry never compromises with the quality of the medicines. "We know that like all the other sectors there are few people who try to compromise with the quality of the products. But they should always remember that the government has zero tolerance policy against these element", Dr Mandaviya said. He further informed that Government is taking stringent actions against the companies involved in such type of malpractices. He urged the pharma industry to establish a self regulatory body to monitor the quality of pharma products. He also added that the country is marching ahead in the field of research and innovation as the government has opened its research facilities to all including the private sector. The theme for the Summit was, Patient Centricity: New Paradigm of Manufacturing and Quality. The two-day Summit brought together industry leaders, global regulators, quality experts, and stakeholders to foster knowledge exchange and deliberate on areas of importance in shaping the pharmaceutical landscape in India. The highlight of the day was the panel discussion comprising leading CEOs of the pharma industry from Cipla, Dr Reddys, Lupin, Sun Pharma and Zydus providing their thoughts on the future of the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, said, Quality is the fundamental tenet of the pharmaceutical sector. Continuous investments in quality systems, technology, and talent is fundamental as the overall healthcare landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace." We have received the following resolution by our Russian comrades, written earlier today, after Wagner PMC Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin declared a rebellion, and moved columns of troops in the direction of Moscow. The situation has now somewhat receded: Wagner troops halted their advance and it has been announced that Prigozhin will enter exile, following hasty negotiations. As the comrades write, this episode was a struggle between two sections of the Russian oligarchy. Yet again, the oligarchs have proven that they have no interests in developing Russian society or in improving the conditions of the Russian masses. Their sole concern is to maintain themselves by leeching on the labour of the workers and poor, by robbing and plundering and by repressing any real opposition from the masses. The only way out of this impasse, the only way to raise the workers from their dire conditions, the only way to fight war, corruption and general decay, is for the working class to take power into their own hands, to expropriate all of the oligarchs, and to use the countrys vast wealth for the benefit of all. That is, by way of a socialist revolution. Today, 24 June 2023, an attempt at a right-wing putsch began in Russia. After considerable confusion, the Russian ruling class rallied around the President, and denounced the coup attempt as an unexpected betrayal and a stab in the back against the nation. With new operational reports coming in every hour, there is no point in recounting them. First of all, it is worth stating an indisputable fact: there are already well-armed right-wing paramilitary formations in Russia, with experience of combat operations, ready to question the existence of the current government. Russia has come one step closer to the civil war, which the regime has so often used to intimidate the people and from which it has promised to protect us. However, it was not the opposition that initiated this, but the big business and right-wing elements that have grown up thanks to the restoration of capitalism in Russia and thanks to Putin in particular. At first glance, the Wagner rebellion appears to be similar to Mussolinis march on Rome, but the analogy would be superficial. Wagner PMC is a private army, the fruit of modern free-market capitalism, in which the state is trying to outsource the maximum number of its functions to private business. Unlike the numerous volunteer detachments of the separatist movement in the Donbass that emerged in 2014, the Wagner PMC emerged as a commercial power structure to provide physical force support for the aggression of the oligarchs in Syria, when that country was engulfed by civil war. According to a journalistic investigation by The Bell, the idea of creating such a commercial structure was born in the army at the top of the Ministry of Defense back in 2010. If we discard the claptrap with which patriots and a network of military correspondents have surrounded the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin, then he is, first of all, an oligarch. Using numerous connections with Putins circle, he built a huge business empire, starting as a caterer, then moving into real estate, and finally multiplying his fortune with contracts from the Ministry of Defense. Even his large-scale media activities have never been separate from his business interests. Access to military contracts had to be paid for. Prigozhin was a useful man for Putin and the Ministry of Defense, always ready to do the dirty work without drawing attention. Why did he cease to play this role? Putin's Bonapartist regime is a system of repression by the bureaucracy, that is, by the state, which lords it over the economically dominant class. The states monopoly on violence acquires special significance here. Outsourcing the functions of the Department of Defense in times of war directly undermined this principle. More and more systemic contradictions, giving rise to conflicts, arose between the Ministry of Defence and Prigozhin, the main cause of which was not politics, but money. Shoigu [Putins Minister of Defence] imposed contracts on volunteer formations, which inevitably cut Prigozhin off from financial flows and threatened to turn him into a purely decorative character devoid of power. Prigozhin countered financial blackmail with a fight that he launched on the media field. Given his media resources, and the inequality of media resources, this was a one-sided game. In his real economic programme, Prigozhin is no different to Putin. But in his agitation, Prigozhin appealed to all those dissatisfied with the military leaders, that are so often completely mediocre. Above all, his words have emboldened the war til victory crowd: those who, like Prigozhin, advocate the militarisation of the economy, general mobilisation and the introduction of martial law. The only thing that applying such a programme of action could actually achieve would be to swing the mood among working people and military personnel from passive support for the war to active rejection. Compounded by the inevitable economic crisis and political instability, this could lead to a revolutionary situation. This represented at least one possible danger and unintended outcome flowing from Prigozhins actions. A real revolutionary situation, however, is characterised not only by open opposition to the authorities and the inability of the leadership to rule as it used to, but also by the loss of control on the part of the ruling class, up to the emergence of dual power. So far, however, Prigozhins coup has not provoked the masses to enter the scene. At the moment, power remains consolidated, and the Prigozhinites are politically isolated. The course of history has accelerated, but we have yet to see a sharp deterioration in the standard of living of the masses, large-scale disappointment on the part of the majority of Russians in the Putin regime, and a sharp increase in their political activity. Today, the working class remains a spectator in this dramatic theatre, or rather, circus. Neither side in this conflict calls upon the masses to actively participate on their side, but would prefer them to be enthusiastic (but impotent) supporters on the sidelines. The situation that has arisen is a crucial test for the Russian left. Only this time, their own lives may be at stake. Here, the standard excuse about this being a battle of the toad and the viper is inappropriate [the battle of the toad and the viper is a Russian expression, meaning that not supporting either side, we have no reason to take action]. In fact, it means inaction criminal inaction. It is time to grasp the bull by the horns. We do not call for the masses to choose between Prigogine and Putin. We call for action: independent, political action in the interests of the working class. Every Russian communist must honestly answer themself: am I ready? What is to be done? First, clear, real world political demands must be formulated and promoted among the masses. In the current situation, we cannot call back on practical activity that does not contribute to the politicisation of the masses and to a systemic growth in the class consciousness of the masses, such as the slow construction of trade unions, social cooperatives, and the like. This approach was outdated yesterday. Today it makes no sense. The main social and economic contradictions of modern Russia can only be resolved by political means. Secondly, we must leave the cosy spaces on the internet and in local initiatives, and enter real life. We are aware that in modern conditions it is very difficult and even dangerous to conduct open political propaganda. But work on YouTube and on the internet has begun to replace real work for activists, turning left-winger into mere content consumers. The internet alone has never been an engine of the left movement in Russia, and cannot become one. How many people were brought to their organisations by the thousands of LiveJournal blogs? How many of the subscribers of top bloggers have become political activists? Mere handfuls. In turn, every personal contact, every live posting, each participation in a labour conflict, and even the smallest collective action, not to mention each honest and open espousal of ones position among ones peers, raises the awareness of the masses far more effectively than a dozen YouTube videos. Thirdly, the left and the entire working class needs an unequivocal and openly anti-war position, which must be offered to the people. Yes, that comes with serious risks and the threat of persecution. But recent events have shown better than any statements the destructive significance of the ongoing war and prove that, if the left fails to conduct anti-war propaganda in real life, their position will never become popular among the majority. It is naive to believe that at the moment of crisis, the masses will happily come running to promoted media personalities. They will go to those they know in real life whose work they have seen with their own eyes. Of course, we will find fewer initiates that way than the number of commenters garnered by the top media personalities, but these initiates will not just stand on the sidelines. They will become political activists. Fourthly, in addition to socio-economic demands, we must raise democratic demands. We are fighting for a genuine workers democracy, from the top to the bottom of society. Active propaganda for an anti-war position, for the ideas of communism, workers democracy, the rejection of militarism, will set in motion the detonator of the revolution: the youth. For most activists, the moment has come to decide. Do we remain on the sidelines, hoping that the next mobilisation or the next bomb will bypass us? Or do we take part in the construction of a revolutionary cadre organisation, independent of the capitalist class and the officials, and not blinded by either their patriotic or their social rhetoric. We must bring a class-based and anti-war agenda into the workers collectives and trade union organisations now. We must protect and develop the independence of our free-thinking student collectives. But in order to fight against the arbitrary authorities and their reactionary alternative, we ultimately need a political organisation. Form solidarity groups in your workplace, discuss current events, join existing political groups raising progressive demands! The activists of our organisation were among the first to oppose the war; initiated the formation of the coalition of Marxist internationalists; organised numerous campaigns in defence of political prisoners, in particular, couriers leader Kirill Ukraintsev; and held a unity congress in May, forming the Organisation of Communist Internationalists (OKI). We proved by deed that it is possible to resist the regime while in Russia. We set out our vision and our requirements in the programme of OKI. If you agree with all of the above, join the Organization of Communist Internationalists. 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Advertisement Mr Prigozhins actions represented the most significant challenge to Mr Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. Advertisement All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Advertisement Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Advertisement Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Advertisement Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Advertisement Advertisement #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. Advertisement He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Troops have been seen on the streets in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. Advertisement He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Advertisement Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. (PA Graphics) Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defences in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Mr Zelenskiy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. The Wagner mercenary group led fighters out of Ukraine into southern Russia Mercenaries had been approaching Moscow, but were ordered to turn back by Wagner chief Dmitry Prigozhinto to avoid 'shedding Russian blood' The rebels had taken control of Rostov, but began pulling out of the city on Saturday evening The Kremlin said Prigozhinto will now move to move to Belarus as part of a deal to end the mutiny Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier described the group's actions as a "stab in the back", vowing to punish those involved Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: "Russia's weakness is obvious" The revolt marks the most serious challenge to Putin's leadership in over 20 years The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its advice for Irish citizens 9.30pm Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin has said. Advertisement Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian president Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. Peskov said the criminal case that had been opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, and that the Wagner fighters who had taken part in his "march for justice" would not face any action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia. Fighters who had not taken part would sign contracts with the Russia's defence ministry, which has been seeking to bring all autonomous volunteer forces under its control by July 1st. Advertisement Although Putin had earlier vowed to punish those who participated in the mutiny, Peskov said the agreement had had the "higher goal" of avoiding confrontation and bloodshed. Advertisement Peskov declined to say whether any concessions had been made to Prigozhin, other than guarantees of safety for him - something he said Putin had given his word to vouch for - and for Prigozhin's men, to persuade him to withdraw all his forces. 8.45pm Fighters of the Wagner mercenary force started pulling out of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday night. Wagner forces were seen pulling away from the district military headquarters, where they had taken control. Advertisement It comes after Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would return to base in order to avoid bloodshed, after Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko said he had brokered a deal. 6.50pm Russian mercenary fighters who surged most of the way to Moscow have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader has said, in a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to Russian president Vladimir Putin's grip on power. The fighters of the Wagner private army, run by former Putin-ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, were already most of the way to the Russian capital, having captured the city of Rostov. Advertisement Advertisement Russian police officers, traffic police officers and servicemen block part of a highway entering Moscow. Photo: Getty Images In an audio message, Prigozhin said the fighters would return to base because of the risk of blood being spilled. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for guarantees of safety for the rebels was brokered by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, his office said. 6pm Advertisement The Government is in contact with the Irish embassy in Moscow as the situation there unfolds. A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday afternoon that the Government "remains in close touch with our embassy in Moscow". While the department has advised against all travel to Russia for some time now, it has updated its travel advice page for the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, the convoy of mutinous Wagner fighters approaching the outskirts of Moscow by road contains about 5,000 men led by senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, a source close to the leadership in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Donetsk province said on Saturday. The source said Wagner chief Dmitry Prigozhin had fewer than 25,000 men at his disposal in total, and that around 5,000 of them were in Rostov-on-Don, the southern city key to Russia's war in Ukraine that Prigozhin said he had taken control of. The source said Wagner's plan for Moscow was to take up positions in a densely built-up area. Advertisement 4pm Wagner mercenaries have been promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons but they need to act fast, the TASS news agency cited a lawmaker as saying. "Wagner fighters can still lay down their arms and avoid punishment given their achievements during the special military operation (in Ukraine), but they should do it fast," TASS cited the lawmaker, Pavel Krasheninnikov, as saying. In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry also warned Western countries against using the Wagner mercenary group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals". 3.15pm Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia's military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. Facing the first serious challenge to his grip on power of his 23-year rule, Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny he compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin-ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100km race to Moscow. Reuters saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank careening past the city of Voronezh more than halfway to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any substantial resistance on the highway. Advertisement Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police manning machine gun positions on Moscow's southern outskirts. Authorities in the Lipetsk region south of the capital told residents to stay home. More than 100 firefighters were in action at a fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed it blowing up in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by. Prigozhin accused Russia's military of hitting civilian targets from the air as it tried to slow the column's advance. Prigozhin says his men are on a "march for justice" to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. 'Path of betrayal' In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia's very existence was under threat. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history," he said. "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people." A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. Advertisement "The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it," Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We don't want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. Members of Wagner group inspect a car in a street of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. Photo: Getty Images In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, should come to see him in Rostov. Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said US president Joe Biden was briefed. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defence ministry said. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out." Putin's grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to combat the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia's military is deployed at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine. The insurrection also risks leaving Russia's invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later." Revolt Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails. His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine war, including the protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut. He railed for months against the regular army's top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command. He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied it. "There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. -Reuters Millions of illicit e-cigarettes have been seized by trading standards departments since the beginning of 2020, an investigation has revealed. Freedom of information requests from The Guardian to 125 local authorities uncovered more than 2.5 million illegal and potentially harmful vapes have been collected over the last three years. Advertisement More than 1,350,000 vapes were seized by trading standards at Hillingdon Borough Council in west London alone due to the areas proximity to Heathrow a major port of entry for the illegal trade. These illicit e-cigarettes do not comply with UK legal regulations, meaning they could have higher nicotine concentration levels, contain banned ingredients or have oversized tanks for nicotine liquid. Advertisement It has also been found that illegal vapes can contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium. Kate Pike, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, told The Guardian the figures were the tip of the iceberg. Advertisement She said: There is a significant number of illegal products on the market, which does not help when we are trying to support public health response which is to ensure the products are much safer than tobacco for smokers looking to quit. Advertisement The main concern is that young people are getting their hands on these products We do not want children or adults getting addicted to something at all like this. We know that legal compliant vapes pose a fraction of the risk of smoking but we do not know what the risk is from illegal vapes. Earlier this month, NHS leaders sounded the alarm over a rise in the number of children admitted to hospital for vaping. Advertisement Paediatricians have warned that youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children Photo: Daniel Leal/PA. The NHS said 40 children and young people were admitted to hospital in England last year due to vaping-related disorders, up from 11 two years before. Paediatricians have also warned that youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children as they called on the British government to ban disposable vapes. A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson told The Guardian: It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms. Advertisement Advertisement We are taking bold action to end this practice through the 3m Illicit Vapes Enforcement Squad, which will tackle products imported and traded illicitly, remove illegal products from the market that dont comply with our regulations, and tackle underage sales to children. We have also launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products and explore where the government can go further. The call for evidence has now closed, and the government will be considering a range of options based on the evidence provided. A former hot dog stand owner and low-profile businessman who benefited from having Russian president Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin, moved into the global spotlight thanks to Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Mr Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. Advertisement On Friday, Mr Prigozhin, the owner of the Kremlin-allied group, escalated months of scathing criticism over Russias conduct in the war by calling for an armed uprising to oust the defence minister. Advertisement The Wagner leader and Mr Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Mr Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission, although he does not say what this was for. Advertisement Mr Putin denounced the move in Rostov-on-Don in an address to the nation (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Advertisement Afterwards, he owned a hot dog stand and then restaurants that drew interest from Mr Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French president Jacques Chirac to dine at one of these restaurants. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Mr Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Mr Putin helped open Mr Prigozhins factory, which was built thanks to generous loans by a state bank. Advertisement In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals for schools. Russian servicemen in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. Advertisement In 2017, opposition figure and anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Mr Prigozhins companies of breaking competition laws by bidding for some 387 million dollars (304 million) in defence ministry contracts. Mr Prigozhins Wagner Group has come to play a central role in Mr Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. Advertisement The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. Mr Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who helped open a factory which produces school meals in 2010 outside St Petersburg (Kremlin via AP) US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Mr Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. The soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Mr Prigozhin raged against Russias military top brass. The PMC Wagner Centre is based in St Petersburg (AP) In a video released by his team last month, Mr Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. Advertisement He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they need to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin said at the time. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Earlier, Mr Prigozhin had gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. [5/5] Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 They were indicted as part of US special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US treasury department has sanctioned Mr Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Prigozhin as saying: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. Advertisement The Biden White House called him a known bad actor, and US state department spokesman Ned Price said Mr Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. As Mr Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Mr Putin over his criticism of the Presidents top generals. Media reports at times suggested Mr Prigozhins influence on Mr Putin was growing, and that he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Mr Putin. Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, said of Mr Prigozhin on his podcast In Moscows Shadows: Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants, and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff, rather than part of the family. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called an armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group chief a betrayal, and has promised to defend the people and Russia. Mr Putin addressed the nation on Saturday morning after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops reached the key Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Advertisement The Russian leader said the move by the Wagner group had blocked civilian and military governing bodies in the southern city. Advertisement And Mr Putin warned that his country is now facing the toughest battle for its future. He said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood, and vowed tough actions in response. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Advertisement Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Mr Putin said. Advertisement He called Mr Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) Mr Putin urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner private military company, claimed that his forces now control military facilities in Rostov-on-Don. We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media, beginning late on Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner group, recorded a video with his forces in the Russian city (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. Advertisement The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, the Russian leader said. This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility. [5/5] Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 An armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia, to its people, Mr Putin added. Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it, the Russian President said. Russias security services responded to Mr Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin is taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and owner of private military company Wagner group Yevgeny Prigozhin are displayed among others for sale at a souvenir shop in St Petersburg earlier this month (AP) Advertisement It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the general staff, Gen Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there has been no independent confirmation of this. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Mr Shoigu in an armed rebellion. He and urged the army not to offer resistance, declaring: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces were probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Mr Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. Officials across Russia have rallied behind Mr Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging Mr Prigozhin to back down. Advertisement Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that legislators stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin after his address to the nation. He added that fighters from Mr Prigozhins Wagner group must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Maria Zakharova, Russias foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. However, unexpected support for Mr Prigozhin came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Mr Prigozhins rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. 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. President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish the organisers of an armed rebellion in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city. Mr Putin denounced the uprising by Wagner Group forces as a stab in the back. Advertisement It marks the biggest threat to Mr Putins leadership in more than two decades in power. Advertisement Moscows mayor warned on Saturday that traffic could be restricted in parts of Russias capital as part of heightened security measures. Sergei Sobyanin asked the citys residents to refrain from using their cars during the counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region. He also declared Monday to be a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. Advertisement Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the region surrounding Russias capital, has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1. Advertisement The private army led by Mr Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. The governor of the Lipetsk province said later that the Wagner Group has entered his region, which is about 225 miles south of Moscow. Authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control, governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness, and that Kyiv is protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Advertisement Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) In an address to the Russian nation, Mr Putin called the actions by Mr Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. The Russian President said: All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. Advertisement The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023 Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, the Wagner Group said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Mr Prigozhins private military contractor has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx Advertisement MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 He confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops had reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin posted a video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. The Wagner Group chief said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late on Friday. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, the Russian leader said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service (FSB), called for Mr Prigozhins arrest after he declared an armed rebellion late on Friday. Advertisement In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish defence minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) He added that Wagners forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. Mr Prigozhin alleged that Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The defence ministry has denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. After Mr Putins address, in which he did not mention concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity, officials and state media personalities sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Advertisement Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said legislators stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Mr Volodins sentiment, saying in a Telegram post: We have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. Service men on the street in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Mr Putin and his ability to maintain unity. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. However, Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised the Russian militarys top brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Mr Zelensky noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 He added: For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Mr Prigozhins actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the defence ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. The Wagner chief, whose feud with the defence ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said on Friday he was ready for a compromise, but they have treacherously cheated us. Col Gen Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. The US and the leaders of European countries including Italy and Poland have said they are monitoring developments closely, while Estonia, which borders Russia, stepped up border security. British prime minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, which UK defence officials have described as the most significant challenge to the Kremlin in recent times. Russian president Vladimir Putin called the actions of the private military company a betrayal, after its chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, vowed to topple Moscows military leadership. Advertisement The British prime minister urged all parties involved to protect civilian lives, as he indicated he will speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy and other western leaders later on Saturday. Advertisement Were keeping a close eye on the situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak, he told the BBC. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. Advertisement Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: Im in touch with our allies. Ill be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak. Advertisement We continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advicehttps://t.co/BrRF5j8SlA James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) June 24, 2023 Advertisement He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Pressed on advice for British citizens remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia and people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates. British foreign secretary James Cleverly tweeted that we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies and we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advice. Advertisement Earlier, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces appear to be moving towards the Russian capital. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 In its latest intelligence briefing, the department said the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner group military company, released video from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Photo: Prigozhin Press Service/AP. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Wagner troops have played a key role in Russias invasion of Ukraine, succeeding in taking Bakhmut, the city that has seen the bloodiest and longest battles. But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of shelling his fighters. Advertisement The escalation of Russian infighting could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood described the developments as a huge opportunity for Ukraine to exploit the current mutiny and chaos in Russia. Security has been heightened in Moscow and the key strategic city of Rostov-on-Don after the owner of a private military contractor stepped up his direct challenge to the Kremlin. Yevgeny Progozhin, who owns the private Wagner force, said his forces have reached Rostov the southern base for Russias military. Advertisement The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into him. Mr Progozhin, who has called for an armed rebellion to oust Russias defence minister Sergei Shoigu, said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, right (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP) Advertisement We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, said Mr Progozhin in one of several angry video and audio posts on social media on Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Advertisement This is not a military coup but a march of justice. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, Accusing Mr Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagners field camps in Ukraine he urged the army not to offer resistance. Advertisement He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagners convoys which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) There has been no independent confirmation of Mr Prigozhins claim his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, nor any confirmation on Russian social networks that Wagner convoys had entered Rostov-on-Don. Advertisement Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city of Bakhmut where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services (FSB), charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Advertisement The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Mr Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Advertisement Yevgeny Prigozhins Wagner Group military company members wave a Russian national and Wagner flag atop a damaged building in Bakhmut (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Mr Prigozhin, who said he had 25,000 troops under his command, said his troops would punish Mr Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. A bird flies over the building of the Russian Defense Ministry with anti-aircraft artillery systems on the roof in Moscow on Saturday (AP) President Vladimir Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Advertisement Heavy military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early on Saturday and soldiers carrying assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defence Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. Moscows mayor announced on Saturday morning that counterterrorism measures were underway, including increased control of roads and possible restrictions on mass gatherings. Mr Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defence Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who is calling for an armed rebellion to remove Russias defence minister has confirmed that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the Russian border from Ukraine. The city is home to the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Advertisement Yevgeny Prigozhins claim in a video posted on social media is the first confirmation that he was in Rostov. Prigozhins criticism of the top military brass is in stark contrast with more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin without any sign of infighting among his top lieutenants (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhin has long feuded with the defence ministry in Moscow, and he claimed on Friday that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered an attack on his field camps in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement The Wagner chief claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Mr Prigozhin said his forces had faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late on Friday. Advertisement We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russias security services had responded to Mr Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of some of the heaviest battles involving Wagner group forces and the Ukrainian military (AP) Advertisement In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhins forces were able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin alleged that the chief of the general staff, Gen Valery Gerasimov, had scrambled warplanes to strike Wagners convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. Advertisement He also said his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of this. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with defence minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Mr Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, he claimed. Russian soldiers have been told to arrest Mr Prigozhin (AP) While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces are probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Advertisement But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military leadership, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services (FSB), charged Mr Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Servicemen speak to a journalist at an office in the PMC Wagner Centre, which is associated with businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, in St. Petersburg (AP) The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Mr Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Mr Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. On Saturday morning he added that Mr Putin would address the nation shortly. Heavy military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early on Saturday, and soldiers were deployed outside the main building of the defence ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was also blocked, snarling traffic. Russian president Vladimir Putin has vowed to crush an armed mutiny after the private army of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin seized control of a southern city as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership. Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded over the last 24 hours. Advertisement Friday Prigozhin releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia's military top brass and for the first time rejects Moscow's core justifications for invading Ukraine. - In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. - Russia's FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny. Advertisement - The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. Advertisement Saturday - Prigozhin says his men have crossed border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - The White House says it is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments. - Russian Prosecutor-General Igor Krasnov formally informs Putin about the criminal case that had been opened against Prigozhin, for armed mutiny. Advertisement - The governor of southern Russia's Rostov region adjoining Ukraine tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov. - Russian's defence ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - A Russian security source tells Reuters that Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, around 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow. - Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back." Advertisement - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the mutiny by Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. - European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia. - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight. - Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy says "Russia's weakness is obvious" and that the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home. -Reuters A village in the north-west of England is marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Bamber Bridge which took place after residents refused to accept segregation in the US military during the Second World War. The incident occurred in June 1943, after an all-black US army regiment rolled into Bamber Bridge near Preston, Lancashire. Advertisement Despite the black GIs being welcomed by local people, simmering tensions between black soldiers and white military police exploded when a dispute outside a pub escalated into a night of violent confrontations, which left one US army private dead. Author Derek Rogerson wrote The Battle of Bamber Bridge: The True Story (AP) Residents are now telling the story of what happened that night and how it changed the treatment of black soldiers in the United States. Advertisement Ignoring pressure from British and American authorities at the time, pubs welcomed the GIs, local women chatted and danced with them, and English soldiers drank alongside men they saw as allies in the war. Advertisement On the night of June 24th, 1943, after a dispute outside a pub escalated into gunfire, Private William Crossland was killed and dozens of soldiers from the truck regiment faced court martial. When Pte Crosslands niece learned about the circumstances of her uncles death, she called for a new investigation to uncover how he died. Many people from Bamber Bridge feel a sense of pride over the support for the black soldiers. Valerie Fell was just two in 1943, but her family ran Ye Olde Hob Inn, the 400-year-old thatched-roof pub where the conflict started. Advertisement The focal point of the incident was Ye Olde Hob Inn in Bamber Bridge near Preston, Lancashire (AP) She said of how the incident is viewed by local people: I think maybe its a sense of pride that there was no bigotry towards (the soldiers). They deserved the respect of the uniform that they were wearing. Advertisement Black soldiers accounted for about 10% of American troops stationed in Britain during the war. Serving in segregated units led by white officers, most were relegated to non-combat roles such as driving trucks. US authorities tried to extend those policies beyond their bases, asking British pubs and restaurants to separate the races. Bamber Bridge, then home to about 6,800 people, was not the only place to resist. What is different about the Bamber Bridge incident was the desire of local people to preserve their story, according to Alan Rice, co-director of the Institute for Black Atlantic Research at the University of Central Lancashire. Advertisement Advertisement An original wall with what could be bullet holes is seen by an Air Training Corps building in Bamber Bridge (AP) He said: If youre fighting fascism, which these people were, its ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous, that the US army (were) encouraging a form of fascism segregation. Clinton Smith, head of the Black History Group in nearby Preston, wants people to look more closely at what happened. The history just cant be allowed to wither on the vine, he said. Despite their friendships with the GIs, villagers were not able to head off the violence when black soldiers, frustrated by their treatment and angry about race riots in Detroit, faced off with military police who were armed with batons and sidearms. On that hot June night, Private Eugene Nunn was sitting at the Hob Inn bar when a white military police officer threatened to arrest him for wearing the wrong uniform. British soldiers and civilians intervened. Recounting her mothers story, Ms Fell said: Everyone was saying: Leave him alone. He just wants a drink. Its a hot day. People just didnt understand this viciousness. When Pte Nunn left the pub, the police were waiting. Tempers rose, and a bottle was smashed against the windshield of the police Jeep. The situation escalated and it was not until 4am that order was restored. Advertisement Military authorities sought severe penalties in the aftermath of the violence, with 37 black soldiers charged with mutiny, riot and unlawful possession of weapons. Clinton Smith, chair of Preston Black History Group, reads a copy of a magazine outlining the Battle of Bamber Bridge as he sits in the Ye Olde Hob Inn, where black GIs were welcomed by locals (AP) Some 30 received sentences of between three and 15 years in prison, combined with loss of pay and dishonourable discharges. As the allies prepared for D-Day, many had their sentences shortened so they could return to the war effort. While the court martial criticised the white officers for poor leadership, there is no record that they or the military police were disciplined. Ken Werrell, a US air force academy graduate and retired professor of history at Radford University in Virginia, studied the proceedings and reviewed military records for an article published in 1975. He said the black soldiers were badly treated. But the broader story is that senior generals, focused on improving morale and performance, quickly ordered changes in the treatment of black troops. Many of the officers commanding black units were replaced and the army deployed more racially mixed police patrols. A sign detailing the Battle of Bamber Bridge outside Ye Olde Hob Inn (AP) The Bamber Bridge affair was more than just a minor incident in World War Two, Prof Werrell wrote. He said it was one of a number of incidents in black communities and Americas continuing crusade for freedom. Advertisement In 1948, US president Harry Truman ordered the end of segregation in the military, though that took years to fully achieve. Lloyd Austin, a black man and retired four-star army general, is now the US secretary of defence. But that progress came too late for Pte Crossland, a former railway worker who was 25 when he died. Court martial evidence said only that he was found gravely wounded, with a bullet near his heart. Officers said they believed he had been caught in the crossfire between two groups of black soldiers. Nancy Croslan Adkins, the daughter of one of Pte Crosslands brothers, said she was never told about the circumstances of her uncles death. The Air Training Corps building is the last remaining part of a base where black troops were stationed in the town during the Second World War (AP) The family later changed the spelling of its last name. Ms Adkins, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, wants to know more about what happened. Having dealt with direct discrimination myself by integrating the school system in North Carolina, and the racial injustice that my parents faced, I would love an investigation, she said. Aaron Snipe, the spokesman for the US embassy in London, said he could not prejudge any military decision, but President Joe Bidens administration has shown a willingness to right the wrongs of the past. Advertisement Earlier this month, the US Navy issued a formal apology to the families of 15 black sailors who were dishonourably discharged in 1940 after complaining that they were forced to wait tables. Mr Snipe, meanwhile, will pay tribute to the people of Bamber Bridge at an event marking the anniversary. Part of this story is about their unwillingness to accept segregation orders or regulations that were pushed on them, he said. They pushed back. The head of the Wagner force said he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis as Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. Advertisement Russian president Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin said that while his men are just 120 miles from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He did not say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin has accepted Mr Lukashenkos offer to halt the Wagner groups advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Mr Lukashenkos office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. Advertisement (PA Graphics) Mr Prigozhins actions had represented the most significant challenge to Mr Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. Advertisement All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Advertisement Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Advertisement Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin had said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Advertisement Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marked an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. Advertisement The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Troops have been seen on the streets in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. The head of the Russian military company Wagner will move to neighbouring Belarus as part of a deal to end his rebellion and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin has said. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defence Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said. Advertisement After the deal was reached, Mr Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. Advertisement The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to Russian president Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The agreement was mediated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Mr Putin. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin said that while his men are just 120 miles from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Advertisement The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Mr Prigozhin has accepted Mr Lukashenkos offer to halt the Wagner groups advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Mr Lukashenkos office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. (PA Graphics) Advertisement In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Advertisement Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Advertisement Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Advertisement The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin had said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Vladimir Putin vowed that the rebellion would be punished (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marked an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. Advertisement A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Troops have been seen on the streets in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied allegations by Russian president Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country, and called his Wagner Group fighters patriots. After the Russian leader denounced Wagner forces entering the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the groups chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. Advertisement Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Mr Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Advertisement In an address to the nation on Saturday morning, Mr Putin vowed to defend Russia against the armed rebellion after Mr Prigozhin led his troops out of Ukraine and into the key city 600 miles south of Moscow. Advertisement The uprising, which Mr Putin called a stab in the back, is the biggest threat to his leadership in more than two decades in power. Russian president Vladimir Putin addresses the nation (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Advertisement The private army led by Mr Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an intelligence briefing. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his address, Mr Putin called the uprising by Mr Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. Advertisement Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023 Advertisement The Russian president said: All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Mr Prigozhins Wagner private military contractor has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. Advertisement Yevgeny Prigozhin sent a number of communications from Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) It is not immediately clear what his aims are, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Mr Prigozhins struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hamstringing his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. The Wagner Group chief confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Mr Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. Advertisement Policemen guard an area near an office of the PMC Wagner Centre, which is associated with the owner of the private military contractor, in St Petersburg (AP) But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he declared in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media, beginning late on Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Mr Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. Russias security services called for Mr Prigozhins arrest after he declared an armed rebellion on Friday night. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding area, restricting freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin are displayed among others for sale at a souvenir shop in St Petersburg (AP) It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin said his aim was to punish defence minister Sergei Shoigu after Russian government forces attacked Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner, Mr Prigozin said. Advertisement He added that Wagners forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, although there was no independent confirmation of this. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 After MR Putins address, in which the Russian leader did not mention concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity in the face of the revolt, officials and state media personalities sought to publicly reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said legislators stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Advertisement While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probe Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Mr Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. Military vehicles parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (Screengrab/AP) In his Telegram channel, Mr Zelenskiy noted the rebellion and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. The Ukrainian leader said: For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the defence ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among the Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself (AP) Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Ms Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military top brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. World Timeline: How mercenary revolt has gathered pace i... Read More Col Gen Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. At the White House, US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. Universities in Victoria and Queensland have to disclose their consultant spending, but elsewhere the use of consultancy firms can be hard to spot in annual reports, sometimes listed under ambiguous titles such as business services or lumped in with other figures. Loading The University of Western Australias annual report says it spent $34 million on professional fees in 2022, for example, but it declined to confirm its consultancy spend when asked. The University of Adelaide spent $23 million on consultancy and specialist services and Macquarie University paid $47 million for consultants and contractors but did not provide a figure just for consultants. The Australian National University said it couldnt disclose its 2022 spend until its annual report was tabled in parliament, but previous reports reveal it spent $50 million in 2021 and $65 million the year before that. At universities that did publish a detailed breakdown of their spending, specialist consultants such as architects and cybersecurity experts were often brought in, but business consulting was even more common. Dr Alison Barnes of the National Tertiary Education Union said there would always be some reasons to hire consultants. But she said the union was particularly concerned about a growing use of expensive firms to handle restructures and redundancies, shifting more decisions about the future of higher education into the hands of auditors who rarely understand the sector. Thats how bad decisions happen, Barnes said. One UNSW staffer who was not authorised to speak publicly recalled how PwC rolled through the university in 2015. The firm was paid $25 million to help create its new 10-year strategy, leading to a major round of redundancies. Were still dealing with the fallout but it was a gravy train for them. They were carnivorous. On at least one occasion, a PWC consultant who had worked on the restructure moved into a high-ranking job at the UNSW soon afterwards. A spokeswoman for UNSW did not comment on the restructure, but said the university used consultants for a wide range of projects critical to student education and experience. This included future student recruitment, enhancing cybersecurity, academic program reviews and enriching the campus environment, the spokeswoman said. In 2022, UNSW ramped up spending on its core IT infrastructure, and the increased use of consultants in part reflects the difficulty of recruiting IT staff in a tight IT labour market. PwC did not respond to questions put to it by this masthead, saying it did not comment on client work. UNSW spent $38 million on consultants in 2022. Credit: James Alcock Professor Sharon Bell has been following the rise of consultants in universities, and said the revolving door between the Big Four firms, government departments and universities is well known. You even see vice-chancellors going over to firms, she said. Experts such as Bell warn big consultancy firms sometimes overhype their expertise. This is especially stark when consultants are hired by the university sector, as the countrys top experts may already be on staff. Universities now also make lucrative revenue from consulting themselves. Still, consultants put university executive boards at ease, Bell said. When they came under pressure to slim down after Howard-era reforms, they turned to the same consultants trusted by governments. So a big firm consulting became like a tick of approval on their application for infrastructure funding, say, Bell said. But now consultants have expanded beyond auditing, which is really their core expertise, into actual education and strategic planning. Loading Firms will often apply corporate templates that dont suit public universities, said Bell, who has sat through many consultant reviews during her in 30 years in academia. Theyre always beautifully presented, with great graphics, but that polish hides the noise, the context, you need for complex decisions. At the University of Melbourne, some academics have questioned why a real estate and investment firm was hired to run a teaching and learning strategy review of the Faculty of Engineering and IT, for example. A University of Melbourne spokeswoman said using a wide range of consultants to better inform and guide our processes and operations ... allows the university to focus on its research and teaching. The university spent $10 million across the Big Four firms in 2022, she said, but about half of that was the first phase of a major IT and HR replacement system project. The university spent $15.6 million more on consultants in 2022 than it did in 2019. But the spokeswoman said this still only represented 1 per cent of total expenses. Monash Universitys consultant bill has also been ramping up, rising from $11.7 million in 2019 to $16.6 million last year, and La Trobe Universitys jumped from $7 million to $10.8 million in 2022. La Trobe and the University of Queensland said much of their consultancy spending last year related to major infrastructure builds. Across NSW universities, the state auditor-general found that spending on both consultants and contractors was also rising after a pandemic lull, jumping by $92.9 million or 25 per cent between 2021 and 2022. At The University of Sydney, where the spending disclosed sat in the lower end for Australias top 10 universities in 2022 (at $17 million), a spokeswoman said: We are fortunate to have a range of expertise at the university. But, she added, bringing in consultants could introduce an objective perspective or allow staff to upskill through relationships with industry experts. Doctor Andy Tagg says being an emergency physician can sometimes feel a bit like being a nightclub bouncer. You learn to read the crowd and remain alert for signs of looming danger. Western Health, where Andy Tagg works, has reported a 59 per cent drop in workplace injuries and leave due to instances of violence. Credit: Jason South In the past 25 years, Tagg has been spat at and sworn at. Cups of coffee, chairs, trays of food and fire extinguishers have been hurled at him and his colleagues. But most vivid in his mind are patients who have wielded intravenous drips or scalpels as weapons. I remember one patient who was really distressed partly because of medical reasons, and also being under the influence of drugs and or alcohol, and they were standing in a cubicle ... waving a scalpel around the place, Tagg said. A second sporting body has launched an investigation into possible breaches of its code of conduct after images emerged online of jockey Jamie Kah with a white powder alongside greyhound trainer Jacob Biddell. Greyhound Racing Victoria has begun making initial inquiries into whether Biddell has breached its rules of racing. Investigations are underway after images emerged of Jamie Kah and Jacob Biddell. Credit: Twitter The trainer was captured alongside Kah in images circulated on social media days after the Melbourne jockey announced she was returning to racing following a high-speed fall. Greyhound Racing Victoria spokesman Andrew Holmes said the clubs integrity unit was expected to make contact with Biddell in coming days, after recently being made aware of the images. For Vladimir Putin, this is the end of the road. He may just survive an armed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries but he will be permanently damaged and his Kremlin days are numbered. Vladimir Putin has faced down an uprising. Credit: Aresna Villanueva Putins aura of invincibility and control, badly fractured by his misguided and failed invasion of Ukraine, will now be shattered. Russians prefer their leaders to be tough and regard weakness as terminal. So where are we? The leader of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin has launched a rebellion that threatens Vladimir Putins grip on power and could spark an all-out civil war in Russia. Prigozhin took control of military headquarters at Rostov and a Wagner column is on its way to Moscow. A military column was seen passing through the city of Voronezh region en route to the capital. Part of a Wagner convoy on the M4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russias southern cities. Credit: Reuters Putin has reacted angrily. Hes called this treason, a stab in the back and armed mutiny. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, called for armed rebellion and reached the southern city of Rostov-on-Don with his troops, in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday. Credit: Kremlin handout He has vowed to crush the rebellion. He made these comments in a live televised address. Read more from our Europe correspondent Rob Harris: A stab in the back: Putin says those involved in mutiny will be punished A couple of things to keep in mind here: Prigozhin has been fiercely critical, not of Putin, but of the way Russia has fought this war and escaped any punishment. He has been on the frontlines and spent months churning through Russian men for the strategically-pointless town of Bakhmut. He is closer to the forces actually fighting the war than Putin and therefore will be more in touch with local commanders. So Prigozhins ability to garner loyalty is high. Take careful note of the patriotic messaging in all his comments launching and defending the rebellion. Read more on Prigozhin from reporter Sherryn Groch: Whos behind Wagner, the most notorious mercenary group in the world? But he does not have the numbers to take on Putin. So, its very possible that he is put down, per Putins wishes. But either way, its still disastrous for Putin. His grip on power has been weakened. Part of the surprise surrounding the potential political implosion is the timing. One of my sources just told me that the expectation amongst allies was that this was all still some time away. Read more: Amid infighting among Putins lieutenants, Prigozhin appears to have taken a step too far Madrid: Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has called off his paramilitary insurrection against the Kremlins armed forces just hours before a potential assault on Moscow, which had threatened to be the first coup attempt in the country for three decades. Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, said his convoy of troops, weapons and tanks would stop their journey towards Moscow on Saturday evening and return to their bases. In return, he has agreed to leave Russia for Belarus as part of a deal to end the uprising, while charges against him for organising it will be dropped, the Kremlin said on Saturday. It followed 24 hours of crisis in which the Kremlin scrambled to turn the capital into a fortress to fight off the rebels, who had threatened to overthrow President Vladimir Putin and take charge of the military. Putin, whose enemies say hes been weakened and humiliated by the events, had asked Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a long-time ally, to mediate in the hope of avoiding any further bloodshed because after the group seized control of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and shot down multiple Russian aircraft as part of the insurgency. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In these Explainers weve delved into the machinations of the Kremlin and Russias invasion of Ukraine, bringing context to the news and the people behind it. See all 9 stories . There were about 40 American soldiers left at the dusty outpost in eastern Syria, and, with every hour, they were watching the enemy advance. These were pro-Assad forces on the horizon, hundreds of them, here to seize territory from US-backed Kurdish fighters. And yet, when the Americans embedded with the Kurds eavesdropped on the enemys radio waves that day in February 2018, they heard Russian voices. As the troops attacked, unleashing a fierce barrage of gun and tank fire, US military command called the Kremlin, urging them to call off the assault. The US and Russia had long avoided direct combat and there were fears this could spark a major diplomatic crisis, with both powers helping different sides in the Syrian civil war. But Moscow assured their US counterparts no Russians were in the area. So who was attacking? That battle ended in a devastating air raid by the US to protect their men. About 200 attacking troops were killed in the strikes, many of them Russian mercenaries. When the dust cleared, neither the US nor Russia were in a hurry to admit theyd just attacked one another. After all, the mercenaries were not renegades working for just anyone. They were the Wagner Group, a shadowy network of former Russian soldiers that has served as an unofficial arm of the Kremlin since it first invaded Crimea in Ukraine in 2014. From seizing diamond mines in Africa to prowling the streets of Kyiv with alleged orders to murder Ukraines president, Wagner has been turning up more and more in conflicts across the globe as Russia seeks to expand its influence. Then in 2022, the group began propping up Vladimir Putins bloody and costly war in Ukraine, recruiting from Russian prisons to continue meat grinder campaigns in the east. Wagner fighters were among the first charged with war crimes there, and an ex-commander who fled through Arctic ice and barbed wire to seek asylum in Norway claims to have witnessed executions by the group. Now, Wagners financier, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the oligarch known as Putins chef, has stepped up from warring with Russian generals over who should take credit for wins on the field to actual rebellion: launching a coup attempt against Kremlin defence chiefs on June 23 that threatened to plunge Russia into civil war. Russian and Wagner forces fired on one another over a chaotic 24 hours before, just as suddenly, the coup was called off Wagner tanks rolling towards Moscow turned around and Prigozhin himself took a deal for exile in neighbouring Belarus, to avoid criminal prosecution back home. So what do we know about Putins shadow army from their skull logo and coded recruitment to their neo-Nazi leanings? And how did they step out into the spotlight in the Ukraine war? This explainer was originally published on Oct 9 2022 and has been updated to reflect developments. It contains graphic content. Advertisement Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin finances Wagner Group which has deployed mercenaries to Ukraine, Syria and across Africa. Credit: What is Wagner Group? Officially, Wagner doesnt exist. Mercenaries contractors who fight wars for money rather than as part of an army arent legal in Russia (nor in most countries, including the US and Australia, in light of international bans). But private groups of this kind still operate all around the world, including Americas Blackwater (now known as Academi), whose staff were convicted of killing Iraqi civilians in 2007. Wagner has left its own (much larger) trail of war crimes across the globe, says the chair of the UN working group on mercenaries, Dr Sorcha MacLeod. Russia is not the only country with a mercenary group, she says. We know Turkey has one too, but Wagner, based on what we know about where its been and where it operates, seems to be the biggest. Its really a proxy force of the Russian state. Wagner is pronounced Vagner for Hitlers favourite composer. Its also the call sign of the groups unconfirmed leader, Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian military intelligence lieutenant, Wagner fan and suspected neo-Nazi. Wagner emerged in 2014 as Russia seized Crimea, part of the little green men (soldiers in unmarked green uniforms) sent in to take Ukrainian territory. Utkin himself was wounded in the fighting that became the long-running war of the Donbas. Its about plausible deniability ... Russia says mercenaries arent permitted under law, so they cant be doing that. Unofficially, Wagner mercenaries are sometimes called the cleaners or the orchestra, known for making noise with brutal onslaughts. In Syria, theyve backed Bashar al-Assads regime and guarded lucrative oil fields; in Libya, they joined the forces of rebel general Khalifa Haftar in 2019 after he attacked the UN-backed government in the capital, Tripoli. And across Africa, theyve been brought in to help military governments crack down on rebellion and terrorist cells (and seize diamond mines). Advertisement In Ukraine, they had been fighting in large numbers, reportedly rented out as a strike team by Russian army units and even acting as a regular part of the military. Using mercenaries means Russia can distance itself from Wagner atrocities the group often do the Kremlins dirty work and it helps quell fears at home of Russian soldiers returning in body bags. Its about plausible deniability, says MacLeod. Russia says and has said when weve sent them allegation letters [over Wagner] human rights violations that mercenaries arent permitted under Russian law, so they cant be doing that. Wagner Group fighters in Syria. Hired guns are not new popes and kings have used them and, historically, theyve been known for brutality. They do not have the same chain of command and oversight that regular armies do. But, in modern times, Wagner has taken that to a new level, says MacLeod. Theres no ID numbers, or uniforms, no accountability. Locals might recognise them as the white guys, or the Russians, even as Wagner, but usually thats as far as it goes. Fighters are made to sign non-disclosure agreements and are hired through a complex web of shell companies. In fact, many experts now understand the group as more of a network of Russian military contractors code for the Kremlin outsourcing rather than one single business entity. Of course, for an organisation like this that operates in the shadows, it suits them for there to be speculation about who they are, their size, where they are, MacLeod says. That adds to the mystique. Still, journalists and international investigators such as MacLeod have pieced together a picture of how Wagner operates. Advertisement Putins chef: Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, serves food to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a banquet in 2011. Credit: AP Who (and how) does Wagner recruit? The group typically recruits in code, says researcher Isabella Currie at La Trobe University, offering spots to musicians on tour for the Wagner Conservatory or, more recently, for a picnic in Ukraine. Sometimes they will pose with violins or other musical instruments in photos from the battlefield. Its a joke and everyones in on it, Currie says. Its just that the joke is terrifying. Recruits tend to be ex-military personnel, in their 30s and 40s, often with criminal histories or hailing from small Russian towns without much work. They have a reputation as elite fighters, more seasoned (and better paid) than the typical Russian soldier. The bar for selection and training, though, has been lowered more and more as they take big losses in Ukraine. Before the war, Wagner personnel were thought to number around 10,000. As of December, US intelligence estimated Wagner had about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine 40,000 of them convicts freshly recruited from Russian prisons. Its casualties in combat are not recorded publicly and so, as researcher Dr Joana de Deus Pereira writes, mercenaries can vanish without a name. Sometimes bodies of slain soldiers are not recovered or their families are denied agreed compensation, told their loved one wasnt a soldier at all but was working for a gas company or some other front. When Prigozhin launched his attempted coup in 2023, he claimed he had 25,000 men ready to die to save Russia and another 25,000 after that, but the exact number of their forces now is unclear. Recent digital recruitment stickers made in an online Wagner channel based on US Uncle Sam. It says We Need You. Advertisement Who runs Wagner? Western intelligence agencies have long known Wagner is financed by Prigozhin, often called Putins chef for his lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin and close ties to the Russian president. (Prigozhin is also wanted by the United States for funding the state-backed troll farm, the Internet Research Agency, which is accused of influencing the 2016 US presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.) But for years, Prigozhin (who turned a hotdog stand into a food empire after serving serious prison time) vehemently denied the Wagner connection. He sued journalists who made the link, even as he raked in wealth from the groups deployments overseas in Syria and Africa. Then, in September 2022, Prigozhin finally admitted he owned Wagner, having been filmed touring prisons to offer convicts early release in exchange for six months fighting alongside Wagner in Ukraine. I cleaned the old weapons myself, sorted out the bulletproof vests myself, Prigozhin said in a statement. From that moment, on May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later came to be called the Wagner Battalion. I am proud that I was able to defend their right to protect the interests of their country. Experts suspect the Russian state has directly bankrolled parts of Wagner too, supplying them with weapons, aircraft and training. The French government has accused the Kremlin of providing material support to Wagner where it operates in Mali, West Africa, for example. Back home, Wagners training base is next door to that of the Russian army, although officially the site is listed as a childrens holiday camp. And there have been cases of Wagner troops evacuated from conflict zones to Russian military hospitals, Currie says, including after that 2018 US air strike on attacking Wagner forces in Syria. Generally, private military companies would not receive such benefits, specialised military health care, from the state. In 2021, Russian journalist Ilya Barabanov, along with Nader Ibrahim at the BBC, stumbled upon a discarded Wagner tablet and uncovered a shopping list of weapons and equipment the organisation had sent Russian authorities directly. Its not the only time the group has been careless. In August, a pro-Kremlin war blogger inadvertently revealed the location of Wagners main base in eastern Luhansk, Ukraine, when he posted a photo with fighters there. Within days, Ukrainian rockets had reduced it to rubble. Currie recalls seeing the image pop up on open-source intelligence channels, as investigators around the world scrambled to identify its location. There were clues like a sign on a building we were looking at. Then I woke up the next day and someone had cracked it. The Ukrainians had taken it out. Authorities from the US and Canada began the process of investigating the cause of the fatal Titan submersible implosion even as they grappled with questions of who was responsible for determining how the tragedy unfolded. A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed, killing all five people aboard, the US Coast Guard said. Debris was located about 12,500 feet (3810 meters) underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore. OceanGate Titan ready for a Titanic expedition in 2022. The US Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission, which was a massive international effort that likely cost millions of dollars. It was not entirely clear yet who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the US but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington, but closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titans mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada, and those killed were from England, Pakistan, France, and the US. Washington: US intelligence agencies werent able to determine whether researchers at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, who fell sick in the fall of 2019 were infected with COVID-19, which soon spread around the world, according to a declassified report. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence unveiled details about scientists at Wuhan Institute of Virology who fell ill in 2019 before the first documented COVID infections, as well as coronavirus research conducted at the lab by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. Researcher Shi Zhengli works in a lab of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Credit: AP However, none of the released intelligence definitively pointed to lab-related work as the cause of the pandemic, which has caused nearly 7 million deaths. The report comes months after US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law requiring the declassification of intelligence related to the pandemics potential links to the lab. It will do little to settle the hotly contested debate over how COVID-19 started, already the source of partisan clashes and probes. The US governments role in searching for the missing submersible Titan has cost about $US934,000 ($1.4 million) to date, according to a defence budget experts preliminary estimate and research conducted by The Washington Post. The relatively modest sum may surprise some critics who have argued that the response to the Titan tragedy, involving an international consortium of ships, aircraft and advanced technology, jeopardised others lives to hunt for what was widely believed to be a doomed expedition once contact with the craft was lost less than two hours into its two-mile dive to the Titanic. The vessels Horizon Arctic, Deep Energy and Skandi Vinland search for the missing submersible Titan during the week. Credit: Maxar via AP The full, final figure certainly could surpass this initial tally, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who produced the estimate at The Posts request. US Coast Guard officials have said specialists would continue to remotely survey the scattered debris located several hundred feet off the Titanics bow, even though the mission was expected to demobilise by midday Friday. And it is unclear if either the US and Canadian militaries will take part in any operation to recover what remains of the Titan, which officials described as having suffered a catastrophic implosion that ripped it apart. Go First lenders are likely to support the airline's request for Rs 400 crore interim funding to restart the operations. Go First temporarily halted operations on May 2 and was admitted under the insolvency process on May 10. On Wednesday, the airline's resolution professional Shailendra Ajmera submitted a business plan and a request for over Rs 400 crore to the airline's committee of creditors (CoC). The CoC comprises Go First's lenders - Bank of Baroda, Central Bank, Deutsche Bank and IDBI Bank - which collectively have an exposure of over Rs 6500 crore to the airline. "Bank representatives met again on Thursday to discuss the airline's funding request. The airline's revival plan has been analysed," said a person familiar with the process. The lenders are expected to decide in the next two-three days and after which boards of respective banks would authorise additional funding. The additional funds would be treated as interim finance which has priority over all other debt under the insolvency process. Go First plans to operate around 150 daily flights with 22 aircraft in the initial phase. Ajmera and senior executives have also apprised DGCA officials about the restart efforts and addressed their concerns. For the regulator, the main concern is the airline's financial sustainability, airworthiness and consumer interest. Go First intends to start operations on July 1 and needs DGCA approval for the restart and sale of tickets. While revival efforts are underway, Go First is also challenging engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney's (P&W) application for a stay on an arbitral award. Also Read 15% of pilots in India are women, 3 times more than global average: DGCA DGCA slams Air India's handling of urination incident as 'unprofessional' Use 'restraining devices' if needed: DGCA to airlines on unruly passengers Air India didn't report second peeing incident to DGCA; notice issued DGCA issues show-cause notice to Go First for leaving behind 55 passengers Coal Ministry nod to hike in wage of Coal India non-executive employees TCS suspends 4 for violating code of conduct after whistleblower complaint Mature start-ups need fully functional boards: Auditing major Deloitte Prosus, Peak XV Partners, CZI confirm stepping down from Byju's Board TCS say no recruitment fraud; issue relates to breach of Code of Conduct On March 30, Go First secured interim relief from Singapore International Arbitration Centre when it directed P&W to supply the airline with a certain number of spare engines till December 2023. The engine manufacturer was ordered to take all reasonable steps and release without delay at least ten serviceable spare leased engines within 28 days of the order and a further ten spare leased engines each month until December. P&W and Go First did not respond to queries. Earlier in May while opposing Go First's enforcement application in a US court, the engine manufacturer said the airline has not right over engines. Go First is opposing P&W's application before SIAC citing its revival efforts, it is learned. Unsubscribe to continue This is a subscriber only feature Subscribe Now to get daily updates on WhatsApp Amazon is upping its investment in India by committing an additional $15 billion in the country over the next 7 years. This will take Amazon's total India investment across all businesses to $26 billion. The announcement came as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US. In a tweet, Jassy said, Discussed Amazons commitment to invest $26B in India by 2030; working together we will support startups, create jobs, enable exports, and empower individuals and small businesses to compete globally. According to the Amazon.in blog post, Amazon has pledged to digitise 10 million small businesses, enable $20 billion in exports, and create 2 million jobs in India by 2025. Currently, Amazon India has already digitised over 6.2 million small businesses, enabled over $7 billion in exports, and created over 1.3 million direct and indirect jobs. The company recently completed 10 years in India. Its been an incredible journey of making an Amazon in India, for India. We are truly just getting started. With a young and vibrant population, rising income levels, and increasing penetration of the internet and social media, the future is exciting, said Manish Tiwary, VP and country manager, Consumer Business, Amazon India in a company blog post as the company celebrated a decade here. One of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's close allies and former deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, on Saturday called on the British Indian leader to up the government's game to reap the full dividends of a closer partnership with India. Dominic Raab, who led Sunak's leadership campaign and served as his Foreign Secretary before being forced to resign amid bullying allegations, wrote in The Daily Telegraph' that more can be achieved within the bilateral relationship with the UK's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage now in charge at Downing Street. He pointed to India's particular comparative advantage in tech against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile visit to the US this week during which mega deals were struck. With the UK's historic ties to India, and our first UK Prime Minister of Indian heritage, are we doing enough to maximise the rewards from this critical relationship, questions Raab. With Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Britain remains uniquely placed to reap the dividends of a deeper friendship with India. To do so, we'll need to up our game across the whole of government, writes the Conservative Party MP. He notes that India as the world's fifth largest economy predicted to overtake the Eurozone within 30 years, offers enormous trade opportunities as investor sentiment warms with investment in roads, and a large well-educated local talent pool to draw from. Also Read Here's how climate change is fueling wildfires in the US and Canada Canada forest fires intensify, worsen air quality in Canada, United States Keep Calm & Carry On: UK tests first-ever phone-based emergency alert Dominic Raab quits as deputy PM; spotlight now turns to Rishi Sunak UK minister Dominic Johnson begins India visit with focus on tech ties Mass movement to be launched against drug menace in Himachal: Dy CM 44% feel e-shopping better for quality vegetables, 56% vote for offline Govt holds all-party meet on Manipur to discuss current situation Delhi can expect first showers of monsoon season in next two days: IMD Monsoon advances till Alibag in Maha, set to hit Mumbai in 48 hours: IMD When it comes to defence procurement, India is the world's largest importer of military hardware. Again, Modi is in the market for joint ventures that allow tech transfer to help build up homegrown production. For the West, it is an opportunity to wean India off imports of Russian weapons, he writes. India's economic rise and geopolitical salience make it a linchpin partner, particularly as a counterweight to China, he writes. Acknowledging India's own geopolitical compulsions, Raab admits India's refusal to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in the same terms as the West as maddening. But as a leading member of the non-aligned group, India has far-reaching influence amongst developing countries. That could be useful to the West in areas of common interest, like China the case for cooperating more closely with India just gets stronger, he writes. Reflecting his own frustrations with the civil service apparatus, which is referred to as the Whitehall blob in ministerial circles, Raab laments that an "ossified Whitehall bureaucracy has given France the edge over British aerospace firms in supplying India the new fighter jets it needs an order of French Rafales is now expected. FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations were launched, cooperation intensified during COVID on the supply of vital goods from Personal Protective Equipment to paracetamol, with pledges to collaborate on tech and critical minerals, and a commitment to pursue mutual defence procurement. But this relationship requires constant focus to deliver results, added Raab. The Delhi BJP, led by its chief Virendra Sachdeva, held a protest at the Jal Board headquarters on Saturday over a "shortage" of drinking water in the city. Many of them held placards with messages in Hindi demanding "clean water or resignation" as they protested at the 'Varunalaya', the headquarters of the Delhi Jal Board. Various other senior BJP leaders such as Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Kuljeet Singh Chahal also joined in the stir. "Today, at the Delhi Jal Board headquarters, a protest was held against the Kejriwal government regarding the shortage of drinking water in Delhi," Sachdeva tweeted with pictures from the protest site. Delhi's water situation has become "so bad that even in the posh Civil Line area where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lives, taps are dry and the water that comes is not potable," he alleged in his tweet in Hindi. "Shame on such a Chief Minister who builds a Sheeshmahal for himself but is not even able to provide clean water to the people of Delhi. In the same way, we will continue to fight for the interests of the people and will continue to expose the incompetent and corrupt Kejriwal government. #WaterCrisisInDelhi," the Delhi BJP president wrote on Twitter. Also Read Will immerse medals in Ganga, fast unto death: Protesting wrestlers Centre has sanctioned Rs 2,000 cr for Tripura under Jal Jeevan Mission: CM BJP leaders protest outside Delhi Assembly over pollution in Yamuna river India has committed over $240 bn in water sector: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Operation Sheesh Mahal: Why do BJP and Congress want Delhi CM to resign? PM Modi describes meeting Indian diaspora in US as 'sweet dish after meal' India's history, teachings influenced and shaped world: Kamala Harris 'This is the moment' to invest in India: PM Modi woos US investors British PM Sunak's ex-deputy Raab calls for UK to up its game on India ties Mass movement to be launched against drug menace in Himachal: Dy CM Chief Minister Kejriwal recently had asked DJB officials to prepare a detailed action plan to resolve the issue of water contamination in parts of the capital. On June 14, the chief minister had said that Delhi's water crisis will be resolved within the next two-three years with the government taking steps to enhance the water supply capacity by up to 300 million gallons a day (MGD). According to official estimates, around two crore residents of the capital need approximately 1,300 MGD of water for drinking and daily needs. But the Delhi Jal Board can supply only around 1,000 MGD, leaving many areas grappling with a shortage. Kejriwal had said the DJB's water supply capacity has increased from 850 MGD in 2015 to 1,000 MGD now and that he has set an ambitious target to further enhance it to a range of 1,200-1,300 MGD within two to three years. Delhi government has given a go-ahead to the registration of BS-VI compliant diesel vehicles, provided they are being utilised for services related to the G20 Summit, an official order said on Friday. In March, the apex court permitted the registration of BS-VI light and heavy diesel vehicles that are used for essential public services and public utility services. Citing the judgement, the transport department in an order issued earlier this week, said, "... the competent authority is pleased to allow the registration of the said BS VI compliant Diesel Vehicles, subject to submission of a proof of requisition by appropriate authorities such as Ministry of External Affairs or Embassies or Ministries or any other authority regarding the engagement of such vehicles for the purposes subservient to G20 Summit." It also directed the registering authorities to verify the authenticity of requisitions regarding the engagement of such vehicle(s) for the G-20 Summit submitted by the registered owner, before registering the vehicle. This order means that buses can be registered in Delhi, provided they have to be used for the summit. Officials said due to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, which cited an increase in pollution levels, diesel buses have not been registered in the national capital. 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 G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting: Guests welcomed with dance performance G20 foreign ministers' meeting today: Schedule, agenda, other details here LIVE: Blinken asks for 'contact' with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov PM Narendra Modi's US visit: Technology sharing, research key takeouts India, US working with renewed trust in areas of new tech: PM Modi We dance to beats of Diljit, do Yoga to stay fit, says Antony Blinken Combination of tech, talent will guarantee bright future: PM meets CEOs US Vice Prez Kamala Harris hosts luncheon for Prime Minister Narendra Modi Internet giant Google will set up its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat, its CEO Sundar Pichai said on Friday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. Pichai also said that his company continues to invest in India though its USD 10 billion India Digitisation Fund. Modi is visiting the US from June 21 to June 24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Besides Pichai, the prime minister at an interaction with top CEOs also met Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and AMD CEO Lisa Su, among others "Today we are announcing the opening of our global fintech operations centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. It will cement India's fintech leadership, thanks to UPI, and Aadhaar. We are going to build on that foundation and take it globally," Pichai said. The Indian-origin CEO said it is exciting to see the progress that the country has made, particularly around the vision of Digital India and the economic opportunity. "I met the prime minister in December, and we continued our conversation. We shared that Google is investing USD 10 billion in the India digitisation fund and we are continuing to invest through that, including in companies working on artificial intelligence. As part of that, we have a 100-language initiative. We are bringing bot to more Indian languages very soon," Pichai said. He said that the prime minister's vision for Digital India was ahead of its time. "I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do so," Pichai said. Also Read Google gearing up for another round of layoffs? Here's what CEO Pichai says Sundar Pichai pushes Googlers to spend more time improving its Bard AI Vaishnaw discusses India Stack, 'Make-in-India' with Sundar Pichai YouTube Shorts now averaging over 50 bn daily views: Sundar Pichai Google achieves quantum error correction milestone: Sundar Pichai Greenpeace brings Delhi govt's attention to mitigating impact of heatwaves Delhi govt allows registration of BS-VI compliant diesel vehicles for G20 PM Narendra Modi's US visit: Technology sharing, research key takeouts India, US working with renewed trust in areas of new tech: PM Modi We dance to beats of Diljit, do Yoga to stay fit, says Antony Blinken The ministry of external affairs in a tweet said Prime Minister Modi invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of artificial intelligence, fintech, and cybersecurity products and services, as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. They also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development, and skill development, the ministry added. In July 2020, Google had announced plans to invest USD 10 billion in India over next five to seven years as the search giant looks to help accelerate adoption of digital services in the key overseas market. During his visit to India in December last year, Pichai had announced that a part of the India Digitisation Fund (IDF) is increasingly focusing on startups from India and one-fourth amount of USD 300 million from the fund will be invested in entities that are led by women. Google had announced a collaboration with Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science to collect speech data from 773 districts across India to fine-tune its language translation and search technology. The internet major has announced a grant of USD 1 million to set up India's first responsible artificial intelligence centre at IIT Madras and USD 1 million grant via Google.Org to Wadhwani AI towards using advanced technology for better agricultural outcomes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday discussed deepening trade and economic relations with Egypt in his first meeting with the India Unit, a new group of high-level Egyptian ministers led by his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly. Seven members of the Egyptian Cabinet, led by Madbouly, were present at the meeting with Modi, the first engagement in Egypt, where he arrived this afternoon after a three-day visit to the US. At the outset, the Prime Minister thanked Egypt for setting up the dedicated high-level India Unit and appreciated the government's approach. An all-party meeting, convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, began on Saturday to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur. Nearly 120 people lost their lives and over 3,000 have been injured ever since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's farewell address to a gathering of the Indian-American diaspora on the last day of his four-day historic visit to the US, he said meeting them all was like "having a sweet dish after a meal." During his hour-long address at the Ronald Reagan Centre in Washington DC, the PM thanked the Indian community for turning up in large numbers and said "I can sense a mini-India converging here. I thank you all for coming here. I have received unprecedented love and affection during my stay in the US." Stating that the India-US partnership will be beneficial in the 21st century, PM Modi said, "You all play a crucial role in this partnership.... meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after a meal." During his address, the Prime Minister said, new US consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad and also it has been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself. He said people from India need no longer to go outside the US to renew H1B visas, which he said will majorly help IT professionals. The Prime Minister also lauded the role played by the Indian community in deepening the ties between US and India. Also Read Oscar nominations 2023 final list to be out today: Here's how to watch Oscars 2023 full winner list: Naatu Naatu bags Best Original song award PM Modi meets Oscar-winning The Elephant Whisperers' couple Bomman, Bellie Oscar nominations: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' leads pack; 3 nods for India Oscars 2023: A list of all the Indians that have won the Academy Award India's history, teachings influenced and shaped world: Kamala Harris 'This is the moment' to invest in India: PM Modi woos US investors British PM Sunak's ex-deputy Raab calls for UK to up its game on India ties Mass movement to be launched against drug menace in Himachal: Dy CM 44% feel e-shopping better for quality vegetables, 56% vote for offline The Prime Minister said it is a matter of pride for the Indians to see Made in India products in the US and witness India's talented individuals leading global companies, and observe the world dance to the tune of the Oscar-winning song 'Nattu Nattu'. PM Modi also appreciated the huge footfall witnessed on the International Day of Yoga at the UN Headquarters. He said, "You get delighted with every achievement of India. You feel proud that such a large number of countries of the world come together at the UN HQ for Yoga Day. You feel proud when you see Made in India at the supermarkets here. You feel proud when you see Indian talents leading the companies. You feel proud when the whole world dances to the tunes of 'Naatu Naatu..." "The partnership between India and the United States will make the world better in the 21st Century. You all play a crucial role in this partnership. I will be leaving for the airport straight from here, meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after food," said PM Modi while interacting with a cheerful Indian diaspora. The address and interaction with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Centre was PM Modi's last scheduled programme during his four-day historic State visit to the US. Earlier, he had interacted with the Indian diaspora following his address at the Kennedy Centre. The hall began reverberating with the chants of "Modi-Modi" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". PM Modi headed towards the airport directly from the Ronald Reagan Centre, from where he emplaned to Egypt. Upon arrival in Egypt, PM Modi will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora there. He will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque and will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Across China: Kashgar blends multi-ethnic culture, facilitates Eurasian commerce Xinhua) 14:40, June 24, 2023 Tourists visit the ancient city of Kashgar scenic area in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) KASHGAR, Xinjiang, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Ostangboyi, a teahouse nestled in the old town area of Kashgar City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has become a beloved gathering place for neighbors, locals and merchants alike. Here, amid the winding streets and ancient architecture, they can savor a cup of tea, engage in lively conversations and immerse themselves in the timeless beauty of their surroundings. "With over a hundred years of history, the art of tea brewing may have evolved, but people's enduring passion for tea remains unwavering," said Memetkerim Memet, the teahouse's manager. The rich heritage of Kashgar came alive as tea from south of the Yangtze River found its way to the western region of Xinjiang along the ancient Silk Road, integrating seamlessly into the lives of the locals. In ancient times, Kashgar served as a vital transportation hub, connecting China with Central Asia and South Asia, said Xiao Xiaoyong, a professor at the Minzu University of China, adding that the confluence of diverse ethnic cultures in this region has given rise to a wealth of historical and cultural treasures. Today, Kashgar has harnessed its cultural and geographical advantages, transforming into a unique tourist destination that blends history and modernity. Through favorable policies, improved infrastructure, and the promotion of cross-border exchanges, the city has also emerged as a catalyst for Eurasian commerce. WHERE HISTORY MEETS MODERNITY On the second-floor balcony of the teahouse, people joyfully sway to the enchanting melodies of the rawap, a stringed instrument, and the rhythmic beats of tambourines. However, this place may not have always been as welcoming to tourists in the past. "Houses in the old town were predominantly constructed using brick and wood structures. They lacked resilience against earthquakes and faced potential dangers, such as walls vulnerable to flood damage and limitations in fire rescue capabilities," said Memet Usman, father of Memetkerim Memet and the teahouse's former manager. In 2010, a project was initiated with an investment of over 7 billion yuan (about 975 million U.S. dollars) to revamp the dilapidated houses. It involved a population of more than 200,000 people and an area of 8 square km in the old town. As a result, more than 7,000 traditional dwellings of historical and cultural significance were repaired and reinforced while preserving their original spatial patterns. "The measures taken by the Chinese government to transform the old town of Kashgar are admirable," said Mohanad A.A. Alaklouk, permanent representative of Palestine to the Arab League, during his visit as a delegate of diplomats and officials from the Arab League and its Secretariat in May. "This transformation has not only brought great changes to the residents' living environment and conditions, but more importantly, has preserved the local cultural characteristics," said Alaklouk. Beyond the tangible architectural rejuvenation, Kashgar cherishes its intangible cultural heritage. Zulpukar Ababakri is an inheritor of the Kashgar pottery tradition, which produces both household items and ornaments. "For thousands of years, despite the evolution and innovation in earthenware techniques, the patterns of clouds, peaches, roses and grapes -- symbolizing fortune, good health and happiness in Chinese culture -- have remained intact and continue to captivate the multi-ethnic community of Kashgar," Zulpukar Ababakri said. Kashgar not only celebrates its indigenous culture but also embraces the world with open arms. Hadiya Msham Abulla, a student from Tanzania who studied medicine in China, is now married to her Uygur husband Dilshat Tursun. The couple started running a coffee shop in the old town of Kashgar this year. Through live streams and online platforms, they share their stories and products with a global audience. "The ancient city of Kashgar is a place of passion and fantasy. Despite living in a foreign land, I sense the feeling of home from the hospitable people," she said. According to the Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau of the Kashgar Prefecture, the region welcomed over 11 million tourists in the first five months of 2023, marking an 83.48 percent increase year on year, and resulting in tourism revenue of nearly 8.6 billion yuan, up 114.7 percent. PASSAGE TO EURASIA Earlier this month, 25 trucks loaded with containers departed from Kashgar. After arriving at the railway station of the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, containers were transferred onto trains bound for Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. It was a trial run for Kashgar to facilitate cross-border trade through the implementation of multimodal transport systems, ahead of the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. "Kashgar is a passage connecting China to Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and even Europe. We are dedicated to providing support in streamlining customs clearance for foreign trade enterprises and ensuring the stability of industrial chains and supply chains," said Cao Hongjian of Kashgar Customs. Kashgar has emerged as an attractive destination for enterprises seeking to capitalize on its key location. One such enterprise is Zhongshun E-commerce Co., Ltd., a foreign trade company established in Kashgar's comprehensive bonded zone in 2020. "We collect goods from the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta and gather them in Kashgar, before dispatching them to Central Asia, Europe and other places. Presently, we process over 120,000 e-commerce orders daily," said Zhang Qi, the general manager of Zhongshun. Ma Haitao, director of the zone's management committee, said that there are currently over 350 registered enterprises in the zone, including more than 280 trade and logistics companies and nearly 40 ones for manufacturing and processing. In 2022, the value of cross-border e-commerce in the zone reached 1.29 billion yuan, up 291 percent year on year. "With the development of cross-border e-commerce, general trade and processing trade with a longer value chain have also started to release their growth potential," said Ma. An artist performs a show of intangible cultural heritage in the ancient city of Kashgar scenic area in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) People spend their leisure time at a teahouse in the ancient city of Kashgar scenic area in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) This photo shows tourists at the east gate of the ancient city of Kashgar scenic area in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) This aerial photo shows a view of the ancient city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, March 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the Manipur situation since day one and "guiding us with full sensitivity" to find a solution to the problem, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said at an all-party meeting held on Saturday. Sources said Shah told the meeting the situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal and not a single person has died since June 13 in violence in the state. The home minister solicited cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest. So far, 1,800 looted weapons have been surrendered. Eighteen political parties including the BJP and four MPs from northeast and two chief ministers from the region attended the meeting. The home minister said all political parties sensitively and apolitically gave their suggestions for restoration of peace in Manipur and the Central government will consider them with an open mind. 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: Shah speaks to CMs of neighbouring states; holds 2 VCs 'Not consulted over CM's presence': Kuki members to boycott peace committee K T Rama Rao demands MGNREGA-like job guarantee scheme for urban poor Negotiating with Centre for rice for Anna Bhagya scheme: K'taka CM Telangana CM to launch 'podu' land pattas distribution on June 30 PM Narendra Modi arrives in Egypt's Cairo on a two-day state visit World Bank approves $255.5 mn loan for better education in govt institution The opposition parties have been critical of the Centre's handling of the Manipur situation and have questioned the prime minister's "silence" on the issue. Shah said Prime Minister Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur since day one and "guiding us with full sensitivity" to find a solution to the problem, the sources said. The meeting with leaders of various political parties was convened in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur. Shah told the meeting the Modi government is committed to solve the Manipur problem by taking everyone together, sources said. The priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state, he said. The home minister said 36,000 security personnel including 40 IPS officers have been deployed in Manipur, while 20 medical teams have also been sent, according to the sources. The supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured, he said. Fencing work on the 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, while tendering exercise for 80 km of the border fencing has been completed and a survey of the remaining border is underway, Shah told the meeting. He expressed gratitude on behalf of Prime Minister Modi and the government to all political parties for giving "useful suggestions" to resolve the Manipur issue. Meanwhile, according to the sources, BJP President JP Nadda said in the meeting that all possible steps are being taken by the Centre and the Home Minister to find a solution to the Manipur problem at the earliest. Prime Minister Modi has been keeping an eye on this whole issue since day one, Nadda was quoted as saying by sources. The Manipur issue is very sensitive and needs to be handled with sensitivity, he said. The government discussed the useful suggestions given by all political parties with an open mind and assured them the government will take all possible steps to solve the problem, the sources said. Nadda said the Manipur issue is rooted in many historical factors which have also led to the current flare-up. The home minister himself stayed in Manipur for four days and held a detailed discussion with all groups and visited relief camps, Nadda said, adding Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stayed there for more than 20 days. "The Modi government is doing everything possible to bring the situation back to normal, we are sure that peace will return to Manipur very soon," Nadda was quoted as saying by the sources. Quality of telecom services will deteriorate in central Delhi due to the new norms notified by New Delhi Municipal Corporation, telecom infrastructure body DIPA claimed on Saturday. Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) has opposed the charges for existing and new mobile towers as well as multiple layers of clearances on case to case basis notified by NDMC on June 22. "The quality of telecom connectivity is definitely going to be impacted and may also get deprived due to the restrictions imposed by the NDMC," DIPA said in a statement. NDMC has notified Rs 2 lakh non-interest bearing refundable security deposit at the time of initial granting of permission. Besides security deposit, NDMC has notified one-time permission charges in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for rooftop base stations. For ground base tower, NDMC has increased one time permission charges to Rs 3 lakh for 5 years from Rs 2 lakh earlier and notified Rs 25,000 for pole-based sites for five years. Also Read Ahead of G20 Summit, NDMC gears up to showcase summer flowers in New Delhi Gymnast Dipa Karmakar handed 21-month ban after failing dope test Dipa Karmakar announces settlement of doping case, suspension reduced NDMC approves installation of telecom towers, allotment of municipal spaces MHA approves regularisation of NDMC's 4,500 regular muster roll employees PM monitoring Manipur situation, no death since Jun 13: Shah at party meet K T Rama Rao demands MGNREGA-like job guarantee scheme for urban poor Negotiating with Centre for rice for Anna Bhagya scheme: K'taka CM Telangana CM to launch 'podu' land pattas distribution on June 30 PM Narendra Modi arrives in Egypt's Cairo on a two-day state visit According to the policy notified by the centre, telecom companies are required to pay only Rs 300 per pole in urban areas. "It is very unfortunate that despite various representations made by DIPA, NDMC has issued a policy which is totally non-implementable," DIPA Director General TR Dua said in the statement. He urged NDMC Chairperson and Member Amit Yadav to take immediate action to amend this NDMC Policy dated June 22, 2023, and implement a Uniform Right of Way policy that is fully aligned with the RoW Rules of 2016 and its subsequent amendments. "The charges mentioned therein both in respect of existing as well as for future towers are too high, and the conditions are too stringent. Although the initial policy mentions a single window clearance, it later introduces several agencies and committees for approvals on a case-to-case basis," DIPA said. The industry body, which represents companies like Indus Towers, ATC etc, said that it has made several submissions requesting the alignment of Delhi NCT RoW policy with the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016, and amendments notified in in it by the Department of Telecommunications. A man from Gujarat's Vadodara city has been arrested for posing as a PMO official to secure the admission of two children in a private school here and trying to dupe it of huge sums with his fake identity, an official said on Saturday. The arrest of Mayank Tiwari on Friday comes months after an Ahmedabad resident, Kiran Patel, was held from a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir for posing as a senior official from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Hospitality apart, Patel had also enjoyed security cover by tricking officials in the Valley. Identifying himself as a director (strategic advisory) at the PMO in New Delhi, Tiwari first got in touch with the school and its trustee in March 2022, during the admission season, said the official from Waghodia police station in the city. Tiwari, a middle-aged man, sought the school's help with the admission of two sons of his family friend, whom he described as Indian Army official Mirza Baig and said he was being transferred to Vadodara from Pune, the official said. The school's director asked Tiwari, whose WhatsApp status said he was a PMO official, to meet the trustee, who is also associated with a private university in Vadodara. To impress upon the trustee, Tiwari told her that he could use his clout as a PMO official and get the school involved in the field of education research and get them various projects if they took care of the expenses, the official said. Also Read Now, you can edit sent messages on WhatsApp: How it works and other details Chat lock: Know about WhatsApp's privacy feature for private conversations WhatsApp will now let you share voice status, here's how to post one Scammers target WhatsApp users with phishing calls from foreign shores Number of startups increased 300 times in 9yrs under PM: Jitendra Singh PM Modi's US visit takes bilateral ties to greater heights: Assocham Protests continue in Assam against delimitation proposals amid dissent 'Drone procurement will strengthen India's aerospace, defence ecosystems' We will soon embark on Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0: Jaishankar Man arrested for making threat calls about 'bombings' in Mumbai, Pune The smooth-talker took the trustee and the school's director into confidence with the intention of cheating them of huge sums, said the first information report (FIR). He also secured the admission of the two children as special cases, the official said. A few months later, the trustee had doubts about Tiwari's claims of being a PMO official and the education research projects mentioned by him. She then started talking to people in her circle and made a discrete inquiry about Tiwari, the official said. The trustee later found out that Tiwari was not a PMO official and had conned them by spinning a tale about his immense influence. Also, his profession was not clear, said the FIR. The trustee then alerted the school last month. On a complaint by the school administration, the Waghodia police on Friday registered a case against Tiwari under Indian Penal Code sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 170 (personating a public servant) and arrested him. Tiwari is the second person, after Kiran Patel of Ahmedabad, from Gujarat to have been arrested in recent months for claiming to be a PMO official. Patel was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley with his fake identity when he was nabbed by security officials on March 3. Till then, had enjoyed top-class hospitality and security cover in Kashmir by claiming himself to be a senior official in the PMO. The headline isnt a typing mix-up but borrowed from the title of a brilliant 2010 Subhash Kapoor film. The reference now, as you may have guessed, is to former US President Barack Obamas sharp criticism of Narendra Modi on the very day of his summit with Joe Biden in Washington DC. As youd expect, he drew immediate anger from Mr Modis fans. His lucrative paid-speaking career may be over in India, at least for now. Heads of state or chief executives of nations would almost never be seen saying halfway unfriendly things to their foreign counterparts, least of all admonish them in public. T N Ninan in his weekly column notes that while it feels good to talk about yoga, the diaspora and other manifestations of soft power, what is really driving the relationship is hard power. What soft power does is contribute some garnish or flavouring. In the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to the US,in his weekly column notes that while it feels good to talk about yoga, the diaspora and other manifestations of soft power, what is really driving the relationship is hard power. What soft power does is contribute some garnish or flavouring. Read here In other views: Aditi Phadnis. Read here The political situation in Telangana is fluid and needs to be watched, writes Sandeep Goyal. Read here The governments efforts to protect consumers from manipulative advertising tactics is commendable but ensuring compliance from e-commerce giants will be a daunting task, writes Quote Also Read Best of BS Opinion: Laws and order, corporate battles of 2023, and more Best of BS Opinion: Dumping ground, defending constitutional order, & more Best of BS Opinion: Unintended consequences, green growth conundrum, & more Best of BS Opinion: Tapping global trade, confirming compliance, and more Best of BS Opinion: Protecting investors, the green wall, and more Best of BS Opinion: Governance gaps, flaws in a multipurpose CBAM, and more Best of BS Opinion: Limits in the sky, ban pan-masala promotions, and more Best of BS Opinion: Poor productivity, a story for every screen & more Best of BS Opinion: An inflexion point, the visible hand, and more Best of BS Opinion: Paying for a safety net, preserving SHE values, & more I can relate to the battles of passion, persuasion and policy. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. But I am delighted to see you come together today, to celebrate the bond between worlds two great democracies - India and the United States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi After the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, peace has been established in Jammu and Kashmir and the reforms undertaken have been accepted without any opposition, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Friday. "New dimensions of development are being created, institutions of higher education are being built, industries are being set up. Panchayati Raj has been established and many types of administrative reforms have been taken place at the grassroots level without any opposition and now Kashmir has to look ahead," he said addressing the Vitasta Cultural Festival here. "After the removal of Article 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, peace has been established in Jammu and Kashmir.... In such a situation, this Vitasta Mahotsav has great importance, he said. Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated in 2019. The state was also bifurcated into Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Shah said 1,900 artistes from Jammu and Kashmir and 150 from outside the Union territory were participating in the festival. "Only art, culture and history can unite the country and Vitasta Mahotsav is a unique event to unite India. This festival is a unique event where cuisines from all over the country will be available to local people and artistes from all over the country will also enjoy Kashmiri cuisine, he said. Also Read 'Shah's June 2019 Srinagar visit was to give final touch before abrogation' Srinagar to host first international summit since abrogation of Article 370 Dawn of new development visible in J-K after abrogation of Art 370: Rijiju Abrogation of Article 370 ended terrorism, stone pelting in J-K, says Azad Kashmir is filled with tourists after abrogation of Article 370: Amit Shah Kerala Cong chief arrested, out on bail in cheating case; party protests Amit Shah visits Jammu-Kashmir, reviews security situation with LG Congress to support ruling NPP in Meghalaya sans BJP: State party chief It'll be BJP vs 15 in 2024 LS polls: Oppn parties resolve to stay united Pack of wolves whose prey is India's future: BJP on opposition unity "Unless we use our culture and art in connecting the country, we will not be able to use this unprecedented power of ours for the benefit of the country. Despite our different cultures, languages, costumes and food habits, we are all Indians and this is our great strength. No country in the world has as much diversity as India," he said. Shah said the Vitasta river (now known as Jhelum) has seen difficult times. "The stream of Vitasta has also seen blood, attacks by fanatics, many regime changes and Jhelum has also been a witness to the horrific scourge of terrorism," he said. Shah said those who consider Jhelum just as a river do not recognize human culture. Jhelum is the witness to the highest level of human civilization and Vitasta is a festival to show the true Kashmir to the whole world. The home minister said he was presented with a gift at the event -- his name written in seven different languages. "My name was written in seven different languages by the artists. Someone wrote it in Persian, someone in Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi, Gurmukhi. I was amazed that a single name was written in seven different languages. I want to tell Kashmiris that this is the biggest gift of my life that the artists gave me.... This shows that art and culture can unite the country, he said. BJP president J P Nadda will address a public meeting at Nagarkurnool in Telangana on Sunday to highlight the achievements of the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides the public meeting at Nagarkurnool, about 140 kms from Hyderabad, Nadda is likely to meet couple of social media influencers in Hyderabad as part of BJP's outreach exercise, party sources said on Saturday. These meetings are not political in nature, they added. The BJP in Telangana plans to organise public meetings attended by top leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, in the state in the coming months as part of its preparations for the Legislative Assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year, the sources said. A public meeting scheduled to be addressed at Khammam by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 15 had to be postponed as he was busy with measures to deal with Cyclone 'Biparjoy' then. Also Read Indians feel proud: JP Nadda on Papua New Guinea PM touching PM Modi's feet BJP committed to progress, development of nation: Party chief Nadda PM Modi has changed political culture of the country: BJP's J P Nadda Terrorism which is without ammunition: Nadda on 'The Kerala Story' JP Nadda hauls up BJP MPs for not taking interest in party programmes Jammu and Kashmir was a laboratory for BJP at Centre: Mehbooba Mufti Oppn leaders have pledged to defeat Fascist forces: Tejashwi Yadav Investigate PM CARES Fund: Uddhav amid ED action in Covid facility 'scam' Kerala Cong observes black day, holds protest against Sudhakaran's arrest Nalin Kateel rubbishes reports of resigning as Karnataka BJP chief KPCC chief K Sudhakaran was on Friday arrested by the Crime Branch in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, and later released on bail. Sudhakaran later told reporters that he was arrested after several hours of questioning by the Crime Branch. "They questioned me. After that, they recorded my arrest and then I was released on bail. I have faith in judiciary. I will face the case in court," he told reporters here. Following his arrest, the national leadership of Congress came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by equating him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AICC general secretary in-charge, communications, Jairam Ramesh said while the rest of the opposition in the country was on one track, Vijayan was acting as "Mundu Modi". "Rest of the Opposition is on one track nationally, while Pinarayi Vijayan is busy proving what has all along been known that he is Mundu Modi. This unwarranted harassment of Kerala PCC President K Sudhakaran based on a trumped-up case will only make our resolve stronger in Kerala," Ramesh tweeted. Also Read KPCC chief Sudhakaran arrested by Crime Branch, later released on bail Fight erupts between CPI(M), Congress in Kerala over fake certificate issue Doctor stabbed to death in Kerala's Kollam district allegedly by patient Cheated his father and Congress: KPCC chief on Anil Antony joining BJP KPCC chief Sudhakaran raises plight of Christians in UP with PM Modi Amit Shah visits Jammu-Kashmir, reviews security situation with LG Congress to support ruling NPP in Meghalaya sans BJP: State party chief It'll be BJP vs 15 in 2024 LS polls: Oppn parties resolve to stay united Pack of wolves whose prey is India's future: BJP on opposition unity AAP skips press briefing, slams Cong silence over Delhi services ordinance Later in the night, Congress and Youth Congress workers came out on the streets in various parts of the state and blocked roads in protest against Sudhakaran's arrest. Visuals of the protests on TV channels showed party workers blocking roads, burning effigies of Vijayan and holding marches in various parts of the state. Sudhakaran, surrounded by several party leaders and workers, after he was released on bail said he was "fully confident" that the police had no evidence against him in the case for him to be punished. "I am not afraid. I am not going to hide anywhere," he said. Asked about his links with Mavunkal, the KPCC chief said he has none. Besides the national leadership of Congress, its senior party leaders in Kerala too criticised Sudhakaran's arrest and termed it as a "political conspiracy". Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan contended that the Left government was "ruled by fear" and was therefore, trying to silence the opposition by such tactics. He said both the Congress and the UDF opposition led by it would resist the Left government's alleged move of filing false cases against the opposition leaders who are criticising the administration and making allegations of corruption against it. Satheesan alleged that the actions of Vijayan in Kerala were a "carbon copy" of what Modi was doing in Delhi. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala too equated Vijayan with Modi by alleging that they both share the same "fascist attitude" of imprisoning those critical of their government. He contended that Sudhakaran's arrest was "politically motivated" and would be countered legally and politically. Chennithala also said that the KPCC chief's arrest was a "drama" to divert public attention from the alleged corruption and mismanagement by the state government. He also said that Vijayan and CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan were living in a "fool's paradise" if they thought they can silence the opposition by such moves. He also took a dig at the police by joking that the force allegedly stands with its hands tied when party criminals walk in front of it and now it was also hiding criminals. KPCC general secretary T U Radhakrishnan also spoke in support of his party's state unit chief and said June 24 would be observed as a Black Day by Congress across Kerala in protest against Sudhakaran's arrest. He said Congress workers, from booth level onwards, would light torches and hold demonstrations in all districts, and asked party workers to exercise restraint during their protests and agitations. Earlier in the day, prior to leaving for the Crime Branch office here, Sudhakaran told media that his "conscience is clear" and he has "not committed any wrong or illegality" and therefore, he does not need to fear anyone or anything. "No matter what statement they (Crime Branch) have, as long as my conscience is clear, I do not need to fear anything. Whatever be the evidence they have, let it come. I will face it. "I know what I did and did not do. My conscience tells me I have done no wrong. I have not misused anyone. I have not accepted bribes from anyone. In my life and politics, I am a politician who has never accepted a bribe. It is political ethics. Therefore, I do not need to fear anyone," the KPCC chief said. During the day, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan told reporters in Delhi that his remarks against Sudhakaran in connection with a POCSO case were based on a news report and he was sticking to his stand until new evidence came to the contrary. "Let it be investigated, that is what I had said," he said. Govindan, citing a report that appeared in his party's mouthpiece 'Deshabhimani', had claimed on June 18 that the minor victim in the rape case told the Crime Branch that Sudhakaran was present at one of the locations where she was raped by Mavunkal, and therefore, the special wing might question the KPCC leader. The Kerala High Court on Wednesday, while asking Sudhakaran to appear before the Crime Branch on June 23, had said that in the event he is arrested in the cheating case, he shall be released on bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the like amount. "This order shall be in force for two weeks," the court had said. It had also directed the KPCC chief to cooperate with the investigation and not to attempt to intimidate or influence witnesses in the case. The order came on the anticipatory bail plea filed by Sudhakaran who was asked to appear before the Crime Branch, which is probing the cheating case. The Crime Branch had decided to interrogate the KPCC president on the basis of a statement by complainants, who lost their money in the cheating case, claiming they had handed over money to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran. Earlier, the agency had submitted an additional report before the court here, arraigning Sudhakaran as an accused in the case. When the allegations cropped up against him two years ago, Sudhakaran denied them. The issue had snowballed into a political controversy as images of Mavunkal along with Sudhakaran emerged. Sudhakaran had said he had gone to Mavunkal's residence for treatment as the latter claimed to be a trained cosmetologist. Mavunkal had allegedly made false representations about himself and his business to various people and collected money from them. Many images of Mavunkal with senior police officers and bureaucrats of the state have surfaced. Cherthala native Mavunkal, who claims to be in possession of rare and historic antiques, was arrested by the Crime Branch in September 2021. He is facing charges of having swindled Rs 10 crore from several people. Members and leaders of Congress in Kerala are observing 'black day' on Saturday, as a mark of their state-wide protest against the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K Sudhakaran, alleging that the arrest was part of a political conspiracy by the CPI (M) led government in Kerala. Kerala Police Crime Branch on Friday recorded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran as being arrested in an alleged fraud case related to fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. The KPCC chief was however released after getting anticipatory bail in the case. Congress Party workers also staged protest marches across the state on Friday night against the arrest. Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that the arrest of K. Sudhakaran in a "false case" is part of a political conspiracy. "Today is a black day in the democratic history of Kerala," V D Satheesan said on Friday. V D Satheesan said that Congress and the UDF would strongly resist the move to file "false cases" against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the state government. "Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) will strongly resist the move to file false cases against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the Kerala government. The government can not silence the opposition through fake cases. What Pinarayi is doing in Kerala is a carbon copy of what Narendra Modi is doing in Delhi," said V D Satheesan in a statement. Also Read Fight erupts between CPI(M), Congress in Kerala over fake certificate issue Cheated his father and Congress: KPCC chief on Anil Antony joining BJP Rahul Gandhi takes a late-night truck ride to speak to drivers; see video Rahul Gandhi convicted in Modi surname defamation case: What we know so far Doctor stabbed to death in Kerala's Kollam district allegedly by patient Nalin Kateel rubbishes reports of resigning as Karnataka BJP chief Divided in their thoughts: BJP leader slams opposition party meet in Patna 6 of 7 Independents support Khattar govt unconditionally: Haryana min Sharad Pawar to skip all-party meeting called by Amit Shah on Manipur After Article 370 abrogation reforms accepted without opposition: Shah The Congress also came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying the CM and his party proved that "they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country". The arrest came barely hours after CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress heavyweights Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge attended a joint Opposition meeting in Patna. The meeting was aimed at creating a roadmap for a national front against the BJP at the Centre. Opposition parties are coming together as they cannot fight the electoral battle against "superhuman" Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone and are unable to match the work he has done on the ground, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an event of his government's flagship 'Ladli Behna' scheme here, the CM also said the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) will win over 200 seats in the forthcoming assembly polls. The state has 230 assembly seats and elections are to be held later this year. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most popular leaders in the world. Wherever he goes, people greet him with love and pride (unki jai jai hoti hai). You have seen this in the US." "The opposition parties cannot match his development and welfare initiatives and the work he does on the ground," Chouhan said. "People wonder how can one person be so complete and hence I say Modiji is a superhuman." Chouhan said the country and the citizens were progressing under Modi's leadership and there is a wave of support for him, he said. "As the opposition parties cannot fight alone, they have come together to contest the electoral battle," the CM said. "Otherwise, these very parties keep fighting (among themselves." He was commenting on a meeting of opposition parties at Patna on Friday. A total of 17 opposition parties resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the saffron party and work with flexibility by setting aside their differences. Also Read Priyanka Gandhi attacks MP's BJP govt with '21 jobs, 225 scams' jibe The Kerala Story' made tax-free in Madhya Pradesh: CM Chouhan We have PM Modi to win Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, says CM Chouhan Kejriwal accuses BJP, Cong of copying AAP's manifesto as MP launches scheme BJP tackles anti-incumbency with freebies, MP's debt swells out of control PM Narendra Modi to lead road show in Bhopal on June 27: BJP leader Alliance of corrupt will collapse like pack of cards: Thakur on Oppn unity Is govt trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir? asks Trinamool Congress BJP president J P Nadda to address public meeting in Telangana on Sunday Jammu and Kashmir was a laboratory for BJP at Centre: Mehbooba Mufti Asked about the challenge in his state posed by the Congress, buoyed by its victories in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, Chouhan said his party's roots in the state were "very strong" and the BJP will win more than 200 seats in the assembly elections. On his promise to scale up the monetary benefit from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 for a select category of needy women under the 'Ladli Behna' scheme, the CM said the financial condition of Madhya Pradesh was "sound" which will enable his government to keep its promise. "In 2003 under the Congress rule, the state's budget was Rs 21,000 crore which is Rs 3.14 lakh crore now. We are sure that with improvement in the finances we will be able to scale up the monetary grant under the 'Ladli Behna' scheme," he said. Under the scheme, women aged between 23-60 years will be given Rs 1,000 per month with certain riders, including that they are not income tax payees and their families' annual income is below Rs 2.50 lakh annually. Chouhan called this scheme a "financial empowerment" tool for women and said at the public rally here that he will ensure that the monthly income of the needy women is made Rs 10,000 per month. "This 'Ladli Behna' scheme did not start today. We started with the 'Ladli Laxmi' scheme for the girl child after we saw that the sex ratio in Madhya Pradesh was skewed with 912 females as compared to per 1000 males. "We wanted to ensure that a girl is not killed in the womb and hence we started schemes that empower the girl child and also the women. We have decided to empower our sisters as much as we can," he said. Chauhan said Madhya Pradesh was the "first state in the country" to ensure 50 per cent reservation for women in the elections of the local bodies. "I am happy to see women leading in Panchayats and local bodies. This is a political empowerment of the women. We have 56 per cent women representatives in these bodies now," he said. The CM said 45 per cent property registried in the state at present were being done in the name of women after his government reduced the registration rate and stamp paper duty for the females and made it at one per cent of the total property value. The CM said he will ensure that all his promises are met and are continued. He accused the Congress, the main opposition party in the state, of "deceiving" the people, saying the party made at least 900 promises during the last assembly polls but did not keep even one. Opposition parties have recognised the need to fight together to protect the Constitution and the secular-democratic fabric of the country as the BJP-led NDA rule at the Centre has become "disastrous", CPI leader D Raja said here on Saturday. All leaders, who attended the opposition meeting held in Patna a day before, decided to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the BJP, he said. Talking to reporters here, Raja said, The BJP rule at the Centre has proved disastrous for our country and our Constitution. Now, opposition parties have recognised the need to fight together to protect the Constitution and the secular-democratic fabric of our nation. Raja, who attended the opposition meeting, also said, Karnataka has rejected the "politics of hatred and divide" through a decisive mandate. "The forces that are attacking the Constitution and spreading the politics of hate must be defeated. The BJP government at the Centre should be thrown out," the CPI general secretary said. He congratulated Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav for organising the meeting of all secular and democratic parties. Also Read Amara Raja launches gigafactory in Telangana to produce lithium ion battery Retail inflation eases marginally to 6.44% in February from 6.52% in Jan All-party Opposition meet ahead of 2024 elections today; all you must know Alliance of major opposition parties not possible at national level: CPI-M Oppn to start 'Mission 2024' with Patna meet, chart course to take on BJP People want restoration of dignity: Cong dubs Shah's visit to J-K cosmetic Bunkers by vigilante groups along national highways removed: Manipur CM Peace not possible under him: Cong demands immediate removal of Manipur CM Efforts being made to restore peace in Manipur: Shah tells all-party meet Need to forget differences: Kejriwal tells Rahul over Centre's ordinance This meeting assumes significance because the Constitution is being attacked and institutions are being misused by the BJP-led central government. We have to save the country and the Constitution. We will unitedly fight the coming Lok Sabha polls to defeat this autocratic government," the Left leader said. He also alleged that the country is "passing through multiple crises like unemployment and price rise, but the central government has turned its deaf ear towards these issues. "As far as the Human Development Index is concerned, India is at the bottom", he said, adding that "privatisation is the primary economic policy" of the Narendra Modi government. The BJP government did not allow a debate on the Adani issue in Parliament. Demand for a JPC probe into the Adani issue was also not accepted by the government. The prime minister is only indulging in communal politicsand politics of hatred," Raja alleged. The US-based firm Hindenburg Research had, in January, released a report and alleged that the Adani Group had engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades. The Adani group has, however, rubbished the charges and termed the report as a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations. On the Centre's contentious ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi, Raja said, This issue was discussed in the opposition parties' meeting on Friday. All parties, including the Congress, opposed this ordinance. This is against our Constitution. The ordinance has been brought to snatch the powers of an elected government. We all oppose this." The CPI also hit out at the central government over the party not being invited to an all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur, saying it "exposes the callous attitude" of the home minister. Leaders of various parties, including the BJP and the Congress, attended the all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, where nearly 120 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured in ethnic violence since May 3. Not invited to the meeting, Raja said in a tweet, "Exclusion of CPI from the all-party meeting on Manipur exposes the callous attitude of Home Minister @AmitShah towards the burning problems of the state. The CPI is a recognised party in Manipur and is contributing significantly to peacebuilding and harmony in the state. The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Saturday termed as cosmetic the two-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the Union Territory and said people want "restoration of their honour" and holding of the much-delayed assembly polls. J-K Congress working president Raman Bhalla said the frequent visits of central ministers to the region is a futile exercise and claimed that not a single public demand has been fulfilled even as the Jammu and Kashmir administration is directly working on the directions of the BJP. The home minister's visit (to Jammu and Kashmir) is cosmetic as he refuses to acknowledge the ground realities. These visits are an eyewash and a strategy to divert public attention from the government's failure, he said while addressing a function to welcome new entrants into the party fold at Bishna near here. The central government should send its ministers with some funds in hand so that they can redress the public issues in a real sense. This public outreach campaign since the last couple of years has remained a flop show. High expectations of the public from these visits have also fallen flat, Bhalla, a former minister, said. He also alleged that the civil administration has completely collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir. It is the right time to restore the confidence of the people who are feeling sidelined with no elected representative or government in place, he said. Also Read Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar likely to host G20 event: Govt official Unfortunate that no G20 meetings were scheduled in Jammu: Farooq Abdullah JK Bank records highest-ever net annual profit of Rs 1,197 crore in FY23 J&K L-G lays foundation stone of 1st direct foreign investment project Amit Shah to review preparations, security for Amarnath pilgrimage in J&K Bunkers by vigilante groups along national highways removed: Manipur CM Peace not possible under him: Cong demands immediate removal of Manipur CM Efforts being made to restore peace in Manipur: Shah tells all-party meet Need to forget differences: Kejriwal tells Rahul over Centre's ordinance WB panchayat polls: Mamata to kick-start full-scale campaign on Monday Demanding holding of the much-delayed assembly elections for empowerment of people, he said Jammu and Kashmir residents want the restoration of their honour and dignity. Addressing an event after the inauguration of the three-day Vitasta Festival in Srinagar, Shah on Friday said all-round development has come to Jammu and Kashmir ever since the abrogation of Article 370. He also said that during the rule of the previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir, democracy was limited to 80-85 people and three families -- the Abdullahs, Muftis and the Gandhis -- had taken control over democracy, but now its future is decided by 35,000 elected representatives. By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States unveiled agreements this week to sell weapons to India and share with it sensitive military technology, a clear sign of the Biden administration's desire to deepen ties with New Delhi to counter China's ambitions in Asia. But those plans, announced on Thursday during a state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and future defense cooperation face significant challenges from the U.S. government's own weapons export rules. The Biden administration says sweeping agreements on semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, space and defense cooperation and sales will ring in a new era in relations. They include what one official called a "trailblazing" deal to allow General Electric Co (GE.N) to produce jet engines in India to power Indian military aircraft and a plan for India to procure U.S.-made General Atomics armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. Standing in the way are strict U.S. rules governing export of defense technology, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Also Read Netflix sees stronger second half on password-sharing crackdown in US Here is how Netflix plans to put an end to password sharing on its platform CHATROOM: 'No assent needed to re-export goods imported under IGCRS' ICC makes helmets mandatory for high-risk positions; changes free hit rule Pak minister urges export-oriented policies to accelerate economic growth US vice prez Kamala Harris' achievements inspiration for all women: PM Modi India's history, teachings influenced and shaped world: Kamala Harris US unable to solve mystery of Covid-19 origin, shows declassified report India-US indispensable partners, working closely on more issues: Blinken Nvidia CEO Huang says chipmaker 'extremely likely' to invest in Europe These make defense cooperation hard even with long-time U.S. allies Britain and Australia in the AUKUS deal signed earlier this year to supply the latter with nuclear-powered submarines. Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, has stressed the need to break down barriers to technology sharing with allies and partners, including India. "Frankly, for the United States and regional security as well it can't be business as usual anymore," he told a June 8 event at the Center for a New American Security think tank. UPHILL BATTLE FOR TECH SHARING On Thursday, the co-chairs of the U.S. Senate India Caucus, Democrat Mark Warner and Republican John Cornyn, introduced legislation that would streamline defense sales to India, including by halving the time that Congress has to block any arms sale to the country to 15 days. But one congressional aide said efforts to speed technology sharing with India would face "an uphill battle" both in the U.S. Congress and at the U.S. State Department, where officials have a specific obligation to protect U.S. technology. "There are concerns about (technology sharing) in the Australia context and there would be more concerns in the India context," he said. "Australia is an ally. India wants the same privileges that allies get without having any of the same obligations or responsibilities." The source noted that India wanted access to sensitive technologies that many of the closest U.S. allies do not have, even while sticking to its stance of maintaining close relations with Russia and refusing to condemn Moscow's Ukraine invasion. Bill Greenwalt, a former senior Pentagon official for industrial policy, said approvals for the jet engine deal and for the military drones should be relatively straightforward, although it appeared GE was still in the process of getting export authorization, which would come with State Department-mandated restrictions. "Complicating factors include to what degree congressional review and approval thresholds kick in. I expect that likely will happen for the SeaGuardians," said Greenwalt, adding that the U.S. Missile Technology Control Regime was an added likely complication. LIMITS ON TECHNOLOGY USE And there is another factor: how willingly India will accept the restrictions that may come along with any technology it receives from the U.S. Greenwalt said the conditions ITAR attaches to use of technology and the limits it imposes on India's ability to add its own intellectual property to what it learns from that could mean New Delhi "quickly grows tired of being dictated to by the U.S. State Department." He added that given India's growing IT expertise, it had the potential to leapfrog the United States in areas such as integrated command and control, sensor fusion, autonomy, and data analytics. "Together we could likely make a lot more progress than if we pursue separate paths, but ITAR disincentives will keep them from cooperating with us on things that matter while our over-confidence will keep us from seeing their potential," said Greenwalt. Rick Rossow, an India expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said approval processes for advanced defense technology transfer were "onerous but not impossible." "The U.S. - with great effort - can move faster for India," he said. "But we need India's deal-making process to move fast, too. Otherwise, potential deals will not be accelerated on our side." (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; additional reporting by Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and Deepa Babington) US President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday about the situation in Russia. According to a statement from the White House, the four leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine during the conversation. However, the White House said U.S. officials were wary of weighing in further on the situation and "wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the U.S. was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict. A popular Russian military blogger says the Wagner mercenaries shot down a Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship in the Voronezh region on Saturday. Yevgeny Poddubny said both crewmembers were killed and posted pictures of the helicopter's charred debris. Russian media and military bloggers reported several purported helicopter attacks on advancing Wagner convoys. Another popular blogger, a former military pilot using the nickname Fighterbomber, said that Wagner forces shot two Mi-8 helicopters and Il-18 communications aircraft of the Russian air force earlier Saturday. The Russian military didn't comment on the claims, which couldn't be independently confirmed. Also Read Biden falls onstage at graduation ceremony; White House says he's 'fine' Russia's parliament denounces Europe's Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces Putin addresses Russia after mercenary chief calls for rebellion call Russia says it thwarted attack in Donetsk; unclear on Kyiv counteroffensive No deal has yet been reached, says Joe Biden after debt ceiling talks Himalayan Airlines resumes flight from Kathmandu to Beijing after 3 years Pak to raise Rs 215 bn through taxes to fulfil IMF loan conditions: FM Dar Beijing sizzles under heat wave, authorities ask people to stay indoors How changing Oscars best picture rules will affect contenders, theatres Russia urges Wagner forces to return to 'points of permanent deployment' The governor of the region surrounding Russia's capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1. Gov. Andrei Vorobyov issued a decree with the bans on Saturday as the chief of private Russian military company Wagner said his mercenaries were heading to Moscow in an armed rebellion against Russia's defense minister. The governor's decree doesn't apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion. The counter-terrorism operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants. There was no immediate word of whether a curfew would be posed. The mayor also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. ___ Moscow's mayor warned Saturday that traffic could be restricted in parts of Russia's capital as part of heightened security prompted by the rebellion of mercenaries with private military company Wagner. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin asked the city's residents to refrain from using their cars amid the counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region that authorities introduced earlier Saturday. He also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. Sobyanin noted that all key city services were put on high readiness and advised residents to report any emergencies. A senior Kremlin official has warned that a successful rebellion by the Wagner group would mean the mercenaries getting hold of Russia's vast nuclear arsenal and raise an existential threat to the entire world. The history of mankind hasn't yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. Such a crisis will not be limited by just one country's borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction. He added that we won't allow such a turn of events. Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russia's nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv. Medvedev described the rebellion as a well-planned operation aimed at seizing power in the country. He claimed that some veterans of elite Russian military units and foreign actors could have been involved in it. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned the West against trying to take advantage of the rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The ministry said in a statement Saturday that we are cautioning Western countries against even a hint of using the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic goals. It argued that the mutiny plays into the hands of Russia's enemies and said that the Russian public stands behind President Vladimir Putin. The ministry said that Moscow appreciates its allies and partners voicing their understanding of the situation. Security in a number of Russian regions was tightened as authorities sought to thwart an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. There was tighter security particularly in areas between the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhin's Wagner group appeared to control military headquarters, and Moscow. The governor of the Lipetsk region asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that Wagner had entered the province but the situation is under control. In the neighboring Tambov region, mass events were canceled Saturday. Those events included high school graduation parties. Russia's Education Ministry said such parties were being postponed until July 1 in Moscow, the region around the capital and a number of other regions where additional anti-terrorist measures have been introduced. The governor of the Kaluga region, just south of the Moscow region, said that movement on roads in areas on its western, southern and eastern borders had been restricted. Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram that people should refrain from traveling by private vehicle on these roads unless absolutely necessary. In the capital, traffic on the Moscow River was suspended. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostovon-Don. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Turkey was ready to help resolve the stand-off in Russia with the mercenary Wagner group. The Turkish presidency tweeted that, in a phone call with Putin, Erdogan underlined the importance of acting with common sense and said Ankara could help resolve events as soon as possible. It did not specify how Turkey could help. Turkey has retained close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv during the war The governor of Russia's Lipetsk province said Saturday that the Wagner mercenary group has entered the region. The Lipetsk region is about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow and much closer to the capital than Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces appeared during the night. Authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control, governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. He did not give details about the Wagner presence. Ukraine's deputy defense minister says the political crisis in Russia provides Kyiv with a window of opportunity. Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram Saturday that Moscow's erroneous decision to start a war in Ukraine had brought about the inevitable degradation of the Russian state. The rebellion by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Kyiv's forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Speaking in Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that a coup is taking place in Russia, led by Prigozhin and his Wagner troops. Any coup, any problem that emerges in enemy's rear aligns with our interest." He added that "it is early to estimate consequences. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial powers conferred Saturday on the situation in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. The U.S. State Department and German Foreign Ministry gave few details of the discussion, which also included the European Union's foreign policy chief. The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. It said that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops. The G7 comprises the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.K. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said the Russian leader informed Erdogan about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion, and the Turkish president expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a new audio statement on Saturday that we didn't touch a single conscript, we didn't kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities haven't reported any casualties so far, either. Shortly before Prigozhin released his statement, an explosion was heard near the military headquarters his Wagner group apparently controls in Rostov. It was not immediately clear where the explosion occurred, how big it was and whether it caused any damage. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighboring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is closely following developments and exchanging information with allies. She wrote: I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of neighboring Latvia wrote in an English-language Twitter post that his country's border security also has been strengthened and visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered. He said there is no direct threat to Latvia at this time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekenskyy says it is clear that Russia is suffering from full-scale weakness after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. Zelenskyy said in comments posted on his Telegram channel Saturday that anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said that for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelenskyy said. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. This is also obvious. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni says she is monitoring events in Russia and they underline how the aggression against Ukraine is provoking instability within the Russian Federation. Meloni said in comments to reporters in Austria later Saturday that the situation in Russia is hard to evaluate. She said that it is a very chaotic situation inside the Russian Federation, that is out of tune with certain propaganda we have seen in recent months. Russian mercenary leader Yevgheny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Putin said in televised address to the nation earlier Saturday that all those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. He said that the armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Officials across Russia have rallied behind President Vladimir Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin after his address to the nation on Saturday. He added that fighters from Prigozhin's Wagner group must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Maria Zakharova, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechnya who in the past has sided with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his full support for every word of Putin. He said that the mutiny needs to be suppressed. So far, no Russian official has spoken out in support of Prigozhin. Unexpected support for mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's endeavor came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Prigozhin's rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. He said Prigozhin had repeated word for word what we, the anti-war opposition, have been saying since the beginning of the war that the purpose of the war is theft and no one believes in the official reason for the war in Ukraine. Khodorkovsky wrote: Help the devil, if he decides to oppose this regime! Help because there is no crime worse than unleashing an aggressive war. If one criminal is ready to interfere with another ... we need to help, and then, if necessary, we will tackle them. A Ukrainian presidential adviser says that the start of his country's counteroffensive has finally destabilized the Russian elites and intensified internal splits. Mykhailo Podolyak said Saturday that events are developing according to the scenario that we have been talking about for the past year, Ukraine's Interfax news agency reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Putin called a stab in the back to Russia. The rebellion comes as Kyiv's forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Podolyak said that the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive finally destabilized the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. He added: Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war. Britain's defense ministry has described the Wagner mercenary group's armed rebellion as the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. The ministry's intelligence update posted Saturday says that the feud between Yevgeny Prigozhin's group and the Russian state has escalated into outright military confrontation' In Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the HQ which runs Russia's military operations in Ukraine,' the update said. Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow." The update says there is very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldn't not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were saving Russia and demanded that the Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow. Yevkurov and Alexeyev in the video tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Roston-on-Don, but to no avail. Prigozhin, a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has a long-running feud with the Russian military leadership. Ukraine's head of military intelligence says the conflict between the Russian military leadership and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the conflict stands out because Prigozhin, whether you like him or not, he mainly says (the) truth while Russia's Defense Ministry tells mainly lies. He said that the conflict is not fake. Budanov said that, while senior Defense Ministry officials talk of advances with young and brave soldiers, Prigozhin points to miscalculations, poor equipment, lack of training and other problems. He said: This is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Even though both completely work in the interest of the Russian Federation, we need to remember this. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. He called Prigozhin's actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. The Himalayan Airlines, a joint venture between Nepal and China, on Saturday resumed its direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing after a three-year interval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official statement. Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to the People's Republic of China, flew to Beijing in the resumed first direct flight of the Himalayan Airlines, according to a press release issued by the Nepal Embassy in Beijing. "We are pleased to announce that Himalaya Airlines (H9) is re-launching its flight operation between Kathmandu- Beijing- Kathmandu every Saturdays starting from June 24, 2023, which was on halt due to COVID-19 Pandemic, said the statement issued by issued by the Himalayan Airline. In a statement, Nepal's Embassy in Beijing said: "The resumption of direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing plays a significant role in promoting tourism, socio-economic and cultural relations between Nepal and China". Also Read Nepal plane crash: At least 68 dead, rescuers search for 4 missing persons Indian Embassy in Kathmandu claims Amritpal Singh hiding in Nepal: Report 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 Denied boarding due to overbooked flight? How to get Rs 20,000 as refund Pak to raise Rs 215 bn through taxes to fulfil IMF loan conditions: FM Dar Beijing sizzles under heat wave, authorities ask people to stay indoors How changing Oscars best picture rules will affect contenders, theatres Russia urges Wagner forces to return to 'points of permanent deployment' Putin calls Prigozhin's armed rebellion a betrayal, vows to defend Russia White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby said that it is up to India to make its own choices regarding cutting down Russian oil imports. "India has to make its own choices about (Russian) oil purchases and we hope that we can continue to see that they purchase Russian oil at or below the price cap, as they have been," said Kirby. In December last year, the United States and its allies went after Russia's all-important oil revenues after a European ban and price cap on Russian oil. Europe, along with the United States and other major economies, like the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia, agreed to a maximum of USD 60 per barrel on Russian seaborne oil, which means anyone who still wants to buy Russian oil has to pay that price or less if it wants to ship cargo through operators or insurers based in the EU or other countries who signed on to this price cap. Speaking about the strong ties between US and India, Kirby said, "President Biden made it clear during this visit that there is just simply no partner that is going to be more consequential in helping solve problems than India." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a historic State visit to the US. He addressed a joint sitting of the US Congress on June 22. This was his second address to a joint sitting, a first for an Indian prime minister. His first was in June 2016. Also Read From marinated millets to stuffed mushrooms, White House menu for PM Modi No definitive conclusion on Covid-19 origin theory, says White House Brazilian president Lula to meet Joe Biden at White House next month Biden set for critical talks on Ukraine this week with Frederiksen, Sunak India's Russian oil imports cross 1 million barrels a day in December Amazon intends to invest $15 billion more in India: CEO Andy Jassy Google to set up its global fintech operations centre in Gujarat: Pichai Goldman starts cutting number of MDs across the globe amid deals slump Russia accuses Wagner Group chief Prigozhin of mounting an armed uprising India, US working with renewed trust in areas of new tech: PM Modi This is not the first time that the US reiterated India's choice regarding the import of Russian oil. Earlier, Kirby had said that it is up to India to decide to buy Russian oil and hoped that India will continue to buy Russian oil in keeping within the price cap. Speaking on the price cap on Russian oil, Kirby said, "The price cap is working and proven effective. It's working and we are gratified to see that. It is up to India to decide and we hope that India will continue to buy oil in keeping within the price cap. India and the US are teaming up to design and develop new technologies that will transform lives around the world, President Joe Biden has said and underlined that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are determined to negotiate the "speed bumps" impeding bilateral technological cooperation. Biden, who held wide-ranging talks with Modi on Thursday at the White House, said that technological cooperation will be a big part in defining the India-US partnership. We are teaming up to design and develop new technologies that are going to transform the lives of our people around the world," he said on Friday. "Together, we're lifting the private and public partners to make this possible, including launching a new programme between India and American astronauts, Indian astronauts, and entrepreneurs, scientists, and students. Simply put, our countries are taking innovation and cooperation to a new level in our relationship, and thanks in large part to the folks around this table, he said at an event, also attended by Prime Minister Modi. Observing that speed bumps are impeding technological partnership when they occur, Biden said: The Prime Minister and I can commit to building around them, over them, and through them." "Because it matters - our cooperation matters -- not just to our own people but, I quite frankly think, to the whole world. Because our partnership is about more than the next breakthrough or the next deal and -- as big as they may be, he said. Also Read Biden falls onstage at graduation ceremony; White House says he's 'fine' US Prez Joe Biden's family to host intimate dinner for PM Modi on June 21 US President Joe Biden condoles death of PM Narendra Modi's mother PM holds meeting with top ministers to discuss strategy for Budget session New and glorious journey of India-US ties has begun, says PM Modi India, US govts prepared ground, biz community needs to take advantage: PM Tamil Chair to be established in University of Houston: PM Modi in US New and glorious journey of India-US ties has begun, says PM Modi GE engine deal for manufacturing engines in India is milestone: PM Modi LIVE: Mob torches Manipur minister's godown, tries to burn down residence It is about taking climate change and tackling it, about exploring the universe, about lifting people out of poverty, curing cancer and other serious diseases, preventing pandemics and giving citizens real opportunity, Biden said. "It's about forging a more free, secure, and more prosperous future for our children, supporting the dynamism and diversity of our democracies and democracies everywhere, he said. We're sticking up for our values and the vision of the world. And so, our partnership between India and the United States will go a long way, in my view, to define what the 21st century looks like. And our technology and technological cooperation will be a big part of defining our partnership, Biden said. Prime Minister Modi, in his remarks, said the coming together of Indian talent and US technology is definitely a guarantee for a bright future. Modi said he is very pleased to see the progress that America has made in the area of technology under Biden's leadership. And, the youth in India, thanks to its talent, has created an identity for itself in the world. So, this coming together of talent and technology, I believe, this is definitely a guarantee for a bright future, he said. This coming together of talent and technology, I believe this is definitely a guarantee for a bright future, Modi said at a White House event in a meeting with senior officials and CEOs from technology companies. The event, among others, was attended by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sunder Pichai, Reliance head Mukesh Ambani, Mahindra chief Anand Mahindra and Astronaut Sunita Williams. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu were also present at the meeting chaired by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the coming together of Indian talent and US's technological advancement guarantees a bright future as he met business honchos of the two countries at the White House. "This morning (meeting) is only among a few friends but has brought with it the guarantee of a bright future," Modi said in his remarks at the India-US Hi-Tech Handshake Event as President Joe Biden nodded. This is a great opportunity to take along President Biden's vision and capabilities and India's aspirations and possibilities, Modi said, thanking the US leader for his presence at the meeting. He referred to the development as "honhaar, shandaar, dhardaar" in Hindi and said it will pave the way for a new future. The meeting came at a time the two countries look to deepen their ties in the high-tech sector. Prime Minister Modi said the coming together of Indian talent and US's technological advancement guarantees a bright future. Also Read These are the non-IT sectors most eager to hire tech talent in India 5G adoption to unlock wealth of opportunities for India's tech talent pool Combination of tech, talent will guarantee bright future: PM meets CEOs HCL Tech Q4 preview: Weak software segment to drag profit by 4-9% QoQ Business Standard CEOs poll: Capex tops India Inc's 2023 to-do list Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face export rules hurdle US vice prez Kamala Harris' achievements inspiration for all women: PM Modi India's history, teachings influenced and shaped world: Kamala Harris US unable to solve mystery of Covid-19 origin, shows declassified report India-US indispensable partners, working closely on more issues: Blinken He said the business honchos have come from every sector-- from agriculture to space -- with some of them representing well-established forms while some others leading start-ups. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, AMD CEO Lisa Su, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams were among the American representatives who participated in the meeting. Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Zerodha and True Beacon co-founder Nikhil Kamath and 3rdiTech co-founder Vrinda Kapoor joined the meeting as part of the India business delegation. On his part, Biden said their partnership will ensure a free, more secure and prosperous future for our children. "Our cooperation matters, not just for our people but quite frankly to the whole world, as our partnership is about more than the next breakthrough or the next deal as big as they may be," Biden said. It is about tackling climate change, about exploring the universe, about lifting people out of poverty, preventing pandemics and giving our citizens real opportunity, the president added. Modi's four-day state visit to the US have been dubbed historic and path-breaking by Indian officials and is being seen as a breakthrough in India's quest to get the US to agree to critical cooperation in cutting-edge technologies including their transfer and joint research. By Jillian Deutsch Nvidia Corp., the worlds most valuable chipmaker, is extremely likely to invest in Europe, Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said. Huang said European Commissioner Thierry Breton suggested that Nvidia should invest a great deal more in Europe and that Europe is going to be a wonderful place to build the future of Nvidia. The pair met Friday as part of Bretons discussions about content moderation and artificial intelligence with some of the largest tech companies in Silicon Valley. Nvidias value has jumped as its graphics processors have become the most popular for data centers needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The companys sales in its data center unit gained 41% to $15 billion in 2022. At the same time, the US, the European Union, Japan and India have agreed to spend more than $100 billion in subsidies to attract the likes of Intel Corp., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Micron Technology Inc. Just in the last week, Intel announced plans for new plants in Poland, Germany and Israel, spurred by government incentives. Also Read MediaTek, Nvidia to work together to transform automobiles with AI Why Nvidia is on a bull run on Wall Street despite slump in computer sales Nvidia set to become first US chipmaker valued at over $1 trillion Nvidia's live-streaming tool Broadcast can now simulate eye contact Chip-maker Nvidia releases update to fix Discord bug slowing down GPUs Eli Lilly's Mounjaro gives positive results in obese diabetic people India has to make its own choices, says White House official on Russian oil Amazon intends to invest $15 billion more in India: CEO Andy Jassy Google to set up its global fintech operations centre in Gujarat: Pichai Goldman starts cutting number of MDs across the globe amid deals slump Nvidia will also look to invest in Europe, Huang said. The reason for that is Nvidia would like to be a global international company and what a better place to and what can imagine a better place to invest, he told reporters after meeting with Breton. Breton invited Huang to continue the discussion in Brussels next month. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister, confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops have reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. Yeveny Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Also Read Russia's Wagner Group boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine Russia planning offensive on Feb 24, says Ukraine's defence minister Ukraine brands Russia 'terrorist state' to open hearings at top UN court Top UN court opens hearings of Ukraine's Crimea case against Russia Russia threat to exit Ukraine grain deal adds risk to global food security PM Modi's first state visit to Egypt to boost bilateral ties: Indian envoy 11 injured evacuating Cathay Pacific jet after aborted takeoff in Hong Kong India-US to negotiate 'speed bumps', develop tech to transform lives: Biden India, US govts prepared ground, biz community needs to take advantage: PM Tamil Chair to be established in University of Houston: PM Modi in US Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his US State Visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. This is the prime minister's first visit to Egypt. The two-day State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. Modi was in the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. His visit to the US started in New York, where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga on June 21. Later, in Washington DC, he was given a red-carpet welcome at the White House by President Biden. Also Read Biden falls onstage at graduation ceremony; White House says he's 'fine' Incredible rich diaspora truly an asset to both countries: Biden's top aide US Prez Joe Biden's family to host intimate dinner for PM Modi on June 21 Joe Biden returning to his union roots as his 2024 campaign gears up No deal has yet been reached, says Joe Biden after debt ceiling talks PM Modi's state visit to US wasn't about China: Top White House official In last 9 yrs, India-US have taken a long, beautiful journey together: Modi Indian talent together with US technology guarantees brighter future: Modi Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face export rules hurdle US vice prez Kamala Harris' achievements inspiration for all women: PM Modi The two leaders held a historic summit on Thursday, followed by Modi's address to Congress and a State Dinner hosted at the White House by the Bidens in his honour. The visit was marked by several major deals to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, space and trade. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hailed the "landmark" pact to jointly produce jet engines in India to power military aircraft and the US drone deal. With India and the US set to elevate their strategic partnership, GE Aerospace announced it has inked a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II Tejas. In another big-ticket announcement, computer storage chip maker Micron said it will set up its semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat, entailing a total investment of USD 2.75 billion (around Rs 22,540 crore). Modi on Thursday also became the first Indian leader to address the Joint Session of the US Congress twice. During his address, he sought action against state sponsors of terrorism. Modi also made a strong push for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN, and spoke glowingly of India's ties with the US. On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon for the Indian leader at the State Department. Modi also met top CEOs of the US and India at the White House. Later in the day, he addressed an event hosted by the Indian community in the US. During his Egypt visit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian government, prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community, apart from holding talks with Sisi. In January, during Sisi's State Visit, the two countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. The prime minister will visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Cairo, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In his departure statement on June 20, Modi had said, "I am excited to pay a State Visit to a close and friendly country for the first time." "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in the span of a few months are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership' during President Sisi's visit. "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilizational and multi-faceted partnership. I will also have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Egypt," Modi said. Russian President Vladimir Putin is addressing the nation Saturday, after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for armed rebellion and reached a key Russian city with his troops. Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner private military company, has claimed that his forces had military facilities in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don under their control. We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Prigozhin said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Russia accused the powerful head of the Wagner mercenary group of mounting an armed uprising as tensions between feuding Kremlin camps over the war in Ukraine spilled spectacularly into open conflict. President Vladimir Putin was getting round-the-clock updates from security officials on their efforts to counter the attempt at an armed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Tass reported early Saturday morning in Moscow, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The showdown marked the most dramatic escalation in a long-running feud between the mercenary leader and Russias defense establishment thats spiraled into what is the biggest challenge to Putins authority since he sent troops into Ukraine 16 months ago. There was no immediate sign of Wagner fighters mobilizing to carry out their outspoken commanders threat, though Prigozhin claimed to have shot down a helicopter that challenged them. That couldnt be confirmed. Still, the Kremlin was taking no chances. Authorities tightened security in the capital, including around government buildings, and put riot police on alert, Tass said. Regulators also blocked access to Googles news aggregator on major platforms in Russia, according to NetBlocks, an Internet-monitoring group. In Washington, President Joe Biden is been briefed on the situation, the White House said. We are closely monitoring what appears to be a significant internal conflict among Russian forces, the top two members of the Senate Intelligence said in a statement. The tensions exploded Friday when the mercenary chief posted a series of audio messages on his Telegram channel vowing to punish Russias military leaders for what he alleged attack was a missile attack on a Wagner base and the losses of tens of thousands of Russian troops in the war. He accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of overseeing an operation to destroy Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied Prigozhins claims. Prosecutors opened a criminal probe into the mercenary chief under the laws banning armed uprising and the Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him and appealed to his troops not to obey his criminal orders. In an audio message posted early Saturday, Prigozhin said he and his fighters had crossed the border back into Russia and were entering the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. However, there was no independent confirmation of his claims. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why there is lawlessness happening in the country, Prigozhin said. Everyone who wants to join us, we need to end this mess. Though he threatened to destroy anyone who will try to resist, Prigozhin said this is not a military coup. This is a march of justice. Putin had long appeared to tolerate the mercenarys outbursts, relying on his troops to fight in key parts of the front. But his high profile rankled with the military brass, which regularly sought to undermine and sideline him. Prigozhin, 62, has for months accused Shoigu and the Defense Ministry of failing to adequately support Wagner forces fighting in Ukraine, particularly during battles for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin in May threatened to pull his troops out of the operation if they didnt get supplies but later backed down. While its not certain yet whether Prigozhin will follow through on his threats, said Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik, a political consulting firm, the authorities reaction is clear - theyre putting down the mutiny. In my view, this is the end of Wagner, she said. The system cant tolerate his activeness any longer. Russias top anti-terror body demanded Prigozhin stop illegal actions, Tass said. Two top generals who had in the past worked closely with Wagner publicly appealed to the groups fighters to ignore Prigozhins appeals. The countrys largest social network blocked access to at least one of his audio messages on its platform following orders from regulators, Tass reported. The main state television channel showed a rare late-night special news update, recounting the official charges against Prigozhin and dismissing his allegations. Prigozhin completely and utterly depends on Putin. Nothing of what he does is possible without Putins protection, and there is no evidence that he has become so indispensable to the war that hes invulnerable. /3 Sam Greene (@samagreene) June 23, 2023 Frictions had been rising again in recent weeks after Shoigu set a July 1 deadline for all volunteer units to sign a formal contract with the Defense Ministry an order so far bluntly rejected by Prigozhin. Putin backed the ministrys demand during a meeting with Russian journalists and military bloggers last week. Friday, Prigozhin posted a video on Telegram accusing the Defense Ministry of deceiving Russians and Putin about the war as he challenged Kremlin justifications for the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The mercenary leader has increasingly put himself at odds with the Kremlin narrative about the war, while warning Russians that full mobilization and martial law are necessary to avoid defeat in Ukraine. In an interview with a local journalist last month, he heaped praise on the performance of Ukraines military and scorned the denazification and demilitarization goals that Putin and top Kremlin officials used as justification for the war. How did we demilitarize it? We actually militarized it, he said. Its now one of the strongest armies. He also accused Russias top defense officials of using the war to enrich themselves and leaving the country unprotected following a border incursion by attackers who crossed from Ukraine. By Riley Griffin US intelligence agencies werent able to determine whether researchers at laboratory in Wuhan, China, who fell sick in the fall of 2019 were infected with Covid-19, which soon spread around the world, according to a declassified report released Friday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence unveiled details about scientists at Wuhan Institute of Virology who fell ill in 2019 before the first documented Covid infections, as well as coronavirus research conducted at the lab by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. However, none of the released intelligence definitively pointed to lab-related work as the cause of the pandemic, which has caused nearly 7 million deaths. The report comes months after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law requiring declassification of intelligence related to the pandemics potential links to the lab. It will do little to settle the hotly contested debate over how Covid-19 started, already the source of partisan clashes and probes. Its also far from the final word on how the pandemic got its start. Intelligence officials have said theyre still seeking key information from China. When President Biden signed the Covid-19 Origin Act, he directed the intelligence community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate the origin of Covid-19, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in an emailed statement. The release of this report reflects that commitment to declassify and share as much information as possible related to the origins of Covid-19, while protecting sources and methods. Also Read Covid-19 virus may have been 'stitched together' in a lab, says new study NASA to launch Mars science mission on Bezos-run Blue Origin's rocket WHO rebukes Chinese officials of withholding data on Coronavirus' origin AIIMS Delhi mandates face masks to staffers amid surge in Covid cases 3 out of 4 Indians say they didn't take a Covid-19 test despite symptoms India-US indispensable partners, working closely on more issues: Blinken Nvidia CEO Huang says chipmaker 'extremely likely' to invest in Europe Eli Lilly's Mounjaro gives positive results in obese diabetic people India has to make its own choices, says White House official on Russian oil Amazon intends to invest $15 billion more in India: CEO Andy Jassy The Chinese Embassy didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Missed Deadline The Biden administration missed the June 18 deadline to release the declassified intelligence. It coincided with US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens long-awaited trip to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to restore communications between senior leadership and the countries militaries. The trip, initially set to take place in February, was pushed back in the wake of furor over an alleged Chinese spy balloon spotted over US territory. Biden signed the law requiring that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines release the declassified information in March. The new report builds on prior findings, including a State Department report from January 2021 that suggested that the US government had reason to believe that several researchers inside the Wuhan lab became sick in 2019, before the first identified case of the Covid-19 outbreak, with symptoms consistent with the virus and common seasonal illnesses. The ODNI report stated that there is no indication the researchers were hospitalized due to Covid, and that the intelligence community couldnt confirm if any of the researchers had handled live viruses before falling ill. The report acknowledged that Wuhan researchers have collaborated with the Peoples Liberation Army on public-health research that included coronaviruses, and vaccines and treatments for such viruses, though no known research that could have led to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Some scientists at the Wuhan institute have genetically engineered coronaviruses using common lab practices, the report said, adding that its not aware of manipulations of viruses that could have been the source of SARS-CoV-2. The report also identified safety and security issues at the institute that could have increased the risk of accidental exposure to viruses. The intelligence community said its not aware of a specific biosafety incident that may have spurred the pandemic. Lab-Leak Hypothesis To date, the US intelligence community has shared few details about the information its gathered since the outset of the pandemic. Last year, the agencies concluded two causes were plausible: The virus emerged in animals and spread to humans, or that it sprang from an incident at a lab in Wuhan. Despite disagreement among the agencies about which hypothesis was more likely, the intelligence community concurred that Covid-19 wasnt developed intentionally as a biological weapon. The FBI and Department of Energy have both said, with low-to-moderate confidence, the lab-leak theory is possible. Thats remained a minority view, and most other groups consider human exposure to an infected animal more likely. The report also said most, but not all, of the intelligence agencies ruled out that Covid-19 was genetically engineered or lab adapted. The positive CHMP opinion is based on the landmark EMPA-KIDNEY trial, the largest and broadest dedicated SGLT2 inhibitor trial in chronic kidney disease (CKD) to date 1,2,3 When approved, Jardiance (empagliflozin) could advance the standard of care for more than 47 million people in the EU living with CKD and other interconnected cardio-renal-metabolic conditions4 The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted a positive opinion recommending Jardiance (empagliflozin) for the treatment of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today.1 Empagliflozin is currently indicated for the treatment of heart failure and type 2 diabetes in adults.5 When approved, empagliflozins indications in the EU will include adults living with CKD, paving the way for an approach to managing the amplified risks of interconnected cardio-renal-metabolic conditions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230623740785/en/ EMPA-KIDNEY, the trial upon which the CHMP recommendation is based, demonstrated clear benefits on its primary outcome based on kidney disease progression and cardiovascular death in a broad range of adults with chronic kidney disease, said Professor William Herrington, Clinician Scientist at the Medical Research Council Population Health Research Unit at the University of Oxford, UK, and EMPA-KIDNEY trial Co-Principal Investigator. The approval of empagliflozin should greatly help implementation of these important findings into clinical practice for people living with chronic kidney disease, added Co-Principal Investigator Professor Richard Haynes. The EMPA-KIDNEY Phase III trial included 6,609 adults across the spectrum of CKD severity with a wide range of underlying causes and co-morbidities, making EMPA-KIDNEY the largest and broadest dedicated SGLT2 inhibitor trial in CKD to date. Empagliflozin demonstrated a significant kidney and cardiovascular benefit in adults with CKD, reducing the relative risk of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death by 28 percent versus placebo.2,3 Across the EU, more than 47 million people are living with chronic kidney disease and even more with cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, said Carinne Brouillon, Head of Human Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim. We are very excited about the potential for empagliflozin to play a key role in the management of these interconnected cardio-renal-metabolic conditions. Cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, like chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and heart failure, are a leading cause of death in Europe. We will continue working closely with regulators worldwide so that adults living with chronic kidney disease, and their health care providers, can benefit from empagliflozin as quickly as possible, continued Leonard Glass, M.D., F.A.C.E., senior vice president, Diabetes & Obesity Global Medical Affairs, Lilly. # ENDS # About EMPA-KIDNEY: The study of heart and kidney protection with empagliflozin2,3,6 EMPA-KIDNEY (NCT03594110) is a multinational randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, designed to evaluate the effect of empagliflozin on kidney disease progression and cardiovascular mortality risk. The primary outcome is defined as time to a first event of either cardiovascular death or kidney disease progression, defined as end-stage kidney disease (the need for kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis or kidney transplantation), a sustained decline in eGFR to <10 mL/min/1.73 m2, kidney death, or a sustained decline of 40 percent in eGFR from randomization. Key secondary outcomes include cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure, all-cause hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. EMPA-KIDNEY includes 6,609 adults randomized from eight countries with established chronic kidney disease both with and without diabetes, as well as with and without albuminuria, receiving either empagliflozin 10 mg or placebo, on top of current standard of care. About chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease affects approximately 850 million people worldwide which is more than 10 percent of the population.7 The condition is caused by progressive damage to the kidneys that prevents them from working as well as they should. With it mostly being asymptomatic (no symptoms) until later stages of the condition, most people go undiagnosed and every year millions die prematurely from chronic kidney disease and related complications.6,8,9 The Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Alliance are committed to transforming care for people with chronic kidney disease and other cardio-renal-metabolic conditions. About cardio-renal-metabolic conditions Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly are driven to transform care for people with cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, a group of interconnected disorders that affect more than 1.4 billion people worldwide and are a leading cause of death.10,11 The cardiovascular, renal and metabolic systems are interconnected, and share many of the same risk factors and pathological pathways along the disease continuum. Dysfunction in one system may accelerate the onset of others, resulting in progression of interconnected diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and kidney disease, which in turn leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular death. Conversely, improvements in one system can lead to positive effects throughout the others.12,13,14 Through our research and treatments, our goal is to support peoples health, restoring the balance between the interconnected cardio-renal-metabolic systems and reducing their risk of serious complications. As part of our commitment to those whose health is jeopardized by cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, we will continue embracing a multidisciplinary approach towards care and focusing our resources on filling treatment gaps. About empagliflozin Empagliflozin (marketed as Jardiance) is an oral, once-daily, highly selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor and the first type 2 diabetes medicine to include cardiovascular death risk reduction data in its label in several countries.15,16 Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company The Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly Alliance leverages the strengths of two of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. By joining forces, the companies demonstrate their commitment, not only to the care of people with type 2 diabetes, but also to address areas of unmet medical need like heart failure and chronic kidney disease. About Boehringer Ingelheim Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two business units, Human Pharma and Animal Health. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com. About Lilly Lilly unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. Weve been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the worlds most significant health challenges, redefining diabetes care, treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects, advancing the fight against Alzheimers disease, providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders, and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, were motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visitlilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Intended audiences This press release is issued from Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved products may vary from country to country, and a country-specific press release on this topic may have been issued in the countries where Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company do business. This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about clinical trials to evaluate Jardiance as a treatment for adults with heart failure and reflects Lilly's current belief. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that future study results will be consistent with the results to date or that Jardiance will receive additional regulatory approvals. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. Please click here for further Notes to editors and References View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230623740785/en/ Penneys store in Dundrum Town Centre was officially opened on Thursday by Neale Richmond TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with special responsibility for Retail Business, following a 16 million investment by the retailer. Penneys, which operates as Primark outside of Ireland, currently has 37 stores in Ireland. The new opening in Dundrum is part of the retailers commitment to invest over 250 million in Ireland over the next 10 years, which includes the development, relocation and/or refurbishment of its stores across the country. Prime Retail Space The investment also includes a 75 million state-of-the-art warehousing and distribution facility in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, which is currently under construction. The new Dundrum Penneys now occupies the second and third floors of the former House of Fraser site, featuring 60,000 square feet of prime retail space. 130 Jobs It has 64% more shopping space than its previous store, Penneys is now one of the largest fashion retailers at Dundrum Town Centre and becomes the third largest Penneys in Ireland. The move to a much bigger store has created 130 new jobs, bringing the total headcount at the store to 360, with all employees moving from the former Penneys site to its new home in the Centre. 'Expanded Product Range' "This has been a significant project for our property and retail teams, and the finished result looks incredible," said Head of Penneys Ireland and Northern Ireland, Damien ONeill. "Between the expanded product range offering even more great-value fashion and essentials, and all our new in-store services, we think customers new and old are going to love Penneys amazing, expanded retail space." He added, "Our continued investment in our Irish business demonstrates the confidence and commitment we have in our home market, and we are proud to continue to play our part in supporting Irish cities, towns and communities. 'Irish Success Story' Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond TD, who opened the store, said, This 16 million investment by Penneys in Dundrum is hugely welcome and highlights the attractiveness of Dundrum Town Centre as a place to do business. With over 400 stores around the world, Penneys is a true Irish success story." She added, "As the peoples retailer, Penneys committed last summer to help ease the cost-of-living crisis by continuing its commitment to sustainable affordable clothing and protecting prices on hundreds of essential children's items. Source: www.businessworld.ie RWANDA :: Paul Kagame: The Commonwealth does not replace other institutions President Kagame's Opening Speech for CHOGM 2022, 24 June 2022 It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome you to the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the sixth in Africa, and the first since our world was turned upside down by a devastating pandemic. The journey here has been long. But it was easier, because of the support we have rendered to one another. I thank the Chair-in-Office, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the Secretary-General, for guiding our organisation through unprecedented times. We are very honoured today to welcome Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. We join together to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, the Head of the Commonwealth, and its most devoted champion. Over her seventy years of service, the Commonwealth has grown, both in number, and in the scope of its ambition. The fact of holding this meeting in Rwanda, a new member with no historical connection to the British Empire, expresses our choice to continue re-imagining the Commonwealth, for a changing world. The Commonwealth does not replace other institutions; it adds to them. That is why we always have important special guests with us. This year, let me recognise, in particular, His Highness the Emir of Qatar, and I thank him for being here with us. The Commonwealth we need, is on the frontlines of global challenges, not on the periphery, watching events unfold. Our special strength is to bring issues into focus, that might otherwise be overlooked. For instance, the way that climate change puts the very existence of small island and developing states, into jeopardy. Or the possibility to transcend size and geography, by leveraging new technologies, to create high-quality, global jobs for our youth, right at home. We are united by a shared language, whether English is our first, second, third, or even fourth one. But what really defines us, are the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, and a commitment to good governance, the rule of law, and the protection of rights. That is why we shall always remain open to new voices, and new members. And wherever we might fall short, we find solutions through consensus and dialogue; we build each other up; and we move forward, together. In closing, I also want to welcome you to Rwanda. Ours is a country that was torn apart by genocide and division, just a generation ago. Today, we are a nation transformed, in heart, mind, and body. Three-quarters of our population are young people, with no memory of those events. Everything we do, including joining the Commonwealth in 2009, is aimed at making sure that our people are connected, included, and forward-looking. We are delighted that, through CHOGM, you have the opportunity to get to know us, and we aim to repay that trust, with many years of continued friendship. I thank you. Discours d'ouverture du president Kagame pour le CHOGM 2022 en Francais, traduction libre et non officielle, 24 juin 2022 C'est un plaisir et un honneur de vous accueillir a la 26e reunion des chefs de gouvernement du Commonwealth, la sixieme en Afrique et la premiere depuis que notre monde a ete bouleverse par une pandemie devastatrice. Le voyage ici a ete long. Mais c'etait plus facile, grace au soutien que nous nous sommes apportes les uns aux autres. Je remercie le President en exercice, le Premier ministre Boris Johnson, et le Secretaire general, d'avoir guide notre organisation a travers des temps sans precedent. Nous sommes tres honores aujourd'hui d'accueillir Leurs Altesses Royales le Prince de Galles et la Duchesse de Cornouailles. Nous nous unissons pour rendre hommage a Sa Majeste la Reine, chef du Commonwealth et son champion le plus devoue. Au cours de ses soixante-dix annees de service, le Commonwealth a grandi, a la fois en nombre et dans la portee de son ambition. Le fait de tenir cette reunion au Rwanda, nouveau membre sans lien historique avec l'Empire britannique, exprime notre choix de continuer a reinventer le Commonwealth, pour un monde qui change. Le Commonwealth ne remplace pas les autres institutions ; il sajoute a eux. C'est pourquoi nous avons toujours des invites speciaux importants avec nous. Cette annee, permettez-moi de saluer en particulier Son Altesse l'Emir du Qatar, et je le remercie d'etre parmi nous. Le Commonwealth dont nous avons besoin est en premiere ligne des defis mondiaux, et non a la peripherie, regardant les evenements se derouler. Notre force particuliere est de mettre l'accent sur des problemes qui pourraient autrement etre negliges. Par exemple, la facon dont le changement climatique met en peril l'existence meme des petits Etats insulaires et des pays en voie de developpement. Ou la possibilite de transcender la taille et la geographie, en tirant parti des nouvelles technologies, pour creer des emplois mondiaux de haute qualite pour nos jeunes, directement chez eux. Nous sommes unis par une langue commune, que l'anglais soit notre premiere, deuxieme, troisieme ou meme quatrieme langue. Mais ce qui nous definit vraiment, ce sont les valeurs inscrites dans la Charte du Commonwealth et un engagement envers la bonne gouvernance, la primaute du droit et la protection des droits. C'est pourquoi nous resterons toujours ouverts aux nouvelles voix et aux nouveaux membres. Et partout ou nous risquons d'echouer, nous trouvons des solutions par le consensus et le dialogue ; nous nous construisons mutuellement; et nous avancons, ensemble. Pour Terminer, je veux aussi vous souhaiter la bienvenue au Rwanda. Cest un pays qui a ete dechire par le genocide et la division, il y a a peine une generation. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes une nation transformee, dans le cur, l'esprit et le corps. Les trois quarts de notre population sont des jeunes, sans aucun souvenir de ces evenements. Tout ce que nous faisons, y compris notre adhesion au Commonwealth en 2009, vise a nous assurer que nos peuples sont connectes, inclus et tournes vers l'avenir. Nous sommes ravis que, grace a CHOGM, vous ayez l'opportunite de nous connaitre, et nous visons a rendre cette confiance, avec de nombreuses annees d'amitie continue. Je vous remercie. Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 2:53AM Google is launching a new search feature that will let you explore different perspectives from real people on various topics. Perspectives will be available as a tab on Friday, the company announced on Twitter. When you tap the Perspectives tab, you will see different content from discussion boards, Q&A sites, and social media platforms, such as videos, images and written posts. Google said in a blog post that this feature is designed to help you find "information from people on forums and social media sites," allowing you to benefit from the experiences of others. The Perspectives tab will show you cards with content from sources like YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Quora, and more. You can also see more details about the content's creators, such as their name, profile photo, or popularity. Some YouTube videos can be played within the search results, while other content will open in full pages. The Perspectives feature was first introduced as a carousel in some search results during Google I/O in May. It looks like Google's attempt to offer a more human and diverse way of searching for information, rather than relying on traditional web pages or appending "reddit" to every query. This may also be a way for Google to compete with Reddit, which has been facing backlash from its community over its planned API changes. However, this may be a coincidence, as Google said the feature would roll out in "the coming weeks" back in May. It won't be surprising if they're capitalizing on the Reddit drama, though. Via: 1 + 2 The Government of Andhra Pradesh, in conjunction with ETS, the world's largest assessment, research and learning organization, announced today a joint agreement to provide customized English assessments to students in the state's government schools. Under the visionary directives of the Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri. Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the agreement aims to fortify language capabilities of students and promote academic excellence by equipping them with the necessary skills to excel on the national learning metric. As part of this 5-year initiative, ETS will evaluate and certify the English language proficiency of students ranging from Class 3 to 10 across all government schools through its TOEFL Young Students Series assessments. Schools will leverage TOEFL Primary and TOEFL Junior Standard Tests to assess the English reading and listening skills of students in Class 3 through 5 and Class 6 through 9, respectively, while the TOEFL Junior Speaking Test will assess the English-speaking skills of Class 10 students. Since most of these students are considered first-generation English-language learners, customized "Readiness Tests" will determine their readiness to take Certification Tests. Our mission is to empower our students to become globally employable individuals, transcending the boundaries of government schools. By taking up this noble endeavor, we are committed to making a profound societal impact. Challenges fuel our determination, and it is through these challenges that we rise. Our vision extends beyond the junior level as we aspire to expand our efforts to the senior levels, leaving no student behind. Together, we will revolutionize education and pave the way for a brighter future." - Honorable Chief Minister Shri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh. The integration of ETS's world-class assessment resources into the educational framework of Andhra Pradesh will have a significant impact, benefiting millions of students enrolled in government schools across the state. "We are proud to work with the Government of Andhra Pradesh on this ground-breaking initiative," said Sachin Jain, Country Manager, ETS India. "We have seen first-hand the power of the English language as a gateway to global opportunity. Through the emphasis of English skill development at a young age, students in Andhra Pradesh will be better prepared for success is the long term. We commend Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri. Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for his partnership and look forward to seeing the impact of our collaboration on this region and beyond." The collaborative efforts of the Government of Andhra Pradesh and ETS are poised to position the state's students on an accelerated trajectory of linguistic competence and academic success. Through this momentous alliance, Andhra Pradesh reaffirms its commitment to providing a robust educational environment conducive to holistic development and global competitiveness. Moreover, this partnership extends beyond student-centric initiatives. ETS will also contribute to the enrichment of teacher capacity in English language instruction via a 3-day workshop at ETS's headquarters in Princeton, NJ, USA. Among the many benefits, these teachers will have the unique opportunity to engage with the creators of the TOEFL Young Students Series tests. About ETS At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions, and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually - including the TOEFL and TOEIC tests, the GRE tests and The Praxis Series assessments - in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org Toyota Motor Philippines has introduced one of its most important new models of the year: the all-new Wigo. As Filipinos seek to become more... Director Peter Sohn has done almost every job imaginable at Pixar during his 23 years with the company. His latest credit is as the director of Elemental, in theaters now. Last week, the film had a special screening at Annecy, where IBTWN Animation, in partnership with Cartoon Brew, caught up with Sohn to discuss one of the most personal projects hes ever worked on. Narratively, the seeds of Elemental came from his own upbringing as the child of Korean immigrants living in New York City. But seeds cant grow on their own, so Sohn spoke with hundreds of people at Pixar who had immigration stories of their own to help give his seeds the elements they needed to grow. That [idea] began to resonate with artists from different departments and they started bringing their own stories. I love that it started with these personal seeds, but other stories grew from that, and it became all of us, he said. As the film was being developed, it went through several big narrative changes. Sohn knew the kind of story he wanted to tell, but there was still work to be done to nail down the specifics. Early versions had villains, but Sohn says that turned it into basically another superhero movie, and thats not the kind of story his team was trying to tell. Anytime we started abstract, the audience at Pixar every time we showed it, the characters are abstract and once we went to a narrative that was abstract, there was really nothing to latch onto, he told us. So we had to find some grounded things to play off of. Some early versions of that were almost superhero movies essentially, with fire powers and water powers to stop a villain. But you didnt feel anything. So we were just searching for that connection with the elements. In their search for a connection, Sohn recalls seeing concept art with Ember represented as a candle flame that shrank when she felt vulnerable. It reminded me when youre with someone and youre naked emotionally, if they said a negative word to you, youd just be crushed. From there, it became about visual metaphors between elemental actions and human emotions. Maybe its too subtle, I dont know, but it was something that felt real versus a villain that was in a cliche way taking over a city, said Sohn. Sohn had an idea but needed a way to visualize that through animation. The roots of using anthropomorphic elements as characters to tell a story came from Sohns childhood. In school, when I first saw the periodic table of elements, they looked like apartment complexes to me and I would draw characters, he said. There were jokes, like, Copper lives next to helium but be careful because theyre gassy! But thats all it was, it was never anything else. The film unspools as a romantic comedy that follows Ember and Wade, two young elements living in a city where fire, water, land, and air-residents live side by side. The films larger themes are based on Sohns own upbringing as a child of immigrants in New York City. Its one thing to have an idea about anthropomorphizing the four classical elements as characters, and another thing altogether to make it happen on screen. Sohn said it took a bit of naivete and a lot of determination to make it happen, as well as the help of a ton of people at Pixar. There was a lot of fear and advice of what the problems were gonna be, he recalled of his initial pitch to use elements as characters. Part of me was naive and part of me was excited because we couldnt find an example of characters like this outside of 2d drawings, like Calcifer from Howls Movie Castle. Sohn said that one of the biggest challenges to using elemental characters was, We wanted them to emote in a human way, but they couldnt be a human in terms of a skeleton. It all started with drawings and after that, it was just years of experiments, he explained. There was no road. We had roads to toys to building cars, he explained, alluding to the characters in Toy Story and Cars. But we didnt have roads to building characters that were all effects. Pixar recently published several detailed technical papers on how they achieved some of the films special effects, and many of the technical crew who made it possible will be speaking at upcoming industry events. But Sohn thinks the average moviegoer probably wont fully realize just how much went into making those moving pictures possible. When you look at it, its like Oh they just turned something on. But it was years of trying to build a road in that studio with a lot of people really working hard to see if they could control the fire. So much of it was about trying to slow and control it without the audience saying, Oh, thats not fire anymore he said. And as difficult as it was to figure out how to create a character made of fire, even more work was required to get the films water characters to function on screen. Water was the hardest because any movement of the ingredients of water, it would turn into something else, Sohn explained. You slow down the bubbles he becomes Jell-O. If you remove highlights, he becomes a ghost. For more insights on the production of the film, check out the entire INBTWN interview, linked above. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here With Riverbend Festivals 40th anniversary earlier this month still reverberating, Friends of the Festival Executive Director Mickey McCamish appeals to local government for more support in the coming years. I want to be fair about it, the retired U.S. Navy captain told the Civitan Club at its Friday meeting. He referenced Riverbends most recent economic impact study, which credited the festival with $1 million in tax revenue and $29.6 million in total impact. The study was conducted in 2018 when the festival was eight days long, but Mr. McCamish said he wants recognition of the taxes that I generate, in the form of government services. Its becoming tougher and tougher for the small festival to survive, he said. Riverbend 2023 cost $3 million. It was awarded a $15,000 grant by Chattanooga Tourism Co. in 2022, but 2023 awards wont be announced until June 30. Of course that ship has sailed, so to speak, Mr. McCamish said. Riverbend applied for a $50,000 Tourism Co. grant for 2024. Im not holding out a lot of hope on that, he said. He said Riverbends chances of grant money are even lower for 2024 since the county budget, approved Wednesday, limits the Tourism Co.s intake of local occupancy tax to last years figure: $10,366,000 instead of the projected $12,274,000. The new budget goes into effect July 1. We were all held a little hostage with that, Mr. McCamish said. Mr. McCamish said he did not send free wristbands to City Council members or County Commissioners in 2022 or 2023. One commissioner asked if hed forgotten to send them. I said No, sir. It was intentional. Both of you have cut me out of your budget, so Im cutting you out of my budget, he said. The mayors office has indicated that the $1.9 million difference will be spent on parks, recreation centers and other amenities for county residents. Mr. McCamish said that 64 percent of the 2023 Riverbend audience is regional, and he said that downtown hotels were full the weekend of Riverbend. Its pretty much sold out, he said, though official reports arent in yet. He said Friends of the Festival paid $35,000 to rent the downtown property and close roads. It paid $40,000 to the city for police and $12,000 to the county for police. It paid $23,000 for EMT services. I pay all of these things to government entities, Mr. McCamish said. A member of the audience asked if the festival broke even this year. He answered, Its a struggle, and that the books havent been closed out yet. Beyond local funding, Mr. McCamish said its getting harder to attract acts. Riverbend doesnt have the buying power of Live Nation, for example, he said. My product is my lineup, he said. You start with a wish list and you narrow it down. Mr. McCamish said the cooling synthetic turf over pavement at the Ultra Stage was worth the $30,000 cost. He said organizers took seriously the comments about heat and humidity in past years. It was good to see people put their blankets down there and really enjoy it, he said. Friends of the Festivals next event is Riverfront Nights, a free concert series at Rosss Landing, which begins July 15 and runs through the end of August. The manager of Starbucks at 1951 Gunbarrel Road told police a man was refusing to leave and wanted him trespassed. The man said he ordered coffee at the drive-thru and it was cold so he went inside to get a hot coffee. When they handed him what he thought would be the right order, he found out it was an Americano and not what he wanted. Then the man asked for them to make him the correct coffee and waited inside for it. The man was compliant with police and had no issues with leaving the property. He did understand he was trespassed from this Starbucks. * * * A man called police and reported he had left his car in the parking garage at 349 Walnut St. He said he left his sunroof open and a firearm in the passenger side pocket. When the man returned to his car, he found his 9mm Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS ($1,640) stolen. This gun was described as being loaded with one in the chamber, wear on the slide, and had many attachments. These attachments include a Silencer Co barrel, Holowsun 407c, Agency Arms 417 compensator and Streamlight TLRI. It was in a black FDO Industries IWB holster ($60). The man couldnt find the serial number and was attempting to find it. He did wish to press charges if the thief is found. * * * An anonymous caller asked police to check on a 95-year-old man on Green Hill Drive. The caller said the mans air conditioning was not working and the caller was concerned about it. Police arrived at the residence and knocked on the front door, but no one responded. Police saw the garage lights on and could see a truck inside but no suspicious activity. All other lights were off at the residence. * * * A clerk at Speedway at 2245 Hickory Valley Road told police a man stole approximately 13 $30 Jumbo tickets. The clerk said he was unlocking the bathroom door when suddenly he saw the suspect reaching over the counter and grabbing approximately 13 lottery tickets. The clerk attempted to chase the man out of the parking lot but lost sight of him. The suspect was described as a white male in his 30s wearing all black and carrying a backpack. There's no video footage at this time. The clerk said he is unsure if Speedway is willing to prosecute. The clerk was very uncooperative with police with details of the theft. * * * Police were initially dispatched to a wreck without injuries at 434 Roberts St. Police saw a 2005 grey Ford Freestar minivan unoccupied which had struck a parked vehicle. While on scene, police were notified by dispatch of the vehicle owner calling in reporting the vehicle as stolen. Police spoke with the vehicle owner, who said she just woke up and walked outside and her vehicle was gone at 2:30 in the morning. Police asked her and she said she didnt know who was driving, and she wasnt driving. She said she didnt want to press charges and the vehicle was towed away by A1 Towing. * * * A man at his residence on N. Hickory Street told police he last had his ID card and Social Security card in his sock while he was sleeping on the front porch around 3 or 4 a.m. He woke up later and realized the sock had been ripped and he believes the two cards had fallen out because they were gone. He believes they must have fallen under the porch after he ripped his sock and then someone came up and stole them later. * * * The manager of Dollar General at 2303 E. 23rd St. told police a man accused an employee of following him around the store. The manager asked the man to leave and, when he refused, notified police. The manager wanted to have the man trespassed from the property. Police found the man walking down the road and identified him. The man said he felt the employee had been following him because he is black. The man said he didnt plan to return to the store. * * * A man in the Erlanger employee parking garage at 975 E. 3rd St. told police someone stole his 2014 black Kia Sorento SUV. The man said he just bought the car and he had the only key to the vehicle with him. Police asked the man if there was anything on the vehicle that would stand out and he said the right rear passenger door had a noticeable dent on it. The man also said a silver/black Springfield CSS 9mm handgun was in the car. He didnt know the serial number to the handgun and he would call back with it. Police contacted NCIC clerk and had them put the vehicle into NCIC as stolen and also BOLOd the vehicle citywide. Before this report was submitted the man called dispatch and he said he found his vehicle in the garage. The officer contacted the man and he said he didn't know what happened but after he got off work his vehicle was there along with the handgun. The vehicle was taken out of NCIC. Mary Alice Ringer Barrow was born to the late Judson Ringer and Emma Lou Jackson Ringer on August 29, 1943, in Chattanooga. The second child and first daughter of six children, Mary was blessed with extraordinary talents and personal qualities that shaped her life for the good. On December 10, 1966, she married her cherished and devoted husband, Llewellyn Barrow and this union was blessed with two children, Charita Lynn Barrow and Brian Lamar Barrow. Mary embraced Christianity at an early age and lived with grace and generosity, according to the tenets of her faith. Mary was an amazing mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. On Friday June 23, 2023, she was welcomed into heaven. Mary loved learning and excelled academically. She attended Calvin Donaldson Elementary School and graduated from Howard High School in 1961. In 1965 she earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Education at Tennessee State University in Nashville, and in 1983, completed a Masters degree in Library Science at Middle Tennessee State University with high honors. Mary enjoyed a varied and successful professional life. From 1965 to1966, she was employed by Tennessee Valley Authority in Oak Ridge, Tn. Between 1966 until her retirement in 2008, she was employed as an educator and librarian in the Chattanooga City Schools and later Hamilton County teaching at Eastside Middle School, Howard High School, Calvin Donaldson Elementary and as librarian and media specialist at Tyner High School. Mary had a passion for her profession and had a positive impact on innumerable students as well as new teachers. In addition to teaching in the classroom, she devoted herself to the mission of serving as a home bound teacher where she took the classroom to the students who were confined. Mary was a devoted educator and known by her students and colleagues to be a caring and compassionate person concerned about their learning and educational progress. She spent decades helping to create an environment that supports learning. Her towering intellect made each interaction edifying. Mary possessed a peaceful demeanor, was kindhearted, and soft-spoken. She epitomized the best of a strong and empathic leader. Her integrity, self-awareness, courage, respect, empathy and gratitude toward her peers, students, friends and colleagues were admired by many. Mary was courteousa model of discretion in conversation and manner. She listened more than she spoke. Marys commitment to service and helping others was emphasized by her parents along with the belief that a good education and hard work, combined with honesty and integrity, there were no boundaries. She carried this credo with her throughout her life by helping those that were in need not counting the cost but knowing that God required her best. She did not strive to serve her own desires but to serve others and live a life based on Gods love. It was her faith that sustained her during her extended illness. A voracious reader and student of literature and history, Marys passion for travel was infectious. Her travels took her to Europe and China. Her love and passion for travel broaden her horizon and perspectives on life. Mary served as an officer for the State of Tennessee National Teacher Union where she attended conventions all over the county. In addition, to serving as union leader, Mary was twice elected president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pi Omega Chapter; a former member of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporation the Greater Chattanooga Chapter; held financialpositions with the Chattanooga Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; and an active member of the Chattanooga Chapter of Karts. She was a member of Second Baptist Church. Prior to joining Second Baptist, Mary was a member of Wiley United Methodist Church for over 35 years, the church where her children were baptized and confirmed. Mary lived with courage, generosity, optimism, adventurousness, and purpose; she loved and supported her family; she laid foundations for others to build upon; and she left every member of her family a legacy of love and precious memories. Mary Alice Ringer Barrow made her peaceful transition on Friday, June 23, 2023, after a courageous battle with Alzheimers. Mary leaves to celebrate her life and mourn her passing her husband, Llewellyn Barrow; beloved children Charita Lynn Barrow; Brian Lamar Barrow (Emily) granddaughter, Ada Marie Barrow; sisters Velma Ringer Jackson (Reginald) Richmond, Ca.; Thelma Ringer Smith, Atlanta; Willena Ringer Isom Cameron (James) Atlanta; brothers Howard Edward Ringer Sr. (Olivia) Chattanooga; Windon Ringer (Carole) McLean, VA; brother- in-law, Joseph Barrow (Ruth) Washington, DC; aunt, Viola Ringer, Cincinnati; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends. Maggie Haimelin of Chattanooga, on Friday received category awards in Fitness and Talent during the second night of preliminary competition at the 66th Distinguished Young Women National Finals. The $1,000 each cash scholarships were presented to five of the 50 state representatives receiving the highest scores in each category. Following a selection process that began in her home state of Tennessee, Ms. Haimelin traveled to Mobile along with 49 other state representatives to participate in community activities and prepare for the 66th annual national competition. Ms. Haimelin is a graduate of Notre Dame High School. In the fall, she will attend the University of Alabama with plans to become a physician assistant. She is the daughter of Barbara and Daniel Haimelin. Competition continues Saturday with the selection of the top eight finalists and the distribution of additional cash scholarships, including $40,000 to be awarded to the participant selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2023. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 When a family member has a baby, its such an exciting experience. If youre especially close to this family member, sometimes you want to show up, get them special things for their baby, and be extra supportive. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates when you do something special for their baby. One woman spent months knitting an outfit for her daughter to take home her new baby in and was very disappointed to see that she chose to put her baby in a designer brand outfit instead. She is the mother of four children and has five grandchildren. She started a tradition when her first grandchild was born where she hand knits them outfits to wear home from the hospital. These outfits take a lot of effort, and she knits them using colors with symbolic meanings like health, peace, and protection. She doesnt knit professionally and has a job, so making the outfits is definitely a labor of love. She never forced the outfits on her children; they actually started asking her to keep making them after she did it for her first grandchild. When her oldest daughter, Pam, announced she was pregnant, she was immediately asked to start knitting an outfit for her baby to go home from the hospital in. Pam asked if she could knit a red outfit, and it ended up being one of the prettiest ones shes made so far. It took her seven months, and the outfit was ready to go by the time her new granddaughter was born. She stayed with Pam all throughout her delivery and was very supportive throughout the entire process. But when it was time to leave the hospital, her heart dropped when she saw that Pam decided to take her daughter home in an expensive designer brand outfit her in-laws bought for the baby instead of the knitted outfit. She didnt say anything to Pam at the hospital because she didnt want to add any stress or further exhaustion. But after everyone was home, she vented to her son about how heartbroken she was over the situation. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. The desegregation of schools in the United States that occurred after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954 was a monumental moment in American history. One of the people that had a great influence on getting the law passed was only a teenager at the time, and her name was Barbara R. Johns. Barbara was born in 1935 in New York City. As a child, her family moved down to Prince Edward County, Virginia, where they faced a lot of racial discrimination for being Black. Growing up, Barbara was heavily influenced by her family members, including her uncle, Reverend Vernon Johns, a pioneer in the civil rights movement. Barbara attended the segregated schools in Prince Edward County throughout her childhood and teenage years and could not help but notice how the schools for Black children were falling apart. The local white children went to schools with a sturdy foundation and received brand-new supplies. Meanwhile, the schools for Black children were built terribly, had no heating, were in unsafe condition, and all of their supplies were beaten up after being handed down from the white schools. These conditions were especially bad at Barbaras high school, Robert Russa Moton High School. Many Black families in the area expressed their concern and disappointment in the state of their childrens schools, but no one ever gave them the time of day, and the school board often ignored them. Thats when 16-year-old Barbara decided to take matters into her own hands. Barbara went throughout her school, gathering students and teachers who were just as fed up with their school conditions as her. On April 23rd, 1951, Barbara and other student organizers had all teachers bring their classes to the school auditorium, where she encouraged everyone to go on strike and not return to school until they could learn in a new school building. Most of the schools students joined Barbara in her strike and were determined not to let up until their demands were met. The schools superintendent, Thomas J. McIlwaine, was not helping them make progress and tried demanding the students return to school, but they stayed on strike. Then, Barbara and fellow strike organizer Carrie Stokes wrote to Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson, two lawyers who worked for the NAACP. The goal was to use the passion from the strike to go to court and demand that schools in Prince Edward County be desegregated so that all students could have equal learning opportunities. On May 23rd, 1951, they filed the court case Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. This case eventually was one of the five cases the Supreme Court reviewed during Brown v. Board of Education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1954. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Pixabay/Myriams-Fotos The Texas Christian University (TCU) will provide a course that tackles different theories regarding sexuality. It was titled 'The Queer Art of Drag' and scheduled to be offered during the spring semester of 2023. 'The Queer Art of Drag' Course at Christian University The art form known as drag has a long and illustrious history of subverting established social standards while challenging oppressive social structures, all in the name of fostering the LGBT community. It also experiences joy despite the challenging environment it lives in. However, drag has also been used to further the cause of opposing ideologies and can sometimes play a part in damaging normative logic. The Texan News reported that students could enroll in a class entitled "The Queer Art of Drag" at TCU during the spring semester of 2023. This class will be taught with the Department of Women and Gender Studies, the Gender Resource Office, and other "community partners." The objective of this class is to investigate the concept of "critical drag" and how it relates to "social critique" and "queer world-making." The emphasis placed on the words "critical" and "critique" is a reminder of using a subject-oriented viewpoint on society as a preferred technique of knowing instead of an objective examination. In addition, to seek the disruption of existing cultural and political frameworks and to actively reject those systems through action is what is meant by the terms "critical" and "critique." As per Fox News, every person enrolled in the program is expected to create a one-to-two-minute-long individual drag performance that will be videotaped, edited, and presented to a public audience during TCU's Annual Night of Drag on April 21. Students will read materials such as "How Drag Villains Became the Far Right's Ultimate Villains" by Colleen Hamilton and "The Gender Binary is a Tool of White Supremacy" by Kravitz Marshall during the second week of their educational experiences. Moreover, Harper Keenan and Lil Miss Hot Mess's "Drag Pedagogy: The playful practice of queer imagination in early childhood," Drag Kids, and Mary Zaborskis' "Queer Childhoods and Drag Race" are some additional texts and videos for the program. Also Read:Northern Alberta Church Embraces Inclusivity, Receives Affirm United Membership During Pride Month Content Warning on Racism A report from Daily Mail stated that students in the critical drag course are cautioned to be "especially mindful" of how their actions could be understood and distributed. This is because "drag can be controversial and provocative," according to the school's description. The introduction to this class at TUC reportedly indicates that drag is "available to all people," and it "enthusiastically welcomes the participation of straight and cisgender students." However, no one is required to label themselves unless they choose to do so on their own will. As mentioned, the emergence of this course takes place amid cultural warfare concerning drag performances in areas frequented by youngsters. At the same time, gender identity has been contentious in Texas. Thus, participants also receive a content warning for readings that may contain scenarios of anti-queerness, racism, misogyny, and other forms of violence. Moreover, a law recently handed to Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, who has authorized child welfare officials to look into such treatment as abuse, made Texas the most recent state in the United States to outlaw gender-affirming care for minors. Following a final vote in the Senate, the Republican-controlled Assembly gave the bill the green light despite objections from Democrats. Additionally, recent months of confrontations between opposing factions have also occurred outside of drag queen tale events for children worldwide. Related Article:Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Catholic Charities Help Mexican Consulate in Orlando to Build Self-Reliance Courses for Latino Community Pixabay/m1ns3tth3in The Church of England Commissioners and Pensions Board has announced its plan to divest from fossil fuel firms that haven't done enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a bold move for environmental stewardship. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gave his remarks about the Church's decision and he emphasized that the religious organization had a duty to address this urgent matter. He reprimanded the businesses for failing to coordinate their activities with the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. He emphasized that their attempts to reduce carbon emissions needed to be revised. Church of England Makes a Green Move, Divests From Fossil Fuels According to the article in Christian Today, the Archbishop stressed the moral and spiritual duty to care for our planetary neighbors who are affected by this global peril, as well as the urgency of the climate issue. He argued that it is our sacred duty as stewards of God's creation to lead the world toward sustainability. The Archbishop made a point of highlighting the important part that energy corporations must play in the shift to a low-carbon economy. The Archbishop stressed that the Church has long challenged corporations to treat the climate change crisis with the seriousness it demands. This commits that the objectives of the Paris Agreement in to keeping the current increase in global temperatures to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels. The Archbishop claims that phasing out fossil fuels and shifting financial resources to renewable energy sources are among the practical effects of the required climate action. He emphasized the necessity for a sound plan to lead us toward a net-zero society. He also claimed that even though there is progress, still, is too minimal to the goal as being urgent as needed. Also Read: Britain's Cost of Living Crisis Affects Church of Englands Clergy, Demand Pay Increase The Decision to Divest from Fossil Fuel The choice follows the recent abandonment of plans to reduce oil production for the next ten years by major oil producers Shell and BP. According to the story in the Euro News, such actions have increased pressure on organizations and institutions to reassess their investment portfolios, especially in relation to fossil fuel-related assets. Environmental advocacy organizations have applauded the decision a lot. Greenpeace UK praised the action as a turning point in environmental consciousness and a "moment of moral reckoning for investors and governments." The fight against climate change and environmental stewardship, a spokesman from Greenpeace highlighted, go beyond political will and economic strategy; they are inherently moral issues that demand our full attention. The organization have commended this decision of the Church of England divest in fossil fuels and noted that it sends a great message to investors and governments around the world. According to the story shared in The Guardian, in response to the decision, a Shell representative expressed sadness but not a surprise, given the recent change in the Church of England's position. They reassuringly reaffirmed Shell's commitment to attaining net zero emissions by 2050. They expressed their unwavering belief that their plan is consistent with the more challenging objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Additionally, they stressed their focus on upholding capital restraint, improving performance, and creating value for shareholders. Related Article: Church of England Opposes Shells Revised Commitment on Climate Change for Failing To Address Climate Risks By Setting Adequate Targets Pixabay/naeim a A federal court has exempted a wellness center run by Christians known as Braidwood Wellness from a policy that would have discriminated against LGBTQIA+ members. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is reportedly responsible for creating this regulation which aims to stop discrimination on a person's race, color, religion, and gender identity. Exemption of the Law on Christian-Owned Business According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Circuit Judge Jerry Smith ruled that in the absence of an exception, Braidwood Wellness would be forced to "comply wholeheartedly" with regulations considered "sinful." An order handed down by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, was validated by this decision. However, on Tuesday, Jun 20, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which has its headquarters in New Orleans, handed down a ruling on Braidwood Management, which runs an alternative wellness center in Texas. Circuit Judges Edith Clement, Cory Wilson, and Jerry Smith, all of whom had been appointed to their respective positions by Republican presidents, comprised the panel that heard the case and held that the United States EEOC is unable to take legal action against Braidwood over its policy of dismissing employees who participate in LGBTQIA+ or gender non-conforming conduct. The court reportedly did reverse O'Connor's finding, which had previously stated that the Christian-owned wellness center might file the complaint as a group action on behalf of other religious businesses. Thus, the exemption is only applicable to Braidwood Wellness at this time. As per NBC News, Braidwood Wellness contended that the organization's policies, such as its opposition to homosexuality and its adherence to traditional gender roles, were in line with Christian views and demonstrated that it followed such values. In addition, after EEOC modified its regulatory guidance, 2021 which states that hostility towards gay and transgender employees is an act of illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to take into account the United States Supreme Court's opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, the Christian-owned wellness center filed a lawsuit against the EEOC. Accordingly, Braidwood Wellness claimed that it operated under Christian views, which included a stance against homosexuality and the promotion of traditional gender roles. They had attempted to get a court order protecting their company from EEOC enforcement under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a federal law passed in 1993 restricting government agencies' authority to interfere with any individual's religious freedom. On the other hand, Braidwood further opposes the administration of President Joe Biden in a separate lawsuit against the mandate under the Affordable Care Act that health insurance plans, including those backed by employers, offer preventive care services, including HIV-preventing medications. According to Braidwood, this legal obligation also contradicts the company's principles. O'Connor, who is also ruling over that case, found in favor of the firm; however, the ruling is currently partially on hold for further consideration. Also Read: Seattle Megachurch Affirms LGBTQ Christians, Sever Ties With Evangelical Covenant Church EEOC Law The regulations implemented by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibit employers and other covered organizations who are not permitted from employing impartial hiring practices and policies which have an overtly adverse impact on applicants or staff members of a specific racial or ethnic group, religion, which includes gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, ethnic background, or on a person with a disability or class of individuals with disabilities when the rules or procedures are not job-related or necessary. Moreover, retaliation against someone who has reported discrimination, charged discrimination, or taken part in an employment discrimination investigation or litigation is reportedly forbidden. Related Article: Church Leader Criticizes Worlds Harshest Anti-LGBT Law, Accused of Perpetuating Colonialism Pixabay/Ronald Carreno A Jerusalem city council meeting recently turned contentious as council members clashed over how to address the escalating attacks on Christians in the Old City. The conference, marked by a heated exchange of words, exposed deep divisions within the council. Jerusalem City Council Meeting Turns Clash During the session, councilman Adir Schwartz of the Hitorerut party called for strongly condemning the attacks, highlighting incidents of spitting and verbal abuse targeted at Christian tourists and worshippers. Schwartz also urged implementing additional security measures and closer collaboration with the police to ensure the safety of the Christian community, the Jerusalem Post reported. However, deputy mayor Aryeh King, representing the far-right faction, opposed the motion. King expressed support for tourism but voiced reservations about seminaries. His stance drew criticism from those advocating for protecting Christian residents and visitors. In a provocative response, councilman Yonatan Yosef belittled the call for condemnation by referring to historical actions by Christians against Jews. Yosef cited the crusades, pogroms, and the Inquisition, diverting attention from the urgent issue. As mentioned, amidst the escalating tensions, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion intervened, emphasizing the city's commitment to condemn violence, regardless of religious, racial, or gender differences. Still, his efforts to restore order and unity among the council members faced significant challenges. Councilman Schwartz also expressed deep concern over the divisive and racist statements made during the meeting, warning of the potential consequences for the city's relations. He lamented Mayor Lion's failure to strongly denounce the offensive remarks, underscoring the urgency of nurturing inclusive and respectful relationships among all communities in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the meeting reportedly sparked discussions about the pope's role during the Holocaust. While Pope Pius XII did not publicly protest the genocide of Jews, the Catholic Church has since taken steps to condemn Holocaust denial and antisemitism. Pope Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, have expressed their commitment to building fraternity and eliminating the roots of hatred and violence. Also Read: Jerusalem Church Attack Prompts Call for Global Safeguarding of Holy Sites by Religious Leaders Increasing Attacks in Christian Community in Jerusalem The Vatican News reported that churches in the Holy Land have expressed concerns regarding the repeated attacks and harassment by extremist groups in Israeli society. They have highlighted the severe threats these actions pose to the Christian community's existence in the region. Recently, attacks against churches and Christian properties and physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy have become common. Accordingly, extremists have been emboldened by the most right-wing government in Israel's history. Thus, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement on May 15, marking the Palestinian al-Nakba. They have urged the international community to take a more active role in safeguarding all communities and maintaining holy sites following the "Status Quo" regulations. As per Christian Science Monitor, there are concerns that the recent attacks in East Jerusalem may be part of a more significant effort by Israeli extremists and settler groups to drive out Palestinian Christians and Armenians from the area. It is a step towards their ultimate objective of taking control of the holy sites in the region. Israeli Jews and non-governmental organizations are coming together to support the Christian community in Jerusalem, safeguarding the city's diverse population and their right to practice their religion freely. Yet, the support they receive is insufficient to counteract the increasing culture of impunity among extremists. The culture is believed to be fueled by the government's alleged inaction and the absence of legal actions against these extremists. Related Article: World Council of Churches General Secretary Condemns Violent Jewish Extremist Protest Targeting Evangelical Christian Gathering in Jerusalem Pexels/cottonbro studio An alarming occurrence occurred on Wednesday when a well-known Louisiana preacher allegedly shot his wife before shooting himself. They were both taken to the hospital. Pastor Danny Prenell Jr. had posted a heartfelt photo of his family on Facebook just two days earlier with the statement, "I may not be a perfect man, but I'll always be a family man." At the Bright Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Pineville, Louisiana, Prenell, 25, is the pastor. Prenell, his wife Gabrielle, 27, and their three small children were traveling with their family when the event happened when they were staying at the Hampton Inn in McComb, Mississippi. Hampton Inn Shooting Incident: Louisiana Pastor Shoots Wife, Self According to the article in Church Leaders, both the husband and the wife were taken urgently to the neighboring Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center after the event. Due to the seriousness of her wounds, Gabrielle Prenell was subsequently flown to the Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson. Nothing is known about her present health. The incident has shocked the local populations of Pineville and McComb. An inquiry into the shooting, whose circumstances are still being looked into, is being led by local McComb authorities. Their three children, who were also present at the time of the tragedy, are still unaccounted for. Prenell's joint Facebook profile with Gabrielle, which is interesting, discloses that he previously worked as a deputy for the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office. In stark contrast to the violent episode that took place on Wednesday, much of his social media content is inspiring and spiritual. Also Read:Interfaith Event Led By Methodist Church Aims to Give Spiritual Comfort For Traumatized Community Following Mall Shooting Further Details of the Crime The terrible domestic shooting event involving Louisiana pastor Danny Prenell Jr. and his wife, Gabrielle, has received more information. According to the story in KALB 5, the sad incident happened at the Hampton Inn on Cheyenne Drive, located off Interstate 55 in McComb, Mississippi. The married couple that was shot has been confirmed as such by McComb Police Chief Juan Cloy to WLBT. According to the evidence, Prenell Jr. fatally shot his wife, Gabrielle, before shooting himself. Chief Cloy also verified that the family's many children were present at the time of the occurrence. Since then, Child Protective Services (CPS) has taken custody of the kids. During this painful time, the department is trying to safeguard their welfare and make arrangements for their care. Due in part to Prenell's position as a pastor and his prior job as a deputy for the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, the shocking occurrence has received a great deal of media attention. The neighborhood is eagerly awaiting updates on the couple's health and the future of their children as the investigation progresses. Related Article: Church of Christ To Give a Helping Hand, Volunteered To Host Classes for Covenant School Following Mass Shooting Pixabay/Foundry Darren Patterson Christian Academy, a Christian institution in Colorado, has filed a lawsuit against state officials. The case is in response to the school's requirement to renounce their religious beliefs if they wish to participate in a universal preschool program. Lawsuit Against Colorado State Official As per Fox News, Jeremiah Galus, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, mentioned that the statement implies that families are considered inferior citizens, and their religious convictions are not valued. The message in question has been deemed incorrect and a violation of the Constitution. He also stated that the state of Colorado is now conditioning participation in a program that was initially intended for all families, children, and eligible preschools. Darren Patterson Christian Academy in Buena Vista has been approved to participate in Colorado's new universal preschool program. The faith-based school will provide state-funded preschool services to every four-year-old in the state for at least 15 hours per week, starting Saturday, Jul 1. However, the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding the First Amendment and representing DPCA in their lawsuit, reported that the Colorado Department of Early Education had issued a mandate stating that schools cannot employ individuals based on their religious beliefs if they wish to participate in and receive state funding. On the other hand, The Washington Times reported that the state authorities had also directed a private Christian campus to modify its policies that mandate staff members to adhere to biblical principles and require students to be accommodated based on their biological gender during overnight trips to comply with the program's anti-discrimination norms. The complaint stated that the requirement for the school to forfeit its religious status, beliefs, and exercise would violate the First Amendment freedoms of religion. Despite its policies mandating that students conform to their sex assigned at birth while on campus, the school accepts children from all religious backgrounds, according to recent reports. Also Read:Colorado Mother Of Good Samaritan Files Lawsuit Against Police For Mistaking Her Son For An Active Shooter Darren Patterson Christian Academy Darren Patterson Christian Academy (DPCA) is a testament to the enduring power of one young boy's dream. Darren Patterson, a 14-year-old boy whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident caused by a drunk driver on Thanksgiving day in 1981, continues to profoundly impact the lives of hundreds of students in the community. Driven by Darren's unwavering desire to attend a Christian school, his loved ones embarked on a mission to honor his dream. Despite skeptics who believed the school could not succeed due to a lack of student population, DPCA opened its doors one year later. It invited Buena Vista's 1,500 residents to consider a Christ-centered education for their children. Over the years, the school flourished, outgrowing its initial rented church facility. 1996 a dedicated group of families and contractors joined forces to construct a tremendous new campus. The facility expanded further in 2007, encompassing additional classrooms, a gymnasium, and a cafetorium. Today, with an ever-growing student body and unwavering support from the local community, DPCA thrives. It offers a joyful, rigorous, Christ-centered education to families in Buena Vista and beyond. As mentioned, the academy proudly embraces Darren's story, using it as a catalyst to inspire students to become world-changers, instilling in them the belief that they can transform their communities and the world. Darren Patterson Christian Academy reportedly stands as a beacon of hope, reminding us all that even one young boy's dreams can lead to the realization of countless goals for future generations. Related Article: Colorado School District Passes Resolution Banning Critical Race Theory, Board Members Resign Chris Christies attack on Trump draws boos at Faith and Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority event WASHINGTON A Republican presidential candidate received boos from the audience at a gathering of politically engaged socially conservative Christians as he criticized former President Donald Trump. Faith leaders, conservative activists, Republican politicians and presidential candidates addressed thousands gathered at the annual Faith & Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority Conference as it kicked off its first day of programming at the Washington Hilton Friday. While most of the Republican presidential candidates avoided mentioning the frontrunner for their party's nomination, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did not demur. Christie, who has become an outspoken critic of Trump since he left office in early 2021, devoted much of his speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalitions Road to Majority Conference to discussing the importance of character and how it relates to his faith. My Catholic faith teaches us that character doesnt mean youre perfect. It doesnt mean that youre free of sin or faults, he said. But what I believe my faith requires of me is when I do sin, when I do make mistakes, when people who work for me do the same, that I must admit it, that I must take responsibility. That part of getting forgiveness whether its from God or whether its from the people who elected you when you make mistakes, is you first accept responsibility and ask for forgiveness, Christie added. He urged the crowd to be wary of a leader who never makes mistakes, adding: Beware of a leader who has no faults. Christie warned the crowd about a leader who says that when something goes wrong, its everybody elses fault, and he goes and he blames those people for anything that goes wrong. But when things go right, everything is to his credit, he added before recalling how he became the first former presidential candidate to endorse then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016 and continued to support him by leading his transition team and playing Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in debate prep. The candidate pivoted to directly attacking the former president because of his concerns about his character: He let us down. He has let us down because hes unwilling to take responsibility for any of the mistakes that were made and for any of the faults that he has and any of the things that he has done, and that is not leadership. At this point, the crowd began to boo. Despite the cool reception his analysis received from the audience, Christie continued to outline reservations about Trumps character in his remarks: That is not leadership, everybody. That is a failure of leadership. Christie addressed the reaction from the audience, telling them to Boo all you want, insisting that Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do. This remark elicited applause from the audience. People have to stand up and take accountability for what they do, he added as applause continued. Lamenting that Trump has chosen to call me names and belittle me, criticizing his former ally, he cited a great list of Americans who have also drawn Trump's ire, including former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Secretaries of Defense Mark Esper and Jim Mattis as well as former White House Chiefs of Staff Mick Mulvaney and John Kelly. As Christie listed the names of former Trump administration officials who've seen their relationship with the former commander-in-chief deteriorate after leaving office, members of the crowd chanted, We love Trump! To which Christie responded: You can love him all you want. ... I will tell you that doing those kind of things makes our country smaller. It makes our country smaller, and it makes us lesser, he exclaimed, as some in the crowd applauded and one person shouted, Yes sir! in agreement. He concluded his speech by urging the audience to put character first and vowed to do just that if elected president. I love each and every one of you for what you contribute to your country, Christie declared. I love that you are people of faith, I am too, and lets make America a country that cares once again about character and faith. While most of the speeches elicited applause at various times, including speeches given by candidates competing against Trump for the Republican nomination, Christies speech was the only address where the audience reacted negatively on at least one occasion. At the beginning of the conference, Faith & Freedom Coalition President Ralph Reed encouraged the audience not to boo speakers even if they disagreed with them. 'Setting the record straight': Lila Rose on fighting abortion, strategies for the post-Roe generation One year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, prominant pro-life activist Lila Rose is optimistic that the movement's message is resonating more with Americans than the abortion industry's "pro-killing" talking points. The founder and president of Live Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about abortion, told The Christian Post this week that the pro-life movement is "united around the common principle of human rights." She said people from various backgrounds and belief systems make up the movement, but many are unaware of this due to the mainstream media and tech companies favoring abortion proponents and trying to paint the pro-life movement in a negative light. "But the good news is, when we get our facts and our information out there, it beats the pro-abortion side every time," Rose told CP. "So it really is a matter of getting in front of people, at least as much as the pro-abortion side, and setting the record straight." On its website, Live Action says it reaches millions of people monthly with its "life-saving content." In addition to undercover investigative footage exposing abortion industry practices, the organization offers educational content on a variety of pro-life topics, including apologetics. Rose said that Live Action hears from people daily, mostly young adults from Generation Z and Millenials, about how the organization has impacted their views on abortion, with some admitting the content led them to change their minds on the issue or become stronger in their pro-life convictions. "You know, what I see is our movement is growing every day at Live Action," Rose said. "Our movement is growing; our email list is growing. Our social media followers are growing. These are mostly young people, Gen Zers and Millennials, who are passionate about life." Many young people in the pro-life movement often refer to themselves as the "pro-life generation." Now that Roe v. Wade is overturned, many of the same young people have taken to calling themselves the "Post-Roe Generation." Some studies have suggested, however, that younger people are more likely to support abortion. A study released by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute in February 2023 reportedly found that majorities in 43 states support legal abortion in "most cases" or "all cases." The survey asked respondents between March 2022 and December 2022 whether they think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases. According to the survey, 38% of young people ages 18 to 29 support abortion legality in all cases, with support declining among older age groups. However, as pro-life researcher Michael New suggested in his breakdown of the study, the results are likely due to the wording of the question. According to New, polls that ask participants whether abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or illegal in all cases typically show support for abortion. Rose noticed a similar trend regarding the language used in surveys, arguing that polls can be "misleading" and that the type of questions asked are relevant. "For example, if you asked the question, 'Do you support a ban on abortion at six weeks?' most people will say 'no,'" Rose said. "But if you say, 'Would you support a ban after the baby's heart is beating?' most people will say 'yes.'" A 2022 poll conducted on behalf of Students for Life of America found that 52% of young adults supported banning abortion after an unborn baby's heartbeat becomes detectable, compared to 48% who opposed such bans. The survey assessed 834 young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 from Jan. 5-11, 2022 about their views on abortion and the Roe decision. Amid discussions about the 2024 presidential race and the position candidates should take on abortion, Rose asserted that now is the time for "bold and uncompromising leadership." "And yes, I do think the electability of the candidate matters," the Live Action founder said. "Obviously, that's very much up for debate. What does it mean to be electable? Who is actually electable? And that's what we're all debating." For Rose, pro-life voters should seek to elect a candidate that is "uncompromising" in their position on abortion and recognizes their duty as an elected official to ensure equal protection under the law for all people, including the unborn. "And if they do not do their sacred duty in protecting these children, then they do not belong in office," Rose said. With Roe overturned, the Live Action founder believes there are three effective strategies for eradicating abortion in society. The first is to make raising a family in America easier through public and private avenues, including pregnancy resource centers, providing subsidies to families and making birth free. In addition, Rose called for public policy that would abolish funding for Planned Parenthood and abortion facilities, maintaining that funding should go towards supporting families instead. The second strategy for ending abortion, according to Rose, involves educating the public, which has been fed propaganda about the unborn's humanity and the harm that abortion causes. She stressed that this work demands a "deep investment" in communities and churches, revealing that Live Action has a new pro-life educational curriculum for churches to be released soon. "All of this is very important to reach people and change hearts and minds," she said. The third strategy for ending abortion is to enact what Rose described as "aggressive abortion bans" at every state legislature as possible. In addition to bans at the state level, the pro-life leader declared that a federal abortion ban is also necessary. "We've been stopped from that in the past by the courts because of Roe v. Wade," Rose said. "Now that has changed. Now we have the opportunity of a lifetime to actually enact abortion bans." Regarding whether pro-lifers should focus solely on ending abortion through grassroots advocacy instead of politics, Rose insisted that this would not be a winning strategy. "We need abortion abolition," she said. "Laws are huge teachers, laws make a big impact in states and countries that have banned abortion or limited abortion, and it dramatically affects the abortion rate. "So it's very important to pass pro-life laws and make sure there's legal protection in addition to doing the culture work and the care work for families." Jury acquits Loudoun County official involved in sexual assault case probe A jury has found a Loudoun County Public Schools spokesperson not guilty of a felony perjury charge amid an investigation regarding whether Virginia school district officials lied about a sexual assault to avoid controversy over a trans bathroom policy. The jury acquitted Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Wayde Byard after deliberating for over an hour on Thursday, reported Fox 5. "Today, I can't say I'm really happy because I expected this," Byard told the news outlet after the ruling. "Jennifer [defense attorney] made sure this happened. She assured me every step of the way. I felt confident in this. I felt confident in Judge Flemming, I felt confident the jury would reach an impartial and fair verdict." In a statement to Fox 5, a spokesperson for Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, who commissioned the special grand jury report, said that the office was "proud" that the judge agreed to hear the case before a jury. "Lying under oath undermines our justice system and must be taken seriously," the spokesperson stated. "While we are disappointed with the jury's decision, we're proud of our team for uncovering the truth and providing answers to concerned Virginia parents." In addition to Byard, the special grand jury also indicted former Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler in December. Several witnesses testified throughout the three-day trial, including the public information officer for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Byard's wife testified, saying her husband did not communicate anything to her about the sexual assaults that occurred on May 28, 2021, at Stone Bridge High School and Oct. 6, 2021, at Broad Run High School, which generated national media attention. Byard told the grand jury that he did not know that the incidents consisted of nonconsensual sexual contact until after the second assault in October 2021. According to The Daily Wire, prosecutors said that Communications Director Joan Sahlgren told the grand jury that Byard had told her about the first sexual assault. However, Sahlgren backtracked on Wednesday, saying she wasn't sure. The prosecution argued that Byard lied to the special grand jury when he claimed he was unaware of the first sexual assault allegation, reported The Associated Press. While the Stone Bridge principal initially claimed to have told Byard about it during a phone call, the administrator struggled to recall the details. Deputy Superintendent Ashley Ellis also claimed she could not recall details about the incident. Ellis said that she only "vaguely" remembered May 28, 2021, the day that the first rape happened. The communication director's notes from that day read "anal penetration" and "police handling," as The Daily Wire reported. Testimony showed that Byard and other school officials appeared more concerned that day with addressing an angry response from Scott Smith, the victim's father, after he showed up at the school. An email at the time showed Ellis making suggestions about a statement for parents about the upset father. Byard's defense attorney argued that the principal only informed the spokesperson about the situation involving the angry father, not the sexual assault. Prosecutor Jason Faw questioned this claim, noting that it seemed as if the principal had told everyone else, and it seemed unlikely that he would neglect to tell Byard. During the trial, Byard's defense attorney suggested that the spokesperson did not mean to lie to the grand jury when he said he didn't know about the rape. The attorney suggested that Byard may not have believed the victim and assumed the encounter was consensual. However, prosecutors disagreed with this theory, as Byard had claimed he did not know about a rape allegation, according to The Daily Wire. Prosecutors also pointed to an August 2021 email Byard sent Ziegler containing a link to an August 2021 Loudoun Now news article, which detailed Smith's sentencing for disorderly conduct after he reacted angrily to the news that his daughter had been sexually assaulted. Byard referred to "the same family" in an email shortly after the assault, which prosecutors cited as proof that the spokesperson knew why the father was upset. During the first sexual assault incident, the assailant reportedly wore a skirt when he assaulted a girl inside a girls' bathroom stall. The student was transferred to another high school in the district, where he abducted a girl, pulled her into an empty classroom and sexually assaulted her. Parents expressed concerns during a June 2021 school board meeting about Policy 8040, a proposal that was later enacted that allows trans-identified students to use bathrooms that correspond with their preferred gender identity. Ziegler informed parents that "we don't have any records of assaults occurring in our restrooms." Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman asserted in a November 2022 letter to the superintendent that Ziegler knew about the first sexual assault, citing an email he sent to the school board in May 2021 about the incident. The grand jury agreed with Chapman in its report, calling Ziegler's claims during the June meeting a "bald-faced lie." The report also called out the school board and district's "lack of cooperation" throughout the grand jury's investigation. The perjury case against the spokesman is the first to go to trial following a special grand jury report examining the district's handling of the two sexual assault incidents. Byard was indicted on one count of felony perjury, while Ziegler faces "one count of misdemeanor false publication," "one count of misdemeanor prohibited conduct," and "one count of misdemeanor penalizing an employee for a court appearance." Messianic rabbi points Jews, Gentiles to Christ in the heart of the Bible Belt DALLAS, Texas "Your application to be in the chili cook-off has been denied." In a million years, Messianic Rabbi Ari Waldman never would have expected his congregation would not be allowed to compete in a Jewish-run Texas chili cook-off. And yet, when the senior rabbi of Dallas-based Baruch Hashem politely asked why, he said he was simply told, "You're not a Jewish organization." "[They] never outright said it's because we believe in Jesus," said Waldman. "But that was the implication." Waldman, a North Texas native who has served as senior rabbi of Baruch HaShem since 2017, is no stranger to sideways glances and puzzled expressions when he tells people he's a Messianic Rabbi. Sitting in his office against a backdrop of books on theology and history, Waldman recalled a conversation he had while attending seminary at The King's University in nearby Southlake, one he says is symbolic of his ministry. One day, while having lunch with a friend, Waldman recalled being introduced to another classmate as a Messianic Jew. "He looks at me and goes, 'So what's so important about you guys?' And I said, 'Not a lot, really,'" he said. "And he goes, 'Why is it important for you to have a Messianic congregation?'" Waldman then pointed him to Jesus' promise in Matthew 23:39, when Jesus says to the Jewish leaders, "For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Waldman then explained that the original Hebrew of the verse would read something like, "We welcome you into this place." "I said, 'That means He's not gonna come back until the Jewish city of Jerusalem welcomes Him back, and it's the capital of the Jewish state,'" said Waldman. "And he looks at me and goes, 'That's the first time that anybody's ever explained that to me from the New Testament.'" Waldman said he's not bothered by such reactions since he recognizes that many Christians tend to think theologically only in terms of the New Testament. And while some may think a Messianic congregation would focus exclusively on the Torah Genesis through Deuteronomy, the first five books of the Bible they would be mistaken, he added. "For me, Romans 11 is where it starts, where Paul says there's a particular role for Jewish people and a particular role for Gentiles," said Waldman. "The Gentiles are to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy for their own God and the role of Jewish people is to be a light to the nations." If both parties are doing their job, he explained, then "that brings more nations to the God of Israel, then those 'more nations' provoke more Jewish people, so it's what I call a symbiotic relationship that only gets bigger." The problem comes, Waldman said, when one of those two parties fails to fulfill their role a failure of which, he added, both groups are guilty. 1 2 3 4 Next Pence wants 15-week abortion ban to become 'minimum nationwide standard' WASHINGTON One of the most prominent candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president is calling on all Republican presidential candidates to support a federal 15-week abortion ban as the party continues to debate how to handle the issue of abortion going forward. Former Vice President Mike Pence was one of several presidential candidates who addressed Christian conservatives at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Conference at the Washington Hilton Friday, one day before the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. During his remarks, Pence expressed gratitude for the court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which determined that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion and upheld Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban. Pence rejected the idea that "the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion only to the states and nothing can be done at the federal level." "We must support efforts in statehouses across the country to protect the unborn and to support women facing crisis pregnancies," he added. "Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum." In prepared remarks delivered to the press before his speech, Pence said the 15-week ban should be "a reasonable and mainstream standard." "[N]early every nation in Europe has a limit of 15 weeks or less," the remarks state. "Today, American abortion policy has more in common with China and North Korea than it does with the nations of Europe and it is time for that to change. The former Indiana governor also refuted arguments that continuing the fight for life will produce state legislation that is "too harsh" and that the Dobbs decision led to "election losses" in the 2022 midterm elections. "The cause for life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country," Pence said. Pence's remarks come as the influential pro-life grassroots group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which spent over $78 million in the 2022 midterm elections, promised not to support any presidential candidate who does not support a 15-week abortion ban. The organization made that vow after the campaign of former President Donald Trump made a statement to The Washington Post suggesting that states should decide the abortion issue following the Dobbs decision and that the federal government should not play a role in abortion policy going forward. "President Trump's assertion that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion solely to the states is a completely inaccurate reading of the Dobbs decision and is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold," SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement at the time. "Life is a matter of human rights, not states' rights. Saying that the issue should only be decided at the states is an endorsement of abortion up until the moment of birth, even brutal late-term abortions in states like California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. The only way to save these children is through federal protections, such as a 15-week federal minimum standard when the unborn child can feel excruciating pain." As of Friday, the Real Clear Politics average of Republican nomination polling shows Pence in third place with 5.7% support. Trump leads with 52.2%, trailed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 21.4% support. Last September, weeks before the 2022 midterm election, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced a bill to institute a federal 15-week abortion ban. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. introduced companion legislation. The legislation was backed by leading pro-life advocacy organizations despite concerns from some conservatives that it could hurt Republicans' midterm election goals. Satanic Temple launches nationwide tour to mock Sean Feuchts 'Let Us Worship' movement The Satanic Temple is promoting a worship tour titled the "Let Us Burn - Satanic Planet Capitol Concert Tour" after Christian worship leader Sean Feucht announced he will be hosting his "Let Us Worship" capitol tour. Satanic Temple co-founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves took to Twitter recently to announce the plan to mimic Feucht's "Let Us Worship" capitol tour by launching their own tour featuring the band Satanic Planet. "Special thanks to @seanfeucht and his state Capitol-wide 'Let Us Worship' tour for paving the way for @satanicplanet's 'Let Us Burn' Capitol tour, coming soon," Greaves tweeted last week. Greaves shared a statement explaining the reasoning behind the tour. "According to law, the government must remain neutral regarding religious viewpoints when granting permission to parties seeking to take advantage of public accommodations," the statement read. "For this reason, the fact that public representatives have allowed Feucht to perform openly Christian Nationalist events within state capitol buildings leaves little in the way of a legal rationale whereby Satanic Planet might be denied." Due to Feucht's bold stance of wanting "God to be in control" of everything, TST branded the minister a "Christian nationalist." "You want God to come on over and take over the government?" Feucht recently asked a crowd in Oklahoma, and declared: "We want God to be in control of everything! We want believers to be the ones writing the laws!" Greaves, a member of the "avant-industrial" band Satanic Planet, said they have made it their mission to oppose Feucht's "theocracy." In a statement sent to The Christian Post, Feucht accused the TST of trying to "pervert" something that is "God-inspired." "Satanists, like their defeated leader the devil, have zero creativity," Feucht told CP. "Their only trick is to take what is authentically God-inspired & pervert it. But it's always a cheap rip-off. Whatever they imitate is what they are TRULY afraid of. I've read the end of the Book." According to a profane video posted by Satanic Planet online, their tour will visit every state capital across the United States. "Feucht is openly a theocrat who courts the attention of politicians and seeks to proselytize through his performances," Greaves said in a press release. "He has his opinions, and we have ours, but one thing the government can not do is preference his viewpoint over ours by giving him exclusive access to perform a concert on the Capitol grounds. That stage is every bit as much ours as it is his, so, in the name of pluralism and religious liberty, there are some state capitols that are likely soon to be hosting Satanic Planet shows." Satanic Planet hopes to raise $15,000 to fund its "Let Us Burn" tour. They have requested to start the tour at the Indiana State Capitol on Aug. 12. "We will not be able to sell tickets to the capitol grounds, we will surely draw protests, the stage and sound will likely be difficult, and the cost will not be insignificant," Greaves was quoted as saying on the tour's Patreon account. "However, we cannot stand by idly as theocratic extremists are given such an elevated public platform to spread their divisive message without reminding everybody that that stage is equally theirs as well." Greaves argues that Feucht seeks to use the stage to "announce a theocratic stranglehold over the United States government." "[W]e seek to rectify that by re-establishing pluralism," he claims. Feucht was seemingly flattered that he ruffled feathers and responded to Greaves' on Twitter. "Imitation is the highest form of flattery. And Satan has never had creative ability," Feucht wrote. "He only tries to pervert what has already been created. And guess what it's always weaker, a rip-off and way more pathetic than the original." In a separate post, Feucht added that it's "very telling" that the TST wants to copy the Let Us Worship tour and "even rip off our logo with an upside down cross." "They don't do this to CCM/industry worship tours," Feucht said. "The devil always tries to counterfeit the authentic. The impact we're having on America is profound." According to Intercessors For America, TST is "expanding its efforts and offerings" with its subscription-based media platform The Satanic Temple TV. TST has also launched a news platform titled Satanic Information Network (SIN). Feuchts "Let Us Worship" tour is sponsored by TPUSA Faith. Faith, Prayer, And Science: Inside The Innovative Cancer Hospital On A God-Ordained Mission To Save Lives link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 13:40 13:40 Christian Post reporter Leonardo Blair recently visited Oasis of Hope Hospital, a Mexico-based alternative cancer center where patients and doctors mix faith and science. Blair had the chance to speak with people "who say they have been blessed by the work of the alternative cancer treatment clinic [and] are singing praises to both God and the medical team helping to keep them alive." Listen to him unpack his visit, what he observed, how faith and prayer play a role in healing and more. Plus, read his written report. FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: - Follow Billy on Twitter - Follow Billy on Instagram - Follow Billy on Facebook Christian Post reporter Leonardo Blair recently visited Oasis of Hope Hospital, a Mexico-based alternative cancer center where patients and doctors mix faith and science. Blair had the chance to speak with people "who say they have been blessed by the work of the alternative cancer treatment clinic [and] are singing praises to both God and the medical team helping to keep them alive." Listen to him unpack his visit, what he observed, how faith and prayer play a role in healing and more. Plus, read his written report. How to think about government in a post-Christian America The New Testament is not about politics, but was written in a political context. Three Roman emperors are mentioned in the New Testament. Octavian, known as Caesar Augustus, is mentioned early in the story of Jesuss birth (Luke 1:26). In Luke 3, we learn that John the Baptist began his ministry under the reign of Tiberius. Later, Claudius is noted for his anti-Semitism, driving out all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:1). This would have included, of course, Jewish believers in the Messiah Jesus. Pontius Pilate, Sergius Paulus, Antonius Felix and Porcius Festus were Roman governors also noted in Luke and Acts. Then, of course, there was the notorious Herod family, no less than six of whose members are mentioned in the New Testament. Although Paul had the joy of leading Sergius Paulus to Christ when the latter was proconsul in Cyprus, the rest of these men were not the kind one would want over for burgers and a game night. As many scholars have noted, Roman rule was brutal and uncompromising. Describing the Roman conquest of Britain, the second century historian Tacitus wrote, They create desolation and called it peace. It was in this context that Paul and Peter, both of whom would be murdered by Rome for their faith in Christ, explained to the early believers how to respond to civil government. Following are principles taught in Romans 13:1-7 and I Peter 2:13-17 that apply to us in todays post-Christian America. First, both apostles call on Christians to be subject to the governing authorities and to every human institution. Why? Because these authorities have been instituted by God and obedience to the laws they create is a matter of Christian testimony. Following the law for the Lords sake prevents anyone from credibly accusing His disciples of lawlessness. As Peter writes, For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. This did not stop the persecution of the early Christians, but at least that persecution was not based on their rebellion to Romes authority. There is also an extra benefit to following the law: we do so for the sake of conscience. God has written the work of the law in our hearts (Romans 2:15). When we obey His will, this inner sense of right and wrong affirms within us that He is pleased. Second, governments primary function is to punish wrong. The force of the state is a terror to those who engage in bad conduct, its leaders having been sent by [God] to punish those who do evil. The sword referred to here was a machaira, a vicious weapon used in gladiatorial combat and capital punishment. Acts 12:2 tells us it is the weapon used to execute the apostle James. Third, obedience to the law is not always easy or pleasant, but it is mandatory. We are to pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed. This applies to us as much as to our faithful forebears. By extension, it means we need to obey traffic laws, recycle, use crosswalks, and 100 other things we might find inconvenient or disagreeable. This is the standard to which God calls us. Fourth, we are to show respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Strikingly, Peter commands that we honor the emperor. In Greek, these words are especially vivid. Respect literally means fear we recognize that a government that has the God-given authority to punish lawbreakers merits a healthy fear. Honor connotes the idea of respect, a sense of deference if not to the officeholder than his or her position. There is one great qualifier to all of these things. When commanded to stop preaching the Gospel, Peter and the other apostles said, We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Just as Daniel would not bow to the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar, so must followers of the eternal King submit ultimately to no one but Him. In an era when our president celebrates tragic distortions of human sexuality on the White House lawn, and the governor of the nations largest state signs laws affirming abortion as an essential service, its hard to honor and respect those in authority. Yet we are commanded to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (I Timothy 2:1-3). Praying that God would not only protect those in authority but turn their hearts to Him and to promoting public policies that comport with His will is a privilege and duty we too often neglect. Unlike the believers in the Roman era, we are citizens who can defend and advance those things that sustain and enhance life, liberty, and family. Not to use this precious right, gained for us at such great cost, is to squander something God has entrusted to us. Originally published at The Washington Stand. German court agrees to hear appeal over prayer vigil ban near Planned Parenthood affiliate An appeals court in Germany has announced it will hear a challenge brought by the leader of a prayer initiative against a ban on silent prayer gatherings near organizations that promote abortion. The restrictions had been upheld by a lower court some six months ago. The Administrative Court of Appeals (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) in Mannheim on Wednesday called for the facts of the case filed by Pavica Vojnovic, the leader of the 40 Days for Life group in Pforzheim, to be established as required by the rule of law, said the faith-based legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is supporting the challenge. In 2019, the local chapter of the global pro-life organization was banned from holding prayer vigils near the Pro Familia in Pforzheim, the German affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a multi-billion dollar abortion organization. The prayer vigils were peaceful throughout, the group says. When monitored by the police at the request of Pro Familia, no violations of any law were found; and yet, the management of the center requested that the vigil be moved some distance away or banned altogether. 40 Days for Life challenged the courts ban since it restricts their right to freedom of religion, assembly and speech, according to ADF International. However, the German court dismissed it on May 12, so the prayer vigils remained prohibited. After the announcement by the appeals court, a senior counsel for ADF International, Felix Bollmann, said it was encouraging that the court sees merit in the case. Hopefully, it will grasp this opportunity to uphold freedom of expression, assembly and religion, Bollmann said. In dismissing the case, the lower court failed to affirm these freedoms which are the foundation of every free and fair democracy. By prohibiting even silent prayer near an abortion organization, the Pforzheim authorities have gone beyond what could be considered reasonable or proportionate. While not all agree with Pavicas views on the sanctity of life, everyone can support the importance of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, religion and assembly, he added. Every life is valuable and deserves protection, said Pavica Vojnovic, who led 40-day vigils twice a year with around 20 people outside the pre-abortion advisory facility to pray for the women considering abortion and their pre-born children. I am shocked that we are being prevented from supporting vulnerable women and their unborn children in prayer. Its discouraging to hear that silent prayer vigils in a public place are restricted by local authorities. Our society must offer better support to mothers in difficult situations. She added that her challenge is not just about her group. Its about whether prayer-free zones are lawful, or whether one is allowed to represent different opinions in the public square. That is why we will continue fighting for this freedom. The issue of buffer zones near abortion organizations is also a concern in the United States. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a pro-life groups challenge to a 15-foot buffer zone from abortion clinic entrances in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Censorship of pro-life organizations is also on the rise across Europe, from banned speech zones to restrictions to speech on college campuses. Top German court strikes down prayer ban near abortion clinics A top German court has ruled that blanket bans prohibiting peaceful prayer gatherings near abortion clinics infringe upon the constitutional right to freedom of assembly, a landmark win for the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life. The judgment, delivered this week by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, marks the end of a protracted legal battle for a Pforzheim-based chapter of 40 Days for Life, led by Pavica Vojnovic. The international human rights organization ADF International supported her in her legal case. The court in Leipzig has once again made clear that peaceful prayer vigils cannot be banned, said Dr. Felix Bollmann, director of European advocacy for ADF International. In view of the clear findings of the court, the federal government would be well advised to abandon its plans to massively restrict fundamental rights in the vicinity of abortion organizations. The organization's right to peaceful assembly had been previously recognized by a regional court last August, a decision later contested by the city of Pforzheim. The ruling arrives as the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Lisa Paus, has been pushing for what critics call censorship zones around abortion clinics throughout Germany, effectively banning prayer vigils and offers of support in those areas. Im truly relieved. Our prayers really help, as affected women have told us over and over, Vojnovic said. I am grateful that we can continue our prayer vigils. Every human life is precious and deserves protection. Historically, 40 Days for Life would gather twice a year to hold silent prayer vigils in front of a Pro Familia facility a branch of Planned Parenthood in Germany. In 2019, despite a four-lane road separating the group from the Pro Familia building, the city of Pforzheim banned the prayer group from praying within sight and sound of the facility. Vojnovic went to court to challenge the prohibition, stating it violated their right to freedom of assembly. I am shocked that we are being prevented from supporting vulnerable women and their unborn children in prayer. Its discouraging to hear that silent prayer vigils in a public place are restricted by local authorities. Our society must offer better support to mothers in difficult situations, Vojnovic said earlier. Tomislav Cunovic, Vojnovics lawyer, said in a statement that "blanket bans on prayer assemblies based on mere allegations are contrary to fundamental rights." "The courts have recognized this," he said. The courts ruling contrasts sharply with the governments desire to ban prayer vigils near abortion clinics. Paus has repeatedly stated her intention to introduce measures to restrict prayer and support services through legal measures near abortion clinics. She also has called for the repeal of section 218 of the German criminal code, which currently regulates abortions. The economic self-interests of an organization like Pro Familia cannot take precedence over the German citizens fundamental right to freedom of assembly and expression," Bollmann said. "This most recent ruling sends a clear signal to Berlin that blanket bans on peaceful prayer vigils for women in vulnerable situations have no place in a free and democratic state. German court upholds ban on prayer vigils near Planned Parenthood-affiliated abortion organization 40 Days for Life to continue fight to restore freedom of religion, assembly and speech A German court has upheld a ban on silent prayer gatherings near organizations that promote abortion, dismissing a prayer leaders challenge to have the vigil restrictions lifted. In 2019, a chapter of the global pro-life organization 40 Days for Life was banned from holding prayer vigils near the Pro Familia in Pforzheim, which is the German affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a multi-billion dollar abortion organization. 40 Days for Life challenged the courts ban since it restricts their right to freedom of religion, assembly and speech, Alliance Defending Freedom International, a faith-based legal advocacy group, reported. The German court dismissed the pro-life groups challenge on May 12, so the prayer vigils remain prohibited. Pavica Vojnovic, the pro-life prayer groups leader, led 40-day vigils twice a year with around 20 people outside the pre-abortion advisery facility to pray for the women considering abortion and their pre-born children. Even though Vojnovic had been granted the necessary permissions to hold the vigils, the municipality has banned the group from praying near the facility for the past two years. Pro Familia, Germanys leading sexual and reproductive health and abortion rights organization, demanded the vigils be banned altogether or moved further away, even though the silent and peaceful vigils didn't prevent anyone from entering the building, and the police found no violations of the law. Every life is valuable and deserves protection, Vojnovic said in a statement. I am shocked that we are being prevented from supporting vulnerable women and their unborn children in prayer." "Its discouraging to hear that silent prayer vigils in a public place are restricted by local authorities," she continued. "Our society must offer better support to mothers in difficult situations. This topic really touches my heart, because Ive stood by many women who have suffered the pain of losing a child. Vojnovic plans to continue the fight to restore her rights to freedom of religion, assembly and speech in court through the assistance of ADF International. This is about more than our group in Pforzheim. Its about whether prayer-free zones are lawful, or whether one is allowed to represent different opinions in the public square, Vojnovic said. That is why we want to continue fighting for this freedom. Felix Bollmann, legal counsel for ADF International, said they regret the courts decision. We are still awaiting the reasoning for the verdict, but it is obvious the dismissal of the case fails to affirm freedom of expression, which is the foundation of every free and fair democracy, Bollmann said in a statement. What kind of society restricts prayer for vulnerable women and children? By prohibiting even silent prayer near an abortion organization, the Pforzheim authorities have gone beyond what could be considered reasonable or proportionate, Bollmann continued. Whether or not people agree with Pavicas views on the sanctity of life, everyone can support the importance of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, religion, and assembly. The issue of "buffer zones" near abortion organizations is also a concern in the United States. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a pro-life group's challenge to a 15-foot buffer zone from abortion clinic entrances in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Censorship of pro-life organizations is also on the rise across Europe, from banned speech zones to college campuses. In November 2020, Julie Rynkiewicz, a midwifery student and president of the anti-abortion organization Nottingham Students for Life, faced a suspension from United Kingdoms Nottingham University and faced a four-month fitness-to-practice investigation. The university eventually offered a settlement, but Rynkiewicz said her education was put on hold for an unjust investigation where she believes she was targeted for her pro-life beliefs, ADF International reported. Of all places, university is where students should be free to debate and explore ideas especially those with which they disagree, Ryan Christopher, director of ADF International said in a statement. Im pleased that with this settlement, Nottingham University recognized errors that were made in pursuing Julia, who simply wanted to live out her pro-life convictions. A culture of vibrant discussion and free debate must be restored to our universities. Todays censorial culture on campus can easily become cancel culture in the public square. ADF U.K. wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in February urging him to strengthen academic freedom and free speech at universities. How churches and Christians can combat the rising tide of anti-Semitism To be anti-Semitic would be rejecting Jesus Christians in the United States are being urged to use their influence to combat anti-Semitism amid a staggering rise in hate crimes and other incidents targeting Jewish Americans in recent years. As a leading Jewish civil rights organization reports that 2021 saw violence against Jews reach record levels, followers of Christ have a role to play in fostering acceptance for their Jewish neighbors and pushing back against anti-Semitic conspiracy theories within their spheres of influence, Christian scholars say. "I think through genuine conversation, we begin to reflect on how our own churches or communities expressed anti-Semitism, either consciously or unconsciously, wittingly or unwittingly," Christian theologian Rev. Lee B. Spitzer, an affiliate professor of church history at Northern Seminary in Illinois, told The Christian Post. Spitzer, who retired in 2019 as the general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA, says that many Christians incorrectly conclude that anti-Semitism is a byproduct of Bible-based Christianity or that it's not something that is the Church's responsibility to combat. But he encourages Christians to check their own actions and words they may not know are harmful to the Jewish community. "Many Christians do and say things that are anti-Semitic not because they intentionally wish to, but because of ignorance," Spitzer explained. "And so, we are to be dislightened about how some of the things we say and do are harmful and hurtful to the Jewish community." Spitzer, who wrote an article titled "5 Ways Your Church Can Address Anti-Semitism," suggests that the fight against anti-Semitism can be tackled head-on by pastors and Christians with one key thing: friendship. "Relationships are everything. It's very hard to be prejudiced about a community or a group when you have friends within that group. And I would suggest that people in the Church community need to reach out to their neighbors, their friends, and learn from them, appreciate them," said Spitzer. "The Church can reach out and stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. For example, there may be a local synagogue or shul, or community center where Churches can create relationships. Churches can invite people from synagogues to their churches for a meal or conversation, for a lecture, or for a way of getting to know one another and for better standing in public. ... It's important for friendship to learn about our commonalities. ... And I think sometimes, we have to hit the streets and march in solidarity to spread awareness." A rising tide An audit of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States compiled by the Anti-Defamation League recorded over 2,717 acts of assault, vandalism and harassment nationwide in 2021, the most since ADL began tracking the statistic in 1979. With an average of more than seven anti-Semitic incidents per day, the figure marks a 34% year-over-year increase. "Attacks against Jewish institutions, including Jewish community centers (JCCs) and synagogues, were up by 61 percent, incidents at K-12 schools increased 106 percent, and incidents on college campuses rose 21 percent," the report states. "Assaults considered the most serious incident type because it involves person-on-person physical violence triggered by antisemitic animus increased 167 percent, jumping to a total of 88 reports in 2021 from 33 in 2020. Incidents of harassment were up 43 percent, and acts of antisemitic vandalism rose 14 percent." According to a study by California State University in San Bernardino, "Hate crimes [nationwide] surged 46% in 2021, as hotspots like New York City reported a 96% increase, with Jewish Americans remaining the most targeted group." The data, which was not formally published, was compiled from the university's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. According to the Anti-Defamation League, 40% of the hate crimes in New York City targeted Jews, as New York state saw a 24% increase in anti-Semitic incidents. The Empire State continues to lead the nation in anti-Semitic incidents. On Tuesday, as Jews celebrated their High Holidays, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security held a congressional field hearing on countering violent extremism, terrorism and anti-Semitic threats in New Jersey, where anti-Semitic incidents rose 25% in 2021, the most recorded in New Jersey by the ADL. In 2019, New Jersey saw a tragic act of anti-Semitism take the lives of four civilians and injure three others at a kosher deli in Jersey City. Authorities labeled the shooting a hate crime fueled by anti-Semitism. The Jersey City attack came just months after a shooting killed one and injured three at a synagogue in Poway, California. Months before the Poway shooting in November 2018, 11 were killed in a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During Tuesday's hearing, New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., declared, "So far, we are losing" the effort to thwart hatred and anti-Semitism. In a research report released in late May, ADL states that the spike in anti-Semitic incidents has been driven by different factors, including extreme anti-Israel sentiments during the May 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict and "various conspiracy theories that have animated extremists across the state." The report cites the presence of white supremacists, anti-government extremists, militias, Islamist extremists, violent anti-Zionists and others "who are either based in New York or have targeted the state for an attack." ADL contends that incidents motivated by anti-Zionist sentiments include assault, arson threats and harassment. Most recently, the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi at Rutgers University in New Jersey was vandalized during the High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the second time in one calendar year the fraternity was targeted. Both political extremes are complicit Serene Hudson, the director of education at Passages Israel an organization that spearheads trips to Israel for Christians told CP that people must be aware that the rise in anti-Semitism can be seen in both political extremes in America. It's not just a Democrat or Republican problem. This includes but is not limited to "dangerous rhetoric from the right, white nationalists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists" and "anti-Israel rhetoric" from the left. "On the extreme right, it has to do with anti-Semitic conspiracies, where Jews are blamed for aspiring for world domination," she said. "And then on the extreme left, there is plenty of anti-Israel rhetoric that denies the basic right for the Jewish people to have a homeland." As a Moody Graduate School alumnus who spent over a decade traveling to Israel annually, Hudson finds that some of the work needed to combat anti-Semitism in various communities should start inside and outside the Church. "I think that we all need to educate ourselves about the common anti-Semitic conspiracies and understand where they come from. And when we see accusations or even perceptions directed at Jewish people, we should dig a little bit deeper," Hudson stated. "We should educate ourselves in understanding that there are many falsehoods that are repeated about Jewish people and talk to our Jewish friends. Ask them: 'Have you experienced anti-Semitism? Do you feel that anti-Semitism has risen in our country?'" Christians and churches looking to combat anti-Semitic rhetoric in their communities should look to the Bible, she asserted. "When we look to Scripture, we consider, for example, Mordecai, the uncle of Esther, was a voice of moral clarity for her and for the Persian culture," Hudson said. "And he helped her to stand up against anti-Semitism and the threats against the Jewish people." Scripture provides Christians with an anchor to better understand what's happening in the world, she added. This can help them with the process of beginning to pray for peace and the protection of the Jewish communities. "It says in Romans that the Jewish people who were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are loved by the God of the forefathers," Hudson said. "And so really going back and looking at our source of truth, which is Scripture, which is the Bible, and comparing what it is that God says about His love for His people, against what is being said about the Jewish people can provide better understanding." Holocaust education in schools and churches is essential to understanding the history of anti-Semitism in the Church dating back to the Church fathers, Hudson said. "We definitely need more awareness out there. I think if more people knew that there was this uptick in hate crimes against Jewish people, and if we were aware of what's going on in the media on social media, there would be more of a response. But I believe that the news is not getting out there enough," she concluded. Christian population is growing in the Holy Land: report Israels Christian population grew slightly, with Arab Christians comprising most of the countrys Christians, according to a new report released on Christmas Day. The report, released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Sunday, found that Israels Christian community grew by 2% in 2021, representing 1.9% of the countrys population. According to the report, 75.8% of Christians in Israel are Arab Christians, accounting for 6.9% of the Arab population in Israel. In 2021, the total fertility rate of a Christian woman was an average of 1.77 children per woman, 1.80 in 2019, the report reads. The number of children per Arab Christian woman was lower still, at 1.68 children per woman. Most Arab Christians reside in Nazareth (21,100), followed by Haifa (16,700), Jerusalem (12,900), and Shefar'am (10,500), according to the report. The average size of a Christian household was 3.06 people, similar to the size of a Jewish household (3.05), but lower than a Muslim household (4.46). The average number of children up to age 17 in Christian families with children up to this age is 1.86, the report adds. Of these Christian families, the average number of children up to age 17 in Arab Christian families is 1.94 smaller than the numbers in Jewish families (2.42) and in Muslim families (2.62). The report also found that 52.9% of Arab Christians and 31.2% of non-Arab Christians pursued higher education after completing high school, a larger proportion than both the Arab Muslim population (31.2%) and the Jewish population (48.2%). Christian students seeking a first degree were largely studying musicology (15.7%), management information systems (10.5%), and food engineering and technology (9.9%) in contrast to other students studying for their first degree. Compared to Muslim students, Christians were less likely to be pursuing degrees in education, business and management sciences, and paramedical studies. However, Christian students were more likely to study social sciences, mathematics, computer sciences and statistics. The proportion of women among the Christian students was higher than womens proportion among the total number of students in the advanced degrees: 65.2% and 53.1%, respectively, of those studying for a third degree, and 73.8% and 64.2%, respectively, of those studying for a second degree, the report notes. Regarding the proportion of Christians participating in the labor force in 2021, 66.3% of Christians aged 15 and older (69.2% of men and 64.1% of women) accounted for the faith groups participation in the workforce. Christians presence in Israel has long sparked debates about whether they should evangelize Jewish people. As The Christian Post reported in October, the end of COVID-19 restrictions also drew Christian tourists back to Israel to mark the biblical Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. More than 2,000 pilgrims from 70 nations reportedly visited Jerusalem from Oct. 916 for the celebration sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. While Rabbi Tuly Weisz said he is open to Christians participating in the occasion, the Israel365 founder raised concerns about Christians evangelizing Jews. While Weisz said he believes non-Jewish tourists should be warmly welcomed to "come closer to the true fulfillment of Sukkot," he expressed concern that some Christians would use it as an opportunity to share the Gospel with Jewish people. "Unfortunately, some of the Christian visitors will hope to use their time in the Jewish state to engage in missionary activity," he wrote in an op-ed piece published in The Jerusalem Post. "The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem does its best to prevent this, warning its guests to refrain from such offensive behavior." As Weisz noted, several Christians have criticized such activities while visiting Israel, including David Swaggerty, senior pastor of Charisma Life Ministries in Columbus, Ohio. In an interview with CP, Swaggerty explained that he preaches the Gospel during pastors conferences in countries like Thailand and Tanzania, but Israel, he said, is different. "When I go to Israel or with my Jewish friends in Columbus, missionizing is off the table," he said. "I do not do that. I don't believe that's God's will for my life to do that." "I don't feel that's my responsibility. My calling is to build bridges of trust and friendship among the Jewish people and Christians," he added. "In doing that, I have a commitment to myself and my followers, my congregation, that we do not missionize the Jewish people." Swaggerty believes there's "no point in fighting whether He (Jesus) came once or not at all" since "when He shows up, there will be no mistaking who He is." The pastor expressed confidence that Israel will see the Messiah one day and when He comes, the entire nation will embrace Him. Others, however, such as Messianic Jewish author, radio host and columnist Michael Brown, feels this approach to sharing the Gospel is a "terrible disservice" to the Jewish people. "Every Jewish believer I know urges Christians to please share the Good News with our people," Brown told CP. "It is the most unloving thing you can do to withhold the water of life from a Jewish person. Jews and Gentiles are saved the exact same way. It is through faith in Jesus, through His death on the cross. "And without that, there is no salvation." Satanic Temple activist sparks outrage over demonic and fake Hobby Lobby merchandise AI-generated images shared on LGBT-allied AI Facebook group page go viral Correction Appended For a minute there, it looked like the go-to craft store for Christians could be headed for a boycott. A Facebook post purportedly showing satanic statues and other merchandise for sale at Hobby Lobby, one of Americas biggest retail chains, went viral earlier this month after Christians and conservatives fretted that the chain was headed down a demonic path. The images were shared by Jennifer Vinyard on the AI Art Universe group page with the caption, I think we need to talk about what is going on at Hobby Lobby... won't somebody please think of the children!? Several of the items depicted on the shelves of a Hobby Lobby included horned demons including one image with a cross hanging from the ceiling a winged goat-headed statue, and the bust of a crowned skull figure. Commenting on the post was eventually turned off, but not before it had been shared more than 6,000 times on Facebook. One TikTok video showing the images garnered over 240,000 views. Apparently Hobby Lobby has a crapton of Baphomet and demon-like statues just on the shelves right now, said user @whoathatisstrange. Vinyard told Vice she was inspired to create the images following the backlash and ensuing boycott against Target over satanic-inspired clothing earlier this month. I just thought it would be funny to use the satanic decor, since Hobby Lobby pretends to be a Christian store, Vinyard was quoted as saying. According to the report, Vinyard claims to have joined The Satanic Temple in 2021 but does not yet belong to an official congregation. The Christian Post reached out to Vinyard for comment but did not receive a response by press time Friday. A Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson told CP that the Jennifer Vinyard who posted the images online is not to be confused with the person with the same name who works for the agency. With nearly 600,000 members, the Facebook group where Vinyard first shared the images describes itself as a supportive and inclusive environment for those interested in the intersection of AI, design and art. The groups About page also features a warning against anyone reporting pride-related posts or showing hate or intolerance toward LGBT-identified group members. Founded in 1972, Hobby Lobby is considered one of the most successful Christian brands in the U.S. market, with nearly 1,000 stores and over 43,000 employees operating in 47 states. Hobby Lobby is also closed on Sundays, similar to another successful Christian-owned brand, Chick-fil-A, which has faced calls for a boycott over (relatively old) news that the chain hired a VP of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Following a Fourth of July ad in 2021 that referenced a Bible verse, Hobby Lobby faced similar calls for a boycott. The ad was titled One Nation Under God and included the Bible verse, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). Last month, Targets stock value took a $9.3 billion loss 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. In response, the chain announced it was making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that Jennifer Vinyard who posted the images on the AI Art Universe is not the same person who works for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the latter of which is not a member of the Satanic Temple. Honoring the legacy of life: One year after Dobbs Where were you a year ago when you heard the news that Roe v. Wade was overturned? I was getting dressed while checking the SCOTUS blog report on my iPhone watching the new cases appear. Suddenly, there it was Dobbs v. Jackson. Nervous and fumbling around, I dropped my phone. I scanned the first page until I read the words I had labored four decades to read: Held: The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. Joy flooded over me and then tears flowed. It was like a dream sequence; I could hardly believe it. The next day, one of my closest friends called to remind me that during college, I had told him that I would work my entire life to see Roe overturned. I emotionally lost it. I had publicly spoken so many times about overturning Roe, but secretly, I doubted I would ever see that day come. Suddenly, the moment had arrived but, like all moments, it was quickly succeeded by others. As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I found myself unsettled that, as a movement, we did not do more to permanently commemorate this landmark moment in history. As we approach this historic first anniversary of the reversal of Roe, it is important we remember and honor the strong men and women who rose up to lead the pro-life movement. They worked tirelessly for five decades to bring about this monumental victory on June 24, 2022. Who are these heroines and heroes of the pro-life movement who fought over the last half-century, and what set them apart? As I survey our list of 50 of the greatest pro-life leaders, the common denominators among all of them are passion and resilience. They all understood the primary importance of the battle in which they were engaged and they refused to give up, even in the face of fierce opposition. These were not perfect people, and many are controversial. Some have even experienced moral failure or faced unseemly allegations unrelated to their significant contributions to the pro-life movement. In fact, our movements leaders, like all of us, are filled with imperfect people, fighting for a perfect cause innocent, unborn children. Finally, honoring this milestone achievement of these pro-life champions would be incomplete and in fact, would not even be possible without recognizing the untold millions who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes but whose names and faces will never be known in history. They are the unknown activists. Without these sidewalk counselors, prayer warriors, coordinators, marchers, pregnancy center translators, board members, lawyers, and financial supporters, the pro-life movement simply could not exist. I created the Legacy of Life book to honor 50 of the greatest pro-life founders, builders, strategists, and innovators from the past 50 years. Each leader is honored in the book with a written tribute and original photos from the past and present. This limited-edition commemorative table book is a strikingly beautiful piece of history and artwork that can be handed down as a legacy gift from one generation to the next. On behalf of the fifty authors who wrote the tributes to the fifty leaders, our prayer is that this unique book would inspire hundreds of new leaders to rise up and join the most important human rights movement in American history because the battle has just begun. Stop the endless persecution of Christians in India Religious minorities in India are facing escalating life-threatening violence. On May 3rd, a clash broke out that sporadically continues in the state of Manipur in northeast India between Meitei Christians and several regional ethnic communities, majority Kukis. The violence thus far has led to the deaths of at least 88 people, including men, women and children. In keeping with other instances of religious persecution seen throughout India, Meitei Christians have faced growing threats from groups around them in northeastern India either renounce your Christian faith and return to Meitei traditional religious practices or face dire consequences. As we have seen since early May, the consequences for Christians in Manipur have in fact been severe numerous lives on both sides of the conflict have been lost, and many have sustained severe injuries. Further, many Christian churches in the area have been either dismantled, looted for valuable parts, or have been completely burned to the ground. The destruction and violence in Manipur now have resulted in a full humanitarian crisis, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and in army relief camps. This is not the first time religiously tinged violence has occurred recently in India. In December 2022, over 1,000 Christians in Chhattisgarh in eastern India fled their homes following violent attacks by their tribal kin. These mobs destroyed churches, decimated statues of Jesus and Mary, and beat anyone suspected of being a Christian, resulting in over 20 people being hospitalized with severe injuries. There have been over 200 complaints registered with the local authorities and the National Commission of Women, but no concrete action seems to have been taken in response. Instead, the state police arrested many Christian leaders (among others) in January, and 24 of these were kept behind bars for over two months, being released at the end of April this year. Over the past few years, multiple states in India have introduced or intensified laws that limit religious conversion. These laws include prohibitions on conversions, requirements to notify the government of ones intent to convert, and provisions that presume an individual accused of violating an anti-conversion law is guilty. Punishments for those convicted of conversion can include three to ten years of jail time or massive fines. Since the introduction of these conversion laws, there have been over 1,200 instances of assault towards Christians and other religious minorities, and those are only the ones that have been reported. These assaults often manifest in a similar waya group of Christians will gather together to pray in a private residence or church, at which point, a large group of radicals will suddenly assemble and forcefully enter and disrupt the meeting, assault the members, and drag the pastor away. Frequently, the mob will then take the pastor, and, often, other members of the Christian congregation, and turn them into authorities under false allegations of illegal conversion. This usually ends with the pastor and other church members spending time in jail without bail, all while law enforcement and government officials turn a blind eye toward the assailants. This is exactly what happened on the Thursday after Easter last year. Christians in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh were attending a worship service when a group of over 100 anti-Christian, Hindutva radicals raided the church with weapons drawn. The group illegally restrained and locked 75 of the church members, including women and children, inside the church. Police arrived shortly after, but instead of releasing the frightened church members, they detained and filed a report against 35 of them, accusing them of forcefully converting people to Christianity. In attendance at the Maundy Thursday service were several employees from the Broadwell Christian Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, an institution that has provided medical care for the poor and marginalized for the last 100 years. Due to the Christian affiliation of the hospital and the Christian faith of the workers, the hospital has been a target for attacks from religious radicals. Over the course of the last year, police have harassed the staff at Broadwell by illegally forcing their way into the hospital and into active operating rooms and hospital offices on more than one occasion. Government officials have ignored the complaints filed by the hospital while extremists have called on the government to shut down Broadwell completely because of its Christian affiliation. Laws and actions from local, state, and national governments have enabled the violent activities of religious radicals and have all but eradicated the rights of the citizens of India to worship freely. Everyone has the right to freely live out their faith, and international law clearly enshrines the fundamental right to choose and change your religion. The U.S. and other able voices must implore Indian authorities to address the violence that has gone tepidly responded to for far too long. Too many lives have been lost and too many communities have been destroyed. Its long past time for the people of India to have the fundamental human right to religious freedom protected so that all may live without fear of persecution. The underground railroad saving women from todays abortion slavery The decision that released the country from the 50-year bondage of abortion also inspired abortion proponents to terrorize those who help women escape the circumstances leading them to abort. The fire at Life Choices [Pregnancy Center] was reported at 3:17 a.m. Saturday, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and said abortion laws would be decided by the states, the AP News report read. Life Choices in Longmont, Colorado, joined a still-growing list of pregnancy help centers (PHCs) being physically vandalized by pro-abortion protesters. Suddenly long-standing, life-affirming ministries dedicated to loving and supporting a woman in her pregnancy became targets of misplaced outrage and vicious threats. Nearly 100 have been damaged. A half dozen, like Life Choices, were fire-bombed. And this is without counting the coordinated cyber-bullying that also increased manyfold in the wake of Dobbs. High-ranking Democrat lawmakers joined the attack on the work of PHCs with one senator from Massachusetts going so far as to describe pregnancy centers helping moms choose life for their little ones as torture. Even though many states have passed resolutions praising the work of PHCs for their charitable outreach, some abortion states have enacted legislative actions intended to harass and intimidate pregnancy help work. This all seems especially inconsistent for a crowd that has consistently championed choice. After all, shouldnt those facing obstacles have the choice to access help to overcome them for their baby? The rush by many blue states to become full-on abortion states, where abortion is guarded, promoted and even subsidized, is leading them to protect Big Abortion with legislation against its greatest competition pregnancy help centers. Not content to just grease the skids for more chemical abortions by mail without in-person doctor visits, abortion-friendly legislators are duly enacting laws drafted by the abortion industry itself. To be sure, the red states have been busily constraining, restricting and even outright banning abortions. This draws a distinction between life states and abortion states reminiscent of the first century of the U.S., where the states grew into the dichotomy of free states and slave states. In the early 1800s, the states legislators were doing for slavery what is now being done for abortion protecting the trade or outlawing its practice. In this way, despite the overturning of Roe, our country is still in the grip of abortion, just as in 1850 America was fully in the grip of slavery even though it was only allowed by half the states. That grip necessitates, even more so, the work of providing support for women amid an unexpected, unintended pregnancy. Just like the Underground Railroad network was necessary for slaves to journey out of slave states, it is critical for the network of pregnancy help to assist women to journey away from the threat, and even bondage, that is abortion. Millions of women, under a half-century of Roe, have escaped abortion due to the selfless and caring work of pregnancy help center staff and volunteers. In their way, todays aggressive abortion activists are not unlike the slave catchers who sought to capture and return slaves to their masters. Big Abortion is looking to catch as many women in the net of abortion as possible by preying on their fears and affirming their doubts. As we navigate this post-Roe era, it should be clear that women deserve better than abortion. Every woman deserves to be loved and supported in her pregnancy not targeted by Big Abortion, no matter what state she lives in. Women are strong and capable and when given the opportunity as well as a little practical support, they tend to choose life. 700 Christians killed in Nigeria during May, NGO report claims (CP) At least 700 Christians were reportedly killed in Nigeria during the month of May, according to a report released by the Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law. In one of the "bloodiest" episodes of anti-Christian violence in the country's history, the north-central Plateau State was reported to be the most impacted area, particularly in Mangu county. The report alleges that a minimum of 300 Christians were slaughtered over the span of three days (May 15 to 17) in the state. The report also alleges at least 1,100 Christians were killed by jihadis between April 12 and June 12, representing an average of 17 deaths per day. "The period under review also represents one of the bloodiest in anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria," the report states. The NGO, founded by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi, draws its statistics from a variety of sources, including local and international media, religious organizations, community organizations, security channels, research, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, human rights bodies, international parliamentary organizations or diplomatic institutions. The report comes as Nigerian Christians and human rights groups have voiced concerns for years that the violence being carried out against predominantly Christian farming communities in the Middle Belt states by radicalized herdsmen has reached genocidal levels as thousands have been killed in recent years. However, the Nigerian government has rejected claims that the violence is influenced by religion and insists it's part of decades-old farmer-herder clashes. Additionally, data cited by the U.S. State Department suggests that violence targeting Christians accounts for a small fraction of the killings. The new report identifies Benue as the second hardest-hit state, documenting 110 deaths from May to early June, including 40 killed within a 24-hour period from June 3 to June 4. Between April 12 and June 12, the Christian death toll in Benue surpassed 190. Kaduna state was named the third most deadly region, the report found. Over the same two-month span, it witnessed the murder of at least 100 Christians. On April 15, 33 were killed in Runji village, an attack that resulted in the destruction of 42 homes. According to the Southern Kaduna Peoples' Union, over 245 communities in Southern Kaduna have been brutally seized by Fulani radicals within the past six years, the report says. The report also highlights that at least 100 churches were torched or destroyed between April and June, with Plateau State alone accounting for 28. Among the victims were clergy, with the report stating that no fewer than 20 Christian pastors were kidnapped or murdered over this period. The NGO also alleges a troubling pattern of abductions. From Kaduna to Niger to Borno and more, it is reported that over 1,400 Christians were taken in the past two months. Kaduna State topped the list with at least 700 abductions, followed by Niger State with 300. The report suggests a devastating impact on Christian communities since 2016, with over 1,000 communities reportedly being displaced and subsequently occupied by attackers. Among these, Benue state lost 400 communities, Kaduna 245, and Plateau 200. Intersociety previously reported in April that 1,041 Christians had been murdered in the first 100 days of the year, with an additional 700 abducted. The organization's data now indicates that from January to June, no fewer than 2,150 were killed and over 1,400 abducted. As Nigeria continues to see violence in its farming-rich Middle Belt states, it also faces the presence of radical Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in its northeast. Despite the scale of the situation, the international community has yet to respond decisively to this emerging humanitarian disaster. Many fear that the continued absence of adequate intervention will only allow for the violence to persist. The Nigerian government has yet to respond to the claims made in the NGO report. Previous Intersociety reports have highlighted the involvement of various groups in the violence, including jihadist Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansaru. Predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages across Africa who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief stated in a 2020 report. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department under President Joe Biden reaffirmed its decision to remove Nigeria from its list of countries of particular concern for religious freedom violations after conducting what it described as a "careful review." Nigerian Christians, human rights groups and members of Congress objected to the decision to lift the CPC designation from Nigeria after Nigeria was added to the list in 2020 under the Trump administration. Nadine Maenza, the former chair of the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the State Department and Congress about religious freedom matters, was "especially displeased" with the decision. The CPC designation carries with it the possibility for sanctions and other deterrence actions to influence those countries to improve religious freedom conditions. In its latest International Religious Freedom Report, the U.S. State Department noted a spike in deadly violence impacting both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. The NGO Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project reports there were 3,953 civilian deaths from violence across the country in 2022, with violence targeting Christians accounting for 5% of all violence. "There continued to be frequent violent incidents, particularly in the northern part of the country, affecting both Muslims and Christians, resulting in numerous deaths," the State Department's report on Nigeria states. "Kidnappings and armed robbery by criminal gangs increased in the South as well as the North West, the South South, and the South East. The international Christian organization Open Doors stated that terrorist groups, militant herdsmen, and criminal gangs were responsible for large numbers of fatalities, and Christians were particularly vulnerable." The Christian Post Abuse experts look to coming synod to promote accountability on abuse Abuse prevention experts gathered in Rome said Thursday that the Synod on Synodality's potential to reform power structures and promote dialogue could also improve abuse prevention and accountability in the Catholic Church. The Synod on Synodality, launched by Pope Francis in 2021, has sought out the views of Catholics all over the world on the church's power dynamics and decision making. On Tuesday, the Vatican presented a document that will form the agenda for the synod, detailing the major issues raised by the faithful in meetings on the parish level. Among those issues was the need for stronger accountability measures to address the clerical abuse crisis. Bishops and lay representatives will meet at the Vatican in October to discuss these topics, but ancillary discussions have already begun. The four-day conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome this week brought together advocates with academics from the fields of theology, sociology and anthropology to talk about safeguarding children. More than 200 participants took part in small working groups, adopting the approach the synod will follow this fall. The spirit of synodality also inspired the willingness to bring to light issues that are usually considered taboo in many cultures. The International Safeguarding Conference, with the theme of "Sustaining Organizational Accountability," was organized with the Institute of Anthropology, which supports training for missionaries and others about child abuse and protection. "Opening the dialogue around the very concept of synodality is getting the whole church involved in saying, 'OK, how do we solve this together?'" said Canadian Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau during a closing news conference on Thursday. Durocher said that he sometimes encounters a certain "resistance" on the part of clergy and lay faithful when addressing abuse prevention. In particular, Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching, Malaysia, told reporters, "people in Asia are generally silent when it comes to questions of abuse," attributing the silence to a culture that places more importance on the community and society than on personal needs. Attention to abuse is changing, however, Poh said. "I was alone when talking about safeguarding," Poh said, citing a mentality that saw abuse as a problem chiefly in the West. "But now my bishops' conference and religious congregations are with me," having realized, he said, "that abuse is not a Western problem, it is a human problem." The hope among the organizers is that the synod will increase awareness by also examining the role of bishops and how they relate to their dioceses and the Vatican. "Accountability requires structures of accountability and we are working on that in the church more and more," Durocher said. The Rev. Hans Zollner, who heads the Institute of Anthropology at the Gregorian University, said there is a "need to rethink the role of the bishop" also in relation to theology and canon law. While the church under Pope Francis has adopted many laws that regulate punishments and responsibilities in cases of abuse, "what is not there is the sustainability in the application of these norms." The patchwork application of accountability measures shows that "norms don't suffice," Zollner said. "What we need more is a change in attitude, which is unfortunately not done in a year or five. It takes years or generations." According to Jorg M. Fegert, a trauma researcher at the University of Ulm in Germany, Catholic institutions' response is still greatly lacking. "Something that has to change in the way these cases are dealt with is the openness," he said at the news conference. He said decades of a lack of transparency created "a crisis of trust." "There was an endemic injustice toward victims. Some of the victims were discredited in public. Victims are part of the church in a synodal church, signaling that the church works together with the victims," Fegert said. While leaving the reform of church power structures to the upcoming synod, participants at the conference joined together to sign a declaration urging leaders "to promote and nurture accountability." The experts recognized the many improvements made by church institutions so far but made clear "that significant room for improvement still exists." Religion News Service One year since Roe v Wade: reasons to rejoice A year ago today - 24th of June 2022 - the United States Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v Wade. Since this ruling, 26 states now have laws (or are trying to pass them), restricting abortions after 12 weeks or sooner, with 15 of them banning abortion completely or with extremely limited exceptions. Debbie Mountford examines some of the myths around the ruling and why we have reason to rejoice. A year later Contrary to how it was represented in the media, the overturning of Roe v Wade didn't make abortion illegal anywhere in the US. In fact the Dobbs v Jackson decision (the case that would ultimately become the death blow to Roe) didn't impose any particular view about the nature of unborn life - at all! It was in fact the Roe decision in 1973 which imposed a specific moral view on the American people. Namely, that unborn life was of so little importance, that the states were not allowed to protect it by law in the first six months of pregnancy, even if they desperately wanted to. It's worth remembering here that prior to Roe, a clear majority of the US was pro-life and 30 states had near outright bans. It was Roe that inserted the Supreme Court into the abortion debate, and politicised the Court. Dobbs took the Court back out of it, and as the constitution demands, handed the power to vote and regulate on this issue back to the people. In this sense it was a deeply democratic move. However there are a lot of un-truths surrounding it. It won't reduce abortion, it will just reduce 'safe' abortion This time last year one of the ladies on US talk show, The View, commented forcefully: "This is in no way going to reduce abortions, it's just going to reduce safe abortions"! This claim is simply not true. We knew before Dobbs was decided that laws that restrict abortion also reduce abortion, both legal and illegal. This was observed all across the US, and it has been seen internationally as well. When you control for pregnancy rate, it becomes clear that the percentage of pregnancies aborted is higher in countries with permissive abortion laws. Even in the UK, we know this to be true. Whilst trying to safeguard protections for the unborn in Northern Ireland, a pro-life group made the claim that 100,000 people are alive today, because of the country's abortion laws. This claim was contested, but the Advertising Standards Agency upheld it as being true. However, most strikingly, we now have a report on abortion numbers from within the US over the last year, and it comes from a pro-choice group! Their findings estimate a net reduction of circa 65,000 abortions in the United States over the last 12 months. That's 65,000 babies saved! Referencing this report, a leading American pro-life organisation, told reporters at a press conference in May, that if legislation were to go into full effect in all 26 states, roughly 200,000 abortions would be stopped per year. From a Biblical perspective how could this ever be a bad thing? But it gets better, did you know that restricting abortion also reduces unintended pregnancy rates. As one of our Argentinian colleagues once said, "Growing up in Argentina where abortion was illegal, I was terrified of the idea of sleeping around because I knew that inevitably sex would lead to pregnancy, and I was not ready to take that risk." It will harm women The second charge levelled at pro-lifers is that criminalising abortion will put women's lives at risk. Aside from wild accusations that women will be put in jail for miscarriage or refused treatment if their life was at risk - all of which are permitted under the exemptions of pro-life laws - the greatest objection was that women would be harmed by seeking out unsafe abortions. This is one of the most emotive attacks that come from the pro-abortion lobby, but it just doesn't hold water when properly examined! Even back in 1960, more than a decade before Roe legalised abortion across the US, the then Medical Director of Planned Parenthood, Mary Calderone, admitted that "abortion is no longer a dangerous procedure, in 1957 there were only 260 deaths in the whole country attributed to abortions of any kind, legal or illegal. Ninety per cent of all illegal abortions are presently being done by physicians"! Countries which have outlawed abortions where they had previously been legal (like Chile, Poland, Nicaragua and El Salvador), have seen maternal mortality rates continue to improve in the years following. However, the sad truth is that the US has a big problem with maternal mortality, even with its extremely permissive abortion laws. They have a higher maternal mortality rate than any country in Europe, and it has been steadily climbing for years. We often hear the claim that the death rate for women is higher if they give birth than if they abort, but according to the CDC, more that 80 per cent of these deaths are preventable! Sadly of course, the risk of death to an unborn baby in an abortion procedure is 100 per cent. What's more, while we are often confronted with the potential negative effects on a woman's mental health if she is denied an abortion, the data shows quite the opposite. The largest ever meta-analysis, consisting of 22 studies covering more than 800 000 women, was published in The British journal of Psychiatry. It concluded that "women who had undergone an abortion experienced an 81 per cent increased risk of mental health problems". This same study indicated a 156 per cent increased risk for suicide! It will harm children The same host of The View mentioned earlier also commented that: "There's going to be more poor kids, there's going to be more kids in adoption, there's going to be more kids in foster care, there's going to be more abused kids." No one wants to see children harmed. We are all deeply saddened by the number of children in the foster care system and rightly horrified when we hear of abuse. However, our emotions can cloud our judgement here, so let's look at the facts. For a start, the children (both here and in the US) who are in the foster care system, are those who were not aborted, despite freely available abortion. These are largely "wanted" children who, for whatever reason, tragically ended up in the foster care system, and as Christians we must absolutely come to their aid ... but by and large these are not the children who would have been aborted. The waiting list to adopt unwanted infants is massive, up to seven years in parts of the UK. In the US there are between 1 and 2 million couples on the adoption register at any one time. There is not a lack of adoptive parents for unwanted, healthy babies. In the UK last year, more than 98 per cent of abortions were performed on healthy consenting mothers and healthy babies. Moreover, we know from the (very pro-choice) Turnaway Study, that 96 per cent of women who wanted an abortion but were denied, no longer wished they could have had one five years later. By far, the majority of these women chose to parent. There will be children who need our help, and as Christians we must step up here. We already foster and adopt at between two and three times the rate of the rest of society, but we can always do more. However, the idea that we are going to see the foster care system flooded with children just doesn't stack up. Imagine the good we could do if the 100 million in taxpayers' money we plough into the UK abortion industry and the likes of MSI and BPAS were redirected towards helping mothers and their babies. Dare to rejoice! The unborn are living human beings, image bearers of God and so they are our neighbours. We have a clear biblical mandate to love our neighbours and not to kill. There is much more that we can do to help mothers and their children, no one can deny that. But when was the last time you heard of an action that saved 65,000 lives in a year? When the ladies on The View said, "There's going to be more poor kids, there's going to be more kids in adoption, there's going to be more kids in foster care, there's going to be more abused kids," one thing really struck me. They seemed to miss the point that there will be more living kids and fewer dead ones - 65,000 to be exact. Praise The Lord! For a God who instructs us to "choose life" (Deut 30:19) surely this is a step in the right direction. Debbie Mountford is a mum of 2 who holds a BSc (hons) in Human Physiology from the University of St Andrews. She previously worked in marketing and strategy for a FTSE 30 company, and is now a part time Media and Research Officer for CBR UK. Chinese ambassador to U.S. introduces Chinese modernization, China's achievements in human rights and democracy Xinhua) 15:00, June 24, 2023 WASHINGTON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng recently addressed a regional conference convening nations of the Americas, where he introduced Chinese modernization and China's historic achievements in human rights and democracy. Xie, also the Permanent Observer of China to the Organization of American States (OAS), led a Chinese government delegation to attend the 53rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly at the organizer's invitation. The event ran from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, bringing together foreign ministers and vice foreign ministers from more than 30 regional countries. China is committed to a human rights development path that meets the trend of the times and suits its national conditions, and has been constantly developing whole-process people's democracy, Xie said this during a dialogue between OAS member states and permanent observers. Such democracy exists in both process and outcome, procedure and substance. A combination of direct and indirect democracy, it is people's democracy in nature, and also represents the will of the state. It is therefore the most extensive, genuine and effective socialist democracy. Democracy is not a slogan; it should be used to resolve real problems, he noted. "Only the wearer knows if the shoes fit or not." There is no one-size-fits-all development model, Xie said, adding that China advocates safeguarding human rights through security, promoting them through development, and advancing them through cooperation. "We believe that true democracy and human rights are about respecting other countries' choice of democracy models and human rights practices." China welcomes exchanges and mutual learning, and stands ready to work with all to advance the global cause of human rights protection, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. Xie spoke highly about the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, saying that under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the China-LAC relationship has entered a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people. The cooperation between the two sides has delivered tangible benefits to regional people. So far, 22 regional countries have joined the Belt and Road Initiative. China is ready to work with LAC countries to seek greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and their national development strategies, and jointly forge a China-LAC community with a shared future, Xie added. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Basquiats Untitled (Pablo Picasso), from 1984: a bold tribute from one 20th-century titan to another Although Picasso was a major influence on Basquiat, this portrait which conflates images of both the youthful Picasso and his older, iconic self is not one of straightforward hero worship. It is offered in London on 28 June 2023 Jean-Michel Basquiat acknowledged Picasso as one of his most important influences. He recalled Guernica (1937), which was on display at MoMA in New York until 1981, as having been his favourite artwork as a child. By 1985, he had a small Picasso oil painting in his own collection. Perhaps the first bona fide artist-celebrity of the modern era charismatic, regal and frequently photographed Picasso was a model in his stardom as well as in his prodigious artistic output. Since I was 17, I thought I might be a star, Basquiat once said. Id think about all my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix I had a romantic feeling of how people had become famous. His works often memorialised these Black heroes, including boxers, baseball players, and musicians. He blurred their identities with his own. The field of modern painting, however, provided few Black precedents. Basquiat wanted to make his mark in an overwhelmingly white arena. Painted and drawn in oil, acrylic and oilstick on a square metal panel, Untitled (Pablo Picasso) (1984) is a bold tribute from one 20th-century titan to another, offered in the 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale on 28 June 2023. Pablo Picasso at 15 years old, 1896. Photo: Leonard de Selva / Bridgeman Images. Succession Picasso / DACS, London 2023 Basquiats young-old Picasso appears to have been based on two different visual sources, probably found in one of his books about the artist. The face derives from a portrait of Picasso taken in 1896 (above), when he was 15 years old. The Breton shirt became part of Picassos image much later, and was immortalised in a famous photoshoot by Robert Doisneau in 1952. Bringing aspects of these two eras into a single persona, Basquiat develops the theme of a work on paper he made in the same year, titled Young Picasso. There, the artists youthful and older faces are drawn side by side. The watchful YOUNG PICASSO is finely featured in ochre, while the red visage of OLD PICASSO has been scribbled out. Open a larger version of this image Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), Young Picasso, 1984. Oilstick, pastel and watercolour on paper. 22 x 30 in (56.5 x 76.2 cm). Private Collection. Artwork: Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York In Untitled (Pablo Picasso), the young face is shaded with even greater care, as if Basquiat is trying out one of Picassos more naturalistic styles for himself. But it is also heavier than in the drawing. His features are overlaid by dark lines, squaring off the jaw and opening the mouth into a slight grimace. With the cloud of fame hovering over him, this hybrid Picasso seems older than his years, and troubled by the premonition of his greatness. Thickets of blue highlight his hair and burst in a storm cloud above his head, as if depicting the buzz of his mind. The word FAMOUS can be glimpsed amid the blue. PABLO PICASSO is written seven times, like an incantation, and the legend PICASSO AT 15 YEARS / PICASSO AS A FIFTEEN YEAR OLD can be seen, partly obscured, on his chest. Basquiat conflates timelines, depicting a youthful Picasso in the iconic Breton-striped guise of his older self. Open a larger version of this image Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), Untitled (Pablo Picasso), 1984. Acrylic and oilstick on metal. 35 x 35 in (90.5 x 90.5 cm). Sold for 6,462,500 on 28 June 2023 at Christies in London Basquiats attitude towards Picasso was not one of straightforward hero worship. He was acutely aware that the Spanish painters primitivist appropriations of African masks and sculpture epitomised in Les Demoiselles dAvignon (1907) had changed the language of 20th-century painting. This story was one that had systematically excluded Black artists. In 1983, the curator Diego Cortez described Basquiat as the Black Picasso. Asked later if he liked the comparison, Basquiat replied: Not so much. Its flattering, but I think it is also demeaning. Jean-Michel Basquiat in his studio, New York, 1983. Photo: Roland Hagenberg The self-conscious and sophisticated primitivism that Basquiat adopted toying with the premise that a Black artist should in fact be primitive subverted the expectations of the largely white art world in 1980s New York. His use of fragmented, juxtaposed African artistic motifs was necessarily different from Picassos. Loaded with pain, provocation and irony, Basquiats works explored his own complex identity as a Black man in America, as well as the wider historical position of racially marginalised people. Artists have long confronted, learnt from and departed from the masters of the past as a way of finding their own voice. But it is a sense of irreconcilable difference, rather than affinity, that makes this portrait so powerful. If Basquiat sees himself in the young Picasso, the overt whiteness of the earlier artists skin denies him the ease of identification. He knew that his path to glory would be compromised in ways that Picasso never had to contend with. Sign up today Christies Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Here is a look at recent Beachwood Schools news, as presented by the school district: Students interested in medical careers gained clinical exposure and explored the impact of poverty on health as part of the Beachwood Medical Camp, hosted in partnership with UH Ahuja Medical Center. From June 13-15, students learned suturing techniques, participated in lung and heart dissections, and toured Ahujas newly expanded facilities at 3999 Richmond Road. The students explored careers in a variety of disciplines during hands-on seminars and live demonstrations led by distinguished University Hospitals providers in the fields of cardiology, pulmonology, thoracic surgery, neurological surgery and otolaryngology. We want to create experiential learning opportunities that will get students excited about careers in healthcare, said Dr. David Rosenberg, pulmonologist and medical director of the University Hospitals Ahuja Lung Center. Rosenberg, a 1966 Beachwood High School alum, helped establish the Beachwood High School Medical Academy in 2014 with the aim of inspiring the healthcare providers of tomorrow. The program prepares teens for competitive pre-med programs through advanced coursework and hospital immersion experiences. On the final day of camp, the students participated in a poverty simulation at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in order to learn how food insecurity impacts health. Students will gain an appreciation for how social determinants affect health, said Rosenberg before camp began. Being healthy is more than going to the doctor and taking medicine. Factors such as whether patients have enough to eat, a place to live, financial stability, and access to medical facilities in their community significantly influence health outcomes. Rosenberg, during a presentation on pulmonary medicine, discussed lung anatomy and risk factors for developing lung disease, including vaping and smoking. Following the presentation, students donned face shields, latex gloves, and surgical gowns as they gathered into small groups for a lung dissection led by thoracic surgeon Dr. Jillian Sinopoli. I really liked the lung dissection, said aspiring physician Kevin Zhang, 15, in a Beachwood Schools website posting. Dissection is the best way to get to know the different parts of the organs and how they function. Student Kate Kriwinsky, 14, agreed. Kriwinsky, who wants to become a surgeon, said, It was kind of gross at first, but then I got into it and found it interesting. Students also took part in a hands-on ultrasound demonstration led by Ahujas chief medical officer Dr. Jessica Goldstein. Students used the imaging technology to practice identifying anatomical structures in peer volunteers. In other sessions, students became CPR certified and learned to close a wound with a simple interrupted suture. Eliana Worku, 15, who hopes to pursue a career in pediatric medicine, said she found it helpful to hear from professionals representing a range of disciplines. I enjoyed learning about the pediatric fields within neurosurgery and plastic surgery, she said. The program also highlighted diverse career opportunities in nursing and healthcare executive leadership. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Rosenberg for his leadership in providing our students with authentic learning experiences that offer a glimpse into what its like to work in the medical profession, said Linda LoGalbo, director of curriculum and instruction at Beachwood Schools. The camp demonstrates to students how providers from a wide range of medical disciplines can collaborate to solve pressing healthcare challenges in our society. See more Sun Press news here. BROOK PARK, Ohio An intoxicated Brunswick man, 41, was arrested at about 11 p.m. June 10 after he crashed his pickup truck on Interstate 71southbound. A witness saw the mans truck slam into a retaining wall separating the northbound and southbound lanes of 71 near Interstate 480. The truck then spun out of control, and both drivers-side tires were torn from the truck and nearly hit other vehicles. When police arrived, the truck was blocking the right two southbound lanes of 71. The Brunswick man was standing near the truck but off the road. The man said he wasnt injured. Police asked the man what happened. He didnt respond, and instead handed police his drivers license, pointed to his truck, opened his mouth without speaking and walked to the drivers side of the truck. When police again asked the man what happened, he said, Im going to guess a suspension issue. Police asked him if he lost control of the truck after the tires broke off. The man made circle motions with his hands. Police asked the man if another vehicle hit his truck, causing him to lose control, and the man said, No. Luckily nobody else was anything. The man smelled like alcohol, and when asked if he had been drinking, he said, No. Yes. Police asked the man how much alcohol he had consumed. The man held his index finger and thumb close together and said, A bit. He grinned and laughed, then finally said he had downed four drinks and taken two or three Adderall pills, which treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He failed field sobriety tests. BROOK PARK, Ohio A Brook Park man, 33, was arrested at about 2 a.m. June 9 after he stole a ham sandwich at Shell, 13030 Brookpark Road, then threw the sandwich at a Shell customer. The customer called police and said she saw the man steal the ham sandwich. Afterward, the customer and the man argued in the Shell parking lot. While yelling and cursing at the customer, the man threw the sandwich at her, hitting her in the face. The customer told the man she was calling police, and the man fled eastbound on Brookpark. When police arrived, the customer told them she had a license to carry a concealed weapon and was holding a firearm. Police saw the weapon in her hand and ordered her to drop it. She did so, and police temporarily confiscated the handgun. They also took photos of the ham sandwich. A Shell worker confirmed that the man stole the ham sandwich and started eating it inside the store. The worker told the man to pay but the man started arguing with the customer instead. Police spotted the man on Brookpark just east of West 130th Street. They took him back to Shell, where the customer and worker positively identified him. PEPPER PIKE, Ohio Theft: Woodleigh Road A resident reported June 17 that upon returning from a trip abroad he realized he had been pickpocketed while in Venice, Italy. Although not occurring in Pepper Pike, he needed to file a police report here in order to replace some of the bank cards that were in his wallet, which also contained less than $200 in cash. Theft from vehicle, fraud: East Landerwood Drive Residents reported credit cards discovered stolen June 21 from an unlocked car that had been parked outside their home overnight. The cards were then used fraudulently in Euclid for a total of about $100, with the investigation continuing. Found property: Creekside Drive Meanwhile, other credit cards were found on the ground June 21 on a nearby street. Although those cards did not belong to the East Landerwood residents, police believed they were stolen as well and police continued to look for the rightful owners. Fraud, forgery, identity theft: Shaker Boulevard A resident reported June 16 that within the past week, four fake checks had been fraudulently cashed on their account for a total of about $8,000. Police were still investigating how this was done, since the residents believed they still had the original checks. Damage to property, breaking and entering (vehicle): Lander Road An employee at The Country Club reported June 22 that someone broke into their parked car while they were at work, damaging the drivers door keyhole and rummaging through the contents, although nothing appeared to be taken. Get police blotters by email every weekday for free with our new Police Blotter newsletter. Sign up at cleveland.com/newsletters Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. COLUMBUS, Ohio A year ago on June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 49-year-old decision guaranteeing abortion rights nationwide, leaving questions about abortion legality up to each state. With the decision, reproductive rights have been in a state of flux, including in Ohio, where abortion was nearly totally banned for 11 weeks last summer, then allowed again up until 22 weeks. But that still is subject to change, depending on the outcome of an ongoing court case. Already among the most divisive issues in America, the courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization supercharged the debate over abortion. Emotions have been shown raw on both sides. Millions of Americans were stunned at the news of a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to Indianapolis for an abortion because she couldnt get one in Ohio. The courts, legislature and governor have each weighed in on abortion in Ohio. A broad coalition of physicians, clinics and abortion rights groups are working to put on the ballot proposal to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. But their effort could be thwarted by another constitutional amendment that legislators scheduled just three months before. With so many moving pieces in the abortion debate, some Ohioans have been left confused about the state of abortion rights. Read on for an explanation of the landscape in Ohio. Can I get an abortion in Ohio? Abortion is generally legal until 22 weeks in the state. That has been the case since Oct. 7, when a Cincinnati judge issued a preliminary injunction that prohibits the state from enforcing a law banning abortions at around six weeks, when a fetal heart tone can be detected. While the six-week ban is on hold, Ohio reverted to prior law legalizing abortion until 22 weeks. Abortion is legal in Ohio but between the fall of Roe, a patchwork of lawsuits and anti-choice legislation, and a concerted campaign by the anti-abortion movement to mystify the process, many Ohioans remain confused about their reproductive rights, said Danielle Firisch, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. Anti-abortion activists, who had been fighting for decades to restrict abortion, dont see it the same way. They believe abortion must be restricted. Overturning Roe removed a necessary roadblock to reestablishing legal protection for preborn children, said Mark Harrington, the president of Created Equal, an Ohio-based organization that campaigns against abortion by publicly displaying pictures of fetuses, often on college campuses. But there is much more work to do. What about the heartbeat ban? In 2019, the General Assembly passed a bill, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed, outlawing abortion when a fetal heartbeat could be detected, which is usually around six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. The bill contains no exceptions for rape, incest or fetal anomalies. An exception for the life and health of the woman has been criticized by the courts as so vague that even DeWine has asked the legislature to pass a new bill clarifying it. A federal judge blocked the six-week ban from going into effect months after DeWines signature, saying it conflicted with U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including Roe v. Wade, that protected abortion rights. That same federal judge dissolved his previous order on June 24, 2022, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe, on request of the state. Then began 11 weeks in which abortions were limited to up to six weeks. That remained in place until the Cincinnati judge put it on hold pending the legal challenge. How long will the 22-week standard for abortion continue to be legal in Ohio? Thats unknown. The preliminary injunction from the Cincinnati court is in place for the remainder of a trial that will weigh the constitutionality of the so-called heartbeat bill. Legal proceedings, however, are on hold because Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican who opposes abortion, is appealing the preliminary injunction to the Ohio Supreme Court. The high court hasnt yet scheduled oral arguments for the case. At this time, each side is submitting legal arguments to the court in the form of briefs. The briefing is still happening, said Jessie Hill, a Case Western Reserve University law professor who is working with the ACLU to represent plaintiffs in the case. Oral arguments could come as soon as August or September, Hill said. That will come around the same time voters decide State Issue 1, which would require future constitutional amendments to get 60% of the vote to pass, on Aug. 8 and the potential abortion constitutional amendment on Nov. 7 ballots. The ballot initiatives are the wildcard for the lawsuit. The proposed abortion amendment would give lawmakers the option to ban abortion, but only after fetal viability. That would render the heartbeat bill unconstitutional. But it remains unclear how high the bar will be for the amendment to pass, if it qualifies for the ballot in the first place. Why did a 10-year-old Ohio girl travel to Indianapolis for an abortion? Last summer, the Indianapolis Star reported that a local doctor performed an abortion on a 10-year-old pregnant rape victim from Ohio. At the time, Indiana still permitted abortion and Ohios cardiac law was in effect. The news was shocking. Abortion rights activists stressed that the story was exactly why Republican politicians cannot be entrusted to make reproductive laws affecting women and girls. People who oppose abortion attacked the media and the Indiana OGBYN who performed the abortion. That included Yost, who claimed that the girl could have had an abortion under the medical exceptions to the heartbeat law, even though critics say the exceptions werent explicit enough to legally protect anyone who performed the abortion. Yost later said he regretted his comments causing pain. The case of the 10-year-old girl was not an isolated incident, according to campaign officials from Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, a group of about 4,000 doctors and other health care professionals, who are backing the abortion-rights amendment proposal. According to the Ohio Abortion Report, 57 girls aged 15 and younger had abortions in 2021. Another 481 between the ages of 15 and 17 obtained procedures. And as affidavits filed in the Hamilton County case revealed that at least two other minors found themselves in similar traumatic situations. A Columbus man was later arrested and charged with rape of the 10-year-old girl. His case is ongoing. When will there be a constitutional amendment protecting abortion? Abortion rights activists have until July 5 to collect 413,000 signatures from registered voters across the state to get an amendment proposal onto the November ballot. The proposal would go under Article I, and is called The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety. The proposed amendment would generally guarantee that patients could make their own reproductive decisions, including birth control, fertility treatment, continuing a pregnancy, or abortion and miscarriage care up until viability, which is around 22 to 24 weeks. Then the state could regulate abortion. However, abortions after that cut off could be permitted if in the professional judgment of the pregnant patients treating physician it is necessary to protect the pregnant patients life or health. The Ohio Democratic Party has collected just over 100,000 signatures. Other groups involved in collecting signatures havent revealed how many they have at this time. All say theyve made progress toward their goal. Weve had a ton of solid support from volunteers across Ohio who have been doing amazing work for the past three months, said Gabriel Mann, a spokesman for Protect Choice Ohio, another wing of the campaign backing the amendment, with members such as Planned Parenthood, Pro-Choice Ohio and the ACLU. Voters are sick and tired of attacks on reproductive freedom from extremist politicians and theyve been jumping at the chance to help qualify this ballot initiative to protect everyones right to make their own health care decisions. Our team is covering every corner of the state to ensure a successful finish to this phase of the campaign. Theres been a strong wave of voters who have signed the petition because theyre passionate about protecting reproductive freedom. A campaign called Protect Women Ohio has organized to oppose the amendment. It is made up of anti-abortion advocates, such as Ohio Right to Life and the Center for Christian Virtue. They believe abortion is the taking of life, and is ultimately harmful to women and fetuses. They say their advocacy is ultimately pro-women, pro-family and pro-child. Protect Women Ohio launched this spring with a $5 million television and digital ad campaign that is attempting to defeat the amendment. The abortion industrys proposed amendment would allow no-limit abortions in Ohio, said a video produced for Protect Women Ohio to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision. Does the abortion amendment proposal allow my teen to transition genders? The reproductive rights amendment proposal doesnt explicitly address the rights of transgender minors. But Protect Women Ohio and anti-abortion activists have said the ballot language guaranteeing a right to make reproductive decisions is open-ended enough to be used in defending transgender rights. Those fighting against the proposed amendment point out that gender transition surgeries can affect the bodys reproductive parts. Protect Women Ohio has promoted a legal analysis published in the National Review by conservative legal scholars Carrie Campbell Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network and Frank J. Scaturro, a former special counsel to the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. The proposed amendment would outlaw virtually any restrictions on abortion and all other procedures, including sex-change surgeries, that touch on reproduction, for both adults and minors, the analysis says. It would cancel out not only parental-consent laws but also mere parental notification for minors abortions or sex-change surgeries; strike down health protections for people of all ages who undergo these procedures, including requirements that a qualified physician perform them; and erase any meaningful limits on late-term abortions. But Dr. Lauren Beene, a Cleveland pediatrician who founded Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, denied thats the intent of the amendment. Our opposition is shameless and brutal and will say anything that they think will rile up people whether its completely true or a lie, she said in a call with reporters on Thursday. Our amendment will not change parental consent laws in the state of Ohio. Generally, minor children need to have a parents consent to undergo medical care in Ohio, according to case law. The American Academy of Pediatrics, while encouraging support and medication therapies for transgender children, doesnt recommend gender transition surgery for minors. And a law that just passed the House would make it completely illegal for a child to receive any treatments for gender transition, even if their parents are on board with it. Anti-abortion activists issued similar warnings in Michigan before its reproductive rights amendment vote, but Beene said voters saw through the claims. While frustrating, we are not letting this district from what were doing, she said. But yes, those are all false, false statements. What is Issue 1 and how is it related to abortion? A week after Novembers General Election, when abortion rights won in several states and as abortion rights supporters were discussing a possible amendment for Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Rep. Brian Stewart of Pickaway County, both Republicans, announced a plan to make it harder to amend the state constitution. After fits and starts, the General Assembly finally put the plan on the ballot for Aug. 8. Currently, a simple majority of 50% plus one vote at the ballot box is necessary to amend the Ohio Constitution. Under Issue 1, the threshold would increase to 60%. Backers say they are trying to protect the Ohio Constitution from the whims of moneyed interests. However, most constitutional amendments fail at the ballot box in Ohio. If voters ultimately decide to pass State Issue 1, the abortion rights amendment faces a new, higher hurdle. While polling shows a majority of Americans generally favor abortion rights including in Ohio in red and purple states, reproductive rights have won in the 52% to 59% range. Dr. Marcela Azevedo, another founder for Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and a Columbus pulmonologist, said the campaign has been polling Ohioans on whether they favor the language in the amendment proposal. Some of our early polling data, when we posed our constitutional amendment to voters out there, we did have a positive response anywhere between 58 to 62, 63 points, she said. However, she said the amendment shown to voters was written somewhat differently, and polling continues. We are pretty aware that this is just another desperate attempt to thwart the will of voters with the goal of ending majority rule and transferring the power from the people to politicians and lobbyists in Columbus, she said. Mann, the spokesman with the sister campaign Protect Choice Ohio, said many of the volunteers who are collecting signatures for abortion rights have also been carrying the message to people to vote No on Issue 1. When I was at the Ohio Statehouse speaking out against the resolution (putting Issue 1 on the ballot), I was standing beside people who were advocating for school funding, a cleaner environment, workers rights, safer streets, voters rights and all of those people need reproductive freedom, too. Were all working together as a broad coalition to tell our neighbors to Vote No in the August Special Election, he said. To read more abortion coverage from The Plain Dealer/ cleveland.com, visit this link for Ohio abortion rights. Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Participants compete in a dragon boat race at a water sports training base in Xinghua, China on June 23, 2023. A total of 140.47 million trips were made in China during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, up 89.1% from a year earlier but down 22.8% from the pre-Covid levels of 2019, official broadcaster CCTV said on its website. Tourism data during the June 22-24 holiday is being closely watched as a barometer of China's economic health, with Beijing readying fresh stimulus to revive a fading post-Covid recovery. The number of railway trips jumped 150.2% from a year earlier to 43.26 million, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Transport. That's just 12.8% higher than during the same period of 2019, it said. Road travel rose 64.4% year-on-year to 89.34 million, but was down 33.3% from the same period in pre-Covid 2019. Trips using ships also fell sharply from 2019, down 43.6% to 2.53 million, though nearly doubling from a year ago. Airborne trips totaled 5.34 million, surging 287% from a year earlier, but up just 3% from 2019, according to CCTV. Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address, on June 24, 2023, as Wagner fighters stage rebellion. Gavriil Grigorov | AFP | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to punish everyone involved in the "armed rebellion" and accused them of treason. In a televised address Saturday morning, Putin appealed to those who "by deceit or threats, were dragged into a criminal adventure, pushed onto the path of a serious crime an armed rebellion." His comments come after Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the mercenary Wagner Group, accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops. Russia's Ministry of Defense has denied the accusations, calling Prigozhin's remarks "informational provocation." The mercenary chief had also claimed that Russia's justification for invading Ukraine was based on lies. Read more: Mercenary boss seizes southern city in Russian insurrection Putin says mercenary rebellion will be punished A look at the mercenary group led by man accused of 'armed mutiny' Putin characterized the unprovoked war in Ukraine as a struggle for Russia's future, an effort that he said requires unity among its forces. The Russian leader said, "I repeat, any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood, to us as a nation." "We will protect both our people and our statehood from any threats. Including from internal betrayal," Putin said. "And what we are faced with is precisely a betrayal. Exorbitant ambitions and personal interests led to treason." watch now Prigozhin later responded, saying Putin was "deeply wrong" and that Wagner forces were "patriots," according to an NBC News translation of his remarks. "Regarding betraying of Motherland the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our Motherland," he said. "We are and have been at war and no one is going to by order of FSB, president or other to subdue because we do not want our country to further live in corruption, deception and bureaucracy." He also accused Russian bureaucrats of corruption and hoarding arms and money for themselves, "for the occasion that is happening today when someone is marching to Moscow." Armored vehicles and fighters of Wagner on streets after the Wagner paramilitary group has taken control of the headquarters of Russia's southern military district in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. (Photo by Arkady Budnitsky/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Arkady Budnitsky | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Putin also described the situation in Rostov-on-Don, a critical city in southwestern Russia near Ukraine, as difficult but said he would seek to stabilize the situation there. Prigozhin has claimed that he and his mercenary forces have taken control of the city, a key logistical hub for Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. CNBC has not verified the claims. The Wagner chief has demanded that top Russian general Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu meet him in Rostov. The U.K. defense ministry characterized this feud between Wagner and Moscow as "the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," adding that it has "escalated into outright military confrontation." The ministry said the loyalty of Russia's forces is crucial to the outcome of this situation. It had noted there was little evidence of Russian forces fighting with the mercenary troops, even remaining "passive" or "acquiescing" in some cases. A screen grab captured from a video shows Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin making a speech after Headquarters of the Southern Military District surrounded by fighters of the paramilitary Wagner group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. Wagner | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace (C) announces the arrest of Chinese chemical company employees as part of an investigation into the fentanyl precursor supply chain during a news conference with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (L) and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco at the Robert F. Kennedy headquarters building on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States. The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller. China's foreign ministry on Saturday urged the U.S. to stop using what it said were fentanyl-related pretexts to sanction and prosecute Chinese companies and citizens, and demanded the immediate release of those who were "illegally arrested." "China urges the U.S. side to stop dumping blame and to stop smear attacks on China," the ministry said in a statement. Earlier, the Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said such "long-arm jurisdiction" would create more obstacles for China-U.S. counter-narcotics cooperation. The move came after Antony Blinken made the first visit to China by a U.S. Secretary of State in five years and said he had made clear that Washington needs much greater Chinese cooperation to stem the flow of fentanyl. During his visit, the two sides agreed to stabilize their intense rivalry so that it did not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any breakthrough and the mood quickly soured again after U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday referred to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 24) Government forces on Saturday clashed with armed men in Maimbung, Sulu as they served search and arrest warrants against the town's former vice mayor, Pando Mudjasan. Mudjasan is wanted for murder, as well as illegal possession of firearms and explosives. He is also a leader of the separatist Moro National Liberation Front, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the firefight erupted when troops approached Mudjasan's home in Barangay Bualo Lipid at around 7:30 a.m. It ended at approximately 6 p.m. Citing the PNP, the AFP Public Affairs Office (AFP-PAO) said Mudjasan remains at large. It added that one police officer was killed while 10 other policemen, a soldier, and two civilians were wounded in the shooting. In PMs home state an illegal network of human trafficking, with connections beyond Gujarat and India, exists and thrives Secondly, it is shocking how in the Prime Ministers state an illegal network of human trafficking, with connections beyond Gujarat and India, exists and thrives. Needless to say it has the patronage of authorities. And it has gone on for long, even during the period when Modi was Chief Minister here. Earlier, 3,000 kg of heroin worth Rs. 21,000 cr. was seized from Mundra port in September 2021. In State Assembly the government has admitted that over the last two years Rs. 4,058 cr. worth of charas, ganja, heroin and other drungs and Rs. 211 cr. worth of liquor has been seized from 25 districts of Gujarat. It almost appears that the entire state is in the grip of human trafficking and drug mafia. Recent arrests of conmen Kiran Patel and Sanjay Sherpuria, both claiming to have associations with the PM office, paints a picture of lawlessness around the persona of Narendra Modi. While Kiran Patel was impersonating as an additional secretary in the PMO and making official visits to Jammu and Kashmir, Sanjay Sherpuria has defrauded State Bank of India to the tune of Rs. 349.12 cr. All these stories stand in stark contrast to the picture of PM presented as a strong leader intolerant of corruption. In reality they create an impression of a highly compromised administration which is dispensing favours to its chosen few with many a murky operations and deals behind the scenes. --- *Magsaysay award winning social activist-academic, General Secretary of Socialist Party (India) Equally bewildering is the operation of drug racket in Gujarat. In recent times 56 kg cocaine worth Rs. 500 cr. and 75 kg of heroin worth Rs. 375 cr. have been seized from Mundra port owned by Adani in May and July, 2022, respectively. This includes many High Net Worth individuals who do not find atmosphere in India conducive enough for their business, whose number, according to Henley and Partners, a UK based global citizenship and residence adviser, could be as high as 8000.Secondly, it is shocking how in the Prime Ministers state an illegal network of human trafficking, with connections beyond Gujarat and India, exists and thrives. Needless to say it has the patronage of authorities. And it has gone on for long, even during the period when Modi was Chief Minister here. Narendra Modis United States visit has made big news. In his seventh trip to that country as the Prime Minister he has been able to get himself invited as a state guest for the first time, riding on the back of a proposal from an Indian private company Air India to buy 220 aircrafts from another U.S. private company Boeing.However, just as Narendra Modi was preparing to travel to U.S. there was news about the Gujarati couple Pankaj and Nisha Patel, who in exchange for Rs. 1.5 crores were promised by middlemen Abhay Raval and Pintu Goswami an illegal entry into the U.S. through a circuitous route of Hyderabad-Iran-Mexico, kidnapped in Iran and released only when a ransom of Rs. 10 lakhs was paid by Pankajs brother Sanket to the abductors through the middlemen using the Hawala channel.In December 2022 Brijkumar Yadav, resident of Kalol taluka in Gandhinagar district died from a fall trying to scale the Trump Wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in his attempt to illegally enter the U.S. with his family. His wife fell on the U.S. side of wall and son on the Mexico side.In April 2023 a farmer from Manekpura in Mehsana district, Pravin Chaudhary with wife Dakha, son Mit and daughter Vidhi was drowned when the boat carrying them capsized in St. Lawrence river trying to illegally enter New York state from Quebec in Canada. In May 2022 in a similar incident 6 men from Gujarat were rescued from capsized boat in St. Regis river also on the New York border.The most heart rending incident happened in January 2022 when Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, 11 years old daughter Vihangi and 3 years old son Dharmik, hailing from Dingucha village in Kalol, Gandhinagar, froze to death on the road in Manitoba province of Canada close to Minnesota in U.S., again in an attempt to cross over illegally into the U.S., unable to withstand a temperature of minus 35 degrees centigrade. The agent had charged Rs. 75 lakhs per adult and Rs. 25 lakhs per child for facilitating illegal entry into U.S.Gujaratis are an enterprising people, a number of them with desire to migrate to the U.S., but it is tedious to acquire a passport and visa. Narendra Modis wife Jashodaben has failed in getting a passport made for herself. In such a situation a normal aspirant Gujarati falls victim to the network of middlemen who openly advertise their offer to send people abroad in exchange for huge sums of money. The rates have gone up about 1.5 times across the Covid period.It is surprising that in spite of claims of a successful Gujarat model of development, so many people from Gujarat are willing to risk their money and life to seek illegal entry into the U.S. and other such countries. It exposes the hollowness of claims of growth and an economy doing well. It also points to the abject situation of unemployment. According to an estimate 28.6 crores of youth are looking for employment in this country. It is the desperation which drives people to take risks such as attempting illegal migration.Not only illegal migration but people taking up foreign citizenships is also on rise. The nationalist government is not able to convince people to stay back. They are fleeing in large numbers. 1,83,741 people renounced their Indian citizenship in 2022 choosing an option to permanently settle abroad. We here at Cracked understand the importance of protecting ones intellectual property. In fact, weve been known to take our own extreme measures to bust the buttmunches who jank our stuff, so were not judging anyone for covering their industrial asses. However, even we have to agree that some of these folks could probably chill. Advertisement 5 Coca-Cola Possibly the most mythical secret in modern business is the recipe for Coca-Cola, which is said to be protected by two executives who each know only half of it and locked in a vault not even a Nicolas Cage character could crack. The reality isnt quite so extreme, but its still pretty silly. The two executives thing is indeed official company policy, which it appears to take so seriously that the executives arent allowed on the same airplane, but they both know the whole recipe and the policy hasnt always been strictly enforced. As for the vault, its there for the visiting at the World of Coca-Cola museum, not protected by anything more than a velvet rope and the carbo-cops. Still, the company is so fussy over its formula that when it was faced with Indian legislation requiring it to hand the recipe over in 1977, Coca-Cola pulled a Soda Nazi and declared no Coke for India for 16 years. It could have also been the countrys demand to transfer at least 60 percent of Coca-Cola Indias shares to Indian shareholders, but you know. Definitely one of those things. 4 WD-40 Meanwhile, everything youve heard about Coca-Cola is true about everyones favorite non-sexual lubricant. In fact, the company is so secretive about its formula that half of the products ingredients are mixed in one factory and the other half in another, to be combined at yet another factory so no one needs to know it. According to the company, only one person does, presumably former CEO Garry Ridge, who is presumably not allowed to fly with anyone. Ridge is the only person whos ever moved the only written copy of the formula out of its vault, which has happened just twice. The first time, he donned a suit of armor he claimed was meant to protect the formula as he rode it into Times Square on a horse for the companys 50th anniversary. But like all of us in the early 2000s, he was probably just really into A Knights Tale. The second time, he was handcuffed to a suitcase containing the formula as he was escorted by armored car to a new vault, though it would have been really funny to secretly swap it with an empty case and throw away the key. 3 Thomas English Muffins The nooks and crannies of an English muffin are right up there with Tilda Swintons eyebrows and the bong of that big clock as one of the most strangely satisfying gifts from the United Kingdom, and one manufacturer has staked its livelihood on maximizing them. Thomas, the company that claims The Original English Muffin, not only keeps its recipe safe by storing it in a secret location, it splits it up between several different manuals that it calls code books so that tracking one down only gives you part of the puzzle. If thats not intriguing enough, Thomas legally barred a former vice president from taking another job in a saga straight out of a corporate thriller by some white dude whose name you only vaguely recall but sells more books than God. It all started in 2010, when Chris Boticella, then vice president in charge of baking operations and one of the seven people who knew the full recipe, announced that he was leaving the company. Hed allowed his colleagues to believe he was retiring, but hed actually been poached by Hostess, who apparently wanted to get its cream in some crannies. Records of Boticellas computer activity showed that, in his final days with the company, hed decided to practice his computer skills by transferring a bunch of confidential files to a flash drive. The courts didnt buy that obvious lie, and he was legally forced to turn down the Hostess job. Business guys are always threatening that people will never work in this town again, but Thomas actually made good on it. Do not fuck with the English muffin people. 2 Dr. Pepper Thomas isnt the only company that went the Captain Planet route by stashing parts of its recipe in different places. Dr. Pepper claims to have ripped its blend of 23 flavors in two (though not perfectly, obviously, which must have begat some jealousy) and deposited each half in a different bank in Dallas, just in case of beverage-minded robbers, apparently. It also only divulged the formula to three executives, though its unclear whether theyre allowed to attend the same tropical corporate retreats. One thing Dr. Pepper will tell you is what its not, which is prune juice. Its unclear how this rumor took hold, but the best evidence historians have to go on suggest some competitors deliveryman started it because both drinks are brown, Dr. Pepper does taste kind of pruney, and prune juice is famous for its laxative effects, and he wanted people to worry that Dr. Pepper would make them poop. It goes all the way back to 1930, which, if nothing else, proves the power of the poop joke. Advertisement Advertisement Explainer: Why are more countries eager to join BRICS? Xinhua) 15:05, June 24, 2023 Aerial photo taken on Dec. 17, 2020 shows a panoramic view of the headquarters building of BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) After over a decade of development, BRICS cooperation has greatly been strengthened. The international community has widely recognized and supported BRICS, and an increasing number of like-minded countries want to join it. BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune has reported that Bangladesh has formally applied to join BRICS, an acronym of five major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, once again drawing wide attention to the expansion of its membership. After over a decade of development, BRICS cooperation has greatly been strengthened. The international community has widely recognized and supported BRICS, and an increasing number of like-minded countries want to join it. WHO WANTS IN? According to Russian media reports, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on June 15 that the number of countries applying to join the BRICS bloc is increasing, reaching nearly 20. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met in Geneva on June 14, after which Bangladesh applied to join BRICS. Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko confirmed in an interview with Russian news agency TASS that Cairo has submitted its application to join BRICS, given its interest in "de-dollarization." According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, Iran and Argentina have recently applied. In addition, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and other oil-producing countries have also applied. Once these countries' applications are approved, the BRICS members will cover more than half of the world's oil and gas resources. At the end of May this year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told reporters after talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that BRICS countries are attracting people who seek peace and cooperation. A panel discussion themed "Uphold the concept of openness and promote world economic recovery" is held during the BRICS Business Forum in Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang) WHY SO ATTRACTIVE? As an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism, reforming the global governance system, and increasing the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries. The bloc has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs. Spanish website Rebelion said many countries are tired of the United States' virtual domination of the global economy for decades, forcing dollar transactions. Failure to comply with Washington's directives will result in sanctions and economic and financial blackmail. In contrast, BRICS prioritizes assisting countries in advancing their investment and trade without imposing any preconditions. "Above all, BRICS defends multipolarity and multilateralism ... By defending multilateralism, BRICS countries are countering the concept of the Cold War and opening up the possibility of a more equitable and just international economic order that benefits the world," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently. The primary mission of BRICS countries is to serve as advocates for the interests of developing nations, said Valeriia Gorbacheva, head of the Multilateral Strategic Project Office at the Higher School of Economics of Russia's National Research University. The goals and values of BRICS countries are consistent with those of most countries in the world, which means that the expansion of BRICS is only a matter of time, said Gorbacheva. Aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank (NDB), also known as the BRICS bank, in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) WHEN TO EXPAND? During the 14th BRICS Summit in June last year, the leaders of the five countries agreed to expand the bloc's membership. South Africa holds the BRICS rotating presidency in 2023 and will host the 15th summit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian media that the topic of BRICS membership expansion would be included in the summit's agenda in August. "We stand ready to bring more like-minded partners into the big family of BRICS," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, pointing out that BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism and vigorously advancing global governance reforms. Peskov said Russia is pleased that more countries have shown strong interest in BRICS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that many countries are queueing to join BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which reflects their increasingly important role. In an interview with the TASS news agency, Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said BRICS is happy to accept new members who express interest in joining. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Local Eugene Starbucks workers held a protest outside of Matthew Knight Arena Saturday afternoon after the companys alleged policy change on Pride decorations. Nick Vuong, a worker at the 7th and Washington street location, said that the protest is about the company making workers take down all Pride decorations and not letting workers wear Pride pins. Morgan Eipp was standing beside Vuong during the protest. While the protesters numbered less than 20, occasional passing cars honked in support. My store has definitely received backlash for being in a union. Weve had a lot of extra write-ups recently about dress code. Ive been told to take off my Pride pin, Eipp said. Nationwide, more than 3,500 members of Starbucks Workers United, the national workers' union for Starbucks employees, plan to protest the company's decision at roughly 150 locations throughout the weekend. This is the first year they didnt let us put up any decorations, said Marisa Hodson, a store supervisor at a Eugene location. Hodson said that during her first year working for Starbucks, managers would hand out Pride pins during Pride month and ensure a comfortable environment to work in. Now, she said, the limits of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community end at selling Pride cups to customers. Theyre trying to celebrate [the community], but not actually the people who theyre celebrating, she said. Eipp said she and the other protestors hope to get Starbucks attention enough to where they can bargain for better working conditions. When brooding thriller Before We Die exploded onto our screens two years ago it was mauled by critics for its Scandi-style bleakness, but loved by viewers. Unusually the heroine at its heart was a 60-something detective who wasnt the best of mothers and who by the end had turned to murder and fans were desperate to know what happened next. So its no wonder then that Lesley Sharp was keen to return to playing Hannah Laing for a second series of this British remake of a Swedish drama. Not only does this somewhat underused actress get to show off her skills, but once again shes an example of how older female actresses are getting meatier TV roles instead of playing another mother on the school run. Its just over a decade since Lesley, famous for The Full Monty film and its new TV sequel, starred in police thriller Scott & Bailey with Suranne Jones, who devised that show to create more roles for women that werent wife of, sidekick of, mother of or mistress of. Lesley Sharp (pictured left) and Kazia Pelka as foes Hannah and Dubravka in the second series of Before We Die, Channel 4's British version of a Scandinavian hit Its success spawned dozens of female-led cop shows, and now Before We Die not only has a female detective but a female villain too in the form of Croatian criminal matriarch Dubravka Mimica (Kazia Pelka). The backbone of this series is still a police format but the stakes are incredibly high because behind it are two mothers who will fight to the death for their sons, says Lesley, 63, and herself a mother of two. Often in TV dramas, mothers are portrayed as people who wash socks, make appointments, do school runs, all those wonderful, banal, loving things. 'But they will also fight like wild animals to protect their children. We first met Hannah as a cop approaching retirement who was infamous for nicking her own son, Christian, for drug dealing. Released from prison he went undercover, working at the Mimicas restaurant, but as he went deeper he reconciled with his mother, who was determined to protect him. At the end of series one (spoiler alert!) we saw her kill Davor, the head of the Mimica crime family. Series two picks up three months later. Christian is on the run with Bianca Mimica Dubravkas daughter and Davors sister in a Romeo and Juliet-style storyline. Hannah's son Christian, played by Patrick Gibson is on the run with Bianca, Dubravka's daughter, played by Izzy Knopfler in a storyline reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet But it turns out even Costa Rica isnt far enough from the reach of the Mimicas, who want him dead and Bianca back. Dubravka knows only that Davor is missing; she doesnt know hes dead or who killed him. In series two the masks are off with Hannah and Dubravka; theyre aware of how far each will go to protect their family, says Lesley. That makes them very dangerous adversaries. Hannahs gone from being a great career cop to a murderer, shes gone to places inside herself she never imagined. In series two the masks are off with Hannah and Dubravka; that makes them very dangerous adversaries I think having two female adversaries reflects the gradual understanding that 50 per cent of TV viewers are female and interested in seeing themselves represented on TV. The series is set in Bristol but filmed in Brussels because of tax breaks. Efforts have been made to anglicise the Belgian streets with double yellow lines and signs changed but the setting feels slightly off, which adds to the unease. Covid was rampant when we shot series one so when we went back to Belgium it was a different city, says Lesley. And being there when the Queen died was strange. I wanted to be at home in London. But she says it was a relief to get a second series so the story can be expanded. You can build on the things you loved about the first, and push them, she says. In series two you get the consequences of mothers who havent done right by their kids, and its brilliant to see how far theyll go. KNICKERBOCKER GLORY Heggies Vineyard Botrytis Riesling 2017 (37.5cl, 10%), 14.99, Waitrose Although it has American roots, the Knickerbocker glory is a peculiarly British phenomenon that peaked in the 1960s and 70s. A variation of a sundae, its always served in a tall, thick glass and with a long-handled spoon. In Season 6, Episode 8, we see Trixie enjoying one. Serves 2 4-6 scoops of vanilla ice cream 240ml (8fl oz) double cream 4 glace cherries 240ml (8fl oz) raspberry or cherry sauce or compote 1 tin (240g/8oz drained weight) fruit cocktail (or use fresh fruit) Hundreds and thousands (optional) 2 wafers, amaretti biscuits, or chocolate cigars Prepare two tall highball glasses or Knickerbocker glasses by slipping them into the freezer to chill. Get the ice cream out to soften slightly. In a bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Remove the glasses from the freezer. Put a cherry in the bottom of each. Top with a scoop of ice cream and spoon 1tbsp of sauce or compote on top. Add a quarter of the fruit cocktail to each glass, then another scoop of ice cream. Add another 1tbsp sauce to each glass and then the rest of the fruit. Divide the remaining sauce between the glasses. Add more ice cream if you can cope, top with cream, sprinkle with hundreds and thousands (if using), add a cherry, plunge in a wafer and serve immediately. Olly Smith's wine pairing: Dessert Dazzler Heggies Vineyard Botrytis Riesling 2017 (37.5cl, 10%), 14.99, Waitrose A little is all you need of this intensely flavoured lime and peachy zinger of a sweet wine. Magic served in a small glass with a Knickerbocker Glory. QUICHE LORRAINE Fonte del Re Lacrima di Morro dAlba DOC 2021 (13%), 15, Tesco When Quiche Lorraine is served at Nonnatus House in Season 3, Episode 5, its greeted with suspicion by Sister Evangelina, who asks Sister Winifred, What is this? Serves 4 as a main course FOR THE PASTRY 225g (8oz) flour, plus more for the work surface 115g (4oz) cold butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 1 egg, lightly beaten 1-2tbsp ice-cold water FOR THE FILLING 1tbsp butter 170g (6oz) white button mushrooms, diced 8 bacon rashers, chopped 115g (4oz) mixed grated sharp Cheddar and Gruyere or Emmental cheese, in equal parts, or all Cheddar 160ml (5fl oz) double or single cream 3 egg yolks Black pepper To make the pastry, pulse the flour and butter briefly in a food processor. Add the egg and 1tbsp of the water and pulse, adding more water as needed for the dough to bind together. Gently knead the dough in the bowl just enough to bring it together in a thick disc, then cover the bowl with a plate and chill for 30 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a thick disc. Wrap 1 in clingfilm and chill for up to a day or freeze for up to 1 month for another use. Cover the other and chill for 30 minutes. Butter a round 23cm tart tin. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a round 28cm across and 3mm thick. Use to line the tin with an overhang. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Line the pastry-lined tin with foil and fill with dried beans or uncooked rice. Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, and trim the rim. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and fry the mushrooms and bacon, until the bacon starts to crisp, around 5 minutes. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk the cheese, cream and egg yolks until well blended. Season with pepper. Add the bacon and mushrooms, and mix well. Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling into it. Reduce the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and bake until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean, around 25-30 minutes. Cool before serving. Olly's wine pairing: Super sipper for summer Fonte del Re Lacrima di Morro dAlba DOC 2021 (13%), 15, Tesco This super-scented Italian red is made from luscious lacrima grapes. Perfumed as a rose, it is an irresistible summery treat with main courses. CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PIE Paul Mas Marsanne 2022 (13%), 7.50, Asda Pies are a staple in the show. In Season 3, Chummy, trying to improve her domestic skills, cooks chicken and mushroom pies for Nonnatus House. They arent a great success, and when she turns up with the food, its fish and chips instead! Servers 4 as a main course 90g (3oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the pie dishes 450g (1lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm (in) chunks 1tbsp flour, plus more for the work surface 115g (4oz) white mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced 1tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 2tsp chopped fresh tarragon, or tsp dried tarragon 90ml (3fl oz) white wine 180ml (6fl oz) chicken stock 1tbsp Dijon mustard 2tbsp double cream Salt and pepper 450g (1lb) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen In a frying pan, melt 60g of the butter over medium heat until foaming. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour, then turn and fry for another 5 minutes until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 30g butter to the remaining fat in the pan and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the parsley and tarragon, mix well, then add the mixture to the bowl of chicken. Return the pan to high heat, add the wine, and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the sticky bits. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add to the chicken and mushrooms along with the mustard and cream. Season and mix well. Cool until tepid, then cover and chill well. You can prepare the filling up to a day in advance. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Butter the inside of 2 rectangular, rimmed pie dishes, each about 18cm x 14cm. Divide the pastry in half (one for each dish). Divide each half into two pieces, one twice as large as the other (roughly one-third and two-thirds). On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger piece of each half into a rectangle large enough to line each dish, with a little overhang. Press gently into the corners and up the sides. Divide the chicken mixture between the dishes. Roll out the smaller pieces into rectangles to form pie lids. Dampen the edges of both pies with water, then top each with its lid. Crimp the edges to seal and trim any excess. Cut a slash in the centre to allow steam to escape (or use a pie bird or funnel). Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden, puffed and the filling is hot. Cool for a few minutes before serving. Olly's wine pairing: Perfection with pies Paul Mas Marsanne 2022 (13%), 7.50, Asda Decent value for a white with the right textural depth for a savoury pie. The pineapple-meets-satsuma flavours show the freshness in Frances Languedoc wines. COCONUT LAYER CAKE Olly offers two pairings for cake this week: Samos Anthemis 2016 and the zero-alcohol Real Peony Blush Sparkling Tea In the very first episode of Call The Midwife, Sister Monica Joan plies the newly arrived Jenny Lee with a splendid coconut cake and they eat the entire thing it is only later Jenny realises it was intended for the whole staff. Serves 10-12 For the cake 225g (8oz) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the tin 370g (13oz) flour 1tsp baking soda 225g (8oz) caster sugar 3 eggs, lightly beaten 115g (4oz) desiccated coconut 160ml (5fl oz) mil To fill and cover 370g (13oz) icing sugar 170g (6oz) butter, at room temperature 2tsp vanilla extract 80g (2oz) desiccated coconut Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter the inside of a round, 20cm diameter, 8cm deep cake tin. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. On a low speed, add the flour in batches with the eggs, ending with the flour and mixing after each addition. Stir in the coconut then mix in the milk. Transfer to the tin and bake for 1 hours, covering with foil if it browns too much. Its done when the top is domed and slightly cracked and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Call The Midwife: The Official Cookbook by Annie Gray, published by Titan Books Ltd, 29.99, is out now. To order a copy for 26.99 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over 25. Offer valid until 08/07/23 Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. To fill and decorate, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and vanilla and beat until spreadable. Cut the cake horizontally into three. Using a palette knife, spread the bottom layer with a little buttercream. Top with the middle layer and repeat. Add the final layer and cover all over with the remaining buttercream. Coat with the coconut, gently pressing it onto the top and sides, before serving. Olly's wine pairing: Coconut cracker Samos Anthemis 2016 (50cl, 15%) 9.95, thewinesociety.com One of Greeces hidden gems, this marmalade-scented sticky wine is richly splendid. Serve chilled for a mellow, dreamy sip alongside the Coconut Layer Cake. Olly's drinks pairing: Consummate with cake Real Peony Blush Sparkling Tea (0%) 13, or 9.95 each in a case of 6, realdrinks.co The whole family will love this booze-free peachy bubbly. With its crisp, sherbetty finish, it is delightfully light served with fruity cakes. Lauren Sanchez and fiance Jeff Bezos have been soaking up the sun in recent weeks as part of a lavish summer sojourn around Europe. The couple have been travelling across the Mediterranean since May 15 on the Amazon founder's $500 million superyacht Koru - which means 'new beginnings' in Maori. Since they embarked on their incredibly lavish getaway, the pair have been spotted in a variety of European locations, with Lauren, 53, wowing the cameras in each place by flaunting an array of colorful - and very high-priced - ensembles. From the $635 Louis Vuitton visor she wore to enjoy a hike in Sainte Marguerite to the extravagant $35,000 Hermes Birkin she was seen toting in Saint Tropez, it seems that no cost has been spared when it comes to any aspect of the vacation, particularly the former TV host's wardrobe. Lauren Sanchez and fiance Jeff Bezos (pictured previously) have been soaking up the sun in recent weeks as part of a lavish summer sojourn around Europe In keeping with the over-the-top theme of the seemingly-never-ending trip, Lauren appears to have taken full advantage of the vast storage that her fiance's superyacht has to spare, packing it full to the brim with a huge variety of clothing and accessories. To date, the mother-of-two has been seen sporting more than $70,000 worth of outfits - and has almost never repeated the same item twice, save for that oh-so-luxurious Louis Vuitton headpiece. Needless to say, Lauren's extravagant wardrobe perfectly complements the couple's extravagant mode of transportation, the Amazon founder's 230ft tall yacht, which he commissioned in 2018 - and which currently holds the record for being the world's tallest superyacht. The whirlwind itinerary has seen the pair stop off at Portofino, Saint-Tropez and Cannes - to name just a few. But, despite the packed schedule, 53-year-old Sanchez has still found time to flaunt her fashion credentials. The former news anchor has not shied away from putting her ample assets on display on both land and sea. Here, FEMAIL has set out the brunette beauty's extensive tour wardrobe - as well as the associated cost. May 15: Lauren dons $3,345 nautical look in Mallorca The jet-setting pair kicked off their tour on May 15 after arriving on the $500million yacht, which was moored off the coast of Mallorca, by helicopter. Sanchez nailed the nautical trend by opting for a practical pair of white cargo trousers, which appeared to be from Toteme for $470, that she styled with white sneakers and aviators. She jazzed up the look with a timeless black-and-white cardigan by Chanel - and, although the exact style is not available to buy online, similar pieces have been listed on retail sites for around $2,875. It boasted contrasting white stripes and the French luxury goods logo embroidered near the collar. Sanchez, who looked to be engrossed on her phone, let her locks flow freely before they were buffeted by the wind. Sanchez nailed the nautical trend by opting for a practical pair of white cargo trousers, which appeared to be from Toteme for $470, that she styled with white sneakers and aviators May 16: Former TV host takes Mallorca by storm in a tiny pink bikini It did not take long for Sanchez to make a splash with her outfit of choice. The beauty showcased her stunning physique on the second day of the trip with the vessel still sailing off the coast of Mallorca. She rocked an itsy bitsy pink bikini which had tie-up detailing to each hip. Sanchez wore a white kimono draped casually off of one shoulder as a cover up and finished the look with a pair of sunglasses. The star let her luscious locks cascade down her back as the couple soaked up the sun together on deck. Sanchez wore a white kimono draped casually off of one shoulder as a cover up and finished the look with a pair of sunglasses May 16: Lauren slips into a $24,20 ensemble for a dinner date with Jeff in Ibiza The loved-up couple both opted for a neutral color palette for their stop at a swanky restaurant in Ibiza. Sanchez went for a white, backless maxi dress for the dinner at the Chiringuito Casa Jondal eatery. The floating frock, which boasted delicate floral broderie detailing and a plunging halter neckline, looked strikingly similar to a $1,600 creation by one of her go-to designers Silvia Tcherassi. But she held her $820 Tom Ford thong sandals in her hand as she navigated her way onto the mainland from a small boat. The holidaymaker finished the look with yet another pair of shades and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. In Ibiza, Sanchez wore a floating frock which looked strikingly similar to a $1,600 creation by one of her go-to designers Silvia Tcherassi May 22: All aboard the yacht in a $2,220 skirt as the love-up couple arrives in Cannes When Sanchez was seen on the eighth day of the whistle-stop trip, she struggled to conceal the rock that glinted on her ring finger. And, when she stepped out as a newly minted fiancee, she looked effortlessly chic. She wore Magda Butrym's current season floral applique crochet maxi skirt which comes at a cost of $2,220. The distinctive piece is intricately handmade by Polish artisans and features a three dimensional floral pattern at the hips. Sanchez paired it with an understated white crop top and aviator shades. When Sanchez was seen on the eighth day of the whistle-stop trip, she struggled to conceal the rock that glinted on her ring finger - and wore Magda Butrym's current season floral applique crochet maxi skirt which comes at a cost of $2,220 May 23: Pulling out all the stops at Cannes Film Festival in a $1,970 pearl-embellished dress The couple appeared at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23 when they were spotted arriving at the Cap du Cap-Eden-Roc hotel. Sanchez flaunted her very toned legs by slipping into a sparkly $1,970 pearl dress, designed by Annie's x Clio Peppiatt, which boasted slits up each side. She wore a pair of Schutz' $128 clear strap high-heel slide sandals that gave a glimpse of her immaculately pedicured toes. Her dazzling new ring - said to be 20 carats - was complemented by a statement pair of earrings. Sanchez wore her raven locks swept forward over one shoulder. Sanchez flaunted her very toned legs by slipping into a sparkly $1,970 pearl dress, designed by Annie's x Clio Peppiatt, which boasted slits up each side in Cannes June 12: It's all about the $10,000 Kelly handbag in Portofino, Italy The next stop for the high-profile couple was Portofino, Italy - and the 53-year-old was dressed to impress as she landed by helicopter on the Koru's $75 million support vessel. She put her enviable curves on display in a figure-hugging black racerback dress featuring a thigh-high slit on each leg. Sanchez topped off her Italian vacation look with a pair of black platform wedge sandals and what looked to be a red Hermes Kelly bag. The starting cost of a Kelly is around $10,000, but the highly-coveted handbags can sell for $100,000 or more depending on the style. She finished the outfit with a pair of summer-ready espadrille wedges from Christian Louboutin which have a price tag of $845. The 53-year-old put her enviable curves on display in a figure-hugging black racerback dress featuring a thigh-high slit on each leg - she topped off her Italian vacation look with a pair of black platform wedge sandals and what looked to be a red Hermes Kelly bag June 13: Lauren goes crazy for color for Portofino date night as she dons $235 butterfly frock and trusty $128 heels Sanchez appeared to be giving Bezos butterflies when the pair stepped out in Portofino. The newly engaged couple held hands as they strolled down the streets in the picturesque fishing village on the Italian Riviera. For the intimate family dinner at Ligurian restaurant Ristorante Puny, the beauty dressed in Mirae Paris' strapless 'Liliana' green dress. The striking $235 frock boasted a butterfly print and asymmetrical hem. She paired the figure-hugging fit with her trusty Schutz' $128 heeled slide sandals and aviator sunglasses. For the intimate family dinner at Ligurian restaurant Ristorante Puny, the beauty dressed in a $235 Mirae Paris' strapless 'Liliana' green dress which she paired the figure-hugging fit with her trusty Schutz' $128 heeled slide sandals June 16: Mom-of-two Lauren flaunts her curves in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in an $1,800 dress - complete with $4,700 Chanel bag The mother-of-three dressed for summer as she navigated the cobblestone streets in Beaulieu-sur-Mer - a small resort town on the French Riviera. Sanchez put her ample assets on display in a $1,800 bright orange Silvia Tcherassi maxi dress with a plunging halter top. The fashionista finished the look with a 2021 Mini Framing Chain Flap Bag from Chanel, currently costing $4,700 on the Real Real, hung from her shoulder. She shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun with a pair of $350 funky Emilio Pucci shades, and wore her raven hair loose around her shoulders. But her footwear remained a mystery having been shielded from sight beneath her hem. Sanchez put her ample assets on display in a $1,800 bright orange Silvia Tcherassi maxi dress with a plunging halter top as she navigated the cobblestone streets in Beaulieu-sur-Mer June 17: All smiles in Saint-Tropez as she slips into a rainbow-colored $860 Pucci mini dress Summer is the time to pare back, lighten up and sport some serious color. And it seems that Sanchez was following these principles when she disembarked from the superyacht with her billionaire beau on June 17 to make a pit stop in Saint-Tropez. The former news anchor proved that age was just a number as she stepped out in a barely-there ensemble. She was sporting a strapless, Marmo print minidress by Emilio Pucci - which has a price tag of $860. Sanchez then accessorized with a pair of oversized shades and a stone-colored Hermes Birkin 25 bag with gold hardware - with similar designs currently available on resale websites for between $25,000 and $35,000. She was sporting a strapless, Marmo print minidress by Emilio Pucci - which has a price tag of $860 - when she made a pit stop in Saint-Tropez before accessorizing with a Hermes Birkin 25 bag June 17: Taking full advantage of the sun in the South of France in another very skimpy bikini Sanchez continued to flaunt her physique while lounging on her fiance's mega-yacht. She appeared to be in good spirits as she showed-off her sun-kissed skin and let her hair flow freely. The famous face was seen playfully taking selfies in a black halter neck bikini which she paired with a semi-sheer sarong. The two-piece ensemble appeared to be a similar style to that which she had worn earlier on the trip, previously in pink. And it seems the tried-and-tested look is one of Sanchez's favorites, after also sporting it a few days later - on June 20 - as she and Bezos spent time with surfer Laird Hamilton. Sanchez continued to flaunt her physique in a black halter neck bikini which she paired with a semi-sheer sarong June 19: Lauren goes casual in Antibes in a pair of $220 cargo pants Earlier this week, Sanchez left the Koru's $75 million support vessel on a helicopter while in Antibes. The star, who is herself a licensed pilot, looked to be in good spirits as she clambered on board. She nailed utility chic for the trip as she donned a pair of $220 Ksubi drill cargo pants which she teamed with a white tank top and sneakers. Sanchez let her hair flow loosely around her shoulders, and wore a pair of shades once again. But it seems that the couple's vacation is far from coming to an end. Earlier this week, Sanchez nailed utility chic for the trip as she donned a pair of $220 Ksubi drill cargo pants which she teamed with a white tank top and sneakers June 19: Sporty chic in an all-Amazon ensemble (complete with $635 Louis Vuitton visor) for a stroll in Sainte Marguerite Sanchez has proved that it is not just stunning glam ensembles that she has in her extensive wardrobe. And was spotted in workout gear as she and Bezos enjoyed a sunset hike on Sainte Marguerite island - about half a mile off shore from Cannes. She pulled off sporty chic in a monochrome outfit that consisted of butt-lifting black leggings, which are widely available on Amazon for up to $99, a white Locachy zip-up track jacket, also sold on the site for $19.10, and Nike's $160 Air Max 270 trainers. The former news anchor was taking no chances as she shielded her eyes with both aviator sunglasses and a $635 men's Louis Vuitton Trail Visor. Sanchez, who was all smiles during the outing, pulled her hair away from her face in a ponytail. Visiting Sainte Marguerite, Sanchez pulled off sporty chic in a monochrome outfit that consisted of butt-lifting black leggings, which are widely available on Amazon for up to $99, a white Locachy zip-up track jacket, also sold on the site for $19.10, and Nike's $160 Air Max 270 trainers June 23: Lauren pours her curves into a $388 mini dress for a beach stroll in S ardinia The couple show no sign of slowing down after popping up in Sardinia. Sanchez and Bezos were spotted on a boat with friends after having lunch at the trendy Nikki Beach at Cala Petra Ruja. The dark-haired beauty squeezed into a figure-hugging $388 Cult Gaia knitted sleeveless minidress which boasted brushed brass hardware that connected strapping at the neck and the bust. She kicked off her black flip flops and went barefoot as she strolled across the sand. The media personality accessorized with a Bottega Veneta Maxi Cabat Leather Tote which comes with a hefty price tag of $4,500. For all the latest Royal news, pictures and video click here Diana was NOT a style-icon. The famous 'revenge dress' was too short and opaque tights were wrong! When the new Princess of Wales emerged at the Order of the Garter Service at Windsor wearing an Alessandra Rich vintage tea dress with polka dots last week, I knew it would be mere moments before she was, once again, deemed Dianas doppelganger. Diana wore polka dots too! The two Princesses of Wales have been declared sartorial twins since the moment they emerged into the spotlight. Diana wore a see through Laura Ashley skirt. Kate Middleton walked a runway in a sheer black dress. They were both gauche, shy, big-eyed. Both shopped on the Kings Road for ballet flats so, the saying goes, they could be twins! When Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore polka dots to the Garter Service at Windsor, there were immediate, but misplaced, comparisons with Diana Just because Diana wore polka dots from time to time does not mean Kate is her doppelganger, says Liz Jones. Here, Diana is pictured at Ascot in 1988 Liz Jones says here are no meaningful style comparisons to be made between Diana, pictured here in 1986, and Catherine, Princess of Wales The Princess of Wales is very much her own woman and should be allowed to forge her own path. Kate is pictured here at this year's Commonwealth Day Service Body language experts have called Catherine a perfect copy of the late PoW. When she emerged in tailored Erdem for Commonwealth Day, The entire look felt reminiscent of Diana, a celebrity hairdresser told Newsweek. Nooooo! There are no deep and meaningful similarities in their style, nor should there be. Yes, Diana and Catherine patronised Catherine Walker, Jenny Packham and milliner Philip Treacy. Both have worn a puffed sleeve, a bit of a shoulder. But this applies to all women who must dress formally on occasion. There are only so many couture-level designers to go round. And, to be brutal, Diana wasnt a style icon, whereas Catherine most definitely is. Not Dis fault, as she came of age in the Eighties. She was often advised badly, not worldly at all. Even the revenge dress, worn to the Serpentine the night Charles revealed his infidelity on TV, was too short, teamed with black opaque tights. These looks should be relegated to history, and Catherine should be allowed for forge her own path. Because she is very much her own person. Just because she might wear Dianas brooch doesnt mean she spends every waking moment thinking about her. She doesnt live in the past and, also, what good would that do William, once quoted as saying sensibly, No one is going to try to fill my mother's shoes and what she did was fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do a very good job of that. To be myopic about what Catherine wears is like over-analysing Love Island: the blue of her Erdem skirt suit was compared by one pundit to the colour of the Commonwealth flag. I imagine, most days, Catherine just wants to look beautiful and appropriate. Endlessly harking back to Diana isnt just unimaginative, its sexist. We dont compare the cut of Williams suits to his dads; in fact, as Julie Burchill opined, lets hope William is nothing like his dad. But with women? We do it all the time. Even comparing Meghan to the late Duchess of Windsor, when nothing could be further from the truth. Diana was not a style icon, says Liz Jones. Even the so-called 'revenge dress' was too short and worn with the wrong tights. Diana wore the Christina Stambolian dress to an event at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 Some commentators like to point to similarities in choice of design and designer. Diana is seen here embracing William and Harry aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1991 But the truth is that there are only so many couture-level designers to go round, says Liz Jones. The Princess of Wales is pictured greeting Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2018 Diana, Princess of Wales in Nottingham in 1992 Catherine, then Duchess of Cambridge, in Coatbridge, 2021 Mrs Simpson was so particular, she would have her sheets ironed having wrinkled them during a nap. She really was an ambassador for Dior, as the V&A exhibition proved. Its as though women have no ideas of their own, that we must always copy. That we live in the past. We need our hands held. Catherine is nothing like Diana. She exudes sunny optimism, stability, confidence. We used to fear for Diana. We thought, if she cant be happy, what hope the rest of us? We look at Catherine and all seems right with the world. King Charles appeared in great spirits this afternoon as he attended the final day of Royal Ascot with members of the Royal Family. After arriving at the Berkshire racecourse in a horse-drawn carriage, the newly-crowned monarch, 74, made his way up to the Royal box with his wife Queen Camilla. For his fifth day at the annual sporting event, Charles wore traditional charcoal morning suit and black top hat. Meanwhile, Queen Camilla, 75, looked effortlessly elegant in a white coat dress by Anna Valentine and matching feathered hat by her go-to designer Philip Treacy. The stylish royal paired her sophisticated piece of outerwear with a simple gold necklace. King Charles pictured sharing a laugh with Lady Sophie Windsor from within Ascot's royal box this afternoon Before the races got underway, Charles was spotted standing on the balcony of the royal box with Lady Sophie Windsor. The mother-of-two, 42, is married to Lord Frederick Windsor - who is the son of Prince Michael of Kent. It appears as though the comic actress - who famously played Big Suze in Peep Show - was cracking jokes to the monarch, who couldn't contain his laughter. As the races kicked off, Charles proceeded to give the tracks his full attention - and appeared serious as he watched intently with his wife Queen Camilla and Lady Gabriella Kingston. On Thursday, King Charles and Queen Camila both shed a tear when they secured their first ever Ascot win. The royal couple were overcome with emotion as they watched their horse Desert Hero win the King George V race from the royal box, after two losses. Camilla has worn two other Anna Valentine coat dresses this week, including the one she previously picked for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018. Meanwhile, Philip Treacy - who also created Camilla's wedding headpieces - has been the royal's go-to hat designer this week. King Charles pictured happily waving to crowds of racegoers as he arrived at Royal Ascot with Queen Camilla King Charles pictured tipping his top hat as he arrived at Royal Ascot with Queen Camilla and Earl of Caledon - who carried Northern Ireland's Standard at their Coronation last month - and his wife King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured arriving at Royal Ascot this afternoon for the final day of races King Charles appeared serious as he watched intently with his wife Queen Camilla and Lady Gabriella Kingston Queen Camilla appeared to be enjoying speaking with Lady Sophie Windsor - who is married to Prince Michael of Kent's son Queen Camilla wore a Philip Treacy hat for Ascot today. Her go-to designer also created her wedding headpieces in 2005 Owner Fitri Hay (centre right) is presented the trophy by Queen Camilla after seeing horse Khaadem win the Queen Elizabeth Ii Jubilee Stakes Queen Camilla (centre) was asked to present the trophy on the final day of Royal Ascot this afternoon The two women were all smiles as they waited for the races to get started in Berkshire this afternoon Lady Sophie Windsor looked sensational in a bright yellow dress and cream box hat for today's races Lady Sophie Windsor is best known for her role as Big Suzie in the hit noughties comedy Peep Show King Charles couldn't contain his laughter as he caught up with Lady Sophie Windsor - who is married to Lord Frederick - in the Royal box Thomas Kingston and Sophie Winkleman pictured watching the final day of racing unfold from the Royal box Sophie Winkleman, Queen Camilla, King Charles, Lady Gabriella Kingston, Thomas Kingston and Lord Frederick Windsor seen on the Ascot balcony Sophie Winkleman, Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Lady Gabriella Kingston and Thomas Kingston were gripped by the race King Charles and Lady Gabriella Kingston appeared in great spirits as they watched the races from the balcony During the procession, the royal couple were joined by the Earl of Caledon - who carried Northern Ireland's Standard at their Coronation last month - and his wife. Lord Frederick Windsor and his wife Lady Sophie followed behind the King and Queen in the second carriage. The pair shared a carriage with Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who will be presenting a trophy today, and Lady Weatherby, who is the wife of the late Queen's Ascot representative. Prince Michael of Kent's daughter Lady Gabriella and her husband Thomas Kingston followed in the third carriage with horse trainer Andrew Balding and his wife Anna-Lisa. Finally, retiring jockey Frankie Dettori and his wife Catherine - who will also be presenting an award today - arrived in the fourth carriage in the procession with Jamie and Lucy Snowden. Frankie - who makes leaping out of the saddle his trademark move - hit a new milestone yesterday when he hit 80 winners at Ascot yesterday. Queen Camilla, 75, looked effortlessly elegant in a white coat dress by Anna Valetine and matching feathered hat by her go-to designer Philip Treacy Retiring jockey Frankie Dettori and his wife Catherine - who will also be presenting an award today - arrived in the fourth carriage in the procession King Charles pictured speaking with Sir Francis Brooke, His Majesty's Representative at Ascot Racecourse Queen Camilla seen speaking with Lady Sophie Windsor after arriving at Royal Ascot this afternoon The couple appeared in high spirits as they arrived at Royal Ascot today - after winning their first titles this week King Charles and Queen Camilla were all smiles as they arrived for their fifth day at Royal Ascot this afternoon The royal couple were joined by the Earl of Caledon - who carried Northern Ireland's Standard at their Coronation last month - and his wife King Charles and Queen Camilla were greeted by cheers from the crowds at Royal Ascot this afternoon Pictured: Sophie Winkleman looked sensational in a short-sleeved yellow dress with a 1960s-style box hat Lady Sophie followed King Charles (pictured doffing his top hat the Ascot team) as they arrived at Royal Ascot this afternoon King Charles matched his light grey waistcoat and his tie and added a pop of colour to his jacket with a small pink flower Queen Camilla kept her jewellery minimal for the final day of Royal Ascot- simply wearing a gold necklace, bracelet and stud earrings Frankie Dettori and Jamie Snowden pictured during the royal procession on day five of Royal Ascot Frankie - who makes leaping out of the saddle his trademark move - hit a new milestone yesterday when he hit 80 winners at Ascot Queen Camilla finished off her outfit with a simple gold necklace and a pair of matching cream gloves King Charles wore a charcoal morning suit, grey tie and black top hat to the final day of Royal Ascot today Pictured: Queen Camilla wore a cream dress by her go-to designer Anna Valentine and a Philip Treacy hat The newly-crowned King and Queen (pictured in their horse-drawn carriage) have attended Royal Ascot everyday this week The King was all smiles as he led the Royal Ascot procession for the final day of Royal Ascot this week The British royal family have been out in force at the event this week, with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, 71, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice, 33, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, all attending. Yesterday, the Princess of Wales, 41, looked sensational in a scarlet Alexander McQueen dress as she attended Ascot. During her visit to the Berkshire races, Kate enjoyed chats with her royal relatives including the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, and also other famous faces including Dame Judi Dench. The mother-of-three tied her hair back into a sleek bun and opted for fabulous statement gold earrings from Sezane, which she has worn before. As she looked elegant in the A-line red frock, the mother-of-three paired her dress with a red clutch bag from Hermes and red suede pumps. Joining the Prince and Princess of Wales in the second carriage in the royal procession was Princess Beatrice, 34, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39. The foursome arrived in the second carriage in the procession, which followed King Charles and Queen Camilla with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. During her 70-year reign, Her late Majesty attended almost every single Royal Ascot festival, with the exception of last year where she couldn't attend due to mobility issues. A royal round of applause! The Prince and Princess of Wales beamed as they applauded the winning jockeys following the races yesterday King Charles appeared emotional as he won his first Ascot race with Queen Camilla on Thursday Pictured: King Charles and Camilla were on the edge of their seats as their horse Desert Hero win the King George V race Throughout the week Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice and Mike and Zara Tindall have also been spotted enjoying the races. This year, organisers have displayed a heartwarming collection of photos of the Queen visiting Ascot over the years. They include a black-and-white photo of the royal riding on the tracks in 1960 when she was 34 years old. The mother-of-four was pictured with a headscarf and riding boots on as her horse galloped along the track. Pictured: The exhibition of the Queen's racing highlights that has been put on display at this year's Ascot Left: The Queen rides on the tracks at Royal Ascot in 1960. Right: The Queen with a trophy after her horse Estimate won the Gold Cup during Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot in 2013 Pictured: The Queen appeared in high spirits as she arrived at Royal Ascot in June 2021, which would be her last time visiting the races The Queen was taking part in an unofficial race with other members of her royal party and ended up finishing fourth. What's more, the organisers also selecting a photograph of the Queen beaming at Ladies Day in 2013. The event turned out to be one of the Queen's most successful Ascots as her horse Estimate won the Gold Cup - making her the first monarch in 200 years to scoop the prize. The late royal was pictured beaming at her trophy, which was presented to her by her son Prince Andrew. The Queen was dressed in one of her signature coat dresses in a pretty shade of purple. Underneath her jacket, the monarch wore a pretty floral dress - which perfectly complimented the flowers on her hat. In the image, the Queen is seen wearing a three-strand pearl necklace - which she also wore to her final ever Ascot in June 2021. A woman has revealed she was too embarrassed to leave her home for three years due to her disastrous veneers. Jade Simmons, 37, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, paid 1,700 to have her fake teeth fitted in London in 2020. The single mother-of-three had saved up for the cosmetic treatment for six months after being targeted with a sponsored Facebook advert. But much to her horror, Jade's veneers began crumbling in her mouth just days after having them fitted. She explained: 'I was scared to eat food. Every time I heard a crack I instantly knew what it was and would burst into tears. Pictured: Jade Simmons' botched 1,700 veneers which had been crumbling in her mouth for three years Pictured: the single mother-of-three after having her teeth fixed in a treatment costing 4,100 in Turkey last month 'I was too embarrassed to leave the house, I even started to avoid my own family because I was scared they would judge me for how bad they'd got.' Initially, Jade claims she went back and forth with the London clinic for months before eventually begging for help from her family dentist. After examining Jade's mouth, the experts were reluctant to do any further work due to the extent of the damage. The dentist told her she had three fractured teeth and also required an urgent root canal. As Jade had splashed out all her savings on having the veneers fitted, the mother couldn't afford to get them fixed. As such, she had no choice than to let them deteriorate - and spent three years avoiding leaving her house. She explained: 'I was struggling massively with my mental health because of what had happened. 'I was severely depressed and prior to this nightmare I already suffered with bipolar, so it massively affected my mental health.' Jade's dentist told her she had three fractured teeth and also required an urgent root canal - but she couldn't afford to get them fixed at the tie She decided to share her story on TikTok in the hope that it would help her raise some money for compensation When she did have to leave the house for work, Jade would wear a mask so that her teeth were always covered. She added: 'I even avoided seeing my own mum out of anxiety and embarrassment.' Earlier this year, Jade decided she no longer wanted to leave in fear of leaving the house. She decided to share her story on TikTok in the hope that it would help her raise some money she could put towards compensation. Jade's video amassed over 500,000 views on TikTok and she was then contacted by a clinic based in Antalya, Turkey. At first, the mother was concerned by the idea of getting her teeth fixed abroad - having heard horror stories about 'Turkey teeth'. Left: What Jade's teeth looked like when she arrived at the clinic. Right: the new veneers Jade was fitted with in Turkey But after being given a virtual tour of the premises, Jade decided to trust their team of experts - who were charging 4,100. The same treatment in the UK would have set her back around 22,000. Since having her new veneers fitted last month, Jade finally has her confidence back and says she feels 'more like herself'. She continued: 'It's honestly changed my life. The clinic must think I'm not grateful because even now, a few weeks after the treatment I'm still having to train myself to smile again and remind myself that I no longer have horrendous teeth. 'I speak to people now and feel more confident, but it's a slow process. People used to think my teeth were bad from taking drugs and my own daughter said I looked like I'd been chewing rocks. 'It's a difficult thing to come to terms with but when I look at my smile in the mirror now, I'm forever grateful to the clinic for completely changing my life. 'I lost myself for a couple of years. Learning to speak properly again has been hard as the damage to my teeth also affected my speech quite badly. I constantly felt judged by everyone that saw me. I'd completely given up on life but I'm finally starting to feel like myself again.' Katrina Hodge is quite a woman. I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who has been trained to kill a man with her bare hands, but also to walk across a stage in a skimpy bikini without fear. A beauty queen and soldier, she offers a highly practical professional tip to the problem of misbehaving bikini bottoms, that is, not a combat technique. 'Hairspray,' she says. 'That's the secret. It's best to spray it on the bum cheeks and on the bikini bottoms, then they won't wrinkle and ride up. Backstage at any beauty pageant, all the girls will be helping each other spray it on. The teamwork that goes on is incredible.' Who knew? Katrina is a former Miss England, who back in 2008 interrupted her glittering Army career to take part in a beauty pageant. A one-time corporal in the Royal Anglian Regiment, she had received a bravery commendation after wrestling two rifles from an insurgent in Iraq and punching him in the face when he tried to mount an attack. Her quick response helped save the lives of five colleagues. Obviously, the leap from the front line to Miss World (she competed in the 2009 contest, in South Africa) made headlines globally, winning her the nickname Combat Barbie and turning her, to her delight, into both a role model for military recruitment and female empowerment. Today, Katrina works in financial services and lives in Brighton with her husband and their daughters, aged 11, and eight. She tells me she fully planned to stay in the Army for her entire career, and notes that, now 36, she would have been heading to retirement had things worked out. They did not. JENNY JOHNSTON: Katrina Hodge is quite a woman (pictured). I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who has been trained to kill a man with her bare hands, but also to walk across a stage in a skimpy bikini without fear 'I had a hell of a time when I went back [after Miss World]. Guys, colleagues, had pictures of me behind their beds. I was a laughing stock,' she reveals. While the Army supported her beauty queen ambitions she says: 'I feel they used me. They were happy for me to be their poster girl, but when it all became a problem, I was on my own.' We will return to her Army career, but for now, suffice to say, it was shot to pieces. With hindsight, does she think a military career is compatible with a beauty queen one? 'No,' she says, bluntly. 'At least it wasn't for me.' There are plenty of subjects Katrina's unusual career trajectory qualifies her to speak about. Today we cover sexism, misogyny, bullying, societal expectations and female body confidence. But let's start with itsy-bitsy, but hugely problematic, bikinis. Last week, she was back in the news, embroiled in a debate about whether this year's Miss England contest should reintroduce the controversial swimsuit round. Katrina part of the last batch of contestants to be forced to wear it can take credit for its demise. She had vociferously campaigned against an obligatory swimwear round, arguing it was demeaning to women and stopped 'serious' women 'lawyers, teachers, doctors, soldiers' from taking part in celebrations of female poise, confidence and community spirit. It is true that young women from those professions have now flocked to beauty pageants. The 2019 Miss England was NHS medic Dr Bhasha Mukherjee. Last year's winner was aerospace engineering student Jessica Gagen, who seems to be on course to become an astronaut. Yet far from applauding herself for services to the Sisterhood, Katrina is conflicted by her once militant stance. She now, confusingly, backs the bikini or at least a woman's choice to wear one in a beauty pageant which seems to be a volte-face. 'At the time I did join the woke brigade because I thought it was the feminist thing to do,' she said. 'It's been reported that I now regret that. That's not quite true. I think at the time, it was the right decision. There were elements that were degrading. ON PARADE: The bikini launch event in Chelsea which Katrina now says was 'demeaning' and all about 'showing flesh' 'I remember being at an event to launch Miss England bikinis where finalists were paraded out for show on the King's Road in Chelsea. It wouldn't happen now, and it was demeaning. Police officers stopped the traffic and there were men in cars hooting. This wasn't what pageants are about. It was nothing to do with our charity work, or about giving us a platform. It was just about showing flesh.' Fast-forward 14 years, though, what has changed? 'Everything. We're living in a different culture, one where people on Love Island become millionaires by parading around in bikinis and no one judges them for it. But women who take part in pageants are still being called bad feminists. And I feel the issue has become really muddled. 'I don't think it's the swimwear that's the problem it's more the way it's presented, when girls are taken out of the pageant environment, and out of context. The pageant world has changed, too. It's no longer run by men, for men. In most pageants now, the audience is 80 per cent female. These are women cheering other women on and celebrating all shapes and sizes of bodies. 'The key is choice, I think. I still don't think the swimwear round should be something a woman HAS to take part in, but I also feel it can be empowering. It certainly was for me.' Katrina's change of opinion is partly down to personal experience, too. Although she has always been a part of the pageant world (she now organises one of her own), she hadn't competed for 12 years until she stepped back on to the catwalk last year. It was an eye opener, because she chose a contest that did have a swimwear round. And the surprising twist? Her body was much larger than it had been in her Miss England days, so even she expected to hate the experience. 'I weighed seven stone more,' she confides. 'And I was not body confident. I'm not sure I ever have been I've always had to pluck up courage even to walk around the pool on holiday, regardless of what size I have been. 'But when I went back to competing, I had a completely different shaped body. I'd had two children. I was wearing size 16/18 clothes, rather than a size six, which I was in my Miss England days. I think a lot of women lose themselves when they become mothers, and to a degree, I did. I was eating the same as I had been in my Army days, but without doing the three fitness sessions a day.' She says her weight gain was the cause of much distress particularly when she, or others, compared her figure to the one that had won her Miss England. WAR PAINT: Katrina Hodge in her military days and, left at the 2008 Miss England pageant which led to bullying. She later left the Army 'It was humiliating. I remember popping round to see a friend with my hair scraped back and little make-up and them having visitors. They introduced me by saying, '"This is the one we were telling you about, who used to be Miss England"'. I felt terrible at times like that. You can't help but feel you've let yourself go. I didn't want to be in photos with my daughters, because I was ashamed of how I looked.' And yet she still looked gorgeous just bigger. She says being back on the catwalk, in a black one-piece, was utterly terrifying until she became aware of the whoops of support from the audience. 'Honestly, I have never felt so supported, and it did wonders for my confidence. I'd go as far as to say I felt more confident and empowered than I ever had done in my Miss England days.' READ MORE: Furious debate erupts over whether Miss England's bikini round should be reinstated Good Morning Britain hosted a heated debate on whether Miss England should bring back its bikini round this morning. Director Angie Beasley argued that it was up to the contestants Advertisement But you were still being judged? 'Yes, the pageant world is about being judged but not solely on your body shape these days. You are being judged on body confidence, attitude. 'No one cares about whether you have wobbly bits or cellulite, because we all do. That realisation was a real turning point for me.' Katrina is now closer to the size she was in her 20s, a relatively slimline size eight. She shed those 7st again, partly because of stress 'my mother died last year, and that was a big part of it' but also for health reasons. 'My knees were wrecked because of all my years in the Army, and the extra weight was not good for them. I do feel healthier being this size, but at the same time I genuinely felt more confident doing that swimwear round as a size 16/18 woman than I had done as a size six one. I can only conclude that confidence really isn't about body size. It's about what's happening in your head.' Where's she at now? 'I still have hang-ups now it's about saggy skin, about not looking toned enough, but sadly, I think that's normal. I think most women have hang-ups. It doesn't matter whether you are a beauty queen or not. 'The key to getting over them is to address that relationship you have with your body, rather than seeing it as something that's there to meet certain standards or to please men.' Bikini arguments aside, it's interesting that Katrina talks about the teamwork and solidarity of the pageant world. It provides a structure and support that the Army once did. She originally joined the military because of a dare. 'People thought someone who was quite girly, like me, wouldn't be accepted,' she says. She was deployed to Iraq two days after her 18th birthday and loved her new world. She says she genuinely believed that being a beauty queen would only enhance her Army career. 'I had to get permission, which was granted. The Army saw the benefits of it too, because it did send out that message all types of women can be soldiers.' Perhaps she was naive to think she could slot back into front-line action after being a pin-up, but the sight of her own bikini-clad image on the mess walls was still a shock. 'I don't think I was prepared for the abuse I got. A lot of it was online people calling me slut, whore, slag, just because they'd seen pictures of me in swimwear but there were people from within the Army commenting too.' She says there were sexually aggressive comments that went beyond banter. 'Once I had Coke cans thrown at me, but I was made to feel like a diva if I complained about it. The wives were actually more bitchy than the men. JENNY JOHNSTON: Bikini arguments aside, it's interesting that Katrina talks about the teamwork and solidarity of the pageant world. It provides a structure and support that the Army once did 'There was a function not long after I returned and at the bar one wife looked me up and down and said, "I didn't know we were hiring glamour models now". I said "WE are not hiring anyone. This is my mess, and I am part of this Army and you are a guest." ' The rot had set in, though. 'I constantly felt the need to defend myself, and it was a deciding factor when I eventually decided to leave the Army.' She resigned in 2015. 'I gave up the career I completely loved,' she says. The following year, she made an official complaint about bullying and harassment. It was rejected. 'They [the Army authorities] took a year to come back to me and said they felt it was a civil matter. If I felt strongly about it I should go to the police. I do feel let down.' You wouldn't blame her for banning her daughters from going into either the military, or beauty pageants, but she says that she will let them choose that for themselves. 'That's what I'm fighting for,' she says. 'A woman's right to choose what she wants to do, with her body and with her life.' Advertisement Sitting atop a hill overlooking the hinterland of Australia's favourite holiday destinations lies a luxurious period home with a stunning pool, chic Mediterranean-style bathrooms and a 'perfect' boho design. The sophisticated home, named 'Rocklea', is in Eureka, 23 kilometres inland from Byron Bay, and looks like something out of the pages of a high-end magazine. Built in 1927, the four-bedroom Queenslander features original details as well as modern luxuries and breathtaking views over the pool to a waterfall in the middle of the forest. The heart of the home is the open-plan family room housing a lounge, dining area and kitchen with a sleek neutral colour palette, an original fireplace and exposed timber ceiling beams. Skylights illuminate the farmhouse kitchen that has a butler's pantry, marble and wooden benchtops, a breakfast bar and folding windows that open out to the alfresco deck. An incredible country estate built almost a century ago is wowing home lovers thanks to it luxurious features including a stunning pool, picturesque views and a sleek boho design The sophisticated home, named 'Rocklea', is in Eureka, 23km inland from Byron Bay and looks like something out of the pages of a high-end magazine Built in 1927, the spectacular four-bedroom Queenslander features original details as well as modern luxuries and breathtaking views over the pool to a waterfall in the middle of the forest The heart of the home is the open-plan family room housing a lounge, dining area and kitchen with a sleek neutral colour palette, an original fireplace and exposed timber ceiling beams Black-framed French windows run along the wall between the lounge and the corridor creating a sense of space and paying homage to the home's heritage roots. The primary suite has soaring ornate ceilings with an ensuite and the remaining three bedrooms all have their own access to the deck that hugs the home. Each of the country pad's bathrooms has Moroccan tiling, brass fittings, herringbone brick flooring and smooth cement rendered walls. A decked verandah wraps that around the home while a circular saltwater pool and spa overlooks the jaw-dropping hinterlands. Outside, stone walls hug the pool area that has an outdoor shower and space to lounge in the sun or enjoy an alfresco dinner under a huge frangipani tree covered in twinkling fairy lights. Black-framed French windows run along the wall between the lounge and the corridor creating a sense of space and paying homage to the home's heritage roots The primary suite has soaring ornate ceilings with an ensuite and the remaining three bedrooms all have their own access to the deck that hugs the home An outdoor kitchen has a pizza oven, barbecue and ice maker and folding doors pull back to connect the outdoor kitchen with a media room The barn is decked with black timber to contrast the white main resident, as room to park four cars and features a mezzanine space with an oversized gable window An outdoor kitchen has a pizza oven, barbecue and ice maker and folding doors pull back to connect the outdoor kitchen with a media room. The media room has servery windows and a corner bar to further connect it to the outdoor space as well as a glass double door entry way and rustic brick floors. Illuminated steps lead down from the deck to a sprawling lawn with a fire pit and over to the property's Scandi-style barn. The barn is decked with black timber to contrast the white main resident, as room to park four cars and features a mezzanine space with an oversized gable window. Rocklea, which sits on a 3.36 acre site, has been put on the market with a whopping asking price of $5.5million - $5.7million. Investors could be forced to pay tax on some shares sheltered in their Individual Savings Accounts (Isas) after a bizarre intervention by HM Revenue & Customs. The taxman claims that so-called 'fractional shares', where investors hold slices of shares rather than full ones, are not eligible investments for Isas. As a result, it could force investors with fractional shares to pay capital gains tax on any profits when they come to sell. The move will hit those with smaller portfolios and shallower pockets, who are often unable to afford single shares in well-known US companies such as Google, Apple and Tesla where shares cost hundreds of pounds each. Investing in a fractional share means these investors can own a slice of numerous companies, rather than single shares in just one or two. Their portfolio is then more balanced and less exposed to the fortunes of just one or two companies. Tax experts say that the move undermines the Government's commitment to opening up investing to everyone no matter their budget. A slice of the pie: Investing in fractional share means investors can own a slice of numerous companies, rather than single shares in just one or two 'Offering fractional shares is especially beneficial to the smaller investor or saver and it fits with the Isa objective to encourage investing and saving within the retail market,' says Lisa Laybourn, head of technical policy and regulation at trade body The Investment and Savings Alliance (TISA). 'It seems unfair,' adds Katharine Arthur, who runs the private client business at top accountancy firm Haysmacintyre, and advises individuals and businesses on tax compliance. 'I'm not sure why HMRC is worried about this when the Government is supposed to be encouraging share ownership and investment in business.' She says a final decision on penalties for those with fractional shares in Isas could take 'months or longer', leaving investors uncertain as to whether their current portfolios are in breach of the rules. 'There's nothing that puts people off more than uncertainty,' Arthur says, suggesting that some younger people who invest in fractional shares might stop investing altogether. A fractious argument Isa providers that allow their customers to buy fractional shares include Moneybox, Freetrade, Trading 212 and Wombat Invest. Larger platforms such as Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor do not. However, HMRC has written to providers stating that current legislation means that fractional shares cannot be held in an Isa. The 1988 Isa regulations say that 'shares' can be held in an Isa, but HMRC believes this does not refer to parts of shares, meaning those who hold them breach the rules. A spokesman for HMRC says: 'Fractional shares cannot be held in an Isa. Isa managers must make sure the investments they offer are Isa eligible.' However, he was unable to comment on discussions with companies that offer the Isas due to 'strict confidentiality laws'. While HMRC is threatening action against companies if they do not comply with regulations, 'we are not able to comment on timeframes', the spokesman adds. Freetrade sought legal advice on the issue and believes the current Isa rules do not prohibit fractional shares from being held in an Isa. 'We will continue to offer fractional shares until this matter is resolved,' says a spokesman. Investment app Moneybox says: 'We would support an update of the legislation to give clarity to HMRC's decision but we do not see any rationale for the position that customers should be prevented from holding fractions of shares in Isas.' Mukid Chowdhury, chief executive of Trading 212, says the company had taken legal advice and believes fractional shares are well within the remit of existing Isa regulations. He says: 'Trading 212 is actively engaging with HM Treasury to review this situation, especially given HMRC's view seems contrary to the Government's objectives. We have also sought to engage the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Griffiths MP, on the matter.' However, others believe HMRC is right to prohibit tax-efficient investment in fractional shares. Grzegorz Drozdz, market analyst at investment company Conotoxia, says they are not defined as securities but rather as shares of equity interest in an entity. 'This difference may seem subtle, but it matters,' he says. The problem is believed to stem partly from the fact that fractional shares can complicate the process if an investor wants to transfer their Isa to another one. Could I be fined? Customers who hold fractional shares in Isas may be penalised if it is found they are in breach of the Isa rules. Arthur, at Haysmacintyre, says that in theory HMRC could fine individuals as well as the provider. Customers may have capital gains tax to pay stretching back for several years. The taxman can also charge interest on unpaid tax. Some individuals may also have wrongly not submitted tax returns, because their only reason to do so would be to pay the capital gains tax now due on uncompliant Isas. 'Over a number of years, the amount adds up for that individual, and might be costly,' she says. 'Hopefully, HMRC would be open to reducing penalties or suspending them or not charging them.' Freetrade says it is committed to making sure customers do not lose out if the taxman charges penalties. 'We will stand behind our customers and ensure that they are at no financial disadvantage,' a spokesman says. Future for fractionals? One way of ensuring fractional shares continue is if Isa rules are amended. This would be a job for HM Treasury, rather than HMRC. TISA says it is engaging with the Government over making simple legislative changes that would be a 'straightforward solution' and would not cost the Government anything. In the meantime, the lack of clarity and ongoing talks leave young investors who want to buy a slice of their favourite stocks in limbo if they want to invest tax efficiently. Tony Hetherington is the ace investigator of Financial Mail on Sunday, This is Money's sister title. Tony fights readers' corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. Ms B.I. writes: I had a very minor car accident in 2021 and my insurers, Privilege Insurance, advised that they were sorting it out. In the middle of 2022, I received an email from solicitors acting for the other driver, saying that Privilege had not paid up and I was being sued. Privilege told me this was a mistake and they would sort it out, so I should not engage with the solicitors or deal with what happened next, which was a County Court Judgment against me for 3,177. Privilege even paid me 750 as an apology, but now say that their own lawyers have been unable to get the CCJ cancelled. Shunt: After a minor car crash, our reader ended up receiving a County Court Judgment Tony Hetherington replies: It is one thing to advise you to ignore the other driver's solicitors. This would have allowed Privilege and its own lawyers to deal with the accident and any claims. But it is a completely different thing to advise you to ignore a County Court Judgment, a legal ruling which the other driver's solicitors would have applied for. Apart from the fact that this is a legally enforceable debt, CCJs appear on a public register and stay there for years, affecting your credit rating and very possibly barring you from getting a credit card or a mortgage. The advice you were given by Privilege was shockingly bad. Privilege itself admits this. It told you that the other driver's claim had been settled, so you should do nothing. It now says that this was 'a fundamental mistake'. It even admits that the other driver's solicitors warned Privilege about the court case, but Privilege failed to alert its own lawyers. It confessed: 'Our lack of urgency and oversight is totally unacceptable.' So where does this leave you? At age 60, you have never had a CCJ against you until now. Well, once it began to take the matter seriously, Privilege did manage to have the CCJ concealed from public records. It remained in force, but without damaging your credit record. That is the good news. The less good news is that Privilege has struggled to have the CCJ completely erased by getting the court to scrap it. Privilege's solicitors tried to get the other side to agree to a joint approach to the court, but the other driver's lawyers simply failed to respond presumably because they believed their job was done. This left Privilege to go back to the court alone. Two months ago it admitted that 'this can take a very long time as the request needs to go through the courts, and there is no guarantee the judgment will be removed as this is done at their discretion'. This really was not good enough, and I am glad to report that after fresh efforts Privilege has now persuaded the opposing solicitors to give their consent so the court can set aside the judgment. Privilege has submitted the necessary papers to the court and is awaiting the judge's decision. If you do not hear soon that the court has wiped the slate clean, let me know. It may be time for Privilege to think again whether its 750 is enough to make up for the damage it has done. Why was my 25,000 loan note delayed? K.N. writes: In October 2019, I invested 25,000 in three-year loan notes issued by Urban Village Cap 1 Limited. My notes matured last October and I requested that my 25,000 be paid back to me. I sent three emails, without reply. I phoned the company's business development manager Mr Yakoviev, but he did not answer. Can you help me recover my money? High rate: Urban Village Group was late paying our reader the 25,000 it owed him Tony Hetherington replies: You invested in an offshoot of the Urban Village Group, a property development company based in Sutton Coldfield, and you have been receiving interest at an annual eight per cent without any problem. Your loan note is signed by the group's finance director, Peter Steer, so I asked him about his company's failure to repay you. He immediately told me: 'We have taken swift action to resolve the issue, and we are happy to report that it has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.' You now have your missing 25,000, but Steer refused to say why you were not repaid last October, or why his company failed to reply to your emails and calls. He described this as an 'error', which is rather self evident, but would offer no proper explanation. VAT mystery...at my home Ms M.A. writes: I am sending you a copy of a letter from HM Revenue & Customs, which was sent to my home but addressed to a Mr Grzegorz Plata about VAT. In 2013, I received a similar letter acknowledging his VAT enrolment, and I notified HMRC that Mr Plata does not live here. HMRC apologised in 2013 and confirmed that this error had been corrected, but it would seem that this man is still using our address. Not known at this address: Ms M.A. received a letter from HM Revenue & Customs, which was sent to her home but addressed to a Mr Grzegorz Plata about VAT Tony Hetherington replies: I checked local records such as the electoral register as far back as I could, and there was no trace of the mysterious Mr Plata at your address or anywhere nearby. I also reverse-checked the VAT number and found it was still live and still registered to him at your home address. I asked officials at the Revenue head office to look into this. They told me: 'We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the customer receiving incorrect post. We have corrected our records to ensure it does not happen again.' I left it a while and have just checked the VAT number once more, and it now shows in Revenue records as no longer being a valid number. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Wind power now accounts for almost a third of all the UK's electricity, overtaking every other source, including gas. Turbines have been built, capacity has increased and costs have come down. But wind is unpredictable. On calm days, there is not enough of it. On gusty days, too much. This creates problems. When wind turbines generate more electricity than the grid can absorb or distribute, they are simply asked to stop producing. Over the past two years alone, the process has cost around 1.5billion and huge amounts of energy has been lost, enough to power over a million households, according to think tank Carbon Tracker. This problem is growing worse each year, making renewable energy more expensive than it should be and slowing the UK's path towards a fossil fuel free future. Invinity Energy Systems can help to fix the issue. The company makes vanadium flow batteries, which are safe, last for years and are capable of storing electricity for hours at a time. Invinity shares are 35p and should increase materially as the group rolls out its batteries not just here but across the world. Bright future: Invinity's battery systems can help stop wind energy worth billions of pounds being wasted Today, lithium batteries dominate the market. Used in phones, computers and electric cars, they are known for being 'energy dense' so they can store a lot of electricity for their size. But they are more suited to short bursts of power and they degrade within a few years. They are highly flammable too, so extreme care has to be taken about how they are installed and maintained. Vanadium flow batteries are constructed using completely different chemistry. Ideally suited to storing large amounts of power and discharging it over many hours, they retain their potency for decades and carry no risk of overheating and catching fire. These batteries are also about 30 per cent more expensive than their lithium counterparts. In 2021 however, Invinity embarked on a joint venture with German engineering giant Siemens to develop a battery that was both cheaper and more effective than anything that had gone before it. The new kit, known as Mistral, is being piloted in Canada and commercial sales are expected from next year. Siemens chose Invinity for a reason the company has already sold more vanadium flow batteries than any other operator and has assembled a world-class team operating out of Bathgate in Scotland. The team has delivered results. Upfront costs for Mistral will be on a par with lithium batteries, but the product will last much longer, making the lifetime cost significantly cheaper. Brokers expect Mistral to turbocharge Invinity's growth. Figures for 2022 will be unveiled this week and should show sales of around 3.6million. This year however, sales are expected to surge to 25million, more than doubling to 53million in 2024. Chief executive Larry Zulch is ploughing money into Invinity's future so the group is loss-making at the moment but prospects are bright. This year alone, there has been a surge of interest in Invinity's products. The group already operates a major project in Oxford and in April, the Government awarded Zulch a 11million grant to build the largest vanadium flow battery outside Asia. This should be delivered next year. Major projects are also under way in Australia, Canada and California, with more requests for batteries coming in thick and fast. Rising demand makes sense. When renewable energy accounts for a small proportion of a country's total power, unpredictability can be managed. As wind and solar increasingly replace fossil fuels however, the need for efficient storage rises in sync. Va-va-vanadium: This metal could be the key to longer-lasting batteries of the future In the UK, estimates suggest that 46 gigawatts (46,000 megawatts) of battery energy storage will be needed by 2035, half of which is expected to come from so-called long duration products, like vanadium flow batteries. Today, we have just 2.6 gigawatts of energy storage and the vast majority of that can only supply power for an hour or two. Nor is the need confined to this country. In the US, government subsidies are fuelling growth in renewable energy plants, with a commensurate need for efficient storage. In California alone, policymakers admit that they need to increase storage capacity eightfold by 2030 to meet their renewable energy targets. Canada and Australia are pouring money into renewable energy too, and there is mounting interest across Asia. Invinity has a troubled past. The group was born out of a merger between US-based firm Avalon and RedT, an AIM-listed vanadium battery producer which consistently disappointed. The merged business should achieve greater success. Its technology is cutting-edge, Zulch is a canny operator and demand for safe, reliable and resilient storage is growing fast. Midas verdict: Backing a loss-making business is never without risk but Invinity is now working hand in glove with engineering powerhouse Siemens and has attracted support from around the world. At 35p, the shares should go far. Traded on: AIM Ticker: IES Contact: invinity.com or 020 4526 5789 Legend: 'Biggins' loves spending but also owns a buy-to-let flat Actor and pantomime great Christopher Biggins, 74, got his big break playing Lukewarm in the 1970s BBC classic sitcom Porridge. A 50-year career has embraced everything from starring in pantomime, children's programme On Safari to being crowned king of the jungle in 2007's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Biggins, as he is affectionately known, tells Dan Moore that after playing Nero in BBC's I, Claudius, he reckons he actually was the emperor in a previous life. He lives in East London with partner Neil Sinclair. What did your parents teach you about money? At 18, I was with Salisbury Rep on 2 a week, and drama school and both were heavily subsidised by my parents. When I left, my father said: 'Now look, son. You've done four years, but it's time to get yourself a proper job and buy a house.' I said I'm going to be an actor and I think I've been reasonably successful. They were purely looking after my interests and in a way, they were right. I advise others against joining this business because the money's terrible and there are so many out-of-work actors who are brilliant. What was your first proper job? It was the 1974 BBC sitcom Porridge. Sid Lotterby, who was the director-producer, told me about it. When he said Ronnie Barker was going to star in it, I thought, well, that's good enough for me. I used to drive to work in a convertible; I'd be at traffic lights with the roof down and lorry drivers would look down and say, 'Ello Lukewarm, how are you?' It was this that made me think I'd arrived! Did Porridge give you financial security? Not at all. When I look back and think of what I did without being financially secure, Poldark, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, stage, pantomime, there were so many things. Security only came with winning I'm A Celebrity. That's when my finances really changed. What drew you to panto? I was asked to do pantomime at Darlington Civic Theatre in 1975 when I was 26 or 27 years old and I said, 'No thank you, I'm an actor, I don't do pantomime.' They kept asking and I kept saying no. Eventually, they told me the money was 1,000 a week. I did it and, of course, fell in love with it. Pantomime is very different now. If you star in one you can make a lot of money. I feel strongly about pantomime, as it's very important for theatres. If people have enjoyed the pantomime, the chances are they'll book for next year, and they'll probably book something in between so it's a breeding ground for theatre audiences. What's your career highlight? I, Claudius, in which I played Nero, was a great, high-class television series, filled with the most wonderful actors. I absolutely adored it because I felt that in a past life, I was Nero myself! I sympathised with the character so much. It was beautifully written and the episode I did was great fun. The day after my episode was transmitted the producer of Poldark rang the producer of I, Claudius to ask what this Biggins fellow is like. He got a glowing report and of course, offered me the role of the sex-crazed vicar in Poldark. Is there anything you would change about your life? I've directed a lot of theatre, pantomime, Shakespeare, all sorts, but I'd love to direct a film. You have just one view with film. The final result is what you see through the camera lens rather than through the theatre audience's eyes. I don't really mind what genre, just whatever takes my fancy. Are you an investor? I'm a spender rather than a saver but I have invested in property. I bought my house in Victoria Park, Hackney, and when I won I'm A Celebrity, I bought a one-bedroom flat in Stratford near the London Stadium, which I rent out. King of the Jungle: Christopher Biggins won I'm A Celebrity in 2007 What luxury do you treat yourself to? Paintings. I've been collecting art for 50 years. We don't know what wallpaper looks like at home. It's just wall-to-wall paintings. They are all works by my friends or picked up at exhibitions. I get very upset when I go to people's houses and they don't have paintings or books. I think they are strange people. What is your number one financial priority? As you get older, you realise you don't need another television or fridge freezer. I've got a wonderful home, a wonderful life, a wonderful partner. All we need is enough money to go on holiday twice a year. Do you have any plans to retire? I'll never retire, but I am very picky about what I'll do. I've no ambitions to play Hamlet or give the country my Lear. I just want to keep ticking along. I've a season at the Edinburgh Festival this year hosting a show called Tea With Biggins, where afternoon tea is served while I interview famous guests such as Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Arlene Phillips, Stephanie Beacham and Gloria Hunniford. For all the latest Royal news, pictures and video click here It is remembered as one of the most shocking events to hit the Royal Family in modern times. Yet the loss of Princess Diana in 1997 was not the first unexpected - or indeed shattering - royal death the Windsors suffered in the 20th-century. Two popular members of the family, the Queen's uncle Prince George and her cousin Prince William of Gloucester, died in air crashes 30 years apart. In a more private sadness, epilepsy-sufferer Prince John who had been hidden away from public view, died from a fit in 1919. Then there was the murder of Louis Mountbatten by the IRA. Uncle to Prince Philip, a mentor to Charles, his death was a huge personal blow to the family. Diana with boyfriend Dodi Fayed in 1997 on the last day of their holiday in Sardinia. They were killed the following day Known for his commitment to duty and loyalty to his friends, the dashing Prince William was killed in a plane crash in 1972. Above: William of Gloucester at a polo match at Windsor in 1970 One of the greatest royal romances cut short Prince George, the Duke of Kent, was the fourth son of King George V - the younger brother of future Kings Edward VIII and George VI. As an experienced pilot, George was the first royal to fly across the Atlantic and had flown thousands of miles with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was killed aged 39 on his way to Iceland on August 25, 1942, when the plane he was flying in, a Sunderland flying-boat, crashed in the north of Scotland. His death was a blow to morale at a time when Great Britain and the Allies were still on the back foot against Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. The Prince became the first member of the royal family to die in a flying accident, and the last to have met his end on active service. His death ended what the Daily Mail called at the time 'one of the greatest royal romances in modern times'. He had married Princess Marina, the youngest daughter of Prince and Princess Nicholas of Greece, in 1934 in a union that 'thrilled the world'. His death in 1942 ended what the Daily Mail called 'one of the greatest royal romances in modern times'. He had married Princess Marina, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece in a union that 'thrilled the world' The Duke was killed aged 39 on his way to Iceland on August 25, 1942 when his Sunderland flying-boat crashed in the north of Scotland. Above: The wreckage The ceremony, in Westminster Abbey, was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on radio, with millions across the British Empire tuning in. Prince George's niece, the eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth, was a bridesmaid at the service. At the time of his death, the Duke was an Air Commodore in the Welfare Section of the RAF Inspector General's Staff. Although he joined the RAF with the royal title of Air Vice-Marshal, he gave it up so he would not be more senior than the officers he was working alongside. The Daily Mail's front page in August 1942 announcing the death of Prince George, the Duke of Kent, uncle to Princess Elizabeth Fourteen of the 15 passengers and crew were killed when the plane came down in Caithness A Prince hidden away because of his epilepsy John, the fifth son and the youngest of King George V's six children, died aged 13 in 1919. John had suffered from epilepsy for much of his life, with fits starting around the age of four. At first he played a full part in public family life. But when, after his 11th birthday his fits became worse, he was sent to live away from public view Wood Farm on the Royal Family's Sandringham estate in Norfolk. At the time, there was very little treatment available for epilepsy and those who suffered from it were shown little sympathy by today's standards. Prince John, the fifth of King George V's six children with his sister Princess Mary and his mother, Queen Mary of Teck, Queen Elizabeth's grandmother Prince John (left front) is seen with his four brothers and sister Princess Mary at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight The Daily Mail's report of his death described as a very 'human boy, brimming over with life' His mother and father visited him less and less frequently as his condition showed no signs of improvement. Announcing his death from an epileptic fit on January 20, 1919, a royal statement said the youngster's attacks had become 'more frequent and severe' . The King and his wife, Queen Mary of Teck, were called to their son's room, but he had died before they arrived. In reporting his death, the Daily Mail's was described him as a very 'human boy' whose propensity for playing pranks on relatives saw him affectionately dubbed 'the demon'. On one occasion, he got hold of his sister Princess Mary's paint set and daubed his face before running into Sandringham's dining room where his mother and father were hosting a lunch party. Another incident saw him climb into a car and then start it up, before he was 'rescued without any harm done'. John's life was covered in award-winning TV drama The Lost Prince in 2003. Prince John is with his brother Prince George in 1909, ten years before his death. George, too, died early when his military plane crashed in 1942 The Prince is seen with his parents in a rare public outing to the Great Allied War Photographic Exhibition in 1919 The OTHER Prince William William of Gloucester was a cousin to Queen Elizabeth. Prince William's father was Duke of Gloucester, Prince Henry, the third son of King George V, while his mother was Princess Alice. Known for his commitment to duty and loyalty to his friends, the dashing prince, Eton and Oxford-educated, had enjoyed a two-year relationship with former model and stewardess Zsuzsi Starkloff. The Prince was the first royal to compete in an air race and broke new ground again when he joined the Diplomatic Service in Nigeria, before serving the Foreign Office in Tokyo. When his father became seriously ill in 1970, he returned home to run the family estate, Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire. The Prince was killed on August 28, 1972, while competing in an air race, the Goodyear International Trophy at Halfpenny Green, near Dudley in the West Midlands. Eton and Oxford-educated Prince William was the son of the Duke of Gloucester and grandson to King George V. Above: Prince William in his plane when he was competing in a cross-country competition, the King's Cup Race How the Daily Mail covered Prince Williams fatal air crash in 1972 His plane, a Pipe Cherokee Arrow, crashed 30 seconds after taking off in front of around 30,000 spectators His plane, a Piper Cherokee Arrow, crashed 30 seconds after taking off in front of around 30,000 spectators. The plane banked steeply before its left wing hit a tree and sheared off. The rest of plane landed in a country lane and burst into flames. He and his co-pilot, Lieutenant-Commander Vyrell Mitchell, were killed and so badly burned that both had to be identified from dental records and personal belongings. Seen here moments from disaster, the Prince was killed competing in an air race, the Goodyear International Trophy at Halfpenny Green, near Dudley in the West Midlands The plane banked steeply shortly after take-off before its left wing hit a tree and sheared off. The rest of plane landed on a country lane and burst into flames Model Zsuzsi Starkloff said she had come close to marriage with Prince William The Daily Mail's tribute to Prince William of Gloucester The Prince had been wearing a personalised signet ring given to him for his 21st birthday. He was buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, in Windsor. The Daily Mail's tribute to him read: 'He was conscious, without being stuffy. Modern, without being trendy. If he resembled anyone, perhaps, it was Prince Philip. 'His passion was adventure... on skis, on safari, above all, at the controls of his own plane.' It added that the monarchy had lost 'one of its firmest, yet most unobtrusive supports'. Zsuzsi Starkloffe said: 'I loved him more than anyone else in my life, and he loved me. We came very close to marriage.' An IRA murder that shook the Royal Family Seven years after William of Gloucester's death, the Royal Family was shattered by the horrific loss of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle. The 79-year-old was a well-known figure in Britain thanks to his close relationship with the Queen, Philip and Prince Charles as he then was. Mountbatten had also served as head of the Royal Navy and had been Viceroy of India when the country became independent from Britain in 1947. In August 1979, he was holidaying in Ireland when the IRA planted a bomb on his fishing boat while it was moored overnight in the Irish village of Mullaghmore on Carlingford Lough in County Sligo. The following morning, he set off with his family and a 15-year-old deckhand in the distinctive white and green Shadow V. The group had just reached a set of lobster pots that had been lain the day before when the 50lb of plastic explosive that had been hidden in the engine bay went off. In a huge explosion, Shadow was blown to pieces. Mountbatten's grandson Nicholas Knatchbull, and teenage crew member Paul Maxwell were killed instantly. Mountbatten, who survived the initial blast, died while he was being carried ashore. The others onboard, Mountbatten's daughter Patricia and her husband John Knatchbull; their other son Timothy and Knatchbull's mother Doreen, were all seriously injured. Admiral of the Fleet Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900 -1979) at the Ministry of Defence after his retirement from the office of Chief of the Defence Staff, July 15, 1965 The IRA planted a bomb on Mountbatten's yacht, Shadow V, while it was moored on Carlingford Lough in 1979. Above: Mountbatten with his family on the same boat In a huge explosion, Shadow was blown to pieces. Mountbatten survived the initial blast but died while being brought ashore. Above: His body is carried away Doreen died the next day, whilst Patricia would go on to live another 20 years and John Knatchbull died aged 80 in 2005. Timothy, now 58, who has had to cope without his twin brother, was peppered with wooden splinters in the blast and was also left with a huge black eye. On the same day as the murder of Mountbatten - and not far away - the IRA also triggered two roadside bombs near Warrenpoint that killed 18 soldiers. It was the deadliest attack on the British Army during the Troubles. The Daily Mail's coverage called it a day of 'unparalleled horror in Ireland', as the Provisional IRA said they carried out the killings to 'arouse the attention of the British people what is happening in Northern Ireland'. In a sign of the depth of their grief, the Royal Family observed a week of court mourning. The coffin of Lord Louis Mountbatten is seen being carried out of Westminster Abbey King Charles was very close to Mountbatten, who had mentored him as a teenager. Above: The then Prince of Wales at his great-uncle's funeral The Queen is seen at the funeral of Lord Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey Lord Mountbatten and his grandsons (L-R) Nicholas Knatchbull, Ashley Hicks and Timothy Knatchbull, viewing an exhibition at the Engineering Exhibition in the Wembley Conference Centre, London, January 1978 On the day of Mountbatten's funeral at Westminster Abbey, Charles, who was mentored by him when he was a teenager, marched behind his great-uncle's coffin. According to his wishes, Mountbatten was later buried at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire. Charles left a wreath of red roses and carnations, with a message that read: 'To my HGF and GU from his loving and devoted HGS and GN.' The words were family code, with Charles regarding great-uncle Mountbatten as his 'Honorary Grandfather', who had in turn referred to Charles as 'Honorary Grandson and Great Nephew'. A Tennessee mother who was forced to fly to New York to have an abortion after an ultrasound found her unborn daughter had a rare brain defect that meant she would not survive outside the womb has slammed lawmakers for 'causing mass panic among Americans'. A year ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion - and in the process, it has left thousands of woman in potentially life-threatening situations. The landmark decision has seen 14 states almost completely ban the procedure, and gestational limits are in place in a handful of others. Allie Phillips, 28, was 19 weeks pregnant with her daughter Miley Rose when she learned that she had a rare congenital defect known as holoprosencephaly (HPE) - which has a three percent survival rate for fetuses. 'I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, I felt all the blood leave my face and I was just stuck in that moment in time,' she told DailyMail.com. 'Being told your pregnancy isn't viable and that your daughter won't live outside of the womb, it was like nothing else in the world mattered at that moment. My world went up in flames. 'Because of these laws I wasn't able to grieve properly. They're not saving lives by making these laws, they're causing mass panic among Americans.' Allie Phillips, 28, says abortion should be a 'right' after she was forced to travel from Tennessee to NYC for the procedure after being told her pregnancy wasn't viable Phillips (pictured pregnant with Miley) was 19 weeks pregnant with her daughter Miley Rose when she learnt that she had a rare congenital defect known as holoprosencephaly (HPE) - which has a 3 percent survival rate for fetuses Through tears, Phillips asked her doctor if there was any treatment to get her daughter (pictured in an ultrasound) to term, but her only option was to get an abortion - an impossible task in the state of Tennessee The court's majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, issued on June 24, 2022, halted a 50-year precedent of federal abortion protections and marked the start of a new era in abortion politics. Democrats became more energized in efforts to strengthen abortion protections where they already existed and have been fighting to stop them eroding elsewhere. Republicans have continued to pass and push pro-life legislation around the country that would limit the timeframe when women can get the procedure. And Phillips has used her own experience to spearhead Miley's Law which she said would 'give the choice back to parents when diagnosed with a fetal anomaly'. 'I'd like to see Roe codified and I'd like to see no laws being made on medical decisions,' she said. 'I'm fighting for change by sharing others' stories online while also working within my own community, meeting with representatives and trying to implement Miley's Law.' Phillips said her story is one of thousands - as stories of women carrying their dead fetuses until they become severely unwell or having to travel hundreds of miles at exorbitant prices for the procedure has become a dystopic reality for many. Ultimately, Phillips found out after travelling 1,000 miles to New York City for her abortion - which was covered by funds raised on GoFundMe - that her baby did not have a heartbeat, and she was immediately induced because she faced severe health risks. Even if doctors in Tennessee had discovered there was no heartbeat they would not have induced her unless she became severely ill, and she would have had to miscarry naturally. 'The last confirmed heartbeat I had of Miley was February 25 and March 7 was the day I arrived to my first appointment at the abortion clinic, the abortion was scheduled for the next day,' she told DailyMail.com. 'I was at risk of blood clots and infections, so they had to push the appointment forward and did it within the hour I arrived. 'Finding out Miley had already passed was extremely hard, I knew she was going to pass the next day - but I'd mentally prepared for the abortion.' President Donald Trump's court appointees - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - voted to overturn Roe v. Wade - the decision that federally protected access to abortions decided by the Supreme Court in 1973 Abortion is almost completely banned in 14 states, and gestational limits are in place in a handful of others - after the landmark decision saw an unprecedented six-vote supermajority Phillips said the distance from loved ones and being surrounded by strangers during the harrowing ordeal left her devastated. 'Only patients were allowed inside, so I had to call my husband and tell him over the phone his daughter died,' she said. 'I was alone, far away from my family, friends and doctors [I knew] in a city I've never been in, surrounded by strangers. 'The moment she told me there was no heartbeat I started to cry uncontrollably, no mother wants to hear those words.' Phillips who is now just a month from Miley Rose's due date said she was furious when Roe v. Wade was overturned, adding that she worries for her six-year-old daughter. 'I felt like we were in a dictatorship instead of a democracy, how could one of the most advanced countries in the world take bodily autonomy away from women?' she questioned. 'It broke me apart because I have a young daughter living in this country and our politicians just told her a clump of cells is more important than her life.' In Tennessee abortion is banned with no exceptions for rape or incest, this is the same for Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia. Miley Rose (left) would have been Phillips and her husband Bryan Lynch, 29's, (right) first biological daughter, they help parent Adalie, 6, Lynch's stepdaughter (center) The tyranny of distance from loved ones and to be surrounded by strangers during the harrowing experience devastated the young 28-year-old mom Nearly all abortions are banned in Idaho and private citizens can sue abortion providers. In January, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion. However, a federal judge ruled in August that doctors cannot be punished for performing an abortion to protect a patient's health. Abortion is banned with no exceptions for rape or incest victims in Kentucky as well. In November, however, voters rejected a ballot measure that would amend the State Constitution to say it contains no right to an abortion. If a woman falls pregnant as a result of rape or incest in North Dakota, they can seek an abortion in the first six weeks. Wisconsin had a law before Roe v. Wade was overturned that bans abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. The Democratic governor and attorney general filed a lawsuit in 2022 in an attempt to block the ban - a decision is yet to be made. Texas has seen some of the most contentious legal woes since the abortion ban with dozens of women suing the state after being denied abortions. The procedure is banned in the state, with no exception for rape or incest and private citizens can sue abortion providers and those who assist patients seeking an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. More than a dozen Texas women joined a Center for Reproductive Rights' lawsuit against the state's law, which prohibits abortions unless a mother's life is at risk - an exception that is not clearly defined. Phillips went viral online after she posted her story to TikTok and has encouraged other women, even anonymously, to tell their stories in a bid for change Democrats became more energized in efforts to strengthen abortion protections where they already existed and have been fighting to stop them eroding elsewhere While, anti-abortion groups celebrated a win years in the making with a number of 'trigger laws' written to prohibit abortion surfacing as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned Texas doctors who perform abortions risk life in prison and fines of up to $100,000 - leaving many women with providers who are unwilling to even discuss terminating a pregnancy. Now, they're asking a Texas court to put an emergency hold on some abortion restrictions. The original suit filed earlier this year, claimed that five women risked hemorrhage or life-threatening infection and some doctors refused to suggest options or forward medical records to other providers. Amanda Zurawski was told she was not 'sick enough' to receive an abortion, became septic twice, and was left with one fallopian tube that has permanently closed when denied medical intervention. Lauren Miller, 35, another plaintiff, had to sneak out of the state to Colorado for an abortion - similar to Phillips. And Lauren Hall was 18 weeks pregnant when it was revealed her fetus had no skull and an undeveloped brain. She was also urged to leave the state to seek an abortion. Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, is a defendant in the lawsuit along with the state medical board and its director. 'We're not going to allow left-wing bureaucrats in Washington to transform our hospitals and emergency rooms into walk-in abortion clinics,' Paxton said at the time. Some anti-abortion groups have argued that restrictions on terminations should not harm women's health and the laws prevent only what these groups call 'elective' abortions which are intended to end unwanted pregnancy. Phillips said her story has been eye opening for pro-life advocates and said that many saw abortion as a 'form of birth control.' Amanda Zurawski is part of a lawsuit suing the state of Texas - she was told she was not 'sick enough' to receive an abortion, became septic twice, and was left with one fallopian tube that has permanently closed when denied medical intervention Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, is a defendant in the lawsuit along with the state medical board and its director last year they sued the Biden administration over guidance to provide abortions if necessary 'I have spoken to a lot of people who are now pro-choice because they saw my story,' she said. 'They explained that they didn't realize abortions were needed for reasons like mine, they thought abortions were just a form of birth control. Knowledge is power.' The lawsuit does not intend to overturn the abortion laws but instead confirm that Texas law allows physicians to offer abortions when necessary and 'where the pregnancy is unlikely to result in the birth of a living child with sustained life.' Gestational limits spanning from six to 22 weeks have been enforced in Georgia, Nebraska, Arizona, Florida, Utah, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and South Carolina. Meanwhile, abortion ban blocks have been put forward for Montana, Ohio, South Carolina and Wyoming. A survey from KFF which collected the answers of 569 OBGYNs nationally showed 64 percent believe patient mortality has worsened. The new statistics also showed that 70 percent said its racial and ethnic inequities had worsened while 56 percent believe its harder to attract new doctors to the field. It come as more than 500 Indiana doctors defended obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Caitlin Bernard - after she was punished by the Indiana Medical Licensing Board for talking publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim. Days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Bernard told The Indianapolis Star she'd provided an abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim who'd had to cross state lines after Ohio banned abortion. Indiana's Republican Attorney General, Todd Rokita, expressed anger at Bernard after she spoke out about the case. Her employer, Indiana University Health, conducted its own review last year and found no privacy violations. But the licensing board took up the case after Rokita complained, and voted to reprimand Bernard and fine her $3000 a decision which has been called 'dangerous.' About half of voters (53%) said abortion is just one of many important factors they will be weighing up in their decisions during the 2024 election, according to new data from KFF A separate KFF survey also found 55 percent of all OBGYNs said they've seen an increase in how many patients were seeking some form of contraception - particularly sterilization (43%) and IUDs and implants (47%) The KFF survey also found 55 percent of all OBGYNs said they've seen an increase in how many patients were seeking some form of contraception - particularly sterilization (43%) and IUDs and implants (47%). Phillips said the ruling has left her unsure about whether she and her husband would try again for kids. 'Some days we want to try again and other days we don't. My husband fears my mental health couldn't handle another diagnosis like Miley's. 'He fears my body couldn't handle the trauma of surgery again. I have to say I agree with him, I'm terrified. 'I don't want to go through that again, I wouldn't wish my experience on my worst enemy. I have nightmares about it and the pain will never go away.' Saturday marks the one year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned - the decision that federally protected access to abortions decided by the Supreme Court in 1973. Almost 50 years later, in June of 2022, the decision was overturned by a vote of 6-3 with all three of President Donald Trump's court appointees - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - voting to reverse the decision. The abortion issue will be vital during the 2024 campaign trail as Republicans continue the push for strict bans while the Biden administration works to make the procedure more accessible. President Donald Trump was criticized earlier this year by one of the nation's largest anti-abortion groups when he said restrictions should be left up to individual states. Rep. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's biggest rival, is staunchly anti-abortion and signed into law a bill approved by the Florida Legislature to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence has said ending abortion is 'more important than politics,' and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has dodged questions on the issue. The White House will kicked off a weeklong push to highlight the impacts of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade with a roundtable discussion on Tuesday. First Lady Jill Biden spoke with women who have been denied medical care in the year since the law's reversal. Phillips said the ruling has left her unsure about whether she and her husband would try again for kids Mileys last confirmed heartbeat was February 25th Phillips wasn't due to have an abortion until March 8th but was taken in a day earlier because she was at risk of complications Phillips believes its stories like hers and others that will make a lasting impact on policy makers. 'Women need to speak up, I know it's personal, I know it's hard and I know it's exhausting, but you have got to speak up,' she said. 'There's so many more stories that happen daily that nobody hears about. 'We have to amplify exactly what these laws are doing and to how many women.' According to a May KFF poll, 30 percent of voters said they'll only vote for a candidate who shares their views on abortion, which includes nearly half of Democratic voters (46%) and more than one-third of women voters (35%). About half of voters (53%) said abortion is just one of many important factors they will be weighing up in their decisions during the 2024 election. Society of Family Planning released new data from July 2022 to March 2023 that showed 25,000 people nationwide were unable to obtain an abortion from a provider, while over 80,000 abortion seekers encountered disruptions to accessing care in states with total or near-total bans. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik is promoting Republicans' commitment to protecting the sanctity of life one year after the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. 'This is a historic moment for the American people,' Stefanik told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview Tuesday at the National Press Club ahead of her keynote address to organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. 'As the newest mom in Congress, I gave birth to my son Sam almost two years ago. I know how important it is to stand up and protect the most precious and vulnerable among us, that is the unborn,' she said. SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said Stefanik is a strong 'role model' and steadfast in her commitment to life. The group supported Stefanik when she first ran for Congress in 2013 when she was 'really an unknown,' the top lawmaker added. 'This is a historic moment for the American people,' Stefanik told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview Tuesday Dannenfelser told DailyMail.com that post-Dobbs, the 'most important' event for the pro-life movement moving forward is who is elected 'the president of the United States' in 2024. The debate stage coming up 'is going to be a really important debate stage on the abortion issue,' the SBA List president continued. 'Whoever sits in that Oval Office will be leading the country at a very important and tender moment for women and children, so may the best man or woman win,' she stated. The SBA List has not made a specific endorsement in the 2024 GOP primary, and has threatened to campaign against Trump - or any presidential candidate - that does not support a 15-week abortion ban. Stefanik, who was the first GOP leadership member to pledge support for President Trump in 2024, says she is still standing by him despite his arrest last week on 37 federal counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction of justice. 'I'm proud to support President Trump,' she told DailyMail.com Tuesday. 'I'm proud that today's Republican Party has such strong pro-life leaders at the federal level at the state level and of course our presidential candidates.' Stefanik said Republicans, who hold the majority in the House of Representatives have a 'real opportunity' to show their 'commitment to life.' She went on to slam Democrats, who she calls the 'radicals and extremists' on abortion. Stefanik and her son Sam, who just turned two years old SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said Stefanik is a strong 'role model' and steadfast in her commitment to life 'As the newest mom in Congress, I gave birth to my son Sam almost two years ago,' said Stefanik 'They want abortion on demand paid for by the taxpayer, including late term abortion up until an after the moment of birth. That is not the consensus position in America,' she exclaimed. 'It's Republicans that support the consensus position in America,' she added and listed the GOP's legislation supporting the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and criticism of the Biden administration due to the baby formula shortage. As for whether there should be a specific nationwide ban on abortion, Stefanik said that there should be a 'commonsense position' that no taxpayer dollars go toward abortions. She is co-sponsor of a bill barring abortions after 12 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Stefanik also added that Congress' continued support of the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer dollars from going toward abortions, is critical. A fundraiser for Instagram star Jessica Stein and her sick young daughter has been put on hold with more than $62,000 of donations in the bank. Ms Stein, 34 - whose Tuula Vintage travel blog on Instagram and Facebook had three million followers, including Liz Hurley - has shelved her latest GoFundMe appeal just days after it was launched on her behalf by her cousin. On Monday, Ms Stein's social media accounts broke years of silence to post a rare update, telling fans of her own battle with a serious illness that matches her daughter - who has been seriously ill since birth with a genetic condition. Accompanied by a picture of Ms Stein and daughter Rumi, six, both wearing neck braces, the post revealed mother and child were now suffering from 'multiple complications' of 'a connective tissue disorder'. However, Ms Stein also says doctors have told her it's all in her head - a condition known as conversion disorder in which anxiety and trauma manifests as real physical pain - and even suggested to her she just 'wanted to have a sick child in hospital'. But Ms Stein still believes she is seriously ill and was misdiagnosed with conversion disorder by 'gaslighting' doctors. In her GoFundMe plea, she asked for followers to help bankroll treatment estimated to cost $310,000. Ms Stein's cousin Sara McGregor, who is listed as the organiser of the fundraiser, wrote on her relative's behalf: 'Jess has become incapacitated at home. 'She cannot lift anything and now doesn't leave the house outside of medical necessity. She can barely walk or talk before losing her breath and voice, fainting and appearing to be strangled internally.' A fundraiser for Instagram star Jessica Stein and her sick young daughter has been put on hold with more than $62,000 of donations in the bank. (Ms Stein is pictured outside her home on the NSW Central Coast on Thursday) A picture of Ms Stein and daughter Rumi, six, wearing neck braces was posted on Monday with a link to the GoFundMe plea to bankroll her treatment for multiple serious medical conditions Minutes after Daily Mail Australia tried to speak to Ms Stein - who declined to be interviewed - her GoFundMe was put on hold after it had raised more than $62,000 Ms McGregor added: 'Jess is completely unable to lay down. She is forced to prop herself up on a wall or wedge and pillows. 'This would make even the strongest of people go insane. She has been unable to work, drive, cook, clean or properly co-parent. 'She tries pushing herself to breaking point every single day just to be present in Rumi's life.' This is not the first time Ms Stein has sought to raise money online to cover medical expenses. A previous GoFundMe she organised in 2017 raised a total of $235,804 for serious medical conditions that her daughter Rumi was suffering at the time. On Thursday, Ms Stein was seen wearing a dressing gown as she sat outside her home on the Central Coast, holding her cousin's baby in her arms. Minutes after Daily Mail Australia tried to speak to Ms Stein - who declined to be interviewed - her GoFundMe was put on hold after it had raised more than $62,000. Ms Stein and a woman believed to be her cousin Sara McGregor, who started the latest GoFundMe appeal, were photographed outside her home on Thursday Daily Mail Australia photographed Ms Stein and the family's dog in the street outside her three-bedroom detached $720-a-week rental home in a quiet street in Kincumber WHAT IS CONVERSION DISORDER? Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, is a condition characterised by the presence of physical symptoms without any identifiable medical or organic cause. Individuals with conversion disorder experience a range of symptoms that may mimic neurological or medical conditions, such as paralysis, blindness, seizures, or speech difficulties. However, these symptoms cannot be explained by a known medical condition or the physiological effects of a substance. The underlying cause of conversion disorder is thought to be psychological or emotional distress, often related to a traumatic event or unresolved psychological conflicts. It is believed the symptoms manifest as a way for the individual to cope with or express their distress. Treatment for conversion disorder typically involves a multidisciplinary approach, including psychotherapy, physical therapy, and supportive interventions. The goal is to address the underlying psychological factors and help the individual manage their symptoms and improve functioning. Advertisement The webpage now states: 'The organiser has disabled new donations to this fundraiser at the moment.' There is no suggestion Ms Stein or her cousin are attempting to deceive or defraud anyone. Daily Mail Australia accepts Ms Stein's doctors' advice that her conditions are caused by conversion disorder, and that her complaints are legitimate in the context of that advice. It is also accepted that Ms McGregor's observations are legitimate in the context of Ms Stein's condition. Daily Mail Australia photographed Ms Stein and her daughter with Ms McGregor in the street outside her three-bedroom detached $720-a-week rental home in a quiet street in Kincumber, on the NSW Central Coast. Ms Stein shot to online fame with her overseas adventures that took her and now-estranged partner Patrick Cooper, 34, around the world. She built up a huge following with her beautifully shot photographs from exotic destinations that fuelled the dreams of millions before suddenly vanishing in 2019. The GoFundMe plea says Ms Stein has spent the last four years being 'gaslit' by doctors whenever she tries to get help for multiple serious conditions. 'Their family shares features of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome and brittle bone,' the fundraiser states. She is said to have suffered an often deadly 'aortic dissection' - which can lead to total heart failure within hours - but was denied treatment for it by her neurologist. This is not the first time Ms Stein has sought to raise money online to cover medical expenses. A previous GoFundMe she organised in 2017 (seen here) raised over $235,000 This is all in stark contrast to how Jessica once travelled around the world blogging under the name Tuula Vintage (pictured in Italy in 2017) Jessica Stein (pictured with her former partner and Rumi's father, Patrick Cooper) built up a huge following with her photographs from exotic destinations that fuelled the dreams of millions before suddenly vanishing online in 2019 Ms Stein says she has been repeatedly told she is suffering 'conversion disorder' or 'functional neurological disorder' - where the brain manifests physical ailments without a medical cause, often in response to an earlier trauma. The GoFundMe adds: 'Jess has suffered gaslighting by the health system for many years while trying to advocate for Rumi. 'She was repeatedly told that the symptoms she was explaining were "physiologically impossible to survive" and that "she wanted to have a sick child in hospital". 'Her neurologist misdiagnosed her with conversion disorder, saying that she wasnt coping with having a sick child. 'Jess was left alone, and in agony trying to get help in a system built against her.' The post said Ms Stein 'now has major vascular congestion symptoms that leave her unable to lay down, with tearing chest pain and spitting up blood. 'Jess has been bounced in circles between expensive specialists and imaging without anyone managing her care, which she has been largely left to figure out on her own,' added her cousin. The problems are said to have begun two years after her daughter's birth when Ms Stein was living in hospital with Rumi while the infant was treated for her trisomy 2 mosaicism condition. The rare condition often causes miscarriages, but those who survive can suffer a range of possible birth defects, distinctive facial features, growth and developmental delays, and intellectual disabilities. Rumi is also said to have too much movement between her spine and skull which compresses her brain stem and the nerves in her spinal column, causing a range of issues. 'This...impacts her breathing rate and oxygen saturation, heart rate, temperature regulation, inability to safely swallow and gastroparesis [paralysis of the stomach],' said the GoFundMe post. 'She currently has periods where she struggles to walk and hold her head up, vacant episodes and pain.' Doctors allegedly told Ms Stein (pictured with daughter Rumi and their dog) she 'wanted to have a sick child in hospital' and blamed anxiety for her illnesses Little Rumi (pictured) has been suffering from sickness her whole life and the genetic condition is incurable Jessica and Rumi are 'unable to lay down without strangulation and fainting,' her cousin said It's understood Rumi was scheduled to go back into hospital for further surgery on Friday. Her father Patrick, who lives ten minutes from Ms Stein's home, still maintains daily contact with his daughter and ex-partner, and will be assisting with the hospital visit. While in hospital with Rumi in 2019, Ms Stein first began to show symptoms including light sensitivity and migraines, which is said to have led to a lumbar puncture procedure where she blacked out. 'She woke up to severe tearing chest pain, visualised full body circulation changes, leg weakness, numbness and often different blood pressures in each arm,' said her cousin. 'Jess has continued to get worse over time, and has become incapacitated at home. She knows that the [aortic dissection] injury could have, and should have killed her. 'Each time she was sent to hospital with acute and visible symptoms, medical professionals continued to say it was conversion disorder. 'Jess's limbs would completely change colour, nails blue and her face would flush and swell when laying down with jugular distension on both sides. 'She began coughing up blood and pink phlegm multiple times a day, every day.' But her cousin said: 'She continued to be told that her scans were clear (as are Rumi's) and that these physical and acute symptoms were due to anxiety.' The post said Ms Stein had been silent on social media in recent years 'for multiple reasons', including feeling 'isolated and defeated'. 'She is so tired of having to fight so hard for them both to receive adequate and appropriate health care and cant do it anymore,' the GoFundMe page added. In a now-deleted post on Ms Stein's Instagram page, one of her followers noted: 'It's actually not common for doctors to gaslight people that have extremely rare illnesses. 'There is also a very distinct difference between being gaslit by medical professionals [versus] being appropriately challenged on self-reported information if it's doesn't align with diagnostic criteria, medical tests and treatments or other medical assessments.' Ms Stein and Mr Cooper declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia. A holidaying couple claim this 'shameful' portion of fish and chips 'tarnishes' the reputation of a popular British seaside town and vow to never return. Mike Turner, 57, was at the end of a six-mile walk with his wife Jane, 53, in Salcombe, Devon, on Sunday, when they popped into Captain Morgan's for lunch. The couple claim they ordered one portion of fish and chips to share as well as two cans of fizzy pop, which set them back 15. Accountant Mike says they'd planned to get a sandwich each but they were 'ridiculously priced' at 8 so they decided to share a meal instead. He says as the waiter brought over the meal ten minutes later, he apologised for the size of the fish but said they'd been given some extra chips to make up for it. The pair said they were in 'shock' when they looked down and saw their meagre piece of fish which was only about three inches long - which they branded a 'rip off'. Mr Turner holding the 15 pound portion of fish and chips. The couple claim they ordered one portion of the meal to share as well as two cans of fizzy pop which set them back Mike Turner (pictured), 57, was at the end of a six-mile walk with his wife Jane, 53, in Salcombe, Devon, on Sunday when they popped into Captain Morgan's for lunch One snap shows the portion with a tomato sachet laying beside it. Mike slammed the business for 'leaving a sour taste in his mouth' and posted the photo on a local Facebook group where the 'tiny' portion was blasted by commentors. Mike, from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, said: 'It wasn't your normal chip shop, it was by a car park. 'We'd been walking six miles and were super hot, hungry and exhausted. 'We were going to grab a sandwich but it was 8 each and to me that's [not acceptable] and I refused to pay it so we said we'd share fish and chips. 'About ten mins later, the waiter came out and said he was sorry but the fish was a bit small but they'd put a few extra chips on the plate instead. 'We look down at the portion of fish and chips and we were shocked especially for the price. It wasn't cheap. 'It was a tiny piece of fish. We put a tomato sauce sachet next to it and it was about that size. 'You look back and think you should take it back and say it's ridiculous but we were so tired and didn't have the energy. 'We just needed something to eat. We didn't want that confrontation, I can be a little be opinionated, I would have said what I thought. 'Rather than extra chips, they should have given us two small pieces of fish and the chips weren't potato peeled, they were frozen.' The couple had been celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary by walking the South West Coast Path but say the meal left 'a sour taste in their mouths' and they won't be returning to the seaside resort. Captain Morgan's is rated 3.5 on TripAdvisor and on Facebook they describe themselves as 'Salcombe's longest running cafe'. Mike said: 'We've always been really supportive of locals, we use local Air BnBs, local taxis and local pubs so that's what hurt the most. 'They get a lot of business in the winter from people who walk the South West Coast Path. Captain Morgan's (pictured) were repeatedly contacted for comment but failed to respond 'I know it's a posh place and there's multi-millionaires [around] but they're just ripping people off. 'It left a sour taste in our mouths because we'd had some lovely meals all weekend. 'It overshadowed it, we won't go to Salcombe again. It tarnished it. They charge whatever they like hoping that the majority of people will pay it.' Some commentors on Facebook condemned the price of the meal and described it as 'shameful'. One wrote: 'What? No mushy peas either. It's not a cheap meal anywhere now but that's ridiculous.' Another said: 'This is a rip off and typical of cafes cashing in on passing trade. This gives cafes and takeaways a bad name, not walkers.' A third added: 'Salcombe is a bit of a sham town with the amount of empty houses. That is a joke of a price. Won't even be fresh fish for that price too.' Others slammed Mike for attacking a small business and pointed out that he hadn't been forced to buy the meal. One wrote: 'Although I agree that 15 is steep, I think it's worth remembering that overheads for all these local businesses are going through the roof. 'When gas, electric, rent, stock etc are all going up its inevitable that businesses are having to increase prices. 'I think people will think differently when they visit lovely British seaside towns in the future and there is nothing there but big chain supermarkets and a Wetherspoons on the seafront.' One said: 'No really, do you have to post all this? Small businesses are struggling enough at the moment and we are tourists in one of the most expensive tourist hot-spots in the country. 'These negative comments aren't helpful in my honest opinion and just give South West Coast Path walkers a bad name.' Another added: 'Cheap as chips for Salcombe.' A third asked: 'Were you forced to buy it?' A fourth wrote: 'Why would anyone pay that?' Mike said he wanted to call out the cafe on social media to warn other walkers so they don't make the same mistake as him and Jane. Mike said: 'I posted it on a local Facebook group where people make recommendations. 'We felt people needed to know. Around 90 per cent said it's terrible, a few said that's what you get in this day and age but it needs to be highlighted. 'I'm a big believer that petrol prices are too high and people are profiteering left right and centre. 'In the winter these businesses make their money out of people who walk.' Captain Morgan's were repeatedly contacted for comment but failed to respond. They're the jails dubbed 'Hell on Earth', where grenade-toting gangsters run rampant, beheading rivals and eating their hearts, while sex-crazed killers rape children with impunity in filthy cells. South America has some of the most lawless and deadly jails in the world, where bloody riots and murder are so common that even the armed guards - meant to maintain order - are too terrified to venture into them. Decades of woeful under-investment by governments across the continent has led to many prisons effectively being taken over by cartels, who brazenly deal cocaine and hold drug-fuelled raves in the horrifically overcrowded, crumbling concrete hell-holes. In some squalid lock-ups, inmates stich their own mouths shut while other prisoners, savagely slaughtered by rivals, are left to rot in their cells, and gay inmates are banished to rooftops. While other penitentiaries - whose enormous walls are topped with razor wire - are turned into perpetual blood-spattered warzones, as rival gangs armed with guns and knives hack each other apart in a brutal battle for control. Now, MailOnline has delved into South America's most SAVAGE jails where drugs, death and rape are simply a way of life. Brace yourself... Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, Brazil Elite armed police had to be drafted in to regain control of the Anisio Jobim Prison complex in Brazil following a 17-hour bloodbath that left 57 inmates dead in 2017 By the end of it, 39 decapitated heads would be left in the jail's yard, while some inmates and guards were forced to eat the eyeballs and hearts of the dead (pictured: armed police retaking the jail) Military police were also scrambled to track fugitives who had managed to escape the prison It was the News Year's Day massacre that left 57 prisoners dead - many of whom had been decapitated during a 17-hour bloodbath dubbed one of Brazil's most deadly. In 2017, the sprawling Anisio Jobim Prison Complex in Manaus, was transformed into hell on earth where thugs from Family of the North gang went on a ruthless rampage against rivals of the Sao Paulo-based First Command cartel. By the end of it, 39 decapitated heads would be left in the court yard, while some prisoners and guards were forced to eat the eyeballs and hearts of the dead. The carnage came after celebrations, paid for by gang members who rule the jail, which saw fireworks on New Year's Eve and a party for wives and girlfriends the following day. Known by its Portuguese acronym of Compaj, the isolated Manaus prison compound sprawls into the Amazon jungle. Designed for 592 inmates, it held 1,224 on New Year's Day. Instead of going back to their cells after the New Year's party, inmates from the Family of the North gang surrounded a prison guard and took him hostage, with a blade to his neck. Then they announced their larger intention: To get rid of all members of the rival First Command gang, also known as PCC. 'We will kick out of this prison every single PCC brain!' a prisoner from Family of the North yelled to the Compaj cameras. The Family of the North moved quickly. Carrying knives, homemade shivs and even several pistols, prisoners led the first hostage into the atrium. There, they took another 14 guards and other staff hostage, including a cook and a nurse. Distraught relatives wept as they waited for news following the riot at Anisio Jobim Prison Complex in 2017 Cartel members butchered their rivals, decapitating them, ripping out eyes and slicing off limbs. Pictured: A relative of an inmate in the jail cries outside the prison's entrance By 4.30pm, Family of the North prisoners began entering an area where many members of First Command were housed. The wing was known as 'the safe'. Crammed into their cells, many First Command prisoners had little room to run or means to fight back. Over the next 15 minutes, several were shot, stabbed or both. The screams of horror and pain filled the lockup. Some First Command men managed to get to the roof of their cell block to hide. At least three jumped into the gutter, spending half a day drenched in faeces and urine. No guards tried to intervene, as several had been taken hostage. But an elite police force surrounded the prison, in an attempt to keep hundreds of inmates from escaping through a hole in one wall. Over the next 30 minutes, with police still outside, prisoners dragged dozens of bodies into the area dubbed Pavilion 3. Then Family of the North members, and other prisoners forced to take orders, began mutilating them. By the time they were done, 39 heads were lined up on the floor. They also lopped off and piled up limbs, even from bodies that had been carbonized in the fires. They cut out 13 eyes and two hearts, and used them to terrorize others. One guard was forced to eat an eyeball. A transvestite prisoner was made to take bites of a heart, throwing up as they did so. In the meantime, prisoners used their cellphones to capture photos and video of themselves, with a Family of the North flag in the background. At one point, a headless body appears. At another, an inmate holds up the hand of a dead person and waves to the camera, 'He is saying bye'. Two years later, on May 27, 2019, violence would once again erupt in the complex, during a series riots across Brazil which left 42 inmates dead. Monte Cristo Agricultural Penitentiary, Brazil A carpet of carnage: during one massacre at the jail in 2017, dozens of prisoners at Monte Cristo Agricultural Penitentiary were slaughtered, with their corpses piled in corridors The chaos took place in January 2017, just five days after a similar riot at a neighbouring jail The infamously cramped jail, located in the far northern city of Boa Vista, has long been a haven for drug kingpins and cartel members. It too rose to infamy in 2017, when - five days after the massacre at the neighbouring jail of Anisio - inmates went on a deadly rampage of their own. In similar scenes to the New Year's Day slaughter, thugs from the First Command gang savaged adversaries, murdering 33 inmates. Inside the walls of the prison, which is the largest penitentiary in the state of Roraima, blood ran thick through corridors, as prisoners butchered one another. Grisly pictures of the aftermath showed a huge pile of bloodied corpses lining one hallway in the dimly-lit jail. Much like the riot days before, many of those slaughtered had been beheaded, with the disturbance believed to be in retaliation to the uprising at Anisio days earlier. Special forces were eventually deployed to retake control of the chronically overcrowded facility, where 1,475 prisoners packed into the jail - built to house just 750 inmates. Litoral penitentiary, Ecuador Smoke rose from the Litoral Penitentiary in Ecuador after a two-day prison riot - the worst in the country's history - left 118 inmates dead and 80 injured Riot police had to be called in to quell the violence after rival gangs clashed, killing one another with grenades, guns and knives Inmates were seen scrambling on the roof of the jail to escape the carnage inside When it comes to violence and savagery, Ecuador's Litoral penitentiary in Guayaquil, is easily one of the world's most dangerous jails. In September 2021, a staggering 118 inmates were murdered during a frenzied two-day bloodbath between rival drug gangs - who used guns, grenades and knives to slaughter one another. Touted as Ecuador's worst-ever prison riot, it was sparked by a birthday party thrown for the leader of the Los Choneros gang on September 24. During the party, gang members had boasted that they controlled the jail and taunted their rivals. Enraged by the provocation, members of the Tiguerones and Lobos gangs launched a revenge attack after crawling through a hole separating their jail wing from the one holding Choneros members. Once inside, they began throwing grenades and beheading rival gang members, before the Choneros struck back with gunfire. Some of the worst violence was concentrated around Pavilions 9 and 10 of the prison, with dozens of bodies were found littering the blood-soaked floors. Outside the prison morgue, the relatives of inmates wept, after seeing their decapitated and dismembered loved one's remains. 'In the history of the country, there has not been an incident similar or close to this one,' said Ledy Zuniga, the former president of Ecuador's National Rehabilitation Council. Lugarincho, Lima, Peru Lugarincho jail, located near Lima, Peru, is considered one of the world's most harsh During a single day alone, violence at the jail saw a staggering 124 inmates slaughtered in a single day in 1986. Pictured are police firing tear gas into the jail in 2005 following a riot With more than 10,000 criminals - including murderers and rapists - locked behind its brick walls, the vast hell-hole of Lugarincho is Peru's largest prison. Nicknamed 'Dante's Inferno', the filthy jail is considered one of the world's most horrific, having been built to house just 2,500 - with some prisoners choosing to live on rooftops. 'Entering it means catching a glimpse into the depths of hell,' wrote the journalist Robert Saviano, after visiting the drug-ridden cesspit. Its overcrowding problem is so chronic, the jail was even singled out in a recent human rights report by the US Department of State. Describing the squalid conditions faced by prisoners, prominent Peruvian lawyer Sandro Monteblanco went as far as saying: 'It is hell in there. 'I mean you hear people talk about Turkish prisons and what not, or prisons in the Middle East, I think they use those analogies, those examples, because they haven't been to a Peruvian prison.' Built to house 2,500 inmates, the squalid site is home to four times that many, with some prisoners forced to live on the roof In 2008 a National Geographic documentary team ventured into the jail, shining a light on the overcrowded prison, where inmates deadly violence has seen gang members slaughtering rivals. The violence at the jail is so grim, that during one of Lurigancho's darkest chapters, 124 prisoners were killed in a single day in 1986. Prisoners are able to run amok in the jail. With only 100 guards overseeing the lock-up, there are only enough to control the prison's perimeter and gates - leaving inmates to control much of the inside of the facility. Lawyer Michael Griffith, who represents Americans imprisoned overseas and has counseled clients in more than 40 countries, has been inside Lurigancho. 'Lurigancho is the worst prison I have ever been in, hands down,' he said. 'While I was talking to my client, 10 feet away from me, one prisoner stabbed another prisoner.' Terrorist Internment Centre, El Salvador The first 2,000 gang members were transferred from the Izalco prison to 'America's largest' mega-prison, equipped with high-tech surveillance The prisoners were made to run while leaning forwards with their hands cuffed behind their backs as they moved into the prison The inmates are members of more than a dozen gangs and were handcuffed and stripped down to their boxers In February, the world was shocked to see the conditions inside the new Terrorist Interment Centre in El Salvador - a sprawling mega jail filled with suspected gangsters as part of President Nayib Bukele's 'war' on crime. Bukele announced that the first 2,000 members had been transferred to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT)' - which he boasted is the largest prison in the Americas - where 'they will live for decades, all mixed, unable to do any further harm to the population.' It is designed to house 40,000 inmates in the most basic of conditions, with just 80 beds for every 100 men, across its eight, concrete blocks. Each wing has 32 cells of about 100 square meters (1,075 square feet), designed to hold 'more than 100' inmates in horrifically cramped conditions. In some of the first pictures to emerge from the lock-up, tattooed men wearing only white boxers are seen being forced to run through the prison's yards, with their hands behind their backs, through a gauntlet of armoured jailers and guards. In their cells they are left sitting on the floor before stacked metal beds with no mattresses visible. The barbarity of the conditions has already been slammed by many, including former prisoner and host of Netflix's Inside the World's Toughest Prisons, Raphael Rowe. He wrote in the Mail: 'This is a deliberate policy to control the inmates and manage them. 'I fear it will backfire badly and result in violence even worse than the gang-driven chaos the government is desperately trying to stamp out.' Alcuaz, Brazil The barbarism of the notorious Alcuaz jail in Brazil knows no bounds. The hell-hole prison has seen inmates riot and murder one another, leaving bloodied, beheaded corpses on the floor Fighting and murder between rival gangs is a common occurrence in the prison Gangsters easily flout the law, smuggling in weapons used to execute rivals Riot police were called into the prison to quell a gang uprising in 2017 The rotting jail at Alcuaz in Brazil is renowned for its sickening savagery and was once the centre of a bloody prison riot saw 26 prisoners were murdered = some having been hacked apart and beheaded. Located in the crime-ridden city of Natal, the jail has been closely fought over for years by rival drug cartels - the First Capital Command from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro's Red Command - who often order executions from inside the prison. Inside the iron cage, nobody is truly safe from the gang war with hostage situations involving guards common. The most violent episode that occurred at the facility took place in 2017 and is still remembered as the darkest period in Brazilian justice, which saw prisoners across a slew of jails in the South American state running riot. Inmates murdered and then mutilated the bodies of fellow prisoners, parading with torn off limbs and decapitated heads as macabre trophies. After the facility was completely taken over by the gangs, armed riot police stormed the prison and fought them in a guerilla war, as body parts Grim footage from the aftermath of the riot showed severed heads of gang members strewn across the prison yard, their blood congealing with the dust underfoot. Other videos depicted gang members chopping the heads off their rivals, slicing their hearts out and disemboweling them. Bogota District Prison, Columbia Colombia's Bogota District prison is divided into six blocks Inmates are left to run the jail entirely by themselves Restricted to a central courtyard all day a strict hierarchy has emerged with fights common While the effects of solitary confinement can render even the most stoic of inmates nutty, there are some prisons around the world where criminals would beg for a bit of private space. Bogota District Prison in Columbia is one such institution - a cavernous block of a building where 11,000 prisoners are left to fend for themselves. Split into six wings inmates are confined to a central courtyard all day where a strict and violent hierarchy is enforced by the prisoners themselves. Populated by hitmen, drug lords and murderers, fights, stabbings and even murders are commonplace within the walls as the guards do not police inside the jail itself. The jail has a fearsome reputation for lawlessness and brutality. In 2020, inmates rioted in protest to coronavirus measures, torching mattresses while some went on violent rampages that left 23 inmates dead. In 2016, an investigation was launched after human remains of some 100 visitors and inmates were found festering in the prison drain pipes. It was famously featured on Netflix's Inside the World's Toughest Prisons where host Raphael Rowe was threatened at knife point on his first day in the prison if he would not give up his bed. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Members of the Mexican Army secure an area outside the prison of Ciudad Juarez The army has repeatedly been called in to deal with riots in the prison Gangland executions are commonly performed inside the jail walls (Pictured: Inmates face a wall just hours after a prison riot) There could have been few places more dangerous to be imprisoned in the world in the last decade than Mexico's infamous Ciudad Juarez - a jail rumoured to be entirely run by cartels. The lawless hellhole is penned in on all sides by high walls topped with razor wire where guards armed with machine guns patrol with the mandate of shoot to kill. On the inside, the jail is said to be ruled by feuding gangs and guards who are too afraid to challenge them. In 2011, the prison gained international attention after CCTV footage emerged of two frightened guards opening a locked door for the Azteca gang who ruled the jail to open fire on a cell containing a gang from a rival cartel Los Mexicles, executing all 13 members inside. The video gave a glimpse of the violence that gripped the prison in a burst of bloodshed where 17 prisoners were murdered and 20 more wounded in 48 bullet-ridden hours. During those violent two days, even by Ciudad Juarez's standards, thugs ran amok as they drank alcohol, took drugs and attempted rape and sexually assault children being held inside the jail with impunity thanks to the impotent guards. In another burst of violence, Azteca thugs armed with knives and makeshift weapons forced guards to free 150 of its members and sparked a bloody riot which ended in the deaths of 20 prisoners. Many more were seriously injured as the Aztecas fought pitched knife battles and set fire to cell blocks in the 2009 siege known as the 'Ciudad Juarez massacre'. It took guards, police and soldiers three hours to contain the riot. Unfortunately the violence in the prison has not cooled with police having to quell an armed uprising at the facility as recently as January this year - at the cost of 10 prison guards. Attorneys representing the family of a teen who was 'held captive' in a Florida hospital when she was 10 years old said the 'horrific' incident amounts to 'abduction, incarceration and abuse' of the girl. Maya Kowalski, now 17, was placed into state custody for three months after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms of her debilitating complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS). Hospital staff wrongly accused Maya's mother Beata of Munchausen by proxy (MSP) - a mental illness and a form of child abuse in which the caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick. After being separated from her daughter for more than 87 days and a court order which denied her access to her child, Beata took her own life - a tragedy that continues to haunt the Kowalskis. The family detailed the harrowing experience in a damning new Netflix documentary that was released June 19. AndersonGlenn LLP has launched a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages. Attorneys representing the family of a teen who was 'held captive' in a Florida hospital when she was 10 said the 'horrific' incident amounts to 'abduction, incarceration and abuse' of the girl Gregory Anderson, who founded the firm in 1990 and focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, admiralty and personal injury law said the incidents of late 2016/early 2017 have had an 'irreparable' affect on Maya, her father Jack and her brother Kyle. 'The horrific events from the October 7, 2016 admission through Maya's release on January 14, 2017 have been well-documented,' Anderson told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'These events amount to an abduction, incarceration and abuse of a 10 year old girl. Her parents were irreparably defamed and damaged. 'Beata took her own life to free her daughter from 'care' by Johns Hopkins. The resulting litigation has been the worst I've seen.' He said the incident took place in the fall of 2016. Maya was released and the Kowalskis exonerated Jan 14 2017 - after Beata took her own life. Gregory Anderson, who founded the firm in 1990 and focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, admiralty and personal injury law 'We were retained in the fall of 2017 and sent our first demand letters for information in December. We filed suit in 2018 - that was five years ago, five years of brutal litigation,' he said. 'The Kowalskis have incurred millions in legal fees and costs. Maya, Jack and Kyle will need medical care and therapy for the rest of their lives.' The ordeal started when Maya was nine, and she began suffering from excruciating headaches, asthma attacks and painful lesions that formed on her arms and legs, as well as cramping and curling sensations in her feet. When doctors at a local hospital were baffled with her medical condition Maya's parents started doing research on their own. Maya's mom, a registered nurse, discovered that her daughter may have the condition CPRS and after visiting a specialist, this was confirmed. Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions. He then recommended a more aggressive treatment, described as a 'ketamine coma' - where the patient receives five days of treatment to essentially 'reset' the nervous system. The procedure, still experimental, had not yet been approved by the FDA so Maya and her family traveled to Mexico in 2015 - despite knowing the risks involved. The teenager said she felt 'amazing' after the procedure and continued to receive ketamine infusions to manage flare ups as the specialist said there was no cure for the disorder. Less than a year after the experimental treatment, Maya was rushed to the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida with excruciating stomach pain. Maya's parents told the medical team treating her that she had CRPS and needed high doses of ketamine - which they believed was the only way to help alleviate their daughter's crippling pain. Maya Kowalski, now 17, was placed into state custody for three months after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms of her debilitating complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS) After the CPRS was confirmed Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions Hospital staff reportedly alerted protective services who later accused Beata of child abuse due to MSP. 'One of the most startling injuries which will come out at trial is the exacerbation of Maya's CRPS as a result of Johns Hopkin's malpractice in misdiagnosing CRPS as Munchausen by proxy,' Anderson said. 'Maya was fortunate to finally locate experts who put her in the care she needed, specifically Ketamine therapy and more gentle forms of physical therapy involving warm water exercises. 'CRPS caught early and treated using the most advanced therapies need not be a death sentence or destroy someone's life.' Anderson said that when Maya relapsed she could have 'very successfully' recovered but Johns Hopkins 'removed all proven therapies and treated her as a psychiatric patient.' 'As a consequence, her CRPS is now a threat to her life and will manifest over her '30's-early '50's with more frequent, longer duration and more severe and painful events,' he said. Child Services' Dr Sally Smith, who has since retired, was regarded as some what of a 'doyenne in her field' and was formally asked to investigate Maya's case after Beata was deemed to have 'mental issues.' At the time, its been claimed that Smith was removing children from their homes at one of the highest rates of Florida's counties, according to the documentary. Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who first diagnosed Maya with CRPS, confirmed her diagnosis to Smith in her initial investigation. He also formally warned that a child abuse case would cause 'needless and permanent harm to the child and family,' according to The Cut. AndersonGlenn LLP has launched a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages Child Services' Dr Sally Smith, who has since retired, was regarded as some what of a 'doyenne in her field' and was formally asked to investigate Maya's case after Beata was deemed to have 'mental issues' However, Smith filed the case without including Kirkpatrick's warnings. After Maya's symptoms did not improve her Munchausen's by proxy diagnosis was withdrawn. Smith and other doctors began to believe she was entirely fabricating her symptoms. Beata was also formally evaluated and diagnosed with a depressive mood and adjustment disorder upon being separated from her daughter. Smith retired in July this year telling the outlet that she's not a 'horrible person whose goal in life is to disrupt families.' 'I have spent my adult life attempting to serve children in my community to ameliorate conditions of abuse and neglect,' she said. 'I wish our society did more to help struggling families to provide safe, nurturing homes to their children. 'I'm not a big proponent of punitive approaches for such families contrary to media portrayals about me.' In December 2021 Smith and the Suncoast Center settled their portion of the lawsuit with the Kowalski family. 'We have children that come to see us that have less serious injuries, where a recommendation is made for a child to be removed for their safety,' she told the Cut. 'The next day, the judge declines that request, just because they determine they're not going to proceed with criminal charges doesn't mean that there wasn't child abuse or that I quote-unquote made a mistake.' Smith added that she 'saw dozens of children who were literally beaten to death.' 'I saw hundreds of babies and children who were killed or maimed by Abusive Head Trauma. Beata was also formally evaluated and diagnosed with a depressive mood and adjustment disorder upon being separated from her daughter Anderson said that the incident took place in the fall of 2016, Maya was released and the Kowalskis exonerated Jan 14 2017 - after Beata took her own life 'I saw hundreds more babies and children who had multiple broken bones from abuse including young infants with more than 20 fractures in different stages of healing. 'I saw numerous children with ruptured intestines and internal organs from abusive abdominal trauma, some of whom died.' She admitted to the outlet that these factors as well as biased news coverage and threats by phone and social media to kill her and burn down her home led to her eventual retirement. 'I wish that people who seek to vilify child abuse pediatricians would somehow find the critical knowledge, tools and framework to better understand and represent the tremendous challenges these children and their families and caretakers present for our society and for physicians,' she said. Anderson said Johns Hopkins is liable for Smith's actions as an agent for the hospital. 'Sally Smith has settled her personal case for an amount we cannot reveal due to confidentiality agreements baked into the settlement documents,' he explained. 'The Kowalskis are pursuing Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital for its role in making Sally Smith part of the hospital's operations - she ran its child abuse department. 'Sally Smith is a witness at trial, she has at least two prior court decisions where a court has found that her opinions could not be relied upon.' Anderson said that the defendant's in the Sept 11 trial will be Johns Hopkins and hospital staff member Cathy Bedy - who was accused of child abuse in the documentary. 'The Kowalskis are hopeful that on September 11 they will finally be heard and have an opportunity for justice,' said Anderson. 'The Netflix documentary, with special thanks to Caitlin Keating and Henry Roosevelt, has done a great thing towards getting their message out. 'Beata took her own life to free her daughter from 'care' by Johns Hopkins. The resulting litigation has been the worst I've seen' Anderson said Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, who first diagnosed Maya with CRPS, confirmed her diagnosis to Smith in her initial investigation 'Maya has CRPS and will have an exacerbated form the rest of her life. Jack, Kyle and Maya will continue to live with the consequences of JHACH's actions the rest of their lives.' When DailyMail.com reached out to JHACH, Danielle Caci, a hospital spokesperson, said they are 'extremely limited in the amount of information we can release.' 'Our priority at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital is always the safety and privacy of our patients and their families. Therefore, we follow federal privacy laws that limit the amount of information we can release regarding any particular case,' Caci said in a brief statement they provided. 'Our first responsibility is always to the child brought to us for care, and we are legally obligated to notify the Department of Children and Families (DCF) when we detect signs of possible abuse or neglect.' 'It is DCF that investigates the situation and makes the ultimate decision about what course of action is in the best interest of the child,' she said. Since the documentary's release on June 19, the details of other families being wrongly accused at the same hospital have also surfaced including 'American Idol' finalist Syesha Mercado and father-of-two Vadim Kushner. Kushnir and his wife had their son William, July 2018. His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, turning him blue and bruises dotted his head and shoulders, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal. For weeks he would cry at every touch and when he started to have seizures the worried parents took him into Johns Hopkins. In 2021, a petition to fire Smith began to circulate - At the time, American Idol finalist Syesha Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener faced an eight month nightmare starting in Feb 2021 - when they brought their then 13-month-old son Amen'Ra to Johns Hopkins Astonished fans and parents watched the drama unfold on a live social media feed - the reality star making a desperate plea to get her son home after she was wrongly accused of abuse The next day, Smith came to inspect him and without introducing herself or answering their questions took photos of the newborn, including his genitals. 'This is child abuse, and I'm going to prove it,' she said, according to Vadim. Then she left. According to court records William's seizures were determined to be 'the result of shaken baby or blunt force trauma' according to Smith. The Kushnirs fought back spending $30,000 on attorneys and experts who argued the baby's condition resulted from a complicated birth not abuse. The judge agreed and in the final order, even criticized the state's doctors for not knowing their month old son wasn't breathing at birth. One doctor who provided testimony admitted he 'never reviewed all his medical records,' according to court records. In 2021, a petition to fire Smith began to circulate as dozens of stories of families accused of abuse started to emerge, citing a USA Today investigation. At the time, American Idol finalist Syesha Mercado and her partner Tyron Deener faced an eight month nightmare starting in Feb 2021 - when they brought their then 13-month-old son Amen'Ra to Johns Hopkins. They were concerned that Mercado's breast milk was running dry and the boy was not accepting other fluids - but instead of helping authorities placed her infant son in foster care over concerns about malnutrition. They expected to bring him home after he was treated, but several weeks later, the couple was ordered off the hospital campus by police. Six months later and about 10 days after Mercado gave birth to a daughter named Ast, police surrounded the couple's car and took the girl into protective custody. Mercado gave birth to a daughter named Ast, police surrounded the couple's car and took the girl into protective custody Mercado and Deener regained custody of their 16-month-old son Amen in October. Mercado captioned an Instagram post: 'AMEN, RA IS OFFICIALLY HOME!!!' Astonished fans and parents watched the drama unfold on a live social media feed - the reality star making a desperate plea to get her son home. 'This is my first time being a mom, and I've been deprived of holding my babies and feeding my babies,' she said during a press conference in August that year. 'I didn't get to see Ra say, 'Mama' for the first time. I didn't get to see my babies meet for the first time. 'I didn't get to see that and I can't go back and redo that moment, I will never be able to go back and redo that moment.' Deneer said: 'If this can happen to us, it can happen to you. We have no criminal background. We have no history with DCF. We have done nothing wrong.' By October, the whole family had been reunited. A students holiday was ruined after an airport parking firm crashed her car while she was getting ready to jet off. Grace Flaherty was about to board a flight from Dublin to Bristol when the airport meet-and-greet service manager phoned her to say that her vehicle had been involved in an accident. After being told the damage to her 9,000 VW Polo was repairable, Grace, 19, was left gobsmacked at the sight of the mangled wreck - a total write-off. She has now been left 16,000 out of pocket, combined with the loss of her beloved first vehicle. Student Grace Flaherty (pictured) says her holiday was ruined and she has been left 16,000 out of pocket after she left her car with an airport car parking company and staff crashed it Grace, who is from Porthcawl, south Wales, was forced to spend 210 on a hotel after landing in Bristol on April 30 due to the accident Grace booked a two-day meet and greet parking service with a company called Park & Go for 45 She estimates that in total, combined with the loss of her VW Polo, and other extras, and needing to buy a new car, which cost around 7,000 Speaking to MailOnline, Grace said: I cried when I saw the state my car was in because even I could tell that it was not repairable. 'This was my first car, I loved it and I used it a lot to get to college and back. Given my age, if anyone should have written it off, it should have been me. When I got the call from the car parking company, they didnt even seem bothered about how I would get home and just told me to get a taxi. 'Since then, they have not been helpful at all. All theyve done is pass the buck but all I want is the money for my car and all the extras Ive spent, which I cant afford. Grace booked a two-day meet and greet parking service with a company called Park & Go for 45 and had travelled to Dublin for a weekend break with her boyfriend Dylan. But the phone call she received telling her about the accident was from another company called A4 Parking. They informed her that the accident took place when her car was being driven by an employee from a company called VIP Parking. She added: The whole thing is very confusing. I just dont understand who was responsible for my car and why was somebody from a company I had nothing to do with driving it? The whole car parking industry at airports seems to be a mess and people should be aware that the company they are paying is not necessarily the company that will be looking after their car and thats very dangerous. Grace received the phone call telling her about the accident from Mark Dexter, the manager of A4 Parking who confirmed to her in writing that it was caused as a driver named Alvis Lutikovs, who was fully insured, was taking it to the companys office in preparation to meet her a few hours later. Mr Dexter confirmed to MailOnline that A4 is one of the parking companies used by Park & Go and that even though they were responsible for Graces car while she was away in Dublin, they are not responsible for the accident. He said: The reason why Alvis was driving it is that our company and VIP Parking share the same compound and office. Even though we are separate companies we work together. Our staff often drive their cars and vice versa. Alvis is currently in Latvia and had to go there soon after the accident. I only got involved because he's not in the country. Im just a third party in all this. This accident has got nothing to do with me. Speaking to MailOnline, Grace said: I cried when I saw the state my car was in because even I could tell that it was not repairable' Park & Go said in a statement: Park and Go does not park, transport or store any vehicles at any airport' Referring to Park & Go, who Grace actually booked her meet and greet service with, he said: They are just a broker. People book through them, but it doesnt mean they are the ones actually responsible for keeping and parking the cars. All customers are provided with this information when they book but they dont actually read any of it. I can understand why Grace and other people are confused with how the car parking industry works. Its not a simple system. Grace, who is from Porthcawl, south Wales, was forced to spend 210 on a hotel after landing in Bristol on April 30. The following morning, she took a taxi to her home, which cost 130. She estimates that in total, combined with the loss of her VW Polo, and other extras, and needing to buy a new car, which cost around 7,000, the accident has cost her close to 16,000. She is due to start studying Media Studies at Swansea University later this year. Mr Dexter revealed that her car was involved in an accident with a van from Bristol Water. He said: It was very slippery on the bend and thats where the accident happened. Their driver initially told us that she was travelling too fast and admitted liability. But then a few days later she changed her mind and is now blaming us. The matter is now in the hands of the insurance company and thats what has delayed things. Id love it if things could be settled quickly, and Grace get the money she feels shes owed. As soon as I get any information, I always pass it on to her and her family. Park & Go said in a statement: Park and Go does not park, transport or store any vehicles at any airport, we only facilitate the online booking part of the process. Responsibility for the vehicle lies with the car park booked by the customer, in this case A4 Parking. Unfortunately, in this case the aforementioned customer's vehicle was involved in an accident involving a driver from another company that A4 Parking works with and Bristol Water. Once the customer made us aware that there had been an accident and requested assistance from us we immediately began liaising with A4 Parking to ensure the issue had been dealt with. They have assured us that the matter is now with the insurance companies and is being processed. With millions of people around Britain set to use airport car parking companies this summer, Grace warned: A lot of us will be using these companies at this time of year but we need to take a lot of care. You just dont know who you are leaving your car with and who will be driving it. Ill never use one of these companies ever again and will just get public transport to the airport. A spokesman for VIP Parking said: Mr Lutikovs is not in the country at this time, but he did not cause this accident. Bristol Water has been contacted for comment. Once upon a time, holidays were a chance to relax. You'd fly off somewhere warm, hit the beach, see some sights, and return a week or two later with a tan - if you were lucky. But for a growing and oftentimes ultra-wealthy set, the good old fashioned sun and sand vacation just doesn't cut it anymore. These so-called 'danger tourists' are swapping Portugal for Pyongyang and the Caribbean with Chernobyl, driving an industry that is set to be worth a trillion dollars by 2030. That is despite the fact that such expeditions can quickly turn deadly - as happened to five Titanic tourists whose submersible imploded as they were diving the wreck last week. So why is it that such a large and growing number of people are choosing to spend their hard-earned time and money putting themselves in peril? Once upon a time, holidays were a chance to relax. Pictured: People queuing to reach the summit of Everest in May 2019 Adventure tourism, as the industry is officially known, has been gaining popularity for years and was worth an estimated $366billion in 2022, according to a recent study by Allied Market Research. And it is growing fast. By 2030, they believe the industry will be worth more than $1trillion. The driving factor, researchers say, are growing disposable incomes, increasingly cheap airline tickets, and 'the influence of social media' - essentially the desire for a killer selfie that stands out amid the constant feed of holiday snaps online. But 'adventure tourism' covers a whole range of activities that some would consider fairly vanilla, such as mountain biking, hiking, and camping. What has been really remarkable is the growth in the extreme end of the market, so-called 'danger tourism', with people willing to put their health and possibly lives at risk in the name of fun. Dan Richards is the CEO of Global Rescue, a membership club that he describes as like breakdown cover but for your body. You pay an annual fee, and if you ever get yourself hopelessly stuck while doing extreme activities, his team comes and gets you. Mr Richards has been in the business for almost two decades and says he has never seen it grow so fast as it has in the last couple of years - something he puts down to Covid. 'Before the pandemic people were content with traditional tourist activities,' he says. 'Walking down the Seine, going to art galleries, lying on the beach. People were happy with that. Such expeditions can quickly turn deadly - as happened to five Titanic tourists whose submersible imploded as they were diving the wreck last week. Pictured: The Titan submersible beginning a descent 'But now items that were not even on the radar before, or right at the edge of the radar, that's what people want to do. They're really getting out there. 'Every time I think I've heard of the most extreme thing there is, something new pops up.' One of the best-known examples is Everest, which was so busy back in 2020 that people were pictured queuing to get to the summit - just as the first round of lockdowns eased. The mountaintop is now littered with dead bodies as unscrupulous tour agencies flog tickets to inexperienced climbers who quickly get into trouble. Mr Richards says his team carried out 168 rescues in the Himalayas last year alone, around half of which were on Everest. Another extreme rescue involved a Dutch rowing team who decided to try and cross the Indian Ocean using nothing but arm-power - a mission cut short when one of them spilled boiling water in his lap. The man's burned leg quickly turned septic, prompting a five-day rescue mission that involved a passing container ship and a helicopter. Mr Richards says his team have also made recent use of donkeys, horses and even a yak to get people out of danger. A recent development has been tourists who are flying into space with the likes of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, Elon Musk's SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. A recent development has been tourists who are flying into space with the likes of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, Elon Musk's SpaceX (pictured), and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin Getting into trouble outside the atmosphere is not something Mr Richards can help with ('yet', he says) - instead what he assists with are 'subnominal reentries'. That often means craft falling back to earth in remote and possibly hostile locations, for which he has a team of Ex-Navy Seals and special forces operators on speed dial who can come and pick you up - including in places like Russia and Kazakhstan. Jim Petrick, a professor of tourist behaviour at Texas A&M University, believes the impulse driving this behaviour is nothing new - but the way in which people satisfy it has changed. 'We can go back to any war, anyone who ever left their country to fight war anywhere else, all the great travellers, Christopher Columbus, all of those were people who had a desire to do something that was out of the ordinary,' he explains. 'People have always wanted to do something new and exciting, for decades humans have been seeking something that they have never felt before.' But as society changed and people gained more time to spend on leisure, they began to scratch that itch in different ways. Now instead of exploring in the name of science or fighting for a noble cause, people put themselves in danger just for the sheer thrill of it. Take Otto Warmbier, a college kid from the US who decided to take a holiday to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in 2016 - but ended up imprisoned after stealing a propaganda poster on a dare. Sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for the crime, he fell into a vegetative state and sadly died shortly after being handed back into American custody the following year. Or Miles Routledge, perhaps Britain's most-notorious 'danger tourist' who was on holiday in Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban in the summer of 2021. Lord Miles, as he styles himself on social media where he has tens of thousands of followers, ended up being evacuated from the war-torn country on a British military flight - but far from putting him off, it only encouraged him. Since then he has visited war-torn Ukraine, South Sudan, and recently went back to Afghanistan where he was taken prisoner by the Taliban in April this year. Miles Routledge, perhaps Britain's most-notorious 'danger tourist', was on holiday in Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban in the summer of 2021 For most people, Miles's behaviour is inexplicable - but in Professor Petrick's world, it likely indicates he has an allocentric personality, meaning he is predisposed to risk. Add to that his social media following which grows every time he does something outlandish - providing a strong reward for his risk-taking - and the money he makes from soliciting donations, and Mr Routledge's actions start to make a bit more sense. Psychology may also help explain why so many of those who end up getting themselves into the most extreme situations also happen to be very wealthy. Obviously part of it is down to practicalities: Tickets into space start in the millions of dollars and the mission can take months to plan and train for, and billionaires have money in spades and can alleviate themselves of responsibility if they choose. But part of what goes into becoming a billionaire in the first place - an appetite for risk, the desire to be a pioneer, the ability to make firm decisions and stick to them - may be what makes activities such as diving down to the Titanic attractive. Professor Petrick says wealthy people also tend to score higher on psychopath tests, meaning they are less likely to pay attention to the attitudes of those around them. That could help explain why they press ahead with dangerous activities despite warnings. And it also means that a tragedy like the Titan implosion is unlikely to stop people from taking on extreme trips - and may even encourage them. Professor Petrick added: 'Instances like this call more attention to these things. 'We see people doing something, and it might impel us to do it. People realise it is possible to do something that they may have thought was impossible.' He continued: 'In all honesty people have very short memories when it comes to tragedy. 'The fear after 9/11 in the travel industry was that they were done, but in fact the travel industry was back within six months. 'Something else will divert our attention [away from the tragedy.] An accumulation of events like this is going to have an effect, but one event like this won't.' In other words: The implosion of the Titan is both unique and horrible - but it is far from the first time tourists have been killed in the pursuit of thrills, and it certainly won't be the last. Britain is at the centre of an anti-social behaviour crisis with more than one million complaints lodged between April 2022 and April 2023, figures collated by MailOnline have shown. The shocking figure includes data from each police force in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - including Greater Manchester Police - which recorded one incident due to an issue with their computer systems. According to the figures, County Durham saw 7,606 reports of anti-social behaviour, with 7,033 in Tower Hamlets, 6,460 in Westminster and 5,998 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Other areas with severe anti-social problems, include Leeds, Sheffield, Blackpool, Lambeth and Ealing. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour Act offers a legal definition for anti-social behaviour. The term covers both criminal and non-criminal activities. According to the legislation, it covers conduct which has 'caused or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress'. It also covers conduct capable of causing a nuisance or annoyance to someone at home. Causing 'housing-related nuisance or annoyance' is also covered. In March 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to 'stamp out anti-social behaviour' with a range of measures to solve the issue which blights communities across the nation. Data seen by MailOnline showed that 1,063,980 reports of anti-social behaviour were recorded by police forces - excluding Police Scotland. Unsurprisingly, the Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, received almost one in four of all reports. Lancashire, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Northumbria received approximately 150,000 complaints between them. Since 2019, according to the Liberal Democrats, police forces across the UK failed to attend approximately four million anti-social behaviour complaints. Speaking in March, Mr Sunak said: 'It is simply unacceptable that anyone should have to live in fear of intimidation from their neighbours or gangs terrorising their streets; that parks and childrens play areas should be littered with empty nitrous oxide canisters; that women and girls should feel unsafe walking alone at night; or that businesses and shops should close down because town centres are no longer places that people want to be. 'That is not the kind of community anyone wants, and it is not the kind of country we are.' Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, centre, pictured alongside Home Secretary Suella Braverman, second right, has pledged 160m to clamp down on anti-social behaviour across England and Wales Your browser does not support iframes. Mr Sunak said anti-social behaviour was not 'a low-level crime' or a 'nuisance or irritant'. He said it 'ruins communities' and needs to be 'stamped out'. Among the measures announced by the government, is a proposal to ban 'hippy crack'. Residents often complain of finding dumped aluminium cannisters strewn across the streets by users of the gas. Anti-social tenants also face eviction under the plans. Mr Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman were heckled during a walkabout in Essex following their announcement of the clampdown. The PM has pledged 160m to pay for the campaign which could see offenders fined 1,000. The Government said the way police are recording anti-social behaviour on their computer systems has improved allowing them to target problematic areas. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. However, the Liberal Democrats claim that police failed to attend an estimated four million complaints since 2019. Some forces, according to Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said some forces failed to attend 75 per cent of incidents. The Lib Dems obtained data through freedom of information requests sent to 45 police forces across the UK, 38 of which responded. Of these, the worst performers in 2022 were Avon & Somerset and Cambridgeshire with 81 per cent and 80 per cent of anti-social behaviour reports going unattended respectively, according to the party. More than one million reports of anti-social behaviour have been received by police forces across the UK between April 2022 and April 2023 Police in the local area of Hertfordshire also failed to attend almost three in four reports 75 per cent of incidents last year, the Lib Dems said. More than 2,000 a day went unattended by officers last year, according to the partys analysis. Sir Ed said: 'Its clear this Government has lost control of anti-social behaviour and its only getting worse. 'Too many communities are being plagued by anti-social behaviour, with criminals being allowed to act with impunity while victims are left afraid to walk down their own street. 'People should be able to feel that if they fall victim to anti-social behaviour, it will be taken seriously and police will attend. 'Instead of more empty promises, its time for the Government to finally commit to proper community policing where offices are visible, trusted, and able to tackle neighbourhood crime. It cannot wait any longer.' Under the government's new plan, offenders will be forced to repair the damage they have done. Other punishments include picking up litter, washing police cars or cleaning up graffiti. According to Government figures, last year saw 1,500 offenders spend almost 10,000 hours on 300 community clean-up projects, with plans to double that this year. Next year, the anti-social behaviour plan will be rolled out across the country. A bank manager has told how he spent 35 (AU$70) on a DNA test to investigate his ancestry and ended up unearthing a secret part of his family history. Jason Fisher, 34, splashed out on the MyHeritage.com test because he wanted to find out more about his ethnic background to try and explain his 'olive complexion'. But incredibly the test led to him discovering an aunt and a cousin in Australia when he previously did not even know that they existed. MailOnline can now reveal the full astonishing story about how he and the rest of his family came to meet up with his long lost aunt for the first time. The reunion only happened after father-of-three Jason ordered the 35 test as he was curious about where his ancestors came from because he tanned easily. Jason Fisher, 34, splashed out on a MyHeritage.com test because he wanted to find out more about his 'olive complexion'. Incredibly, the test led to him discovering an aunt and a cousin in Australia when he previously did not even know that they existed Julie Mamo, from Australia, connected with her sister 60 years later. She made headlines this week following the DNA test MyHeritage.com sent him a kit which involved swabbing his cheek on the inside and placing it in a vial to send to the genealogy website's laboratory in Texas. When he was emailed the result a few weeks later last August, it confirmed that he was around 60 per cent European, with some Scandinavian ancestry and 'a bit of Central Asian'. But there was also an unexpected bonus after it compared his DNA against samples of 7 million other people across the world on the MyHeritage.com database. The results showed that he had a 70 per cent DNA match to a half-sister in the UK and an aunt on his mother's side of his family who he already knew about. But Jason was puzzled to see that he had a 90 per cent match to a woman called Julie Mamo, 66, and her daughter Louise Marland, 49, from Gawler near Adelaide, Australia. He had never heard of the pair before and could not understand how their DNA was so similar to his when they lived 10,045 miles apart. In an astonishing coincidence just a week later, Ms Marland posted a message on the Facebook page for Aylesham, Kent, asking if anyone could help her find her mother's family. Jason who belonged to the same Facebook group instantly recognised her name as being one of the mystery women who was a close match for his DNA profile. Julie Mamo (second left) and Julie Ansell (centre) with niece Jess, brother Tes, and nephew Jason, when they all met up in May this year Julie Mamo (left), her daughter Louise and her long lost sister Julie Ansell They exchanged Facebook messages, and she told him that her mother had been adopted in Kent and had no idea who her real parents were. Jason then spoke to his aunt Julie Ansell, 64, of St Margaret's at Cliffe, near Dover, to ask if she knew what his family link to Ms Mamo could be. Ms Ansell told him how her mother Lillian Fisher had revealed to her when she 12-years-old that she had given birth to a daughter at the age of 17 and had her adopted. Lillian had then gone on to have her daughter Ms Ansell, and three sons from a marriage and two other relationships. Jason said: 'The adoption was a bit of a family secret because my nan did not tell anyone else. My aunt Julie also never talked about having a sister. 'But once I was told this, it all became clear that Julie in Australia was my nan's first daughter and my aunt. 'It looks like she named her second daughter Julie because she felt guilty about giving up her first daughter who had that name. 'I went back to Louise and told her that I thought I had cracked it. Then she sent me a picture of her mum, and I was struck by how much she looked like my nan.' Julie Mamo being christened. The DNA test was bought for Ms Mamo as a Christmas present in 2021 Julie Mamo (right) and her birth mother Lillian It turned to that Ms Mamo had been adopted when she was just nine days old by a couple in Kent who later ended up emigrating to Australia with her. Ms Mamo knew she had been adopted, but had no idea of the identity of her birth mother until Jason submitted his DNA test. She had earlier gone through the same process of getting her DNA tested by MyHeritage.com in the hope that it might her find some relatives. The test was bought for her as a Christmas present in 2021 by her daughter who also paid for her own test, but it initially revealed no matches. It was only when Jason had his test results uploaded that the link was found to his aunt and cousin. Jason's grandmother died aged 80 in 2019, meaning that mother-of-three Ms Mamo who is separated from her husband was never able to meet her real mother. But she became firm friends with her sister Ms Ansell, after they Facetime messaged each other and began speaking almost every night. Mother-of-three Ms Ansell flew over to Australia to meet her sister in May this year. They stayed together for three weeks before both flying back to the UK so that Ms Mamo could meet other relatives including Jason, and members of her adoptive family. Ms Mamo is flying home on Sunday, but the sisters plan to be reunited again next year when they want to spend a month together in Bali. Ms Ansell said that she and her sister had also discovered that they had a shared love of collecting wooden craft goods Jason said: 'The whole thing has been madness. I have gained myself an aunt and a cousin just by having a DNA test. 'I would never have thought in a million years that this was going to happen, simply by me trying to find out why I had olive coloured skin. 'It has always been the case that I can sit out in the sun and go brown in half an hour while other people go red. 'It cost me 35 to find this out and I got an auntie and cousin who are the best. 'When you have a stranger come into your life, you think how is it going to go and she's just slotted in.' Ms Ansell, a full time carer, recalled how she knew nothing about having an adopted sister until her mother told her when she was 12. She said: 'She revealed she had this baby called Julie when she was 17 and had to give her up. I suppose I was a little bit shocked to hear it. 'But I didn't tell anyone and it was never really mentioned again. I became a teenager and I didn't give it a lot more thought. 'When I first spoke to Julie on the video link, we hit it off straight away. We just get on, we don't even try, it's no effort. We have just slotted into each other's lives like a jigsaw puzzle. 'She is the spitting image of our mum with the same mannerisms and facial expressions. It's really spooky how they are so alike. She even speaks and laughs like our mum did. 'People say I am like my Mum, but my sister is like a carbon copy. All my kids say it is uncanny how they are so alike when they never knew each other. 'There are also odd little similarities between us. We both liked the taste of coal and putting Vicks Vaporub on our tongues when we were kids.' Ms Ansell said that she and her sister had also discovered that they had a shared love of collecting wooden craft goods. She added: 'It is just a shame that mum has passed. I am sure she would have been beside herself to see her. 'Having Julie back here has been great for our family. I didn't have a very close relationship with my brother Ted before, but now he is opening up about it. 'Good things have come out of it. We are closer as a family.' Ms Ansell said her mother had got pregnant with her after a brief affair with a man she believed was an American airman called Albert Hawkins who came from Texas. She said: 'They split up when she was pregnant with me and she never saw him again. I did try tracing him, but I just hit brick walls. 'I once went to a spiritualist and she told me that there was a man who was a father figure to me who was surrounded by aviation and aircraft. 'That convinced me she was talking about my father and that he must have died.' Ms Ansell said her mother got together with her stepfather Eddie Fisher while pregnant with her. Ms Mamo is flying home on Sunday, but the sisters plan to be reunited again next year when they want to spend a month together in Bali They later married and had two sons together before splitting when she was aged seven. Her mother had her third son with another man. Meanwhile Ms Mamo emigrated to Australia with her adoptive parents David and Mavis Holland when she was aged 12 in 1969. Ms Ansell said that Mavis, now 90, had revealed that her sister had not been given a name before she was handed over for adoption. She said: 'She told us that she wanted to call her baby Julie or Stephen. I wonder if my mum overheard her parents talking about her baby being called Julie and then she decided to use the name for me.' Ms Mamo said she had been told by her adoptive mother when she was aged 12 that she had been adopted. She said: 'I was told that my father was a soldier and my mum was too young to look after me so I got put up for adoption. That is all I knew. 'The adoption was arranged by my adoptive mother's parents and my great grandmother who ran the spiritualist church in Deal. 'They adopted me and my older brother because they didn't think they could have children, but a few years down the track they had twins and another son, so they landed up with five children. 'We went to Australia as 10 poms just before my 13th birthday. I remember we arrived on the day of the Moon landing. Julie Mamo (pictured as a baby) moved far away from her biological mother after her adoptive parents Mavis and David Holland (pictured with her) emigrated to Australia when she was still a child 'I was gobsmacked when we heard from Jason, and later when we realised he was my nephew. 'I was nervous about talking to my sister for the first time. I thought, 'Is she going to be posh or like me?' But as soon as we got talking, it was the easiest thing in the world. It is like we have known each other for ever. 'Discovering my birth family over here is brilliant. Everybody has accepted everybody. It has been a wonderful experience. 'I keep hearing everyone saying I am like my mum. I just wish I could have seen her before she died. 'It is still very surreal. It's like my butterflies have got butterflies. I've got a sister and I've never had a sister. I've never been an auntie and now I'm an auntie. It's amazing, unreal and magic.' The two sisters are now waiting for the results from their own DNA tests to see if they share the same father. They admit it is unlikely to be the case, but say that 'anything is possible'. Ms Mamo's daughter Louise said: 'She's always wanted to find her biological family. Once we started talking with Jason, we realised we were family. 'It's just a shame we were a few years late to meet my nan who died in 2019. It has changed my mum's life and it is unbelievable what it has done for her. The pair's nephew, Jason Fisher, found he had a 90 per cent match from genealogy site MyHeritage.com with Ms Memo despite not knowing who she was. Pictured: Julie Mamo as a young girl Ms Mamo was adopted when she was just nine days old after her unmarried 17-year-old mother, Lilian Fisher, gave her up in 1956 'I can see my mum belongs in the UK, she has found her place and her identity. It wouldn't have happened if we hadn't connected on social media.' Sarah Vanunu, a spokesperson for MyHeritage.com which was set up nearly 20-years-ago, said it now had the DNA results of 7 million people from all around the world. She said: 'Some people are tested with us and others have uploaded their DNA details after being tested by a different provider. 'All the uploaded DNA results are automatically compared to those we already have so people can see if they are related. 'If you find you are an interesting match with someone, you can reach out to them on the platform. 'But the test results also reveal the ethnic breakdown of a person's DNA. We have identified 2,100 different ethnic regions. 'Having your DNA tested is a bit like a Covid test. You just swab the side of your cheek and send it to our lab in Texas. You get the results emailed back to you in three or four weeks. 'We have seen many stories like this with people finding out they are related but it is not often that you get sisters who did not know about each other. 'Julie in Australia and her sister Julie in Kent are so similar. They have the same sense of humour and like to collect things like wooden jewellery. 'When I was talking to them on video calls, I even noticed that they were holding coffee cups the same way with their little finger. Six years ago, a 14-year-old schoolgirl was briefly introduced to a girl called Georgia Bilham by a mutual friend. The fleeting encounter lasted no more than a minute or so, and left no impression on the young teenager whatsoever. Now, however, she sees it entirely differently. 'I think: 'Was that it? Was it that meeting which led to everything? Did she deliberately target me?',' she asks. 'Of course, I'll never know.' It's just one of many questions haunting the girl, whom we'll call Bella, who today talks for the first time about the ordeal which ultimately resulted in one of the more bizarre and troubling court cases of recent years. Last week, Georgia Bilham, now 21, was found guilty of one charge of sexual assault after duping Bella, now 20, into a relationship that spanned several years and throughout which Bella believed Georgia to be a boy called George Parry. Last week, Georgia Bilham (pictured outside court), now 21, was found guilty of one charge of sexual assault after duping Bella, now 20, into a relationship that spanned several years Throughout the relationship Bella (pictured) believed Georgia to be a boy called George Parry Georgia was cleared of a further 16 allegations of sexual assault relating to further sexual contact, and is now awaiting sentencing later this summer pending psychiatric reports. It is closure of sorts for Bella, although one which nonetheless leaves her struggling to make sense of the bizarre sequence of events that dominated most of her teenage years. 'I opened myself up to this person, but everything they told me was a lie, and nothing was real,' she says in this exclusive interview. 'Most of all, I will never understand why she did what she did. I've asked myself every question under the sun about what happened, but I am no closer to working it out.' That ongoing bewilderment is a sentiment shared by the public who followed the seven-day trial at Chester Crown Court, during which Georgia would turn up every day, with her long blonde hair and feminine clothes, to answer intimate details about the relationship she had with Bella. Today, Bella still struggles to settle on the right terminology to refer to her former lover. On occasions she calls Georgia 'the perpetrator'; on others 'they' or 'them.' Inevitably, though, the masculine pronoun creeps in. 'I still call them 'him' sometimes,' she says. 'Because that's who George was to me.' Bella's mum, who has accompanied her for our interview, reaches for her daughter's hand. 'I wish I could have done more to protect her,' she tells me. Mother and daughter are clearly close, and make up a tight-knit trio that includes Bella's brother. They hail from Cheshire, and Bella, a strikingly attractive, open-hearted girl, would be the first to say she had an ordinary childhood. Georgia (pictured dressed as 'George') was cleared of a further 16 allegations of sexual assault relating to further sexual contact Like her peers, she was a devotee of the messaging app Snapchat, via which she was contacted in 2017 by someone calling themselves George Parry, who said his grandma lived in the area. 'We started messaging and quickly became close,' Bella recalls. 'We talked about everyday stuff, but also our families and our problems.' Little did Bella know 'George' was, in fact, Georgia Bilham, to whom she had been introduced in passing just a few months earlier. 'George' told Bella his mum had passed away and he now lived in Birmingham with his aunt. In reality, Georgia lived with her father, Peter, in Tarporley, Cheshire, and had stolen the identity of another boy from Facebook, whose social media pictures she passed off as her own. 'Not long after we started chatting, George also told me his father had died from alcoholism. He sent me pictures of the hospital where he had been taken,' Bella says. In fact, it was Georgia's real-life grandfather who had been in hospital and had subsequently passed away one of many bizarre deceptions in the spider's web that Georgia wove. As the months wore on, Bella and 'George's' relationship became increasingly intense, and Bella confiding her innermost feelings and thoughts. The pair also left each other voice notes, George speaking in a low, deep tone. 'The voice is the thing I still can't get my head around,' Bella says. 'They never once let it drop.' She plays me one of the many messages, which sounds undeniably deep and male. 'How do you keep that up?' her mum interjects, her bewilderment all too clear. Then, later that year, 'George' said he would be in the area and suggested a meeting, the two rendezvousing in darkness on a bench at a local beauty spot. 'George had his hood up, but it was so dark even if I had peered at his face I would not have seen much,' Bella recalls. There was no physical contact between them during their two-hour encounter, although George had brought along what he said was one of his own Hugo Boss jumpers for Bella to take home. It was a romantic gesture, but nonetheless Bella recalls feeling uneasy as she returned home Bilham sat smiling outside Chester Crown Court waiting for the jury's verdict earlier this month Georgia pictured posing in a bikini on holiday in Spain 'I didn't feel I had met the same person I had been messaging,' she recalls. 'The energy was different.' She subsequently blocked George on social media, telling him she thought he was 'weird' a pattern that would be repeated several times over the next three years. 'I got tired of being messed about,' she says. 'There were endless arrangements for George to visit, then nothing came of them. 'I would end things, and so would they sometimes, but we always ended up going back to each other. I wouldn't say it was love at that stage but there was something that drew me back to him.' Giving evidence in court, Bella would later characterise her relationship with George as an unhealthy addiction. Certainly, throughout the thousands of messages they exchanged, Bella repeatedly accused him of being dishonest. Yet at no point did she think that he was lying about his gender. 'It just did not occur to me,' she says. 'Why would anyone do that? But I felt there was a disconnect between the person in his social media posts and the person he was with me.' Then, in April 2021, 'George' got in touch to say he was again in the area, and suggested they meet up in person once more a proposal Bella now believes was linked to Georgia passing her driving test and having more freedom. After picking her up in 'his' in reality Georgia's mum's grey Ford Focus, the two drove to a nearby McDonald's, George once again wearing a hoodie. 'One thing I noticed was that they kept fiddling with the mirror in the car,' Bella says. 'I now wonder if they were checking how much of their face was covered. 'I asked several times why he wouldn't take the hood down, but they talked about their anxiety and how it helped them to be covered up,' she says. During this encounter, George also asked Bella if he could take off her glasses to see how little she could see. 'I'd told them several times that I'm lost without my glasses,' she says. It would not be until their third meeting that the couple kissed for the first time, after 'George' drove them to another local beauty spot. Today Bella squirms at the memory. 'At the time it felt like it had been building up to this. Now it makes me feel sick,' she says. Not long afterwards, as they returned home, George lost control of the car, ploughing into a hedge. Although both were uninjured, they called the police, and during that interaction Bella heard an officer referring to George as 'Georgia' over the police radio. Georgia pictured with her father Peter Bilham, 60, outside court 'I was standing apart from George and I said to the officer: 'The driver is a George Parry.' 'He told me that Georgia was the name he'd been given. I was shaking I couldn't make sense of it, and I asked the police to take me home.' In the back of the police car, she sent George a text demanding to know why he'd given a girl's name to the officer. There came another, complex explanation involving false ID supplied by an 'Albanian gang' he'd got involved with. 'They were relentless message after message, saying: 'Please don't end what we've got.' He had proof he was a boy, he could show me a passport, other ID.' Bella acknowledges that from a distance, it sounds ludicrous. 'But you have to remember that you don't see what you're not looking for,' she says. 'I never once thought he really was a girl. I had been manipulated from a really young age.' And so the relationship continued to unfold. Night-time drives evolved into sneaking George into Bella's bedroom, for furtive encounters which by now had become sexual. 'George would do things to me, but if I tried to touch him he would jump out of his skin,' says Bella. Although the pair were sexually intimate, they never had full intercourse. Instead, 'George' who insisted on wearing tracksuit bottoms, a jumper and a hood, even in bed would perform sex acts on Bella, who said that on occasion while 'spooning' she 'felt a willy-like figure' against her leg. 'Of course, I questioned him, like I did about him not removing his hood, but it was always the same thing that he had huge anxiety, and didn't want to reveal too much of himself.' At this point Bella breaks down. 'There was a battle in the back of my mind about what I accepted and what I didn't. Ultimately, I wanted this person in my life, so there was a sense of 'this is what it is hopefully I can be the one who can make them open up and relax'. I always thought that, in time, that would happen.' Certainly as the weeks wore on, Bella was struggling to make sense of the nature of her relationship with 'George'. Her mother, meanwhile, was nursing her own curiosity about this figure in her daughter's life, whom she'd yet to meet, and resolved to meet 'George'. Bella's mother recalls: 'The next morning, I received a voice note from Bella's phone from George, asking if I wanted anything from Starbucks. I asked for a hot chocolate, and he brought one into the living room. I was on a call so I only got to see him briefly in profile. I remember his hand shaking as he put it down on my desk.' Later, she decided to go into Bella's room. 'I knocked and went in, and George literally jerked his head to the side so he could only be seen in profile,' she recalls. 'It was a hot August day, but the blackout blinds were drawn. I remember saying: 'What are you doing sitting in the dark, you pair of weirdos?'.' The encounter was peculiar enough that, later that night, a now suspicious Bella's mother decided to draw a diagram with George at the centre and all the information she knew about him the hood, the disconnect between the cheerful pictures her daughter showed her and the strange figure she had met around the edges. She thought about how he moved, and the peculiar femininity about his face in the rare, snatched glimpses she'd got. 'Put together, it didn't add up. I realised George was a girl, and I just burst into tears,' she recalls. The realisation was one thing telling her daughter was another. 'I sat her down the next day and said George hadn't been honest with her and that I thought she was a girl.' Initially, Bella couldn't accept it. 'I said: 'You've got this wrong.' By then, I knew George was lying that he wasn't the boy in the pictures he'd been sending me but I still didn't think he was a different gender,' says Bella. Still, the seed had been planted, and that night Bella did some detective work of her own which, eventually, via a complicated social media spider's web, led her to Georgia Bilham's Facebook profile. 'I realised that everything led to her,' she says. 'We had a friend in common whom I had messaged asking questions about Georgia. In one of those messages she confirmed that Georgia drove her mum's grey Ford Focus. And that's when it finally hit me.' George was, in fact, Georgia Bilham, the girl she had first met in passing four years earlier. 'I couldn't comprehend it at all I couldn't process it,' says Bella. 'Why would anyone deceive someone like that? I felt sick to my stomach.' She messaged Georgia, who confessed immediately, sending a string of heartfelt messages saying she had never intended to deceive her for so long, and could not explain why she had done it. 'It didn't help,' says Bella. 'I suppose part of me was hoping I was wrong. I was in complete turmoil. I didn't reply. There was nothing I could say.' She did, however, send a Facebook message to Georgia's father, Peter, telling him what his daughter done, and suggesting she seek psychiatric help. 'He replied, saying he would talk to her, but that was about it,' she says. Bella's distress lasted for days. With her anguished daughter unable to sleep or eat, her mother finally took her to see a therapist who, after hearing her story, urged her to call the police. 'It seemed such a strange suggestion,' Bella says. 'I had enjoyed being with George at the time, so how could I be a victim? I saw her as someone who needed urgent help.' After her session with her therapist, and talking it through with her mum, Bella finally agreed to contact Cheshire Police, who sent an officer to see her the following day. 'They took it incredibly seriously from the start,' she says. Even so, Bella was stunned when, several months later, she received a visit from the officer in charge of the investigation, telling her that Georgia had been charged and bailed on 17 counts of sexual assault. 'I just hadn't expected it,' she says. Under special measures granted by the court, Bella subsequently gave evidence prior to the seven-day trial at the start of June, and was cross-examined in a separate room by video link. 'I was devastated,' Bella says quietly of the verdict. 'I can only say again that not once did I ever think she was a girl. If I had ever had that realisation, then why would I put myself in court?' Bella has since found love with a new boyfriend, whom she has been dating for several months, and which, she says, has given her a new perspective on the time she spent with 'George'. 'I thought it was love, but now I'm in a healthy relationship with someone, I think it was more of an unhealthy obsession,' she says. The puzzling question as to why Georgia did it, meanwhile, lingers. 'I don't suppose I'll ever know,' says Bella. 'I was in love with someone I thought of as George and he didn't exist.' *NAMES have been changed. When Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert were elected to Congress in November 2020, they were instantly tied together. 'QAnon goes to Washington,' announced Roll Call, the longtime chronicler of Capitol Hill, connecting Greene and Boebert to the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, which they have since distanced themselves from. Greene and Boebert were also compared to each other because of their brash temperament, relative youth compared to most members of Congress and ability to rile up a MAGA crowd. But Greene doing just that - at the rally of a known white nationalist - and Boebert expressing displeasure, produced the first media reports that the MAGA darlings weren't in lockstep together. That tiff produced a fight at a House Freedom Caucus meeting near Capitol Hill in March 2022. Cut to a bathroom shouting-fest this January and then this week's animosity on the House floor, where Greene called Boebert a 'little b****.' Smiling Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene pose for a freshman class photo on January 4, 2021. The two lawmakers were connected a soon as they entered Congress for their belief in QAnon, relative youth, brash temperament and ability to excite the MAGA crowd On Wednesday, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert were heard getting into it on the House floor, with Greene confirming that she had referred to the Colorado congresswoman as a 'little b***h' So how did two of the MAGA movement's biggest stars become arch-enemies? It was Politico that first reported in April 2022 that the 36-year-old Boebert 'detests being tied to her Georgia colleague.' The story detailed how the two had gotten into it at a House Freedom Caucus board of directors meeting in March 2022 over Greene, 49, appearing at an event in Florida organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who gained additional notoriety when he dined at Mar-a-Lago days before Thanksgiving with former President Donald Trump and anti-Semitic rapper Kanye West. Most of MAGAWorld had been gathered in Florida to participate in the Orlando-based Conservative Political Action Conference, but only Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar went to the sideshow white supremacist event organized by Fuentes. Sources told Politico that Greene's and Boebert's argument got so heated that people in the room feared it might turn physical. Greene admitted in an interview with Semafor this week that her row with Boebert stretched back 'since the last Congress.' The Ukraine war also distanced the two congresswoman, with Boebert wanting the U.S. to give military assistance to Ukraine, and Greene expressing that 'America First' meant not giving Ukraine U.S. taxpayer dollars, The Daily Beast said. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene march through the Capitol with members of the House Freedom Caucus in July 2021 in protest of new mask guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (left) and Lauren Boebert (right) stand next to each other at a House Freedom Caucus news conference in November 2021, months before their first altercation Reps. Lauren Boebert (left) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (right) shout down President Joe Biden during the 2022 State of the Union, when they were repotedly still on good terms. Rep. Byron sits in between them The divide became much more prominent at the start of the current Congress when the two women took different sides in the speakership vote debacle. Greene sided with now House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, while Boebert was among the 'never Kevins' who forced the speakership vote to go 15 rounds. Boebert finally relented and changed her vote to 'present' on the 14th vote. Prior to that, the two women had a fight in the bathroom. Sources told The Daily Beast that 'Greene questioned Boeberts loyalty to McCarthy, and after a few words were exchanged, Boebert stormed out.' 'You were OK taking millions of dollars from McCarthy but you refuse to vote for him for Speaker, Lauren?' Greene reportedly said, catching Boebert off guard by coming out of a stall in the women's bathroom off the Speaker's Lobby. Boebert responded to Greene, 'don't be ugly,' a source said, and then added that she 'ran out like a little schoolgirl.' Six months later, their arguments have spilled out onto the floor. During votes Wednesday, Boebert can be seen approaching the dais, walking past Greene and then hightailing it back to her where the two women were captured by C-SPAN speaking animatedly. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (left) and Lauren Boebert (right) are photographed at a House Freedom Caucus event in November 2022 months after their first known public spat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaking to reporters last month after the pasage of the debt ceiling bill, called out Rep. Lauren Boebert for taking money from now Speaker Kevin McCarthy but holding up the speakership vote in January The lawmaker chairing the session can be heard banging the gavel and saying, 'Take your conversations off the floor,' as a round of voting concluded. By dinnertime Wednesday, The Daily Beast had reported what was said. Greene had alleged that Boebert had copied her articles of impeachment, instead of just supporting her bill. 'I've doneated to you, I've defended you. But you've been nothing but a litte b***h to me,' Greene told Boebert, sources said. 'And you copied my articles of impeachment after I asked you to cosponsor them.' One GOP lawmaker in earshot told The Beast: 'I heard Marjorie call Boebert a b***h right to her face.' And Greene admitted to it on-the-record. 'She has genuinely been a nasty little b***h to me,' the Georgia congresswoman told Semafor. Greene said that Boebert had come over to her to confront her about telling reporters she believed the Colorado congresswoman was playing copycat. 'I was sitting down, and so I stood up and said, "I'm happy to clarify my public statements to your face,"' Greene told Semafor. 'I told her exactly what I think about her.' Rep. Lauren Boebert (right) was asked about her feud with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity's (left) show She said Boebert's solo impeachment effort was 'purely for fundraising.' 'It's throwing out red meat so that people will donate to her campaign because she's coming up on the end of the month, and she's trying to produce good fundraising numbers,' Greene said. Boebert almost lost her race to Democrat Adam Frisch in November. Frisch is already running against her again. Greene also said that at one point during the fight Boebert accused the Georgia congresswoman of spitting on her lip. Greene said at another point Boebert tried to re-engage, and Greene told her to be quiet. 'I said, "you need to shut up because the only person that's recognized to speak right now is [Rep. Anna Paulina] Luna,"' Greene noted. The video captures Greene and Boebert going at it, until Luna starts to speak. Greene also gave an 'absolutely not' to Semafor when asked if there could be a reconciliation. Boebert was asked about the feud by Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity Thursday night and pushed that it wasn't as bad as it seems. 'Sean, I did not put my life on pause and leave my four boys and my now grandson to come here and just get in spats with people,' Boebert said. 'I came here to legislate and to be effective for Coloradans, Coloradans who are suffering from the Democrats policy. Marjorie is not my enemy. Joe Biden's policy, the Democrats, that is my enemy that I am combating right now.' New York City Mayor Eric Adams used taxpayer funds to send migrants to red states including Texas and Florida with some even being sent as far as South America and China despite trashing Republican governors for sending them to the Big Apple. Adams, a Democrat, spent about $50,000 of the city's money to send 114 migrant households elsewhere in the world as the city is overrun with asylum seekers in the tens of thousands. A total of 28 families were sent to Florida with 14 being sent to Texas, a few were sent to Colombia and one family to China. The migrants were allowed to choose where they were sent, reports Politico. The mayor has previously slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for bussing migrants to New York and other northeastern locales in what he called a 'political stunt.' 'This was part of a political ploy and that's what we need to understand,' Adams said on CNN at the time. 'I mean, what was his purpose of sending a planeload to Martha's Vineyard? He just felt as though he wanted to get into this horrendous action,' he added in a press conference, according to ABC News. Abbott has sent around 9,700 asylum seekers to New York City, according to Politico. DeSantis has flown about 85 migrants to Massachusetts and California. Kate Smart, a spokesperson for the mayor, bizarrely tried to contrast the city's efforts with those of Florida and Texas. 'New York City has, as we have discussed very publicly for months, worked to connect individuals with friends, family, and networks whether in New York City or outside of it,' Smart said in a statement. 'We are not coercing people to leave, we are not suggesting or recommending locations, and we are not presenting any kind of false choice. We are helping people who want to reconnect with loved ones or communities do so.' The city says that 78,700 migrants have come to New York since last spring and 48,700 of them are still under the city's support system. Adams, who has called the immigration crisis a 'disaster' has opened 174 emergency shelters and intake centers. The city is slated to spend over $4.3billion to try and slow the crisis. The city says that 78,700 migrants have come to New York since last spring and 48,700 of them are still under the city's support system The mayor has previously slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured) for bussing migrants to New York and other northeastern locales in what he called a 'political stunt.' 'I mean, what was his purpose of sending a planeload to Martha's Vineyard? He just felt as though he wanted to get into this horrendous action,' Adams said of DeSantis in a press conference Earlier this year, Adams visited the U.S.-Mexico border and called the situation 'a disaster' that needed to be addressed at the federal level. The visit came after governors from Republican-led states like Florida and Texas began busing and flying migrants in to New York City in 2022. In late-May Adams called for migrants to be sent to every major city in America. Adams reopened many of the city's closed hotels and turned them into migrant shelters to deal with an influx of asylum seekers in late 2022 and early 2023. However, on CBS' Face the Nation, Adams told host Margaret Brennan that this is 'not a burden on one city' and proposed a shared solution. 'We have 108,000 cities, villages, towns,' he said. 'If everyone takes a small portion of that, and if it's coordinated at the border to ensure that those who are coming here to this country in a lawful manner is actually moved throughout the entire country, it is not a burden on one city.' Adams has suggested putting migrants in 'private residences' to deal with the influx of economic dependents seekers in the Big Apple. Adams reopened many of the city's closed hotels and turned them into migrant shelters to deal with an influx of asylum seekers in late 2022 and early 2023 Earlier this year, Adams visited the U.S.-Mexico border and called the situation 'a disaster' that needed to be addressed at the federal level The statement came while Adams announced a partnership with New York houses of worship to give migrants a place to stay across the city. 'It is my vision to take the next step to this faith-based locales and then move to a private residence... They have spare rooms,' Adams said Monday afternoon. Adams said when the church-based program is fully operational, they hope to be able to host up to 1,000 asylum seekers at a time. Hunter Biden could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still get invited back into the Presidential fold. America's disgraced First Son was once again thrust into the center of White House festivities on Thursday night, dressed in a flashy tuxedo and hobnobbing with the most powerful people in the world at a state dinner in honor of India's prime minister. In attendance were celebrities, powerful politicians, global leaders and most pertinently Attorney General Merrick Garland, who leads the Justice Department that just handed Hunter no more than a pathetic slap on the wrist for tax and gun crimes. That's right, buried amid tragic news about the Titanic Five, it emerged that following an arduous five-year investigation the President's only surviving son cut a deal with prosecutors. If he pleads guilty to two misdemeanors for 'failure to pay taxes,' as well as, lying on a firearm transaction record, he'll likely avoid jail time. This is a man who appears to have concealed millions in income through tax dodging. Who proudly brandished a gun on camera, as he snorted and smoked all manner of drugs alongside a coterie of prostitutes. Whose lover - his dead brother Beau's widow dumped his weapon in a grocery store trash can across from a school in 2018, only for the Secret Service to swoop in and seemingly launch a cover-up. Top legal experts have since slammed the sweetheart deal as an aberration of justice. So, you'll forgive me for saying it how it is: we're dealing with an elitist scumbag, the ultimate product of nepotism. America's disgraced First Son was once again thrust into the center of White House festivities on Thursday night, dressed in a flashy tuxedo and hobnobbing with the most powerful people in the world at a state dinner in honor of India's prime minister. President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi toast during an official state dinner at the White House on June 22, 2023 In attendance were celebrities, powerful politicians, global leaders and most pertinently Attorney General Merrick Garland, who leads the Justice Department that just handed Hunter no more than a pathetic slap on the wrist for tax and gun crimes. Yet according to our president, Hunter's a good boy worthy of representing the United States. Enough! Hunter doesn't deserve the privilege. Of course, I know what's going to be said: Hunter is an addict, and his father is protecting him as any parent would. 'I'm very proud of my son,' Joe repeatedly mumbles like a broken record. Would he please shut up with that nonsense! No one buys it. What makes me truly sick to my stomach is that his father our President and the leader of the free world doesn't express one ounce of shame for his son's behavior. This 53-year-old man won't even apparently allow his own daughter, Navy Roberts, the right to take his last name, for God's sake. President Biden and the First Lady refuse to even acknowledge the four-year-old child, the offspring of a relationship - that Hunter claims he can't remember - with a former Washington DC exotic dancer. This week, Hunter won a fight in court to slash his monthly child support payments to Navy's mother. The cruelty from the First Family is hard to fathom. We have also now learned that Hunter was allegedly tossed out of a LA-based sex club, where members pay as much as $75,000 to join. 'Hunter was a member of SNCTM and I cancelled his membership after 1 party because he's a scumbag,' wrote the orgy club's founder in a since deleted post. But, for Hunter it's always bygones. Until this time. We now have very good reason to believe Hunter's latest follies involve something far worse. You'll forgive me for saying it how it is: we're dealing with an elitist scumbag, the ultimate product of nepotism, who blames everyone else for his problems and goes running to daddy every time he ends up in trouble. This is a man who appears to have concealed millions in income through tax dodging. Who proudly brandished a gun on camera, as he snorted and smoked all manner of drugs alongside a coterie of prostitutes. On Thursday, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee released new testimony from whistleblower Gary Shapley, a 14-year veteran of IRS and another anonymous agency source. It is potentially damning. Shapley was tapped to oversee Hunter's IRS probe. He previously alleged that the Justice Department's Tax Division and the Delaware U.S. Attorney's Office 'provided preferential treatment' toward Hunter and intentionally 'slow-walked' the investigation, which took a whopping 5 years to complete. The first question is: why so long? According to Shapley, the snail's pace allowed the statute of limitations on several potential charges to expire, purportedly allowing Hunter to skate on his failure to pay $400,000 in taxes on income from 2014 and 2015. Now, Shapley's newly-released testimony alleges government investigators were blocked from pursuing a search warrant of Joe Biden's guest house, where Hunter once lived, and they were obstructed from pursuing leads that led to Hunter's adult children. The allegations go on and on, but maybe the most shocking evidence, if true, is a WhatsApp message that Shapley says the government obtained showing Hunter seeming telling a powerful Chinese businessman and Communist Party official to pay up, or else he'll tell daddy. 'I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,' Hunter Biden reportedly wrote to Henry Zhao. 'I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.' As of Friday, Hunter's lawyer wasn't denying the message's authenticity. 'Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family,' attorney Christopher Clark said in a statement on Friday. This 53-year-old man won't even allow his own daughter, Navy Roberts (above, left), the right to take his last name, for God's sake. 'I'm very proud of my son,' Joe repeatedly mumbles like a broken record. Would he please shut up with that nonsense! No one buys it. Here we go again. Nothing Hunter did or said during his addiction can be taken seriously, according to his defenders. Yes, they can. Joe has long claimed that he wasn't aware of Hunter's overseas dealings. He has said that he was oblivious to the fact that Hunter was raking in millions from a shady Ukrainian energy firm, called Burisma. But now, the Biden administration appears to be hedging on that. 'As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son,' the White House said Friday. Notice the subtle switch here? No longer are they claiming that President Biden was unaware of Hunter's behavior. Now they're saying that father and son weren't 'in business' together. At what point should any of this give the American media pause? At what point will they refuse to accept President Biden's claim that he's simply 'proud' of his son? Keep in mind, Hunter is still trading on his family name. He's selling artwork to anonymous buyers for hundreds of thousands of dollars. And we all know the only reason that he can command those prices is because his dad is president. But there's Hunter - slapping backs at the White House, sitting a few tables away from the attorney general, jetting off to Ireland on an official trip with pops, and showing up at numerous White House events. A White House state dinner is not a family BBQ - it is a reflection of our nation. And Thursday night's image screamed: in America, as long as you're rich and powerful, anything goes. The co-founder of OceanGate Expeditions has criticized James Cameron for accusing the company of being reckless and ill-advised, insisting that Cameron was not involved in the design of the doomed Titanic tourist submersible and was simply speculating. Guillermo Sohnlein, a 58-year-old Argentine-American entrepreneur, created OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, 61. According to Sohnlein's LinkedIn, he left the company in 2013. He is now based in Barcelona. Cameron, director of the 1997 film Titanic and a celebrated deep sea explorer, who has dived down to the Titanic wreckage over 30 times, has spent the past few days giving interviews explaining his concerns about the design of the sub. He said its carbon fiber design was widely seen within the deep sea exploration community as being unsafe. 'One of the things Mr Cameron said which was correct is that the deep sea exploration community is very small,' said Sohnlein, speaking to Times Radio. Guillermo Sohnlein, a 58-year-old Argentine-American entrepreneur, created OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, 61. On Friday he defended the company's design ethos The submersible, Titan, is pictured descending. It was the only five person sub capable of reaching Titanic, and the only tourist sub which had not been independently certified as safe. On Thursday debris from the sub was found on the ocean floor 'We all know each other. I think in general we all respect each other. 'But as you would expect in this kind of community there are completely different opinions about how to do things - how to design submersibles, how to engineer them, how to operate in the dives. 'But one thing that's true of me, and every other expert that has been talking, is that none of us were involved in the design, engineering or even testing of the subs. 'So it's impossible for anyone to really speculate from the outside.' OceanGate, and in particular Rush, have come in for fierce criticism about alleged corner-cutting with the design and testing, and ignoring the scientific and engineering consensus. Rush died in the disaster, along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58; French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; and British-Pakistani father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19. Five people were onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19 French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition Five years after Sohnlein left the company, the director of maritime safety was fired for questioning the structural composition. That same year, 2018, an industry group told Rush that there were widespread concerns about Titan's design. Rush boasted that Boeing, NASA and the University of Washington had all collaborated on the design, but all three have since said they were not involved in designing and testing Titan. But Sohnlein said Cameron and others were wrong in calling OceanGate reckless. 'I was involved in the early phases of the overall development program, during our predecessor subs to Titan. 'And I know, from first hand experience, that we were extremely committed to safety, and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture.' Yet Cameron has said there were several 'potential failure points' in the doomed Titan submersible - and a warning system probably alerted the five crew who perished shortly before the vessel imploded. A series of concerns were raised in recent years about the vessel's carbon fiber hull - the cylinder which carried the five crew who perished - and its porthole, which was allegedly not certified to the immense depths Titan ventured to. Rush even said the carbon fiber design broke a 'rule' and was accused of ignoring concerns from his own staff. Cameron, a renowned explorer who has traveled to the deepest known point in the ocean, said Titan had 'three potential failure points' and indicated that its 'Achilles heel' was the carbon fiber cylinder. He added the hull was broken into 'very small pieces' after Titan imploded when the hull fractured because of the pressure. A warning system probably sounded an alert and the crew tried to ascend in the moment before the implosion, he added. Titan's carbon fiber hull and its acrylic viewport were subject to several warnings and James Cameron singled them out as 'potential failure points' on the vessel Cameron gave a series of interviews following news of Titan's demise which criticized the 'fundamentally flawed' carbon fiber hull Concerns about the hull and porthole were also raised by OceanGate's former head of marine operations, David Lochridge, in court documents in 2018. The filings state the viewport was 'only built to a certified pressure of 1,300 meters, although OceanGate intended to take passengers down to depths of 4,000 meters'. Cameron delivered a damning assessment of the Titan craft during a series of interviews following the grim news it had been destroyed during its mission. He criticized the design for straying away from proven techniques in favor of experimental methods. 'There are three potential failure points and the investigation hopefully can localize it down to exactly what happened,' he told Good Morning America. 'The viewport in the front was an acrylic viewport. I'm told it was rated to less depth than they were diving to, which is one point. They also had two glass spheres on the sub, small glass spheres for floatation, which is a bad idea.' Cameron didn't clarify his statement about the 'glass spheres' but he said it was the carbon fiber hull that was the 'weakest link'. 'If I had to put money down on what the finding will be, the Achilles heel of the sub was the composite cylinder that was the main hull that the people were inside. 'There were two titanium end caps on each end. They are relatively intact on the sea floor. 'But that carbon fiber composite cylinder is now just in very small pieces. It's all rammed into one of the hemispheres. It's pretty clear that's what failed.' Cameron said: 'And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency' Rush, who died in the Titan incident, said in a video posted online in 2021 that he had 'broken some rules' to create the vessel and added: 'The carbon fiber and titanium, there's a rule you don't do that well I did.' He also said in 2020 that the hull had 'showed signs of cyclical fatigue'. Carbon fiber is prone to delamination, the process whereby a material fractures into layers while put under pressure. Cameron said: 'The way it fails is it delaminates. You have to have a hull, a pressure hull, made out of a contiguous material like steel, or like titanium, which is the proven standard.' 'This OceanGate sub had sensors on the inside of the hull to give them a warning when it was starting to crack. And I think if that's your idea of safety, then you're doing it wrong. And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... 'It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency.' In 2012, James Cameron carried out a successful solo mission to the deepest known point on Earth, the Mariana Trench. He piloted the Deepsea Challenger (pictured) which was designed to withstand depths in excess of 36,000ft Cameron in 2012 after his successful solo dive in Deepsea Challenger to the deepest-known point on Earth, the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench A graphic breaks down Cameron's 2012 mission to the deepest known point in the ocean OceanGate has not shared a comment about reports into safety concerns about Titan since the incident. The company had boasted in promotional material about Titan's 'Real Time Hull Health Monitoring', which constantly checked the integrity of the vessel throughout the dive. The system used acoustic sensors and strain gauges to 'analyze the effects of changing pressure on the vessel as the submersible dives deeper, and accurately assess the integrity of the structure'. But legal filings reveal Lochridge, the former director of marine operations, 'expressed concern that this was problematic because this type of acoustic analysis would only show when a component is about to failoften milliseconds before an implosionand would not detect any existing flaws prior to putting pressure onto the hull.' Cameron successfully reached the deepest known point on Earth, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, in 2012 using the Deepsea Challenger submersible. It was only the fourth time the seven-mile descent to the Pacific sea bed has been made successfully - and the first time a man has made it the bottom and back since 1960. The dive followed seven years of planning and design for the construction of the specialized sub which could withstand the immense pressure at the ocean floor. New data has revealed the surprising suburbs in each state where Aussies can get their hands on a home for the same price they would have paid in 2013. Units and houses in several suburbs around Australia have stayed at similar median prices for the last 10 years largely due to more availability of accommodation. Research by PropTrack shows the median unit price in Regents Park, 22km from Sydney's CBD, has increased by 14 per cent to $383,500 since 2013. Similarly, median unit prices in North Ryde, in Sydney's north, have only increased by two per cent to $745,000. Meanwhile, the average price of a unit in Greater Sydney is up 54 per cent to $787,000 when compared with the 2013 price. The median prices of units in several Sydney suburbs, including North Ryde and Regents Park, have stayed similar since 2013 (pictured, house for sale in North Ryde) Experts contributed stability in median prices in Regents Park to an oversupply of available property (pictured, building with units for sale in Regents Park) The price is even steeper for those looking to buy a free-standing house which averaged $615,000 in 2013 but now costs $1.3million. PropTrack economist Angus Moore said the stable market in specific suburbs is attributed to a large number of high-rise buildings being built in the early 2010s, meaning there's plenty of property to go around. 'The prices would be more affordable, which may be appealing to some buyers,' he told the Daily Telegraph. 'The affordability actually shows what would be possible if they built more housing in other areas.' Outside of the city several mining, rural and flood-affected towns have stayed at similar prices in the last 10 years. Deniliquin, a small town near Echucha on the NSW-Victoria border, was severely hit by floods in the 2022 record weather event. The devastation has caused the median price in the town to fall to the same price as in 2013 with units at $146,500. The median price of a house in Cobar, a mining town in central NSW, has fallen by four per cent since 2013 to $200,000. In 2013 the median price for a unit in St Kilda was $470,000 which in 2023 increased by just seven per cent to $502,725 (pictured, house for sale in St Kilda) Several areas around Melbourne have reamined surprisingly stable in the last 10 years with the median price of a unit in the city itself only increasing by five per cent to $520,000. Carlton, one suburb north of the city's CBD, has seen the median price of units drop by five per cent to $436,000 while nearby Abbotsford has fallen by 12 per cent to $525,000. The biggest dip in median unit prices around the state was recorded in Travancore, just 6km north of the CBD. In 2013 the median price for a unit in Travancore sat at $501,250 but has fallen by an incredible 33 per cent to just $338,000 in 2023. Several Melbourne residents attribute the suburb's stability to the fact it is mostly forgotten about in favour of other trendier suburbs. Another surprising suburb where the median unit price has stayed largely the same is St Kilda. In 2013 the median price for a unit was $470,000. By 2023 the median price had increased by just seven per cent to $502,725. Fortitude Valley, known as Brisbane CBD's nightlife area, has seen a four per cent dip in median unit prices since 2013 (pictured, bedroom of a unit for sale in Fortitude Valley) The median cost of a unit in Airlie Beach only rose by six per cent to $440,000 - though median house prices continue to rise (pictured, house for sale in Airlie Beach) Brisbane's property market has picked up considerably more but there are still a few suburbs where prices haven't jumped by much. Fortitude Valley, known as Brisbane CBD's nightlife area, has seen a dip in median unit prices since 2013. Units in the suburb cost a median price of $420,000 a decade ago and now sit at $401,500. The median price of a unit in Stafford, 12km north of the CBD, has risen by just 7 per cent since 2013 to $441,500. Mr Moore said the consistency of pricing in several Brisbane and Melbourne suburbs is also due to an oversupply of property available. 'House prices have tended to grow a lot faster than unit prices,' he said. 'This was especially true during the pandemic and (lockdowns) when people favoured larger properties.' The biggest property market falls in Queensland when comparing 2013 to 2023 were, by far, in the Gladstone region (pictured, kitchen of house for sale in Gladstone) The median price for a unit in Glandore rose by 10 per cent to $345,000 (pictured, unit for sale in Glandore) Median prices have stayed the most consistent in regional areas of Queensland - including along the Whitsundays coast with the median cost of a unit in Airlie Beach only rising by six per cent to $440,000. The biggest property market falls in the state when comparing 2013 to 2023 were, by far, in the Gladstone region. In 2013 the median price of a unit in Gladstone Central was $472,500 but dropped by 51 per cent compared to 2023 with the median price now $230,000. In 2013 the median price of a unit in Gladstone Central was $472,500 but dropped by 51 per cent compared with 2023, with the median price now $230,000. Similar falls can be seen in the town's coastal regions with house price in Barney Point falling by 25 per cent. Several rural areas around Queensland have also suffered steep median price declines. Units in Emerald, 270km west of Rockhampton, fell by 43 per cent to $200,000 and houses in outback hub Longreach dropped by 12 per cent to $225,000. The median price for a unit in Glandore is $345,000 (pictured, house for sale in Glandore) The most steady suburbs in South Australia are mostly out of Adelaide but a few key suburbs have kept the city affordable. The median price of a unit in Edwardstown, 8km south of Adelaide's CBD, has risen by just 10 per cent to $280,000 while nearby Glandore has also risen by 10 per cent to $345,000. Unit prices in Hackham, in Adelaide's south, saw the second biggest drop in the entire state with the median in 2013 sitting at $229,500 while the 2023 median dropped by 35 per cent to $150,000. A New York City subway passenger screamed for help after being violently slashed by a man on the train as her fellow passengers did nothing, footage shows. The attack, which left the woman with blood dripping down her leg and needing an emergency tourniquet to stem the bleeding, took place on the Lexington Avenue line on Sunday around 4:15pm. The woman, 28, tried to film her attacker as he nonchalantly walked through the carriage following Wednesday's attack on three women. The alleged attacker, 28-year-old Kemal Rideout, was arrested on Tuesday and arraigned on Wednesday for violently attacking three women just minutes apart at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and 86th Street stations on Father's Day. The victim in the video can be heard screaming 'call 911! Somebody call 911' and 'pull the emergency brake! Pull the emergency brake!' but seated passengers just looked in her direction dumbfounded. Kemal Rideout, 28, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal court on Wednesday after allegedly slashing three women on the subway on Father's Day One victim who recorded the suspect calmly walking through the train required multiple stitches to her leg The video pans down to show the gaping wounds on her leg and the blood dripping to the subway floor. The victim seen in the footage, who has remained anonymous, told ABC News: 'I was on the train, texting my boyfriend,' when 'Some random guy walked past me and sliced me I dont know what he used and nonchalantly walked away. My body was in shock. I didnt feel the pain right away.' 'My first instinct was to get a video of him and then looked down and saw the blood coming down' she added. The woman, who was the most seriously injured of the victims, required a tourniquet to close the deep wound before she was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. 'He was walking away slowly. He was walking nonchalantly. He didn't run. He brought no attention to himself at all. You could see him going through the door. He was at the tip of the door. He looked back. He saw my daughter filming. He went through and shut the door,' the woman's mother told the New York Post. 'Her mental state will never be the same.' The first victim, Bianchelly Diplan, 19, was walking out of the 86th Street station on her way to Paris Baguette to pick up a cake when she felt the back of her leg get cut so deeply she required 19 stitches, as she became one of the many New Yorkers to experience random slashings. 'I noticed him staring at me,' she told the New York Post. 'He was staring at me [from 125th Street] until 86th Street, so a good four or five minutes. Rideout has been accused of slashing three women at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and 86th Street stations on Father's Day. He has been charged with three counts of felony assault and is being held without bail at Rikers The first victim, Bianchelly Diplan, 19, (pictured) was walking out of the 86th Street station on her way to Paris Baguette to pick up a cake when she felt the back of her leg get cut so deeply she required 19 stitches 'I just felt a little weird, a little tense. He seemed a little off. Just the way he walked, his body language was off. You know when you have that gut feeling? He seemed off.' The teen said she came face-to-face with her attacker after he cut her and 'he just stared at me then walked away.' 'I just started crying. I was in shock. He didn't say anything. He went back down the stairs and I could see he was walking on the platform,' she told the outlet. Another woman, 48, was slashed in the right leg in the same station on the platform before Rideout dashed back into the downtown 4-train around 4.15pm. Fifteen minutes later, Rideout allegedly attacked a 28-year-old victim in the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station, police said. The woman who shot the footage was the third victim. Rideout was eventually apprehended near a bus stop in Harlem on Tuesday. Cops spotted him after recognizing his shoes and he was carrying a bag with the outfit he was wearing on the train on Sunday. Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said at a press conference that he was 'proud' of his officers and 'depressed' by the incident. MTA CEO Janno Lieber praised the police for catching Rideout, saying: 'It is a great comfort to our riders and everyone in our region to know that the NYPD has subway riders' backs.' The career criminal had four priors outside of the city before Sunday's trio of attacks. 'For forcible touching in Norwich 2016, for assault again in Norwich in 2012, for attempted rape in Varick, New York, and 2011 for criminal mischief in Riverhead,' Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a press conference. Rideout is being held on Riker' Island without bail. A Georgia man was beaten up by a teenager using his belt buckle after he came out of his home to remonstrate with the man after hearing him having sex with a woman in the bushes outside his window. Footage of the violent and unusual assault was caught on camera in the town of Alpharetta, Georgia last month - a town of 66,000 people. The homeowner came out of his house to find the couple having intercourse directly by his home while he was working in his garage one evening in the residential area of Avalon, close to an upmarket shopping mall. After confronting the couple about their inappropriate behavior, the suspect removed his belt from his jeans and struck the homeowner with his belt buckle several times before fleeing the scene. A man, seen bottom right, was viciously attacked by a suspect using his metal belt buckle after being discovered have sex in bushes outside of a man's home in Alpharetta, Georgia The assault, which took place last month, was captured on video and occurred after homeowner noticed the couple outside of his property and decided to confront them Although the homeowner chased after the couple, he was later found unconscious by his wife having sustained severe injuries that left him with broken bones and hospital treatment. The footage as seen by WSB-TV sees the man throwing a punch together with homeowner's initial interaction with the suspect and an accompanying woman. 'Although we are uncertain about the exact words exchanged between the homeowner and the suspect, it is evident that the situation escalated beyond reasonable boundaries,' Captain Jakai Braithwaite of the Alpharetta Police Department said. The man's wife then came outside to find her husband out cold having suffered facial fractures, a broken rib, and cuts and bruises on his back from the belt. The woman who was with the suspect at the time of the incident, noticed she was being videod by security cameras The couple made their way through a local shopping mall where they were once again caught by surveillance cameras The assault took place close to the family-friendly Avalon Mall, pictured above 'When she came outside and found him lying on the ground, it was not a typical assault scenario where the victim would immediately call the police for help. He was unconscious and in a vulnerable state.' The homeowner told the police that he decided not to retaliate because his assailant seemed far younger them himself, believing him to be a teenager. Captain Braithwaite urges people who find themselves in similar situations to simply contact the police. 'If you alert us, we will efficiently fulfill our duties. In Alpharetta, we have a commendable response time. Help will be on its way. We're coming,' Braithwaite said. Police are still yet to identify the couple featured in the video. OceanGate's submersible design which the CEO touted as innovative and safe had already been widely discredited by the deep sea diving community, a survival expert has claimed. Rachel Lance, a Duke University biomedical engineer, said that the carbon fibre hull which OceanGate's sub used was known to be unsuitable. The tourist sub is now believed to have imploded on Sunday morning at 9:45am while diving down to see the wreck of the Titanic. All five people on board - including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush - were killed in the disaster, the first of its kind. Lance told CNN on Thursday that Rush's boasts about being experimental were not true - as experiments had been attempted, and deemed unsafe. 'This was a company that was already defying much of what we already know about submersible design,' said Lance. Rachel Lance of Duke University said that the Titan's carbon fiber hull was a serious cause for concern The submersible, Titan, is pictured descending. It was the only five person sub capable of reaching Titanic, and the only tourist sub which had not been independently certified as safe. On Thursday debris from the sub was found on the ocean floor Titan's carbon fiber hull and its acrylic viewport were subject to several warnings and James Cameron singled them out as 'potential failure points' on the vessel She noted some of the vessel's design materials 'were already large red flags to people who have worked in this field.' She said the unconventional combinations of materials used in the sub, named Titan, posed safety risks because 'over the course of repeated pressurizations, they tend to weaken.' Lance added: 'This is not exactly what, in my opinion, would be innovation because this is already a thing that has been tried and it simply didn't work.' OceanGate was founded in 2009, and began its first tourist trips to the Titanic wreckage in 2021. OceanGate, and in particular Rush, have come in for fierce criticism about alleged corner-cutting with the design and testing, and ignoring the scientific and engineering consensus. Rush died in the disaster, along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58; French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; and British-Pakistani father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19. Five people were onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19 French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition In 2018, the director of maritime safety was fired for questioning the structural composition. That same year, an industry group told Rush that there were widespread concerns about Titan's design. Rush boasted that Boeing, NASA and the University of Washington had all collaborated on the design, but all three have since said they were not involved in designing and testing Titan. James Cameron, the director of the 1997 film Titanic and an experienced deep sea explorer, has been among the most vocal critics of the Titan's design. He said there were several 'potential failure points' in the doomed Titan submersible - and a warning system probably alerted the five crew who perished shortly before the vessel imploded. A series of concerns were raised in recent years about the vessel's carbon fiber hull - the cylinder which carried the five crew who perished - and its porthole, which was allegedly not certified to the immense depths Titan ventured to. Rush even said the carbon fiber design broke a 'rule' and was accused of ignoring concerns from his own staff. Cameron, a renowned explorer who has traveled to the deepest known point in the ocean, said Titan had 'three potential failure points' and indicated that its 'Achilles heel' was the carbon fiber cylinder. He added the hull was broken into 'very small pieces' after Titan imploded when the hull fractured because of the pressure. A warning system probably sounded an alert and the crew tried to ascend in the moment before the implosion, he added. Cameron gave a series of interviews following news of Titan's demise which criticized the 'fundamentally flawed' carbon fiber hull Concerns about the hull and porthole were also raised by OceanGate's former head of marine operations, David Lochridge, in court documents in 2018. The filings state the viewport was 'only built to a certified pressure of 1,300 meters, although OceanGate intended to take passengers down to depths of 4,000 meters'. Cameron delivered a damning assessment of the Titan craft during a series of interviews following the grim news it had been destroyed during its mission. He criticized the design for straying away from proven techniques in favor of experimental methods. 'There are three potential failure points and the investigation hopefully can localize it down to exactly what happened,' he told Good Morning America. 'The viewport in the front was an acrylic viewport. I'm told it was rated to less depth than they were diving to, which is one point. They also had two glass spheres on the sub, small glass spheres for floatation, which is a bad idea.' Cameron didn't clarify his statement about the 'glass spheres' but he said it was the carbon fiber hull that was the 'weakest link'. 'If I had to put money down on what the finding will be, the Achilles heel of the sub was the composite cylinder that was the main hull that the people were inside. 'There were two titanium end caps on each end. They are relatively intact on the sea floor. 'But that carbon fiber composite cylinder is now just in very small pieces. It's all rammed into one of the hemispheres. It's pretty clear that's what failed.' Cameron said: 'And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency' Rush, who died in the Titan incident, said in a video posted online in 2021 that he had 'broken some rules' to create the vessel and added: 'The carbon fiber and titanium, there's a rule you don't do that well I did.' He also said in 2020 that the hull had 'showed signs of cyclical fatigue'. Carbon fiber is prone to delamination, the process whereby a material fractures into layers while put under pressure. Cameron said: 'The way it fails is it delaminates. You have to have a hull, a pressure hull, made out of a contiguous material like steel, or like titanium, which is the proven standard.' 'This OceanGate sub had sensors on the inside of the hull to give them a warning when it was starting to crack. And I think if that's your idea of safety, then you're doing it wrong. And they probably had warning that their hull was starting to delaminate, and it started to crack... 'It's our belief we understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency.' In 2012, James Cameron carried out a successful solo mission to the deepest known point on Earth, the Mariana Trench. He piloted the Deepsea Challenger (pictured) which was designed to withstand depths in excess of 36,000ft Cameron in 2012 after his successful solo dive in Deepsea Challenger to the deepest-known point on Earth, the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench A graphic breaks down Cameron's 2012 mission to the deepest known point in the ocean OceanGate has not shared a comment about reports into safety concerns about Titan since the incident. The company had boasted in promotional material about Titan's 'Real Time Hull Health Monitoring', which constantly checked the integrity of the vessel throughout the dive. The system used acoustic sensors and strain gauges to 'analyze the effects of changing pressure on the vessel as the submersible dives deeper, and accurately assess the integrity of the structure'. But legal filings reveal Lochridge, the former director of marine operations, 'expressed concern that this was problematic because this type of acoustic analysis would only show when a component is about to failoften milliseconds before an implosionand would not detect any existing flaws prior to putting pressure onto the hull.' Cameron successfully reached the deepest known point on Earth, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, in 2012 using the Deepsea Challenger submersible. It was only the fourth time the seven-mile descent to the Pacific sea bed has been made successfully - and the first time a man has made it the bottom and back since 1960. The dive followed seven years of planning and design for the construction of the specialized sub which could withstand the immense pressure at the ocean floor. For months the Wagner mercenary chief has bombarded Russia's military leaders with expletive-ridden rants slating and rebuking their competence in an ongoing rift that has weakened the country's forces amid its assault on Ukraine. Now the standoff between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the defence ministry appears to have come to a head, as the millionaire mercenary group boss called for an armed rebellion in direct challenge to the Kremlin. Prigozhin said he would take all necessary steps to topple the country's military leadership as he claimed his forces had 'crossed state borders' and were ready to 'destroy anything that gets in the way'. As the Wagner militia appeared to charge on Moscow, Prigozhin vowed to punish the military leaders whom he accused of killing 2,000 of his fighters after he claimed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a rocket strike on his field camps. But for Prigozhin, 62, who made his money providing catering services and eared himself the nickname 'Putin's chef', it was not so long ago was considered a close ally of the Russian president and the Kremlin. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, addresses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, March 3, 2023 Prigozhin, 62, made his money providing catering services and eared himself the nickname 'Putin's chef' An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is seen next to a shopping mall in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Friday Born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, in the Soviet Union in 1961, Prigozhin spent some of his early life in prison after being convicted of robbery and fraud. After being released from prison in 1990 after nine years of detainment, Prigozhin started selling hotdogs in the flea markets of his home city. He told the New York Times in 2018: 'the rubles were piling up faster than his mother could count them'. And as the Soviet Union fell, Prigozhin set up several businesses. After involvement with a grocery business and then a gambling business, Prigozhin later became a restaurateur. After the success of several outlets, Prigozhin started to earn lucrative Kremlin catering contracts with Russia's elite. This thrust him to the forefront of Russian politics and signaled his growing ambitions. He eventually grew close to Putin himself and is understood to have received hundreds of millions in government contracts feeding school children and government workers. These contracts, some of them later involved in the military, are believed to have led him to start the Wager mercenary group, although information on its exact origins is sparse. Prigozhin had long-refuted any association with Wagner, and had threatened to sue journalists who reported on his involvement with the group. The group gained a reputation for doing the Russian military's dirty work, leaving a trail of brutal violence, rapes and war crimes in its wake. For years after it was first established, the Russian government refused to even acknowledge the existence of the group. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu are pictured in December Vladimir Putin, center, speaks with Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, December Armoured vehicles appear on the streets of Moscow outside The Cathedral of Christ the Savior Wagner's first deployment was to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine in 2014 - where they assisted Russian-backed separatist groups fighting the country's new government following a 2013 revolution that toppled the Kremlin-friendly president. Since then they went to Libya - fighting for warlord Khalifa Haftar against the Western-backed Government of National Accord - and Syria, alongside the forces of dictator Bashar al-Assad. They were also deployed to the Central African Republic where they were accused of rape, robbery and torture against unarmed civilians, and are currently deployed to Mali where they have been accused of massacring civilians. Until now, Prigozhin's rants against the military leadership have been met with silence from Putin and the military. Some saw that failure to squelch the infighting as a sign of potential shifts in Russia's political scene that sets the stage for more internal battles. A video that Prigozhin released in May appeared to ignite some of the rifts between the military and militia - not just for what it showed but also for what the Wagner boss said. He stood in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops near Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, yelling expletive-riddled insults at Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov. He called them weak and incompetent and blamed them for the carnage. 'They came here as volunteers and they died to let you lounge in your mahogany offices,' Prigozhin declared. 'You are sitting in your expensive clubs, your children are enjoying good living and filming videos on YouTube. Those who don't give us ammunition will be eaten alive in hell!' Prigozhin was once known as 'Putin's chef' - now the Wagner boss appears to be waging war on the Kremlin Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin attends the funeral of Dmitry Menshikov in December Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, escorted by a group of officers, greets a military medic in Ukraine That rift with the military escalated sharply Friday, with his accusation that Shoigu had targeted Wagner forces. Prigozhin said his men would punish the military leaders who ordered the strike and said his troops would fire at any troops trying to stop them. 'The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped,' Prigozhin shouted in a recorded statement, adding that his forces weren't seeking to challenge Putin and other government structures. 'Justice in the armed forces will be restored, and then justice will be restored in all of Russia.' The conflict so far has been ignored by state-controlled TV, where most Russians get their news. But in a shift, Channel 1 showed an unscheduled news broadcast Friday that cited the Defense Ministry's rejection of Prigozhin's claim and describing as fake a video he posted that allegedly showed the aftermath of a rocket strike on a Wagner camp. The dispute has been followed closely, however, by politically active, ultrapatriotic Russians on social media networks who share his contempt for military leaders. Prigozhin's blistering criticism went on even though the Kremlin vigorously cracks down on other critics through fines and imprisonment. While there are no indications Putin is losing influence, 'there are growing signs of deep dysfunction, anxiety, worry about the war and real problems in marshaling the resources necessary to fight it effectively,' said Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Prigozhin's feud with military leaders goes back years and spilled into the open amid the battle for Bakhmut that was spearheaded by his mercenaries. It has pushed the man dubbed 'Putin's chef' for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts to the forefront of Russian politics and signaled his growing ambitions. Yevgeny Prigozhin attends the meeting with investors at the 2nd Eastern Economic Forum on September, 2, 2016 Head of Wagner Group head Yevgeniy Prigozhin has repeatedly mocked the Russian Defense Ministry's reports With his crude remarks, Prigozhin ventured into areas where only Putin had gone before: Over the years, the Russian leader occasionally broke decorum with an earthy remark or off-color joke, while top officials used carefully worded language. In another recent video, Prigozhin made a statement that some have interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on Putin himself. He declared that while his men were dying due to the Defense Ministry's failure to supply ammunition, a 'happy granddad is thinking he's doing well,' and then referred to that 'granddad' with an obscenity. The blunt comment caused a social media uproar, where it was seen as a reference to Putin. Prigozhin later said he was talking about Gerasimov. 'Prigozhin is now sailing much closer to the wind than he ever has,' Gould-Davies told The Associated Press. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political commentator, described Prigozhin as 'the second-most popular man after Putin' and a 'symbol of Russia's military victory for millions of people.' Putin has needed Prigozhin's mercenaries at a time when the regular military is still recovering from setbacks earlier in the war. The Wagner chief's position was bolstered after his private army captured Bakhmut last month in the war's longest and bloodiest battle, relying on tens of thousands of convicts who were promised pardons if they survived six months of fighting. 'Putin dominates the system, but he still sort of depends upon a small number of big people to implement his will, to provide him with resources to carry out his orders, including fighting the war,' Gould-Davies told AP. While Putin may keep various factions divided and then 'decide who wins and who loses, and who's up and who's down,' the process erodes the government's authority in wartime, Gould-Davies said. 'If your military forces are divided and if they're not fighting together effectively, then your military operations will suffer accordingly and that's exactly what's happening here,' he said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner private mercenary army, rages about the recent losses and the lack of ammunition in early May 2023 Mercenary chief has made a number of cryptic but profane remarks about Russian military leadership Mark Galeotti, a London-based expert on Russian politics and security, speculated in a recent podcast that Putin's failure to resolve political disputes could be rooted in a lack of interest, a focus on other issues or, more likely, a reluctance to take sides. 'It also raises questions about his overall capacity to do his job,' Galeotti said. 'This is the one thing, the one job he can't really outsource, and he's not even trying.' Prigozhin has allied with other hawkish officials, reportedly including Tula Gov. Alexei Dyumin, a former Putin bodyguard seen by many as a potential successor. The Wagner head also has gravitated toward Ramzan Kadyrov, the Moscow-backed regional leader of Chechnya. Some of those alliances have been shaky. While Kadyrov initially praised Prigozhin and backed some of his criticism of military leaders, he later shifted course and criticized him for sounding defeatist. Kadyrov's lieutenants blasted Wagner's efforts in Bakhmut after Prigozhin made dismissive comments about Chechen fighters in Ukraine. Kadyrov's right-hand man, Magomed Daudov, said Prigozhin would have been executed for such remarks during World War II. Prigozhin quickly backed off, saying he was only expressing concern about Russian operations. Prigozhin has dodged questions about his political ambitions, but recently toured Russia, continuing a barrage of blustery comments. 'There are signs that he seeks some sort of political future,' Gould-Davies observed. Even though Prigozhin owes his position and wealth to Putin, he's playing the role of outsider with his criticism of some leaders and by trying to appeal to the masses amid setbacks in Ukraine, said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Endowment. 'Prigozhin is playing an independent politician, raising the stakes and testing the system's limits. But it's only technically and physically possible for as long as Putin finds him useful and is amused by his escapades,' Kolesnikov said. In a show of support for the military, Putin backed the Defense Ministry's demand for all private companies to sign contracts with it - something Prigozhin has refused to do. Prigozhin has urged all-out war with Ukraine, including a total nationwide mobilization and the introduction of martial law in Russia - calls welcomed by some hawks. But Kolesnikov notes the vast majority of Russians who are mostly apathetic or unwilling to make larger sacrifices could be frightened and appalled by that message. He cautions against overestimating Prigozhin's clout and political prospects, and underestimating Putin's authority. 'It's enough for the commander-in-chief to move his finger to make the Wagner chief disappear,' Kolesnikov said. OceanGate's maverick bosses were able to skirt around industry regulations It is not known what caused the catastrophic implosion which killed the five Titanic explorers. But a closer look at OceanGate Expeditions, which sold the 195,000 deep-sea tours, reveals that the Titan tragedy was an accident waiting to happen. Because the submersible operated in international waters above the Titanics wreckage 400 miles off the coast of Canada its maverick bosses were able to skirt around industry regulations. But damning records show that former employees, industry leaders and deep-sea explorers had all tried to raise safety fears as long ago as 2018. The warnings were ignored by risk-taking entrepreneur Stockton Rush, who made no secret of his distaste for safety protocols. OceanGate's Titan submersible (pictured) imploded on a trip to the bottom of the Atlantic to see the wreck of the Titanic His cavalier attitude ended in tragedy on Sunday when he perished alongside three British tourists and his pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Here, the Mail lays bare the firms reckless cutting of corners: WHISTLEBLOWER David Lochridge, a former director of marine operations at OceanGate, warned that passengers might be endangered when Titan reached extreme depths. A complaint filed by Mr Lochridge claims the crafts porthole was certified to reach depths of only 4,000ft while the Titanic lies at more than 12,500ft. Mr Lochridge said OceanGate refused to pay for a new porthole. He was also concerned that it relied on sensitive acoustic monitoring cracking or popping sounds made by the hull under pressure to detect flaws instead of scanning. The acoustic analysis was said to only show when a component was about to fail often milliseconds before an implosion and would fail to pick up a flaw before a disaster. David Lochridge (pictured), a former director of marine operations at OceanGate, warned that passengers might be endangered when Titan reached extreme depths When he raised his concerns in a 2018 report, Mr Lochridge said he was sacked. OceanGate sued Mr Lochridge, accusing him of breaching a confidential agreement and he filed a counterclaim alleging he was wrongfully fired for raising the alarm. The case was settled out of court. COST-CUTTING While charging 195,000 a head for tours, OceanGate appeared to prefer cutting costs over meeting industry standards. Instead of using solid metals such as steel or titanium which are traditionally used to make hulls for submersibles, the firm opted for a mix of carbon-fibre and titanium. Carbon-fibre, which is not as strong as steel, is said to be fundamentally unsuitable. Mr Rush said he chose the five-inch-thick carbon-fibre hull because it was more cost-effective. James Cameron, Titanic director turned deep-sea explorer, said it was a horrible idea. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (pictured) chose to use carbon-fibre over solid metals because it was more cost effective Critics have warned that a carbon-fibre and titanium hull would enable delamination and microscopic water ingress, leading to progressive failure over time. Former marine and deepwater salvage expert Robert Mester said he had turned down a seat on the Titan because of the material used. [The Titan] has a carbon-fibre hull, which... its not a material thats ever been successfully used at great depths, he said. OceanGate also opted for a cylinder design which is not as secure as the traditional sphere shape to make more room for wealthy tourists. JERRY-RIGGED The doomed Titan was steered with a modified plastic PlayStation controller which was just one of many off-the-shelf items on the ship. The 42 wireless Logitech F710 pad complete with thumbsticks and colourful buttons can be found in most electronic stores. The submersible was steered using a modified plastic PlayStation controller (pictured) Mr Rush admitted some of interior parts were bought off the shelf, such as the LED overhead lighting, while the cameras used were standard security cameras. A friend of Titan victim Hamish Harding said he had signed up to join him on the ill-fated voyage but pulled out after finding out about its computer game-style controller. Chris Brown, 61, said he cancelled over concerns that the organisers were cutting too many corners. CBS reporter David Pogue who went on a dive in the Titan said some of the ballasts used to control buoyancy were old rusty construction pipes that are sitting on shelves on the side. He said the Titan got lost for five hours during his dive last summer, adding: There were certain things that looked like cut corners. In a broadcast in November 2022, he put it to Mr Rush that the vessel had the feel of a MacGyver jerry-rigged invention. Mr Rush said that once youre certain that the submarine isnt going to collapse on everybody, everything else can fail. It doesnt matter. The vessel also lacked basic emergency features, including a location beacon. RULE-BREAKING Mr Rush had bragged about breaking rules while building the Titan. In an interview with CBS last year, he said of his Titanic voyages: I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules. He said there came a point when safety measures were pure waste, adding: You know, theres a limit... I mean if you just want to be safe, dont get out of bed. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush bragged about 'breaking rules' while building the Titan In a separate interview, he said opting to use carbon-fibre and titanium to make the crafts hull was one of the rules he had broken. Id like to be remembered as an innovator. I think it was General (Douglas) MacArthur who said: Youre remembered for the rules you break. And you know, Ive broken some rules to make this. I think I broke them with logic and good engineering behind me. The carbon-fibre and titanium, theres a rule you dont do that well, I did. In a 2019 blog post entitled Why Isnt Titan Classed? the company claimed that its level of innovation fell outside the classing system which was not sufficient to ensure safety anyway. Mr Rush spoke extensively about his view that regulatory red tape stifled innovation. FALSE CLAIMS? Boeing, Nasa and the University of Washington have all distanced themselves from the Titan despite OceanGate claiming they had helped it. Boeing, Nasa, and the University of Washington have all distanced themselves from Titan despite OceanGate's claims they helped it Last year, Mr Rush said OceanGate had worked with all three institutions to develop the Titans pressure vessel which appears to have failed. He said: There are certain things that you want to be buttoned down. The pressure vessel is not MacGyver at all, because thats where we worked with Boeing and Nasa and the University of Washington. OceanGate also described Boeing as its partner and stated that Titan was designed in collaboration with experts from the aviation company. However, Boeing said this week it was not a partner on the Titan and did not design or build it. Nasa said it had provided only some remote consultation on the project via Zoom. The university said it had worked with the firm on steel-hulled Cyclops 1, but was not involved in the design, engineering or testing of Titan. SUICIDE MISSION Several former passengers have come forward to criticise the haphazard nature of the Titanic voyages. German Arthur Loibl, 60, (pictured) who went on the craft to visit the Titanic wreck two years ago, claimed he was incredibly lucky to survive German Arthur Loibl, 60, who went on the craft to visit the Titanic wreck two years ago, claimed he was incredibly lucky to survive. He said the trip, which was repeatedly delayed due to battery problems, was a suicide mission. During the descent and ascent, he said a fluorescent glow stick was used instead of the lights to save energy. Producer Mike Reiss said communication failures happened on each of the three dives he went on last year. He described the sub as a car that you drunkenly drove into the ocean steered by a video game controller. DISCLAIMER Passengers on the Titan are asked to sign a disclaimer in which they must acknowledge that it is an experimental vessel that had not been approved or certified by any regulatory body. They are warned that their once-in-a-lifetime trip may result in physical injury, disability, motion trauma or death. THE 2018 WARNING Thirty-eight industry leaders and experts warned in 2018 that the Titan was heading for catastrophe and called for the vessel to be properly tested. In an open letter to Mr Rush, they said OceanGates experimental approach could result in negative outcomes. A Federal Court has blocked the implementation of a controversial Florida law banning children from attending drag shows. The law championed and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis faced a legal challenge from Orlando Restaurant Hamburger Marys, which has run 'family friendly' drag shows for 15 years. The law can now no longer be enforced until Hamburger Mary finishes litigating its case, after a Federal judge issued a preliminary injunction. Hamburger Mary's challenge alleged the law 'prohibits protected speech based on the identity of the speaker' and is vague and overbroad. The state filed a motion to dismiss the case but U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell rejected the move. Hamburger Marys, has run 'family friendly' drag shows for 15 years, and is taking on the state The preliminary injunction is a blow to Governor Ron DeSantis who championed the law Agreeing that the law is 'unconstitutionally vague' Presnell instead granted the restaurant's request for a preliminary injunction to block regulators from enforcing the law. 'We are extremely pleased with this first win,' Melissa Stewart, a Memphis-based lawyer who represents the restaurant, said in a statement. 'This law is unconstitutionally vague, over-broad, and clearly targeted at drag performers. 'This preliminary injunction will protect the First Amendment rights of not only our clients, but of the LGBTQ community across Florida while we move forward with the next steps in this litigation' she added. The new law prevents venues from allowing children admission to 'any show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.' If venues were found to have violated the law regulators would be able to suspend of revoke their licenses. Presnell, who was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 2000, said the so-called Protection of Children law, was 'specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers' and that the state 'already has statutes that provide' protection from obscene behavior. The judge said the law was ill-defined and 'vulnerable to broad subjectivity.' Melissa Stewart, a Memphis-based lawyer who represents the restaurant, said she was 'extremely pleased' with the 'first win' Trans rights protesters in Florida have pushed back against Ron DeSantis' anti-drag law 'A fully clothed drag queen with cleavage-displaying prosthetic breasts reading an age-appropriate story to children may be adjudged wicked and thus lewd by some, but such a scenario would not constitute the kind of obscene conduct prohibited by the statutes' in previous case law, Presnell wrote in the 24 page judgement. Presnell also drew attention to issues raised by the focus on 'prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.' He asked what the implications may be for cancer survivors with prosthetic genitals or breasts. Presnell said the law also clashed with the Parents Bill of Rights and other laws.' 'All parental rights are reserved to the parent of a minor child in this state' he wrote, 'includingthe right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child.' The country's first elected transgender politician, who formerly served as a state representative in the New Hampshire legislature has been arrested on charges of distributing child pornography. Stacie-Marie Laughton, a biological male who lives as a woman, was elected in 2012, but was unable to serve after her criminal past emerged in which she was sentenced to probation stemming from a 2008 felony conviction for credit card fraud. On Thursday, Laughton, 39, was arrested yet again and faces four counts of distributing sexually explicit images of children that depict child sexual abuse. Nashua Police Department began an investigation into the allegations after receiving a tip off. Laughton is alleged to have obtained photos of young children who attended a daycare in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, 35 miles northwest of Boston. Stacie-Marie Laughton, 39, who formerly served as a New Hampshire state representative has been arrested on charges of distributing child porn Laughton, a former Democrat representative who is transgender, has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2002 Detectives then looked into the allegations and Laughton was promptly arrested. 'They spoke with reporting parties that indicated Laughton distributed sexually explicit images of children,' Sgt. John Cinelli of the Nashua Police Department said. 'Detectives from the special investigations division were assigned to further the investigation. They applied for and were granted a warrant for Laughton's arrest.' According to the charging documents seen by the Union Leader, Laughton was allegedly sent photos by Lindsay Groves, a worker at the Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsborough, with whom she was previously in an intimate relationship. The documents do not specifically state that Laughton is the individual but posts on Laughton's social media suggest the pair was in a relationship together. Laughton, a former Democrat representative, has faced multiple charges over the years Laughton now faces four counts of distributing images depicting child sexual abuse which are alleged to have been taken at a local children's daycare Lindsay Groves, right, a worker at a daycare in Tyngsborough, has also been arrested. She was previously in an intimate relationship with Laughton, seen left Groves, pictured, who has also been arrested, allegedly took nude images of children at the daycare and sent them to Laughton Groves, who has also been arrested, allegedly took nude images of children at the daycare and sent them to Laughton. According to the affidavit, Groves 'allegedly used natural bathroom breaks for the children,' such as 'routine diaper pull-up changes prior to naptime ... to take multiple photos of the prepubescent children in a private bathroom and then sent the photos to the (former intimate partner) via text message' with an alleged 2,500 texts. Laughton, a former Democrat representative, has faced multiple charges over the years. Her lengthy criminal history dates back to 2002, when she was arrested for domestic violence/criminal mischief in that year and a sexual assault charge against a woman in 2003. In 2015, she was arrested for making a bomb threat against the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. In 2021, she was arrested once again for misusing the state's 911 texting system. Despite her criminal past, Laughton still ran for a second term in 2022 and was elected to represent Nashua, New Hampshire On Thursday, Laughton, 39, was arrested yet again and faces facing four counts distributing sexually explicit images of children that depict child sexual abuse Laughton has blamed her past criminal behavior on mental illness and untreated conditions. Despite her criminal past, Laughton still ran for a second term in 2022 and was elected to represent Nashua, New Hampshire. However, once again, she was unable to take office having been jailed on stalking charges. Laughton has blamed her past criminal behavior on mental illness and untreated conditions. She expressed remorse and stated that their actions were completely out of character. 'I have had a mental illness my whole life, and I guess this was my worst break with it. I was untreated for a long time, and I didn't have medication,' Laughton shared in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader after being arrested for making a bomb threat. 'I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, and it was totally out of character for me. I have put a lot behind me, and I never thought I would do this in a million years.' A firefighter has been charged with murder after police alleged he deliberately ran his estranged wife off the road, killing her and injuring their children. The charge was laid against Troy Armstrong, 35, while he is still recovering in the Royal North Shore Hospital on Friday, following a high speed car crash at Molong in the central west of New South Wales on June 9. Emergency services first responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision between a sedan and a utility on Speedy Street where they found Mr Armstrong stuck amongst the wreckage in a critical condition. Kristy Armstrong, 36, died instantly after her green sedan was run off the road by Mr Armstrong, police allege. Ms Armstrong's daughters, aged eight and 11, were in the backseat of the car, and were taken to a hospital with minor injuries and are now being cared for by their grandparents. Troy Armstrong (right) has been charged with the murder of his estranged wife Kristy (left) who officers allege he deliberately ran off the road Ms Armstrong died when her green sedan (pictured left) collided with a ute (right) allegedly driven by Mr Armstrong on Speedy St in Molong Police established that the crash merited criminal charges after forensic examination by specialists at the scene. Extensive inquiries were then pressed by investigators who visited the hospital where Mr Armstrong was staying. After reaching their conclusion, the officers charged the patient with murder and two counts of attempted murder. Investigations remain ongoing. Ms Armstrong died at the scene and her daughters, aged eight and 11, were in the back seat at the time of the impact Two weeks before the crash, a court had granted Ms Armstrong an apprehended violence order against Mr Armstrong Social media posts showed the couple had been together since 2005 before separating last year. The tragic crash has rocked the close-knit town of Molong. 'It's devastating for the town of Molong with the loss of a young local lady, it's terrible news for the families,' mayor Kevin Beatty told Nine News. 'Last night in town it was very sombre and again today, it's been very quiet.' Mr Armstrong has been refused bail and is expected to appear before Parramatta Bail Court via audio-video link on Saturday. The family of 23-year-old Lily Thai confirmed her passing after the terminally ill young woman used assisted dying laws to end her life. In a death notice placed in the Adelaide Advertiser, her family announced the young South Australian had 'passed away peacefully' at Laurel Hospice at the Flinders Medical Centre last Wednesday, June 21. 'Much loved daughter of Kate and Le,' the notice read. 'Beloved granddaughter, niece and cousin. 'Treasured friend to many. 'You may have gone from our sight but you are never gone from our hearts.' The family of 23-year-old Lily Thai (above) confirmed her passing after the terminally ill young woman used assisted dying laws to end her life In a death notice (above), her family announced the young South Australia had 'passed away peacefully' at Laurel Hospice at the Flinders Medical Centre last Wednesday, June 21 Lily was the daughter of high flying culinary couple Le Tu Thai and Kate Sparrow. Mr Thai is a Vietnamese refugee who became one of Adelaide's most respected chefs. He and his partner Kate gained acclaim through their Nediz Tu restaurant before Mr Thai later took over the kitchen at the city's famous Bridgewater Mill restaurant. Their daughter had suffered 'excruciating' pain from a rare condition known as autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) - where a person's body attacks their own nervous system. Since the age of 17, Lily's debilitating illnesses had affected her quality of life, leaving her bedridden and unable to move. She was receiving palliative care at the Laurel Hospice in the weeks before her death. Lily had been not well enough to go outside in her final days and instead would remain in her bed while being comforted by her friends and family. Since the age of 17, Lily's debilitating illnesses had affected her quality of life, leaving her bedridden and unable to move One person who' had been by Lily's side was her close friend and ambulance officer Danika Pederzolli, 28. Ms Pederzolli recently took Lily out to the beach, with a heartwarming snap showing the pair sitting in the back of an open ambulance while enjoying the sight of the ocean and some McDonald's fries. Ms Pederzolli, who met Lily through a St John's Ambulance cadet program, said she would remember her close friend as having a 'vibrant attitude, positive and warm presence'. 'She's such a positive and warm presence in your life and (such a) smart person,' she told the publication. 'She was just so happy, and she's still like that now, she's no different.' She described Lily as 'sunshine in human form' and wrote her a heartfelt note that she gifted to her along with a teddy bear. Ambulance officer Danika Pederzolli recently took Lily out to the beach, with a heartwarming snap showing the pair sitting in the back of an open ambulance while enjoying the sight of the ocean and some McDonald's fries Lily also shared a friendship with fellow AAG patient Annaliese Holland, 23. The pair wanted to raise awareness about the rare disease and shared their stories in the hopes it would lead to symptoms of other AAG patients being diagnosed sooner. Lily said her experience talking about AAG had been incredible with several people reaching out to show their support. 'Lots of people (who) I haven't spoken to in a long time (have reached out), which has been absolutely beautiful,' she said. The medicine used to end Lily's life under new assisted dying laws in South Australia was administered using an IV drip with the 23-year-old passing within 10 seconds. Lily (right) also shared a friendship with fellow AAG patient Annaliese Hollan (right) with the pair sharing stories about the disease in the hopes of spreading awareness A TikTok account discovered that OceanGate had an 'urgent' job posting for a submersible pilot before the crash that killed five people, as social media has continued to obsess over the tragedy. On Thursday, five were confirmed dead in the tragedy, including the CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, 61; French explorer Paul_Henry Nargeolet; British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58; and Pakistani father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48; and Suleman Dawood, 19. The company had a job posting on their website and networking app Indeed this past week, looking for a sub pilot. It has since been scrubbed from their Indeed page as of Friday morning. They sought 'a committed and competent individual with combination of strong mechanical and interpersonal skills who can work on sensitive marine equipment, perform regular maintenance and operate complex systems to support dive operations.' Multiple TikTok accounts have discovered the posting and have led some to mock the company, according to The Messenger. OceanGate has taken a lot of criticism on social media since the Titan was reported missing. A TikTok account discovered that OceanGate had an 'urgent' job posting for a submersible pilot before the crash that killed five people, as social media has continued to obsess over the tragedy Some even thought they were already trying to replace Rush or other OceanGate employees in the wake of their death, though it was likely posted before this week. 'Don't work yourself to death for any company, they'll replace you before you're even buried in the ground,' wrote one user. 'This literally proves what everyone says about companies filling your position the second you die,' wrote a second, whose video has since been taken down. A spokesperson for OceanGate, who have shut down operations in-office indefinitely, said the company was not 'providing additional information' beyond their immediate reaction to the deaths confirmed Thursday. The Titanic Five were killed instantly when the submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' just 1,600ft from the bow of the wrecked ocean liner, the US Coast Guard announced yesterday. A remote operated submarine from a Canadian ship found debris on the ocean floor. But search and rescue officials say the men likely died on Sunday - before military planes using sonar buoys detected what they thought could have been SOS 'banging' sounds in the water. The US Navy said they heard a sound consistent with an implosion when communications were lost around two hours after they dived. The Navy passed on that information to the Coast Guard, an insider said. According to court documents, safety concerns had previously been raised about the Titan submersible by a former employee of OceanGate. The company had a job posting on their website and networking app Indeed this past week, looking for a sub pilot Multiple TikTok accounts have discovered the posting and have led some to mock the company OceanGate has taken a lot of criticism on social media since the Titan was reported missing David Lochridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, claimed wrongful dismissal after flagging worries about the company's alleged 'refusal to conduct critical, non-destructive testing of the experimental design'. OceanGate boss Rush had been warned years before that his 'experimental approach' could lead to a catastrophe. It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck. In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains. 'This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there. The debris is consistent of a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.. we'll continue to work and search the area down there - but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time,' Paul Hankin, a deep sea expert involved in the search, said. Five people were onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19 French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition Rush said in a video posted online in 2021 that he had 'broken some rules' to create the vessel and added: 'The carbon fiber and titanium, there's a rule you don't do that well I did.' He also said in 2020 that the hull had 'showed signs of cyclical fatigue'. Carbon fiber is prone to delamination, the process whereby a material fractures into layers while put under pressure. Vegans have found a new ally after a prominent chef banned non-meat eaters from his restaurant after a complaint. Perth's Hyde Park Hotel posted a friendly reminder to social media on Thursday that all diners were welcome to enjoy their services in the city's north. The hotel posted a picture saying 'VEGANS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME' underneath the caption 'we thank you for your understanding Xx', a clear reference to UK celebrity chef John Mountain's message to plant-based diners earlier in the week. Mr Mountain's Fyre restaurant announced last Sunday that it will no longer cater to vegans after a diner who complained about the meal she was served triggered a series of one-star reviews on his Google Reviews page. Mr Mountain, a celebrity in the UK after appearing on the Great British Menu program, responded to the customer's complaint about the restaurant's vegan offering by banning then from his establishment and proclaiming 'F*** vegans.' Perth's Hyde Park Hotel posted a picture saying 'VEGANS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME' underneath the caption 'we thank you for your understanding Xx', a clear reference to UK celebrity chef John Mountain's message to plant-based diners earlier in the week John Mountain (pictured) has only doubled down on his vegan ban since Sunday, when the controversy erupted Hundreds hailed the Hotel's move as a much-appreciated gesture after Mr Mountain decided he no longer wanted to serve those who identified as vegan. 'Thank you. The world needs more kindness not hate. Will visit you soon Hyde Park,' one person wrote. 'Thank you for the love at such a difficult time,' another added. 'Thanx Hydey, it's been a rough few days,' a third said. A spokesperson for the venue's owners, ALH Group, told Perth Now that the post 'spoke for itself', and did not wish to add anything more. Mr Mountain has become a source of derision for vegans, who first tried to review bomb Fyre in order to tank his online ratings before spamming him with fake online bookings to prevent others from reserving a table. A leading vegan activist in Perth has taken it further, attacking Mr Mountain's character. Tash Peterson told 7News that the chef was a discriminatory, insecure, guilty man, who couldn't handle a valid complaint. 'One incident where this chef is clearly upset by a valid complaint, and then to discriminate an entire group of people, I don't see it as any different to banning Muslims or women, it's a blatant form of discrimination,' Ms Peterson said. 'I think he's triggered by veganism and I think it's a defence mechanism against his own guilt.' Poll Is John Mountain acting fairly towards vegans? Yes No Is John Mountain acting fairly towards vegans? Yes 1292 votes No 191 votes Now share your opinion Despite the online activists genuinely trying to destroy his business, Mr Mountain is sticking to his guns. During a radio interview, he dismissed Ms Peterson: 'She obviously is not a trained psychologist' and said if protestors tried setting foot in Fyre, he would have no problem getting physical. 'Phone the police and the ambulance, have them on standby, because if they try pulling a stunt with me, good luck,' Mr Mountain told Triple M co-hosts Xav and Michelle on Wednesday. 'I'm the licensee of those premises, I've spent almost half a million of my own hard earned cash. I've got no investors, no nothing. I will physically pick them up and throw them out.' Since the first one-star review hit, his rating has fluctuated wildly online. By Monday Fyre was sitting on a measly 2.8 out of five, before bouncing back up to 4.4 on Tuesday - which is better than it was before Mr Mountain banned vegans. The controversy started after a vegan diner left a one-star review discussing his 'shortcomings as a chef' that he took personally, leading him to ban all of them via Facebook Notorious vegan activist Tash Peterson (pictured) said that the celebrity chef was insecure Later on Wednesday he'd made an appearance on The Project where he made the point even clearer: 'If you come after me, you're going to get the wrath.' 'I have nothing against nobody apart from those who want to damage my business,' he said. 'You try and damage my business, you come after me, you are going to have the wrath of Johnny Chuffin Mountain against you.' The ordeal first started when Mr Mountain received an email several weeks ago from the diner who ended up giving him the poor review. The meal she got was a $32 vegetable dish which her review described as 'ok but not that filling'. 'I think it's incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef,' the aggrieved diner's contentious review stated. It was the diner's remarks about his skillset that motivated Mr Mountain to make the move to ban self-identifying vegans from ever returning again. The 'minority', as he describes them, have the ability to decimate livelihoods, according to another restaurant owner in Perth. Mr Mountain said: 'Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons). We thank you for your understanding' Two Dogs Laughing Cafe in Beaconsfield, south of the CBD, regards vegans as a growing customer base that businesses need to keep an eye on, according to owner Elizabeth Peasley. '[They] can be a passionate group with the potential to destroy a business when they get their friends to jump in and post negative reviews online,' she told PerthNow. 'And that hurts when you work 100-hour weeks as a chef and put your heart and soul into what you do.' John Mountain has somehow seemingly avoided this potential catastrophe and come out on top of the vegans, boasting about how business is now booming. He said that Fyre's website crashed three times on Tuesday as it struggled to keep up with the influx of reservations from keen diners. Though he has now had to request a $30 deposit on all bookings to prevent fake reservations, this hasn't stopped people from coming. Before the scandal Mr Mountain said that he would usually cater to half a dozen people on a weeknight, but those numbers have now bumped to around 35 bookings per night as of Wednesday. The price of the deposit is taken off of the bill at the end of the night. Mr Mountain has lived in Australia for seven years after arriving from Britain where he was a celebrity chef who shared an agent with kitchen superstar Jamie Oliver. He starred in cooking shows the Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US. He has also worked with culinary trailblazers Heston Blumenthal at the original famed Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire, England, as well as the brash Michelin three-starred Marco Pierre White at the Mayfair in London. Fyre restaurant has been forced to take a booking fee after being hit by an army of online vegan trolls A man arrested in connection with a Father's Day shooting between two cars in crime-riddled San Francisco that went on for about a mile and injured six people is not being charged by San Francisco's district attorney. Brooke Jenkins is not, for the time being, pursuing charges against Lee Alexander Haywood, 33, who was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting. Her office cited a need to investigate what they deemed a 'complex' shooting further and left it open that Haywood may face charges in the future. 'This is a complex investigation involving multiple crime scene locations, many witnesses as well as significant evidence that must be analyzed,' she said. 'This type of investigation takes time to complete, and we are working with SFPD to ensure that they gather all relevant evidence that we need to evaluate this case and make appropriate charging decisions.' A man arrested in connection with a Father's Day shooting between two cars in crime-riddled San Francisco that went on for about a mile and injured six people is not being charged by San Francisco's district attorney Brooke Jenkins (pictured) Gunfire broke out last Sunday along the Embarcadero - the city's eastern shoreline - at around 7 p.m. local time. People driving in a black SUV and a white sedan began firing at each other as they went towards Pier 39, police said. They eventually shot and injured two young girls who were riding their bicycles across the street. One had to be hospitalized. At least three others were injured by shattered glass that had been struck by their bullets. A girl also was injured after being hit by one of the vehicles involved in the gun battle, police said. The black SUV eventually came to a stop while the white sedan drove away, authorities said. Police found and detained Haywood, as well as a 28-year-old woman who has not yet been identified. Both were hospitalized from gunfire, Haywood with life-threatening injuries. The woman has since been released while Haywood remains in hospital. Haywood was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, wanted felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and carrying a concealed firearm. Gunfire broke out last Sunday along the Embarcadero - the city's eastern shoreline - at around 7 p.m. local time People driving in a black SUV and a white sedan began firing at each other as they went towards Pier 39, police said They eventually shot and injured two young girls who were riding their bicycles across the street. One had to be hospitalized The black SUV eventually came to a stop while the white sedan drove away, authorities said Police found and detained Haywood, as well as a 28-year-old woman who has not yet been identified He also had a separate, outstanding warrant for alleged cocaine possession in a separate county. Jenkins said that the 'shocking' shooting 'must be carefully investigated to ensure that we are able to hold the perpetrators accountable.' It comes as crime has remained a problem in San Francisco, violent crimes rising 5.5 percent since she ousted former boss Chesa Boudin as district attorney last year, according to The Messenger. In response to the city's drug and crime epidemic, Mayor London Breed launched a police crackdown targeting open-air drug use this month. The initiative led to the quick arrests of 45 people, however San Francisco's police chief Bill Scott said the arrests are telling of a larger issue. He said just three of those arrested were San Francisco residents, proving that soft-on-crime policies have made the city a hub for vagrants from out of town. 'I've talked to people and asked them why they chose to do it here. I've gotten answers like, drugs are cheap and readily available, and you got an environment where it is permitted,' he told a police commission conference last Wednesday. Homicides are up 9.5 percent through the first five and a half months of 2023, with robberies up 13.2 percent. Total crime is down 5.1 percent. San Francisco Mayor London Breed floated demolishing the abandoned Westfield mall as a solution to the city's untamed drug and crime epidemic San Francisco's Westfield mall may be razed to the ground as a result of the city's out-of-control crime wave A map reveals the major businesses which have left, or plan to leave, San Francisco in recent months. Westfield, the most recent to announced its departure, will give up its huge mall - and several occupants have already said they intend to follow An analysis of official figures and other research reveals San Francisco may lose hundreds of millions of dollars through an exodus of businesses and its failure to recover from COVID The city has seen a mass exodus of companies as a result of rampant crime in the city, with Westfield the latest to flee after it announced it has been forced to stop making mortgage payments due to the loss of business. San Francisco's Westfield mall stands as the prime example of the city's dramatic fall from grace, where the once-bustling hub is now a drug-infested wasteland. In 2016, the property was appraised at $1.2 billion, but a stark decline saw the mall hit with years of looting, soft policing and open-air drug taking. The mall's anchor tenant, Nordstrom, announced it is leaving the location in August. At the time, Westfield blamed 'unsafe conditions' and a 'lack of enforcement against rampant criminal activity' for the departure. Once Nordstrom leaves the mall, it will be just 55 percent leased. Protesters have marched on Kirribilli House demanding the government scraps moves to block a new Russian embassy near the heart of Australian government. Pro-Russia protesters have marched on the prime minister's house over the decision to block a new Russian embassy build near Parliament House. Roughly 20 protesters waving Russian and Australian flags, posters of Russian president Vladimir Putin and placards mocking Prime Minster Anthony Albanese have marched on Kirribilli House in Sydney, calling on the government to keep its hand off the Russian embassy. Roughly 20 protesters waving Russian and Australian flags, posters of Vladimir Putin and placards mocking Prime Minster Anthony Albanese have marched on Kirribilli House The Russians are coming to Kirribilli. In fact, theyve arrived. pic.twitter.com/MTerjx0dn4 Rebecca Weisser (@RebeccaWeisser) June 24, 2023 On June 15 federal parliament swiftly passed laws to terminate the lease for a new Russian embassy within 500 metres of Parliament House, following advice on potential security risks. Protest placards read, 'Who is Albo', and 'deep state lap dog', while others wore t-shirts sporting the Russian pro-military Z symbol. Russia has launched a High Court bid to have the laws overturned. Australian Federal Police are monitoring a Russian diplomat squatting in a shed on the proposed site, but have been unable to arrest him due to diplomatic immunity. Qantas has revived its direct Melbourne to Hong Kong route after the popular circuit was shelved three years ago. The airline's popular QF29 service will leave three times a week and will increase the trips to four in mid-July before taking off every day from October. It comes after Qantas launched its direct Sydney to New York flights last week that will fly via Auckland and bypass busy Los Angeles Airport. CEO Cameron Wallace said the return of the Melbourne to Hong Kong flights comes at a perfect time for Victorians to take a break from the cold weather. 'We are continuing to expand our international network out of Victoria to support customer demand and this launch comes just in time for the Winter holiday period,' Mr Wallace said. Qantas' popular QF29 service will leave three times a week and will increase the trips to four in mid-July before taking off every day from October Mr Wallace said the airline is 'continuing to expand our international network out of Victoria' (pictured, Hong Kong) 'As well as providing a convenient service to Victorian-based business travellers and holiday makers, the flights will also help entice more tourists to Victoria to experience some of Australia's best wine regions and Melbourne's popular dining culture.' The move comes as the airline works to restore international capacity with extra flights, more aircraft and new routes in line with stronger travel demand. The airline relaunched its Sydney to New York flights last week after their own three year hiatus - but this new route will go via Auckland instead of Los Angeles. Outgoing CEO Alan Joyce told the media at the time the new itinerary will provide better connections. 'Los Angeles had a lot of issues with connectivity you had to pick up your bag, go through customs and immigration and had to check in again for the Qantas flight that went to NY,' he said. It comes after Qantas launched its direct Sydney to New York flights last week that will fly via Auckland and bypass the busy Los Angeles Airport (pictured, Time Square in New. York) The new stopover in Auckland will give Aussies an uninterrupted 16 hours and 15 minute flight to New York. Direct services to Los Angeles will continue to fly out of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Meanwhile, Qantas is expected to meet 100 per cent of its international network pre-COVID capacity by March 2024. This is up from around 85 per cent of pre-COVID levels today - which is a large increase from just 45 per cent 12 months ago. Prigozhin made the move in fury at what he claimed was Moscow's attack on his men, and said he intends to march to Moscow to take on defense chiefs Putin responded by calling his actions a 'betrayal' of Russia as he appealed for soldiers to put their weapons Vladimir Putin has called Wagner chief Yevgney Prigozhin's military coup 'treason' as he addressed the Russian people on Saturday, warning that the military leader had 'stabbed him in the back' as Moscow is on lockdown amid a red alert. Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia have control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, saying they are 'ready to die' as they vow revenge for a military strike from Putin's forces that the mercenary leader says killed some of his men. The unit has now reached the halfway city of Voronezh as they advance on Moscow. All public events have been cancelled in the Russian capital as Vladimir Putin took to TV to say some Russians have been 'tricked into a criminal adventure' in a bid to affirm his increasingly shaky grip on power. Putin described the group's actions as 'equivalent to armed mutiny', and urged those involved to cease any armed resistance. As the Wagner unit's HQ in St Petersburg was raided by Russian police today, its boss told the President he was 'wrong' to accuse him of treason. It comes after Prigozhin issued a new message at about 7:30am Moscow time saying his men have infiltrated the Southern Defense Command in Rostov-on-Don and that the city's airfield was under his control. A message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.' Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video released in the early hours of Saturday that his forces have reached the strategically important city of Rostov-on-Don Putin described the group's actions as a 'criminal adventuristic campaign' that is 'equivalent to armed mutiny' A woman walks her dog past a Wagner tank after Wagner troops took over the city of Rostov-on-Don Russian fighters, believed to be from the Wagner group, on a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don A convoy of Wagner military vehicles pictured on Saturday morning in Rostov-on-Don Prigozhin, who was once a confidant of Vladimir Putin before declaring war on Moscow's military leadership last night, said in a video that the highest ranking officer at the command post had fled as soon as he learned that Wagner forces were approaching. A Russian security source said Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (310 miles) south of Moscow. This would be significant as it marks the halfway point between Rostov and Moscow. The governor of Russia's Voronezh region said on Saturday that the army was taking 'necessary military measures' in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation declared after an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group. It is also being claimed that Wagner troops are on the outskirts of two other southern cities, Krasnodar and Volgograd - but this has not been verified. Pro-Putin forces on the outskirts of Moscow were seen digging in against the Wagner coup army heading towards the capital. Russian troops were seen establishing positions at a bridge across the Oka River. They deployed barrage equipment, machine guns and grenade launchers. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Russian military boss Shoigu in an armed rebellion, urging the army not to offer resistance: 'This is not a military coup, but a march of justice.' Putin today told the Russian people: 'This is a criminal adventuristic campaign. It's equivalent to armed mutiny. 'We will defend ourselves and repel this inimical move. We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens and our territory. 'It's a question of Russiaa's millennial history. Everything has to be done to put this danger to rest. 'It's an attempt to subvert us from inside. This is treason in the face of those who are fighting on the front. 'This is a stab in the back of our troops and the people of Russia.' A grave-looking Putin told Russians: 'What we are facing now is treason.' The 70-year-old dictator warned: 'Everyone who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal will suffer inevitable punishment. 'The armed forces received the appropriate orders.' He continued: 'As President of Russia and the Marshall in chief, as a citizen of Russia I am doing everything to repel this attack and to ensure the freedom and security of our citizens. Those who are mutiny have betrayed Russia.' Even as Putin spoke, 180 Russian servicemen and security forces at a border crossing in the Voronezh region refused to interfere with the actions of the Wagner PMC and laid down their arms. Prigozhin responded on Saturday by telling the President he was 'wrong' to accuse him of treason. He added: 'No-one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else. 'Because we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy.' Members of the Wagner military group atop a tank, which appears to be stuck in the entrance to a building in Rostov-on-Don The tank, which appears to be a T90, was later emptied of Wagner mercenaries Wagner soldiers were on high alert after taking over Rostov-on-Don on Saturday New photos showed Wagner fighters walking through the streets of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning Heavily armed soldiers have been seen on guard throughout the southern city A Russian military helicopter reportedly downed by Wagner insurrectionists in Voronezh region Helicopters attacked an oil depot in the city of Voronezh on Saturday Dozens of armoured vehicles have been seen on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don The Chechen military leader also called for loyalty to the President, urging his forces to help 'put down' the mutiny. He has reportedly sent soldiers to fight the Wagner unit (pictured) A tank controlled by Wagner mercenaries sports a 'V' for victory sign A servicemen from the Wagner Group guards the roof of the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don Russian troops were seen establishing positions at a bridge across the Oka River Pro-Putin forces on the outskirts of Moscow were seen digging in against the Wagner coup army heading towards the capital Russian police officers patrol in an area outside PMC Wagner Centre on Saturday Russian policemen guard an area near an office of the 'PMC Wagner Centre', which is associated with the owner of the Wagner private military contractor, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in St. Petersburg It has been reported that Wagner's office was raided by government officials this morning Russian people in Rostov watch events unfold as Wagner soldiers stand guard Prigozhin claimed that 180 Russian servicemen and security forces at the border crossing in the Voronezh region refused to interfere with the actions of the Wagner PMC and laid down their arms Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian Wagner Group fighters are seen at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces in Rostov-on-Don Prigozhin (centre) meets with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, in Rostov-on-Don A Wagner fighter sets up a large gun on the back of a vehicle Wagner fighters deployed on the streets of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don The UK Defence Ministry issued an update on the dramatic events on Saturday morning Residents have been told to stay in their homes by government officials, but some were seen out observing what was happening, even live-streaming the action on their cell phones. Steve Fish, professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, told the BBC World Service early on Saturday that 'this has the look of a military coup'. Now the Moscow mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, has reportedly said all public events have been cancelled, as Putin called close ally Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko to brief him on the situation. Speaking after taking control of Rostov-on-Don, Prigozhin said: 'When we came here, we once again confirmed: a lot, a huge amount of territory was lost. Soldiers were killed three, four times more than reported to commanders. And what is reported is 10 times less than they say on TV. Losses per day amount to some days up to 1,000 people.' Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man nicknamed 'Putin's chef' who is behind the Wagner Group ? Nicknamed 'Putin's chef' due to owning a number of restaurants and catering firms that supply the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin is the oligarch founder of the notorious Wagner Group. Prigozhin was born in the Soviet Union on June 1 1961, before spending a period of time in jail for numerous crimes including fraud and robbery, during his teens. After spending 9 years in prison, Prigozhin launched a number of businesses following the collapse of the Soviet Union, including grocery and gambling firms. In 2014, Prigozhin founded Wagner Group during Russia's first invasion of Ukraine. The mercenary group has since become notorious for doing the Russian military's dirty work, leaving behind trails of brutal violence, rape and war crimes. Prigozhin long denied any affiliation with the group until September 2022, when he admitted to founding the mercenary force. He is often seen on the frontlines of the conflict with Ukraine, criticising Russian military leadership and accusing them of starving Wagner troops of supplies. Advertisement 'These are the dead missing, the wounded and the so-called refuseniks, who refuse not because they are afraid, but because they have no way out, no ammunition, no control. The Chief of the General Staff fled from here as soon as he learned that we were approaching the building,' he concluded. New photos showed Wagner fighters walking through the streets of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning, one picture featured a member flashing the v for victory sign. Some Wagner fighters appeared to be using a ring of silver tape on their leg or arm to signal their allegiance to one another. Footage shared on social media showed troops outside the Southern Military Headquarters - which plays a crucial role in managing the Ukraine war - while more were seen less than half a mile encircling the Rostov office of the Interior Ministry. Taking over the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don would have 'significant' consequences for Russia's ability to defend against Ukraine's counteroffensive, said the Institute for the Study of War this morning. The think tank said: 'Prigozhin may have wildly miscalculated and called for an armed rebellion incorrectly thinking that he would have Putin's backing. 'The severe consequences that would result from a failed armed rebellion suggest that Prigozhin viewed his alternatives to be just as threatening.' Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert and former member of the National Security Council, tweeted on Friday night as the first images from Rostov emerged: 'Those are not Russian National Guard troops. That looks like Wagner troops entering the SMD HQ.' Putin's humiliated army commander General Valery Gerasimov was reported to be 'holed up in a civilian apartment with his friends in Rostov', according to media loyal to Prigozhin. This came after the chief of the army general staff fled 'with people loyal to him' from the war command post in the city after Wagner forces took control. There were claims that the 22nd GRU military intelligence special forces detachment went over to Prigozhin's side. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldn't not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were 'saving Russia' and demanded that the Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. 'We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu,' Prigozhin said. 'Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow.' Yevkurov and Alexeyev in the video tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Roston-on-Don, but to no avail. Later on Saturday video footage emerged online which appeared to show a major oil depot engulfed in flames in Voronezh. Videos show a helicopter flying over the depot before a huge explosion sends a fireball into the air. Meanwhile, in St Petersburg the FSB was raiding the headquarters of Wagner private military company. And Britain's defence ministry said on Saturday that the Russian state was facing its greatest security challenge of recent times. Members of Wagner group stand guard in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023 The British Defence Ministry shared an intelligence update early on Saturday that said Wagner was 'almost certainly' in control of key positions in Rostov The department tweeted that the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry 'escalated into outright military confrontation' in the early hours of Saturday. 'In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a 'march for freedom', Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations,' the MoD said. It said that in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, 'Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites', including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. 'Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times,' Britain's defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update. It added: 'Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. 'With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner.' Wagner's armoured vehicles were seen speeding through Voronezh region several hundreds miles from the capital on Saturday. Russian forces appeared to confirm three of its attack helicopters had been shot down by Wagner. Prigozhin launched his extraordinary action after calling for the ousting of the Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and vowing to punish Russian military leaders - whom he accused of killing 'hundreds' of his mercenaries in an air strike. The private army boss also claimed the Russian military leaders are lying to Putin and hiding the bodies of a further 2,000 soldiers to conceal losses in Ukraine. As his Wagner forces closed in on Rostov on Friday night, 1,000 miles from Moscow, Prigozhin said they would take 'all necessary steps' to topple the country's military leadership. He declared: 'We will destroy anyone who stands in our way... we are moving forward and will go until the end'. The Wagner group claims to have shot down three Russian helicopters since its coup began Prigozhin claimed to have also shot down a Russian military helicopter in the city - home to the Kremlin's headquarters for the war in Ukraine Wagner fighters rest outside a cafe after taking the southern city of Rostov-on-Don A Wagner fighter on guard duty close to the Southern Military District HQ Military vehicles were seen passing through the central streets of Rostov on Saturday Armored cars blockade a street in the city of Rostov as the sun began to rise on Saturday A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group flashes a victory sign in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of an armoured vehicle A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group stands guard in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District A group of Wagner fighters pictured on Rostov-on-Don street on Saturday morning Russia's defense military in Moscow is pictured as dawn breaks on Saturday. Anti-aircraft artillery are pictured on the roof Russian policemen guard the Red Square in Moscow on Saturday morning Russian servicemen stand guard on a street in downtown Moscow Policemen guard the Kremlin, home to Russian President Putin, on Saturday Armored vehicles were seen on the streets of Moscow on Friday night outside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior amid fears of a coup An armored personnel carrier (APC) is seen on a street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday night Armored vehicles trawl through the street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don amid coup fears in Russia on Friday In response, Russian military vehicles were seen on the streets of Moscow. Ex-president Dmitry Medvedev - a Putin loyalist - posted: 'Now the most important thing is to defeat the external and internal enemy, who is hungry to tear our Motherland.' It was vital 'to save our state, is to rally around the President, the Supreme Commander of the country's armed forces. 'Split and betrayal' was 'the path to the greatest tragedy, a universal catastrophe. 'We won't allow it. The enemy will be defeated! Victory will be ours!' Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also called on Russians to rally around the Russian President, as photos showed a heavy police and army presence guarding key sites such as the Kremlin and the Red Square in Moscow. The Chechen military leader also called for loyalty to the President, urging his forces to help 'put down' the mutiny. He has reportedly sent soldiers to fight the Wagner unit. The FSB security services earlier said they had opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin and called for his arrest, accusing him of inciting armed insurrection. While the realities on the ground remain unclear, the episode appears to be the biggest internal military crisis Putin has faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Mick Mulroy, a retired C.I.A. officer and a former Pentagon official, said that Prigozhin poses 'a serious challenge' to Putin. 'If Mr Prigozhin's threats materialize, the Russian military may have to refocus its efforts from countering the Ukrainian advance to the Russian government's 'self-preservation',' he said. 'Even if this attempted coup fails, it emphatically makes the point that those closest to this war know it was a terrible mistake.' It was reported on Saturday that several members of Putin's circle called on security council chief Nikolai Patrushev to seize power amid concerns the weakened dictator is unable to clampdown on Wagner. Patrushev, 71, secretary of the powerful Russian security council, is seen as being in charge of the response. 'The president has practically withdrawn himself from solving the current crisis,' reported General SVR Telegram channel. Patrushev believes the armed revolt should be 'severely repressed' but refused to take control of the government, according to their report. The attempted coup is being well-received in Ukraine due to the chaos it is expected to cause, where forces are in the midst of a counter-offensive against Russian troops following their invasion in February last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that 'Russia's weakness is obvious' and that the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it would invite back home. He made the comments on the Telegram messaging app amid an apparent mutiny on Saturday by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Russian military. 'Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness,' Zelenskiy wrote. 'And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. 'For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it.' A brutal civil war in Russia is beginning, claimed Ukrainian presidential aide Mykailo Podolyak. 'The start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive definitively destabilised the Russian elites, deepening the internal division that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. 'Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war. 'Prigozhin's group captures military installations, headquarters and entire cities, encountering almost no resistance on their way, disarming random soldiers and policemen. 'Putin declares Prigozhin a traitor and outlaw and announces the appropriate orders to the special services, but nothing happens - a crisis of governance, the actual loss of power. 'At the same time, Wagner continues its march on Moscow. Ukraine continues to move its own way to the 1991 borders.' This would mean the return of Crimea and the Donbas, along with other invaded regions, to Kyiv's control. Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko added on Twitter: 'Today, Ukraine has become a few steps closer to complete Victory over Russia and complete return of its territories, including Crimea. 'A vile, but useful in this case monster - Prigozhin, raised an armed rebellion against Shoigu and Gerasimov, captured the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation, and now his advanced groups are heading towards Voronezh, and then towards Moscow. 'In fact, this is a rebellion, not against war criminals Shoigu and Gerasimov, but against Putin himself, whose place Prigozhin has long wanted to take and create his own regime in Russia.' As Prigozhin said his men were ready to 'go all the way' against Russian military leaders, the state news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying all of the country's security services were reporting to Putin 'round the clock'. Security was stepped up on Friday night at government buildings, transport facilities and other key locations in Moscow, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a source at a security service. Meanwhile, Russian state media had coverage across its front page dedicated to the 'armed rebellion' by the Wagner chief, while Google News was reportedly blocked in the country as the feud intensified. Prigozhin has said his actions do not amount to a military coup. But in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that his 25,000-strong militia was en route to oust the leadership of the defense ministry in Moscow. Prigozhin said: 'Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance... 'There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country,' he said, promising to tackle any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. 'We will consider anyone who tries to resist a threat and quickly destroy them,' he said. Russian servicemen block a street in downtown Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, overnight Military personnel and equipment in the center of Moscow and near the Russian MoD Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin had appeared to cross a new line in his increasingly vitriolic feud with the ministry, saying that the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months been openly accusing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support. 'Prigozhin's statements are in fact calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and his actions are a 'stab in the back' of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces,' the FSB said. 'We urge the ... fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forcible actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to detain him.' Prigozhin said that the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on PMC Wagner forces An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is seen next to a shopping mall in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday night A military vehicle appeared to be on the streets of Moscow on Friday evening as Prigozhin called on the Russian National Guard to join his side Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal in which he asked Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. 'Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority,' he said. General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine whom Prigozhin has praised in the past, in a separate video urged Wagner to 'stop'. 'The enemy is just waiting for our internal political situation to deteriorate,' said Surovikin. 'Before it is too late, and it must be done, you must submit to the will and order of the people's president of the Russian Federation. 'Stop the columns and return them to their permanent bases,' he said. This screen grab from video provided by Ostorozhno Novosti, Saturday, June 24, 2023, reportedly shows a military vehicle driving through a street in Moscow Armoured vehicles are seen on a street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, in recent months has carried out an increasingly bitter feud with Moscow. Wagner led Russia's capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, Russia's biggest victory in 10 months, and Prigozhin has used its battlefield success to criticize the leadership of the defense ministry with seeming impunity - until now. The defense ministry has - until now - largely ignored his criticism, at least in public. An unverified video posted on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces. It showed a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force. There appeared to be one body, but no more direct evidence of any attack. It carried the caption: 'A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defense.' Pictures shared by the Rostov emergencies telegram appear to show a Russian military presence on the streets Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then 'cowardly' fled. Pictures from Rostov on Friday night On Friday he for the first time he dismissed Putin's core justifications for invading Ukraine on February 24 last year. 'The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal,' Prigozhin said in a video clip. 'The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine.' Marat Gabidullin, a former Wagner commander who moved to France when Russia invaded Ukraine, told Reuters that Wagner's fighters were likely to stand with Prigozhin. 'We have looked down on the army for a long time ... Of course they support him, he is their leader,' he said. 'They won't hesitate (to fight the army), if anyone gets in their way.' On the frontlines of Ukraine, the Kremlin that Kyiv was taking advantage of infighting between the Wagner mercenary group and the Russian military to ready an assault near the east Ukraine hotspot of Bakhmut. Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Ivan Dedov, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences at a meeting at the Kremlin earlier Friday The top Russian military commander in Ukraine, Gen. Sergei Surovikin (left) talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, December 2022 Tensions between Moscow and the private military company are dramatically coming to a head, with Prigozhin declaring: 'The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision - the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped.' The feared Wagner boss launched a scathing attack on Russia's military leadership on Friday, claiming that Putin is being fed lies about 'colossal' battlefield failures in Ukraine by 'mentally ill a**holes' in high command. The final straw for the furious Wagner leader came on Friday, as he shared a video of what he claimed was the devastation wrought by Russian bombs on the mercenary group's bases - despite them having fought on Putin's side in the war. He claimed Russia rained bombs down on its own mercenary fighters after he criticised during his expletive-laden rant aimed at the country's top military brass, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, on Telegram. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then 'cowardly' fled. 'This scum will be stopped,' he said, in a reference to Shoigu. 'The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped,' he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to 'restore justice.' We are watching. Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 23, 2023 Prigozhin, 62, made his money providing catering services and eared himself the nickname 'Putin's chef' 'We were ready to make concessions to the defense ministry, surrender our weapons, Prigozhin claimed in the footage. 'Today, seeing that we have not been broken, they conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died,' he said in a series of furious audio messages released by his spokespeople. Wagner boss 'declares war on the Russian Ministry of Defence' 'PMC Wagner Commanders' Council made a decision: the evil brought by the military leadership of the country must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers. They forgot the word 'justice', and we will bring it back. Those, who destroyed today our guys, who destroyed tens, tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers will be punished. I'm asking: no one resist. Everyone who will try to resist, we will consider them a danger and destroy them immediately, including any checkpoints on our way. And any aviation that we see above our heads. I'm asking everyone to remain calm, do not succumb to provocations, and remain in their houses. Ideally, those along our way, do not go outside. After we finished what we started, we will return to the frontline to protect our motherland. Presidential authority, Government, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rosgvardia, and other departments will continue operating as before. We will deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers. And we will return to the frontline. Justice in the Army will be restored. And after this, justice for the whole of Russia.' Advertisement The Russian defense ministry denied the claims about the strikes, saying the statements 'do not correspond to reality', and calling them a 'provocation'. 'The Russian armed forces continue to carry out combat missions' in Ukraine, the ministry added. Ukraine appeared to poke fun at the predicament Putin is now facing - warning the Kremlin in a Tweet on Saturday night: 'We are watching.' Earlier in the day, Prigozhin said Moscow's forces were retreating in Ukraine's east and south following Kyiv's counteroffensive. That directly contradicted Putin's account that Ukraine was suffering 'catastrophic' losses and that there was a lull in fighting. 'We are washing ourselves in blood,' Prigozhin said. 'No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception,' he added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership. After years of operating in the shadows, Prigozin has in recent months admitted to running the elusive mercenary group and even interfering in US elections. His forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the Donetsk region town, Bakhmut, the longest and likely bloodiest battle of the conflict. Rarely has such a controversial figure shot to this degree of prominence on the Russian political stage under Putin. Prigozhin rose from a modest background to become part of the inner circle around Putin. He spent nine years in prison in the final period of the USSR after being convicted of fraud and theft. In the chaos of the 1990s, he began a moderately successful business selling hot dogs. From there he fell into the restaurant business and opened a luxury location in Saint Petersburg whose customers included Putin, then making the transition from working in the KGB to local politics. However, in recent months, Prigozhin has become embroiled in a bitter power struggle with the defense ministry. He has accused the Russian military of attempting to 'steal' victories in Ukraine from his forces, and slammed Moscow's 'monstrous bureaucracy' for slowing military gains. Wagner's presence has been reported in conflict zones including Syria, Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic, where it has been accused of abuses and capturing state power. A Melbourne man has been arrested after police allegedly found a gun hidden inside a children's playroom and a stash of drugs in his home. The 32-year-old was arrested when the Australian Federal Police raided his Rowville home in eastern Melbourne on Friday. Police allege the man is a former member of an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang who had about 3kg of cocaine and 1kg of methamphetamine on his property during the search. A Melbourne man has been arrested over a stash of cocaine and methamphetamine which were allegedly found in his Rowville home. Picture: Supplied/AFP. Police allege a gun was also found inside the home. Picture: Supplied/AFP. In addition to the drugs, police say they also seized a loaded handgun which was found in an ottoman inside a child's playroom. "This loaded firearm was found by police in a child's playroom, which is hard to imagine what may have occurred if a young person managed to find it," AFP Detective Inspector Chris Salmon said. "This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone possessing an illicit firearm. This isn't just a case of alleged criminals possessing firearms to target each other - innocent bystanders, including family members are at serious risk of being harmed or killed." Police say they seized cash and drugs during the raid. Picture: Supplied/AFP. The man appeared in court on Friday. Picture: Supplied/AFP. Officers claim they confiscated cash and electronic devices during the extensive raid. The AFP alleges the cash is the proceeds of crime. The man was charged with a string of offences, including possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, dealing in money reasonably suspected to be the proceeds of crime, and possessing an unregistered handgun. The man faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday. This is the chilling moment a senior Russian general told Wagner's mercenaries to obey Putin and return to their bases - while sternly gripping his gun. Sergei Surovikin, referred to as the most 'Wagner-friendly' general, called on the group not to obey Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's orders against the president. In a video posted on Twitter, he said: 'I address the command, officers and fighters of Wagner PMC. Together we have been down a long and difficult road. 'We fought with you. We risked it. We suffered losses. We had victories together. We are of the same blood. 'You must do this before it is too late: obey the will and command of the elected president of the Russian Federation.' All the while Surovikin was sat down and clutching onto his gun, which he gripped sternly with his right hand. It comes as Prigozhin declared on Friday that his 25,000-strong force is marching into Rostov-on-Don, and is 'unopposed'. Senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin (pictured) told Wagner's mercenaries to obey Putin and return to their bases - while sternly gripping his gun In a video posted on Twitter, he said: 'You must do this before it is too late: obey the will and command of the elected president of the Russian Federation' Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video released in the early hours of Saturday that his forces have reached the strategically important city of Rostov-on-Don Prigozhin made the move in fury at what he said was Moscow's attack on his men, adding that he intends to march to Moscow to take on defense chiefs. In the video, Surovikin continued: 'Stop the convoys, return to bases and places where you are stationed.' He said: 'The enemy is only waiting for our domestic political situation to get inflamed. 'Don't play into the enemy's hands in this difficult time for the country!' Russian president Vladimir Putin today branded Prigozhin's military coup 'treason' as he addressed the Russian people, saying the military leader has 'stabbed him in the back'. Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia have reportedly control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, saying they are 'ready to die' as they vow revenge for a military strike from Putin's forces that the mercenary leader says killed some of his men. All public events have been cancelled in the Russian capital as Vladimir Putin took to TV to say some Russians have been 'tricked into a criminal adventure' in a bid to affirm his shaky grip on power. Putin described the group's actions as a 'criminal adventuristic campaign' that is 'equivalent to armed mutiny', and urged those involved to cease any armed action, as the unit's HQ in St Petersburg was reportedly raided today. An intoxicated mum who ran over her girlfriend in a bizarre drink-driving tragedy has been jailed for five years. Tamara Louise Lorimer was found guilty of manslaughter at the Supreme Court in Broome, Western Australia this week. She had been reversing out of the driveway of the couple's home in Cable Beach in November 2021 when she struck her girlfriend Doreen-Joan Lindsay. Broome Magistrates Court heard Lorimer got behind the wheel with three others after receiving a call to go help a friend. But as she backed out of the driveway Ms Lindsay walked into the path of the car. Tamara Louise Lorimer (pictured, right) had been reversing out of the driveway of the couple's home in Cable Beach in November 2021 when she struck her girlfriend Doreen-Joan Lindsay (pictured, left) Police and ambulance attended the scene but were unable to save Ms Lindsay (pictured) who suffered unsurvivable injuries The couple (pictured) had been heavily drinking at their home before the horror incident Police and ambulance attended the scene but were unable to save the 35 year old who suffered fatal injuries. She later died at Broome hospital. The couple had been drinking heavily at their home before the horror incident. Prosecutor Michael Cvetkoski said the state would make the argument Lorimer was criminally negligent as she had 'appeared affected by alcohol' when police turned up, the ABC reported. The lesbian mum had reversed 'at speed' and did not look to see if it was clear - despite knowing her partner was drunk. Mr Cvetkoski said hospital tests revealed Lorimer's blood alcohol level was around 0.121 per cent. But defence lawyer Seamus Rafferty said she was not criminally responsible arguing the driveway was shaped in an unusual way that had a blindspot. No amount of due diligence would have allowed Lorimer to see her girlfriend walking behind the car, the court heard. 'A beloved, much-respected young woman lost her life ... a young, well-respected woman also lost her partner,' Mr Rafferty told the court. No amount of due diligence would have allowed Lorimer (pictured) to see her girlfriend walking behind the car Ms Lindsay later died in Broome hospital (pictured) from her injuries Chief Justice Peter Quinlan said the incident was a 'wasteful tragedy' adding there were 'no winners' in this case. 'It only takes a second to take another person's life,' Chief Justice Quinlan said. 'Any sentence in court couldn't begin to value a person's life.' Lorimer was sentenced to five years in jail and will be eligible for parole on June 23, 2026. Family and friends from both sides were at the court to hear the verdict. As he launches military 'coup', a senior foreign correspondent gives this chilling insight into the man they call 'Putin's chef' He has gone from one of Putin's most trusted lieutenants to a thorn in his side The shaven-headed man spits obscenities into the camera. Thrusting his head forward and glaring at the viewer, he unleashes a volley of abuse at Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and Minister of Defence Sergey Shoigu. The man is Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of brutal Russian mercenary outfit the Wagner Group and he is desperate. Prigozhin is at war on two fronts. On the ground, his forces are dying in ever greater numbers on the frontline in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. On video and in print, he is taking on the Russian elites he so despises. And recently he escalated his campaign to an unthinkable level in a new video. We have a 'happy Grandpa', he says, snarling into the camera. 'But how do you win a war,' he asks sarcastically, 'if it turns out that this Grandpa is a complete d***head?' 'Grandpa' is a name Russians often give to their president, Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin, it seems, is now turning his fire on his own modern-day tsar. It is astonishing behaviour from a man who, until recently, was seen as one of Putin's most trusted lieutenants. But who exactly is he? Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday 5 May threatened to pull out Wagner forces from the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut amid a dispute over ammunition with the regular military command Prigozhin (L) assists then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a dinner with foreign scholars and journalists at the restaurant Cheval Blanc outside Moscow on November 11, 2011 Yevgeny Prigozhin has been a malignant part of my life for almost a decade. I first encountered his 'work' in 2014, after Russia's invasion of Crimea, when I was reporting from a position near the occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Russian news reports claimed the Ukrainian army had tortured and then publicly crucified a three-year-old boy in a square in Sloviansk. It was all lies of course. But the consequences were real enough. The Russia-backed 'separatists' who controlled much of the region were outraged and visited 'punishment' on local populations in response: real atrocities in retaliation for a fake one. Ukraine was then, as now, a land blanketed in Russian lies. Scrolling through Facebook and Twitter on my phone, my feeds were full of Russian reports about the situation on the ground that I knew to be utterly false. There was so much disinformation and it was all so regimented that I knew it had to be orchestrated. It was. As I revealed in my book War In 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict In The Twenty First Century, much of this propaganda or disinformation came from an organisation called the Internet Research Agency that ran so-called 'troll farms', the most notable of which was in an office block in St Petersburg where rows of laptop warriors pumped out disinformation 24/7. It was a factory of lies and its owner was Yevgeny Prigozhin. When I asked around about him, everyone was a bit vague. As one source told me: 'Prigozhin is the man from nowhere, he is part of no institution or agency. It's just strange'. Prigozhin's story is fascinating because it mirrors almost perfectly the story of post-Soviet Russia, and the rise of its most powerful man, Vladimir Putin. Like Putin, Prigozhin comes from St Petersburg. He grew up a street thug and, after being convicted of robbery and 'involving minors in criminal activity' in the 1980s, he served around nine years of a 12-year sentence. Polina Prigozhina, 30, the daughter of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin As Concord catering company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin attends a meeting with foreign investors at Konstantin Palace June 16, 2016 in Saint Petersburg, Russia It must have been a horrifying experience. In 2022, a video circulated on social media showed a man claiming that Prigozhin had been his prison 'b***h'. The fellow inmate claimed Prighozin had been a member of a community called 'The Shamed', who live appalling lives being raped and brutalised by their fellow prisoners often on camera. Even if this account was part of a smear campaign by his enemies, the reality would have been almost as grim. Russian prisons are notoriously brutal and the 29-year-old man who came out of prison would have been a very different individual to the youth who had been locked up nine years earlier. But over almost a decade of untold misery, he will have learned what he would most need to thrive: the will to survive at any cost. If Prigozhin was changed, so was his country. Post-USSR Russia was opening up to the world with a vengeance. As Russia embraced hypercapitalism, it was nicknamed the 'Wild East' and, as a prison-hardened hustler, Prigozhin was well-equipped to exploit the many and varied opportunities it offered. He set up a hotdog stand in St Petersburg's Aprashaka flea market and gravitated towards the grocery and restaurant business. In 1990s St Petersburg you couldn't run a business without involving the Mafia, who worked hand-in-glove with politicians and the security services: three arenas in which Putin at that time based in the city as an officer in the FSB, the successor to the KGB was becoming a figure of importance. Prigozhin branched out into running a chain of restaurants and fast-food joints, which he would use to launder dirty money. According to Ukraine's former Deputy Minister of Information Policy, Dmytro Zolotukhin, Prigozhin's restaurants often served as venues for Mafia meetings and parties. At one of his restaurants Putin regularly conducted meetings, with Prigozhin in attendance as his personal chef and waiter. St Petersburg has always been important to Putin. The people he trusts most are his cronies from his hometown and, after he moved to Moscow, many of them went with him. One was Prigozhin, who used the opportunity to further expand his catering business. He hit the big time when he was awarded a contract to supply meals to the Russian military, which was worth a staggering $1.2 billion for one year. He is alleged to have used part of this booty to fund the Internet Research Agency. He also won a contract to supply food to Moscow's schools. In 2019, a dysentery outbreak was tracked back to his produce. By all accounts, Prigozhin was siphoning off so much money hygiene standards were sacrificed. His pathological desire for cash trumped the health of children. However, there was one thing the man from nowhere wanted more than cash and that was to rid himself of the stain of the streets. Businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin his school lunch factory outside Saint Petersburg on 20 September 2010 Prigozhin's yacht - St Vitamin - has six bedrooms, a dining room, a terrace, a kitchen, rooms for the staff, two decks and a terrace When his businesses also began to cater for state visits to Moscow, Prigozhin got what he most craved: the chance to mix with the global elite. Presidents and heads of state, including former French president Jacques Chirac, were entertained on his floating restaurant 'New Island'. In 2002, he hosted U.S. President George W. Bush there. It was a dream come true. His rise continued when Putin asked him to become the Kremlin's chef. The Russian leader is notoriously paranoid and one who has seen many enemies die by poisoning. By entrusting Prigozhin with his food, the president made clear that his chef was now a member of his innermost circle. It was Russia's first incursion into Ukraine in 2014 that provided Prigozhin with his chance to diversify into the mercenary business. With the Kremlin keen to have plausible deniability when it came to the presence of armed men on Ukrainian territory, Prigozhin's private army Wagner named after Hitler's favourite composer was the perfect cover. In the early days, the group took great care to recruit professionals. It hired from the cream of the Russian special forces and paid well. During the illegal annexation of Crimea in February that year, Wagner troops were among the so-called 'little green men', soldiers wearing green uniforms without identifying insignia, who walked in and took the peninsula with barely a shot being fired. Having tasted wealth and glamour and earned a place in the corridors of power, Prigozhin was now the leader of a group at the very centre of Russian foreign policy. With that came even more riches. By now, Prigozhin was thought to have a net worth in excess of $1 billion. His wife, Lyubov Prigozhina, described as a pharmacist and businesswoman, owned many companies that have now expanded to a chain of boutiques in St Petersburg, as well as a wellness centre in the Leningrad region and a boutique hotel. He was living on a $105 million St Petersburg estate, which included a house for his daughter Polina, who boasted on social media that the family's yacht named St Vitamin had 'six bedrooms, a dining room, a terrace, a kitchen, rooms for the staff, two decks and a terrace'. Selling hot dogs was a distant dream. And his mercenary operation was continuing to expand, with forays as far afield as the Middle East and Africa. In Syria, Wagner's forces helped to prop up genocidal dictator Bashar al-Assad, while in Africa the group hoovered up mineral resources in countries such as Sudan, Central African Republic and Mali. Then came the all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year. And Wagner was at its very heart. Indeed, the worse the war got, the better things went for Prigozhin. The more Russian troops the Ukrainians killed, the more Moscow needed Wagner's mercenaries. Things got so bad that Prigozhin even went back to the institution that formed him more than any other: prison. Yevgeny Prigozhin told inmates they would be pardoned if they survive six months in the war against Ukraine. They should take their own lives instead of being taken prisoner, he said In a now famous video, Prigozhin can be seen telling prisoners including 'The Shamed' to sign up to fight in Ukraine. If they serve six months, they will be pardoned but, he warns them, most won't survive that long. Bakhmut was where Prigozhin calculated he would win his ultimate glory. Handing the eastern city to Putin would be his lasting triumph. The street boy would, finally, deal with his tsar almost as an equal. But the Ukrainians had other ideas. For almost a year they held out as the Russian army and Wagner pounded the city. Recently, they have even begun to take back ground. As they have advanced, Prigozhin has imploded in real time and on video. His growing battle with Shoigu and Gerasimov members of the hated elite that has never accepted him has become an obsession that verges on monomania. He now rages against anyone and everyone: the Russian army whom he accuses of cowardice; those in the Russian state he holds responsible for not adequately supporting his mercenaries; and now even Putin, whom he mocked after his derisory Victory Day parade last week. After two Russian jets and two helicopters were shot down in Russian territory in what appeared to be a spectacular military coup for Kyiv, Prigozhin said they were in fact victims of friendly fire. And according to a sensational U.S. intelligence leak, Prigozhin is reported to have said that if Ukraine's commanders withdrew troops from Bakhmut, he would give them information about Russian army positions elsewhere. This claim he has, understandably, vigorously denied because to have done so would have been an unforgivable act of treason. Is the puppet finally turning against his master? It's clear Prigozhin is trying to position himself as the only person brave enough to tell Russians including Putin the truth from the front. In so doing he is becoming for the Kremlin what many of Russia's elite have always sniffly said about him: a vulgar embarrassment. What we are seeing is a desperate man facing ruin. Prigozhin is desperate to get the attention of the tsar who made him everything he is today; desperate for the recognition that his men are dying in the field for Mother Russia. Modern Russia is a gangster state and Putin is its top gangster. Putin holds the Obshchak the gang's budget to which those underneath contribute. But when the top gangster starts to make mistakes, the others start to worry about the Obshchak and think about seizing their chance. Prigozhin is now implying that, through his disastrous invasion, 'Grandpa' has made a terrible error. The Obshchak is under threat. And only he is strong enough to tell 'Grandpa' the truth and solve the problem if only he had the tools. Another video appeal from 10 May saw Prigozhin (centre) threaten to leave the frontline city Putin (right) and his 'Chef', Yevgeny Prigozhin, pictured together on 20 September 2010 But Prigozhin may have miscalculated badly. If the Kremlin believes he has become a liability, things are likely to get nasty. In recent months, there have been several terror attacks on far-Right bloggers with links to Prigozhin, including one bombed in a cafe he owns. The Russian government blamed Ukraine; Prigozhin claimed it was intra-Russian warfare. It may now be safer for him to stay in Bakhmut than return to Moscow. For Prigozhin, who has made it his life's mission to escape the poverty of his youth and enter the Kremlin's inner circle, it must be devastating to think everything he has stolen and murdered for may be coming to an end. His attacks on 'Grandpa' must be seen as the outbursts of a man terrified that it's all falling apart. And if he thinks he can topple Putin, he has almost certainly lost his mind. There is only one rule to observe if you want to take on a tsar: win. If not, you are finished. If his words are sincere and not yet more lies from the master of disinformation, and his relationship with Putin is truly over, his options are both limited and bad. Returning home would be a death sentence. Staying in Bakhmut could be fatal, too. He could fly to Mali or the Central African Republic to join his soldiers there. But there will be no more luxury yachts or floating restaurants. As it stands, things look bleak. Unless he can deliver on his promise to take Bakhmut, he looks finished. The man from nowhere may finally be heading back to oblivion. But if that is to be his fate, one thing is clear: he will fight it every step of the way. David Patrikarakos is UnHerd's foreign correspondent and the author of War In 140 Characters. A three month manhunt for a wanted man came to a crashing end in a spectacular police chase that saw a four-wheel drive flipped into the air. Kirt Field, 37, from Maitland in the NSW Hunter Valley, was arrested after an alleged violent stand off with police on Friday which allegedly left four officers with injuries. It allegedly ended in a car chase which left several police vehicles damaged before one cop car rear-ended the 4WD he was in and sent it spinning. Field is now facing 23 charges after the alleged kidnap and assault of a woman sparked the manhunt. His arrest came when Field was spotted by an off-duty police officer travelling in an allegedly stolen Toyota LandCruiser on the New England Highway. Hed been wanted since March when officers investigated the attack on a woman in the Hunter town of Upper Allyn near Dungog and a warrant was issued for Field's arrest. Kirt Field, from Maitland in the states north, was arrested after an alleged stand off with police on Friday His arrest came after a police vehicle rear-ended the 4WD he was driving in (pictured) On June 2, officers were called to John Hunter Hospital after a woman was admitted with serious injuries requiring surgery. The woman had allegedly been kidnapped by the man six weeks earlier and held against her will. The day after that report, police said Field assaulted officers during an attempted arrest and fled in a Jeep Cherokee towing a camper trailer. Field (pictured, at his arrest on Friday) has been charged with 23 domestic violence and traffic offences On Friday, Field allegedly rammed two police cars and rolled the LandCruiser after being approached by officers in a car park (pictured, the upended vehicle at the scene) A police pursuit was abandoned when the Jeep allegedly swerved to avoid road spikes and hit a tree, causing the trailer to separate from the vehicle. On Friday, after he was spotted in the Toyota, he is accused of ramming two police cars when police tried to intercept him in a car park before the LandCruiser rolled over. Field has been charged with 23 domestic violence and traffic offences, including taking or detaining a person with the intention to obtain advantage and cause actual bodily harm. The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court on Sunday. Ross Kemp turned down a trip to see the Titanic on an OceanGate submersible after his TV firm decided the vessel was 'unsafe on every level'. The British documentary-maker, 58, was keen to take part in the mission last year for a documentary marking the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. After an expert production company carried out checks, they decided seeing the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic would be too risky. Kemp's agent, Professor Jonathan Shalit, said they pulled out of using the Titan submersible because it was unsafe 'on every level'. He said he was relieved Kemp didn't board Titan and the company didn't suggest it was safe for him to go. Ross Kemp 58, was keen to take part in the mission for a show last year After an expert production company carried out checks, they decided seeing the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic would be too risky in the Titan vessel Kemp's agent, Professor Jonathan Shalit, said they pulled out of using the Titan submersible because it was unsafe 'on every level' Professor Shalit said: 'I am relieved that Ross did not participate but I am obviously reassured by the professionalism of those companies we were working with that they didn't suggest that he go on the submarine. 'The production company, who are well known and renowned, looked into the sub and decided it was unsafe on every level and weren't prepared to use it. 'We were told 'it is unsafe, we are not going' - that was a year ago. 'It is deeply sad for the families who have suffered such a terrible loss. 'The lesson to be learnt is do your checks thoroughly. By good fortune for us the checks had been done thoroughly.' The US Coast Guard offered its 'deepest condolences' to the families of the five men after the tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. British billionaire Hamish Harding, UK-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, the vessel's pilot Stockton Rush and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board. At a press conference in Boston, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was 'consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber'. Kemp had been considering making a documentary to mark the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton in 1912. Veteran explorer Josh Gates, who hosts Expedition Unknown on Discovery+, also revealed he turned down the chance to film on the doomed Titan submersible. He tweeted that he had rejected the opportunity to film in 2021 because the vessel 'did not perform well' during a test dive. He wrote: 'Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with the OceanGate platform. 'There's more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public - much of it concerning.' The Titanic Five were killed instantly when the submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' just 1,600ft from the bow of the wrecked ocean liner, the US Coast Guard announced on Thursday. The nail-biting search for the men on the Titan, a 21ft submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions, drew to a devastating close when a remote operated submarine from a Canadian ship found debris on the ocean floor. Search and rescue officials say the men likely died on Sunday - before military planes using sonar buoys detected what they thought could have been SOS 'banging' sounds in the water. The victims are OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19. 'The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up,' explained Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference today. It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck. In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains. 'This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there. The debris is consistent of a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.. we'll continue to work and search the area down there - but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time,' Paul Hankin, a deep sea expert involved in the search, said. Planes left Moscow and appeared to head to St Petersburg and Tver, reports say Two presidential planes linked to Vladimir Putin flew out of Moscow towards Tver and St Petersburg today before switching off their transponders, according to reports, as the Wagner group marched through Russia. The jets carry top Kremlin officials, including the Russian President. Other business planes were also seen making an exodus from the capital towards St Petersburg. Earlier there were reports from Ukrainian intelligence indicating Putin had left from Moscow by helicopter for his palace at Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg. It came as Wagner troops travelled towards Moscow and a sinister message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.' But this evening, in a spectacular climbdown, Wagner PMC Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his troops to turn back, amid claims that a deal had been struck between the mercenaries and the Kremlin. Putin's presidential plane took off from Moscow to St. Petersburg, according to multiple reports Putin's plane, Ilyushin Il-96-300PU, pictured in 2015, is said to have left Moscow at 14:16 and went north west, the FlightReader tracking service claimed A sinister message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president' A presidential plane linked to Vladimir Putin flew north from Moscow towards Tver and switched off its transponder, according to multiple reports. Pictured: The plane in 2018 Sources close to Putin insisted throughout the day that he was working in the Kremlin - an unusual location for him except for short visits. His spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied he had flown to St Petersburg on a TU-214PU aircraft from which he could launch a nuclear war. Some social media users have noted that Putin's plane - special aircraft II-96-300PU - - left Moscow at 14.16 and went north west, the FlightReader tracking service claimed. Putin reportedly spends time at his residence in Lake Valdai, north-west of Moscow, and apparently does not permanently live in the capital. There was also a claim from Telegram channel General SVR that Putin's cronies 'almost without exception' were 'preparing routes for relocation along with their relatives and friends'. The wealthiest member of his government, deputy premier Denis Manturov, left the country for Turkey, said media We Can Explain citing flight records for his VIP Sukhoi Superjet which is equipped with ten beds. Two weeks ago he was reported to have narrowly missed being hit with a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile in Henichesk on the Sea of Azov, close to annexed Crimea. Telegram channel Important Stories said a source had indicated Putin intended to 'eliminate' his former crony Yevgeny Prigozhin. A source said: 'Putin doesn't need a big shooting, so the number one task is to precisely eliminate Prigozhin and tear off the backbone of Wagner from him.' Other Wagner figures would be offered an amnesty in return for coming to heel. Moscow spy chief Sergey Naryshkin, head of Putin's SVR foreign intelligence agency, claimed 'it is clear that the attempt to rock Russian society, kindle the fire of a fratricidal civil war has failed'. A source inside Wagner said that the mercenary troops were fighting Putin under threat of being executed if they disobeyed. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin (centre) and Russian Wagner Group fighters at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces in Rostov-on-Don A message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel today said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president' Wagner is notorious for using sledgehammers to execute 'traitors' in extrajudicial killings. A source told gulagu.net: 'Many in our assault squad are in shock. 'We do not want to participate in this, but the rules of the [war] are now being applied here in Russia. 'For refusing to comply with an order - [the punishment is] 'zeroing'. 'Two were already shot during preparations for the capture of the headquarters of the Defence Ministry in Rostov-on-Don. 'And now we are outlaws in general - and these freaks [the Wagner commanders] threaten to nullify us, and t they will cover us on the track. 'We are suicide bombers and there is almost no chance [of success].' Prigozhin's Wagner group earlier said Russian leaders will be toppled and 'soon we will have a new president'. The Wagner group claimed to have shot down multiple Russian helicopters during its assault. Shocking footage shows huge black plumes of smoke rising into the air on a field after what is claimed to be a helicopter was targeted and burst into flames. The Wagner group claims to have shot down three Russian helicopters since its coup began Russian president Vladimir Putin today branded Prigozhin's military coup 'treason' as he addressed the Russian people, saying the military leader has 'stabbed him in the back' Russian forces appeared to confirm three of their attack helicopters had been shot down by Wagner. Enraged Prigozhin declared on Friday that his 25,000-strong force is marching into Rostov-on-Don, and is 'unopposed'. Prigozhin made the move in fury at what he said was Moscow's attack on his men, adding that he intended to march to Moscow to take on defense chiefs. Other video footage emerging online appeared to show a major oil depot engulfed in flames in Voronezh. Videos showed a helicopter flying over the depot before a huge explosion sent a fireball into the air. Russian president Vladimir Putin branded Prigozhin's military coup 'treason' as he addressed the Russian people, saying the military leader has 'stabbed him in the back'. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video released in the early hours of Saturday that his forces have reached the strategically important city of Rostov-on-Don All public events were cancelled in the Russian capital as Vladimir Putin took to TV to say some Russians have been 'tricked into a criminal adventure' in a bid to affirm his shaky grip on power. Putin described the group's actions as a 'criminal adventuristic campaign' that was 'equivalent to armed mutiny', and urged those involved to cease any armed action, as the unit's HQ in St Petersburg was reportedly raided today. After the Wagner Group started a 'coup' against Putin in the early hours of Saturday, June 24, MailOnline answers the burning questions about the mercenary militia. How many soldiers does Wagner have? According to the group's highest-ranking officer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he had 25,000 soldiers under his command for the military offensive against Putin. Back in January, the UK Ministry of Defence said Wagner was commanding about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine. More than 20,000 Wagner soldiers were reportedly killed while fighting in Ukraine, many of which died in the months-long battle for control of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. According to the group's highest-ranking officer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he had 25,000 soldiers under his command for the military offensive against Putin Back in January, the UK Ministry of Defence said Wagner was commanding about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine What weapons do Wagner Group have? The Wagner Group has heavy weapons at their disposal, for example air defence equipment, including SA-22s combat vehicles, according to the US Department of Defence. Other weapons previously supplied to Wagner by Russia include fighter jets and short-range missiles, allegedly acquired from North Korea in December 2022. They also have artillery shells on hand after reportedly buying them from North Korea. The Wagner Group also has several tanks and other military vehicles they can use in combat. The Wagner Group also has several tanks and other military vehicles they can use in combat The Wagner Group has heavy weapons at their disposal, for example air defence equipment, including SA-22s combat vehicles, according to the US Department of Defence (file image) What is the salary of Wagner mercenaries? The Wagner Group has nearly doubled the pay for its soldiers in October 2022, offering soldiers 8,000 a month to fight for them. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Wagner paid its fighters up to 4,400 a month. While the monthly pay went up, the requirements for soldiers went down - previously only people with solid military experience were recruited, but ever since the war started, Wagner accepts anyone who's willing to kill for them. The Wagner Group has nearly doubled the pay for its soldiers in October 2022, offering soldiers 8,000 a month to fight for them Before the invasion of Ukraine, Wagner paid its fighters up to 4,400 a month How rich are the Wagner Group and how have they made their wealth? Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is thought to have a net worth in excess of nearly 800million ($1billion). Prigozhin generated more than a quarter of a billion dollars from his global natural resources empire - despite Western sanctions, the Financial Times has reported. The money stems from oil, gas, diamond and gold extraction. The US treasury believes the Wagner Group uses its presence in African Countries like Sudan, Libya and Mali to enrich themselves by exploiting natural resources. The Wagner group has reportedly expanded its network in the Central African Republic (CAR) and earned $1billion in mining profits. Gems and previous metals like diamonds and gold are the ideal payment for Wagner, as they are harder to trace back to them. It was also reported that the group was paid in oil and gas for their work as mercenaries in Syria. Vladimir Klitschko has visited bombsites in Kyiv after Russia's latest airstrikes have left rescuers trying to pull survivors from the rubble. At least three people have been killed and eight injured after a high-rise building in the Ukrainian capital was struck early on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine's military said air defences had destroyed 41 out of 51 cruise missiles, as well as two drones, launched by Russia in the assault which had targeted at least five regions across the country. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said the damage to the high-rise had been caused by fragments from one of more than 20 missiles that were shot down around the city. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko was pictured this morning alongside emergency workers who were sifting through debris at the scene where a gaping hole was visible on one side of the building. Emergency services carry a woman on a stretcher in Kyiv after Russia's latest airstrikes hit the Ukrainian capital overnight Vladimir Klitschko (pictured) visited bombsites in the city follwoing the attacks which left at least three people dead and eight injured, according to Ukrainian officials He was pictured this morning alongside emergency workers who were sifting through debris at the scene where a gaping hole was visible on one side of the building Klitschko said on Telegram that more people may be trapped under the rubble, while Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on the messaging app: 'This is the style of terrorists. The style of Russia.' Klymenko said missiles had targeted at least five regions across the country. Officials in the southeastern region of Dnipropetrovsk said eight people were wounded - two of them children - and several buildings destroyed in attacks there. Governor Serhiy Lysak said air defences had destroyed nine missiles and three drones but that residential buildings in the regional capital Dnipro and an unspecified infrastructure object were hit. At least two Russian missiles also targeted Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with one hitting an industrial zone and another damaging a gas line, said Governor Oleh Synehubov. He said there were no casualties. There were reports of explosions in other cities but no immediate word of casualties or damage. Moscow began stepping up regular air strikes on Ukraine in May as Kyiv's military was planning a counteroffensive, which is now ongoing, to retake Russian-occupied territory in the east and south. The apartment block which was damaged by rocket fragments in Kyiv after Russia's latest airstrikes Rescue workers in action sifting through the debris to try and pull out survivors Margaret McDonagh who was Labour's first female general secretary has died at the age of 61. The politician was general secretary of the Labour Party from 1998 to 2001 and sat in the House of Lords as Baroness McDonagh after she assumed office in 2004 with a Life Peerage. Her death comes as earlier this year, her sister Siobhain McDonagh, Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, gave a House of Commons speech in which she accused the NHS of 'abandoning' her sister as she was treated for brain cancer. She fought back tears as she criticised the lack of progress on brain cancer treatment since 2005 in the NHS and explained her sister was on a course of treatment which involved a monthly four-day trip to Dusseldorf, Germany. She said that Baroness McDonagh had the tumour removed during surgery at the Royal National Neurological Hospital just before Christmas, but only after the operation was cancelled by the NHS three times prior. Margaret McDonagh (pictured) who was Labour's first female general secretary has died at the age of 61 The politician (pictured with Tony Blair right and then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott left) was general secretary of the Labour Party from 1998 to 2001 Baroness McDonagh (pictured with Tony Blair) entered the House of Lords in 2004 with a Life Peerage Siobhain McDonagh said during her speech in March: 'On the 27 November 2021 my beautiful, unique, tough, resilient, successful sister collapsed in front of me and had a series of fits. 'Five hours later in University College Hospital two doctors named Henry told me that they suspected she had a brain tumour but as this was the NHS, MRI scans were not done at the weekend and they couldn't confirm their diagnosis.' 'I wonder what my mum who came here in 1947 to train as the first generation of nurses from Ireland would say about the NHS abandoning her daughter. 'All that I want is for the NHS, the cancer research charities, the pharmaceutical companies to stand up and accept their responsibility and to give some hope to the 3,200 people who will be diagnosed with a glioblastoma this year.' Baroness McDonagh was described as an 'unstoppable force of nature' and a 'tireless champion for women' as tributes were paid to her today. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hailed her 'absolutely essential' role as election co-ordinator in the party's 1997 general election victory. Starmer said: 'Margaret may not have been as famous as some of the politicians she worked with, but they wouldn't have got into power without her. 'Both inside and outside of the Labour Party, Margaret was a tireless champion for women, mentoring a whole generation of political and business leaders.' Her death comes as earlier this year, her sister Siobhain McDonagh (pictured), Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, gave an House of Commons speech in which she accused the NHS of 'abandoning' her sister as she was treated for brain cancer Sir Keir added: 'To the very end Margaret was campaigning for better healthcare for those with brain tumours. 'Margaret was absolute proof that one person can make a difference in the world. The difference with Margaret is that she also built an army of change-makers along the way who will proudly carry on that fight in her name. 'You can't think about Margaret without her sister Siobhain (the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden), campaigners together not just in Mitcham and Morden, but across the world.' Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said: 'Margaret was an amazing, vibrant, unstoppable force of nature. Dedicated to the country, the Labour Party and to fighting for what she believed was right. 'As General Secretary of the Labour Party she was an incredible support to me and a vital element of New Labour. Most of all she was the most loyal friend anyone could wish for.' Lord Mandelson, who was Labour's campaign director in the 1997 general election, said: 'Margaret was a tour de force. She ran Millbank in 1997 with a rod of iron. Everyone was terrified, including me. 'I have never met anyone so resolute, so uncompromisingly honest and so direct. 'She almost never made it to the high command in the early 1990s, but once she arrived there was no going back. She was formidable.' Former Labour leader Lord Neil Kinnock said: 'Margaret was magnificent in every way. She strove in the most practical ways for true equality for women throughout her life, she was a brilliant organiser for democracy and she had a mixture of steel and charm which earned her loyalty from friends and admiration from foes. 'Her courage in fighting her illness was remarkable, but typical of the valour which defined her. I offer love and sympathy to Siobhan and her beloved family.' A Youtuber has revealed that he had a close call with death after his trip in the same OceanGate submersive was axed just days before it imploded. Jake Koehler, also known as Dallmyd, took a short ride in the Titan vessel but was told he could not explore the Titanic shipwreck because of 'malfunctions'. The self-proclaimed 'treasure hunter' was set to dive 13,000 ft down to the seabed of the North Atlantic but communication problems and harsh weather meant it was cancelled last minute. He only experienced the 3,000 ft test dive, and said he felt like he dodged a bullet as the harsh reality that he could have died set in. On Friday, he shared a haunting video of his time onboard the craft which zoomed in on the infamous video game controller used to control the 22-foot submersive. Jake Koehler, also known as Dallmyd, revealed that he had a close call with death after his trip in the same OceanGate submersive was axed just days before it imploded The content creator shared a haunting video of his time onboard the craft which zoomed in on the infamous video game controller used to control the 22-foot submersive During a routine engineering dive, it was flagged that one of the two computers controlling the sub 'was acting up a bit' He said: 'It's crazy to think if the weather cleared up and the conditions were perfect, and Stockton looked up at me and said, ''Do you wanna go?'' I would've done it, and my fate could've been just like the five who had lost their lives on that same submarine.' As the self-proclaimed 'treasure hunter' prepared for the trip, disturbing trials revealed that the team started noticing issues just days before five people were killed on a dive to see the Titanic. During a routine engineering dive, it was flagged that one of the two computers controlling the sub 'was acting up a bit'. The control problem, choppy seas and winds meant Jake's trip was cancelled. After a few days of bad weather, engineers felt the controls were in good enough condition to do a 3,000-foot test dive with the passengers. The crew of passengers laughed while the cramped ship nose-dived into the ocean, but it wasn't long before communication problems with the mother ship started. 'If the fog didn't roll in and cancel the dive, who knows, maybe we would've left that platform, and maybe we would've imploded,' Jake added. Jake said he feels like he dodged a bullet and is heartbroken for the families of the divers. He said: 'I didn't know these people too well, but they treated me very nicely, and I lost a few friends.' In the video's caption, Jake wrote that he did not pay for a ticket as he was asked to share his experience with his 13.4million YouTube subscribers. Jake is one of many people to have had a near-miss with the vessel, as Ross Kemp turned down the trip after his TV firm decided the vessel was 'unsafe on every level'. The British documentary-maker, 58, was keen to take part in the mission for documentary to mark the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton in 1912. After an expert production company carried out checks, they decided seeing the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic would be too risky. Ross Kemp 58, was keen to take part in the mission for a documentary last year marking the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic The Titanic Five were killed instantly when the submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' just 1,600ft from the bow of the wrecked ocean liner, the US Coast Guard announced on Thursday. The nail-biting search for the men on the Titan, a 21ft submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions, drew to a devastating close when a remote operated submarine from a Canadian ship found debris on the ocean floor. Search and rescue officials say the men likely died on Sunday - before military planes using sonar buoys detected what they thought could have been SOS 'banging' sounds in the water. The victims are OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19. 'The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up,' explained Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference today. It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid $250,000 each to see the famous shipwreck. In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains. 'This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there. The debris is consistent of a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.. we'll continue to work and search the area down there - but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time,' Paul Hankin, a deep sea expert involved in the search, said. After initiative more than 50 per cent reoffended Victim said the conference was 'a waste of time' Disturbing statistics show Queensland's measures to dissuade youths from reoffending are failing with more than half re-offending within a year. Annastacia Palaszczuk's state government re-introduced a youth justice reform initiative in 2016, in an attempt to tackle the surging youth crime epidemic in the state. However, worrying results from the last two years showed that more than 50 per cent of juveniles who went through the program committed crimes within the next year. The initiative means that the court or police can order young criminals to meet their victims. Restorative justice is a form of sentencing where offenders are ordered to meet those who they harmed in an attempt to get them to grasp the damage their actions caused and to put them off from committing future crimes. Stats show QLD's youth justice reform initiative which was reintroduced in an attempt to tackle the youth crime epidemic is failing as more than 50 per cent of participants are reoffending within a year (stock image) The Palaszczuk Government re-introduced a youth justice reform initiative in 2016, in an attempt to tackle the surging youth crime epidemic in the state but many are reoffending or not even showing up to their ordered conference However, in 2021 and 2022, of the more than 3400 youths who attended 'restorative justice' reoffended within a year. Data also showed that more than 4450 young offenders were ordered to attend the program in the last two years but almost 1000 never showed up. One victim, who cannot legally be named, told the Courier Mail that her restorative justice meeting with a 17-year-old who broke into her home and robbed her of more than 10,000, was a waste of time. 'He was cocky, he didn't give a s***,' she said. 'It was three hours of my life I'll never get back. 'I don't feel like he got anything from that meeting.' He is currently behind bars at Townsville Correctional Centre. The data from Youth Justice also revealed children aged 14 to 15 years old were most likely to be ordered to do the program. The region of far North Queensland had the highest rate of reoffending, 57 per cent, followed by southwest Queensland, 56 per cent) and southeast Queensland, 53 per cent. Restorative justice is a form of sentencing where offenders are ordered to meet those who they harmed in an attempt to get them to grasp the damage their actions caused and to put them off from committing future crimes (pictured: Youth detention centre) Those in the youngest bracket of 10 to 15 years old had the highest rate of reoffending with 57 per cent of them going on to commit at least one crime after partaking in the program. Opposition spokesman for Police, Dale Last, said the declining number of participants in the program was of concern. 'Victims of crime, and especially those who participate in the restorative justice process, wouldn't describe a 50 per cent failure rate as a success,' Mr Last said. Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer, however, backed the initiative saying as a whole since its reintroduction the number of re-offenders has declined. 'We've seen a decline in the number of young offenders in the past five years the number of offenders is down 31 per cent,' Ms Farmer said. 'We are now dealing with a more difficult cohort of offenders and they are harder to turn around. Any young person who refuses to take part in a restorative justice conference will be back before the court. 'Ultimately, it is for police and courts to decide on a case-by-case basis whether a young person should be referred to a restorative justice process, and numbers will fluctuate from year to year.' The distraught mother of a New Mexico teen - who gave birth to her son and tossed him in a bin - pleaded with police to not be 'rough with her' during her arrest. Alexee Trevizo, 19, was arrested May 10 and is charged with first-degree murder, or alternatively abusing a child resulting in death and tampering with evidence. Trevizo was taken to Artesia General Hospital on Jan 27 with back pain before it was discovered she was in labor - although she maintained she hadn't had sex. The 19-year-old secretly delivered her son, threw him in a trash bag and claimed he'd been still born, when hospital staff discovered the dead newborn. She was later arrested in May. New police bodycam footage has revealed the moment Trevizo was cuffed outside her Artesia home as her mother demanded to see an arrest warrant before reluctantly letting her go. Three officers can be seen approaching the rural property where the 19-year-old was living with her family before knocking on the front door. The distraught mother of a New Mexico teen - who gave birth to her son and tossed him in a bin - pleaded with police to not be 'rough with her' during her arrest New police bodycam footage has revealed the moment Trevizo was cuffed outside her Artesia home as her mother demanded to see her arrest warrant before reluctantly letting her go Alexee Trevizo, 19, was arrested May 10 and is charged with first-degree murder, or alternatively abusing a child resulting in death and tampering with evidence Trevizo's mother can be seen answering the door and quickly demands to see the arrest warrant, refusing entry to the police officers standing on her porch. 'I'll bring her out, just tell me what's going on,' she's heard asking the officers. 'There is a warrant for her arrest I'll give it to her when she comes out,' said one of the officers. 'Can I see it? This is my house I have a right to see the warrant,' she demanded. As the conversation progressed Trevizo's mother could be seen getting noticeably more frustrated with police as they explained that because she was above the age of 18 she would have to provide consent to see the arrest warrant. 'We have a search warrant for your house, we have a warrant for her arrest,' an officer can be heard saying. 'Can I see the warrant?' Trevizo's mother says again before a police officer explains 'she gets a copy of it' referring to the 19-year-old. Trevizo's mother can be seen answering the door and quickly demands to see the arrest warrant, refusing entry to the police officers standing on her porch Trevizo's mother begins to speak to someone on a phone still asking to see the arrest warrant before she eventually concedes and brings her daughter outside to be taken into custody 'Can I go up there when you take her up there?' Trevizo's mother asks becoming more distressed as the conversation continues. Trevizo's mother begins to speak to someone on a phone still asking to see the arrest warrant before she eventually concedes and brings her daughter outside to be taken into custody. In the moments before she goes into the house to get her daughter Trevizo's mother pleads with the officers not to be 'rough' with her as they take her away. 'I will give her to you, but please don't hurt her, please don't touch her,' she says shaking her head. Breaking down in tears she adds: 'Please don't be rough with her, please.' Trevizo's mom then walks into the house to retrieve her daughter, before she's taken away by the officers. Her mother explains that she's still bleeding and Trevizo is allowed to take some personal belongings before she's walked over to the police vehicle outside the property Three officers can be seen approaching the rural property where the 19-year-old was living with her family before knocking on the front door Her mother explains that she's still bleeding and Trevizo is allowed to take some personal belongings before she's walked over to the police vehicle outside the property. An officer cuffs the young mother before she's put inside the car. The bodycam footage is part of a series of videos which detail the moments before and after Trevizo dumped her newborn in a trash bag and it died. Earlier, horrifying footage surfaced of the moment nurses discovered trevizo's dead son in a hospital trash bag. Trevizo has maintained her innocence, claiming she didn't know she was pregnant and when she delivered the baby it was stillborn. In the footage, Trevizo can be seen running to the bathroom inside Artesia General Hospital, New Mexico, in January. Earlier, horrifying footage surfaced of the moment nurses discovered trevizo's dead son in a hospital trash bag Trevizo had attended with back pain but tests revealed she was pregnant and in labor. The footage shows the more than 20 minutes after she left the bathroom, a cleaner is seen going into the toilet after staff said they discovered blood inside. The cleaner then calls another member of staff and the two peer into a black trash bag before both quickly stepping back. After realizing what they'd found, more members of staff can be seen arriving on the scene to check the contents of the garbage can. Five minutes after the discovery, the cleaner who found the newborn can be seen being consoled by two members of staff before being led away. Soon after police officers arrived at the hospital. Bodycam footage captured the moment a doctor told Trevizo and her mother: 'We discovered a dead baby in the bathroom.' 'I'm sorry, it came out of me and I didn't know what to do... I was just scared, it was not crying or nothing,' Trevizo explains. Five minutes after the horrific discovery, the cleaner who found the newborn can be seen being consoled by two members of staff before being led away Holding her hand Trevizo's mother pleads with her daughter, saying: 'What did you do?' 'What did you do to it,' the mother demands and holds her head in her hands in desperation, before the doctor tells her to 'stop right there.' 'The number one priority is she just had a baby, I don't know whether she has delivered the placenta. She's bleeding significantly,' the doctor says, before explaining that the teenager must be moved to the obstetrician. 'I'm sorry about this, but in terms of delivering the baby, it looks like you tried to hide it, so we do have to have the police involved,' the doctor continues. 'The baby is going to have to be taken for autopsy and there will be an investigator and everything.' 'I'm so sorry, but we need to do this correctly and I want to be transparent with you about what our steps are going to be.' 'Nothing was crying, it came out with nothing,' Trevizo repeats. A male medic in the room then asks the mother and daughter if they have any questions, to which Trevizo's mother asks how big the baby is. Bodycam footage captured the moment a doctor told Trevizo and her mother: 'We discovered a dead baby in the bathroom' 'It's full term,' the masked medic responds. 'What!' she exclaims, suggesting she did not know that her daughter was nine months pregnant prior to the birth. 'Lexi, have you watched the news, about what the girls do to their babies and they go to jail,' the mother asks in frustration. A traumatized Trevizo bursts into tears and is then told that there are detectives on the way to talk to her and that she's now detained in the hospital under police custody. At the beginning of the released body cam footage, a nurse told responding officers that Trevizo had a positive pregnancy test but denied having sex. Investigators said that by the time the baby was found it had died and an autopsy listed the cause of death as a homicide in March. On May 10 Police charged Trevizo with first-degree murder, 'or alternatively' intentional abuse of a child resulting in death, plus a count for tampering with evidence. A traumatized Trevizo bursts into tears and is then told that there are detectives on the way to talk to her and that she's now detained in the hospital under police custody Trevizo has since been released from jail on a $100,000 bond and will be able to finish the school year without an ankle monitor or house arrest, while she awaits trial Trevizo has since been released from jail on a $100,000 bond and will be able to finish the school year without an ankle monitor or house arrest, while she awaits trial. Gary C. Mitchell, an attorney for Trevizo, previously told the Associated Press that his client has no criminal record and should not be facing a murder charge. He said there are 'major discrepancies about what happened' in the hospital and 'this isn't a classic child abuse case.' This is the second high-profile case of a mother and newborn baby being dumped in a bin in New Mexico in recent years. Jurors convicted Alexis Avila, 19, of throwing her newborn into an outdoor trash receptacle in January 2020 in Hobbs, New Mexico. A mysterious 'missile-shaped' object which washed ashore and caused a picturesque city beach to be shut down while the ADF blew it up has been identified as a marine flare. The device used in emergency situations on the ocean sparked a military response when it was discovered by a swimmer at North Beach on Perth's northern coast at 3.40pm on Friday. It is understood the object had writing on the side of it warning people to stay away from the device and contact police. Authorities guarded the object while the Australian Defence Force was called in to investigate before it was disposed of at 6.50pm at the beach in what is believed to be a controlled explosion. Residents reported hearing a loud bang at that time. The device used in emergency situations out on the ocean caused a stir when it was discovered by a swimmer at North Beach on Perth's northern coast at 340pm on Friday An ADF spokesperson said WA Police asked the agency to 'respond to a marker marine flare' where it then 'safely disposed of the flare on site using routine measure' (pictured, stock image of marine flares) Marmion local Kieran Jessup told the West Australian he was surfing when he saw a police officer guarding the object waiting for the ADF to arrive. 'I usually come in at a certain section of the reef but police waved me away from it,' he said. Mr Jessup said the one-metre long object was missile shaped and about the size of an adult arm. He also said the 'whole suburb' heard the explosion, adding 'it was a bit of a hot topic there in the water' while he was out surfing on Saturday morning. Authorities guarded the object while the Australian Defence Force was called in to investigate before it was disposed of at 650pm at the beach (pictured, a stock image of the ADF at a training exercise) An ADF spokesperson said WA police asked the agency to 'respond to a marker marine flare' where it then 'safely disposed of the flare on site using routine measure'. If a member of the public discovers an unexploded device they are urged to leave it alone and contact police immediately. Marine flares are safety devices used by ship and boat operators to create distress signals when help is needed. The flares can also pinpoint a boat's location for a search vessel. Those seeking a move from the West Coast would join the likes of Elon Musk and Joe Rogan in fleeing the area's woke decline Over 40 percent of residents are considering a move, while satisfaction in the state's economy had plummeted since the pandemic A new study revealed a large number of Californians have had enough of the Golden State's problems After years of woke politics, soft-on-crime policing and rampant, open-air homelessness and drug taking, large numbers of Californians have had enough. More than 40 percent are considering quitting the Golden State, joining the likes of Joe Rogan and Elon Musk in selling their West Coast properties. Almost a third of the state's residents said their urge to leave is fueled by its liberal politics, according to a new poll from a consortium of California nonprofits. The study also found that Californians face deep economic anxieties, with satisfaction in the state's economy dropping 12 percent since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Over 500,000 people have fled California since the start of the pandemic, according to official census data. Camps are set up around California's cities and people take drugs openly, leading some residents to consider a move A woman in a wheelchair injects drugs at San Francisco's infamous open-air drugs market The study, which surveyed 800 California residents, quizzed people on a variety of issues, including crime in their area, health care, cost of living, and safety. The findings were telling over the state's decline in recent years, with a majority of respondents saying they are far more concerned about their lives than last year. California is sharply divided along racial lines, according to the study, which found that residents are evenly divided over whether America has 'overcorrected and gone too far in its attempts to give everyone equal rights'. While a majority (53%) of white Californians agreed, a larger majority (63%) of black Californians disagreed. Nearly half (46%) of those surveyed said they struggled to save money as they barely scrape by, with 18 percent saying they find it difficult to make ends meet. The dire outlook in the state has led the 40 percent to consider leaving California, and almost half of them say they are 'very seriously' thinking of moving. Among those thinking of leaving, a large majority (61%) cited the high cost of living as the reason. This figure jumped to 71 percent among black or Asian/ Pacific Islander respondents. In comparison, almost 31 percent said they are considering leaving because California's woke politics doesn't align with their views. Unsurprisingly, conservatives were three times more likely to cite the state's politics as their reason for possibly leaving. California's deep political divides were also evident in residents' outlook on the state's direction. Among Republicans, a staggering 83 percent said it was on the wrong track, while only around 20 percent of Democrats agreed. Podcaster Joe Rogan made a public move from California in 2020, selling his lavish $3.5 million Bell Canyon mansion (pictured) Rogan said he sold the luxury estate and moved his family to Texas because he wanted to live somewhere with 'a little more freedom' The lavish estate was complete with five bedrooms and five bathrooms Rogan reportedly received over $250,000 over his asking price for the classy property Those considering fleeing the West Coast state would join numerous high-profile former residents in seeking a new home. In 2020, podcaster Joe Rogan left the state and moved his family to Texas, selling off his lavish $3.5 million estate for the move. The mansion came with a private MMA gym, a sun soaked pool, and enough amenities to fill the expansive 2 acre plot. He announced his desire to leave on his Spotify podcast 'The Joe Rogan Experience', telling his huge audience he wanted to leave for 'a little more freedom'. 'I want to go somewhere in the center of the country... I think where we live right here in Los Angeles is a little overcrowded. 'I think its exposing the fact that its a real issue when you look at the number of people that are catching COVID because of the overpopulation issue. 'When you look at the traffic, the economic disparity, the homelessness problem I think there are too many people.' Billionaire Elon Musk sold an array of his California homes in recent years Musk sold one of his Bay Area mansions (pictured) for $37.5 million Among the litany of mansions sold by Musk was this Brentwood estate, which went for $4 million in August 2019 Musk parted ways with his array of West Coast mansions as he vowed to rid himself of all possessions In 2021, Rogan was joined by billionaire Elon Musk in leaving California, which came as part of a surprising vow to sell nearly all his possessions. His last remaining mansion in the area, a Bay Area property listed for $37.5 million, hit the market in June 2021. Beforehand, he had gone on a spree for over a year in selling all six of his California homes, which brought in a staggering total of $114 million. He said he was doing it as a way to defuse criticism of his wealth, telling podcast host Joe Rogan in 2020: 'I think possessions kinda weigh you down. 'And theyre kind of an attack vector. People say, "Hey, billionaire, you got all this stuff." "Well, now I dont have the stuff now what are you gonna do?"' Thieves steal ATM with almost nothing in it Dramatic vision has captured the moment two thieves ram raid a family-owned restaurant all to make away with an ATM almost empty of cash. CCTV footage of Cudlee Creek Tavern, in South Australias Adelaide Hills shows a pair slam a stolen white Mazda into the businesses front door around 4.30am on Saturday. The crooks then tie the ATM to the back of the car to dislodge it before taking multiple attempts to hoist the heavy machine into the small hatchback. The machine barely fits so the thieves are forced to drive off with the boot open as parts of the ATM spilled out of the car. Shocking vision shows a pair ram a car into the front of a family-owned restaurant all to steal an ATM machine with only a few hundred dollars in it (pictured) At 5.30am emergency services were called to Angas Creek Rd after reports of a white Mazda on fire. At 6am Queensland Police were alerted to the theft, with checks of the burnt out car revealing it was the vehicle used in the ram raid and was stolen from Brompton last week. Police were alerted to the ATM on the side of a road in Millbrook around 8.30am. Andy Fischer the co-owner of the Cudlee Creek Tavern told 9News the thieves caused mass damage to the front of his business, all for a few hundred dollars. 'Our ATMs are basically nearly empty every night so it is basically pointless taking it,' he said. The owner of the tavern has been left with a costly mess to clean up and says the whole front of the premises will need to be rebuilt. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. There is the potential for travel chaos next week as the rollout of 5G means older planes could be banned from takeoff over fears the new network may interfere with their transmissions. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that only planes fitted with the right equipment will be allowed to fly when visibility is poor, such as during bad weather. The warning, in a letter from Buttigieg to trade group Airlines for America, comes just before AT&T, Verizon and other carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals on July 1. Some aviation experts believe that signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground. Newer altimeters are protected from interference, but some airlines have complained that a shortage of the devices has prevented them from upgrading all their planes. The warning from Buttigieg, pictured here, comes just before AT&T, Verizon and other carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals Buttgieg said that planes landing in poor visibility conditions, like this plane in Atlanta, Georgia, must be fitted with new altimeters or will be banned from landing This graphic shows how the wireless spectrum used by 5G networks could interfere with altimeters, which measure a plane's altitude and is especially important for low-visibility operations In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Buttigieg said: 'Theres a real risk of delays or cancellations. 'This represents one of the biggestprobably the biggestforeseeable problem affecting performance this summer.' Some airlines said they dont expect problems, with most or all of their planes now having the updated equipment, or they expect to be able to plan around any restrictions for those that dont. With the July 1 deadline now approaching after 18 months, more than 80% of the domestic fleet and about 65% of international aircraft that fly to the U.S. have radar altimeters that wont be susceptible to interference from 5G signals, Buttigieg said. JetBlue have confirmed that their 17 A220 jets would be updated by October and until then there may be an impact on low visibility days. Delta Air Lines said they still had 190 narrow body planes without updated altimeters after supply-chain issues. United Airlines said all of its planes had been updated with new altimeters and Southwest said their current altimeters were allowed to operate without restriction. AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion auction last year, had agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce interference risks and take other steps to cut potential interference for six months. But many of the major airports were not included in the list. Earlier this year, the CEOs of some of America's largest airlines wrote to the government warning of the disruption. Action is urgent, the executives added in the letter, writing: 'To be blunt, the nation's commerce will grind to a halt.' AT&T and Verizon had agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce interference risks but some major airports are still not on the list The CEOs of some of the nation's largest airlines wrote to federal officials at the beginngin of this year warning about the potential negative effects of 5G It was signed by the chief executives of American Airlines, JetBlue Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as officials from FedEx Express and UPS Airlines. They argued, because radio altimeters provide critical information to other safety and navigation systems in modern airplanes, multiple modern safety systems 'will be deemed unusable.' 'Airplane manufacturers have informed us that there are huge swaths of the operating fleet that may need to be indefinitely grounded.' The girlfriend of the married dentist and big game hunter who fatally shot his wife of 34 years while away together on an African safari is facing 17 years in prison as an accessory to the crime. Lori Milliron, 65, was sentenced on Friday by a federal judge in Bianca Rudolph's murder that was carried out so her husband could collect millions in life insurance. The 57-year-old wife and mother of two adult children was shot in the heart by her husband Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph while the couple were away on a hunting trip in Zambia in October 2016. He claimed his wife accidentally shot herself while she was packing to head back home. After her death, the Pennsylvania dentist fraudulently claimed $4.8 million in life insurance payouts. After an FBI investigation Rudolph was charged with his wife's murder in 2021, his sentencing originally set for this week has been postponed. During the hearing, Milliron told the Judge that she was innocent of the crimes, but the judge proclaimed that the lengthy sentence was deserved based on the evidence that Milliron encouraged the heinous act. Lori Milliron, 65, was sentenced on Friday by a federal judge in Bianca Rudolph's murder that was carried out so her husband could collect millions in life insurance Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph was an avid big game hunter and had been on shooting trips all over the world The killer is awaiting to hear if he faces a life sentence after killing his wife with whom he said he was in an open relationship with (pictured together) Prosecutors alleged Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron (pictured) At the trial when graphic images were shown and the family's gut-wrenching testimony was heard, the judge denounced that Milliron seemed remorseless. Milliron was also convicted of providing false and misleading testimony to a grand jury about the money and the nature of the relationship with Rudolph. John Dill, the lawyer for Milliron, claimed the prison sentence was 'excessive' for those types of charges and said he would appeal. Bianca's children were in the courtroom and during their testimony told their father's mistress how she destroyed their family. Bianca's daughter, Ana Rudolph told Milliron that she had 'plotted to eliminate' her mother. Looking right at her, she said: 'Lori, you have taken my parents, but despite everything you have done you will never take my soul. She added: 'This might be difficult to understand ... because you don't have one.' Rudolph claimed an unfamiliar shotgun he and Bianca brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack Despite martial problems, Rudolph said he and his wife, with whom shared two children, agreed to stay married but were free to pursue sexual relationships with other people Bianca and Larry's children - son (pictured left) and daughter Ana (back right) walking into federal court during the July 13, 2022 trial in Denver A three-week long trial was held in Denver, Colorado, last summer where Rudolph was found guilty of murder and mail fraud. A jury of six men and six women sided with prosecutors - who believed the dentist pre-planned to kill his wife of 34 years in cold blood to begin a new life with Milliron. Milliron was found guilty by the same jury of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. She was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. Rudolph maintained his innocence and the two adult children he had with his wife sat in court to support him during the trial. Rudolph's attorney, David Markus said outside of court. 'We believe in Larry. We believe in his family.' Bianca died after being shot by a Browning shotgun in their cabin while she was packing up as they were set to leave Zambia and start their journey home to the US. Rudolph practiced dentistry out of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Dental which made him a small fortune At around 5am on October 11 in 2016, gamekeepers and scouts heard a gunshot come from their cabin. When they got there, they found Bianca lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest. Rudolph's defense team had argued to federal prosecutors that Bianca accidentally shot herself. But prosecutors alleged Rudolph killed his wife to be with Milliron, who had been the dentist's mistress for 20 years. Rudolph said he'd been in an open marriage with his late wife Bianca since 2000. 'I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife,' Rudolph told jurors. Rudolph was charged in December 2021 for the murder. The 67-year-old said he was in the bathroom when he heard his wife say 'come here and help me' before hearing the shot and finding his wife on the floor bleeding. In opening statements, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out: 'I killed my f***ing wife for you!' during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020, after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife's death. Rudolph denied confessing to his wife's killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI's probe. Rudolph was charged in December 2021 for the murder. A jury later found him guilty, and he awaits his sentencing. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Moscow residents revealed their fears as Wagner was approaching the city Ordinary Muscovites have reacted to the news of Prigozhin's military coup attempt - as armoured cars were seen on the streets of the Russian capital and flights out of Moscow sold out amid fears of an armed rebellion. The rush for a way out came as the Wagner group appeared to be marching on the capital, before Prigozhin dramatically ordered his military columns to turn around. As the threat loomed, German news site Der Spiegel claimed tickets for direct connections from Moscow to Tbilisi, Astana and Istanbul were no longer available. Google maps appeared to show road closures on the M4, south of Moscow - the route the Wagner rebels were taking before a dramatic turnaround and announcement from their leader that he did not want to 'spill Russian blood'. Amid fears of a coup in the capital, one resident, named Nikolai, said: 'It's frightening, of course. 'You sit at home thinking about what might happen. It's disturbing both for you and your loved ones.' Ordinary Muscovites in the capital earlier reacted to the news of Prigozhin's military coup attempt - as armoured cars were seen on the streets of the Russian capital. Pictured: People stand in front of metal barriers as they visit Moscow's Red Square on Saturday One resident in Moscow, Nikolai, said: 'It's frightening, of course' Another resident said: 'I think everything will turn out fine, but if they're preparing to bring in [anti-terror measures] then it means there's a reason for that' Moscow resident Sergei said: 'I think everything will turn out fine, but if they're preparing to bring in [anti-terror measures] then it means there's a reason for that.' One woman in Moscow, Galina, said: 'No, it doesn't frighten me at all. 'I have confidence in our president and our people.' Military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in central Moscow on Friday night and Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled until the early hours on Friday. At one club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, released a statement on Telegram announcing that 'a counter-terrorist operation regime has been declared in Moscow', and Monday will be a 'non-working day' to 'minimise risks'. He asked Muscovites to 'refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible'. One woman in Moscow, Galina, said: 'No, it doesn't frighten me at all. I have confidence in our president and our people' A man waves a Russian national flag near Moscow's Red Square earlier today Armored vehicles are seen as security measures are taken in Moscow 'City services are on high alert,' he said. Wagner mercenaries appeared to be moving north from central regions of Russia on Saturday, in the direction of the capital. Putin addressed the Russian people, warning that the military leader Prigozhin 'stabbed him in the back', as Moscow was on lockdown and troops dug to defend the city. Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia had control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and claimed they were 'ready to die' as they vowed revenge for a military strike from Putin's forces that the mercenary leader says killed some of his men. Meanwhile, rumours circulated that presidential planes linked to Vladimir Putin flew north from Moscow towards Tver and St Petersburg before switching off their transponders. Other business jets were seen making an exodus from the capital towards St Petersburg. Earlier, there were reports from Ukrainian intelligence indicating Putin had left from Moscow by helicopter for his palace at Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg. Sources close to Putin insisted he was working in the Kremlin - an unusual location for him except for short visits. President Joe Biden has held crisis talks with top allies in Europe, as Russia's Wagner Group private mercenaries launched an armed rebellion against the country's leader Vladimir Putin. Biden spoke with his counterparts in Britain, France and Germany on Saturday, as Wagner fighters advanced on Moscow after commandeering some military facilities in southern Russia. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined the call, according to a White House readout. 'The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine,' the White House said in a statement. As well, Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call on Saturday morning with his G7 and EU counterparts and discussed the rapidly evolving situation in Russia, the State Department said. Biden spoke with his counterparts in Britain, France and Germany on Saturday, as Wagner fighters advanced on Moscow in an armed rebellion Overnight Friday, Wagner mercenary forces reportedly advanced from Rostov-on-Don to Voronezh as they moved swiftly toward the Russian capital of Moscow on the M4 highway 'The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop,' Blinken wrote on Twitter. Blinken spoke with all of his G7 counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the State Department said. 'Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change,' State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a release. Meanwhile, the Kremlin says Putin spoke to leaders of Russia's own close allies on Saturday, following the armed rebellion launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and 'informed his counterparts of the situation.' Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is a NATO member, but has cultivated ties with Russia, including through deals to purchase military hardware from Moscow. A Kremlin statement said Putin informed Erdogan 'about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion,' and the Turkish president 'expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership.' Putin has vowed to punish the organizers of an armed rebellion in Russia, after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) led his troops toward Moscow A military column of Wagner private mercenary fighters drives on Saturday near Voronezh along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities Armored vehicles are seen on the M4 highway on the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday An oil depot in Voronezh region is seen ablaze. Reports claim it was 'blitzed by a pro-Putin strike helicopter' to thwart Wagner fighters from seizing the fuel as the mercenaries advance The Wagner forces are being led by Wagner Group owner Prigozhin, who on Friday called for an armed uprising to oust Putin's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu. Though the situation on the ground in Russia remained highly fluid and uncertain, there were indications that Wagner forces were advancing swiftly on Moscow by Saturday evening. The governor of Russia's Lipetsk province said Saturday that the mercenary group has entered the region. The Lipetsk region is about 225 miles south of Moscow and much closer to the capital than Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces appeared on Friday night. Authorities 'are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control,' governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. He did not give details about the Wagner presence, but asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhin's threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Russian state media reported. There also was tighter security in areas between the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhin's Wagner group appeared to be in control of local military headquarters, and Moscow. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (above) said on Saturday he spoke with his G7 and EU counterparts after Wagner fighters took control of some military facilities in southern Russia A Russian Police officer guards the Red Square near the Kremlin on Saturday in Moscow, as Wagner mercenaries advanced toward the capital Russian regular troops loyal to Putin are seen digging in to defend Moscow on Saturday Armored vehicles are seen near a checkpoint along the M4 highway as Russian troops prepared to defend the capital city from Wagner mercenaries In the neighboring Tambov region, mass events were canceled Saturday, including high school graduation parties. Russia's Education Ministry said such parties were being postponed until July 1 in Moscow, the region around the capital and 'a number of other regions where additional anti-terrorist measures have been introduced.' In the capital, traffic on bridges across the Moscow River was suspended as the city went into lockdown. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. Developing story, more to follow. Temperatures in the UK are expected to soar to 32C today but lightning, hail and strong winds could also be on the way, according to forecasters. London is expected to be the hottest part of the UK, with potential highs of 31C or 32C, while large parts of England are expected to reach the high 20s. The Met Office said that much of southern, central and eastern England will see a rise in temperatures through the weekend, with a heat health warning in place, covering most of England, until Monday at 9am. This comes as the forecaster also issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms for parts of northern England and Scotland on Sunday from 1pm-9pm, which could cause localised flooding. Some areas could see 30-40mm of rainfall in 1-2 hours, but this is expected to 'vary significantly, while some places are forecast to see hail up to 3cm in diameter along with strong, gusty winds, the Met Office said. One woman rides her bike along Bournemouth beach today as temperatures in the UK are expected to soar to 32C People flocked to Bournemouth beach today as large parts of England are expected to reach the high 20s Two women relax on Bournemouth beach while the Met Offcie has issued a warning of lightning, hail and strong winds for tomorrow The Met Office said: 'Whilst there remains some uncertainty in whether thunderstorms develop as cooler conditions follow from the west, there is a chance that an organised line of thunderstorms could develop across northern Britain during Sunday afternoon before clearing east into the North Sea during the evening. 'This is more likely to happen across eastern parts of the warning area including northeast England and eastern Scotland.' Temperatures could peak at 32C in the far southeast on Sunday, and widely into the high 20s elsewhere in the south and east. The heat health warning urges people to 'watch out for those who might struggle to keep cool in the hot weather'. It covers London, the South East, South West, East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England, Yorkshire and the Humber. The blast of hot weather has come as Glastonbury revellers continued to soak up the sun on Worthy Farm in Somerset ahead of performances by Guns N'Roses, Lewis Capaldi and Lizzo. Revellers opted for unusual methods to keep their cool amid the heat today using cans of water for makeshift showers and some even stripping off completely. Festivalgoers have so far been spared wet weather, with the festival conditions to remain dry today with 'plenty of sunshine developing this afternoon' and temperatures of up to 26C, according to the Met Office. A sea mist comes in as people enjoy the warm weather on Bournemouth beach today A couple making the most of the warm weather in Bournemouth today Glastonbury revellers opted for unusual methods to keep their cool amid 26C heat on Saturday The penultimate day of Glastonbury saw festivalgoers basking in the sun The fields of Glastonbury looked scorched and dry in the extreme heat Revellers at Glastonbury try to hide away from the extreme heat as a hot weather warning was issued by the Met Office for this weekend Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert described the prospect of thunderstorms developing as 'finely balanced'. He had said: 'It's worth noting the temperatures in the south will remain quite high overnight this weekend, so it's important to look out for those who may be more vulnerable to heat.' He added: 'There are some marked contrasts in the UK's weather this weekend, with some potentially impactful thunderstorms developing affecting the northern half of the UK on Sunday, while further south it will become hot. 'For those in the north, there is a chance of thunderstorms developing as we see a change to cooler conditions with a chance that these could become organised with heavy rain, hail, lightning and gusty winds.' Just Stop Oil is whining that the German protester, who sparked a 40-hour gridlock when he climbed Dartford Crossing bridge, will be kicked out of the UK when freed from jail. Marcus Decker, who has leave to remain in the UK, said he had been served with a stage one deportation order. The 34-year-old and fellow campaigner Morgan Trowland, 40, used ropes and other equipment to scale the 450ft high bridge at the Dartford Crossing last October. The stunt by Just Stop Oil caused 40 hours of gridlock as police were forced to shut the crossing to traffic amid safety concerns for him and Trowland. They were given sentences of two years, seven months, and three years for the stunt. Marcus Decker, one of the Just Stop Oil protesters who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and sparked more than 40 hours of gridlock, has revealed that he faces being deportation after his two-year jail term. He is pictured scaling the bridge last October The group are staging another public march today to 'demand the Home Office to end deportations of peaceful demonstrators' Decker, a German citizen who has leave to remain in the UK, said he is expecting a 'negative response' after being served with a stage one deportation order. He is pictured during his bridge protest last autumn The group are staging another public march today to 'demand the Home Office to end deportations of peaceful demonstrators'. It started midday at Parliament Square and are making their way to Home Office, with speakers including Marcus, via telephone from prison, and his partner Holly Cullen-Davis. A petition calling to secure Marcus' right to remain in the UK has over 79,000 signatures. Just Stop Oil spokesperson, Indigo Rumblelow said: 'We will be sending a clear message to the Home Secretary that the cowardly ''double punishment'' of peaceful people in civil resistance to stop government criminality and protecting the lives of their families will not go unchallenged. 'We're demanding that Marcus stays in the UK and is not deported at the end of his sentence so that he can remain with his family, friends, and stepchildren.' Writing for Prospect in April, Decker said the climb was 'a desperate last resort after we have spent years trying everything else'. He is pictured during the protest Decker (left) and fellow campaigner Morgan Trowland (right) used ropes and other climbing equipment to scale the 450ft high bridge at the Dartford Crossing last October. They were handed sentences of two years and seven months and three years for the stunt Current laws state that any foreign national will be automatically deported if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison. Decker and Trowland scaled the bridge last autumn. They took banners representing the campaign group Just Stop Oil, which campaigns for an end to fossil fuels and has organised dozens of other protests, causing motorists a major headache. Decker had given up his career as a musician to focus on full-time campaigning. Writing for Prospect in April, Decker said the climb was 'a desperate last resort after we have spent years trying everything else.' He added: 'In the middle of October, after leaving my partner and her two children behind, I straddled a cable with my friend Morgan at 3am and climbed 250ft up the QE2 Bridge, also known as the Dartford Crossing. 'We are both well-trained as climbers and were safely secured as we nudged ourselves up the bridge. 'Once at the top, we threw a line across the four-lane motorway and hung a huge orange banner which yelled JUST STOP OIL. 'To make it more newsworthy, we then rigged up our two hammocks, and literally hung out for a total of 37 hours, causing a gridlock after police closed the bridge to traffic.' He added: 'Like a fire alarm we tried to be loud and annoying, impossible to ignore, in order to safeguard human life.' A Florida woman has been accused of threatening to slice up her ex-boyfriend just days before she allegedly shot dead her new lover. Brittany Holbrook, 33, allegedly shot Tyler Nulisch, 30, in the back in the early hours of June 17 at their Key West home, according to police. Holbrook is said to have been having drinks with a woman when she launched into a violent rant about her ex saying: 'I'm going to kill him and take a knife into his stomach and rip upward to his throat' in reference to her ex. That woman, who did not want to be identified, then told Jessica Stiegel, a friend of Nulisch, about the comments saying: 'It was like she was describing gutting a deer.' Brittany Holbrook (L), 33, allegedly shot Tyler Nulisch (R), 30, in the early hours of June 17 at their Key West home, according to police Holbrook and Nulisch (pictured) bonded over a love of fishing, diving and their Catahoula dogs, Chief and Mossie, according to Stiegel and appeared to have a promising future Nulisch (L) was lying on his back in a pool of blood when he told his roommate - who was frantically trying to stop the gunshot wound from bleeding - 'that b***h shot me in the back' referring to Holbrook (R) It's believed the comments were fueled by alcohol - the woman explaining to Stiegel that the pair had been having fun before Holbrook launched into the violent rant as she continued to drink heavily. 'They were in love. Everyone saw this. They seemed like the perfect couple,' Stiegel told Fox News about Holbrook and Nulisch - adding that Holbrook's drinking was her fatal flaw. The pair bonded over a love of fishing, diving and their Catahoula dogs, Chief and Mossie, according to Stiegel and appeared to have a promising future. According to LinkedIn Holbrook worked as a Yacht manager, while Nulisch listed his job as a commercial fisherman on Facebook. Social media posts on Holbrook's Facebook show the pair embracing one another lovingly at Christmas and a few other pictures showing that they were close. That appeared to change on the morning of June 17, when shortly before 3am the couple's roommate, Jordan Kinn, woke up to Holbrook crying for help. Nulisch was lying on his back in a pool of blood when he told Kinn who was frantically trying to stop the bleeding, 'that b***h shot me in the back' a police report obtained by the outlet read. Nulisch, Kinn and Holbrook are believed to have been drinking on their patio in the hours before the alleged attack. Holbrook, distraught from the shooting incident, had initially told detective that she had a 'gap in her memory' however her story changed in later interviews. She claimed that Nulisch began to attack her 'out of nowhere in the middle of the night, pushing her up against a wall and strangling her.' A woman who had been drinking with Holbrook told Jessica Stiegel (pictured), the girlfriend of Nulisch's childhood friend, that Holbrook sounded 'like she was describing gutting a deer' when speaking of her ex-boyfriend Stiegel said his friends and family 'want Tyler's name cleared' and several friends claim they'd witnessed Holbrook attack him in the past Social media posts on Holbrook's Facebook show the pair embracing one another lovingly at Christmas and a few other pictures showing that they were close She also claimed he was 'trying to kill her' but she denied firing a gun, the outlet reported. Monroe County Sheriff's Office said her statements were 'inconsistent' and noted that she had no injuries around her neck. She was arrested on one count of premeditated murder. Stiegel said Nulisch's friends and family 'want Tyler's name cleared' and several friends claim they'd witnessed Holbrook attack him in the past. 'She seemed so normal most of the time but when she drank, she'd become a monster and a switch would flip, and she'd start screaming and throwing things and hitting Tyler,' Stiegel said. Stiegel's boyfriend is Nulisch's best friend from childhood. She added that: 'He had the most loving, kind soul. He would never hurt her even to defend himself.' Stiegel, her boyfriend and Kinn cleaned up the crime scene and were convinced the attack had been premeditated. Holbrook always kept a loaded gun in her purse according to the trio who say her purse was open and sitting on the passenger side seat but her gun was missing. 'She had to have gone down that flight of stairs, gone back up to the front door and shot him from the doorway as he was standing with his back to her. That's a lot of time to think,' Stiegel said. 'She loved him it was so obvious. She shouldn't have been drinking, and she had no business having that gun.' A celebration of life for Nulisch is being held Saturday at 6 pm at the Keys Seafood Market on Stock Island Holbrook is being held on a $750,000 bond at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office A celebration of life for Nulisch is being held Saturday at 6 pm at the Keys Seafood Market on Stock Island. An online obituary described Nulisch as a person with a 'beautiful smile' that would 'fill you with love.' 'If you knew Tyler, you loved him. His beautiful smile would fill you with love and his easy spirit would brighten your day,' it read. 'He loved life in the Keys and lived it to the fullest. He always said 6 inches of water on the bully boat and Chief by his side was his perfect day. 'He loved his annual hunting trips to Tennessee with his best of friends.' Tyler is survived by his dog Chief, parents Lisa Van Dyke and Tim Trivett, his brother Tanner Trivett and niece Ava Lynn. 'Tyler will be deeply missed by all,' it continued. Holbrook is being held on a $750,000 bond at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. A 23-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after an alleged attack on a teenage girl near a primary school. The 15-year-old was stabbed in the incident which happened near Corpus Christi Primary School on Premier Road, Middlesbrough, at around 3pm on Thursday 22 June. She was taken to James Cook University Hospital with serious injuries where she remains in a stable condition. Police say the victim and suspect are known to each other and they are not looking for anyone else. A spokesperson for the force said: 'Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information or was in the area at the time and has not yet spoken to police, is asked to get in touch. The 15-year-old was stabbed in the incident which happened near Corpus Christi Primary Schoo (pictured)l on Premier Road, Middlesbrough, at around 3pm on Thursday 22 June She was taken to James Cook University Hospital (pictured) with serious injuries where she remains in a stable condition 'Please dial 101 and speak to the Control Room, quoting reference number SE23121727. 'Alternatively, you can go to the Public Portal and provide information and submit any CCTV, video footage or dashcam footage. You can access the Public Portal here Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).' An Ohio woman is charged with the murder of her 16-month-old daughter after she left the toddler home alone for 10 days to go on vacation and found the child had died upon her return. Kristel Candelario, 31, was arrested and charged in the death of her baby daughter, Jailyn on June 18, while she reportedly traveled to Detroit and Puerto Rico, as per the affidavit, NBC News reported. When Kristel returned to her Cleveland home located at West 97th Street on June 16th she saw that her daughter had been unresponsive. Speaking through an interpreter, Candelario admitted to investigators that she had left her baby 'at home, all alone and unattended,' and found that her daughter had reportedly been 'extremely dehydrated,' as per the affidavit. Authorities alleged that her daughter's playpen had been filled with 'soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces,' according to an affidavit. Kristel Candelario, 31, of Cleveland, Ohio has been arrested and charged in the death of her 16 month-old-daughter, Jailyn Candelario after leaving her child alone in her home for ten days Jailyn Candelario was reportedly left alone for more than a week and died as her mother traveled to Detroit and Puerto Rico, as per the affidavit When emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they pronounced the child deceased. It is unclear why Candelario did not ask anyone to help her care for her child while she was traveling. Officials said on Thursday that Candelario never made any arrangements for her baby daughter before she went away. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said that there were 'no signs of trauma' but revealed that the child had been left alone for approximately 10 days and had subsequently died, per a police statement. Neighbors were distraught upon hearing the news. Many said they had previously taken care of the toddler and wished Candelario had asked them for help, People reported. A 13-year-old who knew the child said that she was 'amazing and really adorable.' 'Jailyn really didn't deserve what happened to her,' they said. 'I miss her a lot.' Another resident remembered the child as 'always happy.' 'Jailyn, she was a happy baby, always smiling, always curious about stuff. She was a wonderful, wonderful baby,' they said. An acquaintance told News5 Cleveland this was not the first time Candelario had left her baby daughter home alone. 'We keep telling her not to leave her by herself, not just me, my friend across the street too, but she always leave her by herself,' the person said. The Cleveland Ohio home located at West 97th Street where baby Jailyn was left unattended for ten days Candelario pictured with an officer during arraignment The police report that shows details on Candelario's crime Candelario had previously worked as a building substitute at Citizen Academy Glenville, an elementary school in Cleveland. She had been in that role since November 2022, but was fired after her arrest. The school issued a statement announcing her termination, WEWS-TV reported. According to officials with Children and Family Services, there is no record of any previous cases involving Candelario, as per the news outlet. She is currently being held at the Cuyahoga County jail on $1 million bond. It is not immediately known if she has retained an attorney or if she has entered a plea. Her next scheduled hearing is June 28 at 8:30am. Various items including a trampoline, deck chairs, a makeshift skate ramp and shelters were seen throughout the abandoned island Footage revealed the moment officers were faced with a maze of wooden structures built by the drug-addled occupants Florida cops have finally dismantled a 'boobytrapped meth island' after years of addict squatters living in a bizarre treehouse community. Shocking footage revealed the moment deputies from the Volusia Sheriff's Office arrived on the island last week, where cops traversed littered possessions, signs and decorations as they explored the makeshift village. An array of wooden structures, camping chairs, trampolines and even what appeared to be a mini skate park were found throughout the abandoned island situated near the Dunlawton Bridge in Daytona Beach. The crackdown came amid concerns the eye-catching island could be luring children, and cops said they targeted the area as 'one step toward bringing it back to nature'. Florida cops raided the 'meth island' last week amid concerns over the makeshift community The tree-filled plot has become known its drug use and is dubbed 'Meth Island' on social media. It is dotted with an array of constructions police believe are either scavenged by the addict population, or 'stolen from docks' in the coastal area. Police initially sifted through a camp adorned with signs for the drug-addled community, including those pointing to a 'welcome center' and a rental area. At one moment, a deputy is heard detailing the various structures in the area, noting that an island north of the Dunlawton Bridge has 'significantly better made' units. 'It's pretty impressive, honestly, the number of structures has exponentially grown over the last couple of years,' he adds. A towering four-story treehouse was found on the abandoned island Various wooden structures made by the drug-addled addicts populate the area Police said the constructions were likely made with wood stolen from local docks Bizarre features including a 'community center' and rental spaces are littered throughout The island is found near the Dunlawton Bridge in Daytona Beach, Florida The raid of the island was carried out by the Volusia Sheriff's Office, along with the Port Orange Police Department, South Daytona Police Department, and MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Department. Also seen within the bizarre community was an abandoned trampoline, and an elaborate four-story treehouse towering over the officers below. Some areas of the island had also been boobytrapped by the occupants to prevent outsiders visiting, which police said they planned on tackling at a later date. Instead, the visit saw police post trespass notices throughout the area, which warned occupants were are 'ordered to vacate the island within 48 hours'. 'There was a huge safety concern for us about whoever would be on that island with those types of structures out there,' Port Orange Police Det. Mike Wallace told The Daytona Beach News Journal. 'There is evidence of drugs that have been done over there, alcohol thats been done,' added Kevin Pedri, a South Daytona police lieutenant. Residents appeared to have constructed a homemade skate ramp A trampoline was among the items that officials were concerned could attract local kids Cops warned the structures could be dangerous when hurricane season hits A variety of signs were found throughout the vagrant community Officials said an array of boobytraps were set up on the island to ward off any visitors While issues with the island have been known for years, Pedri said the recent raid came amid concerns over the danger the makeshift structures pose during hurricane season. 'All that stuff is going to get thrown all over the Intracoastal and damage other boats, or who knows how far some of the wood can launch and possibly damage other property as well,' he said. The structures also pose a threat to the local mangrove population, which plays a key role in protecting the island during severe weather. With trespass notices now posted throughout the area, Pedri lamented the danger it could have caused to local kids if they were attracted to items on the island like the trampoline. 'All it does is (draw attention) for young kids to go over there,' Pedri said. '[They go] to these islands and start having fun, and then you start getting the alcohol in there, and they are jumping down on these trampolines thats when an accident is going to wind up happening.' Police said no occupants were on the island at the time of the raid. While inclement weather has so far prevented them from returning, officers said they plan to once they are able. The local public works department has also begun dismantling the structures in the meantime. A Harvard behavioral scientist who studies dishonesty has been accused of fabricating data in research papers that she co-authored. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino is currently on administrative leave, after explosive allegations emerged challenging the credibility of her research. In a blog post earlier this month, a trio of data researchers presented what they said was evidence of academic fraud in four studies co-authored by Gino, noting that they also 'believe that many more Gino-authored papers contain fake data'. Gino was a rising star at Harvard, and her behavioral research studies relating to cheating, lying and dishonesty received widespread media coverage over the past decade. But questions about her work first emerged regarding a 2012 study she co-authored, which purported to show that making people sign an honesty pledge at the beginning of a form, rather than the end, increases honest responses. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino is currently on administrative leave, after explosive allegations emerged challenging the credibility of her research That study was retracted in 2021 over apparent data fabrication by a different researcher who worked on the project, which cited three separate lab experiments to draw its conclusion. However, data scientists Uri Simonsohn, Joseph Simmons, and Leif Nelson allege that the data fabrication in the study was deeper than originally suspected, and also implicated Gino. 'That's right: Two different people independently faked data for two different studies in a paper about dishonesty,' the trio wrote on their blog DataColada, where they published the new evidence supporting their allegations. Gino did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Saturday afternoon. The three scientists published their concerns a day after the Chronicle of Higher Education reported on June 16 that Gino had been placed on administrative leave, amid an internal investigation at Harvard into the validity of her research. One of Gino's co-authors on the 2012 research paper told The Chronicle that Harvard had informed him that the study Gino oversaw for the article appeared to include fabricated results. Gino was a rising star at Harvard, and her behavioral research studies relating to cheating, lying and dishonesty received widespread media coverage over the past decade Gino joined the Harvard Business School faculty in 2010, after holding positions at the University of North Carolina and Carnegie Mellon University. She won awards and fawning media coverage for her trendy behavioral science research, which purported to reveal insights about how to subtly influence people's choices and behavior without them realizing. But now, Gino's frequent research partner Maurice Schweitzer has spoken out, voicing fears that he himself was manipulated and conned in their work together. Schweitzer, a behavioral scientist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told the New York Times he is now carefully reviewing the eight papers he co-authored with Gino for any indications of fraud. He said that the allegations against Gino were causing 'reverberations in the academic community' because she is someone with 'so many collaborators, so many articles, who is really a leading scholar in the field.' The 2012 paper was based on three separate behavioral experiments, including one overseen by Gino that asked subjects to complete a worksheet with 20 puzzles, promising them $1 for each correctly solved puzzle. Gino's frequent research partner Maurice Schweitzer says he is now carefully reviewing the eight papers he co-authored with Gino for any indications of fraud The participants were then asked to fill out a form asking them how much money they earned from solving the puzzles, and were led to believe that lying on the form would be undetectable, when in fact the researchers could verify the number of puzzles solved. The study found participants were more likely to report their puzzle income accurately when they were presented with an honesty pledge at the top of the form, rather than the bottom, where such attestations usually appear on tax returns. In their DataColada blog post, the trio of scientists analyzed data from the experiment that was posted online, finding that metadata in an Excel file indicated the results had been tampered with in a way that bolstered the study's conclusion. The same scientists in 2021 exposed apparent data fabrication in a separate study conducted for the article, which relied on data provided by an insurance company. The article was retracted by editors of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where it had first appeared, following the 2021 blog post. A wife beater has been jailed for ten years for strangling a 22-year-old prostitute in 1972 after a complex DNA investigation leading to his conviction nearly 50 years later. John Apelgren, 80, was found guilty of manslaughter after sex worker Eileen Cotter, was found strangled by a block of garages in Finsbury Park, north London, on the afternoon of 1 June 1974. The former bricklayer and minicab driver, originally from South Africa, admitted to having sex with Eileen before leaving her body partially nude in a garage courtyard behind Hamilton Park. The case was reopened in 2012 in the hope that modern advances in forensic science could finally nab the killer and bring justice to Eileen and her family. The trail had gone cold for seven years until Apelgren, from Sydenham, south London, was flagged on the radar of detectives after he assaulted his third wife in 2019. John Apelgren, 80, was found guilty of manslaughter after sex worker Eileen Cotter, was found strangled by a block of garages in Finsbury Park, north London, in 1974 Forensic scientists were able to match DNA samples found on Eileen's body decades before to rule out other suspects and form a timeline that meant that only Apelgren could have been the killer. Eileen was found near the garages, which was often frequented by sex workers, lying on her front with her buttocks exposed and her underwear and tights pulled down, while her handbag, glasses and shoes were missing. One resident described seeing what she thought was a 'bundle of rags', while another realised it was a body and asked her father to call the police. The gruesome killing took place just six weeks after the birth of his first child with his ex-wife Ann who went on to reveal to investigators he had once applied force to her neck with both of his hands. A murder investigation had been launched at the time but after extensive enquiries, during which 92 potential suspects were identified, police could not identify the killer. Apelgren was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, receiving 10 years in jail for manslaughter for Eileen's killing. He was also found guilty of the indecent assault of an 18-year-old woman at his own wedding a few months later in October 1972, for which he handed an additional sentence of 6 months on top. The woman disclosed this to the police during the investigation, but had not told anyone before this. Eileen, 22, was partially nude in a garage courtyard behind Hamilton Park, north London Post-mortem tests found Eileen Cotter, 22, died from manual strangulation and had a black eye and bruising after being hit in the face Prosecuter Alexandra Healy KC said the woman had come out of the ladies' toilets at the reception and found Apelgren waiting in the corridor. He pushed her against a wall and indecently assaulted her, it was alleged. The prosecutor said: 'She did not tell anybody about this at the time, but eventually some many years later she was to tell Ann after the defendant and Ann were divorced. 'The allegation came to the attention of the police when Ann was spoken to as part of the investigation into Eileen Cotter's death.' Apelgren was found not guilty of Eileen's murder, with the jury instead finding him guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter. In police interview, Apelgren said at the time of the murder he was living in Leyton, and denied having been to the Hamilton Park garages. He told police that he did not know or recognise Eileen, claiming that he never even went to the general Finsbury Park area, but later admitted that he did have sex with Eileen but did not kill her. Eileen's brother, Patrick Cotter, was only five-year-old at the time of his sister's killing and said that the impact of her death on his life is 'almost indescribable'. Apelgren was also found guilty of the indecent assault of an 18-year-old woman at his own wedding a few months later in October 1972 In a statement, he said: 'No one in my family ever spoke to me about my sister's murder. 'I have no memory of her funeral and I have no idea whether she was buried or cremated and no idea where she was laid to rest. 'As a result, I have never been able to visit her grave'. He added: 'Following Eileen's death, the relationship between my mother and father broke down significantly. 'Due to the fighting between them, I was placed in a care home, where I suffered abuse, until the age of about 11. 'It was never explained to me why I was placed in care, and I lived most of my childhood believing it because of something I had done wrong. 'Three years after Eileen's murder, my mother committed suicide. Again being a young child, I struggled to understand, with little explanation given to me. 'My father drank heavily, but Eileen's murder and the suicide of my mother, caused him to drink even more and he was eventually admitted to Springfield Psychiatric Hospital. Eileen's lifeless body was found behind a block of garages in Finsbury Park, north London, which was often frequented by sex workers, on the afternoon of 1 June 1974 'Following this, my father went to live with his brother in Ireland, however his drinking became too much and he also died'. Ms Healy said during the trial that Ms Cotter was seen on the night of her death at a hotdog stall in Finsbury Park where she would sometimes go for a cup of tea. Ms Healy said samples from two areas of the victim's body were matched to Apelgren but did not come from her tights and underwear. She told jurors: 'The prosecution case is that the reason the defendant's DNA was not recovered from Ms Cotter's underwear or tights is because he was the last person to have sexual intercourse with her and that he then attacked and strangled her. 'Having killed her, he pushed her out of his car. Her body was discovered in the position it fell, without shoes, and with her tights and underwear still around her right leg. 'Eileen Cotter did not have the defendant's DNA on her underwear and tights because she never pulled them up after he had sex with her. She was dead.' Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'This case demonstrates the Met's deep commitment to solving any act of violence against women and girls, no matter the length of time that has passed. 'The expertise of our forensic department and the detailed work of my homicide detectives has resulted in a conviction almost half a century after Eileen was killed. 'John Apelgren has finally been brought to justice for his crimes.' A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Actor Ioan Gruffudd already has a restraining order against his estranged wife On Friday, a judge at Los Angeles Superior Court turned down her application Ella, 13, asked for a restraining order against her father and his girlfriend The teenage daughter of actors Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans has lost her bid for a restraining order against her father's girlfriend. On Friday a judge at the Los Angeles Superior Court turned down her application after she filed documents for a civil harassment protection from actress Bianca Wallace. It comes after Ella, 13, also asked for a restraining order against her father, the star of ITV drama Liar and The Fantastic Four, but the court decided to hear it on July 13, as part of a wider custody case. Ms Wallace, 29, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and was present at the hearing with Gruffudd and Ella, is said to be 'relieved' at the outcome, which was decided by judge Josh Freeman Stinn. The judge also appointed a minors counsel - a lawyer appointed by the court to represent the best interests of the child - to act for Ella and her younger sister Elsie, nine. Pictured: Actress Alice Evans and estranged husband Ioan Gruffudd with daughters Ioan Gruffudd's daughter Ella filed documents for a civil harassment protection from his girlfriend actress Bianca Wallace (pictured right) Ioan Gruffudd, the star of ITV drama Liar, pictured with his two young daughters Gruffudd's team are said to see the move as a 'positive' one for the case, which has gripped the showbusiness world since the Welsh heart-throb left 102 Dalmations star Ms Evans in 2021 after a 14-year marriage. It is the latest development in what has been an extraordinary domestic drama which has been played out in public. Last Wednesday, Gruffudd, 49, filed court documents that accused Ms Evans of setting up fake Twitter accounts to brand him and Ms Wallace 'child abusers'. He also claimed that Ms Evans screamed at him outside his Los Angeles home and called him a 'f***ing abuser' and 'abusive c***' in front of Ella. Gruffudd also said that Ms Evans on one occasion accused him of 'taking away my kids', called him a 'f***ing p***y' and 'evil', called his mother a c***' - and told Ella she did not want to see her for a few days, yelling: 'The babies can stand up for me or they can f*** off'. In addition, he alleged that Ms Evans told him: 'I'm going to tell my lawyer that you punched me last week. It's going to be like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. It's not going to end well for you.' Gruffudd also claimed Ella poured milk over his and Wallace's bed and wrote 'f**' with a mustard bottle, as well as squirting it over the kitchen counter and floors. He already has a restraining order out against his estranged wife, which prevents her from mentioning him on social media for three years. Both are seeking custody of the children. Russia's security service has reportedly found 38million in cash after raiding the Wagner HQ in St Petersburg. Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed that a large amount of money, which was stashed in a van and two buses on the property, was found during the raid by Putin's FSB troops - and belongs to the mercenary group. He provided no detail of how much the stash was worth, but earlier Russian media outlets reported it was around 4billion rubles, or 38million. In an audio message on Telegram he explained that the funds are dedicated to covering compensation payments of killed Wagner soldiers. 'Wagner has been operating for the past 10 years using only cash - as agreed in our contract. I fully adhere to it,' he said. Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed that a large amount of money, which was stashed in a van and two buses on the property, was found during the raid Russia's security service (pictured) raided the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg earlier today The raid comes as Moscow is preparing for war ahead of the expected arrival of Russia's Wagner militia forces within hours. A number of restrictions have now been introduced around the Russian capital following a decree from the governor as the Wagner group advances north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base earlier today. Wagner chief Yevgney Prigozhin initiated a military coup against Putin overnight, which has seen the group take key cities and threaten the President, who called them 'traitors'. Putin addressed the Russian people on Saturday, warning that the military leader had 'stabbed him in the back', as Moscow enters into a lockdown, with troops digging in in preparation to defend the city. A spokesperson for the Russian president said Putin was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow. Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia took control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday, saying they are 'ready to die' for their 'march of justice', and have been heading north in a hundreds-strong convoy of armoured vehicles. It was previously owned by fertilizer magnate and Putin-crony Andrey Guryev before he was slapped with sanctions by the US Treasury Named Alfa Nero, the 267ft vessel boasts a swimming pool that can turn into a helipad, and was bought by Schmidt for $67.6 million Eric Schmidt splashed the cash at an auction this month to land one of the most sought after yachts in the world Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt won a lucrative auction in Antigua to buy a $67.6 million superyacht previously owned by a Russian oligarch. Schmidt, 68, snapped up the coveted vessel Alfa Nero after it was seized from fertilizer mogul Andrey Guryev last year following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The massive ship, which has been languishing in the Caribbean island since the start of the conflict, is among the most luxurious in the world, and boasts the first-ever swimming pool that can turn into a helipad. It was also notably built by Oceanco, the same company that constructed the $500 million superyacht recently enjoyed by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The superyacht Alfa Nero docked in Falmouth Harbour in Saint Paul Parish, Antigua, on Wednesday, April 20, 2023 The ship boasts the first ever swimming pool that can turn into a helipad (pictured) An Antigua & Barbuda Port Authority 'Seizure' sign onboard the superyacht Alfa Nero docked in Falmouth Harbour in Saint Paul Parish, Antigua, on Wednesday, April 20, 2023 Built in 2007, the 267 foot vessel was initially listed for sale in 2009 for a titanic price tag of $190 million. The ship can host 12 guests and up to 26 crewmembers, and is fitted with amenities appropriate for a billionaire. The master bedroom fills the entire front of the top deck, offering panoramic ocean views while the inside is decked out in lavish designs. Inside the yacht, each room is said to have a separate, coordinated design. A saloon bar on the upper deck is palatial, while the main deck saloon boasts a more modern look. A private gym with 180 degree views is also on the top floor, and a lower deck also has a health and beauty spa. The Alfa Nero was described by its manufacturer Oceanco as 'one of the world's most iconic and highly awarded yachts'. The Alfa Nero superyacht stands 267 foot long and was once valued at $190 million It was described as one of the world's most iconic and highly awarded yachts' by its manufacturer Oceanco The yacht is equipped with numerous lavish amenities fit for its billionaire owners Each room in the home is said to be designed with a different coordinated theme The massive ship was bought at auction hosted by the government of Antigua and Barbuda A chair on the bridge of the superyacht Alfa Nero docked in Falmouth Harbour in Saint Paul Parish, Antigua, on Wednesday, April 20, 2023 Schmidt bought the boat after it was left abandoned in Antigua by Guryev last year following sanctions by the US Treasury. US officials claimed Guryev, who owns one of the largest fertilizer producer companies in the world and has close ties to Vladimir Putin, bought the yacht in 2014. The auction was hosted by the government of Antigua and Barbuda, which said on June 16 that Schmidt won in a 'fully transparent process'. In a strange move, an Antiguan port official told Bloomberg News that Guryev's daughter filed a last-minute injunction, claiming she was the owner of the yacht. Guryev has an estimated net worth of around $4.8 billion, and Schmidt's fortune is valued at over $20 billion. Stowed chairs on the deck of the superyacht Alfa Nero docked in Falmouth Harbour An Antigua & Barbuda Port Authority agent onboard the superyacht Alfa Nero An outside light control panel on the superyacht Eric Schmidt (left) purchased the yacht after it was abandoned by Guryev (right) last year when he was slapped with sanctions from the US Treasury Jeff Bezos' superyacht was built by the same company as Schmidt's. Pictured: The $500 million vessel, named Koru after the Maori word for 'new beginnings' The Koru (background) alone is simply not enough for the ex-Amazon chief, who also arrived in the French Riviera with a support yacht, the Abeona (foreground), which itself measures 246ft and carries a slew of gadgets, as well as a helicopter The yacht was notably made by the same company that built another vessel to capture headlines in recent times. Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos splashed the cash on a new $500 million megayacht this year called Koru. It is one of the tallest and longest ships in the world, at 417 feet in length. Bezos and his glamorous fiance Lauren Sanchez were recently spotted sharing a kiss on the expansive deck. The Koru is so massive it is also joined on its voyages by a second, $75 million support yacht called the 'Aboena'. It floats nearby to help the billionaire live a life of luxury, hosting his selection of supercars, motorbikes, smaller boats, jet skis and helicopters. A California mother and her 13-year-old daughter were killed in a fiery crash when their Tesla hit a tree just minutes away from their Santa Clara California home. Beidi and Elyse Chambers were driving to a doctor's appointment on the afternoon of June 14 when their Tesla model Y slammed into a tree and burst into flames, killing the pair instantly. The cause of the crash remains a mystery. Christopher Chambers, their heartbroken husband and father, told Kron 4 News that he got a call from the doctor's office when his wife and daughter did not arrive for their appointment. After he checked the Tesla app to find their location and tried to call them but got no answer he drove with his eight-year-old son, Ethan along the same route as his wife took. Moments later he saw a mangled car engulfed in black smoke and fire surrounded by dozens of firefighters and first responders on the scene of what he learned was his wife's vehicle. 'It was a day, I thought, like any other,' he wrote in a post. 'I didnt even say goodbye.' The Chambers Family photo: (l-r) Elyse, 13, Christopher, Beidi and eight-year-old Ethan Chambers said that firefighters and the police would not let him close to the burning vehicle and said they were 'very gentle.' 'One of the firefighters came over to me and held me and made eye contact, and he just said, "keep your memories." '"Remember them that way because if we left and you see them, then that's something you would never forget." 'I don't want to forget. I don't ever want to forget. But I'm still in denial. It's not possible,' Chambers said. The distraught Chambers described his wife as 'strong and smart.' He said that the pair had met in China when they were both students. He said that his wife always 'had high expectations for her family.' 'She was just a very remarkable person. Always, always striving for more,' he said. His daughter Elyse, he recalled was a blossoming musician who was good natured with a 'good heart.' 'She was genuinely nice to everyone,' he said. 'I couldn't have forced her to be nasty or mean or anything. I just couldn't because that just wasn't who she was.' Chambers said he is trying to find out more about the circumstances leading to their tragic deaths. He told the news outlet: 'Whatever comes out of all this about how they ended up where they did, it shouldn't have exploded, caught fire whatever you want call it, so quickly that they couldn't get out.' Chambers said firefighters held him back when he got to the fiery scene. 'Remember them that way because if we left and you see them, then that's something you would never forget' In a GoFundMe created by Chambers to help raise funds for his wife and daughter's burial he shared how his love story with his wife began. He wrote: 'I'm Christopher Chambers. Until June 14th, 2023, I would have honestly said I was the luckiest man alive.' 'I met Beidi while studying in China, where she was a student and volunteer language tutor at Tsing Hua University.' 'Her intelligence and poise captured me, and we soon started dating. Our first trip together took us to Inner Mongolia, marking the beginning of a series of unforgettable adventures.' 'Despite my school year ending, (and my scholarship money) I stayed in Beijing, working as a freelance English teacher just to be close to her. A few short years later we married and moved to the United States, full of dreams and aspirations. We launched our careers, had two beautiful children, and started building our American Dream. Chambers said that 'their sudden absence has left a deep scar on our family.' 'I humbly ask you now to help our family find a beautiful, peaceful place for Beidi and Elyse to rest together, side by side - somewhere close where friends and family can visit them to honor and remember two beautiful lives cut short, gone in the blink of an eye,' he wrote. As of Saturday afternoon, more than $68,000 was raised surpassing their initial goal of $50,000. Humiliated Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is starting a life in exile in Belarus this morning after he sensationally abandoned his group's march on Moscow at the 11th hour just 120 miles from the capital. The mercenaries aborted their dramatic 'armed mutiny' against the Kremlin following crisis talks between Prigozhin and Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Charges of rebellion have now been dropped against Prigozhin, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also announcing that no Wagner mercenary will be prosecuted for the insurrection, which saw the group take the city of Rostov and march on the Russian capital in a whirlwind 24-hour advance. The extraordinary episode has weakened Vladimir Putin's position, according to experts, and all eyes will now be on the Russian supremo to see what he does next. There has been no sign of Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu since the mutiny started, leading to rumours he has been sacked by Putin. If these reports are accurate, then the move would be seen as appeasing Prigozhin, who made Shoigu's removal a key aim of his rebellion and has heavily criticised the politician in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has moved to seize control of the Wagner force, with those who participated in Prigozhin's action retreating from Rostov - where they were treated like heroes by the public as they withdrew. Members of the mercenary group who did not take part in the action will now sign contracts with the Ministry of Defence. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don People gathered to bid farewell to Prigozhin, with one man even reaching through his car window to shake the exiled Wagner leader's hand One fan of the Wagner chief even managed to snap a selfie with him, as the disgraced mercenary leader was forced out of Russia PMC Wagner Group servicemen seen pulling out of downtown Rostov-on-Don and returning to their bases Onlookers clapped and cheered 'Wagner' as the troops were told to depart from Rostov by their leaders Tanks were hauled out of the southern city of Rostov as Prigozhin's forces retreated from Rostov Crowds lined the streets and cheered as the private military company withdrew its troops from Rostov Huge crowds gathered in Rostov-on-Don as Wagner-owned tanks rolled out of the city People gather to bid farewell to fighters of the Wagner private mercenary group as they pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District and return to their bases Onlookers said Wagner troops were being cheered out of Rostov-on-Don after their chief agreed to withdraw A deal was struck with Wagner, 'avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal,' Peskov said. 'We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps,' an audio message on Prigozhin's Telegram feed added. Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid 'shedding Russian blood.' Belarusian President Lukashenko said that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin, but it is still not clear what was offered to the Wagner boss to convince him to stand his men down. Video appeared to show him making a dramatic exit from Rostov by car, with crowds gathering to bid him farewell, with some reportedly heard cheering for the ousted military leader and others shaking his hand. Wagner forces - many of whom are still said to be disgruntled about Prigozhin's retreat - were later seen leaving the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where they had earlier captured military headquarters and civilian buildings. Clearly relishing the internal chaos in the Russian Federation, Ukraine claimed that the Wagner chief had humiliated President Vladimir Putin with his aborted rebellion. 'Prigozhin humiliated Putin/the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence,' Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Twitter. The Ukrainian president said the attempted coup made Russia look 'weak' and proves that Putin will 'destroy himself'. 'Today, the world saw that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Complete chaos. Complete absence of any predictability.' 'For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. 'And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. 'Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself.' Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow to avoid shedding Russian blood A Russian Police officer guards the Red Square near the Kremlin as forces brace for an attack before the sensational retreat of Prigozhin's forces A Russian soldier mans a machine gun post in the south of Moscow earlier, ahead of the expected arrival of Prigozhin and the Wagner troops. But Prigozhin has confirmed he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march Belarus President and key Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) said Yevgeny Prigozhin has accepted his proposal to stop the Wagner Group's advance toward Moscow Machine gun outposts are hastily constructed on the outskirts of Moscow prior to Prigozhin's shock statement 'We left on June 23 for the march of justice,' Prigozhin added in his audio messaged. 'In a day we travelled, not reaching 200 km, to Moscow. 'During this time, we have not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters. 'Now the moment has come when blood could be shed, therefore, realising all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed on one of the sides, we turn our columns around and return in the opposite direction to the field camps, according to the plan.' Residents Several authorities across Russia said they were lifting restrictions on residents following the news of the mercenaries backing down. An uneasy calm prevailed on the streets of Moscow after officials had earlier scrambled to prepare for war. The capital had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city's southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads. Putin had earlier vowed harsh consequences for organizers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced toward Moscow. In a televised speech to the nation earlier, Putin called the rebellion a 'betrayal' and 'treason.' 'All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,' Putin said. 'The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.' Prigozhin, 62, made his money providing catering services and eared himself the nickname 'Putin's chef' Putin earlier described the group's actions as a 'criminal adventuristic campaign' that is 'equivalent to armed mutiny' In the shock announcement Prigozhin did not say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right), pictured with top Russian military commander in Ukraine,Gen. Sergei Surovikin (left) Some observers speculated that Prigozhin could make concessions such as putting the Wagner Group under federal authority, or he could shift the force's activities back to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in recent years. Early Saturday, Prigozhin's private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities were 'taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population,' said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. Authorities declared a 'counterterrorist regime' in Moscow and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, had earlier declared that a 'counter-terrorism regime' was in force, before the leader of the Wagner private militia announced that his fighters would turn back to avoid bloodshed. A local resident walks past members of Wagner group in Rostov-on-Don earlier today Russian police stand at a checkpoint on a road entering on Moscow earlier today A member of Wagner group stands guard in Rostov-on-Don with a machine gun today Yevgeny Prigozhin had said he wanted to oust the army's top brass and 'restore justice', while Putin had promised to crush the mutiny. One Moscow resident who gave his name as Nikolai - declining like others to give his surname - watched the military take up positions to protect the city. 'It's frightening of course - you sit at home thinking about what might happen,' he told Reuters. 'It's disturbing, both for you and your loved ones.' Some residents were finding it hard to grasp the scale of events. '... It's really tough news, really unexpected. I've just come back from university. I've just done my last exam - and the news was really unexpected as I was prepping (for the exam) last night,' said Vladimir, a student. 'I don't really know how to react. I haven't really got my head around it yet.' A woman called Galina said she thought what was happening was some kind of 'provocation'. 'It doesn't frighten me at all,' she said. 'I have confidence in our president and our people.' One man who declined to be named at all said he thought it was just politics playing out. 'They might cancel a few events, and I make my living from events. I have an event going on now, so I could lose out because of this,' he said. 'But otherwise, it's their business, it's politics - let them get on with it.' A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group flashes a victory sign in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don A group of Wagner fighters pictured on Rostov-on-Don street on Saturday morning A Wagner fighter on guard duty close to the Southern Military District HQ The United States said this evening that it intends to postpone the imposition of new sanctions against Wagner against the backdrop of the situation in Russia. Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man nicknamed 'Putin's chef' who is behind the Wagner Group ? Nicknamed 'Putin's chef' due to owning a number of restaurants and catering firms that supply the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin is the oligarch founder of the notorious Wagner Group. Prigozhin was born in the Soviet Union on June 1 1961, before spending a period of time in jail for numerous crimes including fraud and robbery, during his teens. After spending 9 years in prison, Prigozhin launched a number of businesses following the collapse of the Soviet Union, including grocery and gambling firms. In 2014, Prigozhin founded Wagner Group during Russia's first invasion of Ukraine. The mercenary group has since become notorious for doing the Russian military's dirty work, leaving behind trails of brutal violence, rape and war crimes. Prigozhin long denied any affiliation with the group until September 2022, when he admitted to founding the mercenary force. He is often seen on the frontlines of the conflict with Ukraine, criticising Russian military leadership and accusing them of starving Wagner troops of supplies. Advertisement The US administration fears that by imposing new sanctions against Wagner, it may 'take the side' of the Russian leadership, the Wall Street Journal reported. 'Washington doesn't want to look like it's on one side or the other in this [situation],' the source quoted the WSJ as saying. According to the newspaper, the US State Department planned on June 27 to impose new sanctions against PMC Wagner because of its activities in Africa. The surprise reported development comes after a day of complete chaos in Moscow as the city was preparing for war by battening down the hatches as soldiers built outposts and military vehicles flooded the streets. A total of 5,000 Wagner forces were reportedly advancing toward the capital before the U-turn, and were set to reach as far as Lipetsk this evening. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is said to have a total of 25,000 men at his disposal and a further 5,000 of them were in Rostov-on-Don, the southern city key to Russia's war in Ukraine that Prigozhin said he had taken control of. As the convoy earlier inched towards Moscow it was said to be led by senior Wagner commander and neo-Nazi Dmitry Utkin. A source said Wagner's plan for Moscow was to take up positions in a densely built-up area prior to its retreat. A number of restrictions were introduced around the Russian capital following a decree from the governor amid the threat as people were told to refrain from travelling round Moscow. It comes after Prigozhin initiated a military coup against the Kremlin leaders overnight, which saw the group take key cities and threaten the President, who called them 'traitors'. Putin earlier addressed the Russian people amid the Wagner group's threat, warning that Prigozhin had 'stabbed him in the back'. Moscow subsequently entered into a lockdown, with troops digging in in preparation to defend the city. A spokesperson for the Russian president said Putin was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow amid the earlier threat. However, two presidential jets were seen flying from Moscow in the direction of St Petersburg this afternoon. They were reported to have switched off its transponder to prevent tracking the route. Armored vehicles are seen as security measures are taken in Moscow Russian police man a checkpoint on a road leading to Moscow on Saturday Trucks are lined up, thought to be for defensive purposes, on the outside of Moscow as Russian troops begin building road blocks Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee announced on Saturday that a counter-terrorist operation regime has been introduced in Moscow city (pictured), the Moscow region and the Voronezh region Heavy, reinforced vehicles are being deployed at checkpoints across Moscow Police search vehicles at a checkpoint in the outskirts of Moscow There is a heavy armed police presence on roads across the capital city The shock announcement from Prigozhin comes after his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia took control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday, saying they are 'ready to die' for their 'march of justice', and have been heading north in a hundreds-strong convoy of armoured vehicles. The unit earlier passed through the halfway city of Voronezh and are soon approaching Lipetsk on their way to Moscow, seeing negligible resistance on their way. Before Prigozhin's announcement, a message posted on the Wagner Telegram channel on Saturday said: 'Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president.' Footage on social media earlier showed large convoys of troops heading north from Voronezh, thought to be Wagner mercenaries. They were also said to be on their way to other key cities including Krasnodar and Volgograd. Russia responded by increasing security in Moscow, mobilising troops who are set to defend against the incursion, and calling for the military to rally around President Putin. All public events had been cancelled and Monday had already been declared a non-working day, as Putin called close ally Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko to brief him on the situation. Moscow's mayor had earlier urged people not to take trips across the city, saying the situation is 'difficult' and 'city services are on high alert'. Sergey Sobyanin also told residents not to go to work on Monday in order to 'minimise risks'. It came as part of the announcement of a 'counter-terrorist operation' in the city. A line of armoured vehicles are seen as Russian forces prepare to launch a defense of the capital A traffic police officer checks a car next to an armoured personnel carrier (APC) Russian troops were seen establishing positions at a bridge across the Oka River Prigozhin c laimed to have also shot down a Russian military helicopter in the city - home to the Kremlin's headquarters for the war in Ukraine Armored cars blockade a street in the city of Rostov as the sun began to rise on Saturday Russia's defense military in Moscow is pictured as dawn breaks on Saturday. Anti-aircraft artillery are pictured on the roof Armored vehicles were seen on the streets of Moscow on Friday night outside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior amid fears of a coup An armored personnel carrier (APC) is seen on a street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday night Armored vehicles trawl through the street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don amid coup fears in Russia on Friday Pro-Putin forces on the outskirts of the city were meanwhile seen digging in against the now disbanded Wagner coup heading towards the capital. Russian troops were pictured establishing positions at a bridge across the Oka River. They deployed barrage equipment, machine guns and grenade launchers, as military helicopters flew across the city. Other photos showed soldiers setting up barricades and machine gun nests a little way out of the city, as Putin signed into law a measure which allows people to be detained for up to 30 days in areas where marshal is imposed - not that this has yet happened. Russian officials had earlier ordered roads to be blocked by large, heavy trucks in the path of the convoy in an effort to slow it down. Travel had also been restricted in regions closest to Moscow, most recently in the Kalugia area. Movement on the region's roads will be restricted near bordering regions Tula, Bryansk, Oryol and Smolensk Eyewitnesses also reported air strikes on the Wagner convoy heading north. Shortly after this emerged, Prigozhin claimed it was hit by Russian strikes and fire from helicopters. 'We were fired upon: first artillery strikes, and then from helicopters,' Prigozhin said in a Telegram post. Video footage online purports to show an artillery strike on an armoured vehicle in the Wagner procession. Prigozhin was once known as 'Putin's chef' - now the Wagner boss appears to be waging war on the Kremlin Police officers stand guard on roads approaching Moscow amid the ongoing military coup Pro-Putin forces on the outskirts of Moscow were seen digging in against the Wagner coup army heading towards the capital Russian policemen guard the Red Square in Moscow on Saturday morning Russian servicemen stand guard on a street in downtown Moscow Policemen guard the Kremlin, home to Russian President Putin, on Saturday Russian forces are pictured in the Lipetsk region, just a few hours from the gates of Moscow near the town of Yelets Pictures also showed the Wagner forces in the Lipetsk region - less than four hours to the outskirts of Moscow - before the surprise retreat. The column of Yevgeny Prigozhin's coup armed force is heading north for a showdown with troops still-loyal to dictator Vladimir Putin amid rumours he has absconded from the capital. The Wagner forces were some 200 miles from Moscow - facing an evening or nighttime showdown with Russian regular forces. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed he had spoken to western allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, which UK defence officials have described as 'the most significant challenge' to the Kremlin in recent times. Mr Sunak spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon 'to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty', Downing Street said. A senior Kremlin official had warned that a successful rebellion by the Wagner group would mean the mercenaries getting hold of Russia's vast nuclear arsenal and raise an existential threat to the entire world. A military column of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities A truck transporting a military vehicle of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities, near Voronezh A still from video footage which purports to show a Russian attack on the Wagner's armed convoy There have been no reports of further attacks upon the convoy as they headed north Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group walk around a vehicle during a stop on M-4 highway An oil depot in Voronezh region was 'blitzed by a pro-Putin strike helicopter' 'The history of mankind hasn't yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits,' Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. 'Such a crisis will not be limited by just one country's borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction.' He added that 'we won't allow such a turn of events.' Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russia's nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv. Medvedev described the rebellion as a 'well-planned operation aimed at seizing power in the country.' He claimed that some veterans of elite Russian military units and foreign actors could have been involved in it Away from Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday as the mutinous mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow 'The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine,' a readout said. The leaders 'affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine,' the White House statement added. A White House spokesman also said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team Saturday morning on the Russian crisis and will continue to be briefed throughout the day. Vladimir Putin (center) speaks with Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov (left) and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) Military personnel and equipment in the center of Moscow and near the Russian MoD Prigozhin said that the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on PMC Wagner forces An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is seen next to a shopping mall in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday night It comes after pro-Putin forces earlier today raided the Wagner unit's HQ in St Petersburg, after Prigozhin captured the Southern Defense Command in Rostov-on-Don, which plays a major role in the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Security Service said it had found $47 million in cash on the premises, which Prigozhin claimed is for salaries and other expenses for his men. Putin described the group's actions as 'equivalent to armed mutiny', and urged those involved to cease any armed resistance. Multiple reports claimed Putin had left Moscow on Saturday afternoon, despite officials denying it and saying he was working in the Kremlin. A presidential plane linked to Vladimir Putin flew north from Moscow towards Tver before switching off its transponder, live flight data showed. Other business jets were seen making an exodus from the capital towards St Petersburg, with senior backers of Putin allegedly fleeing to Turkey. Prigozhin, who was once a confidant of Vladimir Putin before declaring war on Moscow's military leadership last night, said in a video that the highest ranking officer at the command post had fled as soon as he learned that Wagner forces were approaching. A military vehicle appeared to be on the streets of Moscow on Friday evening as Prigozhin called on the Russian National Guard to join his side A Russian security source said Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (310 miles) south of Moscow. A huge oil depot was seen bursting into flames in the city, thought to be an attack on Wagner forces by the Russian military. This is significant as it marks the halfway point between Rostov and Moscow. The governor of Russia's Voronezh region said on Saturday that the army was taking 'necessary military measures' in the region as part of a counter-terrorist operation declared after an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group. It is also being claimed that Wagner troops are on the outskirts of two other southern cities, Krasnodar and Volgograd - but this has not been verified. The Lipetsk region is so far the closest location to Moscow where Wagner columns have been spotted. 'Hardware of the Wagner mercenary group is moving across the territory of the Lipetsk region,' Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. 'I remind you that residents are strongly recommended not to leave their houses or to make trips on any mode of transport.' He did not say exactly where in the region the Wagner fighters were seen. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Russian military boss Shoigu in an armed rebellion, urging the army not to offer resistance: 'This is not a military coup, but a march of justice.' Residents have been told to stay in their homes by government officials, but some were seen out observing what was happening, even live-streaming the action on their cell phones. Police are now considering whether or not they should be considering a criminal investigation into the death of the five men on board the sub Canadian police are considering a criminal probe into the catastrophic Titanic tourist sub implosion that killed five men, as the mothership makes its return to port. Speaking at a news conference earlier today, Superintendent Kent Osmond with the RCMP said that they have begun probing whether or not a criminal investigation is necessary. The Polar Prince support vessel arrived in St John's Harbor, Newfoundland, on Saturday morning, docking at about 8.15am local time as sun broke through the morning haze. Crew members were seen looking somber as they received a briefing aboard the vessel, which departed eight days ago with 24 people aboard, five of whom were killed in the sub disaster. Police and safety investigators could be seen boarding the vessel after the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada announced it was launching a probe into the fatal implosion of the deep sea vessel. Superintendent Osmond said: Today the RCMP initiated an examination of the circumstances that led to the deaths of the five individuals on board the submersible Titan. Superintendent Kent Osmond, pictured here, said that they have begun probing whether or not a criminal investigation is necessary into the incident The support ship that launched the doomed Titan submersible has returned to port in Canada , following the sub's catastrophic implosion that killed all five men aboard Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada board the Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible, after it arrived at the Port of St. John's Crew members are seen aboard the Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible, after the vessel returned to port in St John Osmond said: Today the RCMP initiated an examination of the circumstances that led to the deaths of the five individuals onboard the submersible Titan. A team of investigators has been established with the sole purpose of answering the question of whether or not a full investigation is warranted. Such an investigation will proceed only if an examination of the circumstances indicate criminal or federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken. It would have been inappropriate for the RCMP to initiate this action during the recovery efforts. Following the US coastguards announcement earlier this week, we will now look at the circumstances that led to those deaths. 'Our investigators are engaged and active in this manner as of this morning. The Polar Prince had taken part in a massive search effort for the Titan about 435 miles south of St John's, which came to an end on Thursday with the confirmation the sub had imploded deep underwater, likely soon after it launched on Sunday. TSB investigators could be seen boarding the Polar Prince shortly after it docked in St. John. Speaking at a press conference, Cliff Harvey with the TSB said that interviews with those on board had taken place and they would not be detaining anyone. TSB officials said they have a mandate to find out why the incident happened and reduce the chance of it ever happening again. The TSB said that the voyage data recorder keeps a record of all audio from the bridge, and they will be reviewing those logs. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, pictured here, was aboard the vessel when it imploded last during the expedition Rib boats were also spotted towing what appeared to be the Titan submersibles launch platform away from the Polar Prince and further along the port. Tourists gathered at the dock in morbid curiosity, with several posing for selfies with the Polar Prince in the background. One man who snapped photo of the scene told his girlfriend: Oh wow. How neat. Tragic but neat. The Polar Prince is a decommissioned Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker now owned by Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Service Ltd, and chartered by extreme tourism company OceanGate as a support vessel for the Titan's fatal dive. OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush was killed aboard the American company's submersible, along with prominent British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British adventurer Hamish Harding, and French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Two Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) vessels that took part in the search effort also returned to St John's harbor on Friday evening, with one remaining on site at the scene of the disaster. A crowd gathered by the dock to watch the return of the CCGS Terry Fox and CCGS Ann Harvey, while the CCGS John Cabot remained on site to provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations. In a statement issued before their ships arrived at the port, the CCG said: 'The Canadian Coast Guard offers our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the crew of the Titan for their tragic loss. 'Search and rescue operations have concluded.' Now authorities from the US and Canada have begun the process of investigating the cause of the Titan's fatal implosion. The US Coast Guard said on Friday that a formal inquiry has not yet been launched, because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed. Debris was located about 12,500 feet underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore. The Titan submersible (above) catastrophically imploded during a dive to the Titanic's wreckage on the Atlantic seafloor, killing the pilot and four paying passengers The launch platform used for the Titan submersible is towed away from the Polar Prince as Canadian officials launched their probe into the deep sea vessel's fatal implosion Some tourists took morbid selfies on the dock as the Polar Prince returned to harbor The Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible, arrives at the Port of St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada on Saturday The Polar Prince is seen Saturday. There were 24 people aboard when the ship launched eight days ago, but five died aboard the doomed Titan sub Crew members in orange hard hats were seen on the deck of the vessel, which returned to port with five fewer souls aboard than the 24 it departed with eight days earlier Police officers speak to crew members on board the Polar Prince as the ship arrives in port Canadian officers board the support vessel as the investigation into the Titan disaster begins Police officers are seen on board the Polar Prince after its return to the Port of St. John's The Polar Prince launched the Titan sub on Sunday, and participated in the search for the OceanGate Expeditions submersible after it disappeared The US Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission, which was a massive international effort that likely cost millions of dollars. The investigation into the cause of the disaster, and any attempt to recover wreckage from the ocean floor, will likely be difficult and painstaking. 'This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor,' said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the Coast Guard First District. Meanwhile, Canada's TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St John's to 'gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence'. In a short statement confirming the investigation, the safety body said: 'The TSB is launching an investigation into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately operated submersible Titan. 'In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince. 'A team of TSB investigators is travelling to St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. 'In the coming days, we will co-ordinate our activities with other agencies involved.' The TSB said it will not determine civil or criminal liability in the disaster and conducts investigations for 'the advancement of transportation safety'. It was not entirely clear who would have the authority to lead the disaster investigation, which is bound to be complex and involves several countries. The Titan submersible was registered in the Bahamas, but OceanGate, the company that owned and operated the craft, is based in the US. OceanGate was headquartered in Everett, Washington, but appears to have shuttered operations after the Titan was confirmed lost with the company's CEO aboard. Meanwhile, the Titan's mother ship, the Polar Prince, is flagged in Canada, and those killed were citizens of the UK, Pakistan, France, and the US. Officials from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada leave the Polar Prince after conducting interviews as a preliminary step in their investigation A person disembarks the Polar Prince on Saturday, appearing to hide their identity behind a hat, mask and sunglasses The Polar Prince arrives in port, as Canada's TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St John's to 'gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence' The Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible, arrives at the Port of St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada on Saturday morning Crew members are seen aboard the Polar Prince as it arrives at the Port of St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada on Saturday morning As the search and rescue operation concludes, authorities from the US and Canada have begun the process of investigating the cause of the Titan's fatal implosion The Polar Prince is a decommissioned Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker now owned by Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Service Ltd, and chartered by OceanGate The Polar Prince is flagged in Canada, and those killed were citizens of England, Pakistan, France, and the US The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that the US Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a 'major marine casualty' and the Coast Guard will lead the investigation. An NTSB spokesperson said that information was provided to the agency's senior management by Coast Guard officials, and the NTSB has joined the investigation. The US Coast Guard has not confirmed that it will take the lead in the probe. Coast Guard headquarters said the Coast Guard First District in Boston will discuss future operations and plans, but did not say when. A First District spokeswoman told DailyMail.com on Saturday morning that the Coast Guard had no new information to share regarding the investigation. The Titan launched at 8am last Sunday and was reported overdue that afternoon after the Polar Prince lost contact. Rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the area and undertook a desperate, but ultimately futile, search for survivors. Any sliver of hope that remained for finding the crew alive was wiped away early Thursday, when the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found on the seafloor. The sub debris was not far from the the wreckage of the Titanic, a British ocean liner that sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1,500. A key part of any investigation is likely to center on the unconventional design of the Titan itself, and its creator's refusal to submit to independent safety checks. The Titan was not registered as a US vessel or certified with international agencies that regulate safety. And it wasn't classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded, previously complained that regulations can stifle progress. 'Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation,' Rush wrote in a blog post on his company's website. Donald Trump has lashed out at President Joe Biden following the Wagner Group mercenary uprising in Russia, claiming the crisis will benefit China. In a post on his Truth Social network on Saturday, Trump claimed, without offering evidence, that 'Biden will do about Russia whatever President Xi of China wants him to do.' He went on to claim, again offering no proof, that Biden and his son Hunter 'illegally took large amounts of money from both countries, but China right now is the bigger threat.' Trump, the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, suggested that the armed rebellion in Russia would present an opportunity for China to seize Russian territory. 'This is China's heretofore unthinkable opportunity, much bigger than Taiwan, which to President Xi, can wait!' Trump wrote, referring to the Chinese leader's vow for 'national reunification' with the self-governed island. Trump, the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, suggested that the armed rebellion in Russia would present an opportunity for China to seize Russian territory President Joe Biden boards Marine One with his son Hunter Biden as he leaves Andrews Air Force Base on his way to Camp David on Saturday The Chinese government has not yet commented on the crisis in Russia, and China's state-run media outlets have mostly offered sparse coverage, citing official Kremlin statements. Meanwhile, Biden was seen on Saturday boarding Marine One for a trip to Camp David with son Hunter, who this week agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax evasion charges. The Russian mercenaries who surged most of the way to Moscow agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday. It marked a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. The fighters of the Wagner private army were just 125 miles from the capital when they turned back, said Prigozhin. Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, was previously a longtime ally of Putin, and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname 'Putin's chef'. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing chaos ahead of Trump's 2016 presidential election victory. Last November, Prigozhin publicly boasted he had attempted to interfere in US elections and vowed to continue to do so, a marked change in direction after he had for years worked to operate under the radar and avoid scrutiny. Donald Trump lashed out at President Joe Biden following the Wagner Group mercenary uprising in Russia, claiming the crisis will benefit China President Joe Biden walks with grandson Beau Biden to Marine One at Andrews Air Force Base President Joe Biden boards Marine One with his grandson Beau Biden and son Hunter Biden Earlier on Saturday, Biden spoke with his counterparts in Britain, France and Germany about the situation in Russia. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined the call, according to a White House readout. 'The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine,' the White House said in a statement. As well, Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call on Saturday morning with his G7 and EU counterparts and discussed the rapidly evolving situation in Russia, the State Department said. 'The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop,' Blinken wrote on Twitter. Blinken spoke with all of his G7 counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the State Department said. 'Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change,' State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a release. Developing story, more to follow. A GCSE dropout could face a 52-year jail sentence after allegedly creating one of the world's largest hacker forums, it has been reported. Diogo Santos Coelho, of London, is battling extradition to the US amidst accusations that his website stole 10billion files and 400million from countless ordinary people. The 23-year-old is alleged to have been just 15 when he quit school to run RaidForums - a 'black hat' site where criminals sold people's personal information. While the site was busted just last year, Mr Coelho is now wanted for trial in Richmond, Virginia, on charges that include fraud and identity theft. According to The Mirror, his case has now been directed to Home Secretary Suella Braverman who will make the final call on his extradition. Diogo Santos Coelho (pictured), of London, is battling extradition to the US amidst accusations that he stole 10billion files and 400million in a major computer hack RaidForums was a 'black hat' site that enabled the selling of people's personal information The RaidForums site was seized in April of 2022, with the US Department of Justice announcing its 'unsealed criminal charges' against the founder. It is understood that Coelho was also arrested last year when travelling from his previous home in Portugal to visit his sick mother in the UK. Coelho's lawyers argue that he had been 'exploited by adults' when setting up the site and added that he was from a troubled home. A few weeks ago, the 23-year-old also shared that he had been diagnosed with autism and an extradition would put him at risk of suicide. He reportedly told Westminster magistrates court: 'The most pressing concern is being in a foreign prison without support. 'When I was speaking with psychiatrists, I was talking with them about my concerns about a long sentence.' While awaiting the decision on his extradition, Coelho currently resides in Vauxhall, South London, while on a 30,000 bail and electronic curfew. Woke Reddit moderators have said they will ban any users who misgender non-binary 'And Just Like That' character Che Diaz. The character, played by Sara Ramirez in the Sex and the City reboot, is a queer stand-up comedian who takes a central role as the iconic character Miranda explores her sexuality. Moderators have now clamped down on a Reddit form publishing a notice warning that bans will be issued for misgendering the star. In a locked post shared to the 'And Just Like That' Reddit page, it said: 'Che and Sara use they/them pronouns. 'This show has aired over a year ago, and while we obviously tolerate the occasional mistake and merely remove misgendering comments, please beware that repeated offenses will result in a ban. Moderators on the popular social media site have said they would issue bans to those who misgender the star Sara Ramirez, right, has played several gender-nonconforming roles in the past, most recently non-binary comedian Che Ramirez in And Just Like That 'Reddit now allows us to see a log of deleted comments for each user, so it's much easier to assess repeated offenses. 'Moreover, referring to trans identities as 'fantasy', 'not real' or any implication that they do not exist will result in an immediate ban. 'Thank you to everyone that has been reporting comments violating our rules, please do not hesitate to do it as it makes our work much faster in catching them.' In the new spinoff, Ramirez stars alongside Cynthia Nixon in her iconic role Miranda, where the two begin a surprise affair. Che's relationship with Miranda ends up being the catalyst for her split with longtime husband Steve (David Eigenberg), leaving many loyal fans upset. Earlier this week, journalist Brock Colyar mocked Ramirez for appearing to hold many of the same opinions as the character they play without any sense of irony. Colyar wrote: 'Ramirez similarly uses words such as trauma, privilege, and social constructs to make their various on-point points. It might feel natural to make such comparisons in your head, but Ramirez heads them off, assuring me, 'I'm an actor. I'm not the characters I play. I'm not Che Diaz.'' Ramirez has played several gender-nonconforming characters in the past and has had starring roles in hit shows including Grey's Anatomy and Madam Secretary. But their part in And Just Like That sparked criticism from some viewers. After meeting in New York's Central Park, a regular spot for the show's characters, Colyar said Ramirez had a very similar style to her controversial on-screen role. Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit, attends Variety & Reddit An Evening With Future Makers at Wynn Las Vegas on January 05, 2023 in Las Vegas Ramirez has starred alongside Sex and the City icons during her time on the reboot, including Cynthia Nixon (right) Notably, Ramirez' character introduces themselves as a 'queer nonbinary Mexican Irish diva' - the same description the actor uses in their Instagram bio. When confronted with criticisms of their character, Ramirez pushes back earnestly, telling the journalist that those critics are morally inferior. Colyar wrote: 'Ramirez waves away the side-eyes about Che, saying, 'Anybody who benefits from patriarchy is going to have a problem with Che Diaz.' Earlier this year, Ramirez again addressed criticisms to their character, insisting negative reactions from viewers haven't affected her. 'I'm very aware of the hate that exists online,' she told The New York Times. 'But I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry.' Talking about blocking out the negativity and concentrating on the character and show, Ramirez explained: 'And that's way more important to me because I'm a real human being. 'I'm really proud of the representation that we've created. We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who's complex, who is not here to be liked, who's not here for anybody's approval. 'They're here to be themselves.' A top private school has said it wants the Henley Regatta rowing event to remain a 'closed shop', the race's chairman has said. Sir Steve Redgrave, chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, said one major British private school feared opening up the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup to international teams would mean students competing against 'superclubs'. It comes as the six-day regatta, which begins on Tuesday, will for the first time allow international entrants to the junior men's eights, as well as teams from British private and state schools. Sir Steve said he attended a meeting of 55 schools where one private school, which he didn't name, wanted the cup to remain closed to international competitors. But he added it was going to happen 'sooner or later' and it was the 'right thing to do'. Sir Steve Redgrave (pictured), chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta and Olympian, said one major British private school feared opening up the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup to international teams would mean students will have to compete against 'superclubs' It comes as the six-day regatta, which begins on Tuesday, will for the first time allow international entrants to the junior men's eights, as well as teams from British private and state schools In a podcast this month, Sir Steve was asked whether schools, including Eton College, St Paul's School and St Edward's School, should be concerned about the rise of 'big US clubs coming over to race they are very fast'. He said: 'One of those top schools didn't want it. But it was going to happen sooner or later. We can't stop this, in fact it's the right thing to do.' Sir Steve explained that rowing cities in the United States were 'huge' and clubs were state-wide and not school-oriented like in Britain. He said this meant their rowing clubs were a 'little bit bigger' because they draw upon rowers from more schools. The chairman added: 'What we don't want is any country to be able to put a crew together, which is almost then a national eight [team]. 'It's not an event for national eights it's for the top juniors from their rowing establishments.' The regatta near Henley-on-Thames was established in 1839. The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup began in 1946, but only allowed entrants from public schools Interview: Chinese initiatives greatly boost global development, says Egyptian expert Xinhua) 15:15, June 24, 2023 CAIRO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese initiatives greatly promote global development and help the world restore its balance, as more countries are putting confidence in them that brought tangible fruits without any political strings attached, an Egyptian expert has said. China has proposed several initiatives seeking international development, and presents a different model compared to the Western one that depends on fueling conflicts and reaping benefits, said Ahmed al-Saeed, chairman of Egypt's Bayt Al-Hekma Cultural Group. China aims at achieving win-win results, al-Saeed told Xinhua in a recent interview, adding that "the development China presents to the world is a miracle." The Chinese leaders have been focusing on the concepts of building a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting world peace, development, and civilization, which gives hope to other developing countries that peaceful development, rather than conflicts and disputes, is the path to progress, he said. Al-Saeed, also an observer of Chinese affairs, added that China has solid political, economic, and commercial capabilities through which it has achieved domestic development and benefits many other countries. "When observing the Chinese projects on the world map, we find that new infrastructures have been built, hundreds of jobs have been created, and the lives of people have been improved," the expert added. He pointed out that China, in the past ten years, has been putting forward a series of mechanism and initiatives that aim to boost global cooperation, most notably the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It has also joined others in establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and has hosted numerous international forums on economic development. Through the implementation of developmental projects, China is fostering a more balanced world and shaping it into a multipolar system that promotes common development, and gives hope to emerging countries, al-Saeed noted. Investment along the BRI routes in railways, marine routes, and human and cultural communication is apparent, he said, noting that the world aspires to a new model of development that relies on useful and practical Chinese initiatives that will make a difference in the future. China's words live up to its deeds as a country of major stature, "so faith in the Asian country grows significantly," al-Saeed added. He described the participation in the Chinese initiatives in the Middle East and Africa as "very strong." There are so many Arab countries taking part in the BRI, and also African countries benefiting a lot from the Chinese presence, al-Saeed noted, adding that China has been making progress year by year and always welcomes new countries to its initiatives. Praising China's efforts to maintain world peace, the expert cited the Beijing-brokered detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, saying it will bring prosperity to the Middle East region. The growing Chinese influence has been embraced globally due to its successful role in resolving many issues around the world, al-Saeed said. He explained that China brings hope for the world economy, as China is the world's factory and has great capabilities for foreign investments. Al-Saeed said that China has greatly contributed to implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 by eradicating absolute poverty and promoting a green economy. "I think China is a pioneering country in terms of achieving sustainable development," he said. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Homeless people have been pictured slumped over in the streets of Seattle and openly shooting up drugs, after the city's officials chose not to make public drug use illegal. Earlier this month, the Seattle City Council voted not to pass legislation that would have allowed the City Attorney's Office to prosecute public drug use cases. The move would have brought Seattle into compliance with the state's new drug possession law, which makes the crime a gross misdemeanor. New pictures show homeless people openly abusing drugs on the streets of the Washington state city. In one, a man can be seen using a hypodermic needle to inject drugs into his hand while propped outside a liquor store. One man can be seen here openly using a hypodermic needle as he lays on the sidewalk Another person is seen here completely spaced out as citizens go about their regular day The move to ban public use would have brought Seattle into compliance with the state's new drug possession law, which makes the crime a gross misdemeanor Others show people spaced out and hunched over on the sidewalks, with paraphernalia strewn around them. The council bill failed to pass in a 5-4 vote with councilmembers Alex Pedersen, Sara Nelson, Debora Juarez and Dan Strauss voting in favor of the bill. Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Kshama Sawant, Teresa Mosqueda, Andrew Lewis and Tammy Morales voted in opposition to the bill. Pedersen told King5: 'State law without the local law is like a train without tracks, a car without keys, it's a pen without ink. 'You have to have them together or else it's basically tantamount to decriminalizing.' Councilmember Nelson told the news channel: 'We have to do something or the alternative is doing nothing new and that is just unacceptable.' According to the Seattle City Attorneys Office, there were 589 overdose deaths in Seattle in 2022, up 72 percent from 2021. Seattle Police Officers Guild opposed Seattle City Councils move, with President Mike Solan saying: 'It's going to put our city's public safety crisis that much more in a dire circumstance. Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan, pictured, slammed the move by lawmakers urging them to make a solution to the problem quickly Another homeless man is seen here in the Ballard neighborhood of the city which is dealing with high crime rates 'I think it's sad for our city moving forward as we're going to see more loss of life and that's completely avoidable. 'The majority of the current city council does not reflect the communitys views regarding our public safety crisis, fueled by fentanyl. 'This was avoidable, this will hinder our ability to save lives. There needs to be a solution and there needs to be a solution fast.' It comes after the crime-ridden city lost its downtown Nike flagship store and multiplex movie as the number of homeless people and crime soared. The Rain City's downtown area began to suffer from store closures at the start of this year and in January the popular Nike store, located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Pike Street, shut its doors for good. Overall violent crime has remained persistently high in the city, with 2022 marking the deadliest year for the homeless population in King County, which encompasses Seattle. The year saw 310 deaths in the homeless community, a 65 percent spike from 2021, including at least 18 homicides and 160 fentanyl-related overdoses, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office. St Paul's Cathedral has provoked uproar by describing Sir Winston Churchill as an 'unashamed imperialist' and 'white supremacist' in an online post about Britain's great wartime leader. The cathedral, which was the venue for Sir Winston's state funeral in 1965, removed the highly derogatory descriptions only last week after receiving complaints that they vilified a man voted as the greatest-ever Briton. The Mail on Sunday understands the insulting description appeared on St Paul's website for more than a year but it remained unclear last night who was responsible for writing it. In an article about the state funeral, the website noted the war leader's role in 'fending off the threat of invasion and enabling a fightback against the Nazi occupation of Europe'. But it added: 'He is also a figure of controversy, as he was an unashamed imperialist and white supremacist.' Sir Winston Churchill, about Britain's great wartime leader, salutes the famous 'V' for victory hand sign The insulting description appeared on St Paul's website for more than a year St Paul's Cathedral was the venue for Sir Winston's state funeral in 1965. It removed the highly derogatory descriptions only last week Sir Winston's grandson Nicholas Soames last night said that the family were upset by what he called the 'deeply offensive, thoughtless, stupid and ignorant' remarks. The 75-year-old Tory peer said his grandfather had 'saved England' by leading the fight against Hitler's racist Nazi regime. He added: 'Even for allowances of some of the sort of more extreme views in the Church of England, this is really going too far. It was deeply offensive and caused great offence to a number of members of my family, and representations were made by a number of people. I am glad to see that the cathedral's canon chancellor has now written apologising and having the thing taken down. I don't know how it got there. It's the sort of thing that is so thoughtless, stupid and ignorant and does the image of the Church so much harm. It's such a terrible thing to say.' Lee Anderson, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said: 'It is getting ridiculous. Anyone publicising information like this needs to take a long, hard look at themselves and ask themselves why they hate this country so much, its history and its heritage. They are idiots.' The offensive description of Sir Winston was changed on Friday to read: 'He is also a figure of controversy, especially when viewed from a modern perspective.' The cathedral acted after receiving a complaint from Nick Gent, 72, a member of the Friends of St Paul's. In his letter last month, he wrote: 'I believe that some of the language you have used in Churchill's profile is too heavily charged, condemnatory to the extent that it demonises Churchill. Perhaps this language is a function of ignorance or of political ideology.' He accepted that Churchill often made himself 'a hostage to fortune' with comments and jokes which would be regarded as unacceptable today. But he said it was important to judge the man by his achievements in the defeat of Hitler. Sir Winston's grandson Nicholas Soames last night said that the family were upset by what he called the 'deeply offensive, thoughtless, stupid and ignorant' remarks. Sir Nicholas is pictured at Royal Ascot on July 27, 2019 Then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill is pictured with Queen Elizabeth II at the Commonwealth Economic Conference in Buckingham Palace on December 3, 1952 In an email to Mr Gent on Thursday, canon chancellor Dr Paula Gooder wrote: 'We agree that the tone is not consonant with the rest of the page or pages on the website. We have removed the phrase and hope that the paragraph now feels more balanced and appropriate in this context.' Mr Gent said: 'Churchill was such a great humanitarian who transcended politics. He should be a role model for the young.' Historian Andrew Roberts said: 'It's excellent that St Paul's have dropped their ultra-woke stance. The cathedral was at the centre of the world during Churchill's funeral in 1965, and their original ill-chosen words detracted from that. Since pretty much everything from the past is controversial, especially when viewed from a modern perspective; their new wording is pleasingly meaningless.' Lady Antonia Fraser, historian and author said: 'There is a great deal more to be said about Churchill and that he was a wonderful man. He is regularly voted the greatest Englishman and, as far as I am concerned, that is where he stays.' Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at Kent University, said: 'Branding Churchill as an unashamed imperialist and white supremacist is not only an act of historical distortion but an attempt to discredit everything positive that Britain stood for in the 20th century.' A spokesperson for St Paul's said: 'Information on our website regarding the state funeral of Winston Churchill was recently updated. It was brought to our attention that part of the text within the description was not consistent with the tone of the rest of the page. 'We have therefore reworded the paragraph with the aim of making the description more balanced and appropriate in its context.' An Idaho judge has denied a request from around two dozen news organizations to lift a gag order into Bryan Kohberger's quadruple murder case which will go to trial in October. Kohberger is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, in November last year. The 29-page order has however been significantly minimized in response to the organizations' concerns and was filed in Latah County on Friday, according to Fox News. In January, Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the sweeping gag order which spurred 30 news organizations to ask the Idaho Supreme Court to reject it saying it violates First Amendment rights. District Judge John C. Judge said to preserve the right to a fair trial some information was 'necessary and authorized under the law' to be disseminated. Idaho judge, John C. Judge, has denied a request from around two dozen news organizations to lift a gag order into Bryan Kohberger's quadruple murder case which will go to trial in October - but has narrowed the scope Kohberger is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, in November last year. He is shown in court on Friday Kohberger is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, in November last year He said the original gag order was 'arguably overbroad and vague in some areas.' It barred law enforcement officers and others tangentially related to the case from speaking to the press. Judge said the revised order is 'narrowly drawn to prohibit only extrajudicial statements that have a 'substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing' this case,' this includes specific examples of what speech is prohibited and what is allowed. In the non-dissemination order, Judge said: 'any prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, any agents of the prosecuting attorneys and defense attorneys and any attorneys representing witnesses, victims or a victim's family are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) that the lawyer or agent knows or reasonable should know will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing or otherwise influence the outcome of the case.' Shanon Gray, who represents the Goncalves family, also had his request to be exempted from the amended order denied. Gray had asked to be excluded from the order so that he could talk to the press on the family's behalf. Judge highlighted that, as an attorney, Gray could have access to confidential information about the case that would be prejudicial if it was released to the public. Kohberger, 28, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho. The judge noted that he is 'potentially facing the death penalty if found guilty. Kohberger's attorneys asked for an extension before deciding whether or not they will submit an alibi as part of their defense Last week, attorneys for Kohberger requested more time to decide whether or not they will submit an alibi as part of his defense. Investigators said they found DNA on a knife sheath left at the scene that is a 99.99 percent match to Kohberger, who was studying criminology at a nearby university at the time of the murders. In May, Kohberger declined to enter a plea, which prompted the judge to enter one of not guilty on his behalf. His trial in Latah County has now been set for October. In their latest court filings, his attorneys asked the court for an extension in their decision whether or not to present an alibi. It is in response to a state law that requires attorneys to submit their intention to provide an alibi before a trial gets underway. They say the discovery involved in the case has been 'voluminous' and 'still ongoing', and that they need more time to 'wade' through the evidence before finalizing their defense strategy and notifying the court of it. 'Mr. Kohberger and his defense team continue to both navigate discovery disclosed by the state and investigate the charges against Mr. Kohberger. 'Compliance with IC. 19-519 is at a minimum premature as wading through the extensive information that makes up the case is incomplete. 'Compliance may tread into disclosures of protected information. The defense needs time to make this determination and consider evidentiary rules,' public defender Anne Taylor wrote. The judge has not yet ruled on whether or not to grant them an extension. The home in Moscow, Idaho, where the four students were killed in November. Police say DNA at the crime scene was a 99 percent match to Kohberger At his most recent hearing, Kohberger's attorneys also argued against lifting the gag order - which prevents attorneys from speaking about the case publicly. The family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, said it restricts them too. Kohberger's team argued that he is being over-analyzed. They said the media would find a way to negatively write about him using a 'blue toothbrush' - claiming the attention the case is receiving is 'grotesque.' In addition to the DNA found at the scene, police linked Kohberger to the crime through his car. A white Hyundai Elantra matching the one he drives was filmed in the vicinity of the crime scene in the hours before and after the gruesome, quadruple killings. One of the victims' housemates - who came face-to-face with the killer - also told police she recognized Kohberger's 'bushy eyebrows.' While Kohberger is yet to submit a plea or defense, he has always vowed to fight the case. Similar warnings have been applied to the Twelfth Night and Titus Andronicus It stressed Macbeth 'could cause offence' due to its depictions of 'bloodshed' It is Shakespeare's most violent play a bloody saga packed with stabbing, strangling and poisoning that reaches a grisly climax with a beheading. And for more than 400 years audiences have been enthralled if a little disturbed by the butchery of Macbeth. But now one of the UK's top universities stands accused of 'infantilising' students after it warned them they might be 'offended' by the 'bloodshed' in the play. Queen's University Belfast has issued the warning to undergraduates studying a module called Further Adventures in Shakespeare on its BA English course. 'You are advised that this play could cause offence as it references and / or deals with issues and depictions relating to bloodshed,' the warning, a copy of which has been obtained by this newspaper under Freedom of Information laws, states. BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS: Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood (pictured) in Macbeth READ MORE: Threats and abuse on social media over 'woke' plays spark fears over safety of actors at Shakespeare's Globe Michelle Terry says she fears for their safety following bilious social media reaction to unconventional productions (Pictured: Michelle Terry playing Viola in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe) Advertisement The university has also applied similar warnings to the Bard's Richard III, Twelfth Night and Titus Andronicus. Some of Britain's biggest theatrical stars last night branded the warnings counterproductive and unnecessary. They point out that Macbeth, which was first performed in 1606, is particularly popular with schoolchildren. Sir Ian McKellen, who starred opposite Dame Judi Dench in Sir Trevor Nunn's landmark 1976 RSC production, said warnings such as this could undermine the dramatic impact of the piece. He said: 'My sister (a teacher) used to show Sir Trevor Nunn's TV version of the 1976 Macbeth to her teenage students. 'She'd pull down the blinds, start the video and then leave the classroom and count the minutes till she heard the first scream from within. Had the youngsters had trigger warnings in advance, the effect of the play would have been considerably diminished.' He added: 'I remember talking to a priest who saw a number of performances of the stage production at the Stratford Other Place. 'He would hold out his crucifix throughout the performance, to protect the audience from the devilry conjured by the cast. I suppose these triggers are something similar.' Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter, who has acted in Shakespeare's The Tempest, King Lear and Love's Labour's Lost, said: 'I don't understand why anyone should feel warnings are necessary for Shakespeare's plays. Unless we need to be constantly warned that depicting human nature might cause offence.' Ian McKellen with Judi Dench in another production of the Shakespearean play Sir Richard Eyre, the former Director of the National Theatre who has directed productions of Hamlet, Richard III and King Lear, said: 'It's completely fatuous and totalitarian to try to police people's minds with these absurd warnings. Ridiculous, contemptible, infantilising. Presumably the people putting out the trigger warnings feel they are able to cope with the content of these plays, but weaker, younger, less intelligent people aren't.' Doctor Who star David Tennant and The Good Wife actress Cush Jumbo are due to star in a new production of Macbeth which opens in London in December. It is one of four major productions of the play set to open in the UK. Queen's Belfast's trigger warning for Twelfth Night centres on what it calls the 'depictions relating to sexuality or gender. Warnings for Richard III and Titus Andronicus relate to depictions of disability in the former and 'race and or racism' in the latter. A spokesperson for Queen's University Belfast declined to comment. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the savage attack dog of Vladimir Putin, has finally turned on his master. And then regretted it. No one can say the warning signs were not there. As his Wagner mercenaries have been dying in their thousands in the meat grinders of Ukraine, Prigozhin has for the past few months begun raging against the Chief of Staff of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, and the Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, for their lack of support. According to him: it was a calculated betrayal. Many thought he crossed a line by referring to Putin himself as a 'd***head' in a video rant posted online last month. But ordering his men to leave Ukraine and launch a coup in Russia was truly an astonishing escalation. Even after his reversing his march on Moscow, Prigozhin risks almost certain death, so what do we know about him? What can explain his seemingly insane actions? Like Putin, Prigozhin comes from St Petersburg. He grew up a street thug and was convicted of a string of robberies in one choking a lone woman in the street till she fell unconscious, before he and his three accomplices stole her gold earrings and her shoes. Imprisoned in the hellish Soviet prison system in 1981, he served around nine years, gaining a priceless attribute: the will to survive at any cost. The Soviet Union was in its death throes when the 29-year-old Prigozhin was released. As a new Russia embraced hyper-capitalism, the streetwise Prigozhin was well-equipped to exploit the opportunities it offered. His first venture was an unlikely one: selling hotdogs at a stand. A budding entrepreneur, he soon acquired a stake in a supermarket chain. Then, in 1995, Prigozhin and his business partners opened a restaurant to which St Petersburg's elite soon flocked, including former KGB agent and politician-on-the-make Vladimir Putin. BITTER RESENTMENT: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ranting against Russian army leaders in a video post Prigozhin was able to thoroughly ingratiate himself with Russia's elite, and his high-end catering saw him given the nickname 'Putin's chef'. He was also frequently his waiter 'Putin saw that I wasn't above bringing the plates myself,' he once said and after his master became president, Prigozhin had within his grasp the thing he wanted even more than cash: to rid himself of the stain of the streets. When his firms began to cater Putin's state visits, Prigozhin seized the opportunity to mix with the global elite. Heads of state, including former French President Jacques Chirac, were entertained on his floating restaurant New Island. In 2002, he even hosted US President George W Bush there. But he really hit the big time when he was awarded a contract to supply meals to the Russian military, worth $1.2billion for one year. He is thought to have used part of this booty to fund the Internet Research Agency, a misinformation unit to spread the lies of the Russian state. It was Russia's first incursion into Ukraine in 2014 that provided Prigozhin with his chance to diversify into the mercenary business with the mercenary army the Wagner Group. With the Kremlin keen to have plausible deniability when it came to the presence of armed men on Ukrainian territory, Prigozhin's private army was the perfect cover. The soldiers were soon busy murdering for money in countries such as Syria, Sudan, and Mali, but it is in Ukraine that they gained most infamy. They were used in the annexation of Crimea and in the fighting that followed in the east of Ukraine. After Putin's full-scale invasion began in February last year, the president was forced to give Wagner a central role. But the group was by then running short of men. Things got so bad that Prigozhin went back to the institution that formed him: prison. DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: Prigozhin was able to thoroughly ingratiate himself with Russia's elite, and his high-end catering saw him given the nickname 'Putin's chef' DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: Wagner fighters have been promised immunity from prosecution. Their leader has been promised safe passage to Belarus where he will remain DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: Like Putin, Prigozhin comes from St Petersburg. He grew up a street thug and was convicted of a string of robberies READ MORE: Wagner coup fails: Prigozhin abandons march on Moscow and will be EXILED to Belarus A Russian Police officer guards the Red Square near the Kremlin as forces brace for an attack before the sensational retreat of Prigozhin's forces Advertisement In a famous video from September, Prigozhin can be seen telling prisoners, including murderers and rapists, to sign up to fight in Ukraine. If they serve six months, they will be pardoned but, he warned, most won't survive that long. The Battle of Bakhmut has defined Wagner's war. Prigozhin claims that the Russian army had been failing since August to take the city, and that his mercenaries had to do it instead, suffering appalling losses against entrenched Ukrainian positions. And, according to a US intelligence leak, Prigozhin said that if Ukraine's commanders withdrew troops from Bakhmut he would give them information about Russian army positions. Though he has vigorously denied the claim, to observers it was proof of his questionable loyalties. Prigozhin's resentment grew out of control as he felt his achievements continued to go unrecognised. He promised to remove his mercenaries from Bakhmut by the beginning of this month before the Ukrainian offensive attempted to retake it. But he was forbidden from doing so. It seems the opportunistic entrepreneur finally snapped triggered, it seems, by the alleged targeting of Wagner forces by the Russian army. And, after chaos was momentarily unleashed within the borders of Russia, an agreement was reached with Putin yesterday thanks to the mediation of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. Wagner fighters have been promised immunity from prosecution. Their leader has been promised safe passage to Belarus where he will remain. Convict, hot dog seller, propagandist and mercenary, the man who could turn his hand to anything has turned it to treason, and failed. Now he will find a new role as exile, although how long he will last in that is anyone's guess. I say thank God if what looked like civil war in Russia really has been averted. I hate to think what would have happened to the endlessly oppressed, repeatedly robbed, stoical, brave Russian people if civil war had come to that country again. I was in Moscow the last time its government was overthrown in a coup detat, and I do not recommend such events for people of a nervous disposition. Dig almost anywhere in Russia and you find human bones with the marks of murder on them. The country is never far from total disaster. For those few terrifying hours, what had been one of the strongest, most rigidly ruled states in human history was on the lip of the abyss. The danger never entirely disappears. That August day in 1991, I walked out into my street after hearing the first lying claims, on the radio, that the then President Mikhail Gorbachev was ill. And the tanks were already rolling towards the centre of that vast capital, rumbling and scraping and clattering right past my block, which was mainly inhabited by loyal Communists and grumpy ex-KGB pensioners. Ill never forget the morning sun slanting through the cloud of dust they kicked up from the street, as they wrecked its surface. Normally the heaviest vehicles that came this way were armoured black Zil limousines of the Soviet Politburo, on their way from the elites country houses to the Kremlin. The sight of those tanks was menacing and beautiful at the same time, which still makes no sense to me. August 1991: Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin (pictured centre) using a bullhorn to address a crowd celebrating the toppling of the statue of KGB founder Felix Dzerzhinsky in Moscow The next few hours were a time of panic, foreboding and mystery. The city filled up with military vehicles and soldiers, the people milled around them asking what they were doing. The strangest thing I remember is the way my neighbours, many of them ancient Stalinists, set up a control point on the stairs. READ MORE: Wagner coup fails: Prigozhin abandons march on Moscow and will be EXILED to Belarus A Russian Police officer guards the Red Square near the Kremlin as forces brace for an attack before the sensational retreat of Prigozhin's forces Advertisement They had dreamed of this day during years of liberalisation and relaxations, which they had hated. They longed for the return of proper ruthless Communist authority. They stood, their stocky old soldiers bodies in rigid military postures, next to a tinny Soviet-made radio playing loud patriotic music and a hammer-and-sickle flag. They knew I was a Western journalist who shouldnt even be living there, and they favoured me with some pretty funny looks, as if it wouldnt be long before I was dealt with. I thought it was quite possible they would get their way. Then the whole thing collapsed, as the Prigozhin revolt appeared to have done last night. In 1991, the putsch leaders, at a nationally televised press conference, turned out to be mostly either drunks or dullards, twitching and trembling as they fumblingly sought to explain what they were up to. They had crucially failed to arrest the then leader of the democratic faction, Boris Yeltsin, and their revolt never really took off. Seizing power can be like making a souffle. Get it right and you triumph, amid praise. Get it wrong and the whole thing falls pathetically flat, amid shame, embarrassment and worse. In the next few days the cleverest of the coup leaders, Boris Pugo, probably shot himself, though who can be sure? What did he know? Other obscure figures threw themselves from high buildings, or so we are told. It is always so hard to be sure whether such persons jumped or were pushed. The rest ended up in prison. And, in a great irony, many of the 1991 putschs central aims especially the end of any further flirtation with liberal democracy were achieved by stealth by Vladimir Putin a few years later. I have always suspected that the 1991 putsch failed largely because of the deep horror of civil war that Russians had then (and in many cases still have). While they wanted orderly streets, sausages, vodka and medals, they did not want bloody conflict. They sensed that the putschists were dangerous fools. They were relieved that Yeltsin, still mostly sober, was there to stand up literally for ordinary Russians. Then three people were killed in Moscow, in confused night-time clashes between soldiers in armoured cars and the crowds surrounding them. I was close enough to hear the shooting, and remember the especially ominous, sullen sound of it. I had always been told that a gunshot sounds different when the bullet finds its mark in a human body, and since that mournful night I have thought this to be true. But it was not, as I feared, the start of a massacre. Just the opposite. Some believe that it was those deaths that caused both putschists and people to turn away in revulsion from any further conflict. A planned attack on the Russian White House Yeltsins HQ, never happened. The troops, never enthusiastic about what they were asked to do, began to withdraw and power drained rapidly from the coup leaders. In 1991, there were still many Russians living who had direct personal memories of the countrys descent into years of unspeakable cruelty and butchery after the 1917 Bolshevik takeover an event still sometimes wrongly described as a revolution. It was no such thing. Lenins seizure of power was almost wholly non-violent and mainly achieved by the subversive use of (literally) tons of German gold, smuggled from Berlin to the communists in the hope of knocking Russia out of the First World War. Pictured: Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbatchev making his first appearance since the military coup in August 1991 Patriotic Russians still view these events with dislike and regret, and Putin himself referred to them with much bitterness in his TV address yesterday as a stab in the back leading to the destruction of the army, the collapse of the state, the loss of vast territories, and as a result the tragedy of the civil war. His calculated use of such terms may have rallied the army to him, as they were intended to do. And that may have been what persuaded Prigozhin his revolt was doomed. Without mass defections by soldiers, he had no hope at all. Many Russian nationalists think Prigozhins troublemaking, in the midst of war, is unpatriotic and disloyal. They think Putin has been weak to put up with it so long, and they will hold his dithering against him at some point in the future. Many in the West are largely unaware that, by comparison with such people, Putin is a cautious, milksop moderate. Militant Russian nationalism is a powerful political force that Putin struggles to keep on his side at the best of times. But such nationalists will still not forgive anything which weakens the country in the face of the West. But there is trouble to come. Putin surely cannot now leave Prigozhin unpunished. And what should we think and hope for? Since I lived there I am stuck for life with a sympathy for Russias people, so I am relieved that they have been spared another civil war. But even if you do not mind about that, remember Erasmuss warning from the 16th Century, which we now express as Better the devil you know Believe me, there are devils in Russia far worse than anything most of us have seen in our lifetime, and you would not want them controlling a vast and slowly rusting arsenal of nuclear weapons, if you were wise. It was a moonless night in the North Atlantic as P H Nargeolet and I talked for two hours about life and death. When you are 12,500 ft down, you wouldnt know anything about it if you are killed, he said. You would be liquidised gone before you had time to know anything was wrong. No one wants to die. But if you have to go, that would be a good way. Instant. This week P H (his real name was Paul-Henri but no one called him that) had his good death. He was the pilot of the Titan who perished along with four others. I heard the news from P Hs friend Rob McCallum, a legendary underwater expedition leader. I asked him why P H, who had dived to the Titanic 37 times and was obsessed by safety, would have put himself inside a death trap? Paul-Henri Nargeolet (pictured), director of a deep ocean research project dedicated to the Titanic was one of the five passengers aboard the missing submersible Indeed, the vessel was so notorious that McCallum had previously told me: Its not a matter of if, but when, it implodes. This weeks events have felt deeply personal. I became the first woman and first journalist to dive to the wreck of the Titanic, in 1999 for this newspaper, having been invited by National Geographic cameraman Ralph White. There had been a public outcry, just like what happened over last weeks tragedy, that rich people were paying to visit what many consider a sacred tomb for the 1,517 people who perished in 1912. The team behind the venture had wanted an impartial journalist to chronicle the expedition. It was through my links with the underwater exploration world that I met P H a couple of years later on a dive to the wreck of the German battleship Bismarck. The fact that Id been down to Titanic created an instant bond. The ship was his passion and I had joined an exclusive club. Far fewer people have seen Titanic than have gone into space. P Hs love for Titanic was palpable. He worked alongside filmmaker James Cameron during shooting for the hit movie. Of the five lost on Titan, he was the only true explorer. We spoke last year but I didnt ask him about Titan. By that time, though, I had been repeatedly told by people I respected that the sub with its experimental carbon-fibre hull was fatally flawed. Through Caroline's links with the underwater exploration world, she met P H a couple of years later on a dive to the wreck of the German battleship Bismarc Retired US naval commander Fred McLaren, who was with P H six weeks ago, said: He was obsessed with Titanic. He couldnt pull himself away from that wreck site. He was prepared to die to pursue his passion. He knew the risks. A friend of his said: At the age of 77, P H wasnt someone I could imagine sitting in a nursing home. Maybe he had a death wish and wanted to die with his boots on? I dont believe he had a death wish but I am convinced that the man I knew would now be at peace knowing his final resting place is 1,600 ft from the bow of the ship he knew so intimately. P H was proud of the fact he had spent far longer on the Titanic than the White Star Line ships captain Edward Smith. Of course, the Titan tragedy has brought back vivid memories of my trip to the Titanic wreck. Unlike Titan, the submersible I went down in was Russian-built weighing 18 tons and made from titanium with 2.5 in-thick walls. People always ask if I was scared? The answer is no. True, I realised that if the sub had sprung a leak, I would have been instantly liquified. The teasing words of one of the support ships crew were: If they ever found the sub, theyd pour you out of the hatch! The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel, named Titan, was used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic but went missing during a voyage to the shipwreck The Mir vessel had made countless dives and had been rigorously tested and maintained. The dive was one of the most profound and moving experiences of my life. For two and a half hours, pilot Anatoly Sagalevich, a fee-paying American tourist and myself were in freefall through blackness in a cold metal sphere. As we travelled down, there was no real sense of movement. The oxygenated air was filtered and we watched the countdown to the seabed on a monitor. Suddenly, the external lights were turned on and we saw the base of the ocean stretch out like a lunar surface covered with white starfish. As I stared at the bow of the Titanic, an overwhelming sense of sadness swept through me. Pictured: The Titanic leaving Southampton, England on her maiden voyage in April 1912 I looked into the portholes and imagined the excited faces of those who had set off from Southampton staring back at me. There are no human remains, but on the seabed there are leather shoes embedded beside each other in the sand, the only remnants of bodies long since vanished. We touched down on the liners deck, outside Captain Smiths cabin, and in a bizarre scene we ate a cheese sandwich. All these memories flooded back as I remembered my wistful conversations with P H Nargeolet. By far the worst thing over the past days was watching reports about rescue efforts, with a ticking clock showing how much air he and the four others had left. One of the five, Stockton Rush, chief executive of Titans owners OceanGate, had spoken beforehand about having sensors which would sound an alarm if the carbon-fibre hull was breached by water and about to fail. P H had told me that any implosion 12,500 ft down would take a couple of milliseconds. The human brain needs 25 milliseconds to detect a threat. It is over before youre even aware of it, he said. You go from being alive to not. Like many of P Hs friends around the world this weekend, I raised a glass of his favourite red wine in his memory. It seems fitting that the man who spent more time on the Titanic than her captain will be with her for eternity. Vladimir Putin thought he could seize Ukraine in just a few days. But now, suddenly, his grip on power in Russia itself is wobbling after 48 hours of chaos. Even after the sudden decision of the rebel leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to turn back his troops from their march on Moscow, the brutal truth is that this mutiny has dramatically destabilised Putins 23-year tenure in the Kremlin. It could collapse now that his aura of invincibility and control has been shattered beyond repair. For two decades, the 70-year-olds word has been law in Russia. Yet the decision of his former protege Prigozhin to rise up against his master, combined with the Ukrainians heroic resistance to invasion, have exposed how incompetent and corrupt his military machine is. Not since the Russian army went on strike in 1917 and abandoned the First World War has the Russian state faced such a challenge to its authority from the armed basis of its power. Putin is haunted by history. Proof of this was how, in yesterdays TV address, he said the grim years of revolution and civil war after 1917 were threatening to return. But what he did not admit was that Russias slide into crisis is a direct product of his own policies. MARK ALMOND: Vladimir Putin thought he could seize Ukraine in just a few days. But now, suddenly, his grip on power in Russia itself is wobbling after 48 hours of chaos Behind the facade of serried ranks of soldiers goosestepping across Red Square next to intercontinental nuclear missiles, Russia has been a morass of corruption and cronyism. READ MORE: Wagner coup fails: Prigozhin abandons march on Moscow and will be EXILED to Belarus A Russian Police officer guards the Red Square near the Kremlin as forces brace for an attack before the sensational retreat of Prigozhin's forces Advertisement Far from modernising Russia, Putin has allowed a repeat of the internal struggles for power between warlords that date back 400 years. The fact is that his former crony Prigozhin was able to carve out a lucrative fiefdom for himself and then establish his own mercenary army alongside the official Russian army is an extraordinary insight into how Putin hollowed out the authority of the Russian state. Putin thought he was being smart giving Prigozhin such freedom and a fighting force to deploy in the undeclared war in eastern Ukraine after 2014 and in Africa where several regimes have employed Wagner mercenaries to stay in power. Such freelance activities also served the Kremlins efforts to reduce Western influence on the African continent. However, that strategy has come back to bite Putin. The promotion of Prigozhin as a warlord was designed to protect the president against any possible coup against him by the Russian military. But it turned Prigozhin into a Frankensteins monster. Whats more, the Wagner Group is not Russias only private militia. Ramzan Kadyrov, the boss of the southern Chechen Republic, has tens of thousands of armed men and says hell support Putin but at what political price? The huge gas business Gazprom says it is recruiting a private militia to fight in Ukraine but may actually be doing so to give its billionaire bosses some leverage in Russian politics. By sponsoring these warlords as guarantors of his power and then by failing to smack down Prigozhins increasingly loud-mouthed insubordination, Putin has let this crisis grow out of control. Few will weep if he falls from power. But it is too soon to crow. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ranting against Russian army leaders in a video post No one should be naive and think that any new Russian leader would automatically be better. For their part, it is understandable that Ukrainians hope that liberation may be at hand if Russians fall out among themselves. But the chilling truth is that Prigozhin has made it clear that he is rebelling because the aggression against Ukraine has been mismanaged, not because it is a war crime. Prigozhins unrestrained brutality means that if he succeeds in bending the Russian state and army to his will, the war against Ukraine could be plunged into new depths of horror. So far, Putin has used bluster about using nuclear weapons but dont count on a criminal such as Prigozhin to show restraint. For this is a man who has used a sledgehammer to smash the head of an insubordinate soldier. Would such a beast bother considering the consequences before unleashing nuclear weapons on the world? Make no mistake, the fate of Russias vast nuclear arsenal is now in play. As bad for Russia and the world as Putins regime has been, a new power struggle for control of the Kremlin risks putting the world on the brink of atomic catastrophe. We have never witnessed a civil war inside a nuclear-armed state before. MARK ALMOND: However much Putin deserves a grim reckoning, those who may yet topple him are even less predictable and self-controlled Sadly, Russias people are passive onlookers to this power struggle. TV images of a street-cleaner diligently brushing up rubbish between the rebel tanks in the city of Rostov, without looking up, embody the political passivity of so many Russians. Until the Russian people assert themselves, the fall of Putin will not liberate the countrys 143 million population, or their neighbours, from the threat of arbitrary and brutal acts by whoever rules in the Kremlin. Nuclear-armed anarchy is a terrifying prospect. But there is little in practice that the West can do to control the situation. However much Putin deserves a grim reckoning, those who may yet topple him are even less predictable and self-controlled. Yesterdays chaos suggests his coming fall would still set in train a worse time of troubles for all of us. When news first reached the British Government about the attempted coup against Vladimir Putin by the equally brutal Yevgeny Prigozhin, the response could be summed up as: Who the hell do we back? The immediate answer was -neither. As a senior Minister put it last night: The West had to be extremely careful not to say anything which could give Putin the opportunity to portray Prigozhin as the puppet of the West. The truth is that we knew there were tensions between Putin and Prigozhin, but we didnt know he was going to strike like that. As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called world leaders yesterday, No 10 sources were - presciently - saying that it will be a couple of days before we know whether this is really serious or something which will just melt away as quickly as it started. Officials at the Ministry of Defence were less guarded: the prospect of Russias nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of a ruthless mercenary leader, who commands a private army of murderers and rapists, and executes deserters with a sledgehammer, was terrifying. In the end, No 10s view was correct - the rebellion melted away after an intervention by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and, security sources believe, a very large sum of money. Putin described the Wagner group's actions as a 'criminal adventuristic campaign' that is 'equivalent to armed mutiny' earlier today Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks inside the headquarters of the Russian southern military district in the city of Rostov-on-Don earlier today before he backed down Prigozhin, who had signalled his increasing confidence by mocking Putin as Dyed - Russian for Grandpa - in an act of unpunished impudence which baffled Western experts, has strong links with Russias Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU. A civil war would have been the first ever in a nuclear state, and the instability would have shaken a global economy only just starting to adapt to the impact of the Ukraine war. A senior source said last night: It is early days, but it seems as if a weakened Putin has effectively paid a ransom to buy him time. But the sharks will be circling. Western intelligence experts are unclear whether the move on Moscow was an attempt to take the capital by sheer force, part of a more sophisticated, long-term plan, or a bluff. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called world leaders yesterday. He is pictured with US President Joe Biden in the White House in Washington, June 8, 2023 They were keeping a particular close eye on signs of defections from the Russian army to the Wagner Group. Before the deal was struck, a senior source had said: This is obviously a profoundly serious moment for the Russian state. Since the time of the tsars, the focus of its security planning has always been to secure Moscow from attack. But it is unclear whether Prigozhin has penetrated the ring of steel around Putin, and has the ability to slip that poisoned drink in front of him. Thousands of village halls across Britain face possible closure if they are forced to comply with new anti-terrorism legislation to improve security in public places following the Manchester Arena bombing. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is committed to Martyn's Law named after Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the 2017 attack requiring venues of all sizes to implement security measures such as training and evacuation plans. But concerns have been raised over the burdensome red-tape effect of the proposed rules on the UK's 10,000 volunteer-manned village halls which are at the heart of communities. Tory MP Tim Loughton, who sits on the Commons home affairs select committee, told The Mail on Sunday that it could 'easily be the final nail in the coffin of these much-loved community hubs'. One village hall in Kingsclere, Hampshire, is among the first to warn it will probably have to close. Thousands of village halls across Britain, like this one in Kinsclere, Hampshire, face possible closure if they are forced to comply with new anti-terrorism legislation to improve security in public places following the Manchester Arena bombing Martyn's Law - requiring venues of all sizes to implement security measures such as training and evacuation plans - has been proposed in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing. Pictured: Police officers outside the venue after the attack in 2017 Chairman Sharon Morris said in a submission to the home affairs select committee, which is scrutinising the new Bill: 'A consequence of the Bill if enacted will be that terrorists will have succeeded by precipitating the breaking up of society, with no need for further bombs. 'The Terrorism Bill in its current form would probably bring about the closure of our village hall 'Trustees are premises' owners and rightly have duties, but those duties appear to make us responsible for the way in which community groups conduct their functions, and for providing them with training etc. 'We simply cannot have that level of responsibility for other people's conduct. Other ways to cascade it must be found. 'Otherwise community organisations in rural settings like ours will die along with it community spirit and the culture of English life.' The proposed law will mean staff and volunteers at venues with a capacity of more than 100 will have to undergo training about what to do in the event of an attack. They will be taught how to warn attendees of a threat, lock down and evacuate premises, use fire safety equipment, call emergency services and alert neighbours. Venues with a capacity between 100 and 799 will need to make sure there is a 'baseline protection' for customers. The legislation was announced in response to criticism that staff at the Manchester Arena were ill-prepared in 2017 to identify risks and handle the attack, which killed 22 people The legislation was announced in response to criticism that staff at the Manchester Arena were ill-prepared in 2017 to identify risks and handle the attack, which killed 22 people. But while the need for staff in large venues to undergo training is widely accepted, there are fears that volunteers at smaller sites such as village halls will be put off. Mr Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, added: 'Local village halls do not fall into that category hosting everything from wedding receptions to horticultural shows and yoga classes none of which scream out high-risk targets 'They are often run by volunteers and charitable trustees on a shoestring and struggle to generate enough revenue to cover a plethora of health and safety legislation already.' Clive Woodbridge, of the Local Government Association's Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said that while the association broadly welcomed the Bill, 'we have definite concerns about the impact on the community, on voluntary and faith sectors, and on trustees of buildings like village halls'. It is also feared that the legislation will be too costly for village pubs. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: 'The new legislation will capture a large number of pubs where the risk of being a target for an attack is very low due to their location in rural areas.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'The first duty of the Government is to protect the public, and we are committed to improving the security of public venues, to ensure the public can go about their lives freely and with confidence . . . 'The pre-legislative scrutiny will help ensure we create a strong Bill that is proportionate and not cumbersome or costly for smaller venues such as village halls.' The BBC's recording studios which have played host to British superstar musicians including The Beatles and David Bowie have been bought by German composer Hans Zimmer for just 10.5 million. The 65-year-old, who has created scores for Hollywood movies including Gladiator, Inception and The Lion King, snapped up the Grade II-listed building in Maida Vale, North-West London, through his music production and publishing company 14th Street Music in recent weeks. The building which the BBC bought in 1933 went on sale last November after the Corporation announced in 2018 that it intended to relocate to purpose-built music recording and rehearsal studios in Stratford, East London, from 2025. Sources suggest that the Oscar-winning composer will use it as a British base to write major film scores, expanding his company from its current home in Santa Monica, California. One said: 'It is a real coup. The building is beautiful and it is so rich in history. It's the kind of place that anyone who is passionate about music loves to spend time in. It is special. Hans Zimmer, 65, has created scores for Hollywood movies including Gladiator and Inception 'And it appears that vibe will continue with Hans taking it on.' READ MORE: Hans Zimmer, 65, proposes to hotelier girlfriend Dina De Luca on stage Engaged! The composer, 65, asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage (pictured in 2018) Advertisement The building, made up of seven sound studios, is regarded by many in the showbusiness industry as the UK's mecca of music. Artists including Jimi Hendrix, Beyonce and Radiohead have performed there, while Bing Crosby made his last recordings in the building. John Peel's BBC Radio 1 sessions and Peter Clayton's Sounds Of Jazz were broadcast in the building too. The studio was given a Grade II listing in 2020, which should mean that any redevelopment by its future owners will be behind the existing, white-rendered Edwardian facade. Originally a roller-skating palace, the building in Delaware Road was converted into the studios in 1933 and became home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra a year later. They went on to be used to record music and drama sessions for BBC radio stations from 1946 to the present day. When the news of the sale was announced last year, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich took to Twitter to say: 'Don't destroy this beautiful studio!!! There are so few of these places left and this particular room is steeped in history.' Zimmer appears to have a special bond with Britain. Just under two weeks ago he proposed to his partner Dina De Luca on stage at London's O2 Arena during one of his shows there. Ms De Luca a film and TV producer, as well as the co-owner of New York's five-star hotel The Lowell accepted. Prince William wants to spend more time in Wales staying in B&Bs and holiday rentals rather than any permanent Royal residence, a palace source has revealed. The new Prince and Princess of Wales have no plans for a property there but will support the tourist economy by renting cottages and booking bed-and-breakfast rooms. Their plans have emerged ahead of a major announcement tomorrow in which William will outline a five-year project to help to end homelessness in Britain. Sources close to William, who has discussed his campaign with senior politicians from all parties, describe it as a major intervention. They say William, who has homes in Kensington Palace, Windsor and Norfolk, wants to walk the walk by using rentals when in Wales. Their plans have emerged ahead of a major announcement tomorrow in which William will outline a five-year project to help to end homelessness in Britain However, his plan may be controversial. A report last year by the Welsh Parliament pointed to a link between holiday home ownership and high house prices. It added: There are concerns high numbers of second homes and short-term lets affect community sustainability. As locals move away due to the lack of affordable housing, towns and villages risk becoming increasingly empty outside of the holiday season. This can result in the closure of local services. Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said: Wales is unusual in Britain by not having an official Royal residence. The King got around this by having his own property here. There is a surplus of Royal properties and Williams plan feels more consistent with the broader theme of slimming down the Royal Family. The new Prince and Princess of Wales have no plans for a property in Wales but will support the tourist economy by renting cottages and booking bed-and-breakfast rooms It also gives the couple a chance to become more acquainted with different parts of Wales, as the north and south are distinct areas. In April, the couple visited the Bluebell Inn in the hamlet of Glangrwyney, Brecon Beacons, for dinner with friends, then retired to 1,000-a-night Duffryn Mawr country house. Rental website Airbnb calls it a beautifully renovated large country house sleeping 16. Kimberley Fry, who owns Duffryn Mawr and the Bluebell, said: They walked in just like locals. They had a reservation and we kept it quiet, but the locals in the pub were very surprised to see them. We felt very privileged to have them here. We charged the going rate, as we do for everyone. The lawyer for an IRS whistleblower who has raised a 2017 WhatsApp message sent by Hunter Biden to a Chinese official as evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his son's business dealings claims he was blocked from obtaining further evidence. Gary Shapley, a 14-year veteran of the agency, has claimed that Hunter Biden has been given preferential treatment by investigators looking into his tax affairs and lying on a gun permit application. Shapley pointed to a WhatsApp message sent on July 30, 2017, by Hunter, claiming that Joe Biden was sitting next to him. In WhatsApp, Hunter sent a menacing message to a Chinese Communist Party official, and hinted that his father would see to it that he would be punished if he did not comply with the unspecified demand. The allegations undercut consistent claims from the Biden family and administration that Joe was not involved in his son's foreign business dealings, although the accuracy of Hunter Biden's claims could not be determined. Hunter's lawyers have insisted the WhatsApp was the ramblings of a troubled man in the midst of a drug addiction: the White House has repeated its insistence that Joe Biden had no knowledge of his son's business affairs. On Friday, a lawyer for Shapley claimed that his attempts to get to the bottom of the WhatsApp story had been rebuffed by prosecutors. Mark Lytle, an attorney for IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, told Fox News on Friday that attempts to try and confirm where Hunter and Joe Biden were when Hunter claimed in July 2017 that his father was sitting beside him were rebuffed by prosecutors The president's son was staying at the guest house of Biden's Delaware home when he wrote to Communist Party official Henry Zhao on July 30, 2017, threatening him to follow his 'orders' Hunter Biden's lawyer Chris Clark invoked his clients 'horrible addiction' during a time period when a whistleblower says his client threatened a Chinese businessman while saying his powerful father was 'sitting next to me' 'The agents wanted to follow up on this and the prosecutors told them not to because, oh, well, maybe Hunter Biden was puffing or something like that,' said Mark Lytle, Shapley's attorney. He told Fox News on Friday: 'So the agent said, well, let's get the GPS location of the two of the father and the son, and let's see if they're actually in the same room at that time. 'And the prosecutor said, we're not doing that. 'So closed another door on the investigation to make what is relevant to this case. 'And this happened over and over and over again. 'And that's why Gary Shapley wanted to come forward and make sure everyone could see and this could see the light of day.' On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony from two IRS whistleblowers - including Shapley - who said the Justice Department, FBI and IRS interfered with the investigation of the tax evasion case against Hunter Biden. Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri who chairs the committee, claimed that testimony 'outlines misconduct and government abuse at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the investigation of Hunter Biden. 'Whistleblowers describe how the Biden Justice Department intervened and overstepped in a campaign to protect the son of Joe Biden by delaying, divulging, and denying an ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden's alleged tax crimes.' The committee said on Thursday: 'The allegations point to a steady campaign of: unequal treatment of enforcing tax law; Department of Justice interference in the form of delays, divulgences, and denials, into the investigation of tax crimes that may have been committed by the President's son; and finally, retaliation against IRS employees who blew the whistle on the misconduct. Hunter Biden is seen with his father after attending mass in South Carolina on August 13, 2022 Hunter Biden's lawyer Chris Clark, who negotiated a plea agreement on Hunter's behalf with the Justice Department, called the whistleblower 'biased' and claimed the account covered 'a time of turmoil and addiction' for the president's son. He also disputed the veracity of Hunter's claim about now-President Biden in the WhatsApp message, saying his words have 'no connection to anyone in his family.' 'An extensive, five-year-long investigation conducted by the United States Department of Justice concluded this week, which resulted in my client taking responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments, as well as a firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement,' said Clark. 'As his attorney through this entire matter, I can say that any suggestion the investigation was not thorough, or cut corners, or cut my client any slack, is preposterous and deeply irresponsible. 'The DOJ investigation covered a period of time which was full of turmoil and addiction for my client. 'Any verifiable words or actions of my client, in the midst of a horrible addiction, are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.' DailyMail.com has obtained a photo of Hunter Biden outside his dad Joe's Delaware home on July 30, 2017 - the day he sent damning texts to his Chinese business partner The statement accuses the whistleblower of bias, and says any of Hunters words and actions are 'solely his own' suggesting Joe Biden was unaware of the online threat 'As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son,' said spokesman Ian Sams Clark accused Shapley of being out to 'get' Hunter. 'Biased and politically-motivated, selective leaks have plagued this matter for years,' Clark continued. 'They are not only irresponsible, they are illegal. 'A close examination of the document released publicly yesterday by a very biased individual raises serious questions over whether it is what he claims it to be. 'It is dangerously misleading to make any conclusions or inferences based on this document,' he said. Spokesman for the White House Counsel's office also hit back at the allegations. The White House has previously said Biden 'never spoke' with his son about his overseas business dealings. 'As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son,' said spokesman Ian Sams. 'As we have also said many times before, the Justice Department makes decisions in its criminal investigations independently. 'As the President has said, he loves his son and is proud of him accepting responsibility for his actions and is proud of what he is doing to rebuild his life.' Senior doctors have accused Sadiq Khan of endangering the lives of cancer patients by hitting them with a crippling new tax every time they drive to hospital for vital appointments. The Labour Mayor of London is expanding his controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to incorporate the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton whose car park is right on the border of the new charging zone. Medics urged Mr Khan to exempt hospital staff and patients from the 12.50 daily charge but his office has refused. Last night, there were fears that vulnerable patients may be unable to afford to attend appointments at the hospital, home to a world-leading cancer centre opened earlier this month by Prince William. A source told The Mail on Sunday: Sadiq refuses to listen to sense. Its almost like an ideological fixation. This wouldnt be such a problem if there were brilliant public transport options, but there arent. Theres no Tube and the buses arent reliable. People around here rely on their cars because they have to. Older vehicles are more likely to be non-Ulez compliant, meaning poorer people may feel the brunt. The Labour Mayor of London is expanding his controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to incorporate the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton Medics urged Mr Khan to exempt hospital staff and patients at the Royal Marsden hospital from the 12.50 daily charge but his office has refused Neil Garratt, London Assembly member for Sutton, said: The catchment area of the Marsden is large people come from a long way away to get specialist care. Its perverse to charge them for entering London when the hospital is right on the border with Surrey. Minister for London Paul Scully, who is the MP for Sutton, said: The whole Ulez expansion should be scrapped but failing that, moving the boundary just 100 yards could save a whole load of people from this crippling extra charge. Mr Khan introduced the Ulez scheme to Central London in April 2019. Last year he announced it would be widened to all boroughs to tackle air pollution and the climate crisis. The expanded zone will come into force on August 29. Drivers whose cars do not meet strict pollution criteria will have to pay 12.50 a day. The charges apply for 24 hours every day of the year except Christmas Day. Five Tory councils have launched a High Court challenge to the Ulez expansion, and their case is due to be heard this summer. Meanwhile, even an independent assessment commissioned by Mr Khan himself found that expanding the scheme would have a negligible beneficial impact on carbon emissions in Greater London. Last night a spokesman said the Mayor plans to launch a network of express buses in outer London to reduce car use. They added: The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide wasnt easy, but he has a duty to tackle toxic air pollution for the health of all Londoners. Prince Harry and Meghan are facing huge decisions on how to maintain their expensive lifestyle after their lucrative 18million Spotify partnership was axed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex still have an 80million Netflix deal while Harry is said to have a four-book deal with Penguin Random House worth up to 29million. And a possible relaunch of Meghan's blog and lifestyle brand The Tig, which she closed in 2017 when she got engaged to Harry, would be a further income stream. Today, public relations experts told MailOnline how they think the Sussexes could maintain a good cash flow at their 12million mansion in Montecito, California. Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said they could 'activate their social media and start to communicate with their fans like Victoria Beckham does so well'. Andy Barr, co-founder of 10 Yetis Digital, said rumours over an alleged partnership with Dior - since denied - could have been a 'decoy to try and flush other global brands out of the woodwork who may be interested in partnering' with them. And Jack Izzard, chief executive of Rhizome Media, claimed The Tig could become the new Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness brand which has earned 200million. Here, PR experts give their thoughts on what's next for Harry and Meghan: 'Activate social media and start to communicate with their fans' NICK EDE, brand and culture expert 'I think that for Meghan and Harry it's been noted that it's time to stop exploring their relationship with the royal family and time to build a brand that is credible and has longevity. 'If you look at the long list of power players in the world of celebrity it's time for them to emulate the success of The Beckhams, The Kardashians, Rihanna, Gwyneth, Jlo etc. 'Can they do it? I'm not entirely sure as the above all have talent and have worked tirelessly to get to where they are. Meghan and Harry haven't and this may be their undoing. 'Their compassion and passion for change is entirely genuine and is a driving force for them but will people buy into their brands? The jury's out! 'I think that it's a smart move to work with (Hollywood talent agency) WME to shape who they both are moving forward and to develop a strategy that builds them as team players with positive attitudes who care and also want people to have a glimpse into their life's and who will ultimately buy into their lives too. 'Meghan's Tig could be the new Poosh or Goop and I think once they activate their social media and start to communicate with their fans like Victoria Beckham does so well then they can be a force to be reckoned with. 'Their lifestyle is expensive to maintain so I'm sure there will be a lot of brand deals they will be looking for which are based around fashion, beauty and lifestyle where big money can be made quickly.' Harry promotes his book Spare on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS in January MARK BORKOWSKI, founder of Borkowski PR 'From my position it's incredibly interesting times for them. If they had value to specify they would certainly still be taking the Spotify shilling. But it's very damaging when a top Spotify executive calls them 'grifters'. 'Do we see a teetering stack of dominos that are going to fall with the other deals they've got? It remains a bright future for Meghan if she goes down the lifestyle route - she can do that. But Harry's no David Beckham. 'What makes them attractive is they're worth the clickbait that they might drag in, but on the other hand it doesn't allow them to control the story. 'Therefore what role is there for Harry? He's no style icon, he's no George Clooney, he's built for purpose. They've got to establish what their brand is. 'But I have severe doubts they're going to be clothes horses for Dior or Armani or whatever - as soon as one big name falls away others are likely to look at it. 'Is this unpicking the thread about their whole brand and what it stands for? That's why there's a crisis at the moment, not created by them, but the death of probably their most publicised contract. They haven't had the right team to deliver for them. 'It's great to have a book deal of such scale but it depends on Harry digging out more visceral stuff. There's been a lot of problems with people dumping them and not engaging with them. What will he have as a compelling book, when he's played lots of the cards he's got to play already. What's the content? It's all down to the quality of the content he's going to deliver 'Netflix will be examining the value of their deal, whether it's worth it. Harry and Meghan have got to get a team that will deliver for them. But also they've got to be able to deal with someone who can peddle the truth for them - and to date they haven't been good at dealing with the naysayers. 'They face a big crisis of who they are and the only fix of that is actually getting positive PR around the team that they are rebuilding. I'd be signing up very big names to surround them.' The Duke and Duchess of Sussex outside St Paul's Cathedral in London in June last year 'Big brand partnership beckons but they'll want to keep it global' ANDY BARR, co-founder of 10 Yetis Digital 'Harry and Meghan are clearly now adopting a crisis comms 101 approach to trying to improve their reputation in the public eye, and that's to say and do nothing at all for a short period of time. 'The hope will be that this creates positive demand for when they make their next public statement or high-profile appearance. 'It is becoming clear that the court of public opinion both here and in the US has started to run away from them and this could well be a classic case of over-saturation of their profile in the media and this is leading to public fatigue. 'I would guess that the latter part of the 'Go Big or Go Home' statement is difficult when you don't have a clearly defined home to return to after such dramatic revelations and accusations about your wider family. 'The alleged Dior deal could have been a decoy to try and flush other global brands out of the woodwork who may be interested in partnering with a half-royal family. 'The couple offer a more accessible and more affordable opportunity for a brand to try and appeal to consumers who are obsessed with the mystery of high society and intrigue of Royal life. 'Harry and Meghan are still a huge draw; the longer that they remain quiet, the more interest there will be in what they say and do next, and this represents another big pay-day for them. 'A big-ticket brand partnership beckons, but they will be keen to keep it as global as possible in order to maintain their position in high society and maintain their lifestyle in California.' A six-part Netflix TV series called Harry & Meghan was released in December last year 'The Tig could turn into a wellness brand along the lines of Goop' JACK IZZARD, chief executive of PR agency Rhizome Media 'The abrupt, supposedly 'mutual', ending of the Sussexes' $20million Spotify deal has dented their aspirations to become global content creators. 'The couple's star power ensured that the single series of Meghan's Archetypes podcast became one of Spotify's most-streamed shows during its first month. 'But its interview format, in which Meghan - or reportedly her staff - gently quizzed a series of celebrity guests, lacked the one thing people have come to expect from the Sussexes - tension with the Royal Family. 'The danger for the couple now is that the longer they spend in their wealthy California enclave, the weaker their connection to the megawatt royal brand becomes. 'Harry in particular has mined the royal glamour for all its worth. The trouble for him is that Spare didn't spare us any details. There can be little more to say about how the royal virginity was lost in a field. 'Americans have a greater tolerance than Brits for the 'live interview as public therapy session' Harry used to promote Spare, but people's desire to hear him rake over his grievances once again is now waning on both sides of the Pond. 'Harry's past is clearly painful for him but he remans trapped by it. It's still the only topic he can find an audience for, but this won't last forever and he needs to find a new focus or risk fading into ex-royal irrelevance. 'Meghan's prospects are brighter. There's talk that another platform could pick up the Archetypes podcast, and she always has her acting career to fall back on. 'The couple live a short drive from Hollywood and Meghan's profile should make her an attractive target for casting directors. 'However it's unclear how ready she is to speak a scriptwriter's dialogue rather than her truth, and she should expect supporting rather than starring roles initially. 'Failing that there are rumours that she is set to relaunch her lifestyle blog The Tig, which she shut down shortly before her engagement to Harry. 'With smart marketing that could be turned into a wellness brand along the lines of the hugely successful Goop, run by her Montecito neighbour Gwyneth Paltrow.' Harry and Meghan during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 'Harry and Meghan need to shine a spotlight on others instead' SEAN O'MEARA, Essential Content managing director 'Harry and Meghan need to embark on a brand rebuild that embraces true authenticity and that creates something more sustainable than individual big money deals with other brands that have to-date relied on the 'halo effect' of their personal involvement. 'Rather than looking for short term wins with big initial payments, I would recommend an approach that lets them build an income stream that is sustainable and compoundable, but that doesn't demand their personal personal involvement to make it appealing or interesting to an audience. 'Essentially, instead of being the content, they need to create the content and step away from centre stage.' 'Shifting the spotlight from themselves to patronage of others and amplifying the causes they care about will speak louder than words alone. 'And it will give them and their audiences a break from the cycle of scrutiny that has come with every deal they've done so far. People are tired of that. 'By prioritising initiatives aligned with their stated values, such as partnerships with SmartWorks and Invictus Games, they can create meaningful impact without having to front every partnership and invite further scrutiny. 'It's essential to be cautious when collaborating with celebrities, only doing so if they are directly linked to charities the couple is passionate about. 'The Harry and Meghan brand hasn't resonated as expected, prompting the need to move away from an inward looking mentality. They should transition from being the centre of attention to shining a spotlight on others.' When it comes to remote living, this adventurous mom has embraced it wholeheartedly. Felicity Aston, 45, went about purchasing a tiny island called Vigur off the west coast of Iceland four years ago and now she is the sole resident along with her husband Gizli and their six-year-old son, Thrainn. The Brit, who is a polar explorer and scientist, didn't disclose how much she purchased the 45 hectare island for, but at the time it was listed for $2.6 million. The outcrop came with a 10-bedroom house, a number of outbuildings, and full farming rights. Felicity Aston, 45, purchased a tiny island called Vigur off the west coast of Iceland four years ago and now she is the sole resident along with her husband and their six-year-old son The Brit, who is a polar explorer and scientist, didn't disclose how much she purchased the 45 hectare island for, but at the time it was listed for $2.6 million She told DailyMail.com that their main source of income comes from harvesting duck down, and welcoming visitors The down harvesting season generally runs throughout June and Felicity describes it as a very labor intensive activity. The family weigh some of their haul Some of the more unusual features include Iceland's only windmill, which is a protected monument dating back to the 1860s Some of the more unusual features include Iceland's only windmill (which is a protected monument dating back to the 1860s), Iceland's oldest boat built in 1800, and the smallest post office in Europe. Felicity told DailyMail.com that her main source of income comes from harvesting duck down, and welcoming visitors - either for a brief stop offs or for overnight stays in their guesthouse. Vigur, which is around 3km from the mainland, receives around 10,000 visitors a year from passing tourist boats. While the windmill and post office are two of the island's most photographed features, the abundant nature is another lure. On the marine side of things, seals can often be spotted hauling out on the rocks and there are many whales, particularly humpbacks, in the fjord. The family also find many fish bones washed up on shore, with some cod skulls proving to be very big in size - sometimes twice the size of a human skull. Moving on land, there are around 7,000 breeding eider ducks on the plot, more than 100,000 puffins, a rare colony of Black Guillemot and 'more nesting Arctic Terns than anyone can count.' The down harvesting season generally runs throughout June and Felicity describes it as a very labor intensive activity. 'Eiderdown is picked by hand - lots of hands! 'There are approximately 3,500 eider nests on Vigur and they are randomly scattered across the 2km long island, often in well concealed nooks and hard-to-reach places. 'Our days are spent scrambling and exploring every inch of the island, section by section, seeking out every single nest and collecting whatever eiderdown is not needed. 'We will make several rounds before we are done. Fortunately, Vigur is a beautiful and endlessly fascinating place to be outdoors amongst the birdlife and nature.' Now that the eiderdown season is almost over, Felicity says they can all take a bit of a well-earned break. For a change of scenery, the trio take trips to the mainland. The journey in their boat can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the sea conditions. 'There are approximately 3,500 eider nests on Vigur and they are randomly scattered across the 2km long island, often in well concealed nooks and hard-to-reach places' The outcrop came with a 10-bedroom house, a number of outbuildings, and full farming rights In the winter the island also gets enough snow that Felicity can make a cross country ski circuit around the island Vigur is home to Iceland's oldest boat, which was built in 1800 During the eiderdown farming season, Felicity says 'our days are spent scrambling and exploring every inch of the island, section by section' While the adventurous couple 'love' life on Vigur, they admit that 'it is not for everyone' Felicity says of Vigur: 'It has this incredible peacefulness to it and yet it is a riot of noise and life. Nature is so chaotic and brutal and yet being around it is somehow soothing!' The family also find many fish bones washed up on shore, with some cod skulls proving to be very big in size - sometimes twice the size of a human skull From the local fishing village it is a 20-minute drive to the nearest town, Isafjordur which Felicity says has a population of 2,500 and 'everything you need.' She revealed: 'There's a supermarket, a bakery, a pub, a good place to eat, a hardware shop, a garage and so on. 'There is also a hospital but for anything serious patients are transported to Reykjavik the capital of Iceland which is a 35-minute flight away.' Felicity and Gizli, who were previously living in Reykjavik, found out about Vigur after news of its sale made national press. There was a campaign for the island to be bought for the nation but the authorities issued a statement ruling that out. It was then on the market for about three years before the couple started to think seriously about 'whether this might be the future.' Felicity explained: 'Both me and my husband knew Vigur and we both felt the need for a new challenge, something that we felt had legacy and that we could do together.' After battling it out against other bidders, Felicity and Gizli discovered their offer had been accepted. One of the hardest things about living on the island, Felicity says, are the winters as they are often trapped there for days at a time. Being here has taught me that you really don't need much to be happy. It is amazing what you can do without She revealed 'We are very comfortable here but the seas around us can be huge - the Denmark Strait is at the end of the fjord, the Arctic Circle a little to our north and we're much closer to Greenland than to Europe - so getting on and off the island is hard work. 'We can't keep the boat in the water in winter so every time we use it we have to drag it out of the water and up the beach. 'It's hard when we are just three of us. Every trip to the supermarket is a major expedition - it gets tiring!' In the winter, the fjord doesn't freeze but ice around the shore drifts up from subsidiary fjords. The island also gets enough snow that Felicity can make a cross country ski circuit around the island and the drifts 'sometimes build up to the roof of the buildings.' In the summers, the weather can be warm but Felicity warns that 'you always need a good coat in the evenings,' as Iceland has famously changeable weather delivering 'everything all at once.' While the adventurous couple 'love' life on Vigur, they admit that 'it is not for everyone.' Felicity concludes, before heading back to welcome the stream of visitors ashore: 'There is, I think, a need in us all to find our "place" in the world, somewhere we feel we belong but also somewhere we feel we have contributed or made a difference. 'For us, that is Vigur. Being here has taught me that you really don't need much to be happy. It is amazing what you can do without. 'Vigur has this incredible peacefulness to it and yet it is a riot of noise and life. Nature is so chaotic and brutal and yet being around it is somehow soothing! 'Everyone who comes to Vigur recognizes that there is something special here - but none of us have quite put our finger on exactly what it is. You'll just have to see for yourself.' Heidi moved to a remote property in the Nevada desert in the early 2000s, where she still resides with dozens of her pet parrots She was sentenced to three years in prison on three counts of pandering, but ended up serving 20 months behind bars for tax evasion Infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss has offered an incredibly rare glimpse inside her remote Nevada sanctuary, sharing an intimate tour of the property were she has sought solace for the last two decades after fleeing Los Angeles amid a storm of scandal. The notoriously-private 57-year-old opened the doors to her home in a candid video shared with DailyMail.com, lifting the lid on her daily life, which she spends caring for her beloved pet parrots, who have free run of the sprawling $1 million property. In 1994, Heidi became one of the world's most talked-about women when she was busted for running a lucrative prostitution ring - but these days the former party girl has turned her back on the City of Angels and is instead, fittingly, living on the outskirts of Sin City. Heidi famously said back in 2005 that she 'had the party, did the party, threw the party, was the party' but that she was finally 'partied out' and, true to her word, has since embraced a quiet - and very remote - life that is a world away from the seedy LA underbelly she once ruled over. These days, the former madam surrounds herself not with celebrities or prostitutes, but rather a pandemonium of parrots with whom she resides in her isolated Nevada refuge, which she lovingly refers to as her 'bird house'. Infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss has offered an incredibly rare glimpse inside her remote Nevada sanctuary, where she lives with 23 exotic pet birds The 57-year-old now surrounds herself not with celebrities, but rather a pandemonium of parrots with whom she resides in her isolated refuge, which she refers to as her 'bird house' Far from the modern, pristine glass-walled mansions that have become the must-have home of the Hollywood elite, Heidi's $1 million house is anything but contemporary The home has been tailor made to serve as a sanctuary for Heidi's beloved birds - for which she has paid up to $50,000 each In the early 90s, Heidi became one of the most infamous women in the world when she was busted for running a high-end prosecution ring in LA and was sentenced to prison Having spent several years behind bars herself, it might make sense that Heidi does not keep her beloved pet birds caged up, instead allowing them to fly freely through the home, which she has renovated specifically to meet their needs, using DIY skills that she learned in prison to transform the home into a giant bird sanctuary. In total, Heidi now owns 23 exotic and endangered birds, some of which she has traveled to the 'ends of the earth' to acquire. The Heidi seen in the video is unrecognizable from the perfectly-coiffed, heavily made-up madam who donned a mini skirt suit and heels as she stood before a jury in 1994, when she was found guilty on three counts of pandering. Gone are the sleek, pin-straight locks that she famously modeled back in her LA days, with Heidi now embracing her natural curls and opting to go makeup-free and casual. The ex-madam did make one subtle nod to her past however, sporting a ripped blue T-shirt that featured the rather risque logo for the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal Nevada brothel founded by her late ex-boyfriend Dennis Hof, who passed away in 2018. Anyone not familiar with the infamous 'mating bunnies' image however would likely have little idea that the ultra-casual bird lover waxing lyrical about her desert retreat was ever one of the most talked-about women in the world. Together, the ex-madam and her feathered friends reside in the rather ramshackle home, which has no foundation and rests upon a ten-acre plot of land in Pahrump, Nevada. Far from the modern, pristine glass-walled mansions that have become the must-have home of the Hollywood elite, Heidi's house is anything but contemporary - and has instead been tailor-made to offer her pet birds every amenity they might need. The former inmate ripped up all the carpet inside the home and replaced it with tile - a skill that she learned during her 20-month prison stint, during which where she mastered carpentry and construction. These days, Heidi is a world away from the seedy LA underbelly she once ruled, eschewing fame and money in favor of her beloved birds, whom she allows to roam freely in her house Heidi offered a very rare glimpse inside the property for a video tour filmed by her close friend Sham Ibrahim, who recorded a recent visit to the retreat The former madam has completed several DIY projects about the house using skills that she picked up during her 20-month stint in prison, but she admits that she has not had much 'upkeep' of late because she had been planning to move away The property, which includes ten acres of land, is in a state of flux, with several unfinished projects around the place, including this DIY pond, which Heidi dug, but has not yet been filled Heidi has done everything she can to ensure that the house offers her 23 birds everything they could possibly need, even ripping up all the carpets so they can fly around freely 'It is a bird house. It took a long time to build it. And it is called learn as you go,' she explained Furniture inside is scarce, including in her bedroom, which only has a mattress that is surrounded by a wooden frame that the birds use a perch - with Heidi even allowing them to crawl over her as she sleeps. 'Everything is for them,' Heidi said while giving a tour to her lifelong friend Lady Sham Ibrahim. 'It is a bird house. It took a long time to build it. And it is called learn as you go.' Outside, she has created a lush green jungle for her birds, a theme that carries on through the property, which is filled with plants that she tends to regularly, often while singing to her pets. The wooden property, which features a large porch made up of haphazard beams that the birds can happily perch on. Surrounding the home is a vast piece of land that has several rusty chairs scattered across it and a large sunken pit that Heidi had intended to turn into a lake, but which now sits abandoned with a black sheet of plastic covering it. According to Heidi, the house has been left in a state of disarray since early 2022, when she announced plans to move to Missouri after one of her pet macaws, Chuey, was shot in the leg by a BB gun on Christmas Even 2021. 'I've had no upkeep here because I thought I would be moved,' she explained, before revealing that she has since decided to stay put, largely for the sake of her birds, who have run riot over her once-prized designer possessions, including her Bentley, which has been torn up by the parrots. Yet Heidi no longer seems concerned with material things, instead focusing her finances on building up her collection of feathered friends, which has come at something of a steep price, with the former madam paying up to $50,000 for some of the more exotic pets who now roam free about her home. The Heidi seen in the video is unrecognizable from the perfectly-coiffed, heavily made-up madam who donned a mini skirt suit and heels as she stood before a jury in 1994 Gone are the sleek, pin-straight locks that she famously modeled back in her LA days, with Heidi now embracing her natural curls and opting to go makeup-free and casual Heidi no longer focuses on material possessions and allows her birds to treat her belongings like their own, even letting them rip up the interior of her Bentley a few years ago In the video, Heidi made one subtle nod to her past, wearing a ripped T-shirt with the logo for the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal Nevada brothel founded by her late ex-boyfriend Dennis Hof However, for Heidi, the friendship and companionship that her birds have provided is priceless and she has no regrets about splashing her cash to add to her growing gaggle: 'You know what? I don't care. It is money, you can always make back.' The birds are certainly more than simple pets to Heidi - who has all but isolated herself from the world within the fences that surround her sprawling desert escape, which can only be reached after driving up a one-mile driveway and only after passing a somewhat unwelcoming sign reading: 'KEEP OUT'. Any visitors who are lucky enough to have been invited inside Heidi's inner circle have their arrival announced by one or more of the birds screeching at their owner, an all-natural security system that helps the former madam to maintain her privacy. 'Heidi is a very solitary person and it was incredible that she even allowed me to visit, let alone film,' Lady Sham Ibrahim, a close to Heidi in the early 2000s, said of her video tour. 'She is very sensitive to cameras and secret filming because of what she went through when she was arrested.' Heidi has taken serious steps to cut herself off from the Hollywood circle that she ran in for so many years, moving out to Nevada in the early 2000s shortly after her acrimonious split from actor Tom Sizemore, whom she later accused of abuse. Initially, she planned to take advantage of Nevada's prostitution laws by opening a legal brothel, however by 2015 she had shelved those plans, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she didn't 'want to work so hard' or 'deal with all the nonsense in the sex business'. These days, Heidi's focus is her birds - and living a quiet life away from the cameras and scrutiny that once overshadowed every aspect of her life. Quietly, she has undergone something of a transformation - revealing after her tour that she is now seven-weeks sober - a decision made after the sudden death of her friend and ex, Tom Sizemore. Tom died in March of a heart attack at age 61, having spent the previous month in a coma after suffering a brain aneurism. Heidi and Tom's early 2000s romance was tumultuous and highly-publicized. In 2003, Heidi accused Tom of domestic violence and he was convicted and jailed for 17 months. During the video, Heidi also revealed that she has been sober for seven weeks - a decision she made after the recent death of her close friend and ex-boyfriend Tom Sizemore (seen in 2001) 'Heidi is a very solitary person and it was incredible that she even allowed me to visit, let alone film,' Sham, a drag queen who became close to Heidi in the early 2000s, said of her video tour Sham and Heidi first became friends in the early 2000s when they were both living in LA Meanwhile Heidi dodged substance abuse convictions until 2008 when she was arrested for DUI in Nevada. Heidi has tried to overcome her demons before. In 2018, she entered Pasadena Recovery Center and her treatment was filmed for Celebrity Big Brother with Dr. Drew. In a twist of fate, Tom was also cast and the two became friends. In the 1990s Heidi took on the nickname 'Hollywood Madam' when she was caught running an elite prostitution ring of 500 women. She says that her gorgeous gals earned her $300,000 a week. Heidi spoke to the Hollywood Reporter in 2018 on the 25th anniversary of her arrest. She revealed that she began working as an escort at age 22 in 1987 after meeting Madam Alex, a 'procuress to the stars'. Three years after she got her start, she took on the role of Madam Alex and launched her own prostitution service, only recruiting high-end talent that who were 'clean-cut and perfect, as if they were born and raised in Beverly Hills.' Her girls would charge clients about $1,500 a night, of which Heidi would receive 40 percent. She was also said to carry an infamous red 28-page Gucci planner that was her 'black book containing the names of her famous clients'. One of these clients was Charlie Sheen, who said he spent $53,000 on her services. After three years of running the sex service, she was arrested exactly 30 years ago, in June 1993. Following a high-profile court trial, Heidi was convicted on three counts of pandering and sentenced to three years in prison. Her conviction was overturned in 1996. She didn't escape the law though. She ended up serving 20 months in federal prison after being convicted of federal tax evasion. Following her release, she left LA and moved to Pahrump, where she still resides. Following Lady Sham's visit to her house, she told DailyMail.com that - despite her criminal record and prison time she has served - 'Heidi is incredibly morally sound. In fact, she is one of the most honest people Ive ever known.' 'She is absolutely against stealing, lying, and will cut people out of her life without hesitation if she suspects they are dishonest. She told me she admired me for having the courage to transition because it meant I was being true to myself and not hiding my identity,' Lady Sham - who starred in a recent episode of MTV's Catfish - said. Lady Sham - who identified as a man when she met Heidi in 2004, says that Heidi has 'gone to incredible lengths to rescue and save birds from abusive owners, including driving across the country.' 'I think in the end her legacy will end up being about advocating for the rights of birds and changing laws that make it illegal to own birds as pets in cages, not being a pimp. This is her true passion,' Sham concluded. He made his name playing Calvin Valentine in Hollyoaks before his character was brutally murdered in 2011. And following his stint on the CH4 show actor Ricky Whittle, 43, has gone on to crack Hollywood with roles in huge hit shows including The 100 and American Gods. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival he revealed he has no plans to return to the Cheshire based soap despite 'being done' with America and it's 'crazy politics'. Saying: 'Would I ever do a soap again? Probably not, but for fun why not, I don't care as I'm in a fortunate position, where I don't need to work,' He went on to say: 'I haven't been in Hollyoaks for 20 years but at the end of the day you can never shy away from where you came from'. From Hollyoaks to Hollywood! Ricky Whittle, 43, has revealed if he would ever return to soaps after making it big in Tinsel Town (pictured this week) Soap star: He made his name playing Calvin Valentine in Hollyoaks before his character was brutally murdered in 2011 (pictured on the show in 2007) 'If it wasn't for Hollyoaks I wouldn't be where I am now. Hollyoaks is an education, you're learning 12 to 15 scripts every day and halfway through a day, new pages are coming down and it's like "learn them now" and you just get it done and don't think about'. He continued: 'My character went from being the good guy, to the bad guy to the club owner, to the policeman, to your sister's on drugs, to you'd killed someone and then he's back to life - it's like you go through a whole gambit of emotions'. 'If that's not great education for an actor- I don't know what is.' Before adding: 'I would never look down on soap actors because they're the ones that are putting in five days a week and I've got nothing but love for those guys and what that show did for me.' Elsewhere in the chat Ricky revealed how he misses the British people and not the bad weather. 'I don't miss England, but I miss the people in England, and I miss the banter. You can't find anyone like Brits and the more you live in America you realise sarcasm is void. There's no such thing as sarcasm in America, they don't get our humour. Before going on to say: 'They think we're mean because they all think we're Hugh Grants or like the characters in Bridgerton and Downton Abbey.' 'I love going back to the UK but as a whole I don't miss it because I'm a sun whore and I love the heat'. No thanks: Ricky has no plans to return to the Cheshire based soap despite 'being done' with America and it's 'crazy politics' (pictured on the show with co-star Jennifer Metcalfe) Making it big: Following his stint on the show Ricky Whittle has gone on to crack Hollywood with roles in huge hit shows including The 100 and American Gods (pictured) He added: 'I'm house hunting and I don't know whether to go Australia or Italy because I just love the heat. I'm definitely done with America; I'm done with the crazy politics over there'. Ricky, who previously had a high-profile romance with his Hollyoaks co-star Carly Stenson, refuses to lift the lid on his current relationship status. Since heading to LA, the actor has been linked to former Gossip Girl actress Jessica Szhor and Demi Moore's daughter Rumer Willis. He said: 'I love the fact that I'm now doing things my way then when I was in England, I did it a different way. I did the topless calendars, I did the photoshoots, and I did the interviews where I talked about my love life all the time.' He continued: 'When I moved to America, I told myself "I'm going to do it differently." I don't talk about my love life ever - no one ever knows if I'm dating or whom I'm dating'. 'I could be married, and you'll never know. It's hard to be in a relationship without the press and the public getting involved.' While Ricky's Instagram features a slate of shirtless images of his taut physique - he admits that he tries to be transparent with his fans as he doesn't believe the quest for physical perfection is everything it's cracked up to be. Hollywood star: He said: 'If it wasn't for Hollyoaks I wouldn't be where I am now. Hollyoaks is an education, you're learning 12 to 15 scripts every day' Bye! Despite splashing out on a 1.3M LA mansion in 2019 (pictured) he says he is 'done with America' and now hunting for a home in Australia or Italy - not the rainy UK 'Social media is just a snapshot of highlights and we've got to stop pushing our lives into these highlight reels where everyone thinks everything is perfect,' said Ricky. Revealing: 'Whenever I post a topless selfie, I am the first to say, "I am in pain here, I'm dehydrated, I've not eaten breakfast yet and I always put out disclaimers because it's so toxic when people pretend they haven't had surgery, or they're not training and have got some magical pill.' But it hasn't been all plain sailing for Ricky in Tinseltown as when his character Lincoln got killed off in the dystopian drama The 100 in 2016, he condemned the way showrunner Jason Rothenberg wrote his character off the series. He alleged that behind the scenes, Rothenberg diminished Lincolns role, 'bullying' him off the show. 'Something I've always said in life is no haters, trolls, or anyone criticising me is ever doing better than me'. He said: 'People who have cussed out my acting have never acted before - they are idiots sat in their mum's basement. Anyone who is doing better than me is focused on their own thing, as it should be'. 'I used to read the trolls' comments when I was younger but now, I really don't care as do you think I really care because I'm in the leading shows and in movies.' He then dished on the 1.2million LA mansion he splashed out on in 2019: 'I live in a beautiful home; I have my own pool and my own gym - I'm sitting with my feet up. Do you think I really care that someone is going - "I don't like you, I think you're terrible". 'People can talk down all they want but at the end of the day as an actor you want to be working - so never slay someone who is working.' His next role will see him star in the forthcoming American action thriller film Land of the Bad, alongside Russell Crowe, Liam and Luke Hemsworth and Milo Anthony Ventimiglia. 'We literally hit off straight away,' says Ricky. 'We were four guys running through the hills like children with fake guns goofing around.' He continued: 'Luke Hemsworth is literally like my twin brother and he took me home to meet his mum and dad. He introduced me to his mum as the fourth Hemsworth brother. 'He was like "this is the fourth kid you didn't realise you had." She was like "you're the one I'm proud of because you can speak properly. ' But despite the compliment, Ricky admits he's still just 'a ghetto boy from Oldham'. 'When I'm in America, people are like - "you're so posh," and I'm like "no I'm not, I just sound English to you, as long as it's English it's posh to you," but I'm proper ghetto'. He admitted: 'If you parked near my estate and I'm talking about estate not house , you'd lost your wheels. People will take your wheels and your car will be on bricks. That's the neighbourhood I grew up in.' Australia is in the depths of winter with a distinct chill in the air. It's no surprise then that some of the country's A-list stars have fled the nation to enjoy lavish vacations overseas. Making the most of the European summer, the likes of Today show star Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine have left for warmer waters. Karl and Jasmine attended the star-studded wedding nuptials of Jasmine's former business partner Tamie Ingham and celebrity Chef Guillaume Brahimi in the city of love last week. Other A-list guests included Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch, Gil McLachlan and Matt Moran. Australia's A-list stars have fled the winter weather to enjoy lavish vacations overseas. Kyle Sandilands and his wife Tegan are pictured with Jackie 'O' Henderson and her daughter Kitty, in France Making the most of the European Summer, the likes of Today show star Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine have fled for warmer waters. Pictured together Stefanovic, 48, shared a photo of himself tuning into the State of Origin II game on Wednesday The pair boarded IJE - named after the first initial of Packer's three children Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle at Porto-Vecchio, a port town on the French island of Corsica before docking in Sardinia. Stefanovic, 48, shared a photo of himself tuning into the State of Origin II game on Wednesday from a cafe in Corsica. The trip to the Mediterranean is a childfree holiday for the couple. Daily Mail Australia understands the couple's daughter, Harper, three, is being looked after by Jasmine's parents Bob and Cheryl Yarbrough who have taken their granddaughter to Karl and Jasmine's holiday home in in Sunshine beach outside Noosa. Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston are currently enjoying a honeymoon in Saint-Tropez, a coastal town on the French Riviera famed for its beaches and nightlife. Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston are currently enjoying a honeymoon in Saint-Tropez, a coastal town on the French Riviera famed for its beaches and nightlife According to Yahoo Lifestyle, an insider has revealed that the KIIS FM presenter has spent around $500,000 on the three-week holiday Kyle's KIIS FM co-star Jackie is along for the trip and making the most of it The radio titan and his ladylove were every inch the loved-up couple on Tuesday when they stepped out for a spot of shopping in the exclusive enclave known for its designer boutiques Kyle has reportedly splashed the cash on private jets, famous chefs, and luxury chateaus that cost $8,200 a night The radio titan and his ladylove were every inch the loved-up couple on Tuesday when they stepped out for a spot of shopping in the exclusive enclave known for its designer boutiques and A-list visitors. Tegan looked pretty in pink on the outing in a chic shirt dress that featured tie detailing on the waist. The communications director completed her ensemble with a dazzling array of accessories befitting of a bride married to one of Australia's most powerful media players. Tegan, 36, carried her belonging in a $7,000 Christian Dior mini bag, and pounded the footpath in $900 platform espadrilles from Chloe. Along the way a stop at French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton was in order. One time PR Queen Roxy Jacenko has also given fans a holiday update while enjoying a jaunt in the Greek Islands. Pictured with son Hunter The PR queen has been sunning herself in gorgeous locations Her family has spent some of their trip travelling on a yacht The super-fit 43-year-old socialite has shared bikini photos during her vacation Kyle is broadcasting his hit radio show from the south of France with co-star Jackie 'O' Henderson. The newlywed's shopping trip comes after it was revealed Kyle and Tegan's honeymoon is a no-expense-spared affair. According to Yahoo Lifestyle, an insider has revealed that the KIIS FM presenter has spent around $500,000 on the three-week holiday. He has reportedly splashed the cash on private jets, famous chefs, and luxury chateaus that cost $8,200 a night. It's also expected that the radio host spent money kitting out his wardrobe for the trip to ensure he was looking his best in Saint-Tropez. Also attending the wedding of chicken heiress Tamie Ingham is radio star Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli and his wife Lisa Wipfli. Pictured together The pair have been spending time at luxurious locations in France and Italy, sharing glamorous social media photos along the way The husband and wife posed alongside the Eiffel Tower Kyle tied the knot with his wife Tegan in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point last month. Aussie celebrities in attendance on the day included NSW Premier Chris Minns, Today host Karl Stefanovic, and 'King of the Cross' John Ibrahim. The couple share son Otto. Also attending the wedding of chicken heiress Tamie Ingham is radio star Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli and his wife Lisa Wipfli. The pair have been spending time at luxurious locations in France and Italy, sharing glamorous social media photos along the way. A visit to the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes followed before a road trip to Italy Wippa and Lisa headed headed off to the countryside and exploring villages in Provence, Vence and Saint Paul de Vence They posed alongside the Eiffel Tower, before heading off to the countryside and exploring villages in Provence, Vence and Saint Paul de Vence. A visit to the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes followed before a road trip to Italy. 'Happy French piggies' Lisa captioned one image of the pair enjoying a delicious local meal. One time PR Queen Roxy Jacenko has also given fans a holiday update while enjoying a jaunt in the Greek Islands. The super-fit 43-year-old socialite took to Instagram on Wednesday to flaunt her bikini body in a racy selfie. 'Happy French piggies' Lisa captioned one image of the pair enjoying their trip The radio host was working on his European tan Sporting a deep tan, Roxy sizzled in a black and white patterned two-piece featuring tie-up style bikini bottoms. The headline grabbing celebrity wore her long hair natural, and covered her face with her phone to take the photo. 'Could now pass for a native,' Roxy joked in the caption. It comes after Roxy recently announced she was relocating her family to Singapore to be with her husband Oliver Curtis. The entrepreneur said she will be jetting to the Southeast Asian country in July after closing down several businesses, including her daughter Pixie's, before hocking her designer bag collection and selling her home. Meanwhile, Natalie Roser and Harley Bonner looked more loved-up than ever on Monday, when the couple shared images from their romantic Swiss getaway. Both pictured Roser captioned the post, 'Luzern, Switzerland. Featuring my new phone background and my epically-timed, cinematic masterpiece to the accordion playing busker' They they headed on to Spain, where they stayed at stunning bay of Cala Llombard on the southeastern coast of Mallorca Meanwhile, Natalie Roser and Harley Bonner looked more loved-up than ever this when the couple shared images from their romantic Swiss getaway. Posting snaps to Instagram from Luzern, Switzerland, the duo were all smiles as they embraced in front of a picturesque fountain. Roser captioned the post, 'Luzern, Switzerland. Featuring my new phone background and my epically-timed, cinematic masterpiece to the accordion playing busker'. In the photos, former Home and Away star Bonner embraced his bride from behind as the couple beamed for the camera. They they headed on to Spain, where they stayed at stunning bay of Cala Llombard on the southeastern coast of Mallorca. The model showed off her impressive figure in a series of bikini images She was also cuddling up to her husband in an idyllic pool Greece was next, with the couple staying at the upmarket Domes Resorts & Reserves in Crete 'Ideal situation' the beauty boasted in one Instagram post, before revealing she had enjoyed a 'sunset swim in my private sea' The model showed off her impressive figure in a series of bikini images, as well as cuddling up to her husband in an idyllic pool. Greece was next, with the couple staying at the upmarket Domes Resorts & Reserves in Crete. 'Ideal situation' the beauty boasted in one Instagram post, before revealing she had enjoyed a 'sunset swim in my private sea'. 'The art of doing nothing' she wrote alongside another sundrenched snap, before revealing her time in Greece was a 'gifted stay'. 'THIS IS LUXURY. Imagine waking up to breakfast in your own private pool in this dream resort in Ierapetra, Crete' she wrote. A Love Island Australia star has laughed about her mother running over their two dogs in a recent social media video. Shelby Bilby, 29, took to her Instagram Story on Friday to show her followers how she is training her Rottweiler. The reality star, who appeared on season one of Love Island Australia in 2018, trained her dog to sit in their garage and only leave when she says the word 'free'. While this training video showed she is a responsible dog owner, fans were shocked that she then laughed at the reason why she has trained her pet to sit away from the cars. Captioning the clip, Shelby wrote: 'My mum accidentally ran over two of our dogs when we were growing up hahaha she's going to hate me for bringing it up... but that's why I taught him this.' Shelby Bilby (pictured) has shocked fans after she laughed about her mother running over two dogs When contacted by Daily Mail Australia and asked if she wanted to comment further on her post, Shelby said: 'Hahaha. That's my comment'. She then posted the comment to her Instagram story, and sarcastically wrote: 'I hate animals and laugh at killing dogs, come take my dog away from me RSPCA and give it to someone who actually cares for their dog. 'Sunny has such a hard life & I would laugh if he died because I hate animals.' The reality star, who appeared on season one of Love Island Australia in 2018, trained her dog to sit in their garage and only leave when she says the word 'free' While this training video showed she is a responsible dog owner, fans were shocked that she then laughed at the reason why she has taught her dog this While influencers are often applauded from their audience for being open and honest, the tone in which they talk about difficult topics appears to be extremely important to their followers. Two months ago, a Sydney influencer faced backlash and was dropped by a major sponsor after she joked on a podcast about killing two cats when she was a child. Emma Claiir, a 28-year-old mummy blogger and Instagram model, shared the bizarre confession on an episode of her Simply Chaotic podcast. Shelby posted a sarcastic response to her Instagram story saying she 'hates animals' The mother of one was asked to tell a personal secret, and left her co-host Kristy Jean stunned by admitting: 'I killed my cat.' Chuckling awkwardly, Claiir continued: 'I didn't mean to... I was young, I was a child. '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. Emma Claiir (pictured) faced backlash and was dropped by a major sponsor after she joked on a podcast about killing two cats when she was a child The mother of one was asked to tell a personal secret, and left her co-host Kristy Jean stunned by admitting: 'I killed my cat.' She later issued a statement apologising for making a joke out of animal abuse. 'I am well aware that the story was not light humour and in fact very serious,' she wrote in a lengthy post. 'It was not intended to come across the way that it did as it was simply just a story from the past about an accident [when I was] a little kid, but I can see how it has come across like that,' she added. Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer are reportedly in talks to possibly join the cast of Paddington in Peru, according to Variety. On Friday, the outlet reported that Colman, 49 - who recently attended LA's Secret Invasion premiere - will potentially play the mother in the film, which will be the third installment. Banderas, 62, is in conversations to portray Hunter Cabot, and 22-year-old Rachel Zegler will play Gina, Cabot's daughter. Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin have already been cast in the movie. Ben Whishaw will return to voice Paddington and Imelda Staunton will once again play Aunt Lucy. Paddington Bear 3: Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer 'are in talks' to possibly join the cast of Paddington in Peru, according to Variety Role: Banderas, 62, is in conversations to portray Hunter Cabot Meanwhile, Mortimer, 51, will replace Sally Hawkins, 47, as Mrs. Brown. Hawkins explained about moving on from the franchise, 'For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another, and one cant get much better than the truly wonderful Emily Mortimer, she is extraordinarily special. 'She will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own. However, I am, and will always be in love with Paddingtons world. 'I already greatly miss my on and off-screen family the experience of making the first two films has truly been some of the best and most creative times I have had in the world of film.' She added, 'They both gave me so much joy. I will forever hold them so very close to my heart indeed.' It was announced last September Paddington In Peru would start filming in London and Peru this year. The movie will trail Paddington as he returns to Peru to visit his Aunt Lucy, who lives at the Home for Retired Bears. The trip takes Paddington and the Brown Family on an unprecedented trajectory through the Amazon rainforest and up the mountains of Peru. New gig: Rachel Zegler will play Gina, Cabot's daughter The upcoming film was penned by Paul King, who directed the first two films. For the third iteration of the movies, Dougal Wilson will take the reins as director, marking his debut. Wilson shared, 'I am absolutely delighted to be working with such a wonderful cast on the next installment of the Paddington story. 'I was already an enormous fan of our returning actors, but for them to be joined by Olivia, Antonio, Emily and Rachel is beyond thrilling.' Anna Marsh, the CEO of Studiocanal told the publication that 'with Dougal at the helm, Paddington in Peru will encapsulate all of the heart, humor and warm chaos of the beloved Paddington 1 and 2 films while taking Paddington and the Brown family on a brand new adventure.' She added that it 'seems only fitting that we welcome some new cast and locations to this a new adventure for us all.' Michael Bond, author of the Paddington books, did send his bear back to Darkest Peru in 1964, when he took a trip to celebrate his Great Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday (an event that featured in Paddington 2). On his way home, by boat, Paddington dreams he's being chased by a giant biscuit and has to seek refuge with the ship's doctor. Scoop: Mortimer, 51, will replace Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown Making a comeback: Paddington Bear made his first outing in 1958 Earlier Paddington flicks pulled in substantial profits, with the 2018 sequel raking in $227.9 million worldwide. And 2015's Paddington saw a gross profit of $282.3 million after a budget 'in the $50 million range.' Heyday Films will produce - David Heyman and Rosie Alison will serve as producers and Rob Silva will serve as co-producer. King is an executive producer alongside Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan MacRae from Studiocanal and Tim Wellspring and Jeffrey Clifford. It's now commonplace for reality stars to cash in on their momentary fame by creating OnlyFans accounts. And while Ines Basic isn't the only Married At First Sight star making bank on the adult subscription site, she has been receiving hate from trolls for her raunchy career. Ines recently posted a racy photo to her Instagram account but has since restricted comments after she received an abundance of hate. One person wrote: 'For someone who had so many opportunities to do so many wonderful things with her life, which I admired, you chose not to. Time to unfollow'. While another commented: 'What the heck are you doing with your life?' While Ines Basic (pictured) isn't the only former Married At First Sight star making bank on the adult subscription site, she has been receiving hate from trolls for her raunchy career And a third said: 'Self respect?' In the racy photo, Ines almost bared all while flaunting her tanned and toned figure in black lingerie as she arched her back. The OnlyFans model posed sultrily for the camera as she kept her dark locks down and straight and wore a full-glam makeup look. Ines recently posted a racy photo to her Instagram account, but has since restricted comments as she received an abundance of hate One person wrote: 'For someone who had so many opportunities to do so many wonderful things with her life, which I admired, you chose not to. Time to unfollow' Despite the hate, Ines is making bank on the adult-only website, where she charges subscribers $10 a month to few her explicit content. She first created her account in July 2021, and she revealed that she earned a whopping $80,000 in her first month. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, Ines said: 'My fans are eating up everything I post, I am having to create content daily to keep up with demand so I'm just working.' Ines said that while she was apprehensive about joining the platform at the start, she had no problem sitting down with her family to let them know she was doing it. Despite the hate, Ines is making bank on the adult-only website, where she charges subscribers $10 a month to few her explicit content 'They fully supported the decision,' she added. The former reality star, who found fame after appearing on the 2019 season of MAFS, said that she has 'no regrets' about joining the website and she wishes that she signed up sooner. 'As soon as I made an announcement saying I was doing OnlyFans I had hundreds of message requests,' she said. 'My fans are so respectful and it creates an environment where I feel comfortable to truly be myself and bring out my sexual alter ego. My fans love her!' Christina Ricci is fighting back against her ex-husband James Heerdegen after claiming that he prevented her from taking a short trip with their son. The 43-year-old actress, who currently stars on the hit thriller Yellowjackets, requested an emergency hearing to discuss the matter with a judge in court filings obtained by People. In the filing, she claimed that Heerdegen initially didn't object to her taking their eight-year-old son Freddie to New York City, where she was apparently filming a project. However, she says that he changed his mind at some point and forbade their son from traveling with her. In her filing, Ricci described her ex as 'vindictive' and 'retaliatory.' Conflict: Christina Ricci, 43, claimed in a court filming that her ex-husband James Heerdegen was refusing to let their son Freddie, eight, travel with her to NYC while she filmed a project, according to People; seen in 2019 in West Hollywood What changed? Ricci noted that Freddie had previously been able to travel to NYC with her, but after she had to work a few extra days there, her ex allegedly objected 'Jimmy's refusal to agree causes me concern, because he clearly was being vindictive and retaliatory when he initially refused my request to travel for the additional dates,' she wrote. 'As recently as Monday, June 19 2023, Jimmy was agreeable to allowing Freddie to travel with me, but apparently he still wants to wait until our hearing to discuss it.' She added that the former couple had previously been on the same page about Freddie traveling with her to New York. When he wasn't able to see his son in person, Heerdegen would receive daily video calls from him to stay in contact. However, Ricci wrote that the film or show she was working on adjusted her scheduled and added a few extra days of shooting, requiring her to return to the Big Apple. She claims that her ex-husband refused to allow Freddie to travel with her for the remaining days of shooting when she asked for his permission. The actress alleged that Heerdegen told her she was 'emotionally abusing' Freddie, though he wanted them to discuss the matter further in a hearing scheduled for later that week. 'I am concerned that if the hearing doesn't go Jimmy's way, he will renege,' Ricci claimed in her documents. 'Jimmy's conduct is purposefully making me incur attorneys' fees unnecessarily and may have an impact on my employment and professional reputation.' Presumably, each additional hearing featuring her attorney, and work preparing filings and motions, would only add to her legal fees. Ricci and Heerdegen who also works in Hollywood as a cinematographer met more than a decade ago while working on her quickly canceled series Pan Am, which she starred on with Margot Robbie, who was still two years away from her breakout performance in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street. The couple wed in 2013, but Ricci filed for divorce in 2020. Their strained relationship was even more tense in January 2021, when the actress obtained a domestic violence restraining order against her ex-husband. In a court filing at the time, she claimed she had suffered 'severe physical and emotional abuse' at Heerdegen's hands. Even worse, she said that 'many of these acts of abuse' were observed by their young son. At the time, Heerdegen's attorney said in a statement that his client 'unequivocally denies all allegations of abuse made by Ms. Ricci as having occurred in 2020.' Harsh words: She wrote in filings that Heerdegen told her she was 'emotionally abusing' their son when she asked to take him back to NYC for a few extra days. She said he wanted to discuss the matter at their next hearing; seen in 2019 in NYC Fed up: Ricci requested an emergency hearing to speed the process up, and she noted that she feared her ex would 'renege' on their agreements if a judge ruled against him; seen in November in Hollywood Bad days: Ricci filed for divorce in 2020, and in January 2021 she received a domestic violence restraining order against Heerdegen. His attorney has denied her claims of physical and emotional abuse Ricci was apparently still willing to make visitation work between Freddie and his father despite her abuse allegations and restraining order. In April of 2021, she and Heerdegen arrived at a custody agreement during an earlier production she was working on in which her son would be allowed to travel with her to Vancouver. Heerdegen continued to spend time in person with his son as part of his 'regular monitored visitation time,' while his ex-wife paid for his travel and accommodations to visit Canada as well. In addition to his in-person time, Heerdegen still received three weekly 15-minute video calls with Freddie. She's just days away from tying the knot with fiance Johnny Ingham. But Sydney 'It' girl Rey Vakili, 32, is first throwing intimate celebrations in Saint-Tropez, France, for her bachelorette party. The former assistant to Anna Wintour is marrying fellow Ingham's chicken heir Johnny at the Four Seasons Hotel in Taormina, with guests such as Kate Waterhouse and Luke Ricketson rumoured to be attending. However, according to the Daily Telegraph, Rey has 'ruffled a few feathers' by not inviting some of her close friends to the pre-wedding festivities. She instead invited her 'Ivy League gal pals' to the lavish event, which took place at a Saint-Tropez home by the water. Rey Vakili, 32, has thrown intimate celebrations in Saint-Tropez, France, for her bachelorette party before marrying Johnny Ingham Among those in attendance were Isha Ambani - the daughter of India's richest man Makesh Ambini - who went to Stanford University with Rey. Rey's sister Hoda Waterhouse, who is married to businessman Tom Waterhouse, was also a guest. Luxe Listings star Remi Lindsay, plus Johnny's sisters Tamie Ingham and Katie Ingham were the only Sydneysiders who attended. Taking to her Instagram this week, Rey shared several moments from the lavish bash, including photos of herself wearing a veil and a swimming costume with her fiance's face printed on it by the pool Rey has 'ruffled a few feathers' by not inviting some of her close friends to the pre-wedding festivities, according to the Daily Telegraph Taking to her Instagram this week, the managing editor of LTK Australia shared several moments from the lavish bash, including photos of herself wearing a veil and a swimming costume with her fiance's face printed on it by the pool. 'Here is to the end of an old life and the start of a new,' she wrote to her Instagram. She also posted a number of photos with her friends relaxing poolside as well as enjoying dinner at the prestigious La Petite Place restaurant. She also posted a number of photos with her friends relaxing poolside She then treated her guests to a lavish dinner at the prestigious La Petite Place restaurant 'I think I can officially say... I'M READY! Eternally grateful to my girls for giving me the best few days of my life,' she said. 'Each of you, a trailblazer and a force of nature. I love you dearly. Thank you.' It's wedding season for the chicken heirs, as the Ingham family recently celebrated Tamie Ingham's nuptials with Guillaume Brahimi in Paris last week. Johnny's future wife Rey studied Political Science at Yale in the US, before completing a Master of Business Administration at Stanford. Johnny and Rey have been a couple since 2018. After a split, they revived their romance in 2021 She rose to fame in fashion circles after a stint as personal assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Johnny and Rey have been a couple since 2018. After a split, they revived their romance in 2021. Finally, the Ingham family will close of their summer of love with Katie Ingham's wedding in Tuscany, Italy. She will tie the knot with her beau Ali Rosenberg. Tony Blair was courted with such enthusiasm by Rupert Murdoch after he became leader of the Labour Party that he was even flown 10,000 miles by the media magnate to address the News Corporation conference on Australias Hayman island in 1995. Blair later explained in his memoir, A Journey, that it was too good an opportunity to miss. It seems obvious, he wrote. The countrys most powerful newspaper proprietor, whose publications have hitherto been rancorous in their opposition to the Labour Party, invites us into the lions den. You go, dont you? This week, it was Sir Keir Starmer who stepped into the lions den. I hear that the Labour leader was entertained lavishly at the summer party given by Rupert, 92, and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, 51, at Spencer House, the magnificent townhouse in St Jamess, London, owned by Earl Spencer, Princess Dianas brother. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (left) was seen being entertained at Spencer House by Rupert Murdoch (right) No doubt to the horror of Labours Corbynistas, Sir Keir mingled with such betes-noires of the Left as the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, former prime minister Liz Truss, ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove. Gallons of Pol Roger were poured, one guest tells me of the champagne on offer. We were served bowls of beef and dauphinoise potatoes sprinkled with rocket. The floral arrangements were beyond lavish. And someone had obviously spent a long time artfully scattering oranges on the stairways and borders. Wearing a rather odd, open-necked black shirt, Sir Keir arrived with the super-ambitious Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who may see himself as Starmers successor. When Starmer campaigned for the leadership, he used images of picket lines in Murdochs Wapping dispute with the print unions for a video. At the time of the 1980s crisis, Starmer wrote for Socialist Alternatives: The News International strikes need all possible solidarity in their struggle against militant management. Blair wrote of Murdoch: I came to have a grudging respect and even liking for him. He was hard, no doubt. He was Right-wing. I did not share or like his attitudes on Europe, social policy or on issues such as gay rights, but there were two points of connection: he was an outsider, and he had balls. Hard to imagine Starmer, whom many consider an ocean-going dud, ever saying anything remotely that interesting... Keeler star Sophie's baby is mummy's girl Looks like Sophie Cookson, whos starred in Hollywood blockbusters alongside Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, has been left carrying the baby. The actress, 33, was seen cradling her three-year-old daughter on her way back from a walk in North London with the childs father, actor Stephen Campbell Moore, 43. Sophie Cookson, 33, was seen cradling her three-year-old daughter on her way back from a walk in North London with the childs father, actor Stephen Campbell Moore, 43 Cookson starred as Christine Keeler in 2019's The Trial of Christine Keeler, detailing the fallout of the Profumo Affair Wearing a T-shirt and ripped jeans, Cookson looked a far cry from her acclaimed title role in BBC drama The Trial Of Christine Keeler, inset, about the 1960s Profumo affair that rocked Harold Macmillans government. The couple met when they appeared in KGB spy drama Red Joan in 2017. The next year, he announced that his marriage to Claire Foy, who played a young Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, was over after four years. He and Foy, 39, who have a daughter together, explained that they had been apart for some time. Why was SamCams brother barred from private Mayfair club? Within little more than a decade, 5 Hertford Street has lured in everyone from Prince William to Kate Moss, from George and Amal Clooney to Margot Robbie, all seduced by the splendour of its rooms and the ambience of gentle formality contrived by its founder, Robin Birley. Robert Sheffield, 38, half-brother of Samantha Cameron, is a playful character, known for his lack of inhibition But even this is no guarantee of uninterrupted serenity. Indeed, I can reveal that Birley, 65, who lavished 25 million on the Mayfair club before its opening in 2012, recently felt obliged to bar a very well-connected member David Camerons brother-in-law and baronets heir, Robert Sheffield. Robert got bounced out membership rescinded for being a naughty boy, a fellow clubman tells me. Sheffield, 38, half-brother of Samantha Cameron, is a playful character, known for his lack of inhibition. He has, for example, declared that it is totally OK for a man to wear eyeliner at dinner. But hes unusually coy about his difficulties at 5 Hertford Street, where the annual subscription is said to nudge 3,000. It was a temporary ban, he tells me. It was a minor infraction and the ban has since been rescinded. He declines to discuss the nature of his transgression. But this intensifies the intrigue among fellow members. Youve got to be quite naughty to be chucked out of 5 Hertford Street, havent you? muses one. Could Sheffield who has a daughter aged two with his girlfriend, the model Ellen Francis Gibbons have fallen foul of the clubs dress code? Hed never be guilty of wearing frayed jeans or filthy trainers both prohibited but his predilection for cross-dressing might have been just a little too uninhibited for Birley. Fancy getting married at the home of Queen of Romance Dame Barbara Cartland? I hear that Camfield Place, a ten-bedroom mansion set in a 100-acre estate near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, is to open for weddings. Before he died in February, Cartlands son, Ian McCorquodale, said he was having sleepless nights worrying about how to afford the houses upkeep. Now, thanks to a secret plan initiated before his death, it has quietly opened to the public for the first time. We didnt make a public announcement, but we have already done ten tours with high teas, his daughter Tara explains. Dad and I were right in the middle of discussing opening up to the public when he died unexpectedly. There is no way Im going to give up and sell it. Doms wife in drone attack Dominic Cummings seemed obsessed with destroying the career of Boris Johnson after he quit as his right-hand man. Cummingss wife, Mary Wakefield, is more interested in shooting down drones. When Im old I shall have business cards made advertising my drone-destroying services, she says. Her hatred stems from a belief that one filmed her while she was swimming. She claims she saw a man and a woman standing on the beach nearby, heads close together, examining the drones footage on a phone watching me. Perhaps she should get her eyes tested... Florence shows off some highly enviable curves Florence Pugh is set to play Madonna Tipped to play Madonna in a forthcoming biopic, Florence Pughs Lucky Star seems to be on the rise after revealing she made 1 million last year. Accounts for the 27-year-olds company, Flo Pug Ltd, show its earnings rocketed from 531,000 to almost 1.5 million in the 12 months to the end of August last year. The business channels her earnings from films which last year included Dont Worry Darling and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. The figures show the Little Women actress was so successful she had a tax bill of 109,000 up from 23,500. She also advanced herself almost 380,000 in cash from the company, and paid it all back. (Very) modern manners Some might still imagine Glastonbury to be a crush of the unwashed staggering to tents in fields pooled with mud. George Spencer Chuchill, Marquess of Blandford, pictured on Instagram with Mylo Sangster (behind) But not only is this years festival blessed with sunshine, its secured the patronage of the helicopter classes in the noble form of George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford. Sharing this snap on social media, showing him (front), with his chums Mylo Sangster, grandson of racings Robert Sangster and Lindsay Cullen. George, an aviation broker, entitles it simply Glasto. He appears not to have been piloting the aircraft a disappointment, perhaps, to those, like his father, the Duke of Marlborough, who remember the late John (Marquess of) Bristol, who, when at the controls of his Hughes 500 chopper, liked to put it on autopilot so as to concentrate on taking drugs. Perfect for Glasto! Andrew Ridgley's got a bus pass! Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley raced Formula Three cars in his 20s until insurers insisted that he stop or they wouldnt underwrite the pop duos last ever concert in 1986. Now, he prefers to take public transport, particularly since qualifying for a free 60+ travel pass following his birthday in January. Sitting in a car in traffic in London drives me absolutely insane, says Ridgeley, who has an estimated 20 million fortune. Tube and the buses taken all the time. I get a lot of people saying, Are you who we think you are? To which he surely replies: Im your man. The smart set's talking about... family tragedy at Wilton Wilton House in Wiltshire Few places are more idyllic than Wilton House in Wiltshire once the setting for the art-house film Emily, starring a youthful Koo Stark, and for 450 years the ancestral seat of the Herberts, Earls of Pembroke. But, for the moment, its spell has been broken in tragic manner by the sudden death there of Stuart Tertius Murray Threipland, 76. He was not only step-father of the current, 18th Earl, but also father-in-law of one of the earls sisters. Poignantly, his own fairy-tale castle, Dunbeath, on a Scottish clifftop, was put up for sale for 25 million on the day he died. He will be hugely missed, the family say. Murray-Threipland was married first to the former Min Musker, ex-wife of casino king and zoo-keeper John Aspinall. His second wife, who survives him, was Claire, ex-wife of Henry, 17th Earl of Pembroke. Joseph Baena has surely taken to two of the passions that helped send his famous father to superstardom Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Baena followed in his dad's footsteps with his love of bodybuilding and acting. And on Friday the real estate agent, fitness model and DJ put on a show at the Gold's Gym in Venice Beach by striking a couple of poses for the camera that he shared on is Instagram page. One of them showed him flexing his bulging biceps and massive leg muscles, in what's considered a classic bodybuilding move. 'Oh hey look a traffic cone!' he joked in the caption, in a reference to the orange cone sitting to his right near the stairs. Bust a move: Joseph Baena, 25, drops into classic bodybuilding pose and flexes his bulging biceps and massive legs muscles for his latest Instagram post on Friday In the cover photo, the Los Angeles native can be seen sucking in his stomach while showcasing the results of all the hard work he puts in at the gym. For the impromptu shoot, Baena went shirtless, opting to wear just a pair of skimpy black workout shorts and black-and-white-checkered sneakers with socks. The exercise enthusiast was also photographed doing a mock jumprope routine that included him still flexing his leg muscles. For the most part, Baena typically uses his Instagram page to share photos of himself working out or flexing for the camera. Some of the times he and his father team up for a workout at that very same Gold's Gym, which Schwarzenegger helped make famous after he arrived in the U.S in October 1968, when he was just 21. Many people in the health and fitness and bodybuilding worlds attribute the pairing of Schwarzenegger, 75, and Gold's Gym for helping put mainstream fitness on the map back in the 1970s. The Terminator star was inducted into the Gold's Gym Hall Of Fame at its 50th anniversary celebration during the company's convention in Dallas in 2015. 'When I first came to America, I went to Gold's Gym before I even went to my first apartment. Golds Gym became my home. It was like a family to me,' Schwarzenegger, 75, said during his speech, as reported by Club Industry. He added, 'At the time, physical fitness wasnt mainstream, but look at what we have accomplished in these 50 years. Now everyone is working out. Remember that you all are a part of the fitness crusade that we started 50 years ago.' Ripped: The Los Angeles native showed off the results of all his hard work in the gym by going shirtless with just a pair of skimpy black shorts Making his way: Baena has been trying out several career options since graduating from Pepperdine University in 2019 that includes DJing, real estate agent, fitness model and acting Bangin' beats: The DJ can be seen showing of his DJ skills at a recent gig Following in dad's footsteps: Baena has no less than five films currently in the works Baena has been trying out a number of different career options since graduating from Pepperdine University in 2019, that includes being a real estate agent, fitness model, DJ, and acting. Currently, he's got no less than five films in the works that includes roles in Gunner, starring Luke Hemsworth, and Athena Saves Christmas, which has Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead. Baena was born in October of 1997 as the result of an extramarital affair between Schwarzenegger and his family's former housekeeper Mildred Patricia 'Patty' Baena. At the time, the former California governor was married to Maria Shriver, whom he would end up separating and divorcing from after his secret affair was made public. The former couple have four children together: sons Patrick, 29, and Christopher, 25, and daughters Christina, 31, and Katherine, 33. Just weeks after Pip Edwards departed her P.E Nation headquarters looking downcast, when she made six of her staff redundant, she now appears in better spirits. The activewear label's founder, 43, beamed in the sunshine as she left the company's headquarters on Friday. The blonde beauty couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she was dressed casual but stylish in a pair of khaki trousers, a camouflaged print T-shirt and a grey cardigan. She jazzed up the outfit by wearing funky oversized shoelaces on her white trainers. The businesswoman kept her hair simple as she tied her short locks back into a low bun. Just a few weeks after Pip Edwards (pictured) was spotted looking glum as she made six of her staff redundant, she now appears in higher spirits Pip wore minimal makeup to show off her natural beauty, as she accessorised with a pair of nude sunglasses and gold earrings. The Sydney socialite was pictured hugging and chatting to models outside the building before hopping into her car. This comes just weeks after Pip announced she was downsizing P.E Nation due to 'challenging market conditions'. The P.E Nation founder, 43, was photographed leaving the company's headquarters on Friday Pip was beaming as she finished up some work on the sunny day The blonde beauty was smiling widely as she was dressed casual but stylish in a pair of khaki trousers, a camouflaged print T-shirt and a grey cardigan 'In response to the challenging economic conditions, the board of P.E Nation has implemented measures to streamline and restructure the business,' Edwards stated in an official release to The Daily Telegraph. 'Regrettably, this has resulted in the difficult decision to make six staff redundant.' Pip added: 'These measures align with the overall restructuring efforts, which are necessary to secure the continued growth and success of the business.' The businesswoman launched her activewear label P.E Nation in 2016 with her friend and business partner Claire, turning it into an international brand sold by 600 individual retailers in 95 countries. Earlier this year, Pip was forced to deny rumours of a falling out with Claire - whose office had been cleared out and turned into a 'creative space' following a months-long absence. The pair went on a business trip to the UK together in November 2022, where they promoted their athleisure company, took selfies in London, and lunched with the likes of former foreign minister Julie Bishop. The Sydney socialite was pictured hugging and chatting to models outside the building before hopping into her car Pip wore minimal makeup to show off her natural beauty, as she accessorised with a pair of nude sunglasses and gold earrings But Daily Mail Australia revealed there were rumours swirling the deep friendship at the core of the business may have crumbled during their luxury trip away. A source with knowledge of the company's internal dealings alleged: 'Pip and Claire have had a falling out.' The source said Tregoning took one month off in December, extended her break for another month in January, and then opted for another three months' leave. Her office in the company's Sydney headquarters has now been cleared and repurposed as a 'creative room'. A P.E Nation spokeswoman denied that the pair are feuding, insisting they remain 'committed and collaborative business partners'. Pip issued a statement explaining the 'reshuffle' in her company was due to 'challenging market conditions' that are taking a toll on the fashion brand 'Claire is taking some well-earned time off and remains an important part of P.E Nation,' the spokeswoman said. '(She) is taking a well-earned sabbatical for a few months.' Tregoning reiterated the message when contacted for comment, adding: 'The business and Pip have both been great supporters of my sabbatical and I am grateful to have this time off with my family.' She did not respond to questions about her office at headquarters being cleared out, however the P.E Nation spokeswoman admitted it has been repurposed for the duration of her absence. 'Whilst Claire is not in the office, we are using her office space for other purposes, including a meeting and creative room,' they said. Kourtney Kardashian happily showcased her growing baby bump in a stylish swimsuit in new Instagram photos shared on Friday as she enjoyed a summer pool day. The Poosh founder, 44, who announced her surprise pregnancy with husband Travis Barker one week earlier, soaked up the bright sunshine as she took a relaxing dip in the water with her children. She gave her fans a glimpse of her burgeoning bump as she took a quick mirror selfie inside a spacious and brightly lit bedroom. The reality star donned a green bikini top along with drawstring bottoms to stay cool in the warm temperatures. The beauty, who recently asked fans for pregnancy tips, captioned the post by penning 'sweet summer,' followed by fruit emojis, including kiwi and a strawberry. Baby on the way! Kourtney Kardashian, 44, happily showcased her growing baby bump in a stylish swimsuit in new Instagram photos shared on Friday while enjoying a summer pool day The media personality, who currently boasts 222 million Instagram followers, also took a close-up selfie as she sat underneath a blue umbrella that partially blocked the sun. Kourtney threw on a pair of large black shades and gazed toward the camera for a quick pose. The star additionally included a reel in the post to show off the lavish space. The clip began with her walking towards the backyard, with the camera panning around to show a spacious and decorated entryway. Once outside, greenery and palm trees stretched out into the distance and lined the crystal clear blue sky. A ping pong table was placed in a shady corner of the spacious patio with outdoor seating topped with comfy cushions close by. An opened gate led to a rectangular-shaped swimming pool that was bordered by blue lounge chairs for those who wanted to enter relaxation mode when not taking a dive into the water. Kourtney concluded by adding a cute snap of her children having a blast in the pool while throwing an inflatable beach ball to each other. The businesswoman shares son Mason, 13; daughter Penelope, 10; and youngest son Reign, eight, with her ex, Scott Disick. Social media users sent love towards the star, with one writing, 'oh my goodness that blessed little bump,' while another added, 'U r glowing.' The post comes shortly after Kourtney excitedly revealed she is expecting her first child with Travis Barker earlier last week on Friday while supporting her husband at a Blink-182 concert in Los Angeles. The star notably revealed that she had stopped her IVF journey last year in September. Selfie time: The media personality, who currently boasts 222 million Instagram followers, also took a close-up selfie as she sat underneath a blue umbrella Summer days: The star added a cute snap of her children having a blast in the pool and throwing a beach ball to each other Inviting space: Kourtney additionally included a reel in the post to show off the lavish space, with the camera panning around to show a spacious and decorated entryway While talking to the Wall Street Journal at the time, she explained, 'We started an IVF journey, but I stopped. It was a lot. I took a break to just focus on our wedding and getting married.' During the concert, the reality star held up a handwritten sign that read, 'Travis I'm pregnant,' referencing to the band's 1999 music video titled, All The Small Things. The TV personality shared a clip from the moment that Barker saw the sign and jumped into the crowd to congratulate his wife. Two days later, she proudly showcased her growing baby bump for the first time with an Instagram carousel, with one image showing the drummer gently kissing her stomach. In the caption, Kourtney wrote out, 'Overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for Gods blessing and plan.' Her sisters also congratulated the Poosh founder on social media, including Kim and Khloe. Her mother, Kris Jenner, also joined in to publicly expressed her excitement at becoming a grandmother once again. She shared a photo of Travis kissing Kourtney's bump and added the caption, 'Congratulations you two!!!!! I love you so much!!!!' Following the announcement, a source told People, 'Kourtney is just beyond excited. She had happy tears when she told her family. They have all known for a while.' The insider added, 'Everyone is so happy for her. Kourtney cant wait to be a mom again. Her older kids are excited about the baby too.' 'Kourtney has been praying for this. She has wanted a baby with Travis since they first started dating. They have been trying to get pregnant for almost two years. Its been grueling.' Since revealing her fourth child is on the way, the TV personality has been keeping her fans updated by sharing photos of her growing bump on Instagram. Sunny: A ping pong table was placed in a shady corner of the spacious patio with outdoor seating topped with comfy cushions close by. Relaxing: An opened gate led to a rectangular-shaped swimming pool that was bordered by blue lounge chairs for those who wanted to enter relaxation mode Baby news! The post comes shortly after Kourtney excitedly revealed she is expecting her first child with Travis Barker earlier last week on Friday while supporting her husband at a Blink-182 concert Thrilled: Following the announcement, a source told People , 'Kourtney is just beyond excited. She had happy tears when she told her family. They have all known for a while' New tips: She showed off her growing stomach in a snap uploaded into her Instagram stories on Thursday and questioned fans if they had any pregnancy tips She showed off her growing stomach in a snap uploaded into her Instagram stories on Thursday and questioned fans if they had any pregnancy tips. 'Favorite clean body care for during pregnancy?' Kourtney asked. The star later revealed some of the responses she received, and added the text, 'Some of your answers! It's been a minute since I've done this. I love hearing your answers.' Along with her three children with Scott Disick, her husband Travis is also father to son Landon, 19; and daughter Alabama, 17, whom he shares with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler. The Blink-182 drummer is also a father figure to Atiana De La Hoya, 24, who is Shanna's other daughter from a previous relationship with the boxer Oscar De La Hoya. Mama June took her three daughters to a mountaintop retreat for a therapy weekend on the latest episode of Mama June: Family Crisis. The drastic move was a last-ditch effort to repair her shattered bond with Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird, Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson and Jessica 'Chubbs' Shannon. Two episodes ago June gatecrashed her daughters' meet-and-greet with fans, resulting in an explosive confrontation with Pumpkin. Now June, whose bond with her children was left in tatters by her drug addictions, has mounted a final bid to get them back. At the urging of her new husband Justin Stroud and her sister Doe Doe, she called he therapist Dr. Ish and arranged a 'last resort' summit with her 'girls.' Emotion: Mama June took her three daughters to a mountaintop retreat for a therapy weekend on the latest episode of Mama June: Family Crisis Stars: The drastic move was a last-ditch effort to repair her shattered bond with Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird, Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson (pictured) and Jessica 'Chubbs' Shannon There she is: Two episodes ago June gatecrashed her daughters' meet-and-greet with fans, resulting in an explosive confrontation with Pumpkin (pictured on the new episode) Ready to talk it out: Now June, whose bond with her children was left in tatters by her drug addictions, has mounted a final bid to get them back Persuasion: At the urging of her new husband Justin Stroud and her sister Doe Doe, she called he therapist Dr. Ish and arranged a 'last resort' summit with her 'girls' The episode opened with June trying to explain her position during a tete-a-tete with Justin and Doe Doe over lunch. 'They got to learn too that, like, I'm not that person three years ago,' June said, insisting she was 'sorry' for her past drug-fueled antics. 'But you've got to allow them to process what's going on - you, it's not June time,' Doe Doe admonished her. 'You're used to June time.' Doe Doe added: 'You're in your 40s. They're in their 20s and teens. They're not there yet to get where you want them to get. And you, young lady, are going to have to be patient. They were hurt through the most pinnacle times of their life.' June's elder sister, who raised her, said: 'Your daughter got frickin' married, had a baby, had your daughter. She was in my situation that we were in with our mother.' Pumpkin has assumed custody of Honey Boo Boo, 17, along with her own children whom she shares with her husband Josh Efird. Over lunch, Doe Doe told her sister to assume accountability for her actions and encouraged her to call her old therapist. 'I agree,' said Justin, adding: 'We all know that you bulldoze conversations, Junebug,' in a bid to get her to truly absorb her daughters' criticism. Chowing down: The episode opened with June trying to explain her position during a tete-a-tete with Justin and Doe Doe over lunch In her defense: 'They got to learn too that, like, I'm not that person three years ago,' June said, insisting she was 'sorry' for her past drug-fueled antics 'You're used to June time': 'But you've got to allow them to process what's going on - you, it's not June time,' Doe Doe admonished her 'She was in my situation': June's elder sister, who raised her, said: 'Your daughter got frickin' married, had a baby, had your daughter Pumpkin and Josh: Family drama: Pumpkin has assumed custody of Honey Boo Boo, 17, along with her own children whom she shares with her husband Josh Efird Counsel: Over lunch, Doe Doe told her sister to assume accountability for her actions and encouraged her to call her old therapist Consensus: 'I agree,' said Justin, adding: 'We all know that you bulldoze conversations, Junebug,' in a bid to get her to truly absorb her daughters' criticism Doe Doe said she did not want June to miss pivotal events in Honey Boo Boos life like prom and graduation, to which June remarked that she could show up anyway because her daughters put too much s*** on social media.' 'But you don't want to just show up, you want to be invited, Justin gently cautioned his wife: 'and it's time to be invited.' In a confessional, June expressed doubt that Dr. Ish 'gets me very well' but admitted she was starting to get a little desperate' about her daughters. After lunch, June and Justin found themselves alone together in the car, where he continued his efforts to get her into therapy. 'The girls need to own their s*** oo, because it's not just me, its both sides,' June began, but her husband pulled her up short. 'There you go doing it again. That "but" at the end of it,' he said. 'Alana's fixing to be 18. Like, this is it. It's the last shot. She can move away and never talk to y'all again, and, you know, don't lose the opportunity to reel it back in before it's too late, you know. That's something you'll regret.' June relented and called Dr. Ish, saying: 'Hey, I know that this is kind of weird to hear from me, but I just wanted to reach out to you and try to help me and the girls stop living in the past and start living in the present and get back reconnected.' Dr. Ish offered to conduct a one-on-one Zoom call with her, giving him the chance to deduce how seriously she was taking the venture. Thanks, social media: Doe Doe said she did not want June to miss pivotal events in Honey Boo Boos life like prom and graduation, to which June remarked that she could show up anyway Back and forth: 'But you don't want to just show up, you want to be invited, Justin gently cautioned his wife: 'and it's time to be invited' Considering it: In a confessional, June expressed doubt that Dr. Ish 'gets me very well' but admitted she was starting to get a little desperate' about her daughters Mulling it over: After lunch, June and Justin found themselves alone together in the car, where he continued his efforts to get her into therapy 'There you go doing it again': 'The girls need to own their s*** oo, because it's not just me, its both sides,' June began, but her husband pulled her up short Meanwhile, at her home, Pumpkin was needling Honey Boo Boo about her college applications, warning her to get them in on time. 'Alana works really hard in school and trying to do what's right, and that's why I do want her to go to college,' Pumpkin said in a confessional. 'Because this Honey boo boo stuff may not, one, last forever, or she may not want to do TV forever. So I want her to have a bunch of options, not just one.' Pumpkin wearily accepted: 'And if I gotta p*** of her off every once in a while, so be it. Being a mom is a thankless job anyways.' Despite Honey Boo Boo's protestations that she was working on her college applications, Pumpkin went through her drawers and saw that the forms were blank. Honey Boo Boo said in a confessional that she had been taking 'virtual tours' and researching schools but was anxious about applying out of fear of rejection. Pumpkin confronted her with the unfilled application forms and Honey Boo Boo bristled, storming off to school and pulling the 'you're not even my mama' card. 'I mean, here's my thing, Pumpkin told Josh. She needs to get these applications done or she's not going to be hanging out with [her boyfriend] Dralin.' Stressful time: Meanwhile, at her home, Pumpkin was needling Honey Boo Boo about her college applications, warning her to get them in on time Sensible: 'Alana works really hard in school and trying to do what's right, and that's why I do want her to go to college,' Pumpkin said in a confessional Busted: Despite Honey Boo Boo's protestations that she was working on her college applications, Pumpkin went through her drawers and saw that the forms were blank Disquiet: Oops: Honey Boo Boo said in a confessional that she had been taking 'virtual tours' and researching schools but was anxious about applying out of fear of rejection 'Here's my thing': Pumpkin told Josh: She needs to get these applications done or she's not going to be hanging out with [her boyfriend] Dralin' June meanwhile told Dr. Ish about the 'bunch of hollering' that erupted between her and Pumpkin during the meet-and-greet. Dr. Ish countered that Pumpkin 'feels like you've never been able to take accountability for the choices you've made, right?' Said he: 'Those girls are growing up right before your eyes, and they're about ready to make some grown-up decisions now. And if that's the truth, if that's where they are, then you're going to have to accept that.' 'I mean, this is the truth. I can never make up for what I've done in the past,' she said: 'but that past doesn't define who I am today. I want to be part of the girls' life.' 'Those young women deserve a better mom,' said Dr. Ish. 'You're going to have to be ready to finally take some accountability in a way that those girls can hear it, number one. And number two, I'm gonna need you to act like you actually give a damn.' Hearing her affirmative responses, Dr. Ish judged her to be 'sincere' in her intentions and agreed to help her mend her fences. He suggested a weekend-long session where he, June and the three daughters were all confined to one house together to hash out their problems 'It's going to be super intense,' he said. 'It's going to be a lot of yelling. It's going to be a lot of screaming. It's going to be a lot of crying. Trust me, you've never done anything like this before, and they haven't either.' No one's finest hour: June meanwhile told Dr. Ish about the 'bunch of hollering' that erupted between her and Pumpkin during the meet-and-greet Devil's advocate: Dr. Ish countered that Pumpkin 'feels like you've never been able to take accountability for the choices you've made, right?' 'I want to be part of the girls' life': 'I mean, this is the truth. I can never make up for what I've done in the past,' she said: 'but that past doesn't define who I am today' Open to it: Hearing her affirmative responses, Dr. Ish judged her to be 'sincere' in her intentions and agreed to help her mend her fences 'It's going to be super intense': He suggested a weekend-long session where he, June and the three daughters were all confined to one house together to hash out their problems Back at her house, Pumpkin once again came down on her little sister about her college applications, stressing the importance of further education. It's about what you really want to do in the future so that you know how many colleges you're accepted into so that you have options, not just like: "Ok, I got accepted into this one college, and I'm good,"' said Pumpkin. She handed Honey Boo Boo a sheaf of applications and insisted that she fill them out ;today, or you wont be seeing Dralin.' Pumpkin then received a call from Dr. Ish, who queried her about her experiences during the meet-and-greet showdown. In response Pumpkin confessed that 'all these things have just really been just eating at me, and I'd just had enough. I mean, honestly, I'm super surprised that she even called you, because I gave it to her.' Dr. Ish floated the idea of the joint therapy session, and Pumpkin gave it serious consideration, while harboring some doubts. 'Honestly, I don't know. Every time before it's always been about June and what June wants, and we got to move at June's pace. And so like what makes this time any different from any other time?' Pumpkin said. 'There was something different in her voice about this call, and I honestly think she's sincere and authentic about it, I really do,' said Dr. Ish. Teen moment: Back at her house, Pumpkin once again came down on her little sister about her college applications, stressing the importance of further education Is it sinking in?: It's about what you really want to do in the future so that you know how many colleges you're accepted into so that you have options...,' Pumpkin told her sister Putting out feelers: Pumpkin then received a call from Dr. Ish, who queried her about her experiences during the meet-and-greet showdown What if?: Dr. Ish floated the idea of the joint therapy session, and Pumpkin gave it serious consideration, while harboring some doubts Wearing her down?: 'There was something different in her voice about this call, and I honestly think she's sincere and authentic about it, I really do,' said Dr. Ish He suggested the idea of the 'isolated' weekend away and Pumpkin noted that she had to ask Chubbs and Honey Boo Boo. 'We all need therapy,' Pumpkin said in a confessional. 'She's put us through a lot of s***, she's been through a lot of s***. It's time, or it's never going to get fixed, period.' Pumpkin convened a 'family meeting' with her sisters and husband in order to chew over the issue of the possible therapy session. 'Because then you could work on some of your stuff that you're going through,' she told her sisters. 'I think that we should do it, because this is y'all's chance to say what y'all want to say, because y'all didn't say nothing at the meet and greet.' Honey Boo Boo said she kept shut at the meet-and-greet because she felt Junes tears were fake, and apropos Dr. Ish, she mused: 'What if she's just, like, trying to trick him? You know Mama's good at them mind games.' 'I gave Mama so much hell at the meet and greet, and for her to still be wanting to try to fix things, I think maybe she has changed,' said Pumpkin. 'To be honest, I don't really have many feelings towards Mama anymore,' Honey Boo Boo said in a confessional. 'Like, I'm kind of just numb to it all, just because she has put us through so much.' She remarked that 'if this therapy session thing weekend means so much to Pumpkin, I guess Im in for it. At least I can make Pumpkin happy. I mean, I don't too much care about anybody else.' 'We all need therapy': Pumpkin said in a confessional: 'She's put us through a lot of s***, she's been through a lot of s***' Confab: Pumpkin convened a 'family meeting' with her sisters and husband in order to chew over the issue of the possible therapy session Selling it: 'I think that we should do it, because this is y'all's chance to say what y'all want to say, because y'all didn't say nothing at the meet and greet,' said Pumpkin 'You know Mama's good at them mind games': Honey Boo Boo said she kept shut at the meet-and-greet because she felt Junes tears were fake Private opinion: She remarked that 'if this therapy session thing weekend means so much to Pumpkin, I guess Im in for it' June took Justin for a shopping trip 'for the girls' ahead of the therapy weekend, a gambit that provoked a dubious response from her husband. 'I mean, you can't really buy people gifts, June, and think that, you know, that covers up for all the - ' he began, but June interjected: 'Oh, yes, I can.' She insisted: 'I mean, this will open up the door for them to, like, talk to me, because they only respond when they're bought stuff.' Behind June's back, Dr. Ish called Doe Doe and asks her to join the isolated therapy session as a surprise, clarifying: I dont need you to stay the whole weekend.' In the car on the way to the meeting, Pumpkin, Honey Boo Boo and Chubbs considered the ordeal that lay ahead of them. Chubbs worried about an 'outbreak of screaming' and Honey Boo Boo said: 'I just don't want to talk about this stuff, you know?' 'This weekend is either going to turn out one or two ways. It's either she wants to get back together and we all just, like, fix the family and actually work on the real-life issues, or we just walk away from her,' said Pumpkin. Dr. Ish and Doe Doe arrived first at the luxurious mountaintop residence that he had handpicked for the family's blowout therapy weekend. Voice of reason: June took Justin for a shopping trip 'for the girls' ahead of the therapy weekend, a gambit that provoked a dubious response from her husband Old habits die hard: 'I mean, you can't really buy people gifts, June, and think that, you know, that covers up for all the - ' he began, but June interjected: 'Oh, yes, I can' Cynical: She insisted: 'I mean, this will open up the door for them to, like, talk to me, because they only respond when they're bought stuff' Chessboard arranged: Behind June's back, Dr. Ish called Doe Doe and asks her to join the isolated therapy session as a surprise, clarifying: I dont need you to stay the whole weekend' 'Outbreak of screaming': In the car on the way to the meeting, Pumpkin, Honey Boo Boo and Chubbs considered the ordeal that lay ahead of them He said it 'gives me hope' that June approached him herself without having to be forced into the situation by circumstances. The therapist raised the topic of 'unhealed wounds' and 'backstory,' to which Doe Doe replied that even June had an incomplete picture of events. Justin meanwhile was busy driving June up into the mountains, baring his soul about his own concerns along the way. 'I'm pretty sure there's going to be some things there that's going to be pretty hard to listen to and deal with,' he said, while noting on the bright side: 'It's good that it's just y'all. It needs to be so y'all can really open up to each other.' Said June: 'The girls are going to want to work on things, or they're finally just going to be like: "Ok, enough is enough, Mom, and I can't do it."' Doe Doe and Dr. Ish talked through the family's backstory, which June viewed through a childs eyes, while Doe Doe served as her surrogate mother. 'Well, like June, my mom, it was all about the men - it was go to the bar, pick up a guy, come home, go to work, go to the bar, pick up...' Doe Doe recalled. At that time Doe Doe was a teenager looking after baby June, who was a little Alana,' she said. 'I'm telling you, she was a little diva. She was fun.' There they are: Dr. Ish and Doe Doe arrived first at the luxurious mountaintop residence that he had handpicked for the family's blowout therapy weekend Getting started: The therapist raised the topic of 'unhealed wounds' and 'backstory,' to which Doe Doe replied that even June had an incomplete picture of events En route: Justin meanwhile was busy driving June up into the mountains, baring his soul about his own concerns along the way Foresight: 'I'm pretty sure there's going to be some things there that's going to be pretty hard to listen to and deal with,' he said Flashback: Doe Doe and Dr. Ish talked through the family's backstory, which June viewed through a childs eyes, while Doe Doe served as her surrogate mother Doe Doe fondly remembered: 'She was hilarious, outspoken, the class clown, she had that aura and we used to joke: "Yeah, one day you're going to end up on TV." When it arrived for June, fame was 'a whirlwind, and it may have been too fast for her to handle and wrap her brain around all of it - and she had four kids.' The turning point, in Doe Doe's view, was when June became involved with Geno Doak, the boyfriend with whom she descended catastrophically into crack cocaine. Doe Doe also noted Junes decision to surrender her rights to Honey Boo Boo in exchange for being freed of her financial obligations to her 'destroyed Pumpkin.' Reflecting on her niece's emotions, Doe Doe opined: 'Literally in my opinion took all the respect that she had left for June.' 'It felt like my mother saying that to me about June,' said Doe Doe: 'because I had custody of June for a long time. I don't even think June really knows all that.' June herself became a mother at the age of 15 as 'she thought that if you kept your clothes on, you couldn't get pregnant,' Doe Doe revealed. She and Dr. Ish talked about how Pumpkin was mirroring Doe Doe - and fretted that Honey Boo Boo might follow in her mothers footsteps. Unfiltered: 'Well, like June, my mom, it was all about the men - it was go to the bar, pick up a guy, come home, go to work, go to the bar, pick up...' Doe Doe recalled Little June: She and Dr. Ish talked about how Pumpkin was mirroring Doe Doe - and fretted that Honey Boo Boo might follow in her mothers footsteps 'What are you doing here?': June finally arrived on the scene - and to her shock was confronted with the sight of Doe Doe waiting for her in the living room 'The last few years have been so hard, especially on Alana. I mean, her whole teenage years, she didn't have her mother,' Doe Doe said. 'She had Pumpkin, thank God. So praying that we can get the cycle broken in this family and get on the right track finally.' June finally arrived on the scene - and to her shock was confronted with the sight of Doe Doe waiting for her in the living room. 'What are you doing here?' began June indignantly, beginning to launch into a diatribe before Dr. Ish reminded her: 'My weekend, my rules Actor John Barrowman has claimed he was kicked out of a restaurant in Tacoma, Washington on Friday evening. The Torchwood star, 56, had entered McMenamins Elks Temple with a friend hoping to grab a bite to eat. However, in what he described as 'the weirdest thing', it appears he and his companion were led out of the establishment just minutes after entering. The acting veteran took to Twitter to post a video to explain the incident to his 480,000 followers. He said a restaurant server had guided the couple into another restaurant owned by the franchise, before convincing them they shouldn't eat there either. 'They kicked us out': Actor John Barrowman has claimed he was 'escorted out' of a restaurant in Tacoma, Washington on Friday John captioned the post: 'Not a very good impression McMenamins. He continued: 'We were basically escorted out and told politely you cant eat here.' He gave further detail in the 43 second video, saying: 'Hi everyone, we've just had the weirdest thing happen to us,' The Doctor Who alum continued: 'We're at McMenamins Elks temple... and in a polite way, the gentleman guided us out of one restaurant into another. And he kind of persuaded us not to come in.' He panned the camera to his dinner guest who said: 'They kicked us out'. John agreed: 'They kicked us out'. He finished off his video by telling his followers: 'So Tacoma...not a good recommendation. McMenamins...McNot.' Fans were quick to rally round the star and show their support. Night out: The Torchwood star, 56, said had entered McMenamins Elks Temple with a friend hoping to grab a bite to eat 'The weirdest thing': However, he explained that he and his companion were led out of the establishment by a member of staff instead 'Not a very good impresson': John took to Twitter to explain the incident to his 480,000 followers 'They kicked us out': His dinner guest agreed with John's version of events on the Twitter video 'McMenamins...McNot': The Doctor Who alum slated the restaurant saying it was 'not a good recommendation' Solidarity: Fans were quick to rally around the star, some even willing to boycott the chain Two sides: McMenamins has been contacted for comment concerning the incident One wrote: 'Omg... I will not eat at any of their restaurants including Woodinville now! I'm sorry John!' Another penned: 'I'm so sorry that this has happened to you John as you're a legend on [and] off camera.' A third chimed: 'I'm so sorry they did that John. Thank you for being an amazing celebrity today! It was great meeting you!'. McMenamins is a family-owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in Oregon and Washington. Founded in 1983, one of their unique selling points is that many of their establishments are rehabilitated historical properties. At least nine are on the National Register of Historic Places MailOnline has contacted McMenamins for comment. John issued an apology in 2021 after responding to historical claims of 'inappropriate behaviour' on the set of BBC drama Torchwood, an admission that led to him being dropped from popular mainstream show Dancing On Ice. In November 2021, John - who was replaced by Oti Mabuse on Dancing On Ice - insisted the controversy surrounding his past antics was 'exaggerated' as he gave his first interview since being sacked. Speaking in an interview with Lorraine, he said: 'All the people that are making the fuss about it, they werent there, they dont know the context of things that were done.' John described his past actions as 'silly behaviour' and insisted that he would 'never do it now' after previously admitting to 'tomfoolery' on the sets of Doctor Who, where he began playing Captain Jack Harkness in 2005 and spin-off series Torchwood a year later. He explained: 'I think that if it was now, it would be crossing the line. I think that something that happened 15 years ago, it was bawdy behaviour, silly behaviour, it was being done in the confines of the set, and we were like a family, working together. 'The fact that it was stories that Ive already told. Ive been telling them for years. I havent hidden anything, theyve been exaggerated, and theyve tried to turn them into sexual harassment which it absolutely is not.' He added: 'The one thing for me, all the people that are making the fuss about it, they werent there, they dont know the context of things that were done. The continued bashing is not good. We've moved on. 'Like I said, I would never do it now but what were not allowing people and myself to do were not allowing people to learn to adapt and to change, and thats the most important thing.' by Muhammad Wasama Khalid The Gwadar Port and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Baluchistan are two interrelated endeavors that have attracted considerable scholarly and public interest in recent times. The Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) possess the capability to facilitate the realization of Baluchistans socio-economic development and yield substantial outcomes for the area. The emergence of Gwadar Port, in conjunction with the comprehensive infrastructure initiatives within the CPEC framework, presents prospects for commerce, capital allocation, and inter-regional linkage. These initiatives have the potential to uplift Baluchistan, a province historically marked by economic challenges, and propel it toward prosperity and development. Gwadar: the Silicon Valley of Pakistan [Photo: Special Arrangement] Gwadar Port, located in the southwestern province of Baluchistan in Pakistan, holds immense strategic importance due to its unique geographical location. Situated at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, it serves as a gateway to the Arabian Sea. Gwadars strategic significance lies in its potential to facilitate trade and connectivity between various regions, including the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a grandiose endeavor with the objective of linking Gwadar Port to Chinas wider Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI, envisioned by China, seeks to enhance regional connectivity and promote economic cooperation through the development of infrastructure, trade, and investment links across Asia, Europe, and Africa. CPEC acts as a flagship project of the BRI, linking the Pakistani port of Gwadar with Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang. Under the umbrella of CPEC, numerous infrastructure developments and projects are underway to strengthen the connectivity and economic potential of Gwadar Port and Baluchistan. These projects include the construction of highways, railways, energy projects, industrial zones, and the development of Gwadar City itself. The development of transportation infrastructure aims to improve connectivity not only within Pakistan but also with neighboring countries such as China, Afghanistan, and Iran. Additionally, energy projects aim to address Pakistans power shortages, while the establishment of industrial zones in Gwadar aims to attract foreign investment and promote industrialization in the region. Socio-Economic Benefits for Baluchistan The Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) possess the capacity to generate a substantial quantity of employment opportunities and facilitate employment creation in the province of Baluchistan. The establishment of Gwadar Port necessitates the employment of a labor force to undertake tasks related to its construction, operation, and upkeep. Additionally, the implementation of industrial zones and their corresponding industries within the area is anticipated to generate job prospects throughout diverse domains, such as production, transportation, and customer service. The potential increase in commercial enterprises and financial investments within the region has the capacity to generate employment opportunities for local inhabitants, consequently mitigating issues of joblessness and enhancing the broader socio-economic landscape of Baluchistan. The direct impact of revenue generation in Baluchistan will be facilitated by the growth of trade and business activities through Gwadar Port and CPEC. By improving connectivity and optimizing logistics, the region has the potential to attract higher levels of trade, encompassing both inbound and outbound shipments. The strategic positioning of Gwadar Port facilitates convenient entry to the Arabian Sea, and presents a more direct pathway for the transportation of commodities to and from Central Asian nations that lack coastal access. The enhanced trade potential has the potential to result in a rise in income via port charges, tariffs, and taxation. Subsequently, the revenue generated can be allocated towards additional development endeavors and public welfare initiatives within the region of Baluchistan. The Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offer a promising prospect for the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the promotion of economic diversification in the region of Baluchistan. The establishment of industrial zones, special economic zones, and free trade areas in Gwadar presents a favorable investment environment for foreign enterprises seeking to establish a foothold in the area. The investment potential of the region is further augmented by the presence of plentiful natural resources and the accessibility of skilled labor at reasonable costs. Foreign investments have the potential to not only provide financial capital, but also facilitate the transfer of technology, expertise, and best practices. This transfer of knowledge can significantly contribute to the growth of local industries and promote economic diversification beyond conventional sectors. The act of diversifying can potentially mitigate the regions reliance on particular sectors and foster equitable and enduring economic growth. Infrastructure Development and Connectivity The primary objective of the infrastructure development initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is to enhance the transport networks within the province of Baluchistan and establish connectivity between the region and its neighboring countries. One notable example of infrastructure development in Pakistan is the Makran Coastal Highway, which facilitates transportation between Gwadar Port and Karachi, as well as other significant urban centers in the country. Furthermore, the expansion of railway infrastructure, such as the Main Line 1 (ML-1) railway initiative, is poised to augment the interconnectivity between Gwadar Port and the northern regions of Pakistan, with the potential to extend into China. The enhanced transportation infrastructure not only enables the efficient transportation of commodities but also enhances the accessibility for inhabitants, thereby facilitating seamless travel and connectivity across the locality. The potential for trade, tourism, and regional integration can be stimulated by the improved connectivity facilitated by Gwadar Port and CPEC. Efficient transport networks have the potential to decrease transit times and expenses, thereby facilitating trade activities for businesses in a more convenient and economical manner. Enhanced connectivity can potentially facilitate a surge in tourism by providing convenient access to Baluchistans picturesque sites and cultural legacy, thereby enticing both domestic and foreign visitors. Moreover, the improved connectivity facilitates regional integration by stimulating commerce and collaboration among Baluchistan and adjacent areas, including Sindh, Punjab, and even global locations such as China, Central Asia, and the Middle East. By capitalizing on the advantageous geographical placement of Gwadar Port, Baluchistan possesses the capacity to establish itself as a pivotal center for commerce and transportation within the area. The ports strategic location in close proximity to global shipping routes and its efficient connectivity with landlocked nations in Central Asia render it a highly favorable transshipment hub for commercial activities. The provision of effective logistics and trade facilitation services by Gwadar Port has the potential to entice commercial enterprises and shipping corporations to avail themselves of its offerings, thereby stimulating heightened economic activity within the area. The Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offer significant opportunities for socio-economic development in the province of Baluchistan. However, the realization of this potential necessitates the resolution of several challenges and the implementation of efficient mitigation strategies. By placing emphasis on inclusive development, community engagement, and capacity building, it is possible to optimize the advantages of these initiatives for the indigenous populace. In order to ensure long-term socio-economic uplift and minimize any adverse effects, it is imperative to adopt sustainable development practices. The realization of Baluchistans growth potential and the consequent long-term prosperity of the region can be achieved through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders, effective planning, and good governance, particularly in relation to the Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have the potential to bring about significant socio-economic growth and development in Baluchistan, representing a transformative opportunity for the region. The integration of Gwadar Port into the larger CPEC initiative and its advantageous geographical location present novel opportunities for regional connectivity, trade, and investment. By means of the implementation of infrastructure initiatives, the locality can surmount longstanding economic obstacles and establish a pathway towards a thriving future. Muhammad Wasama Khalid is a Correspondent and Researcher at Global Affairs. He is pursuing his Bachelors in International Relations at National Defense University (NDU). He has a profound interest in history, politics, current affairs, and international relations. He is an author of Global village space, Global defense insight, Global Affairs, and modern diplomacy. He tweets at @Wasama Khalid and can be reached at Wasamakhalid@gmail.com Florence Pugh's Lucky Star seems to be on the rise after revealing she made 1 million last year. According to The Daily Mail's Richard Eden, accounts for the 27-year-old's company, Flo Pug Ltd, show its earnings rocketed from 531,000 to almost 1.5 million in the 12 months to the end of August last year. The business channels her earnings from films which last year included Don't Worry Darling and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. The figures show the Little Women actress was so successful she had a tax bill of 109,000 up from 23,500. She also advanced herself almost 380,000 in cash from the company, and paid it all back. Cashing in! Florence Pugh's Lucky Star seems to be on the rise after revealing she made 1 million last year Big money! Accounts for the 27-year-old's company, Flo Pug Ltd, show its earnings rocketed from 531,000 to almost 1.5 million after roles in films including Don't Worry Darling Florence's next big Hollywood role is just weeks away, as she is set to star in Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated film Oppenheimer. The upcoming historical thriller centres on the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory responsible for the creation of the first atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. The film stars some of the most famous faces in Hollywood, including Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy, 46, as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt, 40, as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine 'Kitty' Oppenheimer. Little Women star Florence plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock - while Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr, director of the Manhattan Project. Written and directed by Nolan, epic thriller Oppenheimer thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. The film centres on the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, responsible for the creation of the first atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. In August 1945 the bombs were detonated on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date - to end the Second World War. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. New look: Florence's next big Hollywood role is just weeks away, as she is set to star in Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated film Oppenheimer Gripping: The upcoming historical thriller centres on the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) The three-minute long new trailer is tense, showing the race against time to develop the bomb and the moral dilemmas that come alongside it. Other famous faces include Robert Downey, Jr who plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the US Atomic Energy Commission. Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence. Oppenheimer also stars Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh. Oppenheimer will hit cinemas from July 21. They were fan favourites on The Block's fourth and sixth seasons. And Josh and Jenna Densten are still going strong in the renovation industry, years after shooting to fame on the Channel Nine series. The couple recently transformed a derelict farmhouse in rural Victoria into a glorious country retreat. Situated in Rutherglen, 294km from Melbourne, Josh and Jenna have carefully restored the classic stone dwelling over the last 18 months. The new photos, shared to The Block's official site, show off one of the bedrooms the couple created for their two children, Fred and Story. The Block's Josh and Jenna Densten are still going strong in the renovation industry, years after shooting to fame on the Channel Nine series The couple recently transformed a derelict farmhouse in rural Victoria into a glorious country retreat. Pictured above Among the many challenges facing Josh and Jenna for this part of the project was installing a new roof. Their plans to create a 'whimsical space' for their kids involved having to preserve the vintage features of the original house, which was built in the 1880s. The 'before' picture of the bedroom space shows a weathered brick fireplace, a tiny window and no floor. The 'after' pic shows the bedroom completely redone from top to bottom. The 'before' picture of the bedroom space shows a weathered brick fireplace, a tiny window and no floor The 'after' pic shows the bedroom completely redone from top to bottom, boasting floorboards and furniture Featuring a pastel pink colour palette, the girls' bedroom is a cosy space, which includes an ornate fireplace, two bunk beds, a work table and soft cream curtains. The couple, who have bought and restored a series of homes since appearing on The Block in 2011, told the publication that no one had lived on the site for almost a decade before they bought it. Plans for the home renovation included a rumpus room for their two daughters as well as a vineyard. Originally built in the 1880s, the house, which Josh and Jenna bought in 2021, is located in Rutherglen Plans for the home renovation included a rumpus room for their two daughters as well as a vineyard Before buying the Rutherglen property, the Densten's sold off their 'forever home' in North Melbourne in 2021. Josh and Jenna shot to fame on the fourth season of The Block in 2011. They later returned for The Block: All Stars in 2013, before competing on the first season of Nine's Reno Rumble in 2015. Interior designer Jenna and her plumber husband Josh appeared on the Channel have renovated 10 houses between them since they first appeared on the hit reality show. Keira Maguire didn't have a care in the world on Saturday night. The Bachelor villain enjoyed a night with Bachelorette star Ciarran Stott, sharing footage from the outing to Instagram. The pair dined on lobster linguine and flat bread, as well as cheese and wine, at an upmarket restaurant in Melbourne. 'Get yourself a friend who loves food as much as you do,' Keira wrote in the caption on one of the videos. The pals then headed to a home where they continued their spirited night out at home with a game of Mario Cart, with Keira captioning a clip of Ciarran 'the cutest'. Keira Maguire didn't have a care in the world on Saturday night. The Bachelor villain enjoyed a night with Bachelorette star Ciarran Stott, sharing footage from the outing to Instagram. Both pictured The pair were individually known as 'villains' on the reality franchise and both appeared on Bachelor in Paradise. Keira will face court later this year on multiple assault charges. The star has been ordered to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on August 3, the Herald Sun reported. Maguire, 37, was reported to have been allegedly involved in an altercation in March that saw a drink get thrown over a customer at The Osborne Rooftop and Bar in South Yarra, Melbourne. The reality stars dined on lobster linguine and flat bread, as well as cheese and wine, at an upmarket restaurant The pals then headed to a home where they continued their spirited night out at home with a game of Mario Cart, with Keira captioning a clip of Ciarran 'the cutest' Anna McEvoy, a former Love Island contestant, said on her podcast Where's Your Head At? that she witnessed the aftermath of the alleged altercation. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Maguire for comment. Maguire rose to fame on Richie Strahan's season of The Bachelor in 2016, before appearing on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Bachelor in Paradise. In 2021, she revealed Instagram was her only source of income during an SBS program. Keira has almost 135,000 Instagram followers, and regularly uses the social media app to promote brands and products. She's among a slew of stars descending on Worthy Farm for the music event. And Poppy Delevingne proudly showed off her svelte physique in a colourful crochet mini dress as she headed out for day three of Glastonbury on Friday. The model, 37, put on a leggy display in the eye-catching piece with a green and blue striped effect as she strolled through the vast array of tents and performances. Poppy slipped into the bright green mini dress from Nobody's Child emblazoned with blue contrasting stripes, and aptly teamed her look with wellington boots. She carried her essentials in a black suede fringed cross-body bag and chic sunglasses, and finished her look with Missoma earrings. Looking good! Poppy Delevingne proudly showed off her svelte physique in a colourful crochet mini dress as she headed out for day three of the Glastonbury Festival on Friday Bold! The model put on a leggy display in the eye-catching piece with a green and blue striped effect as she strolled through the vast array of tents and performances The festival - which takes place from June 21-25 at Somerset's Worthy Farm, will see the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Skepta and The Chemical Brothers joining the already confirmed headline acts. After The Arctic Monkeys took to the stage on Friday, Saturday will see Guns and Roses headline the Pyramid Stage. Elton John will then take to the iconic stage to close the festival on Sunday, in what will be his final UK performance. The other stage will be headlined by Wizkid, Lana Del Rey and Queens of the Stone Age over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Glastonbury Festival described the stage as 'the most instantly recognised festival stage in the world'. The iconic stage has had quite the line-up featuring: The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Shirley Bassey and many more. David Bowie delivered one of the most memorable Glastonbury performances on the stage in 2000. Poppy - big sister to fellow catwalk star Cara - has also been making headlines recently for her outings with Prince Constantine Alexios. Looking good! Poppy slipped into the bright green mini dress which was emblazoned with blue contrasting stripes, and aptly teamed her look with wellington boots Festival chic! She carried her essentials in a black suede fringed cross-body bag and chic sunglasses A member of the Greek royal family, he has been romantically linked to Poppy following her reported split from husband James Cook. Following the reported split from James, Poppy made it clear to her ex what he was missing. He and Poppy are yet to address their split publicly but are said to have called time on their union at the beginning of last year. Poppy and James, who works for his family's aerospace company, tied the knot in 2014 at a Knightsbridge church ceremony, with sisters Cara, 30, and Chloe, 37, among her many bridesmaids. Rumours started to circulate about their marriage when James resigned as a director of her company Poppy Delevingne Limited, the firm which files the accounts for her 'photographic activities'. Amber Heard looked radiant in a chic cream ensemble on Friday night after attending the premiere of her new film at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy. The actress, 37, stars in thriller In The Fire, her first foray back to the big screen since losing the 2022 defamation case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, 60. And Amber put the court drama behind her as she smiles and laughed with her Italian co-star Luca Calvani, 48, and other pals after promoting the film at the festival. The beauty slipped into a plain white top and a cream midi skirt with a front split which highlighted her toned pins. She teamed her evening outfit with a simple black clutch and black court shoes which she later removed during the outing. All smiles: Amber Heard looked radiant in a chic cream ensemble on Friday night after attending the premiere of her new film at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy Moving on: The actress, 37, stars in thriller In The Fire, her first foray back to the big screen since losing the 2022 defamation case brought by her ex-husband Johnny Depp, 60 Amber left her wavy blonde locks loose for the occasion, while she amped up the glam with a sweep of bold red lipstick. Despite her recent legal woes, the mother-of-one looked happier than ever as she laughed and joked with her pals amid the film festival. On Saturday, Amber then looked equally glamorous in a black ensemble as she presented her new movie In The Fire at the 69th Taormina Festival. She cut an elegant figure in a black gown with sheer waterfall sleeves, which she styled with platform heels. Amber worn her golden locks in tight curls across her shoulders and completed her look with a bold slick of red lipstick. Her appearance marks the first time she has promoted a film since her court battle. The plot of film In The Fire is set in Colombia in 1899. The synopsis on the festival's website, reveals that Amber will play a widowed American psychiatrist who 'arrives in a rich farm in Colombia after being called to solve the case of a disturbed child.' The boy's mother is concerned about accusations by a local priest that her child is possessed by the devil. 'When the doctor arrives, she discovers that the boys mother is dead and that the father himself has begun to believe in the possible possession of the child.' While the doctor uses the still new practice to try to cure the child, it becomes a race against time to save the boy, and perhaps her own life. Chic: On Saturday, Amber then looked equally glamorous in a black ensemble as she presented her new movie In The Fire at the 69th Taormina Festival Happy days; Amber put the court drama behind her as she smiles and laughed with her Italian co-star Luca Calvani, 48, and other pals after promoting the film at the festival Gorgeous: The beauty slipped into a plain white top and a cream midi skirt with a front split which highlighted her toned pins Ouch: She teamed her evening outfit with a simple black clutch and black court shoes which she later removed during the outing Grin and barefoot it: The actress walked around the cobbled streets without her shows Fun times: Amber happily laughed and giggled with her companions on the night out Drink up: She was seen chatting to her male pal as he enjoyed a glass of wine Glam: Amber left her wavy blonde locks loose for the occasion, while she amped up the glam with a sweep of bold red lipstick Amber will also appear in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. She is expected to reprise her role as Mera, for the superhero film due out in December. Amber has been living in Spain with her daughter Oonagh, two, where she moved after the volatile court case. The little one was born via surrogate in April 2021. Helping hand: Amber was given assistance as she navigated the stairs in her heels Stunner: She put on a leggy display in the thigh-split skirt I've got you: Her pal wrapped a reassuring hand around her waist as they walked Barefoot: The actress shed her shoes during the outing Happy again: Despite her recent legal woes, the mother-of-one looked happier than ever as she laughed and joked with her pals amid the film festival Back at it: Her appearance marks the first time she has promoted a film since her court battle All smiles: The next day, Amber continued promoting her film and cut an elegant figure in a black gown with sheer waterfall sleeves Kisses! Amber was seen blowing kisses to fans as she promoted her film at the festival on Saturday Energetic: Amber appeared in good spirits as she waved to fans and milled about the crowds She's a doting mother to two children with her fiance Jason Statham. And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley celebrated her son Jack's sixth birthday in a sweet Instagram post on Saturday, as she shared a glimpse of his colourful decorations. The model, 36, posted a sweet snap of her little boy when he was just a baby, gushing he was her 'favourite human being.' Another image showed the giant numbered balloons and bunting she'd used to decorate her house for Jack's big day. She captioned her post: 'Happy Birthday to my favourite human being! Jack.' Adorable! Rosie Huntington-Whiteley celebrated her son Jack's sixth birthday in a sweet Instagram post on Saturday, as she shared a glimpse of his colourful decorations Rosie recently spoke of her longing to return to her home county of Devon after living in celebrity enclave Malibu, California for years. She and Jason Statham - who share son Jack and daughter Isabella, 16 months, together - sold their Malibu mansion for $18.5 million to move to the Chelsea district of London. Rosie was born in the Devon city of Plymouth before moving to market town Tavistock, also located in the South West English county, and she admits that part of the world is still her favourite. Speaking to Great British LIFE, she said: 'I'm a country girl at heart. I spend a lot of my time living in LA which is lovely. I spend a lot of time in other major cities too.' She added: 'There might be the glamour and fun to enjoy in a city but the real beauty is in the countryside and especially in my home county where the people are so nice and ready to volunteer smile for no particular reason. 'The country air smells so fresh and I still love to see the sheep, the pigs, the ducks, chickens and, of course, the horses. 'Whenever I am here and I really don't like to be away for very long, I just find it all so relaxing and lovely. It is home to me.' Despite being engaged since 2016, Rosie and Jason are in no hurry to rush their wedding preparations. Cute! The model posting an image showing the giant numbered balloons and bunting she'd used to decorate her house for Jack's big day Welcoming their son, Jack, a year after her beau got down on one knee, Rosie told ET in 2018 that the wedding wasn't a 'huge priority.' She said: 'We're looking forward to that time. It's also not a huge priority for us; we're so happy. 'I think it will be fun to do it when the baby's grown up a bit and he can be involved in the wedding.' Today show host Karl Stefanovic is off the air as he attends a lavish wedding in Paris, replaced by Charles Croucher and James Bracey. But the absence of the breakfast program's star is doing wonders for ratings, with the numbers rising, not falling, while he's away. The show has rung in its strongest ratings in four weeks with Karl away, rising up to 191,760 viewers on Monday. There's still competition from Sunrise, however, with more eyeballs on the series thanks to new host Matt Shirvington, who recently replaced David 'Kochie' Koch. Sunrise smashed Today with a lead of 66,000 viewers over the five capital cities during Shirvington's debut episode on June 12. Today show host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) is off the air as he attends a lavish wedding in Paris, replaced by Charles Croucher and James Bracey. But the absence of the breakfast program's star is doing wonders for ratings, with the numbers rising, not falling, while he's away By June 19 that lead had risen by a further 10,000, bringing in 245,192 viewers to Sunrise. It comes after Karl skipped town for the lavish society wedding of millionaire chicken heiress Tamie Ingham and chef Guillaume Brahimi in Paris. Stefanovic, who has long been friends with Brahimi after being introduced by mutual acquaintance James Packer, served as emcee at the ritzy nuptials spread across two raucous days culminating in a reception at the famed Maxim's bistro. The 48-year-old, dad-of-four was photographed living it up with wife Jasmine in the French capital, first attending a welcome soiree at cult restaurant Girafe Paris on Tuesday evening. He was seen the following day arriving for the ceremony at the sprawling Museum Mondee where Brahimi officially tied the knot with Tamie - a member of the Ingham chicken family which sold the poultry business back in 2013 for $800million. There's still competition from Sunrise, however, with more eyeballs on the series thanks to new host Matt Shirvington (pictured), who recently replaced David 'Kochie' Koch Karl and Jasmine, who are staying at the $13,000-per night Hotel Costes while in Paris, are set to spend two weeks abroad in total with Stefanovic to resume hosting on June 26. It's unfortunate timing that was 'pure coincidence,' according to Today boss Steve Burling who defended Stefanovic's holiday. '[Karl] booked in these two weeks' leave some months ago. The fact his holiday coincides with Shirvo's first day is pure coincidence. Nothing more,' he said. 'Karl hasn't had any time off since hitting the ground running during the Australian Open in January.' Shirvington's impressive start marks a seamless beginning for the former sprinter who took over after Koch stepped down following more than two decades. Karl skipped town for the lavish society wedding of millionaire chicken heiress Tamie Ingham and chef Guillaume Brahimi in Paris alongside his wife, Jasmine (left) Karl appeared to be having the time of his life on holiday Veteran media analyst Steve Allen, of independent media agency Pearman Media, recently described Shirvington is a fitting successor to Koch due largely to the fact both men are 'genuinely relatable' and don't appear pre-disposed to personal life dramas like Stefanovic. 'Because let's be honest...Karl doesn't always seem to be authentic,' Allen told Daily Mail Australia. 'It seems he is always papering over something naughty that he has done. 'Hardly a year goes by that Karl isn't involved in some snafu. 'And while he might try to appear relatable, at the end of the day his personal life suggests otherwise... he is always attending silver spoon social events, going to celebrity weddings and seeking out an A-list posse of friends. '(Today producers) might not want us judging him for that but the reality is audiences do judge and it is a turn off.' In comparison Shirvington is 'genuinely down to earth', Allen said. 'Matt Shirvington just doesn't seem like the kind of person who is interested in that world. He might not be all that urbane but he is certainly relatable.' Lara Worthington and her husband Sam Worthington were doing double duty at a glamorous fashion event on Friday. The model and actor attended the Hermes SS24 Men's Show in Paris and looked glamourous as ever as they posed side by side. The pair both opted for leather, with Lara wearing a long, black coat paired with loose fit leather trousers. She chose a black top underneath with a plunging neckline, as well as pointed patent heels. The 36-year-old opted for a warm makeup palette with a peachy blush and rust-toned eye shadow and nude lipstick, while wearing her blonde bob slicked down. Lara Worthington and her husband Sam Worthington were doing double duty at a glamorous fashion event on Friday. Both pictured Sam meanwhile wore a shorter, bulkier leather jacket along with a simple black T-shirt. The Avatar actor, 46, added a pair of dark jeans and black and white sneakers to the ensemble. Golden couple Lara and Sam married in 2014 and share three young sons, Rocket, Racer, and River. It comes after Lara revealed how she and her actor husband are a 'team' and always work together to keep their family a well-oiled machine. The model and actor attended the Hermes SS24 Men's Show in Paris and looked glamourous as ever as they posed side by side The pair both opted for leather, with Lara wearing a long, black coat paired with loose fit leather trousers She chose a black top underneath with a plunging neckline, as well as pointed patent heels The 36-year-old opted for a warm makeup palette with a peachy blush and rust-toned eye shadow and nude lipstick The model, 35, told The Daily Telegraph that the pair, who met in 2013, are enjoying getting older together. 'As a family unit, we're all very close. We've only got each other. Sam and I are a good team. We're both Australians and we have the same values. We come at our children as a team and I think that's really important,' she told Stellar Magazine. Lara went on to say that she and her family are 'all very close' and that she isn't too strict a parent. 'They always make me feel so good, especially Sam. I don't want that to ever go; I hope it doesn't,' she said. The beauty was wearing her blonde bob slicked down She added a pair of dainty earrings and skipped other accessories Sam meanwhile wore a shorter, bulkier leather jacket along with a simple black T-shirt The Avatar actor, 46, added a pair of dark jeans and black and white sneakers to the ensemble Lara and Sam married in 2014 and share three young sons, Rocket, Racer, and River 'But being able to be a mum and [to] work definitely stems from your partner. Sam and I are on the same page, so I feel like he's 'got me' when I'm working and vice versa,' she added. The beauty said that Sam is a 'a strong father figure' who supports her in her creative endeavors. 'The fact my husband allows me to be creative and have dreams and aspirations that's really important,' Lara said. The Worthington clan recently returned to the US after a long stint in Australia. Selena Gomez celebrated her return to Los Angeles, after two months away filming her upcoming movie, Emilia Perez, alongside Zoe Saldana, in Paris, at Nobu Malibu. After bidding the French capital farewell earlier this week, the 30-year-old pop star was seen parting ways with friends at the beachfront Japanese restaurant, popular among influencers and celebrities. As she walked back to her car on Friday night, the Only Murders in the Building actress looked chic in a long striped sweater over a white tank top and billowy pants. For the occasion, she rocked her trademark brown locks in a sleek bun and could be seen carrying out some of the eatery's world-class sushi in a black to-go bag. Earlier in the day, the Rare Beauty founder reflected on shooting her latest project and time abroad by sharing a slideshow full of her recent adventures. At her favorite spot: Selena Gomez celebrated her return to Los Angeles, after two months away filming her upcoming movie, Emilia Perez, alongside Zoe Saldana, in Paris, at Nobu Malibu No place like home: After bidding the French capital farewell earlier this week, the 30-year-old pop star was seen parting ways with friends at the beachfront Japanese restaurant, popular among influencers and celebrities 'Thank you Paris for being a home to me for two months! I loved every moment. Working on this film has completely changed my life. I cant wait to share more soon! Love you all,' she captioned her post. The first snap showed Gomez in a white blouse, blue jeans and gold hoop earrings, about to bite into some French bread outside chef Philippe Conticini's pastry shop. The actress also shared a selfie of her in a black sweater, and another of her in a recording studio, hugging a younger co-star with others behind the mixing board. Gomez also shared a snap of the Paris landmark the Arc de Triomphe that looms over the Champs Elysees in Paris. She also shared a snap with a number of other female friends from a Parisian rooftop, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The actress also shared a black-and-white snap of her looking out into Paris from the balcony of her place. Gomez also shared a snap of her hugging a friend under the Eiffel Tower and another of her with more friends while wearing a white Dior top. She also shared a snap of her co-star Zoe Saldana handing out heart-shaped pizzas to others. The final snap was a view of her morning coffee on the patio and its view looking over Paris. Au revoir: Earlier in the day, the Rare Beauty founder reflected on shooting her latest project and time abroad by sharing a slideshow full of her recent adventures 'Thank you Paris for being a home to me for two months! I loved every moment. Working on this film has completely changed my life. I cant wait to share more soon! Love you all,' she captioned her post Friends: She shared another of her in a recording studio, hugging a younger co-star with others behind the mixing board Friends: The performer also shared a snap with a number of other female friends from a Parisian rooftop, with the Eiffel Tower in the background Dior: Additionally, Gomez shared a snap of her hugging a friend under the Eiffel Tower and another of her with more friends while wearing a white Dior top Her film Emilia Perez from writer-director Jacques Audiard is described as a, 'musical crime comedy. The film follows a Mexican cartel leader, played by Brazilian trans actress Karla Sofia Gascon, who undergoes a sex change to become, 'woman he's always dreamed of being,' to go into hiding after retiring from the deadly business. There are no details on who Gomez will be playing, though she stars alongside Saldana, Edgar Ramirez, Eduardo Alaro and more. Gomez also has two films in pre-production, Spiral and In the Shadow of the Mountain, though it's unclear which will start production first. She will also return as Mabel Mora in the third season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, debuting August 8. Actors Sue Johnson, 71, and Ricky Tomlinson, 83, who appeared on The Royle Family returned to TV screens on Friday night. The legendary duo joined forces for the fifth series of Celebrity Gogglebox and viewers were delighted at the pairing, with some calling it the best booking ever. The two are best known for their roles as bickering couple Jim and Barbara in the BBC comedy, which acted as inspiration for the Channel 4 show. Taking to Twitter, one Celebrity Gogglebox viewer raved that the pair were 'pure joy from start to finish'. Another added: 'This is EVERYTHING' followed by heart emoji. Back together: The Royle Family fans had a surprise reunion on Friday night when Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston joined forces for the new series of Celebrity Gogglebox Laugh a minute: Ricky had fans in stitches when he told of a time he was mistaken for Hollywood actor George Clooney while wearing a Covid mask A third wrote: 'Our Jim and Barbara reunited! Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are TV legends.' And a fourth declared Ricky Tomlinson a national treasure adding that he's an 'absolute hoot'. Fans saw Sue and Ricky back together discussing the TV, which is what they were famed for on the sitcom. They opened the heart-warming series with a hilarious story that had viewers in stitches from the start. Ricky told of a time when he was misidentified as Hollywood actor George Clooney while wearing a Covid mask, before going on to chat about the week's TV. The long-standing friends and actors gave their opinions on This Morning and King Charles' televised Trooping The Colour, along with horror movie M3GAN. Ricky also had Sue and viewers at home laughing out loud when he recalled the time he once almost asked A-list actor Robert De Niro if 'he was in showbiz'. Other stars appearing on this series of Celebrity Gogglebox include Davina McCall and her boyfriend Michael Douglas. Close friends: Fans were delighted to see 'Jim and Barbara' reunite a whole 11 years since they appeared on the telly together Funny duo: The reaction from viewers was really positive with some people calling out for Ricky and Sue to be crowned King and Queen Living legends: The pair are best known for their roles as the bickering couple Jim and Barbara in BBC comedy, The Royle Family which acted as inspiration for Gogglebox Comedian Katherine Ryan and her husband Bobby are also joining the show, as well as BBC star Chris Packham with his step-daughter Megan. A slew of other familiar faces are also returning for the new series, including Zoe Ball, Rylan Clark, Denise Van Outen, Mo Gilligan, Shaun Ryder and Nick Grimshaw. Sue and Ricky appeared in The Royle Family for three series and a slew of specials from 1998 until 2012, alongside former Gogglebox narrator Caroline Aherne, who played their daughter Denise. Craig Cash, who took over as the narrator of Gogglebox following Caroline Aherne's death in 2016 played Dave Best in the hit sitcom. by M. K. Bhadrakumar The Kremlin leadership has acted decisively to meet the threat of an armed insurrection by the Russian oligarch and self-styled founder of Wagner Group of military contractors, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In a series of videos released on Friday, Prigozhin alleged that the Russian governments justifications for military intervention in Ukraine were based on lies. He accused the Russian Defence Ministry under minister Sergei Shoigu of trying to deceive society and the president and tell us how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO. He claimed that regular Russian armed forces had launched missile strikes against Wagner forces, killing a huge number. Yevgeny Prigozhin pictured with Wagner mercenaries in eastern Ukraine. [ Photo: Moscow Times] Prigozhin declared: The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped. He vowed to march on Moscow and hold those responsible to account. The Federal Security Service or FSB (formerly the KGB) has called it an armed rebellion; Wagners headquarters in St. Petersburg has been sealed; Prosecutor Generals Office said this crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 12 to 20 years. In an address to the nation at 10.00 am onMoscow time on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned the developments describing it as an armed mutiny and calling for consolidation of all forces. Putin drew a parallel with the insurrection in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) in February 1917 that led to the Bolshevik Revolution and a protracted civil war with large-scale western military intervention, including the United States, while all sorts of political adventurers and foreign forces profited from the situation by tearing the country apart to divide it. He promised, Decisive actions will also be taken to stabilise the situation in Rostov-on-Don (700 kms south of Moscow where Prigozhin is located with Wagner fighters.) It remains difficult, the work of civil and military authorities is actually blocked. Putin vowed that those who organised and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against his comrades betrayed Russia, will be punished. Significantly, Putin never once mentioned Prigozhins name. This face-off has been in the making for several months and is traceable to tensions in the working relations between the Wagner forces and the Russian ministry of defence, Prigozhins personal antipathy towards Defence Minister Shoigu and the Russian top brass, his bloated ego and overvaulting political ambition, and, most certainly, his business interests. Prigozhin has crossed the red line that Putin famously drew right at the beginning of his rule in the Kremlin in the summer of 2000 in a historic meeting in the Kremlin with 21 of the richest men in Russia the rapacious oligarchs, as Russians had come to derisively call them who had risen seemingly out of nowhere, amassing spectacular fortunes as the country around them descended into chaos through shady deals, outright corruption, and even murder and had seized control of much of Russias economy, and, increasingly, its fledgling democracy. At the closed-door meeting, Putin told them, face to face, who was really in charge in Russia. Putin offered the oligarchs a deal: Bend to the Russian states authority, stay out of the way of Russias governance or domestic politics, and you can keep your mansions, super-yachts, private jets, and multibillion-dollar corporations. In the coming years, those oligarchs who reneged on this deal paid a heavy price. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, worth worth $15 billion, and once ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires, is the most celebrated case, who harboured political ambition and now lives in exile in the US, lavishly funding American think tanks and Russophobic activists spewing venom against Putin. But, on the other hand, the loyalists who stayed back went on to became filthy rich and live off the fat of the land like nobodys business. Prigozhin, a man of humble origin, stayed back to amass great wealth. In a way, he symbolises all that has gone terribly wrong with Russias post-Soviet reincarnation. However, the dividing line is often blurred as even those who stayed back took care to keep a significant part of their loot in western countries, in bank vaults or as moveable and immoveable assets beyond the reach of Russian law. Which means, the oligarchs are also highly vulnerable to Western blackmail. Unsurprisingly, the western capitals fancy that the oligarchs could lend a hand to undermine the Kremlin regime from within or create a social implosion to destabilise Russia and throw into disarray its war effort in Ukraine. Prigozhins antecedents are anybodys guess. But it is entirely conceivable that this man who is credited with extra-large influence in the Kremlins corridors of power has been in the cross-hairs of western intelligence. Prigozhin is worth at least $1.2 billion in personal wealth. Prigozhin was also a trailblazer of sorts, having got into the hugely lucrative profession of managing a quasi-state company of mercenaries who are trained and equipped to act as military contractors in hotspots abroad in countries where Russia has vital interests commercially, politically or militarily. Moscow is no longer in the Soviet-era business of promoting national liberation movements. But it also cannot be impervious to the regime changes that Russias main western opponents routinely promote to serve their geopolitical interests in the so-called Global South (or in the ex-Soviet republics.) Thus, Russia has found an ingenious Third Way by creating a military wing somewhat fashioned after the notorious French Foreign League. The Wagner Group has proved to be extremely effective in Sahel region and elsewhere in Africa as a provider of security for the established governments. The erstwhile colonial powers no longer have a field day in dictating terms to the African governments. Suffice to say, the taming of Prigozhin has proved to be difficult, although Russian intelligence would have been aware that western intelligence was in touch with him. Indeed, his increasingly defiant public posturing was becoming a serious distraction for the Kremlin. One possibility is that Russian intelligence gave him a long rope to hang himself. Equally, Kremlins preference would have been to pacify and co-opt him in the war effort. Putin even met him. In his address to the nation, Putin stopped short of alleging any foreign hand in the current developments, and put his finger on Excessive ambitions and personal interests [having] led to treason. But, rather explicitly more than once Putin also highlighted that it will be foreign powers inimical to Russia who are the ultimate beneficiaries of Prigozhins activity. Significantly, the FSB has directly accused Prigozhin of treason, which could only have been on the basis of intelligence inputs and with Putins approval. The fact that Prigozhins mutiny comes bang in the middle of the Ukrainian offensive when the war is nearing a tipping point in Russias favour must also be carefully weighed in. In the final analysis, this macabre attempt at mutiny wont fly. Oligarchs are a detested lot in Russian opinion. Any Western hopes of staging an insurrection in Russia and a regime change under an oligarchs banner will be an absurd idea, to say the least. The immediate challenge will be to isolate Prigozhin and his hardcore associates from the bulk of Wagner fighters. Putin has praised the Wagner fighters contribution in Ukraine war. The charismatic commander in Ukraine, General Sergey Surovikin has made a public appeal to the Wagner troops to submit to the authorities before it is too late, return to their barracks, and address their grievances peacefully. But in a near term, a systemic approach is needed to integrate Wagner Group, which after all proved its worth every bit in the war of attrition in Bakhmut. M. K. Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat by profession. Roughly half of the 3 decades of his diplomatic career was devoted to assignments on the territories of the former Soviet Union and to Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Other overseas postings included South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey. He writes mainly on Indian foreign policy and the affairs of the Middle East, Eurasia, Central Asia, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Adele paused her Las Vegas residency concert to ask the audience if they would have dared to explore the remnants of the Titanic on the ocean floor. Her inquiry comes after the tragic news broke that five passengers were killed on the Titan, a 21ft submersible, following a 'catastrophic implosion.' 'Before this week, how many people, if they could, would go down to the very very bottom of the ocean to see the Titanic? Raise your hands,' she said while seated on stage at the piano, as seen in footage, uploaded by a fan to TikTok. After asking those that would have been willing to take the risk to raise their hands, the mother-of-one said she wasn't surprised that most of her fans would have passed on the chance. Still, the Hello hitmaker was curious if anyone in the crowd would take a trip in a rocket ship to space. Pressing question: Adele paused her Las Vegas residency concert to ask the audience if they would have dared venture to the bottom of the ocean to explore the Titanic wreckage Tragic: Her inquiry comes after the tragic news broke that five passengers were killed on the Titan, a 21ft submersible, following a 'catastrophic implosion' Upon discovering the majority would not, she admitted: 'I wouldnt do either, but only because Im a bit of a p**sy. Im a scaredy cat.' The 16-time Grammy winner went on to reveal that she doesn't even 'go on rollercoasters.' 'I just genuinely dont have an interest in the deep sea or space, so thats why,' she added. Still, the performer, who had a Titanic-themed birthday in 2018, said she did find both subjects 'interesting.' Adele famously celebrated turning 30, dressed as Kate Winslet's Rose, with a party inspired by James Cameron's 1997 classic epic romance and disaster film. At the time, she thanked her 'family and friends for entertaining' her 'super fandom of the Titanic movie.' 'Last night was the best night of my life,' she gushed on Instagram, following the festivities.'Im absolutely f**ked, not sure Ill make it out the house again.' In March, Adele said that her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace has 'brought' her 'back to life.' 'Before this week, how many people, if they could, would go down to the very very bottom of the ocean to see the Titanic? Raise your hands,' she said while seated on stage at the piano, as seen in footage, uploaded by a fan to TikTok Expected: After asking those that would have been willing to take the risk to raise their hands, the mother-of-one said she wasn't surprised that most of her fans would have passed on the chance 'I feel so safe in here. My life is tiny. I dont really leave my house and thats by choice. My life used to be massive when I was younger. But it is like the bigger my career has got, the more scared and anxious I have become,' she said, at a show earlier this year. She continued: ''I hang out with my dogs, my son and my boyfriend, and chat away with my housekeeper. On Friday and Saturdays, I really look forward to coming [to Vegas] and it feels like having a night out and seeing my friends. Its brought me back to life.' ': 'I usually get butterflies and get nervous and I say a little stage prayer and cross my fingers, but I dont get anxious with these shows. It has been the best four months of my career. This show has brought me so much joy. I have loved doing it,' the star concluded. Elsewhere, the hitmaker reportedly got emotional as she spoke about her last minute cancellation of the residency last year, saying it was 'the worst thing Id ever felt in my career.' But she proudly declared that she had come back and 'as usual, I smashed it' saying it was the 'London woman' in her. 'I wouldnt do either, but only because Im a bit of a p**sy. Im a scaredy cat,' she admitted Adele also revealed that she would be extending her residency until November during the same show. 'Playing to four thousand people for 34 nights is not enough. And I know it's not enough, so I am coming back,' the Someone Like You crooner announced to a roar of cheers from the crowd. The hitmaker continued to surprise her fans, announcing that she will also be releasing a concert film from the residency. 'And after a few weeks in June I'm going to film it and I'm going to release it to make sure that anyone that wants to see it can see the show,' she said, adding, 'And then I'll be back from August until the end of fall.' She also praised the atmosphere and her fans, saying, 'It's such a f****g vibe in this room.' Harrison Ford may be finished with the Indiana Jones saga, but he's not ready to stop acting anytime soon. While sitting down for an interview with CNN as part of its Who's Talking To Chris Wallace podcast, Ford said that rather than retiring, he's searching for new films and shows to star in. 'I dont, I dont I dont do well when I dont have work,' admitted the actor, whose Yellowstone spinoff 1923 had its production delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing WGA writers strike. 'I just I love to work.' Ford added that one of the benefits of working and acting is that it makes the 80-year-old superstar 'feel useful.' 'Its my Jones, I want I want to be helpful,' he added. No end in sight: Harrison Ford, 80, told CNN's Chris Wallace that he's not planning to retire and is actively searching for new roles, even as he turned 81 in July Can't slow down: 'I dont, I dont I dont do well when I dont have work,' admitted the actor, who will soon appear in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, the fifth and final film in the series (pictured) When Wallace asked him about what he loved about acting, Ford said it was the collaborative aspect that transformed the project and made it worthwhile. 'It is the people that you get to work with. The intensity and the intimacy of collaboration. It's the combined ambition somehow forged from words on a page. 'I don't plan what I want to do in the scene and I don't feel obliged to do anything,' he continued. 'But I am, I guess, naturally affected by the things that I work on.' Ford, who will turn 81 on July 13, has previously said that his latest film, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, will be the final movie in the long-running adventure series. The actor's longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg, who had directed the first four entries in the series, opted to have a smaller role this time around as an executive producer He will be replaced by Logan and Ford V. Ferrari director James Mangold in the director's chair. Star Wars creator George Lucas, who helped write the first four films and was credited with their stories, has also reduced his role on this final film, though he will still be credited as an EP. Even as he says goodbye to his iconic character Indiana Jones, Ford is still interested in new adventures. Social butterfly: When Wallace asked him about what he loved about acting, Ford said it was the collaborative aspect that transformed the project and made it worthwhile. 'It is the people that you get to work with' Doing his part: Ford added that one of the benefits of working and acting is that it makes the 80-year-old superstar 'feel useful.' 'Its my Jones, I want I want to be helpful,' he added (still from Dial Of Destiny) He tried something new with his first-ever starring role in a television series for Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spinoff 1923, which reunited him with his Mosquito Coast costar Helen Mirren. The series was set to begin production earlier this month on its second season following a first season that was a hit with critics and viewers, but filming never commenced due to the ongoing writers strike, reports NBC Montana. The pause is the latest setback for showrunner Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone empire, after his flagship series was reported to be ending amid disputes with star Kevin Costner. According to NBC, the Butte Civic Center manager Bill Melvin said representatives from 1923 informed him that the series had been delayed due to the strike, which would prevent Sheridan who wrote all of the first season's episodes from writing additional episodes or changing any aspect of the scripts. Members of the Writers Guild of America are on strike for better pay and to get assurances from major studios and streamers that they won't replace writers with AI-created scripts, though the studios have so far been unwilling to budge. Production was originally slated to begin on Monday, June 5. The Civic Center may still be able to profit from the production, even if filming isn't going on at the moment. According to Melvin, the series is paying the city of Butte and Silver Bow County $75,000 per month for the use of the city's Civic Center through the end of 2023. The production has reportedly requested a 10-day extension on the contract. That arrangement will need to get the OK from the City-County Commission, but NBC notes that the Civic Center's board has already expressed its approval to let 1923 continue renting the venue. On hold: Ford has lately expanded into TV acting, but his Yellowstone prequel 1923 (pictured) which reunites him with Mosquito Coast costar Helen Mirren has been delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing WGA writers strike The production may also request future extensions as the writers strike continues with no end in sight. Melvin added that the Civic Center was ready to go whenever the cast and crew were given the all clear to resume filming. The second season is expected to be the last for the prequel series. Ford doubled down on TV with a starring role on the Apple TV+ dramedy Shrinking. Olivia Wilde showed off her casual street style in a plain white t-shirt and light-wash jeans while picking up flowers from a farmers' market in Los Angeles on Saturday. As she assembled a stunning arrangement, consisting of calla lilies as well as some vivid red flowers with gorgeous orange and yellow blooms, the Don't Worry Darling director, 39, smiled as she chatted with her daughter Daisy Josephine, six. While enjoying some time with her youngest child, who she shares with ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis, the actress rocked her light brown hair in a sleek updo. She completed her casual ensemble with a pair of black shades over her blue eyes, a beaded bracelet, a pair of beige Birkenstocks and a reusable tote bag. Her little girl, who stuck by her mother's side, held onto a stuffed animal and iced beverage. Cheerful: Olivia Wilde showed off her casual street style in a plain white t-shirt and light-wash jeans while picking up flowers from a farmers' market in Los Angeles on Saturday Looking good! While enjoying some time with her youngest child, who she shares with ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis , the actress rocked her light brown hair in a sleek updo Later in the day, Wilde shared an adorable photo of Daisy in their background, which she captioned: 'Favorite farmer.' In the images, uploaded to her Instagram Story, her little girl could been seen watering plants. While the performer rarely posts photos of her children, the House alum recently shared a shot of herself alongside Daisy and son, Otis Alexander, nine, at a WGA writers' strike. 'Core memories include learning about corporate greed even when you wanna love Netflix,' she wrote underneath the black and white photograph, just last month. During an interview with THR, Daisy and Otis' father also shared his support for the Writers Guild of America strike. 'I feel like it affects us, whether we're aware of it or not, when you try to divide and conquer, when people have their hands in other people's pockets,' the Ted Lasso co-creator and star said. He continued: 'Some of those pockets contain money, but some of those pockets contain ideas, and [they] do not offer anything in exchange for those ideas, and that willingness and work ethic and vulnerability that writers bring to film and television. We want to be protective of that. There are real world applications of that, obviously, like money and credits and whatnot. 'But I think the lack of humanity toward it all and just sort of making us feel like mice that just need to run this wheel and be honored for the endeavor - that doesn't pay the rent, doesn't put food on the table and doesn't make the people feel good to run on that wheel. And I think that will affect the work and the way the work is appreciated. So it's myopic thinking by people that get a lot of dough,' Sudeikis concluded. Enjoying the sunshine: Later in the day, Wilde shared an adorable photo of Daisy in their background, which she captioned: 'Favorite farmer' Too cute! In the images, uploaded to her Instagram Story, her little girl could been seen watering plants Family first: While the performer rarely posts photos of her children, the House alum recently shared a shot of herself alongside Daisy and son, Otis Alexander, nine, at a WGA writers' strike He and Wilde's eight-year relationship famously ended in November 2020 shortly after Wilde began dating three-time Grammy winner Harry Styles (sometime between September 2020 and January 2021) on the Palm Springs set of her second directorial feature, Don't Worry Darling. In November, it was claimed that Olivia was 'disappointed' that her relationship with Harry did not work out. A source told PEOPLE: 'The break has been difficult for Olivia. They have had some issues, but Olivia thought they were gonna work through it all,' the insider explained. 'She is disappointed. It's just a tricky situation, though.' But there is 'no bad blood' between Olivia and Harry and the decision to part ways was mutual. 'Harry didn't dump Olivia, or vice versa,' an insider told Page Six last year. 'It's impossible to have a relationship when he's in every continent next year and Olivia has her job and her kids.' Cindy Beale's return to EastEnders after 25 years away has been one of the television comebacks of the decade. And now it can be revealed that the soap's writers have got some viciously dynamite fights planned between the character, who is being portrayed by Michelle Collins, and her former mother-in-law, Kathy Beale - played by Gillian Taylforth. They infamously despised one another after Cindy cheated on Kathy's son Ian with David Wickes - and now EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw has described the moment they come face to face once again 26 years after Cindy left as 'absolute dynamite'. Chris said: 'Cindy's a little softer through everything that has gone on, after 25 years of living a different identity and living a lie to her other family and what comes quite apparent later in the year when she returns to Walford is it doesn't take long before we see flashes of the old Cindy Beale and she still has it, there's some absolute dynamite between Cindy and Kathy. 'It doesn't take long and it's still the same Cindy at the core, she's just been on one hell of a journey since we last saw her.' Bombshell: Cindy Beale's return to EastEnders after 25 years away has been one of the television comebacks of the decade Drama: And the soap's writers have got some dynamite fights planned between Cindy (Michelle Collins) and her former mother-in-law, Kathy Beale - played by Gillian Taylforth During last week's episodes, which were filmed on location away from the soap's Elstree studios, Cindy was back from the dead and living with her former husband Ian and their son Peter in France. It later transpired that Cindy had spent the last 25 years living in witness protection and was given the alias Rose Knight. In a further twist, she was revealed to be the absent wife of Queen Vic landlord George, actor Colin Salmon, and mum to their two daughters Gina - actress Francesca Henry, 28 - and Anna - played by last year's Strictly finalist Molly Rainford, 22. But viewers will have to wait until later this summer to see Cindy in Albert Square, when her friends and family are stunned to see her - nobody more so than Kathy, who was also brought back from the dead in 2015 following a car accident in South Africa. Speaking of her return, Michelle, 61, said: 'Cindy has had a lot of tragedy in her life with the pressure of the witness protection, and we're kind of laughing about it, but it really is dramatic. 'We have a few kind of flashbacks, or playing with time. She's been through a lot this woman. There's a lot of layers which is great as an actor, it's what you want. 'I'm excited to see all these things play out, I've got to explain to my daughters why did I leave them, I've got to explain to his mum where she's been I'm exhausted even talking about it. 'I hope people won't dismiss her straight away and will understand what this woman has been through, and that she'll have some kind of redemption but also still have an edge to her.' Tension: Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: 'It doesn't take long and it's still the same Cindy at the core, she's just been on one hell of a journey since we last saw her' Anticipation: Viewers will have to wait until later this summer to see Cindy in Albert Square when her friends and family are stunned to see her - nobody more so than Kathy Comebacks: Kathy was also brought back from the dead in 2015 following a car accident in South Africa Michelle admitted she was loving all the drama, saying: 'Let's face it she was never going to come back and pour cups of tea in the cafe - people wouldn't want that.' Michelle and her on-screen husband Ian, played by Adam Woodyatt, 54, were back at the soap's studios in Elstree last week filming their dramatic return to Albert Square. Cindy 'died' back in 1998 during childbirth after being carted off to prison for attempted to murder her hapless husband Ian. EastEnders returns tomorrow night at 7.30pm on BBC One. He's been tirelessly promoting his return as Ethan Hunt in the seventh Mission Impossible film. And Tom Cruise lived up his daredevil persona on Saturday as he boarded his private helicopter from Battersea heliport on Saturday. The Hollywood star, 60, cut a casual figure in a baby blue polo t-shirt and denim as he headed over to his chopper. He teamed the look with a pair of black boots, and rocked black shades and accessorised with a classy watch. The Top Gun favourite appeared in good spirits as he was captured right before getting on the private helicopter and heading to Biggin Hill. Taking to the skies! Tom Cruise, 60, lived up his daredevil persona on Saturday as he boarded his private helicopter from Battersea heliport on Saturday Relaxed The Hollywood star cut a casual figure in a baby blue polo t-shirt and denim as he headed over to his chopper The Hollywood star has been booked and busy for the upcoming seventh instalment of Mission Impossible. On Thursday, the Magnolia actor gleamed under the spotlight alongside Hayley Atwell beamed as they hit the red carpet for the premiere of Mission: Impossible 7 Dead Reckoning Part One in London. After lengthy delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and an unprecedented $290million outlay, the Hollywood actor, 60, and his co-star, 41, looked thrilled to be celebrating the film launch. The world premiere, which happened in Rome earlier this week, received rave reviews from early critics, who branded it 'dynamite' and tipped it to be a summer blockbuster. The duo were joined by Rebecca Ferguson on the red carpet, who has reprised her role as Ilsa Faust. The actress, 39, was dripping in pearls as she arrived in a iridescent white gown and kissed her co-star Hayley's hand as they posed for photos. Pom Klementieff, meanwhile, wowed in a black backless minidress and silver Prada platforms with Simon Pegg and Ivan Ivashkin also in attendance. Vanessa Kirby, 35, was the epitome of glamour in a black velvet gown. The floor-length number hugged her curves and featured a satin neckline. Ensemble: He teamed the look with a pair of black boots, and rocked black shades and accessorised with a classy watch Laid-back! The Top Gun favourite appeared in good spirits as he was captured right before getting on the private helicopter and heading to Biggin Hill Hard at work! The Hollywood star has been booked and busy for the upcoming seventh instalment of Mission Impossible Quick stop: The Top Gun favourite appeared in good spirits as he was captured right before getting on the private helicopter and heading to Biggin Hill Lot on his plate: The Hollywood star has been booked and busy for the upcoming seventh instalment of Mission Impossible The Crown actress plays Alanna Mitsopolis/White Widow, the daughter of Max Mitsopolis. The film follows Ethan Hunt and the IMF team, including Grace, as they track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. Following Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One's world premiere in Rome on Monday, critics and fans who got a chance to see the film early shared mostly fawning praise on social media. The latest Mission: Impossible entry premiered in the iconic Italian city as part of the Rome Film Festival, after a significant chunk of the movie was filmed in the capital. On Twitter, early reactions to the 'impeccably made' film were almost unanimously positive. Erik Davis, of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, bragged he had the 'absolute best time' watching Cruise's new film. He added it was 'an impeccably made action film that does not stop entertaining.' 'Each action sequence is long, crazy & intense. The story is big & sprawling, but I like how it both felt complete & left you dying for what comes next.' Here comes Hollywood: Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell beamed as they hit the red carpet for the premiere of Mission: Impossible 7 Dead Reckoning Part One in London on Thursday Leading lady: Hayley, who plays Grace in the film, turned heads as she wore a very voluminous satin dress to the screening Over the moon: Tom waved for the cameras as he continued the media tour for the film critics have branded as 'dynamite' Dead Reckoning Part One is a long time coming as it had production halted a number of times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It was shot back-to-back with its direct sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two. The two films were initially reported to be the final chapters, as reported by several publications, including Screen Rant. Along with the hype surrounding a new addition to the Mission Impossible franchise, the fans and media were also intrigued by rumors that co-stars Tom and Hayley had secretly dated during filming. But Hayley efficiently silenced the rumblings as she spoke for the first time about her 'close' bond with Tom in an interview in the May-June issue of Country & Town House. 'I felt like if I ever was worried about it, I could talk to him [Tom],' the newly-engaged star said of the dating rumours. 'And I know that he would've said, "People say whatever they want to say, but you know who you are, I know who I am and I want you to feel safe in this environment."' Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, which along with Cruise and Atwell also stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby and Henry Czerny, is slated to hits theaters in the U.S. on July 12. The sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, is scheduled to make its premiere in theaters on June 28, 2024. TOWIE favourites Amber Turner and Courtney Green set pulses racing as they enjoyed a night out in Paphos, Cyprus, alongside the rest of the cast on Friday. The bombshells were captured typically enjoying a night out - but the cast was split in two separate groups to avoid any drama behind the cameras Courtney was a vision in a yellow satin co-ord, as she beamed with her co-star pals while out and about in Paphos. The former PA, 27, made sure to have all eyes on her as she sizzled in the glamorous number, which featured a cross bodycon top, and a skirt with a racy thigh-high split. The brunette sensation showed off her toned curves as she turned the street into her personal catwalk, doing a slew of poses for the camera. Bombshells: TOWIE favourites Courtney Green and Amber Turner set pulses racing as they enjoyed a night out with the cast in Paphos, Cyprus on Friday Courtney accessorised the ensemble with a quilted white shoulder bag, and wore chic white sandals to match the summer look. She opted for subtle jewellery, including chunky gold hoop earrings, a dainty necklace, a watch and a dazzling diamond ring. The Who Wants To Adult Anyway host opted as well for a glamorous palette with bronzed tones, adding a touch of lightning to her features, and finishing off with a nude lipgloss. She kept her chocolate locks tied in a high ponytail with two tresses down to frame her beautiful features, styled in flawless waves. Amber, 29, - who made a dramatic comeback on set on Thursday - showcased her sizzling figure in a stunning figure-hugging white midi skirt. She completed the chic look with a lace baby blue bralette, which boosted her ample cleavage. The fashion blogger displayed her flawless bronzed tan, and toted the look with a pair of classy white open-toe sandals. The blonde beauty carried the essentials in a white Fendi handbag, and kept her golden locks styled into perfect waves, and tied them into a low ponytail leaving two locks to frame her stunning looks. Sensational: Courtney was a vision in a yellow satin co-ord, as she beamed with her co-star pals while out and about in Paphos Toned: The brunette sensation showed off her toned curves as she turned the street into her personal catwalk, doing a slew of poses for the camera Fashionista: Courtney accessorised the ensemble with a quilted white shoulder bag, and wore chic white sandals to match the summer look Racy: Amber completed her own chic look with a lace baby blue bralette, which boosted her ample cleavage Oozing style: The blonde beauty carried the essentials in a white Fendi handbag, and kept her golden locks styled into perfect waves, and tied them into a low ponytail leaving two locks to frame her stunning looks Amber accessorised with dainty jewellery including gold bracelets, a matching watch, drop Chanel earrings and a dainty necklace. The stunner - who has been romantically linked to TOWIE star Dan Edgar - didn't spare a glamorous lightning palette, as she donned bronzed blush to enhance her sculpted cheeks, and a bold nude glossy lipstick. Joining the girls squad for some drink time in the Old Town of Paphos, Chloe Meadows oozed elegance in a total white look. The French-born bombshell, 31, commanded attention in a long-sleeve white mini dress, putting on a very leggy display. The classy garment enhanced Chloe's bronzed tan, as she teamed the look with black sandals. She added a black shoulder bag to her look, and wore a slew of dainty gold necklaces. Chloe looked nothing short than sensational as she wore her long platinum locks styled in an elegant blow-dry. The actress donned a typically lightning make up palette, boosting her natural looks. Also bombshells Chloe Brockett and Elma Pazar posed up a storm as they stepped out for drinks with the girls. Chloe, 22, showed off her hourglass figure in a blue marine print co-ord, featuring a sultry bodycon top which drew attention to her cleavage. She teamed it with a matching figure-hugging midi skirt, and wore a pair of brown heel sandals. The former hairdresser toted the essentials in a glam gold purse, and accessorised with a watch and gold earrings. The TV personality kept her long chocolate locks in a low ponytail with two frames down to frame her face styled in light waves, as it appeared to be a hairstyle trend for the night among the girls. Girls night out: Joining the girls squad for some drink time in the Old Town of Paphos, Chloe Meadows oozed elegance in a total white look Elegant: The French-born bombshell, 31, commanded attention in a long-sleeve white mini dress, putting on a very leggy display Sensational: Chloe looked nothing short than sensational as she wore her long platinum locks styled in an elegant blow-dry Stunners: Bombshells Chloe Brockett and Elma Pazar posed up a storm as they stepped out for drinks with the girls Chloe donned a typically glamorous palette with peachy blush and eyeshadow, long lashes and a nude lipstick. Meanwhile Elma, 29, put on a show-stopping display in a very revealing co-ord. The racy outfit featured a white ruched bandeau top with extra fabric, teamed with a very skimpy matching mini skirt. The former Love Islander showed off her enviable physique, and towered herself in a pair of cream cowboy boots. The reality sensation kept the essentials in a summer-style embroidered handbag. Elma looked nothing short of sensational boosting her jaw-dropping figure and bronzed tan. She kept her chocolate tresses in a half-do, and donned a flawless make up look, with bronzed tones, smokey eyes and a glossy nude lipstick. The boys on the other hand, made their own head-turning appearance as they enjoyed some drinks somewhere else in the city. Jordan Brooke, 25, kept it cosy in a typically total black ensemble - featuring a t-shirt, trousers and matching shoes. Meanwhile Dan Edgar, 33, was his contrast opposite in cream t-shirt and trousers, teamed with a pair of grey shoes. Roman Hackett, 21, opted for a stylish cream embroidered oversized shirt with short sleeves, black trousers, and white trainers. James Bennewith - also known as Diags - kept it comfortable in a black floral print shirt and black trousers, teamed with a pair of black flip flops. Both boys and girls squads appeared to be having the time of their life while enjoying some quality time away from the cameras. The latest season of TOWIE began filming in Thailand earlier in March, with all major cast members making the trip. The TOWIE girls were sure to turn up the heat on Thursday as they slipped into sizzling swimwear while continuing to film new scenes in Cyprus. Boys squad: The boys on the other hand, made their own head-turning appearance as they enjoyed some drinks somewhere else in the city Look: Jordan Brooke, 25, kept it cosy in a typically total black ensemble - featuring a t-shirt, trousers and matching shoes Ensemble: Meanwhile Dan Edgar, 33, was his contrast opposite in cream t-shirt and trousers, teamed with a pair of grey shoes Stylish: Roman Hackett, 21, opted for a stylish cream embroidered oversized shirt with short sleeves, black trousers, and white trainers Having fun: Both boys and girls squads appeared to be having the time of their life while enjoying some quality time away from the cameras Meanwhile, Amy Childs returned to filming the show, just weeks after welcoming her twins with boyfriend Billy Delbosq in April. And the star's baby boy and girl are set to make their debut on TOWIE as they joined her on set, with her co-stars gushing over the tots. Her beau Billy was also involved in filming and was seen hugging Amy's cousin Harry on set. TOWIE season 32 is set to air on ITVBe later on this year with 'juicy gossip, major LOL's and serious drama' being teased. A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 14 locations in Mumbai, including the premises of those close to him and his party leader Aaditya Thackeray in connection with an alleged Covid 19-scam related money laundering case, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Thursday charged that the family members of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde benefitted from a scam of severe crore of rupees in his home district of Thane. Talking to media persons here, the Sena (UBT) spokesperson alleged that Shinde;s family members were involved in were related purported fake bills which were issued by certain companies for Covid-19 facilities at Thane and the neighbouring Kalyan-Dombivali towns. I am speaking on the basis of evidence. Fake bills for crores of rupees were raised for providing the facilities. The alleged fake billing benefited Shinde's family at that time, Raut said, Waving a bunch of documents and seeking an immediate reply to his allegations from the authorities concerned, Raut said: The ruling Shiv Sena should first introspect themselves and their alleged involvement in the scam before hurling allegations at others. Rauts allegation came on the heels of the ED raiding several locations in connection with the Covid-19 scam related money laundering case and also the State governments decision to order an SIT probe into the large-scale financial irregularities that took place during the Covid-19 period. In raids that the ED conducted on Wednesday, the places that the central investigating agency searched included the premises of Sujit Patkar, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and partner of Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LMHS). The hospital had been given contracts by the BMC for setting up four jumbo COVID-19 centres in Dahisar, NSEL, Mulund, and Pune. Also raided were the premises of senior bureaucrat Sanjeev Jaiswal, the then Additional Municipal Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation; Suraj Chavan, a personal assistant of Aaditya, some contractors and middlemen. The money laundering that the ED is investigating is based on a complaint made by eJP leader Kirit Somaiya in August 2022, in which he had named four partners of LMHS including Mr. Patkar. He had alleged that the hospital management had got contracts from the BMC to provide services in jumbo COVID-19 centres and that it resulted a loss of Rs 38 crore to the civic body. Chinese terrorists hailing from Xinxiang launched an attack on the Syrian palace in Damascus using artillery fire. The Turkistan Islamic Party, also known as Hizb-Islami-al-Turkistan, a group comprising Uyghur fighters, claimed responsibility for the assault on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace on Thursday evening. Experts monitoring the situation in Syria reported that the attackers utilized three to four tanks to target the palace. During the operation, at least three Chinese fighters of Uyghur origin lost their lives, including Umair Gazi and Mohammad Sadir. This attack marks the entry of Chinese terrorism onto the international stage. The incident comes shortly after China vetoed a joint proposal by India and the United States at the United Nations seeking to impose a ban on Sajid Mir, the Pakistani terrorist responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Experts speculate that the Chinese assault may be intended to complicate the geopolitical situation and discredit Russia, which is targeting the banned terrorist group ISIS in Syria to support the Assad regime. The Uyghurs have been engaged in a struggle for their legitimate rights against Chinese oppression. However, China has consistently denied the existence of any oppression against the Uyghur community, leading to suggestions that the Uyghur fighters may have the support of the Chinese Communist Party or the Chinese state, both of which are known to enforce communist policies and principles upon the community. In an attempt to mask their involvement, the Chinese government recently dispatched a purported assistance shipment to the Assad regime in Syria. There is a noticeable shift in China's policy of backing terrorists based in Pakistan, as evidenced by its repeated use of technical holds to block proposed sanctions and efforts to ban notorious Pakistani terrorists. Interestingly, China seems to be positioning itself as a victim of terrorism concerning the issue of Uyghur human rights. Pakistan has long been accused of harboring terrorists to target India as part of its state policy, particularly in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Firing a fresh salvo over the unity bid by opposition parties, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Saturday that they should tell the country who will be their leader and claimed that their "thugbandhan" (an alliance of the corrupt) will collapse like a pack of cards. Addressing a rally in Haryana's Panipat, Thakur referred to the meeting of 15 opposition parties held in Patna on Friday. Though they came together, their hearts did not meet, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting said and claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had hosted the meeting, was not accepted as convener by the parties. Neither do they have a leader nor any policy and their intentions are also not clean, he alleged. Thakur listed the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the past nine years and expressed confidence that people will again elect a BJP government at the Centre in the next Lok Sabha polls. He said the people have to decide whether to choose the "mandli (team) of corrupt people who are forging a 'thugbandhan' or an honest leader who served the country. Yesterday's meeting was nothing more than a joke. Ahead of the 2024 polls, this 'natak mandli' (drama company) has come together and 'rang manch' (stage) is being decorated and characters are being decided. A drama will play out. Everybody will speak of support. "People will laugh at them as they did the last time and will make these corrupt people sit at home, said Thakur. Over 32 leaders of more than a dozen political parties attended the crucial Friday meeting, where opposition parties resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Thakur said the opposition parties did not answer as to who will be the leader of their alliance. Only a marriage proposal of Rahul Gandhi was passed (in the meeting) because Mummy ji is annoyed, said Thakur as he took a swipe at the former Congress president. He said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi should tell who will be their leader. Thakur asked the leaders of opposition parties to clear their stand on Article 370. Will they bring Article 370 again? Will they end the GST? Can they give an honest government? he asked. He also referred to apparent fissures in the opposition unity, saying"(AAP chief Arvind) Kejriwal left them. He also slammed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav over the fodder scam and hit out at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, alleging that money was being demanded for giving jobs in West Bengal. Nitish Kumar has set new records. A Rs 1,750-crore bridge, which was being constructed for 10-12 years, collapsed twice, said Thakur. "This opposition unity will also collapse like a pack of cards, he said. Thakur said that the Modi government provided a corruption-free regime. There was a time when the media highlighted scams after every two months like AgustaWestland chopper scam, Commonwealth Games scam, 2G scam, Thakur said, targeting the previous UPA dispensation. Sometimes, it was 'jija ji ka ghotala' in Haryana, he alleged. Thakur said the prestige of the country rose worldwide under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Referring to the prime minister's state visit to the US, Thakur said, Today, only 'Modi, Modi' is echoing in the world. During the last nine years, Thakur said, the Modi government got constructed 3.50 crore houses and 12 crore toilets, opened bank accounts for each family, provided free foodgrains for 80 crore poor people and abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He also noted that India became the fifth largest economy overtaking the UK. What was not even thought of earlier was accomplished by the Modi government, he said. He also spoke about the work done to expand national highways, building "74 new airports, and opening 390 new universities" among other initiatives. What the Congress could not do in 70 years, the Modi government did it in nine years, he said. A 20-year-old youth was allegedly stabbed by his neighbour in a petty dispute in northeast Delhi's Dayalpur area, police said on Saturday. On Friday around 10 pm, Rahul from Brijpuri had gone to have ice cream with his cousin Sonu, 19, after dinner near Shibban School, a senior police officer said. There Rahul had an encounter with a 20-year-old Mohammad Zaid who lives in the same street as he does, and got into fight with him, during which Zaid stabbed Rahul in the lower abdomen, the officer said. Sonu also got knifed in hand. Paramilitary has been deployed in the area to prevent any communal flareups, police said. The investigation so far has revealed that the two had some ego clash. Zaid works as a carpenter with his father, while Rahul supplies chips and other edibles, and his father sells candy. Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said, "It was a trivial issue that led to a scuffle between them. Zaid, who was alone that time, was having a sharp object most likely a knife and attacked Rahul. When Sonu came to his rescue, he also received injury in his hand. Efforts are being made to nab him." Zaid, absconding, has been booked under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) at Dayalpur Police Station, the officer said. Rahul is currently admitted in the ICU ward of GTB hospital. Ram Swaroop, Rahul's father, said he had gone to have ice cream when the incident took place. "Rahul and his cousin Sonu had gone to have ice cream after dinner. There they had an argument with a person who was having noodles. We heard that a fight broke out between them and he stabbed Rahul. When Sonu intervened he too was knifed. Rahul has been admitted to the GTB hospital. He is currently in ICU," Ram Swaroop said. Madhu, Rahul's sister, said she wants a strict punishment for Zaid. "We heard last night that Rahul was hurt in a fight. When we rushed to the spot, we saw Zaid fleeing. Police have registered a case and have also questioned us. We want strict punishment for him," she said. According to family members, there are CCTVs mounted where the incident took place but they don't have access to the footage. A local said a big crowd gathered after the stabbing and they saw some people helping Zaid escape. Rahul's uncle Surendra said Rahul was first rushed to a local doctor, but later shifted to Shahdra's GTB hospital. "We took Rahul to a local doctor who asked us to shift him to a bigger hospital. This kind of act should not be tolerated," he said. Sonu's sister Geeta said her entire family rushed to the spot near the school when they got a call by Sonu who told them about the fight. "Police sent us home saying they will handle it." Delhi Cabinet minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj in a tweet in Hindi attacked the BJP over the matter. "A stabbing incident in Brijpuri area of Delhi. It doesn't feel like this is the national capital. Now there is a Hindu-Muslim angle too. Now the BJP can raise a hue and cry, and can also question LG sir?" he said. Police in Delhi is administered by the Union Home Ministry currently under the governance of the BJP. Brijpuri is one of the areas where major clashes were witnessed during the 2020 northwest Delhi riots that had flared ostensibly over the antiCAA agitation. The riots claimed more than 50 lives, a majority of them Muslims. Chinese fishing trawlers, often accompanied by Chinese warships, were responsible for a nine percent decline in the annual tonnage of fish caught. Fishing is a large part of the Filipino economy because Filipino fishing boats normally bring in nearly 300,000 tons of fish a year. The Filipino fishing boat operators are angry at their governments inability to prevent this Chinese behavior. The government has purchased more gunboats for the coast guard and navy but the Chinese already have far more armed ships escorting Chinese fishing boats and interfering with the operation of Filipino trawlers. While the government is unable to halt the Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, the battle against domestic communist rebels and Islamic terrorism is another matter. Over the last few years communist rebels (the NPA) and Islamic terrorist groups like Abu Sayyaf have suffered heavy losses because of more army and police efforts against them. These groups no longer make the headlines because there are only about a hundred of these rebels still active and their main activity is avoiding detection by the army and police. During the last two years the NPA (New Peoples Army) rapidly fell apart after several senior leaders were killed or captured, some of them with over fifty years NPA experience. Many were found because of tips from local civilians. Most of the political violence in the Philippines since World War II has come from communists, who were present but not very active before World War II. The communists became a major part of the armed opposition fighting the brutal 1942-45 Japanese occupation. After independence in 1946, leftist rebels continued fighting, trying to establish a communist dictatorship. That proved difficult to do. A major reorganization took place in the 1960s, resulting in the creation of the NPA in 1969. The new communist rebel organization adopted the Chinese Maoist long term strategy. That was not very successful despite lots of economic and social problems they could promise to fix if they were in charge. Enthusiasm for a "communist solution" went sharply downhill after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its East European communist allies between 1989 and 1991. That massive failure of communist states left the NPA much weaker ideologically and vulnerable to subsequent amnesty programs. A decade ago, NPA leaders admitted that they had only a small fraction of their peak (in the 1980s) strength of 26,000 armed members. There were some serious attempts to reverse the decline in popularity. NPA gunmen were instructed to behave better around civilians and the NPA were found giving some civilians, especially health or aid workers, cash compensation of a few hundred dollars each for wounds received during NPA attacks on soldiers or police. The government increased its efforts to provide medical care for such victims of NPA violence, the NPA tried to compete and found they couldnt afford it. Many NPA members arrested recently were wanted for banditry and similar crimes. Information on the location of NPA camps, weapons storage sites or covert supporters is now regularly obtained from local civilians or surrendering NPA members. Because of that more NPA camps are being attacked, weapons storage sites seized and key supporters arrested or killed, even in traditional strongholds like Bukidnon and Negros Occidental provinces. Philippine Islamic terrorist activity, mainly in the Moslem south, is also rapidly disappearing. The autonomous Moslem regional government plays a role in that, encouraging Moslems to resist, not aid the remaining Islamic terror groups. The government offers amnesty to those who surrender and are not accused of serious crimes like murder or kidnapping. This has played a major role in reducing the number of Islamic terrorists still active to about fifty. Since the autonomous Moslem Bangasamoro area was created in 2014, diehard separatist groups like BIFF, ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and Abu Sayyaf were treated as outlaws in Bangasamoro and continually lost support and members since 2014, but are still around though not nearly as actively as they were before 2014. Bangasamoro security forces cooperate with the army to find and shut down these outlaw groups. Since 2014 this joint effort has largely eliminated Abu Sayyaf, BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) rebels and several smaller Islamic terrorist groups. These groups have not disappeared, but have become much less active because of declining membership. With only a few dozen members left there are not enough to form active groups for carrying out attacks or kidnapping for ransom. June 19, 2023: Japan, the United States and the Philippines agreed to increase and coordinate their naval presence in those portions of the South China Sea that fall within the Philippiness EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) that is part of the South China Sea area China is claiming. The EEZ extends 360 kilometers from the coast. This means the three allies will patrol the ocean area 360 kilometers from the Philippine islands that face the South China Sea. The Philippines call this area the West Philippine Sea but China now claims it belongs to them. Although the EEZ is recognized by international law, and a treaty that China signed and uses to defend waters off its own coast, China says that does not apply here because all the islets in the South China Sea belong to China and there is no room for negotiation on that point. The new agreement means that Filipino, American and Japanese warships and aircraft will jointly patrol the West Philippine Sea and confront any Chinese forces seeking to prevent anyone else from using its naval forces to intimidate, often physically, non-Chinese economic activity in the West Philippine Sea. Filipino coast guard and navy forces were outnumbered by the Chinese and the new three-nation agreement will deal with the Chinese bullying. The Philippines has also accepted American aid in reopening and expanding air and naval bases that make it easier for allied warplanes and warships to operate near the Philippines. China protested this move because it put American military aircraft within range of Taiwan and in a position to quickly oppose a Chinese attack on Taiwan. The U.S. has mutual defense treaties with Taiwan as well as the Philippines and most American other allies in East Asia, including Thailand. June 17, 2023: In the south (Agusan del Norte province) soldiers summoned by local villagers confronted a group of armed NPA rebels. After a brief gun battle three NPA gunmen were killed and the rest fled. June 14, 2023: In the south (Sulu), a 13-year old Egyptian member of Abu Sayyaf surrendered to the army. The adolescent Islamic terrorist and his family came from Egypt as tourists in 2017. He was the youngest and after his mother, father and two elder brothers the family died or were killed during their short careers as Islamic terrorists, the ten-year old son remained working for Abu Sayyaf but eventually saw no future in it. An older (27-year old) Abu Sayyaf member who was planning to surrender allows the 13-year old to join him. Such surrenders by Abu Sayyaf members are increasingly common, especially among the younger Islamic terrorists. In the south (Mindanao) the current emir (leader) of ISSA (IS Southeast Asia) was killed by soldiers. ISSA is the local ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) franchise that includes Filipino groups, like Abu Sayyaf, as well as smaller factions in Malaysia and Indonesia. June 13, 2023: Fifty police officers are accused of conspiring to steal some of a large (nearly a ton) of methamphetamine pills (shabu) seized late in 2022. This much shabu was worth over a hundred million dollars and a large number of corrupt police were planning to steal and resell some of this shabu. This plan involved ten senior police commanders, including two police generals. Such a large operation also attracted the attention of anti-corruption investigators. June 7, 2023: In the south (Basilan province) soldiers encountered and killed two Abu Sayyaf leaders. June 5, 2023: The government is purchasing twelve Swedish JAS 39C Gripen jet fighters. The only competition was the American F-16. Sweden offered a more attractive deal, in part because F-16s are more numerous and often cheaper. The F-116 model the Philippines wanted was not cheaper. May 26, 2023: In the north (Bulacan province) soldiers and police found and arrested two NPA members, one of them a senior leader. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Rating) had its price objective hoisted by Berenberg Bank from $375.00 to $500.00 in a research report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports. A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on LLY. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $440.00 to $500.00 in a report on Friday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $430.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $478.00 to $507.00 in a research note on Monday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $432.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, SVB Securities raised their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $410.00 to $458.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $431.00. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.3 % NYSE:LLY opened at $458.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $435.56 billion, a PE ratio of 72.95, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.36. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $296.32 and a 52-week high of $462.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $425.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $373.83. Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.87 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.62 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 9th. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 12th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is currently 71.86%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total transaction of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total value of $2,576,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 600 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $435.29, for a total value of $261,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,978 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,602,163.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,279,783 shares of company stock valued at $510,549,964. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter valued at $107,000. Roundview Capital LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,056 shares of the companys stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 53,052 shares of the companys stock worth $15,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barometer Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 1st quarter worth about $561,000. 87.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile (Get Rating) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine (NYSEAMERICAN:CVR Get Rating) in a report released on Wednesday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the stock. Separately, TheStreet downgraded shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. Get Chicago Rivet & Machine alerts: Chicago Rivet & Machine Price Performance Chicago Rivet & Machine stock opened at $26.11 on Wednesday. Chicago Rivet & Machine has a 1 year low of $23.65 and a 1 year high of $32.94. The company has a market capitalization of $25.33 million and a PE ratio of 8.79. Chicago Rivet & Machine Dividend Announcement Chicago Rivet & Machine ( NYSEAMERICAN:CVR Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 29th. The company reported ($1.36) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.86 million for the quarter. Chicago Rivet & Machine had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 9.41%. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 5th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 2nd. Chicago Rivet & Machines dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.63%. Institutional Trading of Chicago Rivet & Machine Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 68,710 shares of the companys stock worth $1,771,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 49,210 shares of the companys stock worth $1,402,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine by 91.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,479 shares of the companys stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 13,626 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,696 shares of the companys stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cannell Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Cannell Capital LLC now owns 11,486 shares of the companys stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.36% of the companys stock. About Chicago Rivet & Machine (Get Rating) Chicago Rivet & Machine Co operates in the fastener industry in North America. The company operates in two segments, Fasteners and Assembly Equipment. The Fastener segment manufactures and sells rivets, cold-formed fasteners and parts, and screw machine products. The Assembly Equipment segment manufactures and sells automatic rivet setting machines and assembly equipment, as well as parts and tools for related machines. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Chicago Rivet & Machine Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chicago Rivet & Machine and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cochlear (OTCMKTS:CHEOF Get Rating) is one of 143 publicly-traded companies in the Medical Devices industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Cochlear to similar businesses based on the strength of its valuation, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership. Profitability This table compares Cochlear and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Cochlear alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Cochlear N/A N/A N/A Cochlear Competitors -91.04% -48.45% -17.03% Dividends Cochlear pays an annual dividend of $1.27 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cochlear pays out 77.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, Medical Devices companies pay a dividend yield of 2.2% and pay out 294.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Analyst Recommendations Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Cochlear 0 0 0 0 N/A Cochlear Competitors 250 1054 1491 50 2.47 This is a summary of current ratings for Cochlear and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat. As a group, Medical Devices companies have a potential upside of 56.49%. Given Cochlears rivals higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Cochlear has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Insider and Institutional Ownership 22.5% of Cochlear shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.1% of shares of all Medical Devices companies are owned by institutional investors. 24.7% of shares of all Medical Devices companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Cochlear and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Cochlear N/A N/A 90.83 Cochlear Competitors $1.04 billion $107.92 million 114.66 Cochlears rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Cochlear. Cochlear is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Summary Cochlear rivals beat Cochlear on 6 of the 10 factors compared. About Cochlear (Get Rating) Cochlear Ltd. engages in the provision of implantable hearing solutions. The firm operates through the following segments: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its products include cochlear, bone conduction and acoustic implants. The company was founded by Michael S. Hirshorn in 1981 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Receive News & Ratings for Cochlear Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cochlear and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BT Group (OTCMKTS:BTGOF Get Rating) had its price objective lowered by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from GBX 150 ($1.92) to GBX 145 ($1.86) in a report issued on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports. BTGOF has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of BT Group from GBX 275 ($3.52) to GBX 280 ($3.58) in a report on Friday, April 14th. Berenberg Bank dropped their target price on shares of BT Group from GBX 160 ($2.05) to GBX 150 ($1.92) in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of BT Group from GBX 240 ($3.07) to GBX 225 ($2.88) in a report on Friday, May 19th. Get BT Group alerts: BT Group Stock Performance OTCMKTS:BTGOF opened at $1.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.69. BT Group has a twelve month low of $1.25 and a twelve month high of $2.35. About BT Group BT Group plc provides communications products and services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through Consumer, Enterprise, Global, and Openreach segments. The Consumer segment offers landline, mobile, broadband, and TV services under the BT, EE, and Plusnet brands. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for BT Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BT Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aeroports de Paris (OTCMKTS:AEOXF Get Rating) and SATS (OTC:SPASF Get Rating) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and earnings. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Aeroports de Paris and SATSs top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get Aeroports de Paris alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Aeroports de Paris N/A N/A N/A $3.66 40.12 SATS N/A N/A N/A 0.16 12.05 SATS is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Aeroports de Paris, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Institutional & Insider Ownership Analyst Recommendations 9.4% of Aeroports de Paris shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 18.8% of SATS shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Aeroports de Paris and SATS, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Aeroports de Paris 1 5 2 0 2.13 SATS 0 1 0 0 2.00 Aeroports de Paris presently has a consensus target price of $133.60, suggesting a potential downside of 8.90%. Given Aeroports de Paris stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Aeroports de Paris is more favorable than SATS. Dividends Aeroports de Paris pays an annual dividend of $1.85 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. SATS pays an annual dividend of 0.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.9%. Aeroports de Paris pays out 50.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SATS pays out 83.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Profitability This table compares Aeroports de Paris and SATSs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Aeroports de Paris N/A N/A N/A SATS N/A N/A N/A Summary Aeroports de Paris beats SATS on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Aeroports de Paris (Get Rating) Aeroports de Paris SA owns and operates airports worldwide. The company operates through Aviation, Retail and Services, Real Estate, International and Airport Developments, and Other Activities segments. The Aviation segment provides security and airport safety services, such as security checkpoints, screening systems, aircraft rescue, and fire-fighting services. The Retail and Services segment engages in the retail activities, including bars, restaurants, banks, car rentals, and retails shops, as well as leases space for terminals, advertising, restaurant, and car park services. This segment is also involved in the production and supply of heat, drinking water, and access to the chilled distribution networks. The Real Estate segment engages in the construction, commercialization, and lease management of office buildings, logistic buildings, and freight terminals; and provides property leasing services for airport terminals, as well as rents serviced land. The International and Airport Developments segment designs and operates airport activities. The Other Activities segment offers telecom and cybersecurity services. Aeroports de Paris SA was incorporated in 1945 and is based in Tremblay-en-France, France. About SATS (Get Rating) SATS Ltd., an investment holding company, provides gateway services and food solutions in Singapore, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Food Solutions, Gateway Services, and Others. The Food Solutions segment offers inflight and institutional catering; food processing, distribution services, and airline laundry services. The Gateway Services segment provides airport services, which include airfreight handling services, passenger services, aviation security services, baggage handling services, and apron services, as well as cruise terminal services; and manages and operates marine bay cruise center. The Other Services segment provides rental and other services. In addition, the company offers air cargo, travel retail, security, passenger and private jet services; linen and laundry; food services-solution and distribution; commercial, institutional and aviation catering. The company serves airline, hospitality, healthcare, food, education, and government agencies; and airfreight and logistics industries. SATS Ltd. was formerly known as Singapore Airport Terminal Services Limited and changed its name to SATS Ltd. In July 2010. The company was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Singapore. Receive News & Ratings for Aeroports de Paris Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aeroports de Paris and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM Get Rating) Zacks Research decreased their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for ABM Industries in a report issued on Tuesday, June 20th. Zacks Research analyst S. Dey now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $0.84 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.97. The consensus estimate for ABM Industries current full-year earnings is $3.50 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for ABM Industries FY2024 earnings at $3.78 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.05 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $4.07 EPS. Get ABM Industries alerts: ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 6th. The business services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.04. ABM Industries had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 13.63%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. ABM Industries Stock Down 1.2 % A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on ABM. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of ABM Industries in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. They set a neutral rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of ABM Industries from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $51.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of ABM Industries in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. ABM opened at $40.53 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The companys 50-day moving average is $43.38 and its 200 day moving average is $44.90. ABM Industries has a fifty-two week low of $37.68 and a fifty-two week high of $50.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.10. Hedge Funds Weigh In On ABM Industries Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ABM. BOKF NA purchased a new position in ABM Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Amundi purchased a new position in ABM Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in ABM Industries by 129.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 914 shares of the business services providers stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in ABM Industries by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,275 shares of the business services providers stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in ABM Industries by 38.4% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,665 shares of the business services providers stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.66% of the companys stock. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CEO Scott B. Salmirs sold 14,983 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.44, for a total value of $680,827.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 350,391 shares of the companys stock, valued at $15,921,767.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.85% of the companys stock. ABM Industries Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 6th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 5th. ABM Industriess dividend payout ratio is 29.93%. About ABM Industries (Get Rating) ABM Industries Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of integrated facility, infrastructure, and mobility solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Business & Industry, Manufacturing & Distribution, Education, Aviation, and Technical Solutions segments. Read More Receive News & Ratings for ABM Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ABM Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Get Rating) Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2023 EPS estimates for Novartis in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, June 19th. Zacks Research analyst E. Bagri now anticipates that the company will earn $1.66 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.64. The consensus estimate for Novartis current full-year earnings is $6.72 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis Q2 2024 earnings at $1.67 EPS and Q1 2025 earnings at $1.76 EPS. Get Novartis alerts: Novartis (NYSE:NVS Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $12.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.60 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 23.29%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. Novartis Stock Up 0.2 % A number of other analysts have also issued reports on NVS. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $82.25. NVS stock opened at $100.71 on Thursday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $100.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.46 billion, a PE ratio of 30.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.54. Novartis has a 12 month low of $74.09 and a 12 month high of $105.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,556,539 shares of the companys stock worth $136,587,000 after buying an additional 240,710 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the companys stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 42.4% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,996 shares of the companys stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 95,477 shares of the companys stock worth $8,379,000 after purchasing an additional 4,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 22.8% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,528 shares of the companys stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. 8.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Novartis (Get Rating) Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It also provides cardiovascular, ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hematology, and solid tumor products. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mirador Capital Partners LP cut its stake in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK Get Rating) by 1.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,245 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 84 shares during the period. Mirador Capital Partners LPs holdings in American Water Works were worth $768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in American Water Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Water Works by 296.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 234 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. 84.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get American Water Works alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other American Water Works news, Director Michael Marberry bought 1,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $142.35 per share, with a total value of $199,290.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,673 shares of the companys stock, valued at $522,851.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets American Water Works Stock Performance Several analysts have commented on AWK shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of American Water Works in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $156.00. AWK opened at $145.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $146.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.72. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.77 and a 1 year high of $162.59. The stock has a market cap of $28.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.58. American Water Works (NYSE:AWK Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $938.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $903.84 million. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.22% and a net margin of 21.40%. American Water Workss revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current year. American Water Works Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 9th were issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 8th. This is a positive change from American Water Workss previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. American Water Workss payout ratio is presently 62.20%. American Water Works Profile (Get Rating) American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,600 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.4 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AWK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for American Water Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Water Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Meritage Homes Co. (NYSE:MTH Get Rating) has received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $123.50. Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a market perform rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn reissued a neutral rating on shares of Meritage Homes in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Wedbush reissued an outperform rating and issued a $132.00 price target on shares of Meritage Homes in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Meritage Homes from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Meritage Homes from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $129.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Get Meritage Homes alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Meritage Homes news, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 3,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.03, for a total value of $491,517.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 42,760 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,389,042.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Gerald W. Haddock sold 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.64, for a total value of $249,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $747,840. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Phillippe Lord sold 3,900 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.03, for a total transaction of $491,517.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 42,760 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,389,042.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,400 shares of company stock valued at $926,077 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Meritage Homes Meritage Homes Stock Performance A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Level Four Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meritage Homes in the 1st quarter valued at $423,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Meritage Homes during the 1st quarter valued at $243,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Meritage Homes by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 97,377 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $11,370,000 after buying an additional 11,214 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Meritage Homes by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 268,161 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $31,310,000 after buying an additional 40,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Meritage Homes by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 267,471 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $31,230,000 after buying an additional 23,191 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.34% of the companys stock. Shares of MTH stock opened at $137.06 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. Meritage Homes has a 52 week low of $65.40 and a 52 week high of $138.00. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $125.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.10. Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The construction company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $1.03. Meritage Homes had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 23.99%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.79 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Meritage Homes will post 15.26 earnings per share for the current year. Meritage Homes Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Meritage Homess dividend payout ratio is presently 4.41%. Meritage Homes Company Profile (Get Rating Meritage Homes Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs and builds single-family attached and detached homes in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. It acquires and develops land; and constructs, markets, and sells homes for first-time and first move-up buyers in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Meritage Homes Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meritage Homes and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Science Applications International Co. (NYSE:SAIC Get Rating) has earned an average rating of Hold from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $113.29. A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SAIC. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Science Applications International from $121.00 to $118.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Science Applications International from $90.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Science Applications International from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Science Applications International from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Science Applications International from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. Get Science Applications International alerts: Science Applications International Price Performance SAIC stock opened at $107.42 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $102.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.32. Science Applications International has a 52-week low of $87.93 and a 52-week high of $117.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.08. Science Applications International Announces Dividend Science Applications International ( NYSE:SAIC Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Monday, June 5th. The information technology services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.31. Science Applications International had a net margin of 4.20% and a return on equity of 25.68%. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Science Applications International will post 7.12 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 13th. Science Applications Internationals payout ratio is currently 25.17%. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Nazzic S. Keene sold 26,237 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.37, for a total transaction of $2,817,066.69. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 65,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,052,061.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Katharina G. Mcfarland sold 1,193 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.48, for a total transaction of $129,416.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $847,554.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nazzic S. Keene sold 26,237 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.37, for a total transaction of $2,817,066.69. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 65,680 shares in the company, valued at $7,052,061.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,430 shares of company stock worth $3,912,723. 1.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Science Applications International Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Science Applications International by 68.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,035,190 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $179,971,000 after acquiring an additional 825,670 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Science Applications International in the 4th quarter worth about $60,582,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Science Applications International by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,699,458 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $525,321,000 after acquiring an additional 491,167 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Science Applications International by 2,399.5% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 418,074 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,857,000 after acquiring an additional 401,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its stake in Science Applications International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,866,900 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $414,954,000 after acquiring an additional 171,810 shares in the last quarter. 77.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Science Applications International Company Profile (Get Rating Science Applications International Corporation provides technical, engineering, and enterprise information technology (IT) services primarily in the United States. The company's offerings include engineering; technology integration; IT modernization; maintenance of ground and maritime systems; logistics; training and simulation; operation and program support services; and end-to-end services, such as design, development, integration, deployment, management and operations, sustainment, and security of its customers' IT infrastructure, as well as cloud migration, managed services, infrastructure modernization, and enterprise IT-as-a-service solutions; and data management platform solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Science Applications International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Science Applications International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. by Austin Bay June 23, 2023 Enemy actions confirm the brutal truth: America's homicidal foes make America a battleground. Globally they target U.S. allies and interests. Locally they target American lives and civil society. 9/11 demonstrated terrorists can and will kill en masse on American soil. Their goals are absolute. We learned the only way to stop them is to kill them. We killed Osama bin Laden, but the war against Islamist terror flickers in Syria, Yemen and Africa. The complex war against civil society is more deadly. The drug fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction. In 2021 over 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl-related causes. Drug addiction afflicts all state, but San Francisco, LA, Portland? Combine drug addiction with "woke" policies like defund the police and -- behold -- wastelands. Major corporations have fled downtown San Francisco. They left vacant buildings, not their hearts. Enemy anti-American Society drug operations start in Myanmar's Golden Triangle, Afghanistan's poppy fields, Colombia's cocaine producers and Chinese pharmaceutical labs. Mexican drug cartels bring it over the border and distribute, from Texas and California to Canada. As I argued in last week's column, America confronts a new type of war with Foreign Adversary Collaborating Hybrid-Warfare Organizations. The key foreign adversary: communist China, but Iran is an accessory evil. FACHWO is a clunky acronym, but American policy and smart leaders need it because fighting them justifies the use of all tools of American power -- especially military power since a foreign enemy uses them as an operational line of attack. This week in Washington Beltway antics shows why. Defense News reported that House defense appropriations Chairman Ken Calvert, R-Calif., wants to reorganize deck chairs on the Titanic. Calvert: "To prioritize combatting the trafficking of fentanyl by Mexican drug cartels, we are transferring Mexico from the jurisdiction of Northcom to Southcom, which has a long history of successful international and interagency counter drug operations." Calvert wants to transfer Mexico to Sitcom's area of operations. Note this is the Appropriations Committee, not the Armed Services Committee or Committee on Homeland Security. Calvert may well be a security expert. Southcom has done an admirable job in counter drug operations. For the record, Northcom's Joint Task Force North (formally JTF6, located in El Paso, Texas) has coordinated Defense Department counter-drug operations since 1989. Its authority extends to the Bahamas and Florida Straits. At one time JTF6 coordinated with a surveillance task force in Key West, Florida. Big difference: Northcom, unlike Southcom, is on Mexico's border. It also has active liaison with vetted Mexican military authorities. What stymies JTF-North will also stymie Southcom task forces: Immigration policies, open border advocates and the failure to use all elements of American power to combat human trafficking, illegal drugs, illegal smuggling of goods and illegal immigration. And inept political leadership. Since January 2021 -- when the Biden administration started directing policy -- some 4 to 5 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. The illegal surge shatters social safety nets created for American citizens. Even the most liberal sanctuary cities are buckling, especially the crime-ridden cities who defunded the police in the name of equity and other tyrannical Marxist utopian notions. Fair question: who funded the "defund the police" movement and similar chaos-seeding, socially destructive policies? No matter their claimed motivation, their policies weaken American society. The social destruction operation is right out of Chinese strategic theorists Qiao Liang's and Wang Xiangsui's treatise "Unrestricted Warfare." We don't have a question of Southcom versus Northcom. In war, both headquarters have access to all military and civilian defense assets. Here's what we're missing: a warfighting awareness. The U.S. homefront has become a war zone under persistent attack by adversaries who employ an array of weapons and execute operations exploiting stealth, ambush, naivete and, in many cases, utter stupidity. Rayonier Advanced Materials (NYSE:RYAM Get Rating) and Kemira Oyj (OTCMKTS:KOYJF Get Rating) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations. Institutional & Insider Ownership 82.7% of Rayonier Advanced Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.1% of Rayonier Advanced Materials shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Get Rayonier Advanced Materials alerts: Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Rayonier Advanced Materials and Kemira Oyj, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Rayonier Advanced Materials 0 0 1 0 3.00 Kemira Oyj 0 1 1 0 2.50 Valuation and Earnings Rayonier Advanced Materials presently has a consensus price target of $4.45, indicating a potential upside of 7.23%. Given Rayonier Advanced Materials stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Rayonier Advanced Materials is more favorable than Kemira Oyj. This table compares Rayonier Advanced Materials and Kemira Oyjs gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Rayonier Advanced Materials $1.83 billion 0.15 -$14.92 million $0.16 25.94 Kemira Oyj N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Kemira Oyj has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Rayonier Advanced Materials. Profitability This table compares Rayonier Advanced Materials and Kemira Oyjs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Rayonier Advanced Materials 0.71% 0.62% 0.21% Kemira Oyj N/A N/A N/A Summary Rayonier Advanced Materials beats Kemira Oyj on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Rayonier Advanced Materials (Get Rating) Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. manufactures and sells cellulose specialty products in the United States, China, Canada, Japan, Europe, Latin America, other Asian countries, and internationally. The company operates through High Purity Cellulose, Paperboard, and High-Yield Pulp segments. Its products include cellulose specialties, which are natural polymers that are used as raw materials to manufacture a range of consumer-oriented products, such as liquid crystal displays, impact-resistant plastics, thickeners for food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cigarette filters, high-tenacity rayon yarn for tires and industrial hoses, food casings, paints, and lacquers. The company also offers commodity products, such as commodity viscose pulp used in woven applications, including rayon textiles for clothing and other fabrics, as well as in non-woven applications comprising baby wipes, cosmetic and personal wipes, industrial wipes, and mattress ticking; and absorbent materials consisting of fluff fibers that are used as an absorbent medium in disposable baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, incontinence pads, convalescent bed pads, industrial towels and wipes, and non-woven fabrics. In addition, it provides paperboards for packaging, printing documents, brochures, promotional materials, paperback books and catalog covers, file folders, tags, and lottery tickets; and high-yield pulps to produce paperboard and packaging products, printing and writing papers, and various other paper products. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. About Kemira Oyj (Get Rating) Kemira Oyj operates as a chemicals company in Finland, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Pulp & Paper and Industry & Water. The Pulp & Paper segment develops and commercializes pulp and paper, as well as a range of products for paper wet-end, including packaging and board, and tissue products. The Industry & Water segment offers coagulants, polymers, and other water treatment chemicals. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Receive News & Ratings for Rayonier Advanced Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rayonier Advanced Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SimCorp A/S (OTCMKTS:SICRF Get Rating) is one of 280 public companies in the SoftwareApplication industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its rivals? We will compare SimCorp A/S to similar businesses based on the strength of its profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations. Insider and Institutional Ownership 41.9% of SimCorp A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.7% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by institutional investors. 28.3% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Get SimCorp A/S alerts: Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for SimCorp A/S and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score SimCorp A/S 0 2 0 0 2.00 SimCorp A/S Competitors 494 2467 5459 77 2.60 Profitability As a group, SoftwareApplication companies have a potential upside of 33.63%. Given SimCorp A/Ss rivals stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe SimCorp A/S has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. This table compares SimCorp A/S and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets SimCorp A/S N/A N/A N/A SimCorp A/S Competitors -30.68% -117.09% -5.50% Dividends SimCorp A/S pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. SimCorp A/S pays out 59.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, SoftwareApplication companies pay a dividend yield of 1.4% and pay out 56.6% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. SimCorp A/S lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio. Valuation and Earnings This table compares SimCorp A/S and its rivals revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio SimCorp A/S N/A N/A 116.15 SimCorp A/S Competitors $830.26 million -$88.43 million 518.39 SimCorp A/Ss rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than SimCorp A/S. SimCorp A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Summary SimCorp A/S rivals beat SimCorp A/S on 9 of the 13 factors compared. SimCorp A/S Company Profile (Get Rating) SimCorp A/S, together with its subsidiaries, provides investment management solutions for asset management, fund management, insurance, life/pension, central banks, asset servicing, treasury, sovereign wealth, and wealth management companies. It provides investment management services, including portfolio management and trading, compliance management, performance and risk management, investment operations, investment accounting, fund administration, multi asset investments, alternative investments, investment book of record, and data warehouse and business intelligence, as well as environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investments. The company also offers data management, corporate actions, ESG data management, market data management, and security master services; and client communications, such as client reporting and sales enablement, and digital engagement platform. It has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Receive News & Ratings for SimCorp A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SimCorp A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beacon Financial Group trimmed its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS Get Rating) by 15.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,284 shares of the casino operators stock after selling 1,670 shares during the quarter. Beacon Financial Groups holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $334,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,385 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 38,470 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $1,849,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Anomaly Capital Management LP grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 270.7% during the 4th quarter. Anomaly Capital Management LP now owns 1,993,958 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $95,850,000 after purchasing an additional 1,456,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 28,347 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. 39.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Las Vegas Sands alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth LVS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $70.27. Las Vegas Sands Price Performance NYSE LVS opened at $57.28 on Friday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.93 and a 12 month high of $65.58. The stock has a market cap of $43.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -79.55, a PEG ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 1.16. The companys 50 day moving average is $59.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.65. Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The casino operator reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.11. Las Vegas Sands had a negative net margin of 10.42% and a negative return on equity of 10.21%. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.40) EPS. The firms revenue was up 124.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, Director Charles D. Forman sold 15,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.17, for a total transaction of $947,550.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 205,984 shares in the company, valued at $13,012,009.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.91% of the stock is owned by company insiders. About Las Vegas Sands (Get Rating) Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People's Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Las Vegas Sands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Las Vegas Sands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,072 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 782 shares during the quarter. Bristol-Myers Squibb accounts for about 2.1% of Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $4,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 15.9% in the first quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 12,281 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,683 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 10.0% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 848,123 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $58,783,000 after acquiring an additional 77,187 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.7% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,822,491 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $195,627,000 after acquiring an additional 19,576 shares during the period. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.0% in the first quarter. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC now owns 70,741 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $4,903,000 after acquiring an additional 1,355 shares during the period. Finally, Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 3.0% in the first quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 201,362 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $13,956,000 after acquiring an additional 5,917 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.57% of the companys stock. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Down 0.4 % Shares of NYSE BMY opened at $65.04 on Friday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $66.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.81. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a fifty-two week low of $63.07 and a fifty-two week high of $81.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.28. Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.07. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The business had revenue of $11.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Bristol-Myers Squibbs revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 66.47%. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have weighed in on BMY shares. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. 51job reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Monday, March 6th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $78.62. Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb In related news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $3,378,818.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,182.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile (Get Rating) Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Rating) by 2.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,389 shares of the companys stock after selling 355 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company comprises approximately 3.2% of Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $5,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ledge Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter worth $1,063,000. Wallington Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 5,148 shares of the companys stock worth $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 33.7% in the first quarter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,205 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 17.0% during the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 2,273 shares of the companys stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 10.6% during the first quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 33,177 shares of the companys stock worth $11,394,000 after purchasing an additional 3,173 shares during the last quarter. 87.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.49, for a total value of $73,602,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,333,810 shares in the company, valued at $35,866,977,066.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.49, for a total value of $73,602,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,333,810 shares in the company, valued at $35,866,977,066.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $435.29, for a total transaction of $261,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 5,978 shares in the company, valued at $2,602,163.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,279,783 shares of company stock worth $510,549,964. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock. Eli Lilly and Company Trading Up 0.3 % Shares of LLY opened at $458.84 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $425.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $373.83. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $296.32 and a twelve month high of $462.26. The stock has a market cap of $435.56 billion, a PE ratio of 72.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 61.42%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.62 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.79 EPS for the current fiscal year. Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 12th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 71.86%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades LLY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $447.00 to $498.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $370.00 to $360.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $431.00. About Eli Lilly and Company (Get Rating) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Rating) by 10.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,794 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,199 shares during the quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 0.8% in the first quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 16,544 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 21.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 298,225 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,184,000 after acquiring an additional 52,447 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 7.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,422,176 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $124,867,000 after buying an additional 95,063 shares during the last quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 6.6% during the first quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 247,922 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $21,767,000 after buying an additional 15,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Group acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter worth $952,000. 84.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MS shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $108.00 to $104.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $95.34. Insiders Place Their Bets Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.1 % In other Morgan Stanley news, major shareholder Stanley Morgan sold 1,049,889 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $9,921,451.05. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,456,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,917,525.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . In other news, Director Thomas H. Glocer sold 4,535 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.11, for a total transaction of $395,043.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,110 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,546,362.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Stanley Morgan sold 1,049,889 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $9,921,451.05. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,456,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at $79,917,525.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Shares of MS stock traded down $0.92 on Friday, hitting $83.58. The stock had a trading volume of 10,026,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,504,805. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.35. Morgan Stanley has a 1 year low of $72.05 and a 1 year high of $100.99. The companys 50 day moving average price is $85.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.28. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.03. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 14.12%. The firm had revenue of $14.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.06 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year. Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.775 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.26%. Morgan Stanley Profile (Get Rating) Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Yokogawa Electric (OTCMKTS:YOKEY Get Rating) is one of 148 public companies in the Specialty Industrial Machinery industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Yokogawa Electric to similar companies based on the strength of its dividends, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations. Insider and Institutional Ownership 0.0% of Yokogawa Electric shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.5% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies are held by institutional investors. 24.7% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Get Yokogawa Electric alerts: Profitability This table compares Yokogawa Electric and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Yokogawa Electric N/A N/A N/A Yokogawa Electric Competitors -19.10% -4.02% -1.45% Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Yokogawa Electric 0 0 0 0 N/A Yokogawa Electric Competitors 1019 3715 4929 65 2.42 This is a breakdown of current ratings for Yokogawa Electric and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com. As a group, Specialty Industrial Machinery companies have a potential upside of 79.19%. Given Yokogawa Electrics peers higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Yokogawa Electric has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Dividends Yokogawa Electric pays an annual dividend of $22.93 per share and has a dividend yield of 58.8%. Yokogawa Electric pays out 21.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Specialty Industrial Machinery companies pay a dividend yield of 3.4% and pay out 28.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Yokogawa Electric is clearly a better dividend stock than its peers, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Yokogawa Electric and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Yokogawa Electric N/A N/A 0.37 Yokogawa Electric Competitors $4.40 billion $350.03 million 618.20 Yokogawa Electrics peers have higher revenue and earnings than Yokogawa Electric. Yokogawa Electric is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. About Yokogawa Electric (Get Rating) Yokogawa Electric Corporation provides industrial automation, and test and measurement solutions in Japan, Southeast Asia, Far East, China, India, Russia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Middle and South America. It operates through three segments: Industrial Automation, Measuring Instruments, and Aviation and Other Businesses. The Industrial Automation and Control Business segment offers field instruments, such as flow meters, differential pressure/pressure transmitters, and process analyzers; control systems and programmable controllers; and various software products and services. The Measuring Instruments segment provides waveform and optical communications measuring instruments, and signal generators; electric voltage, current, and power measuring instruments. The Aviation and Other Businesses segment offers instruments for aviation industry. The company serves oil and gas, oil, and gas downstream, LNG supply chain, chemical, power, renewable energy, water and wastewater, mining and metal, pharmaceutical, battery, pulp and paper, iron and steel, and food and beverage industries. Yokogawa Electric Corporation was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Musashino, Japan. Receive News & Ratings for Yokogawa Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Yokogawa Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wendel (OTCMKTS:WNDLF Get Rating) is one of 1,200 public companies in the Asset Management industry, but how does it compare to its peers? We will compare Wendel to similar companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and earnings. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Wendel and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get Wendel alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Wendel 0 0 0 0 N/A Wendel Competitors 1239 5281 6759 110 2.43 Wendel presently has a consensus target price of $110.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.06%. As a group, Asset Management companies have a potential upside of 97.59%. Given Wendels peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Wendel has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Dividends Valuation & Earnings Wendel pays an annual dividend of $1.85 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Wendel pays out 109.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, Asset Management companies pay a dividend yield of 7.6% and pay out 1,267.9% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. This table compares Wendel and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Wendel N/A N/A 61.19 Wendel Competitors $510.17 million $20.04 million 25.65 Wendels peers have higher revenue and earnings than Wendel. Wendel is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. Insider & Institutional Ownership 12.6% of Wendel shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.9% of shares of all Asset Management companies are held by institutional investors. 18.0% of shares of all Asset Management companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability This table compares Wendel and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Wendel N/A N/A N/A Wendel Competitors 364.00% 7.31% 4.99% Summary Wendel peers beat Wendel on 8 of the 10 factors compared. Wendel Company Profile (Get Rating) Wendel is a private equity firm specializing in equity financing in middle markets and later stages through leveraged buy-out and transactions and acquisitions. It invests in both listed and non-listed companies. The firm typically invests in technology services and software, business services, healthcare and industrial technology. The firm seeks to invest in Africa, Europe, European Developed Markets, Western Europe, particularly France, and North America (United States and Canada). It invests between 150 million ($175.46 million) and 500 million ($584.87 million) in companies. It targets majority/control/large minority investments in listed or unlisted companies. The firm seeks to take a seat on the board of directors or supervisory board and key committees of its portfolio companies. It makes balance sheet investments. Wendel was founded in 1704 and is headquartered in Paris, France with additional offices across Asia, North America, United Kingdom and Europe. Receive News & Ratings for Wendel Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wendel and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited (NYSE:NTB Get Rating) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,404 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son comprises about 1.3% of Denali Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Denali Advisors LLC owned 0.24% of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son worth $3,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTB. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son during the 4th quarter valued at $217,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son in the 4th quarter worth $394,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 540,431 shares of the banks stock worth $16,110,000 after purchasing an additional 177,005 shares in the last quarter. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC boosted its position in shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC now owns 363,925 shares of the banks stock worth $11,813,000 after purchasing an additional 38,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 4,596 shares of the banks stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. 66.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son alerts: Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Stock Performance Shares of NYSE NTB traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $26.58. 368,146 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 285,007. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited has a 12-month low of $22.93 and a 12-month high of $38.31. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $25.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 1.38. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Announces Dividend Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son ( NYSE:NTB Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The bank reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.08. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son had a return on equity of 27.78% and a net margin of 36.85%. The firm had revenue of $147.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $145.86 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Sons revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 5th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.62%. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Sons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.93%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth NTB has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son from $36.00 to $32.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $35.75. About Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son (Get Rating) The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited provides a range of community, commercial, and private banking services to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. It accepts retail and corporate checking, savings, term, and interest bearing and non-interest bearing deposits. The company's lending portfolio includes residential mortgage lending, automobile lending, consumer financing, credit cards, overdraft facilities, commercial real estate lending, and commercial and industrial loans. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NTB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited (NYSE:NTB Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS Get Rating) CFO Erik D. Hoag sold 3,451 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total transaction of $186,871.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 19,887 shares in the company, valued at $1,076,881.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Fidelity National Information Services Stock Down 1.5 % FIS opened at $52.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.52. The company has a market cap of $31.24 billion, a PE ratio of -1.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.82. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.57 and a 1 year high of $105.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. Get Fidelity National Information Services alerts: Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The information technology services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.09. The firm 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%. The companys revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year. Fidelity National Information Services Dividend Announcement Analysts Set New Price Targets The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 8th. Fidelity National Information Servicess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -7.38%. Several research firms recently commented on FIS. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $58.00 to $62.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fidelity National Information Services in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. 22nd Century Group reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Fidelity National Information Services in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Fidelity National Information Services from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $65.00 to $60.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $89.30. Institutional Trading of Fidelity National Information Services Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Fidelity National Information Services by 3.0% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 58,898,093 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $3,199,933,000 after acquiring an additional 1,728,137 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Fidelity National Information Services by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 50,616,061 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $3,825,056,000 after acquiring an additional 395,342 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its position in Fidelity National Information Services by 4.9% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 27,493,640 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,493,729,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,025 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Fidelity National Information Services by 1.4% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,456,658 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,437,381,000 after acquiring an additional 367,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 34.0% during the 1st quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 11,216,799 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $609,409,000 after buying an additional 2,848,636 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.21% of the companys stock. Fidelity National Information Services Company Profile (Get Rating) Fidelity National Information Services, Inc provides technology solutions for financial institutions and businesses worldwide. It operates through Banking Solutions, Merchant Solutions, and Capital Market Solutions segments. The Banking Solutions segment provides core processing and ancillary applications; mobile and online banking; fraud, risk management, and compliance; electronic funds transfer and network; card and retail payment; wealth and retirement; and item processing and output solutions. Featured Articles 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. HMD LCO2 multi-gas carriers LCO Capital Ship Management Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (OTCMKTS:GJNSY Get Rating) and Swiss Life (OTCMKTS:SZLMY Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Lifes top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get Gjensidige Forsikring ASA alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Gjensidige Forsikring ASA N/A N/A N/A $8.72 1.81 Swiss Life N/A N/A N/A $1.19 24.97 Gjensidige Forsikring ASA is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Swiss Life, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Gjensidige Forsikring ASA 1 2 1 0 2.00 Swiss Life 0 2 2 0 2.50 This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Life, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA presently has a consensus target price of $226.67, suggesting a potential upside of 1,339.15%. Swiss Life has a consensus target price of $584.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1,868.01%. Given Swiss Lifes stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Swiss Life is more favorable than Gjensidige Forsikring ASA. Dividends Gjensidige Forsikring ASA pays an annual dividend of $10.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 67.9%. Swiss Life pays an annual dividend of $0.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA pays out 122.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Swiss Life pays out 20.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Profitability This table compares Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Lifes net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Gjensidige Forsikring ASA N/A N/A N/A Swiss Life N/A N/A N/A Insider and Institutional Ownership 0.0% of Gjensidige Forsikring ASA shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Summary Swiss Life beats Gjensidige Forsikring ASA on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (Get Rating) Gjensidige Forsikring ASA engages in the provision of insurance services. It operates through the following segments: General Insurance Private, General Insurance Commercial, General Insurance Denmark, General Insurance Sweden, General Insurance Baltics, and Pension. The General Insurance Private segment offers insurances related to motor, property, accident and health, and leisure. The General Insurance Commercial segment provides general insurance products to the commercial, agriculture, and municipality markets. The General Insurance Denmark segment engages in the provision of general insurance products to the private, commercial, and municipal markets in Denmark. The General Insurance Sweden segment consists of motor, property, accident and health, and other insurance products. The General Insurance Baltics segment supplies general insurance products to the private and commercial markets in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. About Swiss Life (Get Rating) Swiss Life Holding AG engages in the provision of life insurances, pensions, and financial solutions. It operates through the following segments: Switzerland, Germany, France, International, and Asset Managers. The Switzerland, France and Germany segments provide life insurance operations and distribution units. The life insurance operations offer a broad range of life, pension, health, annuity and investment-type policies to both groups and individuals, including disability coverage. The International segment includes cross-border insurance operations in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Singapore, and Swiss life select units in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The Asset Managers segment represents the management of assets for institutional clients, groups insurances business, and consulting services. The company was founded by Conrad Widmer in 1857 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Receive News & Ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs reduced its stake in Pimco Total Return ETF (NYSEARCA:BOND Get Rating) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 165,603 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 4,254 shares during the quarter. Pimco Total Return ETF comprises approximately 10.2% of John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. John W. Brooker & Co. CPAs owned 0.46% of Pimco Total Return ETF worth $15,396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pimco Total Return ETF by 671,629.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 45,892,529 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $4,152,356,000 after purchasing an additional 45,885,697 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Pimco Total Return ETF by 78.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,207,709 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $199,754,000 after purchasing an additional 969,487 shares in the last quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Pimco Total Return ETF by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 730,854 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $66,128,000 after purchasing an additional 158,326 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Pimco Total Return ETF by 32.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 681,589 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $61,670,000 after acquiring an additional 166,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CI Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Pimco Total Return ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,738,000. Get Pimco Total Return ETF alerts: Pimco Total Return ETF Stock Up 0.2 % Shares of NYSEARCA BOND opened at $91.64 on Friday. Pimco Total Return ETF has a twelve month low of $86.61 and a twelve month high of $97.81. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.50 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $92.05 and a 200 day moving average of $92.25. Pimco Total Return ETF Company Profile The PIMCO Active Bond Exchange-Traded Fund (BOND) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Barclays U.S. Aggregate index. The fund is an actively managed portfolio that aims to maintain a consistent level of dividend income by investing in a broad array of fixed income sectors and utilizing income efficient implementation strategies. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Pimco Total Return ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pimco Total Return ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Julius Bar Gruppe AG (OTCMKTS:JBAXY Get Rating) have earned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $61.80. JBAXY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Julius Bar Gruppe from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 23rd. Barclays upgraded shares of Julius Bar Gruppe from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Get Julius Bar Gruppe alerts: Julius Bar Gruppe Trading Down 1.1 % Shares of OTCMKTS:JBAXY opened at $12.11 on Friday. Julius Bar Gruppe has a one year low of $8.17 and a one year high of $14.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.28 and a 200-day moving average of $12.89. Julius Bar Gruppe Increases Dividend Julius Bar Gruppe Company Profile The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 18th were given a $0.3219 dividend. This is a boost from Julius Bar Gruppes previous dividend of $0.16. This represents a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 17th. Julius Bar Gruppes payout ratio is currently 119.40%. (Get Rating Julius Bar Gruppe AG engages in the provision of private banking services. Its services include discretionary mandates, investment advisory, open product and service platform, financial market services, investor services, financing, and wealth planning. The company was founded by Raymond Julius Baer in 2009 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Julius Bar Gruppe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Julius Bar Gruppe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raymond James & Associates lowered its position in Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF (NYSEARCA:VPL Get Rating) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,561,323 shares of the companys stock after selling 29,799 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 3.93% of Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF worth $241,529,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Advisors MI purchased a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $320,000. Keel Point LLC grew its position in Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 26,848 shares of the companys stock worth $1,728,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Latigo Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,667,000. Moller Financial Services grew its position in Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Moller Financial Services now owns 93,052 shares of the companys stock worth $5,988,000 after purchasing an additional 7,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 12,822 shares of the companys stock worth $825,000 after purchasing an additional 2,662 shares during the last quarter. Get Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF Trading Down 2.3 % NYSEARCA:VPL opened at $68.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.77. Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF has a twelve month low of $56.07 and a twelve month high of $72.65. The companys 50 day moving average is $69.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.65. Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF Profile Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF, formerly Vanguard MSCI Pacific ETF, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Pacific Stock Index Fund. The Fund seeks to track the investment performance of the MSCI Pacific Index that consists of common stocks of companies located in Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF (NYSEARCA:VPL Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Rating) had its target price hoisted by Raymond James from $2,100.00 to $2,300.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, The Fly reports. A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,750.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,140.00 to $2,240.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,960.00 to $2,270.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,050.00 to $2,250.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $2,066.93. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 0.3 % Shares of CMG stock opened at $2,043.68 on Tuesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52 week low of $1,233.61 and a 52 week high of $2,139.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.39 billion, a PE ratio of 55.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $2,017.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,719.76. Insiders Place Their Bets Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The restaurant operator reported $10.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.89 by $1.61. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.34 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 45.01%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.70 EPS. Analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 43.87 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 3,658 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,066.73, for a total transaction of $7,560,098.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,637 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,383,237.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, Director Robin S. Hickenlooper sold 105 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,073.08, for a total transaction of $217,673.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 853 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,768,337.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laurie Schalow sold 3,658 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,066.73, for a total value of $7,560,098.34. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,637 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,383,237.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,346 shares of company stock valued at $24,704,401 over the last ninety days. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter worth about $26,000. FourThought Financial LLC increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 350.0% during the 3rd quarter. FourThought Financial LLC now owns 18 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 350.0% during the 1st quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 18 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 90.0% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 19 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. Finally, Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Chipotle Mexican Grill (Get Rating) Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It offers burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Phoenix New Media (NYSE:FENG Get Rating) in a research note released on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the information services providers stock. Phoenix New Media Stock Down 1.5 % Shares of NYSE:FENG opened at $2.03 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $2.34 and a 200-day moving average of $2.40. The company has a market capitalization of $24.62 million, a PE ratio of -1.86 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a current ratio of 2.51. Phoenix New Media has a 52-week low of $2.00 and a 52-week high of $5.80. Get Phoenix New Media alerts: Phoenix New Media (NYSE:FENG Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 15th. The information services provider reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Phoenix New Media had a negative net margin of 12.10% and a negative return on equity of 7.46%. The firm had revenue of $21.31 million during the quarter. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Phoenix New Media Company Profile An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Phoenix New Media stock. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Phoenix New Media Limited ( NYSE:FENG Get Rating ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,805 shares of the information services providers stock, valued at approximately $58,000. (Get Rating) Phoenix New Media Ltd. is engaged in the provision of media and advertising services through internet, mobile, and television channels. It also provides mobile internet and value-add, and video value-added services. It operates under the Net Advertising Services and Paid Services. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Beijing, China. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Phoenix New Media Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Phoenix New Media and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Scharf Investments LLC decreased its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV Get Rating) by 10.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,063,872 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 491,001 shares during the quarter. Valvoline accounts for about 4.5% of Scharf Investments LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Scharf Investments LLC owned approximately 2.36% of Valvoline worth $141,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 9,875 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 1,355 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,072 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,801,000 after buying an additional 3,687 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Valvoline by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,610 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 6,914 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 42.8% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 34,130 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 10,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 26,908 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,456 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.20% of the companys stock. Get Valvoline alerts: Valvoline Trading Down 0.6 % Shares of NYSE VVV traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $36.06. The stock had a trading volume of 9,864,852 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,038,324. The firm has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.36. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $24.40 and a twelve month high of $39.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 3.90 and a current ratio of 3.95. The companys 50 day moving average price is $36.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.03. Insider Transactions at Valvoline Valvoline ( NYSE:VVV Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The basic materials company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $344.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $347.12 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 79.50% and a return on equity of 50.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.12 EPS for the current year. In other news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total value of $205,260.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,854.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total transaction of $98,377.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,435,823.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total transaction of $205,260.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,854.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.99% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Monday, June 12th. They set an equal weight rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $43.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. 92 Resources reiterated a reinstates rating on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday, June 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valvoline from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday. They set an overweight rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $40.40. About Valvoline (Get Rating) Valvoline Inc provides automotive services through retail stores in the United States and Canada. It offers cabin air filter, battery replacement, and tire rotation services for various vehicles. As of September 30, 2022, it operated 1,700 system-wide service center stores. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VVV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Valvoline Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Valvoline and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wallington Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL Get Rating) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,261 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 330 shares during the period. Wallington Asset Management LLCs holdings in Aflac were worth $4,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 631,474 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $40,743,000 after purchasing an additional 4,863 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac by 125.7% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 171,961 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $11,095,000 after acquiring an additional 95,781 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $856,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of Aflac by 66.9% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 53,525 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,455,000 after acquiring an additional 21,461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co increased its position in shares of Aflac by 15.8% during the first quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 19,796 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.56% of the companys stock. Get Aflac alerts: Insider Transactions at Aflac In other news, VP June P. Howard sold 8,230 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $556,101.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 119,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,067,993.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP June P. Howard sold 8,230 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $556,101.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 119,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,067,993.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven Kent Beaver sold 13,118 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.33, for a total value of $870,116.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 20,793 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,379,199.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 112,582 shares of company stock worth $7,647,192. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Aflac Price Performance NYSE:AFL opened at $67.14 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.94. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $53.04 and a 52-week high of $74.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $67.07 and a 200 day moving average of $68.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.05 and a current ratio of 0.05. Aflac (NYSE:AFL Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $4.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 22.90%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 5.81 EPS for the current fiscal year. Aflac Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 16th. Aflacs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.24%. Analysts Set New Price Targets AFL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Aflac in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Aflac from $77.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. 888 reissued a reiterates rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, June 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Finally, VNET Group reissued a maintains rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $71.22. Aflac Profile (Get Rating) Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. It operates in two segments, Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Aflac Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aflac and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wealth Management Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK Get Rating) by 39.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,010 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 3,990 shares during the period. Wealth Management Partners LLCs holdings in Alaska Air Group were worth $252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 416.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 568 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 1,873.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 671 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. First Command Bank raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. First Command Bank now owns 700 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 207.2% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 728 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group by 174.4% during the 4th quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 741 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. 79.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Alaska Air Group alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Benito Minicucci sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.73, for a total value of $243,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 114,506 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,579,877.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders. Analysts Set New Price Targets Alaska Air Group Price Performance A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ALK shares. Barclays raised Alaska Air Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $62.00 in a report on Friday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $91.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, May 8th. Raymond James upgraded Alaska Air Group from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Alaska Air Group in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Alaska Air Group from $71.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alaska Air Group presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $63.86. Shares of ALK stock opened at $49.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 107.07, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.52. The businesss fifty day moving average is $45.49 and its 200 day moving average is $45.69. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $37.19 and a twelve month high of $53.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The transportation company reported ($0.62) earnings per share 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 return on equity of 17.03% and a net margin of 0.58%. Alaska Air Groups revenue for the quarter was up 30.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.33) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.27 EPS for the current fiscal year. Alaska Air Group Profile (Get Rating) Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operated airlines. The company operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing and Airbus jet aircraft for passengers and cargo throughout the United States, and in parts of Mexico, Costa Rica, and Belize; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States and Canada. Featured Stories 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. The American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain) has elected its new board of directors under the presidentship of Qays H. Zu'bi for the 2023-25 period at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently at the Wyndham Grand Manama Hotel. The new board members include Zahraa Taher, Michel Sawaya, Mark Thomas, Daniel Taylor, Ali Moosa, Feras Fakhro, Hesham Alabbar, Bradley Cook, and Faisal Juma. The AGM, which was attended by its members and other stakeholders, allso welcomed the newly appointed Executive Director, Sandra Knight, and paid tribute to its former board Mary McGinnis for her exceptional work during her tenure. The premier business association dedicated to serving the US- Bahrain business community, AmCham Bahrain outlined its strategies for the year ahead. It also highlighted AmCham Bahrain's commitment to promoting bilateral trade and investment while fostering an environment that supports business growth and success. In his address, Zu'bi highlighted the remarkable growth in AmCham Bahrain's membership in 2023, underscoring the commitment to improve programmes and diversify member sectors. He also emphasised the importance of collaboration and acknowledging the support of esteemed guests, including the US Ambassador to Bahrain Steven Bondy, and James Golsen from the US Department of Commerce. During his address, Zu'bi highlighted the remarkable growth in AmCham Bahrain's membership this year, underscoring the commitment to improve programmes and diversify member sectors. The successful addition of premium companies to the membership further enhances AmCham Bahrain's influence and collective strength in promoting bilateral trade and investment, stated Zu'bi. He pointed out the significance of collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and US Embassy to drive strategic initiatives and leverage the power of the Free Trade Agreement between Bahrain and the US. This collaboration aims to foster trade successes, facilitate increased imports and exports, and nurture fruitful business partnerships between members, local private sector entities, and US market stakeholders, he added. Bondy highlighted the importance of the trade and investment relationship between the US and Bahrain. "The United States Embassy is fortunate to partner with AmCham Bahrain to deliver the very best of American products, technologies, and services to Bahraini and regional markets. We look forward to working with our partners to enhance our commercial relations further," he noted. In his keynote address, Golsen said the vibrant American business community in Bahrain was a natural partner for expanding bilateral trade and investment as the US looks to expand bilateral trade and investment. AmCham Bahrain is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that represents the interests of American businesses and promotes trade and investment between the US and Bahrain. It serves as a platform for American companies operating in Bahrain and Bahraini companies with ties to the US.-TradeArabia News Service Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for 'Balidan Stambh' in Srinagar, paying homage to fallen security forces. (Image: AP) Srinagar: Union home minister Amit Shah shared his delight and sense of fulfillment on Saturday as he concluded his visit to Jammu and Kashmir. "After going through years of turmoil and witnessing horrific scourge of terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir is moving forward on a path of peace and development," he said. Shah, who was on a two-day visit to J&K, stated, "After the removal of Article 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, peace is established in J&K. New dimensions of development are being created, institutions of higher education are being built, industries are being set up and Panchayati Raj has been established." Speaking at the Vitasta Mahotsav organised by the Ministry of Culture, the home minister emphasised, "More than 40,000 people were killed by terrorism in Kashmir until a few years ago, but the same Kashmir is moving forward today by assimilating arts through Vitasta (the ancient name of River Jhelum) Mahotsav. Hatred towards anyone has not been the history of Kashmir, it has accepted everyone who comes here. Like a playing, jumping and flowing river, the culture of Kashmir always moved ahead and never looked back." Shah also praised the security forces, saying, "J&K is moving forward on a new path of peace, stability and development today under the leadership of PM Modiji. I can feel the peace prevailing in the air, and I am going back to Delhi happy and fully satisfied." He further urged the security forces to deal firmly with the scourge of 'narco-terrorism' and widen the net to prevent smuggling of narcotics into J&K from across the border. Shah said at the Vitasta festival, "Under 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', Modi has given a vision to all the cultures of the country to move forward with each other through many programmes like 'Kashi Telugu Sangamam', 'Tamil Saurashtra Sangamam,' and Vitasta Mahotsav. Only art, culture, and history can unite the country." Regarding the Balidan Stambh, Amit Shah tweeted, "J&K is the land of indomitable courage and bravery of the nation's Bravehearts, Balidan Stambh will immortalise the memory of the martyrs and inspire patriotism among youth." He also stated, "Martyrdom of numerous jawans of the J&K police, who sacrificed their lives while fighting terrorists and securing innocent citizens, is proof that Kashmir and its people are committed towards peace. Today, I met the family members of such martyrs in Srinagar and distributed appointment letters on behalf of the J&K government to the closest kin of the martyrs." Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP National President J.P. Nadda during an all-party meeting on violence in Manipur, in New Delhi, Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo: PTI) NEW DELHI: After over 50 days of continuing ethnic clashes in Manipur, Union home minister Amit Shah assured the political leaders at an all-party meeting on Saturday that the government is working to restore peace in the strife-torn state. According to sources, the Union home minister said that the situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal and that not a single person has died since June 13 in violence in the state. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been monitoring the Manipur situation since day one and "guiding us with full sensitivity" to find an early solution to the problem. During the detailed discussion on the prevailing situation in Manipur, several Opposition parties also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, the disarming of armed groups and a visit by a delegation of leaders from across the political parties, on which the government remained non-committal, the sources said. At the all-party meeting, while the Congress demanded the immediate sacking of Manipur's Chief Minister, the Samajwadi Party and a few others sought the imposition of President's Rule in the state, which has witnessed sporadic violence since May 3. However, the government asserted it was doing its best to bring back normalcy there, sources said. During the meeting, Shah said all efforts are being made to restore peace in Manipur on the instructions of the Prime Minister, the BJP's Manipur incharge Sambit Patra told reporters after the meeting. He further said that the Union home minister informed the leaders that all efforts were being made to restore peace in Manipur on the instructions of the Prime Minister. "The home minister also told the meeting that since the violence began in the state, there has not been a single day when he did not speak to the PM on the situation or the Prime Minister did not give instructions," Patra said. The Congress, however, demanded that Singh be "immediately removed", as "no peace is possible with him heading the state government". Talking to the media, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who represented the Congress party at the meeting, said that the state government has failed miserably in providing effective governance when it was needed the most. "The chief minister himself has admitted publicly twice his failure to handle the situation and deal with the crisis. He has also asked for the forgiveness of the people." He also said that this meeting should have been chaired by the Prime Minister, who has not said a single word on Manipur in the past over 50 days. "This all-party meeting would have been better if it had been held in Imphal," he said, adding, "All armed groups must be disarmed immediately without any compromise". He called for the visit of an all-party delegation to Manipur so that the grievances of each and every community could be heard and addressed sensitively. Ibobi Singh said it was unfortunate that he was not allowed more time to put across his points towards the end of the meeting. Asked whether the home minister presented a roadmap for peace, he replied in the negative. Echoing the sentiment, TMC leader Derek OBrien also asked for an all-party delegation to visit Manipur and wondered if the Union government is "trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir"? The Trinamul Congress demanded an all-party delegation be sent to the violence-hit state within a week as it questioned the government's handling of the situation. "After the meeting of our leaders in Patna, within 24 hours, the Opposition spoke in one united voice for Manipur, the Northeast and India," O'Brien told reporters after the three-hour-long meeting held at the Parliament House complex. "We expressed our concern about the incidents that have been going on in Manipur for the past more than 50 days. The home minister just listened to every one of us. And he said that he is looking after it and trust me, Ill restore peace," the DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said. Noting that it was not a failure of law and order, Shiva said, "It is a failure of the governance in the state and the Union government...The Congress and some other parties also demanded that an all-party delegation be sent to Manipur and we hope that the Prime Minister will hold a similar meeting after his return from the foreign trip," he said. RJD MP Manoj Jha said the entire Opposition said in the meeting that the people have no trust in the person heading the state government and "you cannot have peace if that person is in charge". "It was absolutely an open discussion. The entire Opposition said that there is complete mistrust in the political leadership of Manipur," he added. SP's Ram Gopal Yadav and a couple of other leaders sought the imposition of President's Rule, alleging the "state government has failed" to maintain peace and the "administration has collapsed", the sources said. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said all parties expressed concern over the Manipur situation and sought immediate government action to bring back normalcy. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Nityanand Rai and Ajay Kumar Mishra, along with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla and director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, also attended the meeting. Nearly 120 people lost their lives and over 3,000 have been injured since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. Shah had visited the state for four days last month and met a cross-section of people in his efforts to bring back peace in the northeastern state. Bahrain's Electricity and Water Affairs (EWA) has announced plans to build five fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in the kingdom, reported BNA, citing a senior minister. This will help contribute to achieving the goal set by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of reaching zero neutrality by 2060 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), stated Yaser bin Ibrahim Humaidan, the Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs. He was speaking after a meeting with the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Car Dealers Association. The minister stressed the keenness of the ministry in adopting policies that encourage the use of EVs. At the meeting, Humaidan emphasised on need to promote renewable energy projects in the kingdom, including the use of EVs as well as setting up the required infrastructure for EVs to provide a sustainable lifestyle for the kingdom's residents, said the BNA report. The enhancement of the partnership between the private sector and the civil society institutions will contribute to developing various services offered to the citizens and residents of the Kingdom, he added. Police booked the principal and three teachers of Zee High School, where the alleged incident took place. The girls were allegedly manhandled by their teachers, who refused to allow them into classes with hijabs and forcibly removed the scarves on Friday. (Image: Facebook) Hyderabad: A school in Hayathnagar barred two Muslim Class 10 students from wearing headscarves, or hijabs, in classrooms, leading to a series of confrontations between the students and teachers. The students lodged a complaint with the police over alleged harassment and being deprived of their basic right. Police booked the principal and three teachers of Zee High School, where the alleged incident took place. The girls were allegedly manhandled by their teachers, who refused to allow them into classes with hijabs and forcibly removed the scarves on Friday. The police said that the incident followed a previous conversation between school principal Purnadevi Srivastava and one of the students, who is the daughter of a judiciary officer, on Thursday, wherein the principal told the girl not to wear the hijab in the classroom. The students objected, stating that they had a right to cover their heads as per their religious beliefs, Hayathnagar sub-inspector N. Surya, who is investigating the case, said. The students were not allowed to attend class on Friday, with the principal insisting that they get request letters from their parents. At noon, the students, who were in the classroom by then, were pulled up by their social studies teacher Kasturi, who asked if they wanted to be discriminated against, as per the police's version of events. Kasturi asked the duo if they had the principal's permission. They said they did not, but refused to remove the hijab. To this, the teacher said it was against school rules and asked the students to get a letter from the principal, Surya said. When another teacher tried to remove the students' hijab, the judiciary officer's daughter confronted the teacher and requested them to talk to her parents. The teacher allegedly refused and snatched their phones, as per the girl's complaint to the police. The principal again confronted them during the lunch break, reiterated her direction for them to remove the scarves, telling them that "religion should be outside of the school and should not be brought inside the school," a police officer said. The principal reportedly told the students that the school was secular and said that she would also not allow Christian students to wear chains bearing the Cross, the police officer said. The principal told them that Muslim teachers remove their burqa before entering school. She then tried to forcibly get the students to remove their hijab, warning that they would, otherwise, not be allowed to attend classes. She called in another Class 9 student who was wearing a hijab and told the three of them to remove them. As they were left standing in the corridor, three teachers, identified as Kavita, Kasturi and Madhuri, took them to a separate room and allegedly tried to take off their hijab forcibly, when the girls got into a physical confrontation to block their attempts, according to the complaint. They were then allegedly scolded and humiliated by the teachers, the police said. The girls, upset and hungry, as the principal did not allow them to take their lunch, approached the police and had their statements recorded. "We received a complaint from the student and registered a case against the principal Purnadevi and three teachers, who restricted the girls from entering the school clad in a scarf," Surya said. The FIR was registered under Sections 352 (assault or use of force), 295 (a) (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings) and 298 (words meant to hurt religious feelings) of the IPC and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act, Surya said. Following the incident, the judiciary officer's daughter took to Twitter and tagged minister K.T. Rama Rao in a post on the incident. "My kid is brave, following the rules of Indian Constitution's Right to Religious Act. She prays five times a day and knows what is right and wrong. If a judicial officer's children are treated in such a manner for just covering their head, what about normal citizens?" the officer said when contacted by Deccan Chronicle. This is the second incident reported in the city recently, following one at IS Sadan in Santoshnagar, where college students were not allowed to take their examinations while wearing the hijab. The students protested, following which home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali assured of action against the private school management. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly upon his arrival in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday. (Image: PTI) New Delhi: Ahead of talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday amid speculation that Egypt may announce the allocation of a special area of land for the Indian industries in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ) to woo Indian investors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks late on Saturday evening with the India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo. The "discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties". Later, the Prime Minister also met the Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawky Ibrahim Allam, who is the top-most Islamic cleric of the North African Arab nation. New Delhi said "the Grand Mufti appreciated Mr Modis leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism". After his successful three-day visit to the United States, the Prime Minister, upon his arrival in Egypt, tweeted, "Landed in Cairo. I am confident this visit will strengthen Indias ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes." In a special gesture, the PM was received on his arrival by his Egyptian Prime Minister. PM Modi tweeted, "I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations." MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: "In his first engagement in Cairo, PM@narendramodi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet@CabinetEgy, headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet ministers and senior officials were present at the meeting. Discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas, including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties. The PM thanked Egypt for setting up this dedicated high-level India Unit and appreciated the whole government's approach." In another tweet, the MEA spokesperson said, "PM @narendramodi met His Eminence Prof. Shawky Ibrahim Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt. They discussed the strong cultural and people-to-people relations between India and Egypt. Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering extremism and radicalisation. The Grand Mufti appreciated the PM's leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism. PM conveyed that India would set up a centre of excellence in IT at the Dar-al-Ifta under the ministry of social justice of Egypt." The Egyptian President had visited India and was the chief guest at Indias Republic Day parade on January 26 this year. At that time, the two leaders had decided to upgrade India-Egypt bilateral relations to the level of a "strategic partnership" covering political, security, defence, energy and economic areas. On Saturday, Mr Modi also met members of the Indian community in Cairo and will also meet Egyptian "thought leaders". On Sunday, the PM will visit the historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque, which was earlier renovated by the Bohra community. The visit is expected to be closely watched and is being seen in the context of Mr Modis recent address to the US Congress, where he spoke about how India celebrates its diversity and the different faiths of its people. The PM will then hold talks with the Egyptian President on the entire gamut of bilateral ties, followed by delegation-level talks after which various pacts are likely to be announced. The PM will then return to India. Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for the USA visit, in New Delhi, (File Photo / PTI) New Delhi: After concluding his hugely successful and significant maiden State Visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to arrive in Egypt for his first State visit to the Arab nation. PM Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome and is expected to be received by his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly. On the first day of his visit to Egypt, PM Modi will hold a roundtable with the Egyptian PM and later on, will interact with Indian community. He is also scheduled to meet the grand mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and will also interact with Egyptian Thought Leaders. On the very next day, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque. Later on, he will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. MA&UD minister K.T. Rama Rao called on Union urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri in Delhi on Saturday. (Image: Twitter) Hyderabad: MA&UD minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday called on Union urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri in Delhi to seek Central assistance to improve public transportation and road network in Hyderabad urban agglomeration. Submitting a series of representations, Rama Rao sought help to implement measures to make Hyderabad cleaner, and to enhance the metrics and performance in solid and liquid waste management. Additionally, Rama Rao requested the Centre to introduce National Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (NUEGS), on the lines of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), to help the urban poor in the country. Detailing his request on transport, Rama Rao sought expedition of approvals for a 26-km Hyderabad Metro Rail line from BHEL to Lakdikapul and a 5-km line from Nagole to LB Nagar, as detailed project reports were submitted a few months ago. Rama Rao sought financial assistance for the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in Kokapet, in west Hyderabad, which is fast developing as the central business district. Informing that preliminary estimates pegged the MRTS cost at 3,050 crore, he appealed for a financial contribution of 450 crore from the Centre. The Telangana minister, seeking to extend missing link roads to the Outer Ring Road, apprised the minister of work to be undertaken in 104 corridors, at 2,400 crore. He asked for the support of 800 crore for the link roads. For improving cleanliness and waste management, Rama Rao conveyed a need of 3,722.82 crore for three sewerage treatment plant (STP) clusters for liquid waste collection. He appealed to the Centre to sanction 20 per cent of the project cost of 744.56 crore. He said that the state government, with the support of the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), developed a blueprint for a sanitation innovation hub in Telangana, with seed commitment made by the state. Puri expressed his admiration for the sanitation hub initiative, saying its creative concepts will address numerous challenges in the development of municipalities. The Union minister asked the state to share its innovative ideas and provide details at an upcoming meeting organised by his ministry. Rao briefed the Union minister on the government initiatives and invited him to see the developments for himself. Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy and Etela Rajender leave for Delhi (Photo by arrangement) HYDERABAD: The BJP high command, worried over the infighting in the Telangana party unit, is expected to meet with senior party leader and Huzurabad MLA Etela Rajender, and former MLA from Munugode, Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy in Delhi with the two leaders expected to reach the national capital by this evening. Also summoned to Delhi by the party leadership was Union Minister G Kishan Reddy who was in Hyderabad and was taking part in the BJPs Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan. Kishan Reddy cut short his programmes in Hyderabad and rushed to Delhi. Rajender, and Rajgopal Reddy are expected to meet party president JP Nadda, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah sometime this evening and present their case with respect to how they feel neglected, and being sidelined by the state leadership. They are reportedly vexed with inaction by the party high command on their inputs on how the state BJP was losing ground and was not doing anything to combat an increasing perception that it has some kind of an understanding with the ruling BRS party in the state. Incidentally, Nadda is scheduled to attend partys public meeting on Sunday in Nagarkurnool, and according to party insiders, wants to put an end to the roiling in Telangana BJP to rest, so that all state leaders can present a unified picture at the public meeting. According to sources, they feel that the BJP is more focused on the Centre and on the outcome of Parliament elections next year and is not paying enough attention to the affairs in the state and on coming to power in Telangana. "The BJP is a national party and it is understandable that it focuses on being in power at the Centre, but Etela and Komatireddy are state leaders, and they feel the BJP is heading nowhere in its stated aim of dethroning KCR and the BRS," a source close to the two leaders said. Eight Chinese war planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line and approached close to the island's contiguous zone that is 24 nautical miles (44.4 km) off its coast on Saturday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said, in a further rise in tensions. China's air force over the past three years has routinely flown into the air space around Taiwan. And since last August it has regularly sent jets across the strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier. Also Read: Taiwan reports Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through strait In March, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned that the island had to be on alert this year for a "sudden entry" by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory. Taiwan defines its contiguous zone as being 24 nautical miles from its coast. Its territorial space is defined at 12 nautical miles from its coast, although the government has not reported Chinese aircraft coming that close. Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement that starting from around 8 am (0000GMT) on Saturday, it had detected 19 Chinese warplanes, including J-10 and J-16 fighters. Eight of those crossed the median line and "got close" to the 24 nautical mile mark, it said. At the same time, the ministry said five Chinese warships carried out what it termed "joint combat readiness patrols". Taiwan sent up its own aircraft and dispatched ships in response and activated land-based missile systems, the ministry said, using standard wording for how its forces react to Chinese incursions. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan's government rejects the claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. At the Opposition meeting in Patna on Friday, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal once again extended an olive branch to Rahul Gandhi seeking his party's support on the Delhi ordinance, but sources say, Congress backed by other regional outfits assured Delhi CM that those in attendance were on the same page, though some parties would make their stand public on the issue closer to the session. Sources said the AAP chief made a direct request to Rahul and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to give time to him to discuss the contentious Delhi ordinance. However, they alleged, Congress leaders were not receptive to the demand for publicly airing their views on the ordinance that cripples the Delhi government on the issue of control over bureaucrats. The issue was raised during the Opposition meeting in Patna on Friday and it had led to a war of words between Kharge and Kejriwal. AAP sources claimed other parties were in support of AAP's demand and insisted that the Congress should make its views public. Also Read | Opposition meet: Ordinance issue a fissure between AAP and Congress However, this was contested by at least three leaders who were present in the meeting. They said while all parties, including Congress, were on same page on the issue of opposing the ordinance when it comes to Rajya Sabha for clearance, parties generally went with Congress' stand that it would publicise its stand closer to Parliament Session after going through their mechanism of decision making. Other parties were also a bit upset about Kejriwal trying to "hijack" the meeting and trying to make it a single agenda meeting, sources said. At the meeting on Friday, RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad, who was out of action for some time due to health issues, put his agenda on table, saying bigger parties will be allowed to have the leadership role in states and requested Congress to be "large hearted". Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav echoed him when he said, "bada manch keliye, bada dil bhi hona chahiye" (to create a big platform, you need a big heart.) In an apparent reference to NCP chief Sharad Pawar's comments about Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Uddhav Thackeray being on the other side earlier, Rahul said, "I have come here without any past likes or dislikes. Whatever it takes, we have to be together. India is facing a financial, institutional and communication monopoly and we need to fight it." DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said every state will have a different pattern of understanding between the parties and it would be different for states Amid signs of differences between the ruling BJP and ally JJP, Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala has claimed that the support of six of the seven independent MLAs to the Manohar Lal Khattar government remains "unconditional". The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have been non-committal on whether they would contest the assembly elections this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together, and their leaders have taken swipes at each other. Former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP's Haryana affairs in-charge Biplab Kumar Deb had a few days ago held meetings with the independent MLAs, triggering speculation on whether the BJP-JJP coalition will last the entire term of the Khattar government. Also Read | Haryana govt to allot 33% of all ration depots in future to women: CM Khattar Chautala, who is also an independent MLA vouched for the support of five others. "Our support is unconditional and for the full five-year term," the minister, whose grandnephew is Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, told PTI. The senior Chautala is former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's son. In the present 90-member House, BJP has 41 seats after it added the Adampur seat in the last year's bypoll. Meanwhile, the Congress has 30 seats and JJP 10. While six out of seven Independents support the BJP-led government, one each member belongs to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Haryana Lokhit Party. HLP led by MLA Gopal Kanda is also supporting the M L Khattar-led government. In the 2019 assembly polls, after the denial of candidature by Congress, Ranjit entered the fray as an independent and won the Rania seat in Sirsa. Ranjit said Khattar always listens to the suggestions and feedback given by Independents and is "always supportive". When asked why the BJP and JJP have been non-committal on contesting future polls together, the power minister called it an internal matter of the two parties. Meanwhile, Sombir Sangwan, who was among the Independent MLAs who recently met Deb, asserted that BJP is at a loss with the continuation of its alliance with the JJP. Sangwan claimed that BJP did not need JJP for a stable government as it enjoyed the support of most Independents. HLP chief Gopal Kanda has also maintained that BJP does not need JJP's support for a stable government and said his outfit has been extending support to the Khattar-led government right from the start. The BJP joined hands with the JJP in 2019 to form a government in Haryana after failing to get a majority with JJP leader Dushyant Chautala being made the deputy chief minister. However, leaders of the two parties have recently taken a swipe at each other with Deb saying that the JJP did no favour to the BJP by supporting it as the regional party also joined the government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while recently addressing a rally in Sirsa, had appealed to the people of Haryana to once again give all 10 parliamentary seats in the state to the Modi government "to make the country No. 1 in the world and to make Modi ji prime minister once again". In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana. Ranjit, who is MLA from Rania in the Sirsa district, played a key role in ensuring the Sirsa rally's success. Shah had also visited Ranjit's Sirsa residence after the rally and had tea. "It was an honour to have Shah sahab visit my home and have tea with us," said Ranjit Chautala. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hit out at the Congress for its 'democracy-under-threat' attacks on the government and reminded it that imposition of Emergency was one of the biggest blows to democracy. Also slamming the opposition parties' meeting in Patna, he said they can fight polls by joining hands but should not try to mislead people by making baseless allegations against the Narendra Modi government. Singh was addressing a gathering as part of the BJP's public outreach 'Sampark Se Samarthan' to mark the completion of nine years of the government at the Centre. Also Read | Rajnath Singh slams Tamil Nadu CM Stalin's 'duplicity' over Senthil Balaji's arrest Without naming anyone, he also took on the AAP government in Punjab over law- and-order issue. On Friday's Patna meeting, he said, "It would have been better had they (opposition parties) held a meeting on June 25. Then they could have at least observed the anniversary of the Emergency." At the meeting, the Opposition parties resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Over 32 leaders of more than a dozen political parties attended the meeting hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Singh said the opposition wants to remove Modi and the BJP government but asserted that the BJP "has got the trust of the people". Attacking the Congress, he said, it "unleashed one of the biggest blows to democracy and is now saying democracy is under attack under the leadership of Modi". He went to add, "I want to ask Congressmen if Modi ji was ending democracy then how could they win elections in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka. How did they win in Chhattisgarh and also in Rajasthan if Modi is ending democracy." He recited a couplet while referring to the opposition parties meeting, "Jugnuon ne sharab pee lee hai, ab woh suraj ko bhi gaaliyan denge. (Fireflies are drunk and now will abuse the sun)." He, however, clarified, "I am not calling anyone 'jugnu'." Singh said he spent 18 months in jail during the Emergency and during that time, he also lost his mother. Speaking about Punjab, he said the state is top priority of the BJP government and whenever there is a law-and-order issue in the border state, the government is concerned about it. Singh said when Amarinder Singh was the chief minister, he always extended support to the Centre on the law and order issue. "Today the situation has changed. You know about the government of the day in Punjab very well. What is the situation there? I feel that the state or the country whose internal and external security is not good, then neither the state nor the country can progress," he said. Referring to the AAP government in Punjab, he said, "I expect from this government that there should be an initiative from your side towards maintaining law and order in the state. But I understand that this government was not doing it." Singh also remembered Akali stalwart and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who died in April, and paid tributes to him. "I want to say that we respect those a lot who come into the NDA fold. But I can say if somebody leaves the NDA and even though it maintains distance from us but we do not get away from hearts. It is the character of the BJP," he said. Speaking about the nine years of the Modi government, Singh said there was a time when India was not taken seriously at the world platform. "But today, when India speaks at the world platforms, countries listen to us. The stature of India has risen in the world," he said. "Now India is not weak, it is a strong India," he added. Singh said it was Modi who ensured stopping of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine for four-and-half-hours in order to evacuate Indian students who were stuck there due to the war. He also spoke about efforts made by the government for becoming self-reliant in military weapons and equipment and said the country which used to be one of the biggest importers is now among top 25 countries in terms of exports in the defence sector. Referring to Modi's US state visit, Singh said GE Aerospace will transfer technology to India for producing fighter jet engines. The Kerala government on Saturday warned of taking stringent legal action against social media campaigners who create and post content that misleads children on various online platforms. General Education Minister V Sivankutty said there has been a deliberate attempt to influence students through social media platforms and make them toxic by posting objectionable content. Stating that the aim of such campaigners was to lead the young generation to wrongful deeds, the Minister urged the teachers and parents to maintain extra vigil on such matters. Also Read | Twitter can either follow local laws or risk being shut down: Elon Musk after meeting Modi "Time has exceeded to ban such programmes and content on Youtube and other such social media platforms. Not just children, they are spoiling the youth and the entire society," he told reporters here. Sivankutty's statement assumes significance in the wake of the arrest of controversial Youtuber 'Thoppi' who had been accused of making allegedly objectionable remarks and creating a traffic block on a busy road at a recent inauguration of a shop in Malappuram district. The original name of Thoppi is Nihad, and he is a native of Kannur district. He was taken into custody from a house in Kochi early Friday morning. The 24-year-old man's Youtube channel, which has a large collection of objectionable remarks and content, was found to have lakhs of subscribers especially children. Hundreds of youngsters including school children had gathered to catch a glimpse of the Youtuber when he came to inaugurate the shop at Valanchery in Malappuram recently. Referring to the police action against Thoppi, Sivankutty said a case had been registered against the Youtuber the other day. "Similar legal actions will be continued," he said. The Minister said the government cannot accept the deeds of a section of people who are trying to mislead children in the name of freedom of expression. All possible legal measures would be taken against such campaigners and the government was not ready for any compromise on the matter. Action would also be taken against those who propagate fake news about the general education department through the social media platforms, he said. A drive would be initiated soon to create awareness among 47 lakh students in Kerala about the pros and cons of social media, Sivankutty added. As per the complaint, the YouTuber recently caused a traffic congestion for hours on the busy road in Valanchery here. The Youtuber was also accused of using obscene words while singing songs and making objectionable remarks during the programme, police said. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for causing a traffic jam and for publicly using objectionable words, they said. Hours after his arrest, the Kerala police, on their official Facebook handle, has warned against creating content that incite hatred and enmity in the society. They also shared a brief video of the controversial Youtuber and the visuals of his arrest. Amassing money in this manner is a crime equivalent to making cash through illegal means, the Facebook post further said. Hong Kong: Civil servants to visit Beijing, Zhejiang Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung will lead over 20 permanent secretaries and heads of departments to Beijing and Zhejiang Province on June 25 for a study programme and duty visit, the bureau announced today. It said the group study activity, which has the largest number of participants ever, is of great significance and sets a good example to the civil service in attaching great importance to national studies. The trip aims to enable the most senior colleagues in the civil service to reinforce their understanding of the countrys important policies and future development strategies, helping them formulate and implement policies and initiatives to foster Hong Kongs integration into national development. The delegation will take up national studies at the National Academy of Governance in Beijing, then proceed to Zhejiang Province for a duty visit on June 27 to obtain a deeper understanding of the practical experience of grassroots governance and common prosperity as well as the preparatory work for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. The delegates will return to Hong Kong from Hangzhou on June 30. This story has been published on: 2023-06-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. New Delhi/Cairo, June 24 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a State Visit to Egypt, on Saturday held a meeting with the India Unit of the Egyptian Cabinet. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly was present, along with seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet said the discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade and investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen and pharma, among other issues. Advancing India-Egypt civilisational relations! In his first engagement in Cairo, PM @narendramodi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet @CabinetEgy, headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials were present in the meeting. Discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people to people ties. PM thanked Egypt for setting up this dedicated high level India Unit and appreciated the whole of government approach. Earlier, the PM met some Indian diaspora members after his arrival in Cairo in the afternoon. The PM in a tweet said: Deeply moved by the warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in Egypt. Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a celebration of our shared cultural linkages. UNI RN A local court here on Tuesday granted interim bail to a former Students Federation of India (SFI) member arrested in connection with a case related to allegedly furnishing a fake teaching experience certificate to secure a guest faculty post in a college. Vidya K Maniyodi, who was earlier arrested by Agali police in Palakkad district in a case registered on June 21, was on bail but was arrested today by a police team from Nileshwar, in a similar matter, in which she was given interim bail today. A court in Hosdurg town has now posted her bail plea on June 30. Also Read | Kerala: Congress, CPI(M) spar over fake certificate issue She was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a government college at Karinthalam here. "She was arrested today in the case related to Karinthalam college here. We produced her before the court and she was granted interim bail," a senior police official told PTI. The court has, however, directed her to appear before the investigating officer on June 28 and 29. Agali police in Palakkad had registered a case against her for allegedly forging a fake experience certificate to secure a job there. Vidya, who had been absconding since the case surfaced three weeks ago, was arrested from a village in Kozhikode district. The Left government in Kerala had come under attack from the opposition Congress and the BJP for the delay in arresting the accused, who was a former activist of SFI, the student wing of the ruling CPI(M). She was booked by the police under Sections 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), and 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. In her anticipatory bail plea filed before the high court, Vidya claimed the case against her has been "initiated for political reasons" and at any rate "the allegations on the face of it do not attract the offences alleged". The FIR against her was registered on the complaint of government colleges in Ernakulam and Palakkad. According to the complaints, the woman claimed in the "fake certificate" that she was a guest lecturer at Maharaja's College in 2018-19. Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. 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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. Derry has successfully hosted its inaugural Peace and Conflict International Summer School. Organised by the Bloody Sunday Trust, the Conflict Transformation Seminar took place from Monday, June 5 to Monday, June 12. During the groundbreaking event, the Derry News interviewed a diverse range of participants to get their views on the Derry Model of peace-building and conflict transformation and its possible application in other areas, particularly the Balkan regions. The participants attending the inaugural Derry Peace and Conflict International Summer School were from the Balkans Regions, all high profile human rights and social justice activists. They were: 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); 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 McLaughlin, and we are delighted to be welcoming them to Derry. A very powerful week was Maeve McLaughlins description of Derrys inaugural Peace and Conflict International Summer School. A reflective Maeve, who is the director of the Bloody Sunday Trust, said it was a significant event for both the Trust and the city. She said: I am just reading some of the evaluations from our participants today and they are talking about the whole experience as being invaluable and inspirational. There is no doubt that, in terms of their perceptions of Derry and the North of Ireland when they entered the process, these had changed by the time they were leaving. I certainly hope they got a sense that this place we call home has actually delivered. I hope they left with a sense that Derry has actually achieved outcomes in relation to things like justice, legacy, parading and dialogue. They definitely got great access to people here. People were very, very generous with their time, should that have been former combatants, the Apprentice Boys or the Bogside Residents group. The Summer School participants also spent a day in Belfast where they met some of the Loyalist groupings. We also had a joint session with the Falls Womens Centre and the Shankill Womens Centre, said Maeve. So, all in all, it was powerful that the Trust was able to bring all of those groups of people together. I would hope we could look at making this an annual event and using it for other places internationally that are maybe struggling with their own coming out of conflict, so we can become maybe a model of lessons and learnings for other places. I think it was great to be part of this event. The participants enjoyed it and there is a lot of follow up we can do. For example, we will look now at some of the particular participants and their organisations. There may be projects we can now link up on. It was a very powerful experience for us, a powerful experience for the participants and, I think, the panellists, who met with our visitors as well. For Derry to be able to show the city in that way, as a place that stands up against inequality, struggles for social justice but can put it in an international context and can apply our lessons and learnings elsewhere, was amazing. One thing we have totally agreed on is, should there be difficulties, should there be occasions whenever something untoward occurs, then we will sit down together again and we will look at it and we will discuss it and we will ensure that is taken into consideration for future events and parades. Our ongoing conversations will continue. The measured and thoughtful words of Billy Moore, the general secretary of the Apprentice Boys of Derry illustrated, perhaps, the progress made in the city since the contentious parades which took place here back in the day. Speaking to the Derry News, Billy, who was one of the panellists at the Bloody Sunday Trusts Conflict Transformation Seminar, said such an approach was crucial primarily to ensure more sinister people do not try to enter a void that may be created and take us back to the difficult times of the past. He added: I got involved in the Peace and Conflict International Summer School because I felt the story of the city needed to be conveyed from the viewpoint of the Apprentice Boys and Protestants as well. We are part of the resolution. In the past, we may have been seen by some as part of the problem but we are very much part of the resolution and our voice has to be heard and our story told as well. I think those people from the Balkan regions who were present at the Summer School were interested in the city and listening to my story and listening to how we as a minority community in Londonderry were able to continue with our culture, history, traditions, identity. They were interested in how that accommodation was reached. Hopefully, they have learned some lessons from us and can take them back to their own countries and, Im not saying copy us, but at least use our model to find an accommodation. Billy revealed he had joined the Apprentice Boys in September 1971, when he was 16 years of age. He added: I had become interested in history and obviously the Apprentice Boys is all about the Siege of Derry. I had read about the Siege and about the events which took place during it and that gave me the inspiration and the motivation to retain membership of the Apprentice Boys. As time went past, I was elected into various positions. In 1991, I became Governor of the Association but I stood down in 1993 to become general secretary. I have been general secretary of the Apprentice Boys since 1993, just over 30 years. I have served my apprenticeship there alright. During that time, Billy said there had been both good and difficult occasions. Obviously one of the difficult occasions was when there was opposition to our parades in Londonderry. Disturbances and rioting broke out after those parades, which created millions of pounds worth of damage to the fabric of the city and obviously no tourists or visitors wanted to come to a location where there is always the possibility or the potential for trouble. We felt something had to occur to ensure our parades continued in their normal traditional way because the Apprentice Boys always felt the history of the Siege was on the Westbank of the Foyle and for us not to parade on the Westbank of the Foyle would mean the entire association would be meaningless, would serve absolutely no purpose. The headquarters of the Apprentice Boys is on the Westbank. St Columbs Cathedral, where the defenders would have worshipped and prayed during the Siege and the Walls of Londonderry are on the Westbank. All of our history, culture and identity is based on the Westbank of the Foyle. We felt it necessary and we felt it right and proper that we had to secure that history and culture of parading on the Westbank. Billy added to do so, it was obvious the Apprentice Boys had to win the goodwill of the majority of the Catholic population. So back around 1997, 1998, we embarked on a range of meetings with various representatives from the Roman Catholic community, he said. We also met with traders in the city centre. This all took place to try to explain our reason for parading in the Westbank because many people in the Roman Catholic community felt that our parades were just a means of coat-trailing and triumphalism. They did not really recognise the history and the reason for parading in December and in August. Many traders felt we paraded in December just to be disruptive but whenever we explained that the gates were shut on December 7, 1688, and that was our purpose and reason for parading in December, they understood. To try to reach a compromise with traders, we moved the December parade to the first Saturday in December, which was generally welcomed by everyone in the city, specially by traders and shoppers who recognised we were moving away from usually the last Saturday shopping day before Christmas. This was warmly welcomed, said Billy. Following failed shuttle mediation between the Apprentice Boys and the Bogside Residents Group, organised by the Parades Commission, the late John Hume chaired a number of face-to-face meetings, which also failed. It was then two prominent local businessmen, Brendan Duddy and Garvan ODoherty, both of whom had invested quite an amount of money in the city and invested quite a lot of time and effort trying to promote our town, believed an accommodation could be reached. They organised a series of meetings over many, many months. Some of these initial meetings were pretty frosty and there was accusation and counter accusation hurled at each side but through ongoing discussions, a degree of trust had built up and a degree of understanding had been created. We finally reached an accommodation which was welcomed by everyone. It ensured that our traditional parades continued on the Westbank of the Foyle. Sadly Brendan Duddy has passed away now but Jim Roddy, the City Centre Manager, now co-chairs those discussions and those conversations alongside Garvan ODoherty. So the discussions continue and I think, we all agree, it is difficult to have everything but the solution to any difficulty is dialogue. Dialogue for the sake of dialogue does not work but I think in our situation, in our city, dialogue worked because we wanted to see our town prosper, we wanted to see it develop, we wanted to see it as a tourist destination and we all wanted to lay a part in that, so dialogue was important. The Apprentice Boys were formed in 1714 and reformed in 1814. Our headquarters, the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall was built in 1877, so we have part of the fabric of our city a lot longer than many other people so we have every right to our traditions and culture but we also accept that with rights come responsibilities and we understand the responsibilities that we have to accept and resolve so we have peaceful occasions all our parades in our town. Derry Youth and Community Workshop staff, board members and learners (past and present), are delighted that their Chief Executive, Mr Declan Doherty, received the North West Business Hero Award at the Derry Chamber of Commerce North West Business Awards, following a ceremony held recently in the City Hotel. Declan, has been Chief Executive of Derry Youth and Community Workshop since May 1990. The Workshop is a registered charity, founded in 1978 by Declan's father, Mr. Paddy Doherty. Derry Youth and Community Workshop, under the successful Leadership and Management of Declan Doherty continues to deliver on its original mission statement:- To provide training in and facilitate the development of both personal and vocational skills: thereby allowing the person to reach their full potential and to channel their talents towards enhancing their own lives and the life of the community as a whole; To enhance the employment prospects of the person. Over many years, Declan has secured funding for various programme from the Department for the Economy, Department for Communities and European Social Fund. Declan being presented with North West Business Hero Award. These programmes have allowed training and support opportunities for young people and long term unemployed, many of these having barriers to learning due to mental or physical disabilities, resulting in: Vocational areas of Retail, Information Technology, Business Administration, Hairdressing and Barbering, Pharmacy, Customer Service and Health and Social Care. Employability and Personal and Social Skills. Essential Skills in Communication, Application for Number and ICT. Short training courses in areas of Food Safety, Manual Handling, COSHH, Moving and Handling of People, First Aid at Work, Fire Safety, Warehousing and Storage and Safeguarding. Declan, has earned this recognition for his contribution to supporting thousands of unemployed young people and adults over many years in their personal development resulting in them achieving qualifications and progressing into employment or further education. Declan, is a fantastic Manager of people with a unique management style, he is approachable, shows equality and faireness to all staff and learners and has a commitment to Continued Professional Development. This style of management is reflective in the retention of staff within the Derry Youth and Community Workshop and their dedication to both Declan and the Workshop. Despite no funding being available to deliver the Job Assist Programme, Derry Youth continue to deliver this service, which includes help with Cvs, job search and applications. This service is vital to enable local unemployed people to progress towards and into employment. Derry Youth and Community Workshop staff and board members. Derry Youth and Community Workshop continue to recruit all year around for our Department for the Economy, Skills for Life and Work Programme for anyone 16-18 years of age or up to 22 years of age if they have a disability. This programme covers Vocational Training, Employability Skills, Personal and Social Skills and Essential Skills in Communication, Application of Number and ICT. Work placements are sourced to match vocational area, with bonuses of over 500 throughout the duration of the programme. Transition Year (TY) Students from St Louis and St Vincents Secondary Schools in Dundalk were honored at a recent Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) North East and Midlands Youth Day. They were awarded certificates for their participation in the Young SVP Programme 2022/2023 The Young SVP programme is a social justice programme designed for students at second and third level Institutions. The programme encourages young people and young SVP groups to get involved in their local communities, improve the lives of others and gain a better understanding of SVP and social justice. There are four types of project types in Young SVP: Befriending Project Befriending is one of the central works of SVP. At its heart is the person to person contact with people. In befriending another person, you are giving of your time, your talents and yourself. Work with elderly, young people, people with additional needs, fellow student support, local SVP, random acts of kindness, help a local community cause. Education Project SVP acknowledges the importance of education and the fact that it can be a way out of poverty for many people. A little help at the right time can make all the difference. Teach a skill to another person, peer learning, paired reading, homework club, tech classes, information booklets, music classes, language aid. Awareness Project Through this type of project, you will learn how to research and create awareness on a social justice issue you are interested in. Research a topic of interest and create an awareness campaign in your school, local community, on social media Direct Aid Project SVP is funded almost entirely by donations by the public. Direct Aid projects, where money or items are raised for a cause, should be done with a clear focus in mind and in conjunction with the charity or cause you are collecting for. Fundraise, clothes drive, collections for homeless charities, annual appeal collection, help local SVP. Well done to all involved! This week is the final reminder to notify students, parents, guardians and schools that the closing date for the applications for the 2023 Naughton Foundation Scholarship scheme is closing next week, Friday, June 30th at midnight. After 16 years awarding third level student scholarships, the Naughton Foundation Scholarship scheme is issuing a final reminder to students from County Louth that the 2023 closing date is fast approaching and giving students a last opportunity to submit their entries. The Naughton Scholarships are a scheme of scholarships to promote the study of engineering, science and technology at third level by students in Ireland. Each year from February to May, Leaving Certificate students can apply for a scholarship if they intend on studying science, computer science, mathematics, engineering or technology at third level that year. There will be one guaranteed scholarship for each of the participating counties, 36 allocated in total. The Naughton Foundation was established by Dr Martin and Carmel Naughton in 1994 and its goal is to support worthwhile causes in the arts and education. In 2008 they decided to create the scholarship programme to increase their support for Leaving Certificate students who would like to study engineering, mathematics, science, computer science and technology at third level in Ireland. Originally the scholarship programme only applied to students from counties Louth, Meath and Monaghan however it has since expanded nationwide and students from all Counties in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply. Students are invited to apply if they are currently attending secondary schools in County Louth, and if they are studying two or more of the following subjects- physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, mathematics, and applied mathematics. Each Naughton Scholarship is valued at 20,000 so it is a contribution of 5,000 for each year of the students third-level course for a student studying science, engineering, maths or technology in any publicly funded university or third-level institution in Ireland, including Northern Ireland. The school of each winner is also awarded 1,000. Applications must be submitted before, or on this date to be considered eligible for the scholarship, this deadline will not be extended. The 2023 application forms for The Naughton Foundation Scholarship Programme are available for download and can be completed online on The Naughton Foundation website www.thenaughton foundation.com The Childline listening service, which is dedicated to helping Irelands children, is now recruiting volunteers for its office in Drogheda. The service provided by ISPCC is always available to any child and young person across Ireland who would like to talk about any topic on their mind. Childlines 24/7 listening service is free and confidential and can be reached online or by phone. Volunteers with the service come from all walks of life and are united by one common purpose: to help ensure no child or young person in Ireland has to face their challenges alone. An excellent team spirit and sense of support prevails at Childline units throughout the country. Volunteers receive full training in advance of answering their first contact and ongoing support and upskilling thereafter. Childline regional supervisor Mary Nolan Durkan says: Childline volunteers play a vital role in helping to ensure there is always someone there to listen, support and empower children and young people in Ireland when they seek a listening ear. "The Childline training course is a comprehensive course which equips volunteers with the skills to deliver a quality service to children. One volunteer, Dee, says that she never expected to get so much back from volunteering in her own life. I have learned so many new skills and made friends from all walks of life. We are all united with a common purpose: to make sure every child has somewhere they can turn. Another volunteer Liz says that although she was initially nervous at the thought of becoming a volunteer with Childline, she is delighted that she did it. People always think that youre dealing with the most neglected children of society but this is not necessarily the truth, so many children just need to talk. It tugs at my heartstrings that so many children need Childline. If you would like more information on becoming a Childline volunteer at its unit in Drogheda and helping the service to listen to children and young people, please contact volunteerrecruitment@ispcc.ie If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Tim Sahay in Foreign Policy: While campaigning for the U.S. presidency, Joe Biden sharply criticized the Modi governments human rights record, writing how two of its landmark laws are inconsistent with the countrys long tradition of secularism and with sustaining a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy. Today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads a country that is suddenly at the center of U.S. strategy in Asia. And Biden has changed his tune, inviting the prime minister to a state visit this week. Its widely understood that when U.S. elites refer to India having a functional free press, judiciary, and democracy, they are either dishonest or in denial about how the countrys political system has developed under Modi. But the same is true when they praise Indias economy. The U.S. government seems to be operating under the assumption that Modis India can sustain the country as it decouples from Chinese manufacturing. There is little reason to believe that is true. Modis Gujarat model shot him to the prime ministry in 2014. As chief minister in Gujarat, he had led a developmentalist state: midwifing new industries, repairing bureaucracies, and making huge electricity and infrastructure investments. The states growth rate boomed as subsidies were given to politically connected conglomerates and to state-owned players. But the model has failed when extended to the national stage. While Modi has succeeded in selling himself to his constituents and the world as Indias great modernizer, builder, and attractor of capital, the countrys growth under Modi has flagged. More here. It might have been getting no homework, or getting the rest of the day off school, but Kieran McCarthy remembers being 11 in Colaiste Chriost Ri and looking forward to the annual visit by the new Lord Mayor. Im sure we were one of the earlier schools, 10am and the rest of the day was off, Mr McCarthy says as he laughs. I remember some of the boys who lived in the county were told there was no point in coming in. It was like a Christmas Day, and you wouldnt even know who the Lord Mayor was. Theyd come in and theyd give a speech and thered be a lady mayoress or there wouldnt be. He says he dreamed then that one day he might be Lord Mayor himself, and he says that now he is looking forward to school visits. The incoming Lord Mayor meets The Echo for a chat in the churchyard of St Annes Shandon, as he has just come from a walking tour of Blackpool. He responds with a shrug to the slagging that hes far from the Douglas Road now, pointing out, not unreasonably, that he will be Lord Mayor for all of Cork city. He was always fascinated with history, and he remembers that, when Micheal Martin was Lord Mayor from 1992 to 1993, the future taoiseach had a history project, and a young Kieran McCarthy entered and came second in his category. One of his ambitions was to be a primary school teacher, and he began to teach local history in schools to build up experience. Not getting enough points for Mary I, he says he finds, almost 20 years after his BA degree, that he is involved heavily in the city and in local government. Its been a journey with this history and this heritage, which in 2009 led me to go into the council chamber, and not enter as, oh, I want to be a politician, more, how can I play with the city a lot more, what can I do, I can add my voice I have the heritage element of how the city came together, Im big into community-building, promoting education, giving people a voice, Mr McCarthy says. All of a sudden, I was swept away on what has now been a 14-year journey that has brought me to wearing the chain.. Cllr McCarthy has a BA in archaeology and geography, and a PhD in geography, with Cork playing a major role in those studies, and he has built loads and loads of walking tours. I do find in the walking tours there are always old faces and new faces, and its been really interesting, in that this is also my 30th year giving walking tours, because I started when I was 16, and Im now 46 this year. His 30th book, Curiosities of County Cork, is going to press and he has to proofread it the day before he becomes Lord Mayor. The 30 books tell their own story, he says, with three of them on the River Lee Valley, two of them on Cork Harbour, two on West Cork, and he says he is constantly being pulled to other stories. Another book, a walking trail from the southside to the northside, is a sequel to a book he wrote, from west to east, a few years ago. Its been a 35-year journey from that 11-year-old, where I wanted to become a primary schoolteacher and instead Ive spent 35 years looking at how the city developed and its people and what makes it actually tick, he says. Its not just the heritage. I have met people who have said oh, Kieran will just put a focus on the history and sure thats of no use to us in the present day, but I have spent the last 14 years sitting on housing committees, on roads committees, on planning committees, speaking up on dereliction and trying to make sure social housing projects go through, and make sure the most affordable affordable housing projects can be created. He adds that he is not just a one-trick pony with the history. Im actually quite vocal in committees, I tend to be constructive because at the end of the day, you have to work with people. When I entered the council chamber, I probably entered naively. Theres no councillor in my family way back in time, no TD, no senator. Its also interesting for my family to watch me on this journey and this adventure, he says. Ive been lucky with my parents, my teachers, over time, through school, through my younger years. Cllr McCarthy adds that his experience as a councillor has been very rewarding, and it is a role he continues to cherish. When I take the chain as Lord Mayor, its not just representing the city. Id like to work closely with the incoming county mayor as well because there is a massive divide between Cork City Council and Cork County Council, he says. When asked what he will do differently during his year as Lord Mayor, he replies ruefully that it may be more what he will have to drop. I have run history programmes in schools for the last 25 years, I have three books out this year, with a possible fourth one as well, and then I run the walking tours, he says. I have 30 schools with 1,000 kids involved in the Discover Cork schools heritage programme, part of which is kindly funded by Cork City Council, he says. Theres all these milestones coming up. He says he plans on running a July and August series entitled The Lord Mayors Historical Walking Tours. Itll still be the same tour, except suddenly heres this historical chain from 1787 that actually connects into all of the heritage of our city, he explains. For me, its going to be very emotional because I know the value of the chain because I have been forever reading the stories of what the mayors and lord mayors have done back through time, he says. As we exit the churchyard at St Annes Shandon, Corks newest Lord Mayor talks about the history of St Annes, noting that iconic as it is, it is far from the first church to occupy that site, and he points to the bits of the architecture recycled from earlier Shandons. And, whisper it, he says the design is not even unique to Cork. If you want to know more, youll just have to come along for the next of The Lord Mayors Historical Walking Tours. MEMBERS of a drug and alcohol taskforce set up to tackle addiction in Cork are busy with a range of different projects, but are concerned about the potential impact of the Governments Sale of Alcohol Bill. The level of drug and alcohol addiction across Cork was highlighted in a report published recently by the HSEs Southern Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force (SRDATF). David Lane is co-ordinator of the SRDATF, established in 2003 to address substance misuse. Both the SRDATF which covers Cork county and Kerry and its sister organisation in the city, Cork Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force, have seen massive changes over the past few years, Mr Lane told The Echo. They have established six community hubs, two in the city for both the northside and southside, as well as hubs for East, North, and West Cork, and Kerry. Theres been a lot of work done over the past two and half years, and a lot of re-organisation of services, and theres been a lot of investment in services, said Mr Lane. New appointments include a co-ordinator responsible for supporting families having to deal with drug deaths and related intimidation. A family support co-ordinator works with families across Cork and Kerry, while a full-time rehabilitation co-ordinator has been re-appointed. The taskforce is setting up a post-acute stabilisation unit, an eight-bed unit which will cover the southwest of the country. We have approval for 21 posts for that. Thats all coming on stream this year, said Mr Lane. Recently, a team visited Portugal to examine a drug injection unit, with the aim of establishing a similar unit in Cork City. More research needs to be done on providing a medically supervised injecting facility for Cork, Mr Lane said. The bottom line for us is that it will save lives. It will also serve a public good as well, in terms of reducing the visibility of public injecting in the city. It will reduce drug litter problems. It will reduce the potential for blood-borne infections being passed among injecting drug users. It will make a big difference in overdose situations that arise in the city, said Mr Lane. Dublin has planning permission for such a facility. We will learn from developments in Dublin over the coming months, added Mr Lane. Learning from the covid era, the team can now provide blended services where some services can be delivered online, so people do not have to travel long distances. Our investment in IT, and the ability to conduct interventions online has been hugely beneficial for us, said Mr Lane. Mr Lane said the Public Health Alcohol Act has been a really important piece of legislation in terms of reducing harms around alcohol misuse in Cork but also nationally. However, he says the Sale of Alcohol Bill, is almost contradictory to the Public Health Alcohol Act, as it proposes extending opening hours for licensed premises, while reducing the bar for applying for licences. Were really worried about an increasing number of outlets, in terms of premises selling alcohol, and increased hours. They are all going to lead in one direction. Thats one of the big tickets items for us in the two taskforces, he said. Kate Gibney is one of the authors of the SRDATF report and she also raised concerns about the Sale of Alcohol Bill, making its way through the Oireachtas. The legislation concerns the availability of alcohol, its marketing, and when and where alcohol can be sold. For us across the services, alcohol will always be the biggest issue, said Ms Gibney. Under the bill, some pubs and clubs will be able to remain open for longer. Ms Gibney said this runs counter to what the SRDATF has been lobbying for. David Lane is co-ordinator of the Southern Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Pic: Gerard McCarthy. If it passes, it means that clubs can serve until 5am and stay open until 6am. Bars would be allowed to stay open until 3.30am. That to me seems completely counterproductive in terms of what were trying to do. Were trying to reduce alcohol-related harm, she said. The Government is bringing in some really good evidence-based measures while on the other hand, it is introducing measures to increase availability, added Ms Gibney, stating it can appear that the departments are at odds in what they are trying to achieve. When asked if there has been an increase in demand for addiction services since the covid-19 pandemic, Ms Gibney said: Our services are always incredibly busy. I think over the next number of years that we will see the impact of covid. Consultants are reporting that more patients are presenting with stomach problems due to increased intake of alcohol during covid. Ever so slowly, we will see the consequences of us all being locked indoors for the bones of 24 months, she added. I think it will be over the next number of years. I think peoples mental health deteriorated, and some people used alcohol a lot more who wouldnt have previously. There has been a decrease in younger people accessing SRDATF services, and Ms Gibney said it is unclear why this has happened but its something weve all noticed recently. Funding is the main challenge for drug and alcohol services. We have a small budget but we cover a a massive area, she said. Trying to provide services in the most remote areas of Kerry or West Cork or North Cork can be a real challenge for us. We have outreach clinics across Cork county and Kerry, in very rural areas which wouldnt have a huge amount of services. Loneliness is a massive one for people, that loss of connection, she added. Something as simple as getting to and from an appointment in rural Kerry could be hours. Thats not something we have to consider in the city. SRDATF has obtained several buses for two of the more isolated hubs. The SRDATF teams work at the moment includes lobbying on the Sale of Alcohol Bill, trying to deliver services online to users in rural areas, assisting Ukrainians in provision centres who have issues with drugs and alcohol, and developing new schemes, added Ms Gibney. Information on how to access addiction services can be found at srdatf.ie or by calling 021 4930100. Cork City Fire Brigade had a busy Friday night as crews around the city worked hard dealing with bonfires lit on St Johns Eve. St John's Eve, or Bonna Night as it is known in Cork, is an annual Christian folk tradition of lighting bonfires celebrating the summer solstice which occurs around June 21, the longest day of the year. A spokesperson for the Cork City Fire Brigade said they had slightly less than 50 call outs across the evening, considerably less than the 100 or so call outs which were typical years ago, pointing to a downward trend in the number of fires being lit. Ahead of the evenings festivities, Cork Fire Service had asked the public to keep fires small and under control, consider that some neighbours may have medical issues compounded by smoke, to use non-toxic items, and to respect fire crews as they worked. The number of incidents were in the high 40s, covering the whole of Cork city right throughout the evening, said a spokesperson. Thats between bonfires and just regular rubbish fires, that we would get any other night of the week, he said. The Fire Service was supplemented by a crew dedicated solely to bonfires. That truck, what we call the Bonfire Truck, dealt with approximately 25 calls last night, between 6pm and 1am this morning. At one oclock it ended. Our social media presences and all our messages are getting out there. People are being more kind to the environment. It is definitely a dying trend. We didnt have as many bonfires, said the spokesperson. Many of the calls were duplicate calls, to the same bonfire, two or three times. We had to put out approximately, a quarter or so of those 40. Some were well supervised, and people were ringing in because they saw smoke in the area. We had one or two isolated incidents, where people took advantage of burning rubbish to start bonfires, he said. No one was injured, and there was no damage to fire engines. There was one incident early in the night, when young children threw stones at a fire crew. Crews from Anglesea Street dealt with a bonfire on Forge Hill, while a Ballyvolane crew dealt with a bonfire in Farranree, and one in Mayfield. The special bonfire truck was operated by six members, one officer and five firefighters, along with three regular crews. The City Council had supervised events in The Glen, Churchfield, and Togher, which helped with the younger children, said the spokesperson. We used to have up to 100 calls on Bonfire Night, traditionally. So thats nearly a 60 per cent drop in figures, from 15 to 20 years ago. The black smoke is now seen as environmentally damaging, and the fires also destroy local green areas, he said. People appreciate the green areas for their children, so theyre not going to let them burn rubbish there. Separate to the bonfires, the Anglesea Street crew dealt with a container on fire near Vernon Mount in Douglas, at about 4pm. A crew from Anglesea dealt with a small fire in an office building in the Mahon area in the morning. The incident took place in a basement shower unit, caused by an electrical fault. Read More Man (20s) rescued by Cork City Fire Brigade following fall in city centre We had three units in attendance. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire and ventilated the area using Positive Pressure Ventilation, said a spokesperson. A CORK charity has stepped in following the Kakhovka dam tragedy in Ukraine, which has cost dozens of lives and caused severe damage to homes and farmland. The Greater Chernobyl Cause, formed in the wake of the worlds worst nuclear disaster, has been working alongside charity partners in the country over several months to bring essential supplies to areas close to the front line. Now, they have received SOS messages for financial support to aid those providing assistance to flood victims. Funds will go towards providing water, emergency food supplies, basic hygiene kits, medicines, tents, blankets, among other supplies to those in need. The charitys founder Fiona Corcoran is desperately appealing for the publics help. There isnt a minute to lose, she said. Too many lives have been lost. Houses have disappeared under the water. Everywhere there is immense suffering and critical aid must be provided to those fleeing the floods in Kherson. Im appealing once again to our generous Irish supporters to give whatever they can to address the immediate needs of those who have lost everything. She stressed that what they are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. There are also worries about the threat to the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Though its six reactors have been shut down for some time, they still need water for cooling. What we have witnessed in the last few days is the largest environmental disaster in Europe for decades. Please give whatever you can. Every little helps make a tangible difference in the lives of those so badly affected by this appalling disaster. Donations can be made on greaterchernobylcause.ie / by post to : The Greater Chernobyl Cause, Unit 4 Southside Industrial Estate Pouladuff Road Togher Cork Patrick Bigger and Federico Sibaja in Phenomenal World: A brewing sovereign debt crisis threatens to engulf as many as sixty-one countries in debt distress over the coming year. Aid flowing from the global Northwhich carries the most responsibility for the atmospheric carbon stockto the global Southwhich bears the brunt of its impactsmust be dramatically scaled up. Despite professing the need for global climate solutions, governments in the more prosperous countries have responded to this threat with lassitude and indifference, as evidenced by the slate of unambitious, unserious, and demonstrably ineffective responses issued from their recent summits. Meanwhile, democratic deficits within the institutions of multilateral governance show the difficulty of grappling with the pronounced asymmetries in our international financial architecture. Even the most ambitious reforms slated for discussion at weeks Summit on a New Global Financing Pact in Paris fail to confront the fundamental role of debt in that asymmetrical architecture. There is a growing consensus among global South governments, civil society organizations, and even some staff within the twin pillars of the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, that a thoroughgoing overhaul is required to contend with twenty-first century problems. New governance of the institutions, new trade conditions, and a new debt architecture should all be part of reforms that acknowledge that the main barrier is not access to finance, but who sets the terms and defines the processes of the current economic framework. More here. THE ninth annual Bessborough commemoration will take place tomorrow at the folly on the grounds of the former Cork mother and baby institution. The annual event began in April 2014 as a vigil at the gates of Bessborough, and has grown over the years as the survivor community has become more active. Between 1922 and 1998, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary ran Bessborough as a mother and baby institution, and during that time 9,768 mothers and 8,938 babies were admitted. According to the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, some 923 children died at Bessborough or after being transferred from there. Burial records exist for only 64 of the children who died in the care of the Bessborough institution or after transfer from it, meaning that the records and remains of 859 children are missing. Recent years have seen repeated calls from members of the Bessborough Support Group for a full investigation into deaths and burials associated with the former institution. One of the organisers of tomorrows commemoration is Rochestown resident Carmel Cantwell. In 1960, Ms Cantwells mother, Bridget, a pregnant 18-year-old from Co Tipperary living and working in London, was sent back to Ireland, to Bessborough, by a group called The Crusade of Rescue. To preserve the illusion that Bridget was still in London, her letters home were posted from Bessborough to London, and from there back to her family in Tipperary, who remained unaware she was pregnant. While Bridget was in labour, the nuns gave her an injection, and she later developed a large abscess where she had received the injection. Bridget was not told what the injection was for, but she recalls hearing two nuns squabbling, with one accusing the other of not sterilising the needle. Bridgets baby William the nuns insisted she call him the more Irish-sounding Gerard, but to Bridget he will always be William was born healthy, but when he was three days old, he became suddenly poorly and was taken from his mother, who also became deathly ill. For over a fortnight, Bridget begged the nuns to bring William to a doctor or to take him to hospital, and eventually they did, to St Finbarrs Hospital, but it was too late. William was six weeks old when he died. Still desperately ill, Bridget was told he had already been buried. His death certificate says he died of septicaemia. Three decades later, on a visit home to her daughter Carmel, Bridggot up the courage to visit Bessborough and ask to see Williams grave. She was brought to the nuns graveyard, and told her baby was buried in the empty quadrant by the Bessborough folly. A further two decades later, in 2014, appalled and empowered by the Tuam Babies scandal, Bridget and her daughter Carmel placed a memorial on the spot she had been told was Williams burial place. In 2019, the fifth interim report of the State commission on mother and baby homes was published, and it was scathing in its criticism of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, describing the information the nuns had given the commission as speculative, inaccurate, and misleading. The report also contained distressing details clearly identifying William and showing that he had, in fact, been buried, over half a century earlier, in a paupers grave in the overgrown Famine graveyard on Carrs Hill. When Bridget, who is 81 now, and not in the best of health, can get to Cork from her London home, she visits Carrs Hill, searching the treacherous, broken ground in vain for any trace of the final burial place of her beautiful baby boy. Tomorrows commemoration begins at 2pm by the folly in Bessborough and will feature a number of guest speakers, including Dr James Gallen, author of Transitional Justice and the Historical Abuses of Church and State. Daniel Loftus will talk about his online work, Project Infant, and Laura Whelan will be displaying the dolls created by mothers and supporters of the Babog Project. Deirdre Wadding, a mother in Bessborough in the 1980s who featured in Deirdre Finnertys book Bessborough, will discuss her own experiences. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Cork adoption support group Know My Own, and broadcaster PJ Coogan, one of its founders, will be MC. A 14-year-old girl attending the Townlands festival outside Macroom five years ago was sexually assaulted by a 33-year-old man in the van in which she was sleeping with teenaged friends. Judge Helen Boyle jailed Frank Harte, who is now 37, of Gortnagragh, Ballydehob, Co Cork, for five years at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The accused man contested the case last month but a jury of nine men and three women found him guilty of the crime. The judge said the victim made a brave and eloquent victim-impact statement. Detective Garda Muireann Byrne read it on behalf of the victim. The woman, who was 14 on the night of the sexual assault five years ago, said: That night was the worst night of my life. I cannot put into words how horrific every second was while I was locked in that van. I could not comprehend what was happening to me. The assault broke me. I felt shameful and disgusting in my own body. I was so violated it felt unreal. When I came home after the festival all I wanted was a shower, to scrub his touch off my body. I have never felt so disgusting in my own skin before. In school after the summer I was a wreck. I was suffering with such bad anxiety and my depression was so bad I had no focus to do any schoolwork. I felt like such a failure. I was having trouble sleeping. I was so paranoid that him or another man was going to break into the house and attack me again. I would hear footsteps in my room and I would see shadows on the wall. My trust in people is non-existent. I trust no one fully. I feel outcast in my own life. I would like to be able to love someone without fearing that they are going to hurt me. I would like to be able to have a fun time with my friends without worrying about who is watching me. I would like to be able to work wherever I want regardless of the number of men employed there. I would like to be able to see a male doctor, without fear, if I needed one. I would like to be able to walk around [locality] without anxiety. But I cannot. It is still affecting me to this day. In the trial, Brendan Kelly, prosecution barrister, submitted to the jury that there was sufficient evidence from the complainant on which they could be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the 33-year-old man sexually assaulted the child on the night in July 2018. Mr Kelly said there had been a lot of evidence in the case of alternative lifestyle and people taking drugs but he said the issue at the centre of this case was a sexual assault by a 33-year-old man on a child. Defence senior counsel, Seamus Roche, said at the close of the trial in May that while the complainant gave her evidence in a very respectful fashion, she did not kick out or shout out to rouse the other people in the van at the time. She also gives different versions of how the touching actually occurred. These are details, but they might be considered to be relevant. I have to suggest there is more than enough to have a doubt, a reasonable doubt, a significant doubt on the evidence. However, the jury did not have a reasonable doubt and they found Harte guilty on May 12. His sentence was backdated to then as he was remanded in custody from that time. Judge Boyle imposed a sentence of six years with the last year suspended. IN an alternative universe on Thursday, NATO - and not the Irish government - launched a Consultative Forum on International Security at UCC. This event was aimed at addressing the issue of whether NATO should accept an invitation from Ireland to join its ranks. Suddenly, in this parallel universe, the forum is interrupted by a phalanx of noisy pro-NATO protesters, chanting We dont want Ireland! and NATO says NO to Irish invitation! I know, it sounds comical, but hear me out. Because IF an Irish government did face down the anti-NATO protests and ditched its long-standing commitment to neutrality. And IF it put forward an invitation to NATO to join its membership. Why on earth would NATO want us? What makes anyone think that the respected international organisation would not turn around and say: Why, thanks, Ireland, but, er, no thanks. Has anyone thought of this potentially embarrassing scenario? Or are we so caught up with our own lives on this little rock on the westernmost fringe of Europe that we fail to see how utterly pointless and useless we would be to an organisation which takes pride in defending the western world from evil. NATOs stated aim is to promote democratic values and enable members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues. Ultimately, this can involve the use of military power. So, ask yourself, what can Ireland actually contribute to these causes? Here is what we can offer: A downtrodden, poorly-motivated, woefully underpaid defence force which has been blighted by recent scandal - Irelands armed forces barely tolerate women, an independent report into bullying and sexual harassment has found. Will NATO fancy adding that to their collective armoury? And what about Irish military hardware? Well, we currently need the UK to police our skies from hostile foreign forces - so I cant see that impressing NATO too much. As for our seas, well, we know that ships from a currently hostile foreign power - Russia - have made frequent visits to our waters in recent times, and our navy, lacking anything that might scare them off, has been monitoring them. Again, will this impress NATO enough to want us to join their alliance? Exactly. So, when the Government-appointed Consultative Forum on International Security was disrupted at UCC this week by anti-NATO protesters, it did make me wonder if we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. The forum has been set up to discuss a host of questions related to defence and security, many of which have become hugely important since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Many who cherish Irelands long-held idea of neutrality fear the forum is too military-weighted and will ultimately lead to Ireland seeking to join NATO. We know that our supposedly neutral President, Michael D. Higgins is among that band of people, since he came out and said so last week. However, what the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces doesnt seem to realise is that decades of under-funding and poor treatment of those very Defence Forces means we are hardly likely to appeal to NATO in the event of us applying. But would NATO really knock back Ireland, if we overcame the domestic opposition and enlisted? Well, we do seem to currently fail the acid test set out in the North Atlantic Treaty, that membership is open to any European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area. At present, any Irish contribution to the security of the region would be negligible. All countries affiliated to NATO would also have to agree to accept the new member. At the very least, there is a strong argument that if Ireland does apply, it will need to significantly increase its defence spend, in order to not look like it is piggybacking on NATOs security muscle - the very argument many people here use to justify joining up in the first place. If we did join NATO, there would be a certain ring to it - as we would be the 32nd member: Ireland, which ultimately seeks to form a 32-county nation, entering a 32-state alliance to defend the world. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves. The neutrality gene is embedded in Irish minds and hearts, and polls consistently show voters want to retain it. Joining NATO would take a giant leap of faith by a sitting government. I cant imagine this government grasping that nettle - and surely no Sinn Fein government would take that step. For my own part, this notion of Irish neutrality seems to be another Irish solution to an Irish problem, riddled with inconsistency and even hypocrisy. The country was (rightly) weighted towards Britain and her allies in World War II, and (rightly) is outraged by Russias invasion of Ukraine; neutrality is like being pregnant, you cant be halfway there. Our form of neutrality is merely a cosy flag of convenience we wrap around ourselves, while other countries and their citizens pay - in hard currency and sometimes even with body bags - for the peace we cherish so much. I suspect the President and the protesters at UCC this week will get their way, and Ireland will not join NATO in the foreseeable future. And I suspect NATO will believe we are no great loss to them. Summer has always held a special place in my heart. Its arrival brings a sense of joy and anticipation thats hard to match. Long sunny days, warm nights, and the overall aura of freedom and relaxation yes, summer is indeed a season to look forward to. As an educator and a perennial lover of all things summer, I believe this wonderful season presents a unique opportunity for learning. This is a time when kids are out of the confines of the classroom, immersed in a world full of vibrant experiences and phenomena that pique their curiosity. Why not turn these experiences into valuable learning opportunities? As we soak up the sun and marvel at the spectacle of fireflies on a warm night, theres a world of knowledge waiting to be unraveled. But remember, learning should never come at the expense of fun, especially during the summer break. After all, these are the days kids look forward to all year long. Its a time to relax, explore, and let their imaginations run wild. In this spirit of fun-filled education, I have put together a collection of fascinating summer fun facts. Ranging from why we have summer to peculiarities about summer critters, these nuggets of knowledge aim to educate and entertain. My hope is that these fun facts will not only feed your childs curiosity but also inspire them to delve deeper and discover more about the world around them. Why we have Summer facts Earths Tilt: The reason we have summer (and all other seasons) is because the Earth is tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees. This means as the Earth orbits the sun, different parts of the planet receive more sunlight at different times of the year. Longest Day: During the summer solstice, which typically falls on June 20th or 21st, the Earths tilt towards the sun is at its maximum. This makes it the longest day of the year with the most daylight hours. Not the Hottest: Despite having the longest day, the summer solstice is not usually the hottest day of the year. Theres a delay between the longest day and the warmest average temperatures, which usually occur a month or two later. This phenomenon is known as the thermal lag or seasonal lag. Midnight Sun: In places above the Arctic Circle and below the Antarctic Circle, theres a period of time in the summer when the sun doesnt set for 24 hours or more. This is often called the midnight sun, and it happens because the tilt of the Earths axis keeps these areas in constant sunlight. Summer Facts about Solstice Here are some fun facts about the longest day of the year, also known as the summer solstice: Solstice Origins: The term solstice comes from the Latin words sol meaning sun, and sistere meaning to stand still. This is because the sun appears to pause in the sky at its highest point. Worldwide Celebration: The summer solstice has been celebrated by various cultures around the world for thousands of years. Festivities range from bonfires and dancing in Europe to the famous yoga gathering in Times Square, New York. Stonehenge Mystery: One of the most famous solstice celebrations happens at Stonehenge in England, where people gather to watch the sunrise. The site aligns with the solstice sunrise, leading many to believe that it was used as an ancient calendar. Varied Length: The exact length of the longest day can vary depending on where you are in the world. For example, if youre at the equator, day and night are each about 12 hours. But if youre at the North or South Pole, the sun doesnt set at all! Dual Solstices: While its the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, its the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere because they experience winter when its summer in the north, and vice versa. This means that as some are celebrating the summer solstice, others are experiencing the winter solstice. Summer Fun Facts about Sun Protection: Here are some fun facts about sun protection: Sunscreen Invention: The first effective sunscreen was invented by an Austrian scientist named Franz Greiter in 1946. His product, named Gletscher Creme or Glacier Cream, later evolved into the brand Piz Buin, which is still popular today. SPF Meaning: SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. Its a measure of how well the sunscreen will protect your skin from UVB rays, the kind of radiation that causes sunburn and contributes to skin cancer. According to UCI Health, SPF 30 doesnt mean its twice as good as SPF 15, though. While SPF 15 filters out approximately 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 filters out 97%, only a slight improvement. Clothes as Protection: Sun-protective clothing is rated in terms of Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). A UPF rating of 50 means that only 1/50th (or 2%) of the UV radiation can penetrate the fabric, offering strong sun protection. Sunglasses Importance: Just like skin, eyes can get sunburned too from excessive UV radiation, leading to a condition called photokeratitis. Sunglasses help protect your eyes from UV damage, and its especially important for kids to wear them as their young eyes are more susceptible to sun damage. Summer Fun Facts about Ice Cream Here are some fun facts about ice cream Ancient Origins: According to IDFA, Ice cream traces its origins back to the second century B.C., with notable historical figures such as Alexander the Great and King Solomon enjoying honey-nectar flavored snow and iced drinks, respectively. Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar also delighted in snow flavored with fruits and juices. The precursor to modern ice cream emerged around the 16th century when Marco Polo brought a sherbet-like recipe from the Far East to Italy. The dessert spread to England and France, with France first tasting it in 1553 courtesy of the Italian Catherine de Medici. Ice cream was made available to the public in 1660 when the Sicilian Procopio introduced a new recipe at Cafe Procope, Pariss first cafe. National Ice Cream Month: In the United States, July is National Ice Cream Month. The third Sunday of the month is National Ice Cream Day. Most Popular Flavor: According to a 2022 survey by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), called National Ice Cream Trends Survey, the favorite ice cream flavors in America vary between ice cream makers and consumers. For ice cream makers and scoop shops, the top five flavors are Cookies N Cream, Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Strawberry. In contrast, consumers prefer Chocolate, Cookies N Cream, Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate Chip. The Ice Cream Cone: The ice cream cone was popularized during the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. An ice cream vendor reportedly ran out of cups and asked a nearby waffle vendor to roll his waffles into cones to hold the ice cream. World Record Scoop: The tallest ice cream cone measured 2.81 m (9 ft 2.63 in) tall by Mirco Della Vecchia and Andrea Andrighetti (both Italy) in Rimini, Ital Summer Fun Facts about Fruits and Vegetables Here are some fun facts about summer fruits and vegetables Watermelon Hydration: Watermelons are not only delicious, but they are also a great source of hydration. They are 92% water and packed with vitamins A and C. Corn isnt a Vegetable: Although we often refer to corn as a vegetable, its actually a grain. It was first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Berry Healthy: Berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are high in antioxidants, which help protect your cells from damage. Blueberries, in particular, have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all common fruits and vegetables. Mango Varieties: There are over 1,000 different varieties of mangoes worldwide. Theyre also the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Eggplant Color: Despite their common purple color, eggplants come in a variety of shapes and colors, from white and yellow to green and even multi-colored. Tomato Debate: Although often prepared as a vegetable, tomatoes are technically a fruit because they develop from the ovary of a flower and contain seeds. Still, in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes should be classified as a vegetable for trade purposes. Peachy Keen: There are hundreds of varieties of peaches, and they are divided into two main categories: freestone and clingstone, referring to how easily the fruits pit (or stone) separates from the flesh. Zucchini Surprise: Zucchinis can grow quite large, but most are harvested when theyre still small. The world record for the longest zucchini ever grown is 2.52 meters or about 8.27 feet achieved by Giovanni Batista Scozzafava (Italy) in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Summer Facts about Critters Here are some fun facts about summer critters: Fireflies: Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, are a staple of summer evenings in many places. They produce a cold light within their bodies through a process called bioluminescence. This light is used to attract mates or prey. Cicadas: Some cicadas are known for their unique life cycle, where they live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, then emerge in large groups all at once, often after 13 or 17 years, to molt, mate, and die. Mosquitoes: While theyre often just a nuisance, mosquitoes are actually the deadliest animals on Earth because of the diseases they can carry, like malaria. Interestingly, only female mosquitoes bite because they need the protein in blood to help develop their eggs. Monarch Butterflies: Every summer, monarch butterflies in North America undergo a mass migration. They can travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the United States and Canada to central Mexican forests where they overwinter. Hummingbirds: Many species of hummingbirds spend their winters in Central America or Mexico, and migrate north to their breeding grounds in the southern U.S. and western states as early as February, and to areas further north later in the spring. The ruby-throated hummingbird can beat its wings 53 times a second. Ants: Summer is a particularly active time for ants as they send out winged ants, known as alates, to start new colonies. These are often mistaken for flying ants, but theyre actually the reproductive members of the colony. Bottom Line In conclusion, summer is a truly amazing time of year. From the tilt of the Earths axis that gives us this warm season, the longest day of the year known as the summer solstice, to the importance of sun protection that shields us from the suns harmful rays, theres so much to marvel at. Motorola clearly read reviews of Samsungs Z Flip series and took notes. The Moto Razr+, a foldable phone thats like a standard 6.9-inch handset when open, offers a large 3.6-inch screen when closed. That addresses one of the most common complaints about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 the size of its Cover Display. Its a cramped 1.9-inch window with a limited selection of widgets that you can use. The Razr+, meanwhile, pretty much runs full Android with some tweaks. Theres something about using the outer display that feels almost pager-like and sent me into nostalgic delight. The Moto Razr+, which goes on sale today for $999, might appeal to both old souls and early adopters alike. Design Currently in its fourth generation (if you count the 5G model released in 2020 as a second-gen), the Razr+ has two notable differences from its predecessors. The first is the larger display. The second is something only people over 30 might notice: The Razr+ doesnt have a chin cupping the bottom like on the iconic original Razr. I dont mind it, but it does cost it some nostalgia points. Motorola Motorola Moto Razr+ SCORE 85 Engadget 85 Critics - Not yet scored N/A Users - Not yet scored N/A Pros Useful and roomy external display Folds in half to become very compact Can be own tripod for photos or videos Cons Cameras cannot compare to flagships Long-term durability and security remains a concern When folded, there is no gap between the two halves of the main screen. Its a squat square, and its matte back reminds me of the case that my dads pager sat in. Sadly, only the Viva Magenta model comes with a vegan leather back, while the blue and black models use Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and rear. Our review unit is black, and the matte finish lends a more premium feel and helps fight smudges. The folded Razr+ is thinner than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and fits comfortably in my palm, and its slightly larger than the Samsung phone when open. The Razr+ has a slightly less rigid hinge than the Flip 4, too. The Samsung phone can hold itself up at pretty much any position, but Motos hinge yields and opens all the way when you push it past 150 degrees. Finally, at 188.5 grams (6.6 ounces), the Razr+ is lighter than the iPhone 14 Plus and the Galaxy S23 Plus, which both have slightly smaller screens. Its just a tad heavier than the Z Flip 4, though. Both Motorola and Samsungs devices are rated for water-resistance, with the Razr+ meeting IP52 standards while the Flip hit IPX8. External display Next to the Moto Razr+, using the Z Flip 4s Cover Display feels unusable, especially when trying to frame a selfie. Not only is there barely enough space to contain everything, but its also hard to see. When shooting the video for this piece, our producer Joel Chokkattu struggled to get a usable shot of the camera preview on the Z Flip 4s exterior display in sunlight. Motorolas larger pOLED panel also allows for a more full-fledged Android experience, while Samsung is a glorified notification widget. On the Moto, you can swipe down from top to see all your quick settings toggles and the brightness slider, swipe up slowly to show your open apps and switch between them, and swipe in from the side to go back. In comparison, the Z Flip 4 only lets you swipe sideways to rotate through widgets, and dragging down from top shows you just a single row of toggles. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget The main difference between Motos external display and the complete Android experience is the home screen. Motorola has designed it so that you can only have the clock widget, date, weather info and a row of six shortcut buttons. Tapping each of the latter takes you to the respective panel. You can also swipe sideways to see them sequentially, and you can arrange them in the order you prefer. The widgets themselves are very similar to Samsungs offerings. Youll find an app launcher, dialer, calendar, games, media controls, steps tracker and the days headlines. On the Moto, the latter two are supplied by Google services like Fit and News. Because the Razr+ has more real estate, it can display more information or use a larger font. Both of these are an obvious improvement over Samsungs teeny tiny panel, especially for those with bigger fingers, less dexterity or vision-related challenges. The widgets arent the scene stealers here. For the most part, theyre simple a calculator, media controls, et cetera. The Spotify playback widget doesnt do more than let you pause, skip tracks, rewind and change playlists, which is frustrating. But even the fact that it offers that last option is already better than the Z Flip 4. Gallery: Moto Razr+ review | 21 Photos /21 Gallery: Moto Razr+ review | 21 Photos /21 You cant pick a specific song in a playlist, though. Its a mild annoyance and not a dealbreaker, especially since there are two viable alternatives here. One: I can just open the phone and use the main Spotify app to go to a different playlist and pick a song. Two and this is where the Razr+ truly shines any Android app can run on the outside screen, as long as youve enabled it. This is a continuity feature so you can keep running whatever youre doing on the main display on the outside panel after you close the phone. To use Spotify (or any other app) on the small screen, Id open it on the inside, shut the device, and continue outside. Even if I go on to do something else, I can find the app on the exterior display by swiping up from the bottom to see open apps. Youd think that there would be issues with apps breaking and elements either not showing or being blocked by the two cameras on the bottom right of the screen. But Motorola has some workarounds. You can either have apps take up the whole screen and the sensors block parts of it. Or you can swipe up and select a layout that forces the content to sit within a rectangle above the cameras similar to how Android phones used to treat camera notches. This should work with any app, but there are some scenarios where the experience is broken. When youre navigating a drive with Google Maps and playing music at the same time, for example, you wont be able to see the directions or your route. And, just because you can see your Instagram feed on the 3.6-inch panel, doesnt mean youll want to. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Even better, because the screen is so small (basically the size of the original iPhone), its easy to use with one hand. You can pull up a full QWERTY keyboard to reply to messages, and I was able to reach the letter Q or A with my thumb stretching across from the right. Cameras One other advantage of a larger external screen is how much more useful it is as a viewfinder. Both Samsung and Motorola let you use the outside display to preview what youre shooting with the rear cameras, as well as show your subject what they look like. On the Z Flip 4, you can only see a portion of the scene and will have to guess where it will get cut off. With the Razr+, no guesswork is necessary WYSIWYG. Both phones offer similar gestures like holding up your palm to trigger a countdown till the photo is shot, so you can step away and take your picture when youre ready and posed. You can also have the foldables bent at 90 degrees and placed on a surface with the inside screen facing out, and the layout will change so the top half is your viewfinder and the bottom shows controls. Unfortunately, on the Z Flip 4 you have to choose between a bigger viewfinder with an inferior 10-megapixel camera or a smaller window and better cameras. On the Razr+, you can use the roomy outside screen and the exterior cameras instead of having to sacrifice quality or visibility while shooting. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Moto opted for a 32 MP sensor inside, with a 12 MP main camera and 13 MP wide-angle system. Initially, I thought the Razr+ delivered decent shots. But after comparing them to samples from the Z Flip 4 and a Pixel 7 Pro, Motorolas images are clearly washed out and less vivid. Samsung did a better job at exposure and retained the blue skies peeking through green leaves. In the same scene, the Razr+ blew out the sky. And when I snapped portraits of my friends adorable dogs, it struggled to get a clear shot due to slower focus and overall lag. The Moto also struggled in low light and was susceptible to lens flares in my nighttime cityscapes and selfies. Though the Flip 4 fared slightly better, overall flip-style foldables lag flagship phones when it comes to camera performance. As a regular phone: Main screen, performance and battery life Unlike most high-end Android phones released this year, the Moto Razr+ uses a year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is the same processor inside the Z Flip 4. Its worth pointing out at this point that the Flip 4 is also nearly a year old and presumably about to be replaced by a newer model. So if having the absolute latest specs matters to you, you shouldnt even be considering the Razr+. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget If youre not picky about the exact generation of processor in your phone, youll likely be satisfied with the Motos performance. I played endless rounds of Solitaire, messaged friends, set up custom gestures, changed wallpapers and it never flinched. The few hiccups I did encounter, like not being able to hit the X button at the outermost corners of an ad in a game, had more to do with specific apps and bad design than horsepower. Thanks to its 165Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution, the Razr+s main OLED display is a solid canvas for activities like scrolling through Instagram and Reddit. Pictures and Stories I looked at were vibrant, and yes, there is still a bit of a crease where the screen folds, but its negligible. It doesnt get in the way of actually interacting with apps or websites, and I mostly forgot it was even there. When I needed to unlock the Razr+, it was as easy as using the fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button. Motorola also continues to offer nifty features that have been in its phones since the Moto X, like twisting your wrist or doing a chopping action while holding the handset to launch the camera or flashlight. It was also surprisingly easy to install the companys Ready For app to use the Razr+ on my PC. While I was initially put off by the amount of Moto-branded software, thankfully most of it was useful and didnt feel like bloatware. Though the company promises three years of OS upgrades and four years of bi-monthly security patch updates, historically it hasnt had the best track record on that front . And thats less than the four years of OS updates and five years for security releases that Samsung offers. That, together with Samsungs experience in foldables, gives me slightly more confidence in its devices longevity. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Moto managed to squeeze a 3,800mAh battery in the Razr+, which is slightly higher than the Flip 4s 3,700 mAh setup. I havent had the time to run our video rundown battery test, which I want to do on both the 6.9-inch and 3.6-inch panels. But Ive been able to play about five to eight hours of nonstop Solitaire on the internal screen so far before needing to plug the Razr+ in. Its also worth noting that since the exterior display is so much more useful, you can do more on the phone without having to tap the larger, more energy-intensive screen during the day. That way, the Moto actually manages to last longer than most phones. Wrap-up I am in love with that front screen how it works, how easy it is to use with one hand, and how much more power efficient it is. Its almost like I want a small phone again. But the main thing preventing me from switching to the Moto Razr+ is camera performance. This isnt a problem unique to Motorola any flip-style foldable today suffers from this. Anyone thinking of getting the Razr+ should also wait. Samsung has announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked will be taking place in Korea in late July, and its widely expected to launch new foldables then. If you can hold off, its worth seeing what the next Z Flip will offer before spending your money. Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget I also want to point out that long-term durability remains a concern for any device with a flexible screen. Two of my colleagues have used a Z Flip 4 for a year and theyve reported seeing cracks and bubbles in their displays and/or screen protectors. While the Razr+ uses a different panel from Samsung, there is still a possibility it wont stand up to the wear and tear of daily use. I cant tell you how well the Moto Razr+ will hold up over time. But I can say that, for the first time in the US, there is serious competition for Samsungs Z Flip 4. Its time to call it: Flip Boi Summer is here and Im excited for it. Russia blocks access to Google News after Wagner Group forces threaten to topple military At least five ISPs have restricted access to the news aggregator. Russian internet service providers have cut off access to Google News after President Vladamir Putin accused Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, of organizing an armed rebellion. According to internet monitor NetBlocks (via The New York Times ), at least five Russian telecoms, including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplusl, are blocking web users inside the country from accessing the news aggregator. Google did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request. Confirmed: Metrics show that the Google News aggregator platform has become unavailable for many users in #Russia; the incident comes amid heightened tensions between the Wagner paramilitary group and Moscow pic.twitter.com/wXyzM0M79k NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 23, 2023 On late Friday, Wagner Group mercenaries crossed the border from Ukraine into Rostov-on-Don, located 20 miles from the Sea of Azov, and appeared to take the city, which is home to Russias southern military headquarters, without much resistance from the regular army. As of Saturday, BBC News is reporting Wagner forces are moving north toward Moscow. Prigozhin has vowed to topple Russias Defense Ministry in response to a missile attack he claims the regular army carried out against Wagner personnel stationed in Ukraine. In addition to being the founder of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin is the funder and creator of the Internet Research Agency, the troll farm behind Russias 2016 US election interference campaign . Putin, framing Prigozhins rebellion as a deadly threat to Russian statehood, has promised harsh consequences for any who join the paramilitary group. Everyone who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, chose the path of blackmail and terrorist methods they will suffer inevitable punishment, he said Saturday, according to The Washington Post. Following Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, many Western tech firms either pulled out of the country or saw their services blocked by telecom regulator Roskomnadzor. Facebook and Twitter are among the platforms that have either been partly or fully blocked within the country since March of last year. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing. David Wallace-Wells in The New York Times: Hype springs eternal in medicine, but lately the horizon of new possibility seems almost blindingly bright. Ive been running my research lab for almost 30 years, says Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. And I can say that throughout that period of time, Ive just never experienced what were seeing over just the last five years. A Nobel laureate, Doudna is known primarily for Crispr, the gene-editing Swiss Army knife that has been called a word processor for the human genome and that she herself describes as a technology that literally enables the rewriting of the code of life. The work for which Doudna shared the Nobel Prize was published more than a decade ago, in 2012, opening up what seemed like an almost limitless horizon for Crispr-powered therapies and cures. But surveying the recent landscape of scientific breakthroughs, she says the last half-decade has been more remarkable still: I think were at an extraordinary time of accelerating discoveries. More here. Wagner mercenaries have taken control of a Russian city key to their war effort in Ukraine, with a convoy of their troops reportedly on route to Moscow. Rostov-on-Don, near the Ukraine border, is seemingly under Wagner control, after their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin called for a rebellion against the army. Key military facilities in the city of Voronezh - which is halfway between Rostov and Moscow, are also said to be controlled by Wagner forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier described their actions as 'a knife in the back of our people', and residents of the Russian capital have been told to stay at home at this time. Saturday, June 24, 2023 Gail Rubin will speak this Saturday to The Humanist Society of New Mexico chapter on the lively topic, Discussing Death Wont Kill You. The event takes place on June 24, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the community room at the International District Library, 7601 Central Avenue, NE, Albuquerque, NM. The meeting is free and open to the public. Among the topics shell discuss: Humanism and death Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in New Mexico How to make a meaningful memorial service without religion. What is Humanism? (From the Societys website) Humanism is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice. Free of supernaturalism, it recognizes human beings as a part of nature and holds that values be they religious, ethical, social, or political have their source in human experience and culture. Humanism thus derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological dogmatism, and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny. About Gail Rubin, CT Gail Rubin, CT, the Doyenne of Death, is a pioneering death educator who uses humor, film clips and outside-the-box activities to teach about end-of-life topics. An award-winning speaker, she knocked em dead at TEDxABQ in 2015 with her talk, A Good Goodbye. Shes the author of four books on end-of-life issues: A GOOD GOODBYE: Funeral Planning for Those Who Dont Plan to Die, HAIL AND FAREWELL: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die and The Before I Die Festival in a Box. She also created Newly-Dead The Game for Couples and Singles. Shes also a Certified Thanatologist, an informed advocate for planning ahead, a Certified Funeral Celebrant, president of Historic Fairview Cemetery in Albuquerque, and the coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Related Saturday, June 24, 2023 This month marks the third anniversary of the publication of "Crisis Ahead," Edward Segal's award-winning and bestselling book on crisis management. To celebrate the ocassion, publisher Nicholas Brealey is making deeply discounted copies of the ebook edition available through the end of June wherever books are sold in the U.S. and Canada. "Crisis Ahead" is based on the following premise: it's not a matter of IF a scandal or crisis will hit, it's WHEN. How a company deals with it will have lasting impact on their reputation, profits, and more. But for most organizations, when a crisis hits, they're caught off guard and ill-prepared. While essential, crisis plans are worthless unless properly executed, as the stories and examples featured throughout Crisis Ahead attest. Edward Segal's vivid and memorable accounts underscore the benefits of practicing and updating crisis plans at least once a year. The book also includes a template for creating a customizable crisis management plan, and a list of the crisis management lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. "Crisis Ahead" is for CEOs, senior staff, corporate communication professionals, HR and legal teams, boards of directors, and front-line employees who need to know what to do in the moment: what levers to pull and what moves to make in real time when faced with a crisis, scandal, or disaster. This book is written with the need for speed in mind. It's concise and practical with a light touch and occasional humor to help people on the front lines prepare for, survive, and bounce back from a crisis. It includes dozens of anecdotes, stories, and lessons about how companies, organizations, and individuals - ranging from Amazon, Apple, and the European Union, to Disney, Starbucks, and entrepreneur Elon Musk - have prepared for, created, managed, and communicated about crisis situations. Lawrence Weschler at Wondercabinet: Vowells unforgettable early contribution to a relatively early incarnation of This American Life (back in 1999), in which she performed a similar feat, though that time unfurling the entire history of the United States drawing on the 720 degree panorama (360 degrees of space compounded by 360 degrees of time) available from just one street corner in Chicago. To wit, this one here: Michigan Avenue as it courses over the Chicago River and intersects with Wacker Drive. If youve already heard that piece, as many of you will have, you should need no reminding: you wont likely have forgotten it. If not, though, do yourselves a favor and pause right here right now to listen to it right here. (Im not kidding, just twenty minutes and it may well change how you think about everything from now onand besides, its just so much fun.) more here. Legislators overrode another veto issued by Gov. Greg Gianforte this week, this time an appropriations bill that includes the mechanism to send marijuana tax money to a habitat improvement program through another vetoed bill that several groups have sued over. Representatives for the Montana Association of Counties, Wild Montana, and the Montana Wildlife Federation this week lauded legislators override of Gianfortes veto of the appropriations bill, House Bill 868. The three groups are suing Gianforte and the secretary of state over the governors veto of Senate Bill 442, the broadly supported bill that redistributes Montanas marijuana tax revenue to put it toward Habitat Montana, the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program, and county road funding, among other things, and tweaks the structure lawmakers decided on in the 2021 session. This is an important step, as the governor stated he vetoed SB 442 in part because there was no appropriation, said MACO Executive Director Eric Bryson. Then he vetoed the appropriation when he vetoed HB 868. Those were the Governors decisions, in contradiction to the will of the Legislature, and we are thankful for the Legislatures ability to overturn that action. Gianforte wrote in his SB 442 veto letter, which was issued right around the time the Senate voted to adjourn the legislative session on May 2, that the bill glaringly omits an appropriation, failing to fund itself. Without an appropriation, the bill does nothing, he wrote. But HB 868 contained language that appropriated the funding for SB 442, the bills sponsors and other supporters had argued on the day of the veto and in the weeks since then. A fiscal analysis of the bill from the Governors Office of Budget and Program Planning said the bill indeed contained an appropriation for SB 442, but also said the inclusion of that and coordinating language for the bill appears to be outside the title of the bill and therefore the amendments to SB 442 and the statutory appropriation appear to be invalid. Sponsor Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta, and the groups that worked on the bill during the session have for weeks argued that Gianfortes veto of SB 442 was improper because it was not read across the Senate rostrum by the time the chamber voted to adjourn, and that lawmakers should be able to try to override the veto through a poll the mechanism used for bills vetoed after the session has adjourned. On June 7, MACO sued Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, asking a judge to allow the legislature to vote on a poll override or to declare SB 442 law because they say Gianforte did not follow proper procedures. That same day, Wild Montana and the Montana Wildlife Federation also sued Gianforte and Jacobsen, calling on a judge to have Gianforte return the veto to Jacobsen so she can mail out a veto override poll to lawmakers. Neither lawsuit has had a hearing date set. Court records show plaintiffs attorneys in both cases are seeking subpoenas of Gianforte and Jacobsen. But the three groups said they were pleased by the legislatures override of HB 868. The override poll received 72 votes in the House and 35 in the Senate, meeting the two-thirds requirements in both chambers to override Gianfortes veto. It marked the fourth veto lawmakers have overridden since the end of the session. Wild Montana state policy director Noah Marion said the successful override sent a clear signal the legislature is still committed to seeing SB 442 become law. Montana Wildlife Federation executive director Frank Szollosi said he commended the override. This vote is a resounding testament that its time to stop bickering over the allocation of marijuana tax revenue and instead focus on the will of thousands of Montanans who have vocally championed the policy provisions of SB 442, Szollosi said in a statement. We look forward to a similar result when the secretary of state sends out the poll on SB 442. A pride flag is displayed outside Montana Book Co. on Last Chance Gulch in Helena on June 1, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan) Two national organizations tracking anti-LGBTQ+ acts across the country included two Montana incidents in a report finding more than 350 instances of harassment, vandalism and assault across the country in the past year. However, Shawn Reagor with the Montana Human Rights Network said the organization identified an additional six incidents in the same period that did not get wide coverage. We know that incidents go under reported and are very difficult to track, Reagor said in a text to the Daily Montanan. Anti-hate organization the Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD, a national LGBTQ+ organization, partnered and found between June 2022 and April 2023 there were a total of 356 Anti-LGBTQ+ extremist and non-extremist incidents motivated by hate across the U.S., including 305 acts of harassment, 40 acts of vandalism and 11 incidents of assault. Released this week, the report included two incidents of harassment that occurred in Montana within that time. The one incident in Missoula was in the Government targeted trend, meaning it was related to government buildings and/or elected officials. The harassment in Billings was uncategorized. Events captured in the report include the Club Q shooting in Colorado that left five dead at the LGBTQ+ nightclub, a firebombing in Ohio at a church that was set to host a Drag Story Hour and the extremists arrested in Coeur dAlene, Idaho ahead of a Pride celebration. Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and extremist events have been on the rise in recent years, with fringe talking points making their way into the halls of state legislatures across the country, including Montana. Following an incident last month where an older man at a Target in Missoula threw merchandise for Pride month on the floor and told a transgender couple shopping to enjoy it while you can, Reagor cited the connection between rhetoric at the statehouse and increased anti-LGBTQ+ violence and threats. Hate-filled rhetoric and actions started in the Capitol this session and (have) flooded this state, Reagor said in a statement to the Daily Montanan in May. Bills banning gender-affirming care for minors, drag performances on public property, and defining sex in code as binary were all signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte following the 2023 legislative session. The bills garnered hours of public comment, bringing in both supporters and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, along with people supporting the community in opposition to the legislation. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, the first transgender woman elected to the Montana statehouse, was censured by Republicans in the House for language she used in opposing the bill against gender-affirming care for minors. In May, Zephyr tweeted there was an attempted swatting of her home, referring to someone who calls in a false report of a crime happening around that location, with the hope law enforcement respond there, as reported by the Missoulian. Theres also been pushback to Drag Story Hours around the state in the last year with events in Billings and Helena facing online and written threats in advance although taking place largely without incident and with large turnouts. Drag events and performers were targeted the most across the country, the ADL/GLAAD report found, making up 138 incidents. There were 33 incidents relating to schools and educators, 23 incidents relating to healthcare facilities and providers, and 22 incidents relating to government buildings and elected officials. The report found at least 191 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault making explicit references to grooming or pedophilia, referencing a false conspiracy theory, making it the most cited trope among incidents. The ADL and GLAAD also noted that anti-LGBTQ+ events would often overlap with other forms of hate, with at least 128 incidents also citing antisemitic tropes and 30 incidents also citing racist tropes. Incidents were reported in 46 states with nearly half perpetrated wholly or substantially by individuals associated with extremist groups. The incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, assault and vandalism were reported and identified by ADL from victim reports, the media and partner organizations. The reports methodology clarified it is not a public opinion poll or an effort to catalog every expression of anti-LGBTQ+ extremism, noting not every instance of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is reported and that the report did not include all online hate. This new report makes abundantly clear that extremism is escalating against LGBTQ people and endangers every American, said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a press release Thursday. Extremists, including elected officials, must be held accountable for inciting violence and using vile rhetoric against marginalized people who just want to live in safety and peace. The post Montana anti-LGBTQ+ incidents listed in national extremism report appeared first on Daily Montanan. Who is authorized to tax the income of a commuter who doesnt commute? This questionborn of the pandemic and currently pending before the Supreme Court of Ohiocould be coming to a tax bill near you, and soon. Following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, government orders forced millions of employees to work from home instead of at their usual offices. These orders accelerated a trend which had already begun toward remote and hybrid work andthree years lateris all but entrenched. While some companies have begun requiring employees to return to the office, the outdated ways of packing folks into tight cubicles in downtown high rises will never be the same. Benjamin Franklin famously observed that in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes, so it should come as little surprise that along with the changes in assigned duty stations came a corresponding attempt by government authorities to prove old Uncle Ben right. Most Americans pay state and local income taxes based upon where they reside. Accordingly, the shift to remote work made no difference to their tax liability. But some employees are subject to commuter taxes, which are assessed based upon where the work itself is performed. Commuter taxes raise their own public policy concernsafter all, commuters have no say in how those tax dollars are used because they cannot vote in those jurisdictions. The antiquated justification for commuter taxes is that employees receive some tangible benefits while they are physically in the city, i.e., if an employee has a medical emergency while at work, it would be the citys emergency services that would respond. But what happens when commuters are no longer commuting to those cities? In addition to the city no longer providing tangible services to the now non-commuting employee, if that same employee has a heart attack while working from home, it is the safety services in the residential jurisdiction that would respond and should therefore receive the revenue. Taxing authorities for the office locations have quickly run into a legal problem: Governments may tax only people or property over which they have jurisdiction. Cities or states can tax their own residents for any income earned and nonresident commuters only for work performed within their jurisdictions. This limitation makes sense. Otherwise a cash-hungry government could find tenuous pretextual grounds to tax nonresident income, violating basic notions of due process, and creating the risk that the same income would be taxed multiple times by different governments. When Massachusetts issued a rule requiring employees who had previously worked in Massachusetts but were now working elsewhere due to Covid-19 to pay Massachusetts income taxes anyway, its neighboring New Hampshire sensibly filed a case in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of its citizens who were neither living nor working in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, taxpayers got no clarification because the Supreme Court declined to hear New Hampshires complaint, leaving Massachusetts unconstitutional money grab in place for the time being. As Justices Thomas and Alito lamented, the court should have taken the case. The decision not to take it does not set a legal precedent, andaccordinglywe do not know how the Supreme Court would rule in such a case. All we can say for sure is that Massachusetts has done a full 180 since the Revolution and now quite ironically favors taxation without representation. Massachusetts was not alone in seeking to tax beyond its jurisdictional borders either. Ohio, for example, allowed municipalities to tax the income of workers who do not live inand in fact were legally prohibited from working inthose same municipalities under Ohios stay-at-home order. The bill absurdly deemed all work performed elsewhere during the emergency order to have been performed at the employees principal place of work for the purposes of levying income taxes on it. If you stepped foot in your office, you were subject to being arrested and charged with a crime, but they were still going to pretend that you were in your office so as to tax you all the same. George Orwell, call your editor. The Buckeye Institute challenged a half dozen cities across Ohio in court for these actionsmost recently Cincinnati in Schaad v. Alder, which had its oral arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court on March 1. Since 1950, the Ohio Supreme Court has consistently held that the Constitutions Due Process Clause allows municipalities to tax only two types of income: income earned by the municipalitys own residents and income earned by nonresidents for work physically performed within the municipalitys geographical borders. These avaricious cities brazen efforts to collect income taxes from nonresidents who did not work in their jurisdictions are unconstitutional, deprive smaller municipalities of revenue owed to them, and violate the easy-to-follow real estate maximlocation, location, location. Cincinnati may tax work performed by nonresidents within its own city limits, but not work performed by nonresidents in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, or even where Mr. Schaad did his jobin his hometown of Blue Ash. Considering that some 41 out of 50 states levy income taxes combined with the dramatic rise in remote work arrangements, which make it easier and more common for employees living in one city or state to work for an employer based in another city or state, all eyes should be on the Ohio Supreme Court as we await its decision in this case. How it rules in Schaad v. Alder will very likely set a precedent for how the income of remote workers nationwide is taxed going forward. Robert Alt is the President and CEO of The Buckeye Institute in Columbus, Ohio, and the attorney who argued the Schaad v. Alder case before the Ohio Supreme Court. Africa is gradually increasing its share in US apparel imports, inching close to 4 per cent between January and April 2023. During this period, the US imported $1.043 billion worth of apparel from Africa, out of its total imports of $26.24 billion. While the African share is still small in comparison to total US apparel imports, the trend of continued growth stands in stark contrast to the general downward trend in global garment trade. Africas share was 3.98 per cent in the period under review compared to the Asia-Pacific region's 70.20 per cent, Central-South America's 13.05 per cent, and Europe's 4.69 per cent shares in US total apparel imports, but it is significant given the steady rise in Africa's share since 2019. The US imported apparel worth $87.308 billion from all over the world in 2019, with imports from Africa valued at $2.722 billion, or 3.12 per cent of the total. Africa's share marginally increased to 3.14 per cent in 2020, when imports from the continent amounted to $2.229 billion out of a total of $71.039 billion, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro. Between January and April 2023, Africa's share in US apparel imports approached 4 per cent, with the US importing $1.043 billion worth of apparel from Africa out of a total of $26.24 billion. Despite the relatively small share compared to other regions, Africa's steadily increasing participation contrasts with the global downward trend in the garment trade. In 2021, the US' total apparel imports were valued at $87.229 billion, of which $2.96 billion or 3.40 per cent came from Africa. The following year, US imports from Africa rose to $3.700 billion, out of a total of $105.286 billion, raising Africa's share to 3.51 per cent. This share further increased to 3.98 per cent in the first four months of this year, as per TexPro. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) True Beauty Business Proposal Sweet Home My ID is Gangnam Beauty What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? Extraordinary You The Uncanny Counter All of Us Are Dead Nevertheless Itaewon Class K-dramas, or Korean dramas, have had a spectacular rise in popularity in recent years, attracting fans not just in South Korea but also all around the world. While K-dramas have long been renowned for their captivating plots, likable characters, and gorgeous cinematography, there is one particular trend that has been gaining a lot of traction in the industry: industry - the adaptation of webtoons into television dramas.Webtoons, a phrase formed from "web" and "cartoons," are online comics that have started in South Korea. Because of its distinctive storytelling techniques, rich artwork, and wide range of genres, these engrossing visual narratives have become a cultural phenomenon. Millions of readers have successfully attracted a sizable following for webcomics and are fascinated by the complex and fascinating worlds they present.producers have started to adapt webtoons after realising the enormous potential of these compelling stories. They hope to enthrall fans with the well-known stories they adore while also introducing these storylines to a larger audience by bringing popular webtoons to life on the small screen.Since many Korean dramas nowadays are based on webtoons, let us take a look at some of our picks.Moon Ga Young, Cha Eun Woo, Hwang In Yeop and Park Yoo-naTrue Beauty is based on a webtoon of the same name written and illustrated by Yaongyi on Naver. True Beauty tells the story of Lim Ju-Kyung, a high school student who has always been complex about her appearance since a very young age. After being bullied in her previous high school about her 'ugly face,' Lim Ju Kyung learns how to hide her bare face with her excellent make-up skills and starts becoming popular in her current school. She also befriends her high-school mate Lee Su-ho and Han Seo-jun. The series follows her journey of finding the 'true beauty' within.Kim Se Jeong, Ahn Hyo Seop, Seol In Ah, Kim Min GyuBased on the webtoon of the same name written by Hae Hwa and illustration by Narak. Business Proposal revolves around Shin Ha-ri, a food researcher who helps her rich best friend, Jin Young-seo and disguises herself as her to go on a blind date pretending to be her. But her blind date turns out to be her CEO Kang Tae Moo who proposes to her for marriage.Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Shi Young and Lee Do HyunBased on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, which has been viewed over 2.1 billion times. Sweet Home follows Cha Hyun-soo, a high school student who moves into a decrepit apartment complex after his family's sad demise. A fatal phenomenon strikes the building, transforming the people into grotesque animals. Amidst alliances, internal conflicts, and dark secrets, Hyun-soo and the other survivors battle to stay alive while also trying to solve the riddle and face their anxieties.Im Soo Hyang, Cha Eun Woo, Jo Woo Ri and Kwak Dong YeonBased on the webtoon of the same name published in 2016 by Naver. My ID is Gangnam Beauty follows Kang Mi-rae, a college student who has plastic surgery to stop being teased about her appearance after years of it. She hopes for a new beginning and confidence when she enrolls in college, but she must contend with society's expectations of beauty and people's perceptions of her changed identity. As Mi-rae makes her way through college, she encounters Do Kyung-Seok, a prominent student who makes things more difficult for her. The program explores issues including inner beauty, self-acceptance, and relational difficulties.Park Min Young and Park Seo JoonBased on the novel by Jung Kyung-Yoon published in 2013, which was serialised into a webtoon comic in 2015 by KakaoPage. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? follows Lee Young-Joon, a narcissist vice chairman, and his capable secretary, Kim Mi-so. After nine years, Mi-so plans to leave her position. Young-Joon realises this and attempts to convince her to stay, leading to comic and romantic moments. As their work relationship develops into a romantic one, the series explores their personal development and histories.Kim Hye Yoon, Ro Woon and Lee Jae WookBased on the webtoon July Found by Chance, which was first published on Daum Webtoon in January 2018, Extraordinary You centres on a high school girl named Eun Dan-oh who learns she is a fictional character in a webcomic with no influence over her destiny. She searches for true love and develops relationships with other conscious figures, including "Number 13," in an effort to influence the planned course of her life. They set off on a quest to thwart the author's schemes and rewrite their own fates.Cho Byeong Kyu, Yoo Joon Sang, Kim Se Jeong and Yeom Hye RanBased on the Daum webtoon Amazing Rumor by Jang Yi, The Uncanny Counter centres on a group of Counters, people with extraordinary abilities. They seek out escaped bad spirits while posing as staff members of noodle restaurants to defend the defenseless. Moon, a high school student turned Counter, learns about his unusual past and his own powers as a result. So Moon fights off strong spirits with his team while juggling his personal life.Yoon Chan Young, Park Ji Hoo, Cho Yi Hyun and Park SolomonAll of us are dead is based on the Naver webtoon Now at Our School by Joo Dong-Geun, which was published between 2009 and 2011. The series is set at a high school where a viral outbreak has turned everyone there into zombies. A gang of pupils struggles to survive and escape while trapped within the school. They must make difficult decisions and rely on their resourcefulness as they face obstacles from both zombies and their fellow survivors. During a terrible occurrence, the show tackles issues of survival, friendship, and the dissolution of social standards.Han So Hee, Song Kang and Chae Jong-hyeopBased on a popular webtoon of the same name which was first published on Naver Webtoon, Nevertheless centres on Park Jae-eon and Yoo Na-bi, two college students who view love from opposite angles. While Na-bi is skeptical and has given up on love, Jae-eon is charming and prefers casual partnerships. They encounter the difficulties of contemporary dating as their paths cross, delving into issues like love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the hazy lines between friendship and romance.Park Seo Joon, Kim Da Mi, Kwon Na Ra and Yoo Jae MyungAired in 2020, Itaewon Class is a South Korean drama, based on a webtoon of the same name, written by Gwang Jin. The series explores the theme of coming-of-age and revenge.Itaewon Class centres around Park Sae-ro-yi, a determined young man who opens a small restaurant in Itaewon. Sae-ro-yi's life undergoes a significant upheaval when his father passes away as a result of Jang Geun-won's deeds, a prominent person. He works to build his own business empire and overthrow those who have wronged him because he is driven by retribution and justice. But he faces difficulties, betrayals, and difficulties in both professional and interpersonal relationships on his journey. Eyal Press in The New York Times: Some years ago, a psychiatrist named Wendy Dean read an article about a physician who died by suicide. Such deaths were distressingly common, she discovered. The suicide rate among doctors appeared to be even higher than the rate among active military members, a notion that startled Dean, who was then working as an administrator at a U.S. Army medical research center in Maryland. Dean started asking the physicians she knew how they felt about their jobs, and many of them confided that they were struggling. Some complained that they didnt have enough time to talk to their patients because they were too busy filling out electronic medical records. Others bemoaned having to fight with insurers about whether a person with a serious illness would be preapproved for medication. The doctors Dean surveyed were deeply committed to the medical profession. But many of them were frustrated and unhappy, she sensed, not because they were burned out from working too hard but because the health care system made it so difficult to care for their patients. In July 2018, Dean published an essay with Simon G. Talbot, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, that argued that many physicians were suffering from a condition known as moral injury. Military psychiatrists use the term to describe an emotional wound sustained when, in the course of fulfilling their duties, soldiers witnessed or committed acts raiding a home, killing a noncombatant that transgressed their core values. Doctors on the front lines of Americas profit-driven health care system were also susceptible to such wounds, Dean and Talbot submitted, as the demands of administrators, hospital executives and insurers forced them to stray from the ethical principles that were supposed to govern their profession. More here. Jeremy Renner Death Hoax: A recent rumour circulating about the death of Marvel actor Jeremy Renner caused a lot of worry among fans. While it is not uncommon for celebrities to be subject to death hoaxes, this particular rumour generated heightened concerns among Renner's devoted supporters. Given Renner's accident with a snowplough earlier this year, many are wondering about his current health condition. As Marvel actors enjoy a significantly different level of fandom, Renner's death news spread like wildfire, causing immense distress among his fans. As per the rumour, a viral story claimed that the Avengers actor had died due to an escalator accident, following which "RIP Jeremy Renner" started to trend on Twitter. Avengers actor Jeremy Renner's death hoax stirs up the internet A viral story claiming that Jeremy Renner has passed away stirred a wave of worry in his fans. And soon after, Twitter was flooding with the trending hashtag '#RIPJeremyRenner'. The fake news alleged that the actor had died in an escalator accident. Earlier in January, Renner did encounter a plough accident, but he has been recovering well and is in good health since then. In fact, just a few hours before the death hoax news surfaced, the Howkeye actor posted a snap of a bear holding the American flag in its mouth, which he captioned: "4th of July Prep Tahoe style." Hawkeye Actor Jeremy Renner 'Critical But Stable' After Snow Plowing Accident How fans reacted to Jeremy Renner's death hoax Apparently, fans were misled by the actor's death news and paid him a heartfelt tribute on Twitter. One said, "Jeremy Renner was an inspiration to me to continue acting and treating loved ones (especially spouse) with the kindness and respect they need.. an empathetic and kind man had descended from this world yesterday... #RIPjeremyrenner." But fortunately, someone debunked the rumour and posted, saying: "He is alive and well." Meanwhile, another user also expressed disappointment over the fake news and commented, "I will send you a letter soaked in lemon juice in the juices you get a paper cut and it stings." For fuck's sake, children knock it off with the Jeremy-Renner-is-dead bullshit. Jeremy Renner is not dead, and your hoax-spreading isn't funny. pic.twitter.com/mtmISwNk71 Chuck Taggart @[email protected] (@SazeracNELA) June 23, 2023 You can be certain that Jeremy Renner is recovering well from his previous accident and will surely be up to entertaining his fans. Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 7 To Feature An AI Villain; Director Christopher McQuarrie Explains Why Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 Elimination: Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 has entered its final stage. Only few days are left for the show to end and the winner to be found. But dramatic moments are yet to unfold. Many questions and doubts of the fans will be answered in the coming days. Meanwhile, another weekend episode has arrived. As usual, Mohanlal will come to the Bigg Boss house today to meet the stars. With the finale around the corner, fans are eager to know who will be a part of the Bigg Boss house in the journey ahead. Aniyan Midhun & Cerena Gets Evicted? According to the reports coming out, Aniyan Midhun has bid farewell to the Bigg Boss house. Aniyan Midhun's exit is exactly what the audience expected, judging by the reactions on social media. Aniyan Midhun came to the Bigg Boss house with high expectations. Midhun was also able to perform well in physical tasks. But Midhun could not maintain the initial hope. He was criticized for not commenting on the issues going on at home and staying away from everything. As Midhun was unable to provide content or express his views, the audience had already demanded the actor's ouster. But after escaping from the nominations many times, Aniyan Midhun stayed in the Bigg Boss house for 90 days. During last week, shocking allegations and controversies have surfaced against the actor. Rinosh To Re-enter According to the reports, it is understood that the luck that had reached Midhun so far has given up at the last stage. According to the indications, Cerena will be the other player to be eliminated. At the same time, Rinosh has been out of the Bigg Boss house for almost a week. There are also some reports that the actor will return to the Bigg Boss house today. The audience is also very curious to know what happens to Rinosh. Bose Venkat's Sister And Brother Passes Away On The Same Day: The death of actor Bose Venkat's sister and brother due to heart attack on the same day has caused great sadness. Actor and director Bose Venkat is very popular on small screen and silver screen. Bose Venkat became popular among the masses with the Metti Oli serial aired on Sun TV. He continues to act in villain and character roles in various movies. Apart from acting in movies, he also directed the movie 'Kannimadam' in 2020. Currently, Bose Venkat is also the President of Small Screen Actors' Association. Meanwhile, his sister Valarmathi passed away yesterday in Chennai due to a heart attack. His family was in great grief. Bose Venkat's brother in law Ranganathan, who participated in his sister's funeral, wept after seeing her. Then suddenly he had a heart attack and fell on his sister's body and died. It has been reported that their funeral will be held at Aranthangi. This incident has caused great sadness among the film industry and the public. Many people from the film industry are expressing their deepest condolences. Bose Venkat's family is deeply saddened by two consecutive deaths in the family. Bose Venkat, who is suffering from the loss of his elder sister and brother, is being consoled by many people through social media. Road Town, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - June 24, 2023) - LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, listed Sori Finance (SORI) on June 22, 2023. For all users of LBank Exchange, the SORI/USDT trading pair is now officially available for trading. SORI Listing Banner To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/170988_7e054851c48c4ba1_001full.jpg Sori Finance (SORI) is a community-focused DeFi project that made a fair launch of Sori (SORI) cryptocurrency. Its native token, SORI, was listed on LBank Exchange at 6:00 UTC on June 22, 2023, with the goal of expanding its global footprint and supporting the realization of its forward-thinking objectives. Introducing Sori Finance LBank Exchange is thrilled to announce the listing of Sori Finance (SORI), a community-focused DeFi project that made a fair launch of Sori (SORI) cryptocurrency. Sori Finance is a fully decentralized, ownerless platform that is supported by its community. The platform encourages free and open communication among all community members, ensuring that everyone is informed and can participate in each step of Sori's growth. One of the core values of Sori Finance is transparency, which is of paramount importance in the cryptocurrency market. This transparency extends not only to community support and development but also to security efforts. The SORI source code is fully verified and audited. Another key value of Sori Finance is long-term development. The platform is committed to fostering the long-term development of the ecosystem. SORI is in it for the long haul, with a focus on sustainable growth. The Sori Finance ecosystem is multifaceted and includes several key components. The SORI Swap feature will enable users to make low commission swap transactions in BSC networks, all within a single integrated platform that includes graphics and tools for technical analysis. This functionality will be available in the final version of the platform. Another integral part of the ecosystem is the SORI Wallet, an application available on both iOS and Android platforms. This application will allow users to store all their cryptocurrencies within the app. The wallet's features include Dapps, SORIDex, the ability to purchase cryptocurrency from the application, CloudBackup, and much more. The ecosystem also includes the SORI NFT Market, a decentralized marketplace for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Here, $SORI tokens can be staked to receive exclusive NFT rewards and digital collectibles, featured by artists who are part of the community. This comprehensive ecosystem aims to provide a seamless and integrated experience for users, catering to a wide range of their cryptocurrency needs. About SORI Token The SORI Token is the first token of the SORI Finance ecosystem. The $SORI Token introduces a different concept than $SORI. Its primary use will be for the payment of transaction commissions in SORI Wallet and SORIDex. This token will be exclusively available to holders, further enhancing its value within the SORI Finance ecosystem. Based on BEP-20, SORI has a total supply of 5 billion (i.e. 5,000,000,000). It was listed on LBank Exchange at 6:00 UTC on June 22, 2023, investors who are interested in SORI can easily buy and sell it on LBank Exchange now. Learn More about SORI Token: Official Website: https://sorifinance.xyz/ Telegram: https://t.me/sori_finance Contract: https://bscscan.com/token/0x2899eb79D42bDDb51bDAca4C1E71F0Dd7A7b54C9 About LBank LBank is one of the top crypto exchanges, established in 2015. It offers specialized financial derivatives, expert asset management services, and safe crypto trading to its users. The platform holds over 9 million users from more than 210 regions across the world. LBank is a cutting-edge growing platform that ensures the integrity of users' funds and aims to contribute to the global adoption of cryptocurrencies. Start Trading Now: lbank.com Community & Social Media: l Telegram l Twitter l Facebook l LinkedIn l Instagram l YouTube Press contact: press@lbank.info Business Contact: LBK Blockchain Co. Limited LBank Exchange marketing@lbank.info business@lbank.info To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/170988 CLEARWATER, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2023 / Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers is pleased to announce that founding Attorney Mark S. Roman has been recognized as a 2023 Florida Super Lawyer for the third consecutive year. Only the top 5% of attorneys in each state are selected for inclusion in the prestigious Super Lawyers list. Mark Roman - Clearwater personal injury lawyer Mark Roman - Clearwater personal injury lawyer Super Lawyers is a research-driven rating service that acknowledges exceptional attorneys who have attained significant professional accomplishments and peer endorsements. Annual Super Lawyer selections are made using a patented process involving peer nominations, evaluations from a top-rated panel of attorneys, and an independent evaluation of candidates. The result is a diverse, reliable, and comprehensive list of outstanding lawyers throughout the nation. Mark S. Roman, a founding partner of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer. He has practiced personal injury law in the Tampa Bay Area for over 30 years. His passion for helping injured people has enabled him to recover hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients in Tampa, Clearwater, and New Port Richey, FL. Attorney Mark Roman handles all types of personal injury cases, including those involving car accidents, slips and falls, wrongful death, and bicycle accidents. The legal team at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers would like to congratulate Attorney Mark Roman for being named a Super Lawyer - a distinction bestowed only to the top 5% of attorneys in Florida. Media Contact: Company Name: Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Address: 1811 N. Belcher Road Suite I-1 City: Clearwater State: Florida Zip: 33765 Country: United States Phone: (727) 787-2500 Website: https://romanaustin.com Contact Information Carol-Lynn Roman Marketing Manager croman@romanaustin.com (727) 787-2500 SOURCE: Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/763580/Roman-Austin-Personal-Injury-Lawyers-Founding-Attorney-Mark-S-Roman-Recognized-as-a-Florida-Super-Lawyer-for-the-Third-Consecutive-Year Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Egypt after wrapping up his first state visit to the United States, which saw a series of mega deals and announcements. Besides a bilateral talk with US president Joe Biden, an address to a joint session of the US Congress, and attending a grand state dinner, the Indian leader also met top tech and business leaders during his three-day state visit to Washington. In a joint statement issued by India and the US, the two nations asserted they are among the closest partners in the world a partnership of democracies looking into the 21st Century with hope, ambition, and confidence. Lets take a look at why Prime Minister Modis US visit was so fruitful. Defence deals India and the US entered key agreements in the defence sector as Modi visited the US. One of the most significant developments included American company General Electric announcing a collaboration with Indias state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal will lead to a significant amount of transfer of technology and work being done indigenously. The joint statement by Biden and Modi referred to the jet engine deal as a landmark and trailblazing initiative. New Delhi will also procure 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones, MQ-9B, from General Atomics which intends to boost the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian armed forces. The US Navy has also finalised a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with Larsen and Toubro Shipyard in Kattupalli (Chennai) and is in talks with Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai and Goa Shipyard (Goa). This will allow US Navy ships in the region to undergo service and repair at Indian shipyards. India and the US have also progressed to operationalise tools for increasing defence cooperation as well as strengthening undersea domain awareness. In a first, the two countries have agreed to keep three Indian liaison officers in US command, noted Indian Express. Biden and Modi also hailed the launch of the US-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks. This will facilitate a joint defence technology innovation and co-production of advanced defence technology between the respective industries of the two countries, reported ThePrint. Space sector India has signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led alliance aimed at guiding the safe exploration of the Moon and, eventually, Mars. Since its inception in 2020, as many as 25 other countries are a part of this international collaboration. US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will also develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of this year. Moreover, ISRO astronauts will receive advanced training from NASA in order to kickstart a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024. Visas The US government will roll out a pilot this year to adjudicate visa renewals in America for some petition-based temporary work visas, including for Indian nationals. This could eventually expand to cover H1B and L visa holders and other categories by 2024, benefitting professionals as they will not have to travel overseas for the renewal of their work visas. ALSO READ: Were shaping lives, dreams, destinies: Why PM Modis diaspora speech in Washington is significant Semiconductor supply chains American technology firm Micron Technology announced its plan to invest up to USD 825 million to build a new $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in Gujarat with support from the Indian government, reported The Hindu. Applied Materials will set up a Semiconductor Centre for Commercialization and Innovation in India to boost semiconductor supply chain diversification. In the joint statement, Biden and Modi also appreciated Lam Researchs proposal to train 60,000 Indian engineers through its Semiverse Solution virtual fabrication platform. Critical minerals partnership India has joined Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a US-led initiative for diverse and sustainable critical energy mineral supply chains. Launched in 2022, the MSP has 12 other partner countries, in addition to the European Union. Indias Epsilon Carbon Limited has decided to invest $650 million in a greenfield electric vehicle battery component factory, which, as per Indian Express, will be the largest ever Indian investment in the US electric vehicle battery industry. New consulates To enhance people-to-people ties and travel, both sides will open new consulates in each others countries. While the US intends to open consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, India is planning to open a consulate in Seattle later in 2023. Currently, there are five US consulates in India. India also aims to announce two more consulates in the US, as per the joint statement. Other key announcements The two countries have established a joint Indo-US Quantum Coordination Mechanism to facilitate collaboration among industry, academia, and government, and our work toward a comprehensive Quantum Information Science and Technology agreement, said the joint statement. The US will join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, which was inaugurated by Modi in 2015 to ensure a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain, as per Indian Express. Modi and Biden also launched two Joint Task Forces on advanced telecommunications, with a focus on Open RAN and research and development in 5G and 6G technologies. Google CEO Sundar Pichai informed Modi on Friday (23 June) about his plans to invest $10 billion in Indias digitisation fund. A $2 million grant programme will be set up under the US-India Science and Technology Endowment fund for the joint development and commercialisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies. The US-India Commercial Dialogue will launch a new Innovation Handshake to connect the startup ecosystems of the two countries. Indias Sterlite Technologies Limited has invested $100 million to build an optical fibre cable manufacturing unit near Columbia, South Carolina, which will lead to $150 million in annual exports of optical fibre from India. India and the US have decided to continue to cooperate to meet their national climate and energy goals as well as stand together to counter global terrorism. The US National Cancer Institute will encourage the US and Indian scientists to join hands to develop AI-enabled digital pathology platform. As per Indian Express, the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases will sign a deal with the Indian Council of Medical Research to further basic, clinical, and translational research on diabetes. 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. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime associate of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is at the centre of an armed mutiny in the country aimed at ousting the defence minister. Once a low-profile businessman, Prigozhin received global attention following Russias invasion of Ukraine last year. Prigozhin-owned private mercenary group, Wagner, has been fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine. However, the 62-year-old has now moved into his most dangerous role so far: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. For months, Prigozhin, a one-time felon, has been targeting the Russian military leadership, and, on Friday (23 June), he gave a call for an armed uprising to overthrow defence minister Sergei Shoigu. He urged Russians to join his march to justice. Without naming the Wagner chief, Putin addressed the nation today (24 June), terming the armed rebellion a betrayal and treason. Personal interests have led to the betrayal of our country and the cause that our armed forces are fighting, the Russian leader alleged. The situation is so grim that Russias security services have opened a criminal investigation and called for Prigozhins arrest. The countrys anti-terrorist committee has imposed a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and the surrounding region. According to Tass news agency, the National Guard has tightened security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure. Putins chef Both Prigozhin and Putin were born in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Later, he went on to own a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants drawing Putins interest. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French president Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in defense ministry contracts. ALSO READ: Mutiny in Russia: Whats going on? What does this mean for Vladimir Putin? The Wagner Group According to the United States, European Union and United Nations, Wagner mercenary group has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war. Even though the Russian troops faced setbacks on the battlefield, Wagner mercenaries seemed to make considerable progress. This includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. Wagner Groups reputation Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilising activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. Last November, a video surfaced online that showed a former Wagner contractor getting beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and a stream of demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye to it. Feud with Russias generals In a video released last month, Prigozhin was seen standing next to the bodies of Wagner fighters. Poinitng to these bodies, Prigozhin launched an attack on Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces General Valery Gerasimov, saying: These are someones fathers and someones sons. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Amid criticism from the Wagner chief, Putin reaffirmed his trust in Gerasimov earlier this month, by putting him in direct charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size. Prigozhin somewhat toned down his harangues against the military leadership after that, but remained defiant. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. A bad actor in the US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the US with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. Avoiding challenge to Putin As Prigozhins attacks on Russias conventional military for its way of conducting the Ukraine war grew, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role in the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putins generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhins influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. With inputs from Associated Press 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 tensions, Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the nation today (24 June), calling an armed mutiny by Wagner a private mercenary group treason. As per The Guardian, the Russian leader vowed to punish those who have taken up arms against the Russian military. I will do everything possible to defend my countryAnd those who have organised an armed rebellion will be held accountable. Those who have been drawn into this, I call on you to stop your criminal actions, Putin said in his emergency televised address. Personal interests have led to the betrayal of our country and the cause that our armed forces are fighting, he added. Putin said that Russia is facing the toughest battle for its future, according to The Guardian. The Russian leaders remarks come in the wake of the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led Wagner group launching a rebellion in an attempt to overthrow Russias defense minister, noted Associated Press (AP). Why has the Wagner group, which fought alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, now turned against the military leaders? Lets take a closer look. Strife between Wagner chief and Russias top brass Prigozhin has enjoyed close ties with Putin for years. According to CNN, his political star shined in Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine last February. Even though the Russian troops faced setbacks on the battlefield, Wagner mercenaries seemed to make considerable progress. However, everything was not well between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership and this rift came to light when he accused them of failing to provide his fighters with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut. In a video from early May, Prigozhin, while standing next to bodies of Wagner fighters, launched an attack at Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the Russian armed forces General Valery Gerasimov, reported CNN. The blood is still fresh, he reportedly said, referring to the bodies. They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices. How did the feud escalate? In a series of angry video and audio recordings on Friday (23 June), the Wagner chief accused Shoigu of ordering a rocket attack on Wagners field camps in Ukraine and killing a huge amount of his mercenaries. As per AP, Prigozhin pledged to retaliate, saying his troops will now punish the defence minister in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to intervene. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, the Wagner chief declared. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country, CNN quoted him as saying. Russias defence ministry strongly rejected the Wagner chiefs claim, calling it informational propaganda. The feud further worsened as Prigozhin said his fighters have entered Rostov-on-Don, the city which houses the headquarters for Russias southern military command. The Wagner group mercenaries were seen on a street in Rostov-on-Don on 24 June. As per Reuters, the Wagner chief posted a video saying he was at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, and asked Shoigu and Gerasimov to meet him in Rostov, a city near the Ukrainian border. We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said on the video, according to Reuters. Unless they come, well be here, well blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow. Russia reacts On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, part of Russias intelligence service Federal Security Service or FSB, said Prigozhin will be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion, which attracts a punishment of up to 20 years imprisonment, reported AP. The FSB called Prigozhins Friday remarks a stab in the back to Russian troops. In a statement addressing Wagner Group fighters posted on Telegram, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday that they had been deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure by Prigozhin. The ministry also urged the mercenaries to get in touch with its representatives and those of law enforcement services, and promised to guarantee their security, reported Reuters. Meanwhile, Russias anti-terrorist committee has imposed a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and the surrounding region. In order to prevent possible terrorist attacks in the city and Moscow region, a regime of counterterrorism operations has been established, Russias National Antiterrorism Committee said, as per Al Jazeera. In his televised address today, Putin announced: There will be decisive measures taken on stabilising the situation in Rostov-on-Don. Admitting to a difficult situation in the southern city, the Russian leader, as per The Guardian, said, It remains difficult and the work of civil and military authorities, in fact, is being blocked. Why is this development important? These tensions in Russia come amid its ongoing war in Ukraine. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told CNN that Ukraine will be keen to exploit the current crisis in Russia. Obviously they need to see what is actually happening with the disposition of Russian forces along their defensive lines, he said. If Russian forces at those locations are being withdrawn to fight Wagner to defeat what is certainly an insurrection at the moment but which could become a civil war down the track then potentially you will see the Ukrainians opening up new opportunities, identifying gaps in the Russian lines that they can push through and exploit. Poland, France and the US have said they are monitoring the current situation in Russia. Britains defence ministry has called the developments the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligences use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, Britains defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update. 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. After Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level meeting with ministers over the Manipur crisis, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, who is also in charge of North East, said that Shah has assured all the parties to ensure peace in the state. After listening to everyone, Union Minister Amit Shah assured everyone to have a discussion on suggestions made by all party members. All the members also appreciated the efforts made by the home minister regarding Manipur, Patra told ANI. He added, They appreciated how the HM spent three days and three nights in the state which is witnessing ethnic clashes. Home Minister has assured that we will move towards peace as soon as possible with the co-operation of everyone. He also mentioned that members from different parties who were present at the meeting gave their suggestions sensitively and apolitically. Before the meeting started, a detailed presentation was presented on the situation of Manipur such as what causes the violence, what measures have been taken to control it to date etc. Members of all the parties gave their suggestions positively, Patra said. The meeting was called by the Home Minister on Saturday to take stock of the situation in the violence-hit state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas were among other leaders present in the meeting. Distrust on CM of Manipur Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said after the meeting, I met with various Manipur groups and they all have echoed the same sentiments of distrust on the Chief Minister of Manipur. The accountability starts with the state government. RJD MP Manoj Jha said, The entire opposition went to the extent of saying that the person who is heading the administration there (Manipur), there is absolutely no trust in him. You cant have peace until that person is in-charge. 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. A 20-year-old youth was allegedly stabbed by his neighbour in a petty dispute in Delhis Dayalpur area. According to police, the incident took place around 10 pm on Friday when Sonu, 19, from Brijpuri, had gone to have ice cream with his cousin Rahul after dinner near Shibban School. There Rahul had an encounter with a 20-year-old Mohammad Zaid who lives in the same street as he does, and got into fight with him, during which Zaid stabbed Rahul in the lower abdomen, the officer said. Sonu also sustained injuries on his arms. The investigation so far has revealed that the two had some ego clash. Zaid works as a carpenter with his father, while Rahuls father sells candy. Zaid, absconding, has been booked under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) at Dayalpur Police Station, the officer said. Rahul is currently admitted in the ICU ward of GTB hospital. Delhi Cabinet minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj in a tweet in Hindi attacked the BJP over the matter. A stabbing incident in Brijpuri area of Delhi. It doesnt feel like this is the national capital. Now there is a Hindu-Muslim angle too. Now the BJP can raise a hue and cry, and can also question LG sir? he 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. At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his maiden State visit to Egypt, former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal (Retd) RKS Bhadauria on Saturday said both sides are keen to develop their own defence industrial base and can collaborate in the field of military R&D and manufacturing. In the field of defence, India and Egypt have had excellent bilateral relationships. Historically our defence forces have shared a close bond, Bhadauria told ANI. We have a lot of commonalities of equipment, and thinking. Egypt is very keen to develop their own industrial base for their defence services in terms of new developments and ability to repair and sustain, he added. The former IAF chief further said, Given the commonalities in platforms and equipment, I think there is a huge potential to cooperate and collaborate in the field of defence R&D and manufacturing. There is a very significant possibility of exporting weapon systems, sensors and platforms and also supporting Egypt in their quest for indigenisation and building up their own industrial complex, Bhadauria added. Former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd) said Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit would substantially change the trajectory of mutual cooperation between India and Egypt in all areas of interest. India and Egypt are the two biggest operators of the Rafale combat aircraft after the original manufacturer country and have had many other systems in common. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande had also recently visited Egypt for forging closer ties between the two sides, he said. A number of Indian defence manufacturing firms are also exploring opportunities of working in Egypt, he added. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday sought a probe into the PM CARES Fund. His statement came days after Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids against some persons close to his party in an alleged jumbo COVID facility scam. Uddhav also sought probe into the functioning of civic bodies of Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, as well as governments in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, all of which were or are led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Thane, which was controlled by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The ED on Wednesday conducted raids at the residence of Suraj Chavan, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Aaditya Thackeray in connection with the alleged Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Covid Center scam. The probe agency conducted raids at more than 15 locations of a few BMC officers, suppliers and Indian Administration Services (IAS) officers in Mumbai, in connection with the alleged scam. The Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund was set up in 2020 as a public charitable trust with the aim of having a dedicated national fund to deal with distress related primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister is the chairperson and members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister. Addressing party workers, Thackeray dared the government to probe the working of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation during the pandemic, adding that the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act were in place as the dire situation demanded that one go beyond rules to save the lives of citizens. We are not scared of any probe. And when you (government) want to probe, then you also probe Thane municipal corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nagpur civic bodies, he said. Probe the PM CARES Fund as well. The PM CARES Fund does not come under the ambit of any investigation. Lakhs and crores of rupees were collected. Many ventilators were malfunctioning. We will also carry out a probe, the former chief minister said. In the middle of this week, the Enforcement Directorate had searched premises connected to persons reportedly close to Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray as well as the central purchase department of the BMC. The ED is probing alleged irregularities in the allotment of a civic contract to a firm to operate a jumbo COVID treatment facility. 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. Out of the roughly 15,000 road accident fatalities registered in Maharashtra in 2022, 7,700 were of two-wheeler riders, with most of these deaths occurring due to head injuries from not wearing helmets, an official said. These figures were shared in a circular issued last week by the state transport commissioner. In view of this situation, the state transport department has directed its staff to launch a state-wide campaign to counsel two-wheeler users to make them understand the importance of road safety and the legal provisions related to it, an official said. As per the official statistics revealed earlier this year, a total of 14,883 people were killed in road accidents in the state in 2022, an increase of 2,095 compared to 12,788 fatalities recorded in the pre-COVID-19 year of 2019. In the circular, the transport commissioner pointed out that 51 per cent of the fatalities in road accidents in 2022 were of two-wheeler riders (7,700), adding that most of these incidents took place due to head injuries from not wearing helmets. Calling the situation extremely worrisome, the circular said it was noticed that guidelines issued to achieve the World Health Organizations target to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent by 2030 were not being followed strictly. The transport commissioner has directed all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to curb instances of under-age riding and to slap fines under the Motor Vehicles Act on those below the age of 18 who are found riding two-wheelers, an official said quoting the circular. The circular also highlights that under section 199 (A) of MV Act there is provision of Rs 25,000 fine on parents of such minors. It also prevents issuance of licences to such minors till they turn 25. RTO officials have been told to counsel parents about this aspect, he added. Counselling must also be done to increase awareness about speed restrictions, carrying more than one pillion rider and compulsory wearing of helmets. The circular also directed RTO officials to ensure two-wheeler manufacturers are providing two helmets to riders at the time of vehicle purchase. Emphasis has been given to installation of necessary safety equipment on two-wheelers, including saree guard, foot rest, hand rest, among others, the circular added. Maharashtra has more than four crore vehicles and their density on the states road network of 3.25 lakh kilometres, including around 18,000 km-long national highways, is increasing every year. According to Maharashtras latest economic survey report published on March 8, the state had a vehicle population of 4.33 crore till January 1, 2023. In 2022, the highest surge in road crashes was in Yavatmal (454), followed by Ahmednagar (256), Pimpri-Chinchwad city (249), Pune rural (213) and Palghar district (132), the official data said. The highest rise in fatalities was in Ahmednagar (135), followed by Buldhana (96), Chandrapur (75), Yawatmal (72) and Solapur district (69), while the highest increase in the number of injuries was in Nagpur (367), followed by Pune (295), Satara (272), Solapur (252) and Raigad (242), 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. A private godown of Manipur minister L Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district was set on fire by a group of people , reducing it to ashes, police said on Saturday. Moreover, an attempt was made to torch another property of the consumer and food affairs minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night but timely intervention prevented it. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from gheraoing his Khurai residence, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, the official quarters of the states woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day. More than 100 people have lost their lives and a large number of houses were torched rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipurs population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. (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. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly monitoring the situation in violence-hit Manipur and is guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to the problem. Shah, at the all-party meeting, said that Manipur is slowly getting back on its feet and that no deaths have been reported in the northeastern state since June 13. The home minister solicited the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, who is also in charge of North East, said that Shah has assured all the parties to ensure peace in the state. After listening to everyone, Union Minister Amit Shah assured everyone to have a discussion on suggestions made by all party members. All the members also appreciated the efforts made by the home minister regarding Manipur, Patra said. He added, They appreciated how the HM spent three days and three nights in the state which is witnessing ethnic clashes. Home Minister has assured that we will move towards peace as soon as possible with the co-operation of everyone. The meeting was called by the Home Minister on Saturday to take stock of the situation in the violence-hit state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas were among other leaders present in the meeting. Amit Shah said that members from different parties who were present at the meeting gave their suggestions sensitively and apolitically. He expressed gratitude on behalf of Prime Minister Modi and the government to all political parties for giving useful suggestions to resolve the Manipur issue. 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. A Delhi court has denied anticipatory bail to a man suspected of cheating, ruling that the polices capacity to investigate cannot be limited by depriving an accused of the chance for protracted interrogation. Vacation Judge Aparna Swami noted accused Rishabh Sharmas non-cooperative attitude during the investigation and denied his plea while ordering him to participate in the probe. Cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and forgery are all charges in this case. Police power of investigation cannot be clipped by denying the opportunity of sustained interrogation of accused for conclusion of evidence, particularly in a case of this nature where several facts are still to be unravelled, the judge said. She also noted that the accused was involved in a serious offence of cheating in which a huge sum of money was involved and that the investigation was at a nascent stage. The court further noted in an order passed on 12 June that the accused was not a permanent resident of Delhi and the co-accused in the matter are still absconding. Rishabh Sharma had sought anticipatory bail, claiming he was not the main accused in the case. The prosecution opposed his application on the ground that he has been evasive in his replies and of the Rs 11 crore cheated, Rs 3.44 lakh was traced to the bank account of the accused. The amount was allegedly deposited in the bank account by his father Prem Ratan Sharma, who was the main accused in the case, the prosecution told the court, adding Prem Ratan Sharma was arrested on 4 May 2023, while the FIR was lodged in 2019. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A soldier of the Indian Army was injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists who were attempting to cross the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district, officials said on Saturday. The encounter took place in the forward Ranger Nallah area of the Gulpur sector late on Friday night when the Indian troops noticed at least three heavily armed terrorists trying to infiltrate into India under the cover of thick foliage and darkness, they said. A soldier was injured in the brief firing and the terrorists managed to slip into the nearby dense forest. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a massive search operation is underway to trace and neutralise the terrorists, the officials said. (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 pillar of an under-construction bridge on the Mechi River caved-in in Bihars Kishanganj district On Saturday. This is the second such incident after the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge collapsed earlier this month. An expert team has reportedly been sent to the site to probe the collapse. This is the 11th bridge collapse over the past three years with six (including this one) in 2023, Hindustan Times reported. An expert team has gone to the site to find out the irregularities if any and on the basis of the report stringent action will be taken. He said it is an under-construction bridge over the Mechi river and there is no traffic on it, Abdhesh Kumar project director NHAI, Bihar told HT over the phone. The bridge was constructed on the Mechi River near Gori village on NH 327E connecting Katihar and Kishanganj districts. #WATCH | Pillar of an under-construction bridge on Mechi River which connects Katihar and Kishanganj districts in Bihar, caves in near Gori village on NH-327E. pic.twitter.com/VsYAP9xnl7 ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 Earlier this month, an under-construction bridge over the Ganga River collapsed in Bihars Bhagalpur district. The bridge was constructed to link Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts over the river Ganges. It involved a cost of over Rs 1,770 crore and was supposed to be completed by 2019. The foundation stone of the structure was laid in February 2014, by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. A PIL has been filed in the Patna High Court seeking an independent inquiry into the collapse of the Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihars Bhagalpur. The petitioner, Manibhushan Pratap Sengar, in his writ petition, sought an independent probe instead of a departmental inquiry and action against SP Singla Company, involved with the construction of the bridge. 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 is raining in Gujarat for the last few days, due to which flood-like situation has been created in many areas of the state. Due to heavy rains, the Nadiad area of Kheda district has become waterlogged. According to a report by news agency ANI, a college bus got stuck in the bypass in the Nadiad area of Gujarats Kheda district on Saturday. However, the local people immediately reached the spot and rescued all the students on board the bus. VIDEO | Locals pulled out students from a college bus, which got stuck in an underpass in Gujarats Kheda district amid waterlogging due to torrential rainfall. pic.twitter.com/85r8hKMiPL Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 24, 2023 Cyclone Biparjoy hits Gujarat Strong wind and rain hit 8 districts of Gujarat due to the recent cyclonic storm Biparjoy. The rains caused by cyclonic storm Biparjoy have damaged agriculture. At the same time, no clarification has been given about when the official monsoon will start in Gujarat. According to the Meteorological Department, there are chances of normal rains in some areas in the next five days. Generally, monsoon starts in Gujarat from June 15. 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 Modis visit to the US and the rousing reception he received by the US President Joe Biden is sure to rewrite a new chapter in Indo-American relations. Co-production in defence equipment besides achieving a partnership in Artificial Intelligence would be a major breakthrough. To be treated as equal you dont need to genuflect. Modi has shown that India can stand its ground and it need not compromise on its interest to get the respect it deserves. On the one hand it has a trusted friend in Russia, on the other it has achieved ideological-based trusted relations with the United States. However, the visit would not go down well with the Leftists and so-called Liberals who have been trying to ensure that the US establishment keeps its distance from the ruling party in India. They tried all the tricks from newspaper reports to demonstrations but have miserably failed. Their match was found only in Patna where rejected leaders of the country were meeting to strategize how to dethrone Modi in 2024. But in the calculations of world leaders, Modi is coming back to power with a far greater majority than ever before. They know that it is much easier to learn and listen to Modi than to other leaders of India who at times look lost while talking about India. The latest case is Rahul Gandhis visit to the US where he tried to undermine Indian democracy and the Government by hurling unwanted criticisms. Long before Modi had become the Prime Minister of India in 2014, China had calculated that he would become the Prime Minister. Chinese leaders were very friendly with Modi and gave him a red carpet welcome even when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. However, they failed to capitalise on the goodwill and dared to challenge his government by becoming aggressive on the borders. China lost a golden opportunity. The US, the entire Western world and also Europe are aware that they would need to deal with Modi who is many more years senior to most of them in terms of delivering governance to a much larger population than any other country. If the world has to become a better place, the democracy with the largest population cannot be ignored. The attitude and dynamics of foreign relations is likely to be dictated by new challenges from facing human existence: Terrorism, Climate Change and a belligerent China. These are issues of far greater importance than talking of some stray incidents that some organisations claim to be violations of Human Rights. And if lectured, India is bound to give them back. Chinas disregard for Human Rights, expansionism and its belligerence in not following international norms is going to anger many. Biden has already called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator. During Modis visit to the US, he clarified that his remarks were not inadvertent. Only a confident nation sure of its righteousness can talk so straight. During an interview to a newspaper, Modi stressed that all nations should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. He clarified that peace and tranquillity on the borders were essential for normalisation of bilateral ties with China. Modi has consistently maintained this and had raised similar concerns at the G7 meeting in May this year. All countries must respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, he had stressed. Whosoever is in power in the US Joe Biden or someone else the reality of India being the largest populated country with a formidable military, the countrys immense potential due to a youthful population and its survival as a robust democracy cannot be ignored. The whole world is recognising the experience and leadership of Modi to give solutions to a new world order. Whether it is solar alliance, climate change or tackling disasters, Modi has emerged a clear winner. India did not depend on the US Dollars to fulfil its commitment on climate change. Indias stand and action as Modi told the press in Washington is not due to convenience but a commitment rooted in its culture. We can milk the nature but cannot exploit it, he said. One should not forget that it was Narendra Modi who first spoke of the need for the International Solar Alliance in his speech at Wembley Stadium in London in November 2015. Soon after, the ISA was launched in collaboration with France. The idea is to unite all countries that fall within the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Modi referred to these countries as Suryaputra (Sunshine countries). The alliance has 123 countries as signatories. This is surely going to decrease dependence on fossil fuel. The biggest threat facing mankind today is terrorism in the form of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other organisations operating in different parts of the world. Without mincing words, Modi called for strong action against any country sponsoring terrorism. In a strongly worded joint statement released by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, both countries called for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Modi had told the US Congress that there could not be if and buts while dealing with the enemies of humanity. India and the US share the same common ideology of democracy and a close touch in bilateral human relations. But the US has often stayed away when India has faced difficulties such as the recent stand-off with China. When the Chinese aggression happened, the US and many other countries were silent spectators. Modi knows that the US would not come running to support India, but the country can be leveraged for global peace and stability. If this part of the world has to become peaceful and balanced, India must be allowed to play its role. Whether to face terrorism boldly or to give a befitting reply to ambitious neighbours, India must be strong militarily. Indias survival as a proud nation depends on its defence preparedness and the readiness to fight two plus half front wars. Indias strength must be recognised and strengthened. India has behaved very responsible and its military has not gone out to capture territories. Indo-US defence cooperation should be seen in that context. It is not just transfer of technology but also manufacturing some of these weapons in India. This is a giant leap from earlier agreements that created dependence on the suppliers. This will have an economic spinoff for both the countries. Human Rights activists would be particularly disturbed because they have failed to implement their agenda of turning the US hostile towards India under Modi. When a lady journalist put the question before Biden and Modi on Human Rights violations in India, they both stressed that democracy was in the DNA of both countries. Modi stressed there is no space for discrimination: We are a democracyIndia and America both have democracy in our DNA. Democracy is in our spirit and we live it and its written in our ConstitutionSo no question of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion arises. That is why, India believes in sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayaas and walks ahead with it he said. Modi has turned the Marxist dialectics on its head. He has replaced conflict with assimilation. The Leftists and so-called Liberals are at their wits end trying to find an answer to the Modi magic that world leaders feel when they embrace him or shake hands with him. The fallout of the anti-Modi brigade in Patna was for all to see when senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Shivanand Tiwary said that Hindu society has never believed in equality and democracy. This is opposite to what Modi said in the US. And such a blasphemous statement from Tiwary came from Bihar which has been a cradle of civilization and which witnessed democracy long time back in Indias ancient past. It was interesting to note Barack Obamas comments to CNNs Christiane Amanpour Thursday. Curiously, or perhaps with a perfect sense of timing (depending on your predilection), the former US presidents mean punches landed on India when prime minister Narendra Modi is in Washington DC on an official state visit and is being courted with the warmest and fullest attention, protocol, hospitality, respect, and recognition by not just the Joe Biden administration, but also by the American political establishment in a rare bipartisan show of unity. Obama drew a dubious parallel between the second-largest minority community in worlds largest democracy and the state of Muslims in China who have been incarcerated in reeducation camps by the Chinese authoritarian state. And the ex-US president did so on a day Modi achieved a unique honour of addressing for the second time a joint session of the US Congress where he received a rockstar reception and was nearly mobbed by American lawmakers. As a public figure and a still very popular leader among the Democrats, Obama knew very well the impact his words may create. So, the question is, what objective did he hope to meet? Before we explore his motivations, a quick glance at Obamas words is in order. Amanpour seemed to equate Modi a prime minister elected by an overwhelming majority in the worlds largest democracy and the globes most popular leader by far (as indicated by American intelligence firm Morning Consult in a survey released Thursday) with Xi Jinping, the unelected chairman of Chinas one-party authoritarian regime, and suggested that Bidens hosting of Modi is questionable. Obama took the hint and drove home the bogus narrative with a set of fact-free, outlandish and outrageous remarks. He said: it is important for the President United States to say that if you have Uyghurs in China, who are being placed in mass camps, and re-educated. Thats a problem. Thats a challenge to all of us, and in the same breath, added, I think it is true that if the president (Biden) meets with prime minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India, thats something worth mentioning. And by the way, if I had a conversation with Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility India at some point, starts pulling apart. He added further that weve seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts. So that would be contrary to the interests not just a Muslim India, but also Hindu India. Obama is not only being dishonest, but also diabolical and vicious in issuing a veiled threat of balkanizing India. If we add a bit of context, then his words appear even more sinister beneath the veil of innocuousness. India has been partitioned once on religious lines because a majority of Muslims decided that they cannot cohabit with a Hindu India. While the breakaway nation became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, India declared itself a secular state where minority rights are not only protected by the Constitution, but they also enjoy some priviledges that are denied to the Hindu majority even under Modis supposedly Hindu nationalist government. The Muslims, for instance, still enjoy the liberty of following their personal law under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, that is not codified but declaratory. In contrast, the Hindu personal laws have been reformed and codified. In this context, how credible is Obamas claim that the rights of Muslim minorities are not being protected in Hindu India, and that Muslim India may pull apart? Lets fact-check Obamas unsubstantiated assertions. A major survey by an American nonpartisan think tank, Pew Research Center, based on a face-to-face survey of 29,999 Indian adults between late 2019 and early 2020 on religious identity, nationalism and tolerance in Indian society, was released in June 2021. It found that 91% Hindus, 89% Muslims and Christians, 82% Sikhs, 93% Buddhists, and 85% Jains feel they are very free to practice their religion. Apart from this, across the country, most people (84%) say that to be truly Indian, it is very important to respect all religions. Indians also are united in the view that respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member of their own religious community, found Pew. On Obamas claim that India may experience large internal conflicts, data shows the exact opposite. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of riot cases registered between 1970 and 2021 prove that India has been at its most peaceful in 50 years as riots have been on a steady decline. Riots (violence) in India is on a steady decline. The country is most peaceful in 50 years. Heres the updated analysis using NCRB data: https://t.co/RT5ppFdW20 pic.twitter.com/ko9FpA8g21 Prof. Shamika Ravi (@ShamikaRavi) June 15, 2023 In a nutshell, minority rights in India are not only well protected, an overwhelming majority of Muslims assert that they are free to pursue their religion, and internal strife are at an all-time low. Obamas rhetoric of Hindu India and Muslim India is a malevolent attempt at stirring the communal pot by hammering at Indias communal fault lines. It is a despicable attempt by a former president of the United States. Even more reprehensible is his reductionist comparison of Muslims in India and China. Since Obama seeks to take the moral high ground, how secure are racial minorities in America? Are their rights protected? Pew surveys on discrimination against minorities in America, conducted at different times (2019 and 2021) prove that majority of Americans believe Blacks, Asians and Hispanics in the US are discriminated against. According to the 2021 survey by Pew, large shares of Americans say there is at least some discrimination against several groups in the United States, including 80% who say there is a lot of or some discrimination against Black people, 76% who say this about Hispanic people and 70% who see discrimination against Asian people. The state of racial inequality in America is concerning. The 2019 poll found that Blacks in America are particularly gloomy about the countrys racial progress. More than 8-in-10 black adults say the legacy of slavery affects the position of black people in America today, including 59% who say it affects it a great deal. About 8-in-10 blacks (78%) say the country hasnt gone far enough when it comes to giving black people equal rights with whites, and fully half say its unlikely that the country will eventually achieve racial equality. As a former president who enjoyed two full terms in office, Obama must share a part of the blame. Besides, since Obama sounded as if he was very concerned about the state of Muslims in India, what has been his own record in office when it comes to safeguarding the rights of Muslims as the most powerful leader in the world? According to an analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank, in Obamas last year in office in 2016, the United States dropped 26,172 bombs in seven countries. These are: Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. As is evident, these are all Muslim-majority nations. The data amounts to an average of 72 bombs every day the equivalent of three bombs an hour, and according to CFR, even this estimate is undoubtedly low. So much for Obamas concerns. The question then turns to Obamas motivations. There are two theories in play. One, Obama willfully undermined the Biden administration at a time when the White House is rolling out its red carpet for an Indian prime minister, and the US is seeking to take bilateral ties with India to the next level. This is likely the symptom of internal tension within the ruling Democratic party, where a faction is unhappy over Bidens decision to go for a rerun in 2024. Theres buzz in some circles that the former First Lady may run for office next year. The Obamas are still incredibly powerful in Washington, and the former presidents relationship with his erstwhile vice-president and the current POTUS has been a matter of debate. It is not outside the realm of possibility that Obama purposely timed his outrageous remarks to cause maximum embarrassment to the Biden administration. The second theory doing the rounds is that this was a good cop, bad cop routine by the Democrats. Biden and his team didnt want to raise the contentious issues of human rights and state of minorities in India a specious narrative propagated by the left-liberal media, activist, ISI lobby and academic circles in the US that also includes a section of the Democratic party publicly with Modi, and therefore Obama was appointed to deliver a sermon and assuage the base. However, if the second theory is accurate, it is debatable whether the routine affects Modis state visit in any substantial way and whats more, it imposes costs on the Democrats own government and undermines the message the Biden administration is trying to send to India. Be that as it may, whether it was Obamas attempt at undermining his own government or the Democrats addressing multiple constituencies at once with a clever plan, the comments do introduce a level of discord in ties that appears incompatible with the current mood in Washington and New Delhi. The writer is Deputy Executive Editor, Firstpost. He tweets @sreemoytalukdar. Views are personal. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. UKs former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to up his game in developing closer ties with India. Raab, the leader who once led Sunaks leadership campaign and served as his Foreign Secretary before being forced to resign amid bullying allegations, said in Daily Telegraph that the UK government needs to do more to strengthen bilateral relations with India, especially since the country has a Prime Minister of Indian heritage. He pointed to Indias particular comparative advantage in tech against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modis high-profile visit to the US this week during which mega deals were struck. With the UKs historic ties to India, and our first UK Prime Minister of Indian heritage, are we doing enough to maximise the rewards from this critical relationship, Raab questioned. The Tory Party MP further said, With Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Britain remains uniquely placed to reap the dividends of a deeper friendship with India. To do so, well need to up our game across the whole of government. Counting more than one way through which India can prove to be an important friend, Raab said that the countrys economy will overtake that of the Eurozone within 30 years. India offers enormous trade opportunities as investor sentiment warms with investment in roads, and a large well-educated local talent pool to draw from, he added. He wrote, When it comes to defence procurement, India is the worlds largest importer of military hardware. Again, Modi is in the market for joint ventures that allow tech transfer to help build up homegrown production. For the West, it is an opportunity to wean India off imports of Russian weapons. Acknowledging Indias own geopolitical compulsions, Raab admits Indias refusal to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in the same terms as the West is maddening. But as a leading member of the non-aligned group, India has far-reaching influence amongst developing countries. That could be useful to the West in areas of common interest, like China the case for cooperating more closely with India just gets stronger, he explained. 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. Vietnam on Friday found itself on the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) grey list for proliferating weapons of mass destruction. The Southeast Asian nation is the latest addition to a group of countries across the world subject to closer scrutiny, including Panama, the Cayman Islands, the United Arab Emirates and Syria. Meanwhile, Myanmar, Iran and North Korea are the only countries on the financial watchdogs black list. Vietnam is one of the few countries to share close ties with North Korea which is actively pursuing a nuclear weapons programme despite widespread global denunciations and international sanctions. Hanois attempt at fighting cases of money laundering and terror financing has been considered insufficient by the Paris-based FATF to avoid greylisting. The FATF said Vietnam has now committed to demonstrating it effectively monitors banks, accountants and lawyers to prevent funding for the proliferation of arms of mass destruction, such as nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. Vietnam has also agreed to prove it can prevent the evasion of sanctions against individuals or entities that face international restrictions because of their involvement with the proliferation of mass destruction weapons. Along with Vietnam, FATF is also scrutinising 10 African countries, including Mozambique and Uganda over risks of proliferation funding. Vietnam has also committed to implementing additional reforms to address its shortcomings. It will work to ensure the independence of authorities responsible for investigating financial crime, regulate virtual assets and boost international cooperation against money laundering, the FATF said. 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. After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, DC on Friday, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google is investing USD 10 billion in Indias digitisation fund, adding that PM Modis vision for Digital India serves as a blueprint for other countries. Pichai after meeting PM Modi, said, It was an honour to meet PM Modi during the historic visit to the US. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing USD 10 billion in Indias digitisation fund. Pichai further added, We are excited today that we are announcing the opening up of our global fintech operation centre in GIFT city Gujarat. Notably, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City is a central business district under construction in Gandhinagar district in Gujarat, India. PMs vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do, Pichai said after meeting Prime Minister Modi. Pichai, who joined Google in 2004, became the CEO of the company in 2015. PM Modi had congratulated him on his appointment as CEO. Sundar Pichai met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in December last year and said it is inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under his leadership. Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, said he looked forward to continuing strong partnerships and supporting Indias G20 presidency to advance open internet that works for all. During his India visit last year, Pichai also attended the 8th edition of the Google for India event, with Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology in attendance. The Google CEO said he is here to see progress being made from our USD 10 billion, 10-year India Digitization Fund (IDF), and share new ways helping to advance Indias digital future. That includes our efforts to build a single, unified AI model that will be capable of handling over 100 Indian languages across speech and text part of our global effort to bring the worlds 1,000 most-spoken languages online and to help people access knowledge and information in their preferred language. Were also supporting a new, multidisciplinary centre for responsible AI with IIT Madras, said Pichai. Notably, Project Relate is an app that can understand people with non-binary speech. It can listen, repeat, and understand, and the app is available for Hindi users in early 2023. Search result pages will be bilingual in India for those who want and the feature is already available in Hindi. This feature will be supported in languages Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Bengali in the coming days. Voice search can now understand people who speak Hinglish better. Using a new neural network model, which takes the persons accent, context, etc into account, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is presently on a State visit to the US met Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and CEOs of Amazon Andrew Jassy and Boeing David L Calhoun in Washington, DC. Boeing CEO David L Calhoun in an exclusive interview with ANI said, The most important takeaway is the PMs passion for Indias development. He does have a specific interest in aviation, in aerospace. It is a big vision. He emphasized the importance of India playing a significant role not only for the country but also for the broader region broadly in aviation and aerospace. Whereas, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy expressed his commitment to generating additional employment opportunities in India after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC. Very interested in helping create more jobs, helping digitise more small and medium size businesses and helping more Indian companies and products be able to be exported all around the world, said Jassy. 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 guests sat down for the state dinner and a luncheon that the US hosted for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they encountered an all-vegetarian meal: no meat, no eggs. Thats thanks to the guest of honour, who is strictly vegetarian. From the gala dinner for 400 plus VIP guests, the largest, the White House has ever seen to the luncheon hosted by US Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doughlas Emoff along with Secretary Antony Blinken, America made it clear that the symbolism on the plates was intentional. Khichadi served at a luncheon at the state department: Using freshly procured seasonal American ingredients while incorporating nods to the cuisine of India. The state luncheon had the humble Kichadi made of millet, lentils and spiced Okra noodle, while the state dinner included marinated millet and grilled corn with compressed watermelon and tangy avocado sauce along with stuffed portobello mushrooms with a saffron-infused risotto in the main course. The first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, said the aim was honouring the 70 years of our alliance with symbols and moments of beauty that reflect both our countries. We hope to showcase the harmony of our cultures and our people intertwined, she said. If guests so desired, they could request a fish dish sumac-roasted sea bass along with crisped millet cakes and summer squashes. For the guests who do imbibe, one of the wines accompanying this weeks meal also paid particular homage to the ties between host and guest. A red blend came from Patel Winery in Napa Valley, which is owned by Raj Patel, who was born in India and settled in California as a boy. Other wines include a Sandhi Patterson Chandenmay 2020. PM Modi was the third head of state to be welcomed with such prestige during the Biden administration, after Frances Emmanuel Macron and South Koreas Yoon Suk-Yeol. The decor too appeared to be another diplomatic aspect of the luncheon and dinner, encompassing the cultures of both countries while honouring PM Modi. Thursday night witnessed a decor including imagery of the peacock and the bald eagle, the Indian and U.S. national birds, respectively. The tables were adorned with peonies, that some mistook for lotus blooms, revered in Indian design and a symbol of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party. Samosa with mint chutney and marigold flowers: While the luncheon was a more formal and less colour affair, gold was the central theme along with fresh flowers used to enhance the overall look of the lunch served. For instance, the evergreen Samosas, stuffed with spinach and served with a tangy mint sauce wore a saffron marigold flower. Star-studded luncheon and state dinner: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam, Reliance Industrys Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, and Anand Mahindra were among the attendees. Jill Biden wearing an emerald green Ralph Lauren: There was a deep emphasis on the colour green. With different variants of green drapes not just in the decor but also on what was being worn. Biden opted for a Ralph Lauren number a custom-made emerald green gown featuring an off-the-shoulder neckline, gold shimmer, full sleeves, and a body-hugging silhouette. While Vice President Kamala opted for a gold Naeem Khan sequined gown, a necklace and heavy earrings. 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 UK court on Saturday sentenced an Indian-origin man and his nephew for their involvement in supplying more than 100 kg of Class A banned drugs across the West Midlands region of England. The duo have been found guilty of peddling drugs and have been imprisoned for 32 years. Kamaljit Singh Chahal, 52, and Bhipon Chahal, 25, were given 14 years at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, when eight other gang members were also sentenced for operating a West Bromwich Organised Crime Group (OCG) supplying mainly cocaine and heroin during 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, with records showing they made over GBP 1.5 million during that period. Meanwhile, a third Indian-origin man Sandeep Johal, 32, was also sentenced to 11 years in jail for his role in the gang. So, the entire gang has to serve 100 years of imprisonment. One of the gangsters even used a van with a National Health Service (NHS) emblem with a Thank You NHS sign, common during the pandemic, to transport the drugs to avoid detection. According to reports, the gang operated a significant Class A operation that was being carried out during the Covid pandemic. Chief Inspector Peter Cooke from the West Midlands Police Regional Organised Crime Unit said, Were focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. These men will now be spending nearly 100 years behind bars in total. It sends out a clear warning to others intent on supplying Class A drugs we simply wont tolerate it. All 10 members of the gang appeared in court after they pleaded guilty to drug offences, including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. The gang was caught red-handed after West Midlands detectives followed a covert investigation into the group under Operation Igneous after Encrochat messages from the Chahal crime group were seized between March 26 and June 5, 2020. 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. According to authorities, at least three persons were killed early Saturday as Russia launched its latest overnight air strike on Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said missiles hit at least five locations throughout the nation, killing three people and injuring eight others after a high-rise in Kyiv was hit. This is the style of terrorists. The style of Russia, he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Serhiy Popko, the chief of Kyivs military administration, stated in a separate tweet that the damage was caused by pieces from a fallen missile and that air defences shot down more than 20 missiles surrounding the city. On Saturday morning, emergency personnel were digging through rubble at the scene, where a large hole was evident on one side of the structure. Officials in Dnipropetrovsks southern area reported eight people were injured, two of them children and many structures were destroyed in the attacks. Governor Serhiy Lysak said air defences had destroyed nine missiles and three drones, but that residential structures in Dnipro and an undisclosed infrastructure piece had been struck. Not a single military target, Mayor Borys Filatov wrote separately on Telegram. At least three Russian missiles also targeted Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, with one hitting a gas line and triggering a fire, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov. He said emergency services were at the scene but gave no details on casualties. There were reports of explosions in other cities but no indication of casualties or damage. Moscow began stepping up regular air strikes on Ukraine in May as Kyivs military was planning a counteroffensive, which is now ongoing, to retake Russian-occupied territory in the east and south. 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 strike a balance between India and China, Nepals Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is planning an official trip to Beijing in September, Foreign Minister N P Saud said on Saturday. The trip to China will be the Maoist leaders second foreign trip after he assumed power. Earlier, the 68-year-old prime minister paid a visit to India. Prachanda will pay an official visit to China in September, Saud told PTI. Preparations are going on for the prime ministers visit to the northern neighbour, and the exact date is yet to be fixed, Saud added. According to sources at the foreign ministry, officials are currently charting out the dates for the prime ministers upcoming China trip. Prachanda has conveyed to the Chinese leadership his willingness to visit China through a senior leader of the CPN-M. China has been actively investing in Nepal in many infrastructure projects. Asserting that his visit to India was very successful, Prachanda said, In my opinion, the visit was historically successful, and I am confident that my proposed China visit will also be successful. The prime minister said that after China, he would also visit the US, coinciding his trip with the United Nations General Assembly session. I will make efforts to mobilise support from all friendly countries towards promoting Nepals national interest and for economic development and prosperity of the country, Prachanda said. With inputs from PTI According to Israeli police, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, wounded a security guard before being shot dead by troops on the scene. The gunman was a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed organisation affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah party. He was recognised as an 18-year-old from Kafr Aqab by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Police released a photo of an M-16 weapon that they believe was used by the shooter. This week, violence erupted in the West Bank, where the military has been conducting regular sweeps for over a year, resulting in frequent battles with Palestinian fighters amid a wave of Palestinian street assaults on Israelis. The past few days saw deadly clashes in the city of Jenin, a fatal Palestinian shooting attack near a settlement, attacks on Palestinian villages by settlers and a rare Israeli air strike in the West Bank against militants. On Friday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan encouraged more steps to restore calm between Israel and the Palestinians during a call with his Israeli counterpart, the White House said. US-brokered peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival. 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 poem titled Gandhi by Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi on the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Indias independence struggle finds centre stage at the Cairo hotel, the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modis stay during his visit to the country. Photographs of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisis visit to India this January also find place in the exhibition. PM Modi on Saturday arrived on a two-day State visit to Egypt. During this visit, PM Modi will hold strategic talks with his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Several members of the Indian community were present at the Ritz Carlton hotel here welcome PM Modi. They have expressed immense excitement regarding PM Modis arrival and have called this a proud moment. I have been living here for the last nine years. Although we are away from our country, here we feel that we are a part of our country. We all have the passion to meet the Prime Minister, just like people have for meeting film stars. He is a hero to us. I personally feel that it (PMs visit) will be very good for both countries. It is really a proud moment, Ankush, who has been living in Egypt for the last nine years said. Alka Walia who calls Cairo her home for the last 17 years said, This is super special. This is the first visit by an Indian PM after 1997. So the excitement level is beyond expectations. We are looking forward to seeing him. I think words are not enough to define that, whichever country he (PM Modi) has travelled to, he has made us proud. We feel lucky and excited to have PM Modi in Egypt. We are super proud as Indians. The hotel lobby was bustling with activity ahead of the Prime Ministers arrival. PM Modi will also meet 70 people from Indian Community residing in Egypt. Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced Indias Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest. The Prime Minister will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora during his visit here. He is set to hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly and also meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said that for the first time, a round table meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister will take place. Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypts fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. Moreover, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. ndia and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. Even during the Russia-Ukraine conflict which had threatened Egypt with a shortage of wheat, 80 percent of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. India cleared shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. 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 the second leg of his two-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, for the first state visit by an Indian PM in around 3 decades. PM Modi arrived in Cairo following a successful visit to the US. The visit is at the invitation of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, which he extended to PM Modi in January when he attended the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as chief guest. This is PM Modis first visit to Egypt as Prime Minister and the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister after 26 years. Upon arriving in Cairo, PM Modi was greeted with a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour and in a special honour was received by his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly at the airport. PM Modi also inspected a guard of honour on his arrival. #WATCH | PM Narendra Modi received by the Egyptian PM on his arrival at Cairo pic.twitter.com/uBe7lIYIau ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 PM Modi schedule in Egypt During his two-day June 24 to 25 State visit, he will hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM and also meet President El-Sisi. Later on, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, today and will also interact with Egyptian thought leaders. On Sunday, PM Modi will visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Furthermore, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. PM Modi in Egypt after US visit Meanwhile, in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. 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 Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his US State Visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. This is his first visit to Egypt. #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs for Cairo, Egypt after concluding his maiden State Visit to the United States. pic.twitter.com/BEz1giGKZx ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The two-day State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. PM Modi was in the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. His visit to the US started in New York, where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga on June 21. Later, in Washington DC, he was given a red-carpet welcome at the White House by President Biden. The two leaders held a historic summit on Thursday, followed by Modis address to Congress and a State Dinner hosted at the White House by the Bidens in his honour. The visit was marked by several major deals to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, space and trade. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hailed the landmark pact to jointly produce jet engines in India to power military aircraft and the US drone deal. With India and the US set to elevate their strategic partnership, GE Aerospace announced it has inked a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Forces Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II Tejas. In another big-ticket announcement, computer storage chip maker Micron said it will set up its semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat, entailing a total investment of USD 2.75 billion (around Rs 22,540 crore). Modi on Thursday also became the first Indian leader to address the Joint Session of the US Congress twice. During his address, he sought action against state sponsors of terrorism. Modi also made a strong push for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN, and spoke glowingly of Indias ties with the US. On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon for the Indian leader at the State Department. Modi also met top CEOs of the US and India at the White House. Later in the day, he addressed an event hosted by the Indian community in the US. During his Egypt visit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian government, prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community, apart from holding talks with Sisi. In January, during Sisis State Visit, the two countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. The prime minister will visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Cairo, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In his departure statement on June 20, Modi had said, I am excited to pay a State Visit to a close and friendly country for the first time. We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in the span of a few months are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership during President Sisis visit. I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilizational and multi-faceted partnership. I will also have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Egypt, Modi said. (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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday (local time), Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. After PM Modi arrived at Cairo International Airport, Bagchi took to Twitter and shared his self-made video where he was speaking that PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and received by his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly at the airport. In Egypt, he will hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM. Later on, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, today and will also interact with Egyptian thought leaders. On Sunday, PM Modi will visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Furthermore, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. Meanwhile, in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Indias Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte said Indias multi-faceted relations with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership this year, will receive further impetus with the first state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the key Middle East nation. Prime Minister Modi will be arriving in Egypt on Saturday evening at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. It will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. We are very much looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Cairo from 24th to 25th of June. The visit is a very historic occasion because the last bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister was as far back as 1997, Ajit Gupte told PTI. Modi will hold talks with El-Sisi on Sunday to discuss ways to give further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two major nations. I am excited to pay a state visit to a close and friendly country for the first time, Modi said in his departure statement in New Delhi on Tuesday before leaving for the United States on his maiden state visit. We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year, he noted. These two visits in the span of a few months are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership during President Sisis visit, Modi said. I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilisational and multi-faceted partnership, he said. Ambassador Gupte said that Egypt and India have had close defence ties. They have been participating for many years in joint exercises, training programmes, etc. But in the last two years, our defence cooperation has grown from strength to strength, and Im happy to convey that 30 Indian defence delegations have visited Egypt in the last two years while from Egypt about seven defence delegations have gone to India, he said. For the first time ever, there were joint exercises between the fighter aircraft of the air forces of India and Egypt. From Egypt, we were very happy to have received an Egyptian military Convention, which led the Republic Day Parade this year We also had for the first time ever, joint exercises between our Special Forces in the desert in Rajasthan, he said. On the strategic partnership between the two countries, Gupte said, There is a great friendship between the people of both countries, but there was no special status to the relationship. So in the last few years, keeping in mind the rapidly growing trade, defence, and economic cooperation. Naturally, the term strategic partnership is only used in a very limited and restricted manner to signify countries with whom that country wants to have very special relations, he 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. President Joe Biden said that India and the US are teaming up to design and develop new technologies that will transform lives around the world. Biden also underlined that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are determined to negotiate the speed bumps impeding bilateral technological cooperation. The US President, who held wide-ranging talks with Modi on Thursday at the White House, said that technological cooperation will be a big part in defining the India-US partnership. We are teaming up to design and develop new technologies that are going to transform the lives of our people around the world, he said on Friday. Together, were lifting the private and public partners to make this possible, including launching a new programme between India and American astronauts, Indian astronauts, and entrepreneurs, scientists, and students. Simply put, our countries are taking innovation and cooperation to a new level in our relationship, and thanks in large part to the folks around this table, he said at an event, also attended by Prime Minister Modi. Observing that speed bumps are impeding technological partnership when they occur, Biden said: The Prime Minister and I can commit to building around them, over them, and through them. Because it matters our cooperation matters not just to our own people but, I quite frankly think, to the whole world. Because our partnership is about more than the next breakthrough or the next deal and as big as they may be, he said. It is about taking climate change and tackling it, about exploring the universe, about lifting people out of poverty, curing cancer and other serious diseases, preventing pandemics and giving citizens real opportunity, Biden said. Its about forging a more free, secure, and more prosperous future for our children, supporting the dynamism and diversity of our democracies and democracies everywhere, he said. Were sticking up for our values and the vision of the world. And so, our partnership between India and the United States will go a long way, in my view, to define what the 21st century looks like. And our technology and technological cooperation will be a big part of defining our partnership, Biden said. Prime Minister Modi, in his remarks, said the coming together of Indian talent and US technology is definitely a guarantee for a bright future. Modi said he is very pleased to see the progress that America has made in the area of technology under Bidens leadership. And, the youth in India, thanks to its talent, has created an identity for itself in the world. So, this coming together of talent and technology, I believe, this is definitely a guarantee for a bright future, he said. This coming together of talent and technology, I believe this is definitely a guarantee for a bright future, Modi said at a White House event in a meeting with senior officials and CEOs from technology companies. The event, among others, was attended by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sunder Pichai, Reliance head Mukesh Ambani, Mahindra chief Anand Mahindra and Astronaut Sunita Williams. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and Indias Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu were also present at the meeting chaired by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an address to the nation on Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people against an armed revolt called by mercenary head Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin called the rebellion a deadly threat to our statehood and promised tough actions in response. All those who planned the rebellion will face inevitable punishment. The necessary orders have been issued to the armed forces and other government agencies, Putin stated. He called Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility. An armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia, to its people, the president said. Those who plotted and organized an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it, Putin said. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops have reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry denounced the actions as a criminal venture and called on Wagner fighters to return to their deployment point. The ministry said it would ensure their safety. Yeveny Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Prigozhin said early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, adding that they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russias security services had responded to Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and the capitals surroundings, allowing enhanced security and restricted freedoms, and security was heightened in Moscow. It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. On Saturday morning he added that Putin would address the nation shortly. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. Now that the state has actively engaged, theres no turning back, she tweeted. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhins move as madness that threatens civil war. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia, he said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine was concentrating troops for an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhins provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared an offensive. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said, The violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. In Kyiv, a Russian missile attack killed at least two people and injured eight Saturday when falling debris caused a fire on several floors of a 24-story apartment building in a central district, Serhii Popko, the head of the citys military administration posted on Telegram. He said more than 20 missiles were detected and destroyed. Video from the scene showed a blaze in the upper floors of the building and the parking lot strewn with ash and debris. With inputs from AP Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. French President Emmanuel Macron is closely monitoring the situation in Russia, CNN reported. Similarly, Polands President Andrzej Duda said that events beyond their eastern border are being monitored. In a statement released by the Elysee, The President is monitoring the situation closely. We remain focused on supporting Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner group, on Saturday, announced that his troops had taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities, CNN reported. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that due to the situation in Russia, he held talks with the countrys Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence and allies. Taking to his official Twitter handle, he stated, Due to the situation in Russia, we held consultations this morning with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of National Defense, as well as with the Allies. The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis. Meanwhile, Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that they were following the development of the situation in Russia. She urged the people of Estonia not to travel to any region of Russia. Kaja Kallas in a tweet stated, Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened. I also urge our people not to travel to any part of Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised address to the nation on Saturday said that the armed mutiny by the Wagner Group is a stab in the back and vowed to punish those who were on the path of treason or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military. In his televised address to the nation, Putin said, Renegade actions against those fighting in the front is a stab in the back of our country, CNN reported. Putin also pledged a harsh response and punishment to those who plan an armed rebellion. We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to treason and a betrayal of the country and its people, Putin was quoted as saying by TASS. Putins statement came hours after The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny by the Wagner group. The FSB urged Wagner fighters not to obey Prigozhins orders and take measures for his detention. Russian President said that any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to Russias statehood and Moscows actions to protect the homeland. He noted that such a threat will face a severe response. Calling the situation in Rostov-on-Don difficult, Putin in his address noted that the work of civil and military administration had been blocked in Rostov. The situation in Rostov-on-Don remains difficult during the armed uprising. In Rostov, the work of civil and military administration is basically blocked, Putin said as per the CNN report. Earlier today, the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces have taken control of military facilities, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don, according to CNN. Prigozhins actions come after he accused Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing a huge amount of his fighters. Russias Ministry of Defense has denied his claim and termed it an information provocation. 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 Friday, the owner of the Wagner private military contractor issued his most open threat to the Kremlin yet, asking for an armed uprising to depose Russias defence minister. The security services promptly called for Yevgeny Prigozhins arrest. Security was increased in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern area and also supervises the battle in Ukraine, as a symbol of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the danger. While the result of the clash was still unknown, it was likely to impede Moscows war effort as Kyivs soldiers probed Russian defences in the early phases of a counter-offensive. Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. He stated that General Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of General Staff, ordered jets to attack Wagners convoys, which were moving alongside civilian cars. Prigozhin also claimed that his men shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but no independent proof was provided. Moreover, despite Prigozhins claims that Wagner convoys had entered Rostov-on-Don, there had been no proof of this on Russian social media. Heavy trucks were observed blocking roads heading to the city, large convoys of National Guard trucks were seen on a road outside Rostov-on-Don, and armoured vehicles were seen wandering the streets, according to videos. Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Prigozhin, who said he had 25,000 troops under his command, said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, has charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Heavy military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even amid the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then cowardly fled. This scum will be stopped, he said of Shoigu. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to restore justice. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. Now that the state has actively engaged, theres no turning back, she tweeted. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhins move as madness that threatened to unleash a civil war. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president, he said. Its impossible to imagine a stronger blow to the image of Russia and its armed forces. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraines military was concentrating troops to launch an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhins provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared to start an offensive in the area. In Washington, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Adam Hodge, said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. In other developments in the Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to give appropriate signals and exert pressure on Moscow. The Kremlins spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces. The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europes largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that the military situation has become increasingly tense while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province. Although the last of the plants six reactors were shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water. During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of mining the plants cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse that drew down water in a reservoir used by the power station. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Moscows mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Saturday urged residents to refrain from traveling around the capital city as the situation remains difficult with Wagner mercenaries moving towards Moscow to oust Russias military leadership. The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible, Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures and announcing Monday was a non-working day. Sobyanins advisory comes after Wagner group mercenaries were reportedly moving across the Lipetsk region, which is around 400 km south of Moscow. BREAKING: The Wagner Group has smashed through the first road barriers on the way to Moscow pic.twitter.com/LdzVXjqy7L Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023 Hardware of the Wagner mercenary group is moving across the territory of the Lipetsk region, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. I remind you that residents are strongly recommended not to leave their houses or to make trips on any mode of transport. The group is currently on its way to Moscow in a bid to overthrow the Russian military leadership following their chiefs challenge to Putin. The armed rebellion by the outfit, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, is seen as the biggest threat to Putins authority. The Wagner groups role has been crucial in the ongoing war, it was even credited for the capture of the key city of Bakhmut after a bloody 224-day-long battle. 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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Friday that the plethora of bilateral agreements across various sectors are a principle driving force in the growing co-operation between India and the United States (US). PM Modi also asserted that the transfer on technology agreement to produce fighter jet engines in India will prove to be a crucial turning point for Indian defence manufacturing. The deal to jointly make fighter jet engines will prove to be a milestone in the development of the defence industry in India. Defence industrial cooperation roadmap will deepen the partnership between the two nations, PM Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. PM Modi also spoke about collaboration between Indian and US companies across several other sectors. During my visit, companies like Google Micron, Applied Materials and others have announced to make huge investments in India. All these announcements will help to create employment in India. The Artemis Accord signed between India and the US will provide several opportunities in space research. With NASA, India will send astronauts to space, he said. Together we are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies. That is why I said Sky is not the limit, he added. The reason behind this tremendous progress in India is the belief of 140 crore people in the country. Modi has not done anything alone. Hundreds of years of colonisation had taken this belief away from us. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Indian diaspora as well as US businessmen to make full use of the growing India-US partnership and seize the moment. Technology handshake held at the White House today is a direct message to the companies, businesses, manufacturers and innovators of both the countries This is the moment. India and US Governments have done the groundwork for you. But now, the responsibility to grow on this ground is yours. The one who plays will flourish. Im sure that youll not let this opportunity slide, he said. I invite you to join the journey of Indias future. Let us come together for a better world, a better future. This is the time, the right time, he added. Announcing the opening of new US consulates, PM Modi said, Americas new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself. Urging more investment in India, PM Modi said, This is the best time to invest as much as possible in India. The research centre of Googles AI in India will work on more than 100 languages. With the help of the Indian Govt, Tamil Studies chair will be established here at University of Houston. India is the mother of democracy and America is the champion of advanced democracy. Today, the world is seeing the partnership between these two great democracies getting stronger. America is our biggest trading partner and export destination but the real potential of our partnership is yet to come out. PM Modi also said that the Indian government is focussed on the return on ancient artefacts to India. I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this, he said. The partnership between India and the United States will make the world better in the 21st Century. You all play a crucial role in this partnership. I will be leaving for the airport straight from here, meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after food. 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 Saturday, eight Chinese warplanes crossed the Taiwan Straits median line and neared the islands contiguous zone, which lies 24 nautical miles (44 km) off the shore, the Taiwanese defence ministry said, escalating tensions. Over the last three years, Chinas air force has repeatedly flown into Taiwans airspace. It has been sending planes across the straits median line, which had previously operated as an unofficial barrier, on a regular basis since August. Beijing claims Taiwan, which is democratically governed, as Chinese territory. Taiwans administration denies the accusations, claiming that only the people of the island can decide their fate. In March, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned that the island had to be on alert this year for a sudden entry by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory. Taiwan defines its contiguous zone as being 24 nautical miles from its coast. Its territorial space is defined at 12 nautical miles from its coast, though the government has not reported Chinese aircraft entering either the contiguous zone or Taiwans territorial air space. Taiwans defence ministry said in a statement that starting around 8 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Saturday, it had detected 19 Chinese warplanes, including J-10 and J-16 fighters. Eight of those crossed the median line and got close to the 24 nautical mile mark, it said. At the same time, the ministry said five Chinese warships carried out what it termed joint combat readiness patrols. Taiwan sent up its own aircraft and dispatched ships in response and activated land-based missile systems, the ministry said, using standard wording for how its forces react to Chinese incursions. Chinas defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment. On Saturday, the Chinese militarys Eastern Theatre Command, which covers Taiwan, published pictures on its WeChat account of J-16 fighters taking off on a training mission far out at sea that happened recently. The command said the aircraft carried out tactical long-range flight training involving in-flight refuelling that covered thousands of kilometres. It did not give details. During Chinas last large-scale war games near Taiwan, in April, videos of the exercise released by the Eastern Theatre Command showed its vessels and planes coming within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan on all sides of the island. The Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from its giant neighbour China, is also a frequent site of US military activities, especially US warships which transit the sensitive waterway about once a month. The US Navy this month released a video of what it called an unsafe interaction in the strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a US destroyer. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Authorities from the U.S. and Canada began the process of investigating the cause of the fatal Titan submersible implosion even as they grappled with questions of who was responsible for determining how the tragedy unfolded. A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed, killing all five people aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday. Debris was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore. The U.S. Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission, which was a massive international effort that likely cost millions of dollars. It was not entirely clear Friday who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington, but closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titans mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada, and those killed were from England, Pakistan, France, and the U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that the U.S. Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a major marine casualty and the Coast Guard will lead the investigation. NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said that information was provided to the agencys senior management by Coast Guard officials, and the NTSB has joined the investigation. The Coast Guard has not confirmed that it will take the lead. Coast Guard headquarters said the Coast Guard First District in Boston will discuss future operations and plans but did not say when. The First District did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Friday. Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Friday that it is launching an investigation into the Polar Prince. Seventeen crew members and 24 others were on board the ship during the Titans journey. The deep-sea investigations promise to be long and painstaking, as is the nature of investigations in the murky depths of the ocean. This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor, said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the Coast Guard First District. How the overall investigation will proceed is complicated by the fact that the world of deep-sea exploration is not well-regulated. Deep-sea expeditions like those offered by OceanGate are scrutinized less than the companies that launch people into space, noted Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina who focuses on maritime history and policy. A key part of any investigation is likely to be the Titan itself. Questions have been raised about whether the vessel was destined for disaster because of its unconventional design and its creators refusal to submit to independent checks that are standard in the industry The Titan was not registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety. And it wasnt classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded, complained that regulations can stifle progress. Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation, Rush wrote in a blog post on his companys website. One question that seems at least partially resolved is when the implosion likely happened. After the Titan was reported missing, the Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data and found an anomaly Sunday that was consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the vessel was operating when communications were lost, said a senior U.S. Navy official. The Navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not considered definitive, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive acoustic detection system. The Titan launched at 8 a.m. that day and was reported overdue that afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. Johns, Newfoundland. Rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the area. Any sliver of hope that remained for finding the crew alive was wiped away early Thursday when the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found near the Titanic. Killed in the implosion were Rush, two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. A flurry of lawsuits is expected, but filing them will be complex and its unclear how successful they will be. Plaintiffs will run into the problem of establishing jurisdiction, which could be tricky, just as it will be for the investigation, said Steve Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer and director of Northeastern Universitys Global Resilience Institute. The implosion happened basically in a regulatory no mans land, Flynn said. There was essentially no oversight, Flynn said. James Cameron, who directed the blockbuster movie Titanic and has made multiple dives to the iconic ships wreckage, told the BBC that he knew an extreme catastrophic event had happened as soon as he heard the submersible had lost navigation and communications at the same time. For me, there was no doubt, Cameron said. There was no search. When they finally got an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) down there that could make the depth, they found it within hours. Probably within minutes. At least 46 people successfully travelled on OceanGates submersible to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the Titanic shipwreck. But questions about the submersibles safety were raised by both a former company employee and former passengers. 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 authorities presented an intelligence analysis Friday that refuted some claims that COVID-19 was stolen from a Chinese facility, instead maintaining that American espionage services are divided about how the outbreak started. The report was published at the request of Congress, which enacted a measure in March requiring US intelligence to declassify information relating to the Wuhan Institute of Virology within 90 days. Legislators have pressed intelligence authorities under President Joe Biden to reveal additional information regarding the origins of COVID-19. However, they have frequently claimed that Chinas government obstruction of independent assessments has made it difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain how the pandemic began. The latest study enraged several Republicans who claim the government is wrongfully withholding confidential material, as well as experts who accuse the US of being uncooperative. previous US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who served under previous President Donald Trump, accused the Biden administration of continued obfuscation. The lab leak is the only theory supported by science, intelligence, and common sense, Ratcliffe said in a statement. There was newfound interest from researchers following the revelation earlier this year that the Department of Energys intelligence arm had issued a report arguing for a lab-related incident. But Fridays report said the intelligence community has not gone further. Four agencies still believe the virus was transferred from animals to humans, and two agencies the Energy Department and the FBI believe the virus leaked from a lab. The CIA and another agency have not made an assessment. Located in the city where the pandemic is believed to have began, the Wuhan Institute of Virology has faced intense scrutiny for its previous research into bat coronaviruses and its reported security lapses. The lab genetically engineered viruses as part of its research, the report said, including efforts to combine different viruses. But the report says US intelligence has no information, however, indicating that any WIV genetic engineering work has involved SARS-CoV-2, a close progenitor, or a backbone virus that is closely-related enough to have been the source of the pandemic. And reports of several lab researchers falling ill with respiratory symptoms in fall 2019 are also inconclusive, the report argues. US intelligence, the report said, continues to assess that this information neither supports nor refutes either hypothesis of the pandemics origins because the researchers symptoms could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19. Responding to the report, the Republican chairs of the House Intelligence Committee and a select subcommittee on the pandemic jointly said they had gathered information in favor of the lab leak hypothesis. Reps. Mike Turner and Brad Wenstrup, both of Ohio, credited the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence for taking a promising step toward transparency. While we appreciate the report from ODNI, the corroboration of all available evidence along with further investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must continue, Turner and Wenstrup said. But Alina Chan, a molecular biologist who has long argued the virus may have originated in the Wuhan lab, noted the public version of the report did not include the names of researchers who fell sick or other details mandated by Congress. The bill requiring the review allowed intelligence officials to redact information publicly to protect agency sources and methods. Its getting very difficult to believe that the government is not trying to hide what they know about #OriginOfCovid when you see a report like this that contains none of the requested info, Chan 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. The US Justice Department charged four Chinese firms and eight individuals on Friday with allegedly trafficking the ingredients required to manufacture the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl in the US and Mexico. The three separate charges, which were unsealed in federal court in New York, are the first to charge China-based chemical corporations and Chinese nationals with illegally distributing the chemicals used to make fentanyl, which has been blamed for a deadly overdose crisis. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy condemned the charges, accusing the U.S. government of seeking to shift the blame for its domestic drug problem. Federal prosecutors said the companies marketed the fentanyl precursor chemicals on their websites and social media accounts, advertised that they accepted payment in cryptocurrency and shipped them to drug traffickers including Mexicos Sinaloa cartel. When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release. Garland said those actions include stopping Chinese chemical companies from supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl. In a statement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, charged U.S. prosecutors with imposing a long-arm jurisdiction, adding that the move could harm counter-narcotics operations between the two countries. The incident was a well-planned entrapment operation by the US side, which seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights of relevant enterprises and individuals, the spokesperson said. China strongly condemns it. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court charges the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. as well as three company executives with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation and money laundering. Prosecutors said Amarvel Biotech used deceptive practices to evade authorities, such as advertising that it could disguise its products as dog food, nuts or motor oil to ensure safe delivery to the United States and Mexico. Two of the Amarvel Biotech executives were arrested earlier this month and appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Honolulu. They will be brought to New York to appear in Manhattan federal court. The third has not been arrested. Two additional indictments unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charge five other executives or employees and three Chinese companies, identified as Anhui Rencheng Technology Co., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co. and Hefei GSK Trade Co., with offenses including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl and customs fraud conspiracy. None of these individuals has been arrested. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the defendants knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico and provided advice on how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug. Anne Milgram, administrator of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, said the companies and individuals supplied drug traffickers with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. With inputs from AP Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken contacted major partner South Korea on Saturday to discuss the outcomes of his visit to China earlier this month, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. According to a ministry statement, Blinken informed South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin that he had an honest, realistic, and productive talk with the Chinese side and wanted to communicate the findings of his visit in as much detail as possible. According to the ministry, Blinken and Park resolved to continue communicating about relations with China and to push Beijing to play a positive role in North Koreas cessation of provocations and denuclearisation. During the visit to China where Blinken met President Xi Jinping and other top officials, the two sides agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough. Meanwhile, North Korea criticised Blinken for trying to get China to pressure Pyongyang to lay down arms, and warned that its response will grow more overwhelmingly and aggressively to any stronger military measures by the United States on the Korean Peninsula, state media KCNA said on Saturday. Blinkens threats for China to pressure Pyongyang expresses a dangerous hegemonic mentality, KCNA said, citing a North Korean foreign ministry official. North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast last week, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of a response to military drills by South Korean and US troops. The isolated country is under international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. 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 reaching halfway to the capital city of Moscow, Wagner group mercenaries receded their steps to avoid bloodshed, their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on Saturday. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on a 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. In an audio message, Prigozhin said that his army would return to their bases owing to the risk of blood being spilled. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for guarantees of safety for the rebels was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his office said. President of #Belarus #Lukashenko held talks w/ head of PMC Wagner #Prigozhin. Negotiations continued throughout the day. Y.Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President of to stop the movement of armed people of the Wagner company on the territory of #Russia pic.twitter.com/Kpf2SW7RNu Belarus MFA (@BelarusMFA) June 24, 2023 Panic struck after reports of Wagner troops making their way to Moscow were made public. Moscows mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Saturday urged residents to refrain from traveling around the capital city as the situation remains difficult with Wagner mercenaries moving towards Moscow to oust Russias military leadership. The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible, Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures and announcing Monday was a non-working day. Sobyanins advisory comes after Wagner group mercenaries were reportedly moving across the Lipetsk region, which is around 400 km south of Moscow. 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 received a warm welcome in Cairo, Egypt upon his arrival in the country. Members of the Indian diaspora eagerly waited for the prime ministers arrival. Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in almost three decades. An Egyptian woman sang Ye dosti hum kabhi nahi todenge for the Indian leader. Watch the video: After a successful three-day visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Egypts Cairo on Saturday. After landing in Cairo, PM Modi received a Guard of Honour and was greeted by the Egyptian Prime Minister After landing in Cairo, PM Modi received a Guard of Honour and was greeted by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The visit is at the invitation of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, which he extended to PM Modi in January when he attended the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as chief guest. PM Modi schedule in Egypt During his two-day June 24 to 25 State visit, he will hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM and also meet President El-Sisi. Later on, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, today and will also interact with Egyptian thought leaders. On Sunday, PM Modi will visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. NASAs Instagram account is a goldmine for those interested in gazing planetary activity beyond Earth. In case you are one of them, NASAs most recent clip will leave you in awe. The Space Agency shared data sonification of a supermassive black hole in an Instagram post. Sagittarius A*, the celestial giant, comes directly from the Milky Way galaxys center. Based on new evidence, it seems that the sleeping giant woke up recently, approximately 200 years ago, to devour gas and other cosmic materials within its reach. Not on par with the Beethoven bangers of that time, but NASA declares the new find as its one-hit wonder. NASAs new release The agency found that the combined images from Sagittarius A* enabled researchers to convert visual information from the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and @NASAChandraXray into sound, creating this sonification. The black hole, Sagittarius A* is far less luminous than other black holes at the centres of galaxies we can observe, indicating that our galaxys black hole hasnt been actively devouring material. Heres the detailed description of the image: An arched line ripples across the image, starting in the lower right-hand corner. As it passes over the orange-tinted IXPE data, sounds like digital winds are triggered, particularly where those orange areas are brightest. When the traveling line passes over blue-tinted Chandra data, the resulting notes resemble steel drums. The audio-visual is credited to NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, SYSTEM SoundsM. Russo, A. Santaguida. What is sonification? NASA defines sonification as the translation of astronomical data into sound. Matt Russo, an astrophysicist, explains: Sonification is the use of non-speech audio to convey information. He adds, It involves transforming data into sound so that connections between data are perceived, explored, and appreciated by the human auditory system. This has been done with a variety of intriguing data sets, including the black hole at the centre of the Perseus galaxy cluster. NASAs A Universe of Sound is one such library of sonification projects. From the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16), which is 7,000 light years away, to the Tycho Supernova that occurred in November 1572, and the Chandra Deep Field data, which captures over 5,000 supermassive black holes in a single image, the listener can aurally explore deep space objects. Listen to the incredible sonification here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) The post has garnered several likes. Reactions to the video also included various interesting comments. How Instagram users reacted: A user asked: Whats the name of the song, NASA? to which the Space Agency replied: Milky Ways Central Black Hole Sonification from NASAs IXPE, streamed now on Youtube. Another user commented: Full of mystery and magic. Space rizz, added one of the accounts. The video, which was posted a day ago, has received 5.8 million views as of now. 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 a successful three-day visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Egypts Cairo on Saturday. Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in almost three decades. After landing in Cairo, PM Modi received a Guard of Honour and was greeted by Egyptian Prime Minister After landing in Cairo, PM Modi received a Guard of Honour and was greeted by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Watch the video: #WATCH | PM Modi lands in Egypt for the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM after 26 years. In a special honour, the Egyptian PM received PM Modi at the airport in Cairo. The PM was given a Guard of Honour on his arrival. pic.twitter.com/kq0Zpaxd5s ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The visit is at the invitation of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, which he extended to PM Modi in January when he attended the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as chief guest. PM Modi schedule in Egypt During his two-day June 24 to 25 State visit, he will hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM and also meet President El-Sisi. Later on, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, today and will also interact with Egyptian thought leaders. On Sunday, PM Modi will visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Furthermore, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. 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. Q: On June 23 local time, the US Department of Justice announced indictments charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. Whats your comment? A: US law enforcement personnel ensnared Chinese nationals through sting operation in a third country and blatantly pressed charges against Chinese entities and individuals. This is typical arbitrary detention and unilateral sanction, which is completely illegal. It seriously harms the basic human rights of the Chinese nationals and the interests of the Chinese companies concerned. China strongly condemns this move and has lodged serious demarches and strong protest to the US side. China is an active participant in international counter-narcotics cooperation. Out of a sense of humanitarianism, China scheduled fentanyl-related substance as a classthe first country to do so in the worldwhich has played an important role in preventing the illicit manufacturing, trafficking and abuse of fentanyl. Instead of giving China the credit for its contribution, the US imposed illegal sanctions on Chinese counter-narcotics institutions and then openly slandered Chinas counter-narcotics efforts and illegally sanctioned Chinese companies. The US has now gone even further by ensnaring and indicting Chinese nationals. Such long-arm jurisdiction and bullyism that tramples on international law has further undermined the lawful rights and interests of relevant Chinese institutions and nationals, and seriously undercut the foundation for China-US cooperation on counter-narcotics. Things the US has so far been doing to address its concerns over the drug problembe it pressure tactics, coercion or some kind of illegal operationsare essentially all about scapegoating. This will not work and benefits no one. We urge the US to stop shifting the blame, stop smearing and attacking China, immediately lift all sanctions on Chinese counter-narcotics law enforcement institutions, stop using fentanyl-related issues as a pretext to sanction, indict or offer awards to hunt Chinese companies or nationals, stop the arbitrary detentions, and immediately release the Chinese nationals under illegal arrest. China will continue to do what is necessary to firmly defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and nationals. Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts 1. At the beginning of "Njal's Saga", Hrut says that little Hallgerd has what kind of eyes? Answer: Thief's A violence-filled saga begins with a domestic scene of children playing. As they play, Hrut tells Hallgerd's father Hoskuld that he wonders how thief's eyes came into the family. The accusation of thievery in medieval Iceland was a heavy one, and men could be penalized for falsely accusing another, so insulting a child, and by extension her father, is a risky move for Hrut. Hallgerd's name is also spelled Hallgerdr or Hallger. Many men will chase after her because of her beauty. 2. Before he weds Unn, Hrut goes to Norway for what purpose? Answer: To retrieve an inheritance His brother died, so Hrut has to get his inheritance before someone else does. Because of this, he has to delay his marriage to Unn for three years. While in Norway, he both gains help from and is hindered by Queen Gunnhild, which will have consequences for him and others later. 3. Hallgerd is wedded against her will to Thorvald. After he slaps her following an argument, what happens to Thorvald? Thjostolf kills him with an axe. Marriage against a woman's will never comes to good in Icelandic sagas. Arranged marriages are the norm, but the bride should have the power to refuse the man chosen as her bridegroom lest something bad happen. She tells her foster father Thjostolf what happened, as Thorvald slaps her so hard she bleeds. Slapping also tends to have consequences in sagas, and this retribution is heavy: Thjostolf picks up his axe and kills Thorvald. When he returns, she asks why his axe is bloody, and he responds that she can now marry a second time. Her kin ensure she approves her next husband. Answer:Marriage against a woman's will never comes to good in Icelandic sagas. Arranged marriages are the norm, but the bride should have the power to refuse the man chosen as her bridegroom lest something bad happen. She tells her foster father Thjostolf what happened, as Thorvald slaps her so hard she bleeds. Slapping also tends to have consequences in sagas, and this retribution is heavy: Thjostolf picks up his axe and kills Thorvald.When he returns, she asks why his axe is bloody, and he responds that she can now marry a second time.Her kin ensure she approves her next husband. 4. Why does Unn divorce Hrut? Answer: He is unable to consummate the marriage. Hrut has an affair with Gunnhild and lies when she asks whether he has a sweetheart in Iceland. Because he doesn't tell the truth about his betrothal, Gunnhild curses him to never have physical satisfaction with Unn. As a major reason for marriage is to produce children, Unn is able to divorce him for his failure to consummate the marriage. By law, she is supposed to receive her dowry back, especially as the fault is her husband's, but Hrut says he'll only give it up if he fights Unn's father, Mord Fiddle, over it. Both know the duel would result in Mord's death, so Mord declines. 5. Hallgerd weds a man she likes, Glum, for her second marriage. What happens to end their marriage? Answer: Thjostolf kills him with an axe. Glum slaps Hallgerd during an argument, and again, Thjostolf doesn't take kindly to his foster daughter being slapped and enacts disproportionate retribution. When it's done, she asks Thjostolf again why his axe is bloody, and the answer is the same: he has killed her husband. This time, she isn't as amused, since she was happily married to Glum, so she sends him to her father, who kills him. This saga could be called "The Saga of the Bloody Axes", as so many deaths are perpetuated by axe. 6. Unn asks Gunnar of Hlidarend to help her get her dowry back from Hrut, and Njal enters the story to give Gunnar advice. What is the outcome of the case? Answer: Hrut returns the money without a fight. Through some legal shenanigans devised by Njal, Gunnar sets up a "return the dowry or fight me" situation. This time, Gunnar is the better warrior and will have the upper hand if he and Hrut fight, so Hrut gives it up rather than die. Gunnar is also called Gunnar Hamundarson. 7. What is a bit unusual about Njal's appearance? Answer: He has no beard. It was the norm for men to grow beards in Iceland at this time; however, Njal is unable to grow one. He and his wife don't mind this, but it will play an odd role in sparking a feud later. 8. Does Unn, daughter of Mord Fiddle, ever have a child? Yes Unn waits three years between betrothal and marriage to Hrut, spends another three years in an unconsummated marriage, divorces, gets her dowry back after some time, and remarries seven years after her initial marriage (according to the timeline in the Magnusson translation). She marries Valgard and has a son, Mord. Although Gunnar gets Unn her dowry back, Mord always hates Gunnar. Answer:Unn waits three years between betrothal and marriage to Hrut, spends another three years in an unconsummated marriage, divorces, gets her dowry back after some time, and remarries seven years after her initial marriage (according to the timeline in the Magnusson translation). She marries Valgard and has a son, Mord. Although Gunnar gets Unn her dowry back, Mord always hates Gunnar. 9. What odd thing happens at Hallgerd's wedding to her third husband, Gunnar of Hlidarend? Answer: A man divorces his wife and remarries. Thrain's wife Thorhild notices him eyeing Hallgerd's daughter Thorgerd (daughter of Glum), so she recites a verse about it. He divorces her instantly and asks to marry Thorgerd. The guests don't think the instant divorce and eviction of Thorhild is unusual, and since both families agree to the new arrangement, the wedding becomes a double wedding for mother and daughter. The "sword in the tree" incident occurs in "The Saga of the Volsungs", in which Odin places a sword in a tree at a wedding. The bride's husband is unable to claim it, but her brother can, and the husband's desire for the sword incites the saga's conflict. A different Unn dies during a feast in "Laxdale Saga". 10. The feud that dominates "Njal's Saga" kicks off with an argument between Hallgerd and Bergthora about what? Answer: Seating arrangements Hallgerd believes she should sit in a better place than has been assigned for her, and she and Bergthora argue. It escalates, with Hallgerd insulting Bergthora's husband Njal for having no beard. Bergthora regards it worse that Hallgerd had her first (bearded) husband killed. Hallgerd demands that Gunnar avenge this slight, but he refuses to give in to Hallgerd's goading to fight his friend Njal. And so, the feud begins. Source: Author Caseena This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system. Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts 1. What was the role of Louis Botha during the Second Boer War? Answer: He was a leader of the Boer resistance against the British During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), Louis Botha was one of the leaders of the Boer resistance against the British forces. He commanded Boer forces in several significant battles, displaying exceptional military skills and tactical prowess. Botha's leadership and strategic decisions often outmaneuvered the British forces, earning him respect both within the Boer ranks and internationally. His most notable victory came in the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 when the Boers successfully repelled a British assault. Botha's ability to mobilize and motivate his troops proved instrumental in their successes throughout the war. Botha's leadership qualities extended beyond the battlefield. He was known for his diplomacy and negotiation skills, which he employed in attempts to secure peace during the later stages of the war. He participated in peace talks with British representatives, including the famous peace conference at Vereeniging, which ultimately led to the end of the conflict. After the war, Botha transitioned from a military leader to a key political figure, working towards the establishment of the Union of South Africa and becoming the country's first Prime Minister. His experiences during the war greatly shaped his political outlook and influenced his commitment to reconciliation and building a unified South Africa. Overall, Louis Botha's role during the Second Boer War showcased his leadership, military expertise, and his dedication to the cause of the Boer people. His contributions during this conflict set the stage for his subsequent political career and his lasting impact on the history of South Africa. 2. Which political party did Louis Botha co-found? Answer: South African Party (SAP) Louis Botha, together with Jan Smuts, co-founded the South African Party (SAP) in 1910. The party aimed to unite different factions and promote cooperation between English and Afrikaans-speaking South Africans. Botha became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, leading the SAP to victory in the country's first general elections. 3. What was the outcome of Louis Botha's negotiations with the British during the peace talks of the Second Boer War? Implementation of limited self-governance for the Boer republics The outcome of Louis Botha's negotiations with the British during the peace talks of the Second Boer War resulted in the implementation of limited self-governance for the Boer republics. While complete independence was not achieved, Botha's diplomatic efforts secured certain concessions for the Boer people, allowing them to maintain a degree of self-rule within the framework of the Union of South Africa. This compromise set the stage for future negotiations and paved the way for Botha's political career as the country's first Prime Minister. Answer:The outcome of Louis Botha's negotiations with the British during the peace talks of the Second Boer War resulted in the implementation of limited self-governance for the Boer republics. While complete independence was not achieved, Botha's diplomatic efforts secured certain concessions for the Boer people, allowing them to maintain a degree of self-rule within the framework of the Union of South Africa.This compromise set the stage for future negotiations and paved the way for Botha's political career as the country's first Prime Minister. 4. In which year did Louis Botha become the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa? Answer: 1910 Louis Botha became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa in the year 1910. Following the formation of the Union, Botha's political party, the South African Party (SAP), emerged victorious in the country's first general elections. Botha's election as Prime Minister marked a significant milestone in South African history and marked the beginning of a new era of governance in the country. 5. What significant event occurred during Louis Botha's tenure as Prime Minister? Answer: Formation of the Union of South Africa Louis Botha's tenure as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa witnessed the formation of the country itself. In 1910, the Union of South Africa was established, bringing together the former British colonies of the Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and the Orange Free State. Botha played a pivotal role in negotiating and implementing the Union of South Africa. 6. How did Louis Botha contribute to the fight against apartheid? Answer: He played a role in establishing racial segregation Louis Botha did *not* contribute to the fight against apartheid. In fact, he held political office before the apartheid era, from 1910 to 1919, and was not involved in the later racial segregation policies. Botha's tenure focused more on the formation and governance of the Union of South Africa 7. What role did Louis Botha play during World War I? Answer: He commanded South African forces against German Southwest Africa. During World War I, Louis Botha, as Prime Minister, led South African forces in the successful campaign against German Southwest Africa (present-day Namibia). His leadership and military strategies resulted in the capture of German territory and a significant victory for South Africa and the Allied forces. 8. What was Louis Botha's stance on racial segregation? He promoted limited racial equality Louis Botha's position on racial segregation was complex. While he did not actively promote apartheid laws, he did not advocate for complete racial integration either. Botha's policies were more focused on political cooperation and reconciling the interests of English and Afrikaans-speaking South Africans within the framework of the Union of South Africa. Answer:Louis Botha's position on racial segregation was complex. While he did not actively promote apartheid laws, he did not advocate for complete racial integration either. Botha's policies were more focused on political cooperation and reconciling the interests of English and Afrikaans-speaking South Africans within the framework of the Union of South Africa. 9. What was the outcome of the 1914 Rebellion led by Boer military leaders against Louis Botha's government? Answer: The rebellion led to a compromise and a power-sharing agreement The 1914 Rebellion, also known as the Maritz Rebellion, was led by several Boer military leaders who were opposed to Louis Botha's government. The rebellion was eventually crushed by government forces, and the leaders were captured and sentenced to death, although their sentences were later commuted. The rebellion had a significant impact on the political landscape of South Africa and contributed to divisions within the country. 10. What was Louis Botha's approach to land and labor policies? Answer: He prioritized the interests of landowners Louis Botha's approach to land and labor policies was characterized by a pragmatic and moderate stance. While he did not support extensive land redistribution, he recognized the need for fair labor regulations and workers' rights. His policies sought a balance between the interests of landowners and the welfare of the labor force. Source: Author piet This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system. Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts 1. When and where was William the Silent born? Answer: 1533, Germany William the Silent, born on April 24, 1533, in the city of Dillenburg, Germany, was the eldest son of William, Count of Nassau, and Juliana of Stolberg. His full name was William I, Prince of Orange-Nassau. As a member of the prominent House of Nassau, he inherited significant wealth and influence. The experiences and upbringing of William the Silent in his youth set the stage for his future role as a prominent leader in the Dutch Revolt and his quest for Dutch independence. His education, noble lineage, and exposure to different religious ideas would shape his political and religious views, making him a key figure in the history of the Netherlands. 2. What was William The Silent's title? Answer: Prince of Orange William of Orange inherited the title of Prince of Orange from his cousin, Rene of Chalon, who bequeathed the principality to him upon his death in 1544. This title held great significance as the House of Orange-Nassau, to which William belonged, ruled over the Principality of Orange, located in what is now southern France. The title of Prince of Orange was more than a mere honorific; it carried political and military authority. As the Prince of Orange, William had significant influence and power within the principality. The principality itself was strategically located and served as a crucial stronghold during times of conflict. Over time, William's leadership and involvement in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule earned him additional titles and recognition. He became known as the "Father of the Fatherland" or "Father of the Dutch Nation" due to his instrumental role in the struggle for Dutch independence. Though the title of Prince of Orange remained his primary designation, William's leadership and significance transcended his princely title. He was widely recognized and respected as a central figure in the fight against Spanish oppression and the pursuit of Dutch sovereignty. It's important to note that while "the Silent" is often associated with William, it was not an official title bestowed upon him. The epithet "the Silent" is believed to have originated due to his discreet and thoughtful demeanor. William was known for carefully considering his words and actions, exhibiting a measured and prudent approach. 3. Who was William's first wife? Anna of Egmond William the Silent had two wives during his lifetime. His first wife was Anna of Egmond, a Dutch noblewoman whom he married in 1551. Their marriage was politically motivated, as it helped solidify his connections within the Netherlands. Tragically, Anna passed away in 1558. William's second wife was Anna of Saxony, whom he married in 1561. Anna came from a prominent German noble family and brought additional alliances and influence to William. They had several children together, including three sons who played important roles in Dutch history. However, their marriage was marked by marital difficulties and eventually ended in separation in 1571. Answer:William the Silent had two wives during his lifetime. His first wife was Anna of Egmond, a Dutch noblewoman whom he married in 1551. Their marriage was politically motivated, as it helped solidify his connections within the Netherlands. Tragically, Anna passed away in 1558.William's second wife was Anna of Saxony, whom he married in 1561. Anna came from a prominent German noble family and brought additional alliances and influence to William. They had several children together, including three sons who played important roles in Dutch history. However, their marriage was marked by marital difficulties and eventually ended in separation in 1571. 4. Who were the most important leaders of the Spanish Empire that William the Silent fought against? Answer: Philip II and the Duke of Alba Philip II, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, was the King of Spain from 1556 until his death in 1598. He was a staunch defender of Catholicism and sought to maintain Spanish control over the Netherlands. Philip II considered William the Silent a rebel and a threat to his authority, and their conflict formed a significant part of the Dutch Revolt. Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba: Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, commonly known as the Duke of Alba, was a Spanish military commander and statesman. He was appointed by Philip II to suppress the Dutch Revolt and restore order in the Netherlands. The Duke of Alba implemented harsh measures, including the establishment of the Council of Troubles (or the Council of Blood), which sought to crush the rebellion through brutal repression. 5. Which important document did William issue in 1564, outlining his grievances against the Spanish rule? Answer: Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, also known as the Act of Abjuration, was issued by William the Silent in 1564 in the Netherlands. It was a significant document that outlined the grievances and reasons for resistance against Spanish rule. The declaration denounced the Spanish Inquisition, religious persecution, and the violation of Dutch rights and liberties. It asserted the right of the Dutch people to defend themselves against tyranny and proclaimed loyalty to King Philip II of Spain while demanding the preservation of their ancient privileges. The declaration marked a crucial step in the Dutch Revolt, laying the groundwork for the eventual quest for Dutch independence from Spanish control. 6. Which city served as the base of William's operations during the Dutch Revolt which began in 1555? Answer: The Hague The Hague was of significant importance to William the Silent in his war against the Spanish Empire for several reasons. Firstly, it served as the base of operations for his resistance efforts, providing a central location from which he could coordinate military and political strategies. Secondly, The Hague was home to the Dutch government and administrative institutions, allowing William to establish and maintain governance structures for the emerging Dutch state. Additionally, The Hague was a diplomatic hub, providing William with access to international diplomats and alliances that were crucial for garnering support for the Dutch cause. Lastly, The Hague's strategic location, situated near the coast, allowed for quick communication and coordination with Dutch naval forces, enhancing their ability to resist Spanish incursions. 7. Which important victory did William the Silent's forces achieve during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648)? Answer: Siege of Leiden The Siege of Leiden took place from 1573 to 1574 during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. The city of Leiden, located in the Netherlands, was besieged by Spanish forces led by Francisco de Valdez. The Spanish aimed to suppress the rebellion and regain control over the city. However, the people of Leiden valiantly resisted, enduring a long and brutal siege. During the siege, the Spanish army cut off the city's food supply, leading to extreme famine and suffering among the population. In a remarkable turn of events, the Dutch rebels, led by William the Silent, devised a plan to break the siege by breaching the dikes and flooding the surrounding land. This plan, executed in October 1574, allowed the Dutch to sail into the city, break the Spanish blockade, and provide much-needed relief to the starving inhabitants. The Siege of Leiden was a turning point in the Dutch Revolt, boosting Dutch morale and furthering their determination to fight for independence from Spanish rule. The event is still commemorated annually in Leiden on October 3rd, known as Leidens Ontzet or Leiden's Relief. 8. Which Protestant denomination did William the Silent align himself with during the religious conflicts of his time? Calvinism William of Orange aligned himself with Calvinism, which was a major Protestant denomination during the religious conflicts of his time. He supported the rights of Calvinists and sought religious freedom for the Dutch people. Answer:William of Orange aligned himself with Calvinism, which was a major Protestant denomination during the religious conflicts of his time. He supported the rights of Calvinists and sought religious freedom for the Dutch people. 9. How did William the Silent die? Answer: Assassination William the Silent was assassinated on July 10, 1584, in Delft, the Netherlands. He was killed by Balthasar Gerard, a French Catholic extremist who opposed William's leadership and the Protestant cause. Gerard shot William at close range during a meeting at the Prinsenhof, lodging multiple bullets into his chest. His assassination was a significant loss for the Dutch cause, but his legacy as the "Father of the Fatherland" continued to inspire the struggle for Dutch independence. 10. What was the significance of William the Silent's death in 1584? Answer: It sparked a wave of reprisals and intensified the conflict between the Dutch and the Spanish. It sparked a wave of reprisals and intensified the conflict between the Dutch and the Spanish. The assassination in 1584 of William the Silent by Balthasar Gerard led to outrage and retaliation from the Dutch against the Spanish. It further fueled the determination of the Dutch to fight for their independence, escalating the conflict between the two sides. Source: Author piet This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system. Let the Battle Begin! Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Acknowledges Cage Fight Challenge From Elon Musk News oi -Kabir Jain In the realm of tech giants, clashes and rivalries are not uncommon. However, the latest development between two prominent figures, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, has taken everyone by surprise. The world was left astounded when Musk, the visionary CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, openly challenged Zuckerberg, the mastermind behind Facebook and Meta, to a no-holds-barred cage match. Let's delve into the details of this unexpected turn of events. Musk's Provocation on Twitter It all began on Twitter, where Elon Musk fearlessly threw down the gauntlet. In a tweet that quickly went viral, he declared his readiness to step into the ring and settle their differences like true warriors. Musk's bold move caught the attention of the world, leaving them eagerly awaiting Zuckerberg's response. Im up for a cage match if he is lol Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2023 Zuckerberg Accepts the Challenge To the delight of fans and enthusiasts, Mark Zuckerberg responded to Musk's challenge with equal enthusiasm. He acknowledged the proposition and went a step further by extending an invitation for Musk to reveal the fight location. The exchange between the two tech moguls generated immense excitement and speculation. A Serious Business...really Contrary to what some may perceive as mere banter or publicity stunt, the representatives of Meta made it abundantly clear that this fight would be no joke. Iska Saric, a spokesperson for Meta, emphasized the seriousness of the event, ensuring the world that it was more than just a spectacle. The Battle Arena: Vegas Octagon Elon Musk didn't just stop at accepting the challenge; he also disclosed the chosen battleground. The fight is set to take place in Vegas Octagon, adding another layer of grandeur to the anticipated event. I have this great move that I call The Walrus, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2023 The Battle of Strengths Predicting the outcome of this epic showdown is no easy feat. The contenders each bring their own set of quirky advantages to the ring. Musk towers over his opponent with his impressive physical stature and a colorful history of street brawls from his South African days. But wait! In the other corner, we have 39-year-old Zuckerberg, the unexpected combat enthusiast. With his ventures into Jiu-Jitsu competitions and an astonishing completion of the grueling "Murph Challenge" in less than 40 minutes, he adds a dash of eccentricity to this already captivating battle. This can turn out to be the greatest fight of the century, and I'm not even kidding. This needs to happen. 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 US Initiates Working Group to Tackle Risks Associated with Generative AI News oi -Kabir Jain The U.S. government is taking proactive steps to harness the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) while also addressing the associated risks. The Commerce Department has announced the establishment of a public working group focused on generative AI, with the primary objective of capitalizing on the opportunities presented by this emerging technology and creating guidelines to govern its application. The Purpose of the Working Group The newly formed working group, under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), aims to explore the potential of generative AI and devise guidelines to navigate its usage responsibly. Generative AI possesses the remarkable ability to generate text and images, which has the potential to revolutionize various industries and have a profound impact on society. However, along with its immense promise, generative AI also brings risks that need to be addressed to ensure its responsible and ethical implementation. The Involvement of NIST and Technical Experts The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), operating as a nonregulatory agency under the Commerce Department, will play a pivotal role in leading this initiative. NIST Director Laurie Locascio has highlighted the urgency of establishing the working group, given the rapid advancement, extensive scale, and potential impact of generative AI. To ensure a comprehensive approach, the working group will comprise technical experts from both the private and public sectors who will volunteer their expertise to shape the guidelines. President Biden's Stance on AI Risks President Joe Biden has expressed his concern regarding the risks associated with artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need to address these risks to safeguard national security and the economy. He intends to seek expert advice on the matter to inform policy decisions and ensure responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. The establishment of the working group aligns with the administration's commitment to staying ahead of emerging technological advancements and their potential impact on society. Via 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 India Joins Artemis Accords For Non-Military Space Exploration: ISRO-NASA Joint Mission To ISS In 2024? News oi -Alap Naik Desai India is the latest signatory to the Artemis Accords, confirmed the US White House. Additionally, India's ISRO and America's NASA have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation this year. Let's look at the latest developments, which would help in peaceful and mutually beneficial space exploration. India To Become A Member Of The Artemis Accords For Peaceful Space Exploration The Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond. These accords are essentially the same as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), which categorically dissuades partner countries from using space for deploying military and offensive hardware. The Artemis Accords, are mere three years old, and they seek to facilitate international collaboration in planetary exploration and research. It has a set of 13 principles that seek to promote peaceful and cooperative exploration of space. The signatory countries essentially promise to abide by these principles which are mostly a reiteration of established international law on space exploration. These include a commitment not to use space for military purposes, a promise to cooperate on matters of the safety of space assets and astronauts, and a willingness to share scientific data from space missions. ISRO and NASA Developing A Strategic Framework For Human Spaceflight ISRO and NASA are developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation this year. Both space agencies have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in the year 2024. This basically means India and USA would cooperate to send a manned mission to the ISS. It is not clear if the mission would involve an Indian astronaut. However, it is possible that the mission would be carried on India's tried and tested rockets, which have successfully placed multiple satellites in space. 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 ODNI Releases Report on the Potential Links Between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Origin of COVID-19 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ODNI News Release No. 16-23 June 23, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today released "The Potential Links Between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic" report. The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 required the Intelligence Community to declassify information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. ODNI submitted the report to Congress, and it can be viewed here. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Washington Imposes Sanctions On Two Russian FSB Officers Who Allegedly Tried To Influence U.S. Elections By RFE/RL June 23, 2023 The United States has slapped sanctions on two Russian intelligence officers who it says attempted to interfere in a local U.S. election, the Treasury Department said on June 23. The two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, who were recently indicted by the Department of Justice, played a significant role in the Kremlin's attempts to conduct "global malign influence operations," the Treasury Department said in a news release. The two officers, Yegor Popov and Aleksei Sukhodolov, were indicted in April by the U.S. Justice Department, which said they had worked to undermine democratic processes in the United States and other countries through a network of co-conspirators. Washington has accused the Kremlin of using such networks to exploit societal divisions, reduce confidence in democratic processes, and encourage anti-U.S. and anti-democratic political views. "As part of its efforts, the Kremlin often uses social media as a tool for disseminating disinformation to confuse and mislead citizens globally and to co-opt witting U.S. persons to advance Russia's operational and geopolitical goals," the Treasury Department statement says. According to the department, Popov and Sukhodolov have worked with Aleksandr Ionov, a Russian charged last year with conducting a multiyear effort to use political groups in Florida, Georgia, and California to interfere in elections. Ionov was indicted together with Natalia Burlinova, and their organizations were designated by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for sanctions for having acted on behalf of the Russian government. The Treasury Department has accused Russia of recruiting people and groups around the world who are positioned to amplify its disinformation efforts to further its goals of destabilizing democratic societies. "The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today's action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government," said Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The department did not say what specific election the two Russian men are accused of attempting to influence. The sanctions freeze all U.S. assets held by the individuals in U.S. jurisdiction and bar people in the United States from dealing with them. With reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-treasury-sanctions-russians- popov-sukhodolov-election-disinformation/32472766.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 Treasury Sanctions Russian Intelligence Officers Supervising Election Influence Operations in the United States and Around the World U.S. Department of the Treasury June 23, 2023 WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers recently indicted by the Department of Justice who played a significant role in the Kremlin's attempts to conduct global malign influence operations, including efforts to influence a local election in the United States. "The Kremlin continues to target a key pillar of democracy around the world a free and fair elections," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. "The United States will not tolerate threats to our democracy, and today's action builds on the whole of government approach to protect our system of representative government, including our democratic institutions and elections processes." The Kremlin seeks to expand Russia's influence by creating and exploiting societal divisions in the United States and among allies and partners; reducing confidence in democratic processes; weakening U.S. diplomatic ties; and encouraging anti-U.S. and anti-democratic political views. As part of its efforts, the Kremlin often uses social media as a tool for disseminating disinformation to confuse and mislead citizens globally and to co-opt witting U.S. persons to advance Russia's operational and geopolitical goals. In support of its influence operations, Russia has recruited and forged ties with people and groups around the world who are positioned to amplify and reinforce Russia's disinformation efforts to further its goals of destabilizing democratic societies. These efforts have included using front organizations to promote connections between the Kremlin and its compatriots living abroad, to propagate disinformation, and to surreptitiously seek access to foreign officials, businesspeople, and other figures, in the United States and elsewhere, to advance Putin's interests. Russia's intelligence services, including the FSB, support Kremlin-directed influence operations against the United States and its allies and partners, and often recruit individuals a known as "co-optees" a leveraging these individuals to sow discord within their own and other countries. Today's action follows a series of OFAC designations that expose Russia's attempted election interference efforts and destabilizing efforts in Ukraine. Specifically, today's action follows DOJ's April 18, 2023 indictments of the same individuals, and is directly related to the July 29, 2022 designation of FSB co-optees Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov (Ionov) and Natalya Valeryevna Burlinova (Burlinova) and their organizations. OFAC designated Ionov and Burlinova pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14024 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation. On July 29, 2022, DOJ concurrently indicted Ionov for working on behalf of the Russian government in conjunction with the FSB. FSB Officers Oversee Co-Optee Influence Operations The individuals designated today are FSB officers assigned to the FSB's Service for the Protection of the Constitutional System and the Fight Against Terrorism (the "FSB 2nd Service"), which has worked to undermine democratic processes in the United States and other countries through a network of co-optees. These FSB officers include Ionov's and Burlinova's main handler and his unit chief. Yegor Sergeyevich Popov (Popov) is an FSB 2nd Service officer who served as Ionov's primary handler. Popov frequently communicated with Ionov to gather information related to Ionov's foreign malign influence activities in the United States and elsewhere. Popov also often communicated with Burlinova to relay information in intelligence reports regarding her activities. Ionov directed more than six U.S. co-conspirators, including two individuals who ran as candidates in local U.S. elections, to provide detailed information regarding the activities of several political groups, which Ionov subsequently compiled into reports for Popov and other FSB 2nd Service officers. In the Summer and Fall of 2019, Ionov and Popov communicated about a local U.S. election and Ionov's support of a candidate, who won in the primary contest. From as early as 2015 through at least 2022, Popov worked with Burlinova and oversaw her activities on behalf of the FSB. In 2015, Popov assisted and provided guidance to Burlinova in her travels to the United States. Popov provided Burlinova a list of U.S. citizens and proposed possible approaches to interact with them. Burlinova provided Popov evaluations of how U.S. citizens responded to presentations, and who had had positive attitudes towards Russia and were prepared to continue to collaborate with her. In 2018, Burlinova informed Popov that two individuals she identified, who resided in Europe, were running for public office, and Burlinova boasted that these were the fruits of her labor and described the developments as soft power. Popov reported to his FSB 2nd Serviceunit chief Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov (Sukhodolov). Sukhodolov also worked with Ionov to conduct foreign malign influence operations around the world, including in the United States, Ukraine, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Ionov directed reporting to Sukhodolov and other FSB officials of detailed information regarding the activities of several U.S. political groups. Ionov also reported on his malign influence activities to Sukhodolov, including his consulting role in a U.S. local election. In late 2021, Sukhodolov worked with other FSB officers and a Russia-based institution to draft and submit grant applications on behalf of several FSB co-optees and their organizations and enterprises, which included Ionov and Burlinova. OFAC designated Popov and Sukhodolov pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of the Russian Federation. On April 18, 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida indicted Popov and Sukhodolov for working on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation. Also on April 18, DOJ filed a criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charging Burlinova with conspiring to violate 18 U.S.C. A 951 (acting as an agent of a foreign government) in violation of 18 U.S.C. A 371 (conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States). SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please refer to OFAC's website. Click here for more information on the individuals designated today. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prigozhin's Rebellion Russian President Vladimir Putin, five days after the attempted rebellion, met in the Kremlin with the leadership of the Wagner PMC, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the head of state, said. Commenting on the publication of the Liberation publication about the meeting between Putin and Prigozhin after the events of June 24, a Kremlin spokesman said: "The President had such a meeting. He invited 35 people to it - all the commanders of the detachments and the leadership of the company, including Prigozhin himself." "This meeting took place in the Kremlin on June 29. It lasted almost three hours," he explained. "The details of it (meeting - TASS note) are unknown, but the only thing we can say is that the president gave an assessment of the company's actions at the front during the NVO, and also gave his assessment of the events of June 24," Peskov added. According to him, "Putin listened to the explanations of the [Wagner] commanders and offered them further options for employment and further combat use." At the same time, "the commanders themselves presented their version of what happened [on June 24], they emphasized that they were staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the supreme commander in chief, and also said that they were ready to continue to fight for the Motherland." Engaged in a bitter months-long feud with Moscows army brass as his Wagner mercenaries spearheaded battles in eastern Ukraine despite a lack of ammunition, Prigozhin found himself increasingly isolated on Russias political landscape as the war dragged on. Gerasimov was put in charge of the whole Ukraine operation, and Ramzan Kadyrov the Kremlin-backed Chechen leader who has deployed forces to fight with Russia in Ukraine has sided with the defence ministry. Prigozhin's political ambition was nt a conspiracy of Western intelligence services, or a game of "Kremlin towers" (as the Russian political emigrants and Ukrainian propaganda write). There were natural contradictions between Prigozhin and Shoigu and Wagner and the Ministry of Defense. Prigozhin had long dreamed of becoming head of the Defense Ministry, and sees Surovikin as chief of the General Staff. Wagner troops had played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. The Russian defence ministry published a decree in early June requiring all private mercenary groups to join the regular army from July 1, sounding the death knell for Wagners independence. Without troops under his direct command, Prigozhin may have calculated that he would no longer be protected and could instead be prosecuted and imprisoned should the Kremlin decide to do so. Prigozhin was in a losing situation and feared that he would have been without protection against prosecution if his mercenaries were to be sent back to the army. The new rule is a substantial threat to Prigozhin's political influence and could even be a threat to his physical safety. Prigozhin intended to try to capture Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russias general staff, during a visit to a southern region that borders Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. But Russias domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, found out about the plan two days before it was to be executed, according to Western officials, forcing Prigozhin to move ahead with his rebellion more quickly than he had planned. 23 June 2023 - Friday Yevgeny Prigozhin's long-running conflict with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared to have reached its climax on June 23, 2023. The head of the Wagner mercenaries published a video of the aftermath of the strike on the rear camp of the Wagnerites and stated that this was the work of regular Russian troops. According to him, Shoigu arrived in Rostov-on-Don to implement this plan, and artillery and aircraft were used to strike. The leader of the Wagnerites announced that he was declaring war on the Russian Ministry of Defense. Prigozhin asked who would be responsible for the "genocide of the Russian people." In his statements, he addressed specifically to Shoigu and Gerasimov. Prigozhin began to threaten "We were ready to make concessions to the Ministry of Defense, to surrender our weapons, to find a solution on how we would continue to defend the country. But these scum did not calm down. Today, seeing that we are not broken, they launched rocket attacks on our rear camps. Many soldiers died. We will decide how we will respond to this atrocity. The next step is ours. Prigozhin said that the "council of commanders" of the Wagnerites had made a decision - the military leadership of Russia should be stopped. The head of the PMC accused Shoigu of despising the life of soldiers, and the country has forgotten the word "justice." Prigozhin said "Therefore, those who destroyed our guys today, those who destroyed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished, Moreover, he stated that the Wagnerites would "destroy" any targets that resisted - roadblocks, aircraft, equipment, etc. At the same time, civilians are urged not to take to the streets "along the route of the Wagnerites." "There are 25 thousand of us, and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country. Twenty-five thousand are waiting as a tactical reserve, and the strategic reserve is the whole army and the whole country. Everyone who wants to join, we must end this disgrace," threatened Prigogine. "After we finish what we started, we will return to the front to defend our Motherland. The presidential authorities, the government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard and other structures will continue to work as usual. We will deal with those who destroy Russian soldiers and return to the front. Justice in the troops will be restored, and then justice for all of Russia." The head of the Wagner PMC said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu allegedly arrived in Rostov-on-Don on purpose to eliminate the Wagnerites. Prigozhin claims that the Russian minister allegedly used gunners and helicopter pilots to destroy the Wagnerites. However, after the so-called "exposure" Shoigu "cowardly fled" from Rostov. "At 21:00 he ran cowardly, like a woman. In order not to explain why he raised helicopters to destroy our guys, why he launched missile strikes. This creature will be stopped, Prigogine threatened. The Moscow Exchange index during the evening session fell by more than 3%. In Rostov-on-Don, posts were set up near the headquarters of the Southern Military District . The central streets of the city are patrolled by police cars, in the west of Rostov, the sounds of flying aircraft are heard. There was no activity near the PMC Wagner Center building in St. Petersburg. The most important objects of Moscow were taken under increased protection, security measures in the capital were strengthened. Residents of the Republic of Crimea were urged to trust only reports from official sources against the backdrop of the activation of the Ukrainian Center for Information and Psychological Operations in the region's large social media chats. Channel One, in a special issue about Prigozhin, called it staged a video about the shelling of the "Wagnerites". The situation in the Krasnodar Territory remains calm and under control, law enforcement agencies and law enforcement agencies are not introducing any additional security measures. In the Rostov region, traffic was blocked on the M-4 highway. The traffic flow is directed back to the city. The Kremlin believed that the video of the aftermath of the strike on the rear camp of Wagner mercenaries, which was published by Prigozhin, is a staging. However, against the backdrop of the unfolding situation, the option of starting a civil war in Russia was not ruled out. Almost instantly, the Russian Ministry of Defense reacted to Prigozhin's hysteria. All messages and video distributed on social networks on behalf of [Yevgeny] Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the [Russian military] on the camps of PMC Wagner in the rear areas do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation, the ministry said in a statement.Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the special military operation, the ministry added. The Russian Defense Ministry said 24 June 2023 The Ukrainian military took advantage of the provocation of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner PMC, and is now concentrating units in the Bakhmut tactical direction for a subsequent offensive. "Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to disorganize the situation, the Kiev regime in the Bakhmut tactical direction is concentrating units of the 35th and 36th marine brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the starting lines for offensive operations," the ministry said. At the same time, the Kremlin also commented on the situation. Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin was informed about the situation with Prigozhin. "Putin is aware of the situation that is unfolding around Prigozhin, they are taking all necessary measures," Peskov said. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office reported that the actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin were given an appropriate assessment. The Prosecutor General's Office confirmed that the case against Prigozhin had been launched, addressing it in an official statement: "On June 23, 2023, the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia has initiated a criminal case against Prigozhin E.V. under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion. His actions will be given a proper legal assessment. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 12 to 20 years" General Sergei Surovikin spoke out against Prigozhin's uprising. He urged the Wagnerites not to participate in the rebellion. "I am addressing the leadership, commanders and fighters of PMC Wagner. Together, we have been walking a difficult path. We fought together, took risks, suffered losses, we won together. We are of the same blood, we are warriors. I urge you to stop, the enemy is only waiting for the political situation to deteriorate in our country. You cannot play into the enemys hands at this difficult time for the nation", he said. Russian media were banned from broadcasting Prigozhin's statements. Instead, they were "advised" to cover the official positions of the Ministry of Defense and the Kremlin. After that, the hackers broke Russian television and began broadcasting statements by the leader of the Wagner PPK. SOBR fighters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia were sent by plane from Moscow to Belgorod. The "Fortress" plan was announced in the police departments of the Rostov region. The employees were alerted. The Fortress plan was introduced in Moscow. It provides for an emergency gathering of personnel and taking control of especially important objects of law enforcement agencies, as well as readiness to repel an external attack. 24 June 2023 - Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a speech to the nation. He said the actions of the rebels was a "betrayal" that will be punished. In an address early on 24 June 2023, Putin made comparisons to how World War I led to revolution and civil war inside Russia in 1917. "There will be decisive measures taken on stabilizing the situation in Rostov-on-Don," Putin told the nation. Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Roskosmos and the head of the Tsarskie Wolves volunteer group operating in the military operation zone, called on businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin to refrain from trying to "complicity with the enemy" and to support the front with all his might. "I know the situation at the front as well as Prigozhin and I have never concealed my position, but no matter how the armed rebellion is explained, it is still precisely an armed rebellion in the rear of a warring army. In war, you need to shove your political ambitions up your ass and support the front with all your might. Any attempts to weaken him are nothing more than aiding the enemy , wrote Rogozin. The leader of Russia's Orthodox, meanwhile, Patriarch Kirill, called for "unity" and voiced support for Putin. "Today, when our brothers are fighting and dying on the frontlines... any attempt to sow discord within the country is the greatest possible crime that has no justification," Patriarch Kirill said in a statement. "I support the efforts of the head of the Russian state, aimed at not allowing turmoil in our country." Russia warned Western countries against trying to use the situation in Russia for their own purposes, follows from a statement on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "We warn Western countries against any hints of a possible use of the domestic situation in Russia to achieve their Russophobic goals," the ministry said in a statement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive Shahed drones. Who despises people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war, in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. And all this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917, although he is able to result in nothing else but this. Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. The Wagner insurrection followed Prigozhin's June 23 call for a "march of justice" to topple the Russian military leadership. The Federal Automobile Road M-4 "Don" is a major expressway, trunk road that links Moscow, Voronezh, Rostov-na-Donu and Krasnodar. The length of the road is 1542 km. In the Moscow region, on the bypass section of Novaya Usmanand Rogachevka , a bypass section of Aksai in the Rostov region, as well as from the border with the Republic of Adygea to the exit to the village of Saratovskaya, the road has a motorway regime , in other sections - an ordinary road regime (from 1B to 2nd categories). Number of traffic lanes: from 4 to 6 (km 21-1387); from 2 to 4 (km 1387-1543). The maximum permitted speed on sections of the route in the Moscow region was 110 km/h. A huge traffic jam developed on the M4 highway to Moscow. Car traffic was blocked on Russias M-4 highway past Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay, according to TASS reported at the scene. All cars moving from Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay are being redirected back in the city, and police checkpoints have been reinforced. Prigozhin announced on Telegram early on June 24 that his forces had taken control of the Russian military headquarters in the city, as well as its military sites and airport. "We are inside the [military] headquarters. It is 7:30 a.m.," Prigozhin said in a video. "Military sites in Rostov, including an airport, are under control." Prigozhin added that aircraft participating in Russia's war against Ukraine were "leaving as normal" and that his forces had taken the airport "so that the attack aviation would not strike us, but strike Ukrainians." "Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow," British intelligence said. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner." A column of equipment from PMC "Wagner" broke through the barrier of trucks on the highway. The corresponding video was posted by the telegram channel "Military Korps of the Russian Spring". "The scene of action, apparently, the Voronezh region", TC notes. The video shows the demolished trucks that the security forces set up on the route of the Wagner convoy. The armed Wagner column reportedly came under fire after passing the city of Voronezh, located nearly 600 kilometers north of Rostov-on-Don and more than halfway to the Russian capital. The column included troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck Mercenaries from the Wagner Group entered the Lipetsk region 24 June 2023 some 300 kilometers (250 miles) south of Moscow, the governor said on Saturday afternoon. "Hardware of the Wagner mercenary group is moving across the territory of the Lipetsk region," Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. "I remind you that residents are strongly recommended not to leave their houses or to make trips on any mode of transport." Apparently, the regional authorities were not tasked with stopping the columns of the rebellious Wagner. Therefore, the governor only strongly recommended the residents of the region not to leave their homes and refuse to travel by any means of transport. I understand all the inconveniences, but I earnestly ask you to help us and follow these recommendations. Friends, I hope for your understanding and prudence, Artamonov said. The Governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit issued a statement regarding the unfolding situation around the actions of the Wagner PMC. In his telegram channel, the politician stated: Friends, you know, the Kursk region closely cooperated with Wagner PMC in the training of fighters of voluntary people's squads of our region, and I myself went through this training. "After an open rebellion, many advise to cross out and remove all mention of this from the social networks of the Regional Administration, but I will not do this. Together we rejoiced at the success of the guys when we liberated Soledar and Artyomovsk, and we mourned together with the families of the dead soldiers. The ambitions of the leader should not cross out the past merits of ordinary fighters. I urge Yevgeny Prigozhin to abandon his plans, lay down his arms and prevent the development of an internal conflict in the country. Moscow has a counter-terrorist operation regime. The city has canceled or postponed previously announced public events. The mayor of the city urged citizens to remain calm and trust only official sources of information. In Moscow, Monday [26 June 2023] was declared a non-working day, follows from the statement of the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, in the Telegram channel. "In order to minimize risks, I, within the framework of the operational headquarters, decided to declare Monday a non-working day - with the exception of government bodies and enterprises of a continuous cycle, the military-industrial complex, city services," the message said. Military equipment has been placed on the M-4 road leading to Rostov at the entrance to Moscow, and concrete barriers have been installed. ChrisO_wiki reported the security forces in Moscow are reported to be utterly incapable of resisting a heavily armed force like Wagner. Police generals are said to considering which side to back, while forces on the ground are already defecting to Wagner. On 24 June 2023 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed that he had spent the entire day negotiating with Yevgeny Prigozhin, as agreed upon with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As a result of the talks, the Wagner group leader accepted Lukashenko's proposal to stop the movement of his troops in Russia and take measures to de-escalate the situation. Putin guaranteed that the Wagner group fighters would have the opportunity to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, return home, or move to Belarus. The press service of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko reported 24 June 2023 that Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the head of the republic to stop the advance of Wagner through Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions. It is specified that "on the table is a profitable and acceptable option for resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the fighters of the group." The fighters of PMC "Wagner" deploy their columns and go back to the field camps, according to the press service of the head of the group Yevgeny Prigozhin in the Telegram channel. "Realizing all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed on one of the sides, we turn around the columns and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps, according to the plan," he said. Aftermath The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat. Immediately after the start of the Wagner offensive. Putin fired several top army generals, including "Mariupol slaughterer" Mikhail Mizintsev and "armageddon general" Sergei Surovikin. Faced with the threat of violent rebellion, Putin a strongman who has ruled Russian politics with a rod of iron for 23 years was pushed into the humiliating position of seeking reconciliation to end this challenge to his authority. When the Wagner Group headed for Moscow, it did so quickly and with no resistance, as if it marched through no man's land. It meant with scant obstruction along the way, advancing rapidly until it was just 200 kilometers away from Moscow, howling at the gates of the capital. The Russian army, police and security forces seemed to have melted away into nothing, so nobody showed up to protect Putin from their guns. There was no support for Putin among ordinary Russians, either. In fact, they welcomed the Wagner army with open arms. What happened behind the scenes of the negotiations remained largely unknown. One of the most puzzling aspects of the events remained Prigozhins dramatic U-turn as his troops approached the capital for a showdown between the Wagner group and the Russian military establishment. Seemingly determined to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his right-hand man armed forces Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov Prigozhin had openly challenged Moscow's military leadership and was on his way to Moscow before making the stunning announcement of retreat. "The whole thing is a result of his [Prigozhins] isolation and relative weakness," said Danilo delle Fave, military strategy expert at the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) Verona, adding that there has never been, in recent times, such a military crisis in a major country". Possibly the Wagner group didnt attempt to take over political power. It was to force Putin to negotiate the fate of Gerasimov and Shoigu. Prigozhin was hoping to convince Putin to take his side against the top brass at the ministry of defence. Possibly he thought that if he made a strong enough statement, Putin would side with him against the corrupt military. The Wagner boss also may have hoped to be able to count on the support of certain factions that are hostile to Gerasimov to put additional pressure on the Russian president. If Shoigu or Gerasimov are ousted, it will mean Putin went with what the anti-Shoigu faction wanted, meaning he can be pressured. If nothing happens, it will only make the anti-Shoigu faction more resolute, which he said could risk weakening the government. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 26 June 2023 said that Wagner group troops would continue to operate in Mali and the Central African Republic following the rebellion led by their commander Yevgeny Prigozhin last weekend. Lavrovs words came amid questions over the private militias role in Africa after more than five years of deployment to the continent. Military units who took part in the suppression of the attempted armed mutiny on June 24, actually stopped a civil war in Russia, and acted clearly and harmoniously, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 27 June 2023. "You defended the constitutional order, and our citizens lives, security and freedom. You saved our motherland from turmoil, and in fact prevented civil war. In these difficult moments, you acted clearly and harmoniously; through your deeds, you proved your loyalty to the people of Russia and the military oath," Putin said, addressing the security forces who quashed the insurrection. Putin also paid his respects to the military pilots who were killed while trying to take on the mutineers. "Our comrades-in-arms, pilots, died in the confrontation with the mutineers. They didn't flinch and honorably fulfilled the order and their military duty," he said. Viktor Zolotov, who heads the Russian National Guard, believes Western spy agencies are likely to have had a hand in plotting the aborted Wagner armed mutiny in the country. According to him, the insurrection was inspired by the West and meshed with the ambitions of the leader of the Wagner private military company. A slew of 'planted leaks' about the conspiracy to commit this mutiny also came from the "Prigozhin camp". "They [Western agents] had found out about it, as they said, a couple of weeks ahead of time. And I must say that such 'planted leaks' were also spread from the Prigozhin camp. Well, they were so narrowly focused to the effect that this mutiny was in the making and was supposed to take place from the 22nd to the 25th of the month. And that's exactly what happened. This shows that it was inspired by the West and, it seems, they goaded Prigozhin himself into taking this step, or maybe he was going too far with his ambitions, so to speak, and he wanted to go higher still," he told journalists. "I am not excluding the presence of Western intelligence agents there," Zolotov added. The U.S. intelligence community "was aware" that the mutiny orchestrated by Prigozhin "was a possibility" and briefed Congress "accordingly" before it began, according to a source familiar with the issue, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. US President Joe Biden said, "We made clear we were not involved. We had nothing to do with this." Biden's message that the West was not involved was sent directly to the Russians through various diplomatic channels, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. He did not characterize Russia's response. Biden said 28 June 2023 he believed Putin had absolutely been weakened inside Russia by Prigozhins rebellion effort. But Biden, speaking to reporters at the White House, said it was hard to tell the extent to which Putin was diminished. Hes clearly losing the war in Iraq, Biden said, meaning to refer to Putins 16-month war against Ukraine. Hes losing the war at home. And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world. And its not just NATO. Its not just the European Union. Its Japan. Its ... 40 nations. Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, echoed Bidens comment: "On balance, Putin is much weaker today than he was just four or five days ago. Elites in Russia, soldiers in Russia are all watching this and wondering, What's happened to our leader? Russia's prime minister from 2000 to 2004, Mikhail Kasyanov, said that he believed the Wagner mutiny had weakened President Vladimir Putin considerably inside Russia. "The main impact is very easy and very simple," Kasyanov said. "Just the stability with Mr Putin." For 20 years, Kasyanov said, Russian propaganda had sought to assure people "that the main basis for Putin's rule is stability and potential prosperity." The rebellion staged by Russian private military company Wagner and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin at the weekend, and Putin's response to it, had shattered this image, he said. "Prigozhin managed to destroy this myth, this image of stability." "The convoy went through Rostov and Voronezh both home to important garrisons," said Gustav Gressel, a military expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Aside from the regular army units training there, this is where Russian troops receive their final preparations before being sent out on combat operations. That no one was on hand to oppose the Wagner fighters is very, very peculiar." On 27 June 2023, The New York Times published an article citing US intelligence sources who believed General Sergei Surovikin and other high-ranking members of the Russian military had advance knowledge of Prigozhin's mutiny. Some observers, however, are skeptical of these claims. "Surovikin is currently head of the Russian air force, and these were the only troops to fight back against the Wagner troops and attack from the air. That doesn't really fit with the image of a traitor," said Gressel. Mark Galeotti noted "Surovikin quickly issued a public appeal to Wagner mercs to stand down, making a clear statement that - contrary to previous suspicions he was close to Prigozhin - he was loyal to the Kremlin. This might have helped cleanse his record..." But Surovikin's video statement looked like a hostage video, taped under dureees, and Surovikin was uncharacteristically unshaven, and dressed in a plain uniform devoid of insignia. Pro-Putin propagandist Pep Escobar claimed that "Once again, facts on the ground prove Putin is the undisputed champion of Russia. After keeping a strategic silence for a few hours, his intervention gathered full support from the civilian population, the FSB, the Chechens, the Army, the Communists, everyone.... Putin winning on all counts implies the whole civilian population and the military engaged into preserving him and the Russian institutions, as well as perfecting them. Theres absolutely no nation anywhere across the collective West where we find this level of citizen support.... So Putin is stronger than ever. But everyone should always keep this in mind: the one thing he cant forgive is betrayal." Alexander Dugin claimed this was an exercise in Sovereignty: Only Sovereign Lukashenko, together with Sovereign Putin himself, confronted [Prighozin] It turned out that many can frame the President and the people, acting in the shadows and apparently on his behalf, but saving the Fatherland in a critical situation is not their specialty. Writing in the Spectator, security expert Mark Galeotti said that unlike Putins inner circle, much of which consists of former KGB officers bitter at the collapse of the Soviet empire, the younger generation is not so much married to Putinism because of any ideology but because it was the easiest way to get ahead. Now theyre losing out. The real threat to Putin is not that the military will turn against him it is that they will not support him in a future crisis. Others observe that the rational, technocratic parts of Putins elites arent disillusioned by the lack of democracy and human rights violations in Russia or war crimes in Ukraine they are afraid that they wont have a secure future alongside Putin anymore. Historians noted that previous revolts by military officers in Russia precipitated the collapse of the system. In 1917, General Lavr Kornilov marched on the then-capital St Petersburg in the last days of World War I. Later that year, the Bolsheviks seized power. Another attempted coup in 1991 was shortly followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin had likely been irredeemably weakened by the attempted mutiny and his tame response, say analysts. While he might not face an imminent armed revolt, early evidence suggests that the rebellion could bleed him of support from sections of the Russian elite that until now have stood by him. Yet those who could potentially replace the Russian president are unlikely to offer a fundamentally more liberal alternative to Putin. The leaders of Greece and Turkey agreed 12 July 2023 to resume talks and confidence-building measures as they hailed a new positive climate in their often fraught ties. The two neighbouring countries have been at odds for decades over several issues, including energy resources, overflights above the Aegean Sea and ethnically split Cyprus. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who were both recently re-elected, met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuanias capital, Vilnius. It is to the benefit of both countries that the positive climate formed in bilateral relations over recent months has continuity and consistency, the two leaders offices said in identical but separate statements. The two sides agreed to build on the positive momentum and activate multiple channels of communication between the two countries in the coming period, added the statement, noting that the two leaders look forward to more frequent contact at all levels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 22, 2023 Transcript Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary BRIGADIER GENERAL PAT RYDER: Good afternoon, everyone. A few things at the top, and then we'll get right to your questions. This morning, at the bilateral meeting with President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, Secretary Austin shared perspectives on the tremendous strides both countries' militaries have made to promote peace and security. And Secretary Austin is scheduled to attend the state dinner to celebrate over 75 years of deepening partnership between the United States and India and the bonds that link our peoples together. The Secretary's been looking forward to these engagements, especially following his recent trip to India, where the United States and India established an ambitious new roadmap for defense industrial cooperation. As Secretary Austin said while he was in India, the U.S.-India partnership is a cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific and our deepening bonds show how technological innovation and growing military cooperation between two great powers can be a force for global good. Also today, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, unveiled the 2023 POW/MIA Recognition Day poster in the POW/MIA Corridor here at the Pentagon. The posters are an annual tradition and a visual representation of the DOD's efforts for the fullest possible accounting of Americans still missing from past conflicts. This year, National POW/MIA Recognition Day will fall on September 15th. From conflicts dating back to World War II, there are still nearly 82,000 Americans who remain unaccounted for. Thanks to their diligence and dedicated efforts, DPAA successfully accounted for 166 missing service members over the last fiscal year, bringing important closure to many families and enabling us to pay proper tribute to fallen American warriors. In other news, Secretary Austin will welcome Italy's Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto here at the Pentagon tomorrow. The leaders are expected to discuss a variety of topics, to include Italy's expansive contributions to the international security as a security provider in the Balkans, Europe's Eastern Flank, Lebanon, Iraq, and Africa, as well as Italy's newest naval deployment to the Indo-Pacific. A full readout will be posted to Defense.gov following the meeting. Also tomorrow, Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks will travel to U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami, Florida, where she'll meet with the USSOUTHCOM Commander General Laura Richardson and senior staff to discuss implementation of the National Defense Strategy and strategic threats, to include the impact of climate change on national and regional security. She'll also meet with junior and mid-career enlisted and commissioned service members and tour local facilities to discuss quality of life issues, in support of Secretary Austin's taking care of people priorities. And finally, I know we've all been following very closely in recent days the ongoing rescue effort for the submersible Titan and its crew. As you are aware, the U.S. Coast Guard remains the lead agency for U.S. efforts and we remain grateful for their leadership. The Department of Defense is supporting the Coast Guard and partner agencies, along with the broader international effort, with a range of key capabilities. The U.S. Navy has provided a flyaway deep ocean salvage system used for the recovery of large, heavy undersea objects, such as aircraft or small vessels, and salvage and diving subject matter experts to assist in the rescue effort. Plus, U.S. Transportation Command has deployed U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft to move remotely-operated vehicle assets and supporting equipment into the area from both the U.S. and Europe. We all recognize the urgency of this effort and I know our thoughts and prayers are with the Titan crew, their families, and with all of the responders who are working around the clock in support of this operation. Again, the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency. In fact, it's my understanding Coast Guard leaders will brief the media with the latest information today at 3 pm. So I'd refer you to them for the most current operational updates. And with that, I'm happy to take your questions. We'll start with AP. Q: Thank you. One quick operational thing and then another question. Does the U.S. have any assessment on the damage to the bridge to Crimea that was apparently damaged by Ukranian fire? And secondly, can you bring us up to date on the F-16 training and the F-16s overall? Has the U.S. received any formal requests from other countries to transfer either assets or training or anything like that, that you're aware of? And has the U.S. made any decisions on whether or not it will provide trainers or anything like that? Just can you just update us on the latest on that? GEN. RYDER: Sure. In terms of Ukraine, I don't have any operational updates to provide, Lita. Certainly, we continue to monitor the situation there. I'd refer you to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to talk about those kinds of aspects from the battlefield. As it relates to F-16s, as you know, this was a topic of discussion last week at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The Netherlands and Denmark are in the lead, in terms of developing the training program for Ukrainian F-16 pilots. I'd refer you to them to talk about the timing and the eventual location of that F-16 training. We have received a request from Denmark to support F-16 training, which would be expected. That is currently under review, and again, when we have updates to announce, we -- we certainly will. What we anticipate going forward is that, before the end of the year obviously, that F-16 training will start somewhere in Europe. The United States will work closely with our allies to implement that training, but again, the Dutch and the Danes are in the lead. Q: Can you -- you said it's under review. What -- what does that -- who is that? GEN. RYDER: So process-wide, those requests, per standard, are submitted through the State Department, then they would come to the DOD for review. Again, we'll keep you updated in terms of the turnaround times on those, but obviously this is something that we recognize the urgency of and we'll work very quickly on. Thank you. Q: ... is that a Air Force process to look at the training or is that a DOD? GEN. RYDER: This would be at the DOD level. OK? Let me go over here to Matt. Q: Thanks, Pat. A couple of questions on the submersible. Do you have any updates on the debris field that we've heard about possibly being discovered near the site of the Titanic wreckage? Also, any updates on U.S. military assets that are moving in to assist with the efforts? Is this still characterized as a search and rescue effort? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so from an operational standpoint, Matt, again, I'd refer you to the Coast Guard. Obviously, you know, you're tracking they put out a tweet today about the debris field. I really don't have any granular detail to provide from the podium here. I highlighted some of the assets that the U.S. Navy has provided, and again, USTRANSCOM C-17s are helping to ferry equipment that can be used in that effort, but beyond that, the Coast Guard would be in the best position to ... Q: ... as a follow-up, on the costs, with the Coast Guard being the lead of the U.S. effort, how do costs work out? Do the -- does the U.S. Navy foot the bill for their own efforts or can you speak to how that works? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so a couple of thoughts on that. So from a DOD perspective, I don't have a cost estimate to provide, and I'd refer you to the Navy and the Coast Guard for their individual efforts. I would say that when it comes to things like operating aircraft, those come from appropriated funds which are already budgeted for. So those are hours that already have been paid for. And then taking a -- a step back here, again, you know -- and I know I don't have to tell you this -- what we're talking about here is an effort to try to save human lives. And so certainly worthwhile and something that we're glad, from a DOD standpoint, that we can support the Coast Guard in their effort on that front. Q: Thanks. GEN. RYDER: Thank you. Janne? Q: Thank you, General. On the POW and MIA issues, how many U.S. POW and missing military are still in North Korea? And what is the current status of the repatriation of U.S. military remains? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thank you for the question. I'd refer you to the DPAA on that. They'll be able to provide you with some additional details on that. Q: One more on North Korea. It was reported that North Korean ships have docked in a Russian port. We don't know about what items are in the ship, but in a recent letter sent by North Korean Kim Jong-un to Russian President Putin and -- North Korea and Russia president to deepen military cooperation. What are your concerns about this? GEN. RYDER: Well, certainly, you know, we are aware that Russia and DPRK maintain some type of relationship. As it pertains to a ship and what may or may not be on that, that's just not something I can go into. Q: Do you think that they're going to maybe exchange some kind of military ... GEN. RYDER: Yeah, I don't -- I don't want to speculate. [Crosstalk] GEN. RYDER: Yeah, I'm not -- I'm not going to talk about intelligence and I'm -- nor am I going to speculate. But let me go back to -- right here. Q: Thank you so much, Pat. A few more on this submersible. What did the saga around the Titan expose to you about potential gaps in the U.S. military's ISR capabilities, specifically for undersea domains? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, thanks for the question. So really, let's kind of separate what you're asking here. Really two different things, right? So one is an international search and rescue effort for a commercially-owned and commercially-operated vehicle in a very deep part of the North Atlantic. And so when you just take a step back again and look at the speed of response, when it comes to the Coast Guard and the international community, I think that, in and of itself, is pretty impressive. When you talk about things like maritime domain awareness from a U.S. military standpoint, I would say that the United States is the best in the world when it comes to that, and clearly, this is something we talk about a lot, in terms of working with our allies and partners to help enhance their own capabilities, but we are confident that we have sophisticated capabilities that are geared towards our national security interests and potential threats. Q: Just a quick follow-up. There aren't actually many types of underwater drones that exist right now that are capable of salvaging any objects from 12,000-plus feet below the sea. And so does OSD see a need to invest in buying or developing more UUVs to operate at extreme depths? I believe it was Canadian and French capabilities that went the deepest in this case, so. GEN. RYDER: Well -- so now we're kind of getting into the -- again, comparing a little bit of apples and oranges, right? So the U.S. military is focused on defending the nation and defending, you know, our allies and partners around the world. And so we are going to build our force based on the capability requirements that we have. And so I'll just leave it at that. Q: So that mission doesn't require you to have drones at such deep depths? GEN. RYDER: So again, the Coast Guard -- this is a search and rescue operation for a commercially-owned, commercially-operated submersible. And again, you know, we do have capabilities to go very deep but your question was do we need to invest essentially in drones to go deeper? And again, a primary focus of the United States military writ large, while search and rescue is certainly an aspect of that, you know, there's also broader questions to take into account, in terms of what is -- what is the threat, what do the capabilities require, and again, we will continue to invest in the right capabilities, as they relate to the National Defense Strategy. Let me go to Phil here. Q: (Inaudible) questions, first on Ukraine, and after, I -- following up on Lita's question. You know, there's a Russian official being quoted saying that the attacks on the bridge were plotted by London (inaudible) saying London. Was the United States or its ally -- Western allies involved in planning the attacks on the bridge? And -- and also, on the submersible, you know, is the U.S. military still adding capabilities to the search or is it pausing that now with the discovery of the debris field? You know, is it -- where -- where is -- where are you on that process? GEN. RYDER: Yeah. So on the first question, I mean, I think, you know, we've been very clear from the beginning of Russia's invasion and very clear in terms of the security assistance that the United States and its allies are providing. You know, I'm not going to speak for the United Kingdom but I'm pretty confident when I say that this is Ukraine's fight. They are planning and executing that fight. Our focus is on working with them and our allies and our partners to ensure that they have the combat capabilities they need to defend their country and take back sovereign territory. Q: So the U.S. didn't help them pick that target? GEN. RYDER: Again, it's their fight. They're picking the targets and they're executing this mission. When it comes to the submersible and the debris field, again, Phil, I'd refer you to the Coast Guard. They are in the lead, they are managing the unified command that is overseeing this operation. And so we would be in a support role in terms of requested capabilities. Q: (Inaudible) whether you were adding (inaudible) ... GEN. RYDER: Oh, I listed out right now what we're providing. I'm not aware of any additional requests at this time, so. OK. Let me go back here. Yes, ma'am? Q: Thank you, sir. Kimberly Underwood from (inaudible) SIGNAL Magazine. I wanted to ask about the new INDUS-X partnership and if you can speak to who might be on the senior advisor groups)? And then how will the Secretary guide and shape this new partnership? And I assume maybe his meetings with Prime Minister Modi this week would be addressing part of the shape of INDUS-X. GEN. RYDER: Sure. So a few things on this. As you highlighted, we did announce this week the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X, as you highlighted, with the focus of expanding strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the United States and India, in terms of our governments, business, and academic institutions. As you highlighted, there will be a senior advisor group that will assess progress of this collaboration and make recommendations to both the defense establishments in India and the United States and other INDUS-X stakeholders for future work. Members of that group will include the U.S. Institute of Peace, Carnegie India, the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and the Society of Indian Defense Manufacturers. And I would point you to the DOD website. We have a fact sheet that lists all of this out in detail. OK? All right, let me go to Ryo and then right back to Military.com. Q: Thank you very much. I want to follow up about the defense cooperation with India. U.S.-India officials said that one of the deliverables out of the leader's meeting is a ship mutual agreement that will allow the U.S. Navy to undertake repair works in India shipyards. So could you give us more specifics on this agreement? And how significant is it for the U.S. Navy operations in the region? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so kind of, you know, broadly speaking, Ryo, in light of the Minister -- or Prime Minister's visit today and Secretary Austin's recent visit and all of the engagement that we've had with India, this is really part of a wide ranging strategic partnership in which we see defense and security cooperation really becoming central to our strategic relationship. And the focus here is really on a continued commitment to defense cooperation, to promote regional security and stability, not only in the Indo-Pacific region but globally. So to answer your question, we'll have much more to follow in the near future, but the aim here is to make India a logistics hub for the United States and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region. And so we intend to support India in the creation of logistics, repair, and maintenance infrastructure for aircraft and ships. So again, much more to follow in the days ahead but that is obviously something that will be important as we work together to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. Q: A follow-up -- so does the U.S. Navy intend to increase the cooperation in the Indian Ocean, as they have a more robust logistics hub ... GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so I don't have anything to announce right now, in terms of force presence. Clearly, you know, we continue to cooperate and work with India. The focus here is on working with India to increase their capacity but, you know, again, we'll have more updates to follow in the days ahead. Thank you very much. Let me go to Military.com. Q: Hi. This is Zamone Perez with Military Times. GEN. RYDER: Military Times, I apologize. Q: With this enhanced military partnership between India and the United States, is there a concern about India's press crackdown and the lack of transparency on military issues? One of my colleagues in India, Vivek Raghuvanshi, has been imprisoned for over a month on allegations that his reporting is tantamount to spying or espionage. Will defense officials here push for more transparency and press freedom in India as part of their partnership? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so I'm not going to speak for India, in terms of its own policies. Obviously, from a United States standpoint, as you just saw from the White House, we do place an emphasis on press freedom and the importance of engagement with press and a free and open press -- free and independent press. In terms of our relationship with India, again, I think the world's two largest democracies, we have a lot to gain from working together, in terms of preserving peace and stability and security in the region. And so going forward, that will continue to be our focus. Q: Just a follow-up -- will DOD commit to inquiring about Vivek's situation? GEN. RYDER: Again, in terms of the diplomatic relations between the United States and India, when it comes to press freedoms, you know, certainly I'd refer you to the State Department. Again, in our engagements with India, we again will continue to highlight our views, in terms of the importance of press engagement. Thank you. Sir? Q: Undersecretary Kahl headed into South Korea and discussed about the inaugural meeting of a nuclear consultative group. Can you tell me about when you (inaudible) first meeting of the nuclear consultative meeting and who will be the U.S. delegate? GEN. RYDER: So I don't have any updates to provide right now but, you know, when we do, we'll certainly make that available. Q: So USS Michigan, a USSGN depart from South Korea today. Could we expect them come back to South Korea again? And also is there a plan to send SSBN, not SSGN, to South Korea? GEN. RYDER: So I don't want to get into potential future deployments of aircraft. Certainly, you've heard Secretary Austin and others talk about the fact that we will on occasion deploy strategic assets to South Korea to demonstrate our support, to demonstrate extended deterrence, and again, to focus on interoperability between our forces, but I don't have anything to announce today. Thank you. All right. Yes, sir? Yeah. Q: So last week, some media report that Japan is in talk to provide artillery shells to the U.S. to bolster stocks for Ukraine (inaudible) against Russia. So can the Pentagon confirm that such discussions are taking place with Japan? GEN. RYDER: So I'm not going to speak for Japan, in terms of what it may or may not provide to Ukraine. Certainly, the topic of Ukraine security assistance is something that Secretary Austin speaks to all of our allies and partners about. And when it comes to the assistance that Japan has already provided, yeah, we are very grateful for that, but I don't have any more specifics to provide. Thank you very much. Time for a couple more. Yes, go to the back here. Yes, ma'am? Q: So OceanGate, which is the company that owns the submersible, just released a statement saying that they sadly believe that all five lives have been lost on the Titan. And so I'm just wondering if now this shifts to a recovery operation and if the Navy vessel that's been employed there is going to be shifting to recovery? GEN. RYDER: Yeah, so I was not tracking that statement, so breaking news here in the briefing room, and very sad to hear that. Again, the Coast Guard is in the lead on that, so they would make the determination, in terms of how to characterize the operation. So we'll break here in a minute, cause I'm sure you all want to see what they have to say, but yeah, again, we'll -- our focus will be on supporting the Coast Guard in their efforts as we go forward. Q: And then one follow-up on F-16s. Sorry, total turnaround. You mentioned that you've received a request from Denmark to support the F-16 training. Can you elaborate on that a bit? Does that mean they've requested U.S. trainers, they've requested that their planes could be sent to Ukraine? What does that actually look like? GEN. RYDER: So because it's a U.S. aircraft, per standard, requesting the ability to do that third party transfer, it's an administrative requirement, in terms of being able to use their capabilities to conduct that kind of training. Again, we'll review that. So let me go to Ashley for the last question here. Q: Back to India, is there any early readouts that you can give us of agreements that have come into place, whether it's joint production of a jet fighter engine, tech sharing, or any other arrangements? GEN. RYDER: I can't -- you know, I know the -- the President and the Prime Minister just met, so I'm confident there'll be readouts of their engagements here shortly. Certainly, we'll take that question, and if we have more to provide from the Pentagon, we'll send that out for you. OK? Thanks very much, everybody. I appreciate it. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3436551/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on Russia's efforts in the Middle East peace process 22 June 2023 17:03 1225-22-06-2023 Positive dynamics have been gaining momentum in the Middle East, manifested, in particular, in the improvement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the resumption of Syria's membership in the Arab League. These positive trends were facilitated by the steps taken by the countries in the region to achieve a peaceful resolution of conflicts and disagreements through dialogue and neighbourly interaction and with due regard for their national interests. At the same time, certain aspects of the Middle East peace process remained excluded from these processes, primarily the Palestinian issue. The remaining tensions in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation regularly lead to violence, which results in civilian casualties and destabilises not only the region, but the global situation as well. At this stage, collective diplomacy to facilitate the Arab-Israeli settlement has stalled. This largely happened because the United States and the European Union decided to unilaterally suspend the activities of the Middle East quartet of international mediators consisting of Russia, the United States, the EU and the UN. In this regard, in the wake of Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council in April, including the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, which was chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, our country advanced an initiative to hold a consultation between Russia, the Arab League and a group of regional states actively involved in the Middle East peace process dossier. Our proposal is not intended to establish any new formats or bodies. Its goal is to reaffirm and give a fresh impetus to the implementation of previously adopted international decisions in this sphere, including the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, the Arab Peace Initiative, the Madrid Terms of Reference, including the land for peace principle, and the two-state solution - a framework for Palestine and Israel to coexist in peace and security. Russia is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Our approach is consistent and is not subject to situational changes. We believe that the discussion we are initiating would contribute to coordinating the approaches and efforts of the leading Middle Eastern players on the peace process track, including efforts to end the inter-Palestinian divide, and would help create the necessary conditions in the future for the resumption of a direct Palestinian-Israeli dialogue on a set of final status issues. We are open to further discussion of the proposal put forward by the Russian Federation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence Minister Martin Sklenar meets Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer on priorities of collective defence reinforcement Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic 22.06.2023 Minister Martin Sklenar met Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) Admiral Rob Bauer at the Slovak Ministry in Bratislava. In the presence of Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko, they discussed several topics of fundamental importance ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, such as the reinforcement of NATO's defences on the eastern flank, efforts to deliver Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD), and updating the Alliance's defence plans. On the key decisions expected to be made at the Vilnius Summit on NATO's ongoing adaptation to the changed security environment, Defence Minister Martin Sklenar said: "They will primarily be about strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank. The ultimate goal is such that Allied presence on NATO's eastern flank will be ready for action from the very first moment and, hence, if necessary, prepared to respond immediately and defend Alliance territory and populations." With recent events bringing IAMD challenges into focus, Minister Sklenar and Admiral Bauer tackled air and missile defence issues. As efforts are underway to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, Slovakia's priority is to bulk up its IAMD assets as quickly and efficiently as possible. "Whilst looking for its own solution, Slovakia also supports the proposal to establish a permanent mechanism of the Alliance in this field, wherein Allies will deploy air and missile capabilities to the eastern flank on a rotational basis. It is, in particular, the use of a systemic approach [to IAMD] that might significantly add to a further strengthening of collective defence," Minister Sklenar explained. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zambia's Minister of Defense visits AFRICOM Headquarters Zambia's Minister of Defense Ambrose Lufuma met with U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, at the command's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany on June 12. By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command Stuttgart, Germany Jun 23, 2023 Zambia's Minister of Defense Ambrose Lufuma met with U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, at the command's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany on June 12. Zambia's delegation accompanying the Honorable Lufuma included National Security Advisor Dr. Lawrence Mwananyanda; Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Colin Barry; Army Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Zyeele; National Service Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Reuben Mwewa; and Secretary for Defense / Chief of Defense Intelligence Brig. Gen. Oscar Chapula. The command welcomed the delegation as Zambia continues to focus on regional peace and security. Zambia is a security leader in the region, participating in both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique and the U.N. mission in Central African Republic known as MINUSCA. During the visit, AFRICOM leaders took the opportunity to commend the delegation for its nation's commitment to U.N. peacekeeping missions and other regional security missions, noting that Zambia is setting the example for others to follow with military professionalism and discipline. Zambia is also a proven role model for the integration of women into almost every branch of Zambia's Armed Forces. The United States partners with Zambia through several initiatives aimed at strengthening security cooperation. Through the Global Peace Operations Initiative, the United States has invested over $9 million in assistance for pre-deployment training for Zambian battalions supporting MINUSCA. The U.S. also helped support and modernize the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Training Center. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 23, 2023 Transcript Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Remarks Welcoming Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to the Pentagon Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Mr. Minister, buongiorno. It's a real pleasure to welcome you back to the Pentagon, and it's great to see you again. We -- we were just together last week in bluff -- in Brussels for our NATO Defense Ministerial, and -- and also, a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It goes without saying that Italy is a valued ally in Europe's southern flank and a gracious host to U.S. forces, and I want to thank you for being a gracious host to our forces. I'm very proud of our long-standing bilateral defense relationship. We absolutely appreciate Italy's robust contributions to missions by NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, and your extensive out-of-area deployments. Italian forces are now serving in the Balkans, in the Baltics, the Arctic, on NATO's eastern flank, in the Middle East, in and around Africa and in the Indo-Pacific, and we greatly appreciate your willingness, Mr. Minister, to assume command and lead many of those missions that I just mentioned. That's a testament to Italy's leadership to advance security all around the world. So we're meeting at a crucial time for European security. The European peep -- excuse me -- the Ukrainian people continue to fight back bravely against Russia's unprovoked and cruel invasion, and Mr. Minister, let me thank you for all of your assistance to -- to Ukraine. Italy is providing critical capabilities to help meet Ukraine's most urgent security needs, and you're also supporting our other allies to help them -- help them make their own contributions to Ukraine's self-defense. So we've got a lot to talk about today, Mr. Minister. We're delighted to have you, and my staff is fascinated by the fact that you actually make me look like a small man. (Laughter.) DEFENSE MINISTER GUIDO CROSETTO (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Thank you, Mr. Minister. Thank you for your hospitality today. For me and for Italy, this is a very, very important moment, very, very important meeting. Even if we have met many times in Europe, both at NATO meetings and at meetings for the Ukraine Defense Group, but it is also very important to have these bilateral meetings in order to be able to talk calmly and securely about work we intend to do for the future of security. As you have just said, Mr. Minister, the cooperation relationship between Italy and the United States, it's long -- it's long-standing and is a special, friendly relationship that binds us together. And we are glad, and we are honored, and we thank you for having the possibility to host so many American soldiers for now more than 70 years. This is a real honor for Italy. And as part of our history, we also have so many war cemeteries in Ital -- in Italy which host American fallen. And this is a reminder of the role played by the United States to help us in our fight for democracy and for liberty, and this is the reason why I was really honored to visit Arlington before coming to meet you, and I must say, I was really moved much more than I had expected. And going back to the opening of this meeting, as you recall, we have cooperated in many parts of the world. And Italian soldiers and Italian officers have worked side-by-side with American soldiers all around the world, in Afghanistan, in Europe, in Balkans, in Africa -- wherever NATO or other international organizations ask us to deliver a presence. And also, in this last occasion with this war that developed in Europe, Italy has never hesitated, not even for a second, to decide which was the side that we would support, and we have gone -- have done all we could do to help the Ukrainian people. And I'm glad that at the end of this session with the press, we would be able to discuss our common interests. But I must tell you that my wife saw our photo and she asked me, "So who is the biggest one?" (Laughter.) (inaudible) (Laughter.) SEC. AUSTIN: I understood that part, so yeah. (Laughter.) SEC. AUSTIN: Well, Mr. Minister, it's -- it's an absolute treat to have you here. I look forward to a great discussion, and so -- so thanks for making the trip. You're a great partner. And so with that, we'll go ahead and start our meeting. Thanks, everybody. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3437491/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address June 23, 2023 By Jim Garamone , DOD News U.S.-Italian Defense Leaders Discuss Bilateral Moves American and Italian service members working together around the world are the living symbol of the strong bonds that tie the United States and Italy together, defense leaders from both countries said today. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto to the Pentagon where the two discussed bilateral relations. Crosetto had just come from placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Austin and Crosetto most recently met at the NATO Defense Ministerial and Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. "It goes without saying that Italy is a valued ally on Europe's southern flank and a gracious host to U.S. forces and I want to thank you for being such a gracious host," Austin said. "I'm very proud of our long-standing bilateral defense relationship. We absolutely appreciate Italy's robust contributions to missions by NATO, the European Union and the United Nations and your extensive out-of-area deployments." Austin noted that Italian troops are serving in the Balkans, the Baltic republics, the Arctic and along NATO's eastern flank. The Italians are also in the Middle East, Africa and the Indo-Pacific. In many of these areas, the Italians are not just present, but leading some of the efforts, the secretary said. These deployments are "a testament to Italy's leadership to advance security all around the world," Austin said. Both men raised Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion. Austin thanked the Italian minister for his country's outspoken defense of Ukraine and for all it is doing to supply Ukraine the capabilities it needs to defend itself. Still, the focus of the Pentagon meeting was on bilateral relations. Italy hosts thousands of American service members in Sicily, in Naples, at Aviano Air Base at Vicenza and many other areas. The minister said it is important to talk about responsibilities as members of NATO or the Contact Group, "but it's also very important to have these bilateral meetings in order to be able to talk calmly, and securely about what we intend to do for the future of security." Crosetto said Italy is "honored" to host so many American service members. "And as part of our history, we also have so many war cemeteries in Italy which hold America's fallen," he said through a translator. "It is a reminder of the role played by the United States to help us in our fight for democracy and for liberty." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Armenia/Azerbaijan: Statement by the Spokesperson on the growing tensions European External Action Service (EEAS) 23.06.2023 Strategic Communications The EU has been closely following growing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the past few weeks, with daily shooting incidents reported along their international border, in addition to similar incidents on the Karabakh Line of Contact. The near total blockage of the Lachin corridor, in place since 15 June is very worrying. It directly threatens the livelihoods of the local population and raises serious fears of a potential humanitarian crisis. Following the series of recent high-level meetings, the EU continues to be engaged at the highest political level to help defuse these tensions and find mutually acceptable solutions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart: "Sweden's NATO membership would also strengthen the security of the Baltic Sea region" Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2023.06.23 On the evening of 22 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis had a telephone conversation with Turkiye's newly appointed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Landsbergis noted that Sweden's membership of NATO would strengthen the entire North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and, in particular, the security of the Baltic Sea region. "The membership of this Nordic country in the Alliance would be one of the important successes of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. We are not only talking about Sweden's security or the Scandinavian security but also about the security of the Baltic region that wishes to be safer and more secure. Lithuania is among Europe's regions whose security faces one of the greatest challenges. So we look forward to your understanding," Landsbergis said. In the conversation, Lithuania's Foreign Minister underscored the importance of Turkiye in supporting Ukraine and actively participating in reopening the grain gates of Ukraine to the world. The Foreign Ministers also discussed bilateral relations, the situation in the region, and other issues of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Situation 'getting out of control' in West Bank due to Israeli violence Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 4:20 PM The United Nations human rights chief has warned the situation in the occupied West Bank is "getting out of control" due to Israel's use of excessive force. Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Friday that rising violence "fueled by sharp political rhetoric and Israel's continued use of weapons" in the occupied West Bank could spiral out of control in the wake of recent attacks by Israeli settlers in several areas. Turk called on the Israeli authorities to immediately end the violence and abide by international law with regard to the use of lethal force. "Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the occupied West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life." "As an occupying entity, Israel also has obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure public order and safety within the occupied Palestinian territories." Turk called for "effective investigations into cases of killings committed by Israeli forces, where there is sufficient evidence of violations of national or international law," also demanding that the suspected perpetrators "be held accountable." The UN rights chief said the underlying dynamics leading to the widespread violence by Israel and arbitrary loss of life in the occupied Palestinian territories need to be addressed with urgency. "For this violence to end, the occupation must end," he said. "On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this." EU envoy condemns Israel Meanwhile, the EU's top representative to the Palestinians, Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, condemned Israel for failing to meet its obligations to protect Palestinians. "There was no attempt or effort to stop the settlers," he said. The statements came after June 19 Israeli attack in Jenin refugee camp that killed at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl. Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested. Most of the raids have been into the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance against occupation. Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed at least 126 Palestinians in the West Bank, including al-Quds, among whom were 21 boys and one girl. Last year represented the highest number of Palestinian fatalities in the past 17 years, with 155 people killed. Over 25 Palestinians injured in clashes south of Nablus In a separate development on Friday, dozens of Palestinians were injured as a result of clashes that broke out after Friday prayers between the citizens and Israeli forces in the south of the West Bank city of Nablus. The violence erupted after Palestinians protested against the visit of Israel's far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the evacuated settlement outpost on Jabal Sabih, south of Beita. The Palestinian Red Crescent said more than 25 citizens suffocated as the regime forces fired hundreds of tear gas canisters. Palestinian media said the citizens started a peaceful march on the settlement outpost, where they lit rubber tires in the vicinity of the outpost and threw stones at Israeli soldiers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cambodia approves election law amendment aimed at preventing boycott of July 23 vote Move prohibits those who don't vote from running in future elections. By RFA Khmer 2023.06.23 -- Cambodia's National Assembly on Friday unanimously approved an amendment to the election law that prohibits those who don't vote in next month's elections from running for office in future elections. The change appears to be aimed at preventing a large-scale boycott of the July 23 vote by supporters of the main opposition Candlelight Party. A boycott would be a way of expressing public anger over the National Election Committee's decision in May to ban the party from running in the election - essentially blocking the only major party that could challenge Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party. The committee blamed the ban on inadequate paperwork, but opposition activists said it was politically motivated. They pointed out that they were allowed to compete in last year's local commune elections with the same documentation. The ban, which was upheld by the Constitutional Council on May 25, means that the ruling Cambodian People's Party won't have any major challengers on the ballot next month. More than a dozen minor parties have also qualified for the ballot. Not a surprise The result of Friday's vote in the Assembly, which is made up only of members from the CPP, was not a surprise. All 111 parliamentarians who participated in the session voted to approve the amendment without objections. Anyone who doesn't vote next month won't be able to run as a candidate in next year's Senate, district and commune elections, according to Minister of Interior Sar Kheng. They also won't be able to run in the next general election scheduled for 2027, he said. The amendment also allows for the prosecution of individuals and parties who discourage people from voting, he said in a speech at the Assembly before the final vote. "The amendment will regulate those who want to run for offices. It won't affect voters' rights guaranteed by the Constitution," he said. Hun Sen first proposed the change to the law earlier this month. Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, said earlier this month that Hun Sun is trying to pressure people to vote because he thinks a high voter percentage will bring legitimacy to the election. Finland-based political analyst Kim Sok said Friday's amendment will affect opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who has been living in exile in France since 2015, and many of his supporters, who also live outside of Cambodia and won't be able to return to vote in person. "The amendment doesn't serve the country's interest," he said. "It is being done according to one person's wish." Translated by Yun Samean. 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 June 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 Vietnam to prosecute 84 for alleged involvement in Dak Lak attacks Authorities blamed vague 'organizations or individuals from overseas.' By RFA Vietnamese 2023.06.23 -- Authorities in Vietnam said Friday they will prosecute 84 people accused of being involved in deadly attacks on two commune offices in central Dak Lak province and ordered them held in pre-trial detention. It isn't clear who was behind the June 11 attacks, which left nine people dead, or what motivated them. On Friday, the Ministry of Public Security said it had confirmed that "organizations and individuals from overseas" had been involved, without getting more specific. "Materials and evidence collected by security forces show that the incident took place with the support and guidance of several organizations and individuals from overseas," the ministry said. "They even sent foreign-based people to Vietnam illegally in order to stage and direct the terrorist attacks." On Tuesday, Major General Pham Ngoc Viet, the head of the ministry's Homeland Security Department, said that among those arrested in Dak Lak were members of "a U.S.-based organization" who had been "tasked to enter Vietnam and stage the attacks." The attacks occurred in an area that is home to about 30 indigenous tribes known collectively as Montagnards, who have historically felt persecuted or oppressed. But authorities have not said those arrested were Montagnards. RFA interviewed several overseas Montagnard organizations who denied involvement in the incident and even condemned the violent attacks. In the days immediately following the attack, authorities had said those involved were young people who harbored delusions and extremist attitudes and had been incited and abetted by the ringleaders via the internet. Charges In an announcement, the Dak Lak Provincial Police's Investigation Agency said it will try 75 of the 84 defendants on charges of "conducting terrorist acts against the People's government." Seven others were charged with "failing to denounce criminals," while an eighth was charged with "hiding criminals" and a ninth with "organizing and brokering for others to exit, enter, or stay in Vietnam illegally." The Dak Lak People's Procuracy approved the decision to prosecute the 84 and ordered them remanded to the provincial prison ahead of their trial. The announcement said that security forces investigating the attack have so far confiscated 23 guns, two grenades, 1,199 bullets, 15 detonators, 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) of explosives, a silencer, a landmine training model, and 30 knives. It said 10 flags from the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races, or FULRO, were also seized. FULRO, founded in the 1950s, was a resistance army that fought on the side of United States and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War before officially disbanding in the 1990s. Vietnam has asserted that rights groups working on Central Highlands issues are part of an ongoing separatist movement linked to FULRO, but the groups reject the claims, saying they are working nonviolently for human rights. Anger and frustration in the Central Highlands has built up after decades of government surveillance, land disputes and economic hardship, RFA reported earlier. In recent months, there have been a number of land revocation incidents by local authorities, police and military forces. In the ministry's description of what transpired, about 40 people wearing camouflage vests and equipped with knives and guns split into two groups for a dawn attack on the offices in Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur communes. Members of the two groups also had broken into Special Forces Brigade No. 198's barracks in Hoa Dong commune in Dak Lak province to steal weapons, but failed, the ministry told state media. Those arrested said they sought to steal weapons so as to make news headlines, which they hoped would give them the opportunity to immigrate to other countries, according to the ministry. In their preliminary statements, those arrested said they had been incited by others to kill police officers. Four police officers, two commune officials and three civilians were killed. The attackers also kidnapped three civilians, though one of them managed to escape, and the others were rescued later, the ministry said. Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June 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 The Azadi Briefing: Taliban Increasingly Turning To Harsh Islamic Punishments By Abubakar Siddique June 23, 2023 The Key Issue The Taliban has carried out another execution as it continues to implement strict Islamic punishments the group sees as central to its drive to enforce Shari'a law. Under the concept of qisas, or retributive justice, a man was publicly killed in the eastern province of Laghman on June 20 for allegedly killing five members of a single family. The killing of the man -- identified only as Ajmal, a resident of Guldara, near Kabul -- was the second retributive execution carried out by the Taliban in the past seven months. The group has sought to recreate its infamously brutal emirate of the 1990s, when such punishments turned its government into an international pariah. In November, Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordered the return to qisas and hudood punishments, which essentially allow "eye-for-an-eye" retribution and corporal punishments for offenses considered to be in violation of the boundaries set by God. Since then, hundreds across the country have been publicly flogged, stoned, or had body parts amputated for crimes such as theft and adultery. These punishments, however, have met strong criticism and skepticism from both human rights watchdogs and Afghans. Islamic scholars have questioned whether the Taliban has met the stringent conditions required by Islamic law in implementing such harsh punishments. Why It's Important: The Taliban has defied international criticism in implementing capital and corporal punishments, which its leaders see as a key benchmark of their commitment to impose Islamic Shari'a law. But in the absence of an overall governance framework capable of addressing the economic, social, and political challenges and grievances of Afghans, such punishments alienate the Taliban from the people it rules and the international community alike. The Taliban's failure to establish a professional judiciary makes selling the implementation of qisas and hudood punishments as a symbol of justice difficult. The Taliban's courts are comprised of Taliban members or pro-Taliban clerics, most of whom are not formally trained for the roles. Meanwhile, international human rights watchdogs, the United Nations, and the wider international community have opposed the use of capital and corporal punishments by the Taliban. Some campaigners advocate for international sanctions to remain in place as long as the Taliban metes out these punishments. What's Next: The Talibanis unlikely to give up on Islamic punishments. But the rapid rise of executions, stonings, amputations, and other penalties will continue to overshadow the group's second stint in power. For Afghans, these punishments underscore the Taliban's excesses and oppression. At the same time, the world will see them as symbols of the group's cruelty and misrule. Given that the Taliban is unlikely to reform, some Afghans are bracing for mounting instances of capital and corporal punishments as the group fails to address the continuing economic and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan. The Week's Best Stories Afghanistan's Taliban rulers are trying to control thousands of rural classrooms. These are part of the Community Based Education program funded by Western donors through the UN and international NGOs. The Taliban's efforts have left the future of more than 500,000 Afghan children enrolled in these education centers hanging in the balance. What To Keep An Eye On In a briefing to the UN Security Council, the UN envoy to Afghanistan warned that the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women and girls have made it "nearly impossible" for the international community to recognize the ruling group's government. On June 21, Roza Otunbaeva, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told the UNSC that the restrictions against Afghan women "cost the Taliban both domestic and international legitimacy." Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has banned women from education and employment, effectively denied them any public role in society, and imposed strict limitations on their mobility and appearance. Why It's Important: The damming assessment will dampen the Taliban's hopes that its isolated hard-line government will soon be recognized. The group has gradually extended its control over Afghan diplomatic missions in neighboring countries as it continues to press for recognition. Yet no country or international organization has recognized the Taliban government. Otunbaeva's statement lays out that the Taliban's only path to international recognition starts with rescinding its harsh restrictions on Afghan women. While the Taliban had promised more moderate policies in the years leading up to its return to power, its leaders have doubled down on the recreation of a totalitarian clerical regime since seizing power. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azadi-briefing- taliban-punishments-sharia-law-recognition/32472349.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 Russia Urges Azerbaijan To Unblock Road Connecting Armenia To Nagorno-Karabakh By RFE/RL's Armenian Service June 23, 2023 Moscow has called on Baku to fully unblock the Lachin Corridor, stressing that such actions violate the provisions of the declaration reached in November 2020 that ended a six-week war. The Lachin Corridor is the only road that links Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, which is international recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is home to more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on June 23 that the entrance to the corridor had been blocked by Azerbaijan in a move she said increased tensions at a time when Baku and Armenia are trying to agree a peace treaty. "Such steps lead to an increase in tension and do not contribute to the maintenance of a normal atmosphere around the ongoing process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediation of Russia," Zakharova said. The statement also called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to adhere to existing agreements and exercise "restraint and awareness of responsibility" for ensuring security in the area of the Lachin Corridor. "The Russian side continues its active efforts to settle the situation in contacts with Baku and Yerevan," Zakharova said, expressing hope that Yerevan "will not isolate itself" from the trilateral talks. "The cessation of their cooperation has a negative impact on the atmosphere in the region and leads to the escalation of the situation on the ground," the statement said. Tensions rose last week when Baku halted the movement of humanitarian convoys through the corridor, aggravating a humanitarian crisis in the Armenian-populated region. The convoys were organized by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Baku halted them following a shoot-out near an Azerbaijani checkpoint controversially set up there in late April. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of the region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper. Azerbaijan regained all the Armenian-controlled areas outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era autonomous region in another war in 2020 that killed nearly 7,000 soldiers on both sides. The six-week war ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers. In mid-December, Azerbaijani activists began obstructing the Lachin Corridor, which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said should be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. In a speech to parliament in Yerevan last week, Pashinian accused Azerbaijan of "ethnic cleansing" with its blockade. Baku has denied imposing a blockade, but has said it has taken what it called "relevant measures to investigate the reasons for this provocation, as well as to ensure the security of the border checkpoint." With reporting by Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-urges-azerbaijan-unblock- lachin-corrodor-karabakh-armenia/32472931.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 Prominent Georgian Opposition Journalist Released From Prison After Presidential Pardon By RFE/RL's Georgian Service June 23, 2023 TBILISI -- Noted Georgian opposition journalist Nika Gvaramia has been released from prison after President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned him for an abuse of power conviction that many rights groups, the United States, and the European Union called politically motivated. The 46-year-old director-general of the opposition Mtavari television channel was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison in May 2022 on a charge of abuse of office during his previous tenure at another broadcaster. Family members, colleagues, friends, and opposition politicians met Gvaramia at the prison gates in the southeastern city of Rustavi early in the morning on June 23. Gvaramia told journalists gathered for his release that Zurabishvili should now pardon jailed former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Gvaramia also said he does not plan to continue to lead the Mtavari television channel. Zurabishvili said on June 23 that her decision to pardon Gvaramia was based on her discretionary right to do so and refused to elaborate on reasons why the clemency was granted. U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan hailed Zurabishvili's decision, calling it "an important contribution to end polarization in Georgia." "The United States and others have been very clear about their concerns, but expressing concern is what friends do when they have concerns. This is not interference. And I am confident that President Zurabishvili takes her pardoning authority very seriously," Degnan said. Two days earlier, the U.S. Embassy had expressed concerns over Gvaramia's ordeal, stressing that "a functioning democracy depends on protecting media freedom and prohibiting political prosecution." The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it welcomed the move, which it had pushed for in recent months along with other organizations. "We are thrilled that Nika Gvaramia has been pardoned. He should never have been jailed, and his continued imprisonment stood at odds with the country's purported commitment to press freedom," said Gulnoza Said, CPJ program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia. Georgia ranked 89th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index. In 2019, it ranked 60th. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-opposition- journalist-released-pardon/32472251.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 Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Organization of American States General Assembly Third Plenary Session US Department of State Remarks Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State OAS Headquarters Washington, D.C. June 23, 2023 SECRETARY BLINKEN: Mr. President, thank you very, very much. Secretary General, colleagues: Buenos dias. Bonjour. Bom dia. It is again very good to be with everyone here today in this - in this place that brings us together every day. This is the House of the Americas. More than 75 years ago, our nations came together to affirm what the OAS Charter called the "indispensable" role of democracy in delivering on security, on human rights, on development, on other vital needs of people across our hemisphere. And at the heart of this charter - and the Inter-American Democratic Charter that followed - is the recognition that the fates of our individual democracies are bound up in one another. And that when it comes to improving the lives of our people, our democracies are better together. Yet, as we meet today, a number governments in the Americas are questioning the relevance of the OAS - and democracy, more broadly - the relevance to solve the problems facing many people across the hemisphere. A lack of economic opportunity, widespread insecurity, endemic corruption, an accelerating climate crisis. All problems that have helped drive an unprecedented number of people in our region from their homes. So, we find ourselves at a moment of reckoning. Do we still believe that democracy is the best system to deliver for our people? And if so, are we willing to recommit ourselves to strengthening our fellow democracies and the institutions where we work together? The United States answer to this question is unequivocal: We believe in democracy - in its enduring capacity for renewal and for revitalization. We believe it is the best way to meet the needs of our citizens and people across the region that we share. And we believe in the OAS - both in its capacity to improve our individual democracies and unite us to solve problems that none of us have the capacity to tackle effectively alone. As our former president, President Jimmy Carter, said at the OAS many decades ago now, to make our charter, and I quote, "more than empty pieces of paper - to make it a living document," all of our member states must believe, and act, to uphold and to improve it. So today, let me briefly make the case for how we can recommit ourselves, together, to make our charter a living thing for people across our hemisphere. First, we can continue to support and strengthen the OAS's core competencies - where it has a proven track record of improving our democracies in concrete ways. The OAS electoral observer missions are the gold standard for providing an independent, impartial assessment of whether elections are free and fair. In 2023 alone, the OAS has observed elections in Antigua and Barbuda, in Ecuador, in Paraguay, and it will observe Guatemala's presidential vote on June 25th - just two days from now. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has for decades provided a forum for citizens in all of our nations to seek justice for human rights violations and abuses - from the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of the Dirty Wars and the drug wars to the report it published just last week concluding that Cuban Government agents were involved in the 2012 deaths of human rights defenders Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero. And the commission has been a trailblazer in promoting the rights of traditionally marginalized populations, including peoples of African descent, Indigenous communities, and LGBTQI+ people. The Americas Health Corps - we talked about that earlier today - will train half a million healthcare workers over five years - half a million - on key issues like maternal and child health. And we're well on our way to realizing that goal: We've already trained 119,000 people just in the last year. That is going to make a material, concrete difference in the lives of our citizens. Longstanding strengths like these are the reason that our ambassador to the OAS, Frank Mora, fought so hard to rally support for one of the biggest increases to the organization's budget that we've seen in decades. The United States funds approximately half of that budget, thanks to the support of our Congress. I want to thank CARICOM for spearheading the effort to approve what is a crucial increase. We also fully support the outside review of the OAS General Secretariat, so that we can ensure that people in the Americas are getting the most out of the resources that all of us are contributing. Second, we can recommit to holding ourselves - and countries across the region - to the core principles of the OAS and the Inter-American Democratic Charters. And that of course means continuing to shine a spotlight on the widespread violations of human rights perpetrated by authoritarian governments, and looking for ways to hold them appropriately accountable - and stop their repression - at the same time as we seek to aid their victims. But that's only part of it. We also have to make our voices heard when our fellow democracies stray from the principles that we have all agreed repeatedly to uphold. When democratically elected leaders in our region try to weaken the independent institutions that provide checks and balances; when they crack down on the media and on civil society; when they fire or harass prosecutors, judges, election officials, or other independent government officials just for doing their jobs; when they try to extend term limits; when they attack or try to discredit multilateral institutions - including this one, for raising legitimate criticisms - we cannot stand by. We need to speak up - not because any one of our members thinks that we're perfect - we know that we're not; no democracy is - but rather because we're invested in each other's democracies, because we made a commitment to hold one another accountable. Because we know that one of the most dangerous steps a democracy can take is to strip away citizens' rights to improve the system from within. And because we know that the risks inherent in backsliding - not just to individual countries and their citizens, but to entire regions - are real. The United States is not immune to this. Throughout our history, we have grappled with challenges to our own democracy. We continue to grapple with them to this very day. Indeed, in so many ways, these experiences underscore for us the importance of always striving to address our own shortcomings, and to do it openly, to do it transparently - not to pretend they don't exist or to try to sweep them under the rug. Because we know, ultimately, that is the only way to get better; the only way, as we would say, to try to form a more perfect union. That's why we open ourselves up to review - and criticism - from journalists, from human rights defenders, from regional and multilateral organizations. And that includes from the OAS and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which recently conducted site visits to the United States to focus on homelessness, indigenous rights, and climate change. Third, and finally, we must continue to adapt our institutions and partnerships to try to seize some of the emerging opportunities and meet emerging threats. Never has the need to do this been so acute. Look at any of the big challenges that we all face, that are actually affecting the lives of our people - not a single one of them can we solve by acting alone. That's why President Biden has worked relentlessly to reinvigorate institutions like the OAS, and to try to stand up new coalitions across our region and around the world. We brought together countries at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to adopt the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection - the first truly regional approach to this issue - and 21 countries have signed on with concrete commitments. Together with civil society, with the private sector, with humanitarian organizations, with multilateral and regional organizations, we continue to drive progress on the pledges that we made - and we will work on that day in, day out. We'll continue that later today, when I have the honor of convening a ministerial meeting of our partners. In April, we convened the first-ever Cities Summit of the Americas, in Denver, Colorado, bringing together 250 mayors - and also governors, tribal and indigenous officials, leaders from communities, NGOs, from businesses. Participants shared innovative ideas, knowledge, approaches, and forged new partnerships at the level where democracy is closest to the people it serves. Most of all, we listened, we took notes, and we learned. We're working together to expand inclusive economic opportunity across the Americas. We're broadening access to the emerging technologies that are increasingly crucial for doing business. We can't have a digital divide that separates those who have access from those who do not. We launched a new economic agenda - the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity - to build more equitable growth from the bottom up and from the middle out. And we're making a push for multilateral development institutions, like the World Bank, to increase financing for the region's middle-income countries, as Vice President Harris discussed with our friends in CARICOM and other partners a few weeks ago at the U.S.-Caribbean Leaders Meeting. Today, we're launching a new global coalition to address the public health and security threats posed by the illicit production and trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. We encourage countries across the region to join us in this effort. In many ways, the United States has been the canary in the coal mine when it comes to synthetic opioids, but we see this problem spreading, including especially in our own hemisphere. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 110,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2022. More than two-thirds of those deaths were the result of synthetic opioids, inflicting immeasurable suffering on families across our nation. But there is not a country across our hemisphere that is not going to be hurt by this scourge, or by the transnational organized crime groups that profit from it. And the only way to effectively confront it is together. In a few weeks, I'll have the opportunity to convene dozens of my counterparts from around the world for the coalition's inaugural meeting. Colleagues, I said at the outset that the United States continues to believe, and believes strongly, that - when it comes to fulfilling the aspirations of our people, the people across the hemisphere that we share - there is no better way than democracies working together. But of all the reasons I'm confident that our democracies can ultimately deliver to meet the significant challenges we face, there is one that eclipses all others: Our citizens believe in democracy. They want democracy. The latest annual survey from Latinobarometro shows that - even if most people in our hemisphere agree that democracies can and work - can and should work better - and we know that - two-thirds of our citizens still believe that democracy is the best way for government to meet their needs. Two out of three. That's actually an increase from just a few years ago. And if all of our citizens continue to believe in democracy - if they are still invested in making our systems better from within, in holding us accountable, there is no flaw we cannot fix, there is no challenge that we cannot overcome, in the enduring march to make the rights and aspirations of our people a living thing. Thank you. Gracias a todos. (Applause.) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Antony J. Blinken and OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro at Ministerial Meeting on Summit Implementation Review Group US Department of State Remarks Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro OAS Headquarters Washington, D.C. June 23, 2023 SECRETARY BLINKEN: Morning, everyone. Buenos dias. Wonderful to have everyone here. Apologies for the slightly late start, but it's wonderful to be with all of you today, and I want to welcome you to the meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group Ministerial. Before we go any further, I'd like to the secretary general, Luis Almagro. Luis, over to you. SECRETARY GENERAL ALMAGRO: (Via interpreter) At the last General Assembly in Peru, we decided to strengthen our commitment to contribute to a democracy for all citizens in the region in keeping with the principles and values expressed in the OAS Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and the human rights instrument. So, we welcome you to the first summit implementation meeting - meeting of ministers - that we do. Along with the GA, we recognize the U.S. for chairing this Ninth Summit of the Americas - for having chaired the Ninth Summit of the Americas, and for engaging in a frank dialogue to build consensuses and to make an effort to implement the results of that summit between governments, civil society, youth groups, women's groups, the private sector. We welcomed this initiative, the meeting we had in April in Denver, and that will leave quite a legacy to the ninth summit. Today's meeting is an opportunity for us to review the work done in the aftermath of the ninth summit to implement what we set up for ourselves in a - in the motto of that group and the objective of that group, together with the five political commitments that were approved, make it possible for us to act to address some of the most pressing problems faced by the hemisphere: threats to democracy, diplomatic crisis, lack of equitable access to economic and sociopolitical opportunities, and with special emphasis on the most vulnerable populations who have been historically marginalized. We reiterate the commitment to the secretariat of the OAS and its capacity, as the memory of the summit process, to continue working on following up and implementing the mandates that were adopted. Renewing the international cooperation for development in the post-pandemic period is very important for the region, and it makes it necessary for us to address the needs of development of the countries beyond just measured by levels of income, and to include a multidimensional concept of development. And so, this is a call for all of the entities that took part in the summit for us to bring to bear the technical, financial wherewithal that will address the full breadth of the challenges we face. I underscored the role of the Pan American Health Organization in offering technical assistance to those countries that took part, and defining the roadmap to strengthen the regional capacities for preparedness and response to future pandemics and health crises, with the Plan of Action on Health and Resilience in the Americas for the consideration and adoption of - at this ministerial meeting. We established a political commitment that will make it possible for us to promote collective action, for us to tackle emerging health crises, emerging diseases, impact of climate change on health, and the need for there to be equitable access to critical inputs, especially vaccines. The leaders of the region renewed in the ninth summit one of the fundamental aspirations of the First Summit of the Americas, which was to strengthen the rule of law, free and fair elections, human rights, and other pillars of open and free societies at the OAS, and other inter-American mechanisms. We will continue to foster political dialogue in defense of democratic institutions. Now, to conclude, regarding fighting corruption and following up on the Lima commitment with agreement that was taken on with Peru, there was a follow-up and implementation mechanism adopted from the foreign ministry of Peru, vis-a-vis the general secretariat of the OAS, to ensure following through with those commitments. And we will thus follow through with implementing the mandates of the summit; new cycle that - the tenth summit will be held in the Dominican Republic, who we thank for hosting that meeting for us to renew our regional agenda. The summit secretariat is committed to continue offering assistance in this process, and to continue strengthening the participation of the SIRG, the - and the social actors who are an integral part of this process. Thank you very much, Secretary of State. It's an honor to have you here with us in the House of the Americas. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Luis, thank you very much. Muchas gracias. It's again very good to be with all of you today. Let me just say a few things at the outset before moving on to the agenda of this meeting. First, Luis, to you, thank you. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for the great work that your team has been doing. And to my fellow foreign ministers, to our national summit coordinators, to the OAS permanent representatives, to members of the Joint Summit Working Group: thank you, thank you, thank you for your partnership since the summit. I'm also very glad to welcome with us today Ambassador Frank Mora for his first SIRG ministerial as our permanent representative to the OAS. Frank, welcome. A year ago, at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, our leaders made new commitments to build a more sustainable, a more resilient, and a more equitable region. Our countries pledged to invest in public health systems, to help communities adapt to the climate crisis, and accelerate the clean energy transition; to improve digital access and connectivity; to safeguard our democracies. Over the last year, we have worked to make these shared goals a reality: meeting in Lima to set benchmarks and working procedures to guide our collaboration; convening thousands of representatives from local government, civil society, and the private sector at the Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver; participating in 11 meetings to hear from a diverse array of technical experts, business leaders, members of youth and civil society groups from all across our hemisphere. As a result of these conversations, we developed an Action Plan on Health and Resilience. And today, I will ask this group to formally adopt that plan and chart a new course to strengthen public health in the Americas over the next seven years. In doing so, we'll commit to investing more resources in our health care systems and workforce, improving access to health services from primary care to mental health support, boosting our emergency preparedness measures, and fighting non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes. We're also pledging to incorporate digital tools and new technologies - like artificial intelligence, into our health care institutions while safeguarding privacy. With this action plan, our countries will work to strengthen our public health infrastructure that's been put under strain by COVID-19 to ensure that it's more equitable and better prepared to detect, prevent, and to respond to future public health emergencies. Later today, in the OAS General Assembly, we'll have a chance to advance another one of our shared commitments: our resolve to strengthen democracy. Together, we can enable our governments to make full use of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and expand our tools to build resilient democracies, from training young leaders to ensuring that the OAS electoral observers can operate free from threats, from harassment, or any other undue pressure. I'd also like to take a moment to share just a few ways that the United States has also made progress toward our commitments over the last year. At the Cities Summit, the United States launched our Cities Forward Initiative, which provides $5 million to help urban areas in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States advance sustainability, equity, and climate resilience together. Under the Americas Health Corps, the United States has also helped train 119,000 regional health care workers on everything from maternal health to tuberculosis prevention. And we are well on our way toward our goal of training 500,000 people over five years. We supported the clean energy transition and we supported the clean energy auction Jamaica launched last month, through which companies can submit competitive bids to produce enough energy to power 10 million lightbulbs in homes and schools and in businesses throughout their country. And as you all know, at the Second Summit for Democracy, the United States and Costa Rica gathered our countries to discuss the Inter-American system and implementation of the Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance - coming together to protect human rights, the rule of law, greater social inclusion - the foundational building blocks of every democracy. In the months to come, we will continue implementing our summit commitments alongside our partners, including by convening technology experts to discuss strategies for expanding connectivity, promising open government - promoting, excuse me, open government, strengthening cyber security, and fostering inclusive growth. Later during this meeting today, each country will also have a chance to speak about the work that they've done to turn pledges into action. We are eager to hear from all of you, and as we turn our attention to the Tenth Summit of the Americas in the Dominican Republic in 2025, I'm looking forward to continuing the partnership that we've built. With the dedication of this group, we can address the biggest challenges facing our nations in a way that none of our countries could ever do alone. By working together, we can build a future that actually delivers concrete results for our people. Finally, one personal note. I would like to thank Kevin O'Reilly, who today completes his service as the U.S. national coordinator for the summit. His tireless efforts, alongside your governments and so many colleagues, helped ensure the success of two major summits in the last year, and we are very glad to have him join our mission in Nicaragua as our charge d'affaires. So, with that, I think we can move to the agenda that we have. Luis, let me just ask if there are any other initial comments you'd like to make. Otherwise, we can turn to the agenda. Very good. All right. As I mentioned, our leaders committed to reach consensus on an Action Plan for Health and Resilience in the Americas in Los Angeles when they met last year. I think one of the things that we've all seen and that all of our leaders have seen are weaknesses that the experience with the pandemic revealed - in our societies, in our healthcare systems, in our ability to respond. And they recognized the need to work together to try to strengthen health systems for everyone, and prepare for future health emergencies. In response, the SIRG and the Joint Summit Working Group worked diligently in a series of ad hoc technical group meetings to put together a concrete action plan. This effort chaired by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supported by governments from across our hemisphere, brought us together to chart a course to invest in health systems that work for all, that leverage technology appropriately, that prepare us for the next health emergency. To ensure that this action plan meets the needs of people in the Americas, the United States incorporated young people, the private sector, civil society in the actual drafting and negotiation process to make sure that we had their recommendations and insights on the takeoff - not just the landing, and to ensure that our level of ambition actually meets the needs of people across the hemisphere. Adopting the plan takes us one step closer to a more resilient and more equitable hemisphere. So I would now like to put forward the Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas for your consideration and for your approval. The question before us is: Can we adopt the action plan? (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. So, I am pleased to confirm the foreign ministers at the Summit of the Americas hereby adopt the Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas. (Applause.) It's always good when it takes very little work to confirm a lot of work that's been done, so thank you, everyone. Next, I would like to turn to another item, because in addition to chairing development of the Action Plan on Health and Resilience, we have also supported implementation of the other four political commitments that leaders adopted at the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Since chairing the Ministerial Meeting of the SIRG on the margins of the OAS General Assembly last October, the United States, as I mentioned, has convened 11 meetings of ad hoc technical groups to advance implementation of leaders' summit commitments, and also to get feedback from our stakeholders. These included two meetings on leaders - Our Sustainable Green Future commitment and one on the Accelerating the Clean, Sustainable, Renewable, and Just Energy Transition commitment, two on the Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, and six on the Action Plan on Health and Resilience in the Americas. These in-person and virtual meetings have brought together literally hundreds of experts from more than 25 countries to strengthen production - protections, excuse me - for environmental defenders, to promote green shipping, to strengthen coastal ecosystems, to encourage conditions to attract clean energy investment, to share best practices for delivering democracy to our people and advancing their human rights. In April the State Department and the city of Denver hosted the first city summit of the Americas following a commitment that President Biden and I made during the Ninth Summit of the Americas. And I have to say for those who were able to participate, this was - in my judgment, a remarkable and incredibly productive gathering. The summit brought together more than 2,500 people, including 250 mayors from across our hemisphere, to empower stakeholders and discuss how to best implement the commitments the leaders adopted at the ninth summit, recognizing that the greatest responsibility for action and the greatest impact on these issues typically takes place at the local level. Working with city networks, international organizations, and other partners, we provided a platform for underrepresented voices to discuss issues like climate adaptation and, also, migration, on the same stage as prominent figures like the president of the Inter-American Development Bank and the head of the government of Mexico City - reflecting our commitments to strengthen inclusive democratic governance. The summit allowed participants to have direct and substantive engagements with one another, and prioritize practical solutions to our shared challenges. I have to say that when you see this in action, when you see people coming together from the municipal level, from the local level, particularly mayors, who genuinely are, in all of our countries, problem-solvers - where political differences, ideology, are secondary if not irrelevant because the responsibility of these officials is to find ways to solve practical problems faced by their constituents. This is a very powerful dynamic. And the more we are engaged at these different levels across our hemisphere, the more we're sharing experiences and best practices, I think the greater effect we're going to have on actually making real and practical change. Given, from our perspective, the success of the first city summit, it certainly should not be the last. And so, we encourage the sub-national conversation to continue, and we'd like to see the city summit institutionalized as part of the greater Summit of the Americas process. We had - as I said, three days or so of remarkable gathering, but what really matters is what happens in the 300 and other 62 days of the year. And my hope and expectation is that many of the contacts were made, many of the networks that were created, many of the dynamics that we helped energize at the summit, are going to continue every day - and that we will find ways to bring people back together in this format going forward. So that's the report on the city summit, and I think we're now going to, first of all, turn it over to you, Brian, and also open the floor to comments from delegations. Assistant Secretary Nichols. 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 23 June 2023 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Ukraine Good afternoon and happy Friday, everyone. This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine. Briefing Council members, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said that as we are all only too aware, the killing, destruction and suffering continue unabated in Ukraine. Ms. DiCarlo noted that the most significant destruction of civilian infrastructure to date took place on 6 June, when the Kakhovka Dam was damaged. She pointed out that, as part of our immediate response to the incident, the UN and humanitarian partners have rushed to deliver supplies and evacuation support for hundreds of thousands of people in the affected area. Ms. DiCarlo said that there are still people we are unable to reach, and the Russian Federation has so far declined our request to go to these areas. She stressed that aid cannot be denied to people who need it and urged the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure safe and unfettered access to all areas in need. The Under-Secretary-General also noted that since its signing in July last year, the Black Sea Initiative has enabled the safe transportation of over 32 million metric tons of foodstuffs. We are, however, disappointed by the slowing pace of the implementation of the Initiative, she said, urging that all obstacles be removed to ensure the continuation of this agreement. Her full remarks have been shared with you. Also in Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to support the communities impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Two inter-agency convoys one yesterday and one today delivered aid to more than 3,000 civilians in four villages of the Tiahynka community, in the Kherson region. The supplies included water and water purification tabs, 30-day food rations, medical supplies and hygiene and shelter kits, among others. Our humanitarian colleagues note that most of the people in these villages are older people from rural communities impacted by the flooding, which destroyed homes and disrupted critical services, including water, gas and electricity supplies. These communities have already been enduring the heavy impact of hostilities, which left them without electricity since November last year. The only source of water has been community boreholes, which are no longer safe due to contamination after the flooding. The latest supplies in the two recent convoys were provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Vision International. In addition to this, dozens of aid organizations, including UN agencies and NGOs, have been working since day one to support people, complementing the work of local groups and volunteers. ** Sierra Leone The Secretary-General is following with concern developments in Sierra Leone in the run-up to the 24 June elections. He calls on all political actors and their supporters to adhere to the 25 May presidential candidates' peace pledge and to contribute to the holding of transparent, credible and peaceful elections. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, arrived in Freetown yesterday to engage with key political leaders, in collaboration with the African Union, ECOWAS and other international partners. The Secretary-General reaffirms the United Nations commitment to continue supporting the Government and people of Sierra Leone in their efforts to consolidate peace, democracy and development. ** Deputy Secretary-General's Travels The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will depart this weekend to undertake an official visit to China in a series of engagements with Government and business leaders, as well as other key stakeholders, to strengthen cooperation in the areas of financing for sustainable development and climate action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During her trip, Ms. Mohammed is expected to visit projects focused on addressing climate change, technology and biodiversity conservation. The Deputy Secretary-General will then continue to Bangladesh to engage with the Government and other stakeholders in discussions on climate action and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at their crucial mid-way point to galvanize support for the Summit in September 2023. ** Peacekeeping And also on Bangladesh, we have a trip announcement from our peacekeeping colleagues. Starting today and until 26 June, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will be travelling to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to attend the first UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Preparatory Meeting. This is the first of a series of four themed conferences ahead of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, to be held in Accra, Ghana, on 5 and 6 December 2023. The theme of the preparatory meeting, which is co-hosted by Bangladesh, Canada, and Uruguay, is "Women in UN Peacekeeping". The two-day meeting will welcome representatives from troop and police contributing countries, and UN peacekeeping experts to discuss progress, challenges and good practices to promote women's meaningful participation in UN peacekeeping and to foster gender-responsive leadership. After Bangladesh, Mr. Lacroix will travel to Nepal and Bhutan from 27 June to 3 July. He will discuss the countries' ongoing support to UN peace operations, including within the framework of the Peacekeeping Ministerial. ** Egypt In Egypt, our team, led by Resident Coordinator Elena Panova, is addressing food insecurity challenges, worsened by disrupted grain exports from Russia and Ukraine and increasing fuel import costs. Our team has been supporting vulnerable groups, including migrants, refugees, and the impoverished, through cash transfers, vouchers, and food distribution. During just the first four months of this year, we provided nearly 130 metric tons of food, and this assistance has intensified over the past three months due to the Sudan conflict. To date, more than 120,000 displaced Sudanese families in Egypt receive essential aid, such as food, water, health services, and cash assistance. The team is also supporting some 4,600 vulnerable smallholder farmers by providing fertilizers, loans, and training to improve their livelihoods. The World Food Programme is also distributing daily snacks to primary school students and fortified date bars to 118,000 community school children in 11 local governments. ** Peacebuilding Day Today is Peacebuilding Day. In her video message, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Elizabeth Spehar, underscores the critical need to increase efforts to address root causes of conflict and invest in peacebuilding. In this regard, the significance of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture has never been greater. Since 2006, the UN Peacebuilding Commission has provided political accompaniment and support for a growing number of countries and regions in their peacebuilding efforts. The Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund remains the leading instrument for investing in peacebuilding. The Secretary-General's proposed New Agenda for Peace, currently under development, presents an excellent opportunity to prioritize prevention and peacebuilding. ** International Days Today is the United Nations Public Service Day. In his message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says that public servants and the institutions they support will be increasingly critical as the world accelerates action towards the Sustainable Development Goals, which are badly off track. Today is also International Widow's Day. There are more than 258 million widows around the world, but historically they've been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies. Tomorrow is the International Day for Women in Diplomacy, which is a reminder that women's leadership styles, expertise and priorities broaden the quality of outcomes. And Sunday is the Day of the Seafarer. This year's campaign will look at seafarers' contribution to protecting the marine environment. ** Noon Briefing Guest On Monday, my guest will be Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). She will be here to speak about her recent mission to Haiti. ** Questions and Answers Deputy Spokesman : That is it for me. Yes, James? Question : We heard at the stakeout earlier on and each of the countries has said it in the Council as well now from the United States, Albania, UK, France and Ukraine they say the Secretary-General under resolution 2231 has a clear mandate to investigate the use of Iranian drones by the Russians in Ukraine. Why is the Secretary-General not launching an investigation? Deputy Spokesman : Well, on that, the Secretariat continues to analyse information received with regard to the alleged transfer of uncrewed aerial vehicles by Iran in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of resolution 2231, and we will report to the Security Council in due course. The next report of the Secretary-General will be discussed at a meeting at the experts' level on implementation of resolution 2231 later this month, and a Security Council briefing is expected next month in July. Question : When will that report be complete? Because it was supposed to have been delivered to the Security Council by now? Deputy Spokesman : Oh, well, like I said, the report should go to the... Should be discussed at the experts' level later this month. Question : When will it be... When will it be delivered to Council members? Deputy Spokesman : It's still going through the process. But the Council itself is expected to deal with the report probably in early July. So it'll go to them fairly soon. Question : Final question on this. Is the Secretary-General's reluctance to launch an investigation linked to the Black Sea Grain initiative, the fact that he doesn't want to scupper that? And is that really such a worry now that the Black Sea Grain initiative, as USG DiCarlo said, is virtually not operating at all? Deputy Spokesman : Well, the Black Sea Grain initiative is a separate issue. We have concerns about that that have to do with making sure that that exports from Ukraine and from the Russian Federation go out without hindrance. And we're doing what we can through a variety of avenues, as you're well aware, to expedite the progress of those exports. Question : You say a separate issue, but, I mean, in the Secretary-General's calculations, is he weighing one off against the other? Deputy Spokesman : Well, this mandate regarding resolution 2231 is a separate mandate, and we view it in terms of its own strength. And like I said, we are continuing to analyse information, and we will be discussing it at the experts' level, as I just said. Edie? Question : Following up on that, the US Ambassador says this issue is urgent and a matter of life and deaths for the Ukrainian people. It sounds like the Secretary-General and the Secretariat are dragging this out and we all know that if this goes before the Security Council, that Russia as a veto-wielding member, will veto any call for an investigation. And so I don't think that we have gotten a clear response to the call from these countries for an immediate investigation by the Secretary-General, and they say he has the authority to do it now. Deputy Spokesman : Well, I'll just stick with what I've said on this. The analysis of the information that's been received about this is going on as we speak. And there will be further discussions, both with the experts on this issue and then with the Security Council. Yes, Celhia? Question : Farhan, I'd like to know what the SG thinks of the deployment of resources for five people who died in a submarine ride and the lack of resources when it comes to migrants fleeing the country and conflict? Why do we spend so much for five people who paid fortune and the people who risk their lives because they cannot live in a country? Deputy Spokesman : This is actually the third consecutive day I've had this particular question. And I don't have anything new to say about it, other than that all human life is precious. There should be efforts you're quite right there should be efforts to protect the lives of migrants at sea. And we have been calling for that over and over again. And I'm very appreciative that you in the media see that as an issue. At the same time, that shouldn't be pursued at the expense of caring about the poor five people who seem to have perished in this incident involving the submersible. All human life is precious. We respect all efforts to save people, regardless of what their income level or their circumstances is. But certainly, what you're talking about and what your colleagues have been saying in recent days points to a need that should be noted by the world's Governments, which is the need to take seriously efforts to protect the lives of migrants at sea. Yeah, Edie? Question : On a completely different subject, Aung San Suu Kyi's youngest son has spoken out for the first time, urging the international community to help do something to free his mother from prison detention, whatever, she's been sent to 33 years. There are reports she is not well. What is the Secretary-General doing? And does this put pressure on for a speedy appointment of a new Special Representative? Deputy Spokesman : Oh, on the question of a special representative, we're working as quickly as we can to get a replacement for Noeleen Heyzer named. Regarding the issue of Aung San Suu Kyi, we have consistently called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior political detainees in Myanmar, and we will continue to do that. And the Secretary-General, the various special envoys, and others throughout the system have been working with different Governments, including the Governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to push for that release. Yeah. Linda? Question : Thank you, Farhan. This is in regard to the Secretary-General's report yesterday on Children and Armed Conflict. I know it didn't officially come out, but clearly it was leaked. My question is, part of the story was that Russia was added to the list of countries that have committed grave violations against children, and I think there were, like, 136 children killed. On the other hand, Ukraine was responsible, according to the study, for 80. I was just wondering if the report said that many of the children killed by the Russians are attributed to the Russians, but through shelling and air strikes. I was just wondering if there was information in terms of how the 80 Ukrainian children, you know, were killed by the Ukrainian forces. Deputy Spokesman : On this, the report will come out on Tuesday. I believe my hands are tied about the contents of the report until that point. We have arranged for Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, to speak to you on Tuesday morning, and she'll talk to you about the report at that point. Yes, James? Question : So you mentioned the trips of USG Lacroix to South Asia. Seems a bit of a strange timeframe to be going to South Asia, given how important the situation in Mali is. And the Security Council has got to... One assumes the Peacekeeping Department have got to work very closely with the penholder, France, to come up with a way to draw down that mission, which is a huge undertaking; seems a bit strange that he would be able to carry on this trip at this time. One would have thought this is the busiest time for that USG possible? Deputy Spokesman : Well, this was a previously planned visit. I do expect that different senior officials will be arranging travel to Mali and will announce that to you. Question : But the new mandate for that mission has to come out on Thursday. So you've got to arrange a whole plan to extricate a whole mission of 3,000 peacekeepers from Mali by Thursday. What contingency planning is working... is going? Deputy Spokesman : Well, I don't think that anyone is thinking that there's a practical way of withdrawing that many people in a span of days. It's something that will have to take a while. [cross-talk] Question : You know, I understand that. But the plan but the new mandate, which would be a mandate for a mission that's rather than doing peacekeeping in Mali, is a Mission that's drawing down completely different purpose now for the Mission. The mandate, which is quite detailed, I would have thought what has to be in a Security Council resolution, and it's not just up to France and Security Council members; they need your advice and your input has to be done by Thursday. Deputy Spokesman : Well, we are in touch with the Security Council. We are waiting to get our directions from the Security Council and hopefully, as you've suggested, that will happen over the coming week, and we will respond accordingly at that point. Question : So is there... just tell us what sort of planning is going on in this building for this? And how long would the UN suggest that... or what's the Secretary's advice to the Security Council? How long would it take to withdraw that many troops in a safe and peaceful way, to avoid the sort of thing that happened to the Americans in Afghanistan? Deputy Spokesman : I'm not going to get ahead of ourselves. First, we'll wait for the decision that's taken by the Security Council and then we can proceed with the next steps, which is devising a plan. Question : Well, yes, Farhan. But quite often, the Security Council, this is all happening in a hurry because of Mali's decision to kick you out. Normally, the Secretary-General would present options to the Security Council. The Security Council has got to come up with a plan on Thursday. Deputy Spokesman : Well, they received options in the Secretary-General's last report... Question : Which are all outdated. Deputy Spokesman : Now, we will see how they respond to that as well as to the briefings that they've had. But again, we're waiting for them, then we'll proceed to the next step. Question : Do you think we could have a briefing, even off the record, from the Peacekeeping Department on what is one of the most important things that they've had to deal with for some years? Deputy Spokesman : Yeah. We'll certainly see whether that's possible and when that is. I expect, however, it will be again after the Security Council acts. And with that, wish you all a good weekend, and Paulina Kubiak will brief you next. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Killings drive Israelis and Palestinians 'deeper into an abyss', warns Turk 23 June 2023 - A particularly deadly week of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory's West Bank risks spiralling out of control, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday, after a "major intensification" involving Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks. "These latest killings and the violence, along with the inflammatory rhetoric, serve only to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into an abyss," said the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as his Office warned of the "terrible impact on both Palestinians and Israelis" of the escalation, before calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed. Mr. Turk's comments followed remarks by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who on Thursday "condemned all acts of violence against civilians" in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and deplored the loss of life. Refugee camp victims Echoing Mr. Guterres's deep concern about an Israeli military raid on Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Monday that killed at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl, the UN rights chief said that the use of airstrikes was "more generally associated with the conduct of armed hostilities rather than a law enforcement operation". According to reports, Israeli gunships were used for the first time in the area since the early 2000s to extract injured soldiers, while a long gun battle raged. Mr. Turk added that on Wednesday evening, other reports emerged of an Israeli military drone strike near Jenin that killed three alleged Palestinian militants. "Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life", insisted the High Commissioner. Following the Jenin raid, Mr. Turk's Office said that he had been "appalled" that some Palestinians had celebrated the killing of four Israeli settlers - reportedly including a 17-year-old boy - by two armed Palestinian men near the community of Eli in the occupied West Bank. Vicious circle Highlighting the tinderbox situation, OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said that several Palestinian communities had reportedly been assaulted by Israeli settlers, amid "confrontations between Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli Security Forces, and Palestinians". According to UN rights office OHCHR, so far this year, Israeli Security Forces have killed at least 126 Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Among them were 21 boys and one girl. This compares with last year, when 155 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Security Forces in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, representing the highest number in the past 17 years. Data from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights indicates that 24 Israelis were killed inside Israel and the occupied West Bank last year - "the highest number of Israelis were killed last year since 2016". "For this violence to end, the occupation must end," said Mr. Turk. "On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On Peacebuilding Day, ambassadors discuss response to organized crime in the Sahel 23 June 2023 - The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) convened for an ambassadorial-level meeting in New York on Friday to tackle the issue of organized crime in the Sahel. Poverty, institutional fragility and massive insecurity have created favourable conditions for the proliferation of organized crime across the vast African region. The PBC, an intergovernmental advisory body launched in 2006, plays a crucial role in supporting peace efforts in conflict-affected countries. Consisting of 31 Member States elected from the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council, it brings together top donors and troop-contributing countries. Ambassador Ivan Simonovic of Croatia, Commission Chair, cited the latest UN Secretary-General's report, stating that "the security situation in the Sahel continued to be marked by terrorism and violent extremist groups frequently targeting border areas." The situation has only got worse during this year. Actively engaged The PBC has been actively involved in improving conditions across the Sahel , encompassing such countries as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, and Senegal. It supports regional peacebuilding priorities and assists in the implementation of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and its Support Plan. Previous PBC meetings have focused on building climate resilience and addressing climate degradation issues. With concerns over institutional fragility, weak governance, poverty, border security, population growth, mass migration, and climate change, the Commission is also focused on prevention and resolution of conflicts, violent extremism, and organized crime. Significant threat To conflict-affected regions like the Sahel transnational organized crime poses a significant threat. The illegal activities there vary from weapons sales and drug production to migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that illicit economic activities there generate billions of dollars annually, while much of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Mar Dieye, who heads the UNISS, told UN News in an earlier interview that anti-trafficking and organized crime efforts are issues that have until recently been overlooked. "With the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) threat assessments on transnational organized crime, we've discovered a huge economy that has been in the blind spot among national actors and international partners," he said. Peacebuilding finance The leading instrument for investing in peacebuilding is the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund. "The Sahel is a region of high priority to the Peacebuilding Fund, with 35 per cent of its funds allocated to the region in 2022," said Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support. She highlighted significant results achieved through the Fund such as cross-border initiatives to support national security cooperation and operations to shut down transnational criminal gangs - between The Gambia and Senegal, and between Mali and Guinea - as well as a project in Burkina Faso to fight organized crime and illicit trafficking. Peacebuilding Day The meeting convened on Peacebuilding Day marked annually on 23 June. In a video message Ms. Spehar spoke of the critical need to increase efforts to address root causes of conflict and invest in peacebuilding. She underscored the significance of the UN's Peacebuilding architecture and highlighted the Secretary-General's proposed New Agenda for Peace, currently under development, as an excellent opportunity to prioritize prevention and peacebuilding. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tunisia must 'change course' amid media crackdown: UN rights chief 23 June 2023 - In Tunisia, "vague" legislation is being used to criminalize independent journalism and suppress criticism of the Government, UN rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday. "It is troubling to see Tunisia, a country that once held so much hope, regressing and losing the human rights gains of the last decade," Mr. Turk said, urging the country to "change course". The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said that over the past three months, the Tunisian authorities have used security and counter-terrorism legislation as well as a presidential decree on cybercrimes, to arrest and convict six journalists for spreading "false news, information or rumours". Civil and military prosecutions Since July 2021, OHCHR has documented 21 cases of alleged human rights violations against journalists, including prosecutions before civilian and military courts, likely initiated to counter criticism of the authorities. Under international human rights law all public figures including heads of State may legitimately be subject to criticism. "People have the right to be informed and to do so, journalists must be able to do their job without any undue restriction," Mr. Turk insisted. On 15 June, parliamentary authorities decided to ban journalists from covering parliamentary committee meetings. Just two days later, a judge banned media outlets from covering two cases of alleged "conspiracy against State security affairs" in which dozens of people have been prosecuted and detained since mid-February. Independent media silenced "These decisions undermine the principle of transparency in public affairs. People have the right to be informed and to do so, journalists must be able to do their job without any undue restriction," said the High Commissioner. "Silencing the voices of journalists, in a concerted effort, undermines the crucial role of independent media, with a corrosive effect on society as a whole," he said. The High Commissioner called on the Tunisian Government to respect due process and fair trial standards in all judicial proceedings. Authorities also called on the authorities to stop trying civilians before military courts and release all those arbitrarily detained, including anyone held for exercising their right to seek, receive and impart information. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New York Air Guard assists search for lost submersible Published June 23, 2023 By Capt. Cheran Campbell and Eric Durr New York National Guard F.S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. (AFNS) -- Thirty-eight Airmen assigned to the New York National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing were part of the effort to locate the commercial submersible Titan that imploded while diving to the wreck of the RMS Titanic. The wing launched three search missions 900 miles out over the North Atlantic from their base on the eastern tip of Long Island June 19-21 at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's Sector Boston coordinated the search and rescue mission, which was launched when the 22-foot-long, 8-foot-wide vessel lost contact with its mother ship. On June 22, the Coast Guard announced the Titan had imploded, killing all five people aboard. But that was not known when the 106th RW launched its first search at 3:18 p.m. June 19. Most wing members were celebrating the Juneteenth holiday, but when the word went out that a rescue was underway, Airmen responded, according to Maj. Patrick Harding, the mission coordinator for the search operations. "Every time we get a phone call for a mission, everyone at the base is eager to participate," Harding said. The HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue plane launched with six aircrew, two maintenance personnel and five pararescue jumpers. Col. Jeffery Cannet, 106th Operation Group commander, said the pararescuemen were on the mission with rescue supplies in case the submersible was spotted bobbing on the surface. The plan would be to jump from the aircraft and provide aid as needed. The maintenance personnel were along in case the aircraft had to be diverted to another airport instead of returning home to Long Island. They also helped look out to sea for the missing craft, Cannet said. The first search mission returned to base at 2 a.m. It was a challenging mission, said Capt. Christopher Colewell, one of the pilots. "We didn't have a lot of illumination. It was very, very difficult to conduct a search," he said. Harding said crew members were assigned specific roles and tools to optimize the search. Personnel were assigned to manage the radar and the forward-looking infrared systems, known as FLIR. Harding said the "scanners" on the long missions looked out the aircraft's ports as the plane flew its search grid. The flights launched on June 20 and 21 did not include pararescuemen due to information learned about the submersible after the first mission. The rescue wing asked for volunteers to serve as scanners for those 10-hour flights. There were 13 Airmen on the June 20 flight and 12 on the June 21 mission. Tech. Sgt. Wendy Carranza, a medical technician in the wing's 106th Medical Group, said she was happy to volunteer to help. "As an aerospace medical technician, we rely on all of our senses to help others in any situation that may arise to the best of our ability," she said. "Using my eyesight against the current and with the current was an experience I will never forget." Tech. Sgt. Roberta Farris, noncommissioned officer in charge, commander and control operations, was another scanner on the flight. "You don't realize how vast the ocean is until you are looking out the window of the C-130 searching for a white capsule amongst the many whitecaps," Farris said. Col. Shawn Fitzgerald, the 106th Rescue Wing commander, applauded the 106th Airmen for their efforts. "We would have loved for a better outcome, but I'm proud of our Airmen and their ability to quickly aid in this search," Fitzgerald said. "My condolences to the family members of the lost. Our thoughts are with you." Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, praised the wing's Airmen for responding "quickly and professionally as they have in the past when called for other missions. Our men and women are always ready to respond when needed." Missions into the North Atlantic are nothing new for the 106th RW. On May 20, 2022, the 106th RW flew 1,200 miles over the Atlantic Ocean and dropped medical supplies so a sailboat crew could treat a sailor burned in an accident. On April 24, 2017, pararescue jumpers from the 106th RW jumped into the Atlantic Ocean 1,500 miles from shore at night and performed emergency surgery on two seamen aboard the M/V Tamar who were injured in a fire. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FRCE marks first with adoption of battery-powered ground power units US Navy 23 June 2023 From Joe Andes, Fleet Readiness Center East Fleet Readiness Center East's (FRCE) UH-1N Huey production line is swapping out diesel-powered ground power units (GPU) for a sustainable alternative with the recent purchase of battery-powered GPUs, becoming the first adapter of this technology within the Naval Aviation community. According to Allen Broadway, FRCE's UH-1N branch head, the battery-powered GPUs minimize energy consumption, increase efficiency and enhance workplace safety. "Our main focus was on the safety and environmental aspects," said Broadway. "Using the new battery pack, you are reducing noise hazards. Because it's so portable, you're reducing the possibilities of strains and injuries, as well as trip hazards. All this leads to a safer workplace for our people. It also allows us to reduce environmental footprint and fuel consumption. You're not burning diesel. There are no fumes or emissions. You're cutting costs. It's a win for us across the board." The UH-1N line operates out of the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston. There, the team performs maintenance, repair and overhaul operations for the UH-1N helicopters flown by the Air Force. Prior to the arrival of the battery-powered GPUs, the UH-1N line relied on the NC-10C Mobile Electric Power Plant, a trailer-mounted, self-contained power plant, to supply electrical power for servicing, starting and testing the helicopters. The NC-10C, used throughout the Naval Aviation community, uses diesel fuel to generate electricity. "When you look at the environmental impact, this is our way of going from a gas guzzler to electric," said Matthew Pitts, the UH-1N deputy branch head and test pilot. According to Pitts, the UH-1N line began using two Tesla TI3000 GPU-24 battery packs in the spring of 2023. "They are a self-contained unit that can do everything that the NC-10 does, but with a footprint of a large carry-on bag," said Pitts. "They produce no noise and no emissions. They work like an external battery pack for your phone and even plug into an ordinary wall socket. There's no special outlet required." The battery-powered GPUs weigh in at 127 pounds, compared to the NC-10C's weight of more than 6,500 pounds when carrying the diesel fuel necessary to generate power. "It came in a really big box," said Gabriel Rodriguez, a plane captain on the UH-1N line. "But, when we opened it, it was just this little thing inside. It's much easier on us, as far as ergonomics go, to move this around." Pitts cited that small size as a key factor in the UH-1N line's decision to adopt the technology. "One important aspect of this is minimizing our footprint," said Pitts. "You're taking a large entity, the NC-10, and you're reducing that to the size of a carry-on bag. You're reducing the costs and time associated with moving, maintaining and using that asset." Sean Maher, an aircraft electrician on the UH-1N line, said the portability and simplicity of the battery-powered GPUs have already made a positive impact on production. "We do a lot of operational and functional checks which require battery inverter power," said Maher. "The helicopter battery itself can't sustain the amount of checks we do. So we have to have some sort of additional power source to continue our checks without having to stop what we're doing. That used to mean calling transportation and getting an NC-10 delivered. "With these, it just takes a minute or two to roll it over to the aircraft and we're hooked up for power," he continued. "Hooking it up is quick and easy. As far as maintenance, we've had no trouble with them and we've put them through the wringer. With the NC-10, we'd have to call ground support equipment if it needed to be fixed. We don't have to worry about any of that with these." The battery-powered GPUs are also making a positive impact outside of the UH-1N line's operations at Kinston. Broadway said their use drives down costs related to the support and maintenance of the NC-10Cs. "These free up our ground support equipment folks from having to do preventative maintenance and things of that nature on the NC-10s," said Broadway. "It also reduces the costs related to ordering parts and materials to maintain and repair the NC-10s." Unlike a diesel-powered generator, the battery-powered GPUs emit zero emissions. Broadway said this results in reduced energy consumption. "If you crank an NC-10 indoors, you have to open up the hangar doors," said Broadway. "That means increased utility costs and wasted energy, especially when it's cold outside." Rodriguez said the battery-powered GPUs are not only reducing utility usage, they make for a more comfortable working environment. "When we ran diesel-powered equipment in the hangar, we had to open the doors for ventilation," said Rodriguez. "We don't have to do that now, which is nice. We don't have to worry about rain, wind, heat or cold and having to open the doors. It's definitely increased our comfort levels in the hangar." The battery-powered GPUs also contribute to the comfort level on the shop floor in regards to noise levels. Pitts recounted the first time the team used the battery-powered GPUs; he described being almost startled by the complete lack of noise that accompanied it. "The first time that we connected it to the aircraft, it was just kind of funny because we were all expecting some kind of a big, climactic moment," Pitts said. "Silence is what we heard. It was like, that's it - silence. It was so quiet that it was almost a surreal." Pitts said the battery-powered GPU's silent operation belies the impressive benefits the technology has brought to the depot, benefits he said can be shared throughout the enterprise. "We are setting new standards to drive down production costs, reduce our environmental impact and ultimately be a safer line," Pitts said. "Once the depot proves that we're leading the way with this, I can see this getting pushed out into Fleet. Imagine the savings and the reduced environmental footprint that we could have throughout the Navy and Marine Corps." FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Detroit Deploys to Support Regional Cooperation and Security US Navy 23 June 2023 The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7), along with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, detachment 11, got underway June 21 to support operations in U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. Detroit will support counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Detroit's operations will involve practical exercises and exchanges with partner nation maritime services, supporting U.S. 4th Fleet interoperability and reinforcing the U.S. position as the regional partner of choice. "We look forward to building upon the successes of USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and USS Little Rock (LCS 9) in our return to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility," said Cmdr. Kyle Hickman, commanding officer of Detroit. "The crew has been extremely dedicated in its preparation and is ready for 4th Fleet tasking." The deployment of an LCS to the region aims to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to regional cooperation and security. The LCS's shallow draft provides unparalleled opportunities for port access, making the ship an ideal vessel for these types of engagements. Detroit will initially be manned by its crew of more than 100 Sailors, including a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment; and an aviation detachment, who will operate an embarked MH-60 helicopter. "The crew executed a very difficult training cycle," said Cmdr. Bruce Hallett, executive officer of Detroit. "They exceeded all expectations." LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. It is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SECNAV Outlines Naval Education Strategy, Prepares DON to Meet Evolving Warfighting Challenges US Navy - Press Release 23 June 2023 NEWPORT, R.I. (June 23, 2023) -- Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro released his Naval Education Strategy (NES) today, which provides guidance to modernize naval education to meet our Nation's security needs. The strategy provides the framework for the Department of the Navy (DON) to deliver more effective, efficient, and integrated naval education to the total force in support of President Biden's national security priorities and the National Defense Strategy (NDS). "Education is a critical warfighting enabler," said Secretary Del Toro. "We will continue to strengthen our Department's culture, policies, processes, talent management, and investments to reflect education's key role in force development." Secretary Del Toro outlined the NES during remarks at the Naval War College change of command ceremony, where Rear Adm. Peter A. Garvin relieved Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield as President. "Shoshana, I cannot thank you, and your husband, David, enough for your tireless efforts these past four years as you both dedicated your time and energy to supporting our War College family. The War College is a key component to developing our warfighters' intellectual edge to achieve warfighting advantage," said Secretary Del Toro. The Naval War College is part of the Naval University System (NUS), which is the primary way that the DON delivers education to its force. Other DON academic degree granting institutions include the United States Naval Academy (USNA), Marine Corps University, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and the United States Naval Community College (USNCC). The Naval Education Enterprise (NEE) consists of the NUS, Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; Flag Officer, General Officer, and executive education programs; Voluntary Education/Tuition Assistance (TA) programs, and other DON-funded scholarship, fellowship, and graduate education programs. The DON uses a combination of these programs and education delivery methods to form a continuum of learning that addresses the Service's unique requirements, and addresses the dynamic security environment's complex issues within curricula. The NES provides a framework to prioritize and invest in these programs and institutions. "Our naval education institutions are the primary way that we develop our warfighters' intellectual edge to achieve warfighting advantage. We must increase investments in our education institutions and training programs to ensure they fulfill that responsibility," said Secretary Del Toro. Sailors, Marines, and DON civilians at all levels are expected to contribute to the Department's culture of continuous learning, embrace opportunities to develop professionally, and seek opportunities to improve our combat readiness, Secretary Del Toro added. Download the full NES here. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigerian Police Warn of Possible Terror Attacks During Eid Celebrations By Timothy Obiezu June 23, 2023 Nigeria's state security service has warned the public of possible terrorist attacks on houses of worship ahead of the June 29 Islamic celebration of Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice. The Department of State Services says operations this week against armed men recovered improvised explosive devices, indicating plans to launch attacks before and during festivities. The security advisory was contained in a statement released by Nigeria's secret police Thursday evening. It's the first such warning by the Department of State Services, or DSS, since Nigerian President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May. The DSS said the warning was based on the intelligence and recovery this week of improvised explosive devices found during counterterrorism operations in the central Kogi and Nasarawa states near the capital. DSS officials said operatives killed a notorious gang leader and arrested a gun dealer during the raids Monday and early Thursday. Secret police spokesperson Peter Afunanya did not respond to requests for further comments, but retired DSS officer Mike Ejiofor said the threat should be taken seriously. "It's an advisory from the state security service for people to be on the watch out and, you know, such advisories are based on intelligence gathered or available to the service, so it's important that people are conscious of their environment," he said. The security agency said it will work with the military and police to disrupt the terrorists' plans. Security issues have created major problems for past administrations. Nigeria has been battling an insurgency that has lasted nearly 14 years, along with armed gangs who often kill or kidnap for ransom. Worship centers are often targets of terror attacks. During his inauguration on May 29, Tinubu promised his government will prioritize restoring security. Monday the president fired all service chiefs and the head of the police and appointed new ones. Ejiofor said it is a step in the right direction. "To me it was a very welcome development," he said. "Security is paramount, there's need for them to also meet immediately and start strategizing on methods of handling the security challenges in the country." In June 2022, heavily armed men invaded St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, a town in southwest Nigeria, and killed 41 worshippers. Authorities blamed the attack on the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. A month later, ISWAP claimed responsibility for a massive jail break near Abuja that freed hundreds of inmates including terrorism suspects. Security experts say threats of terror have increased since the incident. Kabir Raji, national youth secretary of the Nasrul-Lahi-il Fathi Society of Nigeria, a Muslim prayer group, said the society is already undertaking additional security measures at various mosques. "A meeting is going on on this now; the various zonal security secretaries have been engaged, security checks, inviting the police [and] the DSS to every worship center before the Eid, [and] during [the Eid], ensuring proper car parking, scanning machines and checks, we all have this in our various locations," Raji said. For now, many citizens will be more vigilant as they attend celebrations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dozens of Palestinians injured as settler violence rages on across West Bank Iran Press TV Saturday, 24 June 2023 2:36 AM Dozens of Palestinians are injured as illegal Israeli settlers continue waging unabated violence across the occupied West Bank under strict protection provided for the latter by the Israeli military. One Palestinian sustained a gunshot wound while many others suffered suffocation as the army-backed settlers tried to storm the city of Dayr Dibwan, east of the city of Ramallah, on Friday, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. The settlers "set fire at the [Dayr Dibwan's] entrance, but local youths, who were on alert, courageously confronted them, forcing them to retreat," the agency reported. The casualties were caused as the Israeli troops, who were accompanying the aggressors, attacked the Palestinians with live rounds and teargas canisters. "Elsewhere in Ramallah district, a few dozen settlers, under army protection, gathered at the western entrance of Beitin village, close to al-Bireh city, and pelted Palestinian vehicles passing nearby with stones, causing damage to them," the agency added. Another group of settlers hurled stones towards Palestinian-owned vehicles in the al-Fahs area, south of the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in the southern West Bank, smashing their windshields. The developments came a day after a group of settlers stormed the village of Urif south of the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The attackers then forced their way into a local mosque and vandalized it before ripping the pages of a copy of the Holy Qur'an and throwing it into the street. The act of desecration has prompted far-and-wide outrage across the Muslim world. More than a dozen Palestinians have also been killed in violence staged either by the Israeli military or armed Israeli settlers so far this week. The fatalities include a Palestinian male, who was killed on Wednesday when hundreds of the settlers went on a rampage across the village of Turmus Ayya in north-central West Bank. More than 700,000 Israelis live in 279 settlements built across the occupied West Bank since Tel Aviv's occupation of the territory in 1967. The international community regards the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions given that they have been constructed on occupied land. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russo-Ukraine War - 23 June 2023 - Day 485 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 summer 2022, the Russian Navy has invested in major enhancements to the security of the Black Sea Fleet's main base at Sevastopol. This includes at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals. Imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbour which highly likely contain bottle-nosed dolphins. In Arctic waters, the navy also uses Beluga whales and seals. Russia has trained animals for a range of missions, but the ones housed in Sevastopol harbour are highly likely intended to counter enemy divers. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, Russian occupants launched a missile and aviation strike on the territory of Ukraine, using 14 winged missiles -101 / 1-555, 3 drones "Shahed-136/131", as well as 4 aerial guided missiles from C-300 across Zaporozhye. By the forces and means of anti-aircraft defense of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 14 rockets and 2 drones were destroyed. Also the zenitnim missile unit of the air force was destroyed the Russian strike helicopter ka-52. In addition, the opponent lost 7 intelligence BpLA. Also Russian forces launched 51 aviation strikes, carried out about 50 shelling from the jet systems of our troops and settlements. Unfortunately, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure, civilians suffered. The probability of missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high. Russia continues to focus the main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivsky and Maryinsky directions, heavy battles continue. During the day, more than 27 conflicts took place. In the Volyn and Polish directions there is an operational environment without significant changes. The sign of the formation of progressive groups was not detected. On the grounds of the Republic of Belarus, combat preparation and arrangement of units of the Russian Federation are underway before they are sent to the areas of warfare on the territory of Ukraine. In the Siversky and Slobozhansky directions, Russia maintains a military presence in the border areas with Ukraine. Made air strikes in the area of pavlivki sumy region, gaty a and pltenivki kharkiv region. Carried out mortar and artillery shelling of the settlements of Karpovichi Chernihiv region; Middle-Buda, Shaligine, Popivka, Atinske, Iskriskivshchina, Volfine, Pavlivka, Obody, Kindrativka of Sumy region, as well as Guryiv Kozachok, Udi, Veterinary, Kozacha Lopan, Strilecha, Oliynikove, Neskucne, Ogirceve, Gatyshche, Vovchansk, Nesterne, Plten , Poplar trees in Kharkiv region. In the Kupyan direction, Russian forces committed unsuccessful offensive actions towards the Sinkivka of Kharkiv region. Artillery and mortar shelling of the opponent suffered Red First, Figolivka, Dvorichna, Western, Kupyansk, Masutyutivka, Kislivka, Berestove Kharkiv region. In the Lymans komu direction, Russian forces committed unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of bilogorivka. Gave aviation strikes in the areas of nevs kogo luhans kogo region and bilogorivka and sivers k kogo region. Artillery shelling was experienced by Nevsky, Belogorivka Luhansk region and Torsk, Serebryanka, Verkhnyokamyananske, Spirne, Rozdolivka Donetsk region. In the Bakhmut direction, Russian forces struck aviation in the areas of Khromove, Ivanivske, Pervomayske Donetsk region. From Russian artillery shelling was affected by vasyukivka, orikhovo-vasilivka, bohdanivka, chasiv yar, ivanivs ke, ozaryanivka, south, new york of the donetsk region. In the Avdiivka direction, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Northern, Avdiivka Donetsk region. Conducted air strikes in the areas of Novokalinovo, Ocheretinne, Nevelske, Avdiivka, Northern Donetsk region. Made artillery shelling of the areas of the settlements berdyci, avdiivka, tonen ke, karlivka, nevels ke donetsk region. In the Maryinsky direction, Russian forces carried out offensive actions towards Maryinka of the Donetsk region, and was unsuccessful. At the same time, carried out artillery shelling in the areas of populated areas of krasnogorivka, marinka, georgiyivka donetsk region. In the Shakhtarsky direction, Russian forces committed unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of Novomyhajlivki of Donetsk region. Conducted aviation strikes in the areas of Oleksiyivka and Blagodatne Donetsk region. He carried out shelling of the settlements of Paraskoviyivka, Novomykhajlivka, Blodatne Donetsk region. In the Zaporozhye and Kherson directions, Russia continues to lead defensive actions, focusing basic efforts on preventing the promotion of Ukrainain troops. Tried to recover the lost position in the area of Makarivka Donetsk region. Conducted air strikes in the areas of Zolota Niva, Storozheve, Makarivka of Donetsk region; Novodanilivka, Levadne, Orihiv, Stepnogirsk of Zaporizhzhia region; Antonivka of Kherson region. Carried out artillery shelling of settlements Vodyane, Ugledar, Novoocheretuvate, Makarivka, Free Field, Storozeve, Green Field, Novopil, Donetsk region; Novodarivka, Temirivka, Levadne, Malinivka, Gulyajpole, Gulyajpil ke, Charivne, Zaliznicne, Bilogirya, Novodanilivka, Omelnyk, Chervona Krynitsa, Preobrazhenka, Nuts, Yegorivka, Novoandriyivka, Provske Dnipropetrovsk region; Kachkarivka, Republican, Cossack, Shlyakhove, Burgunka, Golden Balka, Dudchany, Ivanivka, Molodizhne, Bilozerka, Romashkove, Antonivka, Zelenivka, Kherson, Zimivnik, Dniprovsk, Amber, Beregov, Giant Kherson region. Russian occupants continue to exploit the infrastructure of temporarily seized settlements to provide medical care to their wounded servicemen. In the settlement of ckalove zaporizhzhia region, in the territory of kindergarten, zagarbniki equipped a field hospital. The arrival of two trucks with medical equipment was recorded. The Defense Forces a day struck 10 strikes in the areas of concentration of the Russian forces' personel composition. During the day, missile and artillery units hit 4 areas of focus of personnel and military equipment, 12 artillery units at fire positions, 2 RF and 1 air defence device. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian Armed Forces have launched a long-range air-based high-precision weaponry strike against AFU missile storages, including foreign-manufactured ones. The goals of the strike have been reached. All the assigned targets have been neutralised. The most active AFU offensive attempts were in South Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Donetsk directions. In South Donetsk direction, as a result of competent and self-sacrificing actions of the Vostok Group of Forces units, aviation and artillery, three attacks by AFU combined units have been repelled close to Vremevka salient. In Pologi tactical direction, the activities of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been disrupted close to Marfopol (Zaporozhye Region). The enemy losses were over 130 Ukrainian servicemen, five tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, three armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, two D-20 howitzers, and Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system. In Donetsk direction, the active actions of the Yug Group of Forces have successfully repelled four enemy attacks close to Pervomayskoye, Berdychi and Maryinka (Donetsk People's Republic). The enemy losses were over 90 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, three pickup trucks, D-20 and Msta-B howitzers. One ammunition depot of the AFU 118th Territorial Defence Brigade has been destroyed near Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic). In Kupyansk direction, as a result of the attacks launched by Army Aviation and artillery, as well as the active operations of the Zapad Group of Forces, the enemy has lost up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles and Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system. In addition, the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been disrupted close to Timkovka (Kharkov region). In Krasny Liman direction, aviation and artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces have hit enemy units near Ploshchanka (Lugansk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry. The activities of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been disrupted close to Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic). The enemy losses were up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured fighting vehicles, two pickup trucks, two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers. In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were over 40 Ukrainian servicemen, four motor vehicles and one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system. Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 93 AFU artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware in 102 areas. Air defence facilities have intercepted four Tochka-U tactical missiles, as well as 15 HIMARS multiple-laucnh rocket system projectiles and U.S.-manufactured JDAM guided aerial bombs. In addition, 11 Ukrainian drones have been destroyed close to Spornoye, Lipovoye, Krasnaya Polyana (Donetsk People's Republic), Akimovka and Kopani (Zaporozhye region). In total, 444 airplanes, 240 helicopters, 4,751 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,297 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,129 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,204 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,126 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Justice Department Announces Charges Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Arrests of Executives in Fentanyl Manufacturing Friday, June 23, 2023 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Four China-Based Precursor Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Eight Executives and Employees Charged in Global Supply Chain Disruption The Justice Department today announced the arrest of two individuals and the unsealing of three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. These indictments represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States. Specifically, the indictments allege the defendants knowingly manufactured, marketed, sold, and supplied precursor chemicals for fentanyl production in the United States in violation of federal law. During these investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses to kill 25 million Americans. Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl and its analogues have devastated communities across the United States and are fueling the ongoing overdose epidemic, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated killed approximately 110,000 Americans in 2022. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. Fentanyl analogues, similar in chemical makeup and effect to fentanyl, can be even more potent and lethal than fentanyl. "When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "I also promised that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it. That includes not only going after the leaders of the Cartels, their drug and gun traffickers, their money launderers, security forces, and clandestine lab operators. It also includes stopping the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl." "Today's announcement is a down payment on our pledge to use every tool in the government's arsenal, in every corner of the globe, to protect American communities," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. "The Justice Department will not rest or relent in investigating and prosecuting every link of the fentanyl supply chain, including the PRC companies and executives who produce and export vast quantities of the precursor chemicals the drug cartels need to peddle their poison. There can be no safe haven." "Today's announcement is a considerable step forward in our unrelenting fight against fentanyl, targeting the threat where it starts," said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. "These companies and individuals are alleged to have knowingly supplied drug traffickers, in the United States and Mexico, with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl - a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. Targeting entire criminal drug networks, from the source of supply to the last mile of distribution, is critical to saving American lives. DEA will not stop until this crisis ends." Southern District of New York An indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York charging the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. Ltd., aka AmarvelBio, (Amarvel Biotech), as well as its executives and employees Qingzhou Wang, 35, aka Bruce (Wang); Yiyi Chen, 31, aka Chiron (Chen); and Fnu Lnu, aka Er Yang and Anita (Yang), with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses. Wang and Chen, both nationals of China, were expelled from Fiji on June 8, arrested by the DEA, and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter in Honolulu federal court on June 9. Wang and Chen were ordered detained in Honolulu and will appear in Manhattan federal court following their arrival in the Southern District of New York. Yang, also a national of China, is at large. "The indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York is the next step in our fight against fentanyl," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. "Today, we target the very beginning of the fentanyl supply chain: the Chinese manufacturers of the raw chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. We've charged a Chinese precursor chemical company. And that's not all. We've charged and arrested some of the individuals who work at the company. That includes a corporate executive and a marketing manager. They're in American handcuffs. And they're going to face justice in an American courtroom." According to the allegations contained in the indictment and other court filings, Amarvel Biotech is a chemical manufacturer based in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, China, that has exported vast quantities of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl and its analogues. Amarvel Biotech has openly advertised online its shipment of fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States and to Mexico, where drug cartels operate clandestine laboratories, synthesize finished fentanyl at scale, and distribute the deadly fentanyl into and throughout the United States. Through its website and a host of other storefront sites, Amarvel Biotech has targeted precursor chemical customers in Mexico, including by advertising fentanyl precursors as a "Mexico hot sale;" guaranteeing "100% stealth shipping" abroad; and posting to its websites documentation of Amarvel Biotech shipping chemicals to Culiacan, Mexico, the home city of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the dominant drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere and which is largely responsible for the massive influx of fentanyl into the United States in recent years. Amarvel Biotech has also endeavored to thwart law enforcement interdiction of its precursor chemical shipments. Amarvel Biotech has advertised, for example, the company's ability to use deceptive packaging - such as packaging indicating the contents are dog food, nuts, or motor oil - to ensure "safe" delivery to the United States and Mexico. Over the past eight months, during an undercover investigation by the DEA, Amarvel Biotech and its principal executive, Wang, its marketing manager, Chen, and its sales representative, Yang, shipped more than 200 kilograms from China to the United States of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl and its analogues. Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang shipped the precursors to the United States intending that the chemicals would be used to produce fentanyl and its analogues in New York, and they agreed to continue supplying multi-ton shipments of fentanyl precursors despite being told that Americans had died after consuming fentanyl made from the chemicals that the defendants had sold. For example, on or about Nov. 17, 2022, a DEA confidential source (CS-1) wrote to Yang using an encrypted messaging application, "You know I making fentanyl," and "Is not safe." Yang replied, "I know." On or about Dec. 1, 2022, Yang wrote to CS-1, promising that CS-1 would be "happy with our product" and noting that CS-1 would "be able to synthesize fentanyl." In exchange for payment in cryptocurrency, Amarvel Biotech thereafter shipped from China to New York approximately 999.7 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-AP, approximately 1,002.6 grams of the fentanyl precursor 1-boc-4-piperidone, and approximately 893.6 grams of the methamphetamine precursor methylamine. In or about March 2023, Wang and Chen met in person with an individual whom CS-1 represented was CS-1's boss but was in fact another DEA confidential source (CS-2). During the meeting, Wang and Chen discussed Amarvel Biotech's ability to supply ton-quantities of fentanyl precursors to New York for CS-1 and CS-2's fentanyl manufacturing operation. After CS-2 stated that CS-2 wanted a different formula for manufacturing fentanyl and that several of CS-2's American customers had purportedly died, Wang and Chen advised they had "a lot of customers in America and Mexico" who could provide technical assistance with fentanyl production. After March 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang agreed to sell CS-1 and CS-2 approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors in exchange for payment in cryptocurrency. During an April 10 video call with Wang and Chen, CS-2 stated that the approximately 210 kilograms of fentanyl precursors would be used to manufacture approximately 50 to 55 kilograms of fentanyl - an amount that, as noted above, could contain approximately 25 million deadly doses. In or about May 2023, Amarvel Biotech, Wang, Chen, and Yang sent to the United States the shipment ordered by CS-1 and CS-2. On or about May 5, the DEA retrieved the precursor shipment from a warehouse near Los Angeles. Lab testing confirmed the presence of a precursor chemical for a fentanyl analogue. In an encrypted messaging group chat with CS-1, CS-2, Wang, and Chen, Yang explained that "New York, the United States, has been strict in checking the precursors of the 'final product' some time ago, so for the sake of safety, this time it is sent to California." In or about June 2023, Wang and Chen met again with CS-2. During the meeting, Wang and Chen discussed with CS-2 a multi-ton order of fentanyl precursor chemicals. Wang and Chen also discussed the need to take additional measures to protect themselves from detection and interdiction of their shipments "because recently American government . . . seized some Mexican group and they followed the routes to China," where the U.S. Government found "our competitor in China" - an apparent reference to fentanyl-related charges filed in the Southern District of New York and announced in April 2023 against, among others, leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and certain China-based precursor chemical company executives. DEA's Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from the DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Wellington Country Office, DEA Beijing Country Office, DEA Honolulu District Office, DEA New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), DEA Riverside District Office, DEA Special Testing Laboratory, the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau, the Fiji Police Force Narcotic Bureau, the Fiji Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii. The Southern District of New York's Office's National Security and International Narcotics Unit is prosecuting the case. Eastern District of New York Two indictments were unsealed in the Eastern District of New York that detail criminal conspiracies by companies and employees based in China to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the United States. The first indictment charges Anhui Rencheng Technology Co. (Rencheng) Ltd.; Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co.; Shutong Wang; and Shifang Ruan, aka Eva, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, and other related offenses. In addition, the indictment charges those same defendants, as well as Xinyu Zhao, aka Sarah, and Yue Gao, aka Ellie, with illegally concealing their activities, including through customs fraud and introducing misbranded drugs into the U.S. marketplace. The indictment also charges Rencheng, Wang, and Ruan with conspiracy to distribute butonitazene, a controlled substance. The second indictment charges Hefei GSK Trade Co. Ltd, aka Hebei Gesuke Trading Co. Ltd. and Hebei Sinaloa Trading Co. Ltd.; and Ruiqing Li with similar offenses, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute a List I chemical, distribution of a List I chemical, customs fraud conspiracy, introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, and distribution of metonitazene, a controlled substance. "As alleged, the defendants knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico, even providing advice on how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug which inflicts untold tragedy in New York City, Long Island, and across the nation," said U.S Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. "This prosecution shows that the companies and individuals who fuel our nation's deadly opioid epidemic - wherever they are located - will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law." As alleged in the indictments, the defendant companies supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, among other places, knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl. The defendant companies openly advertised their products all over the world, including to the United States and Mexico, on social media platforms. They also sent their chemical products to the United States and Mexico by boat and by air, using public and private international mail and package carriers. To prevent detection and interception of chemical products at the borders, the defendant companies employed deceptive and fraudulent practices, such as mislabeling packages, falsifying customs forms, and making false declarations at border crossings. The chemicals distributed by the defendants included all the materials necessary to manufacture fentanyl via the most common pathways. The defendant companies attempted to obfuscate their distribution of fentanyl precursors by adding "masking" molecules, which slightly alter the chemical signature of the underlying precursor chemicals. By changing the chemical signature, an altered substance could evade testing protocols and relevant regulations by appearing to be a new substance. Such masking molecules are easily removed, thus enabling the purchaser to return the substance to its original form as a fentanyl precursor. The defendant companies not only produced and distributed masked precursors, but also provided instructions about how to remove the masking molecules upon receipt, thus helping their customers to more effectively obtain banned precursors and produce fentanyl. The defendants also gave instructions on how to improve fentanyl yield and advice on which chemicals to buy to replace banned precursor products. Mexican drug trafficking organizations, including but not limited to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), have increasingly availed themselves of the fentanyl precursors and masked fentanyl precursors developed and distributed by the defendant companies and companies like them. The chemicals provided by the defendant companies have enabled such cartels and other drug trafficking organizations to produce fentanyl in clandestine laboratories in Mexico on a massive scale, for subsequent distribution in the United States and elsewhere. The materials and instructions provided by the defendant companies and companies like them have directly caused and contributed to the influx of deadly fentanyl into the United States. DEA New York, DEA Mexico, DEA Diversion Control Division, DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory, U.S. Customs and Border Protection New York Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation New York Division, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York investigated the case. The New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided assistance on the case. The Eastern District of New York's Office's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section is prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Attachments: edny_unsealed_23-cr-263_anhi_moker_new_marketing_tech._co_et_al_indictment.pdf [PDF, 5 MB] edny_unsealed_23-cr-264_hefei_gsk_trade_co_ltd._et_al_indictment.pdf [PDF, 5 MB] sdny_unsealed_2023.06.22_amarvel_biotech_indictment_stamped_redacted.pdf [PDF, 11 MB] Topics: Opioids Drug Trafficking Components: Office of the Attorney General Criminal - Office of International Affairs Office of the Deputy Attorney General USAO - New York, Eastern USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 23-697 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks on Charges Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Arrests of Executives in Fentanyl Manufacturing Friday, June 23, 2023 Location Washington, DC United States Remarks as Delivered Good afternoon. I am joined today by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace. When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic. I also promised that we would never stop working to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for it. That includes not only going after the leaders of the cartels, their drug and gun traffickers, their money launderers, security forces, and clandestine lab operators. It also includes stopping the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl. We are targeting every step of the movement, manufacturing, and sale of fentanyl - from start to finish. To that end, we are announcing several enforcement actions the Justice Department has taken to disrupt the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to Mexico and the United States. In three separate indictments, we have charged - for the first time ever - four chemical companies based in China and eight Chinese nationals for the trafficking of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States. These companies and their employees knowingly conspired to manufacture deadly fentanyl for distribution in the United States. As alleged in our filings, just one of these China-based chemical companies shipped more 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals to the U.S. for the purpose of making 50 kilograms of fentanyl - a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses of fentanyl to kill 25 million Americans. First, as outlined in the indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York, we have brought charges against a China-based manufacturer and supplier of fentanyl precursor chemicals, its principal executive, and two of its employees for their role in international fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. As outlined in the indictment, we allege that the defendants openly advertised the sale of fentanyl precursors online and sought to evade law enforcement detection by using deceptive packaging. They went as far as to guarantee "100% stealth shipping." And they provided proof of their success on their websites -including a screenshot of a shipping confirmation to Culiacan, Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel's base of operations. The indictment also details correspondence and in-person meetings between the defendants and an individual purporting to be a fentanyl trafficker in Mexico with operations in the U.S. In one message, one of the defendants responded to the admission that the chemicals were being used to make fentanyl, and that it was not safe, with: "I know." In another conversation - which took place earlier this month - two of the defendants allegedly discussed the need to take additional measures to protect themselves from detection and interdiction following a recent enforcement action by the U.S. government. This was an apparent reference to the charges I announced against members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel in April. One of the defendants indicated that the U.S. government had "seized some Mexican group" and "followed the routes to China" - which was "bad news for us." Over the past eight months, the defendants are alleged to have shipped more than 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursor chemicals to the U.S. in order to make 50 kilograms of fentanyl. As I said, this is a quantity that could contain enough deadly doses of fentanyl to kill 25 million Americans. What the defendants did not know at the time is that the purported traffickers they were dealing with were in fact DEA confidential sources. And the 200 kilograms of fentanyl-related precursors they shipped to the U.S. were received by DEA agents. Two of the defendants - the principal executive of the chemical company and one of its employees - have been arrested by federal law enforcement. Additionally, in two separate indictments in the Eastern District of New York, we have charged three other companies based in China and five of their employees with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. As alleged in the indictments, each of these companies also supplies precursor chemicals to the U.S. and Mexico, among other places, knowing they will be used to produce fentanyl or other controlled substances. Like the company charged in the Southern District of New York, all three of these companies openly advertise their products all over the world and guarantee that the products they send to the U.S. and Mexico will not be detected or intercepted. To fulfill this guarantee, they likewise employ deceptive and fraudulent practices such as mislabeling packages and making false declarations at border crossings. But these companies also went a step further to evade testing protocols and relevant regulations: they added what are known as "masking" molecules to their fentanyl precursor chemicals. Once these masking molecules are added, the chemical signature of the precursor is changed. That means, when it is shipped, it appears to be a new, non-fentanyl precursor substance. Upon receipt of the shipment, however, the purchaser is able to easily remove the masking molecules and return the chemical to its original form as a fentanyl precursor. As alleged in the indictment, these companies not only produced and distributed masked precursors, but also provided instructions about how to remove the masking molecules upon receipt. The actions we are announcing today should make clear that the U.S. Justice Department is accelerating our efforts to disrupt the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl at every stage and in every part of the world. Our agents and prosecutors are working relentlessly to get fentanyl out of our communities and hold accountable those who put it there. In 2022, the DEA - together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners - seized more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills. That is more than double the amount seized in 2021. The DEA has also seized more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. Together, these seizures represent more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl. That much fentanyl could kill every single American. We are also putting our resources to work to confront the public health challenges of addiction and substance abuse by supporting prevention and treatment programs. The U.S. government continues to do everything in our power to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and prevent more of our communities from being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. We also continue to strongly urge the PRC government to take decisive action to address the role that China-based chemical and pharmaceutical companies play in fentanyl drug production and trafficking. We stand ready to work together to address this global challenge. I want to thank the DEA agents for the extraordinary work that they did on these cases and for the difficult work they do every day to protect our communities from deadly drugs. I am also grateful to the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and to the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. I will now turn the podium over to Deputy Attorney General Monaco. Speaker: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Topics: Opioids Drug Trafficking Component: Office of the Attorney General NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Delivers Remarks on Charges Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Arrests of Executives in Fentanyl Manufacturing Friday, June 23, 2023 Location Washington, DC United States Remarks as Delivered Thank you, Mr. Attorney General. Two months ago, the Attorney General and I pledged to employ every tool in the government's arsenal, at every stage of the fentanyl supply chain, in every part of the globe, to protect American communities. Today's announcement is a down payment on that pledge. It breaks new ground by attacking the fentanyl supply chain at its origin: for the first time we are charging Chinese chemical companies and their employees for conspiring to manufacture and export fentanyl precursor chemicals and circumvent customs laws. Fentanyl poses a singular threat not only because the smallest of doses can be lethal but also because fentanyl does not occur in natureait is entirely man-made, and in potentially limitless supply. So, with our partners across government and across the globe, the Department of Justice is working relentlessly to dismantle the global supply-and-delivery chain that floods fentanyl into American communities. The fentanyl supply chain all too often begins in China, where the chemical ingredients for fentanyl are produced and exported by the ton. We allege the Chinese chemical companies charged today combined scientific know-how with deception to circumvent customs barriers and ship precursors onto our shores and Mexico's. The cartels use those ingredients to manufacture fentanyl, which they then push into our communitiesausing social media to market pills and cryptocurrency to launder profits. Today's charges make clear that those who feed the fentanyl supply chain cannot hide behind the faAade of legitimate business. When companies and employeesaincluding those in the c-suiteaknowingly fuel the fentanyl crisis, they will be held to account. We will expose them as drug traffickers. So, let me be clear: the Justice Department will not rest or relent in investigating and prosecuting every link of the fentanyl supply chain, in every corner of the globe. There can be no safe haven. As we have seen in our efforts to combat terrorism and cybercrime, we do more when we move together. That's why continued collaboration with Mexico is crucialaand why we have dedicated more resources to support Mexico's frontline fentanyl prosecutors. And that's why we're strengthening our efforts to stem the southbound flow of illicit, high-powered firearms across our southern borderafirearms that fuel violence in Mexico and empower cartels to expand their deadly drug trade back into the United States. And that's why we will continue to call on the Chinese government to hold PRC companies accountable for the global harm they are causing. As today's charges allege, those charged knew that they were breaking Chinese lawaas well as our own. More broadly, compelling evidence shows that PRC companies are selling vast quantities of precursor chemicals to the drug cartels. The United States has urged the PRC to address the serious problem of illicit synthetic drug production and trafficking. We renew that call today. This is a global problem that demands a global solution. Finally, I want to say a word about the role of social media. In these indictments, the precursor sellers brazenly advertised on social media platforms. The Department has encouraged social media platforms to enforce their terms of service and remove this content. We have encouraged social media platforms to work with us to address this public safety emergency. We will continue to work with these companies so that they can better police their own platforms until they no longer serve as superhighways of drug trafficking. Several major platforms are now working productively with us on this, and we urge those who are not to join the fight. Today's actions are the result of the hard work of the women and men of the DEA, and the tenacious prosecutors from the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. It is a privilege to work with them. Let me now turn to the DEA Administrator to offer some more details on this investigation. Speaker: Lisa O. Monaco, Deputy Attorney General Topics: Opioids Drug Trafficking Component: Office of the Deputy Attorney General NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Belizean Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay Opening Remarks at the Anniversary Ministerial of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection US Department of State Remarks Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State World Bank Washington, DC June 23, 2023 UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA: Good afternoon, all, and thank you for joining this ministerial meeting to mark the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. I'm Uzra Zeya, under secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the U.S. Department of State, and I have the distinct pleasure of serving as the master of ceremonies for today's important discussion. We're eager to hear from you - foreign ministers, ambassadors, and distinguished representatives of endorsing countries - about your governments' accomplishments under the Los Angeles Declaration and new commitments for the year ahead. I'd like to extend a particular thanks to Foreign Minister Courtenay and the Government of Belize for joining the United States in co-hosting today's meeting. I'd also like to thank the World Bank for their generosity in allowing us to use this beautiful space. Lastly, I'm delighted to see that we're joined by so many of our partners from international organizations, multilateral development banks, and civil society organizations. We look forward to hearing from all of you as well. Now we have a very full program today and we will be counting on all of our partners here to help us stay on schedule. So without further ado, I'd like to invite United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to proceed with his opening remarks. SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you very much, Uzra. It's so wonderful to see all of our colleagues here today, especially in this magnificent space. Eamon, thank you for bringing us together. We couldn't be more pleased, and I really, really want to share first of all that this entire effort has sought to bring all of us together in common cause and common purpose, and I think we've made a very good start at that. So thank you to all of our partners from the region, thank you to the World Bank, thank you to its new president, Ajay Banga. We're delighted to be working with the president. And of course, my friend and colleague, Secretary Mayorkas. So one year ago, we came together and endorsed the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration Protection. And in so doing, our countries made a historic commitment to transform our region's approach to migration and to displacement. You all know we have a 100 million people on the move around the world, forcibly displaced from their homes, and in our own hemisphere about 20 million. That's the definition of a challenge that no one country can bear or solve alone, and we all joined this declaration so that none of us has to solve it alone. We are bound together and in this together. Our governments - together with civil society, with the private sector, with humanitarian organizations, and groups like the Organization of American States, the International Organization for Migration - we have been working to transform the declaration's principles into real action. Together, we are working to make migration safer, more orderly, more humane, while strengthening international protections and taking action against smugglers and criminal gangs. And in so doing, we're improving the lives of millions of migrants, of refugees, of stateless people, other forcibly displaced peoples, as well as citizens and host communities throughout our hemisphere. Let me just cite a few of the ways in which we are partnering together. First, we're building the capacity of host governments and communities to promote integration and inclusion by providing security, fundamental services like medical care and shelter, job opportunities to migrants and refugees. The key to unlocking these services is legal status. So we're helping governments regularize migrants - including in Ecuador and Peru, which will eventually provide legal status to over one million Venezuelans between them - and supporting similar programs in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica that will allow migrants to work, to study, to access public services, while contributing to their new communities. Second, we're working with our partners to significantly expand access to legal pathways for migration and international protection. This month, the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia came together to launch the initial phase of the Safe Mobility - or Movilidad Segura - initiative, which is improving access to refugee resettlement and other lawful pathways in the United States and other countries, including Canada and Spain. This program, as you know, provides screening and referral information to migrants and refugees where they are, so they aren't forced to undertake the dangerous journey or put their lives in the hands of smugglers and organized criminal groups. We look forward to ramping up these efforts and working with additional countries to set up Safe Mobility Offices in the region. We're committed to expanding other legal pathways, building on the success of initiatives like the innovative parole process that we've put in place for those migrating from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. We're working with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to match qualified workers to temporary job opportunities in the United States, and we hope to roll out similar efforts with other countries very soon. And we're partnering with Mexico to increase opportunities for temporary workers to come to the United States while strengthening protections, including safe working conditions and fair recruitment processes, for those workers. Third, we're working with government and civil society partners to counter migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Nowhere in the region is this more important than in the DariAn, one of the most perilous irregular migration corridors on our planet. We're surging support to Colombia and Panama to enhance security, to crack down on trafficking. And we're leading efforts to train and support partners on the ground. These efforts are working: just in the first month of our partnership, irregular migration in the DariAn has dropped by 50 percent. And fourth, to reduce irregular migration, we all know that we have to address its root causes. We're working toward a future where, as the L.A. Declaration states, migration is a voluntary, informed choice, and not seen by migrants as a necessity. Over the last two years, we've provided more than $2.4 billion in humanitarian assistance across the Western Hemisphere, which itself is helping to save lives, alleviate suffering, and also help people on the move as well as their host communities. We're working to mobilize resources outside of government - and this is critical as well - including with more than $4.2 billion in private sector commitments that Vice President Harris helped to secure for northern Central America. And we continue to work to address drivers of migration like corruption, erosion of the rule of law, gender-based violence, and crises of government. And we discussed some of these very issues a little bit earlier today at the OAS. We've developed these initiatives in close cooperation with partners in the region using our shared experience, using shared lessons learned over the last decade. And we know that other governments here have found additional ways to address the needs of migrants and host communities. We urge all to share their experience and ideas with others endorsing - endorsing countries of the L.A. Declaration. I think we all know very well that mass migration is going to be a long-term phenomenon in the Americas. And again, we can best address this by working together. This collective commitment and the concrete efforts that follow from that commitment are making a difference. Over the next year, it is critical that we keep up the momentum, that we continue the work we're doing, and also look for new opportunities for collaboration. That includes on climate-related migration, which we know is a key driver in our hemisphere. This week the United States announced a new approach to address the impacts of climate change on migration and on displacement, focusing on protecting the vulnerable and enhancing our partnership with humanitarian partners and governments. And we're strongly supporting incorporating addendum on climate change to the Los Angeles Declaration itself. We're also focused on boosting regional cooperation on statelessness, which we can combat by expanding access to birth registration, strengthening awareness of stateless populations, eliminating discrimination in nationality laws. As President Biden said last year, it is going to take all of our countries working together in partnership to effectively address migration. Today and over the next year and in the years to come, it's our determination to build on our progress, to address the shared migration displacement challenge, and to advance better, more secure, more hopeful futures for all of our citizens. I'm so grateful for all of the collaboration we've had and the commitment to keep this going. Thank you. Uzra? UNDER SECRETARY ZEYA: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And now I hand the floor to Foreign Minister Courtenay. FOREIGN MINISTER COURTENAY: Uzra, thank you very much. Tony, Alejandro, colleague foreign ministers, heads of delegation, ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor for Belize to join the United States in cohosting this very important dialogue this afternoon. And I want to thank you all for joining us to celebrate the first anniversary of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. It is important for us to come together to engage in constructive dialogue concerning the issue of irregular migration in our region, to review the progress that we have made on our shared commitments, and to work towards developing long-term comprehensive migration policies. The Los Angeles Declaration emphasize our commitment to work collaboratively to protect the dignity, life, and human rights of all migrants, regardless of migratory status. Excellencies, it is in this vein that we open this dialogue with the intent to embrace every opportunity to improve the regional governance of migration and address the challenges associated with today's migration. This requires a comprehensive and collaborative response from both national and regional actors. The flow of undocumented migrants across the region continues to increase and accelerate. Early data for 2023 highlights that between January and March, approximately 87,390 people on their way to the U.S. made the trek across the DariAn Gap, the most perilous - one of the most perilous walks on Earth. Organized crime, corruption, and countries' limited capacity to provide basic services have all contributed to an escalation of violence and insecurity, leading to an increased trend of forced displacement. It is therefore essential to recognize that migration is not merely a statistical trend, it is the movement of real people with rights, aspirations, and dreams. Respecting human rights in the context of migration is not just a moral imperative, but also a legal obligation under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments. It is crucial that we all uphold these rights for all migrants irrespective of their country of origin or destination. The Americas has made significant progress, as mentioned by you, Tony, in recognizing and protecting the rights of migrants. However, despite these positive steps, challenges remain. Migrants in the Americas continue to face obstacles that impede their access to justice, education, health care, and decent work. Discrimination, xenophobia, and human trafficking are persistent problems that demand our attention and collective action. It is our duty to address these issues and work towards more inclusive and equitable societies. To effectively address the challenges associated with migration and promote the respect for human rights, a multifaceted approach is needed. Firstly, countries in the Americas must strengthen their legal frameworks and policies, dismantle criminal networks, and ensure the protection of migrants' rights. This involves enacting comprehensive migration laws that align with international rights and standards, establishing transparent and efficient asylum procedures, and combating human trafficking and smuggling through enhanced cooperation and protection. We must continue to foster partnership between governments, civil society organizations, and international organizations to develop comprehensive and humane approaches to migration. Sharing best practices, exchanging information, and coordinating efforts can lead to more effective policies that protect human rights and promote social integration. Secondly, regional cooperation and dialogue like today's encounter are essential for addressing migration-related issues. Colleagues, let us stand together in our commitment to a future where the Americas can serve as an example with migration policies that create an environment where migration becomes a force for development and more inclusive and just societies. It is imperative that the Los Angeles Declaration recognize the intersection of migration and climate change. This is why Belize firmly supports a decision to work on an addendum to the declaration focused on addressing climate change migration. Climate change threatens the very existence of small island developing states and low-lying coastal regions. This is why at COP28 we expect to see ambitious climate action - emissions reduction, climate financing, and the operationalization of the new financing facility for loss and damage. The movement of climate change migrants necessitates a holistic approach to protect those seeking refuge from environmental harm. We must focus on the rights and well-being of affected individuals. Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, by recognizing and harnessing the potential of migrants, we can drive innovation, fill labor market gaps, and stimulate economic growth. It is crucial to adopt inclusive policies, invest in education and skills development, and foster international cooperation to create an environment where migration can be a force for positive change and shared prosperity. Let us build bridges instead of walls and create an environment that respects and celebrates our shared humanity. In closing, allow me to reiterate that Belize is ready and willing to continue working with you and our regional and international partners to find viable solutions and address the most tragic consequences of migration while upholding its human rights obligations. I thank you all and I look forward to a constructive and fruitful dialogue. Thank you so much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Army's 7th Brigade training with partner nations in Townsville 23 June 2023 7th Brigade's Pacific family and partners have descended on Townsville's Field Training Area for a series of training activities under Exercise Diamond Strike 23, between 22 June and 15 July. The training will include a series of combined arms activities that will integrate different teams, capabilities and technologies from the military forces of Tonga, France, Fiji, the United States and Japan. Commander 7th Brigade, Brigadier Michael Say, DSC, outlined the benefits the activities would deliver to regional partners. "This series of warfighting exercises enables Army to integrate with our allies, partners and Pacific family into our combined arms organisation," said Brigadier Say. "It demonstrates that we are committed to assisting our partners not only through disaster relief, but into our security response planning as well." One of these key activities is Exercise Southern Jackaroo, which is a trilateral activity between the Australian Defence Force (ADF), the United States Marine Rotational Force - Darwin (MRF-D) and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Japan's Army AttachA to Australia, Colonel Yosuke Ota, said Exercise Southern Jackaroo contributed to Japan's vision of a 'free and open Indo-Pacific'. "Exercises such as these improve the interoperability between our nations and strengthen our deterrence and response capabilities," said Colonel Ota. "Through Exercise Southern Jackaroo, we will deepen cooperation and coordination to enable a peaceful and stable region." The Commanding Officer of MRF-D, Colonel Brendan Sullivan, also noted the benefits of these activities. "Conducting synchronised fire and manoeuvre with Australian and Japanese allies increases our combined posture to respond to crisis and contingency in the region," said Colonel Sullivan. "Exercise Southern Jackaroo is an excellent opportunity to increase lethality by rehearsing combined warfighting tactics with a focus on small-unit leadership." The exercise will also include lift and strike aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force and MV-22 Ospreys from MRF-D. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Premier Li emphasizes cooperation potential with France, Germany, as visit stabilizes China-EU relations Global Times By Wang Jiamei Published: Jun 23, 2023 05:29 PM As Chinese Premier Li Qiang is to wrap up his first overseas visit to the EU since taking office, experts said on Friday that the trip saw Li repeatedly stress the potential of China-EU cooperation and pledge that China will continue to open up and improve its business environment, demonstrating the importance China attaches to the European market and the intention to dispel misunderstanding and strengthen economic ties with the two major European countries amid the "de-risking" rhetoric. China is willing to work with France to uphold mutual benefit, continuously improve the business environment, expand cooperation in emerging areas, and push pragmatic cooperation between the two countries to a new level, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday when meeting French President Emmanuel Macron. Also on Thursday, Li told President of the European Council Charles Michel that China stands ready to work with the EU to strengthen cooperation in green, economic, trade and digital fields, so as to open up new space for the development of China-EU relations. Li also called on the EU to view its cooperation with China in an objective and rational way and work with China to safeguard the sound environment surrounding China-EU practical cooperation. Conveying warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Macron, Li said that during the French president's successful visit to China not long ago, Macron and Xi had had in-depth exchanges and reached a series of strategic consensus, which have drawn a blueprint for the development of China-France relations, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The Chinese premier said his visit to France aims to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to have in-depth discussions with the French side on strengthening China-France cooperation. While deepening cooperation in such traditional areas as nuclear energy, space and aviation, China, France, and Europe should also tap the potential of cooperation in such emerging areas as environmental protection, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing, so as to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li noted. Macron welcomed Li's visit to France and his attendance of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, noting that France attaches great importance to relations with China and adheres to the one-China policy. Li's visit to France comes after Macron's productive state visit to China in April, which observers said highlights a high level of mutual respect that is built on stable political trust between China and France. During his meeting with Michel on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, Li said China's development brings opportunities rather than risks to the world, encourages stability rather than creating shocks to global industrial and supply chains. There is no conflict of fundamental interests between China and the EU, and both sides have benefited from each other's development, adhered to strategic autonomy and multilateralism, and had broad consensus on climate change and other global issues. Michel said China's development is beneficial to the EU and the world. The EU has no intention to contain China's development, opposes a "new cold war" and the act of taking sides, and hopes that the next EU-China summit will lead to positive results. Li also exchanged views with Macron and Michel on the Ukraine crisis and other international issues of common concern. Economic cooperation the main theme Strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU has become a main focus of Li's visit. During his visit to Germany, Li chaired the seventh China-Germany intergovernmental consultation together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attended the China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum and a round table for Chinese and German entrepreneurs, met with representatives from German industrial and business communities, and visited German companies in Bavaria. China and Germany should become partners in green development, strengthen communication and coordination on green and environmental issues, promote green energy technology development and industrial technology upgrading, and deepen cooperation in such fields as new-energy vehicles, green finance, and third-party markets, Li said. Germany rejects all forms of "decoupling," and "de-risking" is not "de-sinicization," said Scholz. When meeting with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Li pointed out that China is willing to work with France to promote the balanced development of bilateral trade, adhere to mutual benefit and reciprocity, expand market access, make the "pie of common interests" bigger, and promote practical cooperation to reach a new level. Overall, Li's visit to France and Germany reflects the importance and complexity of China-EU relations. Germany and France are the EU's two most important economies, therefore their pragmatic cooperation with China will, to some extent, help stabilize the direction of China-EU economic ties, Chinese experts said. Li's visit comes at a crucial juncture as China-EU relations are now at a crossroads and Washington has been roping in its European allies in "decoupling" from China, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times. Li's emphasis on cooperation is a reminder for European countries not to be carried away by the so-called de-risking rhetoric, but to look ahead for more development opportunities, said Cui. It is true that under the constant pressure from the US on its China policy, China-EU relations have experienced some fluctuations recently. On Tuesday, the European Commission unveiled a European Economic Security Strategy, which focuses on "minimizing risks" arising from certain economic flows in the context of rising geopolitical tensions. Hawks in the EU have tried to use "de-risking" as a disguise for their "de-coupling" push, which will have a significant negative impact on China-EU trade and economic cooperation, according to Chen Jia, an independent analyst focused on global strategy. Under such circumstances, it is of great significance for the Chinese premier to reiterate and remind European leaders that China will continue to deepen its reform and opening-up, in a sign to hit back those geopolitical Cold War noises and reactivate calls for pragmatic cooperation, Chen noted. Therefore, it is now the crucial moment to consolidate our traditional friendship and strengthen the ballast effect of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Chen told the Global Times on Friday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China set to promote deeper cooperation with Pakistan under BRI and CPEC: Chinese Premier Global Times By Global Times Published: Jun 23, 2023 01:25 PM China is ready to promote continued development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and build a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said during his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday. During a meeting with Sharif on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, Li said that China stands ready to continue strengthening cooperation with Pakistan to jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a Xinhua News Agency report on Friday. Li also called on the two sides to jointly advance major projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) so as to promote high-quality development of the corridor, and better contribute to the economic and social development of the two countries. China and Pakistan have always treated each other sincerely, trusted each other and shared ups and downs, Li said. He noted that China will continue to firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding the country's sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and in achieving its stability, development and prosperity. Li pointed out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the 10th anniversary of the launch of the CPEC. China will, as always, support Pakistan in accelerating its economic development and enhancing its capacity for sustainable development, Li said. Li also noted that China hopes that the Pakistani side will resolutely and effectively crack down on all types of domestic terrorist organizations, and ensure the safety of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Pakistan. Li said that the two sides should jointly uphold international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of China and Pakistan as well as other developing countries. For his part, Sharif said that Pakistan and China are all-weather friends and iron-clad brothers, and that the friendship between the two countries remains unbreakable. It is the consensus of various Pakistani political parties and all walks of life to consolidate the friendship between Pakistan and China, Sharif said. Noting that Pakistan appreciates China for its great support of Pakistan's efforts in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and in its economic development, Sharif said that Pakistan adheres to the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Sharif also noted that Pakistan opposes any attempt to contain or suppress China, and stands ready with China to mutually support each other in multilateral affairs. Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the high-quality development of the CPEC and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, he said, adding that Pakistan will make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan. Earlier on Tuesday, China and Pakistan inked a $4.8 billion deal to construct a 1,200-megawatt nuclear power plant, announced by the Pakistani prime minister. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Arab nations praise China's Uyghur policies: Society is 'harmonious,' religion free Muslim-majority nations reject Uyghurs in favor of national interests. by Jewlan and Jilil Kashgary for RFA 2023.06.23 -- In showcasing two recent official visits to the Uyghur Region, China sent a chilling message to Uyghurs and their allies: Chinese President Xi Jinping's oppressive policies are correct, and Arab countries support them. In a May 22-24 inspection visit to Kashgar and Urumqi, top policy advisor Wang Huning exhorted local officials to "completely and accurately implement" Xi's Xinjiang policies, according to state-run Xinhua News. Those policies have included more than six years of mass detentions, long prison sentences and forced labor. They have been condemned by the United States as genocide, and by the United Nations as potential crimes against humanity. Shortly after Wang's inspection, a delegation from the Arab League, a 22-member body of Arab nations that coordinate on regional issues, visited Xinjiang from May 30 to June 2. According to China's Foreign Ministry, "members of the delegation said that Xinjiang's society is harmonious, the economy is prosperous and Muslims freely exercise their ethnic and religious rights in accordance with the law." The group visited Kashgar's Id Kah Mosque, which has been open to tourists but largely off-limits to Muslim worshippers for years, as well as Kashgar's Old Town, which the government has largely demolished in the name of earthquake prevention. National interests The visits dismayed overseas Uyghurs and human rights activists, who said they underlined China's confidence in its course of repression, and the eagerness of much of the world, including many Muslim nations, to cheer China on. "It's disappointing to see Muslim leaders from Islamic countries allow China to use them to hide [the] genocide of Turkic Muslims and other minorities," said Robert McCaw, Government Affairs Department Director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Siding with China - and remaining silent on the government persecution of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs - is apparently more in their national interests. "Every country operates in their perceived best interest," McCaw said. "Right now, Muslim countries are covering for China because they think it's in their economic interests." The Arab League did not respond to requests for comment. Setting the tone Wang Huning is a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top political body, as well as chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Analysts have long viewed him as a close advisor and confidant to Xi Jinping. This was his first visit to the Uyghur region since taking direct charge of Xinjiang policy, as head of the Chinese government's Central Xinjiang Coordination Group. Wang emphasized to local officials that Xinjiang policies were "part of Central Party strategy, centered around Comrade Xi Jinping," according to Xinhua. Wang added that Xinjiang's stability and public order is of paramount importance, employing an idiom which literally means "heavier than Mount Tai," a sacred peak in Shandong Province. He also told officials to "steadfastly advance the normalization and legal institutionalization of counterterrorism and stability maintenance," Xinhua reported. "What Wang Huning says is compatible with the fact that the regime is trying to portray a normalization on the surface, and a reduction of security on the surface," said Adrian Zenz, senior fellow and director in China studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. "But underneath, the emphasis on total security is very much upheld." Wang also called the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a state-run paramilitary conglomerate sanctioned by the United States for rights abuses, "an important strategic force in achieving the overall goals of [the Party's] Xinjiang work" whose functions should be given "full play." According to researchers at Sheffield Hallam University, those functions have included extrajudicial internment and imprisonment, land expropriation, forcible migration of people, repressive, preemptive policing, social engineering, religious persecution and forced labor. Wang's visit demonstrated both the confidence and the rigidity of the Communist Party's Xinjiang campaign, according to David Tobin, lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Sheffield. "The Party-State now sees itself in command and is now acting more confidently," Tobin said. "However, the fact that they have to send leaders to remind regional leaders to implement policy shows they are aware that this balance, this current peace, is precarious and potentially temporary because the problems the arbitrary detention system has created are massive". Cheering China on The Arab League's delegation to Xinjiang comprised 34 members from 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. "The Xinjiang they saw was completely different from the portrayals of Western Media, [and] discourses like so-called 'genocide' and 'religious repression' are complete lies," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Arab nations have long endorsed China's repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. Non-Arab Muslim countries, meanwhile, have a more mixed record in speaking out for Uyghurs. Analysts peg this support largely to economics as well as authoritarian leadership. "We respect and support China's rights to take counter-terrorism and de-extremism measures to safeguard national security," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during a 2019 visit to China. China is the top importer of Saudi crude petroleum. It has also stepped up investments in the Middle East and North Africa under its Belt & Road Initiative. Earlier support has faded Earlier in China's economic development, however, adherents of Salafism - the conservative school of Sunni Islam which predominates in Saudi Arabia - sought to build ties with Muslims in China. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Saudis financed mosque construction in China and encouraged Chinese Muslims to join in the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Some Uyghurs took advantage of new access to the Muslim world, and relatively laissez-faire Chinese policies, to deepen their practice of Islam. But when China changed course, and started imprisoning Uyghurs for the religious practices Saudis and others had encouraged, Arab governments at best stayed silent, and at worst collaborated with China's oppression. At least six Arab governments - Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates - have detained or extradited an estimated 292 Uyghurs at China's behest, according to a joint 2022 study by the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the Oxus Society for Asian Affairs. In July 2017, Egypt arrested more than 200 Uyghur residents, mostly students at the Islamic Al-Azhar University, and deported some to China. The Arab League delegation visited "an exhibition on Xinjiang's anti-terrorism and deradicalization work" and praised "Xinjiang's remarkable achievements in respecting and safeguarding human rights," according to Xinhua. During his visit to Beijing last week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas voiced support for China's Uyghur policies. A joint statement issued by Xi and Abbas declared that "Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but anti-violent terrorism, de-radicalization and anti-separatism." Translated and edited by Nadir; edited by Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June 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 As China's Premier Touts Pro-Business Attitude to European Companies, Survey Finds Dissatisfaction By Joyce Huang June 23, 2023 Chinese efforts to portray their nation in Europe as a safe haven for investment appear to be falling flat. Chinese Premier Li Qiang was in Germany and France this week, promoting post-COVID China as a nation of open institutions operating in a market-oriented, world-class business environment governed by a legal framework that safeguards the rights and interests of foreign companies. Yet a record-high 64% of surveyed China-based European companies reported that doing business in China became more difficult in 2022, according to the latest survey released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. The chamber's survey found European companies' confidence in the Chinese market is at a record low with 30% of respondents reporting that year-on-year revenue decreased in 2022, and one in 10 respondents reporting they have already shifted, or plan to shift, their Asia headquarters or business unit headquarters out of mainland China. An American Chamber of Commerce survey released earlier this year showed that the investment enthusiasm of American businesses in China has cooled as well. Jens Eskelund, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, who is based in Beijing, said at a media briefing on June 21 that the most recent survey is a signal to Beijing that conversations about governance are needed. "China has now for the majority of our companies dropped out as a top three destination for European investment," he said. "If you look at the very near term, it's actually worse than that. We have 53% of our respondents, who tell us that they do not have any plan for increasing their investments during the present year." The pessimistic outlook stands in contrast to hopeful remarks delivered by Li at a banquet Wednesday evening in France. "We hope that Chinese and French entrepreneurs will firmly support economic globalization ... and will work together to maintain the stability and resilience of the supply chain between China, France and Europe," he said. The EU survey was conducted over five weeks in February and March and obtained 570 replies from senior executives of European business member companies, accounting for 46% of the total number of members. Among the respondents, 80% have lived in China for more than 10 years. The survey shows 75% of the respondents have actively strengthened the flexibility of their supply chains in the past two years. Of this group, 12% said that their company has moved the relevant production line investment out of China, with many production lines gradually moving to countries in South or Southeast Asia. As many as 59% of the respondents said that their operations were affected by Chinese politics last year, and they expect this to continue this year. In particular, 26% of the respondents believe that boycotts by Chinese consumers have affected their operations and brought challenges. Of the respondents, 63% said market access was an issue, as are regulatory barriers. More than 60% of European companies said that if the Chinese market provides greater access opportunities, they will expand investment in China. Eskelund said, "We have this whole ambiguity or lack of clarity of where is it actually that China is going, and I think what a lot of companies are perceiving is that there is a little bit of mixed messaging from the Chinese government." He said that at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last year, the CCP repeatedly emphasized national security and self-sufficiency, but at the National People's Congress in March, the government repeatedly declared that it would expand opening up and attract foreign investment. The contradictory policy declarations make it difficult for European companies to figure out if China still welcomes foreign investment. Darson Chiu, a research fellow at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research in Taipei, told VOA Mandarin, "Many of (Chinese President) Xi Jinping's policies are unfriendly to foreign businesses. As a result of US-China tensions and some of China's strict controls on both foreign and domestic manufacturers, foreign investors have lost confidence." When major multinationals urge their contract manufacturers, including Taiwanese-owned factories, to move their production lines out of China, that means foreign investors have insufficient confidence in the Chinese market, he said. He added that hopes for a rebound will depend on whether China can attract foreign business with new market demand. Chiu also said that China is suffering from excessive inventory and high local government debt. These are the result of excessive investment in production capacity and fiscal measures taken to stimulate its economy following the draconian lockdowns dictated by anti-COVID-19 policies. Although China lifted the lockdown in December, the economic recovery remains weak. Chiu said that judging from the double-digit year-on-year decline in China's export orders to Taiwan for five consecutive months from January to May this year, the Chinese economy has not yet started to rebound. Wang Xin, president of the Charigo Center for International Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said that despite some difficulties, China's economic growth trajectory has not changed. He said in an email to VOA Mandarin, "Amid the headwinds facing the world economy, European and American companies are unsure about the future outlook. They may have limited options. China's overall opening-up policy and goals have not and cannot be changed." Wang said if European and American companies leave China, they will miss future opportunities. China will be introducing more policies to retain foreign businesses, he said, but in the meantime, "the best way to attract foreign investors is to maintain social stability and keep the opening policy unchanged." Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Poll Finds Australians Wary of Potential Chinese Military Threat By Phil Mercer June 23, 2023 Most Australians are wary that China could pose a military threat to the country in the next two decades, according to the latest poll by a respected research organization. The Lowy Institute survey indicates Australians' attitudes toward China have warmed slightly over the last 12 months but that suspicions remain. The annual Lowy Institute poll has highlighted Australia's complex and often contradictory relationship with China, its biggest trading partner. Results from the latest survey, published Tuesday, indicate Australians have warmed slightly to China over the past year and that a majority are pleased to see high-level political dialogue resume between Canberra and Beijing. However, Australians' confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping remains low. The poll found 75% of respondents believe that Beijing could pose a military threat to Australia. Bilateral relations have improved since the May 2022 election of a left-leaning government in Canberra. Ryan Neelam, director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that while relations between Beijing and Canberra have stabilized, there are still high levels of suspicion in Australia. "When we look at the military threat that Australians perceive over the next two decades three-quarters of Australians still see it likely that China will pose a military threat to Australia," he said. "So, it is a leveling off in the decline but there is still a lot of wariness there and there is still a lot of mistrust in how Australians look towards China and its leader." China accounts for more than a quarter of Australia's foreign trade. Australia's trade with China is worth more than the combined value of its business dealings with Japan, the United States and South Korea. However, in recent years relations between Canberra and Beijing have been soured by political tensions over human rights, the South China Sea and the origins of COVID-19. Diplomatic disagreements were followed by trade disputes, but China has now begun to dismantle restrictions that had been placed on a range of Australian commodities, including coal and timber. The Lowy Institute survey has found that Australia's attitudes toward the United States have remained mostly steady. Eighty-two percent of those polled said the decades-old U.S. alliance remained important to Australia's security. Three-quarters of respondents supported providing military aid to Ukraine. The latest Lowy Institute Poll surveyed the views of 2,077 Australian adults in March. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Experts: Fragile US-China Thaw Unlikely to Ease Seoul-Beijing Tension By Christy Lee June 23, 2023 A fragile thaw in U.S.-China relations is unlikely to significantly reduce tensions between Seoul and Beijing, experts said. Stalled talks between the world's two biggest economies were revived when Washington and Beijing agreed over the weekend to maintain high-level communication channels and to stabilize relations that had hit a low point after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew across the continental U.S. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday at a news briefing that his trip to Beijing on June 18-19 represented "progress." But Seoul's close alignment with the U.S. on policies aimed at countering what both see as China's challenges to a democratic values-based international system has made Beijing increasingly antagonistic toward its neighbor. Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming on June 8 openly criticized Seoul, saying placing "wrong bets" in the U.S.-China rivalry would lead to "many difficulties" for South Korea. South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Xing a day later and expressed strong dissatisfaction over his remarks. "The South Korean government has made known several times that its position in seeking South Korea-China bilateral relations is based on mutual respect, and China should also put efforts toward that direction," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jung Hyung-kwon told VOA's Korean Service in a phone interview on Tuesday. The Chinese Embassy in Washington told VOA's Korean Service on Wednesday that any response to Seoul's comments should be requested from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing on June 13 "there is no point in making an issue" out of Xing's remarks. He said, "A sound and steady China-ROK relationship serves the common interests of both sides." South Korea's official name is the Republic of Korea. 'Premature' to expect improvements Daniel Russel, who served as the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs during the Obama administration, said, "It's premature to conclude that Blinken's trip will produce a sustained improvement in the U.S.-China relations, let alone have an impact on the ROK-China relations." Russel said that "Washington's partners seem to value" its efforts to reduce escalating tensions and "are confident about Washington's resolve to push back against coercive and destabilizing behavior" of China. Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, visited Seoul on Wednesday to explain, as a member of the delegation, Blinken's two-day meetings in Beijing. Kritenbrink told Deputy Foreign Minister Choi Youngsam that the U.S. sought to maintain high-level communication channels with China to prevent any miscalculation from leading to an unwanted conflict. He said the U.S. planned to continue its close cooperation with its allies including South Korea to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific and the rules-based international order. South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin, who also met with the assistant secretary of state, said Kritenbrink's Seoul visit demonstrated close Washington-Seoul relations. Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asia affairs at the White House's National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, said diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing were renewed a bit but still fragile. Military tensions remain high, with the Chinese military "aggressively monitoring U.S. air and naval activities in international waters near China's coast," he said. In this context, he said, he does "not have a great deal of hope" that Beijing will become "less belligerent in its approaches to the Yoon administration" as "China is adamantly opposed to many of the policies of the Yoon government." South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in April that the Taiwan issue was not simply a matter between China and Taiwan and that he opposed changing the status quo in Taiwan by using force. China considers self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory and has ramped up its disruption of international navigation in the Taiwan Strait. On June 8, more than 35 Chinese military aircraft made incursions into the Taiwanese air defense zone, prompting the island's military to activate its defense system. China also has repeatedly intruded into South Korea's air defense zone without warning. On June 6, South Korean jets chased away four Chinese and Russian military aircraft from its air defense zones. The incident followed what the U.S. military said was an "unsafe" maritime move by a Chinese warship that came close to colliding with a U.S. destroyer exercising a freedom of navigation transit in the Taiwan Strait on June 3. In a news conference on Monday, Blinken said that "China has not agreed" to restore military-to-military channels of communications that would help to avoid miscalculations leading into clashes. Concerned by China's increasingly aggressive military actions, the U.S. has been urging its allies and partners, including South Korea, to restrict the sale of high-end semiconductors that China can use to advance its military. "Washington does not expect them to stop taking advantage of business opportunities in China," Wilder said. "That said, in those areas of emerging technologies where Washington is trying to halt leakage of key components, such as high-end semiconductors, the United States will want its allies and partners to be alert to any attempts by companies within their border to violate the restrictions." Blinken said in an interview with CBS News on Monday that the U.S. was not "trying to hold China back economically," as that would be "profoundly against our own interests." However, he said, "it's not in our interest to provide" or "sell" to China "sensitive technology that China is using to advance its own very opaque nuclear weapons program, to build hypersonic missiles, to create technology that can be used for repressive purposes." Kim Hyungjin contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister's Address to the Joint Sitting of the US Congress India - Ministry of External Affairs June 23, 2023 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed a Joint Sitting of the US Congress on 22 June 2023 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the US House of Representatives; H.E. Mr. Charles Schumer, Senate Majority Leader; H.E. Mr. Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican Leader; and H.E. Mr. Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader. 2. H.E. Ms. Kamala Harris, Vice President of USA was also present on the occasion. 3. On arrival at the Capitol Hill, Prime Minister was accorded a formal welcome by the Congressional Leaders. Thereafter, Prime Minister had separate meetings with the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and the Congressional Leaders. 4. In his address, Prime Minister conveyed his appreciation for the long-standing and strong bipartisan support in the US Congress for the deepening of India-US relations. 5. Prime Minister spoke about the rapid strides made in India-US bilateral relations and shared his vision for elevating bilateral ties. He also outlined the enormous progress made by India and the opportunities that it presents for the world. 6. Speaker McCarthy hosted a reception in the honour of the Prime Minister. 7. This was Prime Minister's second address to the Joint Sitting of the US Congress. He previously addressed the US Congress during his official visit to USA in September 2016. Washington DC June 22, 2023 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister's meeting with President of USA India - Ministry of External Affairs June 23, 2023 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is on Official State Visit to USA. He visited the White House today morning, where he was accorded a ceremonial welcome by H.E. Mr. Joseph Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Thousands of Indian-Americans were also present at the occasion to welcome the Prime Minister. 2. Prime Minister, thereafter, had productive conversations with President Biden, in restricted and delegation-level formats. The leaders highlighted the long-standing friendship and growing cooperation between the two countries, which spans areas like trade and investment, defence and security, energy, climate change, and people-to-people ties. 3.a Both leaders underscored the mutual trust and understanding, as well as the shared values between the two countries, which provide a strong foundation to take the relationship to new levels. They appreciated the rapid progress made through initiatives such as the Critical and Emerging Technologies(iCET) and the keen desire to elevate strategic technology collaborations to build resilient supply chains. They welcomed the deepening cooperation in critical minerals and space sectors. 4.a Both leaders reiterated their commitment to combating climate change and achieving a sustainable future. They discussed ways to promote clean and renewable energy and collaborate on climate initiatives. 5.a Both leaders expressed their determination to further deepen the multifaceted Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and USA for the benefit of their peoples and the global community. 6.a Discussions also covered regional and global issues of mutual interest. 7. Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome extended by President Biden and the First Lady. He looked forward to welcoming President Biden in New Delhi for the G20 Leaders' Summit in September 2023. Washington D.C. June 22, 2023 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Transcript of Special briefing by Foreign Secretary on Prime Minister's visit to USA India - Ministry of External Affairs June 23, 2023 Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: A very good evening to all of you here in Washington DC. As you're aware, the official state visit of honorable Prime Minister to USA is underway and he arrived in Washington on 21st. He has just concluded day two. Thank you for joining us so late in the evening, but this is just an indicator of the large number of events and the pace of the activities. To give us a sense of what's been happening in the visit so far, particularly today when we have had a number of engagements we have the privilege of having with us here Foreign Secretary sir Shri Vinay Kwatra. Also joining us here on the dais is Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to USA, as well as Shrimati Vani Rao, Additional Secretary of the Americas Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. Sir may I request you to take the floor. Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much Arindam, Ambassador Sandhu, Additional Secretary Vani Rao, friends from the media. Thank you very much for coming out at this late hours and in reasonably good numbers, for us to together go through important segments of day two of honorable Prime Minister's ongoing visit to the U.S. Prime Minister arrived in Washington yesterday, after concluding his program in New York, which basically comprised of celebrations of International Day of Yoga at the UN, a couple of meetings in New York the day before, and a set of engagements yesterday in Washington. Yesterday in Washington, honorable Prime Minister basically had two main engagements. One was an event with the First Lady on Skilling for future; event which was organized at the one of the community colleges near Washington, Montgomery Community College. And thereafter in the evening yesterday, honorable Prime Minister and the President and the First Lady had a private engagement at the White House. Day two began early this morning with a grand welcome, ceremonial welcome at the White House, which all of you I'm sure, witnessed. The ceremonial welcome in the morning, the proceedings throughout rest of the day and the last event which just concluded... One thread, which ran through all the events today and also yesterday, was exceptional warmth and hospitality that the President of the U.S., the First Lady extended to the honorable Prime Minister. It was very clearly visible. You all saw in the morning at the ceremonial welcome yourself, the clear manifestation of it. Large presence of the Indian-American community at the ceremonial welcome, the cordiality, the exceptional warmth between the President and the Prime Minister; also that was very very clearly visible. Besides the programming element of today which I've already mentioned to you - which is the ceremonial welcome to start with, Congressional address and the bilateral talks thereafter between the Prime Minister and the President, Congressional address thereafter, and the dinner just a while ago..it concluded. Besides those programming element, I would like to just run through very briefly with the substantive outcomes that this visit, this exceptional visit has been able to achieve. You may have had a chance to look at the joint statement that was put out earlier during the day. But I would just summarize some of the key elements listed in the joint statement across various domains. First domain, I would say would be of technology. Now even before I go to what's in the joint statement it is important to flag that when the honorable Prime Minister and the President held their discussions in the White House after the ceremonial welcome, technology featured very prominently in the discussions and not technology just in a single sub-domain or limited segmentation of it... but technology cooperation across all most of the ecosystem that pertains to it, which would include technology transfer, which would include technology trade -- trade in technology products, technology services, which would also include working together to create research, co-produce and work on developing technologies across different sectors...which would also include the technology capacity building cooperation between the two countries. Now, if you look at specific sub-domains which are listed in the joint statement, you will find that there are roughly 20 to 25 areas of technology partnership that have been identified in the joint statement as a direct result of the discussion between the two leaders earlier in the White House. So you have a full set of technology partnership areas in the field of semiconductors.. whether it is the decision of Micron to set up an assembly line and test facility in India with a total investment amounting to roughly $2.75 billion.. of course it would have a large chunk from Micron, but there will be other investors too. Lam.. the company Lam's decision to train a 60,000 Indian engineers which falls more in technology capacity building engagement, the decision of the advanced applied materials to invest $400 million to establish a collaborative engineering center again heavily centered on technology. If you go to the entire domain of initiative on critical and emerging technologies, you would find that there was a decision today to set up a quantum coordination mechanism and also the quantum information and science and technology agreement. Also partnership in several plurilateral engagements which focus on technology areas, quantum entanglement exchange, Quantum Economic Development Consortium.., Research Partnership Program under the U.S.- India Science and Technology Endowment Fund, which focuses more on joint development and commercialization of AI and quantum technologies, critical area of HPC..High Powered Computing technology and development of source codes, and the regulatory easing in that space. So the five sub-domains of technology I mentioned, you can easily add two more to that...one is relating to the regulatory easing. Google's AI Research Center also announced to continue its investing through the $10 billion digitalization fund. In S&T there were three or four critical technology related announcements which were made, which are reflected in the joint statement. One of which was implementation arrangement between the NSF and the Department of Science and Technology of India, relating to cyber physical systems and secure and trustworthy cyberspace. This area is particularly important given the increasingly complex and increasing number of cyber-related threats...that are critical infrastructure in particular phases in both the countries, signing off an implementation arrangement between NSF and the Ministry of Electronics of India for funding of joint projects and applied areas of research, which would include semiconductors, next generation communication, cyber security, green technologies, intelligent transport system etc. Technology space then also continues into defense, where one of the landmark announcements done earlier this morning by GE was the signing of an MoU with HAL for production of GE- F414 aeroengine for the India's light combat aircraft. There was also an announcement on India-US Defense industrial cooperation roadmap, which also has a heavy segment of technology. There are then technology related announcements in the field of energy...there are good six-seven of them. So, if you put them all together, you will find that very clearly technology, in particular advanced technology across various domains, whether it is the defense domain, whether it is in the area of space or other domains, it has been one of the most important outcomes, substantive outcomes from the visit and from the discussions between the leaders. Besides the technology related segment another area of important outcome has been people-to-people ties. This finds manifestation in a decision by the U.S. side...and both India and U.S. have agreed that U.S. will start the process to open two new consulates in India- one in Ahmedabad, one in Bengaluru. India will open its consulate in Seattle and two other places which are to be determined later. Defense has been another important area of significant outcomes during this visit. One element of it which I have highlighted is the agreement to produce GE-F414 engine. The other elements include India's plan to procure MQ-9B Reaper drones from the U.S. There have also been some decisions and announcements with regard to placement of defense personnel in each other's facilities to better understand different systems and their operations. We have also announced commencement of negotiations with the U.S. Department of Defense for concluding the security of supply arrangement, as also discussions on the reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement. Energy, as I mentioned earlier on, is another area where we have seen significant and considerable number of outcomes and these are all available for you to see in the joint statement. Our trade has also been another area of priority discussions between the two countries and that also featured in today's discussion. Now, one of the key elements in this has been that out of the seven WTO disputes between India and the U.S. there has been a resolution for six of the outstanding WTO disputes. There have also been cooperative understandings with regard to up-skilling of employees arrangements between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, announcements of substantial investments by companies like Boeing, 100 million in this case on infrastructure and programs to train pilots in India, etc....so a fairly important set of announcement. Space, that has been another area which has seen important outcomes being announced today. The one in particular needs mention is the signing by India, Ambassador Sandhu signed it yesterday, is Artemis Accord. India has become signatory to the Artemis Accord which would essentially open up a new area of partnership between Indian Space Research Organization and NASA and other relevant entities for cooperation in the field of outer space, in particular relating to exploration initiatives on moon and other outer space objects. The other important segment which I should highlight is India's decision and the U.S. welcome of that decision for us to join the mineral security partnership, which essentially opens up opportunities for India and the U.S. to cooperate in this entire field of critical minerals, which is so important for strategic new industries coming up in the field of electric mobility, energy transition, in particular green transition, etc. So, if you were to...if I was to kind of wrap it up in some sense, you will find, you know expressions of these key elements of day two of Prime Minister's visit and also his engagements yesterday reflected in multiple statements by Prime Minister today, including in particular his congressional address. So, Prime Minister spoke of, in this visit, one a new chapter of relations. He spoke of new direction and energy. Three, he emphasized on the strong and futuristic partnership. Four, resilient supply chains was an important aspect which he mentioned in his statements. Mutual trust and shared strategic priorities. Friendship between the two leaders; the leadership connect, which has been one of the principal drivers of such a rapid and large set of achievements that we have managed to register in the relationship. And again, a leadership connect friendship, which is not just for the benefit of two of our countries but it's also something which is very, very relevant for the entire humankind and the global peace. The strong strategic partnership, the strong leadership connect, President Biden himself mentioned that both India and U.S. have democracy in their DNA, is proof essentially of the power of democracy, of the value based relationship, the value based relationship which also delivers..delivers for the respective country as also furthers relationship and you'll find expressions of these sentiments in these substantive outcomes which I have listed. So, a visit which has been extremely rich on form but equally if not more, rich on substance, I listed out some of it for you --- Discussions, achievements, outcomes, focused not just on the individual items, but also focused on how those outcomes need to be achieved in a value based framework. Working in this value based framework on different aspects, the two leaders sketch their vision of the relationship, which as I said, is a pathway for a future cooperation and the convergence of strategic interest. The two also working in this value system spoke of the need to listen to the voices, other voices which are there in the world for their own benefit, spoke about the vigor in the relationship, and I mentioned these examples clearly pointed out, and the new ventures, the ventures which cut across space of technology, trade, energy, space, critical minerals, et cetera, and the last to top it all, that all this, in an absolutely trustworthy, reliable way in a manner that works for the relationship, but also works for the regions and for the global good. All in all, a truly path breaking ongoing visit of the Honorable Prime Minister, and we hope that the set of engagements that are anticipated for tomorrow will add on additional value, more substance, show us maybe newer domains in which the two countries and the two systems can partner more strongly to even forge a deeper, more extensive, and a stronger partnership between the two countries. Just one last word on the Honorable Prime Minister's congressional address. You all must have watched, we saw many of you, if not all of you, in the US Congress. You clearly saw everything that Honorable Prime Minister said. The extent to which how deeply it resonated with the Congressmen and Senators present in the Congress, how the address brought up Honorable Prime Minister's vision of India that is transforming under his leadership in last nine years, how he sees important developments in important regions of the world, and his perspectives on some of the global challenges such as climate change, challenge of terrorism that we all face, et cetera. I think what we saw at the Congress today is unlike anything that we may have seen in some time, but all in all, a truly special visit, exceptional visit, and which we hope, which we are confident that would build on to this relationship and take it to higher reaches further. I would stop here and if there are questions, I'll try and take them. Thank you. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you very much, sir. Before we take the questions, ground rules, please introduce yourself and the organization that you represent. Ayushi, we're going to start with you. Ayushi Agarwal: Good evening. Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. So I have two questions. My first is, since we know that cross border terrorism and Pakistan was part of the conversation between the two leaders. Was there any sort of discussion or request made by India regarding the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, the Pakistani terrorist? Second question is, during the bilateral meetings between the two leaders, was there any discussion on having a free trade agreement between the two countries, any prospects for an FTA? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Can you just repeat the second part of your question? Was that agreement in free trade, what did you say? Ayushi Agrawal: Any prospects for an FTA. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Prospects, okay. Ayushi Agrawal: Yeah. Thank you. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Sidhant, can we go ahead with you. Sidhant: Hi, sir. Sidhant from WION. How much there was a conversation on China and aggressive Chinese actions in the Indo-Pacific and across the world as well, if you can talk about that, sir? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Yeah, just one second, okay. China and discussions on that. Yeah, Manish. Manish Chand: Manish Chand, India Writes Network. Sir, President Biden in his ceremonial welcome, spoke quite a bit about Indo-Pacific, Quad. Later in the Congress speech, Prime Minister spoke about the dark clouds of coercion and connectivity and all that. Clearly, these were obliquely targeted at China. How much of China was discussed between the two leaders, and any concrete plans to intensifying cooperation in the Indo-Pacific? Thank you. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Why don't I come back on another round of questions. Sir, we may take three questions at this time. Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you. Look when the... besides the reference in the Congress to the challenge of terrorism, the reference clearly brought out, if you heard, Prime Minister said that even after the two decades of 9/11 and one decade of 26/11, the problem of terrorism remains a pressing challenge for the global community. Clearly, what he was highlighting was the need for the international community to recognize that the people who sponsor terrorism, support terrorism, they continue to pose a serious challenge to the safety and security of our societies and have to be very sternly and firmly dealt with. When the Honorable Prime Minister and the president held their discussions, all aspects of such global challenges were discussed between the two, and how India and US could cooperate to mitigate, address, and try and deal with this challenge as comprehensively as possible, that was also discussed between the two leaders, and going forward, it would be our effort to see how some of those discussions can translate into concrete cooperative decision between India and the US. Bilateral FTA, prospects of bilateral FTA, look as I mentioned, you know, cooperation, bilateral trade cooperation, featured quite extensively in the discussions and also in the outcome statement that I mentioned. Currently, India and US bilateral trade is a little over $190 billion between the two countries. And as Prime Minister said in his press remarks after the discussion, US is India's largest trading partner. That trade takes place in a certain framework between the two countries. Free trade area agreements by their nature are very, very extensive and require discussions and negotiations over a scope, which is defined between the two countries. So, as such, the discussions focused more on what measures do we take to expand our trade engagement both in trade in goods and trade in services. Also, what steps can be taken to ensure that the capital flows between the two economies increase and are made more efficient. Indian side we did talk about importance of talking on the critical minerals agreement, which at least is a limited domain trade engagement, which is possible. So all these things were on the table in terms of discussion, but prospects of FTA I think is further down the line for both of us to build on and see how we can progress that. Manish, your question and Sidhant your question earlier on, on China. Look, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, both Honorable Prime Minister and the President focused on the challenges that our strategic interest face all over different parts of the world. Naturally, in this regard, the developments in the Indo-Pacific area have always been an important area of cooperation between India and the US. That cooperation takes place across multiple domains. One, it takes place through our individual partnerships with the countries of the Indo-Pacific. Two, it takes place in terms of, that the two countries share their assessment of what is the kind of challenges that we face in the region, what we can do together to meet those challenges, what is the nature of those challenges, et cetera. So in their discussion, the Honorable Prime Minister and the President focused on the nature of the challenges that the two countries face in the Indo-Pacific, including strategic challenges, and what India and US need to do across the different parts of their system to ensure that we mitigate those challenges through our cooperation, but at the same time, also harness the opportunities that are available in the Indo-Pacific. Plan to... what is this, intensify? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Broadly, the questions were on those lines. Maha. Maha Siddiqui: Sir, Maha Siddiqui from NDTV. Sir, since India and US have decided to settle six of the trade disputes outside WTO, what is the hurdle now in India getting its GSP status back? Because the joint statement still says that relevant portions will be looked through by the US Congress. Sir, if there's bipartisan support from the US Congress, what is preventing the US from returning the GSP status to India? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Is that directly linked to the WTO issue? Anyway I will... Maha Siddiqui: It was a dispute, sir... Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: I will leave Foreign Secretary to respond to it, but GSP and WTO disputes are not... Maha Siddiqui: The dispute, sir, with WTO, that will be resolved? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Yeah, fair enough. Prashant. Prashant Jha: Hello, sir. Prashant Jha from Hindustan Times. Sir, I'd like you to zoom out if possible, if you know, ask you two questions around. The first is technology, which you said was the big takeaway. Now, the bilateral relationship in a way on the question of technology has been defined in the past by contestation, where we have felt that tech transfer has not happened, there has been tech denial. What you mentioned today and what you outlined seems to inaugurate a new chapter in technology collaboration. I wanted to ask you, what has changed and what has led to this pretty dramatic shift. The second question, sir, is the many of the outcomes that you mentioned are outcomes that will play out in the long-term. Some will fructify in the long term, some will lock our systems in for the long term. So is this a long-term bet now that both countries are making on each other, and which will get reflected in our defence, in our tech and all the domains that you mentioned? Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: I saw one more hand. Yeah, please. Ajay: Sir, Ajay from Doordarshan News. Any assessment about the cumulative investment that we are expecting from US from this... Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Sorry, repeat again. What was the question? Ajay: The cumulative investments from USA after this very important... Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Cumulative investments. Ajay: Yeah. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Do remember that these investments are by private companies and they may choose to announce it at a suitable location, but I will let the Foreign Secretary... Ajay: Absolutely. Also, how much time it may take for the GE to be, you know, endorsed by the Congress, so to say, and what impact does it have on the Make in India prospects under defence sectors? Thank you. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Look, to part one of your two-part question on the cumulative investments, I think those details are available in the joint statement that you will... if you go across that, you will find that many companies have announced their decisions even before the joint statement was issued, but those decisions have been captured in the joint statement. So whether it is the investment by Micron in the semiconductor space, whether it is the investment by I think Applied Materials, whether Google's decision to move on. You see some of these, besides the two three that I mentioned, some of these investment may not necessarily... may have been announced in a quantified terms straight out. But the decisions to partner between some of these companies or between India and US in some of these areas eventually lead to investment partnerships being built in the private sector, because the nature of partnership in technology is such that at some stage, the private sector based industrial ecosystems will begin to link with each other. Without that, it just remains in theory; it doesn't materialize in practice, and that's the time when the individual companies will begin to move in capital and other associated elements of the ecosystem that are required to be in place to make this cooperation happen. Let me come to WTO GSP bipartisan support. You observed that that six of the WTO, out of seven outstanding disputes, six of them, as the joint statement say, have been resolved through discussions, seventh one remains under discussion. The resolution of the WTO dispute has happened between the two governments, the USTR on the US side, and the Ministry of Commerce on the Indian side. Those are technical discussions based on which the two countries have decided that six of the seven stand resolved. The GSP, on the other hand, is a congressional issue. It is not an issue, which is entirely between the two governments. There are elements of it, which pertain to tariff fixation and the trade quantum that takes place under those tariff lines, but it's broadly a much larger issue. It's an issue which is an important priority for us, which we have been taking up consistently and very strongly with the relevant stakeholders in the US system, including the US Congress to ensure that the GSP benefits are restored for the Indian industry, and we believe that the segments of the industry which benefit from the GSP do make important valuable contributions to both our economies, and we will continue to take this up very regularly and very intensely with the US Congress, so that these benefits can be restored. Prashant, I don't think I understood your question in its entirety, but I'll still try to, you know, say a few points, which hopefully address the structure and the specifics of what's in your mind. First of all, when you said that, you know, these technology cooperation decisions, some of it may happen, some of it may not happen, et cetera, some of us may lock in, et cetera. I think I don't want to be presumptive about, you know, what... I mean, I am not presumptive about my intent. My intent is to forge strong technology partnership. My intent is, my Prime Minister's intent is to achieve everything that we decide to agree on. We don't make an assumption that X, Y, Z will happen; A, B, C, D will not happen. So that's the first part of it, just to make it clear, that every single decision that is based on the discussions between the two leaders and two governments is its needed to be taken to its logical conclusion, in fullest. That's the line of effort and also the line of objective. Technology, by its very nature, technology cooperation by its very nature, interfaces quite intensely with the regulatory system on both sides, both on the Indian side and also on the US side. On the US side, we all are aware, the regulatory matrix in which they are dealt with both of the EAR and ITAR. Given that it is crucial to address the regulatory ecosystem, which intersects with the technology cooperation, given that criticality, India and US have recently held the first meeting of the strategic trade dialogue. The whole idea behind the strategic trade dialogue is that we look at regulatory issues more in terms of finding ways to enable our technology cooperation. So we are trying to focus on regulatory issues more from solution perspective, less from the problem perspective, and that is frankly in a way underwritten if you see the extent of technology cooperation decision, which have been announced. Many of these will intersect with the regulatory framework in the US and India, and our effort is to intensify our discussions. Do them in a manner, which become an enabler for our partnership in this technology in the multiple spaces that I mentioned. I think the discussions between the Prime Minister and the President clearly revealed that it is a shared priority. Technology partnership is a shared priority. The decision on G-414, on seven to eight sub domains of the critical and emerging technologies, the associated set of technology industries in the case of energy transition, clean energy in particular, those are very strong strategic and shared priorities, and the focus on them clearly reveals that our intent going forward is to ensure that we progress in them, and we address the process and the procedure and the regulatory issues come in between in a manner that our cooperation in these areas is actually enabled rather than hindered. Thank you. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: I think there's a part two saying, is this visit a marker of both countries taking the longterm bet on each other. Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: You are again, and your question embeds in, you know, inherent kind of doubt about the intent of... look, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, the the richness of form and substance of the visit clearly tells you that it's an exceptional, landmark, path breaking visit. The decisions taken during the visit are truly transformative across a wide range of areas. Naturally, it is something which is possible when countries have deep trust in each other and are in it for long-term. Shri Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson: Thank you very much, sir. Thank you also to Ambassador Sandhu, as well as to Additional Secretary Vani Rao. Thank you all for joining. I know it's a late hour. I appreciate very much a large contingent of media that's come out all the way to follow Prime Minister's visit. We have one more day of packed activities tomorrow. We'll try to keep you updated. Thank you. Shri Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary: Thank you very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi of the Republic of India in Meeting with Senior Officials and CEOs of Technology Companies June 23, 2023 East Room 12:14 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT BIDEN: Okay. We a I was just thanking the a anyway, I started off without you, and I sold a lot of state secrets and a lot of very important things that we shared. (Laughter.) Now, all kidding aside a look, we're teaming up to design and develop new technologies that are going to transform the lives of our people around the world. And together, we're lifting the private and public partners to make this possible, including launching a new program between India and America a American astronauts, Indian astronauts, and entrepreneurs, scientists, students. Simply put, our countries are ta- a taking innovation and cooperation to a new level in our relationship, and thanks in large part to the folks around this table. So my message today is really simple: We've got to keep it up, and we have to make sure we aim even higher. We're a we're going to see more technol- a technological change a you've heard me say this a number of times a in the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50 years a and maybe in the next few years a the last 50 years. And we need your help a and I'm talking to the CEOs around this table, Indian and American. We need your help to seize the moment, to help manage the risk to our societies, our economies, and to our nations' national security. We need your help to build guardrails around emerging technologies so that they're trustworthy, they're secure, and uphold our shared value and human rights. We need you to help us expand our partnership into new fields, in biotechnology as well as quantum. You know, as you all know well, innovation and collaboration are rarely without obstacles. And so, you raise our ambitions, and I want you to let us know what stands in the way of our ambitions as well. Be straight with us. The speed bumps are a are impeding technological partnership a what they are, when they occur. So the Prime Minister and I can commit to building around them, over them, and through them. Because it matters a our cooperation matters a not just to our own people but, I quite frankly think, to the whole world. Because our partnership is about more than the next breakthrough or the next deal and a as big as they may be. It's about taking climate change a it's about tackling it. It's about exploring the universe. It's about lifting people out of poverty; curing cancer and other serious diseases; preventing pandemics; and giving our citizens a all our citizens real opportunity. And about a it's about forging a more free, secure, and more prosperous future for our children, supporting the dynamism and diversity of our democracies and democracies everywhere. We're sticking up for our values and the vision of our a vision of the world. And so, our partnership between India and the United States will go a long way, in my view, to define what the 21st century looks like. And our technology and technological cooperation will be a big part of defining our partnership a our partnership. So I look forward to continuing working with all of you and a on our voyage of discovery, as was referenced, and to building a better future. And I want to thank all the CEOs, again, for being here. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to the Prime Minister to say nice things about me. (Laughter.) PRIME MINISTER MODI: (As interpreted.) President Biden, and all friends here: In a way, saying a sometimes it's a little difficult to say too much in front of all the press present here. But first of all, I would like to thank President Biden for participating in this event. And you have seen that from agriculture to space, there are all the sectors represented here that touch our lives in every way. And technology is something that touches our lives, and all technology sectors are represented here. And there are well-established firms here and startups here as well. And both of them can work to a are working together to create a new world. And I'm very pleased that under the leadership of President Biden, technology a understanding the importance of technology, the progress that America has made in the area of technology. And the youth in India, thanks to its talent, has created an identity for itself in the world. So this coming together of talent and technology, I believe this is definitely a guarantee for a bright future. This morning, the discussion we've had with just a few friends a but this morning is with us a giving us a guarantee for a bright future. And this is a very small group of people, but this is a very promising group, a wonderful group, and one which is going to give direction to the world, which is going to build the future of the world. And with the resolve for a better future, the vision of President Biden, the aspirations of India, the strength that President Biden has and the possibilities that India represents, we have an opportunity to take this forward. And therefore, I would like to congratulate my friend, Secretary Raimondo. She visited India. She took out a lot of time for India. And what she herself experienced there and what she brought is taking forward here, and I can never thank President Biden enough. And I thank you all very much. PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, thank you very much. Thank you for coming in, folks. Press a press, leave now. Thank you. 12:20 P.M. EDT NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Remarks by Vice President Harris and Prime Minister Modi of the Republic of India at State Luncheon Harry S. Truman Building Washington, D.C. 12:56 P.M. EDT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you very much. Please have a seat. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Mr. Secretary, Madam Ryan, thank you for hosting us here yet again. It is the honor of Doug and mine to be with you, honoring the friendship and the importance of the relationship between India and the United States. Prime Minister Modi, we are honored to welcome you. We also welcome the members of the President's Cabinet who are here and all of the members of Congress who are here, including Speaker Emerita Pelosi, Chairman McCaul, and Ranking Member Meeks. (Applause.) And welcome to all of our distinguished guests. As I look around this room, I am struck by the extraordinary impact Indian Americans have had on our country in every facet of life. Take, for example, the historic number of members of the United States Congress with Indian heritage: Representatives Ami Bera a if you're here, please stand a (applause) a Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar. And they're known as the "Samosa Caucus," for those of you who did not know. (Laughter.) And around our country, we see the impact of Indian Americans, from the C suites of American companies to neighborhood businesses, from the studios of Hollywood to university research labs across our country. So, as many of you know, India is a very important part of my life. When my sister Maya and I were growing up, our mother would take us from the Bay Area to India pretty much every other year. And the purpose of those trips were many, including that we would well understand where she came from, what produced her; so that we could spend time with our grandparents, with my uncle and our chittis; and to really understand the love of good idli. (Laughter.) And we traveled to visit my grandparents in what was then called Madras. And I will tell you, my grandfather was one of the most favorite people in my life, truly. We were pen pals, in fact, throughout my childhood. And I was the eldest grandchild. And so, as I'm sure many of you know, culturally, to be the eldest has a certain significance. And so, I took full advantage of that status in our family. (Laughter.) And my grandfather, of course, convinced me a as he did, I think, every one of his grandchildren a that we were his favorite. (Laughter.) Yet, on those visits, I was the only member of our family that my grandfather allowed to join him for his morning routine. You see, by the time that we were going there as children, my grandfather was retired from his career as a civil servant. And his morning routine, every morning, consisted of taking long walks on the beach with his retired buddies. And they, as retired civil servants, would debate the issues of the day. So, I would hold my grandfather's hand on these walks and listen intently to him and his friends. And I will tell you, as a young girl, I don't think I fully appreciated the essence and the import of the debates that they would have. But I did clearly understand and do recall stories about the freedom fighters and the nation's founding heroes and about the independence of India. I remember them talking about the importance of fighting corruption and fighting for equality, regardless of one's belief or caste. Throughout these walks, I recall my grandfather teaching me lessons about not just what it means to have a democracy but to keep a democracy. And I do believe it is these lessons that I learned at a very young age that first inspired my interest in public service. And I look back now and I do fully realize how much these conversations influenced me and my thinking, and how they have guided me ever since. In fact, it is a large part of who I am today a these lessons I learned from my grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, and from the dedication, determination, and courage of his daughter, my mother, Shyamala. And it is that being the reason that I stand before you today as vice president of the United States. (Applause.) The history and teachings in India and of India have not only influenced me, they, of course, have shaped the entire globe, as Secretary Blinken just described. Throughout history, India has inspired millions of people around the world, whether through philosophy and theology, the power of civil disobedience, or the commitment to democracy. Indeed, as I travel the world as vice president, I have seen India's global impact firsthand. In Southeast Asia, Indian-made vaccines have saved lives and livelihoods. On the continent of Africa, India's longstanding partnerships support prosperity and security. And throughout the Indo-Pacific, India helps promote a free and open region. I also know of India's extraordinary impact with regard to innovation, medicine, and science. I know this as a daughter of California. I know this as a former district attorney, attorney general, and senator who has worked on technology with leaders in Silicon Valley. And I know this, of course, as a daughter of a scientist. My mother, at the age of 19, arrived in the United States by herself as part of the first wave of Indian students to travel here. She chose UC Berkeley because it was known as being one of the best universities in the world. And growing up, I remember my mother a our mother spending day and night and weekends in the lab. She always asked the big questions and searched for the answers that would be a clue to improving the condition of life. She understood what was possible, unburdened by what has been. And since then, I think about it in the context of the work she did and her studies that have led to advances in breast cancer research. And I think about it in the context of the millions of Indian students who have come to the United States since to collaborate with American researchers, to solve the challenges of our time, and to reach new frontiers. Indian innovators have made great strides in engineering and computer programming. They've sent a mission to Mars. And they have launched and led technology companies that are global leaders in the areas of autonomous vehicles, robotics, cybersecurity, climate data, and digital finance a all of which can serve to improve the human condition and uplift the people. The point here being: India's global engagement has not only been to the benefit of the people of India but also to the benefit of the people of the United States and people around the world. So, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your role of leadership to help India emerge as a global power in the 21st century. You have helped to reinvigorate the Quad. Your leadership of the G20 is making new strides on climate finance. And you have been a proponent of international institutions and global solutions to global challenges. And as a point of personal privilege, as chair of the National Space Council, I thank you for your leadership in space and for our joint work on an Earth science satellite, which will help us address the climate crisis. And I will also thank you because when you and I first met at the White House, I asked you to join the Artemis Accords: a commitment to the safe and transparent use of space. And today, I am happy to report, as you have, that you have joined the Artemis Accords. (Applause.) So, Prime Minister Modi, President Joe Biden and I are grateful for your commitment to strengthen the ties and the relationships between the United States and India. And we share that commitment. Under your leadership and that of President Biden, our partnership has become more expansive than it has ever been. Over the past two and a half years, you and I have advanced cooperation on climate, on clean energy, terrorism, cybercrime, public health, and vaccine production. And during this trip, our countries have launched new areas of cooperation from artificial intelligence to semiconductors. As we look toward the future, the United States and India, the world's oldest and largest democracies, instinctively turn to each other and are increasingly aligned. So, I will con- a close with this, which is a memory, again, of my grandfather and what he taught me on those long walks and, in particular, what he taught me about the nobility of public service. Prime Minister Modi, you and I have both dedicated our careers to the noble work of public service. And so, to everyone here today, I say: It is incumbent on each of us, inside of government and outside of government, to continue the fight for progress and to serve the greater good. So, I raise a glass. To the enduring bonds between our nations and our people. And to our continued work together, all in the service of the greater good. Prime Minister. Cheers. (Vice President Harris offers a toast.) PRIME MINISTER MODI: (As interpreted.) Vice President Kamala Harris; Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff; Secretary of State and my friend, Antony Blinken; White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan; all distinguished guests and representatives: Friends, first and foremost, I would like to thank Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary Blinken for this grand welcome. Thank you so much. I am also truly grateful to you both for your warm and kind words. Today, to be among all of you at the State Department once again is a matter of great pleasure for me. In the last three days, I have taken part in several meetings and discussed numerous topics. In all of these meetings, there was one thing that was common: In all of these meetings, everyone was of the view that the friendship and cooperation between the people of India and America needs to become even deeper. The sweet melody of the India-U.S. relations is composed of the notes of our people-to-people ties. Examples of these relations can be seen at every step. Vice President Kamala Harris's mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, came to America from India in 1958. At that time, most people did not have phones. And so, her mother, she would send handwritten letters to her family back home. And at any time, she did not let her relation with India break. She kept the relation alive with whatever ways and means she could find. She made maximum use of it. For India and her life in America, she kept them both linked. Despite thousands of miles of physical distance, India always remained close to her heart. And, Madam Vice President, you have taken this inspiration today to newer heights. Your achievements are an inspiration to not only the women in America, but to women in India and women all across the world. This is really inspiring. (Applause.) Secretary Blinken, when I, in the beginning, mentioned the words like "music" and "notes," I actually had you in mind. You know, the entire world knows about your diplomatic skills, and I now know it very well. There is also a lot of buzz about your musical talent. Even when covering thousands of miles of traveling, dealing with the most serious of issues, you always find time for music. This is extremely inspiring for all of us. Your contribution in strengthening our strategic partnership has been incredible, and I thank you for it. Really, thank you, Secretary Blinken. (Applause.) Friends, during my visit in 2014, my dear friend President Biden was also here with me at the State Department. At that time, he had referred to India-America partnership as a promise over the horizon. In this period of nine years since then, we have been on a very long and beautiful journey. We have added and expanded the scope of mutual cooperation in defense and strategic areas. We are working with renewed trust in areas of new and emerging technologies. We are resolving long-pending and difficult issues in trade. We are together in these new frameworks, such as Quad and I2U2, and we have made a lot of progress in these. Whether it is on ground or in the skies, in the deep seas or way up in space, India and America can be seen working together. Indeed, in the true sense, the promise over the horizon today is not merely a promise but a reality. And neither is it far over the horizon. Where we stand today, the achievements that we take pride in are all the result of your dreams and your tireless hard work. I commend you all for it, and I thank you for it. (Speaks English.) Friends, on this note, I would like to raise a toast. To your good health and well-being. To our friendship. And to the peace and prosperity of all of our citizens. Thank you. (Prime Minister Modi offers a toast.) END 1:17 P.M. EDT NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Ships passing through Hormuz Strait must communicate with Iran in Farsi' IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 23, 2023 New York, IRNA -- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri says vessels seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must communicate with Iranian naval forces in Farsi. "Any ship that wants to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must inform us of its nationality, type of cargo, and destination in Farsi, and if it does not do this, we will definitely go after it," Tangsiri said on Friday. He also recalled that Iran was not allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz during the Pahlavi era, reiterating, "But now, vessels passing through this strait, including ships, warships, and any boats, must introduce themselves in Farsi." Iran has time and again vowed to give a decisive response to any hostile move in the Strait of Hormuz that seeks to disrupt the security of the strategic waterway. The Islamic Republic has also made it clear that it views US military presence in the region as a threat to its national security and a destabilizing factor in regional countries. **9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU sanctions four Iranian entities over allegations of drone supplies to Russia Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 6:56 PM The European Union has imposed sanctions on four Iranian entities over what it claims to be the supply of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia in the war against Ukraine. The restrictive measures were approved by the Council of the European Union on Friday as part of the 11th package of sanctions against Moscow over Russia's long-running military operation in the former Soviet republic. The Council added an additional 87 entities from various countries to the list of entities "directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex" in its operation in Ukraine, saying, "They will be subject to tighter export restrictions concerning dual use goods and technologies." The list included four Iranian companies that the Council claimed to be "manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and providing them to Russia," alleging that they were "involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions, and certain Russian entities involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components for Russia's military and industrial complex." The Council of the European Union claimed that the entire 87 entities were "responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." The Council added that the restrictive measures "intended to strengthen existing EU sanctions and crack down on their circumvention." Both Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied claims that Tehran has provided Moscow with drones to be used in the Ukraine war. The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July last year, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleging that Washington had received "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the war. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in November dismissed media controversy over Iran's alleged support for Russia in the Ukraine war, adding, however, that Tehran had provided Moscow with a limited number of drones months before the war in Ukraine. Amir-Abdollahian also assured that Iran will not be indifferent if it is proven that Russia has used Iranian drones in the conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senior Iranian Officials Discussed Common Strategy To Counter Alleged Plots By 'Enemies' By Golnaz Esfandiari June 23, 2023 Senior Iranian intelligence and security officials met last week in the northeastern religious city of Mashhad to discuss a coordinated strategy to counter what state media described as "plots" by the country's "enemies." The June 15 meeting, which was not reported by state media until a week later with no explanation, appeared to be intended to increase cooperation between the Intelligence Ministry and the intelligence branch of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a message addressed to the meeting that "the lack of understanding" between the country's intelligence bodies is "our weakness," while calling for increased intelligence cooperation "at all levels." The message by Khamenei, who has ultimate power in the Islamic republic, was read by his chief of staff, Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani. Other attendees included Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, the IRGC's intelligence chief, General Mohammad Kazemi, IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami, and the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Rear Admiral Ali Akbar Ahmadian. Power Struggle? The meeting followed several months of antiestablishment protests, and highlights the Islamic republic's concerns about instability and potential future protests. It could also suggest a power struggle and rivalry between the Iran's two main intelligence bodies, which in recent years have failed to prevent the November 2020 assassination near Tehran of a top nuclear scientist, cyberattacks targeting state institutions, and acts of sabotage against the country's nuclear and military facilities. Saeid Golkar, a senior fellow on Iran policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told RFE/RL that competition between the two groups has led to "the mishandling of some situations, potentially leading to ineffective intelligence operations and conflicts of interest." "The meeting shows Khamenei's frustration with the competition between these two forces," Golkar said, adding that the presence of the supreme leader's chief of staff and the head of his military office at the meeting was "significant." The IRGC's intelligence branch was created in 2009 shortly after the disputed presidential election that year triggered mass protests and a brutal state crackdown. The feared branch has expanded its activities in recent years, arresting scores of activists, conservationists, and alleged spies as well as foreigners and dual nationals. Preventing 'Plots And Seditions' The IRGC's intelligence branch was created in 2009 shortly after the disputed presidential election that year triggered mass protests and a brutal state crackdown. The feared branch has expanded its activities in recent years, arresting scores of activists, conservationists, and alleged spies as well as foreigners and dual nationals. Speaking at the meeting, the head of the Supreme Leader's military office, General Mohammad Shirazi, said intelligence bodies should work together to prevent "plots and seditions" through intelligence work, preparation, and timely action. IRGC commander Salami referred to the Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC's intelligence body as "the two eyes" of the establishment that should work to provide "a single picture" and prevent what he described as "political astigmatism." Antiestablishment sentiments have been on the rise in Iran amid a deteriorating economy that has led to rising poverty. The protests have led to increased state repression and the crackdowns that have left about 500 dead, including children, according to rights groups. Earlier this week, IRGC intelligence chief Kazemi alleged that 20 countries were involved in the recent nationwide antiestablishment protests sparked by the September death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the morality police in Tehran. In a June 19 interview with Khamenei's website, Kazemi, who was appointed as IRGC intelligence chief last year amid a major shakeup, claimed that the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Iceland, Italy, and Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, and archfoe Israel were among the countries involved in fomenting the protests. Speaking at the June 16 meeting, Kazemi called for increased cooperation between intelligence bodies and said there should be joint action and the formation of joint operational bases. For his part, Intelligence Minister Khatib said his ministry and the IRGC's intelligence branch must develop joint strategies and improve information-sharing to counter what he called "coherent and extensive" planning by "the enemies" against the Islamic republic. Khatib said the intelligence meetings will continue to fulfill Khamenei's demands for greater cooperation between the two intelligence bodies. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-officials- common-strategy-enemies-plots/32472873.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 Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi June 23, 2023 Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan spoke with Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi on June 23. Sullivan extended sincere condolences to the Israeli people for the June 20 terrorist attack by Hamas that killed four Israeli civilians in the West Bank. He underscored the Administration's unwavering support for Israel's security, as well as its right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups. Sullivan also expressed deep concern over the recent extremist settler attacks against Palestinian civilians and the destruction of their property in the West Bank. He reiterated the importance of holding accountable those responsible for such acts of violence. Sullivan encouraged additional steps to restore calm and de-escalate tensions, and called on all parties to refrain from unilateral actions, including settlement activity, that further inflame tensions. Sullivan conveyed the United States' hope that the parties build on the commitments made during talks at Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and reconvene soon. Sullivan also updated Hanegbi on broader regional issues including efforts to enhance Israel's integration into the region, as well as President Biden's iron-clad commitment that Iran will never be able to obtain a nuclear weapon. They committed to stay in regular contact over the coming days and weeks. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan, France Agree to Strengthen Defense Cooperation Sputnik News 20230623 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, have agreed to strengthen defense ties, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Hayashi and Colonna met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris. "The Ministers concurred to set up a working group on economic security in the diplomatic sphere. They also concurred that they continue to promote concrete cooperation, such as the port call of the French frigate 'Lorraine' to the Port of Tokyo and joint training with the Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces," the ministry said. In addition to security and defense, Japan's top diplomat welcomed the progress of bilateral relations in such areas as the economy, science and technology, global engagement, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the ministry said. The two ministers also discussed Russia sanctions and support for Ukraine, but not the potential opening of a NATO office in Tokyo, according to the ministry's statement. Earlier in June, the Financial Times reported that French President Emmanuel Macron voiced opposition to the idea of opening NATO's first representative office in Asia, as such a move would antagonize China. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Junta jet attack kills man in Myanmar's Kayah state The bombing raid also injured 2 children. By RFA Burmese 2023.06.23 -- A junta plane attacked two villages in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state Friday morning, killing a man and injuring two children, locals told RFA. The aircraft first strafed Li Khu Pa Yar village in Hpruso township around midnight Thursday before returning to drop bombs on Li Khu Pa Yar and Do Yaw villages before dawn on Friday. "Li Khu Pa Yar and Do Yaw village are not close so, when Li Khu Pa Yar was fired on from the air at midnight, people in Do Yaw village did not flee as they thought the shooting would not reach their village," said a local who didn't want to be named for security reasons. "But both Li Khu Pa Yar and Do Yaw villages were bombed from the air at 4 p.m. Some people were sleeping so they didn't flee." The local said the man who died was in his forties but didn't give the ages of the children. He said five houses in Do Yaw were destroyed by the bombing. Executive Director of the Karenni Human Rights Group, Banyar - who goes by a single name - confirmed the death and injuries and said the details are still being investigated. Li Khu Pa Yar and Do Yaw are small villages with fewer than 50 houses in a state with a low population compared with the rest of Myanmar. Locals said the junta attacked by air because road transport is difficult in Hpruso township. Although the Karenni Defense Forces are active in Kayah state, residents told RFA they had no idea why the junta targeted their villages. Many have now taken refuge in the nearby jungle. RFA called Kaya state's junta spokesperson Aung Win Oo Friday but nobody answered. According to a June 1 statement by the Progressive Karenni People's Force there have been 699 battles in three townships in Kayah and neighboring Shan states since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup and the junta has carried out 463 airstrikes. The ethnic armed group said 462 people were killed in Kayah state due to fighting over that period and 15 died in airstrikes. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn. 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 June 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 INTERVIEW: 'We must blame those who created this nightmare' Myanmar's shadow health minister details efforts to secure aid for the opposition during a US visit. By Khet Mar for RFA Burmese 2023.06.23 Zaw Wai Soe, the minister of health and education for Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, recently traveled to Washington DC, seeking support from U.S. officials, representatives of government institutions and international organizations, and members of the Burmese diaspora living in America. The NUG is made up of former lawmakers and opponents of the military junta that overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021 in a coup d'etat. On Wednesday, RFA Burmese Service reporter Khet Mar spoke with him about the substance of his meetings, his government's efforts to support Myanmar's opposition, and the state of the country's education and medical sectors. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity: RFA: In an interview in May, you said that during your U.S. visit, you would meet government officials, lawmakers and development partners to explain the situation in Myanmar and how they can provide assistance to the country. I'd like to know about the results of your meetings. Zaw Wai Soe: I discussed Myanmar's situation with foundations, [international] NGOs and philanthropic organizations. When I explained to them how the junta uses airstrikes against the people, how our children study [amid conflict], and how we run our hospitals, they expressed a desire to help us. I'm satisfied with the meetings. We established better connections. We also held meetings with State Department officials. RFA: The National Unity Government has been running schools in Myanmar [as an alternative to junta-run schools]. But students in cities like Yangon and Mandalay cannot go to such schools and won't attend the junta's schools either. What do you want to tell those students and their parents? Zaw Wai Soe: In the border areas, we have set up education online by using internet access from Thailand, China and India. But it is hard to run a school safely in the heart of the country when the military controls the internet. So, in my meetings with U.S. officials, we requested help with communications systems to use in running schools and healthcare systems. But we can't rely on that assistance alone. As for the students of Myanmar, I'd like to urge them to get their education. We are implementing a basic education completion assessment. It aims to provide higher education and vocational training for students. A student who is 17 years old can take a test for the assessment. Months ago, some 70,000 students, including members of the [anti-junta] People's Defense Force [paramilitary group] took the test. The students should know about this assessment. International universities accept scores from the test. RFA: There are many doctors who have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement and several hospitals and clinics have been forced to shut down [since the coup]. Lots of doctors have been arrested. Amid such a situation, what do you want to tell those seeking medical care? Zaw Wai Soe: As most people know, the country's education, health, economic, and most other sectors were destroyed by the reckless acts of [the military coup leaders]. We must place blame on those who put the country and its citizens in this nightmare situation. But blaming them alone won't solve the problem and we have to help the people as much as possible. We are trying. We have been running a new medical school in Kachin state and a nursing school in Kayah state because we need to produce health care workers. We have started a six-month course, which can be extended to a year if necessary, to train experts who can provide primary health care to the people. We have already trained more than 10,000 people as medics. Additionally, we have been building locally-administered health and human resources systems in Kayah and Chin states. To do more, we need financial support and other assistance from the international community. That's why I am seeking such support as one of the reasons for this visit. Because of our efforts, six months ago, donors from European countries provided us with US$8.4 million and plan to send another US$20 million next year. We also need to work together with the ethnic groups of Myanmar in order to provide assistance to the country's border regions. Translated by Htin Aung Kyaw. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June 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 Response to Media Queries on US-India Joint Statement Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Responding to media queries regarding the US-India Joint Statement of 22 June 2023, the Spokesperson said: "We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the 'Joint Statement from the United States and India', issued on 22 June 2023, as unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The reference is contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones. We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan's close counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S. Pakistan has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. In laying down their lives, our law enforcement agencies and armed forces have set an example. People of Pakistan are the real heroes in this fight. The international community has time and again recognized Pakistan's efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. It has long concluded that terrorism can be defeated through concerted and cooperative actions. Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the Joint Statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism. The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations. In addition to being a state-sponsor of terrorism, India habitually uses terrorism bogey to deflect attention from its brutal repression of Kashmiri people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and maltreatment of its minorities. It is thus completely ill-placed to cast any aspersions on Pakistan and its fight against terrorism. Ironically, the Joint Statement fails to address the key sources of tension and instability in the region and to take cognizance of the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). This is tantamount to abdication of international responsibility. Pakistan is also deeply concerned over the planned transfer of advanced military technologies to India. Such steps are accentuating military imbalance in the region and undermining strategic stability. They remain unhelpful in achieving the objective of a durable peace in South Asia. We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing one-sided positions." Islamabad 23 June 2023 122/2023 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistan Rejects US, India Call to Curb Cross-Border Terrorism By Sarah Zaman June 23, 2023 Islamabad has rejected a joint call by the U.S. and India for Pakistan to act against perpetrators of cross-border terrorism, calling it "unwarranted, one-sided and misleading." In a joint statement issued by the White House on Thursday after talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a state visit to Washington, the two sides "strongly condemned cross-border terrorism and the use of terrorist proxies." The statement called on Pakistan "to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks." In its response, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the reference "politically motivated," saying it was "surprised" by the reference given "Pakistan's close counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S." "The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations," the foreign office said in a written statement. The ministry called India a "state sponsor of terror" that "habitually uses the terrorism bogey" to deflect attention from its human rights abuses. Earlier in the day, other key Pakistani ministers condemned the statement. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan's bicameral parliament, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif called Modi the "butcher of Gujarat," referencing the communal riots of 2002 in which nearly 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Modi was the chief minister of his home state of Gujarat at the time and was widely accused of turning a blind eye to the violence. According to the BBC, Modi has repeatedly rejected accusations of responsibility for the deadly riots. An Indian Supreme Court panel in 2013 ruled that it found insufficient evidence to prosecute him. Asif blamed the U.S. for terrorism in his country, saying Pakistan "invited" it by providing support to the U.S. in Afghanistan. "Pakistan supported the U.S. in the last 40, 45 years in two wars [in Afghanistan]," Asif said. "In both, Pakistan was a front-line state in a war that was not ours. As a result of that, we dragged terrorism into our home." Asif lamented there was "no acknowledgement" of the estimated 80,000 lives Pakistan claims to have lost to fighting terrorism. The country has seen a rise in terror attacks against security personnel by the Pakistani Taliban since Kabul fell to the Afghan Taliban in August 2021. Calling on Pakistan to bring to justice those responsible for the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks in India, the White House statement said both sides reiterated the call for "concerted action against all U.N.-listed terrorist groups including al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh [also known as the Islamic State, IS and ISIL], Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul-Mujahideen." Although Pakistan has put a few alleged perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks behind bars, including one previously believed to be dead, Islamabad blames New Delhi for not cooperating in bringing the accused to justice. Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the global powers were not paying attention to the issue of terrorism because they were "distracted" by Russia's war in Ukraine. "Their primary focus is geopolitics, and all other problems are secondary. We believe terrorism is an issue that should not be made controversial by big powers," Bhutto Zardari said on the floor of the National Assembly. "They shouldn't make it a victim of geopolitics." During Modi's state visit, the U.S. and India also announced a list of defense deals, including signing off on an agreement between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. to manufacture fighter jet engines in India. Under a maritime agreement, U.S. Navy ships in the region will be able to stop in Indian shipyards for repairs, and India will buy 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones worth over $3 billion and locally assemble them in a plant that U.S.-based General Atomics will build in Gujrat. Kamran Bokhari, senior director for the Eurasian security and prosperity portfolio with the Washington-based New Lines Institute, told VOA the deals represent a pivotal moment in U.S.-India relations. "Washington is embracing New Delhi as an emerging power and seeks to integrate it as a key component into its international security architecture," Bokhari said in written comments to VOA. Pakistan's former high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, told VOA that Pakistan should be worried about the cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan's archrival India. "At the end of the day, India's [defense] capability will be used against China or Pakistan," said Basit. Along with a 75-year-old territorial dispute with Pakistan over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, India has also been engaged in a decades-long border dispute with China that has intensified in the last four years. "In the U.S. calculus, it cannot stand up to Chinese malign activities in the Indo-Pacific without India a the only country that is of the size, population and location to counter China," Tamanna Salikuddin, director of South Asia programs at the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace, said in written comments to VOA. She said such "remarkable" defense deals are usually reserved for only treaty allies, which the U.S. and India are not. This, she said, is the clearest sign for Pakistan that "the United States is firmly in a defense, economic and broader partnership with India." Basit believes the defense deals "are pushing South Asia to an interminable arms race" but that they would not necessarily push Pakistan closer to China. "Diplomacy is all about creating space," he said. Pakistan's foreign minister downplayed the growing U.S.-India defense ties. "I don't believe there is any reason for Pakistan to be insecure in its relationship with the world or its bilateral relationship with America as a result of increasingly close cooperation between [the] United States and India," said Bhutto Zardari. 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.. Press release on Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin's meeting with Chair of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025 Burhan Gafoor 22 June 2023 19:03 1227-22-06-2023 On June 22, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin met with Burhan Gafoor, Chair of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025, who is also Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, who is staying in Moscow on a working visit. The two officials exchanged views on the OEWG's activities and its future, reaffirming their mutual commitment to reinforcing the group's standing as a central mechanism for addressing matters related to international information security (IIS) under the UN's auspices and supporting it in carrying out its mandate. They went on to note the importance of establishing practical cooperation and confidence building mechanisms between states in the context of efforts to coordinate the parameters of a global intergovernmental registry of focal points for exchanging information on cyberattacks and incidents, as proposed by Russia. They also discussed the possibility of devising a universal international legal framework for regulating the way states behave in the information space based on a concept of a UN convention on ensuring IIS, sponsored by a group of countries. Mr Vershinin and Mr Gafoor emphasised that the OEWG must retain its role as a single negotiating platform on this topic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 11th package of sanctions on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: additional 71 individuals and 33 entities included in the EU's sanctions list and new tools to counter circumvention and information warfare European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 23 June 2023 Within the comprehensive eleventh package of sanctions adopted earlier today, the Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 71 individuals and 33 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine Today we are targeting 104 individuals and entities who are instrumental in the continuation of this brutal war, including those responsible for military activities, for political decisions, who are polluting the public space with disinformation and malicious narratives, adding to the military warfare also through information warfare. We are also targeting those involved in inhumane deportations and forced adoption of Ukrainian children to Russia, as well Russian IT companies providing critical technology and software to the Russian intelligence. We will continue to increase pressure on Russia as long as it takes. - Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Today's decision strengthen the ability of the EU to counter sanctions circumvention as well as to target the information warfare conducted by Russia. It also adds 104 new listings, which cover various sectors and categories of individuals and entities. As regards the first point, the Council adopted the first listing related to sanctions circumvention, following an infringement procedure in one member state. The Council also extended the existing listing criterion on circumvention so as to cover also individuals and entities significantly frustrating the restrictive measures in such a way as to contribute to Russia's capacity to wage war. In response to the information warfare conducted by Russia, the Council introduced a new listing criterion to cover companies in the IT sector that provide critical technology and software to the Russian intelligence community. Based on this new listing criterion, the Council designated companies from the IT sector holding a licence administered by the Federal Security Service or the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. A substantial number of designations target the Russian military and defence sector: senior military officials of the Russian armed forces, companies manufacturing missiles, drones, anti-aircraft missile system, military vehicles and high-tech components for weapons, as well as companies producing goods and technologies covered by the above-mentioned licences. Designations also include individuals responsible for the forced transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children and persons responsible for the looting of Ukraine's cultural heritage. Today's sanctions also continue to target actors involved in disinformation, including the listing of a television and radio company linked to the Russian armed forces, media executives, propagandists and other individuals responsible for disinformation. The Council is also sanctioning the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad, which plays an important supporting role in implementing the foreign policy goals of the Russian Government, and its Executive Directorand tasked with coordinating the mobilisation efforts of the Russian Federation to support its war of aggression against Ukraine. The Council also designated separatist military officials who were convicted by a Dutch court over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. This action is taken in close coordination with Australia. Lastly, designations includes members of the judiciary who took politically motivated decisions against Ukrainian citizens who opposed the annexation of Crimea, as well as businesspersons, a deputy minister and a number of Russian local officials and two banks: MRB Bank and CMR Bank, which operate in the illegally annexed territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to almost 1 800 individuals and entities altogether. All those designated in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories. In the European Council conclusions of 23 March 2023, the EU reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter. The EU also reiterated that it remained committed to maintaining and increasing collective pressure on Russia, including through possible further restrictive measures. The European Council conclusions also underlined the importance and urgency of stepping up efforts to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions at European and national level and its firm commitment to effectively preventing and countering their circumvention in and by third countries. The EU stands firmly and fully with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. The relevant legal acts, including the names of the listed individuals and entities, have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: EU adopts 11th package of economic and individual sanctions European Council / Council of the European Union Council of the EU Press release 23 June 2023 The Council adopted today an eleventh package of economic and individual restrictive measures intended to strengthen existing EU sanctions and crack down on their circumvention, thereby further eroding Putin's war machine and his revenues. Our sanctions are already taking a heavy toll on the Russian economy and on the Kremlin's ability to finance its aggression. Today's package increases our pressure on Russia and Putin's war machine. By tackling sanctions circumvention, we will maximise pressure on Russia by depriving it further of the resources it so desperately needs to allow it to pursue its illegal war against Ukraine. - Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy The agreed package includes the following measures: Circumvention tool In order to address the growing circumvention of EU sanctions, the EU decided to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with third countries, and the provision of technical assistance. Only in those cases where cooperation does not yield the intended results, the EU will take rapid, proportionate and targeted action, which is solely aimed at depriving Russia of the resources which allow it to pursue its war of aggression against Ukraine, in the form of appropriate individual measures addressing the involvement of third-country operators in facilitating circumvention. The Union will re-engage in a constructive dialogue with the third country in question following the adoption of such individual measures. In the event that, in spite of individual sanctions and further engagement, circumvention remains substantial and systemic, the EU will have the possibility to take exceptional, last resort measures. In this event the Council may unanimously decide to restrict the sale, supply, transfer or export of goods and technology whose export to Russia is already prohibited - notably battlefield products and technologies - to third countries whose jurisdiction is demonstrated to be at a continuing and particularly high risk of being used for circumvention. Transit ban In order to further minimise the risk of sanctions' circumvention, today's decision prohibits the transit via the territory of Russia of more goods and technology which may contribute to Russia's military and technological enhancement or to the development of the defence or security sector, goods and technology suited for use in aviation or space industry and jet fuel and fuel additives, exported from the EU to third countries. Import-export controls and restrictions The Council added additional 87 entities to the list of entities directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They will be subject to tighter export restrictions concerning dual use goods and technologies. The list includes four third-country entities manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and providing them to Russia, other third-country entities involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions, and certain Russian entities involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components for Russia's military and industrial complex. Furthermore, today's decision expands the list of restricted items that could contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia's defence and security sector to include: electronic components, semiconductor materials, manufacturing and testing equipment for electronic integrated circuits and printed circuit boards, precursors to energetic materials and precursors to chemical weapons, optical components, navigational instruments, metals used in the defence sector and marine equipment. Broadcasting In order to address the Russian Federation's systematic, international campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts aimed at enhancing its strategy of destabilisation of its neighbouring countries - the EU and its member states -, the Council extended the suspension of broadcasting licences to five additional media outlets: RT Balkan, Oriental Review, Tsargrad, New Eastern Outlook and Katehon. These outlets are under the permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation and have been used by latter for its continuous and concerted propaganda actions targeted at the civil society in the EU and neighbouring countries, gravely distorting and manipulating facts. In particular, the propaganda has repeatedly and consistently targeted European political parties, especially during election periods, as well as civil society, asylum seekers, Russian ethnic minorities, gender minorities, and the functioning of democratic institutions in the EU and its member states. In line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, these measures will not prevent those media outlets and their staff from carrying out activities in the EU other than broadcasting, e.g. research and interviews. Roads and ports The EU extended the prohibition to transport goods into the EU by road to trailers and semi-trailers registered in Russia, including when hauled by trucks registered outside of Russia. Furthermore, in view of the sharp increase of deceptive practices by vessels transporting crude oil and petroleum products, the Council decided to prohibit access to EU ports and locks to any vessels that engage in ship-to-ship transfers, if the competent authorities have reasonable cause to suspect that the vessel is either in breach of the ban on importing seaborne Russian crude oil and petroleum products into the EU, or is transporting Russian crude oil or petroleum products purchased above the price cap agreed by the Price Cap Coalition. The same prohibition will apply to vessels when competent authorities have solid reasons to suspect that they illegally interfere, switch off or otherwise disable their navigation system when transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products in breach of international agreements, rules and standards. Energy The temporary derogation granted to Germany and Poland for the supply of crude oil from Russia through the northern section of the Druzhba oil pipeline will end. However, the oil which originates in Kazakhstan or another third country will be able to continue to transit through Russia and imported into the EU via the Druzhba oil pipeline. Individual listings In addition to economic sanctions, the Council decided to list a significant amount of additional individuals and entities. Background In the European Council conclusions of 23 March 2023, the EU reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter. The EU also reiterated that it remained committed to maintaining and increasing collective pressure on Russia, including through possible further restrictive measures. The European Council conclusions also underlined the importance and urgency of stepping up efforts to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions at European and national level and its firm commitment to effectively preventing and countering their circumvention in and by third countries. The EU stands firmly and fully with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. The relevant legal acts will soon be published in the Official Journal of the EU. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address European Union ramps up sanctions against Russia Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23.06.2023 On Wednesday 21 June, the European Union adopted a new package of sanctions to make restrictive measures against Russia stricter and stronger, adding 87 defence industry companies to the sanctions list. The package came info effect today. "Estonia and the European Union continue to work to make sanctions as severe and efficient as possible, and affect the sectors that Russia relies on the most in financing its aggression against Ukraine," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. He added that in the development of the newest package, the focus was on preventing the circumvention of existing sanctions. Tsahkna underlined that the cost of the war must be raised for Russia for as long as necessary and discussions on new sanctions have already begun among like-minded countries. "Estonia and the EU will not stop before Ukraine has won this war and Russia and its leadership have accounted for their actions." The 11th sanctions package limits Russia's options in avoiding sanctions that are already in force. Following Estonia's proposal, sanctions on car exports to Russia were ramped up, and the export of air and gas guns and other similar weapons to Russia was banned. Entry to EU ports was banned for ships who have violated oil embargo and price cap regulation, including ships that have switched off the Automatic Identification System (AIS). At Estonia's proposal, entry bans to ports apply in the Gulf of Finland to anchorages outside the jurisdiction of ports. For the first time, as a deterrence measure, the package includes the option of expanding the export ban of goods to third countries through which sanctioned goods arrive in Russia. This measure can be implemented following the failure of diplomatic efforts with the country enabling the violation of sanctions. It mainly allows to ban the export of sensitive dual use goods and certain goods linked to the defence industry. At the proposal of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, an important evasion prevention measure includes an expansion of the ban on transit through Russia to third countries to include goods that can be used to boost the defence capabilities of Russia and to goods used in aviation. At the proposal of Estonia and other Baltic States and Poland, the sanction on road transport is expanded, banning the transport of goods with trailers registered in Russia into the EU, and banning the export of goods used by Russia in war, including electronics, semiconductors, and cameras. The package added tougher restrictions on 87 defence industry companies that include third country companies linked to the sale of Iranian drones and circumventing sanctions. With the most recent restrictive measures, nearly 1800 individuals and entities have been sanctioned for undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity. Since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, the European Union has continued to impose stricter sanctions against Russia. Eleven sanctions packages have been imposed so far, aimed at raising the cost of the aggression for Russia and, with other foreign policy measures, pressure Russia into ending its aggression in Ukraine. All sanctions will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union . NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU adopts 11th package of sanctions against Russia for its continued illegal war against Ukraine European Commission Press release 23 June 2023 Brussels The Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of an 11th package of sanctions against Russia. This package will ensure that EU sanctions against Russia are even better enforced and implemented, based on the lessons learned from implementation over the past year. The 11th package has these key elements: TRADE MEASURES New anti-circumvention tool: this will allow the EU to restrict the sale, supply, transfer or export of specified sanctioned goods and technology to certain third countries whose jurisdictions are considered to be at continued and particularly high risk of circumvention. This new "anti-circumvention" tool will be an exceptional and last resort measure when other individual measures and outreach by the EU to concerned third countries have been insufficient to prevent circumvention. Extension of the transit prohibition for certain sensitive goods (e.g. advanced technology, aviation-related materials) exported from the EU to third countries, via Russia. This will also reduce the risk of circumvention. Addition of 87 new entities to the list of those directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They are subject to tighter export restrictions for dual-use and advanced technology items. In addition to the Russian and Iranian entities already listed, this now also covers entities registered in China, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Armenia. Restriction on the exports of further 15 technological items found on the battlefield in Ukraine or equipment needed to produce such items. We are working in close coordination with partners and are adding Switzerland to the list of our partner countries. Tightening restrictions on imports of iron and steel goods by requiring importers of sanctioned iron and steel goods that have been processed in a third country to prove that the inputs used do not come from Russia. Prohibition to sell, license, transfer or refer intellectual property rights and trade secrets used in connection with restricted goods to prevent the sanctioned goods from simply being manufactured outside the EU. Extension of the ban on export of luxury cars to all new and second-hand cars above a certain engine size (> 1.900 cmA), and all electric and hybrid vehicles. A full ban on certain types of machinery components. Simplifying the structure of the industrial goods annex, by listing products subject to restrictions in one single section and with broader product definitions, to better identify goods subject to export bans and reduce circumvention of sanctions by misclassification. TRANSPORT MEASURES A full ban on trucks with Russian trailers and semi-trailers from transporting goods to the EU. This will clamp down on the circumvention of the prohibition for Russian freight road operator to carry goods in the EU. Prohibition to access EU ports for vessels that engage in ship-to-ship transfers suspected to be in breach of the Russian oil import ban or G7 Coalition price cap. Prohibition to access EU ports for vessels if a vessel does not notify the competent authority at least 48 hours in advance about a ship-to-ship transfer occurring within the Exclusive Economic Zone of a Member State or within 12 nautical miles from the baseline of that Member State's coast. Prohibition to access EU ports for vessels which manipulate or turn off their navigation tracking system when transporting Russian oil subject to the oil import ban or G7 price cap. ENERGY MEASURES End of the possibility to import Russian oil by pipeline for Germany and Poland. Insertions of strict and very targeted derogations to the existing export bans to enable the maintenance of the CPC (Caspian Pipeline Consortium) pipeline which transports Kazakh oil to the EU through Russia. Extension of the exception to the oil price cap for Sakhalin oil for Japan (until 31 March 2024). ADDITIONAL LISTINGS Over 100 additional individuals and entities subject to asset freezes. This includes senior military officials, decision makers on the war, persons involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, judges who took politically motivated decisions against Ukrainian citizens, persons responsible for the looting of cultural heritage, businesspersons, propagandists, as well as Russian IT companies providing critical technology and software to the Russian intelligence, banks operating in the occupied territories and entities working with the Russian armed forces. ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATIONS Revision of the listing criterion for individuals/entities engaged in circumventing EU sanctions, including those significantly frustrating EU sanctions. Addition of a new listing criterion to allow the designation of persons and entities operating in the Russian IT sector with a license from Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) or the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. Insertion of a derogation allowing the sale of proprietary rights in a Russian joint venture co-owned with a listed person. Insertion of a derogation allowing the disposal of certain types of securities held with specified listed entities. Insertion of certain clarifications in the provision on information sharing between competent authorities and regarding the respect of the confidentiality of the communications between lawyers and their clients in the context of reporting obligations. Insertion of a derogation allowing the provision of services required for the establishment of a firewall removing the control by a listed person over the assets of an EU entity. Insertion of an exemption for the provision of pilot services in specific circumstances. OTHER Extension of the media ban to 5 additional channels. Additional provisions on information exchange and reporting. Insertion of a temporary derogation to allow for the provision of prohibited services which are legally required for the divestment of Russian operators from the EU. EU SANCTIONS The EU's sanctions have limited Moscow's political and economic options considerably, by causing major financial strain, degrading Russia's industrial and technological capacity. They are fulfilling their three key objectives: degrade Russia's military capability to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine, deprive the Kremlin from the revenues it is financing the war with, and impose costs on Russia's economy. Sanctions are having an impact on all three. Their effects grow over time as the sanctions erode Russia's industrial and tech base. Additionally, the EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan's outreach on cooperation to prevent circumvention is ongoing to key third countries. First tangible results are already visible. Systems are being put in place in some countries for monitoring, controlling, and blocking re-exports. Anomalous, sky-rocketing trade figures for some very specific products/countries are hard evidence that Russia is actively attempting to circumvent sanctions. This calls for us to redouble our efforts in tackling circumvention and to ask our neighbours for even closer cooperation. Working with partners, we have also agreed a priority list of sanctioned battlefield goods to which businesses should apply particular due diligence and which third countries must not export to Russia. In addition, within the EU, we have also identified economically critical goods for which businesses and third countries should be especially vigilant. Background The EU's sanctions against Russia are proving effective. They are limiting Russia's ability to wage the war against Ukraine, including to manufacture new weapons and repair existing ones, as well as hinder its transport of material. The geopolitical, economic, and financial implications of Russia's continued war of aggression against Ukraine are clear, as the war has disrupted global commodities markets, especially for agrifood products and energy. The EU continues to ensure that its sanctions do not impact energy and agrifood exports from Russia to third countries. As guardian of the EU Treaties, the European Commission monitors the enforcement of EU sanctions by EU Member States. The EU stands united in its solidarity with Ukraine, and will continue to support Ukraine and its people together with its international partners, including through additional political, financial, military and humanitarian support for as long as necessary. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Questions and answers on the 11th package of restrictive measures against Russia European Commission Questions and answers 23 June 2023 Brussels Listings Who have you targeted? 71 individuals and 33 entities have been added to the list of natural and legal persons subject to asset freezes and the prohibition to make funds and economic resources available to them. Altogether, EU restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine now apply to close to 1800 individuals and entities. What entities have been targeted and in which countries? Are more banks included? The list of newly designated legal persons includes mostly Russian entities. The grounds for listing include circumvention of EU sanctions, support to actions undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine. This includes Russian IT companies providing critical technology and software to Russian intelligence, as well as two banks. Import and export restrictions What new export restrictions have been introduced? A total of 87 new entities were added to the list of those directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine. They are subject to tighter export restrictions for dual-use and advanced technology items. In addition to the Russian and Iranian entities already listed, for the first time this measure also covers entities registered in other jurisdictions, i.e. Armenia, Hong Kong, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. and. We have extended the ban on firearms and other arms. There is a restriction on the exports of 15 technology items found on the battlefield in Ukraine or equipment needed to produce such items. The restriction of exports of certain industrial goods that reinforce Russia's industrial base is tightened and simplified by merging different parts of the existing export bans and applying other parts at a higher level (moving from 6 to 4-digit custom codes), which makes it easier for customs officials to check compliance. How have you amended the transit ban? Until this latest package, the transit ban covered dual-use goods and firearms. The 11th package extends the transit ban to advanced technology products, aviation goods as well as jet fuel and fuel additives. This covers all transit of such goods through Russia, regardless of the final destination. The aim is to ensure that no sensitive goods "fall off a truck" while crossing Russia. What have you done on iron and steel? To implement the agreed measure on steel (8th package, ban effective as of 30 September 2023), there is now an obligation on importers to provide proof that the iron and steel products imported to the EU from third countries do not incorporate banned steel inputs from Russia. What other trade-related measures are included in this package? The existing ban on export of luxury cars henceforth becomes a full ban on exports of all new and second-hand cars with an engine size above 1.900 cmA. There is now also a full ban on certain other luxury goods, such as yachts. Certain new types of machinery are now placed under export bans. Anti-circumvention measures Are EU sanctions being circumvented? What have you seen so far? The sanctions are working and creating significant pressure on their targets. That's why we see that Russia, and sanctioned Russian persons, are going out of their way to try to circumvent them in order to obtain sanctioned goods.. To ensure the full effectiveness of our sanctions, we need to curtail this practice. On the one hand, this means stronger enforcement at EU level and making sure that EU operators do not circumvent sanctions.. On the other hand, this means keeping a close eye on foreign operators that are re-exporting EU sanctioned goods, without the knowledge of the EU exporter. For that scenario, we have sought the support of third countries' authorities, to make sure that goods exported from the EU to those countries do not reach Russia. Why are you proposing a new anti-circumvention tool? Sanctions are increasingly circumvented through the jurisdictions of third countries. We are working and cooperating with them and have noted the efforts of many of these countries to stave off the re-exporting of sanctioned EU goods. In some cases, however, these efforts may prove to be insufficient, or there may simply not be any willingness to make them. If nothing else works, then the only remaining option is to stop exporting to those third countries the very specific goods we are most concerned about. This does not mean the EU is imposing sanctions against third countries or their governments. We are simply trying to make sure that sanctioned EU goods do not end up in Russia. We continue to count on the cooperation of third countries and will continue providing guidance and technical assistance on the scope of EU sanctions. How would it work in practice? The instrument would focus on specific high-risk goods that are proven to reach Russia via third countries, despite being covered by EU sanctions. The instrument equips the EU to prohibit the export of these goods to the countries which are used to circumvent our sanctions, and also to prohibit the provision of associated services. The list of goods and technology subject to this measure would only be populated if no other solution could be found. This means close engagement and dialogue with each of the third countries concerned. We will always give authorities an opportunity to react to the EU's findings and conclusions. So this is a measure of last resort. As for the goods and technologies concerned, the focus would be on particularly sensitive ones - of the kind that directly allows Russia to pursue its military aggression against Ukraine and its ability to wage war. This would be for example dual-use goods and technology or goods that could enhance Russia's military, technological and industrial capacities. With today's changes, is it now easier to sanction an individual or entity from a third country involved in the circumvention of sanctions? Does this not amount to the extra-territorial effect of EU sanctions? EU sanctions do not apply extra-territorially. This is a principle we have long stood by and will continue to stand by. We are not asking operators who are outside EU jurisdiction to comply with our sanctions. However, when foreign operators partake in the circumvention of EU sanctions, for instance by re-exporting sanctioned EU goods to Russia, this can be of such nature as to undermine the objectives of EU sanctions. This can then result in CFSP measures taken against them, such as a listing activating financial sanctions and, for natural persons, also a travel ban. What are you doing in the maritime sector? We want to counter the increase of deceptive practices by vessels transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products which aim to hide the origin of the oil and circumvent our import ban and price cap on the transport and services to third countries. These practices, which include ship-to-ship transfers of oil and petroleum products, also create environmental risks near our coasts. We are therefore introducing a prohibition to access EU ports for vessels which are transporting Russian oil and have conducted ship-to-ship transfers or turned off their AIS navigation systems during the voyage to a Member State, giving reasons to suspect a breach of our restrictions. We are also prohibiting access to EU ports if a vessel does not notify the competent authority at least 48 hours in advance about a ship-to-ship transfer occurring within the Exclusive Economic Zone of a Member State or within 12 nautical miles from the baseline of that Member State's coast. What do the intellectual property prohibitions entail? The measures seek to avoid that goods and technology under EU export restrictions are instead manufactured either in Russia, or in other countries and then transferred to Russia. The measures do so by preventing EU companies from transferring their industrial know-how and trade secrets concerning sanctioned goods to third country companies, which would then manufacture those products in or provide them to Russia. Industrial knowledge and expertise for EU goods which Russia was dependent on must remain in the EU. Disinformation Why has the EU added further media outlets to the sanctions list? The EU has extended the prohibition to broadcast content to five Russian media outlets (RT Balkan, Oriental Review, Tsargrad, New Eastern Outlook, Katehon) because it has proof that these are under the permanent control of the Russian leadership and systematically participate in spreading misinformation and propaganda, which constitutes a threat to the Union's public order and security. Clarifications Which clarifications did the EU introduce? The new measures provide further clarifications regarding the authorities competent to receive notifications of non-scheduled flights between Russia and the EU. They also provide further clarifications regarding the processing and exchanging of information by the competent authorities of the Member States and regarding the respect of the confidentiality of communications between lawyers and their clients in the context of existing and newly introduced reporting obligations. They also provide legal certainty for exchange of information between competent authorities, customs and financial supervisors, within the same and among different Member States, in particular in relation to circumvention patterns and attempted circumvention. Reporting obligations What reporting obligations have been proposed and why? Member States will now have to share with the Commission and other Member States any decision to reject an application for authorisation. They will also have to inform the Commission and other Member States in case they want to grant an authorisation essentially identical to one already denied by another Member State. These obligations, already envisaged for dual-use goods, are now extended to all derogations under the Russia economic sanctions (Council Regulation (EU) 833/2014). The measure tackles the possible situation of economic operators lodging multiple applications for authorisation of the same activity ('forum shopping'). It also ensures consistency in Member States' approach as to increase legal certainty. General What is the rationale of imposing such sanctions? Sanctions are targeted at the Kremlin. They aim to weaken the Russian government's ability to finance its war of aggression against Ukraine and they are calibrated in order to minimise the negative consequences on the Russian population. Sanctions are imposing a direct cost on Russia for its war of aggression and damaging Russia's industrial and economic ability to wage war, manufacture more weapons, and repair existing weapons systems. The sanctions also deprive the Russian army and its suppliers of the goods and equipment needed to wage war against Ukraine. In addition, sanctions are designed to maximise the negative impact for the Russian economy, while limiting the consequences for EU businesses and citizens. We welcome EU companies' diligence in complying with the sanctions framework in place. Ensuring an effective and diligent implementation of sanctions is key to prevent circumvention. This is primarily the responsibility of Member States. In this process, the European Commission is fully committed to assisting national authorities and ensuring a consistent implementation across the Union. Could the latest EU sanctions package aggravate the global food crisis? No. Not at all! It is Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and Russia's deliberate actions - such as blocking grain exports from Ukraine, burning crops and silos, stealing Ukrainian cereals, and complicating trade - that are provoking a global food crisis. None of the EU's sanctions adopted against Russia, including those included in the latest sanctions package, prevent the supply of agri-food products, medical equipment or medicines for the general population in Russia. Agricultural machinery per se is also not subject to any export ban. None of the sanctions adopted by the EU in view of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine target trade in agricultural and food products, including cereals and fertilisers, between third countries and Russia. For instance: If third countries wish to buy Russian fertilisers, there are no EU sanctions that would prohibit this. Safeguards to ensure that EU sanctions do not indirectly impact global food (e.g. through overcompliance) trade remain in place also after the adoption of the latest sanctions package. On 19 September 2022, the EU issued updated guidance to clarify the impact of sanctions on the transport of a sanctioned item to a third country. This makes it clear that the transfer of Russian fertilisers to third countries via the EU is permitted. Given the food security concerns in certain third countries, the 9th package of sanctions introduced a targeted derogation allowing Member States to unfreeze assets of, and to make funds and economic resources available to, certain individuals who held a significant role in international trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilisers, prior to their listing. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 11th package of EU sanctions against Russia focuses on preventing sanctions circumvention Finnish Government 23.6.2023 The European Union introduces significant new instruments in its eleventh package of restrictive measures against Russia to prevent circumvention and evasion of sanctions, particularly through third countries. These instruments include several facilities for targeting sanctions against parties that circumvent sanctions and assist in such circumvention. Export bans, bans on transit through Russia and individual sanctions lists are expanded. The EU expands the sanctions that it imposed in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. This is now the eleventh EU sanctions package arising from the invasion. The newly approved sanctions package introduces significant new measures to prevent sanctions circumvention. The ban on transit of export-controlled goods through Russia is extended. The EU prohibits the transit through Russia of products and technologies that may be used to enhance Russian military and technological capabilities, and to develop the defence and security sector. The transit ban will now include aviation and space industry products and technologies, aviation fuels and their additives. A new mechanism is introduced to prevent circumvention of sanctions. This mechanism may be applied to companies in third countries that have systematically failed to prevent the transit to Russia of goods subject to sanctions. It would be applied as a last resort if the desired outcome could not be achieved through diplomatic negotiations with these countries. Export licences permitted by the regulation will be withheld from entities operating in third countries that have participated in circumventing sanctions or assisting in such activity. The criteria for targeting sanctions against sanctions busters is also expanded. Individuals who promote infringement of the ban on evading sanctions set out in Council decisions and regulations, or who otherwise systematically act in a manner contrary to the purpose of sanctions may be subject in future to individual sanctions. Sanctions regulations expand the list of individuals and entities that are subject to sanctions. Representatives of the Russian armed forces or persons who support them, political operators, information influencers of Russian society, opinion formers and business influencers who support the Russian government or benefit from it will be added to the list. Some of the individuals listed are responsible for arranging the enforced relocation and illegal adoption of Ukrainian children. The entities listed are Russian state agencies, state-supporting organisations, undertakings that have supported the Russian armed forces, banks and media enterprises. Products and technology that are used for maintaining Russia's military apparatus and industrial capacity are added to the scope of export bans. These include electronic components, semiconductor materials, materials for making electronic circuits and printed circuit boards, source materials for energetic materials and chemical weapons, optical components, navigation instruments, and metals used in the defence sector and shipping. Import bans on products that generate revenue for Russia to finance its invasion are expanded. These include coal products, lignite, peat products, non-hydrocarbon gases, and tar and pitch distilled from coal. Derogations may also be granted for providing services required for establishing, certifying or evaluating the safeguard known as a firewall. Such firewalls seek to remove the right of a sanctioned individual to exercise control over the assets of an entity (such as an undertaking) that is not on the sanctions list, but is owned or controlled by the said individual within the territory of the EU. A previously imposed operating ban is expanded by prohibiting the use of trailers registered in Russia within EU territory, even when towed by trucks that are registered in the EU and in third countries. Restrictions on access to Union ports and locks will continue. The ban is extended to include vessels: that import, purchase or transport products that are subject to sanctions. that are suspected of being or have been found to be in violation of the ban on importing Russian crude oil or oil products, and of the oil price cap imposed by the G7 group (vessel to vessel transfer). that illegally jam, turn off or otherwise disable their navigation systems when transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products, except for safety and environmental reasons or in order to save lives. The sale, licensing and transfer of trade secrets and intangible assets to Russia is prohibited. Previous regulations concerning the importation of iron and steel products that are processed in third countries and contain Russian iron and steel products is clarified. The provision of legal advice to Russian operators leaving the EU market is permitted until 31 March 2024. Derogation possibility for the withdrawal from Russia of European company subsidiaries established in Russia is extended until the end of 2023. The derogation concerns the transfer of products subject to sanctions that are held by the subsidiary in the context of a business acquisition. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lithuania's Foreign Minister Landsbergis: "The 11th sanctions package is good, but we still have a long way to go before closing all sanctions loopholes" Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2023.06.23 In light of Russia's unprecedented war of aggression against Ukraine, the European Union on June 23 adopted the 11th package of economic and individual sanctions that focuses on preventing the third country circumvention of existing measures. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis says the circumvention of sanctions is an acute problem, so the EU still has a long way to go before closing sanctions loopholes. "The package intends to crack down on sanctions circumvention, further eroding Russia's war machine. The EU can now restrict the sale of sanctioned goods and technology to third countries if these third countries re-sell them to Russia. The EU's trade flows to the East are not slowing down. We see increasing trade between third countries and Russia in highly sensitive military goods. Thus, the 11th sanctions package is good, but regional and national measures will also be needed," Landsbergis said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian opens mutiny probe over Wagner chief's statements Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 10:21 PM Russia has accused the head of the country's private military company Wagner of calling for an armed mutiny and opened a rebellion investigation in connection with his recent statements. Russia's principal security agency launched the investigation on Friday after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, accused the Russian military of killing a "huge number" of its forces in strikes. Prigozhin reportedly said on Saturday that his 25,000-strong force was "ready to die" as he vowed to topple Russia's military leadership. "All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000," he said in a second audio message. "We are dying for the Russian people." Russian authorities have rejected Prigozhin's allegations of airstrikes on his forces and demanded he halt "illegal actions." Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee on Friday demanded that Prigozhin said the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) started the mutiny investigation. "The statements that are being spread on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin are absolutely unfounded," the committee said in a statement, according to the TASS news agency. "In connection with these statements, the Federal Security Service of Russia has started an investigation into a call for an armed mutiny. We demand that unlawful actions be stopped immediately," it added. Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation and all necessary measures were being taken, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports of the Russian military launching a strike on "PMC Wagner encampments in the rear" are false. The Wagner Group is a paramilitary organization that has been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In an audio message posted to the social media platform Telegram on Friday, Prigozhin allegedly said that "the evil which the Russian military leadership carries must be stopped." "Those who killed our lads, and tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers [in the war in Ukraine] will be punished," he said. "I ask you not to resist. Anyone who does will be considered a threat and destroyed. That goes for any checkpoints and aviation on our way. Presidential power, the government, the police and the Russian guard will work as usual," he said. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. Our actions do not interfere with the troops in any way." Last month, Wagner troops conquered the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The battle over Bakhmut has been described as the heaviest to take place between the Russian and Ukrainian forces since last February when Moscow began what it called a special military operation in the ex-Soviet republic. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow: 'West walking Hitler's path, trying to dismember Russia' Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 6:33 PM A senior Russian official has accused the West of plotting to "destroy and dismember" Russia, saying the bloc is walking in the footsteps of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. "Today, the collective West, having revived Nazi ideology, is repeating the path of Hitler and his henchmen, trying to destroy and dismember Russia and deprive the former Soviet republics of independence once and for all," Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Friday. He made the remarks while addressing the first meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the Central Asia countries and Russia. The meeting was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan with top security advisors of the host country as well as Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan in participation. Patrushev said Russia is interested in maintaining stability in Central Asia and other regions, but the US does not seek to engage in mutually beneficial interaction and instead tries to impose its will on other nations. "At the same time, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation is not part of the US plans, which continues to impose a so-called order based on rules that they invented. This is done solely in order to ensure their well-being at the expense of other states, even their own allies, whose interests they also do not think to consider." He said the US and its allies triggered the conflict in Ukraine years ago to bring down Russia and dominate the Eurasian territory. "Washington does not tolerate any strong state, including Russia, which it wants to either dismember or eliminate in order to dominate the Eurasian territory, draining resources. It was for this purpose the Anglo-Saxons unleashed the conflict in Ukraine," he said. Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine's neighbor in February 2022. Moscow says it has launched the operation to protect Ukraine's pro-Russian population in the southern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk against persecution by the Kiev regime. It says it also seeks to "demilitarize and denazify" 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. The supplied arms include rocket systems, drones, tanks and armored vehicles and communication systems as reports also indicate a probable supply of F-16 fighter jets. 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 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. Moscow also insists that Western nations must refrain from the direct military confrontation between the US-led NATO forces and Russian troops. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Launches Criminal Probe After Wagner Chief Blames Moscow's Forces For Attacks On Mercenaries By RFE/RL's Russian Service June 23, 2023 The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched a criminal probe after what it said was a "call for an armed mutiny" by Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. "In connection with these statements, Russia's FSB has opened a criminal case," the National Anti-Terror Committee said on June 23 in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. "We demand that unlawful actions be stopped immediately," the statement said. General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, posted a video message on Telegram urging Wagner group fighters to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. "I urge you to stop," he said. "The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country." The FSB said Prigozhin's comments amount to a call to start an armed civil conflict in Russia. Security measures were tightened in Moscow and most important facilities were under guard, TASS reported, citing security services. Roadblocks were being set up on the Moscow-Voronezh-Rostov-on-Don highway, the Russian Service of the BBC reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about Prigozhin's comments and "necessary measures are being taken." Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of launching rocket attacks on the rear camps of his paramilitary unit using artillery and attack helicopters. In a series of audio messages on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said there were many victims in the ranks of his mercenary group but did not specify exactly where the strikes took place. The Defense Ministry responded by saying that the statements "do not correspond to reality," calling them a "provocation." Wagner's council of commanders decided after the strikes that the "evil" of the Russian military leadership "must be stopped," Prigozhin said, adding: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance." He said it was "not a military coup" rather a "march of justice." He said he had 25,000 fighters at his disposal and called on all Russians who wanted to be in the group to join, including regular army servicemen. He promised to return Wagner to the Ukrainian front after the "restoration of justice." A long interview with Prigozhin was published earlier on June 23, in which he criticized not only Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu but also the very idea of starting a war in Ukraine. Prigozhin has issued frequent tirades on social media against the Russian Defense Ministry. Amid fierce fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Prigozhin repeatedly published videos sharply criticizing Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for not providing enough ammunition. With reporting by AFP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prigozhin- ukraine-tirade-mutiny-mercenaries/32472965.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 Sachkov's Revenge: Jailed On Treason Charges, A Russian Cybersecurity Exec Goes On The Offensive By Mike Eckel June 23, 2023 When the co-founder of the up-and-coming Russian cybersecurity group Group-IB unleashed an unusual public broadside about cybercrime in June 2020, it was seen as a bold and risky move in an industry where the line between Russian criminals and Russia security agencies has always been porous. Speaking alongside Russia's prime minister, Ilya Sachkov called out one person in particular, a man behind a notorious bit of ransomware code used to lock victims' computers in order to extort money from them: Maksim Yakubets. Not only did Sachkov at the time know that the FBI had charged Yakubets with major cybercrimes six months earlier -- he also probably knew that Yakubets' father-in-law was a former special forces officer with the Federal Security Service, the FSB. That, many experts say, is likely why Sachkov was arrested by the FSB in September 2021 and charged with treason. Now sitting in a Moscow jail awaiting trial, Sachkov has made another bold and risky ploy: He and his allies have released a video recorded a few months prior to his release. In the video, which circulated on Telegram earlier this month, Sachkov rips into the FSB and calls out two prominent people by name: the head of its main cyberunit and the unit's previous director, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence on a treason conviction. "I find it to be strategic. I find it to be very interesting that it was released," said Alexander Leslie, an analyst at the U.S.-based cybersecurity company Recorded Future, referring to the new video. Prior to his arrest, Sachkov "went out of his way to name names, to name the names of cybercriminals that were openly collaborating, he alleged, with the FSB and the security services as a whole," he said. "I think a lot of people, especially people who are involved in studying Russian politics and studying the Russian cybercriminal underground revere Sachkov for those statements," Leslie told RFE/RL, "because it's very rare, it's exceedingly rare for someone to say something like that, and then deal with the backlash that he's likely dealing with as a result of these statements." 'You Will Definitely Be Surprised' In September 2021, FSB agents raided Group-IB's Moscow offices, hauling away servers and documents. They also hauled away Sachkov, who had been out of the country but had returned for unclear reasons. Even in an industry accustomed to subterfuge, scandal, and betrayals, Sachkov's arrest stunned many. It even drew criticism from top Russian business leaders, including the country's official business ombudsman. For years, if not decades, Russia had been trying to cultivate its own tech industry, struggling to harness the vast intellectual potential of its vaunted education system and its world-class programmers, coders, and engineers -- not to mention hackers and security agents. Kaspersky Lab was one example of a homegrown tech company that had gone global - until 2017, when the U.S. government alleged it had collaborated with the FSB and banned its software from all U.S. government computers. The German government and Italy followed suit in 2022. Group-IB, meanwhile, was embraced as a good-news success story for Russia's tech industry. In February 2019, President Vladimir Putin awarded Sachkov with a prize for young entrepreneurs. "We started out with investigations of high-tech crimes, collaborating with...the Investigative Committee, the FSB, the Interior Ministry. And then we began to make products that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to prevent attacks at an early stage," Sachkov said, inviting Putin to visit his offices. "You will definitely be surprised." That same year, Group-IB moved its headquarters to Singapore, in an effort to expand its business to a global audience beyond the Russian market. In June 2020, Sachkov attended the event hosted by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in the central city of Kazan, along with other major figures in Russia's high-tech industry, including the founder of Yandex, Yevgeny Kaspersky of Kaspersky Lab, and the then-head of Mail.ru. Boris Titov, the Kremlin's official business ombudsman, introduced Sachkov to Putin. After Sachkov was arrested, Titov was among the first officials to speak out in his defense. At the meeting with Mishustin, Sachkov lamented what he saw as obstacles to "guaranteeing the sovereignty" of Russian technology and accused law enforcement of failing to stop cybercrimes, which he said hurts Russia's image. "When the whole world says that Mr. Maksim Yakubets, a hacker who drives around in Moscow in a Lamborghini with [government-issued] license plates, is a computer criminal, the creator of the Dridex virus, every engineer in the world knows about it," he said. "Not a single Russian state body -- neither the police, nor the Federal Security Service, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- responds to this in any way. "Maksim stays in Moscow, continues to drive his luxury car, and believe me, this affects the image of Russian companies that export information security," he said. 'If You See This Video, Then Something Happened Or Is Happening To Me' In the eyes of many experts, Sachkov erred in publicly taking on an alleged cybercriminal who had a powerful protector, and likely taking on others on the inside of Russia's security apparatus. "Such statements are not convenient for people who provide cybercriminals with comfortable conditions in Russia," Viktor Kalinin, a former data analyst with Group-IB, told the Novaya gazeta newspaper earlier this year. There may be other reasons. In the video that circulated on June 16, Sachkov said it was recorded in June 2021, three months before his arrest. It was impossible to verify the time or place of its recording, though it appeared to be a location in Moscow. He said he recorded it because he was concerned that he could be the target of a "serious provocation." "If you see this video, then something happened or is happening to me. Hospital, prison, disappearance -- something that is extraordinary, but to which we are probably already accustomed," he said. He then named the current head of the FSB's Center for Information Security, Oleg Kashentsov, as being responsible for his possible criminal prosecution. And he also named Kashentsov's predecessor, Sergei Mikhailov. Known also as Center 18, the Center for Information Security was roiled by a scandal in 2016 when it was directed by Mikhailov and his deputy, a former hacker named Dmitry Dokuchayev. Russian investigators accused the two, and two others, including a respected private sector analyst, Ruslan Stoyanov, of involvement in a scheme to pass classified cybersecurity information to U.S. authorities. Sachkov gave expert testimony in the trial at which Mikhailov was ultimately convicted. Mikhailov and Dokuchayev -- who had previously worked with and met with U.S. Justice Department officials to cooperate on some cybercrime investigations -- were sentenced to 22 years in prison, though Dokuchayev later had his sentence cut short. Dokuchayev, meanwhile, was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department in March 2017 for his role in hacking Yahoo and stealing 3 billion e-mail records -- the largest such hack in history. Some Russian media outlets, as well as Bloomberg News, speculated that Sachkov had also provided U.S. officials with information that led to the Justice Department indictment of 12 officers from the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU. The video and its whistle-blowing content were consistent with the "white-hat image" that Sachkov had sought to build, said Julien Nocetti, a fellow and researcher at the French Institute of International Relations. "I do think Ilya is still trying to maintain a sort of 'moral influence' within the domestic cyberindustry, which has undergone profound changes since February 2022," Nocetti told RFE/RL. "Those who didn't take sides have been forced to do so - and that's not the best of luck when you are a Russian entrepreneur in this sensitive and sovereignty-related industry. "In a sense, he knows he is likely to remain in jail for years, and thus has nothing to lose except his reputation as a crusader against cybercrime," he said, "especially the [kind] which intersects between financial motives and political gains." 'Why Is The Russian Government Not Doing Anything About It?' Among many investigations into Russian cybercrime that U.S. authorities pursued was the case of Yevgeny Nikulin, who was arrested in the Czech Republic in October 2016 and extradited to the United States on charges that he hacked the U.S. tech companies LinkedIn, DropBox, and others. In 2020, Nikulin was convicted by a jury and sentenced to just over seven years in prison. In April 2014, FBI agents traveled to Moscow to meet with cybersecurity officials, a meeting that was supported by Russian law enforcement. Among the people who were interviewed was Nikita Kislitsin, who had been indicted by a U.S. grand jury on cybertheft charges the previous month. At the time of the FBI meeting, Kislitsin was employed by Group-IB, hired in January 2013 and later becoming the company's director of network security. Prior to that, however, Kislitsin had been well-known in Russia's cyberunderground and was acquainted with Nikulin, whom he had described as the "Putin" of the hacking world. Nikulin and Kislitsin had attended a meeting at a Moscow hotel in March 2012, along with several other Russians and Ukrainians, at a gathering that was dubbed the "summit of bad motherf*****s," according to evidence submitted in Nikulin's trial. Kislitsin allegedly worked with another notorious Russian hacker, Aleksei Belan, to buy stolen data from Nikulin. Belan, who was also indicted in the Yahoo e-mail hack, is on the FBI's list of its most-wanted hackers. In his meeting with FBI agents, Kislitsin was notified of his legal rights, according to Justice Department filings. Kislitsin then indicated that he was "open for collaboration" and wanted to "mitigate problems." In April, Group-IB announced that it had finalized its move to leave Russia entirely. "All of Group-IB's research and development processes, along with the company's full stack of technologies and products, will be withdrawn from Russia," the group said. Group-IB did not respond to a new request for comment from RFE/RL. Sachkov's preemptive denunciation appeared aimed at pinning blame for Group-IB's exit from Russia on the FSB, said Leslie of Recorded Future. "It's a very, very interesting thing to say that the director of the FSB center that's effectively responsible for information in cybercrime more or less possibly pushed them out of Russia," he said. "But I think honestly, going back to what [Sachkov] said in 2020 and 2021 about cybercrime's relationship with the Russian state, [that] was what started this snowballing effect of allegations and public scrutiny," Leslie said. "He continues to say this in not only that video. "Why is the Russian government not doing anything about it?" Leslie said. "It's probably because, a) it's a source of revenue for some people; b) it's a source of soft power projection for the Russian state. It allows for a Russian kind of 'FUD' -- fear, uncertainty, and doubt -- in cyberspace to allow cybercrime out of Russia to run rampant." The FSB unit that Sachkov crossed swords with isn't the only FSB division that has drawn scrutiny and the attention of law enforcement. Last month, authorities in the United States, Britain, and three other Western nations announced a joint effort to unplug a pernicious and damaging malware called Snake, or Uroburos, that had been lurking around Internet servers in dozens of countries for decades. The code was attributed to a FSB unit known as Center 16. Four Russians were charged by the FBI with various cybercrimes. Snake was "the most sophisticated cyberespionage tool designed and used by Center 16 of Russia's Federal Security Service for long-term intelligence collection on sensitive targets," the U.S. government's cybersecurity agency said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/32472306.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 Russia Detains Five It Claims Tried To Buy Nuclear Material To Discredit Moscow By RFE/RL's Russian Service June 23, 2023 Moscow says it has detained several people it claims are linked to Ukraine who were trying to buy radioactive material and smuggle it out of the country to cause an incident "to discredit Russia," just days after Kyiv said it had received information showing Russia was considering carrying out a "terrorist" attack involving the release of radiation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on June 23 that it took into custody five members of a "criminal group" that was coordinated by Ukrainian nationals as they tried to smuggle 1 kilogram of highly radioactive Caesium-137 worth $3.5 million out of Russia. According to the FSB, the suspects planned to use the radioactive material during ongoing clashes between Ukrainian armed forces and occupying Russian troops in "staged acts with the weapons of mass destruction to discredit Russia." There was no way to independently verify the FSB statement. The Kremlin has denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's accusations over a possible attack using radioactive materials. Zelenskiy said he had passed on the intelligence information to Western allies, details of which have not been made public. Since launching its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has accused Kyiv several times of making plans to use a so-called "dirty bomb," though no evidence has been presented to back up the claim. Kyiv has denied the Russian accusations, while some Ukrainian and Western officials have accused Moscow of making the allegation to give itself cover to detonate its own "dirty bomb" and blame Kyiv for it. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in early November that its experts had found no sign of undeclared nuclear activity at three sites in Ukraine that it inspected at Kyiv's request in response to Russian allegations it was working on a "dirty bomb." With reporting by RIA Novosti and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-detains-five- nuclear-material-dirty-bomb/32472520.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 Foreign Ministry's statement on retaliatory measures regarding the EU's 11th package of anti-Russia sanctions 23 June 2023 15:00 1229-23-06-2023 The European Union continues its attempts to pressure Russia through unilateral restrictive measures. On June 23, EU countries passed the 11th package of sanctions against Russia. We believe that these actions by the EU are illegitimate, and that they undermine international law prerogatives of the UN Security Council. In response to these unfriendly actions, Russia has considerably expanded the list of representatives of European institutions and EU member countries who are not allowed to enter the Russian territory under Federal Law No. 114-FZ On the Procedure for Exit from and Entry to the Russian Federation, of August 15, 1996. This measure applies to representatives of law enforcement agencies, state and commercial organisations of EU countries and citizens of EU member countries involved in providing military assistance to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev (supplies of weapons, military equipment and uniforms, training Ukrainian service personnel, raising funds to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, providing intelligence data and communications services, facilitating logistics, etc.). The list also includes representatives of EU agencies responsible for imposing sanctions against Russia and trying to undermine Russia's relations with other states. The restrictions also apply to members of EU countries' parliaments promoting a confrontational agenda with regard to Russia. We confirm that any unfriendly actions by Western countries will meet with a quick and appropriate response in the future. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the Business Council meeting, Moscow, June 23, 2023 23 June 2023 13:11 1228-23-06-2023 Colleagues, I am delighted to welcome the members of the Business Council under the Minister of Foreign Affairs and invited participants. Today's discussion will focus on the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Africa. As you know, the second Russia-Africa Summit is scheduled for the end of July. We are preparing for the summit in a situation where profound changes are unfolding in the world; this requires adjustments of Russia's foreign policy as well as foreign economic priorities. We are already doing this, primarily in the traditionally friendly geographical areas, with the African continent historically being one of them. Its role as one of the most important pillars of the emerging multipolar system continues to grow. Over the past decade, Africa's nominal GDP has grown by 50 percent, and the share of transnational corporations in it is steadily declining. Many African nations have made significant strides in strengthening their economies. The African Continental Free Trade Area project is of particular importance here. In the near future, with our active assistance, the African Union's inclusion in the Group of Twenty will be completed. This will allow the continent to fully participate in shaping the international agenda and in global governance mechanisms. Economic and financial independence remains a key factor in Africa's socioeconomic development and food security. Russia has a principled approach here, advocating the need to reform the global financial architecture and increase the role of new centres of economic growth in it. We are in favour of redistributing global financial resources in their favour and pay special attention to the needs of African states. In terms of practical cooperation, Africa is one of the fastest-growing export markets for our manufacturers; it is one of the promising destinations for Russian investment. African countries are interested in working with us to achieve the goals set out in the African Union's strategy, Agenda 2063. A significant part of the events planned for the end of July 2023 as part of the second Russia-Africa Summit will have to do with the issues I mentioned. We hope that the summit will lend a powerful impetus to the comprehensive development of Russian-African relations. We believe that our Business Council's contribution to the preparations for this event will also be of value. Now we will move on to a substantive exchange of views on ways to make this contribution as effective as possible. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the UN Human Rights Council, Director of the Department for Multilateral Human Rights Cooperation, Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law at the thematic discussion "75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Importance of Honoring International obligations by States" 23 June 2023 00:15 23-06-2023 Dear colleagues, This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The role of this milestone document in forming an international agenda for promoting and protecting human rights can hardly be underestimated. Nowadays the UDHR is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. Another important commemorative event in 2023 is the 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. The international community declared human rights to be universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated as well as underlined the principle of equality for all categories of human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural. The Russian Federation believes that true protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms are only possible through dialogue and the development of friendly relations between nations. Unfortunately, this topic is still used by some countries as a pretext for interference in the internal affairs of independent States. This is the case of certain "exemplary democracies" (as they prefer to refer to themselves) of the collective West, some of which, inter alia, prepare politically motivated reports on the human rights situation worldwide. In those endeavours they label countries as "leaders" and "losers" depending on their respective political choices. Such an approach, however unbelievable it may seem, is now omnipresent and requires a response on the part of the international community. Against this backdrop, the Russian Foreign Ministry has carried out a thorough and comprehensive research dedicated to the human rights situation in certain countries. The latter traditionally include the above-mentioned Western democracies. The results of this work can be found in a same-name report published on the Ministry's official website. Its English version is currently being prepared and will be available shortly. This is far from being our first take at summarizing in one study all sorts of human rights violations in the countries in question. Such reports are published annually and then sent to the representatives of States and international human rights organisations. Unfortunately, these steps do not preclude the collective West from turning a blind eye to all the arguments and facts presented in our materials. So, bearing this in mind, I would like to take the opportunity to briefly introduce to you some key points of the latest report. First and foremost, one of our primary concerns is the increase in reported cases of discrimination based on religion or belief, origin, including Islamophobic, Christianophobic, Arabophobic, Afrophobic and xenophobic manifestations. In 1948 UN Member States endorsed the UDHR in order to strengthen the respect for the inherent dignity of the human person and restore its value after the scourges of World War II. Indeed, humanity paid a bitter price of tens of millions of human lives for a painful lesson: there must be no place for the ideas of Nazism and racial supremacy in a civilized world. Yet today we witness radical nationalists raising their heads throughout Europe and Northern America, while the principles of universality and equality for all categories of human rights are being ignored. The new trend is attempting to export certain regional or country-specific human rights standards as universal. Thus, the West once declared freedom of opinion and expression to be an absolute right. Exercising this right now serves to justify certain officials' lack of action when it comes to a wide scope of manifestations of racism, xenophobia and neo-Nazism. However, article 29 of the UDHR states clearly and unequivocally that certain limitations to the exercise of rights and freedoms are still possible on the condition that they are determined by law and serve the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. In addition, the provisions of international human rights treaties, notably of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, provide a major regulatory framework for combating such phenomena. Article 4 is a key provision of the ICERD. In accordance with it, States Parties to the Convention undertake to condemn all organisations based on ideas of superiority of one group of persons of a certain ethnic origin and declare them illegal, as well as declare an offence punishable by law all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred. This is why marches and gatherings of Waffen-SS veterans, instances of erection of monuments to Nazis or other radical manifestations are in fact punishable criminal offences and not the exercise of freedom of expression or peaceful assembly. This being said, it comes as no surprise that this year the Western countries and their allies unanimously voted against the traditional UNGA resolution "Combating glorification of Nazism, Neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" annually submitted by Russia, Belarus and other co-sponsors. Notwithstanding such a fierce opposition, the resolution was still supported by the overwhelming majority of 120 Member States. It is also of no surprise that Western countries attempt to use every avenue at their disposal to "tailor" human rights standards to their own need, namely, through such an instrument as reservations to human rights treaties. In particular, the majority of such States have made reservations to such articles as article 19 of the ICCPR and article 4 of ICERD. This in practice allows them to counter almost any accusation of hate speech, racial discrimination, xenophobic or neo-Nazi discourse by referring to them as "realization of the right to freedom of opinion and expression", a position that is cynical to say the least. And what about reservations by Western P5 members of the UN Security Council to Article 20 of the ICCPR that states that "Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law" and that "Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law"? Are these reservations in line with the P5's special responsibility for maintaining international peace and security? Turning back to the report by the Russian Foreign Ministry, it is important to note that a significant part of it is dedicated to the human rights situation in Ukraine. The latter is examined through its gradual evolution. At the moment when this country gained independence its authorities had already embarked on a course of creating a mono-ethnic state. After the 2014 coup-d'Etat this process noticeably accelerated. The policy of assimilation of ethnic minorities was conducted through the legislative consolidation of the dominant role of the Ukrainian language by laws On Education, On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language, and On Comprehensive General Secondary Education. The rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population have been restricted the most, but other ethnic groups were also disadvantaged. This is notably the case of the Hungarian and Romanian communities. Not only were they affected by the language reform, but also by the administrative one. By enlarging the districts where these groups constituted the majority of the population, the Ukrainian authorities strived to dilute the proportion of ethnic Hungarians and Romanians. Another issue is the problem of persecution of political opponents, independent journalists and media companies. To this end, the Kiev authorities actively engage "the good offices" of members of radical nationalist organisations who often break the law but remain unpunished. Over the past years, international human rights organisations have recorded many facts of arbitrary and unlawful detention, torture, and sexual violence. Furthermore, Kiev's campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has reached a new level in terms of cynicism and hypocrisy. It has now taken the form of a total ban on the Church, including Zelenskiy regime's decision to evict its clergy from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. As for the report of the MFA in general, each country chapter contains a brief description of the human rights situation of Russian citizens and compatriots. It is all the more relevant in the context of the russophobic hysteria which reached a new high following the launch of the special military operation aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine. Among the most frequent human rights violations are refusals to provide educational, healthcare, banking, and other services, introduction of measures targeting Russian business enterprises, coercion to public condemnation of the Russian government's actions, banning from sporting events, attacks, threats, insults, dismissal from work, eviction of Russian families from apartments regardless of existing residential lease agreements. Meanwhile, the problems that had existed prior to February 2022 remain relevant., The "hunt" for our fellow citizens, unleashed by the US government, is continuing all around the world. In a number of countries (first of all, in the Baltic states, the USA, Canada) the governments are displeased with by the position of the Russian-speaking community in favour of maintaining friendly relations with our country. Additionally, the governments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are following Ukraine's example in attempting to eradicate the Russian language from all spheres of public and everyday life. Along with this, the Russian MFA report deals with a wide range of other acute issues. These are: the inability of national governments to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples (as in Canada, Australia and New Zealand); Europe-wide difficulties with overcoming of the marginalisation of the Roma and Sinti communities; discrimination and stigmatisation of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohia; fierce intolerance to any political opposition in Moldova, culminating in the recent court decision to ban the "Shor" political party; limitations to the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (which is generally deemed sacred and therefore not subject to limitations in the West), which in practice turn into brutal dispersal of politically unwelcome demonstrations (as in France, the UK and the USA); and a long list of violations of rights of children, women, migrants, elderly and disabled persons. The research developed is not aimed at lecturing or moralising. On the contrary, it strives for objectivity as it is based on data from human rights NGOs and takes into account recommendations and concluding observations of international universal and regional human rights institutions - specifically, UN human rights treaty bodies regional (primarily European) mechanisms, such as the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Commission for Democracy through Law - better known as the Venice Commission and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. However, first and foremost, our report summarises facts of human rights violations in specific countries. Judging the moral implications is up to our readers. I cannot but note with satisfaction that similar work is also conducted by our colleagues in the Foreign Ministry of Belarus, the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies. For us, this is strong evidence that we are not alone in the fight for preserving the core human rights principles as they are enshrined in the UDHR and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, as well as universal human rights instruments. We strongly believe that only by working together will the international community be able to develop a constructive, equitable and mutually respectful dialogue on human rights taking into account the national, cultural and historical characteristics of each State. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prigozhin Coup Attempt: What We Know So Far Sputnik News 20230623 Russian President Vladimir Putin is being regularly briefed about Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's armed coup attempt by the Ministry of Defense, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the National Guard. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the FSB had opened a criminal case over "calling for an armed rebellion," and that allegations spread on behalf of Wagner chief Prigozhin were "unfounded." "In connection with these statements, the FSB has opened a criminal case over calls for an armed rebellion. We demand that these illegal actions be stopped immediately," the committee said. The Prosecutor General's Office confirmed that the case against Prigozhin had been launched, addressing it in an official statement: "On June 23, 2023, the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia has initiated a criminal case against Prigozhin E.V. under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion. His actions will be given a proper legal assessment. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 12 to 20 years" Russian army general Sergey Surovikin called on Wagner troops to return to their bases and hold their positions. "I have just come from the frontline, where our troops, our commanders, our soldiers, our fighters, volunteers are carrying out the task, fighting the enemy to the death, with the superior forces of the enemy, suffering losses, but standing on their positions. I appeal to the leadership, to the commanders and fighters of the Wagner PMC. Together with you we have passed a difficult, hard way, we have fought together, taken the risks, suffered losses, we have won together. We are the same blood, we are warriors. I call you to stop. The enemy is only waiting for our domestic political situation to deteriorate. We must not play into the hands of the enemy at this difficult time for the country. Before it is too late, we must do something - we must obey the will and order of the President of the Russian Federation, who was elected by the people, we must stop the columns, return them to their permanent bases and areas of concentration, and solve all the problems only peacefully, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation". Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry reported activity by Ukrainian forces: "Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to disrupt the situation, the Kiev regime is concentrating units of the 35th Marine Brigade and the 36th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU in Bakhmut tactical direction at the initial line for offensive actions. The servicemen of the Yug Group of Forces are defeating the enemy with air and artillery strikes," the ministry said. Earlier in the day, footage and audio attributed to Wagner troops and Prigozhin surfaced online alleging that a "missile attack" had been launched at a Wagner camp, and that the strike was "delivered from the rear, that is by forces of the Russian Defense Ministry." The voice attributed to Prigozhin appeared to call for the ouster of the Defense Ministry's leadership. The footage and audio were immediately jumped on by Ukrainian and US state-funded media outlets, which have been reporting heavily on Prigozhin's criticism of Russian generals in recent weeks. Russia's Defense Ministry addresed the claims, calling them fake: "All the messages and videos distributed on social networks on behalf of [Wagner Head Yevgeny] Prigozhin about alleged 'strike by Russian Defense Ministry on the rear camps of the Wagner PMC do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation," the ministry said in a statement posted to its Telegram page Friday. "The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the special military operation," it added. A video posted by Prigozhin purporting to show "the aftermath of the rocket strike on the Wagner rear camps" by the forces of Russian Defense Ministry was staged, Russia's Channel One said with its anchor Ekaterina Andreeva pointed out live on air 3 points that prove that the video of the aftermath of the alleged strike on the Wagner camp is staged: The first indication, she said, is the lack of other video evidence. The second is that statements on behalf of Prigozhin were distributed in the format of audio messages, whose metadata is the same - they were all recorded at the same time and published in delayed mode. The third indication was that no more than 15 minutes had elapsed between the publication of the video of the alleged strikes and the first video of the statements, and it is doubtful that it is possible to collect all the reports from the field, analyse the consequences and record the messages in such a short time. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Putin has been "informed of all events around Prigozhin," and said that "necessary measures are being taken." The press secretary did not elaborate. Russian regional authorities said that law-enforcement agencies were doing everything necessary to protect the general public. At the same time, they noted Ukraine was seeking to spread disinformation about the introduction of curfews. Wagner units and Russian Army forces jointly took part in the battle of Artemovsk (Bakhumut), liberating the Donbass city in late May after eight months of heavy fighting which pinned down large concentrations of Ukrainian troops, allowed Russia to train up its mobilized reserves, and resulted in a major defeat for Kiev ahead of its now-stalled counteroffensive. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow Doesn't Rule Out US Withdrawal From START Treaty Sputnik News 20230623 In February, Russia suspended its participation in New START, the last arms control deal remaining between the world's two largest nuclear powers. Moscow stressed that it was not withdrawing from the treaty completely and would continue to abide by the limits for nuclear missiles and warheads prescribed in the treaty. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov did not rule out that Washington may take steps to withdraw from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). "If the treaty dies itself, i.e. expires, or the Americans take some steps to withdraw from this treaty, which I cannot rule out, and some build-up in this area begins, it will be an alarming development. But in any case, our security interests will not suffer," the deputy minister told reporters on Friday. The format of possible future agreements on arms control can be in the form of parallel unilateral statements on restrictions, Ryabkov said. "We need to think about how to formalize possible potential future agreements. And here, the schemes we mentioned earlier, including parallel unilateral statements, are acceptable. That, strictly speaking, is already happening. As you know, both Moscow and Washington, in fact, unilaterally announced their intention to adhere to the central restrictions under the New START Treaty," Ryabkov told reporters. Russia does not have to notify the United States of the planned tests of the Poseidon nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drones, according to the agreements in force between Moscow and Washington, Sergey Ryabkov stressed. "No, we do not have to. There are a series of agreements dating back to the 1980s, mostly from the last century, that involve the exchange of notifications about launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, as well as large-scale exercises of strategic forces. Neither one nor the other applies to this promising system, and in general, test events of this kind do not fall under any verification mechanisms and cannot fall," Ryabkov told reporters. A source in defense industry told Sputnik earlier in the day that first trials of Poseidon drones from the Belgorod nuclear-powered submarine are scheduled for this summer. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FSB Busts Five in Plot to Smuggle Radioactive Caesium-137 Abroad to Discredit Russia Sputnik News 20230623 Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope that is commonly used in medical and industrial applications, in addition to peaceful uses, caesium could be used to make weapons of mass destruction. Due to its long half-life and high energy radiation, caesium-137 poses a significant hazard to human health and the environment. Five people were detained for trying to export a kilogram of radioactive caesium-137 to use it to the detriment of Russian interests during a special operation, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said. The Russian Federal Security Service said that those suspected of trying to smuggle caesium-137 out of the country to discredit Russia had been arrested and are confessing. A case was opened on the illegal handling and smuggling of radioactive substances. "The Russian Federation's Federal Security Service, with the support of the Russian Interior Ministry, has detained five members of an organized crime group acting under the coordination of a citizen of Ukraine... The criminals, acting in the interests of a foreign customer, took steps to acquire 1kg of the caesium-137 isotope for $3.5 million to smuggle the radioactive substance from the Russian Federation to somewhere abroad for use to the detriment of Russian interests during the special military operation," the statement said. The radioisotope caesium-137 is used in gamma-defectoscopy, in inspection and control complexes, in measuring equipment, for radiation sterilization of food, medicines and drugs, in radiotherapy for treatment of malignant tumors. At the same time, radioactive caesium is one of the most important so-called dose-forming radionuclides - products of uranium and plutonium fission. It poses a great danger if ingested by humans. According to experts, caesium-137 can be used to make a "dirty bomb". Earlier, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Naryshkin said that information had recently appeared indicating that Kiev may continue to work on the creation of a 'dirty nuclear bomb' a a munition filled with explosives and radioactive substances, the explosion of which leads to radiation contamination of a vast territory. Naryshkin also noted that the possible use of a "dirty nuclear bomb" by Kiev would have severe consequences for the life and health of the entire population and ecosystems of Eastern Europe. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Serbian Economy Minister Calling for Russia Sanctions Reportedly Dismissed Sputnik News 20230623 BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta has been dismissed at the request of First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, as well as United Serbia conservative party chairman Dragan Markovic, Serbian media reported on Thursday, citing a source. In a request sent to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Dacic and Markovic said that Basta had been given a deadline to resign from all the positions to which he had been nominated by their coalition, which included the position of minister, media said. The Serbian cabinet said Thursday that Brnabic sent a proposal to oust Basta to the country's parliament. "The head of the government of the Serbian Republic, Ana Brnabic, told the government members today that, at the suggestion of the coalition partners a the Socialist Party of Serbia and United Serbia a the proposal to remove Economy Minister Rade Basta from office has been sent to the National Assembly," the cabinet said in a statement. In April, Basta urged the government to make up its mind on sanctions against Russia, saying that Belgrade is already paying "a high price" for not supporting the Western restrictive measures against Moscow. The Movement of Socialists, a junior member of the ruling coalition, demanded Basta's dismissal over his statement. In early June, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party's Executive Board chair, Darko Glisic, told Basta to "shut his mouth" as the minister persisted with his calls to impose sanctions against Russia and then demanded that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrest right-wing activists. United Serbia responded by stripping Basta of his party membership and position as its deputy chairman. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ICC Judge Who Issued 'Warrant' for Putin, Put on Russia's Wanted List Sputnik News 20230623 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Rosario Salvatore Aitala, a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who issued a warrant for the "arrest" of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has appeared in the database of wanted people of the Russian Interior Ministry, the database showed Thursday. "Basis for the search: wanted under an article of the Criminal Code," the wanted list in the database said. A picture of Aitala with the caption "wanted" appeared at a stand near the Sviblovo District Department of the Internal Ministry in Moscow. On March 2, 2022, the Office of the ICC Prosecutor, the jurisdiction of which is not recognized by Russia, started investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. On March 11, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said an investigative team had started gathering evidence. The Pre-Trial Chamber II of the ICC issued on March 17 a warrant for the "arrest" of Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, citing "unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation." The Russian Investigative Committee initiated on March 20 proceedings against the prosecutor and judges of the ICC. In mid-May, the Russian Investigative Committee said it filed charges in absentia against Khan and Aitala, including bringing criminal proceedings against a person known to be innocent, combined with unlawfully charging a person with a particularly serious offense, and preparing to attack a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection, with the aim of complicating international relations. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prigozhin, His Men Enter Russian City Without Resistance, He Says By VOA News June 23, 2023 The owner of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said early Saturday that his forces had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and entered the city of Rostov facing no resistance by border guards. Prigozhin said his men were ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military and would destroy anyone who stood in their way. In an audio recording posted on the Telegram messaging app, the Wagner chief said young conscripts at checkpoints stood back and did not fight, adding that his forces "aren't fighting against children." Prigozhin said Friday that Wagner field camps were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the military's General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov. He charged that Gerasimov issued the order after a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin's claims. Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation on Friday against Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC), an arm of the FSB. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russia's chief prosecutor. Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting round-the-clock updates from all relevant state security agencies on actions taken to thwart the attempted armed mutiny, the TASS news agency reported Saturday. Military vehicles have been seen on Moscow streets, Reuters reported. The White House is monitoring the standoff between top Russian military officials and the Wagner force and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said Friday. The NAC insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin that the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted airstrikes against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters. Prigozhin said the Wagner Group commanders' council has vowed to punish Shoigu. "The evil that the military leadership of the country is responsible for must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers, they forgot the word 'justice,' which we will bring back," he said. "Therefore, those who killed our guys today, those who killed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished," he said, announcing that his forces would march to secure justice for the lost fighters. General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, appealed to Wagner's leaders, commanders and fighters. "Together with you we have passed a difficult, hard way, we have fought together, taken the risks, suffered losses, we have won together. We are the same blood, we are warriors," he said. :I call you to stop. The enemy is only waiting for our domestic political situation to deteriorate. We must not play into the hands of the enemy at this difficult time for the country." According to TASS, the FSB is calling on Wagner fighters "not to follow Prigozhin's criminal orders" and to detain him. Early Saturday, according to audio posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said he and his men had crossed into Russia without resistance. "Everyone who will try to put up resistance ... we will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately, including any checkpoints that will be in our way and any aircraft that we see over our heads. I am asking everyone to remain calm and not succumb to provocations, stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our movement," he continued. "After we finish what we started, we will return to the front to defend our Motherland," Prigozhin said. "There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to figure out why this country is in such a mess. Twenty-five thousand are expected as a tactical reserve, and the strategic reserve is the whole army and the whole country. Everyone who wants to join. We must end this disgrace," he said. Earlier Friday, Prigozhin said the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months openly accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of gross incompetence. "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO," Prigozhin said in a video clip released on Telegram by his press service. He went on to accuse Shoigu: "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," he added. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine." The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraine's Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Accuses Wagner Chief of Mutiny as He Vows to 'Punish' Defense Minister By VOA News June 23, 2023 Latest developments: EU officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, the Financial Times reports. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders "have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences." The statement also said they are calling for "respect for international law, principles of the UN charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty." President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is heading to Denmark this weekend to "to discuss basic principles of peace," in Ukraine, a U.S. official said Friday. Some of the participating countries have refused to condemn Russia's invasion. Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation Friday against mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russia's chief prosecutor. The NAC, which is part of the FSB, insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin earlier Friday that the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted an airstrike against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters. Prigozhin accused the Russian military, acting on the orders of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of shelling his troops' positions in Ukraine. "The Minister of Defense arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)," he wrote on his Telegram social media channel. An unverified video posted on the "Razgruzka Wagner" (Wagner's Combat Vest) Telegram channel showed a scene in a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been damaged by explosions. Prigozhin said the Wagner Group commanders' council has vowed to punish Shoigu. "The evil that the military leadership of the country is responsible for must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers, they forgot the word 'justice,' which we will bring back," he said. "Therefore, those who killed our guys today, those who killed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished," he said, announcing that his forces would begin a march to secure justice for the lost fighters. Early Saturday, according to audio posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said he and his men had crossed into Russia. "Everyone who will try to put up resistance ... we will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately, including any checkpoints that will be in our way and any aircraft that we see over our heads. I am asking everyone to remain calm and not succumb to provocations, stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our movement," he continued. "After we finish what we started, we will return to the front to defend our Motherland," Prigozhin said. "There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to figure out why this country is in such a mess. Twenty-five thousand are expected as a tactical reserve, and the strategic reserve is the whole army and the whole country. Everyone who wants to join. We must end this disgrace," he said. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin's claim, and the NAC said it has opened a criminal inquiry into Prigozhin on charges of calling for a military coup. According to Russian state news agency TASS, the FSB is calling on Wagner fighters "not to follow Prigozhin's criminal orders" and to detain him. Military vehicles have been seen on Moscow streets, Reuters reported. In Washington, the White House said it is monitoring the situation and consulting with allies, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said Friday. The Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the developments and "necessary measures are being taken." Earlier Friday, Prigozhin said the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months openly accused Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of gross incompetence. "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO," Prigozhin said in a video clip released on the Telegram messaging app by his press service. He went on to accuse Shoigu: "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," he added. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine." The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraine's Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Vows To Do 'Everything To Protect The Country' Following Wagner Occupation Of Rostov-On-Don By RFE/RL June 24, 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to do "everything to protect the country" in the wake of reports that Wagner mercenary forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin are occupying military facilities in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Putin, addressing the nation on live television, described Wagner's actions as an "armed mutiny" and that "decisive action" would be taken to stabilize the situation. Putin said that Prigozhin, who earlier announced a "march of justice" to topple the Russian military leadership, had "betrayed" Russia out of "personal ambition." Prigozhin announced on Telegram early on June 24 that his forces were occupying the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and control the southern Russian city's military sites and airport. "We are inside the (military) headquarters. It is 7:30 a.m.," Prigozhin said in a video. "Military sites in Rostov, including an airport, are under control." Prigozhin added that aircraft participating in Russia's war against Ukraine were "leaving as normal" and that his forces had taken the airport "so that the attack aviation would not strike us, but strike Ukrainians." Prigozhin said his forces crossed from Ukraine, where the private Wagner mercenary force has been heavily involved in fighting against Ukraine's military, into Russia and had faced no resistance from Russian conscripts it allegedly encountered. Prigozhin said Wagner is not "fighting against children" but "will destroy anyone who stands in our way." Videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets of Rosto-on-Don and scenes of Wagner representatives allegedly meeting face-to-face with Russian military officials in the city. Rostov-on-Don is a main logistical base for Russia's war operations in Ukraine. Prigozhin said on June 24 that his forces' presence there would not impede the Russian war effort in Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces recently launched a major counteroffensive to retake Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. The development comes after Prigozhin on June 22 suggested he had sent an armed convoy on a "march of justice" toward Moscow in an unlikely effort to topple the Russian military leadership. Prigozhin said he was backed by 25,000 fighters, including Russian servicemen, and that their aim was to take down the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, Valery Gerasimov. Local officials in Russia said on June 24 that a military convoy was on the main highway linking the southwestern part of Russia bordering Ukraine to Moscow, and warned residents to avoid it. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said he had put "anti-terror measures" into effect in the Russian capital, including increased traffic checks and restrictions on large events. Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, described Prigozhin's actions as a "counterterrorist" operation that clearly exposed the simmering fued among Russia's leadership. "The split between the elites is too obvious. Agreeing and pretending that everything is settled won't work," Podolyak wrote in a tweet on June 24. "Someone must definitely lose: either Prigozhin...or the collective 'anti-Prigozhin.'" "Everything is just beginning in Russia," Podolyak added. Late on June 23, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) launched a criminal probe after what it said was a "call for an armed mutiny" by Prigozhin, while a top Russian general called on Wagner forces to give up their opposition to the Russian military. "In connection with these statements, Russia's FSB has opened a criminal case," the National Anti-Terror Committee said on June 23 in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. "We demand that unlawful actions be stopped immediately," the statement said. General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy to Gerasimov, posted a video message on Telegram urging Wagner group fighters to return to their bases. "I urge you to stop," he said. "The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 23 Russian President Putin had been briefed about Prigozhin's comments and "necessary measures are being taken." Prigozhin earlier accused the Russian Defense Ministry of launching rocket attacks on the rear camps of his forces in Ukraine using artillery and attack helicopters. In a series of audio messages on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin said there were many victims in the ranks of his mercenary group but did not specify exactly where the strikes took place. "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance," Prigozhin said. The Wagner chief, once seen as a close ally to Putin, added that it was "not a military coup" rather a "march of justice." The Defense Ministry responded by saying that the statements "do not correspond to reality," calling them a "provocation." With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/wagner-prigozhin- mercenaries-occupying-russia/32473532.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 Military drill at civilian airport will use F-16V, C-130H: Source ROC Central News Agency 06/23/2023 09:18 PM Taipei, June 23 (CNA) An emergency landing and takeoff drill to be held for the first time at a civilian airport in eastern Taiwan's Taitung County in July will involve the use of the F-16 fighter jets and C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, a military source told CNA on Friday. The drill, to be staged at Taitung Fengnian Airport, will be part of the live-fire component of this year's Han Kuang military exercises from July 24-28. It will be the first time this type of drill has been staged in the history of the airport, which opened in 1981. The purpose of the drill will be to test Taiwan's civilian airports and emergency landing strips to make sure they are capable of handling takeoff and landing missions during wartime, the source said. The Hualien Jiashan Air Base and Chihang Air Base could be subjected to attacks by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during wartime, hence civilian airports will play a critical role for the military, retired Air Force Lieutenant General Chang Yen-ting (aaa) told CNA on Friday. Chang said the Taitung airport was ideal for the exercises since it would be difficult to practice such drills at Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Songshan Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport due to their busy and heavy passenger traffic. Moreover, the Taitung Fengnian Airport has a 2,438-meter runway, which is more than enough for an F-16 or C-130 to takeoff or land, he said, indicating that the strip is only 400m shorter than the one at the Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung's Gangshan District. Citing foreign information sources, research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research Su Tzu-yun (ece) said the takeoff distance of a fully armed F-16V Block 20 is 535m, while it is 450m for a F-16V Block 70. Meanwhile, the takeoff distance for a Mirage 2000 is roughly 503m, 500m for Taiwan's Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF), and 1,090m for a C-130, Su said. He added that landing distance for a F-16V Block 20 and Mirage 2000 is 810m and 610m. Taiwan's only emergency provincial highway landing strip at present is a 2.26-kilometer section of Provincial Highway No. 1 near Jiadong and Fangliao in southern Pingtung County. The other emergency landing strips are located on sections of Freeway No. 1 in Madou and Rende in Tainan, Huatan in Changhua County, and Minsyong in Chiayi County. The exercises involving the upgraded F-16V Block 20s have been planned because the 66 F-16Vs Block 70s that Taiwan has ordered from the United States will be stationed at Taitung Chihang Air Base, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan's major war games, have been held annually since 1984, in the form of live-fire drills and computerized war games, to test Taiwan's combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion. This year's tabletop drills were staged in May. (By Matt Yu and Ko Lin) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Proposed bill to prioritize U.S. arms delivery to Taiwan: Senator ROC Central News Agency 06/23/2023 02:27 PM Washington, June 22 (CNA) United States Senator Dan Sullivan has proposed a bill that would place Taiwan on the U.S.'s priority list for arms sale deliveries, amid reports of a US$19 billion backlog. "My bill is a simple matter of priorities," Sullivan said of the bill he co-sponsored with Republican colleague Rick Scott on Tuesday, noting that the goal was to "match our priorities to our rhetoric by putting Taiwan at the head of the queue." "We have delivery dates for the $19 billion in weapons that Taiwan has bought -- not gifted, but bought -- stretching out to the end of the decade," he told CNA on Thursday. "Everyone in Washington agrees that Taiwan is under dire, immediate threat from the Chinese Communist Party," Sullivan said. Sullivan's bill, which does not yet have a name, requires the U.S. secretary of defense to "ensure the delivery of defense articles and services to Taiwan ahead of the delivery of substantially similar articles and services to any other foreign military sales customer." The bill states, however, that deliveries to Taiwan may not cause delays in the delivery of similar defense articles or services to Ukraine or Israel. The U.S. government has blamed disruption to supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased demand for weaponry in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the slow delivery of its arms to Taiwan. U.S. media reported that as of the end of 2022, the backlog in deliveries of U.S. defense articles to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales program was around $19 billion in value, including Harpoon anti-ship missiles and F-16 fighter jets. As part of efforts to reduce that backlog, the U.S. at the end of May delivered a batch of Stinger missiles to Taiwan that was related to a $223.56 million arms sale originally approved in 2019, a U.S. state department spokesperson confirmed to the Hill. (By Stacy Hsu and Teng Pei-ju) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran rejects US claim on Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine war IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Jun 23, 2023 New York, IRNA -- Iran's permanent mission to the UN has rejected the latest claim by the US and its allies regarding Russia's use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. The Iranian mission in a statement on Friday said that the anti-Iran claims are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231. In a joint statement at the Security Council Stakeout on Friday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield claimed Iran and Russia were enhancing military cooperation. Thomas-Greenfield claimed Russia has not only procured hundreds of 'Mohajer' and 'Shahed' series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Iran in clear violation of Resolution 2231, but it is also now working with Iran to produce the weapons inside Russia. The US diplomat said she delivered the joint statement on behalf of the United States, France, Britain, Albania, and Ukraine. Iran's diplomatic mission in response to the claim said since the countries in question have failed to impose their illegal demands on the secretariat to take in the issue of the drones, they seek to influence the six-month periodic report through organized letters and political show. It said the pressure on the UN Security Council not to examine the report in due time this month during the presidency of the United Arab Emirates and to postpone it to the next month under Britain's presidency "clearly reveals their biased goals." The mission said Iran has "repeatedly announced in a clear manner that it is not involved in the war and that this war cannot have a winner or a loser". The statement said all that must be done should be aimed at ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and resolving the root causes of the conflict to establish sustainable peace. The latest claim came in connection with the UN chief's report on Iran's implementation of Resolution 2231, passed in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal. The resolution prohibits countries from receiving ballistic missiles and drones from Iran that have a range of more than 300 kilometers and a payload of more than 500 kilograms until October 2023. Both Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied claims that Tehran has provided Moscow with drones to be used in the war in Ukraine. The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July 2022, when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleged that Washington had received information indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline for use in the war. 2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General visits the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 23 Jun. 2023 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg travelled to Wiesbaden, Germany on Friday (23 June 2023), to meet and thank personnel from Allies and partners at the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) command. Established by the U.S. Department of Defense in November 2022, the Group coordinates the provision of equipment and training support for Ukraine's armed forces, as they continue to push back on Russia's brutal war of aggression. In total, personnel from 22 Allied and partner nations, including Ukraine, are represented at the SAG-U and International Donor Coordination Center in Wiesbaden. The Secretary General stressed the importance of the mission in helping Ukraine to defend itself for as long as it takes. "The training and advice you are providing is making a real difference on the battlefield every day," he said, adding that this helps Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defence, as enshrined in the UN Charter. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran dismisses US claim of Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine war Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 7:37 PM Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations has dismissed the latest claim by the United States and its allies regarding Russia's use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. In a statement on Friday, the mission said the anti-Iran claims are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231. In a joint statement at the Security Council Stakeout on Friday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield claimed Iran and Russia were enhancing military cooperation. Thomas-Greenfield claimed Russia has not only procured hundreds of 'Mohajer' and 'Shahed' series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Iran in clear violation of Resolution 2231, but it is also now working with Iran to produce the weapons inside Russia. The US diplomat said she delivered the joint statement on behalf of the United States, France, Britain, Albania, and Ukraine. In response to the claim, Iran's diplomatic mission said since the countries in question have failed to impose their "illegal" demands on the secretariat to take in the issue of the drones, they seek to influence the six-month periodic report through organized letters and "political show." It said the pressure on the UN Security Council not to examine the report in due time this month during the presidency of the United Arab Emirates and to postpone it to the next month under Britain's presidency "clearly reveals their biased goals." The mission said Iran has "repeatedly announced in a clear manner that it is not involved in the war and that this war cannot have a winner or a loser." The statement said all that must be done should be aimed at ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and resolving the root causes of the conflict to establish sustainable peace. The latest claim came in connection with the UN chief's report on Iran's implementation of Resolution 2231, passed in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal. The resolution prohibits countries from receiving ballistic missiles and drones from Iran that have a range of more than 300 kilometers and a payload of more than 500 kilograms until October 2023. Both Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied claims that Tehran has provided Moscow with drones to be used in the war in Ukraine. The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July 2022, when US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleged that Washington had received "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the war. Russia rejects West's 'groundless' accusations Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya also said on Friday that the claim about Iranian drones was "absolutely groundless." "It's not the first time that we hear allegations about us using Iranian drones in Ukraine. We categorically rejected it. These are baseless allegations and blatant attempts to deliberately mislead the international community," the Russian diplomat said. Nebenzya said Russia expected the UN Secretariat "to strictly abide by its mandate and not to yield to pressure exerted by some states." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine hit Crimea-linked bridge with UK-supplied missiles: Russia Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 11:11 AM Russian officials have said Kiev forces have used long-range missiles supplied by the UK to attack a bridge connecting Kherson province to the Crimean peninsula. The attack on the Chonhar Bridge, one of the few lines of communication between Ukraine and Crimea, came two days after Moscow threatened to attack the "decision centers" of Kiev if Ukraine use Western missiles against Crimea, which has been part of the Russian territory since 2014 after a referendum. Photos and videos published in the news media showed a large opening on the bridge, with debris littering the roads. No casualties were reported. Vladimir Saldo, the governor of Kherson, suggested that the bridge had been targeted by Storm Shadow missiles, long-range cruise missiles that Britain confirmed it had provided to Ukraine last month. Russian investigators said four missiles were fired at the bridge by Ukrainian forces. A spokesman for military inspectors said markings found on the remains of one of the missiles indicated it was made in France. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the possible use of US-made Himars and Storm Shadow missiles against targets in Crimea shows the West's full involvement in the conflict and called for an immediate attack on decision-making centers in Ukrainian territory. The Storm Shadow missiles have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles), according to their manufacturer, the European arms group MBDA, significantly beyond the high-precision Himars missiles, which are heavily used by Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the use of Shadow missiles in the attack on the bridge. When questioned on the strike, Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine's defense intelligence, said: "Work is ongoing and will be continued. This is the planned work of the security forces, the defense forces, the resistance movement, and the local population, which is waiting for the return of Ukrainian legal power in these territories. I can only say: to be continued..." Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky praised the capabilities of the Storm Shadow missiles, saying they would bolster Kiev's counteroffensive, which he acknowledged was proceeding "slower than desired." Ukraine has acknowledged that it has liberated only eight villages as a result of its two-week offensive, saying that heavy mining and Russian air superiority are significant obstacles to progress. Shoigu said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine would temporarily limit their efforts to retake areas controlled by Moscow. The bridge is one of several important routes into Ukraine from the Crimean peninsula and is used by the Russian military to move personnel and supplies. It is also an important link to the city of Melitopol, which lies on the coastal route from the Russian border across southern Ukraine to Crimea. Earlier on Tuesday, Shoigu had warned of Ukraine's plans to attack Crimea with long-range American and British missiles. "The use of these missiles outside the zone of our special military operation would mean that the United States and Britain would be fully dragged into the conflict and would entail immediate strikes on decision-making centers in Ukraine," Shoigu emphasized. Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014 following a referendum. Moscow considers the peninsula outside the scope of its 'special military operation'- which is centered in eastern and southern Ukraine. Since the onset of the conflict, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured a huge number of advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war. The EU has already committed 30 billion Euros from its budget to support Ukraine and this week the block announced it will inject 50 billion Euros ($54.58 billion) in aid over the next four years to support Ukraine against Russia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon believes banned cluster munitions would be useful for Ukraine Iran Press TV Friday, 23 June 2023 1:27 AM Despite a global ban on the use of cluster munitions, the US military believes they would help Ukraine push back against Russian forces. Laura Cooper, who is the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia at the US Defense Department, made the remarks on Thursday while addressing US lawmakers. The Ukrainian government has called on members of Congress to press President Joe Biden's administration to approve sending Dual-Purpose Conventional Improved Munitions (DPICM). Cooper said the reason why such munitions have not been approved for Kiev yet are congressional restrictions and concerns from US allies. Cooper, however, added that from a battlefield effectiveness perspective, the Pentagon believes they are useful. "Our military analysts have confirmed that DPICMs would be useful especially against dug in Russian positions on the battlefield," she told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing. "The reason why you have not seen a move forward in providing this capability relates both to the existing congressional restrictions on the provision of DPICMs and concerns about allied unity," Cooper added. So far, the Biden administration has refrained from officially sending any cluster munitions to Ukraine. However, even though the export of such weapons has been banned by Congress, media outlets such as Politico have suggested that Biden and even his Secretary of State Antony Blinken could potentially override this ban. An American adviser to the Ukrainian military has also called on Washington to send Kiev forces cluster munitions to fight Russia. Dan Rice said in December last year that the US "really needs to" supply Kiev's forces with cluster bombs to increase "base lethality" and "win the war" against Russia. Cluster bombs are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), an international treaty that addresses the humanitarian consequences and unacceptable harm caused to civilians by cluster munitions through a categorical prohibition and a framework for action. The weapons can contain dozens of smaller bomblets, dispersing over vast areas, often killing and maiming civilians long after they are dropped. The convention bans all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs. More than 100 countries have signed the treaty, but the United States has not. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Naftogaz Files Motion In U.S. Court Seeking Payment From Russia For Losses In Crimea By RFE/RL June 23, 2023 Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz said it has taken legal action in the United States to recover $5 billion awarded by an arbitration court in The Hague as compensation for damages and lost property in Crimea. Naftogaz said in a news release on June 23 that it filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in Washington to confirm the award by the court in The Hague, which bound Russia to pay the compensation. It said it had the right to file the case in the United States because the U.S. is one of a number of countries hosting Russian assets. "Since Russia has not voluntarily paid the funds to Naftogaz as provided for by the award, we intend to leverage all available mechanisms to recover these funds," Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov said in the news release. Naftogaz said hearings to determine the amount of compensation ended in March 2022 amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Arbitration Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague issued its verdict on April 12 this yar, ordering Russia to pay Naftogaz $5 billion in compensation for unlawfully expropriating its assets in Crimea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would look at all possible ways to protect its legal rights in the case. "All the legal details of this move will be worked on and ways will be considered to defend our legal rights," Peskov told reporters at a briefing. Naftogaz's assets in Crimea included Chornomornaftogaz, which produced significant amounts of gas from the Black Sea. Plants and machinery, gas pipelines, ships, and the gas and oil deposits on the peninsula and offshore also are included among the assets. All of these are now under Russian control. Russia, which launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, seized Crimea in 2014 and illegally annexed the peninsula. With reporting Reuters and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-naftogaz-crimea- compensation-russia-court-washington/32472849.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 Ukraine Says It Thwarted Major Strike On Airfield; At Least Three Killed In Russian Attack In Kherson By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service June 23, 2023 Russia struck a public transport facility in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on June 23, killing at least three people as Ukraine grappled with yet another wide-scale attack involving Russian cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones. In central Ukraine, the military said air defenses thwarted a major air strike, downing all 13 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight at an airfield in Khmelnitskiy. The military said the attack was carried out around midnight by aircraft from the direction of the Caspian Sea. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its evening briefing on June 23 that during the day the Russian military carried out 51 air strikes and about 50 attacks from rocket salvo systems on positions of Ukrainian troops and populated areas. Russia has drastically stepped up the frequency and intensity of its air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and cities, in particular on Kyiv, from the beginning of last month, causing numerous casualties among civilians and huge material damage. Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said "targeted fire" struck a municipal trolleybus company in Kherson city, instantly killing a 55-year-old employee, and wounding five others. The other two men, a 43-year-old and a 53-year-old, died in the hospital while being treated for their wounds, Prokudin said on Telegram. Overnight, another air raid alert was declared for several hours throughout Ukraine as Russian forces launched numerous cruise missiles and Shahed drones, the General Staff reported, adding that the consequences of the "massive" raid were being clarified. On the battlefield, Russian forces made more attempts at attacking Ukrainian positions in the eastern region of Donetsk, the General Staff reported, with heavy fighting under way in Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka, where more than 27 close-quarter battles were fought during the day on June 23. Separately, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on June 23 that Ukrainian defenders stopped a Russian offensive in Lyman and in Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. "For the last week and a half, we have been fighting very fierce battles on the Kupyansk and Lyman fronts," Malyar told Ukrainian television. Regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram that Russian forces launched an air strike near a chemical plant in Avdiyivka, one of the spots of heavy fighting in Donetsk. It was not immediately known if the plant was damaged. Ukrainian troops continue to conduct offensive operations in Melitopol and Berdyansk in the south and downed another Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter, the General Staff said in separate reports. The military said it was the sixth such helicopter shot down by Ukrainian forces over the past several days. The battlefield reports could not be independently verified by RFE/RL. Russia's latest wave of attacks came a day after a key bridge connecting Russia-annexed Crimea with the occupied part of Ukraine's southern region of Kherson was damaged after being hit by what Moscow said were Storm Shadow missiles donated by Britain. The strike was carried out on the bridge known as "the gate to Crimea," which represents the shortest route from the Crimean Peninsula to the front line in southern Ukraine, making it a key link in Russia's supply line. Russia-installed officials said the road on the bridge was damaged but that no one was injured, while alternative transport routes had been opened. Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine has vowed to retake it. Since the start of its much-anticipated counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military has managed to retake several villages in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on June 23 cautioned against exaggerated expectations from Ukraine's offensive operations, saying that they currently have the role to prepare the battlefield. "Real war is not a Hollywood blockbuster. The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn," Podolyak wrote on Twitter. "Offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Formation operations are under way to set up the battlefield." A Moscow-installed official said on June 23 that a Russian-held bridge connecting southern Ukraine to the Crimean Peninsula has been badly damaged and is "unusable" now. "The bridge sustained more damage than we initially thought," Volodymyr Saldo, the head of the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine's Kherson region, said in televised remarks. Repairs are under way on the Chonhar bridge, which was damaged in a strike on June 22. Saldo said it would be closed to traffic for around 20 days. The start of Ukraine's counteroffensive operation in the southern region of Zaporizhzhya has also prompted Russia to transfer part of its strategic aircraft fleet to North Ossetia in the Caucasus, from where it can launch strikes on Ukrainian civilian and military targets, as revealed by Skhemy (Schemes), an investigative project run by RFE/RL. Schemes has obtained satellite images by Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based commercial company, showing that the Russian Army moved such aircraft to the airfield near the North Ossetian city of Mozdok. According to the Ukrainian military, Russian TU-22M3 planes took off from the Mozdok airfield on the night of June 22 and launched X-22 cruise missiles at Dnipropetrovsk region, causing damage to civilian infrastructure. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-cruise-missile-strikes- russia-war/32471961.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 Turkish Drone Factory in Ukraine May Become 'Legitimate Target' for Russia - Analyst Sputnik News 20230623 Baykar, a key Turkish defense firm, plans to start production of the Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Akinci combat drones in Ukraine in 2025, CEO Haluk Bayraktar, revealed earlier. The Bayraktar factory, which will produce Turkish combat drones in Ukraine, can become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces if the special military operation continues by that time, Denis Fedutinov, a leading Russian expert in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, told Sputnik. "If such a facility is established on Ukrainian soil amidst the ongoing special military operation, it could potentially become a target for Russian strike capabilities. Ensuring its security under such circumstances presents difficulties," Fedutinov noted. The expert pointed out that Kiev is interested in forging military-technical cooperation with Ankara and, in the long term, Turkiye "expects support from Ukraine in terms of its aircraft engine production." On the other hand, Ukraine aims to boost its capabilities in developing large-scale modern MALE-class drone systems, and is seeking assistance from TArkiye to achieve this goal, the agency's source explained. In recent years, Turkiye has made considerable efforts to improve its military capabilities. This has been achieved through the development of its own Bayraktar TB2 drones, which have gained international recognition, as well as ushering in its new Bayraktar Akinci high-altitude, long-endurance drones. In addition, Turkiye has taken on a more assertive stance toward its regional rivals, further bolstering its position. Back in August 2022, Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkiye Vasyl Bodnar said that the Baykar defense company would build the Bayraktar factory in Ukraine and has already bought a plot of land for this purpose. According to Bayraktar, the total area of the forthcoming Baykar center in Ukraine will be more than 30,000 square meters, employing more than 300 Ukrainian engineers and technicians. Earlier, Moscow sent a note to NATO members touching on arms supplies to the Kiev regime. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any shipments containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry said that NATO countries were "playing with fire" by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that flooding Ukraine with Western weapons did not contribute toward any success in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and would only have a negative effect. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Envoy Slams US Senators' 'Absurd' Claims About Nuclear Strike on Ukraine Sputnik News 20230623 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the lawmakers were introducing a resolution to consider the use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine as an attack on the NATO alliance. US senators' speculations about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine are absurd and contribute to the escalation of tensions, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday. "Speculations about Russia's possible use of tactical nuclear weapons are absurd. The provocative and short-sighted rhetoric of US lawmakers only contributes to the escalation of tensions and increases the risk of the situation sliding to an even more dangerous line," Antonov said in a statement shared among media. Antonov slammed the resolution as another "crazy initiative" of "Russophobe senators" in the US. Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was done on legal grounds, the ambassador noted. "We have not violated a single international obligation and have done exactly what the Americans have been doing for decades, deploying nuclear bombs on the territories of European allies," Antonov said. The ambassador suggested that these speculations serve to prepare the world community for a false-flag provocation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant by sliding a "dirty bomb" there and blaming it on Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in mid-June that Russia had transferred the first part of the nuclear warheads to Belarus and would complete the task of moving tactical nuclear weapons completely by the end of the year. Putin said the deployment was an element of deterrence and a signal to those thinking about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. Russian Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergey Naryshkin said earlier in June that Kiev could continue to work on the creation of a "dirty bomb," adding that the possible use of the "dirty bomb" by Kiev would have severe consequences for the life and health of the entire population and ecosystems of Eastern Europe. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes: UK statement at UN Security Council Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. 23 June 2023 Thank you, President. Thank you, USG Di Carlo for your briefing. It is nearly 500 days since Russia's illegal and barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Let us again take stock of its impacts. Russia's airstrikes have reduced towns and cities to rubble. More than 9,000 civilians have been killed. Many thousands more have been killed including more than 500 children. Many thousands have been injured. Millions have been displaced, unable to return to their homes. Families have been torn apart, with children taken from their parents and sent to far flung corners of Russia. Wherever Putin's government has attempted to take control of Ukraine, it has shown its true colours. A pattern of torture, killings, and brutal repression of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Last week, Russia rejected pleas from the United Nations to assist those in desperate need in the aftermath of the catastrophic destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. President, this is a war of choice for President Putin. He has shown contempt and disregard for Russia's obligations under the UN Charter. He is indifferent to the cost to Ukrainians, to Russians, and to the world. He fires missiles at Kyiv even as world leaders visit Moscow, seeking to build peace. He supplies his armies from UN-sanctioned states like Iran and DPRK, further undermining global security. He continues to hold the world's food to ransom by holding up grain shipments under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The World Bank has estimated that Ukraine's reconstruction needs are over 400 Billion dollars. Russia's destruction adds more pressure to the global economy, already suffering from conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. The world needs peace, but Ukraine will never have peace while Russian forces remain on its territory. So we call on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and end this illegal war of aggression. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London this week, my Prime Minister paid tribute to Ukraine's incredible spirit - a spirit of strength and defiance but also of ingenuity and innovation. We will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes for them to win a just and sustained peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter. And we'll also stand with them as they win the peace and rebuild a country shattered by Putin's aggression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May Ukraine's victory and state institutions' successful transformation be best tribute to memory of all our heroes - address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine 23 June 2023 - 19:39 Dear Ukrainians, I wish you health! The summary of this busy day. The meeting based on the results of the London Ukraine Recovery Conference is a powerful event, good gains for our country. The support from the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union is crucial. Long-term support programs for the future, for years to come. About five hundred global companies, strong companies, are interested in investing in Ukraine. Clear support for Ukraine's EU membership: we are already perceived as an EU member politically. Separately, we are working on the mechanism for the confiscation of the assets of the terrorist state and its associated persons. I thank everyone who prepared the conference and participated in its work, it is really important. A very meaningful meeting of the National Security and Defense Council today. I have already reported on it separately. I just held a Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff meeting. Justice is also a very important point of our discussion at the Staff meeting. Issues concerning military commission chiefs, in particular the scandal with... a figure in Odesa. This person should definitely not be in the recruitment system of the Armed Forces, it is very unpleasant, frankly immoral, and wrong that this person remained in his position despite everything. I've instructed Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny to remove this person from his post. And First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Pavliuk has been instructed to organize an inspection of this entire system of military commissions. It is a pity that the Staff meeting's attention and time now have to be spent on such issues. Of course, the situation on the front line was discussed in great detail - all the main directions, ammunition supply, artillery... Everything that requires the Staff's attention today. Commanders - Generals Zaluzhny, Syrsky, Tarnavsky, Moskalyov, Vice-Admiral Neizhpapa, General Malyuk, and government officials reported to the meeting. All. I had the honor to congratulate the officers of our military educational institutions on their graduation... Six higher education institutions at once. Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, Military Institute of Tank Troops of Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kruty Heroes Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization, Ukrainian Military Medical Academy and the Department of Military Training of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. I thank each and every one who chooses to be a Ukrainian officer, and I wish for two absolutely fundamental things: to destroy the occupiers as much as possible and win as soon as possible. And two more things. Today, the Civil Service Day is celebrated in our country. The day of those people without whose integrity there is no effective state. Of course, we still have a lot to do so that the civil service in Ukraine gets closer to the models we are aiming for in our policy. But now I want to thank all our people who, under the existing conditions and with the available resources in the state, are doing everything that depends on them to make the state effective. Thank you! To each and every one! And I congratulate you on the Civil Service Day of Ukraine. And, of course, the front. Knowing our heroes, and being grateful to them is a must. Today, I would like to pay particular attention to the soldiers of our 35th Separate Marine Brigade. A brigade that performs extremely difficult tasks. Guys who fight exactly the way Ukrainian soldiers should fight. Senior sailor Viacheslav Imanhulov and junior lieutenant Serhiy Penov - thank you, guys, for your exemplary strength and courage in the battles in Donetsk region. That's what our soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers, need to be. Well done! And I ask each and every one: please honor the memory of our two paratroopers of the 35th Brigade. Especially brave, especially strong. They gave their lives for our state, for our people right now - in the battles in June, and Ukraine must remember them. Captain Ivan Kotsur... Eternal memory! Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Kazandzhi... Eternal memory! May Ukraine's victory in this war and the successful transformation of our state institutions into ones as strong and effective as our soldiers are - may this be the best tribute to the memory of all our heroes of different times who fought and died for Ukraine's freedom and strength! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Head of State chairs meeting of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine President of Ukraine 23 June 2023 - 18:21 A meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) was held under the chairmanship of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which the state of civil defense facilities, the acceleration of judicial reform and further steps towards gaining the European Union membership by Ukraine were discussed. NSDC members listened to the reports of Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko and Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin regarding the results of rapid civil defense facilities inspections. According to the results of the inspections, the work to ensure the readiness of shelters in Zaporizhia and Sumy regions (in particular, in Konotop district), Zhytomyr district of Zhytomyr region, Bila Tserkva district of Kyiv region, as well as in the cities of Kyiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipro, Konotop, and Bila Tserkva was recognized as being unsatisfactory. Based on the results of consideration of problems with shelters for people, the NSDC has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers, regional and local authorities to take steps to bring to disciplinary responsibility officials for maintaining civil defense facilities in those settlements where their condition is recognized as unsatisfactory. The government is also tasked with identifying civil defense facilities of strategic importance and ensuring systematic inspections of shelters. In addition, the NSDC has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to create a commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine, Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov to inspect the state of bridge structures. The NSDC has instructed regional administrations, as well as local self-government bodies, to prepare the existing shelters, ensuring round-the-clock unhindered access to them. Online access to information about available shelters should also be provided. The task of local authorities is also to increase the fund of shelters in order to provide a shelter to 100% of residents, in particular, by building modular shelters and adapting the underground space to these structures. The participants of the NSDC meeting also heard the issue of speeding up judicial reform in Ukraine and overcoming manifestations of corruption in the justice system. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy, MP Denys Maslov and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna reported to the meeting participants. Based on the results of consideration of the issue, the NSDC appealed to the subjects authorized to submit legislative initiatives regarding the need to strengthen criminal liability for corruption offenses in the sphere of justice, providing for imprisonment for a period of 10 to 15 years with confiscation of property, strengthening the role of the institution of jury trials, expanding the list of cases where it can be applied and toughening checks of judges, in particular, using a lie detector. In addition, Stefanishyna reported on further steps that must be taken to ensure gaining the full European Union membership by Ukraine. The NSDC recommended the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada to speed up the development and adoption of legislative acts aimed at implementing the recommendations specified in the European Commission's conclusion regarding Ukraine's application for EU membership. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security is the first priority - address by the President of Ukraine following the NSDC meeting President of Ukraine 23 June 2023 - 16:45 I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians! I held the NSDC meeting. Three issues on the agenda. Most importantly, Ministers Klymenko and Kamyshin presented the first summary of the inspection of shelters in the regions of our country: Klymenko - across the country, Kamyshin - for Kyiv. In general, today we reviewed the situation with shelters in the regions, districts and cities most intensively terrorized by the enemy. The results are poor. Almost all over the country. This includes Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Konotop, Bila Tserkva, and many other cities. The situation is particularly cynical and shameful in those cities that have significant financial resources but, unfortunately, other priorities. There will be personnel decisions. Accessible and reliable shelters across the country should be and will be a priority for leaders at all levels. Security is the first priority. The Prosecutor General informed the NSDC about the legal action taken by the prosecutor's office to return the premises of the shelters that were illegally withdrawn from the ownership of the communities. To date, more than 400 such lawsuits have been filed across the country, and the work continues. Prime Minister Shmyhal also reported on the difficult situation with bridges and bridge crossings. The largest cities, including Kyiv. The situation is downright dangerous. The National Security and Defense Council has decided to set up a commission to inspect all bridges and overpasses across the country. Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov is responsible for the inspection. The second point on the agenda is courts. Deputy Prime Minister Stefanishyna informed the NSDC of the European Commission's interim verbal assessment of our institutional progress, particularly with regard to judicial reform. Indeed, a lot has been done. But we consider this only as a necessary basis for our own obligations to Ukrainians in terms of justice. Obviously, the case of the former President of the Supreme Court and other similar situations in the judicial system require a stricter state policy regarding the requirements for judges, for all those who work in the justice system, and their accountability for violations. For corruption violations. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appealed to the National Security and Defense Council. Today we considered the appeal. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy, Mr. Maslov, delivered reports. So, here are the proposals. To increase criminal liability for corruption offenses in the judiciary. And to make it tangible. From 10 to 15 years with confiscation of property. And this should apply to those who extort money, who take money, who maintain this system of corruption at all its levels. Next. There should be integrity checks of judges. And not only before appointment. Time can, unfortunately, change people about whom there was a positive conclusion at the beginning of their work in the courts. And I believe that it is worth checking, including with the use of a polygraph. Very importantly, we need to strengthen the role of the jury and expand the number of cases of its use in Ukraine. This is not only about democracy, it is about ensuring more justice. We also discussed the issue of protecting the rights of business and investors in courts. This is a fundamental task. A strong economy means secured investments and guaranteed protection of property rights. And it should be ensured. If we need a separate mechanism to protect business and investors' rights, we must ensure it. We have relevant proposals. Of course, we discussed the tasks that must be completed by the end of the year in order to fully implement each of the European Commission's recommendations for the start of negotiations on joining the European Union. The National Security and Defense Council gave the necessary protocol instructions in each of these areas. I am confident that all of them can be fulfilled. Today is exactly one year since Ukraine has become a candidate for accession to the European Union, and this year the goal is to start membership negotiations. Ukraine will definitely do its part. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the events on the occasion of the graduation of officers of higher military educational institutions via video conference President of Ukraine 23 June 2023 - 12:35 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part via video conference in the events on the occasion of the graduation of officers of higher military educational institutions. This year, more than a thousand people graduated. The Head of State separately congratulated the graduates of each university: Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, Military Institute of Tank Troops of the National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kruty Heroes Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization, Ukrainian Military Medical Academy and the Department of Military Training of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. Addressing the graduates, the President emphasized that they had made an important choice of their own destiny - to protect Ukraine and serve the state. "The conscious choice of millions that makes everyone a single monolithic army, regardless of gender, age or status. Generals, officers, sergeants, soldiers, cadets. Many of you have participated in combat operations in the East even before you studied for your specialties and have relevant combat experience. From the very first hours of the full-scale war, you and your lecturers took up arms, reinforced the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and bravely stood up to defend Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted. The Head of State emphasized that the last years of studying had become the most difficult and fateful for today's graduates. However, despite all the challenges associated with Russia's full-scale invasion, a worthy replenishment of officers is now joining the officer corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The President also heard reports from the heads of these higher military educational institutions. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the lecturers and staff of the universities for the training of officers, the experience and knowledge that their students have gained and are gaining. "Yesterday they were cadets, soon they will become officers, tomorrow some of them will join the ranks of our country's defense forces, while others will continue their studies to join the ranks of the Ukrainian army after obtaining a master's degree," the Head of State said. The President emphasized that all graduates and lecturers of military universities are united not only by a common choice and high responsibility, but also by courage, determination, patriotism, loyalty to Ukraine, readiness to defend and desire to liberate it. "This means - and there is no doubt about it - that there is something that will unite everyone in the future. This is victory. And may you be united by Ukraine, its present, and its memory on your way to it," the President stressed. The attendees observed a moment of silence in memory of all those who gave their lives in the battles for Ukraine. Lieutenant Stanislav Sivak, a graduate of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, a participant of the anti-terrorist operation and defense of Kharkiv, thanked the Head of State for his congratulations on behalf of the graduates of higher military educational institutions. "We all clearly understand what fateful and responsible tasks the Armed Forces of Ukraine are facing today, what a great and historic mission each soldier, each of us, has in this war. We assure the entire Ukrainian people and you as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that we will be worthy of the military glory of Ukrainian warriors and will stand firm in defense of our native land. We will take revenge on the Russian occupiers for the blood and tears of our countrymen! We will liberate the Ukrainian land from the enemy! We will win!" said Stanislav Sivak. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address You are united by a common choice, high responsibility, courage, determination and loyalty to Ukraine, and in the future, you will all be united by victory - address by the President of Ukraine to the officers - graduates of military universities President of Ukraine 23 June 2023 - 12:26 Dear attendees, ladies and gentlemen, generals, officers, sergeants, soldiers, lecturers and cadets! What unites you all? What unites us all? In this address, among other things, I want to talk about this. And it's not just about today's graduation ceremony. Certainly, an important event for you and our country. It is also about the values we profess, the actions we take, the challenges we face, and the future that awaits us. What unites yesterday, today and tomorrow. The first is choice. The choice of your own destiny and your own path. Serving the state. Protecting Ukraine. The conscious choice of millions that makes everyone a single monolithic army, regardless of gender, age or status. Generals, officers, sergeants, soldiers, cadets. Many of you have participated in combat operations in the East even before you studied for your specialties and have relevant combat experience. From the very first hours of the full-scale war, you and your lecturers took up arms, reinforced the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and bravely stood up to defend Ukraine. This choice gives rise to the second thing that unites everyone. This is responsibility. The last years of your studies were the most difficult and life-changing for you. With the beginning of the large-scale invasion, under fire, you successfully moved the educational and scientific units to the places of temporary deployment. In a short time, you established the educational process. We withstood and prevented the occupier from seizing important centers and institutions, including military education institutions. And today, the officer corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being joined by a worthy replenishment of officers who graduate from your educational institutions. And I want to mention each of them. To thank each of you. To express my wishes to everyone. I congratulate Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University on this day! Dozens of officers and cadets of your university have mastered new weapons during their studies. Among them are Bayraktar, IRIS-T, NASAMS, Patriot and many others. We are confident that in the future there will be F-16s among them. We are confident that Ukrainian combat falcons will successfully cover our skies. We are confident that our air defense system will reliably protect us from enemy missiles and UAVs. All our people on the ground believe in you. May all the heavenly powers help you. I congratulate the Military Institute of Tank Troops on this day! From the first hours of the war, officers, sergeants and cadets of the Institute defended Kharkiv, performed tasks to strengthen the units of the Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine, as part of tank, mechanized and rifle units, destroyed enemy manpower and equipment, together with other forces of the Kharkiv defense did not allow the occupiers to break into the city, and later participated in the liberation of many settlements in Kharkiv region. There is a saying about tankers: "Those who forge victory with armor gloves on". I sincerely wish that the day will come when you will be able to take off these gloves and hug your parents, your children, and all your loved ones. I congratulate the Kruty Heroes Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization! From the beginning of the large-scale Russian aggression, the institute's military personnel took part in the defense of Kyiv, in particular the government quarter. For many years you have been training qualified specialists in information technology, electronic communications, and other military sciences. Immediately after the outbreak of war, you organized training for UAV operators of various types, mastering the latest communications equipment, and soon afterwards you opened a cyber lab and deployed a cyber intelligence training complex. I wish you success in your less visible, but no less important work. I wish you to ensure reliable communication and hear only good news about the small and big victories of our Homeland! I sincerely congratulate the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy! And not only on this solemn day, because you have another reason for congratulations. This year, the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy celebrated its 30th anniversary. All this time, you have been training military doctors professionally and qualitatively for the needs of all branches and individual types of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - from among the officers. You save the lives of those who save the life of the country. You protect freedom and independence. I thank you for your important and difficult work. I wish you health and long life to you, your families and everyone you help on a daily basis. I congratulate the lecturers and students of the Military Training Department of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine! Together, you are training highly qualified veterinary specialists for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other important formations. Today we are countering the enemy in all directions and with all our might. And when not only the military and equipment, but also the forces of nature, everything that exists on our land, take part in achieving a common victory. When not only people become heroes, and one of the symbols of resistance and service to the country is the already legendary dog Patron. And thousands of other animals who are helping in the battle against the Russian beast both on the frontline and in the rear. And it will definitely be defeated. I congratulate the Military Institute of Kyiv National University on this day! Since February 24 last year, the Institute's servicemen have been defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Kyiv as part of the Kyiv City Defense Forces, and despite constant missile and bomb attacks and artillery shelling by the enemy, they have been defending strategically important facilities. The Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv provides training in almost two dozen specialties and specializations. I wish all the graduates success and the soonest possible realization of the prophetic words of the Great Kobzar: And on renewed holy land Will be no enemy, no traitor, But rather will be son and mother, And people will be on the land. I thank all the lecturers and staff of each educational institution for the training, experience, and knowledge that your students have gained and are gaining. Yesterday they were cadets, soon they will become officers, tomorrow some of them will join the ranks of our country's defense forces, while others will continue their studies to join the ranks of the Ukrainian army after obtaining a master's degree. You are all united not only by a common choice and high responsibility. You are all united by courage, determination, patriotism, loyalty to Ukraine, readiness to defend it and the desire to liberate it. This means - and there is no doubt about it - that there is something that will unite everyone in the future. This is victory. And may you be united by Ukraine, its present, and its memory on your way to it. And so now I would like to honor the memory of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine in this Russian-Ukrainian war, the war for independence. I would like to honor them with a moment of silence. * Thank you! Glory to our Armed Forces! Glory to our people! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine: War 'weakening' international security, political affairs chief warns 23 June 2023 - Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the war "has weakened the international collective security system we have all pledged to uphold", the top UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Friday, briefing ambassdors on the current situation on the ground. "The war in Ukraine has created a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe, traumatized a generation of children, and accelerated the global food and energy crises," said Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. "We cannot discount further dangerous knock-on effects," she cautioned, citing urgent concerns, from rising death tolls to nuclear threats. Worsening conditions The impact of the intensifying violence on civilians remains "our gravest concern", she said, adding that Russian missile barrages and drone attacks across Ukraine nearly tripled in May. Citing latest reports, she said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 24,862 civilian casualties to date, but "the actual figures are likely considerably higher". Ever since the full-scale invasion of February 2022, UN agencies have been tracking the war's impact, she said. OHCHR verified 1,036 attacks impacting educational and medical facilities; the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed more than 1,000 cases of attacks on healthcare, and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) verified damage to 260 sites, including 112 religious sites, 22 museums, 94 buildings of historic significance, 19 monuments, 12 libraries, and one historical archive. Russia declines access to UN The Kakhovka Dam disaster in early June remains a pressing concern, she said. "There are still people we are unable to reach, especially in low lying communities under Russian control," she said, adding that Moscow "has so far declined our request to go to these areas". The UN will continue to engage to seek the necessary access, she said, urging the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure safe and unfettered access to all areas in need. "Aid cannot be denied to people who need it," she said. Current grave threats Highlighting other grave concerns, the Under-Secretary-General pointed to reported damage to the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline, the world's largest ammonia conduit, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, and the announced deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. "We urge all involved to act responsibly and in accordance with international obligations," she said. "Any threat to use nuclear weapons is unacceptable." She also raised concerns about stalled progress on implementing the Black Sea Initiative, a 2022 agreement that has enabled the safe transportation from the region of over 32 million metric tonnes of foodstuffs, with more than half going to developing countries. Russia: UN demonstrates 'incredible ignorance' Referring to statements accusing Moscow of denying access to its territory after the Kherson dam disaster, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the UN Secretariat "demonstrates incredible ignorance". For its part, Moscow has worked with the UN, and Russian emergency forces have saved more than 2,000 people, evacuated about 30,000 more, and will continue to do "everything possible", he said. While Moscow has drawn attention to landmine-riddled areas, its proposals to create safe routes have been rejected, he said. Regarding the Black Sea Initiative, he said "we stand ready to continue to help developing countries". Meanwhile, the UN is attempting to sweep these contributions "under the rug", he said, adding that Moscow has already informed the Secretariat about evidence showing that the dam damage was caused by Kyiv, which has "no interest" in its people. Given Kyiv's "failing counter-offensive", Ukraine has resorted to other tactics, blaming Russia for such incidents as the Kherson dam, threats against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and targeted attacks against civilians and related infrastructure, he said, emphasizing that Russian operations are limited to military targets. Ukraine: 'Russia is worse than COVID-19' Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia committed "an act of terror" by blowing up the Kherson dam, making clear that Moscow is "ready to apply a scorched-earth tactic in response to the deteriorating military situation on the ground in the captured lands they doubt they can hold". Resolving the crisis hinges on taking strong steps aimed at reducing Moscow's capabilities to inflict harm, Russia's military defeat in Ukraine, and ensuring accountability for the crime of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, he said. Such appeasement options as territorial concessions will serve "as delayed-action mines", with the detonator in the Kremlin's hands, he warned. Despite the war being at its height, "we have already started working on post-war recovery," he said, noting that Ukraine and allies have expressed "no doubt" in an ultimate victory that will guarantee a just, lasting peace. "Russia is worse than COVID-19," he said. "Putin's regime is cancer; its cells continue to spread...around the world and in this Chamber. It should be removed. The choice is yours. Choose life." UN 'stands ready' Ms. DiCarlo told ambassadors that the UN stands ready to support all meaningful efforts to bring a just and sustainable peace to Ukraine, guided by the UN Charter, international law, and relevant General Assembly resolutions, "as the Secretary-General emphasized during his visit to Ukraine in March and as I reiterated last week in Moscow", she said. "Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law," she said. "All such attacks must stop immediately, whether they be on Ukrainian or Russian territory." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Officials: Main Counteroffensive Push Against Russia Still to Come By VOA News June 23, 2023 Latest developments: Russia accused mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of mutiny after the Wagner chief vowed to punish military brass whom he accused of killing 2,000 of his fighters. During the standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, calling on his fighters to ignore his orders and arrest him, the Tass news agency reported. European Union officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, the Financial Times reported. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders "have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences." The statement also said they were calling for "respect for international law, principles of the U.N. charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty." ----- Three Ukrainian senior officials signaled Friday that the main part of the counteroffensive against the Russian invasion had not yet begun. "Offensive operations of the armed forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Formation operations are underway to set up the battlefield," presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn." Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television that the "main events" of the counteroffensive were "ahead of us." "And the main blow is still to come. Indeed, some of the reserves a these are staged things a will be activated later." General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavria front, said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armored personnel carriers. A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south a one of two main theaters of operations, along with eastern Ukraine. While Ukraine officials boast retaking eight villages so far, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that gains had been "slower than desired." Moscow contends the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure, saying Kyiv's forces have suffered heavy losses. Ukraine says Russia has lost many soldiers in heavy fighting since the counterattack began. Reuters said it had not been able to independently verify the situation on the battlefield but had reached two of the villages recaptured by Kyiv. Ukraine financial support In his nightly video address on Friday, Zelenskyy hailed the London Ukraine Recovery Conference for its support of Ukraine. He thanked the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union for long-term support programs. He said that about 500 international companies were interested in investing in the country. Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine had received "clear support for Ukraine's EU membership: We are already perceived as an EU member politically. Separately, we are working on the mechanism for the confiscation of the assets of the terrorist state and its associated persons." European Union foreign ministers will approve a boost of $3.81 billion to a military aid fund used to bankroll weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, officials said Friday. Ukraine's financial results have improved this year, with budget revenues increasing by 45% in May compared with the same period a year ago, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said Friday. "In 2023, we have much better financial results than a year ago. Thanks to strong financial support and comprehensive measures implemented by the government, we ensure a balanced budget and financing of critical expenditures, primarily in the social sphere," Marchenko said in a statement. Government shake-up Earlier, Zelenskyy said officials responsible for unfit bomb shelters in Ukraine would be punished. In a Telegram video post Friday, Zelenskyy said there would be personnel changes after an inquest revealed that a quarter of the bomb shelters in the country, a third of them in Kyiv, were unfit for use. Three people were locked out on a street in Kyiv and killed during an air raid, which prompted a public outcry. Prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's Municipal Department for Security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted some responsibility but said others were also to blame, especially appointees of the president. Additionally, Zelenskyy ordered the creation of a special commission Friday headed by General Oleksandr Pavlyuk to audit the heads of military draft offices across the country. He said Ukraine's top security chiefs and top government officials discussed how to implement judicial and anti-corruption reforms that are a prerequisite to Ukraine's accession into the European Union. Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper to own property and cars worth millions in Spain. He also said on Telegram that he'd ordered creation of a commission that with law enforcement units and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention would "check all the heads of military draft offices in all regions of Ukraine so that they do not disgrace our state and the memory of heroes who die at the front." Zaporizhzhia nuclear risk Zelenskyy said Thursday that he believed Russia might be preparing for an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, involving a release of radiation. On Friday, Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure Ukraine does not shell the nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting in Kaliningrad with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who visited the plant last week. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, while international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Allies Pledge Billions for Reconstruction, but Kyiv Needs Much More By Henry Ridgwell June 23, 2023 Allies of Ukraine pledged tens of billions of dollars in grants and loans to help rebuild the country following Russia's invasion, at a conference in London this week. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian homes, schools, hospitals, factories and public buildings have been destroyed by invading Russian forces, through shelling, missile strikes and the deliberate targeting of its infrastructure. Fields have been mined; road and rail links cut off; and most recently, the Kakhovka dam was blown up, creating an environmental disaster. The World Bank recently put the cost of reconstruction at $411 billion after a year of conflict, which equates to three times Ukraine's annual economic output. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed the Ukraine Recovery Conference Wednesday by video link from Kyiv. "There is currently no place in a world where there is a need to construct and rebuild as many objects as in Ukraine. Every new day of Russian aggression brings new ruins," Zelenskyy said. The president promised to strengthen democracy in Ukraine. "Russia invaded Ukraine not only to steal our land, or to steal our resources and people. It's obvious that without Ukraine there can be no Russian empire. And it is equally obvious that Russian bosses are very, very afraid of our democracy. Why? Because democracy paves the way for the rule of law, getting rid of corruption, and to the key principle of the conference - every person matters," Zelenskyy told the delegates in London. The European Union pledged an additional $55 billion in loans and grants at the conference on top of the $30 billion given to Ukraine last year. Britain pledged $3 billion, while the United States is to give a further $1.3 billion in recovery aid. The new funds are an addition to the approximately $63 billion in U.S. assistance provided to Ukraine since February of last year, according to a State Department fact sheet on the conference. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the priority was to restore Ukraine's infrastructure. "We're going to invest over $520 million to help Ukraine overhaul its energy grid. More than half of which, as you've heard, has been destroyed by Russia. And in so doing, make it cleaner, make it more resilient, make it more integrated with Europe," Blinken said. "Recovery is about laying the foundation for Ukraine to thrive as a secure, independent country, fully integrated with Europe, connected to markets around the world. A democracy rooted in the rule of law," he added. The investment pledges are a good start - but more will be needed, says analyst Orysia Lutsevych of London's Chatham House. "I would say that it is a good result because there are some tangible pledges, especially the announcement from the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of $50 billion over four years, where Ukraine will have a line item in the European Union budget." "But also, what we've heard from many foreign ministers, from France and Germany and Italy, that Ukraine will be a member of the European Union. And that is a very strong signal to the private sector," Lutsevych told VOA. Britain said it would support fast-tracked NATO membership for Ukraine. The conference also laid out a blueprint for a new more democratic future. Ukraine's recovery is about more than repairing the physical damage, says Lutsevych. "Ukraine must come out of this war a stronger society, a better government, a more modern economy than before the war. This is the vision Ukrainian people have for the sacrifice that they pay - and keep paying. People want to make sure that there is justice and anti-corruption - and that citizens, communities, volunteers are included in shaping the recovery plans at the local level," she told VOA. The huge economic and human costs of Russia's invasion continue to rise each day as the war grinds on. Ukraine continues to fight Moscow's forces, even as it plans for a new future. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Latest in Ukraine: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Based on Lies, Says Russian Mercenary Chief By VOA News June 23, 2023 Latest developments: EU officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, Financial Times reports. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders "have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences." The statement also said they are calling for "respect for international law, principles of the UN charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty." President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is heading to Denmark this weekend to "to discuss basic principles of peace," in Ukraine, a U.S. official said Friday. Some of the participating countries have refused to condemn Russia's invasion. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months been openly accusing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of gross incompetence. In a video clip released on the Telegram messaging app by his press service, Prigozhin said, "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO." He went on to accuse Shoigu: "the war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," he added. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine." The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraine's Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets [in Ukraine]," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Ukraine government shakeup Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said officials responsible for unfit bomb shelters in Ukraine would be punished. In a Telegram video post Friday, Zelenskyy said there would be personnel changes after an inquest revealed that a quarter of the bomb shelters in the country, a third of them in Kyiv, are unfit for use. Three people were locked out on the street in Kyiv and killed during an air raid, which prompted a public outcry. Prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's Municipal Department for Security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted some responsibility but said others were also to blame, especially appointees of the president. Additionally, Zelenskyy on Friday ordered the creation of a special commission headed by General Oleksandr Pavliuk to audit the heads of military draft offices across the country. He said Ukraine's top security chiefs and top government officials discussed how to implement judicial and anti-corruption reforms that are a prerequisite to Ukraine's accession into the European Union. Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet to own property and cars worth millions in Spain. "I gave an urgent order to create a commission ... and together with law enforcement units and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention to check all the heads of military draft offices in all regions of Ukraine so that they do not disgrace our state and the memory of heroes who die at the front," Zelenskyy said on Telegram. In his statement, he said he also discussed the situation on the front lines, weapons supplies and the pace of production of Ukrainian defense companies. Zaporizhzhia accusations Zelenskyy said Thursday he believes Russia may be preparing for an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, involving a release of radiation. On Friday Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure Ukraine does not shell the nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting in Kaliningrad with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who visited the plant last week. The IAEA said this week the power plant was "grappling with ... water-related challenges" after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam emptied the vast reservoir. It also said the military situation in the area had become increasingly tense as Kyiv launched a counteroffensive against the Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, while international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed. Ukrainian counteroffensive Overall, the counteroffensive appears to be slow-moving. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine's army had advanced 7 kilometers and had retaken territory that included eight villages during the past two weeks. "As the president of Ukraine said yesterday, the counteroffensive is not a Hollywood movie. It's not an easy walk," Shmyhal told reporters at a Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. "The counteroffensive is a number of military operations," he said. "Sometimes it's offensive, sometimes it's defensive. Sometimes it could be tactical pauses. Unfortunately, during our preparation for this counteroffensive, Russians were preparing, too. So, there are so many minefields, which really make it slower." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sanctions on persons involved in the downing of Flight MH17 Minister for Foreign Affairs Media release 24 June 2023 The Australian Government has imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on three persons involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Australia has been working closely with the Netherlands and European Union to coordinate sanctions on those who were convicted by the District Court of The Hague in November 2022 for their contribution to the downing of Flight MH17 and the murder of all 298 individuals on board. Today's sanctions target Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty by the District Court of The Hague. The third convicted perpetrator Igor Girkin, was sanctioned by Australia in 2014 for supporting separatist activity in eastern Ukraine. Australia has also sanctioned Sergey Muchkaev, a Colonel with the Russian Armed Forces who in July 2014 was the Commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which supplied the Buk-TELAR that downed Flight MH17. As either separatist leaders within the so-called 'People's Republic of Donetsk' at the time of the downing of Flight MH17, or a member of the Russian Armed Forces, the three people sanctioned today actively supported actions and policies that threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. These sanctions demonstrate the Australian Government's ongoing commitment to hold to account those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17. Working closely with our partners, in particular the Netherlands, Australia is steadfast in our commitment to seek truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17. We continue to pursue all avenues available to us. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives, their families and loved ones. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rover Metals Corp. (TSXV: ROVR) (OTCQB: ROVMF) (FSE:4XO) (Rover or the Company) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement financing for a minimum of $300,000 and a maximum of $1,250,000. The Company will issue $0.08 units. Each unit is priced at $0.08 and is comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (the Units). The warrants on the Units have an exercise price of $0.12 per warrant share, and a life of two and half (2 ) years. Assuming the financing is fully subscribed, there will be up to 15,625,000 common shares and 15,625,000 common share purchase warrants issued in connection with this financing, plus any finders commission warrants. Further to the above announcement, Rover has received orders for $500,000 and has also received approval from the Toronto Venture Exchange (the TSXV) to close the first tranche of the Unit financing for gross proceeds of $500,000 (the First Closing). The Company will issue of 6,250,000 common shares and 6,250,000 warrants. Finders commissions are being paid in connection with the First Closing in the amount of cash commissions of $30,000 and finders warrants of 375,000. The finders warrants will have an exercise price of $0.12 and a useful life of two and half (2 ) years. The shares and warrants issued under the First Closing will bear the minimum four-month regulatory hold period from the date of issuance. The financing is being led by experienced lithium investors from Europe and Australia. An updating release will be provided once the Company has completed any future closings of the Unit financing, including receipt of final acceptance from the TSXV for the financing. Use of Proceeds The proceeds from the First Closing will be used for Phase 2 Exploration Drilling at the Companys Lets Go Lithium project located in Southwest Nevada. About Rover Metals Rover is a publicly traded junior mining company that trades on the TSXV under symbol ROVR, on the OTCQB under symbol ROVMF, and on the FSE under symbol 4XO. Rover is currently focussed on the development of a claystone lithium project in southwest Nevada, USA. Plans for 2023 include a reverse circulation drill program at the Lets Go Lithium project. You can follow Rover on its social media channels: Twitter: https://twitter.com/rovermetals LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rover-metals/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoverMetals/ for daily company updates and industry news, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJsHsfag1GFyp4aLW5Ye-YQ?view_as=subscriber for corporate videos. Website: https://www.rovermetals.com/ ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Judson Culter Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information, please contact: Email: info@rovermetals.com Phone: +1 (778) 754-2617 Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Rover's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. There can be no assurance that such statements prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any factor could cause actual results to differ materially from Rovers expectations. Rover undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE. TORONTO, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talisker Resources Ltd. (Talisker or the Company) (TSX:TSK | OTCQX:TSKFF) is pleased to announce that it has closed the initial draw of US$7 million under the previously announced royalty agreement with Sprott Resource Streaming and Royalty Corp. (Sprott Streaming) in relation to the Companys 100% owned Bralorne Gold Project (the Project). The proceeds from the financing will be used for drilling, detailed engineering and working capital. Under the terms of the agreement, Sprott Streaming will pay the Company up to US$31,250,000 for a net smelter returns royalty covering all minerals produced from the Project (as more particularly described in the Companys press release of June 12, 2023). For further information, please contact: Terry Harbort President and CEO terry.harbort@taliskerresources.com +1 416 361 2808 Matt Filgate Vice President, Corporate Development matt.filgate@taliskerresources.com +1 778 679 3579 About Talisker Resources Ltd. Talisker (taliskerresources.com) is a junior resource company involved in the exploration of gold projects in British Columbia, Canada. Taliskers projects include the Bralorne Gold Complex and the Ladner Gold Project, both advanced stage projects with significant exploration potential from historical high-grade producing gold mines, as well as its Spences Bridge Project where the Company holds ~85% of the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt, and several other early-stage Greenfields projects. With its properties comprising 291,392 hectares over 487 claims, three leases and 197 crown grant claims, Talisker is a dominant exploration player in south-central British Columbia. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance and include statements regarding the Royalty Transaction, including the use of proceeds. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Taliskers current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. 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 Talisker. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of Taliskers management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, title and environmental risks and risks relating to the failure to receive all requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and Talisker 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. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AIP Realty Trust (the Trust or AIP Realty) (TSXV:AIP.U) announced the results of voting at its annual general and special meeting of unitholders held Friday, June 23, 2023 (the Meeting). A total of 53.76% of the issued and outstanding units of the Trust (the Units) were represented at the Meeting, and each of the resolutions put forward by the trustees of the Trust (the Trustees) were approved. Each of Greg Vorwaller, Leslie Wulf, Bruce Hall, Nathan Smith, Brian Shibley, Kobi Dorenbush and Samantha Adams were elected as Trustees of the Trust to hold office until the next annual meeting of unitholders. MNP LLP was re-appointed auditors of the Trust for the ensuing year at the remuneration to be fixed by the Trustees. Both the unit option plan (the Option Plan) and newly proposed equity incentive plan (the Incentive Plan and, together with the Option Plan, the Plans) of the Trust were approved by 93.02% and 80.17% of the votes represented at the Meeting, respectively. The Plans are designed to advance the interests of the Trust by encouraging its trustees, officers, employees and consultants to acquire units of the Trust, thereby increasing their proprietary interest in the Trust, encouraging them to remain associated with the Trust and furnishing them with additional incentive in their efforts on behalf of the Trust in the conduct of its affairs. The Incentive Plan was conditionally approved by the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV) on April 20, 2023 and is subject to final acceptance of the TSXV. Summary of Incentive Plan The Incentive Plan provides flexibility to the Trust to grant equity-based incentive awards in the form of restricted security units (RSUs), performance security units (PSUs) and deferred security units (DSUs) (collectively, the Awards) to attract, retain and motivate qualified trustees, officers, employees and consultants of the Trust and its subsidiaries, excluding any persons who perform investor relations activities on behalf of the Trust or any of its subsidiaries (collectively, the Incentive Plan Participants). The aggregate number of Units that may be issued to Incentive Plan Participants under the Incentive Plan may not exceed 342,198, subject to adjustment as provided for in the Incentive Plan. The Incentive Plan provides for the following limits on grants, for so long as the Trust is subject to the requirements of the TSXV, unless disinterested Unitholder approval is obtained or unless permitted otherwise pursuant to the policies of the TSXV: the maximum number of Units that may be issued to any one Incentive Plan Participant (and where permitted pursuant to the policies of the TSXV, any company that is wholly owned by the Incentive Plan Participant) under the Incentive Plan, together with any other security-based compensation arrangements, within a twelve (12) month period, may not exceed 5% of the issued Units calculated on the date of grant; the maximum number of Units that may be issued to insiders collectively under the Incentive Plan, together with any other security-based compensation arrangements, within a twelve (12) month period, may not exceed 10% of the issued Units calculated on the date of grant; and the maximum number of Units that may be issued to insiders collectively under the Incentive Plan, together with any other security-based compensation arrangements, may not exceed 10% of the issued Units at any time. For so long as such limitation is required by the TSXV, the maximum number of Units that may be granted to any one consultant under the Incentive Plan, together with any other security-based compensation arrangements, within a twelve (12) month period, may not exceed 2% of the issued Units calculated on the date of grant. Each of the matters voted upon at the Meeting are described in greater detail in the Management Information Circular of the Trust dated May 17, 2023, and available at www.sedar.com. About AIP Realty Trust AIP Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust with a growing portfolio of light industrial flex facilities focused on small businesses and the trades and services sectors in the U.S. These properties appeal to a diverse range of small space users, such as contractors, skilled trades, suppliers, repair services, last-mile providers, small businesses and assembly and distribution firms. They typically offer attractive fundamentals including low tenant turnover, stable cash flow and low capex intensity, as well as significant growth opportunities. With an initial focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth market, AIP plans to roll out this innovative property offering nationally. AIP holds the exclusive rights to finance the development of and to purchase all the completed and leased properties built across North America by its development and property management partner, AllTrades Industrial Properties, Inc. For more information, please visit www.aiprealtytrust.com. For further information from the Trust, contact: Leslie Wulf Executive Chairman (214) 679-5263 les.wulf@aiprealtytrust.com Or Greg Vorwaller Chief Executive Officer (778) 918-8262 Greg.vorwaller@aiprealtytrust.com Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information This press 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 AIP Realty Trust 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 and includes information regarding the ability to obtain regulatory and unitholder approvals and other factors. When or if used in this news release, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, target, plan, forecast, may, schedule and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Trusts current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Trust, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Trust does not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act). The Trust has not registered and will not register the securities under the U.S. Securities Act. The Trust does not intend to engage in a public offering of their securities in the United States. Source: AIP Realty Trust Los Angeles, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Los Angeles, California - The dazzling world of social media fame has taken a dark turn, as growing numbers of influencers are turning to alcohol and drugs to cope with the pressures of stardom. With the surge in social media platforms, young individuals often find themselves thrust into the limelight, unprepared for the weight of expectations, scrutiny, and anxiety that come with online fame. Rehab Near Me, a leading advocate for mental health and addiction awareness, highlights the urgent need to address the mental health issues faced by social media stars and the subsequent dangers of addiction. A recent case that brought this issue to the forefront is that of popular TikToker who openly shared her struggles with addiction due to the pressures of her social media career. As reported by Dexerto, the star revealed she would be entering rehab to address her issues with addiction. The young star, who rose to fame as a teenager, shared the toll that constant scrutiny, expectations, and the pressure to maintain a certain image took on her mental health. Like many, she turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. This story is not an isolated case. There is an alarming trend among social media influencers who use substances as a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety caused by their sudden fame, says the head of content at Rehab Near Me. As a society, we must recognize the mental health issues faced by these young individuals and provide them with the support and resources they need. One of the critical issues is the lack of preparedness and awareness among those who suddenly find themselves in the spotlight. Social media platforms can be a double-edged sword - they have the power to catapult individuals to stardom overnight, but they also subject them to immense pressure and criticism. The constant need to stay relevant and the scrutiny from millions of followers can be overwhelming. This, coupled with the lack of a support system, often leads to mental health struggles. Rehab Near Me calls for social media platforms, management agencies, and the wider community to take proactive steps in educating and supporting influencers. Mental health education, resources for coping with stress and anxiety, and access to professional counseling services should be made readily available to those in the social media limelight. Additionally, society needs to change its perception of social media stardom. The life of an influencer is often glamorized, while the mental health challenges they face are downplayed or ignored. Encouraging an open dialogue about mental health and addiction, as this star bravely did, is vital to breaking the stigma and helping those who are struggling. Furthermore, Rehab Near Me urges influencers to be vigilant and seek help when needed. Connecting with mental health professionals, engaging in self-care practices, and establishing a support network of family and friends are essential steps in safeguarding mental well-being. As part of its initiative, Rehab Near Me will be launching a campaign to raise awareness about mental health and addiction among social media influencers. The campaign will include educational materials, workshops, and collaborations with influencers who have faced similar challenges. The issue of mental health and addiction among social media stars is an urgent one that requires collective action. By raising awareness, providing support, and fostering an environment where mental health is prioritized, society can help ensure that those who find stardom through social media do not lose themselves in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLgmWz77tA As a committed ally in the battle against addiction, Rehab Near Me continues to innovate and expand its network of service providers to meet the evolving needs of those seeking recovery. By facilitating access to alternative treatment management programs, Rehab Near Me is playing a vital role in ensuring that individuals with a history of substance use receive compassionate and effective care. ### For more information about Rehab Near Me, contact the company here: Rehab Near Me James Thomas 855-227-9535 hi@rehabnear.me NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers and acquirers of the securities of Stem, Inc. f/k/a Star Peak Energy Transition Corp. (NYSE: STEM, STEM.WT, STPK.U): (i) pursuant and/or traceable to the offering documents issued in connection with the merger (Merger) consummated on April 28, 2021 by and among the Company, STPK Merger Sup Corp. (Merger Sub), and Stem, Inc., (Legacy Stem); and/or (ii) between March 4, 2021 and February 16, 2023, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important July 11, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Stem securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Stem class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=16161 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 11, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the offering documents and defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Legacy Stem suffered from material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting related to accounting for deferred cost of goods sold and inventory, certain revenue recognition calculations, and internal-use capitalized software calculations; (2) the Company had overstated Legacy Stems and its own post-Merger business and financial prospects; (3) Stems software revenue did not make up 100% of the Companys services revenue; (4) Stem had overstated the benefits expected to flow from its AP partnership; and (5) as a result, the offering documents and defendants public statements throughout the Class Period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Stem class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=16161 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 lrosen@rosenlegal.com pkim@rosenlegal.com cases@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com New York, US, June 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C4ISR Market Overview: Market Research Future (MRFR) 's report highlights C4ISR Market Information By System, Application And Region - Forecast till 2030, the market will achieve USD 119.8 billion by 2030 at a 4.01% CAGR. The C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) industry plays a vital role in modern military operations. It encompasses a range of technologies, systems, and processes designed to enable effective command and control of military forces, as well as the gathering, processing, and dissemination of critical information, The demand for advanced C4ISR systems is likely to increase as militaries seek to maintain a competitive edge and address emerging challenges in areas such as asymmetric warfare, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity. C4ISR Market Analysis The global C4ISR market will touch USD 119.8 billion at a 4.01% CAGR by 2030, as per the current Market Research Future report. COVID-19 Analysis The pandemic brought to light the importance of strong command and control systems for handling crisis scenarios. For monitoring and responding to public health emergencies, governments and defense organizations realized the need of strong C4ISR capabilities. C4ISR products and technology saw a surge in demand as a result of this. With lockdowns & travel restrictions, remote operations and data analysis received more attention. In order to provide capabilities for remote command & control, intelligence collecting, and data analysis, C4ISR systems have to adjust to this new reality. To enable distant cooperation, this includes the deployment of cutting-edge communication tools and secure networks. The COVID-19 problem sped up the development of new technologies for the C4ISR sector. Utilizing cutting-edge technology to improve intelligence collecting, data analysis, & decision-making procedures received more attention. Large data sets could be analyzed more quickly and accurately thanks to these technologies, which also enhanced situational awareness and reaction times. The demand for effective security solutions went up along with the reliance on digital networks and infrastructure. Get Free Sample PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1241 Report Scope: Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 2030: USD 119 Billion CAGR 4.01% CAGR (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By System, Application and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Better integrated situational awareness is required to enable decision-making Key Players Eminent industry players profiled in the global C4ISR market report include BAE Systems Elbit Systems Lockheed Martin Northrop Grumman Raytheon Harris Rockwell Collins CACI Rheinmetall Saab AB Drivers Increasing Use in Defense Industry to Boost Market Growth C4ISR plays a crucial part in defense industry and military operations. New C4ISR systems are continually being developed as a result of improvements in communication systems, computer, and surveillance technology. To effectively monitor, assess, and react to emerging threats like cyberwarfare, terrorism, and asymmetrical warfare, more advanced C4ISR capabilities are needed. The military is better able to receive information, uphold situational awareness, and carry out missions efficiently thanks to the combination of surveillance technology and C4ISR. It gives commanders the ability to make wise judgments, manage resources effectively, and act quickly in the face of arising dangers on the battlefield. Browse In-depth Market Research Report (103 Pages) on C4ISR Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/c4isr-market-1241 Opportunities Technological Advances to offer Robust Opportunities The C4ISR industry is changing quickly as a result of advances in technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, big data analytics and the Internet of Things. The integration and analysis of enormous volumes of data is made possible by these technologies, which enhances operational effectiveness and decision-making. These innovations improve methods for intelligence gathering, data analysis, and making decisions. Large data sets could be analyzed more quickly and accurately thanks to these technologies, which also enhanced situational awareness and reaction times. Restraints and Challenges High Development & Maintenance Cost to act as Market Restraints The high development and maintenance cost and limited defense budget & system may act as market restraints over the forecast period. Market Segmentation The C4ISR market is bifurcated based on application and system. By system, surveillance and reconnaissance will lead the market over the forecast period. By application, space will domineer the market over the forecast period. Buy Now: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1241 Regional Analysis North America to Head C4ISR Market During the projection period, North America will dominate the worldwide C4ISR market. Governmental backing and technological developments both seem to be important factors. Additionally, R&D and technology developments are important drivers of rapid growth. In this area, the government sends out a lot of C4ISR as well. During the anticipated time frame, the growth will be tremendous. Furthermore, two good tendencies in this region are market expansion and strong profitability. The largest stakeholder in the worldwide C4ISR market, North America, is anticipated to expand throughout the projected period. Due to significant US spending in defense systems, North America is anticipated to account for a sizeable portion of the global market. The development of cutting-edge C4ISR systems has elevated to the top of the US military's overall priority list for conflict management. The American government makes significant investments in creating new, improved land, air, and naval systems outfitted with state-of-the-art communication & situational awareness equipment. APAC to Have Admirable Growth in C4ISR Market The C4ISR market in Asia Pacific is expanding the quickest. The predicted year of 2023 will see a swift expansion of the industry. The development of C4ISR communication, sensor, and combat systems will fuel this sector's expansion. The C4ISR market in the Asia-Pacific region is expanding as a result of advancements in battlefield communications and the effectiveness of surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The need for electronic warfare is anticipated to rise in a number of nations, including China, India, & Japan, fueling the expansion of the C4ISR industry. Additionally, nations like Canada, Brazil, & Argentina will increase their investments in enhancing their C4ISR capacities, driving the rise of the worldwide market throughout the projection period. The widespread use of 5G for quicker wireless data transfer & the launch of next-generation intelligence systems are expected to increase demand for cutting-edge hardware. Discover more research Reports on Aerospace & Defense , by Market Research Future: Automated Border Control Market Size Worth USD 2,502.5 Million by 2027 at 13.52% CAGR Report by Market Research Future (MRFR) Smart Weapons Market Worth USD 21.85 Billion by 2027 at 6.5% CAGR Report by Market Research Future (MRFR) Small Arms Market is Predominantly Driven by the Futuristic Laser Technology; Asserts MRFR Unleashing the Forecast for 20182023 About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. Press Release @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/press-release/c4isr-market Zug, Switzerland, June 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Art de Finance AG, with its headquarters in Switzerland and established in 2022, is building a Web 3.0 art platform. In collaboration with the Foundation, the company will be supporting the exhibitions creators and artists through promotional activities and marketing. In the face of swift developments in digital technologies like Web 3.0, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and big data, creators and artists encounter the responsibility of showcasing their ingenuity and setting themselves apart through a ceaseless stream of novel experiments and trials. In light of this, the Seoul Design Foundation, led by CEO Kyung-Don Rhee, is set to host a collaborative exhibition with Art de Finance AG in July. The event aims to provide support for the artistic endeavors of these creators. The exhibition, titled To The Future, will be held at DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) in time for the opening day of the Seoul Web 3.0 Festival (SWF2023) on July 31 and will run for three weeks until August 20. Drawing upon the influential legacy of the late media artist Nam June Paik, who, three decades ago, highlighted the optimistic dimensions and potential of digital media through his groundbreaking work involving interactive media and artificial satellites, conveying a message inspired by George Orwell's novel 1984, this exhibition endeavors to showcase a diverse array of artists' contemplations and ideologies concerning the future of innovation. The blank space in the exhibition title, To The Future, embodies the uncertainty about the future and at the same time means to express the variability and scalability of the process in which artists mentally conceive their work. From June 20 to June 30, artists are being called to participate in the exhibition. NFT artists will be selected to participate in the exhibition in association with the Foundations new project, DDP 45133, in consideration of the future societys keywords including Web 3.0, Video Art, Climate Crisis and One-Person Media. Any foreign or domestic artist or designer can apply and further information can be found on the DDP website (www.ddp.or.kr) and the Seoul Web 3.0 Festival website (www.swf2023.com/). Selected artists will be provided with the NFT exhibition space on the third floor of the DDP Design Lab and will participate in the DDP 45133 project. The DDP 45133 Project entails the issuance of NFTs representing the 45,133 silver panels comprising the DDP. The Foundation intends to offer numerous advantages to NFT owners, including exclusive invitations to engage in community events associated with the DDP. By adopting this innovative approach, the project aims to transform DDP, a prominent landmark of Seoul, into a publicly registered entity in a distinctive and unprecedented way, thereby setting a precedent for citizen participation and ownership of public facilities. Yoo Seup Eom, CSO of Art de Finance, said Through this collaborative exhibition, we hope to provide an opportunity to discover new artists and promote them to create the foundation and environment for sustainable growth in the art industry. Kyung-Don Rhee, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, also remarked that they are promoting various projects where art and technology would converge with a focus on design and expect various collaborations such as the DDP 45133 project to lead to the development of the DDP digital design platform and creation of new values. 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. Media Contact: Company: Art de Finance Contact Person: Helen Email: haeyoon37@artdefinance.io City: Zug, Switzerland Website: www.artdefinance.io After achieving primary endpoint by demonstrating superiority and non-inferiority in HbA 1C reduction from baseline at week 52, investigative insulin icodec helped patients achieve significantly more time in target blood glucose range (Time in Range) vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 in ONWARDS 1 1 reduction from baseline at week 52, investigative insulin icodec helped patients achieve significantly more time in target blood glucose range (Time in Range) vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 in ONWARDS 1 In the ONWARDS 1 and 3 trials, more people achieved blood glucose targets without clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia with once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin comparators 1,2 Insulin icodec has been submitted for regulatory review in the US, Canada, Europe, China, Australia, Switzerland and Brazil. First decisions are anticipated in H1 2024 Bagsvrd, Denmark, Sunday 25 June 2023 Novo Nordisk today announced data from the phase 3a ONWARDS 1 and 3 trials evaluating investigative once-weekly basal insulin icodec, which were presented at the 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The data showed the studies met their primary endpoints, while reducing injections from seven to one per week, compared with once-daily basal insulin1,2. Additionally, data from the ONWARDS 1 and 3 studies demonstrated that more insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes treated with once-weekly basal insulin icodec achieved an HbA 1c target of <7.0% without experiencing clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia compared with once-daily basal insulin comparators at 52 and 26 weeks, respectively1,2. In ONWARDS 1, as a confirmatory secondary endpoint, superior Time in Range (blood glucose 70180 mg/dL) was achieved with once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 (71.9% vs 66.9%, respectively) from week 48521. Comparable Time below Range (blood glucose <54 mg/dL) was achieved with once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 (0.3% vs 0.2%, respectively) from week 4852 in ONWARDS 11. Both values are in line with internationally recommended targets3. Time in Range provides additional information to help us assess glycaemic control and is an increasingly important tool to complement HbA 1c measurements, which were substantially reduced by once-weekly basal insulin icodec. In ONWARDS 1, insulin icodec allowed people to spend significantly more Time in Range, with comparable Time below Range vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100, said Dr Julio Rosenstock, Lead Trial Investigator and Director of Velocity Clinical Research at Medical City Dallas and Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, US. A once-weekly basal insulin has the potential to change how we treat people with type 2 diabetes needing basal insulin replacement. In ONWARDS 1, there were no statistically significant differences in mean weekly insulin dose (week 5052) or in body weight change from baseline1. Rates of clinically significant hypoglycaemia (blood glucose <54 mg/dL) or severe hypoglycaemia (symptomatic requiring third party assistance regardless of blood glucose measurement), were low in both treatment groups1. Rates of clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia were 0.30 events per patient year exposed and 0.16 events per patient year exposed to once-weekly insulin icodec and insulin glargine U100, respectively1. A statistically significant higher proportion of participants achieved an HbA 1C target of <7% without clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia with once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 (52.6% vs 42.6%)1. In ONWARDS 3, rates of clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia were 0.31 events per patient-year exposed and 0.15 events per patient-year exposed to insulin icodec and insulin degludec respectively, at weeks 0312. The estimated proportion of participants achieving an HbA 1C target of <7% without clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia was statistically significantly higher with once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin degludec2. There were no significant differences in mean weekly insulin dose from week 24 to 26 or body weight change from baseline to week 26 between treatment arms2. No unexpected safety findings were observed1,2. These data reinforce our confidence in the potential of once-weekly insulin icodec, said Florian M.M. Baeres, corporate vice president, Global Medical Affairs at Novo Nordisk. If approved, we believe this innovation which would be the worlds first once-weekly basal insulin could help people living with type 2 diabetes ready to start insulin treatment by reducing the number of injections needed. Insulin icodec has been submitted for regulatory review in the US, Canada, Europe, China, Australia, Switzerland and Brazil. First decisions are anticipated in H1 2024. Pending approval, insulin icodec will represent the first and only once-weekly basal insulin option for adults with diabetes, addressing an unmet need in treatment vs a daily basal insulin option1,2,47. For more news and media materials from Novo Nordisk at ADA 2023, please visit: https://www.novonordisk.com/news-and-media/ADA-e-press-room. About insulin icodec Insulin icodec is an investigational novel once-weekly basal insulin analog designed to cover the basal insulin requirements for a full week with a single subcutaneous injection. About the ONWARDS clinical programme The ONWARDS phase 3a trial programme for once-weekly basal insulin icodec comprises six phase 3a global clinical trials, including a trial with real-world elements, involving more than 4,000 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes8. All trials have met their primary endpoints1,2,47. About ONWARDS 19 ONWARDS 1 is a phase 3a, 78-week, open-label efficacy and safety treat-to-target trial investigating once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin glargine U100, both in combination with non-insulin anti-diabetic treatment, in 984 insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes. The primary endpoint was change in HbA 1C from baseline at week 52 with insulin icodec compared with insulin glargine U100. Secondary endpoints included time in target blood glucose range (70180 mg/dL), change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) from baseline at week 52 and number of clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia episodes. Following the completion of the 52-week main phase of the trial, a 26-week extension phase to further assess safety was undertaken and is now finalised. About ONWARDS 310 ONWARDS 3 is a phase 3a, double-blind 26-week efficacy and safety treat-to-target trial investigating once-weekly basal insulin icodec vs once-daily basal insulin degludec, both in combination with non-insulin anti-diabetic treatment. The objective of the trial was to assess the efficacy and safety of insulin icodec in 588 insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes. The primary endpoint was change in HbA 1C from baseline at week 26. Secondary endpoints included change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) from baseline at week 26 and number of clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia episodes. About Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine disorders. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 57,100 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Contact for further information Media: Ambre James-Brown +45 3079 9289 abmo@novonordisk.com Investors: Daniel Muusmann Bohsen +45 3075 2175 dabo@novonordisk.com Jacob Martin Wiborg Rode +45 3075 5956 jrde@novonordisk.com David Heiberg Landsted +45 3077 6915 dhel@novonordisk.com _______________________ References 1. Rosenstock J, Bain SC, Gowda A, et al. Improved A1C and TIR with Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec vs Insulin Glargine U100 in Insulin-Naive T2D: ONWARDS 1. 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA); 2326 June 2023, San Diego; US. 179-OR. 2. Lingvay I, Asong M, Desouza C, et al. Better Glycemic Control with Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec versus OnceDaily Insulin Degludec in Insulin-Naive Type 2 Diabetes (ONWARDS 3). 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA); 2326 June 2023; San Diego, US. 178-OR. 3. Battelino T, Danne T, Bergenstal RM, et al. Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range. Diabetes Care. 2019;42(8):1593-1603. 4. Philis-Tsimikas A, Asong M, Franek E, et al. Switching to once-weekly insulin icodec versus once-daily insulin degludec in individuals with basal insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (ONWARDS 2): a phase 3a, randomised, open label, multicentre, treat-to-target trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2023;11(6):414-425. 5. Mathieu C, Asbjornsdottir B, Bajaj HS, et al. Switching to once-weekly insulin icodec versus once-daily insulin glargine U100 in individuals with basal-bolus insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (ONWARDS 4): a phase 3a, randomised, open-label, multicentre, treat-to-target, non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2023;401(10392):1929-1940. 6. Bajaj HS, Aberle J, Davies M et al. Superior Glycemic Control with Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec with a Dosing Guide App vs Once-Daily (OD) Basal Insulin Analogs in Insulin-Naive T2D: ONWARDS 5. American Diabetes Association (ADA) 83rd Scientific Sessions, 23-26 June 2023, San Diego, US. 803-P. 7. Novo Nordisk. Company announcement. Novo Nordisk achieves primary objectives of ONWARDS 1 and 6 trials with once-weekly insulin icodec demonstrating superior reduction in HbA1c vs insulin glargine U100 in ONWARDS 1. Available at: https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=118349 Last accessed: June 2023. 8. Philis-Tsimikas A, Bajaj HS, Begtrup K, et al. Rationale and design of the phase 3 development programme (ONWARDS 1-6 trials) investigating once-weekly insulin icodec in diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022. 9. ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Insulin, Insulin Glargine, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Not Used Insulin Before (ONWARDS 1). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04460885 Last accessed: June 2023. 10. ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Insulin, Insulin Degludec, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Not Used Insulin Before (ONWARDS 3). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04795531 Last accessed: June 2023. Attachment Cliff Hale-Sanders, President and CEO Tel: +1-416-819-8558 Nicholas Campbell, CFA Director, Corporate Development Tel: +1-905-630-0148 csanders@voyagermetals.com ncampbell@voyagermetals.com TORONTO, May 31, 2023 - Voyager Metals Inc. ("Voyager") (TSXV:VONE) and Cerrado Gold Inc. ("Cerrado") (TSXV:CERT) (OTCQX:CRDOF) are pleased to announce the successful completion of the previously announced statutory plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) pursuant to which Cerrado acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Voyager (the "Voyager Shares") that it did not already own. The Arrangement was carried out pursuant to the terms of the arrangement agreement between Voyager and Cerrado dated March 7, 2023 (the "Arrangement Agreement") and became effective today, resulting in Voyager becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cerrado. The Arrangement had received the requisite approval of Voyager shareholders and optionholders at a special meeting held on May 24, 2023. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) issued a final order approving the Arrangement on May 26, 2023.Pursuant to the Arrangement, each former shareholder of Voyager, other than Cerrado, is entitled to receive 1/6 of one (1) Cerrado share for each outstanding Voyager share (the "Consideration"). Further in connection with the Arrangement, holders of the Voyager options received options of Cerrado adjusted in accordance with the Exchange Ratio and subject to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement (the "Cerrado Replacement Options"), resulting in the grant of 1,266,649 Cerrado Replacement Options. The Cerrado Replacement Options are not exercisable by the holders thereof until shareholder and relevant TSX Venture Exchange approvals have been obtained in respect of such options and an amended Cerrado omnibus plan with higher limits is in place to accommodate the exercise of such options. Such approval is being sought at the annual and special meeting of Cerrado shareholders expected to be held on July 19, 2023. In addition, all outstanding common share purchase warrants of Voyager ("Voyager Warrants") have been adjusted, in accordance with their terms, and following the Arrangement, are exercisable for up to 1,779,755 Cerrado shares based on the Exchange Ratio.In order to receive the Consideration in exchange for their Voyager shares, registered Voyager shareholders are reminded that they must complete, execute and submit the letter of transmittal (a copy of which was included in the meeting materials previously mailed to Voyager shareholders) to TSX Trust Company, in its capacity as depositary under the Arrangement, together with their certificate(s) or DRS advice(s) representing their Voyager shares, in accordance with the tender procedures described in the Circular (as defined below) and the letter of transmittal. Registered shareholders are encouraged to tender their Voyager shares as soon as possible in exchange for the Consideration. For any questions about completing the letter of transmittal in connection with the Arrangement, please contact TSX Trust Company at 416-342-1091 or by email at tsxtis@tmx.com. Beneficial shareholders should contact their intermediary and arrange for the intermediary to complete the necessary steps to ensure they receive the Consideration for their Voyager shares as soon as possible following the completion of the Arrangement.Following completion of the Arrangement, the Voyager Shares are expected to be de-listed from the TSX Venture Exchange as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event on or about June 5, 2023. In connection therewith, Voyager intends to submit an application to the applicable securities regulators to cease to be a reporting issuer and to terminate its public reporting obligations.Further details regarding the Arrangement are set out in Voyager's information circular dated April 19, 2023, which is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Voyager's issuer profile.Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. acted as financial advisor and Bennett Jones LLP acted as legal advisor to Voyager in connection with the Arrangement.WeirFoulds LLP acted as legal advisor to Cerrado in connection with the Arrangement. Voyager Metals Inc. is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada.The Company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier, Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project, located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec.Cerrado Gold is a Toronto-based gold production, development, and exploration company focused on gold projects in South America. The Company is the 100% owner of both the producing Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, and the highly prospective Monte Do Carmo development project, located in Tocantins State, Brazil.At Minera Don Nicolas, Cerrado is maximizing asset value through continued operational optimization and further production growth. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package in the heart of the Deseado Masiff.At Monte Do Carmo, Cerrado is rapidly advancing the Serra Alta deposit through Feasibility and into production. Serra Alta is expected to be a high-margin and high-return project with significant exploration potential on an extensive and highly prospective 82,542-hectare land package.For more information about Voyager, please visit the website at: www.voyagermetals.com. For more information about Cerrado, please visit the website at: www.cerradogold.com.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF Voyager Metals Inc. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF Cerrado Gold Inc. Mark Brennan, CEO and Chairman Tel: +1-647-796-0023 Mike McAllister Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: +1-647-805-5662 mbrennan@cerradogold.com mmcallister@cerradogold.com This news release contains certain forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect'', ''anticipate'', ''continue'', ''estimate'', ''guidance'', ''objective'', ''ongoing'', ''may'', ''will'' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements concerning the issuance of Cerrado Replacement Options and the requirement to receive Cerrado shareholder approval for the exercise thereof; the de-listing of Voyager shares from TSX Venture Exchange; and the intention to obtain an order to cease being a reporting issuer in the applicable jurisdictions and terminate its public reporting requirements.Voyager and Cerrado believe the material factors, expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable at this time, but no assurance can be given that these factors, expectations and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with the timing and ability of the Voyager to obtain all necessary regulatory and exchange approvals, as applicable, in order to de-list from the TSX Venture Exchange and cease being a reporting issuer; the timing and ability to obtain the requisite approval of Cerrado shareholders to allow for the exercise of the Cerrado Replacement Option; and the general regulatory environment in which Voyager and Cerrado operate.The forward-looking information and statements included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance and should not be unduly relied upon. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of the risk factors set out and other known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Voyager and Cerrado. In addition, forward looking statements or information are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such statements and information but which may prove to be incorrect. Such information may prove to be incorrect and readers are cautioned that the information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Although Voyager and Cerrado believe that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward looking statements because Voyager and Cerrado can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified herein, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, certain other risks detailed from time to time in the Voyager's and Cerrado's public disclosure documents including, without limitation, those risks identified in this news release and Circular, copies of which are available on the Voyager's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.The forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release, and Voyager and Cerrado do not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required pursuant to applicable laws.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Cerrado Gold Inc. Vancouver, June 23, 2023 - Foremost Lithium Resource & Technology Ltd. (CSE: FAT) (OTCQB: FRRSF) (FSE: F0R0) (WKN: A3DCC8) ("Foremost Lithium", "Foremost" or the "Company") Further to its news releases of June 29, 2022 and June 20, 2023, in respect of the Company's option ("the Option") to acquire a 100% interest in acquire the Peg North Claims located in the historic Snow Lake mining district in Manitoba, the Company confirms that it will proceed with making its second installment Option Payment on or before June 28, 2023. In accordance with the terms of the Option agreement, the second installment payment will consist of a cash payment of $100,000 and issuing an aggregate of 653,595 common shares (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $.153 per share. The Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Jason Barnard, President and CEO Email: info@foremostlithium.com Phone: +1 (604) 330-8067 The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. About Foremost Lithium Foremost Lithium is a hard-rock exploration company with over 43,000 acres located in Snow Lake, Manitoba, and hosts a property in a known active lithium camp in Quebec called Lac Simard South situated on over 11,400 acres. Its 5 Lithium Lane Projects, Zoro, Jean Lake, Grass River, Peg North and Jol, as well as Lac Simard South are strategically located to capitalize on the world's growing EV appetite and is perfectly positioned to become a premier supplier of North America's lithium feedstock. As the world transitions towards decarbonization, the Company's objective is the extraction of lithium oxide (LiO), and to subsequently play a role in the production of high-quality lithium hydroxide (LiOH), to help power lithium-based batteries, critical in developing a clean-energy economy. Foremost Lithium also has the Winston Gold/Silver Property in New Mexico USA. Learn More at www.foremostlithium.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions, and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for future exploration and development of the Company's properties and the acquisition of additional exploration projects. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", "anticipates" "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and third party approvals for the proposed operations of the Company's business and exploration activities, risks related to the Company's exploration properties; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of commodities including lithium and gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in reserves; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in jurisdictions in which the Company operates. . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/171218 The rise of the gig economy and a broad shift to contract work is making it easier for people to evade paying child support, causing headaches for parents and for state officials charged with tracking down the money.About 70 percent of child support payments are collected by withholding income from paychecks. Its possible to capture the wages of an Uber driver, Airbnb renter or a contractor but only if state officials know that a person owing child support is earning wages that can be garnished, and only if the employer cooperates.In every state, employers are required to report new hires to a child support database used to find out where parents are working to set orders and withhold income. But in most states, employers are bound by those rules only when they hire full-time or part-time employees, not contractors or gig workers, who are sometimes classified as contractors. Texas expanded its law to include contractors in 2015, and lawmakers in other states, including Oregon and New York, have proposed doing the same.But even in the states where employers are required to report contractors, such as California, companies such as Uber and Lyft still arent following the rules, and state officials have few ways to make them comply, said Alisha Griffin, who heads the California Department of Child Support Services.Nationwide, there is about $114 billion in unpaid child support, which has accumulated over time and grows every year. Child support orders are set when parents separate to ensure that both parents pay for childrens basic needs, such as food and clothing.Working as a contractor to hide income and avoid paying child support is an old problem hiding in new clothes in the gig economy, said Laura Morgan, a family law consultant and attorney based in Virginia and the author of a book called Child Support Guidelines.Its a different set of self-employed people doing the same things that self-employed people have always been doing if they can find a way to mask their true income, they will, Morgan said.Another challenge is that gig jobs often dont last long: People offering services through an online platform participate less frequently after their first month, according to a 2016 study by the JPMorgan Chase Institute.Arizona child support officials learned this lesson when they asked Uber to withhold the wages of people who owe child support. For the last year, the company has been complying, said Tasya Peterson, a spokeswoman for the states Department of Economic Security. But often, Peterson said, by the time the department finds out these individuals are employed, they no longer work for the company.Hunting for Hidden IncomeAs the gig economy continues to grow, there will be more interest in tracking down this type of income, said Rob Wells, president of YoungWilliams, a firm based in Mississippi that provides child support services for states across the country.More than 2.5 million adults in the United States, or about 1 percent of the adult population, participate in the on-demand platform economy every month, and some projections show that will double by 2020, according to a 2016 study by Caroline Bruckner, managing director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C.More generally, the percentage of U.S. workers who are contractors or freelancers rose from 10.1 percent in February 2005 to 15.8 percent in late 2015, according to a 2016 study by Harvard and Princeton researchers.In California, Griffin said, the change in the economy is noticeable, with more people freelancing, more companies hiring contractors, more retirees supplementing their income with contract work, and more young people working multiple jobs.There are many reasons why people would try to hide this income not just to lower their child support payments, but also to avoid paying taxes, increase welfare payments, and to get unemployment and other social benefits.To find unreported income, state child support officials and attorneys hired by parents look at tax returns, cash flow in bank accounts, and parents lifestyle and purchases, Morgan said. If you claim to have $18,000 in income, but you just bought a Maserati, how is that possible?The best way to find out about cash not reported is through custodial parents or social media, Wells said. We will pull up something from social media and find someone bragging about their fancy cars or jewelry, or trips or something like that.In New York, state Sen. Marisol Alcantara said she constantly hears from single mothers who are having trouble collecting support for their children. Alcantara, a Democrat, sponsored a bill this year that would have required companies to report contractors to the states new hire database. The bill did not pass this year but Alcantara plans to continue to support it during the next session.Its very hard to enforce child support if the agency doesnt know about it, she said.Heavy HammersAbout a dozen states require companies to report contractor hires to state databases, with some of the laws applying only when contractors make more than a certain amount, according to information from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement in the Department of Health and Human Services.But there arent many sanctions states can levy to enforce the rules, according to Kate Richardson, who directs Oregons child support program and is a chairwoman for a policy committee at the National Child Support Enforcement Association, a nonprofit membership and advocacy group for child support professionals. Its hard to get companies to comply when there isnt a heavy hammer to drop, she said, and since employers are an important partner in child support collection, no one really wants to drop heavy hammers.Uber and Lyft two of the countrys best-known gig economy employers did not respond to questions about whether they currently report new hires to states or whether they adhere to child support orders.Child support officials and advocates have long thought that federal government should add teeth to new hire reporting requirements to get companies to comply, Griffin said.The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement declined to comment on its rules, referring to state offices questions about whether companies like Uber and Lyft were required to report new hires and comply with withholding orders.In California, Griffin said she has been trying to come up with a solution since she started taking Uber rides. She also has discussed the issue with several of her counterparts in other states, who face the same problems. She plans to look further into the rules for companies that operate across state lines to see what can be done to get more cooperation or enforcement.State officials have other ideas, too, like checking federal 1099 tax forms that self-employed workers must file. But many say the best way to make sure children get support is still to work with parents to set reasonable orders.We arent about squeezing one parent to pay the other, Richardson said. 3 partner to offer best in auto industry Kwame Larweh Business News Jun - 23 - 2023 , 14:45 Three companies have partnered to offer Ghanaians the opportunity to own their own vehicles. The three companies are VW Universal Motors, Access Bank Ghana, and Allianz Insurance. Under the partnership, customers can purchase any Volkswagen (VW) Universal vehicle of their choice through a specialised Access Bank Loan facility which will then be insured by Alllianz Insurance. At a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the office of VW Universal yesterday in Accra, the CEO of Universal Motors, Subhi Accad extolled the partnership saying Volkswagen and its spare parts in Ghana have come to stay. Throughout the years, we have introduced over 15 different Volkswagen models to the Ghanaian market, showcasing the exceptional German engineering that defines the brand. From the Polo to the Passat, the Touareg to the Amarok our wide range of vehicles caters to the diverse needs of our customers, he stated. He maintained that the collaboration enables Ghanaians an affordable payment plan, making the dream of owning a Volkswagen vehicle a reality for many aspiring motorists. The Managing director of Access Bank Ghana PLC, Olumide Olatunji, praised the partnership as a win-win deal for all and entreated Ghanaians with the products of the three entities for their betterment and comfort. On his part the CEO of Allianz Ghana Insurance Limited, Mr Ababacar Diaw noted that his outfit is a global insurance brand that is geared towards the best premium quality insurance and protection policy for Ghanaians and motorists through this policy. We can safely and reliably rely on Allianz Insurance to provide the best protection and safety insurance for our vehicles and our lives, he added. The German Ambassador to Ghana Daniel Krull, who was a guest speaker at the event called on the government to implement policies that will ensure the thriving of the automotive market. Ghanaians love cars and I hope this revolutionalises how the financial and insurance aspects are tackled in the automotive industry, he noted. Vodafone Ghana Foundation advances digital inclusion with new ICT centres Graphic Business Business News Jun - 23 - 2023 , 14:19 Vodafone Ghana Foundation has unveiled nine Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres in regional libraries across Ghana. The initiative, a collaboration with the Ghana Library Authority, is designed to provide digital resources to communities, with an additional seven centres currently under development. It also aims to provide devices and internet access to the general public, especially school-going children, to facilitate their research and make the teaching and learning of ICT easier. In a release issued by the company, it said the initiative forms part of the Foundation's broader commitment to transforming communities through impactful technological programmes to make current technology accessible to all students as technical knowledge expands globally. It said they are expected to enhance digital learning for library users across the country, equipping the youth and members of the community with the necessary digital tools and skills to navigate a rapidly advancing technological world. Handing over one of the ICT Centres to the Ashanti Regional Library, the Director of Legal and External Affairs at Vodafone Ghana, Preba Greenstreet, said the facility represents a tangible investment in education and technology for the community. She explained that the facility is an essential resource that will empower individuals with the digital skills and knowledge needed in today's globalised world and encouraged everyone to use this centre to its full potential. She said the Foundation's efforts have been bolstered by the unwavering support and collaboration of the Ghana Library Authority adding that the ICT centres, strategically located within regional libraries, are set to serve as transformative hubs for learning, innovation, and creativity. The release said the inauguration also forms part of Vodafone Ghanas Ashanti Month initiative, a month-long celebration which includes Healthfest, a free health screening initiative, and Homecoming, an initiative to settle bills for insolvent hospital patients, and free ultrasound for pregnant women in Pipie in the Bosomtwe district. It added that the Foundation has revived several programmes aimed at enhancing long-term health, education, and sustainability outcomes in the region. Grammys new African category: Rejoice but Arnold Asamoah Baidoo Showbiz News Jun - 24 - 2023 , 09:29 THE National Academy of Arts & Sciences, now the Recording Academy is responsible for the Grammy Awards, arguably the biggest music-awarding platform in the world. For 65 years, the Recording Academy in the US have been offering prestigious honours to musicians in the USA while giving room for awarding other nationals who are able to get their records onto the US market. Africa has over the years, enjoyed the privillege of getting recognition at the Grammys via various categories in World Music to Global Music. The Recording Academy first offered African participation in the scheme in 1991 when it introduced the World Music categories and then altered it in 2020 to Best Global Music categories. Its 2023 and since 1991, Africa can now lay sole claim to a category dedicated to its genres of music and myriad of artistes, Best African Music Performance. Not Amusing To Others It seems as though folks in Ghana are the ones overly excited with the news especially when you consider the music industries across Africa that usually make the Grammy conversation a mainstay in music analysis. It is quite understandable to have a chunk of Ghanaians thrilled by the news of a new category for Africa because, after all these years of having the Grammy chatter and not have one win; this seems like a win for Ghana is closer than ever. Interestingly, folks in music-loving countries like Nigeria and South Africa are not tickled by the recent happening and that is also understandable. Without this new category, musicians from Nigeria and South Africa have garnered some of Africas nominations and wins over the years. This new category does very little to their ambitions when it comes to the Grammys. For the musicians from the other African countries that have been winning in the categories of World Music and Global Music over the years, this would even seem like diminishing their influence, considering the fact that, in the past they competed with musicians from the rest of the world, whereas in this new category, they would be competing with other folks from Africa only. The Dentaa Effect It is not clear how the founder of GUBA, Dentaa Amoateng directly influenced the creation of the new category, but her affiliation and impact to the Recording Academy cannot be underestimated. Eight (8) months ago, when she brought the Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr. to Ghana, he said that prior to his visit, theres been a stakeholders meeting to discuss the possibility of having a category for African music. Dentaas ability to bring Mr. Mason here to interact with music stakeholders and most importantly, GUBAs ability to create the first-ever African Nominees Brunch in the US, were moves that reinforced Africas drive to actually be part of the over 90 categories. Aside all the meetings, consultations and everything else, Dentaas initiative of taking Africa, the culture, fashion and music to the doorsteps of the Grammys was critical in convincing the Academy that, in addition to the category getting the votes and approval from the Board of Trustees, Africa is capable. She takes all the plaudits for her effort in making Africa relevant to the new direction of the Recording Academy. Afrobeats, Highlife & Ghanaian Drill According to Harvey Mason Jr., creators of the genre Afrobeats were engaged in meetings to make the category a reality. We called in producers, songwriters, artists, executives and we had a virtual listening session where we heard from Afrobeats creators, he said at a September 2022 news conference. We just talked about, what are the different subgenres? What are the needs? What are the desires?, Mr. Mason stated in a CNN report. Clearly, the meteoric rise of Afrobeats was a driving force, considering how the genre has taken over the international music market in the last couple of years. In 2020, the UKs Official Charts Company launched an Afrobeats singles chart while Billboard debuted a US-based Afrobeats chart this year, amplifying the genres growth outside of Africa and the diaspora. The news of a new category was met with mixed reactions in Ghana, with many excited about the mention of the Highlife genre while others were ambivalent about the inclusion of Ghanaian Drill as a genre. The conversations that have shrouded the new category were expected but it is also worthy to note that, regardless of the rejection we give it, the number of holes we punch into the category definition or which genre could have represented Ghana better; nothing is going to change, especially when one considers the kind of effort the Recording Academy put in to facilitate the creation of this category and the approval process it had to go through to get ratified. The conversation should predominantly be hinged on how Ghanaian artistes would be able to break the jinx and win the country its first Grammy. Sell On The US Market The creation of a new category for African music increases the chances of artistes from the continent who now get to compete primarily in three (3) categories of Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance as well as any other category. However, for the Ghanaian artiste, the new category would be meaningless if they are unable to break the code, if they are unable to meet the criterion of the Recording Academy which states that, the recording(s) must be released in the US market. It means that, if you are a Ghanaian artiste and you want eligibility into the Grammy Awards, you need your songs distributed or streamed on the US market, which also means that, you would need an international record label and distribution company to sell your music on that market. That is the most important jigsaw that we need to solve if we wish to see a Ghanaian musician win. The Grammys can add several categories to aid the cause of the African and Ghanaian in that regard to win more of the awards and still, we would miss if we do not work towards ensuring our music get to sell in the US. We do so by producing songs and projecting brands that would attract international record labels and distribution companies that would market our songs in the US territory. Read also: Amaarae calls out Grammys for grouping all African music genres into single category Muzeyi Yelyen is first artist-in-residence at Nubukes Wa Centre Kouame Koulibaly Showbiz News Jun - 23 - 2023 , 17:28 Illustrator, designer and writer Muzeyi Yelyen, knew he had stepped into an exacting but exciting terrain when he accepted, with effect from June 8 this year, to be the first artist-in-residence at Nubuke Foundations Centre for Textile and Clay at Wa in the Upper West Region. Artist residencies are initiatives that provide artists with space and resources to support and enhance their artistic practice. Programmes often cover a wide variety of artistic endeavours which could include working with specific communities. Since taking on the task, Muzeyi Yelyen has among other things, been engrossed with researching weaving traditions and their usage in the Upper West Region and producing digital illustrative artworks that explore and explain those activities. A painting by Muzeyi Yelyen A graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology who specialised in Design and Illustration, Muzeyi Yelyen hails from Kaleo, near Wa. He said he was surprised when Nubuke settled on him as the first artist-in-residence at its Wa centre. It means a lot to me to be the person to kick-start such an interesting programme. It is befitting for a native artist to be given this opportunity. If it were not me, I would have been happy to see another local artist be the first, considering how rare programmes like this occur in this part of the country. About Nubuke Nubuke Foundation is a private visual art and cultural institution with headquarters in Accra. Founded in 2006, it serves as a connection for arts and culture across the country. It has had an active presence at Wa since about 2016. Muzeyi states that growing up in the Upper West Region and knowing the traditions there have been extremely useful in carrying out his artist-in-residence assignment. Knowing the native tongue comes in handy in my research work. Luckily, I have a chance as an illustrator and native to be able to tell my own cultural and visual narratives and to communicate subtle nuances and ideas. By July 7 this year when the residency officially ends, Muzeyi Yelyen hopes to leave behind artworks that reflect the rich traditions of the Upper West Region and add to the overall process of documenting and recording them, which are among the things Nubuke is committed to doing. I want to be remembered by my contribution to making the cultural traditions of the Upper West Region better known, Muzeyi heartily expressed. Nubuke Foundation expects four other artists, after Muzeyi Yelyen, to be in residence at its Wa Centre before the end of 2023. New articles I dont hate Yvonne Nelson Victoria Lebene Blakk Rastas Kuchoko Roots Festival tomorrow OceanGate were warned says Titanic director James Cameron BBC News Showbiz News Jun - 23 - 2023 , 16:56 Hollywood film director James Cameron, who helmed the 1997 movie Titanic, has told the BBC he felt the loss of the Titan submersible in my bones. James Cameron has completed 33 dives to the wreck of the Titanic. He said he was on a ship on Sunday when the sub went missing, and did not hear about it until Monday. When James Cameron learned that the sub had lost both its navigation and communication at the same time, he said he immediately suspected a disaster. I felt in my bones what had happened. For the subs electronics to fail and its communication system to fail, and its tracking transponder to fail simultaneously subs gone. The director went on: I immediately got on the phone to some of my contacts in the deep submersible community. Within about an hour I had the following facts. They were on descent. They were at 3500 metres, heading for the bottom at 3800 metres. Their comms were lost, and navigation was lost and I said instantly, you cant lose comms and navigation together without an extreme catastrophic event or high, highly energetic catastrophic event. And the first thing that popped to mind was an implosion. On Thursday, June 22, an official from the US Navy told the BBCs partner CBS News that the navy had detected an acoustic anomaly consistent with an implosion shortly after the Titan lost contact with the surface. The official said the information had been relayed to the US Coast Guard team which used it to narrow the radius of the search area. James Cameron told BBC News the past week had felt like a prolonged and nightmarish charade where people are running around talking about banging noises and talking about oxygen and all this other stuff. I knew that sub was sitting exactly underneath its last known depth and position. Thats exactly where they found it, he continued. He added that once a remotely controlled underwater vehicle was deployed on Thursday, searchers had found it within hours, probably within minutes. James Cameron also suggested that there was a terrible irony in the loss of Titan and its crew, likening it to the loss of the Titanic itself back in 1912. We now have another wreck that is based on unfortunately the same principles of not heeding warnings, he said. OceanGate were warned. He said the company had had people working internally who quit but he did not specify why. He went on to say that some within the deep submergence community, not including himself directly, had written a letter to OceanGate saying they believed, in his words, you are going on a path to catastrophe. Concerns James Cameron is not the first to raise concerns about the tourism firms operations. A letter sent to OceanGate by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) in March 2018 and obtained by the New York Times stated the current experimental approach adopted by OceanGate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic). Separately, US court documents show a former employee of OceanGate warned of potential safety problems with the vessel as far back as 2018. The documents show that David Lochridge, the companys director of marine operations, raised concerns in an inspection report. A spokesman for OceanGate declined to comment on the safety issues raised by Mr Lochridge and the MTS. Read also Burna Boy emerges first African artiste to hit 1billion Audiomack streams Amaarae calls out Grammys for grouping all African music genres into single category Tema Oil Refinery saga, facts vs fiction - What Institute for Energy Policies and Research thinks Kwadwo N. Poku Opinion Jun - 24 - 2023 , 08:57 The lease negotiation between Tema Oil refinery (TOR) and Torentco Asset Management Limited (TAML) has been in the news recently. There are attempts to insinuate corruption and backroom dealings to sell TOR for US$22 million. Why is the Minister of Energy silent when his sector is being dragged through the mud and why is the Managing Director also silent when his company is being accused of corruption and bribery? The Institute for Energy Policies and Research (INSTEPR) has been working with TOR since the days of Mr. Isaac Osei through to the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and we know the facts of this process. We also visited the refinery on various occasions to ascertain the state of the plant. Our recent visit was to the TOR laboratory which needs upgrading since most of the machines in the Laboratory are outdated or does not work. The institute has done extensive work on this TOR transaction and we would like to put forward the fact as we know it. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS In June 2021, the Minister for Energy appointed a three-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the affairs of the Refinery as part of government effort to restructure the company. One of their terms of reference among others was Receiving and assessing viable partnerships for TOR. The IMC during their tenure received two (2) proposals from local and international companies. The companies were Intercontinental Energy-Dubai and Africafinch-Dubai. The expression of interest drive continued when the new BOD [Board of Directors] took over. The IMC had reviewed the proposal of Intercontinental Energy and approved it before the new board of directors were sworn in, March 2022. The new board received a proposal from Decimal Capital and invited all the three companies to do a presentation as reflected in the BOD minutes of 7th April 2022. The proposal from Decimal Capital received unanimous approval from the new board. The other proposals required a government guarantee which was not acceptable to the BOD. TOR hired a transaction advisor and a project implementation committee was set up by the management to negotiate the proposal from Decimal Capital. This negotiation took 6 months and the agreed term sheet was sent to the Ministry of Energy and State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) for their approval. These approvals were given and the terms were to be incorporated in a lease agreement. SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE (SPV) Decimal Capital as part of their proposal will incorporate an SPV to sign the lease agreement with TOR. This practice is very common in corporate transactions. The company Torentco Asset Management Limited was incorporated in January 2023 as the special purpose vehicle. THE CURRENT STATE OF TOR Tema Oil Refinery has never been a profit making Asset of the country. The historical records will show that the debt of the refinery nearly collapsed Ghana Commercial Bank 20 years ago. This led to the introduction of TOR Debt Recovery Fund Levy. This fund was enacted into law in 2003, Act 642. In 2003, the TOR debt stood at GH450 million. ACEP in October 2021 put out a report called Plugging the two-decade leak, to give an insight into the debt and challenges at TOR. In section 3 of that report, ACEP reported that: Between 2014 and 2018, TOR losses were above GH300 million annually, recording the highest in 2014 at GH927 million and the least in 2018 at GH382 million. Cumulatively, the total loss over the five-year period amounts to GH2.707 billion against the total revenues of GH1,263 billion Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) made a loss of GH1.675 billion according to the 2022 Income Statement of the company. This is the same company that some so called experts are writing in the media that the company can make US$700 million dollars profit a year. Currently TOR owes staff pension (SSNIT, TIER 1 &2 ), GRA, Ghana Water, ECG and many other companies. The total TOR debt to date is US$540 million and growing by the day. The refinery has not refined any crude oil since March 2021, meanwhile the workers are paid every month. THE TORENTCO (TAML) PROPOSAL For a refinery that is making monthly losses, the BOD and government approved the following proposal from Torentco: 1. TAML will pay TOR $1.067 million monthly ($12.8 million yearly) to cover monthly operating expenses (staff remuneration, taxes, statutory debts etc) 2. TAML will pay the yearly insurance of the refinery $6 million 3. TAML will make a one-time payment of $22 million to improve and fix the refinery, also $2.5 million to workers Provident Fund. 4. TAML will pay an annual ground-rent of $1 million in advance for each year. 5. TAML will reserve 40 US cent per barrel of oil processed for maintenance of plant (estimated at $3.2 million) as well assume the utility cost estimated at US$200,000 every month. With this proposal to lease the refinery, TOR will still retain its current yearly revenue from GPMS dividend estimated at $9 million, Right of way revenue of $2.13 million and laboratory $663,000. This will give TOR a total revenue of $11.793 plus the above payments from TAML. The refinery will move from a loss-making company to a net positive cashflow of $14.79 million a year while all their bills and financial obligations fully paid. Over the 6 year lease period TOR will receive a total cashflow of $88.7 million with all GRA, ECG, Workers remuneration, Ghana water paid. Plus the one time payment of $22.5 million before the lease contract starts. TAML in turn will assume the responsibility of importing 8 million barrels of crude oil a year to be refined at the refinery and the sale of the refined products. Whether TAML makes a loss or profit in their refining and trade of products is not the concern of the Government or TOR. This proposal was envisaged as a stop gap measure to keep the refinery running for the next 6 years while government looks for a permanent solution. TAML proposed and agreed that during the 6-year lease, government can terminate the agreement if they find an investment proposal which is long term and better terms than what they proposed. INSTEPR is of the view that this proposal is the best proposal on the table within the short to medium term. Government has not stopped any company from expressing interest and to that effect we have sighted a letter dated 18th April 2023 from the Office of the President, asking the Ministry of Energy and TOR to engage a company called Legacy Capital from Dubai. We always say we want to build Ghanaian wealth and business but the minute a company from Ghana express interest in doing a transaction, all hell breaks loose. You will hear he is politically connected, he does not have capacity, friend with the president family etc. Meanwhile if you check the history and competence of all these companies registered in Dubai, they are empty as well but I guess in Ghana we ask less questions when its the white man or the Arab. The government does not have the $100 million needed to revamp TOR or sovereign guarantee to be given to any company to bring crude oil to TOR. So with the current discussion, we must as well shut the refinery and all workers look for other jobs. As the refinery stands, it has negative cashflow so any transaction that will bring about positive cashflow is welcoming news. Kwadwo N. Poku Executive Director of INSTEPR Collaboration in value chain key to food security FAO Regional rep Emmanuel Bonney Jun - 23 - 2023 , 15:09 Food security on the continent requires the collaboration of all actors across the food supply chain, robust governance, agreed international standards and harmonised regulations. This will help improve the food safety systems in most countries on the continent, which were weak, fragmented and not well coordinated. The Deputy Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Representative for Africa, Dr Yurdi Yasmi, who made the call, indicated that the current situation had left Africa with the highest per capita incidences of foodborne illness, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The FAO Regional Representative for Africa said this in an address read on his behalf by the National Antimicrobial Project Coordinator, FAO Ghana, Dr Kofi Afakye, at this years World Food Safety Day in Accra. The event was on the theme: Food Standards, Save Lives. Sustainability Dr Yasmi, who is also the FAOs Country Representative for Ghana, said the systems were not effective enough to adequately protect the health of consumers. He said to provide a sustainable and effective food safety system on the continent, some key principles and components were generally needed in each country. He said they included National Food Safety Policy, as well as strong food regulatory and implementation strategies, and indicated that we are proud of how far Ghana has come in this aspect. Dr Yasmi noted that food was a major determinant of health, nutritional status and the productivity of a population and that today it was produced and processed in greater volumes and distributed over greater distances than ever before. Food standards are a way of ensuring safety and quality. They provide guidance on hygienic food handling for farmers and processors. They define the maximum levels of additives, contaminants, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs that can safely be consumed. Resolution Dr Yasmi indicated that the adoption of resolution 73/250 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to proclaim every June 7 as World Food Safety Day was from a well-thought initiative by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which was based on recognition of the global situation where foodborne illnesses were engulfing mankind. During a panel session on standards and regulations, the Head of the Foodborne Disease Surveillance at the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Benjamin Osei Tutu, said food safety was the assurance that food did not cause harm to a consumer. He said the Public Health Act gave the FDA the mandate to ensure food safety in the country, adding that it also charged the authority to work through other state agencies and the district assemblies to ensure food safety. The Deputy Director of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Division at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Patrick Beseh, said his outfit had a role to play from the source of production of food until it got to the table, He said they took farmers through good agricultural practices to ensure that the food they produced was free of chemicals, among other things. Regulation Thus, he said the standards that were set were used to regulate food products in the country. A veterinary technologist, Claude Otto, said the duty of the Veterinary Services Department was to ensure that the meat that got to the market was safe for consumption. The meat, he said, must thus be free from microbial contamination, chemical contamination and physical contamination. The work of the VSD, he said, did not just start with meat but the entire value chain of production starting from the farm. The Head of Food, Chemistry and Materials Standards Department of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Nana Pokuaa Asare-Twerefour, said the GSA was to ensure that there were standards to ensure food safety. Standards are basically used as a measure or a yardstick. Technically, it is a document that contains requirements or specifications, which are based on scientific justification, she said. 3 Communities in C/R declared avoidable blindness free Shirley Asiedu-Addo Jun - 24 - 2023 , 07:00 Two communities in the Mfantseman Municipality in the Central Region, Amprefu and Kyekyewere, have been declared free from avoidable blindness. This brings to three the communities declared avoidable blindness free in the country. Asafra, another community in the municipality, was earlier declared avoidable blindness free a few months ago. Blind population About 230,000 of the country's population are blind, with about 300,000 others having severe visual impairment caused by cataract, and uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, cornea diseases and posterior segment diseases. More than 124,000 people, representing 54 per cent of cases, is as a result of cataract, a preventable condition. For a community to be declared avoidable blindness free, all persons with visual acuity of 6/60 or worse in the community must have been identified and treated. Also, at least 75 per cent of the community should have received education on eye care and blindness, and treatment provided to everyone who needs care in the entire population of the community. The declaration followed a project undertaken under Operation Eyesight Universal's flagship programme, Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Project (HBCEHP), being implemented in the Mfantseman Municipality since 2017, in collaboration with the Mfantseman Municipal Health Directorate. Operation Eyesight Universal seeks to partner local health institutions to eliminate avoidable blindness on a sustainable basis from vulnerable communities. So far, 738 eye surgeries have been undertaken by Operation Eyesight Universal in the municipality in collaboration with the municipal health directorate. The beneficiaries include the Chief of Kyekyewere, Nana Egyir Mensa VII, who said he got totally blind in the left eye but could now see after seeking eye care services. The Head of the National Eye Care Unit of the Ghana Health Services, Dr Afake Hornametor, said eye health was crucial for individuals, stressing that its impact on the individual and communities was enormous. He noted, for instance, that many children did not excel in school due to bad eye sight, while many elderly people with eye sight problems often became dependent on others. Eye care habits Dr Hornametor advised the communities to continue to adopt habits that would prevent blindness by promptly seeking medical attention for eye problems. He indicated that the National Cataract Outreach Programme was being undertaken across the country to reduce the prevalence rate of 0.74 blindness. The Technical Director of Operation Eyesight Universal, Dr Boateng Wiafe, said those who needed surgeries had it done, while those with glaucoma and other conditions were on the relevant treatment to ensure there was no avoidable blindness. Commendation The Medical Director of the Saltpond Government Hospital, Dr Michael Gyasi Danso, commended Operation Eyesight Universal for the renovation of its eye unit, where the surgeries were done, and the training of its personnel for improved eye care services in the municipality. He said the project had improved access, equitable and quality health care for all. Dr Danso expressed the hope that at least 10 communities would become avoidable blindness free in the municipality. The Municipal Director of Health, Gifty Ankrah, said the eye was the light to the whole body, and when adversely impacted it would affect the patient socio-economically. She urged the communities to promptly seek eye care services to sustain the health of their sights. Another beneficiary of the project, Kofi Kyah, advised the community to seek professional eye care services before a situation deteriorated. Elect leaders to focus on economy,not parties Mary Anane-Amponsah Jun - 24 - 2023 , 14:16 Speakers at a forum organised by the Centre for European Studies at the University of Ghana (UG) have urged Ghanaians to elect leaders who will manage the economy well and not focus on the interest of their political parties. That, they said, would prevent the country from going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in future for a bailout. The Speakers included an Associated Professor at the Finance Department of UG Business School, Prof. Lord Mensah; the Director of Research and Policy at the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kwabena Otoo; the Head of the Political Science Department, UG, Prof. Alidu Seidu and a member of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Kwesi Baffoe Intsiful. The forum, held last Friday, was on the theme "Ghana-IMF Deal: The Legal Environment and European Union Factor". They noted that the country going to the IMF was not a bad thing but the conditionalities which came with the programme normally had adverse effects on the living conditions of the people, adding that the countrys indebtedness which led it to seek an IMF bailout had resulted from huge loans the country had acquired but failed to utilise properly through projects to enable it to pay the loans back. Speakers The lead discussant, Prof. Mensah, indicated that projects that were tied to regimes ended up being abandoned, depriving the country of the needed benefits of those projects. "Every government that comes to power wants to start a new project. Therefore, existing projects from the previous government would be halted. Go around the country and take stock of uncompleted projects that were started by previous administrations. That is your money sitting down there in the street. It is the asset that has been created out of the debt," he lamented. To reduce the current burdens of IMF conditionalities, Prof. Mensah suggested that the country must deepen its relationship with donor partners like the European Union and World Bank, for direct investments that would open up the economy to create jobs for the unemployed in both the government and private sector. The TUC director of Research, Mr Otoo, added that there must be a change in how governments managed resources because going to the IMF for a bailout normally brought hardship to the people, including the high cost of living and freezing of employment, which affected graduates in the country. Prof. Seidu also indicated that governments wanted to win power and, therefore, the decision to go to the IMF or not was based on the political interests of the regimes, which, in the long run, affected the gains of the country. A member of the Ghana Bar Association, Kwesi Baffoe Intsiful, disclosed that although the constitution required that loans from IMF must have the approval of Parliament, none of the IMF deals had ever been to Parliament, which breached Article 181 of the constitution. He called for IMF deals to be put before Parliament for more consultation and deliberation on the deal before they were approved or otherwise. The Director of the Centre for European Studies, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, expressed the hope that the current IMF deal would be the last for the country. He called on the European Union to continue supporting the country with direct investments that would help it come out of its economic challenges. Ghana to host Africa Energy Technology Confab Yaa Kuffour Senyah Jun - 24 - 2023 , 13:01 A high-level conference aimed at exploring the latest innovations in technology and policies necessary for the transformation and sustainable development of the energy sector on the African continent has been launched. Dubbed the Africa Energy Technology Conference, it would converge, industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and innovators from across Africa to foster collaboration and innovation in the field of energy technology within the continent. To be held on the theme: Africa at the Forefront of Energy Technology and Policy Integration in a Just Energy Transition, it would also serve as a platform for stakeholders to engage in insightful discussions, exchange ideas, and explore sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the energy sector in Africa. Spearheaded by Africa Energy Technology Centre (AETC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, the three-day exhibition would take place in Accra from Tuesday, August 8 to Thursday, August 10, 2023. The Special Guest of Honour for the event would be the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with other guest speakers, including the wife of the Vice-President, Samira Bawumia and the Minister of Energy, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, among other dignitaries. Addressing participants at the launch of the conference in Accra, last Wednesday (June 21), the Deputy Minister of Energy, Herbert Krapa, stated that Africas energy challenges were not unknown to us, as we lacked the industrial base required to drive large-scale energy consumption at the cheapest prices. Energy transition Concerning the energy transition, he said the country was on a pathway towards transforming the global energy sector from fossil-based fuel to zero carbon by 2070. However, we achieved a 2.4% Renewable Energy penetration and a 95 per cent conversion of thermal plants from liquid fuels to natural gas. In the midst of this, the demand for energy in Africa is rising, and will continue to rise, and if energy systems in Africa will grow to meet this rapidly growing demand, technology is the answer. Technology that is efficient, reliable, resilient and affordable is the answer, he explained Mr Krapa, thus, said that the conference was timely, as the continent could use it as an opportunity to open up new policy paradigms for the energy sectors. So as technology costs for renewables are going down and global investment is shifting, let us join forces to use technology for change, he stated. Transition The Board Chair of AETC, Dr Thomas Manu, said in recent years, many countries, especially developing countries, were in talks about energy transition and Africa, which had its challenges in terms of quality, was crying out for a just energy transition. That, he said, was because Africa could not transition as the developed countries; hence, the need for the continent to look out for homegrown technologies and the adaptation of other technologies to transition in a way that would not affect the economies of the participating nations while taking into consideration energy security and how to address energy poverty to actively industrialise to promote economic growth. In a speech read on his behalf by a representative of AETC, a Deputy Director of Renewable and Nuclear Energy at the Ministry of Energy, Dr Robert Sogbadji, said the conference was to engage stakeholders within the continent to address the pertinent issue of what was available for Africa to transition successfully on its own terms. The Founder of AETC, Emelia Akumah, also added that the conference will provide a unique platform for stakeholders to come together, share knowledge, and explore innovative solutions that can propel Africa to the forefront of energy technology and policy integration. Our aim is to facilitate a just and equitable energy transition that prioritises sustainability, inclusivity and economic growth for the African continent, Ms Akumah added. Desde Ayacucho, en un encuentro con comunidades por el Dia del Campesino, la presidenta Boluarte brindo un discurso de reconciliacion y de paz, en el que destaco que el Gobierno ha destinado mas de S/ 1,000 millones para la reactivacion de la agricultura. pic.twitter.com/bq1C2olHLR Maritime Authority commemorates Day of Seafarer Benjamin Xornam Glover Jun - 24 - 2023 , 11:46 The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has commemorated the Day of the Seafarer with a call on stakeholders to work together to reduce emissions and protect the marine environment. The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mabel Sagoe, at the Regional Maritime University in Nungua in the Greater Accra Region where the event was observed on the theme: MARPOL at 50, our commitment goes on. The minister said that protection of the marine environment was a shared responsibility that required collaborative efforts from governments, maritime organisations and seafarers. Seafarers serve as environmental custodians at sea, implementing and adhering to stringent regulations of reducing pollution, preventing oil spills and minimising the impact of human activities on marine ecosystems, he said. Mr Asiamah said that although shipping had proven to be the least environmentally harmful mode of transportation, it contributed significantly to global carbon emissions. The International Maritime Organisation(IMO) in 2010 set aside June 23 for the commemoration of the day to recognise the unique contribution of seafarers to international seaborne trade and global economy. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention that addresses ship sourced pollution. Seafarers contribution The Director-General of the GMA, Thomas Kofi Alonsi, said 80 per cent of global trade was carried out by sea and manned by skilled seafarers. While acknowledging the invaluable contribution of seafarers to worldwide commerce and economic system, he urged them to use the oceans, seas and marine resources responsibly. Mr Alonsi also charged seafarers to regularly carry out onboard training exercises and drills to combat potential oil spills. The IMO Secretary General, Kitack Lim, in a message read on his behalf by the IMO Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, Captain Dallas Laryea, also advised seafarers to help protect the health of the ocean and planet. Commendation The acting Vice-Chancellor of the Regional Maritime University, Dr Jethro W. Brooks Jnr, commended the GMA for initiating processes for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Seafarers Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 as amended (No.185). A seafarer, Captain Edward Abban, called for stricter enforcement of laws on pollution just as their operations at sea were heavily regulated and policed by international articles and protocols. Revise disability Act to promote inclusion -Federation of Disability to govt Jemima Okang Addae Jun - 24 - 2023 , 12:25 The President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisation (GFD), Joseph Atsu Homadzi, has entreated the government to revise the Persons with Disability Act to promote disability inclusion for national development. The call is that, let us all come together with support from stakeholders to amend the disability law, make it strong to ensure the total inclusion of persons with disability in the country, he added. The president further said that a review of Act 715 would also require the public to be in line with the UN Convention on the rights of PWDs. He was speaking at a symposium in Accra yesterday. It formed part of activities to commemorate the National Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) which celebration falls on December 3, 2023, on the theme: Amend Ghanas Disability Act Now: A step towards realising the sustainable development goals. Mr Homadzi said that the symposium was to raise public awareness of issues PWDs were confronted with. On an enterprise support programme for PWDs, he appealed to those in charge to ensure funds were disbursed to deserving beneficiaries. The programme provides training, capacity upgrade and liquidity support to startups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned by PWDs. Challenges The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Lariba Zuweira Abudu, mentioned some of the challenges PWDs were encountering to include lack of employment opportunities, inaccessible transportation network and infrastructure and high cost of transportation. We are progressively making efforts to achieve the full inclusion of persons with disability at all levels of national development, she said. SDGs The Chairperson of the Governing Board of National Council of PWDs, Yaw Ofori Debra, said the country was yet to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of PWDs. We continue to wallow in poor conditions and our lives are still in hopelessness, he said. Mr Debra said in September this year, the UN member countries would gather in New York to make assessment of the SDGs. He, therefore, appealed to the global body to pay more attention to PWDs and other vulnerable groups during their deliberations. Techiman Market: Trading post for West Africa Biiya Mukusah Ali Jun - 24 - 2023 , 06:12 He Techiman Market is one of the ancient, famous and biggest markets in the West Africa sub-region. The popular market was established by the late Paramount Chief of the Techiman Traditional Area, Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw I, in 1944. He was said to be a trader who transacted his business in the northern part of the country and Ghanas neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo and Nigeria, among others. As a traditional ruler who was interested in trading activities, he decided to start operating in Techiman by establishing a mini market at the forecourt of the palace. Before then there was no market in the area for residents to patronise, which made it very difficult for them to obtain their basic needs. During that period, people only purchased products, including food items from traders, predominantly women, who carried them from house to house every morning and evening. In a bid to solve the challenge and frustrations, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw I established a small market beside his palace and invited the public to bring items to sell or purchase. At the initial stage, people were not patronising the market because the market and the system were new to some residents who still expected traders to visit their homes with their products. The development made several traders incur huge losses anytime they got to the market to transact business. Unsold goods As a visionary leader who was passionate about the progress and sustainability of the market, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw decided to purchase all unsold goods, especially food items brought to the market by the traders, which he distributed freely to residents, particularly the vulnerable in the area. With such assurance that whatever was brought to the market would not go waste or be sent home, hundreds of people started patronising the market centre. Also, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw improved trading at the market by sending envoys to Techiman and its surrounding communities to invite residents to the newly established market. In a few years, the market started attracting traders from across the country and from neighbouring countries, culminating in massive patronage. In the 1970s the market became an important three-day wholesale market supplying the whole country with food items such as yam, plantain, cassava, cocoyam and grains. Speaking to the Daily Graphic on how the market came into being, the Registrar of the Techiman Traditional Area, Evans Eagan, explained that the chief adopted the strategy of buying all unsold items from traders to motivate them to patronise the market. He said the agenda was to make the market one of the preferred trading destinations and that the move enticed traders from all walks of life to trade at the market, because they strongly believed the chief will buy all their goods, if they are unable to sell them. Mr Eagan said the market was later handed over to the Techiman Municipal Assembly for management. He said although the council had handed over the market to the assembly, it remained a key stakeholder in its management and development. Mr Eagan affirmed that the council would continue to partner the assembly and other development partners to develop the market to continue to maintain its status in the sub-region. Popularity The market is located at the heart of the Techiman township in the Techiman Municipality in the Bono East Region. One interesting thing about Techiman is that since the town is located along the Kumasi-Tamale Highway, people travelling from the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Western and nearby Bono and Ahafo regions to the northern part of the country, have to pass through the town. All neighbouring countries beyond the northern borders of the country that transact business in the country also transit through Techiman, which boosts the patronage of the market. Before Techiman became the Bono East Regional capital in 2019, Techiman was already popular in the country because of the existence of the market, although the selection of the town as the capital of the newly created region has also added to the status of the market. It was referred to as one of the food baskets of the country since the existence of the market kept attracting traders, especially food items sellers across West Africa. The existence of the market has also sped up the development of Techiman, as people, particularly businessmen, prefer settling in Techiman to enjoy the business environment. The town has popular hotels such as Villa Kam Boutique Hotel, Encom Hotel, Micas Executive Lodge, Hotel De Geogio, AJ Plaza Hotel, Premier Palace Hotel, among others, which serve as accommodation for traders. International market The Techiman market is described as an international one because it is highly patronised by traders from other countries such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire. In addition, the market attracts traders from all parts of the country, making the Techiman township densely populated with different kinds of people who travel from all walks of life to trade in the market. Originally, the Techiman market operated from Wednesday, through to Friday each week, but now it is also highly patronised on the other days. Trading is at its peak on Fridays, which has made traders and residents refer to the day as the last market. Women's role Women are the main operators of the market although men also play some roles. It was from the late 1960s that various associations defined by the type of goods sold in the market were formed. Examples of such associations are yam sellers, maize sellers, fish sellers, cassava sellers, palm oil sellers and cloth sellers, among others. The various associations have their leaders who are referred to as queens. As one of the largest markets in the sub-region, there is virtually everything in the market, ranging from food items, livestock, used cloths and footwear, mobile phones and mattresses. Others include building materials, cosmetics, palm oil, cooking utensils, tricycles and motorbikes among other goods. Flourishing The Secretary of the Techiman Maize Market, Obiri Yeboah, told the Daily Graphic that trading at the market was flourishing, as it served the whole of the West Africa sub-region, calling on traders to sell in the market in view of the gains they could make. He said there were 16 maize markets in the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions, explaining that among the markets, the Techiman market was the biggest and largest. Mr Yeboah said in a week, maize traders at the Techiman market could sell more than 20,000 bags of the commodity and that traders in the market had never experienced maize shortage. He said more than 50 trucks were loaded with maize every week from the market, which was transported to other parts of the country, adding that there were other cereals or grains such as beans, rice and millet in the market. Mr Yeboah said a bag of 130kg of maize now sells between GH500 and GH600, explaining that The price of the commodity has been increased because of the hike in fuel prices. He said maize was abundant in the market, but the price, which had increased from GH450 to GH500 and GH600, sometimes made the commodity scarce in some major cities of the country. Mr Yeboah said the increase in prices of the maize and other cereals had negatively affected business, adding, Most of the traders from the neighbouring countries have stopped patronising the market. Challenges Mr Yeboah said one of the major challenges facing traders in the market was the inability of the Techiman Municipal Assembly to pave some parts of the maize market. He said the market became dusty during dry season and when it rained, the unpaved portions became muddy, making trading and movement very difficult for traders and customers. Mr Yeboah said due to the unpleasant situation, traders sometimes abandoned the market, explaining that the amount of money the market generated for the assembly in a month alone could be used to pave those portions of the market. He, therefore, appealed to the assembly to consider paving those areas to prevent mud and dust to improve trading activities and movement. Lucrative A 43-year-old vegetable trader, Jennifer Owusu-Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that trading at the market was lucrative because it was highly patronised by traders across West Africa. She said the market was opened to all kinds of goods from foodstuffs to electronics, building materials, upholstery, animal products, second hand clothing and cloths. Mrs Owusu-Mensah said she had traded in several markets across the country, but the Techiman market was a nice place to trade, adding that You can get almost every item you need here. Another trader, Kusi Appiah, however, said though the market was one of the best in West Africa, it had an unconducive environment, explaining that during rainy and dry seasons, traders had to go through difficult periods. He also raised concern about the improper management of waste at the market while some women had to sell foodstuffs on the bare floor, in addition to non-functioning streetlights. Mr Appiah, therefore, appealed to the assembly and other stakeholders to address those concerns to facilitate trading. He again called on the Bono East Regional Police Command to beef up security during both the day and night to protect traders and their goods. Assemblys Response The Techiman Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Analyst, Ernest Agbokli, told the Daily Graphic that the assembly had made investments to always keep the environment of the market clean. He said however that waste management at the market was a challenge to the assembly because of the huge volume of waste generated each day at the market, particularly from the foodstuff market. Mr Agbokli mentioned frequent breakdowns of waste collection vehicles and the lack of cooperation from the market women as some of the challenges facing the assembly. He said the assembly was committed to managing waste at the market and appealed to other stakeholders to partner the assembly to collect waste. MARS Cocoa for Generations - Works to empower communities, protect children Daily Graphic Jun - 23 - 2023 , 17:14 Working towards a brighter cocoa supply chain future, Mars, through our Cocoa for Generations strategy and Responsible Cocoa programme, is committed to fostering inclusivity, sustainability, and respect for human rights. We believe child labour and forced labour have no place in global supply chains. Our Protecting Children Action Plan (PCAP), in working closely with our partners, serves as our roadmap to identify, prevent, and mitigate human rights issues, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable, including addressing the risks of child labour and forced labour. We seek to collaborate with suppliers, governments, experts, and stakeholders, to develop robust human rights due diligence systems that address the root causes of risks of child labour and forced labour, such as poverty, limited access to safe education, and gender inequality. To tackle these challenges within the cocoa supply chain, we have integrated child labour monitoring and remediation systems (CLMRS) to assess risks, gain insights, and take targeted action. Holding our suppliers accountable, we ensure the implementation of effective monitoring and remediation systems to identify, prevent, and address cases of child labour and forced labour. Progress Significant progress has been made in expanding CLMRS across our cocoa supply chain in West Africa. By the end of 2022, 65 per cent of our cocoa supply from Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, and Nigeria was covered by CLMRS, benefiting approximately 135,000 cocoa farming families. Our goal is to achieve 100 per cent coverage of our cocoa supply chain by CLMRS by 2025. Empowering women and girls within cocoa supply chains is the central pillar of our efforts, as it addresses the root causes of socio-economic challenges, such as poverty and lack of access to education, which in turn helps to mitigate child labour risks and promote the well-being of children. When women can reach their full potential, theyre more likely to invest in food security, education, climate adaptation and better health outcomes for themselves, their families and communities. In 2020, we expanded our Women for Change (W4C) programme beyond Cote dIvoire to Ghana, with an overall goal to implement village savings and loan programmes in Mars cocoa communities, to strengthen financial literacy, household savings and womens income-generating activities. In collaboration with CARE International, our aim is to benefit 27,000 people across cocoa farming communities in Ghana, within a five-year period. Quality education Recognising the paramount importance of quality education, we also focus our efforts on access to safe and quality learning for the youth in cocoa farming communities. Extensive research consistently demonstrates the short and long-term benefits of childhood development, primary education, and youth training. By investing in education, we empower the next generation, uplift communities, and pave the way for a brighter future. In 2022 we invested in Lead for Ghana, a leadership development and network organisation, partnering like-minded implementing organisations such as ECOM, Touton, and Ofi. Together, we aim to create enhanced educational opportunities for children in Ghana, while simultaneously addressing gender inequality and child labour. Throughout Africa, access to quality education remains a significant challenge, with many families unable to afford schooling for their children. As a result, some parents prioritise their children's labour contributions to the family's livelihood over education. These experiences ignited a deep understanding within me regarding the obstacles that children across Africa faced and the urgent need to invest in their future. After receiving a life-changing scholarship to study at a prestigious American university, I felt a strong calling to give back and create similar opportunities for others, Daniel Dotse, Co-founder and CEO of Lead for Ghana, said. At Mars, our commitment lies in safeguarding children and promoting gender equality within the cocoa supply chain. Through our PCAP and ongoing efforts, we are determined to tackle child labour and forced labour, address the underlying causes of human rights risks, and establish a modern, inclusive, and sustainable cocoa supply chain. By so doing, we aspire to positively transform the lives of children, families, and communities worldwide. Thefts at Nsawam - Residents suspect ex-convicts Lydia Ezit Jun - 24 - 2023 , 20:12 Some residents of Nsawam in the Eastern Region have expressed concern over what they describe as an increase in theft in the area. They told The Mirror in an interview that they lived in fear and believed that the act was being done by some ex-convicts from the Nsawam prisons. They explained that when some ex-convicts were released, they refused to travel back to their homes and rather hang around the Nsawam station, market or in between kiosks in the neighbourhoods. Again, some said the ex-convicts often formed an alliance with some bad inhabitants to commit more crime. Residents who were mostly affected were farmers, bread bakers, okada riders, poultry farmers and some people living at the quarters of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). They are, therefore, calling on the Ghana Prisons Service and other stakeholders to find a better way of reintegrating ex-convicts into their original homes. Residents A resident, an okada rider, Blackie, told The Mirror that the issue of theft was too much in the area and he equally suspected ex-convicts. He noted that motorcycles were a target because it afforded the ex-convicts a means of transport. Blackie ,who had had his own share of it said they stole my motorcycle so I am very particular about this new one. Stealing is very common here. So all the okada riders our eyes make red, if we catch them, we will not spare them. For a poultry farmer, Agya Asamoah, he had monitored them at dawn stealing from his facility and was convinced that they were ex-convicts and lamented about how his farms were almost collapsing because of their thievery. For some bread bakers, storage of flour had to be done using a different strategy, otherwise they would wake up to an empty flour store. A Mechanical Engineer at the quarters of the GWCL, Mr Henry Baafi Ackon said it is so easy for them to remove the net on your trap door and open the lock. So I have told my family not to leave the house empty. Nsawam Police However, a source at the Nsawam Police Station who spoke on anonymity said it was probably the inhabitants stealing from among themselves and not the ex-convicts. Per our records stealing is not on the increase here. We have intensified our patrols. Three different patrol teams at night and three working during the day. We cannot say all the crimes committed are being done by ex-convicts, maybe once in awhile. I think the prison service has its own way of discharging the convicts. I dont want to believe that they just leave them to hang around , the source explained. While at the station, a suspected thief whose fingers had been chopped off by some residents was brought in. The officer urged The Mirror to find out from him where he was from. Responding in pain, he said I live in Accra, I came here to steal rubber. When asked whether he was an ex-convict, he said no. Ghana Prison Service Reacting to this, the Head of Media Relations of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), DSP Irene Pokuah Wiredu, said it was not their mandate to reintegrate ex-convicts into the society. She said the core mandate of the GPS was to take custody of the convicted persons welfare as well as reformation and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate a successful resettlement into the society. When they finish serving their sentence, what we do is to leave them at the gate of the prisons and part ways. That is where it ends. You have to go to the lorry station for transport yourself. We give them lorry fare per Ghana Private Road Transport Union charges . So we have a list of lorry fares to all locations, she explained. For instance, if a person was arrested in Kumasi and brought to Nsawam prisons, at the end of their jail term we provide the individual with lorry fare to Kumasi, she added. The DSP said it was the mandate of the Social Welfare Division to take charge of their reintegration, maybe they may also have a challenge in executing that. It is only in rare cases in the event of those who have been adopted. Such people go through some form of education or training. We follow up on such ex-convicts. Some have successfully reintegrated and are doing amazing, she said. Challenges DSP Wiredu said training some of the prisoners through rehabilitation to make them responsible, productive and lawabiding citizens was a way of ensuring public safety and difficult to achieve especially when dealing with people with bad behaviour. A convict comes in with a sentence of stealing, we do our best to reform them. Take them through reformation to take their minds off the sentence. And then there are those who have a bad character and will not give themselves up for training. Looking at the congestion we face, it becomes difficult breaking even with every single prisoner, she explained. She said it was difficult to force some of them to attend training programmes, some may have completed junior high school and will take advantage to go through our senior high school but for some too, they wont and you cannot force them. She noted that there were some prisoners who formed alliance in prisons and, end up learning all sort of tricks and leave to upgrade themselves in the society but most of them too leave here reformed, become ambassadors projecting prisons welfare. We are doing our best here. DSP Wiredu encouraged the Nsawam community and its environs to take care of themselves, it could be ex-convicts doing that or not. It could also be people coming in from other regions, she said. Thefts at Nsawam Residents suspect ex-convicts 2024 Election: Matters arising Dr John Osae-Kwapong Politics Jun - 24 - 2023 , 06:48 Several norms are regular features in democracies. A regular competitive election is one of them. Electoral processes, however, are not without their challenges and controversies. If it is not the outcome we are displeased with, it is the process we had concerns about. In a little over a year, Ghanaians will head to the polls in another major election to decide who the sixth President of the Fourth Republic will be. There will also be 275 seats at stake to determine who gains majority control of Parliament. Ghanaian voters will be heading into the election with (a) a particular view of the election management body; (b) judgements about the freeness and fairness of previous elections; (c) a sense of their preferred method for choosing leaders; and (d) belief in the efficacy of elections. I provide insights on these issues using data from the Afrobarometer survey. In the survey, when Ghanaians are presented with the choice of (a) choosing leaders in the country through regular, open, and honest elections or (b) adopting other methods for choosing a leader because elections sometimes produce bad results, on average, a strong majority (86 per cent) support choosing leaders through elections. Support for elections was at its highest in survey Round 5 (2012) at 93 per cent. Between that survey round though and the most recent (2022), support for elections has dropped by nine percentage points. However, we can take comfort in the fact that our support for elections remains strong at 84 per cent as of the 2022 survey round. Electoral Commission The Electoral Commission (EC) is the countrys election management body. The Commission describes itself as follows The Electoral Commission is one of the governance institutions provided under the 1992 Constitution. The commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) of 1993. It was set up purposely to manage the conduct of all public elections and referenda to handle all matters directly related to the conduct of elections in the country. I have written previously to express worry about the declining trust in the Electoral Commission. Only 10 per cent in the most recent survey round in 2022 said they trust the commission a lot. It is a difficult situation the commission finds itself in, knowing that decisions must be made about the conduct of the upcoming election. Nonetheless, we must address this trust issue and the commission must bear a great portion of the burden. Efficacy of elections On four occasions (2005, 2008, 2014, and 2019), the survey asked Ghanaians to assess the efficacy of our elections. The first question asked, Thinking about how elections work in practice in this country, how well do elections: Ensure that representatives to the National Assembly reflect the views of voters? The initial round in 2005 was very positive with seven out of ten Ghanaians (71 per cent) saying that our elections do this well. That will however drop to sixty-eight per cent (68 per cent) in 2008, and further drop to fifty-two per cent (52 per cent) in 2014. There has been an improvement to sixty-two per cent (68 per cent) as of 2022. The second question asked, Thinking about how elections work in practice in this country, how well do elections: Enable voters to remove unrepresentative leaders from office. The initial round in 2005 was very positive with eight out of ten Ghanaians (79 per cent) say that our elections do this well. That will, however, drop to 71 per cent in 2008, and further drop to 61 per cent in 2014. There has been a remarkable improvement to 80 per cent as of 2022. Free and fair? The freeness and fairness of elections depend largely on the election in question. The survey asks On the whole, how would you rate the freeness and fairness of the last national election This is the percentage of Ghanaians who have described past elections as completely free and fair 54 per cent (2004); 39 per cent (2008); 26 per cent (2012); 63 per cent (2016), and 37 per cent (2020). Partisanship, however, shapes greatly how Ghanaians judge elections as completely free and fair. In victory, partisans judge elections as free and fair in higher percentages than they do in defeat. 2024 Election We will be heading into 2024 with some positive dispositions (strong support for elections as well as belief in the efficacy of elections) but with some challenges as well (trust issues with the election management body). I maintain that there are still 17 months to work through all the challenges and concerns that Ghanaians may have about the process to make the outcome broadly acceptable to all parties. I know and trust we can! The 2016 election so far leads the completely free and fair race. Perhaps there are lessons to emulate from that election? The writer is a fellow of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) The teacher licensure examination: Politics, danger Dr George Asekere Politics Jun - 24 - 2023 , 12:36 Plato conceptualised education as turning the minds eye to light. In his words, if a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life. He thus regards education as a means to achieve justice, both individual justice and social justice. Similarly, a former President of Harvard University, Derek Bok, and a popular syndicated advice columnist, Ann Landers, are among those credited with the quotation that If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. This is the context within which I comment minimally on the mass failure of candidates in this years Teacher Licensure Examination. The failure rate raises so many questions and attempts to provide answers to these questions will not be complete without invoking partisan gimmicks. But in a democracy, this is to be expected; after all, the Platonic assertion of politics as an avenue where conflicting interests of different parts of society can be harmonised has not been discounted by democracy activists. Parliament has called for a probe into the mass failure which, for some, is a political intervention aimed at making it appears that the peoples representatives care. That is also good, at least for the optics. Wake-up call The mass failure should be a wake-up call to our legislators that as the representatives of the people, they must at all times take off their partisan lens when it comes to deliberations on policies related to education. It may not completely be out of place, to allege that Parliament is part of the numerous causative factors of the mass failure. Sadly, as has been the practice, they watch on while the destructive seed is sowed only to scream aloud at harvest. The current state of basic education in the country is not far from a mess and our Members of Parliament (MPs) are aware. These are the very people our MPs have overtly or covertly endorsed the policy of mass promotion at the basic level. Interestingly, when they write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) again they are all pushed into senior high schools (SHSs). Is it, not news that a BECE candidate scores grade 9 in all subjects and is allowed to go to SHS? If such candidate(s) need special attention, do we have such in our SHS to properly bring them to par with their peers? In the SHSs currently, some schools are not running a double track system; yet, students spend two months per semester and there are only two semesters in the year. In effect, the students spend about 12 months in school for the entire three-year period. The truth is that in many of these schools, teaching does start the very day or even the week school reopens; yet, we are made to believe that contact hours matter and have been increased. Parliament is not interested in probing this, I guess. What appears interesting to the politician is the numbers that are enrolled in our SHS. As if these were not enough, we see and celebrate the pass rate at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE); something that appears as an event. Should Parliament not be interested in probing this miracle; despite the enormous challenges, candidates pass with excellent grades? Have we not also heard that there are private schools that prepare candidates for private WASSCE in some regions and all one needs is to pay and register and once that is done, the candidate must pass the exams? Is this also not a miracle worth investigating? The argument by the National Teaching Council (NTC) that the 2023 Teacher Licensure Examination failure is a national security threat should not be taken lightly. The danger of an ill-trained teacher is that he or she might not have the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively teach other students upon certification. This could lead to incorrect information being taught, or ineffective teaching methods that could lead to a lack of student engagement and understanding. Also, ill-trained teachers can create an environment that is not conducive to learning and development, leading to students feeling unmotivated and discouraged; hence, the rot continues. They are also a threat to the first, second and third generational rights of people, as contained in the Internal Bill of Rights, and the numerous Geneva Conventions. Review It is, therefore, to heed calls from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Africa Education Watch, and other stakeholders for a proper review of our education system. Let us remember that an ill-trained teacher is a threat to everyone. He or she will teach a student who will become a nurse or midwife, and when you find yourself in an emergency ward one day, which you do not have control over, you will pay for the ultimate. The politician may be fixated on education at the senior high level because they are at a malleable stage which makes it easier to attract their vote, irrespective of the threat they may pose, as a result of bad policies which are blamable for their performance. But, the outturn of such policies will negatively affect the ordinary voter more. Let us, therefore, agree that issues of education should not be overly partisan because the consequences are universally catastrophic. The writer is a lecturer, the Department of Political Science Education, University of Education, Winneba Thousands of cusquenos (Cusco citizens), cusquenistas (people who know Cusco's traditions and customs), and some foreign volunteers formed long lines on Avenida El Sol (Sun Avenue) to access the city's Hawkaypata (main square), with the aim of saying in unison "Haylli Qosqo!" or "Kausachun Qosqo!" which in English means "Long Live Cusco!" The main tribute was held at the foot of the Cathedral Basilica Inca Wiracocha's former temple where a platform was built to house municipal and regional authorities who in turn host multiple delegations some of whom had come from provinces bringing agricultural products. While delegations paraded to the rhythm of high Andean and Amazonian melodies, Cusco families, as well as domestic and foreign tourists, enjoyed the radiant sun and blue sky. Many of them stayed at the square's stands and perimeters, where restaurants offer food and drinks to have a good time. Cusco Mayor Luis Pantoja told Andina news agency that more Cusco citizens feel identified and proud of being born in an ancient land, with plenty of history and culture. "All of us who are seeking the economic and tourism reactivation should congratulate ourselves. After a while, we, cusquenos (Cusco citizens), have regained the verve that should never have been lost; now, we are having a good time intensely, and we should feel quite proud," he expressed. Meanwhile, the Municipal Company for Celebrations and Promotion of Cusco (Emufec) maintained order by placing flags around the main square's perimeter, so that there could be no overflows which might endanger the integrity of locals and visitors. Another group of workers from this State-run company sped up the passage of delegations because, many times, the parade ends at dawn the next day. YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. The United States will maintain close coordination with G7 allies and partners as the situation in Russia evolves, ARMENPRESS reports, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on his Twitter page. "On June 24, I spoke with the G7 foreign ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the current situation in Russia. The United States will maintain close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops," he wrote. Haiti - Canada-CARICOM 2023 : Haiti on the agenda of Foreign Ministers Wednesday, June 21, 2023, Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica and Chair of the Council on Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chaired the 2023 Canada-CARICOM Group of Foreign Ministers meeting, held in Washington D.C. on the margins of the 2023 Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly. Ministers reaffirmed the enduring value of the deep and dynamic Ministers acknowledged that the ongoing political and security crisis in Haiti is a humanitarian challenge and de-stabilising influence in the region, and that it must be addressed through coordinated international action and Haitian-led solutions. They re-affirmed the need for a national, inclusive political dialogue to reduce tensions in Haiti and that collective efforts towards such a dialogue must continue. Ministers summarised the key priorities for Haiti, including strengthening the security sector, supporting inclusive political dialogue, imposing targeted sanctions, and addressing humanitarian needs. They commended Canadas coordination role with the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the Haitian National Police to facilitate international security assistance to Haiti. Canada welcomed CARICOMs concrete action, including their efforts to support political dialogue, the recent appointment of an Eminent Persons Group, the extension of the Communitys good offices to the Government of Haiti and Haitian stakeholders, including the Kingston Talks hosted in Jamaica https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39779-haiti-politic-ariel-henry-back-from-jamaica-empty-handed-video-speech.html and https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39754-haiti-politic-opening-of-the-summit-on-the-haitian-crisis-in-jamaica-pm-speech.html , and the offers to train Haitian police and service personnel. Ministers emphasised the need to maintain forward momentum and not lose sight of the daily impacts of the crisis on all Haitians. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39779-haiti-politic-ariel-henry-back-from-jamaica-empty-handed-video-speech.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39754-haiti-politic-opening-of-the-summit-on-the-haitian-crisis-in-jamaica-pm-speech.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Warrrant to bring against Fednel Monchery Friday, June 23, the investigating judge Jean Wilner Morin issued a warrant to bring against the former Director General of the Ministry of the Interior, Fednel Monchery, charged in the file of the massacre of La Saline https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-27679-icihaiti-massacre-of-la-saline-dcpj-investigation-implicates-2-high-officials-of-the-state.html . Monchery, who did not appear and served with a handwritten deed, accusing the judge of being too close to Pierre Esperance, Executive Director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) with whom he is in open conflict. CODEVI : Partial resumption of activities Friday, June 23, activities at the Ouanaminthe Industrial Park (CODEVI) partially resumed after CODEVI officials were forced to close following the incidents of June 14 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39785-haiti-flash-violent-incidents-at-codevi-at-least-2-haitians-killed-and-numerous-damages.html Haiti / Guatemala agreement between diplomatic academies This Friday, June 23, 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Geneus, and his Guatemalan counterpart, Mario Adolfo Bucaro Flores signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between the Jean Price Mars Diplomatic Academy of Haiti and the Academy Diplomatic Jorge Garcia Granados of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala. It should be noted that this Memorandum is the thirteenth cooperation agreement signed between the Jean Price Mars Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Universities and Diplomatic Academies of the world. France : Donation of 10 pick-ups to the PNH Thursday, June 22, France via Fabrice Mauries its Ambassador in Haiti, reinforced its support for the National Police of Haiti (PNH) by delivering 10 pick-ups to the Central Directorate of the Administrative Police. 4 other pick-ups are expected in the coming days. Ambassador Mauries, said that other announcements will follow Montreal, Consulate closed The Consulate General of Haiti in Montreal notifies the Haitian Community of Quebec in particular and the public in general, that its offices will be closed on Monday, June 26, 2023 on the occasion of the National Day of Quebec (June 24). Consular services will normally resume on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Barbancourt Group is getting stronger AVD Embouteillage S.A., which launched its operations in 2022 "is a full subsidiary of the Barbancourt Group", announced on June 22 the Societe du Rhum Barbancourt S.A. This integration will be devoted to production, labeling and packaging of wines and spirits as well as their sale in Haiti and will promote job creation in the areas of Sarthe and Damien. HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2023/06/23 On June 23rd SBS held a press conference for its new drama "Revenant" in Seoul. "Revenant" stars Kim Tae-ri as a woman possessed by a demon and Oh Jung-se as a man who can see demons as they try to unravel an occult mystery. "Revenant" has attracted interest for its apparent similarity to such dramas as "Sign" and "Ghost - Drama" or more broadly "Signal" and "Kingdom" which have both been big recent hits. Advertisement Hong Kyung also has an important role as a police officer. He claims to have gotten much help from his senior co-stars in every scene, and that they always helped him find something new despite his relative inexperience. The role is Hong Kyung's first as a headliner, as he appears on the marketing material as a person of similar importance to his better known co-stars. Hong Kyung seemed to think of himself as lucky for being able to work with such experienced people. Hong Kyung said that even outside of direct filming, his co-stars were a lot of help, claiming that Kim Tae-ri patiently answered all of his questions right to the end. Hong Kyung also claimed to be a big fan of Oh Jung-se, having seen all of his work, and that he had a strangely good feeling interacting with Oh Jung-se in person, contrasted with the sort of charisma he has on-screen. Hong Kyung claimed he could feel Oh Jung-se's unusual energy any time he was performing. Oh Jung-se himself also claimed to have received much help from Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung. Oh Jung-se aid that he worried a lot over how to properly get across the fact that his character could see demons, but that in practice this was quite easy to do because he could work off of Kim Tae-ri's own performance. Oh Jung-se said that Hong Kyung's enthusiasm and freshness were also quite helpful. "Revenant" had ratings of (add this when we have it) in its first episode which aired on June 23rd. Written by William Schwartz ___________ "Revenant" is directed by Kim Jae-hong-III, Lee Jung-rim, written by Kim Eun-hee-I, and features Kim Tae-ri, Oh Jung-se, Hong Kyung, Kim Hae-sook, Park Ji-young, Kim Won-hae. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/06/23~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:00 on SBS. Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Subscribe to our daily NewsLetter Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password or receive our NewsLetter. Stay logged in Lost password Contact Published on 2023/06/24 | Source Korean movie "Musical Williams" added to HanCinema database Advertisement "Musical Williams" (2023) Directed by Kim Eun-young-III With Won Jong-hwan, Kim Ji-chul,... Synopsis London at the end of the 18th century, when the industrial revolution began. At a time when the capital, which grew as fast as a busy factory, even changed one's social status, an incident caught people's attention immediately. The "Irish Rich" who poured out Shakespeare's undisclosed relics, from original sonnets, wills, IOUs, and letters, to London society, which was enthusiastic about anything Shakespeare, was put on trial over the controversy over forgery of the play 'Vortigern'. A fierce battle over 'Shakespeare's work or not?', William Samuel Ireland passionately arguing for his son, William Henry Ireland starting his own story instead of making a statement, and an unknown gentleman named H. What will be the outcome of this trial? Release date in Korea : 2023/06/28 Published on 2023/06/23 | Source New stills added for the upcoming Korean movie "Unofficial Operation" (2022) Advertisement Directed by Kim Seong-hun With Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon,... Formerly known as "Ransomed" (, pi-rab) Synopsis In Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war a Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years pass and long forgotten, a young diplomat Min-joon receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. With the given mission, Min-joon is sent to Beirut to save the hostage with a bag of ransom money. However, Min-joon gets into trouble as soon as he sets foot in Beirut. As luck would have it, Min-joon manages to flee from the airport with help from a local taxi driver Pan-soo who he stumbles across. Despite the distrust toward Pan-soo of his obvious mischievousness, the two unlikely allies must navigate the demolished, war-raging streets of Beirut to bring the long-awaited hostage back home. Release date in Korea : 2023/08/02 YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that although the events unfolding in Russia are Russia's internal affairs, he would like to receive information about the situation established in the friendly country. The President of the Russian Federation informed the Prime Minister about the latest developments. THE Henley College has maintained its good rating from Ofsted. Inspectors from the education watchdog visited the sixth-form college in March. They awarded it a good rating in every category, except in provision for learners with high needs, which was judged outstanding. The inspectors report says: Most learners are ambitious, motivated and keen to achieve. Learners rightly speak highly of the excellent support they receive from subject and pastoral staff, who help them to stay on track and, in most cases, make effective progress. Staff set high expectations of behaviour, which learners meet successfully. Learners appreciate the inclusive, respectful and positive environment in which they learn. Learners have a good understanding of British values, which they demonstrate consistently well around the campus. In most cases, learners pay close attention in class to teachers and value views and ideas from their peers. Most learners make good progress in developing their skills, knowledge and behaviours. As a result, learners are well prepared for their next steps and move on successfully to further study, an apprenticeship or work. Learners with high needs make excellent progress and flourish following a challenging curriculum in a nurturing environment. This helps them to build their independence and work readiness skills very effectively. Learners feel safe when on the two college campuses. They know how to report concerns should they have them. Staff and learners do not tolerate bullying, harassment and abuse and, as a result, instances of these are very rare. All learners value highly the wellbeing team, whose members provide swift support and guidance. As a result, learners settle into college quickly and feel comfortable to be themselves. The college has about 1,800 full-time students, with 1,100 studying A-levels and 500 taking vocational courses. The inspectors say leaders and managers demonstrate a clear understanding of local and regional skills needs, including those identified by the Oxford local enterprise partnership they work with. The college has changed its curriculum to make sure it meets the identified skills needs in the region. For example, it has recently introduced a new robotics engineering course to upskill adults in employment in engineering companies. As a direct result of enterprise partnership funding, leaders have created an advanced digital and science centre to enable students to benefit from leading science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics-related facilities. However, the report adds: Leaders have not yet ensured that involvement of stakeholders in the planning, design and implementation of the curriculum is consistent in all areas. For example, in vocational health and social care, A-level psychology and A-level physical education, there is little or no input into the subjects taught or the order in which topics are taught. Staff do not use stakeholders and employers expertise sufficiently well to develop current and appropriate course content tailored to local, regional and national skills needs. Safeguarding arrangements at the college are effective with staff members qualified to use processes to keep students safe. But the report says: Leaders and managers should ensure that they improve the attendance of the small number of learners with poor attendance so that they can make the rapid progress of which they are capable. Leaders and managers should ensure that the small minority of teachers who do not currently provide a consistently high quality of education improve rapidly. Leaders and managers should ensure that all learners benefit from a personal development programme of learning that helps them to develop their wider skills and interests. The college has grown its student numbers by 19 per cent since 2019 and, thanks to a government grant received in 2021, has built new specialist teaching areas to accommodate the growth. Last week, the Henley Standard reported how the college was embracing technology of the future by renovating its D5 building, off Deanfield Road. New equipment will include virtual reality headsets for exploring artificial intelligence and ChatGPT software as well as a robot and robotic arms. The college has been rated good in each of its last four inspections. On June 24, at 11:10 am, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on a tractor working at a plant built at the foreign investments in Yeraskh. June 24, 2023, 11:52 Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on a tractor working at Yeraskh factory STEPANAKERT, JUNE 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia informed. 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 leaflets are called Flugblatter in German: flying sheets of paper. And on that February morning in 1943, they did just that. The students had been carrying so many in their suitcaseperhaps 1,800far too many to deliver safely. And so in high spirits, or maybe foolishness, they had just thrown the rest over the balustrade into the grand atrium of Munich University below. Down fell the leaflets begging their Fellow Students! to stand up to the Nazis. Down, like snow, fluttered the leaflets raging against the godless, shameless Nazis. Down, down fell the leaflets bearing the cry: Freedom and honour! The Gestapo, when they finally arrested Traute Lafrenz, would ask her about those leaflets. Did she know about them? Yes, she said, now they mentioned it, she did. Her friend Hans had shown her one. And did she understand, the Gestapo asked, that such a leaflet was subversive material? Of course, Traute understood. How could she not? Her friend Hans had already been executed for them, as had his sister Sophie and her friend Christoph. Her friends were being picked off one by one. Clearly she might be next. So did she understand, the Gestapo asked? Did she understand that they were subversive? Yes, she did, she said demurely; but it had seemed harmless, really, such nonsense! And in a way, it had been harmless at first. Later, decades later, when streets had been renamed after the White Rose group, and films made of them, and statues sculpted of them, people would start to call it an organisation and her a hero. No, she said. There was no organisation. There was just her friend Hans, and his sister Sophie and some other friends. And they had done the leaflets, that was true: six in all, as well as some graffiti (Hans had painted Down With Hitler! and Freedom! all over Munich). But they hadnt just done that: there had also been walking and biking and bathing and reading Tolstoy and falling in love. And she didnt like that word hero: she was no hero. Just a witness. Later, when she was living out her long life in America, Traute would always wonder: why Hans? Why had he started all this? He had been a much better Nazi than she at first. Shed never liked the Nazis: all that Heil Hitler-ing and shouting at school had grated on her; when one teacher had cursed her shed just got on her bike and gone home. But Hans had willingly joined the Hitler Youth; hed even been a banner-carrier at a Nuremberg rallythe photos show the sort of profile Leni Riefenstahl would have lingered over. But then his unease grew; then he began the leaflets. Then he was sent to the Eastern Front. On the way, the soldiers train had gone through Warsaw and they had seen the ghetto. Misery looks us in the eye, his friend wrote. We turn away. Then they turned back. For the first run of leaflets, in the summer of 1942, the students had only managed 100 copies. Then they got better, typing them out on an old Remington typewriter then hand-cranking a duplicating machine: in later runs they did 10,000. The tone of the leaflets was uncompromising. They raged at the Germans for being a shallow, spineless herd of mindless followers; they raged at the slaughter of Stalingrad and at the bestial murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews. And above all they raged at German apathy. No German, the leaflets said, could claim to be free of these inhumane crimes. Every German, they said, is GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY. And they would not let them forget it: We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will never leave you in peace! Many of her friends had got involved, despite the danger. Hans just had this charisma that attracted people. It was he who had come up with the White Rose title too, though from where she had no idea. Hed wanted something that would resonate and the White Rose didthough with what she was never quite sure. Medieval ideas of pure, elevated love, perhaps? Or maybe the French revolutionhadnt the aristocrats put white roses on their banners? That association would later gain other resonances. Because when the authorities caught Hans and tried him and found him guilty, guilty, guilty, they cut off his head with a guillotine. She hadnt done much, Traute was always clear on that: shed just helped get paper and envelopes. Though they had to be careful: just buying paper was dangerous. Later, the Nazis would call their leaflets the worst incident of highly treasonous propaganda of the whole war. But Traute would always remember how calm Sophie had been: that January the two of them had just strolled through Ludwigstrasse, delighting in the sun and the warmth, to the stationers shop. There had been a horse outside and Sophie had stroked his neck. Hey, Buddy! she had said; then shed walked into the shop with that same happy face. Theyd cut her head off with a guillotine, too. It had all happened so fast. On Thursday, just before Sophie threw those leaflets into the atrium, she had spotted Traute and called out to her. Hey! shed said. Those ski boots Traute wanted to borrow? She should just take them, Sophie said, in case Im not home this afternoon. Sophie did not come home. The universitys caretaker had seen her throw the leaflets in the atrium; he rushed up the stairs and caught her and Hans. Their trial began on Monday morning and ended at 1pm. At 5pm, Sophie was led to the guillotine; then Hans. Just before the blade hit his neck, he had shouted out: Long live freedom! The whole thing was over in under ten minutes. Traute didnt escape; she would go to prison for a year, but she never complained: what right did she have to? But the leaflets didnt die with her friends deaths. Somehow, a copy of that one from the atrium found its way out. It was taken to Norway, then to Sweden, then to England, being copied as it went. Then that July, the RAF flew copies of it to Germany and dropped them. For the second time that year, down fell the Flugblatter; not in their hundreds this time, or in their thousands, but in their millions. Down fell the leaflets begging Germans to Fight against the party!; down, like snow, fell the flying pieces of paper raging against Hitler. Down, down fell the cry: Freedom and honour! 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Hemmed by 34,000 kilometres of coastline, its no surprise Australia has breathtaking seaside drives. Starting in Sydney, the Grand Pacific Drive is a remarkable journey that presents the best of Australian coastal life. Beginning in Sydney and finishing in the oceanside town of Jervis Bay (a popular weekend getaway), this 140-kilometre drive takes in lush rainforests, pristine national parks, Aboriginal culture, seaside hamlets, and unique native wildlife. Light up your Instagram with visits to acclaimed wineries, beachside towns and marine reserves. Heading south from Sydney, begin your Grand Pacific Drive adventure travelling through the open, coastal bushland of the Royal National Park. Declared in 1879, this was the first national park in the country. Enjoy beautiful coastal walks and, in summer, head to Wattamolla Beach and picnic area for a cooling swim either in the ocean waves or in the calm waters of the lagoon. Less than half-an-hour south, is the Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh, where you can meet koalas and other Australian natives and get in the cage and feed them. Some 15 minutes south of the park is a highlight of the Grand Pacific Drive: the stunning Sea Cliff Bridge, a stretch of winding road suspended over a sparkling coastline and next to an epic sandstone cliff. Follow the bridges curves round the 665-metre-long road and park at Coalcliff Station to access a pedestrian walkway that runs along the length of the bridge. Snap a selfie as you absorb the view. The highlight of the Grand Pacific Drive is the stunning Sea Cliff Bridge, a stretch of winding road suspended over a sparkling coastline and next to an epic sandstone cliff. Further on, the route is peppered with charming villages, such as Austinmer and Thirroul, that provide an ideal spot to rest and recharge with a coffee or an invigorating swim at the beach or in calm ocean pools. Next up is Wollongong, the third-largest city in New South Wales. The Wollongong Art Gallery showcases an inspiring collection of Aboriginal, Asian, colonial and contemporary art. Youll also discover the fascinating Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Head to Mangotree Cafe and Restaurant for classic and innovative Indian flavours served with Australian produce and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Heading 30-minutes south along from Wollongong to Shellharbour, the ocean is a constant companion on your left, while the tranquil expanse of Lake Illawarra passes by on the right. Marvel at the skill of surfers catching powerful waves at Minnamurra Beach and Killalea Beach, which together form the Killalea National Surfing Reserve. Between May and November, walk to the Minnamurra headland to spot majestic humpback whales on their annual migration from Antarctica. The next unmissable stop along the Grand Pacific Drive can be found in Kiama, just 10 kilometres south of Minnamurra. Here, the worlds largest blowhole sprays ocean water up to 30 metres into the sky. Kiama, a pretty beachside town, and an ideal spot to spend the night. Stretch your post-drive legs by wandering a section of the Kiama Coast Walk, which follows a series of scenic headlands and bays. Stop along the 70-minute drive to idyllic Jervis Bay for revitalising swims in clear ocean waters or barefoot walks at Gerringongs Werri Beach and Gerroas Seven Mile Beach. Arriving in Jervis Bay and the surrounding Shoalhaven region youll discover fine wines to freshly shucked South Coast oysters. There are more than ten wineries in the region, including the award-winning Coolangatta Estate. Seafood lovers will enjoy sampling oysters grown locally in pristine waters from Jim Wilds Oysters on the Crookhaven River. Scenic Werri Beach is also accessible via the Grand Pacific Drive. The roadtrip finishes with the sheltered waters of Jervis Bay. Home to two national parks Jervis Bay National Park and Booderee National Park and the Jervis Bay Marine Park. Play in the beaches clear waters and wander along pure-white sands or hire a kayak to paddle the waters of the marine park, where you can spot dolphins, seabirds and penguins. A journey filled with fun, good food, unrivalled beauty and incredible experiences, the Grand Pacific Drive is a must do for any Australian Itinerary. For more details in Delhi reach out to connect@goencompass.in, 9311566448 and for more details in Mumbai reach out to heena@ beaconholidays.com, 98200-78350. Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of the brand by HT Brand Studio. Britain's bosses are in a funk. Last year, one-tenth of the CEOs running FTSE 350 companies stood down, more than double the tally for 2021. The number of listed companies in London has fallen by two-fifths since 2008. Some of the countrys most treasured companies, such as Arm, a chip designer, are defecting to Wall Street. PREMIUM Take the extraordinary case of Laxman Narasimhan, who used to run Reckitt Benckiser, a London-listed consumer-goods giant. (AP) Many factors lie behind the malaise. Could relatively paltry pay for those in charge be a big one? At first glance, yes. Americas top earners are vastly better rewarded than those in Britain. Take the extraordinary case of Laxman Narasimhan, who used to run Reckitt Benckiser, a London-listed consumer-goods giant. In that job, in 2021, he got by (somehow or other) while earning 4.7m ($6.5m), excluding his deferred bonus. When he decamped last year to become the CEO of Starbucks he accepted a package, over $28m, that more than quadrupled his compensation. That pay gap was not exceptional. Average rewards are far higher over the Atlantic. Chiefs of S&P 500 companies enjoy compensation typically more generous than Mr Narasimhans: combine salary, bonus, stock awards and other perks and the median package is worth about $33m (26m). Thats double the going rate of 13m for those running FTSE 100 firms, according to Refinitiv, a data provider. Julia Hoggett, who runs the London Stock Exchange, suggests that means the City scrimps on pay. And if companies wont dole out top pound, she argues, they harm Londons ability to attract global talent. The trouble with Ms Hoggetts argument, however, is that the City brings in more foreign executives than are attracted to other stock exchanges. Around 45% of Britains largest businesses have a boss from overseas, whereas fewer than 10% of those in America are foreign, only 14% in France and 25% in Germany. As for those, like Mr Narasimhan, who leave for big payouts, such cases are vanishingly rare. Of the FTSE 100 CEOs who stood down since the start of 2022, the vast majority either retired or moved to another job in Britain. It is likelier that American firms are overpaying, and perhaps needlessly. Evidence is patchy linking higher pay for CEOs with better company performance. As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group which produces an annual ranking of overpaid S&P 500 bosses, says the most overcompensated are also those who underperform the index. Alexander Pepper, a professor of management at the London School of Economics, sees something similar in Britain. He notes how pay for FTSE 100 bosses accelerated in the 1990s but that had little bearing on the success or otherwise of firms. Too much, evidently, is out of the control of the boss. America looks more like an outlier, therefore, not a standard-setter. Few markets could anyway hope to keep pace with the large sums on offer on Wall Street, where companies are usually larger, harder to run and more at risk from lawsuits than in Britain. A better comparison, then, is with Europe. Brits do tend to out-earn their continental counterparts: in 2021, average CEO pay at the biggest companies in France reached the equivalent of $9.5m and in Germany $6.7m. Given that gap, institutional investors in British stocks are reluctant to fatten compensation packages more. A survey by the London Business School suggests that over three-quarters of shareholders see corporate pay as already too high. Investors will probably keep a lid on pay rises. Both Pearson and Unilever have suffered shareholder revolts over remuneration plans this year. And unlike in America, British law requires that shareholders approve pay packages: dissenting votes are thus more common. As British households come under ever more economic strain, any signs of excess by company bosses will also grow harder, politically, to justify. Expect more rebellions, not fewer. Clarification: This article was amended to clarify the fact that Mr Narasimhans bonus at Reckitt Benckiser was a deferred bonus. For more expert analysis of the biggest stories in Britain, sign up to Blighty, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com Billionaire investor Ray Dalio hailed India, saying it is on the brink of the fastest growth after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to the United States. He also praised Modi stating that India has witnessed the biggest transformations under his leadership, drawing a comparison between Modi and India to Deng Xiaoping and China in the early 1980s. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meet with investor Ray Dalio during US State visit.(Twitter/@narendramodi) I am pleased to be able to assist PM Modi, as he is a man whose time has come, just as India's time has also come. He and India are in a similar position to Deng Xiaoping and China in the early 1980s, that is, on the verge of experiencing the fastest growth rates and biggest transformations in the world, Ray Dalio said retweeting one of Modi's tweets about their meeting. The author and co-founder of hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates further said that the challenges within China and the US, as well as the challenges between these two countries, place Modi in a unique position to influence the dynamics of the world order by shaping the engagements of the non-aligned world with these leading global powers. Also Read | PM Modi really wants to do right things for India: What Elon Musk said I believe that Modi has what it takes to have the greatest impact on the largest number of people in the world at a time that the risks of harmful impact are greater than at any time in our lifetimes, he said. Dalio retired as co-CEO of Bridgewater in 2017 and stepped away as chairman and co-chief investment officer in 2021 and 2022, respectively, according to a report in Forbes. Earlier on Wednesday, Modi tweeted about his meeting with Dalio, during which they discussed deepening investments in India. Modi said, Met my friend, the distinguished author and investor @RayDalio. I urged him to deepen investments in India and also discussed the reform trajectory of our government. Modi's meet with other top investors and thought leaders PM Modi also met other top investors and CEOs during his US state visit, including Tesla's Elon Musk, who hinted at bringing significant investment by EV maker in India as soon as humanly possible. Musk, who also owns Twitter and SpaceX, referred to himself as a Fan of Modi. According to a Bloomberg report quoted by Business Insider, investor Mark Mobius, after meeting PM Modi in the US, said, To me, India is the real future. Mark Mobius is the founder of Mobius Capital Partners and is known in investment circles for his high-profile bets on Chinese assets. During his visit, Modi also met other thought leaders, including American economist and policy entrepreneur Paul Romer, popular astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and essayist and statistician Professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) president D Kempanna on Friday said he would "expose" the Congress government if demands are made by its ministers or officials to pay commission or kickbacks. In a letter to PM Modi during the previous BJP regime, Kempanna had alleged that a 40% commission was being demanded to clear contractors' bills for various works.(Madhyamam) Speaking to reporters after a delegation of Karnataka State Contractors' Association led by him met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah at his office in Bengaluru, Kempanna said that no minister in the present Congress government asked for bribes. "No minister in the present government asked for kickback or commission. If that happens we will expose that too. I will be the first person to expose it. So far no minister asked for a commission," Kempanna said. READ | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah blames previous BJP govt for financial indiscipline Alleging rampant corruption happening in Karnataka Government's Public Works Department under the Congress rule, Bommai had on Monday said "Where is D Kempanna now?" In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the previous BJP regime, Kempanna had alleged that a 40 per cent commission was being demanded to clear contractors' bills for various works. While meeting the delegation of the Contractors' Association, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday slammed the previous BJP government in the State saying that financial indiscipline and commission "scourge" of the latter was troubling government contractors. He also said that his government will curb the menace of commission in the state. READ | Contractors body meets Siddaramaiah over pending dues "Financial indiscipline and commission scourge of the BJP government were troubling contractors. Action will be taken to curb the menace of commission in the state, and the interests of local contractors will be protected," Siddaramaiah said. The delegation led by Contractors' Association chairman D Kempanna requested the Chief Minister to take action for the payment of outstanding bills. Kempanna requested the Chief Minister that the amount due should be checked and released. The objection letter should be released as well, he requested. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The 26-year-old traveller said she was left with bruises and scratches on her body, and posted photos of her injuries online. An Australian tourist claims she was raped by a butler at a luxury resort in the Maldives. Xu Yitong, 26, a student from Sydney, said she arrived in the Maldives on June 6 for a short solo trip. She was due to leave on June 10 but extended her stay, booking a room at 5-star, $4000-per-night resort on the Fari Islands. The holidaymaker who today agreed in writing with ViralPress to be named publicly said she was then assigned a butler to show her the amenities. The University of Sydney student photographed her injuries as part of her police report. Source: Viral Press/Australscope Soon after checking in, Xu, who is of Chinese origin but now a resident in Australia, said she accidentally damaged her phone with water and was unable to contact her family. When the butler was sent to her room for assistance, he lent her his phone, but then allegedly began sexually harassing her. Xu submitted a complained filed under 'criminal sexual contact' at the Thulusdhoo station with Sergeant Abdul Harris on June 11 but claims that officers were not helpful. She posted on Twitter about the case on June 18. Writing online, the tourist said he "tried to kiss" her. "He took a piece of chewing gum and started chewing and asked me if I wanted to kiss, which left me numb. I was blank. I said no, I don't like physical contact. I took my computer and translated it to him in case he didn't understand. "He then said, 'don't worry you can feel comfortable with me', and leaned towards me and touched my mouth. I didn't open my mouth and he said 'Yoly, no need to be ashamed, sex is ok' and tried to force open my mouth with his tongue. He asked me if I'm gay or not because I didn't let him. Xu said the incident started when she asked to borrow a phone. Source: Viral Press/Australscope "I was in my pyjamas. He started forcing his tongue into my mouth and said, 'I will be a gentleman'. He then pushed me to the bed and started removing his pants and he put his penis in my mouth twice. He then went ahead and touch me down in my private parts and tried to have sex with me." Met with the guest's resistance, the butler allegedly masturbated onto her computer screen before wiping his semen off with a towel and leaving, telling Xu she simply "needed time to open up". Xu said she reported the incident to hotel managers, but they "made it look like nothing" and tried to confiscate the laptop and the semen-soaked towel from her room. "I told them this should be handed over to police only," Xu said. "Police came and took my statement. They took samples from my mouth and told me it would take a week to get the results and that I should leave before the results come." The officers reportedly told her that they "had no reason to arrest the employee". The $4000-per-night resort declined to comment on the accusations. Source: Viral Press Xu further claimed that she underwent medical examinations and had bruises all over her body. She said was then kicked out of the hotel because they "could no longer arrange my accommodation". "I left the hotel and there wasn't even an apology," she said. "You only train your housekeepers to ask for tips. I was raped in your hotel and you did nothing. You told me I did this to get a free stay. I paid the full amount to the hotel. I'm a Chinese living in Australia. My family is well-reputed and rich." Local media reported that Maldives police officers have yet to make any arrests based on the tourist's complaint for criminal sexual contact, which was filed on June 6. They said they have taken the 'necessary samples' for investigation, but declined to give further information on the case. The hotel has not commented on the alleged incident. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. MP high court has granted bail to an archbishop and a sister of an orphanage in a religious conversion case noting that the complaint of conversion can be registered only by a person who is related by blood, marriage or adoption, guardianship or custodianship and no one else. The decision has come as a major setback to the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), who took cognizance of the matter and got the complaint registered. Madhya Pradesh high court (File Photo) Archbishop Jerald Alameda, 77, and sister Lily Joseph were arrested after NCPCR chairman Priyank Kanoongo visited the hostel in Katni and filed a complaint of conversion by them after a Bible was found in the possession of students. The court also directed Asha Kiran Institute, Katni, which is registered under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, shall not provide religious education to orphans or children admitted therein. They are required to provide education as defined in Section 53 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the court said. Also Read: MCOCA court rejects under-trial prisoners plea for shoes, belt inside jail A single bench of judge Vishal Dhagat said, The state government to see that religious education is not imparted in shelter homes to children but they are imparted modern education, as laid down in Section 53 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. As per Section 53, the state is free to take action in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, against Asha Kiran Care Institute if there is a violation of Section 53 and sectarian education is provided to children. The court further stated, Police officer shall not inquire or investigate a complaint under Section 3 of MP Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 unless the said complaint is written by a person aggrieved, who has been converted or attempt has been made for his conversion or by the person who are parents or siblings or with leave of the Court by any person who is related by blood, marriage or adoption, guardianship or custodianship, as may be applicable. Without naming anyone, the court order read, In the present case, the complaint has been lodged by an individual who conducted the inspection. No complaint has been made by the person converted or the person aggrieved or against whom an attempt was made for conversion or by their relatives or blood relatives. In the absence of such written complaint, police do not have any jurisdiction to inquire or investigate into offence committed under Section 3 of Act of 2021. In view of aforesaid facts and circumstances, the anticipatory bail application filed by the applicants is allowed, read the high court order. This is the fourth case when anticipatory bail was granted by MP high court even as NCPCR took cognizance of the incidents. Reacting to it, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said, The state government advocates failed to present the case. It is the duty of the NCPCR to raise the matter of orphans kid. The state government didnt inform NCPCR about the bail application. We should be informed so that the matter could be presented in a better way. Its a setback for the state government not for us. Union home minister Amit Shah concluded his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir by laying the foundation stone of Balidaan Stambh, a martyrs memorial, commemorating fallen jawans of security forces, at Pratap Park near the Lal Chowk city centre in Srinagar on Friday. Union home minister Amit Shah at Pratap Park in Srinagar on Saturday. (ANI) This was Shahs first visit to the iconic Lal Chowk area which has witnessed a tumultuous modern history, including the visit of the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1948 when he had promised a referendum to the people. In 1992 when militancy was at its peak, Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) then president Murli Manohar Joshi had unfurled the tri-color atop the Clock Tower at Lal Chowk amid heavy security. Between 2008 and 2010 when Kashmir was rocked by recurrent protests, there were a few occasions when the Pakistan flag was raised atop the tower. And more recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi concluded his Bharat Jodo Yatra by saluting the National Flag at Lal Chowk. Shahs cavalcade stopped outside Pratap Park, locally called Parta Park, a few blocks away from the Clock Tower at Lal Chowk to lay the foundation stone of a memorial. Accompanied by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, Shah laid the foundation to commemorate the lives laid down by security forces for the security of the nation at the park. The memorial is being constructed as part of the smart city project and will occupy a part of the park which has been a go to place for anyone intending to take a break from the fast-paced life of Lal Chowk. The park has also been a go-to place for those intending to hold protests against the government in the nearby Press Enclave. Till 2019, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons would hold its monthly protests in the park. Amid the heavy security cover, Shah stopped for a few minutes at the place before heading back. Jammu and Kashmir has been the land of indomitable courage and bravery of the countrys brave hearts. In order to make the valour of such heroes immortal, the foundation stone of Balidan Stambh was laid at Pratap Park in Srinagar today. This pillar will inspire patriotism among the youth by immortalising the memory of the martyrs, Shah said in a tweet. Shah presents job letters to kin of policemen killed in action The home minister met the families of some of the police personnel in Srinagar, who lost their lives in the conflict in J&K and presented appointment letters to their kin. The martyrdom of numerous jawans of the J&K Police who laid down their lives battling terrorists and securing innocent fellow citizens is a testament to what Kashmir, and its people stand for. Today, met the family members of such martyrs in Srinagar and distributed appointment letters on behalf of the J&K government to the closest kin of the martyrs, he said. Shah reviews Amarnath yatra preparation Earlier, in the morning Shah visited Baltal base camp to review the preparations for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. The two-month long yatra will commence from July 1 amid high security arrangements. On Friday night, Shah chaired a security review meeting attended by admin, police, army and other security officials. Officials said the home minister was satisfied with the improvement in the situation, intensified operations against militants and a decrease in militant recruitment. They said that he also reiterated for enhanced action against those supporting militancy. Glad to see the agencies adopting a multi-pronged approach to ensuring security. Continued peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the prime goals set by PM Modi, Shah said in a tweet. The union home minister on Friday had made an appeal to the youth of Kashmir Valley to pick up pens and laptops instead of stones to write the script of development of Jammu and Kashmir and the country. Addressing an event at the Raj Bhavan during his two-day visit to the UT, Shah also had highlighted the all-round development in the region since 2019, when the Union government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state. Shah had also inaugurated the three-day Vitasta Festival at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) located on the bank of the Dal Lake, celebrating the diverse culture of Kashmir established around the river Jhelum. The cloudy weather and intermittent rainfall during the past one week in Punjab that has led to fall in temperatures has become a cause of boon for the paddy crop as it helps in lesser requirement of water for irrigation and supports saplings and seeds take roots easily. Paddy sowing in the Punjab began on June 10 covering the belt across the International Border fence, followed by other parts of the state. (HT File Photo) On a contrary, the ongoing climatic phenomenon is not ideal for maize and cotton crop as it causes pests to multiply faster on the two crops. According to the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, if water is not allowed to accumulate in cotton fields, it will make a good crop. He said that the maize and cotton crop, which is already sown will grow faster in the current spell and advised farmers to make sure the water doesnt accumulate in the fields. Paddy sowing in the state began on June 10 covering the belt across the International Border fence, followed by other parts of the state from June 16, June 19 and June 21. All across the state at least 10% paddy sowing by transplant and direct seeded rice (DSR) method has been reported to be complete. With DSR method for which a target of 5 lakh acres has been set, 1.17 lakh acre area has been sown so far, said director agriculture Gurvinder Singh. Paddy sowing in Punjab is expected to complete in a week to ten days time, subsequent to which basmati sowing will begin, he informed. In the current kharif season, paddy is expected to be sown over 30 lakh hectares (73.5 lakh acres), out of which a target of 5 lakh hectares (12 lakh acres) has been set for aromatic premium basmati. The meteorology department has predicted that the phenomenon of intermittent rainfall and overcast skies will continue for about a week which would make temperature continues to be low. This is best weather we could have for paddy cultivation, as it would lead to lesser irrigation owing to lesser evapotranspiration and the plants become robust to fight pests and vagaries of the weather. During the past one week, 10-20 mm rainfall was witnessed in different parts of the state, said a PAU expert. The current weather conditions have led to fall in temperature by 5-10 degrees Celsius, which according to the experts is also beneficial for the paddy crop. During these days the maximum temperature touches 45 degrees Celsius but it currently hovers around 30-35 degrees Celsius. The weather department has predicted monsoon to arrive during the next week. This will further support the crop and cut down irrigation needs and usage of electricity to run 14 lakh plus tube-wells, said PAUs agronomy department head Makhan Singh Bhullar. Power demand expected to fall The demand for power that touched a new peak of 15,325 megawatts on Friday, according to a top engineer of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has come down on Saturday to less than 15,000 megawatts. We expected the demand to fall further in case the favourable weather conditions continue and monsoons sets in, by the next week, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gurpreet Singh Nibber Gurpreet Singh Nibber is an Assistant Editor with the Punjab bureau. He covers politics, agriculture, power sector, environment, Sikh religious affairs and the Punjabi diaspora. ...view detail All real estate projects being undertaken without requisite registrations will have to pay up 10% of the estimated cost of project if they fail to get registration within a month, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) of Chandigarh has said in a public notice. All real estate projects being undertaken without requisite registrations will have to pay up 10% of the estimated cost of project if they fail to get registration within a month, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) of Chandigarh has said in a public notice. (HT File) As per the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, it is mandatory for all residential and commercial real estate projects, where the area of land proposed to be developed is more than 500 square metres or the number of apartments or offices proposed to be developed is over eight, to register with RERA to protect the interests of consumers and to ensure speedy disposal of disputes. Only six projects have been registered in Chandigarh since the Act came into existence. Sources reveal that currently, there around 10 to 15 projects under construction without registration. RERA secretary Palika Arora said, A public notice has been issued to all developers to register themselves with the RERA within a month, failing which a penalty of up to 10% of the estimated cost of project will be imposed. She further said that the maximum constructions are going on in the rural areas of the city. We want the developers to come forward on their own to register the project. If they dont, we will take suo moto action on the basis of complaints. She added that action will also be taken against plotting being carried out on agricultural land in UT. Arora said if a promoter constructs more than eight flats, shops, chambers, or units on a plot, irrespective of the size, he or she will have to register the project with RERA. Even construction of godowns is covered under the Act, she said. The Act covers all bodies (private and public) which develop real estate projects for sale to the general public. In the absence of the Apartment Act, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is the only government agency responsible for the construction of residential units in the city. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hillary Victor Hillary Victor is a Principal Correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Chandigarh administration, municipal corporation and all political parties. ...view detail Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar on Saturday called for a central investigation agency to probe the brutal murder of a 21-year-old resident of Chamba district, Manohar Lal, on June 6 whose body parts were recovered from three jute bags near a stream in the valley three days later. Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar on Saturday backed the demand of the people of Chamba for a central agency probe into the brutal murder of a local youngster, Manohar Lal. (HT file photo) Also read: Shimla receives heavy rain, key roads blocked across Himachal Its a heinous crime and an unfortunate incident. The people of Chamba are making only one demand that this serious crime should be investigated by a central agency. Their demand is absolutely correct. The manner of the murder and all circumstances surrounding it do not make it a simple murder. Thats why the investigation should be done only by a central agency, Kumar said. The youngster, a BJP worker, was murdered in Bhandal panchayat of Salooni sub division in Chamba district over an inter-community love affair. Police have arrested eight members of a family, including three women, one of who was in a relationship with the victim. The murder weapon has also been recovered. The investigation has expanded to Jammu and Kashmir as the Himachal Pradesh Police are probing suspected terror links of the accused family. Two taxi drivers were arrested on Saturday for allegedly duping people of lakhs of rupees by impersonating as officers of various departments, including police, income tax and judiciary. Two accused in custody of police in Ludhiana. (HT Photo) According to police, a hunt is on for the arrest of their aides. The accused used to blackmail people by honey trapping them with the help of some women. The arrested accused have been identified as Gopichand alias Manav alias Manu, 32, of Janta Nagar and his aide Amrik Singh, 45, of Kot Mangal Singh. Both are taxi drivers. The matter came to the fore after Bhanu Partap of Kwality Chowk of Shimlapuri filed a complaint, stating that he had met the accused in January, who assured him to help him in availing a loan. The accused made fake email ids in the name of the bank and sent the victim an e-mail that his loan has been sanctioned and they are transferring 97 lakh in his account. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP, Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said that later the accused started threatening him in the name of officers from police, income tax and the judiciary stating that as the amount is big, he could land in trouble. Later, the accused started making calls to him using different numbers posing as officers from police, income tax and judiciary by using their voice with the help of mobile applications. The accused have also created fake e-mail ids in the name of the officers. During questioning, the police found that the accused have created fake accounts on various social networking sites in the name of women. They used to honey trap people and later extort money from them by blackmailing them. It is suspected that some women are also involved in the crime, the DCP said. A case under sections 419, 420, 384, 506, 201, 120B of the IPC, sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the information and technology act has been lodged against the accused at Shimlapuri police station. More arrests are expected, he added. Amid rising humidity levels, the peak electricity consumption of Mohali district crossed the 1,000MW mark on Thursday, leading to power disruptions at several places due to load on transformers. Amid rising humidity levels, the peak electricity consumption of Mohali district crossed the 1,000MW mark on Thursday, leading to power disruptions at several places due to load on transformers. (HT File) The district, which has around 19 grid sub-stations, gets power supply from Rajpura and Rupnagar plants. In the past, the average demand had remained between 900 and 1000MW even during peak summers. On June 22, however, the collective peak-hour load of six sectors, including Mohali-1, Kharar, Banur, Mohali-2, Lalru and Derabassi, reached 1,125 MW, as per the data compiled by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL). Mohali-1, which includes the old sectors, industrial units and areas around Sunny Enclave topped with 334MW of power consumption, while Mohali-2 which includes Aero City and relatively newer sectors consumed 118 MW power load, additional superintendent engineer PSTCL Akshay Garg said. No shortage of power, maintains department Under fire over power outages at several places, PSPCL superintendent engineer (SE) Satwinder Singh Sehmbi maintained that there was no shortage of power supply in Mohali and the incidents of power disruptions were primarily due to lose connections, fire caused due to sudden rise in the load on transformers and tripping due to falling of tree branches on power cables. He reiterated that power shortage was not the reason behind power cuts reported in various parts of the city on Thursday. An official of the power transmission department, requesting anonymity, said the sudden use of power supply puts a load on transformers. Some of the transformers developed snag and caught fire. Mayor submits memo Meanwhile, Mohali deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi gave a memorandum to electricity officials, demanding an increase in the number of linemen in the city, and corrective measures with regards to electricity supply. He said the incidents are rising due to lack of staff for maintenance of snags. Residents hassled As per residents, power outages have become a regular feature in the city and respective governments have made big claims but failed to fix the problem. For the past many years, the city continues to reel under frequent and unscheduled power cuts particularly due inadequate infrastructure, acute staff shortage, poor maintenance, and failure to restructure staff as per consumer growth, amid the sultry weather conditions. Over the years, the city has grown which has put an additional burden on the existing infrastructure. Overloaded power transformers, distribution and transmission lines as well as breakdowns in the infrastructure have worsened the situation, said Ravinder Singh, a resident of 3B-2. According to Riya Bawa, a Phase 5 resident, there was a prolonged power outage on Thursday, both during the day and night. Although power supply was restored around 8am on Friday, the power went out again after an hour due to load shedding. Despite several attempts to reach the officials of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), none of the numbers were accessible. Enduring this hot and humid weather without electricity is extremely challenging, said Bawa. The residents of Shiva Colony and Victoria Enclave Zirakpur staged a protest against PSPCL authorities following the power outage. Police have arrested a Bathinda-based realtor, Harish Garg, for allegedly trying to dupe a woman Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader of 5-crore by claiming to be an agent of an unidentified person in the Union home ministry. The accused has been booked under Sections 419 , 420 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code. (Representational Photo) In her complaint with Bathindas cantonment police station, Daman Thind Bajwa, BJP state secretary and resident of Sangrur, said that Garg contacted her on June 22 to assure providing an important office in the saffron party. Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gulneet Khurana said the accused, a resident of Kotfatta village, claimed that he has been tasked by someone in the Union home ministry to help Bajwa in lieu of 5-crore. But the complainant did not give any cash to Garg. Our teams are working to trace another accused Saurav Chaudhary, who had also spoken with Bajwa over the phone about cash for a political post. Preliminary investigation has not revealed any other criminal antecedent of Garg but we are probing his role, said the SSP. Garg and Chaudhary have been booked under Sections 419 (personation, 420 (cheating) and 511 (attempting to commit offences) of the Indian Penal Code. BJP state vice president Dayal Singh Sodhi denied that accused Garg was associated with the party in any manner. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Wanted Punjab-origin travel agent Brijesh Mishra, who is accused of duping nearly 700 Indian students by giving them fake admission letters from colleges to secure study visas, was arrested and charged in Canada on Saturday. Wanted Punjab-origin travel agent Brijesh Mishra, who is accused of duping nearly 700 Indian students by giving them fake admission letters from colleges to secure study visas. (HT File) Mishra, who had been on the run since the scandal came to fore earlier this year, was caught by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) when he was trying to sneak into the country illegally, according to a report in Toronto Star. The CBSA was probing the immigration scam by Mishras Jalandhar-based firm, Education and Migration Services, and filed five charges including those for counselling misrepresentation, misrepresentation and unauthorised representation or advice for consideration, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He is believed to be in pre-trial detention in British Columbia, according to a Canadian source. Following information provided to the CBSA concerning Mr. Mishras status in Canada, as well his alleged involvement in activities related to counseling misrepresentation, the Agency launched an investigation, a CBSA release said. The charges announced today by the CBSAs Pacific Region Criminal Investigations Section reflect our commitment to maintaining the integrity of Canadas immigration system, CBSAs regional director general, Pacific region, Nina Patel said. Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendocino said, Our government is taking action against those who are responsible for fraud, while protecting those whove come here to pursue their studies. Nearly 700 students were issued deportation notices over fraudulent offer letters that had been provided to them by Mishra while processing their study visas. Last week, Canadian immigration minister Sean Fraser had announced to freeze the deportation notices to the students, terming them victims of fraud besides forming a committee to look into each case. Jaspreet Singh, an international student activist, said Mishras arrest would help students present their case before the Canadian authorities in a proper manner. The future of 700 students is at stake. Now, the Canadian authorities will get information first hand on how Mishra managed to cheat so many gullible students over the years, he said. Toronto-based lawyer Sumit Sen, who is working with several of these students, said that they will ask for a court-ordered appearance so that Mishra can be cross-examined during ongoing hearings for the cases related to fraudulent documentation. Lookout circular against Mishra in India Following the scam, Punjab Police registered three first information reports (FIRs) against Mishra and his accomplices Rahul Bhargav and Gurnam Singh on March 17 and 27. Police arrested Bhargav, a resident of Jalandhar, on March 27, while Brijesh and Gurnam remain on the run. The cases were registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (for making forged documents), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Jalandhar police commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal said they received only three complaints against Mishra based on which the cases were registered. We have already issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Mishra. According to our information, he shut all operations in Jalandhar and fled several months ago, Chahal said. The Jalandhar district administration has also cancelled the licence of Mishras immigration firm under Sections 4 and 6 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2014, which invokes cancellation of licence, if found involved in any criminal activity. Over 10 FIRs against accused in Punjab Mishra, who belongs to Thalwada in Darbhanga, Bihar, has been named in more than 10 FIRs registered in police stations of Jalandhar, Faridkot and Malerkotla districts. Mishra launched Easy Way Immigration Consultancy in 2013 but months later in 2014, he was caught committing fraud with students. His clout can be gauged from the fact that he either managed to strike a compromise with the complainant or ensure no action was taken against him. He was booked at Jaito in Faridkot and Malerkotla in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but no action was taken against him. Deep-rooted immigration nexus The fact that 700 students, who studied and worked in Canada for six years, are now facing deportation because they procured Canadian study permit on the basis of fake offer letters provided by Mishras firm, shows how deep-rooted the immigration nexus is. Mishras Education and Migration Services sent the students to Canada on fake offer letters between 2016 and 2020. The students, who spent between 10 lakh and 30 lakh to go abroad, were not aware that they had paid for forged offer letters on which they got the study visa. The fraud came to light only when the students applied for permanent residency and the CBSA found discrepancies and zeroed in on Mishra. The students said the offer letters looked so genuine that even Canadian high commission officials did not find anything amiss. It was only on arriving and visiting their respective colleges that they found that they were not registered in the institutions concerned. When they contacted Mishra, he made up excuses and got them enrolled in other colleges or asked them to wait a semester. According to the Canadian education policy, international students can change their college or university and even course on reaching Canada, a clause Mishra exploited. 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 Roseate House, a luxury hotel in Delhi, is ranked among the top three luxury hotels in the national capital by American travel agency Tripadvisor in its '2023 Travellers Choice Best of the Best Luxury Hotels' list. Roseate House is the same hotel where an incident surfaced this week, in which a guest allegedly cheated the hotel of 58 lakh by not settling his dues before checking out after a nearly two-year stay. Roseate House in Delhis Aerocity. The hotel secured the second position among the luxury hotels in Delhi and an impressive 23rd rank among India's best luxury hotels. Fewer than 1% of Tripadvisors 8 million listings are awarded Best of the Best Tripadvisor's website reads with the list of hotels that made the cut. Roseate House is located in Delhis Aerocity. The fraud came to light during an audit and internal investigation conducted by the hotel administration. It then filed a complaint with police, naming Ankush Dutta from Assam, a guest, and Prem Prakash, the head of the hotel's front office department, among others, HT reported on Thursday. "A case was registered and we are probing it. The role of the people mentioned in the case is being verified, the deputy commissioner of police (IGI Airport) Devesh Kumar Mahla told HT earlier. The first information report was filed on May 24 based on a complaint by the hotel in February. According to the complaint, Dutta stayed at the hotel for a minimum of 603 days but departed without paying his bill. Prakash, accused of facilitating Dutta's extended stay, had the authority to set room rates and access to the hotel's computer system to track guest dues. He has been charged with failing to inform the management about Dutta's prolonged stay and manipulating guest account entries by forging, deleting, adding, and falsifying a significant number of records. The administration suspected that the alleged employee might have received cash from the guest in exchange for allowing an extended stay by manipulating the hotel's in-house software system that monitors the stay of guests, a police officer said, quoting the complaint. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Toyota has launched the Innova Hycross in Malaysia and the premium MPV has been badged as the Innova Zenix in the country. Regular readers would remember that the Zenix nameplate was trademarked along with the Hycross but automakers often tend to use different names for different markets. The Innova Hycross and Innova Zenix are essentially the same products down to the specifications with both offered in naturally aspirated and strong hybrid engine options. Unlike the Indian market where the model is offered in multiple variants, Toyota sells the Innova Zenix in a single fully-loaded variant for both engine options. The Toyota Innova Zenix looks identical to the India-spec model with respect to the exterior and interior. The petrol version though is offered as an eight-seater, while the hybrid version is available as a seven-seater in the country. Also Read : Toyota Innova Hycross first impression review: Innova Crysta on hybrid steroids Toyota Innova Zenix looks similar to the Indian version barring the different name for Malaysia On the feature front too, the Innova Zenix comes loaded with the 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Theres also automatic climate control, a digital instrument console, an electrically adjustable drivers seat, and a powered tailgate. The hybrid version gets a panoramic sunroof as part of the standard kit. Both variants come with six airbags, ESC, parking sensors, 360-degree parking cameras and ADAS as part of the safety kit. Also check these Cars Find more Cars Toyota Innova Hycross 18.3 - 28.97 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Explore your Vehicle Check vehicle details Check Insurance & PUCC due date Honda City Hybrid 19.5 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers Toyota Innova Crysta 19.99 - 25.43 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers UPCOMING Maruti Suzuki Evx 20 - 25 Lakhs* *Expected Price View Details Mg Zs Ev 21 - 24.68 Lakhs* *Ex-showroom price Add to compare Check latest offers The Toyota Innova Zenix continues to be petrol-only as well with the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol churning out 172 bhp, while the 2.0-litre hybrid petrol develops 183 bhp. Transmission options include the CVT and e-CVT respectively, with no manual variant on offer. The cabin is loaded on features with the 10.1-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as captain seats and panoramic sunroof on the hybrid The Toyota Innova Zenix is priced from 165,000 Malaysian Ringgit (approx. 28.96 lakh) onwards, which is on par with the model sold in India, considering the Innova Hycross range is priced between 18.55 lakh and 29.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The premium MPV continues to be in high demand in India with bookings stopped for the premium petrol while accepting the same for the hybrid version. The waiting period is said to be between 8-10 months, depending on the variant. Also Read : Toyota takes steps to cut waiting period for Innova Crysta, HyCross, Fortuner The Toyota Innova Zenix is offered with the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol and 2.0-litre hybrid engine options Prospective buyers will soon get to choose a new MPV in the market in the form of the Maruti Suzuki Invicto. The upcoming offering will be the new Maruti flagship which is the badge-engineered version of the Innova Hycross. Maruti is expected to rejig the feature list on the Invicto to set it apart from the Hycross. The Invicto will go on sale on July 5, 2023, and will be sold through the Nexa premium dealer network. First Published Date: A 37-year-old alleged aide of jailed gangster Kaushal was arrested from Sector 39 on Friday night, Gurugram police said on Saturday, adding that one pistol and six cartridges were recovered from his possession. Sandeep alias Bandar in police custody on Saturday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo) The suspect, identified as Sandeep alias Bandar, is a key associate of Kaushal, who is involved in over 200 cases and is currently lodged in Hisar jail, police said. Police said Bandar was involved in at least a dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery and extortion. The Kaushal gang is active in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Between 2017 and 2019, Kaushal was operating from Dubai and extorted businessmen, industrialists, bookies, property dealers and owners of hospitals. Bandar was managing the gang in India and carrying out criminal activities with the help of other members of the gang, police said. Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said Bandar was on the radar of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and they had declared a reward of 1 lakh for providing information leading to his arrest. He was managing the gang and the entire illegal extortion operation of jailed gangster Kaushal for the last couple of years. He was produced before a city court on Saturday and was taken on a five-day police remand, the ACP said. As per investigators, Bandar was allegedly extorting money from traders in Khandsa vegetable market as well as from industrialists across the city. He was allegedly extorting over 50 lakh a month, they said. According to police, Pankaj Kumar, in-charge of crime unit, Sector 39, received secret information on Friday night that Bandar, a resident of Naharpur Roopa, was about to leave on a Bajaj Pulsar bike from Sector 38 area. On the basis of information, a team led by him arrested the suspect after a brief chase. An FIR was registered against him under the Arms Act at Sadar police station. ACP Dahiya said, We were keeping a close tab on the criminal activities of the Kaushal gang and our teams promptly acted on the information. He was also involved in many criminal activities in the national Capital and nearby areas. He had joined the Kaushal gang in 2007 and was arrested many times before. ACP Dahiya further added that the suspect was under police radar for the murder of property dealer Jaidev alias JD. He had come out of jail on bail in September 2021, and was committing crimes again for the Kaushal gang, he said. Police said they have informed the NIA regarding his arrest. The NIA team had raided the hideouts of Bandar twice in October last year and once in April this year. During the raids, some documents and mobile phones were recovered. The NIA had declared a reward of 1 lakh for providing information leading to his arrest, police said. The Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) had demolished his three-story house in the Rajiv Colony area on April 9 that was built 10 years ago on 100 square yards of government land, police added. Kala Ramachandran, Gurugram commissioner of police, said, Our teams had activated their sources and received information regarding his presence in the city. They took prompt action and arrested him while he was on his way to Sector 39. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress MLA from Kundanpur (Kota) Bharat Singh on Friday resigned as a member of the State Wildlife Board. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot (File Photo) In a letter addressed to chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who is also the chairman, Singh expressed his discontent with the board and asked to consider his resignation. He said the decision of transferring 39 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers on June 20 was not discussed either with him or with forest minister Hemram Choudhary. This is highly disappointing that the CM is taking any action ignoring the senior cabinet minister of the department, said the letter from Singh read. In a major reshuffle in the Forest Department, the Rajasthan government had on Tuesday (June 20) transferred 39 IFS officers and also assigned additional charge to 14 officers. Singh also added, As a wildlife lover, a person who grew up in the forests since childhood, and an MLA, I focused on its conservation. You (Gehlot) are the chairman of the board as CM. However, the truth is you have no interest in wildlife conservation at all. You never even cared to pay a visit to the Mukundra Tiger Reserve Park. In his letter, he also expressed his grievance over the fact that the board delayed the implementation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) breeding centre at Anta in Baran which was already announced in the 2018-19 budget. One person was killed in a crude-bomb explosion in West Bengals Murshidabad district on Saturday taking the total death toll to 10 in the run up to the crucial panchayat polls in the state. Centre had sanctioned 22 companies for deployment in West Bengal amid panchayat polls violence (File Photo) The explosion took place in the morning in a jute field at Beldanga. The dead was identified as Alim Sheikh, 53. Investigation is going on, said a police official. Locals alleged that the explosion took place when some men were making crude bombs in the field. They also alleged that a few persons sustained injuries, even though the victims could not be traced later. Political clashes continued in some pockets even as companies of central forces started arriving in the districts, including Bhangore in South 24 Parganas near Kolkata where three persons were killed on June 20, the last day of filing nominations by candidates. The State Election Commission (SEC) declared the poll dates on June 8. Violence erupted at multiple places soon after the nomination process started from June 9. Dozens were injured and at least 10 persons have been killed, political parties have alleged. The Congress and BJP moved the Calcutta high court which ordered deployment of central forces. The state government and the poll panel moved the Supreme Court challenging the order. The apex court, however, upheld the high courts order. Later the Calcutta high court directed the poll panel to deploy more central forces than deployed in 2013 panchayat polls. At least 82000 paramilitary force personnel were deployed in 2013 and elections were held in five phases. The SEC has sought 822 companies of central forces from the ministry of home affairs. On Friday the centre sanctioned 315 companies. At least 22 comnpanies were sanctioned earlier. This year the three-tier panchayat polls are scheduled to be held on July 8 and counting would be held on July 11. The rural polls are crucial this time as they are being seen as a litmus test for all the political parties in the eastern state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The spate of violence continued even on Saturday. While crude bombs were hurled at Rejinagar in Murshidabad last night, six persons were injured in a clash between RSP and TMC workers at Gosaba in South 24 Parganas during poll campaigning. At Dantan in West Midnapore a BJP-candidate was allegedly beaten up by TMC workers. We are ready to fight it out. Central forces have started arriving. Where central forces wont be available our men would be there to resist, Sukanta Mjaumdar, BJP president told the media. At Margram in Birbhum district police raided a house where crude bombs were being made. Five persons were arrested. Police seized two drums filled with crude bombs. The BJP is inciting violence. They know that they have lost the peoples support. I would urge BJP workers not to get disillusioned by the statements made by BJP leaders and instead vote for TMC for more development in the state, Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson, told media. A history conference titled History teaches, history repeats was held at the Bundelkhand University in Jhansi on Friday. Chief guest on the occasion, former divisional commissioner of Jhansi Ajay Shankar Pandey proposed that June 23 be nationally declared Savdhan Diwas, to commemorate the Battle of Plassey. Former district magistrate of Jhansi Ajay Shankar Pandey (centre) with members of Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana and others from the Bundelkhand University at the conference. (HT PHOTO) Ajay Shankar Pandey at the conference spoke to the students and faculty on the significance of the Battle of Plassey, and how it signified the victory of the East India Company troops led by Robert Clive over Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last Nawab of Bengal. According to him, the battle was fueled by corruption, in-fighting and betrayal, and similar circumstances can be seen in todays world as well - which is why Savdhan Diwas ought to be observed for the Indian youth to be reminded of the errors of the past. It was also discussed during the conference that much of the history studied by children was written down and recorded by the British and that it is important for Indian students to study their history from the Indian point of view. Students and faculty members from the history department and other related courses were present at the event. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has embarked on an ambitious plan to develop Lucknow as the countrys eighth Magnet City under its larger plan to develop the state capital as the countrys first AI city, as per a government statement on Saturday. The aim is to develop Lucknow as Indias eighth Magnet City in the next five years, with the period divided into 20 quarters. (Pic for representation) The aim is to develop Lucknow as Indias eighth Magnet City in the next five years, with the period divided into 20 quarters. On behalf of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the officials concerned had been told to engage in mission mode to achieve this goal, said the statement. Presently, seven cities of the country are known as Magnet Cities, including Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. A Magnet City is one that attracts people and investments. Govt to develop five UP cities into IT & ITES hubs: To make the state a one trillion-dollar economy in the next five years, the Yogi government plans to rejuvenate five cities of UP. The government has a complete strategy ready to develop Lucknow, Kanpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Varanasi and Prayagraj as IT hubs and ITES sector. The government believed that these five districts of Uttar Pradesh would open doors for the development of the state in the IT and ITES sectors, preventing migration of excellent talent from the state forever, the statement said. Under the leadership of chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, a team of top officers of various departments worked on this plan for the past eight months and recently gave a detailed presentation in front of CM Yogi Adityanath. Subsequently, the CM has asked the officers to get involved in mission mode to implement the plan, the statement said. The statement added that after the UP Global Investors Summit, investment proposals worth 36 lakh crore had been received by UP. The Yogi government was now busy preparing to implement the projects on the ground through ground-breaking ceremonies. Along with significant improvement in law and order in the state, the past 6 years had been very important for the state in terms of infrastructure and connectivity, it said. . MUMBAI: A 19-year-old street vendor was arrested by the Bandra police on Saturday for allegedly stealing diamonds from the purse of a New Delhi based entrepreneur. Street vendor steals diamonds worth 4 lakh, held The complainant, Aneesha Mandhok, is a businesswoman from South Delhi, she was in the city to attend a friends wedding. On Wednesday, she was in Pali Hill Street talking to a friend. The next day, she noticed two jewellery pieces which includes a set of diamond earrings and a Polki necklace worth 4 lakh missing from her purse. The police later arrested a street vendor, identified as Vikas Kharwa, who was trying to sell her paper napkins in order to steal her diamonds. He was hovering around Mandhok, while trying to sell her the paper napkin and spotted a smaller purse within her handbag which he flicked while standing behind her. This purse contained the two pieces of jewellery that the complainant had reported missing, said an official from Bandra police station. He also said that the entire instance was caught in a CCTV camera nearby. Kharwa was arrested and the stolen goods were recovered, said a police officer. MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has suspended the life term handed down to a man convicted in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case and granted him bail during pendency of his appeal. HT Image Afroz Khan Shahid Khan Pathan, 47, a pharmacist from Majalgaon in Beed district, was one of the 21 suspected SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) members arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). On July 27, 2016, a special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court convicted him and several others on charges of being part of a larger conspiracy to commit anti-national activities. Pathan had allegedly travelled to Bangladesh to bring money to execute the crime, the prosecution claimed. Pathan then moved the high court seeking suspension of his sentence and grant of bail. He contended in his plea that though there was a reference to him in the confessional statements of two of his co-accused - Mohammed Amir Shakil Ahmed and Sayyed Aakif Sayyed Zafaruddin -, there was no evidence to suggest that he had visited Bangladesh via Calcutta and brought funds pursuant to the conspiracy. On Thursday, a division bench of justice Revati Mohite Dere and justice Gauri Godse accepted his contention. Neither of the confessions, where there is a reference to the applicant, prima facie shows that the applicant (Pathan) had in fact been to Bangladesh and brought funds or that he had knowledge or reason to believe the purpose for which he was sent to Bangladesh or of the larger conspiracy, the bench said. Besides, it said, both the confessions had been retracted and nothing had been recovered at the instance of the applicant. The court also took into consideration that Pathan had been in jail for the last 17 years and while in custody he completed BA through IGNOU and secured 63% marks and later did his masters in political science. He had completed a six-month yoga course and apart from working in the Taloja jail hospital, he is also conducting counseling and de-radicalisation sessions in the prison, the bench said, and granted him bail. On May 8, 2006, an ATS team chased a Tata Sumo and an Indica on the Chandwad-Manmad highway near Aurangabad and arrested three people. The agency seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 30 kg of RDX, 10 AK-47 assault rifles, 3,200 bullets and 50 hand grenades, from the vehicles. The Indica was allegedly driven by the purported main conspirator, Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who had received the consignment from Nepal-based Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Rashid Abdulla alias Junaid, the prosecution had said. MUMBAI: The police have externed out eight history sheeters from their respective limits. The accused have several cases of assault, theft, unlawful assembly, molestation, threatening and cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered against them. They had a headache after which a decision was taken to extern all of them. HT Image Those externed include Ajay Daniel Kasbe, 23, a resident of Siddhart Colony, Chembur, who headed the gang. We have also externed its members of the gang - Vijay Daniel Kasbe, 29, Praful Torane, 29, Rahul Gholap, 23, Akshay Kamble, 23, Anil Kurade, 30, and Aditya Dongre, 18, said a police officer from Chembur police station. The accused have several cases registered against them in Chembur and Govandi areas and had created fear in the minds of people. Senior inspector of Chembur police station submitted a proposal to extern them under section 55 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 (dispersal of gangs and bodies of persons) accordingly the DCP accepted the proposal and externed the six of them as a preventive measure to avoid crimes in future as well, said a police officer from Chembur police station. Similarly, the Govandi police also externed Sachin alias Bhaiyya Mall, 22, and Arjun Sonar, 21 from their jurisdiction as they were involved in several crimes. The police said the accused all of them were well known in Chembur and Govandi areas and under the influence of drugs attacked people with the intention of theft. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai: Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Saturday, leaving wide swathes of the city waterlogged. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert (heavy rains from 60 mm to 200 mm) for the next 24 hours in view of continuous rain. Mumbai, India - June 24, 2023 : Water logging in a Subway due to Heavy Rain at Andheri, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) In just three hours, the city recorded 88 mm rain on Saturday. At 5pm, IMDs Santacruz weather station (Mumbais base station) had recorded only 27.8 mm rain, by 8.30pm the reading was 115.8 mm. While the city received light showers in the morning, heavy rainfall in a few parts of the city began after 5pm. The rainfall in Dahisar was 143.01 mm followed by Vikhroli and Marol, which recorded 119.8 mm. The Western suburbs recorded the maximum rainfall at 96 mm till 9pm followed by Eastern suburbs at 79 mm and island city at 71 mm. Saturdays downpour was a result of active monsoon currents. IMD officials said southwest monsoon currents got activated 24 hours ago and some parts of south Konkan received very heavy rain. Monsoon that paused at Ratnagiri on June 11 reached Alibaug on Saturday. We expect monsoon to set in Mumbai over the next 48 hours, Sushma Nair, a scientist with the IMDs Regional Meteorological Centre. The rains also claimed two lives after two sanitation workers were washed away while they were inside a nullah near Shivaji Nagar bus depot in Govandi at 4pm. The deceased have been identified as Ramkrishna, 25, and Sudhir Das, 30. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). These workers were hired by a private contractor for the civic bodys work. Meanwhile, social media platforms were flooded with videos and pictures of waterlogging and traffic snarls in various parts of the city. Traffic movement was hit after Andheri subway faced waterlogging on Saturday evening. The Mumbai Traffic police on Twitter announced that the subway was shut due to waterlogging. It said that the traffic was diverted towards SV Road on the west side and diverted towards Andheri Station Road and Western Express Highway on the east side. As the key Andheri east-west connector, Gokhale bridge, was shut in November last year, the subway is one of the nearest routes. The subway was open to traffic after water was pumped out. Besides, the traffic police said vehicular movement was slow at Asalpha and Sakinaka junction due to waterlogging, the BD Road near Mahalaxmi temple and Gaffar Khan Road near Worli Sea Link gate also reported a slow vehicular movement. The BMC, on the other hand, had made multiple claims since last month on keeping various spots flood-free. Just last week, the civic body had issued a statement that it will try to keep the Andheri subway free of floods. BMC commissioner and administrator Iqbal Chahal said the first rains always have teething problems, like previous monsoons. Chahal added that he is sure that this will smoothen out in the coming few days. Additional commissioner (Projects) P Velrasu said, A good storm water department system will drain the water at the earliest. We have achieved this in all locations by pumps and engineering measures. Gandhi market and Hindmata were all normal immediately and traffic was smooth. Velrasu also explained that the catchment area at Andheri subway is huge and water cannot be drained quickly. A total of 11 tree falling incidents were also reported in the city. Of them, five were in Western suburbs, two in eastern suburbs and four in the island city. Ten cars were damaged after a tree fell in Malabar Hill. We immediately reached the spot. The fire brigade acted swiftly. Nobody was injured in the incident, senior police inspector Uday Singh Shingade said. A small portion of a house collapsed in the western suburbs, the BMC said and added that fire brigade was dispatched to the spot. The BMC said that due to heavy rains after 5pm, five spots in the city reported waterlogging with slow draining. Of these, two were in Western suburbsAndheri Subway and Dahisar Subway. Two in island cityDadar TT circle and Sionand Tilak Nagar in eastern suburbs. Short circuits were reported at seven placesthree in island city, two each in Western and eastern suburbs. Various BEST buses were also diverted due to waterlogging. Seven bus routes were diverted in Sion, three in Malad and four in Dahisar. The railways said that all sections, all suburban trains and mail express trains were running smoothly. MUMBAI: The police have arrested a private money lender and two of his associates for allegedly kidnapping a 35-year-old LIC agent from Laljipada area in Kandivali West, purportedly to recover pending dues from him. HT Image According to the police, one of the accused had given the complainant a loan and despite him repaying the entire loan, the private lender claimed he was not fully paid, and demanded 30 lakh more. He told the complainant that he was taking him to the police station, but took him to Aarey Forest and forcibly took 5 lakh from him and also coerced him to sign certain documents. The police said they have registered a case based on the complaint of Sanjay Prajapati, 35, a LIC agent who resides in Bunder Pakhadi area in Kandivali West. Prajapati had taken a loan from Acchelal Yadav, 52, a resident of Karjat. Prajapati returned the 28 lakh with the interest. Despite that Yadav claimed that Prajapati owed him 30 lakh more. There was an argument between the two over the same, said a police officer from Kandivali police station. On Thursday afternoon the accused called Prajapati near Hotel Chandrika at 90 Feet Road in the Laljipada area and told him that he needed to come with them to the police station. They asked him to sit in their van, said a police officer from Kandivali police station. When Prajapati refused to sit in their vehicle, they forced him in an auto and instead of taking the auto to the police station took it towards Aarey Forest. They then threatened him and transferred 1.93 lakh from his account to their bank accounts. Later they withdrew 1 lakh more from his bank using his debit cards and again transferred 2.75 lakhs from his bank account by a mobile banking application, said the police officer. The officer added that they didnt stop at that and further asked him to sign an agreement brought by them which stated that he would pay them 30 lakh more in February 2024. They then threatened to pick him up from his residence the next time, if failed to clear the purported dues. After the complainant approached us, we registered a case and arrested three people in the matter, said DCP Ajay Kumar Bansal, Zone XI. The accused have been booked for kidnapping the LIC agent, extorting from him, putting him in fear of death or grievous hurt in order to commit extortion. The police said they have arrested Yadav, 52, Manohar Devghare, 36, and Manish Pancharas, 40, all residents of Karjat. The police are searching for one more accomplice of the accused. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WELLS, Nev.The owner and operator of Bellas Hacienda Ranch, a legal brothel in Wells, Nev., seeks to persuade the Wells City Council to no longer use the word prostitute on Sheriffs work cards issued to sex workers. Madam Bella Cummins believes that the term carries a stigma that degrades and disrespects the women working in the brothel. Cummins aims to lobby the city council to replace prostitute with the more complimentary designation courtesan. Derogatory terms like prostitute perpetuate social stigmas and stereotypes, leading to further discrimination and marginalization of sex workers, Cummins said. Its important that Nevadans understand and appreciate the impact of the words we use to describe the workers in our communities. Derogatory terms can contribute to a hostile environment toward women, undermine their inherent dignity and hinder social progress. By avoiding derogatory terms and using respectful language when classifying female workers, we promote inclusivity, foster understanding, and contribute to a more compassionate and equitable society. Im asking to address the Wells City Council and implore the council to officially change the work card designation to courtesan, a term that aptly describes the services provided by brothel workers, but without the negative connotations associated with the current classification. Cummins believes her advocacy is part of a larger movement throughout Nevada to address the way legal language has often demeaned the states licensed sex workers, noting that other Nevada counties have seen success with similar efforts to change brothel work card titles. In recent years, Nye County has officially reclassified sex workers in the county as courtesans on their Sherrifs work cards, Cummins said. If advocates remain diligent, other jurisdictions will follow. One day very soon, Im hopeful no documentation disparaging women will be permitted anywhere in Nevada. Madam Bella Cummins is the owner and operator of Bellas Hacienda Ranch. Founded in 1950, the brothel provides a safe and lawful option for sex workers to prosperously practice their trade. Serving customers from across the globe, Bellas offers a myriad of exclusive amenities, including VIP accommodations and a selection of ornately designed erotic specialty rooms. Madam Bella founded the Onesta Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to support Nevada sex workers and advocate for prostitution legalization throughout the United States. MUMBAI: A 32-year-old man has been arrested by the Malvani police on Friday with 11 fake 500 notes. Several note-making equipment was also found in the home of the accused which indicates that he made and circulated fake currency notes. Umesh Jaikishan Kumar,arrested by the Malvani police on Friday with 11 fake 500 notes. (HT Photo) According to the assistant police inspector Hasan Mulani, they laid a trap to catch the accused, identified as Umesh Jaikishan Kumar, a native of Haryana. They received a tip-off that he would be selling some fake notes near Gate Number 1 in Malvani, Malad. While our team members stood there in plain clothes, around 10pm they saw a man matching the description of the person who would be selling the fake notes. On physical search, we found him carrying eight fake 500 notes, said senior inspector Chimaji Adhav. Based on this finding, the team took the accused back to the MHADA colony in Charkop, where he was renting a house. They found a laptop, an iPad, three more fake 500 notes, the bond paper used to print fake currency notes and several other things, said Adhav. He recently shifted from New Delhi to Mumbai. We are trying to ascertain whether he is part of a big network of people circulating fake currency notes, said Adhav. The accused was taken to court on Friday and was granted police custody till June 26. MUMBAI: A special court, set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, on Friday sentenced a 21-year-old man to three years in prison for forcibly hugging a minor girl and kissing her on cheek. HT Image The accused claimed that the two were in a relationship and would often go out and take pictures together. The girl, however, said they were just friends. While holding the man guilty of sexual harassment, the court said the accused, a major, must take care and not indulge in sexual activities with minor girls. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 18, 2018, when the girl was alone at home as her parents had gone out for work and her grandmother had gone to attend a society meeting. The girl was 16-year-old at the time of the incident. The girl claimed that when no one was at home, the accused, a Pydhonie resident, rang the doorbell and when she opened the door, he forcibly entered the house. She further claimed that the accused hugged her, kissed her and gagged her mouth. In the meantime, the doorbell rang again. Out of fear, the man hid himself on the mezzanine floor of the house, she said. When the girl opened the door and saw her grandmother, she started crying and narrated the incident. The grandmother caught hold of the accused and called the police. The accused was arrested and booked for sexually harassing the girl. The accused in his defence claimed that they were in a relationship. He also presented their photographs together when they had gone out. Besides, the accused also said that it was the girl who had called him to her house when no one was home. He also claimed that relations between him and the girl were good even after lodging the case and he would often meet her at their new residence as well. Rejecting his claims and holding him guilty of sexual harassment, the court said, Considering the fact that the girl was minor, the defence raised by the accused that he was in friendly relations with the girl and she used to go outside with him and also that he was invited by her, is not at all helpful to him. The accused who was a major and having sufficient maturity, must stay away from the minor girl and not involve in any physical/sexual act with her. Even if the said photographs have been considered, it is not at all sufficient to discard the prosecution case, as the girl was a minor at the time of incident, the court said. The NRI Coastal police are on the lookout for four unidentified accused who tried to kill Bharatiya Janata Partys Ulwe city chief and Vahal village deputy sarpanch Amar Kesharinath Mhatre, 40, with a weapon which seemed like a gupti knife and an iron rod. The incident happened on Friday around 8pm in sector 19B in Ulwe. The incident happened on Friday around 8pm in sector 19B in Ulwe. Mhatre, who also has a construction business, along with his colleagues Vikesh Mhatre and Ashwin Naik had gone to the BJP office in Ulwe Sector-19B to conduct regular party work. When leaving for home, Vikesh Mhatre and Naik were leaving in the same car and Amar Mhatre in other. When Amar Mhatre was going towards his car, three unknown men on a two-wheeler along with their fourth accomplice, already standing there approached Amar and started beating him with iron rods and bamboo sticks. While the attacker tried to stab Amar Mhatre in the chest with a knife, he immediately bent down to save himself and suffered cuts on his head instead. Vikesh and Naik ran to save Amar but were also beaten up by the attackers in which Vikesh suffered severe wrist injury. The accused then fled from the place and the passersby gathered there admitted all three to Bharti Multi Specialty Hospital. We have procured the CCTV footage of the area to trace the attackers and are working on the case, said a police officer The accused have been booked under the sections of 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) failure to provide adequate number of teachers for its first CBSE board school in Koparkhairane for almost two years in a row on Thursday triggered a strong protest from the parents of children enrolled in the school. Concerned about their childrens education, over 100-odd parents assembled at the school seeking answers from the school management . Parents protest outside NMMC-run CBSE School at Koparkhairane against poor teacher-student ratio in the school , on Thursday, June 22, 2023. A total of 10 teachers teach over 1300 students (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) With just 10 teachers, the school management has been struggling to provide proper education to the 1,375 students enrolled from Class I to VI. Depicting the utter mismanagement was a timetable issued for the new academic year wherein specific days were given for each standard to attend school. Just imagine our plight to see that students cannot be sent to school daily only because there are no teachers available. As per the new timetable, class I and II students will get to attend school only on Mondays and Wednesdays. Earlier there used to be four divisions of these standards, but that is now clubbed into two divisions, said a parent present at the protest. According to the timetable, Standard III and V students could attend school only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Even in these standards, the number of classes has been reduced drastically. So standard III now has only two divisions, and the entire Class VI and V have only one class. Due to this at a time there are more than 160 students in a class, and they are being made to attend school only twice a week. said another parent As per CBSE board, the pupil teachers ratio should not exceed 30:1 in the school. In addition to this, there must be 1.5 teachers per section, excluding principal, physical education teacher and counselor, to teach various subjects. Since the time, this school was commissioned in 2018, the number of teachers has always been less. Over the years the number of students and standards increased with no increase in the teaching staff. currently more than 100 students are being taught by 1 teacher, said another parent. Parents protest outside NMMC-run CBSE School at Koparkhairane against poor teacher-student ratio in the school , on Thursday, June 22, 2023. A total of 10 teachers teach over 1300 students (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) Angered with the state of affairs, the parents protested in large numbers outside the school. Many while relating their anguish were in tears and sought from the corporation to resolve the matter or conduct classes at the headquarters. Such a serious matter involving the future of so many children but not a single person of authority from NMMC has come. Is it wrong for the parents to ask about teachers? Because of the poor quality education given, no other schools are willing to give admissions as their marks are very low, said a parent Sagar Patil. By afternoon the protest also garnered political support from both the BJP and the MNS local units backing the protestors. Former corporator Suraj Patil in a letter addressed to the Municipal commissioner has threatened a hunger strike from July 3 onwards if the administration does not resolve the matter. What is the point of sending children to school when there are no teachers available? We are no longer wanting false assurances and since administration is not willing to give us anything in writing, we have decided to not send students to school, said Ayesha khan, another parent Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar said the civic body is working to resolve the matter at the earliest. On Wednesday itself, orders were issued for giving appointment letters to seven new teachers and they will be joining from next week onwards. Additionally, an agency has been identified who will look into further recruitments so that the school can function in an appropriate manner, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON THANE: The Property cell of Thane Police has arrested a man for allegedly housebreaking in his uncle and aunts house when they were out of town in Mumbra, said police on Friday. Man breaks into his own aunts home in Mumbra, held The accused has been identified as Aarfeen Anwar Sayyed, who lives with his wife and daughter in the Jivan Baug area in Mumbra. Earlier, they lived in the Nagpada area, and Sayyed worked as a laborer. The police seized 12-gram gold ornaments, cash, and a mobile phone total of 3,30,450 from the accused possession. The complaint was filed by his uncle at Mumbra Police Station on June 5, under section 454, 457,380 of the Indian Penal Code against an unknown person. The complainant stated in his statement that the family had gone out of the city for personal reasons and locked the door of the house. On June 15, an unknown person unlocked the door and entered the house, and decamped with a 12-gram gold ornament that had kept a cupboard for the daughters wedding and cash or a mobile phone. Anandrao Rane, senior police inspector, Property cell of Thane Police said, Based on reliable information and intelligence technology, we started to look for the accused. We got to know about one man who would be coming to Mumbra bypass to sell the property to someone. We formed a team of police personnel and laid a trap near the Mumbra bridge. We nabbed him and checked him and found gold ornaments, cash, or a mobile phone, totaling 3, 30,450. he added, During the interrogation, he revealed that he committed the offense in his uncle and auntys home. He knew that his uncle and aunty were preparing to collect gold ornaments for their daughters wedding and having gold ornaments. Police said that the accused said was handed over to Mumbra police for further investigation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MUMBAI: The sessions court recently sentenced three men to life imprisonment for killing a man in Mankhurd in April 2018 over a suspected affair with the sister of one of the accused. HT Image The court also imposed a fine of 30,000 each on the convicts - Ramprasad Prajapati alias Raghu (22), Hemant Gaud (20) and Ashish Yadav (22). The court has further said that 50,000 of the fine amount would be given to the kin of the deceased. One of the accused suspected the victim, Bindu Prajapati, was having an affair with his sister as the two used to speak a lot over the phone. According to the case registered with the Trombay police, Bindu, a food vendor, belonged to the same community and village as the girl - Antima, Raghus sister. Raghu did not like Bindu speaking to her and being too friendly with her. On April 11, 2018, Bindu was at his house with his brother Rakesh Prajapati at 7:30 pm when Hemant came to their house and asked Bindu to join him at Raghus house as the latter wanted to speak to him. Hemant took Bindu to Raghus house where Yadav was also present. Soon thereafter Rakesh heard Bindus cries for help from Raghus house. Rakesh rushed to Raghus house and started knocking on the door. In the meantime, neighbours also gathered there. Half an hour later Raghu opened the door and Bindu came out of the house with severe injuries. Bindu told Rakesh and Dharmendra, a local resident, that since he was talking to Raghus sister on the phone Raghu was angry with him. Hence, Raghu called him at his house and abused him and asked him if was playing with the honour of their family and that they would end his life. Then all three accused started assaulting him, and Bindu told Rakesh and Dharmendra. While Hemant and Yadav held him, Raghu assaulted Bindu with a wooden rod. Bindu was taken to Shatabdi Hospital immediately. He was advised to be shifted to Sion Hospital. Bindu had sustained a fracture on the right side of the head. Bindu succumbed to injuries on April 23, 2018. The accused contended that Bindu was sexually harassing Raghus sister and would also follow her. Besides, it was argued that Bindu was married and having children, still, he used to talk to Raghus sister. It was claimed that he was called by Raghu to confront him. They also claimed that Bindu did not die because of the injuries but because of the infection in the injuries and due to the negligence of the doctors. The prosecution, however, said that he died because of the injuries. It was a preplanned act by the accused wherein they assaulted Bindu on vital parts causing his death. The court rejected the defence of the accused and convicted three for the murder of Bindu. The first wave of floods in Assam has affected nearly half a million people across 19 districts with two deaths reported so far, according to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Bajali remained the worst affected district due to floods (Twitter Photo) The deceased has been identified as Nikhilesh Malla Bujorbaruah, a resident of Sanekuchi village in Borbhag Tehsil of Nalbari district. Another death was reported on Thursday in Tamulpur district. The state government officials have assured that family members of both of them will receive an amount of compensation as an ex-gratia scheme. ASDMA on Friday issued the latest report, according to which, 488,525 persons across 1,538 villages and two urban areas in 19 districts are flood affected at present. The flood-affected districts include Bajali, Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Udalguri, according to ASDMA. Bajali remained the worst affected district on Friday as well, where the flood-affected population is 267,253, while Barpeta comes second with 73,233 people suffering due to the floods. 35,142 flood-affected people have taken shelter in 225 relief camps built by the government authorities across 14 districts. The highest number of camps have been opened in Bajali where 15,841 people have taken shelter in 73 camps. The state government authorities have said that they are providing food, medicine and other essentials to the inmates. The state disaster response force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are alert in all the flood-prone districts, officials said. Moreover, 10,782 hectares of cropland are submerged by the flood-water at this moment which will result in the destruction of large amounts of agricultural products, according to the farmers. Apart from humans, 427,474 animals have been affected by the first wave of floods in Assam this year and according to ASDMA, more than 200 animals, domestic and wild, have been washed away by the floods so far. Erosions and damage to important infrastructures like bridges, schools and houses have been reported from various districts. The flood waters have caused damage to 14 embankments in three districts. Other infrastructure damages were reported in 213 areas in 14 districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in several districts while they issued a Yellow alert till Sunday. As per the local reports, heavy rainfall is being witnessed in various districts of Assam. Major rivers like Brahmaputra, Manas, Puthimari and Pagladiya are flowing above the danger level while rivers like Barak and Kopili are flowing below the danger mark. Urban floods have been reported in Darrang and Kokrajhar districts. However, damage to infrastructures has been witnessed in a few areas which are not officially on the list of flood-affected districts, like Cachar and Karimganj. The roads connecting Barak Valley and Guwahati through Meghalaya were blocked for several days due to a landslide but became pliable on Thursday, as per government sources. However, the latest reports suggest that fresh landslides have occurred in Meghalayas Sonapur area. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In another effort to resolve the Assam-Meghalaya border dispute, the Ri-Bhoi regional committee chaired by Meghalaya deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong held a panel meeting on Friday to discuss the plans for the next phase of border talks with Assam. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma (left) and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (right) (File Photo) Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Tynsong announced that the regional committees of both states would have a joint meeting in July. To deliberate on the inter-state boundary differences regarding the four sectors under Meghalayas Ri Bhoi district, a joint meeting of the regional committees from Meghalaya and Assam will be held next month, Tynsong said as he maintained that the government is committed to seeking transferring of Block I and Block II to Meghalaya. Also Read: Explained: Assam-Meghalaya border dispute and todays historic agreement We will fix a joint meeting with the regional committee of our Assam counterpart. We will also conduct a joint inspection and assessment of the remaining areas of differences and then take a final call on this issue, he said. Tynsong said as far as Ri Bhoi district is concerned, there are four sectors Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Deshdoomreah, Block-II where the two regional committees need to sit down and discuss and then take a final call on whatever needs to be done to resolve the contentious issue that has been lying unsolved for over half a century. Stating that the same criteria will be adopted while finding a solution to resolve the dispute, the Dy CM said, Peoples willingness is also part of the guidelines of this committee. Therefore, guidelines have been in place since the last phase so even in this second phase the same criteria are adopted. Affirming that the government has all documents to substantiate its claim over the four sectors Tynsong said, That is why we will sit down with our counterpart and discuss across the table, and we will go down to the village level and take a final decision. On the demand to retransfer all villages under Block II back to Meghalaya, the deputy chief minister said on the matter as far as Block I and Block II are concerned, it is a question of retransferring, but some people have misunderstood this. Further, Tynsong said that after 50 years of statehood, it is only the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, which has taken a firm decision to resolve the long pending boundary dispute with Assam. He reminded that an MoU was also signed with Assam resolving six areas of difference under the first phase of border talks. The two northeastern states signed an agreement to resolve their 50-year-old border dispute in six of the 12 locations last year. On the opposition against the MoU, Tynsong said, The first phase we have done it, yes, a large portion of Meghalayas population would agree while some would not. But whatever I am telling you, we are doing this for the best interest of the next generation of our state so we will go ahead no matter what, we will go ahead with it. The last meeting on the border dispute was held in May between Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K Sangma in Guwahati. A 70-year-old retired sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was killed after he intervened in a quarrel between a man and his son who was in a drunken state, police said. (Representative Photo) The incident took place at Azad Nagar locality, Motihari in East Champaran district on Saturday morning, said police. Motihari town police station house officer (SHO) Brij Mohan Choudhary said the incident took place when the victim, identified as Jagat Prasad Singh, was allegedly attacked by one Sonu Kumar Shrivastava with a brick. Also Read: Armed robber loot 18.75 lakh from ICICI bank in Bihars East Champaran: Police A preliminary probe revealed that the retired officer spotted his neighbour Pramod Kumar Shrivastava and his son Sonu Kumar Shrivastava involved in a brawl after the former protested against his drinking habit. Singh rushed to their house and tried to pacify them. But, in the feat of rage, Sonu knocked him down and hit him with a brick on his chest, said an eyewitness, wishing to be nameless. Police said Singh was taken to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The body has been sent for postmortem, the SHO said. Police are yet to register a case in this connection. Motihari (Sadar) sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Raj said that they are looking into the matter, and an investigation has been launched. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON VARANASI At least four people, including three minor boys and a woman, were killed as lightning struck four different places in Sonbhadra in the last two days. While one incident of lightning occurred on Friday, three other incidents were reported on Saturday. Representational photo (PTI) According to reports, Vikas Yadav (13), a resident of Bhataulia village of Sadar Kotwali area, died after being hit by lightning. He was a student of class 7th in a government primary school. On Friday, when he had gone to graze his buffaloes, it started raining suddenly. Vikas hid under the tree to save himself from rain but lightning struck the tree and caught Vikas. He died on the spot. Later, locals informed police. Hinduari outpost in-charge Balendu Yadav reached the spot and took the body in possession. Subsequently, he sent the body for postmortem. In a similar incident on Saturday, Seema Yadav (32), a resident of Baki village under Machi police station area, was struck by lightning when she out to collect mahua in the outskirts of the village on Saturday. Suddenly, the lightning struck her and she died on the spot. Police reached the spot and sent the body for post mortem. Another victim, Ritesh (6), a resident of Barwatola in Babhani area, had also gone out to collect Mahua under a Mahua tree just 500 meter off his house. Suddenly, it started raining with thunder and lightning struck him and he died on the spot. On Friday, Shivbaran Gond (10) of village Doomardiha in Dudhi area was playing about 30 metres away from his house around 4 pm on Friday. The boy hid under a tree and caught the stray wire of a pole. Suddenly, lightning struck the wire and boy suffered a major shock with severe burn injuries. The kin rushed him to the hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON LIVING CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH Jun 25 500 W. Riordan Road, 500 W. Riordan Road, Flagstaff. 928-526-8595. 10-11 a.m., We invite all to celebrate with us God's love and presence in our lives and be God's hands in the world. We are intentionally inclusive. We worship through music, teaching, prayer, and the sacraments each Sunday at 10 a.m., at the Campus Ministry Center located on the NAU campus or join us online. Join Rev. Kurt Fangmeier for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost! God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Jeremiah feels the pain of rejection from those who do not want to hear what he has to say. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid for God accounts for each hair on our heads. Though we may experience rejection, frustration, division, and death, Gods grace and love make us a new creation each day. Marked with the cross and filled with holy food, we are sent from worship to witness to Christ in the world. We will learn more with our First Reading of Jeremiah 20:7-13 (The prophet must speak despite opposition), Psalm 69:7-10[11-15] 16-18 (Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind.) and the Second Reading of Romans 6:1b-11(Buried and raised with Christ by baptism) together with the Gospel Matthew10:24-39 (The cost of discipleship). https://go.evvnt.com/1805918-0. PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Jun 25 3430 N. Fourth St., 3430 N. Fourth St., Flagstaff. 928-526-9578. 10-11 a.m., We invite you to join the family of Peace Lutheran Church (LCMS) on Sunday at 10:00am for in person blended service (Combined Liturgical, hymnal based and Praise Worship) with Holy Communion. Pastor William Weiss Jr. (Pastor Bill) will be presiding. The service will be live streamed on our website (peacelutheranflagstaff.org) and on YouTube. Fellowship and refreshments are available before the worship service beginning 9:15am. https://go.evvnt.com/1802992-0. BEACON UU SUNDAY SERVICE: "Faith for Those Who Question" Jun 25 Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 510 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff. (928) 779-4492. 10-11 a.m., ALL ARE WELCOME! You BELONG at Beacon. Spiritually open and intentionally inclusive since 1958. Unitarian-Universalists have a long history of asking deep questions. Dr. Andy Hogg will explore how we can experience faith within our broad spiritual belief system. He will illustrate some of those concepts with classical music selections from Beethoven, Strauss, Copland, Holst, and Mozart. Spirituality needs to involve head, heart, and soul. The Annual Congregational Meeting will follow the service. https://go.evvnt.com/1792657-0. Unity of Flagstaff Spiritual Center Jun 25 Unity of Flagstaff, 1800 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff. 10:30-11:30 a.m., www.unityofflagstaff.org youtube.unityofflagstaff.org 1800 S. Milton Suite 103 Live or LIVESTREAM 10:30 AM Sunday Do you GET It? The Art of Receiving: Learning to receive gracefully is one of the greatest arts we can master. Receiving is what enables the action of giving to take place; it is a necessary complement and a gift to the giver. However, have you noticed how difficult it can be? Shying away from receiving is even encouraged and can be seen as a sign of humility. Rev. Penni invites us into a new thought about receiving: Perhaps we can see it as an art. And does the inability to receive the good that the Universe has for us impede more good from coming to us? In our hurry to avoid receiving, what message are we sending? How could Spirit bless us more were we to learn The Art of Receiving? Unity of Flagstaff Spiritual Center, Find YOUR Expression. ALL are Welcome!. https://go.evvnt.com/1806268-0. Flagstaff Federated Community Church Please join us for in person services Sundays at 10 a.m. We are located at 400 W Aspen Ave. on the corner of Aspen and Sitgreaves in Downtown Flagstaff. All are welcome to our services. For more information about Flagstaff Federated Community Church please call our office at 928-774-7383, Mon Thurs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Church of the Resurrection Sunday Church Services 740 W. University Heights Drive S., 740 W. University Heights Drive S., Flagstaff. 928-853-8522. 10-11:30 a.m., Church of the Resurrection Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 740 W. University Heights Drive South. Please feel free to contact us for information on our mid-week gatherings and for more information on our church. You can find us at www.cor-pca.org and www.facebook.com/CORFlagstaff or we can be reached at corflagstaff@gmail.com and (928) 699-2715. Leupp Nazarene Church The church, near mile post 13 or Navajo Route 15, has been holding services by teleconferences and doing drive-up meetings. For information, call pastor Farrell Begay at 928-853-5321. Teleconference number: 1-7170275-8940 with access code 3204224#. Services are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Christian Science Society of Flagstaff 619 W. Birch Ave. Bible Lesson services every Sunday 10-11am (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/369812794). Testimony Meetings every Wednesday: 5:30-6:30pm (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/971672834). Zoom password: CSS. LUCKNOW After universities in Gorakhpur, Meerut and Lucknow, the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University in Bareilly has secured the coveted A++ rating from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). With this, the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, became the fourth university in the state to get A++ grade by NACC. The governor said that this achievement is inspirational for other universities of the state. (HT Photo) In the past, Lucknow University, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, and Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut got A++ grade in NAAC assessment, while King Georges Medical University, Lucknow, and Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur, has received A+ grade. Taking to twitter, governor and chancellor Anandiben Patel expressed happiness over the Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, getting A++ grade in NAAC evaluation and heartily congratulated the Vice-Chancellor, the members of the university family and the people of the state. She said that it is indeed a matter of pride for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, to receive A++ grade in NAAC evaluation, because NAAC assesses teaching work as well as overall systems in higher education institutions in India. Governor held several NAAC evaluation meetings at the Raj Bhavan in which she gave important suggestions to the university for compliance on several points. After that, the university has achieved this success, according to a Raj Bhawan press release. The governor added that this achievement is inspirational for other universities of the state. It is due to the special efforts of the governor, a number of U.P. universities got good rating from NAAC. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The mega Opposition meet in Patna on Friday has resolved to ink a common national agenda or common minimum programme (CMP) to work out a seat-sharing arrangement on a state-specific basis and also draw up an agitational programme on peoples issues at the next meeting in Shimla in July in their bid to forge a coalition to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 parliamentary elections, according to leaders from the grand alliance (GA) who attended the meeting. Opposition meet in Patna on Friday (File Photo) In the meeting, the leaders proposed a formula of performance in the past three elections, including both assembly and Lok Sabha, along with the vote share in these polls to decide on parties getting tickets to have united opposition candidates. The GA leaders feel that the formula will present fairness to the seat-sharing among political parties, especially in the states with regional parties. Also Read: Opposition parties Patna meet: Seat sharing to be based on vote share arithmetic Leaders aware of the discussion at the meeting said the four-hour-long deliberations at the meeting hosted by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at his official residence and attended by 15 opposition parties discussed the broad outline of the proposed anti-BJP front, the challenges before the opposition and how a seat-sharing arrangement could be done for the new coalition by taking into account that the political dynamics varied in each state. The leaders said the meeting discussed the structure of the proposed front, and nomenclature and also resolved that a convenor for the proposed front would be announced at the Shimla meeting in all probability. There are speculations that CM Kumar would be made the convenor of the new front in the Shimla meeting to be held tentatively on July 10 or July 12, said the leaders. Opposition leaders from 15 parties, including six chief ministers, attended the unity meeting in Patna, with the exception of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). In the meeting, the leaders announced that they will collectively challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government in the 2024 parliamentary elections. AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann attended the meeting but skipped the press briefing, citing issues over a black ordinance from Congress. The next meeting will be held in Shimla on either 10 or 12 July. AAP row: The leaders said that there were deliberation on the AAP demand for Congress and other opposition parties support in opposing the ordinance brought by the Centre for control of administrative services in Delhi in Rajya Sabha, and there was a consensus view taken that opposition parties, including the Congress, would be opposing the ordinance as a united bloc. However, they added that the AAP leaders were keen that an announcement of the meetings resolve to oppose the ordinance should be announced at a press conference after the meeting, which apparently did not find much merit from the Congress and other leaders. The theory has some credence because AAP chief and Delhi chief minister along with Punjab chief minister Bhagwat Maan were not present at the presser held after the meeting as CM Kumar claimed Kejriwal and Maan had to leave for Delhi because of work. Also Read: Oppn unity meet: Will fight polls unitedly, says Nitish; next huddle in Shimla The AAP was keen that an announcement be made that opposition would oppose the ordinance in Rajya Sabha. But there was a view among leaders that when the time comes, the ordinance would be opposed in Rajya Sabha, said a senior GA leader, in the know of the matter. Meanwhile, in a statement released in the evening by AAP after the meeting concluded, it said, Except for the Indian National Congress, all other 11 parties, which have representation in the Rajya Sabha, have clearly expressed their stand against the black ordinance (Centress ordinance on Delhi govt) and announced that they would oppose it in the Rajya Sabha. AAP leader Kejriwal wrote a letter seeking clarification from opposition leaders on their stand over the ordinance before Fridays meeting, which had evoked a strong reaction from the Congress. It was a consensus view that the ordinance was not an issue confined only to Delhi government as had a pan-India effect because it was an attack on the constitution. We will oppose it unitedly, said a leader, present at the meeting. Seat sharing: The Opposition leaders confirmed that there was a discussion on the structure of the proposed front, seat-sharing arrangement and CMP at the meeting. Insiders said the leaders discussed how there were complexities in seat adjustment in various states because the electoral dynamics of regional players and national parties varied from state to state. The seat-sharing arrangement would be done on a state-to-state basis so that each ally be it a regional party or national party can get adequate seat allotments in their respective states, said another grand alliance functionary. Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the meeting was a good beginning for opposition unity and many aspects like the possibilities of defeating the BJP by forging a united opposition front was discussed. The opposition has 63% and BJP has 37% votes. If we fight unitedly, we can always reduce the BJP to 20% of votes, Bhattacharya said. Also Read: Congress not a team player, must clear ordinance stance: AAP after Patna Opposition meet He also said agitational programmes in the run-up to the parliamentary polls next year by the united opposition would be also drawn up on key issues like attacks on federal structure, and weakening of constitutional bodies allegedly by the BJP-led government at the Centre. We will meet again in July in Shimla to prepare an agenda on how to move ahead together while working in our respective states to fight the BJP in 2024, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said. Bihar CM and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar said the opposition parties had a good meeting in Patna and it has been decided to fight the elections together. GA leaders also said at the Shimla meeting, many new partners who opposed the BJP, including Rashtriya Lok Dal, All India United Democratic Front, and a few parties from Kerala, would also participate. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A span of a 100-meter under-construction bridge over Mechi River on a-94-long stretch on NH-327 E between Galgaliya in Kishanganj and Araria collapsed at Gorichak in Bihars Kishanganj on Friday raising the question over the quality of construction. Span of the bridge collapsed in Bihars Kishanganj (HT Photo) An expert team has been sent to the site to probe the collapse. This is the 11th bridge collapse over the past three years with six (including this one) in 2023. On June 4, the 3.16 km-long , four-lane bridge over the river Ganga connecting north and south Bihar, built between Sultanganj in Bhagalpur and Aguwani in Khagaria district collapsed. Abdhesh Kumar project director NHAI, Bihar told HT over phone that an expert team has gone to the site to find out the irregularities if any and on the basis of the report stringent action will be taken. He said it is an under-construction bridge over the Mechi river and there is no traffic on it. The bridge is being constructed under the widening project of the NH-327E road between Galgaliya-Araria at the cost of 1500 crores by G R Infra projects linking Araria in Bihar with Siliguri in West Bengal. The road is an alternative to NH-57 reducing the distance to reach Siliguri by about 80 kms. The road will facilitate the travelling of thousands of people of Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur besides Kishanganj and Araria. The six-span bridge near Gorichak whose third span caved in even when there is no spate in the river has hinted at serious irregularities in quality construction. It would have been a serious accident, if there had been traffic on it, locals said, expressing serious doubt over the ongoing projects. We demand to probe all the bridges being built on the 94-km-long stretch where the road is being widened, they demanded. On May 16, an under-construction bridge (20.10-metre-long) over Dumuhni river under Baisi block of Bihars Purnia district collapsed hours after concretisation work on it. Similarly, on March 19, 2923, two people were injured after a bridge on the Mahanadi river collapsed in Saran district.The stone-laden chip truck was passing over the bridge when it collapsed injuring the driver and cleaner of the truck. A 17-year-old boy was killed while three persons, including two women, were injured in an explosion inside a house in Bihars Bhagalpur district on Saturday evening, police said. At the blast site. (HT) According to police, the blast, which took place inside a two-storeyed building in Hussainabad Quareshi locality under Babarganj police station limits around 5.30 pm, brought down a part of the house, which is owned by one Mohammad Abdul Gani. A fire also broke out and was doused by a fire tender that was rushed there. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Taushif Alam. On receiving information about a fire at the house in Hussainabad Quareshi around 5.45 pm on Dial 112 (emergency services helpline), the fire brigade immediately reached the spot and controlled the fire. On inspection of the spot, it was prima facie found to be a case of explosion. The spot has been sealed. Forensic team and dog squad are reaching the spot, said Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anand Kumar. According to police, the debris from the house was scattered far and wide after the explosion. It is suspected that miscreants had been using the house for storing explosives. The injured have been rushed to JLNMCH in Bhagalpur town. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Avinash Kumar Avinash, a senior correspondent, reports on crime, railways, defence and social sector, with specialisation in police, home department and other investigation agencies. ...view detail Pune: Even as Pune received widespread moderate rainfall on Saturday, the monsoon is yet to hit the city, according to the weather department. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that there are strong indications of monsoons arrival in Pune and Mumbai. Even as Pune received widespread moderate rainfall on Saturday, the monsoon is yet to hit the city, according to the weather department. (HT) Meanwhile, the monsoon has made progress in some parts of Maharashtra, resulting in a significant reduction in maximum temperature in Vidarbha sub-division, bringing respite to residents from the heatwave. On Saturday, the city received light to moderate rainfall in many parts of the city, including Katraj, Kondhwa, Kothrud, Hadapsar, Sinhgad Road, central parts of the city, Baner and Pashan. The city experienced cloudy weather along with humidity. Anupam Kashyapi, head, weather and forecasting department, IMD Pune, said, On Saturday, the city received very light to light rain, visibility was reduced, and the cloud formed was monsoon type with high relative humidity, indicating the onset of monsoon shortly. Both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal branches of the monsoon are active. The rainy season has made progress over south Maharashtra, covering more areas of Konkan central Maharashtra and areas of Vidarbha. Condition is slowly becoming favourable for the onset of monsoon over Pune and Mumbai. The monsoon has covered districts, including Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, most parts of Satara, Solapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, and some parts of Chandrapur. The northern limit of the monsoon is passing through Alibaug, Solapur, Udgir, Nagpur, Mandla, Sonbhadra, Buxar, Siddharthnagar, Pantnagar, Bijnor, Yamunanagar, Una, and Dras. The regional meteorological centre (RMC), Mumbai, also issued a heavy to very heavy rainfall warning for all four meteorological sub-divisions in Maharashtra from June 25 to June 28. A heavy to very heavy rainfall warning was also issued for Pune district. The hilly areas in the district are expected to receive heavy rainfall in the next 3-4 days, according to the weather department. Conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon over most parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, during the next two days. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, remaining parts of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, some more parts of Haryana, including Chandigarh, and Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, East Rajasthan, and Punjab will also receive monsoon rains during this period, said IMD official. Vidarbha sub-division gets rainfall The monsoon rains brought respite to residents from the scorching heat after its arrival in Vidarbha sub-division on June 23. In the last 24 hours, the IMD recorded a significant reduction in maximum temperature in many areas of the region. In some areas, the temperature reduced by 8-10 degrees Celsius. It includes districts such as Gondia where temperature was recorded as 27.6 degrees Celsius (-10.6), Wardha 29.5 (-10), Nagpur 29.0 (-9.3), Chandrapur 29.4 (-8.8) and Bramhapuri as 29.4 degrees Celsius ( -7.8). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The highly anticipated return of Asta and his magical comrades in "Black Clover: Sword of The Wizard King" has captured the hearts of fans in Japan. Despite the tremendous success of the film in Japan, surpassing even Chris Hemsworth's "Extraction 2," Asta's glorious comeback has failed to leave a significant impact on Netflix's popularity charts in the Western market, where anime is gaining traction. Black Clover: Sword of The Wizard King is a hit in Japan but hasn't made a significant impact on Netflix's popularity charts in the West.(Netflix) In Japan, "Black Clover: Sword of The Wizard King" has not only dominated the number one spot but has also amassed an impressive six million views. As a major contender in the shonen anime genre, fans eagerly anticipate news regarding the series' revival on television screens. With the manga embarking on its final saga, enthusiasts are eager to witness the adaptation of crucial battles and pivotal events in the anime format. For those who haven't had the chance to experience Asta's latest adventure, Netflix has provided an official description of "Black Clover: Sword of The Wizard King." The synopsis reads, "As Asta continues his journey to become the Wizard King, the previous Wizard King Conrad, once feared as evil and sealed away, returns alongside three former Wizard Kings. Revived with the Imperial Sword, their mission is to destroy the Clover Kingdom. The boy who aspires to become the Wizard King must face off against the previous Wizard Kings in an intense battle involving all the magic knights." While the film has soared to great heights in Japan, its reception on Netflix worldwide tells a different story. Currently, "Black Clover: Sword of The Wizard King" is not ranked within the top ten on the streaming platform, with "Extraction 2" reigning supreme. Despite the growing popularity of anime in the West, Asta's journey has yet to capture the attention of Netflix viewers as it has in Japan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The recent patch of controversies surrounding Om Raut's Adipurush does not seem to end. On Saturday, All India Cine Workers Association wrote to the union home minister Amit Shah demanding registration of a case against the makers of the movie for 'hurting religious sentiments' and its continued efforts to 'make money selling discounted tickets across the multiplexes.' The letter demanded an FIR against Adipurush director Om Raut, co-writer Manoj Muntasir and the producers of the film. (Also read: Order ban of Adipurush screening: All India Cine Workers' body writes to PM, demands FIR against Om Raut-Manoj Muntashir) Adipurush stars Prabhas in the lead as Raghava. Adipurush controversy From bad VFX to unacceptable dialogues, Adipurush has received backlash from across the country. The criticism even prompted the makers to revise the dialogues of a certain scene in the film featuring Bajrang (based on Hanuman) saying, Kapda tere baap ka," to Kapda teri Lanka ka..." FIR on Adipurush makers According to news agency ANI, the letter read, "This letter is to draw your attention towards a Movie called Adipurush which was released on 16th June 2023 in the theatres across India, have been Hurting the Sentiments of Hindu religion and the people who belief and pray Bhagwan Ram, Maa Sita and Ram sevak Bhagwan hanuman, the Movie running in the theatres continues to depict the image of Bhagwan Ram and entire Ramayan and the producers also want to make money selling discounted tickets across the Multiplexes, which will send a wrong message about our learning and faith the Ramayan, the Makers T-Series and the producers, Writer Manoj Muntasir, and director Om Raut have made a mockery of Ramayan by twisting the dialogues , the costumes and the story line (characters which sounds unacceptable to anybody and everybody." The letter also stated, "We are requesting you to lodge an FIR against the director Makers of Adipurush Movie the producers Bhushan Kumar T-Series and others, the director Om Raut and the writer Manoj Muntasir Shukla." More on Adipurush Produced by T-Series, Adipurush is an interpretation of Ramayana, directed by Om Raut, that stars Prabhas as Raghav (based on Rama), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita), Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh (Ravana), Sunny Singh as Lakshman and Devdutta Nage as Bajrang. It released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada last week on June 16. It released in theatres last week in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The first teaser promo of Kangana Ranaut's Emergency is here. The film which marks her solo directorial debut, sees her play India's first female Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Kangana took to her Instagram to share the announcement of the release date of the film, which is on November 24, 2023. (Also read: Kangana Ranaut reveals she mortgaged all her property for Emergency as she wraps up shoot: 'Its a rebirth for me...') Kangana Ranaut has shared the release date of her solo directorial debut Emergency. The new Emergency promo The video begins on June 25, 1975, with a state of chaos as protestors create a ruckus on the street and it appears to be a newspaper cutout with the headline, "State of Emergency declared." In Anupam Kher's voiceover, we see him next behind bars with the caption, "Opposition leader arrested." He plays the role of the late political leader Jayaprakash Narayan, also known as JP Narayan in the film. "Ye hamari nahi iss desh ki maut hai (This is not our death but the country's death)" he says. More about the new teaser The teaser then sees protestors being shot on the streets. "Iss tanasaahi ko rokna hoga (We have to stop this dictatorship)" he says further. It is then when Kangana Ranaut's voiceover as Indira Gandhi begins, as she says, "Mujhe iss desh ki raksha karne se koi nahi rok sakta (No one can stop me from protecting this country)" as her face appears on the screen. "Kyuki (because), India is Indira, and Indira is India!" The title card of the film appears along with the release date of the film being November 24. Kangana shared the announcement video on her Instagram with the caption: "A protector or a dictator? Witness the darkest phase of our history when the leader of our nation declared a war on its people. #Emergency releasing worldwide on 24th November." Kangana on Emergency Earlier, Kangana had shared that she had mortgaged all her property for making the film, and had written a lengthy note after she wrapped the film this January. Kangana wrote, As I wrap Emergency as an actor today a tremendously glorious phase of my life comes to its full completion It may seem I sailed through it comfortably but the truth is far from it From mortgaging all my properties, every single thing that I owned to being diagnosed with dengue during the first schedule and having to film it in spite of alarmingly low blood cell counts, my character as an individual has been severely tested I have been very open about my feelings on SM (social media) but I didnt share all this, honestly, because I didnt want people, who cared to worry unnecessarily and those, who desperately want to see me fall and were doing everything to make me suffer, I didnt want to give them the pleasure of my pain" Kangana announced her film Emergency in 2021. It is written by Ritesh Shah, who also penned Kanganas last film Dhaakad. Besides Kangana and Anupam Kher, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry, late Satish Kaushik and Shreyas Talpade will also be seen in key roles in the film. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail Actor Ileana D'Cruz, who is expecting her firstborn, has responded to an Instagram user who asked her if she is worried about gaining weight. On Friday, the actor held an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram where she answered several questions from her fans and followers. She talked about her pregnancy journey among other topics. She wrote, "It's been a while...ask away and choose to be nice please." (Also Read | Ileana D'Cruz gets romantic with boyfriend in new pic, calls him 'my rock') Ileana D'Cruz held an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram. Ileana on gaining weight during pregnancy A person asked her, "You worried you are gonna gain weight?" She responded, "Ok so this question would initially really trigger me. And I think it's because so many people comment on your weight when you're having a baby. It doesn't help when you go to your doctor checkups and they have to weigh you in every time so it's consistently on your mind. Let me just say I've loved how my body has changed these past few months." She added, "It's such a miraculous wondrous humbling journey. And yes I'm human and there are days I don't feel great. But I have an amazing support system and people that love me and remind me that I am making a literal little human inside me! So 'weight' does not matter. Don't go by what the 'ideal amount of weight gain' should be during your pregnancy. Stay as happy as you can. As healthy as you can. And listen to your body! Do what feels right to you (red heart emoji)." The actor held an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram. Ileana on her baby Ileana also replied to a question where a fan asked, What was your feeling when you heard the heartbeat of your baby for the first time? She said, "One of the most beautiful moments I have ever experienced. I can't even describe how overwhelmed I was. There were tears and happiness and so much relief and joy. A massive surge of love for a tiny seed that was going to be a full-grown baby soon." Ileana on her cravings When a fan asked about her 'weirdest pregnancy cravings', she replied, "Mini carrots. Straight out of the bag (laughing emoji)." Another fan asked her what is she craving for the most, ice cream or pizza. On this, she replied, "Honestly, just good old Indian food! Haven't had a good butter chicken and naan in a while. Miss the food in Bombay." When asked about her pregnancy journey, she replied, "Honestly, there's so much to say regarding this journey but if I had to sum it up in one word -humbling. May get more into detail if it's something you guys want to know more about." When asked if she owns a beach house, since '90%' of your leisure photos seems to be on beach', Ileana said 'not yet'. She added, "But I adore the beach and being by the sea, calms my soul and makes my heart happy!" She also spoke about her work. Ileana on her work, Barfi 2 Talking about her work, a person asked if there is 'anything in the works other than brewing a baby'. She said, "Absolutely! Got to work with some wonderful people last year and I can't wait for you all to see it!" Another Instagram user wrote, Would you like if there would be Barfi 2. She replied, "Wow I never have thought about that. Barfi was and I think will always be so special to me. And what makes it that much more special is that there is just one Barfi. But the opportunity to come together and create another film and story as special - I'd love that." Helmed by Anurag Basu, Barfi (2012) was a romantic comedy-drama film also starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are making the most of their time in London. They are accompanied by sons Taimur and Jehangir and their latest pictures from the UK show Saif making a victory sign in one of the photos. The actor had left for a family holiday soon after the release of his big budget film, Adipurush. Also read: Adipurush box office day 8 collection: Prabhas film records its lowest number at 3 cr as shows get cancelled Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan and their two sons are currently on a holiday in London. Kareena, Saif, Tim and Jeh visit BBC Earth Experience Kareena Kapoor took to her Instagram Stories on Friday to share some pictures from their visit to the BBC Earth Experience. Sharing a selfie with Saif in which he made a victory sign as they posed in front of an Earth replica, Kareena wrote, My world". She shared a long shot as well from the same spot. Kareena, Saif and Taimur at BBC Earth Experience. She also shared a picture of Taimur watching artificial constellations. She simply wrote wow while sharing the picture which showed Taimur looking at a screen. The place offers an immersive experience with narration from David Attenborough and features breath-taking footage from Seven Worlds, One Planet, projected on multiple multi-angle screens using digital screen technology. Saba shares Jeh's pic from London The family of four have also reunited with Saif's sister Saba Ali Khan. She shared a candid picture of Jeh from Hyde Park in London. She captioned it, My Gunda (goon) jaan baba! He's become a mischievous young boy and I love him more!! Reunited....in London again! Hyde park.. Munchkins are growing up fast! Mahsha'Allah! She credited herself as the photographer in the post. In the picture, Jeh is seen smiling wide while holding an orange in his hand. Kareena and Saif's films Few months back, Kareena was in London with Jehangir while shooting for Hansal Mehta's next. The film is a murder mystery. She is currently on a break from the shoot of Rhea Kapoor's The Crew, which also stars Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh and Tabu. She also has Sujoy Ghosh's next thriller which is based on the book, The Devotion Of Suspect X. It also stars Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat. Meanwhile, Saif is seen as Lankesh in Adipurush which is on the verge of completing its run in theatres. The Om Raut film also starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon is an adaptation of the epic Ramayana but has been slammed by the audience for its scenes and colloquial lines. He will be next seen in Devara alongside Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PHOENIX -- The first COVID-19 case on the Navajo Nation came in March 2020, and by the end of the month the tribe already had in place a curfew to keep residents home. The curfew was among the most stringent measures any U.S. tribal or non-tribal government enacted to check the spread of the virus. Violators who were issued citations could face fines of $1,000 and up to 30 days in jail. When the tribe faced a shortage of protective gear for public safety officers, many of whom were on the front lines of the pandemic, the tribal government passed legislation to direct revenue from fines to the Navajo Police Department. At the time, former Navajo Nation Council Delegate Wilson C. Stewart Jr., who sponsored the dedicated fund to help the police, said the department should spend whatever it needed to keep themselves safe, to keep our police officers safe and to keep our facilities as clean as possible. An investigation into the aftermath of the Navajo Nation public safety measures by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found multiple breakdowns in their implementation. Even before citations were issued, the curfews faced sticky legal questions that public health and public safety officials had to sort through. The nations nine prosecutorial offices didnt receive guidance on how to handle the cases sent to them, and few were prosecuted. And the designated fund for the police department to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) never materialized because tribal administrators never set up the funding mechanism. In the end, the investigation found, the most consequential legacy of the curfews is the impact on hundreds of residents who were issued citations and who still have them hanging over their heads as a part of their criminal history. The spirit of it was good -- the intent -- but there was nothing behind it to benefit anybody, said former Navajo Police Chief Phillip Francisco. Early challenges Following the nations first COVID-19 case, the Navajo Department of Health issued the first public health emergency order on March 18, 2020. Residents were placed under curfew starting March 30, 2020. Each day, residents were ordered to stay home from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. As COVID-19 cases climbed, health officials added lockdowns that spanned 57 hours during the weekend, starting April 10, 2020. The police department faced two challenges in the early weeks of the pandemic, according to Francisco. The first was keeping officers safe from the virus as they responded to calls for service. Like many law enforcement agencies across the United States, the tribal police department faced shortages of face masks, gloves and other PPE as COVID-19 spread. The second problem was enforcing the curfews. The department was put in charge of enforcing them after the matter was discussed by administrators in the executive branch, including the presidents office and the health department, Francisco said. The Division of Public Safety and the Navajo Department of Justice also had to figure out if the curfews were legal because there was no tribal law that specifically addressed people violating public health orders or adults breaking curfews. The tribe has curfew laws for minors. But because there was none for adults, officials used the offense of criminal nuisance, defined in the tribes criminal code as a person who knowingly or recklessly creates or maintains a condition which endangers the safety or health of others. There were a lot of challenges in trying to balance peoples rights and freedoms versus trying to enforce an order that was meant to protect the public from a health crisis, said Francisco, who is now police chief of the Bloomfield Police Department in New Mexico. Curfews in Navajo Nation begin The police department was ready to begin issuing citations the first weekend the curfew went into effect. In the days before, the department set up checkpoints to inform the public about curfews and to encourage them to stay home. The former chief had the task of announcing that police officers would start citing people for not complying with curfews, outlining the measures on April 3, 2020, during a town hall that live streamed on the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President Facebook page. The first weekend of curfews officers issued 115 citations, according to a news release the police department issued on April 13, 2020. The enforcement was successful in that we saw a decline in the number of people traveling during the weekend, Francisco said in the release. An operation of this capacity takes a lot of planning and coordination, and our districts did a great job in enforcement efforts. Exceptions were made if travel was for emergencies, or if the person could prove they were an essential worker. The intent and purpose of the curfew was to restrict the movement of individuals on the Navajo Nation and minimize the growth and spread of COVID-19 in communities, the release stated. As the number of COVID-19 cases declined and vaccines became available, the curfews became less restrictive. The daily curfew was discontinued on Aug. 6, 2021. Officers across the police departments seven districts issued 726 citations over the 16 months the curfews were in effect, according to statistics released by the police department. The Tuba City District had the most citations at 207; the Chinle District, 172; Kayenta District, 169; Shiprock District, 56; Window Rock District, 44; Crownpoint District, 41; and Dilkon District, 37. Figures included in quarterly reports from the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, however, show a higher number of citations. Their figures show 1,280 total citations. Lawmakers back police fund, but dont set it up In late 2020, former tribal council delegate Stewart sponsored a bill to direct revenue collected from curfew violations to the police department to buy PPE. Members of the 24th Navajo Nation Council and then-President Jonathan Nez supported the financial initiative to help the police department. The measure, however, required the Division of Public Safety to set up a special fund management plan, so that revenue from the citations could be put into a separate fund for police use. Supporters of the bill said the fund management plan would prevent any fines from going into the tribes general fund. In the tribal council resolution Nez signed, the public safety division had 30 days to present a fund management plan to two tribal council committees as part of the process to establish the fund. No plan was ever presented, and the fund was not established, the tribes legislative services office and the controllers office confirmed. No revenue source was generated due to FMP (fund management plan) not being established, the police department said in response to questions about the fund. Former Division of Public Safety Executive Director Jesse Delmar declined to comment about the fund and referred questions to the current division director. I no longer have a voice with the Navajo Nation government, Delmar wrote in an email on April 20. Since no fund was set up, any amount collected from fines was deposited into the tribes general fund. In the end, the police department did get enough protective gear, Francisco said. It received federal COVID-19 funds and was also able to use PPE that the tribes casinos werent using because they were closed. At any given time, Francisco said, 25% of his officers were sick with COVID-19 and out of commission. The virus also sickened or killed frontline workers from other agencies. Among those who died from the virus were Navajo Police Officer Michael Lee, a 29-year veteran of the department, and Esther Charley, a criminal investigator. Both died in June 2020. Approximately 2,100 people died of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation, according to the Navajo Department of Health. Case dispositions unknown Chief Prosecutor Vernon L. Jackson Sr. did not respond to repeated requests for information about how the citations forwarded to the nations prosecutors offices were handled. Francisco, who left the police department at the end of 2021, said only a handful of cases were ever properly adjudicated. From my understanding, there was only maybe one or two cases that ever went in front of the judge and were ever found guilty, he said. Because of the pandemic, tribal courts were operating on a reduced schedule while the curfews were in effect. As a result, Francisco said curfew citations went on the back burner. Most of those cases werent heard ever, or maybe a year and a half out, he said. Quarterly reports from 2020 and 2021 from the Navajo Nation Department of Justice mention that 1,280 citations were received by the prosecutors offices. But the reports mention only one case that resulted in a sentence. In 2020, a defendant was sentenced to 30 days in jail after a plea agreement that included a charge of criminal nuisance for curfew violation. This defendant had prior criminal convictions and appeared for arraignment on the criminal nuisance charge after being arrested for a Violence Against Family Act offense, according to the report. A district prosecutor who did not want to be identified because the person was not authorized to comment, said citations came to the district offices without narratives that would help them prosecute a case. References to citations in other reports indicate that many of those cited have not had their cases resolved because the courts have not summoned defendants to appear. Most of those cited were released on their own recognizance, according to the justice department reports, with return dates for reappearance set many months into the future. Each district court has opted to treat these return dates differently, with some of the return dates being ignored completely, according to a justice department report from January 2021. Supriya Pathak has revealed her late mother Dina Pathak, who was also a renowned actor like her, told her till the last years of her life that her husband Pankaj Kapur will leave her one day. Pankaj had divorced his first wife Neliima Azeem and had a son with her, actor Shahid Kapoor, before he tied the knot with Supriya in 1988. This led Dina to never have faith in Supriya and Pankaj's marriage. Also read: Supriya Pathak poses like daughter Sanah Kapur in same outfit on vacation; Seema Pahwa reacts to their 'great' pic Dina Pathak never had trust in daughter Supriya Pathak and Pankaj Kapur's marriage. It was Supriya's second marriage too. She instantly connected with Pankaj Kapur's son Shahid who was six-years-old then. Supriya and Pankaj have a daughter, actor Sanah Kapur, and a son Ruhaan Kapur. Supriya didn't want any marriage advice In an interview with Twinkle Khanna for her Tweak India portal, Supriya revealed how her mother always had a doubt that Pankaj will leave her. When Twinkle asked her if she took any marriage advice from sister Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya replied, Who was going to take that advice? No. Everybody tried but I didn't listen to them. By then, I had come to a point where I didnt want to listen to anybody. I had quite made up my mind. Dina Pathak was against Supriya Pathak's marriage to Pankaj Kapur Talking about her mom Dina Pathak, she said, "My mother, till the last few years of her life, still tried changing my mind even after two children. She kept saying he will leave you!' I said, ya, okay, now what. It has been there for so many years, she kept telling me 'You made a mistake, he will leave you.' I would say, its okay, I will manage." Ratna added their mom was a great worrier who could worry about anything at any time night or day. Supriya said, She was not much of a support but Ratna didi came around. Ratna added, she was also obviously happy so what's the point. Supriya on bonding with Shahid In the same interview, Supriya also said, Shahid was the cutest baby I had seen, he was such a lovely child. He was very warm and did not have any defined reactions. When we met, we instantly liked each other. Supriya Pathak is still close to Shahid and had attended his and Mira Rajput's wedding in 2015. Shahid and Mira, along with their kids Misha and Zain had attended his half-sister Sanah Kapur's wedding last year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pooja Bhatt, who is now one of the contestants in Bigg Boss OTT season 2, had revealed in an old interview that she never really got along with Salman Khan, who is now hosting the show. She was in a serious relationship with Salman Khan's brother Sohail Khan in the past. (Also read: Bigg Boss OTT 2: Pooja Bhatt annoys Twitter with her masterni attitude during fight with Palak) Pooja Bhatt, who is now a Bigg Boss OTT S2 contestant, had said in a 1995 interview that she didn't get along with Salman Khan. Pooja Bhatt and Sohail Khan now But destiny had other plans. Pooja Bhatt got married to Manish Makhija in 2003. They announced their separation in 2014. Pooja had earlier talked about her marriage and said that her life is not incomplete because she chose to live in her own way. Meanwhile, Sohail Khan tied the knot with Seema Khan in 1998. They officially divorced in 2022. Pooja Bhatt on hating Salman Khan Back in the year 1995, Pooja had given an interview to Stardust Magazine where she opened up about her equation with Salman Khan. She had said, "I agree Salman and I hated each other initially for some weird reason. We just didnt get along. And that was made out to be this great war between us. I guess it started because I didnt do the film Love or whatever. But, today we get along very well too. In fact, were one big happy family." Pooja Bhatt on Sohail Khan In the same interview she had also opened up about her relationship with Salman's brother Sohail Khan, and said, "Marriage is definitely on my mind, but Sohail is just on the threshold of an exciting, new career as a director and I want to work two more years before deciding on the venue and the menu. We do want a future together. Not just as in the normal culmination of any relationship but in wanting to be together. I want it and so does he. Pooja was last seen Chup: Revenge Of The Artist which was directed by R. Balki. She also starred in the Netflix series Bombay Begums, which marked her comeback to acting. In the show Pooja played the role of a mother who also happened to be a business honcho. The series also featured Shahana Goswami, Plabita Borthakur and Amruta Subhash. She also made a guest appearance in Sadak 2. It was the sequel of her 1991 movie. Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 is now streaming on JioCinema. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dermot Mulroney Leaves "The View" in a Symbolic Gesture of Support Dermot Mulroney arrives at the premiere of "Secret Invasion," Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)(Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Dermot Mulroney, the renowned actor, surprised viewers of "The View" with an unexpected exit during his appearance on the show. Following a lively discussion about his extensive career spanning over a decade and his recent role in Marvel's "Secret Invasion," Mulroney, 59, bid a friendly farewell to the panelists. During his time on the daytime show, Mulroney shared insights into his Hollywood journey, a recent family trip, and his involvement in notable projects like "My Best Friend's Wedding," "The Wedding Date," and the '80s TV adaptation of "Fame," in which his "Secret Invasion" co-star Don Cheadle also made an appearance. As the conversation neared its end and co-host Joy Behar prepared to cut to commercial, Mulroney politely interjected with a symbolic gesture. The Wedding Date star expressed his support and solidarity with the show's writers by stating, "Sorry, first [before we go to break] I want to do this symbolically in support and solidarity with the writers, I'm gonna walk off your show. Love you." With that, the 59-year-old actor promptly rose from his seat, bidding farewell to the hosts and announcing, "I'll see you on the picket lines." His departure was met with surprise and curiosity from both the panelists and the audience. Before his unexpected exit, Mulroney shared his strong motivation to remain in the industry since his early days in Hollywood at the age of 22. He attributed his unwavering work ethic to his father, acknowledging the influence of his dad's example. Mulroney emphasized his dedication to his craft, stating, "I work my tail off. I love it." He expressed gratitude for the opportunities that have come his way, acknowledging the support and generosity he has received throughout his career. The Shameless star also offered a glimpse into his upcoming Marvel series, teasing that most of his scenes in "Secret Invasion" involve his co-stars Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson. Reflecting on his experience working with Cheadle during their early days on "Fame," Mulroney recalled witnessing Cheadle's remarkable talent, describing a memorable mid-air balletic move. He humorously mentioned that he had recently received a text from Cheadle about the anecdote the night before, adding, "So he knows I'm on to him." Mulroney jokingly acknowledged the challenge of finding footage from their time on "Fame" due to MGM's ownership rights. ALSO READ| Arctic Monkeys' Glastonbury set criticized as disappointing, Just play your belters! fans urge for more hits In a previous interview, Mulroney had reflected on his latest role in "Scream VI," expressing his excitement at being included in a cast of talented up-and-coming actors such as Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. He humorously remarked on feeling like part of the "popular crowd" and being invited to hang out with them, emphasizing the positive experience he had on set. "The View" continues to air on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. Tom Cruise is busy promoting Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, which had its premiere at Rome last week. The film's shoot was halted due to the pandemic previously and because of that, the release of the film was delayed. Now, in a new interview, the star has heaped praise on the entire cast and crew of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning for completing the shoot of the film despite the many challenges faced due to the pandemic. (Also read: Tom Cruise's co-star Pom Klementieff shares he refused to kick her in the stomach during fight scene) Tom Cruise has hailed the cast and crew of his Mission Impossible team for working amid that very challenging time. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)(AFP) Earlier Tom Cruise was found yelling at crew Earlier in December 2020, an audio clip of Tom yelling at crew members on set of Mission Impossible 7 had been leaked. It happened after he saw two crew members standing too close to one another in front of a computer screen and shouted at them for not adhering to the safety protocols on set. Tom Cruise showers love on crew Now, in an interview with Metro.co.uk ahead of the release of the highly awaited film, Tom said, "Listen, we had to do it and Im very proud of my crew. We presented it to them last night, them and their families, and it was lovely because I got an opportunity to really thank them all personally. Its something that we can all be proud of, what we accomplished to keep people working and keep people going during that very challenging time. And I say, Look at what we have, look at what we all did together.' You know, I always make my movies for an audience, and you always want them to work but even more so now. Mission Impossible 7 was in production when the pandemic hit. It was one of the first major films to resume with the filming when some of the restrictions were eased by governments. The action thriller has been shot in Italy, Norway, and the U.K. Helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, it also stars Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vaness Kirby and Pom Klementieff. Dead Reckoning is made in two parts. Part One is set to hit the theaters on July 12th, 2023 with Part two of the movie slated to be released in 2024. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail Fahadh Faasil is widely considered one of the best actors working today. The actor marked his debut as a producer with the release of thriller Dhoomam. In a recent interview, when asked about the role of promotions before the release of the film, the National Award-winning actor said that he would not like to waste his energy on it, and instead invest the same in making the film well. (Also read: Dhoomam Twitter reactions: Viewers say Fahadh Faasil is excellent in predictable, engaging thriller) Fahadh Faasil turned producer with his latest release Dhoomam. About Dhoomam Dhoomam is a psychological thriller that revolves around a man (Fahadh) who wakes up with no memory and has to piece his past together. It also stars Roshan Mathew and Aparna Balamurali. The film released with relatively low publicity and has garnered interest based on the curiosity of its unique posters. Fahadh on film promotions Speaking to Pinkvilla about the film and his stance of not trying to promote his films in a conventional way, the actor said, "I want the audience to talk for my films. I have worked on a film for 100 days. I find it tiring to sell the film after that. I would rather put that energy into making the film than promoting it. If the film is good, people will watch it. I dont want people to watch my bad films. Fahadh on social media Fahadh, who is also absent from social media, added why he does not want to promote his films through them. He said, "I never had a social media account. I was on Facebook in my college days and thats all. I prefer to connect with people on a personal basis than on social media. I have always been like this, and I don't want to change." Fahadh's upcoming films Fahadh has a number of films in the pipeline. He will next be seen in Mari Selvaraj's political thriller Maamannan. Apart from this, he will also star in Pushpa 2: The Rule, the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise (2021). He will be seen with Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Jagapathi Babu, and Anasurya Bharadwaj. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ram Charan and Upasana Kondidela became parents to a baby girl on Tuesday. The couple then made their first public appearance with their baby on Friday as they posed outside the hospital on their way home. Now, Upasana has taken to Instagram to share a picture with her baby, and expressed her gratitude to fans for their love and blessings. Ram Charan was also present beside her in the cute picture. (Also read: Ram Charan, Upasana Konidela showered with rose petals as they pose with baby for first time. Watch) Ram Charan and Upasana Konidela holding their newborn baby in their latest Instagram picture. Ram and Upasana's picture with the baby Upasana posted a picture of herself seated beside Ram Charan, holding the baby in her arms. She wore an off-white floral printed dress and smiled at the camera. Ram Charan sat beside her and held their puppy in his arms. He looked handsome in a white shirt and blue jeans. In the background, a decoration was visible with balloons and other designs. A sign that read "Welcome home baby" could be seen hanging on the wall behind them. Upasana wrote in the caption: "Overwhelmed by the warm welcome for our little one. Thank you for all the love and blessings (red heart and baby face emoticons) @alwaysramcharan @alwaysrhyme" Reactions to the post Priyanka Chopra commented on the post and said, "Congratulations." Actor Rakul Preet commented on the picture to congratulate the new parents. She wrote, "Upsiiiiii congratulations (red heart emoticons) may she be blessed with all the joy , happiness and abundance in the world" Fans also left congratulatory comments. One wrote, "Congratulations to both of you ..the most most awaited moment and welcome home to the little angel." Another said, "Congratulations and may god bless you all." Ram addressed the media On Friday, Ram had addressed the media waiting outside the hospital and thanked his fans and well wishers for their blessings. He also thanked the doctors from the hospital for their efforts. "We are so lucky. Upasana and the baby, there are no complications. They are doing very, very well," he said. Earlier, Chiranjeevi had visited his granddaughter at the hospital. Speaking to the reporters in Hyderabad on June 20, Chiranjeevi said, Today at 1.49 AM, Ram Charan and Upasana gave birth to a baby girl. Our family is extremely happy. We have been seeking for many years now that they should become parents and put a baby in our hands. By the grace of god and the blessings of all, it has come true. We consider it very special that the baby is born on Tuesday, which is auspicious day for praying to Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman). Ram, 38, and Upasana, 33, announced the pregnancy in December. The couple tied the knot in 2012 after dating for years. The two announced her pregnancy in December 2022. ott:10 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT Entertainment Desk Dedicated professionals who write about cinema and television in all their vibrancy. Expect views, reviews and news. ...view detail One person was killed in a crude-bomb explosion in West Bengals Murshidabad district on Saturday, sparking off a political war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking each other for engaging criminals to spread panic in the run up to the July 8 panchayat elections. The explosion took place in the morning in a jute field at Beldanga, police said. (ANI) The development came even as central forces, deputed on the directions of the Calcutta high court, on Saturday held a route march in Bolpur town of Birbhum district. The explosion took place in the morning in a jute field at Beldanga, a police officer said, requesting anonymity. The dead was identified as Alim Sheikh (53). Investigation is going on. According to the police, three people were injured in the explosion and were rushed to a local hospital. A resident of Kapasdanga village in Beldanga, Sheikh had prior criminal cases registered against him, the officer added. Meanwhile, three people also sustained minor injuries after crude bombs were allegedly hurled between workers of the TMC and the Congress at Raninagar in Murshidabad, police said. Six people were injured in a clash between workers or two parties at Gosaba in South 24 Parganas during poll campaigning. At Dantan in West Midnapore, a BJP candidate was allegedly beaten up by TMC workers. Political clashes erupted at several places across the eastern state soon after the three-tier panchayat elections were announced on June 8, prompting the high court order the State Election Commission (SEC) to seek deployment of central forces. Following the high courts order which asked the poll body to deploy more forces than the 82,000 paramilitary personnel deployed in 2013 the SEC has sought 822 companies of central forces from the ministry of home affairs. On Friday, the Centre sanctioned 315 companies, besides the 22 companies sanctioned earlier. One company of paramilitary forces reached Jalpaiguri on Friday evening and was posted at the Panchayat Training Centre in the Mohitnagar area. According to the state police, at least nine people have been killed in political clashes in the run-up to the panchayat polls so far. TMC chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to start her full-scale campaign for the panchayat polls on Monday. Following the crude bomb explosions on Saturday, the BJP and the Congress attacked the TMC, accusing it of engaging criminals to make crude bombs to spread panic, even as the ruling party claimed the two opposition parties were trying to create disturbances and show the state in poor light. The incidents reveal TMCs bigger game-plan to intimidate opposition candidates and prevent their supporters from going out to vote, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh told reporters. State Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhury alleged that miscreants sheltered by the ruling party are making bombs to trigger widespread unrest. We dont have faith in police as they are not taking action against local-level Trinamool leaders, he added. Joy Prakash Majumdar, TMC spokesperson, claimed there was no evidence in the Beldanga incident to prove his partys involvement. The BJP and the Congress are engaging miscreants to make bombs and create disturbances to show West Bengal in poor light, he alleged. The BJP is inciting violence. They know that they have lost the peoples support, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters. Joint combing operations by the army and Assam Rifles to retrieve stolen weapons and munitions started on June 7, however, the forces have managed to recover only 170 weapons so far in the ethnic clashes-hit Manipur, where miscreants continue to use the stolen weapons to launch attacks in different parts of the state, officials familiar with the matter said. The forces have managed to recover only 170 weapons so far in the ethnic clashes-hit Manipur (AFP) As per the state polices estimates, at least 3,500 weapons and over 500,000 ammunitions were stolen by mobs last month. The most recent incidents of miscreants using looted weapons were reported at two places in Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts on Thursday. In Imphal West, officials said, the forces recovered an Insas rifle and an Insas light machine gun stolen from Manipur polices armoury last month. Over 150 columns of the two forces are deployed in the state where at least 115 people have been killed and nearly 40,000 displaced in ethnic violence since May 3 to restore normalcy. While there are around 60-65 columns (some 60 personnel in each column) of the army and Assam Rifles for combing operations and retrieving weapons, the non-availability of magistrates at short notice to conduct operations in de-notified areas, miscreants attacking villagers in notified areas under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act but returning to de-notified areas, and blockades led by women are affecting the operations, officials said. Security agencies cannot conduct operations in non-disturbed areas without the presence of magistrate or the local police. Of the 92 police stations in the state, at least 19 are not under AFSPA. An official cited the example of Thursdays attack at the N Boljang village in Kangchup, which is under AFSPA, where the attackers after firing on two soldiers fled back to parts of Imphal West, not under AFSPA. Security forces engaged in a shootout at N Boljang, where the forces are allowed to function as it is a disturbed area. But the armed miscreants quickly returned to Imphal West, which is a de-notified area. The security teams could not enter the area where they fled. This was a case of hot pursuit, the official said, requesting anonymity. Now, even in a case of hot pursuit like this, the teams have to take a magistrate and local police as legal cover to operate in the area, he added. Our teams have to wait for the assigned district magistrate before launching the operation there. Crucial time is lost in getting the magistrates. There are instances of security forces being unable to reach the spot on time, the official said. Then there is a third problem related to women protesters resisting operations across the state. The most recent incident took place on Friday and has been tweeted by the Army. Group of armed miscreants sneaked into the area from YKPI towards hill side today afternoon. Miscreants firing automatic weapons towards the villages of Urangpat & Gwaltabi. Security Forces Columns deployed in these vacant villages responded in a calibrated manner to avoid any collateral damage. A large group of women part of the mob in YKPI & Seijang area preventing movement of additional columns into the area, the SpearCorps of the Army wrote on Friday. The police, other central armed police forces and security forces have managed to recover 1,020 weapons and 14,500 ammunition, including weapons surrendered by citizens, so far. At least 115 have died in the violence that broke out in the state since May 3. Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a court-proposed tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe status to the majority Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, 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, placing additional security forces to stop the spiralling clashes. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prawesh Lama Prawesh Lama covers crime, policing, and issues of security in Delhi. Raised in Darjeeling, educated in Mumbai, he also looks at special features on social welfare in the National Capital. ...view detail The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday summoned two party leaders from Telangana for talks in the wake of reports that they might soon shift their loyalties to the Congress, people familiar with the matter said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda on Saturday summoned two party leaders from Telangana (PTI) Former minister and BJP MLA from Huzurabad, Eatala Rajender, and former MLA from Munugode, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who have been keeping away from party activities from some time, left for New Delhi following a call from party president J P Nadda. The leadership also called Union tourism minister G Kishan Reddy to New Delhi, who rushed to the national capital. Nadda is expected to meet with the two disgruntled leaders on Sunday morning, a party leader privy to the development said, seeking anonymity. The high command has entrusted Kishan Reddy the task of negotiating with Rajender and Rajagopal Reddy and convincing them to stay back in the party, he added. Ever since the BJP received a drubbing in the assembly elections in neighbouring Karnataka, the party in Telangana has been facing a silent revolt from leaders, including Rajender and Rajagopal Reddy, who have been opposing the leadership of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay. They have complained to the high command a couple of times in the recent past that Sanjay has not been giving due importance to them and not taking them into confidence while taking up various party programmes, the party leader said. Rajender, who was given the responsibility of luring potential leaders from various parties into the BJP, has failed in the task and he blamed it on Sanjay. Rajender held discussions with former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former state minister from Mahabubnagar Jupally Krishna Rao, both of whom had resigned from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi last month, to bring them into the BJP. They put forth certain conditions to join the BJP, such as party tickets to their followers for the assembly elections in their respective districts, but Sanjay rejected their demands, the party leader said. As a result, Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao have decided to join the Congress. On the other hand, Rajagopal Reddy has been under pressure from elder brother Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, a Congress MP from Bhongir, to return to the grand old party. There is also a talk that a few other leaders, such as former Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy and former minister D K Aruna, might also shift loyalties to the Congress ahead of the next assembly elections. Under these circumstances, the BJP high command swung into action to prevent an exodus of leaders by holding discussions with them. I have not taken any decision yet on changing the party. As of now, I am still with the BJP. I will explain everything to the party high command, Rajagopal Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad before leaving for New Delhi. The BJP leadership should not give any scope for apprehensions among the people that it has been going soft towards the ruling BRS, he said. There is definitely some change in the peoples thinking towards the Congress after the Karnataka elections, Rajagopal Reddy said. After holding talks with the sulking rebels, Nadda will fly to Telangana to address a rally at Nagakurnool on Sunday evening as part of Mahajan Sampark Abhiyan programme. He would also meet key leaders of the party at Novotel Hotel at Shamshabad airport to take stock of the situation in Telangana, an official note from the party said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hyderabad BJP National President JP Nadda will address a public rally at Telanganas Nagakurnool on Sunday evening. (ANI) The Bharatiya Janata Party high command on Saturday summoned two senior party leaders from Telangana for talks in the wake of reports that they might soon shift loyalties to the Congress, people familiar with the matter said. Former minister and BJP MLA from Huzurabad assembly constituency Eatala Rajender and former MLA from Munugode Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who have been keeping away from the party activities from some time, left for New Delhi following a call from party president J P Nadda. The party high command also called Union minister for tourism G Kishan Reddy to New Delhi and the latter cancelled all his engagements in Hyderabad on Saturday and rushed to the national capital. Nadda is expected to have a meeting with the two disgruntled leaders on Sunday morning, a senior party leader privy to the development said. The high command has entrusted Kishan Reddy the task of negotiating with Rajender and Rajagopal Reddy and convincing them to stay back in the party, he added. Ever since the BJP received a drubbing in the assembly elections in the neighbouring Karnataka, the party in Telangana has been facing a silent revolt from senior leaders including Rajender and Rajagopal Reddy, who have been opposing the leadership of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay. They have complained to the high command a couple of times in the recent past that Sanjay has not been giving due importance to them and not taking them into confidence while taking up various party programmes, the party leader quoted above said. Rajender, who was given the responsibility of luring potential leaders from various parties into the BJP, has failed in the task and he blamed it on Sanjay for the same. For example, Rajender held discussions with former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former state minister from Mahabubnagar Jupally Krishna Rao, both of whom had resigned from the BRS last month, to bring them into the BJP. They put forth certain conditions to join the BJP, such as party tickets to their followers for the assembly elections in their respective districts, but Sanjay rejected their demands. As a result, Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao have decided to join the Congress, the party leader said. On the other hand, Rajagopal Reddy has been under pressure from his elder brother Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, a Congress MP from Bhongir to return to the party. There is also a talk that a few other senior leaders like former Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy and former minister D K Aruna might also shift loyalties to the Congress ahead of the next assembly elections. Under these circumstances, the BJP high command swung into action and prevent the exodus of leaders by holding discussions with them. I have not taken any decision yet on changing the party. As of now, I am still with the BJP. I will explain everything to the party high command, Rajagopal Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad before leaving for New Delhi. He, however, said the BJP leadership should not give any scope for apprehensions among the people that it has been going soft towards the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi. There is definitely some change in the peoples thinking towards the Congress after the Karnataka elections, Rajagopal Reddy said. After holding talks with the sulking rebels, Nadda is also flying down to Telangana to address a public rally at Nagakurnool on Sunday evening, as part of Mahajan Sampark Abhiyan programme. He would also meet key leaders of the party at Novotel Hotel at Shamshabad airport to take stock of the situation in Telangana, an official note from the party said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail Welcome to hindustantimes.com updates platform where you can find breaking news from India and across the world. Find fast updates about the latest news as it breaks. Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour. Manipur violence: Congress's not allowed claim after all-party meet, shares '8 points' The Congress on Saturday alleged that its leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was not given enough time to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur during the all-party meeting called by Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Read Here. Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh and former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh addresses a press conference, at AICC headquarters, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI Photo) Andrew Tate sparks outrage with comments on stranded 'Titanic' submarine tragedy, Amidst ongoing legal troubles Controversial internet personality and former kickboxer Andrew Tate has stirred up controversy once again, this time taking aim at the billionaires who found themselves stranded in a 'Titanic' submarine during an ill-fated expedition. Read Here. Cheteshwar Pujara's best-possible response after being dropped from India Test side After India's embarrassing defeat in the WTC final vs Australia, Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from Rahul Dravid's squad for their upcoming two-match Test series vs West Indies in the Caribbean. Pujara was in poor form during the WTC final, at The Oval in London as India crashed to a 209-run defeat. The veteran could only register scores of 14 and 27 in both innings. Read Here. Eid ul Adha family activities: Fun ways to bond and celebrate The special time of the year is here. Every year, Eid ul Adha is celebrated with a whole lot of pomp and grandeur by the Muslim community all across the world. This year, Eid ul Adha will be celebrated on June 28. This is the time of the year when people get together to celebrate the auspicious occasion with their family and friends. Also referred to as the Feast of the sacrifice, Eid ul Adha is also known as Bakra Eid, Eid ul Zuha and Bakrid. People become homebound during this tim of the year to spend the day with their loved ones. Read Here. Ram Charan, Upasana share first pic with baby, thank fans for love and blessings; Priyanka Chopra congratulates them Ram Charan and Upasana Kondidela became parents to a baby girl on Tuesday. The couple then made their first public appearance with their baby on Friday as they posed outside the hospital on their way home. Now, Upasana has taken to Instagram to share a picture with her baby, and expressed her gratitude to fans for their love and blessings. Ram Charan was also present beside her in the cute picture. Read Here. Pooja Hegde's Summer Perfect Outfits She looked every inch stylish in a printed co-ord set that featured tassle detailing from the brand Verb by Pallavi Singhee. See Here. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed China but the relationship isnt based on the United States (US) viewing India as a counterweight to China and Modis state visit wasnt about China, US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communication, John Kirby, has said. He added, though, that Washington welcomed India becoming a bigger exporter of security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with United States President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday. (PIB) Asked if the US saw India as a counterweight to China, at a regular White House press briefing on Friday, Kirby said, This state visit wasnt about China. And, look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the PRC (Peoples Republic of China), to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that, referring to the talks between Biden and Modi. Read | Biden's no alcohol toast at state dinner leaves PM Modi laughing But Kirby insisted that this was not about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood. Kirby said the US welcomed India becoming an increasing exporter of security. And you can see a lot of that..our desire to improve the defense cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether its coproduction of jet engines, whether its their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and thats really what were focused on. Read | US President Joe Biden bonds with PM Modi, transforming India-US ties Asked again if the US did not see India as having any role in the American competition with China, Kirby said he did not say that, but they did not view the visit as a messaging opportunity to China but instead viewed it as a message for the people of both countries and the world. India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own. Now, I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. Its not a formal alliance. Its not a military organization. And they have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that they are addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate. When asked what would be Indias role if China invaded Taiwan, Kirby said it was for the Indian government and Modi to decide. Our mutual challenges with the PRC in the Indo-Pacific was a matter of discussion. The Indians have been very vocal about their concerns, too, with respect to what the PRC is doing. But I dont have anything more specific to read out to you in terms of the conversations, specifically regarding Taiwan. On whether Biden believed that India would reduce its purchase of Russian oil, Kirby said that India made its own decisions about oil and the US hoped to see Delhi but it below the price cap, as it had been doing. Whether the US was encouraging American companies to move away from China to India, Kirby said it was a way to encourage mutual investment with India. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail All efforts are being made to restore peace in Manipur on instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah told an all-party meeting held on Saturday to discuss the prevailing situation in the northeastern state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah with BJP National President J.P. Nadda during an all-party meeting on violence in Manipur, in New Delhi, Saturday, June 24, 2023. (PTI Photo) Shah also told the meeting that since the violence began in the state, there has "not been a single day" when he did not speak to Prime Minister Modi on the situation or the prime minister did not give instructions, the BJP's Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra told reporters after the meeting. The opposition parties have been critical of the Centre's handling of the Manipur situation and have questioned the prime minister's "silence" on the issue. Nearly 120 people lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured since the ethnic violence broke out in the state. "In his statement at the meeting, Amit Shah ji said very clearly that there was not a single day when he did not speak to the prime minister since the violence began on May 3. "Efforts to restore peace in the state are being taken on the instructions of the prime minister, Patra said. The BJP leader said efforts were underway to maintain peace in the state. "The good news for us is that no one has lost life since June 13. Efforts are on to ensure that this peace continues to remain in place in the state, he told reporters. At the meeting, Patra said, the home ministry gave a presentation on how the violence began in Manipur, what triggered the violence, what steps have been taken so far and what steps will be taken to restore peace in the state. All party leaders, present at the meeting chaired by the home minister, raised their concerns and expressed their view "in a very sensitive manner, rising above political lines, the BJP leader said. "All political parties unanimously accepted that Home Minister Amit Shah's three-day and three-night stay in Manipur was an unprecedented move as somewhere or the other, it brought in a sense of positivity and Manipur moved forward, Patra, who was also present at the meeting, said. The ethnic violence broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the state's hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chennai: The Madras high court has fined the Madras bar association (MBA) in a 2012 case after a senior lawyer had denied providing drinking water to a junior lawyer in the association, raising the larger issue of discrimination at the judicial institution and the justice delivery system. The bar association had urged the court to close the case considering the deaths of the lawyers (PTI) The bar association has denied the incident, however, in the counter affidavit they say that members of the association pay for the drinking water. Water charges are collected along with the annual membership fee. Though both lawyers (junior lawyer and the senior lawyer) have passed away over the years, justice S M Subramanian who was hearing the case observed that, Social issues or social evils never die with the persons and such issues are to be addressed and redressed in the interest of our future nation. The court ordered the Madras bar association to pay a compensation to senior advocate and petitioner in the case, Elephant G Rajendran, who filed the petition on behalf of his son and junior lawyer R Neil Rashan. The petitioners son was not allowed to drink water by senior advocate, P H Pandian. Rashan died in a road accident. Pandian passed away in 2020. The bar association had urged the court to close the case considering the deaths of the lawyers and a lapse of 11 years. The association also said that it has now kept two water cans at the entrance of the Madras bar association for practising lawyers and other people visiting the court premises. But the court was of the opinion that merely closing the writ petition cannot be a way out and the issues raised between the parties should be addressed in the interest of the judiciary. Courts are not expected to leave such issues casually by holding it unnecessary, as it will affect the future lawyers, who all are backbone for the developments of our justice delivery system, justice Subramanian said. Judges are duty bound to ensure that no discrimination in any form is practised and (an) impartial system prevail for creating trust and comfort in the mind of the lawyers and litigants in the process of justice delivery system. On the petitioners submission regarding the admission of members, preventing practising lawyers of the Madras high court from entering into the MBAs premises for drinking water, using restroom, on exclusive car parking provided for bar members, the court said that the said facts are not denied by MBA and it is a fact, known to the high court administration and the lawyers practising in the high court premises. The court also directed the bar association to distribute applications for membership to all the interested practising lawyers in the Madras high court and admit them without discriminating against any lawyer on the basis of caste, gender, religion, economic status, personal affiliations with senior advocates, and political affiliations. In the event of failure on the part of the second respondent (MBA), the Madras high court administration and the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu are bound to initiate all appropriate actions in the manner known to law, the court said. The lawyers being homogeneous clause, further creating divisions on any criteria including economic status or otherwise will result in losing faith and ordinary lawyers will get frustrated and there is a possibility of young and talented lawyers leaving the profession. The court had reserved the orders in this case on June 6 and pronounced them on June 22. The incident had occurred in January 2012. The petitioners son Rashan, who had filed a supporting affidavit earlier, had narrated that one fine day, at around 11.30 am he was near Madras bar association room. Since he was feeling sick and weak, he demanded to drink water. When I was filling water in a tumbler, Senior Advocate Mr P H Pandian came to me and forcefully snatched the tumbler from my hand shouting You do not drink water here go out, he had said. I was shocked and left the MBA with a broken heart and tears. His father, a senior advocate, filed a petition on the same day in 2012. The court has directed the bar association to pay 5 lakh as a compensation to the senior advocate. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON THE body of Dr S. P. Mookerjee, who died in Srinagar yesterday, was cremated this afternoon at the Keortala burning ghat in Kalighat, near the site where the last rites of Deshbandhu C. R. Das and Deshpriya J. M. Sen-Gupta were performed. HT This Day: June 25, 1953 -- Dr Moukerjees body cremated To the accompaniment of shouts of Bande Mataram and other slogans by the vast multitude of over half a million, the body of the departed leader was placed on the funeral pyre at 2-15 p.m. and the last remains were consumed by fire by 6-30 p.m. A smart shower towards the evening delayed the burning of the body for some time. Dr Mookerjees eldest son, Anutosh, performed the last rites and set fire to the pyre. He was followed by other members of the family who joined in the rites, including Mr Justice R P Mookerjee, elder brother of the deceased. The Mayor of Calcutta and many prominent citizens were present at the cremation ground. Since dawn people converged from all parts of the city and suburbs in trains, trams buses and on foot at the residence of the late Dr. Mookerjee. Even after the suspension of public transport at 10 am the flow of mourners continued unabated. South suburban train services were partially dislocated from 8-30 a.m. by crowds who squatted on the tracks near Jadavpur. While shops remained completely closed today. Government and mercantile offices declared a half holiday to enable employees to attend the funeral. But in the second half of the day these offices worked with depleted staff, because the funeral was delayed transport remained suspended. The procession bringing the body of Dr Mookerjee, which left Dum Dum airport at 9-30 last night reached Mookerjee House at Bhawanipore at 4 a.m. today. There the body lay in state as thousands filed past to pay their last homage to the departed leader. Among those who called on Dr Mookerjees house today were the Governor, Dr H. C. Mookerjee, and the Chief Minister, Dr B C. Roy. To enable people from distant places to pay their respects, the funeral was postponed by three hours from 8 a.m. Another change in the programme announced yesterday related to the route. The procession was due to have passed through North Calcutta but at the last moment it passed only along routes in South Calcutta. Thousands of those who had lined the streets in North Calcutta later proceeded to Kalighat to swell the crowds around the cremation ground. THE PROCESSION Long before the procession came into view, the streets were flanked with thousands of mourners, many of whom were bare-footed. On every verandah and roof-top and advertisement boards and trees, men, women and children, some in tears, were seen waiting to get a glimpse of the body. Several persons including policemen fainted owing to the impact of the crowd and were attended to by first aid teams posted at different points in the area. The mile-long procession, led by 50 cyclists flying the saffron coloured flags of the Jan Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha, slowly proceeded along followed by pedestrian volunteers of these organizations. Then came a large number of refugees, many of them sobbing, and behind them the flower-covered bier. Crowds jostled around for the privilege of carrying the bier for even a few feet. HUGE CROWDS More than 500 policemen and officials tried to control the huge crowds surging against the barricade of wooden logs, covered with wreaths of white flowers, that was construct- ed around the cremation site. Many people, including some children, were trampled under foot but were rescued in time and no reports were received of any serious injury. A torrential shower towards the evening did not seem to have damped the spirits of the multitude of mourners who occupied every inch of space within a radius of half a mile around the cremation ground. As the last wisps of smoke arose from the pyre, on which was placed a few hours ago the mortal remains of the great son of Bengal, the crowds silently wended their way home. Among the wreaths placed on the bier were those from the Governor, the Pradesh Congress Committee, Calcutta University, the Calcutta Corporation, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Jan Sangh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hyderabad In his representation to Union minister for urban development Hardeep Singh Puri, KTR said an employment guarantee scheme for the urban poor on the lines of MGNREGS would go a long way in their economic uplift. (PTI) Telangana industries, information technology and urban development minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday appealed to the Centre to introduce a National Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme (NUEGS) for the urban poor in the country, on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) being implemented for providing employment to the rural poor. KTR, as Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Raos son is popularly called, met Union minister for urban development Hardeep Singh Puri and submitted a memorandum to this effect. He also met Union food and civil supplies minister Piyush Goyal in the afternoon. He would be meeting Union home minister Amit Shah late in the night. In his representation to Puri, KTR said an employment guarantee scheme for the urban poor on the lines of MGNREGS would go a long way in their economic uplift. He pointed out that a vast majority of the urban poor were working in the unorganized sector with irregular salaries, no written job contracts and with no social protection. This was evident during the lockdown period of Covid-19 pandemic, the minister said and called for a long lasting solution for their problems. KTR appealed to the Union minister give approval for extending the Hyderabad metro rail project for another 26 km, connecting the areas which were not covered in the past. He said a detailed project report had already been submitted to the Centre. KTR brought to the notice of the Centre the proposal of the state government to extend the metro rail network up to Shamshabad airport. The preliminary estimate of the project cost was 3,050 crore, he said and urged the Centre to sanction 450 crore towards a 15 percent equity. Among others, the minister also sought central assistance for development of link roads in Hyderabad under the Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited (HRDCL). Pointing out that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) was adjudged as the Best Capital City in Solid Waste Management, KTR requested Puri to sanction 400 crore for solid waste management projects in the city, besides 744 crore for sewerage treatment plants and sewer network systems. At a meeting with Piyush Goyal, KTR sought allocation of an additional parboiled rice target of 20 lakh metric tonnes for the Rabi 2022-23 season. The Centre allocated 10.20 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice target for the state, milled from 15 lakh tonnes of paddy, leaving a balance of 51.11 lakh tonnes of paddy to be milled for delivery of raw rice to FCI. The financial implication for delivery of one lakh tonnes of raw rice to the FCI works out to 42.08 crore due to the additional percentage of broken rice. The total financial implication, if state had to deliver for the balance 34.24 lakh tonnes in the form of raw rice works out to 1,441 crore, KTR said. He said paddy cultivation in the state during this Rabi season was 57 Lakh acres, which was more than 50 percent of the entire paddy acreage in the country. The state government had procured 66.11 lakh tonnes of paddy during this Rabi season, he pointed out. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is at the centre of a raging controversy for his veiled reference to former US president Barack Obama as he said that there were many 'Hussain Obama in India itself'. BJP national vice president Baijayant Jay Panda supported Himanta Biswa's statement and referring Obama as 'Barry', he said real Indians give robust replies. "Besides Barrys track record on Islamic countries (pretty gross), dont forget his initial attempt as President to genuflect to China for a G2 compact. All that might fly over the heads of ecosystem madamoiselles who are in too much of a flutter at our CMs daring to refer to Barrys middle name," Jay Panda tweeted. After Himanta Biswa's attack, BJP vice president Jay Panda said 'Barrys' track record on Islamic countries is 'pretty gross'. In an interview with CNN, former US president Barack Obama said if he had a conversation with Pm Modi, he would have raised the issue of the rights of the ethnic minorities in India. India may start pulling apart if their rights are not protected, Barack Obama would have told PM Modi, he said in the interview. BJP leader Jay Panda said there is a chronology worth understanding behind Barack Obama's statement on India. First, Joe Biden called Xi Jinping a dictator and then treated PM Modi to rare honours to boost US-India ties to the next level, Jay Panda said. "What a coincidence that Barry waited till that very moment before raining on the parade, by bizarrely trying to equate Indias record on minorities (see Pew et al) to Chinas," the BJP leader said. "Considering Barry was none too subtle about threatening us with another partition, its time to call for the smelling salts to protect the ecosystems sensitivities, as real Indians give him ever more robust replies" Jay Panda added. What did Barack Obama say? If I had a conversation with Mr Modi who I know well part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility India at some point starts pulling apart. And we have seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts. That would be contrary to the interests of India, Barack Obama said during PM Modi's US visit. What is the row over Hussain Obama? Following Obama's statement, a journalist tweeted wondering whether Assam Police is on its way to Washington to arrest Obama, going by its record of arresting opposition leaders in other states. "There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities," Himanta tweeted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON People from India have been traveling abroad more, and the United States is trying to accommodate the new tourism boom by opening two new consulates in the South Asian country. India became for the first time Asias highest source of international travelers, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the White House this week in what has been billed as a turning point for bilateral relations. Modi had plans to meet on Friday with numerous executives seeking to invest more in India as the U.S. pushes to process more visas. In 2022, India became for the first time Asias highest source of international travelers, according to tourism consultancy IPK International. International travelers from India in 2022 exceeded those of China, South Korea, and Japan, the company said. The U.S. tourism sector has taken note. "New markets like India may offset (other countries) and help us grow in the long run," said Geoff Freeman, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. The United States will open two new consulates in India in the cities of Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, according to a joint statement from President Joe Biden and Modi. The leaders directed officials to identify additional mechanisms to facilitate travel for business, tourism, and professional and technical exchanges between the two countries, according to the statement. For the first five months of 2023, travel from India to the United States has exceeded pre-pandemic volumes, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office. Other Asian countries are lagging, particularly China, where travelers have been slow to return to the United States post-pandemic. India last year ranked third among overseas travelers visiting the United States, up from eighth in 2019. Those figures do not include cross-border visitors from Canada and Mexico. Executives said the activity reflects trends similar to those that emerged several years ago in China. When you think about the power of the Chinese(international) traveler (due to) that rising middle class and wealth creation there, India is going through the same evolution too," IHG Hotels and Resorts CEO Keith Barr said at a hospitality conference this month. U.S. embassies and consulates in India have issued 44% more non-immigrant visas in 2023 than in the same period in 2019 and are on course to process over one million visas this year, a State Department spokesperson said. "Our consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India," said the spokesperson. "This is a top priority for our government." The outlook for the rest of the year looks promising. Flight bookings from India to the United States for the last quarter of 2023 are 26% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to ForwardKeys, a travel data firm. The primary bottleneck for travelers has been waiting to get a first-time visitor visas. Wait times were 337 days in early April down from 669 days in mid-March, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Air India recently launched non-stop service from Mumbai to New York and San Francisco and from Bengaluru to San Francisco. "The number of people of Indian origin who have settled down in the U.S. have been increasing day-by-day for studies or employment. So the demands of their parents, in-laws and families to go has also been increasing, said Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators. NEW DELHI: India will negotiate a higher element of technology transfer in a drone deal it is pursuing with the US to boost the militarys strength, top defence ministry officials said on Saturday. The acquisition of 31 MQ-9B General Atomics unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is estimated to be worth $3 billion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) event in Washington DC on Friday. (ANI) India is looking at doubling the element of technology transfer that is currently on offer, the officials said, seeking anonymity. General Atomics is keen to tie up with Indian firms and manufacture components in the country. The current technology transfer offered by the US is 8% to 9% but there is scope to increase it to 15% to 20%. This will figure in the discussions, one of the officials said. To be assembled in India, the versatile platform will have the capability to strike targets with its on-board weapons, it will be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and its other roles include electronic warfare, defensive counter air and airborne early warning. The proposed deal found mention in the June 22 joint statement issued by the US and India during Prime Minister Narendra Modis first state visit to the US. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi welcomed Indias plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B HALE (high altitude long endurance) UAVs. The MQ-9Bs, which will be assembled in India, will enhance the ISR capabilities of Indias armed forces across domains, the statement said. General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility in India to support the countrys long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities, it added. India will formally begin the process to buy the drones by issuing a letter of request to the US government in early July, said a second official. The letter is a significant step as it kicks off the foreign military sales programme -- Washingtons government-to-government method of selling US-built platforms. The US will respond with a letter of acceptance, after which the two sides will begin negotiations to finalise the deal. Indias defence acquisitions council (DAC), the countrys apex weapons procurement body, had on June 15 given the clearance for buying the drones in the run-up to Modis visit to the US. Fifteen of these will be for the navy, and eight each for the army and the air force. Defence minister Rajnath Singh heads the DAC. The Indian Navy currently operates a pair of MQ-9B UAVs leased from the US three years ago to boost its ISR capabilities. The drones have helped the navy keep a close watch on the Indian Ocean at a time when it has stepped up surveillance in the region to check Chinas ambitions. The drones have also been used for intelligence collection along the countrys northern borders where India has been locked in a border row with China for more than three years, a tense period that has seen a significant military build-up on both sides of the contested Line of Actual Control. The acquisition of the armed drones gained urgency after the military standoff with China in Ladakh began in May 2020, increasing the Indian militarys need to enhance its vigil along the disputed border and stay prepared for any contingency. Apart from the proposed purchase of drones, a deal to build jet engines in India with transfer of technology from the US was also in focus during Modis visit. GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington on June 22 to produce the F414 engines in the country. The deal to produce the jet engines for light combat aircraft Mk2 will involve 80% technology transfer from the US to India, is estimated to be worth $1 billion, and will result in the new fighter jet having an indigenous content of around 75%. The deal to produce 99 F414 engines under licence is likely to be signed during the current financial year, and the first lot of engines will be made in India three years thereafter. The technology transfer will cover 11 critical areas, many of which were entirely off-limits more than a decade ago when GE Aerospace and Indias Aeronautical Development Agency began talks on the possible production of the engines in the country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden have pole-vaulted the bilateral ties to new heights and in the process also joined hands to cripple the terror enterprise in Pakistan and its jihadist proxies operating in Jammu and Kashmir. The personal connection between the two global leaders have taken India-US ties into a new dimension. Buried way down in the joint statement is a paragraph that emasculates the industrial scale terror factories in Pakistan by naming all the proscribed terrorist groups targeting India including Al Qaida, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. All these jihadist groups are active in Jammu and Kashmir with sleeper modules in the hinterland. The two leaders have not only strongly condemned cross-border terrorism but also use of proxies of these proscribed groups to escape sanctions while categorically asking Pakistan to take action against these groups to ensure that no territory under its control (read Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) is used for launching attacks against India. At a time when Pakistans sole mentor China blocked the designation of LeTs Sajjid Mir, the butcher of 26/11 attacks, at the UNSC, both President Biden and PM Modi called for perpetrators of 26/11 and Pathankot airbase attacks to be brought to justice. Mir, after being declared dead by Pakistan, is currently under protective custody of Pakistans deep state with India, US and Israel waiting to punish the rabid jihadist. However, the joint statement has three very crucial points that will work towards crushing the terror empire in Pakistan. Firstly, by red-flagging the use of drones by Pakistan based jihadists for dropping arms, communication and even planning to drop terrorists across the border, both US and India have put pressure on Islamabad to put an end to this activity and have decided to work together to combat the misuse of drones. Intelligence inputs indicate that rabid JeM is experimenting with the plan to drop terrorists across the border using heavy drones. Secondly, both India and US will work together to designate Pakistan based jihadists under the 1267 UNSC resolution while sharing counter-terror intelligence and enhancing cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries. While China is expected to use its veto to support terrorists in Pakistan from getting globally designated by the UNSC committee, India and US will join hands to debilitate the terror factories in the Islamic Republic with both countries joining hands to prepare the paperwork for UN designation. Lastly but the most important is reference of the joint statement to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to improve its standards to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. This means that the US which let Pakistan off the hook from the FATFs grey list is willing to reconsider to put Islamabad back in the same list if it does not act against terrorists and terror groups in the Islamic Republic. Simply put, the sword of FATF is hanging on Pakistans head unless it gets its act together on using terrorist groups to further its political objectives against India, US, and other countries. While Pakistan predictably has criticized the reference to Islamabad in the India-US joint statement as misleading and unwarranted, fact is that the joint communique reveals the irrelevance of Islamic Republic to the larger India-US bilateral ties. Pakistans playbook on the use of terrorism to secure political objectives in Kashmir through violence and murder has been thrown into the dustbin by the two natural and powerful allies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Washington:US President Joe Biden often said that one word described the United States (US) possibilities and Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit over the past few days underscored the same spirit of possibilities, which now defines the US-India relationship, Secretary of State Antony J Blinken has said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a luncheon at the Department of State. (Getty Images via AFP) Speaking at an event organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum to honour PM Modi on Friday, Blinken called his visit historic, and hailed the diaspora for being the engine of India-US relationship, and underlined the progress in ties. Guided by the vision of President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, the US-India partnership is closer, its broader, it is more dynamic than it has ever been. And as President Biden said yesterday, we are two great nations, two great friends, two great powers that can define the course of the 21st century, Blinken said. Pointing to the breadth of ties, quite literally from the seas to the stars, Blinken claimed that at its heart was economic engagement, between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and others that was expanding opportunities for both countries and beyond. He added that the partnership was also defined increasingly by efforts to advance technology and innovation 5G, quantum, artificial intelligence and ensure that they are shaped by their values. Building on the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies that was launched in January, we announced an Innovation Handshake yesterday to further connect our startup ecosystems. And the landmark agreement to jointly manufacture advanced GE fighter jet engines in India will facilitate greater tech transfer while strengthening our shared security, Blinken said. He also pointed to efforts to de-risk and diversify supply chains, specifically mentioning Microns investment in semiconductor assembly to India joining the Minerals Security Partnership. Investment in people was key, Blinken suggested, as he pointed out how the Indian and American education system had trained leaders of trailblazing companies and created new success stories. To the diaspora audience, in the context of concerns over immigration and mobility, Blinken added that they were streamlining visa processes, opening new consulates to facilitate travel, expanding student exchanges and research collaborations, addressing skills gaps, promoting economic empowerment of women, and ensuring that all our people have access to opportunity. At an earlier moment in history, the idea of what constituted the wealth of nations revolved around size of landmass, population, military strength, raw materials, Blinken said. And while these remained important, he added, But I think what the US and India recognise, powerfully, together is that in this 21st century, the true wealth of our nation is our people, and our ability to maximise their potential is what sets us apart. Telling the audience of Indian-American professionals that governments would do their part, Blinken asked them to play their role. Forge new ventures and partnerships. Invent game-changing products and services. Create unimagined opportunities. Visit friends and family in India; host them here in the United States. Continue to be that engine powering our progress. If we do all that, I truly believe that the US and India will shape together a more peaceful, a more prosperous, a more connected future. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail Chennai: Four women from the Irula tribal community hailing from various parts of the state have filed a complaint with the office of the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu that they were raped by an employer while being bonded labourers of a woodcutting unit in Chengalpattu district. Human rights activists say that they have identified as many as 20 such tribal women who have complained about sexual violence here. The alleged crime has come to light after their rescue by local officials on May 28. The alleged crime has come to light after their rescue by local officials on May 28. (HT Photo) The four women in their individual complaints to the DGP officewhich HT has seen have said that the employer had hurled casteist slurs against the tribal men and women and beat them often and did not pay wages on time. In addition the women were subject to sexual assault, rape and humiliation, they said. An FIR was registered in the Kelambakkam police station on June 6, but no action has been taken so we approached the DGP because there are several more victims in this case, said I Asirwadham, state coordinator of the human rights organisation, Peoples Watch. Charges in the FIR did not mention rape but the sole accused was charged under sections of the Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act, the human rights activist added. The Irula tribal community mostly hail from five districts in Tamil Nadu who are traditionally snake catchers and they also work as labourers in agricultural fields. One of the complainants from Ranipet, whose name is being withheld by HT, said that she and her husband have been working as wood cutters for three years. Whenever my husband went out to load the wood on to a truck, he (employer) has sexually assaulted me and raped me while I stayed alone in a hut, she said. When my children stayed with me, he has forcefully dragged me outside and raped me. Since we have no education and knowledge, we are afraid of him and we lived like slaves. In her complaint to the DGP, the woman has sought action against her employer in Ranipet and protection for her family. A second complainant, a 22-year-old woman says she tried to escape at least four times with her husband and five children. But, no matter where he hid, his staff found us through, beat us and took us back. From Tambaram, just outside of Chennai, this family also moved to Padur in Kancheepuram with no other job. We live in fear that he will continue looking for us and kidnap us back, she said in her complaint. A 19-year-old tribal woman, the third complainant, said she has studied up to class 10 but she had to take up the job since her parents were working with him and they couldnt repay their debt. He threatened to stab me so I was scared and didnt speak up about the sexual assault. We were rescued by the local officials but since no action has been taken against the accused, we are wandering in different places afraid that he may find us and take us back again. Another 22-year-old hailing from Thiruvallur district who is the fourth complainant said that the employer paid her and her husband 10,000 in advance in 2019 but paid the couple only 300 together for a week. We have been unable to pay back the money and he (employer) has repeatedly inflicted sexual violence on me, she said. We would be exhausted after work and he would come to the hut even at 2 am and force me to have sex with him. The last four years, we have been living sleeplessly and fearfully. Several people had escaped the wood cutting unit while local officials rescued a dozen of them from bonded labour on May 28, said Asirwadham. A special team has to be formed to find more victims and also give them compensation. HT has reached out to the DGPs office but has not received a response yet. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bengaluru: The president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka unit, Nalin Kumar Kateel, on Saturday dismissed the reports of his resignation as rumours, saying that such reports were far from the truth. During an interaction with reporters in Ballari, Kateel took the moral responsibility for his partys defeat in the assembly election last month. (HT Photo) In a statement issued in Bengaluru, Kateel clarified that he had not resigned as the partys state president. During an interaction with reporters in Ballari, Kateel took the moral responsibility for his partys defeat in the assembly election last month. Kateel, a member of parliament (MP) from Dakshina Kannada, said he had already explained to the party leaders about the reasons behind the rout. Regarding the appointment of a new state president, the party will take the right decision at an appropriate time. However, I did not say anything about my resignation as the partys state president. My statement has been misconstrued, the BJP state president said. The confusion started after Kateel said in Ballari that his term had already been completed and the process for his replacement had started. As former minister V Somanna expressed his wish to become the BJP state president, the MP said: I dont have any aspirations but my term has been completed. In fact, both my terms have been completed. Naturally, the state president has to be replaced because one person can be a president for two years. This time it was for three years but I have served for four years once as temporary president and then as a full-time president, he added. According to Kateel, he was asked to continue due to the Assembly election. Already, the process of my replacement has started, he told reporters. With regard to Somannas wishes, the BJP state chief said the former minister is a senior leader who has made a request and has expressed his desire. There is nothing wrong with having aspirations but the final decision will be taken by the BJP central leaders, he added. Somanna, who lost the Assembly election against chief minister Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency and also from Chamarajanagar, on Friday appealed to the party leadership to make him the state president of the BJP. Somanna said his sacrifices are more than anyone elses as he could have easily won the election from Govindaraj Nagar in Bengaluru but contested the tough elections from the constituencies he was not familiar with. Given his sacrifice, the party should consider making him the BJP state chief. He also said that he has 45 years of political experience and has faced many elections while being in the BJP for the past 15 years. This confusion comes as the BJP Karnataka unit is yet to decide on the leader of the opposition for the legislative assembly and the council. People familiar with the matter said that former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, along with senior leaders Basangouda Patil Yatnal and Arvind Bellad, are among the contenders for the position of leader of the opposition in the assembly. However, the party is also considering Vijayendra for the post and is interested in selecting a leader from the OBC or Dalit communities for the role. Reacting to the statement, Congress MLC Jagadish Shetter, who quit the BJP before the elections said: As per the information available to me, there is a big unrest within the BJP. I dont know when it (the differences) will explode. There is no attempt to create any problems, but they themselves have internal problems. (With inputs from PTI) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has announced a temporary suspension of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme to address the technical glitches and other issues faced by applicants. The Gruha Lakshmi scheme was one among the partys poll guarantees, it will provide 2,000 per month to women heads of households across the state. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said that he had consulted with chief minister Siddaramaiah before making the decision to pause the implementation of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. (PTI) Shivakumar said that he had consulted with chief minister Siddaramaiah before making the decision to pause the implementation of the scheme. Emphasising the importance of simplifying the process and ensuring a corruption-free environment, he said the process of applying for the scheme will be reworked. I held a discussion with chief minister and put the Gruha Lakhmi scheme on hold as we want the process to be simpler. The scheme must be corruption-free and any individual or organisation taking money from beneficiaries will be strictly dealt with, Shivakumar said. Shivakumar also pointed out there were complaints against the agencies responsible for receiving applications for government schemes for accepting money from applicants. Complaints have been heard that some individuals and some agencies are getting money from the public to apply for Gruha Jyoti Yojana. My appeal to people is that you dont have to bribe anyone to apply for Gruha Jyoti Yojana. You can apply through your mobile. Strict action will be taken against those who are getting money from the public, tweeted the Deputy CM. The energy department released a statement warning officials at centres such as Bangalore One, Karnataka One, and others against demanding additional fees for registrations. Furthermore, Bescom officials highlighted the circulation of deceptive mobile applications that mislead people. To address issues around various poll promises, the Deputy CM organised a meeting with women and child development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge on Friday. Following the meeting, Hebbalkar announced that an application would be utilized for receiving applications under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme .The scheme guarantees a monthly sum of 2,000 for women who are heads of households and hold BPL, APL, and Antyodaya cards. Women or their husbands who pay income tax or claim GST returns are not eligible for the scheme. As the number of applicants for the scheme has increased, the server has been experiencing overload. We have developed an application, which will be presented to the CM during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. After thorough discussion, a decision will be made regarding the scheme, said Hebbalkar. Last week, women and child Development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, whose department oversees the schemes rollout, had promised to unveil the application form soon, with the software currently being developed. However, on Wednesday, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi made an unusual claim that the central government had hacked the app for the scheme, he later retracted those comments. The government had previously announced that the application window would be open from June 15 to July 15, with the schemes official launch scheduled for August 15. Reacting to the delay in implementing the poll promises BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan, said, All four schemes ensured by the government are not fulfilled... This government is anti-people Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Saleem Ahmed on Saturday stated that the Union government itself would be directly responsible if the launch of Anna Bhagya scheme of giving 10 kg rice per month to each member of BPL families is delayed. Though the state government is ready to pay the price of rice, the Centre is playing politics, and not giving rice. BJP government at the Centre is doing so with a fear of setback in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Centre itself will be directly responsible if the implementation of Anna Bhagya scheme gets delayed, he said. Food Corporation of India had agreed to supply rice, but it changed the stand, though the state government is ready to pay. Food & civil supplies minister K H Muniyappa was made to wait for three days before meeting Union minister Piyush Goyal, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After an all-party meeting, convened by Union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, on Saturday, several leaders from opposition parties raised their reservations about chief minister N Biren Singh's leadership in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. The Congress said peace in violence-hit Manipur is not possible under Singh and demanded that the prime minister replaces him immediately. Leaders from different parties attend an all-party meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the situation in Manipur, in New Delhi on Saturday.(ANI) The high-level talks were held in New Delhi to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked northeastern state as it struggles to return to normalcy since the ethnic clashes broke out on May 3. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha criticised the CM's handling of the crisis and said there is absolutely no trust in him" and the entire Opposition raised this concern at the meeting that it would not be possible to restore peace until that person is in-charge. the person, who is heading the administration there (Manipur), there is absolutely no trust in him.you can't have peace until that person is in-chargeOpposition emphaised that Manipur requires a healing touch and for that it needs a face that must unite and not divide, Jha told reporters after the meeting. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi echoed similar sentiments during her interaction with the media. Chaturvedi said she has met various communities from Manipur and they don't trust the CM. The accountability starts with the state government she added. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Tiruchi Siva said Amit Shah asked the opposition parties to have trust in him and that he is looking after the situation in Manipur and assured that "he will restore the peace". The DMK leader also raised concern over Modi's silence on the issue. We requested that the all-party delegation to be sent to Manipur. He (Amit Shah) said we have deployed more police that's what we suggestedIt is not law and order breakdown to be controlled by police and army or Assam rifles. It is a failure of the governance in the state and the union government, he further lashed out at the central government. The demand for an all-party meet delegation to visit Manipur was also raised by the Trinamool Congress, represented by MP Derek O'Brien at the meeting. In a statement for the all-party meeting, the TMC accused the government of ignoring the needs of the Manipur people and asked if the Modi government was trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir." Manipur was engulfed in violence on May 3 when clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU). The rally was held in protest against the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. The all-party meeting was attended by senior BJP functionaries, including party president president JP Nadda, Union minister Piyush Goyal, among others. The Communist Party of India, however, was not invited to the meeting. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Congress on Saturday alleged that its leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was not given enough time to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur during the all-party meeting called by Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh and former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh address a press conference, at AICC headquarters, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI) The Congress also demanded the immediate sacking of chief minister N Biren Singh. More than 50 days after the violence in Manipur started, the home ministry organised an all-party meeting today. I was nominated by the AICC. I barely had 7-8 minutes to share my views. Manipur is my home state. I asked for additional five minutes to express my opinions, but it was denied. This is unfortunate, Singh, a three-time Manipur chief minister, said at a press conference after the meeting. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also made similar allegations saying the meeting was just an eye-wash and a formality. As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur, Ramesh tweeted. He was the only leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting today, and it is an insult not only to the former CM and the Congress party, but the people of Manipur, that their representative was not allowed to fully put forth his point of view, he added. He also shared the eight points on behalf of the Congress, which includes the immediate removal of the chief minister of Manipur, without which no progress can (be) made towards peace and normalcy in Manipur. Opposition seeks visit by all-party delegation to Manipur Several opposition parties sought an all-party delegation visit to the northeastern state but the government remained non-committal, sources told news agency PTI. The Samajwadi Party and a few others sought imposition of the President's rule in the state that has witnessed sporadic violence since May 3. However, the government asserted it was doing its best to bring back normalcy there, sources said. Amit Shah said all efforts are being made to restore peace in Manipur on instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP's Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra told reporters after the meeting. The home minister also told the meeting that since the violence began in the state, there has "not been a single day" when he did not speak to PM Modi on the situation or the prime minister did not give instructions, Patra said. Leaders of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, AIADMK, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left, attended the meeting which was convened by the home minister to discuss the prevailing situation in the state. Nearly 120 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 are injured since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. (With inputs from agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur minister L Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing it to ashes, police said on Saturday. Burnt remains of the godown of Manipur PHED Minister L Sushildro Meitei after it was set ablaze by a mob on Saturday.(PTI) An attempt was also made to torch another property of the consumer and food affairs minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night but timely intervention prevented it. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from gheraoing his Khurai residence, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, the official quarters of the states woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day. More than 100 people have lost their lives and a large number of houses were torched rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals - Nagas and Kukis - constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At least 14 Opposition parties will try to strike a deal among themselves ahead of the 2024 general elections but any pre-poll pact between the Congress and the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) will be an uphill task, given the complexity in their equation, party leaders from both sides indicated on Saturday. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. A day after Fridays mega Opposition gathering in Patna, AAP functionaries rued the fact that despite Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal requesting senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with folded hands during the meet to decide a date for a meeting over tea between leaders of both parties to resolve differences, the latter declined and refused to denounce the controversial Delhi ordinance. Congress leaders, however, maintained that Gandhi did not say a word on the ordinance and that party president Mallikarjun Kharge did not announce the Congress position on the issue in Patna, saying any decision has to be first discussed within the party. In the recent past, the AAP has made appeals to the Congress to denounce the ordinance. AAP functionaries said Gandhi questioned the eagerness being shown to get the Congress to spell out its stand on the ordinance. Congress leaders did not corroborate any such exchange. Read | Opposition 'satisfied' with Patna meeting, next huddle in Shimla on July 10-12 Kejriwal attended the Opposition meeting with three other AAP leaders, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, parliamentarians Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh, where senior leaders from various parties urged the Congress to denounce the ordinance, which did not materialise, as a result of which AAP leaders skipped a joint press conference, people familiar with the developments said. Though Kejriwal wanted an instant decision, leaders of other parties were of the view that it should be given time, the people cited above said. Later, the AAP said it will be difficult for it to attend future meetings of Opposition parties where the Congress is present if the latter doesnt publicly denounce the ordinance. Two senior Congress leaders indicated on Saturday that chances of any pre-poll adjustment with the AAP were almost nil and the party will be looking to strengthen its existing alliances in states such as Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra and Jharkhand and will strive to seal a pact with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. Read here: Congress likely to pitch themes of Bharat Jodo Yatra for opposition unity The way AAP has been trying to corner the Congress in many states, it will be difficult for us to consider an alliance with it, said a senior Congress leader. They fought in Goa and Karnataka only to help the BJP. In Delhi and Punjab they are our main rival. We cant give away seats to AAP in these two places. In Goa, the BJP retained power while the Congress swept Karnataka. The Congresss Delhi unit is vehemently opposed to the AAP and any possible adjustment is unlikely to get its support. Ajay Maken, former Union minister and a key face of the Congress in Delhi, said, We should have no understanding with the Aam Aadmi Party. Maken also alleged that, Time and again, it has been established that AAP has deep-rooted links with the BJP-RSS. Even before he formed AAP, he took support from Kiran Bedi (BJPs CM face for Delhi in the last election), Gen VK Singh (now a Union minister). A senior Opposition leader said in the Patna meeting, Kejriwal tried to shift focus away from Opposition unity and a common agenda by raising the ordinance issue. People close to the AAP, however, said that at the beginning of the Patna meeting leaders spoke on Opposition unity. Kejriwal was the second to speak after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and he shared his thoughts on Opposition unity and what the formula should be to defeat the BJP, they said, adding that the AAPs main issue was the ordinance and it was imperative that the CM spoke on it extensively. The ordinance is against democracy and the Constitution. And anyone in favour of democracy and the Constitution cannot stand in favour of the ordinance. We believe that the Congress party cannot stand in favour of the ordinance. And when you cannot stand in support of the ordinance, denounce the ordinance publicly, a senior AAP leader said, quoting Kejriwal. The AAP has in the past projected itself as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress and its rise in Delhi and Punjab came at the cost of the Congress. The AAP is also planning to contest upcoming assembly elections in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, as well as in Madhya Pradesh where the Congress is seeking to return to power. Last month, the BJP-led Centre promulgated an ordinance restoring to itself the power over services in Delhi by making a raft of major amendments in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, 1991. The ordinance effectively rolled back a Constitution bench judgment of the Supreme Court that handed over control of the bureaucracy in the Capital to the elected government, excluding those connected to police, public order and land. The ordinance is likely to be brought before Parliament in the upcoming monsoon session for approval, presenting a key challenge for Opposition unity. While several parties such as the Trinamool Congress, Left parties and Bharat Rashtra Samithi have assured the AAP of support, the Congress is yet to make a public declaration. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Saubhadra Chatterji Saubhadra Chatterji is Deputy Political Editor at the Hindustan Times. He writes on both politics and policies. ...view detail Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US has been an exceptional, landmark, path-breaking visit; the decisions are truly transformative across areas; and this level of collaboration reflects both deep trust between the two sides and the fact that India and the US are in it for the long-term, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said. U.S. President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2023.(REUTERS) Kwatra also said that the area of technology cooperation across the entire ecosystem tech transfer, tech trade in products and services, tech capacity building, tech co-production and research constituted a major takeaway from the visit, alluding to the cooperation within the framework of the initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET) and beyond. Speaking to reporters after the state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, around midnight on Thursday, Kwatra laid out the Indian perspective on the visit. While there has been robust public messaging and background briefings from the American side, including in the run-up to the visit, the Indian side was cautious about speaking of outcomes till the final joint statement was released. Besides highlighting the symbolism associated with the state welcome, the personal connection between Biden and Modi, Kwatra focused on the substantive outcomes the visit has been able to deliver. He also said that the two leaders discussed the nature of challenges in the Indo-Pacific and what they could to together to meet, in response to a question on whether and how China figured in the discussion. The tech and defence takeaway Technology, Kwatra said, constituted a key theme of the discussions, with roughly 20 to 25 areas of tech cooperation identified in the statement. This included semiconductors, quantum, science and tech, defence, and space, where he pointed out that India had signed the Artemis Accords which would open up new areas of partnership between Isro and Nasa for cooperation in outer space. If you put them all together, you will find that very clearly technology, in particular advanced technology across various domains, whether it is the defence domain, whether it is in the area of space or other domains, it has been one of the most important outcomes, substantive outcomes from the visit and from the discussions between the leaders, he said. When HT asked Kwatra what had changed given that the history of bilateral ties was marked by tech denial regimes to the current moment marked by tech collaboration, the foreign secretary did not offer a direct answer but pointed to the regulatory architecture and issues around it and the role of the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (STD) mechanism, which he leads, in addressing it. Tech cooperation, by its very nature, interfaces quite intensely with the regulatory system on both sides, both on the Indian side and also on the US side. On the US side, we all are aware, the regulatory matrix in which they are dealt with both the EAR (export administration regulations) and ITAR (international traffic in arms regulations), he said, pointing out that STD was examining the issues from a solution perspective, less from the problem perspective. This can become an enabler of the partnership. In response to another question by HT on whether the domains of cooperation some of which will lock Indian and American systems for years, some of which have a longer time frame for implementation represented a clear sign both countries were taking a long term bet on each other, Kwatra said: The richness of form and substance of the visit clearly tells you that its exceptional, landmark, path-breaking. The decisions are truly transformative across a wide range of areas. Naturally, it is possible when countries have deep trust in each other and are in it for long-term. Trade and other domains The foreign secretary said that trade, too, was a priority area of discussion. One of the key elements in this has been that out of the seven WTO disputes between India and the US there has been a resolution for six of the outstanding WTO disputes. There have also been cooperative understandings with regard to upskilling of employees arrangements between the US Small Business Administration and the Indian ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), announcements of substantial investments by companies such as Boeing, 100 million in this case on infrastructure and programs to train pilots in India. Indias decision to join the Mineral Security Partnership, Kwatra said, will open up opportunities for both countries to collaborate in entire field of critical minerals, which is so important for strategic new industries coming up in the field of electric mobility, energy transition, in particular green transition. Giving a sense of how the PM had seen the relationship, Kwatra said Modi spoke of first, this being a new chapter in ties; second, of new direction and energy; third, a strong and futuristic partnership; fourth, resilient supply chains being a key part; five, the ties being based on mutual trust and shared strategic priorities. Speaking of the Biden-Modi relationship, Kwatra said that their friendship, their connect had been one of the principal drivers of such a rapid and large set of achievements. He added that the PMs address to the US Congress also showed the truly special nature of the visit. China Asked if China came up in conversations, Kwatra said the two leaders focused on challenges that the strategic interests of both countries faced around the world, and in this regard, Indo-Pacific has been a key region of cooperation. That cooperation took place both through individual partnerships with countries in the region as well as an assessment of challenges and what can be done to meet those challenges. [The two leaders] focused on the nature of the challenges that the two countries face in the Indo-Pacific, including strategic challenges, and what India and US need to do across the different parts of their system to ensure that we mitigate those challenges through our cooperation, but at the same time, also harness the opportunities that are available in the Indo-Pacific, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prashant Jha Prashant Jha is the Washington DC-based US correspondent of Hindustan Times. He is also the editor of HT Premium. Jha has earlier served as editor-views and national political editor/bureau chief of the paper. He is the author of How the BJP Wins: Inside India's Greatest Election Machine and Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal. ...view detail Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Egypt's capital Cairo on Saturday for another State visit following the one to the United States. Upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport, he received a warm embrace from Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, signifying a special honour. The Indian community also extended a warm welcome to Modi upon his arrival at the hotel in Cairo. Egyptian woman singing Hindi song to welcome PM Modi in Cairo on Saturday. In a video, an Egyptian woman was captured singing the popular Hindi song Yeh dosti hum nahi todenge from the Bollywood movie 'Sholay', starring Amitabh Bachchan as Modi attentively listened to the song and expressed his appreciation by exclaiming Waah! and applauding, which was followed by applause from the crowd. Members of the Indian community gathered at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cairo to greet PM Modi with excitement. They waved the Indian flag and cheered with slogans like "Modi Modi" and "Vande Mataram". Children were also present among the crowd, whom Modi greeted. The Indian diaspora showcased its enthusiasm by singing Indian songs and presenting cultural performances to warmly welcome Modi. Modi personally greeted and interacted with members of the Indian community, which stood there to welcome him. Why is Modi's Egypt visit special? Modi arrived in Egypt for a State visit following an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during India's Republic Day celebrations this year, where he was the esteemed 'Chief Guest'. This significant State visit marks a momentous occasion as it is the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Egypt in 26 years, since 1997. During his visit, PM Modi along with the bilateral talks with the Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and President El-Sisi on Sunday, will spend nearly half an hour visiting the Al-Hakim Mosque, a historic and notable mosque in Cairo named after the 16th Fatimid caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021). In addition, PM Modi will pay homage to the brave Indian soldiers who fought for Egypt during the First World War by visiting the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery. As part of his Egypt tour, PM Modi is scheduled to meet with the esteemed Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and will also engage with Egyptian thought leaders. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao Trainee Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream. India's regional languages attract me. ...view detail Fresh from his landmark visit to the United States, and from a State dinner at the White House, prime minister Narendra Modi will land in Egypt later today and, as part of his schedule, visit the 1000-year-old Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo. PM Modi addresses a conference in the US before he heads to Egypt.(YouTube/Narendra Modi) The mosque is the fourth oldest in a country home to one of the world's most ancient civilizations and the second largest - after the Mosque of ibn Tulun. Why is Modi's mosque visit significant? Modi's visit is of significance for India's Dawoodi Muslim community. The Dawoodi Bohras - whose origins trace back to the Fatimid dynasty - renovated the mosque in the 1970s. In fact, the community undertook two renovation projects; the first was completed nearly 40 years ago. READ | Modis Egypt visit, a first by Indian PM since 1997, to usher new era: Envoy The Dawoodi Bohra-PM Modi connect There is a large population of Dawoodi Bohras in Gujarat, which is the prime minister's home state. They settled in India in the 11th century; the primary population centre of the community moved from Yemen to Gujarat in 1539. Modi has always credited the community for helping him govern Gujarat. In 2011, when Modi was the Gujarat's chief minister, he invited the Bohra community to celebrate the 100th birthday of their religious head, Syedna Burhanuddin, with him. When Burhanuddin passed away in 2014, the prime minister went to Mumbai and paid his last respects. He also met his successor Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who is the current head of the community. During his visit to Bangladesh in 2021, PM Modi met with a delegation of the Bohras. In 2018, the PM also addressed an event organised by the Bohra community - the Ashara Mubaraka, the Commemoration of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (SA) - at Indore's Saifee mosque. (With inputs from agencies) India's multi-faceted relations with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership this year, will receive further impetus with the first state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this key Middle East nation, India's ambassador here has said. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File/ Reuters) Read here: Shaping lives, dreams and destinies: PM Modi's address to Indian diaspora | Top quotes Prime Minister Modi will be arriving here Saturday evening at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. It will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. "We are very much looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Cairo from 24th to 25th of June. The visit is a very historic occasion because the last bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister was as far back as 1997," Ajit Gupte, India's Ambassador to Egypt, to PTI in an interview. Modi will hold talks with El-Sisi on Sunday to discuss ways to give further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two major nations. "I am excited to pay a state visit to a close and friendly country for the first time," Modi said in his departure statement in New Delhi on Tuesday before leaving for the United States on his maiden state visit. "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year," he noted. These two visits in the span of a few months are "a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership" with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership during President Sisis visit, Modi said. Read here: Mini India: PM Modi in goodbye speech to Indian diaspora at US' Reagan Centre "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilisational and multi-faceted partnership," he said. Ambassador Gupte said that Egypt and India have had close defence ties. "They have been participating for many years in joint exercises, training programmes, etc. But in the last two years, our defence cooperation has grown from strength to strength, and I'm happy to convey that 30 Indian defence delegations have visited Egypt in the last two years while from Egypt about seven defence delegations have gone to India," he said. For the first time ever, there were joint exercises between the fighter aircraft of the air forces of India and Egypt. "From Egypt, we were very happy to have received an Egyptian military Convention, which led the Republic Day Parade this year... We also had for the first time ever, joint exercises between our Special Forces in the desert in Rajasthan," he said. On the strategic partnership between the two countries, Gupte said, "There is a great friendship between the people of both countries, but there was no special status to the relationship. So in the last few years, keeping in mind the rapidly growing trade, defence, and economic cooperation." "Naturally, the term strategic partnership is only used in a very limited and restricted manner to signify countries with whom that country wants to have very special relations," he added. On Egypt's invitation as a guest country for the G20, Gupte said, "We have invited nine guest countries and Egypt is one of them. Egypt is the most populous Arab country and is located in a very strategic place. "It has a lot of influence in the Arab world. And Egypt is therefore a very significant regional player and it reflects the aspirations of the developing countries. So that is why we feel that Egypt's participation in the G 20 will be very useful," Gupte said. During his stay here, the prime minister will also be visiting the Heliopolis War Memorial. This is a memorial which has been erected by the Commonwealth but it is a memorial for 3,799 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in various battles in Egypt during the First World War. They were essentially defending Egypt from attacks from the Ottoman forces, he said. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Read here: Mukesh Ambani, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai invited at State dinner for PM Modi | Full list The mosque was built during the Fatimid dynasty. The Bora community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards. "Also, there is a memorial for 600 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in Yemen in the first world war so it is a very moving moment when Prime Minister will visit and he will be acknowledging the sacrifices made by Indians for international peace," Gupte added. Modi will also meet members of the Indian community during his visit. "Well, the Indian community in Egypt is quite small. It is about 3,600 and there are also students. But they are very eager to welcome the Prime Minister especially as this is the prime minister's first visit to Egypt. So we are organising a community event where the prime minister will get to meet them," Gupte added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roundtable meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo on Saturday. PM Modi holds talks with his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly in Cairo on Saturday.(ANI) The Prime Minister, who arrived in Egypt on Saturday (local time), is scheduled to address the Indian community. Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said for the first time, a roundtable meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister is taking place. On Sunday, Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18, 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. India cleared a shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PM Modi in Egypt LIVE: After the State visit to the United States came to a conclusion, Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi proceeded to his next scheduled State visit to Egypt which will also be the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1997. Modi was invited by Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi with whom he will hold talks on Sunday to discuss ways to give further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two major nations. PM Modi interacting with Indian community at hotel in Cairo upon his arrival on Saturday.(ANI) During his visit to Egypt, the prime minister will pay a visit to the Heliopolis War Memorial, a commemorative site established by the Commonwealth. This memorial specifically honors 3,799 Indian soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives in different battles fought in Egypt during World War I. Additionally, PM Modi will also tour the Al-Hakim mosque, a historic mosque dating back to the 11th century. The mosque has been restored with the support of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Furthermore, Modi will meet and interact with members of the Indian community residing in Egypt during his visit. (With PTI inputs) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his maiden state visit to Egypt by holding discussions with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and top Cabinet ministers on deepening trade relations and further strengthening the strategic partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in Cairo.( Arindam Bagchi twitter) Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Modi began his visit with discussions with Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly and top Cabinet ministers to deepen trade relations and further strengthen the strategic partnership. Read | PM Modi to visit 1000-year-old mosque in Egypt today. What is its significance? The Prime Minister also met the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and interacted with the members of the Indian diaspora. He also met the members of the Indian diaspora and the Bohra community. The Prime Minister's meeting with the Bohra community members comes ahead of his visit on Sunday to Cairo's historic Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of India's Dawoodi Bohra community. The Bohra community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Earlier, in a special gesture, Modi was welcomed at the airport here by Egypts Prime Minister with a warm embrace, accorded a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour. "I am confident this visit will strengthen Indias ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes," Prime Minister Modi tweeted after landing in Cairo. Modis first official engagement was a meeting with the India Unit, a group of high-level ministers constituted by President El-Sisi in March to further enhance the relationship with India. The two leaders had decided to elevate the relationship to the level of strategic partnership during El-Sisis visit to India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year. Seven members of the Egyptian Cabinet, led by Madbouly, were present at the meeting with Modi. Prime Minister Madbouly and his Cabinet colleagues outlined the activities that the India Unit has been undertaking, and proposed new areas of cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. They appreciated the positive response from their Indian counterparts, and look forward to deepening India-Egypt bilateral relations in numerous sectors, the statement said. Prime Minister Modi appreciated the setting up of the India Unit and welcomed this whole of the government approach to take forward bilateral relations with India. He also shared Indias readiness to work closely with Egypt in various areas of mutual interest. Discussions took place on ways to strengthen cooperation in areas like trade and investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties, the statement said. Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait and Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmed Samir were among the seven Egyptian Cabinet members present at the meeting. Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. Earlier, the Indian diaspora, dressed up in traditional attire, gathered in large numbers at the Ritz Carlton Hotel here to welcome Modi. Waving the Indian tricolour, members of the Indian community welcomed the Prime Minister to chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Vande Mataram' when he reached the hotel here. An Egyptian woman, Jena, dressed in a saree, greeted Modi with the popular song 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge' from the movie 'Sholay'. Impressed by the rendition of the Kishore Kumar-Manna Dey number, the Prime Minister expressed surprise when Jena said she knew very little Hindi and had never visited India. "Kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki aap Misr ki beti ho ya Hindustan ki beti ho (Nobody will be able to tell whether you are a daughter of Egypt or a daughter of India)," Prime Minister Modi said. He will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay respects to the Indian troops who gave their lives in the ultimate act of valour for Egypt during World War-1. This memorial was built by the Commonwealth, although it is dedicated to the 3,799 Indian troops who lost their lives in different First World War conflicts in Egypt. El-Sisi is also scheduled to travel to India in September for the G-20 Summit where Egypt has been invited as a special guest. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a cheerful Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government's decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects antiquities that have returned from Australia, in New Delhi. (File) PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time). Watch | PM Modi concludes US State visit with address to Indian diaspora "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said, "These antiquities of Indian origin had reached the international market through right or wrong paths, but America's decision to return them to India shows the emotional bond between the two nations." Also Read | How US newspapers are reporting PM Modi's State visit In a bid to rejuvenate India's cultural and spiritual heritage, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing back antiquities and artefacts from across the world. "Over centuries, innumerable priceless artefacts, some with deep cultural and religious significance, had been stolen and smuggled abroad. The government adopted a proactive approach to 'bringing back Indian artefacts and cultural heritage," said a government release. On numerous foreign visits, Prime Minister discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions and total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, out of which 238 were brought back since 2014. In 2022 also the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million USD. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr had announced in October 2022 that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor, a statement said. Subhas Kapoor had assisted in trafficking the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. According to the statement, "Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office's investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi." All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India's Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau. Among the pieces being returned was the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000. The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement read. Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added. In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. "The untiring efforts of the Government of India have led to the repatriation of our rightful artefacts that reflect and epitomise the glory of our ancient civilisation," the release read . Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed a large gathering of the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Centre in Washington on Friday, marking the conclusion of his US State visit. As Modi arrived to deliver his goodbye speech, the building resonated with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and Vande Mataram, reflecting the enthusiasm of the attendees. (Follow here for comprehensive coverage: PM Modi in US LIVE) PM Modi at Ronald Reagan building and International Trade Centre.(Twitter/Narendra Modi) PM Modi addresses Indian diaspora as US State visit comes to a close While speaking to the Indian diaspora, PM Modi said that together, we are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies. (ALSO READ: How US newspapers are reporting PM Modi's State visit) PM Modi highlighted that during this visit, companies like Google Micron, Applied Materials and others have announced to make investments in India. All these announcements will help to create employment in India. He added that the Artemis Accord signed between India and the US will provide several opportunities in space research. By 2024, with NASA, India will send astronauts to space. That is why I said Sky is not the limit. ALSO READ | Biden's gift to PM Modi: 'Future is AI' t-shirt. It's not what you think it is In the nearly 40-minute long speech, the prime minister said that the remarkable progress in India can be attributed to the unwavering belief of its 1.4 billion people. It is not his efforts but the collective resilience of the nation that has overcome centuries of colonisation and restored this belief. The scheduled event commenced at around 7:30 pm (local time) on June 23. The diaspora reception is being organized by the United States Indian Community Foundation (USICF). All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his no discrimination in India" statement during his State visit to the United States this week. Owaisi raked up the issues of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, rollback of Maulana Azad Fellowship Scheme in December last year, among other steps, that he alleged, were the signs of discrimination against minorities. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi.(ANI) Three hundred churches were burnt in Manipur, isn't that a discrimination? The CAA was made by the Modi government on the basis of religion while Maulana Azad Fellowship Scheme (implemented by UGC for the students of Muslim, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist, Christian and Jain minority communities) was scrappedall these steps are a sign of discrimination, Owaisi told reporters. Owaisi's blunt attack comes in response to Modi's remark during a joint presser held with US President Joe Biden in the White House on Thursday, where he was asked by the US media about the steps taken by his government to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities. Modi, in his response, asserted that democracy runs in our veins and said India does not discriminate on the basis of religion or caste. He also invoked his Bharatiya Janata Party's much-emphasised slogan sabka saath, sabka vikas." The rare presser gained many eyeballs in domestic politics since it is unusual for Modi to take direct questions from the media. It also invited criticism by the opposition parties, including the Congress, which frequently accuses the Modi government of infringing upon the rights of minorities and restricting freedom of speech. Notably, during Modi's visit, as many as 75 US Senators and Congressional lawmakers wrote to Biden outlining their concerns over the alleged human rights issues in India under the Modi government. Separately, former US president Barack Obama also called for the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities in India, in an interview which coincided with Modi's visit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla took a dig at the opposition Saturday over its initial attempts to unite ahead of the 2024 general election. The swipe at the 'amazing introduction of opposition unity' comes a day after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar led a 15-party meet in Patna to discuss a potential grand alliance to stop prime minister Narendra Modi and the BJP from claiming an unprecedented third consecutive term next year. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla (ANI) "Left's crime branch in Kerala arrests Kerala Congress president for corruption - Congress is shouting vendetta... Congress showed the mirror to AAP in Delhi on 370... TMC hurried Nitish Babu... AAP showed teeth to everyone... What a friendship," Poonawalla tweeted. Poonawalla's jab at the opposition continues the flood of attacks by the BJP, which included 'dulhan' taunts by ex-Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Current union minister Smriti Irani 'thanked' the opposition for their meeting, claiming it indicated they know they will be defeated in the 2024 election. READ | Amid AAP-Cong tension and BJP's 'dulhan' jabs, Oppn holds big Patna meet The opposition's Patna meet finished on a suitably friendly note last evening - despite tension over the Aam Aadmi Party's spat with the Congress over support against the centre's ordinance on control over bureaucrats in the national capital. A phalanx of top politicians addressed the media after the day-long meeting and indicated progress had been made. READ | Opposition 'satisfied' with Patna meeting, next huddle in Shimla on July 10-12 The headline moment, though, belonged to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused the BJP of 'atrocious methods' - a reference to the opposition's belief the ruling party uses investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate to intimidate rival leaders. "We are united and will fight together... The history started from here and BJP wants to change that history. Our objective is to speak against this fascist government," she said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We have to fight the elections together in 2024. We have decided to throw out the BJP and are confident of forming the next government." READ | BJP slammed for 'atrocious methods' at Oppn's Patna meet. Who said what? The meeting organiser, Nitish Kumar, hailed a 'good meeting'. Kharge, however, also downplayed any commitment to backing the AAP in its bid to defeat the Delhi ordinance in the Rajya Sabha; the AAP has secured support from multiple opposition parties, including Nitish's Janata Dal (United). READ | AAP raps Cong over Delhi ordinance, 'silence raises doubts' In signs opposition unity may already be fraying, the party also accused the Congress of a 'deal' with the BJP. Chhattisgarh has asked the central government to stop auctioning nine of the 23 coalfields located in pristine forests around the Hasdeo Arand and Mand River catchment since mining in these areas would harm local ecosystems. In March, the Union government announced the 7th round of its coal mine auctions, in which 101 fields were to be auctioned, including the Tara block in Chhattisgarhs Hasdeo Arand forest, which has a canopy cover of 81%. (AFP) The auction of the nine coal blocks will impact the lives of people in 24 villages and would destroy local ecology, the state government said in a June 23 letter to the Union coal secretary. Chhattisgarh assembly on July 26, 2022, had resolved to get call coal blocks in the Hasdeo area to be cancelled. The coal ministry was informed about the resolution on September 19, 2022, Jai Prakash Maurya, special mining secretary of the Chhattisgarh government, said in the letter. I have been directed to inform the state governments objection to the proposed auction of nine block blocks in the area. In March, the Union government announced the 7th round of its coal mine auctions, in which 101 fields were to be auctioned, including the Tara block in Chhattisgarhs Hasdeo Arand forest, which has a canopy cover of 81%. Another six coal blocks are in the catchment area of Mand River, an important tributary of the Hasdeo River. Both rivers have their origin in the dense forests of northern Chhattisgarh, which have up to 80% of forest cover. The region has a significant presence of elephants and is an important site for migratory birds, state officials said. A total of 24 villages will be directly affected by the mining of these nine coal blocks, and the total coal reserve area (geological block area) is 16,810 hectares meaning that many forests will be lost, said a forest official, requesting anonymity. The state government was awaiting a response from the Centre, an official at chief minister Bhupesh Baghels office said. Once that comes, we will decide further course of action, but these nine blocks should be exempted for the sake of environment, biodiversity and forest, he said, requesting anonymity. It was good to see Chhattisgarh objecting auction of densely forested coalfields situated in river catchments, said Sudiep Shrivastava, a Bilaspur-based advocate, who has been filing lawsuits against mining in Hasdeo Aranya. The ministry of coal ought to have kept such blocks out of the auction list since only 29 blocks received bid out of 141 offered in the last auction, Shrivastava said, questioning the rationale to auction 101 blocks. The Chhattisgarh assembly has unanimously resolved to protect the entire Hasdeo region from any disruption, including a ban on coal mining, and the state government is bound to protect it, according to Alok Shukla of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, an advocacy group. Unfortunately, coal mines in such rich ecosystems are being unnecessarily allocated merely for commercial gains of the corporates, that too when there is no need, Shukla said. Already, coal mines with a cumulative capacity worth 2400 million tonnes per annum have been allocated, which is far more than Indias total energy needs till 2040. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged representatives of 18 political parties to have faith in him as the as the Centre is monitoring and taking steps to restore normalcy in Manipur, where ethnic violence since May 3 has claimed nearly 115 lives. Union home minister Amit Shah at an all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur, in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation since day one, Shah told an all-party meeting where leaders from some parties including the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) questioned the PMs silence on the matter. Apart from putting their disapproval of the state governments response to the clashes between the Kuki and Meitei groups in the state on record, some opposition parties also sought chief minister N Biren Singhs resignation. Several opposition parties also demanded that an all party delegation should be sent to Manipur. According to leaders who attended the meeting, the home minister cited his long experience in dealing with crises as he sought to allay their fears about the violence. Shah told leaders all efforts are underway to restore peace in the state where at least 115 lives have been lost, over 300 injured and nearly 40,000 displaced so far, a leader said seeking anonymity. He acknowledged the concerns and the suggestions made by the leaders and assured them that the government would consider their recommendations with an open mind, the leader cited above said after the over three-hour-long meeting in the national capital. The home minister said the PM has been guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to this problem and the government is committed to solving the problem by taking everyone along. The home minister said the priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state, said a home ministry official. The home minister said 36,000 security personnel, including 40 IPS officers, have been deployed in Manipur, while 20 medical teams were also despatched, according to the official. Fencing work of 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, tendering work for 80 km of border fencing has been completed and survey of remaining border is underway, the official said, adding that the home minister has sought the cooperation of all parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace. Opposition parties have mounted pressure on the BJP government at the Centre and in the state to resolve a crisis that erupted after a Tribal Solidarity March in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Soon after Saturdays meeting, the Congress said that former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh, who represented the party at the meeting, was not given sufficient time to voice his concerns. When I started giving my suggestions, I think he (home minister) did not want to listen. I also mentioned that this was not the time to politicise the issue as normalcy needs to be brought in the state. I asked him to give me at least five minutes to speak on the issue but he asked me to meet him separately, Ibobi told mediapersons. Hours later, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it is a matter of insult that the only leader from Manipur at the all-party meeting was not allowed to put forth his views on the situation. The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality, Ramesh tweeted. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), that is counted as a friendly party of the BJP, suggested that the case pertaining to the ST status for Meities be heard in the Supreme Court. Our partys stand is that the case should be transferred from the division bench of the Manipur High Court to the Supreme Court, since it will assuage concerns and people have faith in the apex court as its decisions tend to be acceptable to all sides, BJPs Pinkai Misra said told HT. Misra, citing the example of the Supreme Courts intervention in the Ram Temple issue, said he underlined that the government erred by not filing a petition seeking a stay on the high court order which directed the state government to recommend the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list. There is tension in the state because people feel that one community is more dominant in the HC, he said. RJDs Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, meanwhile, said there is a trust deficit between people in the state and CM. Calling it a failure of governance, DMK lawmaker Tiruchi Siva told HT, One part of India is burning, and the PM has not expressed words of concern... we see videos of children stranded in forests. The intensity of violence has not reduced even after home ministers visit. Lashing out at the government, the TMC, in a statement, said there is a pervading sense of hopelessness, fear, and desperation in the state and an all-party delegation should be sent to the strife-torn state to boost the confidence of the people. When Manipur burns, Assam is affected, Meghalaya is affected, the entire North-East is affected. The whole nation is affected. Is the Union Government trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir? the statement said. BJP president JP Nadda said the situation in Manipur is very sensitive and needs to be handled with sensitivity, adding that the problem is rooted in many historical factors. The Modi government is doing everything possible to bring the situation back to normal, we are sure that peace will return to Manipur very soon, a person quoting Nadda said, seeking anonymity. The meeting, chaired by Shah, was attended by leaders from the Naga Peoples Front, the Mizo National Front, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma (National Peoples Party); All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader M Thambi Durai; Sanjay Singh from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), among other leaders. Besides, Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Nityanand Rai and Ajay Kumar Mishra, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, and the director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka were also present at the meeting. At least 115 have died in the violence that broke out in the state since May 3. Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a court-proposed tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, 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 internet, pumping in additional security forces to force a break in the spiraling clashes. (With inputs from Saubhadra Chatterji) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Smriti Kak Ramachandran Smriti covers an intersection of politics and governance. Having spent over a decade in journalism, she combines old fashioned leg work with modern story telling tools. ...view detail Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday concluded his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by laying the foundation stone for a memorial commemorating fallen soldiers at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, besides meeting families of slain police personnel. Union home minister Amit Shah laying the foundation stone for a memorial commemorating fallen soldiers at Lal Chowk in Srinagar (Amit Shah Twitter) Earlier in the day, Shah also reviewed the arrangements for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, an annual Hindu pilgrimage in Anantnag district. Shah arrived in Kashmir Valley on Friday afternoon after attending an event in Jammu. On the first day of his visit to the Union territory, the Union minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth 500 crore. He also inaugurated the three-day Vitasta Festival at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) located on the bank of the Dal Lake. On Saturday, Shahs cavalcade stopped outside Pratap Park, locally called Parta Park, a few blocks away from the clock tower, to lay the foundation stone for the memorial. Accompanied by J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, Shah laid the foundation of Balidan Stambh to commemorate the lives laid down by security force personnel in service of the nation. Jammu and Kashmir has been the land of indomitable courage and bravery of the countrys brave hearts. In order to make the valour of such heroes immortal, the foundation stone of Balidan Stambh was laid at Pratap Park in Srinagar today, Shah said in a tweet. This pillar will inspire patriotism among the youth by immortalising the memory of the martyrs. The memorial is being constructed as part of the smart city project, officials said. Shah also met the families of some police personnel in Srinagar who lost their lives in the conflict in J&K and presented appointment letters to their kin. The martyrdom of numerous Jawans of the J&K Police who laid down their lives battling terrorists and securing innocent fellow citizens is a testament to what Kashmir and its people stand for, Shah said. Today, met the family members of such martyrs in Srinagar and distributed appointment letters on behalf of the J&K govt to the closest kin of the martyrs. Earlier in the day, he visited Baltal base camp to review the preparations for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. The two-month-long pilgrimage will begin from July 1. On Friday night, Shah chaired a security review meeting attended by administrative, police, army and other security officials. Glad to see the agencies adopting a multi-pronged approach to ensuring security. Continued peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the prime goals set by PM Modi, Shah said in a tweet. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said that all Opposition parties are going to fight unitedly for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. (ANI Photo) On Friday, the Opposition meeting had been called to forge opposition unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "We're going to fight unitedly, all opposition parties, and for that we will be meeting once again in Shimla. We will continue our fight," Kharge told reporters reagarding the opposition meeting. The next meeting of the Opposition parties would be held in Shimla next month, announced Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. After the Opposition meeting on Friday, Kharge said, that we will meet again in July in Shimla to prepare an agenda on how to move ahead together while working in our respective states to fight BJP in 2024. Earlier today, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said all the Opposition parties present in the meeting had decided to stay united against the fascist forces. "Leaders from Kashmir to Kanyakumari were present in the opposition meeting. We have decided to stay united against the fascist forces," Deputy CM said. After the meeting, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar said on Friday that the opposition parties had a "good meeting" in Patna and it has been decided to fight the elections together. The opposition meeting was called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar which was attended by leaders of parties opposed to the BJP. More than 15 opposition parties attended the meeting held at Nitish Kumar's official residence in Patna. The Opposition parties picked Patna as a venue for its meeting as it represents the 1974 call of total revolution by Jayaprakash Narayan that toppled Indira Gandhi's majority government. Security forces said on Saturday that they were forced to let go of the 12 Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) militants they apprehended after a women-led mob of around 1,500 surrounded them and thwarted the combing operation in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, officials aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity. An Army spokesperson said that the 12 KYKL members they apprehended earlier in the day included Moirangthem Tamba, alias Uttam, a mastermind of the 2015 ambush that killed 18 army personnel. Confirming the incident, an Army spokesperson said that the 12 KYKL members they apprehended earlier in the day included Moirangthem Tamba, alias Uttam, a mastermind of the 2015 ambush that killed 18 army personnel. At around 2.30pm, acting on specific intelligence inputs, an operation was launched by security forces in Itham village in Imphal East after which a cordon was laid... In the ensuing operation, 12 KYKL cadres were apprehended along with arms, ammunition and war like stores. Positive identification of self styled Lt Colonel Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam, mastermind of the Dogra ambush case of 2015 among the 12 apprehended was done, the spokesperson said. Read | Tackling stolen arms in Manipur a challenge for forces Soon after, an official quoted above said, a mob of 1,200-1,500 led by women and local leader immediately surrounded the target area and prevented the security forces from going ahead with the operation. Repeated appeals to the aggressive mob to let security forces carry on with the operation as per the law did not yield any result. The 12 cadres were then handed back to the local leader in view of the sensitivity of use of kinetic force, the official added. The security forces, however, seized the war-like stores recovered from insurgents, he said. Read | Efforts being made to restore peace in Manipur on Modi's instructions: Amit Shah at all-party meet The Issue of women-led mobs thwarting security forces from conducting combing operations has been happening across Manipur, where ethnic violence between the Meities and the Kukis has claimed 115 lives since May 3. On June 22 , a mob led by women protesters blocked a CBI team, which was entering the Manipur police training college to investigate looting of arms. On June 23, too, the army tweeted that mobs led by women stopped security personnel from reaching an area where armed miscreants were firing using automatic guns. Clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis first erupted on May 3 during a protest against a court-ordered tweak to the states reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the latter. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. The authorities quickly clamped a curfew and suspended 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 the tripartite accord and move against some forest dwelling groups it termed as encroachers. On June 4, the Union government formed a three-member judicial inquiry panel to probe the ethnic violence in Manipur on the recommendation of the state government. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON While Global Forgiveness Day is observed on July 7, Forgiveness Day in June is not an officially recognised holiday on the international calendar however, forgiveness is a concept that holds significant importance in various cultures and religions. It is often celebrated or observed in different ways within specific communities or groups. Forgiveness Day 2023: Date, history, significance and celebration (Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash) Date: Forgiveness Day is celebrated annually on 26 June in USA. History: Established in line with Christianitys teachings around forgiveness that we should always forgive all who trespass against us, Forgiveness Day was incepted in 1994 by The Christian Embassy of Christs Ambassadors (CECA). It is is the day to shed old grievances or grudges and forgive those who have wronged us though in the secular world, forgiveness means different things to different people. Significance: The idea behind Forgiveness Day is to promote the act of forgiving and seeking forgiveness for past wrongdoings. It serves as a reminder of the healing power of forgiveness and encourages individuals to let go of grudges, resentment and anger. It's important to note that forgiveness is a personal and complex process. While Forgiveness Day can serve as a reminder to focus on forgiveness, the act itself often requires time, reflection and genuine intention. Forgiving doesn't necessarily mean forgetting or condoning the actions of others but rather freeing oneself from the burden of carrying negative emotions. Remember, forgiveness is a journey that varies for each individual, and it can be practiced every day, not just on a designated Forgiveness Day. Celebration: On Forgiveness Day, people may engage in activities such as - Self-reflection: Taking time to reflect on one's own actions and behavior, identifying areas where forgiveness may be necessary, and acknowledging the importance of forgiving oneself. Taking time to reflect on one's own actions and behavior, identifying areas where forgiveness may be necessary, and acknowledging the importance of forgiving oneself. Apologising: Reaching out to individuals whom you may have hurt or wronged and offering a sincere apology. This gesture can help mend broken relationships and foster reconciliation. Reaching out to individuals whom you may have hurt or wronged and offering a sincere apology. This gesture can help mend broken relationships and foster reconciliation. Forgiving others: Making a conscious effort to forgive those who have wronged you in the past. It involves releasing feelings of anger or resentment and choosing to move forward with a compassionate and understanding mindset. Making a conscious effort to forgive those who have wronged you in the past. It involves releasing feelings of anger or resentment and choosing to move forward with a compassionate and understanding mindset. Acts of kindness: Engaging in acts of kindness and compassion towards others, whether through volunteering, supporting charitable causes, or simply being kind and forgiving in daily interactions. Engaging in acts of kindness and compassion towards others, whether through volunteering, supporting charitable causes, or simply being kind and forgiving in daily interactions. Healing rituals: Some communities may have specific rituals or ceremonies associated with forgiveness, such as prayer services, meditation sessions, or communal gatherings where forgiveness is discussed and practiced. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mental health is a hot topic these days but many of us still don't understand the basics for example, a major difference between people with mental illness and others in the workplace is how they communicate with their colleagues. According to Headspace Health statistics, 83% of CEOs and 70% of workers have taken time off from work due to burnout, stress or mental health difficulties. Female employees are having poor mental health than their male counterparts. Here's why (Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash) Globally, more than half of the employees use digital mental health tools and services where employees and CEOs report the highest usage as the world's biggest stressors for employees has been novel coronavirus infection (Covid-19), burnout due to overwork or understaffing, unhealthy work life balance, bad leadership etc. It has been found that women are more prone to burnout than men in the workplace and that one of the more serious mental health problems, depression and anxiety, each year, the global economy loses $1 trillion in productivity. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Suprakash Chaudhury, HOD, Department of Psychiatry at DPU Private Super Speciality Hospital in Pune, shared, People with these experiences often show signs of frustration and withdrawal from friends and family outside of work, which can cause problems for the entire team if left unchecked. With this in mind, employers should be aware of and address mental health issues in the workplace. Dr Rahul Dilip Jagtap, Clinical Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist at Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, asserted, Mental health is an important facet of general well-being since it affects many aspects of life, including work productivity and job satisfaction. While mental health difficulties can affect people of either gender, research have repeatedly shown that female employees have lower mental health than their male counterparts. He blamed this on - Societal Expectations and Gender Roles : Traditional gender conventions frequently place many tasks on women, such as housework, parenting and caring for older family members. Balancing these obligations with professional commitments can result in severe stress and feelings of overload, increasing the risk of mental health concerns including anxiety and depression. Furthermore, cultural pressures connected to beauty, body image, and expectations of perfection can all contribute to the mental health issues that female employees confront. : Traditional gender conventions frequently place many tasks on women, such as housework, parenting and caring for older family members. Balancing these obligations with professional commitments can result in severe stress and feelings of overload, increasing the risk of mental health concerns including anxiety and depression. Furthermore, cultural pressures connected to beauty, body image, and expectations of perfection can all contribute to the mental health issues that female employees confront. Workplace Discrimination and Gender Bias: These factors can lead to feelings of frustration, low self-esteem, and a sense of being undervalued, ultimately impacting mental health. The cumulative effect of these experiences can be detrimental, creating an environment that perpetuates gender disparities in mental health outcomes. These factors can lead to feelings of frustration, low self-esteem, and a sense of being undervalued, ultimately impacting mental health. The cumulative effect of these experiences can be detrimental, creating an environment that perpetuates gender disparities in mental health outcomes. Work-Life Balance and Family Responsibilities: The obligation of managing both work and personal responsibilities can lead to feelings of guilt and continual pressure to perform well. Lack of flexible work options, insufficient maternity leave regulations, and limited childcare help can compound these issues, resulting to increased stress and reduced mental well-being. Expert tips: Dr Suprakash Chaudhury suggested, By creating a supportive and understanding work environment, companies can help employees struggling with anxiety and depression regain control of their mental states and become productive team members. Sudden prosperity and increased stress at work have led to more and more people using alcohol and drugs. Not only does this negatively impact worker performance through cognitive decline, it also negatively impacts the economy as a whole. By recognising mental health issues as legitimate concerns for all of us, we can ensure that no one feels isolated or marginalized because of mental illness and by giving people the tools they need to manage their mental health; we can build stronger organizations where everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Dr Rahul Dilip Jagtap concluded, Female employees have inferior mental health outcomes due to a complex interaction of variables such as social expectations, workplace discrimination, difficulty in establishing work-life balance and stigma associated with seeking help. Addressing these difficulties necessitates a multidimensional strategy that includes creating inclusive workplaces, promoting gender equality, establishing supporting policies and offering mental health services targeted to the specific needs of female employees. Organisations may take substantial efforts towards supporting the well-being of all employees and establishing a more equitable and psychologically healthy workforce by recognising and actively addressing these underlying elements. There is something about Narendra Modi. You may like him or dislike him, vote for him or oppose him viscerally. But it is clear that the Prime Minister knows how to seize an opportunity, use his political strength to hold on to certain positions, show flexibility when needed, and then own the decision politically. And nowhere has this been more apparent than in the domain of foreign policy in a particularly difficult environment. Think terror on Pakistan, the balance on Russia, the calibrated line on China, and, now, the embrace of the US. Biden, who got elected to the US Senate in the early 1970s in his late 20s, and Modi, who joined a political-cultural movement in the 1960s in his teens, trusted their experience and instincts. (President Biden Twitter) There is also something about Joe Biden. You may think he is too old for the job, or may admire his courage through adversity and his experience. But it is clear that, domestically, he has navigated the US through a tough period (remember the January 6 Capitol storming and the pandemic), pushed through transformative legislations (pandemic relief, climate and domestic manufacturing, semiconductors, infrastructure), stick to a decision (think support for Ukraine), and run an intellectually coherent and broadly effective foreign policy in the first two years of his term, which includes methodical competition with China and, now, the embrace of India. The 80-year-old born in Pennsylvanias Scranton and the 72-year-old born in Gujarats Vadnagar could not be more different. One has been a lifelong Democrat, held on to broadly liberal internationalist positions, and found his natural home in the American legislature before making the journey down the hill on Washingtons Pennsylvania Avenue to the executive branch in the White House, as first vice-president and then president. The other is harder to categorise (the conventional social and economic Left-Right matrix), has been an ardent nationalist, and, as a man of action, found his natural home in the political party organisational structure and then the executive branch, and has treated the legislature as necessary but also an impediment. When the two men met, it was their commonalities rather than their differences that prevailed. There was a conviction of what it is their respective national interest; Biden believes India is essential if China has to be prevented from dominating future geopolitics and geo-economics and the relationship has depth due to the people-to-people connect; Modi knows American and Indian societies have a natural warmth and US support is critical to enhance Indian capabilities. And they also ended up liking each other and developing a connection. Both took a decision, developed a personal relationship, determined areas of priorities, told their systems to make it work, and agreed that if democracies had to deliver, they had to show outcomes. Modi had external affairs minister S Jaishankar, national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Indian ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, additional secretary in charge of Americas Vani Rao, Indias deputy chief of mission in Washington Sripriya Ranganathan and their capable teams. Biden had his NSA Jake Sullivan, National Security Council (NSC) Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, NSC senior director Eileen Laubacher, NSC senior director for tech Tarun Chhabra, secretary of state Antony J Blinken, secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo, and assistant secretaries in Pentagon and State, Ely Ratner and Donald Lu with their respective teams. What happened in Washington over the past week was this confluence of the personal connect between leaders, the decisiveness they showed, and the systemic convergence that was enabled by the hard work of ministers and bureaucrats on both sides. The outcome is hard to describe. Is it a turning point? Well, the India-US story has been of increasing convergence and so this is not necessarily a shift. Is it just progress? Well, the India-US story has also been marked by incremental movement (barring the nuclear deal) and so it may not capture the scale of what happened? But perhaps the phrase that captures it is what was used in a column on these pages sometime before the visit a Great Leap Forward. Both leaders, and their systems, decided to take a leap of trust. The Americans realised that to overcome the scepticism that has remained deep within Indian defence and intelligence set-ups about US reliability, despite increasing cooperation in the past two decades, they needed to show concrete deliverables. They realised that specific interests, in the context of Chinas challenge in every domain from geo-economics to geostrategy to new technologies, required Indias slow, unannounced, but institutionalised integration into the domains of the future with the West. The Indians realised that this was a new dynamic; they could hold on to their positions in geographies where they differed with the US in methods, but suddenly the convergence in goals had expanded. And this could be translated into real dividends in multiple domains where India needed the American States approval for technology, its private sectors vast capital, and its unparalleled intellectual infrastructures collaboration. And this is why the Americans laid out the red carpet with public flattery, pomp and ceremony. And the Indians reciprocated by truly acknowledging the symbolism and collaborating on the substance. For once, it wasnt hyperbole when American political national security leaders and managers and even the more cautious Indian political leadership and bureaucratic executors said they were thrilled with what had just happened. One way to look at what happened is through specific deals the US allowing GE jet engine tech transfer is a big deal, India buying Predator drones is a big deal, India signing the Artemis Accords is a big deal, the US embracing India in the Mineral Security Partnership is a big deal, Micron and other semiconductor companies investing in India is a big deal, more Indian investments in American manufacturing and energy (who would have that thought two decades ago?) is a big deal, India and the US developing an alternative telecom infrastructure is a big deal, them deciding to work together in shaping research in new scientific and tech domains and how to regulate it is a big deal. But even beyond that, the real significance of what happened lies in the idea of trust and the bet on the long-term. Both systems decided that they wanted closer integration in their most sensitive domains. And both decided that they could trust each other enough to proceed with that. And that is where the two politicians came into the picture. Biden, who got elected to the US Senate in the early 1970s in his late 20s, and Modi, who joined a political-cultural movement in the 1960s in his teens, trusted their experience and instincts. What they delivered was a transformative moment with consequences for their countries, for the relationship, and for the world. letters@hindustantimes.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Nasas Instagram profile is nothing short of a treasure trove for those who enjoy the videos and images that give a peek of the world outside our Blue Planet. If youre among them, then the space agencys latest video will leave you stunned. Taking to Instagram, they shared a sonification of a supermassive black hole. It is one such video that will make your jaw drop. The image, taken from the viral video shared on Instagram, shows the sonification of a supermassive black hole.(Instagram/nasa) This may not rival the Beethoven bangers of that time, but we still consider it a one-hit wonder, Nasa wrote at the beginning of the caption. In the next few lines, they added more about the sonification. Listen to a data sonification of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A*. New evidence suggests the ancient sleeping giant woke recently, about 200 years ago, to feast on gas and other cosmic material within its reach, Nasa explained. What is sonification? Elements of the image, like brightness and position, are assigned pitches and volumes. No sound can travel in space, but sonifications provide a new way of experiencing and conceptualizing data. Sonifications allow the audience, including blind and visually impaired communities, to listen to astronomical images and explore their data, reads a part of a blog shared by Nasa on the process. In simpler words, it is a way through which digital data that gets translated into images is transformed into sound. Listen to the incredible sonification here: The post was shared a day ago. Since being posted, it has collected close to 5.6 million views and counting. Additionally, it has accumulated several likes. People also posted various comments while reacting to the video. Heres how Instagram users reacted: Poetic rizz of space, posted an Instagram user. Sounds like Heaven, added another. Nasa. Wow. Very amazing, joined a third. Modern technology is so cool, wrote a fourth. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Controversial internet personality and former kickboxer Andrew Tate has stirred up controversy once again, this time taking aim at the billionaires who found themselves stranded in a 'Titanic' submarine during an ill-fated expedition. Andrew Tate gestures as he leaves the Bucharest Tribunal, along with his brother Tristan, right, after the first hearing in their trial, meant to establish if they will remain under house arrest, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Romanian prosecutors charged on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Tate brothers and two other suspects with human trafficking, rape and organizing a criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)(AP) The submarine was part of a flagship journey organized by OceanGate Expeditions, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. The expedition, with a jaw-dropping price tag of $250,000 per person, embarked on an eight-day journey from Newfoundland to the wreck site, located approximately 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. However, the excursion took a tragic turn when the submarine lost contact with the support ship, Polar Prince, during its descent to the wreck. Five individuals, including British businessman Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, were reported missing. The search and rescue efforts involve a collaborative effort between multiple agencies from the United States and Canada, including the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and their Canadian counterparts. In response to the news, the Top G took to Twitter to make a provocative statement, which raised eyebrows and drew criticism from many. The controversial internet personality tweeted, "I dont care what submarine im on if wifey needs me ill be right there :) On my way baby, swimming baby, have a towel waiting baby." Tate's comments come amidst serious allegations against him and his brother. They are currently facing charges of rape, human trafficking, and involvement in a criminal gang that exploited women, as pressed by Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT. The prosecution alleges that the victims endured control, constant surveillance, and threats of indebtedness. The legal proceedings against the controversial social figure and his brother are awaiting the review of the case files by a Romanian judge, with the next steps expected to unfold within 60 days. If found guilty, they could face severe consequences. ALSO READ| Forever jail! Andrew Tate reacts as arrest conditions extended indefinitely in rape and human trafficking case The gravity of the charges is reflected in the indictment, which includes provisions for the confiscation of significant assets belonging to the Tate brothers. DIICOT has stated that over $380 million USD worth of cryptocurrency, along with luxury cars, watches, and properties, should be seized. While Tate's provocative statement and ongoing legal issues continue to generate attention, the focus remains on the search and rescue efforts for the missing individuals involved in the 'Titanic' submarine incident. The joint collaboration between US and Canadian authorities underscores the urgency and seriousness of the situation. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called key ally South Korea to discuss results of his visit to China this month, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (AP) Blinken told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin he had an honest, practical and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side, and wanted to explain the results of his visit in as much detail as possible, a ministry statement said. Blinken and Park decided to continue to communicate regarding relations with China and to urge Beijing to play a constructive role in North Korea's suspension of provocations and denuclearisation, the ministry said. During the visit to China where Blinken met President Xi Jinping and other top officials, the two sides agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough. Meanwhile, North Korea criticised Blinken for trying to get China to pressure Pyongyang to lay down arms, and warned that its response will grow "more overwhelmingly and aggressively" to any stronger military measures by the United States on the Korean Peninsula, state media KCNA said on Saturday. Also Read | Blinken meets Chinese President Xi in bid to ease US-China tensions Blinken's "threats" for China to pressure Pyongyang expresses a "dangerous hegemonic mentality", KCNA said, citing a North Korean foreign ministry official. KCNA also criticised the U.S. for sending military assets including a nuclear-powered submarine to the Korean Peninsula, risking "peace and security". North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast last week, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of a response to military drills by South Korean and U.S. troops. The isolated country is under international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by William Mallard and Tom Hogue) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a devastating turn of events, the top-secret Titan submersible, carrying five passengers on a mission to explore the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, suffered a catastrophic implosion, leading to the loss of all lives on board. FILE - This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet (490 meters) and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and left lingering questions. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)(AP) The international rescue effort, amassing the attention of the world, proved futile from the very beginning as the US Navy had detected an anomaly suggestive of an explosion or implosion shortly after the vessel lost contact with its mothership. Upon detecting the anomaly, the US Navy immediately shared the information with the command post, although its definitive nature was unclear at the time. It has come to light that the Coast Guard was aware of the implosion of the Titan submersible on Sunday, yet they chose to continue the search operation. Despite receiving signals indicating the catastrophic event, the Coast Guard deemed the information inconclusive and decided to persevere with the rescue mission. TOPSHOT - US Coast Guard (USCG) Captain Jamie Frederick speaks to reporters about the search efforts for the Titan submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic, at Coast Guard Base in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 21, 2023. The USCG said Wednesday it had not identified the source of underwater noises detected by sonar in the search for the missing submersible. "We don't know what they are, to be frank with you," Frederick said regarding the sounds that had raised hopes the five people onboard are still alive. "We have to remain optimistic and hopeful when you're in a search and rescue case," he told reporters. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP)(AFP) The Coast Guard had detected an anomalous signal that could have indicated either an explosion or implosion in the vicinity where the submersible had lost contact with its mothership. But, due to the lack of definitive evidence, the decision was made to proceed with the search and rescue efforts in a valiant attempt. The world anxiously awaited updates as Canadian maritime and surveillance, along with a patrol aircraft, reported picking up periodic banging noises, providing a glimmer of hope that the crew might still be alive. Three additional ships, the John Cabot, Skandi Vinland, and Atlantic Merlin, joined the search efforts, along with a French vessel equipped with remotely operated vehicles. Rear Adm. John Mauger of the US Coast Guard emphasized the importance of considering people's will to live during complex search and rescue missions, reflecting the collective determination to save the crew members. ALSO READ| This is how its going to end for you, TV reporter's haunting encounter during Titanic dive in a Russian submersible As time ticked away, debris from the submersible was discovered on the ocean floor, confirming the tragic fate of Titan and its passengers. The vessel had experienced a catastrophic implosion, likely occurring during its descent into the dark depths of the ocean. The wreckage was found a mere 1,600 feet away from the resting place of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912. Among the passengers aboard the ill-fated submersible were British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman. Their mission was to reach the Atlantic seabed, situated approximately 12,500 feet beneath the ocean's surface, to witness the remnants of the iconic Titanic. Even before the confirmation of the implosion, James Cameron, the esteemed director of the film "Titanic" and a seasoned deep-sea explorer, expressed his doubts about the survival of the crew. Cameron, who has embarked on 33 deep-sea expeditions himself, criticized the rescue effort, labeling it a "nightmarish charade" and asserting his belief that the sub's loss was apparent from the moment it lost communication and tracking capabilities. Cameron told the BBC, That was just a cruel, slow turn of the screw for four days as far as Im concerned, because I knew the truth on Monday. ALSO READ| Titan submersible incident: Can the dead bodies of five onboard be recovered? As the world grapples with the tragic outcome, the financial cost of the multinational rescue mission is expected to reach millions of dollars. Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue, highlighted the significant expenses incurred during such complex operations. The high price tag underscores the dedication and resources invested in attempting to save lives in the face of great adversity. US intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, a report declassified on Friday said. The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the Covid-19 pandemic(via Reuters ) The four-page report said the intelligence agencies still could not rule out the possibility that the virus came from a laboratory, however, and had not been able to discover the origins of the pandemic. "The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, as both (natural and lab) hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting," the report said. The agencies said that while "extensive work" had been conducted on coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute (WIV), they had not found evidence of a specific incident that could have caused the outbreak. "We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the Covid pandemic," the report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny after the private army of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin seized control of two cities, Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, to oust the military leadership. Russian President Vladimir Putin.(AP) In his address to the nation, Putin called the armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries a 'stab in the back' and said that the group's chief, Prigozhin, had 'betrayed' Russia. READ | 'Vladimir Putin made wrong choice Russia will have new president soon', says Wagner Group "This is a stab in the back to our country, to our nation What we have been faced with is exactly betrayal. Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," he said. Here's what foreign governments spoke about the development: President of Poland Andrzej Duda wrote on Twitter, "In connection with the situation in Russia, this morning we held consultations with the prime minister and the ministry of defence, as well as with allies The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis." Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the government of Germany said, "We are monitoring events in Russia closely." The British defence ministry said, "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." "We stay focused on the support to Ukraine," the French Presidential Office said. "Prime Minister Meloni is closely following events in Russia, which show that its assault on Ukraine is causing instability within Russia," Italian PM Georgia Meloni's office said in its statement. (With inputs from Reuters) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail As 62-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin is now threatening Moscow with a coup, Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov said Russia has long turned into a mafia state and years ago Russia collapsed. "As I said, there is no Russian state, no political chain of command, and total failure in Ukraine has exposed that. Who will obey whose orders now? If Prigozhin is still alive and free in 24 hours, we will have entered a new reality," Kasparov said. Yevgeny Prigozhin has called for an armed uprising to oust the defence minister(AP) Russia coup: Follow LIVE updates Russia is a mafia front with factions fighting each other for money, resources and power and the present situation is a clear indication that Putin was not able to control the factions from infighting, the grandmaster said. Putin or anyone else, the situation is hardly going to change as they will be faced with "threats and instability", Garry Kasparov said in a long Twitter thread. Putin in trouble? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian military district | VIDEO Do not let whatever mafia show that is now out in the open in Russia distract from the goal of Ukrainian victory. It is time to accelerate, not hesitate. If you agree that "let them all lose" in Russia is ideal, the road to that is victory. Glory to Ukraine...PS Please keep in mind that even more than usual, everything coming out of the Kremlin, and Russian generally, will be lies. It's instinctive and about control. Such people would not admit they were drowning to a lifeguard. - Garry Kasparov "The knives in Russia grow longer and sharper as Ukrainian battlefield successes increase. Defeat is always an orphan Scapegoats will be found & their fortunes seized. But eventually the ones responsible will be held accountable," Garry Kasparov said. Mercenary chief's coup: What is happening in Russia? Yevgeny Prigozhin for months criticised the Russian military leadership for launching strikes on his men. Now he has escalated the attack in what seems to be the gravest challenge in front of Putin since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. Yevgeny Prigozhin was known as Putin's confidante as Prigozhin and Putin go way back -- both born in Leningrad. Yevgeny Prigozhin is also known as Putin's chef as the restaurants owned by him provide service for Kremlin. The security services have reacted to Yevgeny Priogozhin's coup call and sought his arrest. Security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin claimed his forces crossed into Russia from Ukraine and reached Rostov. "We will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said. Prigozhin refused to call this armed march of his men a military coup, but a 'march of justice'. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An Indian immigration agent, allegedly behind preparing fraudulent documents for international students, has been arrested and charged by Canadian authorities. Jalandhar agent Brijesh Mishra. The charges against Brijesh Mishra were announced on Friday by the Canada Border Services Agency or CBSA. The outlet Toronto Star reported that Mishra was taken into custody as he attempted to enter Canada and was found to be inadmissible. He is believed to be in pre-trial detention in British Columbia, according to a Canadian source. The CBSA, in a statement, said Mishra was charged with immigration-related offences. There were about 30 such students facing removal proceedings, with an additional 130 or so cases that were being investigated. These students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019, and in rare instances, 2020. They started receiving notices from the CBSA in 2021 and last year, for a hearing as the agency concluded the letter of offer of admission to a Canadian higher education institution, which formed the basis of their study permits, was fake. Agents in India used fraudulent documentation to procure study permits for them and they started receiving notices from immigration authorities late last year once these were detected. The majority of those affected were represented by Mishra of the Jalandhar-based counselling firm EMSA Education and Migration Services Australia, but others were also involved. CBSA Criminal Investigations Section laid five charges against Mishra, including those for counselling misrepresentation, misrepresentation and unauthorised representation or advice for consideration. Following information provided to the CBSA concerning Mr. Mishras status in Canada, as well his alleged involvement in activities related to counseling misrepresentation, the Agency launched an investigation, the release said. The charges announced today by the CBSAs Pacific Region Criminal Investigations Section reflect our commitment to maintaining the integrity of Canadas immigration system, CBSAs regional director general, Pacific region, Nina Patel said. Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendocino said, Our government is taking action against those who are responsible for fraud, while protecting those whove come here to pursue their studies. Earlier this month, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser gave the former students a reprieve as he placed a hold on deportations until a task force completed investigation of each case. Toronto-based lawyer Sumit Sen, who is working with several of these students, said that they will ask for a court-ordered appearance so that Mishra can be cross-examined during ongoing hearings for the cases related to fraudulent documentation. I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation, Fraser said at the time of the announcement on June 14. 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 The head of the Wagner mercenary group vowed Saturday to "go to the end" to topple the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of launching strikes on his men, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion". The owner of the Wagner private military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.(AP) "We are going onwards and we will go to the end," Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, said in an audio message. "We will destroy everything that stands in our way," he added in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year. He later claimed his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter. READ | Putin in trouble? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian city | VIDEO "A helicopter has just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of PMC Wagner," he said. Prigozhin earlier said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia's offensive, had entered the southern Russian region of Rostov but did not provide any proof and AFP could not independently verify his claims. In Moscow, authorities have tightened security measures, with critical facilities "put under reinforced protection", the TASS state-run news agency reported, citing a law enforcement source. The FSB security service urged Wagner fighters to "take measures to detain" Prigozhin. Putin was being given regular updates on the unfolding tensions between the Wagner group and the defence ministry, the Kremlin said. Russia coup LIVE: Wagner mercenaries on the warpath | UPDATES Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov had informed Putin of "the initiation of a criminal case in connection with an attempt to organise an armed rebellion," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. - Missile strikes - The extraordinary developments came after Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes. "They (Russia's military) conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages released by his spokespeople. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped." He warned Russians against resisting his forces and called on them to join him, adding "there are 25,000 of us". "We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice". In a statement, the FSB said: "Prigozhin's statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces". While Prigozhin's outfit has spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, he has in recent months engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership and has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. - 'Provocation' - The Russian defence ministry denied Prigozhin's claims of an attack on his forces, saying the statements "do not correspond to reality", and calling them a "provocation". It later said Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the east Ukraine hotspot of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the leadership of Moscow's defence ministry. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address. "The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country. Before it is too late, it is necessary... to obey the will and order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation". Kyiv said it was monitoring the infighting in Moscow. "We are watching," the Ukrainian defence ministry tweeted, while Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said rival Russian factions had begun to "eat each other over power and money". Ukraine was also on high alert after new Russian missile strikes Saturday, with explosions reported in Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv. US President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. On Friday, Prigozhin said Moscow's forces were retreating in Ukraine's east and south following the start of Kyiv's counteroffensive early this month. That directly contradicted Putin's account that Ukraine was suffering "catastrophic" losses and that there was a lull in fighting. "We are washing ourselves in blood," Prigozhin said. "No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception," he added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership. - Questioning military operation - After years of operating in the shadows, Prigozhin has now admitted to running the elusive mercenary group Wagner and even interfering in US elections. His forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict. However, this week he accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the offensive in Ukraine. "Why did the special military operation begin?" he said. "The war was needed for the self-promotion of a bunch of bastards." Rarely has such a controversial figure shot to this degree of prominence on the Russian political stage under Putin. Prigozhin rose from a modest background to become part of the inner circle around Putin. He spent nine years in prison in the final period of the USSR after being convicted of fraud and theft. In the chaos of the 1990s, he began a moderately successful business selling hot dogs. From there he fell into the restaurant business and opened a luxury location in Saint Petersburg whose customers included Putin, then making the transition from working in the KGB to local politics. However, in recent months, Prigozhin has become embroiled in a bitter power struggle with the defence ministry. He has accused the Russian military of attempting to "steal" victories in Ukraine from his forces, and slammed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing military gains. Pakistan introduced a number of changes to its fiscal 2024 budget on Saturday, said Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, in a last-ditch effort to clinch a stalled rescue package with the International Monetary Fund. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.(REUTERS) "Pakistan and IMF had detailed negotiations as a last effort to complete the pending review," he told parliament. For the fiscal year starting next month, Pakistan will raise a further 215 billion rupees ($752 million) in new tax and cut 85 billion rupees ($300 million) in spending, as well as a number of other measures to shrink fiscal deficit, he said. The review came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the Global Financing Summit in Paris. About a week remains before the IMF's Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019 expires on June 30. Under the $6.5 billion facility's ninth review, negotiated earlier this year, Pakistan has been trying to secure $1.1 billion of funding stalled since November. Moments after Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the armed rebellion by mercenaries, the Wagner Group reportedly said the Russian president made the wrong choice during his speech and that the country will soon have a new premier. The mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, have claimed control of two Russian cities in their bid to oust the nation's military leadership and claims to have also downed three military helicopters. The rebel group also said it had faced little resistance from the National Guard as it advances. Owner of the Wagner private military contractor Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP) In an address to the nation, a visibly miffed Putin said the armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a 'stab in the back' and that the group's chief, Prigozhin, had 'betrayed' Russia. READ | 'Treachery': Putin slams Wagner, warns of 'brutal action' against rebels "This is a stab in the back to our country, to our nation," Putin said in an address to the nation. "What we have been faced with is exactly betrayal. Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said referring to Prigozhin. READ | '25,000 of us...': Mercenary leader vows to destroy Putin. Russia reacts "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," he added. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia is 'fighting the toughest battle for its future' - a reference to the illegal war in Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us." "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility." An armed rebellion at a time like this is 'a blow to Russia, to its people', the president said. READ | Who is Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin? "Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it," Putin said. (With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Explosions rocked Wagner-held Rostov in Russia, sparking panic even as Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed that his fighters will not turn themselves in to Vladimir Putin's military force. Videos shared by foreign media outlets showed residents running for cover after the Russian city was hit by explosions. In another video, Wagner fighters were caught on camera installing anti-tank mines across the city. Residents run for cover after explosions rocked Russia's Rostov city. (Twitter/War Monitor) This comes as Russian army helicopters opened fire on a Wagner military convoy on the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh, Reuters reported. Facing revolt by the mercenary group whom he accused of betrayal, Putin is said to have spoken to the leaders of Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kazakhastan amid the ongoing mutiny. Russia coup LIVE coverage As the fighting continues, there are reports of 180 Russian soldiers and security forces stationed at the Bugayevka checkpoint in the southern Voronezh region refusing to fight against the Wagner Group and subsequently laid down their arms. In Rostov, video by foreign media outlet Spectator Index showed people bringing food and water for the Wagner fighters. Check the video here. Responding to Putin's treason charge, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had called his fighters as patriots. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland", he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a televised address in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2023, in this still image taken from a video. Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a national address on Saturday that an "armed mutiny" by the Wagner militia group was treason, and that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. "Those who organized and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia, and will be answered by us," Putin said, hours after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was accused by the Kremlin of a mutiny coup. In his emergency televised address, Putin urged the consolidation of all forces and said what was happening was "a betrayal" and "a knife stabbed in the back of our country and our people". "What we are facing is precisely betrayal. Excessive ambition and vested interests have led to treason. Betrayal of one's country, one's people, and the cause for which the soldiers and commanders of the Wagner group had fought and died, side by side with our other units," he said. Putin called Wagner's actions "internal treachery", saying that "all kinds of political adventurers and foreign forces, who divided the country and tore it apart, profited from their own interests. We will not let this happen again. We will protect both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery". Putin said the situation in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don was complicated during the armed mutiny, adding that a counterterrorism mission is now in place in Moscow and several other regions. What triggered Wagner mutiny? Will there be any consequences for Russia and the Ukraine conflict? In an extraordinary clip, a street cleaner carries out his regular morning duties while in the background, a convoy of armoured tanks of Wagner group heads to oust president Vladimir Putin in Russia's Rostov on Saturday. A man continues to clean the street while the armoured cars can be seen streaming by the roads of the city.(Twitter/ @Osinttechnical) Follow Russia coup Live Updates here The video, which went viral on the social media shows a man continues to clean the street while the armoured cars can be seen streaming by the roads of the city. Read here: Wagner Group vows to topple Russian military leadership. Who are they? While sharing the video on the social media platform, a Twitter user @Osinttechnical wrote, "A somewhat surreal sight in Rostov as street cleaners continue on their Saturday morning duties." The video has garnered over 932K views and over 9,000 likes. Some netizens got nostalgic ad remembered the Myanmar fitness instructor Khing Hnin Wai, whose video of coincidently filming the military coup while performing her routine dance workout made to the headlines. In the video, she was seen dancing energetically to techno-pop while wearing workout gear and a face mask, seemingly oblivious to the convoy of black vehicles streaming down the road behind her as Myanmar's military seizes control of the government. Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Russian mercenary boss 'plotting' against Putin Meanwhile, Russia's Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday vowed to go all the way to topple the military leadership in Moscow over its handling of the war and accused his allies of shelling his troops. He said that he had sent an armed convoy on a 1,200-km (750-mile) charge towards Moscow with his 25,000 fighters. "All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000," Prigozhin, 62, said in an audio message, after earlier accusing the Russian top brass of launching strikes against his men. Read here: Putin faces coup? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian military district | VIDEO Following Prigozhin's statement, security measures in Moscow has been tightened, with critical facilities put under reinforced protection. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to suggest he had sent an armed convoy on a 1,200-km (750-mile) charge towards Moscow on Saturday in an unlikely attempt to topple the military leadership. Hours earlier, the Russian authorities had accused Prigozhin of staging an armed mutiny(AP) Follow Russia coup LIVE Updates Russian local officials said a military convoy was on the main motorway linking the southern part of European Russia, bordering Ukraine, with Moscow, and warned residents to avoid it. Hours earlier, the Russian authorities had accused Prigozhin of staging an armed mutiny after he alleged, without providing evidence, that the military leadership had killed a huge number of his fighters in an air strike, and vowed to punish them. The FSB domestic security service said it had opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny, a crime punishable with a jail term of up to 20 years. The dramatic turn of events, with many details unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis President Vladimir Putin has faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine - something he called a "special military operation" - in February last year. Prigozhin, whose Wagner militia spearheaded the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, has for months been openly accusing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support in its battles in Ukraine. As their feud appeared to come to a head, the ministry issued a statement saying Prigozhin's accusations were "not true and are an informational provocation". Read here: Wagner Group vows to topple Russian military leadership. Who are they? Prigozhin said his actions were not a military coup. But in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that 25,000 fighters were en route to oust the leaders of the defence establishment in Moscow. Early on Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in his increasingly vitriolic feud with the ministry, saying that Putin's stated rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass. About 2 a.m. (2300 GMT), Prigozhin posted a message on the Telegram app saying his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and were in Rostov. He said they were ready to "go all the way" against the top brass and destroy anyone who stood in their way. PUTIN BEING BRIEFED 'AROUND THE CLOCK' Around the same time, the state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying all Russia's main security services were reporting to Putin "round the clock" on the fulfilment of his orders with respect to Prigozhin. Security was being tightened in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the Russia situation, a White House spokesperson said. About 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), the administration of the Voronezh region, on the M-4 motorway between the regional capital Rostov-on-Don and Moscow, said on Telegram that a military convoy was on the highway and urged residents to avoid using it. Read here: If Prigozhin is still alive...: Garry Kasparov says Russia a mafia front, no state Unverified footage posted on social media showed a convoy of assorted military vehicles, including at least one tank and one armoured vehicle on flatbed trucks. It was not clear where they were, or whether the covered trucks in the convoy contained fighters. Some of the vehicles were flying the Russian flag. Footage on channels based in Rostov-on-Don showed armed men in military uniform skirting the regional police headquarters in the city on foot, as well as tanks positioned outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Reuters confirmed the locations shown but could not determine when the footage was shot. In his audio messages, Prigozhin said: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance... "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. FSB URGES WAGNER FIGHTERS TO DETAIN PRIGOZHIN The FSB said Prigozhin's statements were "calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and his actions are a 'stab in the back' of Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces". It added: "We urge the ... fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forcible actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to detain him." Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. Army General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, whom Prigozhin has praised in the past, said in a video that "the enemy is just waiting for our internal political situation to deteriorate". "Before it is too late ... you must submit to the will and order of the people's president of the Russian Federation. Stop the columns and return them to their permanent bases," he said. Read here: '25,000 of us...': Mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin plots coup against Putin. Russia reacts An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces. It showed a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been broken by force. There appeared to be one body, but no more direct evidence of any attack. It carried the caption: "A missile attack was launched on the camps of PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the strike was delivered from the rear, that is, it was delivered by the military of the Russian Ministry of Defence." Prigozhin has tried to exploit Wagner's battlefield success, achieved at enormous human cost, to publicly berate Moscow with seeming impunity, while carefully avoiding criticism of Putin. But for the first time on Friday, he dismissed Putin's core justifications for invading Ukraine 16 months ago, something for which many Russians have been fined or jailed. Read here: Putin faces coup? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian military district | VIDEO "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he said, referring to Putin's justifications for the war. Russia president Vladimir Putin on Saturday branded Wagner Group mercenaries and those who have taken up arms against his military as 'traitors' and declared their actions a 'stab in the back'. He also warned those taking up arms against that they were committing treason and would face 'brutal action'. A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group is seen atop of an armoured vehicle in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer "What we are facing is precisely treachery excessive ambitions and personal interests led to treason (against) their country and people, and to the cause for which Wagner fighters and commanders fought and died side by side with our other units and divisions," Putin said in a televised address to the nation. "Those who organised a military mutiny who took up arms against their comrades betrayed Russia and will answer for it. This is a blow to Russia our people. Our actions to protect the Fatherland from such a threat will be harsh." Russian defence ministry's message to Wagner Putin's address came shortly after his defence ministry reached out to soldiers employed by the Wagner Group - a private army - claiming they had been 'deceived' and 'dragged into a criminal adventure'. The ministry called on Wagner soldiers to contact their representatives and local law enforcement (presumably to surrender) and, in turn, promised to guarantee their safety. The ministry's message - posted on messaging platform Telegram - comes hours after Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's dramatic video statement denouncing Russian military leaders for failing to support his soldiers, who have spearheaded Moscow's illegal invasion of Ukraine. LIVE COVERAGE | Wagner Group threatens Russia coup, marches on Moscow The statement said: Many of your comrades from several squads have already realised their mistake... asking for help in ensuring they can safely return to their places of permanent deployment. Such assistance from our side has already been provided to all fighters and commanders who applied. Putin has been briefed on the situation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding 'all necessary measures (are) being taken'. The latter includes heavy military deployment in the Russian capital, according to the Associated Press 'A stab in the back' The Russian response to the Wagner Group's actions have been to fortify Moscow - where an 'anti terror operation' has been announced. And, on Friday, the country's National Anti-Terrorism Committee - part of the Federal Security Services - charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion. That is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, the FSB has ordered Wagner soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his 'criminal and treacherous orders'. It called his statements a 'stab in the back to Russian troops' and accused him of fomenting armed conflict. Wagner takes control of Rostov, marches on Moscow In the hours since the Wagner Group's coup attempt was revealed, Prigozhin has claimed to have taken control of Rostov (the military HQ of Russia's southern forces) and sent an armed convoy to Moscow to unseat Putin. READ | Wagner Group downed Russian chopper near city they now control Prigozhin said early Saturday his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, adding that they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces 'aren't fighting against children'. "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said in a series of angry video and audio recordings on social media. "We will go until the end." Sources told news agency Reuters Wagner fighters had also seized military facilities in Voronezh, a city about 500 km south of Moscow. Wagner has also reportedly shot down at least two Russian military helicopters; visuals online show plumes of smoke that seem to confirm this. The Wagner Group boss has warned Putin and Russia's military that every soldier in his 25,000-strong army stood 'ready to die'. READ | '25,000 of us...': Mercenary leader vows to destroy Putin. Russia reacts What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group - or PMC Wagner - is a private military with tens of thousands of fighters, according to United States intelligence. The United Kingdom's defence ministry believes there are over 50,000 in Ukraine alone Wagner forces have played a key role in Ukraine and have succeeded in conquering Bakhmut, where the fighting has been some of the bloodiest. READ | Wagner Group vows to topple Russian military. Who are they? However, Prigozhin has increasingly been criticised by top Russian military leaders, accused of incompetence and starved of weapons and ammunition. Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? A mildly successful former businessman who was fortunate enough to be patronised by Putin, Prigozhin made headlines when the Ukraine war began. READ | Who is Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin? Prigozhin and Putin were both born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) and, in the final years of the Soviet Union, the latter spent 10 years in jail. Prigozhin's mercenaries have taken contracts across the world - Africa in particular - and allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, like a share of gold or natural resources. With input from agencies SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday described the actions by Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin as a "counter-terrorist operation" and said that "everything is just beginning in Russia". Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of a tank in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don,(Reuters) Follow Russia coup LIVE Updates "The split between the elites is too obvious. Agreeing and pretending that everything is settled won't work," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. "Someone must definitely lose: either Prigozhin...or the collective 'anti-Prygozhin'," he added. Everything is just beginning in Russia. Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia's military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. Prigozhin's criticism of the top military brass is in stark contrast with more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin without any sign of infighting among his top lieutenants.(AP) Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded over the last 24 hours. FRIDAY Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private army called Wagner, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia's military top brass and for the first time rejects President Vladimir Putin's core justifications for invading Ukraine. - In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. - Russia's FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny. - The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. SATURDAY - Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - The White House says it is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments. - The governor of southern Russia's Rostov region adjoining Ukraine tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - A Russian security source tells Reuters Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow. - Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back". - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the revolt by Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. - European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia. During the day, numerous other governments around the world issue similar statements. - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says "Russia's weakness is obvious" and the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home. - Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, says it is clear that Prigozhin's attempt to destabilise society and ignite a fratricidal civil war has failed, the TASS news agency reports. - Russian soldiers set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by the Vedomosti newspaper. Photographs also show armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway - which mutinous Wagner mercenaries are moving along - reaches the Russian capital. - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan tells Putin in a telephone call that he backs the Russian government's handling of the Wagner revolt, the Kremlin says in a statement. A statement issued by Turkey says Erdogan urged Putin to act "with common sense". Belarus issues a statement reaffirming its alliance with Russia. - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs. He adds the U.S. will stay in touch with allies and partners "as the situation continues to develop". - Putin signs a law permitting 30-day detentions for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency reports. - Wagner mercenaries have been promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons "but they should do it fast", the TASS news agency cites lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov as saying. - Russia's Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals". SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Vladimir Putin has long profited from the actions of the Wagner mercenary group, but the mutiny led by its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presents the Russian strongman with a challenge that could irreparably damage his authority, analysts say. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner speaking to the camera from a rooftop at an undisclosed location. (AFP) During its decade-long existence, Wagner's operations in Africa, Syria and eastern Ukraine have served Putin's political interests, with the president appearing to relish, rather than fear, the internal rivalries created by its success. But now the organisation, whose development was encouraged by Putin, has turned against him. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin once seen as a close ally and known as "Putin's chef" due to past Kremlin catering contracts rather than culinary prowess has moved into open revolt. The speed and severity of Putin's address to the nation after Prigozhin said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and bases in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, shows how seriously he regards the threat. While the Russian state maintains the military might be able to put down the rebellion and even crush Wagner, the crisis risks inflicting permanent damage to Putin, who for two-and-a-half decades has prided himself on standing on top of an unchallenged vertical power structure. "Putin's unambiguous position is to put down the rebellion. And hard," Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the R. Politik political analysis firm, said on her Telegram channel, arguing that Prigozhin was "doomed," even it it could take "a long time" to bring him down. But she added: "Many inside the elite will personally blame Putin for the fact that everything went so far and that there was no proper reaction from the president in good time. Therefore, this whole story is also a blow to Putin's positions." The UK ministry of defence said in its daily intelligence update that the "loyalty of Russia's security forces... will be key to how the crisis plays out." - 'Usefulness to Putin' - The Wagner outfit had taken a prime role in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, taking on the most dangerous frontline work, as the regular army appeared to falter, while sustaining what Western sources have described as colossal losses. "For a long time, Prigozhin was allowed to attack the elite due to his usefulness at the front, as well as for some usefulness to Putin himself," said Alexander Baunov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. But the war also emboldened Prigozhin, who for the first time openly admitted he had founded the group after years of denial, and openly recruited new members in Russian prison camps. He also took to launching brazen verbal attacks against the Russian defence ministry. His posturing was seen initially as a boost to the Kremlin's war effort but then as a rare and open challenge to Putin, who appeared to keep the group at arm's length and never held a public meeting with Prigozhin during the conflict. Prigozhin waged what grew into a personal vendetta against Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, widely seen as one of Putin's few personal friends within the Russian elite, who has hosted the president for holidays in his home southern Siberian region. Baunov argued that the moment Prigozhin resolved to "cross the line" came on June 13 when Putin announced that mercenary groups like Wagner would have to be subject to control of the defence ministry, something the mercenary boss had long opposed. In Putin's icy address on Saturday he pointedly did not refer to Prigozhin by name, a tactic he also uses concerning the jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny. - 'Frankenstein's monster' - James Nixey, director of the Russia-Eurasia Programme, at UK thinktank Chatham House, described Prigozhin "as something of a Frankenstein's monster" who may have had "a licence at some point... to shock the Russian army into more effective warfighting." Read Here | Russia coup: Mercenary boss says armed convoy heading to Moscow to oust Putin "However, that has gone way beyond anything that Putin would ever have envisaged now," he told AFP. While Prigozhin does not have the "manpower, troops or support" to take Moscow, let alone the entire country, it still "is the first direct serious challenge to Putin's authority in 24 years" of rule. Prigozhin's conduct contrasts with that of the strongman of the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who also built up his own private militia force but has remained staunchly loyal to the Kremlin. He has already vowed to send Chechen units to put down the revolt saying that if "harsh measures are necessary, we are ready." "Moscow has every chance of regaining control," said the prominent French political scientist Anna Colin Lebedev. "But this unprecedented situation confirms to the elites that the time for stability is over, and that the state that we thought was all-powerful has flaws. The seat of power today is a slightly more shaky chair than it was yesterday," she said. The Wagner Group - the Yevgeny Prigozhin-led army of mercenaries - made global headlines Saturday morning after it initiated a coup against Vladimir Putin and Russian military leadership. Videos of Wagner soldiers, tanks and armed vehicles rumbling across the Russian border from Ukraine - where it has led Moscow's war on Ukraine - soon filled the internet, as did one very peculiar clip shared online by an independent military analyst of armed soldiers ordering coffee at a restaurant in Rostov - the city Wagner claims it seized control of today. Did Wagner fighters stop for coffee on their way into the Rostov MOD headquarters? another Twitter user questioned, sharing a photograph sourced to NYT.(Twitter/@anneapplebaum) The caption with the 29-second video is: "Wagner fighters ordering coffee in Rostov." A photograph shared by Anne Applebaum, a staff writer for American magazine The Atlantic, shows half-a-dozen soldiers crossing a street with tank in the background. That caption reads: "did Wagner fighters stop for coffee on their way into the Rostov MOD headquarters?" Applebaum's tweet credited the photograph to Reuters via The New York Times. Hindustan Times cannot independently verify the video or the photograph. Meanwhile, other videos and pictures shared online - including those by the Russia's state-run TASS news agency - showed armed men surrounding administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks deployed in the city centre. It is not, however, clear if the personnel and equipment are Wagner forces or regular Russian military. The sanguine street cleaner Earlier today another curious video surfaced - reportedly showing a Rostov street cleaner working unperturbed with a convoy of Wagner tanks visible in the background. That video was also shared by the aforementioned military analyst, who wrote: "A somewhat surreal sight in Rostov as street cleaners continue their Saturday morning duties." The rebellion in Rostov-on-Don Prigozhin claimed Saturday he had entered Russia and taken over army facilities in Rostov - effectively claiming control of the city that is HQ to the country's southern military. The Wagner chief - who said Putin made 'wrong choice', after he was slapped with a treason charge by an outraged president - has said his 25,000 fighters and he are ready to die. Why the coup? The developments came after Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with missile strikes that he said killed 'a huge number of our fighters'. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages. He warned Russians against resisting his forces and called on them to join him. "We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice." What did Putin say? Putin has called the Wagner Group's actions 'armed mutiny' and an 'act of treason'. He said those who have taken up arms against the Russian military will face consequences. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao Trainee Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream. India's regional languages attract me. ...view detail Wagner Group Russia Coup updates: Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his heavily armed forces overnight pulled out of Rostov region, where they had taken over Russia's southern military headquarters. The move came after the Wagner group decided to halt approaching Moscow under a deal which defused the challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Members of Wagner group look from a military vehicle with the sign read as "Brother" in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. (AFP) A deal was brokered by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko which stated that the Wagner group, a private army of mercenaries that spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, would go back to the base in Ukraine in return for the guarantee of their safety and Prigozhin would move to Belarus. Prigozhin had vowed to go all the way on Saturday to topple the military leadership in Moscow after he accused the Russian military of launching a deadly strike on his troops. In an audio message, the 62-year-old mercenary leader said that his troops will destroy everything that stands in our way and warned Russians against resisting his forces and called on to join him. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, he added. The extraordinary development came as a result of Prigozhin's bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership over the months. Russian Army helicopters reportedly opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on the M4 highway outside Voronezh city on Saturday. The city is over halfway along the 1,100-km highway from Rostov to Moscow, Reuters reported. Helicopters attack oil depot in Russia's Voronezh(Source: @BNONews) This comes shortly after the governor of Russia's Voronezh region said emergency services were trying to put out a burning fuel tank at an oil depot. More than 100 firefighters and 30 units of equipment were working at the site, Alexander Gusev, the governor said on Telegram. Earlier on Saturday, a Russian security source told news agency Reuters that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km south of Moscow. The claim could not be confirmed independently. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about, filming on mobile phones, as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. Russia's Putin vows to punish Prigozhin President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish Wagner group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine. Putin denounced the uprising as a stab in the back." It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos". In his address, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. Outfit reaches Rostov-on-Don Prigozhin confirmed he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. Prigozhin also said Wagners forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The defence ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. Residents of Russia's Lipetsk urged to stay home Authorities in Russia's southwestern Lipetsk region urged residents to stay at home on Saturday after the Wagner mercenary group vowed to take up arms to topple the country's military leadership. "To ensure law and order and the safety of the citizens of the Lipetsk region, the operational headquarters of the region asks residents without urgent need not to leave their homes and refrain from any travel by personal or public transport," the press service of the regional government said in a statement on social media. The announcement came as the governor of the neighbouring region of Voronezh, where the army said it was leading "combat" operations, voiced support for President Vladimir Putin after officials said an oil depot was on fire there. (With inputs from Reuters and AP) After over a year of continued long battle between Russia and Ukraine, the world is keeping a close eye on the Wagner Group after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, has vowed to go all the way to topple the military leadership in Moscow over its handling of the war and accused his allies of shelling his troops. The Wagner Group (officially called PMC Wagner), is a private military organization run by an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (AP) Follow Russia Coup LIVE Updates here Following Prigozhin's statement, security measures in Moscow has been tightened, with critical facilities put under reinforced protection. The mayor of Moscow said on Saturday that "anti-terror" measures were being taken in the Russian capital. Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russias war in Ukraine. Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Russian mercenary boss 'plotting' against Putin Here are 5 points on the Wagner group: 1. The Wagner Group (officially called PMC Wagner), is a private military organization run by an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin with tens of thousands of fighters, according to US officials. 2. The group formed by Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian officer, and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, 61, who has been previously known as "Putins chef" for catering state events, came into existence in 2014 and was involved in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict in 2014, when Russia illegally annexed the Crimea. Read here: Putin faces coup? Rebel mercenaries enter Russian military district | VIDEO 3. Initially it was a secretive organisation, have had only about 5,000 fighters - mostly veterans of Russia's elite regiments and special forces. Since 2015, the Wagner Group has been active in Syria, Libya, Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, the Central African Republic (CAR) has invited the Wagner Group to guard diamond mines, and it is thought to be guarding gold mines in Sudan. 4. The Wagner Group was heavily involved in Russia's capture of the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian troops say its fighters were sent into attacks in large numbers over open ground, with many killed as a result. Read here: '25,000 of us...': Mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin plots coup against Putin. Russia reacts 5. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the group now commands over 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign. The organisation even started recruiting in large numbers in 2022 because Russia had trouble finding people for the regular army. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON On June 10, Tyson Middle was finishing the black outline on his tag, SIRUS, when a Billings police officer arrived at the scene. Middle lowered his black paint spray can and stepped back to greet the officer, who was dispatched when law enforcement received a complaint. After some discussion, Middle was able to explain that he was not a vandal needing to be arrested but rather working on a commissioned graffiti mural for a downtown business. The business Wicked Diesel Auto Specialists on First Avenue South in Billings has been struggling with vandalism and taggers marking a metal building located in the alley. In September of 2022, the citys code enforcement department notified business owner Ervin Mettler that he would need to cover the recent graffiti tag, or they would do it for him. Either way, Mettler would be responsible for the costs of removal, and if he didnt comply, he could be fined up to $500 and sentenced to up to six months in jail, per a city ordinance. So, he called Middle. Middle is the most public graffiti artist in the city and has works of art from the west end to downtown. He has spray-painted the Shiloh Road pedestrian tunnel, created elaborate murals in the downtown skate park, and has worked with many private businesses who offer up sanctioned walls for Middle and other artists to paint. I am the name and face to graffiti in Billings, he said. Its a fine line to walk sometimes. Middle operates Underground Culture Krew, a graffiti supply store and community art collective in Billings. This is his 10th year in business, and hes dealt with cops and code enforcement plenty of times, even though he operates on the legal side of graffiti. Graffiti, at the end of the day, is paint on a wall, Middle said. There are rules to follow, and some choose not to. There is a difference between a street artist and a vandal. A bomber, a tagger there are all different kinds. The struggle with illegal graffiti is an old story in Billings, one the ebbs and flows with weather, active taggers and the list of city priorities. Its a public-safety issue because graffiti encourages crime, said Tina Hoeger, the citys code enforcement division manager. If you dont take care of your property, it encourages negative behavior. Its just one more piece of that puzzle to combat the greater issue of health and safety in the city. Joe Stout, Billings Business Improvement District (BID) director, sees graffiti kick up every spring and die off in winter. The BID helps keep the 18-block downtown district clean with the Purple People street team that does everything from plowing snow to hanging and watering flower baskets and the removal of graffiti as part of the Downtown Billings Alliances services for downtown businesses. The pop-culture idea of a graffiti artist is someone who is spraying walls in the lull between drug deals, and I dont think that is the case, Stout said. I think very often its a bored kid trying to burn off energy. Stout has seen it all tiny tags scrolled on stickers and slapped on poles, taggers spraying their names on block after block of building walls, graffiti rolling through town on rail cars, elaborate murals that pop up overnight in hard-to-reach spaces. I have had to cover up some nicely done pieces that were well-planned out, Stout said. There is a possibility that this drive is so strong that they keep going back. Stout was among the first people in Billings to receive the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) designation from the National Institute of Crime Prevention. The training teaches individuals how to examine areas of a city and suggest or implement environmental design changes to reduce crime, influence human behavior and improve quality of life. CPTED is a preventive measure, Stout explained. Its proactive, not reactive. Adding lighting to outside spaces, enhancing areas with public art and murals, and having employee workspaces facing out windows to provide natural surveillance are all part of this strategy. If you cant change the environment, you change the social nature of the area and bring safe activity to an unsafe area, Stout said. Its a positive activity generator that includes natural surveillance and community ownership. That is the whole idea behind public art. A RESOURCES GAME After a $7.1 million public safety mill levy passed in 2021, Billings has ramped up its code enforcement department, engaging more police and community service officers to identify and prosecute illegal graffiti artists. The public is asked to help support these efforts by calling authorities and making a complaint when they see vandalism, and business owners who have been tagged are asked to report the graffiti. With additional resources from the mill levy, law enforcement is now building case files to help tie graffiti to individuals. These are difficult cases because in general it is not common to catch someone tagging a property, and by the nature of using a tag name it is difficult to determine an identity, said Matt Lennick, administrative lieutenant with the Billings Police Department. Even if an identity is established, then an officer has to be able to go back and provide evidence that the person in question is responsible. This can take hours and hours of digging into social media accounts, search warrants and statements. It comes down to a resources game. Lennick explained that graffiti is a crime of opportunity. Graffiti holds no meaning to the community, or is a subject matter that is generally offensive to the public, Lennick said. If more graffiti artists spent the time to work with property owners and create pieces that were generally tasteful and a positive influence on the community, then we as a department would get less complaints about the paintings and we would probably see some pretty nice stuff around town. Other options for preventing graffiti can be costly, such as applying a topcoat to surfaces that prevents other paints from sticking. Local hardware stores offer paint at a discounted price to business owners and residents who are covering up graffiti, but currently there are no public programs to help mitigate the costs. I have seen suspects from their early teens and well into adulthood, Lennick said. Some of it is just people being bored or destructive, but if you get into the culture of graffiti it is generally more than that. They depict themselves as artists and get a thrill from seeing their tag gain attention. PAINTING AND BOOMING Middle was born in 1985 in Greybull, Wyo. Graffiti was imported into town on the railroad, where his best friends parents worked. We were always by the trains and constantly seeing graffiti and images and color, Middle said. I was intrigued by it. Who is doing this? It was totally foreign to me, especially in rural Wyoming. Middle moved to Billings in his 20s. Graffiti called to him, and he knew it called to others, so in 2013 he started a business selling spray paint and other supplies for artists. Its the adrenaline. Its the addiction. Its the fear. Its the pulse. Its the smell, the taste. Its everything, he said. You just got to drop cap and go. It didnt take long for Middle to amass a following and a crew of painters. They led the effort to get places for people to paint where graffiti was accepted and allowed. We are not the first ones to paint murals in Billings, but we just did it a little differently, and it opened up some avenues for other people to get up murals, Middle said. All of a sudden we were painting and booming. Middles murals carry familiar characters from his childhood. Ghostbusters, Toy Story characters, the family from Bobs Burgers, Batman, and even the Beastie Boys are sprayed on walls around the city. These characters speak to younger artists and tend to be easier to spray paint because they are rounded and cartoon-like, Middle said. Some of these murals have been called a public nuisance by business owners or residents who have taken offense to the artwork and complained. Enough complaints can add up to a citation and removal, and the Billings City Council retains the right to deem any public art a public nuisance. If we get a complaint, we will start the process, said Hoeger with the citys code enforcement division. Art is art, but we do have to be respectful. Asking permission does change the essence of graffiti, Middle said. At the heart of graffiti, it is true bombing and illegal tagging under the cover of darkness, hopping fences. If you ask permission, that is all gone. There isnt as much adrenaline, but it does give access and availability for someone who doesnt want to risk breaking the law. Its a personal preference. Middle works with other taggers to encourage commissions and expression within sanctioned spaces. For some of these kids, they have a lot of talent. I try to get these kids off the streets, ask them to contact me and we can go out and paint, he said. There is a difference between a vandal and a bored kid who found a spray paint in his dads garage, Middle said. A vandal is going to go destroy property, write his name on everything he sees and have fun wrecking. I think there are a lot of bored kids running around trying to express themselves and get attention. These kids just want to be seen and heard and recognized. The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force fighting in eastern Ukraine said on Tuesday he had been told he and his men would be regarded as traitors if they abandoned their positions in the city of Bakhmut. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin (Reuters) Read here: '25,000 of us...': Mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin vows to destroy Putin. Russia reacts But Yevgeny Prigozhin said for the second time in a matter of days that his forces would leave Bakhmut if they did not receive the ammunition they needed to press the battle. He delivered his latest tirade in a profanity-laced audio message which coincided with Russia marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two with its traditional parade on Moscow's Red Square. "A combat order came yesterday which clearly stated that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut), it will be regarded as treason against the motherland. That was the message to us," Prigozhin said. "(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the Motherland. Apparently, the one (betraying the Motherland) is the person who signed it (the order to supply too little ammunition." He said his forces would stay in Bakhmut and keep insisting they get their ammo "for a few more days". Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Russian mercenary boss 'plotting' against Putin Prigozhin has previously accused the defence ministry of deliberately starving his forces of ammunition. The ministry has said it is working to ensure all battlefield units have what they need. Late on Monday, Prigozhin said there were signs the ammunition problem was being solved but on Tuesday he said the size of the shipment had been slashed. "They've given us only 10% of what we asked for. We've been deceived," he said. 'FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD' Prigozhin, who has been locked in a long-running feud with the defence ministry, has made a series of emotional statements in recent days, announcing that his forces would withdraw from Bakhmut because of the ammunition problem before saying they would stay, and then again suggesting they might leave. He made cryptic but crude comments about those in overall charge of Russia's war on Ukraine on Tuesday, referring ambiguously to a "grandfather" figure who was under the mistaken impression that everything was going well with Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "What will the country do, our children, grandchildren who are the future of Russia, and how can we win this war if - by chance, and I'm just speculating here - it turns out that this grandfather is a complete ****head?," he asked. Prigozhin has previously poured scorn on Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, but has avoided all personal criticism of President Vladimir Putin. Read here: Kiss Biden on his head: Russia's Wagner chief mocks Zelensky on Bakhmut Analysts have said his erratic behaviour looks like an attempt to try to deflect blame for a lack of swift success - the battle for Bakhmut is in its 10th month - and to spread disinformation. In a dig at the defence ministry, Prighozin - who says his men have taken control of 95% of Bakhmut - alleged that some regular troops had fled their positions nearby leaving Wagner's flank temporarily uncovered, a problem he said his men had to remedy. "It is not a problem about the soldiers. The problem is to do with the people who manage them and give them tasks. The fish rots from the head," he said, calling the orders being given by what he called a narrow clique "criminal" and "traitorous". Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man behind the Wagner Group? Reuters could not independently verify his assertion about the alleged incident involving the abandoned flank. Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russias war in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company,(AP) Read here: '25,000 of us...': Mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin vows to destroy Putin. Russia reacts As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhins arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhins threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his march to justice. PUTINS CHEF Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man behind the Wagner Group? Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. MILITARY CONNECTION Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. RAGING AGAINST RUSSIAS GENERALS As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russias military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. Read here: Kiss Biden on his head: Russia's Wagner chief mocks Zelensky on Bakhmut These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. A BAD ACTOR IN THE US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. AVOIDING CHALLENGES TO PUTIN As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putins generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhins influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. Read here: Russian mercenary group Wagner claims Ukraine's Bakhmut captured; Kyiv contests Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. After confirmation of the implosion of Titan submersible, killing all five occupants, the attention moves to can the bodies of the crew be recovered? A report by New York Post has cited experts who weighed in on the prospect of recovering the dead bodies. The Titan submersible(via REUTERS) As per experts, the chances of recovering the dead bodies are almost negligible. Five parts of the wrecked sub were found on Thursday, approximately 1,600ft (480m) from the bow of the Titanic wreck. ALSO READ| Titan submersible mishap: All you need to know about the 'Titanic' explorer incident that killed five after implosion In an interaction with New York Post, Ofer Ketter, a longtime submersible specialist and co-founder of private sub company Sub-Merge told that force of the implosion which caused Titan to collapse inward in milliseconds under the massive pressure of the sea, might have turned parts of the vessel "to dust". To me, it makes absolute sense that the chamber, the pressure chamber where the passengers are sitting in, did not withstand the pressure because of the material that it was built on, said Ketter. And that is exactly what imploded and turned to dust. Everything else that was either made of titanium or perhaps other steels, survived, and thats what was found, he added. Earlier, in a press conference on Thursday, Rear Adm. John Mauger of the US Coast Guard talked about the chances of recovering the dead bodies and parts of the submersible. This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, said Mauger. Well continue to work and search the area down there but I dont have an answer for prospects at this time, he added. British billionaire businessman Hamish Harding, British father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood who had roots in Pakistan as one of its richest families, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and former French navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet were the five persons who died as crew of the Titan submersible. The five occupants of Titan were on an adventure to explore the wreck of the "Titanic" ship which sank after reportedly colliding with an iceberg in April 1912. After the threat by Wagner Mercenary Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to go all the way to topple the military leadership in Russia, the world is keeping a close eye on the uncertain situation in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin. (via Reuters) Follow Russia coup LIVE Updates The news took the storm on the social media platforms with some netizens poking fun at president Vladimir Putin, who has been allegedly accused of shelling the group's troops. A parody Twitter handle, @DarthPutinKGB took a jibe at Putin over handling the Ukraine war and said that he remains a master strategist. "Day 485 of my 3 day war. Russia is invading Russia to free Russia from those who invaded Russia to free Russia from those who invaded Russia. I remain a master strategist ," he tweeted. Meanwhile president Putin has condemned the act and vowed to defend the country from the armed rebellion which he called a stab in the back to Russia. Read here: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin - the Russian mercenary boss 'plotting' against Putin All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said in televised address to the nation. Prigozhin on Saturday said that he and his troops reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. Read here: Wagner Group vows to topple Russian military leadership. Who are they? Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Russian mercenary Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks inside the headquarters of the Russian southern army military command center, which is taken under control of Wagner PMC, according to him, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia in this still image taken from a video released.(via REUTERS) In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. Prigozhin said the Wagner paramilitary group wont surrender to demands from Russian President Vladimir Putin or the security services. "We do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy, he said. What we are facing is precisely treachery, Putin said in a televised address Saturday. Excessive ambitions and personal interests led to treason, to treason to their country and their people and to the cause for which Wagner fighters and commanders fought and died side by side with our other units and divisions. Those who organised and prepared a military mutiny, who took up arms against their comrades, betrayed Russia and will answer for it, Putin said. This is a blow to Russia, to our people, and our actions to protect the Fatherland from such a threat will be harsh. 'Rostov-on-Don under Wagner's control' Earlier Saturday, Prigozhin posted a video of himself at what he said were military offices in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don that were under his control along with the local airfield. The claims couldnt be independently confirmed yet. Prigozhin said army operations were continuing normally as he accused defence chiefs of covering up enormous Russian casualties in the war in Ukraine which he said were three to four times more than officials acknowledged. We are all ready to die, he said in a separate audio message on Telegram, claiming Wagner had 25,000 troops involved and another 25,000 who were ready to join. Because we will die for the Motherland, for the Russian people who need to be liberated. The showdown with the Wagner founder marks the most dramatic escalation in a long-running feud between him and Russias defence establishment that has spiralled into the biggest challenge to Putins authority since he sent troops into Ukraine 16 months ago. Counter-terrorist regime The Kremlin was taking no chances. Officials announced a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and the surrounding region on Saturday and in the southern Voronezh region. Security in the capital was tightened including around government buildings, and riot police were put on alert, state-run Tass news service reported. Russia opened a criminal case against Prigozhin and the Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him. Putin, who didnt name Prigozhin in his TV address, said any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood, and drew a comparison with divisions during World War I that led to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and civil war in Russia. This is a stab in the back of our country, he said. Putin discussed the situation with his ally, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, in a phone call Saturday, the state-run Belta news service reported. (With inputs from agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, made a bold declaration Saturday, vowing to overthrow Moscow's military leadership, in a surprising development amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Wagner group, officially PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organisation that is widely seen as operating beyond the reach of the law in Russia and has spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine. (Follow Russian coup LIVE updates) Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia.(REUTERS) The group is headed towards Moscow and has already claimed control of two key Russian cities and said it also downed three Russian helicopters in the process. The 62-year-old Wagner chiefs audacious challenge to Russian president Vladimir Putin, comes as he accused the Russian top brass of launching missile strikes against his forces, which he said, killed 'a huge number of Wagner fighters'. Prigozhin's 'march of justice against 'evil' Russian military Prigozhin has consistently held defence minister Sergei Shoigu and top army general Valery Gerasimovresponsible for the deaths of Wagner fighters. Although the feud feud dates back a few years, it exploded after the death of the Wagner fighters and over the defence ministry's demands military contractors to sign contracts before July 1. In a statement released on Friday, the Wagner boss said he was ready to find a compromise but 'they have treacherously cheated us'. "Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed." In a series of messages, he warned Russians against resisting his forces and called for their support. He has insisted this attempt to overthrow Moscow leadership is 'not a military coup, but a march of justice' for his forces. "We need to put an end to this mess," he said. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped," he said in a series of audio messages released by his spokespeople. Shortly after the announcement of the armed mutiny, Putin addressed the nation, terming the rebellion a a stab in the back of Russian people. He vowed to crush the mutiny, to which the Wagner chief replied that the Russian president made a wrong choice during his speech and that the country will soon have a new president. Russian defence ministrys urge to call off mutiny Prigozhin's claims of an attack on his forces were refuted by the Russian defence ministry, who said his statements "do not correspond to reality". The ministry is also concerned about Ukrainian troops taking advantage of the internal discord to prepare for an assault near the eastern hotspot of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to halt his efforts to oust Russian leadership. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a video address. "Before it is too late, it is necessary... to obey the will and order of the popularly elected president of the Russian Federation." SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Russian capital city Moscow suspended all mass events outdoor and at educational institutions till July 1 and declared Monday a 'non-working' day on Saturday evening. The measures came in response to the advancement of the Wagner group, a Russian paramilitary organisation led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has expressed intentions to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's military leadership. (Wagner group mutiny LIVE updates) Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group cross a street as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY(REUTERS) Prigozhin later said he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. And President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. The development amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, followed after the Wagner boss charged the Russian defence ministry of launching missile strikes against his group's forces. Although the feud between the group, which has spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine and the Russian defence ministry dates back a few years, this offensive against the Russian brass exploded after the death of the Wagner fighters and over the defence ministry's demand seeking military contractors to sign contracts before July 1. Top updates Russia coup: 1) The sources close to the separatist leadership in Russia's Donetsk province informed news agency Reuters that the Wagner convoy approaching Moscow, reportedly consists of approximately 5,000 fighters. Earlier, launching a rebellion, Prigozhin released a message in the morning, saying the attempt to overthrow Moscow leadership is not a military coup, but a march of justice for his forces. "We need to put an end to this mess," he said. 2)Wagner's threat poses the first serious challenge to Putin's long 23-year rule, which could face irreparable damages in the wake of events, analysts said. With key cities in its capture, including Rostov which serves as the operational hub for Moscow's forces in Ukraine, the group is barreling towards Moscow, prompting the city authorities to launch a counter-terrorism operation. The operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants. 3)Earlier, Putin addressed the nation on the rebellion call and termed it a stab in the back of Russia. To this, the Wagner head has responded saying the Russian president made a wrong choice during his speech and that the country will soon have a new president. 4)Meanwhile, the Ukrainian watches the mutiny unfolding with delight as its forces launched several new offensives on their eastern front, to confront Russian troops in the Donbas region, and claimed more ground, the country's ministry said Saturday. The gains are an added headache for Russia, which earlier urged Wagner to halt its efforts, raising concern over Ukraine's ability to exploit the internal discord. 5)The West is closely monitoring the developments as the White House said the United States President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom as the mercenaries headed towards Moscow. The leader reaffirmed their support for Ukraine during the conversation but the US said it was wary of weighing in further on the situation and "wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the US was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It takes little to spark fury among nationalist netizens in China, especially when the topic is Taiwan. Any action that could be viewed as a challenge to Chinas claim to the island arouses a chorus of calls for war. Their voices alarm Western officials, who fret that Chinese policymakers may make concessions to their publics swelling nationalism and the bellicosity it has spawned. Last year Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, hinted that the West may be right to worry. He warned President Joe Biden that, concerning Taiwan, the views of Chinese citizens cannot be defied. PREMIUM Last year Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, hinted that the West may be right to worry.(Reuters) During a recent trip to Beijing, Antony Blinken, the first American secretary of state to visit China in five years, met Mr Xi, who made conciliatory comments about stabilising China-US relations. But for the rest of Mr Blinkens visit the message was clear. There is no room for compromise or concessions on Taiwan, Chinas most senior foreign-affairs official, Wang Yi, warned him. Qin Gang, the foreign minister, declared that Taiwan was the most prominent risk in bilateral relations. Many online commentators in China argue that it is no longer worth trying kid-glove tactics with Taiwan. Separatists, they say, have become too entrenched there; only war can secure it for China. If Mr Xi agrees, he does not say so openly. At a Communist Party congress last October, he said China would continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort while reserving the option of taking all measures necessary. Despite his stated respect for public opinion, he does not want his hands to be tied by it. For now, Mr Xi may well prefer caution. War with Taiwan, after all, could mean taking on a nuclear-armed superpower, too. He may also wonder how much his own public would support it. The internet offers a crude guide. Lacking helpful clues that might be provided by a free press and open political debate, Chinese officials pay much attention to online opinion. They must sense that amid the clamour on social media for military action, some influential netizens oppose the idea. Even among ardent nationalists there are fissures. Some urge caution about going to war, or even argue that fighting may never be necessary: Taiwan will naturally capitulate when it becomes evident that Chinas power has eclipsed Americas. In a recent paper, Adam Liu of the National University of Singapore and Xiaojun Li of New York University Shanghai argued that support for a near-term war, to the exclusion of all other options, was tiny. Their conclusions were based on a survey they conducted in China between late 2020 and early 2021. Of more than 2,000 respondents, a mere 1% wanted their country to mount a military assault on Taiwan (not just on its outlying islands) before the islands presidential election in January 2024. The ballot will see a new leader elected to replace Tsai Ing-wen, who is retiring and whose centre-left Democratic Progressive Party angers China by stressing Taiwans separate identity. Even if China were to decide to go to war by next January, only 55% said that would be acceptable. One-third said it would not be. The authors said their data did not support the idea that demand for the swift mounting of a full-blown attack had grown sharply since Ms Tsai became president in 2016. On the contrary, their survey, taken together with other academics findings, suggested that public support for armed unification has remained relatively stable, despite the rapid deterioration in Beijings relations with both Washington and Taipei, the scholars wrote. Their research was conducted before Vladimir Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russias unexpected setbacks in that war, and the Wests solidarity in response to it, must have been sobering for some supporters of rapid steps towards wutong, the common shorthand in Chinese for reunification by force (online, to confuse censors, they often use the characters for parasol tree, which are also pronounced wutongthough censors usually do not mind calls for war as long as the party and its leaders are not being criticised for failing to act). Wait, wait Calls abound for caution about the scale of the task of conquering Taiwan militarily. One such has come from Wu Haipeng, the editor-in-chief of the governments main portal, China.com. Last month Mr Wu wrote on his blog that China had to resolve various problems before it could use military means. His proposals for doing so sounded like distant goals. One problem, said Mr Wu, was Americas arms supplies to Taiwan and its strengthening of its military posture around the island. To counter this, he suggested, China should beef up its air and rocket forces, as well as its navyimplying that Chinas military build-up in recent decades has yet to give it the muscle required. He also said China needed to enable its economy to resist sweeping American sanctions that a war would entail. That will not be easy for a country so dependent on global trade. In January Hu Xijin, a former editor-in-chief of Global Times, a nationalist tabloid, set out three conditions for launching a war. First, China should have at least 1,000 nuclear warheads (the Pentagon believes that it currently has more than 400 and will not achieve Mr Hus goal until 2030). Second, it should have more missiles and bombs ready for use than do the combined arsenals of America, Japan and Taiwan. Finally, it should be able to launch a rapid, crippling strike against all of Taiwans military facilities. He said this task would require far more munitions per day than the most intense periods of bombardment by America during the wars in Iraq and Kosovo in the 1990s and 2000s. Implicit in his message: much more time is needed. Like several other prominent nationalists (as opposed to the many who flood social media with short messages like When are we going to attack? It needs to be quick!), Mr Wu and Mr Hu do not appear to be braying for war as soon as some in America fear. In a memo in January General Michael Minihan, the head of Americas Air Mobility Command, wrote: My gut tells me we will fight in 2025. In 2021 Admiral Philip Davidson, then chief of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said: I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact in the next six years. Some of Chinas most radical nationalists (the parasol-tree faction, as netizens often call them) have faced fierce criticism online. One of them is Li Yi, a commentator with more than 16,000 followers on Weibo, a Twitter-like service. Last month, in an online video, he said that even if China were to lose 140m people (one-tenth of its population) in a war over Taiwan it wouldnt be much at all and that with a bit of education young Chinese would all agree that, for the sake of unification, casualties on such a scale would be fine. The backlash against Mr Li has come from within the nationalist camp as well as from more liberal types. Which stupid people have given him the cloak of patriot? said one nationalist blogger with 335,000 followers. Another, with 798,000 followers, asked: How should we deal with such inhuman, Nazi language? On June 3rd Huang Jisuco-author of a book, Unhappy China, that became a huge hit among Chinas nationalists in 2009gave an online lecture to a neo-Maoist group (a flag-waving lot). Referring to Mr Lis remarks without naming him, he described people who held such views as fascists. Some netizens have even been airing misgivings about going to fight. In April a screenshot of such a post, with its origin unspecified, circulated on Weibo. If theres a war, I wouldnt go and I wouldnt let my child go, it said, a few days after Chinas armed forces staged threatening exercises around Taiwan in response to a meeting in America between Ms Tsai and the speaker of Americas House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. I live at the bottom rung of society. No one pays attention to us in peacetime. They only think of us at a time of difficulty, the message said. Nationalists responded with outrage. This kind of person will always be at the bottom, their thinking is at the bottom wrote one to his nearly 4.2m followers. But among hundreds who responded to his invective, some took issue. I wont go. Let the children of leading cadres go first, they have good red genes, said one. Officials may be weighing up such words. Subscribers can sign up to Drum Tower, our new weekly newsletter, to understand what the world makes of Chinaand what China makes of the world. 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com He warned us. Vladimir Putin gave notice of who he was, and what he was capable of, in First Person, a transcript of interviews published in 2000, at the start of his overlong rule. In his youth, he recalled, he had been a tough little hoodlum who fought rats in the stairwell of his communal-apartment building and, later, brawled with strangers on the streets of Leningrad. A dog senses when somebody is afraid of it, he had learned, and bites. He prized loyalty and feared betrayal. He was hypersensitive to slights, to both his country and himself (concepts which, in the decades that followed, became perilously blurred). He bore grudges. PREMIUM Vladimir Putin gave notice of who he was, and what he was capable of, in First Person, a transcript of interviews published in 2000, at the start of his overlong rule.(AP) One of them was over the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the interviews, he reminisced about a jaunt to Abkhazia and a judo tournament in Moldova: the Soviet empire had been his wealth and pride, and when it fell, he took it hard. I wanted something different to rise in its place, he said of the lost Soviet influence in eastern Europe. Frantically burning papers as a KGB officer in Dresden in 1989, grieving the paralysis of power that seemed to have afflicted Moscow, he came to associate protesting crowds with disintegration. Corruption, meanwhile, was only to be expected in Russia, he impliedand if somebody thinks that somebody stole something, let him go and prove it. Sometimes the Mr Putin of First Person appears frank, at others, cagey and withdrawn. Few people knew him well; he was seen as a grey man, inscrutable. Greyness, grievance and the greed of corruption have been the dominant themes in books written about him in English since. As he amassed resentments, secrets, assets and fears, the emphasis on these features has shifted. Looking back at a bibliography of Mr Putin shows how he has been changedor exaggeratedby power, and how haltingly the world has grasped the threat he poses. As Mr Putin rose without a trace from St Petersburg to Moscow in the 1990s, then from the leadership of the FSB (the principal successor to the KGB) to the presidency, greyness was the main tone. Given his oxymoronic slogans, such as managed democracy and the dictatorship of the law, and his moves to neuter Russias media, courts, parliament and oligarchs, observers rarely mistook him for a genuine democrat. But some saw his co-operation with the West after the September 11th attacks as the start of a permanent realignment, not just a tactical feint. Many were slow to realise that his abuses were bound to seep across Russias borders. In Putin: Russias Choice (2004) Richard Sakwa thought the country had shaken off nationalism and imperialism; he was confident its economic modernisation and global integration would continue. Andrew Jack was warier in Inside Putins Russia (2004), noting Mr Putins democratic backsliding and disregard for human rights. The contradictions of economic liberalism and political authoritarianism will eventually clash, he predicted. But he judged this liberal Chekist to be more reliable than his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. The comparison was widespread: outsiders sanguine views of Mr Putin were initially coloured by a feeling that things had been worse, and could yet be again. He seemed caught in a familiar Russian alternation between embracing and rejecting the West. The question seemed to be how useful or obstructive he would prove to Western plansnot whether he might try to remake the world. Darkness and the don David Satter was among the first Anglophone analysts to gauge the evil in the system. In Darkness at Dawn he accused the FSB of orchestrating a string of bombings in Russia in 1999 that killed around 300 people and ignited the second Chechen warthus helping Mr Putin, who oversaw the fighting, to secure the presidency. Few were ready to digest that theory; several Russians who pursued it came to a sticky end. (Swap the word Ukraine for Chechnya, and Mr Putins comments on the war in First Person eerily fit todays carnage and lies. His historical mission was to prevent Russias collapse, he claimed; what might look like aggression was really self-defence.) In time writers understood that all of Mr Putins Russia, not just Chechnya, was ruled through power rather than by the law. As the rackets and redistribution of wealth became brazen, and the lifestyles of insiders pharaonic, greed ousted greyness as the main motif in commentary. The mafia became the preferred analogy for Mr Putins clique of siloviki, or strongmen. In The Man Without a Face (2012), for instance, Masha Gessen characterised Mr Putin, then set to reclaim the presidency after a pro-forma stint as prime minister, as a killer and extortionist. This version of hima KGB thug turned mafia godfatherhad been hidden in plain sight, but obscured by wishful thinking and that grey veneer. Death and terror were politically useful to Mr Putin, the author wrote. He made no distinction between the states interests and his own. The gangster network was definitively elaborated in Putins People (2020). In the system of KGB capitalism that Catherine Belton described, government in Russia was a machine for extracting rents and expropriating assets, politics a squabble over who got them, and the president its referee. The siloviki were bound together by a regime of mutual blackmail, in which secrets were both weapons and liabilities; for his part, Mr Putin had spilled too much blood and made too many enemies to retire. Besides self-enrichment, the spoils were used to undermine the West, black cash sloshing around the world to fund active measures and the restoration of the countrys global position. The third characteristicgrievancewas always visible too. Notoriously, in 2005 Mr Putin described the fall of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. After annexing Crimea in 2014, he said the Soviet collapse had left Russia pillaged and shamed. But the fact that his imperial bluster was much more than camouflage for graft, and where it might lead, took far too long to sink in. In The New Tsar (2015), Steven Lee Myers perceptively identified the Orange revolution in Ukraine in 2004 as a breaking-point. Huge protests overturned the result of an election rigged in favour of Mr Putins candidate. The reversal combined personal humiliation with a geopolitical rebuff; his fear of crowds, and sense of the jeopardy of democracy, were inflamed. He nursed the experience like a grudge, Mr Lee Myers wrote, tightening the screws in Russia, ramping up his propaganda and setting up tame youth movements to dominate the streets. Mr Putins bleak Chekist mindset could not admit the possibility that Ukrainians were turning Westand rejecting himof their own volition. Convinced that the CIA had paid or cajoled them, he embarked on a spiral of meddling that culminated in the latest invasion. By 2014, thought Mr Lee Myers, he had found a millenarian mission as the indispensable leader of an exceptional power. The question now was where would Putins policy stop? Explore more Summer reads: The mystery of Moroccos missing king. He befriended a kickboxer in 2018, and has rarely been seen since. Hollywood is losing the battle for China. Watch how domestic blockbusters are dominating the market. Russias economy can withstand a long war. But not a more intense one. The six novels chosen for our reviewers attention so far this yearand worthy of yours. Among chroniclers of the Putin imperium, Clifford Gaddy and Fiona Hill best guessed the answer. In Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin (2015), they saw his efforts to make Russias economy more resilient, and to eliminate domestic opposition, as a long-haul preparation for confronting the West. His bid to undermine Western democracies through fifth columnists, bribery and kompromat was part of the same strategy. The greyness, they wrote, had always been tactical: Mr Putin was the ultimate political performance artist, his mercurial public persona a way to keep his adversaries off-balance. Mr Gaddy and Ms Hillwho became the top Russia adviser in Donald Trumps National Security Councilconcluded that he was more than an avaricious gangster. His objective was to survive and overcome his foes, who, in his view, were Russias enemies too; to that end he was waging a long, hybrid war against the West. He would pounce on weaknesses, the pair warned, and fulfil his threats. He wont give up, and he will fight dirty. Yet even these authors judged that, if only for reasons of trade, Mr Putin does not want Russia to end up being a pariah state. The tsars ratchet In retrospect, only the optimists got it wrong. As the novice president, squirming in his suit, aged and ossified into a Botoxed monsterif with the same villainous smilethe greyness faded out of his bibliography. Greed and grievance took over. What outside observers missed, though, was how much, over two decades, the ratcheting effects of power would exacerbate these old features. According to the inexorable logic of authoritarianism, Mr Putins domestic repression grew ever more severe. He became more isolated, both diplomatically and among his advisers. He threw off moral constraints in his military campaigns. The nationalist rhetoric hardened into an apocalyptic ideology, which reached deep into history and cast Russia as a bulwark against the decadent West. His fear of crowds became a sort of narcissistic paranoia. He accumulated grudgesnot least, against Ukraineand stuck around long enough to avenge them. Meanwhile the costs to his peoplereal Russians, rather than those of a stylised pasthave mounted. His regime has always looted the countrys resources and lied to its citizens, with a contempt typical of authoritarians. As Russias soldiers perish on a needless battlefield and its civilians face ostracism, the callousness has become starker. Beyond books about the Kremlin, one insight into that treatment comes from the school of German historians, including Sebastian Haffner, who found a psychological rationale for the devastation Hitler visited on Germany: his rage, they concluded, had always been partly directed at his own country. The ruin Mr Putin is inflicting on Russia (even as he terrorises Ukraine) can be viewed in the same light. He says he loves the motherland, but his actions suggest the opposite. The book that most clearly saw where Putinism was heading was not a history or biography but a novel. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin, a Russian author living in exile, is set in 2028. The Russia it depicts seems to exist in two time-frames at once, futuristic technology jostling with medieval barbarity and obscurantism. The country is walled off from Europe and the tsar has been restored. His word is law, but even he must bow and cringe before China, which (along with gas exports) props up the economy. The oprichnik of the title is one of his elite henchmenthe name comes from an order of pitiless enforcers under Ivan the Terrible. Their methods are murder and torture, their sidelines extortion and theft. Published in 2006, Mr Sorokins satirical dystopia has come to seem more prescient than outlandish. The details are grotesque, but also, sometimes, horribly familiar. In the story, when the wall was built opponents began to crawl out of the cracks like noxious centipedesimagery that anticipates Mr Putins dehumanisation of his critics as gnats. Chillingly, when the oprichniks gather for a debauch, one of their toasts is Hail the Purge! Read more of our recent coverage of the Ukraine crisis 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com A train trestle over the Yellowstone River collapsed early Saturday morning sending a passing freight train into the Yellowstone River. The trestle is about five miles east of Reed Point and collapsed at about 6:45 a.m., said Stillwater County emergency officials. At least eight tanker cars from the Montana Rail Link train plunged into the river along with twisted railroad tracks, steel beams and concrete from the trestle. No injuries were caused by the collapse, said emergency officials. Several of the tanker cars ruptured on impact sending molten sulfur and asphalt into the river. "Both substances solidify rapidly when exposed to cooler temperatures," said Montana Rail Link in a statement Saturday. Sulfur is a common ingredient in detergents, fungicides and fertilizers. It is shipped in a molten state to prevent it from crystallizing, which would make it difficult to load and unload. Several other tanker cars were also carrying toxic petroleum products, but apparently didn't spill, said Stillwater County Emergency Services Director David Stamey. How much of the contents of the burst tankers were discharged into the river hasn't yet been determined, he said. Montana Rail Link hazardous materials crews were onsite Saturday afternoon assessing the damage and contamination. At least two tanker cars involved in the crash were carrying hydro sulfate, MRL said. "Neither of these cars have entered the water and initial air quality assessments have been performed and confirmed that there is no release associated with the two cars," the railroad said. The train was traveling westbound when it derailed while on the bridge. "The present focus of operation is safely responding to the emergency, controlling all releases and mitigating impacts," the railroad said. "MRL will work with local, state and federal partners to assess impacts to natural resources and to develop appropriate cleanup, removal and restoration efforts." On an offramp from Interstate 90 near the crash site, a long line of trucks carrying heavy equipment was staging Saturday to help clear the trestle and the train cars from the river. It's unclear what caused the bridge to collapse. The wreckage from the fallen train and bridge is so mangled, and much of it now underwater, that it will take a lengthy investigation to determine what failed, said investigators at the scene. Water-users along the river have been encouraged to shut off their flood gates and public access locations along the river have been closed. Because of the high volume of water and swift current in the run-off swollen river, trapping the contaminants with a boom across the river was impossible, said Columbus Fire Rich Cowger. But, the high water is also helping to dilute and disperse the chemicals, he added. "The chemicals will be fairly benign with the river as high as it is," Cowger said. The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office said early Saturday morning there was no immediate threat to the county. Water treatment plants, irrigation districts, and industrial companies are taking appropriate precautions, officials said. In Billings, Public Works Director Debi Meling said she expects the chemicals that washed into the river would pass through the city at about 8 p.m. City workers planned to test the water upstream to determine what may have spilled in the river and when exactly it would pass through Billings, Meling said. "Out of a super, extreme, amount of caution, we may shut down the water treatment plant briefly just to make sure whatever it is has passed us," she said. The city has enough treated water in storage to last the city 12 to 18 hours, she said. The Yellowstone River remains closed to boat traffic until the crash is cleared. On Saturday morning, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials also closed the Stillwater River from White Bird Fishing Access Site to the confluence with the Yellowstone River. From Twin Bridges Road to Buffalo Mirage FAS, the public should avoid the water due to potential contaminants, FWP said. This story will be updated Timeless sanctuary Vakkaru Maldives welcomes seasoned hospitality veteran Patrick Duff as the new Resort Manager. With an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades and experience in some of the world's most prestigious luxury hotel brands, Patrick's appointment marks a new chapter in the resort's quest to deliver unparalleled service and experiences to its guests. A highly respected hospitality professional, Duff's international track record includes roles in 14 different countries with well-known brands such as the Starwood Luxury Collection, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Shangri-La, Sukhothai Bangkok, and One & Only, among others. Most recently, he served as Director of Operations (Task Force Re-brand) for Accor Resorts and Hotels in Phuket, Thailand. His prior roles include serving as Resident Manager (Consulting Task Force) at Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Fiji, as Resort Manager at Iniala Beach House in Thailand, as Director of Food & Beverage (EAM) at One & Only Reethi Rah in Maldives and as Director of Food & Beverage at W Taipei. The 6th edition of SEAHIS will be returning to Thailand in 2023 at the Westin Bangkok. What Makes SEAHIS Different? As many of you already know, SEAHIS is run "by owners for owners" as well as for companies which provide services to owners i.e. the entire hotel industry universe It's based around hotel real estate investors - Owners of hotel real estate have consistently been the largest group. In 2022, 45% of attendees came from groups which own and invest in hospitality real estate It's very high-level - usually 35-40% of attendees are company owners and their families, CEOs and other C-suite officers It's a South East Asia Event with Global reach - at SEAHIS 2019, attendees came from 23 different countries. The vast majority of attendees were based in Asia however some came from as far afield as the UK or US in order to meet with regional groups SEAHIS is "big enough to meet key decision-makers - and yet still small enough to meet key decision-makers" Value for money - SEAHIS is significantly lower cost than other similar events without compromising on the content or the networking This event is organized by HOFTEL Last month, Sen. Steve Daines testified as a witness in support of the SAFE Banking Act, a bill that would open the marijuana industry to billions of dollars of outside investments capital and bolster cartel activity. This bill is bad for public health and safety in Montana, but Daines tried to cover for that by toeing the banking and pot industrys line. In his opening statement, Daines said, These businesses, often forced to operate in all cash, are appealing targets for robbers. He argued that pot shops need access to banks because being cash only is a major cause of this increase in violent crime. The truth is, marijuana products in dispensaries and shops are often the target of crime, not cash. In December 2022, thieves in Los Angeles stole hundreds of pounds of marijuana from a dispensary. And in March 2023, criminals in Santa Cruz stole half a million dollars worth of marijuana. Moreover, multiple accounts have revealed that debit and credit cards are almost always accepted as payments at dispensaries already. The so-called SAFE Banking Act will not prevent crime or safeguard marijuana shops. Dispensaries will remain targets for break-ins. The legislation Daines supports prioritizes the safety of pot shops over the public grappling with an addiction crisis. Daines then argued, This legislation would also help federal and state law enforcement distinguish between legal and illegal marijuana businesses. However, a bipartisan group of former leaders of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have warned that the bill will make it easier for illegal actors to launder their proceeds through state-legal marijuana businesses. They wrote the bill, ...could inadvertently allow cartels to bring into banks duffel bags of cash made from the sale of those illicit drugs that are killing tens of thousands of Americans every year In urging the Senate to reject the legislation they argued it, would give these cartels more cover and more access to the U.S. financial system. Under federal law, marijuana dispensaries are de-facto drug dealers and the companies they work with would be complicit in their illicit transactions. This legislation would shield the banks and legitimize the marijuana industry. Soon, the same lobbyists who are pushing Addiction Banking will demand the full national legalization of marijuana. Daines support for the legislation is particularly disturbing because it is widely opposed by national drug policy experts but as Senator Daines explained, is widely supported by banks, credit unions, the insurance industry, and many other service providers. Thats because the banking industry, struggling following multiple bank failures, views the marijuana industry as a cash cow. Theres little wonder why the American Banking Association has been fiercely lobbying for a bill that would bail out their members. The banking industry benefits would be just the beginning. The legislation would allow the tobacco and alcohol industries to invest billions into the marijuana industry, as they already have with Canadian marijuana companies. Altria (the parent company of Marlboro) invested $1.8 billion into Cronos, a marijuana company in Canada. Constellation Brands (the parent company of Corona and Modelo) invested more than $4 billion into Canopy Growth, Canadas largest medical marijuana company. The bill Daines supports would allow these addiction-for-profit industries to make similar investments in the United States and scale up our marijuana industry to a previously unseen level. Oddly, despite this, Senator Daines suggested the SAFE Banking Act may actually shrink the size of the overall industry and reduce consumption in the United States. Theres no credible data to suggest that. Instead, we should fully expect the industry to behave the way any industry does when Washington does them a favor. Theyll increase their market and user base, which means drug dependence gets worse. Following state-level legalization and commercialization, the National Institute on Drug Abuse recently found that regular marijuana use has reached the highest levels ever recorded among young adults. Medical science is increasingly clear that use of marijuana increases psychosis, depression, schizophrenia, IQ loss and other negative impacts. The influx of billions into the industry will exacerbate this public health crisis. The SAFE Banking Act will harm everyday Montanans, particularly our youth and lower income citizens who have already been targeted by the industry. Given the data, Montanans should be shocked at Daines enthusiastic support. They should hope he puts down the pot and banking industrys talking points and side with those who want fewer drugs in our state, not more. North Dakota regulators next week will consider approving a carbon dioxide storage facility that could significantly expand capacity for the country's largest planned CO2 storage project. The facility also could possibly provide space for other entities including regional CO2 pipeline developer Summit Carbon Solutions. The proposed facility would be operated by Dakota Carbon Center West Project LLC, a subsidiary of Grand Forks-based Minnkota Power Cooperative. It would serve as an injection site, capturing climate-warming CO2 emissions from Minnkotas Milton R. Young Station, a coal-fired power plant in Oliver County. It would be an extension to Project Tundra, making an additional 122 million metric tons of storage space available -- more than doubling capacity. The $1.4 billion Project Tundra was approved by the state Industrial Commission in early 2022 and construction could begin as soon as 2024 if Minnkota decides to go ahead with it, according to the company. The proposed additional facility would be 7 miles west of the power plant and cover 29,775 acres of land -- nearly 47 square miles -- in the Broom Creek Formation. Two storage sites have already been approved for use in Project Tundra: Minnkota Center MRYS Broom Creek Storage Facility No. 1 and Minnkota Center MRYS Deadwood Storage Facility No. 1. These two sites have the capacity to store a combined 100 million metric tons of CO2, according to Minnkota Communications Manager Ben Fladhammer. A combined total of 222 million metric tons of CO2 is equivalent to the emissions of nearly 50 million gasoline-powered vehicles over the course of a year, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency converter. We want our facilities to operate in a carbon-managed future, Fladhammer said. Minnkota has also put in a request with state regulators for an ownership transfer of the approved sites to another subsidiary, Dakota Carbon Center East Project LLC. It also has requested that the facilities be renamed to DCC East Center Broom Creek Storage Facility No. 1 and DCC East Center Deadwood Storage Facility No. 1, respectively. Fladhammer said putting the three storage sites under the ownership of private subsidiaries allows Minnkota to own entities that can leverage available tax credits for carbon storage and take on outside investors for the project. These are actions the cooperative would otherwise not be able to do under its nonprofit status. Recent federal legislation has expanded these credits, fueling the growth of the CO2 capture and storage market. The credits are the projects primary source of funding, according to Fladhammer. Regulators also will consider whether to approve amalgamation of the pore space for the proposed third storage site at the upcoming hearing. Pore space is the part of the subsurface that is porous enough for liquid and gas to flow through. Amalgamation is the process of requiring pore space owned by those who did not accept easements to be included in the storage facility. North Dakota law says for amalgamation to occur, owners of at least 60% of pore space must consent to easements and the storage facility operator must make a good-faith effort to get the consent of all landowners. Those who do not sign easements are to be equitably compensated. Fladhammer said easements have been signed with owners of nearly 70% of pore space needed for the facility. Amalgamation is a controversial practice to some. The Northwest Landowners Association is suing the state over it. The organization argues that the practice is unconstitutional as it avoids the use of eminent domain proceedings in court. Eminent domain is the seizure of private property use, with compensation. North Dakota officials have continued to rely on amalgamation as the state permits more carbon storage projects. Minnkota's application says the proposed third storage site will be primarily used for CO2 emissions from the Milton R. Young Station, but if there is remaining pore space it will market that to third-party sources. Summit Carbon Solutions could be among these buyers. Minnkota and Summit signed an agreement in 2022 to co-develop carbon storage facilities in and around Oliver County. Summit is seeking to build the 2,000-mile Midwest Carbon Express CO2 pipeline to capture emissions from over 30 ethanol plants across five Midwestern states with an intended storage site in North Dakota. Summit Executive Vice President Wade Boeshans said there are no firm commitments to deliver CO2 to DCC West Storage Facility in an email exchange with the Tribune. The company has been seeking landowner easements for another disposal site in the county. A Summit map of the North Dakota portion of the pipeline route shows two ending points in the county. CO2 capture and storage projects have taken on increased importance to state and industry leaders as North Dakota seeks to keep current energy production in line with new emission standards in a number of markets. Opponents argue the technology is costly and unproven in its ability to capture the necessary CO2 to meet emission reduction goals. They also point to potential dangers that could arise in the event of a leak. The hearing will take place on Friday in front of staff at the Department of Mineral Resources. Comments on the project are being accepted until the end of the day on Thursday and can be submitted to the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division. The project will move for final approval to the members of the Industrial Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry in the state, if Mineral Resources gives it the go-ahead. Gov. Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring comprise the group. Chicago, IL (60637) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low near 65F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. 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. FEMA Awards Over $1.5 M to Mass for COVID-19 Call Center BOSTON The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1.5 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of operating a public information hotline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will receive a total of $1,548,332 in federal funding through FEMA's Public Assistance grant program to reimburse the cost of administering expanded call capabilities for its "2-1-1" Call Center. Between March 2020 and July 2021, the department contracted services to expand cellular communications for its Call Center, which provided real time COVID-19 information, resources, and referrals in multiple languages. With this expanded access to 24/7 information, Massachusetts residents were able to receive critical information related to COVID-19 prevention, symptoms, treatment, testing, travel, and interpreter services. "FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Massachusetts Department of Public Health with these costs," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation's ongoing recovery." FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.7 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses. Central Berkshire Upping Bias Training After Antisemitic Harassment DALTON, Mass. Central Berkshire Regional School District is making curriculum changes and will be holding workshops on bias, bullying and inclusion in response to a Jewish teacher's resignation over antisemitic harassment at Nessacus Regional Middle School. The social studies teacher Morrison Robblee told The Berkshire Eagle last week that he was harassed by one of his sixth graders for months but feels the administration did not take proper action. The incidents have resulted in a police investigation and the juvenile is facing a misdemeanor charge of criminal harassment. Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis told the School Committee on Thursday that the administration has been in communication with the Anti-Defamation League to provide professional development that has an educational focus on how to respond to incidents of bias and hate. These workshops and training will be scheduled during the first few days of the news school year. Another recommendation that came out of the district's Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging Steering Committee was working with community partners like the Community Recreation Association because it sees the same challenges and growth areas as the district. Robblee said he wrote to the district's administrators that without proper action these antisemitic incidents could put the student at risk of "deeper radicalization of hate" and will lead to violence. More information here School officials claim that they had taken appropriate measures for the situation and that privacy restrictions make it difficult to provide the community with the full picture. "There were rigorous and what I would say progressive disciplinary steps that were taken in response to the students actions," Blake-Davis said. "I put those in sort of two categories: one, I would say accountable consequences, and then also accountable interventions. I would say I felt confident that at the school level, we were apprised of these occurrences that appropriate action was taken and that as a collective body. We do not tolerate acts of bias and hate." One of the difficult things that the district has come across is the degree of information that the administration can share with both the School Committee and the media. According to The Eagle, Robblee filed a union grievance in May for an unsafe working environment citing the insults, jokes, and drawing the student had made. The same month, the administration placed Robblee on administrative leave following claims of misconduct that involved him making a face at the student and speaking about the student in front of other children at the school. Robblee denies the allegation that he spoke about the student in front of others but does admit that, out of frustration, he made a face at the student harassing him, the paper said. iBerkshires was not able to get in contact with Robblee. Making a face at a student seems like a minor infraction to be placed on administrative leave, School Committee member David Stuart said. Blake-Davis said she agreed that is how the article reads, but that there is pertinent information that was left out that she is not at liberty to share and that this is an ongoing personnel matter. "I think that the public is drawing their information from an article that misrepresented the actions that were taken and I would say from a legal and ethical standpoint, the school took appropriate action on both the student and the staff member," Assistant Superintendent Michael Henault said. School Committee member Art Alpert agreed with Henault and added that newspaper articles "sensationalized what's going on." Alpert said although his opinion is limited based on the information his fellow committee members and the general public have, he knows based on the district's policies and the superintendent's reports that issues surrounding bias and equity are being addressed in school. "But what I do know is that what I read was so broad and pointed fingers, that really not necessary just knowing that when I read the article, I said, 'wait a second, I know that these issues in terms of equity, in terms of bias are being addressed in the schools," Alpert said. "We make the policies but the policies dictate a lot of what goes on in school and we do hear about it. I don't think we're blind to it. I think we do hear about it all the time." The district has already adopted the ADL curriculum in the middle schools that focuses on how to create safe spaces for students so they can have these hard discussions with guidance. Although the middle schools already have this curriculum, school officials are looking to bring it to the elementary schools. It will be adding elements to the curriculum to help students discern misinformation and hate speech on social media. "Social media is the main driving factor behind this, I mean, we have no idea of family issues and I'm sure there are families where that is some of the source, but I would bet social media is the driving factor on this," said Chair Richard Peters. The district discussed using Wahconah Regional High School's very active No Place for Hate group in the elementary schools to build a foundation of discussion topics of bias, bullying, inclusion and allyship. The group has about 50 students. A new cohort of students at Nessacus will participate in the making a World of Difference program . Since the district is relatively small, it intends to partner with another district. Since the initial publication of The Eagle's article the situation has gone viral, with headlines in major new organizations including The Independent, The Washington Post, Business Insider, and more. The incident was also shared on social media sites like Reddit, generating thousands of views from people around the world. "With so many schools experiencing shootings, some by actual children, you would think a child exhibiting this kind of blatant behavior should raise more alarm. This could be an event that could escalate to violence or it could be a troubled child screaming for help," one reddit user said. "I feel the teacher has a right to raise concerns and the schools have an obligation to take them seriously for everyone's sake. It's unfortunate that this was the result." Another commenter noted that if the student feels confident enough to treat a teacher this way, imagine how he may be treating some of his peers. Other commenters wondered how the student was radicalized whether it was at home, via social media, or a combination of both. Robblee told The Eagle that the harassment started in February when he informed his students that Jewish. During Passover, the student started making anti-Semitic jokes about the Holocaust, gas chambers, and other Nazi imagery. In addition to the "jokes," the sixth grader made hateful comments about the kippah Robblee wore during Passover. Following the incident, Robblee decided to write the student up for detention. The antisemitic remarks escalated to a hand-drawn picture disguised as an apology letter depicting Adolf Hitler standing over a dead Jewish person with the words "Sorry, Jew" written along the top. Following the incident the sixth grader was suspended and removed from Robblee's class but the harassment persisted upon the student's return in the school's hallways and via email. According to The Eagle, in a statement Robblee wrote for the student's re-entry meeting that he claims he was not invited to, he said, "I am not bothered by the ignorant comments of a child. I am bothered that, without proper intervention, this hate will continue to fester." After filing the union grievance citing the unsafe working environment, he submitted the drawings and emails to the police. Police referred iBerkshires' queries to the District Attorney's Office; the DA's Office said it would not be releasing any information. The minor is now facing a misdemeanor charge of criminal harassment but access to juvenile cases are limited. State Releases $14B Capital Investment Plan BOSTON The Healey-Driscoll Administration released its Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) to Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28) Capital Investment Plan (CIP), which invests more than $14 billion over five years. The more than $14 billion in investments in the FY24-FY28 CIP complement and build on the funding proposed in the administration's inaugural operating budget, with a particular emphasis on advancing climate, economic development and housing goals including the creation of a new $97 million HousingWorks program.?? "Our FY24-FY28 capital plan includes major investments that are designed to make Massachusetts more affordable, competitive, and equitable for everyone," said Governor Healey. "It starts with addressing the high cost of housing by investing historic levels of funding into housing development, preservation and rehabilitation and creating HousingWorks, a new program dedicated to expanding affordable housing. It also moves us forward on our climate and transportation goals, underscoring the important role that electrification plays in protecting our environment and improving public transportation service. We're also expanding support for tried-and-true economic development programs and dedicating crucial resources to updating infrastructure across the state."? Since taking office, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has been focused on establishing the structures and resources needed to tackle the state's housing crisis, including establishing the new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). The capital plan continues these efforts through investment in housing, with over $1.5 billion committed to housing initiatives, including programming to support the construction of hundreds of new, affordable housing opportunities each year.?? As part of this investment, the CIP dedicates $97 million in FY24 to launch a new HousingWorks program a pioneering initiative from EOHLC that leverages existing programs and an injection of new funding to create a more flexible funding tool for increasing housing production. The creation of HousingWorks also unlocks an additional $19M in capacity for the popular MassWorks program.?? The capital plan also reflects the administration's commitment to meeting the state's climate goals, with decarbonization and climate-conscious investments woven throughout the plan. Through FY28, the plan invests over $1.4 billion in the state's transportation systems to reduce emissions through electrification, create more sustainable modes of transportation, and build resilient infrastructure prepared to withstand the impacts of a changing climate. Over five years, the plan also includes over $1.6 billion to fund more than 40 state building decarbonization projects.?? The administration's first capital plan also provides resources to drive economic development, preserve and modernize state infrastructure, invest in cities and towns, and make government more effective for its residents.?? "This capital plan is bold in its investments while still being fiscally responsible," said Secretary for Administration and Finance Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. "We are proud to be able to both carefully manage the state's financial obligations and make critical investments that meet the moment and set the Commonwealth up for success. The FY24-FY28 CIP is a responsible and sustainable spending plan that invests thoughtfully in the state's people, its economy, and its future."? Notable investments in the FY24-FY28 CIP include:? The FY24-FY28 Capital Investment Plan represents a historic investment in housing, with over $1.5 billion committed to help finance the construction of hundreds of new, affordable housing opportunities each year. Specifically, the plan includes:? A new $97 million per year HousingWorks program a pioneering initiative from the new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities that builds on the successful MassWorks model and leverages an injection of new funding plus the consolidation of several smaller housing programs to create a flexible tool for housing development, preservation, and rehabilitation; will enable 200-300 new units of affordable housing each year.? In addition to HousingWorks, the FY24-FY28 CIP invests $90 million per year toward housing acquisition, rehabilitation, and development.?? The plan also includes $120 million per year to preserve the Commonwealth's existing public housing stock, which consists of more than 43,000 units.? Record climate investments are woven throughout the entire capital plan, including:? Over $1.4 billion through FY28 to reduce emissions through transportation electrification, creation of sustainable transportation alternatives, and construction of resilient infrastructure to withstand the impacts of a changing climate.? Consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 594, the plan invests over $120 million toward a zero-carbon future by supporting the conversion of central plants and moving away from on-site fossil fuels in state buildings.?? Over five years, the plan funds more than 40 projects at state buildings with a focus on decarbonization, with total project values over $1.6 billion.? Municipal climate-focused grants will receive over $125 million in funding in the FY24-FY28 CIP. In FY24 alone, EEA will provide nearly $24 million for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) planning and grant programs.? The CIP also continues the Healey-Driscoll Administration's commitment to investing in environmental justice, including $736,000 to unlock $4.1 million in federal funds for ambient air monitoring, as well as the strong support for community-based resiliency programs and funds for parks, trails, and open spaces. Through FY28, the Executive Office of Economic Development will invest $1.2 billion in capital funding throughout the Commonwealth, including:? $163 million to strengthen communities across the state, including grant opportunities available through the Community One Stop for Growth application portal.? Nearly $80 million will be invested in innovation, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing to maintain the Commonwealth's position as a leader in these key industries. This includes funding for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and MassVentures START program.? An additional $19 million in capacity for MassWorks, made possible by the shift of housing-focused grants to the new HousingWorks program.? $262 million towards replacing the Cape Cod bridges, ultimately ramping up to a $700 million total long-term commitment.? Investing $106 million over the next five years to fund the construction of a new, modern Hall of Justice in Springfield to replace the current aging facility.?? Funds the construction of new veterans' homes in Chelsea and Holyoke.? Over $270 million is invested annually in local transportation programs, including $200 million for Chapter 90.? $134 million in library construction grants to support the renovation and expansion of municipal libraries across the Commonwealth.? $50 million in Cultural Facilities Fund grants will be awarded through FY28.? $74 million in local support for investments in technology through capital programs through FY28.? $840 million in funding for modern, climate-resilient higher education campuses across the state.? Funding to replace the old Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain with a newly renovated facility on the site of the former Boston Medical Center Hospital in Boston's South End.? $421 million in IT upgrades in FY24 alone, including projects to:? Upgrade electronic health records management at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.? Make interoperability upgrades at the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.? Develop an integrated and modernized data repository at the Executive Office of Education.? $10 million will launch the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security Digital Roadmap, improving access to all Commonwealth digital services.? Legislative Measure Would Increase PILOT Payments to Towns, Cities BOSTON A bill that would see communities fully reimbursed for state-owned land in their borders has been filed in the Legislature. The measure by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to change the calculations of the state in making payments in lieu of taxes is sponsored by state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Shirley Arriaga. It has been referred to the Joint Committee on Revenue that held a hearing Thursday. PILOT programs help municipal governments replace some or all revenue lost from certain state property tax exemptions, including those associated with nonprofit organizations, recreational areas, and certain properties owned by the Commonwealth. The State Auditor's Office released a report in 2020 that determined that the PILOT program is underfunded and disproportionately disadvantaged smaller, rural communities. "Although it doesn't technically constitute an unfunded mandate, it is nonetheless the state-imposed burden on municipalities to take lands off the tax rolls, and therefore to our way of thinking, the state needs to make good on its promises to reimburse communities who are losing that revenue," then State Auditor Suzanne Bump said in 2021. Underfunding the PILOT program has had a significant effect on smaller towns with large tracts of state-owned land. Savoy has around 12,000 acres of state land for which it gets around $120,000 and the value of state land in the town of Washington is assessed at about $7.8 million for which it's getting about $90,000. The state owns more than half of the town of Clarksburg; its most recent PILOT payment was $26,285. Town meeting this year amended zoning to reduce lot frontage in certain zones as a way to get the state to recalculate land values. DiZoglio last year said the program's appropriation has been around $30 million since the fiscal 2009 while property tax collections have increased by about 57 percent. The bill, House 2697 , would amend the Mass General Laws to require full reimbursement to communities for the taxable value of state-owned land. It also creates a hold-harmless provision that ensures cities and towns never see a decrease in their state-owned-land reimbursement. Specifically, the bill repeals language referencing reimbursement percentages for PILOTs for state-owned land and directs the treasurer to make PILOTs according to a detailed formula. The current calculation is partly based on each municipality's state-owned land value. A study conducted by the State Auditor Office's Division of Local Mandates noted that communities with decreasing, stagnant, or slowly increasing property values have seen reductions in their PILOT payments. Over time, this has resulted in a wide disparity in the payment amount per acre across the state, with central and Western Massachusetts receiving far less than the median in reimbursements. According to DiZoglio's office, of the 56 municipalities hosting state-owned land, 15 saw lower PILOT payments in fiscal 2020, and a dozen of those were in central and Western Mass. For example, the PILOT payment for Plymouth is eight times that of Savoy even though they both have similar amounts of state forest acreage. "It is critical that our cities and towns can trust our Commonwealth, regardless of where they are located on the map, to ensure regional fairness," said DiZoglio in a press release. "We must provide needed financial support to our local governments. Accordingly, I urge we get this legislation across the finish line so we can take meaningful action to address the inequities our communities are facing." In a forthcoming report from DLM, the Auditor's Office will advocate for an additional payment for those communities that host state forest and wildlife management areas. This proposal is said to be consistent with the commitment in the state's "Clean Energy and Climate Plan 2025 and 2030" to assist communities with a low tax base but a high percentage of state-owned land. "Our most rural communities are often charged to serve as stewards of our most precious natural resources, our forests, watersheds, and beautiful open spaces, and while that is a role we cherish, it has steadily become untenable without proper funding support from the commonwealth," said Mark in a statement. "I am honored to work in partnership with Auditor DiZoglio and Rep. Arriaga on legislation to update how PILOT works in our state so that much needed funding will flow to our cities and towns, enabling all regions of Massachusetts to thrive." So, if we were designing the American system of government anew, what wouldnt we do again? First and most obviously, we would not have a Second Amendment. If we were installing a new government, would we really insist on including a poorly-written, confusing right to firearm ownership? I think not. The United States is unique in its devotion to gun ownership and the degree to which its citizens live in fear of guns and their owners. No other nation in the world approaches Americas rate of gun ownership (#2 on the list, Yemen, has less than half as many guns per capita). Theres a good reason that every other nation controls gun ownership much more than we do the link between gun ownership and gun violence is well documented. The only reason that a large portion of the American public considers gun ownership a fundamental right is that its in the Constitution, and many Americans revere the Constitution. But if we were starting over, we would never include a blanket right to firearm ownership in the first place. We would not seek to implement a policy that is guaranteed to make us less safe. The other obvious one is the Electoral College . Its our constitutional appendix, a vestigial organ that we dont notice until it malfunctions and endangers us. The idea of voting to elect a group of people who then select our president for us is fundamentally undemocratic. It might have sounded good to the powdered-wig aristocrats who wrote the Constitution, but its clearly a bad idea now. And the way in which it weights states votes is obviously unfair. If we were designing a new government, nobody would suggest a complicated scoring system that privileges low-population states and runs the risk of the less popular candidate winning. Wed just go with the popular vote because thats obviously more democratic and fair. Plus, the Electoral College increases opportunities for electoral shenanigans and loss of public faith in the government. None of the chaos around the 2000 election and none of the lies and violence on January 6th would have happened in America without an Electoral College. If we started from scratch, I doubt wed have our current system of electing Senators, either. It seems pretty dumb to have a system in which one person in Wyoming gets the same amount of representation in the Senate as 59 Californians. Id imagine we would not have an upper house of Congress at all, make the states more equal in population, or find some other way to make the Senate make sense. We wouldnt put justices on the Supreme Court for life, either. When the Constitution was written, the average life expectancy for an American was in the 30s (those who made it past childhood usually lived into their early 60s). Now, a judge appointed in his 40s could conceivably be on the court for close to half a century. Thats dumb, and I doubt we would do that today. In fact, I wonder whether wed have a presidential system at all. The United States has invaded its share of countries, and weve installed new governments in a lot of them. Most of the time, we havent put in place a system of government like our own. instead, we tend to establish parliamentary systems, as we did in Germany, Japan, and Iraq. Is this because a presidential system is inferior too open to authoritarianism and too prone to gridlock? Maybe wed choose to install a parliamentary government here, too, if we had the chance. On June 21, 2023, actor Juliette Lewis turned 50 years oldand she celebrated the occasion by learning how to drive a car with a stick shift, and learning how to drift. She posted a few videos on her Instagram, and she looks like she's having a blast. She explains: My first day as a 50-year-old was spent Learning something- I was intimidated by- but had dreamed about; I learned how to drive a stick AND #drift in the same day! Here's an external view where you can see the car she's driving drifting and spinning. And here's a video shot inside the car, where you can see her in the driver's seat excitedly chatting while she maneuvers the car. Looks like she went to Drift101, a driving school located in Rosamond, California (just north of Los Angeles) "specializing in drifting, stunt, and performance driving for 15+ years" that offers one-on-one lessons "custom-catered to every individual based on their previous driving experience and learning ability." Their website states, "Whether you are a stunt performer, rally driver, road racer, or a driver with no experience, we know what works for you." Happy birthday, Juliette! Here's to always learning something new, and having fun while doing so. I'd do it, too, in a heartbeatit looks really fun! The average size of a Filipino family is four people per household. Since Filipinos are tight-knit, any household can expand over time as they welcome other relatives, new spouses, and newborns. A standard washing machine isnt enough to cater to an expanding households laundry. A bigger family means more clothes to clean, which also translates to higher electricity bills when using standard washing machines. Samsung, the leader in improving home lifestyle and electronics, launches the Topload Washing Machine to give big loads of laundry a thorough wash at big savings. Heres why the Samsung Topload Washing Machine is the smart choice for your home: Fights big stains Wine stains during a party, damp workout clothes after the gym, and the various kinds of dirt that kids attract when they play are just some of the things that a homemaker has to deal with. The Samsung Topload Washing Machines Ecobubble with Digital Inverter Technology washes clothes more powerfully and more efficiently. BubbleStorm creates bubbles that allow detergent to penetrate clothes 2.5 times faster with up to 20% better fabric care. Dual Storm creates a vortex of water for more effective cleaning. These technologies clean stubborn stains using up to 60% less energy and 11% less water. Deep cleans clothes Sometimes just washing clothes isnt enough. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine gives clothes a stronger clean with Hygiene Steam Cycle. This cycle releases steam from the bottom of the drum to attack germs and reduce up to 99.99% of common bacteria and allergens. Washes more clothes in less time Large piles of clothes may take the whole day to wash but SuperSpeed cuts the time so homemakers can spend more time with their family. SuperSpeed cuts laundry time by up to 40% and can wash a load in just 31 minutes without sacrificing powerful cleaning. This function also reduces water use by 20%. Get bigger savings Mountains of laundry usually mean higher electricity bills but the Samsung Topload Washing Machine can wash more clothes without breaking the bank. Its Digital Inverter Technology gives a quiet and powerful performance thats also energy efficient. The washing machine is exceptionally durable and supported by 20 years of warranty, the industrys longest to date. Control the washing machine through a smartphone Busy homemakers can still stay on top of heavy washing loads with the SmartThings app. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine has Wi-Fi connectivity so its possible to control it even from another room. Homemakers can select the cycle, temperature, and spin speed, and even get recommendations and notifications. Upgrading to a newer and better washing machine is borne out of a greater laundry load. The Samsung Topload Washing Machine has the best capacity for bigger loads while offering savings with the power of inverter technology. Find the Samsung Topload Washing Machine that fits your needs! Samsung offers 3 different models depending on its loading capacity. See table below for reference: Make the switch to the Samsung Topload Washing Machine. For more information, please visit samsung.com/ph. Fortinet, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, unveiled the findings of a new Asia-Pacific SASE survey commissioned by Fortinet from IDC today. The report is based on a recent survey conducted by IDC across nine countries in Asia/Pacific and explores cybersecurity leaders perspectives on hybrid work, particularly how it impacted their organizations in the last year and their strategies to mitigate the security challenges arising from the adoption of hybrid work. Key findings from the survey include: From L-R Kelvin Chua, Director System Engineering Southeast Asia and Hongkong, Alan Reyes,Country Manager Fortinet Philippines, Daniel Kwong- Field CISO, Southeast Asia and Hongkong The Rise of the 'Branch-Office-of-One': According to the survey, 88% of respondents in The Philippines have a hybrid or fully remote working model, with more than two-thirds (58%) having at least 50% of their employees working in hybrid mode. This shift to remote work has resulted in employees becoming 'branch offices of one,' working from their homes or other locations outside the traditional office. Consequently, 48% of respondents in The Philippines anticipate managed devices to surge by more than 100% over the next two years (with some expecting growth of 400%). Additionally, 76% in The Philippines expect unmanaged devices to grow by over 50%. This is expected to compound the complexity and risk of security breaches, placing additional strain on already overburdened IT security teams. According to the survey, 88% of respondents in The Philippines have a hybrid or fully remote working model, with more than two-thirds (58%) having at least 50% of their employees working in hybrid mode. This shift to remote work has resulted in employees becoming 'branch offices of one,' working from their homes or other locations outside the traditional office. Consequently, 48% of respondents in The Philippines anticipate managed devices to surge by more than 100% over the next two years (with some expecting growth of 400%). Additionally, 76% in The Philippines expect unmanaged devices to grow by over 50%. This is expected to compound the complexity and risk of security breaches, placing additional strain on already overburdened IT security teams. Unmanaged Devices Pose a Risk: With cloud computing and remote work becoming more prevalent, an increasing number of users, devices, and data are located outside of enterprise networks. Currently, 30% of devices connecting to networks in The Philippines are unmanaged, raising the possibility of security breaches. Survey respondents in The Philippines expect this figure to rise, with 76% predicting a 50% increase by 2025. With cloud computing and remote work becoming more prevalent, an increasing number of users, devices, and data are located outside of enterprise networks. Currently, 30% of devices connecting to networks in The Philippines are unmanaged, raising the possibility of security breaches. Survey respondents in The Philippines expect this figure to rise, with 76% predicting a 50% increase by 2025. The Need to Secure Cloud: With hybrid work increasing, employees require multiple connections to external systems and cloud applications to remain productive. Survey respondents indicated that their employees in The Philippines need more than 30 connections to third-party cloud applications, increasing the risk of security breaches. Over the next two years, 100% of respondents in The Philippines expect this number to double, while more than 70% feel that this number will triple, exacerbating the risk. Maintaining network security while ensuring employee connectivity to third-party and cloud-based services is a significant challenge, as traditional security measures are inadequate. With hybrid work increasing, employees require multiple connections to external systems and cloud applications to remain productive. Survey respondents indicated that their employees in The Philippines need more than 30 connections to third-party cloud applications, increasing the risk of security breaches. Over the next two years, 100% of respondents in The Philippines expect this number to double, while more than 70% feel that this number will triple, exacerbating the risk. Maintaining network security while ensuring employee connectivity to third-party and cloud-based services is a significant challenge, as traditional security measures are inadequate. Increased Security Incidents: Hybrid work and the growth in managed and unmanaged connections have caused a significant rise in security incidents, with 62% of surveyed organizations in The Philippines reporting more than triple the number of breaches. According to the Survey, 94% of respondents in The Philippines have experienced at least a 2X increase in security incidents. The top security incidents include phishing, denial of service, data/identity theft, ransomware, and data loss. However, only 49% of organizations across Asia have dedicated security personnel, which leaves them more vulnerable to security incidents and breaches. Hybrid work and the growth in managed and unmanaged connections have caused a significant rise in security incidents, with 62% of surveyed organizations in The Philippines reporting more than triple the number of breaches. According to the Survey, 94% of respondents in The Philippines have experienced at least a 2X increase in security incidents. The top security incidents include phishing, denial of service, data/identity theft, ransomware, and data loss. However, only 49% of organizations across Asia have dedicated security personnel, which leaves them more vulnerable to security incidents and breaches. SASE: a Game-Changer for Hybrid Work: To tackle the challenges of hybrid work, many organizations across The Philippines plan to invest in a Single-Vendor SASE solution to improve their security posture and provide consistency in the user experience for remote employees. The need for a comprehensive solution that offers a consistent security posture for users on and off the network while simplifying security policy management and enhancing the user experience for remote employees is driving many organizations to explore SASE. To tackle the challenges of hybrid work, many organizations across The Philippines plan to invest in a Single-Vendor SASE solution to improve their security posture and provide consistency in the user experience for remote employees. The need for a comprehensive solution that offers a consistent security posture for users on and off the network while simplifying security policy management and enhancing the user experience for remote employees is driving many organizations to explore SASE. The Preference for a Single Vendor: As organizations adopt SASE to manage networking and security services, they are seeking a converged platform to streamline their operations. According to the survey, 76% of respondents across The Philippines prefer a single vendor for networking and security capabilities, with 82% consolidating or in the process of consolidating their IT security vendors. More than half (54%) of the respondents prefer a single vendor for cloud-delivered security services and SDWAN, citing various benefits such as reduced security gaps, improved network performance, ease of deployment, and addressing integration and scalability challenges. Alan Reyes, Country Manager, Fortinet Philippines, said, As Philippines continues to embrace the digital future and become a leader in the digital economy, it is essential that we acknowledge the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks and data breaches. The shortage of skilled talent in the cybersecurity industry only makes this issue more challenging. At Fortinet, we are committed to bridging the skills gap and providing the necessary cybersecurity knowledge and awareness to all employees in an organization. With our Single-Vendor SASE solution, we aim to simplify security policy management and enhance the user experience for remote employees, helping The Philippines n businesses address the security challenges of the changing workforce. Daniel Kwong, Field CISO for SEA, and HK, said, "As the world shifts to hybrid work, organizations face the challenge of securing a 'branch-office-of-one' environment where employees and devices operate outside of traditional office boundaries. The Survey underscores the urgency for organizations to adopt a comprehensive security strategy that addresses the complexity and risk posed by the growth of remote work. Single-Vendor SASE, with its converged networking and security capabilities, is proving to be a game-changer for many organizations seeking a simplified and consistent security posture for users both on and off the network." Simon Piff, Research Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific, said, "These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing security posture and investing in cloud-delivered solutions that seamlessly integrate with on-prem solutions to manage hybrid work environments and mitigate risks. The preference for a single vendor and infrastructure convergence demonstrates the need for efficient management, and zero-trust architecture can enhance security and usability. Organizations need to address these challenges and invest in security solutions to support their hybrid workforce and reduce security threats." The survey was conducted among 450 cybersecurity leaders from 9 different locations across Asia (Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam). Survey respondents came from nine industries, including manufacturing (14%), Retail (13%), Logistics (14%), Healthcare (13%), FSI (10%), and Public Sector (11%). Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Wes Anderson is dressed like one of his movies. The visionary behind The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom has arrived for our interview dressed in a Riviera-appropriate pinstripe suit coloured in white and light blue. All he needs is a parasol and he could be ready to stroll down the Croisette. Were in Cannes, at the film festival, where his 11th feature Asteroid City has just played in competition. Co-written with Roman Coppola, the film feeds directly off Andersons love of actors. Ive never been a part of a play, the fresh-faced 54-year-old explains. But when I go to the theatre, I wish that I could be a part of a company like that. And when Im making a movie, it is quite like that. Some of [my] actors who have done plays have told me this but to me, this movie, the subject matter, is about why people do theatre. Why do I feel this mystifying, mystical attraction to the backstage? What is it about putting on a show and performing? This being Anderson, Asteroid City is no ordinary backstage drama. Its another beautifully crafted work from the Texas-born filmmaker, and studded with stars hes worked with before (including Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Stephen Park and Jason Schwartzman), and ones he hasnt (among them Tom Hanks, Hope Davis, Maya Hawke and Margot Robbie). As film critic Geoffrey Macnab rightly wrote in his five-star review of the film in these very pages: Asteroid City is Andersons most enrapturing feature since The Grand Budapest Hotel nearly a decade ago. Set in the 1950s, the behind-the-scenes sequences, all in black and white, present a theatre troupe on the East Coast readying a play called Asteroid City, penned by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) and directed by the Elia Kazan-alike Schubert Green (Adrien Brody). When the film bursts into colour, we see acts I, II and III of the play all set in an American desert town called Asteroid City, population 87, which is mostly famous for a gigantic meteor crater and a celestial observatory. As families descend on the town for a junior stargazing contest, theres even an extraterrestrial encounter its a beautiful stop-motion scene by Andy Gent, whom Anderson calls the Laurence Olivier of animators. Anderson sank us to the bottom of the ocean, Jacques Cousteau-style, in 2004s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and took us inside canine minds for 2018s Japan-set Isle of Dogs. So whats this? His first attempt at a B-movie? I think theres definitely an aspect of that, he tells me. Like The Day the Earth Stood Still. Movies like that. Because its a play within the movie, its a theatrical interpretation of [that]. And I think the science-fiction part of it is something from the Fifties. The same way they were obsessing about the communists, there was a lot going on about aliens. Even Schwartzmans war photographer Augie Steenbeck has the air of a pre-2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick about him. A father of four coping with the recent loss of his wife and impending arrival of his father-in-law (Hanks) Schwartzmans character gives the film its emotional ballast. We went into it with a sense of it being about how you face things beyond your control, Anderson explains. And how you respond to a world that is so much bigger than you and is a mystery. And grief was at the centre of it. Always. Death was at the centre of it. Asteroid City might be charmingly decorated (primary colours, geometrically exact camera moves), but its the underneath that counts. The Life Aquatic was a very, very big production. I just didnt like it Wes Anderson To me, the film is about so many different things, says Davis, who plays Sandy Borden, mother to one of the stargazers. Its really about [an] existential angst What are we doing here? How are we supposed to do this? Is it worth it? How do we do it? Does anyone know what theyre doing? She recites a line from the film thats stuck with her, in which Nortons playwright is asked: Am I doing it right? That kills me, Davis says. Because thats what everybody thinks, right? Am I doing this life-thing the way Im supposed to do it? And the playwright says, Its just right. Just keep going. Still, its Andersons eclectic style that has come to define his work. Arguably cemented more than 20 years ago in The Royal Tenenbaums, it is recognised by its use of symmetrical close-ups and meticulously composed shots, saturated colours and impeccable costume and set design. A love for architectural models and cutaways, like the research vessel in The Life Aquatic, also became a favourite. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 6.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 6.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Admittedly, its these aesthetics that have made him ripe for parody. Recently hitting the headlines were trailers made by AI, which imagine Anderson takes on franchises such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Theyve had a very mixed response. Has Anderson been told about them? Im aware, he nods. I havent seen [any of] it. Its weird. And its one of those things where Im not sure what good it does me to inform myself about it. I dont want to look at a computers version of anything Im doing just because I dont want to say, Is that what Im doing? I think its best not to. Plus, if it were so easy to make a Wes Anderson movie, its doubtful so many big names would be queuing up to take part in them no matter the size of the role. I heard Margot Robbie lobbied to work with him, says Park, the crime-solving chef in The French Dispatch and an Asteroid City resident this time around. I mean, [she] sent him letters. Anderson confirms this: I had gotten a little communication from her. Thankfully, Robbies schedule allowed her to come to Spain, where filming took place, to shoot one key moment. The scene she plays, to me, is one of the most important scenes in the whole movie, says Anderson. She was great. You really felt it on the set. Everyone was really just riveted. In his element: Wes Anderson on the set of Asteroid City (Roger Do Minh/Pop.87 Productions/Focus Features) Just about the only missing face is long-time collaborator Bill Murray, who came down with Covid and had to drop out. Steve Carell replaced him, playing a motel clerk. Otherwise, Anderson was in his element, surrounded by friends old and new in the town of Chinchon, near Madrid. Nobodys on their phone between takes, or in the evening alone in their room, says Davis. Everyone is together. As Park notes, this approach to filmmaking stems from Andersons experience on The Life Aquatic. I think he was working more traditionally on that [film], where people were living separately, he says. I think that was when he decided to work differently and have everybody live together. Anderson confirms this. The Life Aquatic was a very, very big production, he explains. I just didnt like it. I felt like we were paying to create this machine that wasnt doing what we wanted it to do. On Life Aquatic, everyone got the nicest places in Rome [to live in]. We were working an hour and a half from Cinecitta [Studios], and half the day was spent getting to and from [there] and having long lunches and things like that. None of that went into the movie in a good way. For his following film, 2007s India-set odyssey The Darjeeling Limited with Brody, Schwartzman and Owen Wilson Anderson changed his way of working. Darjeeling, we stayed together and we never left the set, he remembers. Ever since, hes encouraged this convivial, communal feel. No wonder actors love it. I think Wes probably has a penchant for picking [actors] who are good, decent human beings, [who] understand that youre not some sort of higher being because you work in this business, says Davis. I dont think he would tolerate people who were behaving badly. Even when the cameras arent rolling, Wes World feels all-encompassing. Davis remembers one particular lunch break in the cabin that served as her dressing room. I peeked out. People were lying down on the picnic tables. And Wes was standing just outside my window with this beautiful large straw hat, and someone brought him the most perfect little espresso cup. It looked just like one of his movies. It was all quiet on set, she continues. Nobody was talking. And there he was, with this perfect little espresso, looking up. Asteroid City is in cinemas, and an immersive exhibit inspired by the film runs at Londons 180 Studios until 8 July Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The family of Julian Sands has released its first statement since the British actor disappeared while hiking in California five months ago. The statement comes a week after the search for Sands, 65, in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel mountains resumed on 17 June. We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer, the familys statement said. Sands, best known for his breakout role in the 1985 film A Room With a View, has been married for more than three decades to journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, and has three adult children. They said they were deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian. Efforts to find the actor slowed around mid-February, after rescue teams were repeatedly hampered by adverse weather conditions. Sands, a longtime avid hiker and mountaineer, was reported missing January 13 after setting out to hike on the massive mountain, which rises more than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) east of Los Angeles and was pounded by severe storms during winter. Julian Sands (Getty Images) Authorities said that while warmer weather made the latest search possible, parts of the mountain remain inaccessible due to dangerous conditions. Since Sandss disappearance, the sheriffs department has conducted eight searches and expended more than 500 hours of combined search time. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 6.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 6.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free The actors family previously praised the heroic efforts of Californian authorities involved in the searches, and were deeply touched by the support they had received. His brother, Nick Sands, told the Craven Herald in late January: He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone. Anyone with additional information about Sands is asked to call Detective B Meelker on +1 (909) 356-6710. Additional reporting by The Associated Press Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Theyre older, but thats OK! Bill, a 22-year-old from Bristol, is telling me his thoughts on Guns N Roses, this years Saturday night headliner at Glastonbury Festival, and a band potentially more ancient than the Sphinx. Bill, though, is unbothered. You gotta have something for everyone, you know what I mean? Hes en route to see his fave anyway. Everyones seeing Fred Again, mate. I nod politely. No one can accuse this years Glastonbury of being the most cutting edge of events. Arctic Monkeys, Fridays headliner, have long been in their elder statesmen era, while Elton John, headlining Sunday, is a genius but one who was probably at his peak in 1973. This is also just one more stop on his farewell tour (although he has promised an entirely different set), and nothing screams dance-floor mood-killer faster than imminent retirement. But as I make my way through throngs upon throngs of teenagers spilling through Worthy Farm as if Lord of the Flies met up with The Belles of St Trinians and everyone was wearing Day-Glo sunglasses, I realise this is a place built on specific kinds of nostalgia anyway. The age of the headliners is irrelevant when youre on the ground. Everyone here, sartorially speaking, is representative of one of four different tribes (Getty Images) Going to Glastonbury is about the act of going to Glastonbury. Everyone is attempting to cling to a version of the world that has largely evaporated in reality, but which for five days thrives here in a very big field in the West Country. There are posters for nuclear disarmament and the advancement of Corbyn-era policies, as well as eat the rich graffiti. I speak to more total strangers than I have in years. Everyone is topless. Everything is gender neutral and no one cares. Community reigns. I watch as an older gentleman asks to buy toilet roll from a trio of girls in front of the cavernous excrement pits that we waddle up to each morning. What are you talking about buy, man? one girl replies. This is Glastonbury, everyone loves each other! She unspools a generous wad of paper, and the man seems touched. I should add that these people were all from generous, inherently friendly Newcastle, and subsequently realised they all basically live in the same area but I want to believe this was the magic of Glastonbury rather than the magic of being a Geordie. Despite show-stopping sets on Friday by fresher acts including Gabriels (a honeyed fusion of soul, gospel and rock) and Billy Nomates (a true one-off who performs bandless, and whose online abuse in the aftermath of her set is the ugliest incident of the festival so far), a yearning for the past runs rampant through the main highlights so far. Practically battery-powered Swedish garage punks The Hives confirmed they were still alive and still brilliant. The Lightning Seeds remain such sweetly nerdy Nineties indie touchstones that its easy to overlook that all their songs sound the same. The roar that erupts from the crowd when Carly Rae Jepsen breaks into her gloriously anthemic Call Me Maybe is very much the sound of thousands of people in their late twenties, no longer performatively cynical, who once convinced themselves they were too cool to love it back in 2011. Carly Rae Jepsen plays The Other Stage at Glastonbury (BBC) On Saturday morning, everyone seems to be headed to see Rick Astley for the lols, or at least to find answers to the mystery of how hell fill an hour-long slot with just one song. (It turns out he has many songs! And that he is pure joy!) Britney Spearss name is being invoked an inexplicable amount of times many convinced shell drop in for a cameo during Eltons set on Sunday, despite a Princess Diana hologram being a more realistic stage partner. A Dua Lipa appearance feels a more likely scenario, along with the conveniently-touring-the-UK-but-not-this-week Kiki Dee. Watch it be Dave Grohl, though, just to troll us all. Even Lana Del Rey, performing later (not, in a controversial move considering the all-male line-up of headliners, on the main Pyramid Stage, but on The Other Stage), feels rooted in a specific kind of nostalgia she is gloomy, romantic kitsch refracting back at us the fakeries of American myth. All of this, anyway, pulsates beneath the slightly suffocating swell of too many people in a too-hot place. It often falls on the wrong side of chaos. Clubs and bars near the Arcadia stage become untenable past 11pm, venues rammed and revellers spilling out into the makeshift streets. You can just about decipher the songs being played inside, before being swept up in the crowds of people snaking through to get to other parts unknown. Everyone here, sartorially speaking, is representative of one of four different tribes: ASOSs finest; the Kate Moss; the Lanzarote dad; the Im mad, me! The cowboy trend we kept hearing about is present but not overwhelming: I see a few flowery Wild West hats, but barely any flared trousers, and not a single ironic spur. For shame! Bathed in golden nostalgia: Revellers enjoy the sunset on day two at Glastonbury (Getty Images) Celebrity spotting also proves tricky. There are reports of Paul and Stella McCartney, Princess Beatrice (!) and Kate Hudson, who is now so synonymous with hanging backstage at Glastonbury that she may as well be the festivals mascot. I think I spy Paddy Considine, but it turns out to be some guy. I break out my deerstalker and magnifying glass to try to find Bill Murray, rumoured paramour of West Holts Stage Friday headliner Kelis, but have no luck. Her eventual set is euphoric, slinky and Bill-less. Its too busy to focus on this kind of thing anyway, when youre otherwise overwhelmed by set clashes and how long it takes to move from place to place. I had heard a rumour that Cate Blanchett would join Sparks for a song at the Park Stage (she did, of course), but seeing her in person would have meant crossing back and forth between my campsite, past the enormous flame-shooting mechanical spider and back up to Kelis, and my back was sweaty. Maybe shell duet with Elton, too, just for my personal benefit. Time here is both entirely meaningless and all anyone can talk about. Breakfast is an unholy combination of cheese, sauteed potatoes and guacamole served at 11 in the morning. Dinner is a caramel shortbread slice at 1am. Others debate how the line-up compares to last years, whether the vibes are the same as they used to be, how nothings been any good since Dolly Parton in 2014. People seem to track their lives by Glastonbury, using it as a litmus test for how theyre doing in the present moment. Rick Astley covers AC/DCs Highway to Hell on drums during an impressive Glastonbury set At around 3am in the early hours of Friday, I hear two men outside my tent having a confessional under the stars. For the last few years, Ive been working on myself pretty hard, one of them says. So this is all a bit strange. They drift off before I hear the rest of his story. I talk to Claire, a woman from Leicester who last came to Glastonbury when she was 19 today shes 28. It definitely feels different to how it used to be, she tells me. But I think I just put up with a lot less now. It feels like a big adventure when youre younger, but now it feels more like hard work. The last time I was here was when I was seven years old in 1999, tiny and anxious with a mop of blond curls. Now Im writing about it in a press tent watching Caitlin Moran chat with her mates and Zadie Smith getting her water bottle refilled. Its funny how this place puts it all into perspective. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Arctic Monkeys begin their Glastonbury Friday night headline set in darkness, an ominous pulse ringing across the rammed fields like an elevator ticking off levels in a Kubrick film. Alex Turner walks on in a severely unbuttoned white shirt and open suit jacket, his hair manicured like vintage Roy Orbison. The choice of opener the gorgeously chilly, Portishead-esque Sculptures of Anything Goes could not signal their transformation more clearly, nor their faith in the experimental bent of their latest two albums. Here is a song they could never have written last time they headlined Glastonbury, in 2013 a bold choice that doubles as justification for their return, just two divisive albums later. They move swiftly into the hyperspeed Brianstorm and a string of crowdpleasers such as Dont Sit Down Cos Ive Moved Your Chair, from 2011s Suck it and See, and Snap Out of It, from 2013s stratospherically popular AM, that show the depth of their catalogue. Turner is in strong voice, with no sign of the laryngitis that forced them to cancel a midweek show in Dublin and threatened, until the last minute, to derail tonights set. Turner has developed a habit for singing half a step behind the beat, spawning amused memes and captioned concert footage across social media as fans try in vain to sing along. This oblique form of showmanship is in part a practical matter. On a riotous Crying Lightning, he rattles through verses stuffed with so many words that the usual vocal flourishes and ad-libs are impossible. Behind him, drummer Matt Helders holds the show together, slowing things to a lascivious crawl for the Crying Lightning solo, before thrillingly ratcheting up the pace for the middle eight. Arctic Monkeys play Glastonbury 2023 Turner swaggers through Cornerstone complete with a newly countrified riff comically behind the beat, as if mining unexplored nooks in his own song. To cue Jamie Cooks guitar solo, he yee-haws. (I just added that for you, tonight, Turner deadpans to the crowd afterwards.) The Monkeys are back on the farm, he adds in a funny voice, like a crooner touring a seaside town. All this toying with persona appears to extend his distrust of the rock construct the everything-scepticism that gave his earliest classics their masterful, people-watching poetry, and later informed the anti-industry slant of songs like Teddy Picker. These days, he is not only performing as a rock star but performing that performance. As much as a way to entertain himself, these vaguely ironic games play as a spin on the roles that people, particularly celebrities, take on as they grapple with the vexed question of what it means to be authentic. If the first half of the set showed the Monkeys breadth, AM hit Do I Wanna Know? unifies band and crowd, and Mardy Bum seals the pact, triggering an arms-around-shoulders singalong. He winkingly introduces Thered Better Be a Mirrorball, the single about painful goodbyes from last years album The Car, by saying: Alright, lets leave the past behind. He turns to face the band and mimes whipping a conductors stick upon each introductory piano pang. The song is a landmark in Turners latest songwriting phase, where his love songs increasingly double as comments on songwriting and stardom itself: Dont get emotional, he sings in his newfound croon. Thats not like you. The initial set closes with Body Paint, such a strange and baffling addition to their catalogue of indisputable anthems that it would justify all the bizarre left turns it took to get there, even if those turns were not gems in their own right. It would be a worthy set closer. Turner and Jamie Cook peal into warring guitar solos in a finale that could pass for Sunday-night headliner Elton John. But the band are not done. They open an encore with the unlikely TikTok hit I Wanna Be Yours, repurposed from a John Cooper Clarke poem and appended, in a fancy twist, with a monologued reading of Star Treatment a freeform riff on writers block that is the most playfully brilliant verse Turner has written. Crowd members agitating for I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor get their wish, and Turner, who now looks feral, seems determined to deliver an all-time performance. Closer R U Mine delivers a showcase for the rhythm section that has always made Arctic Monkeys one of the most effective live rock bands on the planet. The crowd exhausted, electric, alive finally get some fan service, too: Turner sings every word perfectly on the beat. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A TV weatherman who received a string of threats has announced that he is leaving his role due to post-traumatic stress and family health issues. Chris Gloninger, the chief meteorologist at KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa, received a death threat last June over his coverage, which routinely incorporated facts on climate change. Mr Gloninger previously told The Independent that his goal was to help viewers connect the dots between the global threat of a hotter planet and more extreme heatwaves, drought, and flash flooding at the local level. I think you can turn people off if youre hitting them over the head with [climate change], he said. I dont grasp at straws. I try to find connections that are meaningful and have an impact on viewers. On Wednesday, Mr Gloninger posted a message on Twitter that he was leaving his post at KCCI, and putting TV news behind him. He cited PTSD that he suffered following the death threat, and family health issues. I take immense pride in having educated the public about the impacts of climate change during my career. Now, I will devote my full-time efforts to finding sustainable solutions and fostering positive change, he wrote. Lets confront this challenge head on and shape a more resilient future for generations to come. Thank you for your support, and lets continue working together. Mr Gloninger did not specify his next steps but wrote that he was embarking on a new journey dedicated to helping solve the climate crisis. The tweet received dozens of supportive replies from other TV meteorologists, climate experts and viewers. The Independent has contacted KCCI for comment. Mr Gloningers ordeal began last June when he received an email accusing him of liberal conspiracy theory on the weather, adding that climate changes every day, always has, always will, your [sic] pushing nothing but a Biden hoax, go back to where you came from. Gloninger, who grew up in Sag Harbor, New York, emailed back. Im sorry, its not politics, its science, and its supported by the vast majority of climate and atmospheric scientists. Thank you for watching, he wrote. A few days later, another email dropped into his inbox. Whats your address, we conservative Iowans would like to give you an Iowan welcome you will never forget, kinda like the libtards gave JUDGE KAVANAUGH!!!!!!! the message raged. The threat appeared to reference news that a man had been charged with attempted murder after going to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs home with a gun, knife, hammer, zip ties and other weapons. I was getting my hair cut and the email popped up and I just got this sinking feeling, Mr Gloninger told The Independent last year. My wife was home, I was away, and I thought, I have to get home. I decided to call the police because it was more than just a mean email, it was a direct threat. Then it turned into an obsession. The string of harassing emails continued for a month, The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. Gloninger became interested in weather as a child after Hurricane Bob hit his hometown in 1991, going on to graduate in meteorology from Plymouth State University and become a certified broadcast meteorologist with the American Meteorological Society. Before landing the chief role in Des Moines, Gloninger worked at TV stations in Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts. At NBC10 in Boston, he started the first weekly series on climate change, and reported on hurricanes, EF4 tornadoes, major flooding and ice floes. The email harassment left him shaken, he said last year, fearing for his safety and his wife who was home alone when he worked late shifts at the TV station. Ive never had mental health issues before, Mr Gloninger said. Its scary because there was a time, and there are still times, that Im not okay after it. Following the death threat, KCCIs parent company, Hearst, paid for the Gloningers to stay in a hotel while a security system was installed at their home. Security was also bolstered at the TV station, and at his public events. Im blessed from that standpoint in this industry, especially [because] we dont get that compassion as much anymore, Gloninger said. The harassing emails continued for weeks. I dont watch your worthless weather forecast because your [sic] an idiot but someone else texted me and said you are still an idiot, go the hell back where you came from D********!!! one read. On 15 July, an email referred to Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has led the US Covid-19 response. It told Gloninger to go east and drown from the ice cap melting you dumbf***!!!!!!! Mr Gloninger reported the threats to the Des Moines Police Department. Danny H Hancock, 63, of Lenox, Iowa, subsequently admitted to sending the emails. He pleaded guilty to third-degree harassment and was fined $150. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Eight people have been injured after a tornado tore through a coal mining site in Wyoming on Friday night. Officials in Campbell County say that the tornado made a direct hit on the North Antelope Rochelle Mine in the northeast part of the state. Six people were taken to hospital with injuries but no fatalities were reported after the tornado flipped train cars and vehicles at the open-pit mine. Considering the circumstances, its a lot better than what it couldve been from what were hearing from down there, Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds told Cowboy State Daily. Video of the tornado was captured by storm chaser Brad Walton, who posted the footage to Twitter. David King, the emergency management coordinator for Campbell County, told the newspaper that one building with people inside took a direct hit. Peabody Energy, the company which owns the mine, said that operations at North Antelope Rochelle have been suspended until we can fully assess facility damages and begin the process of restarting safe operations. Video of the rain wrapped tornado as it moved through antelope mine #wywx #wxtwitter @NWSRapidCity pic.twitter.com/4dXCNwulW6 Brad Walton (@wx_Brad) June 24, 2023 Company spokesperson Mary Compton said all workers have been accounted for. We believe all employees are accounted for, and that six employees are at the hospital for treatment of non-life-threateing injuries. We continue to prioritize the safety of all our employees, she said in a statement. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said state agencies were assisting local emergency teams as required. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by todays extreme weather events, which serve as a reminder for how serious extreme weather can be. I ask everyone to please pay attention to weather reports in their areas and be ready to take precautions, Mr Gordon said. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A student paramedic returning from a holiday was messaged by an airline contractor who allegedly found her phone number through an airline database. Hannah Smethurst, a third-year University of Greenwich student, from Manchester, was on her way home from her break in Abu Dhabi on an Etihad Airways flight. The 22-year-old had passed through the airport and handed her passport over for checks. However, when she was queuing up to board, she said she received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The exchange started: Hey. I have seen you from Abu Dhabi, according to Smethurst, who replied: How did you get this number? The unnamed third-party contractor responded: Sorry, at which point the 22 year old said she asked again: How did you get my number? According to Smethurst, she received a response that said: I searched you in the system, with the paramedic asking what system in response to the message. The contractor added: I am working, to which she said: Yes what system? The hotel or the airline? According to Smethurst, she receiving a reply that said: Airline. Sorry for the trouble. If am disturbing you. Just block me. FYI your flight is boarding. (Jam Press/@hansmeths) (Jam Press/@hansmeths) (Jam Press/@hansmeths) A guy who works for the Etihad Airways used my personal data, Smethurst said when sharing her story, according to Jam Press. Which he found via the airline database after seeing my passport to get my phone number and proceeded to text me. Terrifying experience travelling alone. Smethurst continued: I was stood at the gate getting ready to board the plane as he messaged. So checked in and ready to go and it was on his personal WhatsApp. (Jam Press/@hansmeths) (Jam Press/@hansmeths) In a statement, a spokesperson for Etihad Airways said the individual in question was a third-party contractor and that they are being disciplined. Our team have been in contact with the guest and Etihad initiated a full investigation as soon as it was made aware of inappropriate conduct by an employee of a third-party contractor, the airline said. As a result of the investigation, the relevant employee involved has been disciplined in accordance with the contractors disciplinary procedures. The privacy and safety of our guests is our number one priority and we sincerely apologise for the distress caused to our guest. Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, a wild animal trainer featured in Netflix's Tiger King docuseries, has landed in hot water in Virginia. The law has found him guilty of four felony counts related to buying and selling endangered animals. Antle's legal troubles stem from accusations that he illegally purchased endangered lion cubs to display and make money at his petting zoo in South Carolina. Now, he's looking at the possibility of a hefty prison sentence of up to 20 years. However, he's not behind bars just yet, as he's currently free on bond and waiting for his sentencing scheduled for September 14, 2023. Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a statement, "Virginia's animal cruelty laws are not taken lightly by my office. I'm proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work and I'm thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking." Some more details from the court are pretty disturbing. The prosecution accused Antle of setting up what they called a "cub pipeline." They claimed he was consistently getting young lion cubs from Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Virginia, all the way to his zoo in South Carolina. The idea was that Antle needed a steady supply of cubs for his Myrtle Beach Safari petting zoo. AP: When Antle and Keith Wilson, the park's former owner, began doing business in 2015, it was still legal to buy and sell lions, Welch said. But after lions were designated as an endangered species in December 2015, lions could only be traded between zoos and wildlife preserves that were part of an established breeding program and had permits. There were three illegal cub exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Welch said. Antle was indicted in 2020 on several offenses including felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy. In August 2019, 119 animals including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats and water buffalo were seized from Wilson's roadside zoo after a judge found that Wilson "cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived" the animals of adequate care. Wilson testified that Antle paid him in advance under the guise of a donation. He said Antle paid $2,500 to $3,000 per cub with the exception of the 2017 transaction when Antle traded three lynx kittens for three lion cubs. PETA issued this statement: For a long time, PETA has urged families to stay away from Bhagavan "Doc" Antle's exploitative park, blown the whistle on his apparent "charity" scam, and alerted authorities to bears and tigers languishing in the heat at the cruel, now-defunct roadside zoo where he trafficked in endangered lions. Now that a jury of his peers has convicted Antle of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, PETA will push for a government crackdown on his chronic animal welfare violations and the termination of the federal licenses that keep his tawdry park in business. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Who would win a fight between Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg? Its the sort of question that might be asked over a drink in the pub. But a clash between the two of the worlds tech tycoons may no longer be hypothetical after Mr Zuckerberg apparently agreed to a cage fight with Mr Musk. When rumours emerged earlier this month that the Facebook boss a Jiu Jitsu enthusiast was looking for a rival, the Space X and Tesla founder tweeted that he was up for a cage match. Mr Zuckerberg then posted a screenshot of the tweet with the caption send me location. Now that a fight appears on the cards, how would the two men match up inside the ring? At more than 6ft tall, Mr Musk would have a clear reach advantage over Mr Zuckerberg, who measures up at 5ft 8in. His height also means he would also have a significant weight advantage over his opponent, but Mr Zuckerbergs Jiu Jitsu skills - he recently won his first gold and silver medals at a Silicon Valley tournament - would undoubtedly enable him to get out of a few sticky situations on the canvas. Mr Musk joked he had a great move to show off, noting that his workout regime consists mostly of spending time with his children. I have this great move that I call The Walrus where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing, he tweeted. He added: I almost never work out, except for picking up my kids & throwing them in the air. Musk would have a significant reach advantage over his opponent In 2020, Mr Musk also told Joe Rogan that he wouldnt exercise at all if [he] could. Although Mr Zuckerberg is smaller and lighter than Mr Musk, his technical ability and aerobic capacity could prove too much for the Tesla boss, who earlier this year said that his typical breakfast included a bowl of ice cream, biscuits and a donut. Mr Zuckerberg says he used to run a lot and got into surfing and then MMA after the Covid pandemic. I really like watching UFC for example, thats because I also like doing the sport [MMA], he said on the Joe Rogan Experience. It really is the best sport, five minutes in I was like where has this best my whole life? To some degree, MMA is the perfect thing because if you stop paying attention for one second youre going to end up on bottom. In addition to his martial arts skills, Mr Zuckerberg also recently participated in the Murph Challenge, a gruelling workout named after Lt Michael P Murphy, a Navy Seal who was killed in action in 2005. The challenge, which the 39 year old said he tries to do each year with his daughters, involves 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and a mile-long run, all while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest. This year I got it done in 39:58. The girls did a quarter-Murph (unweighted) in 15 mins! he wrote on Instagram on 29 May. According to Total Shape, a health and fitness platform that provides resources and expertise from fitness experts, Mr Zuckerbergs ability to complete extreme fitness challenges and technique with mixed martial arts showcases he has substantial ability and endurance. When it comes down to who would win in a fight, it is agility vs strength, experts at Total Shape say, while noting that, based on general endurance and skill for cage fighting, Mark Zuckerberg would have the upper hand. However, having strength and longer reach can give a fighter a lead when it comes to forceful striking and make it more difficult for the opponent to strike back. Ultimately, the health and fitness experts at Total Shape conclude: Placing both titans in a cage, Mark Zuckerberg would have the edge of agility and endurance needed to take Mr Musk down, given Mr Musk isnt able to forcefully strike him earlier on in the fight. The potential face-off comes amid rumours that Mr Zuckerberg is preparing to create a new app to rival Twitter, which is expected to be called Threads. The app, internally codenamed Project 92, will reportedly feature a continuous scroll of text, buttons similar to Twitters like and retweet functions, and a 500-character limit on posts. It is not the first time Mr Musk has called for a fight with a global figure. In August last year he challenged the Russian president to a scrap. "I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to a fight. The prize is Ukraine," he wrote. Putin didnt respond to the goading but the irony was apparently lost on his Chechen war lord ally, Ramzan Kadyrov. "A word of advice: dont measure your strength against Putins, youre in two different leagues," the henchman warned. In a statement to Verge about whether a fight will indeed take place between Mr Zuckerberg and Mr Musk, a spokesperson for Meta said: The story speaks for itself. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Fans of That 70s Show have been delighted by Ashton Kutchers latest Instagram post about Mila Kunis, ahead of the couples eighth wedding anniversary this July. The stars met on the set of the hit sitcom in 1998, when Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart opposite Kutchers Michael Kelso. They didnt start dating until 2012, and got married three years later on 8 July 2015. On Friday 23 June, Kutcher, 45, shared a picture of Kunis posing in front of a perfect rainbow on what appears to be a tropical vacation on Instagram, expressing gratitude for their relationship. The actor captioned his post: Im the Luckiest man alive Social media users flooded the comments section with quotes and GIFs from That 70s Show, celebrating the couples on-screen and off-screen romances. One person wrote: Kelso and Jackie FOREVER along with three yellow hearts. Well damn, Jackie. I cant control the weather, another commented, referencing Kutchers iconic dialogue from episode 10 of the third season. Fans also shared GIFs of Kunis, 39, delivering her best Jackie one-liners, including: If I could run across the beach into my own arms, I would. In February this year, Kutcher revealed he tried to name a mountain after the Friends with Benefits star during a trip to the South Pole. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis (Jesse Grant/Getty Images) Speaking on an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, Kutcher recalled he made the journey after recovering from a rare autoimmune disease, which he said temporarily knocked out his vision, hearing and his equilibrium. One of his itinerary items was climbing a mountain with a man Kutcher met on his travels. We get to the top and he said, Youre the first person that has ever climbed this mountain. You get to name it, Kutcher told host James Corden. I was like, Okay really? Its Mount Mila. When the man said it was bad luck to name the mountain after a person, Kutcher chose the word awesome in Russian. Kunis was born in Ukraine and grew up speaking Russian. Kunis and Kutcher share two children daughter Wyatt, eight, and son Dmitri, six together. Earlier this year, Kutchers 2018 interview with Dax Shepard on Armchair Expert resurfaced online, sparking debate about the couples decision to donate their childrens entire inheritance to charity. Appearing on Shepards podcast, the Punkd star said he and Kunis will end up giving our money away to charity and to various things. Celebrity gossip account Pop Tingz reshared his comments in March, tweeting: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis reveal they will donate their $275 million fortune to charity and not leave anything for their children. They say they dont want their children to become spoiled and entitled, and want them to be motivated to work hard. The tweet, which recieved over 66m views, divided the internet. Some people praised their decision, especially against the backdrop of an ongoing debate about nepotism in Hollywood. Others criticised the parenting move, with one person writing it would become their childrens supervillain origin story. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Princess of Wales appeared to celebrate a Royal Ascot winner when she clenched her fists in triumph at the end of her day at the races. Kate, who had wowed racegoers with a striking red dress, celebrated and clapped from the royal box after the aptly named Sandringham Stakes was won by Coppice, ridden by popular jockey Frankie Dettori. The King and Queen, who have taken on the late Queens stable of racehorses, notched up their first Royal Ascot winner on Thursday 22 June, but their horse Candle Of Hope, a 50-1 outsider, was beaten by Dettori despite having led for a period. Charles and Camilla had invited the Prince and Princess of Wales to the races, alongside actress Dame Judi Dench, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Princess Beatrice and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi. The future king and queens appearance at Royal Ascot was their first visit of the week to the famous Berkshire meet, where high fashion rubs shoulders with the racing world. Kate caught the eye of the fashion conscious with a red dress by Alexander McQueen and a matching Philip Treacy hat, while William, like the other royal men, looked smart in a morning suit and top hat. The couple live close to the racecourse, having moved to their four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage in Windsors Home Park last year, to offer their children more freedom away from central London. They were spotted on Thursday with eldest son Prince George at Williams former school Eton College, prompting speculation the young royal, who turns 10 next month, will follow in the footsteps of his father. William and Kate were guests of the late Queen a number of times at Royal Ascot, a racecourse the monarch had a great affinity with and where she had more than 20 winners. Charles and Camilla appeared ecstatic when their thoroughbred Desert Hero, an 18-1 longshot, won the King George V Stakes on Thursday and Kate had the same reaction when her horse appeared to win. During their day Kate was spotted chatting, drink in hand, with Dame Judi and she joined her husband to present the winning trophies in the Commonwealth Cup. And she smiled and gave a thumbs up to Sophie as the duchess held up the official programme, listing all the runners and riders, open at a page for Kate to see. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A metro Atlanta prosecutor announced Friday that her office is withdrawing from criminal cases tied to protests over plans to build a police and firefighter training center, citing disagreements with the state's Republican attorney general, including the decision to charge a legal observer with domestic terrorism. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston's decision means Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr will have sole oversight regarding more than 40 additional cases connected to the Stop Cop City movement. Previously, the two offices held joint jurisdiction over those cases, Boston, a Democrat, said in a news release. It is clear to both myself and to the attorney general that we have fundamentally different prosecution philosophies," Boston told WABE-FM. Over the past seven months, more than 40 people have been charged with domestic terrorism in connection with violent protests. Fireworks and rocks have been thrown at officers and police vehicles and construction equipment have been torched. The Georgia statute, which had been rarely employed prior to December, carries a sentence of between five and 35 years behind bars. Protesters argue that the charges are overblown none of those arrested have been accused of injuring anyone and meant to scare off others from joining the movement against the $90 million training center. In a statement, Carr said his office is fully committed to moving forward with the prosecution of those who have engaged in or supported violent acts surrounding the Public Safety Training Center." City officials say the new 85-acre (34-hectare) campus would replace inadequate training facilities and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers that worsened after nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice three years ago. But demonstrators argue that the site will exacerbate environmental damage and be a staging ground for militarized officers to be trained in quelling social movements. In an on-air interview with WABE's Rose Scott, Boston said she and the attorney general's office had some differences ... about who should be charged and what they should be charged with. Boston said she had concerns with the prosecution of Thomas Jurgens, a Southern Poverty Law Center staff attorney. Jurgens was one of 23 people charged with domestic terrorism March 5 after more than 150 masked protesters stormed a construction site, torching equipment while throwing projectiles at fleeing officers. Protesters were arrested more than an hour later about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometers) away after they retreated to a nearby music festival that was filled with other activists. Jurgens was wearing a bright green hat a well-known identifier for legal observers and his arrest alarmed many human rights organizations. The law center called it an example of heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters. That was one of the touch points of a number of touch points that ultimately led me to make (this) decision, Boston said of Jurgens' arrest. I will only proceed on cases that I believe that I can make beyond a reasonable doubt." Defense attorneys of those others arrested at the music festival have questioned the evidence behind the charges, noting errors in the near-identical arrest warrants. During bond hearings, prosecutors have admitted that they have struggled to specifically identify many of the suspects among the crowd of masked protesters, though they insist that wet, muddy clothes proved they had traipsed through the woods and crossed a nearby creek after attacking the construction site. Boston told WABE that she hopes Carr will proceed appropriately when it comes to prosecuting those who deserve to be charged. There's absolutely been destruction and violence, but how you approach all of these cases needs to be approached individually every case, individually, she said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Las Vegas man convicted of firing the first shots in a mass shooting at a St. Paul bar that left one woman dead and 14 people injured was sentenced Friday to nearly 29 years. Devondre Trevon Phillips, 31, apologized at his sentencing hearing for his role in the gunfight inside the crowded Seventh Street Truck Park Bar on Oct. 10, 2021. He was convicted in February of eight counts of attempted second-degree murder. I just want to say that Im sorry to the innocent victims and the families of the victims, Phillips said. I truly am sorry. Ive lost loved ones to violence and Ive been a circumstance of violence and it doesnt give me the right to do what I did. A different jury last week convicted Terry Lorenzo Brown of second-degree murder in the death of Marquisha Kiki Wiley, a 27-year-old veterinary technician from St. Paul, plus four counts of attempted second-degree murder and one of illegally possessing a firearm. Hes scheduled to be sentenced in August. Most Minnesota inmates serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and the rest on supervised release. Prosecutors said Phillips and Brown were in a dispute over domestic abuse allegations involving Brown and the woman he was dating, who Phillips, a former St. Paul resident, described as a cousin of his. Both men exchanged gunfire inside the bar, striking each other and a dozen bystanders. We can only dream of the missing pieces of what our Kikis life wouldve been, her mother, Beth Wiley, told the court before Ramsey County Judge Carolina Lamas handed down the sentence. Wiley and others wore shirts depicting the victim holding a sign that read, No more silence, end gun violence. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ukrainian medics are learning vital life-saving battlefield skills thanks to a new combat training course backed by the British Army and its international partners. Techniques such as providing medical care under fire, controlling heavy blood loss and giving crucial pre-hospital emergency care are part of the five-week course which began on May 29. Real-life experiences of what is needed on the battlefield have been included in the programme, which is being taught to Ukrainian armed forces medics as they fight Russias invasion of their homeland. Trainees, who are also instructed on how best to optimise their own health so they are fit to fight, are keen to learn as much as they can, while British officials have described their involvement as humbling, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Ukrainian trainee Viktor said: This course is very useful and I want to keep learning as much as I can. All the instructors are very helpful and knowledgeable, even for those without any experience. Its a lot of practice and I feel better equipped now to take this knowledge back to Ukraine. It will not be easy, but we are counterattacking now and we will win. The trainees put their learning to the test in practice battlefield scenarios to give them the confidence to effectively apply their skills on the frontline. Some of the skills being taught include triaging mass casualties with a range of different injuries, treating casualties with major injuries caused by blasts and small arms fire, treating and safely extracting patients from civilian and military vehicles, and extracting casualties under fire. The current course, which is being run by the British Army and instructors from the Netherlands and Iceland, is the first of three combat medical training programmes, each designed to help about 50 Ukrainian personnel. Course director Captain Phil Williams of 2nd Medical Brigade said: We have a top-class team of medical instructors, and we are all humbled and proud at having a part to play in helping Ukraine liberate their homeland from this illegal invasion. The Ukrainian students are keen to learn and absolutely dedicated to gaining as many skills as they can before returning home to save life. The vast majority have been actively involved on the battlefield and many carry the wounds of war. They are an absolute pleasure to teach and, such is the nature of their recent experience, we learn as much from them as they do from us. Defence minister Andrew Murrison described the programme as an example of how the UK Armed Forces and our international partners are successfully working together to support Ukraines fight against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion. He added: Our support to Ukraine will continue for as long as it takes, from providing battle-winning training to donating the equipment and ammunition Ukraine urgently needs. International commitments totalling more than 60 billion dollars (47 billion) have been made to help support Ukraines recovery and reconstruction, the MoD said. It includes a package of UK financial support for Ukraine, featuring 2.35 billion of additional guarantees to unlock World Bank lending over three years, and 240 million of bilateral assistance. It also includes 1.3 billion dollars (1 billion) in US aid to modernise Ukraines energy system and critical infrastructure. To date, the UK and its allies have trained more than 17,000 Ukraine personnel in areas such as the fundamentals of frontline combat. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Home Office workers are being forced to stop deciding asylum claims and retrain to implement measures in the governments controversial small boats bill, despite it not yet being legal and amid record backlogs. The Illegal Migration Bill is still being considered by parliament and faces a slew of amendments in the House of Lords, while the UN Refugee Agency has declared it unlawful. But The Independent has learned that the Home Office is pressing ahead with implementation on the assumption that new laws will come into effect in September, with a massive internal restructure underway. It abolished the National Asylum Intake Unit last week, instead creating an Illegal Migration Intake Unit, while staff are being told to officially describe refugees arriving on small boats as illegal entrants rather than asylum seekers. Asylum decision-makers in Glasgow and Belfast are being forcibly transferred into a new Illegal Migration Relocation and Returns Service, where they will enforce the bills new legal duty to detain and deport all small boat migrants regardless of the merit of their claims. Other units are still operating. The Independent understands that staff have been told they cannot opt out of the new role, and can only escape it by quitting or transferring to other government jobs. Retraining will start next month, causing a substantial reduction in the number of caseworkers despite the prime ministers pledge to abolish a pre-June 2022 backlog of asylum claims by the end of the year. Yvette Cooper, Labours shadow home secretary, said: For ministers to cut asylum decision-making even further at a time when the backlog has already soared is totally chaotic and will only lead to even more delays and more costly hotel use. This Conservative government has already broken the asylum system but it beggars belief that they are now determined to make the chaos even worse. Rishi Sunak promised to clear the backlog instead he is doing the opposite. A National Audit Office report published earlier this month said the promise was already on course to fail, despite government attempts to speed up cases with written questionnaires. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has insisted the backlog is falling, but official figures show that the overall number has rocketed to 137,600 cases without an initial decision, as more than 8,400 migrants have already crossed the Channel this year. Suella Braverman in fiery clash over costs of Illegal Migration Bill The Home Office has been struggling to retain asylum decision-makers, and The Independent understands that some new staff being recruited will be immediately moved into the new Illegal Migration Operations Command. There will still be insufficient staff to implement the bill, and civil servants are to be pulled in from the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs to help. People who have unsuccessfully applied for Home Office jobs in the past may also be pulled from reserve lists to fill any gaps. An officer from the ISU union, which represents borders and immigration staff, said civil servants had been told the government expected the bill to pass within a month. Lucy Moreton added: Ultimately this is a reorganisation to meet the requirements for a bill that does not yet have royal assent. It involves significant investment and disruption for staff being moved in their roles. Ms Moreton said that changing official terminology to call asylum seekers illegal entrants would have a subconscious impact on how people are thought about, both in the public and for staff. The Rwanda deal remains suspended because of legal action, and further challenges are expected to the Illegal Migration Bill (PA) A civil service source said the moves were premature, given that the bill has not yet been passed and could face legal challenges or be suspended or repealed by a future Labour government. The Home Office is working on the basis that its lawful but the courts may determine its not, he added. Has anyone really got the confidence that this government is going to be in power in a year? The source said that with the Rwanda court battle ongoing, there were still no working agreements to deport asylum seekers, adding: Its operationalising things that are impossible to do. The preparations risk breaching government rules on spending public funds, which state that significant work associated with preparing for or implementing the new task enabled by a bill should not happen before laws are in place. A former senior civil servant told The Independent that extensive internal changes should only be made if an incoming law is something thats not contentious and is very likely to be passed. The total asylum backlog has hit a record high (Home Office) But several recent Home Office job adverts make explicit mention of the Illegal Migration Bill. The department is advertising for managers to organise escorts for the expected deportations to Rwanda and other countries, saying: This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced operational delivery role to assist in the delivery of the Illegal Migration Bill. The Home Office is also recruiting a projects and change lead for the new Illegal Migration Operations Command, policy advisers to support the passage and implementation of the new law, and other related roles. A spokesperson for the department said: Our Illegal Migration Bill is designed to stop the boats by changing the law so that people who come to the UK illegally can be detained and then swiftly returned to their home country or a safe third country, such as Rwanda. We are absolutely committed to making this work, including by ensuring all our staff are well prepared. We continue to bring in more resources and streamline our processes to reduce the backlog and we remain on track to eliminate the legacy asylum backlog by the end of 2023. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Holidaymakers at one of Britains most popular beach hotspots have been warned to avoid the water after a major sewage leak. The situation unfolded off the coast of Blackpool after a pipe that burst more than a week ago resulted in human waste being deposited in the sea. The Environment Agency has declared e.coli, a bacteria which can induce illness, was detected in the water that has been advised to be off-limits to beachgoers. Blackpool is preparing for the height of its summer season (PA Archive) Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams called the situation appalling as the town prepares for the height of its tourist season. Were just at the start of our summer season with some glorious weather and were faced with having to put out advisory notices telling people not to go into the sea because of the discharges of sewage, she told BBC Radio. However, a spokesman for water company United Utilities, which runs the site, blamed the situation on heavy downpours last week and said that the clean up was 95 per cent complete. The number of people, experts and equipment involved are something thats never been seen before, he said. Its believed 100 tankers are working to remove sewage from the impacted area each day. The Environment Agency confirmed swimmers are advised to avoid the beachs water until the situation is fully under control. We are continuing to regularly monitor water quality along the coast to help inform decisions about when the current advice against swimming can be removed, a statement read. Polluting our seas and rivers is unacceptable and we are carrying out a detailed investigation into this incident along the Fylde Coast. Thousands of beachgoers are expected to flock to the area over the weekend as temperatures climb into the mid-20s. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the heroes who died in the Titan submersible tragedy and lashed out at lefties who have questioned the expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Five members of the OceanGate Expeditions crew - including the companys chief executive Stockton Rush - died in a catastrophic implosion after the vessel lost contact with the tour operator one hour and 45 minutes into its descent. Those also on board were British billionaire businessman and adventurer Hamish Harding, another UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman, and former diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet. A desperate four-day search and rescue operation unfolded after communication was lost, but debris found on Thursday revealed the vessel had imploded. It is said to have killed all the crew instantly. OceanGate has since defended the mission amid criticism from individuals such as Titanic director James Cameron, who said that the company was not heeding warnings before launching the Titan. Former prime minister Mr Johnson has now waded in, using his second column for the Daily Mail to say the crew members died while pushing out the frontiers of human knowledge and experience - saying it filled him with pride. Follow our live blog of developments here. Former prime minister Boris Johnson called those who died on board the Titan heroes (PA Wire) [Hamish] Harding and his friends died in a cause pushing out the frontiers of human knowledge and experience that is typically British, and that fills me with pride, he wrote in his 1,200-word column. Yes, there were risks, and warnings. But every great advance must inevitably involve experiment, and equipment that can seem, in retrospect, dangerously inadequate. (Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGate/AFP/Getty) The former prime ministers appointment as a columnist for the newspaper was ruled a clear breach of ministerial rules by Whitehalls anti-corruption watchdog last week. Mr Johnson landed the job a day after he became the first former prime minister to be found to have lied to the Commons, in the publication of the damning report into his partygate denials. His comments follow James Cameron, who directed the film Titanic, telling the BBC: We now have another wreck that is based on, unfortunately, the same principles of not heeding warnings. It was also reported on Friday that Mr Rush had brushed off warnings about the safety of the Titan. In emails seen by the BBC, Mr Rush was quoted as saying: "We have heard the baseless cries of 'you are going to kill someone' way too often. [I am] tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation, he added. Hamish Harding's cousin says he died 'doing something he loved' Meanwhile, the co-founder of a Titanic expeditions company defended the firm after the catastrophic implosion emerged on Thursday. Guillermo Sohnlein said: The regulations are pretty sparse. And many of them are antiquated, or theyre designed for specific instances. So its kind of tricky to navigate those regulatory schemes. He added: [Mr Rush] was extremely committed to safety. He was also extremely diligent about managing risks, and was very keenly aware of the dangers of operating in a deep ocean environment. I know from first-hand experience that we were extremely committed to safety and safety and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture. The co-founder of Titans parent company has defended the safety of the submersible (PA Media) In his essay, Mr Johnson also hit out at the Leftie Twittersphere he said was awash with criticism about the trip to the Titanic before the news of the implosion. Mr Johnson argued the mission was so important it should be valued by left-wingers as well as everyone else. Mr Johnson singled out remarks by commentator Ash Sarkar, who had tweeted: If the super-rich can spend 250,000 on vanity jaunts 2.4 miles beneath the ocean then theyre not being taxed enough. We get well-funded public services, they get saved from the consequences of their own hubris. Whats not to like? The former PM wrote in his column: Well, Ash, without in any way minimising the migrants tragedy, let me tell you how I feel about those on the Titanic expedition. I think they are heroes. He suggested there is no way of knowing whether the undersea world is full of riches such as rare metals if we dont look. That is why this mission was so important, and should be valued by Left-wingers as well as everyone else. Yes, there were risks, and warnings. But every great advance must inevitably involve experiment, and equipment that can seem, in retrospect, dangerously inadequate. Hamish Harding and his fellows were trying to take a new step for humanity, to popularise undersea travel, to democratise the ocean floor. They knew the dangers. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The former patient of a disgraced surgeon brought the SNPs independence convention to a standstill to demand a public inquiry. Theresa Mallett, 61, from Glenrothes, said she was left with lifechanging injuries after undergoing botched surgery for sciatica from ex-NHS Tayside doctor Professor Sam Eljamel. The neurosurgeon is thought to have harmed hundreds of patients while working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Ms Mallett, who was initially booed for her interruption by SNP delegates, was consoled by First Minister Humza Yousaf as she accused the health board of negligence. The lifelong SNP member has now quit the party and told Mr Yousaf only a full public inquiry will restore her faith in the party. The Fife grandmother told the PA news agency after leaving the convention at Dundees Caird Hall: The day after the operation Eljamel told me it was a complete success. Two years later the pain clinic told me that I was never getting better its permanent. I thought I was going back to work, I thought I was going to get on with my life. And of course, it got worse. Ms Mallett said she underwent the surgery to remove a nerve which was causing her sciatic pain, on December 18 2012, but has been given no insight since into what went wrong. She said: We want people from NHS Tayside, Ninewells, the managers and anybody that colluded to allow him to continue harming patients. Im a member of (the SNP) and I thought I need to go speak to him (the First Minister), I need to go look him in the eye. I dont want anybody to ever go through what I went through or the other 112 went through. That can never be allowed to happen. Eljamel is gone, we will never get him back but we still need answers. Notes have been lost, x-rays have been lost. We have never had answers. And she said her time in the SNP is over for the time being, adding: If I get a public inquiry Ill reconsider. I cant look people in the face, my own First Minister of the party that I love. Speaking to journalists after his speech, Mr Yousaf said he was happy to meet Ms Mallett and other victims. He said: Theres no doubt that shes suffered a lot of trauma, all the victims of Eljamel have, and Im happy to meet with her in particular. She had a particular concern that we havent agreed to a public inquiry I can understand the calls for a public inquiry I have to say. But the reason why weve not progressed the public inquiry is because we think there may be ways of getting answers to the questions that people want through means thats quicker than a public inquiry. We know how long a public inquiry often takes but look, everybody who has suffered at the hands of Eljamel has every right to be angry at the situation they find themselves in. Following the interruption, Mr Yousaf appealed to SNP members to not shout down those who are trying to be heard. Professor Eljamel, a former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, removed himself from the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2013, but the remit does not extend beyond the UK and he is currently working as a surgeon in Libya. The Usborne Book of the Future is a fantastic end-of-the-70s children's book chock full of predictions and prognostications about how the 21st century might look. It was the high point of an era of visionary wonder in space exploration, computer technology, robotics, civics, all brilliantly hand-illustrated. It's just been re-issued in the UK in faithfully-reproduced form. Hopefully it'll follow soon in the U.S., but Amazon UK delivers internationally. Here's a preview and retrospective from Dr. Michael J Harris, who adds a new foreword. Gray Stanback writes eloquently about the evaporation of this sort of book in a less optimistic age. Moreover, the predictions these books made often emphasized things that were in vogue with futurists at the time. In the 1980s and 1990s, when most of them were written, that meant an emphasis on things like vertical cities, space colonies, household robots, and hypersonic airline flights. The trajectory of technology, alas, has not proven to be as linear as writers of the past imagined. Vertical cities, hypersonic airliners, and space colonies are no closer to reality than they were thirty years ago, and household robots do exist, but not in the form most people imagined they would. Instead most of the technological advances of the past twenty or so years have been in areas such as smartphones, drones, and the Internet. There haven't been any world-shattering breakthroughs, for example, in architecture or transportation. Or it could be more of a cultural zeitgeist thing. It's hard for me to imagine someone sitting down in the year 2022 and writing a book about how awesome the future will be, at least with a straight face. Not because people have necessarily become more pessimistic, but because our expectations for what the future would hold have changed Exactly so. The Usborne books did tilt their hats to dystopia and environmental crisis here and there, though. Consider that the following pre-dates Blade Runner, etc. I like how the buildings are square in smog hell but round in bike lane utopia. Indeed, I think it's time to do a new Usborne type book, a new Book of the Future, replete with the same concise, firm yet curious prose and, of course, wonderful hand-painted illustrations. It would perhaps have to be a little knowing and ironic about itself, but not overly so, and certainly not dependent on that for its appeal. The page above might well look much the samejust without the Giugiaro-designed vehicles. TWO TRIPS TO THE (LATE) 21st CENTURY: LUXURY TECHNOCOMMUNISM | DARK ENLIGHTENMENT. And the thriving ocean arcology turns out to be an abandoned libertarian billionaire's seastead, with little boxes for all the cool factions vying for control of the docks, the coal plant, etc. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Working from home has had no impact on government productivity, ministers have confirmed, just a year after Boris Johnson claimed staff were eating cheese and making coffee on the job. The former prime ministers government was highly critical of Whitehall civil servants working remotely, with senior ministers including Jacob Rees-Mogg demanding staff return to offices when Covid lockdown restrictions ended. But in a sharp change of stance, Rishi Sunaks government has embraced hybrid working, where staff work some days at home and some in the office, with ministers claiming it has supported productive and effective working. Mr Johnson claimed working at home involved "getting up, walking very slowly to the fridge, hacking off a small piece of cheese, then walking very slowly back to your laptop and then forgetting what it was youre doing". And his efficiency minister Mr Rees-Mogg led a drive to get staff back at their desks leaving nasty notes for staff not in the office which strained relations between the government and officials. The notes read: Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. With every good wish, Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP. Now, in a series of responses to questions about the impact of remote working on productivity, ministers from the home office, foreign office and the departments for education and health said it had had no negative effects. Government minister Mims Davies said research conducted across the civil service showed remote working had no impact on overall productivity. While fellow minister Gareth Davies said: Occupancy rate and hybrid working does not affect the departments ability to deliver high-quality work. The PCS union, which represents civil servants, called on Johnson and Rees-Mogg to apologise for their slurs against civil servants. General secretary Mark Serwotka said: The attack on homeworking was always a political attempt to justify an unjustifiable attack on our hard-working members. This new evidence backs up what weve always said: that homeworking does not have any impact on productivity. Perhaps Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, both of whom accused homeworkers of being lazy, should apologise for their slurs and accept they have lost the homeworking argument once and for all. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said readjusting to life back in the UK after six years imprisoned in Iran was very hard and a lot slower than she expected as her story was kept fresh on a daily basis by Iranian unrest. Speaking at Glastonbury Festival, where she joined a talk about Iranian womens rights on Friday afternoon, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe discussed the impact of seeing civil unrest and protests in Iran, centred around the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in police custody for wearing her hijab too loosely. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe also commented on a damning new report on the Foreign Offices handling of hostage diplomacy, including how the department managed his wifes case, saying it had a lot of very important findings as he criticised the Governments head-in-the-sand approach. I can't complain - I'm free and I'm out, whereas many of my friends are still in prison Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Asked what it has been like readjusting to life in the UK since her release in March 2022, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PA news agency: A lot slower than what I thought it would be. Just because early on when I was released, the uprising in Iran happened since then I went through stories of many other people who were arrested, and then their stories came out. I resonated very much with what they have gone through. My story was all of a sudden so fresh on a daily basis and I couldnt get myself out of it it was very hard. So I think settling down was a lot more complicated and difficult than what I was expecting because of what is happening. But you know I cant complain Im free and Im out, whereas many of my friends are still in prison. During the talk on Friday at the Left Field tent on Worthy Farm, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said the first names of eight friends she made in prison who she is still campaigning to help free: Nilufar, Sepideh, Mahvash, Fariba, Morad, Siamak, Emaad and Nargess. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she feels the continued unrest in Iran is no longer getting the attention it deserves from the media and from governments outside of the country. I think when this whole uprising happened back in September 2022, there was a lot of momentum, but then, of course, the world moves on, she said. Like I said in the talk, I think the West is trying to negotiate a deal with Iran, so backing up any protests at this stage will be, frankly, stopping the procedure. A report by MPs in April on the Governments handling of hostage diplomacy condemned its handling of cases such as Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes and that of British-Iranian dual national Anoosheh Ashoori. Speaking about the report, Mr Ratcliffe told PA: There were a lot of things that I thought were really important. It talks about needing better structures (having) a person whos in charge of hostage cases that all families can turn to and all bits of Government can turn to. In our case, it was clear that needed to be done for us but (instead) it was a fight between the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury we got caught between different silos. Mr Ratcliffe said they are awaiting the Governments response, which he said is now late but they are hoping will come next week. He added: It was a critical report. Are they accepting it? And are they changing? At this point, we dont know. Mr Ratcliffe said the Government needs to end its head-in-the-sand approach. At the moment, cases like that Nazanins are reasonably rare but theyre growing, and that growth is something that the Government is not really dealing with, he said. The head-in-the-sand lets hope we keep this at a low level and manage it like you would with a really rare illness it doesnt work. There are a number of countries who are taking hostages, there arent many that that make the media, there arent many that the government will acknowledge as hostages or even acknowledge as arbitrarily detained. Well await to see whether the government says yes, hands up, we need to get better or whether what we get is a well carry on what were currently doing but well tweak around the edges. Ive had both in my time so lets see what comes. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has revealed she and her family recently met with the wife of a British citizen jailed for 25 years in Russia, as her husband Richard Ratcliffe accused the UK Government of being very soft on the case. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen who spent six years imprisoned in Iran after she was accused of crimes against the Iranian government in 2016, revealed she has met with the family of British-Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April for opposing the invasion of Ukraine. I met his wife in Oslo last week, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PA news agency at Glastonbury Festival, where she joined a debate on the rights of Iranian women on Friday afternoon. Of course, its a family being torn apart theyve got three kids. One thing that his wife mentioned was: I was not meant to be raising kids on my own, we were meant to be together raising kids.' Mr Ratcliffe, who held two hunger strikes amid years of campaigning for help from the Foreign Office to release his wife, said he recognises the frustration of Mr Kara-Murzas wife, Evgenia. The UK has been very soft as it was in our case, as it often is, he told PA. I dont think quiet diplomacy works. My advice to (Ms Kara-Murza) was to be strong and be clear and were with you all the way. Mr Ratcliffe said the meeting in Norway with Ms Kara-Murza saw them hold a workshop of families to talk about how you can pressure the Government. He said: Ive been railing against the Foreign Office and thinking: Should I be polite, should I be more rude? Whats going to work? What should you do? And theres no right answer. But keeping your loved one visible and pushing the Government to take responsibility is always the start. Ms Kara-Murza now fears her husband, who is a political activist, filmmaker and journalist, will die if he is not released from prison after he already survived two poisoning attempts by Russian agents and developed a medical condition where he has lost feeling in his feet and one of his arms. Mr Ratcliffe added: Its obviously tricky. Nazanin was a nobody when she was taken Vladimir is an important person and this makes it harder for the British Government. But it makes it all the more important that the British Government stands up. Describing her meetings with Foreign Office ministers, Ms Jara Murza has said: Everything that was said in these meetings were the right words, I just would like to see some action. Responding to this, Mr Ratcliffe said: There are platitudes that get said. I found, often, it was like being on a hamster wheel wed have various kinds of activity but we were staying exactly where we were with the illusion of progress, and that can be very frustrating. In the end you do need to get in front of the Foreign Secretary everything else is just (you) being managed. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak has paid tribute to the phenomenal precision and professionalism of British troops as events are held across the UK to mark Armed Forces Day. Parades and flypasts will take place around the country to thank the military community, with Falmouth playing host to this years national event with a 1,000-strong tri-service parade of serving personnel, veterans and cadets. In a statement, the Prime Minister said: From Estonia to the Indo-Pacific, as well as here at home, our armed forces personnel protect and defend our freedom every day of every year. Much of that service we do not see and often take for granted, but this year we have been privileged to watch thousands of our military on parade for the coronation, in what was a showcase of our forces phenomenal precision and professionalism. So I know I speak for the entire country on this Armed Forces Day, when I say thank you to every soldier, sailor and aviator, and their families, who form part of our brilliant armed forces. On Friday, Mr Sunak met with soldiers involved in Trooping the Colour at Wellington Barracks to thank them for their dedication and service. The King also paid tribute to the selfless service and sacrifice of British troops in a letter to mark the occasion. In a signed address, Charles thanked military personnel for their immense and dedicated contribution. Armed Forces Day will also be marked on Saturday by those deployed on Operation Interflex, the UK-based training programme turning Ukrainian civilians into soldiers. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: Armed Forces Day recognises the commitment and resilience demonstrated by our entire Armed Forces community every day of the year. I hope the entire nation will join me today in paying tribute to this community and recognise all those who make so many sacrifices to uphold the freedoms and rights of the British people. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken to Western allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner group in Russia, before the growing crisis for Vladimir Putin appeared to be defused by the mercenaries halting their advance on Moscow. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin told his forces to turn back to avoid bloodshed at the end of an extraordinary day during which he vowed to topple Russias military leadership, seized a southern Russian city and sent a convoy towards the capital. The sudden move averting a descent into civil war followed negotiations with the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who said he had agreed the conversation with Mr Putin. Earlier, as the mercenaries headed towards Moscow and authorities prepared defences, Mr Sunak held talks with fellow leaders about what UK defence officials described as the most significant challenge to the Kremlin in recent times. The Prime Minister spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty, Downing Street said. It followed a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who also joined a call with fellow G7 foreign ministers to discuss the fast-moving situation. The Prime Minister urged all parties involved in the Russian infighting to protect civilian lives. Were keeping a close eye on the situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak, Mr Sunak told the BBC. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. Mr Sunak said he was in touch with our allies, adding as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this. After his call with counterparts, a No 10 spokesperson said: The leaders have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days. Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia and people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates. Mr Cleverly tweeted that we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies and we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice. An FCDO spokesperson said: The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia. In the morning, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces moved towards the Russian capital. In its daily intelligence briefing, the department said the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Units were almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow, according to the MoD. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal in a televised address but Mr Prigozhin denied the claim and called his fighters patriots. Before turning back, the mercenaries had moved north towards Moscow throughout the day, with the governor of Lipetsk province, around 225 miles south of the capital, confirming they were crossing the region. Wagner troops have been fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine and succeeded in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have raged. But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of botching the war and shelling his fighters. The rebellion could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Amid the rapidly evolving events in Russia, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia, which UK defence officials have described as the most significant challenge to the Kremlin in recent times. President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the private military company a betrayal and vowed to defend Russia, after mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, vowed to topple Moscows military leadership. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly chaired a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee to discuss the fast-moving situation. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians Prime Minister Rishi Sunak The Prime Minister urged all parties involved to protect civilian lives, as he indicated he will speak to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy and other western leaders on Saturday. Were keeping a close eye on the situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak, Mr Sunak told the BBC. The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment. Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: Im in touch with our allies. Ill be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak. He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia and people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates. Mr Cleverly tweeted that we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies and we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice. An FCDO spokesperson said: The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia. Earlier, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces appear to be moving towards the Russian capital. In its latest intelligence briefing, the department said the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Wagner troops have been fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine and succeeded in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have raged. But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of botching the war and shelling his fighters. The escalation of Russian infighting could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Amid the rapidly-evolving events in Russia, Mr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness. Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood described the developments as a huge opportunity for Ukraine to exploit the current mutiny and chaos in Russia. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An armed rebellion against Vladimir Putin by the Wagner mercenary group presents a unique military opportunity for Ukraine, experts have said. The leader of the mercenary group, which acted as a private army for the Kremlin, has become increasingly unhappy about Russias failure to seize more of Ukraine. In recent weeks Yevgeny Prigozhin has become more vocal in his attacks on the military leadership as Russian soldiers have been killed in their thousands in and around Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. On Saturday, Mr Prigozhins forces appeared to control the military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border after crossing from occupied parts of Ukraine. The governor of the Lipetsk province later said the Wagner Group has entered his region, which is about 225 miles south of Moscow. Lord Dannatt, former chief of the general staff of the UK army, said this could well be the moment for Ukraine to win the war. He told Times Radio: If they [Ukrainian forces] have found by now, one or two weak spots, this could well be the moment where there is huge confusion within Russia, huge confusion amongst the Russian military commander control, for the Ukrainians to launch thei between 10 and 12 Western equipped and well-trained manoeuvre brigade groups into a potential breakthrough situation, and really change the battlefield situation in Ukraine. If that were to happen, allied with what Prigozhin is doing, then Putins days are numbered in a handful, and probably even less. Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Chatham House foreign policy think tanks Ukraine Forum, said: A Putin-Prigozhin war comes as perfect timing for Ukraine. As Kyiv runs shaping military operations along an extensive front line, the infighting between the Ministry of Defence and Wagner mercenaries will create confusion and potential division among the Russian troops deployed in Ukraine. Wagner mercenaries took over the two Russian central military logistics hubs in Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, which control their operations in Donbas and Kharkiv. This is the area where Ukrainians are currently pushing in their counter-offensive. James Nixey, director of the think tanks Russia and Eurasia programme, said: Ukraine will rightly capitalise. This will be a spur to its soldiers on the front line, looking to punch through. So far, Putin has not blamed this on Ukraine, although that may yet come. Ukraine will be grateful to Prigozhin but not for long. He may be temporarily useful, but he is no shining knight. Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow on the Russia and Eurasia programme, said: While its good news for Kyiv that some of Russias forces will be temporarily distracted, nobody should imagine that this development will lessen the threat to Ukraine and to Europe. Prigozhins argument is not with the war its with how, and why, it is fought. This is a confrontation between some of the worst people in the world, in a dispute over how to destroy Ukraine the most efficiently. The experts were split on whether the uprising will ultimately be successful. Mr Nixey said the rebellion is likely to peter out because the Wagner Group has little support among the elite in Moscow, while the think tanks associate fellow, Samantha de Bendern, argued the first round seems to have gone to Prigozhin. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group marks the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, according to UK defence officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the private military company a betrayal, after its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to topple Moscows military leadership. In its latest intelligence briefing, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how the crisis plays out as Wagner forces appear to be moving towards the Russian capital. The department tweeted that the feud between the Wagner group and the Russian defence ministry escalated into outright military confrontation in the early hours of Saturday. In an operation characterised by Prigozhin as a march for freedom, Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations, the MoD said. It said that in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Wagner troops have played a key role in Russias invasion of Ukraine, succeeding in taking Bakhmut, the city that has seen the bloodiest and longest battles. But Mr Prigozhin has stepped up his criticism of Russias military leadership, accusing it of shelling his fighters. The escalation of Russian infighting could further hamper Moscows war effort as the early stages of a Ukrainian counter-offensive unfold. Conservative chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood described the developments as a huge opportunity for Ukraine to exploit the current mutiny and chaos in Russia. Tory former Cabinet minister Simon Clarke tweeted: Incredibly serious, and a day when we should remember with thanks our exceptional intelligence and military community who will be monitoring this closely. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Safety concerns about the Titan submarine that imploded in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with five people on board have been revealed in a number of scathing reports. The US Coast Guard announced during a Thursday press conference that the missing Titans pressure chamber was found among other debris, approximately 1600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor by an ROV. In a statement to The Independent, OceanGate the private company that offers the $250,000-a-seat expedition to the wreck of the Titanic confirmed that the five passengers aboard the vessel are now believed dead. But before boarding submarines from OceanGate, travellers were warned in a contract that it has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, disability, motion trauma, or death. The disclaimer is part of a long list of concerns regarding the companys safety record, as its crew remains unaccounted for with air rapidly running out. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titan submarine here. A lawsuit, a letter from industry leaders, and comments from the companys own CEO, one of the missing crewmen, all pointed to potential issues with the Titan submersible. In 2018, the company fired David Lochridge, OceanGates director of marine operations. They claimed he breached his contract and shared confidential information about its designs with two individuals as well as with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, Mr Lochridge alleged in a wrongful termination suit obtained by The New Republic that he was fired for blowing the whistle about concerning safety issues. According to the suit, Mr Lochridge delivered highly critical updates regarding the ships quality control to senior management and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, pointing to alleged issues such as visible flaws in the ships carbon fibre hull, prevalent flaws in a scale model, flammable materials onboard, a viewing window not rated for the Titanics depth, and key safety documents that were not shared with him. Now is the time to properly address items that may pose a safety risk to personnel, he allegedly said at one point. Verbal communication of the key items I have addressed in my attached document have been dismissed on several occasions, so I feel now I must make this report so there is an official record in place. The official allegedly pushed for further testing and for outside evaluators like the American Bureau of Shipping to inspect and certify the submarine. Five people are missing aboard the vessel which is missing and uncontactable in the Atlantic Ocean (Reuters/Jannicke Mikkelsen/OceanGate Expeditions/Getty) He claimed, according to filings obtained by the magazine, that he was fired when he said he wouldnt authorise manned testing of the sub without scans of the crafts hull. The Independent has contacted OceanGate for comment. An attorney for Mr Lochridge, who settled with the company in 2018, said the man has no comment and that we pray for everyones safe return. That wasnt the only red flag about the company, which became a media darling for its bold claims about innovating submarine design and bringing tourists to see the famed North Atlantic wreck. In 2018, leaders in the submarine industry wrote a letter from the Marine Technology Society to the company warning of catastrophic issues with the submarines development. Three dozen signatories including executives, oceanographers, and explorers expressed unanimous concern, particularly with the companys decision not to seek outside evaluation and testing. While this may demand additional time and expense, the signatories wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times. It is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants. Rescue teams are continuing the search for the submersible tourist vessel Titan which went missing during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck (PA Media) In a 2019 blog post, the company defended its decision not to have its sub classed by an outside evaluator. The vast majority of marine (and aviation) accidents are a result of operator error, not mechanical failure, it reads. As a result, simply focusing on classing the vessel does not address the operational risks. Maintaining high-level operational safety requires constant, committed effort and a focused corporate culture two things that OceanGate takes very seriously and that are not assessed during classification. That same year, Mr Rush, the CEO, told Smithsonian Magazine that submarine regulations were stifling innovation. There hasnt been an injury in the commercial sub industry in over 35 years. Its obscenely safe, because they have all these regulations, he said. But it also hasnt innovated or grown because they have all these regulations. The alleged issues didnt end there. In 2020, the CEO told GeekWire the hull of the submarine was showing signs of cyclic fatigue, one of the same technical issues Mr Lochridge allegedly warned about, as the company continued to test the craft, including with a 4,000m deep dive in the Bahamas. As a result, the company temporarily downgraded the Titanic submarines hull depth rating to 3,000m, 1,000 less than the Titanics depth, according to TechCrunch. Over the next two years, according to the publication, the submarines hull, originally built by Spencer Composties, was repaired or rebuilt by aerospace contractors Electroimpact and Janicki Industries. The Independent has contacted all three companies for comment. Missing tourist submarine likely stuck under Titanic propeller, says Hamish Hardings friend Electroimpact did not answer specific questions about its reported involvement with the submarine, but company chief operating officer Austin Clark told The Independent via email thatour thoughts and prayers go out to the passengers and their families. Spencer told TechCrunch its hull wasnt used on the version of the Titan which went down to the Titanic and went missing. By 2021, the submarine had completed its first trip down to the Titanic. As OceanGate continued to plunge into its Titanic mission, problems continued. A 2022 mission saw the Titan suffer battery issues that required the ship to be manually attached to a key lifting platform, according to court documents obtained by The New York Times. Last year, on a visit to the Titanic programme, a CBS News reporter observed the submarine allegedly had off the shelf components including lights from Camping World, and that the submarine suffered a communications issue with the ship overseeing its voyage and was lost for nearly three hours underwater. OceanGate Expeditions founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were on board the Titan. All five passengers are presumed dead following the discovery of debris on Thursday. The Coast Guard says that ROVs will remain in place but that it will begin to pull back equipment over the next 48 hours. This is an incredibly unforgiving environment out there on the sea floor. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic implosion of the vessel. We will continue to work and search the area down there but I dont have an answer on prospects at this time, said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard. The Rear Admiral said that sonar buoys had been in the water for the past 72 hours and that they had not picked up any evidence of an implosion, suggesting that it had happened early on in the dive. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden warned Friday that Republicans seeking a nationwide ban on abortion wont stop there as he urged supporters to channel their outrage into mobilizing votes for Democrats in 2024. We will not let the most personal of decisions fall into the hands of politicians," he said. "Make no mistake, this election is about freedom on the ballot once again. Just a mile from where Biden rallied abortion rights supporters on the eve of the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned federal abortion protections, the Faith & Freedom Coalition was holding its annual conference, and Vice President Mike Pence urged his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination to support a 15-week federal abortion ban at minimum. One year after the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, both sides are leaning into the issue. Biden on Friday issued an executive order seeking to bolster access to contraception and picked up a trio of top-level endorsements at the rally with Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff. A number of Republican hopefuls were set to speak at the evangelical summit this weekend, emphasizing their anti-abortion credentials and urging like-minded activists to stay on the political offensive amid concerns it could backfire. A majority of Americans want legalized abortion nationwide. In the leadup to the 2022 midterm elections, many political pundits dismissed the issue as a galvanizer, but it was among the top concerns for voters, who consistently rejected efforts to restrict abortion in both Democratic and GOP-leaning states when given the chance. "Reproductive freedom is an issue for all of us. Men, women, everyone. Women cannot be less-than," Emhoff said. The leading voices on abortion rights were always going to endorse the Democratic president for reelection. But the heads of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL-Pro Choice America and Emily's List say getting out early and loudly behind Biden and Harris is important on an issue that will animate voters. I am so proud of the bold actions that this administration has taken to protect patients and to protect providers to give them accurate information and to let them know they are not alone, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Mini Timmaraju, head of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the longer the bans are in place, the more people will know someone who has experienced something awful. They have to make a decision about where to go to college based on the states with the bans. They have to make a decision about whether to practice medicine based on an abortion ban. Its permeating everyday life now, and its having unintended consequences." The consequences of restricting abortion access are quickly moving beyond ending an unwanted pregnancy into miscarriage and pregnancy care in general. Women in states with tight restrictions are increasingly unable to access care for pregnancy-related complications. Doctors facing criminal charges if they provide abortions are increasingly afraid to care for patients who arent sick enough yet to be considered treatable. Republicans are working overtime to make it harder for us to make our own healthcare decisions and determine our own future, said Laphonza Butler, head of Emily's List. Since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, 20 states have passed either a ban or highly restrictive policies on abortion. A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions. But 22 states and the District of Columbia have expanded access to abortion care. Most of the states with severe abortion restrictions are also states that have a high maternal mortality rate and higher rates of stillbirth and miscarriage. Black women are disproportionately affected they are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harris has argued its not a coincidence, given that maternal health care and abortion care are linked. The same medical procedures used to perform an abortion are the ones used to treat miscarriage. She said Friday this was not an issue of abortion rights, it was an issue of freedom. Freedom to make decisions about one's own life, one's own body. The freedom to be free from government interference when it comes to one's private decisions. Decisions that are about heart and home. Bidens executive order aims to strengthen access to contraception, a growing concern for Democrats after some conservatives have signaled a willingness to push beyond abortion into regulation of birth control. In 2017, nearly 65% or 46.9 million of the 72.2 million girls and women age 15 to 49 in the U.S. used a form of contraception. The order aims to increase and expand options, lower out-of-pocket costs and raise awareness about options. Biden regretted that he even had to sign such an order. The idea, that I had to do that really, think about it, he said. Pence's comments Friday amounted to a challenge for the GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to endorse a federal abortion ban. The former president is set to address the evangelical assembly on Saturday night. We must not rest and we must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country, Pence said. Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said were certainly going to do everything that we can, as an organization and as a pro-life and pro-family movement, to give our candidates a little bit of a testosterone booster shot and explain to them that they should not be on the defensive. Those who are afraid of it need to, candidly, grow a backbone. Follow the AP's coverage of abortion at https://apnews.com/hub/abortion. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The co-founder of Oceangate, the company at the centre of the submersible tragedy, had hopes to contract deals with oil and gas companies after developing a reputation from its dives to see the Titanic wreckage. Stockton Rush, who was killed aboard the Titan sub after it suffered a catastrophic implosion, had spent years developing submarine technology to advance deep sea exploration. He was one of five passengers on board the 21ft-long vessel which embarked on Sunday for the 2.4mile descent to the ocean-bed. A four-day international search and rescue mission was launched after it lost communications and failed to return to its mother ship, the Polar Prince. Stockton Rush was piloting the Titan vessel when it imploded and killed all five passengers (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The US Coastguard confirmed on Thursday afternoon that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) had discovered a debris field with missing portions of the Titan. All five passengers, including Mr Rush and British billionaire Hamish Harding, were confirmed dead. OceanGate launched its Titanic tours in 2021, with customers expected to pay $250,000 to see the infamous wreck, which lies nearly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. However, the self-described daredevil inventor had more plans for the Titan vessel once it had proven its ability to explore depths of 13,000ft. During a 2017 interview with business magazine FastCompany, Rush said that after the demand for high-paying adventurers to visit the Titanic had dwindled, he hoped his submarine technology would prove an enticing investment for oil and gas companies. The biggest resource is oil and gas, and they spend about $16 billion a year on robots to service oil and gas platforms, he said. But oil and gas [companies] dont take new technology. They want it proven, they want it out there. Titan began taking paying customers down to the Titanic wreckage in 2021 (American Photo Archive/Alamy/PA) (PA Media) "Theres all these resources to be explored, and I couldnt understand why there arent any manned subs," he told the outlet. He added that OceanGate would not be involved in oil production, but in the inspection, repair and maintenance of potential mining sites. "Turns out one of the reasons was that people had not looked at the business aspect of operating a manned sub, because operations were funded by governments through universities for research. Nobody thought about cost, nobody thought about revenue." His plans came despite repeated warnings about the safety of the submersible, with 38 experts in the submersible craft industry writing to Mr Rush to express unanimous concern about the way Titan had been developed. A former lawsuit filed in 2018 by OceanGates former director of operations, David Lockridge, also said that the vessel could subject passengers to potential extreme dangers. The company however responded to say that Lochridge was not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The night before the anniversary of a routine chiropractor visit that left her daughter with a brain injury, Darlene Jensen sat up watching videos taken in the months immediately following the fateful day last June that would forever change both their lives. Her daughter, 28-year-old Caitlin, had been fit and healthy, looking forward to working in the science field after graduating with a degree in chemistry and biology, when she arrived at the Georgia chiropractors office on 16 June 2022. Within 20 minutes, her future would be hanging precariously; Caitlin suffered a vertebral artery dissection, which causes stroke cutting off blood flow to the brain. Ms Jensen, now 50, arrived at the chiropractors office after being told on the phone that something was amiss, and Caitlin was already in an ambulance but her mother never could have fathomed that the trip to the ER would be the very beginning of a long, arduous and ongoing journey through hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Emotional and exhausted as she speaks on the anniversary of that day, Ms Jensen tells The Independent that watching footage from last summer reminded her of just how far Caitlin has come though much progress remains to be made. Shes seen a major difference in her eyes, especially. I forget how, when her injury first occurred, her eyes were turned inward, both of them, like toward each other and she had very little vision, Ms Jensen says. And we didnt know if that was going to be permanent. I mean, looking at the videos, it almost looks like she is blind and she was, kind of, for a little bit, because they were turned inward, so it was difficult for her to see with both eyes. Now, however, Caitlin can focus better she can look more directly at you, her mother says. Her left eye is not turned inwardly at all; her right eye is barely turned inward, if at all and, most importantly, through therapy and doing her exercises, her eyes are finally beginning to work together again. And thats a really big milestone. The past year has been filled with small triumphs and setbacks, therapy and tests, and a veritable mental and emotional rollercoaster ride. What Caitlin says is, The best therapy is time, her mother tells The Independent. And shes right ... the best therapy has been time, and thats what they told us at the beginning that it was going to be a long road, its going to take a long time, but that you can make progress, but that you can make progress, and that has proven to be the case. Caitlin Jensen was just 28 and a recent graduate of Georgia Southern University when she suffered a brain injury after visiting a chiropractor for a routine neck adjustment (Facebook/Darlene Jensen) According to a 2021 piece published in Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology, vertebral arterial dissection can result from trauma of varying severities from sports, motor vehicle accidents, and chiropractor neck manipulations to violent coughing/sneezing. It is estimated that 1 in 20,000 spinal manipulation results in vertebral artery aneurysm/dissection. In the United States, patients who have multiple chronic conditions are reporting higher use of complementary or alternative medicine, including chiropractic manipulation, the report states. Education about the association of VAD and chiropractor maneuvers can be beneficial to the public as these are preventable acute ischemic strokes. In addition, vertebral artery dissection symptoms can be subtle and patients presenting to chiropractors may have distracting pain masking their deficits. Chiropractors argue that dissection itself can be the cause of the pain leading patients to seek care claiming their own adjustments were ancillary to a larger problem in many cases. Caitlin is pictured this week sleeping at home with her service dog, Belle; since her injury, her mother sleeps in the same room (Facebook/Darlene Jensen) Caitlin and her mother had no idea there were risks associated with chiropractor adjustments, her mother tells The Independent but have been horrified to hear from other families similarly impacted. It has become something of a mission for Ms Jensen to raise awareness about the dangers. There have been many people that have contacted me, and I would like to sit down and make a list of everyone and kind of bring everybody together with this, because there have been a lot of people that have contacted me, Ms Jensen says. I got a message this week from another lady that had the exact same thing happen to her ... It makes me sad when I get a message like that, because I dont like that there are so many people out there that have had this happen to them. But at the same time, I think Caitlins story can get out there and stay out there, that maybe it will help save other people. She says that, from the time this happened ... every doctor that weve had has, unfortunately, seen these injuries before and are very well aware. The general public, however, remains largely ignorant, in her experience. People are pretty bold in saying, Well, what happened to her? Ms Jensen says, explaining how shell get approached in elevators and all manner of locations by strangers querying her wheelchair-bound daughters condition. And Ill tell them, and their eyes will get wide and I havent had a single person thats like, Oh yeah, Ive heard of that happening. She says: I will tell anybody that will listen, what happens if they will then take that and tell someone else and just get the awareness out there. Family, friends and the wider community have rallied around the Jensens. In February, they moved into a specially-outfitted three-bedroom ranch home, complete with ramps and full wheelchair access. Their neighbours include a paramedic and nurse practitioner which proved hugely fortuitous when disaster struck, yet again, just days after the family took up residence in the new home. Caitlin suffered a fall when her wheelchair tipped over, and Darlene can barely get the words out, months later, to describe the terror she felt. Darlene Jensen, now 50, poses with her young daughter, Caitlin, who is currently to regain full function after a freak injury during a neck adjustment (Darlene Jensen) I panicked, which also upsets me that I even allowed myself to panic but I just started screaming Help! she says. The neighbors were so fast; they ran right over. It turns out the man that was out there had been a paramedic for many years ... and they were really fantastic and helped get her just kind of stable. I put a pillow under her while were waiting for the ambulance to get there, which was very, very fast. That was one of the deciding factors in choosing this home ... the proximity to our local EMS station is less than half a mile away, she says. The accident sent Caitlin back to the ICU with a brain bleed, her mother posting a photo of her in the hospital bad with a caption that began: This is not the homecoming update that I had planned to share tonight. Following scans, staples, blood thinners and treatments, Caitlin eventually returned home as the community that had organized to prepare the home now turned their talents to setting up a meal train. You know, Ive heard of meal trains and that type of thing, but Ive never really paid much attention to them, Ms Jensen says. But let me tell you, a meal train for someone that is in this kind of situation is so meaningful and helpful. On a practical level, people would drop off meals, and with a little note or a little flower, that kind of thing. And it was really wonderful. Caitlins brother, Caleb, is now home for the summer from Georgia Southern University, where he will soon graduate with a degree in manufacturing engineering, his mother proudly says. Hes helping out, as are other friends and family; Ms Jensen is continuing to navigate a new normal of caregiving while braving bureaucratic red tape. She has been unable to return to the job she loved as office manager for a transmission shop. Caitlin is pictured in the hospital after suffering a fall and brain bleed in February, just days after she and her family moved into their new, specially-outfitted home (Facebook/Darlene Jensen) Neither her life nor Caitlins looks anything like what they would have expected on this same morning last year. I miss my job, and they need me there, but I just cant do that right now, Ms Jensen says. So that has been difficult for me on a personal level to just adjust to going from, you know, looking at future plans to travel and have my empty nest, to being a full-time caregiver and an unpaid caregiver, at that. Its a lot. A GoFundMe has raised nearly $180,000, Ms Jensen has finally been able to set up government disability benefits for Caitlin, and the family received an insurance payout from the chiropractor but practitioners within the field are simply generally very underinsured, Ms Jensen says. And so the insurance settlement that we did receive from the chiropractors insurance company was very small, and certainly not enough to care for her life expenses -- and that has to go into trust to be held for her in the future as well, in order for her to be able to qualify for other benefits. The whole process has been very frustrating ... because not only is the small amount of money she has in a trust, but then you have to pay people to then take care of the trust, Ms Jensen says. And that is taking more money than you would make in interest on the trust. She continues: Everybody wants a little piece of it, including the insurance companies ... now Caitlins legal team has to fight both of these insurance companies, which then of course creates more legal fees for us. So then theres more money being taken. It kind of makes you wonder what the point of insurance is, when they pay claims and then turn around and want it all back ... the amount of money that most people receive, including Caitlin, is so small that it will never be enough to care for her throughout her lifetime. Now at a time when Caitlin had hoped to be researching microplastics in wastewater and the environment her mother is instead fighting to get insurance to pay for a frame that allows her to stand as long as she can tolerate it to help rebuild muscles and get those neurons firing. Caitlin practices at home with a loner standing frame, which is tremendously helpful to her recovery and which her mother is attempting to get insurance to help finance (Facebook/Darlene Jensen) During the few snatches of unscheduled time she has, Ms Jensen is researching therapies and specialists not just for her daughter but for the rest of the family. While Caitlin was being treated in Atlanta, she said, they had access to a neuropsychologist because they are very great at having an all-encompassing program ... your mind and body are very deeply connected, she says. A similarly qualified professional in the Savannah area would greatly benefit the Jensens, but the list of needs following the out-of-the-blue tragedy remains long. Im always looking for new tools, new therapy, new research, Ms Jensen says. I read a lot at night about ways I can [help]. I mean, I lay in bed reading reading articles, theres like research being done, 11 electrodes being placed in your head to help with cognitive abilities. And so I think, well, maybe that could be used for neuro regeneration process, that type of thing. A year later, though, shes trying to manager her expectations and not really look super far out, as far as like, well, in one year, I want her to be walking. We learned that very quickly, Ms Jensen says. She had made a goal for herself that she wanted to be able to have Thanksgiving dinner. And then you know, as Thanksgiving got here, we realised that there was no way she was going to be able to do that. And that was very difficult for her. So we try not to make like big grand goals like that and just take it day by day and just get up every day and do the absolute best that we can for that day. And then, when you look back over time, you see that the gains add up. The difference in Caitlins gaze and vision exhibited by videos from last summer is one example of that. We do exercises with her eyes; she wears glasses that help correct it with tape that goes over the most effective side that kind of forces the eye to try to look out and around the tape, and that has worked very well, Ms Jensen says, adding that it has made a tremendous difference. The attitude of her daughter still smiling and determined as she struggles to reclaim basic tasks bolsters Ms Jensen through the hardest of days. And there are many of them, she admits. Caitlin is what keeps me motivated to keep going, because she is so motivated, her mother says. She has such an incredible strength and determination to get her life back, and she she gets up every day with a smile on her face and ready to get to work. That doesnt mean that she doesnt have hard times; she certainly does. I mean, we had a swallow study [at the beginning of] this week ... that didnt give us the results that we had been hoping for, she says. But there were so many good things in it as well. And just the fact that shes far enough along to get the swallow study was a big deal, but it was very hard, and she and I both cried. When she gets upset, its hard for me, because I just deeply feel her feelings. The pair will listen to podcasts or watch home improvement shows on television, but Ms Jensen tries to monitor content and keep it light because Caitlins emotions are just at the forefront at all times ... I try not to add anything to her life that is going to emotional, she says, Me, too; I mean, the smallest thing can set me off, she adds. Im in tears, especially in the last couple of weeks with this one year mark coming up. I mean, this tiniest thing can cause me to start crying. Caitlin types out a message to her mother following her fall in February (Facebook/Darlene Jensen) In the meantime, mother and daughter are persevering as best they can, striving for those small gains as Ms Jensen steels herself for the ongoing bureaucratic and logistical struggle. It is very frustrating, she says. I get extremely angry at this system that we have and the lobbyists that keep it in place, because there are a lot of people making a lot of money off it ... if I could get her in front of the executives or the legislators, we will do it in a heartbeat. Still, she is committed to keeping the spotlight on her daughters story not least in the hopes that it will save someone else from suffering the same injury. Ms Jensen says its important to her, as she shares updates on social media, to be hugely transparent about the ordeal that has upended her family. When I first started writing about this on social media, Caitlin thought that I was only posting the good and not the bad, she says. And I said, No, Im trying to be as real as I can. She continues: I dont think theres very much on social media thats real, and I think, in a case like this especially, it is extremely important to be honest and real about all parts of it because its not all sunshine and rainbows and there are times where I just hold her in my arms and we both just weep ... and then there are other times that we laugh until we cry. So, you know, its it is all encompassing with the emotions, for sure but I do think it is important to be very real with people. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Ohio couple has been arrested after their three children allegedly arrived at school covered in bedbugs. Miranda Campbell, 32, and Jason Goodspeed, 39, have been charged with child endangering after officials with the Youngstown City School District reported the May incident to the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office. School authorities described in an email obtained by local news station WFMJ that the kids were reportedly covered in bedbugs, with cockroaches crawling out of their bags. The school said the children showed up at school in that condition several days, and each time, they were given clean clothes to change into. After they were alerted, law enforcement conducted a wellness check at the childrens residence. At the home, they found a large infestation of cockroaches and bedbugs that prevented them from checking the basement. Police also removed several animals from the home, which led to a charge of failure to register a dog that Ms Campbell has pleaded guilty to. The property was condemned as it is not safe to be occupied. Miranda Campbell, 32, and Jason Goodspeed, 39, have been charged with child endangering (Mahoning County Sheriff's Office) Officers also noted in an incident report that even before they arrived at the home, they could smell the stench from the sidewalk. The parents reportedly said they had been trying to get rid of the infestation to no avail. Ms Campbell claimed she was never contacted by the school district regarding the childrens condition. The children are currently under the care of a family member. Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morning Sign up to our free morning US email news bulletin Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the US Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A human skull found more than three decades ago in California has been confirmed to be that of a four-year-old boy who went missing in 1991. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department (SBSD) said in a press release on Thursday that the remains were positively identified with the help of genealogy. On 27 October 1991, a hunter discovered a human skull, which did not have its jaw or teeth, in a rural area of Mentone. At the time, the departments homicide unit took leadership of the investigation and conducted searches in the neighbouring areas. Although no other remains were recovered, authorities found a torn plastic trash bag with a decomposition odour and child clothing inside. It was determined through an autopsy that the victim was between four and eight years old, but the medical examiner was unable to determine a cause or manner of death. The investigation stalled for years until last year, when the remains were sent to a DNA sequencing and genomics laboratory. Results obtained in February suggested that the victim had distant relatives located in Houston, Texas. The family members were contacted by the SBSD and agreed to submit their DNA for testing. With the assistance of the Riverside, CA and Houston, TX FBI offices, Patricia Clark was identified as the decedents mother, the department said. Ms Clark reported her four-year-old son Derrick Burton missing in 1991. Further DNA testing confirmed that Ms Clark was a 100per cent parental match to the human remains of the child. The sheriffs department has reopened an investigation into the circumstances that led to Derricks death. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SBSOs special investigations unit at (909) 890-4904, or submit anonymous tips at www.wetip.com. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} In the days after OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush and his four-paying crew members went missing on their dive to the wreck of the Titanic, experts had several theories as to their fate. Perhaps the group had managed to surface and were awaiting rescue amid the Atlantic waves. Perhaps they were trapped underwater within the hull of their broken-down submersible, running out of air. Or perhaps they had suffered the worst-case scenario: a sudden, catastrophic hull breach, causing their sub to rapidly buckle under the crushing pressure of the water above them. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic sub On 26 June, those worst fears were confirmed when the US Coast Guard announced that it had found pieces of the Titan submersible scattered across the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the bow of the ill-fated ocean liner. But what exactly caused the Titan to implode? While we dont yet know the truth of what happened, we do know enough to have some idea of what might have sealed the subs fate. An unusual design for a deadly environment The Titan set off from its mothership, the Polar Prince, on Sunday 18 June, heading for the remains of the Titanic some 3,800 metres below the surface of the ocean. Communications ceased about an hour and 45 minutes later when the sub was probably close to the bottom of its dive. At that depth, any object including a human body is subject to water pressure more than 300 times stronger than the pressure Earths atmosphere exerts on us every day. On the surface, we only need to withstand 14.7 lbs per square inch (Psi) of pressure, whereas the Titan had to withstand 5,500 Psi. The Titan was designed to survive this level of pressure, with two strong titanium domes at either end of the hull linked by a five-inch-thick cylinder of carbon fibre. According to reports, it was subjected to rigorous safety checks before every dive to make sure there were no defects or faults in the hull. Carbon fibre is an unusual material for a deep-sea submersible because it is weaker than the solid steel or titanium of which such vessels are usually made. While widely-used in aircraft, it was largely untested in deep-sea diving. OceanGates Titan sub (PA Media) That was a calculated choice by OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, who believed that the material was more viable for such dives than commonly credited. Unlike metal, carbon fibre is naturally buoyant beyond 2,000 metres, meaning the Titan could be far lighter and cheaper than previous subs. Youre remembered for the rules you break, Rush told YouTuber Alan Estrada in 2021. Ive broken some rules to make this. I think Ive broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. To offset this weaker material, the Titan was equipped with a real-time hull health monitoring system that could, in theory, detect any deformations, cracks, or other faults rapidly enough for the crew to attempt an emergency ascent. Yet such depths offer little margin for error. If even one part of the hull fails and lets in water, the pressure would be so great, and the velocity of the incoming liquid so fast, that the sub and its occupants might be torn apart in mere milliseconds, monitoring system or not. Indeed, a report in The Wall Street Journal suggests that whatever happened to the Titan, happened very fast. Despite claims that rescuers had picked up tapping sounds every 30 minutes, suggesting the crew might still be alive and signalling for help, military insiders told WSJ that a top-secret US Navy system for detecting enemy submarines had heard an implosion soon after the Titan lost communications. So what might have caused the hull to fail? The answers may lie within a lawsuit filed against OceanGate by one of its most senior former employees. Critical safety concerns about the Titans hull and porthole Now is the time to properly address items that may pose a safety risk to personnel. Verbal communication of [these problems] has been dismissed on several occasions, so I feel now I must make this report so there is an official record in place. So wrote OceanGates then director of marine operations David Lochridge on 18 January 2018, according to a complaint filed by his lawyers as part of a court battle against the underseas tourism company. Lochridge had begun working with OceanGate in 2015 and was allegedly tasked with conducting a final safety review of the Titan. His lawsuit, later settled out of court, claimed that he raised critical safety concerns about the subs experimental and untested design only to be fired for his troubles. Issues of quality control with the new submersible were raised, as there were evident flaws throughout the build process, the lawsuit alleged, noting that no carbon fibre submersible had ever achieved its target depth of 4,000 metres. The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan (PA Media) It argued that the carbon fibre hull was vulnerable to small defects being widened into large tears by the constant changes of pressure, and claimed that visible flaws were found in samples of the material produced for the Titan. Indeed, Mr Rush would later admit to GeekWire after test dives in the Bahamas that the Titans hull showed signs of cyclic fatigue, meaning it had been stressed by repeated pressure changes. Trips to theTitanic were delayed while these problems were addressed. Lochridge was also sceptical about the real-time monitoring system, which he believed would only show when a component was very close to failure perhaps only milliseconds before an implosion. The lawsuit alleges that he pressed for the hull to be tested more rigorously but was denied. Worse, the lawsuit claims that the Titans single porthole was only certified to withstand the pressure at 1,300 metres and that OceanGate refused to pay for a porthole certified to 4,000 metres. Paying passengers would not be aware, and would not be informed, of this experimental design, the lack of non-destructive testing of the hull, or that hazardous flammable materials were being used within the submersible, the lawyers said. In its response, OceanGate said that Lochridge is not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan. It said he was fired not for raising safety concerns but for refusing to accept assurances from the companys lead engineer that its chosen testing methods were better suited to the situation than he believed. OceanGate told The Associated Press that the missing Titan vessel was finished in 2020-21 - so not the same as the vessel described in Mr Lochridges lawsuit. A rule-breaking CEO who refused outside regulation Mr Lochridge was not the only person concerned about OceanGates methods. In 2018, 38 members of the Marine Technology Societys Manned Underwater Vehicles committee wrote to Stockton Rush expressing unanimous concern about the way Titan had been developed. According to The New York Times, the committee was alarmed that OceanGate had not subjected Titan to a standard risk assessment by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an international maritime classification body that writes and maintains technical standards for undersea vehicles. While this may demand additional time and expense, it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants, the letter said. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) OceanGate defended its decision in a 2019 blog post. When OceanGate was founded the goal was to pursue the highest reasonable level of innovation in the design and operation of manned submersibles. By definition, innovation is outside of an already accepted system... the company wrote. Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation. And, because the Polar Prince and the Titan operated in international waters, they were not subject to regulation by any country including a US law requiring passenger submersibles to be registered with the Coast Guard. In the early days of the Toyota Motor Company, engineers were trained to diagnose a problem by repeating the question Why? five times. If a car wont start, the first why might establish that there is a problem with the engine, but the fifth why might reveal that the engine was poorly constructed because its builders were badly trained and underpaid. Therefore asking why the Titan imploded must eventually lead us to examine Stockton Rush, his attitude to safety, and the nature of OceanGate and its goals. There hasnt been an injury in the commercial sub industry in over 35 years. Its obscenely safe, because they have all these regulations, Mr Rush told Smithsonian Magazine in 2019. But it also hasnt innovated or grown because they have all these regulations. Privately, in response to a letter from an OceanGate consultant imploring him to be more cautious, Rush reportedly said he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation. He declared: We have heard the baseless cries of you are going to kill someone way too often. I take this as a serious personal insult. The Titan was not a pure research vessel from a government agency or coalition of universities. It was a commercial vehicle, designed to help OceanGate turn regular Titanic voyages and, eventually, the exploitation of undersea resources into a profitable business, and its design followed from that reality. Already many observers are asking the next set of whys, questioning the nature of the adventure industry, the wisdom of the super-rich, and the morality of ferrying paying tourists to perhaps the worlds most famous underwater mass grave. Im struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, said James Cameron, the director of the 1999 hit film about the ocean liner, who is also an experienced undersea explorer. Those questions, however, are harder to answer, and may be debated for just as long as the meaning of the Titanic itself. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A catastrophic implosion on board the Titan submersible vessel claimed the lives of five crew members shortly after its launch on Sunday, the US Coast Guard confirmed on Thursday. The OceanGate Expeditions vessel was reported missing about 435 miles (700 kilometres) off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada on Sunday night. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) located pieces of debris from the Titan on the seabed about 500m from the bow of the Titanic wreck on Thursday morning Rear Admiral John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, told a press briefing. Oceangate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, British billionaire Hamish Harding, and French adventurer Paul-Henri Nargeolet were confirmed to have died in the implosion. The company, which charges up to $250,000 to take guests to the Titanic site, said that the five crew members had sadly been lost in a statement to The Independent. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the worlds oceans, the spokesperson said. The Titan, pictured, is a tourist sub operated by OceanGate (OceanGate/YouTube) The five-person Titan vessel vanished 105 minutes after launching from the Polar Prince icebreaker research ship about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod on Sunday morning. The Titans twin communication systems texts and electronic pings suddenly stopped communicating with the support vessel, and no further sign of life was detected until Thursdays grim discovery. The Coast Guard has since revealed that the US Navy detected sounds consistent with an implosion sometime after the Titan lost contact with its mothership. The information was immediately shared with the Incident Commander, and once it had been considered with all of the acoustic data that had been compiled, the decision was made to continue our mission as a search and rescue because the noise was not definitive at the point, a spokesperson with the US Coast Guard told The Independent. Billionaire explorer Hamish Harding French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood are now believed to be dead, the Coast Guard and OceanGate have confirmed. What is OceanGate Expeditions? OceanGate Expeditions was founded in Washington state in 2009 by US adventurer and former investment banker Stockton Rush. The trained aerospace engineer began offering underwater tours in specially designed submersible vessels that were developed with NASA. (AFP via Getty Images) In an interview with The Independent in 2017, he said he had originally wanted to become an astronaut but was later drawn to underwater exploration. In the vacuum of space, by definition there is nothing. That means a great view, but the final frontier for new life forms and discovery is undersea for the next 200-300 years at least. Mr Rush had personally piloted many of the Titans 13 previous trips to the famed shipwreck and had insisted the submersible was safe in interviews. The RMS Titanic has been lying 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in the North Atlantic Ocean since it sank in 1912, killing about 1,500 people on board. The wreck was discovered in 1985, and was named a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 2012. Its been a subject of fascination with deep-sea exploration teams ever since. Voyaging to the Titanic wreck In 2021, the company launched its first tour of the North Atlantic wreck site in the Titan, a five-person vessel made of carbon fibre and titanium that can reach depths of 4,000m. The voyages depart from St Johns, in Newfoundland, Canada, on chartered ocean-faring ships. For their latest expedition, OceanGate hired the Polar Prince, a medium duty icebreaker that was formerly operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, to ferry dozens of passengers and crew and the submersible craft to the wreck site. The trip had been scheduled to depart in late May and finish up in late June, according to documents obtained by the AP from the US District Court in Virginia, which presides over the wreck site. Titans viewport is the largest of any deep diving submersible and its technology provides an unrivaled view of the deep ocean. The Titan can withstand the enormous pressures of the deep ocean, OceanGate said in the court documents. The Titans first voyages to the Titanic wreck gave passengers an up-close glimpse of the worlds most famous shipwreck in its final stages of decay. This map shows the approximate position of the wreck of the RMS Titanic (Google Maps) Footage captured from one expedition showed the famed bathtub in the captains quarters that was thought to have been lost to decay was, in fact, still intact. It showed the ships disintegration continued due to salt corrosion, ocean undercurrents, and bacteria that was steadily devouring the shell. The 2022 expedition featured five missions, each over several days and several dives that could last up to ten hours each. Each of the dives included at least one scientist or content expert on each submersible to gather archaeological and biological data with the goal of understanding behaviour and rarity of life at such a depth while helping to predict the rate of decay of deeply submerged vessels, according to the OceanGate site. Renata Rojas, who was one of the passengers onboard the 2022 expedition, told The Independent in an interview that seeing the Titanic up close was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. The Polar Prince ship is seen while moored in Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) Youre feeling overwhelmed the entire time, not only because [of] just the fact that you were there ... [but] as we were approaching the wreck, I was wowed. That was the feeling, she said. Ms Rojas is currently on the Polar Prince. Oceangates 2023 expedition was the third year the company had been taking tourists to the Titanic wreck site. Along with taking visitors to the wreck, OceanGate Expeditions is conducting a longitudinal study of the Titanics rate of decay, through images, videos, laser and sonar data. Given the massive scale of the wreck and the debris field, multiple missions performed over several years will be required to fully document and model the wreck site, OceanGate says on its website. Mr Rush told The Independent in 2017 that the underwater tours were not for everyone. Hamish Harding posted about his plans to travel to see the Titanic wreckage two days before the sub went missing (Facebook/Hamish Harding) Its not a chocolate-on-the-pillow job youre part of the crew, he said. If theres an electric charge that needs moving in the middle of the night, well grab you. Prior to launching the Titanic expeditions, Mr Rush said he had taken former Everest climbers, moviemakers and nautical archaeologists on underwater tours. His oldest passenger was 92, and his youngest 12 in the four- or five-person vessels. The OceanGate team have scientists, historians and mission specialists who can pay to visit the site (YouTube/OceanGate Expeditions) French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who was on board the fated vessel, told the Irish Examiner in a 2019 interview that the families of some victims of the Titanic were opposed to expeditions to the wreck. The bodies of around 340 of the estimated 1,500 who lost their lives were recovered after it sank in 1912. He said that those lost at sea would have likely decomposed a long time ago, and he had never seen bodies in the wreckages debris field. He told the news site that exploration of the wreck was about balancing the scientific interest with respect for the dead. In a chilling foreshadowing of the 2023 disaster, the New York resident made a warning about the dangers of underwater exploration. If you are 11m or 11km down, if something bad happens, the result is the same, Mr Nargeolet said. When youre in very deep water, youre dead before you realise that something is happening, so its just not a problem. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Renata Rojas had been obsessed with the Titanic for more than half of her life when she looked out the window of a submersible, 4,000 metres under the North Atlantic, and saw the doomed ships spectre appear hauntingly from the depths. She thought shed cry but she was far too busy. Ms Rojas, 50, was one of only five people on that submersible, part of the 2022 OceanGate Titanic Expedition to the wreck in July. Accompanied by a pilot and a research scientist, she and two other mission specialists, civilians who could pay a six-figure price for the trip, embarked upon the meticulously-planned, deep-sea exploration. Rescuers confirm only 40 hours of oxygen left in missing submersible Titanic tourist submarine Since the Titanic was discovered off the coast of Newfoundland in 1985 by Bob Ballard, getting to the ship has not been a cheap or easy task. Different countries and institutions have sent down expeditions. The salvage rights belong exclusively to RMS Titanic Inc, a salvage and exhibition company based in Georgia. OceanGate Expeditions Ltd last year began the first-phase of a multi-year exploration of Titanic to explore and document the condition of the historic shipwreck and portions of the nearly unexplored field. The next phase began in June, and Ms Rojas trip was in July. The expedition featured five missions, each over several days and several dives that could last up to ten hours each. Each of the dives included at least one scientist or content expert on each submersible to gather archaeological and biological data with the goal of understanding behaviour and rarity of life at such a depth while helping to predict the rate of decay of deeply submerged vessels, according to the OceanGate site. Renata Rojas, centre, poses with members of her July 2022 dive down to the wreckage of Titanic (Renata Rojas) The deeper you go into the ocean, the less knowledgeable we are, marine biologist Dr Steve Ross, who was on the same submersible as Ms Rojas, said before the 2022 expedition. This study will give us an entirely different view of this one-of-a-kind habitat while also adding substantially to shared deep water DNA data sets. He said findings such as water samples taken and analyzed using advanced genomics technologies will not only help us identify the lifeforms we can directly observe from the Titan submersible, but will also give us a full picture of the lifeforms we cannot see. This includes invisible signs of both microscopic creatures and larger animals that leave traces of DNA in the water surrounding the Titanic. This research effort will contribute to conservation of the ecosystem of the wreck site. And reaching that site had been Ms Rojas goal for almost four decades. Ms Rojas, 50, works in banking but initially pursued a career in oceanography - before Titanics discovery in 1985 and before she felt discouraged, she says, by misogynistic figures in the industry. She was the first Mexican woman to visit the wreck (Renata Rojas) I wanted to find Titanic when I was 12 years old, she tells The Independent. I wanted to start oceanography, be an onceanographer and go find Titanic. If her life had gone just slightly differently if shed been just a bit older, or just a bit younger its likely she would have spent her career investigating Titanic and its secrets. The daughter of a diving instructor growing up in Mexico, Ms Rojas had already developed a passion for the ocean and underwater exploration when she saw an old black-and-white movie about Titanic. At the end of that movie, you know, Titanic hasnt been found; its disappeared completely, she says. And I was kind of drawn to the mystery of such a large ship disappearing and nobody knowing where it was such a tragedy that shouldnt have happened. Her fathers the one who pointed out shed need a degree in oceanography, a PhD, and as such a young student she threw herself into preparation for that career. She did papers on Titanic, she applied early to Woods Hole and was accepted, she says. Then the Titanic was found in 1985, right before she would have started studying there. Ms Rojas says she was discouraged by the attitudes of people in the industry and those involved in the ships discovery; she was told that, as a woman, she shouldnt even bother pursuing that particular passion, she tells The Independent. New 8K footage of the Titanic wreck is the highest-resolution film every captured of the ships watery grave (YouTube/OceanGate Expeditions) If Id had a little bit of foresight, I wouldve said, Hey, why dont you come to Woods Hole, theres other ships, Im sure you can get involved in Titanic stuff, she says. Shed go on to switch to banking and graduated from a university in New York, embarking on a successful career in yet another male-dominated industry. Titanic never stopped dominating her thoughts, though. Any time there was a development regarding the ship, discoveries, history, anything, she was on top of it. She hit the speaker circuits; anyone talking about or researching Titanic, she tried to listen to, contact or connect with. She reached out to documentary crews, scientists, everyone. When OceanGate Expeditions began letting civilians participate in trips to the wreck, she worked every contact she had. Eventually, in July after saving for most of her life, undergoing training and spending literal decades pursuing one goal Ms Rojas found herself hurtling towards the ocean floor in July 2022 in a submersible called Titan. On board with her was Dr Ross; pilot Scott Griffith; and two other mission specialists, one who made the journey last year as well. We were going down fast, Ms Rojas tells The Independent. Everything kind of flies [by] the window. But we were doing a little of the experiments turning the lights off and turning the lights on to see how the life outside the sub would react. As you get closer to the bottom, the pilot starts needing help. They need to deploy some of the [equipment] to slow down the descent; you dont want to be slamming into the bottom. OceanGate captured the first highest-resolution, 8K footage of the underwater wreck on its recent missions As the team scrambled to maneuver the submersible, it really didnt hit Ms Rojas that they were nearing the site shed waited so long to see and she thinks she didnt want to get all my hopes up, because anything can happen until you get to the bottom. Soon though, she began to start realizing that youre actually going to make it ... without any issues and youre going to be landing at a reasonable distance from Titanic, then thats when the feelings start going. She wasnt crying and bawling like she expected; it was a small space, it was crowded, and there was too much to do and see. We approached the wreck from the back of the bow, from the aft of the bow, at the break, she tells The Independent. Theres a lot of debris around it. So we decided to maybe go to the front of the bow, like fast, instead of trying to go through that debris or go backwards ... so we took 10 minutes literally to drive fast alongside the wreck and then make that U-turn to have the wreck in front of us and have that legendary picture of it coming out of the bow coming out of nowhere. It was, she says, just like the movies, watching that mystical bow appear from the depths except there was no Titanic music in the background. We had a lot of marine snow in the cameras ... [which made] the visibility a little bit lower than usual, she says. But yes, once it shows up, its like like a wall its just like the movies, just like a huge wall. The footage was captured by a team from OceanGate Expeditions, which made several missions to the Titanic this summer (YouTube/OceanGate Expeditions) She continues: Youre feeling overwhelmed the entire time, not only because [of] just the fact that you were there ... [but] as we were approaching the wreck, I was wowed. That was the feeling. One thing that really stood out to her was when the Titan crew spotted the ships famed telegraph (there has been varied and legal debate over salvaging the Marconi item, which sent distress calls before Titanic eventually sank. But its still there.) Certain items are legendary, Ms Rojas says. Anybody will ask me, What is the most important thing you found? The telegraph. Oh, wow. Its copper, its bright - like if somebody went to shine it yesterday ... no growth on it. The lights of the sub hit it first; we were actually, at some point, turning towards the bridge. At some point, that roof is going to collapse and that things going to go to the bottom of the ship, Ms Rojas says, sounding still somewhat in awe that she viewed it with her own eyes. The dive was far from just touristy sight-seeing. On the way down, they were trapping water from different levels of ocean water trenches to gauge different types of life and help for year-on year comparisons, she says. They were also tasked with collecting sediment from different sides of the shipwreck very carefully, without disturbing anything. OceanGate captured images of the Titanics portside anchor during its recent expedition (OceanGate Expeditions) Theres all the corals around that they wanted to take pictures of they also wanted to focus on the anchor; we wanted to see if the name was still clear, Ms Rojas says. The dive was practical, complicated and busy. As it neared its end, the full weight of her journey began to hit her. It overpowered her when they reached their massive ship at the surface full of crew, OceanGate staff, researchers and other mission specialists. I kept it together throughout the ascent, she tells The Independent. When we finally came back, I lost it. Thats when I finally started to sob with everybody there, you know, with the clapping and everything. Given that Titanic has practically been her lifes dedication, Ms Rojas reaction is unsurprising, but she also understands why the ships legacy holds such a special place in other peoples hearts. Its such an iconic and legendary shipwreck ship, she says. I mean, it was really a ship of dreams when it was sailing ... I think its a combination of the mystery, the time, the change it created in the world. I dont want to compare it to September 11, but it was September 11 of its time, she tells The Independent. Its like you feel like you have to go pay your respects... It wasnt supposed to happen, she explained. Even if you see it on TV, BBC and documentaries, you kind of know the pull is such that ... you have to be there and see it in person. Its a combination of the tragedy of so many people dying, of the richness, of the fact that it was unsinkable. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were forced to run for cover after unexpected, dangerously-high winds sent deck furniture flying. Videos posted on social media showed chairs and tables flying across decks while people in swimsuits gripped onto walls. One TikTok video showed a lounger narrowly miss a woman carrying a small child. The Independence of the Seas ship was caught in a brief but intense rain storm as it prepared to leave Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida last week. Passengers were lounging by the pool in the sunshine when strong winds and heavy rain suddenly rolled in. Videos showed passengers running for cover and sliding across the slick decks, and ducking to avoid airborne chairs and umbrellas. Royal Caribbean said in a statement that no passengers were seriously injured due to the flash storm. Two passengers aboard the ship complained on TikTok about the cruise line failing to notify passengers of the storm. Just a fun evening leaving Port Canaveral this past Friday, TikTok user lucassparrow1110captioned his video. No announcement from the captain before or after, also no mention of what happened. Just pretend like it didnt happen I guess, he wrote. The sun was shining just 10 minutes before! Cora Cornett captioned her video. We were on the top deck watching another boat in port get hit with rain when suddenly it DISAPPEARED in the rain so we ran down to the next deck but it was already on us. Ms Cornett said the weather passed over extremely quickly at around 4pm on 16 June. No ship announcements were made before or after so people on the lower pool deck were hit completely without warning, Ms Cornett wrote. The Independent has reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment. In response to the incident, Royal Caribbean told Distractify: On Friday, June 16, while departing from Port Canaveral, Independence of the Seasencountered a sudden gust of high winds. This latest for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew. The company said that the ship continued on its scheduled three-night itinerary and arrived in the Bahamas on Saturday. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} British-based Pakistani tycoon and his teenage son are among five people who perished aboard the Titanic tourist submarine. The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday that the remains of the submersible vessel lost in the Atlantic Ocean had been found by an ROV on the ocean bed near the wreck of the famed liner. Its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with it approximately one hour and 45 minutes after it submerged on Sunday morning. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here The wreckage of the Titanic which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after it hit an iceberg is located at a depth of 12,500 feet. First discovered in 1985, the ships remains sit in two separate parts southeast of Newfoundland, the most easterly province of Canada. Business advisor Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman have been named as two of the people on board the submersible. The father and son took part in the expedition with French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet and chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rushton and British billionaire Mr Harding. (Family handout) In a new statement before the discovery of Titans remains, the family described Mr Dawood as a loving father and said Suleman was a university student. 48-year-old business advisor Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood died aboard the Titan (WEF) Shahzada is a loving father to Suleman and Alina, husband to Christine, brother to three siblings, and son to Hussain & Kulsum Dawood. His 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, is currently a university student, the statement said. Shahzada has been actively advocating a culture of learning, sustainability, and diversity in his capacity as Vice Chairman of Pakistans Engro Corporation. Passionate about social impact, he works extensively with the Engro Foundation, The Dawood Foundation, the SETI Institute, and Princes Trust International. Out of the office, he has spoken passionately at the United Nations in 2020 on International Day for Women & Girls in Science and Oxford Union in 2022. His interests include photography, especially wildlife photography, and exploring different natural habitats while Suleman is a big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things. Suleman also takes a keen interest in solving Rubiks Cubes and enjoys playing volleyball. Mr Dawood, who was a business advisor serving on the board for Princes Trust International, lived in a Surrey mansion with his wife Christine, son Suleman and daughter Alina, according to MailOnline. The Dawood family is among the richest in Pakistan but has strong links to the UK. This image shows the 4am start of the RMS Titanic Expedition Mission 5 on the morning of 18 June 2023 (Dirty Dozen Productions/AFP/Getty) Mr Dawood studied Law at the University of Buckingham in 1998, later completing a masters degree in Textile Marketing at the University of Philadelphia in 2000. Mr Dawoods father, 79-year-old Hussain Dawood, is the chairman of the Pakistan-based Dawood Hercules Corporation as well as the Engro Corporation, responsible for manufacturing chemicals and fertilisers, food and energy respectively. Mr Dawood was the vice-chairman of both his fathers companies as well as a member of the founders circle of British Asian Trust, an international development organisation working across South Asia. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Five crew members are confirmed to have died after the Titanic tourist submarine they were travelling in to see the site of the wreckage suffered a catastrophic explosion, officials said. The OceanGate Expeditions sub went missing on Sunday after losing contact with its mothership an hour and 45 minutes into the journey. Four days later, the US Coast Guard confirmed the vessel had imploded and the people on board were believed dead. The US Coast Guard offered its deepest condolences to the families after the tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage. OceanGate Expeditions founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were all aboard the Titan. The operator of the submersible, OceanGate Expeditions, takes paying tourists to visit the site of the infamous ocean liner. Where is the Titanic wreckage? The RMS Titanic's final resting spot is approximately 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in the North Atlantic Ocean. It sank in 1912, killing approximately 1,500 people on board. Its coordinates are 414332N, 495649W. The wreckage was discovered in 1985 and named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. Since its discovery and thanks in part to James Cameron's iconic film about the ship's final hours the ship and its fate have captured the public's imagination. Why did the Titanic sink and how many people died? The ship famously began to sink after it struck an iceberg just before midnight during its maiden voyage. The collision caused a dent in the ships submerged hull, which then caused its seams to buckle. Five of its interior compartments flooded, dooming the ship. The ship sank for hours, but it only carried enough lifeboats to evacuate approximately half of the passengers. Shortly after 2am, the ships sinking accelerated as its deck dipped below the waterline. The ships stern rose out of the water, exposing the propeller, and then snapped in half. Its stern remained nearly vertical for several minutes before it crashed back to the waves and sunk. Many of the passengers and crew who fell into the icy waters died within minutes due to cardiac arrest due to cold exposure or drowning. A total of 1,500 passengers died. The list of weathy and notable passengers who died on the ship helped to secure the Titanics place in history. Among the dead was John Jacob Astor IV, who was believed to be among the richest men in the world at the time he died. His net worth was estimated to be $87m, which would be the equivalent of $2.4bn in 2022. The ships wreckage eventually settled on the ocean floor approximately 12,500 feet or 3,800 m below the surface. How long did it take to find the Titanic? The Titanic wreckage was discovered 73 years after it sank, in 1985, when the first underwater images were transmitted back to researchers. The ship was found after eight days of searching, and was located by a joint FrenchAmerican expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel and Robert Ballard. In 2012, the wreckage became a UNESCO World Heritage site. Despite the offerings of a chance to see the wreckage, very few people have actually taken the journey to the ships remains. Only 250 people have ever visited, as an eight-day diving tour costs approximately $250,000 per guest, according to the OceanGate website. Researchers and tourists may be in a rush to visit the site, as experts believe that the quickly eroding remains may be fully lost by the year 2030. Current research at the site is barred from removing or disturbing the remains at the site. OceanGate Expeditions Titan submersible was thought to be capable of extremely deep dive expeditions, including those to visit the Titanic wreckage and carry enough life support equipment to keep a crew of five alive for up to 96 hours, according to its website. It is unclear when or where the Titan imploded though the Coast Guard said sonar buoys would have likely picked up the sound if they had been in place. This map shows the approximate position of the wreck of the RMS Titanic (Google Maps) In a statement, OceanGate Inc said: Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the worlds oceans. WASHINGTON (AP) House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday he supports the idea of expunging the two impeachments of Donald Trump as hard-right Republican allies of the former president introduce a pair of proposals to declare it as though the historic charges never happened. McCarthy told reporters that he agrees with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elise Stefanik who want to erase the charges against Trump from the former president's impeachments of 2019 and 2021. I think it is appropriate, said McCarthy, the Republican from California. Just as I thought before that you should expunge it, because it never should have gone through. Pressed on his views, McCarthy said he agreed with expunging both of Trumps impeachments the abuse of power charges in 2019 over pressing Ukraines president to dig up dirt on rival Joe Biden and the 2021 charge that Trump incited the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol as Trump supporters tried to overturn Bidens election. In both cases, Trump was acquitted by the Senate after his impeachment by the House. But expunging the charges from his record would be an action he could further tout as vindication as he seeks another term in the White House. The effort is the latest by Trump's allies to rewrite the narrative of the defeated president's tenure in office. And it underscores the pressure McCarthy is under from his right flank. Just this week, McCarthy beat back a proposal from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to impeach President Biden, sending it instead to committees for review. In explaining his views, McCarthy said the first Trump impeachment, in 2019, should have never happened, conflating it with a separate investigation by the Justice Department into Russian interference into the 2016 election. As for the 2021 trial that was conducted swiftly in the week after the riot at the Capitol, he said: The second impeachment had no due process. The speaker gave no indication he would move quickly to bring forward the proposals from Greene, R-Ga., and Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is the fourth-ranking GOP leader, for House votes. Pressed if the proposals were a priority, he shifted to listing other GOP goals. Asked if he had spoken to Trump about expunging the impeachment record, McCarthy said he had not. Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House, is the first president in U.S. history to be twice impeached by the House, though he was acquitted by the Senate of all charges. Democrats have defended their decision to quickly impeach Trump a second time after the mob attack at the Capitol in 2021. They argue that the evidence played out for the world to see as the defeated president rallied his supporters to Washington and encouraged them to march to the Capitol as Congress was certifying Biden's election. Trump was first impeached in 2019 after it was disclosed that he encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up political dirt on then-White House rival Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential campaign while Trump was withholding U.S. military aid to Ukraine as it faced Russia. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, travelling to the ocean floor with a chance to view what few people have the 111-year-old wreck of the Titanic. By all accounts the British billionaire explorer, Pakistani-British father and son, French diver and OceanGate Expeditions chief executive boarded the submersible, named the Titan, with a sense of adventure and excitement. But in a chilling echo of the doomed vessel, the expedition quickly took a tragic turn. An hour and 45 minutes into the voyage, the submersible lost contact with the surface ship, around 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For four days a frantic search-and-rescue mission was carried out to determine whether the sub and its five-man crew had survived. There was a glimmer of hope as Canadian aircraft searching for the missing sub detected intermittent banging noises from the vicinity where it was last located. The crew heard banging sounds every 30 minutes on 20 June and again four hours later, after additional sonar devices were deployed. But the rescue mission ended in tragedy: The five crew members had died in a catastrophic implosion, the US Coast Guard announced on 22 June. On 28 June, officials confirmed that presumed human remains had been recovered from the sea floor. Five things we know about the missing Titanic submersible Officials are continuing to investigate the debris site although the bodies of the five may never be recovered. Heres what is known about the tragedy: What happened? On 18 June at 9am Atlantic Daytime Time (8am EDT), the Titan, a submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions, set off on its excursion to the Titanics underwater grave with research vessel, the Polar Prince. The expedition began with a 400 nautical mile journey out into the Atlantic Ocean about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The submersible was released from the Polar Prince and began its descent 13,000 feet below the waters surface to the wreckage. The Titan was supposed to transmit a signal back to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes but it lost contact around 10.47am EDT, one hour and 45 minutes into the journey. The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan (PA Media) Exactly what happened to the sub remains a mystery but the US Coast Guard said that debris consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber had been found. Rear Admiral John Mauger said there did not appear to be a connection between the underwater noises detected during the search-and-rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor. The bodies of the five passengers may never be recovered from the ocean, the US Coast Guard said. This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up, Mauger said. OceanGate Expeditions alerted the US Coast Guard around 5.40pm EDT after the missing sub failed to surface at the expected time. Immediately, a search effort began. Where did it go missing? The US Coast Guard searched 900 miles east of Cape Cod, where the Titanic shipwreck lies. The Titanic sits approximately 12,500 below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 380 nautical miles south of Newfoundland, Canada and 1,240 nautical miles east of New York City. The shipwrecks coordinates are 414332N, 495649W. Rescue teams from several countries spent days searching thousands of square miles of open ocean with planes and ships for any sign of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) Titan. The US Coast Guard said that it was searching in depths of roughly 13,000 feet. Rear Admiral Mauger said the area where the submersible went missing was remote, making the search challenging. He also said it was too early to tell when the vessels failure occurred. The search operation had sonar buoys in the water for more than three days and had not detected any loud explosive noise during the period. The buoys picked up some sounds which temporarily offered hope that the crew on the Titan were alive and banging on the hull. But officials said analysis of the sound was inconclusive and that the noises might not have emanated from the Titan at all. The worlds deepest search-and-rescue mission Multiple agencies and countries, and both private and public organisations, desperately worked to find and rescue the five people onboard the Titan. The search became the largest underwater search-and-rescue mission at those depths ever. Efforts were led by the US Coast Guard in Boston, and also involved the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Armed Forces, and US Navy among others. The UK sent RAF planes. A US Navy Curv-21, an unmanned submersible vessel that can reach a depth of 20,000 feet, is being used in the search for the missing Titanic wreck vessel (US Navy) The US Coast Guard deployed two C-130 aircrafts, the New York Air National Guard deployed another C-130, the Canadian Coast Guard deployed one C-130 and one P-8 aircraft. In addition, several Canadian Coast Guard ships, a French research vessel LAtalante and commercial vessels were used in the search. The Royal Canadian Navy also deployed HMCS Glace Bay with a medical team specialising in dive medicine. Onboard was a six-person mobile hyperbaric recompression chamber used to treat or prevent decompression sickness. The Deep Energy rescue ship carried two remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) capable of operating to a depth of 3,000m. The John Cabot, which has side-scanning sonar capabilities, the Skandi Vinland and the Atlantic Merlin also joined the search on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter. Despite the multi-agency mission, David Concannon, an attorney and explorer who pulled out of the Titanic expedition at the last minute, claimed that the rescue efforts were hampered by red tape, bureaucracy and a lack of urgency by the US government. British company Magellan Limited had a deep-sea submersible craft ready to support the mission, with the ability to reach depths of 6,000 metres and experience of visiting the Titanic wreckage. But the US First Coast Guard District told The Independent it had not requested assistance from the firm as the vessel was too far away. Banging noises overheard A Canadian P-8 aircraft reportedly detected intermittent banging noises from the area the submersible disappeared. The US Coast Guard tweeted that it had detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises. Internal email updates sent to Department of Homeland Security leadership read: The P-8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard. On 22 June, Rear Admiral John Mauger said there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises and the location of the debris on the seafloor. He said: So throughout the search efforts, we reacted to the information that we had available to us and while we continue to send it off for deeper analysis, again really complex operating environment for us to work in, let me check with the experts, but there doesnt appear to be any connection between the noises and the location on the seafloor. Asked about the timing of the implosion, and whether it happened right at the moment the vessel lost contact, Rear Admiral Mauger said it was too early to tell, but added that the sonar buoys had not picked up any catastrophic events during the last 72 hours they had been in the water. Who are the five who died? World-record-holding, British explorer and billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, had travelled on the Challenger Deep to the bottom of the ocean and on Jeff Bezos Blue Origin into space. Before the trip, he posted on Facebook: I am proud to finally announce that I joined OceanGate Expeditions for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic. Hamish Harding (Jannicke Mikkelsen via REUTERS) Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. The father-of-two was a seasoned explorer and held three Guinness World Records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel when in March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. Paul Henri Nargeolet (Getty) In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origins New Shepard rocket. Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 and several more, becoming a leading authority on the wreck site. Mr Nargeolet, described by OceanGate as the Titanics greatest explorer, had done 35 dives in the submersible. Shahzada and Suleman Dawood (Family handout) Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, were UK citizens. Shahzada Dawood was vice-chairman of one of Pakistans largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, and Suleman studied at the University of Strathclyde. OceanGate Expeditions chief executive Stockton Rush, 61, began his career as a pilot, becoming the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world at the age of 19. Stockton Rush (OceanGate) He served on the Museum of Flights Board of Trustees, the board of enterprise software company Entomo and as chairman of Remote Control Technology and founded OceanGate in 2009. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police in Canada announced on Saturday that they are considering a criminal investigation over the deaths of five men in the Oceangate submersible implosion. Superintendent Kent Osmond of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Newfoundland and Labrador said law enforcement were in the early stages of the probe. Follow the latest updates on the Titanic sub disaster Following the US Coast Guards announcement earlier this week that debris from the submersible was located and all five on board were presumed dead, we will now look at the circumstances that led to those deaths, Mr Osmond said, at a press conference. Such an investigation will proceed only if our examination of the circumstances indicate criminal, federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken. Mr Osmond said the initial team of investigators would look into whether a full investigation is warranted or not. Superintendent Osmond said there was no suspicion of criminal activity per se but the team would assess if that is an option. In addition to the RCMPs efforts, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), and the US Coast Guard are conducting investigations. Other authorities could be involved in separate or joint investigations as the submersible implosion involved a number of different countries. Canadian, French and British authorities assisted the US Coast Guard in a search and rescue mission for four days after the OceanGate Expeditions submersible, named Titan, went missing last Sunday. The submersible lost contact an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the Titanic wreckage (PA Media) Titan lost contact with its mothership, the Canadian vessel Polar Prince, around an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the ocean floor to see the Titanic wreckage. The vessel imploded, killing all five passengers on board, the US Coast Guard announced after days of searching. OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush; French diver Paul-Henri Nargeloet; British adventurer Hamish Harding, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, were all killed. The RCMP said they will provide an update after determining whether to launch an investigation, according to a statement. The police chief did not indicate a timeline. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One the night of Saturday 17 June, billionaire explorer Hamish Harding took to Instagram to reveal he was among the crew of a submersible vessel on their way to explore the Titanic wreckage. I am proud to finally announce that I joined OceanGate Expeditions for their RMS TITANIC Mission as a mission specialist on the sub going down to the Titanic, Mr Harding wrote. Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow. Mr Harding said the five-member crew, which included French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, had set sail from St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, on Friday. They were planning to start their 4,000m descent to the most famous shipwreck in the world at 4am on Sunday morning. Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do, he said. About 105 minutes into the trip, the Tital submersible stopped communicating with its mothership. But just five days later, it would be confirmed that the submarine suffered a catastrophic implosion and all five people on board were confirmed to have died. Hamish Harding posted about his plans to travel to see the Titanic wreckage two days before the sub went missing (Facebook/Hamish Harding) Heres a timeline of the horror ordeal: Sunday (18 June) The Polar Prince icebreaker sailed around 900 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, where it set anchor. The five-person crew was dropped into the ocean in their 22-foot long submersible vessel, the Titan, around 8am EST the submersible was launched, according to the US Coast Guard One hour and 45 minutes later, the vessel lost contact with the Polar Prince. The vessel was programmed to send out a ping every 15 minutes to indicate its location. The final signal was sent at around 10am ET, according to The Times. The Titan typically takes around two hours to reach the Titanic wreckage, located about 4,000m beneath the ocean. The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic (PA Media) According to the Coast Guard, the sub was meant to surface at 3pm EST. When it failed to resurface, the crew raised the alarm with authorities at 5.40pm EST. At a press conference in Boston, Captain Jamie Frederick, of the US Coast Guard, said: On Sunday, the co-ordination command centre in Boston received a report from the Canadian expedition vessel Polar Prince of an overdue 21 foot submarine, Titan, with five people on board. The Titan was attempting to dive on the wreck of the Titanic, approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod and 400 miles south of St Johns, Newfoundland. Approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the scheduled dive, the Polar Prince lost all communication with the Titan, Polar Prince conducted an initial search and then requested Coast Guard assistance. The US Coast Guard in Boston assumed the responsibility of search-and-rescue mission coordinator and immediately launched search assets. Since Sunday, the Coast Guard has coordinated search efforts with the US and Canadian Coast Guard, Air National Guard aircraft and the Polar Prince (the Titans mother ship), which has searched a combined 7,600 square miles, an area larger than the state of Connecticut. The vessel was carrying enough oxygen for the crew for 96 hours making the rescue mission a race against time to reach the vessel. The divers failed to return from a 4,000m deep dive to the Titanic wreckage (Atlantic Productions, PA) (PA Media) Monday (19 June) On Monday morning, authorities revealed the Titan was missing and a large-scale search operation had been launched. The US Coast Guard revealed they had begun a sweeping search of a 5,000sqm area about 900 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Canadian Coast Guard said it too is taking part in the effort with fixed-wing aircraft and a ship. At 1.30pm, the US Coastguards Northeast tweeted that a C-130 Hercules reconnaissance aircraft had been dispatched to search for the Titan. P8 Poseidon aircraft with underwater sonar capabilities joined the search on Monday afternoon. A US Navy Curv-21, an unmanned submersible vessel that can reach a depth of 20,000 feet, is being used in the search for the missing Titanic wreck vessel (US Navy) It is a remote area and it is a challenge to conduct a search in that remote area but we are deploying all available assets to make sure we can locate the craft and rescue the people onboard, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters during a briefing at 4.30pm EST on Monday. Submersible craft including an unmanned US Navy Curv-21, which can reach a depth of 4,000m, also joined the search. The Polar Prince and 106 Rescue Wing continued to conduct surface searches throughout Monday evening. Tuesday (20 June) On Tuesday afternoon, OceanGate confirmed that its chief executive and founder Stockton Rush is aboard the submersible as a member of the crew. A Canadian Aircraft P3 Aurora joined the effort, as the search area expanded to 10,000sqm. During the press conference on Tuesday, Captain Frederick said there were around 40 to 41 hours of oxygen left on the submersible. He said that a unified command of multiple agencies had been formed to tackle the very complex problem of finding the vessel but so far this had not yielded any results. Captain Frederick said: Since Sunday, the Coast Guard has coordinated search efforts with the US and Canadian Coast Guard, Air National Guard aircraft and the Polar Prince (the Titans mother ship), which has searched a combined 7,600 square miles, an area larger than the state of Connecticut. These search efforts have focused on both surface, with C-130 aircraft searching by sight and with radar, and subsurface, with P-3 aircraft were able to drop and monitor sonar buoys. Captain Jamie Frederick told reporters that the complex search had not yet yielded any results (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) To date, those search efforts have not yielded any results. Captain Frederick was non-committal however when asked if there is any way to retrieve the submersible and save the five on board if it can be located. So, right now all of our efforts are focused on finding the sub, he said. What I will tell you is we have a group of our nations best experts in the unified command and if we get to that point, those experts will be looking at what the next course of action is. It is understood the King was being kept informed of the search efforts, as Shahzada Dawood was a long-time supporter of The Princes Trust International and The British Asian Trust, both of which are charities founded by Charles It was also reported that a Canadian aircraft had detected banging noises within the search area over the course of 30-minute intervals. Wednesday (21 June) According to internal e-mail updates sent to Department of Homeland Security leadership, the Canadian aircraft detected banging noises every 30 minutes. RCC Halifax launched a P8, Poseidon, which has underwater detection capabilities from the air, the e-mails read. Banging noises have been detected leading to renewed hope of finding the five passengers aboard the submersible (Reuters/Getty/WEF/OceanGate) The P8 deployed sonobuoys, which reported a contact in a position close to the distress position. The P8 heard banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes. Four hours later additional sonar was deployed and banging was still heard. The US Coast Guard on Wednesday morning said: Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area. As a result, ROV (remote operating vehicles) operations were relocated in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises. Those ROV searches have yielded negative results but continue. Additionally, the data from the P-3 aircraft has been shared with our U.S. Navy experts for further analysis which will be considered in future search plans. In an upbeat statement, President Richard Garriot de Cayeux of The Explorers Club said: There is cause for hope, that based on data from the field, we understand that likely signs of life have been detected at the site. They precisely understand the experienced personnel and tech we can help deploy We believe they are doing everything possible with all the resources they have. Mr Garriot de Cayeux said they were ready to provide the UK-based Magellans remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that is certified to travel as deep as 6,000 metres. In a press conference on Wednesday (21 June) afternoon, Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard assured people that authorities were doing everything possible to locate the missing vessel as the search intensified with more technology. Mr Frederick confirmed that the vessel had less than 24 hours of oxygen supply left. He also acknowledged that officials do not know if crews will be able to rescue the people on board even if they do manage to find the sub before the oxygen runs out. The first photo emerged of the Deep Energy rescue ship, which carries two remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) capable of operating to a depth of 3,000m, arriving at the search site on Wednesday. The John Cabot, which has side-scanning sonar capabilities, the Skandi Vinland and the Atlantic Merlin also arrived at the search site on Wednesday morning, the US Coast Guard said in a Twitter post. The Royal Canadian Navy also deployed HMCS Glace Bay, which carries a medical team specialising in dive medicine. Onboard the ship is a six-person mobile hyperbaric recompression chamber that can be used to treat or prevent decompression sickness. However, the French ship Atalante carrying the Victor 6,000 underwater (ROV) and winch the only one capable of reaching the Titanic wreck 4,000m under the ocean surface had a narrow window of time to conduct rescue operations as it only reached the search site on Wednesday night. Thursday (22 June) The air supply on the missing Titanic tourist submarine came down to its last hours, as rescue workers continued their increasingly desperate search for the five stranded passengers. A US Coast Guard spokesperson told The Independent they expect the vessel, named Titan, would run out of oxygen at 8am EDT, which is 1pm UK time, on Thursday. This estimated time is based on the number of hours of oxygen the craft had for the five people on board - 96 - and the time it submerged - 8am EDT, which is 1pm UK time, on Sunday. Soon after that deadline passed, officials announced a debris field had been found in the search area. Five crew members were later confirmed to have died after the Titanic tourist submarine suffered a catastrophic explosion. The US Coast Guard offered its deepest condolences to the families after the tail cone of the vessel was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreck. In a press conference, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. In a statement, OceanGate Expeditions said: These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the worlds oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. Asked what the prospects of recovering crew members were, Rear Admiral Mauger said: This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel. And so well continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I dont have an answer for prospects at this time. Rear Admiral Mauger also said there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises detected during the search and rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor. This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up, he said. 28 June The search for what remains of the Titan submersible and its passengers concluded, as human remains were found on the sea floor and debris from the vessel returned to dry land in Canada. Large pieces of wreckage from the Titan was seen being transported to St Johns harbour in Newfoundland on Wednesday by the Horizon Arctic ship, where they were unloaded by a crane. The Coast Guard announced just hours later that presumed human remains had been found on the sea floor. They will now be formally analysed. While the search has ended, investigations will continue for some time into what caused the catastrophic implosion of the sub, killing all five passengers on board. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch a live view of St Johns Harbor in Newfoundland, Canada, after five people aboard the missing Titan submersible died in a catastrophic implosion. OceanGate Expeditions founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were all aboard the vessel. An investigation into the incident will be carried out by the US Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board has said. The US Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a major marine casualty and will lead the investigation, they tweeted on Friday. The NTSB has joined the investigation and will contribute to their efforts. The USCG is handling all media inquiries related to this investigation. Canada, the UK and France could have taken a lead on the probe. The investigation comes as the US Coast Guard suggested that the bodies of the five passengers may never be recovered from the floor of the Atlantic. Close Titan submersible wreckage brought ashore after fatal implosion Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} OceanGate Expeditions, the company that launched the doomed Titan submersible trip to the wreckage of the Titanic, has ceased operations. A small message in the top-left corner of OceanGates website reads: OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations. The announcement comes a full two weeks after the submersible imploded while carrying five people, sparking an international search, rescue and recovery operation. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood all died in the implosion. The company has come under scrutiny in the weeks following the tragic accident as former employees, former passengers and experts in the industry have criticised OceanGate for embarking on a potentially dangerous trip in the questionably designed submersible. OceanGates decision to cease operations comes just after the companys former finance director claimed she quit after CEO Stockton Rush asked her to captain the Titan once he fired the crafts original chief pilot David Lochridge. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The US Coast Guard and Transportation Safety Board of Canada are leading investigations into the Titan submersible implosion this past week. The five-man crew on board the OceanGate Expeditions vessel died on the trip to the oceanfloor to view the wreckage of the Titanic, officials confirmed. Follow live coverage of the missing Titanic sub An ex-OceanGate employee, former passengers and submersible industry experts have said that there were warning signs over the subs safety. The US Coast Guard declared the incident a major marine casualty and will lead an investigation assisted by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), according to a statement tweeted on Friday. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada is also launching an investigation into the submersible implosion, according to a press release. The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline and rail transportation occurrences. A team of investigators was travelling to St Johns in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to collect information, conduct interviews and assess the incident, TSB said. It is unclear if other countries will join these investigations or carry out their own probes after a massive international operation to find the missing vessel. The four-day search and rescue effort ended on Thursday after the US Coast Guard announced they found debris from the Titan approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage. The debris included the submersibles pressure chamber, Rear Admiral John Mauger said. The Titan submersible (OceanGate Expeditions) Authorities initial statements have pointed to an implosion that would have instantly killed the five passengers - Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeloet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood. The US Coast Guard told The Independent that public updates on the investigation will be made on the Twitter account of the agencys First District. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The bodies of the five passengers aboard the Titanic sub that was lost in a catastrophic implosion near the wreck may never be recovered from the Atlantic, says the US Coast Guard. The pressure chamber of the OceanGate Titan was found among other debris, approximately 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor by a remote operated vehicle (ROV) on Thursday. This is an incredibly unforgiving environment out there on the sea floor. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic implosion of the vessel. We will continue to work and search the area down there but I dont have an answer on prospects at this time, said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here And he added: This is an incredibly complex operating environment on the sea floor over two miles beneath the surface. The Coast Guard says that ROVs will remain in place but that it will begin to pull back equipment over the next 48 hours. The Rear Admiral said that sonar buoys had been in the water for the past 72 hours and that they had not picked up any evidence of an implosion, suggesting that it had happened early on in the dive. The Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion (PA Media) Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood were lost along with CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding and renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Titan began its journey to the wreck site, which sits at a depth of 12,500ft in the Atlantic Ocean, on Sunday morning. About an hour and 45 minutes later, the Titan lost contact with its surface ship, the Polar Prince. The Titan was equipped with a four-day emergency oxygen supply. Officials say that a Canadian aircraft involved in the search detected intermittent banging noises from the vicinity of its last known location. Mr Dawood and his son, who are both British citizens, are part of a prominent Pakistani family, with investments in the countrys agriculture and industry sectors. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Justice Department asked a judge on Friday night to postpone until December the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump for retaining classified documents. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon earlier this week set an initial trial date of Aug. 14 for Trump, who faces 37 felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and obstructing Justice Department efforts to get them back. Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smiths team asked Cannon to reschedule the trial for Dec. 11. They said the delay was necessary because the case involves classified information and will require Trumps lawyers to obtain security clearances, a process that is underway. The Justice Department said this week that it has begun sharing with the Trump legal team evidence relevant to the case. But, they said in their Friday filing, Even with the prompt production the government has arranged, the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate. The Justice Department said Trumps lawyers do not object to pushing the trial date back. The judge will ultimately set the trial date. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A federal court temporarily haltedFloridas controversial restrictions on drag performances, warning the law was overbroad and could risk infringing on free speech rights. The SB1438 law, signed in May by Republican governor Ron DeSantis, is dangerously susceptible to standardless, overbroad enforcement which could sweep up substantial protected speech, US judge Gregory Presnell wrote in his ruling. Far from a neutral attempt to protect children, as its backers have sometimes claimed, the law is an admitted attempt to specifically suppress the speech of drag queen performers, Judge Presnell wrote. Drag queens ride on a float during the Stonewall Pride parade on June 17, 2023 in Wilton Manors, Florida (Getty Images) The governors office told Reuters the ruling was dead wrong. Of course its constitutional to prevent the sexualization of children by limiting access to adult live performances, spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said. The suit against the state comes from Hamburger Marys, a restaurant chain that features family-friendly drag performances. An Orlando franchise of the restaurant filed suit in May. It claimed the law, which levies criminal penalties at food establishment for admitting children to an adult live performance, would explicitly restrict or chill speech and expression protected by the First Amendment. This bill has nothing to do with children, and everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community, Hamburger Marys Orlando wrote in a Facebook post. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has made limiting the rights of LGBT+ people a key part of his agenda, signing bills that restrict gender-affirming care, protections for trans people in schools, and access to youth education on gender and sexuality. This month, courts struck down a Florida rule and statute banning Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare, and partially blocked a state law banning people under 18 from getting gender-affirming medicine. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Tennessee declared the states drag ban to be unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad. There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment, Judge Thomas Parker wrote. But there is a difference between material that is obscene in the vernacular, and material that is obscene under the law. Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit but not obscene speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps criminal trial over a stash of White House documents recovered from his home in an FBI raid may not take place until November. That was the request that Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith filed late Friday evening with judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the prosecution of the former president. ABC News first reported the filing, which cites the need for prosecutorial staff to obtain security clearances as one of the key reasons for their requested delay past the original trial date in August. A second motion requests that Ms Cannon prevent the release of a list of witnesses for the trial whom the Justice Department will seek Mr Trump be barred from contacting. Among other crimes, the ex-president is also charged with witness tampering, and has been ordered not to be in contact with one of his close aides Walt Nauta. The development means that any trial will likely begin after at least the initial GOP primary debate this summer and could very well continue through voting in early primary states next year. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts, and loudly decried what he calls a witch hunt against him. But senior officials from his own administration have undercut that defence, unwilling to propagate the fantasy that Mr Trump had the authority to retain classified documents that pertained to national defence or the baseless theory that the trove is somehow comparable to much smaller batches of presidential records recovered without resistance, unlike in Mr Trumps case from the homes of Mike Pence and Joe Biden. His allies have claimed without evidence that the Justice Department is coordinating with the White House on the case, and have held strong to the idea that their leader did nothing wrong. But new evidence obtained by news outlets indicates that Mr Trump even spoke to reporters about a document in his possession which he verbally acknowledged was still classified. Mr Smiths case exploded into view last year with the FBIs raid of Mar-a-Lago; now, it is one of more than a half dozen criminal and civil legal fights bearing down on the former president. Aside from being accused of violating the Espionage Act with his trove of allegedly stolen documents, Mr Trump is also accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York. In addition, the actions of the ex-president and his legal team are thought to be at the centre of a grand jury investigation in Georgia over the efforts to change the election results in that state. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} US President Joe Biden has been briefed and his administration is closely monitoring fast-moving developments in Russia as Vladimir Putin vowed decisive actions to suppress mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his armed rebellion. The president and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team on Saturday morning, according to a White House statement. Participants in the briefing included national security adviser Jake Sullivan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Llloyd Austin, chair of the Join Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, national intelligence director Avril Haines, CIA director William Burns, and UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Mr Biden also spoke with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French president Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the situation and affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, according to a White House readout of the call. The president and vice president will continue to be briefed throughout the day, according to the White House. We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments, according to a statement on Friday night from National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge. Prigozhin once a longtime ally of Putin is accused of treason for mounting what Russian officials have called an armed rebellion with his Wagner paramilitary group, fuelled by allegations that Russia failed to adequately support his forces in Ukraine. He also has accused Russias military leadership of striking against his forces. Mr Blinken also said on Saturday that he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and European Union officials to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia and will remain in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also has been briefed on the situation. Canadas Incident Response Group will meet on Saturday to discuss developments. Were in contact with our allies and will continue to monitor the situation closely, he announced on Saturday. Russian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation. In a televised address on Friday, Putin called Prigozhins maneuvers a stab in the back of our country and our people. The Wagner group was designated a transnational criminal organization by the US in January. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the group had an estimated 50,000 personnel inside Ukraine made up of 10,000 contractors and 40,000 people enlisted from Russian prisons. Wagners armed convoys have moved into Rostov-on-Don, the largest city in southern Russia and roughly 100km from the eastern Ukraine border. Rostov, with a population of roughly one million people, also houses Russias southern military district command and the 58th Combined Arms Army, currently engaged in major counteroffensive efforts against Ukraine. The governor of Russias Lipetsk province announced on Saturday that the group has now entered that region. Prigozhin also was among 13 Russians indicted by a federal grand jury for interfering in the US elections in 2016, allegedly using his Russia-based Internet Research Agency to wage information warfare with false social media accounts promoting bogus statements and messages that supported Donald Trump. He has denied wrongdoing but remains wanted by the FBI. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Former president Donald Trump referred to the armed rebellion in Russia as a big mess on Saturday as insurgent leader Yevgeny Prigozhin turned his Wagner paramilitary forces away from Moscow. A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse! Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. In a separate post, he appeared to invoke news of the latest threats in Russia to baselessly accuse President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of illegally collecting money from China and asserting that his rival will do about Russia whatever President Xi wants. He went on to claim that the latest assault provides an unthinkable opportunity for China to seize large portions of Russia. Mr Trumps rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential race also weighed in on the Wagner crisis which unfolded rapidly on Saturday. By the end of the day, Prigozhin had ordered his forces to halt their march towards Moscow in what Russian officials called an attempted coup. This is one more piece of evidence that Russia is likely a paper tiger, GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy alleged in an interview with Fox News. The idea that Russia has the capabilities that go for Poland or other parts of Western Europe looks increasingly farcical. Mr Ramaswamy said China remains a top threat and the US should remain focused on deterring Chinese aggression. He added that if elected president he would urge Russia to end its war in Ukraine on the condition that Russian President Vladmir Putin distance himself from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to Faith and Freedom Road to Majority attendees in Washington DC on Friday (Getty Images) Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, another long-shot candidate for the GOP nomination, called on the US to help Ukraine implement a no-fly zone to protect the country in the event of an outbreak of civil war in Russia. In complicated times when our adversaries are trying to displace us as a superpower, its common sense to defend the global order that has benefited us and to help our allies, he tweeted. Ukraine is not a territorial dispute and Vladimir Putin is a war criminal, he added. It shouldnt be hard to admit this. Even the villainous [Yevgeny] Prigozhin knows this. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, another long-shot candidate for the 2024 nomination, called on peace-loving people around the world to pray for the freedom-loving people of Russia. The next few days will be crucial, he wrote on Twitter. Please pray for God to protect the innocent. Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris along with cabinet officials and top national security officials were briefed on the crisis throughout the day, according to the White House. The president also spoke with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French president Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the situation and affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, according to a White House readout of the call. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Once a low-profile businessman who profitted from having Russian president Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin has moved into the global spotlight since the onset of Russias war in Ukraine. Now the owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, the mercenary force seen fighting some of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, most notably the drawn-out pursuit of Bakhmut, the 62-year-old has since stepped into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. On Friday 23 June, Mr Prigozhin finally escalated what had been months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war when he called for an armed uprising to oust Russias defence minister Prigozhin has repeatedly condemned Russias regular army leaders (AP) As his men occupied Rostov-on-Don and marched on Moscow, Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and demanding Mr Prigozhins arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat posed, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in the Russian capital, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Mr Prigozhin a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Mr Putin urged Russian civilians to join his march to justice and the situation remained extremely volatile throughout the following Saturday before peace talks, seemingly mediated by Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko, brought the standoff to a peaceful conclusion, with Mr Prigozhin agreeing to relocate to Belarus, only to subsequently return to his homeland. Details are still emerging about how exactly that played out and it has since emerged that the Mr Putin and Mr Prigozhin at the Kremlin five days after the aborted mutiny. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that a three-hour meeting had taken place on Thursday 29 June with 35 people in attendance, including Wagner unit commanders, who reiterated their loyalty to their leader. Putins chef Mr Prigozhin and Mr Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now known as St Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Mr Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years, by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterwards, he owned a hot dog stand and then a series of upmarket restaurants that attracted interest from Mr Putin. In his first term in office, the Russian leader took then-French president Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Mr Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. Mr Prigozhin shows Mr Putin his school lunch factory outside St Petersburg in 2010 (Sputnik/AFP/Getty) His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Mr Putin helped open Mr Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of pounds in contracts to provide meals to public schools. He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Mr Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for around 300m in defence ministry contracts. Mr Prigozhin reportedly has a net worth of $1 billion. Military connection The former catering entrepreneur also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Mr Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Mr Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles aainst Ukrainian forces. A poster of a Russian soldier with a slogan reading Glory to the heroes of Russia stands opposite the PMC Wagner Centre in St Petersburg (AFP/Getty) That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By May 2023, Wagner forces and Russian soldiers appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia, despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. Mr Prigozhins soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. Raging against Russias generals As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Mr Prigozhin increasingly raged against the Russian militarys top brass. In a video released by his team in May, Mr Prigozhin stood next to rows of bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. A bad actor in the US Mr Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US Treasury Department has since sanctioned Mr Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of Wagner. Masks showing the faces of Putin, Prigozhin and Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov on display at a souvenir shop in St Petersburg (AP) After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House called him a known bad actor and State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Mr Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. Avoiding challenges to Putin As Mr Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military had conducted the fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Mr Putin for his criticism of Moscows generals. Media reports at times suggested Mr Prigozhins influence over Mr Putin was growing and that he was hoping to be rewarded with a prominent political post, although some analysts felt this assessment of his ambitions was overstated. Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast, In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, he said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One year after the US Supreme Court revoked a constitutional right to abortion care, President Joe Biden warned Americans about Republican plans for a national ban and threats to contraception and birth control. The Supreme Courts conservative majority decision to overturn Roe v Wade triggered a wave of anti-abortion laws across the US. More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, have effectively outlawed most or all abortions with few, if any, exceptions. Womens March organisers and abortion rights advocacy groups rallied thousands of Americans in dozens of demonstrations held in cities across the US, hoping to build political momentum to combat anti-abortion candidates and secure federal protections for abortion care in 2024. Demonstrators in Washington DC marched to the Supreme Court. Marches for abortion rights have also joined Pride parades and Pride events, linking the fight for reproductive healthcare as part of a broader threat to civil liberties. Extreme and dangerous abortion bans across the US put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide, Mr Biden said in a statement on Saturday. State bans are just the beginning, he added. In a speech to abortion rights advocates in North Carolina on Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris said anti-abortion laws have sparked a healthcare crisis and chaos, confusion and fear among providers and pregnant patients an agenda that extremist anti-abortion lawmakers plan to take national, she said. Abortion rights supporters marched to the Supreme Court in Washington DC to mark the one-year anniversary of a decision to overturn Roe v Wade. (REUTERS) After the decision in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization last year, Republicans have said that the Supreme Court ruling merely left abortion restrictions up to states. But anti-abortion lawmakers, and candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, are pushing for a national ban that would also strike down state laws that protect and expand abortion access. Demonstrators in Washington DC rallied for abortion rights on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to end constitutional protections for abortion care. (AP) Congressional Republicans have passed several anti-abortion measures with national implications, and third-ranking House Republican Elise Stefanik has signalled that the party is preparing to introduce a ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Candidates vying for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 are mulling their proposals for national bans. Former vice president Mike Pence and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott have pledged support for a 15-week ban. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has outlawed abortion in his state at six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. Donald Trump, who has suggested that his main rival went too far with a six-week ban, also blamed Republicans poor outcomes in 2022 midterm elections on their anti-abortion platforms. In moves over the last year that have tested the limits of his presidency, Mr Biden issued a series of executive actions and memorandums to federal agencies to affirm access to abortion drugs and reproductive healthcare. The US Department of Justice also joined state and federal legal challenges to protect abortion access. Mr Bidens latest order directs federal agencies to find ways to ensure and expand access to birth control. Congressional Republicans have refused to back Democratic bills that would codify the right to contraception. In Nevada, the states Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, recently vetoed legislation that would guarantee a right to contraception access, a move that abortion rights advocates fear is a sign of similar actions to come. Mike Pence, among candidates vying for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, speaks to anti-abortion supporters in Washington DC on 24 June. (REUTERS) Republican officials are also supporting the legal battle from anti-abortion activists to revoke the federal governments approval of a widely-used abortion drug. That case is expected to land before the Supreme Court, where justices could deliver yet another ruling with massive consequences for abortion care. Congressional Republicans want to ban abortion nationwide, but go beyond that, by taking FDA-approved medication for terminating a pregnancy, off the market, and make it harder to obtain contraception, Mr Biden said in his statement. Their agenda is extreme, dangerous, and out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans. More than 60 per cent of Americans disagree with the decision in Dobbs, according to polling from NBC News. Recommended Where abortion laws stand in every state a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe That figure includes nearly 80 per cent of women aged 18-49; two-thirds of women who live in the suburbs; 60 per cent of independent voters; and one-third of all Republican voters. A record 69 per cent of Americans believe abortion should be legal within the first three months of pregnancy, according to a recent Gallup poll, marking an increase of at least 2 per cent in the last year. More than half of Americans believe abortion is morally acceptable a 10 per cent increase since 2001. A separate poll from USA Today/Suffolk University found that one in four Americans say states efforts to restrict abortion access have made them more supportive of abortion rights. The Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v Wade has also alarmed other civil rights groups who fear the conservative court could take aim at fundamental rights to privacy and constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law. In his concurring opinion, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court should revisit landmark cases involving the right to contraception, same-sex relationships and marriage equality. In remarks to abortion rights advocates on 23 June, Mr Biden said the Dobbs decision risks the broader rights of privacy for everyone. Thats because the fundamental right to privacy, which Roe recognized, has served as a basis for so many other rights that are ingrained in the fabric of our country: the right to make the best decisions for your health, the right to use birth control, Mr Biden added. Did you ever think wed be arguing about that? He singled out the opinion from Justice Thomas. These guys are serious, man. I said it when the decision came out, and people looked at me like I was exaggerating. But theyre not stopping here, Mr Biden said. Make no mistake, this election is about freedom on the ballot once again. The president also pointed to victories for abortion rights in Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan in the wake of the Dobbs ruling. I said at the time that I didnt think the Court or, for that matter, the Republican Party, who for decades have pushed their extreme agenda have a clue about the power of women in America, Mr Biden said in his remarks. I said they were about to find out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Kremlin has denied Vladimir Putin has fled Moscow by plane after claiming Russia is facing treason from members of the mutinous Wagner group. One of several planes that the Russian president uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time. Less than half an hour later, it went off radar about 150 kilometres from Putins official residence. Vladimir Putin warned Wagner rebels will be brought to justice (AP) Putin is working at the Kremlin, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian state news agency, Tass, when asked about reports of him travelling to the north-west, possibly St Petersburg. FlightRadar data reported that at 3.06pm that the plane disappeared from radars near the Tver region. Multiple other business jets have also departed the capital and instead headed to St Petersburg, according to reports. Deputy premier Denis Manturov, left Russia for Turkey on Saturday, according to multiple reports. It comes after Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed he and his troops had taken control of key sites in Rostov-on-Don, a major logistical hub, including an airfield. An audio message on the social media app Telegram detailed Prigozhins fighters had crossed the border and were ready to die in confrontation with those in their way. All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000, he said, after earlier accusing the Russian top brass of launching strikes against his men, he said. We are dying for the Russian people. Prigozhin later took to the Wagner Telegram channel to share a chilling message for the Russian president. Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him, he wrote. Soon we will have a new president. However, Putin was quick to double down on those working outside his regime and warned on Saturday morning of inevitable punishment for anyone dividing Russian society. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don (AFP via Getty Images) This is a criminal campaign. It is equivalent to armed mutiny, Putin said. Russia will defend itself and repel this move. We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens and our territorial integrity. In the face of those who are fighting on the front, this is a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia. Putin acknowledged the situation was very complicated and unfolding at speed. Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict, he said. These people will be brought to justice on behalf of our people. However, Prigozhin disputed these claims and instead said the president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of a tank while being deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don (REUTERS) We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it, Prigozhin said in an audio message. We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy, Prigozhin said. Wagner is a private paramilitary group run by Prigozhin who claims to have more than 25,000 fighters under his command. Its taking of Rostov is significant as the city serves as a main rear logistical hub for Russias invasion of Ukraine, particularly in the countrys east. The Wagner groups advance, which is edging towards Moscow at speed, comes after Prigozhin earlier accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in a series of explosive claims. The alleged attacks include the bombing of a training camp in Bakhmut, Ukraine, which killed dozens. Members of the group are believed to have made good ground from Rostov towards Moscow on Saturday, despite the cities being more than 1100km apart. Increased security measures have been introduced across the city and its famous Red Square has become blocked off by metal barriers. Moscow residents have also been warned to stay at home and have been told not to go to work on Monday. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Wagners armed rebellion dramatically called off its march towards Moscow on Saturday as it abandoned a coup that saw soldiers take control of the military headquarters in both Rostov and Voronezh. Rogue Russian mercenary fighters had their efforts labelled as treason by Vladimir Putin after the shock advance that began on Friday evening. The mutiny, called off when troops were just four hours from the Russian capital in a deal brokered by Belarus, marked one of the most explosive episodes in the countrys war saga to date. The move came after the groups leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in Bakhmut. Britains Ministry of Defence has called the instalment the most significant challenge to the Russian state in a series of events that are set to put the city firmly on the map. View more Rostov-on-Don, also known as simply Rostov, is the largest city in southern Russia and sits about 100km from the eastern Ukraine border. The population is about one million people and Rostov also houses Russias southern military district command and the 58th Combined Arms Army, which is currently engaged in major counteroffensive efforts against Ukraine. Rostov sits almost directly south of Moscow with approximately 1161 km separating the two cities. Despite the distance, a triumphant Prigozhin had said the Wagner fighters sights were firmly set on the Russian capital before the 11th hour- climb down to avoid blood being spilled. An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is seen on a street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Satuday (REUTERS) By Saturday afternoon, Wagner troops were inching closer to Moscow after claiming control of military headquarters in Voronezh, a city about halfway between Rostov and Moscow. Prigozhin has said his forces have been attacked by artillery and helicopters since he launched the rogue efforts. However, Putin said the Priogozhins armed mutiny amounted to treason and was a mortal blow to Russias troops. Wagners taking of Rostov is significant as the city serves as a main rear logistical hub for Russias invasion of Ukraine, particularly in the countrys east. Increased security measures have been introduced across the capital and its famous Red Square has become blocked off by metal barriers. In one video posted on Saturday morning, Prigozhin said he was at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov and demanded Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the countrys top general Valery Gerasimov come to meet him. We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops (GREY ZONE TELEGRAM, PRIGOZHIN PRESS SERVICE) Unless they come, well be here, well blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow. Prigozhin said in another video multiple military sites in Rostov, including the airfield, were under Wagners control. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Mutinous Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has turned his troops back from Moscow to avoid bloodshed in the Russian city. In an audio message, the rebellious mercenary group leader said his soldiers would return to their bases, in a dramatic U-turn just hours before they were expected to reach the city. He said he gave the order to turn back from their advance on Moscow, after earlier taking control of military bases in the cities of Rostov and Voronezh, because of the risk of blood being spilled. The announcement appeared to defuse a growing crisis as people in Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army, with residents told to stay at home and work cancelled on Monday. Putin calls Wagner mutiny 'stab in the back' of Russian troops It comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed Mr Prigozhin would face harsh consequences for what he described as a criminal campaign equivalent to armed mutiny. Mr Prigozhin said his men were just 120 miles from Moscow but he had decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. In his audio message on Saturday evening, Mr Prigozhin said: They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow. In this time we did not spill a single drop of our fighters blood. Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned. Wagners soldiers will return to their bases after Prigozhin halted their advance on Moscow hours before they reached the city (AFP via Getty Images) He did not say if the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust defence minister Sergei Shoigu in a bid to restore justice. The de-escalation of the crisis comes after the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Mr Putin, claimed he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after discussing the situation with Mr Putin. Mr Lukashenkos office said the Wagner boss had accepted his offer to halt the groups advance, saying that the proposed agreement would contain guarantees for the safety of Wagner troops. Mr Putin earlier said Russia would defend and repel the actions of Wagner forces, which he said were a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia. Wagner is a private paramilitary group run by Mr Prigozhin who claims to have more than 25,000 fighters under his command. Its capture of military sites in Rostov is significant because the city serves as a main rear logistical hub for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The groups advance comes after Mr Prigozhin accused Mr Putins army of bombing a training camp in Bakhmut, Ukraine, which killed dozens of his troops. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch a view of Moscow city centre on Saturday 24 June after Vladimir Putin has vowed to crush an armed mutiny from the Wagner mercenary group. The rebellion marks the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, according to UK defence officials. Mr Putin, the president of Russia, called the actions of the private military company a betrayal after its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to topple Moscows military leadership. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the UKs Ministry of Defence tweeted. Mr Putin, meanwhile, has promised to defend the people and Russia. He addressed the nation on Saturday morning after Mr Prigozhin claimed that his forces now control military facilities in Russias southern city Rostov-on-Don. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russia appears to have stepped back from the brink of a full-scale armed mutiny after the Wagner Group, one of the worlds most powerful private armies, halted a march on Moscow started by a vow for revenge. While the immediate threat seems to have been averted, the unprecedented attack on the Russian military establishment marks the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin in the 23 years he has ruled with an iron fist and the crisis is unlikely to just disappear just because the military convoy halted about 200km (125 miles) from the Russian capital. Earlier in an extraordinary day, a visibly angry Mr Putin made an emergency address to the nation railing against the attempted coup and said the very existence of the Russian state was at stake. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, he said, comparing the Wagner mutiny to the 1917 revolution that led to the collapse of imperial Russia. The source of his ire was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken leader of the Wagner mercenary group, who had vowed to avenge attacks he claimed were perpetrated by the Russian military against his men in eastern Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin vehemently denied accusations of treason and spent the day vowing to fight until the end. However, late on Saturday his band of mercenaries halted their march and would turn back to avoid shedding Russian blood in a deal broken by Belarusian president and Russias closest ally Alexander Lukashenko. Wagner paramilitary boss orders troops to turn back from Moscow In a day, we marched to nearly 200km outside of Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters, Mr Prigozhin said in audio messages shared to his Telegram channels. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. Thats why, understanding the responsibility of spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan. It was unclear on Saturday night exactly what the agreement to halt the Wagner convoy entailed. But the Kremlin later confirmed that neither Mr Prigozhin nor his troops would face criminal charges over the insurrection in a humiliating climbdown by Mr Putin who had earlier vowed revenge on those responsible. The Kremlin did not confirm Mr Prigozhins whereabouts but said he would be moved to Belarus, a close ally of Russia. In a day of dramatic developments: Moscows mayor urged all residents to stay in their homes Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in the capital enhancing security and restricting some movement Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner convoy There was confusion over Mr Putins whereabouts, with the Kremlin denying he had left the city in a plane A Wagner convoy makes their way towards Moscow along the M4 (Reuters) There were also unconfirmed reports that a number of Russian officials had left the capital, with suggestions that Denis Manturov, a deputy prime minister, may have flown to Turkey. The crisis ignited on Friday night when Mr Prigozhin, a former hotdog seller turned warlord, issued a string of expletive-riddled audio and video messages. He accused the top Russian military brass of bombing his camp in the eastern region of Donbas, lying about the motivations for invading Ukraine, and rampant corruption. As tensions mounted, Mr Putin responded by saying his former confidante was guilty of armed insurrection and treason and promised to punish those behind the stab in the back. Wagner paramilitary troops prepare to turn around from Moscow advance Wagner forces deployed along some of the toughest battle lines in Ukraine crossed back into Russia, captured the logistical hub of Rostov in the south, and then set off on a 1000km (620 miles) race to the capital. Videos shared on their channels purportedly showed a column of tanks mounted on armoured cars and an advanced Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system making its way north accompanied by as many as 5000 men, or a fifth of Wagners claimed total forces. Desperate to halt an advance, Russia's military fired on the column with helicopters, deployed tanks and even tore up key motorways with diggers according to videos posted online. Russian servicemen in central Moscow yesterday (AFP) We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Mr Prigozhin originally vowed. We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. The spectacular eruption of violence in Russia, came after searing tensions within the countrys top command since President Putin invaded Ukraine last February. Mr Prigozhin, once a shadowy figure who denied his role with private military companies, has fast become the most outspoken and powerful figure in Mr Putins war. His forces which first appeared in Russias initial invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014 were stationed in some of the bloodiest battlefields like Bakhmut. There he would frequently post videos criticising the Ministry of Defence and top Russian generals for poor battle plans or not providing enough ammunition. This claim, his former troops say, was a ruse to allow him to stockpile weapons he ultimately used in Russia on Saturday. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, a former Wagner soldier, who was stationed near Bakhmut in November but managed to escape to Europe with the help of dissidents, said Mr Prigozhin was a skilful manipulator. Yevgeny Prigozhin will be moved to Belarus but will not face criminal charges the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday night (AP) The soldier said he had gained so much power due to the war in Ukraine. Everyone should understand and realise that the regular army and those who serve in Wagner now are under the rule imposed by Prigozhin. He said that Mr Prigozhin ruled by fear in a dictatorial regime and so people remain loyal to survive. They are frightened [of] reprisal if they speak out or fail to follow orders, he said, asking to remain anonymous for his own security. He added that Mr Prigozhins hysterical statements and actions were aimed at garnering support and creating the image of a strong leader. Even to this day, some people continue to view him favourably, he added. In Ukraine, commanders, officials and foot soldiers watched with amusement, confusion and trepidation, at the events as they unfolded. The extraordinary disintegration of Russias top brass signalled an unprecedented opportunity on the battlefield, but many on the ground feared what forces were supporting Mr Prigozhin and the dangers of a President Putin backed into the corner. If Prigozhin starts destroying aeroplanes and helicopters and makes it to Moscow, it means a big deal, one Ukrainian intelligence source told The Independent. Wagner Group fighters in Rostov-on-Don (Reuters) He cant be doing this on his own, he must be supported by someone, some oligarch, someone who wants to remove Putin and put him in power. We dont know who that is, and that is worrying, the source added. President Zelensky said that Saturdays events showed the world that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Its complete chaos, he wrote on his Twitter account. There is complete absence of any predictability, he added urging the West to give more support to oust Russia from Ukrainian lands. Ukrainian soldiers said Ukraine made modest gains on Saturday as the situation in Russia disintegrated. Without a doubt, we will take advantage of this, as you will see in the near future, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesperson for the armed forces in the east, told The Independent. A Cheektowaga man was charged Friday with making a terroristic threat in connection with a bomb threat earlier in the week at the Edward A. Rath County Office Building. Bradley OHara, 42, was taken to Erie County Holding Center pending his arraignment on the felony charge, according to Erie County sheriff's deputies. OHara is accused of threatening to bomb the county building Wednesday morning. Bomb and explosives technicians with the Erie County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, along with members of the Erie County Sheriff's K9 Unit searched the building with negative results. The scene was turned over to detectives from the Sheriff's Investigative Services Division after the area was deemed safe for county employees and visitors to the building. Investigators identified OHara as a suspect and found him in custody of Cheektowaga police, who had arrested him in connection with an unrelated incident. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have been supported on the battlefield by tens of thousands of mercenaries from a shadowy group led by a businessman and longtime affiliate of president Vladimir Putin. The Wagner Group is a private military company under the control of Yevgeny Prigozhin that cut its teeth in deployments to Crimea and eastern Ukraines Donbas region in 2014 and has since dispatched troops to several conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, including the Syrian Civil War. In Russias invasion of Ukraine, Wagner has proved indispensable, but an apparent power struggle between the Kremlin and the outspoken Mr Prigozhin has led to the group having its wings clipped by Moscow. Yevgeny Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin on a tour around the formers food factory in 2010 (AP) The friction escalated to a crisis point on Friday, 23 June, when Mr Prigozhin accused his countrys defence ministry, Sergei Shoigu, of destroying his fighters and concocting lies to justify the invasion of Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin called for armed mutiny in an explosive rant on Telegram in which he vowed to stop the evil of the Kremlins top brass. The Wagner Groups leader did not go after Putin in his tirade, instead alleging that for more than a year and over 350,000 casualties into the war a large part of which Mr Prigozhins group is responsible for the Russian president had been deceived by Mr Shoigu. The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a Marshal, so that he could get a second Hero Star the war wasnt for demilitarising or de-Nazifying Ukraine. It was needed for an extra star, Mr Prigozhin said on Telegram, per the BBC. Moscows Interfax news agency reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Mr Putin has been briefed on the matter. The Kremlins Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal action against Mr Prigozhin and asked him to stop illegal actions, according to the Tass news agency. The defence ministry has issued a denial of the accusations, calling them an informational provocation. The warnings made by the Kremlin have not hindered Mr Prigozhins threats. In a new Telegram message, he warned that his forces had crossed the border from Ukraine and were ready to destroy anyone who stood in their way as they entered the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. However, as of late Friday, 24 June, there was no firm evidence that the Wagner Group was advancing on Rostov. Onlookers around the world were trying to determine whether Mr Prigozhins alleged mutiny offered a serious threat to the status quo in Moscow, athough many agreed that the open opposition and Mr Putins initial failure to address it publicly may serve to undermine the administration. Armoured vehicles are seen on a street of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia on 24 June, 2023 (REUTERS) Mr Prigozhin a 61-year-old ex-convict sometimes known as Putins chef because his catering business has hosted dinners for the Russian president and fed the Kremlins armed forces had denied all links with the group until September last year when he announced he was proud to be its founder. He said he founded Wagner to support Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas conflict. I cleaned the old weapons myself, sorted out the bulletproof vests myself and found specialists who could help me with this, Mr Prigozhin said. From that moment, on 1 May 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later came to be called the Wagner Battalion. Dmitry Utkin, a former Russian intelligence officer, is alleged to be a co-founder who remains near the top of the groups command. Since its formation, Wagner has been accused of committing human rights abuses in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Mali and Mozambique. The group is also believed to be working for the Burkina Faso government against an Islamist insurgency. Prior to admitting his involvement, Mr Prigozhin had a history of suing Russian and Western news outlets that alleged his ties to the group. His secretive stance was to protect the Wagner soldiers, he has claimed. Wagner fighters in a Soledar salt mine after Mr Prigozhin claimed to have taken the town (Telegram) Mr Prigozhin was finally forced to confess his links with Wagner as the group rose to prominence in the Ukraine conflict. British intelligence puts the number of Wagner troops active in Ukraine at 50,000, comprising a quarter of Russias total strength. War contractors are nothing new but military analysts say the Kremlin has been heavily reliant on Wagner due to the heavy losses incurred by official Russian forces during the war, along with difficulties in recruitment. The UKs Ministry of Defence (MoD) first reported that Wagner had been deployed in Ukraine on 28 March 2022, little over a month into the conflict after Russian losses had already begun to hamper the pace of the initial assault. Wagner has since then played significant roles in capturing towns such as Soledar, Popasna and Lysychansk offering relative operational competence while the Kremlin has been forced to repeatedly switch around command of its own forces in the face of losses. Graves of Wagner fighters in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya (Reuters) Mr Prigozhin has been at pains to claim victories for Wagner in Ukraine, sometimes putting him at odds with the Kremlin line. He has even accused Russias defence ministry of taking credit for Wagner successes. In the battle for Soledar, a small town subject to an intense assault as part of Russias still-ongoing campaign to take over the city of Bakhmut, Mr Prigozhin said his mercenaries had triumphed over Ukrainian forces days before the Kremlin said its own troops had done the same. Bakhmut is prized by Moscow as its capture would put Russian forces in a stronger position in the goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas. On 12 February, Mr Prigozhin said Wagner had taken the village of Krasna Hora near Bakhmut, making no mention of Russian forces as Moscow began to launch a major offensive targeting the Donetsk town along with several other frontline settlements. A picture released by Mr Prigozhins press service shows what it said were Wagner fighters at the entrance sign to the village of Krasna Hora (Reuters) Speculation has raged over Mr Prigozhins ambitions in Russian politics and there are signs that Mr Putin is sensitive to any potential challenges by his former cook. The Kremlin has moved to clip Mr Prigozhins wings, ordering him to halt his public criticism of the defence ministry while advising state media to stop mentioning him or Wagner by name. Mr Prigozhin has since confirmed that he had also been stripped of the right to recruit convicts from prisons a key feeding ground for Wagners ranks ceding the power back to the government for its own forces. Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser who maintains contacts in political circles, said the Russian government extracted a promise from Mr Prigozhin that he would not create his own political movement or join a parliamentary party unless asked to do so by officials. They are a little afraid of him and find him an inconvenient person, Mr Markov said. The group, formally PMC Wagner, recently moved its headquarters to an imposing glass high-rise in St Petersburg, which also acts as a technology centre and holds exhibits of advanced weaponry along grey corridors filled with camouflaged personnel. The Wagner Groups headquarters in St Petersburg (EPA) Unsettling accounts of life in the mercenary group have surfaced recently from former members including Andrei Medvedev, who sought asylum in Norway in January after deserting a Wagner regiment in Ukraine. The 26-year-old said sergeants were ruthless in their attempts to recruit new fighters. They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers, he alleged in an interview with CNN. They brought two prisoners who refused to go fight and they shot them in front of everyone and buried them right in the trenches that were dug by the trainees. The MoD said last July that Wagner was lowering recruitment standards to include formerly blacklisted individuals. Andrei Medvedev in Oslo after fleeing Wagner command (Reuters) Mr Medvedev claimed he joined Wagner as a volunteer after serving in the Russian military. He said Wagner fighters were often sent into battle with little direction. Two former Wagner fighters captured by Ukraine told CNN of devastating losses in assaults reminiscent of First World War charges. Recalling his first assault near the village of Bilohorivka in Luhansk, one said: There were 90 of us. Sixty died in that first assault, killed by mortar fire. A handful remained wounded. The other fighter said he was involved in a push for Lysychansk on the Luhansk-Donetsk border. The first steps into the forest were difficult because of all the landmines spread out. Out of 10 guys, seven were killed immediately, he said. The fight went on for five days, he said. There is no feeling attached to it. Just wave after wave. Four hundred [Wagner fighters] were brought there, and then more and more, all the time. Further evidence of brutality emerged on 14 February, as footage appeared to show a Russian convict who fought for Wagner being beaten to death with a sledgehammer after being accused of fleeing the war. The UKs opposition Labour Party is just the latest political organisation to demand the Wagner Group be classified as a terrorist organisation in response to its barbarous conduct in Ukraine and beyond. The group again made headlines in early March, following the one-year anniversary of the wars commencement, when Mr Prigozhin once more took to Telegram to undermine Moscow by warning that the entire Russian frontline in Ukraine would be in jeopardy if his soldiers are finally forced to retreat from Bakhmut amid ammunition hunger, seemingly a plea for more resources. If Wagner retreats from Bakhmut now, the whole front will collapse, he said in a four-minute video posted to the encrypted app. The situation will not be sweet for all military formations protecting Russian interests. If we retreat, then we will go down in history forever as people who have taken the main step towards losing the war. This is exactly the problem with ammunition hunger. His appeal came amid reports that Russian troops have been reduced to engaging in hand-to-hand combat with shovels due to the scarcity of weapons and bullets. The fighting has remained intense around Bakhmut for months, although local residents who have held on despite the considerable danger to their lives have finally fled as the Ukrainian militarys withdrawal began to look inevitable following a courageous fightback. But following Mr Prigozhins dismissal of Russias core justification for invading Ukraine and the repercussions his stance may have, the future of the Wagner Group and his role in the war are now uncertain. Close Crimean Bridge badly damaged after multiple blasts in early hours For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Russia is imposing restrictions on British diplomats, demanding they give five days notice before travelling further than 75 miles in retaliation against hostile actions. Moscow summoned senior diplomat Tom Dodd to its foreign ministry to tell him of the move on Thursday. He was also given a dressing down for Britains support of what the Kremlin deems Ukraines terrorist actions and for allegedly obstructing Russian diplomacy in the UK. British diplomats, apart from the ambassador and three other top officials, will have to give at least five days notice of travel outside the 75-mile free movement zone. The move came after MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore urged Russians angry at president Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine to spy for Britain. He told them our door is always open and we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end Elsewhere, Chinas consulate building in Odesa has been damaged in a Russian missile and drone attack, a Ukrainian official said. Regional governor Oleh Kiper posted a photograph showing the building with broken windows. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ukrainian forces are advancing in East Ukraine and have vowed to take advantage of an unfolding civil war in Russia, as Vladimir Putin faces an armed insurrection by the countrys most powerful mercenary group. In a direct threat to Putins authority, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, accused Moscows military of bombing his men and seized control of a key Russian city on Saturday morning. The outspoken leader of the worlds most infamous private army promised to march on the capital to get his revenge. In an unprecedented speech, Mr Putin called the act treason and said those who took the part of blackmail and terrorist method will suffer inevitable punishment. Ukrainian President Zelensky broke his silence to say it was another example of Russias full-scale weakness. Watching eagerly from across the frontlines, Ukrainian commanders, defence ministry officials and soldiers, told The Independent the country was maximising the extraordinary implosion of military leadership in Russia to push forward with their much-anticipated counter-offensive. Soldiers on the ground, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said overnight they had already advanced on the battle-ravaged Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donbas. Wagner forces have largely spearheaded Russias advance on the city which has been locked in a bloody stalemate that it earned the moniker of meat grinder. Without a doubt, we will take advantage of this, as you will see in the near future, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east, told The Independent, adding that Ukraine had long waited for Russias irregular reliance on mercenaries to backfire. We predicted this would happen sooner or later and would lead to a larger escalation, he continued. Prigozhin is a media mogul, he has a powerful troll factory, a network of telegram channels, and has bought military journalists. All this is seen by [Russias] military personnel, and it demoralises them. We will definitely take advantage of the enemy's confusion. Yuriy Sak, a top advisor to Ukraine's defence minister, told The Independent that the Ukrainian leadership was closely watching a real military coup. We have been saying for a long time that Russia is on the path to civil war and now we are seeing this unfold in real-time. But we are still focused on the frontlines, he added. We maximise every moment and every opportunity. This one is no exception." Soldiers on the ground told The Independent they had managed to take some streets in the east of the country and were pressing ahead Saturday afternoon. They spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to comment to the media. Russia Ukraine (PRIGOZHIN PRESS SERVICE) We are advancing in the Bakhmut direction, we have managed to take some streets and prisoners. And we will keep going, said one infantryman in the east. We had a productive night, said another. We can only take advantage of their confusion and seize certain parts of the front faster, a third soldier wrote. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush what he called an "armed mutiny" after Prigozhin and his private army seized control of Rostov-onDon Saturday early morning. The city, which is home to more than a million people, is close to the border with Ukraine and a key logistical hub for Russias invasion forces. Prigozhin, who has frequently lashed out Russias generals, vehemently denied betraying his country. In multiple audio messages shared online, he vowed to oust the countrys military leadership that he accused of bombing his men, rampant corruption and lying to Putin and to the country about their motivations behind launching a war in Ukraine. The former food vendor turned mercenary chief said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine. Russian officials announced an immediate state of emergency across swathes of the country and shut down roads from the south to the capital. Wagner chief accuses Moscow of lying to public about Ukraine But unverified videos later posted to Wagners telegram groups allegedly showed their forces already en route to Voronezh city, which lies on the main road to Moscow. They claimed Russian servicemen lay down their arms in Wagner's wake. Other videos shared to Telegram groups associated with Russias security apparatus appeared to show multiple explosions in the Voronezh region, including an oil depot on fire. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland - [President Putin] was deeply mistaken, Prizhochin said in his latest audio clip shared online. We are patriots of our country, we fought and are fighting. No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the [intelligence] or anyone else, he vowed. President Zelensky meanwhile said that Russias weakness is obvious, in comments posted to Twitter. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself," he continued. The longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. British defence officials said that Russia was facing the greatest challenge in recent times Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday urged all parties in Russia to protect civilians. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Eleven people were injured after a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kongs international airport was forced to abort takeoff and evacuate its passengers due to a technical issue. The incident took place a little after midnight on Saturday, when flight CX880 bound for Los Angeles was carrying 17 crew and 293 passengers. It performed an aborted takeoff in accordance with standard procedures after a technical issue was detected by the crew, Cathay Pacific said in a statement. While the airline gave no details of the problem, one of the planes tires had overheated, causing it to burst, reported public broadcaster RTHK, citing police. The injuries occurred during a precautionary passenger evacuation that was initiated, in which those on board used five escape slides to exit the plane, the airline said. We understand that 11 passengers are being treated at the hospital with injuries sustained during the evacuation process, Cathay Pacific said. Our priority is to look after all affected passengers and crew. Nine of the eleven passengers who received treatment at hospitals have been discharged, the airline said later. Our colleagues will continue to provide support to the two hospitalised passengers and their families. Local actress Selena Lee Sze-wa, who was onboard at the time, shared her experience in an Instagram post. First time being evacuated from an airplane, but extremely grateful that no one was seriously hurt. Thank you to everyone who worked hard in keeping us passengers safe, she captioned the post. Everyone was so frightened. When the captain and flight attendants told us to evacuate, everyone was nervous, screaming, and things became chaotic, Ms Lee said in a video she uploaded, according to a translation by the South China Morning Post. It also made me shake and I was so scared. Slides were coming out, everyone had to slide down and most people got scratched. Using a different aircraft, the flight departed for Los Angeles at 10.12am, carrying 283 passengers. Additional reporting by agencies A nine-year-old from Texas who was bullied for attending career day as a police officer was given a special welcome and tour of New York City by the NYPD on Friday 23 June. Michael Martinez took a trip to the famous city and received a heros welcome from cops. The child, who has cerebral palsy, was pushed from his wheelchair by another student after dressing as a police officer on career day. During his visit to New York, he also met Mayor Eric Adams and a number of police dogs. Senior Russian military officers have urged Wagner contractors to stop their efforts for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defence minister. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, told the Wagner forces to obey the will of Vladimir Putin and stop any move against the army. We mustnt play into the enemys hands in this difficult moment for the country, he said, gripping a gun. Another top military officer, Vladimir Alexeyev, denounced Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhins move as madness and threatened to unleash a civil war in Russia. If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. Humza Yousafs speech at the SNP independence convention was disrupted by a former patient of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Professor Sam Eljamel. The woman was heard calling for a public inquiry into the Dundee surgeon, who harmed dozens of patients before he removed himself from the GMC register in 2013. Scotlands first minister was heard saying lets not boo before stepping off stage to console the distressed woman. Look at me, look what hes done to me, she then says, as she stands face-to-face with Mr Yousaf, adding that sometimes she wants to just give up. Youre the only one that can give me a public inquiry. Footage shows a number of ships returning to St Johns harbour in Newfoundland, Canada, after assisting with efforts to recover the Titan submersible. An investigation into the catastrophic implosion that killed all five men on board the missing vessel will be carried out by the US Coast Guard, which also suggested the bodies of the passengers may never be recovered from the Atlantic. The pressure chamber of the OceanGate Titan was found among other debris, approximately 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor on Thursday 22 June. Just as Boris Johnson heads off to the comfortable pasture of light essay writing, one of his more significant legacies has returned to the front of the political stage. It was under the former prime minister that the United Kingdom adopted a forward posture in support of the people in Ukraine in their struggle against Vladimir Putins aggression. Morally, this was the right stance to take, although The Independent urged tact and caution in dealing with the leader of a regime with enough nuclear weapons to destroy humanity especially as that leader seems increasingly under the sway of mystical beliefs in a greater Russia extending over all the territories of the former Soviet Union. Rishi Sunak has wisely stood by our national commitment to the cause of Ukrainian self-determination, reinforced by a cross-party consensus in the House of Commons. He tends not to use such extravagant rhetoric as Mr Johnson, but that may be for the better. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of the most astonishing episodes in modern history is unfolding by the hour as Russia appears to be on the precipice of civil war. Artillery and airstrikes rain down on the countrys own forces, and the fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin appear to be marching on Moscow. Although the immediate sense of danger for the Vladimir Putin regime eased as the Wagner Group leader halted his advance on Saturday night. Vladimir Putin gave an emergency televised address after the Wagner mercenary group occupied the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which has acted as a base of operations for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The president spoke of the bitter strife following the revolution in 1917, when Russians were killing Russians, and warned that his country was facing the toughest battle for its future, it is a question of Russias millennial history. In a night and morning of constant twists and turns Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict and former ally of the president, appeared in Rostov and demanded that the Russian military high command, Putins bete noire defence minister Sergei Shoigu, and military chief Valery Gerasimov attend to him. Failure to do so, said Putins Chef (the nickname from the many government catering contracts Prigozhin was awarded), would mean he and his tanks would head for Moscow. Hours later there were reports that Wagner fighters had taken over Voronezh, just 500 miles from the capital. Russian warplanes, according to a number of monitoring sites, have been carrying out airstrikes on the A4 highway. The reports cannot be independently verified. A counter-terrorism regime was reported to have been enforced in Moscow and surrounding districts with units of Spetsnaz, special forces, FSBs Alpha Force, the National Guard and Rosgvardiya (a force Prigozhin has appealed to join him) sent to protect the routes to Moscow. Wagners offices in St Petersburg, as well as Prigozhin-linked properties, were raided by Russian police. Little of the groups operational planning for Ukraine was carried out from there. But there could, say security officials, be details of the companys highly lucrative business ventures, including billions of dollars in gold and other mining operations in Africa. Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes continued in Ukraine with a number of cities, including Kyiv, being hit. But the disarray and division in Russian ranks should now provide a massive boost to the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which had, hitherto, been making little progress. Yevgeny Prigozhin (centre) speaking with Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev (right) and Russian defence deputy minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov (left) (TELEGRAM / @razgruzka_vagnera/AF) Putins invasion, which sought to occupy Ukraine in a matter of days and impose regime change on Kyiv, has ended up threatening the power structure in the Kremlin. As of now, the chances of a Russian victory seem to be remote. The 1905 revolution in Russia began after another failed war, against Japan, and although the chances of something on that scale may still be unlikely, some of the Kremlins exiled opponents were dreaming of a victorious return. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an anti-Kremlin figure and former oil tycoon, urged Russians to support the Wagner Group, We need to help now; and then, if necessary, we will fight this one, too, he said. He added that it was important to back even the devil if he decided to take on the Kremlin. And yes, this is just the beginning. A member of Wagner Group stands guard in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don (AFP via Getty) Russian exiled militia, supported by Ukrainian forces, have been carrying out cross-border raids for some months now. They were waiting, they said, for orders to carry out major operations. Nicolai Koznetsov, a member of the Freedom for Russia Legion, wanted to stress the following: We have been saying for a long time about anger in the [Russian] military, not just Wagner, but other units. We are going to see this now spread very quickly, just watch. A lot of the army will not oppose Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a message on Telegram on Saturday morning declaring that he and his fighters were prepared to sacrifice themselves for the country. All of us are ready to die, all 25,000, and then another 25,000, we will do so for the Russian people. More than 80 per cent of Wagners fighters in Ukraine, it is estimated, are convicts who have been recruited in a prison amnesty and it is unclear whether they would indeed be prepared to sacrifice themselves in a war in which the odds numerically and in terms of weaponry are stacked against them. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on 8 April 2023 (AP) For the time being, holding Rostov gives Prigozhin enormous leverage. The city, just 60 miles from the Ukrainian border, is the base of Russias southern military district command, and the 58th Combined Arms Army facing the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Wagner is controlling the airport from where, Prigozhin has claimed, Russian warplanes have been attacking his fighters on orders of Shoigu. He announced that we took [the airport] under control so that attack aviation did not strike us, but strike Ukrainians. He also insisted that his fighters would not interfere with the conduct of the war. How long will he maintain that position? According to recently leaked Pentagon papers, Prigozhin was prepared to reveal troop and ammunition positions in return for the Ukrainians ending assaults on his mercenary fighters and withdraw from Bakhmut, the Donbas town which has been turned into a charnel house after months of savage fighting. Volodymyr Zelenskys government, according to the documents, distrusted and turned down the offer. The US administration, when made aware of the proposed deal, had also urged caution. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of GUR, the Ukrainian military intelligence service, who allegedly held the talks with Prigozhin, has refused to comment. Prigozhin is now in the centre of the arena. What he does, and what happens to him, will play an important role in not just the Ukraine war, but whether there really is a civil war in Russia. The Buffalo Common Councils longest-serving member faces a tough challenge from a longtime schoolteacher in Tuesdays Democratic primary for the North District seat. Joseph Golombek Jr. has been on the Council for 24 years and hasnt had a challenger in a primary election since 2011. I would argue that I know my district better than anybody in City Hall or anywhere else, Golombek said. Eve Shippens, a Buffalo Public Schools teacher for the past 22 years, is a first-time candidate for public office running against him. On the Council, Golombek usually supports Mayor Byron Brown. Shippens was an India Walton campaign staffer during Waltons bid to unseat Brown in 2021. Shippens also served as Jennifer Mecozzis campaign manager for all three of her successful runs for the Buffalo School Board. Shippens campaign has raised $29,869 since the beginning of November, according to campaign finance records. Seventy-eight percent of her contributions came from donors with Buffalo mailing addresses. Her biggest contributors include the Buffalo Teachers Federation, the progressive group Our City Action Buffalo and the Womens Tap Fund, which supports pro-choice women running for office. Since she entered the race, Shippens has raised a few thousand dollars more than Golombek. Golombeks campaign has raised a total of $52,349 in the past 3 years, with $27,561 coming since the beginning of November. Fifty-seven percent of his contributions came from donors with Buffalo mailing addresses and 29% were small-dollar donations where the donors were not identified. Golombeks biggest supporters include Buffalo Fresh 2 Inc., a Riverside market; Zumbino Concrete Construction; the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association; and the Independent Taxi Association. The North District is roughly bounded by Kenmore Avenue to the north, the Scajaquada Expressway in the south, Delaware Avenue on the east and the Niagara River in the west. Its home to the Black Rock and Riverside neighborhoods and includes one of the citys poorest ZIP codes, 14207, where the median household income is about $27,000. Early voting continues through Saturday ahead of the June 27 primary elections. No matter who wins the Democratic primary, Golombek will be on the November ballot in the general election as a Conservative candidate and Shippens will be on the November ballot as a Working Families candidate. Safe and affordable housing Shippens, who lives in the Grant-Amherst neighborhood and is a science teacher at East Community High School, said her main priorities will be to address healthy, affordable housing and get resources and information out to constituents. People cannot keep up with rent increases in the district, and the problem should be addressed by looking at some of the causes, said Shippens, 51. Im very much into finding common ground on these issues because we do know our taxes are going up. The cost of home improvement is going up, so property owners will pass that onto tenants, she said. But we also see that even in houses that have no improvements being made, theyre still keeping up with market rate. There are people who are living in unhealthy, unsafe housing and their landlords are still increasing the rents. About 40% of residents, whether they are homeowners or renters, are spending more than a third of their income on housing, which is the definition of not affordable housing, she said. If elected, she will champion the passage of a tenants bill of rights. She said the bill should require landlords to provide the city with contact information for a local property representative in case there are problems, such as tenants actively using and selling drugs, Shippens said. There are a lot of things in the tenants bill of rights that just dont benefit the actual tenant but benefit everyone on that block like making sure that the houses are up to code, she said. There needs to be an easier process to report problem properties, she said. Shippens also said she would push for passage of the Good Cause Eviction Bill in Albany and work to have the city opt into it. People are being evicted just so landlords could raise the rent, Shippens said. Good cause eviction is grounded in you have to have a reason to evict someone, which there are lots of reasons, like they have to be good tenants. Theyre paying their rents on time. Theyre maintaining the property the way a tenant should. Theyre not destroying things, and theyre not engaging in criminal activity out of the locations. Its not like Good Cause Eviction means you have to keep a tenant whos destroying your property and not paying for it. Resources to families There are a lot of resources in the community that are underutilized because of a lack of information about these programs, Shippens said, referencing lead paint to underscore her point. We have housing programs for lead abatement through the county that is just not being utilized enough. I think that if more property owners really understood the benefits of using this, wed all benefit from making sure that our houses are safer as far as lead goes, she said. Theres an educational component of it that is not going out to the community enough as far as the risks of lead-based paint and lead in the water and what we can do about it. She would work to complete an inventory of programs to create a database for the public. Monthly districtwide stakeholder meetings would help, too, she said. Community meetings with developers One of the accomplishments Golombek, a Riverside resident who usually supports Mayor Brown, is most proud of is community meetings he has hosted with residents and developers on development projects. The developers all know they have to meet with the community, he said. From day one, I have always had a community meeting in the neighborhood with the developer. Whenever theres a developer coming in, I will invite the immediate neighbors with personal invite and we make sure its on social media, in the local newspaper so that we get the message out that well be meeting on such and such a development, he said. There are 10 or more developments happening in the district between last year, this year and next year, he said, referring to a Clayton Street project as an example of developers and the community working together. Originally, the developer wanted to do 66 units, a three-floor development, Golombek said. The community said we dont support such a big development, and I put together a small working committee, and we came up with a compromise of two floors and 44 units. The developer said how about two floors, 48 units and we agreed to that. Covid vaccine clinic and grocery store Another accomplishment Golombek cited was the push to get a Covid pop-up vaccine clinic in his district in 2021 at a time when residents living primarily in Black Rock and Riverside neighborhoods had the lowest percentage of one-dose vaccine. It was the second or third highest (community) hit with Covid, Golombek said. And when New York announced it would have pop-up vaccine centers, they completely skipped my neighborhood. And I immediately went into full gear. You will not forget my district because we have been decimated with the Covid bug. He received support from Brown as well as state and county officials, and we were able to get the pop-up immunization center at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center, he said. He also said he helped get a grocery store in Riverside. In Riverside, in order to get to a grocery store you had to either take the bus or walk at least one mile to Tops on Elmwood (Avenue) or a mile and a half to Tops or Wegmans on Amherst Street. Buffalo Fresh opened up a location on Ontario Street, right in the middle of Riverside, Golombek said. At 10am this morning, Moscow time, Vladimir Putin went on Russian state television with a recorded message that few, including the president himself, can ever have imagined him delivering. I am appealing to the citizens of Russia, to the armed forces, to the institutions of law enforcement, to the special services, to the soldiers and commanders who are currently fighting on the front line... Im appealing also to those who have been drawn into... such a serious crime as armed rebellion. Peppering his short speech with words like revolt, betrayal and treason, he conceded that a part of his country and not just any part, but the nerve centre for military operations in Ukraine at Rostov-on-Don was out of Moscows control and answering to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder and commander of the mercenary Wagner Group. Growth fuelled at family-owned firm by drive for energy efficient products The main business of Glen Dimplex, the Irish-headquartered heating, cooling and appliance giant, nearly quadrupled its profits last year as the company substantially concluded a period of restructuring. Newly filed accounts for Glen Dimplex European Holdings, which makes up about 60pc of group operations, showed the business made a profit of 42.8m in the year to September 30, 2022, up from just 11m in the previous year. Glen Dimplex increased turnover by just 4pc in the period to 944m, with growth coming mainly from the groups energy efficient heating and ventilation products, which are in high demand in the EU because of public policy initiatives. Encouragingly, the strong profit growth experienced in the 2021/22 financial year has continued into the early part of the 2022/23 financial year and the outlook remains positive driven by strong underlying demand trends, a supportive policy environment and fiscal supports for end users, the accounts stated. The company, which is owned by the Louth-based Naughton family, has been undergoing a transformation in recent years to focus more on sustainability and the electrification of energy, increasingly via smart tech. The shift has seen Glen Dimplex become very busy in terms of mergers, acquisitions and disposals, with the company an active buyer of heating and ventilation businesses. The firm sold the well-known consumer appliance business Morphy Richards to long-term Chinese manufacturing partner Xinbao for 185m. Glen Dimplex retained the rights to distribute the brand in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia for 10 years as part of the deal. The proceeds are expected to be recycled into future acquisitions as the firm goes on the hunt for more deals as economies move away from fossil fuels and towards more electric energy solutions. Last year Glen Dimplex acquired SmarterDM, a UK-based software company that specialises in systems to help hotels and other large businesses minimise their energy consumption and control heating The company also bought the remaining 30pc stake in the Muller Group, Glen Dimplexs French heating and ventilation business in which it has owned a 70pc stake since the late 1990s. It is also understood that Glen Dimplex Group has acquired Adax, a leading supplier of electric heating appliances in the Nordics for a price in the range of 30m-35m A spokesperson confirmed the transaction closed recently and supports the groups objective to be the leading player in Europe in electric resistive heating and a significant player in heat pumps. This acquisition provides Glen Dimplex with additional capability, a strong market position in the Nordic markets and supports our plans to be the number one player in European resistive heating, the spokesperson said. With some additional investment we believe this complementary business will give us increased capacity and options for heat pump development. We are also planning additional investment in our Irish, French, and German facilities as part of our broader European growth plans The RTE executive board is as follows: Richard Collins Chief Financial Officer A former director of finance at Dunnes Stores, Mr Collins joined RTE just before the Covid outbreak and has no responsibility for any arrangements entered into before 2020. Before joining Dunnes, he was the finance director at Superquinn where he oversaw integration into the Musgrave Group following the exit of Feargal Quinn and family. The RTE website says he has held a number of other senior financial roles, both in Ireland and abroad, with roles at Dell Computers and the Dublin Airport Authority, including others. He is a Trinity graduate and did postgraduate studies in accountancy at UCD, before training as an accountant with KPMG. Mr Collins revealed to the Public Accounts Committee at Leinster House that he is paid a base salary of 200,000 plus car allowance of 25,000. Initially, when he was asked him how much he was paid, Mr Collins declined to say, describing it is a private matter. He then added: I dont know what my exact salary is off the top of my head, Mr Collins said. This was met with fury from TDs. Mr Collins also revealed three of the controversial barter account expenses. He said 111,000 was spent in 2019 for travel and hotels to bring clients to the Rugby World Cup. He said 10-year IRFU tickets costing 138,000 were paid for, while 26,000 was spent on the Champions League final in 2019. Jim Jennings Director of Content Jim Jennings is a popular RTE lifer, with four decades of experience, having ascended from the bottom rung. He is particularly associated with the heyday of The Late Late Show, where he was an indispensable ally of long-term original host Gay Byrne. Educated at Belvedere College, where he graduated in 1981, he joined RTE Radio in 1985 after college, starting with current affairs on programmes such as Today at Five and The Pat Kenny Show. In 1989, he moved into television, where he eventually became executive producer of the Late Late before being appointed managing director of RTE Radio in 2013. He is currently director of content. Deirdre McCarthy Managing Director, News & Current Affairs Deirdre McCarthy, also from Cork, is the first woman to be appointed managing director of news & current affairs, having been acting in the role following the departure of Jon Williams for his native UK. She studied at University College Cork, taking a degree in History and Economics. Moving into political coverage, she earned a masters in this field at UCD. Interestingly, in the current climate, she also holds a postgraduate diploma in Conflict & Dispute Resolution from Trinity College Dublin. She oversaw coverage of the filling station explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal, that was widely praised for its sensitivity, and also coverage of the death last year of Queen Elizabeth II. Richard Waghorn Director of Operations & Technology Richard Waghorn joined RTE in February 2012 as chief technology officer (CTO). He previously worked in this role with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and has been dealing with widespread complaints about poor functionality of the RTE Player and other offerings. He was responsible for leading the broadcasters migration from analogue to digital television. Mr Waghorn studied spent 10 years with the BBC, leading preparations for the digital switchover, including the Freeview platform. Geraldine OLeary Director of Commercial Ms OLeary was named as a Media Hero by her industry peers in 2018, according to RTE. A graduate in Psychology from University College Cork, she has a long history of working in the advertising industry. Her stints include with agencies such as DDFH&B, Saatchi & Saatchi and Zenith Media. Ms OLeary joined RTE in 1997 as manager of television sales and was promoted to director of sales and marketing two years later. A marketing specialist, she became director of commercial in 2018, where has been leading a large team in attracting advertising revenues and in other ventures. She said she is due to retire in eight weeks time and will have a conversation with incoming Director General Kevin Bakhurst. Speaking before the Oireachtas Media Committee, Ms OLeary said she was not sure if her position was tenable. She said the scandal has affected her mental health and erroneous reports on Twitter and in newspapers have crossed the line. Ms OLeary defended some of the barter account expenses and argued the money spent on entertainment was for clients that generated millions. She defended the policy of bringing her husband on some RTE commercial events. "This is people selling to people, she argued. Adrian Lynch Channels & Marketing Previously channel controller for RTE One and RTE2, he is credited with drawing up exciting autumn schedules and turning their launch into a media event. A former managing director of the independent production company Animo, one of Irelands most successful, he joined RTE at the end of 2014. He has since overseen such successes as Dancing with the Stars, RTEs centenary coverage of the 1916 Rising, and award-winning documentaries. He is now interim deputy director-general as Kevin Bakhurst takes up the role as director general today. Appearing before TDs and senators at the Oireachtas Media Committee last week, Mr Lynch revealed that an unnamed staff member had the unapproved loan of a car for five years before handing it back in recent weeks. GAA commentator Marty Morrissey subsequently issued a statement about his use of a car in an arrangement he called an error of judgment. Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee at Leinster House.at the end of June, Mr Lynch also admitted it is possible a looming controversy around 75,000 payments influenced Ryan Tubridys decision to step down from the Late Late Show. EXPLAINER: What's the problem with Ryan Tubridy's RTE paycheque? Eimear Cusack Director Human Resources Over 10 years at RTE, Ms Cusack is in charge of all staff issues. She has a broad range of experience at senior levels across a range of organisations. Before moving to Montrose, she worked as head of human resources with telecoms company Ericsson, responsible for employees in both Britain and Ireland. Rory Coveney Director of Strategy A younger brother of Employment Minister Simon Coveney, he is a son of the late Hugh Coveney, another politician, and was said to be a further member of the jocularly dubbed Cork Mafia at the heart of Donnybrook. Mr Coveney resigned from his role last night with immediate effect. He has been with RTE since 2007. I met with Kevin [Bakhurst] over the past few days and told him I believed the tough job ahead of him would be made somewhat easier if he had a fresh lead team, he said. "Ive tendered my resignation immediately to give him the space to do that. Having worked with Kevin before, Ive absolute faith in him. Hes the right person to rebuild the national broadcaster. I wish him the very best. Twelve years ago, he became strategic adviser to the director general, with a focus on long-term planning and risk identification. Mr Coveney appeared before the Dails Media Committee recently where he was grilled by TDs and senators about the box office flop Toy Show the Musical which lost the national broadcaster 2.2m. Argos had been operating in the Republic of Ireland for 27 years All 30 remaining Argos stores in the country closed permanently at 5pm today. The retailers parent company Sainsburys announced in January that all Argos stores would close by June 24. In a statement, they said the decision was not made lightly. Argos had been operating in the Republic of Ireland for 27 years. It is anticipated around 500 staff will lose their jobs as a result of the permanent closure today. The business began the process of winding down Irish operations at the end of March, when customers could no longer pay for orders via the website or place orders via its home delivery service. "Argos will propose an enhanced redundancy package that goes well beyond its statutory obligations. The small number of colleagues not eligible for redundancy under Irish Law are expected to receive a one-off goodwill payment, the company said in a statement in January. "To further support colleagues, Argos has also committed to a programme of wider support over the coming months. Andy McClelland, Argos Ireland operations manager, said: We understand this is difficult news for our customers and colleagues. As with any major change to our business, we have not made this decision lightly and we are doing everything we can to support those impacted. On behalf of everyone at Argos I would like to thank our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners for their support to our business. Accounts for 2022 show the Irish arm of the retailer lost 13m last year, as revenue tumbled from 170m to 134m between March 2021 and March 2022. Three stores closed last year, costing the retailer an additional 2 million. A rainbow of colour filled the streets of Dublin on Saturday as thousands marched through the capital celebrating the 40th anniversary of the capitals Pride festival. OConnell street was at the centre of the celebrations, with thousands marching among a carnival of flags, banners and feathers. The parade started at noon as the spectacle of colour spread through the capital, passing Custom House and making its way across the River Liffey towards Merrion Square, where a full-day festival was planned. Adorning the LGBTQ+ colours, people marching from every age and background were cheered on by a huge crowd watching from the sidelines. Celebrating her first Pride with her family, Vicky Halton was joined by her wife Niamh, four-year-old son Jamie and work colleagues. Its so nice for inclusivity, thats the most important thing that they can see, she said Tens of thousands of people attend the LGBTQ+ pride parade in Dublin This is our first time as a family. I was a little bit nervous in case there were people protesting and you dont want to expose him to that, but he doesnt see anything wrong with having two moms and its great to be here where everyone is to celebrate Pride and celebrate each other and love. As rainbow-clad friends and family came into view, people were seen running from the parade and embraced with hugs and kisses. Temperatures reached 25 degrees and stewards were on hand giving out water to those walking the 2km route in the heat. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was among those walking in the parade with other government ministers. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe attend the annual Pride parade in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Eddie McGuinness, Dublin Pride veteran, celebrated his 30th consecutive Pride wearing a custom made sparkling outfit which was a replica of his first Pride costume in 1993. It has taken me a month to make this outfit. Its the original design from my costume that I wore in 1993, he said. The 1993 decriminalisation was my first ever Pride. This is a celebration of who we are and what we are but most importantly its a protest because we still have to protest for the rights of all our community from trans, right across to diversity within our own community. Reflecting on his first Pride he said he was scared and intimidated, but today I celebrate and embrace who I am 30 years on. Couple of seven years David Hendren and Kevin Coughlin flew over from Florida in the US to celebrate Pride in Ireland. Its important to let the generation after us know that it is okay to be you and to prevent suicide by not accepting who you are, said Mr Coughlin. There are too many gay, youth suicides. Mr Hendren said the positivity of the Irish people towards the LGBTQ+ community attracted them to Dublin. Its more accepting and loving here than unfortunately in the States. We love seeing all the trans pride flags especially, he said. The colour of Dublin Pride celebrations Picture By David Conachy Podcast host PJ Kirby joined in on the march and told the Sunday Independent: Pride is about celebrating how far we have come but also make people aware of much there is still to do. It is intimidating, especially if you are questioning your sexuality, but pride is for everybody. Its good to be with a group because it can be intimidating if it is your first one. You can always take a break, you dont have to do everything in Pride. Be proud of yourself even if you just go to the parade. The Dublin Pride parade is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, as well as reaching a host of other milestones including 50 years since the first LGBTQ+ group was founded in Dublin in Trinity College and 30 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. Speaking prior to the parade, Jamie Kennedy, executive director at Dublin Pride, said the parade attracts between 60,000 to 80,000 people and is now a well-oiled machine. This year we have taken over both sides of OConnell Street, we are just that big now. We are a well-oiled machine at this stage so there are no radical changes. It takes the first people to walk it about 45 to 50 minutes. It's not a very long march but by the time its totally cleared it can take a few hours. People attend the annual Pride parade in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Reflecting on his first Pride, Mr Kennedy said the parade can seem very daunting but its one of the most enlightening and magical experiences you will have because you have your whole community celebrating with you, as well as that you have the whole of Dublin City cheering you on. It's a great day and anyone I know who has ever done it for the first time, the adrenaline kicks in and they are really eager to do it again. Phil T Gorgeous is an Irish drag king who can be found performing at The George on Monday nights as one of the hosts of Win, Lose, or Drag. The show features drag performances from Phil and their fellow performers as well as games in which members of the audience are invited on stage to perform tasks. Think RuPaul's Drag Race meets Taskmaster. Phil sat down before the show to explain what drag kinging is. "A drag king is essentially the opposite of a drag queen in its bare bones analysis, and effectively is a performer who presents themselves as a male or masc character," explains Phil. The earliest documentation of drag kings or male impersonators can be traced back as far as the Tang Dynasty in China between 618 to 907AD when women portrayed men on stage. "Drag kings have been around a very, very long time. But people haven't necessarily been aware of them," says Phil. However, Phil believes this is changing due to social media. Allowing drag performers to express themselves to more people than ever before. "I do think that drag kings are starting to find their time now. They're getting more and more visibility, which is wonderful to see. And I do think that COVID actually has a huge amount at play there because when lockdown started to hit across the world, people couldn't go to clubs, they couldn't make any money as performers. So, they took to the online platform." While drag kings are becoming more visible Phil says it can still be tough to be the "only owner of a womb in the drag room". "It felt quite isolating in that respect. Because you saw around you this massive culture that is fully celebrated and people would come in and would be massive fans of drag queens and then they would look at you and be like 'What the hell is that?'" With drag kinging becoming more well-known Phil has noticed a change in audiences' reactions: "Thankfully that dial has shifted over the years and people are more and more engaging and they really enjoy the drag king element of this." As Pride approaches Phil is looking forward to the "almost dizzying" atmosphere that will take over Dublin this weekend. "It is almost like an electrical charge in the air," says Phil. "For me, Pride is and always has been an incredibly inclusive, joyful occasion. Obviously, it's intended to draw much-needed attention to LGBTQ matters and issues. The speeches are always incredible and the energy in the streets and at the main stage is always so vibrant and so heady." Phil also feels that Pride is an important time for younger members of the LGBTIQA+ community to enjoy themselves and express who they are. "Getting to see them at Pride genuinely brings me to tears every year because I've been hosting on the main stage for over a decade now and they always clamour to the front, it's like they were at a concert. So excited and so full of joy!" says Phil. "That's the thing that strikes home the most for me above everything else." Review to take seven monthsNational broadcasters board admits being alerted to pay debacle by internal auditors in the same week as presenter announced shock departure from Late Late Show roleInterim deputy director general writes to staff to apologise Outgoing director general Dee Forbes suspendedStaff and management are fearful of what further damaging revelations will emerge RTE board chairperson Siun Ni Raghallaigh is greeted by the media as she arrives for a meeting with the arts minister at the Department of Arts on Kildare Street Arts Minister Catherine Martin has announced an external independent review of RTEs culture and governance amid the furore over extra undisclosed payments to top RTE star Ryan Tubridy over a number of years. And she paused any government decision on reform of the TV licence fee pending the outcome of the review, which will take seven months to complete. Following a meeting this afternoon with RTE board chairperson Siun Ni Raghallaigh at her departments offices in Dublin, Ms Martin issued a statement announcing the review of governance and culture at RTE. Ms Martin said: At the meeting, I reiterated to the Chair that what has transpired is shocking, and as evidenced by media coverage and public comment over the past number of days, it has caused untold damage to RTEs reputation and to public service broadcasting more generally. Dee Forbes and Ryan Tubridy I impressed upon the Chair that re-building trust and confidence is now paramount. This means ensuring complete transparency and clarity not only in terms of what has happened but also on how matters are dealt with in future. I expect that the Board of RTE will address these governance failings with thoroughness and urgency. She added: The Chair has provided me with greater clarity around the process which the Board has undertaken and the next steps, and I understand the external review commissioned by RTE to review the remuneration of the top 10 most highly paid presenters will be concluded within two weeks. Catherine Martin says RTE is nearly in an existential crisis Ms Martin continued that the revelations signal potential deeper challenges in the organisation. "I have therefore decided there needs to be an external review of governance and culture at RTE. The purpose of this review will be to determine what fundamental or systemic issues need to be addressed, including the adequacy of internal controls, she said. While as Minister I cannot get involved in the day to day operation of RTE, I do need assurance that the governance and culture is fit for purpose. Public trust in RTE must be rebuilt. Therefore, a Government decision on the future funding model for public service broadcasting has been paused until such time as this review is complete and the findings considered. My officials will develop Terms of Reference in this regard over the coming week, and I will expect the full co-operation of the RTE Board and senior executives in engaging with this review and in engaging with Oireachtas Committees in the coming period. Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Ms Ni Raghallaigh, Ms Martin said she expected the external review to take up to seven months. She said that trust had been "shattered" and that the situation is "nearly like an existential crisis for RTE". She said the "commercial side of things" needed to be examined thoroughly "in terms of presenters earnings". Asked if Tubridy should be allowed work for RTE again she said that was "outside her remit" under law. "It would be very difficult for me to express a personal view while I am minister for media but that is an operational matter for RTE and indeed a matter for the individual themselves," she said. Siun Ni Raghallaigh. Photo: David Conachy She said she hoped that the identity of the person or body to carry out the review and its terms of reference could be in place by the end of next week. Ms Martin did not rule out a judge or senior counsel heading up the inquiry. "It has to be done properly but I would hope in the next six months, seven months it could be concluded," she said. Ms Martin also called on suspended director general Dee Forbes to attend Oireachtas hearings over the scandal next week along with all other representatives who were asked. She said she did not know why Ms Forbes had been suspended. "There is a disciplinary process there and that's all I've been told in relation to the suspension," she said. Ms Martin said that the annual audited accounts of RTE were "always correct" but that what was stated about the top 10 earners in disclosures to the Oireachtas was incorrect. It comes as RTE staff and management are fearful of what further damaging revelations will emerge from multiple probes into the payment of the national broadcasters top stars. And last night it emerged the RTE board was told of the issue of payments to Ryan Tubridy in the same week as he announced his departure from The Late Late Show. Tubridy has apologised to his colleagues in RTE after it emerged he got 345,000 more in payments than was publicly declared by the station. In another dramatic day at the crisis-hit broadcaster yesterday, the suspension of RTE director-general Dee Forbes was belatedly announced. RTE board chair Siun Ni Raghallaigh was in the past days refusing to answer questions on the saga. She arrived for the meeting with Arts Minister Catherine Martin at 3pm this afternoon at the Department of Arts on Kildare Street in Dublin, with the minister taking questions from the press afterwards. EXPLAINER: What's the problem with Ryan Tubridy's RTE paycheque? Ms Ni Raghallaigh failed to mention the board had suspended Ms Forbes on Wednesday when she appeared on RTE on Thursday. Following the meeting, Ms Ni Raghallaigh issued a statement on behalf of the RTE board which said: Our priority is to ensure that public trust in corporate governance at RTE is restored. We take this responsibility very seriously. We will work closely with the forthcoming external review to ensure that these issues are rigorously examined, so that full confidence in Irelands independent, public service broadcaster can be rebuilt. Separately, we have already put a number of immediate steps in place to ensure that there is no recurrence of these matters, and we will also work to complete the second Grant Thornton report as quickly as possible. On behalf of the Board of RTE, I want to apologise again to the public for this breach of trust, and also to the staff of RTE who work so hard on a daily basis to serve the public. It came as interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch on Saturday wrote to staff to apologise for the "serious breach of trust that has occurred, and for this failure of corporate governance at RTE. This has been a massive breach of trust with the public, and with all of us who have the interest of the public at the centre of our jobs every day, Mr Lynch said in an e-mail. He added: The Executive Board is committed to working with the RTE Board to ensure that there is appropriate accountability for what has occurred. That process is ongoing, mindful of individuals rights, and affording them due process. He reiterated that RTEs review of the contracts of its top ten most highly paid on-air presenters had found the remuneration of the other presenters had been correctly reported. Mr Lynch added that the board has now also put in place: An external, independent review on contracts for the top 10 most highly paid on-air presenters (soon to commence by Grant Thornton). Republishing the payments to Ryan Tubridy in order to correct the record And the pausing of all new contracts until the following processes are in place: The Remuneration Committee of the Board to have full oversight and approval of the terms of contracts relating to the top 10 most highly paid air presenters in value and any material variations or amendments to those contracts. Bringing the Barter Account within the control of the Finance function and that specific controls are put in place for that account. In the coming days and weeks ahead, I will be in regular contact with our incoming Director-General, and the Chair of the RTE. The Executive Board and I will continue to talk and engage with you. We are committed to working with the Chair and the RTE Board to do whatever we can to rebuild trust and ensure such a serious breach of transparency never again occurs, Mr Lynch said. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday said he was very concerned at the information emerging from RTE. The national broadcaster is now braced for more exposes of payments to its top earners from several investigations now being launched. RTE has asked a top accountancy firm to expand its probe into payments and two Oireachtas committees will grill bosses next week. Board members are understood to be concerned about what will potentially emerge from these probes. The same sentiment was strongly expressed at a meeting of staff yesterday, with concerns being expressed about previous payments to Tubridy which have now emerged. Robert Shortt, the RTE staff representative on the board, told the meeting he was concerned about what might emerge from a second report by the accountants, Grant Thornton. A review into payments found 75,000 was paid to the presenter in 2021 and 2022. But there are worries now about a subsequent lookback which found Tubridys pay had been understated by 120,000 during 2017 to 2019. Whether these payments were more widespread among the top stars at the station is now the focus of investigations. Staff at RTE are angry and dismayed at the failure of management to address the concerns and the decision to refuse all media interviews address the very many questions that need answering. National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members also demanded to know who signed off on these secret payments and who knew about them. At the meeting, staff spoke of how devastated, ashamed, betrayed and angered they are at the revelations. We also want an end to what members see as a culture of secrecy surrounding pay, pensions and perks at the organisation, the union said. RTE and 345,000 of hidden payments to Ryan Tubridy Tubridy sought to dispel rumours his bombshell departure from The Late Late Show was caused by the internal audit which discovered his hidden payments. I also wish to respond to suggestions that this issue had some bearing on my decision to step down from hosting The Late Late Show. It did not, he said. But now it has emerged the RTE board was told by the internal auditors there was an issue in the same week as the announcement. Tubridy unexpectedly announced his departure on Thursday, March 16. In response to queries from the Irish Independent, the board said it was first alerted to the issues later in the same week. The following day was Friday, March 17, a bank holiday. The chair and the board of RTE had no knowledge of the payments to Ryan Tubridy [via his agent] from the barter account, or the understatement of payments to him, when he announced his departure from The Late Late Show on March 16, 2023. Later in the same week, members of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) of the RTE board were contacted by the auditors to alert them about concerns they had about a number of issues. It was agreed the issues would be discussed at a meeting of the ARC on March 21. I am disappointed that RTE has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week The ARC was first briefed of the issues on March 21. On receipt of this information, the ARC promptly commissioned Grant Thornton to carry out an independent fact-finding review on the matter in question. The review was completed, and findings furnished to the ARC on Friday last and discussed on Monday of this week by the board of RTE. The board of RTE is committed to ensuring that there is appropriate accountability for what has occurred. That process is ongoing, mindful of individuals rights, and affording them due process, a statement said. The board said on Thursday it first heard of the payments issues in late March during a routine audit. Having originally said he couldnt shed any light on the controversy, Mr Tubridy sought to explain his position. In a second statement in 24 hours, the presenter admitted knowing the pay figures released by RTE were inaccurate but says he never questioned the broadcaster over this or sought to correct the record. While I have no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTE or how or what they publish in their accounts, when my earnings were published I should have asked questions at the time and sought answers as to the circumstances which resulted in incorrect figures being published. I didnt, and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so. For this, I apologise unreservedly, he said. Tubridy expressed regret that RTE has decided not to let him present his radio show next week. I am disappointed that RTE has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week. I look forward to returning to the radio show, a job I love, as soon as possible and I hope my listeners and my colleagues appreciate my sincerity on this, he said. At the centre of all of this is trust. The trust of colleagues in RTE and the trust of a great many people who listen to my show. To them: I wholeheartedly apologise for my error of judgment. Tubridy went on to defend his pay and his willingness to take reductions while RTE was facing wider cutbacks. Separately, it has been reported that I did not take a pay cut over the last number of years, he added. This is simply not true. Over the period of my contract with RTE, I have been asked to take several reductions in salary and I did. Indeed, between 2012 and today, my pay from RTE was cut by approximately 40pc. The political pressure for answers also mounted from Government and the opposition alike. The Taoiseach said all matters at RTE need to be examined with possible remedial steps to restore trust and confidence. The Government considers it essential that we have the highest standards of governance, accountability and transparency from RTE and will consider what further action may be required, he said. Arts Minister Catherine Martin is due to talk with the RTE chair today and next week, the Oireachtas communications committee and the Dail Public Accounts Committee are due to hold hearings. Earlier, it emerged Ms Forbes had been suspended from her job. Additional reporting by Philip Ryan and Paul Hyland The director general of RTE has been suspended amid a controversy over the national broadcasters misreporting of the salary of star presenter Ryan Tubridy, who has has apologised unreservedly for not asking questions when RTE published incorrect figures for his earnings. Dee Forbes, who was already due to step down from her role next month, was suspended on Wednesday, the RTE board announced on Friday. Culture Minister Catherine Martin welcomed the announcement of the suspension for the sake of transparency. The National Union of Journalists called for a wide independent inquiry into RTEs corporate governance. The announcement came a day after RTE apologised as it admitted Tubridy, its top earner and highest profile presenter, had been paid several hundred thousand euro more than it had previously declared. The RTE board said that between 2017 and 2022, he received a series of payments totalling 345,000 euro (295,000) above his annual published salary. A second former employee of Clover Group has filed a federal lawsuit in Buffalo that essentially repeats allegations first made in litigation filed last month: that the Lancaster-based real estate development company and its executives refuse to build senior housing in neighborhoods with significant Black populations. R. Shane Forrest, a former development director for Clover in North Carolina, filed the second lawsuit. Defendant Clover Entities unwritten site selection criteria are illegal and rely upon the percentage of Black people living within both a three-mile radius and a five-mile radius of a proposed site to determine whether the site is suitable for Clover Entities purposes, the new lawsuit charges. Defendant Clover Entities executives and employees referred to the percentage of Black people living within a three-mile radius and a five-mile radius of a proposed site as the Canadian Factor. Thats just what Peter C. Rizzo, a former Clover development director in Buffalo, charged in his legal action. But Rizzos case offers something that Forrests doesnt: quotes from recordings of Clover executives discussing the Canadian Factor. Forrests lawsuit said he was never told an acceptable percentage for the Black population of a prospective Clover development site, but was instead instructed to avoid Black areas altogether. Proof of Clovers racist policies can be found in its track record, the new lawsuit also charges. It notes that the average Black population within a three-mile radius of Clovers 48 market-rate senior properties is just 6.77% which is less than half the rate of the Black population nationally. The lawsuit also says that at a meeting last June, Clover Vice President Richard Greenspan said the company had opted against developing properties in Maryland because its Canadian population is too high. And on another occasion, the lawsuit says, Clover Executive Vice President Emily Brady said the Black community has a lot of trouble paying their rent. Clover fired Forrest last December, charging at the time that he was unable to find suitable development sites for the company. In a statement, Clover said: Like Peter Rizzo, Shane Forrest is an angry and disgruntled former employee making meritless, baseless and misleading allegations against Clover. Clover also accused Forrest, Rizzo and others of orchestrating an attempt to collect money from Clover for claims with absolutely no merit. Saying the company will vigorously defend itself in court, Clover added: In over 30 years in business, Clover has maintained strong policies against race discrimination. Discrimination has never been tolerated by our company and never will be. But thats not how Forrest sees it. The lawsuit says Forrest reported his concerns about what he saw as Clovers racist policies to company executives and then repeatedly refused to comply with those policies. In the lawsuit, Forrest called his firing a blatant and illegal act of retaliation. Accusing the company of violating the federal Fair Housing Act as well as the New York State Human Rights Law, which bars housing discrimination, Forrest asked the court to declare that Clover violated those statutes. Forrest is also seeking at least $5 million in damages for back pay and front pay, lost benefits, pain, and suffering. The lawsuit describes Forrest as a 56-year-old resident of Greensboro, N.C., who has worked in the real estate industry for 28 years. Like Rizzo, Forrest is represented by local attorney Nate McMurray, a former Democratic candidate for Congress and Erie County executive. Rizzos lawsuit created a quick backlash against Michael L. Joseph, Clovers owner and president. Even though neither lawsuit accuses Joseph of personally espousing any racist policies, he resigned as chair of the board of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center amid the political furor. Joseph is a longtime Democratic donor who, along with his wife, Roberta, and his company, have given $380,410 to state and local politicians in New York since 2000. The controversy concerning Joseph continued on Friday, with Ellicott District Council candidate Matt Dearing demanding that the Josephs be removed from the board of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. It is deeply concerning that individuals entrusted to lead such an esteemed institution are linked to practices that perpetuate systemic racism, Dearing said. Im equally shocked that members of my own political party have defended Michael Joseph, seemingly because theyve benefited from his ill-gotten gains. Tidal barriers like the Thames Barrier could be used as part of the defence against rising sea levels. Photo: Getty Images In the holiday hotspot of Mallorca so beloved by Irish sun seekers, authorities are working to protect the tourist- thronged beaches from sea level rise and coastal erosion. In Venice, the millennium-old basilica in St Marks Square has been behind a glass barrier since last winter to stop the encroaching sea from corroding its marble facade. In London, planners are working on the Thames Estuary 2100 project, a massive upgrade of the already formidable Thames Barrier, to ensure the citys protection. Around the US, a federal buyout scheme has paid more than 40,000 homeowners to relocate from flooded coastal areas and is now considering how to handle potentially a million more claims in the next few decades. All these places are preparing for, or already addressing, the triple threat of sea level rise, increased storm surges and intense rainfall that come with climate change, and the devastating impacts they have on coastal areas. And in Ireland? A Government steering group is working on a scoping exercise that is to eventually lead to a national coastal change management strategy. In other words, were still on the starting block and the scoping report is already two years and four months overdue. The Governments chief climate advisers are worried. The country is without clear plans for how to protect property, infrastructure, livelihoods and lives from the increasingly extreme conditions climate change will throw at us, of which flooding is our most immediate risk. We need the plan, said Marie Donnelly, chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council. How soon? Yesterday. The reason for the urgency was made clear at the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference in Dublin this week, where the case studies above were presented. It followed a weekend of extraordinarily intense rain in parts of the country, with flash flooding in Tralee described as biblical. A report by the World Meteorological Organisation and the EUs Copernicus climate change service launched at the conference said temperature and sea levels were rising faster in Europe than in the rest of the world. Evidence of this is already available in studies led by the Icarus team at Maynooth University, who reported last year that the sea level in Dublin Bay was rising at twice the global rate. An increase of 7mm a year was recorded in Dublin from 1997 to 2016. Under current projections, Dublin is likely to see a further rise of 20cm by 2050 and 60-100cm by 2100 depending on how global climate commitments are honoured. The pattern will be repeated right around our coasts. We have our major cities beside the sea and we know that by 2080 theyll be largely submerged (if action is not taken), Ms Donnelly said. It looks and feels like a long time away but if were going to take preventative action, we have to do it now. The issue hasnt been entirely ignored. In Dublin, new buildings in known flood zones since 2010 have had to have higher ground floors to take account of future sea level rise. Flood protection works on the citys rivers are also planned or under way. Stopping the sea from inundating the city is much more complex, however. Dr Darren Clarke, who lectures in environmental geography at Dublin City University, presented to the conference the case of the Clontarf sea wall project. Twenty years in the making, with endless rows and a lot of public money spent in between, it is still not finalised. One of the things we found strongly in our research was place attachment, he said. People in Clontarf valued their seaside setting and didnt want to be separated from it by an intrusive barrier, regardless of the risks. It raises real questions around how adaptation is planned and implemented, Dr Clarke said. Policymakers are facing really difficult questions over the next few decades. In Cork, there is strong opposition to plans to raise the quay walls in the city centre, with opponents urging a more complex and costly tidal barrier system at the Lees mouth instead. Consensus has to be worked at carefully and collaboratively, said Steven Trewhella of the Scottish government-funded ClimateXchange centre, who presented plans for flood control on Glasgows mighty Clyde River. We have to be very careful not to make this a technical issue because its about people, he said. In the case of the Clyde, the tide runs 34km upstream, taking in an area that touches on 11 local authorities. Thats a lot of people with a lot of different perspectives to accommodate. There is also a lot of politics involved. Bold decisions affect electability, said Jeanette Dubinin of the Centre for Planning Excellence in Louisiana, where some of the most high-profile relocation programmes in the US are taking place. You might have a bold idea but wont be around to implement it because you wont get elected. The result of that is too often programmes that react to crises, rather than preparing for them. Already in Portrane, Co Dublin, and in Co Wexford, homes have been lost to the sea and many other coastlines are vulnerable. We think we can build our way out of everything with technical solutions, said Dr Darren Clarke. We think, Were a developed country, we can throw money at this. But thats not the case without adaptation measures, we need to start looking at relocation as an option. Marie Donnelly wants the scoping report, whenever it comes, to kickstart discussion on all the options. We can do like theyve done elsewhere Id refer to the tidal barrier in the UK for example. Well have to think about things like that, she said. If we can preventatively spend money, we can save money and make people safer. But we do need a comprehensive plan and we need the Government to have the courage to... tell people why theyre developing a plan. I dont know that were actually communicating to people what the risks are. Paul Johnston a number of us have been subject to abuse, on the basis of opinion, gender or in my case nationality The British ambassador to Ireland has announced that he is taking a break from Twitter due to abuse surrounding his nationality. Paul Johnston, who has been in the position since 2020, was responding to the question of whether other people had noticed abusive language in current online conversations about the Governments consultative forum on defence and Irelands neutrality. Mr Johnston said yesterday that a number of us have been subject to abuse, on the basis of opinion, gender or in my case nationality. He added: Its sad to see so much unreason, but there are responses available. Thus Im taking a break from the Twitter sphere. A number of us have been subject to abuse, on the basis of opinion, gender or in my case nationality. Its sad to see so much unreason, but there are responses available. Thus Im taking a break from the Twitter sphere. https://t.co/Ct4Ei2RRva Paul Johnston (@PJohnstonFCDO) June 23, 2023 The UK ambassador was responding to a tweet from Daniel Mulhall, the former Irish ambassador to the US, UK and Germany, in which he noted the prevalence of abusive language in conversations around the consultative forums on international security policy. The forum is examining Irelands international peace and security partnerships, including neutrality policy. "In current exchanges about Irelands security forum, I have noticed that the quality of thought is in inverse proportion to the recourse to abusive language, Mr Mulhall tweeted. Anyone else notice this? Reacting to Mr Johnstons departure from the platform, Mr Mulhall said: I dont blame you. "There are some overexcited souls out there but I am convinced that a big majority of Irish people will be able to cast a cold eye on these issues and support reasonable solutions to the many challenges facing us. Two meetings of the forum have already taken place in Cork on June 22 and in Galway on June 23. The first meeting at University College Cork featured multiple disruptions from protestors. The week prior to the forum launch was dominated by news of comments made by President Michael D Higgins about neutrality and foreign policy. In an interview with the Business Post last Sunday, Mr Higgins questioned the list of planned speakers and those involved in the meetings. "The crawl away from the self-esteem of our foreign policy bothers me, he said. The President has since apologised for a throwaway and casual remark he made about Dr Louise Richardson, the former head of Oxford University and chair of the four-day event. He had referred to her as a person with a very large DBE Dame of the British Empire. The next meetings of the forum will take place at Dublin Castle on June 26 and 27. Nina Mishchenko and her son Andriy (13) were forced to flee their home in Kyiv in late February 2022. They now live in Citywest Hotel in Dublin On Monday, my son finishes primary school in Ireland. The year flew by unnoticed and so fast. He jokes, saying: When I wanted to study abroad for a few years, this wasnt what I had in mind. Andriy used to plan on attending university in Germany. Recently, I received his school report and was touched by the comments from his teacher, Ms Conway: Andriy is a well-mannered, thoughtful and bright member of our class. He settled in well and has enjoyed many aspects of school life in Ireland. He has really enjoyed and benefited from his English classes and it has been wonderful to see his confidence in speaking English grow. Every day I hear from my son how fun and interesting his extracurricular classes have been. My eyes were wet when he brought home a Ukrainian flag and a card where a teacher thanked Andriy for teaching him so much about Ukraine. I am grateful to every teacher and the team at Bishop Galvin National School in Templeogue for finding an approach to this Ukrainian boy during his education and creating a wonderful atmosphere for him. Andriys teacher praises him for becoming increasingly sociable with a group of children from sixth class but notes that some days he can become quite introverted. The war changed everything in his future life. I see how he tries to find the positive in what he has received in Ireland, although sometimes he is affected by the events in his homeland, just like all Ukrainians. When you know that there is shelling at home, that people are dying and you see horrifying videos after the explosion of the Kakhovka Dam and other explosions, its hard to be happy. And its like that every day. It tears apart the hearts of not only adults but also children. My friend Hanna recently said that in such cases, its very difficult to smile at work or go for coffee or a party with colleagues. Another friend saw on a video from the Kherson region how the water flooded her childhood home up to the roof. The other day, I heard a conversation between two teenagers who were telling each other that they had tried drinking water from the lake near the hotel. Why? Because their parents said that if the drinking water runs out, they should be able to drink any water, even from puddles or lakes. This probably not something that will happen in Dublin or anywhere in Ireland. Its scary to think about what these children have experienced in Ukraine, that even in a safe country, they are trying to drink any water. Mom, when are we going back home? This is the most difficult question for any woman who has fled with children from Ukraine. I answer that I dont know. I explain that its dangerous at home, that Russia is shelling Kyiv almost every day. That there is a risk of nuclear weapons being used now. Experts predict that the situation with electricity in Ukraine will be even worse next winter than it was last autumn and winter. Since October 11, 2022, Russian forces have launched over 1,200 rockets and drones targeting critical energy infrastructure. More than 250 of these resulted in direct hits. As a result, 43pc of the countrys major power grids, including substations and transmission lines responsible for transporting electricity from power plants to regional networks, have been severely damaged. Unfortunately, I cannot tell Andriy when we will be able to return home. I only have unwavering faith that Ukraine will emerge victorious. A new visitor centre will soon shed light on the history, legends, landscapes and people of this small but mighty Co Mayo peninsula and its islands Travel to the top left corner of Co Mayo, past Ceide Fields along the north coast, or Wild Nephin National Park from the south, and youll come to the town of Belmullet and the Mullet Peninsula. It looks relatively small on the map but its one of those places where, when you arrive, you realise that four days is hardly enough time to scratch the surface. My first view of the peninsula is from a glamping pod on Claggan Island Oilean Chloigeann in the sheltered waters of Blacksod Bay. The 150-acre island is reached via a sandy causeway, and arriving in the late afternoon, I feel the stresses of roads and traffic (well, of tractors) melt away amid the peace and quiet, disturbed only by the odd call of a bird in the early evening air or a rooster crowing from the farmyard. Claggan Island glamping pods Owner Laurence Howard, whose family has been here since the 1890s, shows me around. Beside the pods is the old coastguard station. Manned until 1921, the building became a ruin and was later rebuilt by the Howards (its available for holiday lets). Its all set on a working farm. A short walk to the other side of the island leads to cliffs and a sea cave Laurence Howard Sr tells me he often spots otters and seals here. There are views south to Achill Island, and a flash from a distant lighthouse. Next morning, I drive around the bay and my introduction to the Mullet Peninsula is with filmmaker and Blacksod Lighthouse guide Fergus Sweeney, whose family have been connected with the lighthouse since Fergus grandfather, Ted Sweeney, was appointed the attendant in 1933. The Mullet Peninsula is around 25km long and 12km at its widest, narrowing to around 300m at Elly Bay. Fergus tells me the area has everything from 5th-century archaeological sites to stories from mythology, lighthouses and shipwrecks. The peninsula is also a Gaeltacht, so placename signs are in Irish. Cross Abbey Halfway along the Atlantic side, at Cross Abbey, we walk through long grass, past ancient gravestones. The abbey dates to around 1200AD and faces Inishglora island, where the original abbey was said to have been founded by St Brendan the Navigator. Looped walks from the graveyard skirt past the long beach and around Cross Lough. Passing the golden sands at Elly Beach, we travel south to a Napoleonic-era watchtower at Glosh. At Fal Mor (Falmor), we take a small, stony road to visit St Deirbhiles Church and Grave. Its peaceful. The landscape all around is mostly flat and green, dotted with houses and farms. There are no trees and few hills, so views stretch for miles. Its a contrast to the tall peaks of Slievemore and Croaghaun mountains of Achill Island, just across the water. Elly Beach For days when you need to get away, you can come to places like this and switch off. The only thing to distract you is the noise of the birds and the cattle, says Fergus. I like to come here and just think. At Blacksod, the small two-storey square lighthouse was built in 1865, and has been powered by electricity since 1969 its a fixed light (not rotating) and the station is also a refuelling centre for search and rescue helicopters. On a tour, you can learn more about the lighthouses history, and see the views from the balcony. The Blacksod Sea Safari leaves from the pier here, so I join the rib tour to the Inishkea islands. Both islands are uninhabited the residents left in the 1930s, and their shores are lined with ruins of cottages. On Inishkea North, these are dotted with sheep, while on Inishkea South, a group of cows eyes us with curiosity. Some of the houses are being restored, but the most frequent visitors are terns who come from the Arctic to breed in season, and Atlantic grey seals. During the few days on the Mullet Peninsula, I discover sheltered beaches facing Blacksod Bay and wilder sands on the Atlantic side, where theres surfing and kitesurfing. At the northern end, you can peer down into a blowhole at Dun na mBo or take the 5km looped walk at Ceann Iorrais (Erris Head) over cliffs that have been lashed by centuries of ferocious Atlantic storms. There are stories of the areas whaling history and of the Children of Lir, who were said to have spent 300 years on Inishglora. Erris Head A new visitor centre, Solas, being built in Eachleim (Aghleam) village, will give a valuable insight into the areas rich history when it opens this August. New exhibition galleries in the stone building an extension of the original Ionad Deirbhile centre will take visitors through the history of the peninsula and its islands, with stories of the people, cultural heritage and life on the land from the Neolithic age to modern eras. There will be sections on the areas Irish language and literature, plus art and music. The story of the peninsulas long history of emigration to North America in the late 1800s and to England for potato picking work will also be told. There are displays about the environment, geology, biodiversity and the marine environment, including seal colonies, bottlenose dolphins and whales. Exhibits will centre around a currach and an installation of parts of a lighthouse lens. Solas, the Irish word for light, tells the story of the areas four lighthouses Blacksod, Broadhaven, Eagle Rock and Blackrock. Stories at Blacksod Lighthouse and at Solas tell how this remote community has battled the elements and challenges like emigration together, making a life from the land, or from fishing the harsh sea, telling stories, creating art, music and literature and helping each other out. Some of the placenames are dark Blacksod (An Fod Dubh); Duvillaun, from the Irish Dubh Oilean; black island and Blackrock (An Tur). But this is a bright, welcoming place and Solas is sure to help shine a light on this lesser-known area of our third-largest county and our stunning west coast. Dont miss The Blacksod Sea Safari to the Inishkea islands takes around four and a half hours, with time for walks and a picnic (blacksodseasafari.ie; 40/25). Two-hour tours to the Croaghaun Cliffs on Achill, or full and half-day sea trips, are also available. Do it Solas (eachleim.ie/solas) visitor centre opens in Eachleim (Aughleam) later this summer. Yvonne was a guest of Claggan Island (belmulletcgs.com/claggan-island, from 120 per night, min two nights) and the Talbot Hotel Belmullet (thetalbothotel.ie, doubles from 120). Blacksod Lighthouse Tours (visit blacksodlighthouse.ie; 7pp) take around 30 minutes. Book in advance. Read more road trips Daniella Moyles ultimate American road trip 10 best road trips in Ireland from scenic byways to motorways Nine of the worlds best road trips start your engine for a spectacular drive Ceide Coast the best road trip in Ireland you've never heard of The A-Z of summer in Ireland: the best new things to do, see, eat and drink in 2023 The video was shocking not just for what it showed but also for what was said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, stood in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops in Ukraine and yelled expletive-riddled insults at Russian military leaders, blaming them for the carnage. Planners, design professionals and the public work together in a system built on a foundation of common good. Photo: Getty Any practice of go-away payments, as outlined in the Irish Independent in recent weeks, undermines the common good that is the cornerstone of our planning system. Section 138 of the Planning and Development Act specif- ically provides for An Bord Pleanala to dismiss appeals when they are made with the sole intention of delaying the development or the intention of securing the payment of money, gifts, consideration or other inducement by any person. It should be an aberration that individuals would seek to use a cherished (and, in an international context, almost unique) part of our planning system, the third-party appeal, or the associated threat of legal action to enrich themselves. While the public, planners, councillors, design profess- ionals, lawyers, developers and local authority managers all have different roles in the planning system, they are built on a foundation of the common good. Normalising threatening to delay the delivery of housing or other infrastructure with vexatious objections that will be dropped if paid off creates a whiff of sulphur around what needs to be an open process. It serves only to undermine those with legitimate, genu- inely held concerns with development on planning grounds. Events in the past damaged the perception of planning, but any possible sort of extortion could be as corrosive. Dr Sean OLeary MIPI, Irish Planning Institute, Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Dublin 2 A breach of trust and disappointing to viewers RTE board chair Siun Ni Raghallaighs statement in relation to significant secret payments to presenter Ryan Tubridy, that they represented a breach of trust, was interesting. It was also picked up on by the Government through Media Minister Catherine Martin and Tanaiste Micheal Martin. The undisclosed payments could be more serious than a trust and transparency issue if they were engineered to deceive many interested parties, including the Government, Oireachtas, RTE staff including other presenters and, of course, the wider public. Ryan Tubridys I know nothing attitude to what he called RTEs mistakes was disappointing. I suspect, in fairness to him, he was most likely caught in the headlights as the news suddenly broke. There are many questions, but I can only wonder if they will feature on any Prime Time Investigates programme. Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely Dublin 18 Payments scandal is not Ryan Tubridys fault We Irish certainly dont let people get too full of themselves. Ryan Tubridy has gone from hero to villain in double-quick time with the hidden payment scandal. I dont see why he should be the villain. He or his agent negotiated a deal for his services, and RTE was happy with the arrangement. They then made the mistake of not overseeing it properly thats not Ryans fault, so leave off the abuse he is getting. Ryans salary is based on the advert- ising revenue his programmes can raise, and we assume he has fulfilled his part of the bargain. I would imagine the advertising revenue raised for the Toy Show alone would more than pay his salary. Yes, its a mess, but its an admin blip, nothing more. Donough OReilly, Stillorgan, Dublin Somebody needs to be held accountable I would have accepted Ryan Tubridys explanation as to why he wanted to move on from The Late Late. However, the revelation of secret payments totalling hundreds of thousands of euro from a barter account makes me wonder and seethe: do those on the RTE executive take us, the Irish taxpayers, for mugs? While they lied to an Oireachtas committee about a 15pc reduction in Tubridys pay, they were increasing it by surreptitious and underhand means. Who else among RTEs top earners were helped by this form of creative accounting? So often we hear of RTEs request for an increase in the licence fee, and its need to balance the books, but here we are: secret payments using a barter account, credit notes and the use of a commercial partner. Its like something out of a John LeCarre novel. Will the Government or the Public Accounts Committee get to the bottom of this, or will it be just another short-term news item with the privileged few protected? Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Vast sum of money or a mere top-up at RTE? The additional payments made by RTE to Ryan Tubridy amounted to about 60,000 a year over the period reviewed. That amount alone, for most people, is a handsome wage. In RTE, it seems, it is regarded as a mere top-up. This suggests two things the extent to which those in RTE may believe they are inherently deserving of privileges and special treatment, and possibly why balanced discussions on issues such as distributive justice are rarely heard on the national broadcaster. Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Sligo Top tip on how you can reward excellent service An item regarding the issue of tipping in restaurants on RTE Radio 1s Today with Claire Byrne reminds me of the time I told a waiter to have a drink on me as I slipped a teabag into his hand. Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9 The real Sting about not owning a smartphone As a life-long fan of Sting and Blondie, I was looking to attending their upcoming concert at Malahide Castle next Wednesday. I logged on to the Ticketmaster website to buy two tickets for the concert. I thought Ticketmaster would mail the tickets to my home address or send me an email from which I could print off the tickets. How naive of me. These options werent available and I had to buy the tickets through the Ticketmaster app on a smartphone. The trouble is, I dont own a smartphone. I believe we are becoming too dependent on them in relation to attending music and sporting events. James McWalter, Mullingar, Co Westmeath Drowning of 600 people in Med wasnt big news Where was the 24-hour live news feed with updates on the missing passengers and the expert estimations on their chances of survival? Why didnt we hear from their families or the clubs they might have been members of in their respective countries? The answer lies in their destination and the price they paid to board the vessel. Last week, 600 people died in the Mediterranean when the fishing boat they were travelling on capsized. The dead and survivors were described with the depersonalising collective pronoun, migrants. It is likely they handed over most of their life savings to make this trip fraught with risk, motivated not by thrill-seeking but by survival. Since 2014, over 25,000 people have drowned in the Mediterranean; that is the equivalent of 16 Titanic sinkings. Billy O Hanluain, Kimmage Dublin 12 FIVE agricultural shows in County Wexford have received funding of 39,275 between them, with the support welcomed by Minister James Browne. The Glandoran Island Show and Gorey Agricultural Show, which took place recently, benefitted from 4,265 and 9,205, respectively while the Adamstown Show will receive a grant worth 8,525 in advance of it taking place on July 1. The annual Bannow & Rathangan Show, which will take place on July 13, is to receive 11,400 while Wexford Summer Show, scheduled to take place on July 27, will receive funding of 5,880. Commenting on the funding, Min Browne expressed delight that the shows received financial support from the Government. Im delighted that these fantastic County Wexford agricultural shows will benefit from Government funding for another year through the Governments Our Rural Future programme, he said. These grants represent a significant increase based on last years allocations, he added. Min Browne went on to comment: Our agricultural shows celebrate whats good in our agri-food industry, farming community, and the many local artisan producers. I wish the three remaining shows for this years season every success as they prepare for what is always a great family day out, he said. Community unites for special 225 rebellion day Lacken Hill is an important historical location, as the hill coupled with Carrickbyrne Hill and Sliabh Coillte are a trio of hills which formed an integral part of the 1798 rebellion and the history of the area. In 1798, Lacken Hill had a commanding 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside, and the hill was an ideal location for a rebel camp and look-out post during the rebellion. The rebels had a look-out post on Lacken Hill prior to and after the Battle of New Ross, which took place on June 5. The battle was one of the bloodiest of the 1798 Rebellion. It is estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 rebels lost their lives and many were wounded during the ten hour battle. Some of the rebels who fought in the uprising, died on Lacken hill and are buried in unmarked graves on the hillside. On a warm and sunny Sunday, children got into the spirit of things, bringing pikes they made using a broom handle and cardboard, and coming along dressed as Irish rebels. Everyone walked to the hilltop from the forest entrance. An entry parade took place, featuring the RDF colour party with three people travelling from Dungarvan to be present, followed by New Ross FCA Pipe Band, O.N.E. members, pikemen, schoolchildren and members of New Ross Scouts. One of the organisers, Ann Murphy said it was the first colour party on the hill for some time, and was one of the highlights of the afternoon. A welcome address was given by Jim Roberts, who was an excellent MC at the event with a blessing by Fr Sean Devereux and Rev Ivan Dungan. An historical account of Lacken Hill and the battle of 1798 was given by Bernard Browne. Pupils from Rathgarogue and Cushinstown national schools performed, followed by the reading of the Proclamation of Independence by six pupils, Caoimhe Fitzgerald, Heidi Maher, Ronan Finn, Aoife Mackey, Holly Aspel and Lucy Devereux.. A wreath laying ceremony followed with Maura Murray, Pat Butler and Sean Connick doing the honours. An historical account of New Ross Pipe Band and its long association with Lacken Hill was given by Tom Callaghan, followed by a lament by the New Ross FCA Pipe Band. After a minutes silence the Last Post and Reveille was performed by Confraternity Brass Band members Selma and Shauna, with a flag raising ceremony followed by Amhrn na bhFiann being played and a conclusion by Jim Roberts. There was music and Irish dancing from the Power School of Dancing to conclude the event. A presentation was made to Seamus Murphy of the pipe band, Seamuss father being one of the groups founding members. Seamus sang The Croppy Boy. New Ross Scouts were also involved in the event and all participants were thanked for their contributions. This event simply would not have been possible without the support of our local community and all the people living around Lacken Hill, said Ms Murphy. We have an amazing community around here and without exception, everyone came forward to offer help and worked hard behind the scenes to make the day possible. They deserve great credit and we would like to thank them very much for their ongoing support. James Hendrick and the Kehoe family deserve a special thanks. We were delighted that Ger Walsh from Wexford County Council attended as she is always very supportive of community initiatives. We would also like to thank Wexford County Council for giving us a Wexford flag and an Irish flag to hang on our two new flagpoles. She said the event helped raise awareness among local children about the history of the area. The millionaire mercenary chief who long benefitted from the powerful patronage of President Vladimir Putin has moved into the global spotlight with a dramatic rebellion against Russia's military that challenged the authority of Putin himself. Yevgeny Prigozhin is the 62-year-old owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, a private army of inmate recruits and other mercenaries that has fought some of the deadliest battles in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, he abruptly escalated months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war, calling for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister, then rolled toward Moscow with his soldiers-for-hire. As Putin's government declared a counterterrorism alert and scrambled to seal off Moscow, Prigozhin just as abruptly stood down the following day. As part of a deal to defuse the crisis, he agreed to move to Belarus and was seen late Saturday retreating with his forces from Rostov-on-Don, a city where they had taken over the military headquarters. Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. "Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I don't mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests," Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhin's factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events earning him the nickname "Putin's chef" and provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhin's companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has played a central role in Putin's projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagner's work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. Prigozhin's mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The U.S. estimates nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russia's prisons. Western countries and United Nations experts accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of "serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings," and of carrying out "destabilizing activities" in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. In November 2022, a video surfaced online that showed a former Wagner contractor getting beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. The Kremlin turned a blind eye to it. As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russia's military brass. In a video released by his team last month, he stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russia's regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. "These are someone's fathers and someone's sons," Prigozhin said then. "The scum that doesn't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell." Prigozhin also castigated the top military brass, accusing top-ranking officers of incompetence remarks unprecedented for Russia's tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. Earlier this month, Putin reaffirmed his trust in the Russian military's General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, by putting him in direct charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, which some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size. Prigozhin gained some attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump's 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Prigozhin and associates in the alleged election interference and over his leadership of the Wagner Group. Foo Fighters take the train to Glastonbury to perform surprise mainstage set (Yui Mok/PA) US rock legends Foo Fighters arrived for their surprise Glastonbury Pyramid stage set on the train. Great Western Railway (GWR) revealed that the rock royalty had used its service to get to Worthy Farm in Somerset on Friday. There had been mounting speculation that the Foo Fighters would take to the main stage on Friday from 6.15pm in a slot which was billed under the name The Churnups. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Posting a picture of frontman Dave Grohl with GWR staff member Brendan Cropper, the official account tweeted: Even rock royalty knows that there is no better way to travel to Glastonbury than by train! Referencing the bands secret alias, GWR added: You never know who is going to churn up on board our trains! The band and their entourage had exclusive use of a first class carriage for their train from London Paddington to Bath at 11am, GWR said. And once they arrived at Bath, a fleet of minibuses took them to Glastonbury. The group of around 40 people were also given use of the first class lounge at Paddington before the journey. An hour before the slot, the band posted a photo of flags within the festival crowd, one with the phrase Churn It Up brandished across it, and tagged the post #Glastonbury2023. Great Western Railway revealed that the rock royalty had used its service to get to Worthy Farm in Somerset on Friday (Yui Mok/PA) Following a performance of The Pretender, Grohl said: You guys knew it was us this whole time, you knew it. Were not good at secrets. Grohl also dedicated the last song of the surprise mainstage set to the bands late drummer Taylor Hawkins. The drummer died suddenly in March aged 50 while the group were on the South American leg of their world tour. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Tom Leese/PA) Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has revealed she and her family recently met with the wife of a British citizen jailed for 25 years in Russia, as her husband Richard Ratcliffe accused the UK Government of being very soft on the case. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen who spent six years imprisoned in Iran after she was accused of crimes against the Iranian government in 2016, revealed she has met with the family of British-Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April for opposing the invasion of Ukraine. I met his wife in Oslo last week, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the PA news agency at Glastonbury Festival, where she joined a debate on the rights of Iranian women on Friday afternoon. Of course, its a family being torn apart theyve got three kids. One thing that his wife mentioned was: I was not meant to be raising kids on my own, we were meant to be together raising kids.' Mr Ratcliffe, who held two hunger strikes amid years of campaigning for help from the Foreign Office to release his wife, said he recognises the frustration of Mr Kara-Murzas wife, Evgenia. The UK has been very soft as it was in our case, as it often is, he told PA. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard Ratcliffe spoke at the Glastonbury Festival (Stefan Rousseau/PA) I dont think quiet diplomacy works. My advice to (Ms Kara-Murza) was to be strong and be clear and were with you all the way. Mr Ratcliffe said the meeting in Norway with Ms Kara-Murza saw them hold a workshop of families to talk about how you can pressure the Government. He said: Ive been railing against the Foreign Office and thinking: Should I be polite, should I be more rude? Whats going to work? What should you do? And theres no right answer. But keeping your loved one visible and pushing the Government to take responsibility is always the start. Ms Kara-Murza now fears her husband, who is a political activist, filmmaker and journalist, will die if he is not released from prison after he already survived two poisoning attempts by Russian agents and developed a medical condition where he has lost feeling in his feet and one of his arms. Mr Ratcliffe added: Its obviously tricky. Nazanin was a nobody when she was taken Vladimir is an important person and this makes it harder for the British Government. But it makes it all the more important that the British Government stands up. Describing her meetings with Foreign Office ministers, Ms Jara Murza has said: Everything that was said in these meetings were the right words, I just would like to see some action. Responding to this, Mr Ratcliffe said: There are platitudes that get said. I found, often, it was like being on a hamster wheel wed have various kinds of activity but we were staying exactly where we were with the illusion of progress, and that can be very frustrating. In the end you do need to get in front of the Foreign Secretary everything else is just (you) being managed. Q: I am really struggling with figuring out what to do about the state of my relationship. Im in a relationship with another woman and we have a toddler together. We had a rocky start and broke up a few times in the past, each time for a month or two. Whenever we broke up, I got with an ex of mine from college, but each time, it was just a fling, and I would return to my current relationship. My partner never asked me for any details and didnt want to talk about it if I tried to talk. We have now been solid together without any big fights since the pandemic, and everything has been good overall. However, I cannot stop thinking about my ex, and I cant figure out why. My partner is wonderful and a good mother, but I really always enjoyed time with my ex. The only reason we broke up the first time was because she moved away after college. My ex was the one to break up with me the very first time, and a couple of other times she was the one to call things off. She knows about my current partner too so I cant help thinking she breaks up with me to hurt me. I never knew if she wanted something more serious with me. I always worry that I hurt her by going back to my current partner each time. I feel guilty even thinking about this and feel like Im risking hurting everyone around me and, if I dont cop on, Ill lose everything. I really wish I could move on from this but I dont know where to start. Victims had paid up to 15,000 before tragic deaths An alleged ringleader of a people-smuggling gang has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 39 men, women and children in a lorry trailer in Essex, in the south of England, in 2019. Officials were told they risked prosecution without special permission to display flag The mayor of Londons office was told it could have been prosecuted for flying the EU flag yesterday as a goodwill gesture on the anniversary of the Brexit referendum. EU immobilised 200bn of Russian central bank assets and another 30bn of Russian oligarchs' assets after the invasion. Photo: Getty Images European Union governments are supportive of the idea to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to help finance Ukraine and they are converging on possible options, the European Commission said yesterday. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged other nations to exert pressure on Russia. Photo: Getty Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, president Volodymyr Zelensky said. The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, on Friday urged the fighters of the Wagner private militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. Kremlin forced to deny Putin has fled as Wagner chief Prigozhin vows soon we will have a new president Wagner now controls two key cities as its forces barrel towards MoscowRussian forces begin to lock down capitalMercenary chief insists his forces are patriotsPutin calls rebellion a stab in the backBritish government calls emergency Cobra meeting Fighters from the Wagner private mercenary group are seen on an armoured vehicle in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Reuters Independent.ie Newsdesk Sat 24 Jun 2023 at 09:45 Nov. 15, 1929 April 16, 2023 The explosion at Bell Aerospace in Wheatfield on the morning of Jan. 30, 1961, could be heard miles away. Chemists and engineers had been doing an analysis on solid fuel rocket propellants. Five of them were injured. Most seriously hurt was research chemist Leonard D. Nasiak, who was handling a vial of chemicals that blew up. He suffered third-degree burns and temporarily lost his sight and hearing. Both of his arms had to be amputated below the elbows. Six months later, he was back full time at Bell with artificial hands. He continued researching and developing solid rocket propellants, work that played an important role in launching the Saturn V rocket to the moon. His efforts gained him national recognition in science magazines. With help from the company, which gave him a lab assistant for routine experiments and two days a week off with pay, he completed his doctorate in chemistry at the University at Buffalo and became Bells director of internal research and development in chemistry. He retired in 1995. Dr. Nasiak died April 16 in Beechwood Continuing Care in Getzville after a long period of declining health. He was 93. Born in Buffalo, the son of Polish immigrants, he was salutatorian of his class at Emerson Vocational High School, then attended Erie County Technical Institute, now SUNY Erie Community College, receiving an associate degree as a tool and die maker through a program with UB. Drafted into the Army during the Korean War, he returned to attend UB on the GI Bill and earned bachelors and masters degrees in chemistry. Dr. Nasiak won custody of his three children after a divorce in the mid-1970s and was honored as Single Parent of the Year in 1977 by Parents Without Partners. A longtime parishioner of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, he was a founding member of its St. Vincent de Paul Society, spearheading its annual clothing drives, regularly visited the sick in hospitals and volunteered as an assistant Boy Scout leader. He served on the Presidents Advisory Council at UB and was a member of the board of directors of the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo. He enjoyed camping with his family at Letchworth State Park and traveling, visiting 49 of the 50 states. He was friendly to anyone he met, who marveled at his maneuvering abilities, whether grocery shopping locally or traveling across the world with his family, his daughter Michelle Helfer said. I dont believe I have a handicap, he told Buffalo Courier-Express reporter Rita Smith in 1977. No way does it deter me from doing almost anything I want to. He cleaned the house, cut his own lawn, did the laundry and made us dinner, all without two hands, his daughter said. He had a special ring on his steering wheel for driving. He proved that he could do anything he wanted to, except button the top button of his shirt and tie a tie. He always wore clip-ons. A longtime Amherst resident, he survived surgery for pancreatic cancer at the age of 80 without complications, but then developed a rare neuromuscular disorder that left him unable to walk. He moved to Beechwood six years ago, served on the Residents Council and continued reading, writing and talking about science. Survivors include two daughters, Michelle Helfer and Lisa Longley; a son, Michael; and eight grandchildren. His former wife, Geraldine Mundt-Nasiak, died in November 2022. A Memorial Mass will be offered Friday in St. Gregory the Great Church, 200 St. Gregory Court at Maple Road, Amherst. Image Credit: PIB New Delhi: Indian Railways (IR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United States Agency for International Development/India (USAID/India)for collaboration on Renewable energy and Energy Efficiency. The MoU, signed on June 14, is a step towards achieving IRs Net Zero carbon emission goal by 2030. The MoU was signed by Naveen Gulati, Member (Traction and Rolling Stock), Railway Board, Indian Railways and Isabel Coleman, Deputy Administrator, USAID, in the presence of Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman & CEO, Railway Board. USAID is an agency of the U.S. Government that supports international development and advances its mission objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade, clean energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, global health, democracy and conflict mitigation and management, and humanitarian assistance. Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Indian Railways will receive technical assistance and support in various areas. The agreement encompasses a wide range of activities, including long-term energy planning to incorporate clean energy sources into the railway system. The focus will also be on developing an Energy Efficiency Policy and Action Plan for Indian Railways' buildings, aiming to enhance energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The MoU further entails planning for the procurement of clean energy to align with Indian Railways' vision of achieving net-zero emissions. Technical support will be provided to address regulatory and implementation challenges in the adoption of clean energy solutions. Further, the agreement includes bid design and management support for the large-scale procurement of renewable energy systems that are compatible with the railway infrastructure. Another key aspect is the promotion of e-mobility within Indian Railways, exploring opportunities for electrification and sustainable transportation solutions. The collaboration will extend to organizing events, conferences, capacity-building programs, field visits, and study tours to exchange knowledge and expertise in the identified areas. Arindam Bagchi Twitter page Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in the US, on Saturday met CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google Sundar Pichai in Washington DC. The Prime Minister invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI); fintech; cybersecurity products & services; as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. The Prime Minister and Pichai also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote R&D and skill development. Prime Minister Modi is currently in the US. A good conversation between PM @narendramodi and CEO of Alphabet Inc. & Google @sundarpichai. PM invited @sundarpichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI); fintech; cybersecurity products & services; as well as mobile pic.twitter.com/2rK06X1CgE Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 23, 2023 He has met US President Joe Biden and several other top leaders of the country so far. Image Credit: Twitter/MEA Washington/IBNS: After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has announced the opening of a global fintech operation centre in India's Gujarat, the homestate of the country's political giant. Pichai has announced an investment of USD 10 billion in India's digitisation fund. Post meeting with Modi, Pichai said, "It was an honour to meet PM Modi during the historic visit to the US. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing USD 10 billion in Indias digitisation fund." "We are excited today that we are announcing the opening up of our global fintech operation centre in GIFT city Gujarat," he added. Besides the announcement, Pichai has lauded Prime Minister Modi over his vision for digital India. It was an honour to meet PM Modi during the historic visit to the US. PMs vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time, I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do. - Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google pic.twitter.com/5nnfdCrumj BJP (@BJP4India) June 23, 2023 "PM's vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time. I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do," the Google CEO said praising Modi, who comes from Gujarat. Pichai, who became the Google CEO in 2015, met Modi last time in December 2022. He had said it was "inspiring" to see the rapid pace at which technology is advancing in India under Modi's leadership. Modi, who is presently on a historic US visit, invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of Artificial Intelligence (AI); fintech; cybersecurity products & services; as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. The Prime Minister and Pichai also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote R&D and skill development. Earlier, Modi met US President Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk among many dignitaries during his visit. New Delhi/Washington/UNI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening concluded his State Visit to the US and left for Egypt. Modi said his US visit and his interactions there were aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. The PMs first-ever visit to Egypt is also a State Visit, at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The two sides are expected to ink several agreements. PM Modi in a tweet said: "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. "Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations." The MEA spokesperson said: PM @narendramodi successfully concludes his first Official State visit to USA, scripting a new chapter in India-US partnership. PM emplanes for Egypt where important engagements with a key partner country awaits. Image Credit: PIB Washington/ Islamabad: Pakistan has strongly criticised the joint statement issued by the United States and India following a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they called on Pakistan to prevent its territory from being used as a launching pad for militant activities. In response, Pakistan's foreign ministry denounced the joint statement issued by the US and India, deeming it "unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The ministry also disapproved of a reference to Islamabad in the statement, saying that it was contrary to diplomatic norms. The joint US-Indian statement said, "They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks." In his address to US Congress in Washington on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the pressing danger of radicalism and terrorism. PM Modi conveyed Indias stand on terrorism, stating that there could not be any ifs or buts in dealing with terrorism. More than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain a pressing danger for the whole world. These ideologies keep taking new identities and forms but their intentions are the same, PM Modi told the US Congress. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, cross-border terrorism and the challenges posed by it in the Indo-Pacific region and the countermeasures US and India need to take to mitigate these challenges through cooperation, was one of the major points of the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden. Image Credit: Image tweeted @narendramodi Cairo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday reached Egypts capital Cairo where he was received by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. PM Modi is on a State visit to Egypt for the first time at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. It is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. During the two-day State visit, PM Modi will hold bilateral talks with Egyptian government on a range of issues. I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations. pic.twitter.com/XUNHGsVtA2 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 Today at around 8.40 pm, Modi will take part in a roundtable with El-Sisi and, later on, interact with the Indian community. He will meet the grand mufti of Egypt at 10:20 pm (IST) and will then interact with Egyptian thought leaders. PM @narendramodi arrives in Cairo on a State visit to Egypt. Know what the visit has in store. pic.twitter.com/s6DCLXyKDp Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023 On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schedule includes visiting the Al-Hakim mosque at around 1 pm (IST). After that, he will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery around 2 pm to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives for Egypt during World War 1. Landed in Cairo. I am confident this visit will strengthen Indias ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes. pic.twitter.com/a4j0Ylzc3i Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 The cemetery, established by the Commonwealth, serves as a memorial for the 3,799 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in various battles in Egypt during the First World War. Afterwards, PM Modi will attend a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Egyptian Presidency. The leaders will sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and will later hold a joint press briefing at around 5.30 pm. This visit highlights the importance of bilateral relations between India and Egypt and signifies the mutual respect and cooperation between the two nations. PM Modi will depart for New Delhi the same day around 6.30 pm (IST). Image: Unsplash In what is being described as the worst migrant boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea, a migrant boat carrying up to 750 people, 400 of them said to be Pakistanis or from Pakistan-administered Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), started to have trouble with its engine last week. After three days of being stranded, the boat capsized on 14 June and most of the passengers died. Only 104 people were eventually rescued, and there were only 12 Pakistanis among them. 78 bodies of the dead were brought ashore in the immediate aftermath of the accident. That would mean that over 600 migrants, all of whom were taking extreme risks to get to the European Union (EU) in pursuit of a better life there, perished on the fishing boat that had set off from Libya towards Italy. The other passengers on the ill-fated boat were largely Afghans, Egyptians, Palestinians and Syrians. Women and children in their hundreds were on the vessel, but their absence among those rescued suggested that all of them sadly perished. Commenting on the unfortunate sinking of the overloaded fishing vessel off the the southern Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said that this might be the worst ever tragedy weve seen in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the response of the Greek government to the tragedy has come under question for being insincere and tardy, and reports have even alleged a cover-up by the Greek coastguard. Rescue agencies have said that earlier, in the first three months of 2023, more than 400 refugees had drowned in the central Mediterranean. In April this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that this figure was potentially an undercount, but it nevertheless made it the deadliest quarter since 2017 on the worlds most dangerous refugee crossing. That many Pakistanis or people from Pakistan-administered J&K would have been among these 400 is only to be expected, as such tragedies have become a recurring feature for a population that sees no end in sight to the devastating economic, political and climate crises that are compelling increasingly large numbers of people from this region to flee their homes in their quest to survive. It is difficult to translate onto paper the absolutely heartrending stories of migrants who risk their everything, above all their lives, to seek a life in conditions better than the wretched ones they have been enduring day in and day out. An account of events that transpired on the ship before it sank on 14 June revealed that certain nationalities, particularly Pakistanis, were condemned to the most dangerous part of the trawler where they had a minimal chance of survival. The Guardian reported that The testimonies suggest women and children were effectively locked up in the hold, ostensibly to be protected by men on the overcrowded vessel. It added that Pakistani nationals were maltreated when they appeared in search of freshwater or tried to escape from the hold. The Guardian claimed that the situation on the boat was so bleak that even before it sank there had already been six deaths after it ran out of fresh water. Quoting a Moroccan-Italian activist, the newspaper said that passengers were pleading for help a day before it sank. I can testify that these people were asking to be saved by any authority, she said. The report also raised questions on the role of Greek coastguards, saying that Of concern are claims that it overturned in the early hours of Wednesday because a rope was attached by coastguards, allegations rejected by Greek officials. It quoted government officials as confirming that patrol boats and cargo ships had been shadowing the trawler since Tuesday afternoon. It quoted a survivor as saying that at least 700 were on board the trawler that had been drifting in the sea for days after its engine failed. Only a comprehensive, unbiased investigation can reveal what happened between the time the authorities were first alerted to the presence of the overcrowded boat and when the vessel capsized later at night. Whether that actually comes to pass will only be known at a future point in time. Some reports have estimated that at least 298 people who had originally set off from Pakistan, including 135 from Pakistan-administered J&K, were killed in the boat tragedy. Other reports have suggested there were about 400 Pakistani nationals onboard. Most of them primarily belonged to rural areas of central Punjab province and Kotli in Pakistan-administered J&K. Raising the query, Who should be held responsible for this incident?, a 19 June editorial in the reputed Pakistani daily Dawn argued that Fortress Europe alone cannot be blamed for why people in developing countries, such as Pakistan, choose to leave. This is not the first time Pakistani migrants have lost their lives at sea. There have been several incidents. In a particularly heartbreaking one earlier this year, sportswoman Shahida Raza, who was unable to afford medical treatment for her young son in Pakistan, drowned as the migrant boat carrying her and scores of others crashed against the rocks. She had been attempting to reach foreign shores to build a better future for her child. Therein lies the tragedy: an inept, uncaring government has made little effort to crack down on a vast network of human smugglers who fleece desperate individuals and put them on a path strewn with hazards. It is telling that in the latest incident, very few of the victims families registered a complaint against the human smugglers. Perhaps they did not expect anything to come of it or perhaps they feared harassment at the hands of the authorities themselves. It is bad enough that the spectacular failure of the government to fulfill its part of the social contract by providing economic security to its citizens drives desperate individuals even the educated ones to leave the country. It is a crime when the government decides to ignore a grave issue that has snowballed into a crisis of deadly proportions. As news of the tragedy reached Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered that a day of mourning would be observed and the national flag would fly at half-mast. He also formed a four-member committee to probe the facts of the incident and directed law enforcement agencies to trace those involved in human smuggling. Sharif demanded that Every effort should be made to help all Pakistanis. I will not tolerate laziness or incompetence. Other senior government functionaries expressed grief and sent condolences to the families of those that had died. All this came across as somewhat paradoxical, as it is was these senior leaders, as the core of the self-serving, power-hungry, and perpetually bickering political class of the country, along with religious fanatics, and the powerful Pakistani military establishment that lords over them all, who were palpably guilty of creating and sustaining the dreadful, exploitative, and seemingly hopeless conditions that had forced the poor Pakistanis on that unfortunate boat to risk everything and flee their homes and into an uncertain and potentially deadly future. Also, despite being illegal, human trafficking is a well-established and thriving industry in Pakistan that survives on the patronage of unscrupulous politicians and government officials. The Pakistani news channel Geo News quoted the father of a missing migrant in the Greece boat tragedy as revealing the shocking reality that a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) employee was actually a partner of the so-called travel agent who took a hefty sum for smuggling his son to Italy. These cruel realities were underlined by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which in a press release issued on 19 June asked the State to take responsibility for its part in the Greece boat tragedy. Expressing shock and grief, it said that the incident should serve as a stark reminder to the State that it has failed to stem a longstanding and grievous human rights violation. The HRCP added, Pakistan is a well-known source, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons. However, it is clear that a serious lack of coordination among law enforcement agencies continues to allow traffickers to operate with impunity. Importantly, it stressed that the government must acknowledge that the dearth of economic opportunities available in the country compels more and more people to take their chances on such routes without being aware of the risk. The HRCP questioned the efficiency of the FIA in tracking, monitoring and reporting instances of trafficking, and advised that The State must also implement comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation and train the public officials concerned to identify and report such crimes and hold the perpetrators to account. The FIA, meanwhile, ostensibly swung into action as soon as PM Sharif issued his orders. On 18 June it announced that it had arrested 10 alleged human traffickers, of whom 9 were detained in Pakistan-administered J&K. The issue of Pakistan-administered J&K is as intriguing as it is outrageous. Legally speaking, Pakistan has no locus standi in Jammu & Kashmir as the princely State had lawfully acceded to India after Indias partition. Pakistan, since 1947, continues to forcefully hold on to large parts of J&K. It has even ceded part of this illegally held territory to China just to curry favour with it. The primary question, then, that arises is what right can an occupying power such as Pakistan have to hold on to territory that it has no title whatsoever over, one it calls Azad (free) but treats like a colony that can be exploited and ceded at will, and one whose people its exploitative policies coupled with a serious lack of attention have impoverished to such an extent that they are now being forced to leave in large numbers just to ensure survival. It certainly cannot behove a country that is not capable of ensuring even three square meals for its own population to forcibly hold on to anothers territory and reduce the hapless residents of such a territory to the same sorry predicament as its own suffering population. The inordinately large number of youth from Pakistan-administered J&K choosing to leave their homes and undertake hazardous journeys to unfamiliar distant lands is not just the result of poor living conditions and a stifling environment created by an oppressive regime. Some commentators have argued that it is also a harsh reality that human traffickers prefer smuggling residents of Pakistan-administered J&K for the simple reason that even if they perish enroute, there will be little public outcry in Pakistan, and hence they present a comparatively less risky proposition for the traffickers. In all of this, the dubious role of the Pakistani elite and the deplorable condition they have led the people of the country into has emerged as a matter of sharp focus. Dawn, in another scathing editorial on 21 June titled Thriving Racket, wrote, All sound and fury signifying nothing. That, in a nutshell, is how best to describe the storm of condemnation by the government and the anti-human smuggling operations taking place in the country. Unfortunately, it is only the scale of the latest tragedy that has sparked this flurry of activity, the need to be seen as doing something. Human smuggling is a national shame, with thousands of desperate Pakistanis every year risking life and limb and their hard-earned money to reach Europe for a chance at a better future. Some undertake to go to their chosen destinations via Balochistan, Iran and Turkiye. Suffering hunger and thirst, dodging bullets from border patrols, many die on the way; some are kidnapped for ransom by criminal gangs in Iran and Turkiye. Another means of illegal passage is the Libyan route which entails crossing the Mediterranean under incredibly dangerous and squalid circumstances. And all this happens under the very nose of the authorities: the various routes and modus operandi have even been reported on ad nauseam in the media. For, while it is an organised crime on a global scale, every national component of migrant smuggling is sustained by an elaborate network with multiple stakeholders. Traffickers are but one aspect of this lucrative criminal racket whose tentacles extend into the highest corridors of power. And yet, when has anyone of consequence been charged, let alone been punished, for complicity? The editorial aptly concluded that it is that ruling elite of this country that is responsible for collectively creating such a loss of hope that it is driving young people out of Pakistan on treacherous journeys towards greener pastures, no matter the hellish experiences they must endure to reach them. As the Pakistani State slips deeper into its self-created abyss, it tragically seems to be taking its people, along with those of Pakistan-administered J&K, down with itself. Image: UNI Kathmandu: The H9665 flight operated by Himalaya Airlines took off from Kathmandu on Saturday morning and landed in Beijing about four hours later, marking the resumption of direct flights between the Nepali and Chinese capitals after a hiatus of three years. The return H9666 flight shall come back to Kathmandu on the same day, as the Kathmandu-based airline is operating a round trip every Saturday for now. An Yongsheng, the airline's general manager of the China Office, stressed the significance of the resumption. "The resumed flights will promote trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries." The Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture established in August 2014, started Kathmandu-Beijing flights in late October 2019. The flights were suspended for three years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline is set to resume or open new routes to China, including round-trip flights from Kathmandu to Shanghai and Qingdao. (With UNI inputs) UNI Moscow: Air raid sirens went off in several regions of Ukraine, including Kiev, late on Friday night, according to air raid data from the countrys Ministry of Digital Transformation. Air raid warnings were in effect in the Ukrainian regions of Mykolaiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv and Kiev shortly after midnight, the ministrys online map showed. Air raid sirens also sounded in the capital city itself and the Kiev-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Later in the night, air raid sirens sounded across the entire territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian media reported overnight that explosions were heard in Dnipropetrovsk. Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been carried out by Russia since October 10 (two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge). In February, the head of Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo said that direct damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure caused by Russian strikes may amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, with economic losses ranging in billions. (With UNI inputs) News / National by Staff reporter Zanu-PF has played down fears of the prospect of its former political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere coming back to haunt the party in August 23 general elections.Self-exiled Kasukuwere is back on the political landscape contesting as an independent candidate in the upcoming general elections.Kasukuwere successfully lodged his nomination papers with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), laying bare his intentions to wrestle power from President Emmerson Mnangagwa.According to reports his ambition has reportedly sent shockwaves among Zanu-PF members who fear a plot to campaign against Mnangagwa.Speaking in Harare Thursday, Zanu-PF political commissar Mike Bimha said Kasukuwere is in a futile expedition."One has to go back to the history of our party you had people who were probably holding very senior positions in Zanu-PF and doing well in terms of making contributions to the party and having gone through the rank and occupying senior positions and one by one when they felt that probably they were big enough to go high to the top some of them left the party started their own parties and contested but history has it that one after the other they fell flat on the ground and that has been the history."This is the history of Zanu-PF and that is the end of you. It is very cold out there. You might have the support when you are within Zanu-PF but when you go out if Zanu-PF that support disappears because it is Zanu-PF which is strong, it is Zanu-PF which is popular not an individual and that is the fate that will also befall the colleague," said Bimha.Kasukuwere was a kingpin in a G40 grouping that had set eyes on succeeding then long time ruler Robert Mugabe.Tyson as he is affectionately known considers himself a victim of factionalism that reared its head in 2017 resulting in Mugabe's ouster.His candidacy is viewed by political analysts as a move to settle political scores against the incumbent.Bimha further said that Zanu-PF has put wheels in motion as it is set to launch its election manifesto in Chipinge, Saturday.Coincidentally, the manifesto will be launched in Manicaland, home province of founding leader Ndabaningi Sithole whom Mnangagwa conferred with national hero status 22 years after his death."Manicaland as you know, there is a lot of history when it comes to Manicaland. As you know it is the province that has been very close to where we're waging the war from in terms of its proximity to Mozambique."More significantly is that when you go into history again you find the likes of our national hero Ndabaningi Sithole comes from Chipinge and he was a founding father of Zanu and played a pivotal role in terms of the persecution of our struggle," said Bimha. Pixabay Islamabad: One man was killed, and three others were injured in an attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, local police said. The deceased was heading towards home after hearing a court case when unidentified gunmen sprayed bullets at him outside the court, killing him at the spot, the police said. Three people, including a policeman, were injured in the attack and shifted to a nearby hospital. The attackers fled the scene following the attack, and a search operation is underway. No group or individual has claimed the attack. (With UNI inputs) Image: Pixabay Police have arrested two Nepali people for luring people with job opportunities, sending them to Laos, and engaging them in fraudulent activities, media reports said. A police investigation later revealed that Nepali and Chinese were involved in the fraud. Among those arrested are 25-year-old Padam Nepali from Kalikot, currently residing in Nagarjuna Municipality, Kathmandu, and 38-year-old Shyam Kumar Tamang from Nuwakot, currently residing in Gokarneshwar Municipality-4, reports Epardafas. The Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of the police arrested the duo earlier. According to the spokesperson of the Bureau, Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Prasad Pangeni, they lured the two men to Laos with lucrative jobs, the news portal reported. On November 22, 2022, the two men were send from Kathmandu to Kolkata, passing through Thailand towards the Golden Triangle in Laos, where they were taken hostage in a special economic zone. It has been revealed that the two hostages were forced to invest in crypto-currencies and stocks through online fraud, traps. According to the police, additional investigation has been started against the arrested persons from the Kathmandu District Court with a deadline of 5 days, the news portal reported. The victims were returned to Nepal after about 5 months with the help of the consular office in Laos. It has been revealed that Padam Nepali, who was arrested in the police investigation, has a good knowledge of Chinese language and that he works as a language translator for Chinese companies in Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries. Image: Wallpaper Cave Public prosecutors in the Libyan city of Zliten have arrested 10 Chinese nationals for allegedly setting an illegal crypto-mining operation in a disused iron factory on the western coast of Libya, media reports said. Photos and videos published online by the office of Libyan Attorney General Siddiq Al-Sour show officials dismantling huge processing systems uncovered in the city of Zliten, to the east of Tripoli province, reports The New Arab. We are investigating two cryptocurrency mines in the jurisdictions of Tripoli and Misrata, said the Attorney General's office in a Facebook post as quoted by the news portal. 10 Chinese nationals have been apprehended, who were found in possession of the computers performing complex calculations. The devices and equipment found have been seized pending further investigation and the Chinese nationals held in custody, according to the statement as quoted by The New Arab. Libya has officially banned crypto-currency mining. Image: Pixabay Chinas largest online domestic helper agency, Swan Daojia, has said labor shortage will remain a major hurdle for the country in the upcoming days. The agency blames the country's declining population as the reason behind the situation. Chen Xiaohua, founder and CEO of the agency also known as 58 Daojia, told a digital economy forum hosted by Alibaba Group Holdings Luohan Academy in Hangzhou on Wednesday that it will be increasingly hard to find enough domestic helpers as the labour base shrinks and Chinese millennials are reluctant to work in such jobs, reports South China Morning Post. Decline in population is a big concern, Chen said. Ten years from now, itll be hard to find those born in the 1990s or 2000s [willing] to work as Ayi, Chen said, using a Chinese phrase for domestic helper. Those who can afford domestic services [in China] today should feel lucky, as it is [going to be] more difficult and expensive to hire a domestic helper [a decade] from now, he said. In a beautiful twist of fate, a newborn was surrendered at Ocala Fire Rescue's Fire Station No. 1 in Ocala, Florida, and has now found a permanent new home. According to a firefighter who chose to remain anonymous, the incident occurred on January 2 during his overnight shift. At 2 a.m., an alarm went off, indicating a baby had been left at the department's Safe Haven Baby Box. What is a Baby Box? The website states, "A Baby Box is a safety device provided for under states Safe Haven Law and legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they cannot care for their newborn." This innovative device enables individuals to surrender a newborn who requires care beyond their means safely. The firefighter shared this account with TODAY. "To be honest, I thought it was a false alarm," the firefighter told the outlet. According to Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG-TV, the firefighter found a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket when he opened the box. "She had a little bottle with her, and she was just chilling," he recalled to TODAY. "I picked her up and held her. We locked eyes, and that was it. Ive loved her ever since that moment." The firefighter, who serves as both a paramedic and an individual facing a decade-long struggle to conceive a child with his wife, was contemplating adoption. To take the baby to the hospital, he also inquired about possibly adopting her. "I didn't call my wife right away because I didn't want to wake her up, but I knew she'd be on board," he said. The firefighter wrote a note to accompany the baby girl, sharing the struggles he and his wife had faced in trying to have a child and expressing their readiness to care for her. In the note, he mentioned that they had completed all necessary adoption classes in Florida and were eager to welcome a child. Courtesy Zoey's family/ABC Upon returning home from work, the firefighter informed his wife about the events, which brought her to tears. However, he remained cautious, fearing that the note might not stay with the baby, potentially leading to her disappearance. These were stressful days for the couple. Fortunately, the baby, named Zoey by the couple, went home with them on January 4, two days after being placed in the Safe Haven Baby Box. She stayed with them for several months until her official adoption in April. Reflecting on the sequence of events, the firefighter expressed disbelief and found holding back tears while recounting the story challenging. He attributed their remarkable encounter to divine intervention, believing God had assisted them. By sharing their story, the firefighter aimed to assure Zoey's biological mother that her child was well-cared for and loved beyond measure. Zoey was the first baby placed in the Ocala Fire Rescue Safe Haven Baby Box, introduced in December 2020, as announced by the fire department on Facebook. Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey, speaking at a press conference in January, expressed her excitement for the baby's future with her adoptive family, emphasizing the importance of protecting infants from abandonment. As per the Safe Haven Baby Box website, there are currently 148 active devices across the United States, with 40 different communities working on implementing a Safe Haven Baby Box at local hospitals or fire stations. Across the country, a total of 31 babies have been safely surrendered through the use of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. 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India's LNG Imports: A Viable Alternative to the TAPI Pipeline? By IndraStra Global Editorial Team https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfZ7XEc1wiMcDo1ShDL8sc4ljVkZoFAylqT3aCySWTSkaLBRJpGyHV46XjEVrQjtf3bxDxgPBpwhzGfV-nmf24nuWk27wR_-bJB6UjEHRcbOLyjQ40fZCN8g7qw4pZGIPNS5PV8PbsTT15NlenS8pFv6PJqSB_8GIXXvm0rbDF5YXsAD4yeSRCP2YX-4/w640-h360/Dahej_LNG_import_terminal_India_LNGWEB_Main.jpg https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfZ7XEc1wiMcDo1ShDL8sc4ljVkZoFAylqT3aCySWTSkaLBRJpGyHV46XjEVrQjtf3bxDxgPBpwhzGfV-nmf24nuWk27wR_-bJB6UjEHRcbOLyjQ40fZCN8g7qw4pZGIPNS5PV8PbsTT15NlenS8pFv6PJqSB_8GIXXvm0rbDF5YXsAD4yeSRCP2YX-4/s72-w640-c-h360/Dahej_LNG_import_terminal_India_LNGWEB_Main.jpg IndraStra Global https://www.indrastra.com/2023/06/indias-lng-imports-viable-alternative.html https://www.indrastra.com/ https://www.indrastra.com/ https://www.indrastra.com/2023/06/indias-lng-imports-viable-alternative.html 1461303524738926686 UTF-8 Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Readmore Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy Table of Content Question Everything! Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Prigozhin's Mutiny What's going on in Russia? By Lawrence Freedman June 24, 2023: Information Clearing House -- " Having been told for months that Putin was fully in control and not vulnerable to coups, his authority is now being directly challenged in a way that may have far-reaching implications for the regime as well as the course of the war. The confidence there would be no coup was due to there being nobody obvious to lead one, given a serious candidate would need to be backed by credible military capabilities. Now we have a candidate. This coup is being led by the boss of the Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin. At first the smart money was on his failure because the full weight of the Russian state is against him. Before he made his moves, he was declared a traitor, his offices were raided, and his bases shelled. But the Russian state is inept and decrepit. If the aim was to catch Prigozhin unawares and shut him up it failed, because he appears to have had some notice of what was being prepared for him and so took his own initiatives. If you are going to move against your opponents you need to be decisive. Prigozhin got away (like Zelensky in February 2022). Instead a column of his men crossed from the Donbas into Russia, without hindrance, moving towards Rostov-on-Don. This is a vital command centre and logistic hub for the war. As he did so his people reportedly hacked into local TV and radio, broadcasting appeals for support, claiming that those who support Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu are the real traitors and supporters of Ukraine. Putin now appreciates the danger that he should have realised weeks ago. In his Saturday morning address he denounced those stabbing Russia in the back at a time of war, insisted that they would be punished, confirmed that a counter-terrorism regime was now in place in Moscow, and promised his people that everything was under control. He managed to do this without actually uttering Prigozhins name. The Wagner boss has become Voldemort. There are many uncertainties about developments on the ground. These are situations when rumours are fertilised and grow rapidly, so it is unwise to talk yet with great confidence about what is happening let alone how events will unfold. But at times like this speculation is unavoidable. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter How did we get here? We are on reasonably sure ground when charting the development of this crisis for the Russian state. The tension has been evident for months, gaining attention with Prigozhins frequent complaints that he was being starved of ammunition during the long battle for the city of Bakhmut. At one point he threatened to walk away from the battle unless his needs were met, agreed to carry on when told that he would get his supplies, and then still grumbled that it was not enough. Once Bakhmut was taken, after months of gruelling urban combat, there were further complaints that weaknesses among Russian regular forces had allowed the Ukrainians to take back territory on the flanks, thus rendering the efforts of his men useless. This led to a wider critique of the quality of Russias senior command for being out of touch with the harsh realities of the war, playing down casualties, and talking as if all was well when clearly it wasnt. Then Shoigu made a push to have the Wagner group and other private military companies put under his direct control. Prigozhin made a big show of rejecting Shoigus orders. He was already in mutinous mood. Through this it was assumed that Prigozhin was sufficiently close to Putin to have some latitude when it came to making a noise. Perhaps it suited Putin for a friendly critic to keep his main military advisors on their toes. Yet was he so friendly? The sharper the criticisms the closer they got to Putin. The accusation that the President was being kept wilfully uninformed by his underlings was hardly a ringing endorsement of his leadership. He was either gullible or complicit. Nor did Putin make any effort to distance himself from Shoigu. Whenever he speaks about military operations, which he has been doing recently more often than at any point since the Ukrainian counter-offensive began, he takes the Shoigu line that all is well, that the Ukrainians are taking a beating, that NATO equipment is nothing special, and that his forces are being prepared for a long haul should this be necessary. One continuity in his pronouncements is that he remains far surer about why the war had to be fought than how it can be won. On this he remains remarkable vague. Boiling over It is the question of the wars necessity that made Prigozhins latest accusations so incendiary. Those made on Friday were quite different in nature and direction to anything that had gone before, challenging not only the conduct of the war but the whole basis upon which it was launched. The shots might have been aimed at Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, the commander-in-chief, but Vladimir Putin was clearly in the firing line. Remember that the pretext for this war was that Ukraine was mounting a genocide against the Russian-speaking people of the Donbas, egged on by NATO. That made the invasion urgent, both to safeguard the potential victims and to remove the hateful neo-Nazi regime that was engaging in such terrible acts. The whole sequence of events leading to the 24 February 2022 invasion was orchestrated in line with this theory, starting with the Security Council meeting on the morning of 21 February which was asked whether the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics (DNR/LNR) be recognised. Putin immediately decided that they should be, confirmed the next day that this covered the classical boundaries of these oblasts rather than the DNR/LNR enclaves, and gained authority from the Duma to do whatever was necessary to defend them. This was followed by a staged incident in Luhansk, a request for help to meet Kyivs aggression, and then the full-scale invasion. In his Friday morning video Prigozhin took down this whole contrivance. He explained that there was no extraordinary threat to the Donbas prior to the invasion, that artillery exchanges were no more than usual, and that the whole business was a put-up affair by Shoigu and other corrupt officers, backed by oligarchs making money out of the military build-up. So damning was the charge that the FSB, the security agency, opened a criminal investigation against Prigozhin. Later Prigozhin was on air again, showing images of the aftermath of an attack by Russian missiles and helicopters on a Wagner camp. He moved even further onto the rhetorical offensive. The evil carried by the countrys military leadership must be stopped. The official Russian media denied the attacks, insisting sniffily, that they remained preoccupied with the fight against Ukrainian forces. What is going on? Maybe this was an elite fight that got out of hand, a consequence of a military system that failed to achieve unity of command and allowed a number of these private military companies, not just Wagner, to operate independently and according to their own agendas. Since he moved out of the shadows during the course of this war Prigozhin has shown an interest in an eventual political career. He has his own propaganda machine and significant name-recognition among the population. Most importantly he commands a substantial body of men as many as 25,000 engaged in his current manoeuvres. The language we have to describe these events often fails to grasp their singular nature. When we talk of coups we imagine armed men rushing into the Kremlin to arrest or kill Putin and installing a new leader, with the main media outlets seized to ensure that everyone knows who is now in charge. In that sense it is not a coup and Prigozhin has insisted that he is not mounting one. His aim is solely to remove Shoigu and Gerasimov and replace the meat-grinding strategies they have followed in the war. At any rate following Putins speech whether or not this was his intention, Prigozhin is in a direct confrontation with the Russian President. One of them will be a loser. Prigozhin will have some supporters among the civil and military elite, for his arguments if not for his character, and he is after all not short of funds when it comes to buying favours and intelligence. And while most will take it for granted that their careers and wellbeing depend on Putins survival, few can have many illusions left about the mismanagement of this war and the costs it is imposing on Russian society and economy. Most for now will be keeping their heads down, but if this goes much further then there will be demands for loyalty that will carry their own risks. There has been some fighting, sufficiently serious for Wagner to claim to have shot down three helicopters, but it has not yet got close to a civil war, which would mean that the armed forces were completely divided against each other as if they were confronting an external enemy. On the ground Wagner does not appear to have faced much resistance, even as he walked into the Russian armys main command centre. Nor is it an insurrection. Prigozhin has urged people to go out on to the streets to get rid of their weak government, (we will find weapons). To the extent that they know what is going on the Russian people are likely to be alarmed and perplexed but they are not going to rush out onto the streets and start building barricades. It is certainly not a drive to make peace. At Rostov Prigozhin has taken care to show that he is not interfering with the business of Southern Command as it tries to manage the war, although one must assume that the officers involved must be a tad distracted at the moment. He wants to appear patriotic and claims that he has a better way to fight the war. It is, however, a mutiny. As such everything for Prigozhin depends on whether his accusations ring true to other troops and prompt them to join his ranks, or at least refuse to start fighting his men. By and large Wagner has shown more discipline and elan than many other Russian forces and it would not be surprising if they gained the upper hand in any fighting. This could soon have a knock-on effect on the cohesion of the loyalist military response. Prigozhin is clearly not alone in his disdain for the higher command of this war. There are many military bloggers, often extremely nationalistic and pro-war, who are candid about the failings of Russian forces and also blame corruption and complacency at the top. What distinguishes him from others is that he has a large and apparently loyal force at his disposal. Unlike other generals he also has actual victories to his credit, albeit pyrrhic in nature. His men were to the fore in the capture of Soledar and Bakhmut. Elsewhere during the recent Russian offensive there were only costly failures. Furthermore we know that for many in the front lines, especially those that have been fighting in the Donbas, conditions have been miserable, casualties extremely high, and commanders absent. The Wagner group has claimed that contracted Russian troops would rather be with them than under Gerasimovs chain of command. Those in the Donbas have supposedly served as part of the LNR and DNR militias, but these have been hollowed out, as their troops kept on getting killed, and now seem to be run as rackets by the remaining local warlords. One of the many tragedies of this war is how those supposedly being protected from mythical Ukrainian atrocities have suffered harsh treatment at the hands of their protectors. Vital cities have been reduced to ruin. Since the first moves in the Donbas to challenge the Ukrainian authorities in the spring of 2014 this region has been impoverished. What Next? It is telling that Moscows instinctive response is to insist that the mutiny is already failing and that Wagner fighters are seeing the error of their ways and returning to join their true comrades. There is a hope, present in Putins speech, that the Wagner troops can be divided from their leader. Denying bad news is the default position of this regime but there is no evidence for now that the mutiny is faltering. The big question is how the rest of the armed forces will respond. One of the most remarkable videos to emerge so far shows Prigozhin talking in Rostov with Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Vladimir Stepanovich Alekseev, the deputy chief of Russia's military intelligence service, who were both presumably on duty at the command HQ, and now appear to be effectively hostages. Alekeev had not long before issued his own video urging Prigozhin to abandon his adventure. Intriguingly from the same room Prigozhins main ally in the high command, General Sergei Surovikin (incidentally a participant in the 1991 coup against Gorbachev), had issued a similar appeal, delivered more in sadness than in anger. So where is Surovikin now? He is potentially a key player. Shoigu and Gerasimov, who Prigozhin also claimed to be in Rostov, do not appear to be there now. As they still have Putins backing it will be up to them to organise the counter-mutiny. Prigozhin now has to decide whether to continue with his march on Moscow as he has promised knowing that preparations are being made to receive him. The UK MOD claims that his men have already reached a half-way point at Voronezh What happens now depends on the loyalty of troops. There are reports rumours of some from mainstream forces going over to Wagner. Many more may be passive spectators. If he cant mobilise substantial loyalist units then Putin is in trouble. If he can then Prigozhin will be isolated and potentially crushed. One factor in all of this is where the loyal troops come from given that so much of the army is bogged down in Ukraine. Even if Wagner is defeated quickly, which I would not take for granted, then this is still a big shock to the regime and it will have been weakened. If the confrontation goes in the other direction then all bets are off and panic may start to grip the Kremlin. The problem for autocrats like Putin is that they dont really know what is going on among their people, and that tends to add to the panic. Moreover once the high command looks vulnerable what will the junior commanders do in their battles with Ukrainian forces? How keen will they be to die for a cause that seems lost? For now those watching events with the greatest enthusiasm will be the Ukrainian high command. There are opportunities opening up for offensive operations that they never expected. Lawrence Freedman Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London. Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Registration is not necessary to post comments. We ask only that you do not use obscene or offensive language. Please be respectful of others. See also News / National by Staff reporter MINISTER of information, Monica Mutsvangwa, had a public relations nightmare, melting under intense pressure, failing to enunciate and defend the country's policies and legislation.Mutsvangwa began a full throttle public relations exercise Thursday night in South Africa, appearing on the neighbouring country's television station, Newzroom Africa, apparently to promote and clean' Zimbabwe's image.The government has on numerous occasions cried foul over bias of regional media particularly South Africa as they have been reserving space for opposition and other critics.Mutsvangwa was at pains to defend the contentious Criminal law and codification amendment bill which sailed through Parliament and the upper house.The bill which awaits Presidential assent has received widespread condemnation from civil society and opposition over a clause which criminalises speaking ill of Zimbabwe and engaging foreigners to overthrow the sitting government."The role of that bill is to make sure citizens love their country. That means you cannot go about talking bad about your own country. Zimbabwe is a sovereign and this is not the first country which has that patriotic bill."That has been going on. We are talking about sanctions on your country, talking about a coup in your country," said Mutsvangwa.Mutsvangwa professed ignorance when quizzed over nomination fees and subsequent failure of other candidates to file their nomination papers."I do not know which candidate was not able to file their nomination papers because the Presidential candidate, that is we have not heard of any report of anybody who wanted to file for the Presidential candidate who was not able to do it," she said.Earlier this year, during cabinet ministers' performance evaluation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of government communication, which includes Mutsvangwa to champion his policies.As if to redeem herself Mutsvangwa appeared on state broadcaster Friday afternoon, SABC, where she was haunted by a ghost of the previous night.Mutsvangwa had a torrid time answering tough questions.When quizzed about muzzling of opposition parties and abuse of state resources Mutsvangwa digressed saying:"Yes, elections do not wait, this is exactly a month before elections. We are going to be holding our elections on the 23rd of August and obviously work has always been there."We are happy when democracy is being practiced. As a minister of information the mandate was to make sure that I bring Zimbabweans together, we remove all the polarisation which existed. We have been aligning our media laws to the constitution."I do not know where this has been happening. The truth of the matter is what I know is we have had some journalists beaten up when they attend opposition rallies and that has been dealt with. As a Ministry of information, we are in charge of journalists," she said. The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has pledged the support of the continental financial body for the Bola Tinubu administration. INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that Adesina in his chat with President Tinubu at the just concluded Summit For a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, said the AfDB will strongly support Tinubus vision for Nigerian economy. In his verified tweeter handle @akin_adesina, the AfDB president said, I had a great meeting with President Tinubu during the new global finance pact summit in Paris. I was impressed by his bold &sound policies for Nigerias economy. The African Development Bank will strongly support his vision for Nigerian economy. READ MORE: Financial System Rotten Under Emefiele Tinubu Tells Nigerians In Diaspora However, Adesina again underscored the case for multilateral development banks (MDBs) to be allowed to leverage International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights. He said with an increased allocation, MDBs could crowd in the much-needed resources for developing nations to fight climate change and fast-track the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking during a panel session at the Summit For a New Global Financing Pact(link is external) in Paris, Adesina said MDBs could leverage an allocation of $ 200 billion, and turn this into a trillion dollars. Adesina said: The MDBs are leveraging machines. They can leverage the SDRs by three to four times. So that leverage is very important to have. The Federal Government has announced that another 125 Nigerians stranded in Sudan have been airlifted on Saturday and on their way back to the country following the continued crisis in Sudan. According to the Public Relations and Protocol, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), disclosed this on Saturday morning. Abdur-Rahman said Tarco Airline aircraft: ST-TAL B737-300 Left Port Sustatement dan International Airport today, 24th June 2023, at 10:45am. local time, with 125 Nigerian nationals (Evacuees). Meanwhile, official source also disclosed to LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER that, the estimated time of arrival at Port Sudan (PZU) to Juba (JUB) is 2hrs 50 min. READ MORE: 160 Women In Sudan Claiming To Be Nigerians Have No Passports To Return FG The aircraft will stop over for one hour at Juba before continuing the journey to Abuja. It will take the plane 03hrs:30 min from Juba to Abuja, totalling 7hrs:30 minutes. The flight is expected to arrive in Abuja around 5:45pm Nigerian time, Balogun said. The government has repatriated about 2000 Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Sudan within the past two months. Recall that the Federal Government had said no feewer than 160 women claiming to be Nigerians in war-torn Sudan have no passports to verify their citizenship claims and fly back to the country. The director general, Mustapha Ahmed, of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who disclosed this in a press briefing on Sunday said the agency was being careful not to evacuate non-Nigerians. Popular Nollywood actress, Ini Edo has revealed that she regrets getting married. The actress made this statement while talking about her failed marriage with media personality Chude Jideonwo. Recall that on November 29, 2008, the beautiful thespian married American-based businessman Philip Ehiagwina, but the marriage only lasted five years before the couple divorced in 2013. READ ALSO: Celebrities React As Ini Edo Sparks Marriage Rumor After She Is Spotted With Wedding Ring, Gowns In the interview, Ini-Edo revealed that the marriage was forced upon her by her family and that she would only consider marriage with the right person. She said, I regretted my decision to get married because it wasnt just the right move to make. In 2021, the actress welcomed a child via surrogacy, revealing that she chose that route due to miscarriages. I chose surrogacy because I had a couple of miscarriages. And I just got tired of trying. I dont have a husband. So, Im like, I want a child for myself, whether I have a husband or not. So, what other options would I have? And I wanted it to be my child. My eggs. Thankfully, my eggs are good. So I did that. Watch video below: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Friday, said he is quite aware of the tough conditions and harsh economic realities that come with working and living in a foreign country. The President revealed this in Paris, France while addressing Nigerians resident in the European country. This is as he appealed to Nigerians to bear with his government on the implementation of certain economic policies, noting that the discomfort and hardship they are experiencing are temporary. According to him, he had experienced the rough side of life first hand during his days in the United Kingdom and United States, years ago. So, your President is here. I danced for it and I have to continue to be prepared for it. READ ALSO: Financial System Rotten Under Emefiele Tinubu Tells Nigerians In Diaspora The challenges are enormous. But do we have hope? Yes. With perseverance, determination and persistence, we can achieve whatever we desire. I know the road and Ive been through what many of you have been through outside the country. Ive been in America and in the UK; I had been a night guard, security man and a door man in America. But I have achieved my aim, Tinubu said. He however vowed to work for those who did not vote for him during the February 25 election in which he was declared the winner. Whether you voted for me or you didnt vote for me, I am your president. By the grace of God, I have to work on your behalf, he added. Russias mercenary leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has promised to punish those who killed, destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers. Following this, the Russian government, accused Prigozhin, of armed mutiny as he provided no evidence that the military leadership had killed a huge number of his fighters in an air strike The development, which details remained unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis Russias President, Vladimir Putin has faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine something he called a special military operation in February last year. Prigozhin claimed he had dispatched an armed convoy on a 1,200-km (750-mile) charge towards Moscow on Saturday to topple the military leadership. Russian local officials said a military convoy was on the main motorway linking the southern part of European Russia, bordering Ukraine, with Moscow, and warned residents to avoid it. The Russian Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB)- domestic security service said it had opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny, a crime punishable with a jail term of up to 20 years. Prigozhin, whose Wagner militia spearheaded the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, has for months been openly accusing Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support in its battles in Ukraine. READ ALSO: Russia, Ukraine Exchange 100 Prisoners Each As their feud appeared to come to a head, the ministry issued a statement saying Prigozhins accusations were not true and are an informational provocation. The mercenary chief however said his actions were not a military coup. However, in a frenzied series of audio messages, in which the sound of his voice sometimes varied and could not be independently verified, he appeared to suggest that 25,000 fighters were en route to oust the leaders of the defence establishment in Moscow. Early on Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in his feud, saying that Putins rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the armys top brass. Prigozhin posted a message on the Telegram saying his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and were in Rostov. He said they were ready to go all the way against the top brass and destroy anyone who stood in their way. Around the same time, the state news agency, TASS quoted Kremlins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov as saying all Russias main security services were reporting to Putin round the clock on the fulfilment of his orders with respect to Prigozhin. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin of Moscow said on his Telegram channel that security was being tightened in Moscow. He issued a high alert, warning residents to stay at home as Wagner mercenaries approached the city. Sobyanin added on Telegram that a counter-terrorist operation regime has been declared in Moscow and Monday will be a non-working day in a bid to keep locals from travelling around the city. The only exception to this order are those working in core services, security, and the military. Meanwhile, in his audio messages, Prigozhin said: Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country, he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in the Wagner Militias way. All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000, he said, after earlier accusing the Russian top brass of launching strikes against his men, he said. We are dying for the Russian people. Prigozhin later took to the Wagner Telegram channel to share a chilling message for the Russian president. Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president, he wrote. Wagner are a private paramilitary group run by Prigozhin who currently claims to have more than 25,000 fighters under his command. The Director General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has given the reason why she allegedly snubbed President Bola Tinubu in her social media post earlier. Recall that Okonjo-Iweala via her Twitter page, posted some photos of herself and other world leaders at the Paris Global Financial Summit and photograph of herself with Tinubu was missing. She wrote: At a panel in the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris addressing the issue of the role of trade and trade policy in fighting climate change, poverty and inequality. With @Lagarde @MathiasCormann @LaurenceTubiana @IFADPresident @rajshah Sultan Al Jaber @DrTedros @JuttaUrpilainen and Nathalie Delapalme #NewGlobalFinancingPact. READ MORE: Soludo, Okonjo-Iweala, Best Appointments I Made As President Obasanjo More images from the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris. With HE President @LulaOficial HE President @Macky_Sall HE President @CyrilRamaphosa and HE President @HHichilema Meanwhile, this development triggered mixed reactions as some political loyalist claimed her post was an insult on President Tinubu, for her to recognize and share photos with the other Presidents while refusing to post the pictures she had with the Nigerian leader. Following the backlash, the former finance minister in a new post, shared photos of herself and the Nigerian president exchanging pleasantries at the summit. Speaking about the backlash via her Twitter handle on Saturday, Okonjo-Iweala clarified that she posted photos in the order received by her accompanying staff and colleagues. She, however, expressed disappointment with the attacks against her by Nigerians, saying that it shows the depth of polarization in our society. She said: Nigerians please relax! Re Paris, Interesting attacks from both sides. Sadly shows the depth of polarization in our society. I post photos in the order received by accompanying staff or colleagues. Reading more into it is unwarranted. Lets unite to build our country not attack! Olukayode Egbetokun, the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Friday, said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will establish a Quick Intervention Squad to tackle the menace of crimes and criminality in the country. The IGP who disclosed this during his inaugural conference with Strategic Police Managers, consisting of officers from the rank of Commissioner of Police and above, said, The Nigeria Police Force under my command, in its quest to stamp out violent crimes and their detrimental and debilitating effects on the security and safety of our society, will forge ahead to tackle the menace of crimes and criminality head on. This will be done with the establishment of a specialised Quick Intervention Squad, which will comprise combat ready Police Mobile Force personnel with effective and enhanced training in crisis de-escalation and violent crime reduction strategies. READ ALSO: IGP, Kayode Egbetokun Officially Takes Over At Force Headquarters According to him, its establishment will lead to a review of the engagement patterns of the Police Mobile Force in a bid to restore the days of glory of the Police Mobile Force as a punching arm of the Police. He said since the world is evolving at an unprecedented pace, the Nigeria Police should adapt to the evolving landscape of crime because criminals were presently more sophisticated, more organised and more ruthless than ever before. The IG furthered that his administration would embrace innovation, technology as powerful allies in the fight against crime and would leverage cutting-edge tools, data analytics and intelligence networks to stay one step ahead of criminals, seeking to disrupt the peace of the country. This, the IGP said, would be achieved through a robust and effective human and technical intelligence-gathering process to enhance the capacity of personnel. Details of the meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and David Alaba, popular Real Madrid defender; Emmanuel Iga, don of Geopolitics and International Business and other Nigerian professionals in Paris, France have emerged. Tinubu, through his Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, in a statement on Friday, assured Nigerians of repositioning the education and health sectors, while the ongoing reforms on the economy will be sustained and expanded to relieve families struggling with the burden of poverty and insecurity. To all of you, our hope is renewed, he said, welcoming many suggestions in the future for the economy and explaining some of the short-term and long-term frameworks for providing growth opportunities for individuals, families and institutions. READ ALSO: I Was Once A Night Guard, Security, Door Man In America Tinubu Preaches Perseverance, Determination We have transport challenges, electricity challenges, infrastructural challenges and others. I let out the giant elephant of fuel subsidy without bringing down the house. Our diversity is our asset if we know how to use it. We must promote unity and stability for all, Tinubu added. According to him, he was presented with an option of meeting with a handful of Nigerians in France, but he preferred a larger number, pledging to be persistent, determined and focused on reforms for a better country. On his part, Professor Iga lauded the President for the great steps taken in three weeks to reposition the economy. You have shown we have a committed and competent leader. You are the first President of Nigeria who has no godfather. You are your godfather. We are impressed with the removal of subsidies and streamlining of foreign exchange. We will wait for the palliatives, Iga said. Staring down a sudden and staggering escalation of internal crisis, Russias President, Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that those on path of treason or armed rebellion would be punished. Information Nigeria understands Putin is facing the greatest threat to his authority in two decades after the head of the Wagner paramilitary group launched an apparent insurrection, claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities, and warned that his troops would head for Moscow. It is a stab in the back of our country and our people, he said in an address to the nation, threatening a harsh response for those planning an armed rebellion. Putin was speaking after the militia chief and his one-time ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin dramatically stepped up his feud with Moscows security establishment over the handling of the invasion of Ukraine, throwing the country into crisis with a series of military moves that seemingly took Moscow by surprise. This is a criminal campaign. It is equivalent to armed mutiny, Putin said. Russia will defend itself and repel this move. We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens and our territorial integrity. In the face of those who are fighting on the front, this is a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia, he added. After Putins speech, Prigozhin said on Telegram that the president was deeply mistaken. READ ALSO: Putin Reportedly Sends 100 Strippers To Front Line To Boost Morale Of Russian Soldiers We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting. And no one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else, he said in audio messages. Prigozhin, who heads private military group Wagner, said his forces had taken control of Russian military facilities in the city of Rostov-on-Don, an important operations base for Russias war in Ukraine. He threatened to march on Moscow if Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov did not meet with him in Rostov. The Wagner group also claimed to have seized Russian facilities in a second city, Voronezh, some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov-on-Don. Alexander Gusev, Governor of the Voronezh region, said the Russian military were engaging in combat measures in the area. In his remarks, Putin described events in Rostov as an insurrection. The situation in Rostov-on-Don remains difficult during the armed uprising. In Rostov, the work of civil and military administration is basically blocked, Putin said, adding that decisive action would be taken. The Federal Government has been advised to cut the cost of governance to meet the demands of the Labour union concerning palliatives over the removal of fuel subsidy. President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo made this known during a chat on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily on Friday. Osifo urged the government to prioritise cutting down the cost of governance in the country. READ MORE: NLC, TUC Appeal Court Order Stopping Strike Action Over Fuel Subsidy Removal He said the Union is very aware that not all its demands from the government would be met, but it wont lose grip of its negotiation with the government. Osifo led this out while making reference to the campaign promises of the current administration said in their campaign promised an increase in revenue generation and the growth of the country. He said: The government has told us that they are going to save a massive amount of money when the subsidy is removed. So, part of this money should also go to taking care of Nigerians, especially the vulnerable. Crude oil is being sold in dollars (USD); when they were repatriating the money before now, the exchange rate was around N460 to a dollar. But today, it is going to be about N700, which means that there would be much more naira available to the government. More importantly is that, as a government, they must be creative. As a government, they must be innovative; they must put on their thinking cap and be able to grow the revenue of the country. We know we cannot get 100 per cent of the demands (in the) negotiation; we know our minimum set point. If the cost of governance is reduced, they would be able to save some money from that and if they do all these other things we have said, we believe that funds will be available. News / National by Staff reporter [WATCH] ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula blames the U.S. and the UK for the mass exodus of Zimbabweans from their home country to South Africa.#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/Z3rtBc6wAy Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 24, 2023 South Africa's governing ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has blamed the U.S. and the UK for the mass exodus of Zimbabweans from their home country to South Africa.Mbalula also said Zimbabweans have moved en masses down south and are all over the show due to problems back home.Mbalula says the former president Robert Mugabe was removed by his comrades led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa who did not introduce enough reforms, so people want main opposition CCC leader Nelson Chamisa.Mbalula was speaking in the context of Western geopolitical interests in the region, sanctions on Zimbabwean leaders and the 2017 coup in Zimbabwe.He was saying that the West could have easily moved into Zimbabwe from Botswana and kicked out Mugabe, installed a leader of their choice; things the ANC doesn't want.So he says Mnangagwa then staged a coup against Mugabe, but even if he tried to reform thereafter they still didn't want him as they want Chamisa. The whereabouts of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, was thrown into question after an aircraft belonging to the presidency was spotted flying from Moscow to St Petersburg, according to Flight Radar. According to numerous reports, Vladimir Putins presidential plane took off from Moscows Vnukovo airport at 2:16pm local time (1216 BST) and then headed north-west. Data from the Flight Radar tracking website showed the plane reached the Tver area about 110 miles from Moscow and where Putin has a residence before disappearing from the system. However, Dmitry Peskov, his spokesperson, denied Putin has fled the capital and told reporters the president is working at the Kremlin. Recall that Wagners armed rebellion is racing towards Moscow after the mercenary groups leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin took control of the military headquarters in Russian cities Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin has said his forces have been attacked by artillery and helicopters since he launched his mutiny. READ ALSO: Russia Open To Peace Talk With Ukraine Putin Putin however said an armed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin was treason and a mortal blow to Russias troops. Wagners armed rebellion is racing towards Moscow after the mercenary groups leader, Prigozhin took control of the military headquarters in Russian cities Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin has said his forces have been attacked by artillery and helicopters since he launched his mutiny. Putin said an armed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin was treason and a mortal blow to Russias troops. Meanwhile, mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russias military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. Reuters saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank careening past the city of Voronezh more than half way to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any substantial resistance on the highway. READ ALSO: Russia Ready To Negotiate With Parties Involved Over War With Ukraine Putin (Video) Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police manning machine gun positions on Moscows southern outskirt. Authorities in the Lipetsk region south of the capital told residents to stay home. Prigozhin says his men are on a march for justice to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russias very existence was under threat. We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. Defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it. We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy, Prigozhin said in an audio message. Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proceeded to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit after participating in the summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France. This was disclosed by the Special Adviser Special Duties, Communications & Strategy to the President, Dele Alake, in a statement on Saturday. He said President Bola Tinubu on Friday concluded his official trip to Paris, France, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. READ MORE: Palliatives Underway To Cushion Effect Of Subsidy Removal Tinubu Tells Nigerians In Diaspora Alake also revealed that the President will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. He added that, Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world. The summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. Socio-political commentator, Reno Omokri, has insisted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended and graduated from the Chicago State University. Information Nigeria had on Friday reported that the Presidential Election Petition Court, admitted in evidence a transcript in aid of admission into Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of Tinubu, who was identified as a female gender. The February 25 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his Party tendered the document along with other documents to prove the allegations in their joint petition challenging Tinubus declaration as the winner of the presidential election. Omokri, a staunch supporter of the PDP, cautioned saying Tinubu should not be attacked based on lies because God will lift him above his attackers. He stressed that Tinubu graduated with honours from the Chicago State University. READ ALSO: Tribunal : Court Admits Chicago University, NYSC Certificates Against Tinubu Omokri stated via Twitter that he worked for Waziri Atiku Abubakar to win. I pray he unseats Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court. And I am not pursuing any political appointment or job offer from Tinubu. However, it is false to assert that Bola Tinubu did not attend Chicago State University. I went there physically. I did a video broadcast from their campus. I met their officials. Tinubu attended and graduated from Chicago State University with honours, and they even have a photo of him in their alumni office as one of their most accomplished alumni. Not only did I go there physically to expose Tinubu (only to find out that he attended), I also asked their registry to put what they told me in writing. The man is no saint. His past cartel links indelibly taint him. But let us be fair, honest and transparent as we oppose him. If we attack Tinubu based on lies, God will just disappoint us further and appoint him greater. The Ukrainian government have reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Government to build a grain terminal at the Lekki Port in Lagos State, Nigeria, to help ensure food security in the African continent. The MoU was signed between the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food in collaboration with the international company, Lagos Free Zone, a venture of the Tolaram Group at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, United Kingdom, on Friday, June 23, according to New Telegraph. According to a Ukrainian media outlet, a press service issued by the ministry disclosed that the MoU was signed by the Ukrainian First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotsky on behalf of the government. READ ALSO: Ill End Russia-Ukraine War As US President In 24 Hours Trump Brags Vysotsky said, Cooperation between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and the Lagos Free Zone will be aimed at the creation of the necessary infrastructure for ensuring further ceaseless supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products both to Nigeria and the entire African continent with the main goal of ensuring the food security in the regions in greatest need. The Ukrainian agrarian sector will continue playing an important role in ensuring international food security, especially when the world population is increasing. Ukraine has the capacity and the technical know-how to build a rice terminal being the largest exporter and producer of wheat before the start of the Russian-Ukraine war. Former Commissioner for Power and coordinator for the now-defunct Tinubu/Shettima Grassroot Independent Campaign Council in Rivers State, Augustine Wokocha, has trashed reports that former governor Nyesom Wike cooperated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead the February 25 presidential election. Wokocha stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) welcomed Wike to the Party but that Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation, is still Party leader in the State. Information Nigeria had reported that former Chief of Staff at the state Government House, Tony Okocha, at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday called on Wike to defect to the APC and lead the Party in the State. Recall that Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and four of his fellow PDP governors opposed Atiku Abubakars bid for the presidency and demanded that Iyorchia Ayu, the then Partys national chairman, resign. Though Wike did not openly campaign for Tinubu, who was then the presidential candidate of the APC, reports alleged he asked his supporters to work for the Party. There are also insinuations that the former governor may be given an appointment by the President, having visited him after inauguration severally. However, Wokocha responding to Okocha at a briefing in Port Harcourt on Friday, said the claims that Wike solely delivered the State to Tinubu in the last election and deserved to be rewarded was untrue. READ ALSO: APC Ready To Recieve Wike Chieftain, Okocha The victory of Bola Tinubu in the last election in Rivers State cannot be given to one individual. It is a combination of the over 200,000 votes from Rivers State, who voted for the man who is our President today. I ran the campaign for the Tinubu election. I cant remember anywhere, anytime when the immediate past governor of Rivers State canvassed any support for the President. I cant remember any forum when he referred to the candidate of our party. He did not direct his people to vote for him, to my knowledge. So I dont know what Okocha meant by Wike immensely contributed to Tinubus victory. So, it is important we continue to appreciate Rivers people. Of course, people worked and those who did the canvassing to convince people that Tinubu was a better candidate also deserve our appreciation and gratitude, Wokocha said. He furthered that he was not opposed to Wike joining the APC if he desires to, but that the Party has a leader and is not in search of one. Candidly, politics is the more the merrier. So, Wike coming to the APC is a welcome development. What is an aberration is to say Wike should come and take over the party. This is the same party that its members were hounded like grasshoppers by the man who is being invited to join the party today. It was the same Wike who said APC is cancer stage four and the PDP is malaria. But he is welcome if he has suddenly realised that our cancer is better than the malaria he is suffering from, he stated According to him, Tinubu had started well and anyone who gets an appointment would be celebrated, but nobody should take credit that is not their own and take claims that are not theirs. We wont allow our people to be misled. To Columbus couple Rob and Tracy Gasper, the Friedhof building is iconic, from its stone facades to its classic brickwork and eye-catching window displays. It has intrigued Rob for years, he said, so when it went up for sale in 2017, they had to buy it. "It's just such a great building. I've always liked it even when I got to Columbus in the late '80s. The fact that we own it now is kind of a humbling experience and the fact that it is one of the better downtown buildings and that it has such a great history," Rob said. That history begins with German immigrant Theodore Friedhof, who came to America as a young man with very little to his name shortly after becoming an orphan. By the time of his passing in 1946, he was well-known around Columbus, hence the building and eventual city block that bore his name. Friedhof started in Chicago when he arrived in the United States, where he studied architecture and got the stylistic leanings that lend themselves to the Friedhof Building's "Chicago mercantile" structure. From there, he came to Columbus. "Someone thought it would be a great idea for him to immigrate to America, so he finally got to Columbus in 1892 or so, came as an apprentice architect and by the time he passed away he was the wealthiest and most prominent guy in Columbus," Gasper said. In 1929 Fred Schweser Sr. bought and opened Schweser's Department Store in the building, which occupied the space until 2017 when most of the franchise's stores closed due to declining sales. "When he sold to Fred Schweser Sr. in 1929 all the way out until we made the purchase, this was Schwesers brand. They had 33 stores at their height. It all started at this location and all those years later came back. When we bought it it was the very last asset of that corporation," Gasper said. In 2018 the Gaspers were able to reopen the building in Friedhof's name, on the 100th anniversary of its construction. Knowing the building's history and being able to reopen on the centenary, Gasper said, was a big deal. "Fred Schweser walked 100 miles to open this store. He did a little store in David City but this was his first big store when Friedhof sold it to him. Its kind of neat to be the third owners behind those two incredible stories of immigrants coming to Nebraska," Gasper said. Considering their predecessors, Gasper said, there are some big shoes to fill but they try to focus on doing one big improvement per year to keep things modern but historic. "We like to keep improving it all the time and also to keep on adding for the downtown area. Last year we added the New Orleans-style doors, this year its the uplighting, things like that that add to the downtown area and make it a great experience to come on down for all types of activities," Gasper said. The lighting, Gasper said, can be used for all kinds of holiday events or programmed to match wedding colors and such while still illuminating the front of the unique building. They're still adding a few lights, he said, but for all intents and purposes, the lights are operational and turn on every night. The variety of events they host, Gasper said, is wide. They have done many unconventional party activities in the space over the years. Between the private parties and their regular public events and music shows, Gasper said they try to make downtown a more exciting and interesting place. "We do not only what we can do for our events but to have a space people really can enjoy and bring their friends from out of town to. Theres those things we say we wish everybody could see, so many fun private parties. Last Saturday night we had a mechanical bull, sometimes well have bouncy houses," Gasper said. Jordan Pfeifer, district sales manager for LG Seeds, has hosted several events at the Friedhof over the years for farmers to attend. The venue, he said, is the perfect size for the kind of gatherings he holds and that the Gaspers are great hosts. "I had them make a prime rib dinner for 125, 150 people, they do a great job for a fair price. You work with the family and know them a little bit, you feel like you know and can trust them," Pfeifer said. "It's a very nice venue inside, they work well with you making sure everything's right, they're very accommodating about different ideas and things you want to do." I was down at the co-op yesterday morning, and as I queued up to pay for scour remedies, I could swear the man in front of me was Tom Cruise. He looked like Tom Cruise, he talked like Tom Cruise, and dare I say, he smelt the way you'd expect Tom Cruise would smell. And before I could stop myself, I found myself asking, "Are you Tom Cruise?" - for as ye'll know, I can be terribly inquisitive. "Well," says he with an American twang and with a smile that showed off his pearly whites, "I do feel the need for speed!" And with that, he was gone. Gone out the door and down the road on a motorcycle of some considerable size. Heading, I believe, in the direction of Dunmanway. 'Twas all terribly confusing, for he hadn't answered my question at all. After I had returned home and tended to the calf in need of medication, who I might add has made a full recovery since, I went inside to tell my missus all my news. I told her about the cost of the scour remedy and of the new pothole that has appeared down by the cross, and then, more like an afterthought than anything else, I mentioned that I believed I had met Tom Cruise down in the co-op. Well, suddenly, she became very interested in my ramblings and, all flustered, came running to the table demanding that I reveal all. "What did he say?!" she cried aloud, as if it was the most interesting thing that had ever happened in this most remote and destitute part of the world. I told her he said he said he "needed his speed" or words to that effect. "Well, glory be," she says, mesmerised by the whole thing. 'Twas as if I had met the Pope himself. "But of course," says I. "It was hardly him at all. Sure, what would he be doing around here?" Well, my wife was having none of it. "Of course, it was Tom Cruise!" she insisted. She was adamant that it had to be Tom Cruise, and then she told me all about West Cork Film Studios. It seems a group of plucky individuals have come together back near Skibbereen and have opened a flashy new film studio - West Cork Film Studios is what they call it, I believe. And they plan to make big budget motion pictures there with all the stars, like the ones we view back in Bantry once the silage is cut. "Damn it all," I roared across the table, "That's the last thing we need!" I was cross as I grabbed the pot to pour out another cup of tea. "And why so?" My wife asked while busily fixing herself in front of the mirror that hangs above the sink. T'was as if she was expecting visitors at any moment. "In the name of the Father, woman," says I. "'Tis hard enough to get a young fellow to give you an afternoon of work as it is. Sure, nobody will want to pike bales now when they have the chance to star in a movie alongside Julia Roberts! "Do you know how many people it took to make Ben-Hur?" I asked. She said she didn't. "More people than this parish even contains." I was adamant that it was bad news. West Cork Film Studios, I declared, would be a right disaster for the under-pressure livestock and sheep farmer. "There will be no work done, with everyone chasing Oscars instead of sheep and bullocks." I was talking sense, of course, as usual. My wife, uninterested in my prediction of woe, asked me to repeat my Tom Cruise tale. "What was he riding?" she asked. "A powerful motorcycle," I declared. "And do you think he wore a helmet?" She was all ears once again and demanded I continue. "He did not. He only pulled out a pair of old sunglasses from his shirt pocket, even though 'twas half misty at the time, and then with his hair blowing in the wind he departed the scene in a cloud of dust heading for the heartland of the movie-making world." And that, alas, my dear friends in farming, could now very well be West Cork. Of nearly 4,000 individual stories at this weeks Irish citizenship ceremonies in Killarney, amongst which are many tales of adversity, the story of the woman who arrived in Ireland when shipwrecked here as a child must be one of the most dramatic. Peel Whillock-OLeary was the eldest of five daughters born to the intrepid Paul and Pat Whillock, who decided to embark on the voyage of a lifetime and take their family on a round-the-world sailing trip in a fishing boat, the Lyon, that they had purchased. In 1973, they left Cornwall and sailed to Cobh, to visit a sailmaker before embarking on their long adventure. But while in Cobh, they took a small job towing a yacht to Kilkeel in Co Down. While making their way up the coast in the Lyon, the family hit a force 10 storm. All the children were aboard with their parents. Peel was nine at the time and her smallest sister, Eilish, was just one year old. Peel Whillock O'Leary from England at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin I remember the storm, she says, standing outside the INEC convention centre in Killarney, where a steady stream of soon-to-be citizens are making their way in to register for Irish citizenship. I still remember having to hold the wheel while my dad was pulling down all the sails to stop the ship from going into the rocks. But smash into the rocks they did, badly damaging the Lyons keel, before being rescued and taken aboard a larger ship. I still remember when we got to the harbour, climbing up this big rope ladder and there was a big ship and they took us on board, Peel says. Peels parents werent flush and had planned to work as they went to fund their expedition. With their craft damaged beyond what they could afford for repairs, they made the painful decision to abandon their round-the-world plans and instead settled in Ringaskiddy, in Cork harbour. Today, 40 years after she quite literally washed up on Irish shores, Peel is receiving Irish citizenship. Her husband, Colman OLeary, is also here and Peel carries a laminated archive article from the then Cork Examiner about her familys exploits. Peel Whillock O'Leary from England with her husband Colman at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Peels father, Paul Whillock, was from Birmingham and her mother, Pat, from the Isle of Man; Peel is named for her mothers hometown. Until now, Peel has held a British passport but Brexit was the final straw for the shipwreck survivor. Like many British passport holders, shes tired of the additional rigmarole at airports since UKs departure from the EU. With Brexit happening, I thought, if the UK are finished with us, then Im finished with them, she says. I really just want to know I belong, know I can vote. Next time Im travelling with my husband, I dont want him to be in one line and me to be in another. Its a common theme at this years citizenship ceremony, where Britons account for the single biggest nationality getting their Irish citizenship. Over two days, 3,918 candidates from 139 countries received Irish citizenship across four ceremonies in the INEC Killarney. Of them, 410 people are former British citizens. The other top 10 nationalities receiving citizenship this year are Poland, India, Romania, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Syria, the Philippines and the US. People from each of the 26 counties converge on the Kerry beauty spot for their big day over four ceremonies held on two days. While the majority, 1,680 in total, have come from Dublin, 369 have travelled from Cork city and county, 170 from Galway and 106 from Waterford. Inside the INEC conference centre, queues for registration are a colourful parade of international fashions. Iyabode Odukoya with her son Quadri Babatunde Olowu at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Dressmaker and fashion designer Iyabode Odukoya even made her own dress in honour of the ceremony, fusing the greens of her adopted Ireland with the traditional print fabrics of her country of origin, Nigeria. She is beaming with delight and has lived in Ireland for 18 years. I keep saying, thank you God, this is just like a dream. Praise be to God, I am Irish now! she says. Iyabode is at the ceremony with her son Quadri Babatunde Olowu, who arrived in Ireland in 2016 and is currently studying accounting and living in Co Louth. Gaining citizenship alongside her adult son has made this an even more emotional event, she says. Izzeddeen Alkarajeh from Palestine at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin PRIDE AND JOY The Palestinian owner of popular Cork restaurant, Izz Cafe, was also amongst those receiving naturalisation certificates. Izzeddeen Alkarajeh, known as Izz, and his wife Eman spent 14 months in the Direct Provision system after their arrival in Ireland in 2016. Their food business began with a farmers market stall and since then Izz Cafe has become a fixture on the Cork food scene. For Izz, whose citizenship application was delayed due to missing paperwork, meaning he has become naturalised after his wife, the journey to citizenship has been rocky and at times, challenging but ultimately utterly transformative. The ceremony was a deeply moving event, steeped in the rich cultural heritage of Ireland, which is now a part of my own story, he told the Irish Examiner. I felt a surge of emotions that ranged from relief to unadulterated joy, even though my wife, my companion throughout this process, was unable to attend due to commitments at our restaurant. Izz has been overwhelmed by support on social media since he posted a photo of himself at the ceremony, his tweet accumulating 7,000 likes on Twitter within 24 hours: he finds it a heartwarming symbol of the welcome the couple have found in Cork. The overwhelming support only amplified my pride and joy, he said. Gulbin and Umet Gercek from Turkey at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Elsewhere, married couple Umut and Gulbin Gercek, originally from Turkey but now based in Limerick, have finished registration and are making their way into the ceremony itself, which is presided over by Judge Deirdre Murphy and introduced by Minister of State Niall Collins. Umut and Gulbin both work in IT and they have a 12-year-old daughter, but she is not receiving her citizenship today because of a rule that you cant apply for citizenship as a family. But they plan on applying again for her. Their own application took 20 months. What does Irish citizenship mean for the couple? Its freedom, Gulbin says. Its a proud moment for us, because we have worked here for seven years. But despite having come to Ireland for jobs, Umut adds, they have been captivated by the sense of community and friendliness. We are so proud to become Irish citizens, he says. Irish people are the most welcoming in Europe. Another decided advantage is the Irish passport and the freedom of travel it facilitates, they say; Umut and Gulbin love to travel and explore different cultures and this will be easier as Irish citizens. If you want to visit somewhere with a Turkish passport you need to get a visa, Umut says. Now, we can discover new cultures. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris addresses Candidates for citizenship at the Citizenship Ceremonies 2023 in the INEC, Killarney on Monday. Photo: Don MacMonagle 161,000 people, including children, have received Irish citizenship since 2011 when the ceremonies were first introduced as a way of formally marking the conclusion of the naturalisation process. On the stage, harpist Deirdre Granville is playing music that is both uplifting and emblematic of the Irish harp. The Army No 1 Band, conducted by Captain Ben Jacobs, are on hand to conclude the ceremony with Amhran na bhFiann. Candidates listen to Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins at the Citizenship Ceremonies Day 2 at the INEC, Killarney on Tuesday. Photo: Don MacMonagle After Niall Collins welcomes the assembled crowd, passing comment on Ireland as a nation itself shaped by emigration, where one in five people were born elsewhere, and hailing the contribution to the richness and diversity of Irish culture that these new citizens will bring, Judge Deirdre Murphy leads them in a swearing-in ceremony. The assembled new citizens make their declaration line by line, solemnly declaring their fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the Irish state, agreeing to faithfully observe the laws of the state and uphold its democratic principles. A shout of joy erupts from the crowd when Judge Murphy announces they are now Irish citizens, and everyone stands as the No 1 Band strike up the national anthem, the words displayed on screens, both in Irish and in English translation. Haba Salama from Egypt at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Heba Salama has been at her citizenship ceremony with her husband and two little boys, the younger of whom is just six months old. A software engineer originally from Egypt, Heba is married to a doctor: he has been an Irish citizen for six years, while until now Heba has been on an Irish Residence Permit. Heba met her husband in Egypt, and she followed him to Ireland when he got a job here. The family live in Dublin. Ive waited for this ceremony for so long, Heba says. My whole family are already Irish, so I feel like we are together now. I cant really describe what this feels like. We will just continue with our family, she says. We hope for career growth, and for our kids to be healthy and happy. People rejoice after receiving Irish Citizenship at the Citizenship Ceremonies 2023 in the INEC, Killarney on Monday. Photo: Don MacMonagle As with so many of the new citizens you could speak to here today, an Irish identity confers a lot of practical gains, but for Heba, the love she has grown for her new home has come as a welcome surprise that is about a lot more than job security or easy foreign travel. I love Ireland, she says. Being here has actually changed a lot of things for me. I say good morning to people as I pass them now; I smile more on the streets. Death comes to us all a fact that we cant avoid, much as many of us would like to. However, along with a wholly understandable squeamishness when it comes to the details of our own demise, its fair to say the Irish psyche is also ingrained with a fascination of death and its associated rituals. We pride ourselves on the particular ways in which we mark the passing of a loved one, and there is a comfort in the way Irish people come together as a community on such occasions. The Irish wake is a long-held tradition which allows us to grieve our dearly departed, while also celebrating their lives. Religion may have receded somewhat in importance in daily life in Ireland, but the wake is still an integral part of how we mourn our dead, and its associated practices, such as keeping watch over the body from death to burial, are still faithfully observed in many places. These traditions are explored and celebrated at the recently opened Irish Wake Museum in Waterford city. It may strike some as a morbid or depressing focus for an entire museum, but its an inspired choice in many ways. The wake has long been a source of fascination to those outside Ireland, and a museum with such a unique selling point should appeal greatly to tourists and the diaspora. The exterior of the Irish Wake Museum, Waterford. Photo: Patrick Browne Indeed, Waterford could teach some other cities a thing or two when it comes to the enhancement of its public realm and preservation of its cultural heritage in general. Irelands oldest city is home to an impressive array of museums which honour its history, from the Viking era to the present day. All these museums are located in the citys wonderfully compact Viking Triangle Reginalds Tower dates from 914 and is Irelands oldest civic building; Irelands only purpose-built Medieval Museum is acclaimed for its award-winning architectural design; the Bishops Palace, built in 1743, houses treasures from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries; and not forgetting the Irish Silver Museum, which opened in 2021. The Irish Wake Museum also serves as a natural companion to one of the other recent additions which is open nearby; when finished with your visit to the Irish Museum of Time, what could be more apt? The symbolic juxtaposition of life and death, darkness and light is particularly obvious when I visit, with the sun splitting the stones outside as I approach the museum with some trepidation. Its a good sign that on my first glimpse inside, I cant help but laugh. The whole experience, while sensitively handled, also very much taps into the Irish gift for black humour the reception desk is no bland example of Nordic minimalism but is in keeping with the buildings theme: its in the shape of a coffin. The reception area at the Irish Wake Museum, Waterford. Photo: Patrick Browne Like the museum itself, this inspired idea came from Eamonn McEneaney, director of Waterford Museum of Treasures. McEneaney began his career as a teacher before taking his passion for history in a different direction. He has just retired from his post as museum director, so it was fitting that the celebrations surrounding the opening of The Irish Wake Museum were also a way of acknowledging his incredible legacy to his beloved city. The building where the museum is housed has a fascinating history in and of itself. It is considered to be the oldest urban domestic building in Ireland, and was formerly an almshouse which was used as a retirement home for older people. In a fitting coincidence, it was founded in 1478 on All Souls Day, November 2, the Day of the Dead, and the occupants would have paid for their keep by praying three times a night for the souls of the buildings patrons as well as the deceased citizens of Waterford. The reception is located in what was once a shop, which helped maintain the almshouse. There are many striking visual touches, such as the flagstones on the ground which are inscribed with the dates of a typical Viking lifespan, or the bell above an inscription of John Donnes famous poem that is rung or should that be tolled? to indicate the start of the tour. A corpse in shroud, at the Irish Wake Museum Waterford. Photo: Patrick Browne REJOICE IN LIFE After an audio-visual presentation which traces the Irish experience of death since the beginning of history, we are left in the capable hands of tour guide Jamie Murphy. Murphy skilfully inhabits the persona of an old-time undertaker who offers a sharp perspective on the exhibits. His impressive storytelling skills greatly enhance the tour experience as he takes us from room to room, looking at different themes of death on a chronological journey from the 15th to the 20th centuries. The museum showcases a collection of objects associated with death in Ireland which it has assembled over the last ten years. This includes the death mask of Luke Wadding, a Franciscan friar and the son of a wealthy merchant, who lived from 1588 to 1657. It is believed that he is the man ultimately responsible for St Patricks Day becoming a day of celebration in the religious calendar. Given the subject matter, the museums exhibits are laid out and presented in a sensitive manner, but there are areas which may be upsetting for some, and the museum on its website recommends that the tour is not suitable for children under 14. Many will find the room that outlines the shocking incidence of child mortality in previous times particularly poignant, given the heartbreaking reality which lies behind those facts and figures. Through the 1700s, as many as a fifth of newborn children died in the first weeks of life. Fever, measles, influenza and smallpox were rife, pushing this figure even higher in bad years. Some of the items on display at the Irish Wake Museum, Waterford. Photo: Patrick Browne High child mortality was a problem in all classes, but especially among the poor. Infant abandonment was also common, adding to the toll of child mortality. The museum exhibit features a record from the diary of Margaret Dobbyn of Ballinakill House in Waterford, who, in 1791, wrote: A female child was left on the steps of our street door at night, a corking pin was run in the thigh in order to make it cry, and the child was sent to Dublin. As we reach our final destination (thankfully, not that one) on the top floor, we encounter the undertakers late lamented maiden aunt (also thankfully, a mannequin) who is laid out in her bed, with coins covering her eyes, as was the practice in a bygone age. It is believed this was done to prevent post-death spasms from causing the eyelids to pop open. A more symbolic explanation that predates Christianity is that the coins represented payment to the ferryman of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, who was responsible for carrying the souls of the deceased over the river that separated the world of the living from the world of the dead. The exhibition ends by urging people as others have for centuries to Memento Mori remember death and follow George Bernard Shaws advice to rejoice in life for its own sake. Or, in the words of that great philosopher, Andy Dufresne, in The Shawshank Redemption, get busy living or get busy dying. Of course, an Irish wake as a celebration of death would not be the same without the water of life, uisce beatha, and to this end, the museum has partnered with the award-winning Waterford Whisky to offer a combined Wake and Whisky experience. (No word of a similar arrangement with a snuff manufacturer that would embody another old Irish saying.) This tradition of toasting the dead is also reflected in the song that marks the conclusion of the tour. As I look out the window of the top floor, out on to the sun-dappled Cathedral Square, the haunting strains of the traditional Irish farewell tune The Parting Glass playing over the speakers, its hard not to feel that when it comes to death, the Irish also hit the right note. With its star performer grounded, director general suspended, board in turmoil, and staff in open revolt, the controversy over the secret 345,000 payments to Ryan Tubridy threatens to engulf the national broadcaster. In an extraordinary 24 hours for RTE, it emerged: The director general of RTE, Dee Forbes, had been suspended by the board on Wednesday night; Ryan Tubridy will not be allowed back on the airwaves next week; Culture Minister Catherine Martin will hold talks with RTE board chairwoman Siun Ni Raghallaigh today to discuss the crisis rocking the broadcaster; After an extraordinary union meeting, RTE staff said they felt betrayed; Deputy director general Adrian Lynch admitted significant reputational damage had been done. In his second statement of two days after a Grant Thorton investigation uncovered the extent of the hidden payments over five years, Ryan Tubridy "apologised unreservedly" for not asking questions when RTE published incorrect figures for his earnings. In a statement, Mr Tubridy said: "RTE's accounting treatment and publication of payments made to me between 2017 and 2022 contained serious errors. "While I have no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTE or how or what they publish in their accounts, when my earnings were published I should have asked questions at the time and sought answers as to the circumstances which resulted in incorrect figures being published. "I didn't, and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so." The payment scandal had no bearing on his decision to leave the Late Late Show last month, he said. Ryan Tubridy on the set of The Late Late Show in 2020. Picture: Andres Poveda Embattled director general Dee Forbes also issued a statement saying: "I have been fully engaged with the [RTE] board since this matter arose in the course of the audit of the accounts. "When asked in April 2023, I participated in the review conducted by Grant Thornton to determine the full circumstances and facts surrounding two specific payments to fulfil a contractual obligation for the years 2021 and 2022. However, Ms Forbes, who was already due to step down from her role next month, did not address the key issues at the centre of the controversy how the 'specific payments" had come about, whether she was aware of them, and whether she had signed off on them. RTE director general Dee Forbes has been suspended amid a controversy over the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire RTEs pleas to Government for increased funding may now fall on deaf ears following Thursdays revelations that Mr Tubridy was paid 345,000 more than had been publicly declared between 2017 and 2022. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said on Friday that he was "very concerned" about the contents of the RTE statement and the suspension of Ms Forbes. On the face of it, there has been a serious breach of trust and truth between RTE and the Government, the Oireachtas and the people," said Mr Varadkar. Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley, who chairs the public accounts committee, has formally called for Ms Forbes to appear before it and give "an immediate and full examination of the hidden and undisclosed payments". Union reaction Meanwhile, unions at the broadcaster have slammed the secret payments. RTE should be a model of best practice in regard to employment, corporate governance, industrial relations and public procurement, a statement from RTEs branch of the National Union of Journalists, read. "The concept of secret third-party contracts and special arrangements is incompatible with the concept of public service broadcasting. We want to know who signed off on these secret payments and who knew about them. We want those responsible to be held to account. Emma O'Kelly, an RTE journalist who chairs the Dublin Broadcasting Branch of the NUJ, said that members at Friday's extraordinary union meeting spoke of how devastated, ashamed, betrayed and angered they were. "Our members have worked extremely hard to earn and maintain the trust of the Irish public. That trust is something we value and respect hugely, Ms O'Kelly said. They are devastated to see the hard-earned goodwill of the public undermined as a result of this scandal. "We will continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability, and that includes holding RTE to the same standards that the public expects of any publicly-funded body. We demand that our viewers and listeners are treated with respect, and we want that respect extended also to staff at RTE. The NUJ welcomed the planned independent inquiry, but called for an end to what members see as a culture of secrecy surrounding pay, pensions, and perks at the organisation. Ms O'Kelly told RTE News that lower-paid journalists and researchers are "slogging away behind the scenes" to make "people like Ryan Tubridy look good". Ireland has its own drug diversion model ready to go, but its still awaiting people to be referred to it, the Department of Healths top drug official has said. Jim Walsh told this morning's Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use that the Health Diversion Programme was agreed by the Government in 2019, on foot of recommendations of an expert group. Under this programme people caught in possession of drugs on the first occasion would be referred by gardai to the health service, with gardai having discretion on referring them for a health intervention if caught on a second occasion. Irish model Mr Walsh, principal officer in the Drugs Policy and Social Inclusion Unit of the Department of Health, said the department and the HSE have set up a nationwide system, and trained personnel to take referrals. It [the programme] sets out a clear roadmap for diverting people found in possession of drugs into the health system, he said. Its an excellent model, its a model that weve put in place from a health perspective, its open for business, we have the infrastructure in place. What we need now are people to be referred to that system and thats our a gap. He told assembly members who, among other things, are examining alternative systems for dealing with drugs, including decriminalisation and legalisation that they had an easy win with the diversion programme. If we can divert people found in possession of drugs from the criminal justice system to the health system, whats bad about that?" he said. We talk about the Portuguese model, and we are discussing that today here we have an Irish model, on the shelf we just need a bit of energy to make it work. The first meeting of the assembly, back in April, heard that legislation was required to give gardai the legal powers to refer people caught in possession of drugs for their own personal use to the health service rather than proceed with the normal criminal justice system, of arrest and prosecution in the courts. The Department of Justice said that legislation was currently being drawn up, but that they were adding to it to implement separate recommendations made by the High-Level Task Force on mental health and addiction to divert people who have a mental health issue and are in possession of drugs away from the criminal justice system. Portuguese model Nuno Capaz of the Portuguese Ministry of Healths Dissuasion Commission which operates the countrys decriminalisation model for drug possession told the assembly that the commission gets most attention from abroad but stressed it was just part of an overall response. He said the response started with political party agreement to shift drugs from a criminal justice response to a health response, the establishment of a new coordination structure within the Ministry of Health and a huge upscale in access to treatment. He said the new coordination structure was the most important change as it coordinated all drug policy and every part of the system worked under it and not in silos. Mr Capaz said there were a lot of growing pains setting the system up and said the Dissuasion Commission was a new structure. He said the commission was an administrative authority, but not like a court. "When police catch someone in possession of drugs they are sent to the commission," he said. The commission, led by medical staff, conduct an assessment and a risk assessment and decide if they refer the person to a health or other intervention, to another relevant agency, like employment, or if the person should do community service or pay a fine. The Portuguese model for decriminalisation started with political party agreement to shift drugs from a criminal justice response to a health response. Picture: Getty We try to connect them with structures the exact opposite of courts, Mr Capaz said. The judicial approach is trying to win a war that is not winnable; the health approach is the middle ground, to improve the quality of life, like harm reduction. In a later session, HSE addiction lead, Professor Eamon Keenan, said that the vast majority of people that will be referred to the health service by gardai under the planned Health Diversion programme would not need to be sent to treatment. He said 10-15% of the people will need referral to treatment or services and that resources will be required to do that. He said the remaining 85%-90% will benefit from a brief intervention with a health official who will highlight risks of their use and offer advice. Prof Keenan highlighted the need for real buy in from governments on the drugs issue. He said that while the drugs issue had high priority in the mid- to late-1990s, it gradually went off the agenda and suggested there was now a need for a government-led cabinet committee on drugs. Other panelists, including Brid Walsh of the North Dublin Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force and John Bennett of the Finglas Cabra Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force also highlighted how the issue had fallen down the political agenda. Two other speakers highlighted the benefits of a joint approach by the HSE and community and voluntary services. Cork and Kerry Joe Kirby, HSE Social Inclusion Manager for Cork and Kerry, said they started a project four years ago to restructure drug services, which included a partnership with Coolmine, the Dublin-based agency, which in recent years expanded to the south west and mid west. Mr Kirby said there used to be a patchwork quilt model of services over a huge geographical area, with 12 different employers and 31 different services. This, he said, was difficult and complicated for individuals and their families to navigate. HSE social inclusion manager for Cork and Kerry Joe Kirby said they started a project four years ago to restructure drugs service from the 'patchwork quilt' model. Picture: Jim Coughlan. He said the new service has six hubs two in Cork city and one each in east Cork, West Cork, north Cork and Kerry each of them with a dedicated contact number for people to ring, with staff working together. He said they had 995 referrals between January and September 2022, with 40% of referrals from families and 26% from mental health services. Once you have a good structure and a good partner this does work," he said. "The HSE working with community and voluntary sectors works." Tommy Gilsenan of Jobstown Assisting Drug Dependency (JADD) in west Tallaght said a partnership approach between the local community and the then Eastern Health Board in the mid-1990s grew into the integrated seven-day-a-week service they now have with the HSE, providing both treatment, harm reduction and outreach services. It shows the benefits of strategic partnership, he said. Irish nurse Aileen Henrietta Moore was on board an ambulance boat on the River Thames when German bombers blitzed London for the first time in 1940. She and her fellow civil defence volunteers had just had tea on a fine September afternoon, when bombing suddenly began with great intensity. The boat rocked and they took refuge tin-hatted & hung with masks under stretchers on board. At around 6pm, the volunteers cruised up the river to see what they might do to help before being called on to pick up 250 casualties at Woolwich. It was a sight I shall never forget and could hardly describe, Aileen writes in an evocative Second World War diary discovered by her relatives after her death. Rosemary Anderson and Anne Cardew had not even known of the River Emergency Service, a fleet of small craft and ambulance ships that helped burning vessels and those trapped on the riverbank, much less their great-aunts role in it. And, boy, does Great-Aunt Aileen bring her experience to life in the pages of a document that is now in the Museum of London Docklands. It seemed, she wrote on September 7, 1940, as if spreading prairie fires on an immense scale were raging on both banks of the River Thames. From factory chimneys, flames soared into the air, brilliant orange pinnacles & castles of flame, masonry crumbling & falling. The whole water was vivid crimson. Some barges alight & burning in the stream made one think of a Vikings funeral rites. Anne Cardew and Rosemary Anderson, great-nieces of Aileen H Moore. That night, 430 people were killed in London and some 1,600 others injured. The blitzing of London continued for 57 consecutive nights and for many of them, Longford-born Aileen Moore cruised the river helping casualties, while facing danger on a regular basis. Two nights later, the bombing was so close that it seemed to be focusing on the volunteers boat. Then, a crashing blaze of light ripped through one of the boats ventilators, blowing off its cover. Dust poured in & filled ones eyes & throat & there was the sound of an avalanche of masonry rushing down, Aileen writes. The girls, all out of bed & in their tin hats, were quite still, dumbfounded. An agitated ARP [Air Raid Precaution] woman raised her voice & repeated monotonously, Dont panic! Dont panic! At last I said 'Do be quiet nobody is panicking' & she shut up. If Aileen H Moore sounded calm, collected, and forthright, it was because she had seen action many times before. Indeed, her service before the outbreak of World War 2 was so prolonged and varied that one Irishwomans Diary was not enough to tell her story (see last week, for part 1). Indeed, she deserves a book or a film to do justice to her Army nursing service in Africa, Greece and Turkey in World War 1 and her efforts, during the Spanish Civil War, to evacuate 4,000 children from a besieged Bilbao in 1937. In 1938, and already in her sixties, she wrote to the British War Office to offer her services as an experienced Army nurse. At the time, she was working as a health lecturer. She was also a Lady Superintendent in the British Red Cross and an anti-gas officer, who showed civilians what to do in the event of a gas attack. The War Office politely declined her offer, saying she did not meet the criteria (nurses could serve only until the age of 50), but that did not stop Aileen joining the war effort. She was still involved aged 70 when the war ended in 1945 and remained active until her death in 1955. I feel a little sheepish even mentioning the age of this no-nonsense woman who took the hardships of war in her stride. On one occasion, she and her colleagues took refuge in an unfinished shelter: I found a dusty old ashes sieve in a corner & curled up on that with my back against a pillar. On another occasion, they happily took shelter under a pub: It was next [to] the beer barrels room & opposite a latrine so there were fearful smells. We might know nothing about her later career had her great-nieces not found her war diary among their fathers belongings when he died. Charles Edward Thomas (Tom) Moore worked in intelligence in Kenya during the war (a story for another time) and might have stayed there, but he wanted to raise a family. Aileen Moore's diary. Picture courtesy of companyofnurses.co.uk His daughters Rosemary (Anderson) and Anne (Cardew) recall meeting their great aunt Aileen as young children, but little more. Anne, then about four years old, remembers her as rather formidable when they visited her home in Cheyne Walk in London many decades ago. She probably was, an impression that comes through a diary in which she outlines the chronology of war, the efforts to respond to it and the at-times scratchy relationships between voluntary organisations and those who run them. Aileen H Moore could be blunt and rather scathing He is really rather a grubby & unwashed looking person with stringy hair over his brow (sandy) & linen not in its first freshness but also deeply compassionate. Her descriptions of Muriel, a colleague who had heard that her fiance was missing, presumed dead bring the human cost of war into sharp focus. Aileen also mentions her own nephew Dick Moore who was one of the 330,000-plus British and French soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk in May and June 1940. They had to wade out to the little 800-ton boat up to their necks in water, but the naval men were most kind, she writes. She also mentions being at Greenwich where she saw all the small craft proceeding purposefully down the river to assist in evacuation. On another occasion, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine waved to the volunteers. Mr & Mrs Churchill landed on the pontoon & we faced about on the upper deck & got a good view of them. Mr C looked round to give us Good Afternoon & Mrs Churchill spoke to us too, she recorded in her diary. And here I am again out of space, though I can just about squeeze in the opening frame of the film Id like to see about the life of this decorated veteran of three wars. Its 1939 and Aileen Moore is picking her way through snow near Purfleet Wharf to climb down a very perpendicular, very slippery with ice iron ladder down to a barge below. My feet flew out from under me & Dr Bently White seized my ankles and placed my feet on the rungs again, else I was hanging by my hands & the barge some 30ft down. She was 61 at the time, but somehow I imagine that even without Dr White, she would have righted herself. Theyve become a fixture on Dublins OConnell St every Friday evening where they stand for hours handing out hot meals to struggling clients. But, a fortnight ago, the Muslim Sisters of Eire had to shut their street cafe for the first time ever, as an agitated crowd became desperate there would not be enough food to go around. While it was only a 10-minute delay to their busy evening, the unusual move by one of the most high-profile charities in the country was enough to go viral online. The organisations chairwoman, Lorraine OConnor, said she had to put her volunteers safety first because of the hostile environment. We have never done that before. I put a tweet out to let people know what was happening. But look around you this is not easy, this is only part of what we do. You are standing in a hostile environment, and you need to know how to deal with it. We were up and running years before we ever opened the street cafe. Over the years, weve had a lot of hard nights, but tonight, was one of the hardest. We were forced to shut down the table to try and take control of the situation. We even contemplated shutting down the soup run altogether for the safety of our team and for everybody else. pic.twitter.com/mfgJmK6XvI Muslim Sisters of Eire (@Msoe_Dublin) June 9, 2023 This takes a lot of planning. Now numbers and crowds are up, they are hungry, and they are desperate. We are here to empower them and help them. Someone came to the cafe that night and they were delaying everyone and getting agitated, that feeling rippled into the crowd and it became hostile. I said, that is it, close up. So, we did. It was for 10 minutes only to allow the crowd to settle and cool down and it worked. Lorraine said the demand was high before covid, but the numbers are rising all the time. Nikki Joyce and Lorraine O'Connor of the Muslim Sisters of Eire. 'This is not all we do,' says Lorraine of the group's food aid, pointing out the group's other activities including advocacy and running a helpline, a youth club, and school summer schemes. Picture: Moya Nolan Before covid, we were giving out 250 meals. Now its between 500 and 600. Its not just about food, there are tents and sleeping bags to be handed out, all of which have gone up in cost. It is a lot of work. This cafe starts on a Tuesday in the office. We have to have enough of everything. Its all donations and restaurants helping but I have to make sure we are not short of food. Homelessness made visible The rise in the number of street cafes across the country comes as the latest figures from the Department of Housing show that 12,259 people were in emergency accommodation at the end of April. That figure is a new record, with those numbers expected to rise since the lifting of the eviction ban on March 31. The statistics include 1,733 families and 3,594 children. Across the country, there are 8,665 adults in emergency accommodation, of which two-thirds (5,816) are single. In March, just before the eviction ban was lifted, there were 11,988 people in homeless accommodation. The vast majority of homeless people are invisible to the public eye but not outside the cafe. Muslim Sisters of Eire volunteers setting up their 'street cafe' outside the GPO in Dublin to offer free food to those in need. Picture: Moya Nolan The queue last Friday started forming at 4pm along the outside walls of the GPO. By opening time at around 6.30pm the crowds had stretched back as far as Henry St. Around 6pm, a large white van pulled up on a nearby street where the volunteers emerged and immediately got to work. Several tables were erected side by side while dozens of baskets of food and large insulated portable boxes were unloaded and stacked. There was everything from apples, oranges, crisps, and chocolate to tea, coffee, and water as well as hot meals such as rice and chicken and vegetarian options. Everyone gets one of each, said Nikki Joyce, one of the members of the Muslim Sisters of Eire. They will try and say I need more for my friend over there but we would say to bring your friend over and let them ask for it. We have to be fair to everyone. The entire area around the volunteers was cordoned off with ropes and traffic cones while up to five security staff managed the queue. 'Someone stole my shoes...' As we approached the white van, Lorraine was on the ground beside a man with a bag beside her. 'There you go, put them on you.' One Dubliner lending a helping hand to another as Lorraine O'Connor of Muslim Sisters of Eire bought shoes, socks, and trousers for this man whose shoes were stolen. Picture: Moya Nolan There you go, put them on you, we could hear her say. The man dressed himself in new runners and tracksuit bottoms. There was a look of relief on his face as he slipped on his new footwear. His shoes were robbed, said one of the male volunteers. Lorraine went off to get him those. Look at his feet, God love him, they are covered in welts. Its not often one would stop to think about how lucky we are to have a pair of shoes on our feet, but this was one of those moments. The Dublin man told me: Someone stole my shoes when I was asleep and it happens a lot, people just take things. "Theyre desperate I suppose, we all are, so I cant really be angry, but I was walking around for five days with no shoes. My feet they were real sore, youve no idea. But I just am glad now, when you feel your foot in the shoe, the comfort, and the soft feeling, its like walking on clouds especially when you have had no shoes for as long as that, five days, then its like youre in this cotton wool. Mind your shoes because you never know who is going to rob them. Thats my advice and thats the way it is now. Its desperation. 'When you feel your foot in the shoe, the comfort, and the soft feeling its like walking on clouds,' the man told the 'Irish Examiner' after Lorraine O'Connor got him new shoes and clothes. Picture: Moya Nolan A little further away, the street cafe was beginning to open after Lorraine gave the all-clear. One by one, the clients moved along the table and received their food parcels. Lorraine founded the Muslim Sisters of Eire in 2010 and opened the cafe seven years ago. 'This is us: You can see empowerment here' There are many misconceptions about Muslim women, that they are beaten by their husbands, and repressed. But religion has nothing to do with domestic violence," Lorraine said. A Muslim woman is also stereotyped, but this whole organisation is run by the women. We have male security to help but its about empowering women. This is us: You can see empowerment here. This is not all we do. We have a helpline Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We do court support. We do advocacy. We have 12 events every year we have the school summer projects, a registered girls youth club theres loads. We are now in the school curriculum too. I am from Coolock and reared in Kilbarrack in north Dublin. I became a Muslim in 2005. I knew about Islam, and I came into it in 1987. It was a 19-year journey for me. It had to be for me. Everyone thinks you become a Muslim for your husband I didnt. I met my first husband who was from Libya, and he was Muslim, but we are divorced. My second husband is from India. But no one asked me to be Muslim: I was Muslim before I met them. Danas Balnys joining the queue for the Muslim Sisters of Eire's street cafe: 'If I did not have this service, I would be dead. I would not survive.' Picture: Moya Nolan I studied it and looked into it. I love the oneness of it, you dont pray to statues, nothing like that, its just between you and God. Thats the connection. There is a demand for what we do and Muslim women all over the country have asked us to come to their area. That call for support has led to Lorraine opening a branch in Limerick recently, but she said the street cafe wont happen there for several years. It is the last thing we will do, she said. We have just set up a team and there is a lot of work to do. "But the cafe takes years. You have to be able to deal with people in all sorts of addictions and issues and poverty. It wont happen overnight." What an amazing weekend ..Saturday we celebrated with our new branch in Limerick our yearly Teddy's Bear Picnic with all the youngster's and there little Teddy's. The children had a ball as did there mothers while also forming the bounds of new friendship . A huge shout out to pic.twitter.com/eSC8aGNrY2 Muslim Sisters of Eire (@Msoe_Dublin) June 18, 2023 Muslim women experience the same challenges as any other woman poverty, abuse, single parents: There is nothing different about them. But we are here to empower them and thats the difference. We turn no one away and everyone is welcome. You can see the difference now than pre-covid. People in the hospitality sector in particular lost their jobs and all joined us here on a Friday. There are more and more people every week, its not getting any easier. As the crowd moved along slowly to receive their meals, I spoke to several people in the queue about the reasons they were there. Raluca Elena Feraru who is 33 and from Romania moved to Ireland five months ago with her daughter who is nearly five. She waited patiently in the queue for the cafe with her child in a buggy. Kuburat Adebisi and Mojisola Quadri Mabogaje, Balbriggan, are Muslim Sisters of Eire volunteers who cook food and bring it to the GPO on O'Connell St, Dublin, on Fridays. Picture: Moya Nolan I am here since 4pm to get the food, she said. I come here for food, and to make my life better. I have small kids; I think about their life and education and future. I dont want to spend my life struggling. In Romania, it is an expensive life, I am here five months, I am not working but in Romania I make 200 per month. It is nothing. It is better to come here and start a new life. I know it is hard, I cant be in my country. In the future it is better for them, the kids, for me to be here. I have a six-year-old boy at home with my mom. I have one girl here. She is 5 in August. She is in school now. I have no income, no jobseeker, no income, no nothing, I am waiting to be processed for one-parent family [payment]. I came here in 2018 for the first time, then I go home, it was too hard. I come back five months ago and am starting again. I am a single parent. I am stronger now than before. I am living in a hostel in the city with my daughter. I pay every night. I come here to the sisters and get the food. I have no clothes or shoes just what I have now. I have nothing but this helps me with the food. I am here just for food. I am hoping to start a job and for life to get a bit better. I am here from 4pm and I get the food and then I go back to my house and sleep, but I know my life will get better here there are better opportunities. Three students from India who are in their 20s and studying English use the street cafe to help them make ends meet while they are struggling with the cost of living. Students Anas Koranath, Shahir Abdul Khadar, and Sandeep Damodaran from India are eking out their budget by availing of food from the Muslim Sisters of Eire. Picture: Moya Nolan Anas Koranath, 25, said: The price here is very expensive, I come here and rent a room. I meet some other friends and I am here for a year. I just got my PPS recently, so I am looking for a part-time job. We all met as friends and now we come and get the food. I have to be able to have the life here, so the rent and the bills is very high, then if we get the meals then life is easier, so we come here for some help. His friend Shahir Abdul Khadar, who is 22, is also from India. We all live in different places and with the rent, phone, college, electricity, this food helps us. I got my PPS number too and I am looking for a part-time job. This will make life easier. I am also studying English and I will get through this... It is good to have met the friends. Then we come here, and we are not embarrassed to ask for the help. It all works out in the end, so we have to do it and we come together as friends. By the time the Muslim Sisters of Eire cafe gets going outside the GPO in Dublin at around 6.30pm, the queue stretches as far back as Henry St. Picture: Moya Nolan Look around, there are so many people here. We are all in the same situation, some worse than others. We cannot judge them. Sandeep Damodaran, 24, said he heard about the cafe in college. We dont come all the time but when it is possible, we will meet and get the food and go. This helps with all of the bills. I do not know what we would do if we did not have this. The food is very nice and healthy. I am 24 years old, and we are all helping each other out. We hear about the cafe in college because our friends told us that the food was nice, and it would help us. There are people here from Deliveroo doing the work and then getting the food. There are single parents, people who have lost their jobs, all sorts of people all looking for help. Danas Balnys is 39 and originally from Lithuania, he has been living in Ireland 14 years: If I did not have this service, I would be dead. I would not survive. I am here for food, that is the only reason I am here, because I am hungry. I sleep on the streets, and this helps me. I have an addiction to alcohol, and I have no supports. It is one word food. I am here for food. When I finish here, I walk around and I have a good safe place. Sometimes I am in a hostel. I am not so much on the street anymore. It is very difficult. But this is the life for me now. I am used to it. I am hungry though. I do not have any social welfare, they said they will pay for me to go home if I want but I am not going home. This is good service. I cant go home. Life is better here [than] in Lithuania, but [it] is much more expensive. THE forum road show is under way, carefully staged and scripted to achieve a certain result. President Higgins has done a public service by turning a spotlight on it. We will be told theres no question of joining Nato but our neutrality has to be redefined. Part of that redefining is an ever-closer partnership with nuclear-armed Nato through the Partnership for Peace (PfP). Well cooperate with a nuclear military alliance, make our Defence Forces and military weapons interoperable with that military alliance, conduct exercises with that alliance (sure, we already supply an airport at Shannon to the US military), but we will still call ourselves neutral. Polls have shown overwhelming support for neutrality. People dont regard it as being a partnership with a nuclear alliance. Our neutrality has always involved a partnership with the United Nations. Were the blue-helmeted UN peacekeepers. The fact that we are neutral and not regarded as anyones enemy we dont generally threaten or invade other countries has always aided Irelands diplomacy. Why would we throw away a unique and influential status that other states envy? We are highly regarded for promoting peace through disarmament: The Irish initiated the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NFZs, the recent Irish-sponsored UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons. The UN treaty prohibiting cluster bombs was negotiated in Dublin. Our partner Nato believes in nuclear weapons and uses cluster bombs in warfare. The US is about to join the UK in exporting cancer-inducing depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine. It doesnt like or sign the UN treaties we recently championed. It plays wargames that run counter to all our disarmament work. Last November, Nato held a two-week exercise in Europe, Steadfast Noon, to train non-nuclear Nato aircrews to carry out nuclear strikes. Yet our partnership with Nato progresses. Ireland has fulfilled many of its Partnership for Peace interoperability and equipment goals. Last month, Cork hosted the Chiefs of European Navies Conference, to discuss military challenges facing Nato and European navies. Attendance included: European Military Staff (EUMS), Natos Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), and United States navy personnel. Next year, Irish soldiers will travel to Indiana to participate in Nato exercise Thors Hammer, countering IEDs and drones. Nearly all our EU partners are in Nato. EU treaties have brought closer coordination in defence and security policies, including a mutual defence clause. Ireland has managed thanks to the people voting down two EU treaties because of their military provisions to get special dispensation from some EU military matters. However, the Nato/EU links are solid. A joint declaration on EU-Nato co-operation was agreed in January, stating that a European defence must be complementary to, and interoperable with Nato. Last month, Tanaiste Micheal Martin reassured the Dail that there is no appetite for the EU to be militarised or for an EU army. Given how obviously militarised the EU now is with a feast of military activities his comments are simply laughable. There are numerous military committees and a European Defence Agency, a European Defence Fund with 8bn for arms production and technology, and a 6bn-funded European Peace Facility which helps finance EU military activities outside the EU. Simon Coveney, with an obvious appetite for an Irish slice of this lucrative cake, last October hosted an arms conference at the Aviva Stadium, called wait for it Building the EcoSystem. For its armed wing, the EU already has battlegroups and the Pesco permanent enhanced security cooperation project. To add to the mix, in May 2021, 14 EU countries proposed a 5,000-strong rapid military response force that could intervene early in international crises. Reuters reported that: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, had chided the EU for reluctance to intervene more abroad, particularly in failing states such as Libya. One of those 14 countries was Ireland. This Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) force will be established by 2025 with land, air, and maritime components, have its first live exercise this autumn and it will be financed by the European Peace Facility. The triple lock, (Government/Dail approval and a UN mandate for sending troops abroad) is something the Government is upfront about: The UN mandate must go. It is no longer fit for purpose. But fit for what purpose? UN mandates grant legitimacy to peace support and crisis management missions. The DFAs own website lauds Ireland as being the only nation to have a continuous presence on UN and UN-mandated peace support operations since 1958. We currently have about 550 defence personnel serving abroad, the bulk of them UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and Syria. The spectre of Russian and Chinese Security Council vetoes is thrown up but the only example given of Irish forces ever being kept from a peacekeeping operation is Macedonia in 1999 because of a Chinese veto. Simon Coveney said he 'cant think of an instance where Ireland has wanted to send troops on a peace-keeping mission to a part of the world and has been prevented from doing so because of the triple lock'. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan In fact, Mr Coveney told RTEs Tony Connelly in March 2022: I cant think of an instance where Ireland has wanted to send troops on a peace-keeping mission to a part of the world and has been prevented from doing so because of the triple lock, not yet, at least. Well the time has come. The purpose that the triple lock is no longer fit for is deeper involvement in non-UN-mandated military operations, including those by the EUs new RDC rapid reaction force which our Government helped to create. The world does not need another member of Nato. It does not need another country profiting from producing and selling weapons. What it needs is a country pushing for peace and demilitarisation, a country dedicated to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, as described so eloquently in Article 29 of the Constitution, a constitution our Government has pledged to honour and uphold. Lets hold them to it. Carol Fox, Peace and Neutrality Allliance (PANA) and Swords to Ploughshares (STOP) The US Justice Department has asked a judge to postpone the criminal trial of former president Donald Trump until December. US district judge Aileen Cannon set the initial trial for Mr Trump, who faces 37 charges of illegally hoarding classified documents and obstructing Justice Department efforts to get them back, for August 14. Ron Luellen probably feels a few pounds lighter after cutting off 12 inches of his hair for Wigs for Kids earlier this week. Ron, who lives in Silver Creek with his wife Leah and works in Columbus, had been growing his hair for going on one year and three months. I thought to give back, that's why I was going to do the other company but they charge so someone said Wigs for Kids, Ron said. I thought, You know what? I'm going to do it for them. Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit organization that helps children suffering from hair loss from medical causes, such as chemotherapy. Although the cost of hair processing, services and hair replacements is pricey, Wigs for Kids does not charge families. Once starting his goal, Ron quickly realized that having long hair comes with some struggles. The worst thing is, I toss and turn a lot at night, when I turned my hair would be stuck underneath me, he said, adding he had also caught himself holding up his hair while driving and sleeping with a fan on as the hair was making him hot. The arrival of summer seemed to be the right time to cut off his locks, with temperatures rising, he said. Ron noted his employer, Gene Steffy Ford, was nice to put up with his long hair. He added his hair got to an awkward stage where he had limited options on how to handle it and it looked ridiculous with a ponytail. My boss, he kind of looked at me and goes Yeah, you're never going to get it cut, Ron said, laughing. So they've been putting up with me with my hair. Ron added that Leah had been getting tired of finding his hair around their home. Leah said she was looking forward to the haircut, which took place on June 21 at Unique Styles By Karina, 1367 33rd Ave. B in Columbus. I wasn't sure at first that he'd be able to do it because I knew it would take a long time, Leah said. But I was pretty excited because it was for a good cause. Unique Styles Owner Karina Luong started by braiding Rons hair into four sections, then cut off his locks before touching up his new hairstyle. Ron was then responsible for mailing the ponytails to the nonprofit. When asked how he felt after chopping off his hair, Ron noted, Good, it feels so good. Ron said he hopes his donation gives a kid joy. He mentioned one individual he knows who shaved off their eyebrows because their child has an illness that prevents them from growing hair. Ron and Leah also know another individual who donated their hair. Someone told me they did this and it was no big deal cutting their hair but when you get that letter from the kid I guess the kid writes you a letter that's what made him cry, Ron said. More information on Wigs for Kids can be found at wigsforkids.org. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who is calling for an armed rebellion to remove Russias defence minister has confirmed that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the Russian border from Ukraine. The city is home to the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhins claim in a video posted on social media is the first confirmation that he was in Rostov. Prigozhins criticism of the top military brass is in stark contrast with more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin without any sign of infighting among his top lieutenants (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhin has long feuded with the defence ministry in Moscow, and he claimed on Friday that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered an attack on his field camps in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Russias security services had responded to Mr Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of some of the heaviest battles involving Wagner group forces and the Ukrainian military (AP) In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhins forces were able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces are probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russias military leadership, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country, and called his Wagner Group fighters patriots. After the Russian leader denounced Wagner forces entering the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the groups chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Mr Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. 'Defend the people' Russian President Vladimir Putin has called an armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group chief a betrayal, and has promised to defend the people and Russia. Mr Putin addressed the nation on Saturday morning after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops reached a key Russian city. The Russian leader said the move by the Wagner group had blocked civilian and military governing bodies in the southern city. And Mr Putin warned that his country is now facing the toughest battle for its future. He said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood, and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Mr Putin said. He called Mr Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. Mr Putin urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner private military company, claimed that his forces now control military facilities in Rostov-on-Don. We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media, beginning late on Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. Mr Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, the Russian leader said. This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Picture: Russian Presidential Press Service via AP An armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia, to its people, Mr Putin added. Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it, the Russian President said. Russias security services responded to Mr Prigozhins declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin is taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the general staff, Gen Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. Servicemen speak to a journalist at an office in the 'PMC Wagner Centre', which is associated with businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Picture: AP Photo He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there has been no independent confirmation of this. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Mr Shoigu in an armed rebellion. He urged the army not to offer resistance, declaring: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces were probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Mr Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. Officials across Russia have rallied behind Mr Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that legislators stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin after his address to the nation. He added that fighters from Mr Prigozhins Wagner group must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Maria Zakharova, Russias foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. However, unexpected support for Mr Prigozhin came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Mr Prigozhins rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. A village in the north-west of England is marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Bamber Bridge which took place after residents refused to accept segregation in the US military during the Second World War. The incident occurred in June 1943, after an all-black US army regiment rolled into Bamber Bridge near Preston, Lancashire. Despite the black GIs being welcomed by local people, simmering tensions between black soldiers and white military police exploded when a dispute outside a pub escalated into a night of violent confrontations, which left one US army private dead. Author Derek Rogerson wrote The Battle of Bamber Bridge: The True Story (AP) Residents are now telling the story of what happened that night and how it changed the treatment of black soldiers in the United States. Ignoring pressure from British and American authorities at the time, pubs welcomed the GIs, local women chatted and danced with them, and English soldiers drank alongside men they saw as allies in the war. On the night of June 24 1943, after a dispute outside a pub escalated into gunfire, Private William Crossland was killed and dozens of soldiers from the truck regiment faced court martial. When Pte Crosslands niece learned about the circumstances of her uncles death, she called for a new investigation to uncover how he died. Many people from Bamber Bridge feel a sense of pride over the support for the black soldiers. Valerie Fell was just two in 1943, but her family ran Ye Olde Hob Inn, the 400-year-old thatched-roof pub where the conflict started. The focal point of the incident was Ye Olde Hob Inn in Bamber Bridge near Preston, Lancashire (AP) She said of how the incident is viewed by local people: I think maybe its a sense of pride that there was no bigotry towards (the soldiers). They deserved the respect of the uniform that they were wearing. Black soldiers accounted for about 10% of American troops stationed in Britain during the war. Serving in segregated units led by white officers, most were relegated to non-combat roles such as driving trucks. US authorities tried to extend those policies beyond their bases, asking British pubs and restaurants to separate the races. Bamber Bridge, then home to about 6,800 people, was not the only place to resist. What is different about the Bamber Bridge incident was the desire of local people to preserve their story, according to Alan Rice, co-director of the Institute for Black Atlantic Research at the University of Central Lancashire. An original wall with what could be bullet holes is seen by an Air Training Corps building in Bamber Bridge (AP) He said: If youre fighting fascism, which these people were, its ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous, that the US army (were) encouraging a form of fascism segregation. Clinton Smith, head of the Black History Group in nearby Preston, wants people to look more closely at what happened. The history just cant be allowed to wither on the vine, he said. Despite their friendships with the GIs, villagers were not able to head off the violence when black soldiers, frustrated by their treatment and angry about race riots in Detroit, faced off with military police who were armed with batons and sidearms. On that hot June night, Private Eugene Nunn was sitting at the Hob Inn bar when a white military police officer threatened to arrest him for wearing the wrong uniform. British soldiers and civilians intervened. Recounting her mothers story, Ms Fell said: Everyone was saying: Leave him alone. He just wants a drink. Its a hot day. People just didnt understand this viciousness. When Pte Nunn left the pub, the police were waiting. Tempers rose, and a bottle was smashed against the windshield of the police Jeep. The situation escalated and it was not until 4am that order was restored. Military authorities sought severe penalties in the aftermath of the violence, with 37 black soldiers charged with mutiny, riot and unlawful possession of weapons. Clinton Smith, chair of Preston Black History Group, reads a copy of a magazine outlining the Battle of Bamber Bridge as he sits in the Ye Olde Hob Inn, where black GIs were welcomed by locals (AP) Some 30 received sentences of between three and 15 years in prison, combined with loss of pay and dishonourable discharges. As the allies prepared for D-Day, many had their sentences shortened so they could return to the war effort. While the court martial criticised the white officers for poor leadership, there is no record that they or the military police were disciplined. Ken Werrell, a US air force academy graduate and retired professor of history at Radford University in Virginia, studied the proceedings and reviewed military records for an article published in 1975. He said the black soldiers were badly treated. But the broader story is that senior generals, focused on improving morale and performance, quickly ordered changes in the treatment of black troops. Many of the officers commanding black units were replaced and the army deployed more racially mixed police patrols. A sign detailing the Battle of Bamber Bridge outside Ye Olde Hob Inn (AP) The Bamber Bridge affair was more than just a minor incident in World War Two, Prof Werrell wrote. He said it was one of a number of incidents in black communities and Americas continuing crusade for freedom. In 1948, US president Harry Truman ordered the end of segregation in the military, though that took years to fully achieve. Lloyd Austin, a black man and retired four-star army general, is now the US secretary of defence. But that progress came too late for Pte Crossland, a former railway worker who was 25 when he died. Court martial evidence said only that he was found gravely wounded, with a bullet near his heart. Officers said they believed he had been caught in the crossfire between two groups of black soldiers. Nancy Croslan Adkins, the daughter of one of Pte Crosslands brothers, said she was never told about the circumstances of her uncles death. The Air Training Corps building is the last remaining part of a base where black troops were stationed in the town during the Second World War (AP) The family later changed the spelling of its last name. Ms Adkins, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, wants to know more about what happened. Having dealt with direct discrimination myself by integrating the school system in North Carolina, and the racial injustice that my parents faced, I would love an investigation, she said. Aaron Snipe, the spokesman for the US embassy in London, said he could not prejudge any military decision, but President Joe Bidens administration has shown a willingness to right the wrongs of the past. Earlier this month, the US Navy issued a formal apology to the families of 15 black sailors who were dishonourably discharged in 1940 after complaining that they were forced to wait tables. Mr Snipe, meanwhile, will pay tribute to the people of Bamber Bridge at an event marking the anniversary. Part of this story is about their unwillingness to accept segregation orders or regulations that were pushed on them, he said. They pushed back. A former hot dog stand owner and low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight thanks to Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Mr Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. On Friday, Mr Prigozhin, the owner of the Kremlin-allied group, escalated months of scathing criticism over Russias conduct in the war by calling for an armed uprising to oust the defence minister. The Wagner leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Mr Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission, although he does not say what this was for. Mr Putin denounced the move in Rostov-on-Don in an address to the nation (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Afterwards, he owned a hot dog stand and then restaurants that drew interest from Mr Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French president Jacques Chirac to dine at one of these restaurants. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Mr Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Mr Putin helped open Mr Prigozhins factory, which was built thanks to generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals for schools. Service men on the street in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) He also organised catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Mr Prigozhins companies of breaking competition laws by bidding for some 387 million dollars (304 million) in defence ministry contracts. Mr Prigozhins Wagner Group has come to play a central role in Mr Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. Mr Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who helped open a factory which produces school meals in 2010 outside St Petersburg (Kremlin via AP) US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Mr Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. The soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Mr Prigozhin raged against Russias military top brass. The PMC Wagner Centre is based in St Petersburg (AP) In a video released by his team last month, Mr Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they need to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin said at the time. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Earlier, Mr Prigozhin had gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. [5/5] Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 They were indicted as part of US special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US treasury department has sanctioned Mr Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Prigozhin as saying: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House called him a known bad actor, and US state department spokesman Ned Price said Mr Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. As Mr Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Mr Putin over his criticism of the Presidents top generals. Media reports at times suggested Mr Prigozhins influence on Mr Putin was growing, and that he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Mr Putin. Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, said of Mr Prigozhin on his podcast In Moscows Shadows: Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants, and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff, rather than part of the family. Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors. On Saturday, the Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing for the first time recorded temperatures above 40C for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration. In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianji, temperatures have also soared above 40C over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue red alerts for extreme weather. In Chinas four-tier weather alert system, red indicates the most severe conditions. Temperatures once again climbed to around 40C (AP) On Thursday, Beijing experienced its second-hottest day on record, with temperatures soaring to 41.1C. It was also the highest temperature ever recorded in Chinas capital during the month of June. Beijings all-time high of 41.9C, since modern records began, occurred on July 24 1999. Chinese meteorologists say the current heatwave has been caused by warm air masses associated with high-pressure ridges in the atmosphere, compounded by thin cloud covers and long daylight hours around the summer solstice. Authorities continued a rare red alert for high temperatures in parts of Chinas capital (AP) Other countries in Asia have experienced deadly heatwaves in recent weeks, which scientists say are aggravated by rising global temperatures, caused partly by the burning of fossil fuels. In China, the heatwave has coincided with a three-day public holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival, devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats propelled by teams of paddlers. Beijings weather authorities urged residents to avoid exercising outdoors for long periods and take measures to shield from the sun. Temperatures in the capital are expected to drop to around 34C on Monday before rising again later next week. The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally. The head of the Wagner force said on Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. And President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Prigozhin said that while his men are just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He didnt say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenkos offer to halt the Wagner groups advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Lukashenkos office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. It didnt elaborate. Mass outdoor events and at educational institutions have been suspended in Moscow until July 1, authorities have said. It was issued by Governor Andrei Vorobyov and applies to the surrounding areas of the city. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion. It follows the mayor of Moscow urging residents to refrain from travelling around the capital. Public buildings across Moscow have been evacuated as the Wagner rebels advance. According to BBC Russia, museums near the Kremlin were being evacuated. There have been reports over the last few hours of the evacuation of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum and the GES-2 House of Culture, the BBC added. The Mega Belaya Dacha shopping centre and the Kvartal shopping centre were also evacuated in Moscow, it said. More roadblocks have appeared as Wagner troops proceed to Moscow via Google Maps Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police manning machine gun positions on Moscow's southern outskirts Authorities in the Lipetsk region south of the capital told residents to stay home. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, also called on people to refrain as far as possible from trips around the city, given a counter-terrorism operation had been declared, and said the situation was "difficult." Sobyanin also said in a statement that Monday would be a non-working day - with some exceptions - in order "to minimise risks". There was an increased security presence on the streets and Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish the organisers of an armed rebellion in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city. Mr Putin denounced the uprising by Wagner Group forces as a stab in the back. It marks the biggest threat to Mr Putins leadership in more than two decades in power. The private army led by Mr Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness, and that Kyiv is protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) In an address to the Russian nation, Mr Putin called the actions by Mr Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. The Russian President said: All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023 Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, the Wagner Group said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Mr Prigozhins private military contractor has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops had reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin posted a video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. The Wagner Group chief said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late on Friday. Mr Putin addressed the nation on Saturday before the rebellion was called off (Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP) We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, the Russian leader said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service (FSB), called for Mr Prigozhins arrest after he declared an armed rebellion late on Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It is not immediately clear how Mr Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish defence minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) He added that Wagners forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. Mr Prigozhin alleged that Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The defence ministry has denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. After Mr Putins address, in which he did not mention concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity, officials and state media personalities sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said legislators stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Mr Volodins sentiment, saying in a Telegram post: We have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. Service men on the street in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) While the outcome of the confrontation is still unclear, it appears likely to hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defences in the initial stages of a counter-offensive. The dispute, especially if Mr Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Mr Putin and his ability to maintain unity. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. However, Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticised the Russian militarys top brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Mr Zelensky noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He added: For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Mr Prigozhins actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the defence ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. The Wagner chief, whose feud with the defence ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said on Friday he was ready for a compromise, but they have treacherously cheated us. Col Gen Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. The US and the leaders of European countries including Italy and Poland have said they are monitoring developments closely, while Estonia, which borders Russia, stepped up border security. Checkpoints with armoured vehicles have been set up and Moscows mayor urged motorists to stay off roads as the Russian capital braced for the arrival of a private army led by a rebellious mercenary commander. President Vladimir Putin vowed harsh consequences for organisers of the armed uprising led by his former protege, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced towards Moscow. Mr Prigozhins actions represented the most significant challenge to Mr Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. In a televised speech to the nation, Mr Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Mr Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Authorities declared a counter-terrorist regime in the capital and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital. He declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner mercenary army. Access to Red Square was closed, two major museums were evacuated and a park was shut. Yevgeny Prigozhin said the move was a march of justice (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, the UKs Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment were also in Lipetsk province, about 225 miles south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional governor Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. #Putin: Today, Russia is waging a tough struggle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis & their patrons. Any internal revolt is a deadly threat to our statehood. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. https://t.co/I2zLIcLKAB pic.twitter.com/pUHycm0KFx MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) June 24, 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Mr Prigozhins arrest on Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Mr Putin addressed the nation on Saturday before the rebellion was called off (Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP) Mr Prigozhins private army has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals were not immediately clear but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Mr Prigozhin said. He said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Mr Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. A woman poses for a photo at a Russian armoured vehicle, with writing reading Siberia, parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don (AP) The rebellion comes as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Mr Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Mr Putin said. A Muscovite who gave only his first name of Khachik called the situation scary. State-controlled TV networks led their news broadcasts with Mr Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Service men on the street in Rostov-on-Don (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Mr Putin and condemning Mr Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Mr Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Mr Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Mr Shoigu, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Mr Prigozhin, 62, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Mr Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Mr Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Mr Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. (PA Graphics) Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Mr Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Mr Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Mr Kadyrov said. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defences in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Mr Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. The ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) has been urged to immediately cancel the Myanmar junta and Russias scheduled counter-terrorism military exercises to be held in the coming months under the auspices of an ADMM platform. The ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism, co-chaired by the Myanmar military junta and Russia, has scheduled the exercises for August and September with a table-top exercise in Myanmar and a field training exercise in Russia, according to advocacy group Justice for Myanmar (JFM). The counter-terrorism working group is part of the ADMM-Plus grouping, which comprises ASEAN defense officials and those of its eight dialogue partners. The exercises will involve military training that coordinates a response to a simulated terrorist attack and will help the Myanmar military increase the capabilities of elite troops engaged in a campaign of terror against the countrys people, the JFM said in a report. ASEAN has not only failed to take action in support of human rights and democracy in Myanmar but is actively aiding the juntas criminal conduct through direct military support like the planned military exercises. This makes ASEAN complicit in the juntas atrocity crimes, the activist group said. Since the coup in February 2021, the Myanmar military junta has killed at least 3,692 people, arrested more than 23,000 more, burned down over 70, 000 civilian houses and displaced 1.5 million people, according the Assistance Association of Prisoners and other advocacy groups. On June 6 and 7, representatives from ASEAN member states, as well as representatives of ASEAN dialogue partners China and India, attended the ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorisms final planning conference for the joint military exercises in Khabarovsk, Russia. All other dialogue partnersthe United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealandboycotted the meeting. The working group has been led by Major General Aung Myo Thant, Deputy Chief of the Myanmar militarys Armed Forces Training, and Major General Grigorii Tiurin of the Operational and Strategic Command of Russias Eastern Military District since 2021. The junta has long used the working group for propaganda purposes and to seek regional support for its attacks against the legitimate National Unity Government (NUG), Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) and ethnic revolutionary organizations, JFM said. In the meetings on June 6 and 7, the Myanmar junta also distributed propaganda in English, Russian and Chinese to attendees describing the NUG and PDF as terrorists who attack civilians, according to the junta news reports. Rather than helping to resolve the Myanmar crisis, ASEANs actions are worsening it and causing real harm, JFM spokesperson Yadanar Maung said, while calling for the immediate cancelation of the scheduled exercises, a ban on the junta from all meetings, and recognition and support of the NUG as the legitimate government of Myanmar. The spokesperson added that the fact these military exercises are planned is testament to the shocking failure of Indonesia as ASEAN chair to uphold basic principles of democracy and human rights. If, under Indonesias leadership, the exercises do go ahead, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and the incoming Thai government should boycott the exercises and stand with the people of Myanmar in support of human rights and democracy. As Myanmar slips further into its post-coup crisis, the junta is desperately turning an informal discussion on Myanmar hosted by Thailand into an opportunity for propaganda by blatantly lying about every issue it has been struggling with. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai last week invited foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the foreign minister of Myanmars junta, to prepare the way to fully reengage Myanmar at the leaders level. The Myanmar regimes top leaders and its foreign minister have been excluded from high-level meetings of ASEAN since late 2021, following the juntas failure to honor the blocs plan to restore peace in the country, which has been in turmoil since the military staged a coup earlier that year. Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia shunned the talks held in the resort of Pattaya from June 18-19. Representatives from other ASEAN members including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar neighbors China and India joined the talks. The current ASEAN chair, Indonesia, criticized the Thai government for organizing the talks, which were also condemned by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Myanmars shadow National Unity Government and hundreds of the countrys civil society organizations. Junta foreign minister Than Swe made full use of his first opportunity to speak at the regional meeting, saying correct information about Myanmar had been blocked, and only false and lopsided news about the country was spread by biased media, according to a statement by the regimes foreign ministry. Than Swe, who served as Myanmar Ambassador to the United States under U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government, said at the talks that Myanmar military is focusing its efforts on three of ASEANs five-point consensus: ending violence in the country, starting dialogue among all parties, and delivering humanitarian assistance to Myanmar people. The graduate of Defense Services Academy 16th intake also blamed the countrys ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for escalating the fighting. For more than 33 years, successive governments have patiently engaged in dialogue instead of fighting to build permanent peace in Myanmar, but EAOs are intentionally delaying it because they cant relinquish [their] lucrative drug business, he said at the talks. He also took an opportunity to provide an alternative view of his regimes indiscriminate air attacks targeting civilians, saying officers of Myanmars military have been trained to follow rules of engagement outlined in the Vienna Convention, and not to use disproportionate force. Then, he accused the shadow National Unity Government and its armed wing Peoples Defense Force of killing over 5,800 unarmed civilians. He was silent, however, about the juntas killing of at least 3,692 people, mainly for their anti-regime activism, documented by the watchdog Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). During the meeting in Pattaya, Than Swe didnt utter a word about the fact thatmore than two years since the couphis regime still cannot control the country and is losing control of more land to PDFs. He also neglected to mention that junta troops have suffered heavy casualties since the early days of the fighting. Instead, he boasted: The Tatmadaw [Myanmar military], being systematically formed, experienced and capable, can easily crush ordinary armed groups, referring to the resistance forces. Then Than Swe bored the meeting participants by discussing the regimes unscheduled election plans, repeating the claim of his superior, Min Aung Hlaing, that power would be handed to the polls winning party. A junta statement on the meeting further claimed that those who attended did not want to interfere in Myanmars domestic politics, and hoped to promote ties with the country. Tom Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on situation of human rights in Myanmar, called the informal talks dangerous, saying they could cause division among ASEAN members and help legitimize Myanmars junta. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said direct talks were necessary to protect his country, explaining that Thailand has suffered more than others in the region due to its lengthy land border with Myanmar. Despite Bangkoks defense of the meeting, questions have been raised about why Thailand made the rushed decision to hold talks when a new government is expected to take over in August after progressive and populist parties defeated their military-backed rivals in the countrys May 14 election. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a senior fellow at its Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University, wrote in the Bangkok Post that the outgoing governments decision to hold the meeting raises questions about possible vested interests involved in the apparent acceptance of Myanmars military regime. The meeting damaged Thailands international standing, undermined ASEANs central regional role and sabotaged Indonesias position as the current ASEAN chair, he said, adding: Thailands questionable policy has made enemies with the vast majority of Myanmars population, who have risen up against the SAC (the regime), underpinned by a raging civil war in which the military is not winning and is unable to consolidate its grip on power. Even Cambodian Foreign Minister Minister Prak Sokhonn ignored the personal invitation from his Thai counterpart, dispatching one of the most junior of his 14 secretaries of state, Kung Phoak, to the talks. Speaking after the talks in Pattaya, Cambodias authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Senwho has never been accused of having an affection for democracywas dismissive of Myanmar. What are the latest achievements of Myanmar other than the destruction of human lives and property? he asked. The latest move to coddle and recognize Myanmars junta government by caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chas outgoing regime does not add up. Sanctioned and supported by Gen. Prayut, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai arranged an ASEAN-wide ministerial meeting in Pattaya on June 18 with Myanmars junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Swe with unusual haste. Shrouded in controversy and desperation, both the PMs and the FMs cliched explanations just do not wash. It begs the question of whether there are vested interests involved, above and beyond Thailands national interest, in the outgoing governments seeming acceptance of Myanmars military regime, which took power by force on Feb 1, 2021. With full knowledge that he will soon have to vacate his office too, because Gen. Prayuts military-aligned United Thai Nation Party lost the May 14 election, Don had zero mandate but still went ahead by sending out invitations on June 14, just four days before convening the high-level gathering. When he controversially sponsored similar meetings in the recent past, at least they transpired before a Thai poll. In addition, Don and his adviser and special envoy on Myanmar, Pornpimol Kanchanalak, have gone out of their way to arrange a series of Track 1.5 think-tank conferences to include Myanmar. The clear aim has been criticized as lending legitimacy and recognition to the State Administration Council (SAC), Myanmars junta government. The rationalization is purportedly to maintain Thailands national interest. Both Gen. Prayut and Don spouted the usual list of bilateral imperatives between Thailand and Myanmar. These include the fact that Thailand shares a border of over 2,400 km with Myanmar and therefore has to engage with its next-door neighbor on common issues from the trafficking of labor, illicit drugs and arms to criminal call centers that have lured people from across Southeast Asia and beyond to scam money out of others. At the same time, Thailands corporate stakes of more than US$11 billion with 154 projects were circulated in the media, ranking third with 12.5 percent of overall foreign investment in Myanmar. It was also reported that further US and other Western sanctions against the SACthe Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank in this caserequired the Thai government to act. Yet these justifications and excuses just do not make sense overall. Indeed, Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, with more than twice at stake than Thailand, whereas China ranks second. Yet the Singaporean government has taken the principled position of following ASEANs Five-Point Consensus from April 2021, calling for the cessation of violence, an inclusive dialogue, humanitarian assistance, a special envoy and a delegation visit to find a way forward. True, Thailand has critical bilateral issues with Myanmar in view of labor migration, drugs and arms trafficking, transnational crimes, and even pollution from agricultural burning. But these issues are as problematic as ever, even worsening. What Don and Pornpimol have been doing in favor of the SAC has yet to yield results for Thailand. On the contrary, the pair, under Gen. Prayuts watch, have affected Thailands international standing, undermined ASEANs central regional role and sabotaged Indonesias position as the current ASEAN chair. Thailands questionable policy has made enemies with the vast majority of Myanmars population, who have risen up against the SAC, underpinned by a raging civil war in which the military is not winning and is unable to consolidate its grip on power. Without heavy war weapons, including armor and air strikes, the Myanmar military may end up losing. By riding roughshod over ASEAN and Indonesia as chair, Don has impaired ASEANs reputation in the international community. He has also further sowed divisions among ASEAN member states. Since Myanmars coup, ASEAN has broadly split into two camps pitting Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore on one side with a demand for the restoration of democratic rule versus the others. It comes as no surprise that the autocratic ASEAN members from Brunei and Cambodia to Laos and Vietnam are sympathetic to the SAC and silent on its atrocities against the Myanmar people. These ASEAN members have been participating in Dons meetings, while the other four have opted out time and again. The odd man out is Thailand under Gen. Prayuts foreign policy with Myanmars SAC. Unsurprisingly, the democratically elected Move Forward Party and its leader Pita Limjaroenrat have come out to oppose Dons latest gambit, emphasizing ASEAN centrality and the Five-Point Consensus. All international stakeholders should know that the Prayut-led governments position on Myanmar does not represent the collective view of the majority of Thai people. To be sure, Thailand needs to engage with the SAC, but it needs to do so together with other parties, particularly other stakeholders, including the opposing National Unity Government, in the Myanmar civil war in the spirit of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus. As a neighbor of Myanmar, Thailand should play a closely supportive role to the ASEAN chair to promote alignment among opposition groups and to nudge the SAC towards dialogue by using recognition and official engagement as leverage. The SAC has so far proved intransigent and unilateral. Further accommodation will only result in the SAC becoming even more emboldened and self-righteous. The disparate resistance coalition also needs to close ranks and demonstrate that they have the unity and wherewithal to govern and keep the country intact. The foreign minister insisted that he has to act despite being an outgoing caretaker because Thailands national interest cannot wait for the new government. What cannot wait is a matter of debate. As Don and Pornpimol are senior government officials, they are subject to questions of integrity and intent. As Pornpimol is known as a careerand convictedlobbyist in a US court of law, the public indeed has a right to ask and know whether private interests are at stake here. This is a matter that should be formally investigated by the incoming government with a democratic mandate. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, PhD, is professor at the Faculty of Political Science and a senior fellow at its Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University. This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post. KEARNEY Petes Patriot is staying in Kearney. Thats according to Brad Kernick, a car enthusiast and supporter of the Classic Car Collection in Kearney. The owner is not verified, but Petes Patriot will remain in Kearney, Kernick said Tuesday afternoon at the conclusion of the auction of 130 cars that had been displayed the past 12 years at Kearneys Classic Car Collection. Owner of the Bernie and Janice Talborg Classic Car Collection, Alan Gentz of Sterling, Colorado, put the collection up for sale. Kernick said it was tough seeing the collection sold off car by car, but the vehicle with the Kearney story will be staying in Kearney. Im just ecstatic that its going to stay here, Kernick said about the 1969 AMX drag racer that was campaigned by a pit crew of Kearney High School boys. Steven Nelson, the sales rep for the North Dakota-based Steffes Group Auctioneers, described the Classic Car Collection auction as wonderful, excellent. He said the auction was a private business undertaking, so he declined to state how much the 130 cars fetched. However, Nelson said the auction attracted buyers from around the globe. We had more than 700 registered bidders from all over the world, literally, Nelson said. He listed buyers locations, including Australia, France, England and all over the U.S. and Canada. Nelson said the winning bidder is paying $171,000 for Pete's Patriot. Another military ambassador Major General Myat Thet Oo has been appointed the juntas ambassador to Laos, just two months after he was fired as chief of Southeastern Command. After reportedly facing interrogation in Naypyitaw over military defeats in Karen State, the graduate of Defense Services Academy intake 38 now takes up a new role in Laos, which will succeed Indonesia as ASEAN chair next year. Following its February 2021 coup, Myanmars military has appointed high-ranking soldiers to ministries, the countrys election body, central bank, and the civil service commission. Other senior officers have been handed ambassadorial roles. Myat Thet Oo was appointed chief of Northern Command following the coup, before being assigned to lead Southeastern Command based in Mon States Mawlamyine in August, 2022. His latest transfer came after regime troops under his command suffered heavy casualties in clashes with the Karen National Liberation Army in Karen State. Buddhism or just voodoo? The juntas Home Affairs Ministry, an agency notorious for its brutal torture and killings of dissidents, has lately been busy organizing basic Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology and philosophy) training courses for its staff and basic Buddhism courses for their children, as if it were the religion and culture ministry. The latest public display of the ministrys religiosity is a contest to recite the Dhammacakkappavattana and Anattalakkhana suttas, being held from June 20 to July 12. As with previous religious training efforts, the juntas deputy prime minister and home affairs minister Soe Htut launched the contest, gushing about the benefits it would bring participants in both their worldly and spiritual lives. But most Myanmar citizens see it as yet another magical ritual to ward off what the regime perceives as recent bad omens for its survival including Cyclone Mocha, an earthquake that dislodged hti (sacred umbrellas) at pagodas, and a bolt of lightning that struck the ancient Buu Pagoda in Bagan. On June 20, regional military commands joined in the ritual paranoia by organizing recitals of the Patthana protective scripture. It seems fair to conclude that the regime is seeking divine help to rescue its failed effort to take control of the country. General disappointment Following junta boss Min Aung Hlaings warning not to use farmland in Nyaungnabin, birthplace of the 2008 Constitution, for other purposes, ex-generals from the previous regime are scrambling to get rid of their plots. Nyaungnabin in Yangons Hlegu Township hosted the National Convention that drafted the countrys third charter, the 2008 Constitution. When an agriculture and livestock breeding zone was established in Nyaungnabin, former generals were handed a share of the land. Following Min Aung Hlaings warning, the Nyaungnabin agricultural management committee declared that only those actually engaged in crop or livestock farming in the zone would be allowed to do business there. Former information minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan and former Yangon Command chief Lieutenant-General Khin Maung Than, both of whom served under former military dictator Than Shwe, have since sold their Nyaungnabin plots, according to sale notices placed in junta propaganda newspapers on June 18. The notices prompted netizens to call the generals thieves. Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan served as secretary of the commission for the National Convention while Lt-Gen Khin Maung Than was chief of Yangon at the time. Other former military officers are also reportedly selling off their plots in Nyaungnabin. Thailand splits ASEAN over Myanmar Critics said Mondays divisive meeting on the Myanmar crisis was designed to help legitimize the junta before Thailands outgoing pro-military government leaves office. Read more here: This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. Binance Brazil Executive Called to Testify in Congress Amid Regulatory Crackdown Source: Adobe / JorgeEduardo Amidst a global regulatory crackdown on Binance, the director of Binance Brazil, Guilherme Haddad, has been summoned to testify before the Brazilian parliament. Alfredo Gaspar, a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, initiated the summons. Haddad is expected to provide testimony as part of the ongoing investigation conducted by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), which is examining allegations of pyramid schemes in the country. Binance Brazils CEO might be summoned to testify The request was submitted on June 21st, and other CPI members will vote on it on June 27th. The Brazilian news outlet Portal do Bitcoin wrote that the approval of the request would mean that Haddad has to appear before the countrys Chamber of Deputies. Meanwhile, Binance continues to face regulatory issues in other markets. So far, the exchange has clashed with the authorities of the US, the UK, France, and even the Netherlands. Brazil is now the newest country where Binance is facing scrutiny, which continues to bring negative international attention to the company. The last time multiple regulators targeted Binance at the same time was when many nations discovered that the exchange had been offering products without having proper licenses. At the time, Binance responded by removing the controversial investment products and boosting its compliance team. However, Brazils deputy claims that the exchange was utilized by pyramid schemes in the country to enable asset transfers. Gaspar argued that: "It is vital to understand Binances operations, its association with B Fintech, and its involvement with companies facing legal action for harming Brazilian consumers, as this strongly links Binance to the ongoing investigation." Binance offered Bitcoin futures despite being pressed to stop Brazils authorities claim that the reason behind the summons is the fact that the exchange is facing scrutiny from other regulators. However, Brazil has also been investigating Binance. Specifically, the countrys Federal Police and the Federal Prosecutors office both investigated the exchanges activities. They suspect that Binance has been helping its Brazil-based clients to evade a stop order on investing in crypto derivatives. Since the platform has a history of offering products it shouldnt, it became an immediate suspect. Brazils Securities and Exchange Commission has also pressed Binance to halt its Bitcoin futures products offering to local investors. This was also reported by Portal to Bitcoin earlier. At present, Binance has not responded to the news of the summons or provided any comment regarding the situation in Brazil. The request for the summons is still pending a vote, and if it is unsuccessful, the exchange's executive may not be required to testify. Guilherme Haddad has held the position of CEO at Binance Brazil since late 2022. It is worth noting that he is related to Fernando Haddad, Brazil's acting Minister of Finance, as his uncle. However, Honorato, the investigator, has stated that this relationship will not impact the ongoing investigation. A criminal complaint filed earlier this month by the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney charges Terri A. King, 60, of Bronx, New York, with one count of felony stealing, one count of felony identity theft, and one count of felony forgery. According to a probable cause statement from the Potosi Police Department, King allegedly requested to withdraw $5,600 from an account at U.S. Bank in Potosi using fraudulent identification. Reportedly, U.S. Bank was alerted that a person fitting Kings description attempted to withdraw funds from three other U.S. Bank branches using a fraudulent ID and was refused. Bank employees contacted law enforcement and when law enforcement arrived, they spoke with King. King allegedly produced an Illinois drivers license with a fraudulent name as a form of identification for the bank and for officers. The report states bank employees alerted investigators King used a Minnesota drivers license with a different fraudulent name earlier in the day to withdraw $3,000 from an account at a U.S. Bank Branch in South St. Louis County. The images on both the Illinois drivers license and the Minnesota drivers license were both a match to King. Officers reportedly advised King of her Miranda rights, executed an arrest, and transported King to the Potosi Police Department. Once at the police department, King allegedly gave investigators her real name and other pertinent information. King reportedly told police she was introduced to a male about a month ago who told her he could help her out of a difficult financial situation by getting money from banks with fraudulent ID. King alleges the unidentified male took pictures of her and created the fake identifications. The report states King alleges the unidentified male drove to each bank and told her what to say to the tellers during each transaction through a set of earbuds. Investigators say a criminal history check of King shows numerous arrests, the most recent in the city of New York for felony forgery on May 16. King is believed to be a flight risk because she has no ties to Missouri. An initial arraignment was held on June 16 where King pled not guilty to charges filed. King is currently being held in the Washington County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond with the special conditions of GPS monitoring and the surrender of her passport. A bond reduction hearing was scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Washington County Courthouse. Each year Missouri Humanities highlights five communities which are nominated and voted on by Missourians. Marquand is one of the 36 communities nominated for the five 2024 Small Town Showcase spots. Voting will continue until July 15 with no limits on how many times you can vote. Visit https://mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase to cast your vote. "We are not a flyover state, we are the heart of America," reads the Missouri Humanities Small Town Showcase website. Missouri Humanities said, its goal is to highlight the uniqueness of rural Missouri, and to showcase what Small Town America really is, and why it shouldnt be overlooked, overshadowed, or under appreciated. Marquand is one of the smallest communities nominated with a population of 201. "Marquand is a 'Railroad Boom Town' that has survived," Denny Ward said. "Sitting on the banks of the spring-fed Castor River, the community isn't any larger than most subdivisions in the urban areas, but nestled in the Ozark Foothills of the Clark National Forest, one would be hard pressed to find a more scenic and recreational community that is alive and thriving." Ward said, Marquand has a rich historic background and a community which strives to preserve the past, while still embracing the future. "Originally settled in 1804 by Michael Mouser and Captain Henry Whitener and their respective families, the community was first known as, The Whitener Settlement," Ward said. "In 1869, as the Belmont Branch of Missouri Pacific Railroad made its way through the community, a railroad entrepreneur by the name of Henry G. Marquand visited and fell in love with the scenic and pristine community. In parting, he donated $1,000 for the construction of the first church within what is today the town's city limits. In honor of his generosity, the town was renamed Marquand and incorporated." Ward said, when Henry left Marquand, he traveled on to New York City where he helped establish the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His love of the town and the arts have helped mold today's community values of historic preservation, community revitalization, promotion of the arts and, embracing cultural and global change in a peaceful rural setting. When asked what an "outsider" may say about the town, Ward said, the comments he most frequently hears are that Marquand is quaint, charming and has more to offer than they ever expected. Locals say, they are proud of their community, it's rich historic past, natural beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities and ability to maintain itself with such a small number of residents. Marquand is host to the Marquand Historic Park, which houses The Henry & Jane (Bess) Sitzes Log Homestead, The Depot Museum, The E.S. Lett Memorial Bridge Bandstand, an outdoor pavilion and recreational equipment. Other notable stops include the Buckhorn School which houses "Num-Num's Sweet Shop," The Homan Building with "One-Eighty-Six Pub & Grill" on the main floor and the Homan Hall Performing Arts Center and Marquand Community Center upstairs. There are also two campgrounds on the Castor River and Three B&B's in the town. Voting for the 2024 Small Town Showcase presented by Missouri Humanities will continue until July 15, 2023. "A person can vote as many times as they want and voters can be from other states, too, so the sky is the limit," Ward said. "There are other great communities included in this competition, so well need all the help we can muster up." To vote and see the full list of nominees visit https://mohumanities.org/small-town-showcase Middle East Monitor abujomaaGaza ( ) Dangerous mobs of extremist Jewish settlers have been rampaging through towns and villages in the occupied West Bank attacking Palestinians and their homes, shops, farms and vehicles, including ambulances. Cars with Palestinian number plates have had stones thrown at them by settlers on road between Nablus and Ramallah. According to Wafa, the settler attacks reached a peak on Wednesday evening when an Al Jazeera journalist reported that 400 armed settlers attacked the small town of Turmus Ayya, setting fire to homes, cars and farmland. One Palestinian resident was killed and dozens more were wounded. All the attacks were carried out by armed Jewish settlers backed by the Israeli occupation army, one resident told Al Jazeera, which raided the village and attacked the Palestinians instead of deterring the brutal settlers. The appalling settler attacks have been condemned by the Palestinian Authority and world leaders. There have been international calls for action to be taken against the settlers, and for them to be held accountable. One PA official called for the formation of popular defence committees to protect people from settler violence. PA President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against the crimes of the Jewish settlers and the Israeli occupation forces. His Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described the attacks as barbaric and said that they reflect the Israeli mentality of violence and murder before calling for an end to this farce. The US Office of Palestinian Affairs said that it is appalled at ongoing settler attacks in Turmus Ayya and other villages resulting in a civilian death, injuries and property damage. We call for the Israeli authorities to immediately stop the violence, protect US and Palestinian civilians, and prosecute those responsible. The British Consulate in Jerusalem tweeted: Appalling scenes in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, where Palestinians have been attacked and property destroyed by Israeli settlers This cycle of violence must end. Perpetrators of crimes must be held to account. Similar condemnation came from the European Union: We condemn the current outbreak of settler violence across the West Bank, resulting in unacceptable indiscriminate violence against Palestinian civilians and the destruction of Palestinian property. We recall that Israel has the obligation to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory. Such comments are nothing new, and yet the Palestinians have experienced extreme brutality at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces and illegal settlers for more than seven decades. Condemnations from the international community are steeped in hypocrisy and, given the support that the US, the EU and Britain give to the apartheid state, do nothing to stop Israels violence. The state and its Jewish citizens, especially settlers, are allowed to act against Palestinians with impunity, and yet settlers and the settlements in which they live are illegal under international law. The people of occupied Palestine are not alone in recognising the futility of international condemnation of settler attacks which isnt backed up by action to stop them. UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, is on record as saying: Palestinians under Israeli occupation do need protection. Brutality, coming either from Israeli settlers or from the army will not stop, simply because the system is not designed to protect the Palestinians. Rather the contrary. She insisted that, Mere words of condemnation are meaningless. Enough is enough. We have heard such meaningless words from the world for decades. Governments and officials who call for an end to Israeli aggression against the Palestinians are the same governments and officials which back Israel in imposing blockades on Palestinians, whether in the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip. They turn a collective blind eye to the numerous UN resolutions calling for Israel to follow international laws and conventions regarding the Palestinians and their legitimate rights. These hypocrites dont dare to add Israel to the UN blacklist of human rights abusers and the UN list of those who abuse childrens rights, despite the fact that Israel has killed a Palestinian child every three days on average for more than 20 years. Even the labelling of goods produced in Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land is too much for the hypocrites in Western capitals, many of whom are making it illegal to boycott such goods and the companies which profit from them. While calling for the protection of the Palestinians, these world leaders are complicit in Israeli crimes against the Palestinians. They arm Israel and provide it with political and diplomatic cover at the UN and other forums. . . This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (The last paragraphs have been omitted here.) Middle East Monitor Reddit Email 32 Shares By Soren Amelang | ( Clean Energy Wire ) Cologne energy supplier RheinEnergie is planning Europes largest heat pump that will use energy contained in Rhine river water to heat homes in the city centre. RheinEnergie has awarded the general planning contract for a large-scale heat pump in a capacity class that does not exist yet in Europe or Germany, the company said in a press release. The 150 megawatt (MW) installation will supply enough heat energy to the district network to heat around 30,000 homes. Construction is to begin in early 2024, and the start of operation is planned for early 2027, the company said, also mentioning its plans for another 50-megawatt heat pump north of the city to provide heat for residential districts and industrial companies. The heat pumps are part of company plans to invest around 3.8 billion euros in a resilient, climate-neutral and secure energy supply by 2035. Article continues after bonus IC video Reuters: German heat pump boom tests industrys resilience After years of inaction, Germany has started to address emissions produced through heating its buildings which are directly responsible for around 15 percent of the countrys entire CO2 output. However, a draft law for a phase-out of fossil fuel-powered boilers has triggered fierce debate about the decarbonisation of this sector, with critics arguing that the investment costs for climate-friendly solutions like heat pumps will overburden homeowners or tenants. Via Clean Energy Wire Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0) . Reddit 115 Email 593 Shares Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) Jordans al-Ghad [Tomorrow] newspaper reports from occupied East Jerusalem that on Friday the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Bin-Gvir called on Israeli squatters on the Palestinian West Bank to take over the territory and to settle it with support from the far right-wing government. Ben-Gvir made the remarks at the illegal Evyatar squatter settlement near the Palestinian hamlet of Beeta south of Nablus. All Israeli squatter settlements on occupied Palestinian territory are illegal in international law, but even Israel considers some of them illegal. Most squatters build on land usurped by the Israeli state. But some just invade the West Bank and set up homes on privately owned Palestinian land. Evyatar is in the latter category. Ben-Gvir said that it is incumbent on the Israeli government to kill dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of Palestinians, so as to stabilize the security situation. He called the Palestinians terrorists. Addressing hundreds of Israeli squatters who returned to the site the previous night with no opposition from the Israeli army, he said, My position is well known, and I grant you complete support and cover. A complete settlement must be built here, and on every surrounding hill. The country must be settled in parallel with movement toward a military operation that will include the destruction of [Palestinian] buildings and the purge of terrorists, not one or two, but dozens and hundreds and if necessary we must kill thousands. Article continues after bonus IC video Mint Press News: Israeli Security Minister Ben Gvir calls for the killing of Palestinians He continued, At the end of the day, this is our land and we will cling to it and we will return security to its inhabitants. The land of Israel is for the people of Israel. You have our complete support, so advance on the hills, and settle. We love you. The Palestinian West Bank was never awarded to Israel by the UN or any other international authority. The Israelis opportunistically seized it in 1967. The UN Charter forbids the acquisition of neighbors territory by aggressive force. The UN Security Council has repeatedly called for the Israeli withdrawal from territories seized in 1967. For Israel to flood its own citizens into militarily occupied territory is a war crime under the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Rome Statute that underpins the International Criminal Court at the Hague. Israel has gobbled up large swathes of Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank and has kept the Palestinians stateless and without basic human rights, as little better than slaves. Like slaves, they do not have the right to own property, which can be taken from them by Israelis any time. Like slaves, they can be beaten and even shot arbitrarily by Israeli squatters and security forces, and they have little recourse to courts to claim damages just as Dred Scott and his wife were slapped down by the antebellum racist US Supreme Court. Like slaves, they are not allowed to defend themselves from these Israeli attacks or to challenge the stealing of their land, or they are lambasted as terrorists and are further assaulted. This statement from Ben Gvir this morning is worth translating because it encapsulates the leading agenda of the current Israeli government: killing Palestinians and building settlements on behalf of a great ideological mission. pic.twitter.com/3k3zrytvt9 Nimrod Flaschenberg (@Nimrod_Flash) June 23, 2023 On Friday, dozens of confrontations took place between the Israeli occupation army and squatter militias on the one hand and Palestinian protesters on the other. In Nablus, dozens of Palestinians said their Friday prayers in front of Jabal Sbeih in the town of Beeta, before marching in protest to Evyatar, which was set up on the hill. They rejected the reestablishment of the squatter settlement or its legalization. The protesting youth were attacked by the Israeli army, which fired military-grade tear gas at them and fired rubber-coated metal bullets at them. Youth set tires on fire near Evyatar. Israeli security forces attacked protesting Palestinian youth in several other West Bank locales on Friday. In Qalqilya in the town of Kafr Kafr Qaddum, protesters started at the mosque of Omar B. al-Khattab and marched, protesting Israeli squatter settlements on Palestinian land and demanding that the towns main street, closed for 20 years by the occupiers, be reopened. In East Jerusalem, 50,000 Palestinians gathered to prayer at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The Missouri Department of Agriculture is reminding livestock producers to be wary of potential scams involving hay sales. The department has received reports from producers who paid for hay upfront through a wire transfer, only to have no hay delivered. Dry conditions across much of Missouri has left pastures short and hay scarce, causing many livestock owners to search for hay from outside sources. We encourage livestock producers to use extra caution, said Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn. The vast majority of sellers are legitimate and honest. These few bad actors are taking advantage of a serious situation and hay shortage. Make sure the seller is legitimate before you purchase hay or any other products. The scams are driven primarily through fake accounts on social media. In most instances, the account appears real and gives no immediate indication of a scam. Producers are encouraged to keep these tips in mind when looking to purchase hay: Purchase from someone you know, if possible. If you do not know the seller, ensure the seller is reputable. When possible, view the hay in person before any exchange of money. Do not rely on photographs on social media. Be cautious of any wire money exchange with someone you do not know. The Missouri Department of Agriculture and MU Extension manage online hay directories, where livestock producers can search for hay made available by other producers. The MDA directory can be filtered by county or state and is regularly maintained by Department staff. The MU Extension hay market listing can be filtered by region of Missouri, hay type and bale type. If you are the victim of a scam involving hay, contact your local authorities. For more information about the Missouri Department of Agriculture and its programs, visit the Department online at Agriculture.Mo.Gov. Gu Won (Lee Junho) will have an impromptu business trip with Cheon Sa Rang (YoonA) in "King the Land" episode 3. Keep on reading for more details! Spoiler Alert! 'King the Land' Episodes 1 & 2: Cheon Sa Rang & Gu Won Become Colleagues In "King the Land" episodes 1 and 2, which aired on June 17 and 18, immediately grabbed the viewers' attention with the characters' interesting stories. Cheon Sa Rang was able to fulfill her childhood dream of working in the famous The King Hotel, through her hard work and determination, she successfully made it to the top, despite people who keep on bringing her down. Gu Won, on the other hand, finished his studies in the United Kingdom. He decided to return to Korea after receiving mysterious information about Han Mi So. It was then the beginning of his chaotic yet exciting journey as the King Hotel's new head manager. As he began his stay to fulfill his duties, he encountered Cheon Sa Rang again, the best employee of the hotel. Though they did not have a good first impression of each other, the two are expected to work closely for the good reputation of the hotel. 'King the Land' Episode 3 Spoiler: Gu Won to Have Spontaneous Trip With Cheon Sa Rang Gu Won will have his first collaboration project with Cheon Sa Rang in promoting The King Hotel. As they work together for the first time, the duo is about to embark on a spontaneous trip outside Seoul. In the released teaser for episode 3, Gu Won, Cheon Sa Rang, and Noh Sang Sik (Ahn Se Ha) went to Jeju to work on the promotional materials of King Hotel. The female hotelier will interview Gu Won and is expected to do more collaborative work with him. Knowing that they have a chaotic relationship and have been bickering with each other, their supposed business trip might turn into a spontaneous trip as they lose their way in the middle of work. Attention is focused on whether the unexpected countryside trip will bring Gu Won and Cheon Sa Rang closer to each other. Anticipate the upcoming episodes of "King the Land" this June 24 and 25 on JTBC and Netflix at 10:30 p.m. (KST). What are you excited about "King the Land" episode 3? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Two protestors try to rip the Indian flag after setting it on fire outside of the Consulate General of India Office during a protest for the recent shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver on Saturday, June 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Trudeau says Canada's incident response group is meeting Saturday to discuss the latest developments in Russia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The person of interest wanted in the Laura DeLapp homicide case has been apprehended, according to authorities. Jemarcus Devonte Butler has been found and is in police custody, the Albemarle County Police Department said in a statement Friday evening. The 33-year-old was named a person of interest in the case on Thursday as police investigated the fatal shooting of DeLapp, a mother of five and a manager at a local day shelter for the Charlottesville areas homeless population called the Haven. Butlers apprehension on Friday brings to end a manhunt that began on Tuesday afternoon after the 46-year-old DeLapp was found dead near the Rio Hills Apartments north of Charlottesville. Police have not said what Butlers connection to DeLapp was, but have described the altercation that led to her death as a domestic-related incident. DeLapps is not the only criminal case Butler has been tied to in recent years. He has a lengthy criminal rap sheet of 38 charges in the commonwealth alone and many more up and down the East Coast. Butler is the No. 7 most wanted many in Oneida County, New York, in connection to a robbery there. He also still has outstanding warrants for his arrest for never showing up in a Lynchburg court to face malicious wounding charges. Many of Butlers crimes are violent, according to a long list of police records. He has faced multiple charges of assault and also was charged in 2015 in connection to an alleged rape of a woman he met on a dating app. DeLapps family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her memorial service and to support her five children. On the website, the victims cousin, Breanna DeLapp, describes her as a loving mother gone too soon. The goal of the GoFundMe was $40,000 and in just two days, community support has poured in. As of 5 p.m. Friday, it has raised more than $41,000. According to Albemarle police, the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and Amtrak Police at Union Station in D.C. assisted in apprehending Butler on Friday. Local featured Key West business owner/vet trains Ukrainians Photo provided In Lance Zaals third trip to Ukraine to help the Ukrainian military effort, the combat veteran helped supply the Ukrainian militarys aviation unit, as well as technicians and drones. Photo provided U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran Lance Zaal trains a group of Ukrainian volunteers on attack plans and strategies, basic infantry tactics and ambushes. Provided photo Key West business owner and Marine Corps veteran Lance Zaal trains a group of Ukrainian civilians on close-quarters battle and urban combat during Zaals travels to that war-torn country. Key West business owner Lance Zaal may have left active military duty several years ago, but he is showing there is still plenty of fight left in him. Zaal is a U.S. Marine combat veteran who is actively involved in the Ukraine resistance movement and has traveled to Ukraine on four separate occasions since the war broke out some 16 months ago and has been suppling and training small numbers of Ukraine citizens with the means to defend themselves and their families. Zaal, who owns Southernmost Ghosts tours, provides this service under an organization he founded called Ghosts of Liberty, which is a private group of U.S. combat veterans who believe in liberty and the freedom of people everywhere from tyranny, he said. While government aid has been critical, there are still many Ukrainians with unmet needs, according to Zaal. The group wants to address that gap by training the trainers and empowering small teams with what they desperately need to help fight back against Russian forces. Originally formed to train citizens on guerrilla tactics to resist invasion and occupation, Ghosts of Liberty changed to support more conventional operations. Zaal has helped train civilian-based squad and team leaders on such aspects of war as close-quarters battle, urban combat, basic infantry tactics, ambushes, combat first aid and fighting in the defense. In the first year since the invasion, the organization has trained and equipped more than 80 fighters with plate carriers, armor and first aid; supported foreign fighters from the United States to Russia; provided numerous secure communications devices, night-vision scopes for machine guns and rifles, night-vision and thermal optics, tripods for automatic weapons, drones, uniforms, boots, financial assistance and other items. Zala said the group has spent months in Ukraine and more than $200,000 from its limited resources. The people Zaal has trained come from all walks of life, he said. They had no desire to fight in a war, but they had no choice, Zaal told The Keys Citizen. They do not want to live under tyranny. I have not gone there to kill Russians, but only to help and train Ukrainians. ... I know what will happen if they lose. I know what they are up against. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has confirmed the death of almost 8,500 civilians since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, but the death toll could be thousands higher, according to the United Nations. Zaal joined the Marines in September 2001; he served from 2002 to 2006, twice being deployed to Iraq on active combat missions. Zaal has been actively following Russias activities in Ukraine since Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Zaal has kept in contact with a Ukrainian friend with whom he graduated from William & Mary Universitys MBA program, Ivan Matveichenko, a real estate developer in Kyiv, Ukraine. Matveichenko has kept abreast on the initial conflict in Crimea and subsequent invasion of Ukraine, Zaal said. Zaal is not shy in calling Russian President Vladimir Putin as pure evil and brutal criminal tyrant. War is hell and human life is precious, Zaal said, calling the war in Ukraine everyones fight. He called on combat veterans looking to give back to provide their skills training on the front lines and others to financially support the training and the supplies given to Ukrainian citizens. Putins invasion effects us all. His regimes indiscriminate slaughter of people, including women and children, must end. For the first time in history since Hitler, a nuclear armed tyrant refuses to recognize an entire peoples right to exist during their campaign of conquest, Zaal wrote on the Ghosts of Liberty website. Putin seeks to create a frightening new world order dominated by tyranny and oppression. Lets show him that the only new order that will be created is one in which liberty triumphs over corrupt, totalitarian gangsters. If more Americans knew more about what is really going on, they would want to help, Zaal told The Citizen. We need to remember what we symbolize as a country and as a people. We have to decide what kind of people we are. Information on the Ghosts of Liberty can be found at https://ghostsofliberty.com. On Thursday, a bridge between the Moscow-annexed peninsula and Russia-occupied areas in southern Ukraine was hit by missiles, threatening a key supply link to Russian forces amid the early stages of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia-appointed officials in Crimea said. The Russian military has relied on the Chongar bridge as the principal connection to its forces in the Kherson region, part of which is controlled by Moscow. Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed Kherson governor, said the bridge was hit by air-launched Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the U.K., according to The Associated Press. Ukrainian authorities, who usually refrain from commenting on specific attacks, didnt directly claim responsibility for the strike, but spokeswoman Natalia Humeniuk for the Ukrainian militarys Southern Command emphasized the importance of derailing Russias logistics in televised comments. We are destroying enemy plans, destroying the enemys capability to stand up against us, she said. Russia-appointed officials in Crimea said that while it could take weeks to fully repair the bridge, traffic could continue on one lane and noted that two other crossings are also available. But despite those attempts to downplay the damage, the attack has hurt the Russian military logistics at a time when Ukranian forces are probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a long-expected counteroffensive. Ukrainian authorities have said that for the war to end, Russia must withdraw its forces from Crimea that it illegally annexed in 2014 as well as from the areas that Moscow seized since launching the full-scale invasion 16 months ago. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned earlier this week that Ukraine was planning to use U.S.-made HIMARS and U.K.-provided Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian territory, including Crimea. He warned that use of those missiles against targets outside the combat zone would trigger immediate strikes on the decision-making centers on the territory of Ukraine. In the opening days of Russias February 2022 invasion, Russian troops from Crimea pushed north and quickly captured the entire Kherson province. Ukraine reclaimed the city of Kherson and other areas on the west bank of the Dnieper that bisects the province during its counteroffensive in the fall. Russia has continued to hold onto the east bank. The destruction of an upriver dam this month caused dozens of deaths and extensive flooding on both sides. Ukrainian commanders say it also got in the way of some of their plans for taking Russian positions in the area in the counteroffensives initial stages. The Crimean Peninsula is connected to mainland Ukraine by an isthmus about 6 miles wide and several bridges. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. tohara@keysnews.com Forty years ago on June 18, 1983, the Islamic Republic of Iran hanged 10 Bahai women in a single night in a public square in Shiraz. Each woman was forced to watch the next ones death this was done to terrify them and cause the viewer to recant her faith and save herself. The women ages 17 to 57 were executed for their refusal. They held to their Bahai faith, a faith that promotes the principles of gender equality, unity of all faiths, justice and truthfulness. A faith that teaches that science and religion are harmonious, and that women and men are equally strong and complementary like the wings of a bird. Some of the women had been arrested for providing moral education to young girls and boys. During their more than six months imprisonment, they were tortured by Irans Revolutionary Guard, denied the right to legal counsel, denied a trial in a public court, and ultimately sentenced by the Sharia judge of Shiraz to execution by hanging. Mona Mahmudnizhad was a 17-year-old high school student who volunteered as a childrens teacher. Mona asked to be the final victim executed so that she could pray for the strength of each one who was hanged before her. When her turn came, she kissed the rope and put the noose around her own neck. What else do we know about Mona? We know she was intelligent, that she had a lovely singing voice and loved to sing. Her friends called her the Angel of Shiraz. We know that she often greeted people she loved with tears in her eyes, running to embrace them, announcing in a loud voice, Oh my God! I want to hug you and squeeze you in my arms! We know that she loved children. And we know especially from the account of the last moments of her life that she was deeply courageous. Bahais and their friends all around the world are dedicating this year, from this to next June, to an awareness campaign dedicated to all women in Iran, regardless of faith or background, who have contributed to the struggle for gender equality. The campaign is identified by the hashtag #OurStoryIsOne. The story of women in Iran is one single story; the Bahai women are a part of that story. The story of these 10 women, as described by Ms. Simin Fahandej, Bahai representative to the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, is a chapter in the unfolding story of Iranian womens resilience and sacrifice for equality. Today, in the blood, tears and wounds of thousands of young women in Iran seeking equality, we can see echoes of the injustice suffered by the 10 women of Shiraz, whose tragic death touched the lives of many. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Bahais in Iran have promoted gender equality efforts, including, in the early 1900s, starting some of the first schools to educate girls in what was then Persia. Today, Bahais in every country champion the equal rights of women. The Bahai Writings even advocate for preference in educating girls. They state, Well-educated girls are a guarantee of the excellence of future society; indeed, preference should, if necessary, be given to their education. We hope you will further investigate the status of women in Iran and join the worldwide chorus advocating for their equal rights and fair treatment in their beloved country. Please look up #OurStoryIsOne and see how you might contribute to this awareness campaign dedicated to all Iranian women. The Bahai Writings state, Ye are all the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch. The Woodenbridge Paddlers Erkina River Festival returns again in 2023 and this year's event will feature an Ancient Road Walk through history and scenery shared by Laois and Kilkenny. The event on Sunday, July 16 will trace the route of the ancient road that ran from Western Upper Ossory to Kilkenny. Michael G Phelan is one of the organisers and explained more about the route. It crossed the River Erkina near a ford which was located near Coolkerry Church 2km northwest of Rathdowney. It then continued by Carrick and Kilnaseer to Gorteen crossing the River Goul near Newtown Nunnery before continuing to Kilkenny via Aharney Church. The Sligh Dhala was one of five principal highways leading from Tara in early medieval Ireland dates back to AD 123 according to an entry in the annals of the Four Masters for that period, he said. Mr Phelan also set out what participants can expect. Along with rambling by four rivers and three parishes you will also discover many historical sites in this area along the south Laois/ Kilkenny border, he said. The 10km walk will start from the Woodenbridge over the Erkina River at 2.30pm. Walkers will then make their way to Killogue Churchyard. There they will follow a pathway to a temporary constructed bridge at the original crossing of the ancient road over the River Goul close to the Nunnery at Newtown. Pilgrims on the ancient road will then continued by the site of an 18th century Mass rock, the Church and Castle at Cahir Hill to the townland of Graigueavoice before meeting the Glosh Stream where a pathway would have taken you to St. John's Well and Church at Killenny More. Ballykelly Castle is next on the ancient road before meeting the Seskin River. Your journey will now continue by the Wavers Way, the Ford of an Ancient Battle, St Bridget's Well and Aharney Church. Having reached the county boundary the walk will finish in Lisdowney, County Kilkenny. A bus service will be available here to carry walkers to where refreshments will be available in the same parish at the tavern of Mackey's in Gathabawn. Afterwards, the bus will return all to the carpark at the Woodenbridge. Ancient Roads are featured in the recently launched book The Erkina River From Source To Sea. Registration from 2 pm at the Woodenbridge where parking will also be available. The registration/ donation includes your bus fair. Laois Tourism Officer Regina Dunne will be at the starting post to raise the starter's flag on the event. Proceeds to the Woodenbridge Paddlers & Woodenbridge Community Alert while a presentation to mark this momentous occasion will be made to all participants. Ancient Roads are featured in the recently launched book The Erkina River From Source To Sea by Michael G Phelan. History was created in St Lachtains Church of Ireland, Freshford recently when the 12th Century Shrine of St Lachtains Arm was displayed there for the first time. On a one-day loan to Ionad Lachtain Church, Arts and Heritage Centre, the shrine was displayed courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland. Over 700 people passed through the church on Saturday to view the shrine. St Lachtain is patron saint of Freshford. He founded a monastery there c570AD. Last year, the 1400th anniversary of the death of Lachtain was commemorated with a year-long festival. St Lachtains Arm is a bronze reliquary. It once housed the relics of the saints right arm but these have been long lost. The reliquary was made between the years 1118 and 1121 and was dedicated to the McCarthys, kings of Munster and to Diarmait, a successor of Lachtain in Freshford. As well as being used as a reliquary, it was also used to swear oaths and as a battle talisman. The OHelys, Lords of Donoughmore in Cork, had ownership of the shrine but lost possession after the Reformation. It formed part of the Fountaine collection in England until 1884 when it was returned to Ireland, making it one of the first artefacts to be repatriated from England. It now forms part of the Treasures of Ireland exhibition at the National Museum. The proceedings at Freshford on the historic occasion were opened with an ecumenical blessing by Monsignor Kieron Kennedy, and Very Rev Stephen Farrell, Dean of Ossory and Rector of Freshford. Representing the museum, Maeve Sikora, Keeper of Antiquities, spoke on the policy of showing pieces of the museums collection at local level. Dr Griffin Murray, a lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at UCC and expert on the shrine, spoke about its history. On behalf of the committee at Ionad Lachtain, Ned Kennedy welcomed everyone and thanked all who helped to bring the occasion to fruition. He especially welcomed Philip Wingfield, a descendant of Viscount Powerscourt, who led the purchase of the shrine in 1884 and worked for its return. Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Malcolm Noonan congratulated all at Ionad Lachtain Heritage Centre on the historic achievement of showing the shrine at Freshford. St Lachtains Church is one of the oldest living church sites in Ireland with a service every Sunday morning at 10am. Ionad Lachtain Church, Arts and Heritage Centre is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am to 4.30pm or by arrangement. CONCERTS In addition to the church, the centre features a craft shop and local museum. Admission is free. Watch out for forthcoming concerts by Will Killeen and Don Baker. Reuters ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia, June 24 (Reuters) - Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia's military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. Facing the first serious challenge to his grip on power of his 23-year rule, President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny he compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. Reuters saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank careening past the city of Voronezh more than half way to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any substantial resistance on the highway. Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police manning machine gun positions on Moscow's southern outskirts Authorities in the Lipetsk region south of the capital told residents to stay home. More than 100 firefighters were in action at a fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed it blowing up in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by. Prigozhin accused Russia's military of hitting civilian targets from the air as it tried to slow the column's advance. Prigozhin says his men are on a "march for justice" to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia's very existence was under threat. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history," he said. "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people." A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. "The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it," Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We don't want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded thata Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov should come to see him in Rostov. Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defence ministry said. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out." Putin's grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to combat the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia's military is deployed at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine. The insurrection also risks leaving Russia's invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later." PRIGOZHIN'S REVOLT Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails. His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine war, including the protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut. He railed for months against the regular army's top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command. He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied it. "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. Reporting by Reuters journalists Writing by Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Editing by Frances Kerry and Giles Elgood Amid nationwide civil rights affronts, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek joined area leaders and clergy in Albany on Saturday, June 24 to support the LGBTQ+ community at the city's sixth annual Pride event. "Here in Oregon, we believe in creating a state where everybody can be their authentic self," Kotek said, speaking before a packed intersection at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Broadalbin Street in front of the Linn County Circuit Court. Prior to becoming governor, Kotek was the country's first openly lesbian speaker of a state house; and in 2022, along with Maura Healey of Massachusetts, became one of the first lesbians elected governor. "And it is not easy. Good things are not easy," Kotek said. "But we are fighting everyday to make sure everyone in our state, from our youngest to our oldest, know that they have a community of support to be who they need to be." She touted the current work of state legislators to pass further protections for access to gender-affirming health care, "because everyone deserves the right to access to health care for what they need." Kotek was the first speaker of the morning after a number of clergy representing various faiths gave a blessing for the day's events and the cause in general. Following her were Lisa Avery, president of Linn-Benton Community College, former congressional candidate Jamie McLeod Skinner, Jason J. Dorsette, president of Linn Benton NAACP, and Manju Bangalore, Miss Oregon USA and an Oregon State University student. Dorsette noted that the Human Rights Campaign, the nations largest organization devoted to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans, is tracking more than 540 anti-LGBTQ legislative proposals under consideration in 34 states "just this year alone." Earlier this month the campaign reported that some 75 have already passed, prompting the organization to issue travel advisory cautioning members of the community about visiting the United States. McLeod Skinner, who lost a tight race to now-Rep. Lori Chavez DeRemer in 2022 in Oregon's new 5th Congressional District, which includes Linn County considered a critical pickup for Republicans told the crowd it is not easy for those in the community, especially those who live in rural Oregon. "We're facing challenges. Books are being banned. Athletes are not allowed to perform. We're being told to get back in the closet," McLeod Skinner said. She urged the crowd to back the librarians, athletes and storytellers on the frontlines, pushing against the tide. "This is our energy," she said. Pride is about celebrating, Kotek said. "It is about love. It is about acceptance. It is about all of us no matter who you are, being your true self, and sharing that with other people. That is what Pride is about." Related stories: cnn reports: The chief of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Friday accused Russian military leadership of striking a Wagner military camp and killing a huge amount of his mercenary forces. Prigozhin claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense tricked Wagner and he vowed to respond to these atrocities. Many dozens, tens of thousands of lives, of Russian soldiers will be punished, Prigozhin said. I ask that nobody put up any resistance. Those who show such resistance, we will consider it a threat and destroy them immediately. This includes any roadblocks standing in our way, any aircraft seen over our heads. There are unconfirmed reports that Prigozhin is advancing and Russian troops are not stopping him. I won't even pretend to know enough to speculate on how this all ends, but it is staggering to have even started. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS Get Rating) has received an average recommendation of Reduce from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $4.73. Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Credit Suisse Group in a report on Friday. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Get Credit Suisse Group alerts: Credit Suisse Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE CS opened at $0.89 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $0.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.05. Credit Suisse Group has a fifty-two week low of $0.82 and a fifty-two week high of $6.36. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.27. Institutional Trading of Credit Suisse Group Credit Suisse Group ( NYSE:CS Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter. Credit Suisse Group had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 15.12%. The firm had revenue of $19.96 billion for the quarter. A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CS. Apollon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Credit Suisse Group in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Credit Suisse AG acquired a new position in shares of Credit Suisse Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Credit Suisse Group in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Credit Suisse Group in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in Credit Suisse Group during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.20% of the companys stock. About Credit Suisse Group (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. Shares of Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (NYSE:RGA Get Rating) have been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $161.55. Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RGA shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Reinsurance Group of America from $170.00 to $164.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Reinsurance Group of America in a research note on Wednesday, June 7th. They set a strong-buy rating and a $199.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Reinsurance Group of America from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Friday. 58.com reissued a maintains rating on shares of Reinsurance Group of America in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Reinsurance Group of America from a sell rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the stock from $133.00 to $158.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Get Reinsurance Group of America alerts: Reinsurance Group of America Price Performance RGA stock opened at $139.41 on Monday. Reinsurance Group of America has a 12 month low of $112.23 and a 12 month high of $153.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $143.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.98. The stock has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 0.91. Reinsurance Group of America Dividend Announcement Reinsurance Group of America ( NYSE:RGA Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The insurance provider reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $1.79. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.23 billion. Reinsurance Group of America had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 23.94%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Reinsurance Group of America will post 17.77 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 15th. Reinsurance Group of Americas payout ratio is currently 23.10%. Insider Buying and Selling In other Reinsurance Group of America news, EVP William L. Hutton sold 1,952 shares of Reinsurance Group of America stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.03, for a total transaction of $292,858.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,095,919.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Todd C. Larson sold 1,018 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.96, for a total value of $151,641.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 44,260 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,592,969.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William L. Hutton sold 1,952 shares of Reinsurance Group of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.03, for a total transaction of $292,858.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,970 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,095,919.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RGA. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Reinsurance Group of America in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Reinsurance Group of America during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. AllSquare Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Reinsurance Group of America in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Reinsurance Group of America by 33.9% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 300 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Reinsurance Group of America in the 1st quarter valued at about $401,912,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.60% of the companys stock. About Reinsurance Group of America (Get Rating Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated engages in reinsurance business. The company offers individual and group life and health insurance products, such as term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability, and longevity products; asset-intensive and financial reinsurance products; and other capital motivated solutions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Reinsurance Group of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Reinsurance Group of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Resona (OTCMKTS:RSNHF Get Rating) is one of 280 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its competitors? We will compare Resona to similar businesses based on the strength of its dividends, earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and risk. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings for Resona and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get Resona alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Resona 0 1 0 0 2.00 Resona Competitors 1267 4065 3680 60 2.28 As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 455.77%. Given Resonas competitors stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Resona has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors. Dividends Valuation & Earnings Resona pays an annual dividend of $11.95 per share and has a dividend yield of 252.1%. Resona pays out 11.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 11.6% and pay out 17.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Resona is clearly a better dividend stock than its competitors, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. This table compares Resona and its competitors top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Resona N/A N/A 0.05 Resona Competitors $3.32 billion $707.52 million 243.72 Resonas competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Resona. Resona is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Profitability This table compares Resona and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Resona N/A N/A N/A Resona Competitors 29.20% 10.80% 0.93% Institutional and Insider Ownership 19.7% of Resona shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.2% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are owned by institutional investors. 13.3% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Summary Resona competitors beat Resona on 11 of the 13 factors compared. About Resona (Get Rating) Resona Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides retail and commercial banking products and services in Japan and internationally. The company offers banking and investment management services. It also offers trust banking, credit guarantee, and retail loans to individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises accounts. In addition, the company engages in the private equity businesses; collection of bills and receivables, factoring, credit card administration, business process outsourcing services, and placement services; and provision of business consulting, business process outsourcing, leasing, and system development services. It serves individuals and corporate customers. Resona Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Receive News & Ratings for Resona Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Resona and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, arrive at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, June 24. Yonhap President Yoon Suk Yeol returned home Saturday after visiting France to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo and then Vietnam for a state visit aimed at deepening economic ties. Yoon began the six-day trip in Paris, where he attended a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, the international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo. In a presentation delivered in English, Yoon promised to make the 2030 World Expo the best of all time if BIE member states cast their votes for Busan, the southeastern city competing against Rome in Italy and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh. On the second leg of his trip, Yoon traveled to Vietnam for a three-day state visit and had a summit with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong. Yes, by at least $1 Yes, by $2 or more No Vote View Results Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Thunderstorms, accompanied by locally heavy rainfall at times. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 81F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Generally clear. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Kannauj (UP), Jun 24 (PTI) A award carrying fugitive with eight criminal cases including that of rape and murder of minor children against him was arrested by police after a brief gun encounter here, a senior officer said Saturday. "Our team arrested Ramji Verma, a resident of Khudaganj in nearby Farrukhabad district. Verma has over eight cases ranging from rape and murder of minor children against him in Kannauj and Farrukhabad," Superintendent of Police Kunwar Anupam Singh said. Also Read | Maharashtra Weather Forecast: IMD Issues Yellow Alert for Mumbai, Predicts Heavy Rainfall in Parts of State in Next 4-5 Days. Verma had earlier been arrested in 2019 in a rape and murder case and was currently out on bail. While out of jail, he tried to rape another 13-year-old girl in October 2022 in Kannauj, police said. The lack of witnesses in that case led police in January this year to announce a reward of Rs 1 lakh on any information leading to the culprit. Also Read | Bihar Bridge Collapse: Another Bridge Constructed on Mechi River Caves In in Kishanganj District. Police had been close on heels of Verma having identified him as the accused about a fortnight ago. "Verma was surrounded by our team and arrested after an encounter in the early hours of Friday. He sustained a bullet injury in his leg in the encounter and was taken to hospital for medical care," said the SP. As per police records, Verma kidnapped, sodomised, and killed a five-year-old in 2018. He sodomised another seven-year-old a few months later, and tried to rape another girl the same year. "In most cases there were no eye witnesses and the survivors couldn't identify the accused. Because of this it was very difficult to track Verma down and make a strong case against him," the SP said. Meanwhile, police has found that Verma has been posting pictures and videos of him harassing minors on social media. "We are looking into his social media accounts to get more information about his criminal activities," the officer said, adding, the police will invoke the stringent National Security Act against Verma. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has arrested a Nagpur man in connection with its money laundering investigation linked to a case of smuggling of foreign betel nuts through the India-Myanmar border by evading customs duty, officials said on Friday. According to the ED, Wasim Bawla was arrested on June 22, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with an ongoing investigation into the smuggling of foreign-origin betel nuts via Indo Myanmar Border by shell entities based in the North-East without payment of customs duty, thereby, causing loss to the Government. Also Read | New Courier Scam: Zerodha Founder Nithin Kamath Reveals Details of Online Fraud Being Committed in Name of FedEx, BlueDart and Other Courier Companies, Tells How to Deal With Fraudsters. ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by CBI, ACB, Nagpur. During the preliminary investigation, it is found that DRI had conducted investigation against various traders in Nagpur who were procuring foreign-origin betel nuts. ED conducted searches at the premises of various persons and during the searches, various incriminating documents and electronic devices were also seized. Also Read | Dr Surinder, Renowned Homeopath, Dies by Suicide at His Home in Himachal Pradesh. ED investigation revealed that large amounts were transferred to a few Assam-based parties which were ultimately withdrawn in cash and were suspected to be used for the purchase of smuggled foreign-origin betel nuts. "The foreign-origin betel nuts were transported to Nagpur by fabricating domestic invoices, transportation bills etc. Investigation revealed that Wasim Bawla was actively involved in smuggling of foreign origin betel nuts through his active association with traders from Assam, transporters, warehouse owners and shell entities which lent bogus invoices to facilitate the sale purchase of betel nuts in Nagpur region," officials of ED said. The officials added that Wasim Bawla had made all the efforts to evade ED investigation by changing phones frequently, not responding to ED's summons, and not participating in the search proceedings despite being in Nagpur. On production before the Special PMLA Court Mumbai, Bawla has been sent to ED Custody for 8 days, till June 30. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) As a part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, the Indian Naval Ship Sunayna visited Mombasa in Kenya from June 20 to 23 and celebrated International Yoga Day on board. As part of the Yoga Day celebrations, the Indian Navy also formed an 'Ocean Ring of Yoga', which involved port calls to friendly nations in the Indian Ocean region. Also Read | Manipur Violence: 10 Militant Bunkers Busted in State, 1,100 Looted Arms Recovered. On arrival, the ship was received by representatives from the High Commission of India. The Commanding Officer called upon Brigadier Y S Abdi, Deputy Commander of Kenya Navy and highlighted the significance of Yoga towards bringing the world together. On the occasion of International Day of Yoga on June 21, a joint Yoga session was conducted onboard with the participation of Indian Navy personnel and Kenyan Defence Forces. Also Read | Delhi: 43-Year-Old Brain Dead Man Saves Multiple Lives Through Organ Donation at AIIMS. A maritime partnership exercise was conducted between the two navies. The crew of both the Indian and Kenya Navy conducted drills in firefighting & damage control, boarding exercises, asymmetric threat simulations and visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) during the harbour phase. A humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capsule was also conducted onboard for the Kenya Navy. A reception in the honour of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Kenyan Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla was hosted onboard Sunayna by Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru. The event was attended by the High Commissioner of India in Nairobi Namgya Khampa. During his address, the CDF conveyed his gratitude towards the friendly gesture by the Indian Navy in training the Kenya Navy personnel and expressed his commitment towards continuous cooperation between both countries. The DCNS gifted 200 life jackets to the Commander of the Kenya Navy Maj Gen Jimson Muthai. "In line with the Indian Navy's social outreach activities and community wellbeing, provisions were distributed to an orphanage at Mombasa," the Defence Ministry said. On departure from Mombasa, INS Sunayna undertook a passage exercise (PASSEX) with Kenya Naval Ship Jasiri on 23 Jun 23. The visit to Mombasa reaffirms the strong and longstanding relationship between India and Kenya and will further consolidate bilateral cooperation in the maritime domain, the defence ministry added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Srinagar, June 24: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday distributed job appointment letters to the family members of Jammu and Kashmir's Police personnel who lost lives in the line of duty. Shah also met with their family members on the occasion. Earlier today, Amit Shah, as part of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, laid the foundation stone of 'Balidaan Stambh' (Sacrifice memorial pillar) at Partap Park in Lal Chowk of Srinagar. Earlier on Friday, Shah paid floral tribute to Bharatiya Janata Party founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee on his death anniversary. Amit Shah Attacks AAP in Punjab Says 'Law and Order in State Deteriorating As CM Bhagwant Mann Spends All His Time Touring With Arvind Kejriwal' (Watch Video). Amit Shah Presents Job Appointment Letters: The martyrdom of numerous Jawans of the @JmuKmrPolice who laid down their lives battling terrorists and securing innocent fellow citizens is a testament to what Kashmir and its people stand for. Today, met the family members of such martyrs in Srinagar and distributed pic.twitter.com/nXZmGIfRvZ Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 24, 2023 He also laid the foundation stone of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and handed over the Golden Health card to beneficiaries. He also addressed a public rally in Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar. Modi Government 9 Years in Power: Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Address Rallies in Punjab, Haryana Tomorrow. Invoking the BJP's founding founder, he said, "It is because of Syama Prasad Mukherjee's determination, courage, and sacrifice that Article 370 could be abrogated (from Jammu & Kashmir)." The Union Home Minister also met the family members of victims of the Rajouri terror attack. Taking it to Twitter, Shah wrote, "Met Smt. Suraj Sharma and her family, who are the survivors of the Rajouri terror attacks. Their courage and bravery are India's pillars of strength in ending the menace of terrorism. I extended my deepest condolences and assured them of government support." (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) Two persons were killed and another injured after a container truck hit a pick-up vehicle, which in turn dashed another vehicle at Khandala in Pune district on Saturday, police said. The accident took place at Anda Point in the morning hours, when the container truck, driven in a rash manner, dashed a pick-up vehicle, which overturned and hit another pick-up van, an official from Khopoli police station said. Also Read | All Party Meeting On Manipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Chairs All-Party Meet Over Violence-Hit State. Two occupants of the pick-up vans were killed, while one was injured, he said. The deceased have been identified as Gurdeep Singh Tejas Singh Sarova (47), a resident of Nashik and Satish Ramchandra Pawar from Khopoli in Raigad district, the official said. Also Read | Railway Ministry Allots Rs 153.84 Crore for New India-Bangladesh Railway Line in North East. A case has been registered against the driver of the container truck under section 304-A (causing death by negligence) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act, he added. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hyderabad, Jun 24 (PTI) A case was registered against the principal and three teachers of a private school here for allegedly objecting to a student wearing a scarf as per her religious choice, police said on Saturday. The case was booked following a complaint by a X standard student who claimed that an objection was raised to her wearing the scarf on June 23, they said. Also Read | All Party Meeting On Manipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Chairs All-Party Meet Over Violence-Hit State. The girl was allegedly told not to wear scarf inside the classroom, they said. The case was registered under different sections of IPC, including Section 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) and also Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, they said. Also Read | Railway Ministry Allots Rs 153.84 Crore for New India-Bangladesh Railway Line in North East. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday took on the opposition leaders for staging a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government by saying that people will make them sit at home in 2024. "The public will make them sit at home in 2024 and vote to bring the Modi government to power again. They know their faces well," Thakur said. In a sharp attack at the Congress, he asked whether the party will be able to question the other regional parties on their wrongdoings. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Family Murder: Brother Slaughters Newlyweds, Three Others in Sleep Before Shooting Self to Death in Mainpuri. "Can Rahul Gandhi question Mamata Banerjee on the attack on democracy in Bengal, can he question Stalin in Tamil Nadu, the Communists in Kerala on the death of BJP workers in the state, Nitish Kumar on the breakdown of the multi-crore bridge in the state or corruption on ambulances. It cannot. This is because Congress itself is guilty of corruption," Thakur said. In a jibe aimed a the opposition, Thakur said, "The stage (opposition meeting) has been set up, and the troupe (opposition leaders) has assembled. All the corrupt leaders are participating in it (opposition meeting)." Also Read | World Bank Approves USD 255.5 Million Loan for Better Technical Education in Government-Run Institutions in India. Earlier in the day, pointing at the tiff between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, he said, "They talk about unity but cannot be seen united beyond a joint press conference." Thakur also highlighted the bitter rivalry between the Congress and the regional parties in their respective states. "If Mamata didi asks Congress to stay out of West Bengal, if Lalu and Nitish ask them to stay out of Bihar, Akhilesh asks them to leave Uttar Pradesh, Stalin says leave Tamil Nadu, is the Congress only there to lay seats in the Gathbandhan?" the Union Minister had questioned. Speaking about a poster with a massive picture of Nitish Kumar that was later removed, Thakur said, "Yesterday a poster surfaced in which there was a huge photo of Nitish ji. Have you selected Nitish ji as your leader? In some time the tweet gets deleted. This shows that this is a coalition in which there is neither a leader nor an ideology." More than 15 opposition parties attended the meeting held at Nitish Kumar's official residence in Patna. The mega event was attended by Chief Ministers of several opposition-ruled states including Mamata Banerjee and some other prominent leaders from parties opposed to the BJP. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, who had convened the meeting of opposition leaders, said at the joint press conference that opposition parties decided to fight the elections together. The Opposition parties picked Patna as a venue for its meeting as it represents the 1974 call of total revolution by Jayaprakash Narayan that toppled Indira Gandhi's majority government. The next meeting of the Opposition parties would be held in Shimla next month, announced Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kabul [Afghanistan], June 24 (ANI): The Afghan refugees who migrated to Pakistan after the Taliban took over fearing persecution are undergoing continuous suffering and an extremely "inhuman and hateful" mistreatment, the Khaama Press reported. Ever since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan is one of the primary destinations where Afghan refugees have migrated in search of better conditions. Also Read | Titanic Submarine Tragedy: Canada Launches Probe Into Titan Submersible Implosion That Killed Five. New waves of Afghan refugees moved to Iran and Pakistan due to several reasons including fear of death threats and persecution by Afghanistan's de facto regime. However, in Pakistan, the migrants have continued to suffer numerous challenges including arbitrary detentions, harassment, and imprisonment by Pakistani police, because of being unable to provide valid residential permits and visas. Also Read | Russian President Vladimir Putin Calls Armed Rebellion by Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin a Betrayal and Promises To Defend Russia. Notably, Pakistani police and other relevant agencies have continued to detain and incarcerate Afghan refugees in different parts of the country, including the capital city of Islamabad, despite having refugees having United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugee's (UNHCR) certificate, the Khaama Press reported. Maniza Kakar, an attorney of Afghan prisoners in Karachi earlier claimed that Pakistani police tore the residential documents of some Afghan nationals while they were arrested. The alleged mistreatment of Afghan refugees by the Pakistani government has been labelled "inhuman and hateful", leading to widespread criticism not just in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but beyond. "In less than two years, I have been detained three times by the police - harassed, humiliated and bitten due to not having a valid residential permit. Life has become extremely difficult for me in Pakistan. Every time, I come across police, I keep running from one ally to another to avoid possible imprisonment and forceful deportation to Afghanistan," the Khaama Press quoted an Afghan refugee. Another Afghan refugee who has freshly moved to France said to Khaama Press that, "Pakistan does not offer you anything other than countless sufferings. He asked other immigrants to follow up on their immigration cases, otherwise, they will continuously face mistreatment, harassment and humiliation". Most Afghan refugees currently residing in Pakistan, are undergoing an extremely lengthy process, causing ambiguity and hopelessness According to Amnesty, over 3.7 million Afghans who fled Afghanistan for political and economic reasons now reside in Pakistan. Moreover, only 1.4 million people have official registration. Meanwhile, The Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad also requested Pakistan to cease detaining Afghans earlier this month after 250 people were held for lack of travel documents by counterterrorism officials and other agencies, as per Khaama Press. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, June 24: Internet giant Google will set up its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat, its CEO Sundar Pichai said on Friday after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. Pichai also said that his company continues to invest in India though its USD 10 billion India Digitisation Fund. Modi is visiting the US from June 21 to June 24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Besides Pichai, the prime minister at an interaction with top CEOs also met Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and AMD CEO Lisa Su, among others. Amazon Intends To Invest USD 15 Billion More in India, Says CEO Andy Jassy After Meeting PM Narendra Modi (Watch Video). Google CEO Sundar Pichai Meets PM Narendra Modi: #WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in Washington, DC. pic.twitter.com/PCLnqiYEQ4 ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2023 "Today we are announcing the opening of our global fintech operations centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. It will cement India's fintech leadership, thanks to UPI, and Aadhaar. We are going to build on that foundation and take it globally," Pichai said. The Indian-origin CEO said it is exciting to see the progress that the country has made, particularly around the vision of Digital India and the economic opportunity. "I met the prime minister in December, and we continued our conversation. We shared that Google is investing USD 10 billion in the India digitisation fund and we are continuing to invest through that, including in companies working on artificial intelligence. As part of that, we have a 100-language initiative. We are bringing bot to more Indian languages very soon," Pichai said. Big Relief for Indian Professionals, PM Narendra Modi Announces 'H1B Visa Renewal Can Be Done in US Itself'. He said that the prime minister's vision for Digital India was ahead of its time. "I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do so," Pichai said. The ministry of external affairs in a tweet said Prime Minister Modi invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of artificial intelligence, fintech, and cybersecurity products and services, as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. They also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development, and skill development, the ministry added. In July 2020, Google had announced plans to invest USD 10 billion in India over next five to seven years as the search giant looks to help accelerate adoption of digital services in the key overseas market. During his visit to India in December last year, Pichai had announced that a part of the India Digitisation Fund (IDF) is increasingly focusing on startups from India and one-fourth amount of USD 300 million from the fund will be invested in entities that are led by women. Google had announced a collaboration with Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science to collect speech data from 773 districts across India to fine-tune its language translation and search technology. The internet major has announced a grant of USD 1 million to set up India's first responsible artificial intelligence centre at IIT Madras and USD 1 million grant via Google.Org to Wadhwani AI towards using advanced technology for better agricultural outcomes. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Cairo [Egypt], June 24 (ANI): Advancing India and Egypt's relationship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly discussed deepening cooperation across various areas including trade and investment, and renewable energy. Earlier, on Saturday, PM Modi met the Egyptian PM and held a roundtable meeting where seven cabinet ministers and senior officials were present in the meeting. Also Read | Vladimir Putin's Presidential Plane Spotted Leaving Moscow Amid Mercenary Group Wagner's Uprising. Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "Advancing India-Egypt civilisational relations! In his first engagement in Cairo, PM @narendramodi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet @CabinetEgy, headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials were present in the meeting." "Discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people to people ties. PM thanked Egypt for setting up this dedicated high level India Unit and appreciated the whole of government approach," he said in another tweet. Also Read | Saree-Clad Girls Welcome PM Narendra Modi in Cairo, Singing Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge Song from Bollywood Hit Movie Sholay (Watch Video). On Sunday, Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque -- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18, 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. India cleared a shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Singapore, Jun 24 (PTI) A 44-year-old chef from India has been sentenced to three months and four weeks' jail for molesting two teenage girls in Singapore Sushil Kumar pleaded guilty to two charges of molesting the victims, reported TODAY newspaper on Friday. Also Read | Seema Sadanandan: Who Was the Indian-Origin Woman With President Joe Biden's Daughter Ashley Biden at State Dinner in White House?. Just about three months after he first molested a teenage girl in broad daylight near a subway train station, he targeted another girl whom he touched without consent and declared his love for her even though she did not know him. On both occasions, Kumar spent an inordinate amount of time hugging, kissing or touching the girls. Also Read | PM Modi at US State Department Video: Vice President Kamala Harris Hosts Luncheon for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington. The court heard that on the afternoon of August 2 last year, the victim, who was 14 years old then, was walking home from Boon Keng train station when Kumar stopped in front of her to speak to her. Unable to understand him, the victim thought that he was asking her for directions to the station. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Delicia Tan said the girl pointed towards the station and the convict responded by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and coming into body contact with her without her consent. He also kissed the girl on her right cheek. Kumar then asked her for her mobile phone number and saved it. He then hugged the girl again and kissed her right cheek several times. He later used his mobile phone to take a number of "selfie" photos of him and the girl. Kumar even asked if she wanted to eat with him but the girl said she needed to return home. He hugged and kissed her cheek again for another one to two minutes before telling her that she could call him if she needed money. After he walked away, the girl ran home and told her mother about the incident. A police report was made that evening. Investigations later revealed that after this encounter, Kumar sent two text messages through WhatsApp to the girl, tried to video-call her twice and sent her another text message containing two emojis of which one was blowing a kiss. Kumar was arrested the next day and released on station bail a day later. A few months later on the evening of November 8, a 19-year-old was waiting at the lift lobby of a housing block when Kumar intended to outrage her modesty suddenly touched the teenager's arm with his hand. He then asked her about her race and told her that he loves people of her race. As he stroked her arm, the teenager tried to move away but he persisted and rubbed her arm. By this time, another man had arrived at the lift lobby and stood behind Kumar. Kumar continued to strike up a conversation with the teenager as he touched her arm. The three of them later entered the lift. After the other man got off on the seventh floor, Kumar repeatedly told the teenager that he loved her and blew kisses at her twice. This left her feeling scared since they were in an enclosed area and she did not know what to do, DPP Tan said. Once the teenager reached the 15th floor, she rushed out of the lift and returned home to tell her mother about what had happened. It is not known if the teenager made a police report. Kumar was later traced and placed under arrest on November 8 at his residence and surveillance footage from the lift was seized by the police. In delivering the sentence, District Judge Paul Chan said he did not accept Kumar's claim of remorse because someone who is genuinely remorseful would not go on to commit the same offence a few months later. The judge added that it was especially disconcerting that Kumar targeted a victim who was vulnerable and also behaved in a persistent and brazen manner when he committed his offences in a public place. For using criminal force to outrage the modesty of the two victims, he could have been jailed up to two years, fined or caned, or with any combination of these punishments. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jerusalem, Jun 24 (AP) A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank on Saturday before being shot and killed, Israeli police said. Elsewhere in the occupied territory, settlers rampaged through a Palestinian village, throwing stones and setting fire to homes. Also Read | Russia Coup: President Vladimir Putin at Risk of Losing His Iron Grip on Power, Says Media Report. The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli troops stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem early in the morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire, the Israeli police said. Israeli security forces said they shot back, killing the suspected assailant. According to the Israeli rescue service, two security guards in their 20s were hospitalised with minor wounds at least one from bullet fragments. There was no immediate word on the attacker's identity. Also Read | Titanic Submarine Tragedy: Canada Launches Probe Into Titan Submersible Implosion That Killed Five. Later on Saturday, residents of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa said that at least 50 Israeli settlers armed with rifles and flammable liquid stormed through the streets and tried to set fire to at least five homes with people inside. Palestinian rescue teams said they evacuated small children who were suffocating and trapped inside a burning house. Some settlers also opened fire at civilians and medics. A local station, Palestine TV, said settlers fired at Mohammed Radi, its correspondent covering the attacks, shattering his camera. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that one of its medics was wounded by gunfire. Another two medics were wounded when settlers threw a large rock at an ambulance, which crashed through the windshield. Israeli settlers also shot and killed a horse, said resident Ibrahim Ebiat. This is pure terror, he said. People are terrified and angry. Young Palestinians threw threw rocks at Israeli security forces who opened fire and unleashed tear gas at them, reports said. The events capped a bloody week in the West Bank that left 16 Palestinians and four Israelis dead. An hourslong gun battle between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the northern Jenin refugee camp killed seven Palestinians and wounded eight Israeli soldiers earlier this week. Two Palestinian gunmen then killed four Israeli civilians before being shot and killed. Then, a rare Israeli airstrike by a pilotless drone killed three Palestinian militants in a car. Israeli settler attacks in revenge for the deadly Palestinian shooting left one Palestinian dead, many wounded and a trail of destruction through Palestinian towns. On Saturday, Palestinian health officials also said that a 39-year-old man, Tariq Idris, died of wounds suffered in confrontations with Israeli security forces in the northern city of Nablus the day before. The Israeli military said it had raided Nablus to arrest three suspected Palestinian militants and fired at residents who shot at them and threw Molotov cocktails. The spiralling violence has increased pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, with its hard-liners calling for a broad military operation against Palestinian militants, as well as on the Palestinian Authority, which has come under criticism for failing to protect Palestinian civilians. This year has been one of the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank in years. At least 137 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank so far in 2023, according to a tally by The Associated Press, nearly half of them affiliated with militant groups. As of Saturday, 24 people on the Israeli side have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them civilians. Israel says most of the Palestinian dead this year were militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Streaks of Light Seen in California. (Photo Credits: Video Grab) Cairo, Jun 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met prominent personalities in Egypt, including Hassan Allam, CEO of one of the largest Egyptian companies operating in the Middle East and North African region, and Tarek Heggy, a renowned author and petroleum strategist. Modi arrived here on Saturday for a two-day state visit at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Also Read | Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Says He Ordered His Russian Mercenaries to Halt March on Moscow and Return to Ukraine to Avoid Shedding Blood. PM @narendramodi held a fruitful meeting with Hassan Allam, CEO of Hassan Allam Holding Company, one of the largest Egyptian companies operating in the Middle East & North African region, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. Possibilities of forging closer cooperation with Indian companies in renewable energy, green hydrogen, infrastructure and construction sectors were discussed, he said. Also Read | Vladimir Putin's Presidential Plane Spotted Leaving Moscow Amid Mercenary Group Wagner's Uprising. Allam said the meeting with Modi was informative, educational and inspiring. Prime Minister Modi is an unbelievable man. Wise, humble, great vision. I found the meeting with him to be informative, educational and inspiring, Allam said after the meeting. We have a lot to learn from India's private sector. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India's private sector grew tremendously in the world of infrastructure, engineering manufacturing, he said. Bagchi said the Prime Minister's discussion with Heggy covered issues related to global geopolitics, energy security, radicalism and gender equality. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Streaks of Light Seen in California. (Photo Credits: Video Grab) Cairo, Jun 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Cairo on Saturday for a two-day state visit at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Modi was welcomed at the airport here by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with a warm embrace. Modi inspected a guard of honour on arrival here. Also Read | Russia Coup: President Vladimir Putin at Risk of Losing His Iron Grip on Power, Says Media Report. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Modi will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday. Also Read | Titanic Submarine Tragedy: Canada Launches Probe Into Titan Submersible Implosion That Killed Five. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington DC [US], June 24 (ANI): On his maiden State visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered several powerful addresses and speeches. Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre in the grand finale of his historic journey to the United States, PM Modi was greeted with chants of "Modi, Modi" and "Vande Mataram". Also Read | PM Modi in Brazil: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Visit Cairos Historic Al-Hakim Mosque Restored With Help of Dawoodi Bohra Community. PM Modi became the second Indian Prime Minister after Manmohan Singh to be honoured with a State Visit to the United States. In his address to the diaspora on Friday, he outlined the historic agreements reached between India and the United States and laid out the plan for the future: Here are the top quotes of PM Modi on his maiden State visit to the US: Also Read | PM Modi in Egypt: Indian Prime Minister Lands in Cairo for First State Visit, Will Hold Bilateral Talks (Watch Video). "Standing here seven Junes ago, when Hamilton swept all the awards, I said that the hesitations of history were behind us. Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. Through the long and winding road that we have travelled, we have met the test of friendship." "A lot has changed in the past seven years, but the commitment to deepen friendship between India and the US remains the same. In the era of AI, another AI (America-India) has seen more developments." "There are millions here, who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. There is one behind me, who has made history. I am told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavour of the House." "Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. It has evolved over a long time, and taken various forms and systems. Throughout history, however, one thing has been clear. Democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity." "Being a citizen of a vibrant democracy myself, I can admit one thing, Mr Speaker - you have a tough job. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. I am happy to help out whenever you need a strong bipartisan consensus." "When I first visited the US as prime minister, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Today, India is the 5th largest economy. India will be 3rd largest economy soon. When India grows, the whole world grows." "The spirit of democracy, inclusion and sustainability defines us. It also shapes our outlook to the world. India grows while being responsible about our planet. Indian culture deeply respects the environment and our planet. Our vision is pro-planet progress, our vision is pro-planet prosperity." "With the Ukraine conflict, war has returned to Europe. It is causing great pain in the region. Since it involves major powers, the consequences are severe. As I have said, this is not an era of war. It is the era of dialogue and diplomacy." "More than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain a pressing danger for the world. These ideologies keep taking new identities and their intentions are the same. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs and buts in dealing with it." "As we emerge out of the pandemic, we must give shape to a new world order. That is why I firmly believe that the African Union be given full membership of G20. We must revive multilateralism and reform multilateral institutions. When the world has changed, we must change too." "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership." "When I was here in 2016, I had said that our relationship is prime for a momentous future. That future is today." "We are focusing on infrastructure development. We have given nearly forty million homes that provide shelter to over hundred and fifty million people. That is nearly six times the population of Australia." "India's vision is not just of development which benefits women. It is of women-led development, where women lead journey of progress." "We have worked on building Digital India. Today, there are more than eight hundred and fifty million smart phones and internet users in the country." "We all must do what we can to stop bloodshed and human suffering." "Terrorism is an enemy of the humanity and there can be no ifs and but in dealing with it." "Two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers. Cheers" "Bharat aur America ke sambandhon ki madhur geetmala, people to people ties ke suron se piroyi gayi hai" "India-US partnership is not just of convenience, but a powerful alliance driven by conviction, compassion, and shared commitment for a better world" "India-US collaboration is not just about policies and agreements, but about transforming lives, dreams, and destinies." "Today, India is investing a record more than $125 billion on infrastructure. There are limitless possibilities for America in this growth story of India. It's Time For you guys to take that First And Fast Mover Advantage" "Today's new India is the India that knows its path, it knows its direction, it is the India which does not have any confusion on its decisions and resolutions, it is the India which is converting its potential into performance" "The self-confidence of 140 crore citizens is fueling the growth of India. The New India in front of us knows its direction, and has no confusion about its decisions. This is a New India which is turning its potential into performance" "It is a moment of pride and celebration when so many countries come together for International Yoga Day. When Made in India products are sold in the international market" "In the last 3 days, we have taken the India-US partnership on a new journey. This is the journey of Make in India, Make for the world; technology transfer, and better coordination in the industrial supply chain" "India has the solution to a major global challenge, ageing. Today India has the biggest talent pool of young people. India also has the biggest skilled and professional workforce" "The India-US partnership is beneficial to both the nations and their citizens. We have taken major decisions to make India-America the most reliable partners." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Moscow, June 24: Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver a televised address to the nation "soon," state news agency TASS reported citing Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "Indeed, Putin will deliver an address shortly," Peskov said in response to a question as reported by TASS. The news follows claims of the Wagner private military group taking military control of a Russian city, reported CNN. Vladimir Putin's Address To Russia After Wagner-Army Clashes Live Streaming: Watch Online Telecast of Russian President's Press Conference on 'Mutiny' Attempt. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has said that his forces have taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and of the airfield as well. According to the CNN, Prigozhin has in a series of messages on Telegram accused the Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing a "a huge amount" of his fighters. A CNN report said that Prigozhin in a video posted on the Wagner official Telegram channel stated, "We are at headquarters at 7:30 a.m. Military facilities in Rostov, including the airfield are under [our] control." "Planes that leave for combat work leave as usual no problems. Medical flights are leaving as usual. All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction," he added. Prigozhin said he is in Rostov-on-Don and his men are not stopping the officers from carrying out their duties. Russian Intelligence Accuses Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of Mutiny for Armed Rebellion, Orders His Arrest. "The main headquarters, the main control point is working as normal, there are no problems. No officers have been cut off," Prigozhin said, CNN reported. Earlier, Prigozhin said that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and were ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. As a long-running standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass appeared to come to a head, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, TASS news agency said. It called on the Wagner private military company forces to ignore his orders and arrest him. The move came not long after the Kremlin accused Prigozhin of calling for armed mutiny. Prigozhin, whose frequent tirades on social media belie his limited role in the war as head of the Wagner private militia, has for months been openly accusing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying his forces ammunition and support, reported CBC News. Prigozhin urged Russians to join his forces and punish Moscow's military leadership in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Written and illustrated by two Vietnamese authors, a graphic novel about a conservationist trying to save a sun bear has won the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. The award was announced Wednesday by the Yoto Carnegies, the U.K.'s longest-running book award for children and young people that recognizes outstanding reading experiences created through writing and illustration in books for children and young people. A panel announcing the winner for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. Photo by Yoto Carnegie The book, "Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear," written by Trang Nguyen, 33, a renowned conservationist herself, is inspired by Trangs real-life story. "The "beautiful" manga-inspired illustrations including scenic watercolors and detailed, pencil sketched journal entries work together to offer "something new to discover on each re-reading" and inspire and educate young wildlife activists," the Yoto Carnegies said in a statement. The book with watercolor illustrations is about a girl named Chang and a sun bear named Sorya. Chang tries to help Sorya, a sun bear cub, grow to adulthood and be rehabilitated to the wild where it faces the threat of poachers. To create 120 graphics for the book, printed on environmentally-friendly paper, Hanoi-based artist Nguyen Tien Dung, who calls himself Jeet Zdung, spent two months living in a forest to make sure he could reproduce the nature as accurately as possible. He also volunteered to work at several bear rescue centers to provide himself with more real-life experiences to make his work as real as it could. The judges praised Zdungs "clever use of panelling" and infusion of graphic novel and manga styles to deliver "drama and impact" as well as creating "perfect synergy" between the visuals and the text. In his acceptance speech, the illustrator said: "Together with Trang Nguyen, we hope these books will contribute to the conservation of wildlife by sharing with the readers what we know, what we love and care about. For me, this is a long and enduring journey. We hope that the impact of the prize will be felt widely and draw attention to the plight of the Sun Bears and other wildlife." "I imagine myself as one of them, as Sorya, a naive orphan Sun Bear, hanging around in a corner, trying to replace her mothers cuddles with sucking on her own toes. I dont want these creatures to gradually disappear. I want to see the vast forests filled with the life of strong and free beings," said the 35-year-old artist. Jeet Zdung (L) and Trang Nguyen pose with the graphic novel "Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear" in 2021. Photo by Kim Dong publisher The book was originally written in Vietnamese and when it was issued by Kim Dong publishing house in 2021, 3,000 copies were sold out in three weeks. The two authors donated all profits earned from selling the Vietnamese books to projects that protect and preserve wildlife. In 2021, Kim Dong sold the book's copyright to U.K. publisher Pan Macmillan. The two authors were rewarded with 5,000 ($6,350) for winning the prize. The winners will also each receive 500 worth of books to donate to a library of their choice. As Trang and her organization have set up libraries for children in localities near Vietnamese national parks to heighten their reading skills and knowledge of conservation, Zdungs donation will be supporting this effort. Trang is the founder of WildAct, a non-profit which monitors the illegal wildlife trade and organizes educational programs for youths. She was named in the BBC 100 Women 2019 and 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia lists. Washington, Jun 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has applauded Vice President Kamala Harris for her achievements, saying she was an inspiration to women across the world including India and the United States. Modi also heaped praise on Harris' mother and said she kept her relationship with India alive despite living thousands of miles away. Also Read | Seema Sadanandan: Who Was the Indian-Origin Woman With President Joe Biden's Daughter Ashley Biden at State Dinner in White House?. Madam Vice President, you have taken this inspiration today to newer heights. Your achievements are an inspiration to not only the women in America but to women in India and women all across the world. This is really inspiring, Modi said in his remarks at a State Department luncheon hosted in his honor by Harris and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday. In his remarks, Modi referred to the inspirational journey of the Indian-American mother of the vice president. Also Read | PM Modi at US State Department Video: Vice President Kamala Harris Hosts Luncheon for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris' mother, Dr Shyamala Gopalan, came to America from India in 1958. At that time, most people did not have phones and so her mother would send handwritten letters to her family back home. And at any time she did not let her relation with India break, he said. She kept the relationship alive with whatever ways and means she could find. She made maximum use of it. For India and her life in America, she kept them both linked. Despite thousands of miles of physical distance, India always remained close to her heart, Modi said. Referring to his official visit to the US, the prime minister said he took part in several meetings and discussed numerous topics in the past three days. In all of these meetings, there was one thing that was common. In all of these meetings, everyone was of the view that the friendship and cooperation between the people of India and America needs to become even deeper. The sweet melody of the India-US relations is composed of the notes of our people-to-people ties. Examples of these relations can be seen at every step, he said. Modi also praised Blinken for his diplomatic skills. The entire world knows about your diplomatic skills and I now know it very well. There is also a lot of buzz about your musical talent, he said. Even when covering thousands of miles of traveling dealing with the most serious of issues, you always find time for music. This is extremely inspiring for all of us. Your contribution in strengthening our strategic partnership has been incredible and I thank you for it, said the prime minister. Modi said India and the US have been on a very long and beautiful journey for the past nine years. Friends, during my visit in 2014, my dear friend President Biden was also here with me at the State Department. At that time, he had referred to India-America partnership as a promise over the horizon. In this period of nine years since then, we have been on a very long and beautiful journey, he said. He said the two countries have added and expanded the scope of mutual cooperation in defense and strategic areas. We are working with renewed trust in areas of new and emerging technologies. We are resolving long-pending and difficult issues in trade. We are together in frameworks these new frameworks such as Quad and I2U2, and we have made a lot of progress in these. Whether it is on ground or in the skies, in the deep seas or way up in space, India and America can be seen working together, he added. Indeed, in the true sense, the promise over the horizon today is not merely a promise but a reality, and neither is it far over the horizon. Where we stand today, the achievements that we take pride in are all the result of your dreams and your tireless hard work, Modi said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Mumbai, June 24: The Telangana Public Service Commission released the TSPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket 2023 today, June 24. Candidates who will be appearing for the TSPSC Group 4 or Group IV services (general recruitment) examination can visit the official website of TSPSC at tspsc.gov.in to check and download their admit card. This year, the TSPSC Group 4 examination will be held on July 1. The examination will be conducted in two shifts - the first shift in the morning from 10 am to 12.30 pm while the second shift will be in the afternoon from 2.30 pm to 5 pm. Candidates must note that the TSPSC Group 4 exam admit card will be available on the Commission's website till 45 minutes prior to the examination. CUET PG 2023 Admit Card Released at cuet.nta.nic.in: NTA Releases Hall Ticket for Common University Entrance Test Postgraduate Exams on June 26, Get Direct Link and Know How To Download. How To Download TSPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket 2023: Visit the official website of TSPSC at tspsc.gov.in On the homepage, click on the "TSPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket 2023" link Next, enter using your login details and other credentials Click on submit Your TSPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket will be displayed on the screen Take a printout for future reference Here's the direct link to download the TSPSC Group 4 Hall Ticket 2023. In order to appear for the TSPSC Group 4 exam, candidates must report to the examination venue at least 30 minutes before the start of the exam. For more details, candidates are advised to keep checking the official website of TSPSC. Haryana Board Compartment Exam 2023 Timetable Out at bseh.org.in: Exam Dates for Class 10 and 12 Compartment Examination Released, Get Direct Link and Know How To Download. The Directorate of Government Examinations, Telangana is expected to release TS SSC Supplementary Result 2023 soon. Candidates who appeared for the TS Class 10 supplementary examination can visit the official website of BSE Telangana at bse.telangana.gov.in to check the results once declared. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2023 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Jaipur, June 24: The Border Security Force (BSF) troop shot down a drone carrying two kg of heroin worth Rs 10 crore near the Indo-Pak border in Sriganganagar district, officials said on Saturday. Pakistani Drone Shot Down in Punjab: BSF Shoots Down Pakistan UAV Carrying Narcotics Across Wagah-Attari Border in Amritsar (See Pics). The BSF jawans, during patrolling on Friday night, heard a drone flying in the Gharsana border area of the district. They fired indiscriminately at the drone and it crashed, BSF DIG Pushpendra Singh Rathore said on Saturday. Pakistani Drone Shot Down: BSF Shoots Down Pakistan UAV Carrying Narcotics Near International Border in Punjab; Smuggler Arrested. Two packets of heroin were recovered, he said. Rathore said the smugglers had come to receive the parcel in the night and managed to escape in the dark. The suspects are being searched based on intelligence inputs, he added. Guwahati/Agartala, June 24: The Railway Ministry has allocated Rs 153.84 crores for the under-construction railway line between India's Tripura to Bangladesh, officials said here on Saturday. The Rs 862.58 crore Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project is expected to be operational by the end of this year or early next year. Northeast Frontier Railway's (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the funding of the project is being done by the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) and already about Rs 708.74 crores of the anticipated cost has been provided and utilised. Mega Block Today: Mumbai Local Train Services To Be Affected As Western Railway Announces Three-Hour Jumbo Block Between Vasai Road and Vaitarna Station on Intervening Night of June 23-24; Check Complete Details. He said that the new rail project would boost relations between India and Bangladesh which would help growth of small scale industries in the border area and boost tourism of the northeastern region. It would also help in export and import of commodities faster and help the local producers to export their products outside the country faster, he added. De said that Indian Railways is significantly working towards PM's vision of 'Act East Policy' and 'Neighborhood First Policy' by executing several new railway line projects connecting the neighboring countries. Constructing the Agartala-Akhaura international connectivity rail line project between India and Bangladesh is one such of the crucial project that is at an advanced stage of completion. The 15.064 km long railway line (5.05 km in India and 10.014 km in Bangladesh) would link Bangladesh's Akhaura through an international immigration station at Nischintapur (on the outskirts of Agartala), which would be a dual gauge station for both passenger and goods interchange between India and Bangladesh. The project includes one major bridge and three minor bridges. After completion of the project, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka of about 31 hours would get reduced to 10 hours, De said. Currently, the people of the region, especially those in Tripura and its adjoining areas, go to Kolkata via Guwahati by rail, spending more than 31 hours. Train Derails in Uttar Pradesh: Four Wagons of Goods Train Derail After Collision With Tractor Trolley in Agra; Six Injured. The Maligaon (Guwahati) headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway is the nodal agency of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project, which was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. The NFR officials in Agartala said that over 90 per cent work of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project on the Indian side has already been completed. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2023 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). On Thursday, BJP national president JP Nadda held a virtual meeting with the party's MPs to review the 'Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan', informed sources. The meeting lasted for approximately an hour, during which the party president expressed his dissatisfaction with the inactivity of certain MPs. "Our Prime Minister will also be visiting the historic Al-Hakim Mosque which was built in the 11th century when the Fatimid dynasty was ruling Egypt," India's Ambassador to Egypt, Ajit Gupte said. The Bohra community which is settled in India originated from the Fatimids. They renovated the Mosque from 1970 onwards and have been maintaining it since then, he told PTI. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his televised address to the country, condemned the Wagner rebellion and ordered armed forces to neutralise those responsible. The Russian President also called the rebellion by the Wagner Group a "stab in the back" of countries military. Responding to this, Wagner Group said that Putin made the wrong choice and Russia will have a new president soon. Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin turned on Russia, vowing to topple Russias military leadership after accusing it of killing its soldiers. Vladimir Putin Says Wagner Group Rebellion Is Stab in the Back of Russian Military, Vows Punishment for 'Treason'. Russia Will Soon Have a 'New President', Says Wagner: BREAKING: Wagner Group says Putin made the 'wrong choice' and soon Russia will have a 'new president' The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) June 24, 2023 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) OceanGate's missing Titanic submersible, the Titan, imploded, killing all five people aboard. Now, Oscar-winning director and Titanic expert James Cameron is slamming the company. Cameron, who led expeditions into the Titanic, designed his own submersibles, and directed the Oscar-winning film that starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, admitted that he received the information within 24 hours of the disappearance of the Titan, according to The Independent. "We got confirmation within an hour that there had been a loud bang at the same time that the sub comms were lost," the "Avatar" director said. "A loud bang on the hydrophone. Loss of transponder. Loss of comms. I knew what happened. The sub imploded." The OceanGate implosion was heard shortly after contact was lost with the submersible. However, it only came to light after several days of searching. It launched on that tragic mission last Sunday and had four days' worth of oxygen. The passengers included British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. The Titan was piloted by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. James Cameron Offers His Theory What Went Wrong With Missing Titanic Submersible James Cameron also spoke with the BBC and theorized that OceanGate "cut corners" with the sub's construction, leading to the deaths of five people aboard. "I was very suspect of the technology that they were using. I wouldn't have gotten in that sub," the "Terminator 2" director said. Cameron, who added has completed 33 submersible dives to the world-famous shipwreck, added that the company "didn't get certified because they knew they wouldn't pass." READ MORE: Missing Titanic Submarine Claimed To Have Been Found, But It's Fake News During the BBC interview, Cameron also stated that when he learned the Titan lost both its navigation and communication at the same time, he says he thinks the sub was doomed. "I felt in my bones what had happened. For the sub's electronics to fail and its communication system to fail, and its tracking transponder to fail simultaneously - sub's gone," he said. The Oscar-winning director then stated that when he heard Titan went missing, "I immediately got on the phone to some of my contacts in the deep submersible community." This was when he learned of the facts about the sub's disappearance. "Their comms were lost, and navigation was lost - and I said instantly, you can't lose comms and navigation together without an extreme catastrophic event or high, highly energetic catastrophic event. And the first thing that popped to mind was an implosion," he told the BBC. OceanGate Co-Founder Hits Back at James Cameron After Criticism After Cameron accused OceanGate of cutting corners and ignoring safety warnings, OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Soehnlein, who started the company with Rush back in 2009, defended his late friend's decisions. "He was extremely committed to safety," he said, according to CNA. "He was also extremely diligent about managing risks, and was very keenly aware of the dangers of operating in a deep ocean environment." Soehnlein stressed that OceanGate's design was not experimental and hit back at Cameron saying, "I think he was asked about a similar risk and he said, 'Look, if something happens at that depth, it will be catastrophic in a matter of microseconds'." READ MORE: Argentina: James Cameron Not Happy With Lithium Miners This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: 'Titanic' filmmaker James Cameron calls out 'three potential failure points' on Titan submersible - ABC NEWS In a significant immigration case, President Joe Biden received a rare victory as the Supreme Court ruled that Republican officials from two states lacked standing to sue over the president's prioritization of unauthorized immigrants for arrest and detention, per USA Today. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion, supported by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett, concurred with the outcome for different reasons. On the other hand, Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. The states sought a court order compelling the executive branch to modify its arrest policies to increase the number of arrests, according to Kavanaugh. However, he noted that federal courts have traditionally not entertained lawsuits of this nature, as the states failed to provide any precedent for such a claim. READ NEXT: Joe Biden Family Probe Joe Biden Deportation Policy The Joe Biden administration has argued that setting enforcement priorities for immigration is a common practice, given the estimated 11 million undocumented individuals living in the United States, according to Al Jazeera. The policy implemented by President Biden directed authorities to prioritize apprehending and deporting non-US citizens considered a threat to national security, public safety, or border security while de-prioritizing those who have been residing in the US long-term without issues. This approach marked a departure from the stricter enforcement policies pursued by former President Donald Trump. The recent Supreme Court ruling, with an 8-1 majority, determined that the Republican officials from Texas and Louisiana who challenged the Biden administration's policy did not have the legal standing to sue. The court held that federal courts have traditionally not entertained lawsuits seeking to order the executive branch to alter its arrest policies. The ruling overturned a previous decision by a federal judge in Texas who had ruled in favor of the states and temporarily halted the Biden policy. Advocacy groups, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, viewing it as a step toward reimagining immigration enforcement priorities. They emphasized allowing federal agencies to establish reasonable and lawful priorities given limited resources. The states had argued that the federal government was not making sufficient arrests or prosecutions in cases of irregular migration, but the court determined that the challenge lacked authority. Texas Governor Calls Joe Biden Deportation Policy 'Outrageous' The recent Supreme Court ruling, which determined that Republican officials challenging the Biden administration's immigration policy did not have standing to sue, has drawn various reactions from politicians and stakeholders. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, expressed his disapproval on Twitter, calling the decision "outrageous" and criticizing it for allowing the Biden administration to avoid accountability in enforcing immigration laws, Reuters noted. Governor Abbott reaffirmed Texas's commitment to deploying the National Guard to prevent illegal border crossings. The ruling contrasts a previous Supreme Court action in July, where the court denied Biden's request to block a lower court's judgment and reinstate new immigration guidelines while the litigation was ongoing. In that case, four justices, including three liberal justices and conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, dissented. However, all four were part of the majority in Friday's decision. READ MORE: Hunter Biden Set to Plead Guilty This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Supreme Court rules in favor of Biden immigration enforcement plan - From MSNBC South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee wore an ao dai when she left the Presidential Palace in Hanoi Friday after the welcome ceremony she had attended with her husband, President Yoon Suk-yeol. She had worn a dark navy dress to the ceremony, and changed to a green ao dai before leaving. This is believed to be the first time she has worn the traditional Vietnamese costume in public. South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee leaves the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on June 23. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy Kim, 51, graduated from Kyonggi University with an art degree before getting a masters degree in art education and a doctorate in digital content design. She married Yoon in 2012. In a 2018 interview she said they had been friends for a long time before their marriage and mutual friends played "matchmakers." South Korea's first lady Kim Keon-hee at a tea party on June 23, 2023. Photo courtesy of the World &Vietnam Report Since Yoon became president, she has been in the limelight, according to Korea Times. When she accompanied him to a NATO summit in Spain last year, she had been dubbed a "fashionista" by many South Korean newspapers for her style. Kang Jin-joo, former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's image consultant, said: "Kim portrays the image of a classy, sophisticated, independent and professional woman [which is different from the previous first ladies of South Korea]." Cho Jin-man, professor of Political Science at Duksung Womens University in Seoul, said Kim is unique compared to her predecessors for her style, background, and character. Yoon arrived in Hanoi Thursday with his wife for a three-day state visit at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart. Two residents and a firefighter were injured after an early morning fire Saturday tore through an apartment building in Emmaus. Crews were called at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday to the building in the 1000 block of Cold Stream Circle in the Colonial Crest Apartment complex, and the blaze reached three alarms, a supervisor with the Lehigh County 911 Center confirmed. Firefighters were still at the scene as of 10:30 a.m. Fire Chief John Price said the single building has three addresses 1015, 1025 and 1035 and a total of 36 units. The fire started on the ground floor of 1025 Cold Stream Circle, in the middle of the building, and traveled through the interior pipe chases up to the buildings roof, the chief said. People were rescued from a third-floor balcony with a ladder, the chief said. Two civilians were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation; Price said one was treated and released. A firefighter also suffered a sprain or strain as they fought the fire. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, but Price said all indications are the blaze is not suspicious. As of now the building is not habitable and is closed. Price said at least eight units had significant damage and another eight had minor or moderate damage. The fire also damaged the water supply, and the power was turned off. If the owners can make some fairly quick repairs to water system and power is returned to the undamaged units, half the building could be reoccupied within a few days, Price said. The Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting residents and opened an overnight shelter at Emmaus High School, 500 Macungie Ave. Residents affected by the fire that choose not to say overnight can still use the shelter for meals and other Red Cross assistance. Anyone in need of Red Cross assistance should call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Lehigh Valley County Animal Response Team was also assisting a resident with a dog. Price said multiple cats were located during secondary searches and returned to their owners. UPDATE: We've opened an overnight shelter for residents affected by this morning's apartment fire in Emmaus at Emmaus High School (500 Macungie Ave). We're providing food, care and comfort for displaced residents at the shelter. All Red Cross disaster assistance is free. pic.twitter.com/f1hR5LPjzt American Red Cross Greater PA (@RedCrossGPA) June 24, 2023 Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. An Idaho judge has denied a request from roughly two dozen news organizations to lift a gag order in the criminal case of Bryan Kohberger, accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. In the ruling handed down late Friday afternoon the judge did, however, significantly narrow the gag order in response to the news organizations concerns. Second District Judge John Judge said it was legally prudent to restrict attorneys from making some statements about the case in order to preserve Kohbergers right to a fair trial. Still, Judge also said the original gag order which also barred law enforcement officers and other people tangentially related to the case from speaking to the press was arguably overbroad and vague in some areas. Kohberger, 28, of Monroe County, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho. Prosecutors have yet to reveal if they intend to seek the death penalty. The bodies of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found on Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home across the street from the University of Idaho campus. The slayings shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University. The case garnered widespread publicity, and in January Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the sweeping gag order that has barred attorneys, law enforcement agencies and others associated with the case from talking or writing about it. A coalition of 30 news organizations including The Associated Press asked the Idaho Supreme Court earlier this year to reject the gag order, contending it violates the First Amendment rights of a free press. The high court declined to weigh in on whether the gag order violates the news organizations Constitutional rights, and said the media coalition should first ask the lower court to lift the order before asking the Idaho Supreme Court to step in. This Court has long respected the medias role in our constitutional republic, and honored the promises in both the Idaho Constitution and First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Justice Gregory Moeller wrote in the high courts decision. He went on to quote a ruling from a federal case that said responsible press coverage, guards against the miscarriage of justice by subjecting the court system and those who are a part of it to public scrutiny. In Fridays ruling, the 2nd District judge said the gag order served a legitimate purpose and the very limited incidental effects of the speech restrictions on the medias First Amendment rights are overridden by the compelling interest in ensuring fair trial by an impartial jury. The new gag order formally called a nondissemination order prohibits any attorneys representing parties, victims or witnesses in the case from making statements that could have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing or otherwise influencing the outcome of the case. The attorneys are allowed to comment about things like procedural issues, scheduling and make statements that a lawyer would reasonably believe is required to protect their client from substantial prejudicial effects of recent publicity for instance, they can likely make public comments correcting misinformation about their client. They cannot express opinions about the guilt or innocence of a defendant outside of the courtroom, and they cant share information that they know wouldnt be allowed in court. They also cant talk about the character of a witness, expected testimony, the likelihood of a plea deal or other case-related matters. We are pleased that the Court significantly narrowed the nondissemination order, a clear recognition that the initial order was overbroad, said Wendy Olson, the attorney representing the media coalition. We all agree that a defendants Sixth Amendment rights are important but that in preserving those rights, nether the parties nor the courts can completely cast aside the First Amendment rights of the press. The press in cases like this one provide important transparency regarding how the criminal justice system works. The judge also denied a gag order-related request from an attorney representing one of the victims families. Shanon Gray, who represents the Goncalves family, asked to be excluded from the gag order so that he could talk to the press on the familys behalf. In the ruling, Judge noted that as an attorney, Gray could have access to confidential information about the case that would be prejudicial if it was released to the public. TURKEYS More than a week has passed since Pennsylvania State Police sent out an alarming media release on an otherwise quiet night in the Lehigh Valley. The release stated that a trooper, on an enforcement operation with Allentown police, wounded a driver by gunfire during a 5:41 p.m. Friday traffic stop at South Third and West Union streets. The driver fled, crashed and was hospitalized. Thats essentially the level of detail the public got when they woke up on Saturday morning to read the local news. We have no problem with that. Only hours had lapsed and the incident occurred at the start of the weekend, a time when much of the state polices upper brass isnt working. Yet, they still had the sensibility to realize some information had to go out to the community quickly given the nature of the incident. We credit state police for recognizing this. But on Monday, we learned that the driver did not get wounded by gunfire, as previously reported by police. Hospital personnel examined him, and he is now facing felony charges for allegedly putting cops at risk when he fled the traffic stop. Pennsylvania State Police, Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office have gone silent on the matter and refuse to comment beyond what was in Mondays release. Heres one of many questions that they should have been answered by now: Why the initial confusion over whether the driver was actually shot? Contrary to the narrative some like to push, most of us are rooting for the police to do right by the people they serve. We dont know yet if everything that transpired during that traffic stop was by the book, but the continued silence on the details will eventually make skeptics out of even those most loyal to law enforcement. TROPHIES The National Assembly approved on Saturday a government proposal to extend the validity of tourist e-visas from 30 to 90 days and allow visitors multiple entries. The legislative body passed the needed amendments to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam with 470 out of 475 members voting in favor. The amendments take effect on August 15. They also triple to 45 days the duration of visa-free stays for visitors from certain countries. Nationals of some western European countries, Japan and South Korea, Vietnam's top tourism markets, are now permitted to visit without a visa for 15 days. Lawmakers approved issuance of multiple-entry visas, saying it would reduce the administrative burden and save time and money. "A three-month e-visa will meet foreign visitors demand to stay longer to explore investment opportunities," Le Tan Toi, head of the NA Committee for Defense and Security, said. Vietnam currently offers e-visas to citizens of 80 countries and territories and waives visa for nationals of 25 countries, mostly for between 15-30 days, a policy considered less generous than other countries in its neighborhood. In the first five months of this year Vietnam received 4.6 million foreign visitors, more than half of the year's target of eight million but still only 63% of pre-pandemic levels. An electrician has been jailed for three years after he admitted money laundering almost 270,000 in cash which was found in bundles scattered around his home and in his van. Patrick O'Reilly (36) of Parsons Court, Newcastle, came forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last month on signed District Court pleas. He pleaded guilty to possessing 269,280 in various amounts of cash discovered in his home and in a breakfast cereal box in his work van on June 14, 2022. O'Reilly also admitted possessing a small quantity of cocaine on the same date and having the Signal messaging app on a mobile phone in order to assist in committing money-laundering. At a hearing on Thursday, June 22, the court heard that O'Reilly told gardai who arrived to search his home that he owed a debt. Passing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said this explanation of a debt was hard to square given that O'Reilly had 20,000 in savings in a bank account at the time. He was caught red-handed, said the judge. He had been entrusted with a huge amount of money on behalf of a West Dublin-based gang operating internationally in the importation of drugs. Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of four years and described O'Reilly as vital cog in the money laundering operation, whose role was to count, bundle and seal significant amounts of cash with a vacuum packer. She reduced the sentence by one year based on several mitigating factors including O'Reilly's early plea in the District Court, his cooperation with gardai and the fact that it was his first time to engage in this type of offending. The court heard that O'Reilly was one of six people arrested as part of an investigation into the activities of an organised crime group based in West Dublin which is involved in the importation and distribution of controlled drugs. Detective Garda Liam Mangan from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said O'Reilly came to their attention in connection with suspected money-laundering linked to the group. Det Mangan told the court that O'Reilly's apartment was searched in June 2022 on foot of a warrant. The detective agreed with Edward Doocey BL, prosecuting, that gardai entered the apartment by force and found the accused in a ground floor bedroom, with large amounts of cash around him. Further quantities of cash were found stacked in bundles in different rooms, totalling 179,000. Three mobile phones and vacuum-packing equipment were also seized. A further search of O'Reilly's work van yielded just under 90,000 in cash concealed in a breakfast cereal box and a tool box. Gardai also found a small quantity of cocaine, which O'Reilly said was for his own personal use. O'Reilly told gardai that he had received the cash two days earlier and that none of it was his. This is my first time involved in criminality. I've not made any money or profited from this. I owe a debt, that's it, O'Reilly told gardai. The mobile phones were analysed and one of them revealed the encrypted messaging application Signal, which can delete messages once they have been read. This phone was found to contain messages between a number of people to arrange collection of the cash in the hours and days before the apartment was searched. These communications led to another person being arrested. The court heard that O'Reilly has had full-time employment as an electrician and was in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment in 2020 and 2021. O'Reilly has two previous convictions for public order offences stemming from a single incident in 2007. John Berry BL, defending, said his client was using cocaine at the time of the offence; that he had accumulated a debt and that was how he involved himself in criminality. Defence counsel presented several testimonials on behalf of O'Reilly, including one from the company where he has worked for seven years, describing him as one their best employees. The reference described O'Reilly as hardworking and dedicated and said they would happily take him back. Another letter from O'Reilly's ex-partner and the mother of their child described him as a good and reliable father who was fully engaged in the raising of their teenage son. O'Reilly also wrote a handwritten letter to the court apologising and taking full responsibility for the offence. He said that in 2021 he had found himself struggling to cope after the loss of a friend and had turned to drink and drugs. O'Reilly said it had been a downward spiral and that he had run up a huge bill using cocaine. Judge Orla Crowe also ordered the confiscation and forfeiture of the cash. A man who admitted having a phone sim card in prison has been given additional jail time. Paul Beatty, 36, with an address at Hawthorn Avenue, East Wall, Dublin 1 admitted having a mobile telecommunications device in Portlaoise Prison on February 6 last. Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said his client was a serving prisoner who was jailed for seven years in 2018. He said the man, who is due for release in 2024, was cooperative when caught with the sim card. A Gardai Detective agreed and said the defendant had also been given a P19 in prison, meaning all his privileges were removed for a time. Mr Fitzgerald said his client was using the sim card to contact his family and not for more sinister purposes. He asked the court to take into account his early plea and the fact that he had been punished with a P19. Mr Fitzgerald told Portlaoise District Court that the man had paid his debt to society in relation to his previous offending. Judge Andrew Cody said he would take the early plea into account and the fact that it was a sim card and not a phone that had been found. He added one month to the end of the sentence the man is serving and he fixed recognisance in case of appeal. A man who broke into a church and caused damage to two doors will be sentenced next month. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Paul Gibbons (48) of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and two counts of criminal damage at St Pauls Church, Avrfield, Dublin 13, on March 20, 2020. He has 59 previous convictions and was on bail at the time of this offence. Detective Garda Neil Plunket told Fiona Crawford BL, prosecuting, that a caretaker arrived at work at 9 am on March 20, 2020. After entering the parish centre, he noticed a spade on the floor. He then noticed damage to two doors and a blood-like substance was seen leading down a hallway. Det Garda Plunket said two doors were damaged and cost 320.20 to be replaced. Swabs of the blood-like substance were taken and sent to Forensic Ireland for analysis. CCTV footage was also obtained, and Gibbons was identified. The court heard Gibbins presented by appointment to Coolock Garda Station, he was questioned, and a DNA sample was taken and sent to Forensic Ireland. This DNA sample matched that of the blood swab taken from the parish centre. Det Garda Plunket agreed with John Moher BL, defending, that prior to 2017, his client was a family man with a nearly unblemished record. The garda agreed with counsel that his client's marriage ended in 2017, and his drug use drastically increased after 2017. Mr Moher said his client takes full responsibility for his offending. Counsel handed a letter from the accused into court, which highlighted his shame and remorse. He said his client is also willing to pay for the damage caused to the two doors. He asked the court to have regard for his client's guilty plea, his pre-2017 history and that there is a foundation present for him to build his life again. Ms Justice Orla Crowe said it is this court's view that this is a very unusual case. She said the accused lived a law-abiding life for a long time, and then matters got the better of him. Judge Crowe ordered a probation report, a urine analysis report and a governor's report and adjourned this case for finalisation until July 28. Excitement is building for the Laois Rose, with the Rose of Tralee festival fast approaching. Young teacher Sinead Dowd who moved as a teen from New York to live with relatives in her beloved Cullohill, is hoping to make a sustainable fashion statement in Kerry. She has already met the supportive former Laois Roses sisterhoodand they are offering her even more than just advice, information and support. We are planning to meet up again and they are bringing all the dresses they wore for their Laois Rose events. I hope to borrow one or two, if they fit me. As a geography teacher, I teach sustainability as a whole section, and so am very aware of the concerns of fast fashion. Realistically many of those dresses we dont get a chance to wear again. I hope I can wear one and it will bring me a bit of luck too, the Laois Rose told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. Sinead has just finished work in Scoil Chriost Ri to focus on her whirlwind summer of public events and preparations. She has been enjoying hair, nail, skin and beauty treatments free thanks to the main Laois Rose sponsor The Style Bar, as well as attending official events including the 10th birthday of Portlaoise Mens Shed, the Source to Sea book launch by Laois canoeist Michael G Phelan and the Durrow Vintage pedallers event. Still to come for Sinead is the Folly Festival in her home town on July 7 and 8, where she will judge the dog show and the bake off, as well as launching the weeklong Durrow Scarecrow Festival on July 30 and attending its Ladies Night. On July 29, she will formally attend the Relay 4 Life event at Emo Court, an uplifting fitness event over two days that celebrates cancer survivors. Her main gown for the televised interview with Daithi O Se is a special buy. I bought it in the Be Fabulous boutique in Limerick, it will be a surprise, she said. The Laois Rose is also holding her own charity fundraiser for the Alzheimers Society. It will be a night of live music, food and drinks by the river Erkina, in Bobs Bar, Durrow, on Friday, July 14. It is a personal charity for me as my boyfriends grandmother passed, so Im doing it in respect of her. I hope the weather is nice so people can sit outside by the river. My uncle Billy White is doing the music, suited for all ages. I will have food provided, and businesses have been very good offering me raffle prizes, with the top prize so far being a nights stay in Killashee hotel, Sinead said. All are welcome to come along to show support and meet Sinead at her fundraiser which kicks off at 7pm, Friday, July 14. She is very excited for the festival, which takes place from Friday, August 18 to Tuesday, August 22. I am enjoying the year, and getting out to the local communities and meeting people. Im really looking forward to Tralee, I hope to make Laois proud, Sinead said. The Woodenbridge Paddlers Erkina River Festival returns again in 2023 and this year's event will feature an Ancient Road Walk through history and scenery shared by Laois and Kilkenny. The event on Sunday, July 16 will trace the route of the ancient road that ran from Western Upper Ossory to Kilkenny. Michael G Phelan is one of the organisers and explained more about the route. It crossed the River Erkina near a ford which was located near Coolkerry Church 2km northwest of Rathdowney. It then continued by Carrick and Kilnaseer to Gorteen crossing the River Goul near Newtown Nunnery before continuing to Kilkenny via Aharney Church. The Sligh Dhala was one of five principal highways leading from Tara in early medieval Ireland dates back to AD 123 according to an entry in the annals of the Four Masters for that period, he said. Mr Phelan also set out what participants can expect. Along with rambling by four rivers and three parishes you will also discover many historical sites in this area along the south Laois/ Kilkenny border, he said. The 10km walk will start from the Woodenbridge over the Erkina River at 2.30pm. Walkers will then make their way to Killogue Churchyard. There they will follow a pathway to a temporary constructed bridge at the original crossing of the ancient road over the River Goul close to the Nunnery at Newtown. Pilgrims on the ancient road will then continued by the site of an 18th century Mass rock, the Church and Castle at Cahir Hill to the townland of Graigueavoice before meeting the Glosh Stream where a pathway would have taken you to St. John's Well and Church at Killenny More. Ballykelly Castle is next on the ancient road before meeting the Seskin River. Your journey will now continue by the Wavers Way, the Ford of an Ancient Battle, St Bridget's Well and Aharney Church. Having reached the county boundary the walk will finish in Lisdowney County Kilkenny A bus service will be available here to carry walkers to where refreshments will be available in the same parish at the tavern of Mackey's in Gathabawn. Afterwards, the bus will return all to the carpark at the Woodenbridge. Ancient Roads are featured in the recently launched book The Erkina River From Source To Sea. Registration from 2 pm at the Woodenbridge where parking will also be available. The registration/ donation includes your bus fair. Laois Tourism Officer Regina Dunne will be at the starting post to raise the starter's flag on the event. Proceeds to the Woodenbridge Paddlers & Woodenbridge Community Alert while a presentation to mark this momentous occasion will be made to all participants. Ancient Roads are featured in the recently launched book The Erkina River From Source To Sea by Michael G Phelan. Figures showing a sustained rise in drug overdose deaths in Ireland are a wake-up call that the country needs to get its act together on the issue, the chairman of the Citizens Assembly has said. Paul Reid, the former HSE chief who is independent chairman of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use, said data published by the Health Research Board (HRB) on drug-related deaths was grim and stark. The preliminary data showing there were 409 poisoning deaths linked to drugs in Ireland in 2020 was presented at the start of the assemblys third round of weekend sittings on Saturday. Figures highlighted to the assembly by Dr Suzi Lyons, senior researcher at the HRB, show a year-on-year increase in drugs-linked poisoning deaths from 2016, when 314 were recorded. The first presentation of this weeks #CADrugUse is from Dr. Suzi Lyons @hrbireland who provides the most recent data regarding drug-induced and drug-related harms. pic.twitter.com/Q05SPRYRni The Citizens' Assembly (@CitizAssembly) June 24, 2023 Four out of five deaths recorded in 2020 involved multiple drugs. Opioids were involved in seven out of ten of the deaths, and heroin was involved in one out of five. The figures also indicate the growing prevalence of cocaine in Irish society. In 2011, 24 poisoning deaths were linked to the drug while in 2020 the figure was 130. Unfortunately, if more people are using cocaine in the general population, we cant be surprised to see them appearing in poisoning deaths, Dr Lyons told the assembly sitting in the Grand Hotel in Malahide. Mr Reid said the data set the tone for the assemblys deliberations on its recommendations to government. Its quite grim, quite stark, he said. HRB's Dr Suzi Lyons is presenting the latest figures on drug-related deaths at the @CitizAssembly on Drug Use today, which show show an increase in poisonings reflecting rising cocaine use and dangers of mixing drugs. Read more in our press release: https://t.co/GUrRLz468q pic.twitter.com/rJLlQFW4P0 HealthResearchBoard (@hrbireland) June 24, 2023 Ireland was already a significant outlier in terms of drug-related deaths compared to any country in the EU. Ive no doubt that this information puts us farther behind in terms of this. So if ever we needed a wake-up call as a society, as policymakers, as legislators, that we need to get our act together in relation to this whole issue of drug use, I think that information is very compelling. And I think it does set out the importance of this assembly and the opportunity that we have to influence and act with urgency and make recommendations, but its quite grim, its quite stark. The assembly, comprising 99 randomly selected citizens reflective of the Irish population, along with chairman Mr Reid, is exploring issues related to illicit drug-taking and will submit a report to the Oireachtas by the end of 2023. It will make recommendations for change covering three areas legislation, policy and operations/service delivery. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Dublin for a colourful celebration of the 40th anniversary of the citys Pride parade. Young and old lined the streets, some dancing while others waved rainbow flags in the Saturday sunshine, as the parade wound its way from OConnell Street, along and across the River Liffey and down to Merrion Square in the south of the capital. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was pictured with some of the groups taking part at the start of the march. The first Pride parade in the city, in June 1983, crossed the city in the other direction, beginning at St Stephens Green and ending on OConnell Street. This year marks several other anniversaries for Irelands LGBT community. It is 30 years on from the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland and 50 years since the formation of the countrys first group focused on gay and lesbian rights, the Sexual Liberation Movement, in Trinity College. Trailblazers who formed that first group at Trinity and those who took part in the first Pride parade ten years later were invited to the stage inside Merrion Square Park on Saturday . They were given a rousing reception by the thousands gathered for the post parade speeches and music. Long queues of people filtered into the sun-drenched park for more than two hours. Among them was Marlon Jimenez Compton, who is originally from Venezuela but has been living in Dublin for 20 years. I usually take this opportunity to try to convey a message of resilience, hope and, most important, love, he said. Because I think its important to take the event to convey the message that love is love and thats my intention as a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself. Laura Barrett, 55, took part with her wife Roz Evans. Ms Barrett, who is originally from Dublin but now lives in Offaly, has mobility issues and Saturday was the first time she was able to join the parade, having recently secured a new scooter that is capable of doing the distance. Its the first time Ive actually been able to march in Pride because now I have a scooter that does the whole trip, she said. So this is my first time actually taking part in the parade, Im 55 years of age and its taken a while to get here but its good to be here. Ms Barrett, who is member of the choir Gloria, said the atmosphere was amazing. Its magic, its absolutely wonderful and it would be great if it was like this all the time, she said. Speakers from a range of community and support groups addressed the crowds. One of the final speeches was delivered by Sinn Feins Stormont leader Michelle ONeill. She paid tribute to the Pride pioneers of 40 years ago but said the journey to equality was not yet complete. I think the fact that so many thousands of people have come to walk through the streets of Dublin today is the best testimony to all those brave activists 40 years ago who walked the streets to stand up against hatred and prejudice, and we owe it to them to be here today and to celebrate what were doing today, she said. Were proud that they stood up to be counted and we will be forever grateful for the work that they started and the journey that they started, so lets salute their bravery today. Im so glad that were living in better times, Im so glad that were living in a more modern Ireland, but we certainly have more work to do on this journey. We want to deliver a fairer Ireland, an Ireland where we have equality and respect at its heart because we all know that there are still many challenges facing people today. Many of our friends are still suffering discrimination, they are suffering bullying and even loneliness. So let me say very loudly here from the stage today homophobia and transphobia have no place in Ireland. Students from three schools in Leitrim participated in the Junior Jurors Programme to choose the winners of this years KPMG Childrens Books Ireland Awards. The students from Ardvarney National School, St. Clare's Comprehensive School and Scoil Mhuire selected their favourites alongside an independent panel of expert judges, including a Young Judge, which were announced at a ceremony in Merrion Square as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin. Through the KPMG Childrens Books Ireland Awards Junior Juries Programme young people in schools, libraries and book clubs shadowed adult judges on the judging panel in reading, discussing and assessing the shortlisted books. Speaking at the ceremony, Elaina Ryan, CEO of Childrens Books Ireland, said: Our congratulations to every one of the authors, illustrators and publishers celebrating their wins. Through our KPMG Junior Juries programme, we have seen the wonder and delight that these six books have inspired in young readers across Ireland, and it is a joy to recognise and reward the artists that created them at this level. Ireland has always been a nation of storytellers, and every one of these winners exemplifies the sheer excellence visible in contemporary Irish childrens books. As we celebrate another year of the KPMG Childrens Book Awards, we hope that the celebrations encourage them to keep creating stories that speak as powerfully to their readers as these. Award-Winning Titles: The KPMG Book of the Year Award Girls Who Slay Monsters by debut author Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald (HarperCollins Ireland). The Honour Award for Fiction The Boy Who Lost His Spark by Maggie OFarrell, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (Walker Books). The Honour Award for Illustration The Wilderness written and illustrated by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books). The Eilis Dillon Award for best debut The Book of Secrets by Alex Dunne (The OBrien Press). The Judges Special Award An Slipear Gloine, written by debut childrens author Fearghas Mac Lochlainn and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly (Futa Fata). The KPMG Junior Juries Award Girls Who Slay Monsters by debut author Ellen Ryan, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald (HarperCollins Ireland). Two Leitrim organisations are among the recipients of RTE Toy Show Appeals Grants to help transform young lives in every county across the island of Ireland. The RTE Toy Show Appeal and the Community Foundation for Ireland this week announced that over 1.2 million children, young people and their families will benefit from donations raised during the 2022 Late Late Toy Show Appeal. A total of 147 charities, down from 154 last year, will receive a share of the grants totalling almost 4million, with every county on the island benefiting including Leitrims Mohill Family Support Centre and North West S.T.O.P. to the tune of a combined 25,000. Mohill Family Support Centre will receive 12,000 to promote the holistic wellbeing of children and young people aged 4- 18 years in Leitrim with specific emphasis on children and young people living in Direct provision and Ukraine. While North West S.T.O.P. will receive 13,000 to create an art/play therapy room for children and young people which will allow for additional therapy sessions for more than 150 young people. Charity partner Community Foundation Ireland, which manages the grant process on behalf of RTE and its viewers, says that the competition for funding across the sector is intense, given the impact of cost of living on donations across the sector. The range of projects receiving funding are indicative of the range of challenges that children can face, but also of the innovative, practical and really valuable work being done by charities large and small, that are helping to make a difference. Announcing the grants Dee Forbes, outgoing Director-General of RTE said: Childrens voices have always been at the very core of The Late Late Toy Show. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our viewers, thousands of children are now being supported in so many different ways. To everyone who donated a huge thank you; this will help so many young lives in the year ahead and is a remarkable testimony to Irelands renowned generosity. A new primary school programme has been designed to educate children on the environmental and economic advantages of our blanket bogs. The programme, which was developed by the Heritage Council as part of LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature, is being rolled out to schools in Leitrim, Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Sligo from September following the successful completion of a pilot phase. The education programme aspect of the project takes children on a journey through the wonders of bog habitat, learning about how the bogs can control floods, provide clean drinking water and high-quality food, support biodiversity and help tackle climate change by storing millions of tonnes of carbon. As our future farmers, children are learning how to actively manage habitats through sustainable farm practices. The learning begins in the classroom, where pupils learn about the key plants and bog habitat and how to use the habitat assessment scorecard developed with DAFM as part of Wild Atlantic Nature Results-Based agri-environmental Payment Scheme (RBPS). A subsequent field trip to a local bog is organised where a bog plant identification swatch is used to observe whether the plants found are positive or negative indicators of the condition of a bog. Back in class, the scores are calculated to determine if their local blanket bog was considered healthy or if it required a helping hand from farmers and the local community to improve its condition. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D. launched the new primary school programme designed to educate children on the environmental and economic advantages of our blanket bogs. The final phase of the programme involves a follow-up project designed to consolidate the pupils learning. The education programme was developed by the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council (IPCC) and NatureNorthWest, and will be delivered by heritage specialists from the Heritage Councils Heritage in Schools Scheme. Speaking at the launch Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue TD said: Since LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature commenced in 2021, my Department has been a proud partner with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and others in this worthy project, helping to deliver a pilot results-based agri-environmental Payment Scheme (RBPS) for 840 farmers. To date more than 3m has been paid directly to farmers under the scheme, and I want to acknowledge the excellent work that the farmers who manage these blanket bogs have done in improving the quality of the habitats under their care. Ireland is at the forefront in terms of results-based agri-environment schemes in Europe and is demonstrating how RBPS can deliver co-benefits for farmers and the environment. Chairperson of the Heritage Council Martina Moloney said: In recent years, The Heritage Council has been deepening its relationship with the education sector and the launch of this innovative new programme is further acknowledgment of the importance of heritage in education. With our natural heritage under severe threat at the moment, it is really wonderful to see the launch of this initiative at this time and I would like to congratulate all those involved in bringing it to fruition. LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature is an EU-funded environmental project aiming to improve Irelands performance in conserving habitats and in particular improving the quality of our blanket bogs, focusing primarily on the blanket bogs in the northwest of the country. It is coordinated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service via the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with nine additional partners including the Heritage Council and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Embarking on outdoor adventures in the rural regions of Nevada provides a gateway to stunning landscapes and thrilling experiences. However, it is essential to be aware of the presence of snakes, including venomous species, to ensure a safe and enjoyable time in nature. By equipping ourselves with knowledge about snake awareness and snakebite prevention, we can minimize the risks associated with encounters. Additionally, organizations like Nevada Outdoor School play a vital role in promoting safe and responsible outdoor experiences through their educational programming. Nevada is home to several venomous snakes, such as the Mojave rattlesnake, Great Basin rattlesnake, and Sidewinder. Understanding their distinct features, behaviors, and habitats is crucial to minimize potential risks. Nevada Outdoor Schools educational programs provide valuable information on local wildlife, including snakes, empowering participants to make informed decisions when venturing outdoors. Snakes are commonly found near rocky outcrops, tall grasses, bushes, and water sources. When exploring these environments, it is important to exercise caution and remain observant for any signs of snake activity, such as shed skins or tracks. Nevada Outdoor School emphasizes the importance of understanding wildlife habitats during their outdoor education programs, fostering a deeper appreciation for the natural world. Snakes are generally timid creatures that prefer to avoid human encounters. However, they may act defensively if they feel threatened. It is crucial to remain calm and avoid sudden movements when near a snake, reducing the likelihood of a bite. Nevada Outdoor Schools programs focus on teaching participants how to respectfully coexist with wildlife, including understanding snake behavior and minimizing disturbances. When exploring snake-prone areas, it is advisable to wear long pants, thick socks, and closed-toe shoes or boots. Consider utilizing snake gaiters or snake-proof boots for added protection against potential snakebites. Nevada Outdoor Schools programming includes educating participants about proper attire and equipment for outdoor activities, ensuring they are well-prepared and protected. Snakes can be challenging to spot, especially during dawn or dusk when they are most active. Carrying a flashlight or headlamp improves visibility, particularly in low-light conditions. Nevada Outdoor School emphasizes the importance of being prepared with appropriate lighting during their outdoor programs, enabling participants to navigate safely during any time of day. Before setting up camp or resting, it is crucial to clear the immediate area of debris, brush, and tall grasses where snakes may seek shelter. Keeping sleeping bags, tents, and gear elevated off the ground reduces the chances of encountering a snake. Nevada Outdoor Schools educational initiatives highlight the significance of maintaining clean and organized campsites, promoting responsible outdoor practices. When walking in snake-prone areas, stick to established trails or paths, avoiding tall grasses, rocks, and logs where snakes may be concealed. Taking purposeful steps and remaining aware of your surroundings are key precautions. Nevada Outdoor Schools programs instill a sense of mindfulness and respect for the environment, teaching participants to tread lightly and minimize their impact on wildlife habitats. Maintaining constant attentiveness to the surroundings is crucial. Listening for the sound of a rattlesnakes rattle serves as a warning sign. Caution should be exercised when reaching into crevices, lifting rocks, or handling firewood, as these are common hiding spots for snakes. Nevada Outdoor Schools programming emphasizes the importance of situational awareness and teaches participants how to identify potential snake habitats. Snakes are attracted to food sources, so proper storage and disposal of food waste is essential. Keeping the campsite clean and refraining from leaving scraps that may entice snakes or their prey is crucial. Nevada Outdoor School educates participants about responsible food management in the outdoors, ensuring they understand the significance of keeping a clean campsite to minimize wildlife interactions. If bitten by a snake, it is crucial to remain calm. Panic can increase heart rate and expedite venom circulation throughout the body. Contact emergency services or head to the nearest hospital without delay. Provide accurate information about the snake species if known but remember that capturing or killing the snake is unnecessary and may pose further risks. Nevada Outdoor Schools programs equip participants with first aid knowledge, including guidance on responding to snakebites, enabling them to take appropriate action in case of an emergency. If it can be done safely, immobilize the bitten limb with a splint or sling. Keeping the affected area below heart level slows the spread of venom. Contrary to popular belief, applying a tourniquet or attempting to suck out venom is not recommended. These actions can cause more harm than good and lack proven effectiveness. Snake awareness and snakebite prevention are fundamental for outdoor enthusiasts exploring rural Nevada. By familiarizing ourselves with the diverse snake species, understanding their behavior, and implementing preventive measures, we can significantly reduce the risk of encounters and bites. Organizations like Nevada Outdoor School play a crucial role in promoting safe and responsible outdoor experiences through their educational programming. By combining knowledge, respect for nature, and proactive measures, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the wonders of rural Nevada while prioritizing safety and environmental stewardship. And remember, Get Outside! (and stay safe) Its Great for Everyone. SCREENSHOT GOOGLE MAPS A security patrol was targeted first by an improvised explosive device and then by direct small arms fire seven kilometers (four miles) from their base in the town of Ber, in Mali, on Friday, June 9. The attack ended up killing one UN peacekeeper and seriously injured eight others, all from Burkina Faso. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric declared the United Nations is joining the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, in strongly condemning the attack. As for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he called on Mali's transitional authorities to identify the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice swiftly, noting that "attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law," Dujarric added. Mali has been ruled by a military junta since a 2020 coup against an elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It has faced destabilizing attacks by armed extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group since 2013. In 2021, France and its European partners engaged in the fight against extremists in Malis north withdrew from the country after the junta brought in mercenaries from Russias Wagner Group. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes 'The situation in Mali illustrates the limits of the global economic model of international humanitarian aid' The United States warned Malis military government in April that it would be "irresponsible" for the United Nations to continue deploying its more than 15,000 peacekeepers unless the Western African nation ends restrictions, including on operating reconnaissance drones, and carries out political commitments toward peace and elections in March 2024. The warning came as the UN Security Council considers three options proposed by Guterres for the peacekeeping missions future: Increase its size, reduce its footprint, or withdraw troops and police and turn it into a political mission. Its current mandate expires on June 30. Dujarric said the peacekeeper killed on Friday was the ninth to die in Mali this year. The secretary-general paid tribute to "the determination and courage" of peacekeepers in Mali who work "in extremely challenging circumstances," he said. "This tragic loss is a stark reminder of the risks that peacekeepers in Mali and other places around the world face while tirelessly working to bring stability and peace to the people of Mali," he said. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. STRINGER / AFP The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of a deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday, June 24, after a mutiny threatened President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Yevgeny Prigozhin's troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. Wagner's leader said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." A nighttime video from the city posted on Russian messaging app channels showed some people cheering Wagner troops as they left Rostov-on-Don, a city over 1,000 kilometers south of Moscow that Wagner took control of on Saturday. Prigozhin was seen riding in one of the vehicles, and people greeted him and some ran to shake his hand as he lowered the window. The regional governor later said that all of the troops had left the city. . : ! pic.twitter.com/ofHn6yHZ53 (@holodmedia) June 24, 2023 The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. It was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally. "Avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Lukashenko's mediating efforts were aimed at achieving that goal. "Prigozhin humiliated Putin/the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence," Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Twitter. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Wagner: What is mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin after? Here is how the mutiny unfolded. On Saturday, Prigozhin's private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. The governor of Russia's Lipetsk province said later on Saturday that Wagner had entered the region which is about 360 kilometers south of Moscow and much closer toward the capital than Rostov-on-Don. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned the situation in the capital was "difficult," as forces of the Wagner group moved towards Moscow. "I ask you to refrain from traveling around the city as much as possible," Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures and announcing Monday was a "non-working" day. In a televised speech on Friday, Vladimir Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason." "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin said. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Putin threatens 'harsh retribution' for Wagner group's mutiny "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland," Prigozhin said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. 'March of justice' Wagner, has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin said. "We didn't kill a single person on our way," Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted on Saturday, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters in Rostov "without a single gunshot." His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities haven't reported any casualties so far, either. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is "fighting the toughest battle for its future," Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Putin said. Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Wagner and Putin claim the capture of Bakhmut, a city reduced to rubble Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that "a huge number of our comrades got killed." Prigozhin said Wagner's forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. He alleged that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering "full-scale weakness" and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from "the spread of Russian evil and chaos." A CONVICTED killer choked a woman in her bedroom to the point of her losing consciousness, spat in her face and told her, Ive done it before, Ill do it again, Limerick Circuit Court heard. The assault occurred after the woman had helped him into bed due to his level of intoxication and as she was changing the sheets after he urinated on them. Kevin Coughlan, aged 40, of Glenlara House, Mount Kenneth Place, Limerick city was before Judge Tom ODonnell this month for criminal damage and assault. He previously successfully appealed a conviction for murdering Mr Francis Greene, of Kilteely, in 2009 but was subsequently sentenced to eight years imprisonment for his manslaughter. It was the prosecution case that Coughlan had threatened Mr Greene with a knife and forced him to walk from his apartment at Hartstonge Street in the city to Steamboat Quay where he threw him into the water. Prosecuting barrister John OSullivan, instructed by State solicitor Padraig Mawe, outlined the case with the assistance of Garda Michael Dunphy. The court heard Coughlan and the victim were in a relationship at the time and she invited him to her home on the evening of July 20, 2018. Mr OSullivan said when the defendant arrived he was intoxicated and agitated and had with him a bottle of vodka and orange juice. He fell asleep on the kitchen floor. She got him up the stairs and into bed where he urinated. She was changing the bed clothes, as she was changing the pillow cases he smashed a picture frame over her head. He swung her around by her hair, punched her and slammed the door shut (preventing escape), said Mr OSullivan. The court heard the victim was kicked and punched and she lost her balance. He grabbed her by the throat. He climbed on top of her. He started choking her. He spat in her face and said, Ive done it before, Ill do it again. She began to lose consciousness. He stopped, realising how far he had taken the attack, said Mr OSullivan. The victim escaped the bedroom and went onto the landing where he pinned her up against a bedroom door with small children inside. She ran down the stairs. He flipped a chest of drawers down the stairs narrowly missing the victim, said Mr OSullivan. At that point family members of the victim came into the house and Coughlan walked out peacefully as if nothing had happened. As part of the investigation, Garda Dunphy outlined how they retrieved Facebook messages between the parties. In one Coughlan said: I wasnt in jail for robbing sweets - are you charging me? In another he wrote: I f****d up a good thing. Im a lowlife dirty c***. Do what you have to. The victim attended her GP with a throbbing ear, insomnia, aches and pains all over her body. A photo was handed to Judge ODonnell that showed her hair pulled out, and marks on her face and legs. Garda Dunphy said Coughlan has a number of previous convictions including robbery, burglary, criminal damage, assault causing harm, possession of articles, false imprisonment and manslaughter, Jack Nicholas BL, who represented Coughlan, said his client has a different version of events, that he emphatically denies hitting her with a picture frame but accepts it was a despicable act. He expresses his remorse and apologises. It is embarrassing for him - the nature of the offence against a woman. He always considered himself to be a protector of women, said Mr Nicholas. The barrister said Coughlan has spent the majority of his adult life in custody but his life of crime has come to an end. I dont say that lightly. He grew up in a difficult household. He was effectively taught by his father aggressive behaviour, said Mr Nicholas. The barrister said Coughlans focus is on his daughter whose mother died in tragic circumstances, he has completed a number of courses and has been sober since September 22. Judge ODonnell said it was a serious case and spoke of the severity and viciousness of the assault. No woman should be exposed to this kind of vicious assault. Items were broken off her body. The degree of culpability is high. It occurred in the presence of young children which was a very frightening experience for them, said Judge ODonnell, who added that Coughlans previous convictions were of enormous concern and underpin a propensity towards violence. The judge described the assault as abhorrent and imposed a three and a half year jail sentence with the final 18 months suspended under the condition he be of good behaviour for three and a half years. The criminal damage charge was taken into consideration. Coughlan is to remain under the care and welfare of the Probation Service for 18 months post release. THREE verdicts of suicide were recorded during one sitting of Limerick Coroners Court. Asphyxiation was given as the cause of death in the inquests of two men and one woman. The first case listed in Kilmallock Courthouse was of a woman who was found by her husband when he returned home from work. Consultant Pathologist, Dr Teresa Laszlo said antidepressant drugs were found in therapeutic levels from a toxicology report. Coroner John McNamara asked the family of the deceased present if she had been having mental health difficulties. A family member said she had postnatal depression years ago but that it had come back. The family member said she had been taking tablets for years and they were trying to find the right amount. Mr McNamara said he was sorry for the familys tragic loss. Inspector Gearoid Thompson expressed his condolences on behalf of An Garda Siochana. The husband of the deceased said: We love her and miss her. In the second suicide, the inquest heard how the alarm was raised and how family, a neighbour, firefighters and paramedics came to his aid. He was taken to University Hospital Limerick but later passed away. A family member said his actions were very strange, very unexpected and maybe it was a cry for help. Dr Laszlo said antidepressant and recreational drugs were in his system but they werent at high levels. Mr McNamara asked if they thought he intended it? No, they replied. The coroner noted that some of his organs were donated. A family member said they had got a letter from Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland that their loved ones heart and liver has given new life to two people. Mr McNamara said it was some positive from the familys tragedy. He said while he didnt want to upset the family it was important it be recorded as a suicide. It is important to say what it is and for statistical reasons to help others in terms of services. It is another suicide. We have to face up to it, said McNamara. The family agreed with the coroner who expressed his sincere condolences as did Insp Thompson. Mr McNamara commended the efforts of the neighbour and emergency services at the scene. The third suicide was that of a man who was discovered at his home in County Limerick. A toxicology report showed antidepressant medication at normal levels was found in his system. Mr McNamara and Insp Thompson extended their sympathies to the family. If you have been affected by this article contact any of the following organisations: Samaritans: 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org; Aware: 1800 80 48 48; Pieta: 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie The highly anticipated debut of Maruti Suzuki 's inaugural electric vehicle , the eVX Concept electric SUV , is scheduled for 2025. As a precursor to its official release, the electric SUV was recently observed undergoing testing in Europe, concealed by a sleek black camouflage, reported HT Auto. Previously unveiled to the public during the Auto Expo 2023, this marks the first instance of the electric SUV being sighted on public roads following its global introduction in January. According to the report from HT Auto, the test prototype of the Maruti Suzuki eVX Concept was recently seen being tested in Krakow, Poland. In contrast to the prototype exhibited at the Auto Expo, the test vehicle features a distinct set of alloy wheels and a design that closely resembles the final production model. At first glance, there are no significant disparities between the concept version and the test prototype observed in Poland. Maruti Suzuki's eVX electric concept SUV marks the company's inaugural foray into the global electric vehicle market. Positioned as a compact and agile model, it shares a similar size to Maruti's flagship SUV, the Brezza. According to Maruti Suzuki, the concept variant has dimensions of 4,300 mm in length, 1,800 mm in width, and 1,600 mm in height, with expectations for the production version to maintain a similar size. Reportedly, the eVX is specifically designed to cater to urban personal mobility needs while incorporating Suzuki's renowned 4x4 capability. The concept version presented at the Auto Expo showcased Suzuki's distinctive SUV design language, characterized by an aerodynamic silhouette, a spacious wheelbase, reduced overhangs, and an optimal ground clearance. Limited information is currently available regarding the forthcoming eVX electric SUV. Maruti Suzuki has previously disclosed that the vehicle will be outfitted with a 60kWh battery pack. Upon its release, the Maruti Suzuki eVX electric vehicle is expected to provide a maximum driving range of 550 kilometers on a single charge. The automaker has also affirmed that the eVX Concept's specialized electric vehicle platform incorporates secure battery technology. Moreover, the platform has been engineered to deliver a pleasant interior cabin equipped with diverse connected features. Its been nearly a year since the billionaire known as Madam Thao had four Airbus A321s grounded on the tarmac in Vietnam. And all this time, the airliners have sat, stranded, in one of the odder international incidents since Vietnam went from communism to a form of capitalism. The story stretches from the Peoples Court of Hanoi to the elegant Mayfair area of London, and from there up to spired Oxford, where Madam Thao formally, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao planned to have her name etched into college history, along with medieval namesakes like Balliol and Merton. At the center of it, all is a dispute between Thaos young airline, VietJet Aviation JSC, and a London buyout fund that specializes in leasing aircraft, including those four A321s. From its tony Mayfair address, FitzWalter Capital Ltd., co-founded by former Macquarie Group Ltd. mastermind Ben Brazil and backed by UK and Australian pension funds, says VietJet has fallen behind on rent for the four planes and breached their contract. It sued the budget airline popularly known as Bikini Airlines" for previous promotional stunts involving models in two-piece swimsuits posing as cabin crew and demanded payment and return of the jets. Its seeking $191 million. VietJets response: Bring it on. In its defense filed with the High Court of Justice in London, the 12-year-old airline, font of Thaos self-made fortune, has acknowledged it missed some bills after Covid-19 upended air travel. But it added that the original lessors FitzWalter took over the planes from had at some point agreed to soften the terms of its lease. Besides, the London investment firm hasnt suffered any real economic damage. The squabble has reached the highest court in Vietnam and become a hot topic in aviation industry circles. The episode might seem like a small worry given the headwinds many carriers are still facing post a pandemic that triggered drawn-out disputes between lessors and airlines internationally. But it could pose a risk to a country thats trying to convince investors it is a good place to do business as its fast-growing economy slows amid a downturn in exports. This emphasizes the fact there are always going to be some bumps in the road for investors in a place like Vietnam," said Alan Polivnick, a partner focusing on aviation law at the international law firm Watson Farley & Williams. In a number of these emerging markets, the rule of law is quite a different concept to what it would be in places like the US." VietJet has been defending its legitimate interests in a dispute over four aircraft that occurred during the most stressful time of the Covid-19 pandemic," the company said Wednesday in response to queries from Bloomberg News. Because of the ongoing court case in the UK, due to be heard next year, VietJet said it cant go into details but we are and will be continuing to defend ourselves to protect our authenticity and our legitimate interests and we believe that justice will prevail." In a statement to Bloomberg News, Jonty Nel, chief executive of FitzWalter Capitals aviation business, said VietJet appeared to have the money to make good on its payments and had simply chosen not to. VietJet was simply in longstanding default on its rent," Nel said in the statement. It seemingly has the capacity to pay but operates as though it can treat its commitments with impunity." Its one more remarkable turn for Thao, who sensed opportunity in the nations emerging quasi-capitalist landscape long before Vietnams economy took off and began to surpass some of its neighbors. While studying at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in Moscow during the Cold War, a teenage Thao imported clothing, fax machines and other items from East Asia to sell to Muscovites hungry for foreign goods. By 21, she was a millionaire. Thao launched VietJet in 2011 and took the company public on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange little more than five years later. At a celebratory dinner that evening, an exuberant Thao in a bright green mermaid-cut dress serenaded guests with a song. Thao, now 53, has said she doesnt keep track of her wealth, estimated at more than $1.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. But she has no shortage of ambition: She wants to build VietJet into an airline akin to Dubai-based Emirates, a successful global carrier from a small country. The largest airline by market share in Vietnam, VietJet has a fleet of 99 and has 264 more on order, according to analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence. Its been a bumpy flight lately. Over the past five years, VietJets stock price has declined about 35%, bringing the value of Thaos total stake to almost $900 million as of Thursday. VietJet reached agreements with Boeing Co. and Airbus SE to restructure aircraft order deals in 2022 and 2021, respectively, after Vietnams government banned most flights during the pandemic, putting local carriers at risk of bankruptcy. Like many billionaires and mere multi-millionaires, Thao has been looking to spread her wealth in ways that can buy international prestige. In October 2021, she pledged 155 million pounds ($198 million) to Oxfords Linacre College, founded in 1962 and named after Thomas Linacre, the Renaissance physician and scholar. That promise, signed before the premier of Vietnam, includes a proposal to rename the school Thao College. Her arrival in Oxford coincided with a broader push by the Vietnamese government to sell the country as a hot destination for investment. But then, amid the VietJet-FitzWalter dispute, the donation suffered delays, with Oxford still awaiting the first installment more than a year and a half later. A representative for Linacre College, Amjad Parkar, said that UK and Vietnam are dotting is on the deal and working to make details of the donation fully transparent. Following productive face-to-face meetings in Vietnam we are now putting all the relevant processes and paperwork in place," Parkar said in a statement. Court Tussles In the meantime, the international fight over four A321s lumbers on. Last December, acting on orders from the High Court of London, VietJet handed possession of the A321s to FitzWalter. The firm changed the planes registration from Vietnam to the island of Guernsey, the offshore haven off the coast of France. Two months later, a VietJet shareholder won an injunction from the Peoples Court in Hanoi to block that move and keep the planes in Vietnam. In aviation industry circles, the turnabout drew comparisons to the Kremlins decision to re-register hundreds of planes after the US and others imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. FitzWalter subsequently sued in Singapore, contending Thaos VietJet was behind the move. In filings related to its lawsuits, the firm cited conversations between FitzWalter and Donal Boylan, a VietJet director and Hong Kong-based partner at investment and advisory firm BCAP Holdings. According to the filing, Boylan made a thinly veiled threat" that the Vietnamese government may intervene on VietJets behalf. I cannot speak for the Vietnamese government, but my sense is they are not going to collaborate with anyone from the UK or Singapore or anywhere else, and this could go on for years," Boylan is alleged to have said to one of the partners at FitzWalter during negotiations, before the buyout firm laid out details of its claim in court last October. But thats not a threat, thats just an observation, a Donal Boylan observation." Five days after the Singapore filing, the Peoples Court of Hanoi withdrew its injunction. FitzWalter is now working to bring the planes to airworthy status and secure government approvals. With limited hangar space available to do the maintenance, the planes have to be worked on one at a time. Weve worked with them and most of the issue has been resolved," said Ho Minh Tan, deputy head of Vietnams Civil Aviation Administration. The planes should be able to leave the country once all customs procedure are completed," he said, without elaborating. The A321s could make their way out of Vietnam by the end of the year, said people familiar with the matter, provided the dispute doesnt take yet another turn. Until then, one of them sits in Ho Chi Minh City, while the other three are grounded in Hanoi. There on the tarmac, near a hangar, the VietJet logos on one of them have already been painted over white. PREMIER More Information This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. The Indian stock market is expected to remain volatile next week, with investors awaiting cues from global markets. However, there are a few stocks that could be in focus: YES Bank: Private lender YES Bank on Friday, June 23, said its board of directors has approved a fundraise of up to 2,500 crore via the issue of debt. The funds will be raised by issue of debt securities including but not limited to non-convertible debentures, bonds, Medium Term Note (MTN), the bank said in an exchange filing. IndusInd Bank: Hinduja Group has agreed to contribute 10,000 crore to grow its stake in IndusInd Bank. By the second half of FY24, it is anticipated that the deal would be finalised. The request from the group to boost IndusInd Bank's holding to 26% may be granted by the Reserve Bank of India, which caused the bank's shares to rise by more than 3% on Friday. Currently, IndusInd International Holdings and IndusInd Ltd each control 12.585% and 3.92% of the bank, respectively, while the lender's promoters possess 16.51% of the firm. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL): A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for fighter jet engines was signed by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and GE Aerospace, a division of General Electric, on Thursday. The agreement was signed during the historic summit between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asian Paints: The Company announced today that it had acquired an additional 11% of White Teak's equity share capital from its promoters for a sum of approximately Rs. 54 crores. White Teak is currently a subsidiary of the Company as a result of the Company holding 60% of its equity share capital. RVNL: The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) selected Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) as the lowest bidder (L1) for a project valued 394.89 crore. The first order calls for the provision of new 11 KV lines, low tension lines on AB cable, testing, commissioning, and other services in MPPKVVCL's Chhatarpur circle. The order is worth 126.8 crore rupees. Similar in nature, the second order must be carried out in the Seoni and Narsinghpur circle. The cost of this order is Rs. 154.23 crore. YES BANK More Information HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS More Information RAIL VIKAS NIGAM More Information Know your inner investor Do you have the nerves of steel or do you get insomniac over your investments? Lets define your investment approach. Take the test The deadline to apply for a higher pension under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) will end on Monday, 26 June 2023. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recently addressed many doubts related to the computation and documentation. As the deadline is nearing, applicants are hurrying to complete their registration process. However, most of them are facing several technical issues and snags in submitting the application through the unified EPFO portal, according to media reports. Deadline extension EPFO has extended the deadline for higher pension applications three times since the last cut-off date on March 4 The retirement fund body recently released circulars on what all documents one can submit, and the methodology of computing a pension on a higher salary. The formula for calculating higher pension for those who retired prior to 1 September 2014 The pension shall be calculated based on the average monthly pay drawn during the contributory period of service in the span of 12 months preceding the date of exit from the membership of the pension fund The formula for calculating higher pension for those who retired/will retire on or after 1 September 2014 The pension shall be calculated based on the average monthly pay drawn during the contributory period of service in the span of 60 months preceding the date of exit from the membership of the pension fund. Who should opt for higher EPS? According to Archit Gupta, Founder, and CEO, Clear in case taxpayers are looking at a higher monthly pension income (which is fully taxable, while EPF withdrawal is fully tax-free), they may opt for EPS. This is when they don't need a large corpus on retirement and would prefer a monthly payout assuming they have many years of retirement ahead of them. One can get a pension as long as they live, and spouses and children may also receive some part of the pension as per eligibility. Earlier in November 2022, the Supreme Court asked the government to give subscribers four months for opting for a higher pension. The EPFO provided an online facility to submit the joint option form (with employers) to the subscribers for opting for a higher pension till May 3, 2023. Later the deadline was extended until June 26, 2023. Many times, people mistakenly transfer money to the wrong bank accounts. What should I do if I sent money to the wrong bank account? Can it be retrieved? What is the process? An SBI customer recently faced the same issue and complained about it on SBI's official Twitter handle. Dear @TheOfficialSBI I made a payment to the wrong account number by mistake. I have given all the details to my branch as told by the helpline. Still, my branch is not providing any information regarding the reversal. Please help," read the tweet from an SBI customer who transferred money to the wrong bank account by mistake. In reply to this query, SBIs official Twitter handle said in such cases, where a customer has mentioned the wrong beneficiary, the home branch will initiate follow-up processes with other banks or banks without any penalty. Please note that if the wrong account number of the beneficiary is mentioned by the customer, the Home Branch of the customer will initiate follow-up processes with other Bank(s) without any pecuniary liabilities. If you are facing any issue in this regard at the branch, then please raise a complaint at https://crcf.sbi.co.in/ccf under Personal segment/ Individual customer - General Banking/ Branch related/ No response to queries category and mention the details of your issue in the comment box provided. The concerned team will look into it. After over a decade of development, BRICS cooperation has greatly been strengthened. The international community has widely recognized and supported BRICS, and an increasing number of like-minded countries want to join it. Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune has reported that Bangladesh has formally applied to join BRICS, an acronym of five major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, once again drawing wide attention to the expansion of its membership. After over a decade of development, BRICS cooperation has greatly been strengthened. The international community has widely recognized and supported BRICS, and an increasing number of like-minded countries want to join it. WHO WANTS IN? According to Russian media reports, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on June 15 that the number of countries applying to join the BRICS bloc is increasing, reaching nearly 20. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met in Geneva on June 14, after which Bangladesh applied to join BRICS. Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko confirmed in an interview with Russian news agency TASS that Cairo has submitted its application to join BRICS, given its interest in "de-dollarization." According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, Iran and Argentina have recently applied. In addition, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and other oil-producing countries have also applied. Once these countries' applications are approved, the BRICS members will cover more than half of the world's oil and gas resources. At the end of May this year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told reporters after talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that BRICS countries are attracting people who seek peace and cooperation. WHY SO ATTRACTIVE? As an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism, reforming the global governance system, and increasing the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries. The bloc has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs. Spanish website Rebelion said many countries are tired of the United States' virtual domination of the global economy for decades, forcing dollar transactions. Failure to comply with Washington's directives will result in sanctions and economic and financial blackmail. In contrast, BRICS prioritizes assisting countries in advancing their investment and trade without imposing any preconditions. "Above all, BRICS defends multipolarity and multilateralism ... By defending multilateralism, BRICS countries are countering the concept of the Cold War and opening up the possibility of a more equitable and just international economic order that benefits the world," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently. The primary mission of BRICS countries is to serve as advocates for the interests of developing nations, said Valeriia Gorbacheva, head of the Multilateral Strategic Project Office at the Higher School of Economics of Russia's National Research University. The goals and values of BRICS countries are consistent with those of most countries in the world, which means that the expansion of BRICS is only a matter of time, said Gorbacheva. WHEN TO EXPAND? During the 14th BRICS Summit in June last year, the leaders of the five countries agreed to expand the bloc's membership. South Africa holds the BRICS rotating presidency in 2023 and will host the 15th summit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian media that the topic of BRICS membership expansion would be included in the summit's agenda in August. "We stand ready to bring more like-minded partners into the big family of BRICS," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, pointing out that BRICS is committed to upholding multilateralism and vigorously advancing global governance reforms. Peskov said Russia is pleased that more countries have shown strong interest in BRICS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that many countries are queueing to join BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which reflects their increasingly important role. In an interview with the TASS news agency, Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said BRICS is happy to accept new members who express interest in joining. Online frauds in India: Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath has cautioned about some new types of online frauds in India where the fraudsters are using the brand value of a courier companies of well repute like FedEx, Blue Dart, etc. Detailing about this new type of online fraud in India, Zerodha co-founder said that fraudsters call the victim posing themselves as courier company employee saying that a parcel has been confiscated by police because drugs were found in it. Once the victim gets frightened, fraudsters share bank details and ask for money transfer to release the parcel. Zerodha CEO and Co-founder informed about such online frauds in India from his official twitter handle citing, "There's a new scam in the name of FedEx, Blue Dart, and other courier companies that you need to be aware of. A colleague got a call from a person claiming to be from FedEx saying that a parcel had been confiscated by the police because drugs were found in it." See Nithin Kamath's tweet below: Nithin Kamath went on to add, "Since he was expecting a courier from an e-commerce platform, he panicked. He then got a video call from someone claiming to be the police and issued this official-looking letter. They shared the bank details to transfer funds to release the package." "Since the fake police had his AADHAR number, this made the entire ordeal more convincing. This person panicked & transferred the money immediately. If this can happen to a person working in a company that constantly sensitizes everyone to cyber fraud, it can happen to anyone," Kamath said in another tweet. On how to handle such calls, Nithin Kamath said, "In a situation like this, the best thing is to say, I will get my lawyer to speak to you; it doesn't matter even if you don't have a lawyer. Most fraudsters prey on people who panic and react instinctively. Slowing down before reacting is the key." Nodding to Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath's new online fraud in India, a twitter user posing as Anjali Live Trading replied, "Yes Bengaluru Techie lost almost 2L..." "This type of scam is going on since months. One of my friends got such call around four months ago and the another friend got the same kind of call two months ago. Everyone needs to be very careful because scamsters build up new stories every time," said another twitter user Chander Bhatia. Several other twitter users replied to Nithin Kamath's tweet sharing their ordeal in regard to such new type of online frauds in India. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has responded to DGCA's action on suspending AI pilots for allowing a woman friend in to a cockpit. Campbell said that our industry operates with a 'just culture' mindset. In his note to the employees, Campbell said, "Our industry operates with a "just culture" mindset that recognises that genuine mistakes happen and that they are opportunities to learn and improve. But we must learn and improve, and repeats indicate that we are not adequately doing so whether due to complacency, carelessness or some other factor." He also expressed his disappointment and said that suspending the pilots for a year is a long period. "You may have read about the license suspension our regulator handed to two of our colleagues for not adhering to sterile cockpit regulations. The one-year suspension is long but given that this is the second such incident in a relatively short space of time, it is quite understandable," he told employees as quoted by ANI. On 22 June, the DGCA suspended Air India pilots who allowed a woman friend into the cockpit of a Chandigarh to Leh flight on June 3. DGCA suspended the license of Pilot-In-Command (PIC) and First Officer of Air India for a period of one year and one month respectively. Here's what happened The incident took place on June 3 with Air India management escalating the issue after receiving a complaint from the cabin crew. The unauthorised woman passenger - purportely a friend of the pilot - had entered the cockpit of the AI-445 aircraft as it travelled to Leh. Reports quoting experts also noted that the Leh route is one of the most difficult and sensitive air routes in the country in terms of safety and security. This is not the first such incident, earlier in February, a pilot of an Air India flight, operating from Dubai to Delhi violated DGCA safety norms by inviting friend inside the cockpit. The incident occurred on 27 February on flight AI 915. Air India has witnessed two consecutive reports of cockpit violations where regulator DGCA has taken stern action against the company including the pilots. Coming back to Campbell, the CEO insisted and advised the employees to follow the rules and regulations strictly. "The rules and regulations exist for a reason, and we expect them to be followed. The strong action taken by DGCA should serve as a reinforcement, not that one should be needed, that it is incumbent on us all to keep elevating our game," he added. As per DGCA safety norms, unauthorised people are not allowed to enter the cockpit, and any such entry could violate norms. On 03.06.2023, the Pilot in Command of M/s Air India flight AI-458 (Chandigarh Leh) allowed an unauthorized person into the cockpit during departure and the person remained in the cockpit throughout the flight," the DGCA said in the statement. The first officer did not raise any concern" for the unauthorized entry of the person into the cockpit or report the violation, it said. based on the outcome of its investigationthe pilot license of the PIC has been suspended for a period of one year for misuse of his authority vested under the Aircraft Rules 1937, and allowing violation of the applicable DGCA regulations," the DGCA said in the statement. The pilot license of the First Officer has been suspended for a period of one month for not being assertive in preventing and non-reporting of the violation," it stated. The DGCA last month slapped a fine of 30 lakh on Air India for not reporting a similar incident that took place on its Dubai-Delhi flight in February this year. (With inputs from PTI) A new analysis led by geophysicist Ki-Weon Seo of Seoul National University in South Korea reveals that between 1993 and 2010, human extraction and redistribution of groundwater played a significant role in causing a shift in Earth's poles. The study found that groundwater redistribution alone resulted in a polar shift of 80 centimeters towards the east. This contribution to polar motion confirms previous estimates that groundwater depletion caused by human activity is equivalent to a sea level rise of 6 millimeters during that period. The research aimed to enhance understanding of polar motion and the impact of changes in Earth's water distribution. In 2016, scientists made a revelation in figuring out why Earth's rotational poles wander: the distribution of terrestrial water storage. The latest study determined the specific influence of humans moving groundwater. Also read: The Water we save now will matter in times to come Seo said, Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole." The rotation of Earth's axis, similar to a spinning top, is affected by changes in mass distribution around the axis. Climate change exacerbates this phenomenon as melting glaciers and ice sheets alter the distribution of water on Earth's surface, leading to shifts in the poles. Although the role of water redistribution has been extensively studied, the isolated impact of groundwater extraction had not been determined. In 2010, scientists estimated that humans had pumped around 2,150 gigatons of groundwater between 1993 and 2010, contributing to sea level rise. However, observational confirmation was challenging. Seo and the team used observational data on polar motion and modelling to address this challenge. They initially modelled polar motion considering only the contribution of ice melt, and then they incorporated various levels of groundwater extraction into the models. The model matched the observed motion when they used the 2,150 gigaton estimate, pinpointing the exact contribution of groundwater extraction. Without considering groundwater, the model deviated by 78.48 centimeters, reported Geophysical Research Letters. Between 1993 and 2010, groundwater extraction caused Earth's poles to shift at a rate of 4.36 centimetre per year. While the team's work only covered data up to 2010, it suggests that groundwater extraction continues to exert an influence. Also read: By 2050, 2.4 billion in cities may lack water, with India hit hardest: UN The study's findings highlight the previously unexplained cause of polar motion and underscore the surprising link between groundwater pumping and sea-level rise. These findings could mitigate further polar motion by reducing groundwater extraction rates, particularly in mid-latitudes where most extraction occurred. Regions like North America and the North of India, which saw substantial extraction, could play a vital role in slowing polar motion and sea level rise by limiting groundwater extraction rates. However, such efforts would need to be sustained over decades. The research emphasises the importance of addressing human-induced climate effects and encourages early action. The observation of changes in Earth's rotational pole contributes to understanding variations in continent-scale water storage. Historical polar motion data from the late 19th century onward can potentially shed light on hydrological regime changes resulting from climate warming. (With inputs from Geophysical Research Letters) All India Cine Workers Association has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Mumbai Police demanding registration of a case against producer, director and writer of movie Adipurush, according to ANI reports. The association has also written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded a ban on the screening of Adipurush. It believes the movie, based on the Ramayana, :"clearly" defames the Image of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman and hurts religious sentiments of Hindus and Sanatan Dharma". The movie, which draws inspiration from the revered Hindu epic Ramayana, faced criticism for certain lines that were deemed disrespectful to the source material. Renowned lyricist-writer Manoj Muntashir was responsible for the contentious lines, which were criticized for their pedestrian quality and lack of reverence towards the epic tale. Responding to the outcry, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has approved the modified version of "Adipurush" ensuring compliance with the concerns raised, media reports suggest. The CBFC, which initially granted the film a U certificate, officially endorsed the alterations on June 19, as confirmed by a report on Filminformation.com. The revised dialogues in "Adipurush", as per media reports, encompass several key changes from the original version. For instance, the line "Tu jaanta bhi hai kaun hoon main" has been modified to "Tum jaante bhi ho kaun hoon main." Similarly, "Kapda tere baap ka toh jalegi bhi tere baap ki" has been transformed into "Kapda teri Lanka ka toh jalegi bhi teri Lanka." LiveMint could not independently verify the changes in dialogues. Meanwhile, many users believe that it is too late for the makers to make any changes and that the damages are already done. Last week, cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal imposed a ban on the screening of all Hindi films over its objection to dialogues in the film Adipurush which refers to Sita as the daughter of India." Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah claimed that it is widely known that Sita was the daughter of Nepal." Congress on Saturday demanded the removal of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh over the violence that has hit the state for over a month , saying "peace is not possible in the state under him". Former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh presented an eight-point charter of demands at the all-party mean which mentioned the immediate removal of incumbent CM Biren Singh. The meeting was convened by Home Minister Amit Shah. "Our demand is the immediate removal of the CM of Manipur, without which no progress can made towards peace and normalcy in Manipur." After the meeting, Okram Ibobi Singh said it was unfortunate" he was given more time to put forth his views. Attacking the prime minister, Okram Ibobi Singh said the meeting should have been chaired by PM Modi who, the Congress leader said, "has not said a single word on Manipur in the past 50 days". "This all-party meeting would have been better had it been chaired by the prime minister and held in Imphal. This would have sent a clear message to the people of Manipur that their pain and distress are also a matter of national anguish," Okram Ibobi Singh said. The former Manipur chief minister said, The state government has failed miserably in providing effective governance when it is needed most. The chief minister himself has admitted publicly twice his failure to handle the situation and deal with the crisis. He has also asked for the forgiveness of the people. The chief minister should be replaced immediately." When asked about whether Home Minister Amit Shah presented a peace roadmap for Manipur, his response was negative. "The Congress and some other parties also demanded that an all-party delegation be sent to Manipur and we hope that the prime minister will hold a similar meeting after his return from abroad," he said. Congress later addressed a press conference and demanded that the grievances of all the communities must be addressed. "A package of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement, and livelihood for the affected people must be prepared without delay. The relief package announced is grossly inadequate," Jairam Ramesh said. In a tweet after the presser, Jairam Ramesh said, "The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality." "As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur," he said. (With agency inputs) GoFirst announced a fresh tranche of flight cancellations on Saturday as it remains embroiled in insolvency proceedings. Flights have now been cancelled till June 28 - marking nearly two months of travel disruptions. The company however assured that it would be able to resume bookings shortly". "We regret to inform you that due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till 28th June 2023 have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations," the airline said in a tweet. Aircraft of the cash-strapped carrier have been grounded since May 3 and flights had previously been cancelled till June 25. The company continues to bat for an immediate resolution and revival of operations. It had initially harboured plans for a resumption by the end of May and is now looking to operate 78 daily flights with 22 aircraft from July. The planned resumption of operations will however depend on a number of factors including regulatory approvals. Go First had filed for voluntary insolvency proceedings at the beginning of May and subsequently suspended its flight operations due to rising losses. It cited delays in the delivery of Pratt and Whitney's engines leading to the grounding of a portion of its fleet. The case remains before the the National Company Law Tribunal. Earlier on Wednesday the company reportedly sought additional funds at a lenders meeting. According to a Reuters report quoting banking sources, the company - which is currently under bankruptcy protection - is asking for 4 billion to 6 billion in additional funds. The Go First bankruptcy incidentally filing lists Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Deutsche Bank among its creditors, which are owed 65.21 billion in total. (With inputs from agencies) Indians have been traveling abroad more, particularly to the United States as it is trying to accommodate the new tourism boom by opening two new consulates in the South Asian country, according to a report published by Reuters. This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the White House which has been billed as a turning point for bilateral relations between the two nations. PM Modi on Friday had plans to meet with numerous executives seeking to invest more in India as the US pushes to process more visas. For the first time in 2022, India because Asia's highest source of international travelers. The international travelers from India exceeded those of China, South Korea, and Japan last year, the tourism consultancy IPK International said. Geoff Freeman, CEO of the US Travel Association said, New markets like India may offset (other countries) and help us grow in the long run." In a joint statement, US President Joe Biden and PM Modi said that the United States will open two new consulates in two Indian cities Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. They directed officials to identify additional mechanisms to facilitate travel for business, tourism, and professional and technical exchanges between the two countries, the statement read. According to data from the US Department of Commerce National Travel and Tourism Office, travel from India to the United States has exceeded pre-pandemic volumes in the first five months of 2023. Other Asian countries are lagging, particularly China, where travelers have been slow to return to the United States post-pandemic. Last year, India ranked third among overseas travelers visiting the United States, up from eighth in 2019. The figures do not include cross-border visitors from Canada and Mexico. Addressing a hospitality conference this month, IHG Hotels and Resorts CEO Keith Barr said, When you think about the power of the Chinese(international) traveler (due to) that rising middle class and wealth creation there, India is going through the same evolution too." A State Department spokesperson said that US embassies and consulates in India have issued 44% more non-immigrant visas in 2023 than in the same period in 2019 and are on course to process over one million visas this year, Reuters reported. Our consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India. This is a top priority for our government," the spokesperson said. (With Reuters inputs) The Manipur is witnessing incidents like arson since May 3, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace. The data services also have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Ethnic violence first broke out after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The clashes had been preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals - Nagas and Kukis - constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki community people in Manipur that broke out more than a month ago. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has expressed his inability to attend the all-party meeting which will be chaired by Amit Shah. Pawar expressed his desire to attend the meeting to discuss Manipur violence but due to some important prior commitments, he has designated Narendra Verma, National General Secretary, NCP, and Soran lboyaima Singh, President, Manipur State NCP, to attend the meeting. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Questioning the timing of the all-party meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24, to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur in the wake of ethnic violence and clashes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it is being convened at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a State visit to the United States, which shows that the meeting isn't important to him. Rahul tweeted, Manipur has been burning for 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. An all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Clearly, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister." Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday also came down heavily on PM Modi over his silence on the situation in Manipur."For the last 53 days, Manipur is burning. PM Modi has not uttered a single word yet. A delegation from Manipur was here for the last 10 days but the PM was not ready to meet them," Venugopal claimed. Earlier on Friday, Manipur CM N Biren Singh also inspected the sites for establishment of pre-fabricated homes for people displaced by ethnic violence and said that a section of those houses will be set up on the campus of a sericulture institute in Bishnupur district. The government is working on the settlement of the affected families till normalcy is restored, Singh said at Kwakta during his first visit to affected areas. Prominent citizens of Assam has also urged PM Modi to intervene and restore peace in Manipur, expressing their 'bewilderment' at his silence over the ongoing violence in the neighbouring state. They also appealed to the people of Manipur to show restraint and not indulge in any kind of violence. "There is an atmosphere of overwhelming fear, despair and uncertainty in Manipur. The state has been reduced to a level of statelessness," a statement by Axom Nagarik Samaj said. After Amit Shah's last visit to the violence hit state, on 10 June, peace committee was formed in Manipur under the Chairpersonship of Governor Anusuiya Uikey. The peace committee came in order to facilitate peace making process among various ethnic groups of the State, including peaceful dialogue and negotiations between conflicting parties/groups. Prior to that on 3 June, Centre had also formed a three-member Commission of Inquiry to probe the recent incidents of violence in Manipur. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasized the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fields of learning, skilling, and education. Speaking at the G20 education ministers meet, PM Modi highlighted the transformative power of technology and its role in shaping the future of education. Modi underscored the foundational importance of education in the development of civilizations and the progress of humanity. He referred to the education ministers as Sherpas" leading mankind towards development, peace, and prosperity. PM Modi outlined Indias holistic approach to education, focusing on the significance of foundational literacy as the bedrock of youth development. He commended the governments Nipun Bharat" initiative, which aims to promote proficiency in reading with understanding and numeracy. He expressed his satisfaction that the G20 has also recognized the priority of foundational literacy and numeracy. The prime minister emphasized the need for innovative e-learning methods to provide quality education with effective governance. He highlighted the success of the Swayam" online platform, which offers courses from Class 9 to post-graduate levels. PM Modi noted its popularity, with over 34 million enrolments and more than 9000 courses. He also highlighted the Diksha Portal," which enables school education through distance learning, providing support in 29 Indian and 7 foreign languages. The platform has already witnessed over 137 million course completions. With over 34 million enrolments and more than 9000 courses, Swayam has become a very effective learning tool. Diksha portal is supporting learning in 29 Indian and seven foreign languages...[there have been] over 137 million course completions so far. India would be happy to share these experiences and resources, particularly with those in the Global South," he said. PM Modi stressed the importance of continuously skilling, reskilling, and up-skilling the youth to ensure their readiness for the future. He mentioned Indias skill mapping initiative, wherein the education, skill, and labor ministries collaborate to align competencies with evolving work profiles and practices. The prime minister called on G20 countries to undertake global skill mapping to identify and address skill gaps. Highlighting the role of digital technology in promoting inclusivity, PM Modi acknowledged its capacity as an equalizer and a catalyst for increasing access to education. He also emphasized the tremendous potential of AI in the domains of learning, skilling, and education. The prime minister urged G20 to strike the right balance between the opportunities and challenges posed by technology. PM Modi further emphasized the significance of research and innovation and highlighted Indias Atal Tinkering Labs," which serve as hubs for research and innovation among school children. He encouraged G20 countries to foster research collaborations, especially in the Global South. The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction that the G20 Education Ministers Meet had identified green transition, digital transformations, and womens empowerment as key accelerators for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Education is at the root of all these efforts", the Prime Minister said, as he expressed confidence that the outcome of the meeting will be an inclusive, action-oriented and future-ready education agenda. This would benefit the whole world in the true spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future", the prime minister concluded. Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Egypt for a two day state visit on Saturday afternoon - the first bilateral trip by any Indian PM in 26 years. He was received by his Egyptian counterpart - Mostafa Madbouly - at the airport and will also inspect a guard of honour upon arrival. Modi is slated to hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM and also meet President El-Sisi. The development comes mere hours after the PM concluded a US state visit. This is his first visit to Egypt as PM and the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 26 years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had extended an invitation to Modi in January this year as he attended Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. During the course of his two day trip, Modi will hold a roundtable meeting with Madbouly and interact with President El-Sisi. He will also meet members of the Indian community living in the African nation. ALSO READ: PM Modi's Egypt mosque visit holds significance for Indian Dawoodi Bohra Muslims We all are very thrilled to meet PM Modi in Cairo. Around 300-350 people have been invited here to meet the PM today," Deepti Singh, President of the Indian Community Association in Egypt told ANI. The PM arrived at the Ritz Carlton hotel to a rousing welcome and chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Modi Modi'. He also interacted with children present in the area as others sang Indian songs and presented cultural programmes to welcome PM Modi. The MEA said that Modi would be meeting with the President on Sunday (local time). The PM will also spend nearly half an hour at the historic Al-Hakim Mosque tomorrow. He will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who were killed while fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent and the Bilateral Trade Agreement between the two nations has been in operation since March 1978. It is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics. The two countries also share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. (With inputs from agencies) Last night, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 41 cruise missiles and two attack drones, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. "On the night of June 24, the enemy launched a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine with air-launched cruise missiles from Tu-95ms, Tu-22m3 bombers, Kalibr sea-based missiles and Shahed-136/131 strike drones," the Air Force said on the Telegram channel on Saturday. As reported, ten strategic aviation aircraft launched 40 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea. Eight Tu-22m3 long-range bombers attacked with nine X-22 missiles from the northern, southern and eastern directions. "From the Black Sea, the invaders launched two Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles. From the south, the enemy attacked with two Shahed-136/131 Iranian attack drones," the Air Force said in the statement. According to the Air Force press service, "according to the results of combat work, all 40 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles, one Kalibr cruise missile and two Shahed-136/131 attack drones were shot down by the air defense forces and means." It is reported that units of the anti-aircraft missile forces, aviation, mobile fire groups of the air commands Center, South and East of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were involved in "repelling the air attack." "Russian terrorists launched X-22 missiles in the direction of Dnipro and Kryvy Rih. Local administrations will report on the consequences and victims," the Air Force said. The head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his 25,000-strong force were ready to die as he vowed to topple Russia's military leadership . In a video message, Prigozhin said, "All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000." "We are dying for the Russian people." The group has vowed to topple the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of launching strikes on his men, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion". The Russian authorities have also tightened security measures in several regions, after the chief warning to the country. Prigozhin said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian region of Rostov, and had also shot down a Russian military helicopter. The mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin said on Saturday that "anti-terror" measures were being taken in the Russian capital after the chief of mercenary group Wagner vowed to bring down the country's military leadership. "In connection with the incoming information in Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken," he said. The Wagner Group which is officially called PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organisation that operates beyond the law in Russia. It is a private military company and a network of mercenaries. It was first identified in 2014 while backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the group was a secretive organization that was mostly operating in Africa and the Middle East, however, according to BBC reports, in January, the UK Ministry of Defence informed that the Wagner Group consists of 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign. Wagner Group was also involved in Russia's capture of Bakhmut city which is situated in eastern Ukraine. In January 2023, Prigozhin had claimed full credit for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. In the same month, the Biden administration designated Russias Wagner Group a transnational criminal organization. Moreover, he has repeatedly also complained that Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men, Associated Press has reported. Earlier in May, the leader of Russian paramilitary group Wagner had also threatened to withdraw his troops from the front line in Ukraine, citing growing losses, in a move that raises fresh tensions between Moscows military leaders ahead of an expected offensive by Kyivs forces. In the same month, he had also accused the top generals of Russia of "deceiving" President Vladimir Putin over the war with Ukraine. The comment came after Prigozhin publicly expressed his disappointment over the troops of the Russian military, whom he accused of fleeing their position near Bakhmut in east Ukraine. (With inputs from agencies) US tech giants Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google are to ramp up their investments in India as they seek to spur growth in a key market. The move follows after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held with top CEOs, including of Amazon and Google, at the White House Friday, reported Bloomberg. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google is investing $10 billion in India's digitisation fund, adding that PM Modi's vision for Digital India serves as a blueprint for other countries. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google will open a global financial-technology center in Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT City). Itll cement Indias fin-tech leadership," he said, referring to innovations such as Unified Payments Interface that allows people to use their smartphones as a tool for commerce, and Aadhaar. Were going to build on that foundation and take it globally," he added. Google will also bring its artificial intelligence chatbot Bard to more Indian languages, Pichai said. Google has previously said it is developing an AI model that would be able to handle more than 100 Indian languages across speech and text, a drive that would widen internet access beyond the countrys urban English-speaking minority. Amazon.com Inc said on Friday it will take its investments in India to $26 billion by 2030, adding $6.5 billion in new planned investments in an announcement made after CEO Andy Jassy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the United States. The announcement follows Amazon's cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services (AWS) saying last month it will invest 1.06 trillion rupees ($12.9 billion) in the country by the end of 2030. Earlier, Amazon had announced a $6.5 billion investment plan, largely to boost its e-commerce business India remains a high priority market for most big US internet firms such as Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon, Google and Twitter, but one where theyve all had to face regulatory headaches. A slew of economic deals were announced during Modis visit to the US, including Micron Technology Inc. to invest more than $800 million toward a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and testing facility in India. An Indian man named Brijesh Mishra has been charged by Canadian authorities for allegedly issuing fraudulent university acceptance letters to Indian students and committing other immigration-related crimes. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) initiated an investigation into Mishra's activities after receiving information about his status in Canada and his involvement in activities related to misrepresentation in counseling. Mishra is facing five charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, according to CBSA. As per an Indian Express report, Mishra, who runs an immigration agency in Jalandhar, went missing shortly before the scandal broke. Canada is a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy to obtain a work permit. Official data show there were more than 800,000 foreign students with active visas in Canada in 2022, including some 320,000 from India. Earlier this year, over 700 students from India had been served deportation papers for using forged documents to enter Canada in an alleged immigration scheme. Students later took to streets claiming that they were victim of fraud. Last week, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a freeze on the planned deportation of dozens of students who entered the country using fraudulent university letters. He said in a statement, Many of these international students sincerely came to Canada to pursue their studies at some of our world-class institutions and were duped by bad actors who claimed to be helping them in their immigration application process." I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation. The Immigration Refugee Protection Act offers me discretionary authority which I believe should be exercised in the present context," the statement also added He also ensure that strict actions would be taken against those who were involved in fraudlent activities. There is no direct evidence found that the Covid-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology," a four-page report by US intelligence agencies said on Friday. It said the intelligence agencies could not rule out the possibility that the virus came from a laboratory. However, the agencies have not been to discover the Covid-19 pandemic origin, according to a report published by Reuters. "The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, as both (natural and lab) hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting," the report said. The agencies said that while "extensive work" had been conducted on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute (WIV), they had not found evidence of a specific incident that could have caused the outbreak. "We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic," the report added. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 before fanning out around the world and killing nearly 7 million people. Earlier in April, another report suggested that illegally traded wild animals in the Chinese city had triggered the coronavirus pandemic. But researchers have published the first-ever peer-reviewed analysis of biological evidence taken from the Wuhan wet market. The analysis confirms that swabs from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market which closed in January 2020 and has long been linked to the start of the pandemic contained genetic material from wild animals and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2," the paper said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reiterated calls for China to share information, insisting that all hypotheses would continue to remain on the table until this happened. Data from the early days of the COVID pandemic was briefly uploaded by Chinese scientists to an international database last month. It included genetic sequences found in more than 1,000 environmental and animal samples taken in January 2020 at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan. (With Reuters inputs) A convoy of around 5,000 Wagner fighters approached Moscow by road before turning back at the last moment to avoid bloodshed". The development came mere hours after Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin declared an armed rebellion against the Vladimir Putin-led government. The group had earlier crossed through Rostov-on-Don as they marched towards the capital. In a series of video recordings released on Saturday, Prigozhin said that the "evil" of Russia's military leadership must be stopped". His Wagner mercenary force, he had said, would lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. While this march took off on Saturday evening, it was eventually halted outside of Moscow. Prigozhin announced that he had decided to turn his men back when they were just 200 kilometers from Moscow to avoid shedding Russian blood." He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from Putin's government. A source close to Russian-backed Donetsk leaders had earlier told Reuters that Wagner chief Dmitry Prigozhin had fewer than 25,000 men at his disposal in total. Of these, around 5,000 of them were in Rostov-on-Don - the southern city key to Russia's war in Ukraine that Prigozhin said he had taken control of. The unnamed source also said that the mercenary boss's plan for Moscow involved taking up positions in a densely built-up area. Meanwhile the United States and its allies held close consultations but publicly stayed on the sidelines on Saturday as officials waited to see how the armed revolt would play out. Western allies were also looking to see if the turmoil inside Russia would offer any advantages for Ukraine as it pushes on in its counteroffensive against invading Russian forces in the east and south of the country. (With inputs from agencies) Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that the country will raise 215 billion through taxes in a final attempt to meet the loan conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The minister said Pakistan was trying to fulfill all formalities needed to avail the IMF loan. Ishaq Dar said, As a result of the talks with IMF, for the fiscal year 2023-24, the final taxes of only 215 billion [approximately USD 750,400,000] have been agreed, ensuring that it will not burden the poor and middle segments of the society." Two days ago, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva appealed to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address policy disagreements among the global lender's staff before obtaining a crucial loan for economic stabilisation. The global lender has signed a deal with Pakistan to provide it USD 6 billion if it fulfils certain conditions. The plan faced multiple setbacks and the complete reimbursement is yet to be finalized due to the donor's insistence on Pakistan fulfilling all formalities. In the meeting between the IMF MD and Prime Minister Sharif, all the issues were discussed as the Pakistani government appeared to accept the IMFs views on a few budgetary numbers. Meanwhile, the Pakistani minister has also said that the country would be bringing down the expenditure, the salary hikes and pensions provided to the government employees. The details of the talks with the IMF will be made public after the loan is settled. Pakistan's efforts to unlock access to the already agreed USD 6 billion loan package are in a quagmire as the budget needs to satisfy the global lender to secure the release of more bailout money for the country's ailing economy. It is feared that Pakistan might default on external financing commitments without the active support of the IMF. Bringing good news for US visa aspirants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday informed that two new American consulates will be opened in India - Bengaluru and Ahmedabad Also highlighting the major changes the US government in planning to introduce to ease work visa rules, PM Modi said that Indian immigrants will no longer be required to visit their home country just for the sake renewing their HIB visa renewal. Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, he stated, America's new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself The move is part of a people-to-people initiative and comes after a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden. The United States authorities announced that they will introduce 'in-country' renewable H-1B visas as part of the people-to-people initiative to smoothen the process of H-1B visa renewal for several Indians who are working in the US on a H-1B visa. Meanwhile, India is going to open a new consulate in Seattle this year. Apart from this, Indian Consulates will be opened in 2 more cities in America. "Together we are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies," said PM Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday began his address to the nation on television after Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin warned Russia to oust the leadership of the Defence Ministry over its purported incompetence. He called armed rebellion by mercenary chief 'betrayal,' promises to 'defend the people' and Russia. Everyone who took up arms against the army is a traitor. Will do everything to protect Russia. Wagner chief 'betrayed' Russia out of personal ambition," Putin said while addressing the nation. He also said that Russia's fighting 'the toughest battle for its future' as mercenary chief leads an armed rebellion. Armed rebellion by Wagner chief blocked civilian, military governing bodies in the key southern city," Putin said. The chief of mercenary group Prigozhin issued his first public address from the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, which Wagner PMC now fully control. The Russian Ministry of Defence has informed Wagner fighters that they were deceived and involved in a criminal endeavor. They are advised to contact their representatives and law enforcement services for further assistance, Reuters reported. In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry urged Wagner fighters to contact its representatives and those of law enforcement services and promised to guarantee their security. Media reports stated that the Wagner Group has shot down 3 Russian helicopters so far. Mint could not independently verify the news. The group has vowed to topple the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of launching strikes on his men, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion". The Russian authorities have also tightened security measures in several regions, after the chief warning to the country. He has repeatedly also complained that the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. The mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin said on Saturday that "anti-terror" measures were being taken in the Russian capital after the chief of mercenary group Wagner vowed to bring down the country's military leadership. "In connection with the incoming information in Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken," he said. As Wagner fighters take control of military governing bodies in key Russian cities and is reportedly marching toward Moscow. In an emergency televised address on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny after rebellious mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday he had taken control of a southern city as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership . The head of the Wagner mercenary group vowed Saturday to "go to the end" to topple the Russian military leadership, whom he accused of launching strikes on his men, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion". The warning from Prigozhin looked like the biggest domestic crisis Putin faced since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. In a televised address, Putin said that "excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason", and called the mutiny a "stab in the back". "It is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to defend the Fatherland against such a threat will be harsh." "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people," Putin said in his address. Also Read: Wagner chief mutiny against Russia: Knife in the back of people, says Vladimir Putin. Top quotes Prigozhin had demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff come to see him in Rostov, a city near the Ukrainian border that he said he had seized control of. Prigozhin's Wagner militia spearheaded the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut last month, and he has for months been openly accusing Shoigu and Gerasimov of incompetence and of denying Wagner ammunition and support. On Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in the feud, saying that Putin's stated rationale for invading Ukraine 16 months ago was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass. "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine," he said, referring to Putin's justifications for the war. In one of many overnight frenzied audio messages, he had then made clear that he was moving against the army. "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance...," he said "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. A Russian security source told Reuters that Wagner fighters had also taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (310 miles) south of Moscow. Reuters could not independently confirm that assertion or many of the details provided by Prigozhin. Russia's FSB security opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for armed mutiny and said his statements were "calls for the start of an armed civil conflict on Russian territory". It added: "We urge the ... fighters not to make irreparable mistakes, to stop any forcible actions against the Russian people, not to carry out the criminal and traitorous orders of Prigozhin, to take measures to detain him." The state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that all of Russia's main security services were reporting to Putin "round the clock". Security was being tightened in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. (With inputs from Reuters) Amid the Wagner Group's direct challenge of toppling Russian military leadership and tight anti-terror measures in several regions, street cleaners in Rostov continue to complete their Saturday morning duties. The visuals of surreal sight' has been posted on social media platforms. Authorities in the regions of Rostov and Lipetsk also said security had been reinforced there, according to a report published by AFP. The mayor of Moscow said on Saturday that "anti-terror" measures were being taken in the Russian capital after the chief of mercenary group Wagner vowed to bring down the country's military leadership. "In connection with the incoming information in Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on social media. Lipetsk governor Igor Artamonov said he was in a meeting with members of the FSB security service. The FSB has launched a probe into calls to stage an "armed rebellion". Prigozhin, who has for months been mired in a feud with the defence ministry, on Friday accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes and vowed to retaliate. He also claimed his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter. "A helicopter has just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of PMC Wagner," he said. He urged Russians to join his forces and punish Moscow's military leadership in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year. Videos posted on Russian local Rostov-on-Don Telegram channels early on Saturday showed armed men in uniform skirting the city's regional police headquarters, belonging to the Interior Ministry. It was not immediately clear who the armed men were. Reuters was able to verify the location as the police headquarters building, but not to determine when the video was shot. During an air attack by Russian invaders on Saturday night in the airspace around Kyiv, air defense forces destroyed more than 20 X-101/555 missiles, head of the Kyiv city military administration Serhiy Popko said. "The eighth air attack on Kyiv in June. The enemy once again used their usual tactics - Tu-95MS strategic bombers fired X-101/555 missiles from the Caspian region. Over 20 missiles were detected and destroyed by air defense forces and means in the airspace around Kyiv," Popko wrote. According to the authorities, it is known about victims, as well as about the destruction and fire on several floors of a 24-storey building in Solomiansky district. Russia was thrown into a civil war-like situation this week as the war against Ukraine continues. The long running feud between Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian defence establishment escalated sharply on Saturday, with the mercenary group seizing a key military headquarters overseeing the conflict in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has since dubbed the rebellion a betrayal" and treason" and vowed to defend Russia. Ukraine's allies said that they were closely monitoring the situation and insisted that their support for Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky was unwavering. The latter meanwhile said that Russia's weakness is obvious". Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later," Zelensky said. Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it," he added. Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue. Our support for Ukraine and Zelensky is unwavering," EU chief Charles Michel tweeted on Saturday. Meanwhile, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu told Reuters in an email that the group was "monitoring the situation" in Russia. The UK Government's emergency Cobra committee held a meeting to discuss the situation on Saturday. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," said the British Defence Ministry in a regular intelligence update. While the Wagner chief has positioned himself as a "patriot" the Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against Prigozhin. The Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," Putin said. Officials have already announced a counter-terrorist regime" in Moscow and the surrounding region as well as in the southern Voronezh area. Security in the capital was tightened including around government buildings, and riot police were put on alert. (With inputs from agencies) Amid escalating tensions between two feuding camps involved in the Ukrainian conflict, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, has issued a threat to attack Russia's Defense Ministry. Prigozhin alleged that a missile strike orchestrated by the ministry resulted in significant casualties among his men. In response to Prigozhin's claims, the Defence Ministry categorically denied any involvement in attacking Wagner's rear camps in Russia. Late Friday, the ministry issued a statement dismissing his allegations as a "provocation." Furthermore, investigators have initiated a criminal probe against Prigozhin for allegedly inciting an armed uprising. Prigozhin took to his Telegram channel, posting a series of audio messages in which he threatened to punish" Russia's military leaders for the alleged attack and the reported loss of "tens of thousands" of Russian troops in the ongoing war. He specifically targeted Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, accusing him of orchestrating an operation to "destroy" Wagner. Also read: The Grim Life and Brutal Death of a Wagner Recruit Asserting their numbers to be 25,000 strong, Prigozhin called on others to join their cause and address the perceived lawlessness in the country. After threatening to destroy anyone who will try to resist," he declared, "this is not a military coup. This is a march for justice." No immediate indications of Wagner mobilising Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the situation involving Prigozhin and stated that "necessary measures" are being taken in response. However, there are currently no immediate indications of Wagner mobilising to carry out Prigozhin's threat, marking this incident as the most significant escalation in the ongoing power struggle between the mercenary leader and Russia's defence establishment. Prigozhin has long accused Shoigu and the Defence Ministry of neglecting the proper support of Wagner forces engaged in combat in Ukraine, particularly during the battles for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee has called on Prigozhin to cease his illegal activities, and the Federal Security Service is reportedly investigating his remarks, according to state-run Tass news service. Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin shared a video on Telegram in which he accused the Defence Ministry of deceiving the Russian people and President Putin regarding the motives behind the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He said that the war was not necessary to protect Russian citizens or to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine," but to allow a bunch of scumbags" in the Defence Ministry to earn medals and promotions. Also read: Russia LIVE Updates: Wagner chief vows will go to the end to topple military leadership (With inputs from Bloomberg) The head of the Wagner mercenary group on Saturday vowed to topple the Russian military leadership , whom he accused of launching strikes on his men, while the country's prosecutor general said he was under investigation for "armed rebellion". In an audio message, Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, said, We are going onwards and we will go to the end. We will destroy everything that stands in our way." This came as the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year. Russian authorities have tightened security measures in several regions, after the chief of the mercenary group Wagner's warning to the country. Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents. I ask everyone to stay calm," Rostov governor Vasily Golubev said on social media. What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group, officially called PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organization that operates beyond the law in Russia. It is basically a private military company and a network of mercenaries. The group was first identified in 2014 while backing pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, it was a secretive organization that was mostly operating in Africa and the Middle East. Media reports stated that the group was thought to have had about 5,000 fighters from Russia's elite regiments and special forces. However, in January, the UK Ministry of Defence informed that the Wagner Group now consists of 50,000 fighters in Ukraine and has become a key component of the Ukraine campaign, according to BBC reports. It is said that the Wagner Group was involved in Russia's capture of Bakhmut city which is situated in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. Western countries and UN experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali. Why the Wagner Group and Russia are fighting? In January this year, Prigozhin claimed full credit for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men, according to The Associated Press reports. Troops purported to be Wagner contractors in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses and accusations of failing to provide ammunition. He has also singled out Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian military leaders of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. (With inputs from agencies) After the chief of mercenary group Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to bring down Russia's military leadership, the mayor of Moscow on Saturday said that anti-terror measures were being taken in the country's capital city. On social media, Sergei Sobyanin said, In connection with the incoming information in Moscow, anti-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security are being taken." Prigozhin early Saturday claimed that his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter. "A helicopter has just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of PMC Wagner," he said in a new audio message. The Wagner group chief has earlier said that his units, which have for months spearheaded an assault in eastern Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian region of Rostov. He also added that his 25,000-strong force was "ready to die" as he vowed to topple Russia's military leadership. All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000. We are dying for the Russian people." Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? 'A businessman' In 1981, Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison. After his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the citys deputy mayor. He used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef", according to a report published by The Associated Press. Later, expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet troll factory" that led to his indictment in the US for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Wagner Group chief In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company which was first seen in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, in the weeks following Russias annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. He claimed full credit for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. The chief has repeatedly complained the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. Audacious challenger to Putin Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the Russian military conducting fighting in Ukraine. His influence on Putin was continuously growing, however, analysts warned against it. Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs said, Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family", Hindustan Times reported. He has also singled out Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian military leaders of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. The Wagner Group chief has increasingly raised his public profile, boasting almost daily about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mocking his enemies and complaining about the military brass. I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland," Prigozhin has recently said. Amid the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against some persons close to Uddhav Thackeeay's party in an alleged jumbo Covid facility scam, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief slammed the Central agency and sought a probe into the PM CARES Fund. Uddhav Thackeray also sought investigations into the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, besides seeking a probe into the functioning of the Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune civic bodies. Uddhav Thackeray was addressing his party workers when he sought a probe into the PM CARES Fund. Uddhav Thackeray also dared the government to probe the working of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) during the pandemic. He said that his party was not scared of the ED investigation. Uddhav Thackeray said, We are not scared of any probe. And when you (government) want to probe, then you also probe Thane municipal corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nagpur civic bodies." "Probe the PM CARES Fund as well. The PM CARES Fund does not come under the ambit of any investigation. Lakhs and crores of rupees were collected. Many ventilators were malfunctioning. We will also carry out a probe," the former Maharashtra chief minister said. During the week, the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at locations linked to individuals reportedly having close ties to Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray, prominent leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), as well as the central purchase department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). What is the ED investigating? The law enforcement agency conducted raids in connection with alleged irregularities in the allotment of a civic contract to a firm to operate a jumbo Covid treatment facility. ABOUT PM CARES The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was set up in 2020 as a public charitable trust with the aim of having a dedicated national fund to deal with distress related primarily to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister is the chairperson and members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister. Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on Friday that Amazon.com Inc intends to enhance its presence in India by investing an extra $15 billion. This additional investment will bring the company's total investment in various businesses in India to $26 billion by 2030, according to Jassy. According to a blog post by Amazon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEO Andy Jassy discussed several key areas during their conversation. These included the promotion of Indian startups, job creation, facilitating exports, digital transformation, and empowering individuals and small businesses to thrive in the global market. In addition to the recent investment plans of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon's cloud computing unit, which aims to invest 1.06 trillion rupees ($12.9 billion) in India by 2030, Amazon.com Inc has made another significant announcement. Interestingly, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai also revealed in a video shared on Twitter by Reuters partner ANI company that Google intends to establish a global fintech operation center in GIFT City, located in the western state of Gujarat, India. "We shared Google is investing $10 billion in the India digitization fund, and we are continuing to invest through that," Pichai stated. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, D.C., on the last day of his trip, he held meetings with top technology executives from both the United States and India. Among those present were Tim Cook from Apple, Sundar Pichai from Google, and Satya Nadella from Microsoft. Modi urged these global companies to consider manufacturing their products in India, emphasizing his "Make in India" initiative. Reuters had requested further details about Google's new center, but there was no immediate response during non-business hours. Meanwhile, Amazon is back with another sale in India, called Amazon.ins 5G Revolution Sale. With a wide range of 5G-enabled smartphones and deals, customers can avail discounts on top smartphone brands, live until 25th June 2023. Along with additional exchange bonus of up to 10,000 and up to 10% on SBI credit cards EMI transactions, customers can upgrade their smartphones and choose from a selection of latest smartphones such as OnePlus 11 5G, OnePlus 11R 5G, iQOO Z7s, iQOO Neo 7 5G, iQOO 11 5G, Samsung S23 Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 5G and Tecno Phantom V Fold 5G. After meeting Prime Minister Modi in US, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the internet giant will will set up its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat. The Indian-origin CEO said it is exciting to see the progress that the country has made, particularly around the vision of Digital India and the economic opportunity. Furthermore, he also added that the PM Modi's vision for Digital India was ahead of its time. "I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do so," Pichai said. "I met the prime minister in December, and we continued our conversation. We shared that Google is investing $10 billion in the India digitisation fund and we are continuing to invest through that, including in companies working on artificial intelligence. As part of that, we have a 100-language initiative. We are bringing bot to more Indian languages very soon," Pichai said. The ministry of external affairs in a tweet said Prime Minister Modi invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of artificial intelligence, fintech, and cybersecurity products and services, as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. They also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development, and skill development, the ministry added. In July 2020, Google had announced plans to invest $10 billion in India over next five to seven years as the search giant looks to help accelerate adoption of digital services in the key overseas market. During his visit to India in December last year, Pichai had announced that a part of the India Digitisation Fund (IDF) is increasingly focusing on startups from India and one-fourth amount of $300 million from the fund will be invested in entities that are led by women. Google had announced a collaboration with Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science to collect speech data from 773 districts across India to fine-tune its language translation and search technology. The internet major had also announced a grant of $1 million to set up India's first responsible artificial intelligence centre at IIT Madras and $1 million grant via Google.Org to Wadhwani AI towards using advanced technology for better agricultural outcomes. (With inputs from PTI) Meta ownedWhatsApp is a widely popular instant messaging platform in India. Scammers and hackers are taking advantage of this platform. Recently, it has been witnessed that WhatsApp users are being targeted by scammers who are spreading a viral hoax message on the platform. The message contains a link to download a fake version of WhatsApp called 'Pink WhatsApp.' These scammers are sending the link to numerous individuals, enticing them with the promise of a revamped WhatsApp interface and exciting new features. Recently, the Mumbai Police released a public advisory regarding a popular WhatsApp message known as 'Pink WhatsApp.' In their advisory, law enforcement officials have alerted the public about this emerging hoax circulating on the platform. They have emphasized the importance of refraining from clicking on the link or downloading the associated application. "The news about 'New Pink Look WhatsApp with extra features' which is recently doing rounds among the WhatsApp users is a hoax which can lead to hacking of your mobile through malicious software. It is not an uncommon instance to see the fraudsters come up with a variety of new tricks and ways to lure gullible users into falling into their trap to commit cyber frauds. It is for the users to be Aware, Alert, and Attentive to these kinds of frauds and remain safe and secure in the digital world," reads the advisory from Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Police have alerted the public about a deceptive WhatsApp message that is currently in circulation. This message falsely promises to provide an update that can alter the color of the WhatsApp logo, along with introducing new features for an improved user experience. However, the police have issued a warning, stating that the accompanying link is a phishing attempt. Clicking on the link can result in the user's device being compromised, leading to the theft of sensitive information or unauthorized control of the device by the scammers. Clicking on the Pink WhatsApp link, as warned by the Mumbai Police, can result in various risks and detrimental consequences for users. These risks include unauthorized access to contact numbers and saved pictures, financial losses, misuse of personal credentials, spam attacks, and even complete loss of control over mobile devices. The Free Press Journal was the first to report on this issue. To stay safe from the Pink WhatsApp scam, the police have provided some guidelines for WhatsApp users: If you have downloaded the fake app, uninstall it immediately by going to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp (pink logo) and uninstalling it. Exercise caution and avoid clicking on links from unknown sources unless you have verified their authenticity. Install or update apps only from the official Google Play Store or iOS App Store, or from legitimate websites. Refrain from forwarding any links or messages to others without proper authentication or verification. Avoid sharing personal or financial information, such as login credentials, passwords, credit or debit card details, online with anyone to prevent misuse. Stay informed and vigilant about cybercriminal activities by staying updated with the latest news and updates to protect yourself from fraud attempts. By following these precautions, users can reduce the risk of falling victim to the Pink WhatsApp scam. When Matt Tetlow, the founder of an Australian satellite company, needed an important communications subsystem, he was surprised that some American companies refused to sell him one. The reason: It was too arduous to comply with U.S. export rules. Were such a strong ally, youd think youd be able to say, Well, OK, its Australia," said Tetlow, founder of Inovor Technologies, which ultimately sourced the equipment from a European supplier. As the U.S. stitches together alliances to counter adversaries such as China, its arms-control regime relies on many regulations from the Cold War. Now, lawmakers, defense firms and U.S. allies contend that some rules that apply to the private sector are no longer fit for purpose, and want them changed. Those rules, called the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, call for the State Department to approve the export of the most sensitive defense-related equipment, services and technical data from U.S. companies to foreign entities, including corporations, governments and individuals. Some exemptions apply to universities, but they also have to comply. Supporters of revising the rules argue that cooperation among allies is stifled by an approval process that in some cases can be lengthy, and by a record-keeping and training burden that small firms and institutions often cant handle. Some worry the current rules could limit the effectiveness of Washingtons new Aukus alliance with Australia and the U.K. Australia plans to acquire American nuclear-powered submarines under the arrangement, but Aukus also envisions speedy cooperation in areas such as quantum computing and artificial intelligencetechnology that is expected to be developed in large part by researchers and the private sector, and which could play a crucial role in future warfare. Reform of export controls, particularly ITAR, must happen to meet that mandate of urgency," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D., Conn.), co-chairman of a lawmaker group that supports U.S.-Australia relations. Aukus is not a run-of-the-mill sale of military kit by a U.S. contractor." The ITAR discussion is part of a broader debate over American export controls, a previously obscure set of regulations that is now taking on new prominence as the U.S. seeks to work closer with allies and maintain a technological edge over rivals such as China. To prevent foreign adversaries from obtaining U.S. technology, U.S. officials have recently said they would more effectively police exports of dual use" itemswhich have both commercial and military applicationsthat are overseen by the Commerce Department separately from ITAR. Washington also wants to speed up approvals for foreign military sales, another process separate from ITAR that involves sales of military equipment between governments directlywhich accounts for most of the defense trade between the U.S. and Australia. The ITAR rules, which apply to components in items such as guns, missiles, lasers, aircraft and spacecraft, have been perceived to hobble Washingtons cooperation with allies in the past. In the U.K. defense industry, the rules have been blamed for generating significant delays and increasing costs, according to a 2011 study from British academics that was supported by the Naval Postgraduate School, a university in California run by the U.S. Navy. One U.K. industry representative told the researchers that after a supplier had a fire at its facility, it was better to wait for the facility to be rebuilt rather than try to get U.S. approval for an alternate supplier. Some interviewees, however, understood that export controls are needed to protect sensitive technologies, and not all viewed ITAR as a problem, the study said. People in the defense industry say ITAR licenses can sometimes take months; State Department officials say that on average, licenses are typically granted in about six weeks. Still, State Department officials acknowledge the rules can be improved. They say they are working on an interim mechanism that would generally allow for exports between Aukus countries to be preapprovedif the project falls under the scope of the allianceand on legislative changes that would create new exemptions to licensing requirements for member nations. The U.S. already exempts Canada from some of the rules, reflecting the historic closeness between the two countries. We want export controls to be able to safeguard our technology," said Mira Resnick, a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department. We also want Aukus to succeed. And for Aukus to succeed, we know that we need to be able to have much more robust, agile, flexible information sharing." Some U.S. lawmakers have already suggested legislative fixes. One bill, nicknamed the Torpedo Act, would authorize the State Department to hire more people to review defense export license requests, as well as expedite the process for exporting certain defense items to Australia and the U.K. Despite congressional support for revisions, one challenge in rewriting the rules is finding a balance between protecting sensitive technologies while also making it easier for the Aukus countries to collaborate. When you start doing major statutory or regulatory changes, you just dont know the unintended consequences," said Chris Stagg, who worked at the State Department branch that approves the export licenses and is now a Washington-based lawyer at Miller & Chevalier. For companies, the current regime of export controls is making for hard choices. While big defense contractors have the resources and expertise to navigate the export rules, this can be daunting for smaller companies. Adding to the irritation is what many in the defense industry call ITAR taint." If an ITAR-controlled component or activity is used by a foreign company, the U.S. may need to sign off on any further sales by that company of the product that contains the ITAR-regulated items. Some decide to work independent of the U.S., though that can be tough. Engineers at Black Sky Aerospace, an Australian maker of rocket motors that it says are ITAR-free," are wary of phoning people in the U.S., said James Baker, the general manager of defense and national security. That is because they worry any conversation with a U.S. citizen could inadvertently result in the export of U.S. technical data, breaching the rules, he said. Would it have been helpful to talk to some U.S. suppliers about integrating some of their technologies into our product?" Baker said. Yeah, I guess it would." Others say the entire process to get a license, including all the legal paperwork, can take a long time even for mundane requests. A few years ago, it took months for Thomas Global Systems, a company with locations in both Australia and the U.S., to be able to receive the dimensions of a seat, which it needed for a simulator that trained troops how to drive armored vehicles, said Angus Hutchinson, the companys chief executive. Collaboration between the companys U.S. and Australian teams is often not practical because of the effort and time required to apply for the licenses needed to share information, he said. One of the things we should be trying to do is really generate as much innovation as possible for the benefit of the U.S. and Australia," Hutchinson said. That innovation is being held back by what I would describe as red tape." Officials in Australia and the U.K. have said they are encouraged by efforts to revise the rules. Richard Marles, Australias defense minister, said last month that he has had productive conversations with U.S. officials about ITAR. Ben Wallace, the U.K.s defense secretary, told a parliamentary committee in November that his department spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on complying with ITAR requirements. Aukus is an opportunity for that to happen," Wallace said of easing the rules. The submersible reaches the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. Explorer and businessman Victor Vescovo descended 35,853 feet (10,927 meters) into the Pacific Ocean, breaking the record for deepest dive ever. At the very bottom, he found colorful rocky structures, weird critters and the ever-pervasive mark of humankind plastic. Until now, only two people have successfully made it to the bottom of Challenger Deep, the planet's deepest point at the southern end of the Mariana Trench. Back in 1960, oceanographer Don Walsh was the first to make it down to the trench successfully, reaching about 35,814 feet (10,916 m). He took the journey with Swiss oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard. [In Photos: James Cameron's Epic Dive to Challenger Deep] Over 50 years later, Canadian explorer and filmmaker (writer and director of movies such as "Avatar" and the "Titanic") James Cameron took the first solo dive and reached a depth of 35,787 feet (10,908 m). In the recent dive, Walsh accompanied a team up above on the ship, as Vescovo descended alone in a submersible called the DSV Limiting Factor. It took 3.5 to 4 hours to reach the record-breaking depth a flat, beige basin covered with a thick layer of silt. The team launches the submersible, DSV Limiting Factor (Image credit: Tamara Stubbs) From inside the submersible designed to withstand extreme pressures, he spent hours observing and documenting the quiet, dark alien world. It was chilly; it was quiet; and "it was so very peaceful," he told Live Science. "I was surrounded by enormous pressure, but I was safely cocooned in my technological bubble." The pressure at that depth is about 16,000 pounds per square inch, over a thousand times more than the pressure at sea level. After Vescovo's record-breaking dive, other team members took four other subsequent dives to the trench. In the depths, during those five dives, they discovered red and yellow rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits or bacterial mats, which are made by chemosynthetic microbes, meaning they can convert carbon-containing molecules into organic matter. They also observed a variety of critters. "There were some small, translucent animals," gently moving about, Vescovo said. They saw arrowtooth eels at 9,843 feet (3,000 m) and a wriggly little spoon worm (Echuria) at 22,966 feet (7,000 m). At 26,247 feet (8,000 m), they observed Mariana snailfish and supergiant amphipods (Alicella species) creatures about 20 times larger than typical amphipods. The team also found what they think are four new species of amphipods, or shell-less crustaceans. They found one 8,530 feet (2,600 m) below the surface, one 14,600 feet (4,450 m) and two at the deepest point they reached. At the deepest point, they were accompanied by some transparent bottom-dwelling sea cucumbers (Holothurians) and an amphipod called the Hirondellia gigas. Because on previous missions these amphipods have been found to have microplastics in their guts, the team collected samples to test how much. Sitting there in the deepest point of the planet, Vescovo also came across a plastic bag and candy wrappers. A robotic lander photographs anthropods and the submersible in the Mariana Trench. (Image credit: Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel) After spending hours crisscrossing the bottom of the Challenger Deep, collecting video evidence of different wildlife, geological formations and man-made objects, Vescovo stopped for a second. "Honestly, toward the end, I simply turned the thrusters off, leaned back in the cockpit and enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich while I very slowly drifted just above the bottom of the deepest place on Earth, enjoying the view and appreciating what the team had done technically," Vescovo said. "It was a very happy, peaceful moment for me." Don Walsh (left) and Victor Vescovo (right) aboard the ship, DSSV Pressure Drop. (Image credit: ReeveJolliffe) In the months leading up to this dive, the explorer reached the deepest points of the Atlantic, Southern and Indian oceans as part of the Five Deeps Expedition, which aims to reach the bottom of every ocean on the planet. The expedition is being filmed for "Deep Planet," a documentary series that will air on the Discovery Channel later this year. The submersible returns from the depths of the Mariana Trench, is pulled up onto the ship, the DSSV Pressure Drop. (Image credit: ReeveJolliffe) Originally published on Live Science. Number of dead in Solomiansky district due to night attack increases to three As a result of the fall of fragments of a cruise in Solomiansky district of Kyiv, three local residents were killed, Interior Minister of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko reports as of Saturday mmissile orning. "Three people are currently dead, eight are injured. Some 24 people were rescued by the State Emergency Service The scene is cordoned off, law enforcement officers have set up a mobile point for receiving applications from citizens. Especially they are waiting for appeals about the missing. Since there are unidentified victims, DNA analysis is needed for identification," Klymenko wrote. Rescuers and police continue to work on the spot. Rescued and relatives of the victims are provided with psychological assistance. Earlier, the local authorities reported two dead and 11 injured. As reported, as a result of a night attack by the Russian Federation in Solomiansky district, debris collapsed on a parking lot and a high-rise building, there are victims and injured, as well as damage to building structures on the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th floors of the building with fires in separate cells on the floors. Some 78 years after the UN creation, it must be stated that the Organization has exhausted its potential, the current system of international law has ceased to exist, Ukrainian diplomat, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN in 2015-2019 Volodymyr Yelchenko has said. As Yelchenko emphasized during a press conference "Russia's illegal presence in UN: Problem and its solution" at Interfax-Ukraine, the UN "at least has exhausted its potential and cannot respond to the challenges posed by the events not only in Ukraine and Russian aggression against Ukraine, but also in many other parts of the world." "You can recall the UN as such, but the fact is that the UN is, let's say, two components. On the one hand, when we are dissatisfied with the UN work, we often mean such a slow and passive attitude, or the work of the UN secretariat or staff. And all over the world, together with local staff, there are more than 40,000, of which 5,000-6,000 work mediocrely in the secretariats in New York, Geneva, Paris, Vienna and so on. And about 100,000 more so-called UN peacekeepers, that is, the personnel of those peacekeeping operations that are scattered around the world," he said. At the same time, Yelchenko explained that on the other side of the UN, these are 193 member countries, including Ukraine, which actually make the decisions on which all the work of the further organization is based and the actions that this organization can take. "I'm leading to the fact that, in fact, 77 or almost 78 years after the UN creation with the signing of the charter of this organization in 1945, well, it must be stated that the UN has exhausted its potential," the diplomat said. He explained that the system of collective security in the world was built over 70 years and was based on the UN Charter. "But no one in 1945, well, perhaps, except Stalin, could imagine in a nightmare that one of the five states that were endowed with this charter with permanent membership of the UN Security Council, including the right of veto, would itself begin to violate the same principles under which he signed," Yelchenko said. He also stressed that no one could also assume that this country would be the Russian Federation, which "actually appropriated the place of the Soviet Union in December 1991 groundlessly and illegally." "And every lawyer can easily prove this to you. Simply by changing the signs: instead of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation," the diplomat assured. He also added that "few people know that even the State Duma of the Russian Federation did not bother to ratify the UN charter, the only country out of 193." According to Yelchenko, the current system of international law has also ceased to exist. "This system does not work, which means that the world has actually found itself in such a dead end, because everything that has been developing and evolving for 100-150 years before, is not able to resolve the conflicts that continue in the world today," he said. Yelchenko believes that the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine should end with a Ukrainian victory and the restructuring of the entire system that exists today. "Either the creation of a completely new international organization, or a total reform of the UN, which I do not believe in at all. Because I spent more than half of my 40 years of diplomatic service within the walls of this organization and I am completely convinced that the organization is not subject to any reform," the diplomat said. This is how you can donate and who to call if you or someone you know needs help. The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorneys Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday that two men accused of murdering a man at a Rossville home last year have been convicted, and another man plead guilty. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Kyslytsya at UN Security Council: we urge intl community to take seriously threat of nuclear terror by Russia at ZNPP During a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsya called on the international community to take seriously the threat of an act of nuclear terror by the Russian Federation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and increase pressure on the aggressor country. "It is a matter of alarm that according to intelligence information, russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant with radiation leakage. The dam explosion has made it clear that Russia is ready to apply a scorched-earth tactic in response to the deteriorating military situation on the ground in the captured lands they doubt they can hold. We therefore urge the international community to take the threat of this act of nuclear terror seriously and to step up pressure on the Russian federation to prevent these menacing developments, including but not limited to introducing strengthened restrictive measures against the Russian nuclear industry and military-industrial complex," Kyslytsya said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday evening. He also noted that Ukraine is waiting for an objective assessment of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi regarding the criminal actions of Russia. "Only strong and adequate steps aimed at reducing Moscow's capabilities to inflict harm regionally and globally will contribute to resolving the crisis created by Russia," Kyslytsya said. "Appeasement options, such as territorial concessions to Russia and temporary freezing of the conflict, will only serve as delayed-action mines, with the detonator in the hands of the Kremlin," the permanent representative said. "Any terrorist act aims at intimidating and generating fear. This is precisely how the Kremlin regime attempts to achieve its aggressive goals. Russia has heavily fortified the occupied Ukrainian territory, but it does not believe in its fortification structures or its own troops' resilience," he said. "That is why Russia blew up the dam and mined Zaporizhia NPP to intimidate the international community. That is why it fills its own army with convicted criminals and deploys blocking units behind the Russian positions, tasking them to give soldiers in the first line of defence no escape from combat," Kyslytsya said. The permanent representative noted that Ukrainian soldiers continue to move forward and repel Russian attacks. "Ukraine will liberate all its territories and it will take as long as necessary, because we value the lives of our soldiers and civilians and do not apply the strategy of human wave attacks and total destruction of civilian infrastructure," Kyslytsya said. A Longford professor was among thirty-seven academics, professionals, students and Irish speakers who were presented with Fulbright Scholarships at a recent ceremony in the US Ambassadors residence. Professor Corina Naughton, daughter of Sean and Bernadette Naughton, Rathvaldron, Edgeworthstown, Longford, is Professor of Clinical Nursing in Older Persons Healthcare working between University College Cork and Health Service Executive South/South West Hospital Group. As a Fulbright-HRB Health Impact Scholar at the University of California, she will research and collaborate with experts and her goal will be to improve the quality and dignity of care for older people across healthcare settings. Trailblazing Professor Naughton grew up in the parish of Ardagh. One of seven children (her siblings are Cyril, Bernadette, Caroline, Anita, John and Fionnuala), she attended Glen National School and received her secondary education at Mean Scoil Mhuire in Longford town. Prof Naughton studied nursing at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Galway. Most of her nursing career was spent in London at Guys and St Thomas Hospital and she was a senior lecturer in King's College London. Her clinical professor role is a joint appointment between the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM), University College Cork and the Health Service Executive South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) and is the first such appointment in Irish nursing. Prof Naughtons research and education interests focus on evidence translation on topics including implementation of frailty and dementia pathways, fundamental care (mobilisation, nutrition and cognition), advance care planning and community integrated services. In a year that saw American President Biden visit Ireland, the 37 Irish Fulbright awardees will head to the U.S. to exchange ideas and knowledge and serve as cultural ambassadors. By doing so they strengthen connections between the U.S. and Ireland to foster much needed understanding and empathy in todays increasingly polarised world. The Fulbright Programme in Ireland was established in 1957 and since its formation, over 2,500 postgraduate students, scholars, professionals, and teachers across all disciplines have participated in the program between the U.S. and Ireland. Congratulating the Irish Fulbright Awardees of 2023-2024, Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and at the Department of Education, Thomas Byrne TD said, Fulbrighters, past and present, are a testament to the best traditions of academic and cultural exchange, and have an outstanding record in representing Ireland. U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Ireland, Mike Clausen outlined that The Fulbright Programme plays a crucial role in sustaining and advancing the unique and close relationship between the United States and Ireland. He added, Fulbright awardees exchange research, knowledge, ideas, and culture and contribute to solving important global problems. The next round of applications for Fulbright Irish Awards will open on August 28, 2023. Interested candidates should visit www.fulbright.ie for more information. Food, Wine, & Dining, Local News, Business & Finance By Long Island Published: June 24 2023 When I get better I am going to be there for others, he said. Its a promise he has kept and continues to keep over and over again. Hitting the lotto is usually a good thing but as Executive Chef Michael Landesberg puts it, when he found out he had a rare form of male breast cancer, the news was as devastating as it was unlikely. I literally hit the breast cancer jackpot, Landesberg wrote in his survivor story. While quarantining during Covid, the then 46-year-old found a lump that turned out to be a very unusual case. As he put it, the chances of a male getting breast cancer are 1 in 1000 and the chances of a male being HER2+ (the type of cancer he was diagnosed with) are just 5%. And they also find out that these numbers generally coincide with people over the age of 60, Landesberg said. The prognosis was not good. I was given a year to live, he told us in a recent phone interview. That was 2020. Three years later, Landesberg is cancer free and doing well. I got very lucky, he said. Landesberg also made a pledge. When I get better I am going to be there for others, he said. Its a promise he has kept and continues to keep over and over again. Landesbergs Facebook page is filled with examples of his generosity and kindness, something that he says is viral. Courtesy is contagious, he says. Its kind of my catchphrase. Landesberg has been the executive chef and general manager at Jackson Hall in East Islip for two years now. With 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry, he knows the pleasure that a good meal gives to people and part of his repertoire now is providing opportunities to pay it forward. When hes not in the kitchen hes out and about patronizing other restaurants across Long Island, writing up reviews and sharing his message. Recently, Landesberg went to a new restaurant near him called Nice Day Chinese Food and wrote up a review that he shared on the popular Facebook foodie group, Long Island Food & Drink. The former home of Wongs noodle town in Plainview New York is now the home of nice day, Chinese, which is serving up, house made Dim Sum along with some other specialty dishes that you would have to drive to Flushing for, he wrote. Because of that post, Angelo Mylonas, the owner of Greek Cove restaurants with a number of locations in Nassau County tried out the new Chinese food spot. He liked it and mentioned the review Landesberg gave them. As he tells it, before this, Landesberg and Mylonas had never met each other but coincidentally, they met up the next day at Restaurant Depot. This guy Angelo says I follow you on Facebook and because of what you did the owner at the Chinese restaurant comped my meal, Landesberg said. And she says tell Michael I want to meet him. But Mylonas didnt want a free meal so he handed Landesberg a fifty dollar bill and told him to pay it forward. Landesberg posted about the exchange on Facebook. Why am I holding a $50.00 bill? he asks in the post. Angelo got me in the parking lot this morning and gave me a $50 bill and told me that he wants to pay it forward and buy someone a gift card to Jackson Hall American Bar & Grille. And thats exactly what Landesberg plans to do. On Saturday night, hes going to raffle off a $50 gift certificate to anyone who has a reservation at Jackson Hall that night. Landesberg often posts these types of encounters on Facebook. Its really been catching on, he said It shows the camaraderie in the restaurant industry. One time, the owner of Popeis Clam Bar in Bethpage said he wanted to get in on it and gave away gift certificates to his place, inspired by Landesberg. Jackson Hall is very busy, according to Landesberg, and he wants to use that success to continue to pay it forward any way he can. Weve been very fortunate, said Landesberg. So his goal is to help other restaurants and do good for the industry as a whole. The Philippines and France expressed full commitment to deepening economic cooperation, trade and investment during the 10th Joint Economic Committee meeting on June 20, 2023. French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht handed over three letters of intent to the visiting Philippine trade delegation to expand bilateral cooperation on several areas of interests and follow-up on commitments on trade and investments deliverables on air transport service, infrastructure, agriculture and energy. From left: French Treasury Deputy Director Denis Le Fers, DTI Secretary Fred Pascual, French Foreign Trade Minister Olivier Becht and DTI Assistant Secretary Allan Gepty Among the agreements signed during the JEC are two separate memoranda of understanding between the National Power Corp. and the Mindanao Development Authority with Hydrogene de France to facilitate the development of renewable energy and hydrogen power plants in the Philippines, the first project of its kind to be undertaken in Southeast Asia. Both countries agreed to step up cooperation on ongoing projects such as the commitment of OCEA, a French company, to invest P1.5 billion in a shipyard facility in the Philippines; a technical cooperation on maritime safety through the placement of a French marine expert in Manila; and cooperation on nuclear energy through an upcoming study mission. The Philippines also expressed its continued interest to explore space technology cooperation with the Centre National DEtudes Spatiales, the French Space Agency. On aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reaffirmed the Philippines commitment to the MOU signed with Direction Generale de lAviation Civile or the French Civil Aviation Authority, as both sides welcomed the ongoing discussion with Thales on air traffic management. Discussions on transportation and related matters touched on the existing ventures of French companies, such as Colas Rail, Alstom, Thales and Egis on the Metro Manila Subway and North-South Commuter Railway projects, as well as the status of projects on bus rapid transit, train signaling systems and urban cable car. France offered to support the development of the Philippines dairy industry, which includes a possible deployment of a French dairy expert to the Philippines. France also shared best practices to containment measures of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza through zoning and vaccination. The Philippines and France are both open to possible future partnerships in electronics, in support of the existing linkages such as the MOU between the ACSIEL Alliance Electronique and Semiconductor & Electronics Industries in the Philippines. Another area for potential collaboration is nickel processing, with the Philippines rich nickel deposits and the French territory of New Caledonia as a major supplier of processed nickel for battery manufacturers with significant nickel resources. France, a global leader in electric vehicle manufacturing, can engage the Philippines for a deeper cooperation on sustainable minerals processing. Total trade between the Philippines and France grew 23 percent to $1.8 billion in 2022 from $1.5 billion in 2021. Philippine exports to France were up by nearly 50 percent to $756 million from $514 million. Top Philippine exports included electronics products, spectacle lenses, parts of airplanes, desiccated coconuts and semiconductor devices. French exports increased 9 percent to $1 billion in 2022 from $990 million in 2021. Airplanes, medicaments, electronics, handbags, and meat products top the list of preferred export products from France. France continues to be one Philippines top sources of foreign investments from the EU, contributing P6.7 billion in investments from 2017 to 2022, with stakes in manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning, supply; wholesale and retail trade; transportation and storage; information and communication; and administrative and support service activities. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. A dictators daughter, a former first lady and a UN diplomat lead the pack of 22 candidates vying for the Guatemalan presidency in elections Sunday that will likely lead to a runoff in August. AFP takes a look at the frontrunners all three of whom oppose the legalization of gay marriage and abortion in a staunchly Catholic country. Sandra Torres Torres, 67, placed second in Guatemalas last two elections, in 2019 and 2015. She is the ex-wife of deceased leftist former president Alvaro Colom, arrested for fraud in a case that never went to trial. Torres herself was detained in 2019 on charges of illicit campaign funding, but the case was dropped last year. From the same center-left National Unity of Hope party as Colom the largest in Congress this is Torress fourth shot at the presidency. She had first sought to run in 2011, divorcing Colom as he was still in office to bypass a constitutional disqualification for close relatives of presidents. Her candidacy was rejected nevertheless. In her latest campaign, Torress focus has been on high levels of violent crime, a major voter concern. She has praised the tactics of Nayib Bukele of neighboring El Salvador in his controversial war on gangs, with mass arrests earning him adoration from crime-weary citizens but sparking concerns over rights violations. She has promised help for the poor in the form of feeding and educational programs. Torres, who hails from northern Guatemala, earned a degree in communication science and ran a textile business before entering politics. In 2002 she divorced her first husband, with whom she has four children, marrying Colom in 2003. Torres is a woman of leadership, character and determination, according to her campaign manager Adim Maldonado. Congressman Oscar Argueta, a former ally, told AFP Torres was hard-working and tenacious but quick to discard people once they are no longer useful to her. Edmond Mulet Lawyer and diplomat Mulet, 72, is running his second presidential campaign. He came third in 2019. He is a fierce critic of the government of conservative Alejandro Giammattei, on whose watch anti-graft prosecutors and critical journalists have been detained or gone into exile, raising international concern. We are slowly sliding into an authoritarian model, Mulet told AFP this month. He represents the centrist Cabal party he founded in 2020. It has no seats in parliament. His platform includes proposals for a universal pension, free medicines, expanded access to the internet, and youth unemployment projects. Mulet also wants to shrink government and fight corruption. Unlike Rios and Torres, he is critical of Bukeles approach to violent crime, a problem he said at a campaign rally Thursday he would tackle with a heightened security deployment of at least 18 months. Born in Guatemala City, Mulet worked as a journalist before embarking on a political career. In 1992, he was president of Guatemalas congress, then served as ambassador to the United States and the European Union. At the United Nations, he was assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations and chief of staff to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He had also led the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, where he once claimed to have eradicated extortion, the bandits though the country remains mired in violence today. In 1981, Mulet was arrested, but never convicted, for allegedly aiding the illegal fast-tracking of adoptions of children left orphaned by Guatemalas civil war. He insists his actions were lawful and he meant only to help. An ally in Mulets 2019 campaign in which he came third lawmaker Estuardo Rodriguez, told AFP of the candidate: He is tactful, but his hand does not shake when action is needed. Mulet is married and has two children. Zury Rios It is also the fourth shot at the presidency for Rios, 55. Her father was dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1982, ruling Guatemala with an iron fist for just over a year until he himself was overthrown. In 2019, Rios was second in opinion polls but excluded from running due to a constitutional ban on candidates with blood ties to coup leaders. She had been allowed to run in 2015, when she came fifth. The ban still stands, but is interpreted by Guatemalas electoral tribunal on a case-by-case basis. Representing a coalition of two right-wing parties, Rios has vowed to reintroduce the death penalty. In her final campaign address Thursday, she vowed to put God at the center of any government she leads. Also from the capital, she served as a lawmaker from 1996 to 2012. She is married to US businessman Gregory Charles Smith, and has a daughter with a former US Congressman. In 2003, Rios was linked to violent protests, in which a journalist died, to pressure the courts to allow her father to stand as a presidential candidate. He came third. Rios has a capacity for work and a deep knowledge of the State, said lawyer Ricardo Mendez Ruiz, the leader of a right-wing anti-terrorism foundation that backs her candidacy. But former President Alfonso Portillo (2000-2004) describes her as someone driven by power for powers sake. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. After the Russian occupiers undermined the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Kherson region, the number of appeals to the Tracing Service of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) from residents of the occupied territories of the region increased. "Currently, about 50 cases have been opened in the Tracing Service of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society only at the request of citizens living both in Kherson region and those who were forced to leave their parental home and evacuate to other regions. Due to the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, requests to search for relatives began to come more often regarding the loss of ties (with relatives) in the territory of Kherson region, which is not controlled by the government of Ukraine," the URCS wrote on Facebook. The URCS tracing service promptly processes all received applications and, for further searches, reports information about the missing to its partner in the search - the International Committee of the Red Cross. The URCS noted that even during the occupation by Russia, the Kherson regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society accepted requests both from families whose relatives were illegally detained, deported or disappeared in the occupied territory, and from families from other regions whose relatives disappeared during the hostilities in Kherson region. The regional organization forwarded all requests to the main office of the Tracing Service of the URCS when it was possible to establish a connection. SPRINGFIELD The lazy days of summer routinely push auto theft detectives into high gear. And this year, TikTok isnt helping. Police say a dangerous challenge on the social media platform has spurred teens across the country many not old enough to drive legally to steal certain models of Hyundais and Kias with the smash of a window and a USB cord. This city of Springfield is no exception, according to police data. Since June 1, police received 49 reports of Hyundais and Kias broken into or stolen. Springfield police spokesman Ryan Walsh said officers have arrested 10 juveniles in connection with thefts, including three 14-year-olds, four 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old. On June 15, police arrested two boys from Chicopee, 14 and 15, after spotting a Hyundai speeding and driving erratically down Dickinson Street a residential street in the Forest Park neighborhood. When police began to tail them, five occupants bolted from the car. A window had been shattered and the steering column damaged, Walsh said. The car had been reported stolen in Holyoke that day. Springfield Police Sgt. Donald Denault heads a unit charged with recovering stolen cars. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) The pair apprehended were arrested just before 9 p.m. that night. Sgt. Donald Denault, head of the auto theft, burglary and housebreak units, said many of these arrests occur in the wee hours of the night. These are 13- and 14-year-olds who dont even know how to drive speeding around in these stolen cars, Denault said. And if they see blue lights appear behind them, they always try to speed away. Theyre in a very powerful machine and they cant handle it. Summertime is already a high-risk time for young car thieves because theyre out of school and often looking for things to do even risky things to quell boredom, the detective said. Denault said he and the three detectives who work exclusively on car break-ins and car thefts began seeing a significant uptick in stolen Hyundais and Kias over the winter, even before they were aware of the TikTok trend. Dozens of stolen Hyundais and Kias land monthly at a tow yard in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Soon enough though, they noted a youth on their watch list, a repeat car thief, posted the video to his YouTube channel. Thieves target certain makes and models of 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai vehicles that use a mechanical key, not a key fob and push-button to start the car. The robbers use a USB cord to hot-wire the car, according to police. Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood says owners of Hyundai or Kia vehicles should use a steering wheel locking device to deter theft. Even if your vehicle received the proper security fix or didnt need one in the first place, these thieves continue to attempt to steal these makes of cars, she said. The suspects our officers and detectives are apprehending are all juveniles and the risks they are taking once they steal a car are becoming more and more brazen. From left, Sgt. Donald Denault and detectives Daniel Leon, James D'Amour and Darrin Edwards outside police headquarters in Springfield. All are members of the department's auto theft unit. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) Denault said a normal summertime rise in auto thefts, and now the vexing TikTok fad, put pressure on three detectives who he says already handle an astronomical amount of work. Walsh said the department has averaged 523 stolen car reports per year over the past three years. The social media trend will push those numbers to new heights. Denault said he has appealed to the court system, and even knocked on doors of repeat youth offenders to talk to their parents. The family of an Everett teen struck by a car last week and now in a medically induced coma filed a civil lawsuit against the man facing criminal charges after the crash. Milena Tene, 14, was walking in a parking lot with her father, Tedd Bimbo, in Chelsea on Sunday, June 18, when a driver struck Tene and left her severely injured. Tene is now in a medically induced coma, according to a statement by Morgan & Morgan, a law firm representing Tenes family. Authorities will continue searching for an East Longmeadow man whose canoe capsized on Wednesday after efforts were unsuccessful on Saturday. Divers and a marine crew searched Pequot Pond at Hampton Ponds State Park in Westfield for several hours, according to a statement by Massachusetts State Police. The unidentified man was with two other men in the canoe when it capsized Wednesday night, police previously said. Both of the men made it to the pond shore, and one man was taken by Westfield firefighters to a local hospital with minor injuries. Read more: East Longmeadow man missing at Hampton Ponds not found in Friday search Officials said one man didnt come back up after the canoe capsized. Authorities identified the missing canoer as an East Longmeadow man but did not release his name. Marine crews searched the bottom of the pond but were unable to use sonar technology due to the heavy vegetation, police said. Massachusetts State Police were joined by the state Environmental Police and Westfield Fire Department in search efforts on Saturday. Search efforts will continue periodically in upcoming days by local departments and state agencies will return if there are developments in the search. In an attempt to bring attention to histories and voices rarely heard in Greenfield, The LAVA Center, a community arts space in Greenfield, is opening a new humanities gallery exhibit entitled Black Families of Greenfield: A Brief Historical Snapshot. These are people who may have gone at least some of them may have gone quite unnoticed and that folks today in Greenfield probably know little of their history, said Carol Aleman, president of the Board of the Historical Society of Greenfield and curator and researcher of the exhibit. Read more: Northampton Open Media and Northampton High School wins regional Emmy The exhibit, which will open on July 7 from 6-8 p.m and run through August, focuses on giving the public a history of African-American families in Greenfield and shows their contributions to fields such as music, sports, business and military service. Were looking to incubate the voices of people not often heard in humanities and artists way and theres all these different genres, said Lindy Whiton, LAVA Centers Board vice president and staff member. A previous exhibit held at the community arts space was entitled No Somos Maquinas (We Are Not Machines): Farmworker Resistance in the Connecticut River Valley, which was curated by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and The LAVA Center. Whiton said the center will be showcasing an exhibit in November or December on the oral histories of immigrant farmworkers in the valley. Each exhibit on the humanities gallery wall is displayed for two months. A reception for an exhibit by Maria Sparrow in 2021 at The LAVA Center. Aleman said she has been working on compiling Black family histories since 2019, a project after retirement and an interest of hers because of her close relationships with her ex-husbands family, who are Black. Aleman has been working on hundreds of family stories, interviewing family members and Greenfield residents as well as compiling research at the Historical Society of Greenfield and looking into newspaper articles and other history sites. The exhibit will only feature between three to five families. I consider these folks Im sharing with as really members of my team, Aleman said, referring to the individuals she has interviewed and collaborated with. The exhibit will display photographs, text and documents like newspaper clippings on the gallery wall. Its been probably the single most important thing Ive done in my life and I plan to continue, Aleman said. I feel theres so much out there still waiting to be discovered. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed harsh punishment for the organizers of an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city. Putin denounced the uprising as a stab in the back in an address to the nation. It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also rolled into Russias Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population, said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. He did not elaborate, As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his speech, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhins private army, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals werent immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. Russian servicemen guard an area standing in front of a tank in a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Russia's security services have responded to mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP)AP This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didnt kill a single person on our way, Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest after he declared the armed rebellion late Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP)AP Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said Wagners forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putins every word. We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman, Kadyrov said. The mutiny needs to be suppressed. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain unity. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Prigozhins actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defense Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled. At one club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. The search and rescue efforts of the Titan submersible cost the U.S. government about $1.2 million, according to an initial estimate by The Washington Post. The initial estimate was based on a defense budget experts analysis of the U.S. Coast Guards efforts to recover a submersible that lost contact within two hours of its journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic on the ocean floor and resulted in the destruction of the Titan sub. The full cost could surpass the initial estimate, according to Mark Cancian, the senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who created the estimate for The Post. The initial estimate by The Post is based on total expenditure, including fuel, maintenance and the personnel believed to be involved. Cancian, the expert who estimated the cost, said its a conservative figure and that its based on whats been publicly disclosed about the assets involved and the amount of time they were likely at work. The rescue operations drew upon funds already available to the Defense Department, a Pentagon spokesman told The Post. So those are hours that already have been paid for, Brig. Gen Patrick Ryder told The Post. Cancian said that there could be unexpected costs for the rescue mission since personnel and equipment were used in an unplanned way. Youre diverting activities from what was planned to do something else, he said. The Coard Guard District 1 in Boston, the agency responsible for the operation last week, did not provide The Post with a complete list of assets that responded, but the outlet reported that the Navy did not dispatch any ships or aircraft and the Air Force used several aircraft. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, center at microphone, faces reporters during a news conference, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at Coast Guard Base Boston, in Boston. The U.S. Coast Guard says sounds and banging noises have been heard from the search area for Titanic submersible. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP The analysis by The Post did not include the costs of employed private companies and research vessels with remotely operated vehicles, one of which ultimately found the Titans debris. It remains unclear if the U.S. government will pay those companies, but it is possible if the Department of Defense put them under contract, according to the Post. Efforts to locate the missing sub began Sunday and ended on Friday when officials found debris from the 21-foot vessel as a result of what officials called a likely catastrophic loss of pressure chamber or implosion of the Titan. Five people were aboard the vessel when it went missing, including a pilot, a renowned British adventurer, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert. Their names are Hamish Harding, the owner and chairman of Action Aviation, ex-Navy officer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush. This photo combo shows from left, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Stockton Rush, and Hamish Harding are facing critical danger aboard a small submersible that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean. (AP Photo/File)AP Photo/File OceanGate, the company that owned Titan, will not be responsible for reimbursing the government, The Post reported. The Posts estimated cost did not include how much the Canadian government spent on its rescue efforts, but the report noted that it appeared to have deployed more assets than the U.S. EU head on situation in Russia: It is obviously internal issue of Russia President of the European Council Charles Michel called the recent events in Russia an "internal issue" and assured of Ukraine's unwavering support. "Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue. Our support for Ukraine and President Zelenskyy is unwavering," he said on Twitter on Saturday. SPRINGFIELD Parents who fear losing their food stamps or who just got an eviction notice might not be in the mood or even able to sit with a child and read a book. It seems quite obvious, said Dawn DiStefano, president and CEO of Square One, a Springfield agency that focuses on early childhood development. They are just two very different emotional states. We need to take parents out of perpetual crisis. Square One is working with The Childrens Trust in Boston on a new financial support program specifically designed to assist young, first-time parents in Massachusetts. This month, the program began providing monetary assistance to parents enrolled in the Childrens Trusts Healthy Families program in Springfield. Healthy Families assigns first-time parents who are young themselves 23 and under a home visitor during pregnancy and the first three years of the childs life. Participating families receive $500 per month for the first 15 months, then three additional monthly payments of $550, $650, and $750, respectively, for a total of 18 months, the Trust said. Springfield is one of the largest Healthy Families programs contracted to serve 308 families a year in a territory that stretches from Westfield to Palmer, DiStefano said. As of now, 65 families are enrolled in the pilot. Funding is available for as many as 100 families, The Childrens Trust said. Women who enroll in the financial assistance program while pregnant will receive a lower monthly stipend of $100. Upon the babys birth, parents are eligible to receive regular monthly payments to help support the transition to parenting and the babys first months. The goal, according to the Trust, is to eliminate maltreatment, abuse and neglect by reducing stress. DiStefano said the money is loaded on cards which cant be used at inappropriate retailers but can be used at groceries and big-box stores or grocery markets. The Childrens Trust said it measures outcomes for families enrolled in the program through a partnership with Tufts University. The trust will be be able to compare outcomes from families in Springfield, who have access to the financial assistance program, to families in other Healthy Families programs across Massachusetts. DiStefano said the home visitors will monitor what happens when parents are better able to engage with their babies. Instead of talking about rent or groceries, they will be able to play with their baby, or brainstorm fun things to do that will further development goals, DiStefano said. SPRINGFIELD Tainted Springfield police officer Gregg A. Bigda accuses the mayor and police superintendent of conspiring to threaten, intimidate and coerce him into resigning from his job. Bigda is the former narcotics detective charged then acquitted on federal charges linked to his threatening and harassment of two juveniles who stole an undercover police car left running outside a pizza shop in 2016. The harassment was caught on video in the lock-up at the police station in Palmer, where a high-speed pursuit ended. The same year, he clashed with an ex-girlfriend, also a police officer. A lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court seeks unspecified damages for alleged violations of Bigdas civil rights, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy and other counts. It names the city, police superintendent and mayor as defendants. Bigda was suspended without pay from 2018 to 2021, when he was cleared by a jury in December 2021 of all federal criminal charges. Earlier, he had agreed to serve a 60-day unpaid suspension for his conduct in Palmer. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said after the acquittal in late 2021 that Bigda had no place on the police force. Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood has taken steps to prevent him from rejoining the force. Mayor Sarnos December 13 [2021] statement was meant to send a message to Superintendent Clapprood that she should not reinstate the Plaintiff to the Springfield Police Department with no restrictions, the complaint says. After his acquittal, Bigdas pay resumed, but he has not returned to active duty. Lawsuits allegations The lawsuit alleges Sarno, Clapprood and others in city government took unfair steps to force Bigda into early retirement or resignation including tactics such as rescinding mandatory CPR training required for recertification by the states Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. The suit claims officials attempted to back door a firing by calling Bigda before the citys Board of Police Commissioners earlier this month. The action alleges that step was premature because Bigda has other legal options ahead of him. 5 1 / 5 The city of Springfield addresses Department of Justice report Despite the former detectives acquittal in December 2021, he has been denied a job even on inside duty. State law mandates that an officer be reinstated with back pay if cleared of criminal charges. Bigda has received an undetermined amount of back pay, police have said. City Solicitor and retired District Court Judge John Payne said he finds it ironic that Bigda is alleging coercion and intimidation, when among his most infamous quotes from his rant at the juveniles in Palmer in 2016 was that he would plant a kilo of coke on one and bloody the body of another. Someone who is in large part the cause of the U.S. Department of Justice coming into the city, resulting in the expenditures of enormous amounts of time by the police department, law department and this administration along with the inherent costs would file a complaint alleging these sort of things I just think thats just beyond the pale, Payne said when he learned of the lawsuit. Moral character issue The complaint says Bigda was registered to attend mandatory training in November 2022, but his spot was canceled by the department without explanation. It also alleges they sent his initial notice of decertification by the POST Commission to the wrong address the same year and he didnt learn of his status until March of this year when a story appeared on MassLive.com. Clapprood sent a notice to the commission last year stating Bigda lacked the good moral character to be a police officer. POST Commission Executive Director Enrique Zuniga heard an appeal by Bigda on April 20 and ruled that he supported Clapproods position and moved to support Bigdas decertification in a decision dated May 31. The Republican obtained a copy of that decision earlier this week. Springfield mayor Domenic J. Sarno on Friday, Jun. 16, 2023 voices his frustration about the increase of repeat violent criminal offenders being rearrested by the Springfield Police Department. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) In a statement this week, after Zunigas report became public, Sarno joined the chorus relative to Bigdas alleged character. The POST Commission has issued a decision that determined that Mr. Bigda is not of good moral character to be certified as a police officer in the Commonwealth. I concur with the decision, the mayor said. After Zuniga issued his decision, city officials apparently believed it was enough to bring Bigda before the Board of Police Commissioners to cast an official vote on whether the officer should remain on the payroll or be fired. Bigda and his attorneys did appear but no action was taken. Bigda attorney Donald C. Keavany Jr. said his client still has many avenues to appeal and that Zunigas decision was not final, and the city knew it. The Superintendent, Mayor Sarno and the City knew that the May 31 determination by the Executive Director was not a final decision but conspired together to schedule a hearing before the Board of Police Commissioners to continue their campaign to harass and inflict harm upon the Plaintiff, Keavany wrote in the lawsuit. As a result of Mayor Sarnos unlawful conduct, the Plaintiff has suffered fear, stress, anxiety, severe emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, injury to his reputation, loss of employment privileges, loss of income and other damages, the complaint says, adding that Clapprood is equally as culpable. Payne argues that despite Bigdas acquittal, his actions harmed the department and the city. The fact that he was found not guilty at trial does not diminish or mitigate the actions he took in Palmer, Payne said. The citys top lawyer also said Bigda could have opted to retire at any time throughout the saga. Payne said if Bigda exhausts all his appeals and is decertified, he loses his pension. If POST finally decides to decertify him, he loses all of that. And thats on him. Thats not on the city. Thats not on the mayor and its not on the superintendent, Payne said. He has made these decisions, just as he made the decisions he did while in power. Whatever past and future juries decide, it is beyond debate that detective Gregg A. Bigda is responsible for eroding public confidence in Springfield policing. He damaged it in 2016, when he swaggered into holding cells in Palmer and threatened to beat two teenagers he believed had stolen an undercover police car. Years later, Bigda would say he was at the end of a 24-hour shift, was tired and didnt mean it when he informed one of the Latino teens he could charge him with killing Kennedy and make it stick. In one cell, he said a kid would be lucky to live out the day and suggested that if he did, the entire Springfield police force would in time make him pay. Not only do you have to survive tonight, which is questionable, but you live in Springfield, dont you? How do you think thats going to be for you for the rest of your life. A surveillance video on YouTube with more than 234,0000 views captured it all the expletives, the threats, the bias, the hatred. I could f---ing crush your skull and get away with it, Bigda said. Its been a long time since that night in February. The pandemic was four years away, as was the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Legislative reforms that followed Floyds murder took root across the country. In Massachusetts, they gave birth to an oversight board that in late May, seven years and three months after Bigdas ugly performance in Palmer, determined he is unfit to return to duty. In a 21-page decision called In the Matter of Gregg Bigda, the executive director of the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission said that while parts of Bigdas work record pass muster, that service is outweighed by the seriousness of [his] conduct and the effects of his conduct. The law creating the commission gave it the power, and duty, to consider an officers moral fitness to serve. Bigdas conduct in Palmer alone, the commissions Enrique Zuniga wrote May 31, renders him unfit. Zuniga found that despite Bigdas acquittal in 2021, the detectives egregious interrogation of the teens a peace officer being anything but that shows he lacks the good moral character officers must possess. The juveniles in the Palmer incidents could have been so intimidated that they confessed purely out of fear and ended up in confinement as a result, Zuniga wrote. And even if that did not occur there, it could occur in a future case perhaps with a suspect who is innocent. On Friday, Bigda went on the offensive. He brought a civil suit in U.S. District Court in Springfield that accuses the city, its mayor and police superintendent of orchestrating a campaign to unfairly deprive him of his job and pension. Legally, Bigda has won some and lost some. A federal jury in late 2021 declined to hold him responsible for in effect telling one of the juveniles in Palmer he was the sheriff and the child was dust under his boot. Or, to quote again from Bigdas holding cell hollering, perhaps something more violent. Bigda had pointed to his boot while interrogating a teen with the initials J.T., who may have known that a companion had been taken to a hospital: Look at that thats his blood, Bigda said. Bigda had cautioned one of the boys that when they crossed the city line on a ride back to Springfield, in police custody, he would kick you right in the f---ing face. And he would get away with such violence, hed implied, because he was police. Im not hampered by the truth because I dont give a f---. People like you belong in jail. Ill stick a kilo of coke in your pocket and put you away for 15 years. I dont give a f--- about you. In short, Welcome to my totalitarian state. For some reason, the federal jury in 2021 was unwilling to hold a cop to account for all of that. That verdict was a win for Bigda, and got him off unpaid suspension and back onto the payroll at $70,000 a year. It was a huge loss for a city desperate to hold bad cops accountable. And a loss in dollars and cents. The city has settled multiple claims to compensate the young people Bigda terrorized, including one payout pegged at $262,500. Behind the scenes, the U.S. Department of Justice continues to work to heal the citys police force of attitudes and excesses exemplified by Bigda himself. Out in plain sight, Bigdas beef over being recertified provides the sideshow. We grant he has a right to pursue whatever he thinks the legal system can provide to him. His new lawsuit ensures that when the 10-year anniversary of his Palmer torrent of hate rolls around, Bigda may still be trying to get what he thinks the system owes him. The system itself owes Springfield the ability to rid its police force of officers who shred our notions of justice. Le Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum Mauritius Ltd et Ministry of Culture, France vont signes une convention afin davoir lexpertise francaise pour la creation du Musee. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of the Convention cadre relative a lexpertise culturelle francaise sur le projet de Musee intercontinental de lesclavage a Maurice between the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum Mauritius Ltd and the Ministry of Culture, France. The aim of the Agreement is to seek French cultural expertise for putting up the Museum. Assistance would be provided for the: (a) setting up and operation of the future museum through the implementation of the scenography, development and setting up of the collection and management thereof; (b) operation of the site and development of a cultural proposal by the identification of the target audience, elaboration of pathways for visit and development of appropriate up-to-date and user-friendly tools for the visits; (c) establishment of a regional centre for research on slavery, trade and indentured labour; and (d) management and reinforcement of the resources of the museum by setting up the staff organigram and conceptualisation of training needs. Nouvelle reunion du Cabinet Ministeriel avec la decision de promulguer lInformation and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023 concernan la vent des cartes SIMS, de la Civil Aviation (Amendment) Regulations 2023 pour definir le mot Heliport et varemplacer Helipad dans la loi, la signature dune convention Convention cadre relative a lexpertise culturelle francaise sur le projet de Musee intercontinental de lesclavage , du mobre ce cas de la Covid-19 (23) et de la Dengue a Maurice et Rodrigues entre autres. 1. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Information and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023 to control the sale and use of SIM cards in line with the recommendations of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Drug Trafficking, chaired by Former Judge P. Lam Shang Leen, published in 2018. The existing Regulations would be repealed. The new Regulations would be effective as from 31 October 2023, providing a period of four months to mobile operators for the full implementation of their systems. Existing subscribers of SIM cards would be required to re-register their SIM Cards not later than 30 April 2024. 2. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Regulations 2023 which provide for the definition of heliport as an aerodrome or a defined area on a structure intended to be used wholly or in part for the arrival, departure and surface movement of helicopters, in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices. Helipad would be replaced by Heliport in the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Regulations 2023. 3. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of the Convention cadre relative a lexpertise culturelle francaise sur le projet de Musee intercontinental de lesclavage a Maurice between the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum Mauritius Ltd and the Ministry of Culture, France. The aim of the Agreement is to seek French cultural expertise for putting up the Museum. Assistance would be provided for the: (a) setting up and operation of the future museum through the implementation of the scenography, development and setting up of the collection and management thereof; (b) operation of the site and development of a cultural proposal by the identification of the target audience, elaboration of pathways for visit and development of appropriate up-to-date and user-friendly tools for the visits; (c) establishment of a regional centre for research on slavery, trade and indentured labour; and (d) management and reinforcement of the resources of the museum by setting up the staff organigram and conceptualisation of training needs. 4. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, in collaboration with the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority (MCIA), would hold a ceremony for the presentation of the National Biomass Framework to the relevant stakeholders including the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union, the Independent Power Producers, the Central Electricity Board, the Millers, the land owners and the planters on Monday 26 June 2023 at the MCIA. 5. Cabinet has taken note of the launching of a pilot project for the provision of residential training facilities to a group of elite athletes who were actively preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games. The main objective of this pilot project would be to create an optimal environment with a view to empowering the elite athletes to unlock their full potential and strive for excellence. 6. Cabinet has taken note of the reported cases of dengue in Mauritius and Rodrigues and the public health measures being taken in terms of surveillance, fogging and larviciding activities in the concerned regions. 7. Cabinet has taken note that as at 21 June 2023, there were 23 active cases of COVID-19, out of which six were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 15 to 21 June 2023, no death was attributed to COVID-19. 8. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the 6th Meeting of the Groupe de contact Maurice Reunion sur la securite held in Reunion Island on 06 June 2023. Discussions focused on five main themes, namely : Securite Interieure; Securite Maritime; la Circulation entre les deux iles; Cooperation judiciaire; and Lutte contre les atteintes a lenvironnement. The Committee took note of the progress made following the last meeting as well as current state of collaboration in each theme. The two countries agreed, inter alia, to: (a) formalise the exchange of information between the maritime surveillance centres of the two islands for the detection of suspected vessels and prevention of accidents at sea; (b) continue the capacity building programme of Officers of the Mauritius Revenue Authority and les douanes de la Reunion as well as to formalise the cooperation between the two entities; (c) study the possibility of collaboration in terms of combatting illegal migration and to reinforce the exchange of information on that issue; (d) consider potential areas of collaboration between the two islands with respect to counter terrorism; and (e) enhance the cooperation in judicial/legal matters. 9. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the Workshop on Countering Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Training on Child Protection System for Countering Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse held in Mauritius. These training sessions were conducted by the Attorney Generals Office with the support of the EU Delegation in Mauritius. The purpose of the training was to increase the knowledge and develop the skills of participating law enforcement officers for the effective use of the Child Protection System for investigations on Online Child Sexual Abuse and for offender management. 10. Cabinet has taken note of the findings of the National Wage Consultative Council as contained in its fifth Report on the impact of the implementation of the national minimum wage since January 2018 and its review in January 2020. The Report would be uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training. Page 3 of 3 11. Cabinet has taken note that the Board of the Mauritius Film Development Corporation has approved the renewal of the contract of Mr Sachin Jootun as General Manager of the Mauritius Film Development Corporation. The head of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Thursday once again underscored the case for multilateral development banks (MDBs) to be allowed to leverage International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights. With an increased allocation, MDBs could crowd in much-needed resources for developing nations to fight climate change and fast-track the UN Sustainable Development Goals, he argued. Speaking during a panel session at the ongoing Summit For a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, Adesina said MDBs could leverage an allocation of $ 200 billion, and turn this into a trillion dollars. Adesina said: The MDBs are leveraging machines. They can leverage the SDRs by three to four times. So that leverage is very important to have. The African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have been championing the re-channeling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) issued by the International Monetary Fund to multilateral development banks. With the re-allocation, the African Development Bank can provide greater financing to regional and national development banks across Africa, as part of the Finance in Common, to accelerate achievement of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Adesina announced that the proposal which the African Development Bank is working on with the IMF would be complementary to the Funds efforts. He thanked the IMF for its support in the push. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who spoke on the same panel, announced that her institution had reached its target of making $100 billion in special drawing rights available for vulnerable countries. We have reached $100 billion on lending of SDRs. That was our target from 2021. We have achieved that target, and US$ 60 billion of [this is] already in the Fund working for countries, Georgieva said. The high-level panelwhich also discussed debt relief for developing and middle-income countriesfeatured President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka, President Mahamad Idriss Deby of Chad, President Kais Saied of Tunisia, and Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente of Rwanda. First Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calvino of Spain, who is also Minister for Economy and Digitalization, moderated the session. Speaking on debt, Deby said his country, one of the most vulnerable countries on the African continent, was fully committed to fighting extreme poverty and achieving the SDGs with support from its creditors. He said Chadpart of the 36% of Africa exposed to at least one extreme climate-related weather shockhad weathered floods in 2022. He said this had led to the displacement of over 1 million people and the loss of thousands of acres of land. He explained that Chad is also dealing with a significant refugee population from neighbouring countries, most notably Sudan, with over 200,000 since the ongoing conflict in that country broke out. This has a heavy impact on our budget, Deby said. The Chadian leader called for debt forgiveness from rich countries, who he said were responsible for climate change as a reparation for climate change damage not caused by African countries. Drawing from Sri Lankas experience, President Wickremesinghe decried delays and bureaucracy and said building a roadmap for the global financial architecture would need customized solutions. President Saied of Tunisia called for a reform of global financial architecture, which he said would require new and different ways of doing things. Prime Minister Ngirente said Rwanda was one of the first countries to successfully negotiate an IMF program. He said his country appreciated the importance of the summit and the charting of a new pact through partnerships. We cant fight climate change alone, we need to have partnerships, the prime minister said. With 21 African countries in or at high risk of debt distress, Adesina said the G-20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment was vital. He said there was no time to waste. So, we do have to make it work faster, work at scale. Very, very important, Adesina said. The African Development Bank chief added: Its a great thing to have a common framework. Its way too slow and it treats only a small number of countries. We need to have a more coordinated approach. Adesina said enabling MDBs to leverage capital from SDRs for health, education and more would be extremely impactful. Several African and heads of state and development partners, and more than 30 international organizations, private sector partners and non-governmental organisations are attending the summit. Opening the summit on Thursday, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said many African States were spending more on debt repayments than on desperately needed healthcare. He called for a debt relief mechanism that supports payment suspensions, longer lending terms, and lower rates to make borrowing more affordable for poorer nations. He also called for increased access to liquidity for developing countries via the IMFs special drawing rights. A person becomes infected by drinking water containing tiny infected crustaceans (hard-shelled animals that usually live in water). The immature guinea worms (larvae) live inside the crustaceans. Following ingestion, the crustaceans die and release the larvae, which pass through the wall of the intestine and enter the abdominal cavity. Inside the abdominal cavity, the larvae grow and mature into adult worms in about 1 year. The male and female adult worms mate and then the pregnant female worms leave the abdomen and travel through the subcutaneous tissues, and usually reach the lower legs or feet. In the lower limb they emerge from the skin by forming a blister. The blister causes severe, burning pain and eventually the skin breaks. (In case the pregnant female worms do not reach the skin, they disintegrate or harden (calcify) under the skin producing hard nodular lesions) When people try to alleviate the burning by soaking their leg in water, the pregnant worm releases a milky white fluid containing several thousand larvae into the water Once the larvae are released into the water, they are not directly infective to humans. They remain active in water for about three days and infect a crustacean Inside the crustacean, the guinea worm larvae develop further for a period of about two weeks into the larval stage that is infective to humans and dogs. The cycle repeats again Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, considers the rebellion of the Wagner group in Russia to be the beginning of a civil war. "Events are developing according to the scenario that we have been talking about for the past year. The start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive finally destabilized the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war," he said in a commentary handed over to Interfax-Ukraine. "Prigozhin's group seizes military installations, headquarters and entire cities, encountering almost no resistance on its way, disarming random soldiers and policemen. Putin declares Prigozhin a traitor and outlaw and announces the relevant orders to the special services, but nothing happens, a crisis of control, the actual loss of power," he wrote. "Wagner continues its march on Moscow. Ukraine continues to move its own way. To the borders of 1991," Podoliak also wrote. Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an extremely rare inherited condition affecting the skin and eyes . It is also referred to as DeSanctis-Cacchione syndrome . According to a quote, "People with xeroderma pigmentosum experience an almost 100% risk of developing multiple skin cancers if their environment is not very carefully controlled." Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) was first described by Hebra and Kaposi in 1874. The term xeroderma pigmentosum for the condition was coined by Kaposi in 1882, referring to its characteristic dry and pigmented skin. XP is characterized by marked sensitivity to sunlight (ultraviolet radiation) and an inherited inability of the body to repair the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Unless precautions are taken to protect from sunlight, there is severe damage to the skin and eyes and resultantly increased occurrence of skin and eye cancers. It is therefore a precancerous condition. Nearly 25 percent of affected persons also have central nervous system (CNS) involvement for reasons not clear. Xeroderma pigmentosum occurs when the genes involved in the repair of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic material) in the cell are faulty. Normally when a person is exposed to ultraviolet radiation or toxic chemicals, for example, cigarette smoke, the DNA damage caused is corrected by innate repair mechanisms in cell repair before it can cause any serious problems. However in XP, the body is unable to repair this DNA damage and as more and more DNA abnormalities accumulate, the cell may either become cancerous or die. Advertisement Xeroderma pigmentosum is an inherited autosomal recessive condition. This means that the person carries two copies of a faulty gene (one from each parent), with consequent disruption of normal cellular repair mechanisms of the body when exposed to ultraviolet radiation (from sun exposure). Although both parents also carry one copy each of the faulty gene, they are not affected because two copies of the faulty gene are necessary for the condition to get manifested clinically by the definition of an autosomal recessive condition. Xeroderma pigmentosum affects both sexes and all ethnic groups. Estimated rates of incidence vary from 1 in 250, 000 in the USA, approximately 2.3 per million live births in Western Europe and Japan (1 in 20,000). It is more prevalent particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, probably due to the high degree of consanguinity in these regions. Inherited changes (mutations) in at least eight genes have been found to cause Xeroderma pigmentosum. The normal variants of these genes are involved in various DNA repair mechanisms within the cell that are referred to as nucleotide excision repair (NER). The genes involved in DNA repair (NER) perform the following important functions: Recognize that DNA damage has occurred Unwind portions of DNA where the damage has occurred Cut out (excise) the abnormal areas, and Replace the damaged portions with the normal DNA. Thus, inherited defects in the NER-related genes (7 genes) prevent cells from carrying out one or more of these steps. Additionally, the POLH gene is another gene that is involved in protecting cells from UV-induced DNA damage, although it is not involved in the steps of NER. Mutations in the latter gene (POLH) lead to a type of XP referred to as the variant form (XP-V), while the remaining seven types are known as groups A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The major clinical features of xeroderma pigmentosum occur due to a buildup of abnormal unrepaired DNA. When abnormal DNA builds up, cells can either die or multiply in an unregulated manner. Such uncontrolled cell growth can lead to the development of cancerous tumors. Although the brain is not exposed to UV rays, neurological abnormalities are also thought to result from an accumulation of DNA damage; it is suspected that other factors contribute to DNA damage in nerve cells. However, it is unclear why some people with xeroderma pigmentosum develop neurological abnormalities while many do not. The various clinical features of Xeroderma pigmentosum affecting the skin, eyes and nervous system include: Tendency to sun burn easily despite adequate sun protection, unrelated to the color of your skin. Persons with XP-V do not have neurological problems and their sunburn pattern conforms to their skin type despite adequate sun protection, unrelated to the color of your skin. Persons with XP-V do not have neurological problems and their sunburn pattern conforms to their skin type Unusually long time (few weeks) for the sunburn to resolve Freckles from an early age (under two years) at sites exposed to daylight from an early age (under two years) at sites exposed to daylight Marked eye sensitivity to bright light (photophobia), becoming clouded or bloodshot (photophobia), becoming clouded or bloodshot Increased incidence of skin cancers - Without adequate protection, nearly half the children with this condition develop skin cancer by 10 years. Sites involved are face, lips, eyelids and scalp Noncancerous and cancerous tumors of the eye Premature skin aging (skin of affected persons resembles the skin of elderly persons who have spent much of the time under the sun) (skin of affected persons resembles the skin of elderly persons who have spent much of the time under the sun) Nerve/brain (neurological) problems, such as hearing loss , poor memory or learning problems and poor balance and poor balance Short stature Lack of development of normal sexual characteristics in some cases Advertisement In persons with XP, the changes caused by sun exposure and damage usually begin in infancy, and almost always before 20 years of age. Xeroderma pigmentosum is an inherited condition. Therefore, the risk factors of this condition include: Having a parent or both parents who are carriers of the defective gene or have the disease Certain regions such as Middle East and North Africa where marriage between blood relatives and first cousins is common Clinical history and physical examination In most cases, the initial clinical diagnosis can be made on the basis of extreme sensitivity to sun exposure, or by the appearance of freckles on the face at an unusually early age. A history of consanguinity between the parents may be an additional clue. Confirmatory Tests for Xeroderma Pigmentosum Tests to detect defective DNA repair When there is a high index of suspicion, a piece of skin is removed (skin biopsy) using a local anesthetic and sent for a confirmatory test. These tests detect defective DNA repair and are offered in several countries. A type of cells found in the skin termed fibroblasts that are hypersensitive when exposed to UV radiation can be studied with the help of a microscope to see how effective the DNA repair mechanism is. A blood sample can also be used to perform this test. Histology A skin biopsy may show findings of hyperkeratosis and increased pigmentation along with other findings which may confirm the diagnosis. Genetic Testing Molecular testing and gene sequencing can be done to identify the specific defect. Prenatal diagnosis Prenatal diagnosis may be done if there is already an affected sibling or one of the parents is affected by the condition. The DNA repair tests can be performed on amniotic cells or chorionic villi derived cells. Molecular analysis can also be done in the presence of a known mutation. Xeroderma pigmentosum is a chronic lifelong condition with no cure. It can be controlled effectively by the following measures: Complete protection from ultraviolet light to reduce skin damage to a minimum possible level. Exposed skin should be covered with sunscreen and lip balm should be applied. Long sleeved dresses and full length dresses are preferable to reduce skin damage to a minimum possible level. Exposed skin should be covered with sunscreen and lip balm should be applied. Long sleeved dresses and full length dresses are preferable UV resistant face mask can be worn but if this is not preferred, a broad-brimmed hat along with wraparound sun glasses must be worn Areas of bright light should be avoided or Take simple preventive measures to adequately protect yourself Periodic skin checks (usually three monthly) to identify and treat any signs of skin cancers early (usually three monthly) to identify and treat any signs of skin cancers early Eye check (at least once a year) to detect any lesions as early as possible and to ensure you are offered treatments, advice about glasses and biopsies of any suspicious parts in the eye (at least once a year) to detect any lesions as early as possible and to ensure you are offered treatments, advice about glasses and biopsies of any suspicious parts in the eye Neurological assessment to identify any associated brain or nerve problems. This involves a thorough physical examination and sometimes hearing tests, nerve conduction studies and an MRI scan Neurological problems may be appropriately managed with hearing aids, speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy The worst nightmare that anyone can have is when a family member is hospitalized without health insurance coverage. Here is an example A noteworthy businessmen Mr.Rao always dreamt big. Small and minor achievements seldom quenched his thirst for accomplishing big things in life. Over the years he proved his merit and escalated new heights of success. Coveted awards and accolades flooded him. As a shrewd businessman he was planning for health insurance before the formidable tax month of March. The decision was postponed by a month due to several reasons. Rao was busy with his commitments and the insurance advisor who contacted him was also busy with his clients. The dreaded day On a sunny morning as Rao was driving towards his office a lorry driven by a drunken driver crashed on his vehicle and he rammed against a wall of a house and lost consciousness Today Rao is not able to use his hands and legs effectively and within a year his financial position dwindled due to mounting hospital expenses and continued absence from business. None of the insurance companies are ready to give him a health policy at this stage. We live in the world of uncertainty. Sometimes a seemingly small ailment can turn into a major one. In a moment life can come to a grinding halt if you are involved in a major road traffic accident. And the situation is worse when the earning member of your family is hospitalized! But with a health policy you and your family can be rest assured and have some security! Advertisement Poor quality of service is rendered to the citizen by government hospitals while private medicare has become exorbitantly expensive; it is mandatory for a middle class person to seriously consider the option of health insurance. A major surgical operation of the heart may cost anywhere between two to three lakhs today. Not many individuals can afford to spend out this amount in a short and sudden situation. Even if they have insurance that is reimbursable under their Mediclaim plans the strain on the family can be immense. The option of cashless hospitalization becomes attractive under these circumstances. The entry of private players has stirred fierce competition, ultimately benefiting the consumer thereby heralding a new era in health insurance. The advent of foreign and private players into the life and general insurance sector has directly resulted in the huge development of insurance market including significant increase in medi-claim insurance. With the Indian middle-class population almost similar to the total population of United States, India looks attractive for business opportunities to international players in this field. This is the ideal time to look at the health insurance market and make the best of what is available. The insurance business professionals strongly say that the limitless medical insurance market has not been fully tapped so far due to lack of awareness among the public about the importance of health insurance and also due to the lack of rightly targeted policies from the companies. An appropriate policy has the potential to rope in more than 2 million customers. The Star Health's 'Red Carpet Health Insurance Policy' aims particularly at senior citizens. It provides coverage to anyone over the age of 60 and permits entry right up to the age of 75 with continuing cover thereafter till lifetime. The coverage ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs for cerebrovascular accident, cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone fractures, kidney diseases and all other major surgeries. Premium charges vary from Rs.4,450 to Rs.22,500 depending on sum assured chosen. Major Product Features: Entry age between 60 and 75 years Guaranteed renewals beyond 75 years No pre-insurance medical test required Treatment at network hospitals only All preexisting diseases are covered from first year, except those for which treatment or device was recommended by or received during the immediately preceding 12 months from the data of proposal. Disease for which treatment or advice was recommended by or received during the immediately preceding 12 months form the date of proposal will be covered from second years onwards Note: Please refer to the policy documents for the complete Insurance Policy subject to the insurance Company. This information is valid for 2015 2016. Advertisement Policy Benefits The policy protects the insured for in patient hospitalization expenses for a minimum of 24 hrs. These expenses include room rent, specialist fees, cost of medicines and boarding up to 1% of the sum insured subject a maximum of Rs 4000/-per day. ICU expenses per day up to 2% of the sum insured Nursing Expenses Surgeon's fees, consultant's fee, Anesthetist's and Specialist's fees up to 25% of sum insured per hospitalization. Cost of blood, oxygen, pacemaker, drugs and diagnostic tests up to 50% of the sum insured per hospitalization Emergency ambulance charges for transporting the insured patient to the hospital up to a sum of Rs 600 per hospitalization and overall limit of Rs 1,200 per policy period Out-patient consultation in network hospitals across India Copayment benefits of 50% for each claim related to pre-existing diseases and 30% for all other claims Pre-existing diseases will be covered after one year of continuous coverage Treatment for cardiovascular disease, cerebrovasculasr accident, cancer and bone fracture are covered subject to the following limits: Sl. No. Disease Sum Insured Rs. Limit of Company's Liability 1. Cerebrovascular Accident 1,00,000 75,000 2,00,000 1,50,000 3,00,000 1,60,000 4,00,000 1,70,000 5,00,000 1,80,000 2. Cardiovascular Disease 1,00,000 75,000 2,00,000 1,50,000 3,00,000 1,60,000 4,00,000 1,70,000 5,00,000 1,80,000 3. Cancer 1,00,000 75,000 2,00,000 1,50,000 4,00,000 1,70,000 5,00,000 1,80,000 4. Bone Fracture 1,00,000 75,000 2,00,000 1,50,000 3,00,000 1,60,000 4,00,000 1,70,000 5,00,000 1,80,000 5. Renal Complications 1,00,000 75,000 2,00,000 1,50,000 3,00,000 1,60,000 4,00,000 1,70,000 5,00,000 1,80,000 6. All other major surgeries 1,00,000 60,000 2,00,000 1,20,000 3,00,000 1,30,000 4,00,000 1,40,000 5,00,000 1,50,000 Tax Benefit Amount paid by any mode other than by cash for this insurance is eligible for relief under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. Free Look Period A free look period of 15 days from the date of receipt of the policy is available for reviewing the policy terms and conditions. In case insured is not satisfied he can seek cancellation of the policy and in such event the company will allow a refund of the premium after adjusting the cost of pre-acceptance of medical screening, stamp duty charges and proportionate risk premium for the period concerned provided no claim has been made until such cancellation. However, free look cancellation is not applicable at the time of renewal. Note: Please refer to the policy documents for the complete Insurance Policy subject to the insurance Company. This information is valid for 2015 2016. Advertisement Premium Rates (Service Tax Extra) The premium to be paid on Star Health and Allied Insurances Senior Citizen Red Carpet policy is listed below: Sum Insured (Rs.) Premium 1,00,000 4,450 2,00,000 8,456 3,00,000 12,990 4,00,000 15,501 5,00,000 18,000 7,500,00 21,000 1,000,000 22,500 A discount of 10% of the above premium will be allowed if the proposer produces the following documents to the satisfaction of the company: a) Stress Thallium Report* b) BP Report* c) Sugar (blood & urine)* d) Blood Urea & Creatinine* e) Self-declaration or Certification that surgeries related to Heart/Brain/Cancer has/have not been done in the past. * The tests should have been taken not before 45 days from the date of the proposal. Note: Please refer to the policy documents for the complete Insurance Policy subject to the insurance Company. This information is valid for 2015 2016. Terms & Conditions for Claims Remember to pay premiums always on time, the terms of the policy are quite stringent. If you miss a premium, no reminders may be sent. 1. Every notice or communication to be given or made under this policy shall be delivered in writing to the address as shown on the schedule. 2. The premium payable under this policy shall be payable in advance. No receipt of premium shall be valid except on the official form of the company signed by a duly authorized official of the company. The due payment of premium and the observance of fulfillment of the terms, provision, conditions and endorsements of this policy by the Insured Person, in so far as they relate to anything to be done or complied with by the Insured Person, shall be a condition precedent to any liability of the Company to make any payment under this policy. No waiver of any terms, provisions, conditions, and endorsements of this policy shall be valid unless made in writing and signed by an authorized official of the Company. 3. Upon the happening of any event, which may give rise to a claim under this policy, notice with full particulars shall be sent to the Company within 24 hours from the date of Death, Injury, Hospitalization. 4. The claim must be filed with 15 days from the date of discharge from the Hospital. Note: This is a condition precedent to the admission of liability under the policy. 5. The Insured Person shall obtain and furnish the Company with all original bills, receipts and other documents upon which a claim is based and shall also give the Company such additional information and assistance as the Company may require in dealing with the claim. 6. All claims under this policy shall be payable in Indian currency. All medical/surgical treatments under this policy shall have to be taken in India. Note: Please refer to the policy documents for the complete Insurance Policy subject to the insurance Company. This information is valid for 2015 2016. Renewal and Claim Procedure Lifelong renewal of the policy offered, except on grounds such as moral hazard, misrepresentation or fraud committed A grace period of 30 days from the date of expiry of the policy is available for renewal Enhancement of sum insured is permitted only during renewal In respect of diseases/sickness for which claims have been made, the sum insured will be restricted to that policy sum insured where the claims were made In the event of this policy being withdrawn or modified with revised terms and premium with the prior approval of the competent authority, the insured will be intimated three months in advance and accommodated in any other equivalent health insurance policy offered by the company, if requested for by the insured person at the relevant point of time Renewal premium is subject to change with prior approval from IRDI Procedure Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder involving an extra copy of chromosome 21. Symptoms include intellectual disabilities and distinctive facial features. Down syndrome was first described as early as 1866 by Langdon Down, a London-based physician. It is also known as 'Up syndrome' because of the cheerful persona of the children. Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability and is also credited to be one of the most common chromosomal abnormality among newborns. Lejune and co-workers (1959) were the first to report the presence of an extra chromosome 21 (trisomy 21) in the cells of individuals with Down syndrome - a landmark in the field of congenital disorders in general and in the area of cytogenetics in particular. Advertisement The incidence of Down syndrome is estimated to be 1 in 1000 - 1100 live births worldwide. Yearly, 3000 to 5000 children are born with this syndrome worldwide. Hearing deficits occur in 60 - 80% of children with Down syndrome. Congenital heart diseases appear in around 40% of Down syndrome individuals contributing to the increased number of their deaths in infancy. With the help of advances in medicine and the rise in community support groups, 80% of Down syndrome patients reach their 50 th birthday and beyond. birthday and beyond. It has been widely reported that Down syndrome children are more commonly born to older mothers - but in a country like India too, where women get married and produce children at an early age, this condition is equally prevalent as anywhere else in the world. Couples who already have a Down syndrome child have increased chances of recurrence compared to the general population. Down syndrome has a genetic basis, where the cells of the affected person have an extra chromosome 21. This may occur due to: The improper separation of chromosome 21 ( non-disjunction ). The cells of the human body have 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 chromosomes), while the reproductive cells, that is the egg and the sperm each have only one set of chromosomes i.e. 23 chromosomes. During the process of formation of these cells, if the separation of the pair of chromosome 21 does not happen properly, the reproductive cell could have an extra chromosome 21. When fertilization between the male and female reproductive cells takes place, the baby cells thus have 3 copies of chromosome 21 with a total number of 47 chromosomes. This is called trisomy 21 and accounts for 95% of Down syndrome cases. Several studies have associated non-disjunction with increased maternal age. ( ). The cells of the human body have 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 chromosomes), while the reproductive cells, that is the egg and the sperm each have only one set of chromosomes i.e. 23 chromosomes. During the process of formation of these cells, if the separation of the pair of chromosome 21 does not happen properly, the reproductive cell could have an extra chromosome 21. When fertilization between the male and female reproductive cells takes place, Several studies have associated non-disjunction with increased maternal age. Mosaicism or mosaic Down syndrome is diagnosed when there are two types of cells present in the body. Some cells have the normal number of chromosome 21, i.e. two, while some have 3 copies of chromosome 21. Therefore, the total number of chromosomes in the cell can be 47 or 46. Mosaicism is the least common type and occurs only in 1% of the population. The symptoms of Down syndrome are less severe than these cases. or is diagnosed when there are two types of cells present in the body. Some cells have the normal number of chromosome 21, i.e. two, while some have 3 copies of chromosome 21. Therefore, the total number of chromosomes in the cell can be 47 or 46. Mosaicism is the least common type and occurs only in 1% of the population. The symptoms of Down syndrome are less severe than these cases. Translocation is another type of chromosomal abnormality in Down syndrome patients in which the number of chromosomes in each cell remains 46 but there is a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 that attaches itself onto chromosome 14. This can be inherited from the parents or it can arise de novo during embryo formation. It is not necessary for the entire chromosome 21 to be involved in a trisomy. Just a region of the chromosome,, present in three copies is enough for the development of DS phenotype. Over 95% of the Down syndrome cases result from classical trisomy 21 while the remaining 5% may exhibit mosaicism or translocations. Down syndrome is a complex pathological condition with a range of physical, mental and biochemical changes. Physical features and disease conditions affecting the individual include: Flat facial profile Small head at birth Up slanting eyes with skin fold over the inner corner White spots on the colored part of the eye Snub nose Protruding tongue Gum disease and dental problems Short ears Small chin Visual / auditory defects Congenital heart defects Deep ridge on the palm of the hand Gap between the first and second toes Decreased muscle tone (hypotonia) Short neck with loose skin on the posterior part of the neck Problem with the upper part of the spine called atlanto-axial instability Short /thick hands and feet Gastrointestinal malformations like poor development of the first part of the small bowel and blockage of the large intestine and with an inability to pass stool Gastroesophageal reflux disease Blood abnormalities with increased chances of developing lekuemia Reduced immunity with infections like pneumonia Reduced fertility in males Looseness of the hip joint Epilepsy Obstructive sleep apnea Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Delayed developmental milestones Intellectual disability with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) lower than normal Short attention span Impulsive behavior Slow learning including delayed language and speech Anxiety Depression Attention deficit hyperactive disorder Repetitive movements Autism Aggression Psychosis Social withdrawal Dementia or Alzheimers / premature aging Disruptive sleep patterns Biochemical Features: Thyroid dysfunction resulting in low thyroid hormone levels or hypothyroidism Over expression of enzymes such as superoxide dismutase Ammonia/uric acid accumulation Poor lipid metabolism All the above features may not be present in one single individual but many of them, in various combinations will be present. Advertisement Tests to diagnose Down syndrome include the following: 1. Prenatal Screening Tests: Prenatal screening tests are tests done before the baby is born, which show an increased likelihood of the baby suffering from the disease. These include: Combined Test: This includes two tests which are done in the first trimester - a blood test to measure levels of protein and an ultrasound called the nuchal translucency test that checks for abnormal levels of fluid behind the babys neck in the first trimester. Triple Screen or Quad Screen: These blood tests are done in the second trimester to check the levels of 3 or 4 proteins, respectively. Cell-free Fetal DNA: This is a blood test done on the mother to analyze DNA of the baby which is released in the maternal circulation. 2. Prenatal Diagnostic Tests: If there is a previous history of an affected baby, if a woman is over 35 years or if the screening test shows an increased likelihood of the syndrome, prenatal diagnostic tests are done. Diagnosis tests check for the presence of the extra chromosome. These tests could pose some risk to the mother and the baby which may include miscarriage. Amniocentesis can be done during 15-20 weeks of pregnancy. A small amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is drawn to carry out this prenatal study and the fetal cells are studied under a microscope. Chorionic villi sampling carried out during 9-14 weeks of pregnancy is done by taking a sample of cells from the placenta. carried out during 9-14 weeks of pregnancy is done by taking a sample of cells from the placenta. Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS) done later in pregnancy during the 18 th to 22 nd week takes a sample of fetal blood from the umbilical cord through the uterus. done later in pregnancy during the 18 to 22 week takes a sample of fetal blood from the umbilical cord through the uterus. Cell-free fetal DNA can also be used as a prenatal diagnostic test. 3. Pre implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is another genetic technology that has revolutionized the choices available to prospective parents. Couples undergoing IVF treatment, whose baby is at risk for genetic abnormalities, can have their embryos analyzed with the help of specific probes. This detects chromosome imbalances or other genetic disorders in a fertilized egg before implanting the same in the uterus. This way the aberrant embryos are eliminated and only the viable ones are transferred back to the uterus. 4. At Birth: Down syndrome diagnosis can be confirmed by taking a blood sample of a baby at birth and by subjecting the same to a genetic test called karyotyping. This test helps to detect the extra chromosome 21 and also the translocations that lead to Down syndrome. The management of Down syndrome depends on the extent of the condition. Though a complete cure is not possible, an early intervention starting from birth can improve the quality and duration of life of the affected child. Some children might have a heart defect that has to be taken care of right after birth while some may have digestive issues that might need lifelong care. Speech therapy and physical therapy can enhance the communicative ability and motor skills of the patients, respectively. Assisted device is a type of material, equipment, tool or technology that will make the life of a person with Down syndrome easier. Amplification devices for hearing, special pencils to write, and touchscreen computers are some assisted devices that have helped these individuals. Occupational therapy will help to identify jobs that suit the patients when they are older. Emotional and behavioral therapy will help the children cope with emotions, interpersonal skills, compulsive behavior, and puberty issues. Inclusive education helps in giving a fair education to these children in par with the general population. Dementia and Alzheimers are common in Down syndrome individuals. Drugs to curb memory loss have not shown any benefit. Some patients take amino acid supplements that might aid in improving brain function. The immediate family may well benefit from psychological and genetic counseling as the situation demands. It is impossible to predict the life span of a Down child. If the Down individual has good access to medical and psychological help as well as financial assistance, there are chances of living longer compared to a Down syndrome individual with poor access. Several children with Down syndrome learn to read and write, and some have even graduated, have regular jobs and even live semi-independently. Heart problems or infections put these individuals at a higher risk of early death. Currently however, thanks to improved health care, scientific technology and medications, the life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome has increased to 50 to 60 years. However, compared to the general population, they do endure premature aging at around 45 years of age. What is Drug Delivery System? Drug delivery refers to approaches used to deliver drugs at the target sites inside our body. It may employ a sustained release Advertisement drug delivery system or a controlled release technology. The technology uses binding chemicals that release drugs at a controlled rate at the targeted location in the body. Various types of formulations, approaches, technologies and systems are used to transport a drug to a specific part of the body. The concept of drug delivery is precisely integrated with the dosage of a drug and route of administration. The technology involves deep understanding of the physiological barriers to efficient drug delivery like transportation of drugs in the circulatory system, metabolism, reactions of the mucosa and digestive juices and the movement of the drug through cells and tissues. Various factors are taken into consideration for a proper administration of drugs and the drug delivery system is an interdisciplinary field. The physico-chemical properties of the drug, carrier and the binder compounds. Effects and interactions of these chemicals in the body Improvement of the drug effect Comfort and well being of the patient However, the drugs interact with various parts of the body that are not the intended targets for the drug. This could give rise to unwanted and harmful side effects. These side effects limit the designing and choices of the carriers to bind with the optimal medications for serious diseases like neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, etc. The variety of controlled release systems is due to the chemicals or the binders used, the routes of the administration, the combination of the carrier and the target drug. Advantages of Controlled Release Drug Delivery The various advantages of sustained or controlled release of drugs using the drug delivery system are: Delivering the drug at a pre-specified rate, in a systematic manner Improve the patients convenience; as in reducing frequency of drug intake Maintaining drug levels in blood without any fluctuations Increase the safety margin of a high potency drug Reduction in cost of medications Drug delivery systems are further divided into two types based on the method of drug release. Conventional Drug Delivery System This classification is based on the route of delivery. The various routes of drug delivery include: Oral Sublingual Nasal Vaginal Transdermal Transcutaneous Intravenous Rectal Controlled Release Classification of drug delivery systems based on the controlled release technique include: Sustained release drug delivery system Extended drug delivery system Site-specific drug delivery system Pulsatile drug delivery system Routes of Controlled Drug Delivery System There are various factors that influence the selection of the delivery route like: Drug physico-chemical properties like molecular weight of the drug, half life and chemical stability. Solubility in water (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) Interactions of the drug in the body like membrane permeability, bacterial degradation, enzymatic degradation Dosage size Vehicles of Drug Delivery Systems Ideally, the drug delivery vehicle must be non-toxic, non-immunogenic, biocompatible and biodegradable. It must also escape recognition of the hosts defense mechanisms. The various drug delivery vehicles used are: Liposomes: These are the most common vehicles used for a targeted drug delivery system. They are non-toxic, non-immunogenic and non-hemolytic. Solid lipid nanoparticles are lipid-based, ligand-coated nanocarriers that store the target drugs in a hydrophobic or hydrophilic capsule. Micelles and Dendrimers: These are polymer based delivery vehicles used to transport and deliver drugs that have poor solubility. Biodegradable Particles: These particles can exactly reach the target diseased site and deliver the drug in a controlled release manner. Biodegradable particles are commonly used for drugs delivered to cardiac tissue. Artificial DNA Nanostructures: Those which are artificially designed out of nucleic acids like DNA can be used. Nanostructures can sense the environment of the site of release and deliver the drug to the target site. Such a structure releases a drug only in response to a particular stimulus. Drug delivery systems and controlled release technology come useful in various treatment procedures. For example, delivery of drugs to the target site in cardiovascular diseases can use the pharmaceutical drugs effectively and also reduce the cost of the treatment significantly. Treatment for tuberculosis with liposomes as the delivery vehicles has been more effective than conventional chemotherapy. Liposome delivery system helps in microphage penetration of the drug and delivers optimal concentration at the infection site. The method is an upcoming procedure that can be used as a potential cure for cancer. Nanotechnology in cancer treatment, immunotherapy for cancer, leukemia treatment and lung cancer treatment are some of the potential areas of using drug delivery systems. Hazards of Drug Delivery Systems New advancements in science and medicine hit the tabloids every day, from new cancer busting stuff, to robots assisting in surgery. Everything now seems easier and keeps us beaming at the wonderful discoveries of science. Every single breakthrough in science, be it the invention of a more efficient pain-killer, or a new discovery to prevent obesity, it takes months, or even as long as decades, to go through a series of specifically planned steps to be followed, which then require to undergo many circles of trial and errors, rejections and other issues. It is then that the new drug hits the market, along with a number of marketing strategies ranging from glossy magazine ads to huge banners at bus stops and junctions. This entire procedure right from the beginning is termed as clinical trial and is one of the leading industries that shell out such a huge capital, which makes them the second leading industry in the world. But virtually unknown to the layman, theres a horrible past, present and probably future to the inside of these miraculous achievements in medicine. To ensure that every single process is carried out properly without any tampering or manipulations, strict rules are to be adhered to, and thats where it all goes horribly wrong. Already known to exploit animal subjects, science is now entering a new expanse, and innumerable human subjects have known to be exploited in this very dream of making a new breakthrough in medicine. Advertisement The presence of strict rules and regulations present in the Nuremberg code, the Declaration of Helsinki, and several other regulatory documents doesnt seem to shy away some over-ambitious professionals from holding human life at stake. Some notable medical crimes of the past- Injecting cancer cells in healthy individuals- One of the most dangerous malpractices in medicine, intradermal injections of live cancer cells were given to 22 patients in the year 1963, to see if the cancer cells could live longer in non-cancer patients. These injections were given to the healthy individuals after obtaining an oral consent. Anti-depressant therapy- A local civilian in a condition of excellent health approached the New York State Psychiatric Institute to treat his depression that had followed his divorce in the year 1952. Contrary to the general treatment for depression, he was made victim to a number of unnecessary injections which were purely for the purpose of testing in clinical trials. Adverse reactions to the injections were shunned away by the authorities, and soon enough, when he was given a dose 16 times stronger than his first, he succumbed to death. High oxygen concentrations to premature babies- Aware of the fact that high oxygen concentrations may cause blindness in the premature baby, a physician carried out this procedure without obtaining the informed consent of the parents. Whats more is that the high oxygen treatment was continued even after an adverse reaction (swelling of the eyes) was observed. Lumbar puncture as a free treatment- Dr Vonderlher from the Public Health service, performed lumbar puncture as a special free treatment, when in reality, this treatment was purely diagnostic in nature, and was required by researchers. Nazi experiment - Be ready for some gruesomeness One of the most gruesome and insensitive malpractices of all times were carried out by the Nazi on a number of Jewish prisoners. In order to study bone and tissue regeneration, sections of bones and tissues were removed from the subjects without the use of anesthesia which resulted in mutilation, intense agony and sometimes permanent disability to the subject. An experiment conducted with a view to discovering new ways to prevent and treat hypothermia used forced immersion of subjects into a tank of ice water for upto five hours. More than 100 people were reported to die as a result of this particular experiment. To gain more information about head injuries, the Nazis carried out this experiment in secrecy, wherein a young boy, aged around 12 years, was strapped to a chair, unable to move, and a mechanical hammer would hit his head every few seconds. The boy was noted to be driven insane from the resulting torture. High altitude experiments made use of pressure chambers, in which altitudes of upto 20,000 m was stimulated, with prisoners made part of this experiment. Of the 200 that were a part of this experiment, 80 died immediately, whereas the remaining were executed. It is also rumored that Sigmund Rascher performed vivisections (live surgeries without the use of anesthesia) of the subjects who survived the initial experiment. Vivisection is regarded as a form of torture. To study different ways to make sea water drinkable, experiments were conducted, wherein a group of 90 were deprived of food and water, and given nothing except sea water. These subjects became so dehydrated that they were found licking freshly mopped floors in an attempt to drink water. Children were deliberately infected with tuberculosis and then operated upon to remove the axillary lymph nodes. They were then later murdered. Even today, illegal and inexpensive abortions, insanitary conditions in hospitals and improper sterilization of equipment are noted. Doctors stealing away kidneys also make headlines more often. Seems like the Hippocratic oath is hardly remembered, and this very profession, supposed to be responsible for saving lives and empowering health, is now turning into an ugly monster. Moreover, in a developing country like India, where literacy is uncommon, and village life is hard, such malpractices are common. Community education and awareness can play a good role in preventing such life-threatening misconducts. In 1983, Mancia et al quantified the changes in blood pressure in individuals, prior to, during, and immediately following the visit to the doctor. The research findings indicated that the white-coat syndrome was a relevant condition observed in most patients of all age groups and genders, from children to older people. The frequency of incidence is approximately 20% in the population that has hypertension. White-coat syndrome has been commonly observed in women compared with men. White-coat syndrome has been observed in pregnant women and the frequency of incidence ranges from 3% to 60%. It is common for individuals to cringe at the thought of visiting a doctor. Many of us attempt to delay the doctors visit for a number of reasons. To some, the financial expense is a deterrent, while for others, it is an unexplained fear of the doctor. The latter emotion leads to a temporary increase in blood pressure at the doctors office. This effect has been analyzed and categorized as white-coat hypertension or white-coat syndrome, and is observed in individuals with normal blood pressure. Another term for this condition is isolated office hypertension. The name is based on the fact that healthcare professionals in white coats tend to measure the blood pressure of individuals. This condition was first noticed in 1897 by Riva-Rocci. There is a difference in the terms, white-coat syndrome and white-coat effect. White-coat syndrome is the increase in blood pressure at the doctors office. White-coat effect, on the other hand, indicates the changes in blood pressure that occur before the visit to the clinic, during the visit at the clinic, and following the visit to the doctor. It is observed in patients that have been diagnosed with hypertension. The vast range is based on the results obtained from 3 different clinical studies. It is observed that the white-coat hypertension in pregnant women is a mild, benign symptom and does not generate complications such as preeclampsia in women. Women may be prone to have a cesarean section during delivery based on the high blood pressure reading obtained at the time. A review article by Verdecchia et al states that an individual may be diagnosed with white-coat syndrome, if the blood pressure is equal to or above 140/90 mmHg during the clinical visit, while the regular blood pressure remains below 135/85 mmHg at all times. Causes of White-coat Syndrome Nearly 20% of the population that has hypertension is gripped with the white-coat syndrome. The most common cause of white-coat hypertension is the fear that gets lodged in an individual. Most individuals are tormented by the fear of hearing a poor prognosis of their health condition or a bad diagnosis of their symptoms. Today, the internet makes matters worse by providing infinite resources of information on different disease conditions. However, with the lack of appropriate medical knowledge or the guidance of a trained medical professional, individuals tend to get misled by negative advice or comments on the disease in question. Psychologists attribute this fear of doctors to the general association of hospitals with illness, injury, and death. A second cause of white-coat syndrome is the fear of needles. Needle phobia is a recognized condition by the American Psychiatric Association and is listed under the phobia for blood, injection, and injury. Individuals who experience needle phobia start to experience anxiety, fainting, and panic attacks at the sight of a needle. Nearly 10% of the population have needle phobia. In a recent study in Switzerland, the white-coat syndrome was significantly associated with age. Other factors such as family history or physical activity, however, were not significant factors of white-coat syndrome. Advertisement Symptoms of White-coat Syndrome The one major symptom of the white-coat syndrome is an elevated blood pressure in the vicinity of a clinic, a needle, or a doctor. The individuals with white-coat syndrome are also more susceptible to the following conditions: Always consult a doctor for removal of earwax since attempts to clear it yourself may only push the wax deeper into the ear canal. Waxy oil called cerumen is produced by the glands lining the ear canal. Normally, it falls out of the ear canal naturally or is removed by washing. Sometimes, the earwax becomes too hard to be cleared naturally. Excessive accumulation of earwax or cerumen in the ear leads to blockage of the ear canal. Wax blocking the ear canal is one of the commonest causes of reversible hearing loss. Causes of Earwax Production of earwax is a protective measure taken by the body to trap and prevent foreign objects like dust, bacteria or other germs from entering and damaging the delicate structures inside the ear. Earwax also protects the skin lining the ear canal from getting irritated by water. Earwax blockage usually affects only one ear; not everyone experience earwax. The reason for either of these facts is not known. Perhaps, the susceptible ones are those in whom the wax secretion is too much for the body to clear off. Symptoms of Earwax Earache Feeling of fullness in the ear Ringing, swishing or other types of noises in the ear (tinnitus) Decreased hearing in the affected ear. Hearing loss may be severe Advertisement Diagnosis and Treatment of Earwax Earwax can easily by visualised by your doctor using an instrument called otoscope. A doctor removes impacted earwax with the help of a curette-a small curved instrument. Wax may also be flushed out using a water pick or a rubber-bulb syringe containing warm water. A number of wax-removal medications are available from medical stores. People often buy them without consulting a doctor. These drops could irritate the delicate skin of the tympanum (ear drum) and ear canal. So always use them only if your doctor advices. Wax removal drops such as carbamide peroxide may be prescribed by a doctor for people with wax blockade as a recurring problem. Home remedies Application of a few drops of glycerin or hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal twice a day for up to five days can soften earwax. Baby oil or mineral oil may also be used. Never try to dig the earwax out as it may push the wax deeper. Self-care measures may harm you if your ear drum is abnormal and has a hole in it. Hence, it is best advised to consult a doctor and better not to attempt to clear the wax yourself. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Which doctor should I visit in case of earwax blockage? An ENT surgeon is usually consulted when one has the symptoms of earwax blockade. However, any competent general practitioner can be approached for this. 2. Does earwax blockade recur even after removal? Yes. There are chances that it can recur. 3. What are the complications of earwax blockade? Remember, earwax protects the ears. However, too much wax blocking the ear can affect your hearing. Serious hearing loss may also occur, which is temporary, and gets corrected following wax removal. Most of the complications appear to happen due to self-care measures. Unauthorized application of wax-removal drops is common. These may irritate the delicate skin lining the ear canal and ear drum. Troubles also ensue when people with perforated ear drums try to wash out earwax. Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov predicts the beginning of the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 in July, the training program is being prepared now. "We hope that they will begin in July, but provided the training program is approved," Reznikov said in a commentary to the Military Media Center. He added that this program is now being prepared. "Responsible persons have been identified, the program will be drafted by the beginning of July, it will be announced, I can optimistically say that training will begin in July," Reznikov said. As reported, Denmark and the Netherlands expressed their readiness to provide training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. Support for Ukraine will not be reduced in the light of the situation in the Russian Federation, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said following talks with the foreign ministers of the G7 countries. "Had a call with G7 Foreign Ministers to exchange views on the situation in Russia. Ahead of Monday's EU Foreign Affairs Council, I am coordinating inside the European Union and have activated the crisis response centre. Our support to Ukraine continues unabated," Borrell said on Twitter on Saturday. The U.S. military is struggling to provide child care to its service members in Alaska, which is directly affecting operations and putting a strain on those serving in uniform. Alaska child care providers have reported that the system statewide is in crisis, with long waitlists, low wages and high enrollment costs. While most of the child care challenges facing the military in Alaska are similar to those in the civilian world, some are unique. Across the country, finding affordable and accessible child care has been a longstanding challenge for military families. U.S. Air Force Col. David Wilson, commander of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, said that child care is his "No. 1 challenge." There are 279 children currently on the base's child care waitlist. Placements are prioritized for single-parent military families, who are active-duty service members who have children and are not married. The second highest priority is for dual military families where both the mother and father are in uniform. Members of the military in Alaska say that they sometimes have to stay home to look after their children when child care is not available. Wilson and officers at other Alaska military installations say that civilian spouses are often forced to give up their jobs or scale back time at work to watch their kids, so their spouse can report for duty. Many service members in Alaska are far from home, without family to provide support. JBER is on a critically important strategic perch on top of the globe, with anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere reachable within around nine hours, Wilson said. The base's global mobilization machine is always on. Aircraft are always at the ready and filled with fuel. Soldiers and airmen must be prepared for sudden deployments. "When you are an on-call aviator who has to respond with no notice to Russian long-range aviation, you've got to have dependable child care," Wilson said. The size of JBER's child care waitlist starts to leave a gaping hole in the base's military readiness, he added, affecting who can be readily deployed. "I may go, 'OK, well, I can't deploy your spouse now, so your spouse has to stay home because I know you've got kids and somebody's got to watch those kids.' So you can see how that just cut into my military capability because of my inability to provide child care," he said. A burden on military families Senior Master Sgt. Fred Sarten and Master Sgt. Sarah Sarten are husband and wife, originally from Michigan and North Carolina. Both are active-duty members of the 673rd Air Base Wing, serving in the Logistics Readiness Squadron at JBER. He has served for 21 years and receives, stores and issues fuel for all the aircraft on base. She has served 17 years and is in charge of squadron assignments and some military construction projects. In December 2021, the Sarten family found out they were expecting their fifth child and rushed to join the base's child care waitlist. It took almost 16 months to get a spot. Child care on base is subsidized. Service members can get help paying for care out in the community when on-base care is not available, but it remains expensive. While waiting for a spot to open up on base, the Sartens sent their infant son Finley to a child care center in Palmer, which they said cost $1,100 a month and did not provide food to their son, or a sense of security. "They make sure that he's not choking and that the diapers are changed, but beyond that, that was pretty much it," Fred Sarten said. Both of the Sartens reported having their attention pulled away while working at JBER, worrying about their son. There are temporary duty assignments that can go on for weeks at a time, which creates an additional juggling act for those serving in uniform, they said. "If we weren't able to find child care, we would have had to work separate shifts, so somebody would be home with the baby," Sarah Sarten said. Short-staffed Across military bases in Alaska, there are similar reports of child care shortages and military parents struggling. Col. Amanda Henry, 354th Force Support Squadron commander, said child care shortages are a "very significant issue" at Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks. The base has 15 child care classrooms, but only five are currently operating for its 3,100 active-duty service members. "We have about 28% of the staff that we are required to have to care for those children," Henry said in an interview. Sixty-five kids are on the Eielson child care waitlist, and airmen are forced to be creative, she said. Part of the challenge has been trying to recruit another 43 staff to work at the remote base and provide the care that's needed, Henry said. In an interview, Wilson could not point to any specific operations at JBER off the top of his head that had been canceled or delayed because of a lack of child care, but he said it has been "a constant strain on the entire workforce." Henry said she couldn't estimate how many missions had been affected at Eielson. "But those things have happened here, where folks were not able to show up to work because they were providing care for their children," she said. At nearby Fort Wainwright, an Army installation closer to Fairbanks, there are approximately 200 children waiting for child care, said spokeswoman Eve Baker. By email, she said that the lack of spaces "can definitely put a strain on families." Ground was broken last year for a new child care center, which is set to open next spring with a capacity for 338 children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. The hope is that the new center will help clear Fort Wainwright's waiting list, Baker said. The lack of child care options in the state is a concern for the U.S. Coast Guard leadership, a spokesperson said, requiring flexibility for guardsmen. The Coast Guard operates in small communities like Valdez, which doesn't have a single year-round child care provider. In Kodiak, a new, $40 million child care center is eagerly anticipated by the Coast Guard because the existing facility is in a tsunami zone. Boosting salaries At JBER, there are five child care centers, but only four are currently open due to a shortage of workers. Across Alaska, the average pay for a child care worker is $13 an hour. With tight margins and a desire to tamp down fees for parents, providers say they often can't afford to provide meaningful benefits to their employees, which hampers recruitment and retention efforts. Wilson has implemented policies at JBER in an attempt to attract more staff. He has used funds that come from the sale of goods and services on base usually used for morale and recreation opportunities for service members to boost child care workers' salaries to $18 an hour, increasing to more than $20 an hour after a few months of training. There is also a "first child free" policy on offer, where child care workers hired on base get a free spot at a center for their own child, and discounts for additional children. Wilson said that "hasn't solved the whole problem," but it has helped. Child care workers are required to have a high school diploma, but even with the relatively high salaries, recruitment is still a challenge, Wilson said, adding that "it's difficult to convince someone to come to child care child care is taxing and it's difficult." Bases across Alaska have since adopted the same practices. Wilson said he has briefed senior members of the Department of Defense about how the lack of child care workers has affected his mission at JBER, and the policies he has implemented to address the sector's workforce challenges, adding, "Alaska is leading the way." Melanee Mooneyham used to work at a child care center off-base in Alaska. She said her husband serves in the Army and that the higher salary was part of the reason why she started working as a child care provider at JBER. The military also offers much more generous benefits than civilian providers, such as health and dental insurance, paid vacations and retirement options. "It was just a better opportunity for child care development and everything like that with the benefits that they have," Mooneyham said. High competition Stephanie Berglund CEO of thread, an Alaska child care advocacy organization said she has heard reports that the military is in "jeopardy" from the scarcity of child care in Alaska, mirroring the same concerns and challenges facing parents in the wider community. "It's surprising to hear that even with increased wages and benefits, that they're still struggling," she said about the military's child care recruitment efforts. "But I think that that's a testament to the high competition that we have for the important workforce across the state right now, both on base and off." At a federal level, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has spoken about child care in the U.S. Senate as a serious concern for the military. She said the congressional delegation is trying to have a Coast Guard icebreaker homeported in Alaska, and child care could be a factor if that happens. "How do we support the military? We need to make sure that our military families have those community supports: good schools, good health care, and good child care," she said in an interview. 'Know that they're safe' For the Sarten family, good news came in April. Their now 10-month-old son Finley got a spot at one of JBER's child development centers. They said their child care costs dropped from $1,100 a month to $875 a month, and the quality of care drastically improved. "It's almost like he's in school, where you know that they're safe," Fred Sarten said. "And they're being fed at the right times and getting the proper nutrition, because they offer different meals and menus every day. So they put a lot more effort into that aspect as well." Child care on base is broadly said to be of high quality, secure and more affordable than what's on offer outside in the community. But with a serious workforce shortage, there simply isn't enough of it. Wilson said his job as JBER commander can be similar to a city manager's as he works to provide services for the roughly 5,500 people under his command. "There's probably nothing more important on this installation going on than the care of the children of our service members," he said. "And as a parent who has had my child in those facilities, that's where I want my focus to be because if my team can go to work every day and know that their kids are safe and sound and secure, they can do the mission that is very often life or death, and they can do it without worrying about their most important thing to them, which is their family." Daily News photojournalist Loren Holmes contributed. ___ (c)2023 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) Visit the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) at www.adn.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Russian Federation actually has full control over the work of the UN Secretariat in key areas, now about 400 Russians work there, Ukrainian diplomat, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN in 2015-2019 Volodymyr Yelchenko has said. "We must understand that even with the military victory of Ukraine, with access to the borders of 1991, the war, in fact, will not end, and its consequences will not end. Why? Because after that, work will begin, it has already begun, but it will enter a decisive phase. This is the creation of an international tribunal, or compensation to Ukraine for the damage suffered during the war. Many other issues. For all this, binding decisions of the UN Security Council are needed. And we are well aware that as long as the Russian delegation is sitting there, in the Security Council, these decisions have no chance of being approved," Yelchenko said during a press conference "Russia's illegal presence in UN: Problem and its solution" at Interfax-Ukraine. Also, according to him, in the UN Secretariat there is "not just a neutral-positive position, but simply playing along with the Russian delegation and the Russian Federation." "Over the years of the UN existence, Russia has been able to promote hundreds of employees to work in the Secretariat of the organization - now there are about 400 of them, who work in virtually all key positions. It determines the reports that are written in the Secretariat, and many other things. Of these 400 employees, half, if not more, are secret or open agents of the special services of the Russian Federation. And as 'icing on the cake' is the occupation by Russians of such positions, for example, as UN Under-Secretary-General of Counter-Terrorism, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, Mr. Voronkov," Yelchenko noted. In addition, the diplomat noted "dozens, if not hundreds" of employees from other countries who over the years have either been bought or recruited by Russian special services. As Yelchenko said, "the UN Secretariat has, in fact, turned into such a branch of the Russian FSB." "Therefore, we have a situation where, on the one hand, the Russian illegal presence in the UN, and on the other, its virtually complete control over the work of the UN Secretariat in key areas, in fact, paralyzes all the efforts that not only Ukraine and many of our allies are making in order to, if not stop this war, then at least reach some solutions that could alleviate the humanitarian situation, etc." the Ukrainian diplomat said. As an example, he recalled the tragedy in the colony in Olenivka, as a result of which more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war died due to a Russian terrorist attack, but the UN expert group never reached this place because the Russians did not provide security guarantees. In addition, the UN team was never able to get to the left bank of Dnipro in Kherson region to help residents affected by Russia's undermining the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. "Or an absolutely passive, inadequate reaction of the IAEA leadership, which is actually part of the UN, regarding the events at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and now the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is under threat," Yelchenko added. BAMBER BRIDGE, England (AP) The village of Bamber Bridge in northwestern England is proud of the blow it struck against racism in the U.S. military during World War II. When an all-Black truck regiment was stationed in the village, residents refused to accept the segregation ingrained in the U.S. Army. Ignoring pressure from British and American authorities, pubs welcomed the GIs, local women chatted and danced with them, and English soldiers drank alongside men they saw as allies in the war against fascism. But simmering tensions between Black soldiers and white military police exploded on June 24, 1943, when a dispute outside a pub escalated into a night of gunfire and rebellion that left Private William Crossland dead and dozens of soldiers from the truck regiment facing court martial. When Crossland's niece learned about the circumstances of her uncle's death from an Associated Press reporter, she called for a new investigation to uncover exactly how he died. The community has chosen to focus on its stand against segregation as it commemorates the 80th anniversary of whats now known as the Battle of Bamber Bridge and America reassesses its past treatment of Black men and women in the armed forces. I think maybe its a sense of pride that there was no bigotry towards (the soldiers), said Valerie Fell, who was just 2 in 1943 but whose family ran Ye Olde Hob Inn, the 400-year-old thatched-roof pub where the conflict started. They deserved the respect of the uniform that they were wearing. Thats how people felt about it. That was in stark contrast to the treatment Black soldiers received in the wartime Army, which was still segregated by law. The men of the 1511th Quartermaster Truck Regiment (Aviation) stationed at Bamber Bridge complained that they received poor food and often had to sleep in their trucks when they stopped at white bases, according to evidence presented during the court martial proceedings. They also said white military police harassed Black troops, hassling them for minor transgressions that were often ignored for other soldiers. EXPORTING SEGREGATION Black soldiers accounted for about 10% of the American troops who flooded into Britain during the war. Serving in segregated units led by white officers, most were relegated to non-combat roles such as driving trucks that delivered supplies to military bases. U.S. authorities tried to extend those policies beyond their bases, asking pubs and restaurants to separate the races. Bamber Bridge, then home to about 6,800 people, wasnt the only British community to resist this pressure. In a country that was almost entirely white, there was no tradition of segregation, and after four years of war people welcomed any help they received from overseas. Whats different about Bamber Bridge is the desire of local people to preserve this story and pass it on to others, said Alan Rice, co-director of the Institute for Black Atlantic Research at the University of Central Lancashire. If were going to have a fight against racism or fascism, these are the stories we need to talk about, Rice said. If youre fighting fascism, which these people were, its ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous, that the U.S. Army (were) encouraging a form of fascism segregation. Clinton Smith, head of the Black history group in nearby Preston, was among those who revived interest in the Battle of Bamber Bridge in the 1980s when he discovered bullet holes in the side of a bank and started asking long-time residents what had happened. That helped attract wider interest, with local blogger Derek Rogerson publishing a short book, The Battle of Bamber Bridge: The True Story, that includes photos of Black troops hosting a Christmas party for village children and watching movies with kids perched on their laps. A filmmaker, Danny Lyons, compiled oral histories. Last year, the local government council installed a plaque outside the Hob Inn that outlines the communitys relationship with the soldiers, the violence and its aftermath. The story just cant be allowed to wither on the vine, Smith said. As much as its withered, were just now trying to rejuvenate it whilst maintaining the accuracy. THE BATTLE OF BAMBER BRIDGE Despite their friendships with the GIs, villagers werent able to head off the violence when Black soldiers, frustrated by their treatment and angry about news of race riots in Detroit, faced off with military police outfitted with batons and sidearms. On that hot June night, Private Eugene Nunn was sitting at the Hob Inn bar when a white military police officer threatened to arrest him for wearing the wrong uniform. British soldiers and civilians intervened. Everyone was saying, Leave him alone. He just wants a drink. Its a hot day, Fell said as she recounted her mothers story. People just didnt understand this viciousness. When Nunn left the pub, the police were waiting. Tempers rose. A bottle smashed against the windshield of the police Jeep. Things escalated from there. It wasnt until 4 a.m. that order was restored. Military authorities sought severe penalties to head off unrest at other bases. Thirty-seven Black soldiers were charged with mutiny, riot and unlawful possession of weapons, and some 30 were convicted on some or all of the charges. Most received sentences of between three and 15 years in prison, combined with loss of pay and dishonorable discharges. As the allies prepared for the D-Day landings, many of the sentences were shortened to time served so the men could be cycled back into the war effort. While the court martial criticized the white officers for poor leadership, the records give no indication that either they or the military police were disciplined. LONGSTANDING CHANGE Ken Werrell, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and retired professor of history at Radford University in Virginia, studied the court martial proceedings and reviewed other military records for an article published in 1975. The documents show the accused were badly treated, Werrell told The Associated Press. But the broader story is that senior generals, focused on improving morale and performance, quickly ordered changes in the treatment of Black troops. Many of the officers commanding Black units were replaced, additional recreation facilities were provided and the army deployed more racially mixed military police patrols. In this way, the Bamber Bridge affair was more than just a minor incident in World War II, Werrell wrote. It was one of a number of incidents in the Blacks and Americas continuing crusade for freedom. President Harry Truman in 1948 ordered the end of segregation in the U.S. military, though it took years to fully achieve that goal. Lloyd Austin, a Black man and retired four-star general in the Army, is now secretary of defense. That progress was too late for Crossland, a former railroad worker was 25 when he died. Evidence in the court martial proceedings provided little detail on how he was killed, saying only that he was found gravely injured with a bullet near his heart. Officers said they believed he had been caught in cross-fire between two groups of Black soldiers. Investigators placed most of the blame for the violence on the Black soldiers, describing them as a mob that was determined on revenge at any cost, according to reports submitted during the court martial proceedings. But locals say they knocked on doors and told people to stay inside to avoid getting hurt. RE-ASSESSING HISTORY Nancy Croslan Adkins, the daughter of one of William's brothers, said she was never told about the circumstances of her uncle's death. The family later changed the spelling of its last name. Adkins, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, wants to know more about what happened at Bamber Bridge. Having dealt with direct discrimination myself by integrating the school system in North Carolina, and the racial injustice that my parents faced, I would love an investigation, she said. Aaron Snipe, the spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in London, said he couldnt prejudge any military decision, but President Joe Bidens administration has shown a willingness to right the wrongs of the past. The U.S. Navy earlier this month issued a formal apology to the families of 15 Black sailors who were dishonorably discharged in 1940 after complaining that they were forced to serve as mess attendants who made beds and waited on tables. Earlier this month, the Army renamed a base for William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nations highest military award, almost a century after he was wounded 21 times while beating back attacking forces during World War I. Snipe also said he planned to pay tribute to the people of Bamber Bridge at an 80th anniversary event. Part of this story is about their unwillingness to accept segregation orders or regulations that were pushed on them, he said. They pushed back at a time where it might have been more convenient for local folks to just go along with what the United States, the United States military, had said. Theyre to be commended for that. ____ Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, and researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. The Mets and Angels pulled off an unexpected swap Friday night. New York dealt veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar and cash considerations to the Halos for pitching prospects Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. New York is reportedly paying Escobars salary down to the $720K league minimum. Escobar, 34, spent a year and a half in Queens. The amiable infielder signed a two-year, $20MM free agent contract over the 2021-22 offseason. He worked as New Yorks primary third baseman last year, starting 125 games and tallying 542 plate appearances. He put together a decent .240/.295/.430 showing, compensating for the mediocre on-base mark by connecting on 20 home runs. That kind of production is par for the course. Escobar doesnt draw many walks, which generally keeps his on-base percentage around or below the league average. Hes a solid power bat, though, reaching the 20-homer mark in every full season between 2017-22. A 35-homer season with the Diamondbacks in 2019 looks to have been inflated by that years very lively ball, but Escobar has a decent amount of pop in his bat. He hasnt shown that in 2023, largely thanks to an early-season slump. Escobar opened the year as New Yorks third baseman but hit only .125/.173/.229 through April 16. At that point, New York recalled top prospect Brett Baty and installed him at the hot corner. That pushed Escobar into a depth role for which hes arguably overqualified. To his credit, Escobar has played well in sporadic playing time since being pushed to the bench. He has a .323/.373/.548 batting line in 67 plate appearances since Baty was promoted. His overall season line still checks in below-average (.236/.286/.409) thanks to the brutal first few weeks, but Escobar has contributed when given opportunities of late. Nevertheless, there wasnt a clear path for him to get back into the starting lineup. The 23-year-old Baty is viewed as a potential cornerstone offensive player. He has struggled after a torrid first few weeks but continued to get regular playing time. Baty has taken four of the last six starts at the hot corner, all of which have come against right-handed pitching. Jeff McNeil is entrenched at second base, closing off Escobars other main path to playing time. There are no such roadblocks in Anaheim. The Angels have been hit with a trio of infield injuries in rapid succession over the past week. Shortstop Zach Neto strained his oblique. Corner infielder Gio Urshela suffered a fractured pelvis that is likely to end his season. Anthony Rendon sustained a left wrist contusion on a hit-by-pitch. All of a sudden, the Halos were pressing Andrew Velazquez, Luis Rengifo and some combination of Jared Walsh and Michael Stefanic into regular playing time around Brandon Drury. Thats a suboptimal group for a club battling for a playoff spot. Escobar isnt likely to take playing time from Velazquez at shortstop. While he had experience there early in his career, he hasnt played the position with any regularity since 2018. Hell be an option at the other infield spots, particularly third and second base. Public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Statcasts Outs Above Average have pegged him as a below-average defender in recent years, but he can bounce around the dirt as a bat-first utility option. Hes most directly a replacement for the right-handed hitting Urshela. Escobar switch hits but has been quite a bit more effective from the right side of the dish. Over the past five seasons, he carries a .278/.317/.514 line against left-handed pitching while hitting .237/.300/.431 versus righty arms. Since displacing him at third base, the Mets have deployed him primarily against southpaws a huge factor in his much improved production. With Escobar having a diminished role in Queens and the Halos suddenly hunting for infield help, theres a decent amount of appeal for everyone involved. Its rare to see a trade of this kind of consequence occur in June, but its understandable the Angels wanted to jump the market. Their infield need is most pressing while Rendon is out of action. The Halos dont have much margin for error in a jumbled American League playoff picture. Los Angeles entered play tonight half a game behind the Yankees for the last AL Wild Card spot and six games back of the Rangers in the AL West. The Mets entered the season with divisional aspirations after winning 101 games last year. New York has played disappointing ball thus far, carrying a 34-40 record into play Friday night. Now 14 games back of the Braves in the NL East, theyre all but out of the division mix. Theyre still within shouting distance of a Wild Card spot, seven games behind the Dodgers. New York isnt yet conceding the 2023 campaign. General manager Billy Eppler told Tim Healey of Newsday that trading Escobar had no correlation with the rest of the clubs deadline plans. Rather, the team jumped on an opportunity to cash in a player who had been pushed out of the lineup for a pair of minor league pitchers. Crow ranked 17th on Baseball Americas midseason update of the Angels farm system and checked in eighth on Eric Longenhagens recent list at FanGraphs. An overslot signee out of high school in the 28th round of the 2019 draft, Crow draws praise for his athleticism and a quality slider. The Georgia native is regarded as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter or multi-inning reliever. Hell be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not added to the 40-man roster by November, so hed profile as near-term pitching depth if healthy. He has been on the injured list since the end of April but started his season with a 1.88 ERA and excellent 31:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 innings at Double-A. Marceaux, a 2021 third-round pick out of LSU, ranked 20th in the Halos system at BA. While he typically works in the low 90s with his fastball, hes credited with plus control of a four-pitch mix. He has spent his age-23 season in Double-A, working to a 4.88 ERA through 59 innings. The right-hander has a below-average 17.1% strikeout rate but has kept his walks to a tidy 7.2% clip. He wont be Rule 5 eligible until after the 2024 campaign and seems to profile as a depth starter. To entice the Halos to part with those arms, the Mets paid down virtually all of Escobars $9.5MM salary. Theyre paying an accompanying 110% tax on that money. Andy Martino of SNY reported this afternoon that New York was open to spending to improve their farm system, either by taking on another teams undesirable contract while getting back minor league talent or paying down some of their own deals. Theyve put that into action with todays swap. Escobars contract contains a $9MM club option for next season with a $500K buyout. It seems likely the Halos will opt for the buyout, although theres at least some flexibility to keep him around if he goes on a second-half tear. The far bigger concern is plugging in an immediate stopgap veteran to help them weather their injury issues. Doing so at no financial cost keeps their luxury tax number around $238MM, as estimated by Roster Resource a few million north of the $233MM base threshold. Theyll surely be willing to get more aggressive as the deadline approaches if theyre still in the thick of the playoff race. Supporting the back of the rotation and/or adding middle infield help could be future goals for GM Perry Minasian and his staff. Andy Martino of SNY first reported the Mets were paying Escobars salary down to league minimum. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. The Giants announced a pair of roster moves before tonights division matchup with the Diamondbacks. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is headed to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 22, with a left hamstring strain. Infielder Isan Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take the active roster spot. Yastrzemski has landed on the IL with left hamstring concerns twice this season. He returned within two weeks back in May. The club will hope for a similarly swift comeback this time around. Yastrzemski has a .259/.324/.482 line with 10 home runs through 217 trips to the plate. Hes played primarily center field but moved to left field once Mitch Haniger broke his arm and the Giants called up Luis Matos to man center. Blake Sabol is getting the nod in left field tonight against a right-handed pitcher. Austin Slater picked up the start against a left-hander yesterday, and the club could continue with a platoon arrangement in Yastrzemskis absence. Diaz is starting at second base. Its his team debut and first MLB appearance since 2021. A former top prospect, he struggled to a .185/.275/.287 line in 500 plate appearances with the Marlins between 2019-21. San Francisco signed him to a minor league deal in 2022. The left-handed hitter had a strong 22 season in Sacramento, hitting .275/.377/.574 in 83 games. The Giants selected his contract at the start of last offseason to prevent him from returning to minor league free agency. He spent most of this season on the minor league injured list but is now healthy and ready to don a San Francisco uniform for the first time. The Guardians have signed right-handers Jerad Eickhoff and Riley Smith to non-roster contracts, according to an announcement from GuardsInsider (Twitter links). Both pitchers have been assigned to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland also indicated that left-hander Daniel Norris went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. Eickhoff, 33 next month, returns to affiliated ball in search of an eighth big league season. A former Ranger draftee who was sent to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade, Eickhoff broke in as a decent back-of-the-rotation arm in Philadelphia. He struggled between 2017-19 and has only gotten brief looks in the last two seasons. After making five appearances with the Mets in 2021, Eickhoff took a lone start for the Pirates last year. He was hit hard in those stints, surrendering 34 runs in his last 24 MLB innings. Eickhoff had spent most of last season in Triple-A with the Bucs, posting a 4.96 ERA with solid strikeout and walk numbers (22.5% and 6.3%, respectively) through 114 1/3 frames. Hed been pitching in the independent Atlantic League this year, allowing a 6.16 ERA over 49 2/3 innings. Smith made 30 appearances for the Diamondbacks between 2020-21. He owns a 5.04 ERA over 85 2/3 MLB frames. The LSU product spent last season in the Rockies system. An assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque, a brutal environment for pitchers, didnt go well. Smith allowed an 8.06 ERA through 92 2/3 innings. Whether Norris will join Eickhoff and Smith in Columbus remains to be seen. The veteran has more than enough service time to decline the assignment in favor of free agency. Norris signed a minor league contract in Spring Training. He posted a 6.93 ERA with middling strikeout and walk rates in 14 outings (nine starts). The Guardians called him up for a two-inning big league appearance earlier this week but quickly took him back off the roster thereafter. MIDLAND, MI There are 26 different sandwiches and 10 varities of Koegels skinless frankfurters to choose from at Amazing Deli in Midland. The restaurant, located at 134 E. Main St., is a staple in downtown Midland. Owner Jeff DeVaney began the business in 1997 near the Midland Mall but moved to the current location in 2009. DeVaney said it was a good opportunity to move and to offer something different in the area. Its nice being downtown. Our customers are really good customers; we appreciate every time they come in, DeVaney said. Were getting a lot of newer customers Ive noticed, and thats a good thing. Throughout the summer months, the deli offers pulled pork and four specialty limited-time sandwiches. DeVaney says the customer favorites switch from day to day. The Moo and Cluck sandwich, No. 8, is one of those favorites, which includes roast beef, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, tomato, green pepper, onion and Russian dressing on grilled wheat bread. Alongside the Koegel hot dogs, DeVaney said they try their best to keep products they sell Michigan-based, such as the chips, deli meats and bread. Amazing Deli also offers catering of all sizes and requires a 24-hour notice for orders. Customers can call 989-837-7278 to place catering orders. Amazing Deli is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To learn more or order online, visit Amazing Delis website. Click here to check out their Facebook page. Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. Would you like MLive to feature your favorite restaurant in Michigans Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Kaytie Boomer at kboomer@mlive.com. Read more on MLive: Michigans Best Local Eats: Hot Turkey plate from Purtells Restaurant & Ice Cream Shoppe Michigans Best Local Eats: Fried ribs from Saginaw Waffle Hut food truck Michigans Best Local Eats: South End Polka Bites from Barneys Bar & Grill Assyrians Seek Congressional Support for Resolution Recognizing 1933 Massacre A congregation of Assyrians gathered in Washington, D.C., on June 6 to give their backing to a bill that would recognize a massacre of their people by Iraqi Muslims during the mid-20th century. Assyrians hail from northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and parts of Turkey. Almost entirely Christian due to the early evangelizing efforts of St. Thomas the Apostle, Assyrians are one of the oldest cultures in the world, responsible for world wonders like the Gates of Nineveh, recently destroyed by the Islamic State, and renowned classics like "The Epic of Gilgamesh." Though they once lived peacefully in their ancestral homelands, where some communities have persisted for over 5,000 years, the political upheavals of the 20th and 21st centuries shattered this comfort. Following the end of World War 1, the Ottoman Empire, which had kept a relative peace in the broader Middle East for a millennium, was dissolved as part of the Treaty of Versailles. Territories of the former Ottoman Empire were split apart, often without much regard for the ethnic, cultural, and religious differences of peoples. Because of this division, Assyrians found themselves placed in the same country with Shia and Sunni Muslims still fuming over their previous defeat. In 1933, tensions between the two religions boiled over, leading to the Simmele massacre, a Muslim-backed massacre of Christian Assyrians who had fled to the small town of Simmele to escape Muslim incursions against them. Historical accounts vary, but between 3,000 and 6,000 Assyrians were killed in the massacre, leading ultimately to a diaspora that has only accelerated amid the escalated threats of the 20th century. Now, a bipartisan duo is seeking passage of a resolution recognizing the massacre, and Assyrians from around the world gathered in Washington to express their support for the measure. The measure is sponsored by Reps. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). It would recognize the genocide for legal purposes. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) speaks in favor of a resolution recognizing a Muslim genocide of Christian Assyrians in Iraq during the mid-20th century. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) "The resilience and endurance of the Assyrian people is commendable and praiseworthy, despite being victims of an ethnocide that is being continued by the Islamic State," the resolution reads. "The Assyrian community across the world continues to feel the effects of the Assyrian Genocide, including families that have never been reunited." Thus, the measure would "commemorate the Assyrian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance; reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Assyrian Genocide or any other genocide; call upon the Republic of Turkey to officially recognize the Assyrian Genocide; and encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Assyrian Genocide, including the United States' role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Assyrian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity." Lesko told The Epoch Times that she was sponsoring the measure because "I think it's important for people to know what happened to the Assyrian people. And I think it's important to recognize it so that it doesn't happen again." Speaking at the event, Schakowsky echoed this sentiment, saying, "We have to name it, and we have to pass it." Epoch Times Photo Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) speaks in favor of a resolution recognizing a Muslim genocide of Christian Assyrians in Iraq during the mid-20th century. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) Though the resolution is not controversial, it has previously languished in committee after being introduced during previous Congresses. "It's been 90 years that we've been trying to get worldwide recognition about this atrocity against unarmed women and children," said Sam Darmo, an Assyrian American who was instrumental in pushing Lesko to back the resolution. He thanked Lesko for "spearheading this in Washington." The two helped secure the passage of a similar measure at the local level in Arizona, Darmo said, "but this is the first time we're doing it at the federal level. "It feels good," Darmo said, indicating that the measure would help bring attention to the "martyrs" who died in the massacre. "This way, these things will not happen again." Juliana Taimoorazy, president and founder of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, said the resolution is "crucial" in that it would "finally give a voice to the deceased and dead who fought and died for our cause." Juliana Taimoorazy, president and founder of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, speaks with reporters in Washington on June 6, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) She noted that even though the massacre is in the distant past, the Assyrian people "have continued to suffer." During the reign of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party, Assyrians were relatively well protected, guests said, so long as they didn't cross the dictator's totalitarian Iraqi nationalist aspirations. One guest joked that people were "oppressed equally" under Hussein. That fell apart in 2003, following the American invasion of Iraq. Hussein was killed in the invasion, and the region quickly descended into a maelstrom of chaos, famine, and political instability. Thus, many Assyrians living in Iraq were forced to leave the country for more tolerant places like Syria, Turkey, Europe, and North America. In the wake of advances by the Islamic State, the few Christian Assyrian people still living in Iraq are increasingly being pushed out, accelerating the centuries-long diaspora that began with the Simmele massacre. ANN ARBOR, MI -- Holidays Restaurant has been a place where every day is a celebration, since 1997, Co-Owner Rob Terbush said. The Ann Arbor restaurant at 2080 W. Stadium Blvd. is known for its breakfast and homemade lunch specials. Terbush and his family are behind the operations of Holidays which he said is definitely known as the place to meet on the westside, of Ann Arbor. We try to create that holiday feel year-round and a lot of that comes from home-cooked favorites (and) a lot of scratch cooking, Terbush said. Customers can find a variety of menu options at Holidays, whether theyre looking for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Holidays commitment to its scratch recipes and fresh ingredients is what sets it apart from the rest, he said. (We) are continuously evolving as far as what customers are looking for and asking for, Terbush said. I think our big staple is staying true to the simple stuff, but then adding enough to keep enough new and exciting things. Many of Holidays recipes have come either from him, his mother or the restaurants staff members, he said. One meal created by the Holidays staff is the sweet potato eggs benedict made with chopped sweet potato wedges topped with poached eggs, tomatoes, spinach, avocado and hollandaise sauce and served with toast and jelly. Customers even sometimes give the restaurant some ideas, Terbush said, adding that Katies Taco Skillet is an example of that. The dish is made with home fries topped with taco meat, Colby jack cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and black olives. While Terbush has some menu favorites, he said it varies depending on the time of day and what season it is. But, he said he typically enjoys Holidays taco salad, ribs, fried chicken wings and BLT sandwich. Other popular dishes include the multigrain pancakes, homemade corned beef hash, West coast eggs benedict, Reuben sandwiches, ribs, pulled pork and turkey dinners. Customers can expect to find freshness when it comes to their meals, Terbush said, adding Holidays began planting vegetables and herbs on the property in 2012. The restaurant often gets fresh vegetables, like jalapenos, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbage, broccoli and different variations of tomatoes and bell peppers. These fresh ingredients are used for the restaurants sauces, salads and sandwiches, which include the restaurants very popular BLT. Terbush said the sandwich is always a top-seller, but it becomes even more popular from July to September when it features fresh picked tomatoes. Holidays Restaurant is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Find it online, on social media or by phone at 734-668-1292. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. MORE ANN ARBOR AREA LOCAL EATS: Michigans Best Local Eats: Customers flock to Dexters Pub for chicken fajitas every Wednesday Michigans Best Local Eats: Check out Wolverine Tracks ice cream at this Ann Arbor creamery Michigans Best Local Eats: Find one of the best Molcajete dishes at Cancun Mexican Grill Michigans Best Local Eats: Vinology brings seasonal menu, wide selection of wines to Ann Arbor Michigans Best Local Eats: Yellowstone inspired ice-cream flavor is a favorite at Dexter Creamery Michigans Best Local Eats: The Smash Burger is so simple, but so good at Grizzly Peak Brewing Co. Michigans Best Local Eats: Chelsea Alehouse Brewery aims to elevate its dishes while keeping cool pub food Michigans Best Local Eats: Fresh doughnuts, pastries, bread available every day at Bennys Bakery Michigans Best Local Eats: Each dumpling at Basil Babe in Ypsilanti is filled with love Michigans Best Local Eats: Mickeys Dairy Twist has new owners, same classic ice cream Michigans Best Local Eats: The Las Vegas roll is by far Biwako Sushis best seller Michigans Best Local Eats: Tiger latte shows its stripes at Carrigan Cafe in Saline Michigans Best Local Eats: A seasonal Teddy Graham latte is on the menu at Black Diesel Coffee Michigans Best Local Eats: Theres way more than just wings at Wings N Things in Dexter Michigans Best Local Eats: The smoked turkey pesto panini is a hit at Joe and Rosie Coffee and Tea Michigans Best Local Eats: Ashleys remains an Ann Arbor staple after 40 years Michigans Best Local Eats: True coffee lovers may find their perfect cup at Comet Coffee Michigans Best Local Eats: Cakes, cupcakes, pies fill the Enchanted Oven in Saline Michigans Best Local Eats: Sip on the Brown Bear latte at Cahoots Cafe in Ann Arbor Michigans Best Local Eats: Youve got to try the Burrito California at Mi Zarape Michigans Best Local Eats: El Limon fuses Mediterranean, Mexican cuisines Michigans Best Local Eats: Enjoy a burger and Grotto Fries at The Beer Grotto in Dexter Michigans Best Local Eats: Union Rec puts twist on American barbeque Michigans Best Local Eats: Enjoy a cup of coffee and a yoga class at Millies Coffeehouse in Manchester Michigans Best Local Eats: Funky toppings are key at Peace Love and Little Donuts in Ann Arbor Not only was Joan Young the first woman to hike the entire North Country Trail, but she can now claim completing the feat twice. Early on Sunday afternoon, June 18, Young walked to the Timber Creek Trailhead in the Manistee National Forest to greet the small crowd gathered to celebrate the finish. It was exactly 18 months and 18 days since the 75-year-old Scottville woman left the same trailhead. There was no fist pumping, tears or major fanfare. She was mainly focused on giving credit to all those who supported her. Young is humble, and very matter-of-fact. It never felt all that epic to me, she said. It was a string of hikes. I got to go hiking everyday. Chris Loudenslager, the North Country Trail National Park Service superintendent, was more blunt in his assessment. This particular accomplishment is in a category all by itself, he said. The whole notion that someone wanted to do it a second time, I think thats unprecedented. Loudenslager said the sheer expanse of the trail is daunting to most hikers. At 4,815 miles, the North Country Trail (NCT) is the longest of the National Scenic Trails. By comparison, the Appalachian Tail is 2,190 miles. Hiking the NCT is like walking from Detroit to Kiev, Ukraine. The trail winds through eight states and the terrain varies from prairie in North Dakota to mountains in Vermont. Bill Courtois, a hiker of Ann Arbor, said its darn near impossible to hike the whole NCT because of the physical demands, logistics and time commitment. While thousands have hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, only around 20 hikers have completed the NCT according to the North Country Trail Association. Courtois hiked with Young for around 1,100 miles in various sections and said she has the combination of will and physical ability for the challenge. He said she also has the planning and logistical mind for it. When Young set out for her second trek in December of 2021, she knew exactly what she was getting into. In 2010, Young became the first woman to complete the entire trail, which she did in segments over a 20-year period. Despite the records and staggering number of miles, Young is nonchalant about the whole thing. RELATED: The first woman to hike the entire North Country Trail is doing it again She spent 408 days hiking and averaged 11.8 miles per day. Shes the first to say that its far less than the 15 miles per day she was hoping for, but there was the February ice storm in Ohio that limited her to several single-digit hiking days. Sickness also slowed her down at times. Her original goal was to complete the trail in 365 days, but with the extra rest days and logistics to figure out, she had to let that dream go midway through the trip. She still hoped to complete it in one go, but trials awaited her once she crossed back into Michigan. It wasnt the Adirondacks in western New York or the heat wave she endured in North Dakota that derailed the attempt, it was the snow in her home state that finally forced her to abandon her effort to hike the whole trail in one continuous stretch. We spent some time on the trail with Joan in December 2021 when she was first starting out. Hear about and see her journey in the video below or click here to play. Plans derailed On November 4, 2022, Young crossed into Michigan from Wisconsin. At that point, she was hoping to complete the Upper Peninsula sections before snow made them impassable. That hope was dashed as snow buried the western half of the U.P., forcing her to make some painful decisions. Last night I was really discouraged, she wrote on her blog on Nov. 30. Ive decided that if the weather becomes unmanageable, I will take a break and go home for a while. I WILL have to come back in the spring to get the 95 miles I have to temporarily abandon. Am I disappointed? Yes. Can I accept this? I think so. After completing the iconic Pictured Rocks section and all she could in the Eastern U.P., Young headed home for a three-month break to let her body recover and let the snow melt. I did not know how tired I was, she said. For the first two months of the break, she didnt move around much and let her body rest. In June she headed back and completed the Porcupine Mountains and the section of trail in the Trap Hills before heading back downstate to finish the last few miles. Joan Young stands with her husband, Omer, at the western end of the North Country Trail in North Dakota. (Photo by Patrick French)Provided by Joan Young Why hike again? Young had several goals for her second NCT hike. Shes loved the NCT for decades, and wanted to bring attention to the trail. One of my primary goals was to try to tell people how awesome this trail is, she said. A prolific writer, she kept a blog for the entire trip and posted thousands of photos. Every day she found something that piqued her interest and stirred wonder. It was gratifying for her to show others the trail she loves. She was also excited to see how much the trail has changed in the decade since she completed it the first time. Large sections of the trial are still being built, and in 2010 there were many portions that were simply routed to roads. She estimates that the first time she hiked it, 2,000 miles were off-road, compared to 3,500 miles now. Joans accomplishment from the NPS perspective is such a neat way to gauge the progress we are making, Loudenslager said. At the end of her blog post about her final day she said it was one of her greatest desires to share the NCT with others, but it was also her great desire to be a like the burning bush in the Bible, a small presence of God to others. She posted this quote, attributed to Bob Holmes: May the quiet fire of Gods love arise within you. May its flames of joy and peace enlighten your steps in this world. And may you be like the burning bush, the presence of God for each other, that Holy healing light of love. the breath of God made manifest. Joan Young hikes the North Country Trail in Barry County in Michigan on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. Young was the first woman to complete the entire trail in 2010, and now shes attempting it again.Neil Blake/MLive.com Whats next? Young is eternally grateful for all the support she received on the trail from friends and strangers. For most of the trip, she had a support person so she could focus on hiking. Her friend Sue Crawford was with her more than 150 days. Another friend, Marie Altenau, did 60 days, and her husband, Omer, spotted Young for more than a month in the brutal heat of North Dakota. Young isnt ruling out a third trek on the NCT, but she said she doesnt know if shell be capable of it in ten years when shes 85. She is in no hurry. As a published author, shes excited to get back to writing and she is giving her flower beds some much needed attention. Its giving me so much joy, she said. For more information about the NCT, check out the North Country Trail Associations website. Joan Young poses near the North Country Trail in Barry County in Michigan on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. Young was the first woman to complete the entire trail in 2010, and now shes attempting it again.Neil Blake/MLive.com Related: Up North paddling festival invites all skill levels to explore Chain of Lakes water trail 8 Michigan islands where you can camp overnight Leland Blue stone: What is this beach treasure everyone is looking for Up North? New forest bathing walks at Sleeping Bear Dunes aim to deepen connection to nature MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - Sprinkles Donut Shop has been a community staple in West Michigan since 2014, earning its spot as one of the best homegrown places to get doughnuts along the lakeshore. Since the opening of its new Norton Shores location in early June, the popular doughnut shop at 4161 Grand Haven Rd., has been seeing an influx of customers looking to try some fresh baked goods. Owner of the business Gary VanderStelt Jr. opened the new location in the same spot that used to house his late fathers old bakery shop, Goobers Bakery. We bought the building and remodeled the two different suites, and thats where we opened Sprinkles, VanderStelt Jr. said. We dont have all of the decorations done, but soon theres going to be a little mural on the wall of my dad. Before Goobers Bakery was sold off to different owners, the local doughnut spot was known as a small 1,800-square-foot kitchen offering an array of freshly baked desserts and loaves of bread for years. Then in 2014, Sprinkles Donut Shop was launched, attracting fans that missed the old Goobers Bakery recipes. VanderStelt Jr. said he quit his day job in 2018 to dedicate his time to Sprinkles, aiming to continue the legacy his late father started years ago. Now, Sprinkles operates out of an 11,000-square-foot kitchen, allowing for the production of about one million doughnuts per month. The process we use to make everything is pretty much the same way my dad would make everything, even back in the late 50s, he told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Its the same type of dough that we use, the same various batters and we make all our icings and several filings. Although the doughnuts arent made the old traditional way by flipping them with wooden sticks, Sprinkles still prides itself on offering a homey environment and the sweet taste of a freshly baked doughnut. And the quality of the ingredients shows. Some of the best-selling items on the menu have been pretty consistent for years, VanderStelt Jr. said. The number one doughnut is the apple fritter, made with yeast-raised dough with hand-chopped apple, cherry and cinnamon and covered with a homemade glaze. If thats not enough sweetness, Sprinkles also offers other top sellers like the Holland creme long john and cinnamon roll topped with a homemade glaze. All doughnuts cost $1.40 each. Other options on the menu include the popular jumbo blueberry muffins made with Michigan blueberries, specialty items like this months key lime pie doughnut and various cookie options. VanderStelt Jr. said the new store has been the second busiest store out of all seven locations in the Greater Grand Rapids area. Everyone who showed up knew the legacy his dad left on the community dating back to Goobers Bakery, he said. We just couldnt keep him out of that kitchen working, VanderStelt Jr. said. Weve gotten so many messages from adults that were kids back when my dad ran Goobers. My dad would know what somebody would get every morning on their way to work, so Ive met dozens and dozens of people with some cool stories from the 90s or early 2,000s. VanderStelt Jr. touts the place as a nostalgic spot to grab a sweet bite to eat in the morning or after a long day, a place where customers walk out with a smile. We dont want to just be another local business, he said. We want to create an experience, a happy place with great products to enjoy. I think we do what my dad had done for 30 years, to create a sweet memory for a customer. All Sprinkles Donut Shop locations are open Tuesday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. and 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Norton Shores shop can be reached at (616) 457-4158. Visit their website or Facebook to view menu updates. Would you like MLive to consider featuring your favorite restaurant in Michigans Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Skyla Jewell-Hammie at sjewell-hammie@mlive.com. Read more: First step toward paid parking in Grand Haven taken, but more study planned Hometown Creamery opens year-round location in downtown Muskegon Michigans Best Local Eats: Lombardos Sicilian Pizzas in Muskegon offers old world taste SAGINAW, MI A Broadway star gave a shout-out to Saginaw-baked bread in a social media post leading up to his latest trip to the Tony Awards. Brian dArcy James, a Saginaw Township native with a Broadway and Hollywood career, earlier this month named Saginaw-based Spatzs Bakery bread as his favorite variety in an Instagram post. The endorsement was part of a message posted in advance of his trip to the Sunday, June 11, Tony Awards. He was a nominee in the category for actors in the leading role of a musical. He performed in a production of Into the Woods at St. James Theatre in New York City. His character was a baker, and in an Instagram post tying the role to his love of baked goods, he made sure to compliment the real-life bread beloved in his home community. He wrote: Ok, this one is sentimental. I grew up with #SpatzBread in my hometown of Saginaw, MI. Theyre a small, local bakery and call me biased, but Im giving them top prize here. #gettoasted Get toasted is a marketing tagline used by the 1854-established Spatzs Bakery, 1120 State in Saginaw. The Instagram post received nearly 4,000 likes from his nearly 70,000 followers. When one of those followers responded to the post by informing him she could not fit a Spatzs Bakery bread into her carry-on luggage, James replied, Unforgivable. James, a 1986 graduate of Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw Township, is no stranger to Tony Awards. The 54-year-old was introduced to much of the performing arts world via Broadway while playing the titular character in Shrek the Musical from 2008-09, when he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. The performance later was captured for a feature-length film available now on Netflix. Playing Shrek earned him the second of four Tony Award nominations for leading actor in a musical. The first was for Sweet Smell of Success in 2002. He also received a nomination for Something Rotten! in 2015 before his 2023 nomination in Into the Woods. His on-stage resume also includes serving as an original cast member of Hamilton, playing King George III. Perhaps his most notable movie role to date was in Spotlight, which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards after its release in 2015. He portrayed real-life Boston Globe reporter Matt Carroll in the drama about a team of journalists uncovering a community scandal. Most recently, on the small screen, he played a supporting role in the HBO Max mini-series, Love & Death, which was streamed online in the spring. In this 2012 MLive file image, Brian d'Arcy James performs at the Field Neurosciences Institute's 25th anniversary gala "Field of Hope" at the Temple Theatre in Saginaw.The Bay City Times Want more Bay City- and Saginaw-area news? Bookmark the local Bay City and Saginaw news page or sign up for the free 3@3 daily newsletter for Bay City and Saginaw. Read more from MLive: Board changes empowered public criticism of ousted Saginaw County leader, officials say SVSU board OKs largest tuition increase in 12 years Next effort to axe Saginaw tax caps could come in 2026 elections, mayor says In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court upended decades of precedent, Michigan has done far more than other states to strengthen abortion rights and access. But in the eyes of the states top Democratic officials, theres still work to be done before the state can say its a national leader in reproductive health. Among those topics? Doing away with the states mandated waiting period which requires a person to review, sign and turn in paperwork related to their abortion 24-hours before the service can be provided as well as laws requiring specific corridor width and procedure room size for facilities that offer abortive services. RELATED: The Gen Z Cliff: Why young Americans are mobilizing on abortion and LGBTQ rights Its a move that could be coming as soon as lawmakers return from their summer break, expected to begin as soon as the end of June. There are things that were put into place solely to limit (abortion) access, said Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, who has helped lead the charge on topic within the Michigan legislature. Were looking to make sure that the promise of a constitutional right to reproductive freedom is actually available to everybody. Thats part of what puts Michigan in a situation unique to other states. While most abortions are now banned in 14 states and strictly limited in several others, Michigan voters chose to legalize abortion in 2022 after the fall of Roe v. Wade earlier that year. Roe, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that guaranteed a right to an abortion nationwide in 1973, was effectively cast aside June 24, 2022, when justices handed down their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. That case returned the power to regulate abortions to states on an individual basis, sending many at risk of reverting back to decades-old laws which had otherwise become irrelevant since Roe still on the books. Legal battles have ensued across the country. In Michigan, the state could reverted to a 1931 ban on abortion except to preserve the life of the mother. In the end, that long-dormant law never again officially took effect. In May 2022, the Michigan Court of Claims granted a preliminary injunction into a court case looking to bar the 1931 law from being enforced altogether; by November, voters overwhelmingly supported the passage of Proposal 3 in the states midterm election, rendering the law effectively moot. A constitutional ballot initiative, Proposal 3 guarantees a fundamental right to reproductive freedom that includes abortion, contraception, infertility care and more. Its presence on the ballot is largely considered to have motivated voters to give Democrats not only control of the Michigan Senate for the first time in four decades, but the state House and Supreme Court, while keeping the governorship, attorney general position and secretary of state. RELATED: What would Prop 3 do: A guide to Michigans abortion rights ballot proposal In the days since the November midterm, Democrats have moved quickly to strike or amend what they see as anti-reproductive health related policies, including repealing the 1931 ban altogether and altering the state civil rights law so it prohibits employers from discriminating against a woman for having an abortion. Pohutsky added that there are plans to return to an older Democratic push that has failed under prior Republican legislatures: Passing the Reproductive Health Act. The bill would effectively repeal TRAP provisions, or laws implemented under Roe meant to keep abortion legal but add provisions abortion providers have panned as burdensome, like hallway width requirements or waiting periods associated with having an abortion. We know that there are people who have limited access to health care, writ large, including abortion care, Pohutsky said, of the 24-hour waiting period law. So, if you have to drive a couple hundred miles to get to an abortion provider, and then you have to turn around and do it again the next day or pay for lodging to stay there thats an encumbrance. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, too, has signaled her support for changes to current state law in a statement released ahead of the Dobbs anniversary. It is my hope that the legislature will repeal laws that make it harder for women to exercise their right to access abortion care, including laws that mandate biased, medically inaccurate counseling, discriminatory waiting periods, and put obstructive, targeted regulations on womens health providers, she said. I will keep using every tool in my toolbox to support, protect, and affirm reproductive freedom in Michigan, and Ill keep fighting to make our state a welcoming beacon of opportunity where anyone can envision a future. But to people like Christen Pollo, executive director of Protect Life Michigan, moving too fast on these topics could prove in err. She called measures like stipulations on abortion-providing centers or 24-hour waiting period pro-woman laws. Pollo previously served as the spokesperson for the Citizens to Support MI Women and Children, a 2022 coalition formed in opposition to Proposal 3. This is a life-changing decision that cannot be undone and we should make sure that theres informed consent in place and that women fully understand the magnitude of what theyre doing, she said. These laws are in place not just to protect unborn lives, but to protect women as well. I think its quote radical that anyone would be opposed to those. Anna-Marie Pluymert, director of communication and education for Right to Life of Michigan, made similar comments. The suggestion that these basic health and safety protections for women must be removed demonstrates the blind fervor with which Planned Parenthood is seeking to expand, she said. It has nothing to do with women and everything to do with their bottom line as the nations largest abortion provider. More from MLive Ryan Kelley, former gubernatorial candidate, to plead guilty on Jan. 6 charge Section 8 renters in Michigan could see more protections against housing discrimination Michigan Democrats begin hearings on carbon-free energy legislation Republicans sour over proposed tax on some Michigan sweets Speeding cameras in Michigan construction zones could soon monitor motorists Michigan State just added a highly sought-after running back to its next recruiting class. Anthony Carrie, a 2024 four-star prospect from Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Fla., announced his commitment to the Spartans via social media on Saturday evening. He took an official visit to East Lansing earlier this month. At 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds, Carrie is listed as the No. 22 running back and No. 273 player overall in the 2024 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite. He is the highest-ranked player committed to the Spartans. Carrie has more than 40 offers, including from Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Michigan State now has six players committed to its 2024 recruiting class in Carrie, three-star cornerback Jaylen Thompson from Tennessee, three-star safety Reggie Powers from Ohio, three-star offensive lineman Andrew Dennis from Mount Pleasant High School, three-star offensive lineman Logan Bennett from Baltimore and three-star cornerback Camren Campbell from Florida. The Spartans have been hosting visitors all month during an NCAA quiet period that lasts until Sunday in which in-person recruiting can only take place on campus. Carrie is the third commitment for Michigan State this month, following Powers and Campbell. Related Michigan State football stories: Michigan State lands commitment from 2024 Florida DB 3-star DB commits to Michigan State over Ohio State, other finalists Michigan States WR outlook after losing 2nd-round NFL pick, two former 4-star recruits Takeaways from Michigan State footballs 2024-25 Big Ten schedule Michigan State adds CB transfer Terry Roberts from Miami who spent five seasons at Iowa The National Weather Service offices in Grand Rapids and Gaylord have issued Air Quality Alerts for the Lake Michigan shoreline counties and other nearby counties, effective through Saturday. This spans from the city of Petoskey, all the way south toward Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor. Counties under the alerts include: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Leelanau and Manistee in Northern Michigan. In West Michigan, counties under the alerts include: Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, Allegan and Van Buren. Just like the past couple days, the reasoning behind this is is elevated levels of ozone in the area. As a result, the pollutant has created unhealthy air conditions for sensitive groups. Air Quality alert until 6/24 People and businesses are urged to avoid activities which lead to ozone formation, which would increase the amount of pollutants in the air. These activities include refueling vehicles or topping off when refueling, using gasoline powered lawn equipment, and using charcoal lighter fluid. The good news is, this concern is expected to resolve itself, as rain is expected to move in on Sunday. Radar loop for 6/25 This will mix out this airmass that is situated over Lake Michigan, which is expected to restore our air quality by the end of the weekend. It is recommended that you limit outdoor activity if you are sensitive to air quality changes. Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has directed the Business Committee of Parliament to table the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, for the consideration of the House for the week ending, Friday, June 30. The Speaker urged the Leadership of the Business Committee to ensure that the Bill would be laid before the House either on Tuesday, June 27, or Thursday, June 29. Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, presiding over the House, made the disclosure on the floor of the House on Friday, June 23. The object of the Bill is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values proscribe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities. Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Minority Deputy Whip and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Banda, urged the First Deputy Speaker to fix the laying of the Bill on Thursday, June 29; this he said was because on Tuesday, June 27, most Members of the House would be at the Assin North Constituency for the pending Parliamentary by-election. In his response, Mr Annoh-Dompreh said the Business Committee would be meeting to decide on the appropriate date for the laying of the Bill. Mr Osei-Owusu reiterated that it was the Speakers directive that the Bill be tabled before the House on either Tuesday, June 27 or Thursday, June 29. GNA Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has expressed grave concern over escalating violence in the Occupied West Bank, warning that the situation could spiral out of control due to increased political rhetoric and advanced military weaponry deployment by Israel. The escalating violence has caused significant suffering among both Palestinians and Israelis, prompting an urgent call from the High Commissioner for an immediate cessation of hostilities. In response to the Israeli Security Forces' operation in Jenin Refugee Camp on Monday, which led to the deaths of at least seven Palestinians, including children, and injured 91 Palestinians and seven Israeli soldiers, Turk has reminded the Israeli authorities of their international law obligations concerning the use of lethal force. A notable escalation was seen in the use of weaponry typically associated with armed conflict rather than law enforcement operations during the Israeli airstrikes on Jenin Refugee Camp. More alarmingly, subsequent reports indicated an Israeli military drone strike near Jenin, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinian men believed to be part of a militant group. Turk emphasised that Israeli authorities must plan and execute all operations with the aim to minimise the use of lethal force, as mandated by international human rights law. Further, each death resulting from Israeli forces' action necessitates an effective investigation, and any evidence of national or international law violations should lead to accountability for the suspected perpetrators. "Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the Occupied West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life," stated the High Commissioner. "As the occupying power, Israel also has obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure public order and safety within the Occupied Palestinian Territory." In the aftermath of the Jenin raid, two armed Palestinian men killed four Israeli settlers near the Israeli settlement of Eli in the Occupied West Bank, an act which Turk criticised, especially given its celebration by some Palestinians. Reports of Israeli settlers assaulting several Palestinian communities and alleged confrontations between Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli Security Forces, and Palestinians at Tumusai'ya village in Ramallah were also highlighted. So far in 2023, Israeli Security Forces have killed at least 126 Palestinians, including 21 boys and one girl, in the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These numbers surpass the entirety of 2022, which saw 155 Palestinians killed by Israeli Security Forces, the highest toll in the past 17 years. Turk concluded his statement by urging all sides to address the underlying causes of the widespread violence and the arbitrary loss of life. He emphasised the need for immediate action and political will from Israel, the Palestinians, and the international community. "For this violence to end, the occupation must end," he asserted. "On all sides, the people with the political power know this and must instigate immediate steps to realize this." 23.06.2023 LISTEN An Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Mary Yanzuh has stated that the trial of James Gyakye Quayson, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), will be conducted on a daily basis starting from July 4, 2023. The court declared that its previous order, issued on June 16, outlining this arrangement was in accordance with the law, and there was no basis for a review. The judge emphasized that adjournments are determined by the court's discretion, not the convenience of the parties involved. She stated that the court's order was clearly in line with the law, and there was no demonstration that it contravened any legal provisions. The judge further stated that the court's refusal to grant Quayson additional time for campaigning did not infringe upon his rights or deny him a fair trial. She asserted that the court's decision alone does not constitute a denial of the right to a fair trial. Lawyers representing Quayson had requested a review of the court's order, arguing that he needed time to campaign before the Assin North by-election on June 27. They presented documents to the court, alleging prejudicial comments made by the Attorney General that could impact the case. However, Justice Yanzuh ruled that these statements were not relevant to the matter at hand and did not warrant a review. She explained that the only new information presented was the alleged prejudicial comments by the Attorney General, which she deemed irrelevant to her decision. The judge adjourned the proceedings to June 29 and July 4, taking into account the unavailability of the specific courtroom on Mondays, the upcoming by-election, and the upcoming holiday. Following these dates, the trial will proceed on a day-to-day basis. Deputy Attorney General Diana Asonaba Dapaah expressed that the court's decision aligns with established legal principles, emphasizing that it is the court's prerogative to determine the hearing dates, not the convenience of the accused. Baba Jamal, a member of Quayson's legal team, expressed satisfaction with the decision, stating that their main purpose was to secure time for campaigning. He acknowledged that their application was dismissed but affirmed their contentment with the trial proceeding on a day-to-day basis after the by-election. -Classfmonline.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Head of Russia's Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov exclusively told Trend he thanks the leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in particular, President Ilham Aliyev who has always been attentive to the development of relations between Tatarstan and Azerbaijan, aimed at strengthening relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. "The established good traditions of long-year productive Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation have become a solid basis for interaction between our countries. In these difficult times, we have maintained an effective trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian partnership. Tatarstan is one of the leaders in the national rating of Russia's investment climate," Minnikhanov noted. "Particular attention is paid to innovative development. On the territory of Tatarstan, there are two special economic zones - Alabuga and Innopolis, as well as five territories of advanced socio-economic development. All of them provide different kinds of benefits." According to him, companies, depending on their type of activity, choose the most attractive conditions for themselves and are placed on these sites. "In order to simplify the work of investors as much as possible, the Investment Promotion Agency was established in Tatarstan. I'm sure that Azerbaijani companies can find their niche in the Tatarstan market," he said. Minnikhanov pointed out that work is underway with Azerbaijan through the leading Tatar companies: KAMAZ supplies vehicles and spare parts for them: - assembly of vehicles from assembly kits of parts is carried out by the Ganja Automobile Plant, which is also the official distributor of KAMAZ PJSC in the Azerbaijani market; - there operates a joint venture Auto Leasing-Azerbaijan (Ganja Automobile Plant and KAMAZ), which opened a new service center near Jabrayil city; - two certified service centers also operate in the cities of Baku and Ganja; "In 2022, our trade turnover with Azerbaijan exceeded $125 million, exceeding the 2021 figure by almost 80 percent. We can and must continue to build up mutual trade and develop our contacts on various platforms. We export agricultural, pharmaceutical, paper products, wood and its derivatives to Azerbaijan. In turn, we import oil products, minerals, dairy and fruits and vegetables from Azerbaijan," the head of Tatarstan said. "We have every opportunity to enhance cooperation in energy and industry, automotive, helicopter and shipbuilding, petrochemistry, natural gas fuel, medicine, agriculture, informatization and logistics." He reminded that Azerbaijan and Tatarstan are connected by the Volga River and the Caspian Sea. "We should make more active use of the transport and logistics capabilities of the Volga-Caspian basin. I am convinced that by joint efforts we are able to expand the scope of our cooperation for the benefit of the development of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan," Minnikhanov said. "Our republics signed an Agreement on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (dated 1996), which is a fundamental document in bilateral cooperation. On its basis, a Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation between Tatarstan and Azerbaijan was established. At the end of last year, during my visit to Baku, we agreed to intensify its activities. This year, we have already had the honor to receive at different times Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and his first deputy." According to the official, in April of this year, the 3rd regular meeting of the Azerbaijani-Tatar intergovernmental commission was held in Tatarstan, and a representative Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev took part in KazanForum international economic forum. Minnikhanov highly appreciated his recent visit to Azerbaijan. "On June 17 and 18 of this year, we again visited the Republic of Azerbaijan with great joy, got acquainted with the activities of a number of economic regions, held productive official meetings, opened the Auto Leasing Azerbaijan service center, created with the participation of KAMAZ PJSC, and also took part in the Tatar national holiday Sabantuy on the Baku Boulevard," he stated. "I'm sincerely grateful to Ilham Aliyev for our personal meeting and the attention he always provides to cooperation between Tatarstan and Azerbaijan within the framework of Russian-Azerbaijani relations. Since 1992, the Representative Office of Tatarstan has been functioning in Azerbaijan, which is actively involved in the work and contributes to the intensification of bilateral contacts." According to him, it's very important to expand humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and Tatarstan. "More than two hundred students from Azerbaijan study at Tatarstan universities. In the future, these graduates should become a kind of link, designed to build up our multilateral cooperation. Moreover, the National-Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis operating in Tatarstan makes a huge contribution to the development of our relations. Direct flights from Kazan to Baku contribute to the growth of our interaction," Minnikhamov concluded. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Desperately needed relief supplies are being confiscated by the warring parties in Sudan as fighting spreads to areas previously untouched by the 10-week-old conflict between top generals, aid agencies said on Friday. Demonstrations in support of the regular army were held Friday in greater Khartoum and in White Nile state to its south as civilians gave vent to their anger at the widespread requisition of private homes by the rival paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses said. The battle for power between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has killed more than 2,000 people since April 15, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Greater Khartoum and the flashpoint western region of Darfur have been the main battlegrounds so far but this week residents reported a flare-up of fighting in the Kordofan region, scene of another long-running rebellion. On Friday, witnesses reported renewed artillery exchanges and street-fighting in Khartoum, as well as "clashes between the army and the RSF" in North Kordofan state, hundreds of kilometres (miles) to its south. Children sit together on a bunk in a camp for displaced civilians 120 kilometres (80 miles) south of the battleground Sudanese capital Khartoum. By - (AFP) The United Nations says a record 25 million people -- more than half of Sudan's population -- are in need of aid and protection. While some relief supplies have trickled in, aid agencies report almost insurmountable hurdles to their work. "Blatant restrictions on entry into Sudan for humanitarian workers and aid supplies are leaving millions in need stranded," according to the Norwegian Refugee Council's William Carter. Doctors without Border (MSF) reported similar hurdles. Permits have been "delayed, rejected, rescinded, or plainly not respected," while "supplies have been confiscated" and staff "beaten and violently threatened" by armed groups, it said. 'Bleeding to death' Fleeing Khartoum residents crowd onto a truck crammed with their belongings. By - (AFP) Two-thirds of health facilities in the main battlegrounds remain out of service, according to the Sudanese doctors' union, which says medical personnel have been targeted amid widespread violations against civilians. At least 36 cases of sexual violence have been recorded in Khartoum alone by the governmental Combating Violence Against Women and Children Unit, with the majority of survivors accusing RSF fighters. "Reported and documented cases are no more than two percent of real figures," the unit said, adding that they have not been able to assess the case total in the western region of Darfur, "where the situation is getting worse every day". Diplomatic efforts to broker a halt to the fighting are at a standstill after both sides violated the last, 72-hour ceasefire, which ended on Wednesday. The United States, which brokered the truce along with Saudi Arabia, said Thursday it had put its mediation efforts on hold. "On Wednesday, yesterday, we adjourned those talks because the format is not succeeding in the way that we want," US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "Those ceasefires have not been fully effective, although they have allowed the transmittal of important, urgently needed humanitarian assistance," she said. Sudanese women and children crowd into a camp for the displaced in Al-Suwar, about 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Wad Madani. By - (AFP) Analysts have criticised Washington's handling of the ceasefire talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, which they said were doomed to fail. "If Jeddah was the triage station before the emergency room, the duty doctors didn't diagnose the patient before setting to work," said Sudan specialist Alex de Waal He said that the sanctions imposed by Washington on both sides after the collapse of a previous ceasefire at the start of the month would not work either, "until the mediators have fastened onto a strategy." In the meantime, "Sudan is bleeding to death." The Stanbic Bank Ghana has for the third time in a roll presented one hundred brad new laptops to some brilliant but needy students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The presentation according to management of the financial institution formed part of the banks corporate social responsibilities. Presenting the laptops to deserving students on Friday June 23, 2023, the Chief Executive Officer for Stanbic Bank, Kwamina K. Asomanin said the donation seeks to support the Support One Needy Students with One Laptop (SONSOL) project instituted by the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson. He added that, the bank is particularly encouraged by the impact the project is making in the lives of young men and women since its inception. "The objective of the SONSOL project is in line with the bank's policy on education particularly the focus on brilliant but needy female students in fields of science and technology hence our pledge to support the university," he stated. Kwamina K. Asomaning disclosed that, the bank had already pledged to provide 500 laptops to brilliant but needy students in five years, adding that, this particular gesture was a fulfillment of their pledge. He added that, Stanbic Bank Ghana has already provided critical support to the communities it operates in the area of health, education and financial literacy. He noted that, the bank has also opened its doors for computer science students who seek to get experience in the job market by offering them free internship opportunities. The CEO pledged the bank's continuous support to societies and the vulnerable in the country. Some of the beneficiaries in an interview with this reporter thanked Stanbic Bank Ghana for the kind gesture. They described the presentation as timely, saying the laptops arrived at the time the needed it the most for their numerous assignments. Rosina Fosua Acheampong, a Land Economy student at KNUST and a beneficiary of the donation said she never dreamed of having a modern laptop for her studies. She expressed her gratitude to the bank, adding that, the gesture will make learning much easier for her. Another beneficiary, a first year midwifery student, Ms Regina after receiving the laptop said it would help her studies and ensure she keep up with the course. She disclosed that, studies was very difficult without a laptop but her parents could not afford buying her one, making the intervention from Stanbic Bank priceless. The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Hon Stephen Amaoh has called on successive governments to invest and prioritize education for accelerated development outcomes. The Member of Parliament for Nhyieso Constituency in the Ashanti Region believes prioritizing educational needs in Ghana is one of the best ways to improve the quality of live in the country. According to him, Ghana will find it difficult to compete with her peers in few years to come if government and major stakeholders in the education sector fails to invest hugely in the sector for positive outcomes. Dr Stephen Amoah said this when he joined management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to donate free laptops to some brilliant but needy students on Friday June 23, 2023. The donation by the MP was to augment a project by the Vice Chancellor of KNUST Prof Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, dubbed, "Support One Needy Student with One Laptop" (SONSOL). The initiative of the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, aims at supporting needy student with laptops to help them pursue their university education which the MP supported. Speaking to this reporter on the sidelines of the event, Dr Stephen Amaoh emphasized that, government must invest in education to enhance basic education, and other levels of learning which is critical to the development of the nation. He added that education provided a window of opportunity that must be maximized to get the right foundation for children and called for more financial support to the education sector. . "I have been very particularly with education to the extent that, over 90 per cent of my common fund goes into education because, Ghana will have no future without proper education for the children who will eventually lead the country in few year," he stated. He pledged his continued support to the education sector not only in his constituency but in Ghana at large. The Vednan Hospital at Duase Newsite (Ahansnyewodea) in the Kwabre East Municipality of the Ashanti Region in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority is set to register over 1000 children onto the health insurance scheme. The registration according to management of the facility formed part of their resolve to deliver quality health care to the people in the municipality. The Administrator of Vednan Hospital Mr Eric Kusi in an interview with this reporter on Friday, June 23, 2023 said this was not the first time the hospital was embarking on such a project. He noted that more than 1000 children have already been registered onto the NHIS by the hospital in the past few years. He disclosed that the free registration will begin on the 27th of June and end on the 10th of July 2023 at the premises of the hospital. "Children below the ages of 18 and adults above 70 years will be registered for free, while adults between the ages of 19 to 69 years will only pay half of the registration renewal or replacement fee. "We are particularly about registering school children and the vulnerable in society onto the scheme to enable them have access to healthcare, especially during emergency situations," he said. He noted that the facility will also use the occasion to organize a free health screening for the public. He added that individuals with chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes and other health problems can seek help at the hospital. 24.06.2023 LISTEN Nkrumahs since their twin sponsored military revolutionary coups of 1979 and 1981/82 after re-organizing successfully under the friendly regime of General Acheampong (who they even killed after ignoring warnings of their threats from General Afrifa) have subjected Ghanaians to mind colonization. The prime purpose is to dominate political affairs in Ghana and successfully revenge on their so-called CIA Family members of National Liberation Movement (NLM) and United Party (UP) under the leadership of traditional rulers such as my maternal grandfather, ex-Mansenhene and ex-Dormaa Krontihene by name Nana Kwesi Ansu who is the political godfather of anti-Nkrumah politics in pre and post-Independence Ghana and also godfather of UP. He was well-known by Western powers back then as the Krontihene in Dormaa and by Ghanaians simply as Kwesi Ansu. As the brain behind formation of UP, he suggested the amalgamation of other parties with his party, NLM to counter Nkrumahs attempt to collapse NLM through the Avoidance of Discrimination Act passed just after Independence. In the absence of my grandfather, these terrorists calling themselves Nkrumahs co-led by the Baakos family especially Kweku Baako Jnr in revenging Nkrumahs overthrow are terrozing me in scapegoatism via Ghanas National Security Agency known as BNI and Tiger Eye so to make me stand in for my grandfather. They said since Ghanaians did not value the freedom Kwame Nkrumah gave them from colonialism, they have learnt their lessons and as such have brought back colonialism to Ghanaians in the form of colonizing their minds. This is what Togos former President Olympio described as Black Colonialism in reference to Nkrumahs actions when he was leader of Ghana. They said upon all that Nkrumah did for Ghana, the citizens still fully supported Nkrumahs overthrow as there was euphoria in town and rally of support for the coup which made Nkrumah to become very depressed and disappointed in Ghanaians for showing ingratitude to him. According to them, like Adam sinned making GOD to regret creating man so also Nkrumah at his exile base in Guinea regretted helping lead Ghana to independence and actually wish he could change the hands of time and take Ghanaians back to colonialism. But since that could not happen, an alternative strategy was devised by his followers later. And that entails not physically taking Ghanaians to be colonized again by the colonial masters but rather colonized them abstractly in the form of mind colonization. They as such in intend to punish all Ghanaians excluding those that aligns with them. They claim even till today many Ghanaians still speak evil of Nkrumah and all these people must be dealt with accordingly using the state machinery which they have hijacked control. They have succeed in making every President to align with them in one way or other and sabotages anyone wanting to be president who does not align with them. The Baakos in particular feel personally responsible for Nkrumahs overthrow as Kofi Baako was Nkrumahs Minister for National Security and as such it was his duty to prevent the coup from happening. Kofi Baako felt guilty and wish he had the opportunity to control another National Security Agency so he could use it to revenge on all those he hold responsible. The formation of the BNI by Nkrumahs patron Captain Kojo Tsikata offered him this opportunity. He therefore used it to pursue the Nkrumahs agenda. His son Kweku Baako Jnr has also taken over. It is this BNI that has turn Kweku Baako Jnr into a superpower and a thin god in Ghana untouchable by any and together with his boy Anas Aremeyaw Anas (which is pseudonym of Ansa Ameyaw of Brong Ahafo) and their Tiger Eye perpetrate evil with impunity. It is the BNI that supports Kweku Baako and Tiger Eye in their so-called journalism work. They provide them with classified national security data from the Agencys history and political archival library making them especially Kweku Baako to dominate his colleague journalists at all times. It is for this reason that Kweku Baako Jnr can sit on national radio and say that among all those four top personalities and leaders of the NLM and UP that were involve in Nkrumahs overthrow got punished except Kwesi Ansu and that they could not succeed in dealing with him and that SOMEONE FROM HIS FAMILY MUST BE MADE TO STAND IN FOR HIM otherwise it will amount to the GREATEST INJUSTICE OF ALL TIME. He said this on Joy FMs News File political program between 1995 and 1998 as I was listening to him as the BNI arranged to make me listen to him as they usually do. He said this and still had the support of the host of the program and Ghanaians courtesy of colonization of their minds. The host even asked him why they did not succeed in punishing my grandfather and Kweku Baako went on to say it was because he was over rich which increase his defenses against their siege as he was among the richest people in the country at that time if not the richest. It is the power he derives from BNI that accounts for him bragging that he was able to subdue a military dictator in the person of Jerry Rawlings who apparently also derives his power from the same BNI as he was simply a stooge of the Nkrumahs providing a perfect sycophant platform than Limann offered. They hold a belief that Ghana is their bonafide property and can anything as it pleases them . The country Ghana and all its content belongs to them. This is why they have become so petty in their terrorism of life that they even deprive me of water, electricity, money , jobs etc in the name that it all belongs to them and that they determine who gets what and when in this country. For the last 12 years in my 41 years of my 44 years of age this year 2023 that they have taken me as their Prisoner of War (PoW) when age 3 subjecting me to total control, persecution, repression, identity destruction, dehumanization, torture, sabotage, humiliation, propaganda etc have place a BAN on my EMPLOYMENT, CAREER, FINANCES and FURTHER EDUCATION to the PhD level. I have been living on loans and humanitarian gestures from people for the last 12 years. They have succeeded in completely destroying my life. As they have impoverished my life, I now live among low socio-economic groups at a place around Lapaz in Accra. I appear deformed, degraded, dirty and depressed like a lunatic. As I even write this article, rent of my ghetto shelter is almost due and I have no money to settle it all thanks to these NKRUMAHS WARRIROS! Is by this mind colonization of Ghanaians that the only UP party which they have termed the CIA Family have key members advocating for Nkrumah although you will never see in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party which is 90% owned by Nkrumahs and other fully owned Nkrumahs parties such as Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and others advocating for Danquah, Busia or my grandpa Kwesi Ansu. Again, it is as a result of this mind colonization strategy that strong followers of the Danquah-Busia-Kwesi Ansu political tradition in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) like Mike Ocquaye Jnr, Sammy Awuku, Paul Adom Ochere, Nii Tetus Clover etc have been given low rank government posts compared to those that aligns with the Nkrumahs in one way or another such as even attending Nkrumahs colonial Achimota School which is a school they tried to force me to attend when growing up in their failed attempt at Nkrumahnizing me as I rather attended a true UP school of Presec-Legon. As part of their system of mind colonization is to appeal to pity and feelings of Ghanaians and make Nkrumah appear like a victim whiles they go undercover to terrorize people so to avoid detection and exposure. Another part is using the Russian method of psychopathology of dissent. This involves labeling people that disagrees with them or they are at war with as lunatics. They will even fake structures to make the person appear to the public and the world according to the way they have labeled him. They also believe in usage of sophisticated advanced government AI technological weapons like IBrain or Brain decoder, Voice to Skull (V2K) etc which allows them to cause mental pain or psychological terrorism or psychological torture and also spy on the minds or thinking of the citizens to enable them know how to direct their plans towards them. Is also to help them overcome all their enemies or those that opposes them or those they see as threat to Nkrumahs hegemony in Ghana. It is for this that is why they are the only political grouping in Ghana with an ideological institute geared towards brainwashing the citizenry to do as they please always. Their main mind colonization methodologies includes use of media houses, newspaper publication, making their journalist to become spokesmen of NPP i.e. Kweku Baako Jnr and NDC i.e. Kwesi Pratt Jnr etc. Everything they do in the sight of the public is fake. They said if they cannot achieve anything then they have to fake it. As such they have fake it to make it appear Nkrumahs rulership is the best ever in Ghana than any other regime. According to them, Ghana is still functioning only on what Nkrumah did. They are able to successfully sabotage all governments to the people since they operate among the people at household level. By way of history of BNI formation, it was created by the Nkrumahs and began as terrorist wings of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) Military government and the Nkrumahs fraternity. They were responsible for the era of culture of silence whereby they were stationed in every household in Ghana to monitor any dissent to the PNDC government of which my grand cousin the then King of Dormaa by name Osagyefo Nana Dr. Agyeman Badu I a.k.a. Nkrumahs de-facto Vice President was a member of. They have managed to successfully enter this their way of operation into the democratic era via a parliamentary enactment in 1996. They said to me in the past that the size of Ghana makes their work very easy and as such are very potent in what they do. They said their effectiveness in what they do contrast their Nigerian counterparts who because of the size of Nigeria are not successful. The BNI says their understanding of sovereignty is that they can do whatever they want with the citizens of Ghana and no power can stop them and can ask them to do anything they want them to do as they OWN all Ghanaians. They claim they now do not believe in taking charge of government but rather taking charge of the state because government comes and goes and they do not want to come and go so they prefer state control for it is permanent. As such they claim they do not operate below or behind any Ghanaian elected government but operate above them. They say the time they used to handle government affairs has pass and is now for small boys like NPP and NDC and that they have now move to a higher realm of super-government of Ghana and not government of Ghana. They said they may not be the elected government but are permanently in power in Ghana. They have created a kind of religious cult around Nkrumah similar to how the Rastafarians have succeeded in making out of the former Ethiopian King Halle Selassie. The Nkrumahs political fraternity was founded by people like grand cousin ex-Dormaa King Osagyefo Agyeman Badu, Captain Kojo Tsikata of NDC (neo-Nkrumahs party), Kofi Baako, Kojo Botsio (who they introduced me to when a child), Ekow Ackah, Atta Mills among others. Ackah and Mills were arranged to become Vice Presidents to their chief stooge of all time Jerry Rawlings. By: Kennedy Osei-Tutu (a.k.a. Kofi Rawlings) Students of Agric Nzema Senior High School (ANSHS) in Kwadaso constituency in the Kumasi metropolis, were taken through the works of Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary proceedings. Some students and tutors from the ANSHS paid a visit to their MP, Prof. Kingsley Nyarko in Accra to acquaint themselves with information and other developmental matters in the constituency on Friday, June 23, 2023, The MP, Prof. Kingsley Nyarko took time to explain to students and their tutors how parliament works, the structure, leadership, and caucuses of parliament. "I hope more schools in the constituency will take the opportunity to also visit the legislature in the coming days. "It was a memorable time with the students and teachers, and a day that will forever resonate in their memory, particularly the students," the MP said. "God bless Kwadaso. God bless Ghana," Prof. Kingsley Nyarko in a Facebook post. The hajj pilgrimage has given Sudanese faithful Kamal Kabashi a brief respite from his country's bloody conflict. Having safely arrived in Islam's holiest city, he was praying for peace. Only weeks ago his home in North Darfur state, in Sudan's west, was hit by shelling as a power struggle between rival generals spiralled into an all-out war. Kabashi, his wife and their five children were unharmed as they had relocated to a safer neighbourhood of El Fasher, the state capital, days before. Now, after a perilous four-day journey by land and sea, Kabashi has joined more than one million worshippers on the annual pilgrimage to the Saudi holy city of Mecca. "I am very afraid for my family and children," said the 52-year-old government employee, dressed in the simple white robes worn by hajj pilgrims. "I raise my hands to God almighty and ask him to solve the problem of Sudan," he told AFP from Mecca's Grand Mosque, the world's largest. Fighting since mid-April between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has claimed more than 2,000 lives. It has largely been concentrated in greater Khartoum and in Darfur, a vast region on Sudan's western border with Chad. While most Muslim pilgrims travel to Mecca by air, Sudanese faithful risk land and sea journey as fighting affects Khartoum airport. By Sajjad HUSSAIN (AFP) The conflict has plunged Sudan into chaos, with combatants occupying homes, looting properties and committing other abuses. Artillery "shells fell inside my courtyard... severely damaging my house", Kabashi said. Travellers from around the world have been pouring into the modernised airport in Saudi Arabia's coastal city of Jeddah before hajj rituals begin on Sunday night. But pilgrims from Sudan are mostly arriving by boat because Khartoum's airport -- the country's main aviation hub -- has been put out of service by the deadly fighting. 'Dream of peace' To make it to Mecca, Kabashi risked a more than two-day road trip to Port Sudan in the east. There he boarded a ship that took him across the Red Sea to Jeddah, a journey that lasted nearly two more days. Kabashi, who has performed hajj once before, was accompanied by his friend, Ahmed Jaber, who was making the pilgrimage for the first time. Jaber, a 62-year-old merchant, said he paid more than $4,300 in fees and had been preparing for months for the hajj -- one of the five pillars of Islam which must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. Sudanese pilgrims in Mecca walk in groups, their country's flag printed on their white robes. By Sajjad HUSSAIN (AFP) He thought his loved ones would be the main subject of his prayers, but "now I do not only pray for my family, I pray for all Sudanese," he said, fighting back tears. "We only dream of peace." Almost 600,000 people have fled Sudan for neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration says. And more than two million are displaced inside Sudan, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Those who have made it to Mecca walk in groups, their country's flag printed on their white robes. For maths teacher Haram Ali, arriving in the holy city meant being able to relax for the first time in months. "I am mentally at ease and I pray for peace for all Sudanese so that they too can feel the same comfort," said the 49-year-old, calling her pilgrimage "a gift from God". "I have recovered from the fatigue of Sudan," she said, raising her hands to pray as tears streamed from her eyes. Standing nearby, Maha Abdullah, a 50-year-old housewife, said "the situation is difficult" back home. "It needs God's intervention to change things." One Health Technical Working Group (OH TWG) has held a day of high-level policy dialogue to engage policymakers across the key ministries to solicit contributions and inputs into Ghana's draft policy on One Health. The dialogue aimed to reflect on the work the OH TWG has been doing over the past four years and to chart a common path for One Health implementation in Ghana. Following lessons learned in the countrys response outbreaks such as COVID-19, highly pathogenic avian influenza, Marburg Virus, Lassa fever, Anthrax, and other zoonotic pathogens and the burden of antimicrobial resistance, it is important to institutionalize One Health implementation in Ghana. One Health refers to an approach of multisectoral engagement with the ultimate aim of achieving better health outcomes. It has been posited that more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people are spread from animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people are spread from animals. Research has also demonstrated that in 2019 alone, 1.27 million deaths were directly attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections, with a staggering 860,000 of those occurring in Africa. If left unaddressed, these deaths associated with AMR are projected to skyrocket to an alarming 10 million annually by 2050. By addressing the above, the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) have supported the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture; and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to set up a One Health Technical Working Group (OH TWG) to coordinate the implementation of the One Health approach in Ghana. The policy dialogue is the first of a series of dialogues focused on areas of work in which the One Health approach is particularly relevant including food safety, the control of zoonoses, and combatting antimicrobial resistance. Zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance pose great threats to our collective health security. It is also evident that efforts by just one sector cannot prevent or eliminate most of the health problems we are confronted with. Speaking at the dialogue on Friday, 23rd June 2023, in Accra Dr. Sofonias Asrat, Officer in charge, WHO Ghana noted that, there is an urgent need to address health issues and achieve health objectives by re-focusing more on the interface between humans, animals, and their shared environment. According to him WHO has supported several One Health initiatives, including the One Health Technical Working Group, awareness creation through initiatives for rabies elimination and the annual International One Health Day, the National Bridging Workshop on Rabies, and the IHR-PVS National Bridging Workshop which developed a roadmap for strengthening coordination among One Health partners and most importantly the development of the draft One Health policy with the objective of institutionalizing One Health implementation in Ghana. He underscored the need for strengthened collaboration and a sharper focus on One Health implementation in Ghana. Additionally, assured that the WHO remains committed to supporting the government and people of Ghana to improve health security through the deployment of various tools and mechanisms including the One Health approach. On his part, the Director General of NADMO, Hon Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh noted that he believes the One Health Policy when finalize and passed into law for implementation will provide a legal basis for public health and other related emergencies. He commended WHO and FAO for funding and providing technical support to the work and activities of the Technical Working Group. He concluded by assuring his outfit's commitment to continue to work with the Technical Working Group as they engage all stakeholders in One Health implementation to shape and finalize the Policy. The Avenor Traditional Council has announced a prize money of GHC10,000 for any person who provides credible information leading to the arrest of the murderers of Mr Mandela Nelson Zanu. The youth and all other persons who have information should give it to the Police to help expedite their resolution of the murder. Here I want to call on the Akatsi South Police Command to ensure the confidentiality of their informants. Togbe Dorglo Anumah VI, President of the Avenor Traditional Council and the Paramount Chief of the Avenor Traditional Area made the disclosure at a press briefing at Akatsi on Friday, June 23 relating to some recent killing incidents within the Traditional Area. Togbe Dorglo in his address, assured the Police of the Council's support in the discharge of their mandatory duties such as invading all the drug dens to root out all suspected criminals in the area. In this context, those of us who have strangers in our houses should endeavor to be the ears and eyes of safety and security. There should be renewed efforts to support personnel of the Ghana Police Service in the Municipality to go after criminals and ensure that there is law and order. Togbe Dorglo further hinted that the Traditional Council in partnership with Municipal Assembly, the Avenor Senior Peers Chambers, have planned to organise a stakeholder meeting to address what he called the 'parlous state of security' in the Municipality and the recurrent Police-Civilian tension experienced in recent times. The press briefing, which was held at Viva Vegas Hotel, was preceded by an emergency meeting with the Chiefs and queen mothers of Avenor, and leadership of the Akatsi Youth Parliament, where resolutions by the Council were made. Among the resolutions was the calling off a planned demonstration by the Youth Parliament slated for Monday, June 26. The planned demonstration organised by the Akatsi South Youth Parliament should be called off with immediate effect, as it is feared that fall outs of the intended demonstration may have the unintended consequence if diverting focus from the ongoing investigation into the murder of Mandela Zanu. The Traditional Council also expresses its deep condolences to the spouse, children, and the entire family of the deceased, who was the CEO of Nezu Yayra Ventures. The Council wishes to express appreciation to the Police Commander, fellow Council members, the Municipal Chief Executive, Member of Parliament, Family members of the deceased, the Akatsi South Youth Parliament, Akatsi Community Youth Group, and all other actors who have been busy ensuring the peace and order of the Akatsi South Municipality since the unfortunate incident occurred on June 20, 2023. The Council has since called for calm, stating, the case remained a criminal matter which falls squarely within the remit of the duties of personnel of the Ghana Police Service. GNA Anglo American (LON:AAL Get Rating)s stock had its overweight rating restated by investment analysts at Barclays in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. They presently have a GBX 3,300 ($42.23) price objective on the mining companys stock. Barclayss price target would indicate a potential upside of 46.80% from the companys current price. Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Anglo American from GBX 3,500 ($44.79) to GBX 3,400 ($43.51) and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Anglo American from GBX 3,400 ($43.51) to GBX 3,200 ($40.95) and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 5th. Berenberg Bank restated a hold rating on shares of Anglo American in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Citigroup reiterated a top pick rating on shares of Anglo American in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Anglo American to an outperform rating and raised their price objective for the stock from GBX 2,500 ($31.99) to GBX 2,700 ($34.55) in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 3,055 ($39.09). Get Anglo American alerts: Anglo American Trading Down 3.6 % Anglo American stock opened at GBX 2,248 ($28.77) on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 2,427.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 2,865.15. The stock has a market capitalization of 30.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 783.28, a PEG ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.39, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.90. Anglo American has a 52 week low of GBX 2,223.50 ($28.45) and a 52 week high of GBX 3,699 ($47.33). Insider Activity at Anglo American Anglo American Company Profile In other Anglo American news, insider Stuart J. Chambers acquired 661 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,493 ($31.90) per share, for a total transaction of 16,478.73 ($21,086.03). Insiders have bought 672 shares of company stock valued at $1,675,781 over the last three months. 7.29% of the stock is owned by insiders. (Get Rating) Anglo American plc operates as a mining company worldwide. It explores for rough and polished diamonds, copper, platinum group metals, metallurgical and thermal coal, steelmaking coal, and iron ore; and nickel, polyhalite, and manganese ores, as well as alloys. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Anglo American Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Anglo American and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ZANGILAN, Azerbaijan, June 24. The trip of representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan to the liberated Lachin city has begun, Trend reports. At the moment, the foreign delegation has arrived at Zangilan International Airport. From there the diplomats will leave for Lachin. The delegation includes 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. During the trip, the foreign diplomats will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the restoration and construction work carried out in Lachin, visit the first residential areas and meet with the residents of the city, as well as visit the Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street and Lachin Boulevard, laid on the banks of the Hakari river. Further, representatives of the diplomatic corps will also be able to visit Zabuh village in the Lachin district, and on the way back - the "smart village" of Aghali in Zangilan. The city was liberated from Armenian occupation following the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD Get Rating) was upgraded by equities researchers at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a hold rating to a buy rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. HSBC lowered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $80.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $65.00. Get Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV alerts: Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Down 1.4 % BUD stock opened at $57.11 on Thursday. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a twelve month low of $44.51 and a twelve month high of $67.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stocks 50 day moving average is $59.92 and its 200-day moving average is $60.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.20 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.24. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( NYSE:BUD Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.01. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 12.78%. The company had revenue of $14.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,088,566 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $665,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,780 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,648,869 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $643,869,000 after purchasing an additional 190,516 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,344,543 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $444,214,000 after purchasing an additional 252,914 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,680,188 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $301,678,000 after purchasing an additional 418,162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 82,251.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,778,048 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $286,874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,772,246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.53% of the companys stock. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile (Get Rating) Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Stock analysts at Roth Mkm initiated coverage on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM Get Rating) in a report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set a buy rating and a $92.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkms price objective points to a potential upside of 26.20% from the companys previous close. A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ADM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. 92 Resources reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $98.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $94.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $99.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Archer-Daniels-Midland presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $99.50. Get Archer-Daniels-Midland alerts: Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Performance Shares of ADM opened at $72.90 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.81. The companys fifty day moving average is $74.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.88. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a 1 year low of $69.92 and a 1 year high of $98.28. Institutional Inflows and Outflows 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 for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.38. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 18.39%. The business had revenue of $24.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $24.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 6.84 earnings per share for the current year. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ADM. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 1st quarter valued at about $312,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 1st quarter valued at about $602,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,966 shares of the companys stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,084,571 shares of the companys stock valued at $166,057,000 after acquiring an additional 177,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,420,000. 78.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Archer-Daniels-Midland (Get Rating) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities, products, and ingredients in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. Further Reading 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. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Avidbank (OTCMKTS:AVBH Get Rating) in a report released on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Avidbanks Q2 2023 earnings at $0.70 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $2.96 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $2.89 EPS. Separately, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Avidbank from $21.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Get Avidbank alerts: Avidbank Price Performance AVBH opened at $16.40 on Wednesday. Avidbank has a one year low of $10.70 and a one year high of $22.80. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $15.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.44 million, a P/E ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.70. Avidbank Company Profile Avidbank ( OTCMKTS:AVBH Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $19.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.92 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Avidbank will post 3 EPS for the current year. (Get Rating) Avidbank Holdings, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Avidbank that provides financial products and services to businesses and individuals in the Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties. The company offers business and personal deposit products, such as checking, money market, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Avidbank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Avidbank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beacon Financial Group lessened its position in shares of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN Get Rating) by 32.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,025 shares of the closed-end funds stock after selling 8,790 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Groups holdings in Franklin Resources were worth $480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in Franklin Resources by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 39,762 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Franklin Resources by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,729 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Franklin Resources by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,586 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin Resources by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,884 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its holdings in Franklin Resources by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 28,228 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $745,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 46.70% of the companys stock. Get Franklin Resources alerts: Franklin Resources Trading Up 0.3 % Shares of BEN stock opened at $25.53 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $12.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38 and a beta of 1.26. Franklin Resources, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.24 and a 12-month high of $34.37. Franklin Resources Announces Dividend Franklin Resources ( NYSE:BEN Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The closed-end fund reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Franklin Resources had a net margin of 10.79% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Franklin Resources, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.70%. Franklin Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, insider Franklin Resources Inc acquired 2,465,483 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.14 per share, for a total transaction of $24,999,997.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,955,483 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $50,248,597.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 23.40% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $20.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Franklin Resources from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 13th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Franklin Resources in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Franklin Resources from $28.00 to $24.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $24.55. Franklin Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) Franklin Resources, Inc is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides its services to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts, and partnerships. It launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and multi-asset mutual funds through its subsidiaries. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BEN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Franklin Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Franklin Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Get Rating) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,230 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 105 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group comprises about 2.3% of Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $4,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 1st quarter worth about $66,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,505.1% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,300 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $13,633,000 after purchasing an additional 38,727 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,609 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $39,153,000 after purchasing an additional 18,540 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 79.4% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 827 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 118.3% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 76.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth GS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $495.00 to $437.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $420.00 to $390.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 3rd. UBS Group raised The Goldman Sachs Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $389.17. Insider Activity The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Down 1.5 % In other news, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 3,750 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.10, for a total transaction of $1,267,875.00. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 21,366 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,223,844.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . In related news, Treasurer Philip R. Berlinski sold 3,750 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.10, for a total transaction of $1,267,875.00. Following the sale, the treasurer now owns 21,366 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,223,844.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 24,819,473 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.61, for a total value of $536,348,811.53. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 110,337 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,384,382.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold a total of 33,833,500 shares of company stock valued at $646,620,506 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock. Shares of NYSE:GS opened at $314.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.20, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $330.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $341.20. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $277.84 and a 52-week high of $389.58. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The investment management company reported $8.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.14 by $0.65. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 9.84% and a net margin of 13.23%. The business had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $10.76 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 31.57 EPS for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $10.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is currently 35.60%. The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile (Get Rating) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Get Rating) by 6.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 63,605 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock after selling 4,105 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Uber Technologies were worth $2,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. O Neil Global Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Uber Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,006,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Uber Technologies in the first quarter worth $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC grew its holdings in Uber Technologies by 89.3% in the first quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC now owns 848 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Uber Technologies by 1,906,980.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,402,921 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $76,173,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ACT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Uber Technologies in the first quarter worth $216,000. 73.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Uber Technologies alerts: Uber Technologies Stock Up 1.3 % UBER stock opened at $43.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 19.55 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Uber Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.90 and a 52 week high of $43.87. Insider Transactions at Uber Technologies Uber Technologies ( NYSE:UBER Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The ride-sharing company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $8.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.71 billion. Uber Technologies had a negative net margin of 9.95% and a negative return on equity of 43.94%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 28.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.18) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. In other news, insider Tony West sold 16,664 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.00, for a total transaction of $699,888.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 164,693 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,917,106. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Tony West sold 16,664 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.00, for a total value of $699,888.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 164,693 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,917,106. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 644 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.00, for a total transaction of $26,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 128,916 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,285,556. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,143 shares of company stock valued at $1,547,399 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In UBER has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Uber Technologies from $54.00 to $57.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. They set an outperform rating and a $46.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. They set an overweight rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Uber Technologies presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.81. Uber Technologies Profile (Get Rating) Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UBER? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Uber Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Uber Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NiSource (NYSE:NI Get Rating) had its price target reduced by BMO Capital Markets from $31.00 to $30.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. NI has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of NiSource in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of NiSource from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, NiSource presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $29.88. Get NiSource alerts: NiSource Stock Down 1.6 % NiSource stock opened at $26.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.50. NiSource has a fifty-two week low of $23.78 and a fifty-two week high of $31.87. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $27.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.48. NiSource Dividend Announcement NiSource ( NYSE:NI Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.77. The business had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. NiSource had a net margin of 11.72% and a return on equity of 11.14%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that NiSource will post 1.57 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 28th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. NiSources dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.03%. Insider Transactions at NiSource In other NiSource news, SVP Kimberly S. Cuccia sold 11,157 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $318,420.78. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,329 shares in the company, valued at $580,189.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On NiSource A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NI. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of NiSource by 67.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH purchased a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Romano Brothers AND Company purchased a new stake in NiSource in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of NiSource by 161.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,099 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of NiSource during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 93.18% of the companys stock. NiSource Company Profile (Get Rating) NiSource Inc, an energy holding company, operates as a regulated natural gas and electric utility company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Gas Distribution Operations and Electric Operations. The company distributes natural gas to approximately 859,000 customers in northern Indiana, as well as approximately 2.4 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for NiSource Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NiSource and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bridge Advisory LLC decreased its position in shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF (NYSEARCA:XMVM Get Rating) by 19.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,114 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,449 shares during the quarter. Bridge Advisory LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF by 55.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,931 shares of the companys stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF by 121.0% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 284,377 shares of the companys stock worth $12,523,000 after purchasing an additional 155,727 shares in the last quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,385 shares of the companys stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 5,137 shares in the last quarter. Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Masso Torrence Wealth Management Inc. now owns 102,144 shares of the companys stock worth $4,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 25,265 shares of the companys stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 12,892 shares in the last quarter. Get Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF alerts: Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF Stock Down 0.6 % Shares of XMVM stock opened at $44.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $176.72 million, a P/E ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.13. Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF has a 52 week low of $38.09 and a 52 week high of $49.63. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $42.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.48. Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF Profile The Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF (XMVM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P Midcap 400 High Momentum Value index. The fund tracks a value-weighted index of S&P 400 MidCap stocks selected by value and momentum. XMVM was launched on Mar 3, 2005 and is managed by Invesco. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco S&P MidCap Value with Momentum ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating) by 4.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,448 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 892 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $1,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BMY. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the first quarter worth about $332,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 111.5% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,052 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 53.2% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 165,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,075,000 after buying an additional 57,444 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the first quarter valued at about $1,997,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 25.1% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 338,563 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $24,725,000 after purchasing an additional 68,018 shares in the last quarter. 74.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Bristol-Myers Squibb alerts: Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance BMY opened at $65.03 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.81. The firm has a market cap of $136.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.44. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a twelve month low of $63.07 and a twelve month high of $81.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $11.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is currently 66.47%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on BMY shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $78.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. 51job reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $78.62. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $3,378,818.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,751 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,202,182.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile (Get Rating) Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol-Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Crestwood Equity Partners LP (NYSE:CEQP Get Rating) have been assigned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.88. A number of research firms have commented on CEQP. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Crestwood Equity Partners from $30.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Crestwood Equity Partners from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Crestwood Equity Partners in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Crestwood Equity Partners from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the company from $31.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Crestwood Equity Partners from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Get Crestwood Equity Partners alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crestwood Equity Partners A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Crestwood Equity Partners by 91.5% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 60,954 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $1,824,000 after purchasing an additional 29,126 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Crestwood Equity Partners by 3.4% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 26,596 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $796,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Crestwood Equity Partners by 13.8% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,246 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Crestwood Equity Partners by 18.0% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 27,502 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 4,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Crestwood Equity Partners in the first quarter valued at approximately $631,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.48% of the companys stock. Crestwood Equity Partners Trading Down 1.2 % NYSE CEQP opened at $25.69 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $25.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.80. Crestwood Equity Partners has a 12 month low of $22.11 and a 12 month high of $31.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of -285.44 and a beta of 2.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. Crestwood Equity Partners (NYSE:CEQP Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The pipeline company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.15. Crestwood Equity Partners had a return on equity of 7.53% and a net margin of 0.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. On average, analysts expect that Crestwood Equity Partners will post 0.78 EPS for the current year. Crestwood Equity Partners Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 8th were paid a $0.655 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 5th. This represents a $2.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.20%. Crestwood Equity Partnerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -2,911.11%. Crestwood Equity Partners Company Profile (Get Rating Crestwood Equity Partners LP develops, acquires, owns, controls, and operates assets and operations in the energy midstream sector in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gathering and Processing North; Gathering and Processing South; and Storage and Logistics. The Gathering and Processing North segment offers natural gas, crude oil, and produced water gathering, compression, treating, processing, and disposal services to producers in the Williston Basin and Powder River Basin. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Crestwood Equity Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Crestwood Equity Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. The representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan have arrived in Lachin city, Trend reports. The delegation includes 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. In Lachin, the foreign diplomats will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the restoration and construction work carried out there, visit the first residential areas and meet with the residents of the city, as well as visit the Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street and Lachin Boulevard, laid on the banks of the Hakari river. Further, representatives of the diplomatic corps are expected to attend the agro-industrial park under construction in Lachin. During the visit, the diplomats will also get acquainted with the rapid construction progress in Zabuh village of the Lachin district. The foreign diplomats' trip will end with a visit to the "smart village" of Aghali in Zangilan. Lachin city was liberated from Armenian occupation following the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (NYSE:TV Get Rating) has been given a consensus rating of Moderate Buy by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.66. Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TV. TheStreet raised Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Monday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th. They issued a buy rating and a $6.10 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price target for the company from $8.80 to $6.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Get Grupo Televisa S.A.B. alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. in the second quarter worth $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 681.6% in the 1st quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,565 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 4,853 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new position in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the 1st quarter valued at about $111,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. by 771.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,779 shares of the companys stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 8,657 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $117,000. Institutional investors own 38.11% of the companys stock. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Price Performance Shares of NYSE TV opened at $5.01 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.33. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. has a fifty-two week low of $4.38 and a fifty-two week high of $8.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of -5.39, a P/E/G ratio of 8.77 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $4.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.15. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (NYSE:TV Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $992.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.03 billion. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. had a negative return on equity of 7.77% and a negative net margin of 13.77%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. Increases Dividend The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a $0.0985 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 26th. This represents a yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s previous annual dividend of $0.09. Grupo Televisa, S.A.B.s dividend payout ratio is presently -8.60%. About Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (Get Rating Grupo Televisa, SAB. operates as a media company in the Spanish-speaking Mexico and internationally. It operates through three segments: Cable, Sky, and Other Businesses. The Cable segment operates cable multiple system that provides basic and premium television subscription, pay-per-view, installation, Internet subscription, and telephone and mobile services subscription services, as well as sales local and national advertising services; and telecommunication facilities, which offers data and long-distance services solutions to carriers and other telecommunications service providers through its fiber-optic network. Featured Articles 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. Cascade Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN Get Rating) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,300 shares of the energy companys stock after buying an additional 350 shares during the quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc.s holdings in Devon Energy were worth $218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in Devon Energy by 7.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 42,814,521 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $2,574,437,000 after buying an additional 2,902,180 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Devon Energy by 96.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,608,577 shares of the energy companys stock worth $344,984,000 after acquiring an additional 2,752,752 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its holdings in Devon Energy by 90.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 5,386,490 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $331,323,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562,584 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Devon Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 77,173,489 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $4,640,442,000 after purchasing an additional 1,637,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Devon Energy by 16.9% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 10,141,280 shares of the energy companys stock worth $609,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469,557 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.00% of the companys stock. Get Devon Energy alerts: Devon Energy Stock Performance DVN stock opened at $47.15 on Friday. Devon Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $44.03 and a 1-year high of $78.82. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $49.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.90. The firm has a market cap of $30.84 billion, a PE ratio of 5.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.16 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Devon Energy Cuts Dividend Devon Energy ( NYSE:DVN Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The energy company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.07. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 47.42% and a net margin of 31.39%. The business had revenue of $3.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. Devon Energys quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Devon Energy Co. will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.11%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 8.72%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Dennis C. Cameron sold 8,292 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.97, for a total transaction of $414,351.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 218,418 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,914,347.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on Devon Energy from $67.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $71.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $82.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. UBS Group began coverage on Devon Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set a neutral rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Devon Energy from $87.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $67.39. About Devon Energy (Get Rating) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Anadarko, Williston, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The company was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Rating) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 247,922 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 15,315 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley accounts for about 0.8% of Chartwell Investment Partners LLCs holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Chartwell Investment Partners LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $21,767,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new stake in Morgan Stanley in the 1st quarter worth about $952,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 6.3% in the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 56,888 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,995,000 after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares in the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in shares of Morgan Stanley in the first quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 7,367 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 878 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Morgan Stanley by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 28,707 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,520,000 after buying an additional 4,228 shares during the period. 84.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Morgan Stanley alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes MS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Cfra restated a strong-buy rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $106.00 to $104.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $95.34. Insiders Place Their Bets Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.1 % In other news, Director Thomas H. Glocer sold 4,535 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.11, for a total transaction of $395,043.85. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,110 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,546,362.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . In related news, Director Thomas H. Glocer sold 4,535 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.11, for a total transaction of $395,043.85. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,362.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Stanley Morgan sold 1,049,889 shares of Morgan Stanley stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $9,921,451.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,456,881 shares in the company, valued at $79,917,525.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Shares of MS stock opened at $83.58 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $85.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.28. Morgan Stanley has a 12-month low of $72.05 and a 12-month high of $100.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $139.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.35. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.03. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 14.12%. The company had revenue of $14.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 EPS. Morgan Stanleys quarterly revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Morgan Stanley will post 6.5 EPS for the current fiscal year. Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 1st were given a $0.775 dividend. This represents a $3.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanleys payout ratio is presently 53.26%. Morgan Stanley Company Profile (Get Rating) Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Stanley Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Stanley and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Copper Mountain Mining (OTCMKTS:CPPMF Get Rating) and Seabridge Gold (NYSE:SA Get Rating) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, profitability, valuation and institutional ownership. Profitability This table compares Copper Mountain Mining and Seabridge Golds net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Copper Mountain Mining alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Copper Mountain Mining 7.31% -8.02% -3.71% Seabridge Gold N/A -1.35% -0.93% Risk & Volatility Copper Mountain Mining has a beta of 2.01, suggesting that its share price is 101% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Seabridge Gold has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Copper Mountain Mining $231.89 million 1.76 $24.58 million $0.09 21.16 Seabridge Gold N/A N/A -$5.69 million ($0.09) -133.89 This table compares Copper Mountain Mining and Seabridge Golds top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Copper Mountain Mining has higher revenue and earnings than Seabridge Gold. Seabridge Gold is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Copper Mountain Mining, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Institutional and Insider Ownership 34.3% of Seabridge Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.8% of Seabridge Gold shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Copper Mountain Mining and Seabridge Gold, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Copper Mountain Mining 0 3 3 0 2.50 Seabridge Gold 0 0 1 0 3.00 Copper Mountain Mining currently has a consensus price target of $2.64, suggesting a potential upside of 38.66%. Seabridge Gold has a consensus price target of $60.00, suggesting a potential upside of 397.93%. Given Seabridge Golds stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Seabridge Gold is more favorable than Copper Mountain Mining. Summary Copper Mountain Mining beats Seabridge Gold on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks. About Copper Mountain Mining (Get Rating) Copper Mountain Mining Corp. engages in the exploration, development and operation of mineral deposits. It holds interest in Copper Mountain Mine, Eva Copper, New Ingerbelle, and Cameron Copper Projects. The company was founded on April 20, 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. About Seabridge Gold (Get Rating) Seabridge Gold Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in North America. The company also explores for gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum deposits. Its principal projects are the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell property and Iskut project located in British Columbia, Canada; Courageous Lake property situated in Northwest Territories, Canada; Snowstorm project situated in the Nevada; and 3 Aces project located in the Yukon Territory. The company was formerly known as Seabridge Resources Inc. and changed its name to Seabridge Gold Inc. in June 2002. Seabridge Gold Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Copper Mountain Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Copper Mountain Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its holdings in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,698 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DEs holdings in EOG Resources were worth $12,575,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EOG. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in EOG Resources by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 175,666 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $20,137,000 after acquiring an additional 17,858 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group increased its stake in EOG Resources by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 8,577 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in EOG Resources by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,512 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in EOG Resources in the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. Finally, Romano Brothers AND Company increased its stake in EOG Resources by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 1,814 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $208,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.58% of the companys stock. Get EOG Resources alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In related news, COO Lloyd W. Helms, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.87, for a total transaction of $579,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 149,689 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,344,464.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In EOG Resources Trading Down 1.3 % A number of analysts have issued reports on EOG shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on EOG Resources from $167.00 to $158.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on EOG Resources from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 27th. TD Securities cut their target price on EOG Resources from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on EOG Resources from $139.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Friday, February 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, EOG Resources currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $148.17. Shares of NYSE EOG opened at $106.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 1.54. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.16 and a 1-year high of $150.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $113.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.28. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The energy exploration company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $6.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.28 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 30.34% and a net margin of 33.83%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 51.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.00 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.34 EPS for the current fiscal year. EOG Resources Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 14th. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.64%. About EOG Resources (Get Rating) EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. CP ALL Public (OTCMKTS:CPPCY Get Rating) is one of 64 public companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare CP ALL Public to related companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends and earnings. Insider & Institutional Ownership 45.3% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by institutional investors. 22.8% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Get CP ALL Public alerts: Dividends CP ALL Public pays an annual dividend of $7.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 38.5%. CP ALL Public pays out 66.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Grocery Stores companies pay a dividend yield of 4.4% and pay out 61.9% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A CP ALL Public Competitors 2.08% 14.38% 4.68% Earnings & Valuation This table compares CP ALL Public and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This table compares CP ALL Public and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio CP ALL Public N/A N/A 1.73 CP ALL Public Competitors $31.07 billion $667.28 million 188.20 CP ALL Publics rivals have higher revenue and earnings than CP ALL Public. CP ALL Public is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for CP ALL Public and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score CP ALL Public 0 0 1 0 3.00 CP ALL Public Competitors 1164 2835 3094 114 2.30 As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 110.62%. Given CP ALL Publics rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe CP ALL Public has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Summary CP ALL Public rivals beat CP ALL Public on 10 of the 13 factors compared. About CP ALL Public (Get Rating) CP ALL Public Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates and franchises convenience stores under the 7-Eleven name to other retailers primarily in Thailand. It operates through three segments: Wholesale Business, Retail Business, and Management of Rental Spaces in Shopping Centers. The Wholesale Business segment engages in import, export, and distribution of frozen and chilled food with delivery services and focuses on selling consumer products, including fresh food, dry food, and consumer products under Makro brand. Its Retail Business segment is involved in domestic supply chain, distribution system, logistics network, and brand equity businesses. This segment also sells its products under various domestic, international, and small and medium enterprises brands. The company's Management of Rental Spaces in Shopping Centers segment manages buildings and retail spaces in shopping malls. In addition, the company is involved in sale and maintenance of retail equipment; cash and carry, catalog, and e-commerce businesses; marketing and advertising activities; provision of information technology and research and development services, as well as engaged in bill payment collection, life insurance, and non-life insurance broker business. Further, the company offers educational institution, training, business seminar services, as well as healthcare and medical specialist's consultation services. The company was formerly known as C.P. Seven Eleven Public Company Limited. CP ALL Public Company Limited was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. Receive News & Ratings for CP ALL Public Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CP ALL Public and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Malayan Banking Berhad (OTCMKTS:MLYBY Get Rating) is one of 263 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Malayan Banking Berhad to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations. Profitability This table compares Malayan Banking Berhad and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Malayan Banking Berhad alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Malayan Banking Berhad N/A N/A N/A Malayan Banking Berhad Competitors 30.44% 10.16% 0.89% Earnings & Valuation This table compares Malayan Banking Berhad and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Malayan Banking Berhad N/A N/A 2.95 Malayan Banking Berhad Competitors $3.30 billion $804.04 million 268.00 Insider and Institutional Ownership Malayan Banking Berhads competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Malayan Banking Berhad. Malayan Banking Berhad 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. 0.1% of Malayan Banking Berhad shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 13.4% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held 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. Dividends Malayan Banking Berhad pays an annual dividend of $0.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.4%. Malayan Banking Berhad pays out 15.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 11.6% and pay out 17.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Malayan Banking Berhad and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Malayan Banking Berhad 0 0 0 0 N/A Malayan Banking Berhad Competitors 1106 3573 3465 54 2.30 As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 495.35%. Given Malayan Banking Berhads competitors higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Malayan Banking Berhad has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors. Summary Malayan Banking Berhad competitors beat Malayan Banking Berhad on 9 of the 10 factors compared. Malayan Banking Berhad Company Profile (Get Rating) Malayan Banking Berhad provides commercial banking and related financial products and services for individuals, small and medium enterprises, retail and corporate customers, and financial institutions primarily in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The company operates through three segments: Group Community Financial Services, Group Global Banking, and Group Insurance and Takaful. It offers savings and fixed deposits, and current accounts; and housing and personal loans, project financing, overdrafts, and trade financing, as well as remittance services. The company also offers credit cards; bancassurance products; hire purchase, unit trust, cash management, custodian, and trustee services; and treasury activities and services, including foreign exchange, money market, derivatives, and trading of capital market. In addition, it provides investment banking and securities broking services; corporate advisory, bond and equity issuance, syndicated acquisition advisory, debt restructuring advisory, and share and futures dealings; and asset and fund management services, including a range of conventional and Islamic investment solutions. Further, the company underwrites general and life insurance businesses, offshore investment life insurance business, and general and family takaful products; and offers offshore banking, bureau, property leasing and trading, nominee, property investment, business/economic consultancy and advisory, IT shared and development, financial and investment advisory, money lending, private equity investments, research, and leasing and factoring services. Malayan Banking Berhad was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Receive News & Ratings for Malayan Banking Berhad Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Malayan Banking Berhad and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First Citizens Bancshares (OTC:FIZN Get Rating) is one of 280 publicly-traded companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare First Citizens Bancshares to related companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, risk, earnings, institutional ownership and valuation. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for First Citizens Bancshares and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get First Citizens Bancshares alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score First Citizens Bancshares 0 0 0 0 N/A First Citizens Bancshares Competitors 1267 4065 3680 60 2.28 As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 455.77%. Given First Citizens Bancshares rivals higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe First Citizens Bancshares has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Insider & Institutional Ownership Dividends 0.1% of First Citizens Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.2% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 13.3% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. First Citizens Bancshares pays an annual dividend of $0.45 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. First Citizens Bancshares pays out 12.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 11.6% and pay out 17.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Earnings & Valuation This table compares First Citizens Bancshares and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio First Citizens Bancshares N/A N/A 16.87 First Citizens Bancshares Competitors $3.32 billion $707.52 million 243.72 First Citizens Bancshares rivals have higher revenue and earnings than First Citizens Bancshares. First Citizens Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Profitability This table compares First Citizens Bancshares and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets First Citizens Bancshares N/A N/A N/A First Citizens Bancshares Competitors 29.20% 10.80% 0.93% Summary First Citizens Bancshares rivals beat First Citizens Bancshares on 9 of the 10 factors compared. About First Citizens Bancshares (Get Rating) First Citizens Bancshares, Inc., through its subsidiary, First Citizens National Bank, provides various commercial banking services to individuals and corporate customers. The company offers checking and savings deposits, as well as certificates of deposit; and residential, commercial, and consumer lending products. It also provides personal and home loans; and home equity line of credit. In addition, the company provides commercial real estate, construction and facility, equipment financing, residential development and construction, operating loans and lines of credit, and SBA and United States department of agriculture (USDA) loans, as well as debit and credit card services. Further, it offers home purchase and refinancing, and reverse mortgages; mobile, telephone/text, and online banking services; e-statements; investment, insurance, and retirement and benefit services; and trust, overdraft, identity theft protection, and treasury services, as well as safe deposit boxes. First Citizens Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Receive News & Ratings for First Citizens Bancshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Citizens Bancshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. FedEx (NYSE:FDX Get Rating) had its price objective reduced by Bank of America from $295.00 to $290.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. A number of other research firms also recently commented on FDX. Susquehanna boosted their price target on FedEx from $170.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of FedEx from $250.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of FedEx in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of FedEx from $285.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Melius initiated coverage on shares of FedEx in a research report on Monday, March 27th. They issued a hold rating and a $240.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $247.17. Get FedEx alerts: FedEx Stock Performance Shares of FDX stock opened at $232.41 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.32. FedEx has a 52 week low of $141.92 and a 52 week high of $248.76. The company has a market capitalization of $58.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.33. The companys 50 day moving average price is $226.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.08. FedEx Increases Dividend FedEx ( NYSE:FDX Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 20th. The shipping service provider reported $4.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.85 by $0.09. FedEx had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 17.71%. The business had revenue of $21.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.87 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that FedEx will post 14.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 12th will be given a $1.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 9th. This is a positive change from FedExs previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. FedExs dividend payout ratio is 43.52%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Rajesh Subramaniam sold 11,125 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.01, for a total transaction of $2,569,986.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,483 shares in the company, valued at $9,120,967.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Frederick W. Smith sold 131,755 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.21, for a total value of $30,594,828.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,459,759 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,357,700,637.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Rajesh Subramaniam sold 11,125 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.01, for a total value of $2,569,986.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,120,967.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 146,486 shares of company stock worth $34,001,009. Company insiders own 8.62% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On FedEx Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FDX. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in FedEx by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,236 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $1,196,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of FedEx by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,098 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $936,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FedEx by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,105 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FedEx by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 16,651 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $2,903,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in FedEx by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,220 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.39% of the companys stock. FedEx Company Profile (Get Rating) FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. The company's FedEx Express segment offers express transportation, small-package ground delivery, and freight transportation services; time-critical transportation services; and cross-border enablement, technology, and e-commerce transportation solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for FedEx Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for FedEx and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First Command Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP (NYSE:KRP Get Rating) by 200.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,000 shares of the energy companys stock after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. First Command Financial Services Inc.s holdings in Kimbell Royalty Partners were worth $46,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 164.4% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,327,424 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $22,168,000 after acquiring an additional 825,327 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,435,664 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $40,676,000 after buying an additional 709,547 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 331.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 647,169 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $10,808,000 after buying an additional 497,169 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 61.4% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 947,292 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $14,854,000 after buying an additional 360,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners by 302.8% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 363,371 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $6,068,000 after buying an additional 273,159 shares during the last quarter. 40.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Kimbell Royalty Partners alerts: Kimbell Royalty Partners Trading Down 0.8 % Shares of KRP stock opened at $14.77 on Friday. Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP has a 52-week low of $13.85 and a 52-week high of $19.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 7.13 and a current ratio of 7.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 7.46 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.71. Kimbell Royalty Partners Cuts Dividend Kimbell Royalty Partners ( NYSE:KRP Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The energy company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.21. Kimbell Royalty Partners had a net margin of 47.42% and a return on equity of 29.56%. The business had revenue of $66.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $53.13 million. On average, analysts predict that Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 12th. Kimbell Royalty Partnerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.71%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth KRP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James upped their price objective on Kimbell Royalty Partners from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Kimbell Royalty Partners from $22.00 to $18.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $21.00. Insider Buying and Selling at Kimbell Royalty Partners In related news, insider Blayne Rhynsburger sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.06, for a total value of $45,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 53,191 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $801,056.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mitch S. Wynne sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.88, for a total value of $297,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 208,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,108,149.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Blayne Rhynsburger sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.06, for a total transaction of $45,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 53,191 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $801,056.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.60% of the companys stock. Kimbell Royalty Partners Profile (Get Rating) Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP, together with its subsidiaries, engages in acquiring and owning mineral and royalty interests in oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The company serves as the general partner of the company. Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Fort Worth, Texas. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KRP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kimbell Royalty Partners, LP (NYSE:KRP Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Kimbell Royalty Partners Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kimbell Royalty Partners and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Units of the Armenian armed forces from the positions in the direction of the Arazdeyen settlement of the Vedi region using small arms several times shelled the Azerbaijani army positions in the direction of the Heydarabad settlement of the Sadarak district of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on June 24, from 10:40 to 11:00 (GMT +4), Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Azerbaijan army units took adequate retaliatory measures in mentioned directions", the ministry noted. First Mexican Gold Corp (CVE:FMG Get Rating)s stock price dropped 2.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.39 and last traded at C$0.40. Approximately 58,211 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 55% from the average daily volume of 37,447 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.41. First Mexican Gold Stock Performance The company has a market cap of C$17.52 million and a PE ratio of -131.67. The businesss 50-day moving average is C$0.39 and its 200 day moving average is C$0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.62, a quick ratio of 0.05 and a current ratio of 0.05. About First Mexican Gold (Get Rating) First Mexican Gold Corp. through its subsidiary, Cornelius exploration S. de R.L. de C.V., engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Mexico. It explores for gold and silver deposits. The company holds interests in the Hilda Properties comprising the Hilda 30 property; the Hilda 37/38 property with two mining exploration concessions; and the Hilda 31/32 property with three mining exploration concessions comprising a total area of 1,350 hectares in the Yecora District, State of Sonora, Mexico. See Also Receive News & Ratings for First Mexican Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Mexican Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Five Oceans Advisors trimmed its stake in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC Get Rating) by 20.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,160 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,796 shares during the quarter. Five Oceans Advisors holdings in Bank of America were worth $205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BAC. Roundview Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Bank of America by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 135,764 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,596,000 after buying an additional 2,013 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in shares of Bank of America by 150.3% in the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,985 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Bank of America by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 405,098 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $16,698,000 after buying an additional 16,319 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter worth approximately $586,000. Finally, Pearl River Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter worth approximately $534,000. 67.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Bank of America alerts: Bank of America Trading Down 0.8 % Shares of BAC stock opened at $27.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $221.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.33, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.37. Bank of America Co. has a 1 year low of $26.32 and a 1 year high of $38.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $28.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.12. Bank of America Dividend Announcement Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $26.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $25.28 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 21.85%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Bank of America Co. will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 1st. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 26.43%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth BAC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Bank of America from $36.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Friday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Bank of America from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Bank of America from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Bank of America from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Bank of America from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.77. Bank of America Company Profile (Get Rating) Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (ETR:FME Get Rating)s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of 37.36 ($40.61) and traded as high as 43.23 ($46.99). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA shares last traded at 43.23 ($46.99), with a volume of 442,095 shares. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FME. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a 23.00 ($25.00) price objective on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Warburg Research set a 22.00 ($23.91) price target on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group set a 21.00 ($22.83) price objective on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. UBS Group set a 38.00 ($41.30) target price on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, HSBC set a 33.00 ($35.87) price target on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Get Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA alerts: Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 87.12. The company has a market capitalization of $13.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of 42.31 and a 200 day moving average price of 37.45. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Company Profile Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA provides dialysis and related services for individuals with renal diseases in Germany, North America, and internationally. The company offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Global Crossing Airlines Group Inc. (CVE:JET Get Rating)s share price was down 4.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$1.36 and last traded at C$1.36. Approximately 10,010 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 11,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$1.43. Global Crossing Airlines Group Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of C$63.25 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 105.95. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is C$1.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$1.36. Global Crossing Airlines Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Global Crossing Airlines Group Inc operates in the airline business. It focuses to fly as an aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) and wet lease charter airline serving the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin American markets. The company is based in Miami, Florida. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Global Crossing Airlines Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Global Crossing Airlines Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Get Rating) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,914 shares of the companys stock after selling 204 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Novartis by 18.3% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,556,539 shares of the companys stock worth $136,587,000 after buying an additional 240,710 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the companys stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 42.4% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,996 shares of the companys stock valued at $965,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 95,477 shares of the companys stock worth $8,379,000 after purchasing an additional 4,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 22.8% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,528 shares of the companys stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.07% of the companys stock. Get Novartis alerts: Novartis Stock Up 0.2 % NVS opened at $100.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $213.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.54. The companys 50-day moving average price is $100.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.14. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $74.09 and a twelve month high of $105.56. Analysts Set New Price Targets Novartis ( NYSE:NVS Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.16. Novartis had a return on equity of 23.29% and a net margin of 13.78%. The business had revenue of $12.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.60 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year. NVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their target price on Novartis from $75.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $82.25. About Novartis (Get Rating) Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It also provides cardiovascular, ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hematology, and solid tumor products. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Novartis Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novartis and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Guyana Goldstrike Inc. (CVE:GYA Get Rating) traded up 25% on Friday . The company traded as high as C$0.13 and last traded at C$0.13. 48,500 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 63% from the average session volume of 29,839 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.10. Guyana Goldstrike Stock Up 25.0 % The stock has a market cap of C$4.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.56 and a beta of 1.54. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$0.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$0.12. Guyana Goldstrike Company Profile (Get Rating) Guyana Goldstrike Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties. The company holds an option agreement to acquire an interest in the Alice Arm North property, a precious metal prospect; and East Georgie property, as well as the San Diego mineral claim located in the Golden Triangle, British Columbia. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Guyana Goldstrike Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Guyana Goldstrike and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Curaleaf (OTCMKTS:CURLF Get Rating) and Exactus (OTCMKTS:EXDI Get Rating) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations. Profitability This table compares Curaleaf and Exactus net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Curaleaf alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Curaleaf -28.88% -20.37% -8.18% Exactus N/A -3,272.69% -185.29% Earnings & Valuation This table compares Curaleaf and Exactus top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Curaleaf $1.34 billion 1.45 -$370.10 million ($0.54) -5.76 Exactus $2.07 million 0.00 -$9.46 million N/A N/A Institutional and Insider Ownership Exactus has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Curaleaf. 0.0% of Curaleaf shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Exactus shares are held by institutional investors. 65.0% of Exactus shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Curaleaf and Exactus, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Curaleaf 0 1 7 0 2.88 Exactus 0 0 0 0 N/A Curaleaf currently has a consensus target price of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 221.54%. Summary Exactus beats Curaleaf on 5 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Curaleaf (Get Rating) Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. operates as a holding company with interest in medical and wellness cannabis operations. It operates through the Cannabis Operations and Non-Cannabis Operations segments. The Cannabis Operations segment includes the production and sale of cannabis via retail and wholesale channels. The Non-Cannabis Operations segment provides professional services including cultivation, processing and retail know-how and back office administration, intellectual property licensing, real estate leasing services and lending facilities to medical and adult-use cannabis licensees under management service agreements. The company was founded on November 13, 2014 and is headquartered in New York, NY. About Exactus (Get Rating) Exactus, Inc., is a farmer and manufacturer of hemp-derived phytocannabinoid products. The company sells its CBD products through its Green Goddess brand and third-party resellers. Exactus is engaged in producing industrial hemp from farms in Oregon and plans to extract and manufacture directly through cGMP facilities. Industrial hemp is a type of cannabis, defined by the federal government as having THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content of 0.3 percent or less. THC is the psychoactive compound found in cannabis. Receive News & Ratings for Curaleaf Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Curaleaf and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (OTCMKTS:CODYY Get Rating) and Janus International Group (NYSE:JBI Get Rating) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation and profitability. Insider and Institutional Ownership 0.0% of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 87.1% of Janus International Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 42.9% of Janus International Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Get Compagnie de Saint-Gobain alerts: Valuation & Earnings This table compares Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and Janus International Groups top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Compagnie de Saint-Gobain N/A N/A N/A $0.34 34.75 Janus International Group $1.02 billion 1.36 $107.65 million $0.78 12.15 Analyst Recommendations Janus International Group has higher revenue and earnings than Compagnie de Saint-Gobain. Janus International Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and Janus International Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 0 2 6 0 2.75 Janus International Group 0 1 1 0 2.50 Compagnie de Saint-Gobain currently has a consensus price target of $63.40, suggesting a potential upside of 438.89%. Janus International Group has a consensus price target of $13.38, suggesting a potential upside of 41.09%. Given Compagnie de Saint-Gobains stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Compagnie de Saint-Gobain is more favorable than Janus International Group. Profitability This table compares Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and Janus International Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Compagnie de Saint-Gobain N/A N/A N/A Janus International Group 10.94% 32.67% 9.36% Summary Janus International Group beats Compagnie de Saint-Gobain on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks. About Compagnie de Saint-Gobain (Get Rating) Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. designs, manufactures, and distributes materials and solutions for wellbeing worldwide. It operates through five segments: High Performance Solutions; Northern Europe; Southern Europe Middle East (ME) & Africa; Americas; and Asia-Pacific. The company offers glazing solutions for buildings and cars under the Saint-Gobain, GlassSolutions, Vetrotech, and SageGlass brands; plaster-based products for construction and renovation markets under the Placo, Rigips, and Gyproc brands; ceilings under the Ecophon, CertainTeed, Eurocoustic, Sonex, or Vinh Tuong brands; and insulation solutions for a range of applications, such as construction, engine compartments, vehicle interiors, household appliances, and photovoltaic panels under the Isover, CertainTeed, and Izocam brands. It also offers mortars and building chemicals under the Weber brand; exterior products comprising asphalt and composite shingles, roll roofing systems, and accessories; and pipes under the PAM brand, as well as designs, imports, and distributes instant adhesives, sealants, and silicones. In addition, the company provides interior systems, interior and exterior insulation, cladding, floor coverings, facades and lightweight structures, waterproofing, roofing solutions, pre-assembly, and prefabrication solutions; high performance materials; glass for buildings; plasterboard; and interior glass products. Further, it distributes heavy building materials; plumbing, heating, and sanitary products; timbers and panels; civil engineering products; ceramic tiles; and site equipment and tools. The company was founded in 1665 and is headquartered in Courbevoie, France. About Janus International Group (Get Rating) Janus International Group, Inc. manufacturers, supplies, and provides turn-key self-storage, and commercial and industrial building solutions in North America and internationally. The company offers roll up and swing doors, hallway systems, relocatable storage moveable additional storage structures units, and other solutions. It also provides facility and door automation and access control technologies; and Noke smart entry system. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Temple, Georgia. Receive News & Ratings for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kontoor Brands (NYSE:KTB Get Rating) and Moncler (OTCMKTS:MONRY Get Rating) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership. Profitability This table compares Kontoor Brands and Monclers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Kontoor Brands alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Kontoor Brands 8.82% 102.91% 15.02% Moncler N/A N/A N/A Valuation and Earnings This table compares Kontoor Brands and Monclers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Kontoor Brands $2.63 billion 0.86 $245.49 million $4.06 9.95 Moncler N/A N/A N/A $0.42 165.09 Analyst Ratings Kontoor Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Moncler. Kontoor Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Moncler, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Kontoor Brands and Moncler, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Kontoor Brands 0 3 5 0 2.63 Moncler 0 0 0 0 N/A Kontoor Brands presently has a consensus price target of $54.38, indicating a potential upside of 34.62%. Given Kontoor Brands higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Kontoor Brands is more favorable than Moncler. Summary Kontoor Brands beats Moncler on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Kontoor Brands (Get Rating) Kontoor Brands, Inc., a lifestyle apparel company, designs, produces, procures, markets, distributes, and licenses denim, apparel, footwear, and accessories, primarily under the Wrangler and Lee brands. It licenses and sells apparel under the Rock & Republic brad name. The company sells its products primarily through mass merchants, specialty stores, mid-tier and traditional department stores, company-operated stores, and online. It operates in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Kontoor Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. About Moncler (Get Rating) Moncler S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, designs, produces, and distributes clothing and related accessories for men, women, and children under the Moncler and Stone Island brand names. Its product portfolio includes footwear products; leather goods, such as bags, backpacks, and accessories; and sunglasses and eyeglasses under the Moncler Lunettes brand. The company also offers perfume for men and women. It operates directly operated stores and wholesale shop-in-shops. The company also sells its products through moncler.com, an online store. It serves in Italy, other European countries, Japan, the rest of Asia, and the Americas. Moncler S.p.A. was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy. Receive News & Ratings for Kontoor Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kontoor Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 9,708 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.04, for a total value of $1,505,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,490,621 shares of the companys stock, valued at $231,105,879.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Walmart Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $155.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $151.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.63 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.49. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.89 and a 1 year high of $158.23. Get Walmart alerts: Walmart (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $152.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.91 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.30% and a net margin of 1.82%. The businesss revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group boosted its stake in Walmart by 334.7% during the first quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 1,352 shares of the retailers stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 3,322 shares of the retailers stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Mark J. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. Bradley Mark J. now owns 25,851 shares of the retailers stock valued at $3,812,000 after purchasing an additional 3,275 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $1,303,000. Finally, Sweeney & Michel LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $350,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.95% of the companys stock. Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 12th. They issued an outperform rating and a $186.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Walmart from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Walmart from $170.00 to $175.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Walmart from $160.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $166.91. About Walmart (Get Rating) Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sams Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands. Featured Articles 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. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Foreign diplomats visited the bridge, where the Lachin checkpoint is located, as part of their visit to Azerbaijan's Lachin, Trend reports. The guests were informed about the latest provocations of Armenia, as a result of which one Azerbaijani border guard was injured. It was noted that before the armed provocation, Armenian residents of Azerbaijan's Karabakh living in Khankendi freely used this border checkpoint. At the moment, conditions are being created for medical evacuation through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The road is not closed, as some circles claim, but temporary investigative measures are being carried out on it in connection with the recnt provocation of Armenia. The foreign diplomats were also informed that Armenia is using the current situation at the Lachin checkpoint as a means of propaganda. Some European political experts also come and stop on the other side of the bridge, sharing one-sided information that does not reflect the truth. They use this situation for their PR campaigns. In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road. On June 15, 2023, at 08:45 (GMT +4), as a result of opening fire from the territory of Armenia, a serviceman of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan Elshan Rustamov, who served at the Lachin border checkpoint, was injured. Shares of International Land Alliance, Inc. (OTCMKTS:ILAL Get Rating) were up 18.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $0.13 and last traded at $0.13. Approximately 16,007 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 58,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.11. International Land Alliance Trading Down 0.5 % The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $0.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.12. The firm has a market cap of $5.82 million, a P/E ratio of -0.76 and a beta of 2.84. About International Land Alliance (Get Rating) International Land Alliance, Inc operates as a residential land development company with target properties located primarily in the Baja California, Northern region of Mexico, and Southern California. Its principal activities include purchasing properties; obtaining zoning and other entitlements required to subdivide the properties into residential and commercial building plots; securing financing for the purchase of the plots; improving the properties' infrastructure and amenities; and selling the plots to homebuyers, retirees, investors, and commercial developers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for International Land Alliance Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Land Alliance and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of International Tower Hill Mines (NYSEAMERICAN:THM Get Rating) (TSE:ITH) in a report released on Tuesday. The firm issued a sell rating on the mining companys stock. International Tower Hill Mines Trading Down 2.3 % NYSEAMERICAN:THM opened at $0.43 on Tuesday. International Tower Hill Mines has a 12 month low of $0.38 and a 12 month high of $0.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $0.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.52. The firm has a market cap of $84.30 million, a P/E ratio of -21.63 and a beta of 0.70. Get International Tower Hill Mines alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A hedge fund recently raised its stake in International Tower Hill Mines stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:THM Get Rating) (TSE:ITH) by 187.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,462 shares of the mining companys stock after purchasing an additional 140,462 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.11% of International Tower Hill Mines worth $211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.34% of the companys stock. About International Tower Hill Mines International Tower Hill Mines Ltd., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. It holds or has rights to acquire interests in the Livengood gold project covering an area of approximately 19,546 hectares located to the northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for International Tower Hill Mines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for International Tower Hill Mines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Invesco DB Base Metals Fund (NYSEARCA:DBB Get Rating) dropped 2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $17.90 and last traded at $17.99. Approximately 81,119 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 190,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.35. Invesco DB Base Metals Fund Trading Down 2.0 % The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.57 and a 200 day moving average of $19.73. Get Invesco DB Base Metals Fund alerts: Institutional Trading of Invesco DB Base Metals Fund A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DBB. Covestor Ltd acquired a new stake in Invesco DB Base Metals Fund during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. U S Global Investors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Invesco DB Base Metals Fund in the first quarter worth $40,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its stake in Invesco DB Base Metals Fund by 124.1% during the 4th quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 2,548 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Invesco DB Base Metals Fund during the 3rd quarter worth $68,000. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Invesco DB Base Metals Fund by 285.2% in the 1st quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,094 shares of the companys stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 4,512 shares during the last quarter. Invesco DB Base Metals Fund Company Profile PowerShares DB Base Metals Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the Trust), a Delaware statutory trust organized in seven separate series. The Fund seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Industrial Metals Index Excess Return (the Index) over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Funds interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and other high credit quality short-term fixed income securities over the expenses of the Fund. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Invesco DB Base Metals Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco DB Base Metals Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. White Pine Investment CO reduced its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Get Rating) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,151 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,542 shares during the period. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF makes up about 4.0% of White Pine Investment COs holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. White Pine Investment COs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $11,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,253 shares of the companys stock worth $646,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.7% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 95,612 shares of the companys stock worth $7,417,000 after buying an additional 1,612 shares in the last quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,348,690 shares of the companys stock worth $104,618,000 after acquiring an additional 57,434 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 88,779 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,887,000 after acquiring an additional 18,853 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 12,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $975,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Trading Down 0.8 % Shares of BATS USMV opened at $72.81 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.96 and a 200-day moving average of $72.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a 12 month low of $47.44 and a 12 month high of $55.45. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding USMV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. McDonalds Co. (NYSE:MCD Get Rating) insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 4,487 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.35, for a total value of $1,307,287.45. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,038 shares in the company, valued at $3,507,271.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. McDonalds Trading Down 1.2 % NYSE:MCD traded down $3.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $289.91. 3,317,110 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,656,226. The firms fifty day moving average price is $291.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $277.29. McDonalds Co. has a 52-week low of $230.58 and a 52-week high of $298.86. The company has a market cap of $211.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.64. Get McDonald's alerts: McDonalds (NYSE:MCD Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The fast-food giant reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $5.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.58 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 124.87% and a net margin of 29.36%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonalds Co. will post 11.05 EPS for the current fiscal year. McDonalds Announces Dividend Institutional Trading of McDonalds The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Investors of record on Monday, June 5th were given a dividend of $1.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 2nd. This represents a $6.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. McDonaldss payout ratio is presently 65.24%. Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonalds by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,570,353 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $15,591,183,000 after purchasing an additional 333,884 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in McDonalds by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,704,308 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $8,007,672,000 after buying an additional 365,601 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonalds by 106,340.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,235,890 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $5,069,234,000 after acquiring an additional 19,217,818 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonalds by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,909,126 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $3,881,441,000 after acquiring an additional 206,651 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonalds during the 4th quarter worth $2,341,360,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.08% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on McDonalds from $300.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $315.00 to $330.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM reissued a reiterates rating on shares of McDonalds in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. StockNews.com began coverage on McDonalds in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded McDonalds from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $321.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $307.77. About McDonalds (Get Rating) McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company's restaurants offer hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and nuggets, fries, salads, shakes, frozen desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, bakery items, soft drinks, coffee, and beverages and other beverages, as well as breakfast menu, including muffins, Sausages, biscuit and bagel sandwiches, oatmeal, hash browns, breakfast burritos and hotcakes. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for McDonald's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for McDonald's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN Get Rating) has been given a consensus recommendation of Hold by the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $121.53. Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Lennar from $153.00 to $161.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Lennar from $94.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Lennar in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. They issued a market perform rating on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on Lennar from $103.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price objective on Lennar from $115.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Get Lennar alerts: Lennar Stock Performance LEN opened at $122.30 on Friday. Lennar has a 52-week low of $67.78 and a 52-week high of $123.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.39 billion, a PE ratio of 8.35, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 7.09. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $113.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.34. Lennar Dividend Announcement Insider Buying and Selling The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 26th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 25th. Lennars dividend payout ratio is currently 10.24%. In related news, CFO Diane J. Bessette sold 10,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,310,553.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 270,556 shares of the companys stock, valued at $32,861,731.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 9.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lennar Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 3,067,185 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $322,392,000 after purchasing an additional 102,601 shares in the last quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,057,384 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $321,362,000 after purchasing an additional 94,694 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 111.4% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,467,501 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $259,359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300,163 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 551.1% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,824,684 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $191,793,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Lennar by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,441,742 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $148,802,000 after purchasing an additional 43,237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.69% of the companys stock. Lennar Company Profile (Get Rating Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lennar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lennar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. London & Associated Properties PLC (LON:LAS Get Rating) rose 4.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 12.50 ($0.16) and last traded at GBX 12.50 ($0.16). Approximately 32,039 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 31% from the average daily volume of 46,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 12 ($0.15). London & Associated Properties Stock Performance The companys fifty day simple moving average is GBX 13.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 16.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 77.12, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of 10.67 million, a P/E ratio of 250.00 and a beta of -0.20. About London & Associated Properties (Get Rating) London & Associated Properties is a fully listed property investment company specialising in retail. It owns a portfolio of shopping centres and other retail property currently worth some 78m. LAP also invests in joint ventures with institutional co-owners; these have included Oaktree Capital Management, Schroders and Bank of Scotland. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for London & Associated Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for London & Associated Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of RenaissanceRe (NYSE:RNR Get Rating) in a research note published on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports. The firm issued an equal weight rating and a $222.00 target price on the insurance providers stock. A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on RNR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on RenaissanceRe from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on RenaissanceRe from $245.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. TheStreet downgraded shares of RenaissanceRe from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of RenaissanceRe in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of RenaissanceRe from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $234.00 to $238.00 in a report on Thursday, May 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $215.60. Get RenaissanceRe alerts: RenaissanceRe Trading Down 1.7 % Shares of RNR opened at $187.81 on Tuesday. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $199.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a PE ratio of -51.88 and a beta of 0.44. RenaissanceRe has a 12-month low of $124.18 and a 12-month high of $223.80. RenaissanceRe Announces Dividend RenaissanceRe ( NYSE:RNR Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The insurance provider reported $8.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.34 by $0.82. RenaissanceRe had a negative net margin of 1.61% and a positive return on equity of 11.89%. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. RenaissanceRes revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that RenaissanceRe will post 22.99 earnings per share for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. RenaissanceRes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -41.99%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Kevin Odonnell acquired 13,020 shares of RenaissanceRe stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $192.00 per share, with a total value of $2,499,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 296,025 shares of the companys stock, valued at $56,836,800. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RNR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in RenaissanceRe by 0.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,518,448 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $634,345,000 after acquiring an additional 11,838 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of RenaissanceRe by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,063,107 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $814,003,000 after purchasing an additional 37,079 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in RenaissanceRe by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,687,321 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $517,664,000 after purchasing an additional 352,164 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in RenaissanceRe by 5.4% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,550,441 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $404,270,000 after purchasing an additional 129,891 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in RenaissanceRe by 4.0% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,910,970 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $382,923,000 after buying an additional 73,882 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.15% of the companys stock. RenaissanceRe Company Profile (Get Rating) RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Property, and Casualty and Specialty segments. The Property segment writes property catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance and excess of loss reinsurance to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes, including hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis, as well as winter storms, freezes, floods, fires, windstorms, tornadoes, explosions, and acts of terrorism; and other property class of products, such as proportional reinsurance, property per risk, property reinsurance, binding facilities, and regional U.S. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for RenaissanceRe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RenaissanceRe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Rating) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $35.00 to $38.50 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. FCX has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, June 9th. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Sunday, April 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $32.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $41.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freeport-McMoRan presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.13. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Freeport-McMoRan Stock Down 3.4 % FCX stock opened at $38.36 on Wednesday. Freeport-McMoRan has a one year low of $24.80 and a one year high of $46.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.79. The firms 50 day moving average price is $37.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.68. The firm has a market cap of $54.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 2.00. Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement Freeport-McMoRan ( NYSE:FCX Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The natural resource company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 11.07%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan will post 1.79 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 14th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Freeport-McMoRans payout ratio is currently 16.76%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis purchased 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $34.90 per share, for a total transaction of $139,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,800 shares of the companys stock, valued at $621,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.78% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. America First Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.35% of the companys stock. About Freeport-McMoRan (Get Rating) Freeport-McMoRan, Inc engages in the mining of copper, gold, and molybdenum. It operates through the following segments: North America Copper Mines, South America Mining, Indonesia Mining, Molybdenum Mines, Rod and Refining, Atlantic Copper Smelting and Refining, and Corporate and Other. The North America Copper Mines segment operates open-pit copper mines in Morenci, Baghdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona and Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Peoples Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PPLL Get Rating) shares fell 0.9% on Friday . The company traded as low as $67.40 and last traded at $67.40. 40 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.00. Peoples Price Performance The firms 50 day moving average price is $67.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.86. Peoples Company Profile (Get Rating) Peoples Ltd. operates as the holding company for PS Bank that provides various financial services to individuals, small businesses, and corporate customers in Pennsylvania, the United States. It offers savings, checking, money market, business checking, NOW checking, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Peoples Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Peoples and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan arrived in the Lachin district today, where they got acquainted with the restoration and construction work carried out there, Trend reports. The delegation consists of 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. The guests visited the first residential block built on the December 1 street of the city of Lachin, and had conversations with residents who have already returned to their homeland. On behalf of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, a total of 700 buildings are being restored in the city. Of these, 620 are cottages, 9 are multi-apartment residential buildings. At the same time, 71 administrative buildings are being reconstructed. Foreign diplomats will also visit Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street and Lachin Boulevard, laid on the bank of the Khakari River. Moreover, it is planned that representatives of the diplomatic corps will visit the agro-industrial park under construction in the Lachin district. The guests will also got acquainted with the full progress of construction work in the village of Zabukh. The last stop of foreign diplomats will be the "smart village" of Aghaly in the Zangilan district. Offerpad Solutions (NYSE:OPAD Get Rating) and REAC Group (OTCMKTS:REAC Get Rating) are both real estate companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Offerpad Solutions and REAC Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Get Offerpad Solutions alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Offerpad Solutions 1 4 2 0 2.14 REAC Group 0 0 0 0 N/A Offerpad Solutions presently has a consensus price target of $33.54, indicating a potential upside of 235.69%. Given Offerpad Solutions higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Offerpad Solutions is more favorable than REAC Group. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Offerpad Solutions $3.19 billion 0.08 -$148.61 million ($14.09) -0.71 REAC Group N/A N/A N/A ($0.52) -0.01 This table compares Offerpad Solutions and REAC Groups gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. REAC Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Offerpad Solutions. Offerpad Solutions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than REAC Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Profitability This table compares Offerpad Solutions and REAC Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Offerpad Solutions -7.81% -119.30% -24.14% REAC Group N/A N/A N/A Summary REAC Group beats Offerpad Solutions on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Offerpad Solutions (Get Rating) Offerpad Solutions Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in buying, selling, renting, and renovating properties to homeowners in the United States. It operates iBuying, a real estate solutions platform for on-demand customer. The company's platform enables customers to sell and buy homes online with streamlined access to ancillary services, such as mortgage and title insurance services. Offerpad Solutions Inc. was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Chandler, Arizona. About REAC Group (Get Rating) REAC Group, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of a real estate advertising portal website in the United States. The company provides an online real estate search portal that consists of an advertising and marketing platform for real estate professionals. Its real estate search website directs consumers to receive information about agents, offices, current listings, homes for sale, commercial properties, mortgages, and foreclosures. The company is based in Miami, Florida. Receive News & Ratings for Offerpad Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Offerpad Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sanlam (OTCMKTS:SLLDY Get Rating) and St. Jamess Place (OTCMKTS:STJPF Get Rating) are both financial services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, valuation and analyst recommendations. Insider & Institutional Ownership 0.1% of Sanlam shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.4% of St. Jamess Place shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Get Sanlam alerts: Earnings & Valuation This table compares Sanlam and St. James Places gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Sanlam N/A N/A N/A C$9.06 0.69 St. Jamess Place N/A N/A N/A $0.28 49.38 Profitability Sanlam is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than St. Jamess Place, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. This table compares Sanlam and St. James Places net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sanlam N/A N/A N/A St. Jamess Place N/A N/A N/A Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Sanlam and St. Jamess Place, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sanlam 0 1 0 0 2.00 St. Jamess Place 0 1 4 0 2.80 St. Jamess Place has a consensus price target of $1,362.25, suggesting a potential upside of 9,616.48%. Given St. James Places stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe St. Jamess Place is more favorable than Sanlam. Dividends Sanlam pays an annual dividend of C$0.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. St. Jamess Place pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Sanlam pays out 3.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. St. Jamess Place pays out 56.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Sanlam is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Summary St. Jamess Place beats Sanlam on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Sanlam (Get Rating) Sanlam Limited provides various financial solutions to individual, business, and institutional clients in South Africa, rest of Africa, and internationally. The company operates through Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Sanlam Investment Group, and Santam segments. It offers life, disability, severe illness, income protection, funeral, credit life, health, short-term, medical, and group risk benefits, business debt, key person, and commercial insurance products; financial planning and retirement, and solutions; investment products; wealth, and professionals and graduates insurance services; and personal and home loans, and credit cards. The company also provides payment and debit cards order collection, corporate credit, financial advice, business continuity, risk management, and employee health and retirement plans for small and medium businesses, and self-employed professionals. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Bellville, South Africa. About St. Jamess Place (Get Rating) St. James's Place plc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm launches and manages equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. It invests in public equity and fixed income market across the globe. The firm was formerly known as St. James's Place Capital plc. St. James's Place plc was founded in 1991 and is based in Cirencester, United Kingdom. Receive News & Ratings for Sanlam Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sanlam and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Serengeti Resources Inc. (CVE:SIR Get Rating)s stock price was up 2.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as C$0.50 and last traded at C$0.49. Approximately 70,621 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 28% from the average daily volume of 97,510 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.48. Serengeti Resources Stock Performance The firm has a market capitalization of C$54.39 million and a P/E ratio of -8.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$0.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.40. Serengeti Resources Company Profile (Get Rating) Serengeti Resources Inc acquires and explores for mineral properties in Canada. It company explores for gold, copper, and silver deposits. The company's flagship property is the Kwanika project that covers an area of 25,928 hectares located in the northern Quesnel Trough, British Columbia. It also has an option to acquire 100% interest in Top Cat project covering an area of approximately 21,600 hectares situated in central British Columbia. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Serengeti Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Serengeti Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SignalPoint Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF (NYSEARCA:XLG Get Rating) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,876 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the quarter. Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF accounts for 1.0% of SignalPoint Asset Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. SignalPoint Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF worth $3,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of XLG. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF by 71.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 171 shares of the companys stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $78,000. Get Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF alerts: Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Stock Down 0.7 % Shares of XLG opened at $343.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 1.00. Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF has a twelve month low of $260.46 and a twelve month high of $352.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $327.10 and a 200-day moving average of $304.54. About Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Guggenheim Russell Top 50 Mega Cap ETF (the Fund), formerly Rydex Russell Top 50 ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the Russell Top 50 Index (the Index). The Index is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index consisting of the 50 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sweet Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL Get Rating) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,234 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $211,000. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,355,449 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,956,721,000 after acquiring an additional 314,385 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 6,776,061 shares of the companys stock valued at $256,813,000 after buying an additional 1,554,600 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,416,029 shares of the companys stock valued at $217,880,000 after buying an additional 97,232 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1,314.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,759,035 shares of the companys stock valued at $231,152,000 after buying an additional 2,564,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $100,326,000. 71.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Royal Caribbean Cruises alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 36,536 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $2,922,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 147,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,766,240. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 318,325 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.97, for a total value of $24,819,800.25. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,167,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,460,520.79. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 36,536 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $2,922,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 147,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,766,240. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 729,861 shares of company stock worth $58,020,180. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance A number of brokerages have weighed in on RCL. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $88.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $80.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $78.00 to $88.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $65.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Finally, VNET Group reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten 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 price target of $89.93. Shares of RCL stock opened at $97.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.26. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $31.09 and a one year high of $98.35. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $79.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.06 and a beta of 2.43. Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.71) by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a negative net margin of 9.72% and a negative return on equity of 25.86%. Royal Caribbean Cruisess quarterly revenue was up 172.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($4.57) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile (Get Rating) Royal Caribbean Group is a cruise company, which engages in the ownership and operation of the following global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. The firm also holds interest in TUI Cruises GmbH, which operates the German brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Royal Caribbean Cruises Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Royal Caribbean Cruises and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AREN Get Rating) major shareholder B. Riley Financial, Inc. acquired 29,598 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.50 per share, with a total value of $103,593.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 1,261,049 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,413,671.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC. B. Riley Financial, Inc. also recently made the following trade(s): Get The Arena Group alerts: On Tuesday, June 20th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. acquired 3,976 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.50 per share, with a total value of $13,916.00. On Thursday, June 15th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. acquired 1,041 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.50 per share, with a total value of $3,643.50. On Friday, May 26th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. acquired 20,210 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3.45 per share, with a total value of $69,724.50. On Monday, May 22nd, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 2,574 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.45 per share, for a total transaction of $8,880.30. On Friday, May 19th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 8,244 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.45 per share, for a total transaction of $28,441.80. On Tuesday, May 16th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 50,000 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.57 per share, for a total transaction of $178,500.00. On Tuesday, April 11th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 19,306 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.93 per share, for a total transaction of $75,872.58. On Wednesday, April 5th, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 9,493 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.48 per share, for a total transaction of $33,035.64. On Friday, March 31st, B. Riley Financial, Inc. bought 170,104 shares of The Arena Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.88 per share, for a total transaction of $660,003.52. The Arena Group Stock Performance Shares of The Arena Group stock traded up $0.15 on Friday, reaching $3.66. 1,520,536 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 59,558. The company has a market capitalization of $80.52 million, a P/E ratio of -0.94 and a beta of 0.22. The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.32 and a 52 week high of $16.50. The firms 50-day moving average is $3.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.63. Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Arena Group The Arena Group ( NYSE:AREN Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported ($1.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($1.21) by $0.17. The business had revenue of $51.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.77 million. On average, analysts expect that The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. will post -1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AREN. Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Arena Group in the 1st quarter worth $1,612,000. Northern Trust Corp bought a new position in shares of The Arena Group in the 1st quarter worth $124,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of The Arena Group in the 1st quarter worth $365,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in shares of The Arena Group in the 2nd quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers bought a new position in shares of The Arena Group in the 2nd quarter worth $120,000. 55.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Separately, B. Riley reduced their target price on The Arena Group from $13.00 to $11.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. About The Arena Group (Get Rating) The Arena Group Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates digital media platform the United States and internationally. The company offers the Platform, a proprietary online publishing platform comprising publishing tools, video platforms, social distribution channels, newsletter technology, machine learning content recommendations, notifications, and other technology. See Also Receive News & Ratings for The Arena Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Arena Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ur-Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:URG Get Rating) (TSE:URE) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Alliance Global Partners lowered their target price on Ur-Energy from $2.75 to $2.25 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. TheStreet upgraded Ur-Energy from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. HC Wainwright lowered their price objective on Ur-Energy from $3.00 to $2.80 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital restated a buy rating on shares of Ur-Energy in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Get Ur-Energy alerts: Ur-Energy Stock Performance URG stock opened at $1.05 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 9.63, a quick ratio of 8.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Ur-Energy has a 1 year low of $0.82 and a 1 year high of $1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.90 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1.24. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ur-Energy About Ur-Energy A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Ur-Energy by 413.0% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 23,943 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 19,276 shares during the last quarter. Benedetti & Gucer Inc. bought a new position in Ur-Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Ur-Energy by 73.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 27,000 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 11,430 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ur-Energy by 71.5% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 30,401 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 12,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Ur-Energy by 76.6% during the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,146 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 14,382 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.31% of the companys stock. (Get Rating) Ur-Energy Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of uranium mineral properties. The company holds interests in 12 projects located in the United States. Its flagship property is the Lost Creek project comprising a total of approximately 1,800 unpatented mining claims and three Wyoming mineral leases covering an area of approximately 35,400 acres located in the Great Divide Basin, Wyoming. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ur-Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ur-Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Get Rating) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,520 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 532 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $5,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 311.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 637 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Endurance Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 303.2% in the 4th quarter. Endurance Wealth Management Inc. now owns 633 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 110.1% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 689 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH bought a new position in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Get Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF stock opened at $40.17 on Friday. The firms 50-day moving average is $40.28 and its 200-day moving average is $40.41. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a 1 year low of $34.88 and a 1 year high of $43.22. The company has a market cap of $71.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.69. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Profile The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VWO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. White Pine Investment CO lowered its stake in shares of KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSEARCA:KWEB Get Rating) by 9.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,948 shares of the companys stock after selling 11,236 shares during the quarter. White Pine Investment COs holdings in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF were worth $3,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 248.9% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 25,301 shares of the companys stock worth $721,000 after acquiring an additional 18,050 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 7.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 89,370 shares of the companys stock worth $2,548,000 after acquiring an additional 6,443 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 51.5% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 14,700 shares of the companys stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 287.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 26,489 shares of the companys stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 19,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF by 31.4% during the first quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 9,043 shares of the companys stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 2,161 shares in the last quarter. Get KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF alerts: KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA:KWEB opened at $26.76 on Friday. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF has a one year low of $17.22 and a one year high of $36.19. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $27.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.08. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Profile The KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the CSI Overseas China Internet index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index composed of overseas-listed Chinese Internet companies. KWEB was launched on Jul 31, 2013 and is managed by KraneShares. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KWEB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (NYSEARCA:KWEB Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Crisis-hit airline Go First on June 24 announced that its scheduled flight operations will remain cancelled till June 28 due to operational reasons. Earlier, the flight cancellations were scheduled to be on till June 25. The airline has stopped flying from May 3 and is yet to pay some senior level executives and pilots. "Due to operational reasons, Go First flights until 28th June 2023 are cancelled," the airline said in a tweet and apologised for the inconvenience caused to the flyers. Due to operational reasons, Go First flights until 28th June 2023 are cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and request customers to visit https://t.co/FdMt1cRjeD for more information. For any queries or concerns, please feel free to contact us. pic.twitter.com/rMAXsuiEjj GO FIRST (@GoFirstairways) June 24, 2023 There were reports that the grounding of the Go First flights had put pressure on airfares, particularly on select routes where the now-grounded airline had its footprint. ALSO READ: Go First stops pilots retention allowance from July 1 The airline operator had in early May filed for voluntary insolvency and since then its operations were kept stalled. The company earlier said it had filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations. It had earlier this month said that it plans to restart operations with 26 planes and 152 daily flights, and has submitted the revival plan to aviation regulator DGCA. Besides, the airline is in discussions with lenders for funds to meet the working capital requirements. Go First, which had 5,000 employees just about a month ago, now has around 4,700 staff on its roll. The budget carrier, which had been flying for more than 17 years, filed for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on May 2 and the plea was admitted on May 10. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the agro-industrial park under construction in Azerbaijans Lachin district, Trend reports. They were provided with detailed information about the possibilities of the industrial park. It was noted that the agro-industrial park is of particular importance from the point of view of the economic revival of the Lachin district and the employment of the population. A total of 46 companies will work here, and in total about 1,200 Lachin residents will be employed. Meanwhile, the delegation consists of 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. The guests visited the first residential block built on December 1 street in the city of Lachin and had conversations with residents who have already returned to their homeland. On behalf of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, a total of 700 buildings are being restored in the city. Of these, 620 are cottages, and 9 are multi-apartment residential buildings. At the same time, 71 administrative buildings are being reconstructed. Foreign diplomats will also visit Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street, and Lachin Boulevard, laid on the bank of the Khakari River. Moreover, it is planned that representatives of the diplomatic corps will visit the agro-industrial park under construction in the Lachin district. The guests will also get acquainted with the full progress of construction work in the village of Zabukh. The last stop of foreign diplomats will be the "smart village" of Aghaly in the Zangilan district. The aviation industry is moving towards a duopoly scenario where there will be two dominant players--Air India and IndiGo--having significant market share, said Nuvama Institutional Equities. Due to the grounding of the entire Go First fleet and no new fleet additions planned for SpiceJet, the aviation industry will be left with two major players. Together, these two players--Air India and IndiGo--will have a domestic market share of approximately 80 percent or more, according to the domestic brokerage firm. IndiGo is seen gaining more market share as smaller players like Go First and SpiceJet face difficulties. This could lead to the industry consolidating to only two or three major players, which would significantly affect competition in the short term, it added. Read more | IndiGo, Air India, Akasa dominate Paris Air Show with record orders Aviation industry is recovering yet, a turbulence could be witnessed in the second half of FY24, the brokerage firm said citing CAPA India, a specialist aviation consulting, research and knowledge practice. Losses to persist According to Nuvama Institutional Equities, airlines are expected to continue facing consolidated losses in the range of $1.6-1.8 billion. These losses are mainly attributed to Full Service Carriers, particularly due to their aggressive expansion and restructuring of Air India, along with other factors like high Aviation Turbine Fuel prices and a weak Rupee. Read more | Air India finalises order with Airbus, Boeing for 470 planes Passenger Load Factors are expected to stay high at approximately 85 percent, but yields may decrease due to significant capacity increases in FY24. However, despite the dip, yields are still projected to be 28-30 percent higher compared to pre-COVID levels, the brokerage firm said. Yield to decline The brokerage firm said resumption of grounded fleets and capacity addition are expected to weigh on yield. In the aviation industry, it is anticipated that around 75 grounded aircraft will return to service in the second half of FY24. Additionally, the industry plans to introduce 41 new aircraft (excluding the 59 grounded aircraft of Go First), resulting in a total of 725 aircraft by FY24 (compared to 684 as of March 2023, or 577 when accounting for grounded fleets). As a consequence, both the Full-Service Carrier and Low-Cost Carrier segments are expected to face overcrowding, leading to a decrease in yields by approximately 5-6 percent Year-on-Year, Nuvama Institutional Equities explained. Read more | How Air India fuelled Anand Mahindra's dreams: the story of a postcard It added that a decline in yield could also be because of seasonal dips. IndiGo is expected to dominate additional capacities with an increase of over 40 aircraft, while Air India is projected to add more than 50 aircraft, further boosting its market share, the brokerage firm said. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russia's war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian military's toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his country's military leadership. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russia's conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhin's arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhin's threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his march to justice. Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I don't mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhin's factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putin's chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhin's companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putin's projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhin's mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russia's prisons. As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russias military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russia's regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. These are someone's fathers and someone's sons,Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesn't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump's 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that I'm on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putin's generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhin's influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. He's not one of Putin's close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscow's Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But that's the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. Industry body Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) on Saturday said it plans to meet minister of state for shipping Shripad Naik soon on the issue of shore leave permission to Indian sailors at the Mumbai Port. Shore leave allows crew members to disembark the ship for a limited period for taking break from their work. The period of the leave can vary depending on the time their ships are scheduled to be on the port. The central government grants such permission to seafarers working aboard ships that visit Jawaharlal Nehru Port. However, sailors aboard ships docked at the Mumbai Port do not get shore leave. "A delegation comprising senior MASSA members will soon meet the Union Minister of State for Shipping Shripad Naik in Mumbai to discuss the issues related to denial of shore leave by the Indian government at Mumbai Port," said Girish Phadnis, chairman of MASSA. The meeting with Naik, Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is expected to take place as soon as June 25th, which is also observed as the 'International Day of the Seafarers', Phadnis said. Both Mumbai Port and JN Port are among the 12 major ports under the administrative control of the central government. MASSA said, the denial of shore leave to the "seafarers, who have rights for shore leave, is a grave injustice". In the pre-Covid period, shore leave was allowed to sailors at the Mumbai Port as well, the industry body said. It said that seafarers working without adequate shore leave are more vulnerable to mental exhaustion which gravely affects their efficiency. Around three lakh highly-skilled Indian seafarers serve various specialised cargo and cruise ships globally throughout the year, MASSA said. Confined spaces and monotonous routine of seafarers aboard cargo vessels often leads them to boredom, homesickness, stress and depression. The mental health of seafarers is thus boosted through shore leaves, it added. El Nino is officially here. This month, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the ocean-warming event is now in its mature phase and could stay until 2024. Depending on its strength, El Nino can cause a range of impacts, such as increasing the risk of heavy rainfall and droughts in certain locations around the world, said Michelle L'Heureux, a physical scientist at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, in a statement. The current El Nino is expected to be a moderate to strong event, with the potential to cause significant impacts on weather around the world. For instance, in India, El Nino events are connected with a weak summer monsoon and less rainfall. This could be devastating for the country, as it relies on the Indian summer monsoon (from May to September) for its drinking water and agricultural needs. A NASA satellite spotted early signs of El Nino forming in March and April. Yet, in April, the IMD forecast that the country as a whole is likely to receive 96 percent of the southwest monsoon and farmers need not worry about deficient rainfall. Lets find out why. Blow hot, blow cold A study published in 2006 looked at rainfall trends in India over 132 years. It showed that severe droughts in India have always been in El Nino years, but the opposite is not true. This means that just the presence of an El Nino event is not enough to influence the monsoon. The study also found that its location matters. Warming in the central Pacific Ocean has a greater impact on the Indian monsoon than warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Theres more. While El Nino refers to the warming of sea surface temperatures, La Nina is the opposite condition, a cooling of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The two phenomena occur cyclically to form the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Research shows that ENSO is responsible for only about 30 percent of the yearly variability in India's summer monsoon rainfall. The rest depends on factors such as IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole), EQUINOO (Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation) and even snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere, among others. Indian monsoon The IOD and EQUINOO, for instance, are climate patterns that affect the Indian Ocean. The IOD is caused by an oscillation of SSTs, while the EQUINOO refers to a see-saw in atmospheric conditions between the western and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean. Both the IOD and EQUINOO have a deep impact on the Indian summer monsoon. Positive IOD and EQUINOO events increase moisture transport from the southeastern parts of the Indian Ocean. So they are associated with increased rainfall. They can also neutralize the effects of El Nino. The IMD has already forecast a positive IOD this year. The monsoon is also affected by the variability of SSTs in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mascarene High. A warming of the Atlantic SST weakens the monsoon, while a cooling of the Atlantic SST strengthens it. The Mascarene High, on the other hand, is a high-pressure zone in the south Indian Ocean. It starts to develop in mid-April and is a major factor in the summer monsoon winds, which blow from the Indian Ocean towards the Indian subcontinent. Factor this in Aerosols, dust, and snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere can all affect the monsoon rains in India too. In a 2022 study, researchers at IIT Bhubaneswar found that dust transported from the Middle Eastern deserts to the Arabian Sea could increase rainfall in South Asia. There is also a general inverse relationship between winter and spring snow cover extent and the southwest monsoon rainfall in the country. In other words, a lower snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is often associated with more rain in India during the summer monsoon season. This year, as per the IMD, the amount of snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and Eurasia during February and March 2023 was below normal. A full understanding of all these factors is essential for better predicting the monsoon. It is also what makes the impact of El Nino on the Indian monsoon unpredictable and complex. In an exciting development for India's digital landscape, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, and Andrew Jassy, CEO of Amazon, have announced significant investment plans following their meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US. These investments aim to foster digital transformation, promote local language content, create employment opportunities, and boost the export of Indian products globally. During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Sundar Pichai revealed Google's plans to open a global fintech operation center in GIFT City, Gujarat. This move highlights Google's commitment to expanding its presence in India and leveraging the country's growing digital economy. Pichai also shared that Google will invest a substantial $10 billion in the India Digitization Fund, further accelerating the country's digital revolution. Also read: PM Modi chose this company's product as gift for US First Lady. Its shares are a hit with marquee investors like Ramesh Damani, Ashish Kacholia Furthermore, Pichai expressed Google's intention to introduce its virtual assistant, Bard, to more Indian languages in the near future. This expansion aims to enhance accessibility and inclusivity by providing a localized digital experience to a wider population, empowering them with the latest technology. Praising the Prime Minister's visionary approach, Pichai acknowledged that Modi's Digital India initiative had set a global blueprint that other countries are now looking to follow. The Prime Minister's foresight in promoting digitalization has positioned India as a leading hub for technological advancements. Following suit, Amazon's CEO, Andrew Jassy, also expressed the company's keen interest in contributing to India's growth. After his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Jassy announced that Amazon has already invested a staggering $11 billion in India. In a testament to their commitment, Amazon intends to invest an additional $15 billion, bringing their total investment to a remarkable $26 billion. These funds will be utilized to create more employment opportunities, support the digitization of small and medium-sized businesses, and facilitate the export of Indian products worldwide. Also read: Coming together of talent and technology guarantees brighter future: PM Modi Jassy emphasized Amazon's dedication to empowering local businesses and enabling them to thrive in the global market. By leveraging Amazon's extensive global network, Indian companies will have enhanced access to a wider customer base, paving the way for increased exports and economic growth. The announcements made by Google and Amazon highlight the confidence global tech giants have in India's digital future. With these investments, India is poised to become a key player in the digital economy, driving innovation, job creation, and fostering entrepreneurship. As the country continues to march towards digital transformation, the collaborations between the government and tech giants like Google and Amazon will undoubtedly contribute to India's emergence as a global digital powerhouse. A group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur minister L Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing it to ashes, police said on Saturday. An attempt was also made to torch another property of the consumer and food affairs minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night but timely intervention prevented it. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from gheraoing his Khurai residence, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, the official quarters of the state's woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day. More than 100 people have lost their lives and a large number of houses were torched rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept A day after he was arrested in a cheating case by the Crime Branch wing of Kerala Police, K Sudhakaran on Saturday offered to quit as KPCC chief if necessary even as the Congress leadership rejected the suggestion saying it would extend him all political and legal support to fight the case. The Kannur strongman of the party was arrested by the Crime Branch in a cheating case in which the prime accused is controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, and later released on bail here on Friday night. Sudhakaran expressed his willingness to step down when reporters asked about it here today morning. "I am ready to stay away if necessary. I will not stand for anything that will harm the party," he said. The Congress leader also reiterated that he would face the probe and had no fear in the investigation as he is totally innocent in the case. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan, who met the media here later, made it clear that Sudhakaran would not be removed from the top position and the party would extend him all political and legal support to take on the case. Rejecting reports by a section of media that Sudhakaran would step down as KPCC chief in the wake of the developments, Satheesan also said the party had not had any such discussions so far. Sudhakaran is not alone but the democratic believers of Kerala would stand with him unitedly to fight the fake case registered against him, he said. "The Congress party and the UDF are united on the matter and we will stand strong with Sudhakaran. The Congress workers in Kerala will protect him even at the cost of their life," Satheesan further said. The party had not thought about removing him from the position and even if Sudhakaran was ready to step down, the leadership would not allow him to do the same, the LoP added. Not just Sudhakaran, several top police officials had also gone to Mavunkal's residence, the Congress leader pointed out. If going to his house was a crime, how many police officers should be booked over their visits there, he asked. The senior leader further said the government could not intimidate the opposition by registering cases and the Congress-led UDF would go ahead with a series of agitations to expose the corruption of the CPI(M)-led LDF government. The KPCC would organise protest marches to the district police headquarters across the state on July 4, Satheesan added. However, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Saturday rejected the opposition party's allegation that Sudhakaran's arrest was politically motivated and said there was strong evidence against him in the cheating case. The people of the state won't believe their propaganda that the case was politically motivated, he said. "The investigating officers have made it clear that there are evidences against the KPCC chief," he told reporters in Delhi. Govindan said he was hopeful that an effective investigation would continue in the cheating case whoever be the accused. Sudhakaran was arrested on Friday after several hours of questioning by the Crime Branch. Following the arrest, the national leadership of Congress came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. They said he, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has a "fascist attitude" of imprisoning those critical of his government. Later in the night, Congress and Youth Congress workers came out on the streets in various parts of the state and blocked roads in protest against Sudhakaran's arrest. The Kerala High Court on Wednesday, while asking Sudhakaran to appear before the Crime Branch on June 23, had said that in the event he is arrested in the cheating case, he shall be released on bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the like amount. It had also directed the KPCC chief to cooperate with the investigation and not to attempt to intimidate or influence witnesses in the case. Anand Mahindra, who is currently in the United States, shared a post on Twitter in which he stated that he caught up with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman who confirmed to him that his words had been misunderstood during his India visit and that he was "far from sceptical about Indian abilities,". "The Tech Handshake meeting this morning at the White House, was refreshingly frank, thanks to the direction of @GinaRaimondo My optimism about closer technology cooperation is because mutual benefit is now involved rather than just a one-way request from India. On the sidelines of the meeting, I caught up with Sam Altman about the challenge that @C_P_Gurnani had accepted. Sam reiterated that hed been misunderstood. Hes far from sceptical about Indian abilities," Mahindra wrote on Twitter. The Tech Handshake meeting this morning at the White House, was refreshingly frank, thanks to the direction of @GinaRaimondo My optimism about closer technology cooperation is because mutual benefit is now involved rather than just a one-way request from India. On the sidelines pic.twitter.com/SNsm9blx4V anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 24, 2023 Earlier in June, Altman visited India as part of a six-nation tour and was asked at an event whether India can build an artificial intelligence tool such as ChatGPT. Altman replied that it was "hopeless" for India to be competing with OpenAI. "The way this works is we're going to tell you, it's totally hopeless to compete with us on training foundation models you shouldn't try, and it's your job to like try anyway. And I believe both of those things. I think it is pretty hopeless," Altman said. Later, Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani replied to the tweet by saying "Challenge Accepted". OpenAI founder Sam Altman said its pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them. Dear @sama, From one CEO to another.. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. pic.twitter.com/67FDUtLNq0 CP Gurnani (@C_P_Gurnani) June 9, 2023 Altman, however, clarified later that his words had been taken out of context and he did not doubt the ability of Indian startups to create a artificial intelligence tool like ChatGPT. Also read: Why Anand Mahindra skipped lunch ahead of the US State Dinner with PM Modi Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal recently addressed students at the Cambridge University and adviced them to be ziddi (stubborn) and fearless in life and added that they did not need to be fluent in English to succeed in life. In a Twitter post, Agarwal wrote that it was "nothing short of a dream" for him to be invited to Cambridge University despite not having attended college when he was young. "As someone who never went to college, being invited to cambridge university and speaking with the students was nothing short of a dream... I was surrounded by bright 20 year olds who firmly shook my hands and introduced themselves with a big smilei remember when i was their age, i was a little awkward and shynever felt presentable enough and spoke tooti footi english. looking at their confidence made me very inspired," he wrote on Twitter on Friday. As someone who never went to college, being invited to cambridge university and speaking with the students was nothing short of a dream I was surrounded by bright 20 year olds who firmly shook my hands and introduced themselves with a big smilei remember when i was their pic.twitter.com/GpeOqqnCWM Anil Agarwal (@AnilAgarwal_Ved) June 23, 2023 He further stated that students at the university quizzed him about he founded his company and adviced them to not give up and be fearless. "I was asked how i founded my company, how i managed to crack big business deals but the answer to these questions have always been in my failureshow i spent my 20s and 30s struggling looking at others and wondering when i will get there one day and most importantly how after 9 failed businesses and years of depression, i had my 1st successful start up The only message i passed to them was to never give up. you dont need a degree, family background or good english to be successful. sure these things help but what will truly make you different from others is your stubbornness towards your dreamsbe ziddi, be fearless," he added. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the celebration of the 100th anniversary of National Library of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The decree states as following: 1. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan is instructed to prepare and implement an action plan related to the 100th anniversary of the National Library of Azerbaijan. 2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan is instructed to resolve issues arising from this. A doctor came to the rescue of an elderly woman who suffered a cardiac arrest midair on a Bengaluru-Delhi Indigo flight. Sources said that the emergency happened on a Indigo flight 6E 869, which took off from the city on Wednesday afternoon. As the aircraft flew to the national capital, the woman-identified as 60-year-old Rosamma- said that she was feeling uneasy and was facing breathing difficulties. The airline crew came for help and an announcement was made calling for a doctor onboard. Fortunately, a doctor, identified as Niranthara Ganesh from Bengaluru, was one the same flight and came to the woman's rescue. "I was travelling to Delhi on some personal work and I heard the announcement on the plane. I quickly checked on the elderly woman passenger who had collapsed on the airplane floor. Her pulse was feeble and I suspected she was having a cardiac arrest," she told The Times of India. As per sources, the doctor gave the woman cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and resuscitated her. "Fortunately, she responded well and I made her sit up. I secured the emergency medical kit onboard which was in good condition with all the essential medicines, and gave her the necessary medication. She started getting better. She needed to be admitted to a hospital soon for further treatment, which I informed the IndiGo crew," the doctor added. After the flight reached Delhi, the woman was taken to a hospital for further medical treatment. She was accompanied by a relative on the flight and later, the woman's condition was said to be stable. Also read: Indigo ki audacity: Founder's rant after Rs 21,000-ticket to Ahmedabad Coca-Cola, playing cards, Lays, paper soap, Archie Comics: Meet Y2K Indias essential travel kit. The 1990s were a time when summer was synonymous with road trips or lined with long train journeys, in a country that had just thrown open its doors to the world. We were yet to start flying everywhere. Our Internet dial-up connections were slowly gathering speed. But we did have a window on the West. Naturally, no holiday was complete without a little Archies action. It was a ritual: Stopping at the Wheeler store on the platform; flipping through the stacks of Archie Digest filled with the innocent hijinks of a group of American teens; buying one and fighting over it, if not three, which was a luxury. As you chugged to your destination, you were transported parallelly to a town that didnt actually exist, but which the world had visited. Riverdale and its teenagers were as much a part of the pop-culture lexicon of your average urban Indian GenXer and millennial as F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Backstreet Boys, MTV, Baywatch and McDonalds. But, extraordinarily, Indias obsession with Archie comics predates the liberalisation moment of 1991. The comics popularity has also endured for much longer here than in their home country, where Archie Andrews and gang had lost their readers attention to the spandex-covered superhero squads of DC and Marvel by the 1980s. How did this happen? The answer lies in a small family-run magazine distribution business in Delhi, called the Variety Book Depot. Its owner, Om Arora, was a 30 year-old dropout from the Indian Army in 1974, who had read the comics and felt there was a demand for them. India Book House was only importing around 500 copies so they couldnt give me enough, he told The Economic Times in 2006. So I went on a trip to the US, I went to Archie (the comic book company) and told them I could double that. Arora convinced a sceptical Louis Silberkleit, then the head of Archie Comics, to give him a dealership, reported ET, and grew it into a thriving business that, by the turn of the century, was distributing Archie Comics not just to India but to countries in the region. Archie Andrews had debuted in the popular Pep Comics in 1941, produced by MLJ Comics, at a time when superheroes were already populating the golden era of comic books. Indeed, Archie was a minor character introduced in the pages of a comic book that had The Shield on the cover. Very much the average Joe, the clumsy but loveable carrot-top Archie turned out to be hit because he was relatable to a generation of young men in the middle of a World War, tired of the violence they saw around them, nostalgic for home. By 1994, he was leading his own comic book series. By 1946, MLJ had changed its name to Archie Comics. Archie was given an ensemble of friends the odd but crowd-favourite Jughead Jones, the smart and straight As student Betty Cooper, the spoiled and irresistible Veronica Lodge, the jerk jock Reggie Mantle. Riverdale, their home, was a sort of idealised version of small-town America, a suburban space complete in itself and eventually frozen in time. These were people who said gee and gosh, drove jalopies, hung out over milkshakes, burgers and banana splits at Pop Tates Chocklit Shop. All their sentences ended in exclamation marks, but nothing of major import ever went down here. Within these manicured lawns, spacious bungalows and wide roads, the most high stakes event was the love triangle between Archie, Betty and Veronica. As the ensemble expanded characters like the hot Cheryl Blossom, the nerdy Dexter, the musically inclined Josie, the himbo-like Moose and his brainiac girlfriend Midge added to the fray Archie Comics acquired a reputation for being good, clean, wholesome stuff, as Michael I Silberkleit, the son of co-founder Louis H Silberkleit who took over the reins as co-CEO in the 1980s, told The New York Times in 2005. Everyone reads them, all age groups, Silberkleit told ET a year later. Our characters never put down parents, teachers, authorities. Riverdale is the place you would like to live in. Archie is the teenager you would like your son to be. It was, perhaps, this overarching goodness no drugs and debauchery to be found in Riverdale, but abundant family values combined with an exposure to Americana, that sold India on Archie comics. It didnt hurt that, despite being 60 years old, Archie and the gang refused to age, going from one Weatherbee-induced detention to a day at the beach, tripping each other up, having each others backs. Archie comics was the fountain of youth we all drank from. By the turn of the millennium, Arora was selling 10,000 copies of each of the 16 titles that Archie Comics brought out every month, the ET report noted. Archie Comics had become ubiquitous, jostling for space alongside Tinkle, Amar Chitra Katha and Chacha Chaudhary comics at book stores and pushcarts in the 1990s. Eventually, the Internet began to take Jughead-sized bites of the Archie pie. It brought about a shift in perception, turning what was once cool into something decidedly lame as it happens with things that deliberately do not keep in touch with the changing times. Arora would go a step further and initiate translation of these comics into Indian languages, furthering their reach beyond urban, metropolitan, English-speaking India. In the US, despite being an institution and easily accessible at grocery stores, sales were diminishing through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. As a 2017 Vox article observed: The publisher was tethered to a cartoony, simplistic art style, and the safety of the visuals was reflected in the stories, which rarely took risks and consistently returned to well-trodden narrative territory: Archie stuck in his love triangle, Betty and Veronica vying for Archies affection, Jughead avoiding romance in favour of gastronomic satisfaction. All this began to change when Jon Goldwater took on the role of Archie Comics CEO and publisher in 2009. Riverdales residents began to grow up, and the town itself began to get a 21st-century makeover. Representation became important: In 2008, Riverdale Highs first Indian American character, Raj Patel was introduced. In 2010, came along Riverdale first openly gay character, Kevin Keller. In 2022, the web toon Big Ethel Energy told the perspective of the schools most unpopular character whod grown up to become a smart, savvy journalist and back in her hometown to look at it from the lens of someone left on the margins. A graphic novel released in February this year has the Archies visiting India, and introducing Bollywood star Prasad Arora hot and influential enough to instantly grab the attention of Betty and Veronica. Technology began to seep in, not just in updated storylines where Archie and his Dad discuss how smartphones and online shopping were making them physically unfit, but also in real life. An Archie Comics app was introduced in 2010, and the company would become the first major American comics publisher to offer new digital issues on the same release date as printed copies a smart move that revived the fortunes of the company, but an experiment that ceased in 2021, as the company tied up with the online platform Comixology. During the 2010s, a multiverse of sorts was engineered. In the series Life with Archie, the gang grew up and grappled with real adult problems such a financial trouble, long-term relationships, and mature political matter such as recession, same-sex marriage and gun control. In Afterlife with Archie, a wildly popular series, the gang treads much darker terrain after Sabrina, the resident witch, accidentally causes a zombie outbreak. Some of the hottest artists and writers in the comic book business, including Mark Waid (Daredevil), were recruited. Soon, Archie was headed to the screen, both big and small. CWs Riverdale took the mystery route, transforming the sleepy town where nothing happens into a dark land rife with murders and criminals, and the gang with shades of grey. Controversial at best, Riverdales seventh and final season comes to close this month; even as a new franchise, perhaps, takes root all the way over here in India. At last nights Netflix fan event #Tudum, the first trailer for Zoya Akhtars The Archies premiered to much fanfare. In this interpretation, which Akhtar has said is located in Indias Anglo-Indian community, Riverdale is a hill station and the year in 1964. Isolated from the rest of the world in their little idyll, the kids seem to be up to their usual antics, dancing, singing, partying but given this is a Tiger Baby production, there has to be more to The Archies than meets the eye. Of course, this new adaptation of Archie comics comes at a time when the teenager holds primary place in the attention economy, and comic books are a booming industry the comic book market is expected to reach $22 billion by 2030. Has all the determined evolution of Riverdale translated into more comic book sales? Does Gen Z harbour the same love for these comic books as past generations? Perhaps not but as a cornerstone of pop culture, Archie and the gang have certainly endured, creating fandoms in new generations with the screen adaptations. The Archies promises to be a trip down memory lane in more ways than one. Coincidentally, The Archies trailer opens with a shot of a train chugging into the hill station. Trains were also a key element in that other teen monster hit, Karan Johars 1998 film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which the filmmaker has said was inspired by Archie Comics. In the Archies very mainstream appeal in India across decades, its possible to glean a sliver of life, the way we lived it at the dawn of the Asian century: An innocent world for a more innocent time. Gemcovac-OM, the Omicron-specific mRNA-based booster vaccine developed by Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, will be available in the market at Rs 2,292 per dose, according to the company founders on June 24. "Gemcovac-OM, the mRNA booster vaccine for Omicron, has been priced at Rs 2,292. It will be available in private hospitals. It is the world's first intradermal needle-free COVID-19 vaccine," said Sanjay Singh, CEO of Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, speaking to MoneyControl. Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched the mRNA booster vaccine, which recently received emergency use authorization from the Drug Controller General of India. The company founders informed Moneycontrol that the indigenous mRNA vaccine for Omicron will be available shortly in private hospitals. "We are on high alert for COVID-19; it's not over yet. We have over 12 lakh doses of GEMCOVAC-OM cleared by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL)," added Singh. Also read: GEMCOVAC-19, India's first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, and how it scores over Pfizer, Moderna The founders stated that the mRNA vaccine was developed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), with funding support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). Singh mentioned that the vaccine developed by Gennova is based on the most advanced mRNA platform, which he referred to as a 'pandemic-ready platform'. "By utilizing this technology, we can accelerate the pace of vaccine development in India. In the future, through the rapid vaccine development program, we can further reduce the time required to bring out a new vaccine," added the CEO of Gennova. When asked about the prospects of uptake for a booster dose of the mRNA vaccine, considering the tepid response observed in the country, another Gennova official mentioned that they have pending requests from some foreign countries for exporting this vaccine. Also read: Gennova gets DCGIs nod for developing Omicron-specific mRNA vaccine "Our initial focus will be on major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. In these cities, we estimate that around 1.4 million eligible individuals have not yet received vaccination," said the official, requesting anonymity. The Gennova officials did not specify the timeline for the vaccine to be included in the national CoWIN portal. The government officials present during the vaccine launch did not specify if the central government would procure these advanced mRNA vaccines. Gemcovac-OM, the lyophilized (powdered) vaccine produced by the Pune-based company, does not require sub-optimal storage temperatures and can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. In contrast, the vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna need to be stored at temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius. Tipu Sultan has always loomed larger than life, and if current debates are any indication, he will continue to do so. For the East India Company, his prowess and subsequent alliance with the French were sources of grave unease. There was much celebration in their ranks after the storming of so-called Seringapatam and his subsequent death. The many eye-witness accounts and reports surrounding the events of May 4, 1799, are an enduring testament to the Tiger of Mysores significance. The sack of the imperial city also plays a pivotal role in what is considered a forerunner of the detective novel in English, Wilkie Collinss The Moonstone. One of the most remarkable artefacts from that time is the wooden automaton known as Tipus Tiger, once described by Keats as a Man-Tiger-Organ, prettiest of his toys. The almost life-sized representation of a tiger mauling a prostate European soldier is now displayed in the confines of Londons Victoria & Albert Museum. All these years later, it remains a potent symbol of the intensity of the conflict between an overseas trading company and a local king. This mechanical tiger is at the heart of Loot, Tania Jamess third novel, which is woven from the warp of historical facts and the weft of novelistic imagination. Loot: the English word is derived from the Sanskrit for plunder, and in Jamess novel, the plunder is not just of treasure but also of potential. The novel begins in Srirangapatna in 1794, where we meet the 17-year-old Abbas, a precocious woodworker. Abbass creations for the consorts of Tipus zenana have been appreciated, and he is summoned to the Summer Palace to help French inventor Lucien Du Leze with another fabrication. This turns out to be Mysores first automate, as Tipu puts it. It is meant to be a gift for his sons, a work of such grandeur and ferocity that it will silence memories of their captivity at the hands of Lord Cornwallis. The tigers creation and afterlife reverberate throughout the rest of Loot. Abbas is a quick study, and James briskly outlines his reactions to others in the palace as well as details of crafting the automaton under the supervision of Lucien Du Leze. The latters early sketch lays out the task. The tiger will be hollow, with a bellows in the head and a pipe organ in the body. A lateral slice just above the tigers ears will create a sort of lid, which, when removed, will expose the organ pipes. A door along its rib cage will open onto a set of ivory keys, to be operated by an organ player poised by the tigers left flank. The Frenchman himself is memorably portrayed. Though outwardly confident, he is nevertheless wracked by uncertainty about when and how to return to France, given the aftermath of that countrys revolution. The automated tiger is enthusiastically received, and Tipu proclaims that similar creations will, in future, do the work of craftspeople such as embroiderers and metalsmiths. By such means, he will elevate his kingdom through trade and industry, and it will remain unchallenged. This dream, as we well know, was not to be. The dogs of war are unleashed upon the Tiger of Mysore, and Abbas, Du Leze and the rest of Tipus kingdom are, to varying degrees, caught up in the siege of the city and subsequent depredations by the British. The action of the novel now shifts to the years that follow. Scenes are set on an English ship sailing from Pondicherry to France; in the French town of Rouen; and, finally, at Cloverpoint Castle in Twickenham. This Gothic mansion is where Tipus Tiger has come to rest for the moment. More characters are introduced and fleshed out in these sections. In particular, there is the young Jehanne, daughter of a French engineer and Mysore noblewoman; and the 72-year-old Lady Selwyn of Cloverpoint Castle, with her Dickensian eccentricities, a dreamy type, easily taken in by auras and imaginings. The action pivots on attempts to regain possession of the mechanical tiger, with implicit and explicit questions about the nature of colonial ownership, artisanship, and recognition. The novel encompasses tonal shifts too, from the intensity of the battlefield to elements bordering on farce, especially during Lady Selwyns riding expeditions and her games with Jehanne. A mid-novel feint of including a sailors diary entries is both unexpected and effective. Unusually for a historical novel that covers a sweep of years and handles many characters, Loot is compact and moves swiftly from scene to scene. The pace is skilfully handled, and Jamess prose stays crisp, crafted, and in control. In a short verse, the contemporary British poet Daljit Nagra used Tipus Tiger as a symbol of defiance against imperial ways, especially the English language. In contrast, Tania Jamess novel mimics the action of the automated tiger itself: it is an ingeniously constructed model of many parts that ventriloquizes attitudes from another time and makes them resonant again. Wrapping up his four-day State Visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that a new and glorious journey of India-US ties has begun and the world is watching the two great democracies strengthening their bond. Addressing a cheerful gathering of Indian community members at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here, Modi said the full potential of partnership between the two countries is yet to be realised and that their ties is all about making the world better again in the 21st century. The two countries have seen convergence on global issues and their growing ties will be a boost for "make in India and make for the world" efforts, he said, referring to agreements on technology transfer, boosting manufacturing and strengthening industrial supply chain. India is the mother of democracy and the US is the champion of modern democracy, and the world is watching the strengthening of ties of two great democracies, the prime minister said. The diaspora will play a big role in helping realise the true potential of the two countries' ties and this is the right time to invest more and more in India, he said. "Together we are not just forming policies and agreements. We are shaping lives, dreams and destinies," he said of the India-US ties. Both countries are taking strong steps for a better future, said the prime minister at the programme, which was the last programme on his busy agenda in the US. He has left for Egypt on a State Visit at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Lauding the diaspora for its conduct and contribution to the US, he credited them for strengthening ties and described the bond between the two countries as not only about commerce and trade but emotional as well. He announced that people of Indian origin will not have to leave the US for H-1B visa renewal, drawing massive praise from people present in the hall and outside listening to him. IT professionals will benefit greatly from this, he said, adding that a pilot project will begin this month. This facility may also be extended to L-category visa (intra-company transfer visa) depending on experience, Modi said. Facilities for the diaspora is also a priority for India, he said, adding that it will now open a new consulate in Seattle and two in other cities. The US is also opening new consulates in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, the prime minister added. "In the last three days, a new and glorious journey of the mutual relationship between India and the US has begun," Modi said of his visit. It was marked by his extensive talks with President Joe Biden in the White House every day of his three-day stay in Washington. Prime Minister Modi during his US State Visit held talks with President Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. He also addressed young entrepreneurs and met top CEOs. As his visit to the US ended, Modi tweeted, "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations." In his nearly 35-minute address to members of the Indian diaspora, Modi also lauded Biden as a seasoned and sorted leader, and praised his efforts in taking the ties between the countries to a new high. "I publicly praise his efforts," he said. Noting that General Electric has decided to manufacture fighter plane engines in India, he said it will prove to be a milestone for India's defence sector. With this decision, the US will not only share technology but also mutual trust, he said, shining a light on the growing bonhomie between the two countries. In this context, the prime minister spoke of several leading US companies' decision to invest in India in a raft of sectors and said this will boost employment, technology and innovation in India. "You are filled with pride to see how India's strength is giving a new direction to the world's development. India today is among some countries where economy is growing at such a fast pace. The world is looking at your India," he said. Amid chants of 'Modi, Modi', he said the biggest reason behind India's progress is its self-confidence. Hundreds of years of slavery had snatched self-confidence but new India has today got back its self-confidence, he said. The new India knows its path and direction, and has no confusion about its decisions and resolve. It is now turning its potential into performance, Modi said. He cited massive infrastructure projects going on in the country to assert that the India's new growth story is being written in many tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The investment India is making in its infrastructure has never happened earlier and digital revolution it has seen is unprecedented, Modi said. The affection he has received on the visit has been wonderful, he said and credited the diaspora's hardwork, conduct and contribution to the US' development. Google's Artificial Intelligence research centre will work on over 100 Indian languages, and it will be of lot of help to those not conversant with English, he said. Modi also told the audience that a Tamil studies chair will be established at the University of Houston with the Indian government's help and asked them to be proud of the fact that Tamil is the "world's oldest language". He also expressed his happiness at the US government's decision to return over 100 antiquities which found a way out of India through illegal means. He praised the US government for respecting the feelings of India and Indians and said this further strengthens their ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was not about leveraging India to be a "counterweight" to China but to deepen ties, including defence cooperation, between the largest democracies of the world, a top White House official has said. Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his state visit during which he held wide-ranging talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of the US Congress. ss. He visited the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. This state visit wasn't about China. Look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the People's Republic of China to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that, said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. But this wasn't about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood, he told reporters at a news conference here on Friday. Kirby said India is becoming an increasing exporter of security, which the US welcomes. "You can see a lot of that our desire to improve the defence cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether it's the co-production of jet engines, whether it's their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and that's really what we're focused on, Kirby said in response to questions. He said Modi's visit was about sending a message to the American and Indian people about how important this bilateral relationship is to people around the world. India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own, he said. I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. It's not a formal alliance. It's not a military organisation. They have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that they're addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate, Kirby said. I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. It's not a formal alliance. It's not a military organisation. In his address to the joint meeting of the US Congress for a second time on Thursday, Modi said the "dark clouds of coercion and confrontation" are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific, in a veiled attack on China amid its aggressive military manoeuvring in the strategically vital region. "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership," he said in the backdrop of the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh. The prime minister talked about a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, and where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. His comments came amidst the economic crisis in countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where China has made huge unviable infrastructure investments. The two South Asian countries are currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. "We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN centrality," Modi said. "Our vision does not seek to contain or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond. Of this, QUAD has emerged as a major force of good for the region," he said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over some of the areas claimed by China. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Kirby also said President Biden is satisfied that he had the opportunity to discuss concerns over human rights in India with Prime Minister Modi. And in the end, he did, as he always does. We don't shy away from discussing human rights with foreign leaders. And one of the reasons you have partnerships and friendships is so that you can be honest and direct. But I think he addressed that pretty well in his answer to you guys, he said. Tension between Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russias Wagner private militia group, and the nations defense establishment exploded in dramatic fashion on Friday. The mercenary chief vowed to punish Russian military leaders, saying Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had orchestrated a missile attack that killed huge numbers of his fighters. The Kremlin responded swiftly, denying the attack and accusing Prigozhin of mutiny. The internal conflict is the biggest test of President Vladimir Putins authority since he sent troops into Ukraine 16 months ago. In a short televised address to the nation on Saturday, Putin denounced the rebellion by Wagner forces and its leader as treason and promised harsh punishment. Heres what you need to know about the Wagner Group, its role in Russias invasion of Ukraine, and why its leader is accused of mutiny. What is the Wagner Group? Founded by Prigozhin in 2014, Wagner at its peak had about 50,000 mercenary recruits many of them ex-prisoners fighting in Ukraine. The US designated the group as a transnational criminal organization earlier this year, and Wagner has been sanctioned by Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the European Union. The group has operated for years on battlefields in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, where its been accused of committing widespread human rights abuses. Wagner has murky legal status, and mercenaries are technically illegal in Russia. The group operates independently of the nations official armed forces, and recently rebuffed Moscows demands that its recruits sign formal contracts with the military. Who is Prigozhin and whats his relationship to Putin? Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, is a Russian businessman and ex-convict whos been called Putins chef due to his catering companies contracts with Kremlin and longstanding ties with the president. American authorities have said he controlled a troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency to interfere in 2016 US presidential election. In 2022, Prigozhin confirmed he created Wagner after years of denying any connection to the group. Long considered one of Putins right-hand men, Prigozhin has grown increasingly acrimonious toward the Russian presidents military leadership amid mounting deaths of Wagner recruits. Prigozhin for months accused the defense ministry of failing to adequately support his forces, often in provocative videos published on social media. In May, he threatened to pull his troops out of the operation if they didnt get supplies - particularly ammunition - but later backed down. Why is Wagner involved in Putins invasion? Putin has appreciated Wagners help. As recently as this month, the president acknowledged that Russian forces fighting in Ukraine lack sufficient advanced weapons despite a tripling of arms output. Russia has suffered heavy losses of personnel, many of whom are barely trained and often poorly armed, although exact casualty numbers for the 16-month-long are unclear. Wagners forces have been instrumental in Russias ground offensive; the group in May took control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after more than 220 days of fighting. What is Wagners next move? Late Friday Prigozhin accused Russias defense ministry of a missile attack on a camp of Wagner personnel. In an audio message posted later, Prigozhin said that 25,000 of his men were ready to end this mess and fight with the army if they face resistance. The mercenary chief said he and his fighters had entered Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russian near the border with Ukraine and a strategic military command base. The reports have not been independently verified. How has Russia responded? The Russian Defense Ministry denied its forces attacked Wagner forces. Prosecutors quickly opened a criminal probe into the mercenary chief under the laws banning armed mutiny, and the Federal Security Service said it was seeking to detain him, while appealing to his troops not to obey criminal orders. What is the response from abroad? So far, watching and waiting. A spokesman for the European Union said the matter was an internal Russian issue thats being carefully monitored. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation while the top two members of the Senate Intelligence said, we are closely monitoring what appears to be a significant internal conflict among Russian forces. Ukraines president hasnt commented so far. What does this mean for Putin? The feud has been extremely politically damaging to Putins regime, said Matthew Sussex, adjunct associate professor at Griffith University in Australia. Thats likely to have a negative impact on the war effort, which has relied on propaganda to boost support for the invasion. It will be crippling to the morale of the Russian armed forces and it will be crippling to the morale of Wagner, he said, adding that if Prigozhin fails in any potential march on Moscow, there will be enormous purges in the Russian military against those who are suspected of being sympathetic. The UK defense ministry said the fast-evolving crisis represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the boulevard created on the bank of the Khakari River in Azerbaijans Lachin district, Trend reports. The delegation consists of 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. The guests visited the first residential block built on December 1 Street in the city of Lachin and had conversations with residents who have already returned to their homeland. Then there was a visit to Flag Square and Heydar Aliyev Street. Moreover, the representatives of the diplomatic corps visited the agro-industrial park under construction in the Lachin district. The guests will also get acquainted with the full progress of construction work in the village of Zabukh. The last stop of foreign diplomats will be the "smart village" of Aghaly in the Zangilan district. June 24, 2023 On Prigozhin's Insurrection Farce Some thoughts on the ongoing insurrection attempt in Russia. I wonder who or what lured Yevgeny Prigozhin into staging this farce. In twelve or so hours things are likely to have calmed down. 'Western' anal-cysts will spend weeks fantasizing about their wished for outcome which, of course, was never to happen. The whole story reminds me of Machiavelli's warning against mercenaries: I say, therefore, that the arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and [ones own] destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy. The fact is, that they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you. ... ... I wish to demonstrate further the infelicity of these arms [i.e., mercenaries]. The mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they are, you cannot trust them, because they always aspire to their own greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others contrary to your intentions; but if the captain [i.e., the leader of the mercenaries] is not skillful, you are ruined in the usual way [i.e., you will lose the war]. Posted by b on June 24, 2023 at 8:35 UTC | Permalink Comments next page details added, first published at 16:21 BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. A meeting was held between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Representative Office in Azerbaijan Dragana Kojic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan told Trend. Issues of cooperation between the ICRC and Azerbaijan, the situation around the Lachin road, as well as issues of the ICRC's activities in Azerbaijans Khankendi district, were discussed. Bayramov, in connection with the situation surrounding the activities of the Lachin border checkpoint, noted that after its opening, appropriate conditions were created for a transparent, safe, and orderly transition of Armenian residents in both directions on a daily basis, hundreds of Armenian residents have been provided with the transition since April 23. Having witnessed normal communication between Armenian residents and Azerbaijani border guards, Armenia, unable to accept this process, fired at the checkpoint on June 15, which became an obstacle to safe passage through it. The Azerbaijani side is currently taking appropriate measures to investigate this attack by Armenia, which has become an obstacle to safe passage through the border checkpoint. The need was pointed out, at the same time, for Armenia to provide appropriate guarantees to the Azerbaijani side that such provocations will not be repeated in the future. Along with taking the necessary measures, the Azerbaijani side expressed readiness through the ICRC to provide the Armenian residents with the opportunity to cross the border checkpoint for medical purposes and provide the necessary medical supplies. In connection with the current situation, as for other supply needs of the Armenian residents, the Azerbaijani side has the opportunity to provide assistance through the ICRC using the Aghdam-Khankendi road. The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the village of Zabukh in Azerbaijans Lachin district, Trend reports. Foreign diplomats were provided with information about the village. Today, representatives of the diplomatic corps went to the Lachin district. The delegation consists of 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. The diplomats have already gotten acquainted with the restoration and construction works carried out in the city, as well as visited the first residential quarters and met with the residents of the city. Then there was a visit to Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street, and Boulevard in the Lachin district. Foreign diplomats will also visit the "smart village" of Aghaly in the Zangilan district. ZANGILAN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the village of Aghaly in Azerbaijan's Zangilan district, Trend reports. They were provided with detailed information about the "smart village" concept implemented here. The diplomats also talked with the villagers. The representatives of the diplomatic corps also went to the Lachin district. The delegation consists of 60 diplomats and military attaches from 33 countries and 10 organizations. The diplomats have already gotten acquainted with the restoration and construction works carried out in Lachin, as well as visited the first residential quarters and met with the residents of the city. Then there was a visit to Flag Square, Heydar Aliyev Street, and Boulevard in the Lachin district. In addition, the diplomats visited the village of Zabukh in Azerbaijans Lachin district. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. A total of 39 automobile tunnels are being built in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan [from Armenian occupation after the second Karabakh war], the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads told Trend. As many as 39 automobile tunnels with a total length of about 66 kilometers are being constructed in the road infrastructure projects implemented on the territory of Azerbaijans Karabakh and East Zangazur economic districts and playing an important role in the socio-economic development of the liberated districts and villages from Armenian occupation [after the second Karabakh war]. Construction is currently underway: - 7 automobile tunnels with a total length of 12,690 meters on the Ahmadbayli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway; - 7 automobile tunnels with a total length of 2,358 meters on the Khudaferin-Gubadly-Lachin highway; - 3 automobile tunnels with a total length of 12,032 meters on the Horadiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Aghbend highway; - 5 automobile tunnels with a total length of 25,926 meters on the Toganaly-Kalbajar-Istisu highway; - 17 automobile tunnels with a total length of 12,964 meters on the Kalbajar-Lachin highway. UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan and protection of civilians UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan and protection of civilians View Photo UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. Security Council called Friday for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians. The brief press statement followed closed consultations by the U.N.s most powerful body. The council also called for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries, support for humanitarian workers, and respect for international humanitarian law. Sudan descended into conflict in mid-April after months of worsening tensions exploded into open fighting between rival generals seeking to control the African nation. The war pits the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. A three-day cease-fire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia expired Wednesday morning and a protest group and residents said clashes resumed between the army and the paramilitary force in and around the capital, Khartoum. The conflict has been centered largely in the capital and western Sudans Darfur region, which have seen ethnically motivated attacks on non-Arab communities by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, according to U.N. officials. The fighting has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes to safer areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, according the U.N. migration agency. The U.N. said Thursday that in the two months after the conflict began, some 85 humanitarian groups reached 2.8 million people across Sudan with vital assistance, including food, water, health services, education, sanitation, hygiene, non-food supplies and protection services. Partners are delivering medical supplies and providing support to health facilities that are still operating. Between 15 April and 15 June, 19 organizations reached more than 470,000 people, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The mercenary chief who urged an uprising against Russias generals has long ties to Putin The mercenary chief who urged an uprising against Russias generals has long ties to Putin View Photo The millionaire mercenary chief who long benefitted from the powerful patronage of President Vladimir Putin has moved into the global spotlight with a dramatic rebellion against Russias military that challenged the authority of Putin himself. Yevgeny Prigozhin is the 62-year-old owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, a private army of inmate recruits and other mercenaries that has fought some of the deadliest battles in Russias invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, Prigozhin abruptly escalated months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war, calling for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister, and then rolling toward Moscow with his soldiers-for-hire. As Putins government declared a counterterrorism alert and scrambled to seal off Moscow with checkpoints, Prigozhin just as abruptly stood down the following day. As part of the deal to defuse the crisis, he agreed to move to Belarus and was seen late Saturday retreating with his forces from Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia where they had taken over the military headquarters. It was unclear what was next for Prigozhin, a former prison inmate, hot-dog vendor and restaurant owner who has riveted world attention. PUTINS CHEF Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhins factory, which was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. MILITARY CONNECTION Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. Prigozhin has said that 20,000 of his men died in Bakhmut, about half of them inmates recruited from Russias prisons. WHAT IS THE GROUPS REPUTATION? Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. In November 2022, a video surfaced online that showed a former Wagner contractor getting beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and a stream of demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye to it. RAGING AGAINST RUSSIAS GENERALS As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russias military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. CRITICIZING THE BRASS Prigozhin has castigated the top military brass, accusing top-ranking officers of incompetence. His remarks were unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. In January, Putin reaffirmed his trust in the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, by putting him in direct charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size. Asked recently about a media comparison of him to Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. A BAD ACTOR IN THE US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. AVOIDING CHALLENGES TO PUTIN As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putins generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhins influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. ___ Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press Indian Prime Minister Modi arrives in Egypt on a two-day visit to strengthen ties View Photo CAIRO (AP) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit to Egypt on Saturday, a trip that underscores the growing ties between the two countries. Modis flight landed at Cairos international airport Saturday afternoon, coming from a four-day trip to the United States where he held talks with President Joe Biden, delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress, and met with top American and Indian executives. Its the first state visit to Egypt by an Indian prime minister since 1997. Modi was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, and the two inspected an honor guard and listened to the national anthems. Modi took to Twitter to thank Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport, and added, May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations. Modi and Madbouly then held talks on strengthening Egyptian-Indo ties, according to Egypts state-run MENA news agency. The talks were attended by senior government officials from both countries, MENA reported. Modi also discussed countering extremism and radicalization with Grand Mufti Shawki Allam, Egypts Islamic jurist, said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for Indias External Affairs Ministry. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday. The two countries would also sign a set of memorandums aimed at solidifying their ties. Also on Sunday, Modi will visit a historic mosque, Al-Hakim, in Islamic Cairo, which was recently renovated with the help of the India-based Dawoodi Bohra community. He is also scheduled to visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay tribute to Indian soldiers who fought in World War I. Modis visit comes six months after el-Sissi attended Indias Republic Day parade as an official guest. In January, el-Sissi and Modi agreed on measures to increase the two-way trade in five years to $12 billion, up from $7.3 billion in 2021-22. During el-Sissis visit, the countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cyber security, information technology, culture, and broadcasting. India is one of the top five importers of Egyptian products, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery. More than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to Indias External Affairs Ministry. BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press H. Lee Sarokin, judge who freed Hurricane Carter, dies at 94 View Photo SAN DIEGO (AP) H. Lee Sarokin, the federal judge who freed boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter and in a landmark case famously said tobacco companies engaged in a vast conspiracy to conceal the dangers of smoking, has died in California, news outlets reported Friday. He was 94. Sarokin died Tuesday in La Jolla, a seaside community in San Diego where he and his wife lived in retirement, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Sarokin had pulmonary fibrosis and other ailments, his wife, Margie Sarokin, told the paper. Haddon Lee Sarokin was a New Jersey-born graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. He was nominated to a federal judgeship by former President Jimmy Carter and served on the district court in New Jersey from 1979 to 1994 and the appeals court from 1994 to 1996. In 1985, Sarokin threw out the convictions of Rubin Hurricane Carter and John Artis, two Black men who were wrongfully convicted of killing three white men. Sarokin ruled that their prosecution was based upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, concealment rather than disclosure. The ruling stood after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal. Carters innocence had been championed by celebrities and was the basis of a 1975 song by Bob Dylan. Sarokin told the Union-Tribune in 2014 that Carter called him every year on Nov. 7, the anniversary of the ruling. In 1988, Sarokin also presided over a landmark liability case against tobacco companies. Sarokins pre-trial rulings opened the way for corporate records to be submitted as evidence. When lawyers for the company asked Sarokin to dismiss the case in their favor, he refused, saying famously that evidence showed the tobacco industry engaged in a conspiracy vast in its scope, devious in its purpose and devastating in its results. The case resulted in a jury awarding $400,000 to the estate of Rose Cipollone, who had died after decades of smoking. An appeals court overturned the verdict and removed Sarokin from a second similar case, saying some of Sarokins comments suggested bias against the tobacco makers, which he denied. However, documents in the case helped pave the way for a wave of similar lawsuits brought by state attorneys general in 1998. Sarokin issued some 2,500 rulings over his career, among them deciding that a homeless man couldnt be barred from a public library because of his smell. He was never afraid to say what he thought, his wife said. In retirement, Sarokin was a regular contributor to HuffPost and wrote a dozen plays with themes of social justice and civil rights that were staged by the regional North Coast Repertory Theater. In addition to his wife, Sarokin is survived by five children and 11 grandchildren. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Azerbaijans Lachin district has great economic potential, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Alim Bayel, who has visited the Lachin district as part of the diplomatic corps representatives, told reporters, Trend reports. Representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan arrived in the Lachin district today, where they got acquainted with the restoration and construction work carried out there. "We, together with the ambassadors of other countries, have arrived in one of the most beautiful districts of Azerbaijan - Lachin, where restoration and improvement work is underway. Some residents of the Lachin district have already returned to their homes, and we were able to communicate with them," Bayel said. The ambassador noted that the nature of the Lachin district admires. "We hope that peace and development will come to the South Caucasus region, this is important for all of us," he said. Its very hard to make sense of what Yevgeny Prigozhin thought he was accomplishing with his increasingly erratic behavior, particularly his attacks against senior members of the Russian military like defense chief Sergey Shoigu, where hes gone from having an arguable basis for his complaints (it did look bad for Russia to pull out of Kharkiv and Kherson even though it was doctrinally sound and preserved Russian lives and materiel) to publishing complete fabrications to try to undermine leaders who controlled most of his resources. What is even more bizarre is that Putin tolerated this public attack on the bona fides of the regular forces, for what has now been shown to be too long. To give a very brief and hopefully not oversimplified recap of immediate events, Prigozhin accused the Russian regular forces of killing a lot of Wagner troops. He provided some film that didnt even amount to evidence in terms of what it showed and even that was quickly dissected on social media as an obvious fake, as recapped even on Russian TV. Prigozhin then announced his forces (at most 25,000, recall with limited supplies and materiel) were marching on Rostov, which is not only where a military base is located but also a center for conducting Ukraine combat operations. Prigozhin claimed to have taken control. The Western media is dignifying those statements but Twitter is casting a lot of doubt: Well that was the most lame attempt at a coup d'etat I've ever seen. A couple old tanks and a couple dozen trucks carrying a couple hundred disheveled "soldiers" in ill-fitting uniforms. The modest parade was escorted by Rosgvardia into Rostov; Prigozhin pretended to "occupy" Will Schryver (@imetatronink) June 24, 2023 This doesn't look like a civil war or a coup. Prigozhin might want to hold Rostov hostage and leave if Shoigu resigns. If that's so, many would see that kind of behaviour as treason, especially during wartime. Prigozhin would probably see Shoigu's leadership as treason and https://t.co/9SiZyfl0Zs Mikael Valtersson (@MikaelValterss1) June 24, 2023 The video with AI translation to English. It's very fascinating if all this is done, just for Prigozhin to get a meeting with Shoigu and Gerasimov. If so, it's very unbalanced overkill for a "date" It's like when a former collegue of mine stopped printing the newspaper he was https://t.co/a42PnKQEgE Mikael Valtersson (@MikaelValterss1) June 24, 2023 The multi-author Rybar blog also raised doubts as to what actually was afoot: In other words, when you look at what Prigozhin has done, which so far has a high bluster-to-action ratio, it looks like weird form of hostage-taking, perhaps over-relying on the idea that because of his stature and having some men around him, Russian forces wont engage with him because it will make the bad optics worse and probably kill some people, potentially including civilians. However, recall also the West has been talking ad nauseam about an uprising versus Putin. So whether by action or design, Prigozhins move will serve as a trigger for Ukraine sleeper cells in Russia to swing into action. And again, Rybar suggested the Russian security forces had been put on alert for that type of operation BEFORE the Prigozhin gambit: So even if the Russian officialdom told themselves Prigozhin could be contained, the rousing of Ukrainian opponents in Russia might be another matter. Even with Prigozhin going rogue, the Western media seemed a bit surprised as to how Russia swung into high alert mode. And Prigozhin was quickly targeted for arrest and almost certain prosecution. Putin also quickly described the uprising as treasonous. The translation of this video sadly is halting: This gives the essence: Vladimir Putin: Actions that split our unity are, in fact, apostasy from ones own people, from comrades-in-arms who are now fighting at the front. This is a stab in the back of our country and our people. It was such a blow that was dealt to Russia in 1917, when the country pic.twitter.com/i0DFsv3Kvc Victor vicktop55 (@vicktop55) June 24, 2023 Or even shorter: Putin's address to the nation, with English subtitles, courtesy of Slavyangrad channel on Telegram. God only knows what Prigozhin was thinking, but he is now officially a dead man walking. https://t.co/dLawZA4LRF Richard Bardon (@RichardJBardon) June 24, 2023 Now even if this rebellion is as weak as the tweets above suggest, it still makes for great bad press in the rest of the world, undermining Russias efforts to win friends and influence countries. To keep this post from getting overlong relative to the high dynamism of current events, please see Simplicius the Thinker who catalogues in detail how Prigozhins recent rants about betrayal and battlefield failures are utter fabrications. Prigozhin has been so visibly overstating and more recently just making up failures; that some Russia experts like Mark Sleboda were convinced that this was a big psyops to make Ukraine and the Collective West think Russia was weaker and more divided than it is so as to encourage them to continue to do stupid things like doggedly hold on to positions and even attack Russian lines. And that might even have been the earlier plan but then Prigozhin got the bit in his teeth. Keep in mind that per Prigozhin, what he is attempting to do narrowly is not a coup. Hes not trying to overthrow Putin (or arguably not at this juncture). He is trying to get major changes in Russian military leadership to among other things advance his position and prevent Wagner from being integrated into the regular Russian force. The deadline for signing new contracts is July 1 and Prigozhin has refused to go along. But as far as Putin is concerned, destabilizing the military during a war might as well be a coup since it jeopardizes Russia, not just him. And one has to wonder about his conduct in light of this RT story from last month, on the rumors circulating that Prigozhin was in contact with the Ukraine secret service, which were never really denied. Key section from Here are the Zelensky treason quotes the Washington Post deleted: WaPo: The documents indicate that GUR, your intelligence directorate, has back-channel contact with Evgeny Prigozhin that you were aware of, including meeting with Evgeny Prigozhin and GUR officers. Is that true? Zelensky: This is a matter of [military] intelligence. Do you want me to be convicted of state treason? And so, its very interesting, if someone is saying that you have documents, or if someone from our government is speaking about the activities of our intelligence, I would also like to ask you a question: With which sources from Ukraine do you have contact? Who is talking about the activities of our intelligence? Because this is the most severe felony in our country. Which Ukrainians are you talking to? WaPo: I talked to officials in government, but these documents are not from Ukraine, they are from Zelensky: It doesnt matter where the documents are from. The question is with which Ukrainian official did you talk? WaPo: And I can read you what information exactly there is about Prigozhin and the GUR. On February 13, Kirill Budanov, chief of Ukraines Main Directorate of Intelligence, informed you about a Russian plan to destabilize Moldova with two former Wagner associates. Budanov informed you that he viewed the Russian scheme as a way to incriminate Prigozhin because we have dealings with him. You instructed Budanov to inform Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Budanov told you that the GUR had informed Prigozhin that he would be labeled a traitor who has been working with Ukraine. The document also says that Budanov expected the Russians to use details of Prigozhins secret talks with the GUR and meetings with GUR officers in Africa Yours truly is not able to unpack this. Reading the entire section, it appears Zelensky was upset that the Post had this information and didnt try denying its accuracy, and the Post patter made it seem likely these were among the 300 Discord leak documents the Post said it saw, curiously of which not all that many got beyond the Post. However, one might surmise that Prigozhin was trying to be a double agent and it had become way too public. Again one wonders why Putin waited too long to act. Perhaps he and the military leadership viewed Prigozhin as a self-limiting problem, dependent on Russian logistics and so not capable of much independent action. But not much is far from not any. And they did nothing to check his outbursts or try to limit his reach. Maybe they thought his open warfare with and denigration of the regularly military (which BTW is very well paid, hence the continuing high number of enlistments) would unify them. That might be accurate, but if Prigozhin had not been authorized to engage in a monster psy-op, which he decided to repurpose late in them, how could they not see he was becoming wildly unhinged? Even though Russia had the Chechens and the Donbass militias take the brunt of clearing Mariupol, so they are not the only forces Russia has for close quarters operations, it appears Wagner had a contract for Bakhmut (their lock on that gig was weird) and then that became the focus of Operation Meat Grinder. Prigozhin despite giving lip service to Surovkin, who I have read was the mastermind, was unhappy with the grinding and the resulting high cost to his men and had wanted to move faster. This may account for his regular lashing out at the leadership. So it was impractical to displace Prigozhin during the Bakhmut operation. Putin may have delegated the leashing and collaring of Prigozhin to senior military and intel officers who overestimated their ability to contain him. Perhaps well find out how this cockup happened. But per above, there will be a press tendency to depict the actions of Ukraine sleeper cells, which were already underway, to Russians. It will also be hard to pick that apart. The fresh updates indicate that some of what is happening is more psychological than real. From the latest Rybar update: But there are also reports of private jets departing Moscow and some more serious looking action: Nevertheless, Simplicius the Thinkers warning of last night still seems largely operative: The thing is, despite the actual criminal proceedings being set in motion and various Russian regions going on heightened alert, as of this writing there is no proof at all that Prigozhin is actually marching any column of Wagner troops to Rostov or anywhere else. One would think the claimed 50km long column would be visible and documented from a variety of sources at this point. Ultimately Prigozhin cant go any distance. But a crazy guy in a mall with a machine gun and a belt of ammo can do a lot of local damage and create considerable trauma before he is subdued. Yves here. I noted a surprising lack of updates in my inbox. It appears that the Prigozhin revolt was a big flash in the pan and is on it way to being tamped out. Note also this was the Wests best shot at their much ballyhooed revolt against Putin and no one in Russian leadership, and apparently per Helmer not even any of the Wagner officers, supported it. By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears Without the public support of any political figure in Russia, military or police unit, regional governor, or the officers of his Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his thousand rank-and-filers have agreed to return to their base camps on terms negotiated late on Saturday afternoon between Prigozhin and Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarus President./ The one-armed rebellion has failed with recriminations, immunity from prosecution, and almost no bloodshed. The Kremlin solution has followed the precedent of General Alexander Lebeds (lead image, centre) rebellion against President Boris Yeltsin in 1996, not the violent end of the rebellion of Yemelyan Pugachev (left) of 1773-75. Dmitry Rogozin, who was one of the strategists of Lebeds campaign for the presidency and later became a deputy prime minister under President Vladimir Putin, made the difference clear in a statement he issued early on Saturday, before Putin spoke at 10 oclock. I know the situation at the front as well as Prigozhin and I have never hidden my position, but whatever the explanation for an armed rebellion, it is still an armed rebellion in the rear of a belligerent army. In a war, you have to shove your political ambitions up your ass and support the front with all your might. Any attempts to weaken it are nothing but aiding the enemy. Another of Lebeds comrades of 27 years ago, Sergei Glazyev, followed with a repudiation of Prigozhin of his own. None of the well-known critics of Putin on domestic policy, nor the military bloggers who have attacked the tactical management and strategic priorities of the Special Military Operation, supported Prigozhin. The rebellion, according to sources speaking on Saturday evening, involved advance planning by Prigozhin and several hundred of the lowest ranks of his military group. There was no support among the Wagner officers. After they had moved on Rostov, then took the road to Voronezh and on towards Moscow, the road columns numbered several hundred, with a total across the southwest of no more than four thousand. A statement issued by Lukashenkos office in Minsk at 8 in the evening said the rebellion was at an end. This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in the south of Russia with the private military company Wagner. The heads of State agreed on joint actions. As a follow-up to the agreements, the President of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through his own channels, in coordination with the President of Russia, held talks with the head of the Wagner PMCS [private military companies], Yevgeny Prigozhin. The negotiations lasted throughout the day. As a result, we came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and further steps to de-escalate tension. At the moment, there is an absolutely profitable and acceptable solution to the situation on the table, with security guarantees for the fighters of the Wagner PMCs. A well-informed Moscow source says: The whole thing was planned for several weeks. Soldiers and unit sergeants might be on board. Officers, obviously not. That makes it a mutiny against commanders. I do not think Prigozhin he will go quietly. He will try and romanticize himself as a Pugachev and his assassins as peasants defending Russia from oligarchs. Questions will be asked when and which men were already inside of Rostov Military HQ. Perhaps some advance parties were inside. There is no publication yet of Lukashenkos terms which Prigozhin has accepted for himself. Unconfirmed reports in Moscow indicate he will leave the country for Africa with one of the Wagner units operating there. His media, communications, and internet networks have been blocked. The War of the Worlds weekly broadcast went to air at 12 noon Moscow time. At the time there was considerable uncertainty in the Russian source reporting from Rostov and Voronezh; disinformation, faked videos, and panic reports, produced in Kiev, were circulating in the western media. Listen to the analysis here. Source: https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/ The official criminal charge against Prigozhin is the armed rebellion provision of the Russian Criminal Code, Article 279: Source: https://www.wto.org/ Before the radio broadcast began, Putin made his 5 minute, 34 second speech to the country at 10 am. Unusually, he addressed the camera on his feet. Read the speech in full here. There have been no personal statements from either Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, the targets of Prigozhins public attacks. During the hours of the rebellion on Friday and Saturday, along the line of contact in the Ukraine there appears to have been no breakthrough by Ukrainian forces. Instead, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported: Tonight, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a group strike with high-precision long-range weapons at the centres of radio intelligence and aviation equipment of the Ukrainian Air Forces at the Kanatovo airfields in the Kirovograd region, as well as the Dnipro. All assigned objects are hit. The target of the strike has been achieved. In addition, on June 23, in response to a strike on a road bridge across the Chongar Strait, a warehouse with Storm Shadow cruise missiles was destroyed at a Ukrainian airbase near the settlement of Starokonstantinov in the Khmelnitsky region. During the day, the armed forces of Ukraine continued unsuccessful attempts of offensive actions in the South Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Krasno-Limansk directions. A total of 515 Ukrainian forces were reported killed in action. French Caesar howitzer and US M-777 howitzer units were reported hit. A second, companion piece for the broadcast will follow on Sunday morning. LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. Active work is being carried out in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan [from Armenian occupation after the second Karabakh war] under the leadership of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Ambassador of Tajikistan to Azerbaijan Rustam Soli told the reporters, Trend reports. Soli has visited the Lachin district as part of the diplomatic corps representatives. He noted that creative programs and projects are being successfully implemented everywhere, and big changes are noticeable. "These works are carried out in order for these beautiful lands to flourish. And we see that there are already elements of prosperity here," Soli said. He expressed confidence in establishing a peaceful life and noted that people will be able to return and live peacefully in these beautiful places. "We see everywhere the implementation of creative programs, there is a rapid construction and renovation. This suggests that peaceful life is improving," the ambassador said. Meanwhile, representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan arrived in the Lachin district today, where they got acquainted with the restoration and construction works carried out there. Over 6M public records from motor vehicles office in Louisiana exposed to MOVEit hackers The Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) in Louisiana recently suffered a massive data breach that exposed over six million public records containing details of state-issued IDs, driver's licenses, auto registrations, handicap placards and even government benefits' information. The hacking operation was part of a global attack on the third-party file transfer application, MOVEit. The incident happened after the Pelican State introduced a new law increasing the uptake of digital ID, raising concerns among residents who fear that their internet activity might be monitored or exposed in case of a cyberattack. In a statement, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) said there is no indication hackers have used, shared or released the data obtained from the OMV in the attack. According to reports, the Clop ransomware group is behind the cyberattack. The cybercriminals have not yet contacted the state government regarding their latest data breach. (Related: Several federal agencies HACKED as part of global cyberattack that exploited a flaw in popular file-sharing software.) The state government has been working with software company Envoc on the development and implementation of digital driver's licenses and wallet programs that would entail the storage of biometric information related to various licenses, including that of drivers and fishers. Like Louisiana, Oklahoma has also steadfastly rolled out mobile ID programs for nearly two years, where the digital documents are compatible with Big Tech Apple's and Google's wallets. GOHSEP urges residents to check on Social Security and other government benefits The Louisiana local government immediately recommended that all residents should take immediate steps to safeguard their identity, mainly since sensitive information could be used in criminal activities. It was highly likely that their names, addresses, birthdays, heights, eye color, license numbers, vehicle registration information, handicap placard information and most notably their Social Security numbers were made available to the hackers. GOHSEP advised residents to check out an official Louisiana government website, NextSteps.La.Gov, for information on how to protect information and what to do if fraud is suspected. New actions to take are available on the said website, including monitoring additional government benefits. "We know that many people have many questions about what happened and the updated information on the website is designed to provide answers to help everyone better understand how the state is responding and what they can do to protect their personal information," said GOHSEP Director Casey Tingle. "Everyone should take this seriously and implement the protective measures." When asked about the current level of security, Tingle said the software has already been updated with the patches the vendor has put out. He added that they are also in constant contact with the federal partners to identify the scope and severity of the data breach incident and will continue to provide any new information as it becomes available. According to Tingle, suspected fraud activity on credit reports or identity theft can be reported to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Protection Division of the Louisiana Attorney General's Office. Meanwhile, the OMV's website recommended that all Louisianans take the following steps immediately: prevent unauthorized new account openings or loans, monitor credit and change all their passwords. The office also urged to protect tax refunds and returns with the internal revenue service, check social security benefits and report suspected identity theft. Read more about recent hacking operations that threaten national security on CyberWar.news. Watch the video below where InfoWars host and founder Alex Jones warns of the next major cyber attack on U.S. infrastructures. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Cybersecurity official warns: Americans must prepare for CYBERATTACKS from Chinese hackers. PayPal hack exposes names, social security numbers of 35,000 customers. WhatsApp HACKED: Nearly 500 million phone numbers from 84 countries and territories put up for sale. Hackers leak stolen medical records on dark web after Australian health insurer refuses to pay ransom demand. Optus hacker releases over 10,000 customer details and demands $1 million in cryptocurrency, apologizes later. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org LaIlluminator.com BRProud.com SecurityMagazine.com Brighteon.com FDA: Basic antibiotics shortage ongoing since Q4 last year, some medicines to completely run out by end of June The United States has been experiencing shortages of antibiotics since late 2022, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even admitting that it was aware of "some intermittent supply interruptions ." The FDA cited amoxicillin, a common antibiotic used to treat a broad range of conditions, to be short in supply. As per the agency, the antibiotic's oral solution was in its drug shortage database, which relies on reports from manufacturers. The oral solution is an anti-infective used with pediatric patients. And just recently, Big Pharma company Pfizer announced that several types of penicillin will completely run out later this year. Penicillin, a beta-lactam antibiotic, treats syphilis, strep throat and other infections. (Related: Experts warn of antibiotic shortage amid increase in cases of invasive strep A.) According to a letter from the pharma company posted Tuesday on the FDA's website, it anticipates running out of the children's dose of the syphilis drug Bicillin L-A by the end of June. Pfizer is prioritizing the production of larger doses of the type of penicillin, which is recommended for pregnant people with syphilis because it is the only drug that can pass through the placenta and also treat the fetus. A different Pfizer penicillin, Bicillin C-R that treats other bacterial infections but not syphilis, is expected to run out in the third quarter, which ends Sept. 30. Pfizer's penicillin has been in shortage since April. "The supply interruption is the result of a complex combination of factors including significant increases in demand, due to an increase in syphilis infection rates as well as competitive shortages," the pharma giant further stated in the correspondence. Biden to import cancer drugs from China The University of Utah's drug information service reported that drug shortages are at a five-year high. Even cancer treatments or medications are also running out. A June 15 article in the journal The Lancet Oncology notes that the shortage of cancer drugs in the U.S. "is now among the worst in three decades with as many as 100,000 patients affected." According to 93 percent of cancer treatment centers, there is a shortage of carboplatin, while 70 percent report shortages of cisplatin. These two medications are used in combination to cure many types of cancer. "The shortages are so acute that they are commanding the attention of the White House and Congress, which are examining the underlying causes of the faltering generic drug market, which accounts for about 90 percent of domestic prescriptions," the New York Times commented. To ease the cancer drug shortage in the country, the FDA declared it will allow cisplatin imports from China. The said chemo drug is manufactured by Qilu Pharmaceutical and is marketed and manufactured in China but is not approved by the FDA in the United States. To come into the U.S., the drugmaker will work with the Canada-based drugmaker Apotex to import and distribute the medication, according to a letter from the company dated May 24. The drug will come in 50-milligram vials that are labeled in Chinese. FDA spokesperson James McKinney said the agency is also exploring importing carboplatin, another chemotherapy drug in shortage. However, he told NBC News that the agency could not yet share specifics on the potential supplier for that drug. Visit PrescriptionDrugs.news for more related stories. Watch the video below that talks about what to do in case of a shortage of amoxicillin. This video is from the Local Prepper channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Drug and food shortages are here, and they will get a lot worse. Adderall shortage leaves millions without access to ADHD drugs, and a nation of addicts wondering how to get their pharma fix. America running out of key antibiotics and respiratory drugs for children amid "tripledemic." FDA announces amoxicillin shortage, cites increased demand and manufacturing issues as causes. Spice beats chemo: Study reveals turmeric is more effective at killing cancer cells than chemo or radiation. Sources include: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com Edition.CNN.com OCRegister.com TheLancet.com NCCN.org NBCNews.com Brighteon.com Bud Light STILL refusing to apologize for shoving woke promotions into minds of customers STILL talking about inclusiveness while refusing to denounce grooming, pedophilia All things considered, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of the failing Bud Light brand, is insistent, despite no apology to the country, that the transgender beer will soon make a comeback , even though Americans are increasinglywith all things LGBT pride. "It's tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the U.S. in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light," said Anheuser-Busch global chief marketing officer Marcel Marcondes at the recent Cannes Lions International Festival. "It's tough exactly because what we do is all about bringing people together." At no point in his statement did Marcondes admit that it was a mistake for his company's Bud Light brand to go trans, betraying the millions of faithful customers who would rather not have had a mentally ill "influencer" parading himself as the new apparent beer mascot. Instead, Marcondes celebrated himself and his company for somehow showing humility his words despite its promotion of pride, which is the exact opposite of humility. "That's what we're doing, being very humble, and really reminding ourselves of what we should do best every day, which is to really understand our consumers," Marcondes bizarrely told the Cannes crowd, adding that the customer backlash was a "wake-up call" for marketers like himself, especially during "times like this." "Which is to really celebrate and appreciate every consumer that loves our brands but in a way that can make them be together, not apart." (Related: Check out our earlier coverage to learn more about what happened that got Anheuser-Busch into this mess in the first place.) At Anheuser-Busch, celebrating pride somehow means being humble Even though Bud Light has since dropped to the number-two selling beer in America behind Modelo Especial, a Mexican beer that, due to a 2013 order from the Department of Justice (DOJ), is now owned by Constellation Brands Modelo used to be owned by Anheuser-Busch. "That's what we all, as a team, will be doing moving forward as a group," Marcondes added. "That's what leaders do. Bud Light is coming back. It's going all around the country, reconnecting with consumers, moving forward. That's what you can expect from Bud Light in the U.S." As Marcondes made this strange and anomalous diatribe, he also accepted an award for "Creative Marketer of the Year" at the Cannes Film Festival, which takes place in the south of France. Contrary to Marcondes' glowing rhetoric, the beer analyst group Bump Williams found that during the four-week period ending in early June, Bud Light sales were "grim," having fallen by about 24.4 percent. Modelo sales, meanwhile, grew by 12.2 percent during that same time period. "Modelo Especial appears to be increasing its sales growth each week as we get deeper into summer," Bump Williams told CNN, adding that other Modelo beers are also performing well. Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch's U.S. division, issued his own bizarre statement recently that appeared to be a reaction to the ongoing Bud Light boycott. Like Marcondes, Whitworth failed to apologize or even make mention of the Mulvaney fiasco. "We recognize that over the last two months, the discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer, and this has impacted our consumers, our business partners and our employees," Whitworth said. "We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone." In an attempt to move Bud Light forward, Whitworth said Anheuser-Busch is taking "three important actions" that include "investing to protect the jobs of our frontline workers," as well as providing financial assistance to Bud Light wholesalers and changing its entire advertisement strategy. If a company goes woke, chances are it will eventually go broke. Learn more at Wokies.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com Newstarget.com Facial recognition tech deployed at Chinese gas stations people on social credit blacklist cant refuel Footage coming out of China indicates that facial recognition systems are now being installed even at gas stations . The footage strongly suggests that Chinese citizens not in good standing in the social credit system may be ineligible for refueling. Videos posted on social media show how customers at one gas station somewhere in China are being forced to approach a kiosk and have their faces scanned in order to access gas for their vehicles. (Related: New York Times praises communist China for censoring citizens, says mass surveillance offers "own kind of freedom.") Furthermore, people reportedly on the blacklist of the country's social credit system are barred from driving their own cars. If they are hailed by the facial recognition and ID check required, they will not be able to purchase more gas unless another person someone not on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) blacklist drives the car for them. Chinese people, who are on the ????????? of social credit system, are barred from driving their own cars. Now facial recognition and ID check required for entering China's gas stations if you are being ???????????, no gas for you!! https://t.co/4QZryxL7M7 pic.twitter.com/MBqFRGqoNF Songpinganq (@songpinganq) June 21, 2023 "The Orwellian characteristic is a fundamental aspect of China's surveillance state, encompassing the tracking and monitoring of every resident's activity, as well as imposing restrictions and control over their movements," wrote InfoWars. "The implications of China's surveillance state serve as a cautionary tale for America's future." Facial recognition tech is everywhere in China but the people seem okay with it Perhaps the most startling aspect of China's surveillance state and the rapidly expanding use of facial recognition systems everywhere is the fact that many Chinese citizens, at least on the surface, seem to be accepting of it. Hanna Hua, writing about her recent experience with the atmosphere of normalcy around facial recognition tech for Retail Week, noted how facial recognition technology is now everywhere in China and "has become fully integrated into various daily activities." She mentioned that in 2019, facial recognition systems were only limited in use as ID verification at police stations, train stops, banks, airports and hotel check-ins. Now, facial recognition tech being used for daily activities has become "a familiar practice for many, despite privacy concerns in other markets." "It has been widely adopted for payments in all kinds of retail stores, including coffee shops, vending machines and popular fast-food chains such as McDonald's," she wrote. "Additionally, it is used for age verification in games and even for smart home appliances." "Many people are using this payment method for faster checkouts and it appears to have become the accepted norm, accelerated through the major payment providers." Hua pointed out that this acceptance of facial recognition tech may have accelerated its deployment, noting how in many Western markets facial recognition technology is being adopted at a much slower pace due to legal roadblocks and concerns related to data protection and privacy. Facial recognition tech to keep expanding as companies continue to put out more surveillance gear for the CCP China is one of the most heavily surveilled societies on the planet. There are an innumerable number of CCTV cameras scattered across every one of China's major cities, and facial recognition technology is widely used in this surveillance apparatus to aid in the day-to-day work of the country's security services as well as to aid political repression. This gargantuan surveillance network is heavily aided by tech companies that market their newest products to the CCP's security services. At the most recent security expo in Beijing, the three-day Security China event, these companies showcased their products, billed as the future of high-tech policing. At one booth, operated by Hong Kong-based software company SenseTime, company representatives showed off smart cameras that can be set to recognize not just people on the CCP's watch list, but also people doing certain "undesirable" behaviors, including smoking in public, physical fights and not wearing a mask. Other cameras, designed to be installed at doorways and checkpoints, have the ability to identify people attempting to fool facial recognition tech to gain access, such as by holding up a picture of a person approved for entry or by wearing a mask resembling another person. A different firm, Tiandy, showcased "smart city" products, including cameras that can immediately obtain details about cars such as license plates and the faces of drivers even at night and from long distances. Another camera can identify pedestrians that break road crossing rules and then post their pictures on displays to intentionally humiliate the individuals and discourage them from reoffending. It should be noted that both SenseTime and Tiandy are on the United States' trade blacklist, accused of being an arm of China's military-industrial complex and of using their mass surveillance technology to repress the indigenous Uyghur population of Xinjiang. Learn the latest developments in communist China by reading articles at CommunistChina.news. Watch this clip of Ava Chen of the political movement the New Federal State of China discussing how the Chinese Communist Party holds everyone in the Mainland as well as in Hong Kong under surveillance using its vast security apparatus. This video is from the channel Chinese Taking Down Evil CCP on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Data privacy concerns raised as analysis finds China-based developers were responsible for TikTok's code. China's war on comedy: Stand-up comedian banned from social media for mocking social credit system. Facial recognition program to be rolled out at 16 major US airports, increasing biometric surveillance of Americans. FBI has been testing facial recognition software on Americans for YEARS without their knowledge or consent. Chinese citizens are PUSHING BACK against government surveillance. Sources include: InfoWars.com Retail-Week.com France24.com Brighteon.com RFK Jr. calls for DIPLOMACY with Russia instead of forever war in speech Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) called for diplomacy and de-escalation with Russia instead of a "forever war" in a speech mirroring that of his uncle's, former President John F. Kennedy (JFK). The environmental lawyer told audience members at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire on June 21 that the U.S. can be restored "to the awesome vitality of the original Kennedy era" through de-escalation and trust-building. "As in my uncle's time, nuclear tensions are at an extreme and dangerous level," RFK Jr. said. "As in his time [too], we have a unique opportunity not only to diffuse those tensions, but to take a radically different path a path toward peace." "We have been immersed in a foreign policy discourse that is all about adversaries, threats, allies and enemies and domination. We've become addicted to comic book good versus evil narratives that erase complexity and blind us to the legitimate motives and the legitimate cultural, economic and security concerns of other peoples and nations." The Democratic presidential candidate stressed that America needs to work toward peace by replacing suspicion with trust-building and reversing escalation. "Today, America has broken off practically all diplomatic contact with Russia. So, that communication has indeed become little more than 'an exchange of threats and insults,'" he said, quoting his uncle. RFK Jr. recounted how several former U.S. presidents met with Soviet leaders in the past: Franklin Roosevelt met with Joseph Stalin JFK met with Nikita Khrushchev Richard Nixon met with Leonid Brezhnev Ronald Reagan with Mikhail Gorbachev "Can't [President Joe] Biden meet with [Vladimir] Putin? Or can't we at least begin a conversation?" the presidential hopeful remarked. "Peace comes from a changed attitude. I, therefore, call on our present leadership to adopt [former] President Kennedy's maxims and to start de-escalating right now." RFK Jr. earlier demanded that Biden apologize for "proxy war" RFK Jr.'s 30-minute speech came 60 years after his uncle delivered the Peace Speech at American University in Washington, D.C. back in June 1963. The elder Kennedy, who was assassinated in November of that year, urged Americans living amid Cold War era tensions with Soviet Russia to recognize areas of commonality with those behind the Iron Curtain. Returning to the present, the younger Kennedy blasted the so-called "Forever War" and the increasing build-up of the U.S. military. According to him, America is now facing "the unspeakable horror of nuclear Armageddon" and that claims of the nuclear conflict resulting in anything but devastation are "dangerous lies." While RFK Jr. said he "abhors Russia's brutal and bloody" military operation in Ukraine, he remarked that Washington "has also contributed to its circumstances through repeated, deliberate provocations of Russia going back to the 1990s." He cited the U.S. government's violation of an agreement with Moscow not to expand North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory toward Russia. Since then, NATO forces have "surrounded Russia with missiles and military bases, something that we would never tolerate if the Russians did that to us." During the same speech, he dubbed Ukraine "a pawn in a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia." RFK Jr. remarked that Washington is engaged in an all-out bid to topple Putin, unnecessarily sparking a perilous escalation of nuclear tensions. A day before delivering the speech, the Democratic presidential candidate called on Biden to apologize to both the U.S. and Ukraine for pushing for the said "proxy war." "I call upon President Biden to issue two apologies. First, to the American people for misleading them into supporting an ugly proxy war on false pretenses. Second, and more importantly, to the Ukrainian people for maneuvering them into this war and ruining their country all for the sake of U.S. (imagined) geopolitical interests," he tweeted on June 20. (Related: RFK Jr.: Biden must APOLOGIZE to America, Ukraine for pushing "proxy war.") "War was the plan all along, [and] the pattern here is clear. Not only is the Biden administration deceiving the American people about the motives for this costly and tragic war, but by continually escalating it, they put the whole world at risk of nuclear conflagration." Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering a scathing speech against the West below. This video is from the Faniman20 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: US created the conditions for Russia-Ukraine war, says China. RFK Jr. on Ukraine: Russia is fighting an EXISTENTIAL war and can't afford to lose. RFK Jr. nails it, exposes all the lies Americans are being told about Russia's war in Ukraine. Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warns that the world is on the verge of a NUCLEAR WORLD WAR III. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com 1 LifeSiteNews.com 2 Brighteon.com READY TO RUMBLE! RFK Jr. joins platform that can help him take America back from the hands of corporate powers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) is now ready to start the fight rumble if you will to take the country back from the hands of big corporations. "When I announced for the presidency, I said that if you give me a piece of ground from which to fight, I will take back this country from these corporate powers that seek to divide us. Well, this is a piece of that ground and I'm here now and I plan to use it." RFK Jr. said after joining the social media platform Rumble. The Democrat presidential candidate was previously censored by Facebook, Google and YouTube. Just recently, Instagram slapped a six-month suspension on his campaign accounts as soon as they were created. "When we use our Team Kennedy email address to set up Instagram accounts, we get an automatic 180-day ban. Can anyone guess why that's happening?" he tweeted following Instagram's ban on his campaign accounts. (Related: Insta-BANNED: RFK Jr. campaign accounts immediately SUSPENDED by Instagram for 6 months.) RFK Jr. also lamented how Instagram owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta hasn't reinstated his account, "which was banned years ago with more than 900,000 followers." Even his supporters are getting censored. Journalist Luke Rudkowski recently tweeted that YouTube, which is owned by Google, demonetized his channel for posting a short clip of RFK Jr. in one of his videos. YouTube also announced that they removed an interview with RFK Jr. conducted by Jordan Peterson of the Daily Wire for supposed misinformation. "We removed a video from the Jordan Peterson channel for violating YouTube's general vaccine misinformation policy, which prohibits content that alleges that vaccines cause chronic side effects, outside of rare side effects that are recognized by health authorities," a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. Independent creators are being censored on YouTube RFK Jr. is not the only prominent individual who ditched YouTube for Rumble lately. English comedian Russell Brand, who frequently discusses politics and cultural events in a way that often goes against prevailing narratives, also joined Rumble after getting censored by YouTube. According to Brand, independent creators are being censored on YouTube while the platform continuously props up and promotes mainstream outlets that promote misinformation. "We have been officially censored on YouTube," Brand said. "They took down one of our videos for misinformation. But why are big media organizations not censored for misinformation in the same way? Is it because YouTube are part of the mainstream media now?" "This misinformation strike and takedown demonstrates exactly what it is we're talking about," he continued. "We made an error, in my opinion a relatively small error, and we're being penalized. For me, that looks like censorship. And the reason I think it looks like censorship is because theres mainstream media misinformation up all the time." To back up his point, Brand shared a video of MSNBC host Rachel Maddow saying that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations work and will prevent you from contracting and spreading the virus. "That video is up on YouTube right now," Brand said. "In my opinion, that's misinformation. So we're asking: Is there one standard for independent news broadcasters, like us on our channel, and a different standard for what we would call the mainstream media? Watch this video as Joe Rogan talks about RFK Jr.'s videos getting removed from YouTube. This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not an anti-vaxxer, hes an advocate for truth. TruNews: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential bid a BIG THREAT to the Deep State. YouTube purges Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Joseph Mercola and a wide range of experts who arent afraid to tell the truth about vaccines. Robert F. Kennedy Jrs World Mercury Project delivers vaccine safety details to Congress. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warns that Anthony Fauci is a fraud, and has "poisoned an entire generation of Americans." Sources include: BigLeaguePolitics.com TheLibertyDaily.com Brighteon.com Zelensky accuses Russia of planning nuclear terrorist act that involves leaking radiation from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is claiming that Russia is planning a nuclear "terrorist act" at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Zelensky made this grave accusation during a video address shared by Ukrainian government channels on social media on Thursday, June 22. In his remarks, he claimed that Ukrainian intelligence forces had received information that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order his forces guarding the power plant to intentionally release radiation. (Related: Biowarfare incoming? Russia accuses US of planning to drop malaria-infested mosquitoes on Russian troops in Ukraine.) Zelensky even claimed that he has already shared this information with partners all over the world, including in the United States, China, Brazil, India and the European Union. Before the war, the six-reactor nuclear complex used to generate 40 to 42 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, accounting for around 20 percent of the average annual electricity production in Ukraine and for almost 47 percent of electricity generated by Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Quickly following the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian Armed Forces units were able to take control of the nuclear complex and most of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast (region) and have been occupying it ever since. The nuclear plant's safety has continued to be a cause for concern for both sides of the conflict and for the international community throughout the war. Potential problems with the plant resurfaced earlier this month when the Nova Kakhovka dam got destroyed, since the dam's reservoir supplies cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia plant. Zelensky claims without evidence that Russia might leak radiation from plant In his video statement, Zelensky said: "Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant a terrorist act with a release of radiation. They have prepared everything for this." "Unfortunately, I have had to remind people more than once that radiation has no state borders," he added. "Whomever it will hit is deterred only by the direction of the wind." Zelensky noted that such a catastrophic incident should not be treated as somehow similar to the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam that Kyiv claims Moscow blew up earlier this month and whose effects are contained within the nearby regions of Ukraine and Russian-occupied Crimea. "The world has been warned, so the world can and must act," Zelensky concluded. He refused to divulge what evidence he is basing this accusation on. "This is a very serious threat the scale of which cannot be predicted in advance," added Taras Tyschenko, the Ukrainian head of the local center for disease control and prevention in Zaporizhzhia. "We know the Russians can do this, we knew they could blow up the Nova Kakhovka dam and we know they could target the nuclear power plant." "This incident will not be a local or even a national one, it is a global incident. It will have a significant impact on the environment not only in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the [Dnieper River] region or in Ukraine as a whole," he added. "This will be an incident that can definitely affect all our neighboring countries, especially those that have access to the Black Sea." This accusation also comes after Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the military intelligence agency the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, accused Russia of mining the cooling pool used to keep the reactors at the plant from overheating. "If they disable it by blowing it up, there is a high probability that there will be significant problems," said Budanov. Kremlin dismisses allegations as Ukrainian lies The Russian government has dismissed all Ukrainian allegations as "another lie," noting that a team of nuclear inspectors sent by the United Nations had recently visited the plant and rated everything highly. "This is another lie," said Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov during a press briefing held on the same day. "There have just been contacts with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] there, on the ground. A very high assessment from the IAEA. They saw everything everything they wanted to see." IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi traveled to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant complex earlier this month with a team of nuclear inspectors to assess the safety of the facility. In a statement, he noted that the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam is forcing staff at the plant to explore "alternative ways of getting water" necessary for keeping the nuclear materials used in the facility from overheating. Grossi added that the IAEA has increased its presence at the facility to be able to better monitor the complex's safety during the ongoing military conflict and Ukraine's much-hyped counteroffensive potentially gearing towards retaking the Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the nuclear plant. "The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is extremely fragile," said Grossi. "Now more than ever, all sides must fully adhere to the IAEA's basic principles designed to prevent a nuclear accident." "We will intensify our efforts to help ensure nuclear safety and security, while also providing assistance to the affected region in other ways," Grossi concluded. Learn more about the nuclear threats burgeoning over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine at Nuclear.news. Watch this clip of Zelensky on mainstream media claiming that Russia wants to target the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This video is from the channel Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russia repels attacks on territory orchestrated by what it calls "Ukrainian terrorist formations." Thousands of people forced to evacuate following destruction of Nova Kahkovka dam in southern Ukraine. ACTS OF TERROR: Ukraine's intel chief admits his government has MURDERED "quite a few" Russian civilians. Russia shuts down Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant amid threat of Ukrainian attack. Military expert warns: Drone attack against the Kremlin could escalate Ukraine conflict to dangerous new levels. Sources include: TheSun.co.uk Newsweek.com Independent.co.uk WIONews.com Brighteon.com South Asia monsoon floods have killed a total of at least 19 people, including 14 in Nepal and four in India, and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Landslides and flash flooding because of torrential rain are the main causes of deaths amid the natural disaster, which was a result of a week-long rainfall event, according to reports. The South Asia monsoon typically occurs between June and September each year, causing heavy rain and flooding that often leads to flooding and landslides. While being vital to the agricultural industry, the weather phenomenon has caused dangerous and life-threatening repercussions, as seen in previous events. Scientists blame climate change and global warming for the intensification of the monsoon, which is apparently increasing in frequency and severity in South Asia. Unlike storms and other weather systems, the monsoon weather event can carry a lot of precipitation, which can result in above-average rainfall that can span for days or even weeks. South Asia Monsoon Floods The South Asia monsoon has affected multiple countries across the region over the past week, which also led to the issuance of weather alerts. Evacuation alerts remain in effect as the threat may continue over the weekend. In Nepal, the number of deaths from raging floodwaters and mudslides since last weekend has spiked to 14 as of Friday, June 23, with over two dozen others still missing, according to local officials, as cited by Phys.org from AFP news. Dhruba Bahadur Khadka, a spokesman for the country's national disaster authority, told the news outlet on Friday that authorities are still conducting search and rescue operations on the ground. This is based on the possibility that survivors are still in the affected areas. In India, disaster response authorities stated four people were killed from related events in a remote area in the Arunachal Pradesh state bordering China. In Bangladesh, an alert was issued after forecasters issued a warning of potential floods in the country's northern districts bordering India. Also Read: American Monsoon Started With a Particularly Strong Thunderstorm Widespread Evacuations Many people have been displaced in India amid the Asian monsoon. Tens of thousands of people evacuated and sought shelter in government-run relief camps as the moon battered villages in northeast India, according to a government relief agency on Friday, as cited by ABC News. Almost 14,000 people are staying in 83 camps managed by the Assam state government. The said Indian state saw nearly 500,000 people being affected by the monsoon floods. The scene resembles the catastrophic event in the region last year, wherein floods in India and Bangladesh killed over a dozen people and left millions of people homeless, according to the media outlet. In 2022, Pakistan also saw extreme flooding caused by unprecedented monsoon rains from June to August with more than a thousand dead and approximately over 33 million people to be affected, the International Federation of Red Cross reported. Related Article: Lightning Strikes Kill Over 60 People in India Amid Monsoon Season Affecting South Asia, Middle East The water levels in Norway's Tesse Lake recently receded and experts discovered four ancient fish traps installed 7000 years ago. Ancient Fish Traps in Tesse Lake A 7,000-year-old fish trap was discovered when a hiker observed a number of wooden poles dipped into the dry lakebed. According to a Cultural History Museum press release dated September, Reidar Marstein, a climber and amateur archaeologist, discovered the old traps in Tesse Lake last summer. The trap became momentarily visible when the lake's waters decreased. According to a press release, archaeologists did a preliminary examination of the site and assigned a 5000 BC age to one of the wooden planks that made up the trap. As the oldest fish traps in Norway and the oldest of its sort in northern Europe, these ruins date back to this time. Sharpened wooden poles were inserted into the lakebed to create the fish traps. The traps were situated in shallow water and probably resembled lollipop shapes, according to the Cultural History Museum. Archeological Secrets Hidden and Revealed by Water Levels A wooden fence was used to direct fish into the center of the circular trap chamber. The according to the museum, once inside, fishermen of that time could bring in their harvest from a boat or by wading into the chilly water. But before archaeologists could conduct last summer's excavations, the lake's rising water levels flooded the Stone Age traps. According to the Cultural History Museum, the water levels in Tesse Lake, which is located approximately 180 miles northwest of Oslo, change seasonally. The lake is emptied in the early summer to generate electricity, then when the snow cover melts, it fills back up. Undaunted, the archaeologists waited patiently for the water to dry up. According to the museum, the initial fish trap excavations started on June 4 and went on as long as the low water levels permitted. Also Read: Ancient Stones Menhirs From 7000 Years Ago Bulldozed in France for DIY Store, Locals Cry Foul Reverse Engineering an Ancient Fish Trap Four fish traps have been discovered, and one has been entirely excavated, according to a June 21 statement from the museum. More than 50 remarkably well-preserved wooden poles were discovered. The poles were hammered into the seafloor with considerable power, according to Axel Mjaerum, the archaeologist in charge of the dig. The tips of the pointy ends have a small amount of damage. According to the museum, items that were buried between the trap's poles and tightened the chamber so that fish couldn't escape were also found. Stone Age village remnants have previously been discovered during excavations at Tesse Lake, according to Science in Norway. To hunt reindeer, Stone Age people traveled to the highlands. The Innlandet County Municipality's glacial archaeologists who worked on Secrets of the Ice have discovered several remnants of widespread reindeer hunting spanning many centuries. The age of the arrowheads increases with the age of the melting ice. Mjaerum argues that fishing activities in the area may have also served as a steady source of sustenance, Yahoo News reports. Related Article: Remnant of Ancient Lake Puts Pressure on San Andreas Fault, Might Trigger Major Earthquakes LACHIN, Azerbaijan, June 24. The pace of restoration work in Azerbaijans Lachin district is impressive, Hungarian journalist Attila Szavai, who visited Lachin as part of representatives of the diplomatic corps, told reporters, Trend reports. This is my first visit to Azerbaijans Lachin district, Szavai said. "I was also lucky enough to visit Shusha. I really hope that the internally displaced persons will be able to return to their homes in the future," he added. He noted that he visited Karabakh in 1992, two weeks before the tragic events in Khojaly [the mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces]. "I have seen many refugees and victims as a result of the brutal treatment of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenians, as I reported to Hungarian and international media. It was terrible to see all this. Now I am glad that this story is over, and the people who were forced to leave Karabakh many years ago are returning to a prosperous region," he said. Until August 31, the Icelandic Minister of Food has temporarily banned fin whaling. Fin Whaling Ban Until Aug 31 When addressing the fin whaling restriction until August 31 at the meeting of the Union of Akranes with Svandis Svavarsdottir, the Minister of Food, tensions were high. Svavarsdottir responded to those there and steadfastly stuck by her choice. The employees of Hvalur hf., an Icelandic whaling company, and holding firm, were not the target of Svavarsdottir's decision, she insisted. However, based on a team of experts' investigation, portrayed a dire image of Iceland's fin whaling scenario. She said that facts, not "opinion," had guided her choice. At the opening of the meeting, Vilhjalmur Birgisson, the Union manager, had some choice words for Svavarsdottir, saying that her decision affected many people who would be losing 1.2 billion ISK in wages. This is in addition to wage-related taxes to be paid to the government. The minister could hardly speak at the meeting without receiving jeers from the audience. He asserted that Hvalur hf was definite. would file a lawsuit against the government over this prohibition, with the result being that the ban was not implemented in a way that was required by the law of the nation. The conference was attended by between 300 and 400 individuals, and today there are further meetings on the subject scheduled, Iceland Monitor reports. Fin Whaling in Iceland Iceland, one of the few nations that currently permit commercial whaling, restarted fin whale hunting in 2006 after a 1986 whaling ban was lifted and has done so every year since. Iceland now only has one active whaling operation, and its hunting permit will run out in 2023. 2020 saw the closure of another whaling firm owing to the industry's declining profitability. The whaling season in Iceland typically lasts from mid-June to mid-September, but as it has been suspended until the 31st of August, it is most likely over for this year. Currently, quotas permit Iceland to shoot 217 minke whales yearly in addition to 209 fin whales. However, due to declining demand for whale flesh, catches have substantially decreased recently, and disapproval of the practice has grown - including inside Iceland itself. Although Iceland has historically relied on fishing and whaling, 51% of Icelanders are currently against whaling, Oceanographic reports. Also Read: Whale Meat for Sale in Japan: Hunters Justify Serving It in Restos As a Way to Control Mammal Population Fin Whales and Minke Whales Both fin and minke whales are hunted by Icelandic whalers in their territorial seas. The majority of minke whale meat was supplied to visitors until outreach activities by WDC and others significantly reduced demand. In contrast, almost all fin whale meat and its derivatives are sent to Japan. Because of the pandemic and other demand-related reasons, neither fin nor minke whaling occurred in 2019 or 2020, nor was there any fin whaling in 2021, however, one minke whale was killed in that year. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the hunt for fin whales restarted in June 2022, and over the course of the following months, whalers from Hvalur hf., Iceland's only fin whaling business, killed a total of 148 whales. Related Article: Faroe Islands Hunt 'Grindadrap' Continues with Bloody Shores from Over 500 Dolphins Slaughtered ET, the world's oldest African penguin, died at the Richmond Metro Zoo last weekend, according to the zoo's announcement on Thursday, June 22. In a news release, Richmond Zoo officials said the animal died from "natural causes" on Saturday, June 17. There was no indication that the penguin suffered from any kind of serious disease prior to its death. Officially known as the 'Metro Richmond Zoo' located in Virginia, ET the penguin was sheltered under the case of the zoo from 1995 to 2023 until she died at the age of 43 years old. The bird is reportedly known for having a "saucy personality," according to USA Today. Being the oldest of her species, ET exceeded the average lifespan of her counterparts who live only between 15 and 20 years. ET The Penguin Death The Metro Richmond Zoo on Thursday reported the passing of ET, who they described to pass in a peaceful manner last weekend. The zoo described the African penguin's life to be "extraordinary long" and happy, specifying she lived 43 years 4 months, and 20 days, according to the news release. The first instance the Metro Richmond Zoo noticed strange about ET is when her caretaker in the evening call her for feeding but did not respond or came over, despite acting normally during her morning feed on June 17, the USA Today reported. The zoo sent ET to a temporary vet clinic, where it became evident that she was already dying. It was reported that the penguin developed arthritis and caused her one eye to be impaired. Her last breath took place in the arms of Jessica Gring, one of her zookeepers, the U.S. media outlet said. Prior to her arrival at the Metro Richmond Zoo, ET was born at the Detroit Zoo on January 28, 1980. She was given her name in 1982 after being transferred to the Columbus Zoo. Also Read: Three Endangered African Penguin at Arizona Aquarium Give Hope for Conservation Efforts Against Species Population Decline What are African Penguins? The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also called Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a penguin species native to the waters of southern Africa. One of the most notable features of S. demersus is its "patch of bare skin above each eye," according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. This bare skin allows them to adjust with the high temperatures in the region. Being the only penguin species in Africa, they are far from their other penguin counterparts in the world such as the Humboldt penguins and Magellanic penguins of South America, as well as the emperor penguins of Antarctica. Regardless, the Cape penguins are believed to be the first penguin species discovered by humans. Such discovery can be traced back in 1497 when a Portuguese voyage to India led by Vasco de Gama documented their first sightings of the South African penguins along the southern coasts of the Africa continent, according to SeaWorld. Related Article: Throwback: Dindim the Penguin Travels 5,000 Miles Every Year to Visit His Rescuer in Brazil The environmental circumstances that the tree endured each year may be seen in tree rings that can be easily seen on stumps. However, scientists have long developed an alternative technique that allows them to read these circumstances and taking samples without having to chop down trees to the stump. Tree Rings: Archived by Nature Each year, a new, distinctive circle of dead wood is formed around the trunk of trees. As trees mature, they generate fresh, distinct rings that radiate outward from the center. According to the New York Times, one may discover statistics on that year's precipitation, temperature, and other factors in that ring. The top of tree stumps has a bullseye-shaped pattern of rings. Most people are aware that by counting the rings, the age of a tree can be determined. However, the cross-section of a tree trunk reveals additional details too other than its age, says National Park Service. Dendrochronology The study of information gathered from tree ring growth is called dendrochronology. Experts can come from a wide range of academic areas because of how broadly and variedly this data is applied. Dendrochronology has no degrees since, despite its general applicability, the methodology is very constrained. Most people who research tree rings often come from one of several fields, including dendrology, chemistry, archeology, and climate science. Management and protection of forests are also included in dendrology. Dendrologists study all facets of trees as scientists who study trees. They can learn about the current local climate through tree rings. Because some of the materials used in these professions' study projects need to be dated, dendrochronology is also useful to art historians, medieval studies graduates, classicists, ancient, and historians. A bachelor's degree in any of the aforementioned fields is typically sufficient to analyze the data produced by dendrochronology, according to EnvironmentalScience.org. Also Read: Forest Thinning, Cutting Down Trees Could Ease Wildfires in US, Officials Say Sample Without Cutting Trees Ecologists who study tree rings take a small "tree core" sample from each living tree using a device with a pencil-sized cutting tube called an incremental borer. The effect on the tree is comparable to routine insect activity and a human medical biopsy. Every year of a tree's existence is represented by a pattern of thin and broad rings in the cylindrical core of the tree. Analyzing a tree core's patterns is similar to reading a history book from a certain era. We may determine whether a tree was prospering or struggling based on the breadth, color, and pattern of its tree rings. Because the tree can grow more than it would have been able to in a dryer year, a particularly rainy year could result in wider rings. A wildfire can be detected by a blackened scar, while an insect infestation may be indicated by various signs. Tree rings may link a tree to certain historical events in addition to revealing environmental pressures. By matching the patterns that evolved at the same time, tree cores from two separate trees may be joined to produce a longer timeline, National Park Service says. Related Article: Maple Trees In Oregon's Willamette Park Being Illegally Logged Burl by Burl WROCLAW, POLAND, June 24. Azerbaijan women's shooting team has performed in qualifying at III European Games, Trend reports. In the skete (trap shooting) Regina Meftahaddinova hit 70 out of 75 targets, and Nurlana Jafarova - 67 out of 75 targets. On June 25, on the second day of qualifying, the competition will continue in two more rounds. Athletes who take the first eight places will qualify for the final. The national team consisting of Narmina Samadova, Nigar Nasirova and Nazrin Abbasli performed at shooting from a pneumatic pistol at a distance of 10 m. With 826 points, the team was eliminated from the competition. About 7,000 athletes from 48 countries take part in the third European Games, which will last until July 2. Azerbaijan is represented at the tournament by 86 athletes in 13 sports. The first ever European Games were held in 2015 in Baku and the second in 2019 in Minsk. The Azerbaijani national team took second place at Baku-2015 and 10th at Minsk-2019, winning a total of 84 medals: 26 gold, 25 silver, and 33 bronze. Archita Raghu By Express News Service CHENNAI: In times of catastrophes and crises, art carves out a space to document struggles and create an archive. As Sri Lanka descended into an economic crisis after 2019, citizens took to the streets to demand their rights, simmering with rage. Among them, four artistes Parilojithan Ramanathan, Nayanahari Abeynayake, Pirainila Krishnarajah, and Riyal Raffai picked up their lenses to capture the results and reactions. From frames of five km-long lines of people waiting for petrol in Colombo, to fishermen of Jaffna struggling for necessities, these photos show how lives changed during the upheaval. Months later, these photos adorned the white walls at The Peoples Voice is Louder exhibition organised by Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB) and Goethe Institut. The poignant frame of people holding a sign Stop Killing Us! Fix the System greets visitors. As Varun Gupta, director of CPB, explains, the photos capture the wild energy and extreme moment of the protest and graffiti and medium of text play an important role in them. Political instability, the 2019 bomb blasts, and the lockdown led to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, says Parilojithan. People had to stand in line to get gas, petrol and everything. Everyone realised we have to change the system and started protesting massively. We had never experienced this in history, it was like everyone coming together to fight for their rights beyond caste, age, and religion, he says, recalling a woman giving birth in one of these long lines. Even now the precarity continues with the government raising petrol prices by Rs 35 per litre, he adds. Of movements and messages In the heart of Sri Lanka, artists, and citizens created an epicentre for protest, Gotagogama, marked with graffiti and stage dramas to educate the masses. Through the 100-plus days of protest, Lojithan mentions he was constantly on the move, from his job as an art teacher at a school to makeshift tents at the site, and back home. Speaking about people coming together, Parilojithan says, They started to come onto the streets to fight for their rights. During Ramadan, Muslims and Tamil people started to organise food and broke their fast. (It was the same) even for Tamils, who followed some rituals, during the protest period. While Parilojithan and Nayanaharis black-and-white series captured masked agitators and their slogans (like We dont want Gota and No one is free until we all are), Riyals photos in colour focus on military personnel dispersing protests. Pirainilas images focus on the northern province and the outcome of the crisis on the already vulnerable 2,300 fisher families. Her viewfinder, filled with empathy, shows a man carrying diesel to a boat, a woman cooking the non-staple egg and vegetables, and photos of Jesus looking over a seated old man. Risk in documentation As governments threaten a crackdown on images and arrest journalists, documenting these protests comes with a risk. In a 12-minute video clip, Riyal can be seen attempting to escape from the military as they sprayed tear gas or when a man tried to physically assault him with a pole. Some days I thought I was going to die, he says in the video. As Parilojithan explains, a major challenge that remains is displaying these in Sri Lanka. Director of the Goethe Institut, Katarina Gorgen, says the exhibition hopes to create awareness of a crisis happening a few miles away from Tamil Nadu, and was named in a hopeful spirit. (What was happening) was out of sight and out of mind. We consciously chose not to look at material as dated or archival because you dont end a crisis of that magnitude within a year. She tells CE, Everyone feels it is over but it is not. By showing this movement and how massive it was, we can contribute to the discussion of our neighbours. As the crisis rages on, the artistes continue picking up their cameras to document the uncertainties. CHENNAI: In times of catastrophes and crises, art carves out a space to document struggles and create an archive. As Sri Lanka descended into an economic crisis after 2019, citizens took to the streets to demand their rights, simmering with rage. Among them, four artistes Parilojithan Ramanathan, Nayanahari Abeynayake, Pirainila Krishnarajah, and Riyal Raffai picked up their lenses to capture the results and reactions. From frames of five km-long lines of people waiting for petrol in Colombo, to fishermen of Jaffna struggling for necessities, these photos show how lives changed during the upheaval. Months later, these photos adorned the white walls at The Peoples Voice is Louder exhibition organised by Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB) and Goethe Institut. The poignant frame of people holding a sign Stop Killing Us! Fix the System greets visitors. As Varun Gupta, director of CPB, explains, the photos capture the wild energy and extreme moment of the protest and graffiti and medium of text play an important role in them. Political instability, the 2019 bomb blasts, and the lockdown led to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, says Parilojithan. People had to stand in line to get gas, petrol and everything. Everyone realised we have to change the system and started protesting massively. We had never experienced this in history, it was like everyone coming together to fight for their rights beyond caste, age, and religion, he says, recalling a woman giving birth in one of these long lines. Even now the precarity continues with the government raising petrol prices by Rs 35 per litre, he adds.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Of movements and messages In the heart of Sri Lanka, artists, and citizens created an epicentre for protest, Gotagogama, marked with graffiti and stage dramas to educate the masses. Through the 100-plus days of protest, Lojithan mentions he was constantly on the move, from his job as an art teacher at a school to makeshift tents at the site, and back home. Speaking about people coming together, Parilojithan says, They started to come onto the streets to fight for their rights. During Ramadan, Muslims and Tamil people started to organise food and broke their fast. (It was the same) even for Tamils, who followed some rituals, during the protest period. While Parilojithan and Nayanaharis black-and-white series captured masked agitators and their slogans (like We dont want Gota and No one is free until we all are), Riyals photos in colour focus on military personnel dispersing protests. Pirainilas images focus on the northern province and the outcome of the crisis on the already vulnerable 2,300 fisher families. Her viewfinder, filled with empathy, shows a man carrying diesel to a boat, a woman cooking the non-staple egg and vegetables, and photos of Jesus looking over a seated old man. Risk in documentation As governments threaten a crackdown on images and arrest journalists, documenting these protests comes with a risk. In a 12-minute video clip, Riyal can be seen attempting to escape from the military as they sprayed tear gas or when a man tried to physically assault him with a pole. Some days I thought I was going to die, he says in the video. As Parilojithan explains, a major challenge that remains is displaying these in Sri Lanka. Director of the Goethe Institut, Katarina Gorgen, says the exhibition hopes to create awareness of a crisis happening a few miles away from Tamil Nadu, and was named in a hopeful spirit. (What was happening) was out of sight and out of mind. We consciously chose not to look at material as dated or archival because you dont end a crisis of that magnitude within a year. She tells CE, Everyone feels it is over but it is not. By showing this movement and how massive it was, we can contribute to the discussion of our neighbours. As the crisis rages on, the artistes continue picking up their cameras to document the uncertainties. Shalini Chandran By Online Desk When the Kochi Metro project took off with much fanfare in 2017, the media was agog with reports of the project throwing open the doors of opportunity for trans persons by offering them jobs. In fact, Kerala credits itself as the first Indian state to introduce such a policy for transgender people. These jobs offered by Kudumbashree for the upkeep of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) were on a contractual basis. Still, it seemed to be a harbinger of good fortune, a leap-of-faith moment for the trans community, one of the most discriminated against in India. Reality, sadly, was to prove grim. The rapid transit company might have been the first government-owned entity in India to offer jobs (outsourced) for trans persons. But, out of the 21 trans people who joined KMRL at the time, only seven remain. The reasons for others falling by the wayside are many. Their Metro tale The daily wage paid to a housekeeper and ticket counter staff member was Rs 359 and Rs 388 respectively, after the deduction of PF and ESI. Every year, they were promised an increment of 5 percent. This has proven hardly enough as the trans persons have found it quite hard to find accommodations they can afford. They also have to deal with the burden of regular medical expenses. Although, at present, the salary has gone up to Rs 482 and Rs 520 respectively, life remains difficult. How it began The recruits were provided training in general knowledge, communication, and computer skills at Rajagiri College in Kalamassery, Kochi. They were then taken in as contractual employees under the Kudumbashree Mission (Kerala's poverty eradication and women empowerment programme). The hiring is handled by the Kudumbashree Mission. Those selected after training were posted to respective departments based on their educational qualifications. Their travails In the beginning, the Kudumbashree Mission arranged accommodation in Kakkanad. The place was difficult to access. With the limited frequency of city buses, the commute to and from Kakkanad to the different metro stations on a daily basis was tedious. "Many chose to opt out of the accommodations due to the difficulty in commuting from Kakkanad," said Regina, the Kudumbashree Mission coordinator at the Kochi Metro. It didn't help that there were no shelter homes in the city for the transgender community. Many don't have the support of their families as well. On most occasions, they are compelled to opt for accommodations that are beyond their means. "The cost of living in a city like Kochi plus the expenses for our hormone treatments left us drained every month. My salary was hardly enough to pay off the debts I had run up as a result. I borrowed from friends. Eventually, I quit my job at KMRL," said Faisal, an ex-employee of Kochi Metro. He was not alone. In fact, two others who joined KMRL (among the 21 others) quit in the very first week. One of them found the micro-aggression within KMRL unsettling. "I joined the Metro hoping to change my life for the better. Every month, I used to have around Rs 9000 in hand after all the pay cuts. But after paying for rent, food, and hormone treatments (which cost between Rs 2000-3000 every month), I was left with next to nothing," Faisal elaborated. Sweethy Bernad shared a different concern. "People were scared to be around me. They left when I walked into the room. I couldn't take it anymore. I left. Now, I work as a reporter with Jeevan TV. I am married and live a better life," she said. Another ex-employee, Amirtha also quit the job because she like Faisal didnt find the salary adequate. She later set up a small shop selling fruit juices in Kochi. With the help of Kudumbashree, she also puts up stalls when the self-help group conducts events across the city. Besides this, she also owns a farm where she rears lovebirds and rabbits. The employees who continue to work in the Kochi Metro remain contractual employees. "I have been working here for six years now. But I am still a contractual employee under Kudumbashree. I continue to work here in the hope that they would make me permanent one day," said Ragaranjini, a ticket counter staff at the Kochi Metro. Ragaranjini, a ticket counter staff at the Kochi Metro Having completed her M Com and Hotel Management courses, Ragaranjini worked as a General Manager at a hotel in Kanyakumari. Hotel management was her passion. But ever since she 'came out', she could no longer continue working there and had to quit the job. She couldn't return to Kerala either. "Back then, there was no visibility for people like us, in Kerala," she recounted. This was in 2010. Ragaranjini then moved to Coimbatore with her friends from the transgender community and underwent a gender reassignment surgery. Post-2014, a wave of change swept over Kerala. Soon, the Kochi Metro began recruiting people like her. A sociable person, Ragaranjini loves to work at the ticket counter of the Kochi Metro, where she gets an opportunity to meet hundreds of people every day. "There are some children who stare and ask their parents questions about me. That is okay, they are bound to ask, they are children," she says with a radiant smile. It is hugely to her credit. Six years on, there are still no accommodation facilities or shelter homes for people like her in the city. Cabs are provided now, but they are few in number. Kudumbashree again advertised job openings at the Kochi Metros ticketing counter and housekeeping departments for trans people recently. But, of the 20 people from the community who attended interviews for the same, none were promised a job. "We applied and went for the interview on June 8, 2023. But they didn't give a positive response to any of us. Some of us were even told our attire wasn't appropriate," says Sheeba (name changed), one of the applicants. Sheeba, an orphan who moved to the city eight years ago, is a sex worker. She used to work in the housekeeping department of a hotel for ten years until she revealed her gender identity and lost her job. Now, she does sex work because she has no choice. All she wants is a respectable job. She has been applying to the Kochi Metro for three years now. Each time she was rejected. In May 2023, Sheeba applied again. She was informed after her interview that she is 39 years old and the age limit for the job was 40. "They asked me if I have the strength to lift a bucket if I join the housekeeping department. I have ten years of experience in housekeeping. I am not old. Now what should I do? Continue being a sex worker for the rest of my life? I can't. Every night, I cry. I am ready to even sweep floors. All I am asking for is a respectable job," Sheeba said. ALSO READ | Liberal yet homophobic: Kerala far from being God's own country for the LGBTQI community There has been one positive development. The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has allocated funds in its latest budget to build a hostel for trans persons, a first in the state. "The objective of this hostel is to provide a safe haven for the transgender community in Kochi. The nitty-gritty of the hostel management will be handled by the Kudumbashree," confirmed K Chandran Pillai, GCDA Chairman. But the fear is this outsourcing model could leave Kudumbashree Mission overburdened. "Under Kudumbashree, we have other people also to take care of. If you ask me, as long as we don't keep the concerns of the transgender community separate from that of the other staff and address them, they won't be able to reap the benefits of any policy that's headed their way," Regina observed. It certainly is food for thought. When the Kochi Metro project took off with much fanfare in 2017, the media was agog with reports of the project throwing open the doors of opportunity for trans persons by offering them jobs. In fact, Kerala credits itself as the first Indian state to introduce such a policy for transgender people. These jobs offered by Kudumbashree for the upkeep of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) were on a contractual basis. Still, it seemed to be a harbinger of good fortune, a leap-of-faith moment for the trans community, one of the most discriminated against in India. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Reality, sadly, was to prove grim. The rapid transit company might have been the first government-owned entity in India to offer jobs (outsourced) for trans persons. But, out of the 21 trans people who joined KMRL at the time, only seven remain. The reasons for others falling by the wayside are many. Their Metro tale The daily wage paid to a housekeeper and ticket counter staff member was Rs 359 and Rs 388 respectively, after the deduction of PF and ESI. Every year, they were promised an increment of 5 percent. This has proven hardly enough as the trans persons have found it quite hard to find accommodations they can afford. They also have to deal with the burden of regular medical expenses. Although, at present, the salary has gone up to Rs 482 and Rs 520 respectively, life remains difficult. How it began The recruits were provided training in general knowledge, communication, and computer skills at Rajagiri College in Kalamassery, Kochi. They were then taken in as contractual employees under the Kudumbashree Mission (Kerala's poverty eradication and women empowerment programme). The hiring is handled by the Kudumbashree Mission. Those selected after training were posted to respective departments based on their educational qualifications. Their travails In the beginning, the Kudumbashree Mission arranged accommodation in Kakkanad. The place was difficult to access. With the limited frequency of city buses, the commute to and from Kakkanad to the different metro stations on a daily basis was tedious. "Many chose to opt out of the accommodations due to the difficulty in commuting from Kakkanad," said Regina, the Kudumbashree Mission coordinator at the Kochi Metro. It didn't help that there were no shelter homes in the city for the transgender community. Many don't have the support of their families as well. On most occasions, they are compelled to opt for accommodations that are beyond their means. "The cost of living in a city like Kochi plus the expenses for our hormone treatments left us drained every month. My salary was hardly enough to pay off the debts I had run up as a result. I borrowed from friends. Eventually, I quit my job at KMRL," said Faisal, an ex-employee of Kochi Metro. He was not alone. In fact, two others who joined KMRL (among the 21 others) quit in the very first week. One of them found the micro-aggression within KMRL unsettling. "I joined the Metro hoping to change my life for the better. Every month, I used to have around Rs 9000 in hand after all the pay cuts. But after paying for rent, food, and hormone treatments (which cost between Rs 2000-3000 every month), I was left with next to nothing," Faisal elaborated. Sweethy Bernad shared a different concern. "People were scared to be around me. They left when I walked into the room. I couldn't take it anymore. I left. Now, I work as a reporter with Jeevan TV. I am married and live a better life," she said. Another ex-employee, Amirtha also quit the job because she like Faisal didnt find the salary adequate. She later set up a small shop selling fruit juices in Kochi. With the help of Kudumbashree, she also puts up stalls when the self-help group conducts events across the city. Besides this, she also owns a farm where she rears lovebirds and rabbits. The employees who continue to work in the Kochi Metro remain contractual employees. "I have been working here for six years now. But I am still a contractual employee under Kudumbashree. I continue to work here in the hope that they would make me permanent one day," said Ragaranjini, a ticket counter staff at the Kochi Metro. Ragaranjini, a ticket counter staff at the Kochi Metro Having completed her M Com and Hotel Management courses, Ragaranjini worked as a General Manager at a hotel in Kanyakumari. Hotel management was her passion. But ever since she 'came out', she could no longer continue working there and had to quit the job. She couldn't return to Kerala either. "Back then, there was no visibility for people like us, in Kerala," she recounted. This was in 2010. Ragaranjini then moved to Coimbatore with her friends from the transgender community and underwent a gender reassignment surgery. Post-2014, a wave of change swept over Kerala. Soon, the Kochi Metro began recruiting people like her. A sociable person, Ragaranjini loves to work at the ticket counter of the Kochi Metro, where she gets an opportunity to meet hundreds of people every day. "There are some children who stare and ask their parents questions about me. That is okay, they are bound to ask, they are children," she says with a radiant smile. It is hugely to her credit. Six years on, there are still no accommodation facilities or shelter homes for people like her in the city. Cabs are provided now, but they are few in number. Kudumbashree again advertised job openings at the Kochi Metros ticketing counter and housekeeping departments for trans people recently. But, of the 20 people from the community who attended interviews for the same, none were promised a job. "We applied and went for the interview on June 8, 2023. But they didn't give a positive response to any of us. Some of us were even told our attire wasn't appropriate," says Sheeba (name changed), one of the applicants. Sheeba, an orphan who moved to the city eight years ago, is a sex worker. She used to work in the housekeeping department of a hotel for ten years until she revealed her gender identity and lost her job. Now, she does sex work because she has no choice. All she wants is a respectable job. She has been applying to the Kochi Metro for three years now. Each time she was rejected. In May 2023, Sheeba applied again. She was informed after her interview that she is 39 years old and the age limit for the job was 40. "They asked me if I have the strength to lift a bucket if I join the housekeeping department. I have ten years of experience in housekeeping. I am not old. Now what should I do? Continue being a sex worker for the rest of my life? I can't. Every night, I cry. I am ready to even sweep floors. All I am asking for is a respectable job," Sheeba said. ALSO READ | Liberal yet homophobic: Kerala far from being God's own country for the LGBTQI community There has been one positive development. The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has allocated funds in its latest budget to build a hostel for trans persons, a first in the state. "The objective of this hostel is to provide a safe haven for the transgender community in Kochi. The nitty-gritty of the hostel management will be handled by the Kudumbashree," confirmed K Chandran Pillai, GCDA Chairman. But the fear is this outsourcing model could leave Kudumbashree Mission overburdened. "Under Kudumbashree, we have other people also to take care of. If you ask me, as long as we don't keep the concerns of the transgender community separate from that of the other staff and address them, they won't be able to reap the benefits of any policy that's headed their way," Regina observed. It certainly is food for thought. By PTI KISHANGANJ: Barely three weeks after an under-construction bridge over the Ganga collapsed in Bihar's Khagaria district, a portion of another bridge in Kishanganj district caved in on Saturday, an official said. In the incident, which took place around 400 km from the state capital Patna, a pillar of the bridge over river Mechi collapsed, said Arvind Kumar, project director of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). "The under-construction bridge on NH-327E would have linked Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion," the official said. Claiming that nobody was injured in the accident, the official said, "a five-member team" of experts has been constituted to investigate the cause. "Prima facie it seems to be an instance of human error during the piling process," the official said. #WATCH | Pillar of an under-construction bridge on Mechi River which connects Katihar and Kishanganj districts in Bihar, caves in near Gori village on NH-327E. pic.twitter.com/VsYAP9xnl7 ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The state government, meanwhile, clarified that the structure was part of a central project and that the authority to take action rested with the NHAI. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who holds the road construction portfolio, said, "The bridge is being constructed by the NHAI as part of the Centre's Bharat Mala project. It has nothing to do with the Bihar government. It is the NHAI which is empowered to reward or punish officials or agencies concerned," Yadav added. On June 4, an under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, collapsed. The incident, which claimed the life of a security guard, had evoked a huge outcry since despite an initial deadline of November 2019, it remained incomplete. The Bihar Engineering Services Association had expressed concern and stressed the need for a "structural audit" of all bridges, complete as well as under construction, in the state. KISHANGANJ: Barely three weeks after an under-construction bridge over the Ganga collapsed in Bihar's Khagaria district, a portion of another bridge in Kishanganj district caved in on Saturday, an official said. In the incident, which took place around 400 km from the state capital Patna, a pillar of the bridge over river Mechi collapsed, said Arvind Kumar, project director of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). "The under-construction bridge on NH-327E would have linked Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion," the official said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Claiming that nobody was injured in the accident, the official said, "a five-member team" of experts has been constituted to investigate the cause. "Prima facie it seems to be an instance of human error during the piling process," the official said. #WATCH | Pillar of an under-construction bridge on Mechi River which connects Katihar and Kishanganj districts in Bihar, caves in near Gori village on NH-327E. pic.twitter.com/VsYAP9xnl7 ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The state government, meanwhile, clarified that the structure was part of a central project and that the authority to take action rested with the NHAI. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who holds the road construction portfolio, said, "The bridge is being constructed by the NHAI as part of the Centre's Bharat Mala project. It has nothing to do with the Bihar government. It is the NHAI which is empowered to reward or punish officials or agencies concerned," Yadav added. On June 4, an under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, collapsed. The incident, which claimed the life of a security guard, had evoked a huge outcry since despite an initial deadline of November 2019, it remained incomplete. The Bihar Engineering Services Association had expressed concern and stressed the need for a "structural audit" of all bridges, complete as well as under construction, in the state. By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: A Punjab-based immigration agent Brijesh Mishra has been arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on charges of immigration-related offences. He is accused of duping over 700 Indian students who went to Canada to study by preparing fake college admission offer letters. Brijesh Mishra owns an immigration agency called EMSA in Jalandhar. He went missing just shortly before the scam came to light. The students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. The CBSA issued notices to them in 2021 as the agency said that the letter were fake. Brijesh Mishra was arrested while he was trying to enter the country. He is being held by the Canadian authorities in British Columbia. Since he has been criminally charged, his custody has been transferred from the Canada Border Services Agency to law enforcement agency. These developments comes in the wake of the recent announcement by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, who pledged to halt the pending deportations of international Indian students who claim to have been duped by Mishra and other unscrupulous agents. The affected students allege that their admission letters were tampered with, and they only discovered the issue when flagged by border officials during their postgraduate work permit or permanent residence application processes as they were deceived by Mishra and other unscrupulous agents. CHANDIGARH: A Punjab-based immigration agent Brijesh Mishra has been arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on charges of immigration-related offences. He is accused of duping over 700 Indian students who went to Canada to study by preparing fake college admission offer letters. Brijesh Mishra owns an immigration agency called EMSA in Jalandhar. He went missing just shortly before the scam came to light. The students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. The CBSA issued notices to them in 2021 as the agency said that the letter were fake.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Brijesh Mishra was arrested while he was trying to enter the country. He is being held by the Canadian authorities in British Columbia. Since he has been criminally charged, his custody has been transferred from the Canada Border Services Agency to law enforcement agency. These developments comes in the wake of the recent announcement by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, who pledged to halt the pending deportations of international Indian students who claim to have been duped by Mishra and other unscrupulous agents. The affected students allege that their admission letters were tampered with, and they only discovered the issue when flagged by border officials during their postgraduate work permit or permanent residence application processes as they were deceived by Mishra and other unscrupulous agents. Sudhir Suryawanshi By Express News Service MUMBAI: An erratic monsoon has badly hampered sowing in Maharashtra. Government sources said as of now, only 1.09% of the total cultivable area has been sown in the state. The state government has advised farmers that they should not start sowing unless there is satisfactory rainfall. It said that sowing has been delayed due to the staggering monsoon. According to the state agriculture department data, in the Kharif season, 142 lakh hectares, excluding sugarcane land, has to be sown, but out of it, only 1.66 lakh hectare was sown till June 16, which is a mere 1.09% of the total cultivable area. Last year around the same time, 13, a total of 1.44 lakh hectare was reported to be sown in the state. The data stated that this year there is 13.3% rainfall (average 110.7 mm rainfall) between June 1 and 16 against 36.9% rainfall last year in the same period. Out of 335 tehsils, 297 received 0 to 25% rainfall while 50 tehsils received 25-to-50% rainfall and 8 tehsils got 50% to 75% rainfall. In some parts of the states irrigated land, cotton, rice, and corn sowing has started, but farmers have yet to start the sowing on non-irrigated land. Farmers are engaged in pre-monsoon work, stated a government report. In the Konkan region, paddy plantations take place early, but this year, the erratic monsoon has delayed that plantation. In Palghar district, the average paddy cultivation land is 7664.42 hectares, out of it, only 473.13 hectares land that is 6.17 % have been cultivated with paddy crops so far against 1,400 hectares last year in the same period. A senior government official said officials are compiling data that will be presented to the cabinet meeting. We are in the last days of the third week of June and there has been no rain. The next weeks data will give more clarity on how much land has been cultivated in comparison with the previous year. The situation is grim, said the official. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not call the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Sources said a communication gap between him and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis is widening and that has been hampering the administrations decisions. Key meetings due this week are a casualty of it, said the source. Rainfall dips, plantation delayed Govt data shows this year, only 13.3% rainfall was registered between June 1 and 16 against 36.9% rainfall last year in the same period In Palghar dist, the average paddy cultivation area is 7664.42 HA, out of it, only 473.13 hectares which is 6.17% have been cultivated with paddy crops so far. last year in the same period against 1,400 hectares Out of 335 tehsils, 297 received 0 to 25% rainfall while 50 tehsils received 25-to-50% rainfall and eight tehsils got 50% to 75% rainfall In Konkan region, paddy plantation takes place early, but this year, the erratic monsoon has delayed that plantation MUMBAI: An erratic monsoon has badly hampered sowing in Maharashtra. Government sources said as of now, only 1.09% of the total cultivable area has been sown in the state. The state government has advised farmers that they should not start sowing unless there is satisfactory rainfall. It said that sowing has been delayed due to the staggering monsoon. According to the state agriculture department data, in the Kharif season, 142 lakh hectares, excluding sugarcane land, has to be sown, but out of it, only 1.66 lakh hectare was sown till June 16, which is a mere 1.09% of the total cultivable area. Last year around the same time, 13, a total of 1.44 lakh hectare was reported to be sown in the state.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The data stated that this year there is 13.3% rainfall (average 110.7 mm rainfall) between June 1 and 16 against 36.9% rainfall last year in the same period. Out of 335 tehsils, 297 received 0 to 25% rainfall while 50 tehsils received 25-to-50% rainfall and 8 tehsils got 50% to 75% rainfall. In some parts of the states irrigated land, cotton, rice, and corn sowing has started, but farmers have yet to start the sowing on non-irrigated land. Farmers are engaged in pre-monsoon work, stated a government report. In the Konkan region, paddy plantations take place early, but this year, the erratic monsoon has delayed that plantation. In Palghar district, the average paddy cultivation land is 7664.42 hectares, out of it, only 473.13 hectares land that is 6.17 % have been cultivated with paddy crops so far against 1,400 hectares last year in the same period. A senior government official said officials are compiling data that will be presented to the cabinet meeting. We are in the last days of the third week of June and there has been no rain. The next weeks data will give more clarity on how much land has been cultivated in comparison with the previous year. The situation is grim, said the official. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not call the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Sources said a communication gap between him and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis is widening and that has been hampering the administrations decisions. Key meetings due this week are a casualty of it, said the source. Rainfall dips, plantation delayed Govt data shows this year, only 13.3% rainfall was registered between June 1 and 16 against 36.9% rainfall last year in the same period In Palghar dist, the average paddy cultivation area is 7664.42 HA, out of it, only 473.13 hectares which is 6.17% have been cultivated with paddy crops so far. last year in the same period against 1,400 hectares Out of 335 tehsils, 297 received 0 to 25% rainfall while 50 tehsils received 25-to-50% rainfall and eight tehsils got 50% to 75% rainfall In Konkan region, paddy plantation takes place early, but this year, the erratic monsoon has delayed that plantation Yeshi Seli By Express News Service WASHINGTON: India, US partnership is amongst the most consequential in the world, that is stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history, said US President Joe Biden. "PM Modi and I have met many times over the past few years, most recently in Hiroshima at the G7 Summit. And each time, I was struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Together, were unlocking a shared future of what I believe to be unlimited potential, President Biden said before he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint press conference in Washington DC on Thursday. President Biden said that the two countries were collaborating on nearly every human endeavour. Economic ties between the two nations have doubled over the past decade to more than $191 billion supporting many jobs in the US. Meanwhile, responding to a question by a Wall Street Journal journalist, alleging human rights violations by targeting religious minorities and upholding freedom of speech, PM Modi said that India was a democracy and its constitution is made and the entire country runs on that our constitution and government. "We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. Theres absolutely no space for discrimination. And when you talk of democracy, if there are no human values and there is no humanity, there are no human rights, then its not a democracy, said PM Modi. Talking about climate change, as it's an existential threat to humanity, President Biden said that the US had made enormous progress as they had moved towards renewables. Meanwhile, PM Modi said that for India climate is an article of faith and Indians do not believe in the exploitation of nature. "On the basis of these values, we are not only doing things for ourselves but are taking some global initiatives, as well. India has fulfilled all promises we made in Paris. Not just that, in the area of solar energy, in Glasgow, we had set ourselves a target to achieve 500 gigawatts of renewable energy. By 2030, we have set ourselves a target to make Indian railways net zero, said PM Modi. WASHINGTON: India, US partnership is amongst the most consequential in the world, that is stronger, closer and more dynamic than at any time in history, said US President Joe Biden. "PM Modi and I have met many times over the past few years, most recently in Hiroshima at the G7 Summit. And each time, I was struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Together, were unlocking a shared future of what I believe to be unlimited potential, President Biden said before he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint press conference in Washington DC on Thursday. President Biden said that the two countries were collaborating on nearly every human endeavour. Economic ties between the two nations have doubled over the past decade to more than $191 billion supporting many jobs in the US.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Meanwhile, responding to a question by a Wall Street Journal journalist, alleging human rights violations by targeting religious minorities and upholding freedom of speech, PM Modi said that India was a democracy and its constitution is made and the entire country runs on that our constitution and government. "We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. Theres absolutely no space for discrimination. And when you talk of democracy, if there are no human values and there is no humanity, there are no human rights, then its not a democracy, said PM Modi. Talking about climate change, as it's an existential threat to humanity, President Biden said that the US had made enormous progress as they had moved towards renewables. Meanwhile, PM Modi said that for India climate is an article of faith and Indians do not believe in the exploitation of nature. "On the basis of these values, we are not only doing things for ourselves but are taking some global initiatives, as well. India has fulfilled all promises we made in Paris. Not just that, in the area of solar energy, in Glasgow, we had set ourselves a target to achieve 500 gigawatts of renewable energy. By 2030, we have set ourselves a target to make Indian railways net zero, said PM Modi. WROCLAW, POLAND, June 24. Azerbaijani boxer Murad Allahverdiyev reached the quarterfinals at the competitions of the III European Games held in Poland, Trend reports. The athlete, performing in the weight category up to 80 kg, met in the 1/16 finals with the representative of Germany, Kevin Schumann. The fight ended with the victory of M. Allahverdiev. The Azerbaijani boxer will fight in the quarterfinals on June 26. About 7,000 athletes from 48 countries take part in the III European Games, which will last until July 2. Azerbaijan is represented by 86 athletes in 13 sports. In 2015, the first ever European Games were held in Baku, and in 2019, Minsk hosted the second in a row. At these competitions, the Azerbaijani team won 84 medals. Our athletes have won 26 gold, 25 silver and 33 bronze medals. The country team took 2nd and 10th places in these competitions in the medal standings, respectively. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Space Dr Jitendra Singh claimed that India and USA are ready to break new ground in space exploration. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Singh said that after India joined the Artemis Accords, it can now participate in US-led space exploration programs. He said that the Artemis Accord was signed in 2020 by eight countries - Australia, UAE, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, the UK and the US. Now India has joined 26 other countries committed to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The credit for this goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took a series of path-breaking decisions. The minister said the accord will pave the way for the easing of restrictions on the import of critical technologies. He said that PM Modis visit to the USA had also made a way for joint Indo-US mission to the international space station in 2024. India will contribute to the International Space Station next year as part of the India-US collaboration in the space science field. ISRO is also likely to team up with NASA as it plans to return to the Moon with a manned mission in 2025, he said. He also said that now the advanced training of Indian astronauts would get support from NASA at one of its facilities. He said that India is capable of taking part in many other space missions with no technology denial and restriction by the US. Lauding ISRO's performances, he said the space research organisation had launched 385 foreign satellites from 34 countries on board PSLV generating huge revenues from commercial launches of foreign satellites. He also said that ISRO and NASA are realising a joint satellite mission called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) for earth science studies. NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Space Dr Jitendra Singh claimed that India and USA are ready to break new ground in space exploration. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Singh said that after India joined the Artemis Accords, it can now participate in US-led space exploration programs. He said that the Artemis Accord was signed in 2020 by eight countries - Australia, UAE, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, the UK and the US. Now India has joined 26 other countries committed to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The credit for this goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took a series of path-breaking decisions. The minister said the accord will pave the way for the easing of restrictions on the import of critical technologies. He said that PM Modis visit to the USA had also made a way for joint Indo-US mission to the international space station in 2024. India will contribute to the International Space Station next year as part of the India-US collaboration in the space science field. ISRO is also likely to team up with NASA as it plans to return to the Moon with a manned mission in 2025, he said. He also said that now the advanced training of Indian astronauts would get support from NASA at one of its facilities. He said that India is capable of taking part in many other space missions with no technology denial and restriction by the US. Lauding ISRO's performances, he said the space research organisation had launched 385 foreign satellites from 34 countries on board PSLV generating huge revenues from commercial launches of foreign satellites. He also said that ISRO and NASA are realising a joint satellite mission called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) for earth science studies. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Welcoming the resolve by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden to deepen the strategic partnership between Indian and American universities, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the ministry is working to set up Indo-US Global Challenge Institutes to further cement research ties between the two largest democracies. The recently launched India-US initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET) will usher in a new phase of partnership, given the vibrant talent pool in India and the US, particularly in new-age technologies and the synergistic Research and Development centres of excellence in our academic institutes, he said. The minister said a joint task force constituted with the Association of American Universities and top Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Sciences (IISc), has been in discussion in this regard. He said the ministry will work to set up the Indo-US Global Challenge Institutes to deepen research partnerships and people-to-people exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies. This formal partnership, with its complementary expertise and incorporation of industry collaboration and startup enablers, will facilitate free flow of ideas, student exchange and joint intellectual property rights. This academic partnership will help in developing solutions for a sustainable and secure future, Pradhan said. Terming it as a historic moment when two strong nations are joining hands in education and research, he said, it is bound to make a global impact in the coming years. PM Modi, who is on a state visit to the US, has said while the US has top-class educational institutions and advanced technologies, India is the worlds largest youth factory. The Prime Minister had also expressed his belief in the potential of the India-US partnership to become the driving force behind sustainable and inclusive global growth. A new academic partnership on anvil The education ministry will work to set up these institutes to deepn research partnerships and people-to-people exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies NEW DELHI: Welcoming the resolve by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden to deepen the strategic partnership between Indian and American universities, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the ministry is working to set up Indo-US Global Challenge Institutes to further cement research ties between the two largest democracies. The recently launched India-US initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET) will usher in a new phase of partnership, given the vibrant talent pool in India and the US, particularly in new-age technologies and the synergistic Research and Development centres of excellence in our academic institutes, he said. The minister said a joint task force constituted with the Association of American Universities and top Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Sciences (IISc), has been in discussion in this regard.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He said the ministry will work to set up the Indo-US Global Challenge Institutes to deepen research partnerships and people-to-people exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies. This formal partnership, with its complementary expertise and incorporation of industry collaboration and startup enablers, will facilitate free flow of ideas, student exchange and joint intellectual property rights. This academic partnership will help in developing solutions for a sustainable and secure future, Pradhan said. Terming it as a historic moment when two strong nations are joining hands in education and research, he said, it is bound to make a global impact in the coming years. PM Modi, who is on a state visit to the US, has said while the US has top-class educational institutions and advanced technologies, India is the worlds largest youth factory. The Prime Minister had also expressed his belief in the potential of the India-US partnership to become the driving force behind sustainable and inclusive global growth. A new academic partnership on anvil The education ministry will work to set up these institutes to deepn research partnerships and people-to-people exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and pandemic preparedness and emerging technologies Mukesh Ranjan By Express News Service RANCHI: In an unusual incident, a hospital assistant was made to take off his clothes at Divisional Rail Managers (DRMs) chamber in Dhanbad and go home half-naked for asking the DRMs wife to take off her sandals before entering the doctors chamber. Shocked by the incident, the hospital staff Basant Upadhyaya went into depression and was admitted to the Divisional Railway Hospital from where he was referred to Asarfi Hospital. The matter was highlighted on Friday after Upadhyaya was admitted to the hospital. According to other employees of the hospital, the Doctor has given strict instructions not to allow anybody into his chamber with shoes. DRMs wife had come to the hospital for a check up and the attendant on duty, Basant Upadhyaya, asked her to take off her sandals but she went inside the doctors chamber without removing her sandals. Later, the DRM told the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) to bring Basant Upadhyaya to his chamber and the CMS took him in his vehicle, said an employee of the hospital, Niwas Sao. The hospital staff have been given clear instructions by the doctor not to allow anybody inside his chamber with shoes, he added. Both the CMS and Upadhyaya went inside the DRMs chamber, where he was scolded badly by the DRM for stopping his wife from entering the doctors chamber. Not only that, Upadhyaya was also asked to take off his clothes and go home half naked from the DRMs office, said Niwas Rao. Basant Upadhyaya was shocked by this kind of treatment from the DRM for fulfilling his duty and went into depression, he added. Rao further informed that Upadhyaya was taken to the Divisional Railway Hospital but the doctors referred him to a private hospital in Dhanbad. Senior DCM Amresh Kumar, however, denied any such incident saying that the allegations made against the DRM are completely baseless. One of our group-D employees had misbehaved with the South Eastern Railways Womens Welfare Organization (SERWWO) President for which the DRM reprimanded him after calling him to his chamber. But, the allegations made by the staff, that he was asked to remove his clothes, are completely baseless, said the Senior DCM Amresh Kumar. The matter is being looked into, he added. The Senior DCM said that the incident took place on Thursday and the allegations are being made on Friday, stating that something is fishy. Angered by the incident, the hospital staff staged a protest before the hospital and hindered the OPD service for several hours demanding action against the DRM. Senior Railway officials reached the hospital and tried to pacify them, but they were not ready to call off the agitation. The hospital staff went back to work only after the CMS agreed to apologize for the incident. RANCHI: In an unusual incident, a hospital assistant was made to take off his clothes at Divisional Rail Managers (DRMs) chamber in Dhanbad and go home half-naked for asking the DRMs wife to take off her sandals before entering the doctors chamber. Shocked by the incident, the hospital staff Basant Upadhyaya went into depression and was admitted to the Divisional Railway Hospital from where he was referred to Asarfi Hospital. The matter was highlighted on Friday after Upadhyaya was admitted to the hospital.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); According to other employees of the hospital, the Doctor has given strict instructions not to allow anybody into his chamber with shoes. DRMs wife had come to the hospital for a check up and the attendant on duty, Basant Upadhyaya, asked her to take off her sandals but she went inside the doctors chamber without removing her sandals. Later, the DRM told the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) to bring Basant Upadhyaya to his chamber and the CMS took him in his vehicle, said an employee of the hospital, Niwas Sao. The hospital staff have been given clear instructions by the doctor not to allow anybody inside his chamber with shoes, he added. Both the CMS and Upadhyaya went inside the DRMs chamber, where he was scolded badly by the DRM for stopping his wife from entering the doctors chamber. Not only that, Upadhyaya was also asked to take off his clothes and go home half naked from the DRMs office, said Niwas Rao. Basant Upadhyaya was shocked by this kind of treatment from the DRM for fulfilling his duty and went into depression, he added. Rao further informed that Upadhyaya was taken to the Divisional Railway Hospital but the doctors referred him to a private hospital in Dhanbad. Senior DCM Amresh Kumar, however, denied any such incident saying that the allegations made against the DRM are completely baseless. One of our group-D employees had misbehaved with the South Eastern Railways Womens Welfare Organization (SERWWO) President for which the DRM reprimanded him after calling him to his chamber. But, the allegations made by the staff, that he was asked to remove his clothes, are completely baseless, said the Senior DCM Amresh Kumar. The matter is being looked into, he added. The Senior DCM said that the incident took place on Thursday and the allegations are being made on Friday, stating that something is fishy. Angered by the incident, the hospital staff staged a protest before the hospital and hindered the OPD service for several hours demanding action against the DRM. Senior Railway officials reached the hospital and tried to pacify them, but they were not ready to call off the agitation. The hospital staff went back to work only after the CMS agreed to apologize for the incident. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden state visit was marked by several major takeaways to boost cooperation in key areas including defence, space and trade. Some of the big ticket announcements are: Defence Joint production of fighter jet engines in India In a landmark pact, GE Aerospace inked an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Forces Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II -- Tejas. The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospaces F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this. The agreement will advance GE Aerospaces earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the LCA-Mk-II programme. Armed drones India and the US are expected to announce a mega deal on the purchase of General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" armed drones by India, a move which would further bolster India's national security and surveillance capabilities not only in the Indian Ocean but also along the frontier with China. The General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" can carry 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower in comparison to the earlier MQ-1 Predator. Space India and the US are collaborating to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024. India has also decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration, and NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond. Business Semiconductor manufacturing Prime Minister Modi invited American chip maker Micron Technology to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India as the country provides competitive advantages in various parts of the product's supply chain. He also invited Applied Materials to India for the development of process technology and advanced packaging capabilities. Modi also invited General Electric to play a greater role in the aviation and renewable energy sector in India. Diplomacy The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships. H-1B visa The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas, a significant decision that would help thousands of Indian professionals staying in America to continue with their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas. The much-sought-after H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden state visit was marked by several major takeaways to boost cooperation in key areas including defence, space and trade. Some of the big ticket announcements are: Defencegoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Joint production of fighter jet engines in India In a landmark pact, GE Aerospace inked an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Forces Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II -- Tejas. The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospaces F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this. The agreement will advance GE Aerospaces earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the LCA-Mk-II programme. Armed drones India and the US are expected to announce a mega deal on the purchase of General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" armed drones by India, a move which would further bolster India's national security and surveillance capabilities not only in the Indian Ocean but also along the frontier with China. The General Atomics MQ-9 "Reaper" can carry 500 per cent more payload and has nine times the horsepower in comparison to the earlier MQ-1 Predator. Space India and the US are collaborating to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024. India has also decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration, and NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond. Business Semiconductor manufacturing Prime Minister Modi invited American chip maker Micron Technology to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India as the country provides competitive advantages in various parts of the product's supply chain. He also invited Applied Materials to India for the development of process technology and advanced packaging capabilities. Modi also invited General Electric to play a greater role in the aviation and renewable energy sector in India. Diplomacy The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships. H-1B visa The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas, a significant decision that would help thousands of Indian professionals staying in America to continue with their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas. The much-sought-after H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called terrorism an enemy of humanity and said there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it, in his address to the US Congress. He made history by becoming the first Indian to address a joint session of the US Congress for the second time. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it, Modi told US lawmakers. He made a veiled attack on China, saying: The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. Known for his alliterations, Modi referred to the phenomenal growth in Artificial Intelligence technology, adding another AI America and India were emerging, drawing applause. His address drew about 15 standing ovations. A joint statement after Modis summit with US President Joe Biden said both sides will focus on measures to facilitate greater technology sharing, including co-production in semiconductors, 5G and 6G telecom, quantum and high-end computing. India and the US signed multiple pacts to push bilateral commerce, technology transfer, joint development of technologies in the area of semiconductors, 5G and 6G telecom and open source-based telecom network, quantum and high-performance computing etc. Both Modi and Biden emphasised the need to put in place a Trusted Network and Trusted Sources bilateral framework. ALSO READ| PM Modi meets the press at the White House, takes rare questions Very clearly, technology, particularly advanced technology, across all domains ranging from defence to space and energy is one of the most important substantive outcomes, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters. On the trade front, both sides agreed to end six trade disputes at the WTO. India also decided to remove retaliatory customs duties on 28 US products. At a joint press meet after the summit, Modi brushed aside a query on allegations of human rights violations in India. We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. Theres absolutely no space for discrimination... If there are no human rights, then its not a democracy, Modi said. ALSO READ| Biden and Modi meet Apple, Google CEOs and other executives as PM wraps state visit PMs remark on Kamala Harris draws applause Speaking about migration, the prime minister called the US a country that has embraced people from around the world. He said there were many with Indian roots in the US Congress. Then, looking back at US Vice President Kamala Harris, Modi, said There is one behind me, who has made history! drawing widespread applause. Modi, Biden toast ginger ale at WH dinner As both PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden dont drink alcohol, the two leaders raised the customary toast, holding glasses of ginger ale. The good news for both of us is we both dont drink, Biden joked and told Modi when theres no alcohol in the glass, it must be held with the left hand. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called terrorism an enemy of humanity and said there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it, in his address to the US Congress. He made history by becoming the first Indian to address a joint session of the US Congress for the second time. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it, Modi told US lawmakers. He made a veiled attack on China, saying: The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. Known for his alliterations, Modi referred to the phenomenal growth in Artificial Intelligence technology, adding another AI America and India were emerging, drawing applause. His address drew about 15 standing ovations.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); A joint statement after Modis summit with US President Joe Biden said both sides will focus on measures to facilitate greater technology sharing, including co-production in semiconductors, 5G and 6G telecom, quantum and high-end computing. India and the US signed multiple pacts to push bilateral commerce, technology transfer, joint development of technologies in the area of semiconductors, 5G and 6G telecom and open source-based telecom network, quantum and high-performance computing etc. Both Modi and Biden emphasised the need to put in place a Trusted Network and Trusted Sources bilateral framework. ALSO READ| PM Modi meets the press at the White House, takes rare questions Very clearly, technology, particularly advanced technology, across all domains ranging from defence to space and energy is one of the most important substantive outcomes, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters. On the trade front, both sides agreed to end six trade disputes at the WTO. India also decided to remove retaliatory customs duties on 28 US products. At a joint press meet after the summit, Modi brushed aside a query on allegations of human rights violations in India. We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, or gender. Theres absolutely no space for discrimination... If there are no human rights, then its not a democracy, Modi said. ALSO READ| Biden and Modi meet Apple, Google CEOs and other executives as PM wraps state visit PMs remark on Kamala Harris draws applause Speaking about migration, the prime minister called the US a country that has embraced people from around the world. He said there were many with Indian roots in the US Congress. Then, looking back at US Vice President Kamala Harris, Modi, said There is one behind me, who has made history! drawing widespread applause. Modi, Biden toast ginger ale at WH dinner As both PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden dont drink alcohol, the two leaders raised the customary toast, holding glasses of ginger ale. The good news for both of us is we both dont drink, Biden joked and told Modi when theres no alcohol in the glass, it must be held with the left hand. Fayaz Wani and Bijoy Pradhan By Express News Service SRINAGAR/BHUBANESWAR: Terming the Opposition meet in Patna as a photo session, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the unity is not possible and even if it materialises the BJP will still win more than 300 seats in the next general election and Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time. Addressing a public rally in Jammu, he said, Unlike Rs 12 lakh crore scam of the UPA government, there have been no allegations of corruption in the Modi government in the last nine years. Asserting that revocation of Article 370 has brought development and progress in J&K, Shah said, In 47 months since the abrogation of Article 370, there have been only 32 calls for shutdown, bandhs and stone-pelting have dropped by 90%. Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, Rahul baba has the habit of criticising, be it abrogation of Article 370, construction of Ram temple or ban on triple talaq. Meanwhile, BJP national president JP Nadda, addressing a rally at Kalahandi district in Odisha, termed the meeting of Opposition parties in Patna as a desperate attempt to gain power despite stark contradictions within their formulations. Taking a potshot at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nadda said that the leaders who once fought the Emergency tooth and nail are now welcoming them to their doorsteps in an attempt to gain power. SRINAGAR/BHUBANESWAR: Terming the Opposition meet in Patna as a photo session, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the unity is not possible and even if it materialises the BJP will still win more than 300 seats in the next general election and Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third time. Addressing a public rally in Jammu, he said, Unlike Rs 12 lakh crore scam of the UPA government, there have been no allegations of corruption in the Modi government in the last nine years. Asserting that revocation of Article 370 has brought development and progress in J&K, Shah said, In 47 months since the abrogation of Article 370, there have been only 32 calls for shutdown, bandhs and stone-pelting have dropped by 90%. Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, Rahul baba has the habit of criticising, be it abrogation of Article 370, construction of Ram temple or ban on triple talaq. Meanwhile, BJP national president JP Nadda, addressing a rally at Kalahandi district in Odisha, termed the meeting of Opposition parties in Patna as a desperate attempt to gain power despite stark contradictions within their formulations. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Taking a potshot at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nadda said that the leaders who once fought the Emergency tooth and nail are now welcoming them to their doorsteps in an attempt to gain power. By PTI CAIRO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday for a two-day state visit during which he will hold talks with the Egyptian leadership, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, as the two nations seek to enhance their strategic partnership. Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President El-Sisi. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. In a special gesture, Modi was welcomed at the airport here by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with a warm embrace. He was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour upon his arrival. "I am confident this visit will strengthen India's ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes," Prime Minister Modi tweeted after landing in Cairo. "I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly upon his arrival in Cairo (Photo | PTI) Waving the Indian tricolour, members of the Indian community welcomed the Prime Minister to chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Vande Mataram' when he reached the hotel here. An Egyptian woman dressed in a saree greeted Modi with the popular song 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge' from the movie 'Sholay'. ALSO READ | Modi announces Tamil Chair in Houston varsity; TN Govt already on it, says minister The Prime Minister was seen listening to the song appreciatively and expressed surprise when the lady said she knew very little Hindi and had never visited India. "Kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki aap Misr ki beti ho ya Hindustan ki beti ho ((Nobody will be able to tell whether you are an Egyptian or Indian woman)," Prime Minister Modi said. Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. The Prime Minister will join a roundtable discussion with the India Unit of the Egyptian Cabinet led by his counterpart Madbouly. Modi will call on Egypt's grand mufti Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and later hold discussions with prominent Egyptian intellectuals. On Sunday, Modi will visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, which was renovated with assistance from the Dawoodi Bohra community. #WATCH | PM Modi receives a warm welcome from members of the Indian community at the hotel in Cairo PM Modi is on a two-day State visit to Egypt pic.twitter.com/JTy2wqstEz ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The Bohra community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards. He will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay respects to the Indian troops who gave their lives in the ultimate act of valour for Egypt during World War-1. This memorial was built by the Commonwealth, although it is dedicated to the 3,799 Indian troops who lost their lives in different First World War conflicts in Egypt. ALSO READ | With an eye toward China, Biden goes all-in for Modi The Prime Minister's "very quick reciprocal visit" to Egypt was taking place within six months of President El-Sisi's visit to India as the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations this year. El-Sisi is also scheduled to travel to India in September for the G-20 Summit where Egypt has been invited as a special guest. CAIRO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday for a two-day state visit during which he will hold talks with the Egyptian leadership, including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, as the two nations seek to enhance their strategic partnership. Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President El-Sisi. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. In a special gesture, Modi was welcomed at the airport here by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with a warm embrace. He was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour upon his arrival.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "I am confident this visit will strengthen India's ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes," Prime Minister Modi tweeted after landing in Cairo. "I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly upon his arrival in Cairo (Photo | PTI)Waving the Indian tricolour, members of the Indian community welcomed the Prime Minister to chants of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Vande Mataram' when he reached the hotel here. An Egyptian woman dressed in a saree greeted Modi with the popular song 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge' from the movie 'Sholay'. ALSO READ | Modi announces Tamil Chair in Houston varsity; TN Govt already on it, says minister The Prime Minister was seen listening to the song appreciatively and expressed surprise when the lady said she knew very little Hindi and had never visited India. "Kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki aap Misr ki beti ho ya Hindustan ki beti ho ((Nobody will be able to tell whether you are an Egyptian or Indian woman)," Prime Minister Modi said. Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. The Prime Minister will join a roundtable discussion with the India Unit of the Egyptian Cabinet led by his counterpart Madbouly. Modi will call on Egypt's grand mufti Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and later hold discussions with prominent Egyptian intellectuals. On Sunday, Modi will visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, which was renovated with assistance from the Dawoodi Bohra community. #WATCH | PM Modi receives a warm welcome from members of the Indian community at the hotel in Cairo PM Modi is on a two-day State visit to Egypt pic.twitter.com/JTy2wqstEz ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The Bohra community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards. He will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay respects to the Indian troops who gave their lives in the ultimate act of valour for Egypt during World War-1. This memorial was built by the Commonwealth, although it is dedicated to the 3,799 Indian troops who lost their lives in different First World War conflicts in Egypt. ALSO READ | With an eye toward China, Biden goes all-in for Modi The Prime Minister's "very quick reciprocal visit" to Egypt was taking place within six months of President El-Sisi's visit to India as the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations this year. El-Sisi is also scheduled to travel to India in September for the G-20 Summit where Egypt has been invited as a special guest. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service NEW DELHI: On the final day of Prime Minister Narendra Modis four-day state visit to the US, the two leaders put a spotlight on the Innovation Handshake," a new initiative aimed at addressing regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of partnership between the two countries. Modis visit concluded with enhanced economic ties, collaboration in manufacturing, and enhanced diplomatic presence. He ended the trip with a triumphant speech to an auditorium of Indian-American business leaders. With Blinken sitting nearby, Modi recounted the trip's successes and highlighted ongoing agreements for India to purchase U.S.-made planes and helicopters. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi joined top American and Indian executives in talks to increase cooperation between the two countries on artificial intelligence, semiconductor production and space. Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Nikhil Kamath and Vrinda Kapoor were seen attending from India's side. American CEOs Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Thomas Tull and Astronaut Sunita Williams were spotted too. "India and US are united by a common destiny. When our partnership progresses, the world will be a better place, said PM Modi. ALSO READ | Major takeaways from PM Modi's maiden state visit to US PM Modi underlined the immense potential of harnessing India-US tech cooperation for socio-economic growth. He also applauded the contribution of Indias talented youth in fostering a culture of innovation. Biden called on CEOs to help expand India-US tech partnerships to new fields including biotechnology and quantum. Both leaders underscored that the India-US partnership would play an instrumental role in building a better future for our people and for the world. PM Modi invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity and mobile device manufacturing in India. He also discussed a possible collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development and skill development. Meanwhile, while addressing a gathering of over 1000 professionals in the US at the John F. Kennedy Centre, PM highlighted the progress made in India. "This is the moment, he said and invited the professionals to forge partnerships with India. While addressing the diaspora, in the Ronald Reagan Centre, PM Modi said that those attending the meeting have created a mini-India as there were representatives from across all states in India who are now settled in the US. ALSO READ | India, US partnership amongst most consequential in the world: Biden "In the past four days I have met President Biden, CEOs of leading companies and am impressed by the India-US partnership which is based on conviction, compassion and shared commitment for a better world, said PM Modi to the diaspora adding that the foundation of the partnership was the Indian diaspora. As part of Modi's state's visit the first by an Indian leader since Manmohan Singh in 2009 the two leaders announced several major investments by U.S.-based companies in India. Micron Technology has agreed to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. U.S.-based Applied Materials will launch a new semiconductor center for commercialization and innovation in India, and Lam Research, another semiconductor manufacturing equipment company, will start a training program for 60,000 Indian engineers. On the space front, India signed on to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASAs lunar exploration plans. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization also agreed to make a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. ALSO READ | The US has become one of Indias most important defence partners: PM Modi Earlier this year, the two countries launched the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, which sets the path for collaboration on semiconductor production, developing artificial intelligence, and a loosening of export control rules. The initiative was critical in sealing a deal, announced Thursday, that will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India's Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines in India. India has proved that democracies can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of class, creed, religion, gender," Modi declared. Modi said the U.S. and India have been on a long and beautiful journey with unprecedented cooperation in defense and strategic areas as well as new trust in resolving longstanding trade issues. He said the U.S.-India defense partnership had reached new heights during his visit, to the happiness of both sides. When I spoke to Congress about this, there was no stopping the applause in the chamber, he said. (With inputs from AP) NEW DELHI: On the final day of Prime Minister Narendra Modis four-day state visit to the US, the two leaders put a spotlight on the Innovation Handshake," a new initiative aimed at addressing regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of partnership between the two countries. Modis visit concluded with enhanced economic ties, collaboration in manufacturing, and enhanced diplomatic presence. He ended the trip with a triumphant speech to an auditorium of Indian-American business leaders. With Blinken sitting nearby, Modi recounted the trip's successes and highlighted ongoing agreements for India to purchase U.S.-made planes and helicopters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi joined top American and Indian executives in talks to increase cooperation between the two countries on artificial intelligence, semiconductor production and space. Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Nikhil Kamath and Vrinda Kapoor were seen attending from India's side. American CEOs Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Thomas Tull and Astronaut Sunita Williams were spotted too. "India and US are united by a common destiny. When our partnership progresses, the world will be a better place, said PM Modi. ALSO READ | Major takeaways from PM Modi's maiden state visit to US PM Modi underlined the immense potential of harnessing India-US tech cooperation for socio-economic growth. He also applauded the contribution of Indias talented youth in fostering a culture of innovation. Biden called on CEOs to help expand India-US tech partnerships to new fields including biotechnology and quantum. Both leaders underscored that the India-US partnership would play an instrumental role in building a better future for our people and for the world. PM Modi invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity and mobile device manufacturing in India. He also discussed a possible collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development and skill development. Meanwhile, while addressing a gathering of over 1000 professionals in the US at the John F. Kennedy Centre, PM highlighted the progress made in India. "This is the moment, he said and invited the professionals to forge partnerships with India. While addressing the diaspora, in the Ronald Reagan Centre, PM Modi said that those attending the meeting have created a mini-India as there were representatives from across all states in India who are now settled in the US. ALSO READ | India, US partnership amongst most consequential in the world: Biden "In the past four days I have met President Biden, CEOs of leading companies and am impressed by the India-US partnership which is based on conviction, compassion and shared commitment for a better world, said PM Modi to the diaspora adding that the foundation of the partnership was the Indian diaspora. As part of Modi's state's visit the first by an Indian leader since Manmohan Singh in 2009 the two leaders announced several major investments by U.S.-based companies in India. Micron Technology has agreed to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. U.S.-based Applied Materials will launch a new semiconductor center for commercialization and innovation in India, and Lam Research, another semiconductor manufacturing equipment company, will start a training program for 60,000 Indian engineers. On the space front, India signed on to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASAs lunar exploration plans. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization also agreed to make a joint mission to the International Space Station next year. ALSO READ | The US has become one of Indias most important defence partners: PM Modi Earlier this year, the two countries launched the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, which sets the path for collaboration on semiconductor production, developing artificial intelligence, and a loosening of export control rules. The initiative was critical in sealing a deal, announced Thursday, that will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India's Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines in India. India has proved that democracies can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of class, creed, religion, gender," Modi declared. Modi said the U.S. and India have been on a long and beautiful journey with unprecedented cooperation in defense and strategic areas as well as new trust in resolving longstanding trade issues. He said the U.S.-India defense partnership had reached new heights during his visit, to the happiness of both sides. When I spoke to Congress about this, there was no stopping the applause in the chamber, he said. (With inputs from AP) Parvez Sultan By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Taking cognisance that an increasing number of vendors have taken to manufacturing and unauthorisedly affixing High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) to vehicles across the country, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked the transport departments of states and Union Territories to initiate strong punitive action. The authorities were told to either blacklist the errant vendors or terminate their agreements. It has been brought to the notice of this ministry that some HSRP vendors have been involved in the manufacturing and affixing of unauthorised HSRPs to vehicles across various states. These manufacturers are neither authorised by the states or Union Territories; nor are they approved by the respective Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to affix HSRPs to their brand of vehicles, thereby rendering the HSRP affixed as unauthorised, read a note from the ministry. The HSRP scheme was introduced in 2005. The primary purpose for making such registration number plates with security features was to curb vehicle thefts. States are advised to take strong punitive action, including blacklisting or termination, against such agencies that are openly supplying unauthorised HSRPs in the market to unsuspecting and gullible vehicle owners. All stakeholders are requested to implement the provision of the HSRP in letter and spirit and to make the process of availability of authorised HSRPs (with proper Vahan entries to all owners of new and old vehicles), the note said. HSRPs are integrated with the Vahan portal and this type of unauthorised affixation of the plates nullifies the purpose of the scheme, said a ministry official. Vahan, launched by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is a highly flexible and comprehensive online system that takes care of all the burdensome activities of vehicle registration, leaving the transport department to deal with more important issues. The ministry has also asked agencies ,including the Automotive Research Association of India and the Central Institute of Road Transport in Pune, the Central Road Research Institute and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in New Delhi, the Vehicles Research Development Establishment in Ahmednagar, Global Automotive Research Centre in Chennai, and the International Centre for Automotive Technology in Manesar to monitor the manufacturing of unauthorised HSRPs and terminate the licenses whenever illegality is brought to notice. It is reiterated that any violation in the implementation of the HSRP scheme for new vehicles will make the vehicle manufacturers liable to punitive action. Therefore, all vehicle manufacturers are requested to ensure that the vendor selection is carried out with due diligence and to dissociate with any erring HSRP vendors, the ministrys note stated. Vahan, portal that eases registration procedure Authorised high security number plates should be integrated to the Vahan portal, a highly flexible and comprehensive online system launched by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that takes care of all the burdensome activities of vehicle registration. NEW DELHI: Taking cognisance that an increasing number of vendors have taken to manufacturing and unauthorisedly affixing High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) to vehicles across the country, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked the transport departments of states and Union Territories to initiate strong punitive action. The authorities were told to either blacklist the errant vendors or terminate their agreements. It has been brought to the notice of this ministry that some HSRP vendors have been involved in the manufacturing and affixing of unauthorised HSRPs to vehicles across various states. These manufacturers are neither authorised by the states or Union Territories; nor are they approved by the respective Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to affix HSRPs to their brand of vehicles, thereby rendering the HSRP affixed as unauthorised, read a note from the ministry.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The HSRP scheme was introduced in 2005. The primary purpose for making such registration number plates with security features was to curb vehicle thefts. States are advised to take strong punitive action, including blacklisting or termination, against such agencies that are openly supplying unauthorised HSRPs in the market to unsuspecting and gullible vehicle owners. All stakeholders are requested to implement the provision of the HSRP in letter and spirit and to make the process of availability of authorised HSRPs (with proper Vahan entries to all owners of new and old vehicles), the note said. HSRPs are integrated with the Vahan portal and this type of unauthorised affixation of the plates nullifies the purpose of the scheme, said a ministry official. Vahan, launched by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is a highly flexible and comprehensive online system that takes care of all the burdensome activities of vehicle registration, leaving the transport department to deal with more important issues. The ministry has also asked agencies ,including the Automotive Research Association of India and the Central Institute of Road Transport in Pune, the Central Road Research Institute and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in New Delhi, the Vehicles Research Development Establishment in Ahmednagar, Global Automotive Research Centre in Chennai, and the International Centre for Automotive Technology in Manesar to monitor the manufacturing of unauthorised HSRPs and terminate the licenses whenever illegality is brought to notice. It is reiterated that any violation in the implementation of the HSRP scheme for new vehicles will make the vehicle manufacturers liable to punitive action. Therefore, all vehicle manufacturers are requested to ensure that the vendor selection is carried out with due diligence and to dissociate with any erring HSRP vendors, the ministrys note stated. Vahan, portal that eases registration procedure Authorised high security number plates should be integrated to the Vahan portal, a highly flexible and comprehensive online system launched by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that takes care of all the burdensome activities of vehicle registration. Yeshi Seli By Express News Service WASHINGTON: The United States has become one of Indias most important defence partners, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We were strangers in defence cooperation at the turn of the century. Now, the US has become one of our most important defence partners. Today India and the US are working together, in space and in the seas, in science and in semi-conductors, in start-ups and sustainability, in tech and in trade, in farming and finance, in art and artificial intelligence, in energy and education, in healthcare and humanitarian efforts, said PM Modi while addressing the US Congress in Washington DC on Friday. PM Modi said it was an honour to address the US Congress for the second time and expressed his gratitude on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians. PM Modi gave his address in English, unlike earlier speeches during his US trip which were all in Hindi. "When I speak about Indias approach to the world, the US occupies a special place. I know our relations are of great importance to all of you. Every Member of this Congress has a deep interest in it. When defence and aerospace in India grow, industries in the states of Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania thrive. When American companies grow, their research and development centres in India thrive. When Indians fly more, a single order for aircraft creates more than a million jobs in forty-four states in America, said PM Modi. PM Modi also said that when an American phone maker invests in India, it creates an entire ecosystem of jobs and opportunities in both countries. He said when an American phone maker invests in India, it creates an entire ecosystem of jobs and opportunities, in both countries. When India and the US work together on semiconductors and critical minerals, it helps the world in making supply chains more diverse, resilient and reliable, he added. "The scope of our cooperation is endless, The potential of our synergies is limitless, and, the chemistry in our relations is effortless, he added. PM Modi highlighted the role of Indian Americans and said with their hearts and minds, talent and skills, and their love for America and India, they have connected the two nations, unlocked doors and shown the potential of our partnership. "Standing here, seven Junes ago, thats the June when Hamilton swept all the awards, I said that the hesitations of history were behind us. Now, when our era is at a crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. Through the long and winding road that we have travelled, we have met the test of friendship. A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago. But a lot has remained the same like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States. In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, there have been even more momentous developments in another AI America and India, PM Modi added. Talking about democracy, PM Modi said that the beauty of democracy is the constant connection with the people, listening to them, and feeling their pulse. "Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. It has evolved over a long time, and taken various forms and systems. Throughout history, however, one thing has been clear. Democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity. India is the Mother of Democracy, he added. India, PM Modi said, has over 2500 political parties and there are about 20 different parties governing various states of India. "We have twenty-two official languages and thousands of dialects, and yet, we speak in one voice. Every hundred miles, our cuisine changes. From Dosa to Aloo Prantha and from Srikhand to Sandesh. We enjoy all of these. We are home to all faiths in the world, and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, he added. WASHINGTON: The United States has become one of Indias most important defence partners, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We were strangers in defence cooperation at the turn of the century. Now, the US has become one of our most important defence partners. Today India and the US are working together, in space and in the seas, in science and in semi-conductors, in start-ups and sustainability, in tech and in trade, in farming and finance, in art and artificial intelligence, in energy and education, in healthcare and humanitarian efforts, said PM Modi while addressing the US Congress in Washington DC on Friday. PM Modi said it was an honour to address the US Congress for the second time and expressed his gratitude on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians. PM Modi gave his address in English, unlike earlier speeches during his US trip which were all in Hindi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "When I speak about Indias approach to the world, the US occupies a special place. I know our relations are of great importance to all of you. Every Member of this Congress has a deep interest in it. When defence and aerospace in India grow, industries in the states of Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania thrive. When American companies grow, their research and development centres in India thrive. When Indians fly more, a single order for aircraft creates more than a million jobs in forty-four states in America, said PM Modi. PM Modi also said that when an American phone maker invests in India, it creates an entire ecosystem of jobs and opportunities in both countries. He said when an American phone maker invests in India, it creates an entire ecosystem of jobs and opportunities, in both countries. When India and the US work together on semiconductors and critical minerals, it helps the world in making supply chains more diverse, resilient and reliable, he added. "The scope of our cooperation is endless, The potential of our synergies is limitless, and, the chemistry in our relations is effortless, he added. PM Modi highlighted the role of Indian Americans and said with their hearts and minds, talent and skills, and their love for America and India, they have connected the two nations, unlocked doors and shown the potential of our partnership. "Standing here, seven Junes ago, thats the June when Hamilton swept all the awards, I said that the hesitations of history were behind us. Now, when our era is at a crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. Through the long and winding road that we have travelled, we have met the test of friendship. A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago. But a lot has remained the same like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States. In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, there have been even more momentous developments in another AI America and India, PM Modi added. Talking about democracy, PM Modi said that the beauty of democracy is the constant connection with the people, listening to them, and feeling their pulse. "Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. It has evolved over a long time, and taken various forms and systems. Throughout history, however, one thing has been clear. Democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity. India is the Mother of Democracy, he added. India, PM Modi said, has over 2500 political parties and there are about 20 different parties governing various states of India. "We have twenty-two official languages and thousands of dialects, and yet, we speak in one voice. Every hundred miles, our cuisine changes. From Dosa to Aloo Prantha and from Srikhand to Sandesh. We enjoy all of these. We are home to all faiths in the world, and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, he added. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Mayank Singh By Express News Service CHENNAI: The much-talked-about India-US jet engine-related transfer of technology deal is expected to get inked soon and it will lead to the production of the engines within three years. Under the deal 110 KN (kilonewton) engine will be jointly produced in India. We are ready to sign the agreement soon and within three years, India will have this engine, said a senior official of the Ministry of Defence. While the cost of the project is yet to be discussed, the number of engines to be co-produced will be around 100, sources said as the Indian Air Force has not yet indicated the exact numbers. The deal is viewed as significant as India lacks in engine-related technology and with time, it will be sought even more as the Air Force is already down to around 30 combat squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 42. While the GE-F414 engines are to be fitted in the Light Combat Aircraft Mk2, the work on twin-engine deck-based fighters and advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) is also proceeding. The senior MoD official said the significance of the GE-HAL deal for 414 engine lies in the fact the India would get access to cutting-edge technologies. India did achieve some successes in getting important technologies from Russia, the UK, and France. But GE 414 deal is at a different level and scale. It is unprecedented in the history of Indias quest for high-tech. Technologies related to nuclear power, jet engines, submarine production, aircraft carrier and ballistic missiles are among the critical defence technologies in general. We acquired some of these by the hard work of our scientists and initiatives at the political level, sources said. This deal, said the sources, shows the amount of trust India has drawn across the higher echelons in the US, reflected in the way it received bipartisan support. With this deal we will have 80% transfer of technology in making GE 414 engine, which will enhance operational performance of LCA MKII. As much as 80% of the engine will be made in India, except small components. India will be among the top five countries to have this technology, defence experts say. The benefits of this joint manufacturing within India will include less turnaround time for maintenance, repair and overhaul. Under the deal, some of the critical technologies to which India will get access are special coatings for corrosion, machining and coating for single crystal for turbine blades, machining & coating of nozzle guide vanes, Blisk machining, machining of powder metallurgy discs, machining of thin-walled titanium casing, laser drilling technology for combustor and much more. As per a source, the deal also showed Indias intellectual capabilities indicating how much the US trusts our IPR regime and that such tech would not fall in wrong hands. The US showed confidence in our military systems also. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed the landmark signing of the MoU between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the manufacture of GE F-414 jet engines in India, for the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2. In addition, the leaders, in a joint statement, welcomed the setting up and launch of the US-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). As a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks, INDUS-X will facilitate joint defense technology innovation, and co-production of advanced defense technology between the respective industries of the two countries. President Biden and PM Modi welcomed Indias plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs. The MQ-9Bs, which will be assembled in India, will enhance the ISR capabilities of Indias armed forces across domains. As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global MRO facility in India in support of Indias long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities. Cutting-edge tech comes home Special coatings for corrosion Casting, machining and coating for single crystal for turbine blades Casting, machining and coating of nozzle guide vanes and other hot parts Blisk machining Forging and power metallurgy discs for turbines Machining of thin-walled titanium casing Friction inertia welding for fan and after-burner Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC) for bypass polymer duct Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) for LPNGV, flaps, etc Laser drilling technology for combustor Critical tech for internal components CHENNAI: The much-talked-about India-US jet engine-related transfer of technology deal is expected to get inked soon and it will lead to the production of the engines within three years. Under the deal 110 KN (kilonewton) engine will be jointly produced in India. We are ready to sign the agreement soon and within three years, India will have this engine, said a senior official of the Ministry of Defence. While the cost of the project is yet to be discussed, the number of engines to be co-produced will be around 100, sources said as the Indian Air Force has not yet indicated the exact numbers. The deal is viewed as significant as India lacks in engine-related technology and with time, it will be sought even more as the Air Force is already down to around 30 combat squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 42. While the GE-F414 engines are to be fitted in the Light Combat Aircraft Mk2, the work on twin-engine deck-based fighters and advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) is also proceeding. The senior MoD official said the significance of the GE-HAL deal for 414 engine lies in the fact the India would get access to cutting-edge technologies. India did achieve some successes in getting important technologies from Russia, the UK, and France. But GE 414 deal is at a different level and scale. It is unprecedented in the history of Indias quest for high-tech.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Technologies related to nuclear power, jet engines, submarine production, aircraft carrier and ballistic missiles are among the critical defence technologies in general. We acquired some of these by the hard work of our scientists and initiatives at the political level, sources said. This deal, said the sources, shows the amount of trust India has drawn across the higher echelons in the US, reflected in the way it received bipartisan support. With this deal we will have 80% transfer of technology in making GE 414 engine, which will enhance operational performance of LCA MKII. As much as 80% of the engine will be made in India, except small components. India will be among the top five countries to have this technology, defence experts say. The benefits of this joint manufacturing within India will include less turnaround time for maintenance, repair and overhaul. Under the deal, some of the critical technologies to which India will get access are special coatings for corrosion, machining and coating for single crystal for turbine blades, machining & coating of nozzle guide vanes, Blisk machining, machining of powder metallurgy discs, machining of thin-walled titanium casing, laser drilling technology for combustor and much more. As per a source, the deal also showed Indias intellectual capabilities indicating how much the US trusts our IPR regime and that such tech would not fall in wrong hands. The US showed confidence in our military systems also. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed the landmark signing of the MoU between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the manufacture of GE F-414 jet engines in India, for the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2. In addition, the leaders, in a joint statement, welcomed the setting up and launch of the US-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). As a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks, INDUS-X will facilitate joint defense technology innovation, and co-production of advanced defense technology between the respective industries of the two countries. President Biden and PM Modi welcomed Indias plans to procure General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs. The MQ-9Bs, which will be assembled in India, will enhance the ISR capabilities of Indias armed forces across domains. As part of this plan, General Atomics will also establish a comprehensive global MRO facility in India in support of Indias long-term goals to boost indigenous defence capabilities. Cutting-edge tech comes home Special coatings for corrosion Casting, machining and coating for single crystal for turbine blades Casting, machining and coating of nozzle guide vanes and other hot parts Blisk machining Forging and power metallurgy discs for turbines Machining of thin-walled titanium casing Friction inertia welding for fan and after-burner Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC) for bypass polymer duct Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) for LPNGV, flaps, etc Laser drilling technology for combustor Critical tech for internal components Pronab Mondal By Express News Service KOLKATA: A Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead in Purulia late on Thursday night, taking the death toll to nine in the local body polls-related violence. TMCs town president in Adra, Dhananjay Choubey, who was in his late 40s, was sitting outside his party office when three men riding a motorcycle came and opened fire. Five bullets were pumped into his body. He was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. We identified the assassins and two of them were arrested, said a police officer. Local Congress leader Nepal Mahato said there should be an impartial investigation. The murder is condemnable. If necessary, the CBI may be engaged to find out the actual killers, he said. The police have arrested two Congress workers in connection with the deadly attack in Purulia. Ever since the single-phase elections to the local bodies were announced on June 9, violence has continued unabated in the state. Unabated violence ahead of the rural polls has triggered a face-off between Governor C V Ananda Bose and the ruling TMC. Bose had visited the strife-hit Bhangar area in South 24 Parganas where three persons were killed during violence on the last day for submitting nominations on June 15. Reacting to violence in the state, Bose said: Victory depends on the count of votes, not dead bodies. Hitting back, the TMC accused the governor of intervening in the rural polls. The governor is overstepping his constitutional rights, TMCs spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. On Friday, a senior official of the State Election Commission (SEC) said the Union Home ministry sanctioned 315 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) to be deployed for the upcoming rural polls. The state poll panel requisitioned another 485 companies of CAPF for the rural polls. The state poll panel, after being slammed by the Calcutta High Court, sought 800 additional companies of CAPF. Earlier, the SEC had asked for only 22 companies of CAPF following a high court order directing to deploy central force in all 22 districts. The SEC had moved the Supreme Court to challenge the high courts order which was not entertained. BJPs state president Sukanta Majumdar said the BJP supporters, who were on the run fearing attack by the TMCs goons, started returning to their homes as the central force personnel started arriving in the state. It is not possible to send 800 companies of CAPF in one go, he said. On Thursday, a war of words broke out between the governor and CM Mamata Banerjee after the constitutional head of Bengal returned the joining report of state election commissioner Rajiv Sinha, casting a shadow on the continuation of the state poll panel head. Mamata, before leaving for Patna to attend an Opposition meeting, said the state poll panel head cannot be removed on whims and fancies. KOLKATA: A Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead in Purulia late on Thursday night, taking the death toll to nine in the local body polls-related violence. TMCs town president in Adra, Dhananjay Choubey, who was in his late 40s, was sitting outside his party office when three men riding a motorcycle came and opened fire. Five bullets were pumped into his body. He was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. We identified the assassins and two of them were arrested, said a police officer. Local Congress leader Nepal Mahato said there should be an impartial investigation. The murder is condemnable. If necessary, the CBI may be engaged to find out the actual killers, he said. The police have arrested two Congress workers in connection with the deadly attack in Purulia. Ever since the single-phase elections to the local bodies were announced on June 9, violence has continued unabated in the state. Unabated violence ahead of the rural polls has triggered a face-off between Governor C V Ananda Bose and the ruling TMC. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Bose had visited the strife-hit Bhangar area in South 24 Parganas where three persons were killed during violence on the last day for submitting nominations on June 15. Reacting to violence in the state, Bose said: Victory depends on the count of votes, not dead bodies. Hitting back, the TMC accused the governor of intervening in the rural polls. The governor is overstepping his constitutional rights, TMCs spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. On Friday, a senior official of the State Election Commission (SEC) said the Union Home ministry sanctioned 315 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) to be deployed for the upcoming rural polls. The state poll panel requisitioned another 485 companies of CAPF for the rural polls. The state poll panel, after being slammed by the Calcutta High Court, sought 800 additional companies of CAPF. Earlier, the SEC had asked for only 22 companies of CAPF following a high court order directing to deploy central force in all 22 districts. The SEC had moved the Supreme Court to challenge the high courts order which was not entertained. BJPs state president Sukanta Majumdar said the BJP supporters, who were on the run fearing attack by the TMCs goons, started returning to their homes as the central force personnel started arriving in the state. It is not possible to send 800 companies of CAPF in one go, he said. On Thursday, a war of words broke out between the governor and CM Mamata Banerjee after the constitutional head of Bengal returned the joining report of state election commissioner Rajiv Sinha, casting a shadow on the continuation of the state poll panel head. Mamata, before leaving for Patna to attend an Opposition meeting, said the state poll panel head cannot be removed on whims and fancies. Rahna Mariyam By Online Desk Kerala's first Trans bodybuilder Praveen Nath, who recently took his own life, is a victim of the state's homophobic culture. The hatred Kerala's society has for the queer community seems to have been amped up in recent times. Known otherwise for its "progressive views", most people in the state remain primitive in their approach towards the LGBTQI community. There are multiple reports of cyberbullying and physical assaults against members of the community. This surge in homophobia has taken a toll on the LGBTQI people. "Kerala is both a liberal and homophobic society," says Prijith, a queer activist. A society of mixed feelings Prijith elaborated. "Two men and two women can be friends, they can share rooms, and no one will say anything until they come out as a same-gender couple or till they say they love someone from the same gender," he told The New Indian Express Online. "Kerala has every quality needed for a cis hetero normative society. Even though we accept Trans persons, our society is still not ready to accept sexual minorities for who they are. Yet, I think Kerala is by far the most friendly, compared to the other states, to the members of the LGBTQI community. I guess maybe it is because the community here is more vigilant and aware about their rights," he added. Anuradha Krishnan, a dentist, who is part of the LGBTQI community in Kerala, agrees that there is a long way to go, observing "our society still doesn't have that maturity to accept queer community, especially the sexual minorities." Denial of basic rights All of this has meant the denial of even the most basic rights for the Trans community. It is hard for them to find houses for rent and jobs. "Recently, I made a complaint against Kerala PSC for not recruiting Trans persons in the Police and some other departments. Even though the court made a decision in my favour, it is still tough because all the recruitment processes including physical measurements are still following old binary ways," Arjun recounted. Ahana Mekal, a member of Sahayatrika, an organisation working for the welfare of the LGBTQI community, spoke of how getting certificates that earned them their rights has always proven difficult. The challenge of coming out Given all these hurdles, very few people choose to come out in the open in Kerala. The most important reason still is the way their families respond. They also want to avoid unending criticism and moral policing. Despite leading the country in literacy, people in Kerala are still not properly educated about gender and sexual minorities. All they have are misconceptions and prejudices. "I am a queer person myself and for me coming out is something we can't avoid in our life. But, it depends on each person on when they wish to come out. People should come out only after accepting their own identity. They shouldn't be forced," Prijith said. "It's not easy... coming out. I often see families struggling after coming out. After someone comes out, they have to face their families. And, it is not easy. Most parents are not supportive because they are not even aware of the term 'queer'. They were never educated about this," he said. "But, more people are willing to come out nowadays. I don't know how willing our society is to accept them." An individual who opted not to reveal their name said they chose not to come out in the open because they are afraid of how their family will react once they reveal their sexuality. "I came out to some of my friends but not to my parents because I know it will be hard for them to accept it. Coming from a traditional family like mine, acceptance might take some time," they added. Arjun, a native of Idukki, agreed. "For me, coming out was the same as others. When I first told others, they told me that it is just a phase. But eventually, my family accepted it. I just had to explain everything to them... that this is who I am." Ahana was luckier -- finding almost instant acceptance. "I think I was privileged in a way because my family accepted me after I came out. My sister was a queer activist at that time. So, people in our family were acquainted with the community. I guess that made it easy," she said . But for her partner Eric, who is a Trans man, coming out was unpleasant like it has been for many other people in the community. "The people around us are still the same. When they hear that Eric and I are a queer couple, they behave differently. People are often judgemental," Ahana added. Faizal Faizi, a Trans rights activist and the founder member of Queer Pride Kerala, echoed her. "Even when people say they accept me, I don't think they really mean it. They are not ready to accept my identity," he stressed. Homophobia and insensitivity It doesn't help that some religious and political organisations in Kerala have intensified their campaigns against the LGBTQI community. In January, KM Shaji, one of the leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), made a comment about the community. He said, "The acronym sounds like something important, but in fact, those are uncouth local activities. They are the worst humans." He also accused the state government of trying to destroy "culture and beliefs". "There is an increase in activities against the community by some organizations. They are trying to mislead people," he declaimed while speaking at an event. Prijith underlines that it is not just the IUML. "While some political parties support us, there are parties who openly criticize and hate us. For instance, Muslim League, BJP and RSS have made it very clear where they stand on the issues related to the community. I don't think it's because of their beliefs... I guess they are trying to gratify their vote bank." Arjun too was criticial of the way some public figures have been openly hostile. "Some of them mock the queer people in their speeches. Some of their comments are really hurtful," he said. "I also know of organizations, even registered ones like YES Kerala, who make some seriously homophobic comments." He was quick to strike an optimistic note though. "Lately, we are getting the platform to speak, and that I think is a positive change," he said. Faizal, one of the founding members of Queer Pride Kerala, finds it ironic how some political parties make homophobic and transphobic comments though they were the ones who made laws to support Trans persons while in power. He referred to the Transgender Policy, introduced by MK Muneer, when he was a minister, during the former UDF government. "One of the most important things is that there is a targeted hate campaign going on against the LGBTQI community in Kerala. Mazhavillu sena kayyerunnu -- that's what they are saying these days," said Anand C Thankappan. Homophobic and transphobic comments are something the queer community has to face every day, even from people who are close to them. "I had this experience recently where a person I know made a statement about Pondicherry University giving a fee exemption to Trans persons when applying for PG. He asked if it was necessary to give reservations to Trans persons? They fail to realize that we are a group of people who were marginalised for long. So, we do deserve this," Anand added. Prijith said that people have a misconception that this is part of Western culture. "It is not true. I have heard people say that these people are trying to imitate the Western people and the things they see from the films and series. But, they need to understand that queer people existed even in ancient times. It is just that we got more visibility recently, that's it." "I think what Westerners gave us is homophobia," he added. Touche! Kerala's first Trans bodybuilder Praveen Nath, who recently took his own life, is a victim of the state's homophobic culture. The hatred Kerala's society has for the queer community seems to have been amped up in recent times. Known otherwise for its "progressive views", most people in the state remain primitive in their approach towards the LGBTQI community. There are multiple reports of cyberbullying and physical assaults against members of the community. This surge in homophobia has taken a toll on the LGBTQI people. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Kerala is both a liberal and homophobic society," says Prijith, a queer activist. A society of mixed feelings Prijith elaborated. "Two men and two women can be friends, they can share rooms, and no one will say anything until they come out as a same-gender couple or till they say they love someone from the same gender," he told The New Indian Express Online. "Kerala has every quality needed for a cis hetero normative society. Even though we accept Trans persons, our society is still not ready to accept sexual minorities for who they are. Yet, I think Kerala is by far the most friendly, compared to the other states, to the members of the LGBTQI community. I guess maybe it is because the community here is more vigilant and aware about their rights," he added. Anuradha Krishnan, a dentist, who is part of the LGBTQI community in Kerala, agrees that there is a long way to go, observing "our society still doesn't have that maturity to accept queer community, especially the sexual minorities." Denial of basic rights All of this has meant the denial of even the most basic rights for the Trans community. It is hard for them to find houses for rent and jobs. "Recently, I made a complaint against Kerala PSC for not recruiting Trans persons in the Police and some other departments. Even though the court made a decision in my favour, it is still tough because all the recruitment processes including physical measurements are still following old binary ways," Arjun recounted. Ahana Mekal, a member of Sahayatrika, an organisation working for the welfare of the LGBTQI community, spoke of how getting certificates that earned them their rights has always proven difficult. The challenge of coming out Given all these hurdles, very few people choose to come out in the open in Kerala. The most important reason still is the way their families respond. They also want to avoid unending criticism and moral policing. Despite leading the country in literacy, people in Kerala are still not properly educated about gender and sexual minorities. All they have are misconceptions and prejudices. "I am a queer person myself and for me coming out is something we can't avoid in our life. But, it depends on each person on when they wish to come out. People should come out only after accepting their own identity. They shouldn't be forced," Prijith said. "It's not easy... coming out. I often see families struggling after coming out. After someone comes out, they have to face their families. And, it is not easy. Most parents are not supportive because they are not even aware of the term 'queer'. They were never educated about this," he said. "But, more people are willing to come out nowadays. I don't know how willing our society is to accept them." An individual who opted not to reveal their name said they chose not to come out in the open because they are afraid of how their family will react once they reveal their sexuality. "I came out to some of my friends but not to my parents because I know it will be hard for them to accept it. Coming from a traditional family like mine, acceptance might take some time," they added. Arjun, a native of Idukki, agreed. "For me, coming out was the same as others. When I first told others, they told me that it is just a phase. But eventually, my family accepted it. I just had to explain everything to them... that this is who I am." Ahana was luckier -- finding almost instant acceptance. "I think I was privileged in a way because my family accepted me after I came out. My sister was a queer activist at that time. So, people in our family were acquainted with the community. I guess that made it easy," she said . But for her partner Eric, who is a Trans man, coming out was unpleasant like it has been for many other people in the community. "The people around us are still the same. When they hear that Eric and I are a queer couple, they behave differently. People are often judgemental," Ahana added. Faizal Faizi, a Trans rights activist and the founder member of Queer Pride Kerala, echoed her. "Even when people say they accept me, I don't think they really mean it. They are not ready to accept my identity," he stressed. Homophobia and insensitivity It doesn't help that some religious and political organisations in Kerala have intensified their campaigns against the LGBTQI community. In January, KM Shaji, one of the leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), made a comment about the community. He said, "The acronym sounds like something important, but in fact, those are uncouth local activities. They are the worst humans." He also accused the state government of trying to destroy "culture and beliefs". "There is an increase in activities against the community by some organizations. They are trying to mislead people," he declaimed while speaking at an event. Prijith underlines that it is not just the IUML. "While some political parties support us, there are parties who openly criticize and hate us. For instance, Muslim League, BJP and RSS have made it very clear where they stand on the issues related to the community. I don't think it's because of their beliefs... I guess they are trying to gratify their vote bank." Arjun too was criticial of the way some public figures have been openly hostile. "Some of them mock the queer people in their speeches. Some of their comments are really hurtful," he said. "I also know of organizations, even registered ones like YES Kerala, who make some seriously homophobic comments." He was quick to strike an optimistic note though. "Lately, we are getting the platform to speak, and that I think is a positive change," he said. Faizal, one of the founding members of Queer Pride Kerala, finds it ironic how some political parties make homophobic and transphobic comments though they were the ones who made laws to support Trans persons while in power. He referred to the Transgender Policy, introduced by MK Muneer, when he was a minister, during the former UDF government. "One of the most important things is that there is a targeted hate campaign going on against the LGBTQI community in Kerala. Mazhavillu sena kayyerunnu -- that's what they are saying these days," said Anand C Thankappan. Homophobic and transphobic comments are something the queer community has to face every day, even from people who are close to them. "I had this experience recently where a person I know made a statement about Pondicherry University giving a fee exemption to Trans persons when applying for PG. He asked if it was necessary to give reservations to Trans persons? They fail to realize that we are a group of people who were marginalised for long. So, we do deserve this," Anand added. Prijith said that people have a misconception that this is part of Western culture. "It is not true. I have heard people say that these people are trying to imitate the Western people and the things they see from the films and series. But, they need to understand that queer people existed even in ancient times. It is just that we got more visibility recently, that's it." "I think what Westerners gave us is homophobia," he added. Touche! By Associated Press The head of the private military contractor Wagner called Friday for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. He has previously bashed the country's military leadership for failures in the war in Ukraine, and is known for his long-running feud with the Defense Ministry. A look at the 62-year-old Prigozhin and Wagners role in the war: What did Prigozhin say? Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. ALSO READ | Putin slams 'treason' as Wagner mercenary group vows to topple Moscow's top military leaders What's Prigozhin's background? Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the citys deputy mayor. Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet troll factory that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company. Where has Wagner operated? Wagner was first seen in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, in the weeks following Russias annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Engaging private contractors in the fighting allowed Moscow to maintain a degree of deniability. Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali. Prigozhin has reportedly used Wagners deployment to Syria and African countries to secure lucrative mining contracts. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said in January the company was using its access to gold and other resources in Africa to fund operations in Ukraine. Some Russian media alleged that Wagner was involved in the 2018 killings of three Russian journalists in Central African Republic who were investigating the groups activities. The slayings remain unsolved. What is Wagner's reputation? Western countries and U.N. experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Video has surfaced purporting to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagner's fearsome reputation. A 2017 online video showed a group of armed people, reportedly Wagner contractors, torturing a Syrian and beating him to death with a sledgehammer before mutilating and burning his body. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate. In 2022, another video showed a former Wagner contractor beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was repatriated. Despite public outrage and demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye. ALSO READ | World closely follows Russia's Wagner mutiny What's Wagner's role in Ukraine? Wagner took an increasingly visible role in the war as regular Russian troops suffered heavy attrition and lost territory in humiliating setbacks. Prigozhin toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. In the interview in May, he said he had recruited 50,000 convicts, about 10,000 of whom where killed in Bakhmut; a similar number of his own fighters have died there. He said he had 50,000 men at his disposal in the best times, with about 35,000 on the front lines at all times. He didnt say whether these numbers included convicts. The U.S. has estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts. A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagners troops in Bakhmut. The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight. In December, Washington accused North Korea of supplying weapons, including rockets and missiles, to the Russian company in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Both Wagner and North Korea denied the reports. How has Prigozhin criticised Russia's military? If the U.S. accusation is true, Wagners reach for North Korean weapons may reflect its long-running dispute with the Russian military leadership, which dates to the companys creation. Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. Troops purported to be Wagner contractors in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses and accusations of failing to provide ammunition. Prigozhin also has singled out Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian military leaders of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said last month that Prigozhins remarks critical of the war could be a sort of morbid way of him ... claiming credit for whatever theyve been able to achieve in Bakhmut, but also trying to publicly embarrass the Ministry of Defense further that the cost was borne in blood and treasure by Wagner, and not by the Russian military. Once a shadowy figure, Prigozhin has increasingly raised his public profile, boasting almost daily about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mocking his enemies and complaining about the military brass. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped, I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. The head of the private military contractor Wagner called Friday for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. He has previously bashed the country's military leadership for failures in the war in Ukraine, and is known for his long-running feud with the Defense Ministry. A look at the 62-year-old Prigozhin and Wagners role in the war:googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); What did Prigozhin say? Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. ALSO READ | Putin slams 'treason' as Wagner mercenary group vows to topple Moscow's top military leaders What's Prigozhin's background? Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the citys deputy mayor. Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet troll factory that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company. Where has Wagner operated? Wagner was first seen in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, in the weeks following Russias annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Engaging private contractors in the fighting allowed Moscow to maintain a degree of deniability. Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali. Prigozhin has reportedly used Wagners deployment to Syria and African countries to secure lucrative mining contracts. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said in January the company was using its access to gold and other resources in Africa to fund operations in Ukraine. Some Russian media alleged that Wagner was involved in the 2018 killings of three Russian journalists in Central African Republic who were investigating the groups activities. The slayings remain unsolved. What is Wagner's reputation? Western countries and U.N. experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Video has surfaced purporting to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagner's fearsome reputation. A 2017 online video showed a group of armed people, reportedly Wagner contractors, torturing a Syrian and beating him to death with a sledgehammer before mutilating and burning his body. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate. In 2022, another video showed a former Wagner contractor beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was repatriated. Despite public outrage and demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye. ALSO READ | World closely follows Russia's Wagner mutiny What's Wagner's role in Ukraine? Wagner took an increasingly visible role in the war as regular Russian troops suffered heavy attrition and lost territory in humiliating setbacks. Prigozhin toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. In the interview in May, he said he had recruited 50,000 convicts, about 10,000 of whom where killed in Bakhmut; a similar number of his own fighters have died there. He said he had 50,000 men at his disposal in the best times, with about 35,000 on the front lines at all times. He didnt say whether these numbers included convicts. The U.S. has estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts. A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagners troops in Bakhmut. The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight. In December, Washington accused North Korea of supplying weapons, including rockets and missiles, to the Russian company in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Both Wagner and North Korea denied the reports. How has Prigozhin criticised Russia's military? If the U.S. accusation is true, Wagners reach for North Korean weapons may reflect its long-running dispute with the Russian military leadership, which dates to the companys creation. Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. Troops purported to be Wagner contractors in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses and accusations of failing to provide ammunition. Prigozhin also has singled out Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian military leaders of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said last month that Prigozhins remarks critical of the war could be a sort of morbid way of him ... claiming credit for whatever theyve been able to achieve in Bakhmut, but also trying to publicly embarrass the Ministry of Defense further that the cost was borne in blood and treasure by Wagner, and not by the Russian military. Once a shadowy figure, Prigozhin has increasingly raised his public profile, boasting almost daily about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mocking his enemies and complaining about the military brass. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped, I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. By AFP MOSCOW: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow's top brass, said Saturday his fighters captured the army HQ in Russia's Rostov-on-Don "without firing a single shot" and claimed to have the support of locals. Prigozhin's fighters crossed into Russia from occupied Ukraine overnight and took the army HQ in the southern city, which serves as a key operational hub for Moscow's forces in Ukraine. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," Prigozhin said in his latest audio message on the Telegram social media platform. "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the building of the (army) HQ," he said. He said the mercenaries "had not touched a single soldier, we did not kill a single person on our way" and claimed his men had been hit by strikes from "artillery and after that from helicopters." ALSO READ | Officials in Russia's Lipetsk region urge residents to stay home He also claimed to have the support of locals in Rostov. Prigozhin said that his fighters had removed mines from outside the building Wagner occupied in Rostov. Earlier, the outspoken chief hit back at President Vladimir Putin, who called Prigozhin a traitor in an address to Russians. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," he said. MOSCOW: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, leading a mutiny to bring down Moscow's top brass, said Saturday his fighters captured the army HQ in Russia's Rostov-on-Don "without firing a single shot" and claimed to have the support of locals. Prigozhin's fighters crossed into Russia from occupied Ukraine overnight and took the army HQ in the southern city, which serves as a key operational hub for Moscow's forces in Ukraine. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," Prigozhin said in his latest audio message on the Telegram social media platform.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the building of the (army) HQ," he said. He said the mercenaries "had not touched a single soldier, we did not kill a single person on our way" and claimed his men had been hit by strikes from "artillery and after that from helicopters." ALSO READ | Officials in Russia's Lipetsk region urge residents to stay home He also claimed to have the support of locals in Rostov. Prigozhin said that his fighters had removed mines from outside the building Wagner occupied in Rostov. Earlier, the outspoken chief hit back at President Vladimir Putin, who called Prigozhin a traitor in an address to Russians. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," he said. By AFP MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that treason against his rule threatens Russia with civil war, as Moscow's military launched an operation to tackle a revolt by the Wagner mercenary group. The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and bases in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, and vowed to topple Moscow's top military leaders. Further north, on Wagner's possible route towards Moscow, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region said the armed forces had launched a "counter-terrorist operation" to suppress the revolt. A fuel depot on Voronezh city was on fire, he said. The FSB security service accused Prigozhin of attempting to launch a "civil conflict" and urged Wagner fighters to detain him. Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin -- whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine -- of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said. "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces." "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who built his powerbase as a catering contractor to the Kremlin and now runs a private military force. "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," Putin vowed. ALSO READ | World closely follows Russia's Wagner mutiny The Russian president's speech came shortly after Prigozhin posted a message of his own, apparently filmed in Rostov-on-Don, accusing the Russian military leadership of betrayal and failure in the ongoing battle against Ukrainian forces. "A huge amount of territory is lost. Soldiers have been killed, three, four times more than what it says in documents shown to the top," he said, accusing commanders of hiding the true scale of Russian losses in Ukraine from the Kremlin. "Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control," he said, adding that warplanes taking part in the Ukraine offensive "are leaving as normal". Inside Ukraine, emergency services said that three people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in Kyiv after what authorities said was an overnight barrage of 40 Russian cruise missiles and at least two attack drones. 'Civil conflict' After Putin's speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin said. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." Russia's headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Watching events unfold in Russia as his own forces conduct a slow-moving counteroffensive, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the revolt showed Russia's was failing. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," he said. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, that Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." News photographs showed armed men surrounding administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks deployed in the city centre. It was not clear who the armed men were. The mayor of Moscow announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken in the capital and authorities said security had been tightened in several regions. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. Missile strikes Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov had informed Putin of "the initiation of a criminal case in connection with an attempt to organise an armed rebellion", Kremlin spokesman Peskov said. While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. The Russian defence ministry warned that Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the eastern hotspot of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the defence ministry leadership. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address. Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner chief's attempt to force a leadership change in the defence ministry "is unlikely to succeed" given that Surovikin had denounced his call for rebellion. However, it said Wagner's apparent capture of Rostov-on-Don "would have significant impacts on Russia's war effort in Ukraine". US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. France and Germany said they were closely following events. Italy warned its citizens in Russia to take care and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "all parties" to spare civilian life. MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that treason against his rule threatens Russia with civil war, as Moscow's military launched an operation to tackle a revolt by the Wagner mercenary group. The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and bases in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, and vowed to topple Moscow's top military leaders.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Further north, on Wagner's possible route towards Moscow, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region said the armed forces had launched a "counter-terrorist operation" to suppress the revolt. A fuel depot on Voronezh city was on fire, he said. The FSB security service accused Prigozhin of attempting to launch a "civil conflict" and urged Wagner fighters to detain him. Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin -- whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine -- of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said. "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces." "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who built his powerbase as a catering contractor to the Kremlin and now runs a private military force. "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," Putin vowed. ALSO READ | World closely follows Russia's Wagner mutiny The Russian president's speech came shortly after Prigozhin posted a message of his own, apparently filmed in Rostov-on-Don, accusing the Russian military leadership of betrayal and failure in the ongoing battle against Ukrainian forces. "A huge amount of territory is lost. Soldiers have been killed, three, four times more than what it says in documents shown to the top," he said, accusing commanders of hiding the true scale of Russian losses in Ukraine from the Kremlin. "Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control," he said, adding that warplanes taking part in the Ukraine offensive "are leaving as normal". Inside Ukraine, emergency services said that three people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in Kyiv after what authorities said was an overnight barrage of 40 Russian cruise missiles and at least two attack drones. 'Civil conflict' After Putin's speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin said. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." Russia's headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Watching events unfold in Russia as his own forces conduct a slow-moving counteroffensive, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the revolt showed Russia's was failing. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," he said. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, that Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." News photographs showed armed men surrounding administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks deployed in the city centre. It was not clear who the armed men were. The mayor of Moscow announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken in the capital and authorities said security had been tightened in several regions. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. Missile strikes Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov had informed Putin of "the initiation of a criminal case in connection with an attempt to organise an armed rebellion", Kremlin spokesman Peskov said. While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. The Russian defence ministry warned that Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the eastern hotspot of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the defence ministry leadership. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address. Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner chief's attempt to force a leadership change in the defence ministry "is unlikely to succeed" given that Surovikin had denounced his call for rebellion. However, it said Wagner's apparent capture of Rostov-on-Don "would have significant impacts on Russia's war effort in Ukraine". US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. France and Germany said they were closely following events. Italy warned its citizens in Russia to take care and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "all parties" to spare civilian life. By ANI WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government's decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India. PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time). "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said, "These antiquities of Indian origin had reached the international market through legal or illegal ways, but America's decision to return them to India shows the emotional bond between the two nations." In a bid to rejuvenate India's cultural and spiritual heritage, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing back antiquities and artefacts from across the world. "Over centuries, innumerable priceless artefacts, some with deep cultural and religious significance, had been stolen and smuggled abroad. The government adopted a proactive approach to 'bringing back Indian artefacts and cultural heritage," said a government release. On numerous foreign visits, Prime Minister discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions and a total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, out of which 238 were brought back since 2014. In 2022 also the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million USD. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr had announced in October 2022 that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor, a statement said. #WATCH | PM Narendra Modi tells the Indian diaspora, "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American pic.twitter.com/2CLumxex3Y ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 Subhas Kapoor assisted in trafficking the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. According to the statement, "Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office's investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi." All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India's Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau. Among the pieces being returned was the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000. The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement read. Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added. In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. "The untiring efforts of the Government of India have led to the repatriation of our rightful artefacts that reflect and epitomise the glory of our ancient civilisation," the release read. (ANI) WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government's decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India. PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time). "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this," PM Modi said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Prime Minister said, "These antiquities of Indian origin had reached the international market through legal or illegal ways, but America's decision to return them to India shows the emotional bond between the two nations." In a bid to rejuvenate India's cultural and spiritual heritage, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing back antiquities and artefacts from across the world. "Over centuries, innumerable priceless artefacts, some with deep cultural and religious significance, had been stolen and smuggled abroad. The government adopted a proactive approach to 'bringing back Indian artefacts and cultural heritage," said a government release. On numerous foreign visits, Prime Minister discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions and a total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, out of which 238 were brought back since 2014. In 2022 also the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million USD. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr had announced in October 2022 that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor, a statement said. #WATCH | PM Narendra Modi tells the Indian diaspora, "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American pic.twitter.com/2CLumxex3Y ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 Subhas Kapoor assisted in trafficking the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. According to the statement, "Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office's investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi." All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India's Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau. Among the pieces being returned was the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000. The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement read. Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added. In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. "The untiring efforts of the Government of India have led to the repatriation of our rightful artefacts that reflect and epitomise the glory of our ancient civilisation," the release read. (ANI) By Associated Press A rebellious mercenary commander said Saturday he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. Moscow had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting checkpoints with armoured vehicles and troops on the city's southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads. But Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. #UPDATE "We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps," Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced after vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 24, 2023 He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from Putin's government. The announcement followed a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin agreed to halt the advance in a proposed settlement including security guarantees for Wagner troops, Lukashenko's office said, without elaborating. Putin had vowed harsh consequences for organizers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced toward Moscow. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. READ HERE | Putin's 'monster' turns against former master It wasnt immediately clear what concessions, if any, Putin may have made to persuade Prigozhin to halt his march. If he accedes to Prigozhins demand to oust Shoigu, Prigozhin would emerge from the crisis as a clear winner in a major blow to Putins authority. If Prigozhin agrees not to press the demand, Putin could award him with more lucrative government contracts like those on which he has built his fortune in the past. However, it would be awkward and politically damaging for Putin to backtrack after branding Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. Some observers speculated that Prigozhin could make concessions such as putting the Wagner Group under federal authority, or he could shift the force's activities back to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in recent years. Explainer: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin -- the man calling for an armed rebellion in Russia? Early Saturday, Prigozhin's private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometres) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities were taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital and declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europes largest conflict since World War II, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Prigozhin said earlier Saturday that his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. The rebellion came as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. State-controlled TV networks led their newscasts with Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Putin and condemning Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. He also alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in Rostov, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putin's chef. He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin's every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed," Kadyrov said. Even with the confrontation seemingly defused, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the infighting could create confusion and potential division among Russian military forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian soldier Andrii Kvasnytsia, attending a funeral for a comrade, said Prigozhins intentions toward Ukraine might be worse than Putins, but that the infighting would still benefit the country. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. Although there was speculation that Putin had left Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it. A rebellious mercenary commander said Saturday he ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. Moscow had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting checkpoints with armoured vehicles and troops on the city's southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads. But Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); #UPDATE "We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps," Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced after vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 24, 2023 He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from Putin's government. The announcement followed a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin agreed to halt the advance in a proposed settlement including security guarantees for Wagner troops, Lukashenko's office said, without elaborating. Putin had vowed harsh consequences for organizers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced toward Moscow. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. READ HERE | Putin's 'monster' turns against former master It wasnt immediately clear what concessions, if any, Putin may have made to persuade Prigozhin to halt his march. If he accedes to Prigozhins demand to oust Shoigu, Prigozhin would emerge from the crisis as a clear winner in a major blow to Putins authority. If Prigozhin agrees not to press the demand, Putin could award him with more lucrative government contracts like those on which he has built his fortune in the past. However, it would be awkward and politically damaging for Putin to backtrack after branding Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. Some observers speculated that Prigozhin could make concessions such as putting the Wagner Group under federal authority, or he could shift the force's activities back to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in recent years. Explainer: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin -- the man calling for an armed rebellion in Russia? Early Saturday, Prigozhin's private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometres) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow, where authorities were taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital and declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europes largest conflict since World War II, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. Prigozhin said earlier Saturday that his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. The rebellion came as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. State-controlled TV networks led their newscasts with Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Some showed social media videos of residents denouncing Wagner troops. Broadcasters also carried statements from top officials and lawmakers voicing support for Putin and condemning Prigozhin. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. He also alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in Rostov, where they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putin's chef. He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putins address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin's every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed," Kadyrov said. Even with the confrontation seemingly defused, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the infighting could create confusion and potential division among Russian military forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian soldier Andrii Kvasnytsia, attending a funeral for a comrade, said Prigozhins intentions toward Ukraine might be worse than Putins, but that the infighting would still benefit the country. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. Although there was speculation that Putin had left Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it. By AFP PARIS: Countries around the world were on Saturday closely watching events unfolding in Russia, where a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group posed the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin's long rule. Below are what governments and analysts are saying about the extraordinary situation taking place in nuclear-armed Russia. Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later," he said in a statement on social media. "Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos," Zelensky added. The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Zelensky accused Putin of throwing "hundreds of thousands into the war, in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed." "For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government," he added in the statement. The United States US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. Europe European Union chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc was "closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners." "This is clearly an internal Russian issue," he wrote, adding that "our support for Ukraine" remains "unwavering". The bloc's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said the EU was in "permanent contact with our ambassador in Moscow and continuing our internal consultations with our member states." NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said only the alliance was "monitoring the situation". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians." "We're in touch with our allies as the situation evolves. I'll be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly," he told the BBC. Meanwhile, Czech politicians used the mutiny as a moment to take a stab at Russian leadership. "I can see my summer holiday in Crimea is approaching," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, referring to the territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. "So we finally know what the Russians mean by a Special Operation," said Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova. "After 16 months of the war in Ukraine, Russia is waging war on Russia. No surprise. It's a tradition over there. Failed wars end up with the Tsar being executed, with chaos and with a civil war supervised by snoopers. Congratulations," she said. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who has met Putin since the launch of the Ukraine war, warned of the nuclear risks of the instability in Russia. "The operations of the Russian Federations are always of the utmost importance, because the Russian Federation has a great potential for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons," he said. In Berlin, "the government is closely following the events in Russia", a spokesman told AFP. The foreign ministry advised avoiding central Moscow and government and military buildings in the capital. In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron is also keeping a close eye, the Elysee said. "We remain focused on supporting Ukraine." In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said the events "show how the aggression against Ukraine is causing instability also within Russia." In Sweden, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom tweeted: "The government is closely following the situation in Russia. The situation is serious." In Norway, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Oslo was "closely following the dramatic situation in Russia and are in close contact with the embassy in Moscow." Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder tweeted that the situation was "serious" and he was watching to see "what impact it has on the conflict." Qatar Qatar's foreign ministry said it was following "with great concern" and urged restraint. "The worsening situation in Russia and Ukraine will have negative repercussions on international peace and security, and on food and energy supplies, which were mainly affected by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," the ministry said. Analysts The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that "this represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said in a tweet. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the armed rebellion was "unlikely to succeed" but that "an armed Wagner attack against the Russian military leadership in Rostov-on-Don would have significant impacts on Russias war effort in Ukraine." PARIS: Countries around the world were on Saturday closely watching events unfolding in Russia, where a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group posed the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin's long rule. Below are what governments and analysts are saying about the extraordinary situation taking place in nuclear-armed Russia. Ukrainegoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later," he said in a statement on social media. "Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos," Zelensky added. The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Zelensky accused Putin of throwing "hundreds of thousands into the war, in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed." "For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government," he added in the statement. The United States US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. Europe European Union chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc was "closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners." "This is clearly an internal Russian issue," he wrote, adding that "our support for Ukraine" remains "unwavering". The bloc's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said the EU was in "permanent contact with our ambassador in Moscow and continuing our internal consultations with our member states." NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said only the alliance was "monitoring the situation". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians." "We're in touch with our allies as the situation evolves. I'll be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly," he told the BBC. Meanwhile, Czech politicians used the mutiny as a moment to take a stab at Russian leadership. "I can see my summer holiday in Crimea is approaching," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, referring to the territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. "So we finally know what the Russians mean by a Special Operation," said Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova. "After 16 months of the war in Ukraine, Russia is waging war on Russia. No surprise. It's a tradition over there. Failed wars end up with the Tsar being executed, with chaos and with a civil war supervised by snoopers. Congratulations," she said. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who has met Putin since the launch of the Ukraine war, warned of the nuclear risks of the instability in Russia. "The operations of the Russian Federations are always of the utmost importance, because the Russian Federation has a great potential for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons," he said. In Berlin, "the government is closely following the events in Russia", a spokesman told AFP. The foreign ministry advised avoiding central Moscow and government and military buildings in the capital. In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron is also keeping a close eye, the Elysee said. "We remain focused on supporting Ukraine." In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said the events "show how the aggression against Ukraine is causing instability also within Russia." In Sweden, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom tweeted: "The government is closely following the situation in Russia. The situation is serious." In Norway, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Oslo was "closely following the dramatic situation in Russia and are in close contact with the embassy in Moscow." Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder tweeted that the situation was "serious" and he was watching to see "what impact it has on the conflict." Qatar Qatar's foreign ministry said it was following "with great concern" and urged restraint. "The worsening situation in Russia and Ukraine will have negative repercussions on international peace and security, and on food and energy supplies, which were mainly affected by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," the ministry said. Analysts The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that "this represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said in a tweet. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the armed rebellion was "unlikely to succeed" but that "an armed Wagner attack against the Russian military leadership in Rostov-on-Don would have significant impacts on Russias war effort in Ukraine." Rena Murshud Armenia, which has neither its economic and military power nor any potential to help a force other than itself, makes inadequate decisions typical of its nature. One of these decisions adopted at the meeting of the Armenian government on June 22, is the allocation of another 7.4 million dollars to Azerbaijans Karabakh, where separatists still live under special care of Russian peacekeepers. Armenia claims that the funds will be directed to the post-war development of Karabakh and the reduction of social tension. And until 2023, it was also planned to allocate funds in the amount of $350 million dollars. When reading this information, two main scenes come to mind: Pashinyan admitting that he recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by its mathematical size in international meetings that are not even a place for him to be; and Armenia's brazen intervention in the territories of Azerbaijan, without respecting a single punctuation of words in its promise. "Such a decision of the Parliament of Armenia, which was defeated in the Patriotic War and is facing the solution of socio-economic problems, cannot but raise questions," political analyst Elshan Manafov stated this while commenting on the issue for Azernews. According to him, first of all, the decision of Nikol Pashinyan's parliament in exchange for the recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereign rights to Karabakh creates the impression that the Armenian political establishment does not have a unified position on Karabakh. This is impossible from the point of view of the trust of the political forces in Armenia. According to the expert, Armenia is a parliamentary republic, and Armenian Prime Minister has the last word. Pashinyans statements like this is the position of the Armenian parliament will not be convincing and sufficient. Thus, Pashinyan's statements about the belonging of Karabakh to Azerbaijan and readiness for peace negotiations are far from reality. We can't rely on them." Manafov said. The political analyst also noting "the Armenian government is completely engaged in political hypocrisy", said that "Karabakh was accepted by the international community as belonging to Azerbaijan from a legal point of view. In the event that the decision of the Armenian parliament on the financial support of Karabakh without the opinion of Azerbaijan actually means disrespect for it and direct interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. In addition to a gross violation of international legal norms, this decision is an act against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and entails legal responsibility." Elshan Manafov also noted that such provocations will not be the first and not the last on the part of the Armenians. According to him, the United States, which is the current patron of the Armenian government, transferred billions of dollars to the separatist regime in Karabakh. All this was done under the guise of humanitarian support for the Armenian regime in Karabakh. In conclusion, the political expert said that against the background of what Armenia is illegally doing, the US State Department claimed that the funds were collected by the Armenian diaspora in California in order to hide its true face. According to him, the main "concern" of the West in the negotiations between the parties to the conflict is Russia. His real desire is to get Russia out of this issue and make it look like an enemy through cyber warfare in countries that are parties to the conflict. At the same time, it is one of the West's goals to limit Russia's influence in the region, to distance it from the region and, most importantly, to bring the entire South Caucasus under its sphere of influence through satellite powers like Pashinyan." India, US to develop small modular reactors for domestic and export markets Chennai, June 23: India and the US are working together for developing next generation small modular reactor technologies for domestic and export markets. India, US to develop small modular reactors for domestic and export markets According to a joint statement issued by the US White House, amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi noted "the ongoing discussion on developing next generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode for the domestic market as well as for export".Small modular reactors are the ones which are factory-made compact with less than 300 MW capacity.Nuclear power equipment manufacturers like Russia's Rosatom, French company EDF and the US based NuScale Energy are now looking at the small modular reactor segment.For global nuclear power plant makers, small is now beautiful and they are looking at populating their small modular reactors across the world.With lesser gestation time, higher power generation period and lower risks, nuclear power plant manufacturers are now of the view that small is beautiful and are in favour of small modular reactors, experts had told IANS.The world's first land-based small modular reactor (SMR) with RITM-200N is slated to be commissioned in 2028 in Russia's Arctic region, said Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev.Meanwhile, Biden and Modi underscored the important role nuclear energy plays in global decarbonisation efforts and affirmed nuclear energy as a necessary resource to meet nations' climate, energy transition, and energy security needs."The leaders noted ongoing negotiations between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) for the construction of six nuclear reactors in India," the statement notes.The US Department of Energy and India's Department of Atomic Energy are having intense consultations for facilitating the opportunities for WEC to develop a techno-commercial offer for the Kovvada nuclear project in India."The United States reaffirms its support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and commits to continue engagement with like minded partners to advance this goal," the joint statement said.The two leaders also hailed the deepening bilateral cooperation on cutting-edge scientific infrastructure, including a $140 million in-kind contribution from India's Department of Atomic Energy to the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Laboratory toward collaborative development of the Proton Improvement Plan-II Accelerator, for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility - the first and largest international research facility on American soil.They also welcomed the commencement of construction of a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India's Maharashtra.(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)IANS23 June 2023 Shared Recently! Chhattisgarh board bans 101 teachers for negligence while checking answer sheets of Class 10, 12 board exams Raipur, June 23: Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) has banned 101 teachers for negligence while checking answer sheets of Class 10 and 12 board exams, officials said. Chhattisgarh board bans 101 teachers for negligence while checking answer sheets of Class 10, 12 board exams CGBSE Secretary VK Goyal said, "101 teachers have been banned in view of the negligence in checking the answer sheets of 10th and 12th board exams."Goyal informed that there is a provision of punishment for the evaluator who makes mistakes while checking the answer sheet."However, the punishment is for increasing more than 20 marks. If someone increases the number that is less than 20, then there is no such provision of punishments," he added.Goyal explained that if the evaluator increases the number from 20 to 40 then he/she is deprived of the remunerative work of the Board of Secondary Education for 3 years as a punishment and if any evaluator increases the number from 40 to 49 marks then they are not only banned for 3 years but the government is also recommended to stop their increment for one year."If the evaluator increases the number from 20 to 40 then they are deprived of the remunerative work of the Board for 3 years and if any evaluator increases the number from 40 to 49 marks then they are not only banned for 3 years but the government is also recommended to stop their increment for one year," he said.He also mentioned that if someone is found to increase more than 50 marks, then they are deprived of remunerative work for a lifetime as a punishment adding that the government is also recommended to stop their increment for one year with a cumulative effect.Comparing the number of evaluators punished for negligence last year to this year, Goyal said that earlier mistakes of 400-500 teachers came to the fore but this year it decreased to only 101."There are 81 teachers who have been deprived of remunerative work for 3 years, 10 teachers have been destitute of remunerative work for 3 years and the government has been recommended to stop their increment for one year and 10 such teachers who have been deprived remunerative work for life and the government has also been recommended to stop their increment for one year with a cumulative effect," Goyal said.ANI23 June 2023 Shared Recently! Renowned digital marketer Amit Kumar Jha unveils groundbreaking book: The Power of Facebook Marketing SRV Media, New Delhi, June 23: Amit Kumar Jha, a highly regarded digital marketing expert, is thrilled to announce the release of his debut book titled "The Power of Facebook Marketing. Renowned digital marketer Amit Kumar Jha unveils groundbreaking book: The Power of Facebook Marketing " The book launch took place at SMR Vinay City, Hyderabad, on June 17th, coinciding with the joyous occasion of the author's parents, Jivan Jha and Gita Devi, celebrating their marriage anniversary.The book launch event witnessed the author's dedication to sharing their knowledge with a wide audience, as the target audience for "The Power of Facebook Marketing" spans individuals of all ages above 16 years. Although there were no specific chief guests or renowned personalities at the event, the enthusiasm and support from attendees were overwhelming."The Power of Facebook Marketing" is an insightful and comprehensive guide that unlocks the potential of Facebook for effective marketing strategies. The author's deep appreciation for family and loved ones serves as inspiration for this book, which is dedicated to his wife, Rimi Jha, brother Sumit Jha, sister-in-law Pinki Jha, and his children, Aryan, Rohan, Aahana, and Shagun. With practical step-by-step instructions and invaluable insights, this book empowers readers, whether entrepreneurs, marketers, or individuals seeking to harness Facebook's power, with the skills and strategies essential for success."I am thrilled to present 'The Power of Facebook Marketing' to the world. This book is the culmination of my years of experience and expertise in the field. My goal is to help readers unlock the immense marketing potential that Facebook offers and guide them towards achieving their goals." says, Amit Kumar JhaAbout the Author Amit Kumar Jha is a distinguished digital marketer with a remarkable career spanning real estate analysis, financial services, and stock brokerage. Hailing from the renowned village of Tarauni in Darbhanga, Bihar, Jha brings a unique perspective to the world of digital marketing. His expertise in cross-domain advertising has earned him recognition and success in the industry. With extensive experience as a real estate analyst in Mumbai and a background in the financial and stock broking sectors, Jha possesses a wealth of knowledge in the field of digital marketing. Motivated by his achievements and expertise, he has chosen to share his insights and strategies through this groundbreaking book."The Power of Facebook Marketing" is now available for purchase at leading bookstores and online platforms.(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI23 June 2023 Shared Recently! Opposition leaders have decided to fight against BJP together: Nitish Patna, June 23: All opposition parties in the country are united and will fight together against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Friday. Opposition leaders have decided to fight against BJP together: Nitish The leaders of the opposition parties, after the mega meeting here, jointly held a press conference where they said that they also decided to hold another meeting in Shimla on July 10 or 12 to decide the seats on which they would contest in the Lok Sabha election."We have a good and positive meeting today where we have decided to contest the Lok Sabha election together. The next meeting will take place under the chairmanship of (Congress President) Mallikarjun Kharge in Shimla where we will decide on seats... If we stand together, we will reduce the BJP to under 100 seats," Nitish Kumar said."Those who are in power are not working in the interest of the country. They want to change the history and constitution of the country. If they come again to power in the country, they will change the constitution," he added.On his part, Kharge said "We are trying to come up with a common agenda to fight together in the Lok Sabha election. The next meeting will take place in Shimla. We have to make a separate strategy for every state for fighting the Lok Sabha election."NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that his party has been working against the party of Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena) in Maharashtra for the last 25 years but now come together to save the Constitution and the country.West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said "The people's movement started from the soil of Patna. We will fight together. The Modi government has become a dictatorship in the country. The BJP and the RSS are attacking the democratic base of our country. This is a fight of ideology and we are standing by the opposition parties to fight against the BJP. We will work together and save our common ideology."IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Delimitation only way to protect Assamese identity: CM Guwahati, June 23: Even though there is displeasure among a section of leaders within the BJP on the draft delimitation for Assam published by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted on Friday that it would provide safeguards to the 'Khilonjiya' (original inhabitants) Assamese people, something which the National Register of Citizens (NRC) could not do. Delimitation only way to protect Assamese identity: CM The draft delimitation published by the ECI has proposed a major overhaul in many Assembly and Parliamentary seats in Assam. Many prominent leaders cutting across party lines may face uncertainty in the upcoming elections if this draft gets accepted.In Cachar district, the local BJP unit is unhappy over the draft. This is because the Silchar Lok Sabha seat has been proposed to be reserved for a Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate. In that case, the current MP representing the seat, Rajdeep Roy, will not be able to contest the polls in 2024.Also, major changes have been proposed in the boundaries of each Assembly seat in the district, which has irked the local leaders who have started to oppose the delimitation draft.Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader and five-time MLA Prodip Hazarika told IANS, "My constituency Amguri has been proposed to be abolished in the draft. But this is one of the oldest constituencies in the state and the first election was held here in 1951, just after Independence. Amguri has given some of the tall leaders to state politics."Hazrika also warned of launching a protest in his area if the draft is not altered."We are discussing the issue within our party and a formal decision on the delimitation will be taken soon," he added.However, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that the draft delimitation will prove beneficial for the original inhabitants of Assam.Sarma has been very vocal against the Bangladeshi Muslim infiltration issue in Assam and has raised the matter several times. Since he became the Chief Minister, it has been alleged that many of his actions were targeted against the Bengali-speaking Muslims living in the state.The Chief Minister said, "To save the original inhabitants of Assam from the invasion of Bangladeshi infiltrators, this draft delimitation must be properly implemented."Sarma also admitted that NRC failed to address this issue and it is his government that has been batting for a new NRC in the state.The state government has expressed its willingness to conduct a re-verification of the NRC at least in the districts adjacent to the Bangladesh border, alleging that names of Bangladeshi infiltrators were included in the NRC.Reacting to the annoyance among BJP leaders and its ally AGP over the draft, Sarma said, "I know some people are disappointed. Even my constituency faces some major changes. The people who voted for me for the last several years will have to cast their votes in a different constituency. I am saddened, but I have to accept it because we must understand that delimitation is the only way to protect the Assamese identity."IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! US: Niagara Falls lit up in tricolour to welcome PM Modi New York, June 23: The Niagara Falls on Friday lit up in tricolour to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his historic state visit to the US. US: Niagara Falls lit up in tricolour to welcome PM Modi "Welcoming Prime Minister @narendramodi on the #HistoricStateVisit2023 and celebrating #IndiaUSAFriendship. Bathed in the colors of India's flag, the breathtaking Niagara Falls look magnificent amidst fireworks.Thank you Council of Heritage and Arts of India (CHAI)," India's Consulate General in New York tweeted on Friday.The Consulate General also shared a view of the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side."View of the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side as it celebrates #IndiaUSAFriendship and welcomes Prime Minister @narendramodi on the #HistoricStateVisit2023. Thank you Council of Heritage and Arts of India (CHAI)," the Consulate General tweeted.Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, the One World Trade Center Building in Lower Manhattan, New York City, lit up in tricolour to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his historic state visit to the US."Testimony to the friendship between India and the US, the iconic lower Manhattan landmark @OneWTC sparkling in the lights of tricolour, welcoming @narendramodi on the historic State Visit," India's Consulate General in New York tweeted on Friday.The Empire State Building in New York also lit up in tricolour to welcome PM Modi.PM Modi is on a three-day State visit to the US. He will attend the State Department luncheon and Indian community event today.PM Modi on Friday said that India-US friendship will make the world a better place."India-USA friendship will make our world a better place," PM Modi tweeted on Friday.The PM also shared a video showing glimpses of his US visit.Acknowledging the progress made by Indian Americans in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (local time) said that they have played a significant role in further strengthening the inclusive society and economy of the US.During his speech at the State Dinner held at the White House, PM Modi said, "Indian Americans have come a long way in the US and have always found a respectful place in America's Melting Pot. Indian Americans have played a significant role in further strengthening the inclusive society and economy of the US."He also thanked US President Joe Biden for hosting a wonderful dinner and making the visit.Earlier on Thursday, PM Modi called terrorism an "enemy of humanity" and that there can be no ifs and buts while dealing with it."Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs and buts in dealing with it. We must overcome all such forces sponsoring and exporting terror," the Prime Minister said, as he addressed the joint sitting of the US Congress on Thursday at the US Capitol Hill.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! India, US ties hold potential for impactful global cooperation: PM Modi Washington DC, June 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed gratitude to US Representative Jimmy Panetta for welcoming him to the House of Representatives, saying India-US ties hold potential for impactful global cooperation. India, US ties hold potential for impactful global cooperation: PM Modi "Thank you @RepJimmyPanetta. Indeed, the close ties between India and the USA not only enrich our societies but also hold the potential for impactful global cooperation. Let's continue to strengthen these linkages," PM Modi tweeted on Friday.Panetta had, on Friday, tweeted, "Great to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to the House of Representatives as we continue our work to strengthen the cultural, economic, and humanitarian bonds between our two countries."PM Modi met Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at US Capitol on Thursday.Both leaders shook hands as they met, while PM Modi thanked McCarthy for providing him with the opportunity to address the joint session of the US Congress.US Vice President Kamala Harris also arrived at the House of Representatives ahead of the joint sitting.Addressing the joint session of the Congress for a historic second time, PM Modi on Thursday said it is an exceptional privilege to do it twice, adding that there have been even more momentous developments in another Al - America and India.PM Modi received standing ovation and applause as he said, "There are millions here, who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. There is one behind me, who has made history. I am told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavour of the House."PM Modi said, "It is always a great honour to address the US Congress. It is an exceptional privilege to do so twice. For this honour, I extend my deepest gratitude on behalf of 1.4 billion people of India. I see that nearly half of you were here in 2016. I can also see the enthusiasm of the old friends and the new friends in the other half.""Our era is at a crossroads. Through the long and widening road that we have travelled we have made the test of friendship," he added.Chants of "Modi, Modi...." were heard as the Prime Minister addressed the joint session of the US Congress on Thursday.PM Modi also received a standing ovation twice, during his address.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! US lawmakers approve Taiwan trade deal Taipei City, June 23: United States (US) lawmakers have voted to approve an agreement aimed at strengthening economic relations with Taiwan on Wednesday. The issue has already provoked an irritated response from Beijing, Hong-Kong based The Standard reported. US lawmakers approve Taiwan trade deal The US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade streamlines customs checks, looks to improve regulatory procedures and establishes anti-corruption measures.It now leads from the upper chamber of the US Congress, the House of Representatives to the Senate, where it is expected to be ratified. Washington does not hold any official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, as per The Standard.The governments maintain unofficial ties The governments maintain unofficial ties, however, through the de facto US embassy on the island, the American Institute in Taiwan, which signed the agreement earlier this month with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.Washington is the island's second-largest trade partner. Moreover, it has remained a key ally and arms supplier to Taiwan despite switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.But, Beijing considers the self-ruled island its own territory and hence is not willing to take any hint of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and other governments, as per The Standard.China warned Washington ahead of the deal being inked by both sides against any pact "with connotations of sovereignty or of an official nature with China's Taiwan region."In April, Beijing conducted three days of military exercises simulating a blockade of the island in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen's meeting in California, reported The Standard.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! EU adopts 11th package of sanctions against Russia Brussels, June 24: The EU Council has formally adopted the 11th package of sanctions it has imposed on Russia since the Ukrainian crisis broke out last year. EU adopts 11th package of sanctions against Russia The package includes measures aimed at countering the circumvention of sanctions, and adds 87 new entities to the list of those "directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex".It imposes a full ban on trucks with Russian trailers and semi-trailers from transporting goods to the EU, and extends the ban on the export of luxury cars to all new and second-hand cars above a certain engine size, and all electric and hybrid vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported.The temporary derogation granted to Germany and Poland for the supply of crude oil from Russia through the northern section of the Druzhba oil pipeline will end, according to the Council on Friday.However, oil originating from Kazakhstan or another third country will be able to continue to transit through Russia and imported into the EU via the Druzhba oil pipeline, it added.In response, Moscow has expanded the list of EU representatives who are banned from entering Russia, reported Sputnik on Friday. The Russian news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying the EU's move was "illegitimate, undermining the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council".IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! IAEA, Russias Rosatom discuss nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia in new consultations Moscow, June 24: General Director of Russia's Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev discussed the current nuclear safety situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) with the IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in Russia's Kaliningrad. IAEA, Russia's Rosatom discuss nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia in new consultations During the discussion, both delegations addressed issues raised by Grossi at the UN Security Council briefing on May 30, in which the official discussed the security situation at the nuclear facility, Rosatom said on Friday in a statement.Likhachev emphasised that the Russian side "expects the IAEA Secretariat to take specific steps to prevent strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces both on the ZNPP and on the adjacent territory," it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.He informed Grossi about the specific measures currently being taken by the Russian side to ensure the nuclear facility's safe operation, particularly its water supply "after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam was destroyed by the Ukrainian armed forces," Rosatom said.Both sides further discussed the outcomes of Grossi's visit to the plant on June 15. During his visit, Grossi was able to personally verify whether the plant could continue operating safely, and confirm among other things that the water supply in the cooling pond was sufficient for the safe operation of the facility.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Forget difference, fight for country: Sharad Pawar to oppn leaders Patna, June 23: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar on Friday asked the opposition leaders to forget the differences among themselves and fight for the country. Forget difference, fight for country: Sharad Pawar to oppn leaders "The situation in the country is not good even in BJP-ruled states. BJP also sabotages governments in the Congress-ruled states. We need to fight against the BJP which requires collective efforts. If we have any ideological differences, we need to sit together and sort it out," Pawar said.He added that a movement has started from Patna which will spread across the country."I remember, one such movement was started from Patna under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan which spread across the country. A number of movements started from this place and were accepted in the country," the NCP Chief said.His remarks came in the wake of the opposition party meeting witnessing some arguments between Congress and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on one side and the AAP on the other pertainting to issues such as ordinance and Article 370.Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said "I want to thank Nitish for organising such a meeting. You are seeing that the prominent leaders of different political parties of the entire country are assembled here from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Everyone knows that we belong to different political parties. We came together to save the unity and integrity of the country.""We will object to anyone who attacks our democracy. Just like Mamata Didi has said that whether opposition parties would come on one platform? I object those who are traitors and want to bring dictatorship in the country. Today, we started the opposition unity and when the start is good, everything will go well in future. We will sit together from time-to-time and make strategies," Thackeray added.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Mike Pence challenges Republican rivals to back 15-week abortion ban Washington, June 24: Former US Vice President Mike Pence, who has declared his bid for the 2024 presidential election, challenged his Republican Party rivals to support a 15-week national abortion ban. Mike Pence challenges Republican rivals to back 15-week abortion ban Addressing the Faith iamp; Freedom Coalition's annual conference in Washington D.C. on Friday, Pence said "Let me say from my heart -- the cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the centre of American law in every state in this country."The former Vice President, who has long made his evangelical faith central to his political identity, is one of the few Republican candidates to have spoken unequivocally about his support for such a ban, the BBC reported.He further told the gathering that every Republican candidate for President should support 15 weeks "as a minimum nationwide standard" on abortion.After the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the country last June, anti-abortion groups are trying to make a federal ban a key 2024 election issue.Opinion polls have suggested that a majority of Americans back some form of legal abortion access, though public support for the procedure being legal drops notably by the end of the second trimester of a pregnancy.Some Republican candidates are however, wary of backing a 15-week pledge.President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is expected to make abortion a central issue in his re-election campaign.About 25 million women of child-bearing age live in a state with restricted or non-existent abortion services since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last June.Sensing the political risks, many Republican presidential candidates have skirted the issue of abortion bans.Former President Donald Trump, whose conservative appointments to the Supreme Court paved the way for the US right to abortion being overturned, has backed away from endorsing a specific national ban, the BBC reported.Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has called a federal ban impossible.Meanwhile, voters are also split on the issue. A February PRRI poll suggested that 44 per cent of Americans would support a 15-week ban on abortion, while 52 per cent opposed such a law.A federal abortion ban would also have to pass both chambers of Congress and Republican efforts to pass such a law have failed in the past.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! UN peacekeeping chief prepares for December meeting on women in peacekeeping United Nations, June 24: UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix headed to prepare in Bangladesh for the Women in UN Peacekeeping December ministerial meeting in Ghana, a UN spokesman said. UN peacekeeping chief prepares for December meeting on women in peacekeeping The Dhaka conference is the first of four such meetings ahead of the two-day UN ministerial session in Accra, beginning December 5, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Friday. The Dhaka meeting concludes on June 26 (Monday).Haq added the preparatory session, co-hosted by Bangladesh, Canada, and Uruguay, is to hear representatives from troop and police contributing countries and UN peacekeeping experts discussing progress, challenges and good practices to promote women's meaningful participation in UN peacekeeping and to foster gender-responsive leadership, Xinhua news agency reported.He said that from Bangladesh, Under-Secretary-General Lacroix goes to Nepal and Bhutan for meetings on June 27-July 3 on the countries' support for UN peace operations, including within the framework of the peacekeeping ministerial conference on women.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! PM Modi interacts with military, strategic experts from several leading US-based think tanks, discusses geopolitics, terrorism By Maheep, Washington DC [US], June 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with military and strategic experts from several leading US-based think tanks during his state visit to the US and discussed geopolitics, the global economic situation and terrorism. PM Modi interacts with military, strategic experts from several leading US-based think tanks, discusses geopolitics, terrorism Max Abrahms, who has researched and published extensively on military affairs and teaches at Northwestern University, was one of these strategic experts. Abrahms expressed his admiration for the approachability and openness of Modi during the interaction on Wednesday.The experts attending the meeting included Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, New York; Elbridge Colby, Co-founder of 'The Marathon Initiative', based in Washington DC, Michael Froman, President-designate and Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), New York; Guru Sowle, Founder-member, Director (Indo-US Affairs), Indus International Research Foundation, Texas and Jeff M Smith, Director, Asian Studies Centre, The Heritage Foundation, Washington DC.Modi invited them to deepen their presence in India as it embarks on a set of strategic transformations during the Amritkaal. The term Amritkaal or period of immortality refers or the quarter century between 2022 and 2047, which marks the generation between the 75th and 100th year of India's independence. The Prime Minister shared with them his vision for Amritkaal.Abrahms came away from the Modi meeting truly impressed. There was no limitation on what could be said. Prime Minister Modi reportedly allowed everyone to tell him or ask him anything, listening carefully and responding seriously to everyone. Abrahms later tweeted that the Prime Minister sat among them with great humility."Met a group of people associated with key think tanks. We talked about different aspects of policymaking and emerging global trends. Emphasised the positive changes in India and how they are being powered by our youth," PM Modi later tweeted, describing the meeting.Elaborating on his vision, Prime Minister Modi during the second day of his state visit to the United States, projected India as the 'world's biggest youth factory' and a 'pipeline of talent.' He was addressing the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia. He observed that the India-US partnership would in future carry on as the driving engine for 'sustainable and inclusive global growth.' To maintain growth momentum, India and the US need a pipeline of talent. On one hand, the US has top-class educational institutions and advanced technologies. On the other hand, India has the world's biggest youth factory.While the USA has the most prestigious educational institutions and advanced technologies, India has a limitless supply of talented young men and women who aspire for the best. Prime Minister Modi believed the complementary nature of their respective assets made the India-US partnership an organic one, confident that together India and the US were destined to lead the world's journey toward inclusive and sustainable growth.Silicon Valley, or the part of San Francisco which is populated by the most successful technology companies in the world and among the wealthiest geographical hotspots in the world with $128,308 per capita income, is often seen to be powered largely by Indian talent. After all, Indian-origin executives lead some of the world's biggest technology companies. According to Boston University research, over 1,000 people of Indian origin have set up numerous Silicon Valley companies, with a total valuation of more than $40 billion. 40% of all start-up companies hire Indian Americans on their staff," the report observed.According to Open Doors Report 2022, the number of Indian students choosing to study in the United States in the last decade has more than doubled. India's share in the total number of international students in the US rose from 11.8 per cent to 21 per cent during this period. In absolute numbers, about 200,000 Indian students were enlisted for higher education in the US in 2021-22. The number of Indian students pursuing higher education in the US in 2012-13 was 96,654. The number of these students in 2020-21 was 167,582, which marked an annual increase of 19 per cent.The US First Lady Ms. Jill Biden, who addressed the meeting along with PM Modi, too described education as a cornerstone of the India-US bond. She said that both India and the United States hoped to keep the mutual educational ties building and strengthening. Ms Biden was happy that the Indian and the US universities were regularly partnering together, leading research, and creating apprenticeships and internships.While interaction with academic institutions and intellectuals formed a crucial part of Prime Minister Modi's seventh US visit since he took over as the Prime Minister of India nine years ago, the deepening of the defence partnership between the two largest democracies in the world constituted one of the major milestones. This was marked by the agreements on the joint production of GE-F414 fighter jet engines and the sale of armed MQ-9B Predator drones. The USA has never before made a military hardware deal of this magnitude with a non-military ally.The acquisition of 31 MQ9B predator drones, which cost about $ 3.5 billion, is likely to strengthen its capacity for long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The long-range ISR capabilities will come in particularly handy for India's strike missions in the Indian Ocean region and along the land borders with China and Pakistan.The co-production of GE-F414 INS6 turbo-fan engines in India will be particularly useful for the maintenance and advancement of Tejas Mark 2 fighter aircraft. The current lot of these aircraft has GE-F414 INS6 engines fitted in but without any technology transfer agreement. The current joint production agreement is likely to pave the way for an entirely new sector in the economy involving the joint production of military-grade hardware in India by Indian and US companies.The ongoing state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the USA has captivated scholars and intellectuals, showcasing his charisma, accessibility, and receptiveness to strategic experts. The discussions encompassed pivotal subjects, including geopolitics, the global economy, and terrorism, accentuating the positive transformations propelled by India's youth. PM Modi's vision for the Amritkaal, spanning from 2022 to 2047, positions India as the world's largest hub of young talent, seamlessly complementing the USA's renowned educational institutions and cutting-edge technologies.This organic partnership between India and the US stands poised to spearhead the path towards an inclusive and sustainable global growth trajectory. Moreover, the deepening defence collaboration between these two nations, exemplified by the agreements on the joint production and sale of military equipment, signifies a significant milestone in their alliance. Through the acquisition of MQ-9B Predator drones and the co-production of GE-F414 engines, India bolsters its long-range intelligence capabilities and fortifies its position in the Indian Ocean region as well as along its borders, particularly with China and Pakistan.This collaboration paves the way for an emergent sector in the Indian economy, fostering joint production of military-grade hardware by Indian and US enterprises. Prime Minister Modi's relentless efforts in strengthening India's global presence and reinforcing its partnership with the United States continue to unfold through these remarkable endeavours.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! US companies see India as potential source to deal with scarce supply chain: President-CEO of USISPF Washington DC, June 24: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) at Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the forum's President-CEO has underlined India's geopolitical importance in fulfilling the shortage of supply chain. US companies see India as potential source to deal with scarce supply chain: President-CEO of USISPF Mukesh Aghi, President-CEO of USISPF also noted that many US companies were looking at India as an important country to invest in and deal with a scarce supply chain.The President-CEO of USISPF also said that the world will take benefit from India and the US strategic partnership.After PM Modi's address to the forum, in an interaction with ANI, President-CEO of USISPF, Mukesh Aghi said, "This was a historical, pivotal moment...He said that the partnership between India and the US is going to benefit the world. So, to me, this was a great event, a great visit of the PM...""...You have to also understand that geopolitically, both countries are aligned vis-a-vis China. Lot of US companies are saying, how do we deal with a scarce supply chain and they are looking at India as a potential source of that..," Aghi added.Jenelle Krishnamoorthy, Vice President of Merck (Pharmaceutical giant) was among those who attended PM Modi's address at Kennedy Center. He said that nothing was better than the two best democracies coming together.After hearing PM Modi at the USISPF event, Krishnamoorthy said, "It was just lovely to see India and America getting closer to come together to tackle the world's problems. Two of the best democracies are coming together, nothing can be better than that."At the USISPF event, PM Modi said that in the last two years, American companies have invested around USD 16 billion in India.PM Modi said, "We have contained fiscal deficit and continuously increasing Capex. Our exports and forex are increasing. Besides, we are creating new records in the FDI. In the last two years, American companies have invested around USD16 billion in India."Underlining that Indian companies are also investing billions of dollars in America, the Prime Minister said, "Indian companies are becoming global. The youth and farmers of America are benefiting from all this. This partnership of India and America is in the interest of both the countries and the people of both the countries." Prime Minister Modi also emphasized the increasing demand in the aviation sector as Indian airlines are placing orders for numerous aircraft which is resulting in benefiting American companies as well.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has concluded his US visit, where he took part in a series of events."Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.After his address at Kennedy Center, the Prime Minister interacted with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC.Following his interaction with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building, PM Modi emplaned for Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Bridge caves in in Bihars Kishanganj Patna, June 24: Close on the heels of the Aguwani Ghat Khagaria bridge collapse, a portion of another bridge has caved-in in Bihar's Kishanganj district. Bridge caves in in Bihar's Kishanganj The bridge was constructed on the Mechi river near Gori village on NH 327E connecting Katihar and Kishanganj districts.The construction of the bridge was done by GR infra Limited. It has six spans sunk after the deterioration of the pillars.Following its collapse, the district administration has stopped the movement on this bridge.Police officials have been deployed on both sides to prevent motorists travelling on the bridge.Earlier, an under construction bridge in Bihar Khagaria district collapsed on June 4 led to massive criticism of the Bihar government.The matter is in the court and the construction company of Khagaria bridge named SP Singla is facing the heat of state government.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Delhi: Thanksgiving prayer and unveiling of St. Joseph Vaz portrait held at Sacred Heart Cathedral New Delhi, June 23: Sri Lanka High Commission on Friday organized a thanksgiving prayer at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Delhi: Thanksgiving prayer and unveiling of St. Joseph Vaz portrait held at Sacred Heart Cathedral On the occasion, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda and Archbishop of Delhi unveiled a portrait of St. Joseph Vaz known as the Apostle of Sri Lanka."In taking forward efforts to further expand the dialogue with leading faiths in India, a thanksgiving prayer was organized by the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi at the Sacred Heart Cathedral today," an official statement said."Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda, Jennifer Moragoda, and officials of the Mission attended the thanksgiving prayer which was conducted by the Archbishop of Delhi, Most Reverend Anil Joseph Thomas Couto," it added.During the thanksgiving prayer, High Commissioner Moragoda and Archbishop of Delhi unveiled a portrait of St. Joseph Vaz, the 'Apostle of Sri Lanka', in recognition of the exemplary service he rendered to the Catholic community in Sri Lanka.The Archbishop invoked blessings upon the officials and staff members of the Mission and praised the role played by them.The High Commissioner recently unveiled a portrait of St. Joseph Vaz at the Apostolic Nunciature, New Delhi, and has made arrangements to present similar portraits to the Catholic religious leaders in Chennai, Mumbai, and Mangalore, the statement said.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Azerbaijans Lachin district has great potential for tourism because it has natural beauty, the grandeur of the mountains, and many other things that would attract tourists in the long term, Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Bilal Hayee said, Trend reports. He made the remark during the visit of representatives of the diplomatic corps to the Lachin district. "Although I have seen most of the liberated areas of your country, this is my first time in the Lachin district. I am really impressed by the natural beauty, the beautiful landscape of this region, as well as the very rapid pace of development work," the ambassador said. He also mentioned the rapid construction of houses in the region. "We have seen many newly built houses and met with people who were forced to leave these territories many years ago. They're coming back now. We can see the happiness on their faces from the fact that they have finally returned to their homes in their native lands," he added. Therefore, we wish the Azerbaijani people all the best in the development of these lands, and Pakistanis would be very happy to come and see these beautiful places soon," he said. Meanwhile, representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan arrived in the Lachin district today, where they got acquainted with the restoration and construction works carried out there. India shows generosity in accommodating refugees, hosts 40,000 Rohingyas New Delhi, June 23: Even though India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention and the Protocol, and also does not have a national refugee protection framework, it hosts over 250,000 refugees and asylum-seekers including 40,000 Rohingyas, a Muslim minority from Myanmar after ethnic violence in Myanmar led to their mass exodus a few years ago. India shows generosity in accommodating refugees, hosts 40,000 Rohingyas India has a rich historical background of welcoming refugees and asylum-seekers who were displaced due to a variety of reasons and keeping with tradition, India continues to provide protection and shelter to vulnerable individuals from foreign countries even today including Tibetan minorities from China, Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan and Muslims from Myanmar.At present, India hosts over 250,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, and it spent USD 13 million to ensure the basic needs of vulnerable individuals in 2022. There has been an increase in asylum-seekers that has led the United Nations to call India a "generous" host.Proving ill-intentioned propaganda wrong, the government of India has ensured health, sanitation, medical and educational facilities for Rohingya refugees. It also has built permanent houses for them. India has over 100,000 refugees from neighbouring Sri Lanka, who have been given shelter in different camps. A mass exodus occurred due to the ethnic violence in the island country. Thousands of Sri Lankans are fleeing to India nowadays to escape the heat of the economic crisis.India's mission to allow refugees did not stop during the Covid-19 pandemic as well. The number of individual refugees increased by 9 per cent in 2021. India has recorded a steady flow of refugees from its neighbours - Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, where religious and ethnic minority communities or women or civil rights activists are targeted.India had opened its border for over 10 million Bangladeshi people to evade brutality by Pakistani military forces in the early 1970s. India was not a signatory to any international convention, yet the New Delhi government helped these refugees settle in the country and provided financial assistance.Tibetan minorities, who faced brutal China's oppression, made their way to India at intervals. They have been coming to India since the late 1950s as refugees. There are many townships across India, which have been set to give shelter and protection to the persecuted Tibetan people.Dalai Lama resides in India's Dharamshala town, which acts as the capital of the Tibetan government in exile. Even Tibetans who practice Islam have been given a place to live in India- administered Kashmir, which is a Muslim-majority region.One such Tibetan Muslim refugee Ahmad Zareif said the community has been living peacefully in India."No one was even touched. In over 50 years, we have never faced any harassment," he said.Kashmiris are fond of the food the refugee, Tibetan Muslims from China cook, and intercommunity marriages are taking place.These refugees are not optimistic about being able to return to Tibet, as they fear brutal repercussions.Abdullah Jami, a 73-year-old Tibetan Muslim refugee, said he cannot contact or trace his relatives, who had come to meet him from Tibet in the mid-80s."Even though I know I have my brother's family and relatives there, [it's as though] they simply don't exist," he said.They are getting adopted into the local Indian culture and even have been given Indian citizenship.Pakistan and Afghanistan have been witnessing the persecution of non-Islamic communities by the extremists, which forced minority communities to flee these countries and seek asylum elsewhere. India has been the top destination. After coming to power in 2014, the Modi government came up with schemes to provide shelter to them, which received a huge response. In 2015, 4,300 Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan were not just given asylum but offered Indian nationality as well.Erstwhile Pakistani citizen Sunil Maheshwari fled Pakistan due to religious persecution. He was granted Indian citizenship."Since we got Indian citizenship, we are no longer outsiders and nobody can call us 'Pakistani'. We are very much Indian and proud of it," he said.With the aim of providing citizenship to 200,000 refugees from neighbouring countries, the government of India has come up with necessary laws. There has been a constant flow of refugees. The government processed 16,121 citizenship applications in just 15 months in 2019-20. Dharamveer Solanki, who got Indian citizenship and could build a house after fleeing Pakistan, said "It felt as though I had been reborn."ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Our industry operates with a just-culture mindset: Air India CEO Wilson after pilots suspension By Ashoke Raj, New Delhi, June 23: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, responding to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s action against AI pilots for allowing a woman friend into the cockpit, said that "our industry operates with a 'just culture' mindset. 'Our industry operates with a just-culture mindset': Air India CEO Wilson after pilots' suspension The DGCA on June 22 suspended Air India pilots who allowed a woman friend into the cockpit of a Chandigarh to Leh flight on June 3."Our industry operates with a "just culture" mindset that recognises that genuine mistakes happen and that they are opportunities to learn and improve. But we must learn and improve, and repeats indicate that we are not adequately doing so whether due to complacency, carelessness or some other factor", as stated by Wilson in his note to the employees.Wilson, while addressing Air India employees on Friday, expressed his disappointment and said that suspending the pilots for a year is a long period."You may have read about the license suspension our regulator handed to two of our colleagues for not adhering to sterile cockpit regulations. The one-year suspension is long but given that this is the second such incident in a relatively short space of time, it is quite understandable," Campbell Wilson told AI employees.Air India has witnessed two consecutive reports of cockpit violations where regulator DGCA has taken stern action against the company including the pilots.The CEO of Air India insisted and advised the employees to follow the rules and regulations strictly."The rules and regulations exist for a reason, and we expect them to be followed. The strong action taken by DGCA should serve as a reinforcement, not that one should be needed, that it is incumbent on us all to keep elevating our game," he said.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation suspended the license of Pilot-In-Command (PIC) and First Officer of Air India for a period of one year and one month respectively for allowing an unauthorised person into the cockpit during a flight on Thursday.According to DGCA, on June 3, the Pilot in Command of Air India flight AI-458 (Chandigarh - Leh) allowed an unauthorised person into the cockpit during departure and the person remained in the cockpit throughout the flight.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! This partnership is not of convenience, its a partnership of conviction: PM Modi at USISPF event Washington DC, June 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the strong bond between India and US and said that the partnership is forged with conviction. This partnership is not of convenience, it's a partnership of conviction: PM Modi at USISPF event Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) event, he said, "I can confidently say that this partnership is not just of convenience but of conviction, of compassion and of shared commitment for a better future. The foundation of this partnership is you."He said that the foundation of this partnership is the citizens of the United States and India while addressing the Indian diaspora."Another highlight of this partnership is the overwhelming support for India in the US, across party lines," said PM Narendra Modi.The Prime Minister said that he was eagerly waiting for this program during his US tour."You all are the strong pillars of America's development journey, so I wanted to meet you. All of you have brought America to this height with your hard work. You are all part of the American Dream. You have lived the American Dream. You have shown how to make a commitment and deliver it," said PM Narendra Modi at the USISPF event.Highlighting the success of the Indian diaspora, he said, "You all are the strong pillars of the development journey of the US. Be it the Congressmen, business leaders, doctors, engineers or scientists - all of you have brought the US to this height with your hard work. You are a part of the American dream. You have lived the American dream."PM Modi said that there comes a time in the development journey of every country when it sets a new goal with new energy."Today India is also passing through a similar time frame. Sometime back we completed 75 years of independence and took a resolution. 140 crore Indians have taken a pledge and this pledge is for a developed India. We are providing permanent solutions to decades-old problems in India and we also challenge challenges," said PM Modi.Speaking about his historic State visit to the US, PM Modi said, "It has been four days since I came to the US. In these 4 days, I met several people, including President Biden. The one thing that gave me self-confidence is -- India and US partnership."At the USISPF event, PM Narendra Modi said that the greatest driving force of India's success is the aspiration of Indians."This is not very different from the American dream. Today, the share of private consumption in India's GDP is the highest in the last 15 years," he said.PM Modi said that he is even more confident that the India-US partnership can change the fortunes of the world of the 21st century."Our partnership can change the fate of the 21st-century world. There comes a time period in the development journey of every country when it sets a new goal with a new energy. Today India is also passing through a similar time period," said PM Modi.Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic and its tremors felt across the world, he said, "The way India has fought with Corona, shows the potential of India. Today, in the post-pandemic world, you know the situation of the economy, inflation and supply chain but India is growing at the rate of more than 7 per cent. Currently, an era of reforms is underway in India"In the post-pandemic world, the economy, inflation and supply chain aren't in good shape. However, amid all these, India is moving forward with a growth rate of more than 7 per cent.He said that 140 crore people of India, resolved for a Developed India."We completed 75 years of our independence and we, the 140 crore people of India, resolved for a Developed India. We are giving a permanent solution to the problems going on for decades...We are empowering the poor of India. We are improving the ease of living," said PM Modi.Meanwhile, John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus Cisco, at the USISPF event in Washington DC said that India has made great strides on the economic front."India shows up in the economic results, it has moved from the 10th position to the 5th position. India will become the number 1 economy in the world."Speaking about his experience of meeting PM Modi, he said, "I've met probably 40 of the world's top leaders in 35 years. And when I met the Prime Minister for the first time, they are completely different. He has an energy that is amazing. He has an understanding of technology and understands how technology can enable a country. They linked a vision to a strategy, what are the priorities to deliver, linked to results."ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Canada launches probe into Titan submersible implosion that killed 5 Toronto, June 24: Canadian authorities on Saturday launched a probe into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately-operated submersible Titan, which would have imploded and killed all five people on board. Canada launches probe into Titan submersible implosion that killed 5 The Canadian-flagged cargo vessel Polar Prince was at the Titanic wreck site, 325 nautical miles south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland and Labrador, providing surface support to the submersible Titan.There were 17 crew members and 24 people on board the Polar Prince.Five people from the Polar Prince were on board the Titan and approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes after the submersible began its descent, the support vessel lost contact, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).The US Coast Guard on Thursday confirmed that the debris found on the ocean floor near the Titanic wreckage consisted of pieces of the missing submersible. As a result, the five people on board the Titan are presumed dead."In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB, as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel involved in the occurrence, will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince," said the agency.A team of TSB investigators was set to travel to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, to gather information, conduct interviews, and assess the occurrence."In the coming days, we will coordinate our activities with other agencies involved," said the Canadian agency.Debris from the OceanGate Expeditions' Titan submersible was found late on Thursday, confirming all those aboard had died.The five passengers included Hamish Harding, a billionaire and explorer; Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a French explorer; Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood, members of a prominent Pakistani family; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.The bodies of the five explorers are unlikely to be recovered.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! PM Modis state visit to US wasnt about China: Top White House official John Kirby Washington, DC, June 24: The state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US was not about China but about sending a message to the Indian people and American people about the importance of a bilateral relationship between the two nations, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Friday. PM Modi's state visit to US wasn't about China: Top White House official John Kirby Responding to media queries during a press briefing, Kirby said, "...This State visit (of PM Modi) wasn't about China. India has challenges with China as well right on their doorstep.""Quiet frankly, India has challenges with China on their own and they address these challenges largely on their own," Kirby said.The top White House Official further added, "Clearly, the challenges presented by the PRC to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday. But this wasn't about leveraging India to be some counter-weight."India is a sovereign, independent state, he said.Speaking on the partnership between India and US, Kirby highlighted that over the course of this visit, US President Joe Biden and PM Modi reaffirmed that the partnership between the two nations is deeper and more expansive than its ever been.He said, "And now, during this visit, President and PM Modi reaffirm that the partnership between India and the United States is deeper and more expansive than ever. And when we think about its future not only of the relationship but also of the critical and emerging technology countering climate change, global health, energy, security, and food security, there is just simply no partner that's going to be more consequential to helping solve all those problems than India and that's exactly what President Biden made clear during this visit."While giving a brief of the visit of PM Modi's "successful" visit to the US, John Kirby also informed that President Biden and PM Modi had a meeting between senior officials and CEOs of American and Indian companies earlier today."Prime Minister Narendra Modi just concluded a very successful state visit to the White House today. PM Modi and President Biden had a meeting between senior officials and CEOs of American and Indian companies. PM Modi and President Biden reaffirmed that the relationship between India and the US is deeper and more expansive than ever," Kirby underlined during the White House press briefing.US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that India-US cooperation matters not just for the people of the two countries but the whole world as the partnership is about tackling climate change, preventing pandemics and giving citizens real opportunities.Kirby stated that India's role in solving these problems is consequential and President Biden made this clear during the visit.Speaking at the 'Hi-tech Handshake' event with top CEOs of the US and India at the White House, Biden said technology cooperation will define the partnership."Our cooperation matters, not just for our own people but quite frankly to the whole world as our partnership is about more than the next breakthrough or the next deal as big as they may be. It is about tackling climate change, about exploring the universe, about lifting people out of poverty, preventing pandemics and giving our citizens real opportunity," he said.In his remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the coming together of talent and technology guarantees a brighter future.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Blue Pansy named official butterfly of J-K; a victory for biodiversity conservation, say environmentalists Srinagar, June 23: In a significant move to preserve and protect Jammu and Kahsmir's rich biodiversity, the administration has officially declared the Blue Pansy (Junonia Orithya) as the official butterfly of the union territory. Blue Pansy named official butterfly of J-K; a victory for biodiversity conservation, say environmentalists The announcement, made by Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Government for the Department of Forest, Ecology, and Environment, has garnered praise from environmentalists and nature enthusiasts alike.Dr Touseef Ahmad, a prominent socio-environmentalist, expressed his delight at the government's decision, stating, "As an environmentalist, I am thrilled to hear that the government has recognized the Blue Pansy as the official butterfly of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a significant step towards promoting the conservation of the region's rich biodiversity and highlighting the importance of protecting our natural heritage."The Blue Pansy, a species of vibrant blue butterflies, can be found in various parts of Southeast Asian countries, Australia, and Africa. Known for their territorial nature, these butterflies exhibit 26 local subspecies across their range. With its presence in the Himalayan region, the Blue Pansy contributes to the pollination process and plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem's health.However, like many other species, the Blue Pansy faces numerous threats such as habitat loss and climate change. By designating the Blue Pansy as the official butterfly of Jammu and Kashmir, the government is signalling its commitment to the conservation of the region's natural beauty and biodiversity."The declaration of the Blue Pansy as the official butterfly of Jammu and Kashmir sends a strong message about the importance of preserving our natural resources," said Dr Touseef Ahmad."It is now up to all of us to take action and ensure that this declaration translates into concrete efforts to safeguard the environment for future generations," he added.The decision has been hailed by environmentalists and nature enthusiasts, who believe that it will raise awareness about the significance of protecting the diverse ecosystems found in Jammu and Kashmir. The recognition of the Blue Pansy serves as a reminder of the need to conserve and cherish the natural heritage of the region, emphasizing the interconnectedness of species and the delicate balance of the environment.With this decision, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has taken a commendable step towards preserving its natural beauty and showcasing its commitment to sustainable development. The hope now is that this symbolic gesture will be followed by practical measures to address the challenges faced by the Blue Pansy and other vulnerable species, ensuring a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in the picturesque landscapes of Jammu and Kashmir.Zubair Qureshi, a local nature enthusiast, hailed the decision as a captivating symbol of the region's biodiversity and emphasized its role as a call to action for individuals and organizations to unite in protecting the delicate ecosystems that sustain life in this breathtaking part of the world.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! For the first time roundtable between PM Modi, Egyptian PM will be held: Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte Cairo [Egypt], June 23: Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said that for the first time, a round table meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister will happen as Prime Minister Modi will begin his two-day visit to Egypt on Saturday. For the first time roundtable between PM Modi, Egyptian PM will be held: Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte "Prime Minister Modi arrives tomorrow. He's here till the 25th. We are having for the first time, a roundtable between Prime Minister Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister," Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte told ANI."India and Egypt are two of the greatest ancient civilizations in the world and our ties go back more than 4000 years. "We've had maritime contacts over the centuries and in recent years, the relationship has gone from strength to strength. Particularly, after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Modi both came to power in 2014," the Indian Ambassador to Egypt added.Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph.The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo.PM Modi's visit will be significant in terms of extending his long-standing warm relationship with the Dawoodi Bohra community in India and elsewhere.PM Modi during his first Egypt tour will also visit Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War.PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause. According to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time.The latest bilateral trade between both countries reached US$ 5.175 Billion on (April 22-Jan 23) with US$ 3.473 Billion in Indian Exports and US$ 1.702 Billion in Indian Imports.Over 450 Indian companies are registered in Egypt, of which around 50 are active in various sectors with a combined investment exceeding US$ 3.15 billion. Approximately half of them, are joint ventures or wholly owned Indian subsidiaries while the rest operate through their representative offices.The investments by Egyptian companies in India are about US$ 37 million.India Business Forum (IBF) in Egypt was launched in 2012 by the Embassy of India, Cairo with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).The CII IBF is a platform for Indian companies in Egypt to share information and raise issues of concern to authorities in Egypt and India. IBF also aims to promote and support the activities of its members in Egypt and play a catalyst role in enhancing trade and investment between the two countries. The Ambassador of India to Egypt is the Patron of the IBF.India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18 1947.Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt.Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009.From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008.High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013.Even during the Russia-Ukraine conflict which had threatened Egypt with a shortage of wheat, 80 percent of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine.On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.India cleared shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Karnataka; CM Siddaramaiah vows to revive Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises Bengaluru, June 23: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday assured that his government would resolve issues of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the state. Karnataka; CM Siddaramaiah vows to revive Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises Speaking with a delegation led by Karnataka Small Industries Association president KN Narasimha Murthy, CM Siddaramaiah said a meeting will be convened along with Energy, Industry and Kassia departments to resolve the issues of MSMEs in the state.The chief minister clarified that Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) had hiked the electricity charges before our government came to power. He said it is a known fact that BJP is "imposing its mistake on the Congress government"."The previous government owed Rs 11,000 crores to Escoms. Those dues will have to be cleared by us. The damage caused by the financial indiscipline of the previous BJP government has to be addressed," the CM added.Energy Minister KJ George suggested that the delegation can appeal to KERC for reconsideration of its recommendation to hike electricity rates.Deputy Chief Secretary, Energy Department, Gaurav Gupta and office bearers of theassociation were also present on the occasion.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Amit Shah chairs all-party meet over violence-hit Manipur New Delhi, June 24: An all-party meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the situation in the violence-hit Manipur started here on Saturday. Amit Shah chairs all-party meet over violence-hit Manipur The meeting is being attended by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP President J.P. Nadda, former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, RJD's Manoj Jha, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, CPI(M) MP John Brittas, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and several officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs.According to sources, the Centre will brief the opposition leaders about the actions it had taken in the last 50 days to maintain calm in Manipur and also seek their support for restorating normalcy in the violence-hit state.The Congress and other opposition parties have been critical of the Centre and the Manipur government for failing to control the situation since the ethnic violence first erupted on May 3.The Congress has also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over issue.At least 120 people have died,over 400 others injured and some 50,650 men, women and children have been displaced in Manipur so far.IANS24 June 2023 Shared Recently! America can learn a lot from India... Former USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore on PM Modis Indian diaspora address Washington DC, June 24: Former Commissioner of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Johnnie Moore has said that America can learn a lot from India adding that India is the most pluralistic country in the whole world. America can learn a lot from India... Former USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore on PM Modi's Indian diaspora address Moore's reaction came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC held on Friday (Local Time).Speaking to ANI, the former commissioner of US Commission on International Religious Freedom said, "I met the Prime Minister. I thanked him for not only coming to the US but also bringing together Americans.""America can learn a lot from India. India is the most pluralistic country in the entire world. It is a laboratory of religions. I went to India to learn about religion and one of the remarkable things about India is, there are more languages and more religions and more diverse people in that single democracy that any example in human history - something we should be celebrating every chance that we can get," Moore added.US Congressman Shri Thanedar also hailed the Prime Minister's address saying he was very proud of PM Modi.After PM Modi's address to the Indian diaspora, US Congressman Shri Thanedar, said, "Very exciting. I have never seen this kind of enthusiasm for any visiting PM. I am very proud of PM Modi. He is enormously popular. I am looking forward to working with him to broaden and deepen our relationship."Satnam Singh Sandhu, convenor of IMF (Indian Minority Foundation) also attended PM Modi's event and underscored the Prime Minister's efforts in strengthening India-US relations.Sandhu said "PM Modi has given new heights to the relationship between India and the United States. All Sikhs are extremely happy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work in the last 9 years. We all want him to take India ahead always. The outcomes of this partnership will be beneficial for India."Following his interaction with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building, PM Modi emplaned for Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. The amount of construction work increased by 12.1 percent reaching a total value of 1.4 trillion Kazakh tenge ($3.1 billion) from January through May 2023 in Kazakhstan, Trend reports. According to the country's Bureau of National Statistics, substantial growth in construction work volume in the reporting period can be attributed to significant activities in construction and renovation of non-residential buildings, which witnessed an increase of 17.9 percent. Additionally, the construction of various infrastructures also played a vital role, showing a rise of 14.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Among the total volume of construction work across Kazakhstan, private construction firms accounted for the majority, representing 80.8 percent of the projects. Foreign construction companies contributed 19 percent to the overall volume, while government-led initiatives accounted for a minimal 0.2 percent. Breaking down the types of construction work performed from January through May 2023, the highest share was held by the construction of non-residential buildings, making up 21.2 percent of the total volume. This was followed closely by residential buildings, which accounted for 13.5 percent of the construction work completed during the same period. Furthermore, in the first five months of 2023, a total area of 6,217 square meters of new structures were completed and entered into operation. AI might replace humans in social science research Washington, June 23: Leading academics from the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania examine how AI (large language models, or LLMs, in particular) could affect the nature of their work in an article published in the prominent journal Science. AI might replace humans in social science research "What we wanted to explore in this article is how social science research practices can be adapted, even reinvented, to harness the power of AI," said Igor Grossmann, professor of psychology at Waterloo.Grossmann and colleagues note that large language models trained on vast amounts of text data are increasingly capable of simulating human-like responses and behaviours. This offers novel opportunities for testing theories and hypotheses about human behaviour at great scale and speed.Traditionally, social sciences rely on a range of methods, including questionnaires, behavioral tests, observational studies, and experiments. A common goal in social science research is to obtain a generalized representation of characteristics of individuals, groups, cultures, and their dynamics. With the advent of advanced AI systems, the landscape of data collection in social sciences may shift."AI models can represent a vast array of human experiences and perspectives, possibly giving them a higher degree of freedom to generate diverse responses than conventional human participant methods, which can help to reduce generalizability concerns in research," said Grossmann."LLMs might supplant human participants for data collection," said UPenn psychology professor Philip Tetlock. "In fact, LLMs have already demonstrated their ability to generate realistic survey responses concerning consumer behaviour. Large language models will revolutionize human-based forecasting in the next 3 years. It won't make sense for humans unassisted by AIs to venture probabilistic judgments in serious policy debates. I put an 90% chance on that. Of course, how humans react to all of that is another matter."While opinions on the feasibility of this application of advanced AI systems vary, studies using simulated participants could be used to generate novel hypotheses that could then be confirmed in human populations.But the researchers warn of some of the possible pitfalls in this approach - including the fact that LLMs are often trained to exclude socio-cultural biases that exist for real-life humans. This means that sociologists using AI in this way couldn't study those biases.Professor Dawn Parker, a co-author on the article from the University of Waterloo, notes that researchers will need to establish guidelines for the governance of LLMs in research."Pragmatic concerns with data quality, fairness, and equity of access to the powerful AI systems will be substantial," Parker said. "So, we must ensure that social science LLMs, like all scientific models, are open-source, meaning that their algorithms and ideally data are available to all to scrutinize, test, and modify. Only by maintaining transparency and replicability can we ensure that AI-assisted social science research truly contributes to our understanding of human experience."ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Red Bull F1 team wins 100th race Montreal, June 23: In a landmark achievement, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 won their 100th race in Formula 1. Red Bull F1 team wins 100th race Red Bull reached this milestone in the Canadian Grand Prix last Sunday when Max Verstappen finished the race in the pole position.Red Bull became just the fifth team in the history of the sport to reach the 100-win mark. Ferrari has won the most with 242 wins, the second is McLaren with 183 wins, Mercedes is in the third position with 125 wins, and Williams at fourth with 114 wins.The two-time world champion Max Verstappen has alone achieved 41 victories out of 100 for Red Bull.According to the official website of Formula 1, Max Verstappen expressed his delight on the remarkable achievement of Red Bull, saying, "Yeah, I mean, I've won 41 of them. But, yeah, we'll talk about maybe a new contract because of that. No, honestly, it's a great achievement for the team."He added, "We knew that this was the first opportunity, of course, to do so. And I'm happy that's done. We've won 100. But again, I hope we win more than 100. So, the new target is 200."Dutch driver, Max Verstappen said, "It's amazing. I mean, I never expected to be on these kinds of numbers myself as well, you know. So, yeah, we keep enjoying, we keep working hard. But today has been a great day again."In the Canadian Grand Prix last Sunday, Fernando Alonso gave a tough time to Max Verstappen but eventually, the Dutch driver prevailed and won the race.Reflecting on the race, Max Verstappen said, "Fernando's already been asking me this. It's tough, because normally it's all about tyre management, right? But today was definitely more about pushing. But sometimes it was just going up and down a lot in lap-time. Actually, sometimes you couldn't actually push to the limit because you didn't know what you were going to get."He added, "So, for me, on the hard tyre, it was quite a bit of a struggle, and then on the medium, I wanted to open up that gap a little bit more. So then, of course, at one point, you're seeing, like 10-15 laps to go and you have a good gap, you don't want to take too many risks. It's probably not flat-out pushing, but you cannot relax too much because then you lose the temperature in your tyres. So, yeah, somewhere in the middle of that."ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Opposition leaders strategise to fight BJP together in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, to hold next meeting in Shimla New Delhi, June 24: Seeking to put up a common front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, senior leaders from opposition parties met in Patna on Friday to deliberate a roadmap but fissures emerged as Aam Aadmi Party said that Congress' refusal to act as a eam player on the Delhi ordinance issue, would make it very difficult for it be a part of any alliance that includes the party. Opposition leaders strategise to fight BJP together in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, to hold next meeting in Shimla The mega event was attended by Chief Ministers of several opposition-ruled states including Mamata Banerjee and some other prominent leaders from parties opposed to the BJP.Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, who had convened the meeting of opposition leaders, said at the joint press conference that opposition parties decided to fight the elections together."It was a good meeting where it has been decided to fight the elections together. Another meeting will be held soon," Kumar said.BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani took a swipe at the Opposition meeting in Patna, saying that Congress has admitted that they cannot defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone."I especially thank Congress for publicly announcing that they cannot alone defeat PM Modi and that they need the support of others to do so," she said.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the next meeting of like-minded parties will be held in Shimla next month."We will meet again in July in Shimla to prepare an agenda on how to move ahead together while working in our respective states to fight BJP in 2024," Kharge said.Party leader Rahul Gandhi said the foundation of India is being attacked and noted that opposition parties are determined to work together."BJP is attacking national institutions as well as the voice of the people. This is a fight of ideology in which we all stand together. We all may have some differences, but we are determined to work together and defend our ideology. This is a process of opposition unity, which is going to go ahead," he said.National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who was among 30 leaders present at the meeting, hit out at the Central government asking why the democracy which was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States does not "reach" Jammu and Kashmir."We have met to save the country from devastation and to bring democracy back. Mehbooba Mufti and I belong to that part of the country where democracy is murdered...Yesterday in America there were discussions about democracy in the White House...why this democracy doesn't reach Jammu and Kashmir?" he asked.Omar Abdullah further said that seventeen parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have come together "not for power, but for principles".PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also slammed the Centre."The meeting comes as a great success for Nitish Kumar as we have all gathered here. Omar Sahab (Omar Abdullah, National Conference leader) and I have come from Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir has been the target of (the Centre's) attacks on the constitution, democracy and secularism. It started with us but is now spreading throughout the country," she said"The idea of India is one that is based on the thoughts of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. But the way minorities are being treated, the way people are being treated, and the way democracy is being undermined, prompted us to come here... We can say with full conviction that few states stand for the idea of India like Jammu and Kashmir does. We will try to ensure that the country of Gandhi doesn't turn into one of Godse," she added.Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee referred to the significance of Patna during the JP movement and said that all the Opposition parties will unitedly fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha election."We are united, we will fight unitedly... history started from here (Patna), BJP wants that history changed. And we want history should be saved from Bihar. Our objective is to speak against this fascist government..,Don't call us opposition. We are also patriotic.... we also say Bharat Mata...," she said."....If Manipur burns, we feel pain....BJP's atrocity, making Rajbhavan as an alternative government. Anyone who dissents, faces ED, CBI..."She alleged that the BJP misuses central agencies like ED and CBI to suppress opposition parties.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended the mega opposition meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. However, AAP leaders were not present at the joint press conference held at the conclusion of the meeting.The party said in its statement that until the Congress publicly denounces the "black ordinance" and declares that all 31 of its RS MPs will oppose the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, it will be difficult for AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant."A total of 15 parties are attending the like-minded party meeting in Patna, out of which 12 have representation in the Rajya Sabha. Except for the Indian National Congress, all other 11 parties, which have representation in the Rajya Sabha, have clearly expressed their stand against the Black Ordinance and announced that they would oppose it in the Rajya Sabha," the party said.AAP's statement said that during the meeting of like-minded parties in Patna, many parties urged the Congress to publicly denounce the ordinance but the "Congress refused to do so".Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is known for his witty remarks, suggested to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get married with his remarks evoking smiles from the leaders present."You (Rahul Gandhi) did not pay heed to our advice to get married. You should have got married. Time has still not passed, get married and we will join the procession (shadi kariye aur hum log baraati chale)," Yadav said.Reacting to this Rahul Gandhi said," If you say so, it will happen (aaapne kehdia toh hojaega).Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray were among leaders who attended the meeting.ANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! PM Modis top quotes from maiden State visit to US Washington DC, June 24: On his maiden State visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered several powerful addresses and speeches. PM Modi's top quotes from maiden State visit to US Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre in the grand finale of his historic journey to the United States, PM Modi was greeted with chants of "Modi, Modi" and "Vande Mataram".PM Modi became the second Indian Prime Minister after Manmohan Singh to be honoured with a State Visit to the United States. In his address to the diaspora on Friday, he outlined the historic agreements reached between India and the United States and laid out the plan for the futureHere are the top quotes of PM Modi on his maiden State visit to the USANI24 June 2023 Shared Recently! Week-long Ist installation art camp kickstarts in Srinagar Srinagar, June 24: A week-long first installation art camp kickstarted in Srinagar with the purpose of depicting rich cultural history of kashmir. Week-long Ist installation art camp kickstarts in Srinagar Ten artists, both male and female from different states of the country including J and K will participate in the camp.The camp is being held on the banks of the Dal Lake.The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA), India's national academy of fine arts, is organising the camp.Kashmir has thousands of years of rich cultural history.The valley of Sufis and saints has produced artists who left an mark through their work.The aim of the camp is to promote a new concept of art form among the art loving people of valley.During the camp, artists will perform painting on paper or canvas to showcase their skills including preparing handmade Shikara with wires, writing on cloth rolls and portions of heritage sites depicting the rich past of Kashmir.Due to the new technique and innovations, this art camp is unqiue and is expected to witness participation of large number of people.The week-long installation art camp is part of three days "Vitasta" cultural festival that is going on back lawns of Sheri Kashmir international conference center on the banks of Dal Lake.Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 'Vitasta Mahotsav' in Srinagar, said that this cultural festival has witnessed many kinds of research in Kashmir for thousands of years and also has the privilege of being an amalgamation place of many cultures.Shah was addressing the Vitasta Mahotsav organised by the Ministry of Culture as the chief guest in Srinagar on Friday as part of his 2-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.Several dignitaries including the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi, Union Home Secretary and Secretary, Ministry of Culture were present on this occasion.ANI25 June 2023 Shared Recently! This is the moment...: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on PM Modis visit to US New Delhi, June 24: Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that if a bilateral visit through critical definition produces a new dawn (India-US relations), then this was that visit, terming it he moment. This is the moment...: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on PM Modi's visit to US While interacting with the media, Hardeep Singh Puri said, "This is the moment. If a bilateral visit through critical definition produces a new dawn (India-US relations), this was that visit. AI is the future, America-India is the future."With the technology cooperation between India and the US gaining new heights, President Joe Biden on Friday gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a special T-shirt which had PM Modi's famous quote "The future is AI-America and India".Addressing the joint session of the US Congress for a historic second time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that it is an exceptional privilege to do it twice, adding, "A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago. But a lot has remained the same - like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States. In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI - Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, there have been even more momentous developments in another AI- America and India."PM Modi coined a new acronym to showcase the technological cooperation between US and India saying that there has been even more momentous development in another AI- America and India.PM Modi addressed the joint sitting of the US Congress on June 22, saying "The US is the oldest and India the largest democracy," adding, "Our partnership augurs well for the future of democracy."While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given this T-shirt by President Biden, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, Apple CEO Tim Cook and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were present at the event, amongst many others.During his historic second address at the US Congress yesterday, PM Modi also said, "Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century."PM Modi's first visit to the US took place in 2014, during which he had a working visit and delivered his inaugural speech at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly.In 2016, he returned to attend the Nuclear Security Summit and held a meeting with then-President Barack Obama at the White House. That same year, PM Modi made another trip to the US and addressed a range of topics, including terrorism, climate change, and the strong Indo-US partnership, in his first speech to the US Congress.ANI25 June 2023 Shared Recently! When elders are treated locally, outcomes are better: Study Washington, June 24: Researchers found elderly people with health issues frequently require intermediate monitoring, care, and treatment. When elders are treated locally, outcomes are better: Study They may not require the resources of a hospital, but they do require more advanced care than a nursing home can usually provide. "Intermediate care units" are primarily intended to replace acute hospital admission, but they are also used after entry on occasion."Intermediate care units are the newest trend in health policy, and Norway is way ahead of the curve in this regard," said Pal Erling Martinussen, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).This is a sort of middle ground between a hospital and a nursing home that is located close to patients' homes - a sort of local community hospital if you like. Norway has been establishing this healthcare offering in the last ten years as part of the Norwegian Coordination Reform implemented in 2012.A group of NTNU, SINTEF and UiO researchers have now studied how this service affects various indicators that can provide evidence of the quality of Norway's health service. And they have good news.Fewer deaths and fewer hospital readmissions"All Norwegian municipalities had to set up 'municipal acute units' (MAUs) following the healthcare decentralization and coordination reform in 2012," saidMartinussen.The introduction took place gradually. The aim was to provide well-integrated services that were more adapted to individual users. Not all reforms within the healthcare system were welcomed with open arms. However, the findings appear to show that the reformed healthcare service is better for older patients who need this type of close follow-up."We've found that the introduction of these medical units is associated with both lower mortality and fewer readmissions," said Martinussen.But this finding only applies to the oldest patients. The connection is also significantly stronger if the municipal acute units are organized as larger units and are well-staffed by medical professionals.This type of intermediate health service is thus associated with lower mortality rates for the elderly and might indicate that the healthcare services within the municipalities have improved since MAUs were introduced. Moreover, fewer people now need to be readmitted to the hospital for new treatment.Worthy of implementation by other countriesThe research group examined mortality rates in patients over 80 years of age and hospital readmission rates for the 67+ age cohort. The improvement was statistically significant in both cases."Our findings are a strong indication that MAUs have worked as intended. Health services for the elderly might have indeed improved by moving some treatment from the hospitals to where people live. But this should be followed up by further research," said Martinussen.Further research could potentially confirm whether a direct connection exists between the introduction of MAUs and the reduction in mortality and readmission rates that the researchers have observed among the elderly.The professionals believe that these healthcare reforms could be successfully introduced elsewhere."Our research group believes that countries with a healthcare system similar to Norway's could achieve good results if they introduced similar local services for their patients," said Martinussen.ANI25 June 2023 Shared Recently! BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trend reports. According to the press service of the President of Kazakhstan, Tokayev noted that the ongoing events are an internal affair of Russia. He also said that constitutional order and the rule of law are essential for the maintenance of law and order in the country, which is the basis for the security of society and its successful development. Putin thanked for Kazakhstan's understanding of the current situation in Russia. On June 23, 2023, the Investigation Department of Russias Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against the founder of Wagner Private Military Company Yevgeny Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low around 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. A new research perspective was published in Oncoscience (Volume 10) on June 1, 2023, entitled, "Cancer cell repopulation after therapy: which is the mechanism?" The past two decades have brought great progress in the treatment of cancer as patients with the disease live longer having access to better diagnosis and therapeutic approaches. However, the disease remains incurable. One of the reasons for the high resilience of this disease is that cancer cells hide and escape from therapies thus leading to cancer recurrence. The process whereby cells escape therapy is referred to as cancer cell repopulation. Cancer cell repopulation after therapy is a phenomenon that leads to therapeutic failure with the consequent relapse of the disease. The process is understudied and mechanisms need to be uncovered. In this new perspective, researchers Rewati Prakash and Carlos M. Telleria from McGill University and McGill University Health Centre discuss the issue of cancer cell repopulation after chemo- and radio-therapies. The researchers compiled evidence alleging that the repopulation of cancer cells can be originated from either cancer stem cells resistant to therapy, cancer cells that in response to therapy become polyploid and thereafter germinate into near-diploid rapid proliferating cells, and/or cells that respond to treatment undergoing senescence as a transient mechanism to survive, followed by the reinitiation of the cell cycle. "Perhaps the better approach to eliminate cancer cell repopulation is a combination treatment involving first chemoradiation-induced transitory senescence, followed by senolytic therapies as recently discussed by Wang and colleagues." Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone is the highest ranked in New York for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery care, based on the national specialty ranking in the U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Children's Hospitals" guide released this week. This ranking signifies the trust our patients and their families place in us when they choose Hassenfeld Children's Hospital for heart disease treatment. We are immensely proud to be recognized, validating our commitment to deliver high-quality, family-centered care to those who need us most." Frank Cecchin, MD, Director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and the Andrall E. Pearson Professor of Pediatric Cardiology in the Department of Pediatrics U.S. News & World Report recognized Hassenfeld Children's Hospital among the top 15 children's hospitals in the nation for children's cardiology and heart surgery, which is a huge milestone since opening the doors in 2018, providing a state-of-the art arena to deliver exceptional care. "There is nothing more gratifying than to see how well children are doing after a major heart procedure, whether it's a month or many years later," said Ralph S. Mosca, MD, MBA, the Henry H. Arnhold Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and chief of the Division of Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery at NYU Langone. "These successful outcomes are why Hassenfeld Children's Hospital is a recognized leader in the multidisciplinary care of pediatric heart conditions." Collaborative and exceptional care for children with the most complex cardiac needs Hassenfeld Children's Hospital's cardiologists, congenital heart surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, cardiac intensivists, cardiac nurse practitioners, and nurses are renowned leaders in the field and work together to treat children with some of the rarest and most complex heart cases from the fetal period through adulthood. In March 2021, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital opened a comprehensive Congenital Heart Center designed to serve the medical and surgical needs of a growing population of patients with congenital heart disease. The 5,500-square-foot space includes outpatient care, diagnostic testing, presurgical and postsurgical procedure appointments, and patient and family education. Congenital heart surgery at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital is a national leader performing nearly 250 operations annually on the full spectrum of pediatric and adult congenital heart disease including transplantation. The program has the best risk adjusted survival rate of any hospital program in New York State for pediatric patients and among the very best in the nation, according the latest data from the Congenital Heart Surgery data base (CHSD) maintained by the Society for Thoracic Surgery and a report from the NYS Department of Health. A collaboration between the Pediatric Congenital Heart Program and adult programs, the Congenital Heart Transition Program teaches adolescents to take charge of the own cardiac care and connects them with experts in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at NYU Langone, which is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association as an Adult Congenital Heart Disease Comprehensive Care Center, the first in New York State. In partnership with the frontline providers, support services including child life, creative arts therapies, integrative behavioral health, nutrition, social work, and spiritual support also play a role in the extraordinary care patients receive, thanks to Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care, part of Hassenfeld Children's Hospital. "Since Hassenfeld Children's Hospital's inception, we have become a place that our patients and families can come for care, answers, and hope, and we have the great privilege of delivering it," said Catherine S. Manno, MD, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor of Pediatrics and chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "I am grateful for all the faculty and employees whose continued commitment to delivering exceptional and empathetic care has made this ranking possible." Mario Romero-Ortega was selected through a nationwide search to head the University of Arizona Department of Biomedical Engineering, beginning with the fall 2023 semester. "I was drawn by the culture of collaboration, the quality of the students and faculty, and by the unified vision from University of Arizona leadership to impact biomedical engineering and health, from local to global," he said. Romero-Ortega will join the College of Engineering from the University of Houston, where he serves in the College of Engineering as a Cullen Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering and directs the undergraduate BME program. He is also a professor of biomedical sciences at the Tilman Fertitta J. Family College of Medicine. "I'm confident Mario will bring strong leadership to BME at an exciting time for the department, including as we seek to expand our collaborations with UA Health Sciences," said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the college. "He will be an asset to a team that is dedicated to improving health, advancing technology, and making the program the best it can be for our students and industry partners." First steps Romero-Ortega's top priority is growing the department in a way that places its programs among the world's topmost for BME. In addition to rankings, success indicators will include the publishing of innovative research, new partnerships with health industry stakeholders, and high levels of student engagement. To me, student success includes getting them excited to create solutions beyond the classroom. I want to empower students to be the next generation of academic entrepreneurs that will lead the expansion of the health engineering industry in Arizona and the nation." Mario Romero-Ortega Romero-Ortega is particularly excited to lead the department's upcoming expansion of its bachelor's degree to the Phoenix Bioscience Core and BME's part in the UA Cancer Engineering Initiative, which is uniting engineers and cancer researchers, among others, in a state-funded effort to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. A long-term role Cancer engineering is just one example of why this is "a fascinating time for anybody involved in health care and engineering," said Romero-Ortega. "It's undeniable: Medicine has been transformed by engineering, so much so that advanced medical programs train doctors in engineering for a complete convergence not only in the development of tools, but also in their understanding and application," he said. As Romero-Ortega considers the future of health care, he sees biomedical engineers working with diverse health professionals and across all engineering disciplines, to provide real-time clinical information and transform care options for patients. Working together and incorporating tools including artificial intelligence, he says, the biomedical engineering community will create effective electronic devices that continuously collect and transmit diagnostic information. Users will be empowered to detect health conditions early or prevent them altogether. "I think that shift is where biomedical engineering, and the College of Engineering in particular, will play a critical and empowering role," he said. Continuing a rewarding path Romero-Ortega began his career as a neuroscience researcher, and one phone call brought him into biomedical engineering. When a colleague asked him to work on a project that sounded to Romero-Ortega like science fiction, he was fascinated and said yes. He helped develop an electronic implant designed to allow amputees to move and perceive sensations from bionic arms. Many years later, Romero-Ortega's biomedical engineering research focusing on peripheral nerve gap repair, regenerative peripheral neural interfaces for robotic prosthetic limbs, and bioelectronics medicine applications has been presented in more than 192 publications. Winner of the Engineering Excellence in Research Award and the Tech Titans Award in Technology Innovation, he has been awarded seven patents, with additional pending. He is also the cofounder and chief scientific officer of RBI Medical Inc. and Pioneer Neurotech Inc. Now, heading Arizona's BME department is "the right combination of an incredible and rewarding opportunity and a challenge." He and his wife, Martha, look forward to enjoying Arizona's local cuisine and hiking trails and mountains. The couple have two adult children. Scientists at Stanford Medicine conducted a study describing a new category of depression -; labeled the cognitive biotype -; which accounts for 27% of depressed patients and is not effectively treated by commonly prescribed antidepressants. Cognitive tasks showed that these patients have difficulty with the ability to plan ahead, display self-control, sustain focus despite distractions and suppress inappropriate behavior; imaging showed decreased activity in two brain regions responsible for those tasks. Because depression has traditionally been defined as a mood disorder, doctors commonly prescribe antidepressants that target serotonin (known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs), but these are less effective for patients with cognitive dysfunction. Researchers said that targeting these cognitive dysfunctions with less commonly used antidepressants or other treatments may alleviate symptoms and help restore social and occupational abilities. The study, published June 15 in JAMA Network Open, is part of a broader effort by neuroscientists to find treatments that target depression biotypes, according to the study's senior author, Leanne Williams, PhD, the Vincent V.C. Woo Professor and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. One of the big challenges is to find a new way to address what is currently a trial-and-error process so that more people can get better sooner. Bringing in these objective cognitive measures like imaging will make sure we're not using the same treatment on every patient." Leanne Williams, PhD, the Vincent V.C. Woo Professor and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences Finding the biotype In the study, 1,008 adults with previously unmedicated major depressive disorder were randomly given one of three widely prescribed typical antidepressants: escitalopram (brand name Lexapro) or sertraline (Zoloft), which act on serotonin, or venlafaxine-XR (Effexor), which acts on both serotonin and norepinephrine. Seven hundred and twelve of the participants completed the eight-week regimen. Before and after treatment with the antidepressants, the participants' depressive symptoms were measured using two surveys -; one, clinician-administered, and the other, a self-assessment, which included questions related to changes in sleep and eating. Measures on social and occupational functioning, as well as quality of life, were tracked as well. The participants also completed a series of cognitive tests, before and after treatment, measuring verbal memory, working memory, decision speed and sustained attention, among other tasks. Before treatment, scientists scanned 96 of the participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging as they engaged in a task called the "GoNoGo" that requires participants to press a button as quickly as possible when they see "Go" in green and to not press when they see "NoGo" in red. The fMRI tracked neuronal activity by measuring changes in blood oxygen levels, which showed levels of activity in different brain regions corresponding to Go or NoGo responses. Researchers then compared the participants' images with those of individuals without depression. The researchers found that 27% of the participants had more prominent symptoms of cognitive slowing and insomnia, impaired cognitive function on behavioral tests, as well as reduced activity in certain frontal brain regions -; a profile they labeled the cognitive biotype. "This study is crucial because psychiatrists have few measurement tools for depression to help make treatment decisions," said Laura Hack, MD, PhD, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "It's mostly making observations and self-report measures. Imaging while performing cognitive tasks is rather novel in depression treatment studies." Pre-treatment fMRI showed those with the cognitive biotype had significantly reduced activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate regions during the GoNoGo task compared with the activity levels in participants who did not have the cognitive biotype. Together, the two regions form the cognitive control circuit, which is responsible for limiting unwanted or irrelevant thoughts and responses and improving goal selection, among other tasks. After treatment, the researchers found that for the three antidepressants administered, the overall remission rates -; the absence of overall depression symptoms -; were 38.8% for participants with the newly discovered biotype and 47.7% for those without it. This difference was most prominent for sertraline, for which the remission rates were 35.9% and 50% for those with the biotype and those without, respectively. "Depression presents in different ways in different people, but finding commonalities -; like similar profiles of brain function -; helps medical professionals effectively treat participants by individualizing care," Williams said. Depression isn't one size fits all Williams and Hack propose that behavior measurement and imaging could help diagnose depression biotypes and lead to better treatment. A patient could complete a survey on their own computer or in the doctor's office, and if they are found to display a certain biotype, they might be referred to imaging for confirmation before undergoing treatment. Researchers at the Stanford Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness, which Williams directs, in partnership with the Stanford Translational Precision Mental Health Clinic, which Hack directs, are studying another medication -; guanfacine -; that specifically targets the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex region with support from Stanford University Innovative Medicines Accelerator. They believe this treatment could be more effective for patients with the cognitive subtype. Williams and Hack hope to conduct studies with participants who have the cognitive biotype, comparing different types of medication with treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and cognitive behavioral therapy. In transcranial magnetic stimulation, commonly referred to as TMS, magnetic fields stimulate nerve cells; in cognitive behavioral therapy, patients are taught to use problem-solving strategies to counter negative thoughts that contribute to both emotional dysregulation and loss of social and occupational abilities. "I regularly witness the suffering, the loss of hope and the increase in suicidality that occurs when people are going through our trial-and-error process," Hack said. "And it's because we start with medications that have the same mechanism of action for everyone with depression, even though depression is quite heterogeneous. I think this study could help change that." Researchers from the Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center; the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System; Brain Dynamic Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research; and the University of Sydney, Westmead, contributed to the work. The study was funded through Brain Resource Company Operations Pty Ltd. and Stanford University's Clinical and Translation Science Award Program overseen by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (grant UL1TR003142-01). A UVA Health doctor is launching an ambitious effort to assess and improve HIV care for people with low incomes across the nation, a campaign that could also help prevent transmission. Kathleen McManus, MD, MS, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and her collaborators plan to identify specific policies and programs that can increase the numbers of patients who keep the HIV virus in their blood at undetectable levels. This desirable state, known as being "undetectable" or having "sustained viral suppression," is associated with better health outcomes for individuals and reduced risk of HIV transmission to other people. As part of their effort, the researchers will examine state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) to identify disparities in viral suppression between states and among different groups of patients. One goal is to understand how ADAPs help with health equity and ensure that different groups, including patients of different races or ethnicities, get high quality care and good health outcomes. This work will allow the researchers to determine which policies and programs are most effective, so that they can be implemented on a wider scale, helping improve care for more people with HIV in the United States. HIV medications are safe and highly effective, but unless we can get the medications into patients' hands, they have no impact. HIV medications are incredibly expensive, and our health care system is difficult to navigate. We are studying the impact of a federally mandated and state-implemented public health safety net program that provides affordable, sustained access to HIV medications for people with HIV with low incomes. It is essential that no groups are left behind as the United States strives to improve the health of people with HIV and end the HIV epidemic. While this program provides medications for about a quarter of people with HIV in the United States, it is understudied. By quantifying the impact of ADAPs, we can help policymakers and advocates understand its crucial role in United States' HIV care. Additionally, by identifying specific best practices, we can help state health departments to improve their programs and federal policy makers to identify areas for technical assistance or support." Kathleen McManus, MD, MS, UVA's Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health Improving HIV care ADAPs are a vital safety net for people with HIV. Serving patients with lower incomes, ADAPs provide essential antiretroviral therapy (HIV medications) either for free or by subsidizing insurance plans. The programs are estimated to support more than a quarter of people with HIV in the United States. The implementation of the programs varies by state, however, and McManus' new project aims to shed light on best practices that improve outcomes and help the programs get the most for their money. She and her team were awarded a 4-year $2.9 million award from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, grant R01AI170093-01A1. With McManus, the research team includes UVA Health's Jessica Keim Malpass, Andrew Strumpf and Amber Steen; National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors staffers Tim Horn and Auntre Hamp; Emory's Elizabeth Rogawski McQuade; and public health consultant Amy Killelea. For their research, McManus and her collaborators have partnered with 10 state health departments, giving them anonymized information about 25% of ADAP clients. This is a first-of-its-kind multistate database, based on state health department partnerships, with information about approximately 60,000 people with HIV over 10 years. The research team will partner with the state health departments to evaluate how the different ways programs are implemented affect viral suppression and other patient outcomes. The team also plans to interview AIDS/ADAP leaders in many states for additional insights that could lead to cost-effective strategies for equitable care delivery. Informing future efforts The researchers say their findings will allow ADAPs, state lawmakers and other key players, such as the leaders of the national Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, to make wise choices about how to reach the best outcomes. It will also help facilitate the development of new initiatives to benefit people with HIV. (This type of ambitious work to improve care for Virginians and beyond is a key component of UVA Health's recently unveiled, first-ever 10-year strategic plan.) "Our goal is to quantify the impact of ADAPs on individuals, including people of different race and ethnicity groups, and the impact of ADAPs for HIV care in the United States. State ADAPs implement the program differently and also achieve different rates of good health outcomes. We will help to identify best practices so that state ADAPs can adapt policies and practices that are associated with success," McManus said. "This project will transform data into action, and we are so fortunate to have built a strong, interdisciplinary team that will collaborate with state health departments to measure the impact of ADAPs and, ultimately, to help improve HIV care across the United States." McManus and her colleagues expect to work on this project for the next four years. Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Astronauts are also known to shed more live virus particles, for example Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster responsible for shingles, herpes-simplex-1 responsible for sores, and cytomegalovirus. These observations suggest that our immune system might be weakened by space travel. But what could cause such an immune deficit? Here we show that the expression of many genes related to immune functions rapidly decreases when astronauts reach space, while the opposite happens when they return to Earth after six months aboard the ISS, said Dr Odette Laneuville, an associate professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Ottawa, leading author of a new study in Frontiers in Immunology. The research was funded by the Canadian Space Agency. The research was funded by the Canadian Space Agency. The researchers studied gene expression in leukocytes (white blood cells) in a cohort of 14 astronauts, including three women and 11 men, who resided on board the ISS for between 4.5 and 6.5 months between 2015 and 2019. Leukocytes were isolated from 4 milliliters blood drawn from each astronaut at 10 time points: once pre-flight, four times in flight, and five times back on Earth. There and back again 15,410 genes were found to be differentially expressed in leukocytes. Among these genes, the researchers identified two clusters, with 247 and 29 genes respectively, which changed their expression in tandem along the studied timeline. Genes in the first cluster were dialed down when reaching space and back up when returning to Earth, while genes in the second followed the opposite pattern. Both clusters mostly consisted of genes that code for proteins, but with a difference: their predominant function was related to immunity for the genes in the first cluster, and to cellular structures and functions for the second. These results suggest that when someone travels to space, these changes in gene expression cause a rapid decrease in the strength of their immune system. A weaker immunity increases the risk of infectious diseases, limiting astronauts ability to perform their demanding missions in space. If an infection or an immune-related condition was to evolve to a severe state requiring medical care, astronauts while in space would have limited access to care, medication, or evacuation said Dr Guy Trudel, a rehabilitation physician and researcher at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine of the University of Ottawa. Return to usual levels back on Earth But there is a silver lining to this cloud: the data showed that most genes in either cluster returned to their pre-flight level of expression within one year after return on Earth, and typically much sooner on average, after a few weeks. These results suggest that returning astronauts run an elevated risk of infection for at least one month after landing back on Earth. In contrast, the authors dont yet know how long it takes before immune resistance is fully back to its pre-flight strength: the length of this period is likely to depend on age, sex, genetic differences, and childhood exposure to pathogens. The authors hypothesized that the change in gene expression of leukocytes under microgravity is triggered by fluid shift, where blood plasma is redistributed from the lower to the upper part of the body, including the lymphatic system. This causes a reduction in plasma volume by between 10% and 15% within the first few days in space. Fluid shift is known to be accompanied by large-scale physiological adaptations, apparently including altered gene expression. Prophylaxis against immune deficits in space The next question is how to apply our findings to guide the design of countermeasures that will prevent immune suppression while in space in particular for long duration flight, said Laneuville. The health of astronauts while in space, especially during long missions, would benefit from detecting both immune dysfunction and sub-clinical inflammation. Early detection provides opportunities for intervention, with the aim to prevent a progression towards severe symptoms. Dr Odette Laneuville, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa Indias forex reserves jumped $2.35 billion to $596.098 billion for the week ended June 16, according to the latest RBI data. The overall reserves had dropped by $1.318 billion to $593.749 billion in the previous reporting week. It can be noted that in October 2021, the countrys forex kitty had reached an all-time high of $645 billion. The reserves have been declining as the central bank deploys the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments. For the week ended June 16, the foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, increased by $2.578 billion to $527.651 billion, according to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the RBI on Friday. Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. Gold reserves dropped by $324 million to $45.049 billion, the RBI said. The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were up by $62 million to $18.249 billion, the central bank said. The countrys reserve position with the IMF was up by $34 million to $5.149 billion in the reporting week, the apex bank data showed. The Rupee Movement In the week ended June 23, the Indian rupee opened the week at 81.94 and remained range bound within a range of 81.89 to 82.1725 as inflows from stake sales by different companies to foreign entities were absorbed by RBI buying dollars at 81.87 and then 81.90 levels. The RBI parked these dollars forward by paying in premiums which rose by 10 bps. Anil Kumar Bhansali, head (treasury) and executive director of Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said, The rupee is expected to remain in the range of 81.90 to 82.40 next week as in-flows dominate and RBI absorbs the in-flows. Since most currencies have fallen, a fall in the rupee is inevitable on Monday. However, unless oil companies step in we should not see a big downside for the rupee. The range of 81.60 to 82.90 on the rupee needs to be respected by buying dollars at the lower end and selling dollars at the upper end." (With Inputs from PTI) Internet giant Google is investing $10 billion in Indias digitisation fund, its CEO Sundar Pichai has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a step that will recognise Indias leadership on fintech and will support small and large businesses in India, the US and around the world. Pichai met Prime Minister Modi here on Friday and also announced the opening of Googles global fintech operation centre in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar. It was an honour to meet Prime Minister Modi during the historic visit to the US. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing $10 billion in Indias digitisation fund, Pichai said. We are announcing the opening of our global fintech operation centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. PMs vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do," he added. Google on Saturday announced that it will open a Google Fintech Global Operations Center in GIFT City, Gujarat, with teams working on specialised operations supporting GPay and other product operations at Google, a Google spokesperson told PTI. This recognises Indias leadership on fintech and will support small and large businesses in India, the US and around the world, the spokesperson said after the meeting between Pichai and the Prime Minister. Google has been operating in India since 2004, with offices in five key cities across the country with thousands of talented employees. We currently have offices in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Hyderabad, Gurgaon Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune, the spokesperson said. In 2020, deepening its commitment to India and a reflection of its confidence in Indias growing role in the global technology arena, Google announced the Google for India Digitisation fund, a commitment to invest USD 10 billion (approximately Rs 75,000 crores) focussing on four areas. First, enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language. Second, building new services that are relevant to Indias unique needs. Third, empowering businesses as they embark on digital transformation. Fourth, leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for social good. Towards the end of last year, Google also announced support for Early Stage Startups with a particular focus on women-led startups under the India Digitisation fund. Using AI to further Indias digital transformation journey, Google AI Research Center in Bengaluru is building models to support over 100 Indian languages, and working with the Indian Institute of Science to support open sourcing of speech data through Indias Bhashini project. It has also partnered with IIT Madras to establish a multidisciplinary Center for Responsible AI. With a focus to support businesses and governments to run on Cloud, Google Cloud has been playing a pivotal role in bringing innovative cloud technologies to India and being a part of Indias digital transformation journey. Indias biggest enterprises and unicorns like Jio, Adani, Mahindra Group, Sharechat, HDFC Bank, Glance Roposo and hundreds of others are today benefiting from Google Cloud and AI offerings. To support this growing demand, Google Cloud now has 2 cloud regions in Delhi NCR and Mumbai respectively, a media release said. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a tweet envisioned to set up Indo-U.S. Global Challenge Institutes. The institutes will be developed to promote and deepen research partnerships and people-to-people exchanges in areas such as semiconductors, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, health and pandemic preparedness & emerging technologies between the two countries. Thus the initiative aims to deeper the bilateral relations between Indian and American Universities. A joint taskforce is constituted with Association of American Universities comprising of top IITs and IISc experts to discuss ways to deepen research ties between the two countries. Joint Task Force constituted with Association of American Universities comprising of top IITs and IISc has been in discussion in this regard.As envisioned by our leaders, the @EduMinOfIndia will work to setup Indo-U.S. Global Challenge Institutes to deepen research Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) June 23, 2023 Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted This formal partnership, with its complementary expertise and incorporation of industry collaboration and startup enablers, will facilitate free flow of ideas, student exchange and joint IPRs. This academic partnership will help in developing solutions for a sustainable and secure future." Further the union minister, called the collaboration historic moment when US and India are joining hands in education and research. The minister affirmed that the collaboration is bound to make a global impact in the coming years. This resolve by the Education Ministry comes at a time when India has opened gates for foreign universities. This formal partnership, with its complementary expertise and incorporation of industry collaboration and startup enablers, will facilitate free flow of ideas, student exchange and joint IPRs. This academic partnership will help in developing solutions for a sustainable and Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) June 23, 2023 Also Read: PM Modi Interacts With US Academicians To Strengthen Education Sector With Focus On Innovation Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has concluded the visit to United States. On his first day, PM Modi interacted with US academicians and discussed ways to collaborate on skill development and innovation in the country. Sharing the update on Twitter, PM Modi wrote In New York City, held an extensive interaction with a group of academics. They shared their views on how to further strengthen the education sector in India with a focus on skills and innovation. I talked about the transformative potential of our National Education Policy." The Maharashtra school education department has proposed revisions to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, requiring the administration of tests for students in Classes 5 and 8. According to a state government notification, if a student fails in Classes 5 or 8 will be allowed to appear for a re-examination that will be conducted within two months of the declaration of the annual exam results. If the candidate fails in the re-examination, then the respective school can detain the child. Also, no student can be expelled from the school till the completion of elementary education (which is till Class 8). No student will be expelled from school until they have completed their primary education, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to continue their academic journey without the fear of being forced out of school due to poor performance, the gazette clearly stated. The Maharashtra education department has officially published the gazette declaring these changes. It is a good decision as simply pushing children to higher classes has not helped, said Shirley Pillai, Principal, Powai English School, Mumbai. Further in the circular, the department has notified about age-appropriate admission. As per the announcement, passing the Class 5 exam would be required for age-appropriate admission to Classes 6 to 8. If the child does not pass, he/she will have to be admitted in Class 5, as per the new norm. Earlier, the RTE Act mandated that student from Classes 1 to 8 did not fail. But the updates standards now demand yearly assessment for students in Classes 5 and 8. The protocols of these exams have been specified by State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). Ranjeet Singh Deol, principal secretary, school education department said that the revision was done on the basis of the rules of the central government, according to reports. He also notified that there will be no board examinations for Classes 5 and 8. Meanwhile, educationist Francis Joseph said that regular assessment is good for children. On the other hand, Saba Quraishi, principal, Anjuman-I-Islams Dr MIJ Girls High School in Bandra said initially when the no-detention policy was announced teachers were against it. Enthusiasm and determination are the keys to achieving success. Numerous individuals accomplish their notable objectives by surmounting lifes obstacles, perceiving their weaknesses as opportunities for growth instead of barriers. Yash Sonakia, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, serves as a remarkable embodiment of unwavering determination despite being born blind. Yash Sonakia, a native of Madhya Pradesh, accomplished a remarkable milestone in 2021 when he graduated with a B. Tech from the prestigious Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) in Indore. Yashs journey has been one of perseverance as he has battled glaucoma since birth, eventually becoming visually impaired at the age of eight. Yashs father, Yashpal Sonakia, manages a canteen, and initially, Yash received his education in a school for students with disabilities until the fifth standard. He transitioned to a regular school, with the support of his sister who assisted him, particularly in mathematics and science. Despite his visual impairment, Yash Sonakias determination propelled him to success, as he recently secured a job offer from Microsoft, one of the worlds largest IT companies. His annual salary at the company is Rs 47 lakh, and he has been hired as a software engineer for their Bangalore office. Initially, Yash began his work remotely, demonstrating the companys commitment to providing him with suitable working conditions. Following his completion of coursework with the assistance of a screen reader, Yash Sonakia embarked on his job search and decided to apply to Microsoft after acquiring coding skills. Sonakias competence led to his selection as a software engineer for the companys Bengaluru branch, after successfully navigating through an online test and interview process. Yasir M, a B.Tech student from Lovely Professional University, has achieved a remarkable placement record by securing an impressive package worth Rs 3 crore. This outstanding offer was extended to Yasir by a renowned German multinational corporation. It demonstrates the recognition and value placed on the skills and expertise possessed by B.Tech graduates from the 2018 class at Lovely Professional University. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday expressed confidence that the state will be able to start classes of the first medical college in the 2023-24 academic session. Responding to media queries on the sidelines of his visit to the Nagaland Institute of Medical Science and Research (NIMSR), Rio said he is encouraged to see the progress of infrastructural developments of the first medical college. Expressing happiness about the fast-paced work progress, the CM assured to provide additional funds required for the completion of the works from the state exchequer on yearly budget. He also asked the NIMSR authorities and the health and family welfare department to make arrangements for final inspection before the commencement of the academic session. Taking to Twitter, Rio said, Visited the Nagaland Institute of Medical Science and Research (NIMSR) at Phriebagei, P. Khel, Kohima. Pleased to inspect the work in progress of the facility. I hope the citizens of the state will benefit from the institute. Commissioner and Secretary Health, Y Kikheto Sema apprised the chief minister that with the first medical college getting the letter of permission on April 24 to commence the institute from the ensuing academic session, the 80 MBBS seats reserved for Naga students in other medical colleges have been removed and the classes of the first medical college has to commence as per schedule by July-August. The medical college was approved by the Government of India in 2014 for an amount of Rs 189 crore with a 90:10 funding pattern between the Centre and State governments but the inordinate delay has been mainly due to the release of funds, he said. Fans of Marvel actor Jeremy Renner were recently left worried after rumours of his death went viral on social media. The rumours claimed that the Avengers actor died due to an escalator accident. Soon after, RIP Jeremy Renner also started trending on social media. A social media user got into the trap of the death hoax and paid tribute to Jeremy on social media. Jeremy Renner was an inspiration to me to continue acting and treating loved ones (especially spouse) with the kindness and respect they need.. an empathetic and kind man had descended from this world yesterday #RIPjeremyrenner, the Tweet read. Another social media user reacted to the rumours and urged everyone not to believe in everything that goes viral on the internet. #RIPJeremyRenner - On the contrary, actor Jeremy Renner is alive and well as can be confirmed with a simple Google search. The worst thing about social media is one realizes how many imbeciles and grifters there are in this world that lie or lack critical thinking skills," the fan wrote. "#RIPJeremyRenner"On the contrary, actor Jeremy Renner is alive and well as can be confirmed with a simple Google search. The worst thing about social media is one realizes how many imbeciles and grifters there are in this world that lie or lack critical thinking skills. Jon Hammond (@JonHammond7) June 23, 2023 Another user expressed disappointment with the false news going viral and argued that it is not funny. For fuck's sake, children knock it off with the Jeremy-Renner-is-dead bullshit. Jeremy Renner is not dead, and your hoax-spreading isn't funny. pic.twitter.com/mtmISwNk71 Chuck Taggart @SazeracLA@tenforward.social (@SazeracNELA) June 23, 2023 Just a few hours ago, Renner shared a photo of a bear holding the American flag in its mouth on his Instagram stories and wrote, 4th of July Prep Tahoe style." Meanwhile, The Avengers: Endgame star was hospitalised earlier this year after a major snow plowing accident. More tan 30 of his boned were broken in he accident. Later, Jeremy took to his Instagram account and shared a selfie that showed him in a hospital bed with facial injuries. Thank you all for your kind words. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all, he had written. Kabir Duhan Singh has got married to his lady love Seema Chahal. The marriage function took place in Haryana. The wedding pictures are going viral on the internet. Both bride and groom are looking stunning in wedding attire. Amid this, the actor has expressed his gratitude towards fans. He said, Feeling blessed and lucky to start new Innings of My Life , God And My Fans has Always given me lots Of Love and blessing, hope these blessings would Continue with Seema too and I would be the best hero of her life forever. Note, the actor has played the villain role in more than 50 South Indian films and his wife Seema Chahal is a teacher by profession. Take a look at the photos here: As GlamSham quoted Kabir saying, When I met Seema, I realised that she would be the best life partner and would understand me and my family. She comes from a very simple family where no one belongs to the film industry. I have always wanted a non-industry life partner. I am thankful to God and my parents. I am excited and looking forward to this. Last seen in Gunashekars big-budget film Shaakuntalam which starred Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead, and Upendra and Sudeeps Kabzaa, Singh has a few Tamil and Telugu projects lined up for release soon. Kabir was recently seen in a Marathi movie, Phakaat. For the unversed, Kabir is known for his intense and powerful roles as an antagonist in Tollywood and Tamil industries. Born and brought up in Gohana, Kabir Duhan Singh moved to Mumbai in 2011 to make his career in modeling. Television actress Sreejita De is all set to tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend Michael Blohm-Pape. The couple will have a court wedding on June 30 which will be followed by a white wedding on July 1 in Germany. However, most of Sreejitas Bigg Boss 16 friends will not be able to attend grace her special day. While Abdu Rozik and Shiv Thakare are currently busy with Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 in Cape Town, Shalin Bhaot is in Mumbai and is shooting for his ongoing show - Bekaboo. On the other hand, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary is likely to attend Sreejitas Indian wedding which will take place later this year. However, will Tina Datta be attending Sreejita Des wedding? The two were friends before entering the Bigg Boss 16 house but the differences between the two developed while they were in Salman Khans show. In a recent interview, Sreejita clarified that she has not invited Tina Datta to her wedding. She revealed that the two are not on talking terms and added that it makes no sense to invite somebody who is not on her friend list. Before Bigg Boss 16, I had decided not to cross paths or befriend a person with whom my energy doesnt match. However, Tina and I met again on the reality show. I dont harbour any ill feelings towards her but there is no question of inviting someone non-existent on my friend list. Aunty ke saath bhi baat nahi hui na meri na meri mom ki. Though I love and respect her, I think she felt offended for certain reasons. Jab baatcheet hi band hai, then it makes no sense to invite them, the Uttaran actress told E-Times. Time and again, Sreejita has talked about her and Tina, not being good friends even though their mothers were like best friends. Sreejita made her acting debut with the popular daily soap Kasautii Zindagii Kay. However, she became a popular name with Uttaran, which also starred Rashami Desai and Tina Datta. Sreejita also appeared in shows including Nazar, Miley Jab Hum Tum, Ladies Special, Tum Hi Ho Bandhu Sakha Tumhi, Piya Rangrezz, and Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai among others. As Russias offensive against Ukraine continues, there has been a twist in the tale, as the Wagner Mercenary Group often referred to as President Vladimir Putins private army has entered Russia claiming to remove the countrys top military leadership. The head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday announced that they have seized all the military facilities in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. The Wagner chief claimed his forces have taken over the military headquarters in the city, which oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin has said that this not a military coup but a march for justice," BBC reported President Putin has reacted in anger, calling the so-called rebellion as a stab in the back of the country and its people." In a television address to the nation, Putin said, All those who were a par of the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, and that the Russian armed forces have gotten necessary orders to deal with this," according to Aljazeera. War of words between Wagner Group and Russian Military The rebellion comes after months of tussle between the private group and the Russian military. For the last few months, Prigozhin has accused Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov of incompetence," BBC said. In fact, he questioned the official version of the countrys justification of invading Ukraine and has completely rejected why they did it. This comes at the helm of a power struggle between Prigozhin and the top military brass. The Wagner chief also blamed them for the death of his troops in eastern Ukraine, according to AFP. Apart from this, their Wagner group has blamed Moscow for failing to equip his private army and of taking away their victories and claiming them as their own. What triggered the current rebellion? Cut to Friday, when the chief alleged that Kremlins leadership has ordered strikes on Wagner camps which resulted in the death of large number of Wagner forces Prigozhin posted a series of very angry videos in which he accused Russias military leaders of ordering rocket attacks on Wagner camps stationed in Ukraine. What is Russia saying about this? Russian forces started by denying allegations of Wagner camp attacks put forth by Prigozhin. Russian Defence Ministry denied carrying out an rocket attack. Russias National Antiterrorism Committee have also opened a criminal investigation against the Wagner chief and called termed the rebellion led by him as a mutiny." Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has labelled this an armed conflict with Russia and have given orders to arrest Prigozhin, according to BBC. Apart from this, Russias National Guard has been summouned to tighten security at various important places in Moscow, according to states TASS news agency. Who are the Wagner Mercenary group Wagner Group officially called PMC Wagner is a private army that has been fighting along with regular Russian troops in Ukraine. They first came into prominence in 2014. Wagners men have been active in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic and Mali in recent years. Some report says that there are around 5,000 mercenaries in the group operating across the world. Interestingly, mercenary forces are illegal in Russia, however the Wagner group is a registered organisation and its headquarters are in St Petersburg, BBC reported. Their Role in Ukraine Critics see it as a shadow force controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin, used to promote Russian interests abroad by providing front-line fighters, trainers and advisors. The groups founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken an increasingly prominent role in Russias invasion of Ukraine leading some to question if he might harbour personal political ambitions. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the Wagner group has grown considerably and were now commanding 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, becoming a key component of the campaign here. The rebellions impact on the Ukraine war? Since the Wagner troops played a key role in Putins offensive in Ukraine, this could mark as one of the most serious challenge to Putin in the region. This rebellion could divert resources from Ukraine battlefields and put extra pressure on Moscow back home. And this would come at a crucial time for Russian when they are in the middle of their counteroffensive in Ukraine. Not to forget the pressure from the world, which has been against Russian after its Ukraine invasion. This gives extra strength to Ukraine, and the Ukraines army has said it was watching" the infighting between Prigozhin and Putin. Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was once a hot-dog vendor and a long time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, now not only commands thousands of mercenaries who played a key role in the Ukraine invasion, but has also called an open rebellion against the countrys military. A stab in the back of the country and its people," is what his long term patron, President Putin called the Wagner Group chiefs rebellion. The 62-year-old Prigozhin who is the head of the Wagner Group on Saturday announced in a series of angry videos that they have seized all the military facilities in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and called this a march for justice." Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Prigozhin is currently the chief of Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, who depicts himself as a mercenary fighting many of Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine and some other countries. Wagner group has played a central role in Putins projection of the Russian influence across the world, especially in terms of hard power, according to Associated Press. Prigozhin as also served in prison for at least 10 years during the final years of Soviet Union. It is not publically known why he was in jail. Putin and Prigozhin Putin and Prigozhin were both born in St. Petersburg and their connections go way back in time. He then started owning a fancy restaurant, which reportedly drew interest from Putin. Also in Explainers | Putins Wagner Group Rebels Against Russian Military: What Led to Mutiny, Impact on Ukraine War Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin said in an interview published in 2011, AP reported. Priogozhins rise in power After this, his businesses expanded exponentially and Putin helped in opening Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In fact, he became the go to guy for caterings in all events of the Russian government, and people started calling him Putins chef," by 2010. By 2014, he became the face of Wagner group that was allegedly engaged in a campaign of terrorism in Ukraine, along with Syria and the Central African Republic among others, AP said After this, Prigozhins companies came in limelight for breaking laws and bidding some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts in 2017, according to Opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Prigozhin has taken an increasingly prominent role in Russias invasion of Ukraine leading some to question if he might harbour personal political ambitions. How much influence did Prigozhin have in Putins functioning? Russian businessman and opposition activist said that Prigozhins influence was on a par with that of other senior ministers in the Kremlin due to his personal relationship with the leader. Dont Miss from Explainers | Putins Private Army, Used for Dirty Jobs & Deployed in Ukraine; All About Wagner Group The influence of Mr Prigozhin is approximately equal to the influence of Mr (Sergei Shoigu), minister of defence, or Mr (Sergei) Lavrov, foreign minister," he said. Prigozhin, he said, was close enough to Putin that he was even allowed to sign pardons on behalf of the president in order to allow him to recruit criminals from prisons irrespective of the gravity of the crimes". What is the Wagner Group? Amid all this, in 2014 Wagner group, governed by Prigozhin came to prominence for all the wrong reasons. Wagner emerged in 2014 in Ukraine and is suspected by the West of doing the Kremlins dirty work in countries such as Syria and the Central African Republic, a charge Russia has always denied. Currently, the group remains active in Ukraine, Syria and some African countries, according to BBC. It is alleged that the group is engaged in a campaign of terrorism" in Ukraine including murder, rape, the targeting of infrastructure and the planting of explosives around nuclear facilities. Interestingly, mercenary forces are illegal in Russia, however the Wagner group is a registered organisation and its headquarters are in St Petersburg, BBC reported. How many mercenaries are under Prigozhin? Although several reports put 6,000 as the number of troops under the Wagner group, since 2014 their number has grown exponentially. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the Wagner group were now commanding 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, becoming a key component of the campaign here. Critics see it as a shadow force controlled by Putin, used to promote Russian interests abroad by providing front-line fighters, trainers and advisors. Why is Prigozhin in the lime light currently? Prigozhin has been at odds with the Russian military in recent months, with openly accusing Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov of incompetence." He questioned the official version of the countrys justification of invading Ukraine and has completely rejected why they did it. Prigozhin posted a series of very angry videos in which he accused Russias military leaders of ordering rocket attacks on Wagner camps stationed in Ukraine and announced a rebellion against the top brass of Russian military. US President Joe Biden gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi a t-shirt on Friday with the words The future is AI - America & India printed on it. A day earlier, during his address to the Joint Session of the US Congress, PM Modi remarked about the advancements in AI, referring to both Artificial Intelligence and the ties between America and India (AI). PM Modi in US Highlights: PM Raises Toast to India-US Friendship at State Luncheon, to End Visit with Address to Indian Diaspora Today A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago. But a lot has remained the same like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States. In recent years, we have witnessed significant progress in AI Artificial Intelligence. Simultaneously, there have been even more momentous developments in another AI America and India," he stated at the US Congress. PM Modi later on Friday even tweeted, AI is the future, be it Artificial Intelligence or America-India! Our nations are stronger together, our planet is better when we work in collaboration." On Friday, the Prime Minister met with US and Indian technology CEOs in Washington. The final day of a state visit was marked by pledges of deeper US-India cooperation in areas including space, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. President Joe Biden and Modi gathered with CEOs including Apples Tim Cook, Googles Sundar Pichai and Microsofts Satya Nadella. The CEOs discussed the enormous opportunities and ways to deepen institutional cooperation in cutting-edge tech and R&D between India and US India-US | Trusted partners in High Technology collaborations. PM Narendra Modi & @POTUS @JoeBiden addressed a gathering of Indian and American CEOs of leading tech companies at a special event in the @WhiteHouse. @SecRaimondo moderated the event," Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a tweet. The Prime Minister underlined the immense potential of harnessing India-US tech cooperation for socio-economic growth. | Trusted partners in High Technology collaborations.PM @narendramodi & @POTUS @JoeBiden addressed a gathering of Indian and American CEOs of leading tech companies at a special event in the @WhiteHouse. @SecRaimondo moderated the event. The CEOs discussed the pic.twitter.com/lHlX1SEV61 Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 23, 2023 Also present were Sam Altman of OpenAI, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, and Indian tech leaders including Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, and Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, the White House said. Our partnership between India and the United States will go a long way, in my view, to define what the 21st century looks like," Biden told the group, adding that technological cooperation would be a big part of that partnership. The Uttar Pradesh government is likely to approve a grand Digital Kumbh Museum, which will not only showcase Indias rich culture and heritage but also highlight the historical and mythological significance of the worlds largest religious gathering. The digital museum, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs 60 crore, was proposed by the state tourism department as part of preparations for Mahakumbh 2025 for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visitors. The proposal came a couple of weeks ago when the department presented it before the chief secretary in Lucknow. According to the blueprint, the Digital Kumbh Museum will be one of the most ultramodern museums of the time and be equipped with facilities such as central heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). It will have audio-video rooms and other audiovisual features. It will also feature various galleries with spiritual themes, including the Spiritual and Kumbh Mela Interpretation Gallery, Samudra Manthan Gallery, and Akhada Gallery, a senior state tourism department official told News18. Other than this, the museum will provide facilities like a food plaza and souvenir shop, allowing visitors to purchase or download literature and products related to the Kumbh Mela. Additionally, there will be facilities such as a cultural haat (Akshayvat), museum, gallery and theatre (Amrit Kalash), and guest house, the officials added. The museum will also showcase the sacred confluence Sangam in the entrance lobby through digital projection. The three rivers (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) will be displayed using three different colors, based on animated fractal geometry and static graphics. There will also be an interactive map of Prayagraj that will be presented on a large screen in the interpretation gallery, which can be explored through touch interactions. Here, along with the history of Prayagraj, information about the modern city will also be provided, a senior official said. Similarly, in the Samudra Manthan Gallery, the epic tale of Samudra Manthan will be presented through floor projection. The Akhada Gallery will showcase the akhada culture in the country and have an interactive wall related to Shankaracharya, describing his journey. In the Temporal City, there will be video walls while in the triveni sangam there will be a combination of floor, wall, and ceiling. Other than the museum, the tourism department has proposed other development works, including development and beautification of Bharadwaj Ashram, Dwadash Madhav Mandir, Nagvasuki Mandir, Dashashwamedh Mandir, Manakameshwar Mandir, Alopashankari Mandir, Padila Mahadev Mandir, temples along the Panchkoshi Parikrama Path, Koteshwar Mahadev, and Kalyani Mandir. The state government also has plans for the beautification and construction of Takshak Tirth, temples in the Karachana area, Akshayavat/Saraswati Koop/Patalpuri Mandir, Hanuman Mandir, floating jetty, and restaurant. The estimated cost for all these proposals, including the Digital Kumbh Museum, exceeds Rs 170 crore. In addition, there is an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore for various civil works and Rs 18 crore for facade lighting-related works. Leaders of different political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left parties and others participated in an all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the prevailing situation in Manipur on Saturday. Shah called for the meeting to assess the situation, weeks after he visited the violence-hit state for four days and met with a cross section of people in his efforts to broker peace in Manipur. Speaking to the press after the meeting concluded in Delhi, BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said all political parties who attended the meeting expressed their views during the all-party meeting, unanimously acknowledging the unprecedented nature of Amit Shahs visit to Manipur. Amit Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is briefed every day on the evolving situation in the state," he added. He further said, A 10km fence has been erected along the Myanmar border to curb infiltration and additional measures are being implemented. Many of the infiltrators were youth who voluntarily surrendered their weapons to the local police. We have considered all suggestions from various political parties and appropriate steps will be taken in the right direction." #WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur in Delhi pic.twitter.com/NR0J79NtG6 ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 According to PTI news agency, Shah told the meeting the situation in Manipur was slowly returning to normal and not a deaths have been reported since June 13 in the state. The home minister sought the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur. The priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state," Shah was quoted as saying. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, addressing the media after attending the all-party meeting, said, We expressed our concern about the ongoing incidents in Manipur spanning over 50 days. The Home Minister patiently heard each of us and assured us that he is actively addressing the issue. He said, Trust me, I will restore peace. However, the Prime Minister has not conveyed his concerns," he said. We requested the need for an all-party delegation to be sent to Manipur. The Home Minister responded by mentioning the deployment of additional police forces, which was our suggestion. However, this is not merely a law and order issue to be resolved solely by the police, army, or Assam Rifles," Siva said. It signifies the failure of governance at both the state and union government levels," he added. During the all-party meeting, the Congress was not given the opportunity to speak first, even though Ibobi Singh from Manipur represented them. Opposition parties, including the TMC, raised this concern and requested that the next meeting should take place in Imphal, according to sources. The government assured that progress was being made to address the situation," they said. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister as an eye-wash and a formality," and criticised the government for not allowing 3-time elected Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh to present his points. As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur," he said in a tweet. He was the only leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting today, and it is an insult not only to the former CM and the Congress party, but the people of Manipur, that their representative was not allowed to fully put forth his point of view," he added. Presenting an eight-point charter of demands on behalf of the Congress at the meeting, former chief minister of Manipur Ibobi Singh said he had barely 7-8 minutes to share his views and was denied request for additional five minutes, terming the incident as unfortunate." Singh said the meeting should have been chaired by Modi who has not said a single word on Manipur in the past 50 days" when violence first struck the state on May 3. We are not coming here for political gains. We want peace. This is not the time to politicise. We want restoration of normalcy and peace in Manipur," Singh asserted at press conference. The state government has failed miserably in providing effective governance when it is needed most. The chief minister himself has admitted publicly twice his failure to handle the situation and deal with the crisis. He has also asked for forgiveness of the people. The chief minister should be replaced immediately," he said. Who Are Attended the All-party Meeting? BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas, along with other prominent leaders attended the meeting. The attendees included Trichi Siva from the DMK, Sanjay Singh representing the AAP, John Britas from the CPI, Anil Hegde representing the JDU, Ibobi Singh from the Congress, Pashupati Paras representing the LJP, Manoj Jha from the RJD, Thambi Durai representing the AIADMK, C Lalrosanga from the Mizo National Front, Priyanka Chaturvedi from the SS (UBT), Pinaki Mishra representing the BJD, Ramgopal Yadav from the SP, Cornad Sangma representing the NPP, Derek Obrien from the TMC, B Vinod from the BRS, and Chief Minister of Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang. Opposition parties have been criticising the BJP-led government for its handling of the situation as violence has not stopped even after 50 days. Nearly 120 people lost their lives and over 3,000 have been injured ever since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. Congress General Secretary-Organisation, KC Venugopal has demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene regarding the Manipur issue. Jairam Ramesh in a tweet said 52 days after Manipur started burning the Home Minister has finally seen it fit to call an all-party meeting on the situation today. This meeting should actually have been chaired by the PM who has kept silent all this while. It should have been held in Imphal as a demonstration of national anguish. The BJP has failed the people of Manipur miserably," Ramesh said in Twitter earlier in the day. Even so the man who brought Manipur back on the path of peace and development as Chief Minister for three terms between 2002 and 2017 Okram Ibobi Singh ji will represent the Congress at HMs meeting. He should be listened to in all seriousness given his vast experience and deep knowledge," he said. The TMC in a statement said the state visit by the Union Home Minister to Manipur last month was a failure as it did not yield any results. He only went to the camps, and met selected people. He heard only the echochamber. He did not meet the people on the streets who have been affected, who are living through the trauma. The three-day visit by the Home Minister did not improve the situation at all. In fact, it deteriorated after that," it said. It noted that the there are serious issues of insurgency, land ownership, law and order" and needs to be addressed in a sensitive manner. Peaceful resolution can be achieved only through discussions involving all stake-holders. By regaining the confidence of the people in Manipur, and the North-East," it read. The Union Government has to decide whether it wants to create divisions to suit the interests of a political party, or whether it wants to create lasting unity and peace. We are here not to do politics, but to offer constructive suggestions. The Union Government must first acknowledge its failures and course correct. Immediately," it further stated. Meanwhile, CPI MP Binoy Viswam urged the Home Minister to explain why the left party was not invited to the all-party meeting on Manipur. Our National Executive Committee Member P Sandosh Kumar MP was assigned by the party for the meeting. Home ministry can learn from people of Manipur about role of CPI in building peace," he accused in a tweet. Shiv Sena UBT leader, Priyanka Chaturvedi, expressed concerns, saying, There is a sense of distrust, fear, and bias Many people from Manipur have informed me that they lack trust in the Chief Minister of Manipur. Concrete actions need to be taken." Chaturvedi further added, We have demanded an all-party delegation to visit Manipur." (With inputs from agencies) A 16-year-old girls male friend and her father have been arrested here on the charge of raping her and making her pregnant, an official said on Saturday. The official from Tilak Nagar police station in Chembur said that the teenager was friends with a 32-year-old man from her locality. The man raped her in the last week of February saying he would marry her. Later, she was sexually assaulted by her 41-year-old father at her own home, the official said. The survivor told the police that she was too traumatised to talk about the sexual abuse then, he said. The rape came to light after the girl recently complained of stomach pain, prompting her mother to take her to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital. The mother was stunned when doctors told her that the minor was pregnant. After being counselled, she told the doctors that she had been raped by her father and friend. The hospital alerted the Tilak Nagar police about the sexual assault following which a case was registered against the two under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused were arrested on Thursday and a local court remanded them in police custody, the official added. On June 22, 2023, Nita Mukesh Ambani and her husband Mukesh Ambani attended the State Dinner at the White House. Nita Mukesh Ambani was a vision of ethnic charm and grace in a stunning ivory saree. The special event honouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Nita Ambani appeared at the banquet dressed in the classic traditional Indian six yards of grace. The entrepreneur, educator, and philanthropist chose an ivory saree style that was enhanced by lavish golden accents along its length and breadth and a lavish golden border. The director of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Culture Centre wore this saree with a top that matched it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by News18.com (@cnnnews18) The stunning saree that Nita Ambani wore was extensively described on the NMACC official Instagram page. Taking to Instagram, the post read, Our Founder & Chairperson, Mrs. Nita Ambani, was dressed in an exquisite handwoven Banarasi brocade from the sacred land of Varanasi for the State dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in honor of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Banarasi brocade tells the tale of culture and splendour that is passed down generations. Handwoven by traditional Indian artisans Mohammad Yasin and Jabbar Ahmad, this beautiful weave is a tribute to the craftsmanship of Banaras and took them over a month to complete. Check out Nita Ambanis look below- View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (@nmacc.india) Mrs. Nita Ambanis sartorial choice reflecting her vision of promoting Indian artisans also found a place of pride at the State lunch co-hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris where she wore an ethnic Patola saree from Patan, Gujarat. This Patola saree is a contemporary representation of the centuries-old Indian craft. Woven in pure Indian silk by our skilled traditional artisans Dushyant Parmar and Vipur Parmar, this beautiful weave with bright hues, animal patterns, and geometric perfection has taken 6 months of hard work to be finished to perfection. Both these artforms are supported by Reliance Foundations SWADESH which celebrates art and crafts integral to Indias cultural legacy. #Swadesh." Nita Ambani flawlessly executed the saree look, which was a lyrical synthesis of a regal sense of style. The perfect golden thread work, sumptuous and shiny fabric, and the elegant silhouette that was a vision of the Indian handcraft industry all complemented one other perfectly with the looks calming and delicate colour scheme. When it came to choosing accessories to go with her ivory saree appearance, Nita Ambani chose a collection of jewellery. Mrs. Ambani chose a statement bejewelled ring, an elaborate necklace, elaborate earrings, and sparkling kadas for her wrists. She complemented the ensemble with a matching potli to provide the finishing touches. When it came to how she looked for the day, Mrs. Nita Ambani opted for a light apply of makeup and a natural look. The style featured a neutral pink lip, defined brows, and the traditional Indian bindi. She chose a neat bun for her hair and added a floral gajra to it. With an astounding increase of 946% year over year in searches for solo travel, Hanoi, Vietnam, leads the list. Taipei, Taiwan, came in second with a 700% growth, followed by Bangkok with a gain of 816 percent. With the hashtag #SoloTravel trending across numerous social media platforms, solo travel is becoming more and more popular in India. It provides the ideal setting for personal growth and self-discovery. In addition to boosting self-confidence, travelling alone forces you to venture outside of your comfort zone and break your lazy habits. The top trending locations for solo travellers were recently identified through analysis of worldwide search data by the adventure travel company Explore Worldwide. Explore Worldwide created a list of the locations where online searches for solo travel increased the most after tracking and assessing two years worth of Google search data. Vietnams Hanoi is the city that tops the list, with a phenomenal increase in year over year solo travel search volume of 946%. Taipei, Taiwan, came in second with a 700% growth, followed by Bangkok with a gain of 816 percent. ALSO READ: Titanic Submarine Accident: What Is Frontier Travel And Why Is It Becoming Popular? According to the survey, there are many reasons why Hanoi is a favourite destination for tourists. It speaks of the citys stunning historical architecture, illustrious cultural past, and the variety of single traveller activities accessible, including sauntering around vibrant streets, browsing food markets, and seeing historic temples. Hanoi is also rated highly for safety, with a score of 62 out of 100, making it one of the safest cities in the world. Top Things Solo Travellers Can Do While Visiting Hanoi As island-hopping becomes an increasingly popular mainstream holiday option - it is time to check out the Seychelles Islands, the perfect destination that enchants with its diversity. From the stunning beaches of Praslin and the palm-fringed shores of Mahe to the untouched landscapes of the outer islands, the archipelagos 115 islands offer an exquisite tapestry of beauty, each offering a unique experience. Discover paradise as you hop from one idyllic island to another, immersing yourself in Creole culture and unwinding in luxurious resorts, creating unforgettable memories along the way. Exploring the Inner Islands: The popular inner islands of Seychelles are well known among tourists and with good reason. The biggest island of Seychelles, Mahe allows travellers to explore the vibrant capital of Victoria, indulge in thrilling motorized watersports on pristine Beau Vallon Beach, and hike the lush Morne Seychellois National Park. A visit to UNESCOs World Heritage Site, Vallee de Mai in Praslin to see the rare Coco De Mer nuts, is something one cannot miss, after which you can spend a well-deserved relaxing afternoon on Anse Lazio beach which has often been named as the best beach on Praslin, and one of the best in the archipelago. At La Digue, one can cycle through picturesque landscapes, and bask in the beauty of the most photographed beach in the world, Anse Source dArgent, where the giant granite boulders frame the shiny-white sands. The local culture on these islands is high-spirited and inviting - visit local markets, indulge in Creole cuisine, attend cultural events or festivals and interact with the friendly Seychellois people. Unveiling the Outer Islands: The lesser-known outer islands of Seychelles, such as Aldabra Atoll, Bird Island, and Denis Island provide travellers with exclusivity with many luxurious private island properties, untouched landscapes, and opportunities for interesting wildlife encounters as these islands are a popular habitat for almost 188 different species of birds as well the Giant Aldabra Tortoise. Experiencing Unique Activities: At Aldabra Atoll, visitors get to witness one of the worlds largest coral atolls and the striking underwater ecosystems. For the birdwatchers, Bird Island is a must-visit to catch a glimpse of the Seychelles sunbird and the endangered Seychelles magpie robin, while enjoying secluded beaches. A sea turtle nesting is one of the most unique and beautiful natural occurrences you will see on Denis Island. Indulge in private beach picnics, at the Fregate Island - spot giant Aldabra tortoises and go snorkelling in the magnificent coral reefs surrounding the island. Discover incredible marine life, including manta rays and whale sharks, or simply unwind on the untouched beaches of Desroches Island. Insider Tips and Recommendations: Here are some insider tips to enhance your Seychelles island hopping experience: Head to Anse Source dArgent beach on La Digue for stunning sunrise views, while Beau Vallon Beach on Mahe is known for the best sunset views. Anse Cocos is a hidden beach on La Digue with turquoise waters and granite boulders, accessible via a picturesque coastal walk. The Silhouette Island, located northwest of Mahe, boasts lush forests, excellent hiking trails, and the opportunity to spot endangered species. The islands provide multiple accommodation options from ultra-luxury stays and exclusive island retreats to boutique hotels, rustic island lodges and even homestays and self-service apartments. Visit Marie Antoinette Restaurant in Victoria for authentic Creole cuisine and local flavors. Cafe des Arts on Praslin offers a unique dining experience that combines art, culture, and delicious food. Dont forget to try the Takamaka rum, an award-winning local Seychellois rum that holds in itself the character of the 115 islands! All the while, do not forget to capture the stunning Seychelles landscape that provides for the most picturesque photo backdrop in every direction one looks. Important information to know before planning your trip to Seychelles: The best time to visit Seychelles is during the dry season, which typically runs from May to September. This period offers pleasant weather, calm seas, and optimal visibility for water activities. However, the islands are enjoyable year-round, with a slightly wetter and hotter climate from October to April. For inter-island travel, domestic flights, ferries, and private boat charters are available. There is one direct flight to Seychelles from Mumbai courtesy of their national carrier- Air Seychelles. Domestic flights operate between the main islands, providing a quick and convenient way to hop between destinations. Ferries are a more affordable option, with regular services connecting Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue. Private boat charters offer flexibility and the chance to explore lesser-known islands. Pack light, breathable clothing, swimwear, an SPF 30+ sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable walking shoes. Dont forget essentials like a hat, sunglasses, and a reusable water bottle- the tap water across the country is up to drinking water standards as per WHO. Avneet Kaur is making headlines after her Bollywood debut with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Tiku Weds Sheru. As the duo actively promotes their latest movie, Avneet recently revealed that she faced challenges speaking in English during the initial stages of her career. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, the actress was asked whether she has been judged for speaking English. To which, she replied, I didnt know English well when I shifted to Mumbai. But gradually, I learned English and also picked up a bit of Marathi in school. Before shifting, I was a little weak in English. Since Im from Punjab, I dont think I was fluent in English from there, and my confidence was also a bit low. Another thing that boosted Avneets confidence was when she had to perform in front of many people. When asked about the biggest risk she has taken in her life, she replied, I believe the biggest risk for me was shifting to Mumbai because I had no idea that my entire family would actually shift here. My dad even relocated his entire business and everything for me. So, it was the biggest risk for all of us, not knowing what the future held. I was 7 years old when I moved." Avneet, who has a social media following of 33 million, expressed, My army, the Avneetians, have witnessed my journey from being a child to a girl and now to a woman. They provide me with immense strength in everything I do." Lastly, she mentioned that she has lost touch with her friends to some extent because she has been extremely busy with work and everything. Consequently, she believes that she doesnt have much communication with many people. During her career, Avneet Kaur captivated the audience with her appearance on Dance India Dance Lil Masters. In 2012, she marked her debut in the television industry with show Meri Maa and subsequently ventured into numerous other television projects. It was her remarkable portrayal of Yasmine alongside Siddharth Nigam in Aladdin - Naam Toh Suna Hoga that catapulted her to immense popularity. Adipurush, directed by Om Raut released on June 16 and has since then received criticism from all quarters. Recently, actor Mukesh Khanna also expressed anguish over the film. Mukesh told ANI that the makers had not even gone through the Hindu mythological epic and that they must be burned at 50 degrees. Actress Uorfi Javed tweeted against this statement. Yar ye Aadmi Poora Pagal hai, Mai maanti hu movie thodi buri hai but please guys koi kisi ko Jalana mat, in fact, I feel this guy should be put behind bars for provoking people to incite violence, the tweet read. Yar ye Aadmi Poora Pagal hai , Mai maanti hu movie thodi buri hai but please guys koi kisi ko Jalana mat infact I feel this guy should be out behind bars for provoking people to incite violence . pic.twitter.com/LHNWdP54ss Uorfi (@uorfi_) June 22, 2023 Social media users supported Uorfi and one of them tweeted a cartoon meme mocking Mukesh Khanna and his views. The meme read, Hey, calm down. Its not worth getting worked up over a movie. But if you are looking for someone to put behind bars, how about we start with the person who cant handle a bad review without resorting to violence?" pic.twitter.com/ETWZKBuSMM Jim Is Here To Take Care of Him (@RoastHimJim) June 22, 2023 Another user agreed with Uorfis views. According to the user, he feels sad to see how Mukesh, who made their childhood great, is now spewing venom. I agree with you Uorfi, I'm saddened to see how this man made our childhood great, but the same person is now spreading hate. Rohan Prakrit (@Rohan_Pr11) June 22, 2023 Mukesh had come out heavily against director Om Raut and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir for defending their version of the Indian epic Ramayana. The Shaktimaan actor was of the opinion that the director and writer would hide their faces after all that has happened. But Mukesh said that they are coming forward with explanations of their version. The actor also condemned both for saying that they are making this film for Sanatan Dharma. Mukesh asked that is their Sanatan Dharma different from ours. He added that the makers are saying that there was a version of Valmiki Ji, Tulsidas Ji and this is our version. Before Mukesh, other actors like Karan Suchak, had also urged the viewers to not watch Adipurush. Karan portrayed the character of Laxman in the Television show Siya Ke Ram. Prior to him, Arun Govil, famous for portraying Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagars Ramayana also condemned Adipurush and called it a Hollywood Ki Cartoon. Amid busy schedules owing to their respective projects, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were photographed together at the airport after a long time. On Thursday morning, Ranbir sported his clean shaven look almost a year after he started shooting for Animal. He posed for the paparazzi while Alia joined them. The It couple of Bollywood is having a blast in Dubai. Daughter Raha is also accompanying them on the trip. Recently, a picture of them with fans in Dubai surfaced on the internet. While Alia hasnt been sharing any updates on her social media handle, another picture of them both this time, twinning in white has gone viral. In the picture, they can be seen at a club. While Ranbir opted for a white tee, Alia slipped into a white, floral dress, perfect for summers. This time, she kept her hair tied back in a neat bun and sported gold hoops. She didnt have an iota of makeup on and carried a sling bag. On Thursday, as they were leaving for Dubai, a cameraman praised Ranbir Kapoors clean-shaven look. Ranbir playfully asked whose look they were talking about, and when they mentioned it was him, he smiled! Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have been occupied with their respective films. Alia recently took off on a work trip to Brazil, where she joined Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan for the teaser launch of Heart of Stone" as part of Netflixs Tudum event. Ranbir, on the other hand, is gearing up for the release of Sandeep Reddy Vangas Animal. Meanwhile, fans were thrilled on Saturday when a photo of Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Sandeep Reddy Vanga and the Animal film team posing together, went viral on social media. In the picture, Ranbir Kapoor is seen sporting long hair and thick beard, his look for the film. Suhana Khan and Agastya Nanda have been grabbing headlines since the time The Archies announcement was made. Both are set to make their Bollywood debut. Along with them Boney Kapoors daughter Khushi Kapoor, Aditi Saigal, Vedang Raina, Yuvraj Menda, and Mihir Ahuja will also be seen in the film. Well, the film has already created a lot of buzz among the fans. Ahead of its release, the cast was spotted in the city on Friday night. They were seen at their close friends house. The video went viral in no time. In the video, shared by Manav Manglani, we can see all of them coming out of the car. Suhana is wearing a black colour strapless top and denim. And others were mostly seen wearing black. She was seen posing for the Shutterbugs also. Many fans were also seen commenting along with dropping fire emojis. Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manav Manglani (@manav.manglani) Recently, Zoya Akhtar reacted to a tweet that even called the cast of The Archies as white people. In an interview with Mid-day, Zoya was quoted saying, Why do you think that? Theyre all Indian. This is kind of reverse (racism). Are you saying fair Indians are not Indians? How do we define what an Indian looks like?. She explained, It could be Hrithik Roshan, it could be Mr. Rajinikanth, it could be Diljit Dosanjh, it could be Mary Kom. Thats the beauty of India. There are a lot of Indians that are light-skinned. Coming to the film, recently the teaser was released and it was also shared by Suhana Khan. Set in the 1960s fictional hill station Riverdale in India, the trailer of Archies opens showing a vintage Pop Tates store serving milkshakes and burgers. Rather than dialogues, the video weighs high on music to portray emotions whether its enjoying freedom or going through a heartbreak. Chronicling the gang of six friends, the movie is a reimagined version of the American comic The Archies. The Archies will arrive on Netflix soon, however, the exact release date is yet to be announced. Prince Narula recently returned as one of the gang leaders of Roadies. Gautam Gulati and Rhea Chakraborty also joined the show as mentors. However, ever since the shows premiere, reports of rift between Prince and Gautam have been rulines headlines. It was previously reported that after an incident the actors had even refused to shoot with each other. In a recent interview, Gautam opened up about his fights with Prince Narula and bashed him for being short tempered. I dont understand what his problem is. I used to like him but that was before I witnessed his dual personality. He is short-tempered and is probably not happy about the presence of new judges. I overlooked his brash behaviour for as long as possible, but when he went overboard, I had a discussion with the channel," Gautam said as quoted by E-Times. The Bigg Boss 8 winner claimed even Salman Khan called up Prince and asked him to behave like a judge. Even Salman Khan called him and told him that he was roped in as a judge and he should act like one. Though he apologised, he was soon back to his rude self. Some people dont change," he added. Gautam went on to say that it is good for him to stay away from Prince. However, he also made it clear that he will take strong step if Prince disrespects him ever again. I am way senior to this guy. Its fine not to respect your senior, but dont disrespect him. He has won a few reality shows, and I have done 25 shows. However, I dont believe in boasting or flaunting my achievements or wealth, as it is against my principles. Unfortunately, thats exactly what was happening on the show, and I found it shallow," the former Diya Aur Baati Hum actor said. Gautam concluded by saying it is not his problem if Prince feels intimidated by him. He even called himself more dedicated and committed towards Roadies than Prince. Astrologer Bebika Dhurve is currently locked inside Bigg Boss OTT 2 house. The show is hosted by Salman Khan. In the recent episode, Bebika shared some interesting details about the Tiger 3 actor and claimed he was betrayed in love. It all started after Manisha Rani asked Bebika Dhurve if Salman Khan was ever betrayed in love to which the latter said, Bhayanka (horrible)". She further argued that even though Salman presents himself as rough and tough, he is very emotional from the heart. Jitna khudko rough and tough dikhate hai, emotionless dikhate hai, practical headed dikhate hai, workholic dikhate hai, andar se utna hi naram dil aur pyaar mei dubne wala dil hai. (He portays himself as emotionless, practical and workholic but hes a soft person from the inside)," she said. Bebika further claimed that Salman needs a wife who is gharelu and looks after his family well. He wants someone who is a homemaker, dedicated to serving parents, serving and understanding him. In the evening, when he comes home she should offer him a meal, and help him to get a peaceful sleep. Someone who can soothe his mind after a hectic day. He doesnt want an overly ambitious girl, he wants someone who will become a homemaker," she added in Hindi. Interestingly, in April this year, Salman opened up about his marriage plans when he told India Today, Jab Uper Walah chahega, Sir (When God Almighty wills so). Two individuals are needed for marriage. In the first case, the marriage did not happen. When I said yes, somebody said, no. When somebody said yes, I said no. Now there is no from both sides. When both sides say yes, the marriage will take place. Theres still time. I am 57. I want this time it should be the first and last. Matlab ek biwi honi chahiye (There should be a wife)." On the work front, Salman Khan will be seen in Tiger 3. Salman Khan will be seen in Tiger 3. The film also stars Katrina Kaif as super-spy Zoya and Emraan Hashmi as the villain. Shah Rukh Khan will also make a special appearance in the movie. It is scheduled to hit theatres this Diwali. Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani starrer Satyaprem Ki Katha is all set to hit theatres on June 29. Busy in the promotion of the film, Kartik was spotted at the Mumbai airport by paparazzi. The actor reportedly was leaving for Jaipur to attend another promotional event. Kartik greeted the photographers stationed outside the airport with a warm smile before entering the gates. Kartik Aaryan exuded casual vibes in his latest airport look. He looked stylish in a dark blue shirt paired with distressed denim and sneakers. The actor completed the look with black tinted sunglasses and a polo cap. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Kartiks airport look got a thumbs up from fans, who flooded their appreciative reactions for the actor in the form of heart emojis. Kiara Advani was also spotted at the airport later in the day, apparently heading to the Satyaprem Ki Kathas promotional event in Jaipur. For her airport look, Kiara went for baggy white trousers with a cropped matching tank top. She layered it with an oversized, beige front open shirt. The actress also carried a small pastel green handbag and sported a pair of sunglasses. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) A few days ago, the makers released a groovy number Sun Sajni from Satyaprem Ki Kathas album. In the video, Kiara Advani and Kartik Aaryan show off their stunning garba moves in this energetic number, dressed in traditional attire. A report by Koimoi quoted Kartik as saying, The era of Hindi films that has the grandeur and the prominent elements of song and dance is set to make a comeback, and Satyaprem Ki Katha is an effort in that direction." The trailer for an intense romantic drama was released earlier this month. Satyaprem Ki Katha marks Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advanis second collaboration after Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The duo plays a married couple. But it seems Katha, played by Kiara, is not happy about the alliance, whereas Kartiks character is madly in love with her. The film is directed by Sameer Vidwans. Apart from Kartik and Kiara, the movie also stars Supriya Pathak Kapur, Gajraj Rao, Siddharth Randheria, Anooradha Patel, Rajpal Yadav, Nirrmite Saawaant, and Shikha Talsania in key roles. Late actor Gemini Ganesan is considered a legend in the Tamil cinema. The actor was widely known for playing soft-spoken and romantic characters with utmost perfection. He could ace other kinds of his characters as well and had an illustrious career spanning five decades. One of his critically acclaimed films Seeta completed 56 years of release on June 23. It was the 100th film of Gemini Ganesan. Directed by AP Nagarajan, Seeta was successful in striking a chord with the audience. Tamil language weekly magazine Kalki also lauded Seeta for an easy-to-understand storyline and stellar performances of the cast. Seeta narrated the storyline of two sisters Sita (Savitri) and Veda (KR Vijaya). While Sita completes her studies and adopts law as her profession, Veda becomes a doctor. The film takes a riveting turn when Sita has to fight against her lover to free her father from a case. Her father is disapproving of Vedas marriage choice (R Muthuraman) and leaves no stone unturned to create hurdles in her relationship. Unfortunately, she dies by suicide at the end of the film. Besides the romantic elements in Seeta, Nageshs comedy sequences were the biggest highlight of this film. Besides these actors, Aachi Manorama, G Shakuntala, K Sarangapani, and Ennatha Kannaiya have also acted in this film. Besides Seeta, Gemini Ganesan acted in many other films which established his image as Kaadhal Mannan of Tamil cinema. The audience remembers him for the best on-screen pair with the actress Savitri. According to the reports, their romantic relationship strengthened in the film Manampole Mangalyam. Directed by P. Pullaiah, Manampole Mangalyam was a blockbuster film. Savitri was Gemini Ganesans third wife. Soon, the couple became one of the most admired pairs on screen. They featured in cult films such as Missiamma, Pasamalar, Kappalottiya Thamizhan, and Kalathur Kannamma. Gemini Ganesan died on March 22, 2005, at the age of 85. His last acting stint was a special appearance in the Hindi film Aaj Ka Shoorveer directed by Sarann. Krishna Murali Posani penned this movie. Charlie, Dhamu, Ramesh Khanna, Murali, Rani, Thennavan, and Vaiyapuri acted in Aj Ka Shoorveer. Over the years, actress Sobhita Dhulipala has kept her personal life away from the media glare, but recently, her romantic life has become a topic of interest. Speculations are rife that she is dating actor Naga Chaitanya, who was earlier married to actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Although the couple has never officially acknowledged their relationship, a photo of Naga Chaitanya posing with a chef in London, with Sobhita in the background, went viral in March, adding fuel to the rumours. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, Sobhita said about Samantha, I think her journey is super cool. Like if you see her filmography, the way she can headline a project right now, I think that is really cool." While talking about what she appreciates in Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita added, I think his temperament, he seems like such a cool-headed, calm guy, so dignified. I really appreciate it." During her current promotional campaign for the second part of The Night Manager, Sobhita Dhulipala was asked about her earlier statement regarding her reluctance to date actors due to the vanity associated with it. She said she has become less judgmental now. Yeah. I think my judgments have come down a little bit. Being judgmental is necessarily a bad thing. I feel like its only when we judge, can we assess, she said, adding, If we are constantly judgmental for the sake of analysing, thats not right. But I think, being judgmental in measure is very natural. I may have had a certain amount of conditioning which I am, over the years pulling down. In an exclusive chat with News18, Sobhita, without mentioning anyone, recently said that she remains unfazed by the spotlight cast on her private life. But shes quick to add that such things tend to take the focus away from her work. Whats there to be bothered? If I say dont say this, theres no way people would know about it I mean, its not a nice thing to talk about my own accomplishments. Its not like Im asking people to look at my accomplishments and the name I made for myself but its more like, I come from Vizag and Ive worked hard at every step along the way, said the Made In Heaven actor, who will next be seen in Disney+ Hotstars The Night Manager: Part 2. Tara Sutaria surely knows how to make head turns from her fashion sense and today was also no different day. She made a stylish appearance in a stunning maxi dress as she got papped today in the city. Tara was looking stunning and fans were also seen going gaga over her look. In the video, shared by Viral Bhayani, we can see her stepping outside the car wearing a white colour maxi dress with a plunging neckline. The video captured her captivating presence which has been making rounds on social media and garnering admiration from fans. She opted for subtle makeup and left her hair open. The actress also posed for the camera and indulge in some fun chat. One of the fans wrote, So pretty. Another called her beautiful. Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Recently, Tara revealed that she was the first choice for Kabir Singh. According to her, she was shooting for Student of the Year 2 and had also signed Marjaavaan at the same time. With two projects in hand, Tara added that she had to refuse Kabir Singh but she loved Shahid and Kiaras performances in the film. Tara said, I dont think I agree with that (the films misogynistic tone). Its not a true story and I think everyone has the artistic right to show what they want in their film. Having said that, I understand and respect everyones opinion." Tara Sutaria is now looking forward to Apurva, which is being directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat. Starring Abhishek Banerjee, Dhairya Karwa, Aashish Dubey and Rajpal Yadav, Apurva is currently in the post-production stage. Star Studios and Cine 1 Studios have backed this film. Tara shared her happiness about acting in this movie in her Instagram stories. The actress wrote that she has been waiting to do a role in a film like Apurva. According to her, this film will be a tale of the true strength, wit and power which women possess. She mentioned the names of producer Murad Khetani, director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and other cast members. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Turkmenistan and Italy discussed prospects for the development of trade and economic cooperation, Trend reports. According to the official source of Turkmenistan, these issues were discussed between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev and the Italian delegation headed by the Ambassador, Coordinator for Central Asia of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gianluca Grandi During the meeting, the sides discussed issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as prospects for the development of Turkmen-Italian relations on a number of aspects of trade and economic cooperation. The diplomats noted the fruitful cooperation between Turkmenistan and Italy within the framework of authoritative international structures, primarily in the UN and the EU. The sides noted great opportunities for further expansion of trade and economic cooperation and the relevance of holding meetings and forums between entrepreneurs of the two countries. In the context of the importance of inter-parliamentary cooperation in interstate relations, Hadjiev noted that this year a new composition of the Turkmenistan-Italy parliamentary friendship group has been formed, and, in this regard, it is proposed to intensify cooperation in this direction. The development of cooperation between Turkmenistan and Italy is an important aspect of bilateral relations between these two countries. Both sides show a desire to expand their economic, political, and cultural ties, which contributes to the creation of a mutually beneficial partnership. In the economic sphere, Turkmenistan and Italy have extensive potential for cooperation. Italy, which is one of the largest trading partners of Turkmenistan in Europe, actively participates in various sectors of the country's economy. Varun Dhawan has always expressed his love for action movies, and it looks like his dream is coming true. After finishing the Citadel series, Varun Dhawan is likely to join forces with director Atlee Kumar and producer Murad Khetani to create an electrifying action entertainer. This film promises to be a thrilling experience, combining stunning visuals and gripping drama. Reportedly, the project will hit theatres worldwide during the summer of 2024, marking the first collaboration of this talented trio. As the makers are yet to lock a female lead, it is being said that the film might be a Hindi remake of Atlees 2016 blockbuster Theri and it will be going on floors in July. As per the sources close to Mid-Day, a good portion of the film will be shot in Mumbai itself. It stated, A chunk will be shot in Mumbai in late August and September. An elaborate set will be created in Film City, followed by short stints in different parts of the city, especially Chembur. Atlees team, who worked on Mersal [2017] and Bigil [2019], will fly down to Mumbai next month to kick off work." Since Varun Dhawan is currently busy shooting for Citadel, the actor will join the cast and crew in September. In the meantime, the makers are scouting for a female, He will join the unit in early September. Until then, Kalees will film the supporting casts portions." There were also rumours that Anushka Sharma was approached for the same but she apparently backed out of the project. The upcoming untitled action film featuring Varun Dhawan is set to be a blend of intense action and emotional drama. The team is striving to create breathtaking visuals and epic action sequences, tailor-made for Varun Dhawans character. The report suggests that the film will be shot over a span of four to five months and is being positioned as a major summer 2024 release across the world. Meanwhile, on the work front, Varun Dhawan was last seen in the film Bhediya, a horror-comedy set in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh. He will next be seen in the Indian version of Citadel, a spin-off of the original American series featuring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra. He will share the screen space with Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Citadel. Additionally, he has Bawaal, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, scheduled to release in October. Salman Khan began his film career with the film Biwi Ho Toh Aisi, starring Rekha. Although Rekha and Salman were not cast as a couple in the film, Salman had allegedly nurtured a childhood dream of marrying Rekha! On an episode of Bigg Boss 8, Rekha shared an anecdote about how a young Salman would accompany her during her morning walks. The veteran actress said, I used to go on a walk in the morning and he used to be so little, must 6-7 years old, he used to cycle. I used to walk ahead and he used to follow me, she said, adding, Unko malum hee nahin tha ki uss waqt inko mujhse ishq ho gaya tha (He did not know at the time but he had fallen in love with me). Its true because he went back and told his people in the house that I want to marry that girl when I grow up. Salman jokingly added, Kaafi laga tha mujhe, shayad isliye meri shaadi nahi hui (I thought about it then, maybe thats why I am not married). Rekha teased him and said, Ab yeh boliye ki isliye maine shadi nahi ki (Now you should say, maybe that is why I did not get married). During an episode aired around the release of Dabangg, the actors performed dance numbers from the film. Rekha playfully modified the dialogue Thappad se darr nahi lagta" (Not afraid of slaps) by saying, Pyaar se bhi darr nahi lagta" (Not afraid of love). However, she admitted being scared of two things: Big B and Bigg Boss. In the late 1970s, rumours were rife that Rekha and Amitabh were a couple. While Amitabh maintained silence about it, Rekha addressed the rumours in interviews, without ever confirming the alleged affair. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sure knows how to put on an opulent show and allure eyeballs. His state visit to the United States, hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, courts diligent attention for a myriad of reasons. First, he became the third world leader under Bidens presidency to be invited for a state visit, the first two being Frances Emmanuel Macron and South Koreas Yoon Suk Yeo. Second, these state visits are granted to heads of state, not heads of government. Suffice it to observe that PM Modi has not only outshined Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in India but every other world leader of contemporary times on an international forum or global ratings platform. Third, this ought to be viewed as the Indian muscle flexing in the global arena, considering the US elections that are just around the corner in the foreseeable future. From leading the International Day of Yoga celebrations at the United Nations HQ in New York to engaging with the industry giants exploring India-US trade and investment opportunities, bilateral and delegation-level engagements, the historical address at the joint session of the US Congress, and the sumptuous and scrumptious state dinner hosted by the Biden couple, it has been a jam-packed show for PM Modi. All this while, the now redundant cohort comprising the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allied ecosystem, the all-pervasive left-liberal-woke commune that is known to espouse pseudo-secularism has been proactive in the run-up to the 2024 general elections in India, eyeing to dislodge Narendra Modi at any cost. While the usual overseas friends of the Congress were busy denigrating Indias democratic stance and system in the wake of Modis US visit, in an interesting turn of events, the 44th US President, Barack Obama, made contentious remarks during an interview with CNN news host Christiane Amanpour, just hours before PM Modi made his historic address at the joint session of the US Congress. Obama dared to sermonise India by virtue-signalling about its human rights record. Obama exhorted that the Biden administration informs the Indian prime minister about defending the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India. He also hinted at another partition if India, under Modis leadership, did not change its ways. Obama remarked, If President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning. He added, If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, then part of the conversation would be that if you do not protect the rights of minorities, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart That would be contrary to the interests of India. Now there are quite a few precursors and aspects to the interview and statements that need to be deciphered. The interviewer, Christiane Amanpour, is a senior advisor in the George Soros-funded Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). She is also a board member of the International Womens Media Foundation, funded by Soros. Interestingly, these two alleged NGOs were among those who published a full-page paid ad in The Washington Post expounding that Press freedom is under attack in India. The very same Soros funds the Obama Foundation as well. The VP of the Open Society Foundation, founded by George Soros, was hobnobbing with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. There is nothing left to the imagination here, but the math is simple and conspicuous. Obamas concern for Muslims seems dubious when one realises that he had launched airstrikes in at least seven Muslim-majority countries: Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Pakistan. As per reports, in 2016 alone, the Obama administration dropped at least 26,172 bombs, meaning three bombs every hour, 24 hours a day. These sanctioned acts of terror not only led to the extermination of tens of thousands but also rendered millions homeless. The choice of words that Obama made was pernicious, for he clubbed democratic India with an authoritarian China and cried hoaxes about Hindu India and Muslim India. A similar trope was being proffered and propelled during the partition era: that the Muslims are being oppressed, they need a separate electorate and, subsequently, a separate nation, and that the culprit is the majority Hindus, and the leadership woos them, leaving the Muslims hopeless and hapless. The timing of the interview is important. It came at a time when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping, entailing that US President Joe Biden tagged him a dictator whilst hosting Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the largest democracy. What Obama conceived was premeditated and well-orchestrated at a time when the White House is rolling out its red carpet for PM Modi. Also, the Obama interview could be the last straw to clutch upon considering the precarious position China is embroiled in. Noteworthy is that Obama is a known fanboy of China, for it was he back then who touted the G2 idea, where China and the US would share the global might. Obamas first three secretaries of defence Robert M Gates, Leon E Panetta, and Chuck Hagel accused the Obama White House of micromanaging the military. As per author Hany Ghoraba, Barack Obama believed that he could separate the terror outfit Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. Empowering the Muslim Brotherhood would, according to Obama, weaken Al-Qaeda in a decision that can be considered one of the severest cases of political naivete in modern times, he noted. We know how lethal that gamble proved, counting the losses not just the number of lives lost and damage to the tune of billions but also with regards to threatening world peace and security. Its time for the United States and Obama to reflect before pontificating on anything, especially peace! The mask is off, Mr Obama. Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed are personal. Both in terms of substance and public relations Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to the US has been a visible success. The pageantry, the regard shown to him by President Joe Biden and his wife, the invitation to the Indian American community in such a large number to witness the formal arrival ceremony at the White House, the lightness of touch of Modis dinner speech, the PMs eloquent address to the joint session of the US Congress which elicited many rounds of applause and standing ovations, and earlier, the international resonance that Modi and India got with the yoga event organised at the UN headquarters at new York, reflect this success. Even if all this is choreographed and intended to serve a political purpose, it was not obligatory for the US to give this honour to the Prime Minister. Both sides had political aims and those have been well served. In substantive terms, the focus of the visit has been very broad-based, ranging from technology partnership in advanced and critical technologies, transfer of technology issues and resilient supply chains to defence production, space (the launch by ISRO of a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite jointly developed with NASA, the two organisations developing a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by year-end, India joining the Artemis Accords, etc), climate change, renewable energy, trade, people to people ties and international issues of shared concern. A lot had already made public about the expected deliverables from the visit. Much of it by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during his visit to India. To that extent, nothing dramatically new emerged from it, though the total impression created is one of longer term investment in a mutually beneficial relationship in vital areas of tomorrow. The core of media attention was on GE transferring technology (ToT) to India to manufacture GE 414 engine for the LCA Mk 2 aircraft. Just prior to Modi arriving in the US, GE and HAL signed a MoU to this end, without clarity on the extent of ToT. Both Modi and Biden committed their governments to working collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal. This suggests that this is as yet a proposal, as it requires US Congressional approval. There was speculation about India acquiring 31 General Atomics MQ-9B HALE UAVs as a deliverable. The joint statement welcomes Indias plans to procure the UAVs, though without mentioning any number, but noting that they will be assembled locally and will increase Indias ISR capabilities, and that the company will establish a Comprehensive Global MRO facility in India. On other issues of defence cooperation, the two sides appreciated the efforts to streamline the implementation of foundational agreements, noted the placement of Liaison Officers in each others military organisations, and reiterated their resolve to strengthen maritime security, including through enhanced underwater domain awareness- an area of particular interest to India to monitor the course of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean. The visit has served to consolidate some of the initiatives already taken such as iCET (Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies), and under it the INDUS-X, to promote high-tech cooperation and exploring opportunities for joint research, defence innovation, connecting India and American defence startups, and improving supply chain security. This includes the Strategic Trade Dialogue to remove regulatory and export control hurdles such as under the ITAR legislation which controls the exports of defence services and products, as does the Defence Industrial Cooperation Road Map and the decision to begin negotiations on a Security of Supply Arrangement and a Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement. The US government will work with the US Congress to lower barriers to export to India of High Performance Computers and source code. The two governments will work together on Trustworthy and Responsible AI. The US supports Indias Chairmanship of Global Partnership on AI. Including cyberspace, etc, as part of S&T collaboration, altogether 25 areas of technology partnership have been identified in the joint statement. India has been lobbying hard for setting up a semi-conductor manufacturing facility in India. This is a very ambitious goal which can only be achieved in stages, as huge financial investment, knowhow and other resources are required. The two leaders have hailed the signing of a MoU on Semi-Conductor Supply Chain and Innovation Partnership. An expected initial is Micron deciding to invest $825 million to set up an assembly line and test facility with support from the Indian government. The leaders also welcomed Lam Researchs proposal to train 60,000 Indian engineers through its virtual fabrication platform to accelerate Indias semi-conductor education and workforce development goals, as well as the announcement by Applied Materials, Inc, to invest $400 million to establish a collaborative engineering centre in India. As was expected and announced by Sullivan in New Delhi, the two leaders launched two Joint Task Forces on advanced telecommunications focused on Open RAN and R&D on 5G/6G technologies. In addition, a joint Quantum Coordination Mechanism to facilitate cooperation among industry, academia and government with a view to reaching a comprehensive Quantum Information Science and Technology agreement has been announced. Biden made it a point to mention Russias invasion of Ukraine while receiving Modi for the ceremonial welcome ceremony, and after the talks tweeted that he had discussed the Ukraine conflict with him. The intention clearly was to signal that US will not miss an opportunity to raise the issue despite knowing Indias position. Modi, however, stood by Indias known position on the issue during the visit and did not yield. The paragraph on Ukraine in the joint statement mentions the tragic humanitarian consequences of the conflict, its impact on the global economic system, including on food, fuel and energy security, calls on greater efforts to mitigate the consequences for the developing world, pledges the two countries to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, and contains the usual reference to respect for international law, principles of the UN charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty. All of this figures in statements in the UN and other forums that India has either itself made or has subscribed to. The US has, in the joint statement, reiterated its support for Indias permanent membership of the UN Security Council and our candidature for a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2028-29 term. Our position on the Ukraine conflict and purchase of oil from Russia has not affected US calculations about drawing India closer to it and the West, given the fragmentation of the international system and the combined challenge to the West by Russia and China. The paragraphs on Quad and the Indo-Pacific region reiterate previous language, without mentioning China. The paragraph on terrorism also reiterates earlier strong language, including exhorting Pakistan by name to eschew terrorism. India has been subjected to guerrilla warfare by the US press, think tanks, academics, democracy and human rights organisations, with a Congress member of Indian origin gathering signatures of 70 Democratic representatives to press Biden to raise with Modi the issue of democracy backsliding, minority persecution and curb on freedoms in India under his watch. Former president Obama deliberately gave an ill-timed interview advising Biden indirectly and rather presumptuously to caution Modi about the possible break-up of India if the countrys Muslim minority was ill-treated. The upshot has been that Biden rejected these pressures, even from within his party, ignored also the State Department reports, and publicly defended Indian democracy in his joint press conference with Modi. Modi too decided that he would accept questions at the joint press conference, which he does not do normally, knowing fully well that he would inevitably be asked a question about democracy and minority persecution in India, and use the opportunity to state his position clearly, comprehensively and firmly, without any defensiveness. He addressed these accusations indirectly, with conviction and credibility in his address to the US Congress, with a rhetoric that appeals to the Americans, for which he elicited a merited applause. Kanwal Sibal is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. He was Indias Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication. Over the last two decades, India and the United States have grown increasingly aligned, with the US providing greater military assistance to India to enhance its military capabilities in response to Chinas rise. The US has supported India to advance its own strategic interests. As part of this, the US is helping India modernise its military capabilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the US five times for bilateral and multi-lateral meetings since 2014. But his visit on June 22 assumed significance because none of his earlier visits were classified as a state visit. The previous two state visits during President Bidens Presidency have been by the French and South Korean Presidents. It is evident that the state visit, which is the most elevated form of American diplomacy, is being carefully crafted and choreographed as the relationship between the two countries is of great strategic consequence. As the prime minister departed from India, he reaffirmed the significance of the trip: I am confident that my visit to the US reinforce our ties based on shared values of democracy, diversity, and freedom. Together we stand stronger in meeting the shared global challenges. Activities Preceding the Visit In a run-up to the visit, the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, came to India on June 4 and 5 with the aim of reinforcing a major defence partnership and advancing cooperation in critical domains. His trip helped finalise agreements and set the table for the historic state visit. The 2022 US National Defence Strategy called for more technology cooperation with allies and partners, which produced greater technology-sharing mechanisms with Australia (through the AUKUS deal) as well as with Japan. Now the United States appears poised to take some unprecedented steps towards India, the third partner in the Quad. Prior to that, on June 6, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Washington and attended the launch of the Strategic Trade Dialogue, one of the first outcomes of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). According to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who visited on June 13, the iCET agenda is expanding and theres genuine commitment between both sides to keep the initiative going. In his remarks, his counterpart Ajit Doval said the iCET will give an orbital jump to the strategic relations between India and the United States. Significantly, on June 19, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China where both countries agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough. The trip was postponed in February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew through US airspace. The relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognised the need to work to stabilize it, Blinken said before leaving China. Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed progress after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state. China, however, refused to entertain Washingtons bid to resume military-to-military communication channels, citing US sanctions as the obstacle. The two sides appeared entrenched in their positions over everything from Taiwan to trade, including US actions toward Chinas chip industry, human rights and Russias war against Ukraine. Prime Minister Modis Visit Prime Minister Modi has deepened ties with the United States. He has had personal chemistry with three US Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden through increased partnerships in defence, advanced technology, energy, trade and many other aspects. In 2015, former US President Barack Obama was the chief guest for Indias Republic Day parade, the first by an American president. While welcoming PM Modi at the White House, President Biden said, The challenges and opportunities facing the world in this century require that India and the United States work and lead together, and we are. President Biden and PM Modi hailed a new era in their countries relationship after the White House rolled out the red carpet for the Indian prime minister. Two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers. Cheers, Biden told Modi in a toast at a state dinner. Modi said in reply, You are soft-spoken, but when it comes to action, you are very strong. The Deliverables During his visit to India, Jake Sullivan had said, A number of deliverables at the visit are not just bullet points on a page, they are fundamentally designed to remove those obstacles in defence trade, in high-tech trade, in investment in each of our countries, in taking away obstacles that have stood in the way of our scientists and researchers. The two countries announced agreements on semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, space cooperation and defence cooperation including joint manufacturing and sales. They also ended disputes at the World Trade Organisation, and India removed some tariffs on US goods. Amongst the landmark deals was the agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to allow General Electric to co-produce the GE-F414 fighter aircraft engine in India. It will power the LCA Tejas Mk II and other future fighters. Bharat Forge CMD Baba Kalyani said, When we talk about fighter jets and engines, there are over 300 technologies that are used in making jet enginesI think there is going to be a large space for small, medium and large sectors to participate in this programme because one country alone cannot do everything by itself. US Navy ships in the region will now be able to stop in Indian shipyards for repairs under a maritime agreement, and India will procure US-made armed MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones. The case for procuring 31 Armed Drones was cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by the defence minister on June 15. The deal involves setting up MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) facilities in India. The MQ-9B Predator Armed Drones purchase will cost approximately $3.5 billion; as each cost over $100 million, which is nearly equal to the cost of PLA Air Forces J-20 Stealth fighter jet. Only a few NATO countries and close allies of the US have Predator Drones which are capable of firing missiles and precision-guided munitions. The Indian Navy has been using two unarmed Sea Guardian Drones on lease for ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance) of the Indian Ocean Region and these were also deployed to monitor Chinese activities across the LAC. As per some reports, the US also offered Stryker combat vehicles and upgraded 155mm M777 howitzer with long-range PGM ammunition. US chipmaker Micron Technologys MoU plans a $2.7 billion semiconductor testing and packaging unit, to be built in Gujarat. The US will also make it easier for skilled Indian workers to get and renew US visas. India also agreed to join the US-led Artemis Accords on space exploration and to work with NASA on a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, The decisions taken during the visit are truly transformative across a wide range of areas. Naturally, it is something which is possible when the countries have deep trust in each other and are in it for long term. During the Joint Press Conference, President Biden said, Even the sky is not the limit. China Challenge Indias foremost security challenge is clearly China, with Doklam and Galwan, dispelling any doubts. The clash in Galwan brought all like-minded countries together to realise what the China threat is all about. By posing a collusive threat with Pakistan and making inroads into Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka Bangladesh and Bhutan, the Chinese attempt to contain both directly and through proxies. To counter this in the immediate context, India needs intelligence, equipment, logistical support and weapons systems to deter China. Hence, with the US being a leading provider of these requirements, it is imperative for India to have closer collaboration with them and in turn to be willing to be part of a wider US deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. In the medium term, India needs to build its own military-industrial base. Hence, while it does have multiple partners in the form of Russia, France and Israel, the US with its technological edge will have a major role in ensuring Indias security concerns. Hence, the insistence on co-production, which has paid dividends. In the long term, it is equipping India with critical emerging technologies that have military applications and securing their supply chains. This is the region of semiconductors, AI, space cooperation, telecom and quantum infrastructure. India has the strengths but the US will help translate these strengths into capabilities. The US identifies China as its pacing challenge and realises that India is one of the most important partners in its Indo-Pacific policy. While India actively counters China on its Northern border where no doubt it will fight alone, but moral and material support from the US due to its deepening relationship will help in countering Chinas assertiveness and aggression. Highlighting increased technological cooperation, military coordination and intelligence sharing between the two countries, General Austin said, This all matters because we face a rapidly changing world. We see bullying and coercion from the Peoples Republic of China. The Global Times which works under the Chinese Communist Party had a cartoon that showed an elephant and a panda as boxers in the ring, gloves on, and raring to go at each other, with the US playing the referee albeit from outside the ring, and shouting: Fight. Fight. Fight. While this may represent a Chinese perspective, India as a country has never had any extra-territorial ambitions. Conclusion From the security perspective, Indias most immediate concern is along the Line of Actual Control, where China has made vast investments in military infrastructure, trying to push India from former patrolling points. Their incursions into Indian territory have led to a deterioration in relations. The US can help India reinforce its own capacity to deter such attacks which represents a precedent that could also intimidate other countries across the Indo-Pacific region. US defence collaborations and sales will help fill capability gaps including improving border surveillance with drones. A strong India on land can then result in it committing more forces towards the maritime domain which is where the interest lies. The US also wants to help India bolster its domestic defence industry and increase military cooperation between the two countries in an attempt to wean India off its long dependence on Russia for its weaponry. While the breakthrough in relation to jet-engine manufacturing is welcome, the fine print of the manufacturing know-how and the design transfer between GE and HAL will have to be studied carefully for its technology transfer details. What is of significance is the US wanting to possibly shift their investments to India because they need a partner to counter China for establishing an alternative global supply chain. But while the US companies can de-risk their operations, they are unlikely to de-couple them. Prime Minister Modi mentioned in his speech at Congress, The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership. Countries conduct their foreign policy based on shared values and interests and it is evident that the convergence of interests between the two largest democracies has magnified. The author is an Army veteran. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday stirred a controversy with his claim that his governments priority will be to deal with many Hussain Obama in India. Sharma was Reacting to a social media post speculating if Assam police will go to the US to arrest former president Barack Obama over his remarks on the alleged vulnerability of minorities in India. There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities," the BJP leader wrote on Twitter, in response to a post by a prominent journalist who asked if the Assam police will go to the US to apprehend the former US president. There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities. https://t.co/flGy2VY1eC Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 23, 2023 Assam CMs remark triggered a political slugfest, with Opposition leaders asking if he was disregarding" Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement over the issue during his recently concluded US state visit. Opposition Demands Apology Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate condemned Assam CMs remark and asked what is the Prime Minister, Ministry of External Affairs and Government of Indias stand on the matter. My friend Barack is now Hussain Obama!Actually Himanta has answered what PM Modi was asked at White House. His insinuation - about President Obama being a muslim and Indian Muslims need to be taught a lesson - was the questions premise. What is the PM, MEA and Govt of https://t.co/a5HISKtsWY Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) June 23, 2023 My friend Barack is now Hussain Obama! Actually, Himanta has answered what PM Modi was asked at White House. His insinuation - about President Obama being a muslim and Indian Muslims need to be taught a lesson - was the questions premise. What is the PM, MEA and Govt of Indias stand on this?" she tweeted. Meanwhile, NCP called Sarmas comment distasteful and asked him to apologise. Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Assam CM should apologise so that the world believes PM Modis comments no religious discrimination by his government. PM Modi ji said Regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender, theres absolutely no space for discrimination"This is a message that @BJP4India and its cadre including BJP CMs must follow, otherwise what was said by our PM in the US will not be believed by the world. (2/3) Clyde Crasto - (@Clyde_Crasto) June 23, 2023 Either he [Sarma] did not listen to our PM Narendra Modi jis statement made in the US, or he is disrespectfully disregarding what he said, he said. TMC leader Saket Gokhale also criticised Sarmas remark and said Assam CM has exposed the hypocrisy and lies of PM Modi on the international stage. What Was The Issue Has an FIR been filed in Guwahati yet against Obama for hurting sentiment? Is Assam police on its way to Washington to get Obama offloaded from some flight and arrest him?" the journalist wrote. The tweet was apparently referring to FIRs being lodged in Assam against opposition leaders over their remarks in different parts of the country. Assam police had travelled to different locations and even made arrests, including deplaning and apprehending Congress leader Pawan Khera in February and arresting then-Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani last year. What Barak Obama Said Obama in an interview to CNN on Thursday had said that India may pull apart if the rights of the religious and ethnic minorities are not upheld. If the (US) President meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a Hindu-majority India is worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you dont protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility that India would at some point start pulling apart," Obama had said. Maharashtra Industries Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Friday launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena-UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray for participating in the opposition meeting in Patna, saying he compromised his ideology. Looking at the situation right now, one can easily say that Uddhav Thackerays ideology is completely compromised. He sat next to the ones who have been opposing the repeal of Article 370. It was Balasahebs dream that if made the prime minister for one day, he would repeal the article," Samant said. The minister added that there was no ideological common ground in the opposition meeting held at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars official residence. They united just to safeguard the future of their sons and daughters. There is no challenge since they have no common ideology through which they can build a foundation," he said. Maharashtra will not accept Nitish Kumar as the Prime Minister of India The meeting will have no political impact and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win yet again in 2024," he added. Taking a jibe at the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition for attending the meeting, Samant said parties struggling for their existence attended the meeting. MVA itself is in shambles. Sena (UBT) has no future, NCP should first sort out their family issues and the Congress state president has no power in his own party. They are claiming that that the opposition front is to save democracy, but the fact is that they want to save themselves and their families from being politically irrelevant," said Samant. He further said Shiv Sena-UBT leaders who attended the meeting must be asked whether there was a discussion of Article 370. Do they also not support the construction of Shri Ram temple? What is their stand on these issues?" Samant noted that even after its first meeting, the opposition front was not able to announce a PM candidate. The biggest irony of the meeting is that the person who formed the government with the support of the BJP is the host of the anti-BJP front meeting. What is the guarantee that Nitish Kumar himself will not side with the BJP after the next elections? All this is just an eye-wash, but the public has seen the real faces of these people and they will show them their place in the elections," Samant said. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit out at the opposition parties meeting held in Patna and called it a selfish and unholy alliance". BJP leaders said cracks have already appeared in opposition as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced it may not attend future meets after failing to gather support from the Congress on the Delhi ordinance. Uddhav Thackeray has said in the meeting that, if there wont be a power change in 2024, then this will be the last election, so to protect democracy, we (opposition parties) have to stay united and fight the election" Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said. In a joint press conference held in Patna post the meeting of the opposition parties, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the next meeting will be hosted by Congress in July in Shimla. AAP, however, skipped the press briefing and later released a statement condemning the Congress silence" over the Delhi ordinance issue. ALSO READ: 15 Oppn Parties Agreed to Fight 2024 LS Polls Together at Big Patna Huddle; Next Meet in July BJP MP Smriti Irani slammed the union of 15 non BJP parties and termed it an unholy alliance that will only bring political unhoni (untoward) to the country. BJP President also reacted to the opposition parties meeting in Patna and said that the leaders who were jailed by former PM Indira Gandhi are welcoming Rahul Gandhi. KCR Skips Opposition Meeting Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) skipped the opposition meeting in Patna citing that any united front, with the Congress or the BJP at the helm, will not succeed as these parties have been a disaster" for the country. These two national parties have been a huge disaster for the nation. To have them as the fulcrum, it makes no sense. It is important to unite people, not parties. Parties have united earlier too and failed," Telangana minister KT Rama Rao said while talking to reporters in New Delhi. If other parties join with these two national parties, the country will not benefit," he added. Trim Your Bread, Get Married: Lalu Prasad Yadav Shares Light Moment With Rahul Gandhi Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav shared a light-hearted moment with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after the opposition leaders meeting advising him to trim his beard and get married soon. During an interaction with reporters after the meeting, Lalu turned to Rahul Gandhi and said the beard he grew during the Bharat Jodo Yatra should be trimmed. Badaha liye hain. Zyada neeche mat le jaiye. Pata hai na Narendra Modi ka, pura nahi chilwate hain. (You have let it grow, now dont let it go further down. You know how Narendra Modi does it right? He doesnt shave it off)," Lalu said. Amid laughter, the RJD chief then approached the topic of Rahul Gandhis bachelorhood and said, Biyah nahi kiye aap. Shaadi kar lena chahiye tha. Abhi bhi samay beeta nahi hai. Shaadi kariye aur hum log baraati chalenge. Ab pakka karna padega. (You should have gotten married. Theres still time. Theres still time though, get married and we will attend the procession)." Gandhi replied to his comments, saying ab aapne boldia hai toh hojayega," as everyone else, including him, began laughing. Patna Meeting is a First Look of Things to Come: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren termed the opposition leaders mega meeting a first look of things to come" and claimed many more political outfits will join the union soon. What you are seeing here is the first look of things to come. One might speculate about which parties did not turn up at todays meeting. It is possible that many more people could join this group in the future," he said at the joint press briefing post the meeting. SEE ALSO: Who Attended the Oppn Meet Today? 32 Leaders, 6 Chief Ministers, 15 Parties & One Elephant in the Room The southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in the crosshairs over the growing milk wars in the region. The inter-state tensions are the result of the entry of other brands, which is being opposed on the grounds of sub-national pride be it the Amul versus Nandini in Karnataka, Aavin versus Amul in Tamil Nadu, or the latest turf war between Nandini and Keralas Milma. Amid cross-marketing by milk cooperatives, the state governments have raised a red flag and warned the other of impending turf wars. Also, while the milk cooperatives of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are at loggerheads, the procurement of milk from farmers, distribution and sales have got the states sparring. IN KERALA: STATEs MILMA VS KARNATAKAs NANDINI The latest turf war is between Karnataka and Kerala. The state of Karnataka, which was up in arms against Amul to safeguard its turf, raised a controversy when its homegrown Nandini announced a plan to expand and compete in the Kerala dairy market. The Kerala milk federation and its brand Milma has over 3,000 primary milk co-operative societies across Kerala with 15.2 lakh local milk-producing farmers as members. The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), in a media release, said the tendency of some state milk marketing federations to aggressively enter markets outside their respective states ..involves a total breach of cooperative spirit based on which the countrys dairy sector has been organized for the benefit of millions of dairy farmers. According to Milmas chairman K S Mani, Milma passes on 83% of its turnover to its dairy farmers through cooperative societies. The Kerala government protested against the plan and called it an unethical move, but Nandini is said to have set up six exclusive stalls in the coastal southern state. Mani called the move deeply disturbing and called out Karnatakas stand to open Nandini stalls in Kerala as double standards. The argument that Karnataka put out when Amul entered their milk market applies to Kerala as well. How can it be any different, asked an official from the KCMMF told News18. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) officials refused to comment on the issue. Some of the state dairy federations are transgressing the limits set by the sound principles and best practices of cooperative federalism. This will seriously harm the interests of dairy farmers in the country as a whole. Milma has already voiced serious concern about this tendency, which needs to be curbed with collective efforts, explained Mani. Milma now plans to open its outlets in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which they claim it is not an act of retaliation, but a marketing move to expand their businesses for the benefit of the farmers. IN KARNATAKA: STATEs NANDINI VERSUS GUJARATs AMUL The first of the milk conflicts was between the Karnataka-based milk cooperative Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) whose brand goes by the name Nandini and Gujarat-based Amul. In Karnataka, it snowballed into an election issue, giving the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ammunition to target each other. The KMFs Nandini is the second-largest dairy co-operative in India and it procures nearly 50% of all the milk supplied by the states farmers. According to the statistics shared by officials, the KMF has over 2.5 million milk producer members or farmers and around 14,000 milk cooperative societies under it. The genesis of this controversy was a statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in December 2022. While inaugurating a mega dairy unit of Karnataka Milk Federation in Mandya, Shah said: Amul and KMF together will work together towards ensuring a primary dairy in every village of the stateIn 47 years, Karnataka has progressed in the dairy sector and the turnover has increased from Rs 4 crore to Rs 25,000 crore. Amul and KMF have to work together to boost the cooperative dairy in Karnataka. The then Opposition Congress and pro-Kannada groups lashed out at the then BJP-led state government for allowing Amul to sell fresh milk and curd in Bengaluru. They alleged it would hurt the business of local brand Nandini. There have been attempts to stop Amul products from being sold in Karnataka. While there was a buzz of a merger between Nandini and Amul, it was dismissed by then CM Basavaraj Bommai. IN TAMIL NADU: STATEs AVIN VERSUS GUJARATs AMUL Soon after the Nandini-Amul row, Tamil Nadu also raised an alarm, when chief minister M K Stalin wrote to Shah, asking him to instruct Amul to stop procurement activities in TN with immediate effect. Amul reportedly procured milk from the shed reserved for the TN-based milk cooperative Aavin and also began selling their products in the southernmost state. Like Nandini and Milma, Aavin is Tamil Nadus state-run cooperative. Aavin has over 9,673 milk producers and cooperative societies functioning under it. In another turf war, Stalin complained that his government recently discovered that Amul has been using its multi-state cooperative licence to establish chilling centres and a processing plant in the Krishnagiri district. Tamil Nadu made it clear that the practice to allow cooperatives to thrive without infringing on each others milk-shed area should be kept sacrosanct. While the states have been red-flagging each others move, they have also approached the Centre to find a solution to avoid further turf infringements, it is learnt. While Generative AI like ChatGPT sounds exciting as to how it makes work easy theres a constant fear that if AI keeps getting better, holding on to regular jobs may become difficult. On the sidelines of London Tech Week 2023, Debashis Sarkar, Editor, News18 Tech spoke with Shibu Nambiar - Chief Operating Officer, EMEA and Americas - Genpact on the impact of generative AI and skills that Genpact is looking for while hiring freshers. He also shared tips on what IT employees can do to beat this AI rush. Excerpts. Q: Theres a lot of buzz around generative AI replacing employees. Do you think AI will take away jobs? AI will not take our jobs away if we make sure that we are ready to do something else. Thats how I feel, which is reskilling and adapting to the new world which AI is going to bring. So, I personally dont think that AI will take away our jobs. WATCH VIDEO: Genpact COO Shares Tips To Save Your Job From AI Q: We have been hearing about reskilling for quite some time and if newer technology moves at such a fast pace how can employees actually be ahead of the curve? Unfortunately, theres no magic mantra here. I cannot do a course on the side today and expect to stay relevant for the future. For me, the easiest way around this is by staying current. The first thing is dont try to push back a change. For example, generative AI is not new. It is at least a decade old technology. Generative AI became the talk of the town with ChatGPT version 4 but no one spoke about version 1, 2 and 3. It is all about making sure that you stay current so that you dont get shocked the moment a new tech starts to trend. AI will not take our jobs away if we make sure that we are ready to do something else. Also, simply knowing about a new technology is not enough. Just having surface level knowledge about a new tech is dangerous and thats what worries employees. Everyone has a smartphone, it is so easy to spend some time doing an in-depth analysis of a new technology, say for example, generative AI. This helps in having a plan to learn and grow in jobs. The next step is to use the right opportunity to raise your hand and grab the right project to learn further. Q: What essential skills are you eyeing for in freshers looking for a job at Genpact who do not graduate from premier institutes? I personally wish there will be a day when a college degree is not what we look for when it comes to hiring freshers. While we still consider college degrees seriously at present, I wish this changes. For me, vocational training or the understanding of a particular field plays a crucial role. The core skills we are looking for primarily are communication skills along with subject level expertise in mathematics, physics and applied statistics. Theres nothing in the world in future which will not have these subjects as the denominator. If you dont like maths, its going to be tough in tech. The core skills we are looking for primarily are communication skills along with subject level expertise in mathematics, physics and applied statistics. I personally look for people who have got the appetite for doing well for themselves. I firmly believe that when people start doing well for themselves, they automatically start doing good for others too. It is a bit of this leadership style that I look for at a very early stage. Q: A lot of employees working at big IT firms mostly get stuck in mid-management or team lead roles and they continue to slog for years. Can you share some tips on how to go up the corporate ladder in 2023? I personally think a lot of people will talk about the sheer luck that plays a crucial role but I believe that you have to always be prepared and ready for bigger roles. People should ask themselves as to what they are doing to continuously learn and upskill. The moment theres a slight chance, people should be ready to raise their hands and aim to grab it. You have to make yourself visible and say that Im ready to take this opportunity and it doesnt matter if I need to travel or relocate for that opportunity. WATCH VIDEO: ChatGPT Is Not The Answer To All Tech Problems; AI Will Not Kill Jobs: Mphasis CEO Q: Despite all the hard work, upskilling and eagerness to grow, one thing that employees in India are frustrated about is salary hikes. Salaries seem to be stuck year-on-year. Any tips to break the slog-expect-and-get-disappointed cycle in terms of appraisals? Always identify your primary stakeholder. In my view, 99% of the time it is the end customer. In your role, if what you do for that day, for that week, for that quarter or year is going to create a meaningful positive impact to the customer and if the customer can actually vouch for you then chances are that your organisation will immediately recognise you. Instead of saying why Im not given the opportunity to make more money, if you focus on the outcome, money will automatically follow. It is unfair that the Human Rights Commission, named after Holocaust survivor Congressman Tom Lantos, supports the aggressor Armenia, Azernews reports, citing Israeli media. This was written by Rachel Avraham, a prominent Israeli political commentator and journalist and founder and director general of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy, in an article published in the popular newspaper Israel Beyond the News. The article titled "The Guardian of Karabakh Truths" describes the hearings held on June 21 this year by the Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights of the US Congress on the issue of security for the Karabakh Armenians. A word added to the name of the district by the Soviet administrators, and "Karabakh" is a Turkish word with a clear meaning. This means that the real indigenous population of Karabakh are Azerbaijani Turks, and their rights to these lands were recognized by UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884 adopted unanimously in 1993. This, in turn, means that the US recognizes Azerbaijan's unquestionable right to the war-torn Karabakh region under international law. In fact, contrary to the requirements of the international community, Armenia has for 30 years illegally occupied this region of Azerbaijan and engaged in the illegal settlement of the territory at the expense of Armenian settlers from abroad. Here the Armenians literally lived among the ruins of former Azerbaijani towns and villages. It was noted that Azerbaijan had exercised its sovereign and inviolable right to protect its sovereign territories from unlawful interference, as well as to maintain control over border crossings by establishing a border crossing along the Lachin corridor. Despite the fact that Armenia has brought so much trouble to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani state has repeatedly stated that it is ready to live peacefully with ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh and to grant them equal rights with Azerbaijani citizens. Furthermore, while Armenians are systematically destroying mosques in the war-torn Karabakh region, the Armenian church in central Baku remains intact. Moreover, as Karabakh recovers, the Azerbaijanis plan to rebuild not only mosques in the region but also churches. This is because Azerbaijan has a policy of multiculturalism, and in this policy, those who practice each faith and religion receive equal respect and support. Thus, everyone in Azerbaijan celebrates Passover, Nowruz, and Passover together. Against the background of all the above, an Israeli political scientist, who regarded the said hearings as support for a distortion of justice and truth by the Tom Lantos Commission for Human Rights and expressed grave concern about this, condemned this move by the Commission, which cannot be justified under any circumstances. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Qatar Airways is actively working on developing internal procedures for conducting regular flights on the route from Qatar's Doha to the capital of Uzbekistan Tashkent and vice versa, Ambassador of Qatar to Uzbekistan, Hassan bin Hamza Hashim said, Trend reports. The remark was made following the ambassadors meeting with the Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan Ilhom Mahkamov. The event, as reported by the press service of the Ministry of Transport, aimed to discuss the establishment of regular air connections between the two countries. Following the talks, both parties expressed their commitment to further negotiations once the internal procedures are completed. These negotiations will focus on addressing the existing requirements and regulations necessary for the successful operation of regular flights between Doha and Tashkent. Qatar Airways, headquartered in Doha, is the national airline of Qatar, with over 160 destinations. Voice actors around the globe are mobilizing against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate and clone human voices that they fear poses a threat to their livelihoods. Were fighting a very big monster," said Mario Filio, a Mexican artist who has done voiceovers for Hollywood star Will Smith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in Star Wars and the party-loving lemur King Julien in the animated movie Madagascar." Campaigning under the slogan Dont steal our voices," more than 20 voice acting guilds, associations and unions from Europe, the United States and Latin America have created the United Voice Artists coalition. It represents the faceless voiceover artists and narrators of commercials, movies, audiobooks and video games who fear that their voices will be replaced by machines, or even cloned by artificial intelligence without their consent. The undiscriminating and unregulated use of artificial intelligence is a risk that could lead to the extinction of an artistic heritage of creativity and wonder, an asset that machines cannot generate," according to the group, which says its members include the US National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) and Latin Americas Organization of United Voices. Our voices are our livelihood," NAVA vice president Carin Gilfry said in a statement last month. And if we dont have control over how those voices are used, we cant make a living," she added. Voice artists were already competing with text-to-speech technology that turns written words into synthetic voice. Now artificial intelligence has brought a new threat. Thanks to machine learning, software can compare a voice sample with millions of existing ones, identifying patterns that generate a clone. Its fed by voices that weve been providing for years," said Dessiree Hernandez, president of the Mexican Association of Commercial Announcers. Were talking about the right to use your voice without your consent," she added. - Adapt or disappear - Platforms offer human sounding text-to-speech services for a fraction of what professionals would charge. One, revoicer.com, says that it does not intend to replace human voiceovers, but to offer a quicker and cheaper alternative. Although they continued to be hired, voice actors suspect that companies are using their voices to build up their archives. The artists are seeking tools to track their voices in the face of sophisticated piracy. They want laws to prevent recordings of their voices being used to develop AI without their consent, and also support setting quotas for human voiceovers, said Colombian voice artist Daniel Soler de la Prada. In the future, audiences could hear a famous actors voice in several languages but with the intonation of a dubbing artist, Filio said. While that could generate employment and benefits for the public, voice artists need to charge whats fair," he added. Mexican voice artist Maclovia Gonzalez said that she would only sign a contract with an AI company if it provided enough information about how the content would be used. I want to be part of this revolution, but not at any price," she said. Art Dubbing, a company that has received several requests from clients to use synthetic voices, faces a dilemma: adapt or disappear," said its Mexican founder, Anuar Lopez de la Pena. Filio for his part said that he stopped recording for many clients for fear of hurting his colleagues livelihoods. But he is skeptical that artificial intelligence will replace voice actors completely because the machines have no soul," he added. Amol Yashwant Kamble, a police naik in Mumbai Police, has become an internet sensation after his dance videos went viral across social media platforms. Kamble rose to fame with his freestyle dance that could bring a wide smile to anyones face. Adding yet another dance number to his long list of posts, Kamble has surprised his fans by dancing to a Bhojpuri song Lagayi Dinhi Choliya Ke Hook by Arvind Akela Kallu. The Mumbai cop could not stop himself from grooving to the song and gave apt expressions. In the caption of the video, he wrote, Love you Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The social media users were impressed and praised his dedication. Chahe line koi bhi ho, but apne talent ko dikhana unke sahitye me hai, one of the users wrote. Another person said, Uncle ka promotion krwana padega. A third user added, Gardaa Machaa diye aap A few days ago, Kamble also shared a lyrical dance video on a Bengali song Bhalobashar Morshum sung by Arjit Singh. He justified the love song with his dreamy moves, stealing many hearts from social media users. He penned the caption of the post, The Kolkata effect, feel it. Amol Yashwant Kamble, who is posted at Naigaon police headquarters, engages in dancing during his off-duty hours or on his days off. In a conversation with PTI, Kamble shared that his recent dance performance revolved around the theme of an on-duty policeman reminding a two-wheeler rider to wear his mask properly, followed by a display of their dancing skills. Having joined the police force in 2004, Kamble has nurtured a passion for dancing since a young age. He expressed, My elder brother is a choreographer, and I participated in dance shows with him before joining the police force. As a policeman, my primary responsibility is to maintain law and order and ensure the safety of citizens. However, on my weekly offs, I enjoy dancing with my children and my sisters children, having fun with them." Kamble further shared his happiness when social media users appreciate and commend him for pursuing his passion alongside his duties as a policeman. Its no secret that the moment we click order" online, our patience goes up in smoke. We crave time to fast-forward, desperately longing to get our hands on the awaited package. But lets face it, how long can one really be patient? Sometimes, online orders push the limits and test our resolve, leaving us in a state of suspense for days, weeks, and in the most jaw-dropping cases, even years! Yes, you heard it right! Just imagine the astonishment when a man recently received an order he had placed a whopping four years ago. As his excitement knew no bounds, he took to Twitter to express his sheer elation which, naturally, sent users into a collective state of shock as they tried to wrap their minds around this extraordinary tale. Taking to the micro-blogging site, a Delhi-based techie, Nitin Agarwal wrote, Never lose hope! So, I ordered this from AliExpress (now banned in India) back in 2019 and the parcel was delivered today." Alongside his tweet, he shared an intriguing photo of the package, adorned with mysterious Chinese characters. What caught everyones attention was the visible date on the package - May 2019, confirming that the order was placed during the time when the now-banned Chinese app was still operational. Also Read: Man Disappointed After Ordering Salad in Delhi Hotel, Here is What He Was Served For those unfamiliar, AliExpress is an online retail service owned by the Chinese multinational corporation, Alibaba. It was among the countless Chinese apps, including the infamous TikTok, that were banned in India in 2020 due to security concerns. Never lose hope! So, I ordered this from Ali Express (now banned in India) back in 2019 and the parcel was delivered today. pic.twitter.com/xRa5JADonK Tech Bharat (Nitin Agarwal) (@techbharatco) June 21, 2023 Meanwhile, the viral tweet didnt go unnoticed, quickly triggering a storm of reactions from shocked Twitter users. One user couldnt help but exclaim, Waah. I wish I could be that lucky." Another chimed in with their own such experience, saying, I too received my parcel after 8 months from AliExpress. Till then, AliExpress refunded my amount too :)" Also Read: Dads Dramatic Status Goes Viral After Daughter Forgets to Order Groceries, Swiggy Steps in But, the surprises didnt end there as a third user shared a mind-boggling tale, revealing, I ordered something from an online store in my own country a few years ago. Long story short, I received the order 6.5 years later." Waah. I wish I could be that lucky. Asif Iqbal Shaik (@AS1F_IQ) June 21, 2023 Your stuff must have been on hereYup, I see it! pic.twitter.com/Tbhh0hIstg Matthew Flynn (@LoveFromFLYNN) June 22, 2023 I ordered 2 products in 2019 DecemberSo I can hope it might get delivered someday Varun Vasisht (@varun4yaars) June 21, 2023 I too received my parcel after 8 months from AliExpress. Till then AliExpress refunded my amount too Laxmikant Bhumkar (@LuckyBhumkar) June 22, 2023 I ordered something from an online store in my own country a few years ago. Long story short, i receive the order 6.5 years later Brian Garcia (@GBrianGA) June 21, 2023 What on earth could have made these customers so remarkably patient? Amidst the heart-wrenching grief experienced by the families of the five OceanGate Titan submarine passengers, the organisation is facing significant criticism due to reports suggesting that they have already initiated the process of hiring a new sub-pilot. Tragically, the submarine went missing during a visit to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday, and it has been determined that the individuals on board lost their lives due to a devastating catastrophic implosion." However, the online community has expressed outrage by sharing screenshots of a job posting by the company, which has since been removed, seeking a Submersible Pilot/Marine Technician to join their team. OceanGate released an advertisement seeking a sub pilot who would contribute to help manage and operate our fleet of manned submersibles and support vessels." The ad further stated, We are looking for a committed and competent individual with a combination of strong mechanical and interpersonal skills who can work on sensitive marine equipment, perform regular maintenance, and operate complex systems to support dive operations." Also Read: ChatGPT Version of Titan Submarine Tragedy in Carrie Bradshaws Voice Looks Straight Out of Show The timing of when this advertisement was posted online, whether before or after the tragic incident, remains uncertain. However, internet users are speculating that it was uploaded shortly after search parties declared their inability to locate the missing vessel. This filled them with rage and they began criticising the company for its perceived insensitivity. One user commented, It really doesnt matter if youre an office worker for the damn billionaire CEO. These jobs will replace you in a heartbeat." Another user expressed their discontent, stating, Jobs really dont care about you, the submarine company Ocean Gate is already looking for captains on Indeed. $200k a trip." It really dont matter if youre an office worker for the damn billionaire CEO. These jobs will replace you in a heartbeat #oceangate #titan pic.twitter.com/4FkBGf2f9w joi is over it. (@bruneaux_mahs) June 23, 2023 Jobs really dont care bout you, the submarine company Ocean Gate looking for captains already on indeed. $200k a trip Deemayweather (@_Deemayweather) June 22, 2023 But, it didnt end there as Twitter became inundated with a flood of messages condemning their actions. **Wanna Know How Quick A Job Will Replace You? #OceanGate** This Quick: pic.twitter.com/rhxUTpgJPj Cobi V (@CobiVoid) June 23, 2023 Ocean Gate posted a job opening saying they were looking for a submersible pilot yesterday.This is why you shouldnt kill yourself for any job, bc you arent important to the company. Ocean Gate was looking for a new employee before they announced their old employee died! Adam Scott (@justadamscott) June 24, 2023 After 5 people IMPLODED on their Titanic submarine, Ocean Gate Expeditions posts a job ad for a pilot.The nerve.#OceanGate #Titanic pic.twitter.com/AJt3FF0MpN Joseph Morris (@JosephMorrisYT) June 23, 2023 Damn!!!! Ocean Gate gives no fucks whats so ever. Theyre already have a job posting out for sub pilot. pic.twitter.com/17vmUXRZeR Vick3 (@ImYourHostVick3) June 22, 2023 Also Read: Did The Simpsons Predict Missing Titanic Submarine? OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was one of the five individuals who lost their lives in the Titan submersible. The Titanic inspired a tear-jerking blockbuster and expeditions to its watery gravesite including a fatal one this week but viral TikTok videos peddle a stunning conspiracy theory: the ship never sank. More than a century after it went down in the North Atlantic Ocean, wild myths and urban legends about the luxury liner have continued to swirl, including that it was doomed by the curse of a mummified Egyptian priestess. Even more striking are a wave of TikTok videos asserting that the Titanic did not sink at all. Many of them have racked up millions of views never mind that the claim fails to hold water. The Titanic never truly went under," said a video by a TikTok user called The Deep Dive," which garnered more than four million views. Everyone is familiar with the tale of the unstoppable ship that perished after colliding with an iceberg, but perhaps that isnt the case." The video opens with a dramatic portrait of the Titanic, its stern crashing against stormy waves, as an imperious male voice goes on to claim that it was swapped with its sister ship - the Olympic. He alluded to an oft-repeated conspiracy theory that the company that built the Titanic purposely sank the Olympic, another one of its ships, as part of an elaborate insurance fraud. A similar TikTok video claiming the Titanic never sank" garnered 11 million views. The video was removed earlier this year in what appeared to be a rare intervention after it was widely reported by the US media. Historical falsehoods TikToks algorithm and engagement-based recommendation system, which creates personal feeds for users based on their preferences, makes it a powerful platform to propagate conspiracy theories, experts say. This makes it easier for this type of content to spread," Megan Brown, a senior research scientist at New York Universitys Center for Social Media and Politics, told AFP. The other factor that makes it easier for historical conspiracy theories to spread over other types of conspiracy theories or misinformation is that its typically not moderated content." While the platform says it removes posts that cross its threshold of significant harm" - such as violence or harassment - other seemingly benign content laced with falsehoods remains untouched. That approach, researchers say, underscores a key dilemma facing social media platforms: How to tackle an explosion of misinformation without giving users the impression that they are restricting free speech? That gap in policy has given rise to a breed of users who flourish on the back of disproven conspiracy theories that generate strong engagement, such as the Earth is flat and the 1969 Moon landing was a hoax. Sad part That also includes TikToks Titanic influencers focused on the vessel that sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York after hitting an iceberg. The proliferation of Titanic conspiracy theories on the popular platform may appear benign compared to other falsehoods that result in real-world harm, but historians say it remains vital to debunk them. They worry conspiracy theories will affect how a generation of young people - who often rely on platforms such as TikTok as a primary source of information learn about the tragedy. The sad part is that many of the people following this sort of thing are teenagers," said Charles A. Haas, founder of the Titanic International Society, which is dedicated to research about the ill-fated ship. They are woefully unwilling to do digging," Haas told the New York Times. TikTok influencers and celebrities are increasingly taking over from journalists as the main source of news for young people, according to a report published this month by the Britain-based Reuters Institute. The report found that 55 percent of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52 percent of Instagram users get their news from personalities" compared to 33-42 percent who get it from mainstream media and journalists on those platforms. That was reflected in how millions of young users turned to TikTok this week for updates on the five people aboard a tourist submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic Ocean on their way to visit Titanics seabed wreckage, on a $250,000 ticket. All five died after the craft suffered what the US Coast Guard said was a catastrophic implosion" in the ocean depths. What if this all is a cover up?" asked a young TikTok user, referring to wall-to-wall news coverage about the submersible. Is there something behind the scenes that were not seeing?" he added, peddling another unfounded conspiracy in a video that racked up over 4.2 million views. Stockton Rush, the CEO of deep-sea tourism company OceanGate, tragically lost his life along with four others when a Titan submersible imploded during a mission. Prior to the incident, Rush had offered discounted tickets priced at $150,000 to a millionaire, which was a significant $100,000 reduction from the usual price of $250,000. However, the millionaire declined the offer due to concerns about safety. Recently, Jay Bloom, the millionaire and Las Vegas financier, shared text messages on Facebook that showed how Rush attempted to sell spots to him and his son, which were eventually filled by Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman, 19. Bloom shared the text messages, which soon went viral, depicting the conversation between him and Rush regarding the trip to the Titanic wreckage. When expressing concerns about safety, Rush reassured Bloom by stating, While theres obviously risk, its way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving. There hasnt even been an injury in 35 years in a non-military sub." In a lengthy Facebook post, Bloom expressed that Rush appeared even more complacent in person, recalling their last meeting when he tried to persuade him to join the ill-fated submersible. Also Read: OceanGate Job Posting for New Sub Pilot During Titan Search Causes Uproar Online We talked about the dive, including safety," said Bloom, recalling the March 1 lunch and visit to the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in his hometown of Vegas. He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street," Bloom wrote, accompanying the viral chats. He further mentioned that the seats he had declined were eventually taken by prominent Pakistani businessman Dawood and his apprehensive son, who reluctantly joined the Titanic trip to fulfill his fathers wishes. Also Read: OceanGate CEO Bragged About Defying Physics to Make Titanic Sub, Old Video is Viral Bloom, who prioritised safety and declined the offer, then expressed his condolences to Rush and the others who tragically lost their lives. In a grateful tone, he wrote, We are going to take a minute to stop and smell the roses," acknowledging his and his sons fortunate escape from the incident. Check Out the Viral Chats: Concluding his remarks, Bloom aptly ended with a poignant reminder, Tomorrow is never promised. Make the most of today." E-commerce giant Amazon plans to invest USD 15 billion more in India, taking its total investment in the country to USD 26 billion, PTI reported citing a top official of the company. After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company has already invested USD 11 billion in India till date. I had a very good and productive conversation with Prime Minister Modi. I think we share a number of goals. Amazon is one of the biggest investors in India," Jassy was quoted as saying by the Indian news agency on Friday. PM @narendramodi met CEO of @amazon @ajassy in Washington DC. Their discussions focused on topics such as e-commerce, digitisation efforts and the logistics sector. pic.twitter.com/1JFo0oqAZz PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 23, 2023 We have invested USD 11 billion till date and intend to invest another USD 15 billion, which will bring the total to USD 26 billion. So we are very much looking forward to future of partnering, he added. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the prime minister held a productive meeting with the president and CEO of Amazon. Discussions focused on the area of e-commerce and the potential of further collaboration with @amazon in the logistics sector in India, Bagchi tweeted. PM @narendramodi held a productive meeting with President & CEO of @amazon @ajassy.Discussions focused on the area of e-commerce and the potential of further collaboration with @amazon in the logistics sector in India. PM welcomed @amazons initiative of promoting digitisation pic.twitter.com/fz1SO915SW Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 23, 2023 Modi welcomed Amazons initiative of promoting digitisation of MSMEs in India. Earlier on Friday, the Prime Minister met with US and Indian technology CEOs in Washington on the final day of a state visit. US President Joe Biden and Modi gathered with CEOs including Apples Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and Microsofts Satya Nadella. The CEOs discussed the enormous opportunities and ways to deepen institutional cooperation in cutting-edge tech and R&D between the two countries. The Prime Minister underlined the immense potential of harnessing India-US tech cooperation for socio-economic growth. PM Modi also attended a lunch at the State Department with Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Asian American to hold the No. 2 position in the White House, and State Secretary Antony Blinken. (With agency inputs) Vladimir Putins presidential plane was reportedly seen departing from Moscow on Saturday as rebel mercenaries, led by Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, advanced towards the capital city. The mercenaries has claimed control over Russias Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh regions. The presidents special aircraft Il-96-300PU allegedly departed at 2:16 PM Moscow time (12:16 PM BST) from Moscow Vnukovo Airport and proceeded in a north-west direction, according to a BBC report. As per FlightRadar tracking data, the plane reached the Tver region, approximately 180 km from Moscow, where Putin possesses a residence, before vanishing from the system. While the presence of Putin on the aircraft was unverified, Putins spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, informed the TASS news agency that the president is currently working in the Kremlin. Videos circulated on social media showed the Wagner mercenary convoy traveling along the M4 motorway, leading to the Russian military to ramp up security measures including digging of trenches on the outskirts of Moscow and destruction of roads in Lipetsk. In response to the situation, Lipetsks governor, Igor Artamonov, urged residents to remain at home and avoid unnecessary travel. He assured the public the situation was under control", as stated on Telegram. Meanwhile, Moscows Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, appealed to the citys residents to refrain from using their vehicles due to the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region. In light of this, Monday was declared a non-working day for most individuals, with exceptions made for public servants and employees of specific industrial enterprises. A day after boycotting Prime Minister Narendra Modis historic address to a joint meeting of the US Congress, a press release on a resolution moved by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has surprised observers with the inclusion of Jews in the list of minorities whose rights, she alleged, are being violated in India. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced a resolution today to condemn human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities, the press release, dated June 23, 2023, said. Anti-Semitic Remarks by Ilhan Omar The inclusion of Jews in the press release is ironic considering that Omar, a former Somali refugee, has made several comments critical of Israel since 2012 that were condemned on all sides. In February this year, Omar, a Democratic representative of Minnesotas 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives, was voted out of the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee over anti-Semitic comments. She had apologised in 2019 for suggesting Republican support of Israel was fuelled by donations from a pro-Israeli lobby group. Democrats, who were then in power in the House, initially mulled supporting a resolution to admonish her, but settled on text condemning anti-Semitism that didnt mention her by name. Five years earlier, before entering Congress, she said Israel had hypnotised the world," and urged people to open their eyes to the US allys evil doings." She has since said she was unaware at the time of the anti-Semitic tropes that invoke Israelis hypnotising people and connect Jews to money. On April 11, 2019, the front page of the New York Post carried an image of the World Trade Center burning following the September 11 terrorist attacks and a quote from a speech Omar gave the previous month. The headline was, REP. ILHAN OMAR: 9/11 WAS SOME PEOPLE DID SOMETHING'". The Post was quoting a speech Omar had given at a recent Council on AmericanIslamic Relations (CAIR) meeting. In the speech, she said, CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us [Muslims in the US] were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." A frequent critic of Israel, Omar supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has denounced its settlement policy and military campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as what she describes as the influence of pro-Israel lobbies in American politics. In August 2019, Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib were banned from entering Israel, a reversal from the July 2019 statement by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer that any member of Congress" would be allowed in. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the ban to Israeli law preventing the entry of people who call for a boycott of Israel (as Omar and Tlaib had done with their support for BDS). India-Israel Bond Israel has on several occasions hailed its strong relationship with India and lauded Jewish contribution to Indian culture and society. The two countries, in fact, marked 30 years of diplomatic relations in January last year. A logo launched to mark the milestone features the Star of David and the Ashoka Chakra, the two symbols that adorn the two national flags. In his speech during the logos launch on January 24, 2022, Israels Ambassador to India Naor Gilon highlighted ties going back thousands of years with no trace of anti-semitism in India, unlike in Europe and other parts of the world. His Indian counterpart in Tel Aviv, Ambassador Sanjeev Singla, had narrated how Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar not only saved lives of several Jewish children by providing them shelter during World War II but also took care of them as long as they chose to be under his guardianship. On June 9 this year, Israel President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Indian Jewish community which laid the foundation stone of a cultural centre in Nevatim. In fact, Nevatim, a Moshav (agricultural community) in the Negev region of Israel, has become synonymous with the Indian Cochini Jews. Omars Anti-India Tirade In October 2019, Omar received flak for challenging journalist Aarti Tikoo Singhs defence of the Indian governments actions in Kashmir. Singh testified at the US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Human Rights in South Asia on October 22, 2019, describing Indias lockdown in Kashmir as a necessary measure to avoid civilian casualties and to take J&K on the path of prosperity. Singh also defended the revocation of Article 370 sections of the Indian Constitution by the government, effectively ending Kashmirs special status. Singh, a victim of terror herself, said Kashmiri Muslims were more terrorised by Pakistan-sponsored jihadists. Omar, however, accused Singh of using her platform as a journalist to whitewash Indias crimes in Kashmir. In April 2022, Omar visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and met former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. India criticised the move, while the White House distanced itself from Omars visit, saying it was in her personal capacity. Prime Minister Narendra Modis historic address to the US Congress earned him a supporter in one of Indias biggest critics- Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. The US politician, who is known for her anti-India rants, especially against Modi-government, was seen giving a standing ovation to the Indian Prime Minister during his address. WATCH the video! She is Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Blue dress), she was one of the 75 Senators who wrote a letter against PM Modi before his State Visit. Now she is seen listening to PM Modi's address and giving Standing Ovation on PM Modi's Speech. pic.twitter.com/yA0OfWLNau Megh Updates (@MeghUpdates) June 23, 2023 Jayapal was one of the 75 US Senators who had previously written a letter expressing concerns about PM Modi and his visit. In the letter, she expressed concerns about the alleged human rights violations in India under the Modi government and urged Biden to discuss the importance of protecting human rights and democratic values. However, during the PMs address, in which he made some strong points about Indias position in terms of human rights, the US Representative could be seen applauding the Indian leader. BJP IT Cell In-charge Amit Malviya also took note of the development and posted photos and videos of Jayapal appreciating Modis speech on his Twitter. Pramila Jaypal, group leader of the toolkit gang, stood up and gave standing ovation, as Prime Minister Modi addressed the US Congress Such is the power and charisma of the man vested interest loves to hate.Poor Rahul Gandhi must be distraught see his efforts of lobbying with pic.twitter.com/qq9u7FWRCJ Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 23, 2023 Pramila Jaypal, group leader of the toolkit gang, stood up and gave a standing ovation, as Prime Minister Modi addressed the US Congress Such is the power and charisma of the man vested interest loves to hate. Poor Rahul Gandhi must be distraught to see his efforts of lobbying with the West fail," Malviya tweeted. Prime Minister Modis address to a joint sitting of the US Congress on Thursday received overwhelming appreciation and was welcomed by the Republican senators. Modi conveyed his appreciation for the long-standing and strong bipartisan support in the US Congress for the deepening of India-US relations and outlined the enormous progress made by India and the opportunities that it presents for the world. During his address, the prime minister received 15 standing ovations, and 79 applauses as US Congress Senators were seen lining up for autographs and selfies. Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) top leaders are meeting in London under the leadership of PML(N) chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached London after attending the Global Finance Summit in Paris. The meeting is being held to discuss the strategy for the upcoming elections, if they are to be held in Pakistan towards the end of this year. People familiar with the developments said that Nawaz Sharif will be the prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections. They also said Nawaz Sharif is planning to travel UAE and Saudi Arabia for seeking support. Nawaz Sharif is in self-imposed exile in London since November 2019 due to health reasons. He was disqualified by the Pakistan Supreme Court and barred from holding any public office in 2017 and was again barred from holding public office for life 2018 after a probe ordered by the Supreme Court on Panama Papers found him guilty of not disclosing money from his son Hussain Nawazs Dubai-based firm. Shehbaz Sharif was instructed to pave the path for him to return to Pakistan. Earlier this month Shehbaz himself said that Pakistani politics would change if his brother returns while urging him to take over the reins of the party. You will see that the map of politics will change when Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif said earlier. The people mentioned above said the Pakistan government will bring resolutions and bills to amend the laws of disqualification in the parliament in a bid to overturn Nawaz Sharifs lifetime disqualification, paving the way for him to reenter electoral politics. However, a final decision will be taken only after Pakistan swears-in its new chief justice Qazi Faez Isa on September 17. Nawaz instructed brother Shehbaz Sharif, defence minister Khawaja Asif, leader Ayaz Sadiq, daughter Maryam Nawaz and nephew Hamza Shehbaz to take charge of poll preparations and campaigning. The PML-(N) meeting will resume on Saturday and is expected to last for three days. After wrapping his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday landed in Cairo for his two-day visit, and was received by Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the airport. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi took thanked Madboubly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport," and added, May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations. Modi also held his first bilateral meet with his counterpart Madbouly and discussed deepening trade and economic relations with Egypt. Modi met the India Unit, which is a new group of high-level Egyptian ministers led by Madbouly. Advancing - civilisational relations!In his first engagement in Cairo, PM @narendramodi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet @CabinetEgy, headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials were present in the pic.twitter.com/NeKveGY5m3 Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023 Seven members of the Egyptian Cabinet, led by Madbouly, were present at the meeting with the prime minister Modi. Dont Miss: Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge: Egyptian Woman Sings Hindi Song to Welcome PM Modi | Watch The two leaders held discussions on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people to people ties, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. After this, PM Modi met his Eminence Prof. Shawky Ibrahim Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt later in the day. The two discussed strong cultural & people to people relations between India and Egypt." Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering extremism and radicalisation. The Grand Mufti appreciated PMs leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism," the MEA said. PM @narendramodi met His Eminence Prof. Shawky Ibrahim Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt.They discussed the strong cultural & people to people relations between India and Egypt. Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering pic.twitter.com/ucFFVkDVYA Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023 Between these meetings, Modi was seen meeting and interacting with members of the Indian diaspora and said that he was deeply moved" by their warm welcome. Deeply moved by the warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in Egypt. Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a celebration of our shared cultural linkages. pic.twitter.com/rTqQcz3tz7 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a celebration of our shared cultural linkages," he added. PM @narendramodi received an enthusiastic welcome from members of the Indian community in Cairo.In his interaction with them, PM lauded the community for their contribution towards strengthening India-Egypt ties. pic.twitter.com/VfYIXeJ5lH Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023 PM Modi will be here from June 24 to 25, and this is his maiden state visit to Egypt. This is also be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 26 years. Modi is visiting at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Modis visit came 6 months after el-Sissi attended Indias Republic Day parade as an official guest. PM @narendramodi arrives in Cairo on a State visit to Egypt.Know what the visit has in store. pic.twitter.com/s6DCLXyKDp Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023 PM Modis schedule for Day-2 of his Egypt Visit On Sunday, PM Modi is set to visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque, which is a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. India and Egypt Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent. The bilateral trade between the two countries was USD 4.55 billion in 2018-19 and declined marginally to USD 4.15 billion in 2020-21 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, news agency PTI said. India is one of the top 5 importers of Egyptian products. These include crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds, according to AP. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery. Till now, more than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to MEA. Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US was not about leveraging India to be a counterweight" to China but to deepen ties, including defence cooperation, between the largest democracies of the world, a top White House official has said. Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his state visit during which he held wide-ranging talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of the US Congress. He visited the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. This state visit wasnt about China. Look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the Peoples Republic of China to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that, said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. But this wasnt about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood, he told reporters at a news conference here on Friday. Kirby said India is becoming an increasing exporter of security, which the US welcomes. You can see a lot of that our desire to improve the defence cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether its the co-production of jet engines, whether its their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and thats really what were focused on, Kirby said in response to questions. He said Modis visit was about sending a message to the American and Indian people about how important this bilateral relationship is to people around the world. India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own, he said. I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. Its not a formal alliance. Its not a military organisation. They have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that theyre addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate, Kirby said. In his address to the joint meeting of the US Congress for a second time on Thursday, Modi said the dark clouds of coercion and confrontation" are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific, in a veiled attack on China amid its aggressive military manoeuvring in the strategically vital region. The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership," he said in the backdrop of the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh. The prime minister talked about a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, and where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. His comments came amidst the economic crisis in countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where China has made huge unviable infrastructure investments. The two South Asian countries are currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN centrality," Modi said. Our vision does not seek to contain or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond. Of this, QUAD has emerged as a major force of good for the region," he said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of Chinas rising military manoeuvring in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over some of the areas claimed by China. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Kirby also said President Biden is satisfied that he had the opportunity to discuss concerns over human rights in India with Prime Minister Modi. And in the end, he did, as he always does. We dont shy away from discussing human rights with foreign leaders. And one of the reasons you have partnerships and friendships is so that you can be honest and direct. But I think he addressed that pretty well in his answer to you guys, he said. The Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin warned Russian President Putin that he will be replaced by a new president soon and said he made a wrong choice. They also said none of the Wagners soldiers will turn themselves in. Wagner PMC Telegram channel:"Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president" pic.twitter.com/o8I7gKCcnl Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 24, 2023 No one is going to turn themselves. We dont want the country to live any longer with all this corruption, lies, bureaucracy. All Wagner fighters are patriots of our Motherland. Putin is deeply mistaken," Yevgeny Prigozhin said. Putin made the wrong choice and soon Russia will have a new president, the Russian paramilitary group, consisting of veterans and hardened criminals, further added. BREAKING: Russian air force has reportedly bombed Wagner vehicles on the strategic M4 highway that leads to Moscow The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) June 24, 2023 Yevgeny Prigozhin started a rebellion against the Russian government and ordered that they hand over Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of army staff Valery Gerasimov so that he could question them over their lack of disregard for Wagners forces in Russia. Russia News LIVE: Wagner Rebellion Stab in the Back to Russia, Chief Prigozhin Betrayed Out of Personal Ambition, Says Putin in His Address Wagner Group made the comments on their Telegram page shortly after Russian President Putin addressed the nation. What we are facing is betrayal. Unreasonable ambition has led to treason. The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artemovsk [Bakhmut], fought for Novorossiya, their name and glory have been betrayed by those who are trying to organise an insurgency, Russian President Putin said. The group also said that Putin allegedly demanded the most combat-ready unit be neutralised citing that there are traitors. Prigozhin, early Saturday morning, first went on a tirade against the Russian Army and then accused them of attacking Wagners militia. He then accused the Russian defence ministry of destroying the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers. However, Putin said that Prigozhin has stabbed Russia in the back with his action, without naming the leader of the mercenary group. Any internal turmoil is a mortal threat to our statehood, to us as a nation. Our actions to defend the Motherland will be tough. All those who have taken the path of betrayal will suffer inevitable punishment. Those who organised the military mutiny and raised arms against their comrades-in-arms have betrayed Russia, Putin said. Wagners forces have taken control of certain important setups in Rostov and Voronezh. There are unverified reports that the Russian air force bombed Wagner vehicles positioned on the M4 highway. The M4 highway leads to Moscow and is only a few hours from Voronezh where reportedly Wagner has some control. Wagner chief Prigozhin has been accusing the Russian defence ministry of giving false information to Putin on the ground situation in Ukraine, not supplying adequate resources to his Wagner units and accused the Russian army of cowardice in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his 25,000-strong force forming the mercenary group is ready to die. We have goals, we are all willing to die. Because we are dying for our motherland, we are dying for the Russian people, who must be liberated from the people who are killing civilians, Prigozhin was quoted as saying by BNO News. Local media in Russia has confirmed that unidentified men in military fatigues have surrounded the Russian armys headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. Wagner fighters have cordoned off the military headquarters, city administration building, Russian intelligence (FSB) office and local police station. Local Russian news media outlets also believe that there are defected Russian troops among the Wagner mercenaries. Russian intelligence offices in Voronezh and Lipetsk regions have been evacuated due to a rising chance of a coup in Russia. Igor Artamonov, governor of the Lipetsk region south of Moscow, urged people to remain calm and remain indoors. A decision has been taken to reinforce security measures in the region, Artamonov was quoted as saying by AFP. Independent news media outlets are saying that there is a chance that Prigozhin wants to oust Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov. Rostov governor Vasily Golubev also asked everyone to stay calm and stay indoors. Law enforcement agencies are doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents, Golubev said. News outlet Nexta shared footages of machine-gun operators taking positions outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don. Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance, Prigozhin said, according to news media outlets. Russian leaders on Saturday accused Wagner mercenary group chief Prigozhin of plotting a coup against the Russian government and boosted security in Moscow and launched a criminal investigation into a man once known as Putins chef. Meanwhile, Kremlin critic and opposition activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky asked Russians to back Wagner military chief. In an address to the nation amid the Wagner Revellion, Russian President Putin accused Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of betraying Russia out of personal ambition and called the Wagner rebellion- a stab in the back to Russia. Tensions between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian defense ministry increased with the Wagner leader threatening to attack Russian troops in retaliation for what he claims was a deadly strike against his own paramilitary forces. According to the latest reports, the Wagner group has taken control over Russian military headquarters in Rostov. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the actions of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin amounts to treason. This is treason. Russia will defend itself and repel this hostile move, Putin told Russians in a morning address hours after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his forces took over parts of Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. Putin said those who have rebelled against the Russian army and the Russian people will be punished for insurrection. Russia News LIVE: Wagner Rebellion Stab in the Back to Russia, Chief Prigozhin Betrayed Out of Personal Ambition, Says Putin in His Address Anyone who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal will face inevitable punishments. The military has received the appropriate order, Putin said, looking visibly angry. We will defend our country and our state from any threats, including internal treason. And what were facing now is treason, the Russian President said. He also raised concerns and said the situation in Rostov is difficult, referring to Wagner capturing parts of Rostov-on-Don. Tensions within the Kremlins inner circle have been rising since the Battle of Bakhmut in Ukraine. Wagner mercenary groups chief Prigozhin was raising allegations that he was not being adequately backed by the Russian military. Wagner chief betrayed Russia out of personal ambition. Wagners mutiny is a deadly threat to Russia. Our action will be harsh, Putin said. The Russian President asked Russians to remain united. We will not allow a civil war, the Russian President said. The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artemovsk [Bakhmut], fought for Novorossiya, their name and glory have been betrayed by those who are trying to organise an insurgency, Putin also said, momentarily praising Wagner for helping liberate Soledar and Bakhmut. Early Saturday morning Wagner chief issued threats and warnings to the Russian Ministry of Defence and accused them of attacking Wagner paramilitary forces. He said that Wagner downed a helicopter that launched attacks on Wagner forces. A helicopter has just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of PMC Wagner, the Wagner chief said, after accusing the Russian military of shooting at his men. Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance, Prigozhin said in a series of audio messages on his official Telegram channel, according to MSNBC. He also met deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and demanded that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of army staff Valery Gerasimov to meet him in Rostov or else he will block all the routes to and from Moscow. In a surprising U-turn, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group who had declared an armed rebellion against Russia, agreed on Saturday to halt his advance towards Moscow in order to prevent Russian bloodshed." Prigozhin accepted a proposal to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company on the territory of Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions," according to an official statement. Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko brokered the de-escalation deal after discussions with Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian President had briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation and joint actions were agreed upon. Steps towards de-escalation and a profitable resolution with security guarantees for Wagner PMC fighters are underway, latest reports said. For now, Wagner has stopped its movement and returned to field camps in exchange for assurances of safety for their personnel. The Kremlin has not yet made any comment regarding the agreement with the mercenary group. In an audio message, Prigozhin confirmed the development and said that he is stopping his troops to avoid Russian bloodshed, according to the Associated Press. The Russian Ministry of Defense leadership will undergo major change in exchange for Wagner Group halting its advance on Moscow, reported The Spectator Index. The development came after security around Moscow was ramped up on as Russian military forces sought to thwart the armed rebellion declared by the mercenary group which entered the Lipetsk province after taking claiming military positions in Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh regions, despite warnings by Putin. BNO News quoting the Moscow mayor said the situation is difficult and city services are on high alert. Roads were destroyed in Lipetsk and trenches dug on the outskirts of Moscow as videos circulating on social media showed a convoy of armed vehicles belonging to Wagner mercenaries traveling along the M4 motorway. Trenches are being dug on the outskirts of #Moscow pic.twitter.com/KAj89Br8tC KyivPost (@KyivPost) June 24, 2023 Residents Advised in Lipetsk and Moscow The governor of the Lipetsk region asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that Wagner had entered the province but the situation is under control. Authorities have also announced the suspension of outdoor mass events and activities at educational institutions in the Moscow region until July 1. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a audio statement that we didnt touch a single conscript, we didnt kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. Putin Addresses Betrayal, Prigozhin Rules Out Surrender Meanwhile, Putin addressed the nation and vowed to defend the country and its people from those who betrayed" the Russian Federation. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," he said. Prigozhin, a once low-profile businessman who enjoyed the support of Putin, gained global attention due to his involvement in Russias war in Ukraine. As the owner of the Kremlin-affiliated Wagner Group, Prigozhin intensified his criticism of Russias handling of the war, going so far as to call for an armed uprising to remove the defense minister on Friday. In response, Russian security services swiftly initiated a criminal investigation and called for Prigozhins arrest. Putin has called Prigozhins actions, without referring to him by name, a betrayal" and a treason", during his recent speech. Shortly later, Prigozhin denied Putins allegations of betraying his country, called his fighters patriots and ruled out surrender. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland." He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Amnesty If Wagner Group Surrenders According to Reuters, Russian authorities have reportedly offered the Wagner mutineers an amnesty if they surrender. Russian state owned news agency Tass citing a Russian lawmaker said that the Wagner fighters have been promised an amnesty if they law down their weapons but they need to act fast. The statement came after Putin signed law allowing people to be detained for up to 30 days for violating martial law. Questions Arise Over Putins Whereabouts Multiple reports indicate that at 2:16 PM Moscow time (12:16 PM BST), Russian President Vladimir Putins presidential aircraft departed from Moscow Vnukovo Airport and proceeded in a north-west direction. According to The Guardian, FlightRadar tracking data reveals that the plane reached the Tver region, approximately 180km from Moscow, where Putin possesses a residence, before vanishing from the system. The presence of Putin on the aircraft remains unverified, and Dmitry Peskov, Putins spokesperson, informed the TASS news agency that the president is currently working in the Kremlin. All Flights from Moscow Sold Out As the Wagner mercenary group advances, reports indicated that flights from Moscow have been fully booked. According to Der Spiegel, tickets for direct flights from Moscow to Tbilisi, Astana, and Istanbul are no longer available, reported The Guardian. The BBC Russia reported evacuations of public buildings across Moscow as the Wagner rebels advance. - . , , -2, , . pic.twitter.com/sT5bDbotmW bbcrussian (@bbcrussian) June 24, 2023 The British broadcaster said Museums near the Kremlin were evacuated in Moscow. In the Tambov region, which neighbours Lipetsk, mass events including high school graduation parties were canceled Saturday, AP reported. Russias Education Ministry said such parties were being postponed until July 1 in Moscow, the region around the capital and a number of other regions where additional anti-terrorist measures have been introduced. In the capital, traffic on the Moscow River was suspended. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostovon-Don. Russias weakness is obvious: Ukraine President Zelenskyy Zelenskyy in a tweet said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said, for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it." Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelenskyy said, adding the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." Putin speaks to allies in Belarus, Turkey Central Asia Putin spoke to his Belarus ally, President Alexander, president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He also spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who assured him that Turkey was ready to help seek a peaceful resolution". Erdogan underlined the importance of acting with common sense," the presidency said in a statement. President Erdogan said that we, as Turkey, are ready to do our part for the peaceful resolution of events in Russia as soon as possible." EU, US Monitor Situation Meanwhile, the European Union activated a crisis response center to monitor situation in Russia. EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said foreign affairs ministers of the G7 spoke to exchange views on the ongoing crisis. Berlin also confirmed German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock just discussed the situation with her G7 counterparts. The UK governments emergency committee, Cobra, also holding a meeting to discuss the situation in Moscow. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a tweet said, Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop. US President Biden spoke with the leaders of the E3 French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK PM Rishi Sunak- on the situation in Russia. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unfirming support to Ukraine, a White House statement read. Moscow warned the West against taking advantage of the conflict in Russia to achieve what it claimed were their anti-Russian" goals. We warn the Western countries against any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals," the foreign ministry said in a statement. All goals and objectives of the special military operation will be fulfilled," it added, using the Kremlin-preferred term for Moscows large-scale military intervention in Ukraine. Next 24 hours will be crucial for Russian President Vladimir Putin a convoy of rebel Wagner mercenaries made their way towards capital Moscow, CNN reported. The Russian president is facing the most serious threat to his hold on power in all the 23 years hes run the nuclear state. And it is staggering to behold the veneer of total control he has maintained all that time the ultimate selling point of his autocracy crumble overnight, the publication wrote. (With inputs from agencies) An unverified video has been released on Saturday by Wagner where chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen sitting with Russian deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and first deputy chief of the main intelligence directorate of the general staff lieutenant general Vladimir Alekseev in the Rostov army headquarters. Prigozhin is reportedly angered at Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of army staff Valery Gerasimov and wants them to come down to Rostov or else he will block all the routes to and from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed reprisal in a speech to Russian citizens on Saturday morning. In an aggressive speech, he said Prigozhin has mounted a coup against the Russian army and Russia, stabbing the country in the back. First sighting of Prigozhin, in a video posted by a Wagner channel. It says he's in the Rostov army HQ "negotiating" with deputy defense minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov."We want [Gerasimov] and Shoigu. Until they're here, we'll stay, block off Rostov, and head to Moscow," he says." pic.twitter.com/akox3BNdsL max seddon (@maxseddon) June 24, 2023 Russia News LIVE: Wagner Rebellion Stab in the Back to Russia, Chief Prigozhin Betrayed Out of Personal Ambition, Says Putin in His Address What we are facing is betrayal. Unreasonable ambition has led to treason. I appeal to the Russians, to the military and security agencies and to those who have been pushed onto the path of armed insurgency by deceit and threats, Putin said in his address to the nation. There are reports that Wagner paramilitary members have taken over Rostov-on-Don and parts of Voronezh and Putin admitted the situation is difficult in Rostov. The Russian defence ministry has asked Wagner paramilitary forces to not participate in the insurrection against the Russian government. The Russian defence ministry in a latest release said: You were tricked into Prigozhins criminal gamble and participation in an armed insurgency. Many of your comrades from several detachments have already realised their mistake, asking for help in ensuring that they can return safely to their permanent bases. The Rostov headquarters of the Russian Army are part of the Southern Military District. The video shows Prigozhin and Yevkurov sitting down and having a discussion while surrounded by mostly Wagner soldiers. Prigozin meets with Deputy Defence Russian Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of staff Alekseev. He criticises them for giving up Lyman, Kherson and other cities and chastises them for the loss of men. Its not a friendly atmosphere but neither does it look like a coup. pic.twitter.com/a7XZZgT9qe Denis Rogatyuk (@DenisRogatyuk) June 24, 2023 Journalist Denis Rogatyuk said in a separate tweet that Prigozhin was grilling Yevkurov for giving up Lyman, Kherson and other cities. Prigozhin is also alleging that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of army staff Valery Gerasimov are not telling Putin how many casualties Wagner and Russian forces have suffered in Ukraine. The mercenary group chief has been public with his criticism of Gerasimov and Shoigu since the onset of the battle of Bakhmut, claiming that his forces did not receive any support from the Russian army. We have already provided such assistance to all of these fighters and commanders. Please show discretion and get in touch with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defence or law enforcement agencies as soon as possible, the Russian defence ministry said at that time. Prigozhin said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter. A helicopter has just now opened fire at a civilian column. It has been shot down by units of PMC Wagner, the Wagner chief said, after accusing the Russian military of shooting at his men. Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance, Prigozhin said in a series of audio messages on his official Telegram channel, according to MSNBC. Will the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow on Saturday, affect the morale of Vladimir Putins army? Only to some extent, sources close to the Kremlin told News18. On the other hand, morale can be reinforced. Probably only some people would like to sympathise with Prigozhin, but not the majority, the source said. Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against his countrys military leadership. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war by calling for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhins arrest. The uprising, which Putin called a stab in the back, is the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. Prigozhin confirmed Saturday he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin said his aim was to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after Russian government forces attacked Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 25. Some 1,279 enterprises with foreign capital have been created in Uzbekistan from January through April 2023, Trend reports. Among the leading countries in terms of the number of newly established enterprises in Uzbekistan are Russia, China, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, and South Korea. According to the information provided by the Statistical Agency, Russian companies rank first with 376 newly established enterprises, followed by China (245 new enterprises). Turkiye also shows significant interest in the Uzbek market, having established 121 enterprises in the reporting period of 2023. Kazakhstan, South Korea, and other countries such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, the US, and Germany have also contributed to the development of the Uzbek economy through the creation of new enterprises. This positive trend reflects the trust of foreign investors in the potential and prospects of the Uzbek market. The establishment of new enterprises with foreign capital participation contributes to the development of economic sectors, the creation of new jobs, and technological progress. Uzbekistan continues to attract and support foreign investments, promoting economic diversification and strengthening international partnerships. Meanwhile, the total number of newly established enterprises in Uzbekistan from January through May 2023 amounted to 40,100 (excluding farms and peasant farms). Of those, some 14,814 enterprises engaged in trade and commerce have been created in the country in the reporting year. Countries around the world were on Saturday closely watching events unfolding in Russia, where a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group posed the most serious challenge yet to President Vladimir Putins long rule. Here is what governments and analysts are saying about the extraordinary situation taking place in nuclear-armed Russia: - Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later," he said in a statement on social media. Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said it provided a window of opportunity" for Kyiv on the battlefield. - The United States - US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. - Europe - European Union chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc was closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners." This is clearly an internal Russian issue," he wrote, adding that our support for Ukraine" remains unwavering". The blocs diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said the EU was in permanent contact with our ambassador in Moscow and continuing our internal consultations with our member states." NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said only the alliance was monitoring the situation". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians." Were in touch with our allies as the situation evolves. Ill be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly," he told the BBC. Meanwhile, Czech politicians used the mutiny as a moment to take a stab at Russian leadership. I can see my summer holiday in Crimea is approaching," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, referring to the territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. So we finally know what the Russians mean by a Special Operation," said Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova. After 16 months of the war in Ukraine, Russia is waging war on Russia. No surprise. Its a tradition over there. Failed wars end up with the Tsar being executed, with chaos and with a civil war supervised by snoopers. Congratulations," she said. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who has met Putin since the launch of the Ukraine war, warned of the nuclear risks of the instability in Russia. The operations of the Russian Federations are always of the utmost importance, because the Russian Federation has a great potential for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons," he said. In Berlin, the government is closely following the events in Russia", a spokesman told AFP. The foreign ministry advised avoiding central Moscow and government and military buildings in the capital. In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron is also keeping a close eye, the Elysee said. We remain focused on supporting Ukraine." In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis office said the events show how the aggression against Ukraine is causing instability also within Russia." In Sweden, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom tweeted: The government is closely following the situation in Russia. The situation is serious." In Norway, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Oslo was closely following the dramatic situation in Russia and are in close contact with the embassy in Moscow." Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder tweeted that the situation was serious" and he was watching to see what impact it has on the conflict." - G7 - The EUs Borrell announced that foreign affairs ministers of the G7 nations held a call to exchange views" on the situation Saturday. Borrell didnt provide details of the exchange in his tweet, which Berlin also confirmed, saying German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock just discussed the situation" with her G7 counterparts. - Qatar - Qatars foreign ministry said it was following with great concern" and urged restraint. The worsening situation in Russia and Ukraine will have negative repercussions on international peace and security, and on food and energy supplies, which were mainly affected by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," the ministry said. - Analysts - The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that this represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said in a tweet. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the armed rebellion was unlikely to succeed" but that an armed Wagner attack against the Russian military leadership in Rostov-on-Don would have significant impacts on Russias war effort in Ukraine." BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. A temporary agreement between the parties in the discussions on Iran's nuclear program is not an appropriate option for Iran - a number of Iranian media outlets believe, Trend reports. As an alternative to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, the possibility of a temporary agreement between Iran and the US has become stronger. But Iranian officials have denied the possibility of a temporary agreement on the nuclear program, and the US and European countries have not made a transparent statement about it. However, some media outlets are promoting a temporary agreement as an alternative to the JCPOA. Iranian media reports that within the framework of the temporary agreement, it is proposed to unblock Iran's frozen assets in abroad and to receive a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and in exchange for Iran to stop high-level enrichment of uranium. It is clear that this new business agenda is completely contrary to the JCPOA and will undoubtedly cause new damage to Iran's national interests. The reason is because the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, western countries did not take any steps to compensate for the damages caused to Iran as a result of sanctions, and after all this, Iran has developed in the field of enrichment and is currently in ideal conditions for uranium enrichment from a technical point of view, the media reports said. Recently, indirect discussions between Iran and the US and between Iran and 3 European countries (the UK, France and Germany) have been held. In the discussions, Iran is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen in foreign countries, and the abolition of the restriction on the export of crude oil. In return, the US and Western countries want Iran not to acquire an atomic bomb, to keep its nuclear program under control, and to reduce the level of uranium enrichment. Iran discloses various programs related to its nuclear industry to reflect that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, according to the information obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has increased the amount of highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently, the country's enriched uranium reserves are 4,745 kilograms. This is 15 times more than the amount of uranium allowed for Iran in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed. On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal. Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on Sept.5. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA. On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany), and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@BaghishovElnur The one-bedroom apartment up for rent in New York City is listed for $5,750 a month, but that's not out of line for the Big Apple. What has instead drawn attention is the unusual stipulation imposed by the vegan landlord: Tenants are not allowed to cook meat or fish, reports the New York Times . A second apartment also listed in the same Brooklyn townhome for $4,500 has the same rule, which doesn't specifically ban meat eaters or even meat takeout from being consumed on premisesrather just the cooking of meat. "It's not vegetarian-only, but the owner lives in the building and doesn't want the smell of cooking meat drifting upstairs," says broker Andrea Kelly of property management company Douglas Elliman. Insider talks to someone familiar with the situation who explains that the building is relatively small and has ventilation that is not "amazing." Hence the rule. Is this illegal discrimination against carnivores? Apparently not. The Times notes that New York City forbids landlords from using 14 specific characteristics (think age, race, sexual orientation) to reject prospective tenants, and cooking preferences is not among them. In the same vein, landlords are allowed to refuse to rent to smokers. The unusual rule has actually been in place for years, without causing much of a fuss. Insider's source says previous tenants typically relied on takeout and shrugged off the restriction: "If it works for you, fine. If it doesn't, move on." A Nextdoor listing with the stipulation came down after the story generated attention, and the no-meat-cooking restriction appears to have been deleted from the broker's two listings. "Can you legally do that, outlaw smells?" 29-year-old Scott Fu asks the New York Post. "If you can, I'd outlaw whatever the hell my neighbor's cooking constantly, because it stinks." (Read more New York City stories.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. It is estimated that some progress has been made in discussions on Iran's nuclear program between the parties, in recent days, the ex- Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jalal Sadatian said, Trend reports. Of course, the progress achieved between the parties cannot be fully evaluated positively, because there are many points to be resolved, he noted. As for positive steps in the direction of building trust between the parties in discussions regarding Iran's nuclear program, Iran intends to solve some of its internal issues (economic crisis, etc.) and achieve certain achievements on the eve of the US presidential election, Sadatian added. The ex-ambassador also pointed out that it can be assumed that an agreement was reached between the parties on the exchange of prisoners, and in return, a part of Iran's frozen assets - $3 billion - was unblocked. On June 10, 2023, Iranian co-chairman of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, Yahya Al Eshaq said that about $3 billion of Iran's assets frozen in Iraq has been unblocked. Recently, Iran and the US have been indirectly negotiating with the mediation of Oman. In the discussions, the parties are negotiating a number of confidence-building issues, including the exchange of prisoners in the two countries. In addition, Iran and 3 European countries (the UK, France and Germany) are conducting talks regarding Iran's nuclear program. Recently, there are indirect discussions between Iran and the US and direct discussions between Iran and 3 European countries (the UK, France and Germany). In the discussions, Iran is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen in foreign countries, and the abolition of the restriction on the export of crude oil. In return, the US and Western countries want Iran not to acquire an atomic bomb, to keep its nuclear program under control, and to reduce the level of uranium enrichment. Iran discloses various programs related to its nuclear industry to reflect that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, according to the information obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has increased the amount of highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently, the country's enriched uranium reserves are 4,745 kilograms. This is 15 times more than the amount of uranium allowed for Iran in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, it is requested to provide facts and guarantees to prove it at the world level. In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed. On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal. Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on Sept.5. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA. On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany), and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@BaghishovElnur The housing market may have cooled off from last year, but prices remain sky high in much of the country. In Atlanta, for instance, people are paying prices nearly 50% above historical averages there, according to an analysis out of Florida Atlantic University. While that city is tops on the list in that regard, five cities in Florida make the top 10, notes Insider. "Florida is so overvalued, almost certainly because of the increased demand to live here, combined with a shortage of available housing units," explains FAU economist Ken H. Johnson. "There are just not enough roofs to go around." The 10 most overpriced housing markets: Russia cracked down hard on public displays of dissent after it invaded Ukraine last year, but many citizens have risked being imprisonedor worsewith creative forms of protest since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Activists write anti-war slogans on walls, bank notes, and even price tags in grocery stores, with the "The Russian army bombed an art school in Mariupol, in which 400 people were sheltering," written on the tag for a tub of sour cream, Russian journalist Filipp Dzyadko writes at the Economist . Greenthe color of the blue and yellow of Ukraine's flag mixed togetheris the color of the resistance, and activists put green ribbons in their hair or tie them to fences, he writes. Tinder profiles set up in Vladimir Putin's name offer information on war crimes, including the massacre of civilians in Bucha. "They put on concerts of Ukrainian music. They kneel in the snow in front of a statue in Moscow of the Ukrainian poet, Lesya Ukrainka. They wear garlands of blue and yellow flowers," Dzyadko writes. "They create memorials for dead Ukrainians and place bouquets and toys at them. And not all protests are symbolic: trains, loaded with weapons, have been derailed on the way to the front." Dzyadko says he has corresponded with an activist who was sentenced to three years in prison for broadcasting anti-war content on a pirate radio station he set up as a hobby years before the war. The signal sent out was only strong enough to reach a few streets near his home in the southern Russian city of Vologdabut security services were listening. Dzyadko says he communicated with Vladimir Rumyantsev, a factory worker in his early 60s, through his lawyer. Rumyantsev's life savings were confiscated, but he has no regrets about speaking out through his station. "The choice was to take the road that is disgusting to take or the road that is scary to take," he said. "The point is that I don't want to be on the side that is not only wrong, but will also lose. It is only a matter of time." Rumyantsev had the choice of house arrest instead of prison but he chose prison, fearing that he would starve under house arrest because his only living relative is his brother, who supports the war. "It is a family tragedy when brothers are on opposite sides of the barricades," the lawyer said. Russians' reading lists are another sign of dissent, Andrei Kolesnikov writes at Foreign Policy. Soon after the invasion, George Orwell's 1984 became a best-seller in Russia. As Putin's regime moved further toward totalitarianism, readers of nonfiction turned to books about life in Nazi Germany, including the newly translated Defying Hitler: A Memoir by Sebastian Haffner. Russian readers of the book about Germany in the 1930s will recognize parallels with "the persecution of dissenters; the progressive Gleichschaltung, or total coordination of public life with the regime; the willingness of ordinary people to obey; the temptations of self-isolation as people attempt to live a parallel, unnoticed life against the background of the unfolding nightmare; the feeling of a wasted life," Kolesnikov writes. (Read more Russia-Ukraine war stories.) A bridge that crosses Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed Saturday morning, causing portions of a freight train that was traveling over it to fall into the water below. No crew members were injured, KSVI reports. Numerous tank cars were partially submerged in the river, and railroad crews were at the site near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles west of Billings. "Multiple tanker cars were damaged and are leaking petroleum products near the Yellowstone River," the Yellowstone County Sheriff's office posted online. Officials at the Montana Rail Link could not be reached for comment. The river was swollen with recent heavy rains, per the AP, though it is unclear whether that contributed to the bridge collapse. The Yellowstone saw record flooding in 2022 that caused extensive damage to Yellowstone National Park and adjacent towns in Montana. The sheriff's office said, "There is no immediate threat to Yellowstone County," per the Missoulian. Water treatment plants, irrigation districts, and industrial companies in the area are taking precautions, the sheriff's office said. (Read more Yellowstone River stories.) The head of the armed mercenary force rolling toward Moscow announced Saturday that he was halting the advance, as Belarus said it had negotiated a deal with Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Wagner Group troops are "turning our columns around," Prigozhin said in an audio message on Telegram, per CNN . Belarus released a statement saying President Alexander Lukashenko intervened, reaching a deal with Prigozhin after conferring with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The statement said Prigozhin then agreed to stop his convoy's movement toward the capital, which was preparing for battle, and return to Ukraine. Prigozhin said in his message that Wagner forces were within 125 miles of Moscow. They'd gone as far as they could without bloodshed, he said. "So, understanding all responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be spilled, on one side, we are turning around our column and are leaving in the opposite direction to field camps in accordance with the plan." Prigozhin did not say whether the mercenaries will pull out of Rostov-on-Don, a city they had seized that's a Russian military hub. Belarus, whose president is a close ally of Putin's, suggested Wagner could receive security guarantees as part of the deal. Earlier in the day, Putin had promised to punish those responsible for the uprising, and Russian officials said they're charging Prigozhin with "organizing an armed rebellion" against Putin. Wagner forces are fighting along with the Russian military in Ukraine, and Prigozhin has been bitterly critical of Russian military leaders for not adequately supplying his troops. Prigozhin has demanded that Putin remove Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu; neither he nor the Kremlin addressed that issue Saturday. Videos showed pro-Wagner banners being taken down in Moscow and the St. Petersburg area after Prigozhin's announcement, per the Times. (Read more Russia rebellion stories.) Activists and politicians are marking the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court ruling that overturned a nationwide right to abortion with a range of reactions that vary from praise and protests. Advocates on both sides marched at rallies Saturday in Washington and across the country, the AP reports, to call attention to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling on June 24, 2022, which upended the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. "I'm absolutely livid that people think that they can interfere with medical decisions between a woman and her doctor," said Lynn Rust, of Silver Spring, Maryland, at a Women's March rally in Washington. Anti-abortion leaders issued comments on the anniversary. "We celebrate one year of momentous progress in the fight for life," Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel praised the ruling. "The decision has saved countless lives and set America on a positive course after decades of shameful abortion on-demand practices that put us in a category with China and North Korea," she said. The decision made abortion an unavoidable campaign issue and deepened policy differences between the states. Most Republican-controlled state have imposed bans , including 14 where laws in effect now block most abortions in every stage of pregnancy, with varying exceptions for the life and health of the women and for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. Most Democrat-led states have taken steps to protect abortion access, particularly by seeking to protect doctors and others from prosecution for violating other states' abortion bans. On Friday, President Biden released a statement criticizing what he called "extreme and dangerous abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy." (Read more Roe v. Wade stories.) Criminal charges against the leader of the brief rebellion against the Russia government will be dropped, a Kremlin spokesman said late Saturday. As for the fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, "He himself will go to Belarus," Dmitri Peskov told reporters in a conference call, CNN reports. President Vladimir Putin has guaranteed Prigozhin's safety, Peskov said, per Reuters . The spokesman said he didn't know what Prigozhin will do in Belarus. Russian officials began outlining the terms of the deal in which the head of the Wagner Group agreed to stop his private army's advance toward Moscow , apparently ending the threat to Putin's rule. Wagner troops who participated in the rebellion won't face charges, either, in recognition of their "service at the front" in Ukraine, Peskov said. Fighters who did not join Prigozhin's advance are welcome to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, per the New York Times. Russian media reported that Prigozhin left Rostov-on-Don, a city his forces had occupied, after he ended his operation. Photos and videos showed him being driven away, as people in the crowd appeared to cheer him, per the Washington Post. Just hours before the charges against Prigozhin were dropped, Putin had threatened in an address to Russians to punish those behind the uprising. Peskov told reporters that Putin nevertheless made the concessions to Prigozhin "to avoid bloodshed, to avoid internal confrontation, to avoid clashes with unpredictable results." The spokesman would not say whether one of the concessions was the removal of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, which Prigozhin had demanded. (Read more Russia rebellion stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region U.S. Army Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, fold an American flag over the casket containing the remains of a WWI unknown Soldier during his burial ceremony at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, France. (Photo by Russell Toof) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called for further strengthening of control over the country's borders due to events in Russia, Trend reports. In her tweet, Zourabichvili emphasized that close monitoring of the events is being carried out. "Due to possible new migration waves, strict control must be exercised in connection with the borders of our country," she added. On June 23, 2023, the Investigation Department of Russias Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against the founder of Wagner Private Military Company Yevgeny Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion. Russia introduced anti-terrorist operation regime in several regions, including Moscow and Voronezh. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Congratulations poured in yesterday for His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the occasion of the selection of Manama as the Capital of Arab Media 2024. The designation by the Council of Arab Information Ministers came during their 53rd regular session held recently in Rabat, Morocco. In a congratulatory message to their highnesses, Information Minister, Dr Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, said the achievement reflects Arab countries appreciation of the pioneering status reached by Bahraini media, thanks to HM King Hamads sound visions and directives. HM the Kings unwavering care, and comprehensive development process that promoted freedom of opinion and expression and supported the honest and free word, paved the way from the Bahraini media highlighting national issues and defending high interests with utmost responsibility and professionalism. Dr Al Nuaimi also stressed that the new honour confirms the successes attained by the kingdoms media sector under the patronage of HRH Prince Salman. Media, the minister said, is one of the pillars of the comprehensive development process Bahrain is experiencing. The minister also said the ministry would continue implementing HM King Hamads sound visions and directives by developing the national media system to be more capable and influential in highlighting the aspects of the progress and prosperity The Kingdom of Bahrain will host the 54th session of the Arab Information Ministers Council in 2024. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain has called for developing a consensus among UN member states on definitions and terminology related to terrorism. This call was made by Ambassador Nancy Abdulla Jamal, Chief of the Strategic Affairs Department at the Foreign Ministry, during a session held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA. Ambassador Jamal emphasised the importance of using terminologies that are suitable for different languages and cultures, as it would greatly contribute to collectively and efficiently confronting future threats. These remarks were made as part of the eighth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which took place at the UN Headquarters in New York. Ambassador Jamal further highlighted the success of regional efforts in establishing viable standards that are culturally appropriate. She pointed out that these efforts have applied an approach based on promoting religious principles and national values, as well as psychological and social safeguards. The Ambassador also highlighted the urgent need to find sustainable solutions to eradicate the sources of extremism by developing counter-narratives. She also brought to light the complex emerging challenges faced globally, underscoring the importance of addressing them effectively. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com A Bahraini court has handed down hefty fines and jail sentences to two people found guilty of smuggling drugs through Bahraini waters. One of the men received a life sentence, while the other is to spend 16 years in prison. Additionally, both men were fined BD10,000. According to the case files, the smugglers were involved in the transportation of 87 kilograms of hashish from Iran. Bahrain police arrested the culprits on a tip-off from the Anti-Drug Department at the Ministry of Interior. Further investigation revealed their involvement in an international drug smuggling network that targeted Bahrain through international waters. The network was found to be led by an Iranian national. The arrests took place during an undercover operation, where an agent in plain clothes established contact with the suspects and placed an order for BD2200 worth of hashish. Unaware of the trap set for them, the suspects agreed to meet in Sitra to finalise the deal. However, upon arrival, they were apprehended by police officers, who also seized five kilograms of hashish from their vehicle. During the subsequent interrogation, one of the men confessed to trafficking drugs within Bahrain under the instructions of the network's leader. He also revealed that the proceeds from the drug sales were handed over to another individual, who would then transfer the funds to the Iranian national through people operating religious tours. The second suspect was also arrested, and a significant amount of cash, believed to be proceeds from drug sales, was seized from him. Moreover, the police conducted a raid on the suspect's residence, where they discovered a substantial quantity of drugs. Overall, the operation led to the recovery of 87 kilograms of illicit drugs. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Charge dAffaires Hugo Guevara and the U.S. Embassy in Baku welcomed guests this evening at a ceremony marking the 247th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Attended by representatives of Azerbaijans government and civil society, as well as foreign diplomats and media, the annual 4th of July reception celebrated American road trips and showcased both the diversity of the American cultural landscape and the vibrant, multi-faceted cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan. The theme of this years event was the American Road Trip, featuring four cities emblematic of the United States geographical and cultural diversity: New York, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Guests experienced this rich diversity first-hand by sampling regional food and drink specialties and learning about the traditions and landscapes of Americans living in these metropolises. Formally launching the gathering, Charge dAffaires Guevara told the guests, When our nation first declared independence 247 years ago, few could have imagined that 13 small states in a far corner of the world would become a key friend and partner to countries around the globe. As we grew in strength and confidence, the United States resolved to be a positive force in the world. Representing the Government of Azerbaijan as the Guest of Honor was H.E. Samir Sharifov, Minister of Finance, who delivered congratulations on the occasion of Americas Independence Day. The Azerbaijani Musical Academy choir performed the American and Azerbaijani national anthems. The 2023 Independence Day celebration underscored the Embassys commitment to cooperating with Azerbaijan in such areas as advancing regional peace and stability, promoting European energy security, expanding bilateral trade and investment, building connections between people and expanding educational and English language opportunities, and combating transnational threats. Charge dAffaires Guevara stated: Over the past 30 years, Azerbaijan and the United States have become partners in many areas. The U.S. Embassy expresses its thanks to the companies and individuals that graciously donated to our Independence Day celebration. Their support was an invaluable part of our July 4th commemoration, and the United States appreciates this opportunity to bring together government of Azerbaijan counterparts, representatives from international and local businesses, NGOs, and private citizens to mark another fruitful year in a successful bilateral relationship. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com An oil engineer has been sentenced to four years in a Bahrain jail for the unauthorised disclosure of confidential information pertaining to a public company. The individual was also found guilty of laundering half a million Bahraini dinar. The court also imposed a fine of BD100,000 each on the engineer and the company involved in the money laundering activities. According to court documents, the suspect held a managerial position at a warehouse belonging to a public company in the Kingdom. Exploiting his authority, the individual accessed the warehouse to identify inventory shortages and illicitly traded this information with another company to gain an unfair advantage as a supplier. Police investigations revealed that the company implicated in these illegal activities was registered under the name of one of the accuseds relatives. Subsequently, the company secured contracts to supply materials to contractors responsible for providing maintenance services to the public company. Armed with insider information, the company was able to better understand the contractors needs. Reports indicate that the engineer began engaging in these practises in 2018 and continued unabated until his exposure in 2022. The Public Prosecution has also charged him with creating maintenance plans with the intention of favouring the company operated by his relatives. According to court files, the man profited approximately BD0.5 million through these illicit practises. VANCOUVER, BC, May 30, 2023 /CNW/ - Capella Minerals Ltd (TSXV: CMIL) (OTCQB: CMILF) (FRA: N7D2) ("Capella" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has been granted exploration permits covering five priority gold-copper ("Au-Cu") targets on its Northern Finland Gold-Copper project. The Company's initial priorities will be on the evaluation of potential extensions to Outokumpu Oy's former Saattopora gold-copper mining operation ("Saattopora W permit"), together with initial diamond drill testing of the historical gold-copper Bottom of Till ("BoT") geochemical anomalies defined by Anglo American plc in the Killero area ("Killero E permit") (Figure 1). Figure 1. Locations of the five granted exploration permits (Saattopora W, Keisunselka, Jolhikko, Katajavaara, and Killero E) within the Northern Finland Gold-Copper Project. (CNW Group/Capella Minerals Limited) Figure 2. Killero E target areas as defined by combined geochemical (BoT) and geophysical (drone magnetic survey data) anomalies. (CNW Group/Capella Minerals Limited) The Companys target areas lie adjacent to the Sirkka thrust zone, a well-mineralized structural corridor in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt which hosts a number of recent exploration discoveries (such as Rupert Resources' Ikkari gold project1). The granted exploration permits allow the Company to undertake more detailed field evaluations - including ground geophysical surveys and diamond drilling - within the individual target areas. Engagement with local communities / stakeholders to discuss upcoming work programs will also be a priority over the coming months. Capella currently holds a 70% interest in the five target areas through a Joint Venture ("JV") agreement signed with ASX-listed Cullen Resources Ltd (ASX: CUL)("Cullen")(see Company News Release dated August 24, 2021). Figure 1. Locations of the five granted exploration permits (Saattopora W, Keisunselka, Jolhikko, Katajavaara, and Killero E) within the Northern Finland Gold-Copper Project. 1 References made to nearby mines and analogous deposits provide context for the Northern Finland Gold-Copper project but are not necessarily indicative that these projects host similar tonnages or grades of mineralization. Eric Roth, Capellas President and CEO commented: "I am very pleased to be announcing today the granting of exploration permits over key gold & copper targets within our former Aakenus reservation. The granted areas include our priority Killero E target, which consists of an historical copper-gold BoT anomaly delineated by Anglo American plc but which never saw follow-up drill testing. Indeed, given that BoT values exceeding 110 parts per million ("ppm") copper are considered to be anomalous in this part of the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, the Killero E values of up to 5,962 ppm copper are truly significant. Given that drilling is optimally undertaken here under cold winter conditions, we currently expect first drilling of the Killero E anomaly to occur in Q1, 2024. I look forward to keeping all stakeholders updated as our exploration programs advance". Killero E Target Area The priority Killero E target area has been defined through a combination of: i) historical BoT gold-copper anomalies obtained from previous Anglo American plc exploration programs2, and ii) interpretation of data from the Companys own high-resolution drone magnetic survey completed in April 2022. The historical BoT data confirms an extensive copper-gold anomaly associated with a major NE-trending fault/shear zone, with the fault/shear zone also apparently displacing interpreted E-W trending mafic to ultramafic volcanic and/or intrusive rocks (Figure 2). Initial drilling will be designed to vector in to potential sources of the copper-gold anomalism. Figure 2. Killero E target areas as defined by combined geochemical (BoT) and geophysical (drone magnetic survey data) anomalies. 2 Historic geochemical results quoted for Killero are derived from GTK (Geological Survey of Finland) datasets. Whilst Capella has not performed sufficient work to verify the published data reported, the Company believes this information to be considered reliable and relevant. Qualified Persons and Disclosure Statement The technical information in this news release relating to the Northern Finland Gold-Copper project has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101, and approved by Eric Roth, the Company's President & CEO, a Director, and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Roth holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geology from the University of Western Australia, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr. Roth has 35 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation. On Behalf of the Board of Capella Minerals Ltd. "Eric Roth" ___________________________ Eric Roth, Ph.D., FAusIMM President & CEO About Capella Minerals Ltd Capella is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of quality mineral resource properties in favourable jurisdictions with a focus on European base and battery metals projects. In Norway, the Company's focus is on: i) the advanced exploration-stage Hessjgruva copper-cobalt project and the adjacent Kongensgruve and Kjli projects in the northern Rros mining district, Trndelag province, ii) the discovery of satellite high-grade copper-cobalt deposits around the past-producing Lkken copper mine, Trndelag province, and iii) the discovery of new copper-cobalt deposits in the former Vaddas-Birtavarre mining district of northern Norway. The Company is also exploring the Northern Finland Gold-Copper project in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, together with JV partner Cullen Resources Ltd (ASX: CUL). A total of five exploration permit have now been approved, including the priority Killero Cu-Au target. In central Finland, the Companys focus is on the discovery of lithium and rare-earth element deposits at both its Perho reservation, in addition to an extensive package of properties in the broader Keliber district through a JV with European Energy Metals Corp (formerly Hilo Mining)(TSXV: FIN). Capella also retains exposure to exploration success in precious metals projects through its active Canadian Joint Ventures with Prospector Metals Corp. (TSXV: PPP) at Savant (Ontario) and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd (formerly Yamana Gold Inc.) (TSX: AEM) (NYSE: AEM) at Domain (Manitoba). The Company also holds a 49% interest in the Sierra Blanca low sulfidation gold-silver project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, which is currently being explored by Austral Gold Ltd (TSXV: AGLD) (ASX: AGD). Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of Capella, including the timing, completion of and results from the exploration and drill programs described in this release. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Capella in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Capella's most recently filed MD&A. Capella does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Capella Minerals Limited For further information: Capella Contacts: Eric Roth, Email: [email protected]; Karen Davies, +1.604.314.2662 Prigozhin and Wagner have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader said on Saturday, in a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to President Vladimir Putins grip on power. This is being reported by Reuters. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for guarantees of safety for the rebels was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin said: They wanted to disband Wagner PMC. In a day, we walked less than 200 kilometres from Moscow. During this time, we did not shed a single drop of blood from our fighters. Now the moment has come when blood can be shed. Therefore, understanding all the responsibility for that Russian blood will be shed on one of the sides, we turn our columns and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan. Former supporter of Prigozhin about alleged agreement between Prigozhin and Russian authorities: "Now it's finally allowed to say the three things he's been promised. 1. Shoigu's resignation. 2. Amnesty for "musicians" [Wagner mercenaries]. 3. The possibility to return to pic.twitter.com/FMPiq1vUR1 Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 24, 2023 The rumor is that Defense Minister Shoigu has had to resign. With the statement of the President of Belarus, Lukashenka. that a deal was brokered. There has been de-escalation. Interesting Spaces about Wagner revolthttps://t.co/7B9WhNU4k5 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 24, 2023 Nextbigfuture believes that this will not be the end of the situation. Clearly, Putin will want to eliminate Prigozhin and Prigozhin knows this. Prigozhin has achieved independent control of Wagner for a time and has played for Russian public support. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. In a momentous stride towards deeper diplomatic ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarking on a significant two day state visit to Egypt on June 24-25, following an invitation from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. This visit holds immense significance, as it not only marks PM Modis inaugural trip to Egypt but also stands as the first official bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1997. While previous encounters have been sporadic and focused on multilateral events, this visit sets a new precedent for collaboration and mutual understanding. His journey to Egypt follows President el-Sisis recent visit to India as the esteemed chief guest on Republic Day, further cementing the foundation of amity between the two nations. The Indian Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Cairo from the US, the capital of Egypt, on the afternoon of June 24, commencing an itinerary that promises both substance and symbolism. The visit begins with Modi engaging with the India Unit, an exclusive assembly of high-level ministers personally assembled by President el-Sisi upon his return from India earlier this year. This strategic interaction will be followed by a meeting with the vibrant Indian community residing in Egypt, affording Modi the opportunity to connect with notable individuals from this close-knit Diaspora. On June 25, Modi will visit the awe-inspiring Al-Hakim Mosque, a magnificently refurbished 11th-century architectural marvel, courtesy of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In a gesture of reverence, the Prime Minister will pay homage to Indian soldiers who valiantly fought for Egypt during World War I, paying his respects at the hallowed Heliopolis war grave cemetery on Nabil el Wakkad Street. The focus of the visit lies in the official engagements at the Egyptian presidency, where he will engage in bilateral talks with President el-Sisi. This crucial exchange of ideas and aspirations is anticipated to culminate in the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements between the two nations, strengthening the foundations of collaboration across various domains. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, emphasizing the robust political exchanges between India and Egypt, highlighted the magnitude of ministerial-level interactions that have taken place. From previous visits by the Indian External Affairs Minister, Defense Minister, and Minister of Environment to reciprocal trips made by Egyptian government ministers, the stage has been set for an even more profound bond between these nations. Notably, in sync with the visit, a delegation led by the esteemed Chairperson of the Suez Canal Authority was in Delhi to identify further avenues of cooperation and opening new doors of opportunity. With an unwavering commitment to forging lasting partnerships and exploring untapped potential, this visit signifies a renewed era of collaboration and progress between two nations united in their pursuit of prosperity and peace. Men and women experience various hormonal changes as they age. Reduced testosterone levels brought on by ageing have been referred to as "male menopause" but is it the same as menopause? During menopause in women, ovulation ceases and hormone production declines in a relatively short time. The reduction in testosterone in men isnt the same as menopause in women. The term "male menopause" is not considered appropriate by medical professionals. Instead, they prefer to use "late-onset hypogonadism" or "age-related low testosterone" to describe the gradual decrease of testosterone levels in males. Decreased testosterone means a lower s__x drive and an inability to have spontaneous er3ctions or er3ctions at all. After the age of 40, a man's testosterone levels typically decrease by 1% every year. Despite the ageing process, most old men maintain testosterone levels within the normal range and only a minority of 10% to 25% have testosterone levels that are considered low. Many older men with low testosterone levels don't even know they have low testosterone. To find out, they need to carry out a blood test, but this is not very common. What are the signs and symptoms of "male menopause"? Mood swings Loss of muscle mass A decreased capacity for fat redistribution that leads to the appearance of "man boobs" (gynecomastia) or a huge abdomen An overall lack of excitement or energy Sleeplessness or weariness Short-term memory Lack of focus Hot flushes or sweats Low libido Breast discomfort or swelling What causes male menopause? Additionally, low testosterone is not the only cause of the symptoms and signs associated with male menopause. A person's age, medication, or other health issues, like having a high body mass, are contributory factors. Other causes include; Physical causes like smoking, diabetes or heart issues. Work-related problems, financial difficulties, concerns about relationships, worries about ageing parents, and feelings of inadequacy regarding achievements in personal or professional life can often lead to psychological distress, which may lead to a decrease in testosterone levels. Another possible cause is a "midlife crisis," which makes many men question their lives and become depressed. Can it be treated? While some people suggest hormone replacement therapy, it is an uncharted scientific territory that might have dire consequences. If the cause of low testosterone is psychological, many people suggest cognitive behavioural therapy to get rid of stress, anxiety and depression. France legend, Zinedine Zidane has named the player he would love to celebrate as a Ballon dOr winner. Zidane lavished praise on his compatriot, Kylian Mbappe, and wants the PSG star to be named the best player in the world. Mbappe is being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, a club where Zidane is a legend both as a player and a manager. Mbappe has informed PSG that he wont be extending his contract beyond next summer. Zidane wants to see Mbappe go on to win the Ballon dOr, telling Telefoot, I hope Kylian Mbappe wins many Ballon dOrs. I follow him, and I admire him. Kylian Mbappe is among the frontrunners for the 2023 Ballon dOr award, following a stellar year for club and country. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has debunked some media reports that the Federal Government has lifted the ban on vehicle importation through the Seme border. Mr Hussaini Abdullahi, Customs Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Seme Area Command, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Seme, Lagos State. Abdullahi explained that the service had not made such a pronouncement at all,though a proposal was written by some freight forwarders to the Federal Government following an advice from Prince Ademola Adegoroye, the then Minister of States for Transportation. He said that the former minister had visited the border to inaugurate some projects sometime in February when the freight forwarders put up a complaint to him about how the ban had affected them. He added that the minister had advised the freight forwarders and members of the border community then to put their requests in writing. The Customs spokesman said that a recent visit by the Director of Road Transport in the Ministry of Transportation, Ibrahim Musa, only confirmed that the letter by the freight forwarders had been received and acted upon by the ministry by forwarding it to higher authority. NAN reports that Seme border was among the four land borders reopened by Federal Government on Dec.16, 2020 by the then Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed. Before reopening the four land borders, the Federal Government had on Aug. 21, 2019, ordered the closure of Nigerian borders to curb smuggling of goods and weapons. (NAN) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. California-based HP seeks to ramp up manufacturing in India, not only in terms of volume but also to produce new items in Asias third-largest economy that is seeking to lure manufacturers via incentives to bolster local output. We have been manufacturing in India for a long time. We have augmented and invested extra to increase the capacity of our products being produced in the country, Vickram Bedi, Senior Director (Personal Systems), HP India, told ET Online. HP manufactures laptop models such as HP EliteBooks, HP ProBooks, HP G8 series notebooks, keyboards, and mouses in India. The Indian government recently approved a Rs 17,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the IT hardware segment. New Delhi will provide incentives to eligible manufacturers for the production of items including laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, servers, and ultra-small form factor devices. HP does not have a ceiling when it comes to investments, said Bedi. While talking about future investments by HP, Bedi said they are ready for huge investments if it leads to customer satisfaction in India. HP's senior director also said the company will be increasing the number of Omen Playgrounds it has. OMEN Playground is the gaming community for PC Gamers created by HP where different products by the company are available. We are going to increase the number of playgrounds to 40 from 12 in different parts of the country, said Bedi. Ned Nwoko, businessman and senator representing Delta north, says he was supposed to join the tourists who lost their lives in an underwater trip to see the Titanic wreck. Nwoko spoke on Friday in a post via his Instagram while mourning Hamish Harding, a British businessman and his friend who was among the five passengers aboard Titan, the missing submersible. The US Coast Guard (USCG) said the passengers died from a catastrophic implosion after debris believed to be from Titan was found near the Titanic, four days after its disappearance. Nwoko said he was heartbroken by the loss and described Harding as a man who loved adventures and challenges. The senator said he and the deceased businessman had gone on a few exploits together and were meant to go and see the Titanic wreck via the Titan but he opted out owing to national duties. We both went on a very dangerous expedition to the Southpole Antarctica a few years back. He was a gulf stream pilot who flew across the world in a record-breaking expedition by Guinness world record for circumnavigation of the earth some years ago, Nwoko said. He descended into the Mariana. He also invited me on his space shuttle last year and this very Titan ill-fated adventure but I was tied down with national duties. Above all, he was a partner in the various researches into the eradication of malaria in Africa project. He was very enthusiastic about it and always gave his support at every given opportunity. His last message to me was this last Sunday when he told me they were ready to dive into the Titanic if the weather permits. He loved adventure and challenges. My heart bleeds for his dear wife and kids who have become family friends over the years. We will surely miss his wealth of experience. Also aboard Titan were Shahzada Dawood, a prominent Pakistani man and his teenage son Suleman; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French diver, and Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, the ocean exploration company responsible for the Titanic tour. The Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal, on Friday, upheld the conviction of Senator Bassey Albert Akpan on money laundering charges by a Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and ordered his arrest. Justice Agatha Okeke had, on December 1, 2022, found Akpan, then governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, guilty of seven counts of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Okeke, however, sentenced Akpan to 42 years imprisonment without an option of a fine. Akpan was prosecuted on allegation of receiving vehicles valued at N240 million as bribes from companies linked to one Olajide Omokore, a contractor who executed an N3billion contract for the Government of Akwa Ibom State whilst the senator was Commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Direct Labour Coordinating Committee. The offence contravenes Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. However, dissatisfied with the judgment, Akpan, on December 29, 2022, approached a Vacation Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, presided over by Justice S. I. Mark of the Federal High Court and secured a post-conviction bail on health grounds. But upon his release from prison, Akpan continued with his campaign to be governor of Akwa Ibom State and subsequently approached the Appellate Court in Calabar to set aside the judgment of Justice Okeke. While arguing against the appeal, counsel to the EFCC, Ekele Iheanacho, urged the court to uphold the judgment of the lower Court, dismiss the appeal and revoke the said bail granted to Akpan on the grounds that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and the charge was validly filed. Delivering judgment on Friday, the three-man panel of the Appellate Court, led by Justice Raphael Chikwe Agbo, upheld the conviction of Akpan, but varied the sentence by granting the appellant an option of fine. The Appeal Court also affirmed that the appellant should restitute the sum of N240 million to the Federal Government through the EFCC and that the said restitution shall not be a prerequisite for his release from the correctional facility. The Court finally revoked the bail and ordered the arrest of Akpan. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, has been criticized over a photograph she posted from leadership summit in Paris, France. Okonjo-Iweala had posted a photograph where President Bola Tinubu was alleged to have been cropped out. Tinubu attended the summit for A New Global Financing Pact convened by the French President, Emmanuel Macron. The summit afforded Tinubu the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. However, the photograph posted by Okonjo-Iweala has generated controversy on social media. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adamu Garba, criticized Okonjo-Iweala for posting the photograph. Garba said the former Nigerian Minister of Finance cant spite at Tinubu with such a photograph. Taking to their Twitter handles, some Nigerians wrote. Garba: If she like, let her not acknowledge or recognize the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The same Nigeria that did everything for her to become who she is today, the leader of same party, APC, which gave her the wherewithal to get her current office as DG of WTO. If doing so is to spite Tinubu as a person, she should know that Tinubu is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whoever spites at him has done so against the government and the people of Nigeria. And we noted that. Indeed, rebellion is the greatest of all sins. @LydiaTeeanaJaja: Wow so she literally cropped out the part President Tinubu was showing. God cannot be mocked and thats why Peter Obi can never be President of Nigeria. The Igbos will learn the hard way. @jadesolar_01: This is Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who became the DG of WTO with the support of the APC administration, today she went for a summit in France and intentionally cropped out President Tinubu from all her pictures, the south Easterners are the most dangerous people to share country with. Iya agbaya like you, the hatred all of you have for south west will end up consuming you, whether you like it or not Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is your president for the next 8 years, and as far as Nigeria is concerned, no Igbo man will ever become the president of this great Nation. . Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation, has berated supporters of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi (Obidients) for fighting dirty over her photos with President Bola Tinubu and other leaders at the Paris Summit. Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, in a tweet on Saturday evening, wondered why APC and Obidient trolls had read many meanings into her photos, lamenting how polarised Nigeria is. Nigerians, please relax! Re Paris, Interesting attacks from both sides. Sadly shows the depth of polarisation in our society. I post photos in the order received by accompanying staff or colleagues. Reading more into it is unwarranted. Lets unite to build our country not attack!, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala tweeted on Saturday evening. Earlier on Saturday, she shared photos of herself, Mr Tinubu and other leaders at the Paris Summit, sparking reactions and counter-reactions from supporters of APC and the Obidient movement. Before she shared the photos, Obidients had claimed Mrs Okonjo-Iweala snubbed Mr Tinubu at the summit, while APC/Tinubu supporters said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala shared her photo with Mr Tinubu to counter the oppositions stance. The February 25th presidential election has left the country divided as supporters of both the APC and Mr Obi have continued to heat up the polity months after the election. On March 1, the Independent National Electoral (INEC) declared Mr Tinubu winner while Mr Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party protested INECs failure to upload results on its server in real time. Both oppositions are challenging Mr Tinubus victory at the presidential election petition court (PEPC) President Vladimir Putin called Yevgeny Prigozhins mutiny a betrayal of his country and people and vowed to quell it. Everything that weakens Russia should be thrown aside, the Russian leader said in a televised address to the nation exactly 16 months after he announced the invasion of Ukraine. He added that the action against what he called rebels will be tough, and the army and law enforcement had received the necessary orders. Russia will react harshly, said Putin, wearing a sober black tie and suit. Calling the Wagner rebellion a treasonous stab in the back of Moscows troops, Putin minced no words as he addressed the nation about the man who was once his caterer. The Russian leader admitted the situation in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don was complicated but said that the state will defend itself and repel the effort. Putin spoke as Yevgeny Prigozhin said early Saturday that he and his fighters had effectively taken control of Rostov-on-Don, the southern Russian city where the headquarters for the war in Ukraine are based. In a video posted to his social media, Prigozhin threatened to blockade the city and head for Moscow unless Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, come to see him in Rostov. President Bola Tinubu has finally spoken about the suspension and subsequent arrest of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. Tinubu had on June 9, suspended Emefiele to allow for investigation into some allegations leveled against the CBN former governor. Emefiele was subsequently arrested in Lagos State and flown to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by the Department of State Services where he is being interrogated. Speaking on the whole issue, Tinubu during an interactive session with Nigerians residing in France and neighbouring countries on Friday, said the financial system was rotten under Emefiele. The President revealed that many of those living outside the country were unable to send money to their parents and relatives due to the multiple exchange rates, saying that is gone now. He said: Then the financial system was rotten. Few people made bags of money and then you yourself, you stopped sending money home to our poor parents. Several windows. But that is gone now. Its gone. The man is in the hands of the authorities. Something is being done about that. They will sort themselves out. President Bola Tinubu on Saturday departed France for London. This was disclosed in a statement by Tinubus special Adviser on special duties, communications and strategy, Dele Alake. Tinubu had on Friday concluded his official trip to Paris, France, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The summit afforded Tinubu the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. The Nigerian leader, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit. Tinubu will be back to Nigeria in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. Reno Omokri, a socio-political activist, has insisted that President Bola Tinubu attended and graduated from the Chicago State University. On Friday, the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, admitted in evidence a transcript in aid of admission into Chicago State University made by South West College in the name of Tinubu, who was identified as a female gender. The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party tendered the document along with other documents to prove the allegations in their joint petition challenging Tinubus declaration as the winner of the February 25 presidential election. Reacting, Omokri cautioned the PDP, saying Tinubu should not be attacked based on lies because God will lift him above his attackers. The staunch ally of Atiku stressed that Tinubu graduated with honours from the Chicago State University. Tweeting, Omokri wrote: I worked for Waziri Atiku Abubakar to win. I pray he unseats Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court. And I am not pursuing any political appointment or job offer from Tinubu. However, it is false to assert that Bola Tinubu did not attend Chicago State University. I went there physically. I did a video broadcast from their campus. I met their officials. Tinubu attended and graduated from Chicago State University with honours, and they even have a photo of him in their alumni office as one of their most accomplished alumni. Not only did I go there physically to expose Tinubu (only to find out that he attended), I also asked their registry to put what they told me in writing. Attached is the letter they gave me. You can also go there physically, as I did, or email or phone them if you doubt this letter given to me. The man is no saint. His past cartel links indelibly taint him. But let us be fair, honest and transparent as we oppose him. If we attack Tinubu based on lies, God will just disappoint us further and appoint him greater. President Bola Tinubu has welcomed an investment of $520m in specialised agro-processing zones by the African Development Bank. He praised the President of the multilateral institution, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, for further opening up the economy for investments that provide job opportunities and poverty reduction. In a statement signed on Saturday by the Presidents Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, Dele Alake, Tinubu said this when he received Dr. Adesina after the two-day summit on A New Global Financing Pact in Paris. The statement is titled President Tinubu applauds AfDBs $520m investment in agro-industries. Tinubu said the agro-industrial project strengthens an area of Nigerias competitive advantage as he listed other areas of priority that require Foreign Direct Investment. He thanked the AfDB President for his vision of setting up a Youth Entrepreneurship Bank in Nigeria that will provide credit, skills, and other support for young Nigerians. However, he urged the Bank to inject funds into projects that target women and youth empowerment. President Tinubu assured Dr. Adesina that the Federal Government would provide all the necessary assistance to ensure the sustenance of the projects, adding that electricity remained a priority area that needed urgent attention. In his remarks, the AfDB helmsman thanked the Nigerian leader for the bold initiatives that had repositioned the Nigerian economy in three weeks and stimulated the appetite of investors from different parts of the world; removal of fuel subsidy and harmonisation of exchange rates. I commend the Presidents foresight, boldness, and determination for macroeconomic policy direction by removing the fuel subsidy, he said. Adding that No bird can fly with its wings tied behind. All those steps are signals investors like, Adesina said. Dr. Adesina said the bank would support the economic policies of the new administration in Nigeria, which had placed the people first in development targets. In another meeting, President Tinubu received executives of Airbus/ATR and assured them that the aviation sector would be streamlined for efficiency, especially in the maintenance of aircraft and training. Senior Vice President of Airbus/ATR, Public Affairs, Laurent Domergue, assured Tinubu that the company was prepared to invest in the aviation sector, particularly in supplying planes to Nigeria. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, says the rebellion of Wagner Group, a private mercenary force in Russia, has revealed the full-scale weakness of the Kremlin. In a post on his Twitter account on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the mercenary groups actions had unmasked the stupidity of the Russian government. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner Group, had announced that he would be mobilising his troops against the Russian military and President Vladmir Putin. Prigozhin said his fighters had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and would destroy anyone in their way, including roadblocks and aircraft. The group had been fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine. Reacting to the development, Zelenskyy said Russia is in so much chaos that no lie can hide it. He said the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists, Zelenskyy wrote. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive Shahed drones. Who despises people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. And all this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917, although he is able to result in nothing else but this. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. We keep our resilience, unity and strength. Putin has described the mercenary groups rebellion as a stab in the back. He also called the uprising a betrayal and treason. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin has updated his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on the developments involving the private military company Wagner in southern Russia. Following this, the leaders of both countries have reached an agreement on collaborative measures, Trend reports. Building upon the established agreements, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held discussions with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, with the consent of President Putin. These negotiations, spanning the entire day, resulted in an accord emphasizing the prevention of a violent conflict within Russian territory. Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko's proposal to halt the movement of Wagner's armed forces in Russia and take additional steps to alleviate tensions. Currently, a mutually beneficial and satisfactory resolution to the situation is being explored, ensuring the security of the Wagner fighters. The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has denied that it invited the immediate past governor of the state, Nyesom Wike to join the party. APC described those making the claims and the calls for Wike to join their party as imposters. The party in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, said Wike is ashamed of joining the same party he had described as cancer. Nwauju said the terror unleashed on APC members during Wikes administration is enough evidence to confirm that Wike has no business with Rivers State APC. The Spokesman of APC, therefore, disassociated the leadership of the party from any so-called stakeholders meeting, suggesting that the party and its benefits be handed over to Wike. He dared anyone to provide video evidence of Wike campaigning openly for the APC in the state in the just concluded election. Nwauju reiterated the partys resolve to lend one hundred percent support to the policies and programs of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu. The statement, however, warned those they described as blackmailers to desist from the shameless tradition of using the name of the APC to curry favor from, desperate politicians seeking relevance at the centre. Disney is offering a top-of-the-line vacation package for luxury travelers starting in 2024. Disney, which is known for its theme parks and resorts worldwide, organizes extravagant vacation packages through the Adventures by Disney tour business. Their latest offering is a travel package called Disney Parks Around the World: A Private Jet Adventure, which is already taking bookings for 2024. The 24-day trip will take travelers on a private jet through six countries and 12 Disney parks. They will also make stops at three world landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza and The Taj Mahal. Plus, guests will have private tours, behind-the-scenes access at most locations and accommodations in luxury hotels. Disney recommends travelers be at least 14 years old to come on the trip. However, the company will allow guests as young as 12 to tag along. This globe-trotting adventure starts in Disneyland California and ends at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Those interested in the trip will have two dates to choose from in 2024: June 16 or July 28. Pricing for this once-in-a-lifetime journey starts at $114,995. You can learn more about the trip here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. Jandry Estrada was walking past the old St. James Hospital in Newarks Ironbound neighborhood when he paused to reflect on the sporadic pace of work to convert the building into a public high school that the district would lease from its private developer. I did see some, Estrada, 20, a junior at Kean University in Union, said Thursday, referring to work on the building. Last week, two, three weeks ago. As Estrada and several neighbors suggested, contractors have continued to work on the building, albeit at a sporadic pace, since the state intervened last year following complaints that workers were underpaid. For example, new windows and metal framing in the five-story buildings upper floors were visible above a solid fence surrounding the site, obscuring any progress made on the ground level. But an ongoing investigation by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development that has included stop-work orders on the project has slowed the project, and action this week by the Newark Board of Education signaled that the schools opening, originally projected for this September, would be pushed back as much as 16 months. Newark Schools Superintendent Roger Leon confirmed on Friday that the opening of the new building, the High School of Architecture and Interior Design, would be delayed for at least one full school year. You could say September 24, Leon said. Referring to a briefing from staffers, he added, Were having a meeting about it on Tuesday when I should have a better idea. The project drew widespread attention last year not only because of the labor issues but also for the projects unusual financial structure, in which a private developer, Manhattan-based Summit Assets, will convert the old hospital into a school building, retain ownership and lease it to the Newark Public Schools district. At Tuesday nights school board meeting, the members approved a resolution extending the length and increasing the amount of the contract with Remington & Vernick Engineers Inc. of Cherry Hill for construction management services on the project. Despite the resolutions language, Leon said the firm was not the project manager and was responsible only for ensuring that contractors abide by design specifications, not construction methods, labor practices, or timetables. The 7-1 vote extended the contract with Remington & Vernick from an initial period beginning May 26, 2022, and ending Sept. 30, 2023, to a new ending date of Dec. 31, 2024. The amended contract includes an increase of $446,754 in the maximum amount of the contract, for a new total of up to $1,118,754. Board President Asia Norton and members Josephine Garcia, ADorian Murray-Thomas, Hasani Council, Vereliz Santana, Daniel Gonzalez and Allison James-Frison voted for the contract extension. Crystal Williams cast the no-vote. Norton, as president, acts as a spokesperson for the board but declined to comment. Williams did not respond to a request for comment. New windows and interior metal framing visible above a ground-level fence are among the work done on the planned High School of Architecture and Design in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood since the state issued three stop-work orders on the project last fall.Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com The delayed opening comes after the labor department began issuing stop-work orders on the project last September, following complaints that the developer and contractors failed to pay workers prevailing wages. The department also concluded that the companies had not registered with the state to work on public projects. Three stop-work orders were issued as part of an ongoing investigation, Angela Della-Santi, a spokesperson for the labor department, said in an email Thursday. The Labor Department will not comment further at this time. The department was acting on multiple complaints from Local 3 of the Laborers International Union of North America, or LiUNA, after non-union workers told its organizers they were paid a fraction of what the law required. Local 3 Business Manager Paul Roldan said the project is an example of why developers should use union labor. The lesson is, youre not going to have any sort of job hindrance, he said. Youre not going to have any kind of slowdowns because the labor department is running an investigation. Leon said the construction manager on this project was 155 Jefferson LLC, the Summit Assets subsidiary named for the buildings address. Summit principal Albert Nigri said Thursday that he was traveling in Morocco and was unaware of the projects status or the status of the labor departments investigation, and he declined to comment. Last year Nigri threatened to withdraw from the project amid labor complaints and broader questions about his lease agreement with the district, though he remains involved. Under a lease agreement signed in December 2021 by Nigri and the board president at the time, Dawn Haynes, the district would begin leasing space in the building upon completion of its conversion into the high school. The agreement calls for Summit to pay $78 million to convert the hospital and for the district to make $144 million in lease payments to Summit over 20 years. In a May 2022 announcement of the new schools creation, Leon said the school would open this September, starting with a freshman class, then add one grade per year until reaching a 9-12 configuration in 2026. The school would offer classes in plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical systems, and other building trades. The former St. James Hospital in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood, as it looked in August 2022, early on its conversion to the planned Newark High School of Architecture and Design.Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com Nobody knows Jersey better than N.J.com. Sign up to get breaking news alerts straight to your inbox. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com The highest appellate court in New Jersey ruled Thursday that a state trooper conducted an unauthorized search and seizure in 2016 when he searched a suspects vehicle after smelling marijuana. The 28-page decision written by Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis said the state trooper did not have probable cause when he pulled over Cornelius Cohen on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2016 and searched his entire vehicle, eventually locating a rifle, a revolver, and a duffle bag with hollow point bullets. Since the search was illegal, the evidence seized from it must be suppressed, the state Supreme Court ruled this week. Although the courts recognize the smell of marijuana constitutes probable cause that a criminal offense has been committed and that additional contraband might be present, the state troopers search in this case exceeded the scope of a legal search, according to the New Jersey Supreme Court. A generalized smell of raw marijuana does not justify a search of every compartment of an automobile, Pierre-Louis wrote. Cohen was traveling northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike on Jan. 17, 2016 when State Trooper Charles Travis noticed his vehicle matched the description of a be on the lookout, or BOLO email, based on a tip that Cohen would be traveling to South Carolina to pick up firearms and bring them back to New Jersey, according to court documents. Travis pulled over the vehicle and upon approach, noticed a strong odor of raw marijuana and observed greenish-brown vegetation on the drivers beard, according to court testimony. Cohen and his passenger were handcuffed while Travis began searching the vehicle. He started with the passenger glove compartment, where he recovered a 9mm spent shell casing, court records show. Travis then opened the vehicles hood and searched the engine compartment, where he found a rifle and a revolver, according to court records. Travis also searched the trunk, where he found a duffle bag containing hollow point bullets. No marijuana was recovered from the car, the passenger, or Cohen himself. Cohen moved to suppress the evidence seized during the car search, but trial court denied his motion. The appellate division affirmed the trial courts ruling in 2022. The case was then appealed to the state Supreme Court. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court disagreed with previous rulings that justified the search. Expanding the search to the engine compartment and trunk went beyond the scope of the automobile exception, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled. Although the trooper smelled marijuana in the passenger compartment of the car, his initial search yielded no results and provided no justification to extend the zone of the...search further than the persons of the occupants or the interior of the car. As a result, the seized evidence should be suppressed, the court ruled. Cohen entered a conditional guilty plea for unlawful possession of a weapon and was sentenced to five years imprisonment with 42 months parole ineligibility. His sentence has been stayed pending appeal. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com. The body of a New Jersey man killed in an avalanche while mountain climbing in Washington state during the winter was recovered on Friday, officials said. Yun Park, a 66-year-old resident of Palisades Park in Bergen County, was one of three climbers killed as as a group of six attempted to scale Colchuck Peak. A hiker found Parks body on Thursday afternoon and reported it to local authorities when he she returned that evening, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said. A helicopter rescue team recovered Park at about 11:15 a.m. Friday using a hoist capable helicopter, officials said. Park was the last of the three mountain climbers killed to be recovered. A 60-year-old New York City woman Jeannie Lee, of Bayside, Queens was found on May 29 by a Chelan County Mountain Rescue volunteer on a personal trip. Seong Cho, a 53-year-old Korean national residing in West Hartford, Connecticut, was also killed. His body was also previously recovered. Park was among six people trying to climb Colchuck Peak when the lead climber triggered the avalanche at about 1 p.m. on Feb. 19, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said. Four climbers were swept 500 feet down the couloir a step narrow gully. The fourth hiker, a 56-year-old New York man, suffered injuries not considered life-threatening and was able to hike back to base camp with the remaining two hikers, a 36-year-old man from New Jersey and a 53-year-old Connecticut man, the sheriffs office said. The sheriffs office said 22 recovery workers responded, but avalanche conditions were too dangerous for several days to continue looking for the hikers. The climbers were part of a New York-based hiking group, according to the Seattle Times. Colchuck Peak has an elevation of 8,705 feet and is at the south end of Colchuck Lake, about eight miles south of Leavenworth and 114 miles east of Seattle. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com Solo Stove is offering big discounts on its smokeless fire pits during its 4th of July Sale. The company is giving up to 40% off fire pits during the sales event, including the 27-inch diameter Yukon 2.0 model and the compact Mesa unit that has a 5.1 inch diameter. Solo Stove also has fire pit accessories, such as lids, stands and shelters, discounted. Free shipping and returns are available from the retailer with delivery by July 4th if ordered by Sunday, June 25. Heres a look at some of the top deals offered during Solo Stoves 4th of July Sale. Solo Stove Fire Pits Solo Stove Accessories Find more deals from the 4th of July Sale at Solo Stove. RELATED STORIES ABOUT SHOPPING TIPS AND DEALS: Amazon deals: Anker chargers are discounted up to 44% off The Barbie movie: 16 Barbiecore essentials you can buy online ahead of the film release Amazon deals: Grills and accessories on sale for up to 63% off Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Dawn Magyar can be reached at dmagyar@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. A 72-year-old man who shot and killed his former girlfriend following an argument in Atlantic City nearly three years ago will spend the rest of his life in state prison, authorities said. Maximo Santiago was sentenced Friday to 40 years and would have to serve 34 years before he is eligible for parole, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said. Santiago shot Marketa Thorpe, 32, with a rifle on a porch on Belfield Avenue on Sept. 12, 2020 after she swung a plastic broom at him, officials said. He was arrested shortly after the shooting. Santiago, of Atlantic City, was convicted of murder and two weapons offenses in March following a week-long trial. Authorities called Santiago a dangerous recidivist who has committed violent crime against women. Santiago was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in 1975, according to BreakingAC.com. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com A passenger in a car was killed and the driver seriously injured and in a two-vehicle crash at an intersection in Atlantic County early Saturday, authorities said. A vehicle traveling east on Route 40 in Buena Vista collided with a a car headed south on Route 54 shortly before 1 a.m., according to State Police. A woman in the southbound Honda Civic identified as Ada M. Roman, 36, of Vineland died of her injuries. The driver, a 41-year-old Vinland man, was seriously injured. The driver of the other vehicle, a 62-year-old New Castle, Delaware man, suffered minor injures, a State Police spokesman said. The crash remains under investigation. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Two people aboard a motorcycle were killed Friday night in South Jersey when a pickup truck struck the bike at an intersection, authorities said. The 22-year-old man driving the pickup was turning from Union Road onto eastbound Genoa Avenue in Vineland when his vehicle struck the northbound motorcycle shortly after 8:30 p.m., Vineland police said. Michael Wolfe, 66, and his passenger Olga Roig, 54, both of Vineland, were pronounced dead at the scene. Police didnt immediately say in which direction the pickup was traveling. No charges have been filed, though the crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Vineland Police Officer Paul Cifuentes at 856-691-4111. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. Sobha Realty, a leading luxury real estate developer in the UAE, has announced the launch of its uber luxurious Sky Edition within its residential project Sobha SeaHaven. A high-end project, Sky Edition offers an exclusive collection of 33 units, with two four-bedroom units and one three-bedroom unit per floor, all featuring high ceilings and marble flooring. With only three expansive units per floor and residents by invitation, the latest edition reinforces luxury living experiences of the flagship development by providing residents from floors 49 to 59 of Tower A with 270 degrees view of the Dubai Harbour, Palm Jumeirah and Marina skyline along with a range of exclusive amenities, stated the developer. Sky Edition at Sobha SeaHaven promises flagship features such as exclusive lobbies and lifts for apartments 49 to 59, along with two floors of dedicated rooftop amenities including an infinity pool, rooftop clubhouse, and separate access to community features sky lounge, restaurant, cafe and more. The Dubai developer pointed out that three towers of SeaHaven are surrounded by a mesmerising expanse of sea views, natural landscapes, and views of the citys iconic landmarks, such as Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Harbour, Ain Dubai and the regal Burj Al Arab. All towers of SeaHaven offer one- to three-bedroom apartments with smart home automation, state-of-the-art home appliances and more, it stated. Ravi Menon, Co-Chairman of Sobha Realty said: "We strive to create unique experiences and our latest Sky Edition at Sobha SeaHaven reflects our commitment to promising an ultra-luxury lifestyle for our customers. The Sobha SeaHaven towers are meticulously designed in accordance with our philosophy of Art of Detail, as part of the Sobha Realty brand ethos to exceed the evolving needs of modern residents." "Our team of experts at Sobha Realty consistently work towards promoting finesse with the goal of raising the bar in the real estate industry," he noted. "In line with this, the Sobha SeaHaven master development, along with the latest Sky Edition at Sobha SeaHaven, is positioned to offer residents a luxurious lifestyle with exquisite amenities such as a serviced club lounge, multipurpose hall, outdoor cinema, and an infinity edge pool facing the harbour, among other flagship facilities," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Management company White Hill Capital, which runs the Tumar venture fund, is reporting the placement of its first million USD in two start-ups of 500 thousand each - Kazakhstan's CODIPLAY and Tajikistan's Zypl.ai. CODIPLAY, a gamified project to teach children programming, was created less than two years ago by young Kazakh developers. Besides the mobile app, the team launched CodiKit to create IoT projects based on robotics. CodiTeach, the resource for schools and education centres with online teacher development courses, was developed to monitor the learning process of schoolchildren. Today, schoolchildren from Kazakhstan and South Korea are learning to program on the basis of CodiPlay. Plans are underway to introduce a comprehensive system in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, UAE and Turkey (Turkiye). Zypl.ai is a pioneer in the use of synthetic data to optimise the loan portfolio - the concept of personalising loans according to customer needs. The SaaS platform enables financial institutions to scale their lending processes across all macro cycles. Using a proprietary synthetic data generator, zypl.ai provides stable and adaptable artificial intelligence models that are resistant to stress and changing macroeconomic conditions, solving a key problem for banks and microfinance companies in emerging markets. Aslan Sultanov, managing partner of White Hill Capital and CEO of Tumar VF noted: We focused on a number of sectors this season, including EdTech and Fintech, which have great growth potential in international markets and have a socially significant impact on countries. We started with cheques starting at half a million dollars. I should note that both deals were closed in one month. White Hill Capital in Kazakhstan manages the Tumar venture fund. The fund operates offices in Almaty, Astana and Abu Dhabi. Short-term plans include opening an office in Baku. The fund is currently worth around $50 million. Tumar is the largest private venture capital fund in Kazakhstan. New York comedian Gianmarco Soresi tried to find a silver lining in the pandemic, but it wasnt easy. The thing about the pandemic, so often I am like, Oh, all the things Id do if I had all the time in the world? he says. And then I did, and I accomplished nothing. I didnt learn a second language. I did not learn to cook. But Soresi did record his first comedy special in fall 2020. Shelf Life captured an outdoor show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for a small, masked audience grouped in pods. He told them he wasnt afraid to do the taping, because on TV, the star of a show always survives. Hes touring again, and his first ever performance in New Orleans is at The Howlin Wolf on Saturday, July 1. Austin comic Sean Reilly opens. Doing Shelf Life was welcome relief from early pandemic shows on Zoom and at outdoor venues like rooftops and parking lots, he says. They were tough, he says. Shows in big open fields where dogs were running around. There were daytime shows, and I am doing Catholic priest jokes. There were shows in parking lots for people staying in their cars honking their horns instead of laughing. In the special, Soresi did some timely material about life during the pandemic. I had a roommate who I didnt really know, and whenever he came back to the apartment, it was like accusing your ex of having an affair, he says in the show. Youre like, Where have you been? Did you wear a mask? Theres a dark streak running through the show and his humor. He delves into being between his parents in their divorce, situations with incestuous suggestions, pedophile priest jokes (Like the victims, they never get old.) and more. What I like about standup is if we have dark thoughts that we keep to ourselves, it can be funny if someone says something and you already have that dark thought, he says. He also shares self-deprecating humor about protesting gentrification in Harlem, while living in an apartment across from a Whole Foods on Malcolm X Boulevard in the neighborhood. There also are jokes about the Titanic followed by bits about James Camerons Titanic film. Soresi cohosts a podcast, The Downside, with Russell Daniels, who currently is in a popular off-Broadway musical Titanique, starring a Tina Turner-like character as the iceberg. Black Girl Giggles Comedy Festival returns to New Orleans venues June 29-July 2 The festival will feature more than 60 Black women comics in more than 15 showcases, themed shows and other events. Soresi pursued a stage career before he discovered a knack for standup and talking straight to the audience. But he sometimes delivers jokes with the boundless cheer of musical theater. He has appeared on TV and films including Hustlers and Here Today. The Downside podcast features comics and people from various professions sharing things that bother them. I want people to talk about the things that they complain about, he says. I want people to admit the things they are unhappy with. I have had on comedians, a chef, a person who worked at a morgue, a taxidermist. This will be his second visit to New Orleans. He says he came to a bachelor party here that he doesnt remember. I went for it, he says of the weekend. The bar had a drink they just called Purple. It was absinthe and the color purple. I have never felt so drunk in my entire life. The pictures look like I had a good time. Gianmarco Soresi performs at 7 p.m. July 1 at The Howlin Wolf. Find tickets at thehowlinwolf.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Governor of the Rostov region of the Russian Federation Vasily Golubev urged residents to remain calm and refrain from leaving their homes if necessary, the governor wrote in his Telegram channel, Trend reports. He noted that the current situation requires maximum mobilization of efforts to maintain order, and law enforcement agencies are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of residents of the region. A New Orleans man accused of rape, threatening and illegally recording video of victims, including a juvenile, has been arrested, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said Friday. Deputies booked Dekunta Mason, 21, at the parish jail in Gretna with third-degree rape, extortion, video voyeurism and indecent behavior with juveniles. A judge on Thursday issued a protective order for each victim, mandated by Louisiana in abuse cases, and forbade Mason to possess a gun. The Sheriff's Office didn't enumerate the victims or provide their ages or any other details about the alleged crimes. But a spokesperson said evidence shows there are more victims who have yet to be identified. Magistrate Commissioner Paul Schneider set Mason's bail at $500,000 during a Gwens Law hearing, a proceeding that assesses the potential threat of an accused domestic abuser. Schneider decided not to hold Mason without bail, on the condition that he be placed under home incarceration if he bonds out of jail. His attorney, Sarah Chervinsky, asked the court for a preliminary hearing and a bail reduction hearing. Anyone with information about Mason or other potential victims was asked to call detective Kristen Hollis at (504) 364-5265. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. The government of the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation reported that a convoy of military equipment is moving along the M-4 "Don" federal highway, the regional government announced in its Telegram channel, Trend reports. Residents of the Voronezh region are asked to temporarily avoid using this road and individual vehicles. "A convoy of military equipment is moving along the federal highway M-4 "Don". We ask all residents of the Voronezh region to temporarily not use the federal highway M-4 "Don" and individual vehicles," noted in the regional government. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Anti-terrorist measures are being held in Moscow, mayor of the capital of Russia Sergey Sobyanin wrote in his Telegram channel, Trend reports. "In connection with the incoming information, antiterrorist measures are being taken in Moscow aimed at strengthening security measures. Additional road controls introduced. It is possible to limit the holding of public events. Please be considerate of the measures taken," he wrote. Cleveland-Cliffs has been substantially reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said. Goncalves recently tested at the Congressional Steel Caucus's State of Steel hearing that the company was making significant progress toward reducing its carbon impact contributing to climate change. The company reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 32% last year as compared to a 2017 baseline. Cleveland-Cliffs aimed to reduce carbon emissions by 25% by 2030. But it far exceeded that goal, Goncalves said. "Due to our decision made in 2018 to spend $1 billion to build a state-of-the-art Direct Reduction Plant, and then to use our low-emissions direct reduced iron in the form of HBI as feedstock in our blast furnaces, Cleveland-Cliffs was able to not only exceed the target by a large margin, but also to get there in 2022 - eight years ahead of schedule," he said. The company also just completed a successful hydrogen trial at its Middletown Works blast furnace at a former AK Steel mill in Ohio. It injected hydrogen into all 20 tuyeres of the furnace as a replacement for coke, a purified form of coal. "This was the first trial of its kind in the Western Hemisphere," he said. "This groundbreaking use of hydrogen as an iron reductant is a massive step toward the continued decarbonization of the superior steels produced by the blast furnace-BOF route, and utilized by the automotive industry." The development has the potential to greatly reduce carbon emissions at vertically integrated blast furnaces, he said. "As we proved in our trial, we can use massive amounts of hydrogen as a reductant, replacing coke, and consequently replacing CO2 generation with H2O generation," he said. "CO2 is a greenhouse gas. H2O is water. We now only need hydrogen at scale, and at a cost-competitive level." The company also is working to lure federal funds to boost hydrogen production. "Cleveland-Cliffs is working to bring about a clean hydrogen economy through our participation in two Midwestern hydrogen hubs. Our significant offtake will serve to resolve the chicken-and-egg dilemma around hydrogen. As a major consumer of the hydrogen to be produced by the hubs, we will enable the use of hydrogen by other carbon-intensive industries, particularly the automotive sector," he said. "Please keep in mind: Hydrogen-powered vehicles are a very real alternative to battery electric vehicles. Some of our automotive clients are already working on the hydrogen alternative, in addition to their efforts on electrification of the fleet." CROWN POINT A Merrillville man was sentenced to a year and a half in prison and a year of probation on Friday on charges that he molested a 14-year-old. Joseph R. Eyer, 52, was charged in 2020 with three counts of child molestation, a single count of sexual misconduct and a single count of sexual battery, according to court records. The maximum sentence for child molestation is 40 years in Indiana. Charging documents detailed how Eyer, a former deacon with Hammond's First Baptist Church, purportedly molested the teen for several years in Gary. Eyer allegedly watched the boy in the shower many times and touched his genitals, according to the probable cause affidavit. Eyer entered a plea deal in February, which required that hed plead guilty to sexual battery and register as a sex offender, according to the stipulated plea agreement. The child molestation and misconduct charges were dismissed after Eyer was sentenced, as set forth by the plea agreement. Eyers wife testified ahead of his sentencing and asked Judge Salvador Vasquez to give him a modified sentence because her husband helps her run her business. He is a good man doing the best he can, she told the courtroom. Prosecutor Tara Villarreal asked the woman if she was aware about what happened (in reference to the purported molestation) and the woman said she was, but she felt that it was exaggerated. A man from Eyers church (Living Stones church in Crown Point), who said he works in church security, also testified in support of him ahead of his sentencing. He described Eyer as a good man who always has a smile on his face and said he is not concerned about Eyer being around children at the church. Eyers brother described him as a master manipulator, and said Eyer has a pattern of behaving inappropriately with children. The man detailed how when they were younger, their parents begged Eyer to stay away from children. He asked Judge Vasquez to give Eyer the maximum sentence because he feels that is the only way his brother will truly understand the consequences of his actions. He needs a wake-up call or else hell continue living that way, Eyers brother said. Eyers sister reiterated her brothers testimony that something must be done or his behavior will continue. Doesnt somebody have to stand up and say its wrong? she said. Michael Campbell, Eyers attorney, said his client should receive a modified sentence because he has limited criminal history and is unlikely to reoffend. Villarreal disagreed with Campbells characterization of Eyer. She said Eyer has shown a clear pattern of conduct, and noted that the most disturbing aspect is how he always wants to be around children. Villarreal said Eyer has not taken full responsibility, and pointed out how in his pre-sentence report Eyer said he doesnt have a relationship with his brother because hes the one who started all this. Thats the defendants true character blaming everyone else, she said. She also said the church and Eyers wife manipulated the victim in an attempt to get him to recant the allegations. Before he was sentenced, Eyer apologized for his actions and said he is taking full responsibility for what hes done. I dont make light of it and I dont try to excuse it, he told the courtroom. Eyers brother said that he is satisfied with his brothers sentence, and added that he feels that his brother will finally start to see the repercussions for his actions. "While we're disappointed he was sentenced to a term of incarceration, we are grateful that the sentence imposed was significantly less than it could have been given the original charges," Campbell said in a statement. "Eyer and his family are now focused on moving forward and healing one day at a time." LAKE STATION For Rodolfo Tamez of Hammond, the reason for the motorcycle ride at the initial Hosier Vet Fest Saturday was simple. Its about community and brotherhood, pride and craftsmanship, he said. Were giving back to those who deserve it. A Marine who served 1985-88, including tours in Korea and Japan, Tamez joined other veterans at the motorcycle run through Lake Station, Hobart, and New Chicago. The biking run at the two-day festival at Riverview Park was part of a weekend of food, fun, and vendors focusing on veterans and their needs. Tamez is a member of American Veterans Motorcycle Riders Association Chapter 1, which meets in Hammond. Paula Reasoner, PX manager for AVMRA, explained that in addition to riding, the organization assists veterans and raises funds for them. That includes help for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The group also sponsors a free thanks for giving Thanksgiving Day meal for veterans. AVMRA has also sent nine care packages to Kuwait and supports the veterans home in Gary. Mike Clark of Hammond, vice commander for Chapter 1, tries to ride for veterans as often as he can. The money goes to veterans, the Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran said. Some of these guys dont have anything. Also represented at the fest was Honor Flight Chicago, which carries veterans from Chicago to Washington, D.C. for a tour of veterans memorials. Len Sherwinski, Northwest Indiana coordinator for Honor Flight, explained that the Southwest Airlines 737s make 7-8 flights a year, taking 120 veterans per flight. Since 2008, he said, this program free to veterans has made 108 flights and carried 10,187 veterans. Honor Flight currently focuses on World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. The biggest thing, Sherwinski said, is were trying to take veterans to see monuments built in their honor. Based in Rosemont, Ill., Honor Flight offers a one-day trip, leaving in the morning and returning in the evening. Each flight and amenities can cost up to $180,000. This is open to all veterans, Sherwinski explained. We dont get any government money. Its all private donations that make this happen. Jim Richardson, commander of Lake Station American Legion Post 100, explained that his group also responds to veterans needs. Where do I begin? Richardson said, citing issues with veterans unable to pay bills and those who need help with medical equipment, including wheelchairs. Post 100 also sponsors two veterans at the Indiana Veterans Home in Lafayette. They are not forgotten, said Richardson, also the citys police chief. Were there for anything they need. Bob Joseph of Hobart, an Army and Vietnam veteran, rode his motorcycle to support our brothers. Lake Station Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9323 is working to build its membership so it can have a more potent voice for veterans in Washington. They dont want to listen to us, said Deon Miller, service officer with Post 9323. Miller said the VFW is working to ensure that current military personnel are well-maintained, including their pay. They have to be taken care of, said Miller, who served with the Army in Vietnam during 1967-68. Hoosier Vet Fest featured a special program for veterans Saturday afternoon, with Dennis Wimer, director of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, as guest speaker. Jeff Imhof, district service officer for IDVA, explained that veterans can receive their benefits through the local veteran services office, which in Lake County is located in the county government complex in Crown Point. We want to make certain veterans are well taken care of, Imhof said. Depending on the veterans situation and needs, IDVA can offer up to 100% in assistance, Imhof said. Other IDVA benefits include homeowner property tax deduction; college tuition and fees exemption, now boosted to include private schools; reduced fees for hunting and fishing licenses; and delayed high school diploma for WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. Imhof in particular noted the Military Family Relief Fund. Supported in part by military license plates, MFRF is an emergency grant provided for veterans and dependent family members who are experiencing financial hardship. Available to Hoosier veterans in wartime or peacetime who were honorably discharged, MFRF provides funding for housing, including rent or mortgage, utilities, food, current medical expenses, and transportation. Also providing information at the fest were several local chapters of the Disabled American Veterans. Don Owen, a DAV volunteer, explained that chapters 17 from Hammond, 102 from Valparaiso, and 80 from Cedar Lake were attending Vet Fest. In some cases Owen said, helping means seeing that veterans and dependents receive compensation for exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange. It also means providing Christmas presents for veterans and family members. An Army veteran, Owen served 1994-2016, including three tours in Bosnia and Iraq. He was assigned to clearing land mines and improvised explosive devices. Three different chapters came together to help veterans get the help they need, Owen said. PHOTOS: Volunteers digging at the Collier Lodge Site BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. An anti-terrorist operation regime has been introduced in order to prevent possible terrorist attacks on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region, Trend reports via the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia. LAPORTE The LaPorte County Council is expected to consider switching from precinct-based voting to vote centers at its meeting on Monday. The proposal unanimously approved by the LaPorte County Election Board on June 16 also requires approval from both the County Council and the County Commissioners. LaPorte County Clerk Heather Stevens said her plan for switching to vote centers would reduce the number of polling locations countywide from 52 to 38. However, she said voters from LaPorte County would be able to cast ballots at any location here, not just the precinct in which they reside. One of the ideas behind voting centers, which are now in place in most Indiana counties, is to increase voter turnout by making it more convenient to cast ballots. For example, Stevens said a person running behind schedule with the polls about to close can go to the nearest voting center to cast a ballot instead of running the risk of getting to their precinct location on time. She said convenience is important especially in LaPorte County, which is the largest by square miles in the state. I feel itll increase turnout by having more convenient locations for a county our size, she said. Stevens said another benefit of switching from precinct voting would be saving money from not having to hire as many election workers since there would be fewer polling locations. Under her plan, the reduction in polling locations is mostly in Michigan City and LaPorte. The number of polling locations in the unincorporated areas is about the same to avoid people having to drive much longer distances, in some cases, to vote. Stevens said additional polling locations in lightly populated areas could be eliminated in the future, though, if they were drawing just a handful of voters from residents using other locations closer to their workplaces or wherever they happen to be when they wanted to cast a ballot. Im sure were going to have to tweak a few things. Thats fine, but this is definitely a good start, she said. LaPorte County Council President Mike Rosenbaum said he fully supports vote centers, but is concerned about having enough poll workers to handle a potential increase in voters from switching to fewer, but more convenient locations. I caution there should be enough staffing for the increase in potential voters to each site, he said. Councilman Mark Yagelski said hes leaning toward supporting the move primarily because of voter convenience. Yagelski has doubts, though, if voter centers will produce a higher turnout. I know everything sounds good. I hope it works and we get more people to vote but, so far, everything weve put in has not, he said. Stevens said she plans to seek approval from the county commissioners sometime in August. Gallery: Recent arrests booked into LaPorte County Jail Yazmin Lopez Jalyn Orzech Jaylon George Duaine Gorbonosenko Branden Hewlett William Warren David Tucker James Stout Brian McFarland Malik Cunningham William Saulsgiver William Nye Maryann Carmichael Jordan Wasy Kimberly Richardson Quandell Crawford Nathan Walenga Moesha Payne Michael Love VALPARAISO The Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis ramp project for Carissa Little won bronze in the Kiwanis International global competition. John Bowker, who led the project, estimates there were 18,000 Kiwanis service projects worldwide, of which more than 450 were entered in the competition for project of the year. The emcee at the signature project breakfast at the annual Kiwanis International convention was from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As vice president of Kiwanis International, he had visited Indianapolis for a meeting and was driven to Valparaiso for a visit. While here, he saw Littles ramp. He actually walked up and down the ramp and was impressed, Bowker said. The metal ramp project for Little, paralyzed since an Aug. 12, 2022, traffic accident, went far beyond normal. In addition to installing two chairlifts for Little at her parents bilevel house, the club asked Louis Leone, of Liberty Construction and Renovation, to build an addition because the foyer was too small for her wheelchair to turn around. Materials were donated by an anonymous local business owner. Leone, who donated his time, later joined Kiwanis. A local Realtor donated the chairlifts after selling a house to a new owner who no longer needed the chairlifts. As of Friday, more than $44,000 had been donated to a GoFundMe account in her. Carissa Little and her mother, Cheryl Little, spoke to the Kiwanians last week about the project. Carissa was living her dream life, riding with her boyfriend in the semitruck he drove. Carissa was in the sleeper compartment when the crash occurred. She recounted her story at a Kiwanis meeting earlier this year. Im not going to lie. It was the worst pain of my life, Carissa said. Her spinal cord was broken. She was paralyzed from the waist down. A doctor told her she would never walk again, but Carissa refused to accept that pronouncement and began going to the Shirley A. Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago three times a week for rehab. Cheryl was so overwhelmed by all the help the family has received that she was in tears telling the story. When Carissa texted Cheryl, Mom, I broke my back, Cheryl ran to the car. I dont care that Im in my pajamas, she said. Cheryl quickly drove to Loyola University Medical Center, to be with her daughter. Doctors used an American Sign Language interpreter on an iPad to tell Cheryl, who is hearing impaired, what was happening. Bowker said ramps typically cost $5,000, funded by money raised through Kiwanis fundraisers like its annual pancake breakfast. Kiwanians install the ramps for free. So far this year, the club has installed 16 ramps, two of them removed after they were no longer needed. Last year, the club installed 30 ramps and uninstalled 16 ramps no longer needed. In one case, the ramp meant a grandchild could see a grandmother for the first time. As one of the largest clubs, the Valparaiso contingent at this weeks convention had to wait for the awards to be announced for the smaller clubs first. Then the Group 2 projects that placed fourth through 10th were announced. We were kind of counting down, Bowker said. Then the Valparaiso group knew their placed among the top three. They put together about a 30-second video describing the ramp program. We were backstage and couldnt hear it, Bowker said. Hes looking forward to seeing it next week. In addition to the plaque, the Valparaiso Kiwanis Club will receive a write-up in the Kiwanis magazine and will be featured on the website. Photos: Valparaiso High School graduation 2023 From the very beginning of the war against Ukraine, Mr. Putin made sure that rivals to his power could not emerge and took great pains to ensure that the conflict does not create a popular military leader who could pose a threat. It worked. In the summer of 2022, for instance, the ambitious Gen. Alexander Lapin was the recipient of a small online public relations campaign glorifying him. This immediately cost him his job and a brief but powerful media war against him was launched by Mr. Prigozhin, who controls a series of online troll factories. According to my sources close to the Russian administration, Mr. Putin then perceived Mr. Prigozhin solely as a counterweight to the generals. The Russian president saw Mr. Prigozhin as his man, an obedient tool and easy to use. Yet in recent years, Mr. Prigozhin has made a very unexpected career. At first, he was known as Putins chef, who managed to become a state contractor of school lunches for Russian children all across the country. Then he created the troll factory, the Internet Research Agency, and he was singled out in Robert Muellers investigation into interference in the 2016 election. Finally, Mr. Prigozhin became famous as the founder of the Wagner group, whose contractors fought in Africa, Syria and now Ukraine. Those achievements alone guaranteed Mr. Prigozhin responsibility for Mr. Putins most delicate assignments. But this year, Mr. Prigozhin moved into another league, surpassing all of Mr. Putins other friends in power. These include Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu; the Russian Security Council secretary, Nikolai Patrushev; the C.E.O. of Russias state-owned defense giant, Rostec, Sergei Chemezov; and Mr. Putins closest friend, Yury Kovalchuk. Mr. Prigozhin bypassed all of them and appears to be the most important player in Russia. He is both the most popular political operator and the one who is feared by Russian high officials and businessmen. Mr. Prigozhins meteoric political rise began this summer when he started touring Russian prisons and recruiting prisoners for his private Wagner army, offering pardons to those who fight on the front lines in Ukraine: six months of service and then freedom. Ive been blessed to travel the world chasing flavors, wandering through markets, dining at fancy restaurants and eating at mom-and-pop food trucks. No matter where I go, my education on the culture begins with its cuisine: the dishes that become national treasures, like the jollof rice in Senegal or the paella in Spain; the ingredients that are not consumed, in adherence to religious practices; and the pride that arises from celebrating vital culinary traditions. These traditions are richly loaded with meaning and intrinsically reflect our character, from the feast we serve at a wedding, to the dish we make to mourn the loss of a beloved, to the food we prepare for a baby just learning to chew. It makes me think of a woman who inspires me like no other: the great Creole chef Leah Chase. I am reminded of how her iconic gumbo dish embodies her remarkable legacy, not only because she served it to generations of customers (she famously served it to Barack Obama during his first presidential campaign) but also because she knew the power of building community. Brave and relentless, she did just that at her historic restaurant in New Orleans, Dooky Chases, which became a meeting place for leaders of the civil rights movement and which, decades later, she fervently rebuilt in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In my dining room, we changed the course of America over a bowl of gumbo and some fried chicken, she once said. I thought about her often when the pandemic crippled our industry and threw its future into disarray. I turned to her legacy for inspiration, motivated by how her restaurant helped shape the civil rights movement and sustained the community. Thats what kept me going throughout the pandemic, and thats why it was deeply meaningful to open Hav & Mar, located in the heart of Manhattans vibrant downtown arts community, last year. Working with two of the art worlds greats, the artist Derrick Adams and the curator Thelma Golden, we set out to create a space in Chelsea that honors the spirit of the word restaurant, which is rooted in the ideals of restoration and renewal: a place of nourishment, community and expression. To me, this is the spirit of true American food, which is more democratic than ever. You see it and taste it from chefs in restaurants across the United States, from Mashama Baileys fresh approach to seasonal ingredients in Savannah, to Erick Williamss savory Southern food in Chicago, to Lee Anne Wongs inventive island-style brunch in Hawaii. We inherit what we cook and make it our own, as we adapt to where life takes us. I love how the foods from our kitchens profoundly express our identity, and how sharing these dishes whether with loved ones or new friends is our way of saying, This is me. Around the table, through food, is how we connect to one another. Food is our legacy. It is our history and our future. Marcus Samuelsson is a chef, restaurateur and author. There were flashbacks, in the first season of The Bear, of a toxic chef who trashed cooks on the line, telling them theyd be better off dead. But here the show seems keen to remind us that fine dining can work differently, and that wonderful people are still scattered throughout it. The Bear always blurred the lines between family and workplace in ways that felt both tender and menacing, and the most nightmarish kitchen scene takes place not in a professional kitchen, but at a Berzatto family Christmas at home a few years back, when Carmys brother Michael was still alive. Jamie Lee Curtis is devastating as their alcoholic mother who cant get through cooking and serving a beautiful holiday dinner an elaborate Feast of the Seven Fishes without wringing guilt and shame from her children. Her inability to host offers a glimpse at what shaped the siblings and warped their relationships to cooking, but its also a razor-edged contrast to the cooks growing sense of hospitality as instinctual and deeply fulfilling. That doesnt mean shes naive about the pace of fashion or New York, though. Shes looking forward to expanding into knitwear and, when she talks about her client, which is often Rhee is the kind of designer who never forgets that her designs will be worn she describes her, first and foremost, as a woman in motion. Toward the end of the look book for this first offering, which is available for preorder on the brands website, there is a four-panel grid of images that read like film stills: A woman in a suede and leather patchwork coat approaches a tree; then she passes behind it and less and less of her is visible behind its trunk until, in the last photo, she is gone. She has to be able to imagine herself walking around the city and going places, says Rhee. In other words, she has to be able to imagine herself living, which happens to be the name of the collection. Mr. Volkmer, a Republican, said abortion cases were a low priority, and that he generally did not want to come between women and their doctors. But he said most criminal cases belonged with local prosecutors, and said the attorney generals office was certainly not equipped to handle abortion-related cases. The effects of Ms. Hobbss move may be mostly symbolic. There have not been any abortion prosecutions in Arizona since Roe was struck down, legal experts said, and most counties in Arizona do not even have abortion clinics. The states abortion providers are clustered around Phoenix and Tucson. Ms. Hobbs won her campaign for governor last year in part by promising to protect abortion rights and reproductive freedom, but the states Republican-controlled Legislature has limited what she and other Democrats can do. Unlike the Democratic governors of Minnesota and California, who have passed new laws strengthening abortion rights in their solidly blue states, Ms. Hobbs has been mostly limited to vetoing Republican anti-abortion efforts and signing executive actions like the one on Friday. A near-total abortion ban that was passed in the 1800s still sits on the books, despite Ms. Hobbss promises to call a special legislative session to repeal it. Enforcement of that law has been halted by the courts, but a state law making it a felony for doctors to perform abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy is still in effect. Doctors convicted under the law could have their medical license revoked. Pregnant women are exempted under that law. Intelligence agencies do not believe the case of three workers from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, who became ill in 2019 can help shed light on whether the Covid-19 pandemic originated from an accidental lab leak, according to a report made public Friday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a long-awaited declassified report, which included spy agencies findings on the so-called lab leak theory, but the material is unlikely to satisfy many people who have been wrestling with the unanswered questions on the origins of the Covid outbreak. The 10-page report said scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology did conduct research on coronaviruses, in some cases had inadequate safety measures and had genetically engineered coronaviruses. But the intelligence agencies said they have found nothing that tells them that work at the laboratory caused the pandemic. The I.C. has no information, however, indicating that any W.I.V. genetic engineering work has involved SARS-CoV-2, a close progenitor, or a backbone virus that is closely related enough to have been the source of the pandemic, the report said, referring to the intelligence agencies findings. Mr. Smiths team also provided the defense lawyers with its first estimate of the number of witnesses 84 who might be called to testify. The judge presiding over Mr. Trumps initial hearing requested the list to impose a restriction against the former president discussing the case with them, to prevent witness tampering. Prosecutors requested that the names be kept under seal, cautioned that the tally does not comprise all of the witnesses the government might call at trial, and said the defense had reserved the right to challenge those on the list. The special counsel also set into motion a set of mandated procedures under the Classified Information Procedures Act that will give lawyers for Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta, Mr. Trumps valet and personal aide, access to classified evidence the government plans to present at trial. The classified documents are a key component of the case against Mr. Trump, in which he faces charges of risking national defense secrets and obstruction over his retention of the material after he left the White House and his refusal to return it. The defense may not share the prosecutions urgency, and prosecutors said in their filing that defense lawyers planned to object to the special counsels timeline. Mr. Trumps strategy in legal matters has long been to delay. If a trial drags past the 2024 election and Mr. Trump wins the race, he could, in theory, try to pardon himself, or he could direct his attorney general to drop the charges and wipe out the case. The extent to which the two sides clash on scheduling and procedure poses an early test for Judge Cannon, a relatively inexperienced jurist appointed by Mr. Trump in 2020. She disrupted the documents investigation last year with several rulings favorable to the former president before a conservative appeals court overturned her, saying that she never had legal authority to intervene. The family of Jack Hanna, the celebrity zookeeper and media personality, has opened up about his Alzheimers diagnosis, offering an intimate look at the challenges of communicating with a man who no longer remembers who most of them are. My husband is still in there somewhere, Suzi Hanna, his wife of 54 years, told The Columbus Dispatch in a story that follows Mr. Hanna as he asks several dozen times if the dog has been fed. He also listens to a family conversation, unaware that his daughter is discussing the pain of being forgotten by him. Alzheimers disease, which is the most common form of dementia, affects 6.7 million adults over 65 years old in the United States. It not only slowly destroys a persons memory but also diminishes communication skills, eroding the ability to understand the meanings of words or to find the right ones. All of this can be profoundly frustrating for caregivers, said Dr. Brent P. Forester, chief of psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and a co-author of The Complete Family Guide to Dementia: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Parent and Yourself. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. The Ministry of Defense of Russia has assured the fighters of the Wagner private military company (PMC) of guaranteed security in case of contact with the ministry or law enforcement agencies, Trend reports. How much anxiety is too much? On Tuesday, a panel of influential medical experts recommended for the first time that doctors screen all adult patients under 65 for symptoms of anxiety. The new guidelines were issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force after a draft version was released last September. Earlier in 2022, the experts had made similar recommendations for children ages 8 to 18. There are millions of Americans who struggle with anxiety: About 1 in 5 adults in the United States has an anxiety disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Having some anxiety isnt necessarily a problem: Experts say an internal alarm system benefits us in different ways, helping to improve our performance or recognition of danger and encouraging us to be more conscientious. In addition, its common to feel more anxious when were faced with stressful life events like starting a new job, experiencing the death of a loved one or moving to a new city. At times, however, anxiety can become more pervasive and overwhelming. How do you distinguish the protective anxiety from the more problematic anxiety? And, given that the panel did not recommend screenings for older adults, what do you do if youre 65 or older and have been feeling anxious? Several Russian internet service providers are preventing users inside the country from accessing Google News after Russian generals accused a mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, of attempting a coup. At least five telecommunications companies including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplus have blocked Google News, which aggregates news from various sources, according to an analysis from NetBlocks, an internet observatory. Several other internet service providers have begun reducing access as well, according to the analysis. Google didnt immediately respond to a request for a comment. Late Friday, Russian officials accused Mr. Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization, of trying to mount a coup against President Vladimir V. Putin, with Russian authorities opening an investigation into Mr. Prigozhin for organizing an armed rebellion. Russias internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in March 2022 that it would block Google News from the countrys internet users after the company paused advertising in Russia and took steps to block online content that spread false information to support Russias invasion of Ukraine. Paul Ickovic, a peripatetic photographer whose sensuous black-and-white portraits and evocative images of street life captured in India, Nepal and Cuba, as well as European cities like Paris and Prague, harked back to the heyday of street photography at midcentury, died on May 23 at his home in Prague. He was 79. His brother, Thomas Ickovic, said the cause was heart failure. Mr. Ickovic (pronounced ick-OH-vick) was not a household name, nor was he a particularly prolific photographer. But he loved the variety of the human experience, and he loved women, and he pursued both with energy and considerable charm. The camera was his way to do so. His looks were an asset: Craggy-faced and twinkly-eyed, he was often compared to Keith Richards. His approach was often likened to that of his hero, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and others whose notion of the decisive moment shaped modern street photography and the photojournalism that flourished in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Grace Glueck, writing in The New York Times, called him a wonderfully old-style photographer. Mr. Ickovic happened to be there when a woman, naked but for a showy necklace and a wisp of a bikini that pointed up her extravagant flab, strode defiantly along a bank of the Seine as a lone male spectator gazed impassively, Ms. Glueck wrote in reviewing a show of Mr. Ickovics work at a Chelsea gallery in 2005. Through the window of a Paris Metro car speeding from the station he took a mysterious, apparitional silhouette of a man in a sinister hat, one hand balancing a cane. (Its aptly titled The Phantom.) When a friend came to tea and impulsively donned a rabbit mask owned by Mr. Ickovic, the photographer quickly grabbed his camera for an Alice in Wonderland sendup, enhanced by a baffled cat as a spectator. A long-running feud over the invasion of Ukraine between the Russian military and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russias private Wagner military group, escalated into an open confrontation over the past day. Prigozhin accused Russia of attacking his soldiers and appeared to challenge one of President Vladimir Putins main justifications for the war, and Russian generals in turn accused him of trying to mount a coup against Putin. Prigozhin (pronounced pree-GOH-zhin) claimed he had control of Russias southern military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don, near the front lines of the war in Ukraine where his fighters had been operating. Video showed him entering the headquarters courtyard. Prigozhins moves set up the biggest challenge to Putins authority since he invaded Ukraine early last year. Putin promised decisive actions, and Russian security forces scrambled to regain control in the countrys south. Dave Willner has had a front-row seat to the evolution of the worst things on the internet. He started working at Facebook in 2008, back when social media companies were making up their rules as they went along. As the companys head of content policy, it was Mr. Willner who wrote Facebooks first official community standards more than a decade ago, turning what he has said was an informal one-page list that mostly boiled down to a ban on Hitler and naked people into what is now a voluminous catalog of slurs, crimes and other grotesqueries that are banned across all of Metas platforms. So last year, when the San Francisco artificial intelligence lab OpenAI was preparing to launch Dall-E, a tool that allows anyone to instantly create an image by describing it in a few words, the company tapped Mr. Willner to be its head of trust and safety. Initially, that meant sifting through all of the images and prompts that Dall-Es filters flagged as potential violations and figuring out ways to prevent would-be violators from succeeding. It didnt take long in the job before Mr. Willner found himself considering a familiar threat. Just as child predators had for years used Facebook and other major tech platforms to disseminate pictures of child sexual abuse, they were now attempting to use Dall-E to create entirely new ones. I am not surprised that it was a thing that people would attempt to do, Mr. Willner said. But to be very clear, neither were the folks at OpenAI. For all of the recent talk of the hypothetical existential risks of generative A.I., experts say it is this immediate threat child predators using new A.I. tools already that deserves the industrys undivided attention. Over the past two decades, dozens of behavioral scientists have risen to prominence pointing out the power of small interventions to improve well-being. The scientists said they had found that automatically enrolling people in organ donor programs would lead to higher rates of donation, and that moving healthy foods like fruit closer to the front of a buffet line would result in healthier eating. Many of these findings have attracted skepticism as other scholars showed that their effects were smaller than initially claimed, or that they had little impact at all. But in recent days, the field may have sustained its most serious blow yet: accusations that a prominent behavioral scientist fabricated results in multiple studies, including at least one purporting to show how to elicit honest behavior. The scholar, Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School, has been a co-author of dozens of papers in peer-reviewed journals on such topics as how rituals like silently counting to 10 before deciding what to eat can increase the likelihood of choosing healthier food, and how networking can make professionals feel dirty. This past October, the community members and conservationists identified five turtle nests with about 20 eggs each and fenced them off, but they didnt know the species of the eggs occupants until the babies began hatching in June. Now that theyre identified as Burmese peacock turtles, more research can begin. That the eggs incubated for nine months is already an unusual finding, Mr. Zau Lunn said. Other turtle species eggs, even in the Nilssonia genus, hatch after just two or three months. When youre doing conservation work, you have to know something about the basic life history of the organism, said Steven Platt, a herpetologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, who is one of the few scientists who have researched the Burmese peacock turtle. Just finding and describing nesting sites is valuable for science and conservation, said Dr. Platt, who isnt involved in this project. Those are all pieces of the puzzle that were slowly assembling. Unfortunately, we dont have a lot of time, because these species are declining at such a rapid rate. The Indawgyi Lake turtle guardians protected these eggs, but threats to the species remain, including habitat loss, pollution, climate change, accidental catches by fishermen, and hunting for subsistence or the international wildlife trade. About 40 percent of all turtle and tortoise species are threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Natures Red List. The total number of Burmese peacock turtles is unknown, but scientists suspect that their population may have declined by at least 80 percent over the past 90 years. While adult turtles are mostly invulnerable to predators, very few turtles survive from the egg and hatchling stages to adulthood, Dr. Platt said. That makes these Burmese peacock turtle babies all the more precious. Jump to: Todays Theme | Tricky Clues SUNDAY PUZZLE John Westwig is a software engineer in Seattle; he got into crosswords when he was very young, solving Games magazine puzzles on car trips with his family. Constructing came soon after. He sold his first puzzle to The Times in 2015, when he was 17. This is his eighth grid and his Sunday debut. Lots of friends do the Times puzzle, John writes, but most complain that mine are too hard. This has to be easily the most grueling fill for a Sunday crossword in my recent memory, including a few themeless grids, but Im not complaining! A few morsels are a little too crunchy, but theyre vastly outnumbered by flawless wordplay. The theme shines on its own, but this puzzle as a whole is a great workout. Todays Theme There are nine pun entries in this theme set: 22-, 24-, 38-, 67-, 91-, 109- and 112-Across, and 37- and 41-Down. Their clues are riddles; all can be answered by oxymoronic terms that end with -ing, which makes the title of the puzzle, Opposites Attracting, perfectly apt. When the New York Philharmonic honored the work of the film composer John Williams this past spring, the director Steven Spielberg introduced a clip of the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark without the music. The effect, he noted apologetically, was like something out of the French new wave. The clip was played again, this time with the orchestra joining in. Like magic, the adventuresome spirit of the movie was restored. On June 30, the rugged archaeologist at the heart of that film (played by Harrison Ford) will return for the fifth entry in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Hell be accompanied, as ever, by Williamss indispensable music. The composer, who turned 91 this year, had said it would be his final film score. Speaking during a video call more recently, he walked back his retirement plans. If they do an Indiana Jones 6, Im on board. Between 2010 and 2020, New York Citys population grew by more than 629,000, according to a report from the CUNY Research Consortium on Communities of Interest. More than half of that increase came from a net growth in the Asian population, including a 43 percent growth in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Asian American voters have shifted to the right in recent elections. In the race for governor last year, majority Asian districts remained Democratic but shifted to the right by 23 points from the 2018 election, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Yiatin Chu, president of the Asian Wave Alliance, said Republican candidates are aligned with views that many Asian immigrants value, which she said Democrats have not engaged well on. Others say that Democrats have left themselves vulnerable by not effectively articulating their positions. What elected official doesnt care about public safety? said Councilman Justin Brannan, a Democrat who represents Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and is likely to face a strong Republican challenge in the general election. But because weve allowed the right to paint us with this broad brush that we all want to abolish law enforcement, now Democrats feel compelled to lead with that. He is supporting Wai Yee Chan, the executive director at Homecrest Community Services, in the 43rd Council District Democratic primary. She is running against Mr. Ng and Susan Zhuang, the chief of staff for Assemblyman William Colton. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing fines and administrative arrest for up to 30 days for violating martial law, Trend reports. In accordance with the law "On martial law", federal laws and other regulations of Russia, administrative arrest for up to 30 days will be imposed against citizens who violate the above norms, if their actions aren't criminally punishable. Administrative arrest for the same term is also envisaged for officials. The law comes into force from the moment of its official publication. According to the law "On martial law" in the territories where it's declared, such measures as strengthening the protection of public order; restriction of entry and exit, movement of the vehicle, inspection of the vehicle; prohibition of strikes and rallies; forced resettlement; introduction of military censorship - both messages and telephone conversations; a ban on the presence of citizens on the streets and in other public places at certain times of the day; and others may be applied. Further, President Biden should nominate judges who will critically assess Dobbs. Lower court judges are bound by Supreme Court precedent, but they have some tools at their disposal. They can write separate opinions that, while recognizing they must apply Dobbs, critically evaluate it, helping lay the groundwork for its eventual overruling. They can also give the historically permissive rational basis standard of review from the Dobbs opinion some teeth by more closely assessing abortion restrictions and the states purported rationales. Lawyers will need to bring cases raising novel issues so that judges can protect abortion rights in new ways. For decades, the anti-abortion movement pursued numerous creative theories at once. It was impossible to predict which theories would succeed. Indeed, many failed. But some chipped away at or severely curtailed abortion access, contributing to the eventual toppling of Roe. Alternative theories can test how the law protects abortion rights legal arguments rooted in equality, freedom of religion, involuntary servitude and federal pre-emption of state laws, among others. Lawyers should also file briefs arguing for Dobbss reversal in the abortion cases that reach the Supreme Court, just as anti-abortion lawyers did in the Roe era. Even if cases and briefs in federal courts lose in the short term, having abortion cases in the pipeline is essential. The Supreme Court will not always look as it does today. Some of the justices are relatively young, but others are not, and their seats could become vacant at any time. When the shift in the courts makeup happens, there must be cases ready for it to hear that would provide a vehicle for overturning Dobbs. Thats precisely what happened in Dobbs a case that lost twice in the lower courts under Roe became the case to overturn it when the Supreme Courts composition changed unexpectedly. As litigation proliferates, Dobbs will reveal itself to be unworkable. This is a key factor the court relied on to overturn Roe and its progeny. Dobbs based its reasoning in part on how difficult the courts majority believed it was to apply the relevant legal standards consistently. The test announced in Dobbs will likely suffer the same fate. Lower courts will almost certainly reach different conclusions about whether novel legal theories supporting abortion rights are viable and how rational basis applies to a variety of issues, such as medical exceptions to abortion bans, the application of laws beyond state borders and criminal sanctions against patients. Scholars, researchers and funders have an important role to play as well. Scholars need to develop a persuasive, consistent and multidisciplinary response to the flawed history and theory in the Dobbs majority. Many have already begun to illustrate the errors in Justice Alitos opinion as well as the impact of the decisions logic for other areas of the law another compelling reason to overrule the case. Researchers have begun to document the harms that Dobbs has wrought. Philanthropic funders, who are the backbone of abortion rights activism and legal strategy, need to put resources behind all of these efforts, even those that might involve short-term losses. One of our most urgent national problems is addiction to drugs and alcohol. It now kills about a quarter-million Americans a year, leaves many others homeless and causes unimaginable heartache in families across the country including the family living in the White House. Hunter Biden, who has written about his tangles with crack cocaine and alcohol, reached a plea agreement on tax charges a few days ago that left some Republicans sputtering, but to me, the main takeaway is a lesson the country and the president could absorb to save lives. While the federal investigation appears to be ongoing, for now I see no clear evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden himself but the president does offer the country a fine model of the love and support that people with addictions need. When Biden was vice president and trailed by Secret Service agents, he once tracked down Hunter when he was on a bender and refused to leave until his son committed to entering treatment. Biden then gave his son a tight hug and promised to return to make sure he followed through. To the Editor: Re Southern Baptists Vote to Expand Restrictions on Women (news article, June 15): The efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention to prevent women from living out their calling to be ministers in their churches and in the world shows such a disappointing failure to recognize the gifts that women bring to their religious communities. Women have always been at the heart of church ministry. They fill leadership positions at every level of local church life. They lead our religious education programs. They establish prayer groups, Bible study circles and womens ministries outside the classroom to foster spiritual growth and strengthen our communities. And women are vital to our parishes ministries of charity and service, providing comfort to those who are sick, homeless or in need. The Southern Baptist Convention is tremendously out of step with what so many Christians especially young Christians are calling for. Even in my home tradition, the Catholic Church, we are seeing a historic openness to considering women for some forms of ordained ministry, with the issue predicted to be taken up at the global synod in Rome this October. The question of women in ministry is a conversation for the whole church: men, women and church leaders. Rather than coming to the table seeking to exclude, we should all be open to how we might better recognize and strengthen the ministries of women, who are already the lifeblood of our congregations and deserve to be recognized as such. There are, as of Saturday, at least 13 people running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination: former President Donald Trump; his U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, his vice president, Mike Pence; Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida; Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota; the former governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas; Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina; the former representative Will Hurd of Texas; Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami; and the entrepreneurs and media personalities Vivek Ramaswamy, Perry Johnson and Larry Elder. With this many candidates, you might assume that Republicans were fighting over a broad range of different ideas and competing solutions to the nations most serious problems, of which there are more than a few. But they arent. Instead, Republicans are studiously focused on the fever dreams and preoccupations of right-wing media swamps while showing an almost total indifference to the real world. Consider the wildfires. This month, because of unusually strong and destructive fires in the Canadian wilderness, much of the U.S. Northeast was blanketed with smoke and other pollutants. In the worst-hit areas, such as New York City, public health officials urged residents to either stay inside or use masks when venturing outdoors. This is what climate crisis looks like. Rising average temperatures mean drier conditions, increased drought and greater accumulation of the organic material dead and dying trees, leaves and shrubs that fuel wildfires. And this is on top of emissions produced by cars and other vehicles in an economy that still runs on fossil fuels. For many Americans, in other words, it takes little more than a glance outside the window to see a major problem of national consequence. In my younger and more vulnerable years, I was asked to fill in for a debate on the shores of Nantucket, after a last-minute cancellation by a more prominent combatant. The subject was God and religion, and I served as defender of faith against the prosecutorial efforts of Christopher Hitchens. In my memory it was a brutal affair. The audience was there to hear Hitchens at the peak of his powers, and I was the Washington Generals. I threw some carefully rehearsed, extremely reasonable arguments at him; he batted them wittily away. The crowd cheered; the angels wept. The lesson I took from that experience was simple: Trying to defeat charismatic men with facts and logic is a fools errand. Hitchenss religion poisons everything account of human history was a mixture of balderdash, historical caricature and barely veiled antireligious bigotry. Therefore I should not have elevated his arguments by publicly debating them. Instead, I should have worked toward a world where institutions would decline to platform his fundamentalist style of atheism, no matter how many Nantucketers might clamor for tickets. Wait, no thats not the lesson I drew at all. The lesson I actually took was, Ross, you blew it, do better next time. Because it didnt matter whether I personally considered Hitchenss atheism to be beyond some intellectual pale; he was an important figure leading an influential movement, and in a free society there is no substitute for trying to win arguments with influential figures, no matter the risks of defeat or embarrassment you run along the way. FRONT PAGE An article on Friday about President Bidens attempt to bolster ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India incorrectly characterized Mr. Modis joint news conference with Mr. Biden. It was a rare instance of Mr. Modi taking questions from reporters at a news conference during his nine years leading India, but not the first time. An article on Wednesday about Ukrainian prisoners of war referred imprecisely to the access that Russia gives the International Committee of the Red Cross to prisoners of war. While Russia does not meet its full obligations under international conventions of war, it has allowed some limited access to prisoners. NATIONAL An article on June 3 about a settlement involving three major chemical companies and claims that they contaminated drinking water misstated the levels of PFAS chemicals that the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe in drinking water. They are four parts per trillion of perfluorooctanoic acid, not 0.004 parts per trillion, and four parts per trillion of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, not 0.02 parts per trillion. An article on Thursday about a plea of not guilty by the Air National Guardsman accused of posting secret documents online misstated which of Jack Teixeiras lawyers was waiting for a security clearance needed to review sensitive documents. It was not Michael Bachrach, but his co-counsel. In its first week, a fertilized human egg develops into a hollow ball of 200 cells and then implants itself on the wall of the uterus. Over the next three weeks, it divides into the distinct tissues of a human body. And those crucial few weeks remain, for the most part, a black box. We know the basics, but the very fine details we just dont know, said Jacob Hanna, a developmental biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Dr. Hanna and a number of other biologists are trying to uncover those details by creating models of human embryos in the lab. They are coaxing stem cells to organize themselves into clumps that take on some of the crucial hallmarks of real embryos. This month, Dr. Hannas team in Israel, as well as groups in Britain, the United States and China, released reports on these experiments. The studies, while not yet published in scientific journals, have attracted keen interest from other scientists, who have been hoping for years that such advances could finally shed light on some of the mysteries of early human development. It has been exactly a year since Bethany Bomberger gathered in an impromptu huddle outside a hotel ballroom with fellow anti-abortion activists, overcome with gratitude and optimism as news broke that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade just hours before the Pro-Life Womens Conference officially opened. There will be life before Roe was overturned and life after, Ms. Bomberger said this weekend, tearing up as she recalled what she described as a moment the impossible became possible. She and her husband lead an organization that opposes abortion, and that, lately, has branched into combating the rising acceptance of transgender identity what she called gender radicalism. As this years conference opened, Ms. Bomberger took to the stage at a modest suburban convention center outside St. Louis. Whos here with me to let loose? she asked the crowd, leading several hundred women in the wave. We pro-lifers, we have life on our side! She was wearing a small gold necklace reading mama, a gift from her son. The ruling last summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization eliminated the national right to abortion and sent the issue back to the states. It also radically scrambled the landscape of abortion in the United States, shuttering some clinics, prompting others to open, and setting up new battles over abortion pills, miscarriage care and contraception. Legal abortions declined more than 6 percent in the first six months after the ruling. H. Lee Sarokin, who as a federal judge in New Jersey overturned the triple-murder conviction of the star boxer Rubin (Hurricane) Carter, voided a public librarys ban against a homeless man and angered cigarette companies that claimed he had shown bias against them, died on Tuesday in the La Jolla section of San Diego, where he and his wife, Margie, lived in retirement. He was 94. His son Jeff Sarokin said the cause was pulmonary fibrosis. Judge Sarokin (pronounced SAR-eh-kin) resigned from the bench in 1996 while sitting on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, where he had served for a little less than two years. He had gained wide notice long before that, during his 15 years as a United States District Court judge in Newark, where he was perhaps best known for his decision in the Carter case. Minutes after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer, a group of West Wing aides raced to the Oval Office to brief President Biden on the decision. As they drafted a speech, Mr. Biden was the first person in the room to say what has been his administrations rallying cry ever since. Passing federal legislation, he told the group, was the only thing that will actually restore the rights that were just taken away, recalled Jen Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council. But if the prospect of codifying Roes protections in Congress seemed like a long shot a year ago, it is all but impossible to imagine now, with an ascendant far-right bloc in the House and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate. Instead, with the battle over abortion rights turning to individual states, officials in the Biden administration are working with a limited set of tools, including executive orders and the galvanizing power of the presidency, to argue that Republicans running in next years elections would impose even further restrictions on abortion. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law according to which convicts in the country can be released ahead of schedule at the conclusion of a contract for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Trend reports. Moreover, the president of Russia has signed a law that allows persons with a criminal record or limited fitness for military service to enter into contracts with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The decision was made following the recent developments in Russia. On June 23, 2023, the Investigation Department of Russias Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against the founder of Wagner Private Military Company Yevgeny Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the fact of organizing an armed rebellion. Russia introduced anti-terrorist operation regime in several regions, including Moscow and Voronezh. In the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some of the results of the decision have been unsurprising more than a dozen Republican-led states have moved to ban most abortions, and dozens of abortion clinics have closed. Yet there have also been unexpected legal and political changes that have left Americans on both sides of the issue scrambling to adapt. Here are five major changes detailed in The New York Timess coverage of the first anniversary of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to abortion after nearly 50 years. Some Republicans are struggling on the issue. The Dobbs decision has reshaped the national political landscape in two seemingly contradictory ways. It has made abortion rights a significant electoral strength for Democrats and, often, a clear liability for Republicans. And yet, Republican-dominated states have moved swiftly to limit or ban access to abortion. Those dueling forces have left some Republican lawmakers, strategists and activists struggling to find a consensus on abortion policy, and grappling with how to energize the partys base on the issue without alienating swing voters. Three San Antonio police officers were charged with murder on Friday after police shot and killed a 46-year-old woman, who swung a hammer in their direction and appeared to be in distress, in her home, officials said. The three officers, Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, have been suspended without pay and were taken into custody on Friday. They have been with the San Antonio Police Department for 14, five and two years. The shooting officers actions were not consistent with S.A.P.D.s policy and training, William McManus, chief of the department, said at a news conference Friday night. They placed themselves in a situation where they used deadly force, which was not reasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them. The officers received a call just after midnight on Friday morning of a disturbance at an apartment complex in the Southwest Side of San Antonio, Mr. McManus said. The woman, whom authorities identified as Melissa Perez, was cutting fire alarm wires at the complex, which is a felony crime, police said. After decades of neglect, the U.S. government is one step closer to eliminating longstanding obstacles to free health care for veterans from three Pacific Island nations. Hundreds of such veterans, who served in the U.S. military as foreign citizens, are legally entitled to the care, but current federal law prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs from either directly providing it to them where they live or from compensating them for the cost of flights to the United States for it. This month, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asked congressional leaders to pass legislation that would allow the department to do either of those two things. Joseph Yun, President Bidens special envoy to the three Micronesian nations the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau said in an interview that reporting by The New York Times had a bearing on the decision to pursue changes to the barriers to care. Escorted to a Canadian Coast Guard base, the ship that launched the ill-fated Titan submersible returned from international waters to its home port, St. Johns, Newfoundland, on Saturday morning, where investigators boarded it looking for answers. For hours, a procession of about a dozen people including investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police boarded or exited the ship, the Polar Prince, which docked at the Atlantic headquarters of the coast guard. Pulling large plastic equipment cases, the transportation safety investigators were expected to look for clues that might explain what went wrong aboard the Titan, a submersible that took wealthy passengers from around the world on $250,000 tours of the Titanic wreck site, 12,500 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. On Thursday, a search-and-rescue effort by international teams came to an end, after debris was discovered on the ocean floor, about 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck, and U.S. Coast Guard officials announced that the missing vessel had most likely imploded, killing the five people on board. Days before this Sundays election in Greece, three young women with piercings and ironic T-shirts who sat outside a hipster coffee shop in an Athens neighborhood best known as a hub of anarchist fervor said they wanted stability. Money is important you cant live without money, said Mara Katsitou, 22, a student who grew up during the countrys disastrous financial crisis and one day hoped to open a pharmacy. Theres nothing that matters to someone more than the economy. As a result, she said, she would cast her vote for Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 55, the square, conservative prime minister who graduated from Harvard, who is fond of riding his bike and who, polls suggest, will win convincingly on Sunday in a second national election. With Mr. Mitsotakis who is also the son of a former prime minister Ms. Katsitou said, she had definitely a better chance. About a third of young voters like her feel the same, polls indicate. After spending impressionable years amid so much panic, desperation and humiliation during the decade-long financial crisis that erupted in 2010 and which collapsed the Greek economy many of Greeces depression-era children have grown up to say they have no interest in ever turning back. Russian forces fired more than 20 missiles at Ukraines capital in a predawn assault on Saturday that left at least three people dead. Kyiv, the capital, found itself under attack for the eighth time this month as anxiety grew in Russia over a confrontation between President Vladimir V. Putin and Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the outspoken founder of the Wagner mercenary group. Moscows military leadership accuses Mr. Prigozhin of trying to mount a coup against Mr. Putin. Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, said air defenses had shot down more than 20 missiles around the capital but that falling debris had hit a high-rise building and started a blaze that destroyed three floors. In addition to the dead, 11 people were injured, according to Ukraines Interior Ministry. As rescuers worked at the scene, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said that there might be people under the rubble. Just after dawn, smoke was still rising from the building as firefighters used a crane to observe damage to its 16th, 17th and 18th floors. Residents carefully stepped over the broken glass and building fragments that had scattered throughout the parking lot below. Already notorious as an agent of market mayhem, the crypto industry has now unleashed political havoc, too, upending a critical general election in Montenegro, a troubled Balkan nation struggling to shake off the grip of organized crime and the influence of Russia. Only days before a vote on June 11, the political landscape in Montenegro was thrown into disarray by the intervention of Do Kwon, the fugitive head of a failed crypto business whose collapse last year contributed to a $2 trillion crash across the industry. In a handwritten letter sent to the authorities from the Montenegrin jail where he has been held since March, Mr. Kwon claimed that he had a very successful investment relationship with the leader of the Europe Now Movement, the election front-runner, and that friends in the crypto industry had provided campaign funding in return for pledges of crypto-friendly policies. Europe Now had been expected to win a decisive popular mandate in elections for a new Parliament. Its campaign mixed populist promises to raise salaries and pensions with pledges to put the country on a clear path to joining the European Union by cleansing the crime and corruption that flourished under Montenegros former longtime leader Milo Djukanovic. Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the mercenary leader who led an armed rebellion in Russia on Saturday, was never afraid of a dirty task, many say. Emerging from jail as the Soviet Union was collapsing, he began his post-criminal career selling hot dogs on street corners in St. Petersburg, Russia. There, he befriended Vladimir V. Putin, then a minor official in the city government, developed a catering business and earned billions on government contracts when his friend Vladimir became prime minister and then president of Russia. Mr. Prigozhin quickly earned the trust of his benefactor, who assigned him a number of important tasks that were best handled at arms length from the government. The first and most notorious of those was overseeing the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm founded in 2013 to flood the United States and Europe with disinformation that discredited liberal elites and promoted hard-right ideologies. From there, he raised mercenaries to fight in Syria and Libya, and, most fatefully, founded the private military group Wagner, which emerged during Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. It quickly earned a reputation for ruthless violence in pursuit of lucrative diamond and gold concessions, while building political influence for the Kremlin in countries like the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and Sudan. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia always seemed to thrive on chaos. Then it threatened to consume him. For the last few months, as the mercenary chieftain Yevgeny V. Prigozhin escalated his feud with the Russian military, Mr. Putin did not publicly reveal any discomfort with his diatribes. The silence fostered the kind of political ambiguity that has long been a trademark of Mr. Putins rule: tolerating, even encouraging, conflict among the elite because it kept potential rivals in check, while underscoring that ultimate authority always rested with the president himself. The Russian leaders key litmus test was loyalty a fact that Mr. Prigozhin showed he understood, even amid his recent criticism of the military leadership: I listen to Putin, he said in May. And yet on Saturday, after more than 20 years profiting from his personal ties to Mr. Putin, Mr. Prigozhin cast the last shreds of that loyalty aside and plunged Russia into its biggest political crisis in three decades, as his forces seized control of key military facilities in the southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don and threatened to enter Moscow. The specter of a pitched battle for Moscow appeared averted at least for the moment on Saturday night, after Mr. Prigozhin declared that he was turning around his troops who had been marching toward the Russian capital. Belarus said Thursday that instructors from mercenary group Wagner have begun training the ex-Soviet country's special forces, nearly a month after an aborted rebellion in Russia. For years, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary leader who conducted a brief rebellion against the Russian military, had been a loyal supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. In recent months, he continued to steer clear of directly criticizing Mr. Putin, even as he increasingly used social media to lambaste Russias military, accusing its leaders of treason and blaming them for failing to provide his forces with enough resources. But over the last two days, he assailed the rationale for Mr. Putins so-called special military operation in Ukraine, sent his forces to seize the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, a military hub, and began to move Wagner convoys toward Moscow. Mr. Putin mobilized Russian troops to quell what he called an armed rebellion, and the Belarusian president, a Putin ally, negotiated a halt to the Wagner advance. Heres a look at Mr. Prigozhins history and some of the claims he has made: December 2016 The United States imposed sanctions against 15 Russian entities, including Mr. Prigozhin, for their dealings in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and in Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists seized territory the same year. The Treasury Department targeted businesspeople who were associates of Mr. Putin or were involved in activities that aided in Russias destabilization of Ukraine. A powerful mercenary military leader brought in by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to help salvage his floundering invasion of Ukraine turned his guns on the Russian Army this weekend, and his tanks prowled the streets of his own country. What just happened? With Mr. Putins regular forces bogged down in what a Russian general once predicted would be a walk in the park invasion, the president last year turned for help to a longtime political ally, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, head of a notoriously brutal private army called Wagner. Wagner did, in fact, notch wins in Ukraine but it soon became clear that Mr. Prigozhin, a tycoon with an ego to match the Russian presidents, was not content to limit his fight to one front. Mr. Prigozhin bitterly lashed out against Russian military leaders, accusing them of incompetence and of undermining his fighters. Then words turned to action. On Saturday, Wagner forces seized control of key military facilities in the southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don and threatened to enter Moscow. Later in the day, Mr. Prigozhin appeared to back down, announcing that Wagner was turning around our columns and returning to field camps according to plan. A domestic security crisis that threatened the government of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia appeared to ease late Saturday, when a mercenary tycoon, whose forces had seized critical facilities in southern Russia and begun an armed march on Moscow, abruptly stood down after cutting a deal that allowed him and his fighters to escape prosecution. The mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, who had brazenly seized control of the Southern Military District headquarters in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and stationed his fighters and tanks on the streets, demanding a change to the Russian military leadership, said his Wagner private military company had made it within 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) of Moscow, the capital, without injuring any of its fighters. But he said the group had reached the point where Russian blood was about to be spilled on one side. And out of a sense of responsibility, he would turn his forces around and send them back to their field camps. Many questions remained unanswered as the day ended in Moscow, but the outlines of a deal Mr. Prigozhin had negotiated began to come into focus. Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus and a close Putin ally, mediated the agreement. Edenderry Green Party Councillor Mark Hackett is calling for a rainbow crossing to be introduced to County Offaly as an act of solidarity with LGBT+ people. In a motion put before the June meeting of the body, Cllr Hackett asked the Council to introduce the crossing in recognition of the marginalised position of members of the LGBT+ community. Through my work on gender-based violence in public spaces I am becoming increasingly aware of how isolated and vulnerable LGBT+ people can feel. This crossing is a symbolic gesture, designed to raise awareness of the need for inclusiveness and safety, Our work as allies of LGBT+ people in Offaly must be proactive. Many people will be familiar with rainbow crossings as there are many examples around the country. My motion is that we bring this visible reminder of inclusion and safety to Offaly. Christina Fitzharris, Coordinator at the Midlands LGBT+ Project said: "Offaly is one of the only counties left in Ireland without an annual pride parade or festival and it is imperative that we send messages of solidarity to our local LGBT+ people in Offaly that they are safe and welcome here, especially at this time when reported hate crime and hate crime related incidents have risen 23% in the past year. A rainbow crossing will help show support and allyship to our LGBT+ community as it has in many other counties across the country." Mark Hackett concluded: Of course, the crossing must adhere to road safety standards and again this work has been done for us in many successful examples in other counties. I hope for the full support of my Council colleagues in adopting this motion and that we will see a rainbow crossing in a suitable location in Offaly sooner than later. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Wednesday with officials from Chinas Wuhan Engineering Co. and Italys Ballestra the ongoing cooperation to establish the countrys third industrial fertilizer production complex in Ain Sokhna. Gruha Lakshmi Scheme Put on Hold, Decision on App Launch on June 28 Bengaluru oi-Madhuri Adnal The Karnataka government's 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme, which was to provide financial assistance to women heads of households, has been put on hold until further notice. The decision was taken by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who said that the government wants to make the process simpler and corruption-free. Shivakumar said, "We want to streamline the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme and ensure transparency. Any individual or organization found taking money from beneficiaries will face strict consequences." To address the obstacles faced by the scheme, the Deputy CM held discussions with the Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge. Following the meeting, Hebbalkar mentioned that an application would be introduced for accepting applications under the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme. The scheme was to provide Rs 2,000 per month to women who hold BPL, APL, and Antyodaya cards. However, the government has been facing technical difficulties in implementing the scheme. The sevasindhu portal, which was supposed to be used to receive applications, has been overloaded with traffic. Gruha Jyoti Scheme: Registration for Free Electricity Begins From Tomorrow; How to Apply? "With the increasing number of applicants, the server is experiencing overload. We have developed an application, which will be presented to the Chief Minister during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. After thorough discussion, a decision regarding the scheme will be made," Hebbalkar explained. The state government is now developing a new application for the scheme, which will be presented to the cabinet on June 28. A final decision on the launch of the scheme will be taken after the cabinet meeting. Earlier, the state government had announced that the application window would be open from June 15 to July 15, with the scheme set to launch on August 15. Currently, the sevasindhu portal is not accepting applications for the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme, and the exact launch date remains uncertain. A final decision is anticipated during the cabinet meeting scheduled for June 28. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 17:13 [IST] Nalin Kumar Kateel Rubbishes Reports Of Resigning As Karnataka BJP chief Bengaluru oi-Deepika S BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel on Saturday denied resigning from the post and said such reports were far from truth. Kateel clarified that he has not resigned as the party state president. During an interaction with reporters in Ballari, Kateel took the moral responsibility for his party's defeat in the Assembly election last month. "Regarding the appointment of new state president, the party will take the right decision at an appropriate time. However, I did not say anything on my resignation as the party state president. My statement has been misconstrued," the BJP state president said. The confusion started after Kateel said in Ballari that his term has already been completed and the process for his replacement has started. As former minister V Somanna expressed his wish to become the BJP state president, the MP said: "I don't have any aspirations but my term has completed. In fact, my both terms have been completed." "Naturally, the state president has to be replaced because one person can be a president for two years. This time it was for three years but I have served for four years - once as temporary president and then as a full-time president," he added. According to Kateel, he was asked to continue due to the Assembly election. Milma Vs Nandini: Kerala's Popular Milk Brand To Open Outlets in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu "Already, the process of my replacement has started," he told reporters. With regard to Somanna's wishes, the BJP state chief said the former minister is a senior leader who has made a request and has expressed his desire. There is nothing wrong to have aspirations but the final decision will be taken by the BJP central leaders, he added. Somanna who lost the Assembly election against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency and also from Chamarajanagar on Friday appealed to the party leadership to make him the state president of the BJP. He said his sacrifices are more than anyone as he could have easily won the election from Govindaraj Nagar in Bengaluru but contested the tough elections from the constituencies he was not familiar with. Given his sacrifice, the party should consider making him the BJP state chief. He also said he has 45 years of political experience and has faced many elections while being in the BJP for the past 15 years. The BJP lost power in the state as the Congress coasted to victory with 135 seats in the 224-member Assembly while the saffron party could only muster 66 seats. Kateel, the Dakshina Kannada MP, said he has already explained to the party leaders about the reasons behind the rout. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 17:07 [IST] Amit Shah Chairs All-Party Meeting To Discuss Manipur Situation India oi-Deepika S Nearly 50 days after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired an all-party meeting on Saturday. The union minister had visited Manipur for four days last last month and held several rounds of meetings with representatives of both the Meitei and Kuki communities in a bid to end the cycle of violence that has left 115 dead, and displaced at least 40,000. The Congress had on Thursday rejected the all-party meeting to discuss Manipur, arguing that the Prime Minister's absence made the exercise meaningless. "At the outset, the PM's absence from such a serious meeting shows his 'cowardice' and 'unwillingness' to confront his failures. Even when multiple delegations sought meetings with him, he had no time for them," the Congress leader alleged. Noting that the Home Minister himself has presided over this situation and made no progress, he said in fact things have worsened since his visit. "Can we expect genuine peace under his stewardship," he asked. Amit Shah Hurls Photo Session Jibe At Opposition Meet In Patna "Moreover, the continuation of the partisan state government and non-implementation of President's Rule is a travesty," Venugopal charged. "Manipur is burning for 50 days but the Prime Minister remained silent. The all-party meeting has been called when the Prime Minister is not in the country. It's clear, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister," Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. So far, nearly 120 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 are injured. When Will Modi Govt Stop Acting Like All Is Well: Cong On Manipur Video Congress Dubs Shah's Visit to J&K 'Cosmetic'; Says People Want Restoration of Dignity India oi-PTI The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Saturday termed as "cosmetic" the two-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the Union Territory and said people want ''restoration of their honour'' and holding of the much-delayed assembly polls. J&K Congress working president Raman Bhalla said the frequent visits of central ministers to the region is a "futile exercise" and claimed that not a single public demand has been fulfilled even as the Jammu and Kashmir administration is directly working on the directions of the BJP. "The home minister's visit (to Jammu and Kashmir) is cosmetic as he refuses to acknowledge the ground realities. These visits are an eyewash and a strategy to divert public attention from the government's failure," he said while addressing a function to welcome new entrants into the party fold at Bishna near here. All Efforts Being Made To Restore Peace In Manipur on PM's Instructions: Shah tells All-Party Meet "The central government should send its ministers with some funds in hand so that they can redress the public issues in a real sense. This public outreach campaign since the last couple of years has remained a flop show. High expectations of the public from these visits have also fallen flat," Bhalla, a former minister, said. He also alleged that the civil administration has completely collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir. "It is the right time to restore the confidence of the people who are feeling sidelined with no elected representative or government in place," he said. Demanding holding of the much-delayed assembly elections for empowerment of people, he said Jammu and Kashmir residents want the restoration of their "honour and dignity". Addressing an event after the inauguration of the three-day Vitasta Festival in Srinagar, Shah on Friday said all-round development has come to Jammu and Kashmir ever since the abrogation of Article 370. He also said that during the rule of the previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir, democracy was limited to 80-85 people and three families -- the Abdullahs, Muftis and the Gandhis -- had taken control over democracy, but now its future is decided by 35,000 elected representatives. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 22:29 [IST] CPI Targets Govt Over Not Being Invited To All-Party Meet on Manipur Violence India oi-Madhuri Adnal The CPI on Saturday hit out at the government over the party not being invited to an all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur, saying it ''exposes the callous attitude'' of the home minister. Leaders of various parties, including the BJP and the Congress, attended the all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, where nearly 120 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured in ethnic violence since May 3. Not invited to the meeting, CPI general secretary D Raja said in a tweet, ''Exclusion of CPI from the all-party meeting on Manipur exposes the callous attitude of Home Minister @AmitShah towards the burning problems of the state. The CPI is a recognised party in Manipur and is contributing significantly to peace building and harmony in the state.'' He said an all-party delegation from Manipur called on the CPI leadership recently. He said the party ''is intensely engaged in peace building'' in the region and held a demonstration in Delhi appealing for peace and harmony. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar To Skip All-Party Meeting On Manipur Raja said the home minister ''should explain CPI's exclusion and the lack of transparency surrounding the Manipur issue. Is it the fear that CPI will expose the failures of the 'double engine' in Manipur that resulted in exclusion?'' With his ''double engine'' swipe, the Communist Party of India (CPI) leader was referring to the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in the state. ''Manipur is burning on Home Minister's watch while PM is busy abroad. They will have to answer for their failures before the people of Manipur!'' Raja said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on an official visit to the US and Egypt. The ethnic violence broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the state's hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 19:25 [IST] Mumbai Rains: Orange Alert Issued; Traffic Snarls, Short Circuits Reported India oi-Madhuri Adnal The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced on Saturday, based on the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast, the weather forecast for Mumbai has been upgraded to an 'orange alert'. This alert signifies the potential for heavy rainfall in the city within the next 24 hours. In light of the upgraded forecast, the BMC has advised residents and authorities to exercise vigilance and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety amidst the anticipated weather conditions. Today, Mumbai experienced rainfall in several areas following a significant delay in the arrival of the monsoon. The IMD has reported that the monsoon has progressed up to Alibag in Maharashtra's Raigad district and is expected to further advance and reach Mumbai within the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, heavy rains in several parts of Mumbai on Saturday led to the deaths of two persons who were washed away in a drain as well as traffic snarls, tree fall incidents and short circuits, civic and police officials said. The deaths took place in Govandi in the afternoon and the bodies were fished out by fire brigade and police personnel later, an official said. Father-Son Duo Die While Trying To Save Livestock From Flash Flood As Cyclone Brings Rain According to officials, Chembur received 80.04 millimetres of rain through the day, while the figure was 79.76 mm for Vikhroli, 61.98 for Sion, 61.68 for Ghatkopar and 61.25 for Matunga. In a statement issued in the evening, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said 11 trees have fallen due to the rains, while seven incidents of short circuit have been reported till 8pm. It said the eastern suburbs of the metropolis received 69.86 mm rain, while it was 73.57 mm for the western suburbs. Police said traffic was diverted to SV Road after Andheri subway got flooded, while movement of vehicles was slow on BD Road, in the vicinity of Mahalaxmi Temple and areas like Asalpha, Sakinaka junction, and Gaffar Khan Road Near Worli Sealink. Similar conditions were witnessed in Kurla, Santacruz and SV road, while waterlogging was reported from Dadar TT, Sion Road, Tilak Nagar and Dahisar subway. Several netizens took to Twitter to ask traffic police for updates, some of them mentioning about traffic snarls near Shreyas cinema in Ghatkopar, on Link Road from Bangur Nagar in Goregaon to Mith Chowki in Malad as well as Pantnagar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 21:57 [IST] NCP Chief Sharad Pawar To Skip All-Party Meeting On Manipur India oi-Prakash KL Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar will be skipping the all-party meeting which will be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Manipur situation on Saturday. Although Pawar wanted to attend the meeting, he is giving a miss due to some important prior commitments. The NCP supremo has designated Narendra Verma, National General Secretary of the party, and Soran lboyaima Singh, President, Manipur State NCP, to attend the meeting. "I am in receipt of your letter dated 22nd June 2023, regarding the meeting of the Union home minister with various political parties, on June 24, 2023, to discuss the situation in Manipur. Although I wanted to attend this meeting, however, due to some important prior commitments, it would not be possible for me to do so, Shri Narendra Verma, National General Secretary, NCP and Shri Soran lboyaima Singh, President, Manipur State NCP, will represent Nationalist Congress Party in this meeting," Pawar said in a letter to Union MoS for Home Nityanand Rai. The all-party meeting on June 24 in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur which has witnessed sporadic violence since May 3 will be held at 3 pm today. However, Congress has termed the all-party meeting convened by Home Minister Amit Shah on the Manipur situation as "too little, too late," Amit Shah To Hold All-Party Meeting To Discuss Manipur Situation Today "Well after 50 days of death and destruction in Manipur, HM @AmitShah's call for an all party meeting is too little too late. The government only woke up after Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji's address to the people of Manipur," Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal tweeted. He questioned the absence of Prime Minister from such a "serious meeting" and criticised him for "unwillingness to confront his failures." The Congress leader said, "At the outset, the PM's absence from such a serious meeting shows his cowardice and unwillingness to confront his failures. Even when multiple delegations sought meetings with him, he had no time for them. The HM himself has presided over this situation and made no progress, in fact things have worsened since his visit. Can we expect genuine peace under his stewardship?" Currently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is headed to Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation after completing his maiden State Visit to the United States. Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 10:20 [IST] After UK, NIA To Investigate Attack On Indian Missions In US And Canada NIA Names Amritpal Singh's Brother-In-Law As Key Accused In Attack On Indian High Commission In Canada India oi-Prakash KL The National Investigation Agency has named radical preacher Amritpal Singh's brother-in-law Amarjot Singh as the primary accused in the March 23 attack on the Indian High Commission in Canada, Hindustan Times reported citing people familiar with the matter. On March 23, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa had come under attack from Khalistan supporters where two grenades were hurled at the building. As per the first information report filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Amarjot Singh spearheaded a group of demonstrators supporting Khalistan who chanted anti-India slogans, placed Khalistani flags on the high commission's boundary wall, and threw two grenades inside the building. The FIR states that the accused individuals are charged with engaging in unlawful activities, including acts of terrorism. Also, the central agency has named eight Khalistan supporters, including Baba Sarvan Singh for attacking the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. The Indian Consulate in San Francisco was also attacked on March 20. Amritpal Singh's wife meets him at Assam jail weeks after radical preacher's arrest Last week, the NIA took over both cases from the Delhi Police. FIRs were registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by Delhi Police Special Cell regarding the March 2023 attack in Canada and San Francisco (US). The case has now been transferred to the NIA, ANI reported citing sources. Amarjot Singh is said to be the brother-in-law of Amritpal Singh. "When the Punjab police and Centre launched a manhunt for Amritpal Singh, Amarjot led protests against India in Canada. These protests were being spearheaded by Khalistani leaders like Hardeep Singh Nijjar [who was mysteriously shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia last week] and London-based Avtar Singh Khanda [who died in a hospital in Birmingham last week]. It is being investigated whether he was in touch with Amritpal Singh at that time," an officer, requesting anonymity, told the daily. It has to be noted that Radical preacher Amritpal Singh was arrested from Punjab's Moga in April. Singh had been on the run since March 18 when a police crackdown was launched against him and his outfit 'Waris Punjab De'. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 11:08 [IST] When Will Modi Govt Stop Acting Like All Is Well: Cong On Manipur Video If Govt Does Not Act, We Will: Supreme Court Warns After 2 Manipur Women Paraded Naked By Mob Opposition Parties Demand Manipur Chief Minister's Resignation at All-Party Meet India oi-Madhuri Adnal Leaders from major political parties met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur. The opposition parties demanded the removal of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and called for the imposition of President's rule. They argued that peace cannot be achieved until trust is re-established among local communities. The meeting was attended by 18 political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, AIADMK, Aam Aadmi Party, and the Left. Representatives from various parties voiced their concerns about the handling of the situation in Manipur. The Trinamool Congress criticized the government's approach and demanded that an all-party delegation visit the state within a week. Former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh stated that peace could not be achieved under the current state government and called for Singh's immediate replacement. All Efforts Being Made To Restore Peace In Manipur on PM's Instructions: Shah tells All-Party Meet The government, however, assured that efforts are being made to restore normalcy. They said that around 36,000 security personnel are deployed in the state, 40 IPS officers have been sent to Manipur, 20 medical teams have been sent, and the supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured. Violence erupted in Manipur following a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organized on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The Home Minister responded by assuring that the government has deployed additional police and sought the opposition's trust in his stewardship. The opposition also expressed concern over Prime Minister Modi's silence on the situation in Manipur. The government said that the situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal. "Since the late night of June 13, not a single person has died in violence in the state. So far, 1,800 looted weapons have been surrendered," government sources said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 22:44 [IST] H1-B Visas, Stolen Antiques and Mini India: Top Quotes From PM Modi's Address To Indian Diaspora In US International oi-Deepika S In the grand finale of his historic US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a large crowd of Indian diaspora members at the Ronald Reagan center in Washington, the conclusion of his three-day State visit to the United States. Addressing a large crowd of Indian diaspora members in an invite-only event at the Ronald Reagan center in Washington, PM Modi announced that India-US relationship had entered a new chapter by honing in on strategic issues, transfers of technology and defence cooperation. Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's address to Indian diaspora in US Mini India: In a way, you have charted out the full map of India in this hall. I can see people from all corners of India here. It seems that a mini India has turned up," PM Narendra Modi said in his address. "You all have come from different places, it looks like a 'mini India' has emerged inside the building. Sky is not the limit: The Artemis Accord signed between India and the US will provide several opportunities in space research. With NASA, India will send astronauts to space. That is why I said 'Sky is not the limit. VISA renewal: America's new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself. India, US Working With Renewed Trust In Areas of New and Emerging Technologies: PM Modi Digital revolution: The manner in which India has seen a digital revolution in the past few years is unprecedented. Maybe you will see a barcode board there at a shop in your village. Maybe you try to pay in cash and the shopkeeper asks if you have a digital payment app on your phone. This transformed India will amaze you. Today anyone, anywhere in India can do 24/7 banking. Be it Sunday or Monday, there is no impact on it. India is the mother, the US is the champion: India is the mother of democracy and America is the champion of advanced democracy. Today, the world is seeing the partnership between these two great democracies getting stronger. America is our biggest trading partner and export destination but the real potential of our partnership is yet to come out. The Antique Homecoming: I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiques of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 9:16 [IST] Saudi oil giant Aramco and TotalEnergies today (June 24) awarded engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the $11 billion Amiral complex, a future world-scale petrochemicals facility expansion at the Satorp refinery in the kingdom. The EPC contracts are for main process units and associated utilities of the Amiral complex and marks the start of construction work on the joint petrochemical expansion, following the final investment decision in December last year. The EPC contracts have been awarded to several leading firms such as: *Hyundai Engineering & Construction - for a mixed feed cracker and utilities, with a nameplate capacity of 1,650 kta of ethylene and related industrial gases, and utilities, flares and interconnecting systems that support main packages within the facilities. *Maire Tecnimont - for two polyethylene units using Advanced Dual Loop technology, with a nameplate capacity of 500 kta each, and the derivative units. *Sinopec Engineering (Group) Saudi - for tank farm and Satorp integration. *Gulf Consolidated Contractors - for the transfer pipelines. *Mohammed Ali Al Suwailem Trading and Contracting - for industrial support facilities. *Mofarreh Marzouq Al Harbi and Partners - for site preparation. *Mobarak M. AlSalomi and Partners - for temporary construction facilities. The signing ceremony was held at Dhahran in the presence of Amin H Nasser, Aramco President and CEO, and Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO. Integrated with the existing Satorp refinery in Jubail, the new complex aims to house one of the largest mixed-load steam crackers in the Gulf, with a capacity to produce 1,650 kilotons per annum of ethylene and other industrial gases. This expansion is expected to attract more than $4 billion in additional investment in a variety of industrial sectors, including carbon fibers, lubes, drilling fluids, detergents, food additives, automotive parts and tires. It is also expected to create around 7,000 local direct and indirect jobs. Speaking at the ceremony, Nasser said: "Today we are taking a major step forward in further strengthening the partnership between TotalEnergies and Aramco, with the Satorp expansion project being the latest in a longstanding history of collaboration of almost five decades between both companies." "As part of Aramcos growth strategy, the project is anticipated to contribute to value-addition opportunities in the kingdoms downstream ecosystem, and we thank the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investment for their tremendous support via the Shareek program to make this multi-billion-dollar project a reality," he added. Pouyanne pointed out that this landmark opens a new page in TotalEnergies' shared history with Aramco. "This expansion project reinforces the exemplary relationship that our two companies have enjoyed for several decades in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he added. The ceremony was also attended by Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, government officials from Saudi Arabia, France and South Korea and company executives from Aramco, TotalEnergies as well as Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Maire Tecnimont, Sinopec Engineering, Gulf Consolidated Contractors, Mohammed Ali Al Suwailem Trading and Contracting, Mofarreh Marzouq Al Harbi and Partners as well as Mobarak M. AlSalomi and Partners.-TradeArabia News Service The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) indices close in the green territory during the week ending on 19 July, while the market cap rose by over 1 percent. Market expert advises investors to eye state-owned companies. Russia Will Stand Up Against Sanctions And Provocations: Putin at SCO summit Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General Has Vladimir Putin Fled Moscow To Bunker? Here's What Kremlin Says International oi-Madhuri Adnal Vladimir Putin's presidential plane was reportedly seen departing from Moscow on Saturday as rebel mercenaries, led by Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, advanced towards the capital city. The BBC reported that the president's special aircraft, Il-96-300PU, allegedly departed at 2:16 PM Moscow time (12:16 PM BST) from Moscow Vnukovo Airport and proceeded in a north-west direction. FlightRadar tracking data showed that the plane reached the Tver region, approximately 180 km from Moscow, where Putin possesses a residence, before vanishing from the system. While the presence of Putin on the aircraft was unverified, his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that the president is currently "working in the Kremlin." Videos circulated on social media showed the Wagner mercenary convoy traveling along the M4 motorway, leading to the Russian military to ramp up security measures. These measures included digging of trenches on the outskirts of Moscow and destruction of roads in Lipetsk. Russia Coup: Man Continues To Clean Street as Armed Convoy Arrives in Rostov Lipetsk's governor, Igor Artamonov, urged residents to remain at home and avoid unnecessary travel. He assured the public that "the situation was under control." Moscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, appealed to the city's residents to refrain from using their vehicles due to the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in Moscow and the surrounding region. In light of this, Monday was declared a non-working day for most individuals, with exceptions made for public servants and employees of specific industrial enterprises. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, June 25, 2023, 0:42 [IST] Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General How The World Is Reacting To Russia's New Crisis International oi-Prakash KL Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the most serious security crisis since he came to power in late 1999 after a head of a mercenary group captured a key military headquarters that served as a logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner Group called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defence minister and said that he and his troops have reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters. He said that his forces had military facilities in the city are under their control, including the airfield. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by Prigozhin. Why Wagner Group Rebelled Against Russian Army Putin said the mutiny amounted to "a deadly threat to our statehood" and vowed "tough actions" in response. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," Putin said. He called Prigozhin's actions "a betrayal" and "a treason." What initially started as a dispute regarding the military's inability to provide adequate equipment and ammunition to his hired soldiers has now escalated into a direct confrontation aimed at the two individuals responsible for leading the war efforts: Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov. How The World Has Reacted To This Development? Check Out Initial Response Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine which has been at war with Russia since February 2022, said that "Russia's weakness is obvious" and that the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine and the more chaos it would invite back home. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," Zelenskiy wrote. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later," he stated. Britain's defence ministry said that the Russian state was facing its greatest security challenge of recent times. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out," Britain's defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," it added. Britain said Wagner Group forces had crossed from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia in at least two locations and had "almost certainly" occupied key security sites in Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters which runs Russian military operations in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow," Britain said. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the defence ministry added. Russia Will Have A New President Soon: Wagner Group Britain's foreign ministry also warned of a risk of unrest across Russia, in an update of advice to travellers on Saturday."There are reports of military tensions in the Rostov region and a risk of further unrest across the country. Additionally, there is a lack of available flight options to return to the UK," Britain's foreign ministry said. The Elysee Palace said President Emmanuel Macron is following the situation in Russia closely. "We stay focused on the support to Ukraine," the Elysee said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government is watching the situation in Russia closely, a spokesperson at the government's press office said on Saturday. "We are monitoring events in Russia closely," said the spokesperson. "Prime Minister Meloni is closely following events in Russia, which show that its assault on Ukraine is causing instability within Russia," a message from the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Office said. "In connection with the situation in Russia, this morning we held consultations with the prime minister and the ministry of defence, as well as with allies. The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis," Polish President Andrzej Duda tweeted. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 16:34 [IST] India To Get Global Fintech Operations Centre In Gujarat: Google CEO Pichai International oi-Prakash KL Search engine giant Google will launch its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat, its CEO Sundar Pichai said on Friday. The announcement came after his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Today we are announcing the opening of our global fintech operations centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. It will cement India's fintech leadership, thanks to UPI, and Aadhaar. We are going to build on that foundation and take it globally," Pichai said. The Google CEO shared his excitement over India's progress around the vision of Digital India and the economic opportunity. "I met the prime minister in December, and we continued our conversation. We shared that Google is investing USD 10 billion in the India digitisation fund and we are continuing to invest through that, including in companies working on artificial intelligence. As part of that, we have a 100-language initiative. We are bringing bot to more Indian languages very soon," the Indian-origin CEO said. Pichai hailed PM Modi's Digital India initiative, calling it ahead of its time. "I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do so," he added. The Ministry of External Affairs in a Tweet said Prime Minister Modi invited Pichai to explore further avenues of collaboration in the domains of artificial intelligence, fintech, and cybersecurity products and services, as well as mobile device manufacturing in India. Amid layoffs, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gets 6-mn pay package They also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development, and skill development, the ministry added. Google, in July 2020, had announced plans to invest USD 10 billion in India over the next five to seven years as the search giant looks to help accelerate adoption of digital services in the key overseas market. Besides Pichai, the Prime Minister met many CEOs of MNCs that include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and AMD CEO Lisa Su, among others Meanwhile, PM Modi concluded his maiden State Visit to the United States and he departed for Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation. "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 9:46 [IST] Russia Will Stand Up Against Sanctions And Provocations: Putin at SCO summit What Putin Said on Terrorism During SCO Summit Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General Putin Says Russian Mercenary Group Has No Legal Basis So 'Doesn't Exist' Armed Rebellion In Russia LIVE: President Putin's Position Is Absolutely Stable, Says Russian Diplomat International oi-Oneindia English Desk Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed harsh punishment for the organisers of an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and advanced toward Moscow. Putin denounced the uprising as "a stab in the back" in an address to the nation. It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. Catch The Live Updates Newest First Oldest First Russian President Vladimir Putin hails military and law enforcement for 'stopping a civil war', reports AP. Russian authorities drop charges against mercenary chief Prigozhin and others involved in the armed rebellion, reports AP. Russia's special presidential representative for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy said Prigozhin wanted to become Russian president but it was a "mistake". Shvydkoy, currently on a visit to India, was speaking to a small group of reporters. President Vladimir Putin's position is absolutely stable and there is no change in overall situation in Russia, a senior Kremlin diplomat said on Monday, days after a brief rebellion against Putin by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Wagner group will continue operations in Mali, C. African Republic: Russian foreign minister. Russias Special Presidential Representative for International Cultural Cooperation and former Minister of Culture, Mikhail Shvydkoy, says "The current situation in Russia is stable and the contemporary position of President Putin is absolutely stable. We are united when it appears dangerous... A lot of people are now expecting that now there is a good chance of Ukrainian military services but this is not true, the situation is more or less the same" Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that the U.S. ambassador to Moscow "gave signals" that the United States was not involved in the Wagner armed mutiny and hoped for the safety of Russia's nuclear arsenal, state news agency TASS reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday issued via the Kremlin website his first statement since an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, congratulating participants of an industrial forum. It was not immediately clear when or where Putin's statement was recorded. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have made no public statements since then. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is the first of three powerful Russian leaders whose diverging interests led to the Wagner Group occupying a Russian city and marching on the capital to be seen since the revolt ended Saturday. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public appearance since a mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine Monday in a video released by his ministry. Russian government troops withdrew from the streets of Moscow and people flocked to parks and cafes Sunday following a short-lived revolt by mercenary forces that weakened President Vladimir Putin and raised questions about his ability to wage war in Ukraine. The march on the capital by Wagner troops led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the late-night deal that eventually halted it severely dented Putin's reputation as a leader who is willing to ruthlessly punish anyone who challenges his authority. European Union foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss how to further support Ukraine. The ministers are expected to increase the joint military aid fund by 3.5 billion (.85 billion). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the Wagner Group mutiny in Russia with several world leaders on Sunday. Zelenskyy said he and US President Joe Biden "discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia" among other things. "Yesterday's events exposed the weakness of Putin's regime," he added. Russia said on Sunday that China threw its support behind President Vladimir Putin's efforts to stabilise the country after an aborted rebellion against the Kremlin by an army of mercenaries. The Russian Foreign Ministry said China declared support for the leadership in Moscow during a previously unannounced trip to Beijing by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko. Russia's Wagner mercenaries have left the Lipetsk region after its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin decided to halt his forces' march to Moscow, according to CNN citing the regional government. "Units of PMC "Wagner," which stopped the day before in the Lipetsk region, left the territory of the region," it said on Telegram. Russia's crisis involving a mercenary group's aborted revolt against the Kremlin exposed "real cracks" in President Vladimir Putin's authority, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "You will likely ask me why precisely President Lukashenko [became the mediator]? The thing is that Alexander Grigoryevich has known Prigozhin personally for a long time, about 20 years, and this was his personal initiative which was coordinated with President Putin," Peskov said. It has been reported that the bloodbath was avoided due to the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Belarusian President volunteered as he has been acquainted with Prigozhin for about 20 years. The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner has agreed to go into exile in Belarus, the Kremlin said, after President Vladimir Putin was forced to accept an amnesty deal to halt a mutiny. An anti-terrorist operation regime was still in force in Moscow on Sunday, a day after mutinous Wagner mercenaries threatened to storm the Russian capital, in a dramatic security crisis for President Vladimir Putin. Taking note of the volatile situation caused by Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny against the Kremlin, authorities have placed traffic restrictions on a key highway in Moscow and Tula regions, according to DW news. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has shortened a trip to South Africa due to the conflict which occurred between the Wagner mercenary group and the Kremlin. The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat. US spy agencies picked up signs days ago that mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was preparing to rise up against Russias defense establishment, US media reported on Saturday. Russian military company Wagner will move to neighbouring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has humiliated Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Belarusian president held talks with Prigozhin today, the Wagner chief agreed to hold off on further advances at the moment. Russian Foriegn Affairs Ministry tweeted,We warn Western countries against undertaking attempts to use the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals. Such attempts would be futile & will find no resonance either in Russia or among reasonable political forces abroad.'' US President Biden spoke with the leaders of the E3 French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK PM Rishi Sunak- on the situation in Russia. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unfirming support to Ukraine, a White House statement read. Soon after Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the armed rebellion by Wagner mercenaries, the group reportedly said that the Russian President made the wrong choice during his speech and that the country will soon have a new premier. The Russian President has called the rebellion by the Wagner Group a stab in the back of countries military. Loyalty of Russian security forces 'key factor' to how Prigozhin's 'rebellion' plays out, says UK Defense Ministry. Romania is monitoring events in Russia closely and is in constant contact with its allies, the country's president said on Saturday. "The Romanian authorities are monitoring closely the evolutions of the events in Russia," Klaus Iohannis wrote on Twitter. "I am permanently informed about the developments. We are in constant contact with the Allies." Russian mercenary Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has refuted allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason, Prigozhin said in an audio message. Britain's Ministery of Defence (MOD) said in an intelligence update that the coming hours may be decisive as to how this crisis plays out as Russian security forces face a test of loyalty to the Kremlin over the feud between Wagner and Moscow's military. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 June 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/K6An5jd2B8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/M3E5L0EHLB Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) June 24, 2023 Moscow has declared a counterterrorism state of emergency against the backdrop of the armed uprising by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The European Union is closely monitoring the situation in Russia amid a rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group, EU chief Charles Michel said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the growing unrest in Russia is a result of its invasion of Ukraine. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. Who sends columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Who terrorizes with missiles, and when they are shot down, humiliates himself to receive (@ZelenskyyUa) June 24, 2023 According to Reuters, a truck transporting a tank of Wagner's private mercenary group was seen along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russias southern cities, near Voronezh in Russia. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on all parties in Russia to protect civilians after the Wagner Group captured territory in Rostov and other regions. Russian army opened fire on Wagner military convoy on M4 highway outside city of Voronezh, an eyewitness told Reuters. Putin calls armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and vows to punish its leaders Prigozhin, the mercenary chief urging an uprising, has long ties to Putin The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighbouring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is "closely following" developments and exchanging information with allies. The governor of Russia's Lipetsk province says the Wagner mercenary group has entered the region, reports AP. Multiple reports indicate that at 2:16 PM Moscow time (12:16 PM BST), Russian President Vladimir Putins presidential aircraft departed from Moscow Vnukovo Airport and proceeded in a north-west direction. According to The Guardian, FlightRadar tracking data reveals that the plane reached the Tver region, approximately 180km from Moscow, where Putin possesses a residence, before vanishing from the system. The presence of Putin on the aircraft remains unverified, and Dmitry Peskov, Putins spokesperson, informed the TASS news agency that the president is currently working in the Kremlin. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a tweet said, Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop. According to Ukraine media reports, the official plane of Russian President Vladimir Putin departed from Moscow before disappearing from radars. However, Russian Presidents Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has denied the rumours. The information was disseminated through Telegram channels. Putin works in the Kremlin, Peskov told TASS. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny after the private army of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin seized control of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership, reports Reuters. Locals wake up to Wagner mercenaries 'armed mutiny' in Rostov-on Don, Russia. Locals wake up to Wagner mercenaries 'armed mutiny' in Rostov-on Don, Russia (Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/INY96btnhc ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2023 The governor of the Moscow region has suspended mass events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1, reports AP. Moscow's mayor warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of Russia's capital as part of heightened security prompted by the rebellion of mercenaries with private military company Wagner. US President Biden spoke with the leaders of the E3 French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK PM Rishi Sunak- on the situation in Russia. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unfirming support to Ukraine, a White House statement read. Russian Foriegn Affairs Ministry tweeted,We warn Western countries against undertaking attempts to use the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals. Such attempts would be futile & will find no resonance either in Russia or among reasonable political forces abroad.'' Belarusian president held talks with Prigozhin today, the Wagner chief agreed to hold off on further advances at the moment. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has humiliated Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Way Back From US, PM Modi Likely To Visit Egypt PM Modi Leaves For Egypt After Concluding Historic US State Visit International oi-PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for Egypt after concluding his historic US State Visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. This is the Prime Minister's first visit to Egypt. The two-day State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister since 1997. PM Modi was in the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. His visit to the US started in New York, where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga on June 21. India, US Working With Renewed Trust In Areas of New and Emerging Technologies: PM Modi Later, in Washington DC, he was given a red-carpet welcome at the White House by President Biden. The two leaders held a historic summit on Thursday, followed by PM Modi's address to Congress and a State Dinner hosted at the White House by the Bidens in his honour. The visit was marked by several major deals to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, space and trade. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hailed the "landmark" pact to jointly produce jet engines in India to power military aircraft and the US drone deal. With India and the US set to elevate their strategic partnership, GE Aerospace announced it has signed an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II Tejas. In another big-ticket announcement, computer storage chip maker Micron said it will set up its semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat, entailing a total investment of USD 2.75 billion (around Rs 22,540 crore). PM Modi on Thursday also became the first Indian leader to address the Joint Session of the US Congress twice. During his address, he sought action against state sponsors of terrorism. PM Modi also made a strong push for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN, and spoke glowingly of India's ties with the US. On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon for the Indian leader at the State Department. PM Modi also met top CEOs of the US and India at the White House. In Popularity, PM Modi Maintains Vantage Over Other World Leaders Later in the day, he addressed an event hosted by the Indian community in the US. During his Egypt visit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian government, prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community, apart from holding talks with President Sisi. In January, during President Sisi's State Visit, the two countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. The Prime Minister will visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Cairo, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In his departure statement on June 20, PM Modi had said, "I am excited to pay a State Visit to a close and friendly country for the first time." "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in the span of a few months are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a 'Strategic Partnership' during President Sisi's visit. "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilizational and multi-faceted partnership. I will also have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Egypt," PM Modi said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 9:54 [IST] What Happened With Daughters Can Never Be Forgiven: PM Modi On Manipur Parade Incident PM Modi's Visit Not About China, India No Counterweight: White House International oi-PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was not about leveraging India to be a "counterweight" to China but to deepen ties, including defence cooperation, between the largest democracies of the world, a top White House official has said. Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his state visit during which he held wide-ranging talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of the US Congress. He visited the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. "This state visit wasn't about China. Look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the People's Republic of China to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that," said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. PM Modi Leaves For Egypt After Concluding Historic US State Visit "But this wasn't about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood," he told reporters at a news conference here on Friday. Kirby said India is becoming an increasing exporter of security, which the US welcomes. "You can see a lot of that - our desire to improve the defence cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether it's the co-production of jet engines, whether it's their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and that's really what we're focused on," Kirby said in response to questions. He said Modi's visit was about sending a message to the American and Indian people about how important this bilateral relationship is to people around the world. "India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own," he said. "I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. It's not a formal alliance. It's not a military organisation. They have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that they're addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate," Kirby said. In his address to the joint meeting of the US Congress for a second time on Thursday, Modi said the "dark clouds of coercion and confrontation" are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific, in a veiled attack on China amid its aggressive military manoeuvring in the strategically vital region. "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership," he said in the backdrop of the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh. The prime minister talked about a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, and where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. India, US Working With Renewed Trust In Areas of New and Emerging Technologies: PM Modi His comments came amidst the economic crisis in countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where China has made huge unviable infrastructure investments. The two South Asian countries are currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. "We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN centrality," Modi said. "Our vision does not seek to contain or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond. Of this, QUAD has emerged as a major force of good for the region," he said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over some of the areas claimed by China. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Kirby also said President Biden is satisfied that he had the opportunity to discuss concerns over human rights in India with Prime Minister Modi. "And in the end, he did, as he always does. We don't shy away from discussing human rights with foreign leaders. And one of the reasons you have partnerships and friendships is so that you can be honest and direct. But I think he addressed that pretty well in his answer to you guys," he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 12:51 [IST] Russia Will Stand Up Against Sanctions And Provocations: Putin at SCO summit What Putin Said on Terrorism During SCO Summit Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General Putin Says Russian Mercenary Group Has No Legal Basis So 'Doesn't Exist' This Is Treason, Backstabbers Will Be Punished: Putin Vows To End Wagner Rebellion International oi-Deepika S Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday condemned the Wagner rebellion and ordered armed forces to neutralise those responsible. Addressing the nation, Putin said mutiny is like a stab in the back of the country. "This is treason. Will do anything to defend Russia," Putin told Russians in a televised address hours after Wagner forces took over parts of Russian cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. "At night, I spoke with the commanders of all directions, the troops are fighting heroically. I call for unity, consolidation and responsibility," Putin said. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," Putin said. He urged "those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice - to stop participating in criminal acts." Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was "fighting the toughest battle for its future" with its war in Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Putin said. "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility." An armed rebellion at a time like this is "a blow to Russia, to its people," the president said. "Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it," Putin said. Reportedly, Putin is getting minute-to-minute updates from all relevant state security agencies on the measures being taken to thwart an attempted armed mutiny. Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister, confirmed that his troops have reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. Yeveny Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Following the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don. But it is still unknown how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Prigozhin's threat could also have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Russia Will Stand Up Against Sanctions And Provocations: Putin at SCO summit What Putin Said on Terrorism During SCO Summit Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General Putin Says Russian Mercenary Group Has No Legal Basis So 'Doesn't Exist' Russia Will Have A New President Soon: Wagner Group International oi-Deepika S Soon after Vladimir Putin vowed to crush the armed rebellion by Wagner mercenaries, the group reportedly said that the Russian President made the wrong choice during his speech and that the country will soon have a new premier. The Russian President has called the rebellion by the Wagner Group a stab in the back of countries military. "Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president", the Wagner Group said. Wagner PMC Telegram channel: "Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him. Soon we will have a new president" pic.twitter.com/o8I7gKCcnl Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 24, 2023 "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. Putin made the wrong choice. All the worse for him," it added. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," Putin said. Russia's Key Military HQ Under Wagner Group's Control, Claims Mercenary Group Chief In Video He called Prigozhin's actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal, and treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice - to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Putin said. What is Wagner Group? The Mercenary Force That Rebelled Against Russia "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation, and responsibility." An armed rebellion at a time like this is "a blow to Russia, to its people," the president said. "Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it," Putin said. What is Wagner Group? The Mercenary Force That Rebelled Against Russia The Russian Coup Is Over, What Next? Wagner Chief Vows To Oust Russian Military Leadership International oi-Prakash KL Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday vowed to topple the Russian military leadership accusing Kremlin of launching strikes on his men. "We are going onwards and we will go to the end," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We will destroy everything that stands in our way," he added. 62-year-old Prigozhin has also said that his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter. On the other hand, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him and called on the Wagner private military company forces to ignore his orders and arrest him. In a statement, the FSB said, "Prigozhin's statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces." The Kremlin said Putin had been informed of Prigozhin's claims and "necessary measures are being taken". The astonishing escalation of infighting came after Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes. Wagner forces have made it to the Southern Military District Headquarters in Rostov. pic.twitter.com/BVKmfuWWEm OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 24, 2023 Russia Must Pay, Says UK PM Sunak At Ukraine Recovery Summit "They (Russia's military) conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped." Prigozhin cautioned Russians against opposing his advancing troops and urged them to unite with him, emphasizing, "We are a force of 25,000 strong." "We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice". Although Prigozhin's organization has led numerous offensives on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, he has in recent months engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military command. He has consistently held Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, accountable for the casualties suffered by his combatants. Notably, Prigozhin's organization , which has tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict. According to a report in ABC News, the Russian security services quickly opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin. The criminal investigation was justified, Russia's chief prosecutor said, as an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. What is Wagner Group? The Mercenary Force That Rebelled Against Russia International oi-Prakash KL The authorities in Russia launched a criminal probe on Friday against Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, after he vowed to topple the Kremlin's military leadership. Yevgeny Prigozhin had also accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on Wagner's field camps in Ukraine where its soldiers have been fighting on behalf of Russia against Ukrainian forces. Now, all eyes are on the Wagner Group? Who are they? What do they do? Well, it is a mercenary group. A mercenary is a professional soldier who is hired to serve in a foreign army. In case of the Wagner Group, it operates in support of Russian interests and had played a key role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The private military company came to light in 2014 after joining hands with the pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. "Dmitry Utkin is the founder of the Wagner Group. A veteran of both Chechen wars, Utkin served in the GRU until 2013, after which he commanded a Spetsnaz unit, reaching the rank of a lieutenant colonel. In 2013, he quit the service and joined the Moran Security Group, in whose ranks he participated in the Slavonic Corps' above-mentioned, failed operation in Syria. In 2014, he quit Moran and established the Wagner Group. The company was named after his old callsign "Vagner." It cannot be verified whether Utkin initiated the establishment of Wagner Group or was only a front man for someone else," Center For Strategic and International Studies notes (CSIS). Who Is Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Group Leader Challenging Putin A report in BBC had claimed that the Wagner Group was notorious for its brutality. In its early days, the group reportedly had 5,000 fighters, but today it commands over 50,000 fighters. The Wagner Group recruited more people in 2022 as Russia had difficulties in finding men for its regular army. The US National Security Council had claimed last year that about 80 per cent of the troops in Ukraine have been hired from prisons. Notably, Prigozhin's organisation played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict. The main base of the Wagner Group is located in a town called Molkino, in Russia's Krasnodar district, the CSIS noted. Mercenary forces are illegal in Russia, but the Wagner Group registered as a company in 2022 and opened a new headquarters in St Petersburg. "It is openly recruiting in Russian cities, on billboards, and is being named in Russian media as a patriotic organisation," BBC quoted Dr Samuel Ramani, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, as saying. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 12:16 [IST] The boss of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused a Russian military unit of fleeing positions near Bakhmut in Ukraine and said the state was incapable of defending its country. Prigozhin, whose influence has risen hugely in Moscow's Ukraine offensive, has in recent days released a series of scathing videos attacking Russia's military leadership. "Today one of the units of the defence ministry fled from one of our flanks... exposing the front," Prigozhin said in a video. He has threatened to pull his fighters out of Bakhmut on May 10 if he did not receive badly needed ammunition. The mercenary group has spearheaded Moscow's fight for the east Ukrainian city. Prigozhin said soldiers were fleeing because of the "stupidity" of Russian army commanders, who he said were giving "criminal orders". "Soldiers should not die because of the absolute stupidity of their leadership," Prigozhin said. He released the video on Russia's Victory Day, when Moscow celebrates the Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War II. 'Unable to defend Russia' In an unprecedented attack on the Russian army, Prigozhin said Moscow's top generals were trying to "deceive" President Vladimir Putin over the Kremlin's Ukraine campaign. "If all the tasks are being carried out in such a way as to deceive the commander-in-chief (Putin), then either he will rip your arse or the Russian people will -- who will be angry that the war is lost," Prigozhin said. As Ukraine prepares for a spring offensive, the outspoken 61-year-old questioned the Kremlin's ability to defend the country. "Why is the state not able to defend its country?" Prigozhin said in the video, adding that Ukraine was hitting Russian border regions "successfully". Prigozhin published the video as Moscow celebrated its Victory Day with a grand military parade on Red Square that was televised across the country. He said Ukraine was preparing for a offensive "that will be on the ground, not on TV". "So far, in our country everyone thinks that everything needs to be done on TV." Russia has provided near round-the-clock coverage of its offensive, showing the army in an exclusively positive light. Search Keywords: Short link: How Russia Is Shifting To War Economy In The Face Of International Sanctions Ukraine War: What Are Controversial Cluster Bombs And How Munitions Work? Who Is Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Group Leader Challenging Putin International oi-Deepika S The head of Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday vowed to bring down Russia's military leadership. Prigozhin accused Moscow of ordering a rocket strike against Wagner's war camp in Ukraine, killing 2,000 of his soldiers in a number of video and audio recordings posted online Friday. In response, Prigozhin said that his troops would now move to punish Shoigu and urged the army not to offer resistance. Prigozhin declared that "this is not an armed rebellion, but a march of justice." The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin's claim and the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the country's top counter-terrorism structure, said it opened a criminal inquiry on charges of making calls for a military coup. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation, adding that "all the necessary measures were being taken." Wagner Chief Vows To Oust Russian Military Leadership Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch, mercenary chief, and a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until launching an alleged coup. In 1981, he was convicted of robbery and assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison. After his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s and during this period he got to know Vladimir Putin, then the city's deputy mayor. With Putins contact, Prigozhin developed a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts. Prigozhin is nicknamed Putin's chef, as he owns restaurants and catering companies that provide services for the Kremlin. Prigozhin now controls a network of influential companies, including the Russian state-backed mercenary company Wagner Group and three companies accused of interference in the 2016 and 2018 US elections. According to theThe Insider, and Der Spiegel, Prigozhin's activities are tightly integrated with Russia's Defence Ministry and its intelligence arm, the GRU. Prigozhin is the founder of the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a significant role in Putin's projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. Prigozhin's Wagner group was a major force in the Ukraine war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. NATO Set To Unite With Ukraine For Military Assistance Only, Not Membership: Here's Why Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General Putin Says Russian Mercenary Group Has No Legal Basis So 'Doesn't Exist' Why Wagner Group Rebelled Against Russian Army International oi-Deepika S The long-running feud among Russia's warlords has burst into an open revolt, after the Wagner Group, a private army of mercenaries, vowed to topple the military leadership in Moscow. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has lashed out at Russian military leaders saying they deceived President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion of Ukraine. "We are going onwards and we will go to the end," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We will destroy everything that stands in our way," he added. However, Putin vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by backstabbers like Yevgeny Prigozhin. Russia Will Have A New President Soon: Wagner Group "This is treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders," Putin told Russians. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. Why Wagner Group rebelled against the Russian Army In 2014, Wagner mercenaries helped Russia-backed separatists illegally annex the Crimean Peninsula. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Wagner fighters soldiers with their ruthless actions made progress in fierce battles in eastern Ukraine. By 2023, Wagner claimed it had taken control of the Ukrainian city of Soledar, seen as one of Moscow's rare victories since the beginning of the war. He claimed full credit for capturing Soledar and accused the Russian Defence Ministry of trying to steal Wagner's glory. Prigozhin accused military leaders of incompetence. He accused Russia's top military commanders of treason for depriving his troops of ammunition. "I am unable to solve this problem despite all my connections and contacts," he complained, I need to apologise and obey to secure ammunition for his fighters," he added. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has refuted Prigozhin's accusations, saying that such statements were absolutely untrue. What is Wagner Group? The Mercenary Force That Rebelled Against Russia Prigozhin has accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and top Russian General Valery Gerasimov of ordering a rocket strike on the field camps of the Wagner group in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. He blamed Russian military bureaucracy for unsuccessful attempts to capture Bakhmut, which for several months has been at the center of the conflict with severe Russian and Ukrainian casualties. How has Ukraine reacted? Ukraine has said it is closely monitoring the feud between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership. "We are watching," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 16:03 [IST] NATO Set To Unite With Ukraine For Military Assistance Only, Not Membership: Here's Why Wagner Chief Is Likely Dead After Rebelling Against Putin: Former US General You Were Deceived...: Russia's Message To Wagner Group Amid Rebellion International oi-Deepika S Russia's defence ministry on Saturday reached out to the Wagner Group soldiers staging a rebellion against President Vladimir Putin - claiming they had been 'deceived' and 'dragged into a criminal adventure'. The ministry urged the Wagner soldiers to contact their representatives and local law enforcement (presumably to surrender) and, in turn, promised to guarantee their safety and security. "Many of your comrades from several squads have already realised their mistake... asking for help in ensuring they can safely return to their places of permanent deployment. Such assistance from our side has already been provided to all fighters and commanders who applied," the statement said. What is Wagner Group? The Mercenary Force That Rebelled Against Russia "We ask you to be prudent and get in touch with representatives of the Russian Military of defence or law enforcement agencies as soon as possible. We guarantee everyone's safety", it added. Just IN: Russian ministry of defence has issued a appeal to the fighters of Wagner group. pic.twitter.com/BqAH03rv3r South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) June 24, 2023 For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 13:44 [IST] The Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences is a research institute on virology administered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which reports to the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The institute is one of nine independent organisations in the Wuhan Branch of the CAS. Located in Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei, it was founded in 1956 and opened mainland China's first biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in 2018. The institute has collaborated with the Galveston National Laboratory in the United States, the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie in France, and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada. The institute has been an active premier research center for the study of coronaviruses. Club Internacional de Futbol Miami, known as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Established in 2018, the club began playing in the Eastern Conference of the MLS during the 2020 season. The club currently plays its home MLS matches at DRV PNK Stadium, the site of the former Lockhart Stadium. A 51-year-old man from Western Australia has been charged over four historic sexual assaults from the 1990s. There are fears a civil war is brewing in Russia after the boss of private military company Wagner vowed revenge for a missile attack which killed dozens of his troops. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor and leader of a massive internet troll farm has called for an armed rebellion to oust Russia's defense minister. But is he a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin? Russian authorities have called for the arrest of Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin amid claims of mutiny. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said they were "watching" the situation unfold. DW has the latest. A deal brokered by Minsk will ensure the private military group won't be punished for the mutiny in Russia. Wagner fighters had been heading to Moscow for a confrontation with the Kremlin. DW has the latest. The head of the Russian private army Wagner says his force lost more than 20,000 men in the drawn-out battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut The head of the Russian private army Wagner says his force lost more than 20,000 men in the drawn-out battle for Bakhmut, with about half of those who died in the eastern Ukrainian city being Russian convicts recruited to fight in the 15-month-old war. The figure stood in stark contrast to the widely disputed claims from Moscow that just over 6,000 of its troops were killed throughout the war as of January. By comparison, official Soviet troop losses in the 1979-89 Afghanistan war were 15,000. Ukraine hasnt said how many of its soldiers have died since Russias full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Analysts believe the nine-month fight for Bakhmut alone has killed tens of thousands of soldiers, among them Russian convicts who reportedly received little training before being sent to the front. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin also said Russias invasion goal of demilitarizing Ukraine has backfired because Kyivs military has become stronger with the supply of weapons and training by its Western allies. In an interview published late Tuesday with Konstantin Dolgov, a pro-Kremlin political strategist, Prigozhin added that Russian forces had killed civilians something Moscow has repeatedly and vehemently denied. Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is known for his bluster often spiced with obscenities and has previously made unverifiable claims, some of which he later backtracked on. Earlier this month, his media team published a video of him shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies on the ground, saying they were Wagner fighters who died in a single day. He claimed the Russian Defense Ministry had starved his men of ammunition, and he threatened to give up the fight for Bakhmut. Prigozhin said in Tuesday's interview that it was possible Kyivs anticipated counteroffensive in coming weeks, given continued Western support, might push Russian forces out of southern and eastern Ukraine as well as annexed Crimea. A pessimistic scenario: the Ukrainians are given missiles, they prepare troops, of course they will continue their offensive, try to counterattack," he said. "They will attack Crimea, they will try to blow up the Crimean bridge (to the Russian mainland), cut off (our) supply lines. Therefore we need to prepare for a hard war. Prigozhins interview, posted in a Telegram channel that has only 50,000 followers, wasnt picked up by Russias largest state-run or pro-Kremlin media and is unlikely to be widely seen. Nor did it appear to get any mentions among military bloggers, whose popular Telegram pages are important sources of information about the war to many Russians. The Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday that heavy fighting was continuing inside Bakhmut, days after Russia said that it had completely captured the devastated city. Bakhmut lies in Donetsk province, one of four provinces Russia illegally annexed last fall and only partially controls. The head of Ukraines ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Kyivs forces are continuing their defensive operation in Bakhmut, and had achieved unspecified successes on the citys outskirts. He gave no further details. A Ukrainian commander in Bakhmut told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Ukrainians had a plan to push the Russians out of all occupied territory. But now we dont need to fight in Bakhmut, we need to surround it from flanks and block it, Yevhen Mezhevikin said. "Then we should sweep it. This is more appropriate, and thats what we are doing now. Elsewhere, Russian forces shot down a large number of drones in Russias southern Belgorod region, a local official said Wednesday, a day after Moscow announced that its forces crushed a cross-border raid in the area from Ukraine. The drones were intercepted overnight, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post, and another one was shot down Wednesday just outside the local capital, also called Belgorod. He said that no one had been hurt, but there was unspecified damage to property. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Gladkov said Tuesday he had questions for (Russias) Defense Ministry following the attack that reportedly sowed alarm among locals and embarrassed the Kremlin. During a Q&A session with residents on social media, Gladkov agreed with a participant who said that the Russian militarys actions in Belgorod raised some questions. In Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu vowed to respond promptly and extremely harshly to such attacks. On Tuesday, Russia said it had beaten back the cross-border raid, one of the most serious of its kind in the war. The Defense Ministry said more than 70 attackers were killed in the battle, which lasted around 24 hours. It made no mention of any Russian casualties. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that local troops, airstrikes and artillery routed the attackers. Twelve civilians were wounded in the attack, officials said, and an older woman died during an evacuation. Details of the incident in the rural region, about 80 kilometers (45 miles) north of the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine and far from the front lines of the almost 15-month war, are unclear. Moscow blamed the incursion that began Monday on Ukrainian military saboteurs. Kyiv described it as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans. It was impossible to reconcile the two versions, to say with certainty who was behind the attack or to ascertain its aims. The region is a Russian military hub holding fuel and ammunition depots. Moscow officials declined to say how many attackers were involved or comment on why it took so long to put down the assault. The Belgorod region, like the neighboring Bryansk region and other border areas, has witnessed sporadic spillover from the war, which Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. At least three civilians died and 18 others were wounded in Ukraine on Tuesday and overnight, the Ukrainian presidential office reported Wednesday, including in the southern Kherson region, where two elderly people died in airstrikes. Search Keywords: Short link: Eurasia Review 30 Jun 2023 The former hotdog salesman rose about as high as he could. He became a caterer to the Russian elite and a confidante of the.. Former President Donald Trump said on Saturday that any potential successor to Russian President Vladimir Putin could be "far worse" than the controversial incumbent. U.S. intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, a report declassified on Friday said. Russias Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation Friday against mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russias chief prosecutor. The NAC, which is part of the... Russia accused mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny on Friday after he alleged, without providing evidence, that the military leadership had killed 2 000 of his fighters and vowed to stop what he called its "evil". Cairo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and discussed issues related to promoting social harmony and countering extremism and radicalisation. On a two-day state visit to Egypt, the Prime Minister apprised the Grand Mufti that India would set up a Centre of Excellence in IT at the Dar-al-Ifta - an Egyptian advisory body for Islamic legal research -under the Ministry of Social Justice of Egypt. They discussed the strong cultural & people to people relations between India and Egypt. Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering extremism and radicalisation, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said. He said the Grand Mufti appreciated the Prime Minister's leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism. I was honoured to meet Prime Minister Modi. It was a very nice and interesting meeting. In fact, he reflects a wise leadership for a big country like India, the Grand Mufti said. He said he had earlier met Modi at one of the Sufi conferences in Delhi. Between the two meetings, I have noticed that there is a great development in India. It reflects that he is continuously working in India. It also reflects the wise policies being adopted by Prime Minister Modi bringing co-existence between various factions in India, he said. At the religious level, we have strong cooperation between us and India and we are looking forward to further enhancing and deepening this cooperation, the Grand Mufti said. He said the Indian side has said it would provide Dar-ul-Ifta with a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology. The Grand Mufti visited India last month at the invitation of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. In an article written ahead of his visit to India, the Grand Mufti referred to statements by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the need for cooperation and bridge-building in a challenging world. Though such overtures have been welcomed by many, he said practical steps were needed to turn such good wishes into a sustained relationship of mutual trust and respect. This is the message I wish to deliver on behalf of the Muslim world in India this week, he had written. Ottawa: Meta Platforms Inc plans to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada once a parliament-approved legislation requiring internet giants to pay news publishers comes into effect, the company said on Thursday. The legislation, known as the Online News Act, was approved by the Senate upper chamber earlier on Thursday and will become law after receiving royal assent from the governor general, a formality. The legislation was proposed after complaints from Canada's media industry, which wants tighter regulation of tech companies to prevent them from elbowing news businesses out of the online advertising market. "Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act taking effect," Meta said in a statement. Facebook had telegraphed such a move for weeks, saying news has no economic value to the company and that its users do not use the platform for news. The act outlines rules to force platforms such as Facebook and Alphabet's Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, a step similar to a groundbreaking law passed in Australia in 2021. The US technology companies have said the proposals are unsustainable for their businesses. Google has argued Canada's law is broader than those enacted in Australia and Europe, saying it puts a price on news story links displayed in search results and can apply to outlets that do not produce news. The search engine giant proposed that the bill be revised to make the displaying of news content, rather than links, as basis for payment and to specify that only businesses that produce news and adhere to journalistic standards are eligible. A spokesperson Google said on Thursday that the bill remains "unworkable" and that the company was urgently seeking to work with the government "on a path forward." Canada's federal government has so far pushed back against suggestions to make changes. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Meta and Google were using "bullying tactics" as they campaign against the legislation. Google and Facebook had also threatened to curtail their services in Australia when a similar rules were passed into law. Both eventually struck deals with Australian media companies after amendments to the legislation were offered. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill last year, said on Thursday that the government "will engage in a regulatory and implementation process" after the legislation comes into effect. "If the government can't stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?" Rodriguez said in a statement. The heritage ministry has had meetings with Facebook and Google this week, and it looks forward to further discussions, a government spokesperson said. Danielle Coffey, president of the News Media Alliance global industry group, said the Canadian Parliament "should be applauded for standing up to Big Tech" after the bill's approval in the Senate. "We are encouraged by the increasing recognition of the need for legal action to ensure just compensation, both in Canada and abroad, and hope to see the United States follow suit," Coffey said. From the Nice News newsletter: Multiple recent data reports show lower crime rates in the United States and beyond, evidence that the world, on the whole, is getting safer. Jeff Asher, of AH Datalytics, penned an analysis in The Atlantic with crime information from 2023 so far, finding a "sharp and broad decline" in murder rates. The preliminary numbers indicate that the country "may be experiencing one of the largest annual percent changes in murder ever recorded." Asher said his data shows a roughly 12% average drop in murders across 90 U.S. cities from January through May compared to the same time period last year. More specifically, murder is down 13% in New York City, 20% in Los Angeles, Houston, and Philadelphia, and 30% in Jackson, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; Little Rock, Arkansas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and more. "Whatever the causes, and whatever the staying power, the first five months of 2023 have produced an encouraging overall trend for the first time in years," he wrote. And it's not just America. A report from the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics found that crime in England and Wales was down 12% in 2022 when compared with the pre-pandemic year ending in March 2020, with domestic burglary and criminal damage each down almost 25%. To take things worldwide, 20 of the 38 countries tracked by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have murder rates below one per 100,000 "" a significant jump from just five 30 years ago, Positive.News reports. Nice News notes: "Our mission at Nice News is to re-envision how we engage with news, sharing stories that inspire, connect, and empower. It's time to expand what we consider newsworthy. Nice News is written and edited by Natalie Stone, Ally Mauch, and Rebekah Brandes." If you'd like to receive Nice News, you can sign up here: https://nicenews.com/ An international internet crime wave unfolds before us. The extent of this international crime wave is unknown. On a recent tour to the Loire Valley in France, my wife and I were defrauded of more than $27,000, and I was threatened with false imprisonment in jail unless I immediately paid another $5,000 in cash. The tour operator, Luxury Tours France, received advance payment, and then falsely claimed that payment was not received. The tour operator's credit card company even demanded more than another $9,000. International Internet Fraud and Theft Then, a fraud and theft odyssey began. U.S. Laws are not enforced. Banks overlook fraud. And, thieves operate with impunity. Per Merriam-Webster, 'theft' is 'the act of stealing, specifically: the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it'. The ongoing fraud by Luxury Tours France constitutes theft, of course. Anyone performing theft is a thief. 'Fraud' is 'deceit or trickery specifically: intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right'. Tens of thousands of additional dollars were charged to my credit card, and my bank agreed. I am now responsible for these criminal credit card charges for a partial tour that cost approximately $2,400. I am now responsible to pay these fraudulent charges to my credit card company. How can I be responsible to pay for money that was stolen from my wife and me? National and International Frauds are Not Prosecuted My bank accepted this fraud, and demanded payment. When I filed this claim, my banker demanded that these frauds were business disputes, but I refuse to yield, and a fraud claim was filed by my bank. As this fraud proceeded, I was told by bank staff that nothing could be done, and legal actions would be my choice if I disputed bank demands for payment of these fraudulent charges. After other phone calls and insistence, my bank finally agreed to reconsider this fraud claim, and the fraud continues. I will lose thousands of dollars to theft, but maybe I will not lose tens of thousands of dollars. As this theft proceeded, I learned about the full scope of international wire fraud, and the inaction that allows these frauds to go unpunished. A Fraud by Any Other Name is Still a Business Dispute? If criminal enterprises tell banks that fraudulent claims are valid, banks do not consider those transactions to be Fraud Claims, and then the bank calls those transactions Business Disputes. Such a technique reduces the number of Fraud Claims on the records of banks. Figure 1: A wonderful trip to see the Chateaux' in the Loire Valley in France with some fraud and a jail threat thrown into the tour. (Image by Robert A, Leishear, PhD) Details DMCA A Jail Threat in a Foreign Country When I was threatened with jail, my wife was terrified. What would she do if her husband of 50+ years was thrown into a French jail under false arrest? The tour operator was threatening to put me in jail in a foreign country while on vacation, which is a terrible nightmare for a tourist just wanting to see French Chateaux'. My response to the tour operator was loud and vulgar, and ultimately he did not have me arrested. Being locked up abroad is one of the greatest fears that can be experienced by any traveler. Imagine a couple in their 70s faced with the prospect of being stranded in France an ocean away from home, and not knowing if the police were going to swarm their hotel room at any moment. After these first 2 days of a 4-1/2-day tour, the tour operator also cancelled our hotel, guide service, and transportation to go home, where all expenses were completely paid 11 days before the tour for this high price $6500 tour. Lies and Extortion The tour operator has since been provided with bank records from Bank of America that his bank received the full payment of $6500, yet he still falsely claims that he never received the money. Such actions are fraud. The definition of 'lie' is 'to present false information with the intention of deceiving'. Accordingly, Luxury Tours France staff lies, since they have the facts and state otherwise. They are liars and thieves. Per Merriam-Webster, 'extortion' is defined as 'the act or practice of extorting especially money or other property', and 'extort' is defined as 'to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power; also: to gain especially by ingenuity or compelling argument'. Since I was threatened with jail if I did not pay $5,000, the definition of extortion fits the circumstances. Credit Damage and Ongoing Theft My credit score dropped from near 800 to 523, which is now in the lower 9% of credit scores, per Experian. Almost $10,000 is now due to my credit card company for fraudulent claims that remain on my monthly bank billing statement, and another $13,000+ will be invoiced for payment shortly. Note that $4000+ is already illegally held by Luxury Tours France. Duplicate Hotel Payments - The Fraud Grew Bigger I paid the hotel in France (Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys) when my hotel was cancelled. However, I had no contract with this hotel. The tour operator contracted and defrauded that hotel - not I. I paid twice for the same hotel room - once to the tour operator and once to the hotel - and the hotel refuses to refund my money. Essentially, the tour operator is defrauding me of $27,000+, and the hotel expects me to pay the money that the operator defrauded from the hotel. In my opinion, such actions constitute hotel complicity in this international internet fraud. In spite of this fraud dispute with this hotel, hotel staff were exceptional in their efforts to help my wife and me respond to the tour wreckage left behind by Luxury Tours France. The Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys Joins the Fraud However, good service does not excuse fraud. The hotel was defrauded, and they passed that fraud along to my wife and me. When someone steals from you, you are not allowed to then steal from someone else to recover your losses, which is exactly what happened. Such actions are fraud and theft. I attempted numerous times to allow the hotel to pay me the money that I was owed, but Luxury Tours France staff lied to the hotel, and again falsely claimed that they have never been paid. Luxury Tours France has ensnared another company in their fraud, where both of these companies are located in the same small town of Amboise, France. Luxury Tours France and the Hotel le Pavillon Des Lys are now jointly responsible for this continuing fraud. The Frauds Exploded as My Bank Endorsed Multiple Frauds At present, bank records indicate that, 'The merchant provided information confirming that [I] received the merchandise or service.' I did not order this tour five different times. Any such ridiculous claims that I wanted to pay for the same trip multiple times are blatant lies. According to the information presented here, the tour operator who is perpetrating these frauds is therefore a liar and a thief. My bank has agreed to reconsider the tour operator fraud dispute, and my bank also agreed to consider a billing dispute for the hotel. This fraud continues. More than $27,000 is being stolen from me. I do not like to be robbed. And, I am fighting this theft by writing this Op Ed. This complex internet fraud scheme indicates that there may be other fraud victims. Luxury Tours France will certainly get away with stealing thousands of dollars from me, but perhaps this Op Ed can save some future tourists from similar frauds by Luxury Tours France. A Deplorable Attack on Tourists Luxury Tours France threatened false imprisonment against me as a 71-year-old tourist, and then executed a massive fraud against my 73-year-old wife and me after such horrendous actions. Their actions were despicable, and their horrific behavior serves as a monstrous and ugly scar on the tourist industry of France. The FBI Ignores Internet Frauds As I tried to prosecute these criminal acts, the FBI advised me that sums of this amount are never investigated during internet wire frauds, and banks are not responsible when their institutions are channeled for wire transfer frauds. Specifically, the FBI has not contacted me about an internet fraud complaint that I filed for this crime. In other words, internet crime and computer hacking are not prosecuted in the U.S. unless the fraud magnitude is near $100,000, which is good news for crooks. Consider another fraud example. Eight years ago, my internet account was hacked, and the hacker sent emails to many of my contacts asking for money. The hacker claimed that my wife had been badly beaten in Europe, that we had been robbed, and we needed money immediately. Friends and family called before sending money, and theft was averted. The FBI would not accept phone calls. The FBI website stated that there are so many computer crimes that I should not expect action by the FBI. An International Crime Wave One international internet crime and the despicable jail threats in a single French town are considered here. The facts are that the FBI does not prosecute internet theft or any internet crimes under $100,000. Banks report fraud claims as business claims if customers have agreed to pay crooks who have deceived those customers. Given that prosecutions do not go forward, and crimes are improperly catalogued by banks, the scope of this international crime wave is obscured from the public. We have no concept or understanding of the full scope of this international internet crime tsunami. Our Spring Vacation On the way home from the Loire Valley (Figure 1), we stayed in Amsterdam, and we visited nearby tulip farms (Figure 2) and Keukenhof Gardens (Figure 3). All in all, my wife and I had an extraordinary vacation in Europe. However, she said that she will never set foot in France again. Addendum Complete details of this fraud are available ("Luxury Tours France, Bank of America Fraud Complaint", and "Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys, Bank of America Billing Complaint", click here). Luxury Tours France and the Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys were provided drafts of this Op Ed. Neither company responded. A Tripadvisor review condemning the Hotel was also submitted (click here), and this review was also sent to Luxury Tours and the Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys. Atout, The Tourist Development Agency of France, was notified of this fraud, where the website link for this Op Ed was provided, along with a statement that: Luxury Tours France committed an act of extreme fraud, and threatened false arrest of a U.S. tourist. An Op Ed was published as a public service to travelers who may consider visiting France. This OpEd News is available on the internet through OpEdNews.com Earlier, I asked Atout by email if I can report a criminal act by one of their members. Atout did not respond. This Op Ed was proofread by my wife, Janet D. Leishear, she agrees with the content of this Op Ed, and she provided additional insights to elucidate the full scope of the crimes cited in this document. Addendum - The Fraud Continues - 6/27/2023 I submitted the following fraud accusation to Tripadvisor, and the hotel responded by accusing me of blackmail. I responded in turn. I am being defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars, and the crooks respond by accusing me of dishonesty. The correspondence follows. Tripadvisor Review (Email to the hotel and Luxury Tours France) To: Luxury Tours France and the Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys If you want to protect your reputation, try being honest, stop defrauding tourists, and stop making false accusations. I have never blackmailed anyone. I asked for honesty, and received false accusations from you instead. Again your actions are despicable. My response to your false accusations follows. 'Robert Leishear wrote a review on 6/26/2023 (Tripadvisor) Aiken, South Carolina The Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys Defrauds Customers The Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys is engaged in a fraud against my wife and I. This hotel contracted with another company [Luxury Tours France] for our hotel stay, and I paid that other company [Luxury Tours France] in full ($6,500) for a 4-1/2day tour with a hotel stay. In the lobby of this hotel, the owner of the other company threatened to have me put in jail if I did not pay an extra $5,000. When I refused to s yield to extortion, that [Luxury Tours France] company owner then canceled our hotel and all tour services. This hotel then allowed me to stay if I paid this hotel a duplicate payment, where I had already paid another company [Luxury Tours France] to stay in this hotel for $1000+ for four nights. Given that my 73-year-old wife and I were stranded in France, I was coerced to pay the money. Unknown to me, the hotel had charged my credit card the full hotel amount when I checked in, and they had told me that they needed my credit card for incidentals. The hotel had covered themselves for potential fraud by this other company [Luxury Tours France]. Even so, the hotel was very helpful to let us stay in the hotel, to find another guide service, and to arrange transportation when we were ready to leave France. Hotel staff was terrific, and the hotel was extraordinary. However, the other company [Luxury Tours France] owes the money for this hotel invoice - not I. If someone steals from you, you are not entitled to steal from someone else to recover your losses. These thefts are exactly what happened at the Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys. The hotel continues to refuse to obtain the required payment from that company [Luxury Tours France]. In fact, the hotel manager stated that he believes that company's false claim that they did not receive payment, even though I provided proof of payment for our stay to the Hotel Le Pavillon Des Lys, and a copy of the FBI criminal report that I field against the other company [Luxury Tours France]. Both companies have accepted money for the same service, which constitutes fraud and larceny. My wife is overwhelmed at this crime against our family. This crime is despicable. Management response (Tripadvisor) Jun 27, 2023 Guillaume Jouvin, Proprie'taire, Guillaume J (Management representative) Unfortunately, we are not surprised by your opinion since you have been threatening us for weeks to harm us by any means if we do not reimburse you for your stay. This is purely a maneuver that we qualify as BLACKMAIL and that we will of course report to the competent authorities in order to defend our reputation. We are now certain that you are a manipulator and a specialist in "free" travel. The direction. My Response (Email sent to the hotel and Luxury Tours France) Robert A. Leishear Your statements are lies, and you are engaged in theft. I never blackmailed you. [As stated in correspondence,] I offered you an opportunity to divest yourself from this crime that was committed by Thierry Macalet of Luxury Tours France. You have chosen to support his crimes against my family. The thought that I am a "free" travel specialist is ridiculous, since I have never disputed a hotel fee or travel fee anywhere - except your fraudulent hotel charge and Thierry's five fraudulent charges for the same tour. I have traveled with numerous tours that cost tens of thousands of dollars in Africa, China, South America, Antarctica, and Europe. I have stayed in hundreds of hotels, and I have only disputed your fraudulent charge. You have committed a crime, and then you lie even more to accuse me of a crime.' (Article changed on Jun 27, 2023 at 10:23 PM EDT) "We must not allow the status quo of corruption to continue to spread like cancer." - Marisa Alcaraz campaign flyer Marisa Alcaraz and her boss, Curren Price (From the Marisa Alcaraz for City Council website) (Image by Marisa Alcaraz For City Council) Details DMCA Just as the early voting period was set to begin in the race to replace disgraced former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, the city's government was rocked by yet another scandal. No, Councilman Curren Price was not caught on tape casually engaging in a racist conversation with his fellow council members. Instead, he "was charged with embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest" becoming "the fourth councilman to face corruption charges since 2020." As Price's Deputy Chief of Staff, the timing of this disclosure is unfortunate for Marisa Alcaraz. Locked in a close race with Imelda Padilla for the Council District 6 Special Election, Alcaraz now has to convince voters that she was oblivious to the alleged crimes of her boss. While she has not been accused of playing a role in Price's malfeasance, she is close enough to him to pick up the stench. With the electorate numbed by the continued parade of negative headlines, being scandal adjacent is not always enough to derail a political career. "City Staffer B" not only worked for convicted felon Mitch Englander, but he was also a participant in the Las Vegas debauchery that resulted in his former boss doing jail time. Despite suspicions that Englander's Chief of Staff and successor John Lee is "City Staffer B" he remains in office. With the help of the City Attorney's office, Neighborhood Councils have been dissuaded from asking their representative questions about his involvement in the scandal. Lee is so sure that he will continue to ride out the storm that he has already registered with the city ethics department to run for re-election next year. From unbridled bigotry to shameless corruption, the common thread through the city council scandals has been the ability of elected officials to entrench themselves within the system. Prior to their time in City Hall, both Jose' Huizar and Nury Martinez served on the LAUSD School Board, a body that is also not a stranger to corruption (see Ref Rodriguez and Nick Melvoin). Mark Ridley Thomas spent an entire career bouncing between offices at different levels of government before being convicted on charges related to his time on the County Board of Supervisors. Price resigned a seat in the California State Senate to replace Thomas after he was forced from office and previously served on the Inglewood City Council. This entrenchment also applies to the support staff of the city's politicians. Alcaraz has worked for Curren Price for over a decade, making her a member of the entrenched political class. Scrubbing his name from her list of endorsers does not change this. Even if she is given the benefit of the doubt and it is accepted that despite the previous public suspicions, she knew nothing about his wrongdoing, she is still part of a system that is obviously broken. The constant cycle of scandals screams the need for new blood on the Los Angeles City Council. Voters in CD6 have a chance to stop the cycle of corruption. With ballots now in their hands, what message will be sent? Will it be more of the same or a chance at renewal? Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own. The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said Thursday his forces had started transferring their positions in the flashpoint eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut to the Russian military. "We are withdrawing units from Bakhmut today," Yevgeny Prigozhin, shown in full combat gear, said in a video released on social media. "We are handing over positions to the military, ammunition and everything," said the 61-year-old ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was shown speaking to several members of Wagner who told him their military hardware had to be repaired. Prigozhin added that said some Wagner forces could remain if regular Russian troops encountered difficulties. Wagner's forces have been leading the all-out, months-long assault for Bakhmut. Both Wagner and the Russian army said over the weekend that Bakhmut had fallen, but Ukraine has said its troops continue to fight for the devastated city. Prigozhin said Wednesday that around 10,000 prisoners he recruited to fight in Ukraine had been killed on the battlefield in the pro-Western country. Last year, Prigozhin toured Russian prisons in a bid to convince inmates to fight with Wagner in Ukraine, in exchange for a promised amnesty upon their return if they survived. Search Keywords: Short link: The Oregon Nurses Association on Friday accused Providence Health & Services of violating state law when it brought in hundreds of replacement nurses from a temp agency that specializes in labor disputes. Providence hired U.S. Nursing to provide a majority of the more than 400 replacement nurses and clinicians it needed after 1,800 current Providence employees walked out for a five-day strike. Despite losing a costly wildfire lawsuit last week and staring down another perilous trial in November, Oregons second-largest utility appears positioned for now to weather the storm without the type of financial meltdown even its own lawyers warned could be on the horizon. But PacifiCorp is beginning to feel some pain. The companys decision to bring the class action lawsuit to trial instead of settling with victims was an unusual financial gamble. PacifiCorp now faces an unprecedented bill in Oregon that could conceivably reach billions of dollars. A Multnomah County jury awarded $90 million in damages to a subset of just 17 victims of four fires from Labor Day 2020, with potentially thousands of other victims in the class to be compensated in future court proceedings. The families of two women fatally shot last Saturday, allegedly by an Army specialist who told police he was hallucinating on mushrooms, have hired a lawyer to investigate what led up to the shooting at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington. Los Angeles-based attorney Kevin Boyle is representing the families of 29-year-old Josilyn Ruiz and 26-year-old Brandy Escamilla, said Angela Bailey, a spokesperson for their law firm. The womens families want to know, among other things, how Live Nation, the company that operates the Gorge Amphitheatre and its campgrounds, keeps guns off the property, Bailey said. Weapons are not allowed within the concert venue and its campgrounds, according to the campgrounds website. The women were attending an electronic music festival at the concert venue. (The families) are not litigious people, and they are not after money, but they do want to know why this happened and how it can be prevented in the future, Boyles said in a statement Friday. Live Nation has a legal duty to its paying guests to keep them safe. Representatives for Live Nation did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Boyle, of Panish, Shae, Boyle, Ravipudi LLP, previously represented victims of the 2017 mass shooting at Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, when a gunman killed 58 people and injured more than 500. The engaged couple traveled from Seattle to attend the Beyond Wonderland festival when James Kelly is accused of opening fire at an amphitheater campground about 8:30 p.m., police said. Escamilla died from a gunshot wound to the head and Ruiz died from a gunshot wound to her trunk, according to Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison. Three others were also wounded in the shooting spree but survived, police said. A police officer working undercover at the festival shot and wounded Kelly, who faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and domestic violence assault. Kelly, who joined the Army in 2021 and worked as a joint fire support specialist, told police that he was high on mushrooms when he grabbed a handgun from his pickup in the campground and shot Escamilla and Ruiz who were walking by, according to court documents. Escamilla and Ruiz, both nurses, grew up about 20 miles apart from each other in towns near Los Angeles and became high school sweethearts after meeting each other through sports, Bailey said. Ruiz was from Walnut and Escamilla from Norwalk. The couple had been together for about 11 years and moved to Seattle several years ago with their tabby cat, Otis, Bailey said. The families, through Bailey, declined interviews. On a family GoFundMe page, Ruizs sister-in-law, Leilani Ruiz, said Josilyn Ruiz was the familys ray of sunshine, describing her as bubbly, kind and adventurous. As soon as you saw her she would brighten up the room with her big beautiful eyes, beautiful smile and contagious laugh, Leilani Ruiz wrote. You would tend to find her doing something to get a good laugh. Escamillas aunt, Alejandra Escamilla, said her niece was kind, caring and ambitious. We cannot put into words the pain our family is enduring, Alejandra Escamilla wrote on the familys GoFundMe page. She was a huge light in our lives. -- Catalina Gaitan, cgaitan@oregonian.com, @catalingaitan_ Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe. Portland police arrested a man on an allegation of attempted murder after a Friday afternoon shooting in Northeast Portlands Cully neighborhood. The victim is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police. A person called 911 at 5:41 p.m. after witnessing the shooting in the parking lot of Stanichs restaurant, police said. The restaurant is on Northeast 49th Avenue and Fremont Street. Officers gave first aid to the victim before paramedics arrived and transported him to North Portlands Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. The suspect remained at the scene and police arrested him Friday night. Anyone with information about the shooting who has not yet talked to police is asked to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn:ECST and reference case number 23-165145. The Oregonian/OregonLive Catherine Slye has lived in a Lloyd District condo building on the corner of Northeast 6th Avenue and Holladay Street with her partner for the last year and a half. She said she was in bed Friday night when she heard a loud noise from outside. The noise was a shooting that left one man dead. Police responded at about 9:45 p.m. to find an injured man who died at the scene. No arrests have been made yet, and police are still investigating. Slye said Saturday morning that she believes the neighborhood is safe despite the shooting. Slye said easy access to transportation and nearby restaurants and shops are what drew her to the neighborhood when she moved from Phoenix, Arizona. The MAX line runs down Holladay, and Slye and her partner often make use of the Blumenauer Bridge as avid cyclists, she said. There is a lot of traffic through here with the hotels and convention center nearby, Slye said. But I feel like its safe. Fellow Lloyd District resident Jeff Erickson, 67, has lived in the Louisa Flowers, a low-income housing apartment complex on the corner of Holladay and Northeast Grand Avenue, for three years. Ericksons apartment complex is next to Slyes condo building. Erickson was returning from the store around 11p.m. Friday when he saw police tape closing off nearby streets, he said. He saw a police officer approach a group of younger people standing nearby and tell them something, which was followed by anguished cries, he said. The cop must have just told them the person was gone, Erickson said. Erickson said crime is a regular occurrence in the Lloyd District, referencing a February fatal shooting near Holladay Park and a 2021 incident where a Portland police officer shot and killed a man after he came at the officer with a screwdriver outside a Motel 6 across the street. Erickson said the problems extend into the 240-unit building, where he said there have been issues with theft, violence and drug use in the hallways. He said there are good people who live there, but he would move if he could afford to. Fellow Louisa Flowers resident William Clendenin, 67, said he usually does not leave his apartment after 6 p.m. to avoid the problems he sees in the building. Clendenin has lived there for almost three years and said building management has changed 10 to 11 times since it opened in 2019 and struggles to address problems. He said things are quiet in the day, but everything changes at night, like the drag racing he sees taking place on the surrounding streets. His daughter has been urging him to move in recent months, and hes ready to look for other living options. Im only sticking it out as long as I can, Clendenin said. I cant get out of it quick enough. Nick Gibson; ngibson@oregonian.com; 971-393-8259; @newsynicholas Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe Twin brothers pleaded guilty Friday to making false statements to licensed gun dealers, which led to their collective purchase of more than 80 guns that a prosecutor said they then distributed to members of their local Bloods gang set, the Unthank Park Hustlers. Edward Charles Green and Thomas Edward Green III are in custody and scheduled to be sentenced this fall. One of the guns has been linked through forensic analysis to 17 shootings, including two homicides in Portland, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Bolstad said. The 24-year-old twins straw gun purchases reveal how easily guns can be diverted from lawful commerce into the black market, investigators said. Federal firearms licensee records showed the two would often buy multiple guns at once from stores in Gresham and Portland. Prosecutors have not identified the stores. The twins each pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false statement to federal firearms dealers, claiming on federal forms that they were buying the guns for themselves when they were selling or trading them to others in straw gun purchases, according to prosecutors. Edward C. Green spent more than $15,000 to buy 64 guns between April 2020 and September 2021. He bought 46 of those from a Gresham shop, according to Bolstad. He picked up one of the guns, a .45-caliber Glock pistol, on Dec. 12, 2020, from the Gresham shop after a background check and it turned up seven months later during a search warrant at a gang associates home, Bolstad said. That pistol was used in 17 shootings in the Portland metro area in 2020 and 2021, including two fatal shootings in Portland, Bolstad told a judge. She did not disclose details of the homicides as the investigations continue. Thomas Green III spent $6,424 to buy 19 guns between May 2020 and September 2021. He bought all but two from the same Gresham store. A 9mm Glock 17 pistol he bought on May 6, 2020, was seized by police three months later after they responded to a call from Portland Adventist Hospital on a report that someone had arrived with a gunshot wound. Police found the pistol in a red Buick that had been shot up in the parking lot of the hospital at Southeast 130th and Stark Street, according to Bolstad. A spent shell casing on a passenger seat came from the 9mm Glock, she said. Police found two other guns in the car -- both bought by Edward Green, Bolstad said. A passenger had been sitting on one of the guns and another passenger dropped the other gun as he stepped out of the car, she said. The twins werent present at the shooting, she said. Thomas Green also paid $700 to buy a .40-caliber handgun in July 2021. Four days after he picked up the gun from the dealer, police recovered it from an Unthank Hustler member who had prior convictions for shootings, including attempted murder, Bolstad said. Edward Green will be sentenced Sept. 20 and Thomas Green will be sentenced Oct. 10 before U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez. Earlier Friday in the same courtroom, Cheyenne Autumn Franklin, 51, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. She also had been charged with illegal possession and transfer of a machine gun but that charge will be dismissed at sentencing. On Aug. 4, 2020, she sold a 12-gauge shotgun to an undercover agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent. That same day, another person in the residence where Franklin was sold the agent a machine gun, according to Bolstad. The next day, Franklin sold two more guns to the agent. Franklin is prohibited from having guns after an identity theft felony conviction in 2002. -- Maxine Bernstein Email mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe To walk into the exhibit Bue Kee: An Artists Life and Legacy is to walk into a web of stories. Theres the story of an emerging artist whose work won prizes, spanned multiple mediums and drew newspaper coverage. Theres the story of a Chinese American boy whose family left Portland for a hops farm and became an unsung part of Oregons agricultural history. Theres the story of a mystery: Why did a rising star on the Portland art scene fall into obscurity? Where has some of his art gone? Theres the story of the exhibit itself featuring paintings, watercolors, lithographs, drawings and ceramics which opened May 19 at the Portland Chinatown Museum. Begun as a labor of love by one of Kees nephews, Dan Kee of Seal Beach, California, it grew into a collective effort linking institutions from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem to the Friends of Timberline Lodge. HERE IS OREGON: HereisOregon.com | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok All the stories start in Portlands Chinatown, where Bue Kee was born in 1893. At the time, Oregon law prohibited Chinese residents from entering any professions. To earn a living, many Chinese Portlanders did laundry, including Kees parents, who ran the Kee Kee Hand Laundry at 48 N. Sixth St. Sometime in the early 1900s, Kees father got an offer to manage a hops farm and accepted, perhaps out of concern for his familys safety. Dan Kee remembers as a child asking his uncle why one of his paintings of the laundry included bundles of the familys clothes underneath folding tables. The reply was that they allowed for faster relocation. There were things going on in Portland, Dan Kee said, such as increases in anti-Chinese hostility and Chinatown gang activity. Families had to be ready to leave at a moments notice. The Kee family moved 25 miles south to Aurora, where Bue Kee and his seven siblings grew up working in the flourishing hops industry. Kee, who had a Kodak camera, documented life on and near the farm his family managed. The exhibits photo wall and video gallery feature some of those photos, chosen by Dan Kee and his cousin Dennis Tong of Manzanita, a former docent at the museum. Those years in the Willamette Valley were crucial to Kees artistic development, said Anna Truxes, executive director of the Portland Chinatown Museum. He was a really capable observer of nature, Truxes said. That came from living close with it and also understanding how intricately we are tied to it and the cycle of seasons. Kees love of nature also spoke to the exhibits curator, Portland artist and curator Roberta May Wong. She hung his landscapes in the museums main gallery to underscore his life experience of going from the farm to art school, how that influenced his later work. Bue Kee returned to Portland in 1927, when he was nearly 35. Having taught himself to paint, he entered the School of the Portland Art Association, later the Museum Art School. He burst fully formed onto the Portland art scene, said Sara Swanborn, registrar at the Hallie Ford Museum, whose collection includes a selection of Kees works. And the art scene welcomed him. Its impressive that Portland had an artistic community that nurtured a Chinese American artist in the 30s and 40s, Swanborn said. According to coverage in The Oregonian in 1928 and 1929, Kee won two of the art schools top prizes in his first two years (another winner was Pietro Belluschi, who became a noted architect and designed the current Portland Art Museum). In 1931, the paper reproduced Kees painting of a Chinese festival scene. His name appeared in a 1934 headline about a Portland Art Museum show. By 1941, The Oregonian was reporting that his work is being watched with interest by art patrons. A 1942 story listed him among Portland artists who had designed posters for the World War II-era United War Chest campaign. Then Kees name vanished from The Oregonians archives, not appearing again until a 1983 funeral notice for his sister May Kee Jann, two years before his own death. Jann was one of her brothers biggest supporters, paying for him to attend art school. Their nephew Dan Kee recalled that in Bue Kees later years, he lived with Jann and their brother Ted Kee in a house the family owned at 3595 S.E. Tibbetts St. in Portland. I used to see him painting in the greenhouse, Dan Kee said. The men shared the attic, where Bue Kees bed sat atop pullout shelves that held his artwork. At the foot of his bed, he had more shelves that went from the floor up to shoulder height or higher. His paints were there, his brushes were there, many of his little sketchbooks were there, Dan Kee said. Its just amazing how much he was able to squeeze into that attic. More art filled the rest of the house. Then Jann and Bue Kee died and Ted Kee moved out. The house sat vacant for a while. It was broken into, and things were taken, Dan Kee said. In online searches for Bue Kees art, I would see things that I knew definitely were removed from the house, Dan Kee said. Hes posted photos of works that were in the basement to his blog. Its just tragic. But not all of Kees work was in the house. He was noted for giving away his art to family and friends. One of the gifts of this exhibit, Dan Kee said, is that individuals have contacted the museum offering to bring in pieces to be part of the show, and there are many pieces that Id never seen before. Kee had been pondering an exhibit for years. Then the Portland Chinatown Museum opened in 2018, just a block or two from my first two or three years of life. He immediately contacted the museum, but between a leadership change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibit didnt open until this spring. The delay had a silver lining: It gave Kee and the museum time to gather more of Bue Kees pieces. Wong said she wanted to highlight the various collections separately, as opposed to thematically, to just share the wealth of what he did. Here is this unknown artist whose work is in so many different peoples collections, she said. There are the collections of family members, which include a series of watercolors depicting Portlands Chinatown. They hang in a hallway between the main gallery and the museums permanent exhibit, Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portlands Historic Chinatowns. That way, Wong said, visitors walk out of the permanent exhibit and into Kees Chinatown. Truxes, referring to how the watercolors line both walls of the hallway, flanking visitors, said, I love how Roberta hung those pieces so there was a sense of meandering. There are the works from the Hallie Ford Museum, which has examples of Bue Kees artistry in oil, watercolor, lithography, colored pencil and ceramics. Partnering with the Portland Chinatown Museum got Bues works out of storage where they have literally been for 20 years and to the public, but with an interpretation of them that we dont have the cultural background to provide, Swanborn said. There are the pieces from the collection of Tim Kerr, a late co-founder of Portland record label Tim/Kerr. According to Dan Kee, Kerrs estate had planned to auction the pieces, but returned them to the family instead. There are the ceramics once displayed at Timberline Lodge, where Bue Kee was among the artists who worked for the Works Progress Administration, which built the lodge. Sarah Munro, chair of the archive committee for the nonprofit Friends of Timberline, said Kee was the only Asian American artist she knew of in the art program. The archive committee has more than 20 plaster molds with his name on them. Hes also credited with creating the face of the skunk in the Spring on the Mountain mosaic behind a drinking fountain near the lodges entrance. One collection not represented in the exhibit is that of the Portland Art Museum, which has paused all art loans during its current expansion project. The museums Kee ceramics are featured in its online collection. Grace Kook-Anderson, the museums Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art, said the pieces showed great attention to detail. Three are birds that reveal a lot of enjoyment in how the patterns of the feathers are depicted, with an elegance of line, she said. The museum also has Kees circa-1930 self-portrait. Theres such a delicacy to it, Kook-Anderson said. The line quality is just so gentle that it really, to me, shows a lot of who I imagine Bue Kee might have been as a person. The museums recent exhibit Portraiture from the Collection of Northwest Art included the self-portrait. It will go on display again in the Throughlines: Connections in the Collection exhibit that opens Oct. 28, shortly after the Portland Chinatown Museums exhibit closes Oct. 8. As a whole, the Kee exhibit tells the story of an artist who encapsulated many of the movements of his time, Truxes said. Wong said it told the story of an artist who wasnt given his due. It also tells a story of talent being defined not by ethnicity but by the opportunity for an artist to explore to the depths of their capability to see and to interpret the life around them, she said. This man pursued his passion, Wong said. It wasnt about money, it wasnt about acclaim, it wasnt about anything but his personal passion. Thats the beauty of his life as well as his art. Bue Kee: An Artists Life and Legacy When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday-Sunday, through Oct. 8. Where: Portland Chinatown Museum, 127 N.W. Third Ave. Admission: $8 adults, $6 seniors, $5 students, free for children 12 and younger. Information: portlandchinatownmuseum.org or 503-224-0008. Not long after coming to Portland for a report on the city and its struggles with a super meth crisis, the TV series Vice again heads to the Pacific Northwest for Sundays episode. In a segment called Charged With Terror, Vice correspondent Vegas Tenold interviews left-wing activists involved with the Cop City protest in Georgia, and members of a Washington state branch of the right-wing Three Percenters movement. (The Vice episode, Charged With Terror & Ukraines Stolen Children, airs at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 25 on Showtime. You can stream the series via Paramount Plus with Showtime, which offers a seven-day free trial.) In the first part of the segment, Tenold goes to Atlanta, where he reports on the Stop Cop City protests that have been going on since 2021. As the Associated Press reports, the dispute involves the proposed construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in a forested area that opponents have dubbed Cop City. According to the Associated Press story, supporters argue that the center is needed to help in efforts to hire and retain police officers. Opponents allege that the center will, as the AP story says, lead to greater militarization of the police, and argue that its construction will exacerbate environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area. In his report, Tenold discusses how Georgia laws have made it easier to charge protesters with domestic terrorism, which he says is fueling a debate over what separates political dissent from terrorism in the eyes of the law. Tenold interviews a protester who is among the more than 40 people who have so far been arrested in Georgia on charges including domestic terrorism. He also interviews Sherry Boston, DeKalb County District Attorney. Tenold asks Boston about the law that relates to domestic terrorism, and points out that it has been criticized by civil rights organizations as having a chilling effect on activism and protest. Were not talking about people holding signs, Boston says. Were talking about potentially people throwing incendiary devices, rocks, setting things on fire. Theres a huge distinction between those two. Tenold asks her if a domestic terrorism suspect needs to have actually caused harm to face such charges, and wonders when protest activities might cross into an area where domestic terrorism charges are warranted. Its not just about an event and people, Boston says. Its about, is this felonious act aimed specifically to cause economic loss or destroy a government facility or critical infrastructure? And were seeing that happen in various places over the country. As an update, on June 23, as WABE radio reports, Boston announced that her office is withdrawing from all cases related to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center that opponents have dubbed Cop City. This includes domestic terrorism and related charges for approximately 42 people arrested during demonstrations against the center. In an interview with WABE, Boston cited what she described as fundamentally different prosecution philosophies between her and the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, which has concurrent jurisdiction with the county over the cases. As WABE reports, Carrs office now will be the sole agency to oversee prosecution of the 42 protesters. After reporting on the cases in Georgia, the Vice segment then notes that more states are instituting terrorism statutes. Discussing domestic terrorism laws developed to combat the rise of ideologically motivated violence which, Tenold says, is on the rise in the U.S., especially from the right, he notes, The label terrorism often gets used as a political tool. No part of the country has seen more politically charged anger than the Pacific Northwest. Tenold cites a bill introduced in the Washington legislature that would create a domestic violence extremism commission, to strengthen the states ability to respond to domestic terror. Expanding on that, Tenold travels to Washington state to, as he says, meet a patriot group thats concerned that these new laws might get them labeled as domestic terrorists. Tenold accompanies Matt Marshall, founder of the Washington state Three Percenters, a right-wing group that, Tenold says, has a history of showing up at protests with guns. At a camp where other Three Percenters members are gathered, Marshall says a Washington law about domestic terrorism would put a magnifying glass over one political side, and ignore the other one. Tenold closes the segment by noting that the rise of extremist violence within the U.S. deserves a forceful response. But when we use the word terrorist about ideological or political opponents, the impact is profound. The Vice episode featuring the segment, Charged With Terror, airs at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 25, on Showtime. Kristi Turnquist 503-221-8227; kturnquist@oregonian.com; @Kristiturnquist Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe Members of Klamath Falls American Legion Post 8 stumbled over a World War II mystery two months ago after deciding to replace the floor in the 100-year-old building. First, though, a massive safe had to be emptied and moved. The job fell to Samanthea Totten-Perry, adjutant finance officer, and her husband, Earl Perry, an executive board member. When the couple swung open the heavy door and rooted through the items, they discovered far in the back a jewelry box. Totten-Perry pulled it out, opened it and saw a Purple Heart. Taped to the inside lid was a handwritten note: This Purple Heart was found by the YMCA. The owner cannot be located. His name is Dale R. Hoeye. If you know him please contact our commander in order to claim. For the next few days, Totten-Perry asked post members about the medal. She got nothing but puzzled looks, told the name meant nothing. The only clue, if you could call it that, came from the legions oldest member. In the post for 55 years, he said he remembered once seeing it in the safe when he joined the legion. This was no ordinary trinket. One of the most honorable military awards, the Purple Heart is given in the name of the president of the United States to a recipient injured or killed in combat. Totten-Perry did some checking on her own. Her research showed there was no Hoeye living in the area. In addition to volunteering at the post, she has a full-time job as a construction site manager and is always busy. She could have put the jewelry box back in the safe and been done with it. But Totten-Perry believed she had a moral obligation to return the Purple Heart to the servicemans family. She sat at the computer and logged onto the posts official Facebook page, seen by American Legion posts across Oregon. Can you help us? We have the purple heart of Dale Hoeye stored at the American Legion Post 8 for many many years. It was found by the YMCA which was unable to locate the owner or the owners family, so they gave it to us (we dont know when this occurred) - we have no other information than that. Can you help us return this to the rightful owner or next of kin? The Purple Heart changed hands Friday afternoon at American Legion Post 158 in Tigard. In addition to revealing the vagaries, injustices and pain of war, it was an moment that hinted at the possibility -- long after the battles have ended of a chance for a family to heal. This is part of the team that found the family of a Purple Heart recipient from World War II. From left to right: Lisa Clarke, Karen Grange, Ellen Sedell and Samanthea Totten-Perry. Two sleuths, one in Portland, the other in Newport, used genealogical research to trace the sailor's family tree. WAR IS WAR Days after Totten-Perry hit send, Karen Grange, who lives in Tigard, received an email from a southern Oregon American Legion post friend. The friend had copied the Facebook post and sent it to Grange, a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Auxiliary, a member of American Legion Tigard Post 158 and a volunteer at Portlands Veterans Affairs Medical Center. During World War II, Granges Japanese family was imprisoned in the Minidoka camp in Idaho. She was born there in 1944. The email regarding the Purple Heart haunted Grange. She decided to look for the next of kin of the man, a choice she believed was the right thing to do. War is war, she said Friday. Bad things happen to everyone. She showed the email to Lisa Clarke, another volunteer at the VA Center. An Air Force veteran, Clarke enjoys doing genealogical research. She got to work. Unbeknownst to her, Janine Kidd with American Legion Post 116 out of Newport also saw Totten-Perrys Facebook post. She began her own research and emailed Totten-Perry. I dont want you to think Ive forgotten -- really, just the opposite! Ive had so much fun (and luck!) researching this family, and I could just keep going. It is a fascinating family; they are Oregon pioneers, and many, many of the Hoeye family have served in our armed forces. They are (at least) a two-time Gold Star family. I have the utmost respect for their service for our country. TRACKING THE FAMILY TREE The sleuths learned that Dale Robert Hoeye was born on Jan. 18, 1925, in Pendleton. On Jan. 27, 1942, less than two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 17-year-old Hoeye enlisted in the Navy. Three months later he was assigned to USS Laffey. On Nov. 13, 1942, the ship was destroyed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The ship had a crew of 245 and 59 died. The ship came to rest at the bottom of Iron Bottom Sound. Hoeyes body was not recoverable. I dont know if there was ever a ceremony for Dale, said Grange. He gave his life for his country and what did he get? Probably nothing. Clarkes extensive research led her to Ellen Sedell, 79, of Portland. Sedell is part of the complicated Hoeye family and has been researching it for more than 50 years. She has an extensive family tree posted publicly on ancestory.com, which is where Clarke found her. Clarke left Sedell a message on the site and explained what she was doing. Sedell responded and soon she and Grange connected. Grange learned that Dale R. Hoeye had a younger brother, Wesley Hoeye, who was 12 when his older brother enlisted. When he later married, Wesley named his son Dale A. Hoeye in memory of his dead brother. Dale A. Hoeye later had a son named Brian Hoeye. The dead sailors father, Dean R. Hoeye, had three children -- two boys and a girl -- with his first wife. Following a divorce he later met another woman and started a second family and had three more children. We never knew much about the other side of our family, said Sedell, part of the second familys side of the tree. Call it a family schism. We never saw them. After talking with Grange, Sedell agreed to take possession of the Purple Heart. Kidd, the other researcher, found Dale R. Hoeyes side of the family, tracked down Brian Hoeye the dead veterans great nephew and passed the information on to the Klamath Falls Legion post. Totten-Perry called Brian Hoeye, 37, of Oregon City and told him about the medal. It seemed insane, he said. It just didnt seem true. He agreed to take possession. How do you split a medal? Two people who knew nothing about each other, who had never met were about to come together because of a dead man and a Purple Heart found in a safe. IT SHOULD GO TO HIM The plan was to have everyone meet Friday afternoon at the Tigard American Legion post. But then Brian Hoeye had to go to Baker City for work and couldnt attend. Sedell would accept the Purple Heart from Totten-Perry. Brian Hoeye said hed hoped to meet Sedell. It would be nice to get to know each other a bit, he said. Sedell said at this point Brian Hoeye is just a name on my ancestry chart. But that will change. In the coming weeks, she plans to meet this obscure branch on the family tree and give him the Purple Heart. It should go to him, she said. The man who died is his fathers uncle. In the Tigard Legion hall Sedell was adamant. Yes, she said. It belongs with him. Tom Hallman Jr 503-221-8224; thallman@oregonian.com; @thallmanjr Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe The head of the Wagner group said Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. And President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Prigozhin didnt say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. The announcement follows a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he has negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday about the situation in Russia. According to a statement from the White House, the four leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine during the conversation. However, the White House said U.S. officials were wary of weighing in further on the situation and wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the U.S. was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict. A popular Russian military blogger says the Wagner mercenaries shot down a Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship in the Voronezh region on Saturday. Yevgeny Poddubny said both crewmembers were killed and posted pictures of the helicopters charred debris. Russian media and military bloggers reported several purported helicopter attacks on advancing Wagner convoys. Another popular blogger, a former military pilot using the nickname Fighterbomber, said that Wagner forces shot two Mi-8 helicopters and Il-18 communications aircraft of the Russian air force earlier Saturday. The Russian military didnt comment on the claims, which couldnt be independently confirmed. The governor of the region surrounding Russias capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1. Gov. Andrei Vorobyov issued a decree with the bans on Saturday as the chief of private Russian military company Wagner said his mercenaries were heading to Moscow in an armed rebellion against Russias defense minister. The governors decree doesnt apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion. Sobyanin asked the citys residents to refrain from using their cars and noted that all key city services were put on high readiness and advised residents to report any emergencies. The counter-terrorism operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants. There was no immediate word of whether a curfew would be posed. The mayor also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. A senior Kremlin official has warned that a successful rebellion by the Wagner group would mean the mercenaries getting ahold of Russias vast nuclear arsenal, which would raise an existential threat to the entire world. The history of mankind hasnt yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. Such a crisis will not be limited by just one countrys borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction. He added that we wont allow such a turn of events. Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russias nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv. Medvedev described the rebellion as a well-planned operation aimed at seizing power in the country. He claimed that some veterans of elite Russian military units and foreign actors could have been involved in it. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned the West against trying to take advantage of the rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The ministry said in a statement Saturday that we are cautioning Western countries against even a hint of using the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic goals. It argued that the mutiny plays into the hands of Russias enemies and said that the Russian public stands behind President Vladimir Putin. The ministry said that Moscow appreciates its allies and partners voicing their understanding of the situation. Russian servicemen guard an area standing in front of a tank in a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Russia's security services have responded to mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP)AP Security in a number of Russian regions was tightened as authorities sought to thwart an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. There was tighter security particularly in areas between the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhins Wagner group appeared to control military headquarters, and Moscow. The governor of the Lipetsk region asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that Wagner had entered the province but the situation is under control. In the neighboring Tambov region, mass events were canceled Saturday. Those events included high school graduation parties. Russias Education Ministry said such parties were being postponed until July 1 in Moscow, the region around the capital and a number of other regions where additional anti-terrorist measures have been introduced. The governor of the Kaluga region, just south of the Moscow region, said that movement on roads in areas on its western, southern and eastern borders had been restricted. Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram that people should refrain from traveling by private vehicle on these roads unless absolutely necessary. In the capital, traffic on the Moscow River was suspended. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostovon-Don. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans office says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Turkey was ready to help resolve the stand-off in Russia with the mercenary Wagner group. The Turkish presidency tweeted that, in a phone call with Putin, Erdogan underlined the importance of acting with common sense and said Ankara could help resolve events as soon as possible. It did not specify how Turkey could help. Turkey has retained close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv during the war The governor of Russias Lipetsk province said Saturday that the Wagner mercenary group has entered the region. The Lipetsk region is about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow and much closer to the capital than Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces appeared during the night. Authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population. The situation is under control, governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. He did not give details about the Wagner presence. Ukraines deputy defense minister says the political crisis in Russia provides Kyiv with a window of opportunity. Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram Saturday that Moscows erroneous decision to start a war in Ukraine had brought about the inevitable degradation of the Russian state. The rebellion by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Kyivs forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Speaking in Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that a coup is taking place in Russia, led by Prigozhin and his Wagner troops. Any coup, any problem that emerges in enemys rear aligns with our interest. He added that it is early to estimate consequences. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial powers conferred Saturday on the situation in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. The U.S. State Department and German Foreign Ministry gave few details of the discussion, which also included the European Unions foreign policy chief. The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. It said that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops. The G7 comprises the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.K. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said the Russian leader informed Erdogan about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion, and the Turkish president expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a new audio statement on Saturday that we didnt touch a single conscript, we didnt kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. Shortly before Prigozhin released his statement, an explosion was heard near the military headquarters his Wagner group apparently controls in Rostov. It was not immediately clear where the explosion occurred, how big it was and whether it caused any damage. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighboring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is closely following developments and exchanging information with allies. She wrote: I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of neighboring Latvia wrote in an English-language Twitter post that his countrys border security also has been strengthened and visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events wont be considered. He said there is no direct threat to Latvia at this time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekenskyy says it is clear that Russia is suffering from full-scale weakness after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. Zelenskyy said in comments posted on his Telegram channel Saturday that anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said that for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelenskyy said. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. This is also obvious. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni says she is monitoring events in Russia and they underline how the aggression against Ukraine is provoking instability within the Russian Federation. Meloni said in comments to reporters in Austria later Saturday that the situation in Russia is hard to evaluate. She said that it is a very chaotic situation inside the Russian Federation, that is out of tune with certain propaganda we have seen in recent months. Russian mercenary leader Yevgheny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Putin said in televised address to the nation earlier Saturday that all those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. He said that the armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Officials across Russia have rallied behind President Vladimir Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin after his address to the nation on Saturday. He added that fighters from Prigozhins Wagner group must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Maria Zakharova, Russias Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechnya who in the past has sided with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his full support for every word of Putin. He said that the mutiny needs to be suppressed. So far, no Russian official has spoken out in support of Prigozhin. Unexpected support for mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhins endeavor came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Prigozhins rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. He said Prigozhin had repeated word for word what we, the anti-war opposition, have been saying since the beginning of the war that the purpose of the war is theft and no one believes in the official reason for the war in Ukraine. Khodorkovsky wrote: Help the devil, if he decides to oppose this regime! Help because there is no crime worse than unleashing an aggressive war. If one criminal is ready to interfere with another ... we need to help, and then, if necessary, we will tackle them. A Ukrainian presidential adviser says that the start of his countrys counteroffensive has finally destabilized the Russian elites and intensified internal splits. Mykhailo Podolyak said Saturday that events are developing according to the scenario that we have been talking about for the past year, Ukraines Interfax news agency reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Putin called a stab in the back to Russia. The rebellion comes as Kyivs forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Podolyak said that the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive finally destabilized the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. He added: Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war. Britains defense ministry has described the Wagner mercenary groups armed rebellion as the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. The ministrys intelligence update posted Saturday says that the feud between Yevgeny Prigozhins group and the Russian state has escalated into outright military confrontation' In Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the HQ which runs Russias military operations in Ukraine, the update said. Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow. The update says there is very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out, it said. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russias Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldnt not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were saving Russia and demanded that the Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow. Yevkurov and Alexeyev in the video tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Roston-on-Don, but to no avail. Prigozhin, a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has a long-running feud with the Russian military leadership. Ukraines head of military intelligence says the conflict between the Russian military leadership and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the conflict stands out because Prigozhin, whether you like him or not, he mainly says (the) truth while Russias Defense Ministry tells mainly lies. He said that the conflict is not fake. Budanov said that, while senior Defense Ministry officials talk of advances with young and brave soldiers, Prigozhin points to miscalculations, poor equipment, lack of training and other problems. He said: This is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Even though both completely work in the interest of the Russian Federation, we need to remember this. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. He called Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Egypts steel production has slowed since the beginning of the year as a result of a foreign currency shortage and a decline in local demand, two board members from the Chamber of Metallurgical Industries (CMI) at the Federation of Egyptian Industries told Ahram Online. Egypt "has faced a decline in production due to the accumulation of raw materials in ports and delays in customs releases caused by the scarcity of US dollars, " said Tareq El-Geyoushi to Ahram Online. It is true that some companies and factories within the industry have closed or decreased their production. Probably it is not permanent because it all depends on the demand and the availability of raw material," Mohamed Hanafi, the director of CMI, said. He added that the production level has for sure been affected by the current circumstances. The industry is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Egypt produced 9.8 million tons of steel, making it the largest steel producer in Africa and the second largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to a report by Fitch Solutions April 2023. In 2020 and 2021, Egypt produced 10.3 and 8.2 million tons, respectively, according to data from World Steel Association. Market equilibrium Despite the decline, Hanafi said the amount of steel produced and supplied to the market [is still sufficient to meet] domestic demand. He pointed out that demand declined heavily due to several reasons including the current pause in new national megaprojects and a slowdown in the construction of new private housing. The government's decision in January to put new projects requiring US dollars on hold has also had an impact on demand. The slowdown in demand can also be attributed, according to Hanafi, to the higher steel prices compared to last year. The average price of steel rebar during the first five months of the year was EGP 34,220 per ton, compared to EGP 17,400 per ton in the same period last year. Rehan Hamza vice president of research at AlAhly Pharos, a securities brokerage house, told Ahram Online the prices are expected to decrease soon due to the decline of iron ore prices and local demand. The overlapping conditions of a declining domestic demand, the shortage of hard currency and importing crisis are creating a kind of balance [in the market], she explained. Hamza added that recent estimates expect domestic demand for steel to decline to seven million tons, or by 10 percent, during 2023 compared to 2022. Real estate hikes Real estate has been one of Egypt's major investment sectors that has been flourishing in recent years, with a remarkable rise in prices that are not going to slow down. The real estate sector will surely be impacted by the declining production from the iron and steel industry," El-Geyoushi said. He explained that the units' delivery schedule will be delayed and that the construction costs will rise leading to an increase in the prices of the units as well. After setting new regulations to protect real estate buyers rights last year including delivery obligations to developers, the government decided in February to extend the delivery deadlines for real estate developers by 20 percent. Export trend In order to keep production going, El-Geyoushi said that many factories have shifted to exporting steel to secure foreign exchange needed to release raw materials from customs and so on. Though the quantity of Egypt's exports of steel increased in 2022 compared to 2021, their value declined by 21 percent to $1.412 billion down from $1.781 due to difference in currency exchange rate. El-Geyoushi pointed out that the obstacle to that solution is the availability of raw materials needed to start production and exporting afterwards. It is a closed circle the crisis will be solved by securing currency for production inputs and raw materials this is the main point, he added. Search Keywords: Short link: The East Moraine hike seems too good to be true. In an area already replete with incredible outdoor destinations the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Zumwalt Prairie, Hells Canyon and Wallowa Lake itself it hardly seems fair that Joseph now boasts another beautiful hike. Yet here it is, a relatively easy excursion that offers visitors sweeping views of Wallowa Lake and the Wallowa Mountains just beyond, from meadows that bloom with wildflowers in the spring and summer, also a great place to take in Wallowa Countys famously colorful sunsets. The East Moraine hike is a perfect introduction to this beautiful corner of Oregon, and a cant-miss adventure while visiting Joseph. Trails run through wildflower strewn meadows atop the Wallowa Lake East Moraine in Joseph. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Wildflowers grow along the Wallowa Lake East Moraine Trail.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Once private land, the East Moraine was purchased and made public in 2020. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Viewpoints atop the East Moraine look south over Wallowa Lake to the Wallowa Mountains. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian People have been enjoying this place since time immemorial, but its only been public land for a few short years. For decades, the East Moraine was privately owned, and while owners typically gave hikers permission to skirt their property, it was never an ideal arrangement. In 2008, at a community forum in Wallowa County, residents and local leaders discussed the idea of preserving the East Moraine from future development. In 2011, as development loomed, they banded together to form the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, which in 2020 officially purchased the land for $6 million before transferring it into county ownership. Rising some 900 feet above the water, the two moraines on either side of Wallowa Lake were formed as an ancient glacier moved down from the Wallowa Mountains, pushing up the earth all around it. When the glacier eventually melted, it formed the lake. The more forested West Moraine became dotted with houses, but the grassier East Moraine was largely left alone. While some of the newly-purchased land is used for commercial logging, much of the nearly 1,800 acres is open to recreation in whats called the East Moraine Community Forest. Trails open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders zigzag through the forest, running between the primary trailhead on Oregon 351, and a secondary trailhead off Turner Lane, higher up in the hills. The trail network provides opportunities to wander for miles, but the main attraction here is what might simply be called the Wallowa Lake East Moraine hike, a moderately easy up-and-back journey from the lakeside to a panoramic vista above. A trail kiosk provides information at the start of the Wallowa Lake East Moraine trail.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian The Wallowa Mountains are seen through the trees in what is now called the East Moraine Community Forest.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian Dandelions grow along the East Moraine trail in Joseph.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian The hike begins at the main East Moraine Trailhead, found about 3.6 miles south of downtown Joseph along Oregon 351. The trailhead isnt on Google Maps, but you can find it on the east side of the highway between mile markers 4 and 5. Park at the large pullout beside the highway, then cross through a gate toward a new kiosk that offers information about the land as well as a trail map. Take a picture of the map if you plan on doing any exploring this hike is pretty straightforward, but the wider trail network here can get confusing. Pass the kiosk and follow the trail uphill until it cuts back sharply in the other direction. Keep walking uphill until you reach a sweeping meadow atop the moraine, where wildflowers bloom prolifically in late spring and early summer. You can find paths that lead out to views on the edge, looking out to the lake and mountains. To return to the trailhead, simply go back the way you came. Things get a little more complicated if you feel inspired to do any further exploring. Because of the recent change from private to public land, and because of the years (perhaps generations) of people finding their own paths across the moraine, there are many user-generated trails here, including some that lead to still-private lands. Many users on AllTrails, for example, hike the East Moraine from the north side of the lake, beginning at a pullout by Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site and scrambling up a hillside to reach an overgrown trail. This particular hike is longer, more challenging and crosses private land, and while it seems to be a popular route, its not promoted by local officials. There dont seem to be many issues with people hiking around the East Moraine, but the safe bet here is to stick to the officially designated public lands. These trails lead to an unbeatable view in one of the most beautiful places in Oregon what more could you want? Jamie Hale 503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was looking forward to his discussion with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in his upcoming visit to Egypt to impart further momentum to the two countries multifaceted partnership. In an official statement, Modi stated that he was excited to make his first ever visit to Egypt, a close and friendly country, at the invitation of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Modi is scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Saturday after first visiting the United States. The Indian PM will meet with El-Sisi and other senior members of the Egyptian government. We had the pleasure of receiving President El-Sisi as the chief guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in the span of a few months is a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a strategic partnership during El-Sisis visit," PM Modi also said. In his visit to New Delhi in January, El-Sisi and Modi announced they would increase bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years. According to Indias Ambassador to Cairo Ajit Gupte in January, bilateral trade expanded by 75 percent in 2021/22 to reach its highest-ever level of $7.26 billion, adding that trade between the two countries continues to grow in 2022/23. Around 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians, investing over $3.2 billion across the chemical, energy, automobile, retail, apparel and agriculture sectors, among others. Many of these companies are planning to expand their investments by a cumulative $800 million, Gupte added. According to a recent Reuters report, the two sides are expected to announce a trade agreement during the visit whereby India will barter for Egyptian goods like fertilizer and gas as part of a wider deal that could see New Delhi extending a credit line worth several billion dollars. Indian official sources told Reuters that the agreement would allow Egypt to make purchases in rupees to sidestep its persistent foreign currency shortage and settle the debt through the sale of Egyptian products. Search Keywords: Short link: Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan and US officials have discussed decentralisation and the achievements of the government of the North African country in this area, said a statement issued on Friday by the government Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN Human Rights Commission has said it is raising alarm on the killings of people fleeing West Darfur following the massacre of the Governor, pointing an accusing finger at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-supported Arab militias PaperWorks Acquires The Standard Group in Louisville, Kentucky June 23, 2023 - PaperWorks Industries has completed the acquisition of The Standard Group. Founded in 1932, The Standard Group is a converter of custom printed paperboard packaging with a manufacturing location in Louisville, Kentucky. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The Standard Group aligns well with PaperWorks in terms of emphasizing quality and innovation while serving customers which value sustainable, paper-based packaging," said Brian Janki, President & CEO for PaperWorks. "This addition signifies a 'return to growth' for PaperWorks team members and further bolsters our position in North America. "The Standard Group meets PaperWorks' strategic criteria including increased vertical integration, complementary geographic fit with our mill system and folding carton operations, while serving diverse end markets," Janki added. Lou Cortes, President & CEO of The Standard Group, who will join PaperWorks, commented, "We are excited to become part of an organization with an outstanding reputation and strong values that are in line with The Standard Group. PaperWorks provides an opportunity for the Louisville facility to prosper within a larger folding carton network, leverage broader technical capabilities, and benefit from mill integration to provide the highest levels of service to our customers." By integrating The Standard Group's folding carton facility in Louisville and welcoming 120 team members, PaperWorks will operate an integrated folding carton business including two mills and six converting facilities employing over 1,400 team members. PaperWorks is a leading, integrated North American producer of 100% recycled paperboard and specialized folding cartons. PaperWorks supplies independent packaging converters with coated recycled paperboard (CRB). SOURCE: PaperWorks Industries Inc. Photo: (Photo : SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images) Arizona authorities have made a grim discovery, identifying the body found burning in a fire pit near Apache Junction as that of Parker League, an 18-year-old who had been reported missing earlier this month. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) confirmed the identification of the body, which was found on June 12 in the off-highway vehicle area of Bulldog Canyon, located approximately an hour away from Phoenix. League, originally from Nebraska, was visiting Tempe, Arizona, when he was reported missing on June 15 by a concerned family member. His personal belongings were subsequently discovered at a residence in Tempe. The MCSO has classified League's death as "malicious" and is treating it as a homicide, launching a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his tragic demise. Arizona Man Heroically Saves Two Toddlers from Burning Car The discovery of League's body has sent shockwaves through the local community, leaving residents concerned for their safety. Amber Kunau, a resident of the area, expressed her fear and sadness, saying, "Just knowing that they found a body in a fire pit, it's really scary and really sad, and it's hard to feel safe." The remote desert region where the body was found had previously been known for its tranquility, making this horrific incident all the more unsettling. Neighbors have reported witnessing suspicious activities in the vicinity, adding to the unease in the community. Reports of discarded needles and other concerning items have raised suspicions about illicit activities taking place in the area. Sharon Allison-Brown, another resident, voiced frustration, stating, "There are needles and all kinds of stuff. We're just tired of it. They just come here and dump, and there's trash all over the place." The residents long for a return to the peaceful serenity that was once characteristic of their community, now shattered by the discovery of a deceased individual. The investigation into League's murder is still underway, with law enforcement agencies working diligently to gather evidence and shed light on the events leading to his untimely death. The MCSO has not released any further details regarding potential suspects or motives at this time, but they are committed to bringing justice to League and his grieving family. Read Also: Missing Georgia Mom Found Dead After Sending Daughter Chilling Text and Money Authorities Yet to Release Further Details on Suspects, Motives Fox News Digital reached out to the Tempe Police Department for additional comments on the case but has not received an immediate response. As the investigation continues, the community anxiously awaits updates and hopes for swift justice to be served in the wake of this devastating loss. Parker League's life was tragically cut short in an act of violence, and it is crucial for authorities to identify and apprehend those responsible. The loss of a young life under such circumstances is a stark reminder of the importance of community vigilance and support. Residents are urged to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activities to law enforcement, and work together to create a safer environment for everyone. As Arizona mourns the loss of Parker League, the focus remains on finding answers and holding accountable those responsible for this heinous crime. The community stands united in demanding justice and sending their condolences to League's family and loved ones, hoping that his memory will be honored through the resolution of this investigation and the prevention of such tragedies in the future. Related Article: Body of the Missing 3-year-old Boy Found a Day After He Vanished from Babysitter's House Photo: (Photo : EMMANUEL DUNAND / Getty Images) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Litfulo, a groundbreaking treatment for teenagers battling alopecia areata. Developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Litfulo offers new hope to young individuals coping with severe hair loss due to this autoimmune disease. This FDA approval marks a significant milestone in the field of dermatology and paves the way for enhanced treatment options for teens facing the challenges of alopecia areata. Alopecia Areata Treatment for Teens The approval of Litfulo represents a significant achievement for Pfizer and the medical community at large. The medication, also known as ritlecitinib, is poised to revolutionize the treatment landscape for alopecia areata. Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company with a strong track record of innovation, has invested extensive research and development efforts to bring Litfulo to market. According to Good Morning America, alopecia areata is a condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. Adolescents, in particular, can face emotional and physical hardships due to the sudden and drastic change in their appearance. However, Litfulo, a once-daily pill specifically designed for individuals aged 12 and above, aims to address these challenges and restore confidence in affected teenagers. Clinical trials conducted at esteemed institutions, including Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, demonstrated Litfulo's remarkable effectiveness in regrowing hair in individuals with severe alopecia areata. Dr. Brett King, associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, played a pivotal role as the principal investigator during these trials. During the trials, participants with 50% to 100% scalp hair loss were administered Litfulo for 24 weeks. The results were astounding, with approximately 30% of participants experiencing hair regrowth within this timeframe. Notably, some individuals achieved complete scalp hair regrowth or had less than 20% hair loss after 48 weeks of treatment. Accessing Litfulo: Cost and Availability According to USA Today, Pfizer has committed to making Litfulo accessible to those in need. While the list price for a full year's supply of Litfulo stands at $49,000, the actual cost to patients will vary depending on individual healthcare plans. Recognizing the financial burden it may pose, Pfizer has implemented copay savings for commercially insured patients and a patient assistance program to facilitate access to Litfulo. The Pfizer Dermatology Patient Access Program aims to support eligible patients by providing them with the necessary resources to access Litfulo. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between affordability and quality care, ensuring that teenagers with alopecia areata can avail themselves of this groundbreaking treatment without undue financial strain. Read Also: Wyoming Judge Blocks Law Banning Abortion Pills; Lawsuit Continues The Future of Alopecia Treatment While the approval of Litfulo marks a significant advancement in alopecia areata treatment, it is crucial to emphasize that the medication is not a cure. Dr. Brett King, the lead investigator in the clinical trials, explained that ongoing treatment with Litfulo is necessary to maintain hair growth. According to Business Wire, as a JAK inhibitor, Litfulo interferes with inflammatory signals in the body that contribute to alopecia areata. However, it is important for patients with a history of cancer, blood clots, or cardiovascular disease to consult their healthcare providers before considering Litfulo. The medication, like others in its class, has specific warnings and considerations that must be thoroughly evaluated on an individual basis to ensure patient safety. With the FDA's approval of Litfulo, a new chapter in the treatment of alopecia areata begins. As Litfulo becomes available in the coming weeks, teenagers and their families eagerly anticipate the opportunity to regain what alopecia took away-a sense of normalcy and renewed confidence. Related Article: SunOpta's Sunrise Growers Recalls Frozen Fruit Products for Listeria: Sold at Walmart, Whole Foods, More Western allies on Wednesday promised to make Russia pay for its invasion of Ukraine, as governments and private investors met to fund the country's reconstruction from the ravages of war. The World Bank has put an estimate of $14 billion on Ukraine's immediate needs for repairing the damage caused by the bitter fighting. But a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government said the wider recovery of the economy would cost $441 billion. "Let's be clear: Russia is causing Ukraine's destruction," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told delegates at the London conference. "And Russia will eventually bear the cost of Ukraine's reconstruction," he added. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak voiced a similar message, promising to keep tough sanctions in place "until Russia pays up", and use seized assets to get Ukraine back on its feet. In the conflict overnight, Russia said it had downed three Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region, while Ukraine said its air defence systems had shot down six Iranian-designed attack drones in the west. The conference comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky oversees a military fight-back by his troops using Western-supplied heavy weaponry to regain territory lost to Russian forces since last year. "Every day of Russian aggression brings new ruins, thousands and thousands of destroyed houses, devastated industries, burnt lives," Zelensky told the London delegates by videolink. But he set out his stall for future investment in Ukraine, saying that despite the devastation, the country was ripe for development in sectors from technology and green agriculture to clean energy. International help for Ukraine would send a strong message to the world for generations to come, he said. "Also, the world is watching to see if we will restore normal life in such a way that our transformation will land an ideological defeat on the aggressor. "We protect Ukraine, and thus we protect freedom. And when we build Ukraine, we'll build freedom." Seized assets Leaders and representatives from more than 60 countries are attending the International Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023 -- the second to be held since the Russian invasion in February last year. The first, in Lugano, Switzerland, in July last year saw Kyiv's allies commit to supporting Ukraine through what is expected to be an eye-wateringly expensive and decades-long recovery. African countries, though, have voiced concern that by pumping aid to Ukraine, the West is backing off from its pledges to help the continent with development and fight climate change. Sunak told delegates that Kyiv's allies would support Ukraine "on the battlefield and beyond" for as long as it takes. He has announced UK backing for Ukraine to the tune of $3 billion so it can unlock vital World Bank loans to help bolster its public services, including schools and hospitals. The guarantee will run over the next three years, he said. He also announced an extra 240 million ($306 million) in development aid funding for humanitarian projects. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen recapped the EU executive's support package for Ukraine of 50 billion euros ($55 billion) over the next four years. The European Union would soon outline how it intends to use proceeds from seized Russian assets, she added, "because the perpetrator has to be held accountable". Germany will provide 381 million euros in humanitarian assistance this year, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. Blinken announced more than $1.3 billion in additional US aid. "As Russia continues to destroy, we are here to help Ukraine rebuild -- rebuild lives, rebuild its country, rebuild its future," he said. Private sector As well as government support from around the world, it is hoped more private-sector firms will help in the reconstruction effort. Delegates include captains of industry from major multinationals and corporations, many of whom have signed up to a new Ukraine Business Compact. It encourages trade, investment and expertise-sharing to Ukraine on the back of promises from Zelensky to tackle corruption, improve financial and legal transparency, as well as market liberalisation and competition. Sunak said more than 400 companies from 38 countries, with a combined market capitalisation of $4.9 trillion, have already promised to back Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction. A new London-based insurance scheme would help to underwrite risky investments in Ukraine, he said, "removing one of the biggest barriers and giving investors the confidence they need to act". Search Keywords: Short link: Photo: (Photo : Belinda Jiao/Getty Images) A long-anticipated government report on the origins of COVID-19 offered new details on the U.S. intelligence community's findings but did not state definitively whether the source of the coronavirus was exposure to an infected animal or an event at a laboratory. "All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection," the 10-page declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. The report laid out divisions within the Intelligence Community. While the National Intelligence Council and four unnamed agencies found that natural exposure to an infected animal was most likely, the Department of Energy and FBI's assessment was that a laboratory-associated incident was the more likely scenario for the first human infection. Meanwhile, the CIA and an unidentified agency "remain unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting," the report states. Intelligence Agencies Unanimous on Covid-19's Non-Engineered Nature But "almost all" intelligence agencies agreed that the virus wasn't genetically engineered, and all agencies agreed that COVID was not manufactured as a biological weapon. Congress passed legislation earlier this year requiring the intelligence community to declassify information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the pandemic's origins. According to NBC, the report shed light on the Wuhan Institute, which has been at the center of a hypothesis that the virus escaped from a lab and began infecting people or was transmitted to humans from an animal. In 2021, a U.S. intelligence report identified three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology who sought treatment at a hospital after falling ill in November 2019-pproviding inconclusive, circumstantial evidence that appeared to bolster a hypothesis that the virus may have spread to humans after escaping from the lab. The intelligence community expanded its inquiry into COVID-19 in March by examining whether the first human infection with the virus was the result of natural exposure to an infected animal or a lab-linked incident, according to Friday's report. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said the report's release reflects a commitment from President Joe Biden "to declassify and share as much information as possible related to the origins of COVID-19 while protecting sources and methods." The spokesman added that "getting to the bottom of the origins" of COVID remains a top priority for the president. Read Also: Audi Building Artificial Intelligence-Powered Cars In Partnership With Nvidia White House Releases Report, Prioritizes Uncovering Truth behind Pandemic The report provides valuable insights into the ongoing debate surrounding the origins of the virus. However, the absence of a definitive conclusion leaves room for continued speculation and further investigations into the true source of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is worth noting that the report's release was required by the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which was passed unanimously by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. This demonstrates the government's commitment to transparency and accountability regarding the origins of the virus. The divisions within the intelligence community highlight the complexity of the issue and the challenges of reaching a consensus. The differing assessments between agencies underscore the need for continued investigation and collaboration to uncover the truth. While the report confirms that the virus was not genetically engineered and was not created as a biological weapon, it does not provide a definitive answer about whether the virus originated from an animal or a laboratory. This leaves room for further scientific research and international cooperation to better understand the origins of COVID-19. President Biden's commitment to uncovering the truth behind the pandemic's origins is commendable. The release of this report reflects his administration's dedication to transparency and the pursuit of knowledge, even when faced with complex and inconclusive information. As the global community continues to grapple with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding its origins becomes crucial for preventing future outbreaks and developing effective response strategies. The release of this report is a step forward in the ongoing investigation and provides a foundation for further scientific exploration into the origins of the virus. Related Article: Artificial Intelligence Latest News & Update: White House Finally Breaks Its Silence Over Ongoing Debate On AI's Risks And Benefits Newborn babies delivered at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra will now be screened for hearing impairment right from the labour ward before being discharged. The screening will be done as part of the hospitals regular services for newborns. However, where there are additional interventions that need to be done, they will attract a fee. The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, made this known in Accra yesterday at the launch of a newborn hearing screening project the hospital is undertaking in collaboration with Med El, a leading Austria provider of hearing implant systems and Path Medical of Germany. Describing the project as very important, Dr Ampomah said as part of the project they were looking at developing a teamwide approach involving obstetricians, paediatricians and midwives so that each of those people who were the first persons to come into contact with any newborn child would be sensitised enough to provide the initial screening on hearing impairment for the child. He said they were also looking at deepening training as part of the project in order to increase their numbers to make accessibility and availability easier for patients. He said it was the aim of the hospital to get to a point that newborn screenings would be done not only for the hearing impairment but for all other childhood abnormalities that occurred so that cases could be picked up early and treatment given in order that the condition did not deteriorate. He said the project was not being undertaken only in Korle Bu but they were collaborating with many of their sister health institutions so that in the course of time it could be rolled out across the country. Early diagnosis Dr Ampomah pointed out that a significant number of children were born with hearing problems, and when picked up early could be diagnosed, treated or given the necessary support so that they could develop normally. He said when children were born with hearing problems and they were not picked up early, the children went through life struggling, with some people even perceiving them to be stupid just because they were unable to respond to them when they talked. The Head of Department for the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Kenneth Baidoo, said hitherto the hospital was doing the screening of newborns for hearing impairment in bits and pieces, especially among children who went to NICU. However, this project will be a comprehensive one where parents of every child born at the hospital will get to know the quality of their hearing by the time they came for their first postnatal review. He explained that when hearing impairment in children was diagnosed late and treated late, the hearing quality would not be the same as that of those whose cases were diagnosed early and given early treatment. Impairment He mentioned the causes of hearing impairment in children to be genetic factors; infections developed during pregnancies, severe jaundice in children at birth , some medications given to newborns when they have severe infections and lack of oxygen during delivery. Dr Baidoo said depending on the level of impairment of the child, they could provide the child with hearing aids to help them to hear while for severe hearing loss, cochlear implants were available for such children. The Business Development and Regional Manager for Africa of Med El, Stephanie Unterrieder MA, and Peter Bottcher of Path Medical, advised health workers at the programme to inform parents of the availability of the screening programme at the hospital. As part of the collaboration, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital was presented with four screening devices and one diagnostic device for hearing. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The UN has urged Tunisian authorities to end a crackdown on the media and free speech. It comes a few days after a prominent Tunisian journalist was arrested on charges of insulting President Kais Saied. A judge ordered the detention of Zied el-Heni ahead of a trial in which he could be sentenced to five years in prison. In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the situation as "troubling". "The crackdown earlier this year against judges, politicians, labour leaders, businesspeople and civil society actors has now spread to target independent journalists, who are increasingly being harassed and stopped from doing their work," Mr Turk said. "I urge Tunisia to change course," he added. President Saied has previously defended his administration by saying he wants to save the north African nation from chaos. However, critics have accused him of staging a coup after he suspended the National Assembly in 2021, passed a new constitution and moved to rule by decree. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video What started as a happy and productive day ended in sorrow for Mrs Amanda Amoah who has to become a widow. Amanda Amoah had a series of phone call conversations with her now-late husband, Lance Corporal Calystus Amoah before what she described as a life-shuttered incident occurred. We spoke earlier, but after he had sent me money for something, I called again twice but couldnt reach him. I wasnt worried then because he doesnt always answer his calls when he is on duty. She told Youtuber, Kofi Adomah in an interview and was monitored by Peacefmonline.com Fear started gripping in when Amanda had gone to pick up their child from school. I had a call from a colleague nurse, she asked if I and the child are okay and I said yes. She then asked if Calystus is okay and said he is okay. Right after she consoled me and said she is not the right person to break the news to me but the police will call to tell me I panicked; I asked her what is going on but she refused to say anything. She narrated Whiles at home with her in-law, a call came through from the police headquarters, they wanted to speak to Amanda. So, the police National Protection Unit called my mother-in-law to inform her, they asked to talk to me and I spoke to them but they told me they will come home to tell me whatever is going on. Teary Amanda said Moments later, Amandas father called to break the news to them. My father said he went online and said a police officer has been shot by armed robbers. I quickly checked the TV and I saw the news all over. Why did they do that to me. Amanda who could not hold back her tears said. Background According to the report, the late Lance Corporal Calystus Amoah passed out of the Pwalugu Police Training School in 2017 and was serving at the National Protection Unit (NPU) at Ghana Police Service headquarters in Accra. Four armed robbers during an operation shot and killed LCpl Calystus Amoah when a bullion van he was escorting made a stop at the Ablekuma FanMilk Star Oil filling station. The incident which unfolded on Thursday, June 22, 2023, is said to have claimed the life of the police officer on the spot despite frantic efforts by eyewitnesses to transport the deceased to a hospital. The Ghana Police Service mounted a manhunt for the four robbers involved in the gruesome murder of the officer on Thursday while sending prayers up for the bereaved family. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Victor Smith has called for an investigation into the citizenship of some Members of Parliament (MPs) in the wake of the removal of the MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, who was deemed not to have renounced his Canadian Citizenship before the 2020 elections. According to Victor Smith, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he is aware of a New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP who applied for the renunciation of her US citizenship way later than Gyakye Quayson did for his Canadian citizenship. He said that the said MP is the legislator for the Nsuta-Kwaman-Beposo Constituency and a sister of NPP National Chairman, Stephen Ntim, Adelaide Yaa Agyeiwaa Ntim. Gyakye Quayson is in court for something to do with dual nationality. There are a few people in there (parliament) and we have to investigate this. It is documented that one NPP MP, called Yaa Agyeiwaa Ntim, a sister of the NPP chairman, had a similar issue. Even for her, she said she filed for her renunciation in 2020 before she went for the election. Im almost certain that if we look at her document or that from the US Embassy, we would see that her renunciation did not take effect before we went into the election. But as for her, they have left her remaining as an MP, he said in Twi in an Ahorot FM interview on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Victor Smith, a former High Commissioner of Ghana to the United Kingdom, said that he is certain that the NPP MP did not get her renunciation certificate from the US government just like Gyakye Quayson before the 2020 election. In the case of Gyakye Quayson, they agreed that he has renounced his foreign citizenship but at the time he went for the election, the approval had not been given and so because of that he cant be an MP, he said. He called on the NPP MP to prove him wrong saying, Im asking that this woman, Yaa Agyeiwaa Ntim, the MP for Nsuta-Kwaman-Beposo, to bring documents to show that the time she went for election, the US government had approved her renunciation. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By REBECCA BOONE, The Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) An Idaho judge has denied a request from roughly two dozen news organizations to lift a gag order in the criminal case of a man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. The judge did, however, significantly narrow the gag order in response to the news organizations concerns. The ruling was handed down late Friday afternoon. In it, 2nd District Judge John Judge said it was legally prudent to restrict attorneys from making some statements about the case in order to preserve Bryan Kohbergers right to a fair trial. Still, Judge also said the original gag order which also barred law enforcement officers and other people tangentially related to the case from speaking to the press was arguably overbroad and vague in some areas. Latah County Judge John C. Judge presides over a motion hearing regarding a gag order in a case against Bryan Kohberger, left, in Latah County District Court, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP, file)AP Kohberger, 28, of Pennsylvania, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho. Prosecutors have yet to reveal if they intend to seek the death penalty. The bodies of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found on Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home across the street from the University of Idaho campus. The slayings shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University. The case garnered widespread publicity, and in January Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the sweeping gag order that has barred attorneys, law enforcement agencies and others associated with the case from talking or writing about it. A coalition of 30 news organizations including The Associated Press asked the Idaho Supreme Court this year to reject the gag order, contending it violates the First Amendment rights of a free press. The high court declined to weigh in on whether the gag order violates the news organizations Constitutional rights, and said the media coalition should first ask the lower court to lift the order before asking the Idaho Supreme Court to step in. In Fridays ruling, the 2nd District judge said the gag order served a legitimate purpose and the very limited incidental effects of the speech restrictions on the medias First Amendment rights are overridden by the compelling interest in ensuring fair trial by an impartial jury. The new gag order formally called a nondissemination order prohibits any attorneys representing parties, victims or witnesses in the case from making statements that could have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing or otherwise influencing the outcome of the case. The attorneys are allowed to comment about things like procedural issues, scheduling and make statements that a lawyer would reasonably believe is required to protect their client from substantial prejudicial effects of recent publicity for instance, they can likely make public comments correcting misinformation about their client. They cannot express opinions about the guilt or innocence of a defendant outside of the courtroom, and they cant share information that they know wouldnt be allowed in court. They also cant talk about the character of a witness, expected testimony, the likelihood of a plea deal or other case-related matters. Owners of a new Thai restaurant in Lemoyne arrive with experience in the food-service industry. Apinya Jamie Bangching and Watcharawalee Joy Aeocharoen opened Charm Thai Cuisine earlier this month at 324 Market St. at the former Lapu Lapu Filipino restaurant. The casual BYOB restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine including pad Thai, curries, rice and noodle dishes and soups. Mostly we have customers from around the neighborhood and people we know, said Bangching, who moved to the U.S. from Thailand 10 years ago. She was previously a partner at Sawasdee Thai Cuisine in Hershey, while Aeocharoen worked at Bangkok Wok in Hampden Township. They named their restaurant Charm after the Thai word for bowl. Charm Thai Cuisine owner's Apinya "Jamie" Bangching and Watcharawalee "Joy" Aeocharoen. The other meaning is a good meaning like attractive, she said. As part of our mission, we serve a Thai traditional dish that demonstrates the charm of Thai culture, reads the restaurants website. The menu is divided into sections with appetizers, entrees, curries and noodle/rice dishes. One of the most popular orders, Bangching said is pad Thai, a traditional dish made from stir fried rice noodles with sauce, egg, scallion, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. Other standouts include drunken noodles, a wider stir-fried noodle with soy sauce, egg, Thai basil, peppers and onions and peanut curry, a combination of peanut with red curry with mixed vegetables in coconut milk. People in America love peanut curry because they love peanut butter. In Thailand, theres no peanut curry, Bangching said. A lemongrass infused tom yum soup is also popular and in Thailand served with shrimp, but Charm also offers variations with chicken and seafood combinations. Featured entrees include Thai basil, Thai smoked chili and sweet and sour with choice of protein including chicken, beef, pork, veggies, tofu and seafood. Several chefs recommended selections include salmon curry, duck curry, honey duck, pad cha seafood, tom yum seafood fried rice and crab fried rice. The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sundays. Phone is 717-695-3368. READ MORE: A little rain and drizzle couldnt dampen the mode as Country star Jordan Davis brought his Damn Good Time Tour to the Penn Heroes stage outside Hollywood Casino in Grantville, Pa., Jun. 23, 2023. His latest album Bluebird Days, released in 2023, includes his sixth #1 single Next Thing You Know. Buy Dirt, his 2021 duet with Luke Bryan reached Number One on the Hot Country Songs chart and was one of the Top Five most-streamed country songs in both 2021 and 2022. It was the #1 double-platinum CMA Song of the Year. Davis, 35, was born in Shreveport and now lives in Nashville. His tour across America continues through November and he returns to the Met in Philadelphia on Oct. 5, 2023. Maury Povich is ready for a comeback, but its not exactly what you might have in mind, according to media sources. After the end of Maury, the daytime talk show host is ready to embark on a different way to let you know who the father of your child is. This time, its from the comfort of your own home, according to reports from the NY Daily News and Complex. Per TMZ, the 84-year-old is launching a DNA testing company that offers at-home paternity tests, dubbed The Results Are In, which is the famous catchphrase Povich would use when ready to announce paternity results for guests on the show. The company boasts a 99.99% accuracy for their testing kits, which will include instructions on how to administer a DNA sample that can be sent straight to a lab at DNA Diagnostics Center. The results will be available in two to three business days, according to reports. Ive seen firsthand how DNA testing can change lives and bring families together, Povich said to TMZ in a statement. With The Results Are In, were making it easier and more affordable than ever before for people to get the answers they need. After NBCUniversal pulled the plug on Maury in 2022, after producing more than 3,600 episodes, it seems Povich is determined to stay on top of anything involving paternity testing. Read more via NY Daily News. Read More: By SUSIE BLANN, Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The state news agency Tass said President Vladimir Putin was kept informed. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Russias chief prosecutor said the criminal investigation was justified and that an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. Wagners forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition, but his accusations and calls for armed rebellion Friday were a more direct challenge. The Russian Defense Ministry required all military contractors to sign contracts with it before July 1, but Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply. In a statement issued late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise with the Defense Ministry, but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then cowardly fled. This scum will be stopped, he said, in reference to Shoigu. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to restore justice. Security also was heightened in Rostov-on-Don, Tass reported. Its correspondent said military and law enforcement personnel were seen on the streets, with at least one armored personnel carrier and aerial patrols. In other developments in the Ukraine, war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to give appropriate signals and exert pressure on Moscow. The Kremlins spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces. The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europes largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that the military situation has become increasingly tense while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province. Although the last of the plants six reactors were shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water. During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. Rosatom director Alexey Likachev and other officials emphasized that they now expect specific steps from the U.N. agency to prevent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its adjacent territory, said a statement from the Russian corporation, whose divisions build and operate nuclear power plants. Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of mining the plants cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse earlier this week that drew down water in a reservoir that the power station uses. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Friday that Russia has beefed up its defense forces in southern Ukraine in response to the early counteroffensive and intensified its efforts to take more ground in the east. Asked if the Ukrainian militarys initial attacks set the stage for a larger assault, Maliar told Ukrainian television: We are yet to see the main events, and the main blow. And indeed, a part of reserves will be used later. Ukrainian forces so far have made only incremental gains in Zaporizhzhia province, one of four regions that Putin illegally annexed last year. Putin has pledged to defend the regions as Russian territory. Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is fighting to force Russian troops out of those regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and is using as a staging and supply route in the 16-month-old war. If the counteroffensive breaks the Russian defenses in the south, Ukrainian forces could attempt to reach a pair of occupied port cities on the Sea of Azov and break Russias land bridge to Crimea. Egypt has called for an immediate cessation of the attacks of Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, which resulted in casualties and injuries among Palestinian civilians. At dawn on Wednesday, Israeli settlers attacked homes of Palestinians in the town of Kafr Al-Dik, near Salfit and rampaged through the streets of the town, according to the towns mayor Mohammad Naji, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP). Meanwhile, also on Wednesday morning, an Israeli army unit raided the village of Orif near Nablus , storming several homes and detained five people, according to WAFA. Settlers attacks led to the destruction and vandalism of a large number of properties without any response from the Israeli authorities, read a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Egypt completely rejects these acts of intimidation and collective punishment against Palestinian citizens," the foreign ministry said. Egypt has previously warned of the dangers and repercussions of the continuous escalation by Israel last seen in the storming of Jenin two days ago, which resulted in victims and injuries in successive episodes of violence," it added. Egypt has affirmed that the cycle of violence should be immediately to halt bloodshed and prevent further deterioration in the security situation in order to allow the de-escalation efforts of the regional and international parties to achieve their goals. At least 130 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured by Israeli army and settlers attacks since the start of the year, according to a tally by the AP. Search Keywords: Short link: President Vladimir Putin vowed Saturday to defend Russia against an armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow. The uprising, which Putin called a stab in the back, was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his address, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File)AP Prigozhin called himself a patriot. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Prigozhins private military contractor, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. It wasnt immediately clear what his aims were, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Prigozhins struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hamstringing his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin confirmed Saturday he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future as western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest after he declared an armed rebellion late Friday. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said the administration was monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on the developments. By ELLEN KNICKMEYER, The Associated Press Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against the leadership of the countrys military. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what has been months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhins arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhins threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his march to justice. PUTINS CHEF Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison 10 years by his own admission although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years earning him the nickname Putins chef and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. FILE - In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, March 3, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, addresses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File)AP MILITARY CONNECTION Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. U.S. officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. WHAT IS THE GROUPS REPUTATION? Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. In November 2022, a video surfaced online that showed a former Wagner contractor getting beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and a stream of demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye to it. RAGING AGAINST RUSSIAS GENERALS As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russias military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. FILE - The top Russian military commander in Ukraine, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, left, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, attend the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the joint staff of troops involved in Russia's military operation in Ukraine, at an unknown location, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)AP CRITICIZING THE BRASS Prigozhin has castigated the top military brass, accusing top-ranking officers of incompetence. His remarks were unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. Earlier this month, Putin reaffirmed his trust in the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, by putting him in direct charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size. Prigozhin somewhat toned down his harangues against the military leadership after that, but remained defiant. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. A BAD ACTOR IN THE US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the U.S., when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the U.S. with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. AVOIDING CHALLENGES TO PUTIN As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putins generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhins influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. In the wake of a chaotic Memorial Day weekend filled with crowds of teenagers at night running from police and fighting, officials in Seaside Heights are closing beaches at 8 p.m. and implementing other restrictions aimed at minors. The borough council passed a resolution on Wednesday, effective immediately, that institutes a curfew for minors under 18 years in any public place between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless accompanied by their parent or guardian or traveling to or from a business or job. The resolution also closes the ocean and bay beaches in the Ocean County borough between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., with the exception of special events, surfers and fishers. A similar ordinance that will make the rules permanent was also introduced on Wednesday. Borough officials said the ordinance will be considered for adoption at the next borough council meeting on July 19. We cant have this happen, Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said of the recent unruly behavior from teenagers. The chaos over Memorial Day weekend was documented on videos that circulated on social media. Vaz previously described the large crowds as young kids, aged 13 to 17, who werent necessarily drinking. Thats what caused us to look at this with a stronger voice, and the community has stuck together on this and they want us to do what were out to do strong enforcement, Vaz said. A task force, in conjunction with the police department, has also been established and gone into immediate effect, Vaz said. The task force which will include officers in uniform and lifeguards will look at smoking and drinking violations, he said. An undercover unit will also be put in place to issue summonses, Vaz said. Other Jersey Shore towns have adopted similar rules in recent weeks. Toms River, a neighboring town in Ocean County, recently imposed a 10 p.m. curfew for minors on its barrier island communities of North Beach and Ortley Beach. Ocean City officials also adopted new rules to close the beaches early, impose a curfew for minors and ban most backpacks on the boardwalk. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. SUNBURY -- A caregiver who admitted to putting rat poison in cigarettes she rolled for an elderly Northumberland County couple and stealing their money is eligible for parole after she reports to jail. On Friday County Judge Hugh Jones sentenced Tina Marie Young, 41, of Montandon, to up to five years in prison but made her eligible for immediate parole. She had served approximately seven months in the three consolidated cases before being released on unsecured bail in 2020. Young is to report to the county prison Wednesday and will be eligible for release once a home plan is approved. She had pleaded guilty in April to charges of attempted aggravated assault, access device fraud, and forgery. Young initially was accused of attempting to kill Albert Mench, who had had a stroke, and his wife Cheryl on June 13, 2019, in the couples home. Cheryl, who was 73 at the time, and her husband, 80, have since died from causes unrelated to the criminal activity. Young, who had been given power of attorney by the couple, confessed she was frustrated over being fired for forging a $2,500 Albert Mench check, a state police affidavit stated. Young told investigators she got a block of the poison from under an outdoor oil tank, placed it in a plastic bag, took it inside, added water, smashed it with a spoon and dumped it into the bag of tobacco. Cheryl Mench had told police she tried three of the rolled cigarettes as she was driving and none tasted right. Upon inspection she said she discovered bright green rock-shaped pieces in all of them and in the bag of tobacco Young used to roll the cigarettes. Troopers said when they went to the Mench home they discovered the majority of the rolled cigarettes contained the green pieces. In pleading guilty Young admitted forging the Albert Mench check and using the couples bank card to pay $1,482 in bills and buy an airplane ticket for her daughter to fly from Florida to Williamsport. In 2019 Young was sentenced in Lycoming County to 33 days to 18 months in jail but was released because she had served the minimum. She had pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering the welfare of a child for allowing her then 14-year-old daughter to become pregnant. By Mark S. Singel Hunter Biden is no choir boy. He has admitted to his struggle with drugs. His early years were rocked by the death of his mother and sister in a car accident. His brother died at an early age due to brain cancer and he bore the brunt of constant attacks on him and his family that contributed to reckless behaviors that made the news on a regular basis. He failed to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018 and he obtained a gun permit without disclosing that he was a habitual drug user. Even though he has long since paid those taxes, and even though he is continuing an intensive personal rehabilitation regimen, Hunter Biden has plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and possession of a firearm as a drug user. He has admitted his guilt and has cooperated fully with authorities. As a result, the U.S. Department of Justice has wrapped up its investigation and recommendation with a recommendation for a two-year probation and continued rehabilitation for Hunter Biden. But the Republican echo chamber is showing no empathy. If you are the presidents son, you get a sweetheart deal, said Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Candidates Trump and DeSantis were quick to pile on as well. They know better. Failure to pay taxes rarely results in criminal charges. Typically, taxes, fines, and interest arrangements are made with the IRS even in cases that go back many years. One need only look at the latitude that certain businessmen are given. Reporting huge losses and not paying taxes at all seems to be acceptable if you happen to be a Republican standard-bearer. Possession of a firearm while fighting the demons of drug abuse is troubling. But it is an unfortunate fact that a large percentage of the 340 million guns that exist in this country are in the hands of people who should not own weapons of any kind. An incomplete application for a gun permit is an offense that is not nearly as consequential as, say, stealing and hiding classified documents. The ongoing demonization of Hunter Biden is simply the right wing clinging to any conspiracy theory that maligns the current President and his family. What is even more troubling than the blatant partisanship of these attacks is the heartlessness that it exposes. Almost every family I know has a troubled son or daughter who is coping with demons that can be overwhelming. Public families do not have the luxury of dealing with those challenges in private. When former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-NH) arrived in Congress at the age of 21, he was a rising star with a magic name. A DUI led to revelations about substance abuse and a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder. Patti Davis, the daughter of President Ronald Reagan, admitted to a drug addiction and publicly opposed many of her fathers policies. In both cases, the Kennedys and the Reagans comforted their children and eventually reconciled with them. There was some salacious reporting during their tumultuous years but there was little or no political exploitation of the torment that beset the black sheep. The political rules of engagement included a hands-off policy when it came to troubled family members of either party. Todays Republican Party doesnt play by those rules. Hunter Bidens misdemeanors are being blown out of proportion by the feverish far right who have sunk their teeth into the matter like dogs with a bone. Next up is Hunter Bidens purported involvement with foreign governments when his father was Vice President. It doesnt matter that no illegalities have been found to date. Even if the inquisition comes up empty, the attackers will have fired an arsenal of weapons in the process. This is not good government. This is heartless victimization of people who cant fight back. It is also an attempt to draw false comparisons between minor indiscretions and major disruptions in our system of law and order. Hunter Biden admitted his guilt. He repaid all of his taxes and fines and he cooperated fully with investigators and officials. If he is receiving leniency, it is because he did not run and hide from the law. This is a far cry from those who stand on much larger stages and think they are above the law. Hunter Biden showed that the path to redemption involves humility. This is a quality that seems to be lost on the former president who denies, deludes, and derides anyone who challenges him. The reckoning is coming. Mark S. Singel is a former Governor and Acting Governor of Pennsylvania. By Matthew Jaskol The competition to get into college along with parents and students anxieties about college admissions is as intense as ever, especially at elite universities. Ambitious families are preparing for college earlier, and pre-college programs are emerging to address the problem by providing students research fellowships and other opportunities to set themselves apart. Pre-college programs can provide effective opportunities for students to cultivate their interests and show more robust academic preparation when they apply for college. But the eagerness of so many students and their parents is also a recipe, if not for outright deception, at least for misrepresentations and misplaced hopes as to how pre-college programs can position students to get into the colleges of their dreams. As the head of a pre-college program, Im familiar with the concerns of students, parents, and educators as well as some of the misperceptions and misrepresentations that come with the category. Here are some issues parents should watch out for. Pre-college program brand names dont indicate admission success When students consider colleges, brand names are a fairly reliable indicator of value. The same does not necessarily apply to pre-college programs or at least not how parents and students might think. For example, it is easy to assume that pre-college programs educational value is defined by the hosting universities. Yale, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania host quality summer pre-college programs, but their undergraduate prestige doesnt mean their pre-college programs are sufficiently challenging or the right fit for a given student. In many cases attending these programs does not inordinately raise the chances of admission to those universities. First, many online businesses provide academic or research project tutoring and connect students with scholars affiliated with elite institutions. For example, a program might tout that it pairs students with Columbia and Stanford PhDs. But a tutor having received her doctorate at an elite university doesnt mean she can improve the students chances of admission to that university, particularly given that admissions officers are aware the student likely paid for the tutoring opportunity. Second, academic tutoring services are so new that they are not subject to any regulations. So, parents and students need to factor in potential risks such as a lack of quality assurance and wasted time when working with a private tutor. Just because a mentoring scholar went to Stanford does not mean the tutoring program provides a fulfilling educational experience for the student. Instead of choosing a pre-college program based on perceptions of prestige, consider what a student actually needs from the experience. For example, at large universities, PhD students often teach introductory classes. So, if students are looking for the kind of tutoring that will prepare them for those classes, programs led by PhD student tutors may be a good option. Meanwhile, those who want to demonstrate competitiveness in college applications may want to prioritize selective programs with reputations for excellence. Another opportunity is for students to research programs themselves, perhaps at local colleges and universities. Admissions officers may be impressed when students get into competitive programs or opportunities that they independently identified, as the journey of exploration is a process of deeper self-reflection and self-discovery. Worthwhile achievements cant be bought Some programs, especially brand new ones, promise resume-padding achievements such as an academic publication, conference presentation, published novel, or patent in exchange for paid participation. These organizations do not usually state outright but rather imply that students will accomplish those goals in exchange for paying for a program. Some companies go one step further by implying that participants will be more likely to receive these gold nuggets if they opt for the longer-term, more expensive versions of their programs. A typical example might be a program promising that students will be able to work toward a scholarly publication if they buy the cheaper program, while they will outright receive a publication if they complete a longer, more expensive program. Whether explicitly or implicitly promised, these paid achievements are not just unethical but ineffective. College admission officers, especially at the exclusive institutions to which these programs participants often hope to gain entry, are able to decipher when an unusual accomplishment such as publishing an academic paper in high school has come about through transactional means. Parents and educators should guide students away from programs that make such promises. High-quality programs provide enrichment, not admissions panaceas More and more, students are entering pre-college programs with expectations of a quid pro quo. They ask, If I pay for this program, can you help me present at a conference? Can you get me published? These inquiries reflect a pre-college program ecosystem that is increasingly focused on transactional promises. If the trend goes unchecked, sales pitches will erode student curiosity as programs that genuinely help students cultivate their interests are undervalued in the competition for paid resume-padding opportunities. There is no one activity, program, or achievement that will vault students into their top-choice college not even research publications. Pre-college programs worth their salt encourage students to ask questions and develop their interests, leading them to not only potential research opportunities but also firmer understandings of why they care about their questions and why their projects matter. This is the equation for college preparation. Parents, educators, and students should ask the following questions when they assess pre-college programs: How credible is the program? Is it accredited? Is it widely recognized? Is the program focused on intellectual exploration or resume building? Admission officers can spot artificial interests. For example, highly selective colleges see a preponderance of anthropology projects one year and a flock of AI or nanotechnology research projects in another year. So, ensure a program is focused on helping a student cultivate their particular interests instead of providing them a cookie-cutter sales pitch. What does the programs website promise? Does the program provider have conflicts of interest such as also providing college application services? Is the program available to under-resourced students? What percentage of students receive need-based scholarships? Is the program selective? Do they state the number of applicants and admitted students? Consult school counselors to determine the type of programs each student should consider. Counselors generally know which programs are reputable. By educating themselves about pre-college programs, their true virtues, and their sometimes misunderstood or misrepresented advantages, parents and educators can not only set up students for admissions success but also guide them toward more robust learning and development experiences which is what our shared goal as parents and educators should be in the first place. Matthew Jaskol is founder and program director of Pioneer Academics. State Trooper Jacques F. Jay Rougeau Jr., 29, was shot and killed on the afternoon of June 17 during a gunfight with Thompsontown resident Brandon Stine, 38, state police officials announced during a June 18 news conference. Stine also shot and wounded state police Lt. James A. Wagner earlier in the day, police said. This is a tragedy for the Pennsylvania State Police, Col. Christopher Paris, state police commissioner, said during the news conference. We ask for your continued prayers for not only our troopers, but also their families. Rougeau, a graduate of Corry Area High School in Erie County, joined Troop G-Lewistown in March. He had enlisted in the state police in June 2020 and was married. Trooper Jacques F. Rougeau Jr. was killed in the line of duty on June 17, 2023, in Juniata County. (Pennsylvania State Police) Wagner, 45, was in critical condition at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as of June 18. He is station commander at Troop G-Bedford. The harrowing day began around 11 a.m., June 17, Stine drove to the Troop G-Lewistown station in Fermanagh Twp., exited his pickup truck and fired several shots from a .458 magnum rifle at several unoccupied patrol vehicles, Paris said. Stine then left the scene, but police identified him. We immediately began a search. We activated a major case team and other department assets, including a helicopter, Paris said, adding that law enforcement converged on the county seat of Mifflintown in a massive response. At about 12:45 p.m., Wagner located Stine in Mifflintown Borough. Stine reportedly again fired his rife, striking Wagner, police said. Paris said multiple citizens and witnesses aided Wagner and used his police radio to summon first responders and additional officers. The manhunt for Stine then ramped up very aggressively, said Lt. Col. George Bivens, deputy commission of operations. He was playing somewhat of a game of cat-and-mouse with (troopers), he added. He was calling the 911 center; there were attempts to try and negotiate with him. There were phone calls from him, providing a location, and then he wouldnt be there. He seemed to be setting our people up for potential ambush. Police scoured the roadways and multiple locations radiating out from the county seat. Rougeau was one of those troopers. As he drove down Baumgardner Drive toward Swamp Road in Walker Twp., was ambushed by Mr. Stine, Bivens said. Stines gunshot struck the windshield of Rougeaus patrol car and killed him, police said. Stine escaped down Swamp Road, Bivens continued, and fled into a rural but residential area. Police converged on-site in an attempt to flush him out and eventually succeeded, said Bivens, who also was on-scene at the time, in a helicopter overhead. What I witnessed was one of the most intense, unbelievable gunfights, he said. The only analogy I can draw is a war zone. It was that intense. Bivens said law enforcement officers on the ground wearing body armor that he said was not strong enough to deter bullets from a high-powered rifle put themselves (and their vehicles) between customers in the parking lot of Harshbargers Restaurant and Stine and forced him away from the business and back out toward Baumgardner Drive. What I saw, with our people putting themselves in harms way, was an amazing thing that kept all of the residents (and) customers of that store safe, Bivens said. As they were under fire, some of the police officers dove out of their still-moving cruisers in the parking lot, resulting in a few low-speed crashes into patrons vehicles, Bivens said. A gunfight ensued and Stine again drove across Baumgardner Road, into a yard and became stuck against a row of trees, he added. Its a miracle no members of the public were injured or killed, said Paris. Neither officer released the specifics surrounding Stines death, but Bivens said hundreds of rounds were exchanged throughout the incident. Paris noted that police did not have a clear motive for Stines actions but said the investigation continues. According to court records, Stine had only a few prior charges from local police, including DUI in 2004. In 2016, he was sentenced to six months of probation after pleading guilty to making a false statement on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives form, while attempting to buy a firearm from a Fermanagh Twp. shop. Anyone interested in donating to assist the troopers families can send a check to the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association (PSTA) at 3625 Vartan Way, Harrisburg 17110. The check should be made out to the Survivors Fund, with the name of the trooper written in the memo line of the check. WILLIAMSPORT -- A township in Lycoming County with a population of just under 5,000 is all but out of business temporarily as the result of the resignations of two of its three supervisors and its manager. Additionally, 12 or 13 of the 18 Old Lycoming Twp. employees have or are expected to submit their resignations, said Matthew Aikey who resigned as manager last Friday. Supervisors Linda Mazzullo and David Kay submitted their resignations at a special meeting Thursday morning. The National Weather Service in State College has issued a special weather statement for parts of Perry and Dauphin counties. The National Weather Service said that strong thunderstorms will impact northwestern Dauphin County and northeastern Perry County through 5 p.m. At 4:27 p.m., Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 16 miles northwest of Linglestown to near Enola to 12 miles northwest of Mechanicsburg. Movement was east at 25 mph. Winds up to 40 mph and pea size hail are possible. Locations of the storm include Millersburg, Marysville, Duncannon, Elizabethville, New Buffalo, Shermansdale, Liverpool, Halifax, Dauphin, Berrysburg and Enders. Russia on Saturday declared an "anti-terrorist operation regime" in Moscow and the Moscow region, after the chief of the Wagner mercenary group vowed to overthrow Russia's military leadership and claimed control of a key military headquarters in the south. "With the aim of preventing possible terrorist acts on the territory of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, an anti-terror operation regime has been introduced," the country's national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement quoted by Russian agencies. Russia also declared an anti-terrorist operation in the southern Voronezh region, where some reports said Wagner mercenaries were also headed. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the measure was "aimed at strengthening security." He also said there was "additional control" on roads and that the capital's mass events may be limited. The announcement came as Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had crossed into Russia and seized control of a key military headquarters, vowing to topple Moscow's military leadership and saying he and his 25,000 fighters were "ready to die". Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and controlled its military sites. "We are inside the (army) headquarters, it is 7:30 am (0430 GMT)," Prigozhin said in a video on Telegram. "Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control," he added. Russia's military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don are a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Prigozhin said planes taking part in the Ukraine offensive "are leaving as normal" from the airfield, and called on Russians not to believe what they were being told on state television. "A huge amount of territory is lost. Soldiers have been killed three, four times more than it says in documents shown to the top (leadership)." In the video from Rostov, Prigozhin also claimed Russia's chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov "ran away from here when he found out that we are approaching the building." He has vowed to topple Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. A Wagner-linked Telegram channel on Saturday published another video of what it said was Prigozhin talking with two army officials in the Rostov headquarters. He told the military officials that his mercenaries will "not interfere with them commanding troops" and said their orders in Ukraine were leading to huge losses. Videos and pictures posted online, including by the TASS state-run news agency, showed armed men surrounding administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks deployed in the city centre. It was not clear who the armed men were. President Vladimir Putin was due to make a televised address on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies. Authorities in Rostov have urged residents to stay at home. Russia opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, accusing him of trying to start an "armed rebellion." The Russian army said it would "guarantee the safety" of Wagner mercenaries who stop rebelling against Moscow's military leadership. "We are appealing to the fighters of assault squads of PMC Wagner. You were deceived into (Wagner chief's Yevgeny) Prigozhin's criminal venture and participation in an armed rebellion," the army said in a statement. It called on the fighters to ask for help to return to "places of permanent deployment." "We ask you to show reason and get in touch with representatives of Russia's defence ministry or law enforcement. We guarantee safety for all." On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. On Saturday morning he added that Putin would address the nation shortly. Search Keywords: Short link: Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gviron called for his government to construct more settlements in the occupied West Bank and assassinate "hundreds, or if needed, thousands" of Palestinians. In a visit to the illegal outpost of Evyatar on Friday, Ben-Gviron said, "I give you my full and complete backing, but I want much more from the settlement here, there needs to be a full settlement here, not only here, but in all the hills around us." "We have to settle the land of Israel and at the same time need to launch a military campaign, blow up buildings, assassinate terrorists. Not one, or two, but dozens, hundreds, or if needed, thousands," he added. "Because, ultimately, it is the only way we will seize this place, strengthen our hold and restore security to the residents, the Land of Israel is for the people of Israel, we are backing you, run to the hills, settle down. We love you." The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Saturday described Ben-Gvir's statements as abhorrent and demonstrating clear criminal and murderous intent, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Such odious comments reflect Israels abject disregard for Palestinian lives and the pervasive culture of impunity in Israel with regard to Palestinian lives and rights. This impunity and criminal tendency are encouraged and bolstered by the failure of the international community to hold Israel accountable for its systematic and widespread egregious violations of international law and Palestinian rights, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry added, "The Israeli government is committing all these crimes while enjoying cover, protection, and even pandering by key international players that amount to outright complicity and the International Criminal Court Prosecutor must understand that Israel reads his continued silence, procrastination, and diminishing of the investigation into the situation in Palestine as a lack of interest." The White House also decries Ben-Gvir's statements to the Israeli settlers, "Run to the hills, the land must be settled." "The United States does not support the expansion of construction in the settlements, and this policy hasn't changed," John Kirby, the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a briefing Friday. Illegal settlements increasing Israeli settlers, protected by soldiers, established on Saturday a new outpost on Palestinian lands in the town of Deir Istya, west of the northern West Bank city of Salit, according to the towns mayor Muath Salman. Salman told WAFA that dozens of settlers broke into an area north of the town, set up two mobile homes and three livestock sheds, opened a dirt road, and extended water and electricity lines to the site. UN estimates indicate that about 700,000 illegal settlers are living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal. According to Israeli media, at least seven new illegal outposts were built in the West Bank since Thursday. The new construction follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement on Wednesday of plans for 1,000 new homes in the Eli illegal settlement. On Friday, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, Riyad Mansour said during the general discussion of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy that the Israeli occupying forces and settlers continue killing and terrorizing Palestinians, while openly chanting death to the Arabs", with complete impunity. The counter-terrorism discourse cannot and must not become the way to justify a counter-rights strategy, he added. The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy should be about promoting the rule of law, not justifying its breach. It should address the root causes of terrorism, not perpetuate them, he stressed. He said that the most dangerous form of terrorism is motivated and sponsored by the state, in which an entire nations rights, people, and land are under a constant and systematic campaign of terror, stressing that the Palestinian people deserve the solidarity of the international community, and have the right to international protection. "It is shameful that Israeli occupying forces and settlers have not yet been included in the list of perpetrators of crimes against children," he added. Brutal settlers attack The Israeli army on Monday carried out a series of air strikes on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, murdering at least seven Palestinians, including a boy and a girl, and wounding 91 Palestinians, according to the UN statement. On Wednesday, illegal settlers under the protection of Israel's occupation military carried out a brutal attack on the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank, murdering one Palestinian and wounding dozens of others and burning 30 houses, 60 cars, and dozens of olive trees. On Saturday, a young Palestinian was left to bleed to death following a shooting attack at Qalandia military checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, according to witnesses and Israeli reports, said WAFA. Reports said a Palestinian armed with a machine gun opened fire at Israeli soldiers stationed at the crossing from the West Bank into occupied East Jerusalem, lightly injuring an Israeli guard in the hand before he was shot and fatally injured. Witnesses said the Palestinian, who was identified as Ishaq Hamdi Ajlouni, 17, from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Kufr Aqab, which falls beyond Israels wall that segregates Jerusalem from its West Bank environs, was left bleeding on the ground for hours until he was declared dead. The Palestinian Ministry of Health also said that a 39-year-old man critically injured Friday by an Israeli army bullet during an Israeli army incursion into Nablus, has succumbed to his wounds on Saturday. It said Tareq Mousa Idris was shot in the abdomen. With this death, the Israeli army killed or caused the death of 180 Palestinians in the occupied territories since the start of the year, according to Palestinian toll. Search Keywords: Short link: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print There is something going on in Russia as mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is claiming that his troops are on the march in Russia, while Putin has not been seen in public, and Russian leadership appears to be preparing for a military coup. Prigozhin accused the Russian troops of attacking his troops as tensions between the mercenaries and the Putin regime have spilled out into the open. Prigozhin claimed that his troops are moving into the Russian city of Rostov, and Putin seems to be preparing for a military coup. Video of NBC Newss Raf Sanchez: NBC News's Raf Sanchez reported, There is no firm evidence at this point, that a column of his troops is indeed advancing towards Rostov. But the Kremlin is not taking any chances. This is a government that appears to be preparing for a military coup." pic.twitter.com/CC2lA5Xfdh Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 24, 2023 Sanchez said, Prigozhin is a man with a history of exaggeration. There is no firm evidence at this point, that a column of his troops is indeed advancing towards Rostov. But the Kremlin is not taking any chances. This is a government that appears to be preparing for a military coup. Russian state media says the government has tightened security in Moscow. And in other cities. The former CIA head for Russia operations said that we cant rule out that Putin is in trouble. Video: Former CIA Chief of Russia Operations Steve Hall tells CNN, "I don't think we can any longer rule out the possibility that Putin is in serious trouble." pic.twitter.com/pVfjeu9Y7V Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 24, 2023 Hall said, The fact that were seeing out of the Kremlin indicates that they at least believe that could happen. Youve got armored personnel carriers moving through Moscow and the FSB saying detain Prigozhin. All those show that theres great concern in Moscow that that could precisely be whats going on. That said Putin still has a lot of leverage to pull to stop Prigozhin but I dont think we can any longer rule out the possibility that Putin is in serious trouble. Meanwhile, Putin has publicly vanished. Former Amb. Michael McFaul tweeted: The absence in public of Putin so far in this crisis is striking. Michael McFaul (@McFaul) June 24, 2023 President Biden has been briefed on what is happening inside Russia, as both the US and Ukraine are taking this seriously. Russia is in crisis, and the crisis was caused by Putins invasion of Ukraine. Whether or not a full-blown coup develops is unknown, but what is known is that most Russians do not like or want this invasion of Ukraine to continue. The Russians are bogged down. Putins authoritarian leadership has never been weaker, and at this moment, he is vulnerable. No matter how this scenario plays out, Putin has already been greatly damaged. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print A former Trump campaign official is in talks with Jack Smith to answer questions about the fake elector plot and Trumps attempted coup. The New York Times reported: Michael Roman, a top official in former President Donald J. Trumps 2020 campaign, is in discussions with the office of the special counsel Jack Smith that could soon lead to Mr. Roman voluntarily answering questions about a plan to create slates of pro-Trump electors in key swing states that were won by Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to a person familiar with the matter. If Mr. Roman ends up giving the interview known as a proffer to prosecutors working for Mr. Smith, it would be the first known instance of cooperation by someone with direct knowledge of the so-called fake elector plan. That plan has long been at the center of Mr. Smiths investigation into Mr. Trumps wide-ranging efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Roman is described as the person who did much of the legwork to organize the fake elector plot. He was the person running the coordination from the Trump campaign between the lawyers, aides, and states on the fake elector plot. In other words, Roman is in a position to know who was doing what when in the effort to help Trump overturn the election and overthrow the government to stay in power. Earlier on Friday, it was reported that the special counsel had given partial immunity to two fake electors in exchange for their cooperation. Smith appears to be coming after what some in the media have generously called Trumps election interference. The big question is, does the special counsel have enough evidence to bring charges against Donald Trump for 1/6 related crimes? It is unknown if or how any Trump 1/6 criminal charges would impact the Republican presidential primary. Things are not looking good for Donald Trump and his associates, as it increasingly appears they will not get away uncharged with a plot to overthrow the United States government. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Russia, who has been exploiting weaknesses in the west for years, warned the west not to take advantage of Russias weakness due to Yevgeny Prigozhins and the Wagner Groups armed rebellion. Independent Russian and English language news site Meduza* reported: Russias Foreign Affairs Ministry warns Western countries not to take advantage of the Wagner Group armed rebellion to achieve their Russophobic goals. We warn Western countries off any hint of using Russias domestic situation to achieve their Russophobic goals. Such attempts are futile, and will not get a response either in Russia or among sensible political forces abroad. We are certain that a solution worthy of the age-old wisdom of the Russian people will be found in the near future. The ministrys statement added that the rebellion plays into the hands of the Russian Federations external enemies. It did not mention either Yevgeny Prigozhin or Wagner Group. So, Russia very much would appreciate it if the west wouldnt do anything like, say, use this opportunity to dangle carrots about how Russia could get relief from the crippling sanctions the west has imposed upon them after their illegal invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the armed mercenaries are making their way to Moscow. Their purpose is still unclear. Conservative former George W. Bush speech writer David Frum had a few ideas about enticements. He wrote, Might be a good moment for leaders of Ukraine, EU, US, UK and other allies to specify the terms on which a future Russian government could obtain relief from western sanctions and restored access to European energy markets, plus recovery of rights to travel to western countries. He suggested making it clear that Putin can be separated from Russia if they reverse the war with Ukraine, which led to their isolation and financial stress, adding: At a minimum it needs to be clear: the war with Ukraine and ensuing conflict with West were Putins choices. Those choices can be reversed. There is a path back to the community of nations for Russia, if the leaders of Russia will meet appropriate terms for peace and security. Russia doesnt want the west exploiting its predicament, yet Russia illegally invaded Ukraine and is accused of committing war crimes. It is also fair to say that Russia has made an investment in weakening western alliances and has worked to undermine and weaken NATO. Furthermore, as established by U.S. intelligence and the Mueller report, Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In 2018, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) delivered a hand-written letter from the U.S. president at the time, Donald Trump, to Vladimir Putin. This kind of contact without transparency is not how U.S. presidents conduct foreign relations. Russian efforts to launder their propaganda throughout the U.S. were so effective that by 2018, NPR noted 40 percent of Republicans, a plurality of the self-identified category, now regard Russia as an ally or at least as a country friendly to the United States. That is double the percentage of Republicans who expressed that view to Gallup in 2014. Russia has worked to exploit the weakness of the west by furthering social divides and amplifying extremism from both left and right. Though we dont know the extent to which Russia has interfered in our democracy, their efforts have undercut the foundation of small d democracy in the U.S., which is our ability to agree upon basic facts. If Putin is weakened by Russias civil strife, the west will not hesitate to save the values of small d democracy around the globe. *Meduza is located in Latvia and was started by a journalist who was fired by a Putin supporting Russian oligarch in 2014. More journalists followed. They say they are based in Latvia because they would not be allowed to work in Russia. Their CEO and publisher received the Committee to Protect Journalists Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award in 2022. This is a developing story. We are gathering information from global officials and other authorities, war correspondents, Ukraine and Russia experts, and credible news outlets. News gathering on this story is further challenged by Russias restrictions on the press. Please understand that some of what is reported will later turn out to be wrong, but not due to a lack of effort or diligence on our part or the people reporting it. We will update as this story unfolds. Zain Bahrain, a leading telecom services operator, has announced the launch of its new Arabic eShop which will make it easier for its customers to understand in their own language the key features of the devices including the smartphones and gadgets before making a purchase. The new Arabic eShop version is the first of its kind for a telecom company in the kingdom; it comes as part of the telco's digital transformation and commitment to bringing convenience to customers and meeting their latest evolving needs. Zain Bahrain eShop now runs in English and Arabic, allowing customers to browse devices in their preferred language. This new feature will make it easier for customers to choose suitable devices and get all the information and details they need to make their shopping experience with Zain Bahrain seamless and enjoyable. Through the eShop, customers can browse more than 500 devices, zoom in and inspect them up close with a self-optimizing 3D interactive shopping service to help users to visualize the devices. Also, new products are regularly added with exclusive online offers and free delivery to ensure customers get the best value possible, it added. Zain Bahrain Chief Consumer Marketing & Sales Officer Ammar Al Ketbi said: "We are excited to launch our Arabic eShop, designed to support our customers when browsing and purchasing the latest plans and devices. Customers can now shop online in their preferred language, making the process faster, easier, and more convenient." "At Zain Bahrain, we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible experience, and we believe that offering an Arabic version of our eShop is an important step in achieving this goal," he added.-TradeArabia News Service When Mali recently called for a UN peacekeeping force to depart the country "without delay," it was the latest sign of unease in parts of Africa over the role of the so-called Blue Helmet operations. Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop last month called for the UN Security Council to withdraw peacekeepers from his country "without delay", denouncing their "failure" to meet security challenges. The UN Security Council, which was due to vote on the renewal of the mission's mandate on June 29, is likely to agree to Mali's request, according to diplomatic sources. A draft resolution, which will have to be approved by the Council, "acknowledges the withdrawal" and refers to a six-month period to organize the departure of around 12,000 military and police personnel, a source told AFP. The mission has been in "persistent crisis" since Mali's military coup in 2020, Anjali Dayal, a professor at Fordham University in New York City, told AFP. Mali's military has increasingly imposed operational restrictions on the peacekeepers, demanding that the mission instead tackles terror groups in the country. The landlocked Sahel state has been battling a security crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in 2012. "It's not the only mission in the world to have host state problems," Dayal said. Blue Helmet forces have also faced friction in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic and South Sudan. In the DRC, anti-UN demonstrations have repeatedly broken out over the years, while the government has called for an "accelerated" departure of the UN's mission there. "There is a 'consent crisis' in several African countries," Patryk Labuda of the University of Zurich told AFP. "Populations and governments are not satisfied with the services provided by the Blue Helmets", but for different reasons in each country, he added. Richard Gowan, of the International Crisis Group, told AFP that "the Blue Helmets are finding it difficult to play a role in the persistent violence" in the DRC, South Sudan and Mali. "The local population often views UN units with skepticism and contempt," he said. "I think that some governments in Africa think that the UN wastes too much time talking about human rights and too little time killing off troublesome insurgents." 'Predatory And Brutal' Under UN mandates, peacekeepers are authorized to use force only as a last resort to defend themselves or the mandate. They are neither a peace enforcement tool nor an anti-terrorist force. Gowan said Russia's paramilitary Wagner group, which is active in several Saharan countries, represents the "predatory and brutal" alternative to the Blue Helmets, using lethal force on insurgents. "In reality, this is usually a recipe for more chaos," Gowan said. Divisions within the UN Security Council don't help. "This level of resistance that we're seeing from some host governments, not all but from some, I think is connected to the divisions that we're currently seeing within the Security Council. And host states are unfortunately using this as leverage," Julie Gregory, of the Stimson Center think tank, told AFP. Mali's decision "may send a signal to other governments: if you're not happy, you can be more assertive. It may reduce the UN's room for maneuver," Labuda said. But despite the setbacks faced by Blue Helmet forces, the achievements of UN missions should not be forgotten, experts said. "The way we think about peacekeeping is so colored by its failures because they are visible and big," Dayal said. "But it's a pretty successful tool. It tends to reduce the spread of conflict; it tends to keep casualty levels lower; it tends to be particularly effective at protecting people from rebels." Search Keywords: Short link: SALLEY Three votes determined the winner of a special election in an Aiken County town. A special election was held June 20 to fill Paul Salley's unexpired term on the Salley Town Council. Chris Hartley received 57 votes to defeat Rosalyn Hicks, who received 54 votes. Salley, the son of former mayor Nathan "Bob" Salley, resigned in March after serving for more than 30 years on the town council. "I thought it was a great race," Hartley said. "I give all kudos to her [Hicks] for running a good race. It was a honest race. I'm just glad the results turned out the way they did." Hartley said he felt like it was time for him to step in and run for the council and make something positive happen for the town. "I've been helping with the Chitlin' Strut for more than 40 years," Hartley said. "I just felt like it was time for me to step into a leader position to help the town move forward and take care of what we got." The initial results Tuesday evening showed Hartley winning by one vote, 55-54, but his margin increased to three Friday morning when the Aiken County election board voted to accept two provisional ballots. Jerry and Patti Griswold cast those provisional ballots after questions arose about their eligibility to vote. Specifically, there was a question as to whether the Griswolds lived inside or outside of the town limits. Salley, like many small South Carolina towns, determines its town limits by drawing a circle around the town with the center of the circle being the center of town. In Salley, the diameter of the circle is one mile, making the radius a half a mile. The Griswolds' property lies right on the town limits. Aiken County election board chairman Andrew Marine said the property where the Griswolds live is divided by the county property tax office in two parts, one inside of the town and one outside the town. A GPS map shows the majority of the home is in the part outside the town limits but a corner lies within the town limits. But, as S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor said at the hearing, those markers are unofficial and the maker of the GPS technology says on its website not to rely on the technology. Taylor is a Republican who represents the eastern portion of Aiken County, which includes Salley. Marine added the town ultimately controls its own boundaries and the Griswolds argued the town has treated the residents in the house as residents of the town for around 70 years. Jerry served on the town council for 16 years. Patty's father served as a councilman for 20 years. Patty added the town does not charge them an out-of-town surcharge on water bills and that they have been paying the town taxes since they moved into the house in 2000. Jerry showed photos of the town limit signs lying further away from the town than their home and a camera placed by the town further away from the town than their home. The election board then voted unanimously to accept the provisional ballots. In addition to increasing Hartley's winning margin, the counted provisional ballots eliminated the need for a mandatory recount. South Carolina law requires mandatory recounts if the winner wins by less than 1%. If the board had voted to reject the Griswolds' provisional ballots, the election would have been decided by a 0.9% margin and a recount would have been mandatory. But, since the board voted to accept the ballots, Hartley's margin increased to 2.7%, eliminating the need for a mandatory recount. A boat with the OceanGate logo is parked on a lot near the OceanGate offices Thursday in Everett, Wash. The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that the missing submersible Titan imploded near the Titanic shipwreck site, killing everyone on board. The eight saltstone disposal unit at the Savannah River Site is open for business three years ahead of schedule. The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management recently authorized the unit to begin operation. Read moreEight Savannah River Site saltstone disposal unit completed three years ahead of schedule Succession planting is a gardening term covering a few different strategies for extending the growing season. One approach is planting a second garden in the space vacated by early-maturing crops. Another kind of succession planting is sowing herb or vegetable seeds at regular intervals, rather than all at once. That ensures multiple harvests throughout the season. It's especially helpful for one-off root crops, like beets, carrots, radishes and turnips. You can also maximize your harvests of all kinds of edibles and flowers by planting them successively. Just pay attention to when your area's first frost is. Read the seed packet instructions and make sure your later plantings will have time to mature before the frost. Read moreHow to extend the growing season in your garden and get multiple veggie harvests Since Ive been putting together History in Berkeley County," Id be remiss if I didnt include Eutaw Springs in an article for our county. Why? Because up through the American Revolutionary War, Eutaw Springs was historically Berkeley County; now of course, its in Orangeburg County. Sever Read moreLooking back at Eutaw Springs This Fourth of July is projected to be the most explosive ever for the fireworks industry. With Independence Day falling on Tuesday, many people taking off work July 3 and holiday events including those in the Charleston area stretching across a five-day span starting on June 30, sales of nearly $3 billion in the U.S. are expected to eclipse last year's record for both consumer and professional products. Fireworks facts Display fireworks revenue 2015: $340 million 2016: $345 million 2017: $353 million 2018: $360 million 2019: $375 million 2020: $93 million 2021: $262 million 2022: $400 million 2023: $500 million projected Consumer fireworks revenue 2015: $755 million 2016: $825 million 2017: $885 million 2018: $945 million 2019: $1 billion 2020: $1.9 billion 2021: $2.2 billion 2022: $2.3 billion 2023: $2.4 billion projected Celebrate safely Always have a sober adult in charge. Never give fireworks, even sparklers, to a child. Read and follow directions on label. Never carry fireworks in your pocket. Never shoot fireworks from a metal or glass container. Keep spectators at a safe distance. Always wear safety glasses when igniting fireworks. Never aim fireworks at another person. Never place any part of your body over fireworks. Only use fireworks outdoors on a flat, hard fireproof surface. Have a garden hose and bucket of water ready. Light only one firework at a time. Never approach or reignite a firework that didnt ignite the first time. Allow fireworks to stand for 20 minutes when finished, then submerge in water and dispose properly. Source: American Pyrotechnics Association "It's going to be a very robust fireworks season," said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association based in Southport, N.C. "Weather permitting, it should be a very strong 4th of July." Big commercial displays are back and stronger than ever at festivals, concerts and ballparks across the nation after shows fizzled out during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Professional fireworks sales are projected to soar by 25 percent this year to $500 million, Heckman said. "The demand is so huge, the challenge for the industry is do they have enough trained and licensed technicians to take on all the work," she said. Many workers left the industry to find other jobs when sales plummeted by 75 percent during the first year of pandemic. The pyrotechnics group put out a recruitment video to attract younger people to the trade, but Heckman said it's going to be a multiyear effort as the industry ramps up for the nation's 250th anniversary celebration in 2026. "That's going to be a big year for the ... industry," she said. On the consumer side, where the bulk of the industry's sales take place at roadside stands and mom-and-pop retail shops, demand is projected to set a record but not at the pace of professional displays. Fireworks shows June 30 Charleston: 8-10 p.m., gates open at 6 p.m., Joe Riley Baseball Park, 360 Fishburne St.; free admission but tickets must be reserved in advance; 8 p.m. Charleston Symphony Orchestra performs; concessions available. More info: tinyurl.com/mr35su72. July 1 Moncks Corner: 6-10 p.m., Regional Recreation Complex, 418 E. Main St., free admission. Bring lawn chairs and blankets; alcohol prohibited. More info: monckscorner.gov July 3 Seabrook Island: Dusk, Seabrook Island Club driving range, 3771 Seabrook Island Road; limited to island guests and residents. Rain date July 5. More info: sipoa.org/4th-of-july-events-2 July 4 Goose Creek: 6:30-9:30 p.m., Municipal Center, 519 N. Goose Creek Blvd.; free admission. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. More info: cityofgoosecreek.com July 4 Kiawah Island: 5-10 p.m., Terrace Lawn at The Sanctuary; $109 for adults, $49 for children 4-10; kids 3 and under free. Buffet-style menu, limited to island guests and residents. More info: kiawahresort.com/holiday-events/4th-of-july July 4 Mount Pleasant: 6-10 p.m., Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Road; parking fee all day starting at 8 a.m. of $20 per vehicle; deck admission: $25 via eventbrite and access to flight deck at 8 p.m. Museum ships open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. with last ticket sold at 4 p.m. Bring chairs. More info: patriotspoint.org. July 4 North Charleston: 5-10 p.m., Riverfront Park, 1061 Everglades Ave.; free admission. Bring lawn chairs, blankets. Food vendors on site. More info: northcharleston.org July 4 Summerville: 5:30-9:30 p.m., Gahagan Park, 515 W. Boundary St.; free admission. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, umbrellas, water, lunch-box size coolers; More info: summervillesc.gov Cancellation: The Folly Association of Business, the organization that executes the fireworks display on Folly Beach, decided June 27 to cancel the Fourth of July fireworks show on Folly Beach because of the expectation of "exceptionally high tides at dusk" that day. "Unfortunately, there will not be enough area on the beach for the pyrotechnics trailer and the surrounding set-up needed to execute the display," a spokeswoman for the group said in a statement. "FAB has investigated alternative sites on the beach, but none can be utilized without violating safety clearance regulations." Note: Outside fireworks and grills are not permitted at gatherings. Check with your city or town for festivities and late details, including inclement weather plans. Consumer sales, which nearly doubled to $1.9 billion during the first year of the pandemic since big fireworks shows with large gatherings were shut down, will grow just under 5 percent to $2.4 billion this year. Put another way, retail sales for backyard fireworks have skyrocketed 140 percent since 2019. "That's just going to continue to grow year after year," Heckman said. "People were locked down during the pandemic, and they bought consumer fireworks for the first time. Once they got a taste for it, they kept going back for more. That's not going to stop." Consumers should be able to find plenty of selection this year as the shortage during the pandemic has passed, Heckman noted. Among consumer favorites are multishot items and reloadable shells. Heath Boddorf of Holly Hill loaded a shopping cart June 17 with oversized packages of aerial displays that shouted names such as "Shocker Shells" and "Maximum Insanity" at the family-owned Red White & Boom fireworks store in Moncks Corner. "We do a big celebration every year, and we like to do it on the weekend so everybody can get together," Boddorf said while shopping with wife Irene and son, Bailey. The Army veteran normally drives to Hardeeville to buy his colorful nighttime explosions, but he decided to shop in Moncks Corner this year because it's closer and part of the shop's proceeds supports Friends of Fisher House, a place to stay for families of veterans being treated at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. Boddorf spent more than $1,000, saving a bit through a military discount and a free item. Red White & Boom owner Rob Ducat predicted his sales will shoot up about 25 this year as more buyers learn about his 4,000-square-foot shop that's been open just two years. He also pointed to lower shipping costs this year and a higher volume of stock to help him remain competitive. "We ordered really, really, really early last September and we buy in larger quantities than most people to help keep our prices down," he said. Looking ahead to next year, he's hearing shipping costs should not rise but production costs will, resulting in about a 15 percent increase in prices. Rod Zdenek of Ladson said he expects to see good sales as well at his three seasonal TNT-branded fireworks kiosks across the Charleston area on U.S. Highway 78 at College Park Road, Bacon's Bridge and Dorchester roads, and Central Avenue and Orangeburg Road. "I think it's going to be better than ever," he said. "People seem to be struggling a little bit with money, but they seem to still come out and buy. Every year we take about 250 boxes of fireworks and we come back with about a dozen or we sell out." His stands are open through the holiday. He urged buyers to shop early for the best selection. "But there's always a lot of last-minute buyers," he said. "We'll be there as long as we have fireworks to sell." Note: Jay Diffley is one of the workers stacking boxes in a photo taken at the fireworks store. He was misidentified in an earlier photo caption. The Post and Courier regrets the error. Over its first year, the 200 call centers in the nationwide network answered nearly 5 million pleas for help, with the number of calls increasing 46 percent, chats up by 141 percent and texts increasing more than 10-fold, according to Vibrant Emotional Health, the national contractor overseeing the system for federal health agencies. Read moreSC lifeline hopes to answer more calls as crisis services expand across the state Bajaj Auto, India's largest manufacturer of two and three-wheel vehicles, has expressed interest in expanding operations in Egypt, as per a press release by the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) on Saturday. The Indian company, renowned for exporting motorcycles to over 70 countries worldwide, aims to establish a vehicle factory in East Port Said within the SCZONE. This strategic location would provide Bajaj easy access to African markets and facilitate exports to other regions, according to the press release. This announcement came as part of a promotional tour of India conducted by a delegation from the SCZONE, which included meetings with representatives of major Indian industrial companies. The primary objective of the promotional tour is to attract Indian companies from various sectors to explore investment opportunities in the SCZONE, according to a statement issued by SCZONE authorities on Saturday. During their visit to Mumbai, the delegation met with members of the Federation of Indian Industry (FII), led by K. Nandakumar. According to the statement, Nandakumar emphasized Egypt's significance as a substantial investment market, and as a gateway to the global marketplace. Indian companies already operate in key sectors of the Egyptian economy, such as textiles and garments, power generation, chemicals, consumer goods, healthcare, and more. Approximately 50 Indian companies are engaged in manufacturing and construction, collectively investing over $3.15 billion in 2022, as reported on the website of the Indian embassy in Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: SUMMERVILLE A North Carolina electric company is giving Dorchester County $11,000 in grant money to fund weather stations. The money will go toward installing five weather stations, tentatively set to be located in St. George, Harleyville, the Givhans/Ridgeville area, Summerville and Ravenel. The stations will help keep track of weather conditions throughout the county in real time. Thomas McNeal, county emergency management director, said the stations will read atmospheric conditions, including wind, rain, temperature and barometric pressure. Duke Energy, an electric and gas company based in North Carolina, has no customers in Dorchester County, said Rick Jiran, Duke Energys vice president of local government and community relations. He said the company decided to do an emergency management grant process to give grants totaling up to $500,000 in South Carolina. As bad weather comes in, as storms come in, it doesnt know utility lines, it doesnt know county lines, it certainly doesnt know municipal lines or state lines, Jiran said. We made the conscious decision that we were going to open up the screening process to the entire state, and not just confine it to our territory. As a result, Jiran said, the grant process became a lot more competitive. Dorchester County was one of 32 grant winners across the state. Other counties include Greenville County radio equipment for the Simpsonville Fire Department and an ATV for the Greenville Emergency Response Team as well as Florence County for a couple different programs: communication devices for Lake City and equipment for the Florence Fire Department to extract people out of their homes or cars who may be trapped following severe weather. McNeal said the weather stations in Dorchester County will help the county evaluate if first responders should continue their service in the event of a hurricane. As the winds increase during a tropical event, there comes a point where the winds are too high, and its unsafe for (first responders) to operate, McNeal said. We really need with a county as long as ours to know exactly what the weather is doing in different portions of the county, so that were not just cancelling service everywhere. McNeal said that the weather stations would also help the National Weather Service in Charleston, confirming the readings they get themselves and assisting with emergency warnings for severe weather forecasts. McNeal added that the weather stations will help the county with schools as well, just for evaluating if its safe for students to be outside for recess or practice. He said the weather readings will be made available on the county website. County Council Chair Todd Friddle said hes excited for the opportunity Dorchester County has been given with the grant. He said he looks forward to the county implementing the weather stations and is confident it will help strengthen the emergency management department. Its going to be huge for us, having the ability to collect data that will be used by the National Weather Service, giving them more real time data, Friddle said. This has been a real gift for us. ...I think were going to be a leader in the Lowcountry for emergency management. Jiran said the county should receive the money by the end of June. The county was unable to provide a timeline on when the weather stations would be installed. PR-Inside.com: 2023-06-24 00:00:34 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1035 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2023 / Rock Edge Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Rock Edge") (CSE:REDG) announces that it has amended the non-brokered private placement announced on June 14, 2023, to support its exploration initiatives and bolster working capital. The amended private placements consist of two offerings: a non-brokered non-flow-through private placement ("NFT Units") and a non-brokered Critical Minerals flow through private placement ("FT Units").The Company has amended the NFT Units up to 4.0 million NFT Units to a price of $0.05 per NFT Unit. This offering is expected to generate aggregate gross proceeds of up to $200,000. Each NFT Unit will comprise one common share ("Share") and one transferable share purchase warrant ("Warrant") of the Company. Holders of the Warrants will have the opportunity to acquire one common share ("Warrant Share") at a price of $0.075 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.The funds raised from the NFT Units will be primarily allocated towards exploration activities on the Company's lithium properties in Ontario. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds will be utilized for general working capital.In parallel, the Company announces a private placement of FT Units specifically designed for critical minerals. The FT Units will consist of up to 4.0 million FT Units at a price of $0.05 per FT Unit, resulting in aggregate gross proceeds of up to $200,000. Each Critical Minerals FT Unit will include one flow-through share ("FT Share") that qualifies as a Critical Minerals flow-through share under the Income Tax Act (Canada), along with a transferable half non-flow-through share purchase warrant of the Company ("NFT Warrant"). Each whole NFT Warrant will enable the holder to acquire an additional Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.The gross proceeds from the FT Units will be utilized for incurring "Canadian exploration expenses" and "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada).All Shares, Warrants, and NFT Warrants, as well as the Shares underlying the Warrants and NFT Warrants, will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance."We are pleased to announce these amended private placements, which provide the necessary funding to advance our exploration efforts on our lithium properties in Ontario," stated Charles Desjardins, CEO of Rock Edge Resources. "These investments will not only facilitate the exploration activities but also support our ongoing commitment to sustainable resource development. We are excited about the potential growth opportunities and value creation that lie ahead." 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.Maun Lithium PropertyThe Maun Lithium property consists of 51 mining claims totaling 1,454 hectares. The property straddles the terrane boundary between the East Wabigoon and English River subprovinces. These terrane boundaries are integrally related to the location of northwestern Ontario lithium deposits and occurrences, as they act as deep-seated sutures for parental granitic melts (Breaks et al., 20031). The Maun Lithium property is located approximately 2.3 km east of Superb Lake.Terrier Lithium PropertyThe Terrier Lithium property consists of 19 mining claims totaling 2,636 hectares. The property lies 8 km north of the English River-East Wabigoon terrane boundary. The property is located along the edge of a muscovite-bearing granitic pluton, a peraluminous S-type fertile parental granite (Breaks et al., 20031) and in contact with metasediments. Metasediments make excellent exo-contact hosts for rare-element pegmatites fractionating from a fertile granitic parent (Breaks et al., 20031). An east-trending structural feature mapped by the OGS transects the property providing possible pathways for parental granitic melts. Reconnaissance mapping by the Ontario Department of Mines in 1931 along river and lake systems identified several pegmatites hosted within muscovite-bearing granites and metasediments. Some of these occurrences are located on the Terrier Lithium property. Diamond drilling by Anaconda Mining in 1956 investigating iron formations to the north of the property noted white pegmatites containing garnet, tourmaline, muscovite and some instances fluorite with downhole intervals up to 30 m (OGS assessment file 42L10NE0004). These minerals are good indicators of fractionation from a fertile parental granite (Breaks et al., 20031). Anaconda did not assay the pegmatites.Superb Lake Lithium PropertyThe property consists of approximately 2,378 hectares land in the O' Sullivan Lake / Maun Lake area of the Thunder Bay Mining District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Geologically, the property is situated in the eastern part of Wabigoon Subprovince of the Superior Geological Province. The Superb Lake area has historical exploration work carried out since the 1950s with the discovery of lithium along the shores of Superb Lake. The Superb Lake pegmatite has a minimum outcrop exposure of a strike length of 16 m, and its width varies from 2.5 m at the shoreline to a maximum of 3.7 m, where an old blast pit was excavated. The results of four samples taken in 2020 from spodumene-rich part indicate lithium oxide (Li2O) values in the range of 1.77 % to 4.03%, and from December 14, 2022, a recorded surface channel #3 of 2.47% Li2O over 3.2 m, which includes 5.84% Li2O over 1.1 m.Val-d'Or East Lithium PropertyThe property is located approximately 65km southeast from The NAL Lithium Processing Plant (A Piedmont/Sayona Joint Venture), which just announced it produced its first batch of spodumene concentrate (SC6) and 30km southwest of Val-d'Or, a logistics hub for mining service. Currently, three lithium refiners are in the works, with Sayona planning to commission a refinery that will output Lithium Hydroxide, located approximately 70km southeast of the property. Additionally, there is a third refinery planned by Nameska near Becancour, about 200km southeast of the Rock Edge's Val d'Or East Lithium Project.The property is contiguous to Sayona Mining Limited's (ASX: SYA) President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed an investment of $520 million in specialised agro-processing zones by the African Development Bank (AfDB). He praised the president of the multilateral institution, Adewunmi Adesina, for further opening up the economy for investments that provide job opportunities and poverty reduction. Receiving Mr Adesina after the two-day summit on A New Global Financing Pact in Paris, Mr Tinubu said the agro-industrial project strengthens an area of the countrys competitive advantage as he listed other areas of priority that require Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The Nigerian leader urged the bank to inject funds into projects that target women and youth empowerment, while appreciating the AfDB president for his vision of setting up a Youth Entrepreneurship Bank in Nigeria that will provide credit, skills and other support for young Nigerians. Mr Tinubu assured the Nigerian-born Adesina that the federal government would provide all the necessary assistance to ensure the sustenance of the projects, adding that electricity remained a priority area that needed urgent attention. READ ALSO: In his remarks, the AfDB president thanked Mr Tinubu for the bold initiatives that had repositioned the Nigerian economy in three weeks and stimulated investors appetite from different parts of the world; removal of fuel subsidy and harmonisation of exchange rates. I commend the presidents foresight, boldness and determination for macroeconomic policy direction by removing the fuel subsidy, he said, No bird can fly with its wings tied behind. All those steps are signals investors like. Mr Adesina said the bank would support the new administrations economic policies in Nigeria, which had placed the people first in development targets. In another meeting, Mr Tinubu received executives of Airbus/ATR, and assured them that the aviation sector would be streamlined for efficiency, especially in aircraft maintenance and training. Senior Vice President of Airbus/ATR, Public Affairs, Laurent Domergue, assured the president that the company was prepared to invest in the aviation sector, particularly in supplying planes to Nigeria Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Countries around the world were on Saturday closely watching events unfolding in Russia, where a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group posed the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin's long rule. Below are what governments and analysts are saying about the extraordinary situation taking place in nuclear-armed Russia. Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later," he said in statement on social media. The Ukrainian army said Friday it was following infighting in Moscow after the head of the Wagner mercenary group accused Russia's military of attacking one of the private fighting group's bases. "We are watching," the Ukrainian defence ministry tweeted, while Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said rival Russian factions had begun to "eat each other over power and money." The United States US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and "will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments", National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said. Europe European Union chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc was "closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners." "This is clearly an internal Russian issue," he wrote, adding that "our support for Ukraine" remains "unwavering". The bloc's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said the EU was in "permanent contact with our ambassador in Moscow and continuing our internal consultations with our member states." NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said only the alliance was "monitoring the situation". British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians." "We're in touch with our allies as the situation evolves. I'll be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly," he told the BBC. Meanwhile, Czech politicians used the mutiny as a moment to take a stab at Russian leadership. "I can see my summer holiday in Crimea is approaching," said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, referring to the territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. "So we finally know what the Russians mean by a Special Operation," said Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova. "After 16 months of the war in Ukraine, Russia is waging war on Russia. No surprise. It's a tradition over there. Failed wars end up with the Tsar being executed, with chaos and with a civil war supervised by snoopers. Congratulations," she said. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who has met Putin since the launch of the Ukraine war, warned of the nuclear risks of the instability in Russia. "The operations of the Russian Federations are always of the utmost importance, because the Russian Federation has a great potential for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons," he said. In Berlin, "the government is closely following the events in Russia", a spokesman told AFP. The foreign ministry advised avoiding central Moscow and government and military buildings in the capital. In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron is also keeping a close eye, the Elysee said. "We remain focused on supporting Ukraine." In Rome, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said the events "show how the aggression against Ukraine is causing instability also within Russia." In Sweden, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom tweeted: "The government is closely following the situation in Russia. The situation is serious." In Norway, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Oslo was "closely following the dramatic situation in Russia and are in close contact with the embassy in Moscow." Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder tweeted that the situation was "serious" and he was watching to see "what impact it has on the conflict." Qatar Qatar's foreign ministry said it was following "with great concern" and urged restraint. "The worsening situation in Russia and Ukraine will have negative repercussions on international peace and security, and on food and energy supplies, which were mainly affected by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis," the ministry said. Analysts The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update that "this represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said in a tweet. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said the armed rebellion was "unlikely to succeed" but that "an armed Wagner attack against the Russian military leadership in Rostov-on-Don would have significant impacts on Russia's war effort in Ukraine." Search Keywords: Short link: The Sierra Leonean general election holds today as 13 candidates seek election to become the next president of the West African country. About 3.4 million Sierra Leoneans are eligible to vote in the general elections, out of an estimated 8.4 million people in different districts across the country. Incumbent President Julius Bio of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) is seeking a second and final term in what promises to be a straight contest between him and Samura Kamara, 72, the flagbearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC). However, apart from Mr Kamara, other candidates are challenging Mr Bio in the presidential contest. The candidates are Bah Mohamed Chernoh of the National Democratic Alliance; Coker Prince, Peoples Democratic Party; Jonjo Mohamed, Citizens Democratic Party; Kabuta Henry, United National Peoples Party; and Kakay Iye, Alliance Democratic Party. Others are Kamara Musa, Peace and Liberation Party; Margai Francis, Peoples Movement For Democratic Change; Saccoh Dougakoro, Revolutionary United Front Party; Sandy Patrick, National Unity and Reconciliation Party; Sowa-Turay Mohamed, United Democratic Movement; and Williams Victor, Republic National Independent Party. In addition to the presidential ballot, Sierra Leonean voters will also elect members of parliament and local councillors in what will be the fifth election since the end of the countrys civil war, 21 years ago. According to the electoral provisions, if no presidential candidate secures 55 per cent of valid votes cast in the first ballot, the top two candidates will slug it out in a run-off two weeks after the announcement of the first-round result. Time in Sierra Leone is observed in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year, one hour behind the West Africa Time (WAT) observed in Nigeria. Time stamps in this live updates are in Sierra Leonean time. PREMIUM TIMES is on ground to give you live updates of happenings throughout the election. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Army chief, Taoreed Lagbaja, a major-general, has approved the posting and redeployment of top senior officers to commands, instructional and staff appointments across formations and units. This is contained in a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier-general, on Saturday in Abuja. Mr Nwachukwu said the redeployments and appointments were to reposition the Nigerian army for operational efficiency and functional administration. Those affected include Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) of Army Headquarters (AHQs), General Officers Commanding (GOCs), Corps Commanders, Commandants of training institutions, Brigade Commanders, and Commanding Officers, amongst others. He said that Abdulsalam Ibrahim, a major-general, had been redeployed from Headquarters 3 Division to the Department of Policy and Plans (DAPP) and appointed Chief of Policy and Plans (Army). Mr Nwachukwu said that BR Sinjen, a major-general, had been appointed Chief of Operations (Army), while another major-general, OR Aiyenigba, erstwhile Provost Marshal, had been appointed Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation (Army). Others are Maj.-Gen. NC Ugbo from Nigerian Army Signals School to Department of Civil Military Affairs and appointed Chief of Civil Military Affairs. Maj.-Gen. E Akerejola moves from Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport to Army Headquarters Department of Logistics as the Chief of Logistics (Army). Senior officers appointed as General Officers Commanding (GOCs) are Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Alabi from Army War College Nigeria ( AWCN) to Headquarters 1 Division, Maj.-Gen. AE Abubakar moves from Headquarters 7 Division to 3 Division as GOC and Commander Operation Safe Haven (OPSH). Also, Maj.-Gen. PP Mala moves from Depot Nigerian Army to Headquarters 7 Division as GOC and Commander Sector 1 Joint Task Force North East( NE) Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK). Others are Maj.-Gen. Gold Chibuisi from HQ Multinational Joint Task Force Ndjamena (MNJTF) to Theatre Command Joint Task Force NE Operation (OPHK) as Theatre Commander, while Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Ali was redeployed from OPHK to MNJTF as the Force Commander, he said. Mr Nwachukwu said that the appointment of Emmanuel Undiandeye, a major-general, as Chief of Defence Intelligence had been formalised. He said Maj.-Gen. OO Oluyede had been appointed Commander Infantry Corps; Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, Commander Corps of Artillery, and Maj.-Gen. AA Adeyinka, Commander of Corps of Supply and Transport. According to him, Maj.-Gen. Kelvin Aligbe had been appointed Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, while Maj.-Gen. JO Ochai takes over as Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy( NDA), and Maj.-Gen. IB Maina, Commandant, Army War College Nigeria. Equally redeployed are Brig.-Gen. TB Ugiagbe appointed Acting Chief of Military Intelligence (Army), Brig.-Gen. OG Onubogu moves to Martin Luther Agwai International Peace Keeping Centre as Commandant, while Brig.-Gen. N Ashinze moves to the Defence Intelligence Agency as Director of Fusion. READ ALSO:Nigerian Army redeploys top generals The Nigerian Army has also formalised the redeployment of Col. AO Onasanya from Army War College Nigeria to Headquarters Guards Brigade as Acting Commander. The Chief of Army Staff has directed all newly appointed senior officers to redouble their effort and commitment to duty in ensuring the sustenance of the ongoing onslaught against terrorism, insurgency and other threats to national security as they assume their new appointments, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A corpse has been recovered from the canal by the entrance of Trademore Estate in Abuja following the flood incident that occurred in the area on Friday. The estate, located in the Lugbe axis of the capital city, along the airport road, was flooded after a downpour in the early hours of Friday. During a visit to the estate on Saturday morning, PREMIUM TIMES observed that several houses, vehicles, shops and other properties were damaged by the flood. At about 12:30 p.m. while our reporters were engaging residents of the estate, residents discovered a corpse stuck beneath the drain pathway by the entrance of the estate. Alhaji Ashiru, an inspector of police newly posted to the area and who was narrating how he has lost all his properties to the flood, rushed to pull out the corpse from the canal with the help of other residents around. Several residents identified the body to be that of a man they saw struggling to come out of a sky-blue Peugeot 406 vehicle when the flood started. We saw him on the top of his vehicle trying to avoid the flood, but later we did not see him again, a motorcyclist recalled after the corpse was pulled out. Audu Faruk, a resident and witness of the flood disaster, said he saw several bodies being dragged away by the flood but he could only rescue a few. He said he was sleeping when the flood started, and all of a sudden he saw his bed floating. Then I rushed out and saw water everywhere. I rescued a heavily pregnant woman and children but some people were carried away, Mr Faruk told PREMIUM TIMES Upon witnessing the recovery of the body, our reporters called the attention of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The spokesperson of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, assured that the agency will reinforce its officers to the estate with immediate effect to continue searching for other missing persons. Mr Ezekiel said NEMA is also collaborating with other agencies and residents of the area to prevent further disaster. The residents of the estate witness such floods annually during the rainy season. Last year, several fatalities were recorded from a similar incident with residents describing it as the worst in the last decade. As of the time of this report, several residents and business owners were seen gathering damaged items. More details will be provided in subsequent reports. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu has departed France for London, United Kingdom, for a private visit. Presidential spokesperson Dele Alake disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. He said Mr Tinubu had concluded his official trip to Paris, France and was billed to return to Nigeria today (Saturday) but had to leave for London for a short private visit. He said, The president will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. Mr Tinubu departed Nigeria for Paris on Wednesday to attend the summit for New Global Financing Pact, which was held on Thursday and Friday. It was his first trip abroad after his inauguration as Nigerias 16th leader on 29 May. Read the full statement STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT AFTER SUCCESSFUL PARIS OUTING, PRESIDENT TINUBU OFF TO LONDON ON PRIVATE VISIT President Bola Tinubu on Friday concluded his official trip to Paris, France, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, Mr Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world. The summit afforded the president the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. Mr Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit. The president will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. Dele Alake Special Adviser Special Duties, Communications & Strategy June 24, 2023 Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and tertiary education stakeholders have approved the National Minimum Tolerable UTME Score (NTMUS), otherwise known as the cut-off mark for 2023 admission into the nations universities. The benchmarks of 140 for universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education were arrived at during the 2023 annual policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions, which was held in Abuja on Saturday. The policy meeting, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh, took the decision following recommendations by the heads of institutions. JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, said the minimum benchmark is not a single-suit-fits-all for all institutions, noting that though the meeting decides the minimum point, institutions have the liberty to raise their individual minimum points higher than the agreed benchmark. Anything we decide here will become the minimum. What it means is that nobody can go below it, Mr Oloyede said. Implication This means that about fifteen private universities who had earlier chosen 120 and 130 as minimum points would have to increase their minimum points to at least 140. Also, all polytechnics and colleges of education cannot admit students with less than 100 minimum score. How cut-off points are set All tertiary institutions have individually preferred minimum points by which they admit candidates. This desired minimum point is sent to JAMB ahead of the meeting. While some universities set as high as 200, others set as low as 100 or 120 UTME points. However, at the policy meeting, all university vice-chancellors in attendance, rectors of polytechnics and provosts of colleges of education debated a minimum benchmark for admission. After that, the minimum benchmark agreed upon by the majority of stakeholders was adopted. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Two firms, eGov Foundation and Compliance Professionals Plc, on Friday announced a historic partnership to improve governance in Nigeria through open digital public infrastructure (DIGIT) deployments. eGov Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to improve the ease of living for people through ensuring effective service delivery and good governance. Compliance Professionals Plc (CPP Limited) is a subsidiary of Compliance Professionals Plc Group (CPP Group) that helps individuals, organizations and states achieve peak performance while complying with local and international laws and regulations. The CPP Group is an aggregation of several companies and professionals in various sectors under one umbrella with a common mission to impact the Nigerian and African space positively. The partnership between eGov Foundation and Compliance Professionals Plc will facilitate the deployment of eGov Foundations DIGIT platform in Nigeria with the ultimate goal of promoting e-governance, ensuring statutory compliance, optimizing revenue generation, and improving government performance. DIGIT is an open, interoperable, free-to-use platform that offers solutions for citizens, first-mile employees, administrators, commercial players and policymakers. DIGIT uses a building block and shared data registries approach that ensures it can be reused, repurposed and extended to new sectors to solve pressing problems. DIGIT has been adopted in ~1500 cities and 14000+ Villages in India with over 250+ million citizens served. It is often said that the economic growth of a country is significantly impacted when exposed to indicators of bad governance. However, different indicators influence the degree of impact. A lack of regulatory policies and frameworks, governments ineffectiveness, lack of control on corruption, unaccountability, lack of transparency and compliance with the laws of the country have always been linked to poor economic growth and development. The DIGIT Platform will aid the effective functioning of government bodies and also promote e-governance. We are excited about the digital transformation possibilities in Nigeria leveraging the DIGIT platform. We will facilitate this by providing the necessary support, documentation, and knowledge., said Viraj Tyagi, CEO, eGov Foundation . Compliance Professionals Plc will drive the transformative and institutional change required by government bodies in adopting DIGIT Platform for effective e-governance, said Ifueko M. Omoigui Okauru, Managing Partner, Compliance Professionals Plc It is our belief that this partnership will foster a strong bond between eGov Foundation and Compliance Professionals Plc, and meet the common goal of improving governance in Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Chioma Ibezim, President of the Mothers Union, Womens Guild, Girls Guild, and Young Wives Fellowship of the Anglican Diocese of Awka, has warned the menfolk that the era of consigning their wives to the kitchen has expired. Mrs Ibezim, the wife of the Archbishop of the province of Niger and Bishop of Awka Doicese, urged women to dismiss the notion that they are mere housewives. Mrs Ibezim said this during her presidential address at the ongoing 37th Awka Diocesan womens conference on Friday at St Stephens Parish, Ifitedunu, Dunkofia Local Government Area of Anambra. Instead, she said wives and their husbands should pool resources to build a happy, united, godly home. Women should invest in themselves, build credible characters to acquire education and other things that will enhance better lives in the family, Mrs Ibezim admonished the women. Mrs Ibezim urged the delegates to venture into businesses, saying, You should invest as a virtuous woman to become a shining example of how an ideal woman should handle the family. She said women should labour to build a useful society and give their husbands and children a good living. You will eat the fruits of your labour only when you live a fulfilling family life. God is interested in the labour of His people and rewards those who keep to the tenets of Christian life. The theme of this conference is a timely divine expression of hope and encouragement for Gods people, especially women, in the face of numerous problems, she said. She said the following factors love for money, sickness, hopelessness and treachery, among other vices would deny women the fruits of their labour. Mrs Ibezim said that women are expected to labour in their homes with their husbands in times of insecurity and hardship. Mrs Ibezim advised the delegates to put their faith in God and work to bless their family. Meanwhile, Oby Okonkwo, chairperson of the conference, said that she would continue to support the Diocese because of Mrs Ibezims brilliant ideas and programmes, which have lifted the women spiritually and physically. Also speaking, Atinze Obasi, one of the officials at the event, urged the delegates to hold tight to what they have learnt from the conference and put them to good use. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that delegates from over 25 dioceses attended the conference. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The South African Government has sought the collaboration of the Nigerian Government on mutually beneficial infrastructure development through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). This is contained in a statement signed by Manji Yarling, Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) in Abuja on Friday. The South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Tharmi Mseleku, disclosed this when he led a team of officials on a courtesy visit to the Director-General of ICRC, Michael Ohiani. Mr Mseleku said that although both Nigeria and South Africa were learning from each other in implementing PPPs, there was a need for both nations to rekindle their collaboration and take it to a greater height. We are here to get the information about the kind of infrastructure envisaged to be developed through PPPs because we have the capacity to support, both from the financing and technical point of view, he said. Mr Mseleku said that the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) was part of the financiers of the Kano-Maradi rail project, adding that the bank was willing to do more in financing. The DBSA is not the only one looking to finance infrastructure from that perspective; they can also support the post-contract processes. We came to have a conversation to open the doors to rekindle the relationship. South Africa is open for business, he said. Responding, Mr Ohiani noted that the relationship between both countries on PPPs dated back to the inception of ICRC when staff members went on a study tour of the South African PPP institutions. The director-general hinted that the commission had recorded great milestones from then on, with many PPP projects already underway. Over the years, we now have 82 ongoing PPP projects that we are regulating. From 2010 to date, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved 102 PPP projects worth N10.8 trillion to be invested in by the private sector. We have been able to achieve a lot in terms of using PPP to deliver on the infrastructure needs of the country, he said. Mr Ohiani told the envoy that the commission had established a PPP training institute called the Nigerian Institute for Infrastructure and PPP (NII3P). He said the institute offered training on PPPs, adding that an MBA in PPP programme was also available in partnership with the Malaysian University for Science and Technology. Mr Ohiani notified the High Commissioner that some South African companies were already engaged in PPPs in Nigeria while others indicated interest. We look forward to having further collaborations, especially as it relates to the Africa PPP Network (AP3N), which is scheduled to hold in South Africa later in the year, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi on Friday said his administration would declare a state of emergency in the health and education sectors. Monday Uzor, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Mr Nwifuru, made this known in a statement on Friday. According to him, the governor said this during a courtesy visit by members of Abakaliki Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria and the Management and Governing Council of Ebonyi State University. He said the governor, considering the place of good health of citizens in engendering development, said his administration would not rest on its oars until the health and education sectors are reformed to optimum capacity. Many of the general hospitals in the state are not functional; how do we go about it? Now we are talking about human capital development, and we are talking about the welfare of our children and elders. We need to declare a state of emergency in this health sector. We need to have at least one functional hospital here in Abakaliki, and with our collective support, we will get it right, he said. The governor stated his readiness to approach the Federal Government for the possible return of the states Teaching Hospital to Ebonyi State University. He called on members of the profession to rise against the infiltration of quacks among them. On Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, the governor assured he would make it one of the best learning institutions in the world. I want Ebonyi State University to be the best university; we have the capacity and can do it. When it comes to the status of the university today, we are badly challenged, Mr Nwifuru added. The governor also mentioned his intention to reintroduce overseas scholarships to improve citizens educational standards. We are going to reactivate the Scholarship Board, and we will get it right, he stated. Earlier, the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria leader, Ozoemena Oboke, said they were in the governors office to congratulate him on his successful inauguration and equitable spread of political appointees. Mr Oboke thanked the governor for appointing one of their members, Moses Ekuma, as the Commissioner for Health. Also, at the courtesy visit, the Management and Governing Council of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, congratulated the governor on his emergence as the fourth Executive Governor of the state. The Chairman of the Governing Council, Abraham Nwali and the Vice-Chancellor, Chigozie Ogbu, appealed for assistance to enable the university to tackle its financial challenges. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Hassan Abubakar, has charged junior officers of the armed forces to uphold the highest level of discipline in discharging their duties. He gave the charge at the graduation of participants of the Junior Division Course 95/2023 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji. The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Ayodele Famuyiwa, an air commodore, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja. Mr Abubakar, an air vice marshal, also urged them to respect the rule of law and human rights in their service to the nation. The CAS said that the nation had higher expectations of the military in tackling the challenge of insecurity and restoring the economy. He urged them to adhere to the Armed Forces Act, Standard Operating Procedures and Rules of Engagement for various operations as a framework to guide their activities, particularly their participation in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism and anti-banditry operations. Mr Abubakar also challenged the graduating officers to develop good judgment in using their abilities as they return to their units. According to him, this would be more helpful now than ever, as they will be given higher appointments and duties that will push the limits of the knowledge and abilities acquired while on the course. He urged them to build on their good time in Nigeria to foster their connections, which he said would significantly advance bilateral ties and going military collaboration among the various countries in tackling emerging transnational security threats in Africa. The Junior Staff Course is designed to provide a solid foundation and prepare the participants for staff and fieldwork at the tactical level. As a result, officers of the rank of captain and equivalents are trained to perform staff functions and junior-level management of men and resources by developing their communication, analytical and leadership skills. A total of 314 officers comprising 157 from the Nigerian Army, 57 from the Nigerian Navy and 84 from the Nigerian Air Force, participated in the just concluded course. Others include 10 students from para-military organisations and six officers from sister African countries comprising Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Gambia, and the Republic of Zambia. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Morocco said Friday it has postponed a meeting between Arab countries and Israel that it was due to host this summer in response to mounting bloodshed in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said he hoped the meeting could still go ahead at a later date when circumstances are more "favourable". The annual meeting, which is in only its second year, was already postponed this spring after a previous flare-up of Israeli violence against Palestinians. Last year's meeting brought together the Israeli foreign minister and the top diplomats of Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco. "There were efforts to arrange it during the summer. Unfortunately, there is a political context which could prevent this meeting from producing the results we had been hoping for," Bourita said. A spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry told AFP they had "no response" to Rabat's decision. Morocco normalized its relations with Israel in December 2020 as part of a deal that also saw the United States recognize its authority over the disputed Western Sahara. The deal has faced domestic criticism as the Palestinian cause still commands widespread public support in the North African country. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Short link: Gbenga Fajuyi, a police inspector with the Niger State Police Command, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison by a magistrate court for impregnating his 13-year-old daughter. While announcing the sentence, the magistrate, Christy Barau, described Mr Fajuyi as a monster. She said as a law enforcement officer, the inspector should have protected his daughter, but raped her instead. Mr Fajuyi was found guilty of unlawful sexual intercourse, incest, impregnating a minor and criminal intimidation. According to the police prosecutor, Lawrence Owette, the charges contravened section 18 (2) of the Niger State Child Rights Act 2010, as well as sections 390 25 (3) and 397 B of the states penal code. The police stated that Mr Fajuyi, 47, at some time in 2019, in the Ungwan Nasarawa area of Tafa Local Government lured his biological daughter into his room and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her. As a result, she was put into the family way and delivered a baby girl and (Mr Fajuyi) warned her if she told anybody you will kill her. During the police investigation, you, Gbenga Fajuyi confessed to the commission of the offence. After delivery, he took the newborn baby to a nearby river and strangulated the baby to death, the police stated. When the charges were read to Mr Fajuyi, he pleaded guilty, but the court decided to try him due to the serious nature of the offence. Mrs Barau requested that the police prosecutor prove his case and bring his witnesses and evidence. The police called the investigating officer, the girl and her mother as witnesses. The girl painted a disturbing picture of her father having sexual intercourse with her at twelve years until he impregnated her at thirteen years of age. This is sad that this convict who is a police officer and law enforcement officer saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties or fighting crime in society, one would expect him to go the extra mile to protect his own family. But he could be this inhuman toward his own biological daughter; a little girl by putting her through all these horrible experiences and putting her in a family way. Not only her father failed her; equally, her mother did. As a mother, she could not detect that something was wrong with her daughter until the daughter was close to her full-time pregnancy. One can imagine the psychological torture this girl went through with no one to come to her rescue, not even the mother who is expected to share a special bond with her children, she eventually left them in the cruel hands of a monster, the judge said. While sentencing him, Ms Barau pronounced that he is to spend the next 22 years imprisoned without an option of fine and the sentence is to run consecutively. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Yusuf Suberu Foundation has urged parents to educate their children and wards against drug abuse to reduce the risk of mental illnesses and other risky behaviours. The foundations Executive Director, Yusuf Suberu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja. He fielded questions on this years World Drug Day. NAN reports that the events theme is People First; Stop Stigma and Discrimination; Strengthen Prevention. Mr Suberu said that children who were not properly informed were at greater risk of engaging in unsafe behaviours and experimenting with drugs. He, however, identified parents as critical to the fight against rising drug addiction among different age groups, especially children, saying that young people who persistently abused substances often experienced problems. Parent, you need to pay adequate attention to your children. You need to see what they are doing and when they are misbehaving. For instance, you see your son who doesnt take chloroquine, and then he is scratching himself and hitting himself and then, you know something is not right. Or when he shouts uncontrollably, and his anger level is high, you should start finding out what your son is engaging in that you dont know, and from there, you discover early that he has been taking something. Please, taking them to a rehabilitation centre is also better than covering it in the house. My mum told me that anybody who doesnt want to be ashamed in a small circle would be ashamed in a big circle, he said. Mr Suberu, who decried the alarming spate of drug abuse among youth and children, warned that there were consequences for family members, the community and the entire society. He said a drug addict in the family is likely to steal regularly and indiscriminately from the mother, father and siblings, neighbours and friends, thereby constituting embarrassment and disgrace to the family. He advised parents to build trust between themselves and their children, which was essential in reducing drug abuse. Mr Suberu, who doubles as the representative of all Civil Societies Organisation (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) on road safety matters, urged parents to help their children make good choices and good friends. He emphasised that the fight against drug abuse should begin with families to help discourage the demand and supply of drugs to safeguard their future. Policy is very important and so far so good. There have been policies against drugs that are not accepted in society. Now, everybody should be on the lookout for our society. This is because sometimes, we realise that drugs that have been banned are still been sold, and when such is noticed, the best is to report the matter. We believe that if much effort is put into discouraging demand for drugs, suppliers will find the business no longer profitable and will be forced to switch to other legal business ventures. Parental monitoring and supervision of friendships are also critical for drug abuse prevention, he said. Besides, Mr Suberu urged more advocacy against drug abuse, saying that it does not only mean saving drug abusers but also saving the next generation. He said that the foundation had been engaging in advocacy and sensitisation programmes in building leaders with great attitudinal behaviour in society. Now Ill say information is power. I think we will also be looking at considering a seminar soon for young people and more advocacy on the dangers of engaging in drug abuse. More education is required. You know, education is in different forms. There are education that people just hear, and then thats all. But when you see a picture or hear from someone who has been engaged in drug abuse and how it has messed up their lives, I am sure it will help to adjust their mental state. This is because, no matter how high you are, you can never be like the Most High God, he said. Mr Suberu is a youth who is passionate about youths and children. He is also the FCT Squadron Leader and National Coordinator of Federation Road Traffic Officers Mayors. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Sierra Leone President Julius Bio on Saturday called for peace among voters across the West African country. Mr Bio made the call shortly after casting his vote at polling centre 16203, Wilberforce, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The president was accompanied to the polling centre by his wife, Fatima Bio, who also cast her vote in the countrys ongoing elections for president, parliament, mayors/chairpersons and councillors. Speaking to journalists after casting his vote, Mr Bio called on voters to eschew violence and conduct themselves peacefully. He also urged voters to patiently wait for the results upon casting their votes, without casting aspersions on opposition supporters. The president and candidate of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) is seeking a second and final term in what promises to be a straight contest between him and Samura Kamara, 72, the flagbearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC). Other presidential candidates in the elections are Bah Mohamed Chernoh of the National Democratic Alliance; Coker Prince, Peoples Democratic Party; Jonjo Mohamed, Citizens Democratic Party; Kabuta Henry, United National Peoples Party; and Kakay Iye, Alliance Democratic Party. Also on the ballot are Kamara Musa, Peace and Liberation Party; Margai Francis, Peoples Movement For Democratic Change; Saccoh Dougakoro, Revolutionary United Front Party; Sandy Patrick, National Unity and Reconciliation Party; Sowa-Turay Mohamed, United Democratic Movement; and Williams Victor, Republic National Independent Party. In addition to the presidential ballot, Sierra Leonean voters will also elect members of parliament and local councillors in what will be the fifth election since the end of the countrys civil war, 21 years ago. If no presidential candidate secures 55 per cent of valid votes cast in the first ballot, the top two candidates will slug it out in a run-off two weeks after the announcement of the first-round result, according to the electoral provisions. Voting is still underway across the country as of press time Saturday afternoon. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, and the immediate past vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, are leading electoral observers in the ongoing general elections in Sierra Leone. While Mr Jonathan is leading the West African Elders Forum 2023 Election Mission to Sierra Leone, Mr Osinbajo chairs a 12-person Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) for the countrys elections. The election is considered a straight contest between the president and candidate of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Julius Bio, and Samura Kamara, the flagbearer of the All Peoples Congress (APC). Other presidential candidates in the election are Bah Mohamed Chernoh of the National Democratic Alliance; Coker Prince, Peoples Democratic Party; Jonjo Mohamed, Citizens Democratic Party; Kabuta Henry, United National Peoples Party; and Kakay Iye, Alliance Democratic Party. Also on the ballot are Kamara Musa, Peace and Liberation Party; Margai Francis, Peoples Movement For Democratic Change; Saccoh Dougakoro, Revolutionary United Front Party; Sandy Patrick, National Unity and Reconciliation Party; Sowa-Turay Mohamed, United Democratic Movement; and Williams Victor, Republic National Independent Party. In addition to the presidential ballot, Sierra Leonean voters will also elect members of parliament and local councillors in what will be the fifth election since the end of the countrys civil war, 21 years ago. If no presidential candidate secures 55 per cent of valid votes cast in the first ballot, the top two candidates will slug it out in a run-off two weeks after the announcement of the first-round result, according to the electoral provisions. On Saturday, PREMIUM TIMES observed that Mr Osinbajo is monitoring polling units across the city centre in Freetown, the nations capital. Mr Jonathan, on his part, had on Friday met key institutions and participants in the elections, ahead of the polls. In continuation of our engagements with stakeholders ahead of Saturdays general elections in Sierra Leone, WAEF Election Mission to Sierra Leone today, in Freetown, met with the Inspector General of Police and the National Security Coordinator to assess their preparedness for tomorrows elections, he noted on his verified Twitter page. The meeting also provided the opportunity for us to reiterate the critical role of security operatives in ensuring credible elections. The WAEF team also participated in a briefing organized for Heads of Missions, where we compared notes on the various observations surrounding the polls. Voting is ongoing across polling stations in the country. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Lagos State University (LASU) have emerged as the most preferred tertiary institutions chosen by candidates who sat the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). While UNILORIN ranked first with 73,749 applicants, UNILAG ranked second with 60,606 applicants, and LASU ranked third with 55,964. The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) gave the information on Saturday during an ongoing policy meeting chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh. The University of Ilorin has consistently been the candidates most preferred institution for over three years. UNILAG, which took the second position in 2020 and 2021, fell to the third position in 2022. It has, however, regained what is seemingly its traditional second position in the current admission process. However, LASU is a new entrant on the list as it had never been on the list of the top 10. ALSO READ: LASU denies plans to offer admission based on family ties Another new entrant in the top ten list is the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna State, which has now been ranked the ninth most preferred institution with 41,323 applicants. Full list with the number of applicants University of Ilorin, Kwara State (73,749) University of Lagos (61,606) Lagos State University, Ojo. Lagos State (55,954) Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State (53,235) Unversity of Benin, Benin City, Edo State (48,026) University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State (43,660) Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State (41,959) Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State (41,759) Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Kaduna State (41,323) University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State (41,134) Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Kano State Government on Friday marked some properties built behind the ancient city wall for demolition. The properties were built on the land sold by the administration of the immediate past governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. The government, however, spared some shops on the lands sold during the administration of Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of the state and the political godfather of the state governor. Some of the structures marked for demolition by the Kano State Urban Planning Development Authority (KNUPDA) include a filling station, shopping malls, a car mart, event centres, and sporting complexes, among others. The structures are owned by SALBAS Oil and Gas, Matrix Gas Station, Matrix Petrol Station, Amna 9 Station, and Double Twins Event Centre among other structures erected behind the city wall from Danagundi gate to Kofar Fanfo gate. Following the marking, some residents became outraged and wondered why the exercise did not reach the Kofar Fanfo area where the administration of Mr Kwankwaso sold some properties. However, the state government said all government properties within and outside the state sold by the former administration were illegal because the government sold them to the cronies of top officials. Outrage In a post on his Facebook page, a Kano-based media consultant, Isah Nasidi, advised the government to make sure the demolition exercise has the backing of the law. Mr Nasidi said it is unjust for the government to target only properties sold by the Ganduje government while sparing those sold by Mr Kwankwaso. Mr. Kwankwasos administration sold land on the city wall from Kofar Fanfo to Kofar Kabuga (gate). Ganduje did the same from Kofar Fanfo to Kofar Nasarawa (gate), now you mark for demolition the ones sold by Mr. Ganduje, which one is legal and illegal? Mr Nasidi said. Some concerned citizens of Kano have disagreed with Mr Kwankwaso but he proved wayward and sold the land when he was at the helm, but when Ibrahim Shekarau came on board, he did not demolish the structure for public good. The demolition of these structures is an injustice to the people of the state, Mr Nasidi said. Nazifi Muhammed, a resident of Fagge area in the metropolis said the state cant develop with politics of vengeance and the political actors should be held responsible for whatever happens in the state. Government lands and properties are being sold by governors and none of them can claim sainthood in this regard. If the new administration wanted to do justice to the matter let him (governor) institute a commission of inquiry and identify the ones legally sold and retrieve some sold illegally, Mr Muhammed said. Another respondent, Nafiu Ubale, claimed that the sale of government lands within the city wall dated back to the military administration of Dominick Oneya but it became rampant in 1999 during the administration of Kwankwaso and Ganduje. I believe that the demolition was done for vengeance not for the interest of the people of the state. For me as a businessman, any land within the metropolis should be allotted to business people because Kano is known for business. This new governor claim(s) that he is demolishing the structures on the city wall to preserve our culture, you cannot destroy peoples business in the name of culture, what is a culture without wealth, Mr Ubale said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Fighters of the private military contractor, Wagner Group, seized a military building outside Moscow early Saturday in what has now been described as a mutiny by President Vladimir Putin. Wagners chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in an unexpected turn of events early Saturday, called for a rebellion against Russias army, an act Mr Putin described as a betrayal and a stab in the back. Any internal mutiny is a deadly threat to our state, to us as a nation. Its a blow against Russia, against our people. And our actions to defend the fatherland from such a threat will be brutal, Mr Putin promised. They will answer before the law and our people, he assured. According to news reports, the mutiny is the result of a long-running feud between Wagners chief Prigozhin and Russian military chiefs. Wagner is a Russian private military contractor that has fought alongside Russias military in the ongoing war in Ukraine. The group is also present in some African countries including Mali and Libya. Mr Prigozhin has in recent months criticised the Russian military hierarchy over the way the war in Ukraine has been fought. On Friday, he accused the Russian military of launching a deadly missile strike on his troops and vowed to punish them. Russia has since denied the strike and demanded he halts his illegal actions. Mr Progozhin vowed to go all the way to topple Russias military leadership claiming that his fighters had crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia, entering the city of Rostov-on-Don. He said his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way. He also claimed that his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter that opened fire on a civilian convoy. He did not give a location and the assertion could not be immediately verified. The Wagner chief claims he is not leading a mutiny but marching for justice and to stop the evil in Russias military leadership. However, by Saturday evening, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had brokered a deal with Mr Prigozhin, who had agreed to de-escalate the situation and pull his forces back. Mr Lukashenko is a key ally of Mr Putin. A few minutes after that, Mr Prigozhin said he had ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow to avoid shedding Russian blood. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters who surged most of the way to Moscow have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader said on Saturday. The decision by the leaders is a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to President Vladimir Putins grip on power. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on a 1,100 km (680 miles) race to Moscow. In an audio message, Mr Prigozhin said the fighters would return to base because of the risk of the blood being spilt. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for guarantees of safety for the rebels was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his office said. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Mr Putin said Russias very existence was under threat. We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and our people, Mr Putin added. The RIA news agency said that Mr Putin later signed a law tightening rules for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed. Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks, each carrying a tank driving 30 miles (50 km) beyond Voronezh, more than halfway to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. READ ALSO: Wagner troops advance on Moscow as Putin threatens brutal response Mr Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the military top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in the city of Rostov without firing a shot. Rostov is the main rear logistical hub for Russias entire invasion force in Ukraine. (Reuters/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Five persons were feared dead on Saturday after a speed boat capsized in Calabar waterways. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boat capsized on its way to Oron in Akwa Ibom. A senior naval officer attached to the Eastern Naval Command, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the incident and said that the command played a major role in rescuing some victims. The Navy partook in the rescue mission; we at least rescued 14 of them. I cant give you the exact position of the boat because we only rushed for the rescue mission, but Im sure the command will soon release a statement to this effect, he stated. NAN gathered that 20 persons boarded the boat at Marina in Calabar. The officials statement did not indicate the fate of the last person. The boat capsized minutes after sailing from Calabar Marina yard. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Three miners were shot dead on Friday at a mining site in Jol, a community of Riyom Local Government of Plateau State. Rwang Tengwong, the National Publicity Secretary of Berom Youth Movement (BYM), confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, adding that other miners and farmers around the area have fled for fear for their safety. This incident is coming three days after gunmen killed six members of a local vigilante group in Sambak, a community in the same local government. According to Tengwong, the incident occurred at about 11 a.m., when miners were going about their activities. He said two other people were injured in the incident. The spokesperson of the group described the attack as one too many. He urged the government and security agencies to intensify efforts toward protecting lives and property in rural communities. He said despite the deployment of mobile police officers in the area, the killing has continued unabated. Alfred Alabo, the spokesperson of the police command in Plateau, did not respond to calls to his mobile phone for comment. Scores of people have been killed in recent weeks in tit-for-tat attacks between farming communities and pastoralists. On Friday, the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, reassured residents of the state of his administrations commitment to protecting lives and properties. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Egypts Al-Azhar strongly condemned on Saturday the recent acts of violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, expressing its unequivocal rejection of the desecration of a Quran in southern Nablus. Al-Azhar "categorically rejects the terrorist Zionist entity tearing and burning of copies of the Noble Quran," said a statement from the worlds leading Sunni Islamic religious institution. The statement highlighted that these heinous crimes are consistent with "the brutal nature of the colonial entity," referring to Israel. The institution was responding to an incident Wednesday captured on video showing Israeli settlers storming a mosque in Urif. They vandalized the building in addition to ripping pages out of the Quran before discarding it in the street. Settlers also set fire to a school and attempted to burn down houses and a mosque. Al-Azhar emphasized that these continued crimes, which are a grave violation of international law, norms and agreements, underscores the passivity of the international community. The international charters clearly stipulate the need to respect religious sanctities and ensure freedom of worship, noted the statement. "It is also due time to take swift and binding action to establish an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Ash-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital," Al-Azhar asserted. The incident in Urif came amid a wave of Israeli attacks on Palestinian villages in the West Bank over the last week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, approximately 200 Israeli settlers, some armed and under the protection of the Israeli army, carried out a brutal attack on the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the central West Bank, murdering one Palestinian and wounding dozens of others. They also burned 30 houses, 60 cars and dozens of olive trees. Egypt called on Wednesday, for an immediate cessation of the attacks by Israeli settlers. Search Keywords: Short link: Leadership is first about service to the people. It is about understanding the people and their needs, having enough empathy to relate to them and expend intellectual and public resources to meet their core needs. Samia Nkrumah is someone who understands what leadership is all about. As difficult as it is to say that she inherited all the characteristics of a good leader from her father, her life is solid proof of transgenerational leadership. Samia Nkrumah is a prime example of the nexus between leaders are born and leaders are made. Born to one of Africas most patriotic and visionary leaders, Kwame Nkrumah, it could be said that leadership genes flowed in Samias blood from the gestation days. Talent is universal but the opportunity to use ones talents to an optimal level is not. Several factors come into play that eventually distinguish the people who end up being successful not necessarily because theyre the most talented, but because their talent met with the right opportunity. In Samia Nkrumahs case, her talent met with the opportunity to spend her formative years in an environment surrounded by leaders. She grew up as the daughter of independent Ghanas first elected president, an intellectual politician and leader who conceived and nurtured the socio-political concept of Nkrumaism. Although this opportunity was soon to be cut short by a military coup detat that overthrew her father and displaced her family for some years, the lessons that were gained and the ideas formed in Samias first six years of existence would consolidate much later in her life to form the foundation for the branches of things she is now involved in. However, with that privilege and its attendant good sides came the ever-lurking possibility of living in the shadows of her fathers achievements and peoples memories of him. This phenomenon has often happened with the children of many famous people. In Samia Nkrumahs case, her fathers fame and popularity helped her define a purpose and forge her path to leadership and service to humanity and her countrys citizens. Samia Yaba Nkrumah is someone whose life has been a chronicle of successes in her initial career of choice and as a people leader, politician and parliamentarian. Banking on her Egyptian roots, Samia took a Bachelors degree in Arabic Studies from the University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies. She followed this up with a combined Masters degree in Area Studies, Comparative Politics in the Middle East, and Social and Political Dimensions in Modern Arabic Literature at the same university. Equipped with expert knowledge of Arabic Studies and the Middle East, she took on a career in journalism spanning decades of work in Cairo, Rome, and London. When Samia Nkrumah would fully step out from the shadows of her fathers achievements and leverage his legacy to make her person and build a legacy, she founded the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, through which she has promoted and continued to fan the flames of her fathers legacies, theories, ideologies, and ideas for a better, innovative, and truly Pan-African continent. Samia Nkrumah had always answered the call to serve humanity, even as she worked as a journalist with Al-Ahram and rose through the ranks from being a stringer, to a reporter, and a page editor. She took her dedication to serving the people a step further when she eventually chose to follow in the footsteps of her father and get involved in ideology-based politics, fully embracing the tenets of Nkrumaism and contesting the parliamentary seat for the Jomoro constituency, which she won at a first attempt. At her emergence as a member of parliament, Samia Nkrumah focused on the education of children and advocacy for the rights of women and children, serving the Jomoro constituency for five years between 2009 and 2013. To advance her ideology-based politics of engagement, Nkrumah once again emerged as the chairperson of her political party, the Convention Peoples Party, which was a role she held for five years between 2011 and 2015. When Samia Nkrumah would fully step out from the shadows of her fathers achievements and leverage his legacy to make her person and build a legacy, she founded the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, through which she has promoted and continued to fan the flames of her fathers legacies, theories, ideologies, and ideas for a better, innovative, and truly Pan-African continent. In fully adopting Nkrumaism and propagating it, Samia Nkrumah has forged a path for herself and is also creating her own legacy. She is very well known for the host of other things she has done; she is very much known as the daughter of the peoples beloved first president. However, she is now mostly known for various things: She has been invited to deliver lectures on important issues; work in advocacy; and the propagation of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre. The Centre has since worked to bridge the needs gap of poor Ghanaian communities through humanitarian aid like providing potable water, among other engagements it has embarked upon. Come 25 June, Samia Nkrumah will be our guest on the next edition of the Toyin Falola Interviews. It is yet another moment to amplify African voices, and what better way is there to do that than to interview an embodiment of the Nkrumaism aspect of Pan-Africanism, Samia Nkrumah? Aside from her core focus on these two aspects, Samia Nkrumah has also been a Senior Adviser with the Nobel Prize for Peaces Permanent Secretariat since 2007, a role that has allowed her to serve as a guest speaker at several Nobel Peace Prize summits, in addition to giving strategic advice to help the Secretariat in its activities and direction. Furthermore, this Pan-African leader has worked as a consultant on International Relations for Africa with the International Virtual University (UNINETTUNO), a role that has allowed her to help the organisation facilitate joint e-learning facilities with universities within Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific states. Leadership is first about service to the people. It is about understanding the people and their needs, having enough empathy to relate to them and expend intellectual and public resources to meet their core needs. Samia Nkrumah is someone who understands what leadership is all about. As difficult as it is to say that she inherited all the characteristics of a good leader from her father, her life is solid proof of transgenerational leadership. Come 25 June, Samia Nkrumah will be our guest on the next edition of the Toyin Falola Interviews. It is yet another moment to amplify African voices, and what better way is there to do that than to interview an embodiment of the Nkrumaism aspect of Pan-Africanism, Samia Nkrumah? Join us on June 25 by registering via the provided details. Sunday, June 25, 2023 4:00 PM Ghana // 5:00 PM Nigeria // 11:00 AM Austin CST Register and Watch. Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Aminu Abdulsalam, a teenager, could not comprehend when this reporter asked for his name in the English Language. He is among the never-been-to-school children in Mainasara Sabon Gari in Maje Ward of Suleja Local Government Area in Niger State. Mr Abdulsalam only attends an Islamic Centre in Sabon Gari, where he has to beg for alms to survive. Modern education seems not to be an option for him. Janet Dickson,16, is one of the lucky ones, completing her junior secondary school education in 2021. However, she couldnt go further to the senior school because there was no senior secondary school in her community or nearby. Her parents could not afford to send her to schools in other communities. Dammy Dickson, her mother, said it would be a big challenge to send her to further her education because she would have to either attend a private school in Suleja town or a public school in a distant location. Both are beyond her familys financial gauge. She added that they would have managed to send her to the senior level if there was a senior secondary school in their community. What am I selling to be able to finance her education in a private or far-off public school? We know the importance of education and desire to support her until university (education), but God didnt give us that ability. I borrowed money from my friend before she could register for junior WAEC. She is getting older, which is why her father is considering that she should marry. If God says she will further her education, well be grateful, Mrs Dickson said. Ms Janet wants to be a lawyer, but that dream may have to be surrendered. Many children in Mainasara are in Janets or Abdulsalams situation. The lack of access to educational facilities, and the regular invasion of communities by rampaging bandits in recent years, have intensified the issue of out-of-school children in the state. Niger State contributes over 700,000 children to Nigerias 20 million out-of-school children. The data is based on children aged six to 18 years from primary one to senior secondary school three. Sabon Gari community has a joint school named Shagayyah L.G.E.A. The school, with three blocks of classrooms, is used as primary and junior secondary but is overcrowded. With no space in the schools, most parents dont bother to send their children to school. However, one project would have solved their problem. Missing classrooms project In 2020, Abubakar Lado, the lawmaker representing Gurara/Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency, initiated a project to construct three blocks of classrooms with a Jumaat mosque and VIP toilets as part of his constituency projects. Earmarked at N103 million, the project was meant to be sited within the community, different from the premises of Shagayyah L.G.E.A. It was meant to serve as a foundational building for a new school. Mr Lado was a Federal House of Representatives member from 2015 to 2023 but lost his third-term bid for re-election as the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate to Adamu Tanko of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 General Election. READ ALSO: In October 2020, Universal Basic Education (UBEC) contracted the project to Ojidoe-Ligne Engineering Company Limited at N65,371,250 against the N103 million budgeted. It was to include all the components as captured in the budget with a completion period of 12 weeks. UDEME could not ascertain how the remaining fund was paid. Still, information from the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation revealed that funds for all 2020 constituency projects were fully released as budgeted. According to the award letter posted on Mr Lados official Facebook account, the project was awarded to build two blocks of classrooms. This conflicts with the three blocks captured in the budget. When this reporter visited the project site in April 2023, it was found that the expanse area in the community that conceived the project only houses a mosque and a block of three toilets. The brickwork for both structures is nearing completion. Residents said the contractor last worked on the project in April 2022, when the toilets and fence were done following an initial abandonment in 2021. Isiaka Shittu, a resident, said they often see Mr Lado inspect the project. He doesnt know the specification of what the lawmaker proposed. You can go and check it, the project started in 2020, but it is only that Jumaat mosque we have seen. No classroom there yet unless it is situated elsewhere that we didnt know. If it is this area, there hasnt been any recent construction of classrooms, he said. I dont know anything about the project Community leader Nurudeen Bissalla, the community head of Sabon Gari, said he was not engaged in the projects implementation. I dont know anything about it because I was not being told or being briefed. So I have nothing to tell you when they started, the person who contributed to the plot. I dont know anything about the project, Mr Bissalla said. He also criticised the inadequate planning of the projects location, stating that the allocated space was insufficient to accommodate all the project components. Hope dims UDEMEs investigation revealed that the classroom project had been diverted to the Buntu community in the Tafa local government area of Niger State. After several unanswered calls and messages, Mr Lado eventually called but failed to answer some questions about the project. He insisted inquiries by this reporter should be directed to the agency, UBEC, that awarded the contract. Im not the contractor nor the agency that awarded the contract, he said. He, however, revealed that the classroom component of the project has been relocated to Tafa, another local government in the federal constituency. He failed to explain why the project was relocated. The contractor, Innocent Idewele, also admitted that the classrooms had been built and completed in the Buntu community in Tafa LGA. The classrooms were well completed and even in use; the only thing that was not completed was that Jumaat Mosque, which the honourable complained of earlier that the money would not be enough, he said. The diversion violates the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act. The act in section 22 (5) states, Any public officer who transfers or spends any sum allocated for a particular project or service, on another project, or service, shall be guilty of an offence under this Act and on conviction be liable to one (1) year imprisonment or a fine of fifty thousand naira. His act also breached section 15 (I) of the 2007 public procurement law that states, All procurements shall be undertaken within the approved budget of the Procuring Entity and be based on a meticulously prepared procurement plan. Moses Motoni, Budgits TRACKA Officer for Niger State and its North-Central Coordinator, lamented the inadequate needs assessment for the project. He said the initial location in Sabon Gari doesnt fit the project specifications due to its limited expanse. In that area, there are a lot of wards that are not in school. If they had constructed that project, it would have enabled many parents to return or enrol their children to school, Mr Motoni said. The Buntu school When UDEME visited L.E.A Primary School, Buntu, in May, where the project was diverted, it was found that the project, two blocks consisting of six classrooms and two offices, was yet to be completed. This reporter noticed that work was ongoing. L.E.A Primary School, Buntu has classrooms for its primary education but intends to use the new classrooms to establish a junior secondary school, UDEME found out. An FOI sent to UBEC in April inquiring about the project has yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Zamfara State chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have commended the government for paying salary arrears of civil servants. In a press statement signed by the chairpersons of the two unions, Sani Halliru (NLC) and Saidu Mudi (TUC), on Saturday, the unions noted that the failure of the last administration to pay salaries and pensions for three months created hardship and uncertainty among workers and their families. On behalf of the Zamfara State civil servants, the two labour unions wish to express their appreciation and gratitude to Zamfara State Government under the able leadership of Governor Dauda Lawal for the payment of April and May 2023 salaries. In what can be termed as responsible leadership, in less than a month of taking over affairs of the state, the present administration of Dr Dauda Lawal has salvaged the workers by paying the backlog salaries, the statement said. The union leaders called on the governor to also pay the remaining workers without their salaries. Messrs Halliru and Mudi said the government should endeavour to pay salaries on time henceforth. However, the NLC and TUC leadership of the organised Labour in the state urged the state government to also extend the same action to the remaining workers of some ministries that are yet to receive their March salaries. We also wish to call on the state government to ensure timely payment of workers salaries as well as pensions and other welfare packages for effective service delivery, the statement added. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Atento agrees to term sheet with certain major financial stakeholders for at least $30 million of new financing in the near term and pathway to restructuring support agreement Term sheet provides for additional $79 million upon implementation of a comprehensive restructuring for Atento to execute its transformation plan and drive growth NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO, "Atento" or the "Company"), one of the world's largest customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM / BPO) service providers and an industry leader in Latin America, reports on progress in the previously announced negotiations with certain key stakeholders for a transaction involving a recapitalization and deleveraging of Atento's balance sheet. Atento and certain members of an ad hoc group of holders of Atento's senior secured notes have agreed a term sheet for a new interim financing of at least $30 million and a comprehensive restructuring of its balance sheet that will significantly delever the group. The term sheet includes $79 million of additional capital in connection with the comprehensive restructuring. The parties further intend for the Company's leverage to be significantly reduced at the culmination of this process. The new financing represents sufficient capital through to implementation of a holistic restructuring, and certain of the parties have agreed on a path to enter into a restructuring support agreement and definitive documentation on the financing within two weeks of execution of the term sheet. The Company looks forward to working with its financial stakeholders in the weeks ahead and is confident in achieving requisite support for the financial restructuring. New financing is subject to conditions including customer due diligence, and the grant of security interests. This term sheet builds on Atento's prior announcement that the Company has been negotiating a comprehensive restructuring of funded and financial debt on its balance sheet to position Atento to execute on its long-term strategic plan and to continue its focus on its leading service to clients. Atento will be better positioned after such a restructuring to serve its +400 blue chip clients across sixteen countries and support global operations for the more than 135,000 global Atento employees. "This term sheet is a milestone for our business and represents our partners' belief in the underlying strength of Atento's competitive value proposition," said Dimitrius Oliveira, Chief Executive Officer of Atento. "As we continue to enhance the capabilities of our business operations, we also remain focused on continuing to deliver great customer experiences through the combination of innovation, advanced technologies and the human touch. We are immensely grateful to our employees, customers, vendors and key stakeholders who continue to stand by us throughout this process. With this new infusion of capital we look forward to accelerating our transformation and further strengthening our business for the long term." Atento is represented in these discussions by Houlihan Lokey and FTI Consulting as financial advisors and Sidley Austin and Loyens & Loeff Luxembourg, as lead legal advisors. The ad hoc group of investors is represented by Rothschild & Co. as financial advisor and Hogan Lovells as lead legal advisor. About Atento Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing ("CRM BPO") services in Latin America and one of the leading providers worldwide. Atento is also one of the leading providers of nearshoring CRM BPO services for companies operating in the United States. Since 1999, the Company has developed its business model in 16 countries, employing approximately 135,000 people. Atento has more than 400 clients, offering a wide range of CRM BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational companies in telecommunications, banking and financial services, healthcare, retail and public administration sectors. Atento shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2019, Atento was named one of the 25 best multinational companies in the world and one of the best multinationals to work for in Latin America by Great Place to Work. In addition, in 2021, Everest named Atento as a "star performer". Gartner has named the Company two consecutive years a leader in its Magic Quadrant since 2021. For more information visit www.atento.com Forward-Looking Statements This report contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees of future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to; obtaining required consents from third-parties and satisfying other conditions precedent for any additional financing that might be outside Atento's control; actions by Atento's lenders and other financing sources, including any creditor actions that could impact Atento's operations; Atento's future cash requirements; competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer receivables on behalf of its clients. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Atento S.A. Hundreds of community members, project stakeholders and elected officials celebrate historic achievement at Track Completion Ceremony for 9.1-mile Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona LA VERNE, Calif., June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) held a Track Completion Ceremony to celebrate the completion of major work for the new light rail track system for the 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona. The celebration took place at the D Street railroad crossing in La Verne, Calif., just steps away from the University of La Verne campus and one of the four new light rail stations that will serve future riders. The event culminated in the installation of the 230,630th rail clip (rail clips permanently attach the steel rail to the concrete railroad ties), officially completing major construction for the new light rail tracks, and permanently connecting the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona via this new light rail line. An engraved, commemorative boulder embedded in the sidewalk was also unveiled during the ceremony, recognizing the importance of the day to these corridor cities. Regional leaders from the San Gabriel Valley celebrating completion of major work on new light rail track system for 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona at Track Completion Ceremony on June 24, 2023, in La Verne, Calif. "It is an historic and symbolic day for the Foothill Gold Line project and our corridor cities," stated Foothill Gold Line Board Chairman and Claremont Mayor Ed Reece. "The completion of the light rail tracks doesn't just mark a physical connection between Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona; it also marks the imminent arrival of a better and brighter transportation future for these foothill communities, the San Gabriel Valley and Greater Los Angeles." Today's historic event was attended by hundreds of community members, elected officials at all levels of government, the Foothill Gold Line Board of Directors, members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors, transportation officials including Foothill Gold Line CEO Habib F. Balian and Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and San Gabriel Valley stakeholders. The notable list of speakers included U.S. Representatives Grace Napolitano and Judy Chu; California State Senator Susan Rubio; California State Assembly Members Chris Holden, Freddie Rodriguez and Blanca Rubio; Metro Board Members and Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger; Metro Board Member, Foothill Gold Line Board Member and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval; Foothill Gold Line Board Chair and Claremont Mayor Ed Reece; Foothill Gold Line Board Vice Chair and Glendora Mayor Pro Tem Mendell Thompson; and Foothill Gold Line Board Member and La Verne Mayor Tim Hepburn. Past and present Foothill Gold Line board members, as well as mayors and council members from throughout the Foothill corridor, also attended. 790 KABC radio host Frank Mottek served as the Master of Ceremonies. "Building the new light rail track system was a significant undertaking, especially since we started with an active freight track in the middle of the now-shared corridor," stated Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian. "It took the hard work of the team at the Construction Authority and design-builder Kiewit-Parsons, but also the cooperation of our project partners at Metro, Metrolink and the corridor cities. Everyone worked together for a common cause, and today we take a moment to celebrate that achievement and being one major step closer to completing this important infrastructure project for our region." Since major construction on the project began in July 2020, work has been underway or completed on the new light rail system; 19 new or renovated bridges, including four bridges spanning major streets and intersections; 21 at-grade railroad crossings; four new stations, including public artwork for the stations; freight track relocation; project walls; and more. Nearly all major construction activities will be completed this year, with testing of the new light rail system expected to begin by the end of the year. The project is now 72% complete overall and remains on schedule to be completed in early-January 2025, when it will be turned over to Metro for training and pre-revenue service. Metro determines when passenger service starts. "Congratulations to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority on reaching this important milestone," said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro. "The Foothill Extension will be the first light rail project funded by Measure M to be delivered to L.A. County residents, and once completed it will provide needed transit services to the 2 million residents of the San Gabriel Valley. This project is our number one priority for funding for the next round of state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funding and we look forward to working with all parties to secure the resources needed to extend this project beyond Pomona to Claremont and Montclair." The Foothill Gold Line was Metro's first Measure M-funded light rail project to break ground. "Metro thanks the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority for helping our agency build out the largest transit expansion program in the United States," said Ara J. Najarian, Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair. "With our recent opening of the Regional Connector Project that combined the A Line and the L Line, we now have the nation's longest rail line, which will continue to expand another nine miles to better serve our rail customers in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond." Unique Challenge Building the Light Rail Track System for the Foothill Gold Line Construction of the light rail track system was a unique and complicated undertaking, due to the existing, active freight track that initially sat in the middle of the now-shared rail corridor. Specialized track crews had to first relocate the freight track to the northern or southern half of the corridor while still allowing limited freight service in order to make room for the new light rail system. Following the completion of the freight track relocation in mid-2022, work began on constructing two new light rail tracks one each for future westbound and eastbound trains. While the new light rail tracks and relocated freight track now share the corridor, the light rail trains and freight trains will not share tracks. About the Foothill Gold Line Project When completed, the light rail project will add new stations to the Metro A Line (renamed the A Line after last week's opening of the Regional Connector) system in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne and Pomona and increase ridership on the Metro system by an estimated 11,600 daily weekday boardings when the extension opens for passenger service. It will provide connections to important regional destinations like the LA County Fairplex, colleges and universities, historic downtowns, museums, regional parks and open space areas, and much more. In addition, the extension will provide a direct link between the Metro and Metrolink systems in Pomona, allowing riders from each system to easily transfer creating endless possibilities for connections throughout the region. The Construction Authority is currently seeking additional funding to complete the project to Claremont and Montclair, which would add an additional nearly 8,000 daily weekday boardings to the Metro system when completed. About the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature to plan, design and build the Metro Gold Line (recently renamed the Metro A Line) light rail system from Union Station to Montclair. The agency completed the first segment from Union Station to Pasadena in 2003 and the Pasadena to Azusa segment in 2015; both on time and under budget. The agency began planning for the Glendora to Montclair segment in 2003. When completed, the segment will add new light rail stations in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. The project will be built in phases, due to funding constraints. The current 9.1-mile construction segment is funded mostly by Measure M, along with residual funds from Measure R not used to complete the Pasadena to Azusa segment. The project is also utilizing a State of California TIRCP (greenhouse gas reduction) grant. The Construction Authority is currently seeking funding to complete the final segment from Pomona to Montclair (including the Claremont and Montclair stations). SOURCE Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority DUBLIN, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Submarines - Market and Technology Forecast to 2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The return of great power politics is putting submarines in the spotlight once again. With the world drifting towards a Cold War redux, due to the Chinese assertiveness in the APAC region, the Russian aggressiveness in Ukraine and the High North, the submarines remain a credible deterrence, strike and ISR platform. Moreover, the fact that around a third of the Earth's population lives near the coastline, as well as the fact that several of a state's infrastructure (harbours, telecommunication and internet cables) are in the littoral or passing from the bottom of the sea to connect continents and countries, in addition to natural resources, make the protection of those areas a difficult task. Although the role of the submarines remains the same as in the past, the capabilities that these platforms integrate is gradually expanding. Besides their ability to operate under stealth, developing new subsystems and incorporating new technologies is crucial for them to remain at the forefront of competition. What is expected to strongly impact the market is the introduction of unmanned maritime systems (UMS) and technological enablers. The industrial landscape is rather steady as the capability to design submarines remains confined to around eight and in the near future 10 countries, while production can include a few more shipbuilders who construct them under license. We would expect an increase in joint ventures or collaborations schemes among well-established shipyards and new clients (e.g. the Norwegian or Dutch submarines programmes), but limited efforts to build a new industrial capability from the ground. The SSN AUKUS is an exception to that, due to the political considerations associated with it. Due to the long-term planning required in the shipbuilding of a submarine and the life-cycle which usually is between 30 and 40 years, competition among manufacturers is stark. This report has collected the data on current submarines inventories, future programmes and analysed them to forecast the evolution of the market, its subsystems and technologies over the 2023-2031 period. Covered in this report Overview: Snapshot of the submarines technology in the market during 2023-2031, including highlights of the demand drivers, trends, and challenges. It also provides a snapshot of the spending with respect to regions as well as segments and sheds light on the emergence of new technologies. Market Dynamics: Insights into the technological developments in the submarines system market and a detailed analysis of the changing preferences of governments around the world. It also analyses changing industry structure trends and the challenges faced by the industry participants. Segment Analysis: Insights into the various systems market from a segmental perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each segment. Regional Review: Insights into modernization patterns and budgetary allocation for top countries within a region. Regional Analysis: Insights into the systems market from a regional perspective and a detailed analysis of factors influencing the market for each region. Impact Analysis: Analysis on how certain events will impact the submarines market. This will give you an indication on which factors are important for the forecast. Key Program Analysis: Details of the top programmes in each segment expected to be executed during the forecast period. Competitive landscape Analysis: Analysis of competitive landscape of this industry. It provides an overview of key companies, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis. Reasons to buy Insight on the elements comprising a submarine, as they form part of an extensive supply chain outlined in the report In-depth understanding of the factors affecting the market such as defence spending, operational requirements, challenges faced by manufacturers among several others Outlining of the disruptions and the technology enablers impacting the market and how these could become an opportunity in this quick changing domain Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Executive Summary 3 Technologies and Developments 3.1 Technology overview 3.2 Types of submarines 3.2.1 Attack submarines 3.2.2 Nuclear strike submarines 3.3 Submarines classification terminology 3.4 Submarine design and systems 3.4.1 Weapons 3.4.2 Sonars 3.4.3 Power 4 Market Overview 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Conventional submarines market volumes distribution over forecast period by Region 4.3 Nuclear submarines market volumes distribution over forecast period by Region 4.4 Conventional submarines inventories' distribution 4.5 Nuclear submarines inventories' distribution 4.6 The submarine shipbuilding landscape 5 Market Analysis and Forecast Factors 5.1 Market Segmentation 5.2 Drivers 5.3 Trends 5.4 Opportunities 5.5 Challenges 6 Country Analysis 7 Global and Regional Market Forecast to 2031 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Submarines market by Region overview 7.3 North American Submarine Market by Type 7.4 European Submarines Market by Type 7.5 Asian-Pacific Submarines Market by Type 7.6 Middle Eastern & African Submarines Market by Type 7.7 South American Submarines Market by Type 7.8 Opportunity Analysis 7.8.1 By Region 8 Propulsion Market Forecast to 2031 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Submarines market by propulsion 8.3 Nuclear Propulsion Submarines Market by Region 8.4 Conventional Propulsion Submarines Market by Region 8.5 Opportunity Analysis 8.6 Regional Markets by Propulsion Systems 8.7 N. American Market by Propulsion Systems 8.8 European Market by Propulsion Systems 8.9 APAC Market by Propulsion Systems 8.10 ME&A Market by Propulsion Systems 8.11 S. America Market by Propulsion Systems 8.12 TBD Market by Propulsion Systems 9 Submarine Subsystems Market Forecast to 2031 10 Impact Analysis 11 Leading Companies 12 Results and Conclusions Companies Mentioned Airbus Defence & Space ArcelorMittal Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro ASC Pty Aselsan Atlas Elektronik Aubert & Duval Austal USA Babcock BAE Systems Bisalloy Bluescope BMT Defence Boeing Bohai Shipyards China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Damen Shipbuilding Diehl Defence Elbit Systems EnerSys Exide Technologies Fibersim Fincantier S.p.A. General Dynamics Electric Boat Golcuk Naval Shipyard Hellenic Shipyards Huber Technology Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding Hyundai Heavy Industries Industeel Israel Aerospace Industries Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation Kollmorgen Kongsberg Defence Korea Special Battery Co. Ltd. Lacroix Leidos Leonardo Lockheed Martin Marine Industries Organization MBDA Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MTU Naval Group Navantia Nedinsco Newport News Shipbuilding Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation PMB Defence Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Raytheon Rheinmetall AG Rolls Royce Saab Kockums Saba Battery Saft Schneider Electric SEA Sheffield Forgemaster Siemens STM Sunlight Systems TechnicAtome Thales ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems United Shipbuilding Corporation Wartsila For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lcx54f About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll ours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Cairo Saturday afternoon where he was received by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the start of his visit to Egypt. After arriving, the Indian prime minister expressed his confidence that the trip will strengthen the two countries' relationship, saying he looks forward to meeting President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Landed in Cairo. I am confident this visit will strengthen Indias ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes. pic.twitter.com/a4j0Ylzc3i Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 This is Modi's first-ever visit to Egypt, which came following an invitation from El-Sisi. Modi also thanked his Egyptian counterpart for welcoming him at the airport. I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations. pic.twitter.com/XUNHGsVtA2 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 The Indian prime minister tweeted the messages in both English and Arabic, after arriving from a visit to the United States. Members of the Indian community in Egypt also received the prime minister at the airport. Deeply moved by the warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in Egypt. Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a celebration of our shared cultural linkages. pic.twitter.com/rTqQcz3tz7 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 According to previous statements by the Indian embassy in Cairo, there are 3,600 Indians living in Egypt. Most are located in Cairo while the rest are in Alexandria and in Port Said. First visit by PM since 1997 Modis visit to Cairo will give new momentum to the multifaceted relationship between the two countries, Indian Ambassador in Cairo Ajit Gupte told Egypts official news agency MENA on Saturday. During his two-day visit, Modi will meet with senior Egyptian officials, as well as the Indian community in Cairo, the ambassador revealed. This visit comes in light of the unprecedented boom in relations between Cairo and New Delhi at all levels since El-Sisi assumed leadership of the country in 2014, he added. The last visit of an Indian prime minister to Egypt was in 1997, Gupte pointed out. The relationship was upgraded to the level of a strategic partnership" in January during El-Sisis visit to New Delhi. During the January visit, El-Sisi and Modi announced they would increase bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years. The value of trade between Egypt and India has increased to $6 billion during the year 2022, compared to $5.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 13.7 percent, according to a statement from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on Saturday. According to CAPMAS, the value of Indian investments in Egypt reached $33.1 million during the first half of fiscal year 2022/2023, compared to $24.2 million during the same period of FY2021/2022, an increase of 36.8 percent. Around 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians, according to the Indian embassy in Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hearing Aid Market report goes into detail on market segmentation by product (hearing devices and hearing implants), end-user (adults and pediatricians), and geography (Europe, North America, Asia, and Rest of World). During the projection period, hearing devices segment market share will expand significantly. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hearing Aid Market 2021-2025 Hearing aid market is categorized by Technavio as a subsegment of the global healthcare equipment market. According to projections, the market will grow by USD 3,652.5 million. The increased usage of binaural hearing aids is driving market expansion, while constraints such as the presence of hearing aid replacements may limit market growth. Between 2022 and 2027, the market for hearing aid is anticipated to expand at a CAGR CAGR of 7.24%. Major hearing aid market trends and insights The ongoing development of new products by vendors that invest extensively in R&D is one of the major trends in the global hearing aid market. Such market product modifications will result in an increase in demand for hearing aids. Upgraded items will also inspire competitors to invest extensively in producing improved products in order to preserve their market position. As a result, the launch of new products will enhance the market's revenue inflow over the forecast period. Know more about the trends along with market challenges. Click here to get the sample report! About hearing aid market customer landscape & market vendors The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. The growth in the use of binaural hearing aids is one of the major factors propelling the market growth. However, the battery concerns for hearing aids may impede the market growth. Major market vendors To help businesses improve their market position, the hearing aid market report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. Some of these vendors include Amplifon Ltd, Audina Hearing Instruments Inc., and Cochlear Ltd. Learn more about vendors such as Beltone., Demant AS, Bernafon AG, and other vendors in the market. Click here to get sample reports for more insights! Regional insights During the forecast period, Europe is expected to contribute 35% to worldwide market growth. Analysts at Technavio have thoroughly discussed the geographical trends and factors that will affect the market throughout the projected period. Here is an Exclusive report talking about Market scenarios with a historical period (2017-2021) and forecast period (2023-2027). Download Sample Report in minutes! Register today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Related Report: Sleeping Aids Market: The Global Sleeping Aids Market is expected to increase by USD 36,416.19 million between 2022 and 2027, at a CAGR of 6.79%. Hearing Aids 3D Printing Devices Market: The hearing aids 3D printing devices market is expected to grow at a 17.16% CAGR between 2022 and 2027. The market is expected to grow by USD 382.66 million. The market's growth is dependent on numerous factors, including an increase in the number of hearing aids 3D printing devices for research, increased cost efficiency and productivity, and increased acceptance of 3D printing technology. Hearing Aid Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 155 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 7.24% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 3,652.5 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 5.46 Regional analysis Europe, North America, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution Europe at 35% Key countries US, Germany, France, UK, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Advin Health Care, Amplifon SpA, Arphi Electronics Pvt. Ltd., Audicus Inc., Audina Hearing Instruments Inc., Beltone, Bernafon AG, Cochlear Ltd., Demant AS, GN Store Nord AS, Lisound Hearing Aid Fuzhou Co. Ltd., MED EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH, Oticon Inc., RION Co. Ltd., SeboTek Hearing Systems LLC, Sonova AG, Starkey Laboratories Inc., Widex AS, WS Audiology AS, and Zounds Hearing Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized. Don't miss out on critical insights, purchase our report now! 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Product Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 09: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 10: Parent market Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 13: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2022 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027 Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 4 Historic Market Size 4.1 Global hearing aid market 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size Data Table on Global hearing aid market 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.2 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.3 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021 Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million) 5 Five Forces Analysis 5.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027 5.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027 5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027 5.7 Market condition Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027 6 Market Segmentation by Product 6.1 Market segments Exhibit 30: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 6.2 Comparison by Product Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product 6.3 Hearing devices - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 34: Chart on Hearing devices - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 35: Data Table on Hearing devices - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 36: Chart on Hearing devices - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 37: Data Table on Hearing devices - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.4 Hearing implants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 38: Chart on Hearing implants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Hearing implants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 40: Chart on Hearing implants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 41: Data Table on Hearing implants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 6.5 Market opportunity by Product Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Product ($ million) 7 Market Segmentation by End-user 7.1 Market segments Exhibit 43: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 44: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%) 7.2 Comparison by End-user Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by End-user Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by End-user 7.3 Adults - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 47: Chart on Adults - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Data Table on Adults - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 49: Chart on Adults - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 50: Data Table on Adults - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.4 Pediatricians - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 51: Chart on Pediatricians - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Data Table on Pediatricians - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 53: Chart on Pediatricians - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 54: Data Table on Pediatricians - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 7.5 Market opportunity by End-user Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million) 8 Customer Landscape 8.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 9 Geographic Landscape 9.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%) 9.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison 9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 61: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 62: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 64: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 66: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 68: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 70: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 72: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 74: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 76: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.7 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 78: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 80: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.8 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 82: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 83: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 84: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.9 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 86: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 87: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 88: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 90: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 91: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 92: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 94: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million) Exhibit 95: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) Exhibit 96: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%) 9.12 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 97: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10.1 Market drivers 10.2 Market challenges 10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 98: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027 10.4 Market trends 11 Vendor Landscape 11.1 Overview 11.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 99: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 11.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 100: Overview on factors of disruption 11.4 Industry risks Exhibit 101: Impact of key risks on business 12 Vendor Analysis 12.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 102: Vendors covered 12.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 103: Matrix on vendor position and classification 12.3 Advin Health Care Exhibit 104: Advin Health Care - Overview Exhibit 105: Advin Health Care - Product / Service Exhibit 106: Advin Health Care - Key offerings 12.4 Amplifon SpA Exhibit 107: Amplifon SpA - Overview Exhibit 108: Amplifon SpA - Business segments Exhibit 109: Amplifon SpA - Key news Exhibit 110: Amplifon SpA - Key offerings Exhibit 111: Amplifon SpA - Segment focus 12.5 Arphi Electronics Pvt. Ltd. Exhibit 112: Arphi Electronics Pvt. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 113: Arphi Electronics Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 114: Arphi Electronics Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings 12.6 Audicus Inc. Exhibit 115: Audicus Inc. - Overview Exhibit 116: Audicus Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 117: Audicus Inc. - Key offerings 12.7 Audina Hearing Instruments Inc. Exhibit 118: Audina Hearing Instruments Inc. - Overview Exhibit 119: Audina Hearing Instruments Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 120: Audina Hearing Instruments Inc. - Key offerings 12.8 Beltone Exhibit 121: Beltone - Overview Exhibit 122: Beltone - Product / Service Exhibit 123: Beltone - Key offerings 12.9 Cochlear Ltd. Exhibit 124: Cochlear Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 125: Cochlear Ltd. - Business segments Exhibit 126: Cochlear Ltd. - Key offerings Exhibit 127: Cochlear Ltd. - Segment focus 12.10 Demant AS Exhibit 128: Demant AS - Overview Exhibit 129: Demant AS - Business segments Exhibit 130: Demant AS - Key offerings Exhibit 131: Demant AS - Segment focus 12.11 GN Store Nord AS Exhibit 132: GN Store Nord AS - Overview Exhibit 133: GN Store Nord AS - Business segments Exhibit 134: GN Store Nord AS - Key offerings Exhibit 135: GN Store Nord AS - Segment focus 12.12 Lisound Hearing Aid Fuzhou Co. Ltd. Exhibit 136: Lisound Hearing Aid Fuzhou Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 137: Lisound Hearing Aid Fuzhou Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 138: Lisound Hearing Aid Fuzhou Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 12.13 MED EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH Exhibit 139: MED EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH - Overview Exhibit 140: MED EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH - Product / Service Exhibit 141: MED EL Elektromedizinische Gerate GmbH - Key offerings 12.14 RION Co. Ltd. Exhibit 142: RION Co. Ltd. - Overview Exhibit 143: RION Co. Ltd. - Product / Service Exhibit 144: RION Co. Ltd. - Key offerings 12.15 Sonova AG Exhibit 145: Sonova AG - Overview Exhibit 146: Sonova AG - Business segments Exhibit 147: Sonova AG - Key offerings Exhibit 148: Sonova AG - Segment focus 12.16 Starkey Laboratories Inc. Exhibit 149: Starkey Laboratories Inc. - Overview Exhibit 150: Starkey Laboratories Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 151: Starkey Laboratories Inc. - Key offerings 12.17 WS Audiology AS Exhibit 152: WS Audiology AS - Overview Exhibit 153: WS Audiology AS - Product / Service Exhibit 154: WS Audiology AS - Key offerings 13 Appendix 13.1 Scope of the report 13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 155: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 156: Exclusions checklist 13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 157: Currency conversion rates for US$ 13.4 Research methodology Exhibit 158: Research methodology Exhibit 159: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 160: Information sources 13.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 161: List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio HMB-001 recognizes and binds to factor VII (FVII) protein variants associated with moderate/severe FVII deficiency and drives accumulation of endogenous FVII/FVIIa to normal ranges in in-vivo models COPENHAGEN, Denmark and BOSTON, June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemab Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the first prophylactic therapeutics for serious, underserved bleeding and thrombotic disorders, announced results today from preclinical research of HMB-001 in models of factor VII (FVII) deficiency at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) 2023 Congress in Montreal. "We believe that HMB-001 has the potential to transform treatment in several serious bleeding disorders and have already initiated a Phase 1/2 study in Glanzmann Thrombasthenia," said Benny Sorensen, MD, PhD, CEO and President of Hemab. "The new preclinical data presented today show HMB-001 successfully targeted and accumulated endogenous FVIIa to levels that would be expected to provide clinical benefit in FVII deficiency, supporting the potential for HMB-001 in an additional underserved bleeding disorder." FVII is a protein necessary in the formation of hemostatic plugs to control bleeding. FVII deficiency can cause spontaneous or excessive and prolonged bleeding after injury or surgery; heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding in women; and in very severe cases, life-threatening bleeding inside the skull or digestive tract. HMB-001, Hemab's lead candidate, is a bispecific antibody that binds to and stabilizes endogenous activated FVII (FVIIa) with one antibody arm and localizes FVIIa to the surface of activated platelets by binding to TLT-1 with the other arm. This allows for accumulation of FVIIa in the body and recruitment of FVIIa directly to the surface of activated platelets at the site of vascular injury where FVIIa is known to facilitate the formation of protective hemostatic plugs to stop bleeding. The preclinical research presented at ISTH, "HMB-001, a Bispecific anti-FVIIa/anti-TLT-1 Antibody Demonstrates Effect in Models of FVII Deficiency," assessed key requirements for HMB-001 to function in FVII deficiency, specifically its ability to bind with FVII protein variants associated with moderate/severe deficiency and the potential of HMB-001 to accumulate FVIIa in an in-vivo non-human primate model of FVII deficiency. A panel of 12 FVII variants from the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) database was produced based on high prevalence and association with moderate/severe FVII deficiency phenotype as well as proximity to the HMB-001 binding site. In subsequent binding studies, HMB-001 was shown to bind to all FVII variants at clinically relevant concentrations. The ability of HMB-001 to accumulate endogenous FVIIa in FVII deficiency was assessed using small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down FVII/FVIIa to levels between 10 to 30 percent of normal in animal models (n=3). After continuous, stable knock down, HMB-001 (5 mg/kg) was administered. The total accumulation of FVIIa observed with HMB-001 was comparable to the normal range seen in healthy animals. These initial results suggest HMB-001 may have potential application as a treatment for FVII deficiency. About HMB-001 HMB-001 is bispecific antibody that binds and stabilizes endogenous factor VIIa (FVIIa) with one antibody arm and TLT-1 on activated platelets with the other arm. This allows for accumulation of FVIIa in the body, recruitment of FVIIa directly to the surface of the activated platelets where it is known to facilitate clotting, and avoidance of clotting activity in the absence of tissue damage. HMB-001 was designed to be a first-in-class prophylactic treatment for Glanzmann Thrombasthenia (GT) with potential for other debilitating rare bleeding disorders, including factor VII deficiency. About Hemab Therapeutics Hemab is a clinical-stage biotech company developing the first prophylactic therapeutics for serious, underserved bleeding and thrombotic disorders. Based in the US and Denmark, Hemab is progressing a pipeline of monoclonal and bispecific antibody-based therapeutics to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with high unmet need. The company's strategic guidance, Hemab 1-2-5, targets the development of 5 clinical assets by 2025 to deliver long-awaited innovation for patients with high unmet need blood clotting disorders like Glanzmann Thrombasthenia, factor VII deficiency, Bernard Soulier Syndrome, Von Willebrand Disease and other serious disorders. Learn more at hemab.com. Media Contact: Lia Dangelico [email protected] 540-303-0180 SOURCE Hemab Therapeutics Digital Technology Helps Mauritius to Become a Global Pioneer in the Field of Coral Reef Conservation, Research, and Education FLACQ, Mauritius, June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Mauritius, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and EcoMode Society today announced a new phase of the Tech4Nature Mauritius project to study species' reproductive success in a restored area of reef in Mauritius. Transplanted coral at the restoration site (Image source: N. Nazurally, EcoMode Society) The new phase directly follows a key project milestone achieved in June in which the partners, supported by the local community, successfully transplanted 25,000 coral fragments cultivated in coral nurseries to a degraded area of the reef ecosystem in Pointe-aux-Feuilles, a 20-km2 site off the east coast of Mauritius. This project is one of the first its type in the Western Indian Ocean. "I commend the achievement of the Tech4Nature initiative. Our objective is that by 2030, we can work together for a healthy ocean that supports nature and people," said the Honorable Sudheer Maudhoo, Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping for Mauritius. "With the support of the Tech4Nature initiative, Huawei, and its partners, we look forward to continued action to restore ocean and coastal biodiversity for future generations." To monitor the mobility of species at the coral reef restoration site and determine the factors that disturb reproductive success, a solution comprising cameras and GPS receivers, 4G, and cloud has been deployed. The second phase of the project will use AI-based data analysis to guide the conservation decisions, support the research of marine biologists, and educate the public on the importance of reef conservation and restoration. "The project will help us to have more information to manage and regulate public use," said Nadeem Nazurally, President of the EcoMode Society. "It will also bring biodiversity conservation closer to the general public, as videos and other dissemination materials are planned through the mobile app. In collaboration with IUCN and Huawei, the project allows us to make a qualitative leap by incorporating new technologies to the monitoring and conservation of species." The 243-km2 lagoon created by the 150-km reef system of fringing coral is home to a rich array of aquatic life, including 61 species of macroalgae, 110 species of corals, 132 species of fish, and many endemic species. However, the reef system faces many threats, including overfishing, pollution, and changing seawater composition due to the removal of mangroves and seagrass. Climate change has caused a rise in sea levels, more extreme storms, and increased sea temperatures. Restoration efforts for coral reefs can boost resilience against climate change by protecting coastal regions against erosion and mitigate rising sea levels. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Mauritius relies heavily on its coral reef resources, especially its fisheries and tourism industries - tourism accounts for about 8% of the island nation's GDP and 10% of its employment. Coral aquaculture to repair degraded reef has gained traction in Mauritius, with microfragmentation serving as a relatively new technique where small coral fragments are mounted in off-site nurseries using concrete blocks, galvanized structures, and natural basaltic rocks to support coral growth. Early monitoring at the restoration site has shown an increase in local biodiversity, and an additional 1,890 coral fragments are currently being propagated in the coral nursery to expand the restoration area. With the site's designation as a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (VMCA), the momentum for revitalizing biodiversity in the reef ecosystem using the power of technology and partnerships is accelerating. "Collaboration between public institutions and the private sector is increasingly necessary to determine success in the face of complex environmental challenges," said James Hardcastle, Head of Protected and Conserved Areas Team for IUCN. "We have the opportunity to take advantage of technological innovations and incorporate them into conservation measures for our ecosystems. This project exemplifies how cooperation and mainstreaming are the way forward to halt biodiversity loss." "This project is the first of its kind that we are investing in Mauritius, after dozens of successful experiences of developing solutions to protect different species and natural spaces in countries around the world using advanced technologies such as cloud, AI, and connectivity," said Zheng Kui, CEO of Huawei Mauritius. "The role of the technology industry in meeting this challenge is key, but only through collaboration with strategic and committed partners can the objectives be achieved in a real way." It is hoped that this project can be replicated in other areas of Mauritius and balance the needs of tourism and conservation. And with up to 50% of the world's coral reef already destroyed or degraded, the project's success to date demonstrates the value of further large-scale global reef restoration supported by digital technology. About Huawei TECH4ALL TECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative that aims to leave no one behind in the digital world. It focuses on four domains: enabling equity and quality of education, conserving nature with technology, enabling inclusive healthcare, and development. For more information, please visit the website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL SOURCE Huawei DUBLIN and SAN DIEGO, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, is presenting a robust collection of new clinical and real-world data on the MiniMed 780G system. These latest data sets, which evaluated the system across a wide range of users, including historically challenging younger patients, those not meeting glycemic goals, and individuals using a simplified meal announcement leveraging fixed carbohydrate amounts instead of exact carb calculations, found that the proprietary Meal Detection technology supported Time in Range outcomes that exceed consensus guidelines of 70 percent. Additionally, the system is helping reduce the percent of time spent in hyperglycemia in children and adults. These latest results were presented this weekend at the 83rd American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA. Simplified Meal Announcements with the MiniMed 780G System The first study by Dr. Goran Petrovski, MD, PhD, of Sidra Medicine, randomly assigned adolescents using the MiniMed 780G system (n=34) into two groups, with some entering a fixed pre-set number of carbs (small, average, or high) and some calculating a precise number of carbs for their meals. These individuals had lived with diabetes for at least one year and used multiple daily injections or pump therapy prior to the study. Results from the study, which were presented Friday in an oral podium presentation, showed those using the simplified (i.e., fixed) carb entry maintained international targets for glycemic control, including an A1c of 6.9% and Time in Range (TIR) of 72.7% (vs. 79.4% TIR in the precise entry group) over 6 months without system modification.1 Additionally, the simplified entry group lowered their time above 250 mg/dL from 28.3% to 5.3% at six months (vs. 3.9% in the precise entry group). After 3 months, 88% chose to continue with the simplified meal management approach, which suggests user satisfaction with this less burdensome approach. These results suggest that reduced accuracy in carb counting can be overcome by the increased automated insulin delivery provided by the MiniMed 780G system, and that even those that cannot or do not input their carbs precisely can reach glycemic goals and reduce hyperglycemia. "Many individuals with type 1 diabetes struggle with meal management with nearly 50% considering carb counting the most burdensome aspect of diabetes management.2 Indeed, many frequently underestimate their carbs or forget to bolus and this has an adverse impact on clinical outcomes," said Dr. Petrovski. "This study shows that a simplified meal management approach with the MiniMed 780G system helped users maintain glycemic targets while providing forgiveness for inexact carb counts. Clearly there's more runway for simplification of diabetes management with this system and it's promising for the many patients struggling with meal management." Strong Real-World Performance in Children An analysis of real-world evidence of children 15 years in Europe and Latin America (n=3,543) using the MiniMed 780G system with recommended settings of 100 mg/dL and 2-hour active insulin time (AIT) demonstrated a Time in Range of 78% (Table 1).3 A separate analysis of real-world evidence of children 15 years in Europe (n= 2,516) demonstrated improved glycemic performance in SmartGuard technology regardless of baseline glycemic control.4 The group with the lowest Time in Range (poorest glycemic control) prior to SmartGuard technology, had the largest increase of 23.3% in Time in Range, while patients with the best metabolic control in SmartGuard technology achieved 80.6% Time in Range (Table 2). Additionally, this increase in Time in Range was seen with less effort as evidenced by fewer user-initiated boluses, indicating decreased patient burden. Table 1: Real-World Evidence of Pediatric Users in Europe, Middle East and Africa & Latin America (using Recommended Settings) Europe, Middle East and Africa Latin America All Users 15 years With Recommended Settings All Users 15 years With Recommended Settings Time in SmartGuard technology 92.7 % 94.6 % 93.5 % 94.9 % Time in Range 73.9 % 78.9 % 74.2 % 78.2 % Time Above Range (> 180 mg/dL) 22.9 % 17.5 % 23.0 % 18.9 % Table 2: Real-World Evidence of Pediatric Users in Europe (using Recommended Settings) Group 1 (Lowest glycemic control at initiation) Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 (Highest glycemic control at initiation) Base line With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Time in SmartGuard technology - 89.9 % - 91.5 % - 93.2 % - 91.9 % Time in Range 41.0 % 64.3 % 55.5 % 69.9 % 65.7 % 73.1 % 79.8 % 80.6 % Time Above Range 57.2 % 33.3 % 42 % 27 % 30.9 % 23.8 % 16.6 % 16.5 % User-initiated boluses/day 6.3 4.9* 6.6 5.7* 7.0 5.9* 6.7 6.3* Insulin Units Delivered by Auto Correction 14.4 18.0 12.3 14.5 12.0 13.3 10.2 10.9 *Baseline vs post-AHCL number of daily boluses comparison (p<0.0001). Medtronic Extended Infusion Set Real-World Data For the first time, real-world data on the Medtronic Extended Infusion Set was presented (n=108) and the analysis showed an average infusion set wear time of 6.74 days. Almost half (48.2%) of the individuals evaluated wore the set for 7 days. This real-world data mirrors the results from the U.S. pivotal trial and is delivering a reduced user burden through less frequent infusion set changes. "We're committed to pushing simplification of diabetes management as far as we can and are heartened to see the impact our MiniMed 780G system is having on both clinical and quality of life outcomes as evidenced by our randomized controlled ADAPT study and the growing body of real-world evidence from around the world," said Que Dallara, EVP and President of Medtronic Diabetes. "With each advancement, we're working to reduce more of the burden that this disease demands and will continue to innovate to make life easier for those we have the privilege to support." About Medtronic Diabetes ( www.medtronicdiabetes.com ) Medtronic Diabetes is on a mission to alleviate the burden of diabetes by empowering individuals to live life on their terms, with the most advanced diabetes technology and always-on support when and how they need it. We've pioneered first-of-its-kind innovations for over 40 years and are committed to designing the future of diabetes management through next-generation sensors (CGM), intelligent dosing systems, and the power of data science and AI while always putting the customer experience at the forefront. About the MiniMed 780G system (www.medtronicdiabetes.com/780G) The MiniMed 780G system is the first system in the world featuring Meal Detection technology,* which provides automatic adjustments and corrections to sugar levels every 5 minutes. The system provides insulin to help account for when users occasionally forget to bolus or underestimate the number of carbs in their meal and features the lowest glucose target setting (as low as 100 mg/dL) in any automated insulin pump on the market, which more closely mirrors the average glucose of someone not living with diabetes. The MiniMed 780G system is approved in the U.S. for individuals with type 1 diabetes, 7 years and above. About Medtronic Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn. *Taking a bolus 15 20 minutes before a meal helps to keep blood sugar levels under control after eating. Refers to auto correct, which provides bolus assistance. Can deliver all auto correction doses automatically without user interaction, feature can be turned on and off. Refers to SmartGuard feature. Individual results may vary. **The extended wear infusion set can be worn for up to 7 days. Current infusion sets are recommended for up to 3 days of wear. Fingersticks required in manual mode & to enter SmartGuard. If symptoms don't match alerts & readings, use a fingerstick. Refer to user guide. Pivotal trial participants spend avg of > 93% in SmartGuard. Auto corrections help make up for imprecise carb counts. Medtronic data on file. 25-minute survey, N= 498 T1D individuals in Germany , Japan , US, Brazil , August 2019 . "Higher Time in Range Demonstrated in Children Using Intensive Advanced Hybrid Closed-Loop (AHCL) System Settings" poster presentation (1120-P) by Jen McVean , M.D., pediatric endocrinologist, senior director, medical affairs, Medtronic Diabetes on Monday, Jun. 26 at 11:30 a.m. PDT "Improved Glycemic Control with Less Effort during Real-World MiniMed 780G Advanced Hybrid Closed-Loop (AHCL) System Use by Children with T1D" poster presentation (1119-P) by Jen McVean , M.D., pediatric endocrinologist, senior director, medical affairs, Medtronic Diabetes on Monday, Jun. 26 at 11:30 a.m. PDT Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. Contacts: Janet Cho Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-818-403-7028 +1-763-505-4626 SOURCE Medtronic plc VANCOUVER, BC, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Filmora by Wondershare, one of the industry's leading video editing software providers, held a fascinating and insightful panel discussion featuring social media influencers NichLmao and Jensen Tung to explore artificial intelligence (AI) trends in video creation at VidCon 2023. NichLmao and Jensen Tung Talk AI-powered Creativity with Wondershare Filmora at VidCon 2023 The duo shared their experiences with Filmora's AI tools and expressed optimism about the potential of AI technology for enhancing their creative process and improving the efficiency and quality of their content production. According to Nich, "It's really amazing to see how it can do something with a few clicks. For those just starting and who don't have that much time to spend on editing, Filmora really helps." Further in the discussion, they highlighted AI's role in streamlining creative workflows, enabling creators like themselves (Nich and Jensen) to focus on their ideas and storytelling. "When you have spent 2 and a half hours editing, those little tasks like writing titles and creating thumbnails become very challenging," said Nich. "It's amazing to see that Filmora's tools can help with that. It definitely saves a lot of time." Both influencers believe that AI will become an indispensable tool for creators in their quest to communicate their unique perspectives and protect their creative visions. As Nich puts it, "Filmora's ready-to-use effects and AI tools are great for beginners and up-and-coming creators." Addressing some concerns about AI diminishing human creativity, Jensen said, "New technologies are always scary when they come out. But as we progress as a society, we will figure out the rules of it." Nich added, "I feel that the AI trend has just begun, and there are already a lot of products out there doing crazy things. I'm very excited to see where it will go from here." Wondershare's ongoing commitment to harnessing the potential of AI in creative fields like video editing was on full display at VidCon 2023. The company demonstrated how its advanced suite of AI-powered tools in Filmora, including unique visual effects and time-saving features, can empower content creators of all experience levels to tell their stories effectively. This exciting collaboration between Wondershare Filmora and these influential creators at VidCon 2023 has deepened the conversation around AI's impact on the creative industry. And it further confirmed Filmora's growing reputation as a leading choice for video enthusiasts looking for innovative and timesaving editing tools. For more information on Wondershare Filmora and its AI-powered video editing solutions, please their website at Filmora.wondershare.com About Wondershare Filmora Wondershare Filmora is a leading video editing software provider that combines ease of use with advanced features to help users of all experience levels create compelling stories and content. Designed to inspire creativity and empower storytelling, Filmora provides advanced AI-powered tools and a multitude of ready-to-use effects to enhance the video editing process. SOURCE Wondershare NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against First Horizon Corporation ("FHN") (NYSE: FHN), The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries, including wholly owned subsidiary TD Bank US Holding Company (collectively, "TD Bank" and, together with FHN, the "Companies"), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 23-cv-03024, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired FHN securities between February 28, 2022 and May 3, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), to recover damages from the Defendants for their violations of the federal securities laws under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, as detailed below. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired FHN securities during the Class Period, you have until July 21, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] FHN is a bank holding company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee that, as of December 31, 2022, had consolidated assets of $79 billion. FHN provides consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, mortgage lending and other financial services primarily through its principal subsidiary, First Horizon Bank. As of December 31, 2022, FHN operated 414 banking centers in twelve states. TD Bank is a Canadian financial institution with U.S. headquarters in New Jersey. As of October 31, 2022, TD Bank had $1.9 trillion in assets. Since 2004, TD Bank has expanded its retail banking presence in the U.S. through acquisitions of regional banks. On February 28, 2022, FHN and TD Bank jointly announced that TD Bank had agreed to acquire FHN for $25.00 per share in cash ("Transaction"), which represented a 37% premium to FHN's share price from its close on the prior trading day. With respect to the timeline for closing the Transaction, a joint press release ("Feb 2022 Press Release") issued by TD Bank and FHN on February 28, 2022, announcing the deal explained that the "transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of TD's 2023 fiscal year, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals from First Horizon's shareholders and U.S. and Canadian regulatory authorities." The Feb 2022 Press Release further advised that (i) if "the transaction does not close prior to November 27, 2022 [i.e., within 9 months], First Horizon shareholders will receive, at closing, an additional US$0.65 per share on an annualized basis for the period from November 27, 2022 through the day immediately prior to the closing," and (ii) "[t]he transaction will terminate, unless otherwise extended, if it does not close by February 27, 2023." On a conference call to discuss the Transaction held on February 28, 2022, an analyst observed that "there's a lot of sensitivity around regulatory approval process for M&A in the U.S.," and then asked TD Bank's senior management about their "comfort level on getting deal closing done" within the timeline announced. The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and omissions concerning the risks to regulatory approval of the Transaction posed by TD Bank's materially deficient anti-money laundering ("AML") policies and procedures, which caused Plaintiff and other Class members to suffer significant losses when these undisclosed regulatory risks materialized and caused the market value of FHN's securities to decline precipitously. On August 25, 2022, on TD Bank's Q3 2022 earnings call, TD Bank's Group President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Defendant Bharat B. Masrani ("Masrani"), reiterated that he expected the Transaction "to close in the first fiscal quarter of 2023." When asked about any risks that may delay the Transaction from closing, Defendant Masrani responded, "[o]ur deal continues to progress in the normal course, there is nothing out there to suggest that, that is different this time around." Defendant Masrani was not the only TD Bank executive to reassure analysts concerning the timeline for closing the Transaction. On September 14, 2022, at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference, when asked for an update on the timeline for the Transaction, Defendant Leo Salom ("Salom"), Group Head, U.S. Retail, TD Bank Group and President and CEO, TD Bank, advised that "[w]e do expect to close the transaction at the end of the fiscal first quarter. And we're tracking well against that." Defendant Salom then added: "[O]n August 18th we had the public hearing, the OCC, the Fed hosted. That is the normal part of the application process. But to your point, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of questions about how confident are we? We're extremely confident. We believe this transaction does not represent any financial stability or competitive consolidation risk. We've already announced that we will protect all the front-line staff, we will be retaining all the retail and commercial bankers. Likewise, we won't be closing any stores. So, if you look at the strength of the application, we're quite excited about getting this done in short order. Based on the repeated reassurances provided by Defendants Masrani and Salom that there were no regulatory risks that could delay the closing of the Transaction, FHN shareholders had no reason to believe that TD Bank was concealing any regulatory risks that could derail the Transaction. Unbeknownst to FHN shareholders, however, (i) TD Bank had materially deficient policies and procedures for detecting and reporting suspected money laundering, (ii) regulators at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") and the Federal Reserve were refusing to approve the Transaction because of TD Bank's materially deficient AML policies and procedures, and (iii) TD Bank's materially deficient AML policies and procedures thus constituted a concealed regulatory risk to the closing of the Transaction. TD Bank's public statements concerning its risk management practices in general, and AML compliance in particular, gave no indication that TD Bank's AML policies and procedures were materially deficient. To the contrary, an investor presentation made available by TD Bank to FHN shareholders on Schedule 14A on February 28, 2022, advised that TD Bank has "a disciplined risk culture." That "disciplined risk culture" was documented in part in TD Bank's Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees and Directors ("TD Bank Code"), which was filed on Form 6-K with the SEC on February 7, 2022. With respect to AML compliance, the TD Bank Code stated: TD is committed to taking all reasonable and appropriate steps to detect and deter persons engaged in money laundering from utilizing TD products or services to do so. Making the proceeds of criminal activity appear as if they came from legitimate sources is a criminal offence, and so is knowingly failing to report transactions or activities where it is suspected they relate to money laundering. We must not knowingly initiate or be party to money laundering and must promptly report suspected money laundering situations in accordance with the TD Bank Group Enterprise Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Policy and the escalation procedures established for our business or region. Subsequently, in March 2022, TD Bank published its "TD Bank Statement on Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorist Financing and Sanctions" ("AML Statement"), which represented that TD Bank's commitment to detect and deter persons engaged in money laundering was formalized through "the establishment of an enterprise-wide Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) and Sanctions risk and compliance management program (Global AML Program) that is designed to detect and report suspected money laundering and terrorist financing and activity prohibited by sanctions." The AML Statement further represented that among the requirements of the Global AML Program were (i) "ongoing monitoring to detect and report suspicious transactions or activities," (ii) "regulatory reporting of prescribed transactions," and (iii) "independent testing of control effectiveness." The first inkling that regulatory issues may derail approval of the Transaction surfaced on TD Bank's Q4 2022 earnings call on December 1, 2022. Defendant Masrani advised that TD Bank was "planning to close the [Transaction] in the first half of fiscal 2023 subject to customary closing conditions, including approvals from U.S. and Canadian regulatory authorities." After observing that Defendant Masrani had previously guided on the Q3 2022 earnings call that the Transaction would close in Q1 2023, and that the timing had now slipped to the first half of 2023, an analyst inquired "[w]hat's prompting the delayed expectation of closing?" Defendant Masrani responded, "so we don't control the timing of all the regulatory approvals, but we are confident that we will get closing within the time line that we've put out." When the analyst pressed for specifics"are they taking a closer look at anything? Are you anticipating having to make any adjustments to your product going up or your schedule in advance of the close?"Defendant Masrani advised, "No, I'm not aware of anything of the sort you're mentioning." Yet, just over two months later, on February 9, 2023, the Companies issued a joint press release ("Feb 2023 Press Release") announcing that they had mutually agreed to extend the deadline to close the Transaction from February 27, 2023, to May 27, 2023. The Feb 2023 Press Release further stated that "[c]ustomary closing conditions, including approvals from regulatory authorities in the U.S. and Canada, are required to close the transaction." The generic disclosure, however, was insufficient to alert FHN shareholders to the existence of regulatory risks since it failed to disclose the specific risk that TD Bank's materially deficient AML policies and procedures were posing to regulatory approval of the Transaction. On March 1, 2023, in its 2022 Form 10-K, FHN advised that (i) receipt of regulatory approval of the Transaction was taking longer than originally anticipated, (ii) TD Bank had recently informed FHN that TD Bank did not expect to receive the necessary regulatory approvals in time to close the Transaction by a new deadline of May 27, 2023, and (iii) TD Bank had initiated discussions with FHN regarding a potential further extension of the new May 27, 2023 deadline. The 2022 Form 10-K also noted that "TD cannot provide a new projected closing date at this time." On this news, FHN's stock price fell $2.63 per share, or 10.62%, to close at $22.14 per share on May 1, 2023. On May 3, 2023, according to a Capital Forum report being circulated among traders, Defendant Masrani had a meeting with officials of the OCC concerning the Transaction on March 9, 2023, that was also attended by TD Bank's outside counsel. On this news, FHN's stock price fell $1.14 per share, or 7.04%, to close at $15.05 per share on May 3, 2023. On May 4, 2023, before the markets opened, TD Bank and FHN announced that they had mutually agreed to terminate the Transaction because TD Bank "does not have a timetable for regulatory approvals to be obtained for reasons unrelated to First Horizon," and "there is uncertainty as to when and if these regulatory approvals can be obtained." TD Bank and FHN, however, failed to disclose that TD Bank's materially deficient AML policies and procedures had derailed regulatory approval of the Transaction. Upon news of the termination of the Transaction, FHN's stock price fell $4.99 per share, or 33.16%, to close at $10.06 per share on May 4, 2023. The concealed regulatory risk that derailed the Transaction was finally revealed on May 8, 2023, when The Wall Street Journal (the "WSJ") published an article citing sources alleging that TD Bank's "handling of suspicious customer transactions was behind regulators' refusal to bless" the Transaction, and that the Transaction was terminated because regulators were unwilling "to give TD a clean bill of health on its anti-money laundering practices." The article's sources alleged that "regulators' concerns stemmed from the way TD handled unusual transactions in recent years, and the speed at which some of them were brought to the attention of U.S. authorities." According to the WSJ, in "recent years," TD Bank had only "flagged 28 customer transactions" as suspicious. For these reasons, the OCC and the Federal Reserve refused to approve the Transaction within the necessary time frames. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of adidas AG ("adidas" or the "Company") (OTCMKT: ADDYY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether adidas and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] In the fall of 2022, musical artist Kanye West, Adidas's design partner for the Company's popular Yeezy shoe, made a series of overtly anti-Semitic and racially offensive remarks in public. On October 25, 2022, following mounting public pressure, Adidas canceled its partnership with West. Then, on November 27, 2022, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "Adidas Top Executives Discussed Risks of Staff's 'Direct Exposure' to Kanye West Years Ago." The article revealed that Adidas's leadership, including Chief Executive Officer Kasper Rrsted, had discussed the risk of the Company continuing a relationship with West as early 2018, citing the artist's often erratic and controversial behavior. On this news, Adidas's American depositary receipt (ADDYY) ("ADRs") fell $2.20 per ADR, or 3.13%, to close at $62.34 per ADR on November 28, 2022. Then, on February 9, 2023, Adidas warned that the Company could shift from a profit to a loss if it failed to sell its inventory of Yeezy shoes following the termination of its partnership with West. Specifically, the Company stated that it expected sales to fall at a high single-digit rate in currency-neutral terms because of the "significant adverse impact of not selling the existing stock" of Yeezy products. Failure to sell the stock of Yeezy's (valued at 1.2 billion euros) would accordingly lower Company revenue by 1.2 billion euros (or about $1.29 billion), and operating profit by 500 million euros." On this news, Adidas's ADR price fell $7.4 per ADR, or 8.96%, to close at $75.16 per ADR on February 9, 2023. Finally, on February 21, 2023, S&P Global announced that it was downgrading Adidas to "'A-/A-2' From 'A-1' On Deteriorating Credit Metrics; Outlook Negative." S&P largely attributed the downgraded to the financial impact of the termination of Adidas's partnership with West. On this news, Adidas's ADR price fell $3.56 per ADR, or 4.62%, to close at $73.59 per ADR on February 21, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Comerica Incorporated ("Comerica" or the "Company") (NYSE: CMA). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Comerica and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On May 29, 2023, citing a review of "internal documents," American Banker reported that "Comerica Bank officials privately acknowledged significant compliance failures in their operation of a Treasury Department program that provides federal benefits on prepaid cards to millions of unbanked Americans[.]" American Banker stated that "[a] Comerica executive said the Dallas bank faced a 'serious contract violation' for allowing fraud disputes and data on Direct Express and cardholders to be handled out of a vendor's office in Lahore, Pakistan[.]" On this news, Comerica's stock fell $1.40 per share, or 3.59% to close at $37.59 per share on May 30, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. ("Spirit" or the "Company") (NYSE: SPR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Spirit and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On April 13, 2023, media outlets reported that The Boeing Company ("Boeing") would likely have to reduce deliveries of its 737 Max airplane in the near term because of a problem with a part manufactured by Spirit. Boeing stated that Spirit had informed it that a "non-standard" manufacturing process was used on two fittings in aft fuselages. On this news, Spirit's stock price fell $7.38 per share, or 20.73%, to close at $28.22 per share on April 14, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against SentinelOne, Inc. ("SentinelOne" or the "Company") (NYSE: S), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 23-cv-02982, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired SentinelOne securities between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act"). If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired SentinelOne securities during the Class Period, you have until August 7, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] SentinelOne is a cybersecurity company that claims to have pioneered the world's first AI-powered Extended Detection and Response platform to make cybersecurity defense truly autonomous. The Company claims its Singularity Platform instantly defends against cyberattacks, performing at a faster speed, greater scale, and higher accuracy than otherwise possible from humans. The Company's fiscal year 2023 ended January 31, 2023. SentinelOne claims that its "Annualized Recurring Revenue" or "ARR" is a key business metric. The Company defines ARR as "the annualized revenue run rate of our subscription and capacity contracts at the end of a reporting period, assuming contracts are renewed on their existing terms for customers that are under contracts with us." The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (i) that the Company lacked effective internal controls over accounting and financial reporting; (ii) that, as a result, the Company's ARR was overstated; (iii) that, as a result, the Company's guidance was overstated; and (iv) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendant's positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On June 1, 2023, after the market closed, SentinelOne published a press release titled "SentinelOne Announces First Quarter Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Results." Therein, the Company disclosed that "[a]s a result of a change in methodology and correction of historical inaccuracies, which we further describe in our letter to shareholders, we made a one-time adjustment to ARR of $27.0 million or approximately 5% of total ARR." The Company also revised its fiscal year 2024 revenue guidance downward to a range of $590 million to $600 million from a range of $631 million to $640 million. In a shareholder letter published the same day, SentinelOne further explained that "we . . . discovered historical upsell and renewal recording inaccuracies relating to ARR on certain subscription and consumption contracts, which are now corrected" and that "[w]e are applying a comparable estimated adjustment to the remaining quarters in fiscal year 23, which we believe is a reasonable approximation of the impact in those periods." On this news, SentinelOne's stock price fell $7.28 per share, or more than 35%, to close at $13.44 per share on June 2, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on Saturday that India is keen on strengthening its relations with Egypt on all levels, noting that 2023 was a remarkable year in cooperation between the two countries. Modi met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, where they held a roundtable meeting in Cairo following his arrival on Saturday from the United States at the start of his two-day visit. The Indian prime minister said in statements following the meeting that he listened attentively to the positive opinions of his Egyptian counterpart on ways to enhance their bilateral relations and took detailed notes on the proposals. "This is a remarkable year for our shared relations. At the beginning of this year, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited India as a chief guest in the Republic Day celebration, where we signed an agreement to elevate our bilateral relations to a strategic partnership," Modi said. The Indian prime minister also revealed that he is honoured to invite President El-Sisi to India again to attend the G20 meetings, which are scheduled to take place in New Delhi in September. Modi added that Egypt and India were swiftly moving towards achieving the $12 billion target in bilateral trade within the next five years. He added that in the past six months alone, Indian companies have invested around $170 million in Egypt. India on the Nile "Some of you have recently visited India, and here I would like to say that regular visits between the two sides will actively and passionately enhance bilateral relations" PM Modi told the attendees. In this context, he added, the recent visit of the Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone to India last week was successful and will encourage other Indian companies to come to invest in Egypt. The Indian PM emphasized that the increasing cooperation between the two sides in the field of renewable energy reflects a joint commitment to environmental protection. He pointed out that many Indian companies are investing in green hydrogen and electric vehicles. The Indian prime minister said would like the opportunity to visit the New Administrative Capital on his next trip to Egypt. Stronger strategic partnership From his side, PM Madbouly affirmed the determination of both governments to strengthen strategic partnership between the two sides. Madbouly said growing trade exchange between the two countries, which reached $7 billion in 2022, shows the real potential in increasing trade volume in the coming five years up to $12 billion, as agreed upon during the Joint Trade Committee meeting held in July 2022. He praised current levels of Indian investments in Egypt, which stand at $3.5 billion, adding that the country is ready to receive more Indian capital. Madbouly cited agreements signed between the two sides during the recent visit by officials from the Suez Canal Economic Zone Authority to India last week as an example of promising growth for Indian investments in Egypt and the region. He stressed Egypts keenness on developing a strategic relationship between the two countries in the field of strategic commodities, expressing interest that to India would become a major supplier of wheat to Egypt. Egypt also wants more cooperation with India in the fields of healthcare and pharmaceutical production, citing partnership between an Indian company and Egypt's VACSERA to establish a vaccine production plant in the 6th of October city as a model of such cooperation, added Madbouly. Egypt welcomes more investments by Indian companies in the renewable energy sector in Egypt, particularly in the production of green hydrogen in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, stressed Madbouly. The Egyptian government is keen on providing Indian companies with all the facilities needed to implement and expand their investments in the country, he stressed. EgyptAir, the countrys national carrier, is set launch direct flights between Cairo and New Delhi, in addition to existing flights between Cairo and Mumbai, as a step to boost air travel between the two countries, announce Madbouly at the event. India G20 Egypt believes India's presidency of the G20 would strengthen efforts aimed at containing the negative repercussions of international tensions on the global economy. Egypt will work with the Indian presidency of the G20 to develop optimal approaches to deal with energy crises, climate change, food shortage and securing financing for developing countries. From the Egyptian side, the meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir. Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone Walid Gamal El-Din, Egyptian ambassador to India Wael Hamed as well as CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones Hossam Hegazy also attended the meeting. Representing India were Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte along with senior officials from the Indian Cabinet and Ministry of External Affairs. Itinerary PM Modi had arrived in Cairo earlier on Saturday in his first-ever official visit to Egypt, also the first by an Indian PM to the country since 1997, upon an invitation from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. The Indian prime minister is set to meet with President El-Sisi on Sunday. He is also scheduled to hold more meetings with various officials during his visit. Shortly after arriving in Cairo on Saturday, Modi held a series of meetings with Egyptian officials and businessmen, including a meeting with Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam and another meeting with real-estate developer Hassan Allam. Search Keywords: Short link: NEW YORK, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. ("TriplePoint" or the "Company") (NYSE: TPVG), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 23-cv-02980, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired TriplePoint securities between March 4, 2020 and May 1, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise TriplePoint securities during the Class Period, you have until August 15, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] TriplePoint is a business development company specializing in investments in venture capital-backed companies at the growth stage. It also provides debt financing to venture growth space companies, including growth capital loans, secured and customized loans, equipment financings, revolving loans and direct equity investments. The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) TriplePoint had overstated the strength of its various portfolio companies and loan book, as well as the viability of its overall investment strategy; (ii) the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on the Company's financial position and/or prospects; and (iii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On May 2, 2023, the Bear Cave released a report titled "Problems at TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC (TPVG)" (the "Bear Cave Report"). The Bear Cave Report highlighted significant issues at TriplePoint, alleging that "TriplePoint is encumbered by high fees, weak management, and a weaker loan book saddled by portfolio company bankruptcies and upside-down startups," and asserting that "the Bear Cave believes TriplePoint's equity may be severely impaired, if it has any value at all." On this news, TriplePoint's stock price fell $1.19 per share, or 9.98%, over the following two trading sessions, to close at $10.73 per share on May 3, 2023. Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] 888-476-6529 ext. 7980 SOURCE Pomerantz LLP NEW YORK, June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. ("Spirit" or the "Company") (NYSE: SPR) and reminds investors of the July 3, 2023 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you suffered losses exceeding $100,000 investing in Spirit stock or options between April 8, 2020 and April 13, 2023 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). You may also click here for additional information: www.faruqilaw.com/SPR. There is no cost or obligation to you. Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading minority and Woman-owned national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. As detailed below, the lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (1) that Spirit lacked effective production quality controls; (2) that, as a result, Spirit incorrectly installed fittings designed to join the aft fuselage to the vertical tail for some Boeing 737 Max airplanes that Spirit sent to Boeing; (3) that, as a result, Spirit would have to develop an inspection and repair procedure for the affected fuselages; (4) that the foregoing would negatively impact Spirit's financial results; and (5) that as a result of the foregoing, Defendant's positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On April 13, 2023, after the market closed, Boeing announced that it would halt deliveries of its 737 MAX aircraft due to a supplier quality problem. According to an article by Barron's, Boeing issued a statement stating that "the issue will likely affect a significant number of undelivered 737 MAX airplanes." The same day, Bloomberg identified Spirit as the supplier of the faulty part. Several media outlets reported the details of the quality problem. An article by Reuters reported that "[t]he problem involves the installation of two fittings that join the aft fuselage made by Spirit to the vertical tail, which were not attached correctly to the structure of the fuselage before it was sent to Boeing." Reuters also reported that "Spirit said it is working to develop an inspection and repair for the affected fuselages" and that "the problem is believed to date back to 2019." On this news, Spirit's stock price fell $7.38, or 20.7%, to close at $28.22 per share on April 14, 2023. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Spirit's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP GL0034 is a novel, investigational glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) being studied for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity GL0034 reduced body weight after a single dose in obese individuals without diabetes Marked dose dependent reductions in body weight seen in multiple-ascending dose study in healthy individuals GL0034 was generally well tolerated in both Phase 1 studies Phase 2 clinical trials anticipated to commence in 2023 MUMBAI, India and PRINCETON, N.J., June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE: SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715, "Sun Pharma" including its subsidiaries and/or associate companies) today announced results from two Phase 1 studies evaluating the tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of GL0034, a novel long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist, in non-obese and obese adults without diabetes. The data will be highlighted in poster presentations at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 83rd Scientific Sessions held from June 23-26, 2023, in San Diego, CA. In one of the studies, GL0034 reduced triglyceride levels and body weight by Day 8 after a single dose in obese individuals without diabetes. In the other study, GL0034 administered at multiple-ascending doses once weekly for up to 8 weeks was well tolerated and resulted in meaningful pharmacodynamic effects in healthy individuals with normal body weight. In this study, marked dose dependent reductions in body weight of up to 10.7% were observed following GL0034 treatment of relatively low doses for 4 to 8 weeks. Across the two Phase 1 studies, the most common adverse events occurring (5 participants in any dose arm) included nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, early satiety, and dyspepsia. "The results of the Phase 1 trial of GL0034 are promising based on the safety and efficacy profile," said Richard E. Pratley, MD, Medical Director, AdventHealth Diabetes Institute and Senior Investigator, Diabetes Program Lead, Translational Research Institute. "GL0034 has a promising future in terms of weight loss and glycemic effects and based on these early results presented at ADA, GL0034 has a potential to be best in class. I look forward to learning more through further studies." "The rising incidence of obesity and diabetes places significant burden on global healthcare systems, and GLP-1 agonists have emerged as a useful option for treating these conditions with a single agent. We believe the Phase 1 data of Sun's GL0034 potentially differentiates it from approved therapies in its class. We are excited to take the product through to the next stage of development," said Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director, Sun Pharma. GL0034 was discovered and is being developed by Sun Pharma. Further clinical studies are planned to confirm clinical safety and efficacy, including a 12-week proof of concept study in obese adults with type 2 diabetes, with non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) biomarkers, which will begin enrollment during 2023. "These Phase 1 studies suggest a potential role for GL0034 as a unique candidate to provide therapeutic benefits for obese adults," said Rajamannar Thennati, MD, Lead Investigator and Executive Vice President, Research & Development, Sun Pharma. "Initial results showed that GL0034 was generally well tolerated, and we are encouraged by the rate and durability of weight loss in these populations and look forward to proceeding to Phase 2 trials in obesity and type 2 diabetes." GL0034 Poster Presentations at the ADA 2023 Scientific Sessions A Single-Ascending Dose Study of The Novel GLP-1 Receptor Agonist GL0034 (Utreglutide) in Obese Individuals Without Diabetes. [Poster # 765-P, Sunday, June 25, 2023, 11:30am 12:30pm PT, Hall B-C, Presented by Dr. Rajamannar Thennati] Participants (n=24; BMI 30 kg/m 2 ) were randomized 3:1 to treatment with GL0034 or placebo. The cohorts achieved mean percent changes in body weight, ranging from -1.9% at the 2000 g dose (p<0.01) to -2.5% at the highest dose (2520 g; p<0.001) at Day 8 and sustained beyond initial treatment exposure through Day 22, compared to 0.3% at Day 8 and -0.1% at Day 22 in placebo-treated participants. ) were randomized 3:1 to treatment with GL0034 or placebo. The cohorts achieved mean percent changes in body weight, ranging from -1.9% at the 2000 g dose (p<0.01) to -2.5% at the highest dose (2520 g; p<0.001) at Day 8 and sustained beyond initial treatment exposure through Day 22, compared to 0.3% at Day 8 and -0.1% at Day 22 in placebo-treated participants. Triglyceride levels were significantly decreased from baseline in participants treated with GL0034 2000 g and 2520 g with mean percent changes of -40.7% (2000 g; p<0.01) and -28.0% (2520 g; p<0.05) at Day 8, compared to an increase of 9.9% in placebo-treated individuals. The most common AEs occurring in 5 participants receiving GL0034 were decreased appetite, early satiety, nausea, dyspepsia, and vomiting. Safety and Tolerability of Once-Weekly GL0034 (Utreglutide) in Healthy Individuals. A Multiple-Ascending Dose Study. [Poster # 766-P, Sunday, June 25, 2023, 11:30am 12:30pm PT, Hall B-C, Presented by Dr. Rajamannar Thennati] Participants (n=36; BMI 1828 kg/m 2 ) were enrolled into 3 fixed-dose or increasing-dose cohorts and were randomized 3:1 to treatment with GL0034 or placebo. The cohorts demonstrated mean percent changes in body weight, ranging from -4.5% at the lowest dose (450 g; p<0.001) at Day 29 to -10.7% at the highest increasing dose (450/900/1520 g; p<0.001) at Day 52, compared with -0.5% and 2.2% in placebo-treated participants. ) were enrolled into 3 fixed-dose or increasing-dose cohorts and were randomized 3:1 to treatment with GL0034 or placebo. The cohorts demonstrated mean percent changes in body weight, ranging from -4.5% at the lowest dose (450 g; p<0.001) at Day 29 to -10.7% at the highest increasing dose (450/900/1520 g; p<0.001) at Day 52, compared with -0.5% and 2.2% in placebo-treated participants. ALT levels were observed within normal range at the start of the study and were reduced during treatment with all doses of GL0034 at Day 23 and Day 51. Additionally, reductions from baseline in levels of fasting insulin were noted in cohorts 2 and 3 with corresponding improvements in HOMA-IR. The most common AEs occurring in 5 participants receiving GL0034 included nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. About GL0034 GL0034 (utreglutide) is an investigational novel glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) in development as a once-weekly, long-acting, antidiabetic medication in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Sun Pharma proceeded into its first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial based on positive results of its pre-clinical trials in which GL0034 demonstrated robust antidiabetic effects in mice, including reductions in blood glucose levels as well as body weight. Further clinical studies are planned to confirm clinical safety and effectiveness, including a 12-week proof of concept study in obese adults with type 2 diabetes, with non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) biomarkers. About Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (CIN - L24230GJ1993PLC019050) Sun Pharma is the world's fourth largest specialty generics company with presence in Specialty, Generics and Consumer Healthcare products. It is the largest pharmaceutical company in India, and is a leading generic company in the US as well as Global Emerging Markets. Sun's high growth Global Specialty portfolio spans innovative products in dermatology, ophthalmology, onco-dermatology and accounts for over 16% of company sales. The company's vertically integrated operations deliver high-quality medicines, trusted by physicians and consumers in over 100 countries. Its manufacturing facilities are spread across six continents. Sun Pharma is proud of its multi-cultural workforce drawn from over 50 nations. For further information, please visit www.sunpharma.com and follow us on Twitter @SunPharma_Live. Disclaimer Statements in this "Document" describing the Company's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations, plans or predictions or industry conditions or events may be "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward looking statements to reflect developments or circumstances that arise or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated developments/circumstances after the date hereof. SOURCE Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc., USA (Sun Pharma) American Diabetes Association Symposium Demonstrates Benefits of Once Weekly Drug for Weight Loss and Glycemic Control SAN DIEGO, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, findings from SURMOUNT-2, a study of tirzepatide in participants with type 2 diabetes who have obesity were announced, demonstrating more weight loss in individuals with diabetes than any other medication to date. The results were presented at the 83rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in San Diego, CA and were simultaneously published in The Lancet. Obesity impacts 650 million people worldwide including nearly half of all Americans and is a known risk factor of type 2 diabetes. Of Americans with diabetes, nearly 90% are overweight or have obesity. The study aimed to evaluate how tirzepatide, a once-weekly GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist, affects body weight in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes. The randomized trial enrolled 938 participants who had type 2 diabetes and were obese or overweight. The co-primary endpoints were percent change from randomization in body weight and percentage of participants who achieve body weight reduction from randomization of at least five percent. Both endpoints were evaluated through 72 weeks. The findings indicate tirzepatide may be an effective weight loss option for individuals living with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Participants lost an average of 15% of their starting body weight after 72 weeks of treatment. The overall average weight reduction in patients using tirzepatide was 14.8 kg or 33 pounds. The HbA1c was 8% at baseline and decreased to 5.9% at the end of study. The study also found that 49% achieved a normal HbA1c below 5.7% without any severe hypoglycemia. "With a new drug like tirzepatide, it becomes clear we need a weight-centric approach to treating type 2 diabetes when obesity is also present, two conditions that are interwoven for so many Americans," said W. Timothy Garvey, MD, MACE, MABOM, University Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Director of the UAB Diabetes Research Center. "We are encouraged by these weight loss and glycemic control results, especially as weight loss interventions are typically less effective in patients in diabetes." The authors of this study believe that obesity should be treated as aggressively as other chronic diseases and that future efforts to treat obesity should focus on reducing obesity-related complications, including the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. They also call on additional studies to determine whether tirzepatide is also cardioprotective, or reduce adverse cardiovascular events. The first trial, SURMOUNT-1, the first investigational phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity, were announced at a symposium at the 82nd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in New Orleans, LA, and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Research presentation details: Dr. Garvey will present the findings at the following symposium: Symposium: SURMOUNT 2 Trial Results and Potential Role of Tirzepatide in Treating Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes SURMOUNT 2 Trial Results and Potential Role of Tirzepatide in Treating Obesity in Type 2 Diabetes Presented on Friday, June 23, 2023 at 3:45 PM PST About the ADA's Scientific Sessions The ADA's 83rd Scientific Sessions, the world's largest scientific meeting focused on diabetes research, prevention, and care, will be held in San Diego, CA on June 2326. More than 12,000 leading physicians, scientists, and health care professionals from around the world are expected to convene both in person and virtually to unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations, and advances toward a cure for diabetes. Attendees will receive exclusive access to thousands of original research presentations and take part in provocative and engaging exchanges with leading diabetes experts. Join the Scientific Sessions conversation on social media using #ADA2023. About the American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 82 years, the ADA has driven discovery and research to treat, manage, and prevent diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure. Through advocacy, program development, and education we aim to improve the quality of life for the over 133 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook (Asociacion Americana de la Diabetes), LinkedIn (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn). Contact: Rebecca Fisher, 703-253-4918, [email protected] SOURCE American Diabetes Association DUBAI, June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Vape Show in Dubai has come to a triumphant close. VAPORESSO, a leading brand in the vaping industry, has showcased its strong brand innovation and prowess at the show, demonstrating the brand's core values of INNOVATION, RELIABILITY, and STYLE. At the event, VAPORESSO unveiled the newest VAPORESSO INNO SPOT ingenious program gift box, which featured unique CMF designs that were co-created with influencers, artists, and consumers. The brand's focus on innovation was evident in the positive response from guests who praised the creative design. VAPORESSO Displays Strong Innovation Power at World Vape Show in Dubai The VAPORESSO INNO SPOT ingenious program is a key innovation initiative for VAPORESSO, aiming to build a global creative platform that integrates the ideas of the world's design elites to empower VAPORESSO's innovative products. The brand has always embraced innovation, striving to achieve a boundary-less concept. The program has achieved initial success, with the FUN WITH INNOVATION NOW creative competition gaining extensive exposure on multiple platforms and attracting many creative individuals to participate. The first round of winners has been announced on June 15th. During the show, VAPORESSO showcased two new products that provide users with a completely new vaping experience. The VAPORESSO COSS is a disruptive product in the industry that features automatic liquid injection and charging functions, addressing industry pain points and providing a design that is more in line with user habits. The VAPORESSO ECO promotes the values of eco-friendliness, economy, and harm reduction, reaffirming VAPORESSO's vision of using brand innovation for social benefit. In addition, VAPORESSO won multiple accolades during the show, including VAPOUROUND's Best Branding and Marketing. Meanwhile, its LUXE XR MAX was named the Best MOD and the XROS 3 the Best Pod. Emphasizing the brand's slogan, "Move Beyond Ordinary," and three core values, Jimmy Hu, Vice President of VAPORESSO said, "VAPORESSO is committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the vaping industry. By constantly innovating and collaborating with creative minds, we aim to provide our users with not only reliable and stylish products but also a truly extraordinary vaping experience." About VAPORESSO VAPORESSO was created in 2015 and is dedicated to establishing a smoke-free world while raising the quality of life for its users. Based on its continuous innovation, strict quality control, and substantial commitment, VAPORESSO creates products that can fit all levels and styles of vapers. SOURCE VAPORESSO If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish "traitors" from the Wagner mercenary group, after its leader swore he would topple Moscow's military leadership. The Wagner group cheif, Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, released a series of messages from late Friday into Saturday, claiming that he and his mercenary troops had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and taken control of its military sites. Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin, whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said. Prigozhin in return said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "deeply mistaken" in calling rebelling Wagner fighters "traitors" and ruled out surrender. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin, who launched a mutiny overnight, said in an audio message on Telegram. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB (security service) or anyone else." The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defense Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. This revolt by the Wagner mercenary group consider the most serious challenge yet to the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman Putin came to power in late 1999. After Putins address, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Orthodox Church The leader of Russia's Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Saturday called for "unity" in the country and voiced support for President Vladimir Putin as Wagner mercenaries staged a rebellion. "Today, when our brothers are fighting and dying on the frontlines... any attempt to sow discord within the country is the greatest possible crime that has no justification," Patriarch Kirill said in a statement. Adding, "I support the efforts of the head of the Russian state, aimed at not allowing turmoil in our country." Russian Parliament Speakers of both of Russia's houses of parliament said they backed Russian President Putin in his call to the Wagner mercenary group to halt a bid to oust the country's military leadership. The head of the upper house of parliament Valentina Matvienko said Putin has members' "full support," while the speaker of the lower house Vyacheslav Volodin urged Russians to "support" the long-time leader. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodins sentiment, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Officials In Moscow-Occupied Ukraine The Russian-installed heads of Ukrainian regions occupied by Moscow expressed support for President Vladimir Putin who faces an extraordinary mutiny from the Wagner group. "The Kherson region and the people of Kherson completely support our president!", the Russian-installed head of Ukraine's southern Kherson region said on Telegram. The Kremlin-appointed head of the part of the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by Moscow, Yevgeny Balitsky, said the territory was "with the president." Officials Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and the deputy secretary of the country's Security Council, has called for Russians to unite around Putin to "save" the country. "Division and betrayal is the path to the greatest tragedy, a universal catastrophe," Medvedev, who has been of Putin's most trusted allies for years and an ardent war supporter, wrote on Telegram. "We wont allow it," he added. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin's every word. We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman, Kadyrov said. The mutiny needs to be suppressed. Kadyrov, also announced Saturday that he had sent Chechen units to "zones of tension" in Russia, after Wagner mercenaries launched a mutiny in the country. "Defence ministry and National Guard fighters of the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension," Kadyrov said on Telegram. "The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!" Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced full support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phonecall to discuss the Wagner mercenary group's armed insurrection in Russia. "The president of Russia gave information about the situation in the country in connection with an attempted armed rebellion. The president of the republic of Turkey expressed full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership," the Kremlin said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: San Francisco, June 24 : Police in San Francisco, western US state of California, has said that officers have arrested a man suspected of shooting and killing a man in the city centre. The shooting took place near the Powell Street BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station around 9 p.m on Thursday. Officers who responded to reports of the shooting found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim, whose identity was not released, was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to police on Friday. Daveon Crawford, an 18-year-old man from the Californian capital of Sacramento, was arrested on suspicion of murder, Xinhua news agency reported. "Investigators developed probable cause to arrest Crawford for the shooting," police said in a statement. Beirut, June 24 : The EU has allocated 3.7 million euros ($4 million) to fund 2Circular, a project implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to support the green and circular economy in Lebanon. A statement released by UNIDO on Friday said that "the 2Circular project aims to partner with over 50 food and beverage companies to create momentum for green and circular production in Lebanon". According to the statement, the project will award a total of 280,000 euros in in-kind grants to 10 companies that are resource-efficient and circular-friendly, Xinhua news agency reported. The project was launched in partnership with Lebanese Ministries of Industry, Economy and Trade, Environment, and Finance, the Association of the Lebanese Industrialists, and the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture. Moscow, June 24 : General Director of Russia's Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev discussed the current nuclear safety situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) with the IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in Russia's Kaliningrad. During the discussion, both delegations addressed issues raised by Grossi at the UN Security Council briefing on May 30, in which the official discussed the security situation at the nuclear facility, Rosatom said on Friday in a statement. Likhachev emphasised that the Russian side "expects the IAEA Secretariat to take specific steps to prevent strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces both on the ZNPP and on the adjacent territory," it added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. He informed Grossi about the specific measures currently being taken by the Russian side to ensure the nuclear facility's safe operation, particularly its water supply "after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam was destroyed by the Ukrainian armed forces," Rosatom said. Both sides further discussed the outcomes of Grossi's visit to the plant on June 15. During his visit, Grossi was able to personally verify whether the plant could continue operating safely, and confirm among other things that the water supply in the cooling pond was sufficient for the safe operation of the facility. Washington, June 24 : In a direct appeal to the US business community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said "this is the moment" to invest in India as both the Indian and the US governments have done everything to prepare -- "plough" -- the ground for them to come, play, and thrive. The Prime Minister said on Friday that this was the clear message from the technology handshake event at the White House earlier in the day in which he and President Joe Biden met leading CEOs from the US and India, which included Google's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, OpenAI's Sam Alt (of ChatGPT fame), FMC Corporation's Mark Douglas on the American side, and Reliance's Mukesh Ambani and Mahindra's Anand Mahindra. The event sent a clear message to the companies, the businesses, the manufacturers, the innovators of both countries, and that message is: "This is the moment. This is the moment. The governments of India and America have done the groundwork for you all. You know, like you plough the field, we've done that. And whatever else is needed further we will keep doing it for you all. However, it is now your responsibility to wholeheartedly play, wholeheartedly thrive." "And the one that plays is the one that thrives," he added. Modi was addressing attendees at an event organised at the iconic Kennedy Centre here by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, an advocacy group promoting ties between the two countries. On the stage with Modi were Secretary of State Antony Blinken -- their second meeting after the US State Department lunch for the visiting leader -- and John Chambers, who is chairman of the USISPF and Chairman emeritus of Cisco. Modi pressed on with the hard sell, telling business leaders in the audience that they should not let go of this opportunity. "I assure you that you will find a better environment in India. The ease of doing business is a commitment of our government," he said to them. The Prime Minister presented India as a reliable and trusted economic power and player, detailing how it came to the aid of the world during the worst crisis faced by the world in a century -- the Covid-19 epidemic. "When the world needed medicines India enhanced its production and sent medicines to more than 150 countries," he said, and added, "When the world needed coronavirus vaccines, India increased its production and sent vaccines to more than 100 countries." In conclusion, Modi said, "I, once again, invite you all to move forward together in this development journey of India. And I had once said this in my speech from the Red Fort, and I said. That this is the time. And this is the right time." United Nations, June 24 : UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix headed to prepare in Bangladesh for the "Women in UN Peacekeeping" December ministerial meeting in Ghana, a UN spokesman said. The Dhaka conference is the first of four such meetings ahead of the two-day UN ministerial session in Accra, beginning December 5, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Friday. The Dhaka meeting concludes on June 26 (Monday). Haq added the preparatory session, co-hosted by Bangladesh, Canada, and Uruguay, is to hear representatives from troop and police contributing countries and UN peacekeeping experts discussing progress, challenges and good practices to promote women's meaningful participation in UN peacekeeping and to foster gender-responsive leadership, Xinhua news agency reported. He said that from Bangladesh, Under-Secretary-General Lacroix goes to Nepal and Bhutan for meetings on June 27-July 3 on the countries' support for UN peace operations, including within the framework of the peacekeeping ministerial conference on women. Johannesburg, June 24 : South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has said that political parties from the BRICS countries will meet next month to discuss how to strengthen the BRICS mechanism, economic recovery and conflict resolutions. The dialogue will be held in Johannesburg on July 18-20 to deliberate on issues of mutual interest, and it will be attended by party leaders and representatives of political parties across the world, the ANC said on Friday in a statement. "The 2023 BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue will deliberate on reforming and strengthening mechanisms for inclusive multilateralism, and resolving conflicts through dialogue and negotiations. They will discuss ways and means to strengthen BRICS, including the New Development Bank and alternate international payment systems and contribute to the establishment of criteria for BRICS expansion and just development relationships with Africa," the ANC added as quoted by Xinhua news agency reported. "It is envisaged that the BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue will result in focused discussions, and practical strategies and tactics developed for implementation. We must strengthen party to party and multi-party relations on our continent to turn consensus into concrete action," the ANC said. BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Sofia, June 24 : The Bulgarian government chose two candidates to fill the country's open slot for a European commissioner: Iliana Ivanova and Daniel Lorer, the government said in a statement. One of them should succeed Mariya Gabriel, who was the country's European commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth until May 15. She gave up this post to become the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the incoming Bulgarian government, the statement added on Friday. Lorer, currently a member of Bulgarian Parliament, was minister of innovation and growth from December 2021 to August 2022, while Ivanova is a member of the European Court of Auditors and a former member of the European Parliament, Xinhua news agency reported. "According to its internal rules, the European Commission (EC) will decide who of these candidates would fit in the best possible way in the current structure of the EC," the Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said. Brussels, June 24 : The EU Council has formally adopted the 11th package of sanctions it has imposed on Russia since the Ukrainian crisis broke out last year. The package includes measures aimed at countering the circumvention of sanctions, and adds 87 new entities to the list of those "directly supporting Russia's military and industrial complex". It imposes a full ban on trucks with Russian trailers and semi-trailers from transporting goods to the EU, and extends the ban on the export of luxury cars to all new and second-hand cars above a certain engine size, and all electric and hybrid vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported. The temporary derogation granted to Germany and Poland for the supply of crude oil from Russia through the northern section of the Druzhba oil pipeline will end, according to the Council on Friday. However, oil originating from Kazakhstan or another third country will be able to continue to transit through Russia and imported into the EU via the Druzhba oil pipeline, it added. In response, Moscow has expanded the list of EU representatives who are banned from entering Russia, reported Sputnik on Friday. The Russian news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying the EU's move was "illegitimate, undermining the international legal prerogatives of the UN Security Council". -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Mogadishu, June 24 : The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has said it has handed over the second military base to the Somali National Army (SNA) as part of its plan to withdraw 2,000 troops from the East African country. In the past fives, the Mirtiquo military base in the Hirshabelle state has been guarded by ATMIS Burundi National Defence Forces. "We are confident that the SNA will be able to carry out their security responsibilities in this area," ATMIS military staff officer for logistics Collins Musau said on Friday in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The Mirtiquo base is the second military base handed over to Somali forces after they took over the Haji-Ali military base in the same state earlier this week, Xinhua news agency reported. Hassan Ahmed Hassan, SNA commander for the Mirtiquo base, said his forces are ready to provide security in the area. "I want to thank ATMIS for this handover. We will provide and ensure the safety and security of the area," Hassan added. ATMIS is expected to withdraw 2,000 troops by the end of June and another 3,000 by September in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, which mandates ATMIS to hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces. Juba, June 24 : South Sudan has contributed $5 million to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN migration agency, to support the most vulnerable from Sudan for their livelihood to resettle. Kuol Daniel Ayulo, first undersecretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, said on Friday that the project will support the government's efforts to address the most urgent basic needs of returnees arriving from the crisis in Sudan and internally displaced people affected by floods and conflict through cash-based interventions. "We have an emergency situation that requires our intervention as a government, and to that, we have to look around to raise something that we can afford and support the IOM in response to the emergency situation," Daniel told journalists in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, during the signing of the memorandum of understanding. Muhammad Asar, head of Operation at IOM in South Sudan, said the project will provide ample cash to the returnees to make their choice to acquire what they want, Xinhua news agency reported. Asar said the conflict in Sudan has already affected South Sudan's economic outlook, particularly for northern states that rely heavily on imports from Sudan, leading to an increase in food prices and fuel costs and exacerbating protection risks, food insecurity, and negative coping mechanisms. Once a low-profile businessman who benefited from having President Vladimir Putin as a powerful patron, Yevgeny Prigozhin moved into the global spotlight with Russias war in Ukraine. As the leader of a mercenary force who depicts himself as fighting many of the Russian militarys toughest battles in Ukraine, the 62-year-old Prigozhin has now moved into his most dangerous role yet: preaching open rebellion against the leadership of the country's military. Prigozhin, owner of the Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, has escalated what have been months of scathing criticism of Russias conduct of the war by calling Friday for an armed uprising to oust the defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately, opening a criminal investigation and urging Prigozhins arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took Prigozhins threat, riot police and the National Guard scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. Prigozhin, a onetime felon, hot-dog vendor and longtime associate of Putin, urged Russians to join his march to justice. PutinS Chef Prigozhin and Putin go way back, with both born in Leningrad, what is now known as St. Petersburg. During the final years of the Soviet Union, Prigozhin served time in prison, 10 years by his own admission, although he does not say what it was for. Afterward, he owned a hot dog stand and then fancy restaurants that drew interest from Putin. In his first term, the Russian leader took then-French President Jacques Chirac to dine at one of them. Vladimir Putin saw how I built a business out of a kiosk, he saw that I dont mind serving to the esteemed guests because they were my guests, Prigozhin recalled in an interview published in 2011. His businesses expanded significantly to catering and providing school lunches. In 2010, Putin helped open Prigozhins factory that was built on generous loans by a state bank. In Moscow alone, his company Concord won millions of dollars in contracts to provide meals at public schools. He also organized catering for Kremlin events for several years, earning him the nickname Putins chef, and has provided catering and utility services to the Russian military. In 2017, opposition figure and corruption fighter Alexei Navalny accused Prigozhins companies of breaking antitrust laws by bidding for some $387 million in Defense Ministry contracts. Military Connection Prigozhin also owns the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-allied mercenary force that has come to play a central role in Putins projection of Russian influence in trouble spots around the world. The United States, European Union, United Nations and others say the mercenary force has involved itself in conflicts in countries across Africa in particular. Wagner fighters allegedly provide security for national leaders or warlords in exchange for lucrative payments, often including a share of gold or other natural resources. US officials say Russia may also be using Wagners work in Africa to support its war in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Prigozhins mercenaries have become a major force in the war, fighting as counterparts to the Russian army in battles with Ukrainian forces. That includes Wagner fighters taking Bakhmut, the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. By last month, Wagner Group and Russian forces appeared to have largely won Bakhmut, a victory with strategically slight importance for Russia despite the cost in lives. The US estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut. His soldiers-for-hire included inmates recruited from Russias prisons. What Is The Group's Reputation? Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner Group mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Some of the reported incidents stood out in their grisly brutality. In November 2022, a video surfaced online that showed a former Wagner contractor getting beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and a stream of demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye to it. Raging Against Russia's Generals As his forces fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin raged against Russias military brass. In a video released by his team last month, Prigozhin stood next to rows bodies he said were those of Wagner fighters. He accused Russias regular military of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin said then. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Criticizing The Brass Prigozhin has castigated the top military brass, accusing top-ranking officers of incompetence. His remarks were unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. Earlier this month, Putin reaffirmed his trust in the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, by putting him in direct charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size. Prigozhin somewhat toned down his harangues against the military leadership after that, but remained defiant. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. A Bad Actor' In The US Prigozhin earlier gained more limited attention in the US, when he and a dozen other Russian nationals and three Russian companies were charged in the US with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 election victory. They were indicted as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election interference. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Prigozhin and associates repeatedly in connection with both his alleged election interference and his leadership of the Wagner Group. After the 2018 indictment, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Prigozhin as saying, in a clearly sarcastic remark: Americans are very impressionable people; they see what they want to see. I treat them with great respect. Im not at all upset that Im on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them see him. The Biden White House in that episode called him a known bad actor, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said Prigozhins bold confession, if anything, appears to be just a manifestation of the impunity that crooks and cronies enjoy under President Putin and the Kremlin. Avoiding Challenges To Putin As Prigozhin grew more outspoken against the way Russias conventional military conducted fighting in Ukraine, he continued to play a seemingly indispensable role for the Russian offensive, and appeared to suffer no retaliation from Putin for his criticism of Putins generals. Media reports at times suggested Prigozhins influence on Putin was growing and he was after a prominent political post. But analysts warned against overestimating his influence with Putin. Hes not one of Putins close figures or a confidant, said Mark Galeotti of University College, London, who specializes in Russian security affairs, speaking on his podcast In Moscows Shadows. Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants and does very well for himself in the process. But thats the thing, he is part of the staff rather than part of the family, Galeotti said. Search Keywords: Short link: Chennai, June 24 : A fire due to a short circuit engulfed around 50 shops in the Banyan street of Tiruppur, the textile capital of South India. The fire has been doused by early Saturday morning after many shops have been gutted leading to huge losses. However, there was no deaths or injuries in the fire as nearly all shops were shut down for the day. Many international brands of repute are made at Tiruppur. The annual turnover of the Tiruppur textile industry is around Rs 50,000 crore. Sources in the industry told IANS that the fire has gutted around 50 shops and losses are estimated to be more than thousands of crore. A business man in Tiruppur told IANS, "The industry is already reeling under several issues, including lack of orders in Europe due to the Ukraine-Russia war, shortage of raw materials and other issues. This loss will compound the losses of the already struggling industry." He also said that the exact losses will be assessed soon. Washington, June 24 : While ending his four-day US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is an astute politician, left behind a gift for his host, President Joe Biden: a resounding endorsement. "Over the last three days, we have been together continuously," Modi said on Friday in his address to a packed auditorium of Indian-Americans who had travelled from all over the US. Modi was at the White House for a private dinner on Wednesday, the day he arrived here from New York, and the whole of next morning, starting with a ceremonial reception, which was followed by bilateral talks and a new conference where they both took questions from reporters. "We have had frank discussions over a whole host of issues, and I say this from experience that he is a 'suljhe hue anubhavi neta'," Modi said using a colloquial Hindi phrase that roughly translates to "he is a wise and experienced leader". The comment was greeted with loud applause. "Bharat, American partnership ko ek nai uchai per le janey wale, wyaktigat roop se, unka bahut prayas raha hai aur mein, sarwajank roop se, unke in prayason ki sarahan karta hoon," the Prime Minister pressed on in Hindi about his personal impression of the US President based on their many meetings in private and public over the past few days. That would translate roughly to: "He (President Biden) has been personally responsible for driving the India-US relationship to new heights and I publicly commend him for his efforts." The Prime Minister is very popular in the Indian American community and he has sought to cultivate this constituency as a pillar of the broader relationship between the two countries. But he has also used it to weigh in in presidential elections. Prime Minister Modi had sought a second term for former President Donald Trump at a joint appearance in a rally of Indian-Americans in Houston in 2019, called the "Howdy Mody" event. It didn't help. Trump lost. There are an estimated 4.5 million people in the US of Indian descent. They include this reporter, who has lived in the US for 13 years but remains an Indian citizen. Less than a quarter of these Indian-Americans vote, but many of them donate heavily to their political party of choice, which has been the Democratic party traditionally. But polls show some Indian Americans are gravitating towards the Republican party, although their numbers remain statistically insignificant. Close to 70 per cent of Indian-Americans identify themselves as either Democratic or leaning-Democratic, according to polls. And Biden has the support of most Indian-Americans, both donors and voters. But the Prime Minister's endorsement of the US president, who is seeking a second term, could stanch the flow of Indian-Americans to the Republican Party, no matter who is the presidential nominee. Modi is popular in the India- American community but there is no evidence he can influence their voting. He openly rooted for Trump in the 2020 election and he lost -- Indian Americans voted mostly for Biden, wherever they were. Indian-American voters have acquired outsized importance in presidential elections lately, specially in the swing states that are often decided by margins of thousand or less -- such as Michigan and Wisconsin. But there is no evidence that they look to India for guidance. Washington, June 24 : Former US Vice President Mike Pence, who has declared his bid for the 2024 presidential election, challenged his Republican Party rivals to support a 15-week national abortion ban. Addressing the Faith & Freedom Coalition's annual conference in Washington D.C. on Friday, Pence said: "Let me say from my heart -- the cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the centre of American law in every state in this country." The former Vice President, who has long made his evangelical faith central to his political identity, is one of the few Republican candidates to have spoken unequivocally about his support for such a ban, the BBC reported. He further told the gathering that every Republican candidate for President should support 15 weeks "as a minimum nationwide standard" on abortion. After the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the country last June, anti-abortion groups are trying to make a federal ban a key 2024 election issue. Opinion polls have suggested that a majority of Americans back some form of legal abortion access, though public support for the procedure being legal drops notably by the end of the second trimester of a pregnancy. Some Republican candidates are however, wary of backing a 15-week pledge. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is expected to make abortion a central issue in his re-election campaign. About 25 million women of child-bearing age live in a state with restricted or non-existent abortion services since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last June. Sensing the political risks, many Republican presidential candidates have skirted the issue of abortion bans. Former President Donald Trump, whose conservative appointments to the Supreme Court paved the way for the US right to abortion being overturned, has backed away from endorsing a specific national ban, the BBC reported. Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has called a federal ban impossible. Meanwhile, voters are also split on the issue. A February PRRI poll suggested that 44 per cent of Americans would support a 15-week ban on abortion, while 52 per cent opposed such a law. A federal abortion ban would also have to pass both chambers of Congress and Republican efforts to pass such a law have failed in the past. Moscow, June 24 : The Kremlin has ordered the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group, after Russian intelligence accused him of calling for an "armed rebellion". Late Friday night, the Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner mercenaries to "stop the columns" and detain their leader after the latter vowed retaliation over the Russian military allegedly killing a "huge amount" of Wagner fighters during a strike on a camp earlier in the day, reports CNN. Russian state TV also interrupted programming Friday night to report a Defence Ministry statement claiming Prigozhin's comments "did not correspond to reality" and demanded him to halt "illegal actions". In the wake of the developments, security has been stepped up around Moscow and in the city of Rostov near southeast Ukraine, according to state media reports. Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin claimed that his forces crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine, but did not give any proof to back his allegation, reports the BBC. "Many dozens, tens of thousands of lives, of Russian soldiers will be punished. I ask that nobody put up any resistance." He also said the "evil" in the Russian military leadership must be stopped and vowed to "march for justice", but the Wagner chief clarified that he was not attempting a military coup According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation and is receiving "constant" updates. Since Russia launched its ongoing war against Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a power struggle between Prigozhin and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, media reports say. Their battle initially centred around Bakhmut -- while the regular Russian army struggled elsewhere, the Wagner group managed to make gains. Prigozhin used his forces' success as an opportunity to build his own profile and criticise the troops under Shoigu, reports the BBC. He accused the Defence Ministry of denying his mercenaries ammunition, even threatening to pull out. And when victories occurred, both sides tried to take credit. Prigozhin has however, always avoided criticising President Putin. In the hours before the alleged attack on the Wagner camp, he posted more inflammatory comments on social media, accusing the Defence Ministry of deceiving Putin about the threat posed by Ukraine ahead of his February 2022 invasion, reports CNN. He also questioned Russian motives for the war. New York, June 24 : Indian-American candidates Suhas Subramanyam and Kannan Srinivasan have won the Democratic primaries for house of delegates in Virginia. Subramanyam, who had announced his bid for Virginia's newly-drawn 32nd Senate District in March, defeated former state delegate and dentist Ibraheem Samirah by a narrow margin. According to preliminary results from the Virginia Department of Elections, Subramanyam had 73.6 per cent of the vote in the primaries held on June 20. "Thank you to every single volunteer, team member, and voter for yesterday's victory. We truly could not have done this work, or delivered this win, without each and every one of you," Subramanyam said in a statement shared on Twitter. He will succeed Senator John Bell, who announced he will not be in the race for Senate again. A resident of Loudoun County, Subramanyam became the first Indian-American and South Asian to ever be elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019. A technology and regulatory attorney, Subramanyam served as a White House advisor to former President Barack Obama in 2015, where he led a task force on technology policy that addressed job creation, IT modernisation, and regulating emerging technology. Srinivasan defeated fellow Indian-American Sirisha Kompalli to grab the 26th District of the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes several Loudoun communities, including Brambleton, Stone Ridge and South Riding. "Thank you to our amazing team and volunteers and everyone who gave your time and talents. Your work made this possible. And thank you to the voters of District 26 for putting your faith in me. It's an honor to be your Democratic nominee," Srinivasan tweeted after his victory. A Loudoun resident for almost 25 years, Srinivasan immigrated from India in 1993, according to his campaign. He serves as vice chair of the Virginia State Medicaid Board, and has helped to expand Medicaid to cover more than two million Virginians. Washington, June 24 : Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced the company will open its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat. After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday during his three-day state visit to the US, Pichai made the announcement, saying that the company will continue to invest in India through its $10 billion digitisation fund. In 2020, Google had announced to invest a whopping $10 billion in the country through its India Digitisation Fund over the next five to seven years. "Today we are announcing the opening of our global fintech operations centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. It will cement India's fintech leadership, thanks to UPI, and Aadhaar. We are going to build on that foundation and take it globally," Pichai said. He said Prime Minister Modi's vision for Digital India was ahead of its time and "I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do so". The Ministry of External Affairs said in a tweet that Modi interacted with Pichai and "discussed measures like artificial intelligence, fintech and promoting research and development". They also discussed collaboration between Google and academic institutions in India to promote research and development, and skill development. In December last year, Pichai visited India and pledged support for India's G20 Presidency. "Look forward to continuing our strong partnership and supporting India's G20 Presidency to advance an open, connected internet that works for all," Pichai had tweeted after meeting Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Praising the government's Digital India initiative, Pichai said that he is "excited for India to share its experience with the world as it takes over the G20 Presidency in 2023". He added that the pace of technological change in India is "extraordinary" and there are several opportunities ahead. Seoul, June 24 : Food prices in North Korea have increase to higher than the pre-pandemic levels, suggesting supply shortages, a US website monitoring the country has said. The report by 38 North released on Friday added to recent concerns of food shortages in the reclusive country, which has faced economic hardship from sanctions and self-imposed Covid-19 border restrictions, Yonhap News Agency reported on Saturday. "The overall picture suggests that market prices, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resulting border closure by the North Korean government, have moved to a consistently higher level, which indicates that the country's overall food supply is lower," the report read. It found that prices for rice and corn in the country began to increase in October 2020 after it closed its borders in January that year to prevent the spread of Covid-19, citing price data gathered by Rimjingang, an online news outlet with sources inside North Korea. "None of this is evidence of widespread famine in North Korea," the report read. "Nevertheless, the fact that the country is experiencing a significant food shortage seems beyond doubt." New Delhi, June 24 : The Congress on Saturday once again questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Manipur violence accusing the BJP-led Centre of failing the people of the state miserably. Taking to Twitter, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "52 days after Manipur started burning the Home Minister has finally seen it fit to call an all-party meeting on Manipur at 3 p.m. today. This meeting should actually have been chaired by the PM who has kept silent all this while. It should have been held in Imphal as a demonstration of national anguish. The BJP has failed the people of Manipur miserably. "Even so the man who brought Manipur back on the path of peace and development as Chief Minister for three terms between 2002 and 2017 Okram Ibobi Singhji will represent the Congress at HM's meeting. He should be listened to in all seriousness given his vast experience and deep knowledge." His remarks came ahead of the all-party meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the situation in Manipur on Saturday. The Congress has been questioning the Prime Minister silence's over the ethnic violence that has so far killed 120 people, injured over 400 others and displace some 50,650 men, women and children since it first broke out on May 3 Chennai, June 24 : The Tamil Nadu forest department has issued an order to tranqulise, capture and treat an injured wild elephant, nicknamed 'Bahubali'. The order was issued on Friday after camera traps in the forest on the previous day detected that the tusker was injured on the lower jaw has been bleeding. Forest officials told IANS that the elephant which used to frequent villages in Mettuaplayam area of Coimbatore never created problems for the local people. Department sources told IANS that the probable cause of the injury was after the elephant accidentally bit a crude bomb that was kept by poachers for hunting wild animals. The Department also suspects the tusker might have also sustained the injury during a fight with other wild animals. The forest officials further told IANS that all arrangements were in place in Mettupalayam to treat the animal. Department veterinarians -- A. Sukumar, Rajesh Kumar, E. Vijayaraghavan -- will be in charge of tranquilising, capturing and treating the animal. Two kumki elephants from the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve will also be deployed in the area. Washington, June 24 : E-commerce giant Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on Saturday said that the company is committed to invest $26 billion in India by 2030. Amazon has invested about $11 billion in India so far and has plans to invest $15 billion more by 2030. "Productive meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi. Discussed Amazon's commitment to invest $26 billion in India by 2030," Jassy tweeted after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. "Working together, we will support startups, create jobs, enable exports, and empower individuals and small businesses to compete globally," the Amazon CEO added. India is a key market for Amazon, where it has invested over $6.5 billion in e-commerce in the last decade. In May this year, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Cloud arm of e-commerce giant Amazon, announced plans to invest Rs 1,05,600 crore ($12.7 billion) into cloud infrastructure in India by 2030 to meet growing customer demand for cloud services in the country. This investment is estimated to contribute Rs 1,94,700 crore ($23.3 billion) to India's total gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. Productive meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi. Discussed Amazons commitment to invest $26B in India by 2030; working together we will support startups, create jobs, enable exports, and empower individuals and small businesses to compete globally. pic.twitter.com/yEgy0TVqpK Andy Jassy (@ajassy) June 23, 2023 The fresh investment followed AWS's investment of Rs 30,900 crore ($3.7 billion) between 2016-2022, which will bring AWS's total investment in India to Rs 1,36,500 crore ($16.4 billion) by 2030. AWS has two data centre infrastructure regions in India -- the AWS Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region, launched in 2016, and the AWS Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) Region, launched in November 2022. -- Syndicated from IANS Rebel mercenaries advanced north towards Moscow after seizing a key military base Saturday, just as Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's vowed to defeat the revolt and head off the threat of civil war. The rapidly escalating events mark the most serious challenge yet to the Russian president's rule -- and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman came to power in late 1999. Putin's spokesman insisted the Russian leader was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow, as regular forces launched a "counter-terrorist operation" to halt the rebel advance in the Voronezh region, on the Wagner force's route to the capital. The governor of the Lipetsk region, whose capital is just 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Moscow, said Wagner's private military force was "moving across" the territory and urged civilians not to leave their homes. Ukrainian leaders, meanwhile, revelled in the outbreak of in-fighting among its Russian foes, with a deputy defence minister describing it as a "window of opportunity" for Kyiv's latest counteroffensive to rid its territory of Russian forces. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, and vowed to topple Moscow's top military leaders. "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the HQ building," he said, in an audio message on social media channels, claiming that local civilians had welcomed the operation. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," he said, claiming his men had not killed any soldiers despite having been hit with strikes from army "artillery and after that from helicopters". Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin -- whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine -- of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. 'Harsh measures' "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity. "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who built his powerbase as a catering contractor to the Kremlin and now runs a private military force. "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," Putin vowed. The FSB security service accused Prigozhin of attempting to launch a "civil conflict" and urged Wagner fighters to detain him. Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion. "Defence ministry and National Guard fighters of the Chechen Republic have already left for the zones of tension," Kadyrov said on Telegram. "The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!" Belarus also backed Moscow in the conflict. "Any provocation, any internal conflict in military or political circles, in the information field or in civil society is a gift to the collective West," the Belarusian foreign ministry said. Latvia announced that it was tightening security on its Russian border and would not admit refugees fleeing the chaos. Inside Ukraine, emergency services said that three people were killed and nearly a dozen injured in Kyiv after what authorities said was an overnight barrage of 40 Russian cruise missiles and at least two attack drones. 'Civil conflict' After Putin's speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin said. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." Russia's headquarters in Rostov-on-Don is a key logistical base for its offensive in Ukraine. Watching events unfold in Russia as his own forces conduct a slow-moving counteroffensive, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the revolt showed Russia's was failing. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," he said. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious, that Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos." Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks could be seen in the city centre. As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. Missile strikes While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. The Russian defence ministry warned that Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the eastern hotspot of Bakhmut. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the defence ministry leadership. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address. Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner chief's attempt to force a leadership change in the defence ministry "is unlikely to succeed" given that Surovikin had denounced his call for rebellion. However, it said Wagner's apparent capture of Rostov-on-Don "would have significant impacts on Russia's war effort in Ukraine". Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi, June 24 : The partnership between the US and India to enable development and deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in developing countries will provide India with an opportunity to solidify its position as a global digital innovation hub, setting an exemplary model for other nations to follow, Nasscom has said. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi intend to work together to provide global leadership for the implementation of DPI to promote inclusive development, competitive markets, and protect individual rights. "The partnership focuses on fostering open and inclusive digital economies through the development and deployment of DPIs in developing countries, leveraging India's successful implementation," Nasscom said in a statement. The US and India will explore how to partner together and align efforts to advance the development and deployment of robust DPIs, including appropriate safeguards to protect privacy, data security and intellectual property. The Indian IT industry's apex body said that both the countries will work towards responsible AI, aiming to advance AI education, foster commercial opportunities, and address concerns related to discrimination and bias. Nasscom has been working closely with the entire ecosystem to leverage and propel AI-led technological advancements, driving innovation and growth across sectors. "With its abundance of highly skilled professionals, thriving startup ecosystem, and forward-looking mindset, India has become a frontrunner in AI advancements," it said. Nasscom's extensive guidelines on responsible use of generative AI exemplify India's commitment to promoting ethical and responsible practices in the field of AI, setting a global benchmark while continuing to drive innovation. Thiruvananthapuram, June 24 : Arrest of veteran Congress leader and party State president K.Sudhakaran is being seen as nothing but a fall out of a more than five-decade-long political rivalry between him and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The day Kannur Lok Sabha member Sudhakaran took over as the new president of the Congress in the state two years ago, those privy to the development from the start could guess that with Vijayan at the helm of the government, it would be a period of unending clashes. So far, neither of them has disappointed and the arrest of Sudhakaran, after seven hours of questioning by the Crime Branch police, seems to be the beginning of yet another intense battle. The arrest was in connection with a cheating case involving now-jailed fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. Sensing that Vijayan will play "dirty", Sudhakaran, early this week approached the Kerala High Court with an anticipatory bail plea, which was granted. The court further added that if the Congress leader is arrested, he should be released on a surety bond of Rs 50,000. As the news of their leader's arrest spread, angry Congress workers took to the streets across the state and burnt Vijayan in effigy. With the party's national leadership condemning the "desperate" attempt by Vijayan's police to arrest Sudhakaran, more protests are likely across the state on Saturday. "The government and the party must remember that Congress cannot be intimidated by such blatant attempts to misuse law enforcement agencies to target opposition leaders. We will continue to ask tough questions and keep your corrupt government on its toes on a daily basis. "Sudhakaran and the party he leads with conviction will only get stronger and come down heavily on you without wasting a moment. Wait for the setbacks that await you in peoples' court. "Pinarayi stands exposed by copying Modi's autocratic and undemocratic tactics and single-window corruption, he and his party proved that they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country," read the party's reaction from Delhi. Vijayan's resolve not to give any leverage to Sudhakaran, came hours after the Patna meeting of Opposition parties to contest the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Strangely though not surprisingly, the meeting was attended by the top national leadership of both the Congress and the CPI(M). Kolkata, June 24 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will, on Monday, kick-start her full-scale campaign for the July 8 panchayat elections in the state. As per the schedule, the chief minister will start her campaign programme from Cooch Behar district in North Bengal with a public rally. Party sources said that she will be reaching Cooch Behar on Sunday night only. A senior party leader said that after Cooch Behar, the chief minister is also likely to address a similar rally at Alipurduar district, the details of which are yet to be finalised. "Recently, a meeting of the party's top leadership was conducted at the chief ministers' residence to finalise the campaign strategy for the rural civic body polls. There the chief minister clearly directed all the top leaders to take the polls with equal seriousness like Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and hence take part in the campaign process with equal seriousness. "So going by the proverb 'practice what you preach' the chief minister is herself participating in the campaign process this time," said a senior party leader who did not wish to be named. According to political observers, the chief minister's campaign kick-off from North Bengal is an indication of the importance that the ruling party leadership is stressing on the region considering that in 2019 Lok Sabha polls not a single constituency in the region came to the kitty of Trinamool Congress. In fact, the party national general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee too started his recently concluded mass-outreach programme from Cooch Behar district only. Even in the 2021 West Bengal polls, BJP's performance from the constituencies in North Bengal was extraordinarily better than the other pockets in the state. In fact, a section of the senior Trinamool Congress leadership has also admitted in private that the results of the panchayat elections in the rural civic body polls will be an indication of how the trend will be in the big battle of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Bhopal, June 24 : To sink differences and develop bonhomie among the party workers, the BJP has started 'tiffin diplomacy in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. Taking cue from BJP national president J. P. Nadda who held a "tiffin meeting" with party workers in Noida recently, Madhya Pradesh BJP unit head V. D. Sharma recently held "tiffin diplomacy" in his Lok Sabha constituency Khajuraho and has decided to take the concept among block and booth level party workers. "BJP president J. P. Nadda has kick-started it in Noida, and I have also done it in Khajuraho. The concept is very fruitful and now I have decided to make it a statewide campaign in Madhya Pradesh. Party workers will carry their tiffin and will share food during the meeting. We have planed to involve local citizens also to create a friendly environment," Sharma told IANS. Using the concept of "tiffin diplomacy" is also need of hour for the BJP at a time when the assembly elections are five months away and dissidence within its cadre has gone wider in the last few years. In the past few months, many stances were witnessed when the BJP's district, block and booth level workers have expressed their disappointment on various grounds. In some places, differences between workers and party's senior leaders have widened to such an extent that state leadership has to take some concrete steps to control the situation. In one such step, around a dozen BJP leaders were tasked to visit local workers and prepare a list of party's workers properly mentioning reason behind their differences with their seniors. Replying to growing dissidence in the state BJP unit, Sharma said, "Differences are of ideas and not against the party. We need to hear them all and convince that their role is equally important. Therefore, I have decided to take this tiffin concept to all 230 assembly seats in coming days and believe that people will also support it." (Praveen Dwivedi can be contacted at praveen.d@ians.in) New Delhi, June 24 : A 20-year-old youth was stabbed by his neighbour following a quarrel in Delhi's Brijpuri area, a police official said. According to the official, Rahul and his cousin Sonu (19), both residents of D-Block in Brijpuri, went to have ice cream after dinner near Shibban School at around 10 p.m. on Friday night. "One Mohd Zaid (20), also a resident of the same locality, started an argument with Rahul over a petty issue. Zaid stabbed Rahul in the lower abdomen portion, while Sonu also sustained injuries on his arms," said the official, adding a case has been registered at Dayalpur police station. "A manhunt is underway to nab Zaid, who is currently absconding." Mumbai, June 24 : Actress Rhea Chakraborty, who serves as the Gang Leader on the youth adventure reality show 'MTV Roadies - Karm ya Kaand', has spoken up on the tough times she faced in life when she was labelled by people. In the upcoming episode of 'MTV Roadies - Karm ya Kaand', Rhea will be seen sympathising with contestant Shuly Nada during the auditions over the subject of body positivity. Rhea will be seen recalling her experience where she chose to rise above and combat all the hatred, rather than succumb to it. She will mention: "A lot of people will say a lot of things. I have been labelled with many names, and many things have been said about me. But will I accept those labels? Kya main unke wajah se apne life me rukungi? Bilkul bhi nahi. Let them go. Kaun hai woh? (Will that stop me from living the life I want, certainly not. Let them go. Who are those people to comment on me?)" The upcoming episode will see Shuly Nadar, a gifted calisthenics athlete, sharing her traumatic experience of an abusive boyfriend and various discriminatory labels she fought owing to her skin colour. Her story will leave all the gang leaders emotional. Gang Leader Rhea will be seen sympathising with her strongly and saying: "Nothing is wrong with your colour, you are absolutely beautiful and strong. You deserve the best in life and jo bhi aapke sath hua, woh aapki galti nahi hai, unki galti hai." 'MTV Roadies - Karm ya Kaand' airs Saturday and Sunday on MTV India and Jio Cinema. Kolkata, June 24 : Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took a jibe at the top leadership of CPI(M) and Congress over the grand opposition alliance meeting at Patna by asking are they not fooling their party workers?. The Friday meeting in Patna was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. Taking to Twitter, the leader of the Opposition questioned whether the Congress and CPI(M) leadership were fooling their grassroots level workers who are facing the onslaughts by the ruling Trinamool Congress at the ground level in West Bengal. "Poor Congress & CPI(M) workers are giving their blood & sweat on the ground, while their Top Leaders are doing SETTING in Patna. Who is fooling them, their State Leaders or their High Command?" Adhikari asked. Questioning whether CPI(M) and Congress are playing a friendly match against Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Adhikari has also claimed that this proves that BJP is the only party who is sincere in its opposition to Trinamool Congress in the state. "Hence proved, BJP is the only party in WB who is fighting the corrupt Trinamool tooth & nail," his Twitter message read. He also questioned the friendship between Congress and CPI (M) in a situation when the two parties are opponents in West Bengal. Political observers too feel that whatever might be said and heard at the Patna meeting, the possibilities of Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Congress coming together on the same platform in West Bengal is virtually impossible. Political observers pointed out that be it Mamata Banerjee or the state Congress president in West Bengal Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, both have ruled out mutual support between Congress and Trinamool Congress at least in West Bengal perspective for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Guwahati, June 24 : With at least 19 districts still affected, the flood situation in Assam continued to remain critical on Saturday. According to the latest report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), a total of 4,88,525 persons across 1,538 villages and two urban areas are affected. On Friday, a person died in Nalbari district in a flood-related incident. Nikhilesh Malla Bujorbaruah was reported missing after he accidentally fell into floodwaters near his house. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) later recovered his body. This was the second fatality in the state from this year's first spell of floods. The first deaths was reported on Thursday in Tamulpur district. State government officials said that the victims' families will receive compensation under the Ex-gratia scheme. The 19 flood-affected districts are Bajali, Chirang, Darrang, Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Udalguri, according to the ASDMA. Bajali district remains the worst hit by the floods with 267,253 affected people, followed in the second place by Barpeta (73,233). At least 35,142 flood-affected people have taken shelter in 225 relief camps operated by the state administration across 14 districts. The highest number of camps were opened in Bajali where 15,841 people have taken shelter in 73 relief camps. According to a senior official of the state government, the district administrators have been providing necessary food, medicine, and other essentials to the flood-affected people. SDRF and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been placed on high alert in all the flood-prone districts. Meanwhile, over 10,782 hectares of cropland are submerged by the flood water which may result in the damage of large amounts of agricultural products, according to the farmers. Apart from humans, 427,474 animals have also been affected. According to ASDMA data, more than 200 animals, domestic and wild, have been washed away. Erosions and damage to important infrastructures like bridges, schools, and houses were reported from several districts. At least 14 river embankments have suffered damage in three districts. Other infrastructure damages were reported in 213 areas in 14 districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted 'heavy rainfall' and issued a 'Yellow Alert' till Sunday. The Brahmaputra, Manas, Puthimari and Pagladiya rivers are all flowing above the danger level. Due to the torrential rain, urban floods were reported in Kokrajhar and Darang districts. New Delhi, June 24 : Indian security researchers on Saturday said they have detected a new wave of cyber attacks orchestrated by a notorious Pakistan-based group against the Indian Army and the education sector. Transparent Tribe, a persistent threat group that originated in 2013 in Pakistan, has been targeting Indian government and military entities, according to the report by Seqrite, the enterprise arm of Pune-based Quick Heal Technologies. The Pakistan-based group (dubbed as APT36) is using a malicious file titled "Revision of Officers posting policy" to lure the Indian Army into compromising their systems. The file is disguised as a legitimate document, but it contains embedded malware designed to exploit vulnerabilities, the team noted. Furthermore, the cyber-security team has also observed an alarming increase in the targeting of the education sector by the same threat actor. Since May 2022, Transparent Tribe has been focusing on infiltrating prestigious educational institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and business schools. These attacks intensified in the first quarter of 2023, reaching their peak in February. "The subdivision of the Transparent Tribe, known as SideCopy, has also been identified targeting an Indian defence Organisation. Their modus operandi involves testing a domain hosting malicious file, potentially to serve as a phishing page," said the researchers. This sophisticated tactic aims to deceive unsuspecting victims into divulging sensitive information. APT36 has cleverly utilised malicious PPAM files masquerading as "Officers posting policy revised final". A PPAM file is an add-in file used by Microsoft PowerPoint. "These files exploit macro-enabled PowerPoint add-ons (PPAM) to conceal archive files as OLE objects, effectively camouflaging the presence of malware," said the report. Seqrite recommended some preventive measures such as exercising caution while opening email attachments or downloading files, especially if they are unsolicited or from untrusted sources. "Regularly update security software, operating systems, and applications to protect against known vulnerabilities. It is also important to implement robust email filtering and web security solutions to detect and block malicious content," the team advised. New York, June 24 : New declassified intelligence report by the US government on the origins of Covid-19 has not confirmed whether the pandemic, which has infected over 768 million people and claimed more than 6.9 million deaths globally, was the result of a lab leak or the virus jumped into people from an infected animal. More than two years after the pandemic, the origins of Covid-19 remain unclear. It has been the subject of a political and scientific debate with scientists and politicians globally contending that the source of the coronavirus was exposure to an infected animal or an event at a laboratory. "All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection," said the long-anticipated declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, released Friday evening. In May 2021, President Joe Biden instructed US intelligence agencies to examine the virus's origins, based partly on their own classified sources of information, including about the Chinese government's response to the outbreak. In the previous such report, the intelligence did not reach consensus, though most of them tended to favour the natural origins scenario. The new report adds little to those earlier assessments. In the new report the National Intelligence Council and four other unnamed agencies said that the initial human infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, most likely was caused by natural exposure to an infected animal that carried the virus or a close progenitor, a virus that probably would be more than 99 per cent similar to SARSCoV-2. On the contrary, the Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assess that a laboratory-associated incident was the most likely cause of the first human infection with SARS-CoV-2, although for different reasons. The Central Intelligence Agency and another unnamed agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the Covid pandemic, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting. Importantly, almost all intelligence agencies "assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not genetically engineered", the report said. "Most agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not laboratory-adapted; some are unable to make a determination. All intelligence community agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not developed as a biological weapon," it added. Meanwhile, the report said the intelligence agencies found that "some of the research conducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA; China's military) and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) included work with several viruses, including coronaviruses, but no known viruses that could plausibly be a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2". While acknowledging the research conducted at the lab, including on animal sampling and genetic analysis, "We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARS-CoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the Covid pandemic," the report said. Washington will stay "in close coordination" with its Group of Seven allies amid the unfolding crisis in Russia, where Wagner mercenaries launched a mutiny, officials said Saturday. "The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop," State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, adding that support for Ukraine "will not change." The Wagner group chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, released a series of messages from late Friday into Saturday, claiming that he and his mercenary troops had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and taken control of its military sites. Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin, whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. The revolt by the Wagner mercenary group is considered the most serious challenge yet to shake the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman Putin came to power in late 1999. After Putins address, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Search Keywords: Short link: Bengaluru, June 24 : Former Chief Minister and Congress MLC Jagadish Shettar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Centre for denying sale of rice through the Food Corporation India (FCI) to Karnataka. "It's an unpardonable crime," Shettar charged. He was speaking to reporters over denial of sale of rice or additional supply to the state towards implementing Anna Bhagya scheme which intends to provide 10 kilograms of rice to all members of BPL families. "Denial of sale of rice to Karnataka is not a good conduct by the central government," he attacked. Firstly, they promised to provide rice but now they are denying it for political reasons. The central government should provide additional rice to the state, Shettar stated. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is convening a meeting to discuss the issue against the backdrop of the central government denying the supply of rice to the state. The meeting will be attended by minister of Food and Civil Supplies K.H. Muniyappa, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma and top officers of the Food department. The meeting is scheduled in the afternoon and it will discuss the alternative arrangements. Sources in the Congress said that after the launch of the free travel scheme, the image of the party and the government is steadily growing. If the 10 kilograms of free rice scheme to all members of BPL cardholders is launched, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government will take tremendous goodwill. The development would be detrimental to the BJP, which wants to make a comeback in the state strongly during the Lok Sabha elections. Islamabad, June 24 : In an aggressive response to a joint statement issued by India and the US earlier this week, Pakistan has termed it as "unwarranted, one-sided and misleading" and also called on President Joe Biden's administration to check facts. The Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad maintained that Pakistan-specific reference made in the joint statement was contrary to diplomatic norms and carried political overtones. "We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the joint statement issued on June 22, as unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The reference is contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones. We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan's close counterterrorism cooperation with the US," FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. She also reminded the Biden administration about the sacrifices it has rendered in the ongoing fight against terrorism and how it as gained global and international recognition for its efforts. "The international community has time and again recognized Pakistan's efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. It has long concluded that terrorism can be defeated through concerted and cooperative actions. Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the joint statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism. "The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations," the spokeswoman added. Pakistan also took the opportunity to re-state its anti-India narrative, calling the Modi government "a state-sponsor of terrorism". "In addition to being a state-sponsor of terrorism, India habitually uses terrorism bogey to deflect attention from its brutal repression of Kashmiri people... and maltreatment of its minorities. It is thus completely ill-placed to caste any aspersions on Pakistan and its fight against terrorism," said the the FO statement. Pakistan also raised its serious reservations over the transfer of advanced military technologies to India by the US, terming such steps as a promotion of military imbalance in the region and undermining of strategic stability. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also lashed out at the joint statement, calling on President Biden to take into account facts before issuing any stance on Pakistan. "Pakistan has lost countless lives and has been continuously at war with terrorism for decades now, owing to failed American interventions in the region... The US-India joint statement was a basis of dishonour for the nation," he said. New Delhi, June 24 : Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US, discussed several key topics with him and one important subject was how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help improve the lives of Indians. Prime Minister Modi met Nadella and other key leaders at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, along with a delegation of officials from India. "While these conversations were private, one important topic was the power of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), to help improve the lives of Indians," Microsoft said in a statement to IANS. India is home to one of the most vibrant developer and start-up ecosystems in the world. "Microsoft remains deeply committed to the growth of Indian technology -- that will impact both India and markets across the globe," the company added. In January this year, Nadella during his India visit said that Modi's digital vision and all the programmes that have been launched around that vision are creating amazing digital public goods, which are the greatest contributions to the world. India Stack is a set of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to unlock the economic primitives of identity, data, and payments at population scale. "The magic of India Stack is unlike anything that I have seen anywhere in the world, which is perhaps the greatest contribution that India can make to the world," Nadella emphasised. He later tweeted that "we're looking forward to helping India realise the Digital India vision and be a light for the world". Bhopal, June 24 : Former Chief Minister and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Saturday extended his support to a symbolic protest of the state's police over the transfer of an IPS officer and a police station in-charge for lathi-charge on the Bajrang Dal activists in Indore last week. Several Police officers posted in Indore have updated their social media status with a similar tagline - "Khaki ka bhi to maan hai na" (the khaki also owes respect). Sources in the police told IANS that a resentment has emerged among the police department over the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government's alleged biased action on this matter. After the incident, the BJP government ordered an ADG-level inquiry into alleged violation of protocol, and a senior IPS officer along with in-charge of the particular police station were transferred. The cops took it as a setback to the police and have launched a symbolic protest through their social media accounts. Responding to the matter, Kamal Nath on Saturday said, "This is a very unfortunate incident. Our police deserve respect, and the police department itself should respect its uniform. They (police) serve to protect the rights of the people and the Constitution of India." Notably, on June 15, scores of Bajrang Dal activists had gone to Palasia police station in Indore to stage a protest against 'night culture and drug abuse'. During the protest, a scuffle broke out between the police and the protesters, following which, the police had lathi-charged the right wing members to disperse them and to control the situation. Several members of Bajrang Dal were arrested after the incident but were released the very next day after the issue was politicised. On June 16, DCP Dharmendra Bhadoria, a 2010- batch IPS officer, was transferred and Palasia police station in-charge Sanjay Bais was shunted to the police line. Toronto, June 24 : With new Indian students increasingly becoming victims of ignorance about Canadian laws, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is taking up the matter with the Immigration Minister to address the problem. Murarilal Thapliyal, president of the oldest Indo-Canadian organization, says: "Rampant ignorance among Indian students about Canadian laws is costing these students and the Indo-Canadian heavily. They (students) are dying in road accidents and drowning in ponds because they don't know/heed local laws. They are falling victim to depression and some committing suicide because they don't know whom to turn to it." Since agents in India do most paperwork for them, these students and their parents know very little about Canadian laws and rules. "The Indo-Canada Chamber is urging the immigration minister to add an acknowledgement form to admission forms for students. Indian students coming to Canada and their parents must sign an acknowledgement form, saying that they have read basic Canadian laws and that they know the consequences of their violation," says Murarilal. This acknowledgement, he says, should be a precondition for admission to Canadian colleges. "We want all Canadian colleges to open counters at airports to provide post-landing services to these students. Each student must get a 10-get booklet about Canadian laws and rules -- dos and don'ts at public places, consequences of violating traffic rules and not paying rents, emergency numbers in case they feel unsafe/have stress issues, NGO and consulate phone numbers," says the ICCC president. "Any student found later found violating this acknowledgement should be shown no leniency and deported," he says. A lawyer by profession, Murarilal says he is distressed to see a spurt in the number of cases of Indian students not paying rents and failing to vacate premises. "This has caused a lot of resentment in our community against these students." Kolkata, June 24 : The central armed forces personnel, who have already arrived in West Bengal for the July 8 panchayat election, will start conducting route marches from Saturday, as per State Election Commission (SEC) sources. A total of 337 companies of central armed forces have already reached the state. Commission sources said that the route march will start with the available personnel from Saturday only and as more companies turn up, they will be involved in the process. The SEC, as insisted by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, has requested for 822 companies or around 82,200 central personnel of central armed forces for the rural civic body polls. The available central forces personnel in the state are a mix of companies from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Railway Protection Force (RPF). On Friday, the Additional Solicitor General Ashoke Kumar Chakrabory informed the court that the Union Home Ministry has no difficulty in deploying over 82,000 central armed forces personnel as sought by the West Bengal SEC. However, at the same time, he had argued that such a huge deployment would have been more feasible had there been a five-phase poll this time as well as it happened in 2013. In fact, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari as well as the CPI(M) central committee member Dr Sujan Chakraborty too have questioned on whether little over 82,000 personnel would be enough for a single-phase poll considering that the number of voters, districts, polling stations and polling booths have increase considerably since 2013. New Delhi, June 24 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has once again raised questions about the law and order situation in the national capital after a man and his cousin were stabbed by their neighbour in the Brijpuri area in north-east Delhi. AAP Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told IANS that the silence of the BJP was questionable. "LG has failed, we want the Centre to hand us over the Delhi Police," she said. She questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as to why it remained silent on the Brijpuri case. Meanwhile, paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area by the authorities concerned to prevent any untoward incident. Sharing the details, a senior police official said that on Friday around 10 p.m., Rahul (20) and his cousin Sonu (19), both residents of D Block, Brijpuri, went to have ice cream after dinner near Shibban School, Gali No. 7 in Brijpuri. "One Mohammad Zaid (20), also a resident of the same locality, had an argument with Rahul over a petty issue. Zaid stabbed Rahul in the lower abdomen. Sonu also sustained injuries in his arms," said the official. "A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Dayalpur police station," the official added. "A manhunt has been initiated to apprehend Zaid, who is on the run," the official further stated. Chennai, June 24 : The reported over 'Rs 100 crore' bribe for jobs scam uncovered in the Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) not only impacts its reputation, it would also have an Indian IT industry wide impact and some cleanup has to happen, said experts. The TCS bribe for jobs scandal would also create doubts not only in the minds of its clients but in the minds of other clients of Indian IT majors about the quality of the people working on various projects, said experts. The scam will also help in the cleaning up of the human resource recruitment system as the staffing companies blacklisted by TCS are major suppliers to many big Indian IT companies, they added. Simply put, some employees of TCS accepted bribes from staffing companies and hired personnel -- bribes for jobs. According to a news report, the scam has been going on for some time and the amount involved is as high as about Rs 100 crore. The scam amount involved is possible given the size of the company, said an industry official. "For a $1 billion turnover IT company nearly 60 per cent will be the manpower cost, that is $600 million. And 15 per cent of the personnel would be contract employees at a cost of about $90 million a year. Even a one per cent bribe on the above amount is a sizable one," Aditya Narayan Mishra, Managing Director and CEO, CIEL HR Services Pvt Ltd told IANS. The Bengaluru-based CIEL HR Services is one of the leading human resource services companies. Be that as it may, TCS in a regulatory filing said on receipt of the complaint (from a whistle blower as per a news report) it had launched a review to examine the allegations in the complaint. "Based on the review: (1) this does not involve any fraud by or against the Company and no financial impact; (2) the issue relates to breach of Company's Code of Conduct by certain employees and vendors providing contractors; and (3) no key managerial person of the Company has been found to be involved," the company said while skirting the issue of action taken against the employees and the vendors. According to reports, the company has blacklisted a couple of its human resource vendors and sacked some employees. "Some staffing company names are going around as blacklisted by TCS. The vendors supplying people to TCS also provide people to other major Indian IT companies. Those IT companies will have to check their hiring process," Mishra said. According to him, the underhand dealings are generally done by small time human resources companies in respect of middle level contract or short duration employment. "Companies go for short duration hiring due to (1) skill sets not available inhouse and (2) the job itself is of short duration. Big companies will have about 10-20 per cent on contract," Mishra said. In the wake of the TCS job scandal, the Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) with over 120 members in a statement said it has a robust due diligence process that precedes the acceptance of any staffing company as our member." "We urge all stakeholders, including corporates and the Government, to consider engaging staffing companies that prioritize ethical employment practices and regulatory compliance," the ISF said. The job scandal in TCS may be a major one but inducements to HR officials of corporates by private educational institutions has been there for a long time. "It is true some second rung educational institutions do entice HR officials of corporate to send their teams for campus placement," Mishra said. Be that as it may, TCS has to manage the damage to its reputation owing to the bribe for a job scandal. "The value of bribe as indicated in this particular case if true seems to suggest that it is certainly that of a major corporate governance aspect issue as well that needs to be fixed as part of brand reputation redressal," a reputation consultant told IANS. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Hyderabad, June 24 : From the main challenger to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) only a few weeks ago, the BJP in Telangana appears to have slipped to the third position in the run up to the Assembly elections following its defeat in the Karnataka polls and due to the internal rumblings. Not long ago, the saffron party was projecting itself as the only viable alternative to the BRS and its leaders were hoping that after Karnataka, Telangana will become their second gateway to the south. However, today it finds itself on a sticky wicket. Political analysts say the shifting of momentum towards Congress following the party's massive victory in Karnataka, BRS rebels preferring the grand old party over BJP and increasing voices of dissent against the state leadership have landed the saffron party into problems. Reports of some leaders who had joined the BJP and now planning to switch loyalties to Congress appear to have further demoralised the party. With just 4-5 months to go for the polls, the BJP seems to be facing an uphill task in entering the fray as a cohesive unit. BJP MLA Eatala Rajender and former MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy are reportedly planning to quit the party and join Congress. This will be a big embarrassment for the BJP as Rajender is heading the joining committee or the panel tasked with luring leaders from other parties to join the saffron camp. Rajender had quit the BRS in 2021 after he was dropped from the state Cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He had also quit his Assembly seat Huzurabad and joined the BJP. In the by-election held the same year, Rajender was elected with a comfortable margin to give a big boost to the BJP. Raj Gopal Reddy, who was Congress MLA from Munugode, followed in the footsteps of Rajender. Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself had come to Munugode to welcome the businessman-politician into the party. However, Raj Gopal Reddy failed to repeat Huzurabad in Munugode late last year and the BRS wrested the seat. "BJP's slide had started after its defeat in Munugode. The party which was in aggressive mode started looking vulnerable," said political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy. Now with Congress regaining the lost ground, Raj Gopal Reddy appears keen to return to the party. His brother and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy is also making efforts to facilitate his return. Both the leaders had stayed away from the mass contact programme organised by the BJP on June 22 across the state to reach out to 35 lakh households in a single day to explain to them the achievements of the Modi government during the last nine years. Both Rajender and Raj Gopal Reddy along with some other leaders like former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who too had quit Congress to join BJP, are unhappy with the style of functioning of state part president Bandi Sanjay Kumar. That the central leadership of BJP is worried over the developments in Telangana is clear from the fact that both Rajender and Raj Gopal Reddy have been summoned to Delhi in what is seen as a last-ditch effort to persuade them to remain in BJP. Sanjay, however, is trying to put up a brave face. "We can't stop if somebody wants to board a sinking ship," he said when asked about the plans by some BJP leaders to crossover to the Congress. The BJP camp has been witnessing rumblings among different factions for several months. The differences came to the fore again last month when Rajender and other leaders left for Khammam to meet former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao to invite them to join the BJP without informing Bandi Sanjay and other senior leaders. Since Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao were recently suspended by BRS for anti-party activities, Eatala and others held talks with them to persuade them to join the saffron party. Rajender later revealed that the two leaders tried to persuade him to join hands with them in ousting BRS from power. Upbeat after the victory in Karnataka elections, the Congress party appears to have gained an upper hand over BJP in attracting rebels from other parties. Political observers say that with the recent joining of leaders from BRS and other parties, the Congress party started emerging as the main challenger for the BRS. During the last few days, the Congress party succeeded in attracting even those rebel BRS leaders who earlier seemed to prefer the BJP. The Congress party appears to have achieved a big success with Srinivasa Reddy and Krishna Rao almost making up their mind to join Congress. This is not the first time that BJP is witnessing acrimony in its camp. Recently, BJP MP Arvind Dharampuri came out openly against Bandi Sanjay's alleged derogatory remarks on BRS leader K. Kavitha, the daughter of the Chief Minister. The Nizamabad MP had said that he does not agree with Bandi's remarks This was a jolt for the party as Arvind is a bitter critic of CM KCR and his family. In 2019, he had defeated sitting MP Kavitha in Nizamabad. A few months ago, Arvind finding fault with Sanjay's remarks was surprising for the BJP and this indicated the differences among the leaders. A section of the leaders feel that Sanjay's immature inappropriate words, dictatorship and undemocratic antics may damage the party's prospects. Bandi Sanjay enjoys the confidence of BJP top brass as it was under him that the party won two Assembly by-elections, put up a strong fight in the third by-election and also significantly improved its tally in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). At the BJP national executive meeting in Hyderabad last year and on other occasions Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Sanjay's fighting spirit. Other central leaders also praised him for the manner in which he led Praja Sangram Yatra to take on BRS. However, it is a known fact that BJP has different groups. A section of leaders support union minister G. Kishan Reddy, who has differences with Bandi Sanjay. Landing BJP in further embarrassment, its MP Soyam Bapurao admitted last week that he had constructed a house for himself and performed the wedding of his son with the help of funds from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme. A video clip of the Adilabad MP's speech at a meeting of BJP workers went viral on social media on Monday. The MP blamed BJP leaders Ramesh Rathod and Payala Shankar for the video's leak. A recent reported statement by a senior BJP leader about the saffron party's real strength in the state also dealt a blow to its rank and file. The leader reportedly admitted that BJP is trailing at third position in the state. In the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP won only one seat in the 119-member House. It finished second in only nine constituencies and in most of the seats its candidates forfeited the deposit. However, the BJP sprang a surprise in Lok Sabha elections held a few months later. The party not only retained Secunderabad but also wrested three other seats -- Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad. Though the BJP improved its tally to three in Assembly by winning two by-elections, the fact remains that the saffron party does not have a strong presence outside some urban pockets in Hyderabad and north Telangana. With its infighting and the Congress on the path of a recovery, the BJP faces an uphill task in Assembly elections scheduled towards the end of 2023 and the Lok Sabha polls next year. Agartala, June 24 : Even as the BJP now has some electoral advantage in the northeastern region ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, internal feuds in the party, anti-incumbency and the ongoing ethnic troubles in Manipur and its after effects in the neighbouring states would be hurdles for the saffron party before the parliamentary polls. Though the internal rifts are not so visible in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and a few other northeastern states, disputes and differences of opinion are evident in Tripura and Manipur. Before the ethnic violence began in Manipur on May 3, expressing their resentment against Chief Minister N. Biren Singh between April 13 and April 24 four BJP MLAs -- Thokchom Radheysham, Karam Shyam, Raghumani Singh and Paonam Brojen Singh -- quit their government posts. The four BJP legislators were, respectively, the Chief Minister's advisor, and Chairman of the Manipur State Tourism Development Corporation, the Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency and the Manipur Development Society. All the four MLAs claimed that they were not given due responsibility, funds and authority to function in their posts. Biren Singh, however, had claimed that there are no differences of opinion and resentment among the legislators. The issue was discussed in an "inconclusive" party meeting on April 27 in Imphal. The BJP's northeast coordinator and national spokesperson Sambit Patra and state BJP president A. Sharda Devi were present at the meeting. According to the political analysts, the ongoing ethnic violence, which broke out on May 3 and has so far claimed over 120 lives, injured over 400 people of different communities and displaced over 65,000 people besides destroying a large number of properties and vehicles, is likely to affect the electoral prospects of the ruling BJP in Manipur. Amidst the ethnic violence, a section of BJP leaders and MLAs have been demanding replacement of Biren Singh as the Chief Minister. However, leaders and legislators close to the Chief Minister claimed that his (Biren Singh) efforts to curb the drug menace, illegal trade in drugs from Myanmar, illicit poppy cultivation and infiltration from across the border annoyed unscrupulous people and they are conspiring against him. In Tripura, political pundits observed that there were open differences among former Tripura Chief Minister and sitting Rajya Sabha member Biplab Kumar Deb, Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik, Chief Minister Manik Saha and others. Deb and Bhowmik were hardly seen sharing the platforms at party meetings and various organisational and government functions and meetings. They were not seen at any of the sessions of the two-day (April 3-4) Science-20 conference, under India's G20 presidency, held in Tripura capital Agartala. Last month, former Tripura Chief Minister Deb alleged that some people from outside were interfering in the party's internal matters in Tripura. When asked what he meant by 'outsiders' interfering in the affairs of the party, he said: "You understand the details of external interference. Everyone understands why the party organisation is hampered. I am not a bureaucrat or an officer. When such outside interference happens, it's my duty to present these at the right place." Deb, who on May 14 last year resigned from the Chief Minister's post following the direction of the BJP's central leaders, had said, "The BJP government is in power for a second term in Tripura and the party had freed the state from the communists rule, I have tried to do my job with maximum effort." Though Deb took part in the February assembly election campaign, he was not seen in the major events organised by the BJP government and the party after Manik Saha became Chief Minister for the second time on March 8 this year. Keeping in mind next year's Lok Sabha elections, the BJP held a "crucial meeting" in Guwahati in the first week of April to chalk out strategies to win all the 25 parliamentary seats in the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim. Tripura state BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee said that the central leaders of the party are keen to win all the 25 Lok Sabha seats. "State unit presidents of all the northeastern states and other senior leaders were present at the important meeting in Guwahati. It was discussed and decided that the booths of all the parliamentary constituencies would be further strengthened to obtain full electoral mileage," Bhattacharjee told IANS. BJP general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash, the party's northeast coordinator and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, national secretary Asha Lakra, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma among other leaders were present at the meeting. Of these 25 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are currently with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while the Congress has four. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland, Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram, National People's Party (NPP) in Meghalaya, Naga People's Front (NPF) in Manipur, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in Sikkim and an Independent (Naba Kumar Sarania) in Assam have one seat each. The NDPP, MNF, NPP, NPF and SKM are the allies of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance. Assam has 14 seats, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura have two seats each, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have one seat each. Even as the BJP remains in an advantageous position by virtue of running the governments in four out of the eight states in the northeastern region, the regional parties are expected to play a significant role in next year's Lok Sabha elections. The All India United Democratic Front in Assam and the tribal-based Tipra Motha Party in Tripura are currently not with the BJP or the Congress. The Muslim based party AIUDF, headed by Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal and former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman led TMP have a strong base in their respective areas and might pose a challenge to both the BJP and the Congress. Though the BJP is ruling Tripura, the political situation in the state is a little different with the TMP securing 13 seats in the 60-member state Assembly that went to the polls in February, emerging as the second largest party after the BJP, which got 32 seats, down by four seats from its 2018 tally. Throwing a challenge to all the national parties -- BJP, CPI(M), Congress and Trinamool Congress -- the TMP, the first tribal-based party in Tripura since 1952, emerged as the principal opposition in the state and is now the main stakeholder of the vote share of tribals, who constitute one-third of Tripura's four million population. The TMP, after capturing the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in April 2021, has been demanding elevation of the areas of the autonomous body by granting a 'Greater Tipraland State' or a separate state status under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Russia warned the West on Saturday against taking advantage of an armed insurrection carried out by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia to achieve what Moscow said were their "anti-Russian" goals. "We warn the Western countries against any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "All goals and objectives of the special military operation will be fulfilled," it added, using the Kremlin-preferred term for Moscow's large-scale military intervention in Ukraine. The Wagner group chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, released a series of messages from late Friday into Saturday, claiming that he and his mercenary troops had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and taken control of its military sites. Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prighozin, whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. The revolt by the Wagner mercenary group is considered the most serious challenge yet to shake the Kremlin chief's long rule, and Russia's most serious security crisis since the strongman Putin came to power in late 1999. After Putins address, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Search Keywords: Short link: Chandigarh, June 24 : With the Congress leadership yet to re-emerge from its own shadows, first after losing the state to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and later its traditional parliamentary bastion, the BJP, which always played second fiddle in the state politics, seems to be banking largely on the grand old party's deserters besides building on Modi's narrative to strengthen its base. To create a statewide niche for itself, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying hard to establish itself outside the shadow of its once ally -- the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In a border state, where the Hindus are in a minority, there has never been a BJP-led government unlike in neighbouring Haryana, where the party is now in power for the second consecutive term, and Himachal Pradesh. In all previous parliamentary polls, the BJP was given three Lok Sabha seats to contest in Punjab by the Akalis out of the state's 13. Its tally in both the 2019 and 2014 polls was two. Despite its differences with the Akalis, which ruled the state for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2017, the BJP was compelled to partner with it for its own survival. But BJP leaders always refused to admit officially that their party was forced to be in the shadow of the regional force. Now after the mass exodus of leaders, comprising loyal and veteran lawmakers like two-time chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the state's prominent Hindu face Sunil Jakhar, the weakened Congress is struggling for revival. In a legislative House of 117, the Congress in Punjab, which won 77 seats in 2017, managed to win only 18 in March 2022 with most of its stalwart faces like former Chief Minister Charanjit Channi and then state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu facing humiliating defeats in their strongholds. The BJP, which had won three seats in 2017 when it had contested in alliance with the Akalis, secured only two seats in 2022, while the SAD won four and the others won one. Political observers told IANS that currently the 'tug of war' is largely between the BJP and the AAP, not the saffron party and its previous partner the Akalis. State BJP president and legislator Ashwani Sharma has been blaming the Bhagwant Mann-led government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Also he's questioning the government for diverting the Centre's rural development fund to repay its debts and for misuse of the National Health Mission funds. The BJP, which boycotted the just concluded two-day special assembly session, blamed the government for "wasting taxpayers' money" by calling the session. Launching the state election campaign from Pathankot town, Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah on June 18 asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, "Is he a Chief Minister or a pilot?", saying the state's law and order situation went "from bad to worse as CM Mann spends all his time touring with Arvind Kejriwal." He also questioned the state government over its poll "guarantee" of giving Rs 1,000 per month to every adult woman. The Home Minister was outlining the nine-year achievements of the Modi government at the Centre. Saying that the AAP is an advertisement party, Shah, whose 20-minute address was focused mainly on attacking the AAP, slammed the helm as law and order and drugs emerge as key challenges for the state government. Soon after Shah's announcement to open a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Amritsar, AAP national convener Kejriwal responded by saying it was nothing but an attempt by the BJP to "misuse" the NCB office for the saffron party's political gains. Besides Shah, many top central leaders of the BJP including J.P. Nadda have started touring Punjab on the pretext of celebrating nine years of the party's rule. However, the only person in the state who is holding the fort against the ruling dispensation is Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who has time and again been rapping the state authorities on their knuckles over lack of accountability. In the latest war of words between Purohit and Mann, the former hit back at the latter on the official use of a government helicopter, saying he would not use it. "I have been given a helicopter. I used it for official duty and not for personal use and visited the border area in which Punjab officials also accompanied me. Now, I have announced that as long as I am in Punjab, I will not use the Punjab government's helicopter," Purohit said on June 21. Justifying his decision, Purohit said that the Chief Minister mocked him in the Assembly and said that the governor "is writing so many love letters." Purohit's strong reaction came a day after the Assembly unanimously passed the Punjab University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, vesting the powers of the Chancellor of state universities with the Chief Minister. Launching a scathing attack on the Governor, Mann, while speaking in the Assembly, described the Governor as an agent of the Centre deployed specially to trouble him. "The governor has nothing better to do except write him love letters," Mann, who misses no opportunity to remind the Governor that he took an oath to protect the Constitution and not allow violation of the rules, said. Despite the narrative set for the BJP with its Brand Modi once again in 2024, political analysts feel that the BJP still needs time to build solo inroads to the grassroots. With the local leaders adopting a tougher posture against the AAP government, an analyst told IANS that for the BJP it is time to realign with the Akali Dal by dictating its own terms as with the mass exodus of leaders the fractured SAD is facing its worst crisis "structurally, organisationally, and even in terms of ideological leadership." Speculation of a future alliance became rife with the top BJP leadership ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Amit Shah to J.P. Nadda visiting Punjab to offer condolences at the demise of Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in April. Snapping the over two-decade long ties, the Akali Dal pulled out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020 after sharp differences emerged over the three controversial farm laws, now repealed. However, several BJP top leaders, including Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, are not in favour of a future alliance. "I would like to welcome all Akali leaders who want to join the BJP and contest the elections on our symbol," Puri said recently. Responding diplomatically, SAD leader Daljit Cheema told the media there were no elections due immediately and "decisions on forging an alliance are generally taken during the elections." (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com) Jaipur, June 24 : It is not a secret that the BJP has started making preparations for the Lok Sabha 2024 polls and the senior leaders of the party are visiting different states to speak on the achievements during nine years of the Modi Government. Like other states, Rajasthan is also getting battle ready for Lok Sabha 2024. Recently, Union minister Piyush Goyal and MP Poonam Mahajan were in Jaipur to underline the achievements of the Narendra Modi government over the last nine years. Also, visits by the party and government top brass, including PM Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, have been lined up in the desert state within a month where they will connect with the masses and count the achievements of the Modi government. Modi has already made six visits in the last eight months which shows how serious the leadership is about Rajasthan which also goes for assembly polls in December 2023. Party sources said that while preparing for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is also keeping an eye on the assembly poll and has plans to improve its position in areas where it is weak by correcting caste equations. If Modi's visits to Rajasthan are reviewed, he is visiting the state almost every one and a half months and is addressing public meetings. He first came to Abu Road on September 30 in 2022. But after ten p.m., due to the ban on loudspeakers, he gave his speech without a mike. After Abu Road, he came to Mangarh Dham in Banswara district on November 1 and addressed a public meeting. After that, on January 28 this year, he visited the Devnarayan temple in Asind. It was an attempt to woo the Gurjars. After this, on February 12, PM Modi addressed a public meeting at the inauguration ceremony of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dhanavad, Dausa. Thereafter, he addressed a road show and public meeting at Abu Road after visiting Nathdwara. This visit was followed by his Ajmer visit in May. Now, party sources say that the PM will visit Jodhpur in July. If party sources are to be believed, the BJP has made up its mind to contest the assembly polls on PM Narendra Modi's face. Hence, they have not yet announced any CM face in the state, but veteran leaders have been speaking of Modi's achievements in the last nine years. By not announcing any CM face, the party has managed to save face at a time when factionalism in the BJP is an open secret. A few months back, the party changed its state president. Chittorgarh Member of Parliament CP Joshi was announced as the party president who replaced Satish Poonia after getting fed up with daily factions stories emerging in the state. The development irked the Jat lobby which comprises the second highest community after Rajputs in the state. Poonia comes from the Jats. Also, it left the party red-faced as the opposition Congress attacked it by saying that the party is anti-OBC and hence has removed Poonia and elevated Joshi who is a Brahmin. Later Poonia was announced as deputy Leader of the Opposition in a damage control initiative. But differences among the party leadership continued making headlines. Former CM Vasundhara Raje raised many eyebrows by staying away from the BJP state executive meeting called in Nagaur recently. As per BJP state president CP Joshi, "the BJP will launch mass public relations campaigns by forming clusters in Lok Sabha constituencies; party workers will go from village to village with the mantra of service, good governance and the poor's welfare." Joshi said that clusters of four Lok Sabha constituencies each have been formed, where two senior BJP leaders will each keep an eight-day stay program going. Apart from this, conferences, beneficiary dialogues, businessmen dialogue, dialogue with intellectuals are included in the public relations campaign. After celebrating Yoga Day on June 21 and the birth anniversary of BJP founder SP Mukherjee on June 23, a seminar on the Emergency will be organized on June 25. "There will be a big conference and public meeting in each Lok Sabha constituency, a conference of beneficiaries will be organized at each Panchayat Samiti level," said Joshi. Regarding the programs of the party, he said that the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Mandal level and Panchayat level programs have been decided by the party. "In the coming days, the party has entrusted the responsibility to the leaders at the local level regarding all these programs. Along with the central leadership team, we will work to organize all these programs in a well-planned manner and to convey information about Modi ji's plans on the ground," said Joshi. Bengaluru, June 24 : The BJP still remains a divided house even after the drubbing in the assembly elections in Karnataka. In-fighting is raging within the party as senior leaders are accused of practicing adjustment politics in the state. The development has demoralized the party cadre. The party has to appoint the Leaders of the Opposition for the assembly, council. It is also looking for a dynamic candidate for the post of state president, as the tenure of Nalin Kumar Kateel has ended. There is talk that the party will also change the state in-charge Arun Singh to gain momentum. As the Congress is growing stronger in the state and successfully sending a message to other states against the prospects of the BJP, the BJP is really in need of a booster. Over half a dozen cabinet ministers and more than 40 sitting MLAs suffered a humiliating defeat in the assembly elections. When it comes to introspection the party leaders who totally failed to read the mind of the voters are falling short of honest assessment, according to sources. The Shakthi scheme which enables free travel for women has won hearts and directly affected the traditional Hindu vote bank of the BJP. Making use of the facility, the middle class and poor women have been making trips to Hindu pilgrimage centres across Karnataka. The famous Hindu temples in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and other districts of north Karnataka are seeing a huge turnout of devotees since the launch of the scheme. Congress workers in Karnataka are claiming credit and BJP workers at the grassroots level are finding it very difficult to attract the people towards the party and retain the cadre. The BJP is trying to gain traction by attacking the Congress on the power tariff hike. Taking note of the outrage, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded quickly, convened a meeting of protesting industrialists and pacified them. While the Congress is fully focusing on implementation of its poll guarantees and preparing for the Lok Sabha elections, BJP leaders are busy in infighting. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai who is indirectly accused of carrying out adjustment politics with the Congress party, had to explain that the meeting with senior Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa was just a courtesy and they are distant relatives. Bommai also clarified that there is no political connection to it. Party sources explained that to avoid further damage, the party has decided to go back to old warhorse, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Presently, the BJP lacks the leaders to challenge CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar. Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha known for his sharp attacks on anti-Hidutva forces is described as an immature politician, who talks according to the whims and fancies of Siddaramaiah. BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi has been attacking the BJP leadership as well as the opposition Congress. Ravi who lost in the assembly elections is finding it difficult to face Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. He challenged Siddaramaiah to show a letter of commitment by the Food Corporation of India in connection with the row over the supply of rice. Siddaramaiah published the letter of commitment and asked Ravi to put pressure on the Central government instead of doing politics over the poor man's scheme. These developments indicate that the BJP is clearly on the back foot in the state. The BJP has decided to stage a protest during the assembly session in July. All party legislators will take part in the protest for 10 days. The party also wants to send out a message to the Lingayat community that it respects the community leaders. The party had repeatedly stopped Yediyurappa from taking up state-wide tours after he was asked to step down from the post of CM. The party sidelined him totally until the internal surveys indicated that the Lingayat community, which provided the core strength to the party, has moved away from it. Letting former CM Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi leave the party by denying them tickets proved to be the last nail in the coffin. Dingaleshwara Swamiji of Balehosur Mutt had stated that the BJP's prospects are so bad in the state that even if Yediyurappa tried to rebuild it, the party won't be able to revive its past glory. At the height of the PM Modi wave, the party had won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress won only one seat. This time, the Congress is confidently claiming that with its Dalit, Muslim, general castes vote bank intact, it would win more than 20 seats. Sources in the party said that the high command is closely watching the developments in the state and realizing the mistakes. A plan is being prepared to recapture Karnataka as it is the gateway to South India for the party. The cadre and Hindutva activists are eagerly awaiting the move to rebuild the base in Karnataka. Lucknow, June 24 : From 'Modi hai to mumkin hai', the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh now firmly believes in 'Yogi hai to magic hai'. After the 2022 assembly win, it is the Yogi factor that has been working overtime in by-elections and the recent municipal polls to ensure a sweeping win for the BJP. BJP cadres are confident that Yogi Adityanath's growing stature as a Hindu leader, his tough image as an administrator and his all-pervasive charisma will ensure a resounding victory for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. A fragmented opposition will only make things easier for a saffron wave. The BJP in Uttar Pradesh, so far, has only one strategy and that is to keep the cadres mobilized for elections and to revisit each booth with regular frequency. "We have charismatic leaders like Modi and Yogi and all we need to do is prevent our foot soldiers from becoming complacent. Our 'panna pramukhs' and vistaraks' are on the job and our leaders are working on the seats where the party is comparatively weak," said a party functionary. On the organizational front, there is a strong buzz that Sunil Bansal, who had worked magic in previous elections in UP, may be asked to take charge of the state ahead of the 2024 elections. Bansal knows the dynamics of the state like the back of his hand and is familiar with the cadres. He may also play a key role in the selection of candidates for 2024 in UP. The BJP is also preparing to change candidates in order to counter the anti-incumbency factor. Party sources claim that some candidates may be dropped for having crossed the age bar of 70 plus while others may not get tickets for under-performing in their constituencies. The BJP is focusing on the 'labharthi' (beneficiaries) vote bank of which the minorities and Dalits form a large chunk. "These are the groups that have benefitted from the schemes of the Central and state governments and we are reaching out to them. It is not a question of caste or religion but a question of have-nots receiving benefits," the party functionary said. For the middle class and the upper castes, Yogi's bulldozer campaign against the mafia will be a part of the party's election strategy. "Traders and builders are no longer complaining of extortion and land is not being usurped by the mafia. This will be used to advantage in the campaign," the functionary added. The BJP, despite the factors weighing in its favour, is not allowing complacency to creep in. The party has been quietly working to win back its estranged ally -- the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP). When SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar's son, Arun Rajbhar, got married earlier this month the top BJP leadership extended all possible courtesies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter to Rajbhar, conveying his wishes for the newly married couple. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath sent an emissary with a congratulatory letter. State BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary attended the wedding and several ministers were also seen at the event. Since then, Rajbhar has not stopped singing paeans to the BJP even though he has not confirmed his comeback to the NDA fold. Interestingly, the BJP in UP is not looking towards celebrity campaigners in 2024. "I told you that 'Yogi hai to magic hai' and Modi is an added advantage. Need we say more?" the functionary remarked. Moscow, June 24 : Describing action of mutineers who want to topple Russia's military leadership as a "stab in the back", President Vladimir Putin on Saturday warned of inevitable punishment for those dividing the country, media reports said. Addressing the nation, Putin said: "Some Russians have been tricked into a criminal adventure", without mentioning Wagner mercenary group, BBC reported. Describing the action of mutineers as "stab in the back", the Russian President said that those dividing the country will be punished. In an indirect reference to the Wagner mercenary gorup, Putin said: "High ambition of some have led to high treason." All necessary orders have been given to deal with the crisis, he said. Surprisingly, Putin at the end of his TV address mentioned the Wagner mercenary group but only to praise them for fighting for Moscow. On Friday night, the Kremlin ordered the arrest of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after Russian intelligence accused him of calling for an "armed rebellion". Late Friday night, the Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner mercenaries to "stop the columns" and detain their leader after the latter vowed retaliation over the Russian military allegedly killing a "huge amount" of Wagner fighters during a strike on a camp earlier in the day, reports CNN. Russian state TV also interrupted programming Friday night to report a Defence Ministry statement claiming Prigozhin's comments "did not correspond to reality" and demanded him to halt "illegal actions". In the wake of the developments, security has been stepped up around Moscow and in the city of Rostov near southeast Ukraine, according to state media reports. Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin claimed that his forces crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine, but did not give any proof to back his allegation, reports the BBC. "Many dozens, tens of thousands of lives, of Russian soldiers will be punished. I ask that nobody put up any resistance." He also said the "evil" in the Russian military leadership must be stopped and vowed to "march for justice", but the Wagner chief clarified that he was not attempting a military coup According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation and is receiving "constant" updates. Since Russia launched its ongoing war against Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a power struggle between Prigozhin and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, media reports say. Their battle initially centred around Bakhmut -- while the regular Russian army struggled elsewhere, the Wagner group managed to make gains. Prigozhin used his forces' success as an opportunity to build his own profile and criticise the troops under Shoigu, reports the BBC. He accused the Defence Ministry of denying his mercenaries ammunition, even threatening to pull out. And when victories occurred, both sides tried to take credit. Prigozhin, has however, always avoided criticising President Putin. In the hours before the alleged attack on the Wagner camp, he posted more inflammatory comments on social media, accusing the Defence Ministry of deceiving Putin about the threat posed by Ukraine ahead of his February 2022 invasion, reports CNN. He also questioned Russian motives for the war. Imphal, June 24 : A mob has burnt down a private godown of Manipur minister L. Susindro Meitei at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing to ashes plastic pipes worth Rs 120 crore besides other materials, police said on Saturday. Police said that after setting the godown afire on Friday night, the mob tried to attack the residence of the minister at Khurai in the same Imphal East district. Due to timely intervention of the security forces, the attack was prevented and the mob dispersed. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till Friday midnight to disperse the mob from the Khurai areas, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. The minister, who holds Public Health Engineering, Consumer Affairs, Food Departments, while talking to the media on Saturday said that it was a politically motivated attack. Earlier, mobs burnt down the residences of several ministers, MLAs and leaders of different political parties. These include, the residences of Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Manipur's lone woman minister Nemcha Kipgen and PWD Minister Konthoujam Govindas, Uripok constituency MLA Raghumani Singh, Sugnoo MLA K. Ranjit Singh and Naoriya Pakhanglakpa MLA S. Kebi Devi. Friday night's incident took place even as incidents of firing between the militants and the security forces continue to be reported from different places of Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts. Police said the mob, comprising men and women, demanded an early solution to the ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities. The mob accused all the ministers and MLAs of not doing enough to end the Manipur crisis. Gurugram, June 24 : The crime branch unit of the Gurugram Police has arrested gangster Sandeep aka Bandar, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh declared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), officials said on Saturday. The Gurugram Police will address a Press conference soon over the matter to share further details. According to the police, NIA had put Sandeep's name on the wanted Haryana gangsters' list. He was absconding for a long time. Sandeep, a resident of Naharpur Rupa, Gurugram is an active henchman of gangster Kaushal Chowdhary gang. The NIA has been taking massive action against gangsters and terrorists for the past one year. The investigation agency has raided in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and other states. According to sources, most of these gangsters have left India and are hiding abroad. Kolkata, June 24 : The CBI has summoned the doctor of Presidency Central Correctional Home in Kolkata for questioning in connection with expelled youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh's letter accusing central probe agencies of putting pressure on him to name the party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the multi-crore school recruitment case in West Bengal. The doctor has been asked to appear at the CBI's Nizam Palace office in Kolkata on June 26. Sources said that he will be questined on whether Ghosh was given any special treatment as regards to medical facilities while under judicial custody. The CBI had already questioned the superintendent of the correctional home. Recently, the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha directed authorities of the correctional home to submit the CCTV footage to the CBI in connection to the letters that Ghosh wrote. On Friday, the CBI counsel had informed the court that their sleuths have received all the necessary footage from the correctional home authorities and the investigating officials are examining the available footage. The court has directed CBI to submit a detailed report on this count by July 14 following which further hearing in the matter will continue. The sources said that from the CCTV footage the CBI sleuths are trying to decipher whether Ghosh wrote the letters himself or someone else on his behalf. Ghosh has raised the allegation just a day after Abhishek Banerjee made a similar claim accusing central agencies of putting pressure on Trinamool Congress leaders like Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh to name him in the Saradha chit fund scam. Guwahati, June 24 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's cryptic "Hussain Obama" tweet drew major flak from the opposition on Saturday. On Friday, the Chief Minister had tweeted: "There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam Police will act according to our own priorities." Sarma said this in response to a question on the micro-blogging platform on whether an FIR was registered in Guwahati against former US President Barack Obama for hurting sentiment. This was in reference to the former President saying in a TV interview this week that there danger of India pulling apart if ethnic minorities and Muslims were not protected. Condemning Sarma's remark, Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi sought an apology from the Chief Minister and termed his tweet as "nonsense". In a video message, the MLA said: "Himanta Biswa Sarma made a communally perverted comment to the former US President. He has the habit of making such comments. I, as a brother of Himanta Biswa Sarma and a fellow MLA in the Assam Assembly, apologise to Barack Obama on behalf of the Chief Minister." Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev said that the Chief Minister's "communal comments are not only unconstitutional, these are actually against the law of the land which prevents any person making divisive comments". "It is now interesting to see whether the Assam police which persecute people cutting across the state boundaries on the allegation of 'unlawful' comments will take any action against Sarma for his comments." New Delhi, June 24 : PinnacleWorks's SuperBot for Education, an Artificial Intelligence-powered voice agent, is targeted at empowering educational institutions with intelligent communication solutions, the company said on Saturday. SuperBot is a cutting-edge communication agent and a SaaS-based product by PinnacleWorks. With an exceptional ability to automate 95 per cent of potential counselling queries that need to be addressed by educational institutes, this conversational agent delivers lightning-fast and precise responses. Acting as an invaluable communication bridge, SuperBot for Education facilitates seamless interactions for educational institutions, be it generating and nurturing the leads through impactful engagement, verifying the applicant's data, or running engaging drip marketing campaigns to get more conversions, SuperBot can do it all via its rule-based, auto-calling feature. Leading educational institutions, including Parul University, Chandigarh University, SRM University Sonepat, Manipal University Jaipur, Sharda University, and many others have reported an impressive increase in their admissions conversion rate after implementing this voice agent in their admission counselling process. "SuperBot heralds a new era of efficiency and convenience, fostering an environment where educational institutions can thrive. Built on advanced NLU (Natural Language Understanding) and in-house ASR (Automated Speech Recognition) Machine Learning models, SuperBot for Education provides comprehensive conversational support that enables educational businesses to optimise their operations, reducing call costs and accelerating return on investment," said Sarvagya Mishra, Co-founder and Director of SuperBot (PinnacleWorks). "This powerful AI-powered voice agent is poised to revolutionise the way educational institutions communicate, offering efficient, reliable, and personalised interactions. Moreover, its unique ability to comprehend and respond intelligently just like humans is what sets it apart from other products in the market," Mishra added. Trained on over lakhs of intents, this versatile voice agent excels in providing timely and relevant information to queries, offering round-the-clock availability throughout the year, and effortlessly handling a high volume of over 10K+ concurrent calls. With its impressive capability of placing over 1 million calls daily, SuperBot outshines common challenges faced by human operators. It leverages its extensive knowledge base to mitigate the risks of providing incorrect information or abruptly ending calls. Furthermore, it ensures a seamless counselling experience by eliminating disruptions caused by counsellor absences, thereby minimising the loss of valuable leads. SuperBot currently supports more than 10 languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, and more, exemplifying its adherence to inclusivity. PinnacleWorks continuously expands SuperBot's language capabilities, striving to incorporate additional regional and international languages. This commitment ensures that educational institutions catering to a diverse linguistic audience can benefit from this groundbreaking solution. The rebel Wagner mercenary force threatened to march on Moscow on Saturday before announcing a stunning pull-back, as Kyiv seized on the chaos to launch new assaults against Russian positions in Ukraine. The Wagner private army captured a key military headquarters in southern Russia, and sent a force north to threaten the capital, defying Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's warning of civil war. But amid Russia's most serious security crisis in decades, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin delivered a surprise announcement, saying his troops were turning back to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital. "We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps," Prigozhin announced after previously vowing to march on Moscow to topple the military leadership. He said understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood." Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin "on stopping the movement of armed individuals from the Wagner group on Russian territory and further steps on deescalating tensions." Kyiv revelled in the chaos, as Putin's former mercenary ally Prigozhin turned his Wagner force away from the offensive against Ukraine and made threats to topple the chiefs of Russia's military. "The man from the Kremlin is obviously very scared and is probably hiding somewhere," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address, adding that Putin has "created this threat himself." Separately, Ukraine's deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar announced that Ukrainian forces had gained more ground in the eastern region of the Donbas, launching new counteroffensives in several areas. Putin's spokesman insisted the Russian leader was still at work in the Kremlin and had not fled Moscow. Russian blood Before Prigozhin's apparent climbdown, Russian regular forces had launched what one regional governor called a "counter-terrorist operation" to halt the Wagner advance northwards up a main highway towards Moscow. The governor of the Lipetsk region, whose capital is just 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Moscow, said Wagner's private military force was "moving across" the territory and urged civilians not to leave their homes. In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay indoors and declared Monday a day off work. "The situation is difficult. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement, warning of possible road closures. Prigozhin said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine. "We got to Rostov. Without a single shot we captured the HQ building," he said, claiming that local civilians had welcomed the operation and vowing to overthrow Russia's military command. "Why does the country support us? Because we went on a march of justice," he said, claiming his men had not killed any soldiers despite having been hit with strikes from army "artillery and after that from helicopters". Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin -- whose private army provided shock troops for Moscow's offensive in Ukraine -- of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. Harsh measures "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity. "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who began building his powerbase as a catering contractor. "All those who consciously stood on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, stood on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, before the law and before our people," Putin vowed. Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion, warning: "The rebellion must be put down, and if harsh measures are necessary, we are ready!" Latvia announced that it was tightening security on its Russian border and would not admit refugees fleeing the chaos. Civil conflict After Putin's speech accusing him of treason, Prigozhin launched a second broadside. "On treason of the motherland: the president is deeply wrong. We are patriots of our motherland," Prigozhin said. "Nobody plans to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks had been seen in the city centre. As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, in recent months it has engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership. He has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi, June 24 : An exclusive series of snap polls conducted across India to gauge public opinion related to events during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US reveals that a big majority of Indians are convinced that the recent state visit that heralds a new era of partnership and close friendship between the two nations will not attract any adverse reactions from Islamic countries. The question asked during the snap poll was: Will this alliance between the US and India offend Islamic countries? Overall, almost six out of every 10 respondents are of the opinion that it will not offend Islamic countries since India already has very strong ties with them. About 30 per cent of the respondents are of the opinion that the close partnership between the US and India will offend Islamic countries. There is hardly any difference in the opinion of those who support the BJP and those who support opposition parties. Strategic ties between India and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Egypt have deepened significantly over the last few years. Even when Iran faced sanctions from the US and its allies, India continued to maintain a close relation with the country. On Friday night, Prime Minister Modi wrapped the highly successful state visit that has resulted in many pathbreaking agreements in the defence, telecom, semi conductor, energy, education and other frontier technology sectors including space exploration and quantum computing. President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Minister for a private dinner at the White House apart from the ceremonial reception and official banquet attended by over 500 guests. During the state visit, Modi became the first Indian leader to address a joint session of the US Congress on two occasions. Apart from meeting dozens of CEOs of multinationals, the Prime Minister also addressed the Indian diaspora twice in New York and Washington. New Delhi, June 24 : An exclusive series of snap polls conducted across India to gauge public opinion related to events during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US reveals that Indians are divided over the reaction of China to the state visit and the roadmap laid out by President Joe Biden and Modi for deep military and technology collaboration. The question asked during the snap poll was: Will China become more hostile towards India after this state visit by Prime Minister Modi to the US? While more than 44 per ent of the respondents are of the opinion that China will become more hostile towards India after the visit, about one third did not agree with the contention. There were interesting differences between categories of respondents. Amongst those who support the BJP, 56 per cent are of the opinion that China will become more hostile. In contrast, about 37 per cent of those who support opposition parties share the same view. Strategic affairs experts and commentators are of the view that the rapidly growing partnership between the US and India is primarily aimed at preventing China from becoming the sole dominant power in Asia. Relations between India and China are at a low, particularly since June 2020 when 20 Indian troops and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in clashes at Galwan valley in Ladakh. On Friday night, Prime MinisterModi completed a highly successful state visit that has resulted in many pathbreaking agreements in the defence, telecom, semi conductor, energy, education and other frontier technology sectors including space exploration and quantum computing. President Joe Biden hosted Modi for a private dinner at the White House apart from the ceremonial reception and official banquet attended by over 500 guests. During the state visit, Modi became the first Indian leader to address a joint session of the US Congress on two occasions. Apart from meeting dozens of CEOs of multinationals, PM Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora twice in New York and Washington. New Delhi, June 24 : An exclusive series of snap polls conducted across India to gauge public opinion related to events during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US reveals that a big majority of Indians are convinced that the trip has led to Modi emerge as a genuine world leader, though Indians who support opposition parties are not as enthusiastic about the view as those who support the BJP. The question asked during the snap poll was: In your opinion, after this state visit, has PM Modi emerged as a genuine world leader? Overall, six out of every 10 respondents are of the opinion that Modi has indeed become a genuine world leader, while about 30 per cent of the respondents disagreed with the contention. But there were deep differences between respondents who support the BJP and those who back the opposition. Among BJP supporters, a whopping 84 per cent are of the opinion that the Prime Minister is now a genuine world leader. In contrast, 45 per cent of those who support opposition parties seem to disagree with the contention. In recent times, Prime Minister Modi has received lavish praise from heads of state of the US, UK, France, Japan and Australia among other nations. Visuals of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea touching Modi's feet had gone viral in May this year. On Friday night, Prime Minister Modi wrapped the highly successful state visit that has resulted in many pathbreaking agreements in the defence, telecom, semi conductor, energy, education and other frontier technology sectors including space exploration and quantum computing. President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Minister for a private dinner at the White House apart from the ceremonial reception and official banquet attended by over 500 guests. During the state visit, Modi became the first Indian leader to address a joint session of the US Congress on two occasions. Apart from meeting dozens of CEOs of multinationals, the Prime Minister also addressed the Indian diaspora twice in New York and Washington. New Delhi, June 24 : An exclusive series of snap polls conducted across India to gauge public opinion related to events during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the US reveals that a big majority of Indians are incensed with the remarks made by former American President Barack Obama during a CNN interview. During the interview, Obama said that there is a danger of India pulling apart if ethnic minorities and Muslims were not protected. While there has been no official Indian reaction to such controversial remarks during a state visit, it has triggered anger among Indians and saw it as a needless attack on the country and Modi. The question asked during the CVoter snap poll was: Should the government of India condemn this remark? More than five out of every 10 respondents are of the opinion that the Indian government must strongly condemn the remarks made by Obama. In contrast, a little over one third of the respondents are of the opinion that the Centre should ignore the remark. Interestingly, 47 per cent of respondents who support opposition parties seem to agree with the majority viewpoint, while 38 per cent would prefer the government to ignore it. During the state visit, media outlets, politicians and activists had urged President Joe Biden to put pressure on Modi over human rights and free speech. On Friday night, Prime Minister Modi wrapped the highly successful state visit that has resulted in many pathbreaking agreements in the defence, telecom, semi conductor, energy, education and other frontier technology sectors including space exploration and quantum computing. President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Minister for a private dinner at the White House apart from the ceremonial reception and official banquet attended by over 500 guests. During the state visit, Modi became the first Indian leader to address a joint session of the US Congress on two occasions. Apart from meeting dozens of CEOs of multinationals, the Prime Minister also addressed the Indian diaspora twice in New York and Washington. New Delhi: Members of civil society organisations stage a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Members of civil society organisations stage a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Members of civil society organisations stage a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Members of civil society organisations stage a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Members of civil society organisations stage a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: A Member of civil society organisations hold a placard during a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: A Member of civil society organisations hold a placard during a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: A Member of civil society organisations hold a placard during a peaceful protest at jantar mantar over their demands to restore peace in ethnic strife-hit Manipur, in Delhi on Saturday, June 24, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Anupam Gautam) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, June 24 : A conglomerate of 40 organisations on Saturday held a peaceful protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding restoration of peace in violence-hit Manipur. The speakers from each of these civil society groups conveyed their heartfelt condolences and sorrow over the ethnic violence that has so far killed 120 people, injured over 400 others and displaced some 50,650 men, women and children since it first broke out on May 3. The groups also expressed their anguish over hundreds of churches being burnt down in parts of the state. "There has been an absolute breakdown of law and order in our state where armed mobs rule the day. The properties built and developed over many decades by the people of Manipur have been burnt down to ashes in a matter of hours. However, sadly, the local authorities have proved ineffective in diffusing the situation, and the victims continue to be displaced. The state government deplorably failed in its duty to protect the life and property of the people of Manipur," the groups said in a joint statement. Currently, more than 1,000 individuals, including women and children, have sought refuge in relief camps in the neighbouring regions of Assam and Mizoram. It is crucial to emphasise that those seeking shelter in relief facilities are enduring extremely challenging circumstances, lacking essential provisions like food, clothing, and clean water. "Though we appreciate the initiatives undertaken by the Home Ministry for appointing a three-member Judicial Commission offering compensation to the families of the deceased, but the organisers of the protest at Jantar Mantar felt that the current rehabilitation package falls short in adequately addressing the needs of individuals who have suffered physical violence, the loss of their homes, livestock, and in some instances, their entire means of livelihood," said Meenkashi Singh from Unity in compassion organisation. "Furthermore, the displacement of children from schools has also exacerbated the situation," said another protester. Patna, June 24 : Buoyed by the success of the Opposition's meet where 20 odd like-minded parties met on a common platform in Patna, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will not be contested on the face of one person but on the issues faced by common people. Hailing the rich heritage of his state, he said Bihar is the birthplace of democracy and a number of movements started here. "Bihar is the birthplace of democracy where big movements have taken place. It was his state that had taken the initiative to show direction to the country during the emergency. Today, when the country is faced with a similar situation, the coming together of top leaders from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in Patna for the Opposition meet was a big thing. We did not assemble here for ourselves but have united to fight for the cause of the common man and to defeat fascist forces," Yadav said. "Our goal is to unite the country. The next election would take place not for one person but it is an election of the people," Yadav said. Asked whether Arvind Kejriwal is not pleased with the meeting, Yadav said that no one is dissatisfied. Moscow, June 24 : Amid an alleged rebellion, the Russian Wagner mercenary group on Saturday claimed to have seized military facilities in the cities of Rostov and Voronezh, despite President Vladimir Putin's order to neutralise the mercenaries. In a social media post, the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that he was in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia close to the Ukraine border, and that his forces have control of military facilities and the airfield, reports CNN. He pledged to blockade Rostov and move on to Moscow if Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and top general Valery Gerasimov did not meet him in the city, where Russia's Southern Military District is headquartered. The Wagner group also claimed that said it had taken control of Russian military facilities in the second city of Voronezh, saying "the army switches to the side of the people". Earlier, the Governor of Voronezh oblast said that "a convoy of military equipment is moving along the M-4 Don Federal Highway", which connects the city and Rostov-on-Don. Voronezh is directly north of the Rostov region. The simmering tensions come after Prigozhin announced that his fighters were entering the Rostov region and that Russian Guards and military police have joined the Wagner group. Videos circulating on social media and geolocated to Rostov city show military vehicles on the streets and helicopters over the city Saturday morning. In response to the developments, President Putin said in a televised address to the nation: "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood, to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to protect the motherland from such a threat will be tough. "All those who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, who embarked on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment and answer both before the law and before our people. "I urge those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic mistake, but to make the only right choice -- to stop participating in criminal acts." On Saturday morning, Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee announced that a counter-terrorist operation regime has been introduced in Moscow, the region and the Voronezh to prevent possible terrorist acts. On Friday night, the Kremlin ordered the arrest of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after Russian intelligence accused him of calling for an "armed rebellion". Late Friday night, the Federal Security Service (FSB) urged Wagner mercenaries to "stop the columns" and detain their leader after the latter vowed retaliation over the Russian military allegedly killing a "huge amount" of Wagner fighters during a strike on a camp earlier in the day, reports CNN. Russian state TV also interrupted programming Friday night to report a Defence Ministry statement claiming Prigozhin's comments "did not correspond to reality" and demanded him to halt "illegal actions". Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin had claimed that his forces crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine, but did not give any proof to back his allegation. "Many dozens, tens of thousands of lives, of Russian soldiers will be punished. I ask that nobody put up any resistance." He also said the "evil" in the Russian military leadership must be stopped and vowed to "march for justice", but the Wagner chief clarified that he was not attempting a military coup Mumbai, June 24 : The makers of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer upcoming offering 'Tiger 3' have onboarded top Hollywood action coordinator Chris Barnes, who has worked on Marvel's historic hit 'Avengers: Endgame'. Chris Barnes is a veteran in creating action spectacles and his bio suggests that he specialises in marine action. Chris has also worked in huge Hollywood blockbusters like The Bourne Ultimatum, I Am Legend, Joker, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Avengers: Infinity War, etc. A source said: "YRF Spy Universe is the coolest film franchise that we have in India today and Tiger 3 will bring its own, unique flavour to the spy franchise that will be remarkably distinct from Pathaan or War franchises." "Action is the mainstay for these action entertainers and of course YRF and Maneesh Sharma are going to go all out to give audiences a film that they won't forget! Such moves only indicate their intention to give people a never seen before theatrical experience." 'Tiger 3' is part of the fabled blockbuster generating YRF Spy Universe and is the third film from the Tiger franchise after two humongous hits Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai. Tiger 3 also stars Katrina Kaif as super-spy Zoya and Emraan Hashmi as the villain. It is set to release this Diwali. -- Syndicated from IANS New Delhi, June 24 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused the Congress of not supporting his party on the ordinance row. Taking to Twitter, AAP MLA Dilip Kumar Pandey said that the entire Opposition had shown solidarity with the party against the Centre's ordinance, but for Congress which is maintaining a stoic silence. The people of Delhi, he said, had given a mandate to AAP, but the BJP created obstacles. When the Supreme Court intervened, the Centre did not accept its order, he said. "Understand the chronology: 1. Delhi gave a mandate to AAP. 2. BJP stopped the work by taking away the services. 3. AAP won in the Supreme Court. 4. The Center did not accept the decision. 5. A black ordinance was introduced. 6. This ordinance is dictatorial. 7. The entire opposition is against it. 8. What is the problem only with Congress, friends?" his tweet read. The AAP leader said that they have learned from reliable sources that the Congress will walk out in Parliament when the Opposition opposes the ordinance. He urged the Congress leadership to clear their stand on the issue. Chennai, June 24 : The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) is negotiating with the National Cooperative Consumer Federation (NCCF) and states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana to procure 6 lakh tonnes of rice to be distributed among ration card holders. Tamil Nadu has been allocated 2.97 lakh tonnes of rice for the public distribution system under the National Food Security Act but it needs an additional 50,000 tonnes per month as it has 2.2 lakh ration card holders to whom rice has to be distributed. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had taken a position that it will not be providing more food grains to states under its Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS). Sources in the TNCSC told IANS that after the FCI reiterated its position that it will not supplying more food grains to states other than the allocated quota, they have to knock the doors of other states and the NCCF. However, the rates of rice supplied from the FCI under OMSS was only Rs 34 per kg while that of the NCCF will be Rs 35.95 which is Rs 1.95 higher per kg compared to the FCI scheme. While the NCCF is willing to supply rice at the previous year's rate of Rs 35.45, the cooperative federation insisted that it would delivery the rice only to the respective rail heads in the district headquarters. This will lead to an increase of 0.50 rupees per kg for transportation leading to rice costing Rs 35.95 as compared to the FCI rates. Another proposal with the TNCSC is to retain the paddy procured from the farmers of the state instead of supplying it in the central pool. Tamil Nadu has, at present, 5.4 lakh tonnes of rice in its warehouses and the department is planning earlier procurement to prevent any shortage. The top military officer in the United States canceled a trip to the Middle East on Saturday as the crisis in Russia intensified, a spokesman said. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had been due to travel to Israel and Jordan. That trip was postponed "due to the situation in Russia," a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs told AFP. Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden's national security advisor, also canceled a trip Saturday, instead accompanying the president to Camp David. Sullivan had been scheduled to attend a conference on Ukraine in Denmark. Milley had been due to leave for the Middle East on Saturday. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin is facing the biggest threat to his rule yet with rebel mercenaries advancing towards the Russian capital after seizing a key military base. Earlier, the White House said Biden had discussed the unfolding crisis with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, affirming their staunch support for Ukraine. A White House spokesman also said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team Saturday morning on the Russian crisis and will continue to be briefed throughout the day. Search Keywords: Short link: Los Angeles, June 24 : Hollywood superstar Cate Blanchett made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury to perform with US pop-rock duo Sparks. The 54-year-old two-time Oscar winning actress appeared in the music video for the band's recent single 'The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte', reports Mirror.co.uk. Sparks are a pop/rock band from Los Angeles formed by brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who perform keyboard and lead vocals, respectively. Speaking to the crowds ahead of their performance, Russell shared his delight at being able to welcome 'Lord of the Rings' icon Cate to join them. He gushed: "Hopefully as many of you know we have a brand new album, it just came out a couple of weeks ago. We have a super special treat tonight. We did a video for this song recently and we had the great honour of having the great actor Cate Blanchett join us - where are you Cate Blanchett?" Cate herself then emerged on to the stage to dance along as the lads performed - sending the crowd into a frenzy. Ron and Russell have previously explained how they came to befriend Cate, who they bonded with during the 2023 awards season as she promoted her music themed film, 'Tar'. The brothers said: "We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the Cesar Awards last year, little knowing that a year later one of the great actors of our time - and a splendid person - would graciously consent to lending her booty-shaking skills to the first video from our new album." Cate is not the only surprise performer to take to the stage at Glastonbury this weekend as a string of other high-profile attendees appeared at Worthy Farm. Washington, June 24 : Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the most serious threat to his hold on power in all the 23 years he's run the nuclear state, media reports said on Saturday. And it is staggering to behold the veneer of total control he has maintained all that time - the ultimate selling point of his autocracy - crumble overnight, CNN reported. The opening salvos of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's disobedience were at times assessed as a feint - a bid by Putin to keep his generals on edge with a loyal henchman as their outspoken critic. But with Putin forced to admit that Rostov-on-Don, his main military hub, is out of his control puts paid to any idea that this was managed by the Kremlin. It is likely however Wagner's units have planned some of this for a while. The justification for this rebellion appeared urgent and spontaneous - an apparent air strike on a Wagner camp in the forest, which the Russian Ministry of Defence has denied - appeared hours after a dissection of the rationale behind the war by Prigozhin, CNN reported. He partially spoke the truth about the war's disastrous beginnings: Russia was not under threat from NATO attack, and Russians were not being persecuted. The one deceit he maintained was to suggest Russia's top brass was behind the invasion plan, and not Putin himself. Wagner's forces have pulled themselves together very fast and moved quickly into Rostov. That's hard to do spontaneously in one afternoon, CNN reported. Perhaps Prigozhin dreamt he could push Putin into a change at the top of a ministry of defence the Wagner chief has publicly berated for months. But Putin's address on Saturday morning has eradicated that prospect. This is now an existential choice for Russia's elite - between the president's faltering regime, and the dark, mercenary Frankenstein it created to do its dirty work, which has turned on its masters, as per CNN. It is a moment of clarity for Russia's military too. A few years ago, Prigozhin's mild critiques would have led to elite special forces in balaclavas walking him away. But now he roams freely, with his sights openly on marching to Moscow. This is not the first time this spring Moscow has looked weak. The drone attack on the Kremlin in May must have caused the elite around Putin to question how on earth the capital's defences were so weak. Days later, elite country houses were targeted by yet more Ukrainian drones. Among the Russian rich, Friday's events will remove any question about whether they should doubt Putin's grip on power, CNN reported. Los Angeles, June 24 : 'Two and a Half Men' star Ashton Kutcher has paid a rare tribute to his wife Mila Kunis. The Hollywood actor took to Instagram on Friday to express himself. "I'm the luckiest man alive," the actor captioned his post. "#gratitude." The photo featured Kunis, 39, standing in front of a blue ocean during a tropical getaway with a beautiful mountain range in the background. As per People, she held her arms out wide and stretched towards the sky as a rainbow lined up perfectly behind her. Fans flocked to the comments to gush over the cute couple moment. "Kelso and Jackie FOREVER (sic)", one fan wrote, referencing their respective characters on 'That '70s Show'. Another user said: "What a beautiful picture of a beautiful woman! You're the best couple (in) the world!!!" Kutcher is known for paying tributes to his wife in big ways. Back in February, the actor revealed that he once considered naming a mountain after Kunis after he took a trip to the South Pole to help with his autoimmune condition. "We get to the top and he said: 'You're the first person that has ever climbed this mountain. You get to name it,' " he recalled during an appearance on 'The Late Late Show' with James Corden. "I was like, 'Okay really? It's Mount Mila.' And he says 'No, no, it's bad luck to name it after another person, so don't do that'." Guwahati/Agartala, June 24 : The Railway Ministry has allocated Rs 153.84 crores for the under-construction railway line between India's Tripura to Bangladesh, officials said here on Saturday. The Rs 862.58 crore Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project is expected to be operational by the end of this year or early next year. Northeast Frontier Railway's (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the funding of the project is being done by the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) and already about Rs 708.74 crores of the anticipated cost has been provided and utilised. He said that the new rail project would boost relations between India and Bangladesh which would help growth of small scale industries in the border area and boost tourism of the northeastern region. It would also help in export and import of commodities faster and help the local producers to export their products outside the country faster, he added. De said that Indian Railways is significantly working towards PM's vision of 'Act East Policy' and 'Neighborhood First Policy' by executing several new railway line projects connecting the neighboring countries. Constructing the Agartala-Akhaura international connectivity rail line project between India and Bangladesh is one such of the crucial project that is at an advanced stage of completion. The 15.064 km long railway line (5.05 km in India and 10.014 km in Bangladesh) would link Bangladesh's Akhaura through an international immigration station at Nischintapur (on the outskirts of Agartala), which would be a dual gauge station for both passenger and goods interchange between India and Bangladesh. The project includes one major bridge and three minor bridges. After completion of the project, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka of about 31 hours would get reduced to 10 hours, De said. Currently, the people of the region, especially those in Tripura and its adjoining areas, go to Kolkata via Guwahati by rail, spending more than 31 hours. The Maligaon (Guwahati) headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway is the nodal agency of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project, which was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. The NFR officials in Agartala said that over 90 per cent work of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project on the Indian side has already been completed. Bengaluru, June 24 : Cyber Crime police's Whitefield division in Bengaluru has ended the free run of a conman, a womanizer who cheated three women of Rs 40 lakh by claiming to be a royal scion from Mysuru and promising them marriage in July, 2021. Muttu K @ Vinay K @ Siddharth Raj Urs @ Sandy, a resident of Mysuru, has been arrested following a complaint by a woman who alleged that he had cheated her of Rs 19 lakh. Further investigations revealed that he had cheated two more women and the police suspect that many more gullible women may have fallen prey to him. The accused made calls from the lobbies of luxury hotels and said that he is a software engineer working for a US tech company. He had registered as Siddharth Raj Urs from the Mysuru royal family on several matrimonial websites. He had posted many pictures of small kids before the Mysuru Palace and claimed to be one among them. The police say that the accused is a school dropout and a travel guide. He has a five-year-old daughter and took to crime after reading about a similar case. *Karnataka police have nabbed an IIT-Kharagpur dropout 34-year-old Navneeth Pandey from Uttar Pradesh for attempting to purchase a Point of Sales (POS) machine in the name of a restaurant fraudulently to siphon off money on January 2, 2023. The police had recovered 110 debit cards, 110 credit cards, three laptops, six cell phones, fake seals, cheque books and passbooks of different banks from the residence of the accused. Navneeth collected debit cards and credit cards from persons known to him and made an attempt to purchase a POS machine claiming to be the owner of the Kidambis Kitchen Restaurant of Banashankari. The fraud came to light after the bank staffer went to inspect the restaurant before issuing the POS machine. The police are ascertaining the exact plans of committing financial fraud by the accused who is an IIT dropout. *Ramamurthy Nagar police in Bengaluru arrested an ICICI Bank manager on the charge of illegally passing a cheque for Rs 3.9 crore on November 13, 2019. Ramamurthy Nagar ICICI Bank branch manager Prasad was arrested. The accused had passed the cheque without verification, colluding with the other accused persons. Prasad had created fake cheques for the Damangi Foundation of Bylahongala and they were successful in siphoning off Rs 3.9 crore with his help in July 2019. After the complaint, the four accused were caught when they were trying to deposit the money in the Nelamangala ICICI Bank branch. The police had arrested Pareekshith Naidu, Guru, Rangaswamy and another person then. After three months they took the bank manager into their custody. These are a very few incidents of fraudsters from decent backgrounds who were ultimately caught by the Karnataka police. The department has cracked some of the most difficult and high-profile cheating cases that made national news. However, police department sources admit that scamsters making use of the loopholes in the law continue to operate and preventive mechanisms are not effectively implemented due to the pressures on the system. Retired SP S.K. Umesh, talking to IANS, explained that those with money get trapped and end up losing money. They have more faith in fraudsters than themselves. Their entire focus will be on returns and they are only bothered about the interest and forget about the capital. No matter how many reports are published in the media and programmes are made on television, people keep on falling prey to the scams and scamsters because of their greed. The victims do not bother to see whether the fraudsters have permits at least to carry out the businesses they claim to run. The scamsters keep agents and pay them handsome commissions, in turn the agents will ensure the investments by any means. One fine day, the fraudsters vanish with huge sums of money. The victims do not want to give their original records as they fear they won't get their investment back. Surat, June 24 : In a tale straight out of a suspense thriller, the audacious conman Raheel Manjani has emerged as the mastermind behind an elaborate scam that left the diamond industry in Gujarat reeling. This incident, reminiscent of recent high-profile scams, saw the cunning fraudster replacing precious diamonds with packets of gutka, a popular chewing tobacco, resulting in a loss of Rs 32 lakhs. The victim of this audacious swindle was Surat-based diamond trader Rushabh Vora. As per Vora's police complaint, he fell prey to the deceptive charms of Manjani, who masqueraded as a diamond broker and gradually gained his trust. Lured by promises of lucrative deals, Vora willingly handed over polished, round, and natural diamonds worth Rs 32,04,442 to the fraudster, who claimed he intended to sell them to another trader. Between February 13 and 21 this year, Manjani collected the diamonds from Vora's office, meticulously sealing them within three parcels. To cement the illusion of authenticity, he even paid Vora a token amount of Rs 2 lakhs as a gesture of goodwill. With every interaction, the trap tightened around Vora, who remained oblivious to the looming catastrophe. As time wore on and the promised payment failed to materialise, Vora grew suspicious and demanded the return of his parcels. In an attempt to maintain the facade, it was agreed that the sealed parcels would be opened in Manjani's presence. What transpired next would shatter Vora's world and expose the depths of deception orchestrated by the fraudster. To Vora's disbelief, the once gleaming diamonds had vanished, replaced by insidious packets of gutka. The heart-stopping revelation left him stunned. He had been robbed not only of his precious gems but also of the trust he had placed in the conniving broker. It became painfully clear that Manjani, in connivance with another diamond trader, had meticulously hatched a plot to deceive and defraud unsuspecting victims like Vora. In response to the shocking incident, authorities swiftly sprung into action. Manjani has been booked under sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code. An intensive investigation is currently underway, aiming to uncover the full extent of Manjani's criminal network and determine if other traders have fallen victim to his elaborate ruse. The saga of Manjani serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threats lurking in the world of business, where deceit and betrayal can take on unimaginable forms. As the authorities delve deeper into this web of treachery, Gujarat's diamond industry braces itself, hoping to prevent future victims from being ensnared in the clutches of such audacious scammers. Annually, India imports approximately $11 billion worth of rough diamonds for polishing, with 80 per cent sourced from diamond mining companies and the remaining from Antwerp, Belgium. Surat contributes to over 80 per cent to India's annual diamond exports totaling Rs 70,000 crore. Nine out of 10 diamonds seen in stores worldwide are cut and polished in India, with 75 per cent of their brilliance attributed to Surat's diamond industry. With over 1.5 million individuals involved, Surat has become the heart of India's diamond polishing industry, with diamonds accounting for 54 per cent of the industry's gem and jewellery exports, cementing the country's position as the world's leading exporter of cut and polished diamonds. New Delhi, June 24 : A murder accused, who was absconding for the last 14 years after the crime in Paharganj area has been arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell, police said on Saturday. The accused was identified as Vikas Mendiratta, a resident of Ramesh Nagar and a reward of Rs 25,000 was declared on information leading to his arrest, Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, H.G.S. Dhaliwal said. According to police, information regarding absconding criminal Mendiratta was received at the Special Cell after which incessant efforts were made to gather his accurate location. It was also revealed that he has been changing his whereabouts quite regularly and has been evading arrest for the last 14 years. "On June 21, specific inputs were received and Mendiratta was nabbed from Major Pankaj Batra Marg in Delhi," Dhaliwal said. On interrogation, it was revealed that in 2008, Mendiratta, along with his associates, had beaten up Sajjauddin and had thrown him off the building, leading to his death. "While his associates Mahender Singh, Surender Saini, and Tarun Bhalla were arrested in the case, he could not be apprehended. The accused further divulged that he was changing his hideouts frequently to evade his arrest," the Special CP said. New Delhi, June 24 : A Delhi court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of a man accused of cheating, stating that the police should not be restricted from conducting a thorough interrogation of the accused. Accused Rishabh Sharma, alleged to have been involved in cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and forgery, had applied for anticipatory bail claiming that he was not the main offender in the case. Judge Aparna Swami, who was presiding over the vacation session, cited the accused's lack of cooperation during the investigation as she rejected his plea while instructing him to cooperate with the investigation. She emphasised that the police should have the authority to conduct sustained interrogation of the accused to gather conclusive evidence, particularly in a complex case like this where many facts are yet to be uncovered. "Police power of investigation cannot be clipped by denying the opportunity of sustained interrogation of accused for conclusion of evidence, particularly in a case of this nature where several facts are still to be unravelled," she said. The judge also acknowledged the seriousness of the offense, which involved a significant amount of money, and highlighted that the investigation was still in its early stages. Furthermore, the court noted that the accused was not a permanent resident of Delhi and that the other co-accused in the case were still absconding. The prosecution had opposed his bail application, citing his evasive responses and the discovery of Rs 3.44 lakh in his bank account out of the total amount of Rs 11 crore that was allegedly cheated. The prosecution informed the court that the money was deposited by the accused's father, Prem Ratan Sharma, who was identified as the main accused and was arrested on May 4, despite the FIR being filed in 2019. Chennai, June 24 : The Income Tax Department teams on Sunday were conducting raids for the second consecutive day at the places associated with people close to arrested Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji. Raids, with security provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were taking place at Karur and Coimbatore areas. Balaji, the state Electricity, Excise and Prohibition Minister, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14 in a case related to jobs for cash scam. While the DMK government retained him as a minister, his portfolios were reallocated to other ministers. The Income Tax Department had conducted searches and raids at many places associated with Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar a few days before the Enforcement Directorate arrested the minister. During the raids, the DMK cadres and associates of the Minister had allegedly assaulted IT Department officials injuring a few officials critically. A woman official was also injured in the assault. Sources in the IT Department told IANS that the raids are continuing at the places of Shakthi mess owners, Karthik and Ramesh who are considered to be close to the minister and his brother Ashok Kumar. The IT Department, according to sources will also be conducting raids in other places attached to the minister and his family. The IT department and the Directorate of Enforcement are trying to unearth maximum proof to connect the money trial of the minister. London, June 24 : The simmering conflict between Moscow's military leadership and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of private mercenary group Wagner, has exploded into an open insurrection that plunges Russia into renewed uncertainty and the very real threat of civil war, media reports said. Prigozhin unleashed a new tirade against the Russian military on Friday and then marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner's actions "treason" and has vowed to punish those behind the "armed uprising", CNN reported. The dramatic turn of events began on Friday when Prigozhin openly accused Russia's military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing a "huge amount" of his men. He vowed to retaliate with force, insinuating that his forces would "destroy" any resistance, including roadblocks and aircraft. "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country," he said, CNN reported. Prigozhin later rowed back on his threat, saying his criticism of the Russian military leadership was a "march of justice" and not a coup - but by that point he appears to have already crossed a line with the Kremlin. The crisis then deepened as Prigozhin declared his fighters had entered Russia's Rostov region and occupied key military installations within its capital. That city, Rostov-on-Don, is the headquarters for Russia's southern military command and home to some one million people, CNN reported. Prigozhin released a video saying his forces would blockade Rostov-on-Don unless Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general Valery Gerasimov come to meet him. Prigozhin has spent months railing against Shoigu and Gerasimov who he blames for Moscow's faltering invasion of Ukraine, CNN reported. Hours later Putin made an address to the nation that illustrated the depth of the crisis he now confronts. "Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," he said. The Russian President said "any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood for us as a nation; it is a blow to Russia for our people and our actions to protect our homeland. Such a threat will face a severe response". But Prigozhin responded, saying on Telegram that the President is "deeply mistaken". He said his fighters are "patriots of our Motherland" and promised: "No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else." That marked a more direct threat to Putin that Prigozhin had typically deployed in the past, CNN reported. The trade exchange between Egypt and India reached $6 billion in 2022, compared to $5.3 billion in 2021, reflecting a 13.7 percent increase, the Central Agency for Public Mobilizations and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Saturday. The statement coincided with the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Cairo on Saturday, in his first-ever visit to Cairo and the first visit by an Indian PM to Egypt since 1997 Egyptian exports to India amounted to around $1.9 billion in 2022, compared to $2 billion in 2021, a decrease of 6.5 percent, the statement added. On the other hand, Egyptian imports from India reached $4.1 billion in 2022, compared to $3.2 billion in 2021, an increase of 26.4 percent, according to the statement. The most significant commodities exported by Egypt to India in 2022 were mineral fuels, mineral oils and their distillation products ($1.1 billion); fertilizers ($242.1 million); inorganic chemical products ($240.8 million); salt and sulfur ($91.5 million) and cotton ($76.8 million). Meanwhile, Egypts top imports included meat ($669.2 million); iron and steel ($538.8 million); mineral fuels, mineral oils and their distillation products ($448.2 million); organic chemical products ($358.4 million) and boilers, machinery, mechanical appliances and tools ($274.4 million). During his visit to India in January, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and PM Modi announced they would double bilateral trade from its current level to $12 billion in the next five years. The value of Indian investments in Egypt reached $33.1 million during the first half of the fiscal year 2022/2023, compared to $24.2 million during FY2021/2022, an increase of 36.8 percent. In previous statements, the Indian embassy stated that there are currently around 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt that provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians. Remittances from Egyptians working in India reached $6 million during FY2021/2022, compared to $5.8 million during FY2020/2021, a 3.6 percent increase. On the other hand, the value of remittances from Indians working in Egypt amounted to $16.3 million during FY2021/2022, compared to $14.3 million during FY2020/2021, a 13.8 percent increase. According to the Indian embassy in Cairo, about 3,600 live in Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: Gurugram, June 24 : The crime branch unit Sector-39 of the Gurugram Police has arrested an inter-state gangster Sandeep aka Bandar, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh declared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), officials said on Saturday. Sandeep, a resident of Naharpur Rupa, Gurugram is an active henchman of gangster Kaushal Chowdhary gang. A motorcycle, an illegal pistol and six live cartridges have been recovered from his possession. According to the police, NIA had put Sandeep's name on the wanted Haryana gangsters' list. He was absconding since 2021 after coming out on bail. On the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, police received secret information about the movement of the accused and nabbed him from the Sector-39 area and a case under various sections of the IPC including the Arms Act was registered against him at Sadar police station Gurugram, police said. Preliminary investigation disclosed that the accused was involved in a dozen cases of heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder, robbery planning, extortion, threatening and possession of illegal arms, etc which have been registered against him in Delhi and Gurugram. Sandeep is a resident of gangsters Kaushal and Amit Dagar's village Naharpur Rupa in Gurugram and has good contacts with these criminals. "Sandeep was also a key member of the infamous Kaushal gang doing illegal extortion. He entered the crime world in 2007 and since then he is continuously active in carrying out serious incidents. He has gone to jail many times before and came out of jail on bail in September-2021 and after coming out of jail again started committing criminal incidents," Varun Dahiya, ACP (crime) said. Kolkata, June 24 : The Trinamool Congress on Saturday asked the Union government to send an all-party delegation to ethnic violence-hit Manipur to review the situation in the northeastern state amid continuing clashes there. "To boost the confidence of the people of Manipur and to provide healing touch, the All India Trinamool Congress demands that an all-party delegation be sent to Manipur within the next one week. "The message till now from the Centre has been that of ignorance, which needs to change to healing, caring, restoring peace and harmony," read a statement issued by Trinamool. Trinamool also criticised Home Minister Amit Shah for 'ignoring' West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's proposal to visit the violence-ridden northeastern state. According to Trinamool, although the Chief Minister had on May 29 written to Shah requesting permission to travel to Manipur for a one-day visit, no response has come from the Home Ministry even after three weeks. Trinamool also launched a scathing attack on Shah over his handling of the Manipur crisis. According to Trinamool, although the Home Minister visited Manipur nearly a month after violence broke out in the state, he only visited the camps and met select people. "The Home Minister did not meet the people on the streets who have been traumatised by the violence. The three-day visit of the Home Minister did not improve the situation at all. In fact, the situation deteriorated after his visit," the statement read. Claiming that the Union government should acknowledge its failures and correct the course of action, the Trinamool said the Centre will now have to decide whether it wants to create divisions to suit the interests of a political party, or it wants lasting unity and peace. Los Angeles, June 24 : Hollywood star Tom Cruise has thanked the cast and crew of his latest 'Mission Impossible' movie for managing to overcome a series of filming nightmares. 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One', which is the seventh film in the hit franchise, was forced to halt production as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the globe, reports Mirror.co.uk. Production then switched from Warner Bros Studios to Longcross Film Studios, where movies were allowed to continue shooting under strict protocols. While 'Mission Impossible' was the first major film to get back up and running following the pandemic, it was still surrounded by issues. As per Mirror.co.uk, an audio recording of Tom went viral in 2020 as he was heard screaming at crew members for apparent breaches of social distancing rules. However, the 60-year-old actor seems to have put all of that behind him as he said the film's release was "a beautiful moment" to share with his co-stars and film crew. The Hollywood star launched 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' at the film's London premiere. Speaking at the event he said: "I don't take anything for granted when making these films, especially with that time period, I'm just very proud of what we all did together." Tom was joined on the red carpet by his co-stars Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby. Imphal, June 24 : Security forces on Saturday busted 10 militant bunkers in Manipur's Kangpokpl district and recovered 1,100 arms and 13,702 pieces of ammunition, which were looted by the attackers after ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. Reports said that the attackers looted thousands of sophisticated arms and lakhs of ammunition from different police stations and security posts during the continuing violence. Meanwhile, officials said that the Manipur government has handed over the June 21 IED blast case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Three people were injured in the blast inside a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle parked on a bridge in Bishnupur district. "Preliminary investigation has revealed that the vehicle came from the Churachandpur side. It is a sensitive case given the involvement of insurgents operating in the state and across the border. Hence, it has been transferred to the NIA," an official said. Manipur has around 400 km of unfenced border with Myanmar. On Saturday, the Manipur police informed that the situation is tense in the state but under control with sporadic incidents being reported from some districts. Also, the district security co-ordination committee meetings are being held regularly. Patrolling, flag marches and cordon and search operations are also being conducted in the vulnerable areas by the security forces with special emphasis on the fringe areas of both hill and valley districts. Movement of goods-laden trucks carrying essentials, food grains and life saving drugs along the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) has been ensured with strict security measures. Curfew was relaxed for 12 to 15 hours in five valley districts, Pherzawl and Jiribam districts while it was relaxed for eight to 10 hours in Tengnoupal, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. There is no curfew in the remaining six hill districts, mostly dominated by the Nagas. The Manipur government has also appealed to the people to extend all possible help in restoring normalcy in the state. Panaji, June 24 : Goa on Saturday celebrated the monsoon feast of Sao Joao, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, which comes on June 24 every year, amidst heavy rainfall. The feast of Catholic prophet Saint John the Baptist comes exactly six months before Christmas and has its roots in a Biblical tale. The feast is locally known as 'Zanvoyanchem Fest', which means the feast of son in-law, wherein the newly-married son in-law is invited for lunch by his mother in-law. Many tourists also join the celebration in coastal area, which is home to a large section of Goa's Catholic population, where amid the din of drums and rhythmic, ear-splitting thump of the thick, fibrous coconut leaf stems slapped hard against the ground, the state celebrates the monsoon feast of Sao Joao. During the celebration, Sao Joao revelers wearing wreaths of flowers and leaves locally called copels, dive in and out of wells and ponds across their respective villages, as a mark of celebration. The state government had also organised the aSao Joao' celebration program in Old Goa, wherein many people participated and danced to the tune of local music. Revelers were seen singing the Konkani songs specially composed on this feast and jumping in wells and ponds. The state government tried to promote this festival by attracting tourists so they can explore the tradition of Goa. Ahmedabad, June 24 : A shocking incident of eve-teasing and harassment took place near the Balubhai Cross Road in Ahmedabad, as a man with a history of such offenses targeted female students. However, it marked a turning point when a group of courageous young students stood up against him, and thrashed him with belts. Eyewitnesses recounted that on Saturday morning, two sisters, one attending college and the other studying in school, were waiting at the bus stand. The accused, who has been identified as Vijay Sarkare, allegedly made unwanted advances towards the girls, and even resorted to kissing one of them. In a display of great bravery, the sisters refused to remain silent. They confronted their harasser, raising an alarm and calling for assistance when he persisted in his misconduct. The incident quickly gathered attention, drawing a crowd to the scene. Local residents swiftly apprehended the accused while the girls took matters into their own hands, using belts to deliver a lesson in self-defense. The police were promptly alerted which soon reached the spot and apprehend Sarkare. The father of the victims has lodged a formal complaint at the Kagdapith police station. Initial reports indicate that Sarkare has been involved in several instances of molestation, targeting girls and women who pass through the area, further intensifying the urgency of addressing this issue. The police have registered a case against Sarkare under Section 354A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) and Section 354B (assault or use of criminal force to a woman with the intent to disrobe) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, Sarkare faces charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, considering the age of the victims involved. A video capturing the entire confrontation emerged shortly and has gone viral since, triggering discussions on women's safety. New Delhi, June 24 : The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that as on Saturday, the southwest monsoon has further advanced into most parts of peninsular and east India and some parts of central and northwest India. "The southwest monsoon had further advanced into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Maharashtra, remaining parts of Karnataka, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh, some parts of east Madhya Pradesh, some more parts of Uttar Pradesh, most parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, some parts of Haryana and Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, on Saturday," the IMD said in a statement. It predicted that conditions are favourable for further advance of the monsoon over most parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, remaining parts of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, some more parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, east Rajasthan and Punjab, during next two days. The IMD's weather forecast for the next five days indicates widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated thunderstorm and lightning in Northeast and adjoining east India. According to the IMD, there is a high probability of isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy falls expected over Odisha on June 25 and 26. Similarly, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Odisha on June 24 and Jharkhand on June 25 and 26. Additionally, Gangetic West Bengal can expect isolated heavy rainfall on June 24 and 25, while Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura may experience heavy rainfall from June 25 to 28. Arunachal Pradesh can anticipate isolated heavy rainfall on June 28. In the northwest region, the IMD has predicted fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated thunderstorm and lightning. These conditions are very likely over the western Himalayan region from June 24 to 28. "Similarly, the plains of northwest India (excluding west Rajasthan) can expect these weather patterns from June 25 to 28. Uttarakhand is likely to experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls on June 25. Moreover, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh from June 24 to 28," the IMD said. It also said that western Uttar Pradesh can anticipate isolated heavy rainfall from June 24 to 26, while eastern Uttar Pradesh may experience it on June 25 and 26. "On June 25 and 26, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are likely to witness isolated heavy rainfall, along with east Rajasthan from June 25 to 28," it said. "Light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy/very heavy falls, thunderstorm and lightning over the region (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh & Vidarbha) is expected during next five days. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over east Madhya Pradesh on June 26 and 27 while West Madhya Pradesh on June 27," said the weather department. South India is expected to experience light to moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated thunderstorm and lightning over the region, excluding Tamil Nadu, for the next five days. "There is a likelihood of isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over coastal Karnataka on June 24, while Kerala and Mahe can expect such rainfall on June 27. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, along with Yanam, and Telangana may experience isolated heavy rainfall on the June 24, while Odisha can expect it from June 25 to 28," the IMD said, adding that isolated heavy rainfall is anticipated over south interior Karnataka on June 25 and 26. Thiruvananthapuram, June 24 : The South West Monsoon touched Kerala on June 8, as against the normal date of June 1, as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD was expecting the SW Monsoon to hit the state on June 4, but the severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy delayed its onset. There is a rainfall deficit in many parts of the state especially in South Kerala. In selected areas of North Kerala, there is abundant rain but in some parts in North and Central Kerala, there is a shortfall. The IMD predictions about the onset of the monsoon since 2005 have been proven correct but it got delayed by four days due to the Biparjoy cyclone in the Arabian Sea. The IMD officially declares the monsoon onset when around 60% of the weather stations in the state record 2.5 mm of water or more for two consecutive days after May 10. The IMD had confirmed that monsoon has touched the state after measuring the rainfall in the weather stations in the state. However in South Kerala, especially the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, rain has been playing hide and seek with many areas not getting proper rainfall. Even as some areas of North and Central Kerala are receiving abundant rain, the weather officials told IANS that the state was facing a rain deficit. While there will be no rain for a couple of days in the next three to four days there is more than above average rainfall in central and North Kerala. A yellow alert has been issued in Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad, Malapuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Idukki districts of Kerala for several days. The rain shortfall in some parts of the state is attributed to the formation of a cyclonic circulation at an altitude of 1.5 km above Madhya Pradesh which has influenced the monsoon. Weather officials said that this cyclonic circulation has diverted the winds away from the Kerala coast leading to the rain deficit. Scientists in the Radar research institutes are of the opinion that once this cyclonic circulation above Madhya Pradesh diminishes, the monsoon will regain strength and intensity. The South West monsoon has been deficient in Kerala 14 times between 1901 to 2021 while 1918 witnessed the most deficient monsoon. Even as several agencies have forecast 2023 as an El Nino year, that can destabilize the monsoon, the data available with the Indian Meteorological Department shows that of the 15 El Nino years the country has witnessed between 1951 and 2022, only five have affected Kerala. As per the IMD data, Kerala received poor rainfall in 1965, 1972, 1987, 2002 and 2015. However during the six El Nino years of 1953, 1957, 1963, 1969 and 1991 the state received an abundance of rainfall or rather above normal rainfall. According to experts, Kerala need not worry going by the historical data of the El Nino effect in the state. Generally the El Nino event happens between August and September but by then the state would have received 60 percent of its rainfall. The scientists also said that if there was a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (warmer sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean relative to the east), the state will negate the El Nino effect and is expected to get good rains in the four months of the South West monsoon. A departure of 19% plus or minus of the monsoon is considered normal. New Delhi, June 24 : A Delhi-based social media influencer recently received a parcel from Alibaba Group-owned online retail service Ali Express, after four years. "Never lose hope! So, I ordered this from Ali Express (now banned in India) back in 2019 and the parcel was delivered today," Nitin Agrawal wrote on Twitter. While some congratulated him, others praised the company for its work. "The Chinese know how to do business. They refunded the money for each and every order which got stuck in 2020," wrote one user. "I too received my parcel after 8 months from AliExpress. Till then AliExpress refunded my amount too," said another. AliExpress, known for selling a range of hard-to-find products at cheaper prices, was one of the 47 apps that was banned by the government in June 2020. New Delhi, June 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday received a warm welcome in Cairo when a saree-clad Egyptian woman sang the famous song "Yeh dosti hum nahi todenge" from Bollywood hit movie "Sholay". The video was shared by BJP IT Department in-charge Amit Malviya. "These saree clad girls, welcoming the Prime Minister in Cairo, aren't Indians but Egyptians. One of them even sang a melodious Hindi song. When your host go the extra mile to reflect the cultural sensibilities of your country, it is often a reflection of your rising eminence," Malviya tweeted. In the video, the saree-clad woman can be seen singing 'ye dosti hum nahi todenge' from 1975 hit starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, and Amjad Khan. After the woman sang the song, Modi clapped for her. Landing in Cairo on two-day state visit after completing his US state visit, he was received at the Cairo Airport by his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly. This is Modi's first state visit to Egypt and the first trip by any Indian Prime Minister in 26 years. In a remarkable display of regional autonomy against a backdrop of international polarization, Egypt and India have emerged as exemplars of cooperation and understanding. The two nations have banded together to forge a unique model of regional independence as significant players on the global stage. With recent tensions and divisions making headlines worldwide, Egypt and India have undertaken a strategic initiative to chart their own destinies while collaborating to preserve their positions as pivotal regional powers. This innovative approach stems from their unwavering dedication to ensure the security and stability of their respective environments Egypt focusing on the Arab world, Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, while India exerts its influence in South Asia. The timing of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cairo is of utmost significance. He comes at a time when the international arena faces intricate challenges following the global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional complexities, driven by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict among other polarizations worldwide, have added immense pressure to the regional dynamics Egypt and India currently navigate. Egypt and India's joint endeavour to strengthen relations underscores their commitment to establishing a secure and harmonious regional environment. By charting their own course amidst furious global headwinds, these nations present a captivating model of resilience and tenacity. Their unwavering determination to foster cooperation and understanding serves as an inspiration to nations across the globe, demonstrating that even in an era of intense international polarization, a path of collaboration and diplomacy can be charted. The recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Cairo marks a significant milestone in the deepening friendship between Egypt and India. This visit comes just five months after President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended India's Republic Day celebrations as the esteemed chief guest of honour. The strategic exchange of visits emphasizes the profound importance India places on its relationship with Egypt and its leader, as well as its dedication to fostering robust Egyptian-Indian relations. One core aspect of the burgeoning partnership between Egypt and India lies in their mutual commitment to ensure security and stability in international navigation. Both nations recognize the vital role they play in safeguarding the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Arabian Sea. India, with its aspirations to establish a framework for unhindered navigation across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, crossing freely to Europe via the Suez Canal, places particular emphasis on its strategic bonds with Egypt. Recently, relations between the two powers exhibited strong signs of transformation. The visit of Indian Defense Minister, Ragnath Singh, to Cairo last September underscored this notion. During the visit, a memorandum of military cooperation was signed, outlining joint efforts in training, combating terrorism, and bolstering military and security relations. Egypt's inclusion in India's defense dialogue with Africa further solidifies this growing alliance. The two nations also engage in crucial joint naval military maneuvers, assuring regional security and unhindered navigation spanning from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean and to the Mediterranean via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Cairo signifies the shared commitment of Egypt and India to elevate their bilateral ties to new heights. With each exchange of visits and the signing of cooperative agreements, the foundation for a prosperous future is being laid, promising a strong and enduring Egyptian-Indian alliance. The current balance of trade between the two countries has reached $7 billion yearly, while mutual investment, mainly from the Indian side, surpassed $3.5 billion this year. It has become evident from various indicators that the strategic path of relations between Egypt and India is on an upward trajectory. Notably, as current chair of the G20, India extended a generous invitation to Egypt to attend the next G20 summit, scheduled to take place in New Delhi 9-10 September, 2023. This invitation symbolizes the recognition of Egypt's significant role in global affairs. Just a day before the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Cairo, the Egyptian president was on his way back from Paris, where he had been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend a global finance summit. This, like Egypt's upcoming participation at the G20 summit, shows the country's growing and appreciated leadership in world affairs. India's support for Egypt's potential membership in the BRICS group, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, further underscores the deepening ties between the two nations. Moreover, the Indian Prime Minister has expressed a keen interest in providing crucial economic and investment support to Egypt. We may also recall that during the COP27 climate summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Indian companies committed to investing a substantial $18 billion in Egypt's green hydrogen industry. India continues to exhibit earnest goodwill towards Egypt. Despite a recent ban by India's government on the export of Indian wheat, Egypt was made an exception. Such actions highlight India's commitment to ensuring Egypt's food security and to providing economic support to its friend and reliable strategic ally. India's standing as one of the largest economies in the G20, its major capabilities in science and its cutting-edge technologies also present opportunities for Egypt. India's advancements in space technology, nuclear technology, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and new renewable energy can be harnessed by Egypt without restriction, offering immense potential for mutual and future benefits. There is also a call to establish an Egyptian-Indian technical university modeled after the renowned Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, one of India's oldest and most prestigious universities. Such an institution would serve as a catalyst for further collaboration and innovation. Further strengthening economic, investment, and production partnerships, the recent visit of the head of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) to India will also open an opportunity for the establishment of an Indian industrial zone in the SCZONE for major Indian companies and manufacturers. This would allow India to leverage Egypt's immense energy resources and industrial potential, taking advantage of the region's unique geography and central location for exports to the rest of the world. India's economic achievements in recent years are commendable. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it consistently attracts foreign investment, with an estimated $80 billion influx in 2020. Since 2014, India has embraced the "Made in India" principle, solidifying its position as one of the world's largest manufacturers. Lastly, it is essential to reflect on the historical ties between Egypt and India. As pioneers in the Non-Aligned Movement, they played a crucial role in ensuring stability during the Cold War. Today, they are qualified to navigate the complexities of international polarization and reinforce independence, especially given the regional arrangements that safeguard the rights of local countries in the face of mounting international pressure. With these developments and prospects for cooperation, Egypt and India are embarking on a promising new era of strategic partnership. As the world continues to evolve, this strategic alliance holds great potential for both nations in terms of economic growth, technological advancements, and geopolitical influence. Ambassador Dr Mohamed Higazy, former Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs. Search Keywords: Short link: Chennai, June 24 : Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, said on Saturday that the opposition parties do not have a clear agenda, they cannot unite, nor can they defeat Narendra Modi or the BJP. Speaking to reporters here, Athawale said that every opposition party has separate principles and ideology, and they cannot unite and defeat Modi. In fact, opposition parties uniting against the Prime Minister is advantageous to him, he said. The Union minister also called upon the Tamil Nadu government to end the 'atrocities' on Scheduled Caste members in the state. He asked Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to organise a meeting and address the Dalit issues, including the Vengavayil water contamination matter in Pudukottai, and opposition to the entry of Dalits in Villupuram district. "Take steps so that Dalits can live peacefully," he said. Athawale also said that his ministry extends financial support to couples opting for inter-caste marriage. There has been a rise in such marriages, whcih will eventually lead to a casteless society, he said. Bhopal, June 24 : The seating arrangement on the occasion of International Yoga Day on June 21 in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur has sparked off controversy as state's ruling BJP's Rajya Sabha member Sumitra Valmiki has accused the district administration of not giving her a chair on stage due to her being a Dalit. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar was present as chief guest on the occasion. The MP claimed that she was later called on stage but her chair was pushed back and she wasn't given a bouquet. The matter came to the fore after she wrote to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP president V. D. Sharma regarding the 'slight' to her. "I was not given any bouquet and also a proper seat on the stage because I am a Dalit. District Collector Saurabh Suman deliberately insulted me because of my caste," Valmiki alleged. Talking to media persons, she said: "We (Dalits) have been tortured for centuries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to end this practice. He wants to give us equal status, but there are still some frustrated minds in society. As Nelson Mandela fought for apartheid throughout his life, Modi ji is also fighting against caste discrimination today." In response to the allegations of the MP, District Collector Suman said that they were only following the action plan as given to them by the government. He also apologised to her. Meanwhile, the Congress called the incident "an insult to the Scheduled Caste community". "BJP made a Dalit woman a Rajya Sabha MP for votes and politics, but their purpose was never to give respect and equal rights to them. The Congress party condemn the incident," state media in charge K.K. Mishra said. New Delhi, June 24 : A human trafficker, who along with his associates, used to lure minor and innocent girls from Delhi-NCR and sexually exploited them before selling them to prostitution dens in Kolkata, has been arrested by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch from Agra, an official said on Saturday. The accused, identified as Vishal Singh, 39, a resident of Kolkata, was wanted in three states and was on the run since 2019. He had a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest. Special Commissioner of Police, Crime, Ravindra Singh Yadav said that on November 21, 2019, a case was registered at Mayur Vihar police station after a woman reported that her two daughters are missing from Mayur Vihar Phase-I. During investigation, the younger daughter was traced and it was disclosed that both the girls were kidnapped by the gang of human traffickers and they were sexually exploited in Uttam Nagar area. "Later the other daughter of the complainant was also traced and four human traffickers -- Naresh Shailesh Tamchikar, Raju Kumar, Shashi Mala, and Kiran were arrested, however, the prime accused Vishal Singh was absconding. "To evade arrest, the accused was traversing across India, Nepal and Bhutan but he was arrested on the basis of manual and technical inputs from Fatehabad Road, Agra," the Special CP said. On interrogation, Singh disclosed that he, along with his associates, hatched the conspiracy to push the victim girls into the flesh trade. "He used them as bar dancers and prostitutes to earn money. Singh made physical relationships with the innocent girls against their will on the pretext of marriage," Yadav said. "Both the girls kidnapped from Delhi, were kept by his trafficking gang members at Uttam Nagar, Delhi. Vishal purchased the elder daughter from Raju Kumar for Rs 2 lakh and had taken her to Kolkata for prostitution," said the official. After dropping her in Kolkata, he again came to Delhi in 2020 to buy the younger girl but Raju Kumar demanded more money, so he could not buy her. "On interrogation, it was found that his family members are also involved in human trafficking and are also wanted," the Special CP added. New Delhi, June 24 : Congress remained non-committal over the ordinance brought by the Centre for control of services despite repeated requests by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the mega opposition meet in Patna on Friday, AAP sources claimed. "The way you (Kejriwal) are eagerly approaching us time and again shows there is some mischief," Rahul Gandhi reportedly said on Friday, claimed AAP sources. Sources said Kejriwal was the second person to speak during the opposition party meet. In the closed-door meeting, Kejriwal requested to have a cup of tea with the Congress leaders, AAP sources said. "Let us have tea together. Let us sit for a tea-meeting to clear misunderstandings," Kejriwal reportedly requested Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. However, his request was turned down, AAP sources said. The sources said that it was Kharge who spoke before Rahul Gandhi and showed the statements of AAP leaders to Kejriwal, which alleged that Congress was working hand in glove with the BJP. Kejriwal responded by saying that some Congress leaders like Sandeep Dikshit and Ajay Maken also make statements against AAP. Let us not compare the statements, otherwise the meeting will not be fruitful, Kejriwal said. "Our differences should be set aside. Give us a chance, let us sit together; we will sort things out within half-an-hour," Kejriwal told Congress leaders, AAP spurces said. Rahul Gandhi then told Kejriwal that Congress has a process, saying "be it a meeting or an ordinance, we will follow the process to decide the future course of action", AAP sources claimed. The sources also said that during the meeting, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also suggested arranging a meeting between AAP and Congress. Others also supported her, but the Congress didn't allocate any time for the meeting with AAP, the sources said. "When nothing fruitful came out, other prominent leaders present requested Congress leaders to have lunch together with Kejriwal. Everyone was supposed to have lunch together, but Rahul Gandhi did not agree," AAP sources claimed. The sources also said that during the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said that they were against anything that is against the Constitution, but despite requests, the Congress did not make its stance clear on the ordinance. "We are only saying that forget the past and join us. We are not attacking the Congress now; we are only attacking the BJP," an AAP leader said. Kejriwal later said that Congress should make its stance clear regarding the constitutional structure and make it public, the sources said. Nadiad : , June 24 (IANS) A college bus was on Saturday trapped in an underpass in Gujarat's Nadiad due to water logging caused by heavy rains, and a challenging rescue operation was mounted to rescue the students inside. The deluge, attributed to heavy rains, engulfed the Nadiad area. A video of the rescue efforts showed students being pulled out from the bus through the windows, with their peers and locals offering a helping hand. Amidst the chaotic scene, five courageous boys stood on an adjacent lane, aiding their fellow students in their escape through the bus windows. The waterlogged underpass and congested space posed significant obstacles, making exit impossible. Determined to ensure everyone's safety, the students were carefully extracted as two-wheelers navigated through the narrow lane. Earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted rainfall in Gujarat. Light rain accompanied by thundershowers was forecast for Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Dang, and Tapi. As the monsoon progresses, similar weather patterns are expected in Surat, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, and Valsad districts, including Daman and Dadra Nagar Haveli. The Saurashtra region, encompassing Porbandar, Gir Somnath, and Junagadh, may also witness these weather conditions. This advancing monsoon system brings hope for relief to the parched lands of the state. Valsad district in southern Gujarat on Saturday received the initial showers, offering a glimmer of optimism to farmers and residents eagerly awaiting the arrival of the monsoon. Sunday is predicted to have light rain and thundershowers to all districts of the South Gujarat region, including Daman and Dadra Nagar Haveli, as well as Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Junagadh, and Diu, albeit in isolated areas. Chennai, June 24 : The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which is aiming to win all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat in Puducherry in 2024, is trying to take up a major role in next years general elections. If DMK and its allies, who form the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), garner maximum seats in 2024 elections, it will be a major boost for the Opposition at the centre and the ruling front of Tamil Nadu as the front is far ahead of the NDA alliance of AIADMK-BJP in the state. If DMK and its alliance will not win all the seats from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry still the front will make sure to win maximum seats in the upcoming elections. Other than Tamil Nadu, the opposition is likely to get a large number of seats from Kerala, where the opposition in all probability will win all the 20 seats. However in Karnataka, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh, the possibility of the opposition winning the maximum number of seats is less. In the 2019 general elections, BJP could win only four seats in Telengana out of the 17 seats and won 27 in Karnataka while losing the 2023 assembly elections. BJP stands a chance to win at least half of the seats. Situation in Andhra Pradesh is different with the ruling YSR Congress party winning 22 of the 25 seats. YSR Congress party has also not participated in the opposition unity meet in Patna like the BRS party. Telengana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has a different agenda and has travelled across the country to represent himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate. Other than Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the opposition may not get maximum seats from South India making Stalin a major player for the opposition unity. After the arrest of Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Stalin openly said that the DMK cannot be cowed down by using central agencies and that the party was ready for tit-for-tat. Interestingly, Tamil Nadu police arrested S.J. Suryah, BJP state office-bearer on charges of a fake social media post and later an AIADMK district office bearer of Erode district for another social media post. The BJP State President K. Annamalai, an IPS officer turned politician, openly came out against Stalin and the DMK by bringing out DMK files, it was clear that BJP would fight back against DMK. However, Stalin is only getting stronger in the state following his win during the 2021 election and bringing in investment and uplifting the social parameters of the state. After taking over as Chief Minister of the state, Stalin envisaged several social programmes, including 'Makkale Thedi Maruthum', which is health at the doorstep, 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' for children to compensate the learning loss due to Covid-19 pandemic, and several other schemes brining Stalin and his DMK in direct contact with the people. Meanwhile, the AIADMK -- the principal opposition party of Tamil Nadu -- is a divided house. One of its stalwarts and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) was expelled from the party by the incumbent General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). Pertinently, OPS is from the powerful Thevar community which has considerable sway in South Tamil Nadu and can decide the fate of several seats in the districts like Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Theni and others. In 2019 general elections, while DMK won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu, AIADMK won only Theni, Lok Sabha seat. The AIADMK candidate was O.P. Raveendranathan, son of O. Panneerselvam (OPS), showing the hold of OPS in his home town district. The current leadership of the AIADMK has also expelled former interim general secretary V. K. Sasikala who was also the former aide of late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. She is also a Thevar like OPS and has considerable influence among the Thevar community. Sasikala's nephew and former MLA T. T. V Dhinakaran who was also expelled from the AIADMK, floated the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) party which has also considerable influence in South Tamil Nadu. Add to this, the alliance between AIADMK and the BJP is rickety with the BJP State President K. Annamalai time and again coming out against the AIADMK. The AIADMK and BJP even had a public spat with each other showing that all is not well with the AIADMK- BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu. Given the rift, there are less chances of this alliance winning seats in 2024 general elections in Tamil Nadu. Given the background, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin is expected to play a major role in the 2024 general elections on the merit of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by DMK which is trying to garner more seats. Stalin's father, DMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Late Muthuvel Karunanidhi, had played a pivotal role in forming the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre in 2004 and the opposition parties are expecting a similar role by M. K. Stalin in the post-electoral scenario of 2024. New Delhi, June 24 : A woman passenger, found to be smuggling cocaine tablets valued at Rs 11 crore, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), officials said on Saturday. "On the basis of information received from DRI Bangalore Zonal Unit, we detained the woman at the IGI. She arrived at IGI from Addis Ababa. Upon thorough examination, it was discovered that she had swallowed 59 capsules containing a narcotic substance. White-colored powder/granules were recovered from inside her body," an official said. As per the official, this led to the recovery of a narcotic substance, which later tested positive for cocaine. The total weight of the cocaine was 724 grams, with an international market value of Rs 11 crore. "Considering the above, it became clear that she had violated the provisions of Section 8 of the NDPS Act and committed offenses punishable under Sections 21, 23, and 29 of the NDPS Act. Consequently, she was placed under arrest under Section 43(b) of the NDPS Act," said the official. The suspected cocaine, along with the concealing material, was seized under Section 43(a) of the NDPS Act and further investigations are on. Cairo, June 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Egypt on two-day state visit on Saturday, in his first engagement, held a meeting with the newly set-up India Unit in the Egyptian cabinet, headed by his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly. In a series of tweets, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: "Advancing India-Egypt civilisational relations. In his first engagement in Cairo, PM Narendra Modi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet, headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials were present in the meeting. "Discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade and investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people to people ties. The Prime Minister thanked Egypt for setting up this dedicated high level India Unit and appreciated the whole of government approach." Earlier in the day, after Modi landed in Egypt from US, Bagchi said that he received a guard of honour and ceremonial welcome. Sharing the other details of the Prime Minister's programme, Bagchi said that the Prime Minister will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Shillong, June 24 : Another round of tripartite talks between the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), and the Meghalaya and Central governments began on Saturday to take forward the dialogue with the outlawed militant outfit, peace process interlocutor Sadon K. Blah said. Blah, terming the first day's talks as "positive", said that the HNLC has demanded the withdrawal of all charges against the cadres of the outfit to pave the way for successful talks. HNLC Vice Chairman Manbha Rynjah said that the general amnesty, if granted, would build a trust between its cadres and the governments. "We want peace. Government would come forward with an open mind to achieve the desired goal of peace," the HNLC leader said after Saturday's meeting, which was held at the guest house of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd at Umiam here. Centre's interlocutor A.K. Mishra, state government's representatives Ronnie Wahlang and Peter Dkhar attended the meeting, where seven HNLC leaders took part headed by their interlocutor Blah. Saturday's meeting was a follow-up to the last discussion held last month. Both the state government and the HNLC observed that the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against four HNLC cadres would not disturb the ongoing peace talks. The NIA in August 2022 filed a charge sheet against four, including its Chairman-cum-Commander-in-Chief Bobby Marwein in connection with the bomb blast at the staff quarters of Star Cement Factory Colony Lane in East Jaintia Hills on December 12, 2020. The latest development has taken place after the government had in July last year allowed "safe passage", facilitating the leaders of the Khasi insurgent outfit to come to the negotiating process. Following the HNLC's offer to hold peace talks without any preconditions, the Centre had given its nod to the peace process leading to the Meghalaya government initiating formal talks with the outfit earlier last year. The state government also appointed Dkhar, who has vast knowledge of ethnic issues of Meghalaya, and is a former Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts, as interlocutor. Retired IPS officer Mishra, who is the advisor of the Union Home Ministry, will coordinate between the Centre and the state government on the talks with the HNLC. While militancy is on the decline in Meghalaya over the last several years, since 2020, the HNLC has been behind a few low-intensity IED blasts in the state. The HNLC, which has been demanding a sovereign Khasi tribal homeland in Meghalaya, is a breakaway faction of the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council, the first tribal militant outfit of the mountainous state, formed in the mid-1980s. London, June 24 : Wagner mercenary troops loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin are heading north in a convoy to reach Moscow, a media report said. The convoy of lorries, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles is hoping to take advantage of the element of surprise and reach Moscow before it is intercepted by a larger detachment of Russian regular troops, according to analysts and Russian military bloggers, The Guardian reported. Video from the convoy showed it had broken through barricades in the Lipetsk region, which borders Moscow from the south. The Russian government has been hurriedly preparing defences, including anti-tank ditches dug into main highways, in order to prevent the convoy from reaching Moscow. Photos and video from Moscow have shown the Russian government establishing checkpoints on the southern outskirts of the city guarded by sandbagged machine-gun emplacements, and infantry fighting vehicles patrolling the city near government buildings, including the Kremlin and State Duma, The Guardian reported. A former defence official said Russia's defensive forces were severely depleted, with most combat-ready units currently engaged in Ukraine. It may be difficult for law enforcement agencies to engage the Wagner detachment, the person said. The Moscow region has suspended all mass outdoor events until July 1, the authorities announced, BBC reported. It follows Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin telling everyone to refrain from travelling around the city. The Mayor has asked people to restrict their movements around the capital - rebels from the Wagner Group appear to be heading towards the city. Earlier in the day, life was continuing much as normal, albeit with a heavy security presence, and with roadblocks set up to check vehicles, BBC reported. Some bridges have also been closed. "The situation is difficult," Sobyanin said in his statement posted on Telegram. He added that it's possible some roads or neighbourhoods in the city will be closed to traffic. Sobyanin has put out a statement on Telegram announcing that "a counter-terrorist operation regime has been declared in Moscow" and that Monday will be a "non-working day" to "minimise risks", BBC reported. He asked Muscovites to "refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible". "City services are on high alert," he said. When Russian bombs began raining down on her hometown of Kyiv, Katya Hridina-But was pregnant with her third child and living her dream of running a photo shop for enthusiasts Fast forward a turbulent year and a half later and she and her husband Dima have settled in Berlin, their eldest daughter has become fluent in German and they are serving a growing niche of analogue photography buffs in Europe's top economy. They say that at 24 hours, their Film Speed Lab (FSL) provides perhaps the quickest turnaround service in the country for hobbyists and professionals who have returned to traditional rolls of film. Joining the burgeoning ranks of entrepreneurs among the more than one million Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Germany since the war began, the couple said the shop had also allowed them to "build a community" in their new home. "Film's not dead -- demand is rising," Hridina-But, 38, said, noting the irony that social media is driving interest in analogue photography. Ukrainians "have the same interests as people in the US or Germany so they all watch TikTok and shoot (with) film", she said. Hridina-But, who gave birth to her third daughter in the western city of Chernivtsi while fleeing Ukraine, calls herself the business brains behind the operation. Dima But, who as a father of three was exempt from compulsory military service in Ukraine and allowed to leave the country, brings the passion for photography. But, 40, said he loves the "crazy emotion" of film because, instead of providing the instant gratification of digital, it requires some patience to reveal its beauty and power. He likes the parks and playgrounds of their family-friendly district of Prenzlauer Berg, the sunny, modern space he has to work in -- half lab, half sitting room -- and the shop's "good neighbours". "It's people interested in what we do," But said. "It's very good people, it's good vibes." - German 'peculiarity' - While the couple was able to rely on savings to start their business, they still had to grapple with the notorious red tape required to launch any German venture and get their children enrolled in school and daycare. "At first of course you're saying, 'Oh my God, I need to fill in this form and that form and send it to this place and that place'," Hridina-But said. "It's just the peculiarity of the country -- you have to go through it and then everything works." They were nevertheless able to launch at remarkable speed last October, impressing even their German friends. "Usually it takes a lot more time but we just didn't have a lot of time," she said. They're not quite in the black yet but FSL's business has steadily grown, selling and developing colour as well as black-and-white film and processing ECN-2 motion pictures. They're now a team of five, mainly Ukrainians. Ukrainian refugees are as a rule exempt from Germany's complex system to apply for asylum, allowing them to join the labour market immediately. Around 36,000 Ukrainians had found steady employment by January, according to German government data, with another 1,000 people self-employed. FSL attracts customers from across Germany and even a few refugees who used to frequent the family's Kyiv shop Fotovramci, like 22-year-old Yana Isaienko. - 'Collect everything' - This year on February 24, the anniversary of the 2022 invasion, the shop put on an exhibition of its clients' photography featuring dozens of pictures by Ukrainians aching for home. Isaienko, who now works at FSL and runs its prolific TikTok feed, said the powerful images help keep the war front-and-centre in their German customers' minds. She held up a favourite picture from Kyiv of an improvised anti-tank obstacle known as a "Czech hedgehog", with a single flower threaded into its metal. Another showed a rosy-cheeked grandmother in her kitchen making the beloved dessert vareniki with cherries. In the wake of the invasion, "you start thinking about your family and about your history in another way -- you want to collect everything", said Isaienko. Ukrainian freelance photographer Stan Gomov, 27, dropping off some vacation snapshots, said that being at FSL felt like home. "It's just the time to support each other generally because of the whole situation with the Russian war," he said. "It's just very nice when you can come somewhere and have the same service that you used back home." Search Keywords: Short link: Moscow, June 24 : The crisis in Russia following the Wagner Group private military's mutiny and march on Moscow may be blowing over as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held negotiations with its leader Evgeny Prigozhin. The talks resulted in an "absolutely beneficial and acceptable" way to end the crisis, Lukashenko's press service announced, adding that the breakthrough reached after tense "day-long" talks, RT reported. The negotiations were conducted after speaking with and in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the press service noted. Prigozhin has accepted the offer to "stop advancements" of Wagner personnel across Russia, it added. The mutinous PMC is returning back to its field camps, Prigozhin announced, RT reported. Moscow, June 24 : Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Saturday that he had arranged a deal whereby Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will abandon his mutiny in exchange for "security guarantees" for his fighters. "Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed men of Wagner in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tension," read a statement from Lukashenko's office, RT reported. According to the statement, Lukashenko and Prigozhin held talks for the "whole day", and "came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia". Lukashenko's office said that the talks were held in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that Prigozhin was offered "an advantageous and acceptable option of resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters", RT reported. The news came as a Wagner convoy drew closer to Moscow, several hours after members of the private military outfit passed through the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. In a series of video statements released since Friday, Prigozhin declared that he was advancing on Moscow to confront Russian military officials he deemed corrupt. Prigozhin garnered no support from the Russian establishment. Instead, Putin accused the Wagner chief of "backstabbing our country and our people", while Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin for "calling for an armed rebellion". Senior Russian political and military figures denounced Prigozhin's mutiny, and called on Wagner fighters to lay down their arms. Shortly after Lukashenko's announcement, Prigozhin confirmed that his troops were abandoning their push to Moscow and returning to their field camps, RT reported. Bhopal, June 25 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that the Opposition parties are getting united as they can not compete against Prime Minister Narendra Modi individually. Calling Prime Minister Modi 'superhuman', Chouhan said that the Opposition was unable to match with his public-oriented schemes in the last nine year, which is why they are making an attempt to fight against Modi's 'charisma' in 2024. Briefing the press in Gwalior, accompanied by the Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar, Chouhan said: "PM Modi is one of the most popular leaders in the world. Wherever he goes, people greet him with love and pride." The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was referring Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to the US. Meanwhile, taking a jibe at Opposition, Chouhan said, "During flood, monkeys, snakes, frogs and others climb on a same tree to save themselves. They are saving themselves from the flood of Modi wave. People wonder how can one person be so perfect and hence I am saying Modiji is a superhuman." Chouhan further said that he could not understand the outcome of the Opposition meet. "The only thing, I could understand that Lalu Yadav advised Rahul Gandhi to get married. Now, Rahul Gandhi will become bridegroom...," he sarcastically said. Responding to Chouhan's comments on Opposition meet in Bihar, veteran Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath accused him of making "low-level" remarks. "You called the Opposition snake, frog and monkey. For the last several days, you have been using profanity and low-level language on a regular basis. Your same language and this feeling is creating hatred towards you in the public," the Congress leader said. Ahmedabad, June 25 : In a heartwarming display of humanity, Salim Abdul Sheikh, a resident of Shahpur, received accolades from the city police for his act of brotherhood during the Rath Yatra procession on June 20. Tragically, Sheikh's wife had passed away due to illness on the very day of the Rath Yatra. Their residence, situated along the procession route, posed a unique challenge. It was essential to transport the body from the hospital to their home and then to the graveyard. Amid the bustling preparations for the Rath Yatra, the police stepped forward to facilitate the transportation of the body. Concerned officers approached Sheikh, seeking information about the burial arrangements. Sheikh explained the situation, stating that as it was the day of the Rath Yatra, the procession would pass from in front of their house before the burial procession could proceed. Displaying a sense of understanding, Sheikh decided to keep his wife's body at home until the Rath Yatra procession passed, a period spanning approximately five hours. In recognition of his act of brotherhood, the police honoured him for his commitment to humanity. Moscow, June 25 : The Wagner Group private military company (PMC) is returning back to its "field camps", leader of the PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying in a media report. His units staged a mutiny overnight, seizing control of multiple military and administrative installations in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, as well as launching an advance towards Moscow, RT reported. The insurrection reached the brink of major bloodshed, Prigozhin said, explaining that Wagner's advancing columns will return to their camps "according to plan". "They wanted to disband PMC Wagner. On June 23, we went on a March of Justice in a day. We advanced on Moscow just 200km short, and during this time we did not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters," he was quoted as saying by the Russian media outlet. During the mutiny, however, the private military outfit reportedly downed multiple aircraft and repeatedly skirmished with Russian forces. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Saturday that he had arranged a deal whereby Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will abandon his mutiny in exchange for "security guarantees" for his fighters, the media outlet reported. "Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed men of Wagner in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tension," read a statement from Lukashenko's office. According to the statement, Lukashenko and Prigozhin held talks for the "whole day," and "came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia". Lukashenko's office said that the talks were held in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that Prigozhin was offered "an advantageous and acceptable option of resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters", RT reported. The news came as a Wagner convoy drew closer to Moscow, several hours after members of the private military outfit passed through the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. In a series of video statements released since Friday, Prigozhin declared that he was advancing on Moscow to confront Russian military officials he deemed corrupt. Prigozhin garnered no support from the Russian establishment. Instead, Putin accused the Wagner chief of "backstabbing our country and our people," while Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin for "calling for an armed rebellion". Senior Russian political and military figures denounced Prigozhin's mutiny, and called on Wagner fighters to lay down their arms. Shortly after Lukashenko's announcement, Prigozhin confirmed that his troops were abandoning their push to Moscow and returning to their field camps, the media outlet reported. Patna, June 25 : One person was killed while two others got critically injured in a massive bomb explosion in Bihar's Bhagalpur district on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Taushif (17), a resident of Qurashi locality in Babarganj police station of the district. The bomb exploded in his house at around 6 p.m. His mother Sultana Khatoon and uncle Abdul Mannan were injured in the incident. Mohammad Abdul Gani, the father of the deceased, said that after hearing the loud sound of the explosion, he rushed to his house. "I found my wife and my brother badly injured while my son was under the debri and he died," Gani said. Following the incident, a team of Bhagalpur police headed by DSP city Ajay Kumar Chaudhary reached the spot and investigated the incident. Dog and bomb squads were also called at the site to investigate the incident. "We are investigating how and why the bomb was kept inside the house. We are also searching for more bombs that could be placed inside the house and the debris," Chaudhary said. "The injured persons were admitted to Mayaganj medical college and hospital for treatment. Their statements are awaited," he said. This is the second such incident in Bhagalpur. Earlier, two boys got injured when a bomb was exploded in a village under Madhusudanpur police station in the district. New Delhi, June 25 : Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday that whether US President Joe Biden was conveying "some subtle message" by gifting Prime Minister Narendra Modi a book of poems by Robert Frost? In a tweet, Ramesh said, "President Biden has presented our Prime Minister with a book of poems of Robert Frost. Was he conveying some subtle message? These four lines from Frost's 'Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening' had been copied out by Nehru and kept on his table: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. "Nehru's masterly biographer S. Gopal had drawn attention to this in 1984 in Vol 3 of his trilogy on Nehru. These lines had been translated into Hindi too by Harivansh Rai Bachchan," he said. Nehru's close associates say that in his last moments, lines from Robert Frost's poem lay on his pillow side. Prime Minister Modi during his state visit to the US presented special gifts to President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday. Among the many gifts, Prime Minister Modi presented President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden a book titled 'The Ten Principal Upanishads', co-authored and published by William Butler Yeats. He also gifted a 7.5 carat lab grown diamond to First Lady Jill Biden, which reflects earth-mined diamonds' chemical and optical properties. According to the White House, the first couple also gifted a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman's Patent of the first Kodak camera, a hardcover book on American wildlife photography, and a signed, first edition copy of 'Collected Poems of Robert Frost'. Robert Frost is the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry during his lifetime. He died at the age of 88 on January 29, 1963. Moscow, June 25 : The criminal case, launched this weekend, against Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Evgeniy Prigozhin will be dropped and he will leave Russia, the Kremlin has announced, a media report said. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Prigozhin, a Saint Petersburg tycoon who made his initial fortune in catering, "will go to Belarus". He added that Wagner's fighters will not be persecuted, taking into account their efforts on the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict. Peskov explained that President Vladimir Putin's team "have always respected their exploits". Those PMC contractors, who refused to take part in the mutiny - and whole units did not - will be allowed to sign contracts with the Russian Defence Ministry, Peskov stated, RT reported. The PMC group launched a major mutiny overnight, seizing control of the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, as well as advancing towards Moscow. The insurrection was stopped late on Saturday, following talks between Prigozhin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, with the PMC leader agreeing to return his units to their "field camps". The Wagner Group private military company is returning back to its "field camps", the PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced earlier. His units staged a mutiny overnight, seizing control of multiple military and administrative installations in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, as well as launching an advance towards Moscow, the Russian media outlet reported. The insurrection reached the brink of major bloodshed, Prigozhin said, explaining that Wagner's advancing columns will return to their camps "according to plan". "They wanted to disband PMC Wagner. On June 23, we went on a March of Justice in a day. We advanced on Moscow just 200km short, and during this time we did not shed a single drop of the blood of our fighters," he was quoted as saying by the media outlet. During the mutiny, however, the private military outfit reportedly downed multiple aircraft and repeatedly skirmished with Russian forces. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Saturday that he had arranged a deal whereby Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will abandon his mutiny in exchange for "security guarantees" for his fighters. "Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed men of Wagner in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tension," RT reported, citing a statement from Lukashenko's office. According to the statement, Lukashenko and Prigozhin held talks for the "whole day", and "came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia." Lukashenko's office said that the talks were held in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that Prigozhin was offered "an advantageous and acceptable option of resolving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters", the media outlet reported. The news came as a Wagner convoy drew closer to Moscow, several hours after members of the private military outfit passed through the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. In a series of video statements released since Friday, Prigozhin declared that he was advancing on Moscow to confront Russian military officials he deemed corrupt. Prigozhin garnered no support from the Russian establishment. Instead, Putin accused the Wagner chief of "backstabbing our country and our people," while Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin for "calling for an armed rebellion." Senior Russian political and military figures denounced Prigozhin's mutiny, and called on Wagner fighters to lay down their arms. Shortly after Lukashenko's announcement, Prigozhin confirmed that his troops were abandoning their push to Moscow and returning to their field camps. Imphal, June 25 : Security forces in Manipur's Imphal East district apprehended a dozen of militants of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) outfit on Saturday, but had to hand over all of them to local leaders after a mob, led by women, surrounded the forces and prevented them from going ahead, an official said. According to a defence spokesman, after Saturday midnight the Army and the Assam Rifles, acting on specific intelligence inputs, launched an operation at Itham village in Imphal East district and the area was cordoned off before the actual search commenced to avoid inconvenience to the locals. "The operation resulted in the apprehension of 12 KYKL cadres along with arms, ammunition and war-like stores. Self-styled Lt Col Moirangthem Tamba alias Uttam was also among the 12 militants. He was the mastermind of an ambush on the 6th battalion of the DOGRA in 2015," the spokesman said. A mob of around 1500 people, led by women and local leaders, immediately surrounded the area and prevented the security forces from continuing the operation despite repeated appeals. The spokesman said that keeping in view the sensitivity of use of kinetic force against large irate mob and envisaged casualties due to such action, the officer on ground made a considerate decision to hand over all 12 KYKL militants to local leaders. The Army and the Assam Rifles troops lifted the cordon and left the area with the recovered weapons and ammunition. Mature decision on part of operational commander displays humane face of the Indian Army, making all efforts to avoid any collateral damage and denies scope of escalating the situation, during the ongoing unrest in Manipur, the spokesman said. The Indian Army appeals to the people of Manipur to assist the security forces in maintaining law and order to bring peace and stability, a defence statement said. Unnao, June 25 : A 25-year-old local journalist was allegedly shot at and injured in Unnao district, late on Saturday night, police said. Mannu Awasthi, a resident of PD Nagar, was shot allegedly by unidentified assailants. He has been admitted to a hospital in Kanpur where his condition was stated to be critical. The motive behind the attack was not immediately known. The police said all possible angles are being looked into. This week the Zawya Art House Cinema Focus (14-27 June), a week-long programme screened twice, featured a retrospective of the late Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) including four of his most highly acclaimed films: LAvventura (The adventure, 1960), LEclisse (The eclipse, 1962), Il Deserto Rosso (Red desert, 1964) and the famous English-language Blow Up (1966). A filmmaker, cinematographer and producer, Antonioni is famous for enigmatic films portraying the alienation of individuals in modern societal structures, using a distinctive style of minimal dialogue along with extended scenes, unrealistic narrative and frustratingly ambiguous endings. LAvventura (The adventure, 1960) was Antonionis first major international success though many responded to it by saying, nothing happens in the movie, due to its lack of a coherent narrative. It features a group of wealthy friends on a sea cruise near Sicily, their expensive yacht filled with amenities and lavish food. Anna (Lea Massari), her lover Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti), and her close friend Claudia (Monica Vitti) swim ashore before the others. Anna and Sandro argue, and then Anna is missing on the uninhabited island. Despite all efforts to find her, Anna cannot be found. Another yacht approaches with Annas father on board. The narrative focuses on revealing how unreal and fragile these characters relationships are, rather than becoming a conventional adventure searching for Anna. The cinematography features powerful scenes of rocks, sea, and the rooftop of a church next to giant church bells. Once back on the shore, Sandro notifies the police of Annas disappearance. He then follows Claudia on a train to start a new adventure, telling her that he loves her. This sequence presents Claudias crisis as she struggles to have a relationship with her friends lover. When Claudia accepts Sandro, they forget about Anna and check into a hotel. Claudia refuses to join Sandro at the party downstairs and decides to sleep instead. He joins the party and never returns to the room that night. Claudia struggles with fears that Anna has returned and is with Sandro. When she goes in search for him, she finds him lying down with a hooker on a lobby couch. Antonionis favourite muse was Monica Vitti, who appeared in three of his four films. Vittis delicate yet mysterious presence lent his often bewildering and motive-less films a touch of humanity. Her characters provided a source of empathy for viewers struggling to find emotional depth in Antonionis abstract narratives. Il Deserto Rosso (Red desert, 1964) was Antonionis first film in colour. Set in the wastelands and toxic factories of Italy, the film stars Monica Vitti as Giuliana, a wife and mother who attempts suicide and desperately seeks escape from her reality. Her husbands colleague, Corrado (Richard Harris) is unwilling to help her. After her son falsely claims a serious illness, Giuliana attempts to escape once by seducing Corrado and another time by attempting to sail away on a nearby ship. However, as in Antonionis other films, the pace is slow with lingering shots of streets and places, and the narrative drive and purpose remain elusive. LEclisse (The eclipse, 1962), also starring Monica Vitti alongside Alain Delon, is set against the backdrop of modern Rome with intense long shots of the streets and their exquisite architecture. It opens with a long scene of a couple, Vittoria (Vitti) and Riccardo (Francisco Rabal), splitting up. Abruptly the film starts to follow Vittoria, who heads to the headquarters of the stock exchange where her mother can usually be found trading. Vittoria engages in a relationship with Piero (Alain Delon), one of the most active employees in the stock market, who is always busy and moving quickly from one spot to another. The film follows these two strangers becoming entangled in a melancholy love affair; their relationship starts, escalates and fades away. Here as elsewhere Antonionis characters lack any true emotions as their relations are based on desire, convenience and mutual boredom, and the film delves into existential alienation, bureaucracy, commerce and fake social interactions to reflect on loneliness and materialism. Blow-Up (1966), for its part, follows Thomas (David Hemmings), a fashion photographer in London who unintentionally captures a murder that appears in a series of photos that he took at the park. Thomas starts to blow up the photos to have a clear view of their content. Of course, with no resolutions are provided for the viewer as the film tackles interesting questions about truth and its perception. Along with complex characters, the film delivers a unique and provocative metaphor. Antonionis style is too abstract and esoteric to reach a wide audience, with characters often lost in dreams and psychological struggles they remain unable to communicate or express, with exterior elements taking on the task of expressing their emotional state. * A version of this article appears in print in the 22 June, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against K&N Engineering, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against K&N Engineering, Inc. alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 218, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 246, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. 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The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Prolink Healthcare, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Prolink Healthcare, LLC alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 218, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 246 et seq., 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Prolink Healthcare, LLC is currently pending in the San Francisco County Superior Court, Case No. CGC-23-606525. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. Additionally, Prolink Healthcare, LLC allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code 2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and the AGGRIEVED EMPLOYEES were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against Prolink Healthcare, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Prell Restaurant Group, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Prell Restaurant Group, LLC alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 246 et seq., 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Prell Restaurant Group, LLC is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 23NWCV01515. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, Prell Restaurant Group, LLC allegedly failed to pay employees for all the time they were under the employer's control. This, allegedly, includes the time Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees had to submit to mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to clocking in for the day. To the extent that the time worked off the clock did not qualify for overtime premium payment, Defendant allegedly failed to pay minimum and overtime wages for the time worked off-the-clock. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against Prell Restaurant Group, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Catholics for Choice recommits to being louder than ever about our faithfully-formed beliefs in conscience, in social justice, and in religious freedom... We will continue to fight until the fundamental right to abortion is once again the law of the land. Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, released the following statement from President Jamie L. Manson, M.Div., marking the one-year anniversary of the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade: One year ago, the majority-Catholic Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and completed the decades-long religious crusade, spearheaded by the U.S. Catholic bishops, to take away our most fundamental freedom: our ability to control our own fertility and determine our own destiny. Heres a crucial, overlooked fact about the Dobbs decision: All of the five justices that overturned Roe v. Wade are, or were raised, Catholic. The anti-abortion opposition that successfully overturned Roe v. Wade is a Catholic one. When Catholics for Choice gathered in anger on the steps of the Supreme Court that day, we knew that the Dobbs decision would give right-wing leaders license to codify their fringe religious beliefs into civil law, with a devastating impact on millions of women and pregnant people across the country. And in the year that followed, those fears have been realized: a recent study from ANSIRH found that in states where there are abortion bans and restrictions, the morbidity of pregnant patients has doubled. Long-term side effects from the delay and poor quality of care include infertility, heart attack, stroke, uncontrolled hypertension, and chronic pelvic pain and infection. It cannot be overstated that anti-choice Catholic forces are responsible for this suffering. At Catholics for Choice, we know that our opposition is a religious force, falsely using Catholic and Christian identities to infringe upon the rights and consciences of thousands across the country. The year since Dobbs has shown us just how out of step those anti-choice forces are with U.S. Catholics, the majority of whom support abortion in all or most cases. Weve turned out in droves, in red states and blue, to defend abortion rights at the ballot box. We've lobbied elected officials, testified at legislative hearings, spoken up in the media, and organized. Were more committed than ever to the urgent, lifesaving work of restoring, protecting, and expanding abortion access. As we acknowledge the one-year anniversary of this decision, Catholics for Choice recommits to being louder than ever about our faithfully-formed beliefs in conscience, in social justice, and in religious freedom. And we are calling on the hundreds of thousands of Catholics who agree and who can overshadow the radical, anti-choice Catholic minority to join us and declare, I am a Catholic for Choice! We will continue to fight until the fundamental right to abortion is once again the law of the land. For the month of June, Catholics for Choice launched the I am a Catholic for Choice campaign, which includes a pledge for pro-choice Catholics to be silent no more; a solidarity pledge for allies who are affected by the religious overreach of the Catholic hierarchy; and A Pro-Choice Catholic Was Here postcards that people can post on social media and leave in church pews, on bulletin boards, in coffee shops, and more. Catholics for Choice is also hosting How I Became a Catholic for Choice: A Conversation with Jamie Manson on June 28. More details about these activities can be found at http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/iamacatholicforchoice. Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a persons well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives. Contact: John Becker, Press Secretary Phone: 202-203-0931 Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org By offering an innovative vape delivery service, we aim to exceed their expectations and deliver the products they love directly to their doorsteps, with unparalleled speed and convenience. As vaping enthusiasts increasingly seek hassle-free solutions, Vape Delivery Miami aims to be the go-to destination for all their vaping needs. 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For more information about Vape Delivery Miami's vape delivery service and to place an order, please visit https://www.vapedeliverymiami.com. About Vape Delivery Miami: Vape Delivery Miami is a leading vaping product and accessories provider dedicated to delivering exceptional products and services to the vape community. With its revolutionary vape delivery service, Vape Delivery Miami aims to redefine convenience and customer experience in the Miami, FL, region. The company takes pride in its vast selection of top-quality brands, competitive pricing, and commitment to customer satisfaction. Gone are the days when Korean salarymen retired early to their ancestral hometown for a life of leisure. Now six out of 10 Koreans in their silver years still have to work to make a living, according to Statistics Korea on Tuesday. The employment rate among those aged 55-79 stood at 58.1 percent this year, the highest on record. At the same time, the population of that age group in Korea has increased by 332,000 from last year to 15.1 million, surpassing 15 million for the first time. And of these, 8.77 million are employed. Unsurprisingly, 68.5 percent of employed older Koreans said they want to work more, up from 61.2 percent who felt that way in 2015, while 93.4 percent said they want to keep working. An American aircraft carrier was scheduled to make a port call in Vietnam on Sunday -- a rare visit by one of the U.S. Navy's biggest ships that comes as Washington and Beijing both step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations. The USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, was scheduled to arrive in Da Nang on June 25 and stay through June 30, making use of a port that was modernized and expanded by the United States during the war in Vietnam, the country's Foreign Ministry announced. It will be only the third such visit by an American aircraft carrier since the end of the hostilities. The visit comes about a month after a Chinese navy training ship made its own port call in Da Nang as part of what it called a goodwill tour that also took it to Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines. The United States has been struggling to pivot to the Pacific for over a decade, and one of the major missing pieces is logistics. Yes, the United States has the greatest power-projection capabilities on the planet, with unequalled numbers of cargo aircraft, aerial tankers, and support shipsbut the Pacific boasts the greatest distances in the world. And, as the horrendous expenditure of ammunition and human lives in Ukraine has shown, a war with China would have an insatiable appetite for reinforcements, munitions, and supplies, most of which would have to be moved over 6,500 miles10,000 kilometersfrom the West Coast to the West Pacific. Once those logistical essentials arrive in the Indo-Pacific Command's area of operations, how do they cross the vast distances within INDOPACOM? Working with its allies and partners, the United States has been open about its development of key access points in the Pacificlike Korea, Japan, Guam, and Northern Australiafrom which its forward forces can operate and through which supplies like fuel, ammunition, and spare parts would flow. Now, while U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) remains responsible for moving logistics from the continental United States to those key access points in the Pacific, it is less clear what organization will ultimately own transport within the INDOPACOM theaterwhat's known as intra-theater lift. In the absence of a unifying and coherent plan, the different services are moving forward with their own initiatives for intra-theater logistics. The Army, for example, has a long history in logistics, including watercraft, and is updating their fleet by replacing a geriatric landing craft ( PDF ) from the Vietnam era, the LCM-8, with the new Maneuver Support Vessel Light, the MSV(L), which carries the equivalent of a single tank. It has also been developing a replacement for its much larger landing craft, the proposed MSV (Heavy), which would carry the equivalent of around a dozen or more tanks) to help move larger units from those key access points and throughout the theater. Meanwhile, the Navy plans to support Marine Corps logistics with the Light Amphibious Warship, but this ship is specifically intended to serve the Marines, not to meet the whole joint force requirement. The Air Force is implementing concepts such as Agile Combat Employment and hardening its main operating bases. It is critical that the logistics underpinning a credible military deterrent be figured out now and not wait any longer. Share on Twitter The services have, at a minimum, a responsibility to ensure ambitious concepts like All-Domain Operations can be executed across the Pacific. In addition, the services have been anticipating for some time that they might be assigned further responsibility for intra-theater logistics as part of the Joint Warfighting Concept and associated Joint Concept for Contested Logistics. Unfortunately, the services' disjointed activities to address intra-theater logistics have not been enough. The much larger responsibility lies with the Pentagon and Congress, which controls the funding necessary to solve the intra-theater lift problem in the Pacific. It is critical that the logistics underpinning a credible military deterrent be figured out now and not wait any longer. We see at least three key questions yet to be answered: How will logistics be done in the Pacific? The military cannot, and indeed does not, expect to operate the way it has in past conflicts. Unchallenged access to foreign lands is simply not an option, and they will have to operate in a dangerous and uncertain environment for the duration, from home base to front line. The Joint Warfighting Concept and the supporting Joint Concept for Contested Logistics have not detailed the major changes that are coming to the logistics enterprise at a level that senior leaders can understand, let alone get behind. Most of the rhetoric is reminiscent of earlier concepts for logistics and sustainment that were heavy on process diagrams and promises to be agile ( PDF ), but light on actionable substance. All the many issues with misaligned incentives and bureaucratic seams remain unresolved, to include the mismatch between the requirements of a major war and the mostly peacetime-oriented working capital fund transportation and sustainment structure ( PDF ). How will intra-theater transport needs be met? Historically speaking, prior concepts have had the luxury of assuming intra-theater lift would be readily available. In theaters such as the Central Command, intra-theater lift was largely a matter of contracting for private-sector trucks (though the Third Country Nationals driving those trucks often faced grave risks from roadside bombs). But you can't hire a semi to drive supplies across the Pacific, and contracting for cargo ships may not be an option, because recent work suggests that finding contractors who do not have close ties to China or other disqualifiers will be very challenging. The Joint Force needs to be clear how they will meet the need for intra-theater lift and which service will provide it. Its ability to execute the Joint Warfighting Concept depends on this capability. We have indeed discussed this issue before, but have seen no evidence of movement toward assigning a serviceor functional combatant commanderas lead for this issue. Where is Congress in this debate? The Joint Warfighting Concept is a step change because it focuses on the Pacific and integrates additional domains against a new kind of competitor. In recent years, Congress asked key questions about investments in intra-theater lift, and the services have been making additional investmentsbut this is simply not enough. The Pacific is so large, and U.S. bases are so far apart, that Congress must make investments on a scale appropriate to the need. Congress has not yet attempted to exercise public oversight of what is an obvious institutional seam in intra-theater lift over water. So what can and should legislators do now? The Senate and House Armed Services Committees should hold hearings about intra-theater lift, summoning top DoD civilian and military officials to explain how they intend to solve this problem. Congress should also include a requirement in the annual National Defense Authorization Act that DoD provide an intra-theater lift plan to Congress. National security-minded lawmakers should also write the Secretary of Defense and other DoD leaders to express their concern about the lack of attention to intra-theater lift. Finally, members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees as well as the Senate and House Appropriations defense subcommittees should press DoD and combatant command leadership about the issue when they testify before those panels at their annual budget hearings. Intra-theater lift over water will require significant new capabilities, which no service has so far fully funded, just as no service has as yet been assigned responsibility for providing these capabilitiesnor does the Department of Defense show any signs of designating a responsible party. The U.S. Joint Force cannot effectively fight a war in the Pacific without the ability to sustain the fight from the United States. Share on Twitter The U.S. Joint Force cannot effectively fight a war in the Pacific without the ability to sustain the fight from the United States. There is no concept and no investment plan that even begins to address the shortfall from the points where U.S. Transportation Command delivers strategic lift to the point where frontline forces need to receive the supplies. These capabilities and concepts are not ones that any service naturally wants to adopt, but they are critical. Yes, there is a problem with intra-theater logistics, but it's much bigger than a single service. The Department of Defense and Congress must act to assign responsibility, provide required resources, and continue appropriate oversight to meet these needs. Otherwise, forces trying to fight in the Pacific will find themselves in the position of firefighters with an empty hose. Bradley Martin is the director of the RAND National Security Supply Chain Institute, and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Chris Pernin is director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department and a senior physical scientist at RAND. This commentary originally appeared on Breaking Defense on June 23, 2023. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis. Property details: .BUY LAND NOW OWN YOUR LAND!OVER HALF AN ACREThis land is perfect for Land Banking! Buy and hold for future investment. Many companies and investors purchase land at a substantial discount for their investment portfolios. Then later, use this as collateral for their business. Low Low Prices!Great Investment for new investor. 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Price: $ 677 Seller State of Residence: California Type: Recreational, Acreage Property Address: lot off Hillside Drive , Youngsville, Pennsylvania 16371 Zip/Postal Code: 16371 Zoning: Mixed City: Youngsville State/Province: Pennsylvania Location: 163**, Youngsville, Pennsylvania You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Pennsylvania SojaBoy / Instagram By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/24/2023 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. alum Usman "SojaBoy" Umar has gone Instagram official with his new American girlfriend, showing that he's moved on from his San Diego-based ex-fiancee Kim Menzies.Usman, a Nigerian rapper and musician, took to Instagram on Monday and posted a slideshow of photos featuring his new girlfriend, Kiera Elise, who is younger than Kim and closer to his own age."Happy Birthday to you my LOVE @the.kiera.elise, you are a strong woman, loving and caring," Usman captioned the mirror selfie. "I will choose you now and always."This past weekend, Usman posted photos and videos of the couple exploring London together."I been reading your comments for the passed 2 hours and all I see is love, guys thank you and wish us well," Usman captioned a video."[Kiera] will be my Amarya soon and will y'all will be invited for the dinner."On that same day, Usman wrote alongside several photos of the pair, "Love is a beautiful thing, it's amazing to fall in love and to get it back in return. I'm officially off market not by force but by choice, this one is the right one for me. Check us out. Don't you think we fit? Guys no hating pls."For Kiera's part, she shared her own photo of the couple in Piccadilly Circus."I Piccadilly don't care if you have something negative to say. So please keep the love flowing and the hate moving," she wrote.Kiera calls herself a professional stylist, travel guru and dog mom on Instagram. She appears to live in New Jersey, although she's been traveling with Usman to other countries.But Kim seems unbothered by Usman's new romance. Earlier this week, she posted an Instagram photo of herself smiling at the San Diego County Fair, and she wrote, "Happiness is a mood. Staying positive is a mindset."Kim announced she had broken up with Usman on the Tell-All for : Happily Ever After?'s seventh season, which aired in January 2023.Kim told the Tell-All's host Shaun Robinson that she and Usman were no longer together but she still loved him and they continued to talk or text every single day."We have a connection like nobody understands," Kim declared.Usman agreed that he loved Kim but things just didn't work out because they couldn't have a child together. Usman said his own happiness needed to come first, and Kim said it was best to just let her man go."She took off her ring, I [kept] it, and that's it," Usman shared, confirming Kim had ended their engagement.Kim explained that she didn't want to deny Usman having a child, and Kim's son Jamal was thankful the relationship was over.Jamal told cameras backstage how Usman had "psycho guilt-tripped" Kim and "put all this baggage on her." Jamal hoped the world would see that Usman is "selfish and narcissistic."Jamal alleged, "If anything, he guilted her into breaking up. He pushed you to do it and so now he doesn't look as bad. He loved her for what she could do for him."Some of Usman's co-stars accused him of being an opportunist who only cared about his reputation and furthering his career, but Usman insisted he had loved Kim for three years and wouldn't have used someone for that long.Usman insisted he's not a "scammer" and that he never pushed Kim to dump him."I think Usman used her to stay relevant," Jamal said. "I think Usman low-key played the f-ck out of my mom."But Kim argued Usman had never played her because he'd be an Oscar winner to be able to fake all of their interactions and pillow talk. And Usman said he had sex with Kim, which was supposed to prove that he loved her.Footage then flashed back to Usman meeting with his potential second wife in Nigeria, a woman named Fareedet.Usman had thought they could be a good match and that Fareedet would be able to give him a child, and Kim revealed that she had no idea Usman had asked for her phone number.Although Usman claimed he had met Fareedet at his mother's request, Kim cried about how she had to prove herself to Usman and his family time and time again -- only to feel "so dismissed."Kim claimed there was no hope of rekindling her relationship with Usman. She wished him well and said she'd always support him and his music."I'll always be a Super Fan, and we'll see what happens later on. I met walk out of this f-cking door today and meet the man of my dreams. But I must say that I love him. This is just really, really hard," Kim cried.Usman and Kim also appeared on Season 5 of : Before the 90 Days together.Usman found fame when he starred on Season 4 of : Before the 90 Days with Lisa Hamme , the American woman he had dated before getting romantically involved with Kim.Usman and Lisa got married in Nigeria on the show's season finale, but their marriage wasn't legal in the United States. Lisa she struggled to trust Usman during their relationship and so they split in May 2020.Usman later served Lisa with divorce papers in December 2020, and Lisa announced in April 2021 she had remarried with a childhood friend Lisa ultimately believed she was the victim of a romance scam with Usman, and she also accused him of having used her for fame and to advance his rap career.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! ABC/Ricky Middlesworth By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/24/2023 ADVERTISEMENT Tanner works for a company called Kiavi Tanner also works as a fitness instructor ABC says Tanner is "100 percent husband material" suitor is a huge dog lover ADVERTISEMENT Tanner attended college in Pennsylvania Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called on Pakistan to act to ensure that its territory is not used to launch extremist attacks, the White House said in a joint statement. "They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks," the White House said. Relations between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have been fraught for years. Since British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent ended in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. India has for years accused Pakistan of helping Islamist militants who have battled Indian security forces in its part of Kashmir since the late 1980s. Pakistan denies the accusation and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris seeking self-determination. The Supreme Court of California has ruled that police are not immune from civil lawsuits for misconduct that happens while they investigate crimes Internet giant Google is investing $10 billion in India's digitisation fund, its CEO Sundar Pichai has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a step that will recognise India's leadership on fintech and will support small and large businesses in India, the US and around the world. Photograph: Courtesy, PIB Pichai met Prime Minister Modi in Washington on Friday and also announced the opening of Google's global fintech operation centre in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar. It was an honour to meet Prime Minister Modi during the historic visit to the US. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing $10 billion in India's digitisation fund, Pichai said. We are announcing the opening of our global fintech operation centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. PM's vision for Digital India was way ahead of his time I now see it as a blueprint that other countries are looking to do," he added. Google today announced that it will open a Google Fintech Global Operations Center in GIFT City, Gujarat, with teams working on specialised operations supporting GPay and other product operations at Google, a Google spokesperson told PTI. This recognises India's leadership on fintech and will support small and large businesses in India, the US and around the world, the spokesperson said after the meeting between Pichai and the prime minister. Google has been operating in India since 2004, with offices in five key cities across the country with thousands of talented employees. We currently have offices in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Hyderabad, Gurgaon - Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune, the spokesperson said. In 2020, deepening its commitment to India and a reflection of its confidence in India's growing role in the global technology arena, Google announced the Google for India Digitisation fund, a commitment to invest $10 billion (approximately Rs 75,000 crores) focussing on four areas. First, enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language. Second, building new services that are relevant to India's unique needs. Third, empowering businesses as they embark on digital transformation. Fourth, leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for social good. Towards the end of last year, Google also announced support for Early Stage Startups with a particular focus on women-led startups under the India Digitisation fund. Using AI to further India's digital transformation journey, Google AI Research Center in Bengaluru is building models to support over 100 Indian languages, and working with the Indian Institute of Science to support open sourcing of speech data through India's Bhashini project. It has also partnered with IIT Madras to establish a multidisciplinary Center for Responsible AI. With a focus to support businesses and governments to run on Cloud, Google Cloud has been playing a pivotal role in bringing innovative cloud technologies to India and being a part of India's digital transformation journey. India's biggest enterprises and unicorns like Jio, Adani, Mahindra Group, Sharechat, HDFC Bank, Glance Roposo and hundreds of others are today benefiting from Google Cloud and AI offerings. To support this growing demand, Google Cloud now has 2 cloud regions in Delhi NCR and Mumbai respectively, a media release said. Russia's President Vladimir Putin in a televised address to the nation on Saturday, said that the 'armed mutiny' by the Wagner Group is a 'stab in the back' and vowed to punish those who were on the 'path of treason' or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military. IMAGE: Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a televised address in Moscow, on June 24, 2023. Photograph: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via Reuters Putin's statement comes after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged head of the Wagner mercenary group, in a series of recordings released on social media on Saturday, announced that his troops had taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities. Putin on Saturday addressed Russian citizens, the personnel of military and security services, as well as those 'who have been pushed to the path of armed insurrection by deception and threats', state media TASS reported. In his televised address to the nation, Putin said, "Renegade actions against those fighting in the front is a stab in the back of our country," CNN reported. Putin also pledged a harsh response and punishment to those who plan 'an armed rebellion'. "We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to treason and a betrayal of the country and its people," Putin was cited by TASS. "The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artyomovsk, towns and settlements in Donbass, who fought and lost their lives for Novorossiya, for the unity of the Russian world - their name and glory have also been betrayed by those who are trying to stage a mutiny and pushing the country towards anarchy and fratricide, defeat and finally surrender," Putin said in his address. Putin in his address said "all kinds of political adventurers and foreign forces, who divided the country and tore it apart, profited from their own interests. We will not let this happen again. We will protect both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery," CNN reported. The Russian president's statement came hours after The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny by the Wagner group. The FSB urged Wagner fighters not to obey Prigozhin's orders and take measures for his detention. In his address, Putin described Wagner's actions as 'betrayal' and stressed that 'any actions that fracture our unity' are 'a stab in the back of our country and our people'. "Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," Putin said. He said that 'any internal turmoil' is a 'deadly threat' to Russia's statehood and Moscow's actions to protect the homeland. He noted that such a threat will 'face a severe response'. Calling the situation in Rostov-on-Don 'difficult', Putin in his address noted that the work of civil and military administration had been blocked in Rostov. "The situation in Rostov-on-Don remains difficult during the armed uprising. In Rostov, the work of civil and military administration is basically blocked," Putin said as per the CNN report. Earlier on Saturday, the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces have taken control of military facilities, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin's actions come after he accused Russian forces of striking a Wagner military camp and killing 'a huge amount' of his fighters. Russia's Ministry of Defense has denied his claim and termed it an 'information provocation'. Russian President Putin announced that the armed forces have been given 'necessary orders' and 'decisive action' will be taken to stabilise the situation in Rostov. He further said that 'additional anti-terrorism, security measures' have been taken in Moscow and a number of other regions. Wagner on Saturday claimed to have taken control of Russian military facilities in Voronezh, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don. "Military facilities in Voronezh are taken under the control of the Wagner PMC. The army switches to the side of the people," Wagner said in a statement on the Telegram channel, according to CNN. Prigozhin noted that planes that leave for combat work have no problems and the medical flights were also leaving, according to CNN. He further said, "All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction." Russian security forces have cordoned off the building of the Wagner Center in St Petersburg, CNN reported citing RIA Novosti, a Russian news website. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence has urged Wagner forces to 'safely return to their points of permanent deployment'. India's multi-faceted relations with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership' this year, will receive further impetus with the first state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this key Middle East nation, India's ambassador to Cairo has said. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Cairo, Egypt from Joint Base Andrews Airport, US on Friday, after concluding his maiden State Visit to the United States. Photograph: ANI Photo Prime Minister Modi will be arriving in Cairo on Saturday evening at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. It will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. "We are very much looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Cairo from 24th to 25th of June. The visit is a very historic occasion because the last bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister was as far back as 1997," Ajit Gupte, India's Ambassador to Egypt, to PTI in an interview. Modi will hold talks with El-Sisi on Sunday to discuss ways to give further impetus to the strategic partnership between the two major nations. "I am excited to pay a state visit to a close and friendly country for the first time," Modi said in his departure statement in New Delhi on Tuesday before leaving for the United States on his maiden state visit. "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year," he noted. These two visits in the span of a few months are 'a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership' with Egypt, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership' during President Sisi's visit, Modi said. "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilisational and multi-faceted partnership," he said. Ambassador Gupte said that Egypt and India have had close defence ties. "They have been participating for many years in joint exercises, training programmes, etc. But in the last two years, our defence cooperation has grown from strength to strength, and I'm happy to convey that 30 Indian defence delegations have visited Egypt in the last two years while from Egypt about seven defence delegations have gone to India," he said. For the first time ever, there were joint exercises between the fighter aircraft of the air forces of India and Egypt. "From Egypt, we were very happy to have received an Egyptian military Convention, which led the Republic Day Parade this year... We also had for the first time ever, joint exercises between our Special Forces in the desert in Rajasthan," he said. On the strategic partnership between the two countries, Gupte said, "There is a great friendship between the people of both countries, but there was no special status to the relationship. So in the last few years, keeping in mind the rapidly growing trade, defence, and economic cooperation." "Naturally, the term strategic partnership is only used in a very limited and restricted manner to signify countries with whom that country wants to have very special relations," he added. On Egypt's invitation as a guest country for the G20, Gupte said, "We have invited nine guest countries and Egypt is one of them. Egypt is the most populous Arab country and is located in a very strategic place. "It has a lot of influence in the Arab world. And Egypt is therefore a very significant regional player and it reflects the aspirations of the developing countries. So that is why we feel that Egypt's participation in the G 20 will be very useful," Gupte said. During his stay here, the prime minister will also be visiting the Heliopolis War Memorial. This is a memorial which has been erected by the Commonwealth but it is a memorial for 3,799 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in various battles in Egypt during the First World War. They were essentially defending Egypt from attacks from the Ottoman forces, he said. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The mosque was built during the Fatimid dynasty. The Bora community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards. "Also, there is a memorial for 600 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in Yemen in the first world war so it is a very moving moment when Prime Minister will visit and he will be acknowledging the sacrifices made by Indians for international peace," Gupte added. Modi will also meet members of the Indian community during his visit. "Well, the Indian community in Egypt is quite small. It is about 3,600 and there are also students. But they are very eager to welcome the Prime Minister especially as this is the prime minister's first visit to Egypt. So we are organising a community event where the prime minister will get to meet them," Gupte added. US Vice President Kamala Harris said India's history and teachings have influenced and shaped the world, asserting the country has inspired millions of people through its philosophy. IMAGE: US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about her deep connection to India and her grandfather at a luncheon hosted by her for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Washington, DC, June 23, 2023. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters She also said India is a very important part of her life and that she is deeply connected to the country. The history and teachings in India and of India have not only influenced me, they, of course, have shaped the entire globe, Harris said in her address at a luncheon hosted by her and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Throughout history, India has inspired millions of people around the world, whether through philosophy and theology, the power of civil disobedience, or the commitment to democracy, she said. Harris, during her remarks, recalled her journeys to India when she was a child. When my sister Maya and I were growing up, our mother would take us from the Bay Area to India pretty much every other year. The purpose of those trips were many, including that we would well understand where she came from, what produced her; so that we could spend time with our grandparents, with my uncle and our chithis (aunts); and to really understand the love of good idli, she said amidst laughter. We travelled to visit my grandparents in what was then called Madras. And I will tell you, my grandfather was one of the most favourite people in my life, truly. We were pen pals, in fact, throughout my childhood, she said. Harris said her grandfather had a great influence on her. I was the eldest grandchild. And so, as I'm sure many of you know, culturally, to be the eldest has certain significance. And so, I took full advantage of that status in our family. And my grandfather, of course, convinced me -- as he did, I think, every one of his grandchildren -- that we were his favourite. Yet, on those visits, I was the only member of our family that my grandfather allowed to join him for his morning routine, Harris said. You see, by the time that we were going there as children, my grandfather was retired from his career as a civil servant. And his morning routine, every morning, consisted of taking long walks on the beach with his retired buddies. And they, as retired civil servants, would debate the issues of the day, said the vice president. I would hold my grandfather's hand on these walks and listen intently to him and his friends. I will tell you, as a young girl, I don't think I fully appreciated the essence and the import of the debates that they would have. But, I did clearly understand and do recall stories about the freedom fighters and the nation's founding heroes and about the independence of India. I remember them talking about the importance of fighting corruption and fighting for equality, regardless of one's belief or caste, she said. The vice president said conversations with her grandfather at a young age influenced her thinking. Throughout these walks, I recall my grandfather teaching me lessons about not just what it means to have a democracy but to keep a democracy. I do believe it is these lessons that I learned at a very young age that first inspired my interest in public service. I look back now and I do fully realise how much these conversations influenced me and my thinking, and how they have guided me ever since, she added. In fact, it is a large part of who I am today -- these lessons I learned from my grandfather, P V Gopalan, and from the dedication, determination, and courage of his daughter, my mother, Shyamala. And it is that being the reason that I stand before you today as vice president of the United States, Harris said. She thanked Modi for his role of leadership to help India emerge as a global power in the 21st century. You have helped to reinvigorate the Quad. Your leadership of the G20 is making new strides on climate finance. And you have been a proponent of international institutions and global solutions to global challenges, she said. And as a point of personal privilege, as chair of the National Space Council, I thank you for your leadership in space and for our joint work on an earth science satellite, which will help us address the climate crisis. And I will also thank you because when you and I first met at the White House, I asked you to join the Artemis Accords: a commitment to the safe and transparent use of space. I am happy to report, as you have, that you have joined the Artemis Accords, she added. An international delegation examines a torched building as they tour the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, days after a rampage by Jewish settlers, on June 23, 2023. Israels security agency said Friday it had detained three Israeli settlers on suspicion of involvement in mass rampages through Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank this week following the killing of four Israelis. While rights groups welcomed the arrests, the small number of suspects given the scale of the attacks revived criticism of the wider lack of accountability for Israeli settlers. The rule is impunity from justice, said Roy Yellin, of the Israeli rights group BTselem. Israels Shin Bet security agency did not identify the three detained Israelis. Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters he hoped that there will be enforcement, that there will be law. He said he expected police to make more arrests. Over the past three days, Jewish settlers have torched and vandalized dozens of Palestinian homes and cars throughout the West Bank in retaliation for Wednesdays Palestinian shooting attack that killed four Israelis. Their ferocity echoed a deadly settler rampage in February in the northern Palestinian town of Hawara. Some Israeli settlers were detained following that attack, but swiftly released without indictments. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din on Friday described the arrests as a drop in the ocean. The group has documented the burning of at least 30 Palestinian homes, 60 cars, a gas station, multiple shops, a mosque and school throughout northern West Bank villages this week. The number of homes and cars burned or vandalized, it acknowledged, is probably higher. The groups director, Ziv Stahl, alleged that the Israeli militarys inability or unwillingness to prevent settler attacks was part of an intentional policy rather than a mistake. (The army) had four mounts after (the attack in) Hawara to study how to deal with this and stop it, she said. But everything happened in broad daylight. They didnt detain anyone on the scene. They allowed the settlers to do whatever they felt like doing. The Israeli military acknowledged that it had failed to prevent the waves of Israeli settler reprisals against innocent Palestinians. Hagari called Wednesdays rampage through the typically sleepy and well-to-do Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya north of Ramallah a horrible event. He said the military was beefing up forces in the area. Its a severe event that we should prevent, and we failed to prevent it, Hagari told reporters, adding that security forces had expected extremist vigilantes to descend on Palestinian towns after the funerals of the killed Israelis. We did not succeed because the force wasnt large enough to prevent it. The surging violence in the West Bank has created a test for Israels far-right government, which has vowed take a hard line against the Palestinians and expand Jewish settlements in the territory, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. On Friday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Eviatar, an unauthorized settlement outpost in the northern West Bank that was evacuated by the previous Israeli government in 2021. Addressing a crowd of young ideological Jewish settlers, he pressed for a more aggressive military response to Palestinian attacks. He exhorted the settlers to run to the hilltops, referring to Israels unauthorized outposts on West Bank hilltops. He demanded the government take down buildings and eliminate terrorists. Not just one or two, he said. But dozens and hundreds, and if needed, thousands. Wednesdays violence particularly traumatized residents of Turmus Ayya and Urif, the hometown of the two assailants who carried out Wednesdays shooting, leaving residents fearful for their safety. Confrontations erupted between Israeli security forces and Palestinian residents, who hurled stones and fireworks, killing a 27-year-old Palestinian and wounding at least a dozen others. Security footage of the attacks that circulated on social media Friday drew further outrage. Closed-circuit television footage from Urif on Wednesday authenticated by Yesh Din showed a masked man with a dog on a leash violently ripping out all the pages of a Quran, and flinging the pages into the street. Mustafa Shehadeh, head of the medical team in Urif, said the man broke the door of the village mosque, let his dog loose in the prayer room and grabbed at least 10 Qurans. He ripped them up in front of me and threw all of them into the trash, he said. Settlers also hurled stones at homes with children inside, he said, wounding at least 40 people, many of them in the head. The attacks were painful in a way I will not forget, he said. Other videos from Turmus Ayya show a group of young vandals shooting, apparently at random, in the direction of Palestinian homes. Vigilante violence against Palestinian towns continued late Thursday, with residents reporting settlers throwing stones at Palestinians in villages north of Ramallah and south of the city of Hebron, wounding at least six people. The attacks have also put increased pressure on the Palestinian Authority, which exerts limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank. During Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyehs visit to the ruined homes and charred cars of Turmus Ayya, residents demanded that the authority do more to protect its people, either by deploying security forces or giving them weapons. A member of the Palestine Liberation Organizations executive committee, Bassam al-Salhi, appealed on Friday for the creation of an armed Palestinian national guard to fend off settlers in Palestinian towns vulnerable to settler attacks. Palestinian officials dismissed the idea but said authorities were considering the formation of village watch teams and other civilian committees to alert Palestinian residents to settler rampages and mobilize self-defense. This is really something necessary, said Ahmad Majdalani, the minister of social development. The Palestinian people are defenseless and must protest peacefully against this aggression. Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, urged restraint. When asked what his message would be to Palestinians under Israeli security control who are worried about future settler attacks, he said that Israeli security forces are doing the best effort that we can. We are in charge of this area, he said. Its part of our job. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his United States State Visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from Washington, DC. Photograph: @MEAIndia/Twitter This is the prime minister's first visit to Egypt. The two-day State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. Modi was in the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. His visit to the US started in New York, where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga on June 21. Later, in Washington DC, he was given a red-carpet welcome at the White House by President Biden. The two leaders held a historic summit on Thursday, followed by Modi's address to Congress and a State Dinner hosted at the White House by the Bidens in his honour. The visit was marked by several major deals to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, space and trade. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hailed the "landmark" pact to jointly produce jet engines in India to power military aircraft and the US drone deal. With India and the US set to elevate their strategic partnership, GE Aerospace announced it has inked a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II Tejas. In another big-ticket announcement, computer storage chip maker Micron said it will set up its semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat, entailing a total investment of USD 2.75 billion (around Rs 22,540 crore). Modi on Thursday also became the first Indian leader to address the Joint Session of the US Congress twice. During his address, he sought action against state sponsors of terrorism. Modi also made a strong push for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN, and spoke glowingly of India's ties with the US. On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon for the Indian leader at the State Department. Modi also met top CEOs of the US and India at the White House. Later in the day, he addressed an event hosted by the Indian community in the US. During his Egypt visit, Prime Minister Modi is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian government, prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community, apart from holding talks with Sisi. In January, during Sisi's State Visit, the two countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. The prime minister will visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Cairo, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I. He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. In his departure statement on June 20, Modi had said, "I am excited to pay a State Visit to a close and friendly country for the first time." "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in the span of a few months are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a 'Strategic Partnership' during President Sisi's visit. "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilizational and multi-faceted partnership. I will also have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Egypt," Modi said. Amid confusion over the Congress' stance on the Centre's Delhi ordinance, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal told Rahul Gandhi to forget the differences and move forward together at the opposition meeting in Patna, AAP sources said on Saturday. Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Left to right, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during the Opposition leaders' meeting, in Patna on Friday. "Arvind Kejriwal spoke directly to Rahul Gandhi (on the ordinance matter) and said if there is any issue, they can resolve it over tea. In the opposition meeting on Friday, Kejriwal said there is a need to forget the differences and move forward together," a party source said. Given the situation, he said the AAP is yet to decide if it will attend the opposition parties' next meeting scheduled in Shimla. The plan of action is expected to be formulated at another meeting to be chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, tentatively on July 10 or 12, in Shimla. Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties had on Friday resolved to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party unitedly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the crucial meeting in Patna. In a statement on Friday, the AAP had said that any alliance with the Congress would be very difficult after its war of words with the grand old party over the contentious Delhi ordinance issue. At the opposition meet in Patna, many parties urged the Congress to publicly denounce the 'black ordinance', but the grand old party refused to do so which raises suspicions about its real intentions, the AAP had said in the statement soon after the meeting. AAP sources claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee at the meeting intervened and said Gandhi and Kejriwal should sit together for lunch so that all the issues get addressed. Sources in the AAP also claimed that at the end of the meeting, Kharge alleged that a spokesperson of AAP was making 'wrong' statements about the Congress. "In response, our national convener Arvind Kejriwal clearly stated that Congress spokespersons had also made misleading statements against AAP. Having said that, there is a need to forget the differences and come together," the source added. The source said Rahul Gandhi stressed that there was a process to discuss about the contentious Delhi ordinance. "Kejriwal asked the Congress to specify the time for the next meeting, but the Congress leaders were non-responsive. All the top opposition leaders present during the meeting had urged the Congress to clarify its stand on the ordinance and fix a meeting to discuss the same," the source said. The AAP source also said that party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal specified that his party had always stood by the Congress in the right matters. "Even when Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was cancelled, Kejriwal had opposed it. If Gandhi and the Congress are afraid to meet AAP leaders, forging of opposition unity is doubtful. We have been constantly asking for an appointment with the leadership, but the Congress has refused to budge," he said. The AAP source also said that although the Kharge-led party has maintained that it has always raised its voice against any draconian law, but it has largely remained mum on the Delhi ordinance issue. Although Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP's Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chaddha attended the opposition meeting, they remained conspicuous by their absence at the joint press conference held by the opposition parties later. The BJP took a potshot at the absence of Kejriwal at the opposition parties' joint press conference in Patna and said the AAP's 'blackmailing' at the beginning of the meeting itself showed the future of the 'unholy alliance'. Kharge, however, said a decision on whether to oppose the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi would be taken before the Parliament session and wondered why it was being talked about elsewhere when the matter pertained to Parliament. Wrapping up his four-day State Visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that a new and glorious journey of India-US ties has begun and the world is watching the two great democracies strengthening their bond. IMAGES: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of the Indian community at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Photographs: @MEAIndia/Twitter Addressing a cheerful gathering of Indian community members at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, Modi said the full potential of partnership between the two countries is yet to be realised and that their ties is all about making the world better again in the 21st century. The two countries have seen convergence on global issues and their growing ties will be a boost for "make in India and make for the world" efforts, he said, referring to agreements on technology transfer, boosting manufacturing and strengthening industrial supply chain. India is the mother of democracy and the US is the champion of modern democracy, and the world is watching the strengthening of ties of two great democracies, the prime minister said. The diaspora will play a big role in helping realise the true potential of the two countries' ties and this is the right time to invest more and more in India, he said. "Together we are not just forming policies and agreements. We are shaping lives, dreams and destinies," he said of the India-US ties. Both countries are taking strong steps for a better future, said the prime minister at the programme, which was the last programme on his busy agenda in the US. He has left for Egypt on a State Visit at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Lauding the diaspora for its conduct and contribution to the US, he credited them for strengthening ties and described the bond between the two countries as not only about commerce and trade but emotional as well. He announced that people of Indian origin will not have to leave the US for H-1B visa renewal, drawing massive praise from people present in the hall and outside listening to him. IT professionals will benefit greatly from this, he said, adding that a pilot project will begin this month. This facility may also be extended to L-category visa (intra-company transfer visa) depending on experience, Modi said. Facilities for the diaspora is also a priority for India, he said, adding that it will now open a new consulate in Seattle and two in other cities. The US is also opening new consulates in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, the prime minister added. "In the last three days, a new and glorious journey of the mutual relationship between India and the US has begun," Modi said of his visit. It was marked by his extensive talks with President Joe Biden in the White House every day of his three-day stay in Washington. Prime Minister Modi during his US State Visit held talks with President Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. He also addressed young entrepreneurs and met top CEOs. As his visit to the US ended, Modi tweeted, "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations." In his nearly 35-minute address to members of the Indian diaspora, Modi also lauded Biden as a seasoned and sorted leader, and praised his efforts in taking the ties between the countries to a new high. "I publicly praise his efforts," he said. Noting that General Electric has decided to manufacture fighter plane engines in India, he said it will prove to be a milestone for India's defence sector. With this decision, the US will not only share technology but also mutual trust, he said, shining a light on the growing bonhomie between the two countries. In this context, the prime minister spoke of several leading US companies' decision to invest in India in a raft of sectors and said this will boost employment, technology and innovation in India. "You are filled with pride to see how India's strength is giving a new direction to the world's development. India today is among some countries where economy is growing at such a fast pace. The world is looking at your India," he said. Amid chants of 'Modi, Modi', he said the biggest reason behind India's progress is its self-confidence. Hundreds of years of slavery had snatched self-confidence but new India has today got back its self-confidence, he said. The new India knows its path and direction, and has no confusion about its decisions and resolve. It is now turning its potential into performance, Modi said. He cited massive infrastructure projects going on in the country to assert that the India's new growth story is being written in many tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The investment India is making in its infrastructure has never happened earlier and digital revolution it has seen is unprecedented, Modi said. The affection he has received on the visit has been wonderful, he said and credited the diaspora's hardwork, conduct and contribution to the US' development. Google's Artificial Intelligence research centre will work on over 100 Indian languages, and it will be of lot of help to those not conversant with English, he said. Modi also told the audience that a Tamil studies chair will be established at the University of Houston with the Indian government's help and asked them to be proud of the fact that Tamil is the "world's oldest language". He also expressed his happiness at the US government's decision to return over 100 antiquities which found a way out of India through illegal means. He praised the US government for respecting the feelings of India and Indians and said this further strengthens their ties. An all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday had a detailed discussion on the situation in Manipur during which several opposition parties sought an all-party delegation visit to the northeastern state but the government remained non-committal, sources said. IMAGE: Leaders from different parties attend an all-party meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the situation in Manipur, in New Delhi on Saturday. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo While the Congress demanded immediate sacking of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the Samajwadi Party and a few others sought imposition of President's rule in the state that has witnessed sporadic violence in since May 3. However, the government asserted it was doing its best to bring back normalcy there, sources said. Home Minister Amit Shah said all efforts are being made to restore peace in Manipur on instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP's Manipur in-charge Sambit Patra told reporters after the meeting. The home minister also told the meeting that since the violence began in the state, there has 'not been a single day' when he did not speak to PM Modi on the situation or the prime minister did not give instructions, Patra said. Leaders of various political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Left, attended the meeting which was convened by the home minister to discuss the prevailing situation in the state. Nearly 120 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 are injured since the ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3. Those who attended the meeting included BJP president J P Nadda, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh (Congress), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Singh (National People's Party), Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha), Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad), M Thambi Durai (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Pinaki Misra (Biju Janata Dal), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manoj Jha (Rashtriya Janata Dal) and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT). "After the meeting of our leaders in Patna, within 24 hours the Opposition spoke in one united voice for Manipur, the Northeast and India," O'Brien told reporters after the three-hour-long meeting held at the Parliament House complex. The Trinamool Congress demanded an all-party delegation be sent to the violence-hit state within a week as it questioned the government's handling of the situation, wondering if the government was 'trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir'. Ibobi Singh later told reporters that peace was not possible under the present state government headed Chief Minister N Biren Singh. He demanded Singh's immediate replacement. Ibobi Singh said it was unfortunate that he was not allowed more time to put across his points towards the end of the meeting. Asked whether the home minister presented a roadmap for peace, he replied in the negative. "The Congress and some other parties also demanded that an all-party delegation be sent to Manipur and we hope that the prime minister will hold a similar meeting after his return from foreign trip," he said. The request for a visit by an all-party delegation was raised by most of the parties but the government remained non-committal, sources said. RJD MP Manoj Jha said the the entire opposition said in the meeting that the people have no trust on the person heading the state government and 'you cannot have peace if that person is in-charge'. "It was absolutely an open discussion. The entire opposition said that there is complete mis-trust in the political leadership of Manipur. The entire opposition went into the extent of saying that the there is no trust in the person heading the administration in Manipur," he said. Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav and one-two other leaders sought imposition of President's rule, alleging the 'state government has failed' to maintain peace and the 'administration has collapsed', the sources said. Tiruchi Siva of the DMK said the opposition requested that an all-party delegation has to be sent to Manipur. "It is not a law and order breakdown to be controlled by police and army or Assam Rifles. It is a failure of the governance in the state and the union government," he said. Siva said the home minister responded by saying the government has deployed more police and the opposition should trust him as he is looking after it. The home minister asserted he will restore peace, Siva said, adding the opposition also expressed concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi not expressing concern so far over the situation in the state. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said all parties expressed concern over the Manipur situation and sought immediate government action to bring back normalcy. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Nityanand Rai and Ajay Kumar Mishra, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, and Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka also attended the meeting. Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Shah had visited the state for four days last month and met a cross sections of people in his efforts to bring back peace in the northeastern state. Opposition parties have been criticising the government for its handling of the situation as violence has not stopped even after 50 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States was not about leveraging India to be a 'counterweight' to China but to deepen ties, including defence cooperation, between the largest democracies of the world, a top White House official has said. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice President Kamala Harris toast during a lunch held in his honor at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2023. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his state visit during which he held wide-ranging talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of the US Congress. He visited the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. "This state visit wasn't about China. Look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the People's Republic of China to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that," said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House. "But this wasn't about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood," he told reporters at a news conference in Washington, DC on Friday. Kirby said India is becoming an increasing exporter of security, which the US welcomes. "You can see a lot of that - our desire to improve the defence cooperation on hand yesterday in some of the deliverables, whether it's the co-production of jet engines, whether it's their purchase of MQ-9 drones. There is a lot we can do in the security front together, and that's really what we're focused on, Kirby said in response to questions. He said Modi's visit was about sending a message to the American and Indian people about how important this bilateral relationship is to people around the world. "India has challenges with China on their own. And they address those challenges largely on their own," he said. "I will add that they are a member of the Indo-Pacific Quad and have been a terrific contributor through that multilateral forum. It's not a formal alliance. It's not a military organisation. They have legitimate concerns in the Indo-Pacific that they're addressing through their own vehicles as appropriate," Kirby said. In his address to the joint meeting of the US Congress for a second time on Thursday, Modi said the "dark clouds of coercion and confrontation" are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific, in a veiled attack on China amid its aggressive military manoeuvring in the strategically vital region. "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership," he said in the backdrop of the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh. The prime minister talked about a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, and where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. His comments came amidst the economic crisis in countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where China has made huge unviable infrastructure investments. The two South Asian countries are currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. "We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN centrality," Modi said. "Our vision does not seek to contain or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond. Of this, QUAD has emerged as a major force of good for the region," he said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over some of the areas claimed by China. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Kirby also said President Biden is satisfied that he had the opportunity to discuss concerns over human rights in India with Prime Minister Modi. "And in the end, he did, as he always does. We don't shy away from discussing human rights with foreign leaders. And one of the reasons you have partnerships and friendships is so that you can be honest and direct. But I think he addressed that pretty well in his answer to you guys," he said. Russian Ministry of Defence on Saturday urged Wagner forces to 'safely return to their points of permanent deployment', CNN reported. IMAGE: A man speaks with fighters of Wagner private mercenary group deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. A sign on a tank reads: 'Siberia'. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters The statement of the Russian Defence Ministry comes after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed to have taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities. In the statement released on their official Telegram channel, the Russian Ministry of Defence said, "You were tricked into Prigozhin's criminal adventure and participation in an armed rebellion," according to CNN. It further said, "Many of your comrades from several squads have already realised their mistake by asking for help in ensuring the ability to safely return to their points of permanent deployment." Russian Ministry of Defence noted that Moscow has already provided such assistance to all the fighters and commanders who applied for it. It further said that it would 'guarantee everyone's safety'. Wagner on Saturday claimed to have taken control of Russian military facilities in Voronezh. Earlier on Saturday, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces have taken control of military facilities, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don. "Military facilities in Voronezh are taken under the control of the Wagner PMC. The army switches to the side of the people," Wagner said in a statement on the Telegram channel, according to CNN. Prigozhin noted that planes that leave for combat work have no problems and the medical flights were also leaving, according to CNN. He further said, "All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction." Russian security forces have cordoned off the building of the Wagner Center in St Petersburg, CNN reported citing RIA Novosti. Speaking to reporters, the Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said that the information circulating on social media networks regarding the Russian strike on the Wagner military camp is 'false' and called it 'information provocation'. The Ministry of Defence said, "All the messages and video footage distributed on social networks on behalf of E Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the Russian Defense Ministry against the 'military camps of the Wagner PMCs' do not correspond to reality and are an information provocation," CNN reported citing TASS. As per an ABC News report, Russia has accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny. As spectators cheered, fighter jets of the Indian Air Force Saturday practiced 'touch and go' landing over the Purvanchal Expressway, district officials in Sultanpur said. Around 300 people attended the air show which commenced around 11 am and lasted for two hours. Sukhoi and Mirage fighter jets made a 'touch and go' on the three-and-a-half-kilometre airstrip at Arwal Kiri Karwat in the Kurebhar area in Sultanpur on the expressway, the officials said. In view of the programme, a 12 km stretch of the expressway was closed and a traffic diversion was put in place by the authorities. District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur, Superintendent of Police Somen Barma, Jaisinghpur MLA Raj Babu Upadhyay, along with several army officials, were present at the event. Villagers from more than two dozen nearby villages came to watch the air show, the officials said. The team of Air Force officials was alerted when a dog ran into the airstrip and police personnel were deployed to stop canines from reaching the airstrip. The 341-km long Purvanchal Expressway from Lucknow to Ghazipur, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 16, 2021, passes through nine districts of the state. During the inauguration, Modi himself landed on the airstrip in a Hercules aircraft of the Air Force. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair an all-party meeting today in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur. IMAGE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses the inauguration of the third and final high profile event of the Vitasta cultural festival at SKICC, in Srinagar. Photograph: @AmitShah/Twitter The meeting is scheduled for 3 pm. As Manipur is still witnessing incidents like arson since May 3, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25. Data services have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Questioning the timing of the all-party meeting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it is being convened at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a state visit overseas, which shows that the meeting isn't important to him. From the seas to the stars, this partnership will now be deepened by the defining role of technology, the statement said. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden holding bilateral discussions in expanded format at White House, Washington, DC, June 22, 2023. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar , US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other dignitaries also seen. Photograph: ANI Photo The joint statement issued on Friday morning after a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden -- that stretched much beyond its initially allotted time -- stressed that no corner of human enterprise had been left untouched by the partnership between the two nations. From the seas to the stars, this partnership will now be deepened by the defining role of technology, the statement said. From expanding bilateral technology partnership with a focus on tech-sharing and co-production to creating first of its kind platforms on financing renewables and closer industry tie-ups on space, the strategic global tie-ups are aimed at keeping India and the US as the closest partners in the world. The two countries are committed to the key Indian demand of greater technology sharing, while also ensuring co-development, and co-production opportunities, the statement said. In fact, the term technology was mentioned as many as 44 times in the document. It had found just five mentions the last time both nations released a joint statement, back in February 2020. President Biden also reiterated his governments commitment to work with the US Congress to lower barriers to US exports to India of HPC technology and source code, it added. It also announced a new implementation arrangement on artificial intelligence, advanced wireless, and quantum technologies. The cooperation extended to outer space where the leaders welcomed Indias Space Policy 2023, and called for enhanced commercial collaboration between the US and Indian private sectors in the entire value chain of the space economy. The statement also included addressing current export controls and facilitating technology transfer. In the energy space, both nations announced the setting up of a multi-billion-dollar investment platform for green energy aimed at providing catalytic capital and de-risking support. Another platform aimed at accelerating cooperation in green hydrogen, offshore and onshore wind, and other emerging technologies was also announced. Securing supply chains Securing of supply chains has figured significantly during the Prime Minister's visit with both nations reiterating the partnerships and commitments focused on establishing a reliable flow of critical products and technology. Launch of two joint task forces on advanced telecommunications, focused on Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) and research and development in 5G/6G technologies, also figured prominently in the statement. O-RAN field trials and rollouts, including scaled deployments, in both countries with operators and vendors of both markets, will be backed by US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) financing. According to the statement, India has joined the global Mineral Security Partnership (MSP). Launched in June last year by the United States, the European Union and other G7 partners, it aims to contain Chinese influence over mining and shipping of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt, across the world. Both nations noted the opportunity for deeper collaboration to secure supply chains in defence procurement and pharmaceuticals. "The Indian Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defence will commence negotiations for a Security of Supply arrangement and initiate discussions about Reciprocal Defence Procurement agreement," the statement said. As part of the Defence Industrial Roadmap, both countries have agreed to work together for the creation of logistic, repair, and maintenance infrastructure for aircraft and vessels in India. The statement also announced the launch of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks, with the goal of facilitating joint defence technology innovation. Greater trade, easier movement In a significant move, the US and India have decided to mutually resolve six of the seven outstanding bilateral trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). "The leaders welcomed the resolution of six outstanding WTO disputes between the two countries through mutually agreed solutions as well as their understandings on market access related to certain products of significance to the bilateral trade relationship," the statement read. Also, Boeing will invest $100 million on infrastructure and programmes to train pilots in India, supporting the countrys need for 31,000 new pilots over the next 20 years. The leaders welcomed Boeings announcement of its completion of a C-17 aftermarket support facility for MRO and a new parts logistics centre in India. Pointing to the US decision to allow domestic renewal of 1-B and L category temporary work visas by next year for Indian nationals, the statement said both sides will open new consulates too. The US will open new facilities in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, and India in Seattle and two other US cities. The leaders directed officials to identify additional mechanisms to facilitate travel, the statement said. Under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party for sitting next to People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti at the Opposition meeting in Patna, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he did so purposely and waved photos of her with top BJP leaders. IMAGE: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti addresses a press briefing in the presence of Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray after the conclusion of the Opposition leaders' meeting, in Patna on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing party workers, Thackeray claimed Mufti told him that the BJP's alliance with the PDP was on the condition that Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, won't be abolished. Thackeray slammed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for dubbing Friday's Opposition meeting as an attempt by the parties to save their political families and dynasties and said the senior BJP leader should not stoop so low. "I sat next to her purposely," Thackeray said. Targeting BJP's rivals, Fadnavis said on Friday that the Opposition meeting was for Modi Hatao (remove Modi) but the leaders were working to protect their dynasties. Uddhav Thackeray used to criticise us (BJP) for going with Mehbooba Mufti in Kashmir. Now he (Thackeray) is sitting next to Mehbooba Mufti and talking about forming an alliance, Fadnavis said. This drew a counter from Thackeray. Those who align with you are clean. You (BJP) left Hindutva when you went with Mehbooba. We will tear the burqa of your fake Hindutva, he said. Thackeray waved pictures of Mufti with BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that his party has not abandoned Hindutva. Continuing his attack on Fadnavis, Thackeray said, I am very sensitive about my family. Do not stoop so low. You also have a family and WhatsApp chats about your family are out. We have not started talking about it because if his (Fadnavis) family has to be talked about, then he has to do shavasana' (corpse pose in yoga). Thackeray was apparently referring to chats between Fadnavis's wife Amruta and suspected bookie Anil Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha. The chats are part of the chargesheet against Jaisinghani, Aniksha and his cousin Nirmal in a case related to demanding bribes and trying to extort money from Amruta Fadnavis. The chargesheet includes multiple screenshots of WhatsApp chats and messages exchanged between Amruta and the father-daughter duo. Hitting back at Thackeray, Fadnavis said he, his family and the BJP are like an open book. He said the chats are in the chargesheet with a purpose. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also targeted Thackeray. Shinde said the revolt by Shiv Sena MLAs against Thackeray stands vindicated after the Patna meet. The rebellion, spearheaded by Shinde, toppled the Thackeray-led three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-UBT, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party last year. Accusing Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva, Shinde said he sat in the league of the Congress, the Rashtriya Janta Dal, the PDP, and the Janata Dal-United that were bitterly criticised by Sena founder Bal Thackeray. The same people opposed the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 and Hindutva, he said. The Opposition parties coming together is a victory of PM Modi's leadership, Shinded added. An undated handout photo issued by the American Photo Archive of the OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials searched the ocean floor for evidence and grappled Friday with vexing questions about who is responsible for investigating the international disaster. A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel fell apart, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday. Debris was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore. The U.S. Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission. I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now, Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District said Thursday. It was not entirely clear Friday who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington, but closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titans mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada, and the people on board the submersible were from England, Pakistan, France, and the U.S. How the investigation will proceed is also complicated by the fact that the world of deep-sea exploration is not well-regulated. Deep-sea expeditions like those offered by OceanGate are scrutinized less than the companies that launch people into space, noted Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina who focuses on maritime history and policy. The Titan was not registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety. And it wasnt classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded, complained that regulations can stifle progress. Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation, Rush wrote in a blog post on his companys website. Bob Ballard, a member of the research team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, called the lack of certification by outside experts the smoking gun in the Titan implosion. Weve made thousands and thousands and thousands of dives... to these depths and have never had an incident, Ballard said on ABCs Good Morning America. The smoking gun is that this is the first time by a submarine that wasnt classed, he said. One question that seems at least partially resolved is when the implosion likely happened. After the Titan was reported missing Sunday, the Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data and found an anomaly that was consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the vessel was operating when communications were lost, said a senior U.S. Navy official. The Navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not considered definitive, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive acoustic detection system. Condolences for and tributes to those who died flowed in from around the world. Killed in the implosion were Rush, two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. The Titan launched at 8 a.m. Sunday, and was reported overdue Sunday afternoon about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. Johns, Newfoundland. Rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to the site of the disappearance. Any sliver of hope that remained for finding the crew alive was wiped away early Thursday, when the submersibles 96-hour supply of air was expected to run out and the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber, Mauger said. A flurry of lawsuits is expected, but filing them will be complex and its unclear how successful they will be. Plaintiffs will run into the problem of establishing jurisdiction, which could be tricky, just as it will be for the investigation, said Steve Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer and director of Northeastern Universitys Global Resilience Institute. The implosion happened basically in a regulatory no mans land, Flynn said. There was essentially no oversight, Flynn said. To some extent, they leveraged the murkiness of jurisdiction to not have oversight. James Cameron, who directed the blockbuster movie Titanic and has made multiple dives to the iconic ships wreckage, told the BBC that he knew an extreme catastrophic event had happened as soon as he heard the submersible had lost navigation and communications at the same time. For me, there was no doubt, Cameron said. There was no search. When they finally got an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) down there that could make the depth, they found it within hours. Probably within minutes. The cost of the search will easily stretch into the millions of dollars for the U.S. Coast Guard alone. The Canadian coast guard, U.S. Navy and other agencies and private entities also rushed to provide resources and expertise. Theres no other comparable ocean search, especially with so many countries and even commercial enterprises being involved, said Norman Polmar, a naval historian, analyst and author based in Virginia. Some agencies can seek reimbursements. But the U.S. Coast Guard is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement pertaining to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a U.S. attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law. At least 46 people successfully traveled on OceanGates submersible to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the Titanic shipwreck. But questions about the submersibles safety were raised by both by a former company employee and former passengers. One of the companys first customers, meanwhile, likened a dive he made to the site two years ago to a suicide mission. Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You cant stand. You cant kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other, said Arthur Loibl, a retired businessman and adventurer from Germany. You cant be claustrophobic. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A man from Gujarat's Vadodara city has been arrested for posing as an official of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to secure the admission of two children to a private school and trying to dupe it of huge sums with his fake identity, an official said on Saturday. Image used only for representation. Photograph: ANI on Twitter The arrest of Mayank Tiwari on Friday comes months after an Ahmedabad resident, Kiran Patel, was held from a five-star hotel in Jammu and Kashmir for posing as a senior official from the PMO. Hospitality apart, Patel had also enjoyed security cover by tricking officials in the Valley. Identifying himself as a director (strategic advisory) at the PMO in New Delhi, Tiwari first got in touch with the school and its trustee in March 2022, during the admission season, said the official from Waghodia police station in Vadodara. Tiwari, a middle-aged man, sought the school's help with the admission of two sons of his family friend, whom he described as Indian Army official Mirza Baig and said he was being transferred to Vadodara from Pune, the official said. The school's director asked Tiwari, whose WhatsApp status said he was a PMO official, to meet the trustee, who is also associated with a private university in Vadodara. To impress upon the trustee, Tiwari told her that he could use his clout as a PMO official and get the school involved in the field of education research and get them various projects if they took care of the expenses, the official said. The smooth talker took the trustee and the school's director into confidence with the intention of cheating them of huge sums, said the first information report (FIR). He also secured the admission of the two children as special cases, the official said. A few months later, the trustee had doubts about Tiwari's claims of being a PMO official and the education research projects mentioned by him. She then started talking to people in her circle and made a discrete inquiry about Tiwari, the official said. The trustee later found out that Tiwari was not a PMO official and had conned them by spinning a tale about his immense influence. Also, his profession was not clear, said the FIR. The trustee then alerted the school last month. On a complaint by the school administration, the Waghodia police on Friday registered a case against Tiwari under Indian Penal Code sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 170 (personating a public servant) and arrested him. Tiwari is the second person, after Kiran Patel of Ahmedabad, from Gujarat to have been arrested in recent months for claiming to be a PMO official. Patel was on his third visit to the Kashmir Valley with his fake identity when he was nabbed by security officials on March 3. Till then, had enjoyed top-class hospitality and security cover in Kashmir by claiming himself to be a senior official in the PMO. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, addresses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking him to withdraw the remaining Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut to save their lives, at an unspecified location in Ukraine. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The state news agency Tass said President Vladimir Putin was kept informed. Wagners forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition, but his accusations and calls for armed rebellion Friday were a more direct challenge. The Russian Defense Ministry required all military contractors to sign contracts with it before July 1, but Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply. In a statement issued late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise with the Defense Ministry, but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then cowardly fled. This scum will be stopped, he said, in a reference to Shoigu. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to restore justice. In other developments in the Ukraine, war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said that he expected other nations to give appropriate signals and exert pressure on Moscow. Our principle is simple: The world must know what the occupier is preparing. Everyone who knows must act, Zelenskyy said late Thursday. The world has enough power to prevent any radiation incidents, let alone a radiation catastrophe. The Kremlins spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces. The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europes largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that the military situation has become increasingly tense while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province. Although the last of the plants six reactors was shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water. During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. Rosatom director Alexey Likachev and other officials emphasized that they now expect specific steps from the U.N. agency to prevent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its adjacent territory, said a statement from the Russian corporation, whose divisions build and operate nuclear power plants. Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of mining the plants cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse earlier this week that drew down water in a reservoir that the power station uses. Elsewhere in the southern Zaporizhzhia province, Gov. Yuriy Malashko reported Friday that Russian shelling killed two people in the past day. And in the Kherson province, a Russian attack that hit a transportation company in the capital killed three people, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Russia also fired 13 cruise missiles overnight at a military airfield in the western Khmelnytskyi province, but Ukrainian air defenses intercepted them all, according to the air force. The attack came after Russia-appointed officials said that Ukrainian-fired missiles damaged a bridge that serves as a key supply link to occupied areas of southern Ukraine. Photos showed that the Russians had erected a pontoon bridge as a bypass. Ukrainian authorities reported striking Russian soldiers holed up in a nearby former wine factory in Henichesk. Russias state news agency Tass reported two killed in the attack. Russias air-launched Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles were sent from the Caspian Sea, the air force said. It didnt identify the targeted airfield, but Ukraine has an air base near the Khmelnytskyi regions town of Starokostiantyniv. The base houses fighter jets and bombers, and five years ago hosted a training exercise with air force personnel from the United States, Ukraine and seven European countries. It has come under Russian attack previously, including within the last month. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Friday that Russia has beefed up its defense forces in southern Ukraine in response to the early counteroffensive and intensified its efforts to take more ground in the east. Asked if the Ukrainian militarys initial attacks set the stage for a larger assault, Maliar told Ukrainian television: We are yet to see the main events, and the main blow. And indeed, a part of reserves will be used later. Ukrainian forces so far have made only incremental gains in Zaporizhzhia province, one of four regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed last year. Putin has pledged to defend the regions as Russian territory. Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is fighting to force Russian troops out of those regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and is using as a staging and supply route in the 16-month-old war. If the counteroffensive breaks the Russian defenses in the south, Ukrainian forces could attempt to reach a pair of occupied port cities on the Sea of Azov and break Russias land bridge to Crimea. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome in Egypt after he landed in Cairo marking the first visit of an Indian premier to the African nation in 26 years. PM Modi's visit to Egypt comes after his historic four-day trip to the United States which comprised an address to the US Congress, a State dinner at the White House, meetings with global CEOs and and address to the Indian diaspora. In Cairo, Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly at the airport. As PM Modi walked into the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the Hindi song Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge (This is a friendship we will not quit) started was sung as the Indian diaspora gathered to chant 'Modi Modi' and 'Vande Mataram'. Deeply moved by the warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in Egypt. Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a celebration of our shared cultural linkages. pic.twitter.com/rTqQcz3tz7 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2023 Prime Minister Modi is in Egypt on a two-day visit. Upon landing in Egypt, PM Modi tweeted: "I am confident this visit will strengthen India's ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes. I thank Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations." What are PM Modi's plans in Egypt? In Egypt, the Prime Minister Modi will participate in a roundtable conversation hosted by his Egyptian counterpart Madbouly and the Indian unit of the Egyptian cabinet. PM Modi will also speak with notable Egyptian intellectuals after meeting with Egypt's grand mufti Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel Karim Allam. On Sunday, Modi will pay a visit to the 11th-century Al-Hakim mosque, which was refurbished with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The mosque was refurbished starting in the 1970s by the Bohra community, which is descended from the Fatima dynasty in India. To show his appreciation for the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the ultimate act of heroism for Egypt during World War I, PM Modi will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Egypt comes six months after Egyptian President El-Sisi's visit to India on Republic Day. El-Sisi will also visit India in September in connection with the G-20 Summit, to which Egypt has been invited as a special guest. (With agency inputs) An American aircraft carrier was due to make a port call in Vietnam on Sunday a rare visit by one of the U.S. Navys biggest ships that comes as Washington and Beijing both step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations. The USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, was scheduled to arrive in Da Nang on June 25 and stay through June 30, making use of a port that was modernized and expanded by the United States during the war in Vietnam, the countrys Foreign Ministry announced. It will be only the third such visit by an American aircraft carrier since the end of the hostilities. The visit comes about a month after a Chinese navy training ship made its own port call in Da Nang as part of what it called a goodwill tour that also took it to Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines. Japans largest destroyer, Izumo, made a port call in Vietnam over the past week, following exercises in the South China Sea with the Reagan, among other American ships. Recently, Vietnam has received visits from naval vessels from different countries, and this time it will be a visit from the USS Ronald Reagan, Vietnams VnExpress online newspaper quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang as saying. This is a normal friendly exchange for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in both the region and the world. China is Vietnams largest trading partner. But, along with a number of other countries in the region, tensions have been high of late over maritime and territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. Washington, meanwhile, sees Hanoi as a key component of its strategy for the region and has sought to leverage Vietnams traditional rivalry with its much larger neighbor China to expand U.S. influence in the region. During an April visit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken broke ground on a sprawling new $1.2 billion U.S. embassy compound in the Vietnamese capital, a project the Biden administration hopes will demonstrate its commitment to further improving ties less than 30 years after diplomatic relations were restored in 1995. Based in Yokosuka, Japan, the USS Ronald Reagan is the only forward-deployed American aircraft carrier. It is due to be replaced in that role next year by the USS George Washington, also a Nimitz-class carrier. Malaysias Minister of Justice Azalina Othman Said is currently traveling in Europe and made a stop in Madrid where she spoke to EL PAIS via videoconference about the recent $15 billion arbitration award to the Sultan of Jolos heirs related to natural resource extraction rights in northern Borneo. Although a French court later invalidated the Spanish arbitrators award, Therium, a British litigation fund, is now pouring more money into helping the heirs, who are attempting to seize Malaysian government assets around the world, including some belonging to Petronas, the Malaysian public energy giant. Attorney Gonzalo Stampa, the arbitrator in the dispute, moved the venue from Madrid to French territory when the Spanish courts cancelled his arbitration appointment and backed Malaysia, which had petitioned for a dismissal of the case. Stampa is now facing criminal prosecution for disobedience. Question. The Spanish justice system has initiated criminal proceedings against attorney Gonzalo Stampa for continuing with this arbitration case in violation of a court order. Why did you decide to visit Madrid? Answer. The criminal justice system in Spain takes time The date for the hearing is in 2024, but between now June 2023 and then, a lot of things are going on because Stampa decided to go forum shopping [change venues]. Thats also unfair to us, we thought the right place to settle was in Madrid. Once the court in Madrid made that decision, I would have thought [it] would have ended there. If Stampa was unhappy with the order of the court in Madrid, I thought he would have challenged it. Q. Stampa moved the case from Madrid to Paris, arguing that it was to avoid Spanish judicial interference in the arbitration. A. Ive been admitted to the Malaysian bar since 1990. My understanding of alternative dispute resolution I have a masters in this from the London School of Economics is that it must be a consented arbitration forum and arbitrator. You cant be taking a trip [to find another venue] in ex parte order, based on whatever grounds. And regarding the amount the first rule of thumb is that you have to agree; all parties must agree. Q. What else are you asking the Spanish justice system to do? A. The award of $15 billion is beyond unreasonable its ridiculous. We really tried to settle this, but unfortunately, the system in Spain, our lawyers tell me, is that we have to wait for the criminal matter. I wanted to pursue a civil case, but I cant because it will be a double whammy for the defendant. So I have to wait. This is the due process in Spain and we have a very good relationship with the Spanish We respect the rule of law and the legal procedure, so we have to wait. But thats going to cost us a lot of money. Now as to your question, my response is simple. At the end of the day, someone has to pay for all this, so we will claim for damages, Q. Will your civil suit include Therium, the litigation fund that has spent $20 million to back the claims of the sultans heirs? A. I believe that if we can find enough evidence of an intention from the beginning to deceive an intention to subscribe to unlawful strategies or activities. I think we need to do what we need to do to defend our reputation. But I cant say as of now, because there are multiple cases and jurisdictions [France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands]. So I dont want Therium to come in and say, Oh, are you threatening us? Im just responding to your question. What will my country do? My response is that whatever new information we get, we need to do what we need to do. Q. Is there more to this claim by the heirs of the Sultan of Jolo? A sovereignty claim perhaps? A. I started by saying it must be about money because I challenged the plaintiffs to plead their case with the International Court of Justice if it was really about a territorial dispute [the inhabitants of the state of Sabah in northern Borneo, the area in dispute, voted in a referendum to be part of Malaysia when the new state was formed]. But the calculation by Stampa for the award of $15 billion includes the whole kitchen sink, the fridge, the kitchen, the dry cleaner, the whole state of Malaysia. The damages must be a reasonable amount based on a certain assumption and formula. But this [award] seems designed to push my government to maybe settle out of court, without thinking that we will fight back. We think we need to stop this and start fighting back. Q. Whats your opinion on the role of litigation funds in the justice system? A. Lets be honest. Litigation funds are all about making money, right? They wont fund litigation unless theyre sure they can make some money out of it. Its a very common sense argument. But going to court is very expensive, so I understand litigation funding they do legitimate funding. But from my perspective in a government thats spending a lot of money on expensive lawyers and fees... the European Union may want to consider regulating litigation funding, to have some kind of compensation fund for defendants when the plaintiffs dont get their way. You have to be able to back up your words with actions, to put your money where your mouth is. The French appeals court has awarded us 100,000 ($108,000) in damages. Whos going to pay us? If you want the freedom to make money [by litigating], there must also be accountability. If you want to sue me fine. But you have to compensate me if youre wrong. Q. Do you really think that in all this back and forth in European courts there is an element of white colonialism, as you have said? A. We decided to do something different besides just going to court. We have a website in multiple languages like Tagalog, Spanish and French, because we believe that rightly or wrongly, the historical perspective must be made known. This is not just between company A and company B its about claimants backed by a litigation fund alleging historical rights. I believe that my country is not being unfair. We are just defending our reputation and our right to defend ourselves. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Things had gotten so bad in China, says one former CEO now in Florida. Former CEOs in China, Meng Jun [left] and Hu Liren, now live in the United States. As President Xi Jinping began a third term in office pledging "Chinese-style modernization" in October 2022, commentators expected him to steer China further in the direction of a state-dominated, planned economy. Xi's ideology sounded an ominous note for the private sector, as well as for private individual wealth and influence. Meanwhile, three years of Chinas zero-COVID policy sounded the death knell for many private companies, prompting an exodus of wealthy and middle-class Chinese who had previously benefited from the post-Mao economic boom. Meng Jun, a former vegetable salesman-turned-flight charter agent-turned-rubber factory boss who now lives in Florida, was one of them. "When the pandemic hit, I started to reflect on things, and to watch what was happening," Meng Jun, who once headed up three companies turning out rubber goods in Guangxi, Chongqing and Beijing with a total turnover of 300 million yuan a year, told Radio Free Asia. "And I found that the actual problem was with the system as a whole, which made people bad," he said. "I figured that if I carried on much longer, I'd get dragged down with some official, because, as someone who gave bribes, I would be implicated." Meng in his heyday was a smooth operator, cashing in on relationships cultivated with local officials in his main stamping ground in the southeastern region of Guangxi. In 2000, officials in Guangxi's Beihai city let him get his hands on an unfinished property, thanks to a total lack of transparency around government property deals, and a 200,000 yuan kickback to a local official. Meng Jun bought this unfinished government-owned building in Guangxi's Beihai city in 2000 and then flipped it for a profit. Credit: Provided by Meng Jun "I moved very quickly, and made a million in less than six months," Meng said. "I just packaged it up to some kind of rough standard and sold it on." "There were so many unfinished buildings around at that time, more than a million square meters, all of them owned by [the local government]." Total U-turn Former tech CEO Hu Liren knew as early as 2018 that it was time to leave. "Nobody wants to leave their home country," Hu, who also lives in Florida, where he has become friends with Meng, told Radio Free Asia. "But I had no choice." "Things had gotten so bad in China, and there was no way they were going to get better," he said, in a reference to Xi Jinping's renewed emphasis on state-owned assets and a planned economy. "In the four years since I left, there has been a total U-turn, exactly the way I thought there would be at the time." It's a far cry from the economic boom-time of the 1990s where both Hu and Meng made their fortunes. Back then, in 1994, China was putting out more than 2% of global economic output, while the number of private companies grew from zero in 1978 to 1.76 million by 2000. Hu Liren and his team when he was the CEO of an internet company in China in 2000. Credit: Provided by Hu Liren "It was great, very prosperous," Meng said. "As long as you worked hard and gave it your all, you could make a lot of money." "Everything was plain sailing, and it was possible to succeed at anything you did, and make money at it, too," he said with a sigh. The private sector was booming so hard back then that the catchphrase "56789" was born, the first and last digits reminding people that it was contributing around 50% of government tax revenues, and was the source of around 90% of new jobs. To get rich is glorious Deng's golden era of market liberalization and breakneck economic growth spawned other catchphrases too, like "To get rich is glorious," giving the go-ahead to an emerging generation of private entrepreneurs, freed from the political orthodoxies of Maoist China. Hu and Meng were among them. Born in the northeastern province of Jilin to working-class parents who were made redundant during the mass layoffs of the late 1980s, Meng started working various jobs straight out of high school in 1989. "I would sell vegetables and do other seasonal stuff with my friends, all across Jilin, Yanji, Changchun and Mudanjiang," he said, referring to cities in northeastern China. His search for work took him to the southern island province of Hainan, where he eventually saved enough money to open up his own seafood restaurant in 1993. Meng Jun in 2010. Credit: Provided by Meng Jun "During that period from 1993 to 2000, I started my own seafood restaurant, and also got into chartered flights," Meng said. "That was very profitable because at that time I had a monopoly." "Then I started doing cross-border trade, because I knew Vietnam, which was really actually smuggling," he said, adding that he raked in nearly 500 million yuan at that time. Raking it in Hu was born in Shanghai to a family of intellectuals and started working in a research institute focusing on television technology in the mid-1980s. When the institute was shut down in 1991, he found work at a foreign company. By the time the internet was changing the face of business in 1997, Hu was also raking in the money, working for a company owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, Mei Ya Online. "I became the director and executive vice president of this Mei Ya Online, and I had equity in it." he said. "The annual income at that time was 400,000 to 500,000 yuan." Boosted by stellar connections with He Xingtong, grandson of Communist Party elder He Long, and invited to lecture to officials in Shanghai and Beijing, Hu went on to run an investment research and credit ratings company, as well as founding a green tech company making air-conditioning systems for factory shop floors. Hu Liren during his entrepreneurial era. Credit: Provided by Hu Liren "We were growing at a rate where we were doubling our profits annually," he said of the air-conditioning business. "Our output was around six million yuan in 2016, then 12 million in 2017." "We managed to recoup our entire initial investment in just three years." Hu was approached by a Hong Kong-based fund manager to lead research projects into the technology sector, and soon rose to be a well-known industry guru, giving lectures to high-ranking officials at the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University. "I had it all back then in China," he said. "I was more capable than most people, and it paid dividends: By the end of the 1990s I was making almost as much as [my counterparts] overseas." Time to leave Then, Hu's company was accused of making fake goods after an air-conditioning system it installed in Shandong province started leaking. The leak was traced to fake, and therefore substandard, piping supplied by a local company, but local officials threw Hu and his company under the bus instead, and Hu knew it was time to leave. He shut down the company, losing millions of yuan worth of orders, his entire business sunk by a contract worth 6 million yuan, and bought a ticket for the United States. Meanwhile, Meng's businesses were still going full steam ahead when the pandemic hit the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. Yet there had been rumblings that things were about to change for the private sector -- and the privately wealthy. "Some of my friends in government warned me that private business owners were about to start feeling a lot of political pressure," he said, adding that he didn't quite realize what that meant at the time. Pandemic hits And when the pandemic emerged, he thought it would all blow over in a few months, much as the SARS crisis had done in 2003. "I just thought it would be another SARS," he said. "I still had a large number of orders on the books at that time." "The whole country started to lock down at the end of January, but by May 1, the lockdowns had already started to lift," he said, adding that he still planned to add a production line in May, and import a large quantity of raw materials. One of Meng Juns three rubber factories, which together produced 300 million yuan in revenue a year. Credit: Provided by Meng Jun Then, the order came down for the factory to close, and that was that. "All in all, we were in production for less than 90 days from May until the end of the year," he said. Unable to fill all those orders, Meng was forced to lay off staff to cut costs. By October 2021, the situation was so dire that Meng decided to shut everything down, after receiving nothing at all from the government in the form of subsidies or compensation, facing losses of more than 10 million yuan. And he wasn't alone. Some 90% of companies in the same industrial park as Meng's company also shut down. The rot had set in, and there has been no hoped-for economic rebound in 2023, despite the lifting of the stringent restrictions of the zero-COVID policy following nationwide protests in November 2022. Hu and Meng became friends after meeting in a restaurant in Miami in April. "I thought he looked depressed, and asked him how he was doing," Meng said. "We'd never met before, so we started chatting." Both are now struggling to come to terms with their reversal of fate. "I haven't been doing so great this year," Meng said. "The career I worked so hard on for so many years is gone, and I can't go back and start anything." Hu feels the same way. "The technology I produced was mostly aimed at manufacturing, which is basically finished now," Hu said. "The industry has totally collapsed since I left." "Nobody is doing it any more, and they're not likely to start up again. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster. The return of the so-called morality police to the streets of major Iranian cities has brought back fear and stress for women who choose to ignore the requirement that they wear the hair-covering hijab. But it has also been met with resistance by men and women alike, while lawmakers have questioned the effectiveness of the hard-line approach to enforcing compliance. Iranians who spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Farda said the presence of the morality police -- officially known as "guidance patrols" that usually include male officers and women wearing black chadors -- is not as visible as it was before the patrols were scaled back after nationwide protests first broke out against the hijab law last autumn. I really don't know where they want to get with this method, but in my opinion, if they want to continue this way, confrontations will start again." "Before, when we went on the street, they had a stationary vehicle, or a vehicle that was moving on the street," Leila Mirghaffari, a women's rights activist who lives in Tehran, told Radio Farda on July 17, a day after the return of the morality police was announced. "They haven't yet dared to encroach like before. But they are present, mostly in main squares." Mirghaffari described the decision to redeploy the morality police, coming after the monthslong protests had largely wound down, as a distraction aimed at creating "fear and terror" among the population. "It creates mental and emotional problems for us. It's stressful, and it occupies our thoughts and those of our families," Mirghaffari said. "When we want to leave home and come out to the street, at any moment we may travel a route where morality police patrol and are stationed to arrest people." Nevertheless, Mirghaffari and others suggested, the patrols are largely ineffective and have even given new life to resistance against the authorities' efforts to enforce the countrys strict Islamic dress code. Some Tehran residents who spoke to Radio Farda said that many women simply put on a hijab when they spot the morality police before quickly removing them once out of sight. And in some cases where women have been harassed or threatened by morality police, fellow citizens -- male and female alike -- have pushed back. Almost immediately after the authorities announced on July 16 that the morality police patrols would resume, residents of the northern city of Rasht took to the streets to protest an attempt to arrest three women for allegedly violating the hijab requirement. The situation reportedly escalated into clashes between demonstrators and police, who used tear gas to disperse protesters, some of whom were chanting against Iran's clerical establishment. "I really don't know where they want to get with this method, but in my opinion, if they want to continue this way, confrontations will start again," said a male Tehran resident who requested anonymity while answering questions on WhatsApp. "Personally, if I see them taking a girl into a van, I will step forward and shout so as not to let them take them. That's how things are, and I think most people now are like me. They don't want the Mahsa incident to happen again and for another innocent girl to be killed." The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, soon after she was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law, sparked the nationwide protests that lasted months and prompted a crackdown that led to the deaths of more than 500 people. Amini's death became the cause celebre for thousands of women and men who took to the streets to show their opposition to the hijab law. Amid the protests, there were reports that the authorities had disbanded the morality police, although other reports indicated that they never really went away in some cities. But the issue also prompted the clerical establishment, which views the hijab as key to its interpretation of Islam, to introduce revisions to the country's Chastity and Hijab Law that would introduce stiffer penalties for noncompliance, including up to three years in prison for repeat offenders. While the hijab has been compulsory in public for women and girls over the age of 9 since 1981, shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution ushered in the clerical establishment, the requirement is often flouted, particularly in urban areas. The Chastity and Hijab bill, which is awaiting parliamentary approval, has been fodder for intense debate -- with some lawmakers saying it does not go far enough to make women comply with the hijab requirement and others questioning the effectiveness of forcing women to comply. Following the announcement that the morality police patrols would resume in many Iranian cities, lawmaker Vali Esmaili, who heads the parliament's social commission, said that the body would unlikely be involved in the effort. He also said that before resuming the patrols, "we should first look at the state of society to see if such actions have been effective in the past 43 years." The Chastity and Hijab bill also proposes penalties, including the confiscation of automobiles, against drivers or passengers of vehicles in which women are not in compliance with the hijab requirement. "When I'm driving, I have to wear a hijab," a woman who resides in Tehran told Radio Farda following the redeployment of the morality police, explaining that she has had her vehicle impounded four times for failing to wear the hijab. "But when I get out and move away from the car, I take off my head scarf. Many times, I just put it in my bag. Sometimes, when I see that the conditions are bad, I keep it around my neck, but I am still without a hijab in the street." The woman said that she has not personally seen any morality police since they returned to the streets of Tehran. But she has heard eyewitness accounts of the presence of marked morality police vehicles in the northern city of Shahriar, in Tehran Province, where she said most women wear head scarves and those who do not could be seen without a hijab not far from the morality police. WATCH: Masses of demonstrators are turning out throughout Iran, where some are shouting down police enforcement of strict religious dress codes for women. "There are the odd ones out who are without a hijab, and they were 100 or 200 meters away from the morality police," she recalled being told of the current situation. She said that even before the morality police returned to the streets, her experience in dealing with them showed that they were reluctant to enforce the hijab requirement. "It's pretty clear that they're tired of this matter, but it seems like they have orders from above," she said. That is far from the norm, according to the activist Mirghaffari, who painted a dark picture of the morality police, whose involvement in human rights violations has led to Western sanctions. "The morality police are truly violent. They are really repressive. They have no humanity," said Mirghaffari, who added that she has been arrested by the force several times. "The morality police are really trained for savagery and for causing distress to the point that someone like Mahsa Amini could be killed. And they have no fear at all." Others who spoke to Radio Farda were incredulous that the authorities would reintroduce the morality police amid public frustration over Iran's dire economic situation. "The issue is not the hijab. The real issue is the terrifying inflation and high prices," said the man who answered questions by WhatsApp. "But they are only fixated on the hijab. They are playing with everyone's nerves, whether man or woman, whether with a hijab or without, they are bothering everyone." The renewed protests, which included women carrying placards bearing the "We won't go back!" slogan that became popular during anti-hijab demonstrations, suggests that efforts to force women into compliance will be met with continued resistance. "Look, our girls are fighting and know that there is no way back for us and we are not going back, and our answer to them wanting to forcibly put a hijab on us is, 'No!'" said Mirghaffari. "This is a big step we have taken to reach our other desires and we will never go back." Written by Michael Scollon based on reporting by Mehdi Tahbaz and other Radio Farda correspondents. The United States has imposed new sanctions targeting 18 individuals and more than 120 entities based in Russia and Kyrgyzstan in a move aimed at inhibiting Moscows access to products and technology that support its war efforts. The entities include several based in Kyrgyzstan that the U.S. Treasury Department on July 20 said have operated as intermediaries to provide foreign-made electronics and technologies to Russia. At least six of these companies were featured in a recent investigation by RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service into Kyrgyz and Kazakh companies that revealed how sanctioned Western electronics make their way to Russia via Central Asian firms. The Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on July 20 that, in addition to curtailing Russia's ability to obtain technology, the sanctions aim to reduce its revenue from mining, degrade its access to the international financial system, and starve it of technology produced by the Group of Seven leading industrialized nationa, particularly items needed in the aerospace and defense sectors. Todays actions represent another step in our efforts to constrain Russias military capabilities, its access to battlefield supplies, and its economic bottom line, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in the news release. As long as Russia continues to wage its unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine, we will impose sanctions to deprive Russia of the technology it needs and disrupt the Russian arms industrys ability to resupply, he added. The individuals designated for sanctions include former Russian Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, a longtime confidant of President Vladimir Putin. Kudrin headed the governments official watchdog, the Audit Chamber, until late last year when he resigned to become the head of Russian tech giant Yandex. Kudrin joined Yandex during a restructuring as the Kremlin cracked down on independent news and reporting on the Ukraine war. Yandexs search engine and main news portal were among the leading sources for Russian-language content. Yandex ultimately decided to sell its main news and entertainment portals and undertook an attempted restructuring that would essentially split the company into a wholly Russian unit and an overlapping, but independent, foreign unit. But that deal, which Kudrin has been intimately involved in negotiating, has been contingent on finding deep-pocketed Russian buyers for the Russian unit. Until recently, a group of Kremlin-connected oligarchs, and state investment bank VTB, were reported to be in the running to take control of the new unit. But, according to reports this week in Meduza and The Bell, Yandexs board has been wary of falling afoul of existing U.S. sanctions that had previously targeted some of the main contenders, and the board has been casting about for other options. Its unclear how Kudrins sanctioning would affect his role at Yandex or the companys restructuring efforts. A Yandex spokeswoman declined to comment on the Treasury announcement. The six companies designated for sanctions by OFAC that were featured in the RFE/RL investigation are LLC RM Design and Development, Basis Trade Prosoft LLC, Region-Prof LLC, ZAO GTME Tekhnologii, OOO Radiotekhsnab (RTS), and Technologies Systems and Complexes Limited (TSC). ZAO GTME Tekhnologii (GTME Tekhnologii) is a Kyrgyz-based entity established in June 2022. It has made dozens of shipments of goods to Russia, including high-priority items such as tantalum capacitors and electronic integrated circuits, the RFE/RL investigation found. GTME Tekhnologiis primary customer has been Russia-based TSC, a vendor of electronic and digital equipment. OFAC said LLC RM Design and Development, established in March last year, has been a "prolific shipper" of electronics such as semiconductors and integrated circuits to Russia, including to firms that have supplied electronics to Russian-based defense companies. Earlier on July 20, Kyrgyzstan denied helping Moscow circumvent sanctions imposed over the Ukraine invasion, but did admit to "the "possible involvement of private companies" and said it was investigating the matter. The sanctions freeze any property in U.S. jurisdictions owned by the individuals and entities named. They also bar U.S. citizens from any dealings with the people and entities. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Last month, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland approved the transfer of $5.4 million of "forfeited assets" formerly owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Konstantin Malofeyev to Ukraine to "remediate the harms of Russia's unjust war." Malofeyev, a Kremlin-connected media tycoon who is openly infatuated with Russia's imperialist, Orthodox heritage, has been under Western sanctions since 2014 for his role fomenting uprisings in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine and facilitating Russia's occupation of Ukraine's Crimea region. He is also the target of an international arrest warrant on suspicion of creating and financing illegal paramilitary formations. Nonetheless, the so-called Orthodox oligarch has continued to finance activities in support of Russia's aggression against Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It has long been believed that the 48-year-old largely withdrew from business shortly after he was hit with international sanctions, and that he has, since then, mostly used money he accumulated over his career. Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, has discovered strong evidence that Malofeyev was heavily involved with a major Russian IT company that benefited from numerous contracts with the Russian government and state-controlled companies. That company was sold just a week before the February 2022 invasion, bringing the entities tied to Malofeyev a substantial windfall. (To read the complete Systema investigation in Russian, click here.) Malofeyev has long been an ideologue of the restoration of Russia's imperial past. His Tsargrad media network was instrumental in promoting the so-called Novorossiya project to justify the attempt to establish Russian control over much of southern and eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. It served as a major platform for disseminating and popularizing the ideas of the extreme-right publicist Aleksandr Dugin. In the summer of 2020. Malofeyev presented his three-volume "historical" opus at the Red Square book festival in Moscow, an event that has been sponsored since 2015 by a foundation headed by Kremlin insider and current Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin. The book describes Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine as the "reconsolidation of historically Russian lands." At the book presentation, Malofeyev was asked who Russia's new monarch and the founder of the next ruling dynasty should be. "I definitely think that the worthiest candidate to become the emperor of modern Russia is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin," he replied. An Unexpected Visit Late one evening in February 2018, the bell rang at the Moscow apartment of IT businessman Sergei Shilov. It was a team from the Federal Security Service (FSB) with automatic weapons at the ready, Shilov later said in an interview for a YouTube channel of Esquire magazine. The agents searched the apartment and hustled Shilov away to the Investigative Committee for a statement. In the end, he was arrested on suspicion of fraud to the tune of 1.4 billion rubles ($35 million) in connection with an IT contract with the Interior Ministry. Shilov founded the company AT Consulting in 2001, and it quickly developed into one of Russia's leading IT-services providers. In addition to the Interior Ministry, AT Consulting had contracts with Rostelekom, Rosneft, VTB bank, Sberbank, and others. In 2014-15, Kirill Shamalov -- at the time, Putin's son-in-law and a neighbor of Malofeyev's in Moscow's prestigious Rublyovka district, where Putin's main residence is located -- was involved in a joint venture with the company. Although Malofeyev's Tsargrad media group rarely pays attention to business stories, the hullabaloo surrounding AT Consulting appeared in one of its reports, which included comments from a person or persons in "Shilov's inner circle." Around the same time, AT Consulting underwent some significant changes. Ivan Matyash, head of the legal department for Malofeyev's Tsargrad Estate real-estate company, took over as CEO. Several businesses tied to AT Consulting were taken over by businessman Yevgeny Zhulanov, a former business partner of Malofeyev's. The industry publication TAdviser connected the changes to Malofeyev. "The consolidation that happened in June 2018 was help for the AT Consulting team at a difficult time" and "may have been carried out by Yevgeny Zhulanov at the request of Konstantin Malofeyev," it reported, citing an unidentified acquaintance of both men. The source said that Malofeyev is a co-owner of AT Consulting, it added. In March, the investigative outlet Proyekt also reported that Malofeyev had been a co-owner of AT Consulting, a company that had 35 state contracts with the Russian State Register worth 2 billion rubles ($23.6 million), according to Proekt's study of the state tenders register. Malofeyev's spokesman declined to answer any of Systema's questions for this report. 'Give Me 70 Percent' AT Consulting may have first appeared on Malofeyev's radar in the early 2010s, when the firm began doing IT work for Rostelekom, where Malofeyev was a significant minority shareholder and the "Orthodox oligarch" reportedly began taking over some of its contractors. In a 2010 interview with the business daily Vedomosti, Yevgeny Yurchenko, a former member of Rostelekom's board of directors, described what he said were Malofeyev's tactics from this period. "Someone would come to you and say: 'Tomorrow your company is going to lose all of its clients. If you don't want to go bankrupt, give me 70 percent and I will guarantee state orders for you,'" he said. Malofeyev sued Yurchenko for allegedly besmirching his business reputation, but the court satisfied the complaint only partially and declined to order retractions of most of his remarks, including this one. Nonetheless, Malofeyev's name was not officially tied to AT Consulting, which continued on paper to be owned and operated by its founder, Shilov. After a month in pretrial detention, Shilov's position began to deteriorate. He gave self-incriminating testimony and implicated Aleksei Nashchyokin, a former top manager at Rostelekom and a longtime acquaintance of Malofeyev's. The case also alarmed AT Consulting's clients and had a negative impact on business. The situation seemed to be spiraling out of control. Under New Management Around that time, a lawyer named Aleksandr Zheleznikov, who had repeatedly represented Malofeyev in the past, stepped in to help Shilov. In addition, a former FSB agent and business associate of Zhulanov's, Anton Nemkin, was placed on AT Consulting's board of directors. Shortly after these developments, Shilov was released to house arrest, which was soon further eased to a pledge not to leave the city. In April 2019, the charges against Shilov were dropped and the case closed. By the end of the year, AT Consulting disclosed that Shilov's stake in the company was just 10 percent. He retained his seat on the company's board, but the other four seats were held by people tied to Malofeyev. Malofeyev's 27-year-old son, Kirill, began working as an "analyst" at the company. Matyash's tenure as CEO was extended through 2024. Toward the end of 2021, the business press began reporting rumors that the state nuclear-power company Rosatom was interested in buying AT Consulting. Kommersant estimated the value of the deal at 10-12 billion rubles ($119-142 million). It is possible that Rosatom's interest in AT Consulting in particular was facilitated by Malofeyev's longtime contact Yury Kovalchuk, a billionaire financier who has known Putin since the early 1990s and has been described as the president's "personal banker" as well as an influential figure in his decision-making on Ukraine. Kovalchuk has longstanding relations with former Rosatom CEO Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy head of Putin's administration who since January 2017 has been the chairman of Rosatom's oversight board and is also heavily involved in Kremlin policy on Ukraine. When Kiriyenko ran Rosatom, Kovalchuk's son, Boris, served as his deputy in charge of development. Rosatom's Money The deal moved ahead quickly and was wrapped up on February 16, 2022, about one week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Rosatom ended up paying 20.2 billion rubles ($265 million), of which 16.6 billion ($197 million) was deposited in an account controlled by Project Investments, which in turn is controlled by Leonid Gavrilov, a businessman with long-standing ties to Malofeyev, according to financial records studied by Systema. Shortly after the deal was completed, according to the records, Gavrilov purchased a one-room apartment in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Much of the rest of the money from the sale was sent to a number of people and companies tied to Malofeyev. Nearly 6 billion rubles ($68 million) were transferred to a company called April Capital. A co-owner of April Capital through a related company, April Group, was Anatoly Milyukov. He formerly served on the board of directors of Rostelekom and, according to Kommersant, managed Malofeyev's minority stake in that company. April Capital had earlier acquired a 14.5 percent stake in AT Consulting from Gavrilov's Project Investments. Just six months before the Rosatom deal was inked, April Capital reported its stake in AT Consulting was worth $9 million. In other words, it would seem the entire value of AT Consulting was less than $64 million, about one-quarter of what Rosatom paid. According to Systema's findings, structures and individuals associated with Malofeyev received up to 19.8 billion rubles ($235 million) from the Rosatom deal. Additionally, in April 2022, Rosatom bought six other companies tied to Zhulanov, Malofeyev's former business partner. Zhulanov also sold three companies to AT Consulting on the eve of its acquisition by Rosatom. In comments to Systema, Gavrilov denied that Malofeyev was linked to AT Consulting and declined to comment on the deal with Rosatom, citing nondisclosure documents. AT Consulting referred queries to official press releases, which did not reveal the amount of the transaction or the purchaser. Malofeyev's spokesman, Anatoly Milyukov, and Sergei Shilov declined to comment. Rosatom, April Kapital, Zhulanov, and Nemkin did not respond to inquiries. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Malofeyev has distributed prizes and bonuses to troops participating in the invasion. His charitable foundation, the St. Vasily the Great Foundation, has distributed some 700 million rubles ($8.3 million) in Russian-held parts of Ukraine's Donbas region. In 2022, five companies were registered in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk that are run by Aleksei Terekhov, the head of Malofeyev's firm Kontur. One of the companies is called Tsargrad Donetsk Holdings. Adapted by RFE/RL's Robert Coalson based on reporting by Systema correspondent Sergei Titov. Dmitry Sukharev of Systema contributed to this report. In repeated tirades against Russian military leaders over the past several months, Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken pains to stop short of putting President Vladimir Putin directly in the crosshairs. When the crudely spoken former prison inmate known as "Putin's chef" for his catering work announced on June 23 that his forces would head away from the front in Ukraine and go on a "march of justice" in Russia, he seemed more careful than ever to claim that Putin was not his target. The stunning action was "not a military coup," Prigozhin said. And he hewed to a long-established narrative known loosely as "good tsar, bad boyars," suggesting that if Putin had made unwise or disastrous choices -- such as the decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 -- it was because he was betrayed by power-hungry generals and self-interested tycoons in his circle. But while the future is more clouded than ever now, few outcomes of Prigozhin's thrust bode well for Putin, and analysts say his own methods, moves, and style of rule are to blame. "On Friday evening, Prigozhin raised an open mutiny," the media outlet The Bell wrote in a news bulletin on the morning of June 24. "Officially -- against the 'military leadership' headed by [Defense Minister] Sergei Shoigu, but de facto Prigozhin threw down a challenge to the very regime of Vladimir Putin." After hours of silence overnight, Putin sought to sound firm in a Saturday morning address, vowing to take "decisive action" against the "armed mutiny" and ordering the "neutralization" of its organizers. But Prigozhin quickly and pointedly talked back, saying Putin was "deeply mistaken" to suggest he was a traitor and vowing his forces would not surrender. Putin will have a hard time turning the potentially momentous twist in what he intended to be a short, victorious war against Ukraine into a positive for himself and his political future. Here's why. Signs Of Weakness? The very fact that Prigozhin has kept Putin out of the direct line of fire in his outbursts up until now puts the president in a questionable light, portraying him as a leader who is unable to maintain control over his top lieutenants and may be easily misled. In one of his earlier tirades, Prigozhin hinted that Putin was a "happy grandpa" and a clueless dupe who is fed lies by those around him and is unaware of the harsh reality of the war. A more obvious indication that Putin is not in control comes from the unavoidable optics of what, in its first 24 hours, remains a deeply murky situation: Prigozhin and his forces crossed from Ukraine into Russia and entered Rostov-on-Don, a large city that is the hub for Moscow's operations in what is now a 16-month invasion of Ukraine, and claimed his forces controlled the military headquarters and other military sites in the city. For observers of Russia, a commonplace is that Putin's grip on power will seem solid until it isn't. And from almost any angle, Prigozhin's actions make that grip look less solid than it did just one day earlier. Despite efforts of by the Kremlin and state TV to control the narrative, the chaotic situation may further undermine many Russians' confidence in Putin, whose image has been tarnished by setbacks and losses in the war on Ukraine. Prigozhin's brash retort to the address on June 24 won't help matters for Putin, who is rarely subjected to open criticism by anyone with any authority inside Russia. Contrary to claims that Putin "was fully in control and not vulnerable to coups, his authority is now being directly challenged in a way that may have far-reaching implications for the regime as well as the course of the war," military analyst Lawrence Freedman, an emeritus professor of War Studies at King's College London, wrote in a post on Substack on June 24. A New Front When Putin launched the large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, he expected what he called the "special military operation" to achieve its goal -- the subjugation of Ukraine -- within weeks at most. That did not happen. After a dramatic retreat from positions near Kyiv and back across the border that spring, Russian forces suffered further setbacks in the east and south and are now trying to face down a new Ukrainian counteroffensive on sections of the more than 1,000-kilometer front. WATCH: Putin has calls for national unity after Russian mercenary forces headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin took control of a southwestern Russian city as part of a possible attempt to march on Moscow. In addition, there have been attacks on Russia soil, ranging from incursions in Belgorod and other border regions to drone strikes in Moscow and, in one case, on the Kremlin itself. The Wagner campaign opens up a new front of sorts, one that is also inside Russia, at a potentially crucial juncture of the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin's forces, which have played an important role in some of the fighting, are now an enemy within. The Truth Will Out In his address on June 24, Putin repeated what has become the Kremlin's main narrative about its war against Ukraine. He portrayed the forces led by Prigozhin as traitors who are undermining Russia at a crucial time, repeating his unfounded claim that the invasion was not an act of aggression but a necessary step to counter a bid by the West to use Ukraine to tear Russia apart or, at the very least, to achieve its "strategic defeat." Russian officials at all levels have echoed that narrative, but Prigozhin, in remarks on June 23, sought to drill a big hole in it. In past tirades, he has lambasted Shoigu and armed forces chief of staff Valery Gerasimov for the way they have conducted the war, asserting that they have starved his forces of ammunition. This time, he not only accused the military of targeting his units with rockets and fire from helicopter gunships but also suggested the invasion itself was unjustified, contesting the claim that Russia faced a threat of attack from Ukraine and NATO. "On February 24 [2022], there was nothing extraordinary happening," Prigozhin said. "Now the Defense Ministry is trying to deceive the public, deceive the president, and tell a story that there was some crazy aggression by Ukraine, that -- together with the whole NATO bloc -- Ukraine was planning to attack us." "It is the question of the war's necessity that made Prigozhin's latest accusations so incendiary," military analyst Freedman wrote, because they challenged "not only the conduct of the war but the whole basis upon which it was launched. The shots might have been aimed at Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimovbut Vladimir Putin was clearly in the firing line." Method And Madness Over nearly 24 years in power as president or prime minister, Putin has sought to maintain control in part by setting factions within Russia against each other, but analysts say his decision to launch the large-scale invasion of Ukraine has fouled that system. "Putin's style of managing the elite has proven dangerously dysfunctional when transplanted to the battlefield," author and analyst Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia's military and security agencies, wrote in The Spectator on May 15. "A culture of mutual suspicion, cannibalistic competition, and opportunistic self-interest has kept Putin in power for more than two decades. It has allowed him to play individuals and interests against each other and forced the members of his court constantly to seek his ear and favor," Galeotti wrote. "In war, though, the need is for unity, discipline, and mutual support -- something the Ukrainians are displaying and the Russians clearly lack." Putin's first public comments following Prigozhin's big move showed he will seek to use what he called a treacherous "stab in the back" to forge unity among Russians and snatch some kind of victory from the jaws of possible defeat. But for a president who has always been portrayed as a leader in firm control, that will be hard to do. And Prigozhin's campaign could lay bare fatal flaws in his method of rule. The animosity between Prigozhin and Shoigu is in many ways "a classic competition for rents, the likes of which have dominated the Russian political and economic scene for decades, and thus the kind of thing for which Putin and the rest of the system should be well prepared, and thus which should not be terribly destabilizing," Sam Greene, a professor at the Russia Institute at King's College London, wrote in a newsletter on June 24. But in two important ways, Greene wrote, it's "very different from anything we've seen in Russia before." For one thing, the rivals "have a degree of firepower that would make the mafia bosses of the 1990s look like schoolboys with slingshots. Second, the struggle is over control of the process that has become the cornerstone of Putin's political rule: the war in Ukraine," he wrote. "None of the other sectors over which Russian elites have sparred in the past have been so critical to Putin's own political survival." "Even if Wagner is defeated quickly, which I would not take for granted, then this is still a big shock to the regime and it will have been weakened," Freedman wrote. "If the confrontation goes in the other direction then all bets are off and panic may start to grip the Kremlin." Radio and TV audiences in several Russian regions on June 5 were startled to hear the familiar voice of President Vladimir Putin announcing a major "invasion" of Russian territory by Ukrainian forces, the imposition of martial law, and a total military mobilization. Officials and state-controlled media quickly scrambled to denounce the broadcast as a fake, probably created using artificial intelligence, or AI. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was forced to make a statement denying the announcement. It remains unclear who was responsible for the hack. Together with drone attacks that at times have reached deep inside Russia and paramilitary raids targeting settlements near its border with Ukraine, such hacks of Russian media are bringing the once-distant war home to ordinary Russians. "Hacker attacks on radio stations are one more way of getting out information, one more way of showing that it is not only the everyday lives of Ukrainians but of Russians, as well, that can be divided into before and after the invasion," said a member of the Anti-War Committee of Kuban, an underground regional anti-war group active in southern Russia, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "Such hacking attacks, like the drone attacks, let people understand there is a war going on." Air Raid On the country's June 12 Russia Day national holiday, radio stations in the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions, southeast of Ukraine, broadcast air-raid sirens and warnings to seek shelter in the face of an incoming rocket attack. According to social media reports, the false alarm was heard on stations as far from the front as Ufa and Kazan -- cities hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine -- and the Moscow region. The Telegram channel Mash reported that hackers had managed to break into the central server of a radio network that broadcasts by satellite around the country. Such hijacking of terrestrial and Internet broadcasting has become increasingly common in recent months, particularly targeting Russia's southern and western regions closest to the border with Ukraine but also ranging farther afield. "Such interference by enemies in the broadcasts of radio stations has happened in the Stavropol and Belgorod regions," the authorities in the Krasnodar region posted on Telegram on February 22 -- on the Defenders of the Fatherland holiday, which honors soldiers and veterans, and two days before the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "Normal broadcasting has been restored. All information and material needed for an investigation of the incident has been provided to law enforcement." Focus On Crimea Another hack on the June 12 Russia Day holiday was carried out by the Free Russia Legion, a paramilitary group that has been carrying out raids into Russian territory from eastern Ukraine. The message invited residents of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimea region to inform the Ukrainian military about the movement of Russian troops "in order to hasten the restoration of peace and lawful order in Crimea." The statement also likened the actions of the Russian military to "the best traditions of the Third Reich." The statement also was distributed on the websites of the state television channel Kuban 24. The government of the northwestern Kaliningrad region, on the Baltic Sea, also reported that the announcement was heard on the frequency of the commercial Russian radio station Europa Plus. Earlier that month, the Russian Volunteer Corps, a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians also fighting against Russia, carried out a similar hack with threats to attack Russian-occupied Crimea and "cleanse the peninsula." That hack reached the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, among other locations in southern Russia. The methods for carrying out such hacks vary depending on the equipment used by the broadcaster, said an expert with the nongovernmental organization Roskomsvoboda, which monitors the Internet, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. "If the radio station has the most basic equipment without nonessential computerization, then it can only be hacked by physical infiltration, either at the place where the broadcast equipment is located or in the studio that generates the signal," the expert told RFE/RL. However, most modern broadcasters are connected to the Internet, which opens up many avenues for hackers to get in, he said, adding that it is possible to hijack a station's frequency directly with "sufficiently powerful equipment and a sufficiently large antenna." Another IT specialist, who also asked not to be identified, said the networks of broadcasters can be attacked remotely. "Once one gains access, files can be changed and alternative audio programs can be activated," the person said, adding that the most common way of gaining such access is through phishing attacks. Unexpected Effects? Hacks can produce a range of effects on listeners, activists say, from anger and fear to anxiety and confusion. "The effectiveness of such hacks depends on what is transmitted," said Bogdan Litvin, the national coordinator of the Russian anti-war movement Vesna, which like many opposition groups has been deemed extremist by Putin's government. "The sound of sirens and explosions and warnings of rocket attacks are not going to increase opposition to the war. Most likely, they will increase a sense of fear, which is not going to help change public opinion." "The idea of hacking Russian radio stations isn't a bad one," Litvin said. "But the way it is being done now might have undesired effects such as a short-term consolidation around the authoritiesand support for repressive measures." Litvin said it could be more productive to convince Russians that the war is contrary to their interests and that they are paying for it with "their money, their future, and -- for many of them -- the lives of their sons, husbands, and fathers." Written by RFE/RL's Robert Coalson based on reporting by correspondent Andrei Krasno of RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. leader Joe Biden discussed the turmoil in Russia during a phone call following a chaotic weekend in which mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin abruptly called off his groups armed march toward Moscow and accepted a deal allowing him to move to Belarus and avoid criminal charges for an armed insurrection. U.S. and Ukrainian officials on June 25 said Zelenskiy and Biden also spoke about Kyivs current counteroffensive against Russian forces and coordinated their positions ahead of the July 11-12 NATO summit in Lithuania. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. The White House said the two discussed "recent events in Russia" and that Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian aid. Zelenskiy tweeted that he discussed with the U.S. president the events in Russia and his need for long-range weapons. "A positive and inspiring conversation. We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia," he wrote. We discussed further expansion of defense cooperation, with an emphasis on long-range weapons...We coordinated our positions on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Zelenskiy added. Separately, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he discussed the security situation in Russia with Zelenskiy in the wake of the short-lived mutiny by the Prigozhin-led Wagner group. As of late on June 25, there was no word of Prigozhins whereabouts following word that he was to leave Russia for Belarus. The announcement by the Kremlin came after Prigozhin abruptly ordered his forces to abandon their advance toward Moscow following a tense, chaotic 24 hours that handed President Vladimir Putin the biggest threat to his more than two-decade hold on power and raised the prospect of civil war. Although the crisis for the Kremlin appears to have eased for now, world leaders and analysts said the fallout from the armed insurrection could take months to play out. I think weve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade. We have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News. Separately, Blinken told ABC News that the Kremlins woes will likely assist Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion, leaving Russians distracted and divided. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a newspaper interview that Wagners march on Moscow "shows the divisions that exist within the Russian camp, and the fragility of both its military and its auxiliary forces." The situation is still developing," Macron said, adding that he was "following the events hour by hour." Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said late on June 25 that he discussed the situation with U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin and that they agree that the Russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the Kremlin. Prigozhin, whose troops had been the most effective fighters among Putins forces since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, had turned on the Russian military and led what was called an armed insurrection, ordering his forces -- which he claimed numbered 25,000 -- to advance toward Moscow before he halted his so-called march for justice" on June 24. The Kremlin later confirmed it had reached a deal with Prigozhin, 62, to end the insurrection, saying the mercenary leader will move to Belarus and that a criminal case against him will be dropped. It wasn't immediately known where Prigozhin was early on June 25 or if he had left for Belarus. In return, Wagner fighters who joined Prigozhin on his march would not be prosecuted, the Kremlin said. As part of the deal, Wagner fighters who did not take part in the march will come under the direct control of the Russian military -- a move Prigozhin had vehemently resisted while leading his troops in the Kremlin's war on Ukraine. Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka helped mediate the deal, the Kremlin said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Lukashenka had guaranteed Prigozhin's safety. Hours later, Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram that Wagner forces were pulling out of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don in convoys, accompanied by tanks and other vehicles, and were headed for their field camps. The mercenary fighters earlier had captured control of a military base in the city of 1.2 million people near the Ukraine border. Local authorities in neighboring Lipetsk and Voronezh provinces also said Wagner units were withdrawing from the southern regions on June 25. WATCH: Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the mercenary Wagner Group, is greeted by locals as he left Rostov-on-Don in the back seat of a car late on June 24. By midday on June 25, there were still no reports of Prigozhin arriving in Belarus. It remained unclear whether Prigozhin would be joined in Belarus by any Wagner troops, and what role, if any, he might have there. Also, it was not immediately clear where they would be based or how many had participated in the march toward Moscow. They previously had been fighting in Ukraine, but Prigozhin had announced they were giving up their positions to the Russian military. A former British Army general warned of a potential attack on Ukraine from Belarus by Wagner fighters if large numbers of the mercenaries follow Prigozhin into exile there. "The fact that he's gone to Belarus is a matter of some concern," former Chief of General Staff Richard Dannatt told Sky News on June 25. Putin had vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a "betrayal" and "treason." Prigozhin claimed his fighters had reached to within 200 kilometers of the capital without spilling any blood, a possible hint to the Kremlin of his support within elements of the nation's security structures. WATCH: RFE/RL reporters captured events in Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don amid an armed rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group that rocked Russia on June 24. The group launched a military column toward Moscow before its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced he was calling it off to "avoid bloodshed." "We are turning our columns around and going back to the field camps according to our plan," Prigozhin said in a short, fiery audio message posted to Telegram on June 24. State-owned RIA Novosti reported on June 25 that the situation around the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don was calm and street traffic had resumed. In a video on the agency's Telegram messaging app, which it said was taken in the city, a municipal worker was sweeping a street and cars were moving along another street. The report could not be independently verified. The insurrection, although having failed, has left the authoritarian Russian leader weakened and vulnerable, experts say. The fact that this was moderated by Lukashenka strikes me as embarrassing in the extreme, Sam Greene, a Russia expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said in a tweet. This whole episode may have punctured the air of inevitability that has kept him aloft for the past 23 years. 'Complete Chaos' Putin must now contend with the ramifications of the mutiny as Ukraine pushes ahead with its large-scale counteroffensive, a crucial endeavor that could shape the course of the conflict, including further opening the spigot of lethal Western military aid. "Today the world saw that the masters of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Just complete chaos," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address late on June 24. Prigozhins forces swept into Rostov-on-Don in the early morning hours of June 24 where they easily seized key infrastructure, before moving north toward Moscow with little resistance, shocking the country and the world. The Russian military reportedly fired on the Wagner forces at one point as they made their way along the highway toward Moscow, though RFE/RL could not confirm such an incident. Prigozhin's insurrection came in the wake of months of intense public fighting with Russia's military leadership over its war strategy in Ukraine and ammunition supplies. Over the spring, the Wagner leader repeatedly accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of intentionally holding back supplies of ammunition to his troops in Bakhmut, the site of the war's bloodiest battle. Semon Pegov, a pro-Russia military blogger, said in an interview with Prigozhin on April 29 that there was speculation the Russian military was withholding ammunition from Wagner for fear the mercenary leader would use it to storm Moscow and take power. Prigozhin responded that it was an "interesting idea" but claimed he hadn't considered it. However, just a month later, after his troops took Bakhmut in the first Russian victory of the war in about 10 months, Prigozhin toured several Russian regions, giving interviews to local media in what some experts said was a clear sign of his political ambition. Meanwhile, Putin appeared to be siding with the Defense Ministry in its spat with Prigozhin, appearing alongside Shoigu in a sign of support. Peskov said following the June 24 turmoil that there was no change in Putin's support for Shoigu. In his audio statement announcing his troops' pullback, Prigozhin claimed the Kremlin had been seeking to disband his Wagner group. Aleksandar Djokic, a political analyst, said in a tweet that Prigozhin had probably "caught wind" of the fact that he had lost Putin's favor and carried out the mutiny to prove his worth. U.S. spy agencies picked up signs days ago that Prigozhin was preparing to rise up against his countrys defense establishment, U.S. media reported on June 24. Intelligence officials conducted briefings at the White House, the Pentagon, and on Capitol Hill about the potential for unrest in Russia a full day before it unfolded, according to the Washington Post and New York Times. With reporting by Current Time, AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS. The press statement, put out by a St. Petersburg company called Concord Catering and Management, pulled no punches: The elected head of Russias second-largest city is a crook, it suggested. Prosecutors should investigate the possible fact of the creation by Governor [Aleksandr] Beglov of an organized criminal community on the territory of St. Petersburg in order to plunder the state budget and enrich corrupt officials in his entourage, the company said in its October 31 statement, addressed to the national Prosecutor-Generals Office. In the often cutthroat arena where Russian politics and business meet, this sort of allegation might normally pass as business as usual. But the businessman who is firing the broadside against a powerful elected leader is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a tycoon whose vast wealth comes from Kremlin catering contracts and whose notoriety comes from ownership of Russias most famous private mercenary company, Wagner as well as its best-known troll factory. Prigozhins grudge match with Beglov goes back a few years, but this latest round comes as Prigozhin has stepped further into the limelight of Russian politics, especially where conduct of the war in Ukraine is concerned. Prigozhin has been one of the most strident critics of Russian commanders approach to the invasion, which by many accounts is faltering eight months in. Never mind the fact that its currently illegal under Russian law to criticize, or discredit, the armed forces, or to own or operate private mercenary companies. It seems pretty obvious that Prigozhin has found this an opportune moment to expand his public profile, said Candace Rondeaux, a researcher at the New America Foundation in Washington and the author of a 2019 report called Decoding The Wagner Group. He is not anything except for an opportunist. His career shows this, and this shows that there could be rewards for any activity that supports the war. He is really at his high point, his peak of political power and influence right now, she told RFE/RL, because the nature of this phase of the war has allowed him to lean into his role as captain of the rogue state. Andrei Kolesnikov, an expert on Russian politics and a senior fellow at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, drew a parallel with Grigory Rasputin, the mystical monk who held sway over the family of Russias last tsar in the 1910s. In terms of his influence, at least in the public space, he begins to resemble Rasputin at the court of Nicholas II, Kolesnikov told Current Time. And naturally, many are now thinking about whether this person is, say, the next presidential candidate or the figure who can enter the highest spheres of politics, who is throwing elbows at everyone who approaches him. 'I Myself Cleaned The Old Weapons' While Prigozhin got his start as a restauranteur and caterer in his hometown of St. Petersburg, it wasnt until he started landing contracts to supply food services to the Kremlin that he garnered financial success. The name Concord is used for a variety of related companies. Wagners exact origins, meanwhile, are shrouded in mystery, but Russian reporters and researchers like Rondeaux say the company evolved out of a network of private security companies run by former Russian special forces soldiers. Soldiers from the group were believed to have fought in Ukraines Donbas after the Russian-fueled war broke out there in 2014. And after the Kremlin ordered a large intervention in Syria to bolster the embattled regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2015, Wagner soldiers gained a further reputation for wanton brutality, where they provided security for diplomats, guarded oil and gas facilities, and trained local militias. Wagner mercenaries have also been reported in the Central African Republic, working in operations to mine and export diamonds and valuable minerals. Russian reporters identified a former Russian military intelligence soldier named Dmitry Utkin as the head of Wagner; Utkin attended a lavish Kremlin ceremony in 2016. Prigozhins ownership of the Wagner group has been an open secret in and out of Russia for years. In September, he confirmed it. I myself cleaned the old weapons. I myself sorted out the bulletproof vests, and I found specialists to help me with this, he said in a September 26 statement published by Concord Management and Consulting on the VK social network. On May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later acquired the name Wagner. The other Prigozhin-funded company whose origins are shrouded in mystery is the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency. Dubbed the Russian troll factory, the company specialized in creating fake online accounts for Facebook and other social media and spreading disinformation and propaganda. It later was implicated in a conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Two years later, a U.S. grand jury indicted Prigozhin, 12 other Russians, and the Internet Research Agency. The FBI put him on its most-wanted list last year. After President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February, Wagner mercenaries were among several irregular units that fought alongside regular Russian forces. Wagner fighters played a central role in the Russian capture of the port city of Mariupol and the Luhansk region city of Syevyerodonetsk and are reportedly involved in the ongoing assault on Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. WATCH: A businessman known as "Putin's chef" has now developed "a taste for business in blood," according to a leading Russian campaigner for prisoners' rights. Olga Romanova said she's seen reports from trusted inmates in at least three prisons. They say Kremlin-connected businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin visited personally to recruit convicts as mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. Over the summer, as the war began to grind into one of attrition, a growing number of Russian military bloggers vented their frustrations with commanders and the Kremlins unwillingness to either call a general mobilization or merely send more men to the fight. Prigozhin took the effort to find more men into his own hands in September, when a video emerged on the Telegram messaging app showing him at a rural prison promising convicts early release if they signed up for a six-month tour in Ukraine. Criticism of the war became a clamor after Ukrainian forces recaptured swaths of territory in the northeastern Kharkiv region and advanced against Russian troops in the Kherson region in the south. Among those clamoring: Prigozhin and Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who called for a major escalation of the war and major changes in Russian command. "Send all those bastards barefoot, with machine guns, to the front, Prigozhin said in a statement issued by his company in the wake of the Kharkiv retreat. On October 29, one of the generals who was vilified after the Russian retreat in Kharkiv Colonel General Aleksandr Lapin was reportedly removed from his command. Three weeks earlier, in a shake-up to the disjointed command structure in Ukraine, Putin appointed a new overall commander: General Sergei Surovikin, who then unleashed a pummeling barrage of missiles, rockets, and drones on civilian targets in Ukraine. Surovikin, whose appointment was hailed by Prigozhin and other critics of the way the military has waged the war, had previously been the top Russian commander in Syria -- at the time when Wagners forces were playing an active role on and off the battlefield. Surovikin is the one who gave Prigozhin the running room to become what he became today, Rondeaux said. Grudge Match Prigozhins fight with Beglov isnt new, likely dating back to 2018, when Beglov was appointed St. Petersburgs governor, then winning an election for the office the following year. Novaya Gazeta Europe said the bad blood traces back to a scuffle over funding of Beglovs election campaign, as well as a real estate development on the Gulf of Finland. Prigozhin was also behind a series of videos that mocked Beglov and featured the front man for the popular punk rock band Leningrad. In September, another Prigozhin-linked organization that bills itself as a veteran's advocacy group called on the national Investigative Committee to look into how St. Petersburg officials were conducing the mobilization campaign aimed at bolstering troop levels in Ukraine. The group also suggested that Beglovs relatives might be trying to dodge the draft. The timing of this latest broadside, however, is even more auspicious. Novaya Gazeta Europe called it a showdown and a sensation. The newspaper Petersburg Vestnik characterized Prigozhins popularity as skyrocketing. On the same day Prigozhin made his appeal for an investigation, he announced the opening of a new business center in St. Petersburg to be called the Wagner Center. Rising Political Star? Whether Prigozhin can turn his rising star into a political career is an open question. However, if there was any viable path for Prigozhin to become a politician, it would be in St. Petersburg, Rondeaux said. Its not going to be in Moscow or somewhere in the Urals. I think he expects to be rewarded. He doesnt need the money. Now he would probably like to have more political cachet and influence, she said. He is establishing himself as a political force, using his popular status and his affiliation with Wagner to critique his opponents within elite circles and institutionalize his authority, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a report this week. Prigozhin, who could not be immediately reached for comment via his company, also gave an interview with Petersburg Vestnik in which he was asked about his political aspirations. As far as my increased popularity is concerned, I do not strive for popularity, he was quoted as saying. My task is to fulfill my duty to the motherland, and today I do not plan to found any [political] parties, let alone go into politics. Prigozhins political influence within the Kremlin is also an open question. Analysts who have followed his career point out that he has powerful backers known as a roof in Russian who have enabled him to grow his businesses and work hand in glove with Russian military structures. And his criticism of the way the war on Ukraine is being waged has struck a chord in Russian nationalist and military-security circles. Prigozhin reportedly complained about the conduct of the war directly to Putin, according to The Washington Post, which said his confidential conversations with Putin had made it into U.S. intelligence briefings. Theyre on a collision course, Kolesnikov told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Prigozhin is clearly very power hungry. Hes a very tough person and in many ways cruel. He has the negative charisma of a devil, and in a sense, this charisma can compete with Putin's. But Putin now needs him in this capacity, in this form. He gives [Prigozhin] more and more powers, as it were, and outsources a variety of functions to him, he said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict who parlayed a St. Petersburg restaurant business into lucrative Kremlin contracts, founded the notorious private mercenary company Wagner, and became both a key figure in Russia's war on Ukraine and a relentless critic of the military command, is now in open armed rebellion against the Russian state. Prigozhin was born in 1961 in what was then Leningrad. As a teenager he was caught, and punished, for theft -- the first in a series of increasingly more serious crimes, including armed robbery and trafficking in underage minors, that led to him serving just over nine years in prison. He was released in 1990 at a time when the Soviet Union was in the full throes of Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika reforms. Along with his mother's second husband, Prigozhin opened a chain of hot dog stands, which, by his own account, was wildly successful. It's unclear when Prigozhin's relationship with Putin first developed, though as a budding entrepreneur in St. Petersburg he most likely would have crossed paths with Putin, whose political career started in the city's mayor office in the 1990s. Prigozhin later got into the restaurant business; his St. Petersburg eateries were luxurious and frequented by the city's powerful and elite. He later expanded his food business into catering contracts under a company called Concord Catering -- first for schools, hospitals, and prisons, and then for bigger government events. He also snagged catering contracts for the Kremlin and other Russian elites, earning him the moniker "Putin's chef." In 2006, when U.S. President George W. Bush traveled to St. Petersburg, he and his wife, Laura, were served wine by Prigozhin at a dinner hosted by Putin. In 2012, Prigozhin's companies netted a lucrative contract from a Defense Ministry agency to provide food and catering services for the Russian military. The contract ended a few years later after Sergei Shoigu, an emergency situations minister and longtime Putin loyalist, was appointed defense minister-- a fact that may have later fueled Prigozhin's enmity toward Shoigu. Mercenaries And Trolls The exact timing of Prigozhin's entry into the murky world of private military companies is unclear, but observers point to the onset of the Syria conflict and Russia's lightning -- and ultimately successful -- intervention on behalf of the Syrian government. A spinoff of other private companies that had worked in Syria, Wagner Group appeared sometime around 2014, as Russia stoked and funded an uprising in eastern Ukraine. One man who was a prominent early head of the company was a former military intelligence officer. IN PHOTOS: Armed men, reportedly from the Wagner mercenary group, have been photographed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don amid claims of a "mutiny" under way against Russia's Defense Ministry. Prigozhin was widely assumed to be a funder of Wagner Group for years, but it wasn't until September 2022, months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that he openly admitted ownership. In Syria, Wagner fighters have been credibly accused of wartime atrocities and possible war crimes, and its fighters have appeared in other countries, as well: Sudan and, more prominently, the Central African Republic, where Prigozhin-linked companies gained lucrative concessions to mine gold and other minerals. In September 2013, Russian journalists began to explore a company that had been founded on St. Petersburg's northwest outskirts, called the Internet Research Agency, and later dubbed "Russia's troll factory." Owned via Prigozhin's Concord business network, the business hired people to create myriad online profiles, often for social media like Facebook, Twitter, and VK, and post inflammatory comments, or set up fake accounts. In 2018, two years after the U.S. president election that was won by Donald Trump, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Prigozhin and 13 other Russians, and issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him conspiracy to commit election fraud. Though researchers have debated how much influence the Internet Research Agency's trolls had on U.S. voters, the effort was seen as a success for Prigozhin, catapulting him to greater notoriety. Russian Generals And Sledgehammer Violence Russian officials and commanders had seemingly assumed that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ordered by Putin on February 24, 2022, would result in a rout of Ukraine's forces, and a quick capitulation by the government in Kyiv. That didn't happen, and as the Russian military's deep-set problems came into clearer view, Prigozhin's Wagner fighters began taking a more prominent battlefield role. Wagner mercenaries played a key role in the siege of Mariupol, and then the grinding, urban warfare in Syevyerodonetsk, Lysychansk, and Bakhmut. Prigozhin also turned to recruiting among Russia's prison inmate population. He became a slashing critic of Russian military commanders, not the least of whom was Shoigu, insulting him and challenging Putin to call a general mobilization. He repeatedly complained that military officials refused to supply his soldiers with adequate ammunition. Prigozhin also embraced violence as an apparent means to enforce discipline or cultivate an image of fear. In the most notorious case in Syria, Wagner soldiers were shown torturing and mutilating a captured man, including using a sledgehammer to bludgeon him. The sledgehammer became a grotesque symbol for Prigozhin; in November 2022, a video appeared on a Telegram channel linked with Wagner. In it, a Russian soldier who allegedly defected to Ukraine but then was recaptured by Russia was shown being killed with a sledgehammer. Prigozhin later endorsed the act. His opprobrium was all the more noteworthy given that lawmakers had criminalized the public criticism of Russia's armed forces, shortly after the launch of the invasion. The law, meanwhile, has been used to put scores of Russians who have protested the war in jail. But while Wagner troops were seen, in some cases, as more effective and more efficient than regular Russian troops, the group's mercenaries suffered exceptional casualty rates, particularly around the Donetsk city of Bakhmut. Western officials cited relentless infantry waves of soldiers -- many of whom were former prison inmates hired by Wagner -- being thrown at Ukrainian positions. On May 20, after nearly 10 months besieging Bakhmut, Russian forces claimed victory over the city. Putin acknowledged Wagner soldiers' role in the fight, though not by name, and without mentioning Prigozhin. For his part, Prigozhin used the opportunity to rip into Russia's military leadership. In an interview with pro-Kremlin TV personality Konstantin Dolgov, he mocked not only Shoigu but his children, as well. He also suggested the Ukraine war had failed, called for marital law to imposed, and warned of the dangers of a coup, not unlike the 1917 Bolshevik uprising to overthrow the Russian tsar. "The children of the elite shut their traps at best, and some allow themselves a public, fat, carefree life," Prigozhin said. "This division might end as in 1917, with a revolution -- when first the soldiers rise up, and then their loved ones follow." In a speech given hours after armed Wagner forces took up positions in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and moved north on a major highway toward Moscow, Putin himself invoked 1917 in a clear indication that Prigozhin's mutiny was turning into the greatest challenge Putin has faced in his 23 years as Russia's preeminent leader. In a 2009 publication, Zambian Kapya Kaoma documented a rising phenomenon. Evangelical groups in the United States were sowing anti-gay hatred in Uganda. Their target audience, the Anglican pastor explained at the time, was not so much the common people, but above all the political elites. It had been years since the American Christian ultra-right had landed in the African country with its arsenal of pseudo-biblical fanaticism. In its crusade to promote the traditional family, Kaoma argued, Uganda appeared to be a promised land with a vast population of naive souls not yet corrupted by the Wests moral decadence. Also in 2009, the Ugandan Parliament initiated a legislative process to criminalize homosexuality. The first draft of the so-called Kill the Gays law included the death penalty for aggravated cases. In the final text, a lifetime prison sentence replaced capital punishment as the most severe penalty. The law passed in 2014 but was struck down shortly thereafter by the Constitutional Court. Thereafter, no action was taken on the law except for some revisions (the reinstatement of the death penalty in some cases, a punishment for promoting homosexuality) until it was passed this May. I have been warning for a long time about strong external pressures to pass this kind of legislation, in Uganda and all over Africa, Kaoma says by videoconference. The widely held view is that MP David Bahati, now the Minister of Trade and Industry, was the mastermind behind the original Kill the Gays law and its subsequent revisions. Kaoma is certain that Scott Lively, the founder of the Massachusetts-based Abiding Truth Ministries, authored the legislation behind the scenes. Lively has made a career out of pushing homophobic conspiracy theories to sinister limits. He espouses dark theories that always claim that gays are at the epicenter of evil. His book The Pink Swastika suggests that Nazi leaders were homosexuals. Lively also associates ethnic genocide with same-sex relations. He contends that some demonic stratagem from the LGBTQI+ community was connected with the genocide in Rwanda in the mid-1990s. Whether or not he wrote the original draft of one of the worlds most ruthless anti-gay legislations, in 2009 Lively caused a furor during a public speech in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. He had been invited by Stephen Langa, the director of Family Life Network, a staunch advocate of prosecuting homosexual acts. In front of an audience of congressmen and religious leaders, he expressed his bitter theses. For the first time, many of the attendees heard that there is an alleged global gay agenda to destroy the family and that normalizing homosexuality is tantamount to accepting pederasty or bestiality, Kaoma recalls. The neocolonial dialectic The Langa-Lively connection is one of many that illustrate evangelicals influence on the homophobic frenzy in Uganda today. Theres a cursed stigma around homosexuality and simmering intolerance has crystallized into the norm, which the law then exacerbates in a vicious cycle. Minister Bahati has publicly acknowledged his sympathy for The Fellowship, another U.S. organization that usually operates under the radar. And in the first decade of this century, Pentecostal pastor Martin Ssempa, a leading religious opponent of gays in Uganda, maintained excellent relations with Californian Rick Warren, another unabashed homophobe, although he has been critical of the Ugandan laws strictness. In fact, Ssempa reproached Warren for that stance in an open letter when the Kill the Gays law was being developed. The Ugandan case also weaves a confusing web of neocolonial dialectics. The laws proponents have set themselves up as the custodians of theoretical local traditions. According to them, Africans have always been purely heterosexual and, until recently, free of the deviations created in the West and the unnatural, quasi-satanic ideas that were beginning to pervert the innocence of Ugandan youth. In the name of God, this situation had to be nipped in the bud. At the same time, this iron-fisted defense of the male-female couple has been strongly encouraged by organizations from the U.S. In Uganda, it seems that both homosexuality and punitive homophobia are inspired by foreign constructs. In an article published last March in Foreign Policy, Minority Africa founder Caleb Okereke sharply resolves this paradox. Evangelicals, Okereke explains in his text, have succeeded in Uganda by proclaiming themselves to be trailblazers in the resistance against the so-called LGBTQI+ lobby, as if they knew the enemy well and had gone to warn unwary Ugandans about evil homosexual plans. Their mission began in the 2000s and they have not let up in their endeavor since. Their role has not been overemphasized. If anything, it has been underestimated, as there is a lot we dont know, Okereke says by telephone. A Nigerian by birth who lived in Uganda for five years, Okereke now resides in Denver, Colorado. He notes that homophobia already existed in the African country before these groups came into play, although the extent of it is debatable. He adds that an increasing number of Ugandan gays coming out of the closet has played a role in the ultra-conservative reaction. But he adds that the U.S. Christian right has done a lot to create a panic, especially with its rhetoric of recruitment. Okereke says that many evangelicals believe that gays are not content just to be gay. They always aspire to convert new groups of boys and girls to their cause. Minority Africas founder provides examples of young Ugandans who have told the media their stories of downfall and salvation. Such stories have a common thread: unscrupulous men who manipulated them into doing gay porn and plunged them into years of perdition. After the abyss of sin, theres always the happy ending of spiritual rebirth. Thats very much in line with the tenets of Exodus International, an American organization of reformed gays that ceased its activity in 2013. The vice president at the time, Dan Schmierer, also spoke at the 2009 conference in Kampala, the anti-LGBTQI+ exaltation where Scott Lively had his moment of glory in Africa. Okereke explains that this narrative of a gay contagion has created the climate of a witch hunt in Ugandan society. That atmosphere of fear has also permeated the countrys parliament. Only two MPs have opposed the law. They have been called every name in the book. Of course, they have also been called gay and, as such, perverters of youth, he says. Listened to because theyre white Kaoma doesnt sugarcoat why he thinks individuals like Lively have enjoyed such influence among the Ugandan elite. He and others have benefited from being white, from their white privilege. Thats the power of Scott Lively and Family Watch International (FWI), he notes. Created by Sharon Slater, who is based in Arizona, FWI appears in several Open Democracy investigations that reveal its links to Ugandas political elite, including the countrys first lady, Janet Museveni. The FWI director, Lynn Allred, states in response to an e-mail questionnaire that her organization opposes any kind of violence against homosexuals and has never supported the Ugandan law. On the contrary, she continues, it has tried to mitigate the text and remove its harshest penalties. In Uganda, the U.S. and the other countries where it operates, FWI officially promotes conversion therapy as the preferred method for dealing with homosexual impulses. Allred suspects that FWIs bad press in recent months which she claims is based on lies corresponds to a media campaign to tarnish the groups image, especially its fight against the sexual education agenda that the United Nations is imposing in Africa, which she says is a display of cultural imperialism. The FWI director says that Ugandas homophobic current is an organic African movement, possibly motivated by not liking what is happening in developed countries. Questioned about Allreds statements, Kaoma waits a few seconds before responding, somewhat agitatedly: Did you think they would recognize it [having advocated criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda]? Of course not! FWI and the rest have been playing the same game for a long time. They do their dirty work off the record. They go around spreading their hatred and nonsense. Then, in front of the public, they wash their hands [of the whole thing] and pretend that Africans are to blame because we are savages. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition TOPSHOT - This video grab taken from handout footage posted on June 24, 2023 on the Telegram account of the press service of Concord -- a company linked to the chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin -- shows Yevgeny Prigozhin speaking inside the headquarters of the Russian southern military district in the city of Rostov-on-Don. The head of Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on June 24, 2023 that he was inside the army headquarters in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, and that his fighters controlled the city's military sites. (Photo by Handout / TELEGRAM/ @concordgroup_official / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Telegram channel of Concord group" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS The challenge is enormous. Years ago, before the full-scale war launched by Russia on Ukraine, he was known as Putins chef. This is because Yevgeny Prigozhin, a petty criminal from St. Petersburg, who had served sentences for theft, amassed his vast fortune through his catering business and, above all, through his ties with Vladimir Putin, whom he met in the city on the Neva and who gave him juicy public contracts. Prigozhin, turned warlord with the Wagner mercenary company, key in the invasion of Ukraine and many other conflicts as the unofficial armed wing of the Kremlin, had always served Putin loyally. This Saturday he crossed the line. It was after a long and crucial night for Russia in which Prigozhin launched a rebellion against the leadership of the Defense Ministry and against its head, Sergey Shoigu, with whom he has had a rivalry for years, aggravated by the battles in Ukraine, and whom he accused on Friday of attacking his rear camps. The mercenary chief has dared to contradict the Russian president after Vladimir Putin accused him in a furious speech of giving a stab in the back to the country with his rebellion and promising brutal consequences. The president is deeply mistaken, Prigozhin has cried out in an audio message on one of his Telegram channels. Wagners fighters are true patriots. And now that Putin has spoken, the rebellion, the mutiny, already has connotations of a military coup. It is a point of no return for Prigozhin, who until now claimed to show loyalty to no one but Putin. Wagners boss has shown his most ruthless face in Ukraine, where he has enlarged his legend of vindictiveness and accused the Defense leadership of sending regular soldiers to the meat grinder while they sit comfortably in Moscow with money that should have gone to military campaigns. At the same time, he has always tried to prevent anyone from forgetting his modest beginnings in order to connect with those he has recruited. The head of the Wagner mercenary organization, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has declared his rebellion against the Russian military leadership on Saturday after accusing the Armed Forces of bombing one of his camps. In the picture, a group of Wagner mercenaries deployed in the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, capital of the region of the same name. STRINGER (Reuters) Military convoy of the Wagner mercenary group drives along the M-4 highway near Voronezh on route to Moscow. STRINGER (REUTERS) Wagner members detain several civilians blocking a street in Rostov, Saturday. STRINGER (EFE) Civilians take a picture on one of the tanks of the Wagner group in the city of Rostov. ARKADY BUDNITSKY (EFE) Wagner mercenaries block a Rostov street with a tank marked 'Siberia'. STRINGER (EFE) Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary company, in a screenshot of a video he distributed this Saturday via his Telegram channel. "7.30 Moscow time, we control the military facilities in Rostov, including the airfield," he claims. HANDOUT (AFP) Wagner soldiers stand guard in the center of the Russian city of Rostov. STRINGER (EFE) A boy hugs a Wagner mercenary in Rostov. DENIS ROMANOV (AFP) Image from a video shared by the Wagner group showing a mercenary convoy under attack. Wagner (Anadolu Agency / Getty) Two Wagner members walk past a mercenary company tank in the city of Rostov on Saturday. REUTERS Russian President Vladimir Putin during his address to the nation on Saturday. In the televised message, Putin called the revolt "treason" and vowed that those responsible will be severely punished. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV (AFP) Smoke plume from a destroyed fuel depot in the Russian city of Voronezh. STRINGER (REUTERS) Two Rostov residents take a photograph with a Wagner member. In the foreground, two grenade launchers on a vehicle. ROMAN ROMOKHOV (AFP) Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin on Saturday called on the capital's residents to reduce their travel around the city "as much as possible," as he posted on his Telegram account. Pictured, the surroundings of Moscow's Red Square. Sefa Karacan (Anadolu Agency / Getty) A civilian greets a Wagner mercenary in Rostov. STRINGER (REUTERS) Wagner troops rest in a cafe in Rostov on Saturday. STRINGER (REUTERS) Wagner troops, deployed in the Russian city of Rostov, one of the southern Russian enclaves controlled by the mercenary company. STRINGER (REUTERS) Removal of a Wagner poster under the slogan "Join Wagner" on a road in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday. AP A member of the Wagner group stands guard on a street in the city of Rostov. STRINGER (AFP) Civilians in the Russian city of Rostov walk past a tank with members of the Wagner group. STRINGER (AFP) The head of the mercenary company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has called for "a march for justice" of his organization against the Russian military leadership. STRINGER (REUTERS) Russian police officers guard a road near St. Petersburg with a sign under the slogan "Join Wagner". AP Two men hold an image of Vladimir Putin on Red Square in Moscow, Saturday. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA (AFP) Wagner group mercenaries guard an area of Rostov. "We have arrived here [Rostov-on-Don]. We want the chief of the General Staff [Valery Gerasimov] and [Defense Minister Sergey] Shoigu to be handed over to us. While they do not appear, we will be here, blockading the city of Rostov and going to Moscow," Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, threatened. Vasily Deryugin (AP / LAPRESSE) Two police officers guard Wagner's headquarters in St. Petersburg. ANTON VAGANOV (REUTERS) Russian police have stepped up security around Moscow's Red Square. MAXIM SHIPENKOV (EFE) The Wagner mercenary group controlled in the first hours of the rebellion the Russian city of Rostov, where its troops have been deployed in the early hours of Saturday morning. ARKADY BUDNITSKY (EFE) Hot dogs Born in 1961, when St. Petersburg was still called Leningrad, he started his business with a hot dog stand in the city on the Neva in the early 1990s and took advantage of the turbulent disintegration of the Soviet Union to move into high-level gastronomy for the new Russian elite. Among this elite was Putin, already involved in politics, who was starting to climb the ladder in the St. Petersburg Administration after having spent time in the KGB (the secret services). Putin became a patron of Prigozhin and his business. As president of Russia, he often dined at Prigozhins luxurious restaurant, Staraya Tamozhnia, a floating establishment on the Neva River. He even took the then US President George W. Bush and Japans Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori there. But it was at a Putin birthday party in 2003, where Prigozhin provided the catering, that the (ironic) nickname of Putins chef was born. Since then, he has remained close to the Kremlin, though always alienated from the elites, who have seen him as an outsider, a hick, someone from the lower class who is simply useful to the regime (until he ceases to be so). And so it had been - with certain bumps in Ukraine - until now. The troll factory Prigozhin became a millionaire thanks to catering, a business in which he was accused of poor quality and intoxication in a Russia where the powerful are almost never condemned for their crimes but where those who denounce are routinely penalized. He was also the driving force behind the so-called troll factory, accused of interfering in Western election campaigns, including the 2016 US election, which ended up with the victory of Republican Donald Trump. Meanwhile, he gradually expanded the Wagner mercenary company, whose parent company was a covert unit of the Russian army, which, in 2014, with the Donbas war and the invasion of Crimea, began its metamorphosis into a private military company. Since then, it has deployed its mercenaries in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali and again in Ukraine. It has been in Ukraine, during the full-scale war, that Wagner - which never officially existed on paper and of which Prigozhin denied being a part, as Russia banned mercenaries - ceased to operate in complete obscurity. It transformed from that hidden paramilitary arm of the Kremlin into a tool not only highly visible, but also key in several of the few conquests of Russias forces, such as those in Donbas. The Defense Ministry leadership has always been concerned about Prigozhins power, but Putin has let him grow, benefiting from the internal conflicts that were previously handled in private and that began to be waged in public. In recent months, Wagners boss has raised the tone against Minister Shoigu approaching the point of no return this Friday and Saturday, when his mercenaries have seized official buildings in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, vowing to march on Moscow if their demands for Shoigus dismissal are not met. Wagner said that its men were on their way to the capital and the support to the Kremlin from the National Guard and the security forces will be decisive in the coming hours. Prigozhin, however, does not have the support of the elites and the intentions of others like him will depend on his fate, and Prigozhin said that while his men are just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. Yevgeny Prigozhin, current head of Wagner, serves food to then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin outside Moscow, November 11, 2011. Associated Press/LaPresse (APN) Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Hunter Biden talks with guests before President Joe Biden offers a toast during a State Dinner for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, on June 22, 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the departments independence are corrosive. The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, among other things, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed special counsel. That designation would have given Weiss the same status as the prosecutor leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump. Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against President Joe Bidens son. And Garland added that if Weiss first appointed U.S. Attorney by Donald Trump agrees to testify before Congress, the Justice Department will not stand in the way. He was given complete authority to make all decisions on his own, Garland said. I dont know how it would be possible for anybody to block him for bringing a prosecution given that he has that authority. More broadly, Garland forcefully rebutted criticism from Republicans that a plea agreement for the presidents son on tax and gun charges made public this week reflects political influence in the American justice system. Republicans have denounced the deal as evidence of a two-tiered system of justice. Some have chosen to attack the integrity of the Justice Department by claiming we do not treat like cases alike. This constitutes an attack on an institution that is essential to American democracy and essential to the safety of the American people, Garland said. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a separate statement Friday, Bidens lawyer denounced the idea that the investigation cut any corners, and said it would be dangerously misleading to make conclusions based on the Shapley transcript. The transcript included a message Hunter sent to a business associate alluding to sitting with his father, seemingly suggesting that his father was aware of his business dealings. Shapley acknowledged the investigation didnt turn up evidence to prove that, instead finding that it was likely untrue. Joe Biden has said hes never spoken to his son about his foreign business. Asked Friday if the president stands by those comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replied: What I will say is nothing has changed. Nothing has changed, and I will leave it there. Weiss office referred request for comment about the whistleblower testimony to a June 7 letter he wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan saying he had ultimate authority over the investigation. The testimony from IRS agent Shapley and a second unnamed agent who worked on the case detailed what they called a pattern of slow-walking investigative steps and delaying enforcement actions in the Hunter Biden case, though it was unclear whether the conflict they described amounted to internal disagreement or a pattern of preferential treatment. Shapley said Weiss told him and others during an October 2022 meeting that he had been denied special counsel status. Transcripts released Thursday include an email with Shapleys notes from the meeting, and a response from a supervisor saying his notes covered it all. Bidens attorney, for his part, said claims the investigation wasnt thorough are preposterous and deeply irresponsible. The Hunter Biden plea deal came days after the special counsel on the Trump case filed a historic 37-count indictment alleging mishandling of classified documents, which the former president has denied. Trump has likened the Hunter Biden agreement to a mere traffic ticket. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Building Collapse in Jamnagar, Gujarat Authorities launch rescue operation as investigations focus on warnings regarding the building's safety JAMNAGAR: Tragedy struck in Jamnagar, Gujarat, as a three-storied building collapsed on Friday, resulting in the loss of three lives and leaving five individuals injured. The incident occurred in Sadhan Colony, where the victims were trapped under the debris. Prompt rescue efforts were undertaken, and the injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals for medical treatment. Jamnagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner, DN Modi, revealed that the Gujarat Housing Board had previously declared the ill-fated building as unsafe, and occupants had been warned accordingly. The collapse highlights the urgent need to address safety concerns in structures across the region. Rescue teams have successfully extricated all individuals trapped in the debris, and ongoing debris removal operations are underway at the site. Advertisement The building in question, which consisted of six flats, belonged to the victims of this tragic accident. Fortunately, at the time of the incident, none of the residents were present in four of the flats. However, two flats housed a total of eight individuals, leading to casualties and injuries among the occupants. The deceased individuals have been identified as Mittalben Jaipal Sadia (35 years old), Jaipal Rajubhai Sadia (35 years old), and Shivam Jaipal Sadia (4 years old). The injured parties include Kanchanben Mansukhbhai Joyshar, Parulben Amitbhai Joyshar, Hitanshi Jaipal, Deviben, and Rajubhai Ghelabhai. Following the unfortunate incident, several local dignitaries, including Jamnagar MP Poonambahen, MLA Divyesh Akbari, Rivaba Jadeja, and Mayor Binaben Kothari, visited the site to offer their condolences and support to the affected families. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed his sorrow over the tragic accident. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured." Advertisement As investigations unfold, authorities are focusing on determining the cause of the building collapse and holding those responsible accountable. This incident underscores the importance of strict adherence to building regulations and safety protocols to prevent such disasters in the future. PM Modi Addressing Indian expatriates, PM Modi highlights advancements in India-US partnership during his Washington visit WASHINGTON: On the final day of his three-day visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian expatriate community at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC, following his participation in the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). As Prime Minister Modi arrived, the crowd resounded with chants of "Bharat Mata di Jai" and "Vande Mataram." The national anthem was sung, setting a patriotic tone for the gathering. Prime Minister Modi extended his congratulations to every Indian living in America and expressed his appreciation for President Biden. During his address, PM Modi announced a significant development regarding H1B visa renewals, stating that the process will now be conducted within the United States itself. Additionally, Indian consulates will be established in two other US cities, namely Ahmedabad and Bangalore. This move will eliminate the need for H1B visa holders to travel outside the US for renewal, benefitting IT professionals in particular. A pilot project is scheduled to commence later this year, and upon evaluating its success, the facility may be extended to L category visas as well. Advertisement PM Modi emphasized the opportune time for increased investment in India, urging Indian immigrants to consider contributing further to their home country's growth. He highlighted Google's establishment of an AI research center in India, dedicated to working with over 100 languages. Furthermore, the Indian government will collaborate with the University of Houston to establish a Chair of Tamil Studies, fostering cultural and linguistic ties between the two nations. Expressing his gratitude, Prime Minister Modi shared, "I am pleased that the US government has made the decision to return over 100 antiquities stolen from India and sold in international markets. I extend my thanks to the US government for this gesture." PM Modi commended President Biden's leadership, stating that he is determined to elevate the India-US partnership to new heights. He hailed the commencement of a remarkable journey between the two countries and expressed confidence in the mutual efforts to shape a brighter future. PM Modi highlighted General Electric Company's decision to manufacture fighter jet engines in India, a milestone achievement for India's defense sector. This agreement not only involves the sharing of technology but also strengthens the partnership between the US and India. Sonali Phogat Family vows to approach High Court as lower court's decision sparks disappointment CHANDIGARH: PA Sudhir Sangwan, the accused in the murder case of Haryana BJP leader Sonali Phogat, was granted bail by the lower court yesterday, raising concerns and dissatisfaction within the victim's family. Sudhir Sangwan is expected to be released from jail today. Sonali's brother, Rinku Dhaka, expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, asserting that the power to grant bail in a murder case lies with the High Court, not the trial court. In response to the bail order, Sonali's family intends to consult with their lawyers and approach the High Court to challenge the decision. Rinku Dhaka alleges that the arguments presented by the CBI counsel and their own lawyer were not adequately heard. He further claims that their case is not being given due attention in Goa, insinuating that the local government is allegedly involved in protecting the accused. Advertisement Yashodhara, Sonali's daughter, is currently residing at her maternal home in Fatehabad. She, too, expressed surprise and disappointment at the recent bail decision, stating that justice has not been served. A Facebook post from Sonali's account reinforces their sentiments, lamenting the granting of bail to both accused individuals and questioning the efficacy of the country's judiciary. The post includes a picture of Sonali with her daughter. Sudhir Sangwan, Sonali's personal assistant, has been granted bail by the lower court after spending ten months in custody. As per the court's conditions, Sudhir Sangwan will be required to reside in Goa and report to the police station every week. He was initially arrested by the Goa Police on August 25 last year on charges related to the NDPS Act, for which he was also granted bail. The next hearing for this matter is scheduled for June 27. Earthquake Tremors felt in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh; NCS Alerts People CHANDIGARH: A powerful earthquake rocked northern India once again, marking the fourth seismic event in the region within a month. The latest tremors were felt across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh, leaving residents startled and concerned about the frequent seismic activities. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.2, struck at 3:57 am, and its epicenter was identified near Rohtak in Haryana, approximately 35 kilometers northwest of the city. According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), if the intensity of the earthquake had been higher, it could have potentially caused significant loss of life and property. The timing of the earthquake was particularly unsettling, as it occurred during the early morning hours when many people were still asleep. The need for increased preparedness and vigilance in the region is now more crucial than ever. Advertisement This recent earthquake follows a similar pattern of seismic activity in the area. Just six days ago, on Sunday at 3:50 am, another tremor measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale struck, with its epicenter located 80 kilometers east of Katra. Prior to that, on June 13, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 rocked northern India, originating from Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. The impact of this quake reverberated throughout the entire region, causing widespread alarm among residents. The NCS in India continues to monitor the situation closely, urging residents to remain cautious and prepared for any future seismic activities. It is crucial for individuals and communities in the affected areas to stay informed, follow safety protocols, and take necessary precautions to minimize the risks associated with earthquakes. Republican presidential candidate and former vice president Mike Pence delivers remarks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton on June 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Former Vice President Mike Pence used a Friday gathering of some of the nations leading Christian conservatives to urge his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination to support a 15-week federal abortion ban at minimum. The exhortation at the Faith & Freedom Coalitions annual conference, coming a day before the first anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, amounted to a challenge for the GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, who has been reluctant to endorse a federal abortion ban. The former president is set to address the evangelical assembly on Saturday night. We must not rest, and we must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country, Pence said. Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard. Pence was among a number of 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina to speak Friday to the roughly 500 attendees. All of the candidates emphasized their anti-abortion credentials while urging like-minded activists to stay on the political offensive. DeSantis, who signed a law in Florida banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, touted the measure with a nod toward Trumps veiled criticism last month that it is too harsh. It was the right thing to do, DeSantis told the crowd. Dont let anyone tell you it wasnt. DeSantis has been less clear on where he stands on a federal abortion ban. Not far from the conference site in Washington, President Joe Biden was rallying Friday with abortion rights supporters to mark the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision. That ruling, issued June 24, 2022, ended federal constitutional abortion protections and paved the way for near-total bans in some Republican-led states. Democrats have vowed to codify the right to an abortion in federal law, but dont have the votes in Congress to do so. After stronger-than-expected results in last years midterm elections, Democrats believe that continuing to fight to preserve abortion access can energize their base, attract moderates alienated by GOP hardliners and help the party hold the Senate, flip the House and reelect Biden. Trump, too, has suggested that increased abortion restrictions are a weakness for Republicans, despite his three Supreme Court nominees making up the majority of justices who voted to overturn Roe last year. He posted on his social media site in January that the partys underwhelming midterm performance wasnt my fault and blamed the abortion issue, poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother. Yet the mood at Fridays Faith & Freedom Coalition session was jubilant, with attendees cheering every mention of Roe v. Wades reversal. Thank God almighty for the Dobbs decision, Scott told the crowd. Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, said the conferences dates were set years ago, so the fact that it spans the Dobbs anniversary is a serendipitous coincidence. Still, he said the gathering is out to ensure top Republican candidates dont get complacent when it comes to abortion. Were certainly going to do everything that we can, as an organization and as a pro-life and pro-family movement, to give our candidates a little bit of a testosterone booster shot and explain to them that they should not be on the defensive, Reed said in an interview before the conference began. Those who are afraid of it need to, candidly, grow a backbone. Reed drew sustained cheers Friday when he opened the gathering by saying that after 50 years of prayer and fasting and knocking on doors and electing candidates and registering voters and changing the culture of our country, Roe v Wade has been overturned. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, head of the Democrats Senate campaign arm, said this week that top Republican presidential candidates will back a nationwide ban to win support in their GOP primaries, then shift to a more moderate position for the general election. Theyre not going to get away with that, Peters said. Among GOP candidates, Pence has previously said hed back banning abortion nationally after just six weeks of pregnancy, a timeline that falls before many women know they are pregnant. His declaration Friday that a ban at 15 weeks should be the minimum nationwide standard mirrors a call from the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which has said it would not support any White House candidate who did not, at a minimum, support passing a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks. Scott has also praised South Carolinas six-week ban and backs a 15-week federal prohibition. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley supports a federal ban but hasnt said at what point in pregnancy she would seek to ban abortions. Trump has avoided specifying what national limits, if any, he would support on abortion. A deeply devout, evangelical Christian, Pence was greeted far more warmly at this years Faith & Freedom Coalition conference than he was the last time he addressed the group in 2021. Then, he was booed by some and faced shouts of traitor. That event, held in Florida, came months after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when Pence defied Trumps unprecedented demands to overturn Bidens victory in the 2020 election. The tamer reaction came after Reed warned Fridays audience about booing or verbally expressing disagreement with any presidential candidates: If theyre not where they need to be, then lets just love them and pray them right where they need to go. Not everyone heeded that warning. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has built his 2024 candidacy around criticizing Trump, drew boos when he said the former president is more interested in promoting himself than the countrys interests. A woman near the stage bellowed We love Trump and a few others tried to start chants of Trump! Trump! Trump! but Christie was able to finish his speech. You can boo all you want but heres the thing, our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do, said Christie, who is Catholic. People have to stand up and take accountability for what they do. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A grand opening party was held on Tuesday evening for Wildwood Crossing in Vista, a new American fusion restaurant that replaced the similarly named Wildwood restaurant, which closed last fall after less than a year in business. Since taking over the 260-seat restaurant and music club on Oct. 1, the new owners have changed the name, changed the chef, changed the menu and changed the interior decor. But co-owner Mike Sarain said its been a challenge getting former diners to give the venue a second chance. So on Tuesday, they tossed a community bash, with free samples from the new menu, live music and a cooking demonstration by new executive chef Jeff Piccirillo. Sarain said winning back diners has been a slow process but word of mouth has been growing. Advertisement It has been a challenge. But the last few months, many locals have walked up to shake my hand and said thank you, this is so wonderful. we love the vibe and we love the energy. It reminds us of the old La Paloma again, Sarain said. A newly decorated dining room at Wildwood Crossing restaurant in Vista. (Pam Kragen / San Diego Union-Tribune) Wildwood Crossing took over the 39-year-old, rancho-style restaurant space on Civic Center Drive in Vista that was long occupied by La Paloma Mexican restaurant, which closed in 2016. In November 2017, Martin Anding reopened the space as Wildwood, offering a Louisiana jazz-and-blues club atmosphere and creole-inspired menu. He converted a shuttered office space next door into a 60-seat live music club, which was a success. But the food operation struggled from the beginning, with revolving chefs, moderately high menu prices and a style of cuisine that failed to connect with diners. Last summer, the new owners began negotiating for the space and, after a brief closure and name change in September, Wildwood Crossing was born. The trio of new owners has deep roots in the region that stretch back to the 1980s when they all worked for various North County restaurants. Mike Sarain grew up in Carlsbad and began working for Frolanders restaurant when he turned 18. Its chef at the time was Jeff Piccirillo, who taught Sarain how to cook. In 1983, Sarain went on to become a chef at the now-shuttered Chart House restaurant in Oceanside. Thats where he met waiter Dan Roper and they became lifelong best friends. Over the years, the three friends went in different career directions but always dreamed of reuniting one day to open their own restaurant. Sarain moved his family to Australia, where hes been teaching filmmaking for the past 12 years. Roper became a television producer, most recently for Channel 4 San Diego. And Piccirillo moved on to Harrahs Southern California Resort in Valley Center, where he served as specialty chef for 13 years. Last July, the trio heard about the opportunity to take over the Wildwood space and decided to take the leap. Joining them as their music club talent buyer is Sarains brother, Anthony, an audio engineer and local musician, who books local music acts on the patio or in the club room Tuesdays through Saturdays. The restaurant offers a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily with $3 wine and drink specials, $3 off any draft beer and discounted appetizers. A la carte brunch service is offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. The restaurants decor has been returned to the Southwest look of the old La Paloma with paintings by local artists. Piccirillos new menu offers seasonal, made-from-scratch soups, salads, flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, a half-dozen burgers, steaks and other plated entrees. All of the burger meat is ground in-house, turkey and beef are roasted in-house and the tuna in the tuna salad is fresh-caught albacore. Most menu items are priced from $8 to $12. Top-selling dishes are the duck confit salad and the slow-roasted prime rib, but Sarain hesitates to name a specialty. He prefers that customers decide what they like and he and his partners will do their best to deliver it. I dont like when restaurants make a determination about doing things just one way, whether the customers like it or not, he said. I believe in listening to the customer and were making a point to go and talK to people every day. Its a work in progress. Wildwood Crossing Hours: 11 am. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Where: 116 Civic Center Drive, Vista Phone: (760) 758-1513 Online: wildwoodcrossing.net Diners enjoy lunch in the main dining room at Wildwood Crossing restaurant in Vista on Tuesday. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune) pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com DETAILS What: Luncheon and presentations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Triestes dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 23 Where: Town and Country Resort, 500 Hotel Circle N., San Diego Cost: $50 per person, plus $6 parking Reservations: required by Monday. For more information, go to mts-sandiego.org. Online: For photos of the Trieste and other deep-sea vehicles, go to uniontrib.com/trieste50 Fifty years ago, two men in an odd-looking vessel out of San Diego ventured to a place no human had gone before a site as remote and dangerous as a lunar landscape. There was no air, and the atmospheric pressures were crushing up to 8 tons per square inch, strong enough to bend steel. On Jan. 23, 1960, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard became the first people to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. This spot, 35,797 feet below the surface, is the deepest surveyed point of Earths oceans. These guys were pioneers in the truest sense, said Kevin Hardy, vice president at Deep sea Power & Light, a submersible-technology company in Kearny Mesa. Step by step, they pushed back the frontier and helped open up a new world. San Diego should be as proud of this as of building (Charles) Lindberghs Spirit of St. Louis. On this Jan. 23, Walsh and other participants in the historic dive of the Trieste bathyscaph will gather at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley to commemorate their achievement. It was like putting a man on the moon, said David Sandwell, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, part of the University of California San Diego. He helped develop the first detailed maps of the global seafloor in the 1990s. There is one notable difference: A dozen astronauts, all from the Apollo program, walked on the moon. Walsh and Piccard remain the only humans to have delved so deeply into the Mariana Trench, an undersea subduction zone where tectonic plates collide and plunge back into Earths molten mantle. Only two unmanned attempts have successfully replicated the feat: a Japanese robotic probe called Kaiko in 1995 and a remotely operated American vehicle named Nereus last year. The Trieste was the creation of Auguste Piccard, a Swiss physicist who invented a pressurized aluminum gondola that set a balloon altitude record of 51,775 feet in 1931. He then shifted his attention downward, realizing that his gondola might also take humans into the depths of the sea. His first bathyscaph a word Piccard coined from the Greek baths, meaning deep, and scaphe, meaning ship was built and sold to the French navy. Piccard used the proceeds to construct and launch the Trieste in 1953. The vessel was named after the Italian city where much of it was built. By todays standards, the Triestes technologies were relatively crude. Two people occupied a 6-foot steel sphere that was attached underneath a 50-foot-long steel float filled, in part, with 28,000 gallons of buoyant aviation fuel. To descend, the crew flooded air-filled ballast tanks. To ascend, internal hoppers released tons of iron pellets. A cash-strapped Piccard sold the Trieste to the U.S. Office of Naval Research in 1958 for $250,000. The Navy was looking for a vehicle capable of deep-sea ventures. It had the bathyscaph shipped to San Diego for testing and modifications over the next year and a half. In 1959, Walsh, a 27-year-old submarine lieutenant, volunteered to become the Triestes first officer in charge. It got him out of shore duty, though later he said no one had told him about the Challenger Deep plans. The subs I had worked operated at maximum depths of 300, 400 feet, he said. But I wasnt concerned. It just made me more curious. The project was headed by Scripps graduate and deep-sea pioneer Andreas Rechnitzer of the Naval Electronics Laboratory on Point Loma. Jacques Piccard, the son of Auguste, served as a consultant. Their goal was simple: Prove that humans could safely explore the oceans depths. The Triestes descent Jan. 23, 1960, was largely uneventful. The dive began at 8 a.m. in rough seas, but once beneath the waves, the craft plunged smoothly and steadily at a rate of about 180 feet per minute. It took nearly five hours to reach the sea bottom nearly seven miles down. Walsh recalls the downward trip as being relatively boring. He and Piccard, who died in 2008, monitored a handful of instruments, looked for leaks and watched passing bioluminescent creatures from the spheres single porthole. The only moment of excitement happened at 31,000 feet, when the crew heard a loud bang. Since our instruments indicated no problems and we were still alive, Jacques and I decided to proceed, Walsh said. The bang turned out to be a secondary Plexiglas window in the entry tube cracking from changing sea pressures, though it posed no mortal threat. Walsh and Piccard remained on the sea bottom for 20 minutes. They wanted to get back to the surface before darkness, and frankly, there wasnt much to see, Walsh said. The Triestes landing had stirred up a cloud of diatomaceous ooze very fine, light-colored sediment that refused to settle or drift away. It was like looking into a bowl of milk, Walsh said. The ascent went quicker: three hours, 15 minutes. Word of success spread just as rapidly. For a time, the ungainly Trieste was an international sensation. Triestes dive took the blinders off, said retired Navy Capt. Charles MacVean, a San Diegan who commanded the squadron that included the bathyscaph. We became unfettered from fears of going deep. The Trieste never made another dive as deep, but it did have at least one other notable accomplishment: In 1963, it was used to find wreckage of the Thresher, a Navy submarine lost in 8,400 feet of water off New England. Operating the bathyscaph required its team to design and create virtually every piece of equipment, down to individual bolts. Almost nothing was off the shelf, said John Michel, who was the Triestes 26-year-old chief of the boat and the vessels main machinist and repairman. As a result, the Trieste and its subsequent sister vessel, the Trieste II, produced numerous engineering breakthroughs and developments. Those included the first manipulator arm; the first deep-sea, color-TV camera system; the first high-pressure housings and connectors; and the design of the first remotely operated vehicle. The Trieste was retired in 1980 and is now displayed at the Washington Navy Yard Museum in Washington, D.C. Of the scores of submersibles built since 1960, most incorporate concepts or devices first tested by the Trieste. Talk of humans revisiting Challenger Deep has surfaced in recent years, but not everyone sees the need. The first time is really exciting, and it offers a focused goal for the engineers and scientists, said Scripps Sandwell, whose seafloor mapping work is primarily based on data gained from ships and satellites. However, there is no reason to go back a second time with a human. Sandwell notes that 97 percent of the seafloor is less than 20,000 feet down and can be readily explored by modern ROVs and autonomous robots. If you crash your ROV into the bottom and break the cable, its a very bad day, but you can still sleep at night, Sandwell said. Walsh, though, believes there will always be a place for human exploration. He said Roger Revelle, the late climate scientist who helped found UCSD, once told him: Its pretty hard to surprise an instrument. It only knows what it is programmed to know. It only looks where you tell it to look. Guatemalan migrants deported from the United States walk on the airport runway upon their arrival at the Air Force Base in Guatemala City on June 21, 2023. The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican-led challenge to a long-blocked Biden administration policy that prioritizes the deportation of immigrants who are deemed to pose the greatest risk to public safety or were picked up at the border. The justices voted 8-1 to allow the policy to take effect, recognizing there is not enough money or manpower to deport all 11 million or so people who are in the United States illegally. Louisiana and Texas had argued that federal immigration law requires authorities to detain and deport even those who pose little or no risk. But the court held that the states lacked the legal standing, or right to sue, in the first place. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his opinion for the court that the executive branch has no choice but to prioritize enforcement efforts. That is because the Executive Branch invariably lacks the resources to arrest and prosecute every violator of every law and must constantly react and adjust to the ever-shifting public-safety and public welfare needs of the American people, Kavanaugh wrote. At the center of the case is a September 2021 directive from the Department of Homeland Security that paused deportations unless individuals had committed acts of terrorism, espionage or egregious threats to public safety. The guidance, issued after Joe Biden became president, updated a Trump-era policy to remove people who were in the country illegally, regardless of criminal history or community ties. The case displayed a frequently used litigation strategy by Republican attorneys general and other officials that has succeeded in slowing Biden administration initiatives by going to Republican-friendly courts. Texas and Louisiana claimed in their lawsuit that they would face added costs of having to detain people the federal government might allow to remain free inside the United States, despite their criminal records. Last year, a federal judge in Texas ordered a nationwide halt to the guidance, and a federal appellate panel in New Orleans declined to step in. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati had earlier overturned a district judges order that put the policy on hold in a lawsuit filed by Arizona, Ohio and Montana. But 11 months ago, when the administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene, the justices voted 5-4 to keep the policy on hold. At the same time, the court agreed to hear the case, which was argued in December. In Fridays decision, Kavanaughs opinion spoke for just five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett agreed with the outcome for other reasons. Justice Samuel Alito filed a solo dissent, writing that the decision improperly favors the president over Congress. And it renders States already laboring under the effects of massive illegal immigration even more helpless, Alito wrote. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition This GeoColor satellite image taken June 20, 2023, and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Bret as it chugged toward the eastern Caribbean. Tropical Storm Cindy has formed behind Tropical Storm Bret, in the first case of two storms in the tropical Atlantic in June since record keeping began in 1851, forecasters said Friday. The historic event signals an early and aggressive start to the Atlantic hurricane season that began on June 1 and that usually peaks from mid-August to mid-October. Some forecasters blamed unusually high sea temperatures for the rare development. The Atlantic is awfully warm this year, said Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, adding that its partly a result of global warming, natural variability and the oceans recovering from sulfate aerosols pollution that cooled it decades ago. Studies show that a warmer world is producing wetter and more intense hurricanes, with scientists still trying to figure out if climate change alters how many storms brew. Because of more early and pre-season storms, the National Hurricane Center has started issuing advisories earlier in the year, with experts recently discussing the idea of declaring the start of the hurricane season earlier. Emanuel noted that in the entire Atlantic Ocean, not just the tropical Atlantic, its not unusual to have storms in June. It has happened 34 times including this year since 1851, he said. Cindy is expected to remain a tropical storm as it heads northeast into open waters. Meanwhile, Bret brought winds, heavy rain and swells of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) early Friday to islands in the eastern Caribbean that shut down to prepare for potential landslides and flooding. Officials in the French Caribbean island of Martinique said they were searching for four people who apparently were aboard a lifeboat after their catamaran sank during the storm. Power outages were reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with at least 130 people seeking protection in government shelters as the storm washed away one home and caused severe damage to several others, according to officials. Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, told NBC Radio, a local station, on Friday that officials are still assessing the damage and are helping those in need. We will respond, as always, with speed, he said. Authorities in Barbados said they received more than a dozen reports of damage across the island, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. The storms center was west of St. Vincent and moving west into open waters at 18 mph (30 kph). Its maximum sustained winds were 60 mph (95 kph). Airports, businesses, schools and offices closed on St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique and other islands by midday Thursday. Gonsalves had urged people to go to shelters if they believed their home might not withstand the strong winds and heavy rains. These storms can turn around fairly quickly, he said. Forecasters had warned that the storm might pass directly over St. Lucia, which is north of St. Vincent, but its path shifted south. Authorities in St. Lucia opened one shelter at the request of some residents who feared their homes would not withstand the storm. Rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) was forecast from the French island of Guadeloupe south to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including Barbados, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Dangerous surf was also a possibility, the center warned. Bret was expected to lose strength after entering the eastern Caribbean Sea and was forecast to dissipate by the weekend. Meanwhile, Cindys maximum sustained winds were around 50 mph (85 kph) on Friday, and forecasts called for some strengthening. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast 12 to 17 named storms for this years hurricane season. It said between five and nine of those storms could become hurricanes, including up to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The brain and the digestive tract are in constant communication, relaying signals that help to control feeding and other behaviors. This extensive communication network also influences our mental state and has been implicated in many neurological disorders. MIT engineers have now designed a new technology that can be used to probe those connections. Using fibers embedded with a variety of sensors, as well as light sources for optogenetic stimulation, the researchers have shown that they can control neural circuits connecting the gut and the brain, in mice. In a new study, the researchers demonstrated that they could induce feelings of fullness or reward-seeking behavior in mice by manipulating cells of the intestine. In future work, they hope to explore some of the correlations that have been observed between digestive health and neurological conditions such as autism and Parkinson's disease. "The exciting thing here is that we now have technology that can drive gut function and behaviors such as feeding. More importantly, we have the ability to start accessing the crosstalk between the gut and the brain with the millisecond precision of optogenetics, and we can do it in behaving animals," says Polina Anikeeva, the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences, associate director of MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, and a member of MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research. Anikeeva is the senior author of the new study, which appears today in Nature Biotechnology. The paper's lead authors are MIT graduate student Atharva Sahasrabudhe, Duke University postdoc Laura Rupprecht, MIT postdoc Sirma Orguc, and former MIT postdoc Tural Khudiyev. The brain-body connection Last year, the McGovern Institute launched the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center to study the interplay between the brain and other organs of the body. Research at the center focuses on illuminating how these interactions help to shape behavior and overall health, with a goal of developing future therapies for a variety of diseases. advertisement "There's continuous, bidirectional crosstalk between the body and the brain," Anikeeva says. "For a long time, we thought that the brain is a tyrant that sends output into the organs and controls everything. But now we know that there's a lot of feedback back into the brain, and this feedback potentially controls some of the functions that we have previously attributed exclusively to the central neural control." Anikeeva, who directs the new center, was interested in probing the signals that pass between the brain and the nervous system of the gut, also called the enteric nervous system. Sensory cells in the gut influence hunger and satiety via both the neuronal communication and hormone release. Untangling those hormonal and neural effects has been difficult because there hasn't been a good way to rapidly measure the neuronal signals, which occur within milliseconds. "To be able to perform gut optogenetics and then measure the effects on brain function and behavior, which requires millisecond precision, we needed a device that didn't exist. So, we decided to make it," says Sahasrabudhe, who led the development of the gut and brain probes. The electronic interface that the researchers designed consists of flexible fibers that can carry out a variety of functions and can be inserted into the organs of interest. To create the fibers, Sahasrabudhe used a technique called thermal drawing, which allowed him to create polymer filaments, about as thin as a human hair, that can be embedded with electrodes and temperature sensors. The filaments also carry microscale light-emitting devices that can be used to optogenetically stimulate cells, and microfluidic channels that can be used to deliver drugs. advertisement The mechanical properties of the fibers can be tailored for use in different parts of the body. For the brain, the researchers created stiffer fibers that could be threaded deep into the brain. For digestive organs such as the intestine, they designed more delicate rubbery fibers that do not damage the lining of the organs but are still sturdy enough to withstand the harsh environment of the digestive tract. "To study the interaction between the brain and the body, it is necessary to develop technologies that can interface with organs of interest as well as the brain at the same time, while recording physiological signals with high signal-to-noise ratio," Sahasrabudhe says. "We also need to be able to selectively stimulate different cell types in both organs in mice so that we can test their behaviors and perform causal analyses of these circuits." The fibers are also designed so that they can be controlled wirelessly, using an external control circuit that can be temporarily affixed to the animal during an experiment. This wireless control circuit was developed by Orguc, a Schmidt Science Fellow, and Harrison Allen '20, MEng '22, who were co-advised between the Anikeeva lab and the lab of Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of MIT's School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Driving behavior Using this interface, the researchers performed a series of experiments to show that they could influence behavior through manipulation of the gut as well as the brain. First, they used the fibers to deliver optogenetic stimulation to a part of the brain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which releases dopamine. They placed mice in a cage with three chambers, and when the mice entered one particular chamber, the researchers activated the dopamine neurons. The resulting dopamine burst made the mice more likely to return to that chamber in search of the dopamine reward. Then, the researchers tried to see if they could also induce that reward-seeking behavior by influencing the gut. To do that, they used fibers in the gut to release sucrose, which also activated dopamine release in the brain and prompted the animals to seek out the chamber they were in when sucrose was delivered. Next, working with colleagues from Duke University, the researchers found they could induce the same reward-seeking behavior by skipping the sucrose and optogenetically stimulating nerve endings in the gut that provide input to the vagus nerve, which controls digestion and other bodily functions. "Again, we got this place preference behavior that people have previously seen with stimulation in the brain, but now we are not touching the brain. We are just stimulating the gut, and we are observing control of central function from the periphery," Anikeeva says. Sahasrabudhe worked closely with Rupprecht, a postdoc in Professor Diego Bohorquez' group at Duke, to test the fibers' ability to control feeding behaviors. They found that the devices could optogenetically stimulate cells that produce cholecystokinin, a hormone that promotes satiety. When this hormone release was activated, the animals' appetites were suppressed, even though they had been fasting for several hours. The researchers also demonstrated a similar effect when they stimulated cells that produce a peptide called PYY, which normally curbs appetite after very rich foods are consumed. The researchers now plan to use this interface to study neurological conditions that are believed to have a gut-brain connection. For instance, studies have shown that children with autism are far more likely than their peers to be diagnosed with GI dysfunction, while anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome share genetic risks. "We can now begin asking, are those coincidences, or is there a connection between the gut and the brain? And maybe there is an opportunity for us to tap into those gut-brain circuits to begin managing some of those conditions by manipulating the peripheral circuits in a way that does not directly 'touch' the brain and is less invasive," Anikeeva says. Extreme weather caused by climate change -- such as flooding -- will be to easier to prepare for after scientists developed a new method that empowers citizens to identify solutions to the threats their communities face. The approach works by researchers bringing community groups together to discuss and understand the likely impacts of climate change in a local area. In the UK, these include indirect risks such as food shortages and energy disruption as well as physical threats like heat stress and flooding. Most climate adaptation initiatives are developed by governments or by businesses, rather than to help citizens help themselves. The new approach, published today (Thursday, 19 June) in Nature Climate Change, was created by researchers from the Universities of Reading and Surrey and involves generating maps and networks that can help citizens identify solutions to the threats their communities face. Professor Tom Oliver, from the University of Reading, led the study which also involved pilots in India and Ghana. He said: "Our hope is that such methods will ultimately be developed for widespread use. We need citizen-led adaptation planning processes in every village, town and city so that we are prepared as much as possible for the significant impacts of climate change." Adaptation plans The method was piloted in Reading, Oxford and Wallingford in the UK. Citizens in each group worked together to discuss the actions that individuals can take to help protect themselves, their households and their communities from the consequences of climate threats. Actions included storing more long-life food and better-insulating homes from heat to help households respond to floods and heat waves. Proactive actions included lobbying the government for action to prevent the greatest impacts of climate change. Participants discussed their shared experiences in putting in place these actions before developing their own 'personal adaptation plans', identifying which specific interventions they intended to pursue, how they might achieve them and the expected timeframe. Overall, participants found that the process increased their awareness and their preparedness for climate change impacts. advertisement Professor Nigel Gilbert from the University of Surrey said "There are many ways that climate change impacts citizens, and this information is likely to be more meaningful when participants are co-creators in the discovery process. Adaptation plans may also be more realistic when they are identified and discussed within the community." Global collaboration The method was piloted internationally, namely in the lower Volta Basin in Ghana, and the Assam region in India with support from the CSIR-Water Research Institute in Ghana and the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur in India. Local citizens in both regions first identified the diverse threats they face from climate change. In Ghana, risks included bushfires, drought, flooding, coastal erosion, sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and invasive alien species. Citizens decided on actions that included afforestation and storing freshwater, tree planting, dredging rivers and blocking flood channels with sandbags. Villagers on Majuli Island in the Assam region of India discussed major challenges from flooding and erosion impacting housing and vulnerable agriculture. Their solutions included short-term actions such as storing feed for livestock before floods and longer-term measures such as exploring alternative sources of income (such as fishing and weaving). Participants from all three regions involved in the study shared their results and learned how their responses were applicable to where they lived. A participant from Ghana said: "I have more information on how other people are adapting to climate change in the UK and India and these are also applicable to me here in the village." One common rationale against climate action is that the resulting fossil fuel investment losses could impact people's retirement or long-term savings. However, researchers report in the journal Joule on June 22 that the loss of fossil fuel assets would have a minimal impact on the general populace. In high-income countries, most financial losses would be borne by the most affluent individuals for whom the loss makes up a small percentage of their total wealth. In contrast, the financial loss of lower-income individuals would be minimal and feasible for governments to compensate. "There's this big question of who's winning and who is losing from the transition and from climate change in general," says co-first author Lucas Chancel, an Economics professor at Sciences Po in Paris. "Even though our results are simple, they were not present in research or public debates before. This work is one step forward in understanding the winners and losers from the point of view of the assets that might be at risk in this transition." This project started when Chancel read a paper from Gregor Semieniuk, an Economics professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, that estimated the total amount of assets that would be lost, or "stranded," if ambitious climate policies caused fossil fuel production to quickly decline. After Chancel reached out, the two economists joined forces to estimate the wealth distribution of people who own these assets. Their results found that, in the United States, two-thirds of the financial losses from lost fossil fuel assets would affect the top ten percent of wealth holders, with half of that affecting the top one percent. Because the top one percent tend to have a diverse portfolio of investments, any losses from fossil fuel assets would make up less than one percent of this group's net wealth. When the researchers repeated this analysis for the United Kingdom and continental European countries, they found similar results. "Investing in a stranded asset is like buying a rotten apple," says Chancel. "In this case, the apple is rotten because of climate change. Who owns these rotten apples? We find that the richest 10% of the population owns the vast majority of these assets." In contrast, 3.5 percent of financial losses would affect the poorest half of Americans. Asset losses make up a larger proportion of wealth for this group. However, because their overall net wealth (assets minus liabilities) is significantly lower, researchers estimate that these losses could be compensated for $9 billion in Europe and $12 billion in the United States. Chancel and Semieniuk detail three different potential ways governments could raise this amount of money. For example, governments could impose a carbon emissions tax. In addition, they could renegotiate their current liabilities to energy companies and use the amount that they save. A modest tax on the wealthiest individuals could also raise enough money to compensate for these groups' losses. "There's this idea that it's the general populace that should be opposed to climate policy that creates stranded assets because their pensions are at risk or their retirement savings or just their savings," says Semieniuk. "It's not untrue that some wealth is at risk, but in affluent countries, it's not a reason for government inaction because it would be so cheap for governments to compensate that." Thor, the legendary Norse god from the mythological city of Asgard, is not alone. According to groundbreaking research published in the journal Nature, we humans -- along with eagles, starfish, daisies and every complex organism on Earth -- are, in a sense, Asgardians. Analyzing the genomes of hundreds of different microbes called archaea, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and other institutions have discovered that eukaryotes -- complex life forms with nuclei in their cells, including all the world's plants, animals, insects and fungi -- trace their roots to a common Asgard archaean ancestor. That means eukaryotes are, in the parlance of evolutionary biologists, a "well-nested clade" within Asgard archaea, similar to how birds are one of several groups within a larger group called dinosaurs, sharing a common ancestor. The team has found that all eukaryotes share a common ancestor among the Asgards. No fossils of eukaryotes have been found from farther back than about 2 billion years ago, suggesting that before that, only various types of microbes existed. "So, what events led microbes to evolve into eukaryotes?" said Brett Baker, UT Austin associate professor of integrative biology and marine science. "That's a big question. Having this common ancestor is a big step in understanding that." Led by Thijs Ettema of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, the research team identified the closest microbial relative to all complex life forms on the tree of life as a newly described order called the Hodarchaeales (or Hods for short). The Hods, found in marine sediments, are one of several subgroups within the larger group of Asgard archaea. The Asgard archaea evolved more than 2 billion years ago, and their descendants are still living. Some have been discovered in deep sea sediments and hot springs around the world, but so far only two strains have been successfully grown in the lab. To identify them, scientists collect their genetic material from the environment and then piece together their genomes. Based on genetic similarities with other organisms that can be grown in the lab and studied, the scientists can infer metabolism and other features of the Asgards. "Imagine a time machine, not to explore the realms of dinosaurs or ancient civilizations, but to journey deep into the potential metabolic reactions that could have sparked the dawn of complex life," said Valerie De Anda, a researcher in Baker's lab. "Instead of fossils or ancient artifacts, we look at the genetic blueprints of modern microbes to reconstruct their past." The researchers expanded the known Asgard genomic diversity, adding more than 50 undescribed Asgard genomes as input for their modelling. Their analysis indicates that the ancestor of all modern Asgards appears to have been living in hot environments, consuming CO 2 and chemicals to live. Meanwhile, Hods, which are more closely related to eukaryotes, are metabolically more similar to us, eating carbon and living in cooler environments. advertisement "This is really exciting because we are looking for the first time at the molecular blueprints of the ancestor that gave rise to the first eukaryotic cells," De Anda said. In Norse mythology, Hod (also spelled Hod, Hor or Hoder) is a god, the blind son of Odin and Frigg, who is tricked into killing his own brother Baldr. "I keep joking in my talks that 'We are all Asgardian'," Baker said. "Now that's probably going to be on my tombstone." Other authors from UT Austin are Kiley W. Seitz and Nina Dombrowski. In addition to Ettema, authors from other institutions are Laura Eme, Daniel Tamarit, Eva Caceres, Courtney Stairs, Max Schon, William Lewis, Felix Homa, Jimmy Saw, Jonathan Lombard, Takuro Nunoura, Wen-Jun Li, Zheng-Shuang Hua, Lin-Xing Chen, Jillian Banfield, Emily St. John, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Matthew Stott, Andreas Schramm, Kasper Kjeldsen and Andreas Teske. Support for this research was provided by the Origin of Eukaryotes program at the Moore and Simons Foundations, U.S. National Science Foundation, the Wellcome Trust Foundation, the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Science for Life Laboratory (Sweden) and the European Commission's Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions. "To me, the most exciting thing is that we're starting to see the transition from what biologists think is an archaeon to this organism Hodarchaeales that is more like a eukaryote," Baker explained. "Another way to put it is that these Hods are our sister group in the archaeal world." Baker said it makes sense that of all the archaea, the Asgards are the ones that spawned eukaryotes. Like eukaryotes, members of the Asgard archaea have many genes with multiple copies in their genomes. In eukaryotes, when genes became duplicated, the new copies often took on new functions, giving organisms new abilities. It was one of the big drivers of evolution. advertisement "We don't know, in these Asgards specifically, what the gene duplications led to," Baker said. "But we know in eukaryotes that gene duplications led to new functions and an increasing of cellular complexity. So, we think that that's one of the ways that Asgards led to the innovations that define eukaryotes." Scientists studying archaea have found many proteins that were once thought to be exclusive to eukaryotes. Baker said that raises the question: What functions are these eukaryotic proteins serving in the archaea? "I think studying these simpler forms of life and their eukaryotic characteristics is going to tell us a lot about ourselves," Baker said. Researchers have found that the cooling effect that volcanic eruptions have on Earth's surface temperature is likely underestimated by a factor of two, and potentially as much as a factor of four, in standard climate projections. While this effect is far from enough to offset the effects of global temperature rise caused by human activity, the researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, say that small-magnitude eruptions are responsible for as much as half of all the sulphur gases emitted into the upper atmosphere by volcanoes. The results, reported in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggest that improving the representation of volcanic eruptions of all magnitudes will in turn make climate projections more robust. Where and when a volcano erupts is not something that humans can control, but volcanoes do play an important role in the global climate system. When volcanoes erupt, they can spew sulphur gases into the upper atmosphere, which forms tiny particles called aerosols that reflect sunlight back into space. For very large eruptions, such as Mount Pinatubo in 1991, the volume of volcanic aerosols is so large that it single-handedly cause global temperatures to drop. However, these large eruptions only happen a handful of times per century -- most small-magnitude eruptions happen every year or two. "Compared with the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity, the effect that volcanoes have on the global climate is relatively minor, but it's important that we include them in climate models, in order to accurately assess temperature changes in future," said first author May Chim, a PhD candidate in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. Standard climate projections, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, assume that explosive volcanic activity over 2015-2100 will be at the same level as the 1850-2014 period, and overlook the effects of small-magnitude eruptions. advertisement "These projections mostly rely on ice cores to estimate how volcanoes might affect the climate, but smaller eruptions are too small to be detected in ice-core records," said Chim. "We wanted to make a better use of satellite data to fill the gap and account for eruptions of all magnitudes." Using the latest ice-core and satellite records, Chim and her colleagues from the University of Exeter, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, the Durham University, and the UK Met Office, generated 1000 different scenarios of future volcanic activity. They selected scenarios representing lower, median and high levels of volcanic activity, and then performed climate simulations using the UK Earth System Model. Their simulations show that the impacts of volcanic eruptions on climate, including global surface temperature, sea level and sea ice extent, are underestimated because current climate projections largely underestimate the plausible future level of volcanic activity. For the median future scenario, they found that the effect of volcanoes on the atmosphere, known as volcanic forcing, is being underestimated in climate projections by as much as 50%, due in large part to the effect of small-magnitude eruptions. "We found that not only is volcanic forcing being underestimated, but small-magnitude eruptions are actually responsible for as much as half of the volcanic forcing," said Chim. "These small-magnitude eruptions may not have a measurable effect individually, but collectively, their effect is significant. "I was surprised to see just how important these small-magnitude eruptions are -- we knew they had an effect, but we didn't know it was so large." Although the cooling effect of volcanoes is being underestimated in climate projections, the researchers stress that it does not compare with human-generated carbon emissions. advertisement "Volcanic aerosols in the upper atmosphere typically stay in the atmosphere for a year or two, whereas carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for much, much longer," said Chim. "Even if we had a period of extraordinarily high volcanic activity, our simulations show that it wouldn't be enough to stop global warming. It's like a passing cloud on a hot, sunny day: the cooling effect is only temporary." The researchers say that fully accounting for the effect of volcanoes can help make climate projections more robust. They are now using their simulations to investigate whether future volcanic activity could threaten the recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, and in turn maintain relatively high level of harmful ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface. The research was supported in part by the Croucher Foundation and The Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust, the European Union, and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The air taxi market is almost ready for take off, with companies such as Boeing, Hyundai, Airbus and Toyota building fleets to have commuters flitting through the sky. Europe and the US have both drafted new rules to pave the way for air taxis to begin operations within the decade, with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to follow suit. Increasingly sophisticated studies over recent years, including a recent paper by RMIT University's Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research Team, have measured how sudden wind gusts form around city buildings and can destabilise aircraft. Lead researcher and aerospace engineer, Dr Abdulghani Mohamed, who's studied wind gust dynamics for over a decade, says this aspect needs to be adequately addressed by regulation in Australia and overseas before we fill our city skies with air taxis and other drones. Strong wind gusts form around city buildings Low-flying aircraft are at risk from wind gusts because they land and take off at low speed, explained Mohamed, with the RMIT research revealing sudden wind gusts can pose significant safety challenges for air taxis and drones in under a second. As a result, air taxis and drones will need more power for landing or taking off in cities compared with an airport or an open space, he explained. "These aircraft need powerful motors that can rapidly change the thrust generated by the propellers to rapidly force the vehicle back on-course, a process which requires more energy," said Mohamed, from the School of Engineering. advertisement Making our city skies safe Regulations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft, such as future air taxis, are being compiled around the world, including the US and Europe. The RMIT team emphasises that weather frameworks are needed to ensure this new technology is safe and reliable. "Regulations and certification need to specifically address safe operation when traversing building flow fields," Mohamed said. He argues that site-specific wind simulations and measurements are essential to identify hazardous regions. "As we determine the location of vertiports -- where these vehicles will take off and land -- we also need to determine hazardous regions to avoid. This will enhance safety and reduce interruption of a fleet due to wind conditions," Mohamed said. "In Australia, it is not clear yet whether this falls under CASA's jurisdiction or the Bureau of Meteorology, however, air taxis will need to be provided with weather information at much higher resolution and faster rates than currently possible. This is important for flight planning. advertisement "The margin of error will be much lower than at airports, where large aircraft can tolerate much stronger gusts. We won't have that flexibility with air taxis in cities." Next steps "Purpose-built vertiports mean we could integrate geometric design features to reduce hazardous flow conditions from occurring, and we are exploring this in our current research," Mohamed said. "Existing buildings can also be repurposed as vertiports but may require modifications to improve the aerodynamics near the landing pads. The effectiveness of such design features can be assessed through either scaled experiments in wind tunnels or through full-scale measurements. "Extensive wind flow mapping at full-scale will no longer be daunting in the future. We are continuing to develop our wind sensing drones -- a swarm of drones instrumented with wind anemometers -- to very accurately map around large infrastructure." 'Gusts Encountered by Flying Vehicles in Proximity to Buildings' is published in MDPI's Drones. The recommendations could help shape the regulation of vertiports, flight paths and air taxi requirements in Australia and potentially globally. The researchers are continuing research into wind gusts around buildings, with further exploration of different building shapes that may minimise adverse effects. They are also continuing to study the sensitivity of vehicles to gusts and turbulence, as well as flight-stability technologies. This research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Lehigh University, and was funded by the US Airforce Office for Scientific Research and DSI Group. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a press conference to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on June 23, 2023, in Washington. The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges on Friday against four Chinese companies and eight individuals for allegedly trafficking the chemicals used to make the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl in the United States and Mexico. The three separate indictments unsealed in federal court in New York represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical companies and Chinese nationals with illegally selling the chemicals used to make fentanyl, which has been blamed for a deadly overdose crisis. Federal prosecutors said the companies marketed the fentanyl precursor chemicals on their websites and social media accounts, advertised that they accepted payment in cryptocurrency and shipped them to drug traffickers including Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel. When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release. Garland said those actions include stopping Chinese chemical companies from supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court charges the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. as well as three company executives with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation and money laundering. Prosecutors said Amarvel Biotech used deceptive practices to evade authorities, such as advertising that it could disguise its products as dog food, nuts or motor oil to ensure safe delivery to the United States and Mexico. Two of the Amarvel Biotech executives were arrested earlier this month and appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Honolulu. They will be brought to New York to appear in Manhattan federal court. The third has not been arrested. Two additional indictments unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charge five other executives or employees and three Chinese companies, identified as Anhui Rencheng Technology Co., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co. and Hefei GSK Trade Co., with offenses including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl and customs fraud conspiracy. None of these individuals has been arrested. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the defendants knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico and provided advice on how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug. Anne Milgram, administrator of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, said the companies and individuals supplied drug traffickers with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyl a drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life. Information on attorneys for the defendants was not immediately available. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The El Gigante rockshelter in western Honduras is among only a handful of archaeological sites in the Americas that contain well-preserved botanical remains spanning the last 11,000 years. Considered one of the most important archaeological sites discovered in Central America in the last 40 years, El Gigante was recently nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. "No other location shows, as clearly as El Gigante," state UNESCO materials about the site's universal value, "the dynamic character of hunter-gatherer societies, and their adaptive way of life in the Central American highlands, and in Mesoamerica broadly during the early and middle Holocene." Now, anthropologists Douglas Kennett and Amber VanDerwarker of UC Santa Barbara, UCSB postdoc Richard George and colleagues from multiple institutions have excavated and analyzed botanical macrofossils -- such as maize cobs, avocado seeds or rinds -- from El Gigante using modern technologies. Their results are published in the journal PLOS ONE. "Our work at El Gigante demonstrates that the early use and management of tree crops like wild avocado and plums by at least 11,000 years ago," Kennett said, "set the stage for the development of later systems of aboriculture that, when combined with field cropping of maize, beans and squash, fueled human population growth, the development of settled agricultural villages and the first urban centers in Mesoamerica after 3,000 years ago." The study provides a major update to the chronology of tree and field crop use evident in the El Gigante with 375 radiocarbon dates, finding that tree fruits and squash appeared early, around 11,000 years ago, with most other field crops appearing later in time -- maize around 4,500 years, beans around 2,200 years ago. The initial focus on tree fruits and squash, Kennett noted, is consistent with early coevolutionary partnering with humans as seed dispersers in the wake of megafaunal extinction in Central America. Tree crops predominated through much of the Holocene, and there was an overall shift to field crops after 4,000 years ago that was largely driven by increased reliance on maize farming. "The transition to agriculture is one of the most significant transformations of our Earth's environmental and cultural history," Kennett said. "The domestication of plants and animals in multiple independent centers worldwide resulted in a major demographic transition in human populations that fueled the transition to more intensive forms of agriculture during the last 10,000 years. Agriculture also provided the economic foundation for urbanism and the development of state institutions after 5,000 years ago in many of these same regions." The botanical materials at El Gigante, remarkably well preserved, reflect the transition from foraging to farming, providing a rare glimpse of early foraging strategies and changes in subsistence. Unique in its location along the southern periphery of Mesoamerica, and for its lower elevation than the dry caves of central Mexico, the authors note, El Gigante serves as a macrobotanical archive for interactions and the flow of domesticated plants between Mesoamerica, Central America and South America. Broader still, it enables researchers to examine the long term evolutionary and demographic processes involved in the domestication of multiple tree and field crops. "The quality of the plant preservation at El Gigante is simply unmatched, giving us a deeper understanding of how ancient Hondurans managed their forests, domesticated a variety of plant species and intensified their cultivation of key resources over millennia," said VanDerwarker. "What seems clear is that practices of forest management and field cultivation were closely linked and evolved in tandem." And therein, Kennett added, some lessons for modern society can be inferred. "Our work shows that different types of agricultural systems supported human populations in Central America and that some were more sustainable than others," he said. "Forest management and arboriculture persisted for thousands of years before it was eclipsed in importance by the expansion of maize farming after 4,000 years ago. The archaeological record provides an archive of human adaptation that should be considered in the context of anthropogenic alteration of our Earth's climate today. These ancient archives could help rural farmers in Central America adapt to changing conditions moving into the future." When on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion in the United States in a vote of six to three, what it did was to return the power to legislate to each of the countrys 50 states. The ruling, which overturned the half-century-old precedent of another high court decision, the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973), has left behind a changing patchwork map for womens reproductive health rights. That mapping is also a true reflection of a polarized society. At least 25 states, almost all of them governed by the Republican Party, have since decided to prohibit or severely restrict abortion rights, while in other parts of the country with Democratic leanings such as Colorado or California, that protection has been strengthened. Meanwhile, the legality of mifepristone, a drug that is used in about half of all abortions performed in the United States, is in question following a ruling by a federal judge in Texas. In post-Roe America, more than 25 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 live in states where conditions for abortion have been tightened, according to the Associated Press, in the 12 months since the Supreme Court - the most conservative in eight decades - handed down Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, a case that has also been enshrined in American legal history textbooks. More than 5.5 million women reside in places whose politicians have made decisions in that same restrictive direction, but which are on hold while they are challenged in court by associations such as Planned Parenthood (PP), which operates about half of the countrys abortion clinics. The PP is behind the complaint that paralyzed the entry into force of a Utah law, which was ready pending the Supreme Courts ruling. Utahs is just one of about 50 cases open in the courts after Roe was overturned. A pro-abortion protesdt in Washington, June 2022. Anna Moneymaker (Getty Images) In the other half of the country, abortion remains legal up to at least the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. In 20 states, from Kansas to Minnesota, those protections, suddenly challenged after half a century, have been consolidated by law or incorporated as an amendment to their constitutions after a vote at the ballot box. Geographically, the ruling has shaped a map in which vast regions of the South and Midwest have become a desert for womens rights, in the definition of Isabel Guarneri of the Guttmacher Institute, a non-partisan organization of reference in the relationship between reproductive health and public policy. That desert is close to extending its silhouette to encompass almost the entire Southeastern United States, if two contested laws go into effect in Florida and the two Carolinas, which would lower the limits for abortion. In South Carolina there is a law with a six-week time limit; it has been blocked by a judge and is awaiting review by a conservative state Supreme Court. In North Carolina, a rule banning terminations after 12 weeks is scheduled to take effect on July 1. There are oases in this desert, such as Illinois and Kansas, where a referendum in August protected womens freedom of choice, but these are surrounded by states where abortion is not an option. One of the most immediate consequences of the Dobbs ruling was that it generated an exodus of patients who were forced to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to terminate their pregnancies, making abortion a right now also determined by geographic and economic factors. Politically, it has proved to be a more complex issue than anti-abortion organizations had anticipated over the past 40 years, during which time they applied political and judicial pressure to force the Supreme Court - with three judges appointed during the Donald Trump administration with the express mission of overturning Roe - to adopt a decision favorable to their struggle. Last Novembers legislative elections demonstrated the political weight of abortion. Womens reproductive health was a decisive electoral argument to stem the red wave anticipated by the Republicans. President Joe Biden has underlined the threats to reproductive health during his reelection campaign. Candidates for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election - a crowded, unfinished slate that is comfortably led by Trump - are demonstrating in the early stages of the campaign that they have learned their lesson and have generally avoided speaking out explicitly on a hugely divisive issue. The aspirations of Trumps greatest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are being harmed by the fact that in April he signed one of the most restrictive laws in the country, which set the deadline for abortion at six weeks with exceptions for pregnancies involving rape or incest, which will be permitted until 15 weeks of pregnancy provided documentation such as a restraining order or police report can be produced. When Roe was overturned, polls showed two-thirds of the United States was against tightening the conditions for terminating a pregnancy. A poll commissioned by NBC News this week put the percentage of Americans who disapprove of the Supreme Courts decision a year ago at 61%. According to an aggregate of polls published Friday by The New York Times, for the first time, a majority of Americans consider abortion morally acceptable and the new abortion laws that have gone into effect this year too strict. A demonstration in Tallahassee in protest against the abortion law in Florida last April. Alicia Devine (AP) Perhaps the best example of how womens right to choose has become one of the most divisive issues in the U.S. for half a century is provided by one of the most extreme: Alabama Congressman Tommy Tuberville blocked the promotions of approximately 200 high-ranking military personnel in key U.S. defense regions because of the Pentagons permissive abortion policy, which allows its employees to take a few days off to have an abortion and guarantees reimbursement of expenses for those who need to travel. Both are a pipe dream for most low-skilled female employees in the U.S. In states like Texas, these financial impediments are compounded by criminal penalties: a person who agrees to an abortion faces up to five years in prison under a law passed in September 2021. This cascade of prohibitionist regulations has lowered the number of abortions being carried out: according to the monthly estimate made by the #WeCount survey, which collects data from clinics across the country, 25,650 fewer abortions were performed in the United States in April 2023 than in the same month a year earlier, when Roe was still in place. The next target of the U.S. anti-abortion movement is a ban on mifepristone, the most popular abortion drug, in combination with another pill, misoprostol. The former terminates pregnancy; the latter empties the uterus. In January, a change in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules allowed the sale of these pills in retail pharmacies. Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal judge appointed by Trump, temporarily halted the administration of the former in April. In practice, that decision never went into effect. The same nine Supreme Court justices who last June overturned Roe went against the opinion of a New Orleans appeals court, whose justices set restrictions on the administration of mifepristone while reviewing the ultraconservative Kacsmaryks ruling. That ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court was a rare victory for the pro-abortion movement in the country, although it did not dispel the specter that these drugs will eventually be banned nationwide. The ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade a year ago has also had consequences for the high court. The May 2022 leak of its draft plunged the institution into an unprecedented crisis that, with the source still unidentified, is far from over. The credibility of the Supreme Court, whose members are elected for life, has also been undermined in the eyes of U.S. citizens. According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 60% of Americans disapprove of their judgment, considering it partisan and too conservative. This represents an all-time high. The text of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion stated that the Roe precedent was egregiously wrong from the start, because abortion is not a right under the U.S. Constitution. In one of the concurring opinions, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the court should reconsider all previous rulings, in reference to cases brought under the Fourteenth Amendment, which protects, among other rights, that of privacy. These include Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage; Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which ended the ban on same-sex relationships (2003), and Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which allowed married couples to use contraception. So far, that fear of progressive activists that the path taken a year ago by the court will continue has not materialized. Instead, in places dominated by the Republican Party, conservatives have made progress in passing laws limiting the rights of trans people in at least 19 states. In many cases, this new crusade (no such law existed at the beginning of 2021, but it already promises to become one of the main battlegrounds of next years presidential election) is posed as complementary to the restriction of womens reproductive rights. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 15:03 | Arts, All Two Japanese dancers won gold medals Friday at the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Sayako Toku, 21, from Kobe in western Japan, won in the senior women's division and Ryo Sasaki, 24, from Osaka Prefecture, won in the senior men's division. The two, who took part as a pair and were evaluated separately, also won the Best Senior Couple award in what is known as one of the world's three major ballet competitions, along with the Varna competition in Bulgaria and one in Moscow. "Winning gold was a surprise," said Toku after the announcement, adding, "I'm so grateful to the people who have supported me." Sasaki also expressed his joy, saying, "I can't believe this. I am at a loss for words." The U.S. competition was held from June 10 with around 100 dancers from 16 countries taking part. The event is held once every four years, but it was postponed for a year due to the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. At the competition in 2018, another Japanese, Hyuma Kiyosawa, won the silver medal in the junior male division. KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 20:18 | All, Japan East Japan Railway Co. said Saturday it was temporarily hit by a system failure, with its Mobile Suica app users left unable to charge electric money to their smartphones, while passengers also could not make credit card payments at stations. Some malfunctions were also reported for the Mobile Pasmo app for public transport in the Tokyo metropolitan region the same day, its operator, Pasmo Co., separately announced. The companies are trying to determine if the two cases are connected. Both systems were restored around 1 p.m. after experiencing the problems in the early hours of the day. The system failure at JR East also left passengers unable to make or change reservations online, the company said. The outage is believed to have been caused by a power failure during work on the system server, it said. Meanwhile, Mobile Pasmo users could not perform functions like receiving refunds, checking usage history or applying via the website to reissue Pasmo cards, the operator said. Employees at JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo were seen explaining the situation to customers, with some people forced to go to nearby automated teller machines to get cash as they could not use their credit cards. A 38-year-old beautician from Saitama Prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, said, "I hope they don't allow for this kind of thing to happen (again)," after he could not reissue his commuter pass. "I was in a bind because I couldn't buy tickets on my smartphone," said a 51-year-old man at JR Tokyo Station who had been trying to buy shinkansen bullet train tickets online. "Had it been a weekday, it could have been even worse," he said. KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 20:00 | All, Japan, World, G7 Gender equality ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations gathered in Japan on Saturday to discuss women's empowerment after the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated inequalities between the sexes and highlighted social and economic disparities between men and women. The G-7 ministers will adopt a joint statement on Sunday following the meeting in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, and will likely agree to measures aimed at addressing issues such as the gender wage gap, as well as decreasing employment opportunities for women, a Japanese government official in charge of the meeting said. Among the G-7 members -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union -- men were paid an average of 14.4 percent higher than women in 2021 compared with an 11.7 percent gap on average among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries, according to the OECD. The ministers will discuss how to boost the promotion of women to high-paying positions at companies and look at ways to enhance the transparency of corporate governance over gender equality policies, the official said. They will also focus on concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on gender equality and share their concerns that women may have been forced to reduce their working hours more than men to look after children, given the gender pay gap, the official said. They will also look at the increase in domestic violence during lockdowns, the official added. Japan's gender equality and women's empowerment minister Masanobu Ogura is chairing the meeting amid growing pressure on this year's G-7 host as it has lagged behind other countries on gender equality. A survey by the World Economic Forum showed Wednesday that Japan ranked 125th of 146 countries on its gender gap rankings in 2023, remaining in last place among the G-7 and the lowest in the East Asia and Pacific region. The result came amid Japan facing criticism from equality campaigners for what they see as the government's inaction over the low participation of women in politics and the economy. KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 12:30 | All, Japan Former Japanese lawmaker and YouTuber GaaSyy was served with a fresh arrest warrant Saturday for alleged online intimidation of individuals who filed criminal complaints against him, including a celebrity. The 51-year-old, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is suspected of intimidating Go Ayano, 41, and jewelry designer Kimio Fukutani, 47, on Instagram and the Twitcasting livestreaming service in February, police said. GaaSyy, who was a House of Councillors lawmaker at the time, allegedly said online, "Think how critically damaging it would be for a celebrity to come to a trial," and, "Doing this will make it hard for your wife and children to lead their lives," according to the police. He was indicted Friday on suspicion of threatening to defame Ayano, Fukutani and another individual in his YouTube videos between February and August last year, among other charges. GaaSyy became a popular YouTuber, posting videos about celebrity scandals on his channel. He was stripped of his status as a lawmaker in March by the upper house for not attending a single session since being elected last year. GaaSyy, who moved to the United Arab Emirates before winning his seat, was placed on an international wanted list in April and Japanese police arrested him earlier this month at Narita airport upon his arrival from the country. He was elected on the ticket of the minor opposition NHK Party under the proportional representation system, which allocates seats in accordance with the total votes cast for each political party and its candidates. The party, known for its criticism of Japan's public broadcaster, has since renamed itself the Seijikajoshi48 Party. Related coverage: Ex-lawmaker YouTuber GaaSyy indicted over online threats Ex-lawmaker, internet personality GaaSyy arrested Japan orders ex-lawmaker YouTuber GaaSyy to return passport KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 14:33 | World, All, Japan Singapore and Japan agreed Friday to boost cooperation in advancing digitalization projects, with Tokyo eager to learn from the Southeast Asian nation's experience in introducing a national digital identification scheme as it struggles to roll out a similar system. The issue was discussed between Japanese Minister for Digital Transformation Taro Kono and his Singaporean counterpart, Josephine Teo, during his two-day visit to Singapore through Friday. Singapore is known for being ahead of the curve in launching a national digital identity system and using it to provide government services, with the country beginning distribution of the "Singpass" to its citizens and foreign residents in 2003. Today, users have access to more than 2,700 services from over 800 government agencies and businesses via internet and smartphone applications, enabling passport applications, tax payments, and issuance of coronavirus vaccination certificates, among other services. However, it is not mandatory to sign up, according to officials. "Singapore and Japan are like-minded partners, sharing many common interests," Teo said in a Facebook post, touching on a memorandum of cooperation signed last year on exchanging knowledge and experience in areas such as digital identity, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud services. Teo, who serves as communications and information minister, also said she and Kono discussed their bilateral digital partnership and areas they are keen to explore, such as data protection for businesses, facilitation of cross-border data flows and collaboration on digital identities. Japan has been struggling to dispel public anxiety over the "My Number" national ID card system following recent revelations of personal information leaks and registration errors, despite the government's push to increase its usage for digitalization purposes. Under the My Number system, launched in 2016, a 12-digit number is issued to each citizen and foreign resident of Japan, linking it to a range of personal data, including tax and social security information. KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 10:49 | World, All, Japan Chinese citizens view Japan and the United States as the least trustworthy nations among 10 global actors and the most likely to engage in military conflict with Beijing in the next decade, a recent survey in Canada found. The University of Alberta survey, which drew some 2,000 valid responses from across mainland China between January and March, also found that Japan was rated as having the least important relationship with China. Russia topped the rankings both for trustworthiness and long-term importance. The respondents were quizzed about their views on China's relations with nine countries -- Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union. The results are believed to reflect rising tensions between China and Western nations over Taiwan and other issues, as well as closer Beijing-Moscow relations. Chinese people's perceptions of Russia appear not to have been negatively affected by its invasion of Ukraine. The report partially attributed Chinese people's low general trust in Japan to "negative images of Japan stemming from major hostilities in the first half of the 20th century -- reinforced in the Chinese education curriculum and popular media -- and current territorial disputes." It said the respondents' perception of the relative insignificance of Beijing-Tokyo relations, despite strong bilateral economic ties, was "one of the most surprising findings." "The history of Japan-China territorial disputes, and both nations' growing military power suggest that their bilateral relationship will require careful management to promote prosperity and reduce conflict," the survey said. Beijing has been stepping up its claim to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. But Tokyo maintains the islets are an integral part of its territory and there is no territorial dispute between the countries. In further evidence of favorable perceptions of Russia, it was also seen as the country least likely to engage in military conflict with China and ranked highly among preferred travel, work and emigration destinations. The national online and telephone survey was led by Reza Hasmath, professor of political science at the Canadian university, and conducted in cooperation with a survey firm in China. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Legislation that would ban non-compete agreements in New York passed the states Assembly last week and has reached Gov. Hochuls desk, Axios reported. Put simply, non-competes prevent people from starting a new job after leaving a former employer for a span of time pre-determined in the contract. The long-held practice by companies across the U.S. has come under scrutiny as of late. Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commissions reportedly proposed a nationwide ban on non-competes. LAWS IN OTHER STATES The bill proposed in Albany voids every contract by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind but is subject to certain exceptions, according to the National Law Review. Nine states across the U.S. have passed legislation since 2019 that limit noncompete agreements to higher earners. California, North Dakota and Oklahoma have all banned non-competes for more than a century. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Mayor Eric Adams on Friday vetoed four City Council bills seeking additional help for homeless New Yorkers, after New York City lawmakers last month overwhelmingly approved the legislation, according to Gothamist. The veto comes one week before the city budget is due as agencies battle for funding. Adams has been at odds with members of Council over the citys policy toward homelessness, arguing that the Councils bills, which seek to expand those eligible for rental subsidies, would come at too high a cost for the city, the outlet noted. Council members, Adams has stated, should be focusing their efforts on revising zoning regulations that inhibit the building of affordable housing. Today, we helped New Yorkers once again by vetoing a package of bills that would take us backwards, by leading to longer shelter stays for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, while simultaneously creating a structure that could saddle taxpayers with billions of dollars in costs each year, the mayor said in a statement. He is, however, fighting an uphill battle as it would take at least eight members to change their votes in order to stop the bills from passing. In a statement released minutes after the mayors decision, Speaker Adrienne Adams called the mayors veto a futile political act that is only hurting the city by delaying solutions and contributing to the eviction crisis that leads more New Yorkers to lose their homes, become homeless, and join the already-high shelter population. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A Staten Island judge is working to further spread awareness of how families can prepare for guardianship of a child with disabilities when they turn 18 years old. Matthew Titone, Richmond Countys Surrogate judge, explained that his office oversees guardianship cases for families of people who are developmentally disabled. In New York State, when a person turns 18 years old, they are assumed to be legally able to make decisions for themselves which may present a problem if the person is intellectually or developmentally disabled and has difficulty making decisions for themselves. Editors note: A version of this story was published in 2022 and has been updated. New Jerseys official nickname may be the Garden State. But we all know it might as well be the Beach State. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation recently that will protect New York doctors from being prosecuted for prescribing abortion pills to patients located out of state where the drugs are banned. The legislation ensures doctors, medical providers, and facilitators in the state are able to provide telehealth services to patients outside of New York without fear of litigation in states where abortion services are outlawed or restricted, according to a press release issued recently by the governors office. Telehealth abortions by way of medication have accounted for an increasing share of total U.S. abortions since last years Supreme Court ruling that established there is no constitutional right to abortion, CNN reported. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks before President Joe Biden on the debt limit during an event at SUNY Westchester Community College, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Valhalla, N.Y. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) The move by Hochul is another demonstration of the changing landscape of abortion laws nationwide. As Democratic-led states aim to expand access, states with Republican majorities enacting widespread restrictions including near-total bans. We are witnessing a shameful regression of womens rights in this country as abortion access is restricted in states across the nation, stated Hochul in the press release. In New York, we remain committed to ensuring abortion remains safe, accessible, and legal. Added state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in regard to the bill in Albany: New York will not stand idly by while womens rights are chipped away around us. Democratic U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Jeff Merkley, alongside Rep. Ritchie Torres, introduced the Assisting Seekers in Pursuit of Integration and Rapid Employment (ASPIRE) Act on Friday to aid asylum seekers looking for jobs by providing them a path to safe and legal work in the United States. Currently, asylum seekers must wait for a period of 180 days before they are able to obtain the permits needed to work legally. With the influx of migrants in cities across the nation, the ASPIRE act will help expedite the process of obtaining work permits, a move that is believed to alleviate current labor shortages. In addition, the ASPIRE Act would provide $2 billion in funding for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to help take away some of the burden on workers navigating the increase of asylum applications. Asylum seekers come to the United States seeking a better future for themselves and their families, and reducing barriers to honest, safe, and legal work will benefit everyone, Gillibrand, of New York, said. Right now, asylum seekers face a burdensome 180-day waiting period before they can begin the process of finding work. Im introducing the ASPIRE Act to create a clear pathway to work authorizations for asylum seekers, which will enable them to become self-sufficient and contribute to their communities. This bill will also help states manage the influx of asylum seekers across the United States. New York City Mayor Eric Adams applauded Gillibrands efforts. Every single time I meet with asylum seekers in New York City I hear one thing: that they want to work, Adams said. As a city, we have done all that we can to support the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived here, but without providing asylum seekers an expedited pathway to safe and legal work we leave them vulnerable to exploitation and make it even more challenging to build their lives in the United States. The ASPIRE Act will provide an expedited path to work for asylum seekers and help fill vacant jobs in New York City and across the country a win-win. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Community Board 3 will host a virtual general board meeting on Tuesday, June 27, at 7 p.m. In addition to routine board business, any motions voted on in committee will be voted on by the entire board during the meeting. Those interested in attending must register by 9 a.m. on the day of the meeting by using this link: https://forms.gle/BhwNz4puxxuvNwzj8 Most questions or concerns can be answered by emailing the Community Board 3 office at sicb3@cb.nyc.gov. COMMUNITY BOARD 1 Community Board 1 will host a Small Business Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 27, at 6 p.m. in Beso Restaurant, 11 Schuyler St., St. George. COMMUNITY BOARD 2 Community Board 2 will break for the summer and resume meetings in September. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC All Community Board meetings and meetings of their committees are open to the public. They provide an excellent opportunity for residents to learn about happenings in their neighborhood and surrounding areas. Below is more information about the Islands three Community Boards: COMMUNITY BOARD 1 Arlington Castleton Corners Clifton Concord Elm Park Fort Wadsworth Graniteville Grymes Hill Livingston Mariners Harbor New Brighton Port Richmond Randall Manor Rosebank St. George Shore Acres Silver Lake Stapleton Sunnyside Tompkinsville West Brighton Westerleigh. The board chairman is Nicholas Siclari. The telephone number is 718-981-6900. COMMUNITY BOARD 2 Arrochar Bloomfield Bulls Head Chelsea Dongan Hills Egbertville Emerson Hill Grant City Grasmere High Rock Lighthouse Hill Midland Beach New Dorp New Springville Oakwood Ocean Breeze Old Town Richmond South Beach Todt Hill Travis. The phone number is 718-568-3581. The fax number is 718-568-3595. The chairman is Fred Guinta. The district manager is Debra A. Derrico. COMMUNITY BOARD 3 Annadale Arden Heights Bay Terrace Charleston Eltingville Great Kills Greenridge Huguenot New Dorp Oakwood Pleasant Plains Princes Bay Richmond Valley Richmond Rossville Tottenville Woodrow. The office phone number is 718-356-7900. The board chairman is Frank Morano; the district manager is Charlene Wagner. EDITORS NOTE: Pride 2023 is a collection of Staten Islanders stories. Whether its about overcoming adversity, a parents journey in accepting their LGBTQ child, or fighting for awareness and equality, these borough residents all have Pride. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Back when Anthony Wilkinsons first off-Broadway satire, My Big Gay Italian Wedding, was selling out the Actors Playhouse in Greenwich Village in 2003, two men werent marrying each other anywhere in the U.S. outside those theater doors. Today, thats no longer the case, and same-sex marriage has been legal here since 2015. Gratified by that progress, the Great Kills resident, who was once bullied for being different, is an award-winning playwright and actor whos made a lucrative career of writing and starring in the original show and its sequels. Theyve played in major cities worldwide, and even raised funds for marriage equity and Pride support efforts along the way. Hes also spent a number of years on a speaking tour, visiting schools, including his alma mater, New Dorp High School, sharing his experiences as a young, closeted gay male, and preaching hope to other different, students as part of the national anti-bullying It Gets Better project. The world has become more accepting today, he enthusiastically says, yet theres still progress to be made. Thats why Pride education is so important, he said. I still dont believe were where we need to be, Wilkinson told the Advance/SILive.com. Theres still so much hate and prejudice in this country. We have to celebrate Pride so our younger generation can be instilled with tolerance and acceptance and understating of what Pride is. Back on that first opening night, as he portrayed Anthony Pinnunziato, a gay Italian-American whos plan to marry his boyfriend becomes a hysterical fiasco, Wilkinson didnt think same-sex marriage would ever become legal in the U.S. It was a fantasy, says Wilkinson, who is, despite his surname, Italian. (His mother and birth father made sure of that.) A year later, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize it. We had some sort of hope, he recalls. But even then, I didnt think in my lifetime Id ever see a day when it would become legal in the whole country, says Wilkinson, who is gay and unmarried, but open to the possibility. There was still backlash in 2010, when the shows marquee went up in the heart of touristy Times Square right along with those bearing the faces of beloved Disney characters. You know, for a lot of people it was a big no-no the word gay in the title, and two men getting married right in the heart of Times Square, said Wilkinson, 46. But it was a beautiful thing for us. The show was joined by its sequel, My Big Gay Italian Funeral, from 2013 to 2015, making Wilkinson the first to have two shows on the same contract. Later, Wilkinsons next chapter, My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis opened at the Theater Center Off-Broadway in November of 2015. It was also licensed in Kentucky, New Jersey and Michigan. Today, the world has changed, and Wilkinsons shows have taken on a new life within the casino industry. My Big Gay Italian Wedding enjoyed a run at Ocean Casino-Resort in Atlantic City and My Big Gay Italian Christmas, has been performed during the holidays in Atlantic Citys Golden Nugget Casino. And, in honor of the initial plays 20th anniversary, a one-night-only performance of My Big Gay Italian Wedding will take place at Ocean Casino-Resort on Oct. 7. Anthony Wilkinson will star in an anniversary production of "My Big Gay Italian Wedding,'' at the Ocean Casino-Resort on Oct. 7. (Courtesy of Rick Stockwell) NEED FOR ACCEPTANCE The growing understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community over the past 20 years has Wilkinson optimistic, especially during Pride Month. But theres still room for evolvement, said the Grant City native, who lived for a time in Texas and Manhattan before settling back on the Island in Great Kills. Today, he is the executive and artistic director for the Avenel Performing Arts Center in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The youngest generation should be a focal point, he said. Recent disturbing news reports of vandals tearing down Pride flags are proof of the work that remains to be done, he said. When people have so much backlash against the Pride flag it really infuriates me, he said, noting that the burden of education falls mainly on the shoulders of parents. Wilkinson grew up in an understanding household, he said, with an accepting mother, Dee, and father who was always, always, always, supportive, which he needed when he came out during his college years. Rab Wilkinson was the kind of father who once packed two big busses with friends and colleagues to attend one of his sons shows. It was during a time when there was little support for Pride among his fathers peers. He helped pioneer some acceptance in that older generation, Wilkinson said. Unfortunately, not all parents are so accepting, he said. Parents behaviors influence their children, which is why bullying was so prevalent in Wilkinsons younger years in intermediate school. It continues to emerge through social media technology into a growing problem today. They [parents] dont grasp that children are being affected, Wilkinson said. When children think that if people are not like them, they should attack, thats what happens. But when they are educated . . . it could and should stop bullying. The Pride movement is not just about the LGBTQ community, says Wilkinson, who fell in love with theater while an undergrad at NYUs College of Arts and Sciences, from which he graduated with a degree in English and creative writing. What Pride represents is the diversity of all of us around the world, Wilkinson said. It stands for harmony. These are all positive messages we should be sending. His career began with 15 years in production for the soap opera One Life to Live, where he rose to the position of associate director. Finally, in 2010, he got the confidence to try to make a full-time career out of the theater and My Big Gay Italian Wedding' came to be. In some ways, the movement has taken a few steps back, he said. I think theres still this misconception that being gay is a choice, and thats not the case, he said. Thats the one part where I think we went backwards. Why would people choose to be isolated and persecuted? It doesnt make sense. Despite the missteps, society is moving in the right direction, he says. And he has a message for his earlier, teenage self: Hang on. It gets better. If I could talk to my high school self, Id say hold your breath, close your eyes, he said. This will be over really soon. Anthony Wilkinson, right, is shown with Scott Evans in a publicity photo for the play, "My Big Gay Italian Wedding." (Courtesy of Rick Stockwell) MORE PRIDE STORIES A journey of respect: Staten Island parents 10-year path to accept -- and embrace -- transgender child Openly gay prosecutor, LGBTQ+ liaison: An advocate for empowerment, progress This Staten Island gay male was met with love and respect when he came out as a pre-teen A true-love story: His partner now identifies as transgender and they stayed together Show youre here, queer and proud: Staten Islander wants to set good example for students, community Ill be their ride or die: State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton pledges her support to the LGBTQ+ community Staten Island playwright of My Big Gay Italian Wedding reflects on LGBTQ+ inclusion progress, work that lies ahead Where have Staten Islands LGBTQ+ bars gone? How a once-vibrant scene has shifted in the 2020s A Western New York zoo is now the home of four new lion cubs. The Buffalo Zoo made the announcement on its Facebook page Thursday. Lusaka, the mother, gave birth to three cubs on June 2 and a fourth one was born the next day on June 3, according to the press release. The birth of any animal is exciting, and lion cubs are especially heartwarming because well they are adorable! Buffalo Zoo interim president and CEO Lisa Smith said in a statement. The cubs are yet to be named, but appear to be two female and two male cubs, the zoo said. For the time being, the cubs will remain off-exhibit as they bond and nurse with their mother. The cubs parents, Lusaka and Tiberius, were paired as part of an effort to maintain a healthy diverse population of the species. This is the pairs third litter, having given birth to three cubs in 2016 and two in 2021. We are honored to care for Lusaka, the cubs, and all the members of their pride, while recognizing that they also represent the future and hope for the conservation of their species, reminding us of the importance of a sustained commitment to work to save lions in the wild, Smith added. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species lists the African lion as a vulnerable species, with a total population that is likely less than 40,000. KYODO NEWS - Jun 24, 2023 - 22:28 | All, World The Group of Seven foreign ministers on Saturday agreed to closely coordinate over the situation in Russia, the Japanese government said, in the wake of an alleged armed uprising against President Vladimir Putin. In an urgently arranged conference call, the ministers discussed "pressing issues facing the international community, including the situation in Russia," the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. They "shared the view that the G-7 will continue to work closely together." Putin on Saturday said in an emergency televised address that an "armed mutiny" by the Wagner Group is treason, warning of decisive action against the mercenary force, which had been fighting alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company, has claimed the Russian force attacked his paramilitaries starting Friday and that he is leading his troops out of Ukraine and into Russia. The private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city over 1,000 kilometers south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, The Associated Press reported by citing the British Defense Ministry. The development followed months of public infighting between Wagner and the Russian army over the invasion of Ukraine. The G-7 nations are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union. Japan holds this year's presidency of the group. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Rupert Murdoch is the most powerful press baron the world has ever seen. The fact that he came from Australia often surprises international observers, but it was no coincidence. When Murdoch joined the Australian newspaper industry in 1953 after the death of his father, Keith Murdoch, it was an industry controlled by a bunch of canny and ruthless men who had close links to politics, power and money. Murdoch learnt from that environment. He thrived in it, and later, he exported and distorted key elements of Australias media culture across the globe. Two of the key figures Murdoch learnt from, and sparred with, were Rupert Henderson and Jack Williams. While journalists thought Londons Fleet Street was the hardest street in the world, Henderson and Williams made it look genteel by comparison. Henderson was the tough-as-nails business brain of the Fairfax company, owners of the Sydney Morning Herald. When Henderson began as managing director in 1949, Fairfax was a relatively small family company that published one morning newspaper. When he retired in 1964, Fairfax was one of the largest financial groups in Australia, owning seven newspapers plus substantial interests in television, magazines and radio. Its still all about who you know. This promotional photograph for the inaugural Black & White Ball appeared in The Home magazine in 1936. From left Enid Hull, Anne Gordon and a young Nola Dekyvere. Credit: State Library of New South Wales While the worlds of big money Sydney philanthropy and its glittering balls, gala dinners and delicate politics in 2023 sound a lot different to those of 80 years ago, at their core things have remained remarkably similar when it comes to raising money for charity. We can only imagine what the late Sydney charity doyenne Nola Dekyvere , a formidable woman with a firm view on what constitutes polite society, would have made of this years Ronald McDonald House Charities Gala Dinner when hipster MC Daimon Double D Downey hit the microphone and cranked up the beats. The Ronald McDonald House gala at Rose Bays swanky Catalina in April was organised by Dekyveres modern-day counterpart, social pages fixture Lisa Wipfli, wife of radio star Michael Wippa Wipfli. She is currently living it up on the Cote dAzur in a no-expense-spared Euro vacation after attending chicken heiress Tamie Ingham and celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimis society wedding of the year in Paris. The Good Life: Lisa and Michael Wipfli at Hamilton Island in 2022. Credit: Ken Butti Wipfli and her fellow committee members pulled off an event that was definitely not Dekyveres proverbial cup of tea, though she would have been impressed by the $1 million raised to help support seriously ill children and their families. Just as Dekyvere had done decades before with her Black & White Balls, Wipfli worked her little black book of contacts, summoning everyone from her hubbys boss, the billionaire media mogul Lachlan Murdoch and his wife, former supermodel Sarah, to breakfast TV star Karl Stefanovic and Westfield heiress Monica Saunders-Weinberg. All of them happily endorsed the event. Similarly, as the wife of one of Australias most prominent wool buyers, in 1936 Dekyvere targeted rich pastoralists like the White family and wealthy city folk, including the Packers, who gravitated to her annual ball for the Royal Sydney Industrial Blind Institution (later the Royal Blind Society). Dekyvere served as the committees president from 1952 to 1970. Vietnam, South Korea witness tourism boom post reopening The highest number of visitors to Vietnam so far this year has been from South Korea, while the number of Vietnamese tourists to the Northeast Asian country has shown signs of recovery. Vietnamese visitors to South Korea. Photo by Tienphong In the first five months of this year, over 1.3 million South Koreans visited Vietnam, accounting for 30 percent of total foreign arrivals. Tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Danang, Hoi An and Phu Quoc are the most popular with South Koreans. After Vietnam reopened its borders to foreign tourists in March 2022, airlines have been racing to launch new direct air routes connecting Busan and Daegu cities with Danang, Nha Trang, HCM City and Hanoi. Last year, South Korea became Vietnam's largest source of foreign tourists with 770,000 arrivals. In recent years, a series of famous South Korean stars such as actors Eugene, Lee Jun Ki, Hyo Yeon have travelled to Vietnam, further contributing to promoting Vietnams tourism to South Korea. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korean Tourism Organization in Vietnam, said that Vietnam was one of the important markets for South Koreas tourism. Well actively promote tourism activities in the Vietnamese market from now until next year, he added. As of early June, South Korea had welcomed 163,000 tourists from Vietnam, reaching 73 percent compared to the same period of pre-pandemic levels in 2019. With nearly 200,000 KRW (USD150) in each per-capita card transaction, Vietnamese tourists spent the most among international visitors to South Korea in 2022, according to credit card and financial service company BC Card. Nguyen Hoang Oanh, director of HCM City-based TopTravel Company, said in addition to traditional tours to Seoul, the company has launched visa-free tour packages to new destinations such as Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do via charter flights from Danang and Nha Trang. South Korea aims to attract about 400,000 Vietnamese tourists in 2023 through a series of tourism promotion activities in Vietnam. A Feast Fit for an Assyrian King and 69,574 Guests The list of raw materials for a feast held nearly 3,000 years ago to mark the inauguration of the new palace at Calah (present-day Nimrud, Iraq) included, in part: 300 oxen (100 of them fatted), 17,000 sheep and lambs, 1,000 deer and gazelles, 34,000 birds (ducks, geese, doves, turtledoves, and other large and small winged creatures), 10,000 fish, 10,000 jeroboams, 10,000 loaves of bread, 10,000 pitchers of beer and 10,000 wineskins. The list also details almost incomprehensible amounts -- the measure is the loads on the back of a mule -- of herbs, fresh and conserved fruits and vegetables, grains, lentils, oils and spices. How did the palace cooks use these items and what dishes did they prepare from them? That information was not provided by the host, King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria, in the text engraved on a sandstone block (the banquet stele) that is currently on display at the Mosul Museum. However, other sources attest to the sophisticated and diversified cuisine that developed in the courts of the Assyrian Empire. The people of the time -- more precisely, the lucky ones who were born into the upper classes -- acquired a fondness for roasted, smoked and scorched flavors. But they were also familiar with more complex flavors that fermentation and pickling imparted to the raw materials; they liked food that was seasoned with abundant local and imported spices; and they enjoyed dishes in which, contrary to the modern Western kitchen, sweet and salty flavors were intermixed. According to Ashurnasirpal, there were 69,574 guests in attendance at the inauguration banquet. "He exaggerated the numbers, of course," says Nurith Goshen, the curator of a new exhibition, "The Feast," at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and rolls her blue eyes. "How did they count them, exactly? Did they place someone with a clicker at the entrance? But what's important is the details of the invitees: senior officials from the renewed capital city, dignitaries from all across the empire, and representatives of neighboring states and powers. The names demarcate the boundaries of the known world and emphasize the response to the invitation as a symbol of Ashurnasirpal's power, notably his economic and organizational ability to host a magnificent feast lasting 10 days." Most of the invitees didn't get to see the king with their own eyes, let alone dine in his presence. "The majority of the events were held outdoors, under the open sky, certainly large-scale events like this," Goshen says. "The whole city was a stage for the celebration, and the meals and events took place next to monumental structures like palaces and altars. When the structure itself stood as a metonym for the ruler and power, people weren't necessarily needed. We see it today, too, in the places people choose to hold demonstrations." The very few who were privileged to dine inside the palace -- testimony to their high position -- did not join the king at his table in the way the modern imagination envisages. Instead, the king sat alone at a small personal table made from wood and decorated with ivory and precious stones -- not at a common banquet table like the Knights of the Round Table. Be that as it may, his guests shared with him the best of the best: dishes that were prepared from select, rare ingredients, expensive serving utensils including towels to wipe their hands while eating (cutlery didn't appear in the world until thousands of years later), and harp music that was more gentle than the noisemakers and drums that accompanied the mass events outside. Goshen, a curator of archaeology of the Chalcolithic and Bronze ages, spent almost two years working on the impressive exhibition. "Food is only an excuse to come together," she says. "As it happened, 'The Feast' opened at a time when there is a plethora of exhibitions about food, both locally and internationally. But even though food is present in the exhibition, that is not its principal element. The theme is the political constellation behind such banquets. "Like everyone," she continues, "I watch the news and every year I watch the intensive coverage of the Mimouna [a post-Passover festival celebrated by North African Jews]. The image that recurs every year is of the set table and the need to know who the guests are and who the hosts are. As an archaeologist, I can say that there is nothing new under the sun, that we have been familiar with these patterns of behavior for 5,000 years. The moment a complex society is formed -- with the appearance of writing, specialized professions, social classes and a population that is anchored in a central government -- banquets become a central tool of the rulers." A feast, according to an accepted anthropological definition, is a meal shared by two or more people who consume foods and drinks that are extraordinary in quantity or quality in a ceremonious manner. "As differentiated from an everyday meal, which is connected to existential need, there is plenty of symbolism and ideology in a feast," Goshen says. "We are all present at feasts all the time -- the Shabbat evening meal is a feast, too -- but I chose to focus on feasts held by the people in power: the political and religious rulers. The exhibition, which covers thousands of years, includes archaeological objects from various Near Eastern cultures. However, they are not arranged chronologically or geographically, in part to underscore the fact that similar customs developed in all human societies." Serving the 'world's VIPs' The first section of four that comprise the exhibition, each of which occupies a separate space, is devoted to the feast's economy. "Everyone who has organized a wedding knows that you need a great deal of capital and resources to organize that lavish event," Goshen says. "In the ancient world it's easier to see the infrastructure this required: sheep and cattle breeders, slaughterers, cooks, wine stewards and experts to build the furniture and make the utensils. "In the modern world it's ostensibly more veiled, but all these systems existed. On the other hand, just like in a modern wedding, the host expected to receive 'checks' in return. The banquets of the ancient world opened with processions of the invitees -- some arrived from afar, and the convoy stretched across day and night -- who brought gifts for the organizers." The second section focuses on multi-participatory feasts, namely the mass banquets that were held outside, next to public structures. A procession bearing offerings -- a video work by the animators Ada Rimon and Ofeq Shemer, screened on a huge wall -- arrives at an altar that was discovered in Tel Sheva, near the city of Be'er Sheva. Behind it are animal bones, a small selection from some 17,000 bones that were found next to an altar that stood in the city of Hazor, a local power center during the Bronze Age. Still visible on some of the bones are marks of the knives that were used by slaughterers (a selection of such knives is exhibited next to them); others were broken by the guests to extract tasty marrow. Displayed alongside utensils that were used for cooking and serving food are botano-archaeological finds -- fruit cores and kernels of grains and lentils -- that were found at different sites in the Land of Israel. There are local raw materials such as a carbonized fig and remnants of wheat grains and chickpeas, but also less typical pulses such as hilba (fenugreek) and a large Cyprus vetch. "The last two items were found in an excavation conducted near Beit Shemesh," Goshen says with palpable delight. "It pleases me deeply to think that at some point in the 14th century B.C.E., some Levantine king, who wasn't famous or especially important, was here and enjoyed delicacies that were served to the world's VIPs of the period." The second part of the exhibition is connected to the third part, which features exclusive feasts that were held in centers of power, by a long banquet table with stacks of dishware -- abundance always generates visual power -- that were discovered at various sites in the Land of Israel. One of the most splendid sets of tableware was used by one of the kings of Hazor. "It's clear that there is tableware here for three groups of participants in the banquet," Goshen explains. "The tiny dishware was probably meant for the gods' [tiny] portion; the magnificent and fragile dishes -- and modern potters are also amazed at the skill that went into creating them -- were for the members of the elite; and the simple, everyday bowls were for the guests of the mass events. You don't use your finest tableware at a large-scale banquet. The workshop next to the palace makes you simple dishes, almost disposable in our terms." On view in this part of the exhibition are some of the most precious and rare items, including a Mesopotamian cylinder seal that was found in the tomb of a noblewoman and depicts an ancient feast (on loan from the Louvre); gold and silver goblets (on loan from the British Museum); Persian tableware from around the time period of the feast of Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther; and also serving vessels and extraordinarily beautiful wineglasses that were found in Greater Syria and the Land of Israel. (The Canaanite kings drank wine in flat glasses that they held by the bottom.) Another interesting display consists of the strainers that were used to filter wine -- producers of natural wine, take note. I know that some people are excited by victory arches and sarcophagi, but I am thrilled no less, perhaps even more, by plates, bowls and cups that were once held by people who walked about in the place where I live 3,000 or 5,000 years ago. The most popular part of the exhibition, as indicated by the number of visitors and the buzz of mixed reactions, is the fourth one, which is devoted to present-day political banquets. In the large space are two video works by contemporary international artists (Hans Op de Beeck and Federico Solmi), along with a long banquet table that's aligned with the table heaped with dishes from thousands of years ago in the exhibition's third part. On the banquet table is the official tableware of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, along with a shoe-shaped dish designed by Tom Dixon in which the chef Moshe Segev served dessert to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018. "The shoe is the period at the end of the sentence," Goshen says. "It's part of an event that took place in Israel, the audience is familiar with it, and it's easy to discern a departure from diplomatic protocol in this episode -- because in Japanese culture, shoes are considered contemptible objects -- which occurred precisely because of a desire to heighten the hospitality experience. It's a deviation that can point to a mishap in the nonverbal messages that characterize political feasts." Afghan needy people receive China-donated food aid in Farah province, Afghanistan, June 22, 2023. Afghan authorities distributed China-donated assistance to 213 needy families in the western Farah province on Thursday, financial and administrative head of the province Samihullah Tawakali said Friday. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua) FARAH, Afghanistan, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities distributed China-donated assistance to 213 needy families in the western Farah province on Thursday, financial and administrative head of the province Samihullah Tawakali said Friday. "After conducting a survey and identifying needy families, we distributed the aid to 213 families and each family received 25 kg of rice, a packet of beans, 10 packets of macaroni and jam," Tawakali said. The provincial government received 3,400 bags of rice with each weighing 50 kg from China-donated assistance and would distribute them to impoverished families in Farah province, the official said, adding that 2,800 families have benefited from the aid over the past year. "I am thankful to China and the assistance we received could solve our problems to some extent," aid recipient Akhtar Mohammad told Xinhua. Over the past year, China has been also providing other humanitarian assistance materials, including COVID-19 vaccines, winter clothes, foodstuff and tents to needy Afghan families. People carry China-donated food aid in Farah province, Afghanistan, June 22, 2023. Afghan authorities distributed China-donated assistance to 213 needy families in the western Farah province on Thursday, financial and administrative head of the province Samihullah Tawakali said Friday. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua) This photo taken on June 22, 2023 shows China-donated food aid in Farah province, Afghanistan. Afghan authorities distributed China-donated assistance to 213 needy families in the western Farah province on Thursday, financial and administrative head of the province Samihullah Tawakali said Friday. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua) Afghan needy people receive China-donated food aid in Farah province, Afghanistan, June 22, 2023. Afghan authorities distributed China-donated assistance to 213 needy families in the western Farah province on Thursday, financial and administrative head of the province Samihullah Tawakali said Friday. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua) Right Angle chief executive Barrie Barton said there was healthy debate about whether to change The Rocks all at once or bit-by-bit, with the latter eventually chosen, and whether they ought to bring in new talent or just improve the existing operators. The conclusion was it really needed both, he said. Some of the work happened before Barton was brought in about 2019 and Mitchell arrived from Lendlease in 2021. The old Campbells Stores were revamped by the development consortium Tallawoladah, which held the long-term lease and reportedly spent $32 million. The Rocks boasts heritage buildings and unrivalled vistas, but has been pigeonholed as a tourist trap. Credit: Louise Kennerley In classic Sydney style, the process was a rigmarole, with two restaurateurs pulling the pin before opening day and their travails raked over in the Heralds food and gossip pages. But the historic building with postcard Opera House views now boasts a row of fine diners including 6Head, Bay Nine Omakase and Luna Lu. But Mitchell does not want The Rocks to be all degustation dinners and expensive hotels. Its very easy to create a playground for the rich in these sorts of places, she says. Instead, it should be a place normal people consider for a coffee and a bagel, after-work drinks or a family lunch. One of the areas relatively new stars is Hickson House Distilling Co, an award-winning gin (and whisky) distillery in the former Saatchi & Saatchi car park on Hickson Road. Like other operators in the precinct, owner Mikey Enright works with Placemaking NSW creative director Joanna Savill and marketing director Adam Shumack to fine-tune menus, price points and the vibe. Sydneysiders and visitors might not realise it, but almost everything that happens in The Rocks is shepherded by government. Whereas other precincts might be leased to a developer or consortium for 99 years, here the standard is five (with additional five-year options). Campbells Stores on Hickson Road in The Rocks underwent a $32 million transformation before the pandemic. Credit: Louise Kennerley Its locked up. Theyre core lands, and they cant be on-sold, Mitchell says. Anything beyond a five-year lease has to have the ministers approval. Thats how carefully The Rocks as a historic precinct is controlled and managed by us. Design and place director Annie Tennant controls what can be done with the buildings, aiming to maximise their utility and appeal while preserving their heritage. Its a tight leash Enright might not need government permission to put a new cocktail on his menu, but if they wanted to change the colour of the wall or change their signage, it all has to be signed off, Mitchell says. Shes also happy to taste-test the new cocktail. The Rocks weekend market, one of the precincts long-standing drawcards, had a makeover, with Shumack helping curate a more contemporary offering featuring fresh produce and quality local products. Markets need their own identities, Barton says, with The Rocks pitched as casual and quaint it needs to offer something different to Paddys or Carriageworks or your local market. The next major projects in The Rocks are a $20 million heritage restoration of the Argyle Stores, redesigning the George Street alfresco dining strip as a permanent fixture, and demolishing the former Westpac Museum site at 6-8 Atherden Street, with a new three-storey food and beverage destination designed by architect William Smart. An artists impression of a new William Smart building on Atherden Street. Credit: Placemaking NSW Its exciting for all involved. In a heritage precinct you very rarely get to do something new, Mitchell says. But its not just new for the sake of new ... it adds the ability to utilise another building thats been locked up for the last 15 years and a courtyard that hasnt been publicly accessible. That courtyard runs along one of Sydneys original sandstone walls, which Tennant plans to adorn with lights. The space will be shared with a new restaurant in one of the old George Street terraces, and the Mercantile Hotel, which is also getting a refurb with a rooftop bar. Theyre willing to put in the capital because The Rocks is thriving again, Mitchell says. Walking through the cobblestone back alleys, Tennant who also joined Placemaking NSW from Lendlease points out all the things she hopes to tinker with, or completely overhaul. Ive got so many plans, she says. Commissioning more public art is high on her list. We arrive at jewel-in-the-crown Le Foote, which fills the nooks, crannies and passageways of the former Phillips Foote pub and restaurant where you could cook your own steak. The Swillhouse Groups operation is a bit fancier, described as part Parisian wine bar, part Mediterranean Grill. Le Foote manager Eddie Murphy outside the newly opened bar and restaurant on George Street. Credit: Louise Kennerley Manager Eddie Murphy, formerly at Swillhouses CBD restaurant Hubert, says it brings a touch of class and a new dynamic to The Rocks. I dont think theres been a whiff of a wine bar around here in a while, he says. Loading Cameras that can detect noisy vehicles will be trialled in suburban Sydney in a bid to combat hooning and anti-social driving. Independent MP Alex Greenwich has renewed his calls for the cameras that can capture an image of a vehicle as well as measure the amount of noise it produces. Pockets of Sydney have been plagued by dangerous drivers in vehicles which create noise pollution and safety hazards for residents. Greenwich said traffic noise was a problem for some inner-city residents around late night precincts, especially from vehicles deliberately modified for excessive noise. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Helen ODare first came across her fathers wedding photo, it was a bit of a shock. She recognised her dad, Michael Patrick ODare, as the smartly dressed groom. But the smiling young bride, wearing a lovely gown and veil, was not her mother, Paula. Who was she? And where, and when, was this photo taken? Helen had no idea. Sifting through government records and family documents yielded no answers. And so she became one of many Australians turning to social media to help solve family mysteries. The mysterious wedding photo: Helen ODare knows the groom is her late father, Michael Patrick ODare, aka Onslow Ashburton Trudgett. But who is the bride? Advertisement Helen, of Brunswick, said there was a strong response to the wedding photo to the calls for information she made on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Twitter was where it really took off, with over 200 retweets and 28,000 impressions, she said. Since she posted on social media in December, she has received more words of encouragement which she welcomes than firm leads. But shes still hopeful. Helens mother, Paula, died in 2008, but it was only in 2018, when Helen lost her job, that she had time to trace her father, whom she last heard from in 1971 when she was four years old. Its important for me to know the truth, and to know what the other half of me was, in terms of family. Helen ODare on wanting to know her fathers past Its important for me to know the truth, and to know what the other half of me was, in terms of family, she said. We had no idea who this person was, who my father really was. Although it transpired that he was a criminal, an itinerant and generally he lied so much about things, she is glad she found out a few truths. Advertisement Michael was violent with Paula, but Helen does have good memories of her father. Such as the night he woke her and presented her with a music box shaped like a scotch bottle, that played music from Swan Lake. She still has the toy. And the day she saw the ocean for the first time, at Wilsons Promontory, when she clung to her dad to get away from the scary waves. After the marital split, mother and daughter never saw nor heard from Michael again, but at their then home in the Dandenongs, he left behind a wallet, photos, documents and paraphernalia. One bombshell Helen has learnt was that her fathers name the surname he gave her is fake. Among Michaels belongings was a typed letter, purportedly from a relative in Narromine, NSW and addressed to Digger Trudgett a name Helen didnt recognise. Helen sent a message to the Trudgett familys Facebook page, which opened a portal for her. Advertisement Newly found cousins informed her that her fathers real name was Onslow Ashburton Trudgett, and he was born in Wellington, near Dubbo, in NSW in 1925. On a 2018 trip to Dubbo, Helen was welcomed warmly by her Trudgett relatives. She had feared she wouldnt fit in, but was blown away by their hospitality. The relatives told her she descended from a black enslaved Mauritian and convict, Constance Couronne, and her husband, British convict Robert Trudgett. They raised nine children in Euchareena, NSW. Helen ODare (back row, second from right) with Trudgett family members in 2018. Back row (from left): cousins Debbie, Maxine and Brendan. Front: aunt Coral (left) and cousin Lola. Helens cousins told her that Onslows father was violent and beat him and his siblings with a rabbit trap. Theres a photo showing Onslow hiding behind an older brother and wearing a threadbare jumper. Onslows mother left the family when the boy was three and had two children with her new husband. Onslows father left to work as a shearer and Onslow went to live with his grandfather. Advertisement Throughout his adult life, Onslow was a drifter. Cousins told Helen how he would disappear for long periods. The family were not sure if he was going to live with one of his women, or was in jail, on the run or working, Helen said. One family story which hasnt been verified told to Helen by her aunt Coral Onslows half-sister is that the song The Crow, recorded by country star Slim Dusty, was written about Onslow. Michael Patrick ODare (right) in Papua New Guinea in 1970 or 1971, shortly before he and Helens mother split up. The song is the story of a smooth-talking stranger who lives it up at a country pub, at the publicans expense, saying hes waiting for a cheque to arrive. He then skips town. In newspaper reports, Helen found criminal convictions for Onslow for petty theft and obtaining things under false pretences, including her father being dismissed from the RAAF in 1945 for impersonating an officer in Queensland and stealing a roommates chequebook. In Brisbane court documents, on being charged for passing false cheques, Onslow was described as very plausible, talkative and a good romancer, and although he had never been out of Australia, he boasted of his successes as a pilot overseas. Onslow was also reported in a NSW newspaper in 1950 as being jailed for stealing a coat, watch, shirts and cash from his brother, Robert. Advertisement The trees stand in bushland and stock paddocks around the state, passed by thousands of unaware commuters every day. Some are recorded, occasionally venerated, though many more remain inconspicuous keepers of a once-threatened (and challenging) cultural knowledge. Kimberley Moulton sees wooden items in Museums Victorias collection as extensions of Country. Credit: Eugene Hyland Culturally marked trees, also known as scar trees, have been modified in some way usually by the removal of sections of bark to create a tool or in some cases to communicate information like directions, and special and sacred areas to First Peoples. My favourite thing to do is drive around looking out for them. When you actually start to open your eyes to them, you see scars everywhere, says Yorta Yorta woman, Kimberley Moulton. Parliaments annual Midwinter Ball is Canberras answer to the Met Gala, with Bob Katter subbing in for Kanye West (actually I think those two would get along). This years ball was held on Wednesday night, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese opened his speech with a crack about the escalating scare campaigns over the Voice. Welcome to the last Midwinter Ball before it gets cancelled by the Voice, he said, to laughter. Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon arrive for the Midwinter Ball. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Albanese noted it wasnt the silliest thing that had been claimed about the malevolent power of the proposed Voice to parliament, the legislation for which passed the Senate on Monday. He also paid sarcastic tribute to the influence of News Corp, over the federal election, the Victorian state election and the Aston byelection (all of which Labor won, despite robust anti-Labor News Corp campaigns on all fronts). The prime minister quipped that he enjoyed Sky News 2022 election night coverage, which grew unintentionally comedic as the night wore on, and it became clear that Labor would win. The right-wing after dark hosts cycled through the stages of grief on air. Albaneses passion can be partly attributed to his decades-long fight with the Greens in his inner-Sydney seat, Grayndler, which could be within the Greens sights if not for Albaneses personal brand. The housing issue exploded this week when the Greens sought another delay on the housing vote, heightening tensions in a feud that may define the way in which a powerful Greens balance-of-power interplays with a Labor government that wants multiple terms in office. Labor has offered multiple concessions to the Greens and this month announced a one-off $2 billion public housing injection. But the Greens, which also halted a vote on the bill in March, last week sought to delay a vote until after a national cabinet meeting that the Greens hope will agree to cap rents (a step-down from the freeze the Greens are pushing). Rental increases are capped in the ACT and Victoria is likely to announce caps as part of a major housing reform package. NSW has ruled out the policy change. To Labor, the Greens call for another delay exposed the partys arrogance and unwillingness to settle for a compromise. If blocked later this year, the government believes it would be able to use it as a double dissolution trigger in the unlikely event it wanted an early election. For the Greens, another period of negotiation creates the possibility of more concessions and increased pressure on Labor to pursue ambitious rental reform when state leaders meet with Albanese before the housing vote. Labor MPs privately speculate that Chandler-Mathers tactics on the HAFF a stock market fund that would use earnings to fund social housing are splitting the Greens party room and causing unease among the partys more moderate MPs. But, according to several Greens sources, his colleagues are energised by the feedback they receive in their electorates and back their young colleague strongly in party room meetings in Canberra. They say Greens leader Adam Bandt believes the depth of housing stress opens up a new constituency for the Greens as it seeks to become the party of renters. At the last election, 22 per cent of renters voted Green, nearly double the level of support it won across all voters. Loading The Greens also believe they are winning the online debate, as reflected in comments from treasurer Jim Chalmers this week: They care more about retweets than renters, more about TikTok than housing stock. Chandler-Mather, whom Labor targets for opposing some developments in his own seat, says: National cabinet, chaired by the prime minister ... has the opportunity to introduce proper caps on rent increases, and the Greens are ready to work with them to do it. Parliamentary battles between Labor and the Greens inevitably raise fundamental questions about the purpose of the Greens. Are they a protest outfit empowered to block Labors agenda, or must they respect the mandate of the governing party? The author of Inside the Greens, Paddy Manning, said the common criticism that the Greens allowed the perfect to be the enemy of the good had grown stale. On climate change and the Voice, the Greens pushed the government but ended up finding consensus on policies Greens voters mostly supported. On housing, Manning argues, the Greens have found a white-hot issue on which Labor, which has abandoned policies to rein in tax breaks for property investors, is not acting with the strength the community demands. The Greens are determined to fight on this, Manning said in an interview. And where housing is different is that Adam Bandt is the first Greens leader who is unashamedly hard left on economics. He has a view the Australian public, post the financial crisis where weve also seen a rise of right-wing populism, is going through a backlash against what you might call the neoliberal agenda. The Greens call for a freeze on rents represents an extreme intervention in the private housing market and could be perceived as a bridge too far by many voters, Manning cautioned. The hardline stance aligns with what Manning explained is a particularly radical brand of politics in the Brisbane Greens where Chandler-Mather grew to prominence after quitting the Labor Party in his 20s. Adam Bandt is unashamedly hard left on economics. Credit: Eddie Jim There is a danger for the Greens in overreaching, Manning said, adding that the Greens flew under the radar at the last election and its mandate for its economic agenda would be properly tested at the next poll. Then there is the question of the legitimacy of the Greens claims. Australian National University associate professor Ben Philips challenged Chandler-Mathers claim that renters were facing a $100 a week average rent increase; Philips said it was up $23 a week. The conflicting figures stem from different methods of recording rent prices, one of which lags the other. Just as in another of the Greens left-wing economic campaigns, its push to scrap HECS debt indexation, the Greens face questions from some experts about exaggeration and misguided proposals. Coalition MPs are watching on with amusement as their ideological foes brawl. Duttons office spent time checking the Jacobin article to determine if Albanese had misleadingly quoted it. Liberals judged that he may have misrepresented a paraphrasing as a quote but that the crime did not warrant prosecution. Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan, elected in 2010, stayed back after question time to watch the stoush between Albanese and Chandler-Mather. He told this masthead: This is unique. I have never seen a first-term MP get under the skin of a PM like Max has. It has been quite unbecoming for a PM. The hands-on involvement of the prime minister in the housing spat with the Greens has become a point of significant interest for commentators and MPs. Similar to the Voice debate, the strengths of Labors relevant minister, Housing Minister Julie Collins, are not particularly suited to an intense daily brawl. At Australian politics version of the Met Gala, the Midwinter Ball, the host jokingly referred to Bandt as Australias opposition leader. (Albanese also made fun of Chandler-Mathers hyphenated surname). Jokes are just that, but they often contain a kernel of truth. Pollster and former Labor operative Kos Samaras points out that Labor could be more defensive against the Greens than the Coalition at the next election. The Greens, who have been a thorn in Labors side long before the teals necked a swag of inner-city Liberals, will aim to win another seat in Melbourne at the next election, and potentially others across the country, to improve their record lower house haul. House hunters can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by spending a few extra minutes on their commute, as riding one train stop further can slash sizeable sums off home values. Median property prices drop by up to $1.19 million between neighbouring stations on the north shore line, Domain figures show, while price gaps upwards of $500,000 can be found between stations on the northern, inner west, north-west and Illawarra train and metro lines. It comes as rising property prices, reduced borrowing power and a drop in homes for sale, force buyers to broaden their property search. While compromising on location is often key, significant price drops can lie just one station away. Alpha Lithium Files Directorsa? Circular Recommending Shareholders Reject Tecpetrola?s Hostile Stink Bid Alpha Lithium Corporation (NEO: ALLI) (OTC: APHLF) (German WKN: A3CUW1) (aAlphaa or the aCompanya https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/alpha-lithium-corp/ ) today announced that the Board of Directors of Alpha (the aBoarda), based on the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee of independent directors, recommends that Alpha shareholders REJECT the hostile offer (the aHostile Offera) from TechEnergy Lithium Canada Inc., a recently formed subsidiary of Tecpetrol Investments S.L. (aTecpetrola), for the common shares of Alpha (aCommon Sharesa). The Board unanimously determined that Tecpetrola?s Hostile Offer is not in the best interests of the Company or its shareholders. The Board provides some context and several reasons to REJECT the inadequate and undervalued Hostile Offer in a Directorsa? Circular (the aCirculara) filed today on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and available at www.ProtectAlphaLithium.com. The Circular is also being mailed to all persons required to be sent a copy under applicable securities laws. Shareholders are encouraged to visit the Companya?s website for up-to-date information relating to the Hostile Bid. To reject the Hostile Offer, you must simply TAKE NO ACTION. If you have tendered your Common Shares and wish to withdraw, please contact your broker or Kingsdale Advisors (see contact information below). The Circular includes a letter to shareholders from the Board, which summarizes the principal factors and compelling reasons considered by the Board in reaching its unanimous recommendation: Reason 1 The Hostile Offer is highly opportunistic and is a aStink Bida that does not reflect Alphaa?s full and fair value Tecpetrola?s offer price is below Alphaa?s share price. As at June 20, 2023, the Hostile Offer price of $1.24 per Common Share was at a 13% discount to the $1.42 per share volume weighted average price since the Hostile Offer was initially made public. It is clear that shareholders believe the Hostile Offer is inadequate. Additionally, the Hostile Offer, when evaluated on an enterprise value to lithium resources basis, is at a significant discount to the most comparable precedent sale transactions involving Argentine lithium brine projects since October 2021. At a price of $1.24 per Common Share, it is significantly below the target Common Share price from the independent research analyst that provides equity research coverage of Alpha, who has described the Hostile Offer as anot compellinga and aStill a Stink Bid, In Our View.a Adjusting for the Companya?s cash balance, Tecpetrol values the Tolillar project at $150 million (which, as described above, is significantly below precedent transaction multiples), and appears to assign no value to the Hombre Muerto project (to which an equity research analyst assigned a anominal [value of] US$75Ma prior to results from initial drilling). On multiple occasions, Tecpetrol has indicated that it has aan ability to improve the financial termsa of its offer. However, despite admitting the offer could be improved, Tecpetrol instead elected to proceed with its aStink Bid.a Reason 2 a Alpha has received an inadequacy opinion from PI Financial Corp. (aPI Financiala) PI Financial has delivered a written opinion to the Special Committee that, as of June 21, 2023, the consideration offered to Alpha shareholders under the Hostile Offer is inadequate, from a financial point of view, to Alpha shareholders. Tecpetrol is not a shareholder of Alpha and has elected NOT to become an Alpha Lithium shareholder, as of June 22, 2023. Reason 3 a Tecpetrol is attempting to subvert an active and ongoing Strategic Review The Board, through the Special Committee and consistent with its fiduciary duties, is evaluating a broad range of options as part of an expanded strategic review, including continuing with the active and ongoing sale process for its Tolillar asset, which began on December 1, 2022 (the aSale Processa). Additionally, Alpha is exploring a possible corporate transaction (collectively, the aStrategic Reviewa). Alpha has attempted, unsuccessfully, to engage with Tecpetrol within the Sale Process, based on market-standard practices and agreements; even seeking to accommodate Tecpetrola?s desire to acquire the entire Company. Tecpetrol repeatedly refused to engage constructively. By launching the Hostile Offer, Tecpetrol is attempting to disrupt the ongoing Sale Process and acquire Alpha at the lowest price possible, frustrating the efforts of the Company to obtain appropriate value for Alpha shareholders. In connection with the Strategic Review, the Company has recently begun to explore interest with various parties in a corporate-level transaction and will consider various strategic alternatives, which may include, but are not limited to, possible change of control transactions or asset sales with one or more third parties (including a spin-off of certain assets or the separate sale of core assets), partnerships with strategic or financial partners or remaining independent and pursuing Alphaa?s existing strategy as a stand-alone entity. The Board believes that Alpha is well-positioned and its unique lithium assets are highly attractive to other parties in addition to Tecpetrol. Reason 4 a The Hostile Offer is highly conditional The Hostile Offer is highly conditional, effectively providing Tecpetrol with an unfair option to withdraw or proceed with its offer in its sole discretion. The Hostile Offer contains over 25 subjective conditions and sub-conditions which must be satisfied or waived before Tecpetrol is obligated to take up and pay for any Common Shares deposited under the Hostile Offer. Certain of the conditions and sub-conditions provide broad discretion in favour of Tecpetrol, a number of which are not subject to any materiality thresholds or other objective criteria, and include language such as athe Offeror having determined, in its sole judgmenta, which appears to be limited only by its reasonable judgment. These conditions, in effect, could provide Tecpetrol with an unfair option to withdraw or proceed with the Hostile Offer and Alpha shareholders bear a risk of non-completion. Take No Action The Board and management of Alpha will not tender to the Tecpetrol bid. For the reasons fully described in our Directorsa? Circular, Alpha recommends that shareholders REJECT the undervalued and opportunistic Hostile Offer. To reject, shareholders simply need to do nothing. If you have already tendered your Common Shares and wish to withdraw, simply ask your broker or contact Kingsdale Advisors (by phone at 1-800-749-9197 (toll-free in North America) or 647-251-9740 (for collect calls outside North America) or by email at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com) to assist you with this process. For more information, please go to www.ProtectAlphaLithium.com. Advisors Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is serving as the Companya?s financial advisor, Cozen Oa?Connor LLP is serving as the Companya?s legal advisor and McMillan LLP is serving as the Special Committeea?s legal advisor. PI Financial has been appointed independent financial advisor to the Special Committee.A Longview Communications & Public Affairs is serving as government and public relations advisor and Kingsdale Advisors is serving as strategic shareholder and communications advisor. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ALPHA LITHIUM CORPORATION A aBrad Nichola Brad Nichol President, CEO and Director For more information: Alpha Lithium Investor Relations Tel: +1 844 592 6337 relations@alphalithium.com www.alphalithium.com A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Kingsdale Advisors 1 800 749 9179 (toll free in North America) +1 647 251 9740 (collect, outside North America) contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com www.ProtectAlphaLithium.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger & Marc Ollinger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch About Alpha Lithium (NEO: ALLI) (OTC: APHLF) (German WKN: A3CUW1) Alpha Lithium is a team of industry professionals and experienced stakeholders focused on the development of the Tolillar and Hombre Muerto Salars. In Tolillar, we have assembled 100% ownership of what may be one of Argentinaa?s last undeveloped lithium salars, encompassing 27,500 hectares (67,954 acres), neighboring multi-billion-dollar lithium players in the heart of the renowned aLithium Trianglea. In Hombre Muerto, we continue to expand our 5,000+ hectare (12,570 acres) foothold in one of the worlda?s highest quality, longest producing, lithium salars. Other companies in the area exploring for lithium brines or currently in production include Allkem Ltd., Livent Corporation, and POSCO in Salar del Hombre Muerto; Orocobre in Salar Olaroz; Eramine SudAmerica S.A. in Salar de Centenario; and Gangfeng and Lithium Americas in Salar de Cauchari. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning the Hostile Offer, the Sale Process and the Strategic Review and the possible results thereof. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as awilla, amaya, ashoulda, aanticipatea, aexpectsa and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company\-s expectations include the results of further discussions, if any, between the Company, Tecpetrol and other third parties, the ability of the Company to successfully complete the Sale Process or the Strategic Review or to do so on a timely basis, global economic conditions and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. 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, include numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.A No securities regulatory authority has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. SHANGHAI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai received 6.72 million tourist visits during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday that ended on Saturday, said the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism. Most travelers preferred excursions or city tours due to the lingering rainy weather, and museums and galleries in Shanghai were popular destinations during the holiday. Data from the administration shows that during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, 129 museums in Shanghai held 32 temporary exhibitions and received 292,000 visitor arrivals, an increase of 4.28 percent over the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, 66 art galleries in the city held 121 exhibitions, receiving 78,800 visits. Skeena Welcomes Nathalie Sajous as New Director&Announces Results of AGM Skeena Resources Limited (TSX: SKE, NYSE: SKE) (aSkeenaa or the aCompanya https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/skeena-resources-ltd/ ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathalie Sajous to the Companya?s Board of Directors as an Independent Director. Skeenaa?s Executive Chairman, Walter Coles, commented aWith innovation as a core value of the Company, Nathaliea?s expertise in data driven solutions will be extremely valuable to help guide new strategies for business development as the company evaluates the potential use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in our future exploration programs. We are delighted to welcome Nathalie to the Board as her experience will provide a new perspective to Skeena while we continue to advance Eskay Creek from development into operations.a Ms. Sajous has extensive experience leading teams and advising partners on the application of digital technologies. She is currently Managing Director, Global Partnerships at Google and previously worked at Microsoft and Disney. Ms. Sajous has built a legacy on innovative change and development in her two-decade career, differentiating new strategies for business developments. She has led CEOs and senior leadership teams to build sustainable yet substantial growth. Having partnered with F1000 companies, she has led ample digital strategies and data intelligence capabilities. Ms. Sajous holds a BA from Harvard and a Masters of Business Administration from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Skeena also announces the results of the Companya?s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (aAGMa) held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 22, 2023. Shareholders approved the re?election of all Directors and the new election of Nathalie Sajous. The number of Directors, the Companya?s equity incentive plan, as well as the reappointment of KPMG LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditor of the Company were also all approved by shareholders. A total of 49,799,317 shares were voted, representing 63.71% of the common shares that were issued and outstanding at the record date for the AGM. Refer to Table 1 below for the detailed results of the votes for each Director. About Skeena Skeena Resources Limited is a Canadian mining exploration and development company focused on revitalizing the past-producing Eskay Creek gold-silver mine located in Tahltan Territory in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company released a Feasibility Study for Eskay Creek in September 2022 which highlights an after-tax NPV5% of C$1.4B, 50% IRR, and a 1-year payback at US$1,700/oz Au and US$19/oz Ag. Qualified Persons In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Paul Geddes, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration & Resource Development, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated, and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting the exploration activities on its projects. Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements Certain statements and information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release constitute aforward-looking informationa and aforward-looking statementsa within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, aforward-looking statementsa). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. The use of words such as aanticipatesa, abelievesa, aproposesa, acontemplatesa, ageneratesa, atargetsa, ais projecteda, ais planneda, aconsidersa, aestimatesa, aexpectsa, ais expecteda, apotentiala and similar expressions, or statements that certain actions, events or results amaya, amighta, awilla, acoulda, or awoulda be taken, achieved, or occur, may identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Specific forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the results of the Feasibility Study, processing capacity of the mine, anticipated mine life, probable reserves, estimated project capital and operating costs, sustaining costs, results of test work and studies, planned environmental assessments, the future price of metals, metal concentrate, and future exploration and development. Such forward-looking statements are based on material factors and/or assumptions which include, but are not limited to, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and the assumptions set forth herein and in the Companya?s MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, its most recently filed interim MD&A, and the Companya?s Annual Information Form (aAIFa) dated March 22, 2023. Such forward-looking statements represent the Companya?s management expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances on the date the statements are made, and are necessarily based on several estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date hereof, are not guarantees of future performance. Actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein, and are subject to significant operational, business, economic, and regulatory risks and uncertainties. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others: the inherent risks involved in exploration and development of mineral properties, including permitting and other government approvals; changes in economic conditions, including changes in the price of gold and other key variables; changes in mine plans and other factors, including accidents, equipment breakdown, bad weather and other project execution delays, many of which are beyond the control of the Company; environmental risks and unanticipated reclamation expenses; and other risk factors identified in the Companya?s MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, its most recently filed interim MD&A, the AIF dated March 22, 2023, the Companya?s short form base shelf prospectus dated January 31, 2023, and in the Companya?s other periodic filings with securities and regulatory authorities in Canada and the United States that are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and the Company does not undertake any obligations to update and/or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. LAGOS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Three gunmen were killed in an exchange of fire with police in southern Nigeria's Delta State on Thursday, according to the police on Friday. The police on Thursday received a distress call informing that a group of armed robbers were terrorizing commuters on a road in the city of Warri and a team of policemen was immediately sent to the scene to dispel the gunmen, said Bright Edafe, the police spokesperson in Delta, in a statement on Friday. "The police operatives engaged them in a gun duel, during which three of them were fatally wounded, while other members of the gang escaped with bullet injuries," Edafe said. According to the police spokesperson, a manhunt for the fleeing armed robbers had commenced. P olice have issued an appeal for witnesses after a man was shot in the chest at a crowded venue in east London. Officers rushed to a warehouse district on Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow after reports of gunfire at 10.45pm last Saturday. A 22-year-old man was taken to hospital in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen. His injuries were later assessed as not life-threatening. Detectives have made a renewed appeal for witnesses as they continue their investigation into the shooting. Detective Mat Freeman, the officer leading the investigation, said: This incident left a man seriously injured, and whilst his condition has improved, he still faces a long road to recovery. We are determined to find those responsible and have already carried out extensive enquiries, however we still need any witnesses to come forward and tell us what they saw. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC giving the reference CAD 8299/17JUN23. Information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, online or by calling 0800 555 111. S ixty firefighters and Metropolitan Police officers are responding after a three-storey house partially collapsed in north London on Saturday afternoon. Neighbours of the house on Gloucester Drive near Finsbury Park heard a large boom and felt their houses shake as the building collapsed just before 12.30pm. A number of nearby houses were evacuated for safety reasons. The Met is unable to confirm if anyone is injured. A video of the scene showed firefighters calling for anyone trapped under the rubble to make a sound. London Fire Brigade said the semi-detached house of three floors, with a basement, collapsed at the rear. One neighbour, who the Standard agreed to not name, said: My family and I were in our house...when we heard a massive bang and the house shook for about 10 seconds. We all rushed to the window [but] we couldnt see anything as there was smoke everywhere. We went outside...we saw all the debris on the floor of our car park. I called the fire service. The building that crashed is a building that is undergoing construction. The area has been cordoned off. The fire service were searching for anyone under the debris. I dont think there was anyone injured. We have been told to stay away from the windows by the police. Around sixty firefighters were called to the scene along with five fire engines and three fire rescue units. The brigade was called at 12.17pm and is still at the scene. Fire crews from Kentish Town, East Ham, Islington, Edmonton, Battersea and East Ham fire stations are in attendance. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We were called today at 12.16pm to reports of a building collapse on Gloucester Drive, Hackney. We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an incident response officer and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team. We assisted our emergency services partners, but there were no patients to be treated. A leading human rights lawyer has told how she still receives tragic, terrible text messages from women hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan, nearly two years after she managed to evacuate more than 500 people from the conflict-torn country. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC organised the evacuation of 103 women who were on Taliban kill lists in September and October 2021, flying them and their families to safety. A total of 508 people escaped on three flights the Scottish-born Labour peer arranged but she told how she still gets pleas for help from some women who were unable to flee at that time. Hitting out at the UK Government, she said the Tories dog whistle politics on immigration mean she can no longer bring people to safety in Britain. Speaking to the PA news agency, she said: It was possible then, then of course it wasnt possible any more. I have still got women sending me the most tragic, terrible text messages and phoning me at all hours, saying please help me, I am hiding in my basement, I didnt get on your planes in 2021 because my mother was dying, I couldnt leave at the time, but now they are after me. But all I can say is Im sorry, they dont provide visas to Britain from Afghanistan, you have to go to another country, Pakistan is the nearest, you have to get your kids across that border. Baroness Kennedy described the evacuation she organised in 2021 as one of the crazier things I have done in my life, but also one of the things I feel was absolutely the right thing to do. You have to have sensible policies around immigration and what we need in terms of immigration Condemning the shortage of legal routes for those fleeing persecution to come to the UK, she said that is why quite a number of those who attempt to arrive on small boats across the Channel are originally from Afghanistan. Sometimes they are Afghanis who have worked for us, she said. Sometimes they are Afghanis of a particular minority called the Hazara, who get slaughtered as soon as the Taliban look at them. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made a commitment to stop the boats as one of his key pledges to voters, with the UK Government currently pursuing a crackdown on refugees entering the country illegally in the Illegal Migration Bill. Baroness Kennedy claimed that legislation constitutes a full frontal dismissal of the rule of law. She said: Im a lawyer, and I believe in the rule of law. And I think rather like Boris (Johnson) being dismissive or applying the rules to himself, I am afraid that has spilled into the behaviour of other ministers. I am afraid that the Home Office in this is prepared to break international law on the refugee convention, the convention on the rights of the child, the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women, because they are prepared to deport pregnant women. One of the fundamentals in Scots law and English law is the right to due process, that before you lose any of your rights that you should have the opportunity of putting your case. These people are not being allowed to put their own case as to why they might be entitled to asylum or refugee status here. She described the proposals as pretty disgusting, and added: It is being done because this is a Government running out of policy and running out of road. You do have to have sensible policies around immigration and what we need in terms of immigration. A Home Office spokesman said: The UK has a proud history of providing safe and legal routes for those who need it, and the UKs current offer is the most generous in recent history. Between 2015 and March 2023, we have offered a place to over half a million men, women and children seeking safety. Supporting the resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority. We have so far welcomed over 9,113 arrivals under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), and we continue to work with the UNHCR, likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan to identify at-risk people for resettlement in the UK. No one however should be risking their lives by crossing the Channel or taking dangerous and illegal routes to reach the UK. People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach that is the fastest route to safety. U krainian medics are learning vital life-saving battlefield skills thanks to a new combat training course backed by the British Army and its international partners. Techniques such as providing medical care under fire, controlling heavy blood loss and giving crucial pre-hospital emergency care are part of the five-week course which began on May 29. Real-life experiences of what is needed on the battlefield have been included in the programme, which is being taught to Ukrainian armed forces medics as they fight Russias invasion of their homeland. Trainees, who are also instructed on how best to optimise their own health so they are fit to fight, are keen to learn as much as they can, while British officials have described their involvement as humbling, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Ukrainian trainee Viktor said: This course is very useful and I want to keep learning as much as I can. All the instructors are very helpful and knowledgeable, even for those without any experience. Its a lot of practice and I feel better equipped now to take this knowledge back to Ukraine. It will not be easy, but we are counterattacking now and we will win. The trainees put their learning to the test in practice battlefield scenarios to give them the confidence to effectively apply their skills on the frontline. Some of the skills being taught include triaging mass casualties with a range of different injuries, treating casualties with major injuries caused by blasts and small arms fire, treating and safely extracting patients from civilian and military vehicles, and extracting casualties under fire. The current course, which is being run by the British Army and instructors from the Netherlands and Iceland, is the first of three combat medical training programmes, each designed to help about 50 Ukrainian personnel. Course director Captain Phil Williams of 2nd Medical Brigade said: We have a top-class team of medical instructors, and we are all humbled and proud at having a part to play in helping Ukraine liberate their homeland from this illegal invasion. The Ukrainian students are keen to learn and absolutely dedicated to gaining as many skills as they can before returning home to save life. The vast majority have been actively involved on the battlefield and many carry the wounds of war. They are an absolute pleasure to teach and, such is the nature of their recent experience, we learn as much from them as they do from us. Defence minister Andrew Murrison described the programme as an example of how the UK Armed Forces and our international partners are successfully working together to support Ukraines fight against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion. He added: Our support to Ukraine will continue for as long as it takes, from providing battle-winning training to donating the equipment and ammunition Ukraine urgently needs. International commitments totalling more than 60 billion dollars (47 billion) have been made to help support Ukraines recovery and reconstruction, the MoD said. It includes a package of UK financial support for Ukraine, featuring 2.35 billion of additional guarantees to unlock World Bank lending over three years, and 240 million of bilateral assistance. It also includes 1.3 billion dollars (1 billion) in US aid to modernise Ukraines energy system and critical infrastructure. To date, the UK and its allies have trained more than 17,000 Ukraine personnel in areas such as the fundamentals of frontline combat. BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China's National Medical Products Administration has recently launched a nationwide drug safety consolidation and enhancement campaign to establish a solid foundation for drug safety. In 2022, drug regulators across China investigated 153,600 cases of illegal and criminal acts involving drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices, a 17.65 percent increase from the previous year, said the administration. The number and quality of cases handled have increased, with many landmark and major ones cracked, effectively deterring lawbreakers and fostering a healthy drug market environment. The drug safety campaign will last one and a half years and includes specific priority tasks. Regulators will conduct comprehensive checks to eliminate risks and hidden hazards by focusing on online retailers, businesses with previous issues, rural and underdeveloped urban areas, high-risk products, and groups buying products. They will also focus on outsourced manufacturers, supply chains and the implementation of license holders' corporate responsibilities. The aim is to resolve potential risks at an early stage. Additionally, severe punishments will apply to lawbreakers. Regulators will step up coordinated inspections and investigations, with offenders facing rectifications, shutdowns, and penalties based on the severity of the violation. Major cases will be closely supervised, and a joint accountability system will apply. The administration also plans to improve regulatory capabilities. Regulators will address day-to-day monitoring challenges, risk screening, and case investigations. Oversight will be coordinated across the entire product lifecycle, and "Internet Plus" regulatory measures will be improved. T he former patient of a disgraced surgeon brought the SNPs independence convention to a standstill to demand a public inquiry. Theresa Mallett, 61, from Glenrothes, said she was left with lifechanging injuries after undergoing botched surgery for sciatica from ex-NHS Tayside doctor Professor Sam Eljamel. The neurosurgeon is thought to have harmed hundreds of patients while working at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Ms Mallett, who was initially booed for her interruption by SNP delegates, was consoled by First Minister Humza Yousaf as she accused the health board of negligence. The lifelong SNP member has now quit the party and told Mr Yousaf only a full public inquiry will restore her faith in the party. The Fife grandmother told the PA news agency after leaving the convention at Dundees Caird Hall: The day after the operation Eljamel told me it was a complete success. Two years later the pain clinic told me that I was never getting better its permanent. I thought I was going back to work, I thought I was going to get on with my life. And of course, it got worse. Ms Mallett said she underwent the surgery to remove a nerve which was causing her sciatic pain, on December 18 2012, but has been given no insight since into what went wrong. She said: We want people from NHS Tayside, Ninewells, the managers and anybody that colluded to allow him to continue harming patients. Im a member of (the SNP) and I thought I need to go speak to him (the First Minister), I need to go look him in the eye. I dont want anybody to ever go through what I went through or the other 112 went through. That can never be allowed to happen. Eljamel is gone, we will never get him back but we still need answers. Notes have been lost, x-rays have been lost. We have never had answers. And she said her time in the SNP is over for the time being, adding: If I get a public inquiry Ill reconsider. I cant look people in the face, my own First Minister of the party that I love. Speaking to journalists after his speech, Mr Yousaf said he was happy to meet Ms Mallett and other victims. He said: Theres no doubt that shes suffered a lot of trauma, all the victims of Eljamel have, and Im happy to meet with her in particular. She had a particular concern that we havent agreed to a public inquiry I can understand the calls for a public inquiry I have to say. But the reason why weve not progressed the public inquiry is because we think there may be ways of getting answers to the questions that people want through means thats quicker than a public inquiry. We know how long a public inquiry often takes but look, everybody who has suffered at the hands of Eljamel has every right to be angry at the situation they find themselves in. Following the interruption, Mr Yousaf appealed to SNP members to not shout down those who are trying to be heard. Professor Eljamel, a former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside, removed himself from the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2013, but the remit does not extend beyond the UK and he is currently working as a surgeon in Libya. A French publisher who was arrested under anti-terrorism laws will face no further action, the Met Police said. Ernest Moret, 28, a freelancer at the left-wing Editions La Fabrique, was detained at St Pancras station in April after arriving on a Eurostar service from Paris. He had travelled to the UK to attend the London Book Fair, but was held for questioning under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which allows police to investigate those passing through UK borders. He was then arrested on suspicion of obstructing the investigation and put in custody. His employer, the left-wing publishing house Editions La Fabrique, denounced the scandalous treatment and said the arrest related to his participation in protests against pension reforms in France. He has since been released from custody and will face no further action. Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Mets Counter Terrorism Command, said: We are aware that this police interaction generated a lot of commentary about our use of Schedule 7 powers, and whether it was necessary and proportionate in this case. The public would rightly expect that the use of Counter Terrorism powers is always carefully considered, and we have reflected on this particular interaction so we can identify any learning. Schedule 7 is a valuable power in protecting the borders of the UK and remains an important tool in our efforts to counter the terrorist threat and keep the public safe. We have a clear set of guidelines for our officers to follow when they carry out such stops. The use of Schedule 7 is also, quite rightly, the subject of independent scrutiny and we welcome such checks and balances to ensure we are accountable. As part of this, we are fully engaged with the UKs Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, who is currently reviewing this case. We have also met with representatives from the National Union of Journalists to listen to concerns they raised about this stop. We will continue to be as open as possible about our work and take very opportunity to reflect on feedback and learning from our interactions B ritish documentary-maker Ross Kemp turned down a trip to see the Titanic on an OceanGate submersible for a television show. The former EastEnders star, 58, had been keen to take part in the mission last year but it was deemed to be unsafe. An expert production company carried out checks and decided it would be too risky to let anybody board the Titan submersible to view the shipwreck on the seafloor of the North Atlantic, off the coast of Canada. The lesson to be learnt is do your checks thoroughly. By good fortune for us the checks had been done thoroughly Kemps agent, InterTalent chairman Professor Jonathan Shalit, said they pulled out of using the OceanGate craft because it was deemed to be unsafe on every level. Prof Shalit told the PA news agency: The production company, who are well known and renowned, looked into the sub and decided it was unsafe on every level and werent prepared to use it. We were told it is unsafe, we are not going that was a year ago. It is deeply sad for the families who have suffered such a terrible loss. I am relieved that Ross did not participate but I am obviously reassured by the professionalism of those companies we were working with that they didnt suggest that he go on the submarine. The lesson to be learnt is do your checks thoroughly. By good fortune for us the checks had been done thoroughly. The US Coast Guard offered its deepest condolences to the families of the five men after the tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. British billionaire Hamish Harding, UK-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, the vessels pilot Stockton Rush and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board. At a press conference in Boston, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Kemp had been considering making a documentary to mark the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton in 1912. Veteran explorer Josh Gates, who hosts Expedition Unknown on Discovery+, also revealed he turned down the chance to film on the doomed Titan submersible. He tweeted that he had rejected the opportunity to film in 2021 because the vessel did not perform well during a test dive. He wrote: Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with the OceanGate platform. Theres more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public much of it concerning. A lmost a week after the Titan submersible left a Canadian port for a sightseeing trip to the ocean floor where the wreck of the Titanic lay, the focus is now on any possible recovery of the debris of the craft or the remains of its pilot and four passengers. The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday night British billionaire Hamish Harding, UK-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, the vessels American pilot Stockton Rush and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet were killed instantly in what authorities described as a catastrophic implosion or sudden collapse inwards of the Titan. As Titans main support ship, the Polar Prince, returned to the dock at St Johns in Newfoundland, Canada on Saturday, the PA news agency looks at what might happen next. Will the bodies be recovered? Officials in the US have said they are not sure they can recover the bodies of the five people who died deep in the North Atlantic. They say there is no timeframe for when they could call off any recovery efforts. In a press conference in Boston on Thursday, Rear Admiral John Mauger from the US Coast Guard told reporters he could not say what the prospects were of recovering the bodies of those killed. He said: This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel. And so well continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I dont have an answer for prospects at this time. The ocean liner Titanic lies in two main pieces 12,500 feet down on the sea floor after it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton in 1912. What will happen with the search? Given its role so far, the US Coast Guard is likely to remain an important player in the search for the bodies. Some of its vessels and technicians had begun to return to St Johns on Friday, indicating that the search was beginning to wind down. Pelagic Research Services whose remote operating vehicle (ROV) discovered the debris fields told CNN it plans to remain onsite conducting ROV missions for another week. The cost of the search will likely stretch into the millions of dollars for the US Coast Guard alone. What will happen to debris from the sub? Search teams will want to clear up as much of the debris as possible, including bits of the carbon fibre that formed part of the structure, so authorities can build a better picture of what happened. Undersea expert Paul Hankin said five major pieces of debris found had helped to identify the fate of the Titan. The middle section was made from carbon fibre and investigators are likely to focus on whether a structural failure there caused the tragedy. Investigators will be gathering every piece of the debris they can find, Ryan Ramsey, former submarine captain in Britains Royal Navy told the BBC. He said: There is no black box, so you are not going to be able to track the last movements of the vessel itself. But otherwise the process of investigation is not dissimilar to that of a plane crash. In particular investigators will be looking for the site of any rupture which will be difficult because the vessels body is in small pieces and is being collected by remotely operated vehicles in the darkness of the North Atlantic. What will happen in any investigation? On Friday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said it was investigating safety on board the submersible, run by Mr Rushs expedition company OceanGate. Questions have been raised over whether OceanGate could be sued by the families of those who died. This could be complicated by waivers signed by the passengers saying they understood the mission carried the risk of serious injury or even death. However, it is not uncommon for judges to reject such documents if there is evidence of gross negligence or hazards that were not fully disclosed, legal experts have said. The degree of any potential negligence and how that might impact the applicability of the waivers will depend on the causes of the disaster, which remain under investigation. U kraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said the rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia shows no one is in control and there is chaos. The Russian private army who stormed most of the way to Moscow agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday evening. The fighters, after crossing over from Ukraine, captured the city of Rostov, claiming control of a key military base there and military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow, before his convoy made their way on towards the Russian capital. Earlier, Mr Prigozhin said his men were rebelling to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. But in an audio message on Saturday evening, Mr Prigozhin said his fighters would return to base because of the risk of Russian blood being spilled, Reuters reported. The announcement appeared to defuse to some degree what has been seen as the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for their guaranteed safety was made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his office said. Mr Prigozhin will move to neighboring Belarus as part of the deal, the Kremlin said, and the criminal case against him will be closed. Mr Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. After the deal was reached, Mr Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. Volodymyr Zelensky / Sky News But Ukraines president Zelensky said in his nightly address shared to Telegram: Today is a day when there definitely should be no silence. And we definitely need leadership. Today the world saw that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Complete chaos. Complete absence of any predictability. Mr Zelensky added that today, all Russian bandits, mercenaries and oligarchs saw how easy it was to capture Russian cities. He once again urged Western partners to support Ukraine and to help it protect Europe with planes and weapons. Then, switching from Ukrainian to Russian, he said: The man from the Kremlin is obviously very afraid and probably hiding somewhere, not showing himself. I am sure that he is no longer in Moscow. He knows what he is afraid of because he himself created this threat. All evil, all losses, all hatred it is he who spreads it. There was some suggestion of advances in Ukraines counter-offensive as a result of the chaos. Ukraines Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian troops started an offensive in several directions in the countrys east. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army, banning mass outdoor gatherings and warning all residents to refrain from using their cars. Monday was declared a non-working day for most people. Downing Street said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other leaders reiterated their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty. Yevgeny Prigozhin / AP An armed rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group would be the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. In a statement, the MoD said Wagner Group forces crossed from occupied Ukraine into Russia in at least two locations. In Rostov-on-Don, Wagner had almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the HQ which runs Russias military operations in Ukraine. Further Wagner units moved north through Vorenezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow, the MoD said. More than 100 firefighters were in action at a fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed it exploding in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by. Fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh / REUTERS In a televised address from the Kremlin at the start of the rebellion Russia President Vladimir Putin said Russias very existence was under threat. We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. Putin later signed a law tightening rules for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency said. Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks each carrying a tank driving 30 miles (50 km) beyond Voronezh, more than half way to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. Mr Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with top military officials, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in the city of Rostov without firing a shot. Earlier this week Mr Prigozhin accused Russian military officials of lying to Putin and the public about Russian battlefield losses. He said in one audio message: Total trash is being put on the presidents desk. Shoigu and Gerasimov have a simple approach. The lie must be monstrous for people to believe it. That is what they are doing. I nvestigators from Canada have boarded the main support ship of the Titan submersible after it returned to port in Newfoundland on Saturday. Flags on board the Polar Prince were at half-mast as it arrived at the port in St Johns. Police and safety investigators could be seen boarding shortly after it docked. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada announced that the Polar Prince would be the subject of an investigation after five men were killed in what is understood to be a catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible near the Titanic wreck site. The TSB said the US Coast Guard will lead the investigation after they declared the loss of Titan to be a major marine casualty. Rib boats could be seen towing what appeared to be the Titan submersibles launch platform away from the Polar Prince and further along the port. Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) boats had already started to return to St Johns harbour on Friday as the recovery operation began to wind down. In a statement issued before ships began to return to the port, the CCG said the search and rescue operation had concluded. The CCG said one of its vessels would remain on the scene and would provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations as requested by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Boston. The TSB said a team of investigators had been deployed to St Johns to gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence. REUTERS In its own statement, the safety body said the investigation would be carried out in accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements. The TSB will not determine civil or criminal liability and conducts investigations for the advancement of transportation safety. British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, his son Suleman, 19, and billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58, lost their lives on the vessel as it dived on the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, also died following the catastrophic implosion. The five vanished on a 195,000 trip to the worlds most famous shipwreck, which lies 460 miles off Newfoundland in Canada. OceanGate Expeditions to the Titanic: Titan submarine 1 / 36 OceanGate Expeditions to the Titanic: Titan submarine ES Composite The ship Deep Energy sails in the search area for OceanGates Titan submersible US Coast Guard/AFP via Getty Ima The pilot of a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora maritime surveillance aircraft of 14 Wing flies a search pattern for the missing OceanGate submersible, which had been carrying five people to explore the wreck of the sunken SS Titanic, in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland, Canada via REUTERS Ssubmersible Titan preparing to dive into the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic AP A view shows the ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle) Victor 6000 via REUTERS Cargo being loaded onto the Horizon Arctic at the harbour in St Johns, bound for the search area Joe Chase for DailyMail.com Last sighting of the Titan submarine Facebook Search equipment arriving at St Johns airport in Newfoundland aboard US Air Force C-17 cargo planes that is bound for the search area near the Titanic wreckage Joe Chase for DailyMail.com OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Ge OceanGate Expeditions showing staff at work inside their submersible vessel named Titan, which is used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic PA Cargo being loaded onto the Horizon Arctic at the harbour in St Johns, bound for the search area Joe Chase for DailyMail.com Facebook Cargo being loaded onto the Horizon Arctic at the harbour in St Johns, bound for the search area Joe Chase for DailyMail.com US Coast Gurad Captain Jamie Frederick speaks during a press conference about the search efforts for the submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic, at Coast Guard Base in Boston, Massachusetts AFP via Getty Images A view shows the ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle) Victor 6000 via REUTERS PA Search equipment arriving at St Johns airport in Newfoundland aboard US Air Force C-17 cargo planes that is bound for the search area near the Titanic wreckage Joe Chase for DailyMail.com Members of the Coast Guard watch as US Coast Gurad Captain Jamie Frederick speaks during a press conference about the search efforts for the submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic, at Coast Guard Base in Boston, Massachusett AFP via Getty Images Hamish Harding Facebook Stockton Rush OceanGate Suleman and Shahzada Dawood DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION/AFP Paul-Henri Nargeolet . AP Titanic tourist submarine Facebook U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger, commander of the First Coast Guard District, speaks to the media AP A US Coast Guard vessel sits in port in Boston Harbor across from the US Coast Guard Station Boston in Boston, Massachusetts AFP via Getty Images Titan submersible vessel testing in 2018 Oceangate Expeditions Search vessels on Thursday spotted broken-off pieces of their Titan submersible including the tailcone - leading experts to conclude that the vessel must have imploded. The search for the vessel sparked a huge international search effort with rescue teams from the US, Canada and France. It comes after it was revealed that the US Navy detected sounds consistent with an detecte consist implosion shortly after Titan lost contact on Sunday. A navy official told US media outlets their information about the acoustic anomaly had been used by the US Coast Guard to narrow the search area. It has also been revealed safety warnings over the OceanGate submersible were repeatedly dismissed by the CEO of the company, according to email exchanges with a leading deep sea exploration specialist. In messages seen by the BBC, Rob McCallum told OceanGate boss Mr Rush that he was potentially putting his clients at risk and urged him to stop using the sub until it was classified by an independent body. Mr Rush responded that he was "tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation". Mr McCallum said the exchange ended after OceanGates lawyers threatened legal action. U S Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the rebellion by the Wagner mercenaries has exposed real cracks in Vladimir Putins authority. He told CBS News talk show Face the Nation that the uprising by the private army and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was a direct challenge to Putins authority, saying it raises profound questions, it shows real cracks. He has told ABCs This Week: If you put this in context 16 months ago, Putin was on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, looking to take the city in a matter of days, erase the country from the map. Now, hes had to defend Moscow, Russias capital, against a mercenary of his own making. He said he didnt want to speculate on the cracks emerging would lead. Military experts have said the Russian Presidents regime has suffered substantial damage as a result of the rebellion. The events showcased the degradation of Russias military reserves, the erosion of Mr Putins monopoly on his security services and the lack of experience of those conscripts defending Russian borders, the Institute for the Study of War said. While Dr Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security programme at the Chatham House think tank, said Mr Putin has been weakened by the events in the country. The head of the Russian military company Wagner is set to move to neighbouring Belarus as part of a deal to end his rebellion. After Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his mutiny on Saturday, Wagner fighters have left he southern city of Rostov-on-Don where their mutiny began. Mr Prigozhin and his troops will not be prosecuted, the Kremlin says. The announcement on Saturday evening followed a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said the rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia shows no one is in control and there is chaos. CANBERRA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Koalas become increasingly vigilant when drones are flying nearby, recent Australian research has found. In the first study of its kind, a team from Flinders University in the Australian state of South Australia (SA) fitted 16 of 34 koalas at the Cleland Wildlife Park with heart rate monitors to measure the impact of drones on the iconic species. Drones have become a vital tool in conservation efforts for a wide range of species, allowing scientists to track populations in a non-intrusive manner but no research had been done into how koalas respond to them until now. The team flew drones near the koalas and found they were aware of their presence but that it had little impact. "They showed an increase in vigilance but no increase in heart rate and no increase in breathing rate," Diane Colombelli-Negrel, a behavioral ecologist and lead author of the study, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Koalas in SA are generally faring better than on Australia's east coast where they have been declared an endangered species. Colombelli-Negrel's team has also been using infrared cameras and acoustic software to monitor the impact of tourists on a fragile population of small penguins on Granite Island. They have observed a high number of people shining their torches or putting their hands inside the burrows of the penguins to take photographs. In one burrow, penguins were being disturbed several times every night. "We have seen in the past four years a really significant increase in those events," Colombelli-Negrel said. "We may have to think of ways to hide those birds." A student competes at the "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college and secondary school students in Yangon, Myanmar, June 24, 2023. The final rounds of the 2023 "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college and secondary school students in Myanmar was held here on Saturday. A total of 28 Chinese language learners in Myanmar aged 12 to 30 years competed in the Chinese proficiency contest held at the Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Yangon. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua) YANGON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The final rounds of the 2023 "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college and secondary school students in Myanmar was held here on Saturday. A total of 28 Chinese language learners in Myanmar aged 12 to 30 years competed in the Chinese proficiency contest held at the Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Yangon. Of them, 14 students competed in the 22nd edition of Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, and the other 14 students participated in the 16th Chinese Bridge-Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students. The Chinese language proficiency competition, jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar, the Fuxing Confucius Classroom and three other Chinese language centers in Myanmar, featured speeches and talent shows such as singing, poetry recitation and dancing. Due to excellent performances, 19-year-old Min Khant Aung from the Myanmar International Education Center won the first prize in the competition for college students, and eighth-grader Thin Kyu Hlaing from the Eastern Language and Business Center won the first prize in the contest for secondary school students. "The event aims to encourage Chinese language learning in Myanmar. It is the first such contest organized grandly in three years after the outbreak of the COVID-19," Wu Weizhong, head of the Fuxing Confucius Classroom, told Xinhua. Wu said that there are three categories of "Chinese Bridge" language competitions for foreign students, and the competitions will help deepen China-Myanmar friendship. The final rounds of the "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign primary school students in Myanmar was held on June 18 at the China Cultural Center in Yangon. 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The Coast Guard informed, in a press release, that a Turkish citizen presented himself at the border control, driving a semi-trailer truck, loaded, according to the documents accompanying the goods, with sanitary items, transported from Turkey to Ukraine."Following checks carried out by the Romanian border guards, together with the Bulgarian border guards, it was observed that the upper part of the tarpaulin was cut off and 19 foreign nationals were found hidden in the cargo compartment of the semi-trailer. Following checks, our employees established that 15 are Iraqi nationals and 4 are Syrian nationals (18 men and one woman)," the release said.According to the source, the 19 persons were taken over, under the Romanian-Bulgarian readmission agreement, by the Bulgarian border authorities, for further investigations and for the necessary legal measures to be taken. The blouse from Oltenia, an element of heritage that carries within itself the history of the place and the nation, often forgotten through dowry boxes or attics, continues to remain both a sign of representation in the world, as well as a clothing landmark and collection item. In the southern County of Dolj, important centers of the folk costume are in Dabuleni, where there was a fusion of techniques with those from the Romanati, Carna, Bistret, Poiana Mare, Almaj-Isalnita, Carpen, Grecesti-Gogosu areas, there being differences among the areas of the county. "The complexity and symbols discovered in the clothes here speak of the ancient civilization of the inhabitants of the historical province of Oltenia. My collection expands a little, because it is not only folk costumes, for women and men, but also contains other ethnographic objects, such as stone or wooden seals, dowry chests, old laps, spinning forks, ceramic objects, irons, woven carpets, woven bedding, wall carpets, bedspreads, those woven towels that were also placed on icons or decorated the rooms in various ways. The folk costumes are from the south-west area of Dolj, because I grew up in the Danube Valley, the Bailestilor Plain, the Rast Plain, but I am interested in revealing the types and techniques of creating the folk costume, the symbols used to show the beauty and the importance of the spirituality of the area," said folk music performer Alexandru Lilea for AGERPRES."I am impressed by the symbolism of the geometric motifs, which are the oldest motifs, after which the floral motifs appeared. We have the motif of the rhombus, the infinity column, the ram's horns, the cross motif, symbols of the various deities of water, earth, fertility. Right in the village of Rast I liked that I discovered those skirts wrinkled at the waist and split in front, which I also found recorded at the Village Museum in Bucharest, which are very wrinkled and have geometric motifs, especially the rhombus, which symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth, balance, strength, the rhombus being a primordial, very powerful symbol and which, combined with skill, gave a special beauty and power to those who wore that folk costume," says Alexandru Lilea, a graduate of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Craiova, currently a master's student at Cultural Studies, Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology and Folklore, within the Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, and student at the Department of Arts, Music section, at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Craiova.Even if a benchmark for the fineness of the cloth, the refinement of the stitching and the pride of wearing it, in the rural areas the Oltenia blouse is no longer worn, but there are some initiatives to encourage sewing, such as the Oltenia Coase Ie group, from which I am part of ie creators from Oltenia, who also promote their creations on social networks.Claudia Mechenie, for example, started sewing in 2014, at a time when she was going through a stressful period and felt the need for a relaxing activity, but which, in the meantime, became an "addiction".She admits that, when she starts a new career, that model must convey something to her."I think it's about our genetic baggage and I'll explain why: I started with it, I chose my model, the colours and after I finished it, about 6 months later, I searched in my maternal grandmother's dowry chest and found one that was roughly the same pattern and colour and then I realized that's why some patterns appeal to us and others don't. I think our ancestors are talking to us. Another time I visited a private collection on display at the Marin Sorescu National Theater and I fell in love with it and it took me 4 years until I found the right canvas, that's why when I'm asked where I get my models I say that they have to send me something, because otherwise I can't sew that. It may seem strange, but that's how I feel. Since my grandmothers are no longer with me, I tried to find other old women who sewed, but unfortunately I couldn't find any," explained the creator of the Romanian blouses, the ii. Minister of Culture Raluca Turcan said on Saturday that for ten days, Sibiu is the world cultural capital, thanks to the International Theatre Festival ((FITS)), which began the day before and will end on July 2. "The accomplishment of Mr Constantin Chiriac [president of FITS and managing director of Sibiu Radu Stanca National Theatre], the accomplishment of the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu practically compel the authorities to be close and I thank you from the bottom of my heart because, every year, for ten days, the world cultural capital is in Romania, it is here in Sibiu," minister Raluca Turcan told a press conference.On Saturday, she awarded the FITS president, actor Constantin Chiriac, a distinction of excellence on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, in the presence of former minister Lucian Romascanu, the one who initiated the steps for this distinction since the beginning of the year."Constantin Chiriac is a true ambassador of Romanian culture. (...) And I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the Sibiu International Theatre Festival is currently one of the most relevant theatre festivals in the world, and Sibiu, through the International Theatre Festival, is one of the most attractive European cities, cities that manage to develop through culture. (...) That is why this day is a day of dialogue, of acknowledgement, as is the entire Sibiu International Theatre Festival. At the beginning of this year, Minister of Culture Lucian Romascanu initiated steps to offer Mr. Constantin Chiriac a distinction of excellence on behalf the Ministry of Culture, a distinction of excellence which, in fact, records through a trophy and a diploma all our positive feelings and all the appreciation we have for the work of Mr. Constantin Chiriac, for his accomplishment, for his vision, for his ability to open up culture to the people and for the role he has played in consolidating an emblematic reputation for the city of Sibiu and for an increasingly better education for our country," said Raluca Turcan.The Culture minister assured Constantin Chiriac, president of FITS and managing director of the Sibiu Radu Stanca National Theatre, that "the Ministry of Culture is a long term partner of FITS".Raluca Turcan and Lucian Romascanu's presence, on Saturday, at the press conference, marks a first for the last 30 years of FITS.AGERPRES National News Agency is one of the media partners of FITS and presents, at this year's edition, the exhibition "Miracle of Love", a selection of emblematic photographs from the last years of the festival. TIANJIN, June 24 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Kobe, Japan. On June 24, 1973, Tianjin and Kobe signed a sister city agreement, which was the first of this kind in China. The two cities have maintained frequent exchanges and cooperation in various areas such as port logistics, medical and health care, urban greening, culture and sports. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both cities donated anti-pandemic supplies to each other. As part of the celebration, a photo exhibition featuring the exchanges and friendship between Tianjin and Kobe over the decades drew many visitors. Zhang Gong, mayor of Tianjin, said in a congratulatory letter that the two cities formed a wide-ranging and high-level partnership, and fruitful exchanges and cooperation have been made. Mayor of Kobe Kizo Hisamoto also sent a congratulatory letter, expressing expectations for deeper exchanges in various fields. The General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) informs that, on Friday, approximately 272,800 persons, Romanian and foreign citizens, and over 69,500 means of transport, have completed control formalities, both on the inbound and on the outbound. According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Saturday, there were 124,210 people entering Romania, including 14,069 Ukrainian citizens.As part of the specific activities at crossing points and the green border, the border police found 64 illegal acts (37 offences and 27 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens.On Friday, 16 foreign citizens who did not meet the legal requirements were denied entry to the country and 37 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Saturday that all Romanian authorities are closely monitoring the situation in Russia, in full cooperation with allies, Agerpres reports. "All Romanian authorities are closely monitoring the situation in Russia, in full cooperation with our allies. I am constantly informed by the Ministry of Defence [MApN ] and MAE [the Ministry of Foreign Affairs] on the situation. We are in coordination with our allies," Ciolacu wrote on Twitter. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, said on Saturday that he had entered Russia with his troops with the aim of overthrowing military rule, saying he was "ready to die" along with his 25,000 men to "liberate the Russian people".The Russian Prosecutor General's Office announced the opening of an investigation for "sedition" against Prigozhin, who rebelled after accusing the Russian army of bombing his men.Authorities have tightened security measures in Moscow and several other Russian regions.Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian television on Saturday morning and accused the Wagner group of treason, saying that all those taking part in the military uprising would be punished. The Romanian authorities are closely monitoring developments in Russia, President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday. "The Romanian authorities are closely monitoring developments in Russia. I am constantly informed about developments. We are in constant contact with our allies," the Romanian President said in a Twitter post, which was taken up on the Facebook page of the Romanian Presidential Administration.Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, said on Saturday that he had entered Russia with his troops with the aim of overthrowing military rule, saying he was "ready to die" with his 25,000 men to "liberate the Russian people".The Russian Office of Prosecutor General announced the opening of an investigation for "sedition" against Prigozhin, who rebelled after accusing the army of bombing his men.Authorities have tightened security measures in Moscow and several other Russian regions.Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian television on Saturday morning and accused the Wagner group of treason, saying that all those taking part in the military uprising would be punished. The most sumptuous folk costumes from all over the country, coming from western Banat Plain, which are part of the Marius Matei ethnographic collection, made with embroidery techniques "borrowed" from the clothes of the nobles, using gold and silver threads, can be admired at the Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art of Targu Mures, in the Toldalagi Palace. "We came to Targu Mures with an exhibition of traditional costumes from the Banat Plain, representing the ethnographic sub-areas of Timisoara, Lugoj, Buzias, Deta-Ciacova and Sannicolau Mare and the ethnographic area of the Mures Valley. These folk costumes are presented in a chronological order of evolution, from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, meaning 1870, the oldest costume, and the newest - 1945. Those in the Lugojului area are among the most lavish in the Banat Plain, taking up embroidery techniques that were applied especially on the clothes of nobles, priests or other public dignitaries. Similarly, for men we have these wonderful waistcoats which are very opulent and show a special artistic embroidery made by local craftsmen," Marius Matei, museographer-ethnographer at the Banat Village Museum of Timisoara, told AGERPRES.According to him, the folk costume of Banat, like other costumes in Romania, is made in the technique of the counting of the threads, but the added value that these costumes have are the gold and silver threads applied in abundance, in different techniques.The catrinte (wrap-around skirts ) of the Lugoj area costumes, the most impressive in the collection exhibited in Targu Mures, are angular and, although they are much more opulent than the Romanian folk costume, the costume of Banat corresponds in structure to the Romanian costume: it consists of a shirt, petticoats, front and back skirts, or opreg - opregul is a piece specific to the Banat area, which replaces the second skirt."Our collection counts more than 3,500 pieces, of which only 250 traditional costumes are assembled. In Targu Mures we brought 20 of these. The exhibitions that we organise, both at home and abroad, are aimed at promoting the Romanian costume and our values that we have inherited from our ancestors. (...) We have cloth woven from cotton and hemp, from cotton bought from the fair or other cloths bought from the fair that add value and a touch of lavishness. They are quite difficult to make because they are very richly ornamented and then it takes longer to make such a costume," the museographer pointed out.His great regret is that such folk costumes are no longer made and that, unfortunately, the Banat folk costume was no longer worn after the Second World War."From 1945 onwards, the folk costume in Banat has been almost entirely lost. I, at least, neither my parents nor my grandparents know of anyone who had or dressed in traditional costumes. I think that the industrialization of Banat, which was quite homogenous, led to the loss of these costumes. Because we had both emigrants and immigrants who somehow leveled off each other, as a society," Marius Matei said.He said that, although there is a trend in Romania to revive traditions and especially to recover and wear folk costumes, this is not happening in Banat, except for a small group of seamstresses that is called "Banat sews Ie".The scientific researcher at Targu Mures Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art, Dorel Marc, said that although the museum in Mures has an impressive collection of folk costumes, he has long wanted to find these impressive costumes from Banat."We are happy to host this exhibition. We have been asking Mr Matei, a fellow ethnographer at the Banat Village Museum, for a long time. We are glad that, finally, on the eve of Midsummer's Day, we could open the exhibition here. This exhibition happily complements what we have, because Banat, like Mures, is a multicultural area. There is a dialogue that we, ethnographers, have in research and study, in which we highlight cultural interferences. So the place is very suitable and we can show the public of Mures this splendor of folk costumes, which represent very diverse costume sets, designed in a great diversity, if we refer to the tailoring, the techniques of execution, the ornaments," Dorel Marc told AGERPRES.He says that this structure, the costume set, is felicitously complemented by symbolism, by the language of motifs that a costume conveys, including a well-structured and diversified social status.Dorel Marc pointed out that the Banat area is a very rich area and thus has always been anchored in a certain competition with other ethnic cultures - Romanians, Serbs, Slovenes, Hungarians, Slavs, etc. "These elements of interference practically enrich the universal ethnographic language and we are glad to be able to offer such splendour to the visiting public," Dorel Marc stressed.The exhibition "The dowry of the Banat people. Traditional costumes from the Banat Plain, ornaments and ethnographic documents" includes, in addition to the folk costumes themselves, elements of ornaments and ethnographic documents and can be visited at the Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art in Targu Mures until 18 July. GKN Aerospace gave its first formal indication Friday of when it will begin to lay off the more than 700-person workforce at its Hazelwood facility that produces aviation parts. The British-owned manufacturer of parts for military and commercial planes said that 50 workers will be laid off on Aug. 25, to be followed by a continuous, non-stop phase-out of operations and employee separations, with a final layoff on or by Dec. 31, according to a letter the company submitted to Missouri labor officials. Eventually, about 715 local employees will be affected by the layoffs later this year, the letter said. Though the precise timing remained unclear, the move had been awaited ever since early 2022, when the company announced that it would close its St. Louis-area facility by the end of this year. The company said at the time that it has struggled to remain profitable, and that its orders had declined. GKNs local facility has historically had contracts to supply parts for Boeing and other defense contractors, said Tom Boelling, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 a union that counts 35 bonding mechanics affected by the initial round of layoffs as members. Some of the programs were secret, Boelling said, describing the companys contracts. The only work they really have left is for Boeing. He said he didnt remember any other layoffs affecting GKNs local workforce in at least the last 20 years. Some workers affected by the layoffs will retire, Boelling said, while others will seek new work. He expressed hope that everyone cut from GKN could find a new job with Boeing, if they apply for it. Thats what weve encouraged them to do, he said. Boeing is going to be hiring a lot of people over the next few years. GKN declined to expand on the companys plans when reached Friday. KIRKWOOD If you go to Docs Harley-Davidson in Kirkwood, you might be met at the door by a man called Bones. Bones can answer your questions, direct you to the clothing or parts departments or even help sell you a motorcycle. Bones does not actually work at Docs Harley-Davidson. He is not an employee. He just loves the place so much that he hangs around every day, helping out in any way he can. Bones Baker thats his real first name has been spending time at Docs since he bought his first motorcycle there in 1980, when he was 14 (They didnt really know how old I was. In the 80s, they didnt look that hard, he said). A senior global vehicle tech for FedEx, he stops by for a couple of hours almost every afternoon after work. Its family, he said. Seeing the smile when someone buys a bike is crazy. You cant touch it. He is such an integral, familiar part of the business, that he compares the feeling of belonging to the television show Cheers. Everybody at Docs, customers and employees alike, knows his name. Docs is the oldest Harley-Davidson dealer in Missouri, dating back to 1955. General Manager Tom Moore has worked at several Harley dealerships across Texas and California, but when he first walked into Docs last year, he said he was taken by its charm. He said that many of the employees have been there for so long that it feels like a family. Byron Santos of Des Peres has been coming to Docs at least since 1990, since it was a hole in the wall, he said. It was previously on a much smaller lot next door, near the intersection of South Kirkwood Road and Big Bend road, with little room for parking and a steep hill to get in and out of the lot. He said the staff is friendly and praised the service they provide, but added that what keeps him coming back are the Harleys themselves. Im always dreaming about new bikes. This place is like Toys R Us, he said. Harleys are different from other motorcycles; they have a mystique all their own. Harley-Davidson is the largest American-made motorcycle brand by far, and it trades heavily on its all-American image. With a distinctive engine sound (potato-potato-potato) created by a V-twin engine, Harleys can easily be identified by their sound alone. And although their owners are as likely to be anesthesiologists and accountants as anything else, Harleys still carry with them a rebellious, bad-boy, anti-establishment image that calls to mind the movie Easy Rider and the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Moore calls it the cool rider image. But the cool riders are getting older, so the company has been releasing models to attract the interest of a new generation of motorcycle riders. Recent lines such as the Street series are designed to give the rider a lower, more aerodynamic profile and comes without a windscreen, though one can be added. Baker said that practically everyone customizes his Harley in some way, leading to the sense that no two are alike. At Docs, the sales are split evenly between new and used bikes, so Docs still has plenty for the cool riders, too. Most notable is a 2023 Electra Glide Highway King, a new, modern take on the classic Electra Glide model that first came out in 1968. The model is a rarity. Only 1,000 of these motorcycles have been produced in the vintage Hi-Fi Orange color, and another 750 in the equally vintage Hi-Fi Magenta. Docs has one of the orange models its number 928 out of 1,000 and will also be getting a magenta model. But the orange one is going to come with a sidecar in the same color, one of very few that will be made (Moore estimates there will be about 15 to 20 of these sidecars available anywhere on the planet). The motorcycle and sidecar will be sold together for something in the $50,000 range, Moore said. Part of the Docs experience is the communal joy that is expressed whenever a customer buys a motorcycle. The new owner gets to ring a big bell, and the sales staff responds by honking the surprisingly loud horns on the motorcycles in the showroom. In 2023, Moore said they expect the bell to be rung about 600 times. The parts department is located on one end of the showroom, and beyond that is a full garage for repairs. About 20 bays are lined up to service that many motorcycles at once and an expediter keeps the room running efficiently. Moore said the expediters job is to ensure that the best technician for each job is assigned to the appropriate repair the most experienced workers are given the engines to repair; less experienced might work on the brakes. Behind the building is a track where instructors teach safety measures and how to ride to people who have not been on a motorcycle before. Its part of a riding academy that also includes a classroom for new riders to qualify for a motorcycle endorsement on their drivers license. A motorcycle endorsement is required by law to operate a motorcycle or a motortricycle on public roadways. Part of the Harley mystique extends to merchandise: clothing such as T-shirts and leather jackets; safety gear such as helmets and boots; and home items such as shot glasses, wine racks and a beverage dispenser designed to resemble an old-fashioned gas pump. Collectibles are big, too. Harley makes its own line of piggy banks that are particularly popular, said marketing director Maria Bruno. Also big are poker chips with the Docs logo on them; some Harley riders buy one from every dealership they visit. Some store them in albums, a visual reminder of every Harley shop theyve been to. People who dont ride Harleys still come in and buy a shirt for their friend who does, Moore said. ST. LOUIS A man whose murder charges were dropped earlier this year following numerous failures in the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office was shot and killed Thursday morning outside his home in the citys West End neighborhood. Levi Henning, 21, was on his way to court around 8:20 a.m. for a hearing in a separate robbery case when police received a call for shots fired in the 5600 block of Bartmer Avenue. Officers said they found Henning dead with multiple wounds to his head and upper torso. Hennings attorney, David Mueller, said he went to the hearing in Hennings case and was surprised when his client didnt show. Mueller tried to call Henning afterward, excited to tell him that his case had been dropped after months of delays and legal wrangling, but he learned the 21-year-old was dead instead. He was murdered two hours from freedom, Mueller said. Henning had previously been charged with murder in the death of 18-year-old Carieal Doss, who was found shot in the head in the citys Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood on April 14, 2020. Mueller said the case was mishandled from the start: A search warrant contained false statements and prosecutors took months to turn over key evidence. Evidence pointed to another perpetrator. Meanwhile, Doss family searched for justice. They received few updates from prosecutors, so Doss mother, Johnetta Doss, intently watched the states online court records and attended every hearing. Then, earlier this year, prosecutors dismissed Hennings murder case altogether, making it one of the thousands that were dropped during St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners tenure. Gardner resigned in May amid mounting efforts seeking her removal. Following her resignation, Doss told the Post-Dispatch she hoped prosecutors would re-open the case. She also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Henning in late May. Now, Mueller said, he is left thinking about his client, who was charming and thoughtful even as he sat in jail. Henning had plans to work for his father. He was ready to move on. He was on the verge before the continued gun violence in our city claimed another young life, Mueller said. Police said they have not identified any suspects in Hennings death. ST. CHARLES COUNTY Two men decided separately in recent months to see if their laser pointers could hit helicopters in the skies around St. Louis only to discover they made a big and potentially dangerous mistake, according to local law enforcement. It turns out, in both cases, the aircraft was a police helicopter with the regions Metro Air Support Unit, which aids investigations from the sky in St. Louis and St. Charles and St. Louis counties. The men were soon arrested and investigated by the FBI, and they now face federal felony charges for whats increasingly reported as a hazard to pilots across the country. Its not just a practical joke. This could potentially cause a helicopter crash, said St. Charles County police chief Kurt Frisz, who himself was a St. Louis County police helicopter pilot for more than a decade. People dont realize it can temporarily blind a pilot. In the recent cases, Jason Foster, 47, and David Gammil, 44, are both facing federal counts of aiming a laser at an aircraft for shining lasers into helicopters just a few days apart in February. Both have pleaded not guilty. And, perhaps surprisingly, the crime theyre accused of is increasingly common. In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration tracked nearly 9,500 reports of lasers hitting aircraft, up about 40% from 2020. In just the St. Louis area, pilots have reported 76 cases since the beginning of 2022. Investigators say people behind those reports are often just experimenting with lasers and dont realize the harm. Greg Heeb, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the FBI St. Louis field office, said that while the laser may appear like a small pinpoint from the ground, the light becomes bigger and more intense when it hits a plane or helicopter in the sky. Its like blinding flood light right in your eyes, Heeb said in an interview. Weve actually seen cases where a pilot is temporarily blinded and a co-pilot has to step in. In the worst-case scenarios, it can permanently damage a pilots vision. Thats why the FBI takes it so seriously. Getting caught laser-handed Pilots with the Metro Air Support Unit can track down the perpetrators from the sky within minutes. Private airlines and flight towers will also sometimes call the police helicopter to help track down people pointing lasers at their flights. The two-person crew in the police chopper can then use their cameras to spot where the laser is coming from, sometimes getting a good look at the person waving a laser in their direction. In one recent case, pilots were able to see a man targeting them through the camera standing and smoking with the laser in his hand, said St. Louis County police pilot Breandt Wathen. Police pilots can then shine their own spotlight and share the persons location by radio to officers on the ground who can make an arrest. Wathen said hes had lasers flashed his way a few times in his two years flying with the department. The beams fully illuminate the cockpit, causing his night vision goggles to turn off, he said. The flash can be blinding and make it hard to see the dimmed lights of the flight controls at night. Its like a 100-watt lightbulb suddenly being flipped on in the cockpit, said another pilot Chris Steib, whos spent more than 15 years as a St. Louis County police pilot with Metro Air Support. It gets worse around Christmas time because even some light shows will inadvertently hit us, Steib said. Steib said pilots are trained to fly away from the lasers, but it can take them away from important assignments like tracking down missing people or following police chases. After an arrest, police turn over the laser cases to FBI investigators who specialize in private aviation crimes. The cases lead to federal charges most of the time, especially after a federal law criminalizing pointing lasers at aircraft was signed into law in 2012, said Frisz. He was on the board of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association that backed the legislation at the time. The law really streamlines the process of charging people, he said. The idea is to show people how serious this is. The federal offense is punishable by five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Offenders can also get a civil penalty from the FAA of up to $11,000 per violation. Why people do it The uptick in laser reports prompts an obvious question: Why do people do it? There are probably a handful of people that maliciously do it, but I think more often its people who think: Hey, this is cool. I got a new laser. Chief Frisz said. They see a helicopter and want to see if they can light it up and it becomes a very expensive lesson for them. Frisz that a first offense often leads to probation and a fine, but also a lasting criminal federal conviction. In 2012, for example, police arrested Michael Brandon Smith, then 35, with a laser pointer in his hand at his OFallon, Missouri, home. Smith pleaded guilty in 2012, after telling police he had been drinking and playing around with the laser and wasnt aware of the harm it could cause. In 2010, another Ofallon man, then-24-year-old Justin Stouder, apologized at an FBI press conference after he was arrested for targeting a Metro Air Support Unit chopper. Stouder was not charged, instead spending a year in a probation-like program called pre-trial diversion. He explained to the cameras he was simply testing the laser, which belonged to the uncle of a friend. It started off just admiring the laser and shining it and seeing how far it could go and what itd hit, Stouder said, saying he then targeted the helicopter. I had no idea it illuminated the cockpit and blinded everybody inside. Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday wrapped up his visit to Germany and France, the first stops of his maiden overseas trip since taking office. Here's a recap of his visit in photos. ST. LOUIS A corrections officer at the St. Louis jail was indicted this week on a federal civil rights charge over accusations he assaulted a handcuffed detainee. Direll Alexander, 45, pleaded not guilty Friday to a single charge of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Federal authorities say Alexander assaulted and injured a detainee on March 6 while the detainee posed no risk to him, according to the indictment. Alexander was named last year in a federal lawsuit alleging "violent and systemic" abuse of chemical sprays and water shutoffs at the downtown City Justice Center. In the suit, a detainee named Darnell Rusan accused Alexander of slamming his head into the wall in an elevator then "hitting and choking him." Alexander also testified before the Board of Aldermen's Public Safety committee to plead for better treatment and hazard pay for city jail guards, who he said earn less than their counterparts in St. Louis County and St. Charles County and often work overtime because of extreme staff shortages. Alexander was paid $35,729 in 2021, according to the Post-Dispatch's public payroll database. Alexander's attorney, Terry Niehoff, said Friday he was reviewing the case and declined comment. ST. LOUIS The state ethics commission on Friday fined one of last years candidates for aldermanic president $6,000, citing a litany of campaign finance violations. The Missouri Ethics Commission said entrepreneur Mark Kummer failed to report contributions of more than $5,000 within 48 hours, neglected to itemize a raft of in-kind contributions worth more than $50,000 and never filed a key disclosure when he terminated a campaign committee. The order said Kummers campaign committees also ran afoul of residency rules: They were situated in the city, but their treasurer lived in St. Louis County. The commission said state law requires committees to have treasurers residing in the same district or county. Kummer spent only a short time in last years race to fill a spot vacated by former Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, who was indicted in a bribery scheme. Shortly after Kummer filed signatures and got on the ballot for the August primary, a judge kicked him off, saying he didnt meet the residency requirement for the position. A century-old rule in the city charter requires candidates for aldermanic president and mayor to reside here for five years and be an assessed taxpayer for two years next before their election. Kummer had moved from Massachusetts less than a year earlier. That set up a two-horse race between then-Alderman Jack Coatar, of Soulard, and then-Alderwoman Megan Green, of Tower Grove South. Green won the November election by roughly 10 percentage points. Both commission officials and Kummer signed Fridays order, which also says that if Kummer pays $600 of the $6,000 fine within 45 days and doesnt commit additional violations within the next two years, he wont have to pay the full amount. We came to a mutual agreement with the MEC, Kummer said in a brief interview Friday, and Im happy that my political career is over. ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters who surged most of the way to Moscow have agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed, their leader said on Saturday, in a de-escalation of what had become a major challenge to President Vladimir Putins grip on power. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. In an audio message, Prigozhin said the fighters would return to base because of the risk of blood being spilled. A deal to halt further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia in return for guarantees of safety for the rebels was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his office said. Earlier, Prigozhin said his men were on a march for justice to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russias very existence was under threat. We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. Putin later signed a law tightening rules for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency said. Video obtained by Reuters showed troop carriers and two flatbed trucks each carrying a tank driving 30 miles (50 km) beyond Voronezh, more than half way to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the military top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in the city of Rostov without firing a shot. Rostov serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russias entire invasion force in Ukraine. ___ Our earlier story, posted at 8 a.m. ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia Russian military helicopters opened fire on Saturday afternoon on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than halfway towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing a southern city overnight. President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny he compared to Russias Civil War a century ago. Fighters from Yevgeny Prigozhins private Wagner militia were in control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine, and were rapidly advancing northwards through western Russia. A Reuters journalist saw army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column that was advancing past the city of Voronezh with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck. The city is more than halfway along the 1,100-km (680-mile) highway from Rostov to Moscow. Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov after leading his forces into Russia from Ukraine. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russias entire invasion force, residents milled about, filming on mobile phones, as Wagner fighters in armored vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had Siberia daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason, Putin said in a televised address, comparing the insurrection at a time of war abroad to Russias revolution and civil war unleashed during World War I. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it, Prigozhin said in an audio message. We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption and deceit. In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov come to see him in Rostov. Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, Britains defense ministry said. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. Putins grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to combat the mercenaries at a time when most of Russias military is deployed at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine. The insurrection also risks leaving Russias invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Prigozhins revolt Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails. His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine war, including the protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut. He railed for months against the regular armys top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defense Ministry command. He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defense Ministry denied it. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country, he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagners way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority, he said. JEFFERSON CITY In response to significant interest, state officials said this week they will hold a public hearing on one beef packers plan to potentially pump 350,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day into a southwest Missouri river. Missouri Department of Natural Resources staff said Thursday they had received more than 800 comments in response to a proposal by Missouri Prime Beef Packers to pipe treated wastewater into Pomme de Terre River. The river flows to Pomme de Terre Lake, constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and then to the Harry S. Truman Reservoir, according to the Department of Conservation. The slaughterhouse, located north of Pleasant Hope, Missouri, currently has 109 acres of available land to apply waste and operates three lagoons at a facility that had previously processed pigs. The company wants permission to discharge at all times, but especially during wet and frozen ground conditions that currently pose a challenge at the site, according to a 41-page Water Quality and Degradation Review issued by the DNR. The review states: The proposed new facility discharge location will result in significant degradation of Pomme de Terre River. After it is determined that a companys proposal would result in significant degradation, the DNR sets proposed limits on pollutants to protect water quality, said John Hoke, water protection program manager for the Department of Natural Resources. The limits ensure that all the uses, all the designated uses of Pomme de Terre River, and Pomme de Terre Lake, are protected, Hoke said Friday. That means no toxicity to fish or other aquatic life, that means folks are able to swim and boat and kayak. The review also notes that the facility employs about 400 people. The review says proper and cost-effective operation of the facility serves the environmental and economic interests of local communities and the state. DNR staff recommended approval of the companys plans within certain limits, but said in a May 25 public notice that the determination was tentative pending public comment. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. Monday. Given the response and interest in this proposed discharge, the department will hold a public meeting in the area following the close of the public comment period, Brian Quinn, department spokesman, said Thursday. We will provide sufficient notice of the public meeting so that interested parties can attend. Quinn said the departments decision on altering Missouri Prime Beefs current permit would be made after the public meeting. A company representative did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Quinn said the DNR had not determined how many of the over 800 comments favored the proposal and how many opposed it. But there is certainly widespread interest in the proposed discharge, its impact to the area and that water quality in Pomme de Terre River and downstream Pomme de Terre Lake is protected, Quinn said. As evidence of opposition, a Change.org petition titled Stop Missouri Prime Beef from dumping waste into the Pomme De Terre River had generated more than 1,000 signatures as of Friday. Missouri Prime Beef Packers opened in 2021 in response to nationwide pandemic-related processing issues, according to the review. Texas-based STX Beef Company announced in May that it had acquired Missouri Prime Beef Packers in Pleasant Hope and immediately took over its operations, Brownfield Ag News reported. The Missouri facility processes about 750 cows per day, five days per week. The plant has been cited for wastewater runoff and for land application equipment issues, the state documents said. The proposed discharge will help the facility manage their wastewater flows, the documents said. The company wants to use iLeaf technology to break down waste before it is discharged into the river. The department said the iLeaf technology is considered innovative under state regulations and that frequent monitoring for pollutants would be necessary. Alternatives to the iLeaf technology, which uses microorganisms to break down biological contaminants, were not considered cost effective and werent chosen, according to the review. A November 2020 geologic evaluation at the site for Missouri Prime Beef Packers is also included in the report. At the time, a proposal said existing lagoons, a proposed lagoon, and land application of waste would serve the companys wastewater needs. The evaluation said the site received a moderate collapse potential rating, primarily due to the depth and size of the proposed lagoon. The 2020 evaluation noted potential damage in the event of lagoon collapse or wastewater treatment failure. Regional groundwater contamination would be minimal, but shallow and local groundwater resources and surface water of Pomme de Terre River and its tributaries may be adversely impacted, the evaluation said. A natural heritage review by the conservation department noted possible fish spawning in the Pomme de Terre River and that activities that alter or destabilize stream bottoms or banks should be avoided between March 15 and June 15. The culture wars came to St. Charles with a vengeance this week. Tuesdays raucous meeting of the St. Charles County library board featured hundreds of residents furiously debating each other over what? The legacy of the recently departed novelist Cormac McCarthy? The relative literary merits of John Steinbeck versus Toni Morrison? No, no something way more literarily consequential: A library clerk who was spotted wearing makeup, nail polish and a goatee, and the immense danger that sight allegedly posed to one library patrons young son. There was something chilling about the way the confrontation veered from the issue of appropriate attire to parents demanding that supposedly pornographic though oddly unspecified books be pulled from the library shelves. Some of them cited Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcrofts recent, demagogic move to bring libraries around the state under his thumb. You know that slippery slope that free-speech advocates are always harping about? Its getting steeper and steeper underneath Missouris libraries. The controversy started last month, when a woman at the library with her 4-year-old son complained on social media of having seen a library clerk dressed in drag at the Kathryn Linnemann branch of the library in St. Charles. That led to a protest by the woman and about 30 supporters, who were demanding a stricter dress code for library system employees, and a larger protest by about 60 counter-protesters defending the clerk. On Tuesday, some 350 people crammed into the St. Charles County library board meeting to resume the debate, with counter-protesters again appearing to outnumber the protesters. As reported by the Post-Dispatchs Ethan Colbert, protesters described the library clerk as having worn a leather corset, fishnet stockings, and four-inch stilettos eye-popping details that, oddly, werent mentioned in the initial complaint. Francis Howell School Board member Jane Puszkar accused the clerk of wanting to harm our children by exposing them to things they dont understand, and called for firing the library CEO and removing County Executive Steve Ehlmanns ability to appoint library board members. Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis front-yard-gun-waver and failed U.S. Senate candidate, was there to allege the library system was harboring books that would land any adult in prison for reading. (List, please?) Others wielded Bible quotations, including one suggesting the killing of those who fall into sin. Yet theres something decidedly unChristian about hounding and persecuting a library clerk who has done nothing to them except, as the clerks partner put it at the meeting, exist. While local communities should have a say in things like attire standards in public facilities, that doesnt supersede First Amendment rights of speech and expression. And what happened to common-sense perspective? A nude library clerk would be one thing. But all this over a library clerk in mascara? Really? Would this reaction to a little nail polish have happened even five years ago? We suspect that even most conservatives back then would have rolled their eyes and gone on with their lives. But today, in the depths of the culture wars, no controversy is passed up. This dark phenomenon has already encircled issues like health care and classroom curriculum. Now theyre coming for the libraries. This should worry all reasonable Americans no matter what theyre wearing. NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS June 24, 2023: During 2022 China increased its nuclear warhead inventory by 15 percent. At 410 warheads, China has the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world, behind Russias 4,489 warheads (including 12 added in 2022) and America's 3,708. The remaining nuclear powers have smaller warhead inventories. France has 290, Britain 225, Pakistan 170 (five added in 2022), India 164 (four added in 2022) Israel 90 and North Korea 30 (five added in 2022). China has several thousand ballistic missiles, most of them known to be armed only with a variety of conventional (non-nuclear) warheads. It turns out China has a lot more nuclear warheads than earlier believed. Another revelation is that China considers nuclear warheads much less important than previously believed. A recent effort to calculate how many nuclear warheads China has concluded that they have not been producing enough plutonium for an expansion of their nuclear warhead inventory, apparently configure their longer range (ICBM and IRBM) missiles with several types of conventional warheads, and keep a small number of nuclear warheads in a separate location. This means that even ICBMs are seen as primarily non-nuclear missiles. Recent reports of new missile silos being built inland are apparently not for nuclear missiles, but long-range missiles armed with conventional warheads. This strategy has long been suspected because for decades China openly threatened Taiwan with over a thousand short range ballistic missiles armed with several types of conventional warheads with the capability of making a surprise attack that would be able to overwhelm any BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) capability Taiwan has, even if reinforced by American or Japanese Aegis BMD destroyers. The hundreds of new silos in central China would be more difficult to disable by airstrikes and provide longer range ballistic missiles with conventional warheads to assist attacks on Taiwan, as well as South Korea, Japan and American bases in the Pacific. This use of non-nuclear ballistic missiles is more in line with published Chinese strategy, which emphasizes avoiding the use of nukes at all costs while also using all ballistic missiles as artillery equipped with non-nuclear warheads. To maintain this large force of ballistic missiles requires regularly using some of them to test new guidance systems and conventional warhead designs. This means China carries out far more test launches than anyone else. In 2019 China was noted to have carried out more missile launches, for testing and development, than the rest of the world combined. China is a nuclear power that is not particularly concerned about boasting of how many nukes and delivery systems it has. China is also better able to keep secret most of its missile tests. Rather than firing missiles out to sea, where they have to issue a warning to ships to avoid the area where the warheads will land, China conducts most of its missile tests at an inland test site near the Gobi Desert with plenty of open space and far from prying eyes. The only nation with a good idea of how many Chinese missile tests there are each year is the United States, which has a worldwide network of early-warning satellites that can spot the heat generated from a ballistic missile launch anywhere on the planet. For a long time, the U.S. did not disclose how many Chinese missile launches they spotted each year but, in a 2018 speech, an American official commented that China launched more missiles each year than the rest of the world combined. Similar comments since then indicate that China is currently launching more than a hundred missiles a year, most of them at the remote inland test site in the northwest. The Americans also have a network of electronic monitoring satellites that can collect telemetry data. This is what the test warhead transmits back to earth about how the missile is performing. This data is encrypted and the U.S. says even less about how many of these signals it captures and decrypts. A growing number of American analysts, including the more senior ones that specialize in ballistic missile and nuclear weapons trends, have maintained that the large Chinese missile force, including the ones the West classifies as nuclear only exist mainly to support surprise attacks by missiles carrying non-nuclear warheads. Chinese military journals describe over a dozen types of non-nuclear warheads, but little is said about any nuclear warheads except basic models. The U.S. is very interested in finding out details of new Chinese missiles because some will have capabilities that the U.S. and Russia gave up for several decades because of the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) disarmament treaty signed near the end of the Cold War. The U.S. did admit that the main reason for not renewing the INF Treaty with Russia in 2019 was not just Russian cheating, but also because China never signed the INF treaty and was free to develop ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers the INF prohibits. China has openly developed a lot of ballistic missiles that the INF forbids. Originally INF was created to reduce the proliferation of shorter-range missiles with nuclear warheads. The Chinese preference for non-nuclear missiles was ignored or played down for a long time. China also insists it is unconcerned about who the target for nuclear armed missiles is. In 2009, China announced that its nuclear-armed ballistic missiles were not aimed at anyone and that was probably true. Like most countries, China has long refused to say who its nuclear-armed missiles are aimed at. Most of those missiles only have enough range to hit Russia, or India, or other nearby nations. For a long time, most were very definitely aimed at Russia, which had rocky relations with China from the 1960s to the 1990s. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the new, much smaller, Russia became much friendlier with the wealthier, more capitalist, but still run by communists China. Relations between China and India also warmed up then went into a deep freeze as China claimed more and more Indian territory. China is believed to have 300-400 nuclear warheads but only about 200 of them are ready for use and most of them are the new standard 400kt type, which is smaller and lighter than the megaton (1,000kt) warheads China originally produced. Fewer than a hundred of Chinese ballistic missiles could reach the United States. These include the older (and about to be retired) DF-5, plus the newer DF-31A and DF-41. Now it turns out that these missiles normally carry a non-nuclear warhead, with the nuclear warheads stored somewhere else. Some are stored near ICBMs but even those long-range missiles are kept ready to fire with non-nuclear warheads. Few Chinese ballistic missiles lacking intercontinental range are armed with nuclear warheads or apparently even equipped to handle nuclear warheads. Chinese strategy has long been to use lots of ballistic missiles armed with various kinds of high-explosive warheads. China was long believed to have about 2,000 ballistic missiles, most of them short (under a thousand kilometers) range plus over 300 cruise missiles. It turns out that China actually had about 50 percent more ballistic missiles than previously believed, mostly assigned to theater (local) commands that have these missile brigades as a form of long-range artillery. China is also developing more cruise missiles concentrating, as is the United States, on stealth and additional capabilities. In recognition of all this China created a fourth branch of the military, the Rocket Force, in 2016. At the time this was assumed to signal a major expansion of nuclear armed ballistic missiles. That didnt happen. China is also developing and deploying many new missiles. In fact, China has more types of ballistic missiles, at least 40, than any other nation. What was long overlooked was how many of these shorter-range ballistic missiles China had built. China also invests heavily in its new missile technologies, like its hypersonic glide missile, the DF-ZF. Chinas current ballistic missile inventory apparently includes about twenty DF-41 (range of 14,000 kilometers), eighty DF-31 (8,000 kilometers), thirty DF-5 (14,000 kilometers), thirty DF-4 (5,500 kilometers), about a thousand DF-26 (4,000 kilometers), 600 DF-21D Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (1,500 kilometers), 700 DF-21 (1,700 kilometers), 500 DF-16 (800 kilometers), 300 DF-15B (800 kilometers), 500 DF-15A (900 kilometers), at least 1,200 DF-11A (700 kilometers). The only cruise missile is the CJ-10A (1,500 kilometers). There are several hundred other short-range ballistic missiles as well, some of them still in development. Since the 1990s China has always had a few active DF-5 ICBMs. For a long time, these were their only missiles that could reach the United States. In response the U.S. has since installed 18 ICBM interceptor missile systems in Alaska. These mainly with North Korean missiles but could also destroy most Chinese missiles headed for the western United States. It makes sense for China to simply say that it is not aiming nuclear missiles at anyone. Modern guidance systems can be quickly (in minutes) programmed for a new target, so it doesn't really matter that, normally, the missiles have no target information in them. The DF-5s, moreover, are liquid-fueled, and the considerable activity required to ready them for launch can be detected by spy satellites. The DF-5s have been largely replaced by solid fuel DF-41s which are mobile for erection and launch from special trucks. With a 15,000-kilometer range, they can reach all of the United States. The third stage contains multiple warheads, each with an explosive yield of about 400 KT. India is of growing concern to China, but there are shorter range ballistic missiles, like the DF-21, to deal with that threat. The Chinese introduced the DF-21 in 1999 and now has nearly a thousand in service or on order. Most have non-nuclear warheads. This missile has a range of over 1,800 kilometers and was designed to use the new 400 kiloton nuclear warhead. It's a two-stage, 15 ton, solid-fuel rocket. Launched from Tibet, the DF-21 can reach most major targets in India. Back in 2006 China put the larger DF-31 into service. Sort of. This was China's first solid-fuel ICBM (with a range of over 8,000 kilometers) and roughly equivalent to the U.S. Minuteman I of the 1960s. The DF-31 weighs about 46 tons and is 20 meters (62 feet) long and 2.25 meters (7 feet) in diameter. It was designed for use on submarines, land silos and mobile launchers meant to halt at those "parking lots in the middle of nowhere" visible in satellite pictures of Qinghai province. The DF-31 has been shown stored in a TEL (transporter, erector, launcher) vehicle. Driving these vehicles along special highways in remote areas provides more protection from counterattacks than using a reinforced silo. Later, the improved DF-13A appeared, with multiple warheads and more range (up to 12,000 kilometers, which could cover all the United States.) The DF-31 was in development for over twenty years and only had its first successful launch in 1999. It's now believed to have a reliable and accurate guidance system, as well as a third stage that carries at least one 400 kiloton warhead. DF-31s are in service, along with DF-31As and most of these appear to be aimed at European Russia. Then there is a submarine-launched missile the JL (Julang) 2 SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile). This missile has had a lot of problems as have the SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) that carry them. The 42-ton JL-2 has a range of 8,000 kilometers and would enable China to aim missiles at any target in the United States from a 094 class SSBN cruising off Hawaii or Alaska. Each 094 boat can carry twelve of these missiles, which are naval versions of the existing land based 42-ton DF-31 ICBM. The JL-2 was supposed to have entered service in 2015, but kept failing test launches. China decided that JL-2 was reliable enough and ordered it installed in four SLBMs. No Chinese SSBN has ever gone on a combat cruise, because these boats, as well as the SLBMs, have been very unreliable. By 2023 the JL-2 was deemed reliable enough to be carried on long range patrols by Chinese SSBN, but the SSBNs themselves ae too unreliable to safely make those. It always seemed strange to foreigners that China was not putting more resources into making its SSBNs capable of regular service. Now we know; China does not value or fear nukes as much as other nations. This is not really novel, as China continues to use classic Chinese strategies and tactics. China does not try to hide this as most of their foreign foes do that for them. There is another major problem, the reliability of nuclear warheads. Warheads contain some essential components that degrade over time. There are also a lot of electronics to monitor to assure continued reliability. During the Cold War it was discovered that reliability was difficult to monitor or maintain. Over the years it was discovered that large numbers of warheads have been, or became unreliable because there was not enough testing or the test methods were later discovered to be unreliable. Nations with a free press, like the United States, are unable to keep details of warhead reliability secret. Debates over how much money needs to be spent on maintaining warheads often become public. In the early 1990, many Soviet nuclear secrets were revealed. The Soviet warheads were less reliable and the Russian solution was to build more of them so that, if used, enough would work to get the job done. Post-Soviet nukes were more reliable because arms reduction treaties allowed for the older ones to be dismantled. Recent nuclear powers, like North Korea, India and Pakistan, not only have fewer warheads but also less reliable ones. Because of intense international scrutiny, the reliability and effectiveness of North Korean nuclear weapons is much scrutinized. It is unclear if North Korea even has reliable nuclear warheads because they only recently developed working nuclear weapons. Turning these nukes into reliable weapons for ballistic missiles is another chore and it is unclear how effective the North Korean nuclear warheads are. Libya remains divided and deadlocked. There are two main 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 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. Despite all the divisive problems, all the factions recently agreed to support one prime minister and hold national elections before the end of 2023. Russia has moved its embassy from Benghazi to Tripoli. Delays were caused by security concerns. Tripoli still has problems with local militias. By reopening its embassy in Tripoli and backing the Abdulhamid Dbeibah faction in Tripoli rather than the Fathi Bashagha faction and the LNA (Libyan National Army) in the east, Russia is in effect cooperating with Turkey, whose illegal agreements with the Tripoli government include giving Russia some of Greeces rights to explore for oil and gas in areas of the Mediterranean. Libya is encouraging the reestablishment of embassies in Tripoli. The American embassy closed in 2014 but so far the Americans have no plans to reopen their embassy. A few dozen nations have, or are planning to reopen their embassies in Tripoli. China has not waited for an embassy to open and has already negotiated several investment deals, including a $33 billion railroad, bus route transportation project and a license to mine for gold in the south. China is accused of bribing local tribes and others to enable these projects to move forward. June 5, 2023: The Libyan GAAIA (General Authority for Awqaf and Islamic Affairs) is seeking to establish a Guardians of Virtue organization to police the practice of Islam in Libya. This sort of thing is not popular with most Libyans. June 4, 2023: In the east, about half the 4,000 Egyptians found to be in Libya illegally have been sent back to Egypt. Some of these Egyptians were in Libya to get on a boat to Europe. Others sought work in Libya, something Egyptians have been doing for decades. June 2, 2023: The UN renewed the European Union authority to inspect ships near Libya to prevent illegal arms shipment to Libya. May 31, 2023: In Tripoli, another gun battle broke out between rival militias loyal to the Tripoli government. Several people were wounded before the fighting stopped. May 27, 2023: The Tripoli government used armed UAVs to carry out airstrikes against smugglers operating near Tripoli. May 23, 2023: The Libyan 6+6 committee met in Morocco and worked out the agreement required to hold national elections by the end of the year. The 6+6 means six representatives from the House of Representatives government in the east and six from the High Council of State government in Tripoli. Now Libya has only one prime minister. Morocco has hosted several conferences like this over the last few years and some progress was made each time. May 16, 2023: In the east, the House of Representatives government ousted its prime minister Fathi Bashagha because of mismanagement and corruption. This makes it more likely that a peace deal with the government in Tripoli can be negotiated. DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News: Aramco and TotalEnergies (Paris: TTE) (LSE: TTE) (NYSE: TTE) today awarded Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts for the $11 billion "Amiral" complex, a future world scale petrochemicals facility expansion at the SATORP refinery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A signing ceremony took place in Dhahran attended by Amin H. Nasser, Aramco President and CEO, and Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO. The award of EPC contracts for main process units and associated utilities marks the start of construction work on this joint project, following the final investment decision in December 2022. Integrated with the SATORP existing refinery in Jubail, the new petrochemical complex will house the largest mixed-load steam cracker in the Gulf, with a capacity to produce 1.65 million tons of ethylene and other industrial gases per year. This expansion is expected to attract more than $4 billion in additional investment in a variety of industrial sectors (carbon fibers, lubes, drilling fluids, detergents, food additives, automotive parts and tires) and create around 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country. Amin H. Nasser, Aramco President & CEO, said: Today we are taking a major step forward in further strengthening the partnership between TotalEnergies and Aramco, with the SATORP expansion project being the latest in a longstanding history of collaboration of almost five decades between both companies. As part of Aramcos growth strategy, the project is anticipated to contribute to value-addition opportunities in the Kingdoms downstream ecosystem, and we thank the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investment for their tremendous support via the Shareek program to make this multi-billion-dollar project a reality. Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies said: This landmark opens a new page in our shared history with Aramco, which we are delighted to be associated with once again. This expansion project reinforces the exemplary relationship that our two companies have enjoyed for several decades in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We would like to thank the Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support throughout the development of this world-class project. The EPC contracts were awarded to: Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd for a mixed feed cracker and utilities, with a nameplate capacity of 1,650 kta of ethylene and related industrial gases, and utilities, flares and interconnecting systems that support main packages within the facilities. for a mixed feed cracker and utilities, with a nameplate capacity of 1,650 kta of ethylene and related industrial gases, and utilities, flares and interconnecting systems that support main packages within the facilities. Maire Tecnimont for two polyethylene units using Advanced Dual Loop technology, with a nameplate capacity of 500 kta each, and the derivative units. for two polyethylene units using Advanced Dual Loop technology, with a nameplate capacity of 500 kta each, and the derivative units. Sinopec Engineering Group Saudi Co. Ltd for Tank Farm and SATORP integration. for Tank Farm and SATORP integration. Gulf Consolidated Contractors Co. for the transfer pipelines. for the transfer pipelines. Mohammed Ali Al-Suwailem Trading and Contracting Co . for industrial support facilities. . for industrial support facilities. Mofarreh Marzouq Al Harbi and Partners Co. Ltd for site preparation. for site preparation. Mobarak M. AlSalomi and Partners for Cont. Co for temporary construction facilities. *** About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. @TotalEnergies TotalEnergies TotalEnergies TotalEnergies About Aramco Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company. We are driven by our core belief that energy is opportunity. From producing approximately one in every eight barrels of the worlds oil supply to developing new energy technologies, our global team is dedicated to creating impact in all that we do. We focus on making our resources more dependable, more sustainable and more useful. This helps promote stability and long-term growth around the world. www.aramco.com Aramco Cautionary Note The terms TotalEnergies, TotalEnergies company or Company in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words we, us and our may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230624677698/en/ TotalEnergies Contacts Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l [email protected] l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l [email protected] Aramco Contact Information Aramco Contact Information www.saudiaramco.com International Media Relations : [email protected] Source: TOTALENERGIES SE TORONTO, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Firm Capital Property Trust ("FCPT" or the "Trust"), (TSX: FCD.UN) is pleased to announce the voting results from its Annual Meeting of unitholders ("Unitholders) of Trust Units (Units) of the Trust held on June 23, 2023 (the Meeting). All the matters put forward before Unitholders for consideration and approval as set out in the Trust's management information circular dated May 9, 2023 (the "Circular") were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the Meeting. In particular, Unitholders approved the election of all trustee nominees and the approval of RSM Canada LLP as the Trust's auditors. The board of trustees of the Trust is now comprised as follows: Nominee Votes "For" % Votes "For" Votes "Withheld" % of Votes "Withheld" Geoffrey Bledin 5,655,003 98.924% 61,488 1.076% Eli Dadouch 4,853,960 84.912% 862,531 15.088% Stanley Goldfarb 5,658,272 98.982% 58,219 1.018% Jonathan Mair 4,823,198 84.373% 893,293 15.627% Robert McKee 4,822,248 84.357% 894,243 15.643% Sandy Poklar 4,812,449 84.185% 904,042 15.815% Lawrence Shulman 5,626,535 98.426% 89,956 1.574% Howard Smuschkowitz 5,649,897 98.835% 66,594 1.165% Manfred Walt 5,659,147 98.997% 57,344 1.003% Victoria Granovski 4,810,074 84.144% 906,417 15.856% Jeffrey Goldfarb 5,620,960 98.329% 95,531 1.671% * The number of votes disclosed reflects proxies received by management of the Trust in advance of the Meeting. 5,932,598 Units were represented by Unitholders in person or by proxy at the Meeting, representing approximately 16.029% of the total issued and outstanding Units at the record date for the Meeting. Full details of the voting results will be posted under the Trust's profile on www.sedar.com. ABOUT FIRM CAPITAL PROPERTY TRUST (TSX : FCD.UN) Firm Capital Property Trust is focused on creating long-term value for Unitholders, through capital preservation and disciplined investing to achieve stable distributable income. In partnership with management and industry leaders, The Trusts plan is to own as well as to co-own a diversified property portfolio of multi-residential, flex industrial, net lease convenience retail, and core service provider professional space. In addition to stand alone accretive acquisitions, the Trust will make joint acquisitions with strong financial partners and acquisitions of partial interests from existing ownership groups, in a manner that provides liquidity to those selling owners and professional management for those remaining as partners. Firm Capital Realty Partners Inc., through a structure focused on an alignment of interests with the Trust sources, syndicates and property and asset manages investments on behalf of the Trust. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, among others, statements associated with the opportunities that may be available to the Trust and statements regarding the business of the Trust. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", and by discussions of strategies that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Trust. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and various future events will not occur. Although management of the Trust believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements will occur as anticipated. These statements are not guarantees and are based on our estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Trusts Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2022 under Risks and Uncertainties (a copy of which can be obtained at www.sedar.com). Neither the Trust nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any forward-looking statements, and no one has any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or such other factors which affect this information, except as required by law. Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Additional information about the Trust is available at www.firmcapital.com or www.sedar.com. For further information, please contact: Robert McKee Sandy Poklar President & Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer (416) 635-0221 (416) 635-0221 For Investor Relations information, please contact: Victoria Moayedi Director, Investor Relations (416) 635-0221 Source: Firm Capital Property Trust Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, also the Permanent Observer of China to the Organization of American States (OAS), leads a Chinese government delegation to attend the 53rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly at the organizer's invitation in Washington, the United States. The event ran from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, bringing together foreign ministers and vice foreign ministers from more than 30 regional countries.(Xinhua) WASHINGTON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng recently addressed a regional conference convening nations of the Americas, where he introduced Chinese modernization and China's historic achievements in human rights and democracy. Xie, also the Permanent Observer of China to the Organization of American States (OAS), led a Chinese government delegation to attend the 53rd Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly at the organizer's invitation. The event ran from Wednesday to Friday in Washington, bringing together foreign ministers and vice foreign ministers from more than 30 regional countries. China is committed to a human rights development path that meets the trend of the times and suits its national conditions, and has been constantly developing whole-process people's democracy, Xie said this during a dialogue between OAS member states and permanent observers. Such democracy exists in both process and outcome, procedure and substance. A combination of direct and indirect democracy, it is people's democracy in nature, and also represents the will of the state. It is therefore the most extensive, genuine and effective socialist democracy. Democracy is not a slogan; it should be used to resolve real problems, he noted. "Only the wearer knows if the shoes fit or not." There is no one-size-fits-all development model, Xie said, adding that China advocates safeguarding human rights through security, promoting them through development, and advancing them through cooperation. "We believe that true democracy and human rights are about respecting other countries' choice of democracy models and human rights practices." China welcomes exchanges and mutual learning, and stands ready to work with all to advance the global cause of human rights protection, and build a community with a shared future for mankind. Xie spoke highly about the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, saying that under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the China-LAC relationship has entered a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people. The cooperation between the two sides has delivered tangible benefits to regional people. So far, 22 regional countries have joined the Belt and Road Initiative. China is ready to work with LAC countries to seek greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and their national development strategies, and jointly forge a China-LAC community with a shared future, Xie added. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gatos Silver, Inc. (NYSE/TSX: GATO) (Gatos Silver or the Company) is providing this bi-weekly default status report in accordance with National Policy 12-203 Management Cease Trade Orders (NP 12-203). In its March 18, 2022 news release (the Notice), the Company announced the delay in the filing of its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 which includes its audited consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended December 31, 2021, together with the auditors report thereon and the notes thereto, its managements discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021 relating to the audited annual financial statements, and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer certificates relating to its annual filings by the filing deadline of March 31, 2022 (the 2021 Annual Filings). In its May 13, 2022 news release, the Company announced the delay in the filing of its interim financial filings on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022, which includes interim financial statements as at and for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022, together with its managements discussion and analysis for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022 relating to the interim financial statements, and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer certificates relating to its interim filings by the filing deadline of May 16, 2022. In its August 5, 2022 news release, the Company announced the delay in filing its interim financial filings on Form 10-Q for the quarterly and year to date periods ended June 30, 2022, which includes interim financial statements as at June 30, 2022 and for the quarterly and year to date periods ended June 30, 2022, together with its managements discussion and analysis for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022 relating to the interim financial statements, and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer certificates relating to its interim filings by the filing deadline of August 15, 2022. In its November 11, 2022 news release, the Company announced the delay in filing its interim financial filings on Form 10-Q for the quarterly and year to date periods ended September 30, 2022, which includes interim financial statements as at September 30, 2022 and for the quarterly and year to date periods ended September 30, 2022, together with its managements discussion and analysis for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022 relating to the interim financial statements, and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer certificates relating to its interim filings by the filing deadline of November 14, 2022. The Company filed its 2021 Annual Filings on March 20, 2023 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022 (2022 Quarterly Filings) on March 30, 2023. Subsequently on March 30, 2023, the Company announced a delay in filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 which includes its audited consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended December 31, 2022, together with the auditors report thereon and the notes thereto, its managements discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2022 relating to the audited annual financial statements, and the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer certificates relating to its annual filings (2022 Annual Filings). On March 31, 2023, the Company announced the reason for the delay and that it will need to restate its 2021 Annual Filings and 2022 Quarterly Filings. In its April 17, 2023 news release the Company announced a further delay of its 2022 Annual Filings and advised that it was working expeditiously to make the restated filings and the 2022 Annual Filings. The Company also stated that it had postponed its Annual Meeting of Stockholders previously scheduled to be held on May 31, 2023, noting that the meeting will be rescheduled once the 2022 Annual Filings are made. On April 18, 2023, the Company advised that it received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) stating, together with further details, that the Company was not in compliance with Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual as a result of its failure to timely file its 2022 Annual Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and that the Companys common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE during an initial 6 month cure period. On April 20, 2023, the Company announced, together with further details, that it received a notice from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) stating that the TSX has commenced a review of the Companys eligibility for continued listing pursuant to Part VII of the TSX Company Manual and that the Company has been granted 120 days to comply with all requirements for continued listing. On May 15, 2023 the Company announced it will be delayed in filing its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2023. The Company is continuing to work expeditiously to complete all outstanding filings. As previously disclosed, in connection with its ongoing review of the mineral reserve reporting errors and its preparation of its 2021 and 2022 annual financial statements and 2022 interim financial statements, the Company has identified material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting. The Company has determined that the material weaknesses relate to its failures to design and maintain (i) an effective control environment commensurate with the financial reporting requirements of a public company in the United States and Canada, and (ii) effective controls over the assessment of certain key assumptions, inputs and outputs contained in its 2020 Technical Report. The Company is continuing to assess the impact of these material weaknesses and whether any other material weaknesses exist. On January 9, 2023, the Company engaged a third-party expert to assist management in documenting key processes related to the Companys internal control environment, designing and implementing an effective risk assessment and monitoring program to identify risks of material misstatements and ensuring that the internal controls have been appropriately designed to address and effectively monitor identified risks. On March 31, 2023, the Company announced that it acknowledged the existence of an additional material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, with regards to the design and maintenance of effective controls in response to the risks of material misstatement related to the processes for recording income taxes. The Company expects to provide additional information in its upcoming public reports. On June 13, 2023, the Company reached an agreement in principle to settle the U.S. class action lawsuit for a payment by us and our insurers of $21 million to a settlement fund which we expect would result in a disbursement by the Company of no more than $7.9 million. The settlement is subject to certain customary conditions, including class certification and approval of the settlement by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. A management cease trade order was granted by the Ontario Securities Commission on April 1, 2022 (the Original MCTO) and the Ontario Securities Commission granted additional management cease trade orders on April 12, 2022 and July 7, 2022 (the Additional MCTOs and together with the Original MCTO, the MCTO). Pursuant to NP 12-203, the Company must file bi-weekly status reports in the form of further news releases during the period from the Notice until the MCTO is revoked. The Company reports that since the Notice: (i) there have been no material changes regarding the information contained in the Notice that have not been disclosed in a bi-weekly default status report or in a news release referenced therein; (ii) there have been no failures by the Company in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203; and (iii) there has not been any specified default subsequent to the defaults announced in the Notice and the news releases dated May 13, 2022, August 5, 2022, November 11, 2022, March 30, 2023 and May 15, 2023. About Gatos Silver Gatos Silver is a silver dominant exploration, development and production company that discovered a new silver and zinc-rich mineral district in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico. As a 70% owner of the Los Gatos Joint Venture (LGJV), the Company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. The LGJV consists of approximately 103,000 hectares of mineral rights, representing a highly prospective and under-explored district with numerous silver-zinc-lead epithermal mineralized zones identified as priority targets. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain certain information that may constitute forward-looking statements and forward looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of U.S. and Canadian securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein include statements about the timing for re-filing of the Companys 2021 Annual Report and 2022 Quarterly Reports and filing of the Companys 2022 Annual Report, and timing for holding the annual shareholder meeting. While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations about future events, the statements are not guarantees of the Companys future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors include, amongst others, the evaluation of material weaknesses in its internal controls and timing for completing the audit and review of financial statements. Further, although the Company has attempted to identify factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. As 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Investors and Media Contact Andre van NiekerkChief Financial Officer [email protected]+1 604 424 0984 Source: Gatos Silver, Inc. PostGrid's native Stripe integration allows Stripe users to verify postal address data and send paper invoices from Stripe dashboard. Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - June 24, 2023) - PostGrid, a leading provider of print and mail automation solutions, is excited to announce its integration with Stripe, a global technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. This integration allows businesses on Stripe to automate print and mail processes seamlessly while ensuring accurate address data capture through PostGrid's advanced address verification capabilities. PostGrid application as part of the Stripe Marketplace To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9716/171103_4ef6eb771402ab15_001full.jpg PostGrid's platform and API empowers businesses to automate their print and mail operations effortlessly within Stripe. Now, with the added advantage of address verification, businesses can capture and validate accurate address data, ensuring precise delivery and reducing return mail. Key features and benefits of the PostGrid app for Stripe include: Automated Printing and Mailing: Businesses can trigger print and mail operations directly within the Stripe Dashboard, eliminating manual intervention and streamlining workflows. Address Verification: With PostGrid's advanced address verification, businesses can validate postal address data, reducing the risk of failed deliveries and returned mail. Cost Reduction: Automating print and mail processes reduces operational costs associated with printing, manual labor, and postage. Enhanced Efficiency: By eliminating manual data entry, printing, and mailing, businesses can reallocate resources to other critical tasks, improving overall productivity. "We are delighted to partner with Stripe, enabling businesses to leverage the power of automation while ensuring accurate address data capture," said Apaar Madan, Founder and CTO of PostGrid. "By integrating our print and mail automation solutions with Stripe, we aim to streamline physical communication processes and provide businesses with a seamless, end-to-end solution. With the added benefit of address verification, we help businesses capture the right address data to achieve cost savings, operational efficiency, and reliable mail delivery." In addition to the integration's automation capabilities, PostGrid's address verification feature ensures that accurate address data is captured within the Stripe dashboard. This helps businesses prevent delivery issues, improve customer satisfaction, and maintain a high level of data quality. Learn more about our addition to the Stripe Marketplace by visiting our blog, at https://www.postgrid.com/integrations/stripe/, and to get started with the PostGrid application for Stripe, visit https://www.postgrid.com/stripe/ About PostGrid: PostGrid is a leading print and mail automation platform that simplifies the process of sending physical mail, empowering businesses to focus on their core operations. With a powerful suite of APIs and a user-friendly interface, PostGrid allows businesses to automate and personalize their print and mail communications, reaching customers with a tangible touch in an increasingly digital world. PostGrid's advanced address verification feature ensures accurate address capture for reliable mail delivery. For media inquiries, please contact: Kevin Villena Marketing Manager Phone: +1(855) 870-0661 Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.postgrid.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/171103 The New Grant Will Support Important Pre-clinical Studies VANCOUVER, BC , June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Asep Medical Holdings Inc. ("Asep Inc." or the "Company") (CSE: ASEP) (OTCQB: SEPSF) (FSE: JJ8) is pleased to announce, along with their academic partners at the University of British Columbia (UBC), that they have been awarded a grant from the NanoMedicines Innovation Network (NMIN) to investigate further and identify an optimal nanoparticle-peptide solution with the specific goal of treating chronic sinus infections caused by biofilms. The Government of Canada funds NMIN through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program. To date, the Company and its subsidiaries have received over USD $20 million in non-dilutive grant funding from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Genome Canada and UBC. The Company, through its pre-clinical partner, iFyber LLC, has also received funding from the US Army for its novel antibiofilm peptide technology. The funds will be used to establish pre-clinical toxicology parameters of the peptide technology and determine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the peptide when delivered intranasally to guide dosing regimens. This information will contribute to a pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting with the FDA and move Asep Inc. another step closer to formal clinical trials in humans. The CAD $200,000 grant provides financial support for an important scientific collaboration between Asep Inc.'s subsidiary (ABT Innovations), the Hancock Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the NMIN PharmaCore (a subsidiary of NMIN providing pharmacology, toxicology and scale-up manufacturing expertise at UBC). The grant title is "Pre-clinical evaluation of nanoparticle formulations for the in vivo delivery of anti-biofilm and anti-inflammatory synthetic host defence peptides." As the title suggests, the project will aim to identify an optimal nanoparticle-formulated peptide solution that provides a suitable drug delivery vehicle for the Company's desired clinical indication of chronic sinus infections. Founder, Chairman and CEO Dr. Robert E. W. Hancock commented, "Funding of this nature further supports the viability of our anti-biofilm peptides by the scientific community and the Federal Government of Canada . In addition, it allows us a critical lab time to refine the technology with a goal to help millions of people worldwide that suffer from chronic sinus infections." ABOUT ASEP MEDICAL HOLDINGS INC. Asep Medical Holdings Inc. (asepmedical.com) is dedicated to addressing the global issue of antibiotic failure by developing novel solutions for significant unmet medical needs in human medicine. The Company is a consolidation of three existing private companies, all with technology in advanced development Sepset Biosciences Inc. (proprietary diagnostic tools to enable the early and timely identification of sepsis), ABT Innovations Inc. (broad-spectrum therapeutic agents to address multi-drug resistant biofilm infections), and SafeCoat Medical Inc. (an antibacterial peptide medical device coating technology). Sepset Biosciences Inc. (sepset.ca) is in the final stages of preparation for clinical studies and commercialization of an in vitro diagnostic test that involves a patient gene expression signature that helps assess the development of severe sepsis, one of the significant diseases leading to antibiotic failure since antibiotics are the primary initial treatment for sepsis. Sepsis was responsible for nearly 20% of all deaths on the planet in 2017 and essentially all deaths due to COVID-19 and other pandemics. The SepsetER test is a blood-based gene expression assay that is straightforward to implement, and results are obtained in about an hour after taking a blood sample in the emergency room or intensive care unit. This proprietary diagnostic technology differs from current diagnostic tests, enabling the risk assessment for progression to severe sepsis within ~60 minutes of initiating the test. Bacterial culture, the gold standard, provides results after ~15 hours but can be as long as three days. Asep Inc. believes its test will enable critical early decisions to be made by physicians regarding appropriate therapies and thus reduce overall morbidity and mortality due to sepsis. ABT Innovations Inc.'s (abtinnovations.ca) peptide technology covers a broad range of therapeutic applications, including bacterial biofilm infections (dental, wound, sinusitis, skin, medical device infections, chronic infections, lung, bladder, ear-nose and throat, orthopaedic, etc.), anti-inflammatories, anti-infective immune-modulators and vaccine adjuvants. The company is in the pre-clinical development phase for the first three indications with promising data. SafeCoat Medical Inc.'s (safecoatmedical.com) technology encompasses self-assembling polymers combined with conjugated antimicrobial peptides, which can be applied to various surfaces as antimicrobial and anti-fouling coatings. In particular, the invention relates to coatings that may be applied to multiple medical devices and implants, and feasibility has been demonstrated in animal models. The company's expertise also encompasses the methods for manufacturing and applying these anti-bacterial coatings. ABOUT NANOMEDICINES INNOVATION NETWORK The NanoMedicines Innovation Network (NMIN) (nanomedicines.ca) is advancing "smart" medicines to cure disease by delivering small molecule drugs, more specifically to disease sites and enabling the clinical use of gene therapies. NMIN brings investigators from universities across Canadaa multidisciplinary collective of physicists, engineers, chemists, biochemists, cell biologists, disease specialists, and clinicianstogether with companies and not-for-profit research and granting institutions to expand and improve Canada 's position as a world leader in nanomedicines R&D. NMIN invests in projects aimed at developing new therapeutics and diagnostics. Particular efforts are made to conduct projects partnered with industry to ensure market impact. The Government of Canada funds NMIN through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "plan," "continue," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "may," "will," "potential," "proposed," "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements include but are not limited to the successful clinical testing of our Sepsis in vitro diagnostic test and its intended filing for regulatory market authorization; the Company not receiving regulatory market authorization as planned or at all; the undertaking of pre-clinical studies on our lead therapeutic, with the expectation that this will lead to fast-track clinical trials; the timeframe for identification of sepsis with the company's products; the potential opportunities for the generation of revenue; the therapeutic benefits of the company's products; and other statements regarding the company's proposed business plans. Various assumptions were used in drawing conclusions or making the predictions contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks including the risk that the company's products may not perform as expected; that the company may not receive the requisite regulatory market authorization or results of testing; the Company's testing of the products may not be successful and market authorization may not be obtained in the estimated timelines or at all; the company may not be able to generate revenue from its products as expected or at all; the market for the company's products may not be as described in this news release; and various other risk factors identified in the Asep Medical Inc.'s prospectus dated November 9, 2021 , and in the company's management discussion and analysis, available for review under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Asep Medical Inc. is under no obligation and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asep-inc-receives-grant-from-nanomedicines-innovation-network-nmin-funded-by-the-government-of-canada-301861325.html SOURCE ASEP Medical Holdings Inc. Atento agrees to term sheet with certain major financial stakeholders for at least $30 million of new financing in the near term and pathway to restructuring support agreement Term sheet provides for additional $79 million upon implementation of a comprehensive restructuring for Atento to execute its transformation plan and drive growth NEW YORK , June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO, "Atento" or the "Company"), one of the world's largest customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM / BPO) service providers and an industry leader in Latin America , reports on progress in the previously announced negotiations with certain key stakeholders for a transaction involving a recapitalization and deleveraging of Atento's balance sheet. Atento and certain members of an ad hoc group of holders of Atento's senior secured notes have agreed a term sheet for a new interim financing of at least $30 million and a comprehensive restructuring of its balance sheet that will significantly delever the group. The term sheet includes $79 million of additional capital in connection with the comprehensive restructuring. The parties further intend for the Company's leverage to be significantly reduced at the culmination of this process. The new financing represents sufficient capital through to implementation of a holistic restructuring, and certain of the parties have agreed on a path to enter into a restructuring support agreement and definitive documentation on the financing within two weeks of execution of the term sheet. The Company looks forward to working with its financial stakeholders in the weeks ahead and is confident in achieving requisite support for the financial restructuring. New financing is subject to conditions including customer due diligence, and the grant of security interests. This term sheet builds on Atento's prior announcement that the Company has been negotiating a comprehensive restructuring of funded and financial debt on its balance sheet to position Atento to execute on its long-term strategic plan and to continue its focus on its leading service to clients. Atento will be better positioned after such a restructuring to serve its +400 blue chip clients across sixteen countries and support global operations for the more than 135,000 global Atento employees. "This term sheet is a milestone for our business and represents our partners' belief in the underlying strength of Atento's competitive value proposition," said Dimitrius Oliveira , Chief Executive Officer of Atento. "As we continue to enhance the capabilities of our business operations, we also remain focused on continuing to deliver great customer experiences through the combination of innovation, advanced technologies and the human touch. We are immensely grateful to our employees, customers, vendors and key stakeholders who continue to stand by us throughout this process. With this new infusion of capital we look forward to accelerating our transformation and further strengthening our business for the long term." Atento is represented in these discussions by Houlihan Lokey and FTI Consulting as financial advisors and Sidley Austin and Loyens & Loeff Luxembourg, as lead legal advisors. The ad hoc group of investors is represented by Rothschild & Co. as financial advisor and Hogan Lovells as lead legal advisor. About Atento Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing ("CRM BPO") services in Latin America and one of the leading providers worldwide. Atento is also one of the leading providers of nearshoring CRM BPO services for companies operating in the United States . Since 1999, the Company has developed its business model in 16 countries, employing approximately 135,000 people. Atento has more than 400 clients, offering a wide range of CRM BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational companies in telecommunications, banking and financial services, healthcare, retail and public administration sectors. Atento shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2019, Atento was named one of the 25 best multinational companies in the world and one of the best multinationals to work for in Latin America by Great Place to Work. In addition, in 2021, Everest named Atento as a "star performer". Gartner has named the Company two consecutive years a leader in its Magic Quadrant since 2021. For more information visit www.atento.com Forward-Looking Statements This report contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees of future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to; obtaining required consents from third-parties and satisfying other conditions precedent for any additional financing that might be outside Atento's control; actions by Atento's lenders and other financing sources, including any creditor actions that could impact Atento's operations; Atento's future cash requirements; competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer receivables on behalf of its clients. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atento-reaches-agreement-with-certain-key-stakeholders-301861390.html SOURCE Atento S.A. First-of-its-Kind Data Underscore Importance of Early Use of Drug Therapy as a Primary Prevention, Especially for Those Living with Diabetes SAN DIEGO , June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a new trial revealed data on the effects of bempedoic acid a non-statin cholesterol-lowering drug on cardiovascular outcomes, demonstrating that patients with risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and high cholesterol, particularly those with diabetes, should be treated with a cholesterol-lowering drug. The results were presented as a late-breaking poster at the 83rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in San Diego, CA and simultaneously published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Statins are a common type of cholesterol-lowering medicine that can help reduce the amount of low-density lipoprotein, otherwise known as LDL-C or "bad cholesterol" in the blood. However, about 1 in every 10-12 patients have statin-intolerance (SI), and there is also a 30% increase in SI associated with diabetics, females, obesity, and other health and ethnicity-related factors. Some studies have found that the use of statins increases blood sugar due to the medicine stopping insulin from processing blood sugar properly. As a result, this can put people at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study aimed to determine the effects of bempedoic acid on cardiovascular outcomes in statin-intolerant patients. The CLEAR Outcomes trial was a masked, randomized, trial that enrolled 13,970 statin-intolerant patients. This study included 4,206 patients with risk factors for heart disease but without a prior heart-related event (primary prevention). The mean age for these participants was 68 years, 67% had diabetes and 59% were female. The primary efficacy endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), nonfatal stroke, or coronary revascularization. The study showed a 22% reduction in LDL-C with the drug bempedoic acid. Treatment for 40 months was associated with a significant risk reduction for the primary endpoint, 111 (5.3%) versus 161 events (7.6%), adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.89, P=0.002. This represents a 30% reduction in major heart-related events. A 39% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease was also observed. "We know early prevention measures are critical to slowing the progression of heart disease, especially for people with comorbidities like diabetes," said the study's lead author Steven E. Nissen MD, Chief Academic Officer, Heart Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. "Unfortunately, less than half of patients in the US similar to the study patient population are being treated with cholesterol-lowering drugs leaving them at risk. The results presented today are a wake-up call for the clinical community that patients with risk factors for coronary disease and high cholesterol, particularly those with diabetes, should be treated with a cholesterol-lowering drug." Bempedoic acid is a novel, nonstatin drug currently approved for 2 groups of patients by the FDA, including those with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The drug is also the first adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor for use as an LDL-C lowering therapy and works by inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis in the same pathway as statins. The authors of this study note that further analysis is needed on the role bempedoic acid has on cholesterol-lowering versus anti-inflammatory effects. Research presentation details: Dr. Nissen will present the findings at the following sessions: Late Breaking Poster: LDL Cholesterol Reduction and Cardiovascular Outcomes in High-Risk Primary Prevention Patients LDL Cholesterol Reduction and Cardiovascular Outcomes in High-Risk Primary Prevention Patients Presented on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 11:30 AM 12:30 PM PST ( General Poster Session ) and 5:40 5:50 PM PST (ePoster Theater) About the ADA's Scientific Sessions The ADA's 83rd Scientific Sessions, the world's largest scientific meeting focused on diabetes research, prevention, and care, will be held in San Diego, CA on June 2326. More than 12,000 leading physicians, scientists, and health care professionals from around the world are expected to convene both in person and virtually to unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations, and advances toward a cure for diabetes. Attendees will receive exclusive access to thousands of original research presentations and take part in provocative and engaging exchanges with leading diabetes experts. Join the Scientific Sessions conversation on social media using #ADA2023. About the American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 82 years, the ADA has driven discovery and research to treat, manage, and prevent diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure. Through advocacy, program development, and education we aim to improve the quality of life for the over 133 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook (Asociacion Americana de la Diabetes), LinkedIn (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn). Contact: Rebecca Fisher , 703-253-4918 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cholesterol-lowering-drug-shown-to-cut-major-heart-related-events-and-risk-of-death-from-heart-disease-by-one-third-for-statin-intolerant-patients-301862514.html SOURCE American Diabetes Association Hundreds of community members, project stakeholders and elected officials celebrate historic achievement at Track Completion Ceremony for 9.1-mile Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona LA VERNE, Calif. , June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) held a Track Completion Ceremony to celebrate the completion of major work for the new light rail track system for the 9.1-mile, four-station Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomona . The celebration took place at the D Street railroad crossing in La Verne, Calif. , just steps away from the University of La Verne campus and one of the four new light rail stations that will serve future riders. The event culminated in the installation of the 230,630th rail clip (rail clips permanently attach the steel rail to the concrete railroad ties), officially completing major construction for the new light rail tracks, and permanently connecting the cities of Glendora , San Dimas , La Verne and Pomona via this new light rail line. An engraved, commemorative boulder embedded in the sidewalk was also unveiled during the ceremony, recognizing the importance of the day to these corridor cities. "It is an historic and symbolic day for the Foothill Gold Line project and our corridor cities," stated Foothill Gold Line Board Chairman and Claremont Mayor Ed Reece . "The completion of the light rail tracks doesn't just mark a physical connection between Glendora , San Dimas , La Verne and Pomona ; it also marks the imminent arrival of a better and brighter transportation future for these foothill communities, the San Gabriel Valley and Greater Los Angeles ." Today's historic event was attended by hundreds of community members, elected officials at all levels of government, the Foothill Gold Line Board of Directors, members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors, transportation officials including Foothill Gold Line CEO Habib F. Balian and Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and San Gabriel Valley stakeholders. The notable list of speakers included U.S. Representatives Grace Napolitano and Judy Chu ; California State Senator Susan Rubio ; California State Assembly Members Chris Holden , Freddie Rodriguez and Blanca Rubio ; Metro Board Members and Los Angeles County Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger ; Metro Board Member, Foothill Gold Line Board Member and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval ; Foothill Gold Line Board Chair and Claremont Mayor Ed Reece ; Foothill Gold Line Board Vice Chair and Glendora Mayor Pro Tem Mendell Thompson ; and Foothill Gold Line Board Member and La Verne Mayor Tim Hepburn . Past and present Foothill Gold Line board members, as well as mayors and council members from throughout the Foothill corridor, also attended. 790 KABC radio host Frank Mottek served as the Master of Ceremonies. "Building the new light rail track system was a significant undertaking, especially since we started with an active freight track in the middle of the now-shared corridor," stated Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian . "It took the hard work of the team at the Construction Authority and design-builder Kiewit-Parsons, but also the cooperation of our project partners at Metro, Metrolink and the corridor cities. Everyone worked together for a common cause, and today we take a moment to celebrate that achievement and being one major step closer to completing this important infrastructure project for our region." Since major construction on the project began in July 2020 , work has been underway or completed on the new light rail system; 19 new or renovated bridges, including four bridges spanning major streets and intersections; 21 at-grade railroad crossings; four new stations, including public artwork for the stations; freight track relocation; project walls; and more. Nearly all major construction activities will be completed this year, with testing of the new light rail system expected to begin by the end of the year. The project is now 72% complete overall and remains on schedule to be completed in early-January 2025 , when it will be turned over to Metro for training and pre-revenue service. Metro determines when passenger service starts. "Congratulations to the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority on reaching this important milestone," said Stephanie Wiggins , CEO of Metro. "The Foothill Extension will be the first light rail project funded by Measure M to be delivered to L.A. County residents, and once completed it will provide needed transit services to the 2 million residents of the San Gabriel Valley . This project is our number one priority for funding for the next round of state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funding and we look forward to working with all parties to secure the resources needed to extend this project beyond Pomona to Claremont and Montclair ." The Foothill Gold Line was Metro's first Measure M-funded light rail project to break ground. "Metro thanks the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority for helping our agency build out the largest transit expansion program in the United States ," said Ara J. Najarian , Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair. "With our recent opening of the Regional Connector Project that combined the A Line and the L Line, we now have the nation's longest rail line, which will continue to expand another nine miles to better serve our rail customers in the San Gabriel Valley and beyond." Unique Challenge Building the Light Rail Track System for the Foothill Gold Line Construction of the light rail track system was a unique and complicated undertaking, due to the existing, active freight track that initially sat in the middle of the now-shared rail corridor. Specialized track crews had to first relocate the freight track to the northern or southern half of the corridor while still allowing limited freight service in order to make room for the new light rail system. Following the completion of the freight track relocation in mid-2022, work began on constructing two new light rail tracks one each for future westbound and eastbound trains. While the new light rail tracks and relocated freight track now share the corridor, the light rail trains and freight trains will not share tracks. About the Foothill Gold Line Project When completed, the light rail project will add new stations to the Metro A Line (renamed the A Line after last week's opening of the Regional Connector) system in the cities of Glendora , San Dimas , La Verne and Pomona and increase ridership on the Metro system by an estimated 11,600 daily weekday boardings when the extension opens for passenger service. It will provide connections to important regional destinations like the LA County Fairplex, colleges and universities, historic downtowns, museums, regional parks and open space areas, and much more. In addition, the extension will provide a direct link between the Metro and Metrolink systems in Pomona , allowing riders from each system to easily transfer creating endless possibilities for connections throughout the region. The Construction Authority is currently seeking additional funding to complete the project to Claremont and Montclair , which would add an additional nearly 8,000 daily weekday boardings to the Metro system when completed. About the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature to plan, design and build the Metro Gold Line (recently renamed the Metro A Line) light rail system from Union Station to Montclair . The agency completed the first segment from Union Station to Pasadena in 2003 and the Pasadena to Azusa segment in 2015; both on time and under budget. The agency began planning for the Glendora to Montclair segment in 2003. When completed, the segment will add new light rail stations in the cities of Glendora , San Dimas , La Verne , Pomona , Claremont and Montclair . The project will be built in phases, due to funding constraints. The current 9.1-mile construction segment is funded mostly by Measure M, along with residual funds from Measure R not used to complete the Pasadena to Azusa segment. The project is also utilizing a State of California TIRCP (greenhouse gas reduction) grant. The Construction Authority is currently seeking funding to complete the final segment from Pomona to Montclair (including the Claremont and Montclair stations). View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/foothill-gold-line-celebrates-completion-of-major-work-for-new-light-rail-track-system-301862529.html SOURCE Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority DUBLIN and SAN DIEGO , June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, is presenting a robust collection of new clinical and real-world data on the MiniMed 780G system. These latest data sets, which evaluated the system across a wide range of users, including historically challenging younger patients, those not meeting glycemic goals, and individuals using a simplified meal announcement leveraging fixed carbohydrate amounts instead of exact carb calculations, found that the proprietary Meal Detection technology supported Time in Range outcomes that exceed consensus guidelines of 70 percent. Additionally, the system is helping reduce the percent of time spent in hyperglycemia in children and adults. These latest results were presented this weekend at the 83rdAmerican Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA. Simplified Meal Announcements with the MiniMed 780G System The first study by Dr. Goran Petrovski , MD, PhD, of Sidra Medicine, randomly assigned adolescents using the MiniMed 780G system (n=34) into two groups, with some entering a fixed pre-set number of carbs (small, average, or high) and some calculating a precise number of carbs for their meals. These individuals had lived with diabetes for at least one year and used multiple daily injections or pump therapy prior to the study. Results from the study, which were presented Friday in an oral podium presentation, showed those using the simplified (i.e., fixed) carb entry maintained international targets for glycemic control, including an A1c of 6.9% and Time in Range (TIR) of 72.7% (vs. 79.4% TIR in the precise entry group) over 6 months without system modification.1 Additionally, the simplified entry group lowered their time above 250 mg/dL from 28.3% to 5.3% at six months (vs. 3.9% in the precise entry group). After 3 months, 88% chose to continue with the simplified meal management approach, which suggests user satisfaction with this less burdensome approach. These results suggest that reduced accuracy in carb counting can be overcome by the increased automated insulin delivery provided by the MiniMed 780G system, and that even those that cannot or do not input their carbs precisely can reach glycemic goals and reduce hyperglycemia. "Many individuals with type 1 diabetes struggle with meal management with nearly 50% considering carb counting the most burdensome aspect of diabetes management.2 Indeed, many frequently underestimate their carbs or forget to bolus and this has an adverse impact on clinical outcomes," said Dr. Petrovski . "This study shows that a simplified meal management approach with the MiniMed 780G system helped users maintain glycemic targets while providing forgiveness for inexact carb counts. Clearly there's more runway for simplification of diabetes management with this system and it's promising for the many patients struggling with meal management." Strong Real-World Performance in Children An analysis of real-world evidence of children 15 years in Europe and Latin America (n=3,543) using the MiniMed 780G system with recommended settings of 100 mg/dL and 2-hour active insulin time (AIT) demonstrated a Time in Range of 78% (Table 1).3 A separate analysis of real-world evidence of children 15 years in Europe (n= 2,516) demonstrated improved glycemic performance in SmartGuard technology regardless of baseline glycemic control.4 The group with the lowest Time in Range (poorest glycemic control) prior to SmartGuard technology, had the largest increase of 23.3% in Time in Range, while patients with the best metabolic control in SmartGuard technology achieved 80.6% Time in Range (Table 2). Additionally, this increase in Time in Range was seen with less effort as evidenced by fewer user-initiated boluses, indicating decreased patient burden. Table 1: Real-World Evidence of Pediatric Users in Europe , Middle East and Africa & Latin America (using Recommended Settings) Europe , Middle East and Africa Latin America All Users 15 years With Recommended Settings All Users 15 years With Recommended Settings Time in SmartGuard technology 92.7 % 94.6 % 93.5 % 94.9 % Time in Range 73.9 % 78.9 % 74.2 % 78.2 % Time Above Range (> 180 mg/dL) 22.9 % 17.5 % 23.0 % 18.9 % Table 2: Real-World Evidence of Pediatric Users in Europe (using Recommended Settings) Group 1 (Lowest glycemic control at initiation) Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 (Highest glycemic control at initiation) Base line With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Baseline With MM780 G Time in SmartGuard technology - 89.9 % - 91.5 % - 93.2 % - 91.9 % Time in Range 41.0 % 64.3 % 55.5 % 69.9 % 65.7 % 73.1 % 79.8 % 80.6 % Time Above Range 57.2 % 33.3 % 42 % 27 % 30.9 % 23.8 % 16.6 % 16.5 % User-initiated boluses/day 6.3 4.9* 6.6 5.7* 7.0 5.9* 6.7 6.3* Insulin Units Delivered by Auto Correction 14.4 18.0 12.3 14.5 12.0 13.3 10.2 10.9 *Baseline vs post-AHCL number of daily boluses comparison (p Medtronic Extended Infusion Set Real-World Data For the first time, real-world data on the Medtronic Extended Infusion Set was presented (n=108) and the analysis showed an average infusion set wear time of 6.74 days. Almost half (48.2%) of the individuals evaluated wore the set for 7 days. This real-world data mirrors the results from the U.S. pivotal trial and is delivering a reduced user burden through less frequent infusion set changes. "We're committed to pushing simplification of diabetes management as far as we can and are heartened to see the impact our MiniMed 780G system is having on both clinical and quality of life outcomes as evidenced by our randomized controlled ADAPT study and the growing body of real-world evidence from around the world," said Que Dallara, EVP and President of Medtronic Diabetes. "With each advancement, we're working to reduce more of the burden that this disease demands and will continue to innovate to make life easier for those we have the privilege to support." About Medtronic Diabetes ( www.medtronicdiabetes.com ) Medtronic Diabetes is on a mission to alleviate the burden of diabetes by empowering individuals to live life on their terms, with the most advanced diabetes technology and always-on support when and how they need it. We've pioneered first-of-its-kind innovations for over 40 years and are committed to designing the future of diabetes management through next-generation sensors (CGM), intelligent dosing systems, and the power of data science and AI while always putting the customer experience at the forefront. About the MiniMed 780G system (www.medtronicdiabetes.com/780G) The MiniMed 780G system is the first system in the world featuring Meal Detection technology,* which provides automatic adjustments and corrections to sugar levels every 5 minutes. The system provides insulin to help account for when users occasionally forget to bolus or underestimate the number of carbs in their meal and features the lowest glucose target setting (as low as 100 mg/dL) in any automated insulin pump on the market, which more closely mirrors the average glucose of someone not living with diabetes. The MiniMed 780G system is approved in the U.S. for individuals with type 1 diabetes, 7 years and above. About Medtronic Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland , is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE: MDT), visit www.medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn. *Taking a bolus 15 20 minutes before a meal helps to keep blood sugar levels under control after eating. Refers to auto correct, which provides bolus assistance. Can deliver all auto correction doses automatically without user interaction, feature can be turned on and off. Refers to SmartGuard feature. Individual results may vary. **The extended wear infusion set can be worn for up to 7 days. Current infusion sets are recommended for up to 3 days of wear. Fingersticks required in manual mode & to enter SmartGuard. If symptoms don't match alerts & readings, use a fingerstick. Refer to user guide. Pivotal trial participants spend avg of > 93% in SmartGuard. Auto corrections help make up for imprecise carb counts. Medtronic data on file. 25-minute survey, N= 498 T1D individuals in Germany , Japan , US, Brazil , August 2019 . "Higher Time in Range Demonstrated in Children Using Intensive Advanced Hybrid Closed-Loop (AHCL) System Settings" poster presentation (1120-P) by Jen McVean , M.D., pediatric endocrinologist, senior director, medical affairs, Medtronic Diabetes on Monday, Jun. 26 at 11:30 a.m. PDT "Improved Glycemic Control with Less Effort during Real-World MiniMed 780G Advanced Hybrid Closed-Loop (AHCL) System Use by Children with T1D" poster presentation (1119-P) by Jen McVean , M.D., pediatric endocrinologist, senior director, medical affairs, Medtronic Diabetes on Monday, Jun. 26 at 11:30 a.m. PDT Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. Contacts: Janet Cho Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-818-403-7028 +1-763-505-4626 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medtronic-presents-new-data-on-minimed-780g-system-on-fixed-meal-dosing-and-real-world-time-in-range-across-wide-variety-of-users-301861178.html SOURCE Medtronic plc After achieving primary endpoint by demonstrating non-inferiority in HbA 1C reduction from baseline at week 52, investigative insulin icodec h elped patients achieve significantly more time in target blood glucose range (Time in Range) vs. once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 in ONWARDS 1 1 In the ONWARDS 1 and 3 trials, more people achieved blood glucose targets without clinically significant or severe hypoglycemia with once-weekly insulin icodec vs. once-daily basal insulin comparators 1-2 Novo Nordisk submitted a biologics license application to the US FDA for insulin icodec, the first investigational once-weekly insulin, based on data from the ONWARDS program SAN DIEGO , June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Nordisk today announced that data from the phase 3a ONWARDS 1 and 3 trials evaluating investigative once-weekly insulin icodec, which were presented at the 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), showed the studies met their primary endpoints and insulin icodec provided similar glucose-lowering effects (change in HbA 1C from baseline) while reducing injections from seven to one per week compared with once-daily basal insulin1-2. Additionally, data from the ONWARDS 1 and 3 studies demonstrated that more insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin icodec achieved an HbA 1c target of 1-2. In ONWARDS 1, as a confirmatory secondary endpoint, superior Time in Range (blood glucose 70-180 mg/dL) was achieved with once-weekly insulin icodec vs. once-daily basal insulin glargine U100 (71.9% vs. 66.9%, respectively; p=0.0004) from week 48-521. Comparable Time below Range (blood glucose 1. Both values are in line with internationally recommended targets3. "Time in Range provides additional information to help us assess glycemic control and is an increasingly important tool to complement HbA 1c measurements which were substantially reduced by once-weekly basal insulin icodec. In ONWARDS 1, insulin icodec allowed people to spend significantly more Time in Range, with comparable Time below Range vs. once-daily basal insulin glargine U100," said Dr. Julio Rosenstock , Lead trial Investigator and Director of Velocity Clinical Research at Medical City Dallas and Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "A once-weekly basal insulin has the potential to change how we treat people with type 2 diabetes needing basal insulin replacement." In ONWARDS 1, there were no statistically significant differences in mean weekly insulin dose (week 50-52) or in body weight change from baseline. Level 2 (blood glucose 1C target of 1C target of 1-2. "These data reinforce our confidence in the potential of once-weekly insulin icodec," said Florian M.M. Baeres , Corporate Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at Novo Nordisk. "If approved, we believe this innovation which would be the world's first once-weekly basal insulin could help people living with type 2 diabetes ready to start insulin treatment by reducing the number of injections needed per week." Based on data from the ONWARDS clinical trial program, Novo Nordisk submitted a biologics license application (BLA) in April 2023 to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for once-weekly insulin icodec for the treatment of diabetes. A decision from the agency is anticipated in April of 2024. If approved, insulin icodec will represent the first and only once-weekly basal insulin option for adults with diabetes, addressing an unmet need in treatment vs. a daily basal insulin option4-9. About insulin icodec Insulin icodec is an investigational novel once-weekly basal insulin analog designed to cover the basal insulin requirements for a full week with a single subcutaneous injection. About the ONWARDS clinical program The ONWARDS phase 3a trial program for once-weekly insulin icodec comprises six phase 3a global clinical trials, including a trial with real-world elements, involving more than 4,000 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes4-9. All trials have met their primary endpoints. About ONWARDS 17 ONWARDS 1 is a phase 3a, 78-week, open-label efficacy and safety treat-to-target trial investigating once-weekly insulin icodec vs. once-daily insulin glargine U100, both in combination with non-insulin anti-diabetic treatment, in 984 insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes. The primary endpoint was change in HbA 1C from baseline to week 52 with insulin icodec compared to insulin glargine U100. Secondary endpoints included time in target blood glucose range (70-180 mg/dL), change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) from baseline to week 52 and number of clinically significant (level 2) or severe (level 3) hypoglycemia episodes. Following the completion of the 52-week main phase of the trial, a 26-week extension phase to further assess safety was undertaken and is now finalized. About ONWARDS 36 ONWARDS 3 is a phase 3a, double-blind 26-week efficacy and safety treat-to-target trial investigating once-weekly insulin icodec vs. insulin degludec, both in combination with non-insulin anti-diabetic treatment. The objective of the trial was to assess the efficacy and safety of insulin icodec in 588 insulin-naive adults with type 2 diabetes. The primary endpoint was change in HbA 1C from baseline to week 26. Secondary endpoints included change in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) from baseline to week 26 and number of clinically significant (level 2) or severe (level 3) hypoglycemia episodes. About Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company that has been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for 100 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious chronic diseases such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term and do business in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and production and research facilities in seven states, Novo Nordisk employs nearly 6,000 people throughout the country. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Contact for further information Further information Media: Nicole Ferreira (US) +1 609 786 5868 [email protected] Investors: Mark Joseph Root (US) +1 848 213 3219 [email protected] References Rosenstock J, Bain SC, Gowda A, et al. Improved A1C and TIR with Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec vs Insulin Glargine U100 in Insulin-Naive T2D: ONWARDS 1. 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 23-26 June 2023 , San Diego , US. 179-OR. Lingvay I, Asong M, Desouza C, et al. Better Glycemic Control with Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec versus OnceDaily Insulin Degludec in Insulin-Naive Type 2 Diabetes (ONWARDS 3). 83rd Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 23-26 June 2023 , San Diego , US. 178-OR. Battelino T, Danne T, Bergenstal RM, et al. Clinical Targets for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Interpretation: Recommendations From the International Consensus on Time in Range. Diabetes Care. 2019;42:1593-1603. ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare a New Weekly Insulin, Insulin Icodec, and an Available Daily Insulin, Insulin Degludec, Both in Combination With Mealtime Insulin in People With Type 1 Diabetes (ONWARDS 6). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04848480 Last accessed: June 2023 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Weekly Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Daily Insulin, Insulin Glargine, Both in Combination With Mealtime Insulin, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Use Daily Insulin and Mealtime Insulin (ONWARDS 4). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04880850 Last accessed: June 2023 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Insulin, Insulin Degludec, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Not Used Insulin Before (ONWARDS 3). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04795531 Last accessed: June 2023 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Insulin, Insulin Glargine, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Not Used Insulin Before (ONWARDS 1). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04460885 Last accessed: June 2023 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare Two Types of Insulin, a New Weekly Insulin, Insulin Icodec and an Available Daily Insulin, Insulin Degludec, in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Use Daily Insulin (ONWARDS 2). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04770532 Last accessed: June 2023 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Research Study to Compare a New Weekly Insulin, Insulin Icodec Used With DoseGuide App, and Daily Insulins in People With Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Not Used Insulin Before (ONWARDS 5). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04760626 Last accessed: June 2023 . Novo Nordisk is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. 2023 Novo Nordisk All rights reserved. US23DI00142 June 2023 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-data-show-once-weekly-insulin-icodec-met-additional-endpoints-in-adults-with-type-2-diabetes-in-phase-3a-trials-301862521.html SOURCE Novo Nordisk California Workers Demand Amazon Remedy Unfair Labor Practices, Bargain Over Working Conditions PALMDALE, Calif. , June 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon delivery drivers and dispatchers went on strike today to demand the e-commerce giant stop its unfair labor practices. The strike will continue until Amazon remedies its unfair labor practices and recognizes and bargains with the Teamsters Union to address low pay and dangerous working conditions. "We refuse to allow Amazon to profit off our labor without taking any responsibility for our safety or well-being," said Jesus Gutierrez , an Amazon driver. "We went on an unfair labor practice strike last week and Amazon shut down the whole facility and continued to violate the law. Now we are ready to strike again and do everything the law allows to make Amazon stop its federal labor law violations and to get what our families deserve." The workers organized with Teamsters Local 396 at Amazon's Delivery Service Partner (DSP), Battle-Tested Strategies (BTS), in April. Shortly thereafter, the workers negotiated and ratified a union contract with BTS, the first agreement covering workers in Amazon's massive delivery network. Despite the absolute control it wields over BTS and workers' terms and conditions of employment, Amazon has refused to recognize and honor the Teamster contract. Instead, Amazon has engaged in dozens of unfair labor practices in violation of federal labor law, including terminating the entire unit of newly organized workers. "Teamsters have never been afraid to strike. This arrogant company is about to feel the full power of its workers fighting back," said Randy Korgan , Teamsters Amazon Division Director. "Amazon will no longer get away with bullying workers. We are going to strike this company until they remedy their unfair labor practices and honor the union contract." "Our members are ready to put boots on the ground in support of their union brothers and sisters at Amazon," said Victor Mineros , Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396. "Whether you have been a Teamster 20 years or two months, our 1.2-million-member organization will fight until you get what you deserve. We will hold Amazon accountable for its retaliation and threats." The Amazon drivers organized with the Teamsters to protect their safety in extreme temperatures, which regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit during Palmdale summers. The Teamster contract guarantees the rights of workers to drive safe equipment and refuse unsafe deliveries. Due to the total control that Amazon exerts over its DSPs, making the contract's protections a reality will require an overhaul of Amazon's exploitative labor practices, and will require that Amazon recognizes its duty under federal law to recognize and bargain with the Teamsters. "I want Amazon to know that we will fight as long as it takes to stop these unfair labor practices," said Darryll Phillips , an Amazon driver. "We are risking heat stress and dog bites every day delivering Amazon's packages and exhaust ourselves trying to meet Amazon's unsafe quotas. We negotiated a union contract to protect our safety. Amazon should respect that." "We are all living paycheck to paycheck. I'm constantly stressed about making rent, paying my bills, and affording food and clothing for my kids," said Cecilia Porter , an Amazon driver. "We demand that Amazon recognize our union and honor our negotiated pay." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S. , Canada , and Puerto Rico . Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters . Contact: Christian Castro , (310) 857-9817 [email protected] (on-site contact) Kara Deniz , (202) 497-6610 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teamsters-strike-amazon-over-unfair-labor-practices-301862489.html SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters People place flowers and toys at a memorial to victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 plane crash during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the accident near the village of Hrabove in Donetsk Region, Ukraine July 17, 2019. REUTERS/Alexander SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on three men involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday. MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents. In November, a Dutch court convicted two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader in absentia of murder for their role in the incident, and handed them life sentences. Wong said the sanctions announced Saturday targeted Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, two of those convicted by the Dutch court last year. The third man targeted was Sergey Muchkaev, a colonel with the Russian Armed Forces who commanded the brigade that supplied the missile system responsible for downing the plane, Wong said. She said Australia had already sanctioned another man convicted over the plane's downing, Igor Girkin, for his involvement in supporting separatism in eastern Ukraine in 2014. "These sanctions demonstrate the Australian Governments ongoing commitment to hold to account those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17," Wong said in a statement. "Australia is steadfast in our commitment to seek truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17." In February, Australia acknowledged a decision by international prosecutors to suspend their probe into MH17 after finding "strong indications" Russian President Vladimir Putin approved use of the missile system that shot down the plane. However, the prosecutors said evidence of Putin's and other Russian officials' involvement was not conclusive enough to lead to a criminal conviction. (Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by William Mallard) BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Ma Chenghu was thrilled when the musical instruments depicted in mural paintings of the Dunhuang grottoes were played during the Chinese New Year concert in Vienna in Austria in January 2019. "They are just like the ones in the mural paintings," said Ma, founder of a culture studio in northwest China's Gansu Province, who had helped replicate the instruments. While studying in Britain, Ma developed a keen interest in the cultural and creative industries. In 2018, Ma and his team undertook a project to replicate the musical instruments depicted in mural paintings of the Dunhuang grottoes. Collaborating with scholars in Dunhuang studies and experts skilled in crafting ancient Chinese musical instruments, the team successfully recreated a total of 245 instruments across four categories, encompassing an impressive variety of 97 distinct types. Many young Chinese have gained a more profound understanding of Chinese culture after living and studying overseas and experiencing different cultures. Today, a significant number of these individuals have emerged as leaders in the creative transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture. Yu Xin, a lifelong animation enthusiast, has successfully turned her childhood dreams into reality after pursuing a postgraduate degree in 2D animation and character design in Britain. Yu co-founded Shanghai Left Pocket Culture Communication Co., Ltd., an original animation company, focusing on content development and creation. The company's "Emmy and Gooroo" took home the MIP Junior International Pitch 2014 title. "Since the very beginning, our dream has been to showcase Chinese animations on the international stage, and it remains unchanged as we continue to forge ahead on our journey towards its realization," Yu said. With China's doors opening wider to the outside world, the country's young people are embracing a quest for knowledge and exhibiting a remarkable spirit of inclusivity by studying, working and traveling abroad. In 1978, the number of Chinese students sent studying abroad was just over 800. However, in 2019, the figure skyrocketed to over 700,000 Chinese students going abroad to pursue higher studies. Remarkably, since 2012, over 80 percent of those who embarked on their educational journeys abroad have returned to China. Ye Feng, who spent six years studying and working in Britain, established a logistics center for agricultural products in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, after he returned. Having grown up in the countryside, Ye personally experienced the hardships of a farmer's life. The lack of information and the volatility of markets created significant barriers for many agricultural products, preventing them from reaching the market. During his stay in Britain, Ye worked part-time in a large vegetable supermarket in suburban London and was deeply impressed by the advanced circulation mode of agricultural products there. "I hope to apply what I have learned abroad to the trade of agricultural products and help open up the market for high-quality agricultural products," he said. Construction of Ye's logistics center began in 2013, and over time, it successfully established logistics markets for various sectors, including vegetables, livestock and poultry, aquatic products, grain and oil, as well as a robust cold chain, with an annual transaction volume of 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars). After earning a doctorate degree in bioengineering in the United States, Yuan Yuyu returned to China and co-founded Medprin in 2008. The company specializes in the development and manufacturing of implanted medical devices. "There was indeed a gap between China and foreign countries in terms of technology and talent support in the past. However, now we have the necessary conditions and the capability to foster domestic high-performance implanted medical device brands," Yuan said. He noted that, despite the challenges of starting a business, the confidence and determination to persevere in such an endeavor were emboldened by the supportive domestic market and favorable policy environment. Zhang Chengcheng, who hails from Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, had studied in France since she was 14 years old and later returned to China at 23. Since her return, she has been working to promote exchanges between China and France. French beauty brand Guerlain launched its first perfume product inspired by the city of Xi'an in November 2020, and Zhang was an active promoter of the cooperation project. "My longstanding aspiration has been to showcase my hometown on the international stage," Zhang said. "This perfume will serve as a fragrant name card for more people to know Xi'an." FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London, Britain, June 21, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called key ally South Korea to discuss results of his visit to China this month, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Blinken told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin he had an honest, practical and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side, and wanted to explain the results of his visit in as much detail as possible, a ministry statement said. Blinken and Park decided to continue to communicate regarding relations with China and to urge Beijing to play a constructive role in North Korea's suspension of provocations and denuclearisation, the ministry said. During the visit to China where Blinken met President Xi Jinping and other top officials, the two sides agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it does not veer into conflict, but failed to produce any major breakthrough. Meanwhile, North Korea criticised Blinken for trying to get China to pressure Pyongyang to lay down arms, and warned that its response will grow "more overwhelmingly and aggressively" to any stronger military measures by the United States on the Korean Peninsula, state media KCNA said on Saturday. Blinken's "threats" for China to pressure Pyongyang expresses a "dangerous hegemonic mentality", KCNA said, citing a North Korean foreign ministry official. KCNA also criticised the U.S. for sending military assets including a nuclear-powered submarine to the Korean Peninsula, risking "peace and security". North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast last week, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of a response to military drills by South Korean and U.S. troops. The isolated country is under international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by William Mallard and Tom Hogue) Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group stand guard outside the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer By Polina Devitt and Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - Following are facts about oil, gas and grains flows in Russia's southern region of Rostov, where the capital Rostov-on-Don was seized by Russian mercenaries. President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to crush what he called an armed mutiny after rebellious mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had taken control of Rostov-on-Don. GRAINS Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter with Rostov being its second largest grain producing region and home to the Don river ports which connect vessels exporting grain with the Azov Sea. "The scale of risks is unknown at the moment. It all depends on how the situation develops. For now, everything continues to work as it did," Andrey Sizov, head of Sovecon agriculture consultancy, said. "But the timing, of course, is inconvenient," Sizov said, referring to the start of harvesting in the region in about a week. So far fighters from Prigozhin's private Wagner militia appear to have taken control only of the main city in the region - Rostov-on-Don - and are advancing northwards through western Russia. Russia's main grain exporting terminals on the Black Sea are further south, and this area has been unaffected by the developments so far. The main Black Sea port - Novorossiisk - continues to work as usual, two grain industry sources told Reuters on Saturday. Russia is forecast to export 46.5 million tonnes of wheat in the new 2023/24 marketing season which starts on July 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OIL & GAS The region of Rostov is not a major energy producer but several big oil and gas pipelines cross its territory. Russia is the world's second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. One such pipeline, Kuibyshev - Tikhoretsk, can supply 0.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil to the port of Novorossiisk in the Krasnodar region, Russia's biggest oil export port on the Black Sea. Russia's pipeline monopoly Transneft controls many pump stations on the route, including in the Rostov region. Rostov is also home to a mid-sized oil refinery Novoshakhtinsk, which can process 0.1 million bpd. Several oil tanks were reportedly on fire in the Voronezh region on Sunday, according to Russian media, but they have no major export importance. (Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Ros Russell) Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin meets with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in this screen grab MOSCOW (Reuters) - Mutinous Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday he had ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed. Prigozhin had earlier said that he wanted to oust the army's top brass and "restore justice". Putin said the mutiny had to be decisively put down. The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had spoken to Prigozhin with Putin's approval, and that the head of the Wagner militia had agreed to de-escalate the situation. In an audio message released by his press service, Prigozhin said: "They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow. In this time we did not spill a single drop of our fighters' blood. "Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned." (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Kevin Liffey) (Reuters) -The Nicaraguan government has confiscated properties belonging to an influential businessman living in exile, the entrepreneur said on Friday, after he was reportedly declared a "traitor" to the country and stripped of his citizenship this year. Piero Coen Ubilla, who heads agribusiness-to-money-transfer conglomerate Grupo Coen, said in a statement that properties registered in his and his wife's names were seized by police early Friday morning. The seizure marks the first such targeting of a business figure of his stature under President Daniel Ortega's administration. Coen has been an outspoken critic of Ortega since anti-government protests broke out in 2018. He left the country for Guatemala in 2021. The businessman was recently found to be a "traitor" to the Central American country in a trial that also stripped him of his citizenship and ordered the confiscation of all real estate he owned, newspaper Confidencial reported. The government may have also seized Coen's stakes in several Nicaraguan companies, according to reports. Reuters found a criminal case was opened against Coen at the end of March, though a verdict was not publicly available. Coen said he had "not been part of any legal process, nor been informed of any kind of process which would justify" the seizures. "I can assure you all, there is no crime of which I can be accused, much less a crime against my country or Nicaraguan society," Coen added. Nicaraguan judicial representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 2018 protests and government crackdown left more than 300 dead and hundreds in jail, according to human rights organizations' tallies. The government says around 200 died. Ortega's supporters called the protests an attempt by the president's opponents to incite a coup. Human rights groups say Ortega has in recent years repressed opposition politicians, news outlets, business leaders and the Catholic Church, which acted as a mediator during the protests. Earlier this year, in a surprise move, Ortega freed more than 200 political prisoners and flew them to the United States, saying he wished to rid Nicaragua of criminal provocateurs who undermine the country's safety. (Reporting by Ismael Lopez, Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jacqueline Wong) ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army claimed on Saturday that two civilians were killed by Indian forces in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, the first such conflict since a ceasefire in 2021 between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. A group of shepherds in Sattwal sector at the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries, were hit, the army said in a statement, warning it reserves a right to strike back. "The Indian Army, in a display of its usual inhumane approach towards innocent Kashmiris, opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in Sattwal Sector," the statement said. The Indian army did not respond to a request for comment. In 2021, the two sides agreed in a rare joint statement to a ceasefire along the disputed border in the scenic valley. Both India and Pakistan lay claim over the disputed territory, but each control half of it. The two countries have fought three wars, two over Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947. The two armies in 2019 almost came to the brink of war, scrambling jets and shooting down a warplane after Indian planes intruded Pakistan airspace in what New Delhi said was to target a militant training camp. Condemning the killings and ceasefire violation, the Pakistani foreign office summoned the Indian envoy to register a protest, the statement said. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Diane Craft) FILE PHOTO: Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar leaves after a post-budget press briefing for the 2023/24, in Islamabad, Pakistan June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Ariba Shahid/File Photo By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan has changed its budget for the financial year starting on July 1, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday, including the latest fiscal tightening measures dictated by International Monetary Fund in a final effort to clinch a stalled rescue package. "Pakistan and IMF had detailed negotiations for the last three days as a last effort to complete the pending review," he told parliament. For the fiscal year starting next month, Pakistan will raise a further 215 billion rupees ($752 million) in new tax and cut 85 billion rupees in spending, as well as a number of other measures to shrink the fiscal deficit, he said. That will revise Pakistan's revenue collection target to 9.415 trillion rupees ($33 billion) and put total spending at 14.480 trillion rupees ($51 billion), Dar said. "These changes will make our fiscal deficit much better," he said. "We have ensured that the new tax will not affect the poor," he claimed, and said the petrol levy will be raised from 50 rupees to 60 rupees, and will be capped at the new ceiling for any future changes. He also announced lifting of restriction of all imports enforced in December in a bid to cut the current account deficit, which has been one of the major concerns by the IMF to release the funds. Money allocated for cash handouts to the poor was also revised from 450 billion rupees to 466 billion rupees for fiscal 2024, Dar said. The review came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the Global Financing Summit in Paris. There is less than a week to go before the IMF's Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019 expires on June 30. Under the $6.5 billion facility's ninth review, negotiated earlier this year, Pakistan has been trying to secure $1.1 billion of funding stalled since November. With central bank foreign exchange reserves barely enough to cover one month of controlled imports, Pakistan is facing an acute balance of payment crisis, which analysts say could spiral into a debt default if the IMF money doesn't come through. The IMF funding is critical to unlock other bilateral and multilateral financing for the debt-ridden South Asian economy. "I hope, God willing, that we will have an agreement with the IMF," Dar said. ($1 = 286.0000 Pakistani rupees) (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by William Mallard) Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin meets with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in this screen grab MOSCOW (Reuters) - Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. Peskov said the criminal case that had been opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, and that the Wagner fighters who had taken part in his "march for justice" would not face any action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia. Fighters who had not taken part would sign contracts with the Defence Ministry, which has been seeking to bring all autonomous volunteer forces under its control by July 1. Although Putin had earlier vowed to punish those who participated in the mutiny, Peskov said the agreement had had the "higher goal" of avoiding confrontation and bloodshed. Peskov declined to say whether any concessions had been made to Prigozhin, other than guarantees of safety for him - something he said Putin had given his word to vouch for - and for Prigozhin's men, to persuade him to withdraw all his forces. He called the events of the day "tragic". "There are no more conditions that I can tell you about," said Peskov. Prigozhin had earlier demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov be handed over to him. Asked if there would be personnel changes in the Russian Defence Ministry as a result of the deal, Peskov said: "These matters are the sole prerogative and within the competence of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Putin) in accordance with the constitution of the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is unlikely that these topics could have been discussed in the course of the above-mentioned contacts". (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Andrew Osborn) FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts on stage following his arraignment on classified document charges, at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfik/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith on Friday asked a federal judge to delay the start of former President Donald Trump's trial on charges of willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice until Dec. 11, a court filing showed. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon set an initial trial date of Aug. 14. But Smith, in the filing, said the Aug. 14 date "would deny counsel for the defendant or the attorney for the Government the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation." Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president for the 2024 election, was arraigned in federal court in Miami last week, during which he pleaded not guilty to charges he unlawfully kept national security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them. The case will need to proceed under a strict and meticulous set of rules set forth in a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act, which aims to protect classified evidence and manage how such records can be disclosed. In the filing, Smith said the start of the trial should be delayed so Trump's lawyers have time to get security clearances to review classified documents. Smith laid out a schedule in the lead up to the proposed Dec. 11 start of jury selection, including a Sept. 5 deadline for all defense discovery requests. He said Trump's lawyers do not oppose scrapping the Aug. 14 trial start date but he anticipates they will file a motion opposing the prosecution's proposed schedule. A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Sandra Maler and Jacqueline Wong) As the two Koreas near the anniversary of the start of their conflict in 1950, both sides are pouring money into drone programs to bolster their militaries along a border dubbed "the Cold War's last frontier." South Korea's cabinet this week approved plans for a new drone command to be set up by the military around September to provide what the government called an "overwhelming response" to any provocations by North Korea's unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. North Korea appears to have started testing a new large drone at its Panghyon air base, NK News reported last week based on satellite images. The aircraft was the largest it has seen to date, with an estimated wingspan of about 115 feet (35 meters), bigger than the 65-foot drone spotted at the air base earlier this month, it said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have let each other know that they intend to step up their drone programs, setting the stage for an escalation after each sent the aircraft across the border in December. That marked a first in the conflict between the two states that started on June 25, 1950, and was halted through an armistice about three years later. Russia's war in Ukraine has shown how drones can be used quickly and cheaply to survey the battlefield, deploy small explosives and strike fear in an adversary. For North and South Korea, drones could prove invaluable along a border where each positions hundreds of thousands of soldiers. "Drones are currently hitting that spot of being threatening and menacing without yet creating full-blown, open hostilities that could have broader geopolitical ramifications," said Beryl Pong, a faculty member at the University of Cambridge and the National University of Singapore specializing in contemporary warfare. In a landmark speech Kim made in 2021 a congress of his Workers' Party of Korea just before President Joe Biden took office, the North Korean leader laid out his weapons priorities for the coming years. That included new missiles to deliver nuclear warheads to the U.S. mainland, hypersonic glide vehicles and reconnaissance drones. His state has not officially unveiled any new UAV or combat drone designs since 2012, according to NK News. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in its most recent report on North Korea's military power that Kim's regime has been flying drones near the border based on Chinese commercial designs and using Chinese components. Drones could be a far cheaper way for North Korea to keep an eye on military activities on the other side of the 250 km border between the two Koreas than the spy satellite Pyongyang tried to launch in May on a rocket that failed in flight. North Korea is repaving a launchpad at its space rocket facility after saying it intends to try again soon to place a spy satellite into orbit, NK News reported based on satellite imagery. North Korea's UAV programs have been active for years, "but in contrast to their many other military achievements, they remain largely unseen and secretive," said Joseph Dempsey, a research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. North Korea has shown that its "small, uncomplicated UAV types based on off-the-shelf commercial technologies can successfully penetrate and operate within South Korean airspace with relative ease," he said. Dempsey said there are questions over whether North Korea has long-range electrooptical sensors to allow for reconnaissance across the border. The greater concern is that North Korea might try to develop its smaller drones into one-way weapons, which could provide a cheaper alternative to cruise missiles, he said. South Korea received a wake-up call about the threat when Kim's regime sent five drones across the border in late December, including one that flew near the Presidential Office in Seoul. South Korea's military tried and failed to shoot the devices down. One complicating factor in that effort was a reluctance to fire munitions in heavily populated areas around the capital city. Shortly after the episode, South Korea unveiled a plan to spend about 560 billion won ($432 million) over the next five years on drones, including systems to bring down those from adversaries. The new command will conduct surveillance, electromagnetic warfare and military strikes, Yonhap News reported. North Korea's UAVs pose a new type of threat for South Korea's military, one that will be difficult for the current missile defense architecture to handle, said Yoon Sukjoon, a retired captain in South Korea's navy who is a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs. "UAVs appear to be a future tool for conducting operational and tactical operations," Yoon said, adding that they appear to be sparking "a new arms race between two Koreas." Bloomberg's Shinhye Kang contributed to this report. KATHMANDU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The H9665 flight operated by Himalaya Airlines took off from Kathmandu on Saturday morning and landed in Beijing about four hours later, marking the resumption of direct flights between the Nepali and Chinese capitals after a hiatus of three years. The return H9666 flight shall come back to Kathmandu on the same day, as the Kathmandu-based airline is operating a round trip every Saturday for now. An Yongsheng, the airline's general manager of the China Office, stressed the significance of the resumption. "The resumed flights will promote trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries." The Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture established in August 2014, started Kathmandu-Beijing flights in late October 2019. The flights were suspended for three years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline is set to resume or open new routes to China, including round-trip flights from Kathmandu to Shanghai and Qingdao. Yevgeniy Prigozhin is facing arrest after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused him of mounting an insurrection against state military forces. Prigozhin is the leader of the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked military contractor. He has long had close ties with Putin. Internal tensions between Prigozhin and Russian military leaders have been simmering for months, though Prigozhin and Putin had carefully avoided directly criticizing each other. Prigozhin's challenge to the Russian Defense Ministry - and by proxy, to Putin - has thrown Moscow into an unexpected crisis that threatens to undermine Putin's war effort in Ukraine. Who is Yevgeniy Prigozhin? The 62-year-old Prigozhin is a Russian oligarch who emerged from the same wealthy and powerful circles as Putin. Born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Prigozhin spent 12 years in prison for a 1981 conviction on charges of robbery, fraud and the prostitution of minors. After his release, Prigozhin built his fortune as a private catering magnate by growing a hot dog stand and fast food business into a well-connected catering firm that held lucrative contracts that include feeding the Russian military. Prigozhin's ties to the Russian president earned him the nickname "Putin's Chef." Before Russia's war in Ukraine, Americans likely recognized Prigozhin as the financier of the Internet Research Agency - the Russian "troll farm" that the Justice Department indicted in 2018 for interfering with the United States' 2016 presidential election by weaponizing social media (the case was later dropped). As Wagner's leader, Prigozhin has cultivated a reputation for being foul-mouthed, ruthless and brutal in combat. His company has been accused of committing war crimes like rape, execution and child abduction. With his power comes a willingness - or fearlessness - to criticize state leaders, which Putin has abided by until now. Widely considered a force of mercenaries-for-hire, the Wagner Group is a network of several organizations that provide military contractors. Prigozhin acknowledged for the first time publicly that he founded the Wagner Group in a statement in September posted on his press service on the Russian social media site VK. Prigozhin said he founded the group to help Russian forces annex Crimea in 2014 and to help pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. "I flew to one of the training grounds and did it myself. I myself cleaned the old weapons, figured out the bulletproof vests, and found specialists who could help me with this," he said. "From that moment, on May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later acquired the name . . . 'Wagner.'" Russia's military has suffered major losses since the start of the war in Ukraine, forcing it to rely heavily on Prigozhin's Wagner fighters, The Washington Post has reported. The paramilitary group at that time was primarily active in Syria and parts of Africa before taking on a more substantial role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Russian mercenaries and convicts - who made up about 80 percent of the 50,000-person Wagner force in Ukraine, according to U.S. assessments - played a major role in Russia's efforts to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. The winter and spring battle for Bakhmut was the bloodiest phase of the war and came with major losses for Prigozhin's paramilitary group, who at that time were dying by the thousands, according to The Post. Prigozhin came into increasing conflict with Russia's military leadership over the course of the long, bitter fight for Bakhmut. He has repeatedly slammed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov for not supplying his forces with enough ammunition and for failing to conduct the war effectively, according to The Post. "My people are dying in heaps," he said in February. Tensions between the Wagner boss and Russia's military brass over leadership failures reached a boiling point on Friday when Prigozhin accused Russian forces of conducting a strike on a Wagner camp in Ukraine. Prigozhin called for Russians to join Wagner's "march of justice" against Shoigu and Gerasimov, also accusing the pair of lying about the war in Ukraine and undercounting casualties, The Post reports. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared. The Defense Ministry has denied carrying out the attack, according to the Associated Press. The Washington Post's Miriam Berger and Adam Taylor contributed reporting. ACHIN, Afghanistan Delawar Torkhan, flanked by rifle-toting soldiers, rounded up the opium farmers and spoke loudly enough to ensure he was heard by everyone: the cowering men, the quietly fuming women - above all, his commanding officer perched in a nearby SUV. "We told you months ago not to grow poppy. The supreme leader decreed it, and yet you don't listen," said Torkhan, a local Taliban security official. "If you continue, I will bring you to justice and jail you for six months." In truth, it wasn't a threat. It was theater. Under orders from their supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers in April 2022 banned the cultivation of poppy, a lucrative cash crop. One year on, it's not clear whether the Taliban will soon make a significant dent on a crop that the United Nations estimated accounts for one-tenth of the entire Afghan economy. The country's poppy farmers supply the raw ingredients that, after being boiled into bricks, refined and exported to Europe via Iran and Pakistan, make up 80 percent of the world's opium and heroin supply. If the Taliban falls short, international analysts say, it'll be because of weak enforcement, corruption, the fact that no economic alternatives exist for farmers. On the ground here in eastern Afghanistan, the case of one war-torn village abutting the snow-capped peaks of Pakistan's tribal regions shows how the eradication effort can be undermined by dissent and small acts of sympathy. As his superior drove away on a hot recent afternoon, Torkhan, a 52-year-old who joined the Taliban in 1995, promptly released the detained opium growers, many of whom he has known for decades and belonged to his Shinwari tribe of Pashtuns. Torkhan walked through destroyed homes overlooking steep terraces carpeted by pink and white poppy flowers. The village has suffered enough, he sighed. Baghdara had been occupied by Islamic State fighters, who drove out locals and made it their mountain hideout. It was relentlessly shelled by the Taliban, seeking to drive out the Islamic State. After it joined the fight against the Islamic State, the U.S. military dropped the "Mother of All Bombs," its largest nonnuclear warhead, in an adjacent valley in 2017. During its insurgency, even the Taliban itself had grown and taxed opium for years to fund its violent campaign. Now, Torkhan said, his own leaders were depriving war-weary villagers of their only hope of rebuilding. When his eradication squads show up to smash poppy crops, women hurl insults from behind mud walls. The sick and the elderly beg him for money. Torkhan confessed he feels racked by guilt when villagers confront him in the fields. "But I would not be a good Muslim if I disobeyed orders from my supreme leader," he said. "God knows the sadness I bear in my heart." Renewed eradication Taliban leaders, viewing narcotics production as un-Islamic, banned poppy cultivation during the group's first stint in power 25 years ago. After the Taliban was overthrown in 2001, the new Afghan government persisted with eradication campaigns but found their reach limited in remote places like Baghdara, which was still effectively governed by the Taliban. Since seizing power again in 2021, Taliban leaders pledged once more to strictly crack down on narcotics production and trade. The move was interpreted by analysts as an attempt by the diplomatically isolated group to burnish its image as a responsible government, but the ban will come at a steep cost for the country, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert at the Brookings Institution who has advised the U.S. government on Afghan drug policy. The families of some Taliban leaders, like senior officials in the previous Afghan government, rely on the illicit economy to generate considerable wealth, and countless farmers depend on it to avoid starvation, Felbab-Brown said. "It is certainly plausible they will be able to induce fear-based elimination of poppy as they did in 1999," she said. "But can it hold? Well, no, unless they absolutely ruin the country. Poppy underpins the political and economic life of Afghanistan." In Kabul, Taliban officials say their commitment to eradication is absolute. Since April, the start of the first harvest season since the ban was announced last year, eradication teams that have been deployed almost daily across the country have razed about 10,000 acres of poppy fields, said Haseebullah Ahmadi, chief of staff in the national counternarcotics office. That amounts to scant progress. In November, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that 575,000 acres of opium were being cultivated in 2022, up 32 percent from a year prior. Opium sales generated $1.4 billion for Afghan farmers last year, worth nearly 30 percent of overall agricultural output, the U.N. agency calculated. "It's almost everywhere," Ahmadi said as he scrolled through WhatsApp, showing videos sent in that morning from 10 different provinces. His men were bashing poppy plants with sticks in Kunduz. His tractors razed entire fields in Badakhshan. "You can see we are committed to our promises and the decree of our supreme leader," he said enthusiastically. In the provincial capital of Jalalabad, local Taliban officials were more tempered in their comments. Haji Atta Mohammad Qudrat, a regional counternarcotics official and Torkhan's superior, said the Taliban was working on a five-year plan to find replacement cash crops. Officials were hoping to teach farmers to grow hing, a pricey spice popular in South Asian kitchens, or expensive varieties of garlic. "If there were a way to overlook poppy cultivation, we wouldn't put our people in further financial struggles," he said. "But we've clearly told them it absolutely won't be tolerated. We made a promise to the international community, and the villagers made a promise to us." Rumblings of dissent Among the craggy hills and steep ravines of Baghdara, Torkhan sounded the most conflicted among Taliban officials. He was born nearby, in a neighboring district. As a young man, he fought Soviet soldiers in these hills while studying at Darul Uloom Haqqania, a seminary in Pakistan famed for producing jihadists. After he joined the Taliban, Torkhan rose to become the group's local shadow governor, levying taxes from opium crop and supplying weapons for the insurgency against the U.S.-backed Afghan government. When the Islamic State militants arrived, Torkhan said, he led the fight against them until he was captured in a night raid by Afghan special forces, only to be released as part of the Taliban's negotiations with the Afghan government in 2020. "When I was a fighter, these mountains were my responsibility," Torkhan said. "I know everyone here. They used to come to my village." Not that Torkhan - or any government - ever provided much in the way of services in the conflict-ridden district. "No one ever did anything for us, and that's why we're deprived," said Abdul Zarif, a village farmer. "No clinics, no roads, no schools. Our children walk six hours to class." In 2017, life in the village of 1,000 people was upended by the arrival of fighters from Pakistan, who swore allegiance to the Islamic State and began to brutally enforce their will. Baghdara's residents - who were quickly outnumbered in their own village by a ballooning Islamic State population of 4,000 men, women and children - soon fled. For the next four years, village residents became refugees in their own province, recalled Malik Mareph, the village chief. Some spent all their savings building shacks to live in the desert. Others tried to make a living as laborers in Jalalabad but struggled in the city. By the time they returned to Baghdara in 2021, most were badly in debt. They found their homes destroyed, their fields flooded. Many returned to opium, which fetched 130,000 Pakistani rupees ($470) per kilogram, about six times the price they could get for any other crop, Mareph said. On the day Torkhan's eradication team arrived, his men were bombarded by heckles. "You don't have to worry while eagerly destroying our only source of income!" a woman shouted from a nearby home. "If only you'd put so much effort in providing us food!" yelled another. Inside a former guesthouse that had been turned by Islamic State militants into a courtroom for their severe judgments, Torkhan now sat cross-legged, listening to villagers vent. Sedhan Shah, a man in his 30s, said a total of 30 rooms belonging to his extended family were demolished by shelling, and without opium, he could make only $1.50 a day by collecting firewood and selling it down the mountain, a seven-hour walk one way. Mareph, the village chief, said he couldn't remember the last time he ate meat. Villagers pointed to Seyasat, a 28-year-old who lost his right leg to an Islamic State land mine, now hobbling around on crutches. How will the village support him? "Let us grow just one harvest to fix our houses, rebuild our roofs," Khana Gul, a village elder, demanded angrily. "We're not even growing to make a profit." Torkhan heard the complaints and rubbed his eyes. He said he had already passed along the villagers' stories to his superiors and given their phone numbers to aid workers from the International Red Crescent. Then, he made an unusual admission. In the presence of a reporter, he told the farmers that he deeply disagreed with the poppy ban. Before he arrived, he had warned the farmers to not let his superiors see them harvesting in the fields. And when he swore he would throw them in jail, Torkhan admitted, that was an empty threat. "I call upon the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to provide assistance to these villagers," he said loudly, referring to the Taliban government. "If you're suffering, I'm suffering. The last few months of this campaign have been the worst in my life." By now, the sun was low in the sky, and scores of women and children who had heckled Torkhan were back in the poppy fields, rushing to collect as much milky sap as they could even as advancing eradication workers whacked plants a few yards away. Torkhan's fighters watched the scene from the hillsides, seemingly uninterested. "Please support our mujahideen," Torkhan said into a loudspeaker, making one final appeal as he and his men piled into a Toyota pickup truck. It didn't make a difference. In the sea of pink and white, the farmers ignored him, and he let them be as he drove down the mountain, saying nothing at all. (Tribune News Service) U.S. intelligence agencies weren't able to determine whether researchers at laboratory in Wuhan, China, who fell sick in the fall of 2019, were infected with COVID-19, which soon spread around the world, according to a declassified report released Friday. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence unveiled details about scientists at Wuhan Institute of Virology who fell ill in 2019 before the first documented COVID-19 infections, as well as coronavirus research conducted at the lab by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. However, none of the released intelligence definitively pointed to lab-related work as the cause of the pandemic, which has caused nearly 7 million deaths. The report comes months after President Joe Biden signed a bill into law requiring declassification of intelligence related to the pandemic's potential links to the lab. It will do little to settle the hotly contested debate over how COVID-19 started, already the source of partisan clashes and probes. It's also far from the final word on how the pandemic got its start. Intelligence officials have said they're still seeking key information from China. "When President Biden signed the Covid-19 Origin Act, he directed the intelligence community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate the origin of Covid-19," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in an emailed statement. "The release of this report reflects that commitment to declassify and share as much information as possible related to the origins of Covid-19, while protecting sources and methods." The Chinese Embassy didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Biden administration missed the June 18 deadline to release the declassified intelligence. It coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's long-awaited trip to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to restore communications between senior leadership and the countries' militaries. The trip, initially set to take place in February, was pushed back in the wake of an alleged Chinese spy balloon spotted over U.S. territory. Biden signed the law requiring that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines release the declassified information in March. The new report builds on previous findings, including a State Department report from January 2021 that suggested that the U.S. government had reason to believe that several researchers inside the Wuhan lab became sick in 2019, before the first identified case of the COVID-19 outbreak, with symptoms consistent with the virus and common seasonal illnesses. The ODNI report stated that there is no indication the researchers were hospitalized because of COVID-19 and that the intelligence community couldn't confirm if any of the researchers had handled live viruses before falling ill. The report acknowledged that Wuhan researchers have collaborated with the People's Liberation Army on public-health research that included coronaviruses, and vaccines and treatments for such viruses, though no known research that could have led to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Some scientists at the Wuhan institute have genetically engineered coronaviruses using common lab practices, the report said, adding that it's not aware of manipulations of viruses that could have been the source of SARS-CoV-2. The report also identified safety and security issues at the institute that could have increased the risk of accidental exposure to viruses. The intelligence community said it's not aware of a specific biosafety incident that may have spurred the pandemic. To date, the U.S. intelligence community has shared few details about the information it's gathered since the outset of the pandemic. Last year, the agencies concluded two causes were plausible: The virus emerged in animals and spread to humans, or that it sprang from an incident at a lab in Wuhan. Despite disagreement among the agencies about which hypothesis was more likely, the intelligence community concurred that COVID-19 wasn't developed intentionally as a biological weapon. The FBI and Department of Energy have both said, with low-to-moderate confidence, the lab-leak theory is possible. That's remained a minority view, and most other groups consider human exposure to an infected animal more likely. The report also said most, but not all, of the intelligence agencies ruled out that COVID-19 was genetically engineered or lab adapted. Madison Muller contributed to this report. 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON The Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday said its members have agreed to authorize about $845 billion for the Pentagon for fiscal 2024 with funding to give troops a pay raise, more weapons to deter China and build a new amphibious ship. The committee on Thursday passed its version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that specifies the Defense Departments budget and expenditures. The vote was 24-1. The United States faces a dangerous and growing set of national security challenges, an executive summary of the committees bill states. To deter and overcome these threats Congress has a fundamental duty to take care of Americas men and women in uniform, their families, as well as the civilian workforce. The passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 is an important step toward achieving these goals. The committees bill proposes a little more than $844 billion for the Pentagon and $42 billion for other defense programs. The $886 billion is in line with President Joe Bidens defense funding request, and is the maximum that defense programs can receive next year under his deal with House Republicans to raise the debt limit. Amphibious ships The committees version of the NDAA would restore almost $2 billion in funding next year to build a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. The Navys budget request in March did not include money next year for a new amphibious ship. The Navy is required under the 2023 NDAA to have a minimum of 31 amphibious ships, which are used to deliver Marines, weapons and equipment from the sea. What we have done in the bill is order them to give us a shipbuilding plan that shows how they get to 31 [amphibious ships], Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who is a member of the committee, told reporters Friday during a conference call. Within 60 days of the passing of the act, they need to get us a shipbuilding plan which means they have got to rewrite the current shipbuilding plan. The Senate bill also blocks the retirement of three of existing amphibious ships and the retirement of a cruiser. Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, has said the Navy needs at least 31 of the ships for optimal readiness, but Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro paused construction of the ships last year to study their impact on the force. Abortion policy The committees bill asks for clarification on the Pentagons recent policy that covers the cost of a service member traveling to another state, if necessary, to receive reproductive health care, including abortions. The Defense Department enacted the policy last year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its landmark 1973 abortion ruling in Roe vs. Wade, which legalized the procedure nationwide. The Defense Department policy is one of many that Bidens administration has enacted to protect reproductive health care. Many Republicans oppose the Pentagon policy and are demanding it be rescinded. The committees NDAA directs a report on the legality, oversight functions and processes related to the Defense Department policy. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a member of the committee, has been blocking hundreds military promotions for months in a bid to force the Pentagon to scrap the policy a fight that he said he wont give up, though multiple top military leaders have said his actions are compromising national security. My hold is not affecting readiness. And I will keep my hold until Democrats change the law, Tuberville said Wednesday. The committees executive summary does not make clear exactly when the Pentagon report on its policy would be due. We need to enshrine a basic statutory protection for womens reproductive freedom, Kaine said during his conference call, noting he has introduced a bipartisan bill in the Senate that seeks to establish basic reproductive protections. Deterring China and Russia The committees bill fully supports the Pentagons National Defense Strategy, which was issued last fall and identifies China as the top pacing challenge in the world for the U.S. military. One facet of the strategy is the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. The 2024 budget request from the Pentagon in March included more than $9 billion for the initiative the most ever requested and 40% more than the initiative received last year. The Defense Department said it is necessary for investing in advanced capabilities, new operational concepts and more resilient force posture in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as enabling groundbreaking posture initiatives in other parts of the region such as the Philippines, Japan and Australia. For example, the committees 2024 NDAA proposal establishes and fully funds a joint program between the Pentagon and the National Nuclear Security Administration to develop a nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile to address Chinas nuclear breakout and Russias continued aggression. The bill also calls for more than $3 billion to fund the European Deterrence Initiative, which seeks to deter Russian aggression against NATO countries and partners on the Continent such as Ukraine. It also would extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2027 a program that has allowed the U.S. to send Ukraine billions of dollars in military equipment, including Abrams tanks. Congressional lawmakers in the House and Senate must eventually reconcile their versions of the NDAA and send one final bill to the White House for Bidens signature by the time fiscal 2023 ends on Sept. 30. The House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the NDAA on Wednesday by a vote of 38-1. It also seeks overall funding of $886 billion. Some other items included in the Senate Armed Services Committees 2024 NDAA proposal: 5.2% pay raise for military service members and DOD civilian workforce. Authorizes active-duty end strengths for the Army (452,000), Navy (342,000), Air Force (320,000), Marine Corps (172,300) and Space Force (9,400). Retires dozens of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft next year. Reduces the number of fighter aircraft that the Air Force is required to maintain. Gives $400 million in increased funding for military recruiting and advertising activities. Seeks a new community college program for services to recruit high-quality talent. Increases funding to improve performance of Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters. Increases funding for development of the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, which will replace the Minuteman III. The catastrophic implosion that killed all five people aboard a submersible vessel is likely to intensify calls for stronger regulations and oversight of an industry that has long operated in a legal gray area, experts say. The now-deceased CEO of OceanGate Inc., which operated the Titan submersible for tours of the Titanic wreckage, had hailed the lighter carbon fiber composite hull of the vessel as an innovation in a field in which others have long relied on more expensive titanium models. But maritime regulation experts and experienced mariners say the material and shape of the vessel gave them concern. They also said OceanGate shouldn't have eschewed the typical inspection process by independent agencies, which is not legally mandated but routinely followed by others in the submersible community. Past lawsuits also raised questions about OceanGate's safety standards. Rear Adm. John Mauger, who led the Coast Guard's search for Titan, said Thursday that the tragedy is likely to lead to a review on regulations and standards. "Right now, we're focused on documenting the scene," he said. The company's missions fell outside any single country's jurisdiction, said Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian with Campbell University. The American-made Titan was diving into international waters after launching from the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Friday that it had dispatched a team to investigate the Canadian ship's involvement. "There's literally no requirement out there, because there's no one out there to enforce that," Mercogliano said. He said at least Canada and the United States are likely to adopt more regulations around submersibles and suggested that the International Maritime Organization - the United Nations' shipping policy arm - may require submersibles to register like other vessels. Right now, he said, they are treated like cargo that is brought aboard a larger vessel coming into port. Experts say it increasingly looks like the Titan submersible imploded under the pressure of 2.5 miles of ocean water, though an official investigation is ongoing. Within a debris field about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic, the search team found the front and back portions of the pressurized hull, said Paul Hankins, who leads salvage operations for the U.S. Navy. Carl Hartsfield of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said the debris indicates that the submersible probably imploded before reaching the ocean floor. Pressure from repeated dives to the Titanic wreck might have weakened Titan's hull, said Don Walsh, an oceanographer who was the first submersible pilot in the U.S. Navy. "They got away with it for a couple of years," he said. "It was not a question of if, but when." Andrew Von Kerens, a spokesman for OceanGate, when asked for a comment Wednesday said: "We are unable to provide any additional information at this time." 'Guardrails' OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan during its fatal voyage, had previously expressed his belief that innovation requires disrupting norms. Before the Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 1993, tourist submersibles could be piloted by anyone with a valid U.S. Coast Guard captain's license. But the law created new regulations for vessels diving deep, so long as they set off in American waters or fly a U.S. flag - Titan did neither. Rush told Smithsonian Magazine in June 2019 that the law was well intended, but was overly cautious by putting passenger safety over commercial innovation. "There hasn't been an injury in the commercial sub industry in over 35 years," he told the magazine. "It's obscenely safe, because they have all these regulations. But it also hasn't innovated or grown - because they have all these regulations." Rush was piloting the Titan when it lost contact with its mother ship Sunday, the company said. The vessel had visited the Titanic wreck in previous years. Vessels that dive to areas of extreme pressure can experience damage to their hulls over time, Mercogliano said. Periodic inspections from a classification agency are crucial to maintaining safety, he added. Titan did not undergo that classification process, according to OceanGate. In 2019, the company published a blog post titled "Why Isn't Titan Classed?" In it, the company said most marine accidents were the result of operator error - not mechanical failure. "As a result, simply focusing on classing the vessel does not address the operational risks," the blog post reads. "Maintaining high-level operational safety requires constant, committed effort and a focused corporate culture - two things that OceanGate takes very seriously and that are not assessed during classification." Questions about the regulatory and safety standards of OceanGate were raised in 2018 when the company sued a former employee and accused him of sharing confidential information, according to court documents reviewed by The Washington Post. David Lochridge, former director of marine operations at OceanGate, filed a counterclaim for wrongful termination. He alleged that OceanGate refused to pay a manufacturer to build a window that would meet the required depth of 4,000 meters, or more than 13,000 feet, the depth needed to reach Titanic, according to court filings. Lochridge also alleged that he had expressed concerns about the quality control and safety of the Titan, and he encouraged OceanGate to use the American Bureau of Shipping to inspect and certify the submersible. Lochridge and OceanGate settled the lawsuit in 2018. OceanGate declined to comment on the lawsuit and allegations. In court records, OceanGate said it had special monitors that would identify cracking in the hull if Titan was close to failure. Lochridge declined to comment when reached through his attorney, but he said he was praying for those aboard Titan. A group of industry professionals also raised concerns about Titan not undergoing the certification process in 2018, according to William Kohnen, president and CEO of the engineering firm Hydrospace Group. Kohnen and other members of the Marine Technology Society debated sending Rush a letter urging him to go through the classification process, warning that a "single negative event could undo" decades of safe exploration in underwater vehicles. The group, Kohnen said, ultimately never sent the letter, which was first reported by the New York Times. "That process is an accumulation of knowledge that is our safety guideline," said Kohnen, who called Rush at the time to make the same plea the letter did. "These are our guardrails." 'Explosion in reverse' Several deep-sea exploration experts say they wouldn't have trusted Titan's hull, which was made of mostly carbon fiber wound around titanium. Carbon fiber is a relatively new material for deep sea applications, said Stefano Brizzolara, professor in ocean engineering at Virginia Tech. Traditionally, vessels are made of steel and titanium, which can better withstand pressure and keep water out. "Carbon fiber doesn't do that," he said. "It deforms a little bit. And then it immediately and suddenly cracks and breaks." "The outside pressure is so high that it causes an implosion," Brizzolara added. "A kind of explosion in reverse." As you go deeper into the ocean, the pressure outside the vessel increases. At 4,000 meters, the pressure is 400 times the atmospheric pressure that humans experience on Earth, he said. A 2018 blog post on OceanGate's website said the vessel was tested to 4,000 meters. But the use of a new material in the composite hull combined with the lack of outside oversight gave some experts pause - especially if the vessel was being used to transport people. "For human occupancy, a composite pressure vessel is not something that I would have a lot of confidence in unless there was a serious, serious third-party oversight," David Lovalvo, founder of the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, said. Submersibles are used daily around the world for commercial activities like laying cable and pipe with very few accidents, said Lovalvo, who has been 13,000 feet down several times in his four-decade career. Even though the classing process is not required if operating in international waters and launching from another vessel, as Titan was, many commercial submersibles still undergo it, according to Lovalvo. They are also made with what he deems safer materials, like titanium, for insurance reasons, he said. Matt Tulloch, who has been to Titanic four times, said the submersible that he visited the wreck site on was a sphere made of titanium. When asked about the industry's opinion of OceanGate, he said: "It was a company that was innovative and was pushing the boundaries of traditional safety," but added: "They were not as cavalier as some of the reports seem to portray them as." Tulloch said he was close friends with and deeply trusted Paul-Henri Nargeolet - one of the five people who perished aboard Titan - for 30 years. They met through Tulloch's father, George Tulloch, who funded the first salvage mission to Titanic. Matt Tulloch said Nargeolet, an experienced French mariner, has earned the title "Mr. Titanic" because of his scores of trips down deep. "There is a fair assessment to be made that these guys were pushing the limits, and I say that as neutrally as I can. Because in this domain, there's always this getting to the next level, and to do that you have to push it to the limit," Tulloch said. Walsh, the former Navy submersible pilot, said the decision to have a carbon fiber hull, rather than a metal like titanium, was risky. "God bless them if they want to do experimental stuff, but for God's sake don't take members of the public down while you're doing that," Walsh said. Esteban Volkov, who witnessed the dying breaths of his grandfather, Leon Trotsky - the exiled Russian revolutionary leader whose assassination in Mexico in 1940 had been ordered by archrival Joseph Stalin - and who devoted his final decades to preserving Trotsky's legacy, died June 16 in Tepoztlan, Mexico. He was 97 and had lived in the Mexico City suburb of Coyoacan since coming under the guardianship of Trotsky at age 13. His daughter Nora Volkow, who uses a different spelling of the family name, confirmed the death but did not provide a specific cause. She said her father became blind earlier this year and entered a nursing home in Tepoztlan, a town south of the capital. Mr. Volkov was a retired chemical engineer when, in 1990, he opened a museum in the house on Calle Viena where he had lived with his grandfather. The timing coincided with the end of the Cold War and came a year before the collapse of the Soviet state that Trotsky, along with Vladimir Lenin, had helped create. The purpose of the exhibition space was to bring renewed attention to the man whom Stalin had sent into exile amid a power struggle to lead the Soviet Union after Lenin's death in 1924. Stalin painted Trotsky as a subversive and tried to erase him from Soviet history. "We don't ask for political rehabilitation because he doesn't need political rehabilitation," Mr. Volkov told the Los Angeles Times of his grandfather, who was granted asylum by Mexico's left-wing president and moved there in 1937. "We want historical truth. Truth is a basic element of progress. We cannot go anywhere without the truth." The Leon Trotsky House Museum is now run by the Mexican state and has more than 50,000 visitors annually. Trotsky warned his grandson to stay out of politics for his own safety, and he obeyed. The museum is not meant to serve as a temple to his grandfather's politics but to elaborate on the political journey of a man who had been born Lev Davidovich Bronstein and came from a wealthy Jewish family. Mr. Volkov was born Vsevolod Volkov Platonovich Bronstein on March 7, 1926, in Yalta on the Crimea peninsula that had been part of the Russian empire and remained so under the Soviets. After Ukraine gained its independence from the shattered Soviet Union in 1991, Crimea became part of Ukraine and still is, although it has been occupied by invading Russian forces since 2014. Mr. Volkov's mother, Zinaida, was one of Trotsky's two daughters. Mr. Volkov's father, Platon Volkov, was a Trotsky supporter who was later arrested and disappeared into Stalin's prisons, reputedly murdered by the regime. Zinaida was allowed to leave the Soviet Union with her son, then 5 years old, to visit her father, who had been exiled to an island in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul. For reasons that only became clear to Mr. Volkov decades later, his slightly older half sister, Aleksandra, was left behind - not to be seen again by him for 57 years. In 1932, fearing for the safety of his daughter and grandson, Trotsky told them to go to Berlin. Within a few weeks, Zinaida fell ill with tuberculosis. Grief-stricken and suffering from depression, she killed herself, according to her son, by leaving her head close to an unlit gas oven in their apartment. Friends sent the child to a school in the Austrian capital, Vienna, run by self-styled "disciples" of psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, before his uncle Lev Sedov took him to Paris in 1934. Four years later, Sedov was found dead in a Paris hospital while being treated for appendicitis, with many historians concurring he had been poisoned by Stalinist agents. Mr. Volkov later reckoned that, in all, 30 of his relatives were killed or disappeared by Stalin's regime or, like his mother, took their own lives. He was soon sent to Mexico to join his grandfather, who called him Esteban in the Spanish-speaking country. Although he was a world away from Europe, Mr. Volkov was not entirely safe. In May 1940, he was shot in the foot during an attempt to kill Trotsky in his home. Gunmen, reportedly led by Mexican muralist and Stalinist sympathizer David Alfaro Siqueiros, broke through the security team and riddled Trotsky's bedroom with bullets from automatic weapons. Trotsky's wife pushed her husband into a corner, and they both survived. But the gunmen then fired into the neighboring bedroom, where young Mr. Volkov had been sleeping. "I was very, very lucky," he recalled in a 2012 interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais. "A gunman shot six times into my mattress, but I'd jumped under the bed. I remember the terrible noise and the smell of gunpowder." Just months later, on Aug. 20, Mr. Volkov had returned home from school when he saw Trotsky bleeding to death but still standing defiantly in the arms of his bodyguards and his wife, Natalia Sedova. "Keep the boy away. He shouldn't see this!" he recalled his grandfather shouting. The assailant, Spanish-born Stalinist Ramon Mercader, had found his way into the home under a pretense of being an admirer, then attacked Trotsky with a mountaineering ice axe he had hidden in his coat. Mr. Volkov saw his grandfather's bloodied body taken away on a stretcher. Trotsky, who with Lenin had helped overthrow the Russian Empire during the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, died of his wounds the following day at age 60. Mercader was convicted and spent almost 20 years in a Mexican jail before moving to the Soviet Union, where he received a hero's welcome. A friend of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, he died of lung cancer in Havana in 1978. After the assassination, Trotsky's second wife, Natalia, looked after Mr. Volkov throughout his teenage years. At the National Autonomous University of Mexico, he received a degree in chemical engineering. He got a job as a chemical engineer at the Mexican pharmaceutical company Syntex and, through his work in the synthesis of steroid hormones, was involved in the development of the contraceptive pill. He was married to Palmira Fernandez from 1953 until her death in 1997. In addition to Nora, who is director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Md., survivors include three other daughters, Veronica, Patricia and Natalia; five grandchildren; and two grandchildren. Mr. Volkov spent much of his life knowing little of the fate of his half sister, Aleksandra, until he received a call in the late 1980s from a French historian, Pierre Broue, telling him she was alive in Moscow but dying of cancer. Amid Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, or openness, Mr. Volkov was granted permission in 1988 to visit with Aleksandra. "Aleksandra was always distressed that it was I who our mother took with her," Mr. Volkov told the publication Workers Vanguard at the time. "It was Broue, who was first to find out why. Stalin had specified in the exit papers that she could only take her youngest child." (Aleksandra also spent years in a labor camp in Kazakhstan, then a Soviet republic, as part of a roundup of people related to "enemies of the people." She was freed after Stalin's death in 1953.) Mr. Volkov described his reunion with Aleksandra as bittersweet. They could barely communicate because he had forgotten his Russian, and she spoke no Spanish, English or French. Nevertheless, he said at a news conference, "it was a little like people from a shipwreck who meet safe and sound on the beach." Mr. Volkov also used the visit to press the Soviet state to clear the name of his vilified grandfather, whose very mention was taboo for decades. (He was never officially rehabilitated.) Nora Volkow remembered her father as "an extraordinary man who infected me with his passion for science, justice and the truth, and who inspired me with his resilience. He liked nature, mountains, the ocean and loved music, with Shostakovich and Stravinsky his favorites. He never stopped walking and even died while walking, outside his nursing home." BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China saw a total of 106 million domestic tourist trips made during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 32.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Tourism revenue reached 37.31 billion yuan (about 5.2 billion U.S. dollars) during the holiday which lasts from Thursday to Saturday, up 44.5 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry. The decision paves the way for the criminal trials of Kirstie McGrath (32) and Niamh Mulreany (27). Two women being prosecuted for refusing to quarantine after returning from a cosmetic surgery trip to the United Arab Emirates during the Covid-19 pandemic have lost a constitutional challenge to the temporary lockdown measure. The decision paves the way for the criminal trials of Kirstie McGrath (32) and Niamh Mulreany (27), who were dubbed the Dubai Two following their arrests in 2021. The friends travelled to the Emirates for breast enhancement surgery but did not go ahead with the procedures. On their return, they refused to undergo a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and were charged with breaching the Health (Amendment) Act 2021. Both could face a 2,000 fine and up to one month in jail, but the criminal process was paused after both took a constitutional challenge. However, that challenge was rejected by the High Court this week. A decision by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in March 2021 meant that anybody travelling to Ireland from UAE, or 32 other countries, had to quarantine after their arrival. Kirstie McGrath. Photo: Paddy Cummins/IrishPhotodesk.ie Ms McGrath, of St Anthonys Road, Dublin 8, and Ms Mulreany, of Scarlett Row, Essex Street West, Dublin 2, travelled to the UAE two days later and were due to fly home on March 31. When they presented for their return flight at the airport in Dubai, they were told they would not be permitted to board unless and until they had pre-booked a stay in a designated hotel in Dublin and paid for the hotel in advance. The court heard they could not afford to pay for the hotel and were anxious to return home to their children. The women were refused permission to board their scheduled flight but eventually returned to Dublin on April 2. Niamh Mulreany Upon their arrival, they were told that they would be taken by bus to a quarantine hotel but they refused to go. They were arrested and charged with an offence of resisting being brought to a designated facility. In their challenge, the women claimed the power of the minister to designate countries breached the separation of powers and breached an article of the constitution vesting exclusive law-making power in the Oireachtas. Their lawyers also claimed that powers of review given to the appeals officer was contrary to the Constitution. However, Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger rejected both arguments. The criminal case will now come back before the District Court in September. Bernard Joyce (23) was remanded on bail to appear for sentencing on June 28. The perils of withdrawing large quantities of cash from a bank were underlined as Wexford Circuit Court dealt with a theft prosecution. A jury of three men and nine women unanimously convicted Bernard Joyce (23) of stealing 4,000 in 50 notes from a car parked at the Ferrycarrig Hotel. They reached their decision after viewing and re-viewing CCTV footage from the hotels security system dating back to January 17 in 2020. That was the date on which Coolcotts resident Ger OBrien went to the Bank of Ireland branch in Enniscorthy. He gave evidence of how he took out the 4,000 in a white, self-sealing envelope, intending to buy himself a car over the weekend. While in the bank he felt that he was being watched and he noticed the accused was behind him in the queue. In defending the case, Joyce fully accepted that he was the person seen in the banks CCTV leaning against a wall. However, he denied being a passenger in a dark Volkswagen that followed the injured party to the Ferrycarrig. Once at the hotel, OBrien parked the red Toyota Auris he was driving and went into the hotels gym. When he emerged an hour later, he discovered that a rear window had been broken in the Auris. The enveloped he had concealed in the console beside the gear stick was gone. The theft was investigated by Garda Eddie Nolan who identified the Volkswagen 04OY1596 as being registered to a man called Kelly at Moyne Park, Raheny in Dublin. However, colleagues in Dublin informed him that no one of that name was residing at the address in question. Garda Nolan had more luck when it came to identifying the man in the bank queue wearing a black jacket. This was Bernard Joyce from Barnfield Road in Kilbarrack, Dublin. The garda called to the house in Barnfield Road with a search warrant and he seized the defendants iPhone, though Joyce refused to tell him the PIN. The jury was sent to deliberate and spent an hour before lunch considering the matter without coming to a conclusion. After the lunch break they asked to see footage of the car leaving the hotel which they were shown in slow motion. While the face of the driver remained in shadow, most of the face of the passenger was picked out in winter sun on the screens in the courtroom. Two minutes after they returned to their deliberations, the jury came back to tell Judge James McCourt they had reached agreement. They found the defendant guilty of theft and guilty of criminal damage to the Auris. Joyce was remanded on bail to appear for sentencing on June 28. Michael OReilly is well known in dog breeding circles in Cork having won numerous awards at dog shows in the county. THE ISPCA has said it did not support a decision by Cork County Council to withdraw a closure notice issued to a Department of Agriculture Veterinary Inspector who was accused of running an illegal puppy farm. In the notice issued to UCD trained veterinary inspector Michael OReilly on May 23rd, Cork County Council alleged he was operating an unlicensed dog breeding establishment in Mogeely, Cork - where animals endured gross faecal soiling, their food and water was contaminated and rodents were allowed to breed freely. Mr OReilly subsequently appealed the closure notice and a hearing of his appeal was scheduled to take place before Midleton District Court early last week. However, when the case was mentioned, solicitor Joseph Cuddigan said Mr OReilly had withdrawn the appeal as the council had consented to withdraw the closure notice. The Sunday World subsequently contacted Cork County Council to inquire into the circumstances in which the closure notice had been withdrawn. In a response issued later, a council spokesperson said: The closure notice was withdrawn by Cork County Council following a further inspection which indicated that the requirements of the notice had been fully complied with, and that the location in question has ceased operating as a dog breeding establishment. This investigation was led by the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) and both the council and ISPCA are satisfied as to the current welfare of the dogs rehoused from the property. However, in a new twist in the case, the ISPCA issued a statement on Thursday evening directly contradicting the contents of Cork County Councils statement. In it, the society said: The ISPCA was not aware that the closure notice in question was withdrawn and does not support the decision. It is also not the case that an investigation into potential offences under the Dog breeding Establishments Act 2010 was led by the ISPCA as the Society is not authorised to enforce that piece of legislation. That responsibility falls to the relevant local authority. ISPCA Inspectors are appointed as Authorised Officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and are empowered to investigate potential offences under that Act. The closure notice issued on May 23rd identified a farmhouse, neighbouring the Cois Maigh estate in Mogeely where Mr. OReilly lives, as the location where it was alleged he operated the unregistered dog breeding establishment. The Dog Breeding Establishment (DBE) Act defines any premises where six or more bitches capable of breeding are kept as a dog breeding establishment for its purposes. In the closure notice, which was published online by Cork County Council but has since been removed, it outlined the particular reasons it had for making the order. Cork County Council is satisfied that the operation of the establishment poses a serious and immediate threat to animal welfare and or public health due to non-compliance with the requirements of the Act, the council stated. Non-compliance with the Act and guidelines included a lack of cleanliness, gross faecal soiling, malodour, unsuitable structures, unsuitable space provision, lack of socialisation and stimulation, inadequate exercise facilities, contaminated feed and water provision and gross evidence of vermin harbourage. Vermin harbourage is defined as any place where rodents can live and nest without fear of frequent molestation or disturbance. Mr OReilly is well known in dog breeding circles in Cork having won numerous awards at dog shows in the county. In early May, the Fermoy Canine Club publicly thanked him for managing his first international show, which had been held on April 30th. Mr OReilly has also given evidence on behalf of the Department of Agriculture in animal cruelty cases. It is believed members of the Price gang have been recorded plotting attacks, issuing death threats and boasting about alleged backing from a Mr Big in the Dublin crime underworld Covert cops have bugged the homes of a so-called loyalist gang at the centre of a two-month feud. The Sunday World can reveal members of the self-styled Real UFF have been targeted in an undercover operation with listening devices planted in houses in Weavers Grange on the edge of the West Winds estate in Newtownards. The quiet cul-de-sac became the epicentre of the feud which has raged across North Down and the Ards Peninsula since April. The Sunday World understands the PSNI put in place the covert bugging operation soon after the feud broke out, specifically targeting the gang headed by mobster Adrian Price. It is believed members of the Price gang have been recorded plotting attacks, issuing death threats and boasting about alleged backing from a Mr Big in the Dublin crime underworld. Well-placed sources have told us a variety of properties have been bugged including houses in Weavers Grange. And that the evidence gathered is enough to put them on charges of directing terrorism. They also issued death threats and made claims they had support from Dublin gangs, which they dont, said our source. The feud erupted after the South East Antrim UDA boss Gary Fisher cut them loose after an altercation between a gangster and a member of the UVF. The rival terror group also blame Prices mob for bringing heroin to the streets of Newtownards. North Down UDA launched a series of attacks on members of Prices gang. Commercial and domestic properties were targeted. Veteran loyalist Dickie Barry is leading the charge. Expelled by West Belfast UDA last year, he has been allowed to return to the fold. Price has fled his home and is understood to be living in east Belfast under the protection of an organised crime boss. He continues to boast that he will not back down but his gang has been left in tatters. A number of members have fled the area with some settling as far away as Fermanagh, and as previously revealed by the Sunday World others have taken refuge abroad in Spain and Portugal. It is understood around seven members of the gang remain in the Weavers Grange but there are rumblings of discontent with some privately critically of Price for abandoning them and even alleging that he is a police informer. Price was one of a number of people convicted in connection with the murder of Colin Horner in Bangor in 2019. He admitted a charge of withholding information. Horner had been a supporter of former UDA commander Geordie Gilmore who was murdered in 2017 in Carrickfergus after a year-long feud with the leadership of SEA. Four people got life while Price walked away with a suspended sentence. Sources claim the PSNI is watching their every move and arrests are inevitable. The community has urged the PSNI to act against them and it is understood the long-running covert operation will come to a close with key members of the criminal gang facing lengthy periods in prison, having been caught on bugging devices directing terrorism and conspiring to murder. These people are a joke, said our source. They were laughed at by mainstream loyalists, never recognised as having any credibility and all of a sudden these characters think they are in a gangster movie, pronouncing themselves as the Real UFF and talking to each other about who they are going to murder. They are that stupid that little did they realise the PSNI had the place bugged and have taped every word of it. Mainstream loyalists have not got involved in any of the violence instead leaving it to the PSNI to clear up the rag-tag drugs gang. They are burning cars, spraying graffiti everywhere and phoning Crimestoppers with death threats. Then they stand around in the kitchen in the bugged property as if they are the Inner Council of the UDA. They are complete clowns. People should stop talking about a loyalist gang they are despised by the local community, by mainstream loyalists and just about everyone else. The PSNI is also investigating an incident involving one member who posted a picture on social media depicting himself as a gunman carrying out a punishment shooting. This shows the calibre of these people. Here we have one of the leading members of the gang, who is all over the covert recordings, posting pictures of himself carrying out a shooting. The Sunday World is aware of the individuals identity and can reveal that he is in breach of bail conditions. Some members of the gang have been privately accusing Price of abandoning them, with one gangster saying he believed the mobster was a police informant, accusing him of setting up those convicted of the Colin Horner murder while he walked got a suspended sentence. National broadcasters board admits being alerted to pay debacle by internal auditors in the same week as presenter announced shock departure from Late Late Show role RTE board chairperson Siun Ni Raghallaigh is greeted by the media as she arrives for a meeting with the arts minister at the Department of Arts on Kildare Street Arts Minister Catherine Martin has announced an external independent review of RTEs culture and governance amid the furore over extra undisclosed payments to top RTE star Ryan Tubridy over a number of years. And she paused any government decision on reform of the TV licence fee pending the outcome. Following a meeting this afternoon with RTE board chairperson Siun Ni Raghallaigh at her departments offices in Dublin, Ms Martin issued a statement announcing the review of governance and culture at RTE. Ms Martin said: At the meeting, I reiterated to the Chair that what has transpired is shocking, and as evidenced by media coverage and public comment over the past number of days, it has caused untold damage to RTEs reputation and to public service broadcasting more generally. I impressed upon the Chair that re-building trust and confidence is now paramount. This means ensuring complete transparency and clarity not only in terms of what has happened but also on how matters are dealt with in future. I expect that the Board of RTE will address these governance failings with thoroughness and urgency. She added: The Chair has provided me with greater clarity around the process which the Board has undertaken and the next steps, and I understand the external review commissioned by RTE to review the remuneration of the top 10 most highly paid presenters will be concluded within two weeks. Ms Martin continued that the revelations signal potential deeper challenges in the organisation. "I have therefore decided there needs to be an external review of governance and culture at RTE. The purpose of this review will be to determine what fundamental or systemic issues need to be addressed, including the adequacy of internal controls, she said. While as Minister I cannot get involved in the day to day operation of RTE, I do need assurance that the governance and culture is fit for purpose. Public trust in RTE must be rebuilt. Therefore, a Government decision on the future funding model for public service broadcasting has been paused until such time as this review is complete and the findings considered. My officials will develop Terms of Reference in this regard over the coming week, and I will expect the full co-operation of the RTE Board and senior executives in engaging with this review and in engaging with Oireachtas Committees in the coming period. It comes as RTE staff and management are fearful of what further damaging revelations will emerge from multiple probes into the payment of the national broadcasters top stars. And last night it emerged the RTE board was told of the issue of payments to Ryan Tubridy in the same week as he announced his departure from The Late Late Show. Tubridy has apologised to his colleagues in RTE after it emerged he got 345,000 more in payments than was publicly declared by the station. In another dramatic day at the crisis-hit broadcaster, the suspension of RTE director-general Dee Forbes was belatedly announced. But RTE board chair Siun Ni Raghallaigh has gone to ground and is refusing to answer questions on the saga. She arrived for the meeting with Arts Minister Catherine Martin at 3pm this afternoon at the Department of Arts on Kildare Street in Dublin, with the minister taking questions from the press afterwards. Ms Ni Raghallaigh failed to mention the board had suspended Ms Forbes on Wednesday when she appeared on RTE on Thursday. Following the meeting, Ms Ni Raghallaigh said it has been a "very constructive" meeting with the minister. She said she would brief the RTE board this afternoon. I can't say anything until I speak with the board, she said, adding there would be a statement issued afterwards. It came as interim deputy director general Adrian Lynch on Saturday wrote to staff to apologise for the "serious breach of trust that has occurred, and for this failure of corporate governance at RTE. This has been a massive breach of trust with the public, and with all of us who have the interest of the public at the centre of our jobs every day, Mr Lynch said in an e-mail. He added: The Executive Board is committed to working with the RTE Board to ensure that there is appropriate accountability for what has occurred. That process is ongoing, mindful of individuals rights, and affording them due process. He reiterated that RTEs review of the contracts of its top ten most highly paid on-air presenters had found the remuneration of the other presenters had been correctly reported. Mr Lynch added that the board has now also put in place: An external, independent review on contracts for the top 10 most highly paid on-air presenters (soon to commence by Grant Thornton). Republishing the payments to Ryan Tubridy in order to correct the record And the pausing of all new contracts until the following processes are in place: The Remuneration Committee of the Board to have full oversight and approval of the terms of contracts relating to the top 10 most highly paid air presenters in value and any material variations or amendments to those contracts. Bringing the Barter Account within the control of the Finance function and that specific controls are put in place for that account. In the coming days and weeks ahead, I will be in regular contact with our incoming Director-General, and the Chair of the RTE. The Executive Board and I will continue to talk and engage with you. We are committed to working with the Chair and the RTE Board to do whatever we can to rebuild trust and ensure such a serious breach of transparency never again occurs, Mr Lynch said. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday said he was very concerned at the information emerging from RTE. The national broadcaster is now braced for more exposes of payments to its top earners from several investigations now being launched. RTE has asked a top accountancy firm to expand its probe into payments and two Oireachtas committees will grill bosses next week. Board members are understood to be concerned about what will potentially emerge from these probes. The same sentiment was strongly expressed at a meeting of staff yesterday, with concerns being expressed about previous payments to Tubridy which have now emerged. Robert Shortt, the RTE staff representative on the board, told the meeting he was concerned about what might emerge from a second report by the accountants, Grant Thornton. Dee Forbes and Ryan Tubridy A review into payments found 75,000 was paid to the presenter in 2021 and 2022. But there are worries now about a subsequent lookback which found Tubridys pay had been understated by 120,000 during 2017 to 2019. Whether these payments were more widespread among the top stars at the station is now the focus of investigations. Staff at RTE are angry and dismayed at the failure of management to address the concerns and the decision to refuse all media interviews address the very many questions that need answering. National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members also demanded to know who signed off on these secret payments and who knew about them. At the meeting, staff spoke of how devastated, ashamed, betrayed and angered they are at the revelations. We also want an end to what members see as a culture of secrecy surrounding pay, pensions and perks at the organisation, the union said. Tubridy sought to dispel rumours his bombshell departure from The Late Late Show was caused by the internal audit which discovered his hidden payments. I also wish to respond to suggestions that this issue had some bearing on my decision to step down from hosting The Late Late Show. It did not, he said. But now it has emerged the RTE board was told by the internal auditors there was an issue in the same week as the announcement. Tubridy unexpectedly announced his departure on Thursday, March 16. In response to queries from the Irish Independent, the board said it was first alerted to the issues later in the same week. The following day was Friday, March 17, a bank holiday. The chair and the board of RTE had no knowledge of the payments to Ryan Tubridy [via his agent] from the barter account, or the understatement of payments to him, when he announced his departure from The Late Late Show on March 16, 2023. Later in the same week, members of the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) of the RTE board were contacted by the auditors to alert them about concerns they had about a number of issues. It was agreed the issues would be discussed at a meeting of the ARC on March 21. The ARC was first briefed of the issues on March 21. On receipt of this information, the ARC promptly commissioned Grant Thornton to carry out an independent fact-finding review on the matter in question. The review was completed, and findings furnished to the ARC on Friday last and discussed on Monday of this week by the board of RTE. The board of RTE is committed to ensuring that there is appropriate accountability for what has occurred. That process is ongoing, mindful of individuals rights, and affording them due process, a statement said. The board said on Thursday it first heard of the payments issues in late March during a routine audit. Having originally said he couldnt shed any light on the controversy, Mr Tubridy sought to explain his position. In a second statement in 24 hours, the presenter admitted knowing the pay figures released by RTE were inaccurate but says he never questioned the broadcaster over this or sought to correct the record. While I have no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTE or how or what they publish in their accounts, when my earnings were published I should have asked questions at the time and sought answers as to the circumstances which resulted in incorrect figures being published. I didnt, and I bear responsibility for my failure to do so. For this, I apologise unreservedly, he said. Tubridy expressed regret that RTE has decided not to let him present his radio show next week. I am disappointed that RTE has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week. I look forward to returning to the radio show, a job I love, as soon as possible and I hope my listeners and my colleagues appreciate my sincerity on this, he said. At the centre of all of this is trust. The trust of colleagues in RTE and the trust of a great many people who listen to my show. To them: I wholeheartedly apologise for my error of judgment. Tubridy went on to defend his pay and his willingness to take reductions while RTE was facing wider cutbacks. Separately, it has been reported that I did not take a pay cut over the last number of years, he added. This is simply not true. Over the period of my contract with RTE, I have been asked to take several reductions in salary and I did. Indeed, between 2012 and today, my pay from RTE was cut by approximately 40pc. The political pressure for answers also mounted from Government and the opposition alike. The Taoiseach said all matters at RTE need to be examined with possible remedial steps to restore trust and confidence. The Government considers it essential that we have the highest standards of governance, accountability and transparency from RTE and will consider what further action may be required, he said. Arts Minister Catherine Martin is due to talk with the RTE chair today and next week, the Oireachtas communications committee and the Dail Public Accounts Committee are due to hold hearings. Earlier, it emerged Ms Forbes had been suspended from her job. Additional reporting by Philip Ryan and Paul Hyland OConnell street was at the centre of the celebrations, with thousands marching among a carnival of flags, banners and feathers A rainbow of colour filled the streets of Dublin on Saturday as thousands marched through the capital celebrating the 40th anniversary of the capitals Pride festival. OConnell street was at the centre of the celebrations, with thousands marching among a carnival of flags, banners and feathers. The parade started at noon as the spectacle of colour spread through the capital, passing Custom House and making its way across the River Liffey towards Merrion Square, where a full-day festival was planned. The colour of Dublin Pride celebrations Picture By David Conachy Adorning the LGBTQ+ colours, people marching from every age and background were cheered on by a huge crowd watching from the sidelines. Celebrating her first Pride with her family, Vicky Halton was joined by her wife Niamh, four-year-old son Jamie and work colleagues. Its so nice for inclusivity, thats the most important thing that they can see, she said This is our first time as a family. I was a little bit nervous in case there were people protesting and you dont want to expose him to that, but he doesnt see anything wrong with having two moms and its great to be here where everyone is to celebrate Pride and celebrate each other and love. Read more Mother of teen who died by suicide gets High Court restraining order against Gemma ODoherty As rainbow-clad friends and family came into view, people were seen running from the parade and embraced with hugs and kisses. Temperatures reached 25 degrees and stewards were on hand giving out water to those walking the 2km route in the heat. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was among those walking in the parade with other government ministers. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe attend the annual Pride parade in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Eddie McGuinness, Dublin Pride veteran, celebrated his 30th consecutive Pride wearing a custom made sparkling outfit which was a replica of his first Pride costume in 1993. It has taken me a month to make this outfit. Its the original design from my costume that I wore in 1993, he said. The 1993 decriminalisation was my first ever Pride. This is a celebration of who we are and what we are but most importantly its a protest because we still have to protest for the rights of all our community from trans, right across to diversity within our own community. Reflecting on his first Pride he said he was scared and intimidated, but today I celebrate and embrace who I am 30 years on. Couple of seven years David Hendren and Kevin Coughlin flew over from Florida in the US to celebrate Pride in Ireland. Its important to let the generation after us know that it is okay to be you and to prevent suicide by not accepting who you are, said Mr Coughlin. There are too many gay, youth suicides. Mr Hendren said the positivity of the Irish people towards the LGBTQ+ community attracted them to Dublin. Its more accepting and loving here than unfortunately in the States. We love seeing all the trans pride flags especially, he said. The colour of Dublin Pride celebrations Picture By David Conachy Podcast host PJ Kirby joined in on the march and told the Sunday Independent: Pride is about celebrating how far we have come but also make people aware of much there is still to do. It is intimidating, especially if you are questioning your sexuality, but pride is for everybody. Its good to be with a group because it can be intimidating if it is your first one. You can always take a break, you dont have to do everything in Pride. Be proud of yourself even if you just go to the parade. The Dublin Pride parade is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, as well as reaching a host of other milestones including 50 years since the first LGBTQ+ group was founded in Dublin in Trinity College and 30 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. Speaking prior to the parade, Jamie Kennedy, executive director at Dublin Pride, said the parade attracts between 60,000 to 80,000 people and is now a well-oiled machine. This year we have taken over both sides of OConnell Street, we are just that big now. We are a well-oiled machine at this stage so there are no radical changes. It takes the first people to walk it about 45 to 50 minutes. It's not a very long march but by the time its totally cleared it can take a few hours. People attend the annual Pride parade in Dublin, Ireland, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Reflecting on his first Pride, Mr Kennedy said the parade can seem very daunting but its one of the most enlightening and magical experiences you will have because you have your whole community celebrating with you, as well as that you have the whole of Dublin City cheering you on. It's a great day and anyone I know who has ever done it for the first time, the adrenaline kicks in and they are really eager to do it again. Police dogs and a helicopter were deployed in a chase to stop the thieves Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Detectives investigating the burglary of two homes in south Belfast have made two arrests. Police dogs and a helicopter were deployed in a chase to stop two car thieves in west Belfast this morning. Police said the first reported burglary was in the Myrtlefield Park area around 4.40am. A number of items were stolen from inside the property. It is believed the intruders then tried a number of handles of properties and also cars parked in the wider Malone area. Then just before 6am, another householder reports a burglary at her home in the Malone Meadows area. Again, a number of items are believed to have been stolen including the keys to a grey BMW 218. The burglars then made off in this vehicle. Travelling at speed towards the M1, the vehicle struck a car near the Saintfield Road roundabout. No injuries were reported. A second hit-and-run collision was reported at 8am outside Woodside Drive in Dunmurry when the driver reversed into a stationary vehicle, pushing the Skoda into a fence, causing damage. The two occupants of the vehicle were stopped by police in the Dunmurry Lane and Kingsway junction some minutes later. They proceeded to ram a police vehicle causing minor damage to the front. The two men age 18 and 19 were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and motoring offences. They remain in custody at this time. Police from the Auto Crime Team and interceptors make an arrest after stopping a stolen car at Dunmurry Lane in Belfast on June 23rd 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Detective Sergeant Kennedy said: This was good police work in terms of making these key arrests swiftly. "Our teams involved in making these arrests include the Auto Crime Team, Interceptors, Air Support Unit, Local Policing Team, Dog Section and Criminal Investigation Department. Detective Sergeant Kennedy continued: "We want to take this opportunity to encourage the public to report any suspicious activity because it could prove vital to our investigations. We would also urge residents to check on their neighbours. "You can take a number of practical steps to secure your home and family. Never leave doors unlocked and do not to leave keys in an unsafe place (such as under doormats or flower pots), check who is at your door before opening and remember not to leave cash or valuable items on display. "If you need any further advice or information, please contact us on 101 where you can speak to your local crime prevention officer." Police enquiries are ongoing, and they would appeal to anyone with any information, or who may have been in the areas at the time and witnessed any suspicious activity, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 278 23/06/23. A report can also be made online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Gardai from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation had been trying to locate the man for some time and had intelligence that he was in the US US authorities have arrested an Irishman who they have identified as a member of a transnational crime organisation known as the Travelling Conmen Fraud Group. The 31-year-old old, who is wanted in Ireland for passport fraud, theft and multiple motor offences, was arrested by US officials in the the town of Billerica just outside Boston on June 13. Gardai from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation had been trying to locate the man for some time and had intelligence that he was in the US. Agents from US Immigrations Enforcement and Removal Operation finally tracked him down earlier in Billerica earlier this month. They said who has been in the America since August 2021 and had overstayed his visa. ERO Boston is committed to apprehending those who mistakenly believe they can commit crimes and hide from justice here, said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. Fraud is not a victimless crime, and those who engage in it must be held accountable for their crimes especially those who have also openly violated our federal immigration laws. A spokesman for the agency said that the Irishman was temporarily allowed into the US in August 2021 under a non-immigrant visa waiver, but he remained beyond the visas terms, violating his terms of admission. Read more Love Island star says she is single months after holiday with Irish footballer ex Law enforcement officials in Ireland and the United States identified him as a member of a transnational criminal organization called the Traveling Conmen Fraud Group, the spokesman said. He will appear before federal immigration judges in the immigration courts as part of removal proceedings. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is removable or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal. Once a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge or other lawful means, ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges, the spokesman said. If the courts order that he be removed from the US he will be sent back to Ireland to face charges here for the passport fraud, theft and motor offences. The spokesman said ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories in the US last year. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses. The uprising is the biggest threat to Putins leadership after more than two decades in power. Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) An armed rebellion led by the Wagner mercenary group will give Vladimir Putin a real headache and could wreck his position, a Northern Ireland military expert said today. In a major development, Wagner fighters have 'taken control' of all military facilities in the key Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Mr Putin called the armed mutiny a "betrayal", and has promised to "defend the people" and Russia. In a televised address on Saturday morning, he slammed the "betrayal" and "treason" following the dramatic challenge by the chief of the Wagner mercenary force, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The uprising is the biggest threat to Putins leadership after more than two decades in power. Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer from Northern Ireland, said it was a blow for Putin. He said the development represented a speed bump that could turn into something that could completely wreck his position. What (Prigozhin) has done by taking that, putting himself in a position there, is he has usurped General Gerasimov who is in the supposed commanders position in that, Mr Ingram told Sky News. Therefore he has effectively run a little military coup to take - or potentially take - command of all operations inside Ukraine. That will give General Shoigu and Vladimir Putin a real headache because they are trying to fight a tactical battle where youve got this strategic power-play thats going on in the background. In a fast-moving story on Saturday, Prigozhin denied allegations by Putin that he is betraying his country, and called his Wagner Group fighters "patriots". After Putin denounced Wagner forces entering Rostov-on-Don, Prigozhin said: "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland." Prigozhin said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as "we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy". Earlier, in an address to the Russian people, Putin vowed to defend Russia against the armed rebellion after Prigozhin led his troops out of Ukraine and into the key city 600 miles south of Moscow. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an intelligence briefing. In his address, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason". The Russian President said: "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." Prigozhin's Wagner private military contractor has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. It is not immediately clear what his aims are, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Prigozhin's struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hamstringing his forces in the field. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin said. The Wagner Group chief confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Asked on Sky News if Prigozhin had released a genie from a bottle, Mr Ingram said: The cork has come out of the top of the bottle and the Prigozhin genie is beginning to poke out. It will get out very quickly indeed. Of course, he is a social media, TikTok-type influencer across Russia and his message will start to permeate even further. This is going to cause Vladimir Putin politically an awful lot of speed bumps to get over, and those speed bumps could turn into something that could completely wreck his position. Mr Ingram said Rostov-on-Don is "quite significant" because its military headquarters coordinates operations in Ukraine. "That's the headquarters of the Southern group of forces - that's where the whole of the operations into Ukraine are being coordinated," he said. He said Prigozhin's verbal attacks on the defence ministry used the same "historical language that the Russians have traditionally used whenever they have been trying to suggest the Tsar has been badly advised. Read more What RTE top earner Ryan Tubridy has said about his five pay cuts over the years Mr Ingram said there was now a power vacuum further back the chain of command. The tactics that are used by the Russians on the battlefield are that they have a top-down command structure, he explained. The structures are passed from the top and executed at the bottom. The people at the bottom dont quite know what it is that they are doing and they dont allow initiative there. So that gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to exploit and cause confusion on the battlefield, knowing that the higher levels of command are going to be put in more difficult positions. Mr Ingram said that in military terms, it was a gift for the Ukrainians. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops "aren't fighting against children". "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he declared in one of a series of video and audio recordings posted on social media, beginning late on Friday. "We are moving forward and will go until the end." Mr Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is "fighting the toughest battle for its future" as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Mr Putin said. Russia's security services called for Prigozhin's arrest after he declared an armed rebellion on Friday night. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin takes the threat, authorities declared a "counter-terrorist regime" in Moscow and its surrounding area, restricting freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It is not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Russian mercenary leader Yevgheny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as "we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Putin called a stab in the back to Russia. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said in televised address to the nation. Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner private military contractor, confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints as they crossed into Russia from Ukraine, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime" in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, Prigozhin said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. Now that the state has actively engaged, theres no turning back, she tweeted. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhins move as madness that threatens civil war. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia, he said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine was concentrating troops for an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhins provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared an offensive. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. In Kyiv, a Russian missile attack killed at least two people and injured eight Saturday when falling debris caused a fire on several floors of a 24-story apartment building in a central district, Serhii Popko, the head of the citys military administration posted on Telegram. He said more than 20 missiles were detected and destroyed. Video from the scene showed a blaze in the upper floors of the building and the parking lot strewn with ash and debris. British government calls emergency Cobra meeting A bird flies over the building of the Russian Defense Ministry with anti-aircraft artillery systems on the roof in Moscow on Saturday (AP) Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) A truck transporting a military vehicle of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities, near Voronezh, Russia. Reuters Fighters from the Wagner private mercenary group are seen on an armoured vehicle in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Reuters Wagners armed rebellion is said to be moving closer to Moscow after the mercenary groups vehicles were seen driving past a second Russian city. A large fuel depot was also reported to be ablaze in the city of Voronezh although the cause of the fire is not yet clear. A witness said they saw a column of Wagners vehicles in the Russian city of Voronezh on Saturday afternoon. One of the vehicles was a flatbed truck carrying a tank. Earlier on Saturday, a Russian security source said that Wagner fighters had taken control of military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km south of Moscow. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File/AP) Russian army helicopters opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh, according to a witness. It comes after Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion overnight and warned in a video that he and his troops had taken control of the military headquarters in key Russian city, Rostov-on-Don. President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to defend Russia against the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into the key city of Rostov-on-Don south of Moscow. A truck transporting a military vehicle of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities, near Voronezh, Russia. Reuters The uprising, which Putin called a stab in the back, was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city over 1,000km south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his address, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to defend Russia (Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Prigozhin called himself a patriot. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland," he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. British prime minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the armed rebellion. He urged all parties involved to protect civilian lives, as he indicated he will speak to Ukrainian president Zelenksy and other western leaders later on Saturday. The Government's emergency Cobra committee is expected to meet to discuss the situation. "We're keeping a close eye on the situation, as it's evolving on the ground as we speak," Mr Sunak told the BBC. "The most important thing I'd say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that's about as much as I can say at this moment." Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: "I'm in touch with our allies. "I'll be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak." He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Prigozhins private military contractor, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. It wasnt immediately clear what his aims were, but the rebellion marks an escalation in Prigozhins struggle with Russian military leaders, who he has accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hamstringing his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin confirmed on Saturday that he and his troops reached Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, right (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP) He posted a video of himself at the Russian military headquarters in Rostov and claimed that his forces had taken control of the air field and other military facilities in the city. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts as they crossed into Russia, saying his troops arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) Putin condemned the rebellion, which comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future as western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Russias security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest after he declared an armed rebellion late on Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Yevgeny Prigozhins Wagner Group military company members wave a Russian national and Wagner flag atop a damaged building in Bakhmut (Prigozhin Press Service/AP) Prigozhin said his aim was to punish Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after Russian government forces attacked Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. Gen Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner, Prigozin said. He said Wagners forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. After Putins address, in which he didnt mention concrete steps to suppress the rebellion but rather called for unity, officials and state media personalities in the country sought to publicly reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. A bird flies over the building of the Russian Defense Ministry with anti-aircraft artillery systems on the roof in Moscow on Saturday (AP) Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed Volodins sentiment, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin's every word. We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman, Kadyrov said. The mutiny needs to be suppressed. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain unity. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Ukraine, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. In his Telegram channel, Zelensky noted the rebellion and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defense Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among the Russian forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defence Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Read more Suspended RTE chief Dee Forbes breaks her silence on Ryan Tubridy pay scandal Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged the Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said the administration was monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on the developments. Earlier, the Kremlin had to deny Mr Putin fled Moscow by plane after claiming Russia was facing treason Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Mr Putin lambasted the rebellion call as treason, without naming the Wagner group leader (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) The head of the Wagner force said he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a growing crisis as Moscow braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. President Vladimir Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. Mr Prigozhin said that while his men are just 120 miles from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid "shedding Russian blood". He did not say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Earlier, the Kremlin had to deny Mr Putin fled Moscow by plane after claiming Russia was facing treason from mutinous members of the Wagner group, and a Northern Ireland expert warned the Russian president was facing a real headache. The crisis unfolded after Wagner fighters said they had 'taken control' of all military facilities in the key Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. They were also said to have seized military facilities in Voronezh - halfway between Rostov and Moscow. Mr Putin vowed to punish the organisers of the mutiny, denouncing the uprising as "a stab in the back". Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer from Northern Ireland, said the developments were a major blow for Mr Putin. He said Rostov-on-Don was the nerve-centre where Russian operations in Ukraine are co-ordinated and commanded from. What (Prigozhin) has done by taking that, putting himself in a position there, is he has usurped General (Valery) Gerasimov who is in the supposed commanders position in that, Mr Ingram told Sky News. Therefore he has effectively run a little military coup to take - or potentially take - command of all operations inside Ukraine. That will give General Shoigu and Vladimir Putin a real headache because they are trying to fight a tactical battle where youve got this strategic power-play thats going on in the background. As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow is suffering "full-scale weakness", and that Kyiv is protecting Europe from "the spread of Russian evil and chaos". In an address to the Russian nation this morning, Mr Putin called the actions by Mr Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason". The Russian President said: "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." Russian defensive positions were being built on the outskirts of Moscow and, at one point, the Kremlin had to clarify that Mr Putin had not fled Moscow. One of several planes that he uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time. Less than half an hour later, it went off radar about 150 kilometres from Mr Putins official residents. Mr Zelensky said he was "sure" Putin is no longer in Moscow. Putin is working at the Kremlin, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Tass news agency when asked about reports of him going to the north-west, possibly St Petersburg. The announcement that the mercenaries were turning back followed a statement from the office of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Mr Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Mr Putin. Mr Prigozhin has accepted Mr Lukashenko's offer to halt the Wagner group's advance and further steps to de-escalate the tensions, Mr Lukashenko's office said, adding that the proposed settlement contains security guarantees for Wagner troops. Earlier, asked on Sky News if Mr Prigozhin had released a genie from a bottle, Mr Ingram said: The cork has come out of the top of the bottle and the Prigozhin genie is beginning to poke out. It will get out very quickly indeed. Of course, he is a social media, TikTok-type influencer across Russia and his message will start to permeate even further. This is going to cause Vladimir Putin politically an awful lot of speed bumps to get over, and those speed bumps could turn into something that could completely wreck his position. Mr Ingram said Rostov-on-Don is "quite significant" because its military headquarters coordinates operations in Ukraine. "That's the headquarters of the Southern group of forces - that's where the whole of the operations into Ukraine are being coordinated," he said. He said Prigozhin's verbal attacks on the defence ministry used the same "historical language that the Russians have traditionally used whenever they have been trying to suggest the Tsar has been badly advised. Mr Ingram said there was now a power vacuum further back the chain of command. The tactics that are used by the Russians on the battlefield are that they have a top-down command structure, he explained. The structures are passed from the top and executed at the bottom. The people at the bottom dont quite know what it is that they are doing and they dont allow initiative there. So that gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to exploit and cause confusion on the battlefield, knowing that the higher levels of command are going to be put in more difficult positions. Mr Ingram said that in military terms, it was a gift for the Ukrainians. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he is in touch with allies about the Wagner rebellion, which UK defence officials described as "the most significant challenge" to the Kremlin in recent times. The Government's emergency Cobra committee met to discuss the situation. "We're keeping a close eye on the situation, as it's evolving on the ground as we speak," Mr Sunak told the BBC. "The most important thing I'd say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that's about as much as I can say at this moment." Asked whether he had spoken to Mr Zelenksy, Mr Sunak said: "I'm in touch with our allies. "I'll be speaking to some of them later today, as you would expect us to be co-ordinated on a situation like this, but it is evolving as we speak." He declined to say whether it is good or bad news that Mr Putin is being challenged. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted that "we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies" and "we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO travel advice". The White House said Joe Biden had spoken to Mr Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Frank-Walter Steinmeier about the situation in Russia. Schools from around the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua have taken up the Showquest challenge - preparing short but powerful performances exhibiting art, music, dance, drama, culture and technology. After months of rehearsing and preparation, the Sir Howard Morrison Centre will come alive with school spirit on Monday June 26 as student teams perform live onstage at Showquest, the country's biggest student performing arts platform. The Bay of Plenty regional event is just one of thirteen shows held in ten centres around New Zealand. Open to primary and high school students, local performers have been working together on creative stage performances which will express themes important to them - such as Covid 19, Ko Wai Koe? Who Will You Be?', and a battle of the elements as told through Maori gods. 2023 sees Showquest return to live events with audiences nationwide, after producing digital shows in 2022 due to Covid-19. Showquest is staged nationwide by RQP - Rockquest Promotions, the team behind the successful original music competitions Smokefreerockquest, Smokefree Tangata Beats, and Rockshop Bandquest. This is the sixth year for Showquest. RQP also offers student programmes OnScreen (film), Toi (wearable art), and Stills (photography). Event producer Kelsey Moller says that offering a platform for students to come together and share their ideas is an essential part of Showquest. 'Empowering young people to share their thoughts, concerns and interests is not only important, it is essential for their development, says Kelsey. 'Giving them the opportunity to express themselves and be heard, in a way that is inclusive and non-judgemental, is hugely beneficial to their growth and well-being. A Junior Section is available for teams of students years 1-8, or they have the option to compete within the Open Section against high school students. Both sections will compete regionally and nationally, with the top prize winners from each region going onto a national final held online in August. First, second and third places will be announced for each regional event along with awards for categories including live music, theme and technology. Showquest is also collaborating with World of WearableArt (WOW) to run Toi' - encouraging student designers to take art off the wall and put it onto the human form. This wearable art competition is an optional component to the overall performance, or student designers may enter their garment on its own. Showquest is made possible by the support of the Ministry of Education. The school teams performing in the Bay of Plenty regional event are: Papamoa Primary School Mount Maunganui Intermediate St Mary's Catholic School Putaruru Mokoia Intermediate School St Mary's Catholic School Rotorua Rotorua Intermediate Rotorua Boys' High School Rotorua Lakes High School Showquest 2023 will be holding events in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Manawatu, Nelson, Canterbury, and Southland. There will be an online option for school teams outside of these regions to compete. Showquest is supported by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth Development, ZM, Kogan Mobile, Rockshop, World of WearableArt and Bernina. Showquest Bay of Plenty is also supported by Creative New Zealand. In 1989 Glenn Common and Pete Rainey picked up a radio station school music contest in Christchurch. The event went nationwide in 1990, and in '91 Smokefree became the main sponsor. Rockquest Promotions founders Glenn and Pete were honoured with the MNZM for Services to Music in 2013, and continue to lead the team that now runs this New Zealand institution, from offices in Nelson and Auckland. Since 2018 Rockquest Promotions is also producing the dance and drama event Showquest in nine regions, plus creative platforms Onscreen (film), Toi (WearableArt) and Stills (photography) A community drop-in session is being held today in Arataki so people can view the Grenada Street plan in person, chat to the project team and share their thoughts. Grenada Street is set for some changes to the road layout, which Tauranga City Council says will make it safer and easier for the Arataki community to walk, cycle and catch a bus along this road. Tauranga City Council has announced their plan for a two-way, separated cycle path on the south side of Grenada Street as well as a new shared path through Arataki Park, a morning peak bus lane along a short section of Grenada Street and improved pedestrian crossing facilities. These changes are planned for the length of Grenada Street between Girven Road and Sandhurst Drive. A signalised crossing for people to safely cross Girven Road from Arataki Park to the Bayfair shopping centre, linking to Marlin Street, is also included in the plan. The plan will mean some changes for people living on and traveling through Grenada Street and the adjacent roads. Besides giving the community more ways to get around in their neighbourhood by creating a safer traffic environment for people who walk, cycle, or catch a bus, the plan also has benefits for drivers. Lanes will be shared with less people on bikes and there are fewer parked cars on-street to navigate. On the other hand, they will need to adjust to the new elements on the road, such as in-lane bus stops and the new cycleway. Council is asking for people to have a good look at the current plan and share any local knowledge that can help them fine-tune it. Tauranga City Council Director of Transport, Brendan Bisley, says that this project will contribute to giving people more options to get around in their neighbourhood. 'Over the past few years, the Arataki community has let us know that getting around safely and easily in their neighbourhoods can be challenging. They have told us they want less traffic congestion, safer and separated cycleways and walkways, and better public transport." 'Grenada Street is an important and well-used route for school children, commuters and the community to get to and from school, work, local parks, shops, the beach or other places they want to go. It's also a key link in the wider Tauranga cycle network. That's why this road has been selected to undergo some improvements. 'Dedicated infrastructure like separated cycle lanes and shared paths can encourage more people to walk or cycle on this road with confidence. Arataki School acting principal Shelley Craig is enthusiastic about the plan, especially about the safety benefits for school children. 'Many of our tamariki bike along Grenada Street and separating them out from faster and heavier traffic is a big win for us. "We're also pleased to see Council is providing the new signalised crossing on Girven Road so our tamariki have a safe connection between Arataki Park and Marlin Street, which links Arataki to the wider Bayfair area, as well as the intermediate and college," says Shelley. 'Ensuring our roads are safe for our community to use, especially our tamariki when cycling to and from school, can only be a positive step in the right direction," saysTahatai Coast School principal Matt Skilton. 'The planned changes to Grenada Street mean that some on-street car parking will need to be removed, says Brendan. 'Based on what we know about use of parking in the area, we believe we've been able to keep enough parks to meet current needs. Council has started conversations about this project with local businesses, community organisations and schools. A map showing the main changes to the road is being shared with all residents, along with a letter outlining the planned changes. Public consultation is open until 5pm Sunday, July 9 2023. People are invited to share their feedback and local knowledge online at letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/grenada. A community drop-in session is being held from 1pm - 3pm on Saturday, June 24 at the Arataki Community Centre so people can view the plan in person, chat to the project team and share their thoughts. This community feedback will then be considered as part of finalising the plan for Grenada Street. Construction for this project is planned to start in October 2023 and completion is expected by late June 2024. Transport Choices This project is one of two Tauranga based projects that will be funded through the Waka Kotahi Transport Choices programme, part of the national Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) programme. A key aim of this plan is to reduce land transport emissions by 41 per cent by 2035, achieved by reducing our dependency on cars in favour of walking, cycling and public transport. 95 per cent of the project costs will be funded by Waka Kotahi and 5 per cent through rates by Tauranga City Council. More information: letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/grenada and www.nzta.govt.nz/transport-choices. State highways in Hawke's Bay and Tairawhiti are closed due to flooding, road drop outs and washouts as a heavy rain warning remains in place for Hawke's Bay until midnight tonight and until midday on Sunday for Tairawhiti State Highway 50 in Hawke's Bay has now closed between Tikokino and Ongaonga following a washout of one of the Waipawa River Bridge abutments. State Highway 35 north of Gisborne remains closed as does State Highway 2 between Matawai and Ormond. The drop out on State Highway 50. Photo: Waka Kotahi NZTA. Roading contractors have been out inspecting the state highway network around Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay following more heavy rain. As at 10.45am, Saturday June 24: State Highway 35 Gisborne to Ruatoria CLOSED State Highway 2 Matawai to Ormond CLOSED State Highway 50 Tikokino to Ongaonga CLOSED State Highway 2 Wairoa to Napier OPEN State Highway 2 Wairoa to Gisborne OPEN State Highway 5 Napier Taupo Road OPEN SH35 between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru will remain closed for the rest of the day, while contractors assess damaged caused by an underslip on the road. The rest of SH35 south of Tolaga Bay and north of Tokomaru is expected to reopen once contractors have cleared further minor slips and debris. A drop out on State Highway 35 overnight. Photo: Waka Kotahi NZTA. Waka Kotahi Regional Manager of Maintenance and Operations Jaclyn Hankin says on SH2 north of Gisborne, a repeat of Friday's escorted convoys had been planned, however cracks in the road and damage at Otoko Hill means those convoys will not be going ahead. Jaclyn says the rain has also caused a washout of one of the Waipawa River bridge abutments on SH50. 'As a result, the section of SH50 between Tikokino and Ongaonga is currently closed and road users are asked to use SH2 as a detour. 'We have geotechnical engineers assessing a number of sites today including the cracks at Otoko Hill and at the washout on SH50. Otoko Hill damage, State Highway 2. Photo: Waka Kotahi NZTA. Jaclyn says in many areas Waka Kotahi NZTA contractors remain in clean up mode. "So even if state highways are open, please expect to see traffic management controls and contractors on roads. Please expect delays and drive with caution and to the conditions. 'We're also asking people to continue to keep an eye on the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner website for the latest information on road conditions, as short-notice closures are a possibility given the rain is continuing. Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with: Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic Facebook: facebook.com/WakaKotahiHBG Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahiCNI Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) Otoko Hill damage, State Highway 2. Photo: Waka Kotahi NZTA. Heavy rain has been hammering the Tai Rawhiti - Gisborne region this week, with officials placing a state of emergency until Sunday. Tai Rawhiti Civil Defence says more than 40 roads are closed, and 35 families were sheltering in evacuation centres as of Friday night. A slip has taken out a chunk of Tai Rawhiti's State Highway 35 north of Tolaga Bay, exposing underground wiring. More than 150 people had evacuated their homes, and about 14 families were cut off by floodwaters in the Tolaga Bay region. Heavy rain has caused a slip on State Highway 35 north of Tologa Bay. Photo: Supplied / Dion Milner. Gisborne residents are being asked not to flush toilets or do washing, as the city's wastewater system reaches capacity. Tai Rawhiti Civil Defence controller David Wilson says the pipes were overwhelmed by heavy rain coinciding with high tide. MetService had forecast some easing in heavy rain sweeping Tai Rawhiti, but a red rain warning is still in place. Contractors are at work on the SH35 slip, caused by heavy rain overnight, about 1km past the Waiau Road turn-off. The highway remains closed between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay. Earlier, Civil Defence spokesperson Greg Shelton says roading crews were heading to the area to investigate reports the road had been affected by floods. "North of Tologa Bay at the moment there is surface flooding and although it might not have been officially closed, I have heard back from contractors that today we have got issues," says Greg. State Highway 2 north of Gisborne remains closed with Waka Kotahi reporting convoys would operate on Saturday afternoon along the route. Flooding on State Highway 2 in Otoko in Tairawhiti District. Photo: NZ Police State Highway 50 between Ongaonga and Tikokino in Central Hawke's Bay is also closed due to flooding. Orange heavy rain warnings are also in place for Hawke's Bay, Taihape and Manawatu, as well as in the Nelson and Marlborough regions. Updated Heavy Rain Warnings - Sat 24th 9am Red warning continues for Tairawhiti/Gisborne Orange warning for Hawkes Bay and Tasman Yellow watches for Coromandel, western Bay of Plenty, northern Hawkes Bay, Kaikoura District, and Westlandhttps://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/tAS3sfJvNL MetService (@MetService) June 23, 2023 MetService predicted a drop in rainfall, and intensity in Tai Rawhiti - but Civil Defence say these remain significant amounts, and people should not become complacent. Seventy to 100mm was expected to fall south of Tolaga Bay, and 150mm to 200mm north of Tolaga Bay. Coastal and low lying areas could now expect 40mm to 80mm. Peak rain intensities had also dropped to 15mm to 20mm per hour, down from 20-25mm. Emergency management was keeping a close watch on the region's Hikuwai River. Greg says he is comfortable with the 9.1m height level recorded at the river monitoring station at Willowflat on Saturday morning. "With more rain that could get up to 10, that's still within our comfort zone, Gabrielle was 14.6, around about 10-and-a-half we're getting concerned, so we've got a bit of leeway there yet." Civil Defence said rain was falling steadily in and around Tolaga Bay with some flooding. Tai Rawhiti Civil Defence says11 evacuation centres are open, while another five are on standby. Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz urges residents to get in contact if they need help. "Our region is already so saturated, so we are expecting more landslides, we have a lot of surface flooding already on our roading network," says Stolz. "We are asking our community to be our ears and eyes on the ground to let us know if there is any place that they need assistance and we will come and help them." She says the area is prepared to weather the storm and some communities had pre-emptively evacuated ahead of this weekend. Surface flooding on Poverty Bay Flats. Photo: Gisborne District Council. Fire and Emergency crews head to Tai Rawhiti Fire and Emergency sent two crews in late on Friday to help with flooding in Tai Rawhiti. It says one crew left from Hawke's Bay at 5pm and another landed from Auckland at Gisborne at 8.30pm. They could help in multiple ways, Assistant National Commander Steve Turek said in a statement on Friday night. A separate flood rescue crew in Auckland had not been sent. Any water rescue, if required, is being carried out by Surf Life Saving crews, says Steve. This is standard practice in Tai Rawhiti and FENZ had "the utmost confidence in the arrangement" to meet local needs. "We are working within a declared state of emergency and therefore under the control of Tai Rawhiti Civil Defence. "The flooding currently being experienced, while significant, is not beyond the capability of local multi-agency resources." FENZ began training six flood rescue teams after Cyclone Gabrielle but most of them are not fully equipped yet or operational until mid-July. However, the Auckland team has been stood up for longer, since shortly after the January Auckland Anniversary Day floods. Mood gloomy in rural community as cyclone clean-up already delayed A tractor towing a vehicle through a flooded field near the township of Te Karaka. Photo: Supplied / Matawhero Lloyd. A Tai Rawhiti farmer says the mood is gloomy in the rural community. Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams says farms are already fragile so any rain would have a big impact. He says many farmers gave up on cyclone clean-up work a few weeks ago because it was too wet and dangerous. "Things aren't great if we're honest, it's very wet." Toby says weather events this year and over the last two years had taken a toll on farmers and others in rural communities. "Morale started to really wane in farmers and with our rural residents and town residents, it's just really tough to be constantly dealing with weather warnings." Toby says with another week of wet weather ahead, people should get off the farm for a break if they could, and talk to someone if they are feeling anxious about the weather. Where to get help: Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason. Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends. Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202 Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7) Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 (8am-12am), or email talk@youthline.co.nz What's Up: free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English. Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254 Healthline: 0800 611 116 Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm) If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. RNZ NEW DELHI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and three others were wounded on Saturday after a crude bomb went off in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, police said. The blast took place inside a mango orchard in Murshidabad district, about 204 km north of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. Rural elections are scheduled to be held in West Bengal in July. Media reported that over the past two weeks the state saw an increase in violence which has left at least eight people dead and several injured. Political parties are blaming each other for the violence. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. MOSCOW, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The PMC Wagner Center in St. Petersburg was cordoned off by security forces on Saturday after the Wagner private military group was accused of attempting to carry out an armed rebellion while its fighters were urged by the Russian Ministry of Defense to surrender. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied information about the Russian Armed Forces striking the rear camps of the Wagner PMC, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the situation and that all necessary measures were being taken. A correspondent of Xinhua News Agency witnessed several police cars parked in or around the compound of the center, with several law enforcement officers on duty. Neighborhoods are currently calm. A criminal case is being initiated against Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military group, for incitement to armed insurrection, the Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal Security Service said earlier on Saturday, calling on Wagner PMC fighters not to carry out Prigozhin's orders and to take measures to detain him. The appeal came after several audio recordings were posted on Prigozhin's Telegram channel. In these recordings, Prigozhin claimed that his units had allegedly come under attack, accusing Russia's military leadership of orchestrating the strikes, according to Russia's TASS news agency. The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement declaring that information disseminated on social networks on behalf of Prigozhin about a strike by the Russian Armed Forces on Wagner PMC rear camps is false. In addition, the ministry stated that the Russian Armed Forces continue to carry out combat missions on the line of contact with the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in an area where a special military operation is being conducted. Kiev is concentrating units of 35th and 36th Marine Brigades UAF in Bakhmut's direction for offensive actions, "taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation on disorganization of the situation," said the Russian ministry. Moscow's critical facilities have been put under reinforced protection, and security measures in the capital have been increased, according to TASS. "Due to the oncoming information, counter-terrorism measures, aimed at reinforcement of security measures, are in effect in Moscow. Increased traffic control has been introduced on roads. Restriction of mass events is possible," said Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin on his Telegram channel. As a result of these developments, security measures have been significantly reinforced in Moscow. Vital facilities, state institutions, and transportation infrastructure have been placed under heightened protection, with police and response units on high alert, a TASS news agency report said. Also on Saturday, Putin had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the reported rebellion of the Wagner private military group. The two leaders discussed the latest developments in Russia, according to a statement by Erdogan's office. Update Friday evening: A missing person alert for Jaden Lessner has been canceled. A 19-year-old who was reported missing Friday from the Rochester area could be driving to Madison County. Jaden Lessner was reported missing from the town of Brighton and was last seen at 12:30 p.m. driving a gray 2023 Kia Sol with New York registration LCA-6195 from Avalon Drive, according to a New York missing person alert. Lessner may need medical attention, the alert said. He was wearing a black T-shirt, dark sweatpants and black sneakers. He is 5-feet-10-inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. Lessner could be traveling to the Morrisville area in Madison County, according to the alert. The Brighton Police Department can be reached at (585) 528-2219. Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950. Syracuse.com photographers have captured thousands of images this spring of Central New York teens enjoying their high school proms and dances. Prom is a great opportunity for teens to show off their individual styles and they sure did. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. MOGADISHU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said it has wrapped up a two-week training of 55 Somali traffic police officers to enhance their capacity to manage traffic flow and ensure safety on public roads. ATMIS said the intensive training of the trainer course which ended on Friday was held simultaneously in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Jowhar in Hirshabelle State, Baidoa in Southwest State and Kismayo in Jubaland State. ATMIS Police Commissioner Hillary Sao Kanu who closed the training in Mogadishu urged the officers to share the knowledge acquired to enhance service delivery. "I believe the participants have gained a lot of knowledge and experience. I want to encourage all of you to take this program seriously," Kanu said in a statement issued in Mogadishu on Friday. "You should not keep the knowledge acquired to yourselves but impart it to others who were not fortunate to be part of this program," she added Osman Abdullahi Mohamed, the Somali deputy Police Commissioner, said the training will help to transform traffic management in the cities and towns across the country which experience traffic gridlock. "The skills and knowledge you have acquired will enable you to manage traffic and ensure safety on our roads," Abdullahi said. The training covered several topics including the duties of traffic officers, road safety measures, common traffic offenses and causes of accidents, rights of road users, and investigation of accidents. Samuel Asiedu Okanta, ATMIS police training and development coordinator, said the capacity building training is part of the ongoing preparations to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali security forces. ATMIS is expected to withdraw 2,000 troops by the end of June and another 3,000 by September in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, which mandates ATMIS to hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces. thanixravindran BHPian Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Chennai Posts: 445 Thanked: 2,267 Times Re: As an employee or a boss, what kind of salary cost-cutting are you okay with? Quote: NomadSK Originally Posted by And yet do we see these PSU Bank employees leaving the banks? The answer is no. Because they know they will be receiving money even after they have left the bank, Or bank defaults. Isn't that why we see large number of people willing to join PSU banks? There is no performance system in public sector whereas in private sector do have. In general, public sector CEO's have been seen wasting peoples money and taking bribes where as private sector prove their mettle by generating profits and turnover.While restoring parity in pay will someone ensure parity in the professionalism and customer services offered by both players. PSU Heads generates huge NPA Loans without any repercussions to their career. In pvt, it's not possible. its simply Perform or perish. So many of drawbacks, but I would love to join a PSU bank anyday Comparing to inefficiency and corruption of public sector banks, they are getting much higher salary than they deserve. Private banks work hard and are much more efficient, they don't let people run away to London with loan, they are not worried for telecom sector or Adani Sector, not performing well, with almost 1 tenth of branches ICICI has 50 percent of turnover of SBI, few notches more efficient, never letting defaulter to carry public money, that is despite of fact that govt Treasury is with SBI and govt favors them here and there. So, comparing salary of two is highly illogical.And yet do we see these PSU Bank employees leaving the banks? The answer is no. Because they know they will be receiving money even after they have left the bank, Or bank defaults. Isn't that why we see large number of people willing to join PSU banks?There is no performance system in public sector whereas in private sector do have. In general, public sector CEO's have been seen wasting peoples money and taking bribes where as private sector prove their mettle by generating profits and turnover.While restoring parity in pay will someone ensure parity in the professionalism and customer services offered by both players.PSU Heads generates huge NPA Loans without any repercussions to their career. In pvt, it's not possible. its simply Perform or perish.So many of drawbacks, but I would love to join a PSU bank anyday I had the same notion like you about the PSU banks and its unionised staff sipping tea and gossiping without doing any work till I got married to a PSU bankers daughter. To borrow Hitler's alleged words about Soviets, 'it is all a rotten structure and a single push will collapse it'. Like in any profession, there are always good and bad apples. I won't go into big roles like board member or higher management of PSU banks. It was a revelation on what political and public pressure the mid level management undergo at just branch level. He was in a branch located nearby to another behemoth called Railways which too is heavily unionised. There will be protests organised with insider inputs if petty loans are not sanctioned to them and can easily get into physical violence. And the accountability, they carry has immediate effect on their pay. Example - If safe key is lost, it will be formal police case and if the safe has to be broke open, it will straight away deducted from their pay which is easily a months salary. After 2016, if loan turns NPA, the loan approvers are responsible and forensic audits happen for mischief/bribery before recovery. And whoever has the key holding responsibility, they have to go and open bank whatever happens in outside world. In 2015, Chennai floods, at hip level deep water he went to open the bank and I was stunned when the entire city is under water. Much less said about Jan dhaan/Gas subsidy seeding/demonetisation on how he and many bankers didn't even went home because the branch was closer to the biggest market in Chennai. All we heard is interesting stories about few people getting fat by note exchange. And yes, many people opt for VRS after 50 years of age if given loan section as their retirement benefit can be blocked due to loan turning NPA. And the pension is not by default either one can get lumpsum or get it as pension. Overall, PSU banks may not be for suave, well heeled and polished. It is a different world catering to a different set of society for whom banking is still a privilege. Though I largely believe in privatization and vote out government in business, I believe this is one crucial sector which should have government stake for the sake of financial and social security. Hope you have read the history of private bank era of 50s and nationalization of banks that brought banking closer to masses. Current fintech revolution that is going on will finally achieve the goal is my belief. Quoting you in full and hope mods allow it (Saw Narayan's reply and your rejoinder too)I had the same notion like you about the PSU banks and its unionised staff sipping tea and gossiping without doing any work till I got married to a PSU bankers daughter. To borrow Hitler's alleged words about Soviets, 'it is all a rotten structure and a single push will collapse it'.Like in any profession, there are always good and bad apples. I won't go into big roles like board member or higher management of PSU banks. It was a revelation on what political and public pressure the mid level management undergo at just branch level. He was in a branch located nearby to another behemoth called Railways which too is heavily unionised. There will be protests organised with insider inputs if petty loans are not sanctioned to them and can easily get into physical violence.And the accountability, they carry has immediate effect on their pay. Example - If safe key is lost, it will be formal police case and if the safe has to be broke open, it will straight away deducted from their pay which is easily a months salary. After 2016, if loan turns NPA, the loan approvers are responsible and forensic audits happen for mischief/bribery before recovery.And whoever has the key holding responsibility, they have to go and open bank whatever happens in outside world. In 2015, Chennai floods, at hip level deep water he went to open the bank and I was stunned when the entire city is under water.Much less said about Jan dhaan/Gas subsidy seeding/demonetisation on how he and many bankers didn't even went home because the branch was closer to the biggest market in Chennai. All we heard is interesting stories about few people getting fat by note exchange.And yes, many people opt for VRS after 50 years of age if given loan section as their retirement benefit can be blocked due to loan turning NPA. And the pension is not by default either one can get lumpsum or get it as pension.Overall, PSU banks may not be for suave, well heeled and polished. It is a different world catering to a different set of society for whom banking is still a privilege. Though I largely believe in privatization and vote out government in business, I believe this is one crucial sector which should have government stake for the sake of financial and social security.Hope you have read the history of private bank era of 50s and nationalization of banks that brought banking closer to masses. Current fintech revolution that is going on will finally achieve the goal is my belief. //M Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 5,958 Thanked: 21,477 Times re: Dreams do come true : 5 years & 30000 kms with my Triumph Tiger 800 XR Quote: v12 Originally Posted by Wow, amazing trip and pics. And congrats on achieving the 25k miles too. This is what the Tiger is really meant to do ( not that the other motorcycles are not meant too). So I have a few questions, 1. After such long ride, what needs to be done to the motorcycle. Does it need any special service or just a general service? 2. Do filters need to be cleaned or changed? 3. What about the suspension - any Specific maintenance or oil change required ? 4. what components or parts need to be changed? The Tiger's reliability and abuse-friendly nature ensures that a lot of abuse does not usually pinch the pocket. So no special care is really needed post a long ride IMO. However, going for a general check-up always helps to ensure things are in place. It helps to get the engine oil (plus filter), coolant levels and air filter checked / changed. Throttle body cleaning, clutch cable, brake pads and drivechain / sprockets can also be checked for any abnormal wear. After I got back from the Saach Pass ride, the first thing I checked were the brake pads and fluid levels and these seem to be fine. There is however a very faint and minor noise when I turn the handlebar at idle or when the motorcycle is on main stand and the front wheel is off the ground. So I need to check if there is any abuse to the cone sets and maybe fork oil needs replacement as well so I need to check that as well. Everything else seems to be in order after inspection. I am planning to get the cone set / fork oil checked soon and the rest can be taken care of during the annual service due in February. I do not foresee much riding in the next 3-4 months as I would have to be frequently away for work and the cold foggy North Indian winters will anyway restrict early morning rides. Add to that, I won't get leaves from work either. At best I can do riding over weekends so that rules out longer rides. For someone who does frequent long rides, it helps if you get one (or more depending on kilometres clocked) mid-year general check-up done even if the service intervals are annual. It also helps if such a general check-up is done before one proceeds for a roadtrip in which more than usual abuse to the motorcycle is foreseen (For example, Spiti or remote corners of North East or similar). One more thing that needs to be checked is any damage to wheels that may arise out of an unexpected undulation on a spirited highway run or due to abuse over ruts and trails. Lastly, there is nothing better than preventive maintenance. Getting wear and tear parts checked or replaced (as the case may be) before scheduled timelines works wonders in the long-term. Thanks a lot v12.The Tiger's reliability and abuse-friendly nature ensures that a lot of abuse does not usually pinch the pocket. So no special care is really needed post a long ride IMO.However, going for a general check-up always helps to ensure things are in place. It helps to get the engine oil (plus filter), coolant levels and air filter checked / changed.Throttle body cleaning, clutch cable, brake pads and drivechain / sprockets can also be checked for any abnormal wear.After I got back from the Saach Pass ride, the first thing I checked were the brake pads and fluid levels and these seem to be fine. There is however a very faint and minor noise when I turn the handlebar at idle or when the motorcycle is on main stand and the front wheel is off the ground. So I need to check if there is any abuse to the cone sets and maybe fork oil needs replacement as well so I need to check that as well.Everything else seems to be in order after inspection. I am planning to get the cone set / fork oil checked soon and the rest can be taken care of during the annual service due in February. I do not foresee much riding in the next 3-4 months as I would have to be frequently away for work and the cold foggy North Indian winters will anyway restrict early morning rides. Add to that, I won't get leaves from work either. At best I can do riding over weekends so that rules out longer rides.For someone who does frequent long rides, it helps if you get one (or more depending on kilometres clocked) mid-year general check-up done even if the service intervals are annual. It also helps if such a general check-up is done before one proceeds for a roadtrip in which more than usual abuse to the motorcycle is foreseen (For example, Spiti or remote corners of North East or similar). One more thing that needs to be checked is any damage to wheels that may arise out of an unexpected undulation on a spirited highway run or due to abuse over ruts and trails.Lastly, there is nothing better than preventive maintenance. Getting wear and tear parts checked or replaced (as the case may be) before scheduled timelines works wonders in the long-term. ph03n!x Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 2,503 Thanked: 5,101 Times Re: 50,000 KM Update! Looks ++ Been 2 years and 7 months since I brought home the Thar, and there are more than a lakh of Thars on the roads by now. And yet someone will turn back and give a second glance at your jeep when you are driving. You will find yourself admiring it in your parking whenever you look out your sit out or walk past - never gets tiring ++ Going topless is S E X Y, 'nuf said. Brings that squealing child even in middle aged and retired "kids" ++ The formidable road presence combined with ease of AT makes it a more relaxed daily driver - the frequent second glances from fellow road users, and smiles from kids are added bonuses ++ The vehicle is a hit with the fairer sex. Gets me into trouble with the wife more often than not - no amount of convincing that it is not for the middle-aged driver with a receding hairline seem to work, I had to retort with the same coin when the boys give her (the jeep, actually!) a second glance ++ While all the colours look awesome on the Thar, I think black is the best. Black hides panel gaps, creases and shut-lines pretty well in any car (which is why all of mine have been black!), and that is definitely the case with the Thar. Mind you, all those wide gaps and shut lines are consistent, and "by design" to give the jeep-y look! ++ Flippty jillion mods and customization options to truly make your jeep, well, yours! No place is out of place for this jeep... Engine and Transmission ++ The mHawk is a brilliant mill - it is pretty refined, has adequate oomph to propel the Thar to silly speeds. And that growl at 3500 RPM is pretty addictive! ++ 650+ KM tank range when driven sedately on highways, and can't get worse than 550KM is a blessing esp. when on ghats and offroad tracks. Blessing for someone as finicky as I am on where I tank up (close to 50% of all my refills across 52k KM have been in just 3 fuel stations, one each in each of the city I frequent!) ++ Revvs and catches up with what you want caught up with, thanks to the brilliantly tuned Aisin 6AT <> Very rarely does the AT hunt, that too only when driven hard - which, more often than not, you won't -- 2.2 liter mill + TC AT + aerodynamics of a brick. Best case mileage of 11 to 12 KMPL under your usual driving style and road conditions - milking anything more from the Diesel mill will need conscious effort -- The 6AT cannot replace the pure mechanical engine-braking offered by the MT - not till the 3rd gear when the lock clutch engages. Will need the use of HDC (which makes screeching brake noise - like a rodent is being tortured), or frequent braking All it takes is a drive through the mud to recolour your jeep! Build, Ride and Handling ++ Go anywhere - good roads, bad roads, no roads. Doesn't matter ++ The AVO suspension makes the Thar 75% better than what it came with, and has been real helpful in me making several HYD-CBE-HYD round trips effortlessly ++ Sound mechanicals, rugged build - No rattles after 52k KM of abuse - I do carry a foam tape in my boot though, to take care of the minor adjustments required every now and then! <> Even with the aftermarket suspension, the vehicle is never "sorted". You will feel the continuous vertical/ horizontal movements. Make no mistake, while these movements definitely reduced by 75% compared to the stock suspension with the AVOs, you cannot change the vehicle's inherent design - SWB, high GC, ladder frame build. This does not bother me or the family anymore though <> While I am used to this, the steering feel is not remotely the best. The driver will feel each minute variations of the surface under the wheels as feedback. The steering is pretty vague at speeds - which is not a bad thing, considering how easy it will be to topple this vehicle had it gotten the nervousness of, say, the Harrier. Newer Thars feel better in the area, maybe my 52k run tyres are cause too, will know after the impending change -- W I D E turning radius makes it a chore to plan tight U-turns, or driving in narrow lanes -- This might sound rhetoric - but anyone who's used to a monocoque kind of a ride will be put off by the ride comfort of the Thar. While the ride is superior to any of the previous jeeps that Mahindra's made, you will still have to give it time, use it as your exclusive ride for a few thousand clicks - it definitely is an acquired tast, this jeep is! -- May eventually have to invest in at least the transparent "window" parts of the CT - they get scratched easy, and as an offroader, this vehicle does not need Sherlock Holmes to find how they are getting scratched Batman... Interiors and Features ++ Perfectly functional cockpit, with most controls falling in your hands like expected ++ Interiors are sufficient for the purpose the vehicle is built for. Have not aged at all in 2.5+ years of regular use - esp. coz mine is a CT and keeps getting aligned with our dusty environment ++ Seats and interior space is comfortable enough as a 2-seater, or a 2-adult and 2-kid tourer <> The MID overrules you - you'll have to wait for it's message/ indication to timeout before you can navigate to where you want. This is a minor irritant, say, when refueling and you want to reset the Trip meter and AFE - but will have to wait for the MID to complete it's messaging spree (wheel direction, gear, etc.) before I can reset and continue my journey - forcing me to move out of the filling station, park, and carry out what I want. The better approach will be to have human input take precedence. -- Android Auto disconnects randomly. Have had a TAR raised with my dealership's team, and they tried different software updates, changed the USB port, etc. in consultation with M&M's tech team. But no resolution till date. And I have tried like a dozen phones of different generation, OE and aftermarket cables, and lost sleep over it quite a lot. This is a major irritant if you are navigating unknown territory, and AA disconnects exactly when you are approaching crossroads and you do not know where to turn! -- While newer Thars show the DEF level, M&M has not given this as an update to the earlier loyalists - esp. when we tested the vehicles in real life and provided feedback that resulted in 14 service actions Comfort and Safety ++ Comfortable 2 adults + 2 kids tourer, safety tested too ++ Seat height adjustment, long travel fore and aft adjustment and tilt adjustment makes is easy to find a comfortable seating position (I am 5' 10") - have driven CBE to HYD in 12 hours (950 KM), without fatigue or requiring rests after reaching the destination <> Luggage space is adequate for 2 check-in sized luggage and some knick-knacks <> The CT needs you to invest in flap-reduction planning to make it livable till 70-80 KMPH - all hell breaks beyond that anyway -- The front seats are a size smaller in terms of the base's length and width - could do with better under thigh support -- No security alarm - say, if a thief decides to unzip the rear "window" and opens the front door to figure out how to beat the immobilizer to steal the vehicle, he can do so in absolute peace - the first line of defense is absent. Even if you can't step out, you can still drive through... Service & Support ++ Brilliant support service from M&M - I have worked with Mr. Senthil, Mr. Vinay, Mr. Sihabudden, Mr, Ronald and Mr. Prasanna at various times, and they have always been helpful and supportive ++ I'll swear by CAI Mahindra's service team any day. Mr, Dileep and team have been maintaining my vehicle from Day 1, and the team takes pride in ensuring that the work is done right ++ I also experience extensive repairs with Automotive Mahindra in Hyderabad. Mr. Lakshman and team there did a great job in attending to the repairs I'll review how my mods have held up over the miles next... Quote: GTO Originally Posted by . Mine will probably get there in 10 years . Congrats on the 50. Mine will probably get there in 10 years Quote: GTO Originally Posted by Your highway driving is helping here. Quote: zombiedriver Originally Posted by This is crazy good, No change in 50k kms. But you are right, its best to be gentle with the throttle in the Thar, I drive a P AT and its characteristics are very close to a diesel engine because of its torquey nature. Here are a few obvious and not-so-obvious observations from my ownership of this jeep over 52,000 KM of use - interspersed with some random pics. Because, why not?!Been 2 years and 7 months since I brought home the Thar, and there are more than a lakh of Thars on the roads by now. And yet someone will turn back and give a second glance at your jeep when you are driving. You will find yourself admiring it in your parking whenever you look out your sit out or walk past - never gets tiringGoing topless is S E X Y, 'nuf said. Brings that squealing child even in middle aged and retired "kids"The formidable road presence combined with ease of AT makes it a more relaxed daily driver - the frequent second glances from fellow road users, and smiles from kids are added bonusesThe vehicle is a hit with the fairer sex. Gets me into trouble with the wife more often than not - no amount of convincing that it is not for the middle-aged driver with a receding hairline seem to work, I had to retort with the same coin when the boys give her (the jeep, actually!) a second glanceWhile all the colours look awesome on the Thar, I think black is the best. Black hides panel gaps, creases and shut-lines pretty well in any car (which is why all of mine have been black!), and that is definitely the case with the Thar. Mind you, all those wide gaps and shut lines are consistent, and "by design" to give the jeep-y look!Flippty jillion mods and customization options to truly make your jeep, well, yours!The mHawk is a brilliant mill - it is pretty refined, has adequate oomph to propel the Thar to silly speeds. And that growl at 3500 RPM is pretty addictive!650+ KM tank range when driven sedately on highways, and can't get worse than 550KM is a blessing esp. when on ghats and offroad tracks. Blessing for someone as finicky as I am on where I tank up (close to 50% of all my refills across 52k KM have been in just 3 fuel stations, one each in each of the city I frequent!)Revvs and catches up with what you want caught up with, thanks to the brilliantly tuned Aisin 6ATVery rarely does the AT hunt, that too only when driven hard - which, more often than not, you won't2.2 liter mill + TC AT + aerodynamics of a brick. Best case mileage of 11 to 12 KMPL under your usual driving style and road conditions - milking anything more from the Diesel mill will need conscious effortThe 6AT cannot replace the pure mechanical engine-braking offered by the MT - not till the 3rd gear when the lock clutch engages. Will need the use of HDC (which makes screeching brake noise - like a rodent is being tortured), or frequent brakingGo anywhere - good roads, bad roads, no roads. Doesn't matterThe AVO suspension makes the Thar 75% better than what it came with, and has been real helpful in me making several HYD-CBE-HYD round trips effortlesslySound mechanicals, rugged build - No rattles after 52k KM of abuse - I do carry a foam tape in my boot though, to take care of the minor adjustments required every now and then!Even with the aftermarket suspension, the vehicle is never "sorted". You will feel the continuous vertical/ horizontal movements. Make no mistake, while these movements definitely reduced by 75% compared to the stock suspension with the AVOs, you cannot change the vehicle's inherent design - SWB, high GC, ladder frame build. This does not bother me or the family anymore thoughWhile I am used to this, the steering feel is not remotely the best. The driver will feel each minute variations of the surface under the wheels as feedback. The steering is pretty vague at speeds - which is not a bad thing, considering how easy it will be to topple this vehicle had it gotten the nervousness of, say, the Harrier. Newer Thars feel better in the area, maybe my 52k run tyres are cause too, will know after the impending changeW I D E turning radius makes it a chore to plan tight U-turns, or driving in narrow lanesThis might sound rhetoric - but anyone who's used to a monocoque kind of a ride will be put off by the ride comfort of the Thar. While the ride is superior to any of the previous jeeps that Mahindra's made, you will still have to give it time, use it as your exclusive ride for a few thousand clicks - it definitely is an acquired tast, this jeep is!May eventually have to invest in at least the transparent "window" parts of the CT - they get scratched easy, and as an offroader, this vehicle does not need Sherlock Holmes to find how they are getting scratchedPerfectly functional cockpit, with most controls falling in your hands like expectedInteriors are sufficient for the purpose the vehicle is built for. Have not aged at all in 2.5+ years of regular use - esp. coz mine is a CT and keeps getting aligned with our dusty environmentSeats and interior space is comfortable enough as a 2-seater, or a 2-adult and 2-kid tourerThe MID overrules you - you'll have to wait for it's message/ indication to timeout before you can navigate to where you want. This is a minor irritant, say, when refueling and you want to reset the Trip meter and AFE - but will have to wait for the MID to complete it's messaging spree (wheel direction, gear, etc.) before I can reset and continue my journey - forcing me to move out of the filling station, park, and carry out what I want. The better approach will be to have human input take precedence.Android Auto disconnects randomly. Have had a TAR raised with my dealership's team, and they tried different software updates, changed the USB port, etc. in consultation with M&M's tech team. But no resolution till date. And I have tried like a dozen phones of different generation, OE and aftermarket cables, and lost sleep over it quite a lot. This is a major irritant if you are navigating unknown territory, and AA disconnects exactly when you are approaching crossroads and you do not know where to turn!While newer Thars show the DEF level, M&M has not given this as an update to the earlier loyalists - esp. when we tested the vehicles in real life and provided feedback that resulted in 14 service actionsComfortable 2 adults + 2 kids tourer, safety tested tooSeat height adjustment, long travel fore and aft adjustment and tilt adjustment makes is easy to find a comfortable seating position (I am 5' 10") - have driven CBE to HYD in 12 hours (950 KM), without fatigue or requiring rests after reaching the destinationLuggage space is adequate for 2 check-in sized luggage and some knick-knacksThe CT needs you to invest in flap-reduction planning to make it livable till 70-80 KMPH - all hell breaks beyond that anywayThe front seats are a size smaller in terms of the base's length and width - could do with better under thigh supportNo security alarm - say, if a thief decides to unzip the rear "window" and opens the front door to figure out how to beat the immobilizer to steal the vehicle, he can do so in absolute peace - the first line of defense is absent.++ Brilliant support service from M&M - I have worked with Mr. Senthil, Mr. Vinay, Mr. Sihabudden, Mr, Ronald and Mr. Prasanna at various times, and they have always been helpful and supportive++ I'll swear by CAI Mahindra's service team any day. Mr, Dileep and team have been maintaining my vehicle from Day 1, and the team takes pride in ensuring that the work is done right++ I also experience extensive repairs with Automotive Mahindra in Hyderabad. Mr. Lakshman and team there did a great job in attending to the repairsThanks! I will seriously be picking up a more comfortable/ luxury vehicle - not that am bored of the jeep, will remain my solo ride, but the kids are growing up and will soon needs something better suited for long drives...I am of a mixed view - maybe am plain lucky. But between my highway drives, I have had months of pure city traffic for 1,000s of KM. But never had an issue even then, not even an indication - and I never tried to please to the DPF consciously ever!The P AT is a monster on its own right - that pick up is addictive, and make the D AT seem inferior if driven back to back Last edited by Aditya : 8th July 2023 at 12:51 . Reason: As requested Why it matters: The power, reach, and resources available to social media have made it a dominant force in the news and advertising industry since day one. Many traditional news organizations have made calls to level the playing field in hopes of stopping the cycle of ever-increasing budget cuts while increasing their legacy footprint. A recent bill passed by Canadian Parliament is looking to provide that support, but major social media companies have already made it clear that they aren't interested in cooperating. Earlier this week, a bill proposed by the Canadian Government to limit social media's ability to rebroadcast Canadian-published news content received royal assent. The Online News Act, also known as C-18, proposes that social media giants Google and Meta are required to pay media outlets for any news content shared and repurposed on their respective social media platforms. According to a press release from the Government of Canada, the act will close the growing gap between news organizations and large online media platforms, enhancing fairness and sustainability across the country's news industry. The bill claims to encourage voluntary commercial agreements between Google, Meta, and news organizations to "preserve the independence of the press" with minimal government involvement. Not surprisingly, Google and Meta aren't quite as excited about the decision. WATCH: After Canada's senate voted to pass Bill C-18 on Thursday, social media companies are one step closer to having to pay Canadian media outlets for news content they share on their platforms. Read more: https://t.co/vsVEEujlsg pic.twitter.com/IfagSsvs5v Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) June 23, 2023 Following the bill's passage, Meta confirmed that it plans to comply with the bill, but likely not in the way that Parliament intended. The company has instead stated that rather than establishing paid agreements, it plans to end news availability on Facebook and Instagram for its Canadian users. The move is one that likely won't sit well with Canadian social media users. According to Lisa Laventure, head of communications for Meta in Canada, "...we have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, which was passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada." The bill will become law six months after receiving royal assent, the method by which a bill becomes a formally approved act of the legislature. While no timeline has been provided, Meta has confirmed that it will remove any local news from its platform prior to the act taking effect and being enforced. Google is yet to make any official statement on the bill, though the company has also hinted that removing news links from its search engine and results is a possibility. PSA: A common tactic for cybercriminals is to distribute storage drives, phones, or other internet-connected devices filled with hidden malware to hack victims and steal their information. Although smartwatches haven't been known for major security breaches so far, they carry many of the same vulnerabilities as other IoT products and warrant a similar degree of caution. US military service members have recently reported receiving smartwatches in the mail which they didn't order. It is unclear who sent the devices and why, but foul play is suspected, and the Army's criminal investigation division (CID) advises recipients to never turn the watches on. The CID reports that the smartwatches have automatically connected to Wi-Fi networks and smartphones independent of user prompts upon activation, indicating that they could be an attempt to infiltrate networks belonging to military personnel. Although no one has confirmed that the devices contain malware or are collecting and sending information, that remains a distinct possibility. Android phones and other internet-connected devices from third-party sellers have been known to carry pre-installed malware. Although smartwatches haven't been associated with major security incidents, they are uniquely suited to nefarious snooping. As wearables, they record and store significant amounts of biometric and location data. They also have microphones, and their wireless connections to smartphones could potentially put those devices at risk. The greatest concern is that someone could be using the unsolicited gifts to scrape military secrets. Another, more benign explanation, is that the senders are trying to pump up online product reviews in a fraudulent practice called brushing. It involves vendors purchasing their own products and then sending them to random addresses and writing positive reviews in the recipients' names on retail sites like Amazon to boost ratings and visibility. Despite the lack of real customers, the record that someone bought and shipped the items lends the reviews increased legitimacy in the retail system. The US postal inspection service advises that anyone who receives suspicious unsolicited packages from online retailers should notify the retailer, look for fraudulent reviews in their name on the retailer's website, and check to see if their personal information hasn't been compromised. The CID advises service members who find the mysterious smartwatches on their front doors to report them to their local counterintelligence or security managers. BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will pay an official visit to China from June 25 to 30, and attend the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin. Born in the Hutt Valley of New Zealand in September 1978, Hipkins graduated from the Victoria University of Wellington with a bachelor's degree in politics and criminology. In 2008, Hipkins was elected Labor Party's member of Parliament, and has since been reelected. From October 2017, he took office successively as minister of education, minister of state services, minister of health, minister for COVID-19 response and minister of police. In January 2023, Hipkins became the Labor Party's new leader and was sworn in as the country's prime minister. UK police have issued a warning regarding the Emergency SOS feature available on Android devices, which has resulted in a sharp increase in unnecessary emergency calls. The feature, introduced with Android 12, allows users to call emergency services by quickly tapping the power button five times. However, this convenience has led to unintended consequences, prompting authorities to take action. UK Raises Alarm Over False Emergency Calls According to the BBC, the council has expressed concern over the rising number of unnecessary emergency calls, contributing to record-high 999 calls. The council stated, "There are a few reasons for this, but one we think is having a significant impact is an update to Android smartphones." Notably, leading Android manufacturers such as Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi have this emergency feature enabled by default on their devices. When activated, the component includes a short countdown and a loud chime before initiating the call. Read Also: [UPDATE] Meta Confirms Removal of News Content From Facebook and Instagram in Canada Why Unnecessary Emergency Calls Are Cause for Concern Misuse of emergency services through unnecessary calls and false alarms has significant consequences. Diverting limited resources away from genuine emergencies hinders response times and endangers lives. False alarms are costly and disrupt both emergency responders and the public. Additionally, overloading the system with unnecessary calls increases wait times and hampers communication for those in need. Importantly, making false or prank emergency calls is illegal and can result in serious legal consequences. The Increasing Problem of Inadvertent Emergency Calls The issue of inadvertent emergency calls caused by the Emergency SOS feature is not limited to the UK. Earlier this year, Canadian authorities issued a similar warning about the feature. Meanwhile, a sheriff's department in Minnesota advised users to disable it. Furthermore, Europe's emergency number association verified that this Android function raised call volumes for several members. In response to the concerns raised, AndroidAuthority reports that a Google spokesperson stated that the company would provide guidance and resources to manufacturers to address the issue. Leave the Power Button Alone AndroidAuthority notes that the Emergency SOS feature must either be disabled by default or require additional safeguards during activation. The repeated accidental activation of the power button leading to emergency calls highlights the need for OEMs to reconsider the design and placement of such features, as they can inadvertently cause disruptions and strain emergency services. Police forces in the UK have experienced the consequences of this feature firsthand, with the Devon and Cornwall Police revealing that silent calls take up valuable time and effort, lasting approximately 20 minutes per call. Devon and Cornwall Police advised individuals who accidentally dialed 999 to remain on the line and inform the operator of their mistake, emphasizing the importance of not hanging up immediately after dialing in error. While the Emergency SOS feature was introduced with Android 12 in 2021, numerous users have reported experiencing issues following the update to Android 13. Manufacturers have guided turning off the feature through their websites, with most devices allowing users to turn off the emergency SOS call option within the settings menu. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: UK to Test Public Warning System, Nationwide Alert to Be Sent to Mobile Phones Soon 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has issued a warning regarding potential delays for airplanes starting July 1 due to the interference caused by 5G C-Band technology. Reuters reports that while a significant portion of the domestic fleet serving US airports has been updated to mitigate the interference, a substantial number of aircraft, including those operated by foreign air carriers, still await retrofitting. This situation could lead to increased delays and cancellations, particularly on days with bad weather and low visibility. US Upholds 5G Altimeter Refit Deadline Back in May, the US government decided not to delay the deadline for airlines to refit their planes with new sensors to counter possible 5G interference. As BBC reported, despite airline concerns about meeting the deadline and potential travel disruptions, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed that the July 1 cutoff date would remain in place. Telecoms firms had previously postponed the rollout of 5G to accommodate the aviation industry's adaptation process. The specific frequency range causing concern, known as the C-Band, is used for 5G in the United States. Concerns From Aviation Companies Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation companies have expressed worries that 5G signals in the C-Band spectrum could interfere with aircraft altimeters, which are crucial for measuring altitude above the ground. Secretary Buttigieg called airline companies at the time, urging them to work diligently to retrofit their aircraft before the deadline. In response, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily agreed to postpone certain C-Band 5G usage until July while air carriers worked on retrofitting altimeters. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines confirmed that it would not have enough radio altimeters for its entire fleet by July 1, according to information provided by its supplier. This means approximately 190 Delta narrowbody aircraft, including all A220s, will not be equipped with updated radio altimeters. However, all Delta widebody aircraft will have the necessary updates before the deadline. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade group representing over 100 airlines operating in and out of the US, has voiced its concerns about the deadline extension denial. Airlines have also called for 5G signals to be restricted within approximately two miles of affected airport runways, as defined by the FAA. This measure aims to create a buffer zone to minimize the risk of interference. A Closer Look While major phone companies, including Verizon and AT&T, have invested significant resources into upgrading their networks for 5G technology, concerns from the aviation industry persist. Read Also: Electric Aircraft Maker Eve Strikes Major Deals for 'Flying Car' Sales at Paris Airshow 2023 Airlines argue that they are victims of inadequate government planning and coordination, highlighting the substantial financial burden placed upon them to retrofit their planes. Secretary Buttigieg emphasized that passengers should not suffer the consequences of any airline's inability to equip its aircraft with the necessary technology to operate safely in the 5G C-Band environment. The FAA and the wireless carriers have been working together to find a balance between the deployment of 5G services and maintaining the integrity of aviation systems. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Power Failure at Philippine Airport Causes Flight Delays and Cancellations on New Year's Day 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A UK citizen was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in hacking the Twitter accounts of top political and business leaders in the United States. Joseph James O'Connor, 24, will now serve time in federal prison nearly three years after one of the most visible real-time hacks in the recent history of Twitter. (Photo : LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images) This photograph taken on October 26, 2020 shows the logo of US social network Twitter displayed on the screen of a smartphone and a tablet in Toulouse, southern France. Twitter Hacker Serving Five Years in Prison Southern District of New York Attorney Damian Williams announced that Joseph James O'Connor, known as "PlugwalkJoe," was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for his involvement in a social media hijack on July 2020. He was also ordered to pay $794,000. According to a press statement from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, O'Connor was extradited from Spain in April and pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and stalking two victims, among others. O'Connor was part of a hacking group that hijacked over 130 Twitter accounts as part of a Bitcoin scam, including those of Apple, Uber, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Kanye West. US District Judge Jed S. Rakoff said O'Connor would likely serve about half of his sentence as he had already spent more than two years in pre-trial custody. Rakoff said he considered O'Connor's relatively young age and autism in reaching the sentence, as the Twitter hacker asked to give him no more time behind bars than the 23 months he had already served before being sentenced, while prosecutors argued for seven years, Bloomberg reported. During his sentencing hearing in Manhattan Friday, O'Connor told Rakoff, "I am ashamed to be here. I'm sorry to all the victims of my crimes. I'm here because I did stupid and shameful things. I will never break the law again. I want to live a life with meaning, not the idiotic, empty, hermit life I was living." TechCrunch reported that O'Connor was part of a group that broke into dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts to spread scams related to cryptocurrency in July 2020. Through his phone-based social engineering techniques, O'Connor tricked employees from Twitter into granting the group of hackers access to the platform's network. The alleged mastermind of the hacking group, Graham Ivan Clark, reportedly used the access to the network of Twitter and abused an internal admin tool to hack and reassign user accounts. As a response, Twitter temporarily blocked users from posting to the site to fix and take action against the intrusion. A million users watched in real-time as they watched their timelines flooded with cryptocurrency scams from some recognizable celebrities, politicians, and business leaders, netting about $120,000. Clark, a Florida teen, was already sentenced to three years in juvenile prison in July 2021. Read Also: Twitter Hacker is Now Selling 5.4 Million Data It Stole from the Company for $30,000 Numerous Online Schemes Prosecutors argued that Joseph James O'Connor used his sophisticated technological abilities for malicious purposes, such as hacking accounts on Twitter, conducting a complex SIM swap attack to obtain large amounts of cryptocurrency, conducting computer intrusions to take over social media accounts, and cyberstalking two victims, in which one of them was a minor. Bloomberg reported that O'Connor admitted to "swatting" a 16-year-old girl in June and July 2020, when he called local police and claimed she was planning to shoot people at what he thought was her address. Similar messages were also sent to a high school, a restaurant, and a sheriff's department. He then called multiple members of the victim's family, threatening to kill them. Related Article: [UPDATE] Teenage Twitter Hacker is Also a 'Minecraft' Scammer, According to Investigations 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new standard is rising to the occasion in this age of electrification, with the South Korean car manufacturing company, Hyundai Motor, considering the adaptation of Tesla's NACS EV charger. The news comes after the company's showcase during its Investor Day, where it also unveiled its next-generation EV platform. However, it is not yet a confirmed integration as there are some considerations Hyundai needs to look into, particularly for what the Tesla Supercharger offers. Hyundai is Considering Tesla's NACS EV Chargers for its Cars (Photo : Hyundai) Hyundai President and CEO Jaehoon Chang Hyundai's Investor Day brought massive details about its electrification plans for the future, but one of the most notable is its discussion about its plans to adopt Tesla's NACS EV chargers for its cars. According to CNBC, there is one area of concern for Hyundai, as it is still looking into Tesla's Superchargers if it would be enough to meet its high power requirements for charging. As per Jaehoon Chang, Hyundai's president and CEO, the Supercharger does not offer higher rates for charging on its Supercharger locations, particularly that required of its EVs. Still, this latest information only shows how there would be a massive step in standardizing EV ports and chargers for North America, and would not require users to stick to one brand for it. This initiative would also diminish the need for adapters whenever charging in different locations. Read Also: Tesla Implements Price Hike for Wall Connector with NACS Will Hyundai Adopt it for its Next-Gen Platform? The Investor Day showcase from Hyundai announced its next-generation platform that would uplift more of Hyundai's development of its clean energy cars, soon to unveil the new fleet to the world. For now, it is unknown if Hyundai will push through with the possibility of adopting the "North American Charging Standard" (NACS) ports from Tesla, especially for its next-gen EV platform. Tesla's NACS EV Charger as the Standard? More and more companies are looking into adopting Tesla's renowned NACS charger for its electric vehicles and it has been the standard from the company since then. The clean energy company brought forth its initiative to share this among other manufacturers to use, making it available for adoption and use for their charging needs. Ford was among the first major EV companies in the US to adopt what Tesla has to offer with its NACS ports, featuring an integration of the charger for the Ford EVs. Earlier this month, General Motors joined the cause and announced that it is adopting the NACS ev chargers, with 2025 EV releases to be the first to have it fully integrated into the cars. Rivian also joined in under the Tesla initiative of a universal charging port that would be standard across North America, and soon, for the world to use. Hyundai is a major company for EVs at present, but it is still looking into Tesla's NACS chargers for its integration, especially as its cars need a higher output as per its CEO. Related Article: Rivian Embraces Tesla's Charging Standard, Opens Access to Largest US Superchargers Network 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with a top European Union official on Friday as social media platforms in the United States rush to prepare for new European rules on content moderation. EU commissioner Thierry Breton is visiting Silicon Valley this week to remind social media companies like Twitter and Facebook parent company Meta about their content moderation obligations to combat disinformation, cyberbullying, and threats to public safety. Europe's Digital Services Act, which imposes several requirements on tech firms, will take effect in late August, and Breton said Europe would bar companies that do not follow its rules. (Photo : LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to attend a meeting with the French president at the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 23, 2018. Meta Preparing for New Moderation Restrictions After talks at Meta's California headquarters, Thierry Breton told reporters that Mark Zuckerberg was "very involved and knew exactly where we stand," AFP reported. According to Bloomberg, Meta appears well-prepared to meet Europe's latest strict content moderation rules. During the meeting, the company presented a lot of information about its work to comply with Europe's Digital Services Act. It was also reported that Meta agreed to a stress test in July to gauge whether the platform was ready to meet these new rules. Breton noted that over 1,000 people at Meta were working on the implementation of the Digital Services Act of the European Union. Productive discussion with @Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Menlo Park on EU digital rules: DSA, DMA & AI Act. Preparedness on its way with 1000 Meta employees working on #DSA We agreed to do a stress test in July. EUs motto: Move fast to fix things pic.twitter.com/8LoJpD7c7O Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) June 23, 2023 Breton also said that he and Zuckerberg were "aligned" on the EU's regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). Last week, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved the AI Act that aims to regulate the use of AI in Europe. Read Also: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Reveals Plans to Incorporate Generative AI into Every Product Other Discussions Thierry Breton also urged Meta to increase its resources to fight disinformation, given that Russia is waging an expanding information war throughout Eastern Europe. Both parties also discussed child predators targeting minors on Instagram. As for AI efforts, the commissioner further noted that both parties agreed on the bloc's risk-based approach and watermarking measures. Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company's plan to incorporate generative AI into every Meta product. This will include AI Agents as Meta plans to add chatbots on Messenger and WhatsApp with different personas, AI Media Editing that will be a tool for Instagram stories that can be used when editing is needed, and an internal AI chatbot called Metamate, a productivity assistant for employees that could answer queries and perform tasks based on information derived from internal company systems. According to Breton, Twitter was the first platform to undergo a stress test in preparation for the Digital Services Act. On Thursday, Breton and some of his staff went to Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco to perform a "stress test" of the tech company's ability to moderate online content. Breton said the company took this exercise "very seriously." After his dialogue with Twitter owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino, Breton believed that the tech firm has a "strong willingness" to comply with the new rules. Yaccarino, who just took the position as CEO earlier this month, said Europe was "very important" to Twitter, so the company was focused on continuing their "partnership." UPI reported that the meeting is part of Breton's two-day visit to California to remind tech companies to comply with the new EU laws that will apply to large social media platforms. Aside from Meta and Twitter officials, the digital commissioner also met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and NVIDIA president Jensen Huang. Related Article: Meta: Mark Zuckerberg Wants Help in Building the Metaverse with Networks Partnering with the Company 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft Quantum has achieved a significant milestone in developing a reliable and practical quantum computer, Phys.org reports. This breakthrough could revolutionize computing and expedite scientific discovery. In a paper published in Physical Review B, Microsoft Quantum researchers detail their progress and unveil a roadmap for the next 25 years. With innovative measures and breakthrough technologies, Microsoft Quantum aims to compress centuries of chemistry and materials science progress into a mere quarter-century. Microsoft Unveils Breakthrough in Quantum Computing Developing a reliable quantum computer has been challenging due to error rates, impeding the full potential of this extraordinary technology. Microsoft Quantum emphasizes the parallel between traditional computers' evolution and the current trajectory of quantum computing. Like past computers, quantum computers require novel approaches to scaling logical qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers. Read Also: Privacy-Focused ChatGPT Now Tested by Microsoft! But, It Will Be Very Expensive Engineering a Stable Quantum Future Microsoft Quantum's groundbreaking achievement lies in successfully engineering a new type of logical qubit with hardware stability. Phys.org reports that by utilizing Majorana zero modes-a unique type of fermion-induced matter phase-, the researchers have created devices with low disorder and passed the topological gap protocol. These promising results mark a crucial first step toward creating a quantum supercomputer. Measuring Quantum Supremacy To gauge a quantum supercomputer's performance, Microsoft Quantum has introduced a new measure: reliable quantum operations per second (rQOPS). A machine must achieve at least 1 million rQOPS to be considered a true quantum supercomputer. Microsoft envisions future machines reaching an astonishing billion rQOPS, surpassing classical supercomputers' capabilities. Accelerating Scientific Discovery In addition to breakthroughs in quantum hardware, Microsoft Quantum introduces Azure Quantum Elements and Copilot in Azure Quantum to expedite scientific discoveries. Azure Quantum Elements integrates high-performance computing, AI, and quantum computing, empowering chemistry and materials science researchers. Meanwhile, Copilot in Azure Quantum assists scientists in solving complex problems, generating calculations, visualizing data, and providing guided answers. This browser-based experience also provides a platform for learning about quantum computing and coding. Microsoft Quantum's Roadmap Microsoft Quantum has laid a comprehensive roadmap detailing the path to a quantum supercomputer. Key milestones include: Creating and controlling Majoranas. Developing hardware-protected qubits with error protection. Constructing a multi-qubit system capable of executing quantum algorithms. Ultimately achieving a resilient quantum system with higher-quality operations. The goal is a quantum supercomputer capable of solving complex problems surpassing classical supercomputers' capabilities. What's In the News Microsoft Quantum's recent breakthrough in quantum computing represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of reliable and practical quantum computers. With innovative technologies such as hardware-stable logical qubits and the rQOPS measure, Microsoft is leading the charge toward the future of computing. In Other News Meta has confirmed removing all news content from Facebook and Instagram in Canada after the country's Senate's passage of the Online News Act. This legislation will compel tech corporations to compensate media publishers for distributing news releases. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Related Article: Microsoft 365 Copilot Expands Access, Introduces New Features for AI-powered Assistance 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Following a widespread blackout staged to protest Reddit's upcoming pricing policy, users on the social network have resorted to a unique tactic: bombarding the platform with pictures of comedian John Oliver. Reddit's largest communities, once dedicated to everyday images and cute animals, have transformed into a vast collection of Oliver photos, both real and satirical, with the aim of catching the attention of the "Last Week Tonight" host. This calculated effort serves as a sustained protest against Reddit's corporate management amid a crackdown on users and moderators. The movement combines lightheartedness with a deeper purpose, as users hope to maintain pressure on the company despite ongoing challenges. (Photo : Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for NRDC) John Oliver attends NRDCs Night of Comedy Benefit, in partnership with Discovery, Inc. hosted by Seth Meyers on April 30, 2019 in New York City. The Protest and Tactics Reddit users are expressing their dissatisfaction with a new policy that will introduce fees for app developers to access Reddit data, similar to Twitter's paywall. Critics argue that the suddenness of the change, along with the proposed high fees, will adversely impact many app makers and businesses. The protest began with over 6,000 Reddit communities going dark, including some of the platform's most popular forums boasting millions of members. While Reddit's co-founder and CEO, Steve Huffman, downplayed the financial impact of the protest, some advertisers have paused spending on the platform. Additionally, there have been reports of a slowdown in Reddit's revenue growth preceding the paywall proposal. Read Also: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Defends API Changes That Force Many Apps to Shut Down The Role of John Oliver By flooding the platform with John Oliver pictures, Reddit users aim to draw attention to the policy change and potential repercussions. Oliver, known for delving into tech topics on his show, has a history of influencing real-world outcomes. Reddit users hope that Oliver may address the revolt and feature their content on his show. Although Oliver has not made any commitments, he responded positively to the Reddit users' efforts, giving them his blessing to continue posting his image on the platform. While many of the largest protesting communities have reopened under pressure from Reddit's management, some communities, such as r/pics and r/aww, have taken unconventional approaches to continue protesting. They have become hubs for John Oliver-related content, aiming to maintain attention on Reddit's policy change without violating the platform's terms of service and risking further crackdowns. The ongoing protest on Reddit against the upcoming pricing policy has taken a creative turn with users flooding the platform with pictures of John Oliver. By combining humor and persistence, users are trying to keep the spotlight on Reddit's controversial decision. Whether this unconventional tactic leads to any changes or prompts a response from John Oliver remains to be seen, but it highlights the determination of Reddit users to express their dissent and bring attention to the platform's policies. Related Article: Apollo and Other Reddit Apps Are Shutting Down: Here's Why 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. MOSCOW, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Defense Ministry on Saturday urged Wagner fighters to surrender after the private military group was accused of attempting to launch an armed rebellion. "We ask you to be prudent and get in touch with representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry or law enforcement agencies as soon as possible. We guarantee everyone's safety," the ministry said in a statement. A criminal case is initiated against Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner private military group, for incitement to armed insurrection, said the Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal Security Service on Saturday. The appeal came after several audio recordings were posted on Prigozhin's Telegram channel. In these recordings, Prigozhin claimed that his units had allegedly come under attack, accusing Russia's military leadership of orchestrating the strikes, according to Russia's TASS news agency. As a result of these developments, security measures have been significantly reinforced in Moscow. Vital facilities, state institutions, and transportation infrastructure have been placed under heightened protection, with police and response units on high alert, a TASS news agency report said. Origin of life: Have you cracked the mother of all questions, Ulrich Schreiber? Did the lioness come from private keeping? In Germany, this is hardly regulated 'I'm paying the consequences': Laura Smet reveals what's changed in her life since her battle with Laeticia to inherit Johnny Fashion giant Shein in hot weather again sued for plagiarism in the US Taste the long table banquet, appreciate the Yao song and dance... Guangdong Liannan Yao Ethnic Customs and Culture Week was launched Pedro Sanchez plants Susanna Griso at the last minute to close his television tour with Silvia Intxaurrondo in RTVE 10 yuan per hour in some scenic spots Is the hourly charging mode of the shared charging treasure reasonable? A picture that opens fire on Nancy Ajram. Is the Lebanese artist accused of normalization with Israel? Matured Vasilisa, Ivan's daughters and young Yaga: near Moscow, the filming of the series "The Last Bogatyr. Heritage" The huge prize of the Las Vegas World Poker Championship: four times more than Alcaraz at Wimbledon Acroyoga, nine hours of swimming pool and surgical precision to perform the best artistic swimming World Cup in Spanish history New Zealander Wilkinson, a striker who wants to make football equal to rugby in her country The Football Association issued four tickets in a row, and spectators in the Jiangsu Division were fined for throwing objects at each other and attacking each other Women's World Cup: victory and records for New Zealand and Australia in the opening Claudia Zornoza: "As a result of the injuries I got rid of all the hobbies because I think they are not good" Asgreen and the agonizing triumph of an escape that tried to torpedo Philipsen with the most controversial maneuver Calvino now avoids confirming that next year there will be no tolls on the highways National Development and Reform Commission: A new version of the negative list for market access will be introduced National Development and Reform Commission: Two supporting policy documents to promote the development and expansion of the private economy will be issued soon After the release of the central heavy document, these supporting policies will be introduced People from private enterprises talked about China's promotion of the private economy to become bigger, better and stronger: boosting confidence and stimulating vitality The provincial and municipal dispatched agencies of the State Administration of Financial Supervision were listed LPR "on hold" in July, the market expects that the third quarter may usher in a RRR cut Netflix plummets 8% in the stock market despite adding almost 6 million subscribers in three months Minsk is using it to modernize its army. Wagner offers combat expertise to special forces in Belarus The Union of Pensioners supported the idea of attracting pensioners to mentoring in schools Politico: London tried to dissuade the EU from the name "Malvinas Islands" in the document Shakira says they have learned from the press of the second accusation of tax fraud Polish Foreign Ministry: Poland will support Ukraine only in what is beneficial for Poland itself Balance: The Armed Forces of Ukraine fail to use the reduction in the width of the Dnieper in the Kherson region Brazil: More than eight rapes per hour were recorded on average in 2022 Indiana Jones. A sad farewell to a hero who has stirred the imagination of generations of viewers Mezentsev announced the rapprochement between Russia and Belarus against the backdrop of pressure from the West Three activists arrested for sneaking into Ibiza airport sticking to a private jet and spraying it with paint The astonishing data of the time trial in which Vingegaard swept Pogacar: "He scored more watts than expected" Vingegaard and the shadow of doping: "I wouldn't take anything I couldn't give my daughter" (m+) That's it for the Internet: Oliver Samwer shuts down his start RaHDit hackers published the routes of ships from which they could hit the Crimean bridge After her return to the Arabic language. Is the relationship between Mali and France over forever? Communities 2019 - Privacy The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. Students pose with their certificates after the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in London, Britain, June 23, 2023. Students from 12 British universities competed in the regional final of the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition on Friday, sharing their passion for the Chinese language and culture.(Xinhua) LONDON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Students from 12 British universities competed in the regional final of the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition on Friday, sharing their passion for the Chinese language and culture. Held at the University College London, the competition included two contests, one for eight non-Chinese-majored students and the other for ten Chinese-majored students. Sebastian Louis Jackson, a student in physics from Heriot-Watt University, won the champion title in the non-Chinese-majored category of the competition. Having been learning Chinese since middle school and having been to China, Jackson said he loves both ancient and modern Chinese history. During the competition, each contestant showcased their Chinese language proficiency through five tasks, namely speech, quiz, self-produced video, talent show, and impromptu Q&A. For talent shows, most contestants brought to the stage performances featuring traditional Chinese culture, such as a tea-making ceremony, martial arts, and Chinese musical instrument Guzheng. "It's important to have a solid understanding of the ancient Chinese culture," said Melania El Khayat from the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, adding that the ancient Silk Road is "a great example of intercultural exchanges of not only goods but also ideas." Her talent show, a Chinese dance, received a big round of applause from the audience. She won the third prize in the Chinese-majored category. Speaking Chinese "gives people, young people in particular, tremendous opportunities in life for career development," Dolores Kelly, former chairperson of the All Party Group on China in the Northern Ireland Assembly, told Xinhua. In addition to the top three places in the two contest categories, prizes such as "most popular contestant" and "best talent show" were also awarded to contestants. Four winning contestants were given the opportunity to compete in this year's global finals of the "Chinese Bridge" competition in China. Launched in 2002, "Chinese Bridge" is an annual competition aimed at arousing the enthusiasm of students in various countries to learn Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of the Chinese language and culture. A student from University of Manchester speaks during the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in London, Britain, June 23, 2023. Students from 12 British universities competed in the regional final of the 22nd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition on Friday, sharing their passion for the Chinese language and culture.(Xinhua) OTTAWA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A remembrance event was held here on Friday to reflect upon the Chinese Immigration Act, which was passed in 1923, in Canada and recognize the mistakes of racism. The act, commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, banned most forms of Chinese immigration to Canada and was repealed in 1947. This event, attended by representatives of the Chinese community from across the country, as well as members of Parliament, senators, and other dignitaries, was an opportunity to take action against racism. A historic plaque was unveiled in the Senate Chamber to mark the centennial and specially prepared performances took place and were live streamed to mark the occasion. "One hundred years ago a law anchored in discrimination and intolerance came into effect. This was the Chinese Exclusion Act. We are gathered today to acknowledge the harm it caused to families, communities and our country," said Governor General Mary Simon at the event. She said that in telling the stories of those who suffered as a result of racism, Canadians are not rewriting the past. "This ceremony, like so many other events that are taking place across Canada in 2023, is not only about a 100-year-old law, it is above all about the Chinese in Canada who paid the price of that vile legislation and the trauma that affected the Chinese community for years to follow," said Senator Yuen Pau Woo from British Columbia, who helped create this event. The discriminatory and racist act almost completely prevented people from China from entering Canada for nearly a quarter century. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size With the weather closing in, its the perfect time of year to take in some culture, but with hundreds of galleries across Melbourne, its not easy to decide where to head and what to see. To help you make a plan, weve enlisted five people in the know to tell us their must-see artworks on show in the self-declared arts capital of Australia. Rembrandts Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned Up Collar, 1659 Petra Kayser, curator of prints and drawing at the NGV, with her favourite Rembrandt. Credit: Aaron Francis Petra Kayser, curator, prints and drawings, NGV When this arrived from Washington, I thought, Oh, wow. Its just extraordinary. Hes absolutely unflinching in the way he depicts himself. I love the way the jowl just drops a bit on that stiff collar. Its impasto, really layered painting. He added more texture by taking the hard end of the brush, the wooden end, and scraping back into the paint, in the hair. In terms of technique, it is unorthodox, really unusual. Other details like the coat or the hands are just sketched in; the focus is just on the illuminated face. He uses this underpainting, starting with a layer of grey green, and he even lets that shine through; you can actually see the materiality and the process of painting. So, youre very aware that youre looking at paint on canvas but at the same time your perception is focused on the painted face, the presence of the man and the eyes looking at you. He is totally recognisable from his earlier portraits, but he is now marked by life. Self-portraits were extremely popular with collectors. The inventory that was drawn up of Rembrandts possessions after his bankruptcy tells us what was still in his studio, what he hadnt sold: there were plenty of landscapes but no self-portraits they were really sought after. Its not just that Rembrandt was fascinated with studying his ageing face and his expressions, he also knew he could sell these because collectors were very interested in the artist the cult of the artist. Often when an artist paints themselves, they are in front of an easel, but here you dont have any implements. Rembrandt doesnt need to show them because this really expressive, distinctive way of painting is his self-representation the evidence is right there. An image of the artist and a really fine example of his craft in one piece. The cap, the way it casts a shadow on the forehead, that little bit of ribbon its almost like a trompe loeil, deceiving the eye [that its 3D]. It has such a presence; it is one of those paintings where his eyes follow you around the room. Apparently the trick of that is when you look at yourself in the mirror while youre painting yourself, to just look into your eyes as youre painting and that creates the effect of the eyes moving with you, following you, looking back at you. Its a mysterious effect, that sense that someone is looking at you from 350 years ago. Advertisement Rembrandt did 80 self-portraits, mostly prints, about 20 painted self-portraits. The early ones are quite small, and on some of them you can barely see his face because it is cast in shadow; hes constantly experimenting with light and dark. Hes still doing that here: this is a painting about painting as well as a self-portrait. The more you look at it, the more he emerges out of the painting. Rembrandt True to Life is at the NGV until September 10. Highly recommended: Fred Williams Tom Price landscape (1981) at NGVs Ian Potter, Federation Square. Pierre Bonnards Dining Room in the Country, 1913 Pierre Bonnards Dining Room in the Country, which is on display at the NGV as part of the exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi. Credit: Pau Jeffers Miranda Wallace, senior curator, NGV Dining Room in the Country is a magnificent painting, with tremendous scale. It exemplifies the kind of painting Bonnard does so well: a composite scene with a still life, an interior, a figure study and, beyond the interior, a beautiful landscape as well. It was painted in 1913 when Bonnard was in his mid-40s. His painting has changed a lot since his early days. This hails from a time when he is really experimenting with intense colours, such as vermillion and orange. Advertisement Spending several minutes with this painting gets you into the groove of what Bonnard was about and what he was seeking in his art. He once said painting was the transcription of the adventures of the optic nerve, which is something we, as viewers, can repeat when we look at art. We talk about slow looking now, and people do really need to slow down to adjust to the time of an art like Bonnards. Our eyes seek out the recognisable bits first the space and furniture, we discern details like the jug with flowers and the two little cats, a quintessential element of a Bonnard painting. We see the slightly hunched figure of [Bonnards partner] Marthe outside the window she often seems to want to escape from view. She also might be like [Greek goddess] Hestia, embodying the spirit of the house. At this time, Bonnard is still creating scenes that have an idyllic sensibility, a mythic quality, so that classical reference might not be too outrageous. Bonnard painted from memory. He composed his scenes from recalled experience, and wanted to depict life as it had been lived before his eyes. So, Marthe is rarely posed; she is often depicted as if caught in movement, moving through the scene. Once he has his composition, it all becomes an experiment with paint. This is the thing about Bonnards work after looking at the scene for a while, you begin to notice details of colour and texture, like the patch where paint is stippled in pinks and whites, a little abstract field right at the centre. The eye wanders, and then refocuses on the little figure picking flowers. Bonnard wasnt a heroic, grand, egotistical artist, he was quite hesitant in some ways, introverted. He was reportedly a very kind, joyful personality, but also he had a melancholy note to him. He once said: He who sings is not always happy. Im pretty confident you will never have a chance to see this painting in Melbourne again. Its come all the way from Minneapolis, which is an incredible journey for a painting. It has been an incredible undertaking, but so worth it. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi is at the NGV until October 8. Highly recommended: Tracey Moffatts Invocations #5 (2000) at nightshifts at Buxton Contemporary until October 29. Timothy Cooks Kulama, 2023 Advertisement Timothy Cooks Kulama 2023. Kent Morris, artist and head of The Torch The painting Ive chosen is Timothy Cooks Kulama, 2023, from the show Warnarringa, Japarra, Amintiya, Japalinga, which means Sun, Moon and Stars. Cook is absolutely one of my favourite artists and works through Jilamara Arts and Crafts, which is Aboriginal owned and dedicated to Tiwi arts and culture. It is probably one of the most amazing art centres on the planet, and definitely one of my favourites. Its a large two-metre by nearly two-metre work about connections, coming together and ceremony. Those beautiful, concentric circular shapes that connect us from the earth. Right in the centre there, youve got the yams that are collected and cooked around the time of ceremony, and the ceremonial space in another circular shape, and as that fans out, there is a link to celestial bodies, the halo of the moon at certain times of the year and, of course, the beautiful dotted background that represents the stars. Its an interconnection of culture and the handing down and sharing of knowledge, and it reminds us that we are all connected broadly to a bigger universe and system of knowledge. The painting expresses how important it is to come together to support intergenerational learning and the continuation of culture, and to share this through these bold and beautiful encompassing works. You could stand in front of this painting and feel that you have been transported to a unique place that is 65,000-plus years in the making, and that still maintains, and that we are here not for the benefit of ourselves, but we are broadly more connected to come together in a more universal narrative. Warnarringa, Japarra, Amintiya, Japalinga is at Vivien Anderson Gallery, St Kilda, until July 8. Highly recommended: Conrad Tipungwutis Warnaringga, 2022, also at Vivien Anderson Gallery. Sidney Nolans Ned Kelly: Nobody knows anything about my case but myself, 1945 Advertisement Sidney Nolans Ned Kelly: Nobody knows anything about my case but myself, 1945. Credit: The Sidney Nolan Trust Lesley Harding, artistic director of Heide Museum of Modern Art One of the most intriguing paintings in the Heide Museum of Modern Art collection is a work by the acclaimed Australian modernist Sidney Nolan. Over the course of 16 months from March 1946 to July 1947, Nolan painted his early magnum opus, the Ned Kelly series, in the dining room of the old house at Heide. Ned Kelly: Nobody knows anything about my case but myself, painted in 1945, is a precursor to this iconic series and a more enigmatic rendering of the legendary outlaw with an autobiographical subtext. At the time he produced the work, Nolan was living (like Kelly) as a fugitive, after deserting the army in 1944. He hid his uniform and rifle in the attic at Heide and took on the false identity of Robin Murray, lying low in a Parkville loft until the war ended. His portrayal of Kelly, warily peering through the wedge-shaped slit in his home-made armour, has been interpreted as a representation of Nolan himself, spying through the letterbox in the studio door. The absence of obvious storytelling in this painting in favour of personal reflection and psychological cues is what most appeals to me about the work, together with its tendency to abstraction. Kellys glassy, skewed eyes within the slot of his dense black square mask evoke the idea of outward composure hiding inner dissolution, and a division between the outer and inner self. The low position of the eye slot is anomalous in the Kelly paintings, suggesting Nolan turned the portrait upside down after he painted the black Malevich-style square over the top of the head. He used Ripolin commercial paint to create the masks hard-edged glossy surface, and likely painted the work lying flat to avoid the fluid paint dripping down the image. Ned Kelly: Nobody knows anything about my case but myself is at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen. Advertisement Having stared down Vogue readers from 40 covers, veteran supermodel Lauren Huttons opinion of beauty is surprisingly more homespun than high fashion. I like looking good because people are nicer to you and then youre nicer to them, Hutton, 79, says. I just need to remind myself to be nicer to myself. Supermodel Lauren Hutton on the Valentino runway in Paris, 2019. Credit: Getty Surely, the woman who inspired some of photographic master Richard Avedons best work and broke modellings reflective glass ceiling in 1973, by signing a $250,000 a year Revlon contract for 20 days work, understands the power of high cheekbones, an unflinching stare and athletic frame. Well I spent enormous amounts of time in the sun growing up, so some days I wake up looking like the bottom of a foot. The drug fentanyl has been at the heart of a deadly and devastating opioid crisis gripping the United States, but for years has had a relatively minimal presence in Australias illicit drug scene. That is at risk of changing, according to the Australian Federal Police, who say authorities are increasingly intercepting shipments of fentanyl destined for Australia. A major drug shipment was intercepted at the Port of Melbourne last August. Credit: AFP Australian Federal Police commander Kate Ferry warned the nation remained an attractive country for organised crime gangs, who were ramping up attempts globally to create a market for synthetic drugs like fentanyl. We are the biggest users of ice in the world, Ferry said. So we understand that there is a market here for illicit drugs. Matt Golding Credit: . To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. It is time for the Voice Megan Davis eloquence (A fishing trip with the PM says so much about why a Voice to parliament is needed, The Sunday Age, 18/6) carries a clarion call. First Nations people have spent much of the past six decades speaking to those in politics who were not listening. First Nations culture has evolved over millennia, but is little known or understood by others. We now accept, since Mabo, that our First Nations people are the natural custodians of our country. The next step is to grant them the right to have their cultural and other needs heard by our legislators and administrators. Advocacy bodies legislated in past decades have all been legislated away by subsequent governments: First Nations peoples need an avenue to speak without fear that their advocacy body will be abolished if its messages are later seen to be inconvenient to those in power. The wilful deafness of those who do not listen continues the arrogant conceit of the conqueror, but the days of empire are long gone. It is time for us to become a unified nation with a cosmopolitan history and culture extending back, in part, more than 65,000 years. For this, First Nations people must be heard: it is time for the Voice to be enshrined in our Constitution. Chris Young, Surrey Hills The sky wont fall in At last the true horrors of the Voice can be revealed. Remember the damage the Mabo decision did to Australia and Australians? Remember how bad things happened as soon as gay marriage was allowed? Remember the disruption to our culture saying sorry caused? Remember how the apology to the Stolen Generations caused so many catastrophes? Remember how acknowledgment of country gave us a communist dictatorship? Be warned. The Voice is going to cause exactly the same disasters! Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Every day during his lunch break, welder Eh Ro Ropohsay crosses the road and walks straight into his Ararat home where he sits down to feast on dishes like spicy, fragrant curries with rice. The workaday routine is the culmination of a remarkable journey for Eh Ro, who belongs to the Karen ethnic group that are oppressed in Myanmar. Eh Ro arrived in Australia six years ago, but has been living in the western Victorian city of Ararat with his wife and two children for six months. Karen migrants (from left) Tay Taw Taw Talor, Hai Gay and Eh Ro Ropohsay have moved to Ararat and work at manufacturing plant Gason. Credit: Chris Hopkins He works full-time for a steel product manufacturer and expects the former gold rush town will become his permanent home. Eh Ro is renting a house directly opposite his work, but hopes to buy his own home soon and lay down roots. I dont want a unit. I want a proper house that is spacious for my family, he said, speaking through a translator. The backyard needs to have a veggie patch. Eh Ro moved to Ararat as part of a settlement program to help Karen migrants fill job shortages in manufacturing, meat processing, childcare, agriculture and the IT sectors. Advertisement It is part of the Ararat Rural City Councils ambition to grow the citys population and help guarantee its communitys economic viability while diversifying its social fabric. That goal comes with myriad challenges. Eh Ros wife, Aye Win Tin, plans to work at a local abattoir when their two-year-old son is old enough to follow his five-year-old brother into kindergarten. But with her father and brother still living in Melbourne, she does get lonely. Yet, Aye Win said her children are happy, and she hoped to stay in Ararat. Aye Win Tin and sons Ro Poh Htoo (left) and Ro Say Htoo wait for Eh Ro to come home for lunch. Credit: Chris Hopkins I think Im going to be here [long-term] because I dont want to keep moving any more, she said, also through a translator. The Karen people are a large ethnic minority in Myanmar who have been persecuted by the military junta. Many have faced violence and oppression. Some younger Karen people who migrated to Australia were born in refugee camps and have never been to Myanmar. Advertisement Anita San Ba is among those who born in a Thai refugee camp. She now works for the Ararat council as a Karen settlement support worker and translator, and connects people from her community with health care, schools, housing and jobs. Eh Klu Ba Shwe (back left) enjoys a song and a beer with friends at his temporary share home in Ararat. Credit: Chris Hopkins She said much of Victorias Karen community was clustered in Melbournes outer west, but there were also pockets growing throughout regional Victoria in places like Nhill and Bendigo. Loading San Ba said camping and fishing were popular pastimes among her community, which made Ararat an attractive place to live with several large lakes nearby. She also liked the slower rural pace, compared to big-city life. Here people are more friendly, she said. Advertisement But she said cultural barriers remained for some people. Language is the main issue. Ararat council chief executive Tim Harrison hoped the settlement program, which began in January last year, would entice more people from Myanmarese communities to settle in the region. Ro Say Htoo gorges on his brothers birthday cake. Credit: Chris Hopkins Harrison said moving to a rural community could be difficult, particularly when many residents already had longstanding ties dating back generations. There is that feeling you have to have your grandparents buried in the town if youre going to be a local, he said. But Harrison insisted Ararat, for the most part, had welcomed the Karen newcomers warmly. Advertisement We want to see their grandkids still living here in 40 years time. The settlement program, funded with $650,000 from Regional Development Victoria, has filled 17 jobs over 18 months, with 28 participants still in Ararat since it began. Another four people are undertaking welding training. The Wyndham Community and Education Centre, in Melbournes west, has also been a partner in the program. Lah Bwe Say Paul hangs out the washing at home in Ararat. Credit: Chris Hopkins The Ararat council commissioned photojournalist Chris Hopkins to document the lives of Karen people who have moved to the rural city. He has photographed Karen people in Australia for the past 10 years and said he was often struck by their resilience and desire to see their children thrive. Theyll do anything to benefit their lives, he said. Advertisement Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the debate over an Indigenous Voice to parliament is over to the Australian people now the laws setting up the referendum have passed the parliament. Albaneses attempt to shift the debate away from Canberra and into communities came as Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley said public polling had now vindicated her partys principled position to oppose the Voice. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there is a different poll on the Voice every day. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The laws setting up the referendum were passed this week in parliament after support for the Yes side has been falling in public polls over recent months. Australians will vote on the referendum to enshrine in the Constitution a Voice to parliament, which will make representations to the parliament and the government on issues that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Victorians fleeing domestic violence are waiting more than 20 months for a place to live, with average wait times continuing to blow out for survivors, who are supposed to be given priority access to long-term public housing. Housing advocates are concerned by new figures, revealed in the May state budget, which showed the average wait time for some of Victorias most vulnerable residents had increased by more than three months over the past year, to almost double the governments 10-month target for priority applicants. Rundown public housing at Banksia Gardens in Broadmeadows, in Melbournes outer north. Credit: Joe Armao Victorias public housing waiting list continues to balloon, as Homes Victoria data revealed 58,131 families were waiting for long-term accommodation in March. Fifty-four per cent of those families 31,158 were categorised as priority cases. The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing is supposed to prioritise access for vulnerable groups including people who are homeless, escaping family violence, disabled or have significant support needs. Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com Retirement is a huge step in anybodys life, but it can come with a substantial change in your lifestyle. You may be trading in your 9-to-5 for a more relaxing existence or want to become more active with outdoor adventures in the future. Deciding where you will spend your retirement can be challenging. With so many options to choose from, you may not know where to begin. See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts Find: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch We asked realtors from across the country where retirees might want to think about relocating so that they can get the biggest return on their investment. Here are the five cities in the United States where they say baby boomers should consider investing in property for retirement. These cities offer it all, from a lower cost of living and access to outdoor recreation to affordable homes and the potential for rental income. Sarasota, Florida Boyd Rudy, a team leader and associate broker with MiReloTeam Powered by KW Professionals said, Sarasota offers a warm climate, beautiful beaches, a thriving cultural scene, and excellent healthcare facilities. It also has a lower cost of living compared to other popular Florida cities like Miami or Naples. According to Zillow, the average home value in Sarasota is $466,067 and is up 2% over the past year. Houses tend to sell fast, going pending within around 18 days. Lake Sarasota and Fruitville are two of the most affordable neighborhoods in the city, while Hammocks and Proctor Road are the most expensive. Asheville, North Carolina Known for its natural beauty, mild climate, and vibrant arts community, Asheville is a popular destination for retirees, said Boyd. It offers a lower cost of living compared to many other retirement destinations, along with access to outdoor activities like hiking and fishing. The average home value in Asheville, North Carolina, is $457,007. It has gone up 3.8% over the past year. Houses typically go pending within 23 days. Take Our Poll: Are You Planning To Buy or Sell a House This Year? San Antonio, Texas Forbes recently included San Antonio on its list of best places to retire and for a good reason. Not only are median home prices about 30% below the national average but there is also no state income tax, said Delaney Juarez, a realtor for Keller Williams City View in San Antonio. So, she continued, for retirees who are very money-conscious, San Antonio is a great pick. On top of the financial benefits, San Antonio is really attractive because the winters are very mildthough summer gets pretty toasty, it has a really strong community culture, and there are a lot of outdoor spaces to enjoy around the city. San Antonio is also one of the fastest growing cities in the US so that usually bodes very well from an investment perspective. The Zillow average home value in San Antonio is $267,060 and is up 1% since last year. Homes usually go pending in approximately 16 days, meaning this market moves fast. Fort Collins, Colorado According to Brett Johnson, who owns Cash For House Pro, Fort Collins, Colorado, investment properties offer baby boomers a strong rental market driven by Colorado State University, ensuring consistent demand for student housing. He added, With steady growth and appreciation in real estate values, the city presents potential for long-term capital appreciation, making it a valuable asset for wealth-building. Its diverse economy, outdoor recreational activities, excellent healthcare facilities, and vibrant downtown area provide a desirable lifestyle for baby boomers seeking both active living and financial gains. Zillows average home value in Fort Collins is currently $566,534, which is down 1.9% over the past year. However, homes move fast, usually going pending in around seven days. Durango, Colorado Johnson, who is also an active Colorado real estate investor and licensed Colorado real estate agent, said, Durango, Colorado, investment properties appeal to baby boomers with a thriving tourism industry, ensuring consistent demand for vacation rentals and rental income. He continued, With its stunning natural beauty, including the scenic San Juan Mountains, Durango attracts outdoor enthusiasts, making it an ideal investment location. The friendly community and relaxed pace of life create a welcoming environment for retirees seeking to enjoy their investment property and embrace the local lifestyle. The average home value is $686,591, according to Zillow. This represents a 2.2% increase over the past year. Properties usually go pending in approximately nine days. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im a Real Estate Agent: Here Are 5 Cities Baby Boomers Should Consider Investing in Property for Retirement Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Washington: Kathryn Archer was 21 weeks into her second pregnancy when her doctor delivered the devastating news. Having made it through her first trimester with what seemed like a healthy baby on the way, an anatomy scan on January 4 suddenly changed everything. Hope Neyer marks the first anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision that overturned Roe v Wade, by displaying a neon sign in support of abortion access in front of the US Supreme Court. Credit: AP I will never forget the moment when my amazing doctor walked into the room and said: Kathryn, we need to talk. This baby has abnormalities from head to toe, she recalls. Our baby girl, Cecilia, had extensive brain developmental issues; a large spina bifida; her bladder was outside of her body; and there were many other issues related to her lower body and stomach. If she were to somehow miraculously make it, her life would have looked like major surgery after major surgery, with minimal chance of her surviving a life of pain. As much as Archer and her husband wanted another baby and a sibling for their three-year-old daughter they came to the conclusion that the best thing they could do was terminate the pregnancy. Advertisement But due to laws enacted last year after the US Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights, she couldnt get the healthcare she needed in her home state of Tennessee, where abortions are now banned and doctors face jail if they try to assist in such procedures. An anti-abortion supporter sits behind a sign that advises the Jackson Womens Health Organisation clinic is still open in Jackson, Missouri. Credit: AP Archers only option was to travel to another state where abortion remained legal, which ended up costing her about $US10,000 ($15,000) for travel, hotels, food, childcare and the procedure itself. After an agonising weeks-long wait for an appointment, she ended her pregnancy. Such is the reality of life in the US one year after the nations highest court struck down Roe v Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that gave women the constitutional right to access abortion in America. The monumental decision threw abortion policy back to the states, undoing 50 years of precedent and seismically shifting the social and political landscape in America. Since then, about 13 states have enacted near-total bans on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest while others have bans with gestational limits. In Georgia, for example, abortion is prohibited after six weeks; in Nebraska its after 12 weeks. Advertisement Clinics across the country have shut down, forcing women to travel hundreds of kilometres away if they want treatment. In states where abortion is still legal, such as Illinois or New Mexico, women are waiting longer for an appointment because of the surge in demand. And many are unable to terminate pregnancies despite growing health risks, or face unwanted pregnancies if they cant find the money or a provider to help them. In Ohio, a 10-year-old rape victim last year had to get an abortion in neighbouring Indiana because her state now prohibits abortions from the time cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is typically around the sixth week of pregnancy. In Texas, which bans all abortions from the moment of conception except in cases of a life-threatening physical condition a group of women is suing the state, with some claiming they almost died because they couldnt get timely procedures. And in Florida, which banned abortion at 15 weeks but has now sought to reduce it to six, another woman had to carry her baby to full term because she was denied an abortion, despite doctors knowing her child wouldnt survive. He stayed alive for 99 minutes after she gave birth. Advertisement All this comes despite polls showing most Americans dont support the Supreme Courts decision. With 17 months until the presidential election, the issue continues to galvanise Democrats, who were able to fend off an expected Republican red wave at last years US midterms, partly by campaigning on the issue of reproductive freedom. Donald Trump and Mike Pence as president and vice president in April 2020. Credit: AP Speaking at an event with pro-choice advocacy groups on Friday, the eve of the anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision, President Joe Biden said abortion would once again be on the ballot at next years poll. Make no mistake, this election is about freedom We cant let them take us backwards, he told the crowd at Washingtons Mayflower Hotel. Earlier, the president who is limited in terms of what he can do federally given Democrats dont have the votes in Congress also issued an executive order aimed at protecting and increasing access to contraception. Republicans, meanwhile, used a Friday gathering at the Faith and Freedom Coalitions annual conference to highlight their own views as they jockeyed for the partys nomination to run for the White House against Biden next year. Former vice president Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, took the staunchest position, urging all candidates who are seeking the Republican presidential nomination to endorse a national ban that would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard. Advertisement Republican Nancy Mace has urged her party to find middle ground. Credit: AP We must not rest and we must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the centre of American law in every state in this country, he said, effectively challenging Donald Trump to assert his position. Trump has long avoided being drawn into answering questions on a national ban, opting instead to focus on his presidential legacy in nominating three of the judges who helped overturn Roe v Wade: Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch. Loading Asked repeatedly about the issue during a CNN town hall interview last month, the former president, who is now frontrunner for the Republican nomination, merely replied: What I am willing to do is negotiate, so people are happy. Republican strategists say Trump is well aware of the balancing act that all the candidates face: keeping the base of the party onside, without alienating large chunks of the broader electorate. But over the weekend, in a speech to evangelical Christians, the former president said theres a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life. Advertisement Some Chinese EVs Are Already Cheaper Than Gasoline-Powered Vehicles Special to The Auto Channel From Top Speed Chinas electric vehicle industry is the largest in the world, as it accounts for around 60-percent of global production and one-third of EV sales worldwide. Like a hornets nest that has been violently shaken out, the Chinese market has gotten increasingly more aggressive over the last few months, after the government decided to cut back on subsidies. The decision is particularly threatening to manufacturers since tax cuts and governmental help were the major incentives for buying an EV. As a result, the demand for electric vehicles is set to decrease at a rapid rate thus prompting Chinese automakers to urgently drop their prices as low as 100,000 Yuan ($14,500) in hopes of sticking the landing. The ongoing price-war in the Peoples Republic puts mainstream Western companies directly at risk as they cannot yet afford to match the offers made by their Chinese rivals. Major players, such as the Volkswagen Group, which extracts over half of its global profits from China, might soon have their backs against the ropes. Furthermore, with Chinese EVs costing 40% less than those made in Europe, their expansion to the next hemisphere could mark a major threat to Western automakers. The $30,000 BYD HAN EV for instance, has enough potential to blow the Tesla Model 3 and Mustang Mach-E out of the water with its 360 miles of range and its 0 to 60 mph time of 3.9 seconds. Not only that, but the Chinese EV is also cheaper than gasoline-powered rivals such as the 2023 Chrysler 300, the Toyota Crown, and the $44,305 Volkswagen Arteon . And, while BYD is still taking a cautious approach to the U.S. market, other startups such as Nio are already planning to move to the U.S., while the Geely Group, a Chinese multinational that owns Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo Cars has already started taking over. In addition, other EV companies from the PRC might soon need to go beyond the confines of their homelands to avoid bankruptcy, as the EV industry in China is no longer sufficient for profit-making. Tesla is already taking the preventive measure of maximizing market share over profit margins. To that end, the American company (which has already lost ground in China) began cutting prices on the Model 3 in October of last year. In some sort of domino effect, we can expect other competitors to soon follow in the footsteps of the global EV leader by selling cheaper. Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today Partly cloudy skies early with heavy thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High around 65F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. In this piece, we will take a look at ten beaten down stocks billionaires are loading up on. If you want to skip our analysis of the current state of the American economy, then head on over to 5 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On. The saga of inflation and interest rate uncertainty that has plagued the stock market for more than a year now seems to be coming to an end. And with it, hopefully, the turmoil that was ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic's after effects are still being felt in the economy today in the form of high inflation. This inflation first started to surface as the money pumped into the economy as part of stimulus spending increased purchasing powers, and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine exacerbated the problem. This forced the Federal Reserve, which had initially delayed raising interest rates, to rapidly hike them in an attempt to constrain economic growth. These interest rate hikes have persisted this year, albeit in a more toned down manner. They've also made their mark on the banking sector, with the failure of several large banks unable to meet customer commitments in the wake of rapidly devaluing asset bases. However, all this saga, which has created a laser focus among analysts, economists, and business people on key macroeconomic indicators such as inflation rates and the labor market, seems to be coming to an end. June has been mostly a good month for those hoping that the Federal Reserve will not increase interest rates. At the start of the month, the Labor Department released the jobs report for May, showing that the economy had added 339,000 new jobs - surpassing estimates - but unemployment rates had also ticked up. However, soon afterward, markets were given a breath of fresh air as the data for unemployment insurance claims rolled in. This data, which was for the week ending on June 3rd, has a lower time lag and represents one of the closest snapshots of the economy due to its temporal proximity. And voila! This data showed that claims had jumped by 28,000 during the week. Not only did this beat analyst estimates, but the claims fell just 3,000 short of the recent record set during the coronavirus pandemic. Building on this, as June's second week comes to a close, the Labor Department was out with some more good news. Its latest data shows that as a whole, inflation in May ticked up by just 0.1% for the lowest level since March 2021. As a whole, annual inflation sits at 4%, back to the levels that it was in March 2021. However, the price drops were not unanimous or across the board. A deep dive into the labor department's data shows that energy, fuel, and utility prices 'fueled' the lower inflation reading. On the flip side, non core inflation, one which measures the prices of everything apart from food and energy, jumped by 0.6% and was aided in this trend to a large extent by the prices of used cars and trucks. Two additional key contributors to inflation, the prices of both of which accelerated in May are shelter and transportation services. Annually, the prices for these have jumped by 8% and 10.2%, respectively. However, this positive inflation data might not mean that the Fed's interest rate hike cycle is over. At least that's what economists polled by the Financial Times believe. While the current Fed discount rate sits at 5.25%, economists believe that the Fed might raise this to as high as 6% to ensure that high inflation does not become a permanent part of the American economy. The Fed's long term inflation goal is 2% after all, and a reading of 4% in May is still double that amount. After the latest data release, the S&P 500 jumped by 0.48% and the NASDAQ appreciated by 0.52%, while the U.S. dollar weakened. Yet, just because markets are up doesn't mean you should be complacent. That's what billionaire Ken Fisher of Fisher Investments believes, as he thinks that not only does a lack of corporate experience at the Federal Reserve and Congress create the potential for negative impacts from excessive regulations particularly in the wake of the mini banking crisis this year, but there might be conflict brewing in places nobody is talking about. One such example according to him is: . . one that nobody talks about, that I'm watching very closely, and has not up blown up and I surely hope it does not is conflict between India and Pakistan. Two nuclear powers. Neighbors. Traditionally hostile to each other. And, where India was benefiting last year from discounted oil Russia had to be able to sell, so India got it cheaply. One of the few countries last year that did as Russia had to put out more oil than ever before because of the Western sanction that deprived it of its traditional industrial base. Now, Pakistan's getting a lot of that, taking oil away from India, building the tension between them. And remember that India at one level is like the top of a triangle, almost like a irregularly shaped diamond with Pakistan on the one side and China on the other. So if you get a hot conflict, we would be facing unfortunately two major economic forces, three nuclear powers, all in one geography. And the potential for geopolitical haywire where we already are stretched thin because we have to worry about Russia, we have to worry about Taiwan, there's only so many theaters we can already operate in at the same time that our military is already stretched and we have limited theater capability. We don't have the ability to use any material force to calm down that region. We're not particularly loved in Pakistan anyway. And our relationship with India has gotten frostier. So therefore this could really go haywire. It's things that we don't see, that we don't talk about, that blow up that are the biggest risks always. Yet, as the markets have plummeted this year, this has created opportunities to get into stocks that have fallen with the market. Some such stocks that billionaires are buying are Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), and Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV). 10 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On Pixabay/Public Domain Our Methodology To compile our list of beaten down stocks that billionaires are buying, we first narrowed our list to roughly ninety firms by taking a look at which S&P 500 stocks have lost more than 10% on the stock market year to date so far. Then these were ranked by the number of billionaire investors as of Q1 2023 and the top stock picks are listed below. 10 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On 10. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Number of Billionaire Investors In Q1 2023: 15 The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) is personal products firm headquartered in New York, New York. It sells hair care, skin care, and other products under a variety of brands. By the end of this year's first quarter, 56 of the 943 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey's database had held a stake in The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL). The firm's largest hedge fund investor in our database is Terry Smith's Fundsmith LLP with a $1.3 billion investment. Along with UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), and Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV), The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) is a beaten down stock that's still being bought by billionaires. 9. ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) Number of Billionaire Investors In Q1 2023: 16 ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) is a major oil and gas company. Headquartered in Houston, the firm was set up in 1917 and it produces and sells petroleum products such as crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). As of March 2023, 72 of the 943 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had bought ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP)'s shares. Out of these, Boykin Curry's Eagle Capital Management is the largest investor with a $786 million stake. 8. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO) Number of Billionaire Investors In Q1 2023: 16 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO) is a healthcare company based in Hercules, California. It makes and sells chemical and diagnostic products used in laboratories and drug development centers. Insider Monkey dug through 943 hedge funds for their Q1 2023 shareholdings and found out that 47 had invested in Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO). Israel Englander's Millennium Management is its largest shareholder with a $219 million stake. 7. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) Number of Billionaire Investors In Q1 2023: 12 Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) is a financial products and services provider. Set up in 1968, the firm is based in Jacksonville, Florida. 68 of the 943 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey for their March quarter of 2023 shareholdings had bought the firm's shares. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS)'s largest hedge fund investor is Ken Griffin's Citadel Investment Group with a $283 million stake. 6. CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) Number of Billionaire Investors In Q1 2023: 12 CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) is a healthcare retailer and pharmacy chain operator. The firm is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. As of Q1 2023, 77 of the 943 hedge funds profiled by Insider Monkey had bought and owned CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)'s shares. Its largest shareholder is none other than John Overdeck and David Siegel's Two Sigma Advisors who owns 1 billion shares that are worth $406 million. Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), and Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) are some falling stocks that billionaires are buying. Click to continue reading and see 5 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 10 Beaten Down Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On is originally published on Insider Monkey. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Chronically understaffed and expensive, nursing homes have changed over the years, much of it for the worse. But they fill a need for many. How do you find a good one? About 1.1 million Americans reside in nursing homes. And while the search may be challenging, it is possible to find a high quality facility. Researchers and advocates agree that most nursing homes are understaffed to the point of endangering patient care. The situation has been described as a crisis, exacerbated by a patchwork system for paying for long-term residential care that forces many older Americans to become impoverished to be eligible for Medicaid. But sometimes a nursing home is the only option. Whether youre looking for a nursing home for yourself or a loved one, heres what you should know: 1. Nursing homes have changed Nursing homes, also known as skilled nursing facilities, provide round-the-clock nursing and medical care required by older chronically ill or disabled people who are the sickest or most in need of assistance. There are about 15,000 nursing facilities today, down from 19,000 in the 1980s, after which states began funding more home- and community-based services. Consequently, healthier and more active older people have been able to avoid nursing homes. This means those who live in nursing homes are sicker and need more assistance. According to one study, for example, nursing home residents who required help bathing increased from a facility average of 89% in 1985 to an average of 96% in 2015; those requiring help dressing rose from 74% to 92%. The study also found that the proportion of residents with dementia increased from an average of 39% in 1995 to 45% in 2015. Assisted-living facilities are for people who need help with daily care but not as much as provided in a nursing home. Continuing-care retirement communities offer different levels of care at different parts of their campuses from hotel-like independent living wings to assisted living to memory care to traditional nursing home services. Nursing homes are required by law to treat residents with respect and to allow them to participate in activities. The law also bars the use of restraints and requires the safekeeping of residents personal property. 2. They offer both long- and short-term care The average stay is one year. While most residents live out their lives in nursing homes, people recovering, for example, from a stroke or a hip replacement often check in for short-term, rehabilitative stays. They are generally covered by Medicare, which pays for up to 100 days of care per benefit period. Longer stays are not covered by Medicare or private health insurance, although they may be covered by long-term-care insurance or Medicaid. 3. Nursing home care is expensive The average cost is $108,405 a year for a private room and $94,900 for a shared room, according to the American Council on Aging, but prices vary by location. A private room in parts of Louisiana costs $64,970, on average, while a shared room costs $59,495. The annual cost in parts of Alaska can reach nearly $380,000. About half of the total nursing home costs in the country are paid by Medicaid. 4. You can use data to find a good nursing home Nursing homes are required to collect a broad range of data on resident health, including things like weight changes and bed sores. This data and nursing home star ratings (5 stars being the best) are available at the Care Compare website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. One important data point is staffing. You want to be over 4.1 hours [of nursing care] per day for each resident, says Sam Brooks, director of public policy at The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, a public advocacy organization. The higher, the better. But only 26% of nursing homes in the U.S. provide that level. Lower levels of staff turnover are also important, as they indicate consistent care and work satisfaction. Unfortunately, some data is lacking on the Care Compare site, according to a recent Inspector General report that found some inspection findings missing from the site. So in addition to checking this information, experts advise visiting facilities and asking plenty of questions. For example, is your religion accommodated? The AARP has a list of questions to ask. 5. They are short on staffing Most nursing homes do not provide sufficient staffing to ensure basic quality. More than half of U.S. nursing homes have lower nurse staffing levels than those recommended by experts and one quarter of nursing homes have dangerously low staffing, according to researchers. One reason is low pay. And the pandemic made the staffing situation worse. Industry representatives say nursing homes experienced the worst job loss of any health care sector during the pandemic, with 210,000 jobs lost from February 2020 to December 2022. 6. Pay attention to the form of ownership About 70% of nursing homes in the U.S. are operated for profit, about 25% are nonprofit and the rest are owned by government entities. There are good and bad nursing homes under different ownership arrangements, but generally nonprofit nursing homes have higher staffing levels. On average, nonprofits provide 4.28 hours of staff attention per resident each day, while for-profits provide 3.56 hours. While profit status doesnt control quality, one subcategory of for-profit ownership has raised alarms. An estimated 5% of nursing homes are owned by private equity firms, according to Weill Cornell Medicine, which says private-equity-owned nursing homes offer lower-quality long-term care. This research and two other studies found that care was compromised in private-equity-owned nursing homes, including increased short-term mortality and higher COVID-19 infection and death rates. 7. COVID-19 and other infections ravage nursing home residents According to a government report, nearly 166,000 nursing home residents and more than 3,000 staff members died from COVID-19. And the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that up to 380,000 nursing home residents died from infections such as pneumonia each year before the pandemic. 8. Nursing home residents need outside help Families are essential, says Lindsay Peterson, assistant professor at the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida. Nursing homes are supposed to be the residents home, and if that means a family caregiver wants to be with them, the facility cannot prevent them from being there. If family isn't available, Peterson suggests a geriatric care manager or life care manager. Information is available at the website of the National Institute on Aging. 9. Nursing homes may be more profitable than they appear About half of U.S. nursing homes are not profitable, according to a recent audit by professional services firm CliftonLarsonAllen. But and its a big but nursing home companies may have ways of getting over the red-ink flow. Billions of dollars of nursing home funding wind up at third-party companies that are owned by companies that own the nursing homes like landlords collecting rents or pharmacies supplying patients drugs, according to a National Consumer Voice report. Nursing home owners and operators routinely pay their related parties in excess of reported costs, in some instances by nearly 1,200%, the report says. 10. Reforms are in the works The Biden administration last year launched an effort to improve nursing home care, aiming to increase transparency in ownership, create minimum staffing requirements and increase private rooms for residents. The issue even made it into the presidents state of the union address this year when he said, Were protecting seniors lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they dont need. The White House has already launched an effort to beef up staffing, an initiative welcomed by consumer advocates but resisted by some industry groups. Note: This item first appeared in Kiplingers Retirement Report, our popular monthly periodical that covers key concerns of affluent older Americans who are retired or preparing for retirement. Subscribe for retirement advice thats right on the money. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Mostly sunny early then becoming mostly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. In this article, we will take a look at the 15 biggest European insurance companies. If you want to see more companies in this selection, go to the 5 Biggest European Insurance Companies. The European insurance industry is a significant contributor to the region's economy, providing financial protection to individuals, businesses, and governments against various risks. According to Insurance Europe, every year, European insurers pay out an impressive amount of over 1,000 billion ($1085 billion) in claims, which translates to approximately 2.8 billion ($3.04 billion) per day. They also play a significant role in the job market, as they employ over 920,000 people. Based in Brussels, Insurance Europe is the European insurance and reinsurance federation that represents insurance undertakings that make up approximately 95% of the overall premium income in Europe. The European insurance industry is dominated by a few large multinational companies, such as Allianz SE (ALV.DE), AXA SA (CS.PA), and Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN.SW), but there are also many smaller regional or niche insurers operating in the market. The largest insurance markets in Europe are Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Switzerland. According to PwC, the insurance market in the UK continues to hold its position as the largest and most dynamic market in Europe. The technical provisions for life obligations in the market amount to more than 2,208 billion ($2753 billion) as of 2021, representing an impressive growth of 21% in the past four years. The European insurance industry is subject to various national and EU-level regulations governing different aspects of insurance operations. These regulations aim to protect consumers, ensure financial stability, and promote market competition. Insurance companies in Europe are increasingly using digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve their products, services, and operations. The European insurance industry is focused on integrating ESG factors into its operations and investment decisions aimed towards expansion. However, according to a report published in September 2022 by credit rating agency Fitch Ratings, if high inflation continues and interest rate hikes become more substantial, the outlook for several European insurance sectors could shift to 'deteriorating.' Fitch has assessed the potential consequences of an economic situation where inflation ranges from mid-to-high-single digits in 2023 and where 10-year interest rates increase by a total of 300 basis points during 2022 and 2023. According to Fitch, the non-life insurance sectors would be most vulnerable to the effects of high inflation, especially those with a significant portion of the long-tail business. The rising claims inflation could result in reserve shortfalls. Additionally, in markets where there is an intense competition or societal pressure that restricts insurers' ability to increase prices, high inflation could lead to margin constraints for short-tail businesses. In contrast, life insurance sectors that have significant holdings of traditional life policies supported by assets with shorter durations compared to their liabilities would benefit from rising interest rates. This is particularly true for the French and German life sectors. Despite the negative short-term impacts of high investment volatility, rising lapse rates, and lower new business volumes, Fitch anticipates that the positive effects on capital and medium-term earnings will outweigh the negative factors. 15 Biggest European Insurance Companies docstockmedia/Shutterstock.com Our Methodology In this article, we have shortlisted the 15 biggest European insurance companies based on their market capitalization. Our list includes companies that are either solely focused on the insurance industry or have a substantial insurance division warranting their inclusion. For the market capitalization of private companies, we used a revenue multiple of 1.25x. We have also included information regarding these companies' gross premiums written as it is a key metric in the insurance industry, representing the total amount of premiums that an insurance company has collected from policyholders during a specific period. It is a major source of revenue for insurance companies. The growth rate of gross premium written is often used as an indicator of an insurance company's growth potential. The companies have been ranked in ascending order of their market capitalization as of May 1. 15 Biggest European Insurance Companies 15. Mapfre, S.A. (MAP.MC) Market Capitalization: $6.23 billion (5.63 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $27.14 billion (24.54 billion) Mapfre, S.A. (MAP.MC) is a Majadahonda, Spain-based multinational insurance company. The company was founded in 1933 and has since grown to become one of the largest insurance companies in Spain and the world. Mapfre, S.A. (MAP.MC) offers a diverse variety of insurance products and services, including life, health, home, car, and travel insurance. The company operates in more than 100 countries worldwide and has a strong presence in Latin America, where it has been expanding in recent years. 14. HDI Global SE Estimated Market Capitalization: $6.25 billion 2022 Revenue: $5 billion HDI Global SE is a Hannover, Germany-based global insurance company that offers a comprehensive assortment of commercial insurance products and services to businesses globally. The company was founded in 1903 and has since grown to become a major player in the global insurance industry, with operations in more than 150 countries. HDI Global SE provides insurance solutions for a variety of industries, including automotive, aviation, construction, energy, engineering, marine, and more. HDI Global SE also provides speciality products such as cyber insurance, surety bonds, and trade credit insurance. 14. Aviva plc (AV.L) Market Capitalization: $14.52 billion (11.64 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $12.17 billion (9.75 billion) Aviva plc (AV.L) is a London, UK-based company founded in 2000. The company is one of the largest insurance providers in the UK, with operations in Europe, Asia, and North America. Aviva plc (AV.L) provides a diverse range of insurance-related products and services. The company also deals in savings and investment products, as well as pension and retirement solutions. Aviva plc (AV.L) has also been recognized for its commitment to sustainability, including being named a "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporation" by Corporate Knights. 12. Legal & General Group Plc (LGEN.L) Market Capitalization: $18.87 billion (15.11 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $17.09 billion (13.69 billion) Legal & General Group Plc (LGEN.L) is another London, UK-based financial services and insurance corporation on our list of the 15 biggest European insurance companies in the world. Legal & General Group Plc (LGEN.L) came into being in 1836. Legal & General Group Plc (LGEN.L) is a member of the prestigious FTSE 100 Index. Legal & General operates through four business segments, namely Retirement, Insurance, Investment Management, and Capital. In addition to the expansion of its insurance business, the company is also committed to promoting sustainable and responsible business practices. 11. Swiss Re AG (SREN.SW) Market Capitalization: $28.84 billion (CHF25.7 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $47.89 billion Swiss Re AG (SREN.SW) is a Zurich, Switzerland-based leading global reinsurer founded in 1863. The company offers reinsurance and insurance solutions to clients around the world. The company has a headcount of over 14,400 employees. Swiss Re AG (SREN.SW) offers a wide range of products and services, including property and casualty reinsurance, life and health reinsurance, and insurance solutions for corporate clients. Swiss Re AG (SREN.SW) is known for its expertise in risk assessment and risk management. 10. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (G.MI) Market Capitalization: $31.50 billion (28.5 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $90.08 billion (81.5 billion) Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (G.MI), more commonly known as Generali, is one of the biggest insurance companies in the world, with a history dating back to 1831. The company is headquartered in Trieste, Italy, and operates in over 50 countries, serving more than 68 million customers worldwide through its 82,000 employees. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (G.MI) has a strong presence in Europe, particularly in Italy, France, Germany, and Austria, as well as in Asia, with a significant presence in China, India, and Southeast Asia. 9. Credit Agricole S.A. (ACA.PA) Market Capitalization: $36.50 billion (33.02 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $39.02 billion (35.3 billion) Credit Agricole S.A. (ACA.PA) is a Montrouge, France, banking group that provides a wide range of financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. The company also offers a range of insurance products and services through its subsidiaries and partnerships. Credit Agricole Assurances is the insurance subsidiary of Credit Agricole S.A. and deals in a range of property and casualty insurance products. The subsidiary also provides travel insurance products that cover trip cancellations, medical emergencies, and other travel-related risks. 8. Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) Market Capitalization: $39.83 billion 2022 Gross Premium Written: $58.28 billion (46.7 billion) Lloyds Banking Group plc (NYSE:LYG) is an Edinburgh, UK-based leading financial services group that offers various types of financial products and services, including insurance. The general insurance business is operated through the Group's subsidiary, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Limited, while the life insurance business is operated through another subsidiary, Scottish Widows. Scottish Widows looks after pension and retirement-related products as well. Lloyds also deals in different forms of investment products, including investment bonds and investment funds. 7. Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in Munchen (MUV2.MI) Market Capitalization: $48.23 billion (43.63 billion) 2022 Gross Premium Written: $74.20 billion (67.13 billion) Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in Munchen (MUV2.MI) or more widely known as Munich Reinsurance, is a Munich, Germany-based renowned global reinsurance company. Munich Re is primarily a reinsurance firm, providing insurance for other insurance companies, helping to spread risk and protect against large losses. The company gives out speciality reinsurance for niche markets such as aviation, marine, and cyber risk. Munich Re has a strong asset management business, managing a portfolio of investments in a range of asset classes, including equities, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments. 6. CNP Assurances Estimated Market Capitalization: $60.9 billion Revenue 2022: $48.72 billion CNP Assurances is an Issy-les-Moulineaux, France-based insurance company formed in 1959 that specializes in personal insurance, including life insurance, personal accident insurance, health insurance, and supplementary pension insurance. The company has the distinction of being the second biggest life insurer in France, with a market share of 10% due to its exclusive distribution agreements with leading banks in the country. CNP Assurances also operates in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The company has a strong focus on innovation, particularly in digital transformation and data analytics. In addition to CNP Assurances, companies such as Allianz SE (ALV.DE), AXA SA (CS.PA), and Zurich Insurance Group AG (ZURN.SW) are also some of the biggest European insurance companies in the world. Click to continue reading and see the 5 Biggest European Insurance Companies. Suggested articles: Disclosure: None. 15 Biggest European Insurance Companies is originally published on Insider Monkey. El Centro Regional Medical Center is over $200 million dollars in debt. Should Imperial County take on their debt so as to keep two hospitals in the Valley? You voted: 2 LA Council Members Among Those Arrested at Hospitality Worker Protest UNITE HERE Local 11 Rally supporting hospitality workers forces the closure of a major artery in and out of Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 23, 2023. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department Twitter page). LOS ANGELESTwo Los Angeles City Council members were among about 200 people arrested at a large union rally in support of hospitality workers that forced the closure of a major artery in and out of Los Angeles International Airport, officials confirmed on June 23. The rally by members of UNITE HERE Local 11 began around 3 p.m. on June 22 on Century Boulevard just east of the airport. The rally was permitted in advance, with the march approved to close the westbound side of the roadway between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. By about 5 p.m., however, the rally had spilled to both sides of the street, with police reporting the eastbound side of Century had also been closed. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), about 3 p.m. Thursday, officers met with a large crowd of peaceful labor union protesters near the intersection of Century Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard. Ensuring public safety and maintaining order was paramount to the LAPDs response while respecting all parties rights, a department statement said. Century Blvd. is temporarily closed between Avion Dr. & Vicksburg Ave. We're here to ensure a safe environment for everyone exercising their First Amendment rights. We appreciate the peaceful nature of the demonstration and remain committed to public safety. pic.twitter.com/yqpY5iSaQS LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) June 22, 2023 A dispersal order was issued by law enforcement and some protesters chose not to disperse. Approximately 200 peaceful protesters were arrested and given citations for 409PCfailure to disperseand subsequently released, police said. The LAPD commends the professionalism and restraint demonstrated by its officers throughout the operation. We extend our gratitude to the community members and residents for their cooperation in this matter, police said. Among those arrested were City Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman. In a statement, Soto-Martinez said, People are being priced out of their homes and have to commute for hours to work. A single mother who works as a housekeeper has to work 17 hours a day to afford housing in this city. Im proud to stand in solidarity with UNITE HERE Local 11 and tourism workers across the city because people who work in LA should be able to afford to live in LA. On her Twitter page, Raman wrote, Los Angeles should be a city that lifts people up, not turns workers away. Solidarity with @UNITEHERE11. Tourism workers, like all workers, deserve the dignity and respect of being able to afford to live in the city where they work. As the wife of a union member currently on strike, I am proud to stand alongside them in their fight for liveable wages, affordable housing, (1/2) pic.twitter.com/RGG5XNSZfy Councilmember Nithya Raman (@cd4losangeles) June 23, 2023 Earlier this month, members of UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents about 32,000 room attendance, cooks, dishwashers, front desk clerks, servers, and food service workers, voted to authorize a strike against major hotel chains as they push for improved wages and working conditions. An abandoned dog in Thailand has won the hearts of concerned locals for waiting patiently at the roadside for its owner for over two months. Sadly, the owner has not returned, and locals have taken the friendly pup under their wing. The dog, an adult tan-brown female of unknown breed, has been waiting by the roadside in Thailands Uthai Thani province since early April. At first, the locals assumed the dog was a stray but grew worried when they saw a collar around its neck, Newsflare reported. The loyal dog waits by the roadside for its owner to return. (Screenshot/Newsflare) Dam Namkang, 56, who lives in the area, was touched by the loyal dogs plight and began leaving food and water for the dog. She also tried to take the dog home to keep it safe from oncoming traffic, but the pup, who was friendly, couldnt be coaxed away from its roadside vigil. I have no idea where the dog came from and how it ended up here, Namkang said. Im not sure if it was abandoned or if it fell from a car because no one has come forward to claim it. Weve seen it chasing after passing cars sometimes, but it would always return to the same spot. According to Namkang, the other residents felt really sorry for the dog and thus tried to bring it food and water. Sadly, there has been no trace of the owner. Its apparent that the dog has been waiting for someone and looking for them but theyre, unfortunately, nowhere to be found. Namkang took photos of the dog to share online in an attempt to reunite the pup with its family, since this dog seems to love its owner very much. At the time of writing, no one has come forward. The loyal Uthai Thani dogs story is reminiscent of Hachiko, the adopted Japanese Akita dog whose story became a legend after he waited for his owner, professor Hidesaburo Ueno, at Shibuya Station every single day for nine years after the professors sudden passing from cardiac arrest in 1925. It was Shibuya Stations regular commuters, who knew the professor and his loyal dogs daily routine, that fed and cared for Hachiko until he died. (Video credit: Newsflare) Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Arizona Governor Strips Counties of Authority Over Abortion Prosecutions Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs (R) looks on as Kris Mayes (L), Democratic candidate for Arizona Attorney General, speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights outside the Evo A. DeConcini U.S. Courthouse on October 7, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. Hobbs discussed Arizonas near-total abortion ban, which dates back to 1864, and her aim to restore abortion rights in the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs stripped counties of their right to hold authority over abortion prosecutions in an executive order announced on Friday. Under the executive order (pdf), Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has exclusive authority over criminal prosecutions of medical providers, other entities, or individuals for violations of Arizonas abortion statutes. The order also prohibits state agencies from assisting investigations by other states for violations of abortion laws if the alleged conduct isnt punishable under Arizona law and bars extraditions to other states for alleged violations of abortion laws that wouldnt be illegal in Arizona. Arizona Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs (R) looks on as Kris Mayes (L), Democratic candidate for Arizona Attorney General, speaks at a press conference calling for abortion rights in Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) I made a promise to Arizonans that I would do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedom, and this Executive Order reflects that promise, Hobbs said during a press conference. I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental right Arizonans have to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. I will continue to fight to expand access to safe and legal abortion in any way I can. Abortions in Arizona are legal only within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy under a law dating back to when Arizona was only a territory. Its one of four states that ban abortion after a specific timeframe in the pregnancy, which would have been unconstitutional under Roe. Hobbs executive order seeks to take command over the uncertainty, centralizing authority over intended abortion prosecutions in Arizona and ensuring differences in interpretation or application of the law by different county attorneys do not chill, deter, or restrict access to lawful abortion care, according to her offices statement. Mayes said the order Hobbs order underscores our shared commitment to proactively defend the fundamental rights of individuals and ensure access to reproductive healthcare in Arizona, Mayes said in a statement. Together, we will continue to do what the voters of Arizona elected us to dofight like hell to protect the rights of Arizonans to make their own private medical decisions without interference from extremist politicians and anti-choice groups. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled last December that a near-total ban on abortions that predates statehood cant be enforced against doctors, allowing a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy that the Legislature passed in 2022 to become effective. Last month Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have criminalized young women seeking an abortion in the state. Arizona law already allows for the court to consider the pregnancy of a victim as a factor in sentencing, Hobbs wrote in her letter informing the Legislature of her veto. Ive seen first-hand the needs of victims seeking safety and stability. I encourage the legislature to focus on those needs. Arizona Republicans Will Review Order to Determine Its Legality House Speaker Ben Toma (R) said he and legislative staff are reviewing the order to determine its legality. At a minimum, this order shows disrespect and contempt for the judiciary, Toma said. Arizonas abortion laws are still in litigation in light of the Supreme Courts historic Dobbs ruling. The governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizonas 15 county attorneys to the attorney general. Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, a Democrat, praised the order and said it ensures equal protection and access to critical health services across Arizona. As county attorney, I have sworn to uphold the law, Mitchell said Friday afternoon. The governors attempt to undermine the 15 elected county attorneys authority is outrageous. Planned Parenthood Arizonas president and CEO, Brittany Fonteno, also praised the order. We are proud to have worked collaboratively with the Hobbs administration and a coalition of partners in reproductive health, rights, and justice to make this executive order a reality, Fonteno said in a statement. This executive order will help ease the fear and uncertainty that swept through Arizona in the year since Roe was overturned, and protect all those seeking and providing necessary health care. Australian Bush Telehealth to Push on Despite Looming Restrictions A speech therapist conducts a therapy session with a patient using the Zoom online conferencing platform on May 14, 2020. A large number of Canadians compelled to work from home during the pandemic lockdown are expected to claim a federal tax break for home offices. (Hannah McKay/Associated Press) Country Australians are increasingly turning to technology to bypass long delays in seeing a general practitioner (GP) for medical certificates and prescription renewals, as a crackdown on telehealth looms. Midnight Health, a start-up which offers online medical consultations, electronic prescriptions and pharmacy deliveries, says rural Australians make up 30 percent of its 85,000 customers. The Brisbane-based start-up, which last week announced $24 million (US$16 million) in renewed investment from private health insurance company NIB, said it reaches 70 percent of regional postcodes, including many remote towns. We get repeated messages coming from our customers in rural areas around the inability to access GPs in a timely manner, Midnight Health co-founder Nic Blair told AAP. Digital healthcare is really well suited to improving that accessibility. Telehealth took off during COVID-19 lockdowns and is seen as critical for the future of healthcare, with the federal government setting aside $5.9 million (US$4 million) for long phone consultations in the budget. But emerging digital models of carewhich involve patients filling out web forms and communicating with doctors onlinehave caused some concern in the medical establishment. The Medical Board will restrict some forms of telehealth from September, updating its guidelines to say prescribing via text, email, or online platforms without real-time consultation is bad practice. Board chair, Anne Tonkin, said doctors who have not consulted directly with patients in-person or over the phone cannot exercise safe clinical judgement. (Telehealth) plays an important role in healthcare in Australia and has opened great opportunities to improve access to and delivery of care, including to rural and remote patients and people living with disadvantage, Tonkin said. The interaction between a doctor and their patient is an important element in all consultations, including telehealth consultations. Technology companies have recently ramped up efforts to fill the void left by worsening GP shortages, offering virtual reality headsets in rural clinics, satellite internet connections and web-based consultations and prescriptions. Blair said Midnight Health had worked with specialists and advisors to develop safe protocols for its prescribing platform and the restrictions put Australia behind international markets. The new rules will shift some of its operations, but not its in-demand over-the-counter pharmacy products, Blair said. Were certainly happy to continue uplifting and improving patient safety in line with the Medical Board guidelines, Blair said. NIBs chief executive Mark Fitzgibbon said the insurer continued to invest in technology which moves away from one size fits all care. Anonymised customer data from online platforms can also pinpoint community health trends and help build targeted programs, Fitzgibbon said. The future of healthcare as a combination of physical, virtual and in-home, where were substituting the lack of physical services with digital and in-home services. Australian Government Sanctions Three MH17 Culprits A relative of an Australian victim of Malaysia Airlines jet MH17 touches a memorial that was unveiled outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, July 17, 2015. (Reuters/David Gray/File photo) Three men involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have been sanctioned by the Australian government. The government has been working with the Netherlands and European Union to co-ordinate sanctions on the trio convicted by the District Court of The Hague in November 2022 for their contribution to the downing of MH17 and the murder of all 298 people on board, including 38 Australian citizens or residents. The sanctions target Russian Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty in the court and sentenced to life in jail. Australia has also sanctioned Russian national Sergey Muchkaev, a colonel with the Russian Armed Forces. Muchkaev in July 2014 was the commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which supplied the Buk-TELAR missile system that downed MH17. Another convicted perpetrator, Igor Girkin, was sanctioned by Australia in 2014 for supporting separatist activity in eastern Ukraine. As either separatist leaders within the so-called Peoples Republic of Donetsk at the time of the downing of Flight MH17, or a member of the Russian Armed Forces, the three people sanctioned actively supported actions and policies that threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. These sanctions demonstrate the Australian governments ongoing commitment to hold to account those responsible for the downing of flight MH17. Wong said Australia was committed to seeking truth, justice and accountability for the victims and would pursue all available avenues. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives, their families and loved ones, Wong said. Australia has called on Russia to co-operate with the Netherlands to ensure the perpetrators serve their sentences in the Dutch legal system. In this article, we will be taking a look at the 15 biggest packaging companies in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 biggest packaging companies in the world. With hundreds and thousands of products popping up in the market every year, the need for good packaging has also become a priority in most of the manufacturers' minds. The packaging industry is growing extremely fast, with competitors showing up left, right and center. With sustainability becoming a core part of the developing world, along with taking care of the environmental issues, the packaging industry is also consistently evolving to meet the demands. Companies that are catering to these needs are working on innovating to replace plastic packaging and bringing in biodegradable products that will help protect our planet. This is happening because people are now aware of the impact non biodegradable waste like plastic and metal are having on our environment. The global packaging market is divided into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, the Middle East and Africa. Top 15 Packaging Companies in the world It is also important to note that the package of any product is the first interaction that brand is having with their customers. This can either be turned into something completely in the brand's favor, or leave a negative impact on the client. By giving them a packaging experience they will remember, the brand's identity can be strengthened. This generation is one that puts everything on social media, and one favorable experience can turn into a large number of sales for a brand. Now brands are focusing equally on the product, and the way they package their products, knowing that their customers are equally excited by both. Especially since COVID-19 hit the world, and in person shopping became extremely limited, it was online shopping that brought these brands back. All online shopping was shipped to customers in some sort of packaging to maintain the quality of the product inside. Meanwhile, home deliveries became more popular, especially in the food sector, since restaurants and big offices were closed. When people were working from home, they wanted to get their food delivered to them. because of which the demand for packaged containers and cartons increased massively. Online grocery shopping also became a huge part of daily lives globally. When the pandemic hit, consumer behaviors were intensely affected and so was the packaging industry. It was one of the industries that wasn't shut down during the lockdown situation globally. When companies decided to turn eco-friendly, some big brands also decided that it was time. Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) wanted to shift to a more sustainable lifestyle and thus decided to test paper bottles from an extra-strong paper shell consisting of a thin plastic liner. They experimented with approximately 2000 bottles to see if their theory worked, in February 2021. Other examples include Nestle, who aim to turn all their packaging into such that is either paper based or recyclable/reusable by the year 2025. "The global packaging market value is approximately $1,015 billion, calculated on the value of finished products. "The estimated annual growth rate during 2021-2026 is on average +4%.", as reported by Metsa. According to Technavio, the global packaging market may increase by around $223.96 billion between 2022 to 2027 at a CAGR of 3.92%. Further data suggests that there will be global expansion in the packaging market, and developing markets like Asia will see more packaged consumer goods due to an increase in real income. Based on this report, Asia is the largest market for packaged goods followed by North America. The packaging trends for the future include majority companies switching from the biggest packaging material used, plastic, to more biodegradable products such as plant-based packaging, made from hemp, coconut and even sugarcane. This is why many of the biggest packaging companies in the world make sure that the focus is one their sustainable packaging efforts, as demonstrated by Amcor (NYSE: AMCR), whose CEO mentioned in the company's Q4 2022 earnings call "And finally, sustainability is fundamental to everything we do from an innovation perspective and remains at the forefront of discussions with global brand owners. As the sustainability leader in the packaging industry, we continue to be the supplier of choice to help our customers achieve their goals in a meaningful way and at scale." Apart from being environmentally friendly, sustainable packaging practices are also considered to be an affordable option for companies. Another trend that already exists is customized packaging. As mentioned above, brands are making a lot of efforts to make sure their potential customers are aware of the brand, and also remember them. So making sure that the packaging is attractive and provides a good user experience is very important for them now. With the need for packaging growing globally, the packaging industry is slowly becoming one of the biggest industries in the world and is fundamentally important to many other industries. Methodology To find out the 15 biggest packaging companies in the world, we have used the official statistics published by Yahoo! Finance, considering their market cap and TTM revenue. We then ranked them according to both these criteria, and used those numbers to calculate the average ranking. We then listed them based on average ranking in "lowest to highest" order. Hence, we now take a look at the biggest packaging companies in the world, starting with number 15: 15. Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $7.57 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $9.63 Billion Graphic Packaging Holding company (NYSE:GPK) is one of the largest providers of paperboard and integrated paperboard packaging solutions to some of the world's most popular brands. They manufacture paperboard, foodservice packaging, folding cartons, microwave cooking solutions and packaging machinery. They are head quartered in Atlanta and have been operational since 1991. 14. Berry Global (NYSE:BERY) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $7.56 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $13.98 Billion Berry Global (NYSE:BERY) is an American company based in Evansville, Indiana, United States. They are one of the industry leaders of the packaging market, and create innovative consumer packaging products. They are extremely committed to being sustainable and environmentally friendly. They are located in 265+ locations around the world and are part of the biggest packaging companies in the world. 13. Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $11.25 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $9.761 Billion Beginning their journey in the 1935, Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) is a Fortune 500 company that deals with roofing, insulation and fiber glass composites. They are located in 31 countries around the world and ae constantly evolving to meet the needs of an ever changing market. Sustainability is a core strategy of Owens Corning (NYSE:OC). 12. Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $11.91 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023:$8.478 Billion One of the largest companies for containerboard and corrugated packaging in the U.S., Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG)has been in business for over 150 years. They have made it to Newsweek magazines 2023 list of Americas Most Responsible Companies for the 4th consecutive year. Apart from their main production, they also cater to technical, e-commerce, design, display and graphic sales solutions. 11. Oji Holdings Corporation Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $3.90 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $1.681 Billion With their head quarters in Tokyo, Japan, Oji Holdings Corporation manufactures pulp paper and products made from this raw material. Some of their products include containerboard, corrugated container, folding cartons, packaging papers, boxboard, paper bags, as well as household products. They have been operational since 1873 and is one of the biggest packaging companies in the world. 10. Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $10.57 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $12.943 Billion Based in Pennsylvania, USA, Crown Holdings (NYSE:CCK) is reputable globally for being a leading supplier in packaging products. They design, manufacture and supply products like beverage cans, transit packaging, aerosol cans, glass bottles, amongst a whole array of products. Founded in 1892, they have plants in 40 countries around the world. 9. Stora Enso Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $9.35 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $11.68 Billion Based out of Helsinki, Finland, Stora Enso is one of the biggest providers of reneweable materials like formed fiber, bio composites, paperboard materials, corrugated packaging solutions, wood foam, market pulp and pellets, along with multiple other products. They came into existence in 1998 and have become a dominant player in the packaging world. 8. Avery Dennison Corp (NYSE:AVY) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $13.72 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $9.039 Million Founded in 1935, Avery Dennison Corp (NYSE:AVY) is a multinational company that deals with the manufacture and distribution of pressure sensitive materials. Fasteners, tickets and RFID are important products of the company. They are currently based in Ohio, and are also a Fortune 500 company, based in more than 50 countries worldwide. Their global scale and huge experience gives them quite an edge over a majority of other companies, and hence makes them one of the biggest packaging companies in the world. 7. Smurfit Kappa Group Plc Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $9.21 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $14.06 Billion With production across 46 countries, Smurfit Kappa is one of the largest packaging companies in the world, especially in Europe. Their focus on being sustainable and eco friendly has led them to collaborate with universities and do their own R&D as well to make sure they are delivering environmentally friendly and innovative products. Not only are their products eco friendly, but so are their processes of production. They are number 1 in Europe for making corrugated packaging. 6. WestRock (NYSE:WRK) Market Cap as at 2 March 2023: $7.28 Billion TTM as at 2 March 2023: $21.227 Million With their head quarters in Atlanta, United States of America, WestRock (NYSE:WRK) deals with paper and packaging solutions. Their vision is to "Innovate boldly, package sustainably." Founded in 2015, WestRock (NYSE:WRK) is a fairly new company. However, they have managed to build more than 320 manufacturing facilities, research labs, sales offices and design centers globally. Their products include folding cartons, kraft paper, pulp, corrugated containers amongst many other things. Click to continue reading and see the 5 biggest packaging companies in the world. Suggested articles: Disclosure: None. 15 biggest packaging companies in the world originally published at Insider Monkey. Rebel Wagner Mercenaries Agree to Halt Advance on Moscow Fighters of Wagner, a Russian private mercenary group, are seen atop of a tank while being deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Stringer/Reuters) The Belarus Presidents Office has said that Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has agreed to stop the groups lightning-fast advance toward Moscow and to deescalate the situation, with Prigozhin confirming the news in a social media post. Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has reportedly held talks with Prigozhin, according to Lukashenkos press service. The Belarussian presidents office added that Lukashenkos talks with Prigozhin had Putins blessing and that theres a draft agreement on the table that would provide security guarantees for Wagner fighters. Russian state media TASS reported that a tentative deal has been reached that would halt Wagners advance toward Moscow, which sparked a pledge from Putin to crush any insurrection. Prigozhin confirmed in a statement on his Telegram channel that he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine in order to avoid shedding Russian blood. The Epoch Times has been unable to independently verify the accuracy of the claims that Prigozhins forces have indeed agreed to halt their push toward Moscow. More Details Earlier on Saturday, mutinous mercenaries from the Wagner Group moved closer to Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russias military firing on them from the air and setting up roadblocks but appearing to do little to blunt their rapid advance. The rebel fighters are members of the Wagner private army run by Prigozhin, a former close ally of Putin, who in an address from the Kremlin vowed to crush the armed mutiny that he compared to Russias Civil War a century ago. Years ago, Prigozhin was tasked by Putin with establishing the Wagner Group as a private army without formal ties to the government to give the Kremlin plausible deniability when using its resources on sensitive missions abroad. While the exact details of the Wagner Groups accomplishments are often murky due to the secretive nature of their operations, they have been known to take part in conflicts and provide military support in countries such as Syria and, most recently, Ukraine. But faced with setbacks in Ukraine, including Wagner taking significant casualties in the fierce battles over Bakhmut, Prigozhin seemed to have turned on his former taskmaster. He said on his Telegram channel that his units were on a march for justice to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) After capturing the city of Rostov overnight, the Wagner mutineers set off on a 680-mile run toward Moscow. Wagners actions represent the first serious challenge to Putins grip on power during his 23-year rule. Putin has called the armed rebellion a betrayal and vowed to punish its leaders. Rapid Advance Troop carriers controlled by Wagner and a flatbed truck transporting a tank were observed by Reuters reporters as they raced past Voronezh, already more than halfway to Moscow. A helicopter apparently belonging to the Russian military engaged in an attack on the vehicles, although there were no reports of significant resistance encountered by the rebels along the highway. There had been unconfirmed reports that Russian air forces had bombed some bridges en route to Moscow to stymie Wagners march on the capital. Other unconfirmed reports suggested Wagner troops had already reached the Moscow Oblast and had been spotted near Barabanovo, which is south of the Oka River that is said to be the main defensive line manned by Russian troops to prevent Moscow from falling. Russian media displayed images of small police groups stationed at machine gun positions on the southern outskirts of Moscow. Authorities in the Lipetsk region, situated south of the capital, advised residents to remain indoors. Russian army servicemen and police officers guard the highway at the entrance to Moscow, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (AP Photo) In Voronezh, over 100 firefighters were actively battling a blazing fuel depot. Reuters obtained video footage revealing a dramatic explosion engulfing the depot in a massive fireball, shortly after a helicopter had passed by. Speaking on his Telegram channel, a defiant Prigozhin accused Russias military of targeting civilian targets from the air in an effort to hinder the advancing column. The Russian air force was given an order to fire on our column between civilian cars and trucks, Prigozhin said, according to a translation of his remarks. He added that some pilots apparently refused to follow orders from higher command to fire on the Wagnerites, for which he expressed his gratitude. Community-based geolocating platform GeoConfirmed, which has been tracking the Wagner Groups movements, reported that its forces have broken up into three major columns. The first was securing gains in Rostov, the second appeared headed for an airfield, while the third was moving toward Moscow and had been reported seen around Voronezh. People gather to look at military vehicles parked in a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (AP Photo) Based on the pace of the third groups movements, GeoConfirmed predicted they could reach the edge of Moscow on Saturday evening. Path of Betrayal In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russias very existence was under threat. We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history, he said. All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people. A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it, Prigozhin said in an audio message. We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit, and bureaucracy. Prigozhin, who for months has feuded with Russias top military brass as Wagnerites took heavy casualties in bloody battles in Ukraine, said he had captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. Golden Opportunity In Rostov, which serves as the primary logistical hub for Russias invading forces, local residents observed the scene calmly, recording videos on their mobile phones as Wagner fighters, accompanied by armored vehicles and battle tanks, positioned themselves. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had Siberia daubed in red paint across the front, in what appeared to be a statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. Russian servicemen guard an area standing in front of a tank in a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Vasily Deryugin, Kommersant Publishing House via AP) Elsewhere in Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets, with the iconic Red Square blocked off by metal barriers. In a series of messages posted on his Telegram channel overnight, Prigozhin demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov should come to see him in Rostov for talks. Wagners apparent insurrection risks leaving Russias invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the start of the war. Geopolitical expert Peter Zeihan said that, while reports coming out of the region should be viewed with some skepticism due to fog of war misinformation being put out to wrongfoot opponents, the rebellion is a golden opportunity for Ukraine. As long as Rostov on Don is offline, it is impossible for any Russian forces anywhere in the Crimea or in occupied Ukraine to reinforce, to get more troops, to get equipment, to get fuel, Zeihan said in a post on his YouTube channel. So this is a beyond a golden opportunity for the Ukrainians to give the Russians a serious drubbing. The question is, how long will it last? he added. While there have been many claims circulating online and made by media outlets, there are currently no signs of any large-scale fighting between Wagner forces and the Russian military. Prigozhin said on his Telegram channel that the Wagnerites were determined to press ahead toward Moscow and force a reckoning. There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country, he said, vowing to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagners way. He later claimed his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. Western capitals have been closely following the situation, with Britains defense ministry calling the apparent coup the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out, it added. It remains unclear whether Wagners advance on Moscow has been abandoned and what Putin will do, given his remarks that Prigozhins push toward the capital amounted to treason. Reuters contributed to this report. Biden Meets Pro-Abortion Groups on Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Reversal President Joe Biden takes selfies with supporters during a rally on the first anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson decision at the Mayflower Hotel on June 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) President Joe Biden attended an event on Friday with pro-abortion groups in Washington, marking the first anniversary of the Supreme Courts landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the seminal 1973 precedent that had largely legalized abortion in the United States. Speaking at the event, Biden pledged to fight to restore Roe v. Wades protections and make them once again the law of the land. This fight really matters, the president told supporters. Since the day that Dobbs decision came down one year ago tomorrow, weve seen the devastating effects all across the country. He also warned that the Dobbs ruling has risked the broader rights of privacy for Americans. At the event, three major pro-abortion organizations, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL: Pro-Choice America, and EMILYs List, announced their support for the Biden/Harris 2024 ticket. The event, hosted at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, was one of several pro-abortion activities planned by the White House this week. Biden stated that the Republicans did not receive the large red wave that they had hoped for in the 2020 midterms because of the Dobbs decision. He said he knew the American people wouldnt let the court take away their basic rights. Biden said that despite the will of the American people, MAGA Republicans have made clear that they dont intend to stop with the Dobbs decision. Republicans in Congress have proposed three national abortion bans just this past year, he noted, adding that he would veto any legislation that included such a ban. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy, overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision has restored the ability of the states to regulate abortion as they see fit. Speaking at the event, Vice President Kamala Harris described the ruling as a direct assault on the hard-won rights and freedoms of Americans. We stand for the freedom of every American, including the freedom of every person everywhere to make decisions about their own body, their own health care, and their own doctors, Harris told supporters. First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also delivered remarks at the pro-abortion event. On the day of the anniversary, June 24, Harris will go to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she will deliver a speech on abortion. Her remarks will likely include criticism of the states new 12-week abortion ban, which became law last month after the Republican-controlled legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto. Executive Order On Friday, Biden signed an executive order to protect and increase access to contraception. I know Im 198 years old, Biden joked at the event. I never ever thought Id be signing the executive order. The court got Roe right 50 years ago, and I believe Congress should restore the protections of Roe v. Wade once and for all, Biden added. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion, explained in the courts decision why the majority believed Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided 50 years ago. Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views, he wrote. Some believe fervently that a human person comes into being at conception and that abortion ends an innocent life. Others feel just as strongly that any regulation of abortion invades a womans right to control her own body and prevents women from achieving full equality. Still others in a third group think that abortion should be allowed under some but not all circumstances, and those within this group hold a variety of views about the particular restrictions that should be imposed. Dobbs Triggered State-level Responses In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, some states have pushed for tighter abortion restrictions, while others have rushed to do the opposite, codifying additional protections for women seeking them. According to an estimate, new laws in pro-life states have saved more than 60,000 babies across the country since Dobbs. However, the Washington Post reports that there is a growing black market for abortion pills, which is helping people in states that have strict rules to self-manage their own abortions. In a recent statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he and his fellow Democrats would fight like hell to increase access to abortion and contraception nationwide. Nearly one year ago, the right-wing activist Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision and signaled to women across this country that their rights to privacy, to health care, and to their own autonomy could now be violated, Schumer said. MAGA Republicans have made it clear that they will not stop with their vicious anti-choice agenda until there is a nationwide abortion ban. This issue is too pressing to ignore. Conservatives, however, are celebrating the anniversary of the Dobbs decision. At a June 20 press conference held outside of the Capitol, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) estimated that around 200,000 babies had been born in the past year that likely would have been aborted if the Supreme Courts decision had not been made. Thats 200,000 families that will be blessed with looking into the eyes of a child and saying that every single child is valuable, Lankford said. Samantha Flom and Matthew Vadum contributed to this report. Christie Gets Applause, Cheers After Being Booed on Stage for Criticizing Trump Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) Presidential candidate Chris Christie responded to boos from a conservative crowd following his comments about former President Donald Trump by urging voters to consider Trumps character. When asked about the reaction by part of the audience at the Faith and Freedom Coalition on June 23, the former New Jersey governor reiterated some of his statements from the address, saying, Just listen to what I said and think about it, and if you still feel the same way, thats your choice. You have the absolute freedom to vote for wherever you want and support whoever you want, Christie went on. But first, you need to hear the truth. And I dont think anybody in that room can honestly say, given [Trumps] conduct, that hes a person of character. He is not. Now, if they care to dismiss the issue of character in deciding a president United States, I think thats wrong, but its their choice. Christies Controversial Comments The former governor of New Jersey focused his speech on Trumps character, saying he let us down by not taking responsibility for his mistakes. Hes let us down because hes unwilling to take responsibility for any of the mistakes that were made, any of the faults that he has, and any of the things that hes done, Christie said. And that is not leadership, everybody; that is a failure of leadership. Some people in the crowd booed him when he spoke, but he stuck by his opinion of Trump. Others in the crowd applauded his speech. You can boo all you want, but heres the thing: Our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do. People have to stand up and take accountability for what they do, Christie said, earning more cheers than he received boos. Christie went on to rail against Trump for the former presidents using mudslinging tactics against the former governor, even after he offered me White House chief of staff, Christie said. I will tell you, if all you do, all you do is disagree with someone, and in return, you get that kind of treatment doing those kinds of things makes our country smaller, Christie said. It makes our country smaller, and it makes us lesser. Earlier Anti-Trump Comments Shortly after declaring his candidacy Christie launched into his attacks on Trump, saying on June 6 that the former president was self-centered, among other comments. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, was among the congested field of 2016 Republican presidential candidates that Trump eventually beat for the Republican nomination. Now that Trump is running for the White House for a third time, his current opponents have begun to criticize him. Christie, who kicked off his campaign with a town hall at Saint Anselm College, indicated that other leading Republicans have been reluctant to challenge Trump or even mention his name frequently while campaigning, whereas he made it obvious that he has no such qualms. A lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog is not a leader, Christie said. Adding, The person I am talking about, who is obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault, who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrongbut finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes rightis Donald Trump. Just days later, Christie drew attention on June 12 when he condemned Trump during a primetime CNN appearance: Hes angry, and hes vengeful, and hes sad, Christie said of the former president. During the same interview, Christie spoke of the recent indictment handed down by Jack Smith, putting Trump in the Department of Justices crosshairs. It is a very tight, very detailed, evidence-laden indictment, and the content in there is awful, he said, citing his own experience as a former federal prosecutor. He stated that he does not accept the argument that Trump retained documents for potential extortion purposes, instead arguing that the incident amounted to Trumps vanity run amok. He cannot live with the fact that he lost to Joe Biden, Christie said. He wants to continue to pretend hes president, Christie added, suggesting that was the reason for Trump retaining the documents. Christie called the indictment devastating in another recent CNN appearance saying, People are going to argue about who should or should not have been indicted and who should be tried. But let me say this: the bigger issue for our country is this the type of conduct that we want from someone who wants to be president of the United States, Christie said in an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper. A recent Emerson College poll showed Trump with 59 percent support in a potential Republican primary, with runner-up Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding 21 percent. Christie polled just 2.4 percent. Trumps campaign did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment. Nathan Worcester contributed to this report. Cory Morgan: The Battle Created by Bill C-18 Is Pointless and Destructive, and Didnt Need to Happen A 3D printed logo of Facebook's parent company Meta is seen in front of the Google logo in a illustration on Nov. 2, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters) Commentary Now that Canadas Bill C-18 has made its way through Parliament and has received royal assent, the battle of wills between the government and social media platforms begins in earnest. The regulations packed into C-18 amount to little more than a shakedown of social media platforms on behalf of financially failing legacy media outlets. Social media platforms provide a service in linking to news stories, and the government absurdly wants to charge those platforms for providing that service. Its a means to try and subsidize unsustainable media outlets without having to spend tax dollars, and social media platforms have had enough. If the government thought Meta was bluffing about blocking news links if the bill goes through, they were sorely mistaken. Meta will be phasing in blocked access to news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms increasingly over the next few months. Google has indicated its considering similar action. Over 24 million Canadians use either Facebook or Instagram, and Google holds a 92 percent market share as Canadas preferred search engine. It will be devastating for media outlets large and small to lose access to these portals that are so important to Canadians. While media outlets need social media platforms to reach audiences, social media platforms dont need media outlets. News makes up about 3 percent of Facebooks content. Facebook users will hardly notice the loss of news links as they scroll on to watch cat videos and pictures from distant relatives. Media outlets will keenly feel the loss, though. In this battle, the social media platforms have all the leverage. Government and legacy media outlets would be well served to remember this. What recourse will the government have if social media platforms continue to refuse to carry news links? Will it force them to carry content? Can a government compel a business to provide a service if it doesnt want to? Social media platforms complied when Australia brought in similar legislation. They dont appear ready to do so this time. The precedent is just too dangerous. More and more greedy governments will start hitting up social media companies as they smell the opportunity for a cash grab. The companies realize this and are drawing their lines in the sand. So, what does the future look like for media in Canada if social media companies give up the fight and comply with C-18? Small, independent outlets that dont or wont meet the criteria set to be compensated by social media platforms could be left in the dust. We will see a small number of large media outlets dominating the news landscape. Legacy outlets will drain social media platforms while providing stories on a national note, while small local news items are ignored. Legacy media outlets are holding onto an outdated and unsustainable business model. Subsidies will only buy them time at best. Note how quickly Bell Media shut down radio stations and imposed layoffs despite recently taking subsidies. Having the government intervene and force social media platforms to bail out mainstream media outlets wont be any more effective in saving them than direct tax subsidies are. Terrible damage can be done to the national media industry in trying, however. If social media companies hold fast and continue to refuse to carry news links, the consequences for all media outlets will be dire. Canadians will have to directly seek out news outlets and stories of importance will have a tougher time trying to reach broad audiences. It will harm legacy media outlets, and the smaller new outlets will be devastated. Independent media gets hit hard in either scenario. People are creative, however, and independent media outlets will find a way to survive. Email lists will become more important than ever as companies need to reach their subscribers directly and new ways of getting stories out will evolve. Social media is too fluid and fast-changing for the government to control no matter how hard it may wish to. Legacy media outlets that would prefer to specialize in taking subsidies rather than change their practises will eventually collapse and fade away. New and innovative enterprises will fill the void. There will always be a demand for news, and flexible companies will find ways to profitably provide it. The battle created by Bill C-18 is pointless and destructive. While independent media will survive and eventually dominate the media landscape, Canadians will have to go through a period of unreliable news access first. Consumers and producers will suffer during this transition. This conflict never needed to happen, but seems unavoidable now as we have a prideful government that refuses to admit making an error. Lets all hope the government can have a humble moment and back down this time. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Elderly Seal Beach Woman Says She Was Hypnotized by Scammer for Money Gift cards are shown for sale inside a Lowe's retail store in Carlsbad, California, on May 24, 2017. (Mike Blake/Reuters) A 96-year-old Seal Beach, California, woman was scammed out of thousands of dollarsshe believes by hypnosisin one of the more recent online scams targeting the elderly. Seal Beach police, last week, warned of a significant uptick in financial scams and fraud crimes, primarily targeted at our senior citizen population, and the elderly woman was one of the latest victims, according to a press release from officials. According to authorities, she was scammed in April out of $6,000. Wilmoth told KCAL news in an interview June 20 she was using her computer when a yellow blinking light took over her screen, and then a loud womans voice began shouting and telling her to keep it on. Thats all she said, Do not turn off your computer. Do not turn off your computer, Wilmoth told the news outlet. A phone number appeared on her screen which Wilmoth said she called, thinking that it could fix the apparent computer issue she thought she was experiencing. In that phone call, a man on the other end of the line, whom she said had a soothing voice, convinced her to leave her home to purchase gift cards, she said. The scammer first directed Wilmoth to a Kohls, where she attempted to purchase a $2,000 gift card but was denied because a store employee recognized something wasnt right, the news outlet wrote in an online story. After that failed, the scammer persuaded Wilmoth to purchase a $6,000 gift card at Lowes. Wilmoth told KCAL she couldnt comprehend what came over her, other than she must have been hypnotized. I couldnt control myself, she said. I was hypnotized. I was doing exactly what he told me to do. Seal Beach Police did not return a request for comment for more details about Wilmoths case. Authorities, however, warn that scammers create many scenarios to target their victims, including violent threats to make them feel intimidated, hopeless, and without options. The most common forms of online scams are phone calls, text messages, emails, computer pop-up ads and through social media, police say. Most popular scams, according to police, include scammers posing as imposters from the victims family, those from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security, as well as lottery and sweepstake scams and those involving computer or tech support. EXCLUSIVE: More Than 300 Military Members Launch $500 Million Lawsuit Over COVID Vaccine Mandates Members of the Canadian Armed Forces march during the Calgary Stampede parade in Calgary in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh) Around 330 active or former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who say they were harmed by COVID-19 vaccine mandates have filed a class-action lawsuit against high-ranking members of the military, seeking some $500 million in damages. The CAF shirked its own purpose and rushed an untested product onto its members, mislabeled this experimental gene therapy a vaccine, knowingly made false statements of safety and efficacy, and facilitated its mandate with no option to refuse except for mandatory permanent removal from service, reads the statement of claim filed with the Federal Court on June 21. The actions of the CAF and CDS [Chief of the Defence Staff] has resulted in injury to the Plaintiffs, who have consistently worked to prevent this abuse of power from occurring and to protect the members and their families who are experiencing coercion, discrimination, and threat of loss of career and benefits in all instances. The lawsuit was filed against Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Lieutenant-General Frances Allen, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, former deputy minister of national defence Jody Thomas, and others. In the fall of 2021, the CAF imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with non-compliance subsequently leading to the loss of hundreds of members. They left through either voluntary release or expulsion under code 5(f), unsuitable for further service, a dishonourable discharge reserved for soldiers with personal weaknesses or other issues deemed to impose an excessive burden on the military. The CAF lightened the vaccine mandate in October 2022 by removing COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of service, but it kept in place a mandatory primary series of injections for numerous operational roles. Orders The lawsuit claims that CAF abused its power by ignoring express legislative limits on its actions, allowing the physical and/or psychological torture of unvaccinated members under the command of CAF-commissioned officers, ignoring established law on the right to privacy and the right to choose medical treatment, and ignoring established law on informed consent and regarding religious and spiritual belief. Other alleged abuses listed include deliberately failing to ensure officers were fully and correctly briefed on all legal and policy issues related to vaccine mandates and deliberately misusing the grievance system to indefinitely delay or stop relief sought by the members. The lawsuit states that the CAF focused on political agendas and taking direction from political leaders that is detrimental to operational readiness and effectiveness when it implemented the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It said CAF gave the plaintiffs no way to meet the mandate by writing the directives in a way that blocked any possible means of complying with them. The statement of the claim adds the allegation that the CDS used administrative measures to punish those who refused or could not comply, instead of following the legal process under the National Defence Act that would allow members to have their cases heard in independent hearings. In addition, it said the CDS had full control over the grievance process, which meant members were denied fundamental justice. Further, the lawsuit said Eyre stated he received orders from the government of Canada (GC) to enforce the vaccine mandate, which the statement of claim argues is unlawful. The lawsuit says members faced severe consequences, including loss of career and loss of employment opportunities outside the military, along with loss of income, retirement pension, benefits, travel, and even basic participation in work or public life as a result of non-compliance with the vaccine mandates. Moreover, the lawsuit says coercive actions were allegedly taken by commanding officers to force compliance. Examples given in the lawsuit include forcing members to spend unnecessary extended periods of time outside in extreme winter conditions with no shelter or protection as well as forcibly confining members to small, cramped spaces with no respite for meals or personal hygiene needs. Daniel Le Bouthillier, head of media relations for the Department of National Defence, told The Epoch Times that as a matter of process, we do not comment on potential legal actions of this nature. Charter Rights The lawsuit also alleged that the CAF vaccine directives violated the plaintiffs rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It said the CAF breached Section 2(a) by violating their freedom of conscience and religion, Section 2(d) by violating their right to associate in collective action and achieve workplace goals, Section 7 by infringing upon their right to liberty and security of the person, Section 8 by violating their right to privacy, and Section 15 by violating their right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination. The plaintiffs also argued that the requirement to disclose private medical information intruded upon their private affairs, and that a reasonable person would regard this intrusion as highly offensive and causative of distress, humiliation and/or anguish. On May 30, an independent military administrative tribunal found that the CAFs vaccine mandate violated the Section 7 charter rights of members who refused vaccination. I conclude that the limitation of the grievors right to liberty and security of the person by the CAF vaccination policy is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice because the policy, in some aspects, is arbitrary, overly broad and disproportionate, wrote Nina Frid of the Military Grievances External Review Committee. Alberta-based lawyer Catherine Christensen of Valour Law, which specializes in military law, filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of the CAF members. She said the lawsuit amounts to approximately $1,000,000 for each of the plaintiffs plus extensive other damages. Essentially, a lawsuit for about $500,000,000. The plaintiffs are the tip of the spear in making the CAF and GC accountable for the past 3 years of tyranny, she told The Epoch Times via email on June 23. The CDS issued an unlawful order that cost thousands of our dedicated military members to lose their careers, she said. He must now answer to the Court for his actions. Facebook, Instagram to Block News in Canada After Content Fee Adopted The Facebook app is shown on a smartphone in Surfside, Fla., on April 23, 2021. (Wilfredo Lee, File/AP Photo) Meta has announced that it will block access to news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada after the country passed a new law forcing digital platforms to pay content fees to domestic media. The announcement followed the Canadian Senates approval of the Online News Act, which forces companies such as Facebook and Google to pay fees to media outlets when their content is posted, linked to, or otherwise repurposed on the platforms. Meta stated that it would end the availability of news on its platforms even before the measure becomes law in about six months. We are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act (Bill C-18) taking effect, the company said in a statement. The company previously warned that it would block news on its platforms if the law passed without the major changes that it had for months been demanding. Earlier this month, we announced that we were conducting product tests to help us build an effective product solution to end news availability as a result of C-18, Meta said in a statement. A security guard stands near the Meta logo outside the headquarters of Facebooks parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., in Mountain View, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Peter DaSilva/Reuters) Meta stated that these tests are continuing and are already affecting a small percentage of Canadian users. The Online News Act was conceived as a way to bolster the Canadian news industry, which has seen its revenue dwindle as advertising has shifted to big-tech platforms. When the bill becomes law, Facebook and Google will be forced to negotiate compensation deals with media outlets for posting or linking to their work. The Online News Act, modeled after an Australian law was passed in 2021, is part of a global trend of proposals aiming to support struggling news industries. Meta reacted to the Australian law in a similar fashion to its response to the Canadian bill, blocking users from seeing or sharing news on Facebook. The company later struck a deal with the Australian government after it agreed to make some changes to the law, which led to a lifting of Facebooks news blockade. After further discussions, we are satisfied that the Australian government has 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, Meta said in a statement in February 2021. Meta later struck content-related licensing deals with Australian publishers. California lawmakers are working on a comparable measure to Canadas Online News Act, prompting similar threats from Facebook to block news. Meta Threatens to Pull News in California Called the Journalism Preservation Act, the proposal would force tech firms to pay publishers in the form of a journalism usage fee. The legislation, which was approved by the California Assembly on June 1 but has yet to be voted on in the Senate, is aimed at reversing a decline in Californias local news sector. Every day, journalism plays an essential role in California and in local communities, and the ability of local news organizations to continue to provide the public with critical information about their communities and enabling publishers to receive fair market value for their content that is used by others will preserve and ensure the sustainability of local and diverse news outlets, the bill reads. A day after the measure cleared the lower chamber, Meta issued a statement threatening to pull news content if the bill becomes law. 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 spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement on Twitter. The bill fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put their content on our platform themselves and that substantial consolidation in Californias local news industry came over 15 years ago, well before Facebook was widely used. The California bill also would require publishers to devote 70 percent of the proceeds from these fees to create and maintain positions in journalism throughout the state. It is disappointing that California lawmakers appear to be prioritizing the best interests of national and international media companies over their own constituents, Stone said. Democrat state Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, who sponsored the California bill, wrote on Twiter that Metas threat is a scare tactic that theyve tried to deploy, unsuccessfully, in every country thats attempted this. It is egregious that one of the wealthiest companies in the world would rather silence journalists than face regulation, Wicks said. Meta has been waging a fight over similar proposals in Congress to compensate publishers for news content thats shared on its platforms. If Congress passes an ill-considered journalism bill as part of national security legislation, we will be forced to consider removing news from our platform altogether, Stone said in a post on Twitter on Dec. 5, 2022, referring to the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), which closely resembles the California legislation. The JCPA was cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier in June, although it has yet to be voted on by the full Senate. More than two dozen groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Knowledge, and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, oppose the congressional proposal, arguing that it would create an ill-advised antitrust exemption for publishers and broadcasters and that it doesnt ensure that the funds gained through negotiation or arbitration will even be paid to journalists. Bryan Jung and Reuters contributed to this report. Friendly Relations With CCP Unmaintainable: Gordon Chang Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) receives U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. (Leah Millis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Its impossible to maintain the kind of friendly relationship the Biden administration seeks to build with China, especially in the light of revelations about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic and the widely anticipated invasion of Taiwan, said economist and longtime China observer Gordon Chang. The Biden administration wants to establish channels of communication with Communist China. But the problem is, when you start thinking about the irreconcilable differences between Chinas regime and the United States, that its just not going to work, Chang said in an interview with EpochTVs American Thought Leaders. The interview comes after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned from a trip to Beijing and declared that his conversation with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) head Xi Jinping had successfully injected some greater stability into the intensified bilateral relationship. That statement was soon put to the test when President Joe Biden called Xi a dictator, saying that Xi was very upset when a Chinese surveillance balloon was blown off course over the United States earlier this year. Thats a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didnt know what happened. That wasnt supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course, Biden said at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday. The Chinese government reacted with fury, claiming that Bidens remarks seriously violated Chinas political dignity and amounted to political provocation. It has also reportedly reprimanded the U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns. This shows you no matter how you try, youre dealing with an evil regime, and things like this are going to happen, Chang told host Jan Jekielek. Biden was actually trying to accommodate Xi Jinping by saying, Well, Xi Jinping didnt know about the spy balloon; its not his fault. But he just tripped over himself, Chang said. The relations are going to be affected by it. Beijing is going to see this as more proof that the United States is hostile. A Taiwan War Scenario When asked about Blinkens comment that the United States does not support Taiwan independence, Chang said this is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Technically, yes, U.S. policy doesnt support Taiwan independence. But as Blinken also said, we support only a peaceful resolution of the status of Taiwan, Chang explained. Our One China policy is this: we recognize the Communist Party as a legitimate ruler of China. We also acknowledge in the sense of saying, We understand thats what theyre saying, but we dont necessarily accept it, that Taiwan is part of the Peoples Republic,' he continued. We also say that Taiwans status is unresolved and can only be resolved peacefullyin other words, with the approval of people on both sides of the strait. Now, if you look at all of that, yes, we dont support Taiwan independence,' Chang told Jekielek. The problem with Blinkens statement was that after a trip where the Chinese deliberately humiliated him from the very beginning to the very end, he should not have said anything that Beijing wanted to hear. So that, I think, is the fault. According to Chang, while the United States doesnt have any legal obligation to defend Taiwan against an attack by China, it almost certainly would get involved on Taiwans behalf because of its obligations to defend Japan, known as Article Five. For China to successfully invade Taiwan, theyve got to impose a blockade. For a blockade to work, its got to be big enough to include sovereign Japanese territory. In other words, an assault on Japanese sovereignty, he explained. That would trigger Article Five if Japan wanted to invoke it, which they certainly would. Chang also suggested that the U.S. government should be making plans to evacuate citizens from China, considering the CCPs notorious history of taking foreign nationals hostage as leverage in international disputes. At some point, we should be saying that if you dont get yourself out of China, it will no longer be the goal of American foreign policy to rescue you because we do not believe we should hold our policies hostage, he said. You just shouldnt be there. So get out. The COVID Revelations The Chinese regime has declared a peoples war on the United States and is, in fact, killing Americans with fentanyl and with COVID, Chang told Jekielek, noting that the CCP might not have the capability to weaponize bat coronavirus if the U.S. government didnt outsource gain-of-function research to the Wuhan lab. This would not have happened if the French hadnt provided the Wuhan Institute of Neurology facilities. This would not have happened if the United States wasnt funding this, he added. Would the Chinese have been weaponizing coronaviruses? Maybe we dont know. But we know that they did it with U.S. government money. Again, as Biden tries to maintain friendly relations and channels of communication, how can you do that when eventually we are going to see that intelligence, and its going to show that the Chinese regime was manipulating coronaviruses gain-of-function research and weaponizing all of this? They knew that COVID-19 was highly transmissible human to human. But in December 2019 and January 2020, they told the world it was not, Chang continued. And they did other things which make it appear that they deliberately spread this disease beyond Chinas borders. Thats about seven million people who died who should never have contracted the disease. How can you maintain friendly relations Once that information is out into the public? We have to understand that its a militant, aggressive, evil regime. And you cannot maintain the relations that the President wants to have. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a drug safety signal (pdf) regarding the potential risk of thyroid cancer associated with certain classes of medications that include semaglutide, the active ingredient in the widely used drugs Ozempic, approved for Type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, approved for obesity. The medications in question are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Their manufacturers, including Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi Winthrop, must submit supplementary information by July 26, 2023. A safety signal does not necessarily imply a direct causal relationship between a medicine and the reported adverse event. The purpose of assessing safety signals is to determine whether such a causal link exists between the medication and the reported adverse event. Novo Nordisk is aware of the signal and the request by EMA and will deliver a thorough assessment of all relevant data to elucidate this topic, Lars Otto Andersen-Lange, media relations director at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement to The Epoch Times. According to Andersen-Lange, Novo Nordisks products, including semaglutide, have been available in the market for over a decade, and the safety data gathered from clinical trials and postmarketing surveillance have not shown any conclusive evidence linking them to thyroid cancer. Furthermore, Andersen-Lange highlighted important limitations in the study that raised concerns, referring to a nested case-control analysis published in Diabetes Care in February 2023. These limitations include the absence of validated case identification, inadequate differentiation of recurrent events, potential misclassification of events, and unconfirmed drug exposure. Spontaneous reports, clinical studies, or scientific literature can trigger EMAs declaration of a safety signal. The Study That Led to the Drug Safety Alert The case-control analysis was conducted by a group of French researchers who analyzed data from the French national health care insurance system database and observed an increased risk of thyroid cancer among individuals using these drugs, particularly after one to three years of treatment. Then, Diabetes Care also published two commentaries on the study. One highlighted limitations, suggesting that detection bias could be an alternative explanation for the observed moderate increase in thyroid cancer. The other noted that the association between obesity and thyroid cancer is well known, and that since the study did not account for obesity as a confounding factor, the studys validity might have been compromised. Novo Nordisk has warned patients about the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors associated with the use of Ozempic or Wegovy. In the prescribing information, the manufacturer noted that semaglutide caused dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents, but its impact on human cancer remains undetermined. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised people with a family history of thyroid cancer against (pdf) taking Wegovy. In an email response to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson from the FDA said the agency regularly assesses individual adverse event reports as well as adverse event reports for all approved drugs. The FDAs recent review of the published observational studies concludes that the current body of evidence is inadequate to establish a causal link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and medullary thyroid cancer in humans, the spokesperson added. Rivalry Intensifies in GLP-1 Drug Market Since the introduction of Wegovy in the United States in June 2021, the market value of Novo Nordisk has risen by more than 140 percent. Semaglutide has played a crucial role in Novo Nordisks success. The company now holds the position of the second most valuable company in Europe, trailing behind only the French luxury goods group LVMH. Other pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Eli Lilly, have also been developing drugs from the GLP-1 family. Eli Lilly recently surpassed Johnson & Johnson to become the worlds most valuable pharmaceutical company. GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, attributed this achievement to Eli Lillys blockbuster Type 2 diabetes drug, Mounjaro. Mounjaro, with its active substance tirzepatide, acts similarly to semaglutide by targeting two hormones, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1, to suppress appetite and reduce food intake. GlobalData forecasts that Mounjaro, with its significant weight loss effects, has the potential to surpass Ozempic or Wegovy as the leading therapy for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It is expected to gain possible FDA approval later in 2023 for obesity treatment. What topics would you like to read about? Please let us know at health@epochtimes.nyc Hong Kongs International Dragon Boat Races Return After 4-year Hiatus Dragon boats compete during the annual Tuen Ng or Dragon Boat Festival at Aberdeen fishing port in Hong Kong on June 22, 2023. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) HONG KONGThousands of paddlers descended on Hong Kong on Saturday to take part in the financial hubs International Dragon Boat competition, held for the first time in more than 4 years after they were halted amid massive pro-democracy protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day event, organized by Hong Kongs tourism board and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, drew more than 4,000 paddlers from 160 teams including from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and internationally, its tourism body said. Its a great place to come back to, especially after a four-year hiatus. Cant think of a better way to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival than with my team and the rest of Hong Kong and Asia, said Shirleen Ho, 41, a member of the Australian National Dragon boat team. While dragon boat originated in Chinas southern Lingnan region more than 1,000 years, the modern version began in Hong Kong, a former British colony that was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, around 40 years ago. The event, held in the citys iconic Victoria Harbour between the financial district and the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade, drew scores of visitors who came to watch the high paced races. The competition is one of many events the Hong Kong government is holding to boost tourism and reinvigorate its economy after sealing its borders for more than two years. Hong Kong in 2020 closed its borders to international travelers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and mandated tough rules including up to three weeks hotel quarantine for all arrivals and mandatory testing. The measures put many people off traveling to Hong Kong, even after the rules were lifted in late 2022, and led to an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people since 2020. Monthly visitor numbers are only around 50 percent of the average visitor numbers seen in 20172019, prior to the pandemic. In this article, we will take a look at the 20 largest exporters of blueberries in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the blueberry market and the consumption trends, head on over to the 5 Largest Exporters of Blueberries in the World. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the global trade of blueberries was valued at $2.77 billion, along with an export volume of over 459,000 tons in 2021. Meanwhile, the total production of blueberries was estimated at around 1.79 million metric tons in the same year. As per data shared by the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), blueberry production by country has doubled from 2010 to 2019. During this period, the number of countries cultivating blueberries rose from 26 to 30. Furthermore, the FAS highlighted that the number of countries with an annual production of 10,000 tons or more rose from four in 2010 to 11 by 2019. The size of the global blueberry market stood at $8.3 billion in 2021 and is forecasted to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5% to reach a size of $11.3 billion by the end of this decade. Although China is the largest producer of blueberries in the world, with an annual output of 477,080 tons, the country consumes it all locally and is not a major exporter. Furthermore, the country imports blueberries from around the world to fulfil its domestic requirement. Peru has emerged as a major grower and exporter of blueberries only in the last decade. During this short period, the fruit has achieved the distinction of being the second most exported fruit and vegetable by the South American country in terms of value and has even overtaken the exports of avocadoes. Overall, Peru is the third biggest producer of blueberries in the world, behind China and the US. The US is the biggest single export market for Peru as it exported 124,450 tons of blueberries to the worlds biggest economy. According to the International Blueberry Organization (IBO), the global production of blueberries will surpass the 3 million tons level by the middle of this decade. The history of blueberries dates back to the early 1900s in the US when the first commercial cultivation of blueberries took place at a farm in New Jersey. Now, it has become the second-most produced berry in the country. Blueberries have also gained popularity worldwide due to their numerous health benefits. They are packed with antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins, which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer. Furthermore, blueberries are also known to help lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and promote healthy blood vessel function. According to experts, some of the best blueberries in the world are the Biloxi, Bluecrop, and Blueray varieties. A few of the leading nations where blueberries are grown include USA, Mexico, and Morocco, as the environment in these counties is appropriate for high-quality blueberry production. The trend of growing hydroponic blueberries is also gaining popularity in these countries. If you want to learn more about hydroponic farming, head over to 10 Best Vertical Farming and Hydroponic Stocks to Buy. Owning to the global demand for blueberries, many notable companies such as Kellogg Company (NYSE:K), Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE) have introduced blueberry-containing products. Furthermore, Driscoll's, based in Watsonville, California, is also renowned as one of the largest berry producers globally. The company is known for its high-quality berries and has a significant market share in the US berry market. Recently, Driscoll's also joined The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in order to promote environment-friendly packaging solutions for berries that also help maintain their freshness. Another major player in the berry industry includes Ardo Foods. The company has strategically situated its production and distribution sites across highly fertile crop-growing regions in Europe. Ardo is among the global leaders in the vegetables and fruits industry and exports its products to over 100 countries worldwide. 20 Largest Exporters of Blueberries in the World Pixabay/Public Domain Our Methodology We used the latest data available on the website of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to shortlist the 20 largest exporters of blueberries in the world. The countries have been ranked in ascending order of their 2021 export values. We have also provided the quantity of blueberries exported by each of these countries. 20 Largest Exporters of Blueberries in the World 20. Czech Republic Blueberry Export Value: $1,101,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 120 tons The Czech Republic has observed a dramatic increase in the production and export of blueberries in recent times to enter our list of the 20 largest exporters of blueberries in the world. The country imported 200,000 1-year-old blueberry plants from the Netherlands in the spring of 2018 and harvested them in a 47-hectare area. However, the exports were only 5% of the total blueberry trade conducted by the country in 2021. 19. Estonia Blueberry Export Value: $1,619,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 240 tons Estonia has favourable climatic conditions for blueberry cultivation, and several farms and producers are involved in blueberry production. The country's blueberry production is primarily focused on supplying the domestic market, with a portion also being exported to neighbouring countries. Exports took up 12% of the total trade of blueberries by Estonia in 2021. Meanwhile, the country imported $11.84 million worth of blueberries in 2021. 18. Belgium Blueberry Export Value: $2,660,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 482 tons Belgium exports enough blueberries to justify its inclusion in our list of the largest exporters of blueberries in the world. The consumption of blueberries is gaining widespread popularity in the country as the fruit is used in various culinary preparations. 17. Sweden Blueberry Export Value: $5,411,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 1,893 tons Sweden has a significant presence in the blueberry industry in terms of production, consumption, import, and export. There is also a growing trend of cultivated blueberry production in Sweden. The country produced 60,065 tons of blueberries in 2021, which made it the 16th biggest producer in the world as well. 16. Latvia Blueberry Export Value: $8,091,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 1,716 tons Latvia has a thriving blueberry industry, which is supported by a favourable climate and natural conditions, which contribute to the growth of blueberry cultivation. Overall, the country is a net importer of blueberries, as it had an import bill of $13.45 million in 2021. 15. Austria Blueberry Export Value: $9,583,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 1,153 tons Austria had the 12th highest trading value of blueberries in the world, as the country had an import bill of $57.34 million in 2021. This is because the consumption of blueberries is relatively high in Austria, and the local demand for blueberries surpasses the local production. 14. Romania Blueberry Export Value: $14,580,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 2,323 tons Romania is one of the seven net exporters of blueberries on our list. The country also imports blueberries from countries with larger blueberry industries, such as Poland, the Netherlands, and other European producers. Meanwhile, Romanian blueberries are exported to various European countries, including neighbouring countries and markets in Western Europe. 13. Italy Blueberry Export Value: $23,442,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 2,775 tons Italy is known for its rich agricultural heritage, and blueberries have become increasingly popular in the country. According to FAO, the country is the 10th biggest producer of blueberries in the world, with an annual output of 8,750 tons in 2021. The fruit is grown in regions like Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. 12. France Blueberry Export Value: $36,236,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 4,375 tons France is the 12th biggest producer of blueberries in the world, according to the FAO. The fruit is grown in areas like Brittany, Pays de la Loire, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Despite having an annual output of 7,916 tons in 2021, the country was still a net importer of over 8,800 tons of blueberries. 11. Portugal Blueberry Export Value: $38,008,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 5,642 tons Portugal is another net exporter of blueberries on our list, as it had net exports of $29.92 million in 2021. Portuguese blueberries are exported to various markets, including other European countries. 10. Germany Blueberry Export Value: $38,240,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 5,778 tons Germany, with its strong agricultural sector and large consumer market, is the ninth-largest producer of blueberries in the world, with an output of 15,640 in 2021. Due to the growing consumption pattern, the country was a net importer of 35,628 tons of blueberries. Blueberries are primarily imported from Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Chile. 9. New Zealand Blueberry Export Value: $48,332,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 2,860 tons New Zealand is easily self-sufficient as the country produced 3,680 tons of blueberries in 2021 and imported a negligible amount of one ton only. New Zealand blueberries are exported to various countries, including Australia, China, the US, Japan, and Europe. New Zealand's blueberry harvest season typically runs from November to March. 8. Canada Blueberry Export Value: $99,812,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 25,597 tons Canada is the third largest producer of blueberries in the world, with an annual harvest of 146,551 tons in 2021. Despite significant production, the company was still a net importer of over 45,000 tons. The export market for Canadian blueberries is strong, and the country's reputation for high-quality blueberries has contributed to its success. 7. Poland Blueberry Export Value: $138,482,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 24,880 tons The Central European country had an annual yield of 55,300 tons of blueberries in 2021. Polish blueberries are exported to various countries, including Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, France, and other European destinations. 6. Spain Blueberry Export Value: $250,218,000 Blueberry Export Quantity: 36,663 tons Spain is the third biggest net exporter of blueberries in the world, behind Mexico and Peru. The country had an import bill of $21 million only in 2021. Some of the popular companies selling blueberry products globally include Kellogg Company (NYSE:K), Nestle S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), and Dole plc (NYSE:DOLE). Click to continue reading and see the 5 Largest Exporters of Blueberries in the World. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 20 Largest Exporters of Blueberries in the World is posted on Insider Monkey. Hongkongers in Australia Hold an Art Exhibition to Build a Cultural Link With the Local Community The neon sign "Hello, how are you?" designed by Pamela Leung was produced in Hong Kong and then taken to Australia. (Courtesy of Pamela Leung) One tender greeting, Hello, how are you? brings warmth to Australia in winter through the equally warm neon lights. The Hong Kong group Australia-Hong Kong Link invited 12 artists to hold an art exhibition in Sydney with the theme Hello, how are you? More than 150 people came on the opening day, June 17, as support for the event. Former Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui Chi-fung and New South Wales MP Dr. McDermott delivered speeches at the exhibitions opening ceremony. Exhibits include photographic works, sculptures, videos, installation art (experience art interactively), and other diverse methods, building cultural links to bring warm greetings to Hong Kong people who have emigrated overseas. And by connecting the local community to share Hong Kongs cultural characteristics with foreigners. One of the curators, Pamela Leung, returned to Hong Kong in May this year. She specially ordered a neon sign to bring back to Australia, displaying in English Hello and in Chinese How are you in blue and red lights. She said, This neon work is the exhibitions theme. In addition to saying hello to the diasporic Hong Kong people, I also want to say, Neon also emigrated! The colorful neon signboards, once the most representative cultural symbols on the streets of Hong Kong, are disappearing one after the other and are rarely seen in Hong Kong nowadays and have become a collective memory. Leung also hopes that bringing the neon signs to Australia for display means that Hong Kong people who have emigrated overseas continue to shine, as do the neon lights. Another new exhibit is an item of installation art Return to the Pavement, created by Leung herself, using a batch of dolls donated by the elderly. Visitors can also contribute to support the event and take the dolls home as a souvenir. An item of installation art, Return to the Pavement, designed by Pamela Leung, was shown on June 17, 2023. (Courtesy of Pamela Leung) Leung continued to talk about the theme of this exhibition. It was inspired by an exhibition held in Sheffield, England, in January this year. I have seen many new emigrants from Hong Kong to the UK recently, and I wanted to make a caring greeting to them, from which the theme of this exhibition was born. She added that Sydney is where most Hong Kong emigrants settle in Australia, so it is meaningful to choose Sydney as the site of this exhibition. In this exhibition, she collaborated with another art curator, Rachael Kiang, for the first time, including 11 Hong Kong artists from 4 different cities in Australia and an artist from Taiwan. Former Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui Chi-fung delivered an opening speech for the event on June 17. (Courtesy of Pamela Leung) New South Wales MP Dr. McDermott delivered a speech for the exhibitions opening ceremony on June 17. (Courtesy of Pamela Leung) Pamela Leung said that Hongkongers are a relative minority grouping in Australia. This is a good opportunity to let local people recognize the art and culture of Hong Kong, understand Hong Kongs history, and demonstrate the spirit of solidarity and mutual support of Hong Kong people. Through this exhibition, audiences not only can increase their understanding of Hong Kong artists but also, by going through their works, be able to understand their different stories, feelings of diaspora immigrants, or homesickness. Hope to create some resonance and maybe achieve some healing effects! Hello, how are you? exhibition poster. (Courtesy of Pamela Leung) Hello, how are you? Cultural and Creative Art Exhibition, Sydney, Australia, Date: June 16-July 2, 2023 Time: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) Venue: Articulate Project Space, 497 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt NSW 2040, Sydney. Official website: https://www.articulateprojectspace.org/ Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellonhm.auhker.art House Committee Subpoenas Author of Scientific Paper Meant to Disprove COVID Lab Leak Theory The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic issued a subpoena on Friday demanding the private messages of Dr. Kristian Andersen relating to a research study meant to disprove the COVID-19 lab leak theory. Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said that a subpoena had been issued for documents and communications from Andersens Slack messaging channel. This is in relation to an academic paper titled The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2, which Andersen co-authored and published in Nature Medicine in March 2020. The paper says the virus has a natural origin. Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute, testified before the subcommittee on June 16 that he and the co-authors communicated primarily over Slack while drafting the paper. During the hearing, Andersen said that he had not provided all messages relevant to the subcommittees inquiry because not all participants of the Slack channelwhich he privately ownedapproved of their release. Wenstrup said the subpoena was issued to compel the production of Andersens Slack messages relating to the drafting, publication, and critical reception of the academic article and the origins of COVID-19. We are following the breadcrumbs of a COVID-19 cover-up straight to the source, Wenstrup said in a press release. Andersen played a pivotal role in potentially suppressing the lab leak hypothesis, and Americans deserve to know why this happened, who was involved, and how we can prevent the intentional suppression of scientific discourse during a future pandemic, he added. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) during a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, on Sept. 26, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Wenstrup said the authors may have possessed conflicts of interest for supporting a zoonotic origin of COVID-19. A copy of the subpoena seen by The Epoch Times states that Andersen will be required to provide all Slack documents and communications dated from Jan. 1, 2020, to June 23, 2023, regarding the origins of COVID-19, which referenced former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and former National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins, among others. Faucis Alleged Role in Drafting Study The subcommittee issued a memo (pdf) on March 5 saying that it uncovered new email evidence suggesting that Fauci prompted the drafting of the study. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 14, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) The memo detailed a conference call between Collins, Fauci, and at least 11 other scientists in early February 2020, about a week after the first Chinese Communist Party (CCP) viruscommonly known as the novel coronaviruscase was confirmed in the United States. Collins, Fauci, and others were warned in the Feb. 1, 2020, call about the possibility that the virus may have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, according to the memo. Citing internal emails, the committee asserted that Fauci prompted Andersen to write the paper and that it was designed to disprove any lab leak theory. The Proximal Origin papers abstract suggested that the virus may have emerged via Malaysia pangolins because they contain coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV. The presence in pangolins of [a virus receptor-binding domain] very similar to that of SARS-CoV-2 means that we can infer this was also probably in the virus that jumped to humans, the paper reads. But the March 5 memo, citing internal emails, stipulated that Anderson did not find the pangolin data compelling and only wrote the paper after being prompted by Fauci, Collins, and the others. Privately, Dr. Andersen did not believe the pangolin data disproved a lab leak theory despite saying so publicly. It is still unclear what intervening event changed the minds of the authors of Proximal Origin in such a short period of time, the House committee stated. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Idaho School District Votes to Ban LGBT Politics From Classrooms An Idaho school district voted to ban classroom discussions on gender identity this week in the latest battle by conservatives to keep left-wing sexual ideology out of the schools. The Nampa School District in Idaho will prohibit discussions or lessons on gender identity, transgenderism, and sexual orientation in the classroom. The past few years have seen a national debate between parents and leftist educators attempts to spread homosexual and transgender politics in the classroom. The Idaho school board passed the new policy after reading it a second time, and it will affect all grade levels. Idaho Bans Teachers From Teaching Gay Agenda in Classrooms In a 3-1 vote, board members chose to leave the responsibility of discussing, addressing, and educating children about gender identity and other related subjects to the parents and not the schools or its staff. The Nampa School District will recognize the rights of parents to discuss and educate their child on every subject matter, especially the non-academic subject matters not addressed in the District, The Idaho Press reported. The new rules also prevent school staff from being forced to use a students preferred pronouns, the Idaho News reported. Critics compare the policy to Floridas Dont Say Gay law, which also banned classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades. I dont want you to discuss my childs sexuality unless I know you and I are on the same page. Sorry, I just dont, Brooke Taylor, a Nampa school board member, told the Idaho News. Nampa resident and former California resident Mindy Oldenkamp told board members, By not allowing the discussion of gender and orientation topics within schools, youre no longer creating a safe environment for our kids. This quickly becomes a life and death issue for some, Oldenkamp added, saying that the policy could exacerbate suicide rates, which are higher among those in the gay and transgender demographics. Mandy Simpson, a math teacher and trustee in the district, told reporters that she voted against the policy since limiting what teachers could teach in the classroom could make children feel uncomfortable and could impact the quality of their education. If kids dont feel safe in a classroom, they will not even begin to try to learn the reading, the writing, [and] the math (sic), said Simpson. Students Will Still Have Right to Discuss Sexuality With Staff The school district will now require students to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their biological sex. School administrators are still allowed to work with parents on a particular basis if their child is unwilling or unable to use those facilities. Marco Valle, a Nampa trustee, called the new policy neutral and said that it is not stopping the kids from discussing the issue, but it is only stopping the district. Meanwhile, Nampa Education Association President Brian Coffey, who opposed the new rules, admitted that nothing would change much inside the classroom but is still worried about its impact on the gay community. When these issues do come up, its usually the students that bring them up and usually with each other, so unless Im really out of touch, the present and future sex lives of people is not something we talk about in public in Nampa, at all, much less in public schools, said Coffey, who is also a Nampa High School teacher. He said that any student who wishes to discuss the subject can still confide in teachers over sexuality, as the policy is not focusing on limiting student speech but primarily on the staff. To the extent a teacher might be in a position to facilitate a discussion among a group of students, I still feel like thats on the table and could be done. Is there some risk to that because little Johnny goes home and tells his mom that Tommy has two mommies, and now that mom is upset that there are conversations like that, sure that could happen, Coffey added. The message, I think, in the broader context is unequivocal. We are definitely in a moment where the LGBTQ+ community is under attack, he said. IN-DEPTH: Beyond Belief: Industrial Wind Developments Could Threaten Fragile Desert Ecosystem The scope and size of these projects are mind-boggling A landmark interregional transmission line project has broken ground this week to carry high-voltage electricity 732 miles from the largest wind farm in North America to Nevada. The TransWest Express Transmission Project (TWE) will take electricity generated by the $5 billion, 3,000 megawatt, 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project (CSMWE) located in Carbon County, Wyoming, to the Market substation in Eldorado Valley, Nevada, which lies within the largely untouched region of the Mojave Desert. The line that will run through Colorado and Utah will power California, Nevada, and Arizona. Though the projectamong others that the Biden administrations incentives have kickstartedis being celebrated as a new frontier of clean energy to combat climate change, there is a darker side as voiced by environmentalists whose unpopular opinion on the impacts of these projects have been quelled to support a narrative promoting an energy source that may not be as clean as its promoted. The scope and size of these projects are mind-boggling, Judy Bundorf, a resident of Southern Nevada, told The Epoch Times. This will do so much environmental and visual damage, not to mention killing eagles by the hundreds in the Wyoming area. In 2008, Bundorf discovered there would be an 87-turbine, 200-megawatt windfarm called the Searchlight Wind Energy Project built near her home in Searchlight, Nevada, surrounded by the Piute-Eldorado Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. She and the Friends of Searchlight Desert and Mountains (FSDM) and several other plaintiffs began what became a 10-year battle and five-year lawsuit against BLM, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on the grounds that the federal defendants had violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protect Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It began with opposition at a local level, with the Searchlight Town Advisory Board voting against the project, a vote which was later overridden by the Clark County Commissioners, Bundorf said. This brought her, and the FSDM, before the Nevada Public Utilities Commission, which had already greenlighted the project based on BLMs environmental study concluding the project would not impact wildlife such as golden eagles, desert tortoises, and bats. As there is today, there were well-connected special interests and their allies in government applying political pressure to get the project done, Bundorf said. In this case, the pressure was handed down from the late former Democrat Sen. Harry Reid, whom she told The Daily Signal in 2016, favored inefficient and expensive renewable energy plans that destroy the environment. In the end, a judge ruled that BLM and FWS had conducted a weak review of the impacts of wind turbines on wildlife and the environment, and the project was abandoned. Under Attack from Solar and Wind Developers But now, with the Biden administrations federal invectives to construct what it has deemed as clean, renewable energy, there may be no more successful David vs. Goliath lawsuits to stop wind turbine and solar industry that is projected to spread across landscapes and ocean fronts throughout the U.S. Its expensive, Bundorf said, and with the momentum of projects growing exponentially, theres not much that can stop projects like TransWest Express. The whole Southwest is under attack from solar and wind developers, Bundorf said, which will end with the mystic, quiet solitude of the desert landscape being destroyed by the grinding of industrial development. The TWE transmission lines, which will run through Colorado and Utah, will provide electricity to California, Nevada, and Arizona, interconnecting with Wyomings PacifiCorp system, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Utahs Intermountain Power Plant systems, and the California Independent System Operator. The TWE and CSMWE projectsscheduled to come online by 2027are commissioned by The Anschutz Corporation, owned by Phil Anschutz, a Colorado oil and gas billionaire. A groundbreaking ceremony took place at Overland Trail Ranch south of Rawlins, Wyoming, on June 20, with U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, TWE President and CEO Bill Miller, and Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordan. The TransWest Express Project will accelerate our nations transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs, and boosting local economies, said Haaland. Through historic investments from President Bidens Investing in America agenda, the Interior Department is helping build modern, resilient climate infrastructure that protects our communities from the worsening impacts of climate change. The Obama administration identified the TWE project as a priority as far back as 2011, a DOI press release stated. Since then, BLMs Wyoming office has worked closely with a variety of stakeholders as the lead federal permitting agency to develop the best possible route, the press release said. By collaborating closely with partners, the BLM was able to offset project impacts to greater sage-grouse, lands with wilderness characteristics, and other natural resources in Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. According to the DOI, the construction of wind turbines, transmission lines, and solar panels on public lands is essential to meeting goals laid out by the Biden administrations plan to attain a carbon pollution-free power grid by 2035, which includes permitting 25 gigawatts of solar, wind, and geothermal production on public lands by 2025. BLM is currently processing 74 utility-scale onshore clean energy developments proposed on public lands in the western U.S. This includes solar, wind and geothermal projects, as well as interconnected gen-tie lines that are vital to clean energy projects proposed on non-federal land, the DOI said. These projects have the combined potential to add over 37,000 megawatts of renewable energy to the western electric grid. In addition, BLM is reviewing over 150 applications for solar and wind development and 51 applications for wind and solar testing. President Joe Biden looks at a wind turbine blade as he tours the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Arvada, Colo., on Sept. 14, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Visible for Hundreds of Miles You cant fault anyone for trying to make money, but Im not sure what people realize what theyre getting into and how long theyll be staring at these enormous wind turbines with bright lights that will be blinking 24/7, Bundorf said. Theyre visible for hundreds of miles. In the Midwest, landowners have reported contracts with wind energy companies to be imbalanced and one-sided, giving more power to the wind company than the property owner. Marti Machtan told The Epoch Times in a previous report that wind companies can exit the contract at any time, while landowners must commit to decades worth of encumbrances. There are liability shifting provisions for the big multi-billion-dollar multinational companies that shift risks onto these farmers, he said. There are also inadequate decommissioning standards, he added. One of the things people are worried about is, because this type of energy production really doesnt make sense over the long term, theres the risk that farmers are going to be left holding the bag, Machtan said. This appears to be what happened in April in Marshall County, Kansas, where a wind turbine broke and scattered fiberglass shards across a farm, ruining a farmers crop. When investigating the issue, Kansas state Rep. Carrie Barth found that industrial wind companies have several loopholes they can take to get out of repairing or decommissioning turbines, leaving property owners stranded with these structures reaching and some even surpassing 700 feet tall. Ellen Koch reported to The Epoch Times that as of June 23, the turbine was still swinging in the air, but that the company said on June 7 that it would be replaced in two weeks. Its been 16 days, Koch said, adding that fiberglass still covers the ground on which it shattered. Broken wind turbine in Marshall County, Kansas, 2023. (Courtesy of Ellen and Bob Koch) Its Beyond Belief Even if the turbines were to be removed when decommissioned, the damage has already been done in the fragile desert ecosystem, Bundorf said. When you consider that you can still see the tracks from people traveling to California on wagons, you understand that our environment doesnt recover that way, Bundorf said. The desert Southwest is an extremely sensitive environment. You look at a sagebrush that is maybe two to three feet tall, and it could be hundreds of years old. Clean energy companies apply for and have been granted incidental take permits, which are used under the U.S. Endangered Species Act to protect these companies from liability when endangered wildlife is harmed. To give you an idea of how crazy this is, green-energy companies in California can get take permits to kill California condors, Bundorf said. The California condor, the largest North American land bird, became extinct in the wild in 1987 but has since been reintroduced into its natural habitats in Utah and Arizona. The desert tortoise is another species that faces a reduction in population because of the construction. Theoretically, you could pick them up and move them before they bulldoze, but they live underground, Bundorf said. Since they cant locate them all, many of them are killed, she said. Its beyond belief, Bundorf said. I think in 20 years will look back on this and say this was the craziest thing weve ever done to generate energy. IN-DEPTH: Ripple Effects of Roe Reversal Still Felt 1 Year Later Pro-life supporters hug outside the Supreme Court in Washington after the court formally overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Throngs of demonstrators carrying signs and bullhorns gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on a Friday morning. A tangible tension mingled with the chants in the air. The date was June 24, 2022, and they were moments away from witnessing historythey all but knew it. Just weeks before, a leaked draft opinion of the high courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling had rocked the nation. A half-century of judicial precedent was about to be struck down, and with it, the federal right to abortion. As the final opinion came down, members of the crowd erupted into shouts of joy or anger, their highest hopes or worst fears confirmed: Roe v. Wade was no more, and the states would now decide the fate of abortion in the United States. Now, one year later, that fate is still very much in question. Shifting Landscape In the wake of the courts decision, the move to enact new abortion legislation around the country was swift. As left-leaning states feverishly rushed to codify protections for women seeking abortions, more conservative states moved to tighten restrictions on the procedure at varying stages of pregnancy. Meanwhile, in some states, abortion laws that predated Roe were instantly triggered by the rulings reversal. In Wisconsin, an 1849 ban on all abortions in the statesave those to avert risk to the mothers lifetook effect. That law has since been challenged in court. In Arizona, the states Court of Appeals ruled that a similar ban dating back to 1864 can coexist with a 2022 law that allows abortions through 15 weeks of pregnancy. The more recent law, the court held, should simply be viewed as an exception to the earlier ban. That ruling has been appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Additional lawsuits in other states have left the legal parameters of abortion in limbo. For instance, in Florida, a six-week abortion limit that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in April cant take effect until the states Supreme Court rules on an embattled 15-week restriction that lawmakers passed last year. Similarly, South Carolinas six-week limit has been temporarily blocked pending a review from the states Supreme Court. Pro-life and pro-abortion activists hold signs with opposing views during the 50th annual March for Life rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 20, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The Fallout With so much uncertainty surrounding the legality of abortion in several states, Senate Democrats described the current landscape as a dystopian reality for women. One year ago, Americans lost a constitutional right for the first time in history and Republicans ripped it away, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said at a June 21 press conference at the Capitol. Since that Dobbs decision, 14 states have passed a total ban on abortion, another six states have severely limited abortion services, and nine other states have had their abortion bans blocked in court. Murray added that the consequences of the courts decision had been devastating for those who considered abortion to be a womans fundamental right. Women are heartbroken, she said. Theyre terrified. But they are also mad, and they are determined, and they are speaking out, and so are Senate Democrats. Later that day, Murray led an effort to push through four bills aimed at expanding protections for women seeking abortions and reproductive health services via unanimous consenta move that was ultimately blocked by Republicans. But abortion advocates arent the only people expressing concern over the ramifications of Dobbs. For those who oppose abortion, the overturn of Roe has largely been considered a win. But according to pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, the ruling has had its drawbacks for the pro-life movement too. After Roe was overturned, there was a fear that people who werent as involved in the pro-life movement were going to kind of throw up their hands and say, Great. OK, now we dont have to worry about abortion anymore. And unfortunately, it seems like that has been the case, Johnson told The Epoch Times. She noted that, in recent months, there has been a marked decline in volunteerism and donations to pro-life organizations, yet the fight for life has, if anything, only gotten harder. In a way, weve made the landscape a little more difficult for ourselves because, now, instead of just one battle, we have 51 battles, if you include D.C., she said. And those battles arent only legislative. According to a list (pdf) compiled by the conservative Family Research Council, 106 attacks on churches and pro-life organizations occurred between the May 2022 leak of the Dobbs decision and May 19, 2023. An additional 24 incidents of vandalism and harassment targeting pro-life individuals have also been reported. Johnson, once a Planned Parenthood clinic director, now helps clinic workers to leave the abortion industry as the CEO and founder of the nonprofit And Then There Were None. And even though her staff works remotely, she noted that the organization has been forced to take extra precautions following recent threats to her safety. Since all this has happened, I have more security when I go out than I did before, she said. Her organization has also taken measures to protect the identities of staff members. Even so, after years of speaking out against abortion, Johnson said she had found such risks to be par for the course. Violence begets violence. And they are for violence against the most vulnerable people among us. Abby Johnson, the CEO of pro-life group And Then There Were None, in Austin, Texas, in November 2022. (Courtesy of Abby Johnson) By the Numbers A decrease in the number of abortions performed in the United States over the past year may also be a result of the Dobbs ruling. A recent analysis (pdf) of abortion data conducted by the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning found that more than 25,000 fewer abortions were performed in the country from July 2022 to March 2023 than were expected. That organization held that the reduction meant grave consequences for women unable to obtain abortions, including increased economic insecurity, poorer physical health, and continued exposure to violence from the man involved in the pregnancy. But E.V. Osment, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life Americas vice president of communications, shared a different perspective. What we have known all along is the majority of women want to keep their children, Osment said. Theyre just hoping and looking for a way to do that. Many women, she noted, feel pressured by their partners and parents to abort their babies because of financial constraints. For those women, taking abortion off the table as an option could relieve that pressure. For us, the next move forward is to make sure that we are supporting moms and childrenthat we are not doing what the other side does, which is to pit the mom against the child, but we are loving and supporting them both at the same time. As for attitudes toward abortion, Osment noted that a recent survey (pdf) conducted June 6 to 9 by The Tarrance Group indicates that most voters dont align with Democrats who advocate for unrestricted abortion. Seventy-seven percent of voters agree with at least some abortion limits by 15 weeks, she said. And we also see, poll after poll, that Americans are not comfortable with and do not want late-term abortions. What they want is to have abortion limited by at least the first trimester, and what we see is 12 to 15 weeks, when science proves that the child can feel pain inside the womb. The survey also found that 70 percent of voters support requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions and 76 percent support the existence of pregnancy resource centers that do not perform abortions. Additionally, 59 percent of voters said they would support federal legislation to limit abortions beyond 15 weeks gestation. But while the public might be on board with such a measure, whether Congress would support it remains to be seen. Last September, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) proposed a 15-week limit with exceptions for rape, incest, and the health of the mother, but the bill was never voted on in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Looking Ahead The issue of abortion has been at the forefront of U.S. politics for decades, and with a presidential election just around the corner, that isnt likely to change soon. In fact, abortion is already playing a prominent role in the presidential primaries. On June 23, President Joe Biden secured the endorsement of abortion provider Planned Parenthood, which will likely be a feather in his cap as he looks to reclaim the Democratic nomination. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been committed to fighting back against the onslaught of attacks against our reproductive freedom. And we need them to continue this critical work, said Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement. We know, clear as day, that if anti-abortion politicians gain control of the White House, they will exploit their power toward their ultimate goal: a national abortion ban. That is why we must re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris: people we can trust to keep rebuilding a path forward because we know the journey to rebuilding our rights will be met with challenges. Meanwhile, Republican candidates have begun courting the pro-life vote, touting their views and relevant accomplishments. While speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Policy Conference in Washington on June 23, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointed to the six-week limit he recently signed as evidence that he was promoting a culture of life in Florida. At the same event, former Vice President Mike Pence called upon his fellow Republican candidates to pledge their support for a national 15-week limitation on abortiona call former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was happy to answer. But one candidate who has shied away from taking a specific position on federal abortion restrictions is former President Donald Trump. During a CNN town hall in May, he was asked whether he would support such a measure. Hedging, he replied that he would negotiate so that people are happy. The former president also noted that he appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. You wouldnt even be having a discussion if you werent able to get rid of Roe v. Wade, he said. But while Roe is gone, for voters on the left and right, the issue of abortion is clearly not forgotten. IN-DEPTH: What Caused Deadliest Barn Fire Involving Cattle in Texas History Questions linger about the Texas dairy fire that killed 18,000 cows A massive explosion at the South Fork Dairy in Castro County, Texas, sent billowing black smoke skyward, on April 10, 2023. (Courtesy of Castro County Sheriff's Office) The official report on the deadliest barn fire involving cattle in Texas history, and in the last decade, has deemed it an accident. While the 25-page report from the Texas State Fire Marshal said no foul play was involved in the record-setting fire in the states panhandle, questions about the cause linger. The April 10 blaze at the South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt, Texas, killed almost 18,000 dairy cows and critically injured one employee, who later recovered, according to the Castro County Sheriffs Office. South Fork Dairy was one of the largest dairy farms in the country, located about 75 miles northwest of Lubbock. Barn fire at the Ely Fischer farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Timothy Coover Maytown/East Donegal Township Fire Department Photographer) The fire marshal report obtained through an open record request said the cause of the inferno that created a large black plume of smoke high over the Texas prairie was caused by an engine fire in a manure vacuum truck. The fire was so hot that metal beams were warped in places. From the structures exterior, investigators found dead cattle three to four deep. The fire was mentioned on Tucker Carlson Tonight before Fox News canceled this popular news host. Carlson began reporting on a slate of fires at food processing plants and livestock deaths by fire in 2022 and suggested the events might be connected as part of a conspiracy to damage the nations food supply. Fires have killed many thousands of chickens and cattle across America, prompting widespread concerns about food security. It looks like terrorism, Carlson said on his show after the massive fire at the South Fork Dairy. Maybe it is. Maybe it isnt. But maybe someone should explain how it isnt. A Mensch vacuum truck outside the South Fork Dairy in Texas is the same as another one that caught and caused the largest barn fire in Texas history, on April 10, 2023. (Courtesy of the Texas State Fire Marshal) Not Eco-Terrorism Several weeks later, the Texas Fire Marshals Office called the dairy blaze accidental. But the official report noted something unusual. A second Mensch manure vacuum truckthe same make and model as the one used inside the barn at the time of the firehad previously burned due to an engine fire. The investigation report noted that the second truck was parked outside the east side of the barn near a generator, where it had remained undisturbed since its engine caught fire. Local news reports cited a Texas State Fire Marshals news release saying that a third vacuum truck fire had occurred at another dairy. The statement gave no further detail. The agencys news release stressed that no foul play was indicated, and the incident was not a terroristic attack, or any type of event caused to interrupt the milk supply. A farm is leveled by the South Obenchain Fire along Butte Falls Highway in Eagle Point, Oregon, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Adrees Latif/Reuters) Yet the vacuum trucks have no history of malfunctioning, according to a written statement from Mensch Manufacturing in Hastings, Michigan, to The Epoch Times. No one has identified any issue with the machine, and we are unaware of any issue with the machine that would have caused a fire, the statement reads. In our nearly four decades of operation, we have had no claims about defective equipment that led to a fire. Deadliest Barn Fire for Cattle The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), which keeps records of barn fires and farm animal deaths, ranked the South Fork Dairy fire the deadliest for cattle since the agency began tracking barn fires in 2013. Livestock deaths from fires have been increasing, a recent AWI study shows. From 2018-2021, 539 fires killed nearly 3 million animals, researchers found. Cattle standing at Frank Konyn Dairy Inc. in Escondido, Calif., on April 16, 2020. (Ariana Drehsler/AFP via Getty Images) Allie Granger is a farm animal program policy associate at AWI. The institute has never seen a pattern of engine fires like those described at South Fork Dairy, she said. Its a very bizarre situation that there were two fires on this one particular operation involving the same make and model truck, Granger said. And then [theres] the third incident that were hearing about. It does seem strange. But Granger said she doesnt think the fire at South Fork Dairy was due to foul play. The cause of barn fires often remains unknown because theres no mandatory reporting requirement, she said. For the incidents where we do know the cause, the majority usually has to do with heating equipment, she said. Women show support for Dutch farmers and protest for the governments climate-change measures at a rally in Vancouver, B.C., on July 23, 2022. (Vivian Yu/The Epoch Times) On more extensive farm operations, a leading cause of fires is electrical malfunction, she said. Barn fires happen most often in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, according to another AWI report. The states with the most barn fires were New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, researchers found. More than twice as many barn fires occurred in winter, as compared to summer, according to data. And though some have speculated that the cause of barn fires is connected with threats to food security, barn fires happen frequently and normally receive little attention, Granger said. According to Texas fire investigators, the fire responsible for killing nearly 18,000 dairy cows in the Texas Panhandle started in the engine compartment of a Mensch vacuum truck, on April 10, 2023. (Courtesy of the Texas State Fire Marshal) Fire Started in the Engine Compartment Fire investigators noted in their report they could not find any recalls or information related to fires involving Mensch vehicles other than those that have occurred in Castro County. The deadly fire inside the barn originated in the engine compartment of the Mensch operating at the north end of the 2-million-square-foot structure, state investigators wrote. Spilled milk on the street was part of a protest by dairy farmers in downtown Ottawa on Sept. 29, 2015. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) The worker told investigators he was operating the vacuum when he saw what he thought was steam coming from under the hood. When he saw it was on fire, he tried to drive the machine out of the barn but couldnt, the report said. So he tried to put out the fire with two fire extinguishers. Other employees ran to get more extinguishers. But when they returned, the fire was too big to control, they told investigators. The exact failure was not determined, but there was no intentional act to cause a failure found. No other ignition sources were found in the area of origin, the report concluded. Mak Johnson helps to move cattle into pens after they had been sold at the Abilene Livestock Auction in Abilene, Texas, on July 26, 2011. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Fire Could Change the Dairy Industry The State Fire Marshal report noted that insurance companies would investigate the fire further. And Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a news release that it was necessary to understand what happened, noting there are lessons to be learned and that the impact of the fire could influence the industry itself. Once we know the cause and the facts surrounding this tragedy, we will make sure the public is fully informedso tragedies like this can be avoided in the future, Miller said in the written statement. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Epoch Times. Additionally, the owner of South Fork Dairy did not immediately return a request for comment. Infowars Host Owen Shroyer Pleads Guilty to Entering Restricted Area on Jan. 6 Infowars host Owen Shroyer on June 24, pleaded guilty to a federal crime in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Shroyer admitted to entering a restricted area during the breach, according to documents filed in federal court in Washington. Shroyer did not enter the Capitol building. Shroyer, who hosts a show for Alex Joness Infowars website, faces up to one year in jail. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for later this year. On Jan. 5, 2021, Shroyer told a crowd in Washington: Americans are ready to fight. Were not exactly sure what thats going to look like perhaps in a couple of weeks if we cant stop this certification of the fraudulent election of Joe Biden. He also said that we are the new revolution and that We are going to restore and we are going to save the republic! Shroyer made similar comments that day on his Infowars show. A day later, Shroyer stood near the Capitol describing Democrats on tyrants and saying, through a loudspeaker, that we declare death to tyranny and death to tyrants. Today we march for the Capitol, because on this historic January 6, 2021, we have to let our Congressmen and women know and have to let Mike Pence know, they stole the election, we know they stole it, and we arent going to accept it, Shroyer said. Shroyer led chants of USA and 1776 as the crowd marched to the Capitol. He entered Capitol grounds after 1 p.m. and later led similar chants on the Capitol steps. Defense Norm Pattis, a lawyer representing Shroyer, told the court that Shroyer attended the Jan. 6 events as a journalist. To the extent that he was present on Capitol grounds, it was as part of a political demonstration. He did not engage in violence or in any attempt to impede or obstruct but mainly observed. As a journalist, he had an obligation to be close to the action, Pattis said in a motion to dismiss the charges. Shroyer said in an affidavit that his intention was primarily to report on my observations to our millions of listeners and viewers worldwide. Infowars host Owen Shroyer outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (DOJ via The Epoch Times) Shroyer said that he went with Jones to see then-President Donald Trump speak about a mile from the Capitol. Shroyer and Jones, accompanied by a security detail, then walked to the Capitol with a crowd. After seeing how people had become unruly at the Capitol, Jones tried calming the crowd as Shroyer stood by, Shroyer said. Prosecutors said, Harkening to the last time Americans overthrew their government in a revolution while standing on the Capitol steps where elected representatives are certifying a Presidential Election you disagree with does not qualify as de-escalation, prosecutors said. Plea The motion to dismiss was withdrawn as part of Shroyers plea agreement. Shroyer pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. In exchange, three other charges were dropped. Mr. Shroyer entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge and will be sentenced in September. We are hopeful that he will be spared incarceration, Pattis told The Epoch Times via email. We thank prosecutors for being reasonable in his case and wish that same spirit of reasonableness were more broadly shared in the Department of Justice. Jan. 6 was a riot, not an insurrection. A misdemeanor conviction is all this was worth. According to the agreed upon statement of offense, Shroyer violated the law by going on Capitol grounds, including passing by downed and moved barricades and at least one sign that said, Area Closed. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, will sentence Shroyer on Sept. 12 Judge Denies NYC Request to Dismiss Orange County Migrant Lawsuit Migrants who had been sent to upstate counties by New York City Mayor Eric Adams sit in the front yard of Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh, N.Y., on May 15, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) A state supreme court judge on June 21 denied a request from New York City and two hotels to dismiss the migrant lawsuit brought against them by Orange County. The judge also granted a preliminary injunction that bans the city from sending more migrants into the county until a legal resolution is reached. Orange County filed the lawsuit days after Mayor Eric Adams bused 186 homeless individuals to two hotels in the Town of Newburgh to ease the citys mounting migrant crisis. The lawsuit argued that the city couldnt operate a homeless shelter in Orange County without due process and asked the court to reverse transfers already done and ban such arrangements in the future. Judge Sandra Sciortino, in denying the citys dismissal request, asserted the countys standing and causes in the legal dispute and put the case back on the trial calendar. Under the New York social services law, the city has a responsibility to care for individuals unable to provide for themselves within its boundary, and so does the county government; any transfers between the two must conform to state regulations, according to Sciortino. No proof has been provided by the city that those regulations were met. Social Services Law Even though Gov. Kathy Hochuls latest executive order suspended certain building and sanitary codes in the face of the migrant crisis, the social services law was untouched, according to the court order. Plus, the city admitted that migrants at the two Newburgh hotels, while their stays were paid for by the city, were free to leave at any time. If they find their community, they are free to do that. They are in our care. They are not in our control they are not imprisoned at the facility, a city representative said at a May 16 court hearing. Once they leave the hotels, temporarily or permanently, they may require fire, police, or medical services and strain county resources. Based on the above reasons, Sciortino decided the county had enough stakes to pursue the lawsuit. Migrants sit outside the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh, N.Y., on May 15, 2023. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times) As to the countys ask for a preliminary injunction against further transfers, the city argued the request violated the migrants right to travel, but Sciortino disagreed. If migrants came to the county themselves, no evidence suggested that the county government would refuse to admit them or prevent them from accessing public locations, according to the court order. In other words, the countys objection lies not in the free movement of these individuals but in the method with which the city transports them. The city also opposed the injunction on the grounds of discrimination on the basis of national origins, which Sciortino found unsound. In asking for a stop to further transfers, the county meant the general homeless adult population from the city and didnt single out migrants, according to the court order. The two hotel defendants, Crossroads Hotel and Ramada by Windham Newburgh/West Point, also argued that an injunction would violate their right to contract. Sciortino found the assertion premature, given that the contracts hadnt been provided to the court by the hotels and whether they complied with laws in the first place was unknown. Plus, she wrote, it was too early to tell in this matter whether the countys interest in protecting the general good of the public overrides the hotels right to contract. In granting the preliminary injunction, Sciortino said the city could still send migrants to the county as long as the transfers were done in compliance with applicable laws. The court order also asked the city to provide identification information of those staying at Orange County hotels within five days. Sciortino encouraged both parties to work together in the coming months to find a solution that would address the needs of all people involved, including the migrants. Major Shareholders Reduce Holdings in Chinese AI Firm SenseTime The logo of SenseTime is seen at the companys office, in Shanghai on Dec. 13, 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters) Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime is experiencing a continuous reduction in shareholding by its major shareholders. The companyhit by U.S. sanctions over Uyghur concernshas accumulated losses of 43.83 billion yuan (about $6.14 billion) in the past five years. The company joins Megvii Technology, Yitu Technology, and Cloudwalk Technology as part of Chinas four AI dragons. According to industry insiders, the other three AI dragons also performed below expectations due to U.S. sanctions. Equity information provided by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on June 19 showed that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (09988.HK) sold 50 million shares of SenseTime on June 15 at an average of HK$2.2670 (about US$0.295) per share. Alibaba reduced its holdings worth 113.35 million Hong Kong dollars (about US$14.74 million) in cash this time, and its stake fell to 5.91 percent. On June 20, the closing price of SenseTime (00020.HK) dropped to HK$2.25 (about US$0.293). This is the second time this month that Alibaba reduced its holdings in SenseTime Group, with the last reduction on June 5, when it sold 70 million shares at an average price of HK$2.1974 (US$0.2857) per share, cashing out HK$153.82 million (US$20 million) and reducing its stake to 6.84 percent. Alibaba reduced its stake in SenseTime three times this year, the first time being on April 11, when it reduced its stake by 40 million shares. SenseTimes share price plunged 50 percent when its lock-up period expired on June 30, 2022, and closed that day at HK$3.13 (about $0.41) per share, falling below its offering price of HK$3.85 (about $0.50). When Alibaba cut its stake on April 11, SenseTime Groups share price was at its highest since the lifting of the trading ban. In addition to Alibaba, SenseTime Group has been reduced by other major shareholders many times since the listing ban was lifted. For example, Softbank Group has reduced its holdings five times since Dec. 5 last year. A booth of Chinas Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime shows at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 7, 2021. (STR/CNS/AFP via Getty Images) The latest reduction was on April 6, when it cut its holdings by 50 million shares, reducing its shareholding ratio to 13.95 percent, and cashing out approximately HK$138 million (about US$17.94 million). Similarly, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund known as the Public Investment Fund, another major shareholder of SenseTime Group, reduced its holdings five times since December last year, and its shareholdings have also fallen to 13.95 percent. Reliance on Capital Investment Sho Tokumori, the president of a Japanese high-tech company, explained SenseTimes situation. I am not surprised at all that SenseTime is experiencing a wave of share reduction by its major shareholders, he told The Epoch Times on June 21. Its not because AI is not good, but because SenseTime is not doing well. In fact, it is not just SenseTime that fails to perform, none of Chinas four AI dragons has had a satisfactory performance. Tokumori said SenseTime is the type of company that has been relying on capital investment for many years but has lost money year after yearit was only a matter of time before the bubble burst. SenseTimes strengths lie in image recognition and big data, which are very different from the generative AI that is now in the limelight. Its revenue from the launching of new technology is weak to begin with, he explained. With the continuous downturn of the Chinese economy, government procurement has been reduced year by year, and profits are nowhere in sight even without U.S. sanctions. Investors have lost patience and no longer believe in the big pie that will never be obtained. Facial Recognition Technology On Dec.10, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it had placed SenseTime Group on the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List (NS-CMIC) because Chinas communist authorities used SenseTime Group developed racial facial recognition against Uyghurs in Chinas Xinjiang region. AI (Artificial Intelligence) security cameras with facial recognition technology are seen at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images) As a result, SenseTime Group postponed its scheduled Hong Kong IPO on Dec. 17, 2021, and restarted its IPO in Hong Kong on Dec. 20 of the same year. Before that, it was listed in Hong Kong on Sept. 30, 2021. SenseTime was earlier put on the U.S. Entity List in 2019, an export blacklist that limited its capacity to access U.S. technology. Tokumori said the impact of the sanctions was comprehensive. SenseTime only provides algorithms, which means running SenseTimes algorithms on other peoples hardware. For example, running SenseTimes face recognition on Hikvisions cameraswith the failure of Hikvision, there will be no orders for SenseTime, he said. Another impact of sanctions on SenseTime is that foreign companies are afraid to cooperate with SenseTime, and domestic business alone cannot support its current valuation. Picture of Hikvision cameras in an electronic mall in Beijing on May 24, 2019. (Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images) Hikvision was placed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN list) by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022, affecting more than 180 countries and regions that use Hikvision products. The companys 2022 full-year net profit fell by 23.59 percent year-on-year, and in the first quarter of this year, there was a 1.9 percent year-on-year decline in revenue and a 20.7 percent year-on-year decline in net profit attributable to its shareholders. Like SenseTime, the other three Chinese AI Tigers have also been included in the list of military-related companies by the United States, restricting American investors from investing in these companies. Among them, Cloudwalk Technologys operating income in 2022 fell by 51.06 percent year-on-year, and its loss increased by 237 million yuan (about $33 million) compared with 2021. Michael Zwaagstra: Ideology Trumps Merit in Toronto Schools Commentary As the old saying goes, if it aint broke, dont fix it. Poor grammar notwithstanding, this is in fact very good advice. You shouldnt take apart your cars engine, for example, when things are running smoothly. Its a surefire way to create problems where none had previously existed. Too bad the administrators and trustees of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) never took this advice to heart. It might have saved them from a disaster of their own making. Last year, for its specialized high schools, the TDSB replaced its merit-based admissions process with a lottery system, despite widespread opposition from parents and students. Things have not gone well. In an ironic twist of fate, a computer error resulted in students from under-represented groups (such as black and indigenous students) only being considered for the 25 percent of spots allotted to meet a diversity quota. The remaining 75 percent of spots were, strangely, not open to them. In other words, instead of reducing inequity, the new lottery system robbed students from under-represented groups of spots that should rightfully (based on merit) have been theirs. Youd think that TDSB trustees and administrators would learn from this mistake. Instead, they doubled down and went into overdrive to justify their decision. For example, last month the TDSB released a report, which predictably concluded that the lottery system was a good idea. What the TDSB didnt anticipate was that parents would take matters into their own hands and ask Marcin Peski, a University of Toronto economics professor, to conduct an in-depth analysis of this reports methodology. Peski found that the report was riddled with false citations, unattributed quotes, and plagiarized text. Not only were approximately 20 percent of the reports citations false, but about half of the text was copied from other sources. Peski also concluded that the author likely used an AI program such as ChatGPT to help write the report. TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird tried to absolve his employer from responsibility by blaming the author. But if the TDSB is going to commission and release a research report, it bears ultimate responsibility for what it allows to be published and distributed under its name. Astonishingly, the TDSB also failed to anticipate that its new admissions policy would lead to an increase in applications and, consequently, longer waitlists, which it is managing poorly, raising the ire of frustrated parents. While initial admissions decisions were made in December for next school year, waitlists expired in February or March (depending on whether it was a secondary or an elementary program). After this point, only students from the local catchment area were eligible for the waitlist. Of course, this essentially turned these specialized schools into regular neighbourhood public schools, which completely undermines their status as specialized schools. This is what happens when ideology trumps merit. A rigid commitment to equity means that many public school boards, including the TDSB, are obsessed with erasing all differences between gender and racial groups. As a result, school boards make foolish decisions such as abolishing merit-based admissions policies for specialized schools. With this school year winding down, theres still time for TDSB trustees and administrators to reverse course. Reinstating a merit-based admissions policy would be a positive sign that common sense can still prevail in the public education system. Ideology should not trump merit in schools. Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. In this piece, we will take a look at the 20 most profitable food businesses in the world. If you want to skip our primer of the food industry, profitability, and entrepreneurship in general, then head on over to 5 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World. Food is directly tied to human progress. This is because the sole reason humanity was able to progress as a civilization instead of living in hunting and gathering as tribes was that humans were able to settle down in societies to grow their own food and coalesce their resources. Since then, the world, and the food industry have come quite far. Global caloric consumption has grown as we have been able to drastically increase our food production due to advances in agricultural mechanization. And this will continue to grow in the future as well according to data from the United Nations. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) estimates, global caloric consumption will grow from 2,789 kilocalories per person in 2000 to 3,139. kilocalories by 2050 for a 12% growth. So it's clear that food is here to stay, and the ongoing global population growth provides opportunities for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the process of setting up a new business to make a profit and take financial risks in the process. It is also the heart of capitalism and economic growth, with the process of disrupting existing industries with new ideas first defined as 'Creative Disruption' by the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter as far back as 1946. And since Mr. Schumpeter's time, the food industry has produced some of the biggest and most profitable companies in human history. One of these, which is a household name is none other than the fast food giant McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD). In its latest fiscal year, McDonald's raked in $6.1 billion in net profit - higher than the foreign reserves of several developing countries. This lends the firm a profit margin of 26% - indicating that it brings 26 cents on a dollar to the coffers of shareholders and investors. But, McDonald's isn't the biggest food company in the world. Instead, that title goes to The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO). Coca-Cola earned $9.5 billion in revenue in the twelve months ending in December 2022, for a profit margin of 22% - just a little lower than McDonald's despite selling different kinds of products. As a whole though, McDonald's is several times more profitable than the restaurant industry. This is because the restaurant and dining industry has a profit margin of 9% according to estimates from the renowned Professor Aswanth Damodaran of the New York University's Stern School of Business. And, Coca-Cola is also more profitable than the beverages industry, with the soft drink industry having a profit margin of 14.6%. Just as technology has disrupted a variety of other industries, it is also making its impact on the food industry as well. One such example comes from the food technology unicorn NotCo. This interesting company sits at the heart of the intersection of today's hottest technology scene, artificial intelligence, the push to environmental sustainability, and the food industry. Its platform, Giuseppe, has the potential of becoming the darling of environmental activists and vegetarians since it uses algorithms to first scan the texture and other details of animal based ingredients to find their purely plant based substitutes. NotCo raised $70 million in Series D1 funding in December 2022 to scale up Giuseppe to allow other firms to use it as well. NotCo currently sells its own food products as well, under 'ear catching' titles such as NotChicken, NotMilk, and NotBurger. NotCo is truly a unicorn since most investor attention in the food entrepreneurship scene goes to different segments of the food chain according to researchers from the University of Hohenheim in Germany. They analyzed investments in start ups in the food value chain between 2013 and 2017 to conclude that packaging, agriculture, and shipping are some areas that received the most funding. Finally, the food industry is naturally quite resilient in tough macroeconomic environments, and since we're in the midst of one right now, comments from McDonald's executives made during the firm's latest earnings call are worth noting. McDonald's is following an approach called 'intrapreneurship' where big firms apply an entrepreneurial strategy to their affairs: Were calling this Accelerating the Organization. In March, we convened our Annual Leadership Summit with top leaders from across the globe. Part of this meeting, we discussed three changes to our ways of working that will enable us to leverage our scale more effectively to meet the needs of our system and customers and unlock significant growth potential. The first is implementing horizontal ways of working. For years, our organization like many others was too siloed, whether that be geographically siloed or functionally siloed, and yet our biggest challenges and opportunities are rarely limited to just one market. They cant be solved by only one function. They require collaborating across the organization to bring the full breadth of McDonalds skills and experiences to devise the best system solution that can be scaled globally. In other words, they need to be solved horizontally. With Accelerating the Organization, were now structured to work much more seamlessly in a horizontal fashion to solve these problems once and then scale solutions across markets, for example, is our app offering a seamless and personalized user experience. Were continuing to increase our speed of service. Those are opportunities across every single market and require the expertise of multiple functions. To support our ambition, to scale innovations with greater agility and collaborate more effectively, our second key shift is adopting One McDonalds Way to standardize the common processes we use to drive consistency and enable speed. Were an innovative entrepreneurial organization, but once a part of our system somewhere has solved a problem or developed a novel idea, we need to stop the work elsewhere. We dont need every market to invent its own light bulbs, so to speak. With these details in mind, let's take a look at some of the most profitable food businesses in the world. For more businesses, you can check out 10 Most Profitable Businesses to Start from Home. 20 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World tareq-ismail-tEg7EK-ok3E-unsplash Our Methodology To compile our list of the world's most profitable food businesses, we cast a wide net and consulted seven (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) sources to compile an initial list of 40+ highly profitable food business ideas. Then, each time a business appeared on a list, it was awarded a single point, and the food businesses were ranked accordingly. After this, the profit margins of these businesses were gathered through different sources, and attention was paid to entries with more than one point with others included as a last resort. The final list of the most profitable food businesses is as follows. 20 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World 20. Grocery Stores Profit Margin Estimate: 2% Grocery stores are some of the most common establishments that you're likely to find. They range from super giants such as Wallmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) to small mom and pop stores. 19. Cafe Profit Margin Estimate: 2.5% A cafe is a popular establishment for people looking to enjoy their lunch break, meet up with friends, or simply get outside the house to maybe get some work done in a different environment. 18. Fine Dining Profit Margin Estimate: 4% Fine dining establishments are a step above fast food restaurants and cafes. They often have a long waiting list and revolve around creating an ambiance filled environment to eat food alongside specialized delicacies. 17. Food Truck Profit Margin Estimate: 5.5% A food truck is the opposite of fine dining. You can catch them anywhere, and a great advantage of them is that they can be moved around to accommodate areas with high demand such as festivals and rallies. 16. Baked Goods Profit Margin Estimate: 5.5% Baked goods are some of the most scrumptious treats that anyone can enjoy. Whether it's a cake, a doughnut, or biscuits, plenty of demand is always there for all kinds of products. 15. Alcoholic Beverages Profit Margin Estimate: 5.76% Alcoholic beverages cover drinks such as wine, spirits, and beer. They are often located in regions with suitable climatic and agricultural conditions, such as California. 14. Candy Stores Profit Margin Estimate: 6.5% Candy stores are naturally one of the most popular destinations for children. 13. Organic Food Profit Margin Estimate: 6.5% The health worries of eating artificial foods or food grown with the help of additives have led to a growth in the demand for completely naturally grown products that are free from artificial additives. 12. Fast Food Profit Margin Estimate: 6.5% Fast food is for people on the go who need to eat fast and get back to their jobs or other commitments. Some of the biggest food companies in the world are fast food companies. 11. Catering Profit Margin Estimate: 7% Catering is a management intense business that requires close contact with the customer and strict control over the workforce to ensure a healthy brand image. 10. Tea Brand Profit Margin Estimate: 7.5% While most people prefer coffee as their go to hot beverage, tea is quite popular among health conscious users and those that want to go caffeine free. 9. Ice Cream Shop Profit Margin Estimate: 11% An ice cream shop is really self explanatory. It'll do well in the summers, and all year around if kids were to have their way. 8. Fruit Juice Profit Margin Estimate: 14% Another growing trend, particularly among young people, is fruit juice due to its health benefit and a myriad of different tastes and flavors. 7. Baby Food Profit Margin Estimate: 14% Baby food allows babies to have the necessary set of nutrients for growth and development in a convenient package. 6. Pizza Profit Margin Estimate: 15% While originally from Italy, Pizza is now a global phenomenon. Click to continue reading and see 5 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 20 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey. New Poll Shows Nearly Two-Thirds of Californians Thinking About Leaving the State A majority of Californians are considering moving to another state, according to a recent survey (pdf) conducted by Strategies 360a research and communications firm focused on public affairs. Respondents reported dissatisfaction with the high cost of living as a primary factor in their desire to move elsewhere, with 40 percent saying they are somewhat or very serious about leaving and another 24 percent saying they are thinking about it, but not too seriously. Approximately one-third said they were not considering leaving at all, and three percent were not sure. Issues leading to dissatisfaction included economic uncertainty, expensive housing and living costs, public safety, political polarization, and the states education system, according to the survey. Affordability was the reason 61 percent reported wanting to leave, and 27 percent said the states policies and laws that do not reflect their political views are driving them to look elsewhere. Many have already made the decision to move, with California losing more than 800,000 peopleabout half the population of Nebraskaafter deducting those that moved in over the last three years, according to data released by the states finance department. Recent population declines are unprecedented, as the Golden State saw its citizenry grow consistently for more than a centuryuntil approximately 1 percent of the population fled during the height of pandemic, and the trend has continued, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. My family is one of those looking to leave at the right opportunity, Lauren Meyers, account executive and mother of two living in San Mateo, told The Epoch Times. My husband and I both work remotely, and we cant afford to buy a home here, so weve been looking at Florida and Texas. Its only a matter of time until we move. With a median home price in California of approximately $728,000and those in San Mateo, where Meyers lives averaging $1.5 millionaccording to online real estate listing firm Zillow, many in the state are mathematically priced out of the housing market, according to economists. When we look at how much further our income would stretch in states with cheaper homes and no income tax, we know that as much as we love living here, its the right decision for our family, Meyers said. Only 38 percent of those surveyed said they are satisfied with housing costs. The impact of Californias high cost of living is reflected throughout the survey responses, with nearly two-thirds saying they struggle to save money or find it difficult to make ends meet, and 81 percent of respondents reporting being dissatisfied with the cost of everyday expenses. According to the survey, those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 saw a significant decline in positive sentiment from 2020, with 28 percent reporting the ability to live comfortably as compared to 54 percent three years ago. Higher income earners also said they are less comfortable with their ability to save and manage expenses, with 57 percent of those making more than $100,000 confident now, while 77 percent reported satisfaction in 2020. Internal Revenue Service data also shows those in the highest income bracket, exceeding $200,000 annually, leaving the state in disproportionate numbers. This can be attributed to the states 13.3 percent marginal tax rate, according to Jim Doti, president emeritus and professor of economics at Chapman University. State-to-state migration is so easy, and you save a lot of money, Doti said during a 30-minute interview on a recent episode of EpochTVs California Insider. Health care costs are also impacting personal budgets, with 56 percent of respondents saying they are not happy with the amount they pay. Overall economic conditions in the state were also a matter of concern to those surveyed, with 68 percent reporting dissatisfaction. This represents a 12-point drop since the poll began in 2020 and a 5-point decline from last year, suggesting increasing anxiety with the state of the economy, according to an analysis released by pollsters June 23. In terms of a general assessment of the direction California is headed, only 28 percent of those questioned believed the path was beneficial for Californians, and 43 percent said the state is on the wrong track. Public safety and crime remain important topics, with 59 percent dissatisfied with the states policies and the increase in criminal activity. These numbers are in line with last year, up one percent, but are 16 percent higher than in April 2020. More respondents said they did not feel safe and secure than those that did, with half indicating their apprehension and nearly a quarter saying they do not feel safe at all. As one of those who left California, Derek Drake said in EpochTVs new documentary Leaving California his familys laundromat in Oakland was subject to multiple break-ins in recent years. Thieves once stole $600 from the ATM in the store after causing $32,000 in damage, he said. They know theyre not going to get in trouble. The penalties out here are nothing. Its all non-violent crime. A lot of people arent even reporting crimes anymore, he said. With a Democratic supermajority controlling both Legislative houses, the studys political demographics indicate the states voters consist of 38 percent identifying as Democratic, 36 percent independent, and 19 percent Republicans. In terms of political ideology, 38 percent ticked the liberal box, 33 percent moderate, and 26 percent conservative. Less than half of respondents said they feel the state has a democracy where their voice is heard, with 50 percent reporting they feel left out of the conversation. The survey was nearly evenly divided, 47 to 46 percent, on the issue of whether the nation has overcorrected in attempting to give everyone equal rights, with a slight edge to those that believe it has. Additionally, approximately 83 percent of Republican respondents said they are dissatisfied with where the state is headed. The survey was conducted online June 6 through June 16 with 1,354 California residents responding and has a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percent. New Republican Working Group Interim Report Takes Aim at ESG The Republican Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Working Group has released its interim report (pdf) highlighting several of the GOPs policy priorities that conservative lawmakers say will benefit all Americans, not just those seeking to push their far-left agenda. The group is led by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee chairman, and includes eight other House GOP lawmakers. It was established by House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) in February. Working Group members say that President Joe Biden and his administration have strategically circumvented the paucity of congressional support for ESG policy issues and are exploiting financial regulatory agencies to impose their policy and other ESG-related priorities on the private sector, according to the report. One of the tactics outlined by the report is to reform the proxy voting system in order to shield the financial interests of retail investors by advocating transparency, accountability, and accuracy. Moreover, Republican lawmakers want to bolster accountability in shareholder voting by coalescing voting decisions with shareholders economic interests. The oversight of large asset managers should be enhanced to ensure that their mechanisms support the retail investors investment objectives, according to the preliminary report, which also recommends improving ESG ratings, something that many experts suggest needs an overhaul. But Republican officials also propose targeting regulators by strengthening conduct, oversight, and transparency through probes into federal regulatory initiatives and statutory limits from regulatory agencies. The report further recommends defending U.S. firms from burdensome EU regulations and safeguarding American interests in global markets. As Chairman of the ESG Working Group, I will work to push policies that benefit all Americans, not just those seeking to push their far-left agenda, Huizenga said in a statement. Todays preliminary report is clear about one thing, the Biden Administration is making it harder for Americans to retire. Across the nation, boardrooms are being held hostage by those who push policies that will lower returns for Americans trying to build a brighter and more financially secure future. House Republicans will stand up, defend the free market, and the ability for Americans to make their own financial decisions as they see fit. New Legislation The Working Group released the interim report just days after Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) introduced legislation on June 21 that focuses on financial advisers and retirement funds consideration of ESG issues and ensures that they concentrate on maximizing profits. This measure would limit investments in ESG. Investors must offer written consent if they wish to have their money parked in ESGs. In March, Biden vetoed a bill that would roll back a White House rule permitting fiduciaries to integrate ESG factors into their investment decisions. It garnered the support of three Democrats: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine). Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on March 10, 2021. (Ting Shen-Pool/Getty Images) Barr contends that these efforts try to depoliticize investing in America. Environmental, social, and governance investing has become a cancer and a fraud within our capital markets, steering retail investors, sometimes unwittingly, into lower-performing, less-diversified, and higher-fee funds, Barr told CNBC. Whether you are a Republican, a moderate or a Democrat, or conservative or liberal, were trying to depoliticize investing in America. Your 401(k), your 529, and your investment account should work for you. It should deliver returns. It shouldnt be a mandatory political statement. The GOP War on ESG Last summer, several Republican state leaders and officials fired the opening salvo in the war on ESG. In July 2022, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar published a list of 348 investment funds and 10 firms restricted from doing business with the state government over their boycotts of energy firms. This list was later updated in March. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the State Board of Administration trustees approved a resolution in August to end ESG considerations from state pension funds, arguing that the highest return on investment for taxpayers and retirees should be the main priority. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act of 2022, legislation that requires the state to divest holdings in financial institutions that boycott the energy sector. Stitt accused ESG advocates of attacking our way of life and vowed not to do business with people that dont promote our assets. Earlier this year, 21 Republican attorneys general penned a letter to 53 of the largest U.S. fund firms, including BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase, raising fresh concerns surrounding their consideration of ESG factors. Despite the extensive duties that you owe to your clients under federal and state law, many of you have committed to take actions inconsistent with your clients financial interests, they wrote in a March 30 letter (pdf). ESG has emerged as a top subject for several candidates in the 2024 Republican primary race. Presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has made opposition to woke investing integral to the core of his platform. Former President Donald Trump labeled ESG as radical-left garbage and promised to support a law to keep politics away from Americans retirement accounts forever. DeSantis noted in his presidential announcement that the ESG movement could never be accomplished through the ballot box. We will not be a free society if major financial institutions can do through the economy what people could not achieve through the ballot box. Orange Unified Adopts Parent Bill of Rights, Votes to Fly Governmental Flags Only The Orange Unified School Board adopted a parents bill of rights, which grants district parents and guardians the right to know what their children are being taught and the right to be heard by district leaders. At a special June 20 board meeting in Orange, California, trustees unanimously approved the resolutionthough Trustees Andrea Yamasaki and Kris Erickson criticized the proposal, saying they thought parents werent notified of it in time to give feedback. Erickson also called the proposal political theater, saying that district parents already had such rights. The bill pledges to grant parents access to classroom materials including curriculum and any supplemental materials, reading lists and books available in classrooms or libraries, and promises to allow parents voices to be heard by providing at least two in-person school meetings with them per year and considering parental feedback when making decisions. Under the bill, parents also have the right to access the districts budget, academic plans, school choice options, immunization requirements, student privacy policies, and instructions on how to opt their child out of comprehensive sexual health education. Trustee Madison Miner, who said some parents have expressed concerns about their childrens education, called the bill a starting point and committed to continuing to get input from parents. We need to continue working through this, and making sure that we are listening to the voices of our parents in the school district, she said. Miner also called for the board to start drafting a students bill of rights to make sure our students and parents are being heard. Additionally, Board President Rick Ledesma said he hoped the bill would empower parents to become more involved in their childrens education. Some parents commended the board for what they said was protecting their rights. Our children need [parents] to work together [with the district], one parent said. This will encourage a new atmosphere in the district in which parents, school staff and administrators are all on the same team. Others criticized the bill, saying it was unnecessary. There is nothing new here This is already everything [parents] already do, one parent said during public comment. If you want to spend your time doing something, [use the money to] improve our elementary schools. Trustees also unanimously voted to adopt a policy allowing only the U.S. and state flags to be flown on district and school flag poles. Erickson questioned whether anyone had asked to fly another type of flag, calling the resolution performative. The vote comes as the City of Huntington Beach issued a similar rule on flags at city facilities in February. Over Half of All Adults Arrested in San Diego in 2022 Tested Positive for Meth SAN DIEGOMore than half of all adults arrested in the San Diego region in 2022 tested positive for methamphetamine, according to a report released on June 23 by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). According to the findings, the positive rate of meth use in 2022 was 55 percent for female arrestees and 52 percent for males. The report also found that 77 percent of males and 75 percent of females surveyed tested positive for at least one illicit substancea drop from the 22-year high set in 2021 for males, 83 percent, but a sharp increase from the second-lowest rate in 2021 for females, 60 percent. An important characteristic of this report is looking at the underlying factors and needs these arrestees have that can help prevent re-arrests, said SANDAG Principal Criminal Justice Researcher Octavio Rodriguez. Continuing efforts to gather information on mental health issues, housing status, and employment is crucial to further understand how these may impact ones likelihood to struggle with substance use. Additionally, according to arrestee interviews, a total of 49 percent of arrestees reported they had abused prescription drugsparticularly tranquilizers and fentanyl. While fentanyl use has continued to increase over the years, 86 percent of arrestees said they would not purchase it and 35 percent said they used a drug that they believed contained fentanyl without knowing it, according to the report. Other findings include 40 percent of those arrested self-reported that they had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, 65 percent reported they have experienced homelessness, and 29 percent reported they had committed a crime to support their drug use. Since 2000, SANDAG has conducted interviews in local detention facilities through its Substance Abuse Monitoring program. The program helps identify drug use trends among adult and juvenile offender populations to help inform prevention strategies for the San Diego region, according to the agency. For the 2022 analysis, 208 male arrestees were interviewed at the Vista and Central Jails and 97 female arrestees at Las Colinas in San Diego. Parents, Staff at Covenant School Join Prominent Officials in New Filings Seeking to Stop Release of Shooters Writings New filings detail chilling details children told their parents about shooting A balloon with names of the victims is seen at a memorial at the entrance to The Covenant School, in Nashville, Tenn., on March 29, 2023. (Wade Payne/AP Photo) An array of statements in support of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Departments denial of public records requests in connection with the March 27 mass shooting at The Covenant School have been filed this week. In total, around 25 statements supporting the decision to withhold the documents were made in just three days. Those filing in support of withholding the documents include parents and families of victims, staff, the former Director of The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the former Nashville District Attorney, and a former FBI field agent. Horrific details about how the shooting unfolded were brought to light in the declarations filed by parents, recounting their childrens experiences, some of which include them being pulled into a classroom by a teacher to avoid being shot as the shooter neared. Parents of two of the children who were killed that day, along with the daughter of Mike Hill, who was also killed, urged the court to stop the release. A large group of these parents and other officials who filed argue release will impact school security and inspire copycat attacks. However, Hills brother told a Nashville news outlet this week he wants the writings released for closure, a break from the opposing prevailing theme of the Covenant community. Closer Calls than Previously Reported by MNPD Some children and faculty came much closer to being killed in the shooting than previously reported by MNPD. One mother said her daughter saw the shooters gun sticking into her classroom firing shots as she hid under a table. This same girl was friends with two of the victims, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. She said her childs best friend was killed right outside the classroom. Her son used to have small intimate lunches with 10-year-old children who struggled with anxiety with Katherine Koonce, the headmaster killed in the attack. She said she had another child at recess at the time the shooter began her assault. At first, she writes, they believed popping sounds might have been from a construction crew, before realizing it was gunshots and running for the forest for their lives. Jennifer Nelson had two children attending Covenant on the day of the shooting and who were locked in separate closets on the campus. She said her eldest child was outside on the playground when the shooting began, while her first grader was upstairs in the art room preparing to walk down the stairwell, the very stairwell where the children were murdered. Children from The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tenn., hold hands as they are taken to a reunification site at the Woodmont Baptist Church after a deadly shooting at their school on March 27, 2023. (Jonathan Mattise/AP Photo) My youngest was very aware that they would have been walking down that stairwell with their art supplies, and they said that they are thankful that their classmates were being cheeky because the teacher made them line up again because they were being a bit loud and rowdy, she wrote. Otherwise, they wouldve been in the same stairwell when the shooter was coming up the stairs. Another parent, who filed anonymously, said the third graders and teachers have lived through a level of Hell that would break even the bravest among us. Our 3rd-grade son was in Mrs. Blakes class on March 27, walking into the hallway with his classmates for what they thought was a fire drill, when the shooter opened fire on his friends, the parent writes. We will never be able to convey the depth of gratitude we feel for Mrs. Blakes quick actions to pull our son and the other surviving children back into the classroom and put up the barricades seconds before the shooter was at the door. Police and experts interviewed by The Epoch Times have not said whether the shooter pulled the fire alarm in an attempt to draw people into hallways, or if gunfire smoke set off the fire alarms. Our son has flashbacks to that horrific morning and can still smell the gun smoke and hear the sound of bullets ripping through the doors glass and ricocheting overhead through his classroom. Families of Murdered Plead for Privacy The Kinney family shared their frustration with the media and the privacy they say they no longer have. As if it wasnt enough to lose my baby, we have been robbed of our privacy by the media who have relentlessly cold-called our friends and family, parked outside our homes, harassed me at work, asked to photograph my childs room, and even surreptitiously entered churches and my home, Erin Kinney, Williams mother wrote. It sickens us to have to write a letter to explain why someone who chose to be voiceless does not deserve to be heard. Marquita Oglesby, Hills daughter, wrote. The most devastating part of this is that the memories of the six lives lost have been diminished and minimized while every thought, drawing, doodle, and action of the shooter is made more relevant by every person who wants to decipher them. Despite his daughters filings, this week Hills brother, Reggie told Nashvilles ABC affiliate he would like the writings to be released. Its confusing to me, he said in a statement to the outlet. I feel the narrative regarding why what happened to my brother Michael is all over the place. Which is causing some family members more grief, stress, and anxiety, because of the rumors and myths that are floating in the community. Mourners observe the makeshift memorial at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville on March 31, 2023, four days after six were killed at the school in a shooting. (Chase Smith/The Epoch Times) Reggie added he was confused the writings werent released as in past mass shootings to help give closure to a tragic situation. For me personally not knowing the shooters true motives leaves a large void in my heart and in my brothers story. Media Criticism Kinney goes as far as to say the media and others suing for release of the records are working on behalf of the Covenant school shooter to accomplish her final desire which she said is immortality. The deranged writings of this shooter will be weaponized by those already inclined towards murderous desires and will inspire them to select their target, plan their attack and follow in her deadly footsteps, she further stated. Those that have called for the release of these writings and those who publish them will be entirely complicit. She said has not seen the writings of the shooter and doesnt desire to do so, and none of the Covenant parents, employees, board members or church members have either. To my recollection, we have only seen a single chilling photograph of a detailed hand drawn tactical map of the school, she wrote. She goes on to say there is nothing in the journals to satisfy the minds of conspiracy theorists. If there were any hint of a cover-up or conspiracy resulting in our childrens murders, would not the parents of the dead children cry out the loudest for the release of these documents, she asked. And yet, we collectively desire the complete opposite because we know there is nothing to be discovered. Brent and Meredith Leatherwood, parents of three children who were present that day, echo Kinney in saying their current anguish comes from unhinged activists, unthinking partisans, conspiracy theorists, and various media outlets that value clicks over their community. Brent Leatherwood, President of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). (Courtesy of SRLC.) The Leatherwoods said their family had also received hints of threats of legal action in order to intimidate them from trying to stop the release of the records. Leatherwood, through his position with the Southern Baptist Convention, has called on stricter gun laws following the shooting. Trauma Caused to Children All of the parents expressed a similar sentiment, that their children have been forever changed and lost their innocence by the shooting and that many of them have regressed or become extremely sensitive to everyday situations. A staff member who has worked in various roles for over two decades said it was hurtful to hear earlier that those uninjured in the tragedy were not victims. Creating an environment where our students feel safe, secure and loved has always been something the Covenant School has worked incredibly hard to create, said Beth Gammons. We believed that we had created a safe, loving environment that made our school special and unique. All of that was changed on March 27, 2023. Former Law Enforcement Officials Concerned About Copycats The former Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Mark Gywn, said through his experience in law enforcement that writings such as the writings of the shooter at issue in this case clearly inspire copycat shootings. Torry Johnson, the former Nashville DA, argued the Victims Bill of Rights in the Tennessee Constitution is justification for not releasing the shooters writings. Former FBI Special Agent Dan Hodges, who runs a security consulting firm in Nashville, said his experience of 30 years with the agency has given him good reason to believe that the writings of killers inspire copycats. He added the FBI already has copies of the shooters writings and will be able to use that information to protect the public. Research Finds Carbon Farming Helps Australian Drought Resilience A supplied image obtained on June 22, 2023, of Roger Sendall posing for a picture on his farm near Narrabri in North Western NSW. NSW farmer Roger Sendall says his property has become more resilient to drought since he introduced carbon farming activities. (AAP Image/Supplied by Climate Friendly) Each day, farmer Roger Sendall considers what impact his decisions will have on the environment. This ranges from minimising chemical use to determining where stock can graze on his 6,500-hectare operation in northwestern New South Wales (NSW). It would be better if I didnt have to spray but thats the sacrifice I make to keep my production system profitable, Sendall said. The sheep and crop farmer, who also utilises carbon farming practices, says this has made his land more drought resilient. When the harsh drought years of the last decade struck, Sandall cut stock numbers on his property before the long dry took full effect. Drought was not a concern for me once I sold those sheep, the Burren Junction farmer added. We made choices that allowed us to get through the drought much easier It was about making choices, about preserving our natural capital. Carbon farming involves changing farming practices or land use to raise the amount of carbon stored in the soil and vegetation (or sequestration) or cutting greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, soil or vegetation. The carbon farming techniques the NSW producer has mastered over the past decade have left him environmentally and emotionally better off in drought years. You cant put a value on natural capital at your farm how healthy it is, Sendall told AAP. Its just good agricultural sense to build your carbon, your natural capital in the soil I work very hard at increasing organic matter and conserving carbon. Now new research has highlighted how producers using carbon farming principles are becoming more drought resilient. Regenerative agriculture and carbon farming makes you more drought resilient, definitely, Sendall said. It was the millennium drought that first pushed Sendall to act. The 2001-02 drought, we fed sheep and it was an absolute disaster, Sendall said. We spent a lot of money, and nearly went broke. The national survey carried out by Charles Sturt University (CSU) found that three-quarters of farmers interviewed reported carbon farming made them better prepared for drought, while also giving them an extra revenue stream. Of the more than 120 Australian farmers who were interviewed, 80 were already engaged in carbon farming or carbon farming activities from soil carbon to regeneration and plantings. CSU researcher Emily Webster, who led the project, says the survey shows carbon farming is helping producers and the environment. They saw faster regrowth of their grass and better biodiversity on their farm once those dry seasons did end and it started to rain, Webster said. There is some evidence that carbon farming does improve drought preparedness and drought resilience activities. Its also an extra revenue stream, with the changes in land practice enabling farmers to earn income from Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), although this does come at a cost. Projects in the rangelands can include anything from 5,000 to over 2,000,000 hectares, with tree carbon sequestration potential ranging from under one tonne per hectare to up to five tonnes per hectare a year. Projects in higher rainfall regions are typically smaller in size. Some of them said that they could destock a bit quicker because they knew they had that revenue coming in, and theyd be able to restock again in the future a bit more easily, Webster said. Carbon farming provider Climate Friendly commissioned the research. Climate Friendlys Zoe Ryan noted the survey followed warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology of a 70 percent likelihood of a 2023 El Nino weather event, with a likely return to drier conditions in eastern Australia. As the Australian agricultural sector is contemplating another El Nino event, the results of this survey are very timely, Ryan said. This week Australias green bank the Clean Energy Finance Corporation announced it will invest $50 million (US$33 million) in Wilga Farming, an agriculture investment vehicle for sustainable farming and carbon sequestration. Agriculture is responsible for more than 15 percent of the nations greenhouse gas emissions. Russia Says Wagner Groups Leader Will Move to Belarus, Not Face Prosecution After Rebellious March Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow before abruptly reversing course will move to neighboring Belarus and not face prosecution, the Kremlin said Saturday, as part of a deal to defuse a crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and the troops who joined him also will not be prosecuted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced, and fighters from his Wagner Group who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Putin had vowed to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, whose forces seized a key military facility in southern Russia before advancing on the capital. In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said Putins highest goal was to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results. Russias President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address on June 24, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the citys southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads. But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he had decided to retreat to avoid shedding Russian blood. His troops were ordered back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers. Prigozhin has demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, long the target of his withering criticism for his conduct of the war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigus command of attacking Wagner camps and killing a huge number of our comrades. The Defense Ministry has denied this. Prigozhin did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand. Peskov said the issue could not have been discussed during the negotiations, which were conducted by the president of Belarus, and is the exclusive prerogative of the commander in chief. If Putin were to agree to Shoigus ouster, it could be politically damaging for the president after he branded Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. Early Saturday, Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. A nighttime video from the city posted on Russian messaging app channels showed people cheering Wagner troops as they left Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin was seen riding one of the vehicles, and people greeted him and some ran to shake his hand as he lowered the window. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow. Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital and declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. Russian army servicemen and police officers guard the highway at the entrance to Moscow on June 24, 2023. (AP Photo) The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europes largest conflict since World War II. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals. Switching into Russian in his daily video address, Zelenskyy said the man from the Kremlin was very afraid. He repeated his calls for the West to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. Prigozhin had vowed earlier that his fighters, whom he said number some 25,000, would not surrender because we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. The short-lived rebellion came as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic, and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. State-controlled TV networks led their newscasts with Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Broadcasters also carried statements from top Russian officials and lawmakers voicing support for Putin, condemning Prigozhin and urging him to back down. Chechnyan strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who in the past has sided with Prigozhin in his criticisms of Russias military, also expressed support for Putins every word. The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Kadyrov said. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking the Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the camps. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has longstanding ties to Putin and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other Group of Seven countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Simpsons Writer and Previous Titan Passenger Noted Subs Communication Problems OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush emerges from the hatch atop the OceanGate submarine Cyclops 1 in the San Juan Islands, Wash., on Sept. 12, 2018. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP) A former The Simpsons writer who took part in four trips on OceanGates Titan Sub has cast light on the ongoing communication problems experienced during deep sea dives. Mike Reiss, a previous showrunner for the satirical series, completed four dives on the submersible and said during each of the expeditions, contact was lost with the host ship. Every time they lost communication. That seems to be just something baked into the system, Reiss said in an interview with ABC News.I dont blame OceanGate, but I think I blame deep water for that. Reiss also said he knew the risks associated with such deep-sea explorations. There is a long release you sign, a waiver, that mentions death three times on the first page, he said. According to a report by WCCO News out of Minneapolis, Reiss and his wife Denise were friends of the Titans pilot Stockton Rush. In all, Reiss completed three dives off the coast of New York, and one to the Titanic wreckage off the coast of southeast Canada. During that expedition to the historic ocean liner, Reiss noted the communication problems after the crew landed 500 yards from the sunken wreckage. We knew it was there, but our compass was acting up, and we didnt know in what direction it was, said Reiss. After three hours, they managed to finally find the wreckage, he added. It was off the coast of southeast Canada that rescue crews were searching for the five-person Titan submersible that went missing Sunday morning. A submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP) USCG Confirms Navy Detected Subs Implosion Soon After It Disappeared In a surprising revelation, the United States Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that the U.S. Navy first detected the implosion soon after the Titan went missing on Sunday. That was days before the information was disclosed to the public on Thursday after a massive search operation that captured global attention, according to a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) official. Additional search equipment was hurriedly brought to the scene while authorities reported hearing underwater banging sounds that could be signals from the missing crew. The Navy promptly provided this information to aid the search and rescue efforts, although its significance could not be definitively determined. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news citing unnamed sources. The five men aboard the Titan, who were attempting to explore the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, are believed to have tragically perished due to a suspected catastrophic implosion, according to USCG officials. For his part, Reiss discussed the psychological effects of operating a deep-sea submersible. In spite of the possible dangers, he spoke of a sense of calm and serenity. Theres something just zen and otherworldly about being on this sub. And being that far down, that everybody loves to mention that I fell asleep on the sub, even though I knew death could come in any minute, he said. Theres no furniture, so youre just kind of propped up leaning against the wall with your legs sticking out, he added, describing the environment inside the submersible. Special Counsel Jack Smith Requests Delay in Trump Classified Documents Trial Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a delay in the classified documents trial involving former President Donald Trump, proposing a new trial start date of Dec. 11. The request asks for the trial to be delayed by four months because there is classified information involved. To handle this information, Trumps lawyers need to get security clearances, and that process takes time. Interim security clearances are currently being processed and should be granted within 48 hours after Trumps lawyers submit the required forms. However, obtaining the final clearance to access a few specific classified documents may take anywhere from 45 to 60 days. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon set the trial date for Aug. 14, which is about seven weeks away. Although defendants have the right to a prompt trial, there are situations where parties can ask for more time, as is the case here. To access most of the classified information relevant to the case, Trumps lawyers need security clearances. Smith stated that he has conferred with Trumps attorneys, and they have expressed no opposition to the delay in the trial date. However, it is anticipated that Trumps legal team will submit their own motion expressing their concerns and objections to the governments suggested dates. Smiths motion noted that the government has promptly provided unclassified discovery materials to the defense, including evidence obtained through subpoenas, warrants, grand jury testimony transcripts, witness interviews, relevant documents, and closed-circuit television footage obtained during the investigation. Even with the prompt production the government has arranged, the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate, the motion states (pdf). Request for Classified Information Security Officer The motion clarifies that the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) has implications for the trial proceedings, as it introduces additional time requirements specific to cases involving classified information. Under CIPA, parties can request a pretrial conference to discuss any possible issues related to the prosecution of the case concerning classified information. Because the case against Trump contains classified defense material, Smith also filed a motion (pdf) requesting a pretrial conference and the appointment of a Classified Information Security Officer. According to the motion, CIPA will determine how the court manages the discovery of classified information and establishes guidelines for determining the admissibility of such information in the trial. Smiths motion stressed that proceeding with the trial on the originally scheduled date would not allow enough time for adequate preparation, which would negatively impact both the defense and the governments interests. While the delay may have implications for Trumps right to a speedy trial, Smith argued that the proposed extension better serves the interests of justice. Cannons June 20 order setting the trial date specified that any requests for an extension must include specific information, such as whether the reasons for granting the motion would outweigh Trumps right to a speedy trial. Motion to Stop Trump From Communicating With Witnesses Smith also submitted a separate motion seeking approval to file a confidential list of witnesses, which has been shared with Trumps legal team, specifying individuals whom Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, are forbidden from communicating with. During Trumps arraignment on June 13, where both he and Nauta pleaded not guilty, the court instructed Trump not to engage in any communication with Nauta or the witnesses involved in the case. Trump himself did not address the court, but his lawyer, Todd Blanche, spoke on his behalf, stating, We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty. During the proceedings, Smith presented evidence indicating that Trump allegedly violated federal law. The evidence suggested that he retained sensitive documents beyond his term in office, shared them with individuals who were not authorized to access such information, and obstructed the investigation by directing Nauta to relocate boxes at Mar-a-Lago instead of surrendering all the materials to the authorities. Trump has maintained his innocence and frames the indictment as his chief 2024 presidential rival, President Joe Biden, weaponizing the Department of Justice against him. Trump told a rally in Georgia that the Biden administrations actions will go down among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country. While the trials jury selection was scheduled to begin on Aug. 14, it was anticipated that the proceedings would be delayed due to anticipated pretrial motions from Trumps legal team. Legal experts have suggested that the trial could potentially extend beyond the 2024 presidential election. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. The National Security Threat of Chinas Base in Cuba Commentary The revelation that communist China has an expanding base in Cuba is a direct threat to U.S. national security for five major reasons. First, what is true in real estate is also true in intelligence collection: location matters. The base offers China the ability to collect intelligence some 90 miles from U.S. shores, which provides China with a permanent intelligence collection vector over much of the eastern United States that China had lacked. This includes important bases, including the Navys Kings Bay port for half of the U.S. ballistic missiles submarine fleet, critical U.S. Air Force Bases at Eglin and Tyndall, and Central Southern, and Special Operations Command bases at MacDill Air Force Base and Miami. The Chinese base increases the burden on the U.S. intelligence community and military. It requires that U.S. intelligence and the military adopt measures to negate the ability of bases to collect intelligence against them. Second, the base provides China with the ability to project power against U.S. military and civilian targets, including infrastructure like the electrical grid and cyber networks. Cuba provides China with the ability to monitor and possibly interdict the U.S. sea line of communication (SLOC) from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic. This would be an important vector for Chinese attacks in the event of a crisis or war against the United States. The base fundamentally increases the threat posed to the U.S. homeland and other interests, including U.S. allies. Third, apart from the United States, the base is an important facility to support covert action or wars that the Chinese regime might fight outside of the region or to support Beijings interests and military campaigns in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, or Asia. This was the case in the Cold War when Cuba was an important base for the Soviets. The Soviets also employed Cuban soldiers as proxies in Angola, Ethiopia, Grenada, Nicaragua, and Yemen. The world might again witness Cuban deployments in advance of Chinas interests. Fourth, the base is a significant blow against the United States in the realm of political warfare. Overtly planting communist Chinas flag in Cuba is a poke in the eye of the Monroe Doctrine and Article 6 of the 1947 Rio Treaty, as the Chinese regimes presence threatens the hemispheres peace. It is Beijings effort to show that the United States is a weak and declining power, as the United States is unable to prevent a base on its doorstep. The base provides China with the ability to increase its military capabilities to include missiles and aircraft, and the ability to signal a political equivalency with Taiwan, which is about 110 miles from China at its closest point. Fifth, also in the realm of political warfare, this base forces the United States to recall its history with communist Cuba. Two incidences are relevant. First, the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Cuba has been the source of U.S. diplomatic defeats, including the Kennedy administrations secret agreement with the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis to trade the removal of Soviet medium and intermediate missiles in Cuba for the removal of Jupiter medium-range ballistic missiles from Italy and Turkey by April 1963. Second, in 1979, the presence of a Soviet combat brigade on the island was leaked and caused the Carter administration some difficulty. The brigade had been in Cuban since 1975 or 1976 but was only revealed at this time. The brigade was rightfully seen as an example of growing Soviet might, expanding global presence, and strong support for its Cuban ally, as well as a symbol of U.S. decline. Then-President Jimmy Carter was unable to coerce its removal. The Chinese regimes presence shows that Cubas location remains strategic, a key location to target the U.S. homeland and further the encirclement of the United States by China, but Cuba is also a political warfare symbol for the United States and its adversaries. That the Biden administration initially denied before acknowledging the Chinese base is not reassuring. It suggests that the administration will not take the right action to neutralize the base. As the base has intelligence, military, and political warfare value for China, each of those categories must be addressed. As during the Cold War, coercive pressure will have to be brought to bear on the Cuban government, without which Havana will never eject the Chinese base. The humiliation of the Chinese base in Cuba jeopardizes U.S. national security, weakens its credibility and influence in global politics, and emboldens aggression from communist China. Allies and partners like Taiwan note the loss of U.S. credibility upon which their security depends. The most recent examples of concern are the supplication of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing and President Joe Bidens cancellation of visits to Papua New Guinea and Australia after the G-7 summit in Hiroshima. Given these U.S. setbacks, the political warfare victory the base provides China should be offset now. It is the culmination of Beijings increasing influence in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean that must be reversed. The visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi would have been an ideal occasion to announce significant measures to improve conventional deterrence in the Indo-Pacific such as that a joint Indian-U.S. force was being created to deploy to Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan to deter Chinese aggression while Taiwanese, U.S., Japanese, and Australian forces are deploying to India to conduct a new series of permanent military exercises. The United States should not allow itself to be on the back foot, so bold measures are needed. Its foundation may be laid now by allies and partners if the Biden administration will not act. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. In this article, we will take a look at 25 of the largest banks based on their assets. If you want to see more of the biggest banks in the world, go directly to 5 Largest Banks in the World by Assets. Banking Crisis Its been a dramatic year for the banking industry following the bank run and the subsequent crash of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) earlier in March, which was followed shortly by the failure of the Signature Bank. Market panic quickly spilled over to Europe, leading to the downfall of Switzerland's Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS), an institution included on the list of Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs), and its subsequent acquisition by UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) for three billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion). In just mere moments, Switzerland came close to facing a full-scale bank run. Several other eurozone banks, among which Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB), another G-SIB, came under pressure as investors dumped their shares en masse. While the focus has been on the banking sector these past few weeks, the International Monetary Fund has come out and issued a warning regarding a potential global financial crisis emerging in the rapidly expanding alternative finance industry, commonly known as "shadow banking." This sector comprises various entities, including insurers, pension funds, mutual funds, and high-risk hedge funds. In such an environment, traditional banks are being increasingly bombarded by these so-called nonbank financial institutions alongside disruptive fintech players. Following the bank failures of a few months ago, several policymakers have been calling for even stricter regulation of traditional banks. Peaking on this issue during his 2022 shareholder report, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said: The growing competition to banks from each other, as well as shadow banks, fintechs and large technology companies, is intense and clearly contributing to the diminishing role of banks and public companies in the United States and the global financial system. The pace of change and the size of the competition are extraordinary, and activity is accelerating. Large tech companies, already 100% digital, have hundreds of millions of customers, as well as enormous resources, in data and proprietary systems all of which give them an extraordinary competitive advantage, Megabanks Megabanks, the largest financial institutions globally, are colossal enterprises with significant assets reflected on their balance sheets. These entities provide a wide array of financial services, encompassing commercial banking, corporate banking, capital markets, asset management, and beyond. The United States serves as the home for numerous megabanks primarily due to its position as the world's largest economy. As of 2021, the U.S. boasted a GDP of $23 trillion, surpassing China's $17.73 trillion in second place and Japan's $4.94 trillion in third place. For decades, banks have been merging, partnering, and expandingso much so that the four largest banks in the United States accounted for 50% of all US banking assets last year. In an effort to cater to the rising demand for streamlined mobile banking applications and to stay competitive against neobanks and other fintech companies, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), and Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC), while having more than a trillion dollars in consolidated domestic assets, increased their tech spending. Thus, proving that digital payments options in the age of modern banking are nothing less than crucial. On the other side of the world, Japan's GDP grew at an annualized 2.7% in the January-March quarter from the previous three months, beating the of 1.6% and the 1.9% expansion forecast by economists. According to Bloomberg, the three largest banks in Japan, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Grp, Inc. (NYSE:SMFG), and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG), are expected to forecast their highest profits in years, fueled by an upswing in client engagements and controlled expenses related to bad loans. The banks are projected to experience profit growth despite not relying on any potential changes from the central Bank of Japan. While the immediate termination of the central bank's negative interest rate policy is not widely expected, the domestic lending sector is expected to maintain a lackluster performance, hence exerting pressure on the banks to expand their international operations. 25 Largest Banks in the World by Assets Copyright: agcreativelab / 123RF Stock Photo Our Methodology For our list of the 25 largest banks in the world by assets, we scoured through information regarding the banking industry and came up with a list of banks who are global leaders simply based on their total assets. For each bank listed below, we have mentioned its total assets worth. If you want to read up on more of the largest banks in the world, you can check out our previous article on the 16 Biggest Banks in the World. 25. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB) Total Assets: $1.419 trillion Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (NYSE:DB), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. The bank operates within several divisions: investment banking, private banking, corporate banking, and asset management. The largest segments are investment and private banking, as these generate most of the net revenue. In 2022, the German bank reported an annual net income of more than $6.08 billion, up from roughly $2.72 billion in 2021. This was the highest profit reported by Deutsche Bank since 2007. 24. Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD) Total Assets: $1.445 trillion Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD), doing business as TD Bank Group, is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The bank was created on February 1, 1955, through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and The Dominion Bank. On May 25, the bank reported a rise in quarterly profit, as the lender benefited from robust growth in its personal and commercial banking business. Additionally, the bank stated on May 30 that it will push ahead with its U.S. expansion with about $18 billion by focusing on organic growth, after its M&A-led strategy in the world's biggest banking market suffered a setback this month. 23. China Merchants Bank Total Assets: $1.458 trillion China Merchants Bank is a Chinese bank headquartered in Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Founded in 1987, it is the first share-holding commercial bank wholly owned by corporate legal entities in China. CMB has over five hundred branches in mainland China and one in Hong Kong. The bank engages in the provision of corporate and personal banking services. It focuses on individual and corporate businesses, credit card, and small and medium enterprises, and operates through the following business segments: Wholesale Finance, Retail Finance, and Other Businesses. 22. Societe Generale S.A. Total Assets: $1.586 trillion Societe Generale S.A., colloquially known in English speaking countries as SocGen, is a French-based multinational financial services company founded in 1864, registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby in La Defense. The bank has has over 117,000 staff members operating in 66 countries, and supports around 25 million individual clients, businesses and institutional investors around the world on a near daily basis. 21. UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Total Assets: $1.6 trillion UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zurich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial sphere's as the largest Swiss banking institution and one of the largest private banks in the world. On June 12, the Switzerland-based bank announced that it had finalized the acquisition of failing its rival, the Credit Suisse bank, following a deal agreed nearly three months ago. UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) also informed Credit Suisse shareholders that they will get one UBS share for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares owned, as agreed in March. 20. Groupe BPCE Total Assets: $1.7 trillion Groupe BPCE is a major French banking group formed by the 2009 merger of two major retail banking groups, Groupe Caisse d'Epargne and Groupe Banque Populaire. The third-largest banking group in France which finances over 20% of the French economy, Groupe BPCE has a universal cooperative banking model that serves around 30 million customers, and 9 million cooperative shareholders. 19. Bank of Communications Limited Total Assets: $1.868 trillion Established in 1908, the Bank of Communications Limited claims a long history in China and is one of the banks to have issued banknotes in modern Chinese history. Following reorganization on April 1, 1987, it became the first nationwide state-owned joint-stock commercial bank in China, with Head Office located in Shanghai. The bank's business scope includes commercial banking, securities services, trust services, financial leasing, fund management, insurance and offshore financial services. 18. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) Total Assets: $1.886 trillion Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, and with operational headquarters in Manhattan, the financial services company provides consumer banking services, commercial banking products, investment banking, wealth management, and other financial services. 17. Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) Total Assets: $1.900 trillion Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN), doing business as Santander Group, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain that offers retail and commercial banking, wealth management, and related financial solutions to individuals, small and medium-sized companies, and large enterprises worldwide. The bank also has a strong online presence with an easy-to-use website and mobile app. In 2022, Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN) profits stood at roughly $10.51 billion, a sharp increase from the previous year. 16. Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) Total Assets: $1.902 trillion Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England that offers personal and business banking, wholesale and commercial banking, and private and investment banking solutions to individuals, SMEs, corporates, and high-net-worth clients. The range of services provided includes deposit and account management, payment cards, both personal and commercial loans, as well as investment solutions. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. 15. Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) Total Assets: $1.908 trillion Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG), abbreviated as MHFG, or simply called Mizuho, is a a leading global bank with one of the largest customer bases in Japan, and an extensive international network covering financial and business centers around the world. One of the largest banking institutions in Japan, with total assets amounting to approximately $1.908 trillion, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) serves over 20 million customers. 14. Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd. Total Assets: $1.97 trillion Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd., is a Japanese bank headquartered in Tokyo. It is a corporation held by Japan Post Holdings, with the government of Japan holding a majority stake. It is a major financial institution that started in 1875 as a postal savings system, and that still today continues to operate primarily out of post office branches. It manages over $1.97 trillion of assets and offers services in almost 24,000 branches across Japan. 13. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Grp, Inc. (NYSE:SMFG) Total Assets: $2.005 trillion Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. One of the largest banks in Japan with total assets of over $2 trillion, the bank has a strong focus on commercial and corporate banking alongside an expansive retail operation. 12. Postal Savings Bank of China Co., Ltd. Total Assets: $2.023 trillion Postal Savings Bank of China Co., Ltd. also known as PSBC is a commercial retail bank founded in 2007 and headquartered in Beijing. It provides basic financial services, especially to small and medium enterprises, rural and low income customers. One of China's largest state-owned commercial lenders and one of the largest banks in the world, the Postal Savings Bank of China Co., Ltd. rose in Shanghai trading after China Mobile Ltd. agreed to buy a stake worth 45 billion yuan ($6.5 billion) in the company earlier in March. 11. Credit Agricole Group Total Assets: $2.313 trillion Credit Agricole Group, sometimes called La banque verte due to its historical ties to farming, is a French international banking group and the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It is France's second largest bank, after BNP Paribas, with around 147,000 employees, 53 million customers, and operations in 47 countries. The structure consists of a network of Credit Agricole local banks, 39 Credit Agricole regional banks, and a central institute, the Credit Agricole S.A. The bank is listed through Credit Agricole S.A., an intermediate holding company, on Euronext Paris' first market and is part of the CAC 40 stock market index. 10. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) Total Assets: $2.455 trillion Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) or Citi is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group in 1998. One of the largest banks in the world by assets, Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) has a global operational presence, with operations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. While it is likely to face headwinds should a recession occur in 2023, as is the case with many big banks based in the U.S., Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) has substantial quality earnings potential. 9. China Development Bank Total Assets: $2.69 trillion The China Development Bank (CDB) is a development bank in the People's Republic of China, led by a cabinet minister at the Governor level, under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. One of the largest banks in the world, it operates as a government development bank, hence providing deposits, loans, financing, bond issuance, investment, treasury operation, and other services. As of 2021, the CDB had around 9,000 employees. 8. BNP Paribas Total Assets: $2.845 trillion BNP Paribas is a French multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It was founded in 2000 from the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. BNP Paribas organizes its businesses into three main operating divisions: Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB), Commercial, Personal Banking & Services (CPBS) and Investment & Protection Services (IPS). The largest French bank, and one of the largest banks in the world with total assets amounting to $2.85 trillion, BNP Paribas has around 190,000 employees and operations in 65 countries. 7. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG) Total Assets: $2.96 trillion Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. is a Japanese bank holding and financial services company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is Japan's largest financial group and one of the largest banks in the world holding approximately $2.96 trillion in total assets. It operates as the bank holding company for MUFG Bank, providing financial products and services in Japan, the United States, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. 6. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) Total Assets: $3.194 trillion The Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with investment banking and auxiliary headquarters in Manhattan. Following JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) operates as the second largest American bank in terms of assets. According to Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)s Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript, the corporation's revenue grew by 13%, which was led by a 25% improvement in net interest income, coupled with strong 9% growth in sales and trading results. Click to see and continue reading 5 Largest Banks in the World by Assets. Suggested Articles: Disclosure. None: The 25 Largest Banks in the World by Assets is originally published on Insider Monkey. The Rise of India Will India surpass China? Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a session meeting during the 10th BRICS summit (acronym for the grouping of the world's leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018. (Mike Hutchings/AFP via Getty Images) Commentary Despite a number of structural disadvantages, India likely will rival China in terms of global power. This year, India hosted the G-20 conference, which Indian leaders see as recognition that the nation has come of age and is ready to overtake China. India already has surpassed China in population and is hoping to eclipse China economically and militarily. Over the past 10 years, India has averaged 5.5 percent growth, making it the worlds fastest-growing economy. For 2023, the International Monetary Fund anticipates that China and India will account for about half of global growth. Furthermore, India will grow at 6.3 percent this year and is expected to surpass Germany and Japan to become the worlds third-largest economy by 2027. In recent years, India has benefited from outsourcing, absorbing relocated work from other countries, thus becoming the worlds back office. Administrative work and manufacturing are flowing into India, with manufacturing expected to increase to 21 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2031 from its current share of 15.6 percent. Over the next 10 years, as more work is exported to India, income distribution within the country is expected to become more equal. At the same time, consumption could double. Compared to China, India has a number of advantages, such as high penetration of the English language and a young population. The median age in China is 38.4, compared to 28.7 in India. Chinas birth rate is 12.1 per 1,000 people, while Indias is 18.7. On the other hand, China is much richer now, and despite having a youth unemployment rate of 20.8 percent, China can still offer good opportunities for its young people. Chinas economy is still about five times the size of Indias, and the average Chinese is much richer, with an income of $13,000 a year, compared to Indias $2,500. Currently, for Indians to enter the top 10 percent in terms of income, they only need to make $300 per month . Because of the higher wages in China, coupled with the deteriorating global sentiment, the country has become a less attractive option for high-end manufacturing. India stands ready to absorb relocated firms and diverted investment. However, India lags China in infrastructure development. New Delhi has quintupled its infrastructure investment since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power nine years ago, but the country still has a long way to go. China is already equipped with reliable logistical networks, electrical grids, roadways, railways, and seaports, while India is just creating such systems now. A factory worker works at a textile production unit in the south Indian city of Tiruppur on March 25, 2019. (Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images) To complete its economic transition and avoid youth underemployment, India will have to create 90 million jobs outside of the agricultural sector by 2030. One hope in this area is that India has done better than China at transitioning to service sector jobs, providing high-end services to foreign countries. A growing service sector helps to create jobs for the nearly 7 million young people who graduate from Indian universities each year. These jobs are higher paying than manufacturing jobs and contribute more to GDP. The only question is how many jobs will be added and how quickly. An issue faced by both countries is uneven economic development across geographic regions. Conflicts between ethnic and religious groups in India are more pronounced than similar problems in China. While India was hosting the G-20, violence erupted between Hindus and Muslims, underscoring a potential for civil unrest, which isnt present in China. Furthermore, unlike Beijings central planning, New Delhis pluralist democratic tradition is less effective at implementing dramatic, nationwide changes. India is now fourth in military strength, behind the United States, Russia, and China, according to a report by GlobalFirepower. Until 2020, a war between India and China seemed only a remote possibility. Since fighting broke out between the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army in the Indian territory of Ladakh, war has become a very real possibility. Over the past 10 years, Indias defense spending has doubled. This year, Indias defense budget has increased by an additional 10 percent, placing the country in third position globally in defense spending. Indias navy, in particular, is struggling to modernize to face an increasing threat from the PLA in the Indian Ocean. Currently, the PLA Navy uses ports in Burma (also known as Myanmar), Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, encircling the Bay of Bengal. In 2020, the United States and India signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation (BECA), which calls for sharing of defense-critical topographical and aeronautical data between the two countries. After the Ladakh clashes, then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, The United States will stand with the people of India as they confront threats to their freedom and sovereignty. India and the United States are both members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), a security grouping oriented toward the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Other defense-related agreements between the United States and India include Major Defense Partner status, the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement, and the Industrial Security Annex. New Delhi has a number of geopolitical advantages over Beijing. In addition to being a member of the Quad, India is also a member of the G-20 and the British Commonwealth. India heads up several regional economic groupings and has a strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Increasingly, India is seen as the leader of the developing world and a gateway to the global south for developed countries. As India plays a growing role in geopolitics, China is increasingly becoming marginalized. The CCP is building a coalition of pariah states such as Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan. On the other hand, New Delhis close ties with Moscow have been a sticking point in India completely aligning itself with a U.S.-led world order. While Chinas economy is slowing and its geopolitical position is weakening, India is rising. Although it would be difficult to predict when or if India will surpass China, its clear that India will play a more crucial role in the global balance of power. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. TikTok Admits Storing Some US User Data in China: Senators The TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken on Aug. 22, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters) TikTok has admitted to storing some U.S. user data on China-based servers, which differs from its CEOs previous testimony to Congress that American data stored on American soil. The Chinese video-sharing platform confirmed this in a letter dated June 16 made in response to questions raised by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The senators had accused TikTok of making misleading claims to Congress regarding its storage of U.S. user data, citing a Forbes report that TikTok stored financial informationsuch as social security numbers and tax IDsof U.S. content creators on Chinese servers. In response, TikTok said that its previous testimony specifically pertained to the protected user data collected within the app and was not related to content creators data, which it said falls into two different categories. The Forbes reporter conflated two categories of data, and we stand by the statements made by our company executives to Congress, it stated. We are asked about, and our testimony focused on, the protected user data collected in the appnot creator data. The company clarified that there are limited exceptions to the definition of protected data. These exceptions include public data, business metrics, interoperability data, and certain creator data, if a creator voluntarily signs up for a commercial program to be supported by TikTok in reaching new audiences and monetizing content. TikTok believes that the Forbes article cited in your letter was referencing certain creator data such as signed contracts and related documents for U.S. creators who enter into a commercial relationship with TikTokinformation that is collected outside of the standard app experience, it stated. Regarding the potential sharing of U.S. user data stored in China with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime under Chinas National Intelligence Law, TikTok said that it had not been asked by the CCP to provide such data. TikTok said it has not been asked for U.S. user data by the Chinese regime, adding that TikTok has not provided such data to the regime, nor would TikTok do so the company said. Misleading Public Relations Campaign However, the senators maintained their stance and said that TikToks response showed that its executives had repeatedly provided misleading information to Congress regarding the storage of U.S. user data. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) (L) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) speak during a hearing in Washington on Oct. 5, 2021. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo) Its deeply alarming that TikTok execs have repeatedly [and] intentionally misled Congress on this fundamental issue, Blumenthal stated on Twitter. Meanwhile, Blackburn said that it is extremely concerning that TikTok stores the personal data of users from the United States within the reach of the CCP regime. TikToks response makes it crystal clear that Americans data is still exposed to Beijings draconian and pervasive spying regimesdespite the claims of TikToks misleading public relations campaign, she said in a statement. TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has come under increased scrutiny in Washington due to national security concerns and the potential that U.S. users data could land in the hands of the CCP, with many lawmakers advocating for a nationwide ban on the app. In March, Chew appeared before a congressional hearing to answer questions regarding concerns over TikTokwhich has soared in popularity and is used by more than 100 million Americansand its possible links to Beijing, as well as its effect on children. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 23, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chew told lawmakers that the app has been working for years to build what amounts to a firewall to seal off protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access and that user data are stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel. He added that TikTok doesnt work with or for the Chinese regime and doesnt spy on users. However, those reassurances appear to have done little to ease Washingtons concerns. TikTok Code Worked on From China A code sample seen by the Australian Financial Review earlier this month shows that engineers at TikToks Chinese parent company, ByteDance, are linked to the software development. Code samples correlated with the version of the popular video-sharing app used on Android devices show that at least a dozen email addresses with usernames were associated with ByteDance. James Paterson, shadow minister for home affairs and cyber security in Australia, argued that the code sample is more evidence that TikTok is made and managed in China, meaning that Beijing can access data of the app used by over one billion people worldwide. TikTok could be compelled at any time to hand that data over to the Chinese regime or make changes to the algorithm to please the CCP, Paterson said, adding that we would never know about it because they would be required to keep it all a secret. Katabella Roberts and Cindy Li contributed to this report. US Declassifies COVID-19 Origins Report Lawmakers say it lends credence to lab leak theory A laboratory technician wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) works on samples to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at the Fire Eye laboratory, a Covid-19 testing facility, in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province early on Aug. 5, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence finally released a government report on the origins of COVID-19 on Friday. The chairs of the House Intelligence and Coronavirus Pandemic committees say the report lends credence to the theory that the virus may have originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Congress passed legislation earlier this year mandating the declassification of information related to potential connections between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the origins of the pandemic. The declassified report provides insight into the activities of the WIV before the pandemic and presents the Intelligence Communitys (IC) understanding of the origins of COVID-19. However, it does not definitively determine the source of the virus. All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection, the 10-page declassified report states (pdf). The report includes assessments from the National Intelligence Council (NIC), the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and other unnamed agencies. The majority of agencies, including the NIC and four other Intelligence Community agencies, believe that the virus most likely resulted from natural exposure to an infected animal or a close progenitor. However, the Department of Energy and the FBI hold the view that the virus originated in a laboratory, although they have different reasons for their assessment. The P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on May 13, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The CIA and another agency are unable to determine the precise origin of COVID-19, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting, the report states. Some of the assessments in the report were previously known. The IC expanded its investigation into COVID-19 in March to explore whether the initial human infection occurred naturally through contact with an infected animal or if it was connected to a laboratory incident. The report states that the virus was not genetically engineered nor created as a biological weapon, according to almost all of the agencies involved. However, there is disagreement among agencies regarding the laboratory origin hypothesis. Wuhan Experiments Left No Traces of Genetic Modification Before the pandemic, the WIV engaged in collaboration with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on public health-related research. Some of the WIV scientists conducted experiments on coronaviruses, but there is no evidence of genetic modification in these viruses, according to the report. However, the report states that the WIV did not possess viruses that could plausibly be the progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 before the pandemic. Instead, the viruses were primarily used for virology and vaccine-related work. Between 2017 and 2019, the WIV funded research projects and involved some of its personnel in projects to enhance Chinas knowledge of pathogens and early disease warning capabilities for defensive and biosecurity needs of the military. The IC assesses that this work was intended for public health needs and that the coronaviruses known to be used were too distantly related to have led to the creation of SARS-CoV-2, the report states. A new study in 2022 found that a neutrophil-associated cationic protein contained in saliva can prevent Covid-19 infection. This image shows a 3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2the virus that causes COVID-19in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. (Courtesy of NIAID/RML) The WIV conducted extensive research on coronaviruses before the pandemic, including genetic analysis and sampling of animals, particularly bats. While the report acknowledges the presence of genetic engineering work at the WIV, it states that there is no direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic. However, the report notes that some of the WIVs genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it challenging to detect intentional changes, citing a 2017 dissertation by a WIV student. Some of the WIVs genetic engineering projects on coronaviruses involved techniques that could make it difficult to detect intentional changes, the report states. A 2017 dissertation by a WIV student showed that reverse genetic cloning techniqueswhich are standard techniques used in advanced molecular laboratoriesleft no traces of genetic modification of SARS-like coronaviruses. The WIV scientists created chimeras of SARS-like coronaviruses through genetic engineering and attempted to clone unrelated infectious viruses. Reverse genetic cloning techniques were employed on SARS-like coronaviruses, although the report states that no evidence suggests intentional genetic modification in relation to SARS-CoV-2. Inadequate Biosafety Precautions at Wuhan Lab The WIV had been the subject of biosafety concerns in handling SARS-like coronaviruses before the pandemic. The report noted that some WIV researchers probably did not use adequate biosafety precautions at least some of the time prior to the pandemic in handling SARS-like coronaviruses. This increased the risk of potential exposure to viruses. Biosafety improvements, training, and procurements were being made in mid-2019, the report states, but the IC is not aware of any specific incident that triggered those measures. This coincided with the broader biosecurity legislation in China. One issue highlighted in the report is the lack of transparency regarding Chinas decisions on which pathogens required higher biocontainment protocols, even after the WIVs BSL-4 laboratory was accredited in 2017. Additionally, there was a shortage of properly trained personnel at the facility. Laboratory technicians wearing personal protective equipment working on samples to be tested for COVID-19 at the Fire Eye laboratory, a COVID-19 testing facility, in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province, on Aug. 4, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) In 2019, experiments were conducted in lower containment labs despite known risks. In 2020, an inspection of the WIVs high-containment laboratories took place just months after the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. The inspection identified various issues, including the need for equipment updates, additional disinfectant measures, and improvements to ventilation systems. However, the report cautioned that these findings were made during the institutes crisis response to the COVID-19 outbreak and may not necessarily indicative of the WIVs biosafety status prior to the outbreak. In the fall of 2019, some WIV researchers fell sick before the COVID-19 outbreak. The ICs assessment neither supports nor refutes the theory that they were infected with SARS-CoV-2, saying that their symptoms were consistent with but not diagnostic of COVID-19. Their symptoms, the report states, could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19. China Has Some Serious Explaining To Do In a joint statement, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), chair of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said the declassified report is a promising step toward full transparency. The two Republican lawmakers declared that everyone deserves to know the truth. The pair said the information gathered by their committees during this Congress and the last supports the likelihood of a lab leak. Turner and Wenstrup said their committees will continue to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and the information obtained today will help to further its investigation. The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army have some serious explaining to do. This declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Intelligence Community lends credence to the lab leak theory, which suggests that the coronavirus outbreak most likely originated from a Wuhan virology lab in China, they said. This is on top of the Government Accountability Offices report released last week outlining the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Chinese entities known to be doing coronavirus research, their statement continued. While we appreciate the report from ODNI, the corroboration of all available evidence, along with further investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must continue. US Engineers Contributed to Missouri River Flood Damage and Must Pay Landowners, Court Rules Homes sit in floodwaters on Hoge Island north of Bismarck, N.D., along the Missouri River flood plain, on June 15, 2011. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File) OMAHA, Neb.The U.S. government may have to pay tens of millions of dollarsor moreto landowners along the Missouri River after a court ruled it worsened flooding there since 2007 that killed crops and wrecked homes and businesses. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower courts 2020 ruling that the federal government must pay for the landowners loss of value to the land. But the appeals court went even further in its decision last Friday, saying that the government must also pay them for crops, farm equipment and buildings lost to the flooding and finding the government contributed to the devastating flood of 2011. Courts have found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible for recurrent flooding since 2007, three years after it changed how it manages the Missouri Rivers flow to better protect the habitat of endangered fish and birds. It did so by notching dikes to increase water flow, keeping more water in reservoirs and reopening historic chutes, allowing the river to meander and erode banks. Farmers, businesses and other landowners say that unconstitutionally deprived them of their land. The courts have largely agreed, finding that the government violated constitutional protections against taking property without just compensation. That Fifth Amendment protection is often seen in cases of eminent domain, which allows a government to seize private property, with compensation, for a public purpose. Federal officials argue that the changes the Corps made were necessary to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act and a separate requirement from Congress passed in 1986 to protect fish and wildlife. The ruling comes as federal and state officials wrestle with the rising costs of floods made more severe by climate change, and droughts that will require tough water management choices. Its the sort of conflict that will only worsenand become more expensive, said James Elliott, a sociology professor at Rice University whose focus is on the confluence of human society and the environment. We tend to think of these as environmental issues, but really, theyre financial issues, right? he said. Weve got a lot of development in a lot of places where its just not sustainable. The Corps manages floodplains, levees, and other water infrastructure across the U.S., making critical decisions on emergency management. Any resulting court decision, and even a settlement, could have long-lasting consequences on how floodplains and ecosystems are managed in the future, although the government has indicated in court documents that the Corps is dedicated to its plan that protects endangered wildlife. In total, the government now faces liability for floods in six of the eight years spanning from the beginning of 2007 through 2014, including particularly devastating losses in 2011. Land value loss alone for which the government was found liable was estimated to be around $10 million by lower courts. Attorneys for the landowners had estimated that total damages could exceed $300 million. Total damages across the Missouri River basin in 2011 were estimated at around $2 billion, according to the National Climatic Data Center. So, if you consider how much those crop losses and the 2011 flood damage would be, you can extrapolate from there that it will be significant, said Seth Wright, of Posinelli Law Firm in Kansas City, Missouri, who is the lead trial attorney for the landowners. Wright said that if the history of the nearly 10-year-old legal case is an indicator, the government is likely to appeal the latest ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Its certainly frustrating to our clients, Wright said. Were a decade into this lawsuit and a decade-and-a-half from the first flood. Its time for the government to step up and pay. Federal officials argue that the courts have overlooked key factors in the case, noting that the plaintiffs land still occasionally flooded even before the Corps made changes to the rivers management in 2004. They say a publically available document warns of possible changes to Corps flood protections. In court documents, officials argue the landowners should have recognized long ago that the System was built to serve multiple, congressionally authorized purposes, not flood control alone, and that theyve never had a property right to any particular level of federal flood-control protection. More than 370 landowners in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and the Dakotas are currently represented in the lawsuit, and a merger with another class-action lawsuit of an additional 60 landowners could happen later. Lawmakers from affected states have said the Justice Department should settle. In 2020, seven Republican U.S. senators from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri urged the Army to negotiate with landowners. A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice, which said Thursday that it is considering its next steps following Fridays ruling. By Margery A. Beck US Holds Nuclear Weapons Dialogue With China, Russia, France, UK President Barack Obama (C) speaks during a closing session at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on April 1, 2016. After a spate of terrorist attacks from Europe to Africa, Obama is rallying international support during the summit for an effort to keep Islamic State and similar groups from obtaining nuclear material and other weapons of mass destruction. (Andrew Harrer/Getty Images) The United States said it hosted a working-level experts meeting on nuclear weapons issues with counterparts from China, France, Russia, and the UK in an ongoing exchange amid Russias war in Ukraine. Experts from the foreign and defense ministries of the five nuclear-armed states met on June 13 and 14 in Cairo in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), according to the U.S. State Department. They discussed strategic risk reduction, as well as nuclear doctrines and policy, it stated. The U.S. delegation included experts from the State and Defense departments and the National Nuclear Security Administration. The U.S. delegation welcomed the professional approach of the delegations and the inclusion of defense officials in the thematic discussions, the State Department said in a statement. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the summit as a routine, continuing dialogue that allowed the experts to discuss nuclear safety protocols and procedures. We just happened to be the chair of these nuclear-armed nations, and its done at a working level, Kirby told reporters in Washington on June 23. Under the NPTs provisions, the five nuclear powers agreed to negotiate toward someday eliminating their arsenals, and nations without nuclear weapons promised to not acquire them in exchange for a guarantee to be able to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Russia Deploys Nuclear Weapons in Belarus The meeting came as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed on June 16 the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) Some of the warheads are thought to be three times more powerful than the atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II in 1945. Speaking at an economic forum in St. Petersburg on June 16, Putin said Russia had delivered only the first batch of nuclear warheads to the territory of Belarus, with the remaining deliveries expected to be completed by the end of the summer or by the end of the year. Putin first described plans to deploy the nuclear warheads in Belarus in March, pointing to the U.S. deployment of similar weapons at NATO bases in a number of European countries over many decades. The move marks Moscows first deployment of such tactical nuclear warheadsshorter-range, less powerful nuclear weapons that could be used on the battlefieldoutside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. U.S.-based China expert Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times on June 17 that the most fundamental reason for Putins deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is that Russia is becoming increasingly passive on the Ukrainian battlefield. With Ukraines counterattack, Russia may lose the land it has occupied and even its homeland may be hit. Therefore, Putin needs to make such a move as a way of military blackmail to force NATO to limit military aid to Ukraine. This is also the first time since the end of the Cold War that a nuclear power has deployed nuclear weapons to other countries, which has seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and may force some of the weaker countries to take an extra layer of concern when it comes to military assistance to Ukraine, Tang said. But on the other hand, this move also exposed Putins weakness, indicating that his increasingly difficult situation on the battlefield has seriously affected the security of his power position. The expansion of nuclear weapons deployment is basically his last card, strictly speaking, he does not really want to use nuclear weapons to win the war but to use nuclear weapons to keep his position. Lorenz Duchamps, Jessica Mao, Olivia Li, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Putin Vows to Defend Russia from Armed Rebellion After Wagner Forces Occupy Military Installations in Rostov Russia charges Wagner boss with inciting armed mutiny President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to defeat an armed rebellion announced by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian Wagner paramilitary group, whom Putin denounced as a traitor to the country. In a televised address to the nation, Putin called on those involved in the rebellion to cease participation in armed conflict, pledging to defend the motherland. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. Prigozhin, the chief of Wagner, had posted a video of himself in the key city of Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine on Saturday morning local time. He said that a large militia had crossed the border from Ukraine and is now occupying all the military installations across the key Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, including its airfield. In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service, on June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Rostov-on-Don, about 60 miles from the Ukraine border, is home to the headquarters of the Russian Southern Military District, which oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Russia has called for Prigozhins arrest on charges of inciting an armed rebellion. Putin characterized the occupation of Rostov-on-Don as a betrayal fueled by the ambitions of hostile forces, equating it to an armed mutiny against Russia. The Russian president condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic, and information machine of the West is waged against us, he said. We are fighting against anarchy and capitulation. This internal mutiny is a mortal blow to us. It is a blow to our people as a whole. These people who are responsible will certainly be brought to justice on behalf of our people, he added. Putin said that his armed forces have received instructions, and steps have been taken to secure Moscow. As president of Russia, and commander in chief, as a citizen of Russia, I am doing everything to repel this attack and to ensure the freedom and security of our citizens, Putin said. Troops in Rostov-on-Don: Prigozhin Prigozhin, in the video he posted early Saturday, demanded to meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russias top general, Valery Gerasimov, at the military headquarters to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. He said Wagner troops would also move to Moscow if the two did not meet with him in Rostov-on-Don. It comes as Russia announced a criminal probe against Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed rebellion after he vowed retaliation against the Russian military and its leadership, for what he alleged was an attack on Wagner soldiers by the Russian military on Friday. Specifically, Prigozhin earlier said on Telegram that Wagners field camps in Ukraine were struck Friday by rockets, helicopter gunships, and artillery fire, which killed some 2,000 Wagner soldiers. Prigozhin alleged the attack was ordered by Gerasimov after a meeting with Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the claims. The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company with close ties to the Kremlin. Wagners contracted soldiers have, since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, fought as counterparts to the Russian army in battles against Ukrainian forces. Prigozhin said on Telegram that in response to the Friday attack allegedly by Russias military, soldiers of the Wagner mercenary group would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion. He urged Russian soldiers not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, he said. Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. Russia Opens Criminal Probe, Orders Arrest Russias defense ministry issued a statement denying any role in the Friday attack against Wagner. The ministry also said Prigozhins accusations were not true and are an informational provocation. The Federal Security Services (FSB), Russias domestic intelligence service, opened a criminal investigation against Prigozhin on charges of calling for an armed rebellion, reported state-owned Russian news agency TASS, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the FSB. If convicted, Prigozhin faces up to 20 years in prison. The FSB also called on Wagners soldiers to refuse to follow Prigozhins criminal and treacherous orders and arrest him. Prigozhins statements and actions effectively constitute calls for an armed civil conflict on Russian territory and a stab in the back of Russian servicemen fighting with pro-Nazi Ukrainian forces, the FSB said, reported TASS. Prigozhin, a one-time Putin ally, in recent months has been openly accusing Shoigu and Gerasimov of gross incompetence. On Friday, Prigozhin made another strong accusation, saying that Russias reasoning for invading Ukraine in February 2022which Putin has called a special military operationwas based on lies from the armys leadership. Wagner Troops Faced No Resistance: Prigozhin Prigozhin claimed Saturday around 2 a.m. local time that his forces had crossed the border from Ukraine and were in Rostov-on-Don. He said they will destroy anyone who stands in their way, adding, we are moving forward and will go until the end. Prigozhin also said that so far, his troops have faced no resistance at various checkpoints. According to TASS, citing a law enforcement source, security was fortified late Friday at Moscows critical facilities, and security measures have been increased in the capital, with Russian National Guard special units on full alert. The news agency also reported that police and military checkpoints have been established in Rostov-on-Don, near the Southern Military District headquarters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all Russian security agencies were reporting to Putin around the clock regarding the situation around Prigozhin. Peskov added that necessary measures are being taken, reported Russian news agency Interfax. Separately, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a Twitter post: We are watching. The Wagner Group The Wagner Groupofficially called Private Military Company (PMC) Wagnerhas led much of the fighting in Ukraine, especially in the eastern Donbas region. This included the months-long fighting in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where the longest and bloodiest battles have taken place. In May, the Wagner Group and Russian forces captured the war-torn town. The Epoch Times previously reported in February that a Chinese satellite manufacturer backed by the Chinese Communist Party has been providing assistance to the Wagner Group to conduct combat operations in Ukraine. The Wagner Group was first identified in 2014, when it was seen in action in eastern Ukraine, in the weeks following Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Wagner soldiers have, since 2014, also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside the forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The Wagner Group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Wagner fighters have been accused of atrocities, including mass killings, executions of civilians, and beheading prisoners of conscience. In January, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Wagner almost certainly now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, but by late May, Prigozhin asserted that the Wagner Group had lost roughly 20,000 soldiers in the fighting in Bakhmut. As Wagner troops fought and died en masse in Ukraine, Prigozhin sharply rebuked Russias military leadership. In a video released by his team in May, Prigozhin stood next to rows of bodies he said were slain Wagner fighters, whose deaths he blamed on the Russian defense ministrys negligence. He accused Shoigu of incompetence and of starving his troops of the weapons and ammunition they needed to fight. See updates on the Wagner situation in Russia here. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wagner Group Rebellion the Most Significant Challenge to Russian State: UK Defence Ministry In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service, on June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) A Wagner group-led armed rebellion launched on Saturday marks the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the British defence ministry said. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there had been very limited evidence that the rebelling paramilitary group was met with resistance, and that the loyalty of Russias security forces will be key to how things play out. Writing on Twitter on Saturday, the MoD said Wagner had almost certainly occupied key security sites in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters which runs Russias military operations in Ukraine. Further Wagner units are moving north through Vorenezh [sic] Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow, defence officials said. The statement said there had been very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, suggesting some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the MoD said. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC that he would speak to some of the UKs allies on Saturday about the evolving situation, on which they are keeping a close eye. But the most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment, he said. Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Defence Committee, wrote on Twitter that the rebellion represented a huge opportunity for Ukraine to exploit. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner leader who has been in a months-long feud with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, appeared to have posted a series of angry video and audio messages on Friday and Saturday, accusing the military leaders of trying to destroy his group. In one of the messages posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said Wagners field camps in Ukraine were struck on Friday by rockets, helicopter gunships, and artillery fire, which killed some 2,000 Wagner soldiers. He alleged the attack was ordered by Gerasimov after a meeting with Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the claims. Prigozhin declared a march of justice to punish the military leaders and said that his force had taken over all the military installations across Rostov-on-Don, a city near the Ukrainian border where the war was overseen by the Russian Southern Military District headquarters. He also said troops would move to Moscow unless Shoigu and Gerasimov met with him in Rostov-on-Don. Russias defense ministry has denied attacking Wagner units, saying Prigozhins accusations were not true and are an informational provocation. According to Russian state-owned TASS news agency, the Federal Security Service has opened a criminal case into a call for an armed mutiny. Prigozhin also alleged that the war with Ukraine was launched so Shoigu could become a marshal and get a second Hero [of Russia] medal, not because it was needed to demilitarise or denazify Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has characterised the rebellion as treason and a betrayal of the country and its people led by unbounded ambitions and personal interests. In a televised address to the nation, Putin said the armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders and that all those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. Prigozhin denied Putins allegations in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit, and bureaucracy. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With Parliament on Summer Break, What Impactful Bills Still Havent Passed? The Liberal government managed to pass some of its most noteworthy pieces of legislation before Parliament rose this week for its over two-month summer recess, but several impactful bills will still be pending when the House of Commons reconvenes in September. Both of the governments online-regulation billsthe Online Streaming Act and the Online News Actpassed in Parliaments final weeks, bringing to a close over a year of debate on the matter. The government also managed to pass its Budget Implementation Act despite heavy opposition from the Conservatives, who filibustered the bills passage for weeks while calling on the Liberals to introduce a plan for eliminating deficit spending. However, several bills will be stuck in legislative limbo over the summer, most notably Bill C-21, the Liberals contentious gun-restriction legislation. Bill C-21 Bill C-21 passed in the House of Commons in May, has since passed second reading in the Senate, and will undergo consideration by the Standing Senate Committee on National Security once Parliament comes back into session. The pending legislation will amend the Firearms Act and introduce a new definition of what the government considers to be prohibited assault-style firearms. The new definition will cover all non-handguns that discharge centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner; was originally designed with a detachable cartridge magazine with a six-cartridge or more capacity; and that is designed and manufactured on or after the day on which the legislation takes effect. The bill will also bring back a firearms committee to classify guns to be sold on the market. In addition, the legislation will enshrine in law a handgun-transfer freeze that cabinet put in place in 2022 through an Order in Council. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has called it the most significant gun control legislation in Canada in a generation. Bill C-48 Introduced late during Parliaments spring session, Bill C-48 is the governments attempt at reforming the federal bail system that has been receiving months of heavy criticism from opposition parties and provincial premiers. The pending legislation, yet to have its second reading in the House, proposes a number of changes to Canadas Criminal Code including a new clause that would create a new reverse onus for serious repeat violent offending involving weapons where the accused had been convicted of a similar offence within the previous five years. It also proposes expanding a current reverse onus for firearms convictions to include other indictable offences like unlawfully possessing a loaded or restricted weapon and stealing firearms. If passed, it would require courts to consider an accused persons violent criminal history and community safety record when making bail decisions. Conservatives have criticized the legislation, saying it wont solve the current issue of violent, repeat offenders being released on bail before serving their entire prison sentence. They have not reversed catch and release, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on May 16. [Bill C-48] does not guarantee that a repeat violent offender who is newly charged with a violent crime would stay in jail until the sentence is completed. The introduction of the bill in May came after all the provincial premiers signed a joint letter in January calling on Ottawa to strengthen the federal bail system. Bill C-50 Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson introduced Bill C-50, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, less than a week before the House rose for the summer. The bill is the Liberals so-called just transition legislation that will aim to establish a federal plan for creating sustainable green-energy jobs for Canadas oil and gas sector workers as Ottawa aims to reach national net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Criticism and concerns about the legislation have come from both the opposition Conservatives and provincial premierswith both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe saying they wont implement the legislation if it passes into law. Alberta will not recognize, cooperate with or enforce any attempt to phase out our provinces oil and gas industry or its workforce, Smith said in a June 15 statement. This is non-negotiable. The provinces are concerned that the legislation will affect millions of jobs, as hinted at in a briefing note prepared for Wilkinson in 2022. The federal government has maintained the legislation will create jobs rather than destroy them. I do not believe that the challenge we are going to face is that there are workers who are displaced that will not find other good-paying jobs, Wilkinson told CBC News in January. I am actually quite worried that there are so many opportunities we will not have enough workers to fill the jobs. Marnie Cathcart and The Canadian Press contributed to this report. 17 Oppn parties unite to fight LS polls against BJP Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and others during a joint press conference after the Opposition parties meeting in Patna on Friday. (PTI) PATNA : AAP not to attend future meetings unless Cong makes its stand public on Delhi ordinance AS MANY as 17 Opposition parties on Friday resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the BJP and work with flexibility by setting aside their differences and will meet in Shimla next month to chalk out a joint strategy. Addressing a joint press conference after an almost four-hour meeting during which leaders of these parties expressed their views, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said they will meet in the next few days to give final shape to their plan of fighting together. We had a good meeting and several leaders expressed their views during the meeting. Seventeen parties have decided to work together and contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly, he told reporters. The meeting is viewed as a starting point for Opposition unity ahead of Lok Sabha polls to unitedly take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP. Kumar, who hosted the meeting, said they were working in the national interest and accused the BJP of acting against the countrys interest as it was trying to change Indias history. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said that the Opposition parties meet did not decide on fielding a common prime ministerial candidate but have resolved to consolidate all democratic forces to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Sources said differences emerged between the AAP and the Congress after Arvind Kejriwal insisted that the grand old party should make its stand public on the Delhi ordinance failing which it would not be possible for his party to attend future meetings of the Opposition. The black ordinance is anti-constitutional, anti-federalism, and outright undemocratic... Congress hesitation and refusal to act as a team player, especially on an issue as important as this one, would make it very difficult for the AAP to be a part of any alliance that includes Congress, the AAP said in a statement. Until the Congress publicly denounces the black ordinance and declares that all 31 of its RS MPs will oppose the ordinance in the Rajya Sabha, it will be difficult for AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant, it added. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the next meeting would be held in Shimla next month. We have decided to prepare a common agenda and will take decisions in the next meeting on how to move forward, he said. We will have to evolve separate plans for every state and we will work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre, he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, We may have some differences but have decided to work together with flexibility and will work to protect our ideology. As many as 32 leaders of these parties participated in the meeting at the Bihar chief ministers 1, Aney Marg, residence here. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said the first meet was organised in Patna as Whatever starts from Patna, takes the shape of the public movement. If this dictatorial Government (NDA) returns this time, there will be no elections in future, she said. We all are united and will fight unitedly against BJP, she said and added that the BJP wants to change history but well ensure that history is saved. Banerjee also asserted that they were not opposition parties but citizens of the country who are patriotic and love Bharat Mata. She said the BJP wants history to be changed but asserted that the Opposition will ensure that history is saved. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said just like the JP movement, our united front will get the blessings of the public. The message from Patna meeting is clear for all of us that we need to work together to save the country, said Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav who thanked all the leaders for making it for the meeting. Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren said todays beginning will prove to be a milestone for the country and all leaders will move together with a positive thinking. RJD supremo and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad said people of the country want us to fight unitedly against the BJP and the RSS. Prime Minister Modi is distributing sandalwood in the US when the country is facing problems, he said, asserting that I am fit now and can take on him. We have to fight together. People of the country used to say that votes got divided as the opposition did not fight together, he said, alleging that the country is on the verge of breaking. Bajrang Bali is with us.... The BJP and Narendra Modi will face tough times ahead, he said. Lalu also jokingly told Rahul Gandhi to get married, saying there is still time left, with Gandhi responding, It will happen since you have said. NC leader Omar Abdullah said after the meeting that 17 parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have come together not for power, but for principles. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the main issue is to protect the character of our secular democratic country which the BJP wants to change. CPI leader D Raja alleged that BJPs nine-year rule has become disastrous and detrimental to the constitution of our country. We cant let Gandhis India to become Godses country, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said after the meeting. In the current Lok Sabha the combined strength of these parties accounts for less than 200 of the 543 seats, though their leaders are hopeful of together turning the tables on the saffron party which enjoys a brute majority with a 300 plus tally. The Congress, which is seen as the principal rival of BJP, had won around 50 seats in 2019, a slight improvement over its 2014 performance when it won only 44 - an all time low. Dark clouds hovering over Indo-Pacific: PM Modi By Lalit K Jha : WASHINGTON, Global order is based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, says PM Modi at joint meeting of US Congress PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has said the dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific, in a veiled attack on China amid its aggressive military manoeuvring in the strategically vital region. In his address to the joint meeting of the US Congress for a second time on Thursday, Modi said the global order is based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership, he said against the backdrop of the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh. The Prime Minister said a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, where progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, where connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. His comments came amidst the economic crisis in countries such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, where China has made huge unviable infrastructure investments. The two South Asian countries are currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. We share a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN centrality, Modi said. Our vision does not seek to contain or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond. Of this, QUAD has emerged as a major force of good for the region, he said. Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden, called for respecting the rules-based international order by all countries. As global partners, the United States and India affirm that the rules-based international order must be respected. They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on principles of the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the statement said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of Chinas rising military manoeuvring in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, through which more than USD 5 trillion of trade passes annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over some of the areas claimed by China. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. Modi told US lawmakers that the last few years have seen deeply disruptive developments. With the Ukraine conflict, war has returned to Europe. It is causing great pain in the region. Since it involves major powers, the consequences are severe, he said. Countries of the Global South have been particularly affected. The global order is based on the respect for the principles of the UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the prime minister said. He added that: As I have said directly and publicly, this is not an era of war. But, it is one of dialogue and diplomacy, Modi said. We all must do what we can to stop the bloodshed and human suffering, he said. In this article, we will take a look at the 30 most affordable cities in the US. If you want to see more cities in this selection, go to the 5 Most Affordable Cities in the US. The cost of living crisis is affecting people living in every region of the world, thus causing the topic of inflation to be at the forefront of most economic discussions. While economists and analysts are worried about inflation in general, they seem to be questioning the Federal Reserves ability to combat it. Since March of last year, the Federal Reserve has implemented a series of interest rate hikes, amounting to a cumulative increase of 4.50%. As a consequence, this has led to a redirection of funds from the stock market towards more secure investment options, including bonds and bank savings accounts. After 10 consecutive increases since March 2022, the federal funds rate now hovers between 5% and 5.25%, the highest level since mid-2007. According to analysts, the biggest downward drivers of inflation will be rising joblessness and softening wage gains. Such an economic environment, coupled with the effects of the outbreak of the pandemic, triggered a sense of restlessness among Americans, leading numerous families to embark on relocations in pursuit of increased living space or a more affordable cost of living. This trend persisted throughout 2022, witnessing hundreds of thousands of individuals uprooting their lives and resettling in different states. Nadia Evangelou, the senior economist and director of real estate research at NAR, reports that residents are migrating to states with job markets that exhibited faster-than-average growth during the pandemic. Furthermore, these states also offer more accessible and affordable housing compared to regions experiencing population decline. The recent surge in inflation has caused numerous Americans to consider relocating to cities with a more affordable cost of living. According to data released by the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached approximately 258.84 in 2020 and is projected to rise to 325.6 by 2027, relative to the base period from 1982 to 1984. While the rise in inflation can be attributed to a number of reasons, the movement of people within the United States, and its impact on local housing markets, seems to be one of them. For millions of homeowners all over the country, particularly older owners, the huge increase in home values during the pandemic finally gave them the incentive to make an interstate move that they might have been wanting to make for years. An October report from real-estate brokerage Redfin suggests that higher mortgage rates and mounting economic woes are making expensive parts of the country "less attractive" to prospective buyers. More homebuyers left the Bay Area than any other metro in July and August, followed by Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston, all expensive job centers with high mortgage rates and economic woes, including inflation, making it more difficult to afford homes in these places. The rise in inflation, coupled with the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in many changes in lifestyles, including an increasing work-from-home preference among employees, which led to numerous families relocating to find more affordable places to reside. This trend has continued into 2023, with hundreds of thousands of individuals choosing to move to different cities. However, this trend may slow in the future as the financial benefit of living in such places diminishes. For example, homes in the Sun Belt metros are becoming less affordable more quickly compared to coastal areas. Homebuyers in Phoenix, for instance, need to earn 46% more than they did a year ago to afford the areas typical monthly mortgage payment, compared with 26% more in San Francisco. 30 Most Affordable Cities in the US Photo by Andrea Davis on Unsplash With these details in mind, lets take a look at some of the most affordable cities to live in the US. Our Methodology We used a city screener developed by Niche to pick the most affordable cities in the US. While the cost of living was the primary factor in determining this list, we also presented facts about housing and utilities within the listed cities. You can also take a look at the 30 Best Places to live in the U.S. for the Weather. 30 Most Affordable Cities in the US 30. Clarksville The fifth-largest city in the state of Tennessee with a population of approximately 160,000, Clarksville serves as the seat of the Montgomery County. The city is home to several major employers, including Fort Campbell, a U.S. Army base that straddles the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Houses in Clarksville rent between $600 - $5,008 with a median rent of $1,300. 29. Lansing The birthplace of Oldmobile and home to Michigan State University, Lansing is the fifth-largest city in the state of Michigan with a population of 112,460. The cost of living in Lansing is 6% lower than the state average and 9% lower than the national average. Additionally, housing within the city is 18% cheaper than the U.S average. 28. Birmingham Birmingham, also known as the 'Magic City', serves as the largest city in Alabama and is situated in the central part of the state. With a population of over 200,000 residents, Birmingham is a significant cultural, economic, and industrial center in the region. The cost of living in Birmingham is 8% lower than the national average while housing is 20% cheaper than the U.S average. 27. Kansas City Kansas City holds the distinction of being the largest city in the state of Missouri and ranks among the largest cities in the United States. Consequently, it boasts a robust economy, hosting notable companies such as Sanofi and Dairy Farmers of America. In terms of housing, the city offers a median rent of $1,040 and median home prices averaging around $175,400. 26. Memphis Memphis is a city on the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee, famous for the influential strains of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll that originated there. Nicknamed "Home of the Blues" and "Bluff City," Memphis is considered one of the best places to live in Tennessee and a good place for young professionals and families due to its affordable housing. 25. Pittsburgh Known for being the Steel City, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh is a convenient, affordable place to live and work due to a cost of living that is 7% lower than the national average, a reasonable median home price of $259,900, and median monthly rent of $1,427. The city also has a range of top-notch companies in the education, technology, healthcare, and steel industries. 24. Springfield Lying in a valley and plain near the Sangamon River, Springfield is the capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The cost of living in Springfield is 1% higher than the state average but 7% lower than the national average. Housing within the city is 11% cheaper than the US average, while utilities are about 2% pricier. 23. Jackson Jackson, the state capital of Mississippi, offers big-city amenities along with a comfortable quality of life and reasonable home prices. Home to activists like Medgar Evers and the site of some of the most significant protests in the nation's history, Jackson was the heartbeat of the fight for equality in the United States. The cost of living in Jackson is 1% lower than the state average and 16% lower than the national average. Additionally, housing is 32% cheaper than the US average, while utilities are about 17% cheaper. 22. Detroit Long known as the automobile capital of the world, thus earning the the moniker of 'Motor City', Detroit is the largest city in the midwestern state of Michigan. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area, and the 14th-largest in the United States. Regarded as a major cultural center and one of the most affordable cities to live in, Detroit is known for its contributions to music, art, architecture and design, in addition to its historical automotive background. 21. Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. A flourishing center for arts and culture in Eastern Iowa, the city is home to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the Paramount Theatre, Orchestra Iowa, Theatre Cedar Rapids, the African American Museum of Iowa, and the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance. Housing expenses in Cedar Rapids are 29% lower than the national average and the utility prices are 8% lower than the national average. 20. Laredo Laredo is a city in and the county seat of Webb County on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a village to the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the Mexican border. The city's economy is primarily based on international trade with Mexico and as a major hub for three areas of transportation - land, rail, and air cargo. 19. Davenport Home to a variety of craft breweries, fun local shops, and nationally recognized chains, Davenport is the largest city in the QC metro. The cost of living in Davenport, Iowa, is 3% lower than the national average while the utility prices within the city are 13% lower than the national average. 18. Wichita Known as the 'Air Capital of the World', Wichita is the largest city in the state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. The cost of living in Wichita is 3% higher than the state average and 9% lower than the national average. With housing that is 29% cheaper than the US average and utilities that are about 2% less pricey, Wichita is one of the most affordable cities in the US. 17. Amarillo A popular stop along Route 66 in Texas, Amarillo is also home to many well-known theatres and art shows, as well as the popular space museum, the Don Harrington Discovery Center and the Space Theater. The cost of living in Amarillo is 9% lower than the state average and 16% lower than the national average while housing is 28% cheaper than the US average. 16. McAllen Having developed from a farming community to a visitor's delight, McAllen is known for its mild winter weather, tropical breezes, brightly colored birds, and low cost of living. The city also boasts millions of visitors annually on account of its many shopping districts. The cost of living in McAllen is 14% lower than the state average and 21% lower than the national average. Housing within the city is 45% cheaper than the US average, while utilities are about 6% pricier. 15. Abilene A city based in the Taylor and Jones County, Abilene is known as the Official Storybook Capital of America because it has the largest public collection of sculptural storybook characters in the state of Texas. As of June 2023, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Abilene is $750. This is a 1% increase compared to the previous year. 14. Beaumont Beaumont is a city in southeastern Texas known for the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, a recreated town showing life in the early 1900s, at the start of the Texas oil boom. Some of the major business clusters in Beaumont-Port Arthur area include chemical and petroleum manufacturing, materials manufacturing and transportation. The average rent for apartments in Beaumont is between $902 and $1,030 in 2023. 13. Montgomery Montgomery is the capital city of the US state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to housing many Alabama government agencies, Montgomery has a large military presence, due to the Maxwell Air Force Base. The average rent for apartments in Montgomery, is between $770 and $990 in 2023. 12. Cleveland The second-most populous city in Ohio, Cleveland is known for its cultural scene, Polish heritage, and musical history. The city is also known for its outdoor recreation opportunities and an award-winning culinary and brewery scene. Home to approximately 368,000 residents, Cleveland's economy is based healthcare, banking, finance, education, insurance, manufacturing, sports, and tech. 11. Topeka Topeka, situated on the Kansas River in Shawnee County, is the state capital of Kansas with a population of approximately 125,353 as of 2023. The city is known for its diverse economy, which includes sectors such as government, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and retail. The cost of living in Topeka is 7% lower than the state average and 18% lower than the national average making it one of the most affordable cities to move to. Additionally, housing in the city is 24% cheaper than the US average, while utilities are about 5% less pricey. 10. Buffalo Home to the Albright-Know Art Gallery, in addition to over 50 private and public art galleries, Buffalo, NY, is one of the top art destinations in the United States. Although the snowstorms during winters may be inconvenient, the cities friendly locals and beautiful scenery make Buffalo a good place to live. The cost of living in Buffalo is 27% lower than the state average and 5% lower than the national average. 9. Akron Sometimes overshadowed by Cleveland to its north, Akron is one of the most affordable places to live in Ohio. Hometown to Lebron James, Akron is globally recognized as a hub for polymer research, formerly known as a prominent rubber capital worldwide, and renowned for its association with the breakfast cereal industry. The city's cost of living is 14% lower than the national average. 8. Evansville Evansville is a city located in the southwestern corner of the state of Indiana. Situated along the Ohio River, it is the third-largest city in the state and serves as the county seat of Vanderburgh County. The city is home to several major manufacturing facilities and has a strong industrial presence, with prominent companies like Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM). The average rent for apartments in Evansville is between $780 and $1,719 in 2023. 7. Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Indiana and serves as the county seat of Allen County and is the second-largest city in Indiana, after Indianapolis. Originally established as a military outpost in the 18th century, Fort Wayne has grown to become a diverse economy over time, which includes manufacturing, healthcare, education, defense, and services sectors. The cost of living in Fort Wayne is 1% lower than the state average and 11% lower than the national average. Housing in the city is also 29% cheaper than the US average. 6. Erie Erie is Pennsylvania's only port on the St. Lawrence Seaway and is a strategic shipping point for industrial coke, iron ore, steel, salt, stone, and scrap metal. Erie's manufacturing sector remains prominent in the local economy, while insurance, healthcare, higher education, technology, service industries, and tourism are emerging as significant economic drivers. The cost of living in Erie is 8% lower than the state average and 10% lower than the national average. One of the most affordable cities in the United States, housing in Erie is 34% cheaper than the US average. Click to continue reading and see 5 Most Affordable Cities in the US. Suggested Articles: Disclosure: None. 30 Most Affordable Cities in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey. Encouraging capital investment key to Modinomics: Gadkari MUMBAI : MEASURES to encourage capital investment have been an important aspect of Modinomics as it is not just a wealth creator but also a means of employment generation, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday. In the 60 years of Congress rule, hatred was spread against capitalists. During the Congress rule, governance was budget-centric, said the Minister of Road Transport and Highways here at an event on the achievements of nine years of the Narendra Modi Government. Encouraging domestic capital investment, and bringing foreign capital for development are necessary to eradicate poverty, he said. Works worth Rs 9 lakh crore are being carried out with a budget of Rs 900 crore because the Modi Government is encouraging capital investment, said the senior BJP leader. Capital investment creates wealth and jobs, he stressed. Recalling his days as the PWD (Public Works Department) Minister of Maharashtra in the 1990s, when the undivided Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was in power, Gadkari said he would then speak of infrastructure projects on BOT (build-operate-transfer) and PPP (public-private partnership) basis. He said the Congress leaders would mock him saying whether the Government was given on BOT and PPP. Today, public-private partnership and build-operate-transfer models are well accepted, he said. In the Modi Government, Gadkari said, decision-making is transparent and time-bound because of good governance with a focus on development and economic growth. HC to hear G N Saibabas appeal against conviction on July 17 Staff Reporter : The appeal filed by former Delhi University professor Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba, alias G N Saibaba and his four accomplices against their conviction in a terror activities case is listed before a new bench of Bombay High Courts Nagpur appellate side. The registry has listed the petition for final hearing before the division bench of Justices Vinay Joshi and Valmiki Menezes on July 17. The Supreme Court had issued an order to this effect in April of this year. G N Saibabas associates include Mahesh Kariman Tirki, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi Narayan Sanglikar, and Vijay Nan Tirki. The fifth accomplice, Pandu Narote had passed away on August 25, 2022, due to illness. Earlier, on October 14, 2022, the High Court bench of Justices Rohit Deo and Anil Pansare had acquitted Saibaba and his four accomplices on a technicality, citing non-compliance with the mandatory provision of seeking approval from a competent authority before filing a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. However, the state government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging this decision. On April 19, 2023, the Supreme Court set aside the decision and remanded the case back to the High Court for fresh disposal in accordance with the law. Furthermore, to ensure fairness, it was ordered that the case be completed before a new bench. The case against these accused originated in Gadchiroli district, where Assistant Police Inspector Atul Awad, serving in the Gadchiroli Special Branch, received confidential information regarding the alleged involvement of Mahesh Tirki and Pandu Narote in banned organisations such as CPI (Maoist) and RDF. Consequently, the police began surveillance on both individuals. On August 22, 2013, the police detained Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote, and Hem Mishra at Aheri Bus Stand based on suspicious activities. Further investigations revealed Saibabas alleged involvement in transmitting anti-national conspiracy information through Mishra to the Naxalite group Narmadakka. Rahi and Vijay Tirki were also implicated in this conspiracy. Subsequently, all six accused were arrested and charged. The upcoming hearing before Justices Vinay Joshi and Valmiki Menezes of the of the Bombay High Court will determine the fate of the appeal filed by Saibaba and his remaining four associates. The court will examine the evidence and arguments presented by both the prosecution and defence before reaching a decision on the matter. India, US to end 6 trade disputes at WTO WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI : INDIA and the US have agreed to end six key trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) while New Delhi will also remove retaliatory customs duties on certain American products such as almonds, walnuts, and apples. The six disputes include three initiated by India and as many by the US. Announcing this, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai in a statement said that these tariff cuts will restore and expand market opportunities for US agricultural producers and manufacturers. A joint statement issued after the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden said that both the countries have taken steps towards deepening bilateral cooperation to strengthen their economic relationship, including trade ties. The leaders welcomed the resolution of six outstanding WTO disputes between the two countries through mutually agreed solutions, it said. The USTR said that the two countries have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the WTO. These include countervailing measures on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India, certain measures relating to solar cells and modules, measures relating to the renewable energy sector, export-related measures, certain measures on steel and aluminium products, and additional duties on some products from the US. According to trade experts, both countries can resolve the disputes on mutually agreed terms and later inform the Geneva-based WTO about the same. Commenting on this, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said that this decision is a big victory and will be mutually beneficial for both countries. He said, its a package deal and now there are no pending India-US disputes at WTO. In 2018, the US imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import duties on certain steel and aluminium products, respectively, on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 imposed customs duties on 28 American products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents. The US had filed a complaint in the WTO about Indias support measures to its export sector under different schemes. In 2019, a WTO dispute panel ruled that Indias export measures are inconsistent with global trade norms. The US is the largest trading partner of India. In 2022-23, the bilateral goods trade increased to USD 128.8 billion as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. According to WTO rules, a member country can file a case in the Geneva-based multilateral body if they feel that a particular trade measure is against the norms of the world body. Bilateral consultation is the first step to resolving a dispute. If both sides are not able to resolve the matter through consultation, either of them can approach the establishment of a dispute settlement panel. The panels ruling or report can be challenged by WTOs appellate body. Interestingly, the appellate body is not functioning because of differences among member countries to appoint its members. Several disputes are already pending with this body. The US has been blocking the appointment of the members. Iraqi students earn jobs using fake marksheets of RTMNU colleges Staff Reporter : Shockingly, Varsity authorities did not inform police In a shocking incident some Iraq nationals got jobs in their country on the basis of marksheets of the colleges affiliated to Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU). The students were never registered with this university. In the first week of June, the Vice Chancellor of RTMNU Dr Subhash Chaudhari received a communication from the Iraq embassy in India seeking information of some students who procured jobs in that country. In the communication the information of 27 students was sought. Of these, 22 were of Bajirao Karanjekar Pharmacy College, Sakoli; 2 each of Bapurao Deshmukh College of Engineering, Sewagram, Wardha and Dr Ambedkar College, Deekshabhoomi. The identity of one student could not be ascertained. RTMNU sent mails to the colleges mentioned in the communication and asked for the information on these students. All the colleges replied saying that the students were never admitted to their institutions. The University forwarded the information to the Iraq embassy. These students had submitted the marksheets of the the colleges at the companies in Iraq to get jobs. On June 14, 2023, a senior official from the Iraq consulate visited RTMNU and discussed the issue. He stayed in the university for the whole day. After the deliberations and detailed checks, the authorities concluded that the marksheets submitted for jobs in Iraq by the students did not belong to the colleges under RTMNU, so they were fake. Dr Subhash Chaudhari told The Hitavada, We issued a letter to the embassy confirming that the students whose information was sought by Iraq Government are not students of RTMNU. They were never. When contacted Brahmanand Karanjekar, President of Karanjekar Pharmacy College said, We had received an email from Iraq embassy around two years ago asking the information of students who had marksheets of our college. We checked in our system and informed them that they were not our students. Later on they kept seeking authenticity of marksheets of some more students of Iraq. They were not our students. There was one Principal named Raghu working with Karanjekar College of Pharmacy who had told the Iraq embassy that the students whose information it sought were the students of that college. The management later on removed him and replied the embassy with right information. But why did the Principal tell a lie is a million dollar question. Only varsity can check authenticity The paper that is being used for marksheet is not exclusive like that of currency note. Obviously anybody can prepare the marksheet and use it anywhere. The marksheets authenticity can be checked only in university. There are 9 security points on the basis of which the fact can be found out. In Iraq students case, university checked whether the students are enrolled with RTMNU or not. CP was unaware Though University is not guilty in the whole episode it should have intimated the police about it, which it did not do, the reasons best known to authorities. When contacted Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told The Hitavada, I am not aware of what has happened in the university. Till now I havent received any complaint. I dont know whether the complaint was lodged in any of city police station or not. If University has not done that then it should do it immediately. Because the case is very serious. Still I shall check with my system whether any information has been received or not. MODIS MOMENT FROM clinching significant deals in energy, space, military hardware and futuristic technology sectors to making the United States finally lower its tech barrier to include India as an equal partner, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modis State visit to America has brought a bountiful of achievements for the country. The biggest factor highlighting the success of Mr. Modis visit to the US and his incredible bonhomie with the US President Mr. Joe Biden in the White House came during the press conference after the Indo-US joint statement when a deliberate attempt was made to divert the narrative towards a non-existent issue of discrimination of minorities in India. The way the Prime Minister dealt with the poor attempt at showing his Government in bad light was indeed the cherry on the cake. Mr. Modi brushed aside the question like a true-blue statesman as he reminded the sections inimical to Indias growth that democracy flows in the veins of India and discrimination of religious minorities in the country is just a figment of imagination peddled by some ignoramuses. The Prime Ministers reminder to the section of people raising bogey about religious discrimination was another snub to the anti-India forces whose only agenda is to work against the current NDA regime which has been working on elevating the status of India in the global order. If there was any proof needed about Indias growing geopolitical clout in the present times, then it came through the deals signed between India and the United States. The bouquet contains some big-ticket announcements including GE Aerospace pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to jointly produce fighter engines for Indian Air Forces Light Combat Aircraft -- Tejas, procurement of drones, a space mission and manufacturing chips in India. All the deals end the denial of critical technologies to India as Washington realises the critical role for New Delhi in the global order. Till a decade ago, India was on the fringes of the US foreign policy even as Washington kept weighing New Delhis capabilities. It was openly articulated by Mr. Modi during his last address to the US Congress in 2016 as he talked about overcoming the hesitations of history while calling for stronger economic and defence ties. Seven years later, the hesitations of history have vanished as India stands with the US on its own terms. Unfortunately, the rise and growth of Indias stature is still a cause of consternation for a section of people that includes a few Opposition leaders, some blind-eyed political caucuses, biased media houses and a group of pseudo-liberals who revel in colouring the India Shining story with the paint of religious hatred. Mr. Modis surprise over the statements made about discrimination against religious minorities in India was a shared sentiment of the majority of the people back home. In a vibrant democracy like India, where every religion enjoys total freedom and minority communities are integral part of every success story, the question about discrimination clearly stemmed from half-baked knowledge, poor understanding of Indian culture, and a malicious agenda. It was a pathetic effort to divert the attention from the remarkable success of Mr. Modis State visit. No wonder it met a solid retort from the Prime Minister who highlighted in no uncertain terms that democracy is not only a concept in India but a living reality manifested in the Constitution of the country. The power of democratic values has kept India thriving in testing times. The growth story and the high place in the global order is the outcome of healthy democratic practices. It cannot be negated by some jaundice-visioned elements whose problem is with the prosperity of India. Monsoon greets some parts, to cover entire Vidarbha soon Staff Reporter : Marked fall in max temperature in most parts of Vidarbha Heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely in isolated places of region from June 25 to 27 After a long wait, finally monsoon arrived in parts of Vidarbha on Thursday night and Friday. Barring the districts of Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal, and Washim, all other districts in the region received rainfall till Friday evening, following which there was a marked fall in maximum temperature in most parts of Vidarbha. For the past few days, Nagpurians were braving sweltering heat due to rise in humidity. On Thursday, when it started raining, it was dubbed as another pre-monsoon spell. However, as it continued to rain in the night, followed by spells on Friday, people felt that monsoon had arrived in city. However, according to Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) officials, monsoon was yet to arrive in Nagpur till Friday late night. So far, they said, it had arrived in parts of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of the region on Thursday. RMC Nagpur, on Friday, issued a press release announcing advancement of south-west monsoon in some parts of Vidarbha. As per the RMC, conditions were becoming favourable for further advance of south-west monsoon into some more parts of Vidarbha during next 48-72 hours. On Saturday, monsoon may cover Nagpur, said the officials. RMC predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall as very likely to occur in isolated places of Vidarbha during June 25 to June 27. Besides, up to June 27, thunderstorm accompanied by moderate to severe lightning was likely in isolated places of the region. On June 25, heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely to occur over Nagpur, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur. The next day also, barring Gadchiroli, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at these places, and also over Wardha, Amravati, and Yavatmal. On June 27, it is likely to occur over Amravati and Wardha. Meanwhile, the rains -- whether monsoon or pre-monsoon -- there was a marked drop in maximum temperature in most parts of Vidarbha. Only in Akola (39.2 degrees Celsius), Buldana (36.8 degrees Celsius), and Washim (37.6 degrees Celsius), maximum temperature was four, 4.3, and 4.2 degrees above normal. At all other places in the region, there was a drop in maximum temperature. The biggest fall in maximum temperature was reported in Gondia (6.4 degrees fall), Wardha (6.2 degrees), Nagpur (6.1 degrees), and Chandrapur (5.3 degrees fall). The highest 24-hour change in maximum temperature was in Gondia (10.6 degrees), Wardha (10 degrees), Nagpur (9.3 degrees), and Chandrapur (8.8 degrees). These are the same districts where it rained well. Akola was the hottest place in Vidarbha region with maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius, while Amravati was the coolest place with minimum temperature of 23.1 degrees Celsius. TIES AT next level The significance of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modis State visit to the United States on invitation of the US President Mr. Joe Biden has been highlighted well in the announcements regarding inking of major pacts in the areas of defence and technology. The pact between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce F414 fighter jet engines for light combat aircraft Tejas Mk-II, comes as a major boost for the Indian Air Force. Tejas Mk-I and Mk-1A use F404 engine. The joint production of F414 fighter jet engines in India will boost the prospects of Tejas Mk-II. Already, Aeronautical Development Agency under Defence Research and Development Organisation is working on coming up with Tejas Mk-II prototype with GEs F414 engines by the end of 2024. With the GE-HAL pact, work on rolling out F414 powered Tejas Mk-II by 2027-28 will be on fast track. This will boost the plans of having strong light combat aircraft squadrons, ultimately providing an edge to national security. The fighter jet engines to be produced will be of use for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft too. This pact also highlights that India is successfully pursuing the path of multilateralism in defence deals. India was buying mostly from Russia and European consortium. In the past few years, India has gained a new confidence and actively welcomed the idea of being friends with different nations at a time and signing deals with them. Besides, India has been focussing on being a partner in production and not just a buyer, and making policies accordingly. With the latest pact, India will gradually have in its inventory light as well as medium combat aircraft powered by the latest engines. This will place the country in a unique position in defence sector in terms of manufacturing and equipment. Another major deal is with the computer storage chip-maker Micron, for setting up its semiconductor assembly and testing plant in Gujarat. The segment in which investment is set to come matters a lot, apart from the size of investment. This deal is in line with Indias vision for future and support the efforts of setting up data centers across the country. Already, India is a recognised source for semiconductor design talent. With attractive policies of the Government of India and the investment plan announced by Micron, India has got a shot in the arm. This will take the blossoming semiconductor ecosystem in the country to next level. The pact has potential to make India silicon hub of the East. Who is responsible for 42K terror deaths in J&K: Shah JAMMU : UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Narendra Modi Government has laid a strong foundation for the eradication of corruption from the country, while alleging that the previous Congress-led UPA Government was involved in scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore. Besides the Congress, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also launched a scathing attack on the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and asked who will take responsibility for the death of 42,000 people due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Shah also dubbed as a photo session the meeting of Opposition leaders in Patna, and said their unity is nearly impossible and they will face drubbing in the next Lok Sabha polls. Referring to the Opposition meet underway in Bihars capital, Shah said, A photo session is happening in Patna. All the Opposition leaders have come together on a single platform to convey a message that they will challenge BJP, NDA and Modi (in 2024), he said. Shah said a new Jammu and Kashmir is in the making after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, with a 70-per cent decline in terror acts and stone-pelting almost done away with. Later in the day, Shah met the survivors of a terrorist attack on a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir in January this year and assured them of government support, officials said. Seven persons were killed and 14 injured when terrorists struck Dhangri village in Rajouri on January 1. While five persons were killed in firing by terrorists. , two children lost their lives when an improvised explosive device (IED) which was left behind by the fleeing terrorists exploded the next morning. Abortion patients streamed to Kansas after Roe was overturned. Here's what numbers show. In the months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion bans in other states have nudged pregnant women and girls to turn to Kansas, causing the state's abortion numbers to hit a 21-year high. Women and girls from Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri turned to Kansas by the thousands, according to 2022 abortion statistics released Friday by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The 12,317 abortions performed in Kansas in 2022 was the most since 2001 and a 57% increase from the 7,849 abortions in 2021. But that increase is entirely due to out-of-state patients, with the number of Kansas patients dropping to 3,843 from 3,912 in 2021. The increase in out-of-state patients came after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs case overturned Roe, allowing states to ban or heavily restrict abortion, as Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri all did. Newly released abortion data for 2022 in Kansas shows the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade increased the number of out-of-state patients. Kansas politicians have not pursued an abortion ban because the Kansas Supreme Court's Hodes decisions, ruling the state constitution protects the right to an abortion. Voters in August overwhelmingly rejected the proposed Value Them Both constitutional amendment to undo the court's decision. "As we predicted, Kansas has seen a massive increase in the number vulnerable women being intentionally funneled to abortion facilities in Kansas," said Danielle Underwood, a Kansans for Life spokesperson. "Behind each of these statistics is an industry eager to pad its bottom line, a woman who has been pushed to feel she has no other option, and a child who will never blow out her first birthday candle." The KDHE's report was released several weeks later than they historically have been, coming one day before the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision. "Today serves as a somber reminder of the overwhelming loss of Roe and its impact on patients fundamental right to control their bodies, lives, and futures," said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. "For the past year, we have lived through the challenges this man-made health crisis has created for the region." Planned Parenthood opened a new clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, last summer intended to help meet the demand from out-of-state patients. "Like most Kansans, as we saw last August, Governor Kelly continues to believe that women have a right to make their own private health care decisions," said Zach Fletcher, a spokesperson for Gov. Laura Kelly. Voters in the Aug. 2, 2022, primary election voted 59% to 41% against Value Them Both. Republican politicians who supported the amendment have maintained that it was not a referendum on abortion restrictions more broadly. "The abortion statistics are a sobering reminder of the consequences from the disastrous Hodes decision," said Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, who vowed to "continue to pursue protections for children in the womb through common sense policies supported by the vast majority of Kansans." Where were Kansas abortion patients from Here are the top 10 states of residence for patients of abortions performed in Kansas: Kansas: 3,842. Texas: 2,978. Missouri: 2,883. Oklahoma: 2,026. Arkansas: 405. Louisiana: 88. Nebraska: 12. Mississippi: 10. Tennessee: 10. Florida: 8. Here are the top 10 counties of residence for Kansas patients: Sedgwick: 1,013. Johnson: 842. Wyandotte: 485. Shawnee: 262. Douglas: 172. Geary: 89. Riley: 82. Saline: 53. Reno: 51. Butler: 50. How far along were the pregnancies At 60%, the majority of abortions were formed before nine weeks gestation, and likewise the abortion pill mifepristone, which is most effective early in a pregnancy, was the most common method of abortion at 60%. Another 29% were between 9-12 weeks, with 8% from 13-16 weeks and 4% from 17-21 weeks. Suction curettage accounted for 34% of abortions, with dilation and evacuation accounting for 5% and induction 1%. Less than 1% used methotrexate or sharp curettage. Dilation and evacuation, which is a common procedure for second trimester abortions, is referred to by abortion proponents as dismemberment. More: Kansas abortion clinic sues FDA over access to mifepristone pills used in telemedicine First late-term abortion in Kansas in years For the first time in four years, the state reported an abortion at or after 22 weeks gestation. That is the point an abortion is considered late-term under state law, though that isn't a medical term. The state reported five such abortions in 2018, but all five were Kansans who traveled outside the state for their procedures. Not since 2016 has a late-term abortion been performed in Kansas. The one such abortion this year was performed on an out-of-state resident with a nonviable pregnancy. "Pregnancy had agonal fetal cardiac activity not compatible with life and no fetal movement," the report said. The report also said the abortion was necessary because, "substantial physical and irreversible impairment/death would result if left untreated as infection/hemorrhage likely." More: Amid lawsuit, state won't enforce abortion pill reversal disclosure in Kansas for now More Kansas abortion data Kansas reported 300 abortions where the patient was a child, including 10 girls who were younger than 14, which would constitute statutory rape. More than half of the abortions were women in their 20s. There were also 29 abortions where the patient was 45 or older. The reports also show 14% of patients reported being married, 30% had never been pregnant before, 41% had no children, 69% had never had a previous abortion and 81% had never had a miscarriage. Medical providers filed reports of physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect in 76 cases. More abortion statistics are available online from the KDHE's public health division. Annual reports date back to 1998. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas 2022 abortion report shows effects of Supreme Court decisions Construction continues at a new Amazon fulfillment center on the corner of Larimer County Road 30 and Interstate 25 near the Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland in this December photo. Construction at the 3.5-million-square-foot Amazon facility west of Interstate 25 in Loveland is continuing despite rumors to the contrary that have been circulating for almost as long as the building has been under construction. The Coloradoan reached out to the city of Loveland amid gossip that the company was abandoning its highly automated fulfillment center. Economic Development Director Kelly Jones refuted the rumors, saying Amazon remains committed to the city and facility. "We have heard and disputed these rumors over the last nine months," Jones said. Amazon doubled down on its commitment: "The Loveland fulfillment center remains in our future plans and construction is ongoing," said Nissa LaPoint, Amazon spokesperson. "Once we have a better sense of timing for launching this facility, we'll work with the local community partners and organizations to hire more than 1,000 employees," LaPoint said. The behemoth facility is Amazon's latest robotic fulfillment center and one of the most complex of Amazon's facilities, Amazon officials told the Coloradoan last year. There will be a few months' gap between when the building shell is finished and when it opens as Amazon stocks and staffs the building. The site is on 152 acres at the southwest corner of Larimer County Road 30 and Interstate 25, land that was annexed into the city in 2021. The $9.4 million land purchase was finalized March 3, 2022, and Amazon broke ground shortly thereafter. The city of Loveland did not provide or offer any incentives to Amazon to build in Loveland, where it leases 123,000 square feet in the Centerra development adjacent to Northern Colorado Regional Airport. The delivery center is the last stop for packages being delivered throughout Larimer and Weld counties. Jones said the company initially asked for incentives but the city declined and Amazon later decided it could go ahead without them. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Amazon is not abandoning new Loveland, Colorado building Tbilisi, Georgia - (NewMediaWire) - June 24, 2023 - Amirul A'dha, a young visionary with a passion for uplifting struggling farmers and breeders, proudly announces the successful launch of FarmingviaNFT.io, a groundbreaking platform that aims to transform the agricultural landscape in Malaysia. With the power of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and a commitment to adhering to Sharia principles, FarmingviaNFT.io offers a novel approach to funding farmers while providing tiered benefits to investors. Growing up in an agricultural region, Amirul A'dha witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by farmers in accessing financial support. Small-scale farmers often found themselves trapped in hardship, with mainstream banks ignoring their needs and predatory lenders taking advantage of their vulnerability. Determined to make a difference, Amirul shared his visionary idea with Dato' Haadi Azhar, the CEO of Rimaunangis Digital LLC, who recognized its immense potential and joined forces to bring it to life. Through a fruitful partnership with PT. Mitra Sangkara Abadi, an Indonesian company and the creator of the Sangkara token ($MISA), FarmingviaNFT.io quickly became a reality. In a remarkable feat, the platform attracted 60 dedicated members within just three days of its launch, all united by the collective goal of ushering agriculture into the digital era. FarmingviaNFT.io, guided by the ethos of "Changing the World from the Village," is set to revolutionize the way farmers and breeders access funding. By leveraging NFTs, the platform provides a secure and transparent ecosystem where investors can contribute to the growth of the agricultural sector while farmers gain access to the financial resources they need to thrive. The integration of Sharia principles ensures that the platform operates ethically and inclusively, catering to a wide range of stakeholders. Central to the platform's success are the Rimaunangis token ($RXT) and the Sangkara token ($MISA). These digital assets not only serve as a means of exchange within the platform but also offer investors the opportunity to support farmers and breeders directly. By participating in the FarmingviaNFT.io marketplace, investors can contribute to the uplifting of struggling farmers and breeders, while potentially benefiting from the growth and success of the agricultural projects they support. With its innovative approach and transformative potential, FarmingviaNFT.io aspires to become one of the world's foremost NFT marketplaces. By bridging the gap between traditional agriculture and the digital realm, the platform aims to empower farmers, boost agricultural productivity, and foster sustainable growth in Malaysia and beyond. Amirul A'dha and the dedicated team behind FarmingviaNFT.io invite investors, farmers, and breeders to join them in their mission to revolutionize agriculture and uplift communities. Together, they strive to create a future where farming is not only financially viable but also a source of pride and prosperity for all. For more information about FarmingviaNFT.io and its transformative initiatives, please visit https://www.farmingviaNFT.io Contact: Company: Rimaunangis Digital LLC Operation Manager: John Henderson Email: Admin@rimaunangis.com Country: Tbilisi - Georgia Centerra Gold (NYSE:CGAU Get Rating) had its price target boosted by Credit Suisse Group from C$8.00 to C$9.50 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports. Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on CGAU. TD Securities raised shares of Centerra Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. CIBC reduced their price target on shares of Centerra Gold from C$12.00 to C$11.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. TheStreet cut shares of Centerra Gold from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. National Bank Financial reduced their price target on shares of Centerra Gold from C$13.00 to C$12.50 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of Centerra Gold from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Centerra Gold has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $9.64. Get Centerra Gold alerts: Centerra Gold Price Performance NYSE CGAU opened at $5.83 on Tuesday. The firms 50-day moving average is $6.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.14. Centerra Gold has a 12 month low of $3.77 and a 12 month high of $7.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.35 and a beta of 0.82. Centerra Gold Cuts Dividend Centerra Gold ( NYSE:CGAU Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.16). Centerra Gold had a negative net margin of 30.72% and a negative return on equity of 6.24%. The company had revenue of $226.53 million during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Centerra Gold will post 0.16 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, May 29th were issued a $0.052 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 25th. This represents a $0.21 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. Centerra Golds dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -19.27%. Institutional Trading of Centerra Gold Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CGAU. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Centerra Gold by 4.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,492,950 shares of the companys stock worth $9,659,000 after purchasing an additional 70,260 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Centerra Gold during the first quarter worth approximately $575,000. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Centerra Gold during the first quarter worth approximately $3,773,000. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Centerra Gold during the first quarter worth approximately $12,918,000. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Centerra Gold by 34.9% during the first quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 161,247 shares of the companys stock worth $1,040,000 after purchasing an additional 41,697 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.56% of the companys stock. Centerra Gold Company Profile (Get Rating) Centerra Gold Inc, a gold mining company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of gold and copper properties in North America, Turkey, and internationally. The company explores for gold, copper, and molybdenum deposits. Its flagship projects include the 100% owned Mount Milligan gold-copper mine located in British Columbia, Canada; and the Oksut Gold Mine located in Turkey. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Centerra Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Centerra Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Aareal Bank (OTCMKTS:AAALF Get Rating) is one of 277 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Aareal Bank to related companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and risk. Profitability This table compares Aareal Bank and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Aareal Bank alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Aareal Bank N/A N/A N/A Aareal Bank Competitors 29.20% 10.80% 0.93% Earnings and Valuation This table compares Aareal Bank and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Aareal Bank N/A N/A 6.22 Aareal Bank Competitors $3.32 billion $707.52 million 245.31 Insider and Institutional Ownership Aareal Banks peers have higher revenue and earnings than Aareal Bank. Aareal Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. 40.3% of Aareal Bank shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.2% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 13.3% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Analyst Recommendations This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Aareal Bank and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Aareal Bank 0 0 0 0 N/A Aareal Bank Competitors 1267 4065 3680 60 2.28 As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 455.77%. Given Aareal Banks peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Aareal Bank has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Dividends Aareal Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Aareal Bank pays out 10.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 11.6% and pay out 17.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Summary Aareal Bank peers beat Aareal Bank on 8 of the 10 factors compared. Aareal Bank Company Profile (Get Rating) Aareal Bank AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides financing, software products, digital solutions, and payment transaction applications for the property sector and related industries in Germany, North America, Asia Pacific, and rest of Europe. It operates through three segments: Structured Property Financing, Banking & Digital solutions, and Aareon. The Structured Property Financing segment offers property financing and refinancing solutions for office buildings, hotels, and shopping centers, as well as retail, logistics, residential properties, and student housing. This segment also provides deposits, registered and bearer Pfandbriefe, promissory note loans, medium-term notes, debt securities, private placements, other bonds and subordinated issues, mortgage Pfandbriefe, and public sector Pfandbriefe. The Banking & Digital solutions segment offers various services and products for the residential and commercial property, and energy and waste disposal industries. Its services include specialized banking, payment systems, and optimized business processes. The Aareon segment provides IT systems consultancy and related advisory services, enterprise resource planning systems, software solutions, hosting and software as a service, and in-house services. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany. Receive News & Ratings for Aareal Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Aareal Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG Get Rating) had its price target upped by Truist Financial from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports. A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on NOG. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Northern Oil and Gas in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Northern Oil and Gas in a report on Friday, March 17th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Northern Oil and Gas from $47.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Northern Oil and Gas from $43.00 to $42.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 30th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on Northern Oil and Gas from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northern Oil and Gas presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $45.40. Get Northern Oil and Gas alerts: Northern Oil and Gas Trading Down 0.9 % Shares of NYSE NOG opened at $32.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $32.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.69. The stock has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.97. Northern Oil and Gas has a 52-week low of $21.45 and a 52-week high of $39.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Northern Oil and Gas Increases Dividend Northern Oil and Gas ( NYSE:NOG Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $582.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.37 million. Northern Oil and Gas had a return on equity of 86.66% and a net margin of 60.39%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northern Oil and Gas will post 8.24 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 29th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is an increase from Northern Oil and Gass previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 28th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.61%. Northern Oil and Gass dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.79%. Institutional Trading of Northern Oil and Gas Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its position in Northern Oil and Gas by 256.9% in the 4th quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 803 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Northern Oil and Gas in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. CWM LLC grew its position in Northern Oil and Gas by 89.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,080 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Northern Oil and Gas by 1,349.4% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,145 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Northern Oil and Gas during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the companys stock. Northern Oil and Gas Company Profile (Get Rating) Northern Oil & Gas, Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas properties. It focuses on the Bakken and Three Forks formation within the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana. The company was founded on March 20, 2007 and is headquartered in Minnetonka, MN. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Northern Oil and Gas Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Northern Oil and Gas and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras (NYSE:PBR Get Rating) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning. Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $12.50 to $16.50 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $11.50 to $15.50 in a report on Monday, June 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $14.67. Get Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras alerts: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras Trading Down 4.0 % Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras stock opened at $14.10 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $91.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.39. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras has a 12 month low of $8.88 and a 12 month high of $16.32. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras Cuts Dividend Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras ( NYSE:PBR Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 11th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $26.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.26 billion. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras had a return on equity of 44.84% and a net margin of 28.50%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras will post 3.26 EPS for the current year. The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 14th will be issued a $0.336 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 39.1%. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobrass payout ratio is presently 37.78%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PBR. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras by 58.3% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 142,949 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $2,116,000 after acquiring an additional 52,626 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras by 117.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 48,997 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 26,512 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras during the 1st quarter worth approximately $801,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras during the 1st quarter worth approximately $320,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras in the 1st quarter valued at $11,529,000. 11.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. Petrobras (Get Rating) Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras explores, produces, and sells oil and gas in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Exploration and Production; Refining, Transportation and Marketing; and Gas and Power. It also engages in prospecting, drilling, refining, processing, trading, and transporting crude oil from producing onshore and offshore oil fields, and shale or other rocks, as well as oil products, natural gas, and other liquid hydrocarbons. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sealed the Windsor Framework deal with the EU earlier this year - DAN KITWOOD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images A successful post-Brexit future can only be achieved through an understanding of law, and how to make necessary changes. We will only reap the rewards of leaving the EU Treaties if we restore our sovereign legal method and take control. This is the very purpose and function of our (now sovereign) Parliament. It is this which defines who we are. Yet neither our system nor most of our establishment appear to grasp this, so the implementation of Brexit has been botched. Since 2016, many of those in charge have struggled with the profound disagreement within the electorate, which has contorted reasoning and logic. The blindness of successive regimes towards the practical implications of law and legal method has meant that the most fundamental steps required to deliver Brexit have been wrongly analysed, watered down or ignored. Our legal system operates with a sparse use of statute, statutory instruments and the evolution of case law precedent. Disputes are settled through forensic examination of facts and law. These fundamentals underpin our freedom, individualism, sophisticated public and private dialectic, entrepreneurialism and economic growth. Protections for consumers and others are also necessary in modern times. The US operates successfully on similar methods, albeit with more statute and a lower safety net for consumers than we might prefer. Since Brexit, we have made two fundamental errors. First, much of our economic analysis is wrongly premised on admiring comparisons with the economies of EU member states. But these overlook the dangerous fiction in EU law which underpins those economies, namely that there is no schism in sovereignty between the European Central Bank and the member states. EU law insists both are sovereign at the same time making individual state indebtedness hard to calculate, and creating financial risk that is both opaque and unmanaged. Further, it distorts trade, artificially reducing the price of northern Eurozone exports and creating unnatural trade dependencies for our businesses. Second, those running our system and much of our establishment falsely regard legal method as being of little importance. We have made excessive use of loosely drafted, but highly controlling (politically), EU-style regulations governing a massively wide range of activity, and also of the guidance provided to them. This has led to an administrative system which our arrangements are ill-equipped to manage; and to discourse which does not reflect our traditional values of freedom bounded by clear and limited rules, predictably applied to facts properly ascertained and examined. In parallel, there has been a slide towards an over-reliance on the EUs different method of prescriptive, detailed rulemaking. Our system seeks to apply common law style reasoning even to vague, wide-ranging, EU-style regulations, which turns our public discourse unnecessarily febrile. For rules of this nature, EU lawyers would generally examine their purpose. They would not construe any appended guidance literally, often ignoring its actual wording. When the application of rules makes little sense, these will be overlooked in practice. But our system seeks to apply a more literal interpretation and a forensic approach, addressing every situation regardless of magnitude, yet without the benefit of sufficient, or any, case law precedent. It treats guidance as another form of legal text, to be construed using its wording. Unfortunately, uncertainty, politicisation and tribalism arises from the sporadic, largely non-judicial, application of our methods to open-ended rules, produced in what is an inferior EU style. The over-prescriptive method of EU rulemaking is damaging in itself. It is notable that our rate of growth in labour productivity sagged soon after we adopted a morass of EU legal code for our lending and other financial institutions in 2008/9, which limited the efficient provision of financing to many of our businesses. Now we have a crisis of competence. The truck is stuck. Our Brexit negotiators (past and present) have the wrong expertise and skills. They failed to recognise the significance of the legalistic presuppositions of the EU. They expected to breeze their way through on the basis of political argumentation, not paying enough attention to lawyers. The recent negotiation of the Windsor Framework deal compounded this error. It cemented EU law in Northern Ireland while focusing on procedural dispensations under that law, and continuing the breach of the international law right of self-determination of peoples. Absurdly, EU restrictions on State aid now apply across the whole of the UK if the aid might affect trade under the Northern Ireland arrangements. Each misstep creates momentum for the next, with the Windsor deal now reducing the UKs ability to restore our legal approach for much of our industry. Two Bills are going through Parliament which will allow us to reformulate inherited EU law, but there is little sign of these powers being fully used. The latest justification for inaction is that our legal approach is antiquated and the inherited EU code is acceptable in many areas. Disturbingly, there is now a sense of cross-party exhaustion, and a reluctance to discuss the real issues. Many across our establishment have staked their reputations on what is an ill-conceived approach. Yet we cannot allow errors so fundamental to prevail merely because of amour propre. We must now force the necessary steps to deliver the benefits of Brexit, restoring our legal method across all aspects of our society by removing unnecessary EU code and reformulating what remains. The biggest shift will be delivering these vital benefits to Northern Ireland, which will involve switching the arrangements for the invisible border to the actual border itself (as is permitted under international law), so that our legal system can apply properly there. Only then can Brexit be properly achieved. Barnabas Reynolds is a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP and the author of Managing Euro Risk and Restoring UK Law Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. President Bola Tinubu has opened up on the suspension and subsequent arrest of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. Recall that Tinubu had on June 9, suspended Emefiele to allow for investigation into some allegations leveled against the CBN former governor. Following his suspension, Emefiele was subsequently arrested in Lagos State and flown to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by the Department of State Services where he is being detained. Speaking on the development, Tinubu during an interactive session with Nigerians residing in France and neighbouring countries on Friday, said Nigerian financial system was rotten under Emefiele. The President said that many of those living outside the country were unable to send money to their parents and relatives due to the multiple exchange rates, saying that is gone now. He said: Then the financial system was rotten. Few people made bags of money and then you yourself, you stopped sending money home to our poor parents. Several windows. But that is gone now. Its gone. The man is in the hands of the authorities. Something is being done about that. They will sort themselves out. President Bola Tinubu has left for London, the United Kingdom, from Paris, France, where he attended the summit for A New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President, Emmanuel Macron. The President ended his official trip to France on Friday during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit. It could be recalled that the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake had in a statement on June 19, said that President Tinubu will depart Nigeria on June 20 to participate in the Summit starting from June 22 and would be back to Nigeria on Saturday, June 24. However, the presidential spokesman via a statement on Saturday explained that Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit to be back for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. The statement read: Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world. The summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change. President Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit. The President will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival. The Ogun State gubernatorial candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the last general elections, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has appealed to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accept the N200,000 minimum wage for workers across the country. Oguntoyinbo, in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday, noted that this is necessary in view of the present economic reality occasioned by the increment in the prices of goods and services across the country. This appeal is coming after the labour unions have proposed N200,000 as the minimum wage before the President. Oguntoyinbo, therefore, appealed to Tinubu to accede to the request. The NNPP candidate lamented that it is worrisome that low-income earners are struggling with harsh economic realities, with about 120 million citizens living in poverty. He explained that the best way to reduce the suffering of the workers is to accede to the N200,000 minimum wage request. He added that his appeal is based on the present economic reality in the country. He said that Tinubu and the governors should find ways to listen and approve the request from the workers. There is a need for President Tinubu and governors to do some calculations and soul searching on the minimum wage to reflect the current realities in the country, by strengthening the take-home home of workers at the end of every month to meet the current market prices of foodstuffs and other essential utilities. All elected leaders should seize the opportunity of being elected among millions of citizens in the country to make a difference in the lives of people, by creating an enabling environment for Nigerians irrespective of their income to meet their comfortability. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and 36 state governors to make the welfare of workers and ordinary citizens a priority by adhering to the 200 thousand naira minimum wage rather than increasing their own pay, he said. Promotion Matt Deutsch BT&Co., P.A. announced Matt Deutsch as its next managing director of the firm, effective July 1. Deutsch joined BT&Co. in 2004, became a director in 2016, and has more than 19 years of experience serving clients in a diverse range of industries in the firms audit and accounting solutions/consulting departments. In the past decade, Deutsch has been deeply involved in the firms strategy development and management and has been involved in the firms marketing, information technology and employee development programs. The directors are all very focused on how the firm can continue to evolve its services to best serve our clients and make BT&Co. the best place to work for its team members, and I am honored to lead that charge, said Deutsch, who succeeds Karen Linn, managing director since 2013. Linn will serve as an audit director, as well as continuing in a leadership position in the firms director group until her retirement at the end of 2024 after 40 years with the firm. Deutsch is an active member in the community and stay busy with his four childrens activities with his wife, Melissa. Kelse Cummings MB Piland, a Topeka-based marketing agency, recently promoted Kelse Cummings to senior account associate. Since Cummings joined the firm in February 2022 as an account associate, she has contributed to the growth and health of the firm. Her responsibilities included assisting with client work, creating email campaigns, social media management, coordinating public relations and conducting research. She will take on such increased responsibilities as being the lead on client projects, actively participating in client and business development meetings and further involvement in content creation, creative development and media relations. Additionally, Cummings manages the National Millennial Advisory Board for the firms financial marketing division, Banktastic. Made up of a diverse group of millennials across the United States, NMAB provides valuable guidance and insights for financial brands. She conducts research with the board that helps to advise clients. Research findings are also reflected in the agencys extensive thought leadership blog. Since Cummings began managing the board, the private social media group has grown by almost 50%, the rate of active participation in the group has doubled, and the overall group size has grown by 45%. Kelse brings thoughtful perspective and strong initiative to the work we do. Shes calm and cool under pressure and always brings her A Game. And shes fun. Were proud to recognize her contributions and to have her on our team, said Martha Bartlett Piland, president and CEO at MB Piland Advertising + Marketing. Grant The St. John AME Church in Topeka on May 10 was awarded a $40,550 Historical Preservation Fund Grant from the National Park Service for a Preservations and Rehabilitation Plan and Study. The Rev. May E. Hall and project administrator Floyd Graham Jr. said the church is grateful for the opportunity. Business reunion Former Victory Life Insurance Co. employees held a reunion Friday at the companys original location at 300 S.W. 8th Ave. After more than 30 years apart, former Victory Life Insurance Co. employees had a reunion at the companys original location at 300 S.W. 8th Ave. in Topeka. The insurance company relocated out of state in 1990. Following the departure of Victory Life, the building was purchased by the League of Kansas Municipalities. On Friday, the new occupants of the former Victory Life building provided the former employees with a tour of the remodeled building, which includes the addition of an elevator. Following the tour, the former colleagues gathered for lunch. They took the opportunity to share memories and discuss how their lives changed following their former employers relocation. Topeka-area hirings, promotions, retirements and other announcements can be emailed to iyb@cjonline.com. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: It's Your Business has BT&Co., MB Piland, St. John AME, Victory Life Chinese tourists caught handling starfish, corals PHUKET: A Chinese tour company has apologised for its tourists holding up starfish to have their photos taken and climbing on coral reefs at Ao La on Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket. tourismChinesemarinenatural-resourcesenvironment By The Phuket News Saturday 24 June 2023 10:16 AM Acting DMCR Director-General Apichai Ekvanakun yesterday called for marine officials to investigate the incident and take decisive action. Photo: Radio Thailand Phuket Sirikwan Saengravee, manager of Jinyang Holiday Group Co Ltd, and the owner of the company held a press conference yesterday (June 23) to apologise for the incident. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket DMCR officials have already reported the incident to police with the intent of pressing charges. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket DMCR officials have already reported the incident to police with the intent of pressing charges. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket DMCR officials have already reported the incident to police with the intent of pressing charges. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Phuket DMCR officials have already reported the incident to police with the intent of pressing charges. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Sirikwan Saengravee, manager of Jinyang Holiday Group Co Ltd, and the owner of the company held a press conference yesterday (June 23) to apologise for the incident. However, Saroch Ubonsuwan, Director of the Phuket Marine Resources Conservation Center, along with Suthep Chualong, Director of Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center, have already reported the incident to Chalong Police with the intent of pressing charges. Officials investigated the incident after it was reported through the Monsoon Garbage Facebook page. Ms Sirikwan said that the company had to explain and remind all their dive instructors to not allow their tourists to interfere with coals and other marine wildlife. Especially to the Chinese, who have done this type of thing before. Some of them find the animals cute and want to have the pictures taken with them to show their friends, Ms Sirikwan said. This incident is a great lesson. The company has been open for two months Yesterday was our first trip, she said. On behalf of the company, we are very sorry that this has happened. Next time, we are ready to improve and pay more attention to our customers. As for the incident, weve learned our lesson. It results in customers looking at a bad image, for both Chinese and Thai people. However, we would like to thank all of you for your interest here. As we are new, thank you and we apologise for the incident and accept all comments, Ms Sirikwan said. Apichai Ekvanakun, Deputy Director-General of Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), who is currently serving as the Acting DMCR Director-General, yesterday called for marine officials to investigate the incident and take decisive action. The problem of people not following the rules when it came to protecting marine natural resources was not new, Mr Apichai said. Especially when it comes to tourists not following the rules, he said. Strict guidelines have always been put in place. Whether its a guide or divers who lead tourists into the area, the important thing is not to destroy, pick at, pick up or break any part of the resources, whether its corals or sea creatures or beautiful animals located in coral reefs, he said. In the past, there have been many incidents. The DMCR has urged officials to take decisive action Many cases have been prosecuted, he said. The important thing is to urge tourists to enjoy the beauty as something that should be remembered without picking up those things of beauty to show [other people], in order to maintain sustainable natural resources, Mr Apichai said. Crackdown on illegal taxis nets two drivers at Phuket airport PHUKET: The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) persists in its campaign against drivers deemed to be operating illegal taxis, which is now approaching its five-month milestone. During the latest round of checks conducted at Phuket International Airport, two drivers were apprehended. transporttourismpolice By The Phuket News Saturday 24 June 2023 08:32 AM Two more taxi drivers were nabbed in Phuket airport crackdown on illicit taxi operations on June 22. Photo: PLTO Acting under the guidance of Kornpitak Assuwan, the chief of PLTOs academic group (also known as the policy division), officers from the PLTO conducted another operation to target illegal taxis on Thursday (June 22). Officials set up a checkpoint from 3:30pm to 6:30pm in front of the Phuket Air Traffic Control Center on the main road leading to the entrance of Phuket airport. Phuket Tourist Police and Sakhu Police officers were present in support. According to the PLTO report, officials were focused on "investigating the illegal use of private cars for passenger pick-up" (essentially serving as taxis) and other potential violations of provincial taxi regulations. "As a result of the inspection, two cases were discovered involving the use of private cars (with white and black license plates) for passenger pick-up. These two cases have been referred to the PLTO for imposing fines and considering license suspensions for the violators, in accordance with the law," reported the PLTO. The crackdown follows a taxi-related inspection by Maj Gen Krit Warit, Commander of Tourist Police Region 3, on Tuesday (June 20). As a result of that inspection, one of the two airport limousine co-operatives was fined about B180,000 for its drivers stopping at tour shops before delivering passengers to their hotels or other destinations, which was deemed as not being honest and convenient service. The offending operator was named as Phuket Airport Limousine and Business Service Co-Operative Ltd. Nothing was reported about the Phuket Maikhao Sakhu Co Ltd, the second cooperative with same exclusive rights to serve tourists at Phuket International Airport. Pictures from the inspection show Tourist Police officers checking kiosks of both cooperatives. Phuket Old Town roads close for Peranakan Festival parade PHUKET: Main roads through the heart of Phuket Town will be closed to all traffic late this afternoon into the evening as the carnival parade for the Phuket Peranakan Festival makes its way through the Phuket Old Town area. By The Phuket News Saturday 24 June 2023 12:18 PM All along Thalang Rd and Soi Rommanee, as well as sections of Phang Nga Rd, Yaowarat Rd and Thepkrasattri Rd, will be closed to traffic from 3pm to 9pm, confirmed Phuket City Municipality last night. The announcement followed an event at Woo Gallery & Boutigue Hotel promoted as the opening of the Phuket Peranakan Festival 2023, with a display of stunning traditional wedding dresses and costumes in the Baba-Nyonya style of the Peranakan, ethnic Chinese-Malays living on the Malay Peninsula. Expert speaker Cedric Tan from Malaysia presented the Workshop & Showcase, explaining 150 years of Peranakan style in Malaysia. In the evening, the Khun Jom Yamaha band from Sounds Gallery performed traditional Malay songs, and dancers from Indonesia entertained those present. Continuing the opening festivities, the Thai Womens Social Creation Association, the Peranakan Association of Phuket and the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO) hosted a reception for guests at The Carb House. The parade through Phuket Old Town today will start at 4pm from the Ai Leng dragon statue at Queen Sirikit Park. All people are welcome to line the streets to enjoy the spectacle. People taking part are asked to be dressed in traditional Peranakan style. Senate probes Pitas assets BANGKOK: Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat may face more hurdles in his bid to become the next prime minister as a Senate panel is now looking into issues related to his assets and debts declaration. politics By Bangkok Post Saturday 24 June 2023 09:13 AM It involves issues related to Mr Pitas assets and debt, which are linked to his qualifications, says Seree Suwanpanont, a senator. Photo: Bangkok Post Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat (right) and Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) chairman Vichian Pongsatorn (left) at a meeting to discuss policies to stamp out graft at the ACT headquarters on Rama I Road on June 8. Photo: Apichart Jinakul / Bangkok Post This could challenge his qualifications and persuade more senators not to vote for him in parliament, reports the Bangkok Post. Senator Seree Suwanpanont, in his capacity as chairman of the Senate committee on political development and public participation, said on Friday the committee had launched a further probe into Mr Pitas qualifications and his eligibility to contest the May 14 general election. The committee is seeking information from relevant agencies. It involves issues related to Mr Pitas assets and debt, which are linked to his qualifications, Mr Seree said. On June 8, Mr Seree said political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) member, had petitioned the Election Commission (EC) to look into whether a land plot held by Mr Pita in Prachuap Khiri Khans Pran Buri district is an asset he inherited from his father, who died in 2006. Mr Ruangkrai also asked the poll agency to seek information regarding Mr Pitas assets and debts declaration from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for use in the probe, Mr Seree said. A source said the latest issue related to Mr Pita involves Oil For Life Co, the business run by Mr Pitas family, and Mr Pita served as its executive between Oct 5, 2006, and March 6, 2017. The company runs a loan debt of B460 million, and it filed for rehabilitation with the Central Bankruptcy Court after several financial institutions, which are its creditors, took court action to seek debt repayments, the source said. Mr Seree went on to say 20 senators had expressed support for any prime ministerial candidate from a party that won the most seats in the election. But most of those senators did not really mention Mr Pitas name. As far as I know, some of them who did mention the name of Mr Pita [have subsequently] had a change of heart. iTV PROBE The EC is also investigating Mr Pitas alleged ineligibility to contest the election due to his holding of iTV Plc shares at the time. Mr Pita, the MFPs sole prime ministerial candidate, stands accused of being ineligible to run because he held 42,000 shares in iTV, which is believed by some critics to be a running media company, when he registered his candidacy in the past election. Mr Pita has denied the allegation, saying he only served as executor of the familys inherited shares. EC member Thitichet Nuchanart said the EC would invite iTV executives and Mr Pita for questioning. Mr Thitichet said the EC would also examine more evidence related to the claims, including the record of iTVs latest shareholder meeting and the transcribed minutes. A discrepancy between the official minutes from the shareholders meeting and a video of the April 26 event has created further controversy about iTVs status as a running media company. Mr Thitichet said more information regarding Mr Pitas assets declaration made with the NACC would also be needed for the ECs investigation. Pol Maj Gen Supisarn Bhakdinaruenart, an MFP list-MP, said the partys executives instructed members to stop responding to senators who have been critical of the party. However, he said he believed that talks are underway to seek their support and there are positive signs Mr Pita will gain enough traction to become the next prime minister. The 250 senators appointed by the now-defunct coup-engineer, the National Council for Peace and Order, can join MPs in electing a prime minister in parliament. Meanwhile, Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong said his party and the MFP will thrash out which partys candidate gets the House speaker post on Wednesday (Juine 28). (Bloomberg) -- Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said flight CX880 had departed from Hong Kong to Los Angeles Saturday after an earlier takeoff was aborted and passengers were evacuated because of a signal anomaly. Most Read from Bloomberg A different plane carrying 283 passengers left Hong Kong at 10:12 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the airline operator. Alternate arrangements have been made for those with connecting flights, it said. Nine of the 11 passengers who received treatment at hospitals have been discharged, Cathay said. Earlier Saturday, 293 passengers and 17 crew members aboard flight CX880 were evacuated through an emergency chute at Hong Kongs airport after the plane scrapped its takeoff and taxied back to the parking area, the citys airport authority said in a statement. A faulty device forced pilots to apply the brakes as the plane was hurtling for takeoff, causing wheels to burst and flames to appear, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a police source it didnt identify. The airline arranged hotel accommodation for the affected passengers and another aircraft had been deployed to operate CX880, Cathay Pacific said in an earlier statement. Passengers who required treatment were accompanied to the hospital by airline staff, according to the statement. Cathay said it will cooperate with authorities on the investigation. Traffic at Hong Kongs airport and Cathay, the citys main carrier, are recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline said this week it expects to report a profit for the first six months of 2023, finally emerging from the most damaging period in its 76-year history. Read more: Cathays Covid Rebound Gathers Pace With New Forecast --With assistance from Angela Cullen and Robert Fenner. (Updates with report of possible cause in fifth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Wagner chief says Russia retreating from Ukraine attacks, as UK spies report combat dolphins MOSCOW: Russias forces are retreating in Ukraines east and south following Kyivs counteroffensive, the head of Russias Wagner mercenary group said yesterday (June 23). RussianUkraineviolencemilitarypolitics By AFP Saturday 24 June 2023 08:30 AM Russias President Vladimir Putin (left) listens to explanations from Victory Museum director Alexander Shkolnik as he visits an exhibition at Victory Museum in Moscow on Thursday (June 22). Photo: AFP The comments contradict recent assessments by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine was suffering catastrophic losses and that there was a lull in fighting. On the ground now... the Russian army is retreating on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing back the Russian army, Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media. The Kremlin last year claimed to have annexed the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions despite not fully controlling them, and Ukraine has posted limited gains there recently. We are washing ourselves in blood. No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception, Prigozhin added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership. The 62-year-old Western-sanctioned businessman close to the Kremlin, who has become a prominent figure in Russias operation in Ukraine, is also a vehement critic of Moscows policies there. His forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russias capture of the Donetsk region town, Bakhmut, the longest and likely bloodiest battle of the conflict. In an escalation of his Kremlin-critical rhetoric, Prigozhin also undermined the very premise of Putins decision to launch the military operation in Ukriane. Why did the special military operation begin?... the war was needed for the self-promotion of a bunch of bastards, he added. Fighting has increased in occupied parts of Ukraines south and east, including strikes far behind enemy lines. Russia is Training Combat Dolphins in Crimea: UK Meanwhile, British military spies yesterday said Russia appears to be training combat dolphins in the annexed Crimean peninsula to counter Ukrainian forces. In its latest update on the conflict, UK Defence Intelligence said the Russian Navy had invested heavily in security at the Black Sea Fleets main base at Sevastopol since last year. This includes at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals, it added. Imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbour which highly likely contain bottle-nosed dolphins. The animals were likely intended to counter enemy divers, it added. The Russian Navy has used Beluga whales and seals for a range of missions in Arctic waters, the update said. A harness-wearing whale that turned up in Norway in 2019, sparking speculation it was being used for surveillance, reappeared off Swedens coast last month. Norwegians nicknamed it Hvaldimir - a pun on the word whale in Norwegian (hval) and a nod to its alleged association with Russia. Hvaldimirs harness had a mount suitable for housing an action camera, and the words Equipment St. Petersburg printed on the plastic clasps. In 2016, Russias defence ministry sought to buy five dolphins as part of attempts to revive its Soviet-era use of the highly intelligent cetaceans for military tasks. Both the Soviet Union and the United States used dolphins during the Cold War, training them to detect submarines, mines and spot suspicious objects or individuals near harbours and ships. A retired Soviet colonel told AFP at the time that Moscow even trained dolphins to plant explosive devices on enemy vessels. They knew how to detect abandoned torpedoes and sunken ships in the Black Sea, said Viktor Baranets, who witnessed military dolphin training in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. The US Navy used sea lions deployed to Bahrain in 2003 to support Operation Enduring Freedom after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. FTXs new management is trying to retrieve an eye-watering $700 million that disgraced crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried allegedly used to buy influence. A lawsuit filed Thursday talks of Bankman-Frieds encounters with super-networker Michael Kives, a Hollywood agent turned investor and ex-aide to Hillary Clinton. FTXs new management is now suing Kives and his investment firm, K5, to try and get the allegedly misappropriated funds back. According to the lawsuit, Bankman-Fried met Kives at a posh dinner full of high-profile guests, including multiple billionaires and a former Presidential candidate back in February 2022. He later talked about Kives being probably the most connected person hed ever met and gushed about his access to the rich and famous. This led to Bankman-Fried allegedly authorizing the transfer of $700 million to Kives K5 entities throughout 2022, according to the lawsuitbecause, in the words of Bankman-Fried, Kives was something of a one-stop shop for relationships that we should utilize. Politicians Are Giving Back Their Donations From Disgraced FTX Founder The payments were allegedly made through shell corporations, according to the complaint. FTX was a crypto exchange that went bankrupt last year in a highly-publicized collapse. Prosecutors allege that the exchange was criminally mismanaged, and ex-boss and co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas in December. Bankman-Fried was charged with eight financial crimes by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit in the Southern District of New York, and he pleaded not guilty in January. He was hit with further charges in February and now faces 13including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate campaign finance laws. It is alleged Bankman-Fried commingled funds from FTX to make risky bets on sister exchange Alameda Research, which he also co-founded. Bankman-Fried appeared to be popular with the establishment: he dined with politicians and donated millions to candidates, including President Joe Biden. He later admitted donating to both Republicans and Democrats, but only in secret to the former. (Bloomberg) -- The biggest fossil fuel players are making the message clear: the transition to a green future will require much more natural gas. Most Read from Bloomberg From Shell Plc to Chevron Corp., the worlds top producers plan to accelerate investments in the fuel. China keeps signing deals to buy liquefied natural gas past 2050, with European importers not far behind. The US is forging ahead with new projects that will make it the worlds top LNG exporter for the foreseeable future. This momentum marks a turning point for gas. The cleanest fossil fuel was seen as a short-term bridge to greener energy sources, and environmentalists have sought to phase it out amid worries that gas is far dirtier than advertised. Now, the idea that gas demand will peak anytime soon is disappearing. LNG sellers look around this market and feel pretty confident that gas demand will be with us for decades to come, said Ben Cahill, senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Russias invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent energy crisis and record-breaking price surge, has changed the long-term prospects for natural gas. Europe is rushing to replace Russian fuel while emerging nations are signing long-term deals to avoid future shortages. China signed a 27-year agreement with Qatar on Tuesday to safeguard its energy security, and a German importer on Thursday inked a landmark contract to buy LNG from the US through 2046 even though Germany aims to be carbon neutral a year before that. About 60 billion cubic meters of new gas production capacity has been approved since Russia invaded Ukraine, nearly double the rate compared with the past decade, according to the International Energy Agency. Doubling down on gas also makes sense for shareholders, said Saul Kavonic, a Sydney-based energy analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG. The fuel has been profitable over the last few years while the pursuit of green energy targets has been more of a struggle, he said. Gas has been the main earnings driver for energy companies including Shell and BP Plc over the past few years. Producers had plunged into the lower-margin renewable power business years before, but are now rethinking those investments due to lackluster returns. Liquefied natural gas will play an even bigger role in the energy system of the future than it plays today, Shells Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan told investors this month as he outlined a strategy shift following his promotion to the role in January. LNG can be easily transported to places where it is needed most. And whats more, on average, natural gas emits about 50% less carbon emissions than coal when used to produce electricity. Read More: Big Oils Green Retreat Helps Clear the Way for Everyone Else Shell plans to increase natural gas investments by about 25% this year to a record $5 billion and keep spending at that level through 2025. Last year, the London-based company joined Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips to invest in Qatars $30 billion LNG expansion, the biggest ever in the industry. Gas is also key to Italian energy group Eni SpAs growth plans that was a big motivation behind Fridays $4.9 billion deal to buy Neptune Energy Group Ltd. Elsewhere, Romanias two biggest natural gas producers agreed this week to invest as much as 4 billion ($4.4 billion) in a Black Sea gas project after decades of debate. Chevron and Exxon are adding more staff to build up their gas trading activities in London and Singapore. In the US, the development of new LNG plants is being underpinned as buyers in countries including Germany and Japan both of which have ambitious green goals sign long-term contracts with exporters. TotalEnergies SE gave a boost this month to plans to build a US export terminal, agreeing to buy stakes in the project and its developer. The French company is also in discussions with Saudi Arabia to invest in its massive natural gas project. Still, there is a debate over how much gas and investment will be needed, with demand likely to hinge on how successful nations are in reducing emissions. The IEA says gas demand needs to fall dramatically by the end of the decade in order to keep the world on track for net zero by 2050. The agency in 2021 calculated that all new developments of oil, gas and coal fields need to be stopped to meet that scenario. Read More: Averting Climate Crisis Means No New Oil or Gas Fields, IEA Says Producers and financial institutions need to commit to end financing and investment in exploration for new oil and gas fields, and expansion of oil and gas reserves, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters this month in New York. We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open. One of the biggest arguments against natural gas is methane emissions, a byproduct of gas production that traps more than 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in its first two decades in the atmosphere. Gas leakage of more than about 3% makes the fuel worse for the climate than coal, according to a study published by the National Academy of Sciences, undermining industry claims that it is a cleaner fossil fuel. In order to market natural gas as a clean alternative to coal, energy majors are working to cut methane releases. Shell, Exxon Mobil and more than a dozen other producers aim to achieve near-zero methane emissions by 2030 as part of an initiative launched last year. By finally taking the reduction of methane emissions seriously, the majors believe they can thread the needle of making a positive contribution to climate change and keeping their assets commercially relevant, said Ira Joseph, a global fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. --With assistance from David Stringer, Rachel Morison, William Mathis and Aaron Clark. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. 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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 There are growing voices in America arguing against an escalation of its rivalry with China, and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing earlier this week has brought them to the fore. Washington and Beijings prima facie diametrically opposed positions regarding the rise of China and its place in the evolving international order should not be seen as insurmountable barriers to a more stable coexistence between the two countries, wrote Patricia M. Kim of the Brookings Institute in a recent article. The logic that she and other policy analysts of the same view base their argument on is the fundamental proposition of international relations and great power negotiations ~ the practice of standing firm on ones own principles while also searching for areas of agreement and mutual interest. Many commentators are now urging US policymakers to adopt this template to continue to serve as a model for the next decades of expected intense Sino-US competition. In fact, there are very early signs of a possible reassessment of positions on both sides. While Mr Blinken voted with his feet and finally made his long-awaited trip to Beijing which had been put off in the wake of the spy balloon incident, the Chinese leadership despite its rhetoric appeared just as keen to restore high-level exchanges and stabilise the bilateral relationship. According to Kim, Mr. Blinkens meetings with Foreign Minister Qin Gang, its top diplomat Wang Yi, and President Xi Jinping, indicated a clear division of labour among Chinese leaders. The Blinken-Qin meet was described in the least polemical, most business-like tone; the Chinese press release included a list of agreements between the two sides such as a follow-up visit to the USA by Mr Qin, the resumption of issue-specific working groups, and the expansion of people-topeople exchanges and passenger flights between the two countries. Mr Qin, as the head of the Foreign Ministry, will obviously be expected to manage the follow-on exchanges with the US administration. Mr Wang, on the other hand, was the scolderin-chief. In Chinese media reportage of his meeting with Mr Blinken, Mr Wang is quoted listing Washingtons transgressions, including hyping up the China threat, suppressing Chinas scientific and technological advances through illegal unilateral sanctions, and interfering in Chinas internal affairs, particularly relating to Taiwan. Mr Xis role was to play the great statesman, if not yet the great helmsman. The two photos officially released by Beijing show Mr Xi smiling benevolently at Mr Blinken while shaking his hand and sitting at the head of a long table with US officials looking towards him as he speaks. In sum, then, Mr Blinkens Beijing trip reiterated that there is unlikely to be any dramatic reappraisal of Sino-US ties and intense competition will be their leitmotif for the foreseeable future. Yet, it hints at the fact that both powers may just be preparing to live with each other. Prudence dictates that the rest of the world, India included, proceeds with caution before hitching its wagon to one or the other. Advertisement It is being called the worst migrant boat disaster in the Mediterranean Sea. Last week, a migrant boat carrying up to 750 people, 400 of them said to be Pakistanis, started to have trouble with its engine. After three days of being stranded, the boat capsized and most of the passengers died in fact, all of them, except for 104, who were rescued. Among the survivors were only 12 Pakistanis. The boat smugglers who run these migrant boats had promised its passengers passage from Libya to Italy. The accident took place off the shores of Greece. In the hours after news of the boat disaster spread, relatives of the Egyptians, Syrians and Pakistanis, and possibly other nationalities, on board gathered in Kalamata in Greece to find out whether their relatives had lived or died. Most of course, were indeed dead, their journey to a better life having, ironically, taken their own life. Advertisement Pakistanis reporting on the boat disaster have emphasised how the Pakistanis on the boat were treated worse than the other passengers by the Egyptian boat operators. They were kept below the deck in absolutely disgusting and fetid conditions and their travel documents like passports etc., were taken away. According to Yiva Johansson, the EU commissioner for home affairs, there has been a 600 per cent increase in the number of these boats running the Mediterranean passage. The majority, it seems, have little hope of actually accomplishing their goal of getting people safely to the EU countries where they want to go to live a better life. As Johansson puts it the passengers are being sent to their deaths. On Monday, a few days after the accident, the Greek version of the story which holds that the boat was on course to Italy was being questioned. A BBC report looked at tracking data from passing ships to see the boats location. They found that the Greek narrative which held that the Greek coastguard did not assist the ship because the boat was on a steady course to Italy may not be true. The boat was actually stationary for several hours near the Greek coast giving plenty of time to the coastguard to assist it. Was it, then, Greece that was the boats destination? The issue of Greek or Italian or any other European nation failing to rescue migrants has become normalised in recent years. Again and again, there are absolutely heartrending stories of migrants taking extreme risks to get to the European Union because they believe that they will have a better life in Europe. This idea itself requires some questioning given the dire economic situation in many European countries. Greece and Italy, for instance, are both in economic decline, with rising unemployment in the post-Covid era. In the case of this particular boat catastrophe, nine Egyptian men, allegedly the smugglers who ran the boat, have appeared in court. Institutions such as the Greek, or in other cases the Italian, coastguard have, as per usual, escaped accountability even as the United Nations has called the efforts at saving migrant boats dismal. In Pakistan itself, people need to be better educated about the actual opportunities available to them in the EU. The gradual decline in employment opportunities available in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf in general, all of which are trying to transition to more locally staffed workforces, are one reason that more and more Pakistanis have been found travelling on migrant boats. This is exactly why a public information campaign that underscores not only the extreme risks that these boats represent but also the life that awaits them even if they do get to Europe is a desperate need. As anyone who has travelled to the EU can attest, migrants who make it are either sequestered in horrendous conditions in filthy refugee camps (such as the one on the Italian island of Lampedusa) or seen cold and shivering hawking trinkets at tourist sites. The risk is far greater than the reward of getting to the EU countries. As artificial intelligence and remote work gets more integrated into the workforce, developed industrialised democracies in EU and also the UK and US are going to decline further. In other words, all of these countries are looking at the impending employment crises particularly in the low-skilled sector. Already, stores have stopped hiring cashiers and shelf stockers because these jobs have become automated. Soon jobs that do not require much local context information, such as computer programming, data sciences etc., are also going to end up in countries that can provide these services at the lowest cost. Developed economies are aware of this and of the fact that low-skilled workers will become redundant first. This is going to require these wealthier countries to institute some sorts of benefits such as a universal basic income so that the poor in their countries can survive. This knowledge is what is driving the entrenchment of Fortress Europe, because such benefits cannot be paid out to a very large population. Cultural forces such as ever-increasing racism and xenophobia support these restrictive policies. As a labour-exporting nation, Pakistan and Pakistanis need to be aware of these forces and have a cohesive policy that deters people from taking these journeys. Recognising employment trends should help produce a more thorough labour policy where the mid- and high-skilled jobs that will become available because of remote work can come to Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did well by bringing up the boat disaster at an international scale; whoever becomes the next prime minister has to recognise Pakistans status as a labour exporter and develop policies that highlight how the rest of the world, particularly Europe, has begun to treat Pakistanis as subhuman and unworthy of care or empathy. The migrant boat tragedies expose how racism and xenophobia literally kill people who have the misfortune of not being born white or Western. What the heck is going on at Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. Michael Kovac/Getty Images It's been non-stop negativity over at Goldman Sachs recently. The latest: Another big departure, the prospect of a large writedown, and a report questioning CEO David Solomon's future. What the hell is going on over at 200 West Street? The bad news just keeps rolling in over at Goldman Sachs. Here are some headlines from the past 36 hours: Ouch. Those headlines follow earlier reports from The Wall Street Journal, which stated Goldman Sachs is at war with itself, and reporting from The New York Times on CEO David Solomon's luxury real-estate side hustle. Insider's own Dakin Campbell meanwhile has reported extensively on Solomon's use of the private jet, which has left bank insiders grumbling. Many, many high-profile partners have left (you can see our running list here), while some remaining partners have discussed complaining about Solomon to the board. There was the botched capital raise for Silicon Valley Bank, which was later seized by regulators. US authorities are now investigating Goldman's work for the California bank in the runup to its failure. And there were layoffs back in January. All in all, not a lot of uplifting news. So what the heck is going on? Failed consumer strategy Goldman Sachs has been forced into a hurried retreat from its big bet on consumer banking, exemplified by a sales process for GreenSky just two years after Goldman Sachs acquired it for $2.4 billion. Any writedown on that sale would add to billions in losses already booked on the push into consumer banking. The failure of that strategy has had two effects. First, insiders saw the losses and cost of loan loss reserves in consumer as offsetting outsized gains in other divisions like trading and investment banking. When Goldman Sachs cut the 2022 bonus pool for partners, leaving some top performers feeling short-changed, fingers were pointed at the consumer business. Second, it has dented Goldman's prestige brand. A firm that has historically been known as the elite of the elite has been criticized for flubbing a push to bank with customers like "Capable Dad." The Economist put a fine point on this earlier this year when it ran a cover story titled "The humbling of Goldman Sachs." Goldman insiders were aghast when they saw it. DJ D-Sol's other interests Then there's David Solomon. You don't get to be CEO of Goldman Sachs without having sharp elbows, but Solomon has gained a reputation for being especially prone to grouchiness. That this trait would be held against a CEO in a mercenary, money-obsessed business might seem bizarre to those outside the Wall Street bubble. But Goldman Sachs' historic partnership model has given it a distinct culture, where these kinds of things matter. Then there's Solomon's outside interests. His passion for DJing started out as a quirky hobby, but for some, it's become an annoying distraction. And Solomon's involvement in luxury real-estate company Discovery Land Company led to some serious column inches in The New York Times, and later Air Mail, even though his investment is relatively small. Big names are leaving Goldman Sachs has been clear that the average tenure of partners has been going up, and that turnover is actually at a low. And it's true that Goldman partners have lots of opportunities available to them. But the caliber of some of the people departing is striking: Dina Powell McCormick; Gregg Lemkau; Stephen Scherr; Eric Lane; Katie Koch, Fred Baba. These were all leading lights at the firm. The exits don't just represent talent lost. Lemkau, for example, has stuck up for Solomon's leadership since leaving the firm, but unhappy campers who exit could become powerful outside voices given the sway Goldman's alumni hold. Those who are aggrieved but remain at the firm can also make life difficult for Solomon. So what happens next? Goldman's stock price performance has been solid. Solomon's supporters point out that he's been running the firm with the stockholders, not the partners, in mind, and that the strategy's working. The firm has continued to excel in its core strengths of investment banking and trading, while the money-management business is making strides. The Messenger's report this week that Solomon's position as CEO is in doubt and that he'd lost the support of power-behind-the-throne and board secretary John Rogers was met with a firm denial. "There is absolutely no truth to this. It's complete nonsense. Anyone who knows John Rogers would understand that this is a lie. It is categorically false. Period," global head of communications of Tony Fratto told the publication. Whatever the truth is, it's clear that Goldman Sachs and David Solomon are going to remain in the headlines for some time. And that's sure to take a toll. Read the original article on Business Insider Choudhry Rahmat Ali first coined Pakstan (original spelling) in his note Now or Never, where he envisaged the word to signify It means the land of the Paks, the spiritually pure and clean. The only country in the world to have been created in the name of religion is, 75 years after its independence, failing desperately to live up to Choudhry Rahmat Alis conceptualisation, as perceived by the rest of the world. The modern-day Islamic Republic of Pakistan or Islami Jamhuriyah Pakistan is a far cry from the one posited by its Qaide-Azam (Father of the Nation), Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Advertisement As a reflection of its drift from the initial anchorage, the transcript of Jinnahs seminal address to the New Constituent Assembly at Karachi where he famously said, You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan You may belong to any religion or caste or creed ~ that has nothing to do with the business of the State, is deliberately lost from public record or insisted recollection. Today, if the sovereign passport is taken to be the definitive indicator of a citizens identity and therefore a reflection of the sovereigns standing and acceptability, the befittingly green coloured Pakistani passport is ranked dismally. As per the latest Henley Passport Index, Pakistan is the fourth-worst ranked passport in the world ~ an ignominy made worse by an even lower rating than that of failed States like Somalia, Yemen or even North Korea. Only dysfunctional states like Syria, Iraq and Islamabads aspired Strategic Depth state of Afghanistan, are ranked lower. It didnt happen at the instance of imagined enemies across the Line-of-Control (LOC) or the proverbial West, but by its own undoing, and the passport is only a testimony of its self-goals. The Pakistani application proforma in case of all Muslims requires one to sign or thumbimpress the following line, I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Quadiani to be an imposter nabi and also consider his followers whether belonging to the Lahori or Qadiani group to be non-Muslim. Such regression didnt happen suddenly, it was in the making for the longest time. It wasnt even the dictators in Uniform, or the clerical parties, or the likes of Taliban Khan (read Imran Khan) ~ but the socalled poster boy of moderation, progressive politics and supposedly educated, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who introduced the Second Amendment in 1974 that etched a category of non-Muslims as, persons of the Qadiani group or the Lahori group [meaning the majority and minority branch of the Ahmadiyya] (who call themselves Ahmadis or by any other name). Bhuttos one-time protege and the man who later sent him to the gallows, General Zia-ulHaq, only officialized the agenda of bigotry and discrimination of its own citizens further. Since then, many so-called democrats who have taken up leadership roles in Pakistan dare not undo the officialized hatred and toxic religiousity that is the bane of Pakistani perceptions, globally. Pakistan has been credibly castigated as the international nursery of terrorism ~ the impact on the passport is only consequential. Tellingly, even though the British-Indian ethnicity far outstrips those from the British-Pakistani diaspora by a clear margin, the racist slur affixed on to all people from the Indian sub-continent (entailing even the sizeable population of those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal) in the United Kingdom is Paki! Somewhere in the 1960s and 70s when revisionist and extremist winds started blowing back home, the sensibilities of society, culture and therefore popular perception, changed for the worse. As the Pakistani society and narrative has steadily gone down the slippery slope of unreason, intransigence and unacceptance of modern times, it continues to suffer perceptions of repressive tendencies. It took British Home Secretary Suella Braverman to specifically call out British-Pakistani gangs for sexual grooming ~ she had insisted that the Pakistani ethnic-specific call-out was the overwhelming truth and therefore not racist. In an article defending her allegation she noted, If we are to address the injustice of the grooming gangs scandal, we must be willing to acknowledge the role that ethnicity played in covering it up. With such a backdrop and the news of mushrooming extremism and violence emanating from Pakistan, it is hardly surprising that it suffers diminishment in international imagination and dignity. Even the recent horrific boat tragedy off the coast of Greece, which is believed to have drowned hundreds of trafficked refugees is rife with murmurs of ill-treatment of Pakistanis. There are damning accounts of how Pakistanis were condemned to, the most dangerous part of the trawler, where they had little or practically no chance of survival. Guardian reports that while some nationalities were allowed on the top deck of the boat which was inherently more comfortable and safer, the Pakistanis were forced below the deck. They were apparently snubbed when they asked for equitable conditions. So, while there is understandable anger and angst at the purported laxity (even deliberate dereliction) by the Greek authorities that perhaps resulted in the terrible tragedy ~ it is the secondclass treatment and discrimination of the Pakistanis, even by the human traffickers and the boat staff (when contextualised with other nationalities on board like the Egyptians, Syrians etc.), that is stark. Seemingly, living in denial is a Pakistani specialty, considering the defiant and unlearnt front that it continues to put up in the face of unprecedented socio-economic desperation, societal implosion and a civil-war-like situation when conflated with the reality in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan etc. Even Pakistans ostensible backyard and progeny in the form of Afghan Taliban is up in arms against it, while the sectarian dissonance with a Shiite Iran is a permanent problem. The Arab Sheikhdoms are also no longer as generous or accommodative as they used to be and while they are making their own peace and diplomatic relations with Israel, the land of pure remains the oddity that hasnt moved along with the times ~ worse, it is harking back to heresy and heterodoxy as the pressure increases. A cursory look at the fate of the once ridiculed East Pakistan, or now the relatively thriving Bangladesh, versus Choudhry Rahmat Alis dream of the land of the Pure and its people, is a story by itself. The ministry of home affairs sent 315 companies of central forces and state armed police (SAP) personnel to West Bengal for rural body polls, scheduled on 8 July after the West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) made a requisition on Thursday for 822 companies. Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) includes Central Reserve Police Force (CRFF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Railway Protection Force (RPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) etc and SAPs from states are Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Maharashtra. Initially, 115 companies of SAP were cleared for deployment in Bengal by the ministry while the number of central forces was 200 companies. Advertisement In a fax message sent by the Union home ministry to the state poll panel chief on Thursday night stated: All the above state governments and CAPFs are requested to deploy their cops with immediate effect for timely induction of the force in West Bengal. Further, it may also be ensured that there is no shortfall in the deployment or change at this stage. The ministry would send the rest of the companies within a few days, sources at the state election commission said. Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition, is not happy with the home ministrys decision to send only 337 companies of central forces and SAP in the state where there is regular bloodbath due to political violence. Political analysts felt that there might be a political strategy behind the BJP-led central governments decision to offer 315 companies of forces to Bengal in the first phase. Home ministry, by sending only 315 companies out of 822, is a strategy to create pressure tactics for holding rural polls in more than one phase. This time, the WBSEC has decided to hold onephase panchayat polls in Bengal on 8 July, they said. The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday had taken exception to the WBSEC requisitioning only 22 companies of paramilitary forces as against 825 companies deployed in 2013. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Saturday, participated in the BNI (Business Network International) Doon Expo, organised by BNI Dehradun at a private hotel on Rajpur Road. CM Dhami addressed the entrepreneurs and welcomed them. The entrepreneurs investing in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand are the charioteers of Uttarakhands development and the drivers of the states progress. BNI Doon Expo is not just a showcase of products and services, but a testimony to the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative mindset that is flourishing in our state, said CM Dhami. The Chief Minister said, Businesses of all types can showcase their capabilities, build meaningful relationships and explore new opportunities in the state of Uttarakhand. Advertisement CM Dhami added that proper coordination between the government and the industry is necessary to run the states growth engine. The achievements of each of our entrepreneurs are taking us towards self-reliance, stated the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister further said, Under the leadership of respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our countrys economy has become the fifth largest economy in the world. Respected Narendra Modi ji has resolved to build a new India, which is now seen to be being fulfilled. Today the whole world is looking at India as an innovative economic ecosystem capable, creative, ready for change. Uttarakhand should also become a major partner in Indias economic progress and our place among the leading states should be ensured. The government is working on this. The state government is continuously working to convert shortcomings into opportunities. The state government is also striving to develop the state as one of the most preferred investment destinations. Better law and order, a clean environment, rail, road and air transport facilities, cheap and uninterrupted power supply and water resources are available for investment in the state, added CM Dhami. Talking about the projects being carried out in the state, he said, Work is being done in Uttarakhand in automobile, electric vehicle manufacturing, pharma, Ayush and welfare, biotechnology, IT, tourism, green energy and service sectors. As a result of our industry-friendly policies, today renowned companies in the country are contributing to the progress of the state. Mega Industrial and Investment Policy, M.S.M.E. Policy, Mega Textile Park Policy, Startup Policy, Tourism Policy, AYUSH Policy, Solar Energy Policy, Aroma Park Policy, Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Policy, Aerospace & Defense Policy, Information Technology Policy and Export Policy. Concentrating on the rural economy, the Uttarakhand CM added, Strengthening our rural economy is also very important for the all-round development of the state. In this series, we have implemented the One District-Two Products scheme, the objective of which is to encourage local products, to make them the main means of livelihood. The Railway Ministry has allocated Rs 153.84 crores for the under-construction railway line between Indias Tripura to Bangladesh, officials said here on Saturday. The Rs 862.58 crore Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project is expected to be operational by the end of this year or early next year. Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the funding of the project is being done by the Ministry of DONER (Development of North Eastern Region) and already about Rs 708.74 crores of the anticipated cost has been provided and utilised. Advertisement He said that the new rail project would boost relations between India and Bangladesh which would help growth of small scale industries in the border area and boost tourism of the northeastern region. It would also help in export and import of commodities faster and help the local producers to export their products outside the country faster, he added. De said that Indian Railways is significantly working towards PMs vision of Act East Policy and Neighborhood First Policy by executing several new railway line projects connecting the neighboring countries. Constructing the Agartala-Akhaura international connectivity rail line project between India and Bangladesh is one such of the crucial project that is at an advanced stage of completion. The 15.064 km long railway line (5.05 km in India and 10.014 km in Bangladesh) would link Bangladeshs Akhaura through an international immigration station at Nischintapur (on the outskirts of Agartala), which would be a dual gauge station for both passenger and goods interchange between India and Bangladesh. The project includes one major bridge and three minor bridges. After completion of the project, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka of about 31 hours would get reduced to 10 hours, De said. Currently, the people of the region, especially those in Tripura and its adjoining areas, go to Kolkata via Guwahati by rail, spending more than 31 hours. The Maligaon (Guwahati) headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway is the nodal agency of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project, which was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. The NFR officials in Agartala said that over 90 per cent work of the Agartala-Akhaura railway project on the Indian side has already been completed. The High Court of Himachal has taken a serious note of the conduct of a contractor, wherein 66 contracts were awarded to him but none of them has been completed. A Division Bench, comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Satyen Vaidya passed this order on the petition filed by Sanjeev Kumar Bhandari. The petitioner Sanjeev Kumar Bhandari, a government contractor, approached the High Court with the claim that work for the construction of Dosa-Ra-Tharu-Putlifald, Lower Brahmfald Jhared Galu, Chanouta road was awarded in his favour. Advertisement But vide order dated September 4, 2021, the Executive Engineer, HP PWD, Dharampur Division, District Mandi, re-invited the tender for the aforesaid work. The petitioner prayed to quash the order regarding the re-tendering of the work in question and to direct respondents to award the tender work in his favour. During the course of the hearing, the High Court was informed that the petitioner has been awarded as many as 66 contracts or works. The majority of the works awarded to him have not been started and, if started, have not been completed. Taking serious note of the whole issue, the High Court has directed the petitioner to file an affidavit clearly setting out therein the timeline within which he would complete the works in question, which either have not been started or, if started, are in the mid-way. The High Court has further directed that not only the respondents in the present petition, but any other department of the state government, Board, or Corporation, as the case may be, would not release any amount in favour of the petitioner or contractor without the express leave of the Court. Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary, HPPWD, has been directed to initiate action against the erring official or officer(s) on account of whose negligence, despite the petitioner having defaulted, either in not commencing the works or stopping the same in the mid-way, no action was taken against him and rather they continued to award fresh works to him. The fresh status report has been ordered to be filed in the matter on July 13, 2023. Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad has denounced the new rules announced by the Central government for power consumers on Friday. The Parishad on Saturday asserted that the consumer organisations across the country will oppose the new rules from a single platform and will not allow this law to be implemented. It will be a big fraud on the domestic consumers, said Parishads president Awadhesh Kumar Verma. As per the new law, electricity can be 10 to 20 per cent cheaper during the day and 10 to 20 per cent more expensive at night. He said, The Centre should know that domestic consumers consume just 30 per cent of their total consumption during the day and a maximum of 70 per cent at night. Advertisement Going by the rule, he said the monthly bill of the consumer will increase as they will have to pay Rs 5 extra for excess consumption in the night by getting a benefit of just Rs 2 in the day time. Verma also spoke to the Central Energy Secretary, Alok Kumar, and opposed the law, saying domestic electricity consumers will be devastated if it is implemented and that the Central government should reconsider the draconian law. This law is going to destroy the domestic consumers of the country, he warned. The Central government introduced two changes in the electricity tariff system through amendment in the Electricity Consumer Rights Rules 2020, in which the introduction of TOD means day and time tariff and rationalization of smart metering provision. Now, it has been decided that from April 1, 2025, all common consumer day and night electricity rates will probably be different. The Centre is not aware that the Electricity Regulatory Commission in Uttar Pradesh has already implemented the TOD day and time tariff for small and medium power, electric vehicles, heavy industry, but had refused to implement it for domestic consumers. Verma said that there are about 3.30 crore power consumers in Uttar Pradesh, out of which about 2.85 crore are domestic. These domestic consumers will be vastly affected with this new rule, he added. Starting his career as the BJP Yuva Morcha president of Azamgarh in 1986, Vijay Bahadur Pathak has come a long way and is now the UP BJP vice-president and an MLC. In an interview with Manoj Bhadra, Pathak, a Brahmin face of the saffron party, talked about the performance of the Yogi Adityanath Government during its six years in office and the partys preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. Excerpts: Q. What is your take on the BJPs organisational strength and how it is that the party has become invincible since 2017? Advertisement A: The BJP has done two things during its nine-year rule at the Centre and six-year rule in UP. It has gone on an expansion drive as it was earlier known only as the party of traders and upper castes and the other important factor is that the party has earned credibility. The Modi-Yogi magic has prevailed in UP in all the elections since 2017 and people from every section of society have supported the BJP. Besides in UP, the party leadership was able to earn the faith of the masses which can also be termed as a proincumbency factor. Q. In the recently held urban local bodies poll, the BJP won all 17 mayoral seats and got a majority in most of the urban bodies. What could be the reason for this debacle of the Opposition? A: As everyone was aware, the smaller the number of votes, the harder the elections. So we went to the civic polls with a strategy and almost contacted all the voters in this election. Our cadre worked very hard and the candidates we had fielded received overwhelming support from the masses. The BJP won a majority of the seats in these elections and rectified all the lapses that occurred in the 2017 polls when the party lost the Meerut and Aligarh mayor seats. Another factor was that people after seeing the performance of the double-engine government were eager to have a triple-engine government by supporting the BJP candidates in the urban local bodies polls. Q. The BJP has turned into a massive political outfit in UP and its organisational structure has demolished all the Opposition parties in UP. How did it happen? A: During the past several years, particularly after Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP has formulated new strategies to communicate with the people. We have focused on Samvad (communication) with the people which has given us momentum to expand our base with our popular slogan of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Now after six years of BJP rule in UP, this slogan has become a reality and people too have realized that the BJP is working for the people. Besides, the pandemic has also proved that the BJP is the only party in the country that can stand for the people during any crisis. Q. Do you think the Prime Ministers Mann Ki Baat has anything to do with the expansion of the partys base in the state and the country? A: The programme has certainly been successful in creating a sense of national unity and patriotism among the masses and allows the PM to speak directly to citizens without any intermediary. It has created a sense of inclusivity and allowed people from all walks of life to share their experiences with him. This popular programme regularly features stories of ordinary citizens who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities or the country as a whole. These stories serve as inspiration to listeners and create a sense of pride in the achievements of their fellow citizens. Besides, the programme has become an important tool for the government to communicate with citizens and has helped promote transparency, accountability, and national unity. Q. After the six-year rule of the BJP in UP, minorities, particularly Muslims, also seem to be slowly inclining towards the party. In the last Assembly elections, statistics show the BJP received support in Muslim-dominated areas too. How did it happen? A: In the past 9-10 years, the BJP has successfully converted the vote bank of beneficiaries of the central schemes in its favour. We did not discriminate against anyone in providing the benefits of the schemes and it is on record that the Muslim families have benefitted the most under the schemes. In the past, the SP government brought a scheme named Hamari Beti, Uska Kal which was only for Muslim girls while a big leader of the country during the UPA regime had publicly said that Muslims have the right to the maximum use of the countrys resources. But we provided transparent schemes to benefit all without any discrimination which is the reason for the Muslims now believing in the BJP. The Muslim beneficiaries of the central and other schemes of the government are now lending all their support to the BJP as their life has changed with these schemes. The recent victory in the Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha and Suar (Rampur) Assembly by-polls proves how the minorities supported the BJP candidates in a big way. On the other hand, in civic polls, too, Muslim candidates of the BJP were victorious in several areas dominated by minorities. Q. The Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and the BJP is banking largely on seats from UP. How will the party fare in the elections and how will it manage to win most of the 80 seats? A: UP is always important for any party to come to power at the Centre as there are 80 seats. The BJP won 71 seats in 2014, a monumental increase from the ten seats it won in the 2009 elections. In the 2019 polls, the BJP and its ally won 64 seats even when the SP and the BSP had an electoral alliance. Later, the BJP grabbed two seats from the SP. But this time, the BJP is targeting to win all the 80 seats. There is no doubt that the target can be achieved as the main focus now is on the seats lost in 2019. Besides the SP and the BSP have lost their credibility among the people and both have been termed as caste-based parties. The BJP, on the other hand, has been identified as a party of all sections, castes and communities. The Congress is almost extinct in UP along with other smaller parties. Q. Will the charisma of Narendra Modi and the popularity of Yogi Adityanath again play an important role in UP during the Lok Sabha polls? A: It is true that the magic of Narendra Modi works in the entire country and the masses believe in his words. Yogi Adityanath adds to that charisma since he has given a clean and transparent government during the last six years. The PM contesting from Varanasi also adds a political flavour to seats in eastern UP. The improved law and order situation under Yogi Adityanath is appreciated in the country as well as at international forums. Development will be the main issue in the Lok Sabha polls on which the Opposition parties have nothing to say These things will certainly give an edge to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Q. Reports say that the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will be inaugurated before the LS polls. Will it help in garnering Hindu voters for the party? A: Lord Ram is adored by every Hindu and they all want the Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi to be completed soon so that they can worship there. The grand Ram temple is expected to be inaugurated in January next year and people will start worshipping there. The Ram temple will also set an example that Narendra Modi has fulfilled his promise made to the people of the country as he did by abolishing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Uttar Pradeshs Bijnor on June 30 as part of the Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan. Under the Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan, all the prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are doing programs across the country. Earlier, the Home Ministers program was to be held on June 29, but due to Eid, there has been a change in the program. On the occasion of the completion of nine years of the Modi government at the Centre, party leaders and ministers of the government will hold a grand rally across the country from May 30 to June 30 to inform about the achievements of several welfare schemes and development works launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modis government in the country, sources said. On Thursday, BJP national president JP Nadda held a virtual meeting with the partys MPs to review the Maha Jan Sampark Abhiyan, informed sources. Advertisement The meeting lasted for approximately an hour, during which the party president expressed his dissatisfaction with the inactivity of certain MPs. According to sources, Nadda expressed his displeasure directly to these MPs, stating that many individuals are showing a lack of interest in the programs organized by the party. Some MPs are not sharing information about the programs they are conducting, which is neither appropriate nor conducive to the spirit of the ongoing outreach campaign, he said. He also emphasized that the party possesses information about the activities of all MPs. Therefore, he urged them to actively participate in the scheduled programs, share relevant information, and make a concerted effort during the outreach campaign. Ahead of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh chaired a high-level meeting of top brass of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Army and Police to review the security arrangements and deployment of personnel for the yatra. The meeting deliberated on issues like SOP, putting in place area of responsibility, functioning of Joint Control Rooms at Pahalgam and Baltal and contingency plans. The issues of camps, communication network, regulation of traffic management on the national highways and other roads, parking of vehicles and deployment of forces on both the yatra routes of Pahalgam and Baltal were also discussed. It was also decided that rescue teams would be deployed at various places to provide necessary help to the pilgrims. Advertisement The meeting was attended by DG CRPF SL Thaosen, DG BSF Nitin Agrawal, GOC 15 Corps Lt. General Rajiv Ghai, Special DG BSF Ram Shastri, Special DG CID J&K, RR Swain, Special DG CRPF Nalin Prabhat, ADGP Armed J&K SJM Gillani, ADGP Jammu Zone Mukesh Singh, ADGP Hqrs/Coord. PHQ MK Sinha, ADGP Railways J&K Sunil Kumar, ADGP Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar, IGPs & DIGs of CAPFs and JKP, district SSPs Anantnag, Srinagar and Ganderbal, SSP Security, SSP Traffic Rural & City, AIGs of PHQ and other gazetted officers. The DGP emphasized upon having better understanding of deployment of manpower on ground and SOPs with regard to various kinds of contingencies. He directed that the responsibility of every official should be clear. He directed for issuing of clear and defined SOPs in a standard format, adding that officer incharge on field should be aware of responsibility and must have a clear mindset to follow the directions. Apart from the routine and defined duties of ROPs, camp security, langer and convoy security, the DGP further stressed that there should be additional arrangements in the form of special teams that would be in the form of drone units, canine units, special BD squads, anti sabotage teams, counter drone teams, QRTs to quicken our responses. He further stressed upon the officers present in the meeting to maintain close coordination with their ranks and other security agencies to achieve better results and called for an effective mechanism and planning for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the yatra. He emphasised upon officers for special focus on sensitive locations and base camps while putting in place the security arrangements. The DGP said that the communication network must be established between the counterparts of all the stakeholders of the Army, the CAPFs, the Police and the Civil administration. He said that adequate and effective deployments should be made on the ground to address any vulnerability and gaps if any. He directed the officers to revisit security plans at the ground level to expand an adequate response to any exigency. DG CRPF Thaosen appreciated the DGP J&Ks initiative for organizing the meeting adding that there is now more clarity with regard to responsibilities. He said that JKP & CRPF has been working shoulder to shoulder for several decades to reduce the number of incidents of terrorism. He stressed for clear cut directions and SOPs for the conduct of peaceful Yatra. He assured that CRPF would extend all possible help and cooperation. DG BSF Nitin Agarwal complimented the officers for successful conduct of G20 Summit, which was appreciated by one and all, he added. He said that synergy and understanding among the forces should be of highest level to make the deployments more effective, and result oriented. GOC 15 Corps Commander, Lt. General Rajiv Ghai said that the Army in the valley would provide all assistance to make the yatra successful. During the meeting senior officers of different forces gave their suggestions for the smooth conduct of SANJY-2023. Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand has said the city government will soon come up with welfare schemes for the benefit of domestic workers. This was stated by him while addressing a workshop here. The International Labour Organization had organised the workshop to discuss the issue of bringing the rights of domestic workers under the legal ambit in the national capital of Delhi. The Delhi Labour Minister was present as the chief guest and expressed his views on the oppression often suffered by domestic workers. Anand said under the able leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, continuous work is being done for the welfare of labourers in Delhi. The Kejriwal government has formulated and implemented 17 welfare schemes covering education, health, safety and pension for construction workers in the National Capital. The Delhi government will soon come up with similar welfare schemes for domestic workers. He said that around five lakh domestic workers are working in Delhi, a major part of the capitals total workforce. Anand remarked that such a workshop is very important for domestic workers and those who work in their interests and on their behalf, because through this, We are able to acknowledge the contribution of domestic workers in our society, and honour them. The Delhi Labour Minister added that it is a matter of regret that even after their significant contribution, domestic workers are compelled to lead a very poor life. They often have to work long hours for low wages and are not given a safe working environment. But the good news is that the highest minimum wages are paid to the workers right here, in Delhi. The Delhi government clearly recognises issues related to domestic workers and will take all their demands into full consideration, Anand assured. The Delhi government will work with international organisations, civil society and domestic help unions for the betterment of the lives of domestic workers. Mortgage rates and home prices are both falling yet buyers still need a salary of at least $142K a year to afford a $500K home Mortgage rates continue to slide, and home prices just dropped by the biggest amount since 2011, but its not enough for wary Americans to jump back into the market. Don't miss Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater says prospective buyers are keeping a close eye on rates as they wait for their moment. As for inventory, he adds, a recent rebound in single-family housing starts is an encouraging development that will hopefully extend through the summer. Buyers braving today's rates will need a substantial income to afford a quality home. Say youre buying a $500,000 property. Assuming you have a 10% down payment and lock in a 30-year fixed mortgage at todays average rate of 6.67%, youd have to pay about $3,563 a month after property taxes and insurance, according to estimates from Zillow. Considering that most lenders want you to keep your housing expenses at or under 30% of your gross income, youd need to earn at least $142,500 a year to afford that $500,000 home. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages The average 30-year fixed mortgage the most popular home loan among American buyers slipped from an average rate of 6.69% to 6.67% this week. The rate still remains elevated from last year, however, when it averaged 5.81%. While the Fed paused its series of hikes to the federal funds rate this month, officials said to expect another half-point increase by years end higher than previously projected. In other words, borrowing, including home purchases, will likely remain expensive through the remainder of the year, writes Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu. Xu adds that affordability remains a challenge for prospective buyers, meaning a significant share will be flocking toward cheaper markets driving up prices in these areas as well. The heightened competition in these markets may worsen the conditions faced by buyers with financial constraints, particularly due to the already limited supply of affordable homes. 15-year fixed-rate mortgages The average rate on a 15-year home loan also dropped from 6.10% to 6.03% this week. This time a year ago, the 15-year fixed-rate averaged 4.92%. Meanwhile, the median price of an existing home also dropped in May to $396,100, down 3.1% compared to the same month a year ago, reports the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Thats the biggest year-over-year decline since December 2011. Read more: Americans refuse to let higher prices derail their travel plans 10 tactics to keep your summer vacation on budget Buying may have faltered, but building picked up Redfin deputy chief economist Taylor Marr says either a large drop in mortgage rates or a surge of new listings would jumpstart the housing market. But thats not what happened this spring. In fact, new listings are down 24% compared to this season last year, while the total number of homes on the market is down 8% marking the biggest plunge in over a year. As mortgage rates remain well over 6%, homeowners are reluctant to put their homes for sale and lose their below-market rates. But even though there wasnt much of a spring homebuying season this year, there was a spring building season, Marr notes. Construction of new single-family homes is close to its highest peak in nearly 20 years. That means theres hope for more listings somewhat soon, with homebuilders working to fill the inventory bucket. Mortgage applications slightly increase Demand for mortgages inched up 0.5% from last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Refinance activity dropped by 2% and is 40% lower than the same week a year ago. Joel Kan, vice president and deputy chief economist at the MBA, pointed to a notable 3% gain in loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration. Since first-time buyers account for a large share of FHA loans, he says, this increase is a sign that while buyer interest is there, activity continues to be constrained by low levels of affordable inventory. What to read next Worried about the economy? Here are the best shock-proof assets for your portfolio. (Theyre all outside of the stock market.) Americans are paying nearly 40% more on home insurance compared to 12 years ago here's how to spend less on peace of mind This janitor in Vermont built an $8M fortune without anyone around him knowing. Here are the 2 simple techniques that made Ronald Read rich and can do the same for you This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Former Students Federation of India (SFI) leader from Kottayam, Nikhil Thomas, who is accused of forging his degree certificates, was taken into custody by police in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. According to police sources, Nikhil, who had been absconding for the past five days, was taken into police custody from the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus depot in Kottayam. The case against Nikhil Thomas is that he allegedly produced a fake degree certificate from Kalinga University for getting PG admission at MSM College, Kayamkulam. It is alleged that Nikhil did not pass the course and he produced a fake certificate for getting admission to the PG course. Advertisement Nikhil was taken to Kayamkulam police station in Alappuzha district. Congress-led UDF had earlier declared to stage statewide protests alleging delay in action against him. Nikhil Thomas was expelled from SFI earlier this week. A statement issued by the students organisation has said that when allegations surfaced related to SFI former Kayamkulam area secretary Nikhil Thomass degree certificate, he was kept away from all units of SFI. We have sought an explanation from him and he gave an explanation misleading the organisation. Among the certificates that he gave SFI could only check the eligibility certificate of him provided by Kerala University. While checking the eligibility certificate, we found that the Kerala University eligibility certificate was original, SFI said in a statement. In a statement, SFI State Secretary PM Arsho and State President K Anusree said that the party had concerns as to how Nikhil Thomas could complete his studies at Kalinga University as a regular student and raised this concern with the media also. Nikhil Thomas has become one among the many youths who produce fake certificates with assistance from mafia groups that indulge in such nefarious activities. He has been removed from the primary membership of SFI. This will be a lesson for all SFI workers, they said. Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday held an all party-meeting to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur which has seen ethnic violence for nearly two months. BJP national president J P Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI-M MP John Brittas were among the leaders present in the meeting. The Home Minister had appealed for peace and warned of strict action against miscreants during his four-day visit to the violence-wracked state earlier in May. Advertisement After the meeting, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva slammed the Central government, saying that the situation in Manipur is not a breakdown of law and order but a failure of governance in the state and the Union Government. He said: It is not law and order breakdown to be controlled by police and army or Assam Rifles. It is a failure of the governance in the state and the union government. Speaking about the all-party meeting, Siva said: We expressed our concern about the incidents that have been going on in Manipur for the past more than 50 days. Hundreds have been killed, thousands injured, and around 60,000 were displaced. The situation is getting worse and worse there. The DMK MP said: The Home Minister just listened to every one of us. He said that he is looking after the issue and asked us to trust him in restoring peace. Trust me, is all he had to say. Siva criticised the Prime Minister for not expressing his concern. This is more saddening, he said. The DMK MP said that the opposition had requested for an all-party delegation to be sent to Manipur. However, the Home Minister responded to it saying that the central government has deployed more police forces to contain the situation. We requested that the all-party delegation be sent to Manipur. He said we have deployed more police, Siva said. RJD MP Manoj Jha said after the all-party meeting: It was an open discussion. The entire opposition went to the extent of saying that the person heading the administration of Manipur is not trustworthywe cant have peace in Manipur till he is in charge The Home Minister had on 1st June announced a judicial commission to investigate the Manipur violence. The Central Government had also on 10th June constituted a Peace Committee under the Chairpersonship of State Governor Anusuiya Uikey, with a mandate to facilitate talks between conflicting groups to restore normalcy. The members of the committee included Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a few Ministers in the State Government, MP, MLAs and leaders from different political parties. However, several ethnic groups had declined to cooperate with the committee, claiming there were no consultations on the constitution of the committee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told the Indian diaspora in Washington DC that during three days of his US visit, India-US relations have embarked on a new and glorious journey and this journey is of our convergence on global strategic issues. Addressing a large gathering of the Indian community at the Ronald Reagan Centre in Washington DC, the Prime Minister said he had wide discussions with US President Joe Biden on many issues, and the US leader had made high personal efforts in taking the India-America partnership to a new height. Modi told the diaspora that the India-US relationship will see cooperation in make in India, make for the world, coordination in technology transfer and manufacturing for industrial supply chain. The two nations are taking firm steps towards a better future, he said. Advertisement India and the US have signed the Artemis agreement, and it will open doors for many possibilities in Space. The NASA Artemis programme, from Moon to Mars, is a big one and when India associates with it, both nations will benefit, the Prime Minister said. He said talks have progressed to send Indian astronauts to Space for the inter-Space station, and NASA will give advance training to Indian astronauts. That is why I said yesterday that even sky is not the limit, in the India-US partnership. The Prime Minister said: All these agreements do not just take policies forward. They will take to new heights destinies of crores of people of the two countries. Together, we are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies. Modi said many Indians in America had their hearts in India too and for their convenience, some decisions have been taken. A new Indian consulate will be opened in Seattle, he said, while two new US consulates will open in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. Amidst shouts of Modi, Modi from the audience, which gave a giving standing ovation to the Prime Minister several times, he announced that H1B visa renewal will now be available to the Indians in the US itself and they will not need to go out of the United States for that. He said that this will be done in the US itself. This year, a pilot project will start, and the facility will benefit IT professionals greatly. Experience from this will be used for providing the same concession for L category visa also, he said. Modi said that there were several important decisions taken. The GE Companys decision for fighter plane engine manufacturing in India will be a milestone for Indias defence sector. By doing this agreement, US will not just share technology, but also mutual trust, he said. The Prime Minister said defence Industrial cooperation roadmap will deepen partnership between the two countries. During his visit, big companies like Micron, Google, Applied Materials have announced big investment in India. Micron will make 2.5 billion dollar investment in semiconductors and this will link India with the world semiconductor chain. The Applied Material semiconductor equipment will make 400 m. dollar investment and help in building semiconductor manufacturing eco system in India, Modi said. Google will open its fintech centre in India. Boeing too has announced 100 m dollar investment. It will have a pilot training programme. All these decisions will not just boost investment but also create jobs, high technology manufacturing and innovation, he said. The Prime Minister said Indias achievements made Indians in US proud that so many nations joined the Yoga event at the UN. They were happy when they saw Made in India goods in local supermarkets, and when Indias talent provided leadership to big world companies. Natu, Natu, made the whole world shake, he said. India is giving direction to world development, and this is visible to everyone. Modi said India is developing fast as it had recovered its self-confidence which it had lost during hundreds of years of foreign rule. Today India knows its path, direction, and has no confusion on its decisions and determination. It is converting its potential into performance. Its growth story is being written in hundreds of tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Many of you have come from such small cities here, he said. You must be aware of their changing face. You will get information from your relations how expressways, semi-fast trains, airports are transformed. India is investing in its infrastructure at scale never before, he said. The Prime Minister said: India is Mother of Democracy. America is champion of modern democracy. Today the whole world is watching their partnership getting stronger, US is our biggest trading partner, our export destination, but the real potential of our partnership is yet to surface. In this effort, he told the Indian diaspora, you have a big role to play. You have earned name, contributed much to US development, when India has decided on Viksit Bharat determination, expectation from you is big. The Prime Minister told the Indians: This is the right time for investment in India, you can invest in MSME, Start-ups, go ahead, encourage young entrepreneurs, in Indias growth your skill, your technology, your expertise will be highly useful. He said India has announced a new National Education Policy is announced in India, many of you are in US universities on important posts as researchers and academicians and you can associate with your alma mater and other institutions will have good impact. Google AI research centre will work on more than 100 languages in India. This will help children to study and work whose mother tongue is not English. He said with Indian Governments help, a Tamil Study Chair will be set up in University of Houston. This Chair will increase the influence of the worlds oldest language. Modi told the US Indians that they can proclaim the oldest human language of the world belongs to India. He said the US Government had decided to return to India more than 100 antiquities which had reached the international markets through various routes. I thank the US Government for this. Respecting the sentiments of the other nation, their people, strengthens their relations. When I came last time, many such items were returned. He said this shows our relations are not just commercial but have emotional strength also. Our partnership will make the 21st century world better. You have a big role. I am sure you will not hesitate from making your contribution. I have full faith in you. Manilal Patidar, a 2014 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been dismissed from service. The Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) has taken the step against Patidar on the recommendation of the Uttar Pradesh government, sources here on Saturday said. Manilal, a resident of Dungarpur, Rajasthan, is currently lodged in Lucknow jail with serious allegations against him, including corruption and abetting a Mahoba businessman to commit suicide. He had surrendered in the court in October last year after being absconding for two years. Now, his name has also been removed from the list of IPS officers. Manilal Patidar was absconded for two years after the death of Mahobas businessman in the year 2020. On September 7, 2020, Indrakant Tripathi, a stone crusher businessman, a resident of Jawahar Nagar in Kabrai, Mahoba in UP, made a video accusing the then SP Manilal Patidar of demanding bribe. The video was also sent to CM Yogi Adityanath and DGP along with a complaint letter. In the video, the trader had expressed his inability to pay due to the stoppage of the Kabrai stone market. Serious allegations were also made against the in-charge of Kabrai police station. Indrakant Tripathi had also expressed the apprehension of his murder in the video. A day after the video went viral, Indrakant Tripathi was found injured in his car. There was a bullet wound on his neck. He was taken to Regency Hospital in Kanpur for treatment, where he died on September 13,2020. On September 11, 2020, on the instructions of the government, the police registered a case against Manilal Patidar, Kabrai police station in-charge Devendra Shukla, constable Arun Yadav and two traders under section 302 of the IPC. The UP government constituted an SIT, which confirmed suicide, after which a case was registered under IPC section 306 (abetment to suicide). The government suspended Manilal Patidar after businessman Indrakants allegations and his suspicious death and he was attached to the office of the Director General of Police. But, he absconded overnight. The police had also announced a reward of Rs one lakh on Patidar. After absconding for almost two years, he surrendered in the Lucknow court in the month of October last and since then he is lodged in jail. The Kerala Police arrested former Students Federation of India (SFI) leader Nikhil Thomas, who is accused of forging a fake degree certificate for M Com admission, on Saturday. Nikhil Thomas, who was absconding for the past five days, was taken into custody by Kayamkulam police from Kottayam KSRTC bus stand in the wee hours of Saturday. Nikhil had been absconding for the past five days after the Kayamkulam Police registered a case for cheating and forgery against him. The Kayamkulam first class Magistrate court remanded Nikhil to police custody for a week considering the demand of the police to take him to Kalinga University for evidence collection. Advertisement The Kayamkulam Police booked him for cheating and forgery after he secured M Com admission at Milad E-Sherif Memorial (MSM) College, Kayamkulam by submitting a fake degree certificate. Nikhil studied B Com at MSM College during 2017-20. However, he did not clear the exam. Later, he joined the M Com course in the 2021-23 batch, at the same college in January 2022 with a 2017-20 B Com certificate from Kalinga University in Raipur. Earlier, MSM College had suspended Thomas for possessing a fraudulent graduation certificate for the PG admission at the college. Meanwhile, the Kalinga University informed that a student named Nikhil Thomas did not study there. The University Registrar informed that legal action will be taken against Nikhil Thomas. The incident has put both the CPI -M and SFI in a tight spot after the allegation that Thomas was admitted to the college based on the recommendation of a CPI-M leader. The SFI, which initially came out in support of Nikhil Thomas soon distanced itself from the controversy after officials of Kalinga University asserted Nikhil had not studied there. Nikhil, who was a member of the partys Kayamkulam market branch, was expelled by the CPI-M Alappuzha district committee on Thursday. The decision comes after it was confirmed that Nikhil joined the M Com programme at Milad-E-Sherif Memorial (MSM) College in Kayamkulam without passing the B.Com examinations. In this connection, Nikhil reportedly gave a statement against SFI former Kayamkulam area president Abin C Raj. Following this, the police have included Abin C Raja as an accused in the fake degree certificate case at MSM College. Nikhil reportedly told the police that Abin arranged for him the fake degree certificate of Kalinga University for Rs 2 lakh. Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday mocked at the opposition party meeting, saying that Chief Minister Nitish kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav were daydreaming reminding them of their suffering during the Emergency imposed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Lalu Ji and Nitish Ji went to jail during the Emergency in the country. How much they suffered during the Indira regime. They are hobnobbing with Rahul Gandhi for the sake of power, he said. The BJP leader took a dig at the Lalus Shadi kariye, aur hum log baraati chale, suggestion to the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get married and they would be part of grooms party. Continuing the attack against the opposition, Prasad said, How far will they (opposition) stay united in their opposition to PM Modi and what can they do to grab power. Let us see. Advertisement He termed PM Narendra Modis visit to the United States as a successful one, based on shared priniciples of democracy and equality. Referring to PM Modis rising stature as a tall world leader, he said, People have seen that a leader who is honest is always voted to power with an absolute majority. As India is the worlds third largest economy, the former Union Minister said, The respect and worth of a nation lies in its economic development and political clout. They (opposition) will not get political advantage out of this meeting, Prasad, a senior BJP leader, said. He took a dig at the opposition after Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party engaged in war of words over the Centres Ordinance pertaining to control of services in the Capital. Kejriwal ran away.Let us see what is happening next, he said, after Kejriwal had before the meeting threatened to pull out of the meeting in case the grand old party did not enlist their support for the AAPs fight against Centres Ordinance. The mega event was attended by Chief Ministers of several opposition-ruled states including Mamata Banerjee and some other prominent leaders from parties opposed to the BJP. Nitish Kumar, who had convened the meeting of opposition leaders, said at the joint press conference that opposition parties decided to fight the elections together. It was a good meeting where it has been decided to fight the elections together. Another meeting will be held soon, Kumar said after the meeting. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, CPIs D Raja and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray were among the leaders who attended the meeting. In an eagerly anticipated state visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in discussions regarding potential changes in visa policies for the Indian diaspora residing in America. These proposed decisions have the potential to greatly improve the lives of millions of Indians who have made America their second home. During the visit, PM Modi revealed plans to establish two new American consulates in India, specifically in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. This development aims to simplify the visa application process, sparing aspirants the need to travel long distances for visa processing. In a reciprocal move, India plans to open a new consulate in Seattle later this year. Two additional cities in the United States will soon host Indian Consulates, with the exact locations yet to be determined. Advertisement A notable announcement from PM Modi involved the elimination of the requirement for Indian immigrants to return to their home country solely for the purpose of renewing their H-1B visas. Instead, this process can now be conveniently accomplished at any consulate office within the United States itself. The H-1B visa is a specialized work visa category within the United States, established under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101. It enables employers in the U.S. to hire foreign workers for specific occupations that require specialized expertise or skills. In a people-centered initiative, the United States authorities have unveiled plans to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas. The objective of this initiative is to simplify the process of renewing visas for a large number of Indian professionals employed in the United States under the H-1B visa program. This development follows a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and US President Joe Biden. This significant announcement closely follows another positive development, as the US Department of State recently declared its intention to launch a pilot program for the domestic renewal of select petition-based temporary work visas later this year. Addressing the Indian diaspora communities residing in the United States, PM Modi emphasized the profound impact of their collective efforts. He expressed that collectively, they are not only shaping policies and agreements but also making a profound impact on the lives, aspirations, and futures of individuals. This announcement was met with enthusiasm by Indian civil society leaders and US delegates who were in attendance at the event. With barely five months left for the crucial assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, the political rivalry between the Opposition Congress and ruling BJP became murkier as posters slandering the images of state Congress chief Kamal Nath and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emerged at a few places in Bhopal and Indore. Posters depicting Kamal Nath as Corruption Nath appeared on Saturday at some places including a bus stand and railway station at Indore. Earlier, similar posters were seen in areas like Manisha market in Bhopal on Friday. By Friday evening, rival posters depicting Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Shivraj Nahi, Ghotala Raj were spotted at some locations including the Link Road and the state government Directorate Satpura Bhavan, which was engulfed in a massive inferno just a few days ago. Advertisement With a photo of Kamal Nath on them, the posters against the former MP CM read, Wanted: Corruption Nath. These posters even had a QR code, which on scanning showed the alleged scams of the 15-month long Congress state government under Kamal Nath. The posters on Shivraj Singh Chouhan also contained the CMs photograph. Some of them read, Shivraj ke 18 saal, Ghaple aur Ghotalon ki bharmaar (18 years of Shivraj, plethora of scams and irregularities). These posters mentioned the alleged scams under Chouhans rule including dumper scam, Vyapam scam, nutritious meal scam, E-tendering scam, Urea scam and others. Reacting to the posters, leaders of both parties exchanged accusations and denials. Kamal Nath took a strong objection to the posters against him and claimed that there has never been any accusation on him regarding corruption. He asserted that he did not require any certificate of honesty from the BJP. He accused the BJP and Shivraj Chouhan of stooping to such a low level to defame him. Some Congress leaders also staged a protest demonstration and sat on a dharna outside a police station in Bhopal demanding registration of an FIR against those who put up such defamatory posters. The BJP leaders, however, said the party had nothing to do with the posters against Kamal Nath. They said disgruntled Congress workers and leaders might have put up the posters due to the factionalism in the Congress. On the other hand, the BJP also accused the Congress of indulging in dirty politics by trying to defile the clean image of CM Chouhan. BJP media in-charge Ashish Agrawal asserted that CM Chouhans image would not be tarnished by such lowly and murky ploys of the Congress. The BJP leaders also submitted an application in a police station to take action against those who put up the posters against the CM. The Congress denied any involvement in the posters against Shivraj Chouhan. Congress leaders said the public is well aware of the scams of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government and the people might have put up the posters against the CM. The State Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh would be held most likely in November this year. Uttarakhand state government has ordered a probe into the alleged gold scam at famous Hindu shrine of Kedarnath situated in Garhwal Himalayas following a major controversy and slugfest between main opposition party Congress and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Uttarakhand Tourism, Cultuare and Religious Affairs Minister Satpal Maharaj announced a probe to be led by Garhwal Commissioner in which technical experts and goldsmiths would be part into the Kedarnath gold plating issue. A controversy surfaced when a senior priest of the Kedarnath temple made an allegation in a video which went viral about disappearance and replacement of gold plates donated by a devotee with brass plates. Some other video clips that went viral showed workers with cans that had gold wash printed on the lids and showed workers examining the gold plated material at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Advertisement This erupted in a major controversy with main opposition Congress party targeting the Badri Kedar temple Committee (BKTC) and the state BJP government on the issue. Ganesh Godiyal, a former legislator and former Uttarakhand Congress Chief, who had also headed the temple committee during Congress regime alleged an organised tax evasion in the gold plating work of the sanctum sanctorum of the Kedarnath temple. He questioned the temple committee for providing a tax exemption certificate to the donor without checking the quality of the gold donated. He further accused the temple committee of giving a tax exemption certificate to the donor businessman in lieu of donating 23kg of gold, despite the quality of gold being in question even earlier. The Congress leader said that during his tenure , a businessman donor offered to donate 500kg of gold in exchange for an income tax exemption certificate. The businessman purportedly told Godiyal that he had given 50kg of gold to the temple committee in 2005 but had to bear the loss as he didnt get a tax exemption certificate. He further said that on checking at Badrinath temple, he found that the gold-plating on the outer pillars of the sanctum sanctorum had turned into brass and requested the donor to donate gold certified by the government-owned Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC). Ganesh Godiyal said stated that, upon being confronted with the condition, the businessman withdrew his statement. He asked that when the color of the gold had once faded in 2005, how did the temple committee give a tax exemption certificate to the donor this time without checking the gold. On the other hand, Ajendra Ajay, a RSS functionary who is President of the Badri Kadar temple Committee (BKTC) said that permission was sought from the state government for the donor to gold-encrust the sanctum sanctorum, which was done under the supervision of the Archeological Survey of India. The ruling BJP and the BKTC have denied all the allegations made by Congress terming these as a conspiracy against the government. The BJP said that the same donor had gold plated the pillars of the Badrinath temple in 2005 and had donated gold during the Congress regime but the Congress party had no objection back then. The BJP said that the whole work of gold plating at Kedarnath temple was worth Rs. 14 crore but the Congress is falsely claiming that the work amounted to over a thousand crores in a bid to tarnish the image of BJP. The Congress party has rejected the probe by an official and demanded a probe by a sitting high court Judge. Governor of Punjab Banwarilal Purohit and Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi will attend the prestigious closing ceremony of Cultural Festival taking place at Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) at Srinagar on Sunday. The cultural festival Vitasta organised by the Union Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, represents the final installment in a series of three programmes. This three day extravaganza, named after the revered ancient Vedic name of the Jhelum River, holds the noble objective of embodying Prime Minister, Narendra Modis visionary concept of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India) as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. The grand closing ceremony of this enriching festival will be held on Sunday. Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab, will be the chief guest, while Tamil Nadu Governor, RN Ravi will attend the function as a special guest. The concluding event will feature a diverse array of captivating cultural programmes, with one of the highlights being the mesmerising performance by Saurabh Jadu and Group. Their enchanting singing performances are set to captivate the audience and leave a lasting impression. Adding to the allure of the event, the audience will be enthralled by a special presentation of Tigulbandi, showcasing the harmonious fusion of Kashmiri instruments such as santoor, rabab, and guitar. Furthermore, the program will be graced by the captivating qawwali performance of Ustad Shafi Sopori, renowned for his exceptional musical prowess. Additionally, the Bollywood orchestra will present a captivating rendition of songs that have been filmed in the scenic locales of Kashmir. (Bloomberg) -- Nvidia Corp., the worlds most valuable chipmaker, is extremely likely to invest in Europe, Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said. Most Read from Bloomberg Huang said European Commissioner Thierry Breton suggested that Nvidia should invest a great deal more in Europe and that Europe is going to be a wonderful place to build the future of Nvidia. The pair met Friday as part of Bretons discussions about content moderation and artificial intelligence with some of the largest tech companies in Silicon Valley. Nvidias value has jumped as its graphics processors have become the most popular for data centers needed to power generative artificial intelligence. The companys sales in its data center unit gained 41% to $15 billion in 2022. At the same time, the US, the European Union, Japan and India have agreed to spend more than $100 billion in subsidies to attract the likes of Intel Corp., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Micron Technology Inc. Read More: Worlds Chip Race Touches Off $50 Billion, Intel-Led Spree Just in the last week, Intel announced plans for new plants in Poland, Germany and Israel, spurred by government incentives. Nvidia will also look to invest in Europe, Huang said. The reason for that is Nvidia would like to be a global international company and what a better place to and what can imagine a better place to invest, he told reporters after meeting with Breton. Breton invited Huang to continue the discussion in Brussels next month. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said that if a bilateral visit through critical definition produces a new dawn (India-US relations), then this was that visit, terming it the moment. While interacting with the media, Hardeep Singh Puri said, This is the moment. If a bilateral visit through critical definition produces a new dawn (India-US relations), this was that visit. AI is the future, America-India is the future. With the technology cooperation between India and the US gaining new heights, President Joe Biden on Friday gifted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a special T-shirt which had PM Modis famous quote The future is AI-America and India. Addressing the joint session of the US Congress for a historic second time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that it is an exceptional privilege to do it twice, adding, A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago. But a lot has remained the same like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States. In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, there have been even more momentous developments in another AI- America and India. Advertisement PM Modi coined a new acronym to showcase the technological cooperation between US and India saying that there has been even more momentous development in another AI- America and India. PM Modi addressed the joint sitting of the US Congress on June 22, saying The US is the oldest and India the largest democracy, adding, Our partnership augurs well for the future of democracy. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given this T-shirt by President Biden, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, Apple CEO Tim Cook and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were present at the event, amongst many others. During his historic second address at the US Congress yesterday, PM Modi also said, Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. PM Modis first visit to the US took place in 2014, during which he had a working visit and delivered his inaugural speech at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In 2016, he returned to attend the Nuclear Security Summit and held a meeting with then-President Barack Obama at the White House. That same year, PM Modi made another trip to the US and addressed a range of topics, including terrorism, climate change, and the strong Indo-US partnership, in his first speech to the US Congress. Intel India head Nivruti Rai has stepped down after spending 29 years with the chip-maker. She is slated to be appointed as MD and CEO of Invest India. In her most recent role, she was the India country head and VP of Intel Foundry Services. Were grateful to Nivruti for the tremendous progress Intel India has made under her leadership, the company said in a statement to IANS on Friday. Advertisement Today, Intel India is our largest engineering site outside the US and a critical talent base for the company. We will have more to share soon about Intel Indias leadership plans, and we wish Nivruti all the best in her next chapter, Intel India added. Rai began at Intel as a design engineer in 1994, and went on to serve various posts over the span of 29 years. Invest India is a non-profit organisation under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce. Last year, Intel India inaugurated a state-of-the-art design and engineering centre in Bengaluru. This state-of-the-art centre offers an amazing environment for our employees to innovate while they enjoy the energetic and collaborative vibes in the workplace. This also helps in furthering our contributions and capabilities across leadership products that enable customers innovation and growth, Rai had said. India has the companys largest design and engineering centre outside the US, with state-of-the-art design facilities in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. As reported in June last year, Intel has invested over $8 billion in India to date and continues to expand its R&D and innovation footprint in the country. Even as the Russia-Ukraine war is on, 62-year-old Yevgeny Prigozhin who heads the Wagner mercenaries has said, We are going onwards and we will go to the end (against Russia). We will destroy everything. This was Prigozhins direct challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin ever since the war began. The whole issue has snowballed due to the credit for the capturing of a town in Donetsk, Ukraine. While the Wagner group says, they captured the town, the counterclaims have resulted in a fight between the Wagner group and Russian forces. What is a Wagner Group Advertisement The Wagner Group otherwise called PMC Wagner, is a Russian paramilitary organization. It is a private military company filled with mercenaries. The group first came to light in 2014 when it backed pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Back then this organization mostly operated in the Middle-East and Africa. As per the reports the Wagner group was then believed to have about 5,500 fighters from Russian special forces. But suddenly in January reports came in that the Wagner Group now consisted of about 50,000 fighters in Ukraine. It is said that the Wagner Group was involved in Russias capture of Bakhmut city which is situated in eastern Ukraine. What is the source of trouble now? Russia has now said that the head of the Wagner group mounted an armed uprising and his arrest was ordered due to growing enmity between rival camps in Kremlin over the war in Ukraine. Now, the Wagner chief has made a commitment to take all necessary steps to topple the countrys top military leadership in Moscow. In January this year, while Prigozhin claimed that the town of Soledar in Donetsk of Ukraine was captured by them, it was the Russian Defense Ministry who tried to put their name to Wagners achievement. There were also videos showing the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov saying that Russia failed to provide them with ammunition. A poem titled Gandhi by Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi on the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Indias independence struggle finds centre stage at the Cairo hotel, the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modis stay during his visit to the country. Photographs of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisis visit to India this January also find place in the exhibition. PM Modi on Saturday arrived on a two-day State visit to Egypt. During this visit, PM Modi will hold strategic talks with his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Advertisement Several members of the Indian community were present at the Ritz Carlton hotel here welcome PM Modi They have expressed immense excitement regarding PM Modis arrival and have called this a proud moment. I have been living here for the last nine years. Although we are away from our country, here we feel that we are a part of our country. We all have the passion to meet the Prime Minister, just like people have for meeting film stars. He is a hero to us. I personally feel that it (PMs visit) will be very good for both countries. It is really a proud moment, Ankush, who has been living in Egypt for the last nine years said. Alka Walia who calls Cairo her home for the last 17 years said, This is super special. This is the first visit by an Indian PM after 1997. So the excitement level is beyond expectations. We are looking forward to seeing him. I think words are not enough to define that, whichever country he (PM Modi) has travelled to, he has made us proud. We feel lucky and excited to have PM Modi in Egypt. We are super proud as Indians. The hotel lobby was bustling with activity ahead of the Prime Ministers arrival. PM Modi will also meet 70 people from Indian Community residing in Egypt. Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced Indias Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest. The Prime Minister will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora during his visit here. He is set to hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly and also meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said that for the first time, a round table meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister will take place. Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of Indias most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypts fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. Moreover, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. ndia and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. Even during the Russia-Ukraine conflict which had threatened Egypt with a shortage of wheat, 80 percent of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. India cleared shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, the chief of the private mercenary group Wagner, marched his troops into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Then he declared that his fighters had entered Rostov-on-Don, the base camp for Russias southern military command. They have also occupied key military installations. On Friday, Prigozhin claimed that Russias military had attacked a Wagner camp and killed a lot of his men. He said, There are 25,000 of us and we are going to find out why there is such chaos in the country. Defence Minister Shoigu denied the allegation, calling it informational propaganda. In a video, Prigozhin said that his men would siege Rostov-on-Don unless Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, Russias top general, come to meet him. He blames Shoigu and Gerasimov for Moscows faltering invasion of Ukraine. Advertisement Russian President Vladimir Putin termed Wagners action as treason and vowed to punish those behind this. Hours later, he addressed the nation and said, Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished. He further added, Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood for us as a nation; it is a blow to Russia for our people and our actions to protect our homeland. Such a threat will face a severe response. Prigozhin responded by saying that his fighters are the patriots of our Motherland. He promised, No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB, or anyone else. Russias internal security force, Federal Security Service (FSB), has made criminal charges against Prigozhin by accusing him of calling for an armed rebellion. Putin further said, This was the same kind of blow that Russia felt in 1917 when the country entered World War I, but had victory stolen from it. Intrigues, squabbles, and politicking behind the backs of the army and the people turned out to be the greatest shock, the destruction of the army, the collapse of the state, the loss of vast territories, and in the end, the tragedy and civil war. Russians killed Russians, brothers killed brothers. Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6) Today Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. ORMOND BEACH The owners of the new Soraya Mediterranean Cafe received a surprise visit Friday by Melanie Griffin, secretary of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, who dropped by to participate in an impromptu ribbon-cutting. Griffin read a proclamation praising owners Fay Sarshory and Ayten Hooper for their "determination to pursue a dream and connect with the residents and visitors of the great state of Florida." Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington and Debbie Cotton, CEO of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, also participated, along with Sarshory's cousin, Maryam Ghyabi-White, owner of Ghyabi Consulting & Management. "We appreciated everyone coming," said Sarshory. The beachside cafe is at 156 E. Granada Blvd. Melanie Griffin, third from the right, secretary of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, congratulates the owners of the new Soraya Mediterranean Cafe at 156 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach, after participating in a ribbon-cutting Friday, June 23, 2023. Pictured from left: Ormond Beach Chamber CEO Debbie Cotton, Soraya co-owner Ayten Hooper, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, Griffin, Soraya co-owner Fay Sarshory and her cousin, Maryam Ghyabi-White. What is Soraya? Sarshory said the cafe's goal is to "expose locals to Persian and Turkish cultures beyond any political associations." Soraya Cafe offers Turkish and Persian desserts including baklava, Turkish-baked rice pudding, and Persian homemade cakes as well as Persian breakfast items, Turkish simit (similar to bagels), soups, salads and panini sandwiches. It also serves Turkish coffee and other espresso and tea drinks. Soraya is Persian for "cluster of stars." It's also the name of the second wife of the last Shah of Iran. Queen Soraya enjoyed a brief career as an actress in the 1960s. A photo of the late Queen Soraya, the second wife of the Shah of Iran, is displayed on a wall inside the new Soraya Mediterranean Cafe at 156 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach on Friday, June 23, 2023. How did the coffee shop come about? Sarshory is an Iranian native who, as a teen, fled with her family to the United States during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. She currently works as the broker/owner of Florida Property Experts in Ormond Beach. Hooper is a veteran restaurateur who originally hails from Turkey. The two met a few years ago when Sarshory became a customer at Hooper's then-Istanbul Turkish Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant on U.S. 1. Hooper has since sold the eatery. The two became friends and started talking about someday starting a coffee shop together. When the building that previously housed a quilt shop became available, Sarshory quickly leased it and invited Hooper to become partners in opening Soraya Cafe. This is Sarshory's first time as a restaurateur. "(Hooper) is the creative touch behind the food. I did the (interior) design," said Sarshory. Who organized Soraya Mediterranean Cafe's ribbon-cutting? Sarshory said it was all Ghyabi-White's doing. "I received a call from Melanie's office on Thursday saying she was heading to Jacksonville (from Tallahassee) for an event on Friday and wanted to know if there were any businesses she could visit in Ormond Beach," said Ghyabi-White. "The mayor immediately made himself available as well, and Debbie Cotton did the same. "As an engineer, I like to plan things. This was absolutely done with zero planning," she said. "It was really cool." Attendees at the ribbon-cutting event for the new beachside Soraya Mediterranean Cafe at 156 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach check out the food spread on Friday, June 23, 2023. Pictured from the left: Melanie Griffin, secretary of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, Debbie Cotton, CEO of the Ormond Beach Chamber, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, Soraya co-owner Fay Sarshory, and Krystal Perry of The Elite Concierge. What are its hours of operation? Soraya is open Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Mondays. The coffee house is also available for special events. Downtown draws: New businesses bring new vitality to Ormond's East Granada Boulevard This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ormond Beach's new Soraya Cafe get surprise welcome (Bloomberg) -- Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin halted his advance toward Moscow and pulled his fighters back, defusing what had become the biggest threat to Vladimir Putins grip on Russia in his almost quarter-century rule. Most Read from Bloomberg As part of a deal to end the uprising the Russian president had personally guaranteed that Prigozhin would be allowed to leave for neighboring Belarus and authorities would drop criminal mutiny charges against him and his fighters, according to the Kremlin. There was no immediate confirmation from Prigozhin of the pact, which Russia said was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally. We were able to resolve the situation without further losses, without further increasing the level of tension, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The events capped a day of escalating drama that saw Prigozhin take convoys of his fighters to within hours of the capital virtually unchallenged, even after Putin accused the mercenary group of treason in a TV broadcast to the nation Saturday. By allowing him to leave unpunished, Putin risks the appearance that he was forced to give in to the armed challenge of a man once derisively known as the presidents chef for his Kremlin catering contracts. Prigozhins rebellion - which Putin in his speech called a deadly threat to our statehood - jolted a nation trying to sustain a war in Ukraine thats the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. It unfolded against the backdrop of a Ukrainian counteroffensive across some of the area where Wagners troops deployed for months in the wars longest and bloodiest battle. The showdown also had echoes in Russian history, where leaders including Tsar Nicholas II and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev were ousted after failed military adventures. The US and Europe had been watching the latest events closely, with President Joe Biden getting regular briefings as officials sought to interpret the fast-moving events. Everything indicates theres de-escalation in Russia, Polish President Andrzej Duda said in Warsaw late Saturday. Prigozhins troops pulled out of positions theyd taken up early Saturday in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Tass reported. Moscow planned to lift tight security measures imposed earlier when the mercenary group was heading for the capital. Even if Putin has succeeded in avoiding a conflict, Prigozhins dramatic challenge has shaken the Russian presidents image of total political control. We underestimated Prigozhin but now weve clearly overestimated Putin, Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of political consultancy R.Politik, wrote in Telegram. This is a very powerful defeat for him. There was no immediate word on whether Putin had agreed to Prigozhins demand that he replace his defense minister and top military commander, whom the mercenary blames for botching the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said the issue wasnt discussed in the talks with Lukashenko Saturday, according to Tass. In 24 hours we got to within 200 km of Moscow, Prigozhin said late Saturday in an audio message on Telegram. Now is the moment when blood could be shed. Therefore, taking full responsibility for the fact that Russian blood could be spilled, we are turning our columns around and returning to our field camps. He didnt indicate how far back they would withdraw or provide other details. They wanted to disband PMC Wagner, he said in the message, without elaborating. After vowing to lead a march of justice on Moscow, Prigozhin posted a video of himself early Saturday at what he said were military offices under Wagners control in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, one of the main operational centers for Russian forces deployed in Ukraine. The claim couldnt be independently confirmed. His forces later advanced along the route of the main M4 highway linking Moscow to Rostov. Videos appeared on social media showing military helicopters flying over the city of Voronezh where a fuel storage depot was rocked by an explosion. Regional Governor Alexander Gusev said the depot was on fire, without giving an explanation. Wagners forces were then seen moving through the Lipetsk region about 350 kilometers (218 miles) from Moscow, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram, urging residents to stay in their homes. The governor of nearby Kaluga announced travel restrictions into the region thats about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the capital. Putin didnt name Prigozhin during his five-minute broadcast in which he said excessive ambitions and personal interests led to treason against the state and the cause for which Wagner fighters and commanders fought and died. He drew a comparison with divisions in Russia during World War I that led to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution and civil war. US President Joe Biden earlier Saturday held talks on the unfolding situation in Russia with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The leaders also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, according to a White House statement. With the Wagner fighters approaching, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had declared Monday a non-working day for all but essential services and advised residents to avoid traveling around the city, saying roads may be blocked off in the complicated situation. Officials earlier announced a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region as well as in Voronezh region. Photographs appeared on social media of roadblocks on approaches to the capital. (Updates with Putin guarantee in second paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Job Title: Head Grid Development and Planning Organisation: Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda About US: Uganda Electricity Transmission Company limited (UETCL) is responsible for bulk purchase of electricity from the generating companies and selling it in bulk to the distribution companies throughout Uganda. UETCL is also responsible for exports and imports of electricity to Uganda. Our vision is: To Become a leading strategic business partner in the transmission and Single Buyer Business and to support sustainable energy development in Uganda. Job Summary: The Head Grid Development and Planning is responsible for electrical power transmission infrastructure planning, development, and investments Key Duties and Responsibilities: Grid infrastructure planning and development Coordinate the update of the Grid Development and Investment Plan Develop project profiles for stakeholders and financiers Prepare feasibility studies, tender documents, and Bills of Quantities Provide technical support for engineering services during: Bid Evaluations; RAP and EIA Implementation, Engineering Procurement and Construction, Commissioning/ handing over to Operations and Maintenance, Defects Liability Period and Closing off the Project Plan Regional Grid Integration in liaison with related functions. Develop, implement and comply with Safety, Health and Environment standards; and Standards, specifications and operating procedures for the safety of equipment and personnel Provide and manage transport services (procurement as well as operations) in UETCL Develop and update civil, mechanical, and electrical designs; construct and maintain towers, bridges and access roads to all substations and transmission line corridors Plan and conduct surveys for design, acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of UETCL facilities Develop, control, and manage the functions operational budget. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant should preferably hold a masters degree in Electrical Engineering or related field from a recognized institution. At least ten years of experience in Electrical power systems and Planning with at least 5 years working at senior level. A Postgraduate in Project Planning and Monitoring is also desirable. Registered with the ERB. Evidence of past experience or training in financial modelling and writing of investment proposals is an added advantage. Significant experience in electrical power transmission infrastructure planning, development, investments, and operation. How to Apply: If your qualifications and experience match the requirements for any of the roles, please complete and submit your application via the following link: Application Form for UETCL Staff Recruitment. All applications must be submitted via the online application form at the link above. NB: All applications will be selected on merit and only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews. For any questions regarding the application process please contact the Executive Selection Division (ESD), KPMG on +256 312 170080 or +256 312 170081 or via ug-fmesd@kpmg.com Deadline: 7th July 2023 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline (Bloomberg) -- Puerto Ricos financial oversight board is considering slashing by about half the amount of new bonds it claims the islands bankrupt power utility can repay, a potential offering that bondholders will most likely reject. Most Read from Bloomberg The federally appointed board calculates that Puerto Ricos Electric Power Authority, called Prepa, can only repay $2.5 billion to its creditors, less than half the $5.68 billion offered in its March debt-restructuring plan. Its far below the $10 billion it owes, including nearly $9 billion to bondholders and fuel-line lenders. Steeper-than-anticipated declines in energy consumption and rising costs require a larger-than-previously proposed cut to the amount of debt the utility is able to repay over time, the board, which is managing Prepas bankruptcy, said in a statement late Friday after it approved the utilitys multi-year fiscal plan. The guiding principle for all debt restructurings is sustainability, David Skeel, the boards chairman, said in the statement. The goal is to stabilize Prepa. The oversight board has been analyzing carefully and dispassionately how much debt Prepa can pay and made that determination strictly based on the most recent available data. Puerto Rico Board Will Amend Power Utilitys Debt-Cutting Plan Reducing the repayment amount will probably make the bankruptcy process even more contentious and potentially lengthen the workout. An ad hoc group of bondholders has argued in court against the boards recent $5.68 billion offer claiming Prepa can pay more and formal mediation talks between the parties are at a standstill. The judge overseeing the nearly six-year bankruptcy scrapped on Wednesday a planned July confirmation hearing on a debt plan after the board said it needed more time to amend the proposal. Puerto Rico Utilitys Hearing on Debt-Cutting Plan Postponed More residents are upgrading to energy efficient appliances and some are looking to reduce their reliance on the islands weak and neglected grid by installing solar panels, according to the boards statement. Those changes dampen energy consumption. Restructuring Prepas obligations is difficult. Bondholders havent been paid in years, but residents are already saddled with some of the costliest and least reliable electricity in the US. Prepa is not done, Robert Mujica, the boards executive director, said in the statement. Electricity is not yet reliable. But the building blocks are in place. The implementation of the fiscal plan so far created an energy system that can and will improve over time. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. When three board members of the troubled Bengaluru-headquartered edtech major BYJU's quit the board, it became clear that it is in a bad shape. All three investorsPeak XV Partners, Prosus and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiativehave, reportedly, confirmed the resignations of their representatives G.V. Ravishankar, Russell Dreisenstock and Vivian Wu respectively. As per a BYJU's spokesperson, there are talks about reconstituting its board, including the induction of independent directors after the exits. Trouble at BYJU's was brewing for a long time. Experts told THE WEEK that the resignation of the board members has raised concerns and prompted an analysis of the company's current state. The resignations, coupled with the departure of auditing firm Deloitte, indicate potential governance issues within the company. The board members' resignations, including representatives from Prosus, Peak XV Partners, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, have resulted in a reduced board size, leaving only Byju Raveendran, Divya Gokulnath, and Riju Raveendran as directors. BYJU's attributes the need for board reconstitution to investors vacating seats due to falling shareholdings. These resignations, combined with Deloitte's departure as the company's auditor, raise questions about internal governance, decision-making processes, and potential conflicts within BYJU's. The absence of board members and an auditing firm may impact transparency, accountability, and overall corporate governance, Gaurav V.K. Singhvi, an angel investor and co-founder of We Founder Circle, told THE WEEK. This angel investor also felt that despite the rough patch, it is important to acknowledge BYJU's past successes, such as strategic acquisitions and market dominance. The company's strong position in the edtech sector and its extensive user base provide a foundation that can be leveraged to overcome current challenges. Ultimately, BYJU's ability to address the recent developments and execute its strategic plans effectively will shape its future trajectory. The company must prioritise financial stability, transparency and regulatory compliance to regain trust and position itself for long-term success, Singhvi said. When THE WEEK contacted BYJU's for comment, the company's spokesperson remarked that BYJU's management has been engaging with investors in constructive discussions on the reconstitution of the board at BYJU's, including the induction of independent directors. The need for reconstitution arose as few investors had to vacate the board seat due to their shareholding falling below a minimum required threshold as per our SHA. We want to reassure all stakeholders that we are actively working towards constituting a diverse and world-class board commensurate with the companys size and scale, BYJU's spokesperson stated. Market expert point out that the current developments at BYJU's aren't surprising as the ed tech companies overestimated the future prospects of their products and are now coming to terms with the reality of phygital environment. Beside the money from the PEs, the companies have leveraged debt to finance their operations. All the companies have been facing challenges of revenue flow and hence are under stress to optimise their operations. Hence they have shut down projects and been pressing the pedal to the maximum limit on sales and marketing. BYJU's is no exception. Enterprises are respected and live long when they follow high standards of governance in all aspects of their business, starting from finances and operations to sales, marketing and customer service. This is not a onetime activity, rather to be practised on an ongoing basis, each day of a leaders life at work, Aditya Narayan Mishra, director and CEO, CIEL HR, told THE WEEK. Experts further point out that the current state of BYJU's may affect funding in the startup ecosystem in India. Being one of the most valued tech startup, BYJU's will certainly have issues in managing the resignation of auditors and directors more as a dip in investor confidence in the entity particularly when an IPO is being planned in the group of Aakash. At the same time, the level of investments and the deep penetration BYJU's has across India would help them in sailing through a tough season of scrutiny. While BYJU's may still go over this challenge, tech startups will have a investment winter given the global outlook coupled with this confidence dipping time on tech startups, said Subramanyam Sreenivasaiah, CEO at Ascent HR. Few market experts feel that things have horribly gone wrong with BYJU's as there are signs of a complete breakdown of corporate governance in the company. In the 1990s, a new wave of entrepreneurs came by on the firmament, who set up sterling record of corporate governance in India. Till then, it was unbeknownst in India. And that set the tone of Indias emergence place for startup destination. Unfortunately, the seeds of brashness were also sown at the same intervals. While there are many, BYJU's is the the poster boy of all things that could have gone wrong, have indeed gone wrong horribly, said Alok Shende of Mumbai based Ascentius Consulting. As the violence escalates in Manipur, an all-party meeting chaired by Union Minister Amit Shah will be held in Delhi on Saturday to discuss the situation. The meeting intends to chalk out strategies to restore peace in the state. According to officials, all leaders of political parties are expected to attend the meeting. Congress has announced that former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi will represent the party in the meeting. Ahead of the all-party meeting, police on Saturday said that a group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur minister L. Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district. Another attempt was made to torch the minister's residence at Khurai residence. However no casualty was reported in the incident. 52 days after Manipur started burning the HM has finally seen it fit to call an all-party meeting on Manipur at 3pm today. This meeting should actually have been chaired by the PM who has kept silent all this while. It should have been held in Imphal as a demonstration of Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 24, 2023 Since the violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3, unrest prevailed in the state. Central forces were deployed to calm the situation in violence-hit state. While visiting the state last month, Shah had urged the people of Manipur to surrender their weapons and maintain peace. However, the situation failed to improve. Fresh clashes between the militants and security forces erupted had left several injured and dead. The state government has extended the ban on the internet till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace. Meanwhile Congress had criticised the Centre's move to call for an all-party meet during PM Narendra Modi's United States state visit. 52 days after Manipur started burning the HM has finally seen it fit to call an all-party meeting on Manipur at 3pm today. This meeting should actually have been chaired by the PM who has kept silent all this while. It should have been held in Imphal as a demonstration of national anguish. The BJP has failed the people of Manipur miserably, tweeted Jairam Ramesh. Even so the man who brought Manipur back on the path of peace & development as CM for 3 terms between 2002 & 2017 Okram Ibobi Singhji will represent the Congress at HM's meeting. He should be listened to in all seriousness given his vast experience and deep knowledge, he said in his tweet. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier pointed out that the PM's absence clearly shows that the meeting is not important for him. "Manipur has been burning for 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. An all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Clearly, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister," tweeted Rahul Gandhi. Earlier, nine BJP legislators had written to PM Modi asserting that the people of the state had lost faith in the Biren Singh-led government. "Some special measures for proper administration and function of the government by following the rule of law may kindly be resorted to so that the trust and confidence of the people are restored," said the memorandum signed by nine BJP MLAs. "The unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation. I am deeply saddened to see the people forced to flee the only place they call home. I appeal for peace and harmony. Our choice to embark on the path of healing will shape the kind of future that our children will inherit. I have immense hope and faith in the people of Manipur and I know that together we will overcome this ordeal," said Sonia Gandhi. The ongoing violence in the state had claimed nearly 100 lives. Even though Home Minister Amit Shah assured that all steps were taken by the government to restore peace in Manipur, the political parties said healing touch be provided in the state. However, the opposition parties during the all-party meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss Manipur violence, expressed concern over the failure of Biren Singh government in tackling the violence in the state. Many parties including Congress demanded that it would have been better if Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the meeting as the violence has been on for over 50 days. During the meeting chaired by Amit Shah, the Home Ministry made a detailed presentation on the Manipur situation detailing the legacy issues and steps taken to curb the violence. "During the meeting, the Home Ministry explained what triggered the violence (in Manipur) and what steps have been taken so far. All parties raised their concerns by keeping political differences aside, BJP leader Sambit Patra said. He said the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere; Home Minister heard everyone patiently and said that the views expressed by all will be taken into consideration and discussed. Patra said all parties agreed that it was unprecedented that a Home Minister spent three days in a violence-hit state. Former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh representing Congress in the meeting said PM Narendra Modi has not spoken about the violence in Manipur. "Manipur may be a small state but it shares a strategic border with Myanmar. " The Congress said the chief minister failed to provide adequate leadership. The party demanded that armed groups be disarmed, grievances of all sides be heard and adequate relief be provided to those affected. Trinamool said more than 50 days have elapsed since violence erupted in Manipur and BJP's failure to restore peace has left citizens trapped in a nightmare. "The violence unfolding is a clear sign of their incompetence and inability to protect the people," the party said in a tweet. RJD MP Manoj Jha said, "The entire opposition went to the extent of saying that the person who is heading the administration there has lost the trust. You can't have peace until that person is in charge." The CPI rued that it was not called for the meeting. "Exclusion of CPI from the all-party meeting on Manipur exposes the callous attitude of the Home Minister towards the burning problems of the state. The CPI is a recognised party in Manipur and is contributing significantly to peacebuilding and harmony in the state," CPI leader D. Raja said. Among the parties that attended the meeting included BJP, TMC, Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena, BJD, AIADMK and AAP. Around 120 people have lost their lives since the violence started on May 3. Men, who were in the womb during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, are eight times more prone to cancer, a recently published international study has shown. They also have lower education levels and a higher percentage of them are not able to work to earn livelihood due to health issues. The study refers to the male children born in and around Bhopal in the year 1985 as the 'in-utero men (men in womb)'. The study also shows that the gas tragedy affected people in a far larger geographical area as much as 100 kms from the Union Carbide factory site from where the poisonous gas leaked - as opposed to the 4.5 km radius that was considered 'exposed' by public health officials and researchers. The study by a team of University of California San Diego (UCSD), United States of America, has been published in the June 13 issue of BMJ Open - a prestigious open access medical journal published by BMJ, a company affiliated to the British Medical Association. Interestingly, the study has analysed Indian data from the fourth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) of 2015-16 and the 1999 socio-economic survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) to reach the conclusions. Presenting the results of the study at a press conference on Saturday, representatives of five organizations working for the Bhopal gas tragedy survivors have said that the research proves that the impact of the 1984 disaster was long-term and inter-generational. They have again demanded that the Indian government make the Union Carbide Company and its current owners Dow Chemical pay the damages to affected people. Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action said, This scientific publication should be a wakeup call for the governments at the state and the centre. The findings of the research are all based on data published by government agencies. The government has taken away the Bhopal survivors rights to sue Union Carbide in exchange for a promise to protect the interests of the victims of the corporation. If the governments do not take legal steps to make Union Carbide pay for damages to the next generation it will be a betrayal of that promise. Nousheen Khan of Children Against Dow Carbide, Rashida Bee, President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha and Shahzadi Bee of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha were also present at the press conference. Study details The study has been conducted by Gordon C McCord of the School of Global Policy and Strategy with Prashant Bharadwaj and Arushi Kaushik of Department and Economics; and Lotus McDougal and Anita Raj of the Center on Gender Equality and Health of the UCSD. The researchers have said in the paper, This analysis documents long-term, intergenerational impacts of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGD), showing that men who were in-utero (in the womb) at the time of the BGD were more likely to have a disability that affected their employment 15 years later, and had higher rates of cancer and lower educational attainment over 30 years later. Importantly, these results indicate social costs stemming from the BGD that extend far beyond the mortality (deaths) and morbidity (health impacts) experienced in the immediate aftermath. The study found that men currently living within 100 km of Bhopal and born in 1985 (and thus in womb during the tragedy of December 1984) have an eightfold higher risk of cancer than men born before or longer after the tragedy. And among these 1985 born men, those who never changed residence since the BGD have a 27-fold higher risk of cancer, the study shows. The study further shows that employment disability was one percentage point more likely among men who were in-utero in districts within 100 km of Bhopal during the tragedy than those born prior to or residing farther. This is a meaningful impact since baseline employment disability rates are quite low (0.4%) and mens employment at the time of study was nearly universal at 98%, the study says. The researchers used the response to the question whether the respondent was economically inactive because of disabilities or other health-related reasons from the NSSO data to classify the person as suffering from employment disability. The study also found that men who were in the womb and within 100 km of Bhopal during the BGD received more than two fewer years of education than others. This is a large impact since the average number of years of education in the affected group is only 5.6 years, and because education has such a direct association with subsequent wages and consumption, the study says. In another important outcome, the study also found that women who lived within 100 km of Bhopal during the tragedy experienced a relative decrease in the birth of males in 1985 (64% of children born from 1981 to 1984 were male, a proportion that drops to 60% in 1985). This suggests that male foetuses were more affected by external stress due to the tragedy. Five organizations of the survivors of the Union Carbide disaster today addressed a press conference on the recently published scientific study on the health impact of the disaster on children who were in the wombs of their mothers when they inhaled the poisonous gas. With south-west monsoon steadily sweeping over most of the country, there has been much respite from the sweltering summer heat and blazing sun. This time too, the rains have caused widespread waterlogging, creating road blocks and chaos all over. The India Meterological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a yellow alert in Mumbai. IMD also predicted heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra in the next 4-5 days. Several parts of Mumbai witnessed water-logging in the wake of the heavy rains making it extremely difficult for bikers and pedestrians. IMD had issued heavy-rainfall for several districts of Odisha till Tuesday (June 27). It forecast heavy rainfall (7-20cm) in Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj on Saturday. Heavy rain (7-11 cm) is also very likely to occur at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Puri, Nayagarh, Angul, Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Sundargarh. IMD also predicted heavy rainfall likely over Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday as well. Meanwhile in Shimla, debris and stones damaged several vehicles parked on roadsides in various parts of the city. The heavy rains in Shimla in the past 12 hours caused roadblockage. Accroding to the state emergency operation centre, 20 roads, including the National Highway 5 near Theog in Shimla, were blocked due to heavy rain. The local Met office issued an 'orange' warning indicating heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorm, and lightning at isolated places on Sunday and Monday. An yellow alert was issued for Tuesday and Wednesday. While in Madhya Pradesh, south-west monsoon is predicted over the weekend. IMD's Bhopal director R. Balasubramanian told PTI that the monsoon is to set in over the capital by Monday or Tuesday. The monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 8, seven days behind its normal schedule. According to IMD, the southwest monsoon further advanced into some parts of Karnataka, Telangana and the remaining parts of Andhra Pradesh; some parts of Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, remaining parts of northwest Bay of Bengal and remaining parts of Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal; and some parts Jharkhand and Bihar and some parts of east Uttar Pradesh on Friday. "Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over some more parts of Chhattisgarh, remaining parts of Jharkhand and Bihar, some parts of east Madhya Pradesh, some more parts of Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Uttarakhand during next 2 days," the last IMD bulletin read. Odisha is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till June 26, while. In northwest India, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till June 27, and bouts of heavy rainfall over UP from June 24-26. (With PTI inputs) A Los Angeles-bound Cathay Pacific flight had to abort take-off at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of Saturday, reportedly after the flight's tyres burst. According to the airlines, 11 persons suffered injuries while evacuating the flight. Flight CX880, bound for Los Angeles, returned to the gate after a technical issue caused the crew to abort the take-off and a precautionary passenger evacuation was initiated, the airline said in a statement. It said those on board used five escape slides to exit the plane. Cathay Pacific gave no details on the problem. The flight was carrying 293 passengers and 17 crew members. South China Morning Post reported at least three tyres of the aircraft burst causing the airline to abort take-off. SCMP quoting police reported that one man and 10 women, aged 29 to 77, were injured while exiting the plane using an emergency slide. We understand that 11 passengers are being treated at the hospital with injuries sustained during the evacuation process, Cathay Pacific said. Our priority is to look after all affected passengers and crew. By 10.30am, nine of the injured passengers had been discharged from the hospital, the airline said later. Using a different aircraft, the flight departed for Los Angeles at 10.12am, carrying 283 passengers, it said. (With PTI inputs.) Canadian authorities on Friday arrested Brijesh Mishra, the Indian immigration agent allegedly involved in a fake admission offer letters scam. He was held while trying to sneak into Canada, The Indian Express reported. He is facing five charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in a statement. CBSA said it had launched an investigation after getting information about Mishra's status in Canada and his alleged involvement in activities related to "counseling misrepresentation". Earlier this year, Canada issued deportation notices to over 700 Indian students over 'fake admission offer letters'. The students had applied for student visas, from 2018 to 2022, through Education Migration Servicesa Jalandhar-based agency headed by Mishra. He had charged more than Rs 16 lakh per student for all expenses. The fraud came to light later when the students applied for Permanent Residency (PR) in Canada. As per the rule, students need to submit relevant documents including the admission letters to the CBSA. A probe by the CBSA revealed that the admission offer letters were fake. The students were then issued deportation notices. Mishra had been absconding since the scandal broke. Official data show there were some 3,20,000 Indian students with active visas in Canada in 2022. This is not the first time Mishra has been accused of fraud, a report in The Indian Express said. In 2013, he was arrested for forging documents to send students abroad through Easy Way Immigration agency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday concluded his power-packed state visit to the US, asserting that the last three days marked the beginning of a 'new and proud journey' of US-India ties. Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Reagan Centre in Washington, Modi said the new journey is of our convergence on global strategic issues, of our cooperation for Make in India, Make for the World. Modi highlighted the deals that were struck during his visit, including the GE-HAL pact for manufacturing jet engines in India and Micron's plans to invest in semiconductor chip facility in India. All these announcements will help to create employment in India. The Artemis Accord signed between India and the US will provide several opportunities in space research. With NASA, India will send astronauts to space, he said. India is the mother of democracy and the US is the champion of modern democracy, and the world is watching the strengthening of ties of two great democracies, the prime minister said. Together we are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies, he said. He also announced that people of Indian origin will not have to leave the US for getting H-1B visa renewal, drawing massive praise from people present in the hall. Reaching out to expats, the PM said this is the best time to invest in India. The research centre of Google's AI in India will work on more than 100 languages. With the help of the Indian Govt, Tamil Studies chair will be established here at University of Houston, he added. Addressing business leaders and philanthropists from India and the US as well as other prominent members of the Indian-American community at the Kennedy Centre, Modi said it is now the responsibility of the corporate sector to take advantage of the opportunity created by the US and India governments. Every development project of India has the capacity to further strengthen the American dream, Modi said. In India's growth story, there are unlimited opportunities for America and for the country's corporate community, he said. India is the world's youngest nation and it has the world's biggest youth talent pool and skilled and professional force, the prime minister said and asserted that whichever country joins India at this time, it is bound to benefit, he added. During his stay in the US, Modi met President Joe Biden, attended a state dinner and interacted with leading tech CEOs and thought leaders. Internet giant Google will set up its global fintech operation centre at GIFT City in Gujarat, its CEO Sundar Pichai said on Friday after meeting PM Modi. Modi wrapped up his US visit, and left for Egypt Saturday morning. (Bloomberg) -- Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin dramatically halted his advance toward Moscow and ordered his fighters to return to their bases, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Hell go to neighboring Belarus as part of a deal to end the mutiny without him facing prosecution, the Kremlin said, though there was no immediate word from Prigozhin. Most Read from Bloomberg Prigozhin, once an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has become a fierce critic of the Russian military for its failures during Moscows war on Ukraine. His advance toward the capital triggered the biggest crisis for Putin since he invaded Ukraine last year, and a significant challenge to his decades-long leadership. Latest Coverage Prigozhin Turns Forces Back, Kremlin Drops Charges in Compromise Russias Descent Into Chaos Marks a Good Day For Ukraine Prigozhin Says Wagner Wont Surrender After Putins Address Raw But Ready to Fight: Ukraine Sends National Guard to Front All times are CET Polish Leader Sees De-Escalation in Russia (10:12 p.m.) Everything indicates theres de-escalation in Russia, Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters after a meeting of the countrys National Security Bureau on Saturday. There is no increased risk for Poland from this internal Russian affair, said Duda, whose country borders Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Prigozhin Will Go to Belarus, Kremlin Says (10 p.m.) Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus and Russia will drop the criminal case against him, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said late Saturday, according to Interfax. The groups fighters who took part in what Russia called a mutiny wont be prosecuted and the events wont affect the Russian operation in Ukraine, he said. Prigozhin Turns Military Column Away From Moscow (7:36 p.m.) Wagner is turning its forces away from Moscow and returning to field camps, Prigozhin said in an audio file posted in his Telegram channel. It is unclear if this is a full withdrawal or a temporary move. Lukashenko Had Talks with Prigozhin, Belta Says (7:30 p.m.) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had talks with Prigozhin, Minsk-based state-owned news agency Belta reported. The talks lasted the whole day with Putins approval, Belta said, citing Lukashenkos press service. Belta said Prigozhin accepted Lukashenkos proposal to halt movement of Wagner mercenary groups troops in Russia and agreed to further steps to de-escalate. Biden Talks to Allies About Russia Events (6:20 p.m.) US President Joe Biden spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of France, as well as Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the latest events in Russia. They reiterated their support for Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Biden will keep getting updates as the day goes on. Belarus Opposition Calls on Army to Stay Out of Spat (5:30 p.m.) Opponents of Belarusian President Lukashenko urged the armed forces not to get entangled in Russias internal turmoil. Neither Putin not Prigozhin are friends of Belarus, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a video statement posted on Telegram. Moscow Mayor Declares Monday a Day Off (5:24 p.m.) Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the non-work day wont apply to authorities and strategic enterprises, including the military industry, and city services. Sobyanin urged people to refrain from commuting around the city as road blocks are possible and city services are on high alert, he said in a Telegram post. The governor of the wider Moscow region also banned mass outdoor and educational events through July 1. Prigozhin Says His Troops Head to Moscow (4:14 p.m.) We are all ready to die, Prigozhin said in an audio message earlier in the day, claiming Wagners force stood at 25,000 troops with another 25,000 ready to join. Those claims couldnt be independently confirmed. Its also unclear how many of his forces he may have left behind in Rostov-on-Don in the far south. The governor of Lipetsk, around 350 km (218 miles) south of Moscow, said the Wagner column was moving through his region. Officials announced a counter-terrorist regime in Moscow and surrounds as well as in Voronezh region, which lies along the main road about midway from Rostov-on-Don to the capital. US, Allies Coordinate on Russian Turmoil (3:33 p.m.) Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with counterparts from allied nations, including key NATO members, on the situation in Russia. Blinken said that US support for Ukraine will not change, during a call with foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK, as well as the EUs foreign affairs envoy, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. The US will stay in close coordination with allies and partners, he said. Iran Calls Events in Russia Internal Affair (3:30 p.m.) Iran issued its first official reaction to events in Russia, calling them an internal affair. In remarks published on Telegram, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the Islamic Republic supports the rule of law in Russia but provided no further comment. Throughout the war against Ukraine, Russia has become reliant on Iranian-made drones to strike Ukrainian cities and installations. Iran has also emerged as an increasingly important trading partner as Russias economy came under international sanctions after the February 2022 invasion. Chechen Leader Kadyrov Backs Putin, Sends Fighters (3:01 p.m.) Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov denounced the Wagner actions and claimed hed sent Chechen fighters currently serving with Russian Defense Ministry and National Guard units to Rostov. We will do everything to preserve the unity of Russia and protect its statehood! Kadyrov, one of Putins staunchest supporters, said in his VK post. Russian social media posted unverifiable video clips of Chechen forces riding armored personnel carriers. Kremlin Says Erdogan Backs Putin (2:50 p.m.) The Kremlin said Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his full support to Putin for the steps taken by Russian authorities in response to an insurrection by the Wagner mercenary group. The telephone conversation was initiated by the Turkish side, according to a Kremlin statement. Putin informed Erdogan of the latest developments in what the Kremlin called an attempted armed rebellion. Russian Fuel Depot Ablaze in Voronezh (2 p.m.) A fuel storage site caught fire on the outskirts of the southern Russian city of Voronezh, according to regional Governor Alexander Gusev. No casualties were reported. More than a hundred firefighters are battling the blaze at the depot, Gusev said on Telegram. While the governor gave no cause for the fire, videos circulating on social media showed military helicopters flying over the site before it was rocked by an explosion. Germany Taken by Surprise by Fast-Moving Events (1:30 p.m.) The German government was taken by surprise by events in Russia, according to officials there. As recently as Friday, a senior government official shared the assumption that Wagners Prigozhin was acting on behalf of Putin, and that even his violent outbursts toward defense chief Sergei Shoigu were part of Putins larger plan of cementing his power by letting military leaders fight among themselves. Theres currently no force with the Russian apparatus which would dare to challenge Putin, the official said. Russian Communication Watchdog Gives Internet Warning (1:20 p.m.) Roskomnadzor warned of possible restrictions to Internet access in areas where Russia is conducting a counter-terrorist operation, RBC newswire reported, citing the watchdogs press service. Russian Telegram users reported slowdowns to the service, one of the most popular source of information since Russia invaded Ukraine. Regulators blocked access to Googles news aggregator on major platforms in Russia overnight, according to NetBlocks, an Internet-monitoring group. Zelenskiy Says Events in Russia Disclose Full-Scale Weakness (12:15 p.m.) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia has used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government, according to a Twitter post. The latest events are a sign of full-scale weakness in Russia, he added in his first public comments on overnight events. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos, Zelenskiy added. Prigozhin Says Wagner Wont Surrender (11:40 a.m.) The Wagner paramilitary group wont surrender to demands from Putin or the security services, Prigozhin said in an audio message in his Telegram channel. Putin Speaks With Allies in Belarus, Kazakhstan (11 a.m.) Russias president called his close ally, Belarusian President Lukashenko, to inform him of the situation, the state-owned Belta news agency reported. Putin also held a phone call with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Tokayevs press-service said. Tokayev said the current events are Russias internal affair. Russian State Faces Most Significant Challenge, UK Says (10 a.m.) Reflecting on the evolving situation in Russia, the UK defense ministry said that the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially its National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the ministry said in a regular intelligence update on Twitter. Three Dead in Kyiv After Latest Russian Missile Barrage (8 a.m.) Russia launched 51 missiles and two Shahed drones at Ukraine including two cruise Kalibr missiles, Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram. Air defense intercepted 40 cruise missiles, one Kalibr and both drones. At least three people were reported killed and 10 or more injured by debris from a missile early Saturday in Kyiv that struck a multi-story apartment building. Explosions were also heard in Kharkiv in the northeast. Counter-Terror Regime Declared in Moscow: IFX (8 a.m.) A counter-terrorist operation regime was declared in Moscow, the Moscow region and the Voronezh region amid the armed uprising of the Wagner private military company, Interfax reported, citing the National Anti-Terrorist Committee. --With assistance from Tony Czuczka. (An earlier version corrected the spelling of the Russian missile) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Amid escalating tensions between Wagner mercenary group and the Russian forces in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Russia has accused Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin of armed mutiny, and called for his arrest. Responding to Kremlin's allegations, Prigozhin said his troops have crossed the border into Russia, and vowed to destroy anyone who stood in their way. Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him and has called on the Wagner private military company forces to arrest him. In an audio recording posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov. We are going onwards, and we will go to the very end, Prigozhin said. The dramatic escalation of the infighting between the rival camps began with Prigozhin accusing the army of carrying out a missile strike against his forces which resulted in significant casualties among his men. The Russian Defence Ministry denied these allegations, and accused Prigozhin of inciting mutiny. On Saturday, the Wagner boss also posted a fresh message on the Telegram claiming that his forces have shot down a Russian helicopter, BBC reported. Security has been tightened in Moscow and the city of Rostov, which lies about 100km to the east of the Ukrainian border. Governors of Rostov and neighbouring Lipestsk regions have asked residents to stay indoors and remain calm. According to Russian media, a plan known as "Operation Fortress" has been activated in the city of Rostov, and in Moscow to ensure that critical infrastructure is protected. The rebellion is the most dramatic escalation between the mercenary group and Russian defence establishment, including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, since the war began. President Vladimir Putin is getting round-the-clock updates, and the US is also closely monitoring the emerging situation. On Friday, Prigozhin alleged that the Russian military deceived the public on the reasons behind the invasion. He also dismissed Kremlins claims that Ukraine was planning to launch an offensive on the Russian-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine in February last year. Leading the onslaught in key territories of Ukraine, Prigozhin emerged as a crucial player in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Often referred to as Putin's chef, Prigozhin powered the invasion with his notorious mercenary group which recruited thousands of convicted criminals to fight the war in Ukraine. His relations with the Russian military have been strained in recent times, particularly over allegations that the defence leadership was denying them ammunition. After wrapping up a landmark first state visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-day trip to Egypt on Saturday. During the visit, Modi will visit the Imam al-Hakim bi Amr Allah Mosque, a 1,000-year-old mosque in the capital city of Cairo. Why is the mosque significant? The mosque, said to be the fourth oldest in Egypt, was built during the Fatimid dynasty. It is one of the oldest architectural examples of projecting entrances, and was influenced by the great Mosque of Mahdiya in Tunis. The mosque once served as a Shiite center in Egypt, operating as al-Azhar Mosque did in the Fatimid period, Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities states on its website. The historic structure, which was once used by French forces as a barrack with its minarets serving as watch-towers, was renovated by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities over a span of six years. The Imam al-Hakim mosque holds a significant place in the hearts of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims as the community co-funded the renovation. The mosque is a key Islamic site for the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims with whom Modi shares warm relations. The Dawoodi Bohras have a deep connection with Egyptthey adhere to the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi school of thought which is believed to have originated in Egypt and later shifted to Yemen. Decades later, the seat of the sect was moved from Yemen to India, taking into account not just the number of followers in India, but also the community's cultural and trade ties with the country. Interestingly, 'Bohra' is derived from the Gujarati word for traders. According to reports, the Dawoodi Bohras are present in every part of Modi's home state Gujarat and comprise nine percent of the state's population. While Surat is their base, the Bohra Muslims also live in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. In 2011, when Modi was Gujarat CM, he joined the community to celebrate the 100th birthday of Syedna Burhanuddin, who was the religious leader of the community then. When Burhanuddin died in 2014, Modi went to Mumbai to offer condolences to his son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin who is the current head of the community. The Dawoodi Bohras have also massively supported Modi's diaspora events in the US. Modi's visit to the Islamic site is expected to further strengthen his ties with the community. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an emergency televised address to the nation on Saturday, has accused Wagner Group of treason and said that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. Putin's address came amid escalating tensions between Wagner forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian forces in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Russia has accused him of armed mutiny, and has called for his arrest. Wagner forces have claimed that they are now in control of military facilities in two Russian cities, including Rostov-on-Don. Putin called Prigozhin's actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason". He condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility. An armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia, to its people, the president said. Those who plotted and organised an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it, Putin said. In an audio recording posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said Wagner fighters had entered Rostov-on-Don. The dramatic escalation of the infighting began with Prigozhin accusing the Russian army of carrying out a missile strike against his forces which killed many of his men. The Russian defence ministry, however, denied these allegations, and accused Prigozhin of inciting mutiny. On Saturday, BBC reported the Wagner boss also posted a fresh message on the Telegram claiming that his forces have shot down a Russian helicopter. We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Prigozhin had said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, security was heightened in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and other regions. The war has just got closer to the Kremlin. As the Wagner group announced on their Telegram Channel: The civil war has officially begunPresident Vladmir Putin labelled the mutiny treasonthe question is how this will play out for Putin and for the country. The Wagner groupan armed militia headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin which has been fighting together with Russian troops in Ukraineseems to have made a bid for power in the past few hours. However, Prigozhin has claimed this is "not a military coup but a march for justice". News outlets quoting the Wagner chief claim that his forces have captured "all military facilities" in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. However, so far there seems to be no clarity on what is happening on the ground. Twitter updates suggest that Prigozhin is marching towards Moscow. The city is on high alert. Public events have been cancelled. Videos also show that the Wagner group occupied Rostov without much opposition. But nothing is ever certain or clear in Russia. On the ground, despite Twitter claiming collapse, it seems like a quiet Saturday for most Russians. What is certain is that the next day or so will be criticalon whether President Putin is able to squash this mutiny and how fast. The next 24 hours will be critical. New Delhi will certainly be watching the situation closely. However, everything is never as it seems in Russia. This 'mutiny' comes at a critical time for Putin himself, as well for Russia. The elections are due next year. It certainly does seem like an advantage Ukraine at the moment. So far, however, the evolving situation on the ground, as one Mark Hertling, a retired Former United States Army officer, claims, will not drastically alter the situation in Ukraine. But suggesting that it will radically affect the front lines in Ukraine fails to consider other factors. Russian mines and other obstacles are still in the ground. Russian troops are still in defensive positions and they likely don't know what's going on. Yes, Russian forces are moving, reinforcing holes left by Wagner, but it will take UAF time to determine the new weak spots, he says. Things are, however, far from normal. The RT channel has quoted former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as saying, the most important thing for defeating the external and internal enemy who is hungry to tear our Motherland into shreds is to unite around the president and supreme commander of the armed forces...Split and betrayal lead to the greatest tragedy, to a universal disaster." It goes without saying that the mutiny or march for justice has been seized by Ukraine as the end of Putin. In the first statement after Wagner's announcement, President Zelenkskyy said: Putin despises his people and throws hundreds of thousands into the war in order to eventually barricade himself in the Moscow region from those whom he himself armed. Meanwhile, for the moment, things are uncertain. Life in Moscow seems to be as usual. Public events have been cancelled but for the most part, there is no panic on the ground so far. Things in St. Petersburguwhichhome to the Wagner Center HQis too stable according to the RT. The government controlled news outlet has quoted St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov as saying, lawful actions of law enforcement agents, including those in the Wagner Center building, have no impact on the ongoing activities in the city." Meanwhile, rumours swirl around and conspiracy theories abound and things on the ground are changing rapidly. One thing, however, is certain that trouble has been brewing for some time. The question is whether it is a civil war, how this plays out in the next and whether the end of the beginning or just a new chapter? Disney+Hotstar's first Malayalam series Kerala Crime Files, directed by Ahammed Khabeer, started streaming on Friday. The series stars Aju Varghese, Lal, Zhinz Shan, Navas and Sanju Sanichen in key roles. With six episodes, each spanning 30 minutes, the show follows six days of a crime investigation. Set in the city of Kochi, the series revolves around the murder of a female sex worker who was found dead in a lodge room. Though initially the murder seemed like a case that would be solved quickly, it turned out to be quite the opposite for the dedicated police team. Left with dead-ends and the only sign leading to the suspect being a fake address, the probe team is faced with a major challenge. Kerala Crime Files does not just stick to investigation or details of the crime; the show also tries to deviate from the work lives of policemen by giving us glimpses into their family lives. This not only helps the viewer develop a connection with the characters, but also brings in elements that do not restrict the show to the heaviness of a police procedural. A policemans unattainable work-life balance has been projected well by shining a light on the internal struggles of cops who are often unable to set aside quality time for loved ones. At the end of the show, we are left with no option but to empathise with the police. We become one with these characters, feeling the urge to unravel the motive behind the murder. Although there are moments that leave the viewer frustrated, the thrill is kept alive throughout. The director has kept the crime drama realistic with each character having his or her own fulfilling moments, accompanied by flaws. While every actor does justice to the characters, the five policemen stand out with their performances. Actor Aju Varghese, know for his comedy roles, surprises us with his portrayal of a diligent sub-inspector who is soft yet serious. While Lal and Shan deliver compelling performances, Navas and Sanju bring humour to the table. Despite a straightforward plot, Kerala Crime Files manages to keep the viewer hooked. Show: Kerala Crime Files Language: Malayalam Streaming on: Disney plus Hotstar Rating: 3.5/5 Mumbai to the Skies: Anshika Mangal Becomes India's Fastest Female Commercial Pilot Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 24: Anshika Aashish Mangal, 19, from Mumbai, has made aviation history by being the fastest Indian female to finish her Commercial Pilot flight training in the United States in a record 5 months and 10 days. This incredible achievement has won Anshika a well-deserved place in the Indian aviation sector, establishing a new standard for aspiring pilots nationwide. Her amazing success has not only delighted her parents, Aashish and Payal Mangal, with pleasure but has also given enormous pride to India. Anshika's remarkable journey began after completing her 12th grade in March 2022. With sheer determination and unwavering focus, she cleared her commercial pilot training theory papers and the WPC Radio Telephone Examination RTR(A) between June and September 2022. Anshika's adventure took flight when she obtained her US visa in November 2022, and in the last week of December 2022, she embarked on her flight training. While the usual duration for flight training in India ranges from 1 to 1.5 years, in the United States'-- it takes around 9 to 12 months-- favourable weather conditions allowed Anshika to complete her training in a significantly shorter timeframe. According to an RTI reply by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 747 commercial pilot licenses were awarded to women between 1st April 2015 and 30.6.22. India has the most female pilots in the world, with 20,993 licenses as of 31st March 2023. Demonstrating her commitment and talent, she successfully completed the student Pilot, Private pilot, instrument rating, and Commercial pilot License examinations on June 6, 2023. Anshika's resolute focus and unwavering dedication were pivotal in accomplishing her goals with exceptional efficiency. Anshika's burning passion for aviation blossomed during her 10th grade, fueling her ambition to become a pilot. My family supported my dreams; their primary concern was my safety, said Anshika. To address these worries, my father made it a point to speak to the pilots on every flight we took. After ensuring my safety, they wholeheartedly supported my pursuit of becoming a pilot. Anshika's dedication shone through as she obtained class 1 and then class 2 medical done to make sure she is physically fit to become a pilot. Then she worked very hard to clear all her DGCA theory papers in the 1st attempt. She also cleared the WPC RTR (A) exam. She started her ying in the USA on 27th December 2022. Anshika's record-breaking achievement is a testament to her relentless determination, but it is also a result of the unwavering support she received from her parents. Her father, Aashish Mangal, who comes from a business background, said, We faced the challenge of gathering the right information and guiding Anshika in an unfamiliar field. Anshika's mother, Payal Mangal, provided unwavering emotional support and guidance throughout her journey. Looking ahead, Anshika plans to undergo multi-engine training and complete her license conversion process in India. She aspires to acquire an A-type rating and is determined to work exclusively for Indian airlines. Her dedication and passion for her country's aviation industry are evident, and she aims to contribute her skills and expertise to the growth of Indian airlines. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR MUMBAI, India, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SP Jain London School of Management (SPJ London) announced today that it has been granted degree awarding powers by the Office for Students (OfS), UK, becoming the first higher education institute of Indian origin to receive this prestigious recognition. OfS is the independent regulator for higher education in England and the granting of degree awarding powers is a remarkable distinction, with only four higher education providers receiving this recognition in the past three years, all of which are UK-based institutions. This honour cements SPJ London's position as a leading business school in the UK and empowers the institution to independently confer degrees without the need to partner with any institution in the UK, enabling it to shape a cutting-edge practical curriculum, assemble a distinguished faculty, and award UK degrees upon program completion. "This is a truly significant milestone for SPJ London," shared Mr. Nitish Jain, Founder & President of the SP Jain Group which operates SPJ London. "The granting of degree awarding rights not only validates our commitment to providing exceptional education but also positions us as a frontrunner in the global higher education landscape. We are proud to be the first Indian-origin institution to achieve this recognition, and we remain dedicated to nurturing future business leaders and empowering them to make a positive impact in the world." In addition to this, SPJ London also announced its new exchange and articulation agreement with the top-ranked SP Jain School of Global Management (SP Jain Global). This agreement opens up unparalleled opportunities for students from both institutions to explore and study in some of the world's greatest cities, including London. Under this agreement, students enrolled at SPJ London will have the unique chance to travel to the campuses of SP Jain Global in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, and Mumbai. Similarly, starting September 2023, students from SP Jain Global can enrol for a term or transfer to SPJ London, immersing themselves in the vibrant business environment of one of the world's most influential cities London. "The exchange and articulation agreement between SPJ London and SP Jain Global further enriches the educational experience for our students," added Nitish. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering a global mindset and equipping students with the skills and knowledge required to excel in an interconnected world. We believe that this partnership will significantly enhance the value we deliver to our students and further solidify our position as a leader in global business education." ABOUT S P JAIN LONDON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SP Jain London School of Management (SPJ London) is a British business school offering unique programs and opportunities for multi-city undergraduate and postgraduate experiences. It is registered with the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher education in England. SPJ London is a part of the SP Jain Group, which also operates SP Jain School of Global Management (SP Jain Global), an Institute of Higher Education in Australia with campuses in Sydney, Dubai, Singapore and Mumbai. For more information on SPJ London, visit https://www.spjain.ac.uk/. Note: SPJ London and SP Jain Global operate as separate legal entities within the SP Jain Group. (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR -The best in bartending, the finest spirits and delicious cocktails, all under one roof in Gurugram, on July 1st and 2nd 2023. - Know more and purchase tickets at: https://insider.in/world-class-cocktail-festival-2023-jul1-2023/event NEW DELHI, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shaking up some delicious discoveries, the World Class Cocktail Festival is all set to take place in Gurugram at the A Dot Convention on the 1st and 2nd of July, 2023. The 2-Day festival brings together the Top 15 Bartenders from across India along with global guests, including Australia's best bar, Maybe Sammy. The festival combines the finest cocktails and experiences that are set to reshape the way we perceive mixology and bartending, as well as the culture around it. Stand witness to the skills and artistry of bartendingfrom classic favourites to mind-bending innovations, watch the country's top bartenders turn spirits into the finest celebratory cocktails as they compete for the World Class title. On the backs of Diageo's finest spirits, including Don Julio, Tanqueray, The Singleton, and Johnnie Walker, the talented mixologists will showcase their skills, creativity, and expertise in a thrilling competition. The ultimate prize at stake is the opportunity to represent India at the Global Finals in Sao Paolo and possibly be crowned the winner of World Class 2023. In addition to a stirring competition, the festival offers a range of immersive experiences, including a pop-up by Australia's best bar, Maybe Sammy, offering a glimpse into global trends and innovations in cocktail-making. Guests can also learn the art of making World Class Cocktails at home as part of workshops planned in specific zones at the venue. The festival will also host several experiential zones to cater to diverse palates and preferences. The brand-led zones will be seen combining the art of mixology with an immersion into cocktail-trends, such as the Johnnie Walker Highball Zone which will serve up a symphony of flavour in the form of highballs crafted by India's Top 15 Bartenders. The House of Delicious Discoveries will invite festival-goers to explore the world of gourmet cocktails and food pairings. Weaving the world of delicious cocktails into everyday experiences, the Magnificent Moments Zone will invite consumers to sip on Tiny Ten, the signature Tanqueray No. TEN serve, which brings the citrusy heart of the spirit alive. All of this and more await cocktail enthusiasts on the 1st and 2nd of July, 2023. With ticketing starting from INR 1,000, The World Class Cocktail Festival is the perfect weekend affair to indulge in exquisite spirits and craft cocktails, along with fun takeovers by international bars, exciting cocktail workshops, incredible music acts including SickFlip, and so much more, all under one roof. For more information on the experiences, artist line and ticketing head to https://insider.in/world-class-cocktail-festival-2023-jul1-2023/event Stay tuned on the World Class India Instagram page to stay on top of all things World Class. About World Class World Class is on a mission to inspire people to drink better and create unforgettable experiences in the process. Whether at home or in a bar, WORLD CLASS encourages consumers to think and care about fine drinking in the same way they care about fine dining. World Class has supported, trained, and inspired over 400,000 bartenders, across 60 countries, for over twelve years, while partnering them with the world's finest spirits the Diageo Reserve collection. World Class is also the authority on the drinks industry whom consumers look to for the information on the latest drinks, trends, cocktail recipes, and industry insight. Sip. Savor. Celebrate! About Diageo India: Diageo India is the country's leading beverage alcohol company and a subsidiary of global leader Diageo Plc. The company manufactures, sells, and distributes an outstanding portfolio of premium brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell's No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan and Godawan, an artisanal single malt whisky from India. Headquartered in Bengaluru, our wide footprint is supported by a committed team of over 3000 employees, 37 manufacturing facilities across states and union territories in India, a strong distribution network and a state-of-the-art Technical Centre. Incorporated in India as United Spirits Limited (USL), the company is listed on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. For more information about Diageo India, our people, our brands, and our performance, visit us at www.diageoindia.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, http://www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practices. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2129366/WorldClassCocktail_Festival.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR London, Jun 24 (PTI) An Indian-origin man and his nephew who led a gang found guilty of supplying more than 100 kg of Class A banned drugs across the West Midlands region of England have been sentenced to a total of 32 years imprisonment by a UK court. Kamaljit Singh Chahal, 52, and Bhipon Chahal, 25, were given 14 years at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, when eight other gang members were also sentenced for operating a West Bromwich Organised Crime Group (OCG) supplying mainly cocaine and heroin during 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, with records showing they made over GBP 1.5 million during that period. A third Indian-origin man, Sandeep Johal, 32, was ordered to serve 11 years for his role with the gang, with the total sentence for all 10 men adding up to over 100 years. One of the gangsters even used a van with a National Health Service (NHS) emblem with a Thank You NHS sign, common during the pandemic, to transport the drugs to avoid detection. This was a significant Class A drugs operation which was being operated during the COVID pandemic. This is part of our ongoing work to destroy drug networks across the West Midlands, and this will carry on as part of Operation Target, said Chief Inspector Peter Cooke from the West Midlands Police Regional Organised Crime Unit. Were focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. These men will now be spending nearly 100 years behind bars in total. It sends out a clear warning to others intent on supplying Class A drugs we simply wont tolerate it, he said. All 10 men appeared at the court after they pleaded guilty to drug offences, including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. West Midlands detectives said they were able to stop the gang in their tracks following a covert investigation into the group under Operation Igneous after Encrochat messages from the Chahal crime group were seized between March 26 and June 5, 2020. Between these dates, the encrypted devices were used by the Chahal crime group to openly discuss the management and delivery of multi-kilogram quantities of Class A drugs across the UK, the court was told. The gang was led by Kamaljit Chahal and his nephew Bhipon Chahal, and they used a network of couriers and facilitators, communicating using encrypted devices. These devices were used to distribute cocaine on a commercial scale by the group, who were eventually brought down by police following a complex investigation, detectives said. Investigators also identified that Kamaljit Chahal and another gang member applied for and were given government-backed COVID loans, which they reinvested into the drugs trade. The West Midlands Police said it is running Operation Target to take a defiant stand against a range of serious offences from drug dealing and burglary to cybercrime and fraud. Officers are using local intelligence, seizing goods, carrying out warrants and targeting suspects. Washington, Jun 23 (PTI) Wrapping up his four-day State Visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that a new and proud journey of India-US ties has begun and the world is watching the two great democracies strengthening their bond. Addressing a cheerful gathering of Indian community members here, Modi said the full potential of partnership between the two countries is yet to be realised and their ties is all about making the world better again in the 21st century. The two countries have seen convergence on global issues and their growing ties will be a boost for "make in India and make for world" efforts, he said, referring to agreements on technology transfer, boosting manufacturing and strengthening industrial supply chain. Both countries are taking strong steps for a better future, said the prime minister at the community address, which was the last programme of Modi in the US. He will now fly to Egypt on a State Visit at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He announced that people of Indian origin will not have to leave the US for getting H-1B visa renewal, drawing massive praise from people present in the hall and outside listening to him. New India knows its direction and has no confusion about its decisions and resolve, he said and added that its potential is turning into performance. India is the mother of democracy and the US is the champion of modern democracy, and the world is watching the strengthening of ties of two great democracies, the prime minister said. Prime Minister Modi during his US State Visit held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. He also addressed young entrepreneurs and met top CEOs. When the southwestern US city of Phoenix landed a deal in 2020 for a US$12 billion chip-making plant from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), it became the biggest payoff for the state of Arizona after seven years of courting business from the self-ruled island that China claims as its own. But the state has for decades been building close ties with Taiwan, even as it has been middle-of-the-pack among states in taking a hard line against mainland China, illustrating how long-term subnational diplomacy helps Taiwan expand its soft power abroad as Beijing tries to siphon off Taipei's remaining national allies. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Groundwork for the TSMC deal was first laid when an Arizona delegation visited Taipei in 2013, with then-governor Jan Brewer and Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson. However, it was not until years after her successor Doug Ducey took office that plans for a plant in northeast Phoenix started to solidify, aided in large part by a US-China tech war and promises of federal government subsidies that would later be formalised in the Chips Act. "The previous administration and the current administration both played roles in this process, because it was a multi-year effort," Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), which was involved in discussions to bring TSMC to the city, told the Post in January. "That was a part of the discussion to get them to come to the United States, was ensuring that the Chips Act would move forward." Since TSMC's announcement, Phoenix has seen at least 14 other companies, five of them Taiwanese, announce related expansions to the metropolitan area, according to the GPEC. The chip giant's investment in Arizona is expected to eventually create 4,500 direct jobs, and 7,400 indirect jobs. While the Arizona expansion came amid intense geopolitical pressure to diversify operations, a "Taiwanese company will never invest money for political purposes", according to Czeslaw Tubilewicz, co-author of the book The United States' Subnational Relations with Divided China. "The fact that [TSMC is] moving to the US speaks volumes, not so much about subnational relations, to be honest, but about a geo strategy and how important chip production is becoming to sovereignty and everything else," said Tubilewicz, who lectures on international relations at the University of Adelaide in Australia. In recent years, the Chinese government has ramped up pressure on Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies to get them to switch from ties with Taipei to Beijing. The Chinese government wooed away Honduras in March, and ties with Paraguay looked precarious during the country's presidential election this year. With only 12 countries left recognising the Republic of China (ROC), as Taiwan is officially known, subnational diplomacy has been an important driver of Taiwan's influence abroad. Businesses have other concerns, but rising tensions with China have made politics harder for multinational tech giants to ignore. TSMC has reportedly only opened a plant in the US begrudgingly. Analysts have noted that much higher costs in the US make it harder to justify chip manufacturing in the country from a purely economic perspective. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's new plant in Phoenix is starting to take shape as it prepares to start mass production in 2024. Photo: SCMP / Matt Haldane alt=Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's new plant in Phoenix is starting to take shape as it prepares to start mass production in 2024. Photo: SCMP / Matt Haldane> Rivals have also been expanding their chip-making capacity in the US, with investments scattered across the country, from Texas to Idaho to New York. Arizona has long been home to a large semiconductor industry. There have been 10 major private investments in semiconductors and electronics in Arizona since January 2021, more than in any other state, according to data released by the White House. But Arizona's steadfast support for Taiwan over the years is a conspicuous differentiator when it comes to courting business from the island. Phoenix was the fifth US city to become a Taipei sister city in 1979, and Arizona was one of the first states to open a trade office there in 1987. That office was closed in 2007, but in March Arizona opened a new trade and investment office. "Arizona's partnership with Taiwan extends back decades and continues to have a global impact through the construction of TSMC's hi-tech semiconductor fabs in Phoenix," Governor Katie Hobbs said in a statement at the time. Arizona's support of Taiwan goes back to the days of Barry Goldwater, an influential senator from the 1950s to 1980s and one-time presidential candidate. Goldwater even went as far as suing the administration of former president Jimmy Carter over the nullification of the treaty with the ROC to open relations with the People's Republic of China. The Supreme Court dismissed the suit, leaving the question over the constitutionality of Carter's move unanswered. This support did not go unrecognised. In 1978, the governor of Taiwan - a former provincial-level position separate from the office of president - acknowledged Goldwater and Dennis DeConcini, Arizona's other senator at the time, for their support for the ROC, leaving "no doubt that Taiwanese objectives were commercial and political", Tubilewicz and co-author Natalie Omond wrote in their book on subnational relations. Since 2012, Arizona has passed 10 resolutions showing support for trade relations with Taiwan and allowing for international participation, according to results from LegiScan. Nearly every resolution introduced in Arizona related to Taiwan has passed, whereas the situation is the opposite in states considered more friendly to China, such as Iowa, where Xi Jinping spent some time in the 1980s. The state House and Senate in Iowa have introduced 31 resolutions since 2010 showing support for Taiwan regarding a variety of issues - excluding commemorations of specific dates and anniversaries - but none have passed, LegiScan shows. California has only passed two resolutions related to Taiwan in the past decade, both celebrating Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Oregon, another major market for semiconductor production, has introduced just one resolution on Taiwan in the past decade. The House introduced it last month, but it has not been put up for a vote. In 2013, the state House passed a resolution honouring a former consul general for "deepening the person-to-person exchanges between Oregon and the People's Republic of China". "Even if Oregon wanted to compete [for investment from TSMC], there was no way that anybody in Taiwan would even for a second consider Oregon," Tubilewicz said. While traditionally a Republican-leaning state - a position the political party of Donald Trump has seen eroded in recent elections - Arizona has not been as anti-China as it has been pro-Taiwan. In a 2019 report from Chinese think tank Minzhi International Research Institute and Tsinghua University's Centre of globalisation Studies, former governor Ducey was one of 17 US governors listed as "friendly to China". But the only criteria for this assessment were public remarks that these officials had made about China, so the results should be "taken with a grain of salt", as the Foundation for Defence of Democracies put it. While Ducey led a trade mission to the country in 2015, economic incentives to cooperate more with China are minimal. It is Arizona's third-largest trade partner after Canada and Mexico, at US$1.5 billion, but Chinese investment in the state is relatively tiny. Data compiled by the Maricopa Association of Governments showed that Japanese companies employed more than 14,000 people in the state between 2017 and 2021. China was not among the top 10 foreign employers. The largest Chinese employer in the state in 2017 was the cinema chain AMC, owned at the time by Dalian Wanda Group. Wanda sold most of its holdings during the so-called meme stock boom, turning what had looked like a poor investment into a US$675 million gain. AMC only employed 510 people in Arizona that year, while Japan's TK Holdings employed 1,000. Taiwan, too, has traditionally been a small economic player in Arizona. It employed 300 people there as of 2021, but that will change as TSMC expands operations. The value of Arizona imports from Taiwan nearly doubled last year over 2021, according to data from the US Census Bureau. That made it Arizona's fastest growing import market, while Arizona was Taiwan's second-fastest growing export market in the US, after the much smaller market of North Dakota. Meanwhile, from 2021 to 2022, the value of annual Arizona exports to Taiwan had grown from about 41 per cent of its exports to China to 51 per cent, jumping from US$620.2 million to US$764 million, US Census Bureau data shows. Still, the relatively little money at stake underscores how the Arizona-Taiwan relationship may be more value-based than anything else. "It demonstrates the importance of ideational issues," Tubilewicz said. "Your moral values, your understanding what's good, what's bad, is shaping your behaviour." Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey, left, and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen exchange gifts during a meeting in Taipei on August 26, 2022. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office via AP alt=Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey, left, and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen exchange gifts during a meeting in Taipei on August 26, 2022. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office via AP> In his final months in office, Ducey visited Taiwan last August at the height of US-China tensions over lawmakers' visits to the island, shortly after a visit from then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Like Pelosi, Ducey met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in a photo op that made international headlines. During the visit, Tsai told Ducey that Taiwan looks forward to producing "democracy chips" with the US. Ducey, in turn, said "Arizona stands with Taiwan". "Ideational aspects do not come from nowhere," Tubilewicz said. "There must be something unique about Arizonan political culture." This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI) Moscow, Jun 24 (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Putin called a stab in the back to Russia. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said in televised address to the nation. Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner private military contractor, confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Prigozhin said his forces faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints as they crossed into Russia from Ukraine, saying his troops aren't fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime" in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces were probing Russian defences in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticised Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Heavy military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defence Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defence Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, Prigozhin said. The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped, he shouted. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia's enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. Now that the state has actively engaged, there's no turning back, she tweeted. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhin's move as madness that threatens civil war. It's a stab in the back to the country and the president. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia, he said. The Defence Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine was concentrating troops for an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhin's provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared an offensive. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putin's perceived hold on power. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. In Kyiv, a Russian missile attack killed at least two people and injured eight Saturday when falling debris caused a fire on several floors of a 24-story apartment building in a central district, Serhii Popko, the head of the city's military administration posted on Telegram. He said more than 20 missiles were detected and destroyed. Video from the scene showed a blaze in the upper floors of the building and the parking lot strewn with ash and debris. (AP) GRS GRS Kathmandu, Jun 24 (PTI) Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is planning an official visit to Beijing in September, Foreign Minister N P Saud said on Saturday, a bid by the senior Maoist leader to strike a balance in relations with both China and India. This will be Prachanda's second foreign trip after assuming the office in December last year. Earlier, the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) leader visited India as his first foreign trip after assuming office for the third time. "Prachanda will pay an official visit to China in September," Saud told PTI. Preparations are going on for the prime ministers visit to the northern neighbour, and the exact date is yet to be fixed, Saud added, without giving details. According to foreign ministry sources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here is currently busy fixing the date and itinerary of the prime minister's visit. Prachanda has conveyed to the Chinese leadership his willingness to visit China through a senior leader of the CPN-M. While the prime minister was holding high-level talks in Delhi, CPN-M leader and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota, who led a party delegation to China, conveyed to the Chinese leadership about Prachanda's intention to visit Beijing. China has been actively investing in Nepal in many infrastructure projects. The prime minister, talking to Kantipur Television on Thursday, said that the date of his visit to China had been fixed but refrained from disclosing it. Asserting that his visit to India was very successful, Prachanda said, In my opinion, the visit was historically successful, and I am confident that my proposed China visit will also be successful. The prime minister said that after China, he would also visit the US, coinciding his trip with the United Nations General Assembly session. I will make efforts to mobilise support from all friendly countries towards promoting Nepals national interest and for economic development and prosperity of the country, Prachanda said. Moscow, Jun 24 (AP) The latest on the armed rebellion declared by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial powers conferred Saturday on the situation in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. The US State Department and German Foreign Ministry gave few details of the discussion, which also included the European Union's foreign policy chief. The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change." It said that the US will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops. The G7 comprises the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the UK. KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Putin calls armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and vows to punish its leaders Prigozhin, the mercenary chief urging an uprising, has long ties to Putin The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said the Russian leader informed Erdogan about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion, and the Turkish president expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a new audio statement on Saturday that we didn't touch a single conscript, we didn't kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities haven't reported any casualties so far, either. Shortly before Prigozhin released his statement, an explosion was heard near the military headquarters his Wagner group apparently controls in Rostov. It was not immediately clear where the explosion occurred, how big it was and whether it caused any damage. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighbouring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is closely following developments and exchanging information with allies. She wrote: I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of neighbouring Latvia wrote in an English-language Twitter post that his country's border security also has been strengthened and visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered. He said there is no direct threat to Latvia at this time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekenskyy says it is clear that Russia is suffering from full-scale weakness after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. Zelenskyy said in comments posted on his Telegram channel Saturday that anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said that for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelenskyy said. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. This is also obvious. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni says she is monitoring events in Russia and they underline how the aggression against Ukraine is provoking instability within the Russian Federation. Meloni said in comments to reporters in Austria later Saturday that the situation in Russia is hard to evaluate. She said that it is a very chaotic situation inside the Russian Federation, that is out of tune with certain propaganda we have seen in recent months. Russian mercenary leader Yevgheny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots. In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland. He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Putin said in televised address to the nation earlier Saturday that all those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. He said that the armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Unexpected support for mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's endeavor came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Prigozhin's rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. He said Prigozhin had repeated word for word what we, the anti-war opposition, have been saying since the beginning of the war that the purpose of the war is theft and no one believes in the official reason for the war in Ukraine. Khodorkovsky wrote: Help the devil, if he decides to oppose this regime! Help because there is no crime worse than unleashing an aggressive war. If one criminal is ready to interfere with another ... we need to help, and then, if necessary, we will tackle them. A Ukrainian presidential adviser says that the start of his country's counteroffensive has finally destabilised the Russian elites and intensified internal splits. Mykhailo Podolyak said Saturday that events are developing according to the scenario that we have been talking about for the past year, Ukraine's Interfax news agency reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to defend the country from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, which Putin called a stab in the back to Russia. The rebellion comes as Kyiv's forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Podolyak said that the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive finally destabilized the Russian elites, intensifying the internal split that arose after the defeat in Ukraine. He added: Today we are actually witnessing the beginning of a civil war. Britain's defence ministry has described the Wagner mercenary group's armed rebellion as the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. The ministry's intelligence update posted Saturday says that the feud between Yevgeny Prigozhin's group and the Russian state has escalated into outright military confrontation'' In Rostov-on-Don, Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites, including the HQ which runs Russia's military operations in Ukraine,'' the update said. Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow." The update says there is very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out," it said. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldn't not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were saving Russia and demanded that the Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow. Yevkurov and Alexeyev in the video tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Roston-on-Don, but to no avail. Prigozhin, a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has a long-running feud with the Russian military leadership. Ukraine's head of military intelligence says the conflict between the Russian military leadership and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the conflict stands out because Prigozhin, whether you like him or not, he mainly says (the) truth while Russia's Defence Ministry tells mainly lies. He said that the conflict is not fake. Budanov said that, while senior Defence Ministry officials talk of advances with young and brave soldiers, Prigozhin points to miscalculations, poor equipment, lack of training and other problems. He said: This is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Even though both completely work in the interest of the Russian Federation, we need to remember this. (AP) GRS GRS Moscow, Jun 24 (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed harsh punishment for the organisers of an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city. Putin denounced the uprising as a stab in the back" in an address to the nation. It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. Prigozhin's private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometres) south of Moscow that runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. Wagner troops and equipment also rolled into Russia's Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometres south of Moscow, where authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the population," said regional Gov. Igor Artamonov, via Telegram. He did not elaborate, As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering full-scale weakness and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. In his speech, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland," he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. Prigozhin's private army, known as Wagner, has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine. His goals weren't immediately clear, but the rebellion marks an escalation in his struggle with Russian military leaders, whom he accused of botching the war in Ukraine and hobbling his forces in the field. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin said. Prigozhin posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city. Other videos on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets. We didn't kill a single person on our way, Prigozhin said in one of his several messages posted as the day went on, adding that his forces seized the military headquarters without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities haven't reported any casualties so far, either. The rebellion comes at a time when Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, as Western governments heap sanctions on Moscow and arm Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. Russia's security services, including the Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhin's arrest after he declared the armed rebellion late Friday. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surroundings, allowing restricted freedoms and enhancing security in the capital. It was not immediately clear how Prigozhin was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. Prigozhin said Wagner's forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation of that. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu, where they decided to destroy Wagner. The Defence Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and urged the army not to offer resistance. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has long ties to the Russian leader and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putin's chef. He gained attention in the US when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election victory. He formed the Wagner mercenary group, which sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. After Putin's address, in which he called for unity, officials sought to reiterate their allegiance to the Kremlin and urged Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces" and support Putin, adding that Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed that, saying in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One." Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Chechnya region who used to side with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military, also expressed his full support of Putin's every word. We have the commander in chief, elected by the people, who knows the situation to the slightest detail better than any strategist and businessman, Kadyrov said. The mutiny needs to be suppressed. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for Putin and his ability to maintain unity. Wagner forces have played a crucial role, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticised the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Zelenskyy noted the rebellion in his Telegram channel and said anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it, he said. Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later. Prigozhin's actions could have significant implications for the war. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said infighting between the Defence Ministry and Wagner will create confusion and potential division among Russian forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow," Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen in central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers with assault rifles were deployed outside the main Defense Ministry building. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled. At one club near FSB headquarters, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defence Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that his forces sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. He said Friday he was ready for a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine, urged Wagner troops to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia's enemies who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said the violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putin's perceived hold on power. Western countries monitored developments closely. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Union's foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. The Kremlin said Putin spoke by phone with the leaders of Turkiye, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan about the events. (AP) GRS GRS Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) In a case of cyber fraud, a 75-year-old woman from Mumbai was allegedly duped of Rs 12.63 lakh by a man who proposed to marry her after getting in touch with her on social media, police said on Saturday. The Mumbai police arrested two men in their 20s from Noida, Uttar Pradesh in connection with the crime on June 21 and they were brought to the city on Friday, an official from Matunga police said. One of the accused had allegedly sent the woman a friend request on social media in November last year by posing as a resident of Germany and subsequently won her confidence and proposed to her, the official said. The accused informed the woman that he had sent her a parcel, which was held up by the customs department at the airport and she would have to pay Rs 3.85 lakh to get it released, he said. The victim transferred the money to a bank account. Eight days later, the accused contacted her claiming that he had travelled from London and was at the Delhi airport, the official said. The man allegedly said that he had a lot of cash with him, because of which the customs had detained him and she needed to pay Rs 8.78 lakh to get him released, he said. The woman then transferred the sum to different bank accounts provided by the accused, the official said. The woman soon realised that she had been duped and lodged a complaint with the police, who nabbed the accused based on technical inputs, he said. The police have recovered mobile phones, debit cards of different banks, cheque books and other materials from the arrested accused, the official said. A case under section 420 (cheating) and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered in this regard, he added. Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has reintroduced annual examinations for Class 5 and 8, which will allow schools to detain students if they fail to clear these exams in the second attempt, an official said. The state School Education Department issued a notification to this effect on Friday, which comes in the backdrop of the Centre amending the Right to Education (RTE) Act that had no failure detention till Class 8. Under the RTE 2009, schools could not detain any student until Class 8 as per the no detention policy. The notification said that the annual examination will be held at the end of the academic year of Class 5 and 8. If the child fails to pass the examination, additional guidance will be provided and re-examination will be held in two months. But if the child fails to clear the re-examination, then he or she will be held back in the same Class, it said. It, however, made it clear that no student will not be expelled from the school till the completion of elementary education. The amendment made to the RTE in 2019 empowered states to reintroduce exams and detain students if they failed to clear them. Jabalpur, Jun 24 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court here has granted anticipatory bail to a Catholic Bishop and nun of Jabalpur dioceses accused of attempting to convert children to Christianity at an orphanage run by them in Katni district of the state. A single bench of the high court comprising Justice Vishal Dhagat on Wednesday allowed the anticipatory bail applications of prelate Gerald Almeida and sister of Congregation of Mother Carmel Liji Joseph. The court granted bail to them observing that the complaint against them was not registered by a person aggrieved or against whom an attempt of religious conversion was made or by their relatives. A first information report (FIR) was filed against the bishop and the nun on a complaint lodged by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanoongo on May 30 this year in Katni district. "Police officer shall not inquire or investigate a complaint under section 3 of Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 unless said the complaint is a written complaint by a person aggrieved, who has been converted or attempt has been made for his conversion or by person who are parents or siblings or with leave of the court by any person who is related by blood, marriage or adoption, guardianship or custodianship, as may be applicable," the judge observed. "In the absence of such a written complaint, police do not have any jurisdiction to inquire or investigate offences committed under section 3 of the (MP Freedom of Religion) Act. In view of aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case, the anticipatory bail applications filed by the applicants are allowed," it added. Kanoongo in his complaint had alleged that the bishop and the nun tried to convert children in diocesan orphanage named Asha Kiran at Katni Railway station that houses 47 children, to Christianity and wilfully neglected them. The NCPCR chairman had conducted a search at the facility on May 29. The prelate and nun-in-charge of the facility were charged under the MP Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Kishanganj, Jun 24 (PTI) Barely three weeks after an under-construction bridge over the Ganga collapsed in Bihars Khagaria district, a portion of another bridge in Kishanganj district caved-in on Saturday, an official said. In the incident, which took place around 400 km from state capital Patna, a pillar of the bridge over river Mechi collapsed, said Arvind Kumar, project director of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). "The under-construction bridge on NH-327E would have linked Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion", the official said. Claiming that nobody was injured in the accident, the official said "a five-member team" of experts has been constituted to investigate the cause. "Prima facie it seems to be an instance of human error during the piling process," the official said. On June 4, an under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria district with Bhagalpur, had collapsed. The incident, which claimed the life of a security guard, had evoked a huge outcry since despite an initial deadline of November 2019, it remained incomplete. The Bihar Engineering Services Association had expressed concern and stressed on the need for "structural audit" of all bridges, complete as well as under-construction, in the state. Imphal, Jun 24 (PTI) A group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur minister L Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing it to ashes, police said on Saturday. An attempt was also made to torch another property of the consumer and food affairs minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night but timely intervention prevented it. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from gheraoing his Khurai residence, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, the official quarters of the states woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day. More than 100 people have lost their lives and a large number of houses were torched rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far. Clashes first broke out on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals - Nagas and Kukis - constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. Tech workers are willing to give up on high salaries and take a pay cut amid mass layoffs, survey shows Tech workers are more willing to accept equal or lower salaries amid mass layoffs, Blind survey shows. Getty The majority of tech workers in a Blind survey said they'd accept equal or lower pay. Many of those surveyed attributed their willingness to accept lower pay to an uncertain job market. Tech workers have been questioning for months whether its the end of the era of $500,000+ pay. It might be the end of a very lucrative era in tech. Mass layoffs appear to have spooked many tech workers into being willing to accept lower salaries, according to a new study. About 56% of tech workers in an official poll from the anonymous job posting site Blind said they would accept equal or less pay in a new role and some 45% of those respondents said they'd accept equal or lower pay due to a lackluster job market amid a series of layoffs across the tech industry. While tech workers are struggling to find security in the job market, they're also concerned about working in a healthy environment. Other top reasons for accepting equal or lower pay included concerns about company culture and work-life balance, as well as workers who preferred to stay remote as many companies continue to push for staff to return to the office, Blind reported. "I'd rather make less money and be happier," one Meta worker wrote in a response to the survey. Another Meta worker said that companies that offer high pay "are in layoff mode, and their culture is a dumpster fire." For example, Meta and Google, which are known for offering high compensation packages, have each laid off thousands of workers over the past few months. Neither company responded to a request for comment ahead of publication. Blind's 2023 Engineering Salary Expectations Trends Report is the result of an April survey of over 7,300 US tech workers, as well as data the platform pulled from over 50,000 workers that used the company's talent marketplace, Talent by Blind. Insider did not independently verify the employment of users cited in this story, but Blind verifies workers' employment status using their work emails. The Blind report found that average expectations for pay in tech across the industry have dropped about 5% over the course of the year. Though, salary expectations dropped at the highest rate for junior and mid-level engineers at about 8% to 10%, respectively, according to the Blind survey. The platform attributed the higher impact on mid-level tech workers to an "oversupply of mid-level talent" in the market. What's more, tech workers in major hubs like San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle where the cost of living is much higher have been hit the hardest by falling minimum salary expectations, the survey found. Mid-level engineers in the tech hubs have experienced a year-over-year salary drop of about 13%, Blind found. Meanwhile, minimum salary requirement for machine learning engineers have stayed the highest among their peers, according to Blind, which attributed the higher pay to the surge in interest in creating AI products. The study echoes concerns from tech workers on social media. Over the past few months, hundreds of tech workers have taken to Blind to question whether it's the end of $500,000-plus salaries due to mass layoffs and concerns about AI replacing software engineers. Do you work in tech or have insights to share? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work device at gkay@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider Kolkata, Jun 24 (PTI) One person was killed and three were injured after a crude bomb went off in a mango orchard in West Bengals Murshibabad district on Saturday, police said. Alim Sheikh (26), who was critically injured in the blast, was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared dead. The three others are being treated for injuries in the same hospital, police added. Sheikh, who hailed from Kapasdanga village in Beldanga, was a history-sheeter, police said. In another incident, three persons sustained minor injuries after crude bombs were hurled during a clash between Trinamool and Congress activists at Raninagar in Murshidabad, police said. The incidents triggered a war of words between the ruling and opposition parties with the BJP and the Congress accusing the Trinamool of engaging criminals to make crude bombs to spread panic in the run up to the July 8 panchayat polls. BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the incidents reveal TMC's bigger game-plan to intimidate opposition candidates and prevent their supporters from going out to vote. WBPCC president and Berhampore MP Adhir Choudhury said, "Miscreants sheltered by the TMC are making bombs to trigger widespread unrest ahead of the rural polls. We don't have faith in police as they are not taking action against local-level Trinamool leaders." TMC state spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar said the number of deaths and injuries from such incidents has gone down drastically since the party came to power in 2011. Majumdar said there was no evidence to prove TMC's involvement in the Beldanga incident and claimed that the opposition was levelling false charges against the ruling party. He accused the BJP and the Congress of engaging miscreants of making bombs to create disturbances and show the state in poor light. Widespread violence over the filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls has left at least eight people dead and several injured in various parts of the state in the past two weeks. Poonch/Jammu, Jun 24 (PTI) An Indian Army soldier was injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists who were attempting to cross the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. The encounter took place in the forward Ranger Nallah area of the Gulpur sector late on Friday night when the Indian troops noticed at least three heavily armed terrorists trying to infiltrate into India under the cover of thick foliage and darkness, they said. A soldier was injured in the brief firing and the terrorists managed to slip into the nearby dense forest. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a massive search operation is underway to trace and neutralise the terrorists, the officials said. Jaipur, Jun 24 (PTI) The Border Security Force (BSF) troop shot down a drone carrying two kg of heroin worth Rs 10 crore near the Indo-Pak border in Sriganganagar district, officials said on Saturday. The BSF jawans, during patrolling on Friday night, heard a drone flying in the Gharsana border area of the district. They fired indiscriminately at the drone and it crashed, BSF DIG Pushpendra Singh Rathore said on Saturday. Two packets of heroin were recovered, he said. Rathore said the smugglers had come to receive the parcel in the night and managed to escape in the dark. The suspects are being searched based on intelligence inputs, he added. Mainpuri (UP), Jun 24 (PTI) A man allegedly killed his friend and four family members before shooting himself dead in a village here on Saturday, police said. Mainpuri Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar said police received information early in the morning that Shiv Veer Yadav (28), a resident of Gokulpur Arsara, has allegedly killed his brothers Bhullan Yadav (25) and Sonu Yadav (21), Sonu's wife Soni (20) and brother-in-law Saurabh (23) as well as friend Deepak (20) with an axe. Shiv Veer Yadav also injured his wife Doli (24) and maternal aunt Sushma (35), the police officer said, adding the accused then shot himself with a pistol. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital in Mainpuri and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem, the police officer said. He added that the reason behind the incident was not clear yet and an investigation was underway. New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) As a part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, the Indian Naval Ship Sunayna visited Mombasa in Kenya from June 20 to 23 and celebrated International Yoga Day on board. As part of the Yoga Day celebrations, the Indian Navy also formed an 'Ocean Ring of Yoga', which involved port calls to friendly nations in the Indian Ocean region. On arrival, the ship was received by representatives from the High Commission of India. The Commanding Officer called upon Brigadier Y S Abdi, Deputy Commander of Kenya Navy and highlighted the significance of Yoga towards bringing the world together. On the occasion of International Day of Yoga on June 21, a joint Yoga session was conducted onboard with the participation of Indian Navy personnel and Kenyan Defence Forces. A maritime partnership exercise was conducted between the two navies. The crew of both the Indian and Kenya Navy conducted drills in firefighting & damage control, boarding exercises, asymmetric threat simulations and visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) during the harbour phase. A humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capsule was also conducted onboard for the Kenya Navy. A reception in the honour of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Kenyan Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla was hosted onboard Sunayna by Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru. The event was attended by the High Commissioner of India in Nairobi Namgya Khampa. During his address, the CDF conveyed his gratitude towards the friendly gesture by the Indian Navy in training the Kenya Navy personnel and expressed his commitment towards continuous cooperation between both countries. The DCNS gifted 200 life jackets to the Commander of the Kenya Navy Maj Gen Jimson Muthai. "In line with the Indian Navy's social outreach activities and community wellbeing, provisions were distributed to an orphanage at Mombasa," the Defence Ministry said. On departure from Mombasa, INS Sunayna undertook a passage exercise (PASSEX) with Kenya Naval Ship Jasiri on 23 Jun 23. The visit to Mombasa reaffirms the strong and longstanding relationship between India and Kenya and will further consolidate bilateral cooperation in the maritime domain, the defence ministry added. Chandigarh, Jun 24 (PTI) Amid signs of differences between the ruling BJP and ally JJP, Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala has claimed that the support of six of the seven independent MLAs to the Manohar Lal Khattar government remains "unconditional". The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have been non-committal on whether they would contest the assembly elections this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together, and their leaders have taken swipes at each other. Former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP's Haryana affairs in-charge Biplab Kumar Deb had a few days ago held meetings with the independent MLAs, triggering speculation on whether the BJP-JJP coalition will last the entire term of the Khattar government. Chautala, who is also an independent MLA vouched for the support of five others. "Our support is unconditional and for the full five-year term," the minister, whose grandnephew is Deputy Chief Minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, told PTI. The senior Chautala is former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's son. In the present 90-member House, BJP has 41 seats after it added the Adampur seat in the last year's bypoll. Meanwhile, the Congress has 30 seats and JJP 10. While six out of seven Independents support the BJP-led government, one each member belongs to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Haryana Lokhit Party. HLP led by MLA Gopal Kanda is also supporting the M L Khattar-led government. In the 2019 assembly polls, after the denial of candidature by Congress, Ranjit entered the fray as an independent and won the Rania seat in Sirsa. Ranjit said Khattar always listens to the suggestions and feedback given by Independents and is "always supportive". When asked why the BJP and JJP have been non-committal on contesting future polls together, the power minister called it an internal matter of the two parties. Meanwhile, Sombir Sangwan, who was among the Independent MLAs who recently met Deb, asserted that BJP is at a loss with the continuation of its alliance with the JJP. Sangwan claimed that BJP did not need JJP for a stable government as it enjoyed the support of most Independents. HLP chief Gopal Kanda has also maintained that BJP does not need JJP's support for a stable government and said his outfit has been extending support to the Khattar-led government right from the start. The BJP joined hands with the JJP in 2019 to form a government in Haryana after failing to get a majority with JJP leader Dushyant Chautala being made the deputy chief minister. However, leaders of the two parties have recently taken a swipe at each other with Deb saying that the JJP did no favour to the BJP by supporting it as the regional party also joined the government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while recently addressed a rally in Sirsa, had appealed to the people of Haryana to once again give all 10 parliamentary seats in the state to the Modi government "to make the country No. 1 in the world and to make Modi ji prime minister once again". In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana. Ranjit, who is MLA from Rania in the Sirsa district, played a key role in ensuring the Sirsa rally's success. Shah had also visited Ranjit's Sirsa residence after the rally and had tea. "It was an honour to have Shah sahab visit my home and have tea with us," said Ranjit Chautala. Jaipur, Jun 24 (PTI) Rajasthan Congress in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Saturday said he has asked Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to stop his ministers from giving statements against each other. It is the chief minister's responsibility to control his ministers, the senior Congress leader told reporters here, adding that he would look into the matter at the party level. Randhawa's remark comes in the wake of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas hitting out at his ministerial colleague and Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal for blaming Jaipur MLAs and ministers over the pace of smart city work. "I have asked the chief minister to call his ministers and control them. I will look into it at the party level. It is the chief minister's responsibility as far as the government and ministers giving statements against each other are concerned," he said. Randhawa added that it was the responsibility of the ministers to strengthen the government and organisation, and not to give statements against one another. At a programme in Udaipur on Thursday, Dhariwal alleged that six MLAs and three ministers from Jaipur were responsible for the lagging development work. He said the smart city mission was started in four cities of Rajasthan Kota, Jaipur, Ajmer and Udaipur but the pace of work was slow in the state capital because of the local MLAs and ministers having issues among them. Khachariyawas, an MLA from Jaipur's civil lines seat, hit back at Dhariwal, saying he should apologise for his comment and the language he used. The civil supplies minister also attacked Dhariwal, saying he should clarify if he was a BJP worker and whether considered Assam Governor and former leader of the opposition of Rajasthan Gulab Chand Kataria as his leader. Khachariyawas was apparently referring to Kataria's presence at a programme in Udaipur which was attended by Dhariwal. Hyderabad, Jun 24 (PTI) An Election Commission (EC) team held meeting with Telangana Chief Secretary here on Saturday as part of the preparations for the Legislative Assembly polls to be held later this year. Telangana Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari met with the EC officials and assured them of all logistical support required to conduct the elections smoothly, a release from the office of state Chief Electoral Officer said today. The three-day visit of the senior EC officials, led by Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Kumar Vyas, senior Deputy Election Commissioners (DECs) concluded today. During the visit, the EC team met with state bureaucrats, senior officials of enforcement agencies, including Income Tax (CBDT), excise department, State GST, CGST, Enforcement Directorate, State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), DRI, CISF, and the state Commercial Tax department with a view to curtail use of money power in the elections, the release said. Further, the EC team convened a crucial meeting with district Collectors and CPs/SPs from all 33 districts of Telangana to discuss poll preparedness. Jammu, Jun 24 (PTI) Two men, including a special police officer (SPO), were arrested for allegedly beating their wives under the influence of liquor in separate incidents in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said. SPO Ravi Kumar was arrested for causing severe blunt injuries to his wife at their house in Swankha village of Ramgarh, a police spokesman said. Ajmeer Singh, an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested for assaulting his wife at Budhwani village, he said. Singh's wife was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu with fractured right arm and other injuries. He said Senior Superintendent of Police of Samba district Benam Tosh has issued directions to all officers to ensure zero tolerance against crime against women and to take stringent action against perpetrators of domestic violence. Ensysa Energy, in partnership with StarSolar, Bach & Stern and Ryse Energy, makes history by becoming the first energy company to provide a single-configuration system for Small and Medium Enterprises(PYMES) US officials saw signs Prigozhin was planning challenge to Russian military but surprised by rapid escalation US intelligence officials believe that Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the private Wagner military group, had been planning a major challenge to Russias military leadership for quite some time, but it was unclear what the ultimate aim would be, three people familiar with the matter told CNN. Intelligence officials briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight earlier this week concerning Wagner group movements and equipment buildups near Russia, two of the people said. US and Western intelligence officials saw signs that Prigozhin was making preparations for such a move, including by massing weapons and ammunition, one Western intelligence official and another person familiar with the intelligence said. A source familiar with the intelligence said it all happened very quickly, and it was difficult to discern how serious Prigozhin was about threatening the Russian military and where he would take his troops. Prigozhin had vowed Friday to retaliate against Russian military leadership over an alleged strike on a Wagner military camp and claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities. Yet by Saturday afternoon, he published an audio recording claiming he was turning his forces around from a march toward Moscow, just hours after launching an insurrection that posed the greatest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putins authority in decades. We are turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan, he said in a message on Telegram after his forces claimed control of several military facilities and after he dispatched some of his troops toward Moscow. The Kremlin said later Saturday that Prigozhin had agreed to leave Russia for Belarus in a deal apparently brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key Putin ally, that ended the armed insurrection. As the situation unfolds, US and Western officials have been careful not to weigh in because of how Putin could weaponize any perceived involvement by the West in the escalating crisis, sources familiar with the administrations thinking told CNN. No change in Russias nuclear posture Since Prigozhin began his insurrection, the US has not seen a change in Russias nuclear posture, two US officials told CNN. We have not seen any changes in the disposition of Russian nuclear forces, a State Department spokesperson said, adding that the US has no reason to adjust our conventional or nuclear force posture. We have long-standing, established communication channels with Russia on nuclear issues. Putin has repeatedly engaged in nuclear saber-rattling over the course of the Ukraine war. The Russian leader said earlier this month that the first tactical nuclear weapons to be stored in Belarus had arrived. President Joe Biden called the move absolutely irresponsible. The US has continued to monitor Russias nuclear posture throughout the Ukraine war despite Russia suspending earlier this year its participation in the single lasting nuclear arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow. This has meant that the two nations are no longer sharing certain notifications required under the treaty, including updates on the status or location of treaty-accountable items such as missiles and launchers. As a nuclear power, Russia has a special responsibility to maintain command, control, and custody of its nuclear forces and to ensure that no actions are taken that imperil strategic stability, the State Department spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the US diplomatic presence in Russia has remained unchanged amid the latest developments. Our embassy in Moscow remains open, we are in regular communication with it, and its operating posture remains the same at this time, the spokesperson said. Western officials monitoring the situation Officials across the Biden administration convened emergency meetings on Friday night to assess the events, which unfolded so quickly that they caught US and European officials off guard, the sources with knowledge of the administrations thinking said. Biden spoke Saturday with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom about the situation in Russia, and they reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, according to a readout from the White House. US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens office, meanwhile, confirmed Saturday that he had spoken with officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the European Union. During the discussion, Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, adding that the US will stay in close coordination with Western officials. Blinken also made calls Saturday to his counterparts in Ukraine, Turkey and Poland, the State Department said. Britain held a meeting of its emergency government task force to discuss the unfolding events, a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told CNN earlier Saturday. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group stand guard in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer - Stringer/Reuters Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team Saturday about the latest developments in Russia and will continue to be briefed throughout the day, according to a statement from the White House. We are continuing to monitor the situation, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge told CNN Saturday afternoon. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also discussed the situation in Russia with his counterparts in Canada, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Saturday. How much was talk and how much was real As Russias invasion of Ukraine stalled earlier this year, US officials determined that there was an internal power struggle underway between the Wagner group and the Russian government, CNN previously reported. However, US and European intelligence officials did not predict that Prigozhin would move to storm the Russian region of Rostov with his forces, according to sources familiar with the intelligence. Its so hard to tell how much was talk and how much was real, one of the sources told CNN. The tension had been building for so long without anything actually happening. A European intelligence official told CNN that the temperature had obviously been building, but few could have predicted what Prigozhin was planning. It is not clear to US or European officials how far in advance Prigozhin was planning the rebellion. One source familiar with Western intelligence said it appeared that it must have taken at least several days to organize. Another source, however, noted that Rostov is very close to the front lines in Ukraine so it may not have required much forethought. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday before the announcement that the insurrection had ended that the conflict had exposed Russias weakness, with a Ukrainian defense spokesperson calling it a sign of the collapse of the Putin regime. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness, Zelensky said in a tweet. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Jasmine Wright, Sam Fossum, Lauren Kent, Mariya Knight, Rob Picheta, Simone McCarthy, Tara John, Katharina Krebs, Josh Pennington, Uliana Pavlova, Helen Regan, Andrew Raine, Sophie Tanno, Hafsa Khalil, Tori B. Powell, Adrienne Vogt, Philip Wang and Ivana Kottasova contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WESCO International, Inc. provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS). The EES segment supplies products and supply chain solutions, including electrical equipment and supplies, automation and connected devices, security, lighting, wire and cable, and safety, as well as maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products. This segment also offers contractor solutions, direct and indirect manufacturing supply chain optimization programs, lighting and renewables advisory services, and digital and automation solutions. The CSS segment operates in the network infrastructure and security markets. This segment sells products directly to end-users or through various channels, including data communications contractors, security, network, professional audio/visual, and systems integrators. It also provides safety and energy management solutions. The UBS segment offers products and services to investor-owned utilities; public power companies; and service and wireless providers, broadband operators, and contractors. This segment's products include wire and cables, transformers, transmission and distribution hardware, switches, protective devices, connectors, conduits, pole line hardware, racks, cabinets, safety and MRO products, and point-to-point wireless devices. This segment also offers various service solutions, including fiber project management, high and medium voltage project design and support, pre-wired meters and capacitor banks, meter testing and metering infrastructure installation, personal protective equipment dielectric testing, and tool repair, as well as emergency response, storage yard, materials, and logistics management. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 6 hours ago Four Reasons Why Apple Could Soar To New Highs In Q3 If you look at the chart of Apples (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock price and wonder if it can bob to another new high, the odds are high that it can do so. This is among the worlds most-followed, most-traded, and widely held names. When the economy is doing well, it goes hand-in-hand that Apple will also do well. While there are many headwinds in the economy, the recession that everyone feared has yet to materialize, and there are signs of strength. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), for 1, reported a record Prime Day event with rising volume Read Article The value of Elon Musk's SpaceX may rise with new $750 million fundraising effort, reports say SpaceX is reportedly hoping to increase its valuation with a new sale of employee stock. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Elon Musk's SpaceX is reportedly looking to fundraise through a new sale of employee shares. The sale could value SpaceX at $150 billion, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. Reports put the share price in the $80 range as the company looks to raise about $750 million. SpaceX is considering a new fundraising effort through a sale of employee stock shares, which would value the company at about $150 billion. The round of share sales would reportedly put Elon Musk's space exploration company at about $80 or $81 per share. The estimated $750 million the company is hoping to raise was first reported by Bloomberg. The Wall Street Journal later confirmed the plan. SpaceX became the most valuable startup in the United States after its last two rounds of fundraising last May and December, which valued the company at $125 and $140 billion, respectively. The company has raised funds privately and sold shares to employees several times throughout its history, both to raise money and as a form of compensating employees, Insider previously reported. The company, which was founded in 2002, has grown in value in recent years as it ramped up the number of satellites and rockets it launches into space. The company has also partnered with NASA and other companies and developed Starlink, a satellite internet service that now operates the world's largest commercial constellation of satellites. Investors say the profit potential of Starlink, which is designed to improve internet access in rural areas, is the biggest driver of the company's value, the Journal reported. SpaceX was in the news earlier this year when its massive Starship rocket exploded shortly after it launched. Musk said weeks after the launch that it actually went slightly better than he expected. In a Saturday morning Twitter Space with Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance, Musk said he would guess that SpaceX has spent about $2 billion on Starship, adding that number could reach $3 billion before the end of the year. He also said some upgrades to the rocket design and launch pad could be ready in about six weeks, meaning the mega-rocket could see another launch this year. Many would welcome upgrades to the rocket's concrete launch pad. Photos surfaced shortly after the April launch showing a crater the rocket had blown in the pad during launch. Environmental groups later filed lawsuits against the Federal Aviation Administration for allowing the launch to happen at all, accusing the agency of failing to consider the environmental impact of the ship's launch and explosion. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment made Saturday morning. Read the original article on Business Insider Mastercard Inc. is a leading technology company in the payments industry that provides payment processing solutions to businesses and consumers worldwide. Mastercard is one of the largest payment processors in the world by market cap and the number of payments processed. Mastercard was founded in 1966 as Master Charge: The Interbank Card. The company was created to respond to the growing need for a secure and reliable payment processing system. In 1979, the company changed its name to Mastercard. Mastercard is in over 200 countries and territories and serves over 2.8 billion cardholders. Mastercard operates on a business-to-business (B2B) model, providing payment processing services to financial institutions, merchants and governments. The company earns revenue primarily through transaction processing fees, cross-border fees and other value-added services. Mastercard's business is divided into four segments: domestic assessments, cross-border volume fees, transaction processing fees and additional revenue. Mastercard's financial performance has been consistently strong in recent years, with revenue and earnings growth driven by increased transaction volumes and higher fees. Mastercard faces significant competition from other payment processing companies, including Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) and PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL). However, Mastercard has maintained its position as one of the largest payment processors in the world due to its strong brand recognition, global network and innovative technology solutions. Mastercard has consistently invested in innovative technology to enhance its payment processing solutions. One of the company's most significant innovations in recent years is Mastercard's tokenization technology, which provides a secure way to process payments without exposing cardholder data. Mastercard has also invested heavily in contactless payment technology, which has become increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mastercard has a solid commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The company has set ambitious goals to reduce its carbon footprint, increase financial inclusion and promote gender equality. Mastercard is also actively involved in philanthropic efforts, including the Mastercard Foundation, which focuses on advancing financial inclusion in Africa. As with any company, Mastercard faces several risk factors that could impact its financial performance. One of the most significant risks facing Mastercard is the potential for increased regulation of the payment processing industry. Mastercard is also vulnerable to changes in consumer behavior, such as a shift away from traditional payment methods toward mobile payments. Additionally, Mastercard's business depends on the overall health of the global economy, which could be impacted by factors such as inflation, geopolitical tensions and natural disasters. The Toronto-Dominion Bank, also known as TD Bank, is a Canadian multinational bank that provides a wide range of financial services to customers in Canada, the United States, and worldwide. The bank was founded in 1855 in Toronto, Canada, and has since grown to become one of the largest banks in North America, with over 85,000 employees and more than 26 million customers. TD Bank is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and has additional offices in New York City and other major cities throughout the United States. TD Bank's key highlights and achievements include its status as the sixth-largest bank in North America by assets, its recognition as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for 20 consecutive years, and its commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility. The management team at TD Bank is led by Chief Executive Officer Bharat Masrani, who has been with the company for over 30 years and has held various senior leadership positions before being appointed CEO in 2014. Regarding financial performance, TD Bank has delivered consistent results over the past few years, with revenue and net income increasing yearly for the past several years. The bank's profit margins have also remained robust, with an average net profit margin of 25%. However, TD Bank has also faced challenges related to debt levels and changes in ownership, with a recent decrease in ownership by TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. Regarding valuation, TD Bank's price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios align with industry peers. The company's market performance has also been relatively stable, with modest price movements and steady trading volume over the past few years. TD Bank operates in a highly competitive and regulated industry, with other major players, including the Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The broader banking industry is also subject to regulatory and political issues, such as changes in interest rates and financial regulations. Despite these challenges, TD Bank has identified growth opportunities in new markets and product areas. These include launching new digital banking services and expanding the bank's presence in key markets such as the United States and Asia. TD Bank has also made several acquisitions in recent years, including the addition of Scottrade Bank in 2017 and the purchase of Chrysler Financial in 2011. However, TD Bank also faces several risks and challenges, such as changes in consumer preferences and increased competition from fintech startups. The bank's focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility also presents risks related to environmental and social factors, such as climate change and social inequality. There are also recession risks involved. TD Bank could face challenges if there is a downturn in the economy. Duke Energy Corporation, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a leading American electric power and natural gas holding company. With a rich history dating back to its founding in 1904 by James Buchanan Duke and Benjamin Newton Duke, Duke Energy has become a prominent player in the energy industry. The company operates in multiple states and serves millions of customers, providing essential energy solutions for their homes and businesses. Duke Energy's mission is to power customers' lives by delivering safe, reliable, sustainable energy while embracing innovation and environmental stewardship. Duke Energy operates in three primary segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to customers in the Midwest, the Carolinas, and parts of the Southeast. The Commercial Renewables segment focuses on developing, owning, and operating wind and solar renewable generation projects across the United States. With a customer-centric approach, Duke Energy serves diverse customers, including households, small businesses, large industrial facilities, and government entities. The company's commitment to providing reliable energy solutions has earned it a loyal customer base and a reputation for excellence in the industry. Duke Energy is led by a highly experienced and accomplished management team that drives the company's strategic vision and operational excellence. At the organization's helm is Ms. Lynn J. Good, who serves as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Good has been with Duke Energy since 2003 and has been crucial in guiding the company's growth and transformation. She brings extensive knowledge of the energy sector and a strong focus on sustainability and customer satisfaction. Duke Energy has consistently demonstrated strong financial performance, driven by its operational efficiency and focus on delivering value to shareholders. The company has a strong net profit margin of over 10%. Duke Energy's commitment to financial stability is evident through its disciplined approach to managing debt. This prudent financial management allows the company to invest in infrastructure, technology, and renewable energy projects to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Duke Energy operates in the electric power and natural gas industry, supporting economic activities and daily life. As the industry evolves, there are several trends and challenges that Duke Energy and its peers must navigate. The transition toward cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions have become the primary focus of the energy sector. Duke Energy has recognized the importance of sustainability and has been actively working towards reducing its environmental footprint. The company has set ambitious goals to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to increase its renewable energy capacity. By investing in wind and solar projects and retiring older, less efficient coal-fired power plants, Duke Energy aims to align with evolving environmental regulations and customer expectations. The industry also faces regulatory and political factors influencing operations and profitability. Changes in energy policies, tax regulations, and environmental standards can impact production costs and the competitive landscape. Duke Energy actively engages with regulatory bodies and policymakers to ensure its interests are represented and to contribute to shaping a sustainable energy future. Competitive positioning is crucial in the energy industry, and Duke Energy has established itself as a key player. The company's extensive infrastructure, reliable service, and strong customer relationships give it a competitive advantage. Furthermore, Duke Energy's commitment to innovation and exploring new technologies positions it well to capitalize on emerging opportunities and maintain its market leadership. Duke Energy is well-positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities within the energy industry. One significant avenue for expansion is the development of renewable energy projects. As the demand for clean energy rises, Duke Energy has actively invested in wind and solar projects, expanding its commercial renewables segment. By leveraging its expertise and resources, the company aims to increase its renewable energy capacity and contribute to a sustainable future. Another growth opportunity lies in the modernization of infrastructure and grid systems. Duke Energy is committed to upgrading its power delivery systems, improving reliability, and incorporating advanced technologies. The company aims to enhance efficiency and provide customers with more reliable and resilient energy services by investing in smart grids, energy storage solutions, and digital infrastructure. While Duke Energy has demonstrated resilience and adaptability, risks and challenges in the industry should be considered when evaluating the company's future prospects and stock performance. One of the significant challenges Duke Energy faces is the evolving regulatory landscape. The energy industry is subject to various local, state, and federal regulations. Regulation changes can impact Duke Energy's operations, including the cost of compliance and the ability to pursue specific projects. Additionally, regulatory decisions related to rate structures and pricing can influence the company's revenue and profitability. Another risk is the volatility of energy prices. Duke Energy's financial performance is influenced by the cost of fuel and energy sources used in its operations. Fluctuations in commodity prices, such as natural gas and coal, can impact the company's expenses and margins. Moreover, changes in supply and demand dynamics or geopolitical events can lead to price volatility, affecting Duke Energy's financial results. Environmental factors are also significant considerations for Duke Energy. Transitioning to cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions requires substantial investments in renewable energy infrastructure. While Duke Energy has been actively investing in renewables, there are risks associated with project development, such as construction delays, cost overruns, and uncertain regulatory support. Customer preferences and demand patterns present both opportunities and challenges for Duke Energy. As consumers become more conscious of environmental sustainability, there is a growing demand for renewable energy solutions. However, customers also seek greater control over their energy consumption, potentially leading to a decline in overall electricity demand. Duke Energy must adapt to changing customer needs and preferences while ensuring a reliable and efficient energy supply. Operational risks, including equipment failures, natural disasters, and cybersecurity threats, are inherent in the energy industry. Duke Energy operates an extensive infrastructure, and any disruptions or incidents can impact its operations, financial performance, and reputation. The company has implemented risk management strategies and invests in infrastructure resilience to mitigate these risks, but they remain potential challenges. Pfizer Inc. is a US-based multinational biotech company. The company operates as a research-based pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, production and marketing of medicines and vaccines. It is the 2nd largest drugmaker globally by revenue and is ranked 64th on the Fortune 500 list. The companys avenues of research include Immunology, Oncology, Cardiology, Endocrinology and Neurology. Regarding its product line, the company has at least ten blockbuster drugs producing more than $1 billion in avenue revenue each. The company brought in over $81 billion in total revenue in 2021. The US is its main market and represents roughly 50% of all revenue. China and Japan make up roughly 12% of the business, while the rest come from the rest of the world. It employs roughly 79,000 people and is headquartered in New York state. Pfizer Inc. was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer Sr. and his cousin Charles Earhart. The two were German immigrants and chemists that set up shops outside New York City to make medicinal compounds. The first major success was an antiparasitic called santonin, and the commercialization of citric acid-making technologies quickly followed that up. Their success with citric acid led to the companys expansion and other major discoveries. World War I caused a shortage of materials for making citric acid and forced the company to seek alternatives. The one they latched on to was the fermentation of certain fungi known to produce citric acid naturally. This led to the advancement of fermentation technology that was later used in the commercial production of penicillin and then the advancement of antibiotics in general. Pfizer Inc was incorporated on June 2nd, 1942 in Delaware, and another period of expansion began. The postwar drop in demand for penicillin led to the discovery of newer, more marketable antibiotics and cemented the companys role in modern medicine. By the time he 80s rolled around, the company was trading on the New York Stock Exchange and on the path to developing todays blockbuster lineup. The companys top seller in 2021 was Comirnaty, a COVID-19 vaccine. It generated nearly $37 billion in 2021 and was followed by Prevnar, Ibrance and Eliquis with just over $5 billion in sales each. Other blockbuster names on Pfizers list include Xeljanz and Enbrel, each bringing in $3.5 billion. Pfizer operates 39 research and production facilities worldwide and sells its products in 125 countries. As of 2022, the company had a robust pipeline of potential treatments, with more than 220 in some stage of clinical trials. Among its leading candidates is a vaccine for RSV, a life-threatening respiratory disease affecting children. 2021 highlights include 8 FDA approvals, four new regulatory submissions and 13 new trial startups. Pfizer is also a well-known dividend payer and has returned more than $8.7 billion to shareholders since going public. Dell Technologies Inc., founded in 1984, is a multinational computer technology company headquartered in Round Rock, Texas. The company designs, develops, sells, and supports personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, and other related technologies. Consumers, small businesses, and large enterprises worldwide use Dell Technologies Inc.'s products and services. Dell Technologies Inc. has achieved many key highlights and achievements throughout its history. In 2016, the company completed the most significant tech merger in history by acquiring EMC Corporation for $67 billion. Additionally, Dell has been recognized for its sustainability efforts, including being named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for several consecutive years. Michael Dell is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dell Technologies Inc. He has been with the company since its inception in 1984, leading it through many changes and challenges. Jeff Clarke is the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for global operations, customer support, and supply chain management. Dell Technologies Inc. has reported healthy financial results in recent years. With average revenue in the billions of dollars and a 1 - 3% increase yearly for several years. The company's average gross profit margin stays between 25 to 35%. Depending on the year, Dell Technologies Inc. maintains debt levels either slightly below or above its current assets. Dell Technologies Inc.'s price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-book ratios are slightly below the industry average, indicating that Dell Technologies Inc.'s stock is undervalued compared to its peers. Dell Technologies Inc.'s stock performance has been strong recently but became volatile in Q1 of 2022 amid investor fears of a recession. Despite these issues, Dell Technologies Inc.'s stock price is still positive, over 80% in a five-year timeframe. Dell Technologies Inc.'s stock has also outperformed the broader market, with the S&P 500 increasing by approximately 60% over the same period. Dell Technologies Inc. operates in the highly competitive computer technology industry. The industry is characterized by rapid technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and intense competition. Dell Technologies Inc.'s main competitors include HP Inc., Lenovo Group Limited, and Apple Inc. One trend that is impacting the industry is the shift toward mobile computing. Consumers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets instead of traditional personal computers. This trend has led to declining sales of personal computers and increased competition in the mobile computing space. Another trend impacting the industry is the increasing importance of data privacy and security. Consumers are becoming more aware of the risks associated with data breaches and are demanding more secure devices and services. This trend has led to increased investment in cybersecurity by companies in the industry. Dell Technologies Inc. has several potential growth opportunities. One area of focus is the Internet of Things (IoT). Dell Technologies Inc. has developed a suite of IoT solutions and services that help customers manage and analyze the data generated by connected devices. This market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. Another growth opportunity for Dell Technologies Inc. is the expanding market for cloud computing. The company has invested heavily in cloud infrastructure and services and has partnered with major cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. As more businesses move their computing infrastructure to the cloud, Dell Technologies Inc. is well-positioned to benefit from this trend. Despite its many strengths, Dell Technologies Inc. faces several potential risks and challenges. One key challenge for the company is the ongoing decline in the personal computer market. As consumers shift towards mobile devices, sales of personal computers are likely to continue to decline. Dell Technologies Inc. will need to adapt to this changing market to remain competitive. Another risk for Dell Technologies Inc. is the intense competition in the computer technology industry. The company faces competition from established players like HP and Lenovo and newer entrants like Google and Apple. To remain competitive, Dell Technologies Inc. must continue to invest in research and development and develop new products and services. Dell Technologies Inc. faces potential risks from changing regulatory and political environments. The company operates in many countries worldwide, and changes in regulations or political instability in key markets could impact its operations. Dell Technologies Inc. may also face increased regulatory scrutiny regarding data privacy and cybersecurity issues. Wells Fargo & Company is a multinational financial services company that has established itself as a prominent player in the global financial industry. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Wells Fargo operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. Its rich history and successful mergers and acquisitions have contributed to its significant global presence. As a comprehensive financial services provider, Wells Fargo offers a wide range of banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer financial services. The company's mission is to satisfy its customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo aims to achieve this by providing exceptional service, acting with integrity, fostering diversity and inclusion, and contributing positively to the communities it serves. Wells Fargo's extensive product and service portfolio caters to various market segments. The company serves individual consumers, small businesses, corporations, and institutional investors. Its key customers encompass a broad spectrum, ranging from everyday banking customers to high-net-worth individuals and large corporations. Wells Fargo aims to meet the diverse financial needs of its customers through personalized solutions and innovative offerings. The company has achieved several notable milestones and received recognition for its contributions to the financial industry. Wells Fargo has been ranked as one of the "Big Four Banks" in the United States, alongside JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup. It is also recognized as one of the largest banks in the country by total assets, deposits, and market capitalization. Wells Fargo's commitment to delivering quality financial services has earned it a position among the most valuable bank brands. Wells Fargo is led by an experienced and capable management team that guides the company's operations and strategic direction. The leadership team consists of individuals with diverse backgrounds and extensive finance, banking, technology, risk management, and customer service expertise. The Chief Executive Officer and President of Wells Fargo is Charles W. Scharf, who brings a wealth of experience in the financial industry. The management team also includes key executives such as Michael J. Santomassimo as the Chief Financial Officer and Scott Powell as the Chief Operating Officer. Each management team member contributes their professional background, accomplishments, and expertise to ensure the company's success. Wells Fargo has demonstrated consistent financial performance over the years, driven by its diverse business segments and strategic initiatives. The company has reported steady revenue growth, reflecting its ability to attract and retain a large customer base. Wells Fargo's revenue metrics indicate its success in generating income through its various financial services and product offerings. Earnings metrics illustrate the company's profitability and stability. Wells Fargo's focus on prudent risk management practices and diversified revenue streams contributes to its ability to generate sustainable earnings. Profit margin metrics showcase the efficiency of Wells Fargo's operations. The company's ability to manage costs effectively while generating revenue is key to maintaining healthy profit margins. Debt levels play a significant role in evaluating the company's financial position. Wells Fargo's management strives to maintain a conservative approach to managing debt, ensuring a strong balance sheet and financial stability. Wells Fargo's valuation metrics are influenced by a range of factors, including its market position, financial performance, growth prospects, risk profile, and investor sentiment. Factors driving Wells Fargo's valuation include its brand recognition, customer base, diversified business segments, and ability to generate consistent earnings. Changes in investor sentiment, market conditions, and regulatory developments can also impact the company's valuation over time. Investors closely monitor Wells Fargo's stock performance, assessing its ability to deliver value over the long term. The stock has had issues in the past due to news or events that have affected the company's share price, such as regulatory actions, the global pandemic, and strategic initiatives. These factors should be considered in analyzing its market performance. Wells Fargo operates in the highly competitive financial services industry, which is subject to evolving regulatory frameworks and technological advancements. Understanding the broader industry in which the company operates is crucial to assessing its competitive positioning. Wells Fargo competes with other major banks and financial institutions domestically and internationally. The company leverages its brand recognition, extensive product and service offerings, customer relationships, and technological capabilities to gain a competitive advantage. However, it also faces challenges such as regulatory compliance, changing customer preferences, and disruptive market forces. Wells Fargo has identified several growth opportunities within its diverse business segments. The company aims to deepen relationships with existing customers, attract new customers and expand its presence in key markets. In consumer banking, Wells Fargo focuses on enhancing digital capabilities, improving customer experience, and providing innovative solutions to meet evolving customer needs. The company seeks to leverage its strong brand and customer base to drive growth and increase customer loyalty. In wealth and investment management, Wells Fargo aims to capitalize on the growing demand for comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. The company's expertise in wealth management positions it well to capture opportunities in an increasingly complex investment landscape. As with any financial institution, Wells Fargo faces various risks and challenges. It is important to comprehensively analyze potential risks and challenges to understand their potential impact on the company's performance. Factors such as regulatory changes, cybersecurity threats, economic downturns, and reputational risks pose challenges to Wells Fargo's operations. The company has implemented robust risk management strategies, invested in technology and security measures, and enhanced compliance frameworks to mitigate these risks. Ongoing efforts to prioritize ethical conduct, transparency, and stakeholder trust are integral to managing risks effectively. American Express Company is a multinational financial services company based in New York City. The company provides credit cards, charge cards, traveler's cheques and other financial services to individuals and businesses worldwide. Founded in 1850, American Express has been a pioneer in the credit card industry and has developed a reputation for offering premium products and services that cater to high-income consumers. The company operates in over 130 countries and employs over 75,000 people globally. Stephen J. Squeri has served as American Express Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since 2018, succeeding Kenneth I. Chenault. Squeri joined the company in 1985 and has held various leadership positions. He is credited with leading the company's digital transformation and developing new partnerships with technology companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon. Other key management team members include Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey C. Campbell and Vice Chairman Douglas E. Buckminster. American Express has consistently generated strong financial results, with revenue increasing consistently over the past few years. The company's net income has also grown during this same time frame. The company's profit margin has remained relatively stable at around 14%. American Express has maintained a strong balance sheet, with a debt-to-equity ratio and a price-to-book ratio consistent with industry averages. Over the past couple of years, American Express' stock has performed well, leading its industry peers. The credit card industry is highly competitive, with a few prominent players dominating the market. American Express competes with other major credit card companies, such as Visa and Mastercard and banks that issue private-label credit cards. The industry has been growing steadily, with global credit card transactions expected to reach $8.8 trillion by 2025. However, the industry faces several challenges, including increasing regulatory scrutiny and the threat of disruption from fintech startups. American Express has several growth opportunities, including expanding its presence in international markets and developing new partnerships with technology companies. The company has made significant progress in these areas, with global revenue growth from 2016 to 2022. American Express has also partnered with companies such as Uber, Marriott and Delta Airlines to offer unique benefits to its cardholders. Additionally, the company has been investing in its digital capabilities by launching its digital wallet and mobile app. Despite its stable financial performance and growth opportunities, American Express faces several risks and challenges. The company's high-end products and services may be vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences, and the company may need help to appeal to younger generations who prefer debit cards and mobile payments. Additionally, American Express is subject to increasing regulatory scrutiny, with regulators monitoring the company's anti-money laundering practices and compliance with consumer protection laws. The company's debt levels and dependence on the global economy also pose risks, as a recession or economic downturn could impact its profitability. Another major challenge for American Express is the increasing competition from fintech startups, disrupting the traditional credit card industry by offering innovative products and services. These startups are often more agile and adaptable than established companies like American Express and may be able to offer more attractive rewards and lower fees to customers. To stay competitive, American Express must continue to innovate and develop new products and services that cater to changing customer preferences. This Monday, I had another opportunity to hear directly from Nebraska producers about this years Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a pivotal package of legislation covering everything from federal agricultural policies to food assistance programs. Its only passed once every five years. The Farm Bill especially affects our state of Nebraska, where agriculture is our economic engine. Representative Smith led our visit on Monday, and I joined along with Senator Ricketts and Representatives Flood and Bacon. We have a great federal delegation, and I know we are all committed to delivering results for Nebraskans. In the morning, we headed to Weber & Sons Company, a cattle feedyard in the Dorchester area. We toured the facilities and discussed the challenges such an extensive operation can face. We also met with members of the Nebraska Cattlemen, a group that gives voice to the cattle community. I met with the Cattlemen in Washington earlier this month, so it was wonderful to see them again at home in Nebraska. Both the Weber team and the Nebraska Cattlemen shared about the needs of cattle producers in our state, and I look forward to addressing their concerns in the upcoming Farm Bill. We then drove to Doane University in Crete for a roundtable discussion with the Nebraska Farm Bureau and other groups. This was a tremendous opportunity to hear from the people who feed the worldfrom our pork producers to corn growers. Each group presented remarks about the concerns of its specific industry, providing me with valuable insight for my work on the Agriculture Committee. As I shared during the discussion, its critical that we preserve safety net programs like crop insurance that are essential to producers. We next toured the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Agriculture campus, where we met with students and faculty about the research they are spearheading. They are working on cutting-edge technologies like robotic planters and new pesticide sprayers that can reduce input costs. Nebraska is becoming a world leader in precision agriculture thanks to educational institutions like UNL, and its crucial that we support that work in the Farm Bill. After visiting UNL, we met with Farm Credit Services of America. Farm Credit provides important financial services for farmers and agribusiness owners, including loans to help producers get off the ground. At Farm Credit, we heard a panel discussion on the state of farm economy and the financial stability of the farm sector. Nate Kauffman, Senior Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, shared some especially informative comments about agriculture financing. We also visited Green Plains Energy, one of the top ethanol producers in the country. We discussed Green Plains many successes and how biofuels can help lower costs for families at the pump. I continue to lead the effort in the Senate to make year-round E15 a reality through my bill, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. We finished off by meeting the Nebraska Pork Producers. The Pork Producers told me about their priorities for upcoming ag legislation, and I told them about my support for the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, which hits back at harmful ag regulations like Californias Proposition 12. Congress shouldnt allow any one state to single-handedly upend the countrys agricultural economy and force the American people to bear the burden of higher food prices. I always say that the best part of my job is hearing from my fellow Nebraskans about what I can do to help them most. Each of these visits expanded my understanding of whats facing our ag producers in Nebraska, and I was grateful for the opportunities. My colleagues and I on the Agriculture Committee will continue to use these sessions to craft a Farm Bill that directly reflects the priorities of our farmers and ranchers. Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week. iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trust's custodian on behalf of the Trust. The sponsor of the Trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the Sponsor), which is an indirect subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. The trustee of the Trust is The Bank of New York Mellon (the Trustee) and the custodian of the Trust is JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., London branch (the Custodian). The activities of the Trust are limited to issuing Baskets of Shares in exchange for the gold deposited with the Custodian as consideration; selling gold as necessary to cover the Sponsor's fee, Trust expenses not assumed by the Sponsor and other liabilities, and delivering gold in exchange for Baskets of Shares surrendered for redemption. The Trust is not actively managed. SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trust's expenses. The Trust's business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares). The Trust issues Shares in Baskets to certain authorized participants (Authorized Participants) on an ongoing basis. The creation and redemption of Baskets is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of gold and any cash represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which will be based on the combined net asset value of various Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received. Altria Group, Inc. is a US-based tobacco company and one of the Big-3 tobacco companies internationally. The company was formerly known as Phillip Morris International but emerged with its new name in 2003. The rebranding was intended to help the company improve its image while it shifted away from the smokeable tobacco segments of the business. It is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500. The company was a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for many years but fell from that position due to declining tobacco sales and the divestiture of businesses. The company operates through a network of subsidiaries that include Phillip Morris USA. Phillip Morris USA is the core segment of business and includes the Marlboro line of cigarette brands. German immigrant Phillip Morris originally founded Phillip Morris in London in 1822. In 1844 the company began making its first line of machine-rolled cigarettes called English Ovals. The English Ovals remained in production in limited quantities until 2017. By 1902 the company had moved to New York City, where it was incorporated. Operations continued uninterrupted until 1919, when it changed ownership, and then, in 1929, manufacturing operations were moved to Richmond, Virginia and closer to the tobacco fields. Philip Morris made headlines again in 1933 when it integrated its manufacturing operations. This was done more than 30 years ahead of federal regulations and a ground-breaking move for the industry and America. After another multi-decade run of uninterrupted operations, the company began a series of acquisitions that included Miller Brewing, Kraft Foods and General Mills. Those acquisitions led to eventual mergers and spin-offs that resulted in SABMiller and Kraft General Mills. Altria Group operates through a network of subsidiaries manufacturing and selling smokeable, smokeless and oral tobacco products. Subsidiaries include but not are limited to Philip Morris USA, John Middleton Inc. and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. Brands include Marlboro, Marlboro Lights, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Sky and Husky. The company's principal customers are wholesalers and large retailers. The company maintains a number of strategic partnerships as part of its efforts to shift away from smokeable tobacco. These include a 35% stake in JUUL smokeless tobacco products, a 45% stake in Canadian integrated cannabis company Cronos Group and a near-10% stake in ABInbev. These partnerships are intended to capitalize on smokeless tobacco and the legalization of cannabis at the US federal level. Altria brought in more than $21 billion in 2021. The company employs more than 6,000 people and has paid more than $6.5 billion in cumulative dividends. The companys operations help support more than 1,200 US farmers and are sold in over 300,000 US retail establishments. Altria continues to be a leader in workforce quality and has received numerous awards, including a spot on the National Business Consortiums Best of the Best List for 2022. The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat. The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia's capital. Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped. The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Prigozhin ordered his troops back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers. Putin had vowed earlier to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege. In a televised speech to the nation, he called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said, Putins highest goal was to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results. Some observers said Putin's strongman image has taken a hit. Putin has been diminished for all time by this affair, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said on CNN. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the citys southern edge. About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed there early Saturday, state television in Chechnya reported. Russian troops armed with machine guns put up checkpoints on Moscow's southern outskirts. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Wagner troops advanced to just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, according to Prigozhin. But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that he had decided to retreat to avoid shedding Russian blood. Prigozhin had demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigohzhin has long criticized in withering terms for his conduct of the 16-month-long war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigu's command of attacking Wagner camps and killing a huge number of our comrades. If Putin were to agree to Shoigus ouster, it could be politically damaging for the president after he branded Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. The U.S. had intelligence that Prigozhin had been building up his forces near the border with Russia for some time. That conflicts with Prigozhins claim that his rebellion was a response to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by the Russian military. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking the Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the camps. Congressional leaders were briefed on the Wagner buildup earlier last week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN. Early Saturday, Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. Russian media reported that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops. Russia's Defense Ministry has not commented. After the agreement de-escalated tensions, video from Rostov-on-Don posted on Russian messaging app channels showed people cheering Wagner troops as they departed. Prigozhin was riding in an SUV followed by a large truck, and people greeted him and some ran to shake his hand. The regional governor later said that all of the troops had left the city. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Monday a non-working day for most residents as part of the heightened security, a measure that remained in effect even after the retreat. Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for their army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. These events will have been of great comfort to the Ukrainian government and the military, said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said that even with a deal, Putins position has probably been weakened. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has longstanding ties to Putin and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged in the United States with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. Wagner has sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, and Nomaan Merchant in Washington, contributed. Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war A Palestinian militant opened fire at an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, wounding a security guard before he was shot dead by forces at the scene, Israels police said. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group associated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party, claimed the gunman as a member. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA identified him as an 18-year-old from Kafr Aqab. Police distributed a photo of an M-16 rifle they said was used by the gunman to carry out the shooting. Violence surged this week in the West Bank, where for over a year the military has conducted regular sweeps leading to repeated clashes with Palestinian fighters amid a spate of Palestinian street attacks on Israelis. The past few days saw deadly clashes in the city of Jenin, a fatal Palestinian shooting attack near a settlement, attacks on Palestinian villages by settlers and a rare Israeli air strike in the West Bank against militants. On Friday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan encouraged more steps to restore calm between Israel and the Palestinians during a call with his Israeli counterpart, the White House said. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival. SOURCE: REUTERS Families and friends gathered at Schryver Park in Manitou Springs Saturday morning for Twenty-Two Until Nones third annual Veterans Hike for Suicide, just one of the organization's many chapters participating in the event around the world. Its all about raising awareness for suicide, event founder and program director of the Colorado Springs chapter, Chris Ruble said. This year, were remembering all the people weve lost to suicide over the years. Im asking everyone to write names on their bags and shirts so that those people who did commit suicide are still hiking with us. Its an important thing. Everyone out here has lost someone. Veterans, along with family and friends of, participated in Twenty-Two Until None's 5-kilometer hike with organization chapters around the world to honor those lost to suicide and to raise awareness surrounding the issue. The organization has been solely run by passionate veteran volunteers since its start in 2015, with the goal written in the name: to bring the average 22 vets who die of suicide every day to zero, according to the organization's website. Forty-one locations across eight countries participated in Saturday's event. We have guys who are deployed in Syria and Iraq who did the hike this morning, Ruble said. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the rate of Veteran suicide was 57.3% higher than that of non-veteran adults. In 2020, suicide was the 13th-leading cause of death among veterans overall, with 6,146 recorded Veteran suicide deaths that year . As a retired Army Veteran, Ruble said he found his work within the organization during a troubled time in his life to be a reason hes still here today. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. After leaving the service, a lot of us end up trying to find that same purpose, that same family. I was one of those people. I was lost for years until I found this organization, Ruble said. Seeing all of these people come out, were just one big family. It literally saves people's lives. In Saturdays group, one family could be seen representing the late Cpl. James Hessel, who lost his life to suicide in 2015. Their presence dominated crowds, sporting their matching T-shirts representing their family. Well do whatever we can to support them (Twenty-two Until None), because theyve always supported us," said Kathy Newman, mother of James Hessel. Pictures of James with hearts could be seen hanging from Newmans backpack, a way for him to be with the family amidst todays hike of remembrance. Its a way to continue to support and honor James, Newman said, wrapping her arms around one member of the familys younger generation, 12-year-old Vivian Coen. I feel like its important to have a group of so many people that carry support for this kind of cause, Coen said. I dont know how to describe it, but it feels really good to come out here to do this and see so many people coming to do the same thing. Ron Horton, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and veteran said hes in attendance Saturday for a few reasons. Firstly, I want to remember the men and woman I served with but one in particular, who felt overcome and took his own life: a good friend of mine, Mark Dornette. ... Theres a group like us they can turn to, theres professional help we can turn to. We just dont want to lose any more (people). Its bad enough to lose someone in combat or in a training accident. Its terrible to lose someone to their own hand. [June 23, 2023] Millions of pilgrims eager to witness traditional Saudi welcoming culture Tweet MECCA, Saudi Arabia, June 23, 2023 The people of Saudi Arabia believe that hospitality is one of the main deep-rooted values in their culture which was passed on by many generations over hundreds of years, a fact that is not left unnoticed by millions of pilgrims who come to the Kingdom every year to perform Hajj rituals. The welcoming culture of Saudi Arabia reflects a unique value on every aspect of Hajj, as pilgrims coming from about 193 countries are dubbed "the guests of Allah" whose presence on Saudi lands is cherished by the authorities who launched a specific service program, in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision, to provide an opportunity for more Muslims to perform both Hajj and Umrah to the best of their abilities. Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah statd that the program monitors the pilgrim's journey to the Grand Mosque of Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina from the very beginning until the very end to explore new ideas for facilitating the procedures of issuing visas, increasing the number of flights, and enhancing services at airports and entry points. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has prepared special welcoming programs via its cadres at 6 airports designated to receive the pilgrims, as well as other ports and land outlets, including Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, where the first vanguard of pilgrims were received on May 21, 2023 with flowers, Zamzam water, dates and Saudi coffee. A few months ago, the Saudi Ministry of Culture celebrated its 2022 Year of Saudi Coffee initiative, which features the famous drink as the official hospitality beverage according to customs and traditions, and comes as an important element of Saudi Arabia's rich culture for offering deep connotations of generosity, hospitality, and cultural diversity. Furthermore, the Kingdom's Tourism Authority announced that Saudi Arabia had received 62 million tourist visits in 2022, with 29.5 million visits coming from abroad, which only indicates how tourists enjoy a good experience when interacting with the hospitable Saudi society. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2129371/Ministry_of_Hajj.mp4 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/millions-of-pilgrims-eager-to-witness-traditional-saudi-welcoming-culture-301861026.html SOURCE Ministry of Hajj [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] For Saturday we invite our legal eagle pals to look over some INTERESTING case law given that the Plaza hasn't been the same since protesters destroyed the district in defense of some poor, convicted junkie murdered by the po-po in Minneapolis. Here's just a bit of hype/hope arguing for accountability amid our racially divisive discourse . . . The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on June 16 allowed an officer who filed anonymously to proceed in his suit alleging negligence against Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson. The court held that its plausible that Mckesson is liable for the officers injuries because they were a foreseeable consequence of his negligent planning: Mckesson planned to block a public highway a crime in Louisiana which made it likely that a violent confrontation with police would ensue, according to the 5th Circuit. The courts ruling overlooked the fundamental legal principle that while certain categories of speech and action may be impermissible under state law, they are nonetheless protected by the U.S. Constitution, as dissenting judge Don Willett pointed out. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Not-so-fun fact . . . THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LGBT RIGHTS IN MEXICO!!! The near-failed-narco-state has enough problems keeping their currency from turning into confetti that they don't REALLY follow-through on human rights. Whilst it's true . . . Gay marriage is now legal in all Mexican states. This stat puts that in perspective: Mexico No. 2 in LatAm in hate crimes vs. LGBT community despite legal progress Nevertheless . . . For Friday we highlight this politically correct Mexican hat dance to satisfy the whims of local activist enforcers . . . The letter indicated that consulate officials are working with local law enforcement and all required Mexican government entities as part of the investigation. The consulate is located near W. 16th Street and Baltimore Avenue in the Crossroads Arts District. All Consulates of Mexico are safe zones and provide a range of services to the community regardless of their religion, socioeconomic status, sexual preference or gender identity, the letter reads. Therefore, this recent act of hate must be condemned to the fullest. Here's the full text . . . Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and the City of Kansas Citys LGBTQ Commission issue a joint letter condemning anti-LGBTQ+ incident here in Kansas City. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 23, 2023) A joint letter from the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and the City of Kansas Citys LGBTQ Commission: In the early morning hours of June 21st, a Pride flag raised by the office of the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City was ripped from its flagstaff, by an unidentified individual, where it flew alongside the Mexican flag on their property. The Mexican flag was left untouched, however this intentional act of vandalism directed towards this visual statement of support and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community compels the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and the LGBTQ Commission of Kansas City to firmly condemn this act of hate. The Consulate of Mexico and its representatives have had a strong history of integrating affirming and inclusive LGBTQ+ practices both at the policy level and throughout all tiers of their service delivery and across all communities in their multi-state service area which includes Kansas and Missouri. Appointed officials for the Consulate of Mexico-Kansas City have taken proactive measures to support underserved and underrepresented Mexican nationals in their service area in an effort to undue systemic and societal harms placed upon individuals, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. All Consulates of Mexico are #SafeZones and provide a range of services to the community regardless of their religion, socioeconomic status, sexual preferences or gender identity. Therefore, this recent act of hate must be condemned to the fullest. The Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City is cooperating with local enforcement, and all required Mexican government entities. Additionally, appointed officials with the Consulate of Mexico-Kansas City will work alongside the Mayors office and the LGBTQ Commission in days ahead as plans to reaffirm the Consulate of Mexico-Kansas Citys commitment of inclusion, acceptance and belonging of the LGBTQ+ community. The Pride flag will be reinstalled and will proudly wave at the property for the rest of Pride Month as an act of support and commitment to inclusion. Sincerely, Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission ############ Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Lots of crime reporting and court case aftermath to catch up on . . . The overriding theme . . . Locking people up is getting harder for better and worse . . . And as local crime continues to escalate. Check TKC news gathering . . . Kansas City, Kan., man convicted of multiple sex abuse crimes to be released after prosecutor's mistake A man convicted of sex crimes in Kansas City, Kansas involving two children has had that conviction overturned due to a prosecutor's mistake. Kansas City, Kan., police investigating homicide after teenager found dead inside home The shooting happened at around 2:40 p.m. on Friday in the 3100 block of W. Barker Circle. Assault charge dismissed against Raiders' Davante Adams for shoving video crew member in KC The misdemeanor assault charge against the Raiders' Davante Adams was dismissed earlier this month. The proceedings are now considered a closed confidential case under Missouri law. Kansas City man, who chased down victim, sentenced for deadly shooting A Kansas City man who chased and killed Anthony Villareal near 24th Street and Quincy Avenue in 2022 is sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison. Independence offering $10K hiring incentive for qualified 911 dispatcher applicants "I would say it's a very challenging but also rewarding career," Sgt. John Syne with Independence police said. KCK bar owner plans community event after being wounded in shooting A local bar is planning a July Fourth celebration as a way of reaching back out to the neighborhood after a shooting in April. 'We're behind the curve' COMBAT STRiVIN' aims to reduce crime by helping victims A Jackson County initiative is bringing together numerous community members to reduce crime when Kansas City has crime rate is worsening. Developing . . . A Colorado Springs man found not guilty by reason of insanity for killing an Air Force veteran in 2016 was in court on Friday, where his attorney advocated for his release from the state hospital. According to previous reporting from The Gazette, Timothy Hagins, who has schizophrenia, turned violent after going off his medications. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Stechman in August 2016. Hagins was accused of breaking into Stechman's home in Falcon before stabbing and strangling him. After leaving Stechman's home, Hagins allegedly entered another home shouting I am here to slaughter the lambs, before he was eventually stopped by a good Samaritan. Fourth Judicial District Judge Theresa Cisneros handed down her insanity acquittal for Hagins in February 2018 at a bench trial lasting less than hour, according to previous reporting from The Gazette. She based her verdict on the sole witness, Dr. Thomas Gray of the state hospital, who told the court that a lengthy evaluation by state psychiatrists had concluded that Hagins didn't know the difference between right and wrong and wasn't capable of forming criminal intent necessary for convictions. Hagins appeared in court on Friday after spending the past five years in the state hospital receiving treatment, where Dr. Jennifer Bundrick, a contracted physician who conducted Hagins' review, testified that she found Hagins qualified for a conditional release, a request that the prosecution, and the family of Stechman, objected to heavily. Prosecutor Jennifer Viehman stated that a conditional release of Hagins would be "entirely inappropriate" and a "borderline insult" to the family of Stechman. It's insane," Viehman said of Hagins' request to be released from the hospital. "It's a horrifying concept to put him on conditional release." Viehman argued to the court that Hagins remains a significant risk to the community, and that if Hagins decides not to take his medication, it could lead to Hagins committing more violent crimes. Bundrick confirmed during her testimony that Hagins had gone off his medication twice in the past, in 2013 and in 2016. In 2013, Bundrick claimed Hagins had a psychotic episode while off his medication that led to him pouring gasoline on himself and threatening to light himself on fire. In 2016, Hagins was again off his medication when he killed Stechman. Bundrick added that she believes release from the hospital remains appropriate because his current medication is an injection taken once every 28 days, and if he misses an appointment for the shot, he could be hospitalized. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Viehman's main point of contention, however, was how Hagins' own treatment team at the state hospital was not advocating for his release. Dr. Michelle Colarelli testified Friday that while Hagins has made great progress in the state hospital, she was not advocating for his release. Colarelli and a psychiatrist who works with Hagins at the state hospital both told the court Hagins should instead be given permission to leave the hospital on occasions supervised by staff members. All three medical professionals who testified on Friday said Hagins' risk to reoffend is low, and that he is now stabilized due to medication he is taking. Numerous friends and family of Stechman appeared in court in protest of the request to have Hagins released from the state hospital, one of which stormed out of the courtroom at the start of proceedings. Near the end of the hearing some family members opted to make their voices heard to Judge Lin Billings-Vela. He (Hagins) made the choice to stop his medication," Debbie Stechman, David Stechman's sister in-law, said. "It concerns me that he could be in a situation where he can stop taking his medication again. The judge, after hearing all testimony and argument said she rule on Hagins' conditional release next week. So, I don't think our link dump experiment worked today but we're remain inspired by hottie Maddy as we check pop culture, community news and top headlines. Check TKC news gathering . . . Cowtown Keepsakes Collected Kansas City decides to preserve 50 additional mosaic medallions from old KCI terminal floor After much debate, 50 additional medallions were chosen by the Kansas City Art Commission to be salvaged from Terminals B and C. Newsflash: Mayor Realizes Truism & Develops Plan Already In Place . . . Lucas calls Jackson County property tax reassessment a 'mess of a process', says county should look at payment plan Kansas City Mo., Mayor Quinton Lucas says the Jackson County re-assessment is becoming "a mess of a process". Today's Pile-Up Multiple injured in seven-vehicle crash on I-35 in Merriam The crash was reported just after 3 p.m. on northbound Interstate 35, just past Antioch Road. Going Deutsch Next Season Tickets for Kansas City Chiefs game in Germany on sale next week NFL Germany gives information to Kansas City Chiefs fans about how tickets to Frankfurt game against the Miami Dolphins will be sold June 27. Trendy Local Fashions Debut Cassie Taylor is just getting queerer and weirder (and thanks to a wild 72 hours, she's now a Playboy Bunny) Be your authentic self, said Cassie Taylor, even if that means losing people along the way. "The biggest thing I've learned in the music industry is that if you're not authentic, it is not sustainable - you'll burn out fast. Celeb Shares Intimate Secrets Maitland Ward stars in saucy series where 'experienced women' get sexy A new steamy series has hit our screens, and it's all about shining a spotlight on "experienced women". If you like a woman who knows what she's doing in the bedroom then it's sure to catch your attention 1st Son Pay For Play Exposed??? Hunter Biden-linked account received $5 million days after threatening messages: 'Sitting here with my father' A Hunter Biden-linked account was wired more than $5 million days after his newly-revealed messages to an associate threatening that he was "sitting here" with his father, according to documents released by congressional investigators. MAGA Shouts Down RINO Christie, jeered for criticizing Trump, tells crowd, 'You can boo all you want' The Republican 2024 candidate made the case at a top conservative gathering for his presently anemic White House bid, touting his record as New Jersey's governor and attacking Trump's record. GOP Infighting Again McCarthy backs effort to expunge Trump impeachments Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is throwing his weight behind the conservative effort to expunge the two impeachments of former President Trump, saying Trump's behavior didn't rise to a level that merited either punishment and he'd like to eradicate both votes from history. Leaving the Capitol on Friday ahead of a long holiday recess, the Speaker... Who's The Boss??? Other Than Tony Danza, Of Course . . . Putin in crisis as Wagner chief Prigozhin declares war on Russian military leadership Russia's FSB security service opens criminal case against mercenary boss. Far East Meme Trending Why Chinese students are taking graduation photos looking 'more dead than alive' | CNN One photo shows the young woman sprawled facedown on the ground in a graduation gown, her tasseled cap discarded to the side. Others show her slumped over a chair, collapsed against a wall, and hanging listlessly over a staircase banister. Another Kind Of Cinematic Pay For Play Celebrated Opinion: 'No Hard Feelings' is a sex worker romcom that won't admit it | CNN 'No Hard Feelings' with Jennifer Lawrence, out from Sony Pictures on Friday, is a sex work romantic comedy that won't admit it - and therefore is very of our times, according to Noah Berlatsky. Stuff It This Weekend Whataburger sets opening for 2nd location in Kansas City's Northland Whataburger franchise KMO Burger will open a new Whataburger in the Tiffany Springs neighborhood near Interstate 29 and Highway 152. Katie's Forecast For Now Kansas City will likely see two rounds of strong storms this weekend, here's the timeline Wind and hail are the biggest risks with these storms And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Right now influencer, biz lady and hottie model Demi inspires our peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines. Check TKC news gathering . . . Eras Of Ripoff Scammer sells fake Taylor Swift tickets for Kansas City show for $1,000 As many Swift fans here in the Kansas City area are fighting to get their hands on tickets to the July 7-8 shows at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, reports of scams have begun. Road Trip Inspiration Rural Rebirth: Excelsior Springs, Eternally Excelsior Springs faced the same fate as many rural towns, declining population and vacant downtown buildings. But that didn't happen. Here's its rural rebirth. Help Hits Local Streets Goodwill's Mobile Workforce Unit helps prepare people for new opportunities Goodwill launched a Mobile Workforce Unit to teach computer literacy and help people apply for jobs online. Fixing Cowtown History 295: Kansas City Museum reopens after HVAC repairs On this week's episode Publisher Michael Bushnell is at the Kansas City Museum in anticipation of the Northeast gem's reopening [...] Dead-Tree Reports Toilet Clogger Jason Sudeikis genuinely loves Taco Bell, especially a 'fantastic' one in Johnson County "But that love of Taco Bell has now found its way into my son's taste buds and it may be arguably the worst thing I've influenced him on," Sudeikis says. Social Media Winning Snaps Demi Rose puts on a busty display in sizzling lingerie snaps The model, 28, put on a busty display in a light pink bralette and grey boyfriend pants as she laid effortlessly for a self lingerie shoot in her hotel in Ibiza on Wednesday. Election Life Fight Ahead As Biden Rallies for Abortion Rights, Conservatives a Mile Away Are Pushing a 15-Week National Ban WASHINGTON (AP) - President Joe Biden warned Friday that Republicans seeking a nationwide ban on abortion won't stop there as he urged supporters to channel their outrage into mobilizing votes for Democrats in 2024. Campaigning On Dox Feds Want to Delay Trump Mar-a-Lago Documents Trial to December Special Counsel Jack Smith says the inclusion of classified documents makes an August date unrealistic. Tensions Spike Amid Euro War Russia accuses Wagner chief of urging "armed rebellion": Live updates Russia's FSB security service accused Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an "armed rebellion" when he vowed retaliation after claiming Moscow's military killed a "huge amount" of his mercenaries in a strike on a camp. Follow for live updates. Still Plagued By Doubt Newly declassified report shows U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided over likely origin of Covid A long-anticipated government report on the origins of Covid-19 offered new details on the U.S. intelligence community's findings but did not state definitively whether the source of the coronavirus was exposure to an infected animal or an event at a laboratory. Addressing Liberty Federal judge temporarily blocks Florida law restricting drag shows The law "is specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers," the judge wrote. Zuck Wins Cage Match Easily Here's Who Would Win In An Elon Musk Vs Mark Zuckerberg MMA Fight This unlikely matchup may not be as one-sided as most would believe. First Son Tax Bill Exposed Hunter Biden expensed prostitutes, sex club to 'consulting' business on 2018 tax returns: IRS whistleblower President Joe Biden's son Hunter counted payments to prostitutes and a sex club membership on his tax returns as expenses for his "consulting" business, a IRS whistleblower says. Baristas Bad For Biz Starbucks workers at over 150 stores to go on strike over Pride decor dispute More than 3,000 workers in the U.S. will go on strike next week, the union representing the coffee chain's baristas said on Friday. Trouble On The Backend 'I couldn't sit down for a month after huge bum implants - but it's worth it' EXCLUSIVE: A model known as known as 'AsianBarbieDDoll' says she who fed up with her 'flat' bum - so she underwent four painful operations to get a juicy rear she was proud of Losing Streak Persists Rays show superiority in 11-3 blowout win over Royals Royals pitchers allow 17 hits. Weekend Steamer Ahead Afternoon storms possible on a hot Saturday Saturday will have high temperatures around 93 degrees; the strongest possibility of storms will be at around 5:00 p.m. Arlo Parks - Pegasus (Official Video) ft. Phoebe Bridgers is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Tonight we want to direct TKC readers to impressive & thoughtful writing on the topic of reparations. However, first, after reading Jack Cashill's EXCELLENT column a question comes to mind . . . HOW WILL KANSAS CITY VOTERS GARNER THE 'ROBUST CONVERSATION' PROMISED IN THE EFFORT TO SECURE REPARATIONS FOR SLAVERY?!? According to Mr. Cashill's report . . . The debate has been anything but balanced so far . . . Moreover, the so-called "civility bell" seems like a device intended for youngsters and not something that will help facilitate a conversation amongst adults in the discussion of taxpayer funds. Here's the word . . . The editing was not done for the sake of balance. Of the 40 broadcast minutes in which a panelist was speaking, the pro side got 29 of those minutes. Our side got 11. The TV audience did not hear from me or my ally, Pete Mundo, a morning show host on KCMO radio, until the pro side had spoken for seven minutes. The editing was not done for the sake of balance. Of the 40 broadcast minutes in which a panelist was speaking, the pro side got 29 of those minutes. Our side got 11. The TV audience did not hear from me or my ally, Pete Mundo, a morning show host on KCMO radio, until the pro side had spoken for seven minutes . . . The organizers, I am convinced, edited Pete and me down to 11 minutes of air time less out of bias than out of fear. When asked by the moderator what happens if the commission's work is ignored, the fellow on the pro side, who bristled throughout the evening, did not hesitate to lay out the consequences. "You know, we have to get out in the streets," he said. "We've got to do whatever we have to do to get justice in this country." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Residents and visitors will soon be able to drink legally in 27 Toronto parks after councillors voted July 19 in favour of a pilot program that will run until the fall. One man has been arrested Friday night after threatening police with a firearm amidst efforts to apprehend him for another crime, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. According to officials, police received reports of a domestic violence situation around 10:13 p.m. on Lenmar Drive, located on the southwest side of the city. Initial investigation efforts lead to the development of probable cause to charge the suspect, 27-year-old Austin Houge, with domestic violence-related offenses, police said. Officers on the scene said that while attempting to apprehend Houge, he told law enforcement he was armed, and prepared to shoot at police if they continued their efforts. Police escorted others on the residence to safety before locating Houge in his vehicle. A shelter-in-place alert was sent to residents in the immediate area following their initial call to the scene due to the nature of Houges threats and the potential for harm to members of the community. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. According to an online blotter entry, officers located Houge in his vehicle on Musket Drive. He continued to be noncompliant, prompting the use of less lethal tools to take him into custody. No officers or members of the community were injured in the incident. Houge will be booked on multiple charges, including felony menacing, aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal mischief, child abuse and a DUI, according to court records. As of Saturday morning, Houge was still being processed. One man died Friday afternoon after a raft flipped on the Arkansas River, east of Salida, during a private boat trip, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Officials said at around 3 p.m. witnesses reported seeing three people thrown into the 60-degree waters of the Bear Creek Rapid a Class III rapid - after their raft flipped. According to CPW officials, one victim was able to make their way safely to shore. A second was rescued from the water by a CPW ranger with the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), who was patrolling the river at the time of the incident. The third passenger, however, went missing down the river along with the upside-down raft. An emergency search response was immediately triggered by AHRA rangers, alongside CPW wildlife officers, the Salida Fire Department, Chaffee County Emergency Medical Services, Chaffee County Sheriffs Office, Fremont County Sheriffs Office, Arkansas Valley Ambulance and the Howard Fire Department, according to a Friday press release. The raft was spotted about two miles downstream, just above Wellsville. Based on initial reports, it appeared the third victim had become entangled with the raft and was unresponsive. Sign up for free: Springs AM Update Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day delivered to your inbox each evening. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. A second group of private boaters retrieved the third passenger's body and brought it to shore. Rescue officials immediately began CPR, with EMS emergency personnel eventually taking over. Unfortunately, the victim was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead on the scene, according to officials. The victim's body has since been turned over to the Chaffee County Coroner to determine the official cause of death. This incident marks the 14th confirmed water-related death in Colorado this year, and the third in the Arkansas River in the past week, Fridays press release said. Tom Waters, manager of the AHRA park called the incident another tragic example of the importance of being prepared for entering challenging whitewater conditions at the peak of springs runoff from snowmelt, Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, Water said. Waters, alongside fellow AHRA rangers, continue to urge the public to call the recreation area before entering the river to determine conditions. By Jeff Murphy, June 23, 2023 Countney Swoboda, center, director of Military and Veterans Services at the University of Central Missouri, visits with Harry Roberts, left, Missouri military advocate, and Bryan Steele, military service specialist with the National Guard Bureau, during the Missouri Organization of Veteran Education Specialists (MOVES) training day at UCM. WARRENSBURG, MO Continuing its strong focus on serving the needs of the men and women who put their lives on the line for this nation, the University of Central Missouris Military and Veterans Success Center in June hosted an in-person training day that brought many military support organizations, colleges and universities together for the benefit of students. Known as MOVES (Missouri Organization of Veteran Education Specialists), the group was formed approximately two years ago by Courtney Swoboda, director of Military and Veteran Services at UCM. Shortly after joining the university, this Air Force veteran saw an opportunity to increase collaborative efforts among many different institutions and organizations that could be an asset to the work they are doing with students at UCMs Military and Veterans Success Center and beyond. I was new in my director role and really wanted to connect with my peers at other universities and schools across the state of Missouri, Swoboda said. There are many changes and updates that take place with the VA (Veterans Affairs, DoD (Department of Defense) and at the federal and state level, that I felt it was vital for us all to be communicating in order to best service our students. Representatives from 16 different public and private colleges and universities from throughout the state attended the training day on June 12 at UCM. Presenters included Missouri Military Advocate Harry Roberts, and representatives of NAVPA (National Association of Veterans Program Administrators) representatives, Missouri State Approving Agency, Whiteman Air Force Base Education Office, ArmyIgnited, and the Air and Army State Tuition Assistance Office. David Pearce, UCM executive director for governmental relations, and Phil Bridgmon, provost and vice president for academic affairs, welcomed and spoke to the gathering, and there was a tour of the Military and Veterans Success Center on the lower level of the Elliott Student Union. The group will meet virtually throughout the year with an in-person meeting held during the summer," Swoboda said. The meetings consist of training from different organizations which equip School Certifying Officials and school representatives with training that they need to navigate the different benefits and programs needed for military-affiliated students. As part of her role at UCM, Swoboda will continue to keep the university engaged in planning future MOVES events. The next virtual meeting will take place in September and the next in-person session will be in the summer of 2024 at Missouri State University in Springfield. Institutions of higher education represented at the most recent MOVES meeting were: UCM, State Fair Community College, Drury University, Columbia College, Park University, Metropolitan Community College, University of Missouri - Kansas City, University of Missouri Columbia, St. Charles Community College, Missouri State University, Jefferson College, Northwest Missouri State University, Ozark Technical Community College, Southwest Baptist University, Missouri Western State University, and Nazarene Theological Seminary. Individuals who want to know more about MOVES or other opportunities at UCM for active duty military members and their dependents and veterans are encouraged to contact Swoboda at 660-543-8848 or cswoboda@ucmo.edu. NATO is eyeing the option of placing a base for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in Romania. This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to Politico. Three sources familiar with the planning of the training process told Politico that NATO member states are close to launching a training program for Ukrainian pilots, and that one of the sites for their future training could be in Romania. According to former and current Pentagon officials, work is underway to conclude a contract for conducting the aircraft training in Romania. They also explained that it is highly likely that Lockheed Martin, the company manufacturing F-16s, will lead the effort. There has been no official confirmation of this report, but a representative of the Dutch Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian partners are working on creating a training center for F-16 pilots in Eastern Europe. At the same time, the issue of which countries will provide Ukraine with the said warplanes is yet to be resolved, Politico notes. Lockheed said they are ready to train Ukrainian specialists to fly and maintain the F-16 as soon as Western countries agree to send them. Acting Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen of Denmark expressed hope that the concept, which will take into account both the supply of F-16s to Ukraine and the training of pilots, will have been drafted ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Denmark, along with the Netherlands, is a key member of the "fighter jet coalition". Politico also requested a comment from the Ministry of Defense of Romania, receiving no direct response. The ministry said Romania "welcomes the initiative to establish a coalition of NATO Allies to provide training of pilots for F-16s" and confirmed that Romania is "working closely with its NATO allies, EU partners, its strategic partners and the leadership of Ukraine to ensure that the Ukrainian nation has the ability to withstand and effectively resist the illegal Russian aggression and occupation of the Ukrainian sovereign territory." It should be recalled that the Romanian Air Force currently operates 17 F-16 fighters purchased from Portugal, while another 32 aircraft are expected to be delivered from Norway. At the same time, Bucharest recently approved a plan to purchase more advanced F-35s. This is the case when it is better to overestimate the enemy than to underestimate it. The explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant only confirms this: Putin is capable of anything The day before, US President Joe Baden said that he believed Putin's "nuclear" threats were not just a bluff and an attempt to intimidate, but a real threat. "When I was out here about two years ago saying I worried about the Colorado river drying up, everybody looked at me like I was crazy. They looked at me like when I said I worry about Putin using tactical nuclear weapons. It's real," Biden said on June 19 at a meeting with his campaign donors in California. How seriously should we take the American president's statement? It should be reminded that Biden was one of the first to warn of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. He even gave an approximate date: the end of February 2022. He was also right about the Colorado River - that river has indeed dried up. So, even though Uncle Joe did not specify on the basis of which data he concluded that there was a threat of tactical nuclear weapons and where Russia could use them, we should at least listen to his words. After all, let's not forget that what the US president said was preceded by statements from Russia about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. In addition, Putin suggested the possibility of changing the nuclear doctrine, in particular, adding the possibility of a preemptive strike. In addition, Kremlin propagandists again began to accuse Kyiv of preparing to build a "dirty nuclear bomb." On June 19, Russia's foreign intelligence said it had allegedly received information about the decision of Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate to send a batch of irradiated fuel from Rivne to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where such a bomb would be "created." Finally, the act of terrorism at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant also confirms that the Russians are capable of anything. What should Ukraine make of Biden's statement? "Earlier, Biden said that Putin's 'nuclear' threats were a bluff. Now he says that such a scenario is possible. What caused this change? I think it's the Russians' blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. In terms of its environmental consequences, this catastrophe is comparable to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The explosion has once again shown, but at a slightly different level, the inadequacy of Putin and his inner circle," political scientist Ihor Reiterovych commented to Ukrinform. Putin's goal was appropriate. He tried to show the world with this incident that he was ready to take such steps, hoping that the world would draw "conclusions." "Putin believed that there would be calls for an urgent end to the war, sitting down at the negotiating table, concessions to Russia, and so on. But the world has done nothing of the sort... On the contrary, we have seen the exact opposite reaction, i.e., even more support for Ukraine. Not immediately, of course, but the international community began to condemn this crime committed by Russia," the expert says. When the scenario with the hydroelectric power plant explosion did not work, Moscow decided to move to the next level. "They started threatening with nuclear weapons again. However, I think this is more about a crime at the ZNPP than a missile launch with tactical nuclear weapons (TNW). Judging by the latest reports, the situation at the plant is very difficult and dangerous. I do not rule out that the occupiers may make some kind of provocation there. At the same time, they will not need to detonate the charge, because, according to our and Western military experts, the use of TNWs will not bring Russia a key advantage on the battlefield," the political scientist says. From a military point of view, the use of tactical nuclear weapons makes no sense, because it will not reduce the ability of the Armed Forces and Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens to resist Russian aggression. Last year, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, clearly stated that even if the enemy uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Ukrainians will continue to fight until victory. And at this year's Munich conference, the results of a poll were presented, where 89% of citizens said they would confront Russia despite the TNW strike. "Therefore, I believe that Biden's statement is primarily related to the potential threat to the NPP," says the political scientist. - "He hinted to Russia that the United States and its allies understand that you Russians are crazy and that you can actually do this. But we see everything and will react accordingly," Mr. Reiterovych added. How serious is the threat of TNW use? Mykhailo Honchar, an expert on security relations and president of the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI", first of all, drew attention to the fact that Biden did not use the phrase "the United States sees preparations" in his statement. "When this issue was previously commented on by American officials, such as Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, it was constantly emphasized that there were no signs that Russia was engaged in technical preparations for the use of TNWs. They say that the US and allied intelligence services monitor Russia's activities 24/7, and therefore the "nuclear" threats that are periodically heard from the Kremlin towers are more about bluffing. Has anything changed now? Well, Biden didn't say anything about any preparations being noticed. Then what is it all about? On June 5, Profile magazine published an article (which was later also reprinted by the Russia in Global Politics website, which is considered respectable in the swamps - Ed.) titled "A Difficult but Necessary Decision," which says that Russia will eventually have to make a decision on the use of TNWs and that the world will have to go through it," says Mr. Honchar. The author of this article is Sergei Karaganov, honorary chairman of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council and one of the founders of the Valdai Club, which is a favorite of Putin's. He also holds the position of scientific advisor to the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the Higher School of Economics. "Karganov is from the caste of those close to the Kremlin, a well-known ideologue of Putinism. His article is full of military and nuclear pathos. He believes that Russia needs to act proactively, intimidate the West, and give it an ultimatum. And if this does not work, if the ultimatum is not fulfilled, it should strike a group of targets in a number of European countries to bring the West to its senses. In other words, it is not only about a nuclear strike on Ukraine, but, in particular, the Polish city of Poznan is also mentioned. Karaganov assures us that the US and NATO will surrender, because America does not want to risk Washington for the sake of a conditional Poznan," the expert briefly recounts the content of this crazy text. Mr. Honchar believes that Karaganov's words could have been taken into account on the banks of the Potomac, as his position is exactly the message that Russia wants to send to the West. Therefore, according to experts, the risk is constantly growing. "The Ukrainian authorities should not be afraid to communicate on this issue. People should be as prepared as possible. Even if the probability of using TNWs is still low, it is better to be "overdone" than "underdone", as they say. Putin, for example, can easily give the appropriate order if the situation at the front changes to a catastrophic one for him. Whether it will be executed is another question. In any case, until June 6, many people considered it unlikely that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant would be blown up, although the risks were constantly discussed," emphasizes Ihor Reiterovych. Mykhailo Honchar agrees with him and says that since Russia failed in its quick blitzkrieg, "Kyiv in three days," Ukraine has been constantly under a nuclear threat. "The aggressor's nuclear rhetoric began to advance actively around the end of spring 2022. What has changed in more than a year? The situation now is not fundamentally different. However, this does not mean that we should take this issue lightly," the expert emphasizes. - "If there is a gun hanging on the wall at the beginning of a play, it must go off at the end. So, if the Kremlin periodically threatens to use TNWs, then obviously the temptation to do so is enormous. And as Russia suffers a military defeat on the battlefield, as it fails to implement its plans, which, by the way, have been repeatedly adjusted, the risk increases. So, this is the case when it is better to overestimate the enemy than to underestimate it." Mr. Honchar also believes that Moscow should be expected to launch a man-made accident at the ZNPP rather than a nuclear missile strike. "I think that this is the occupiers' working option. They will try to blame everything on Ukraine again. The effect of the accident at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant may be even more catastrophic than the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. This is on the one hand, and on the other hand, projections of a nuclear threat are being created not only for us, but also for neighboring countries - the Baltic States and Poland," the expert emphasized. What should be the reaction of the United States and its allies? According to Ihor Reiterovych, not only Putin, but also Biden, to a certain extent, has raised the stakes. But in the sense that Ukraine's partners should take the threat of the use of TNWs seriously. "And that this seriousness should include specific steps in response, which Russia will definitely not like," says Ihor Reiterovych. Although so far no action has been taken. And this is really the key. "I think something will be announced in the near future. I really hope that it will not be something in the spirit of another "deep concern" because it will only stimulate the aggressor. And not just any announcement, but a specific list of what awaits the Russian Federation if it dares to either use tactical nuclear weapons or provoke a critical situation at the ZNPP. It is important that both of these things are equivalent," he emphasized. Mr. Reiterovych said that the relevant statement should come from both individual representatives of the nuclear powers, in particular China, and NATO member states as a whole: "This statement can be conveyed to Russia either officially or through unofficial channels, but with very clear wording." In addition, partners should strengthen Ukraine with additional nomenclature in military assistance packages. What could we be talking about? Well, for example, the same ATACMS missiles. "I am sure that the issue of ATACMS is not off the agenda, it is constantly raised by the Ukrainian side at every meeting. The explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and Russia's aggressive "nuclear rhetoric" give Ukraine a reason to once again voice its requests for weapons that will help it win the war faster. The upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius may become a place for such discussions," the political scientist believes. By the way, the day before, the US House of Representatives Committee supported a resolution to provide Ukraine with ATACMS missiles. "Biden sent a lot of signals with his statement. The main thing is that these signals are correctly perceived, because they are reflected in practical actions," Ihor Reiterovych emphasized. The President of the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI" recalled the sluggish and untimely reaction of the world, especially the Western nuclear powers (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) to the Russian Federation's blowing up of the Kakhovka Dam. He also added that what Biden said was not a reaction, but a statement. "This is not enough, given that he is the head of the most powerful state in the world, which others look up to and follow. Therefore, Biden should not only state that the threat exists, but also clearly warn those from whom this threat comes," says Mykhailo Honchar. It is highly desirable that the United Kingdom and France issue a warning along with the United States, so that it comes from the three nuclear powers of the West. "After all, these countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council, members of NATO, and in 1994 they gave us assurances and promised us protection, at least at the verbal level, under the Budapest Memorandum. Therefore, Washington, London and Paris should make a clear and unequivocal statement that if the "red line" is crossed - the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries - this will be the last straw and Moscow will receive a nuclear response," the expert emphasized. Then, Mr. Honchar assures, everything will fall into place. Otherwise, the Kremlin will regard the mere statement as an unofficial invitation to continue. "If the West does not continue to take steps in response, the Russian authorities can be sure of their own impunity," he added. However, the ultimatum should not be the only one. In parallel, the protection of Ukrainian skies should continue to be strengthened. "Now our country has a certain number of modern missile defense systems - Patriot and SAMP/T. These systems enhance our potential, but we need more. If we have more, Moscow will be afraid of getting caught," says Mr. Honchar. Our Air Force is quite capable of shooting down a Russian tactical nuclear missile in flight, and then it will not do the damage it is designed to do. "When it turns out that the missile has been destroyed, the Russians will be in for a treat. After all, the fact of use has taken place in any case, Russia has crossed the threshold, that "red" line. And then the nuclear club of Western countries - the United States, Britain, and France - will automatically have the right to launch a preemptive strike against Russia. This, despite all the "hurrah-patriotic" rhetoric, could become a deterrent for the Kremlin," emphasizes Mykhailo Honchar. "But even if we don't shoot it down... Yes, it will be a powerful moral and psychological shock, but the use of TNWs will not lead to any strategic advantage. Instead, the risks and consequences of its use for the Russia will be much greater. The day before, on Espreso.TV on YouTube, US Army General Herbert McMaster spoke about this in more detail. According to McMaster, Putin's current situation is one of desperation and failure. He has been unsuccessful in achieving his military objectives. McMaster does not believe that Putin would risk a vertical nuclear escalation, as their nuclear weapons are likely not in a functional state. However, if Putin were to use nuclear weapons, it would be a self-destructive act. Any nuclear state attacking a non-nuclear state would face a strong and powerful response. In such a scenario, the Black Sea Fleet and more would be completely destroyed in a matter of one day. Let us assume that the American general, a recipient of numerous military awards and a national hero in the United States, expressed not only his personal warning to the Kremlin leader, but did so on behalf of the military leadership of the United States. Let's hope that despite all the irrationality of his behavior, the Kremlin will carefully weigh the pros and cons. And that among the dozens of "hotheads" close to him, there will be at least one "cold" but influential head. Myroslav Liskovych. Kyiv The first photo: Russian Defense Ministry via AP/picture alliance Ukrainian pilots will start training to operate F-16 fighter jets in the Netherlands already this summer. Thats according to the Dutch Defense Minister, Kajsa Ollongren, who broke the news while answering the questions of Ukrainian journalists during her visit to the Dutch rehabilitation center where Ukrainian soldiers undergo rehabilitation, an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague reports We want to start the training on the fighter jet as soon as possible. We don't have an exact date. I cannot give it to you now, but we are very ambitious. We want to start as soon as possible, she said. She noted the importance of an efficient air defense system for the embattled nation, including short-term and long-term capabilities. The minister admitted that the F-16s are a really complex weapon system so the Netherlands seeks to start training Ukrainian pilots as soon as possible and to complete it as quickly as possible. At the same time, she acknowledged that Ukrainian servicemen are "very fast learners. As Ukrinform reported earlier, Denmark has announced readiness to provide F-16s to Ukraine on the condition that the U.S. approves such a handover. In the Tavria direction, the Defense Forces killed 104 occupiers, wounded 202, and captured two. The spokesperson for the Joint Press Center of the Tavria Defense Forces Valerii Shershen said this on the air of the United News telethon, Ukrinform reports. "In the Tavria direction, our troops and strike units continue to conduct offensive actions in the designated areas. We are making progress, consolidating our positions, clearing mines, and achieving tangible results, but we are not going to talk about the results yet. Accordingly, the nature of the Russian occupation forces' actions here has not changed, they are focused on preventing our further advance. Over the past day, the enemy's losses in personnel are significant: 104 irrecoverable casualties, 202 sanitary casualties, and two people were captured. 34 units of weapons and military equipment were destroyed," the spokesman said. According to him, missile and artillery units of the Tavria direction carried out over 1230 firing missions over the last day. Read also: Ukrainian forces destroy enemy logistics transport vehicles The enemy tried unsuccessfully to conduct offensive operations near Avdiivka and Mariinka and was rebuffed. At the same time, the settlements of Krasnohorivka, Marinka and Heorhiivka were shelled with enemy artillery. The occupiers also launched an unsuccessful offensive towards Vuhledar and Zolota Niva. Near Krasnohorivka, the assault units of the Defense Forces, as a result of a well-planned counterattack, seized several positions held by the enemy since 2014. Regarding the Zaporizhzhia direction, the spokesman said that the enemy is concentrating on defense, focusing its main efforts on preventing the Defense Forces' offensive. The Russian occupiers tried to regain the lost positions near Makarivka, launched air strikes on Novodanylivka, Orikhiv and Stepnohirsk. At the same time, Shershen noted that the enemy is no longer moving from Kherson region to Zaporizhzhia. "The enemy has already moved everything it could from the left-bank Kherson region, having strengthened its positions by using rotation. We do not observe any active movement from the flooded areas," the spokesman said. As Ukrinform reported, the day before, in the Tavria direction, Russian troops lost more than three companies killed and wounded, and 51 pieces of military equipment were destroyed. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the international company Lagos Free Zone (Tolaram Group) have signed a memorandum of understanding and joint participation in the project of a grain terminal in the port of Lekki, Nigeria. According to Ukrinform, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported this. "The cooperation between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Lagos Free Zone Company will be aimed at creating the necessary infrastructure to ensure further uninterrupted supply of Ukrainian agricultural products to Nigeria and the entire African continent. The main goal is to ensure food security in the regions that need it most," Taras Vysotsky, first deputy minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine, said. He added that Ukraine's agricultural sector continues to play an important role in ensuring international food security, especially given the fact that the world's population is growing. The Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria is the country's first fully automated port. It is a joint project of the governments of Nigeria and Lagos State, the owner of the Lagos Free Zone, Tolaram Group (Singapore), and China Harbor Engineering Company (CNEC). As Ukrinform reported, during his visit to Nigeria in January 2023, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi discussed with representatives of the Nigerian government the issues of cooperation and expansion of trade relations between the countries, in particular, the creation of a logistics hub for the constant supply of grain and food. In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev referred to the unfolding rebellion by Wagner Group mercenaries, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an internal matter of the Russian Federation. This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to Kazakhstans presidential administration. "President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev spoke by phone with the President of Russia. Vladimir Putin briefed him on the situation in the country. Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev noted that the events taking place are an internal matter of Russia," the statement reads. Tokayev added that constitutional order and rule of law are "an indispensable condition for maintaining law and order in the country." As Ukrinform reported earlier, on the morning of June 24, tensions between Wagner Group and Russias defense ministry spilled into a full-on military confrontation. Wagners units have seized administrative and military headquarters in Rostov before moving to seize Voronezh on their declared path to reach Moscow. (@FahadShabbir) Moscow, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jun, 2023 ) :Russian authorities on Saturday accused the head of the Wagner mercenary group of trying to start a "civil conflict" and called for his detention. The FSB security service's probe into calls to stage an "armed mutiny" came after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes and vowed to retaliate. Prigozhin, 62, urged Russians to join his forces and punish Moscow's military leadership in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year. In a statement, the FSB said: "Prigozhin's statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces". The FSB urged Wagner fighters to "take measures to detain him". The Kremlin said Putin had been informed of Prigozhin's claims and "necessary measures are being taken." While Prigozhin's private military outfit has spearheaded much of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, he has in recent months engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military leadership that he alleges has now spilled onto the battlefield. "They (Russia's military) conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages released by his spokespeople. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped." He warned Russians against resisting his forces and called on them to join him, adding "there are 25,000 of us". "Anyone who puts up resistance -- we will consider this is a threat and destroy immediately. Including any roadblocks on our way," he said. "We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice." He did not give the exact location of the alleged strikes or the number of victims. AFP could not independently verify the claims. - 'Provocation' - Prigozhin has repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths on the battlefield. The Russian defence ministry denied Prigozhin's claims of an attack on his forces, saying the statements "do not correspond to reality", and calling them a "provocation". "The Russian armed forces continue to carry out combat missions" in Ukraine, the ministry added. It later said Ukrainian troops were taking advantage of the infighting to ready an assault near the east Ukraine hotspot of Bakhmut. "Taking advantage of Prigozhin's provocation to disorganize the situation, the Kyiv regime near the Bakhmut front is concentrating units... for offensive actions," the Russian defence ministry said. A prominent Russian general urged Prigozhin to call off efforts to remove the leadership of Moscow's defence ministry. "I urge you to stop," Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russia's aerospace forces, said in a highly unusual video address. "The enemy is just waiting for the internal political situation to worsen in our country. Before it is too late, it is necessary and it is needed to obey the will and order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation". Kyiv said it was following the infighting in Moscow. "We are watching," the Ukrainian defence ministry tweeted, while Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said rival Russian factions had begun to "eat each other over power and money." On Friday, Prigozhin said Moscow's forces were retreating in Ukraine's east and south following the start of Kyiv's counteroffensive early this month. That directly contradicted Putin's account that Ukraine was suffering "catastrophic" losses and that there was a lull in fighting. "We are washing ourselves in blood," Prigozhin said. "No one is bringing reserves. What they tell us is the deepest deception," he added, referring to the Russian military and political leadership. - Questioning military operation - After years of operating in the shadows, Prigozhin has now admitted to running the elusive mercenary group and even interfering in US elections. His forces, bolstered by tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict. However, this week he accused Moscow's top brass of deceiving Russians about the offensive in Ukraine. "Why did the special military operation begin?" he said. "The war was needed for the self-promotion of a bunch of bastards." Rarely has such a controversial figure shot to this degree of prominence on the Russian political stage under Putin. Prigozhin rose from a modest background to become part of the inner circle around Putin. He spent nine years in prison in the final period of the USSR after being convicted of fraud and theft. In the chaos of the 1990s, he began a moderately successful business selling hot dogs. From there he fell into the restaurant business and opened a luxury location in Saint Petersburg whose customers included Putin, then making the transition from working in the KGB to local politics. The catering company he founded at one point worked for the Kremlin, earning Prigozhin the soubriquet of "Putin's chef". However, in recent months, Prigozhin has become embroiled in a bitter power struggle with the defence ministry. He has accused the Russian military of attempting to "steal" victories in Ukraine from his forces, and slammed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing military gains. Wagner's presence has been reported in conflict zones including Syria, Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic, where it has been accused of abuses and capturing state power. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jun, 2023 ) :Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar has stressed upon overseas Pakistanis that national interests should be accorded priority over their political affiliations. He said that the overseas Pakistanis were the precious asset of the country who had not only enhanced the country's prestige abroad but also always responded in difficult times. The minister was talking to the Pakistani community members and other notables from different political parties at Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC. Pakistan Ambassador to the US Masood Khan and community leader Sajid Tarar were also present on the occasion, said a press release issued on Saturday. Tarar said that unfortunately, certain elements with vested interests had launched a maligned propaganda abroad about Pakistan and the government to create fissures among the overseas Pakistanis community. On one hand, he regretted that these elements were instigating the overseas Pakistanis to approach the foreign governments and legislators against their motherland while on the other, overseas Pakistanis were misguided about the missions and immigration process through self-conceived and false stories. The law minister dispelled that the government of Pakistan had neither prepared any list nor any step had been taken in this regard and urged the overseas diaspora to quash such propaganda by approaching their relevant embassies and the national institutions. "The overseas Pakistanis have been our identity with whom we enjoy everlasting relations. They are the real identity of Pakistan. So it is our collective responsibility to keep country's esteem high," the press release in urdu language quoted the minister as saying. The minister for law further said that the prime minister and the members of his cabinet shared the common sentiments for the overseas Pakistanis and acknowledged their services. About May 9 vandalism, the minister said that the country's history was replete with the democratic struggle of two political parties but they always differentiated between the political striving and mischief making. He maintained that no civilized society in the world could tolerate attacks on their martyrs and the national institutions, adding that the law would take its course so that such like incidents should not resurface in future. Tarar further emphasized that those miscreants against whom there were solid evidences would have to face legal and constitutional proceedings. The minister said that it was the right of the overseas Pakistanis to take part in the political process, but cautioned that any hasty steps in this regard could be harmful for the democracy and the democratic process. He apprised that different proposals were being mulled over for giving the overseas the right to vote, adding the consensus among all the political parties in this regard would be helpful in formulating a better strategy. The minister also informed that continuous efforts were afoot to restore the image of the national flag career PIA, which was damaged during the previous government's tenure, however, he added that it required some time. A comprehensive legislation was being made to organize the issues of air industry which would be announced soon, he maintained. During his visit, the minister also held different meetings with the members of Congress, officials of the State Department Legal Bureau and US media representatives. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) Increased recruitment of young high school and college graduates into the Chinese armed forces could help reduce the country's extremely high youth unemployment rate and meet the goals of modernizing the People's Liberation Army (PLA), South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Saturday. Chinese researcher Zhou Chenming told SCMP that the recruitment "would not only help Chinese local authorities to relieve the ongoing employment... The most important task of the PLA is to seize the opportunity to hunt more talent to help the military achieve its ultimate goal of military modernisation." The newspaper specified that more than 90% of China's military recruits this year could be college graduates and high school students to meet the PLA's modernization goals and reduce the country's record youth unemployment. "The PLA is now taking a volunteer system. More science and engineering talent joining the army would not only help the army achieve its goal of modernisation, but also pave the way for its future plan of military professionalisation," former PLA instructor Song Zhongping told SCMP. The military aims to increase its average enlistment rate by 10% from previous years, the newspaper said, citing sources. More than 11.5 million people will graduate from Chinese universities this year and it is unclear how many will be needed to fill the PLA's ranks, but more than one million young graduates have applied to join the PLA since 2017, the report said. In March, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics said that the registered unemployment rate in China was 5.2% as of May. The unemployment rate for the population aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 59 was 20.8% and 4.1%, respectively. In 2015, the Chinese authorities announced their intention to significantly reform their armed forces to improve their efficiency. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in 2017 that the modernization of the country's armed forces would be completed by 2035 to fully meet the challenges and demands of the new era, and by 2050, the PLA should become a world-class military force. The PLA is celebrating its 96th anniversary this year and is currently the largest army in the world, with about 2 million troops. China plans to increase its military budget by 7.2% to 1.55 trillion Yuan ($216 billion) in 2023. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) European Council President Charles Michel said on Saturday he was closely following the situation in Russia and was in contact with European Union leaders and G7 partners. "Closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners. This is clearly an internal Russian issue," Michel said on Twitter. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Twitter that he held phone conversations with his Estonian and Latvian counterparts, Kaja Kallas and Krisjanis Karins, about the situation in Russia. The three prime ministers "agreed on close cooperation," Orpo tweeted. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto also commented on the developments in Russia. "The situation in Russia is unclear, and there is a lot of unconfirmed information circulating. These are internal Russian matters, which are closely monitored both in Finland and in other countries. The address of (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin speaks to the seriousness of the situation," Niinisto was quoted as saying by the Finnish news Agency (STT). The Finnish embassy in Moscow estimates that there are about 200 Finnish citizens in Russia. The Nordic country's foreign ministry is urging its citizens to leave the Rostov, Voronezh and Belgorod regions immediately, while its recommendation to avoid all travel to Russia has been in effect since March 2022. On Friday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case for inciting armed mutiny over statements made on behalf of the head of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC), Yevgeny Prigozhin. The FSB said that there was a threat of escalation on Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports of alleged Russian military strikes on PMC Wagner camps were not true. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on Saturday in which he described the actions of the Wagner Group PMC as an armed mutiny and treason, and promised harsh measures against the insurgents. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) Information spread on social media regarding the alleged introduction of a curfew in Russia's Rostov region is false, the regional branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. "In the Telegram messenger, on behalf of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Rostov Region, information is being published about the introduction of a curfew in the region. This message is a fake and has nothing to do with the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Rostov Region," the emergency services said. Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram in the early hours of Saturday that law enforcement agencies were doing everything necessary to ensure the safety of residents of the Rostov region. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2023) Members of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC) have left Russia's Rostov and are headed for field camps, Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev says. "The column of PMC Wagner left Rostov and is headed to their field camps," Golubev said on Telegram shortly after midnight. A Sputnik correspondent reported late on Saturday night that Wagner members had started to leave the territory of the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don and the situation in the city was calm. Earlier in the day, the Belarusian presidential office said that PMC Wagner head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had accepted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's proposal to stop the movement of Wagner troops in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate the situation. Prigozhin later confirmed the information, saying that Wagner troops were returning back to their field camps. (@FahadShabbir) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the situation around Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of private military company (PMC) Wagner, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, adding that all necessary measures are being taken. "President Putin has been informed of all the events around Prigozhin. Necessary measures are being taken," Peskov told reporters. Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that social media reports about alleged Russian military missile strike on camps belonging to PMC Wagner are not true. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2023) The Canadian vessel Polar Prince, which carried the Titan submersible to a dive site near the wreck of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean, has returned to St. John's Harbor in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canadian media reported on Saturday. CTV news reported that the Polar Prince docked Saturday morning near the Canadian Coast Guard building in St. John's, having traveled about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the site of the massive international search for Titan. On Friday, the Transportation Safety board of Canada said authorities had launched an investigation into the destruction of the Titan submersible in Atlantic Ocean waters, and the US Coast Guard later added that it would join and lead the probe. On Sunday, the OceanGate submersible, Titan, went missing during an expedition to the Titanic wreckage in an area about 900 miles east of Cape Cod in the North Atlantic, at a depth of approximately 13,000 feet. On Thursday, the US Coast Guard confirmed that the debris found on the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck site was made up of pieces of the missing submersible. All five people aboard the Titan were presumed dead. Artillery fire, airstrikes and gun battles rocked Sudan's capital Saturday, witnesses told AFP. While fighting rages, relief efforts have stalled after more than two months of conflict between rival generals. Houses in Khartoum shook from the fighting that continued unabated, residents said, with entire families sheltering in place, running low on vital supplies in the baking summer heat. The United Nations says nearly 1.5 million people have fled the capital since violence erupted in mid-April, pitting the regular army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Entire districts of Khartoum no longer have running water, and those who remain in the city have had no electricity since Thursday, several residents told AFP. The battle for power between army chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has killed more than 2,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Aid blocked Two-thirds of health facilities in the main battlegrounds remain out of service, according to the Sudanese doctors' union. The few hospitals still operating are extremely low on medical supplies and struggling to obtain fuel to power generators. The U.N. says a record 25 million people, more than half of Sudan's population, are in need of aid and protection. Aid has reached at least 2.8 million people, the U.N. said, but agencies report major hurdles to their work, from visas for foreign humanitarians to securing safe corridors. "The army is ... loath to let aid into the capital, fearing that packages will end up in the RSF's hands" as has happened before, "allowing the paramilitary to hold out longer," according to think-tank the International Crisis Group (ICG). The United States, which along with Saudi Arabia sought to mediate between the warring sides and ensure humanitarian aid can reach those in need, said Thursday it had put its efforts on hold. "Both sides seek to use the humanitarian talks for tactical advantage ... with the military demanding that the RSF vacate residential areas and the RSF demanding that the army cease its aerial barrages," ICG said this week in a report. Haven for mercenaries No side appears willing to stand down, exacerbating the risk of prolonged conflict with regional ramifications. More than 150,000 people have fled Darfur over the border to Chad, according to the International Organization for Migration. Chad, which already hosted more than 680,000 refugees, needs massive financial and technical support to confront this "unprecedented migratory crisis," Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo said Saturday. Dagalo's RSF have their origins in the Janjaweed militias that former strongman Omar al-Bashir unleashed in response to a rebellion by ethnic minorities in Darfur in 2003, drawing charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. "A collapsed Sudan could create a haven for transnational militants ... mercenaries and traffickers who could plague the country's neighborhood for years to come," ICG warned. Maha Abdullah, 50, a tearful Sudanese woman who was able to reach Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, sees only one solution: "It needs God's intervention to change things." Beijing criticized U.S. authorities Saturday for charging four Chinese companies and eight individuals with trafficking chemicals used in manufacturing fentanyl, calling the arrests "arbitrary detention." The U.S. Justice Department is intensifying a crackdown on the synthetic opioid responsible for hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in America over the past decade. Its latest move is the first time Washington has charged Chinese firms for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals to the United States, rather than Mexico, the origin of most fentanyl found in America. Two of the eight individuals were arrested and taken into custody in Honolulu, Hawaii. "This is a typical example of arbitrary detention and unilateral sanctions," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. "It is completely illegal and seriously damages the basic human rights of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies. China strongly condemns this," it added. The four companies are Hubei Amarvel Biotech, Anhui Rencheng Technology, Anhui Moker New Material Technology and Hefei GSK Trade. They have been charged in three separate cases filed in federal court in New York. Among the eight people indicted are executives and employees of the four firms. The pair who were arrested are employees of Hubei Amarvel Biotech and were detained in Hawaii after being expelled from Fiji on June 8. Their detention came just days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Chinese capital, where he met with President Xi Jinping. Fentanyl has become an important issue in the tense relationship between Washington and Beijing, with Blinken raising it during his visit. The charges "seriously undermine the foundation of China-U.S. anti-drug cooperation," the Chinese foreign ministry said. "China urges the United States to ... release illegally detained Chinese citizens," it added. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin and much easier and cheaper to produce. Beijing listed all fentanyl-related substances as controlled narcotics in 2019, regulating their production and sale. Although Mexico has been the main source of fentanyl sold in the United States, Washington has increasingly focused its attention on China-based suppliers of ingredients sent to Mexico. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has opened an investigation into the implosion of the Titan, the underwater sea vessel that imploded with five people onboard as it was traveling to the wreckage of the Titanic, the British ocean liner that sank in the North Atlantic in 1912 after striking an iceberg. The submersible vessel was the property of OceanGate Expeditions, a U.S.-based company. Its support ship, Polar Prince, however, is a Canadian-flagged ship. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is launching an investigation into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately operated submersible Titan, the board said in a statement Friday, raising questions about the safety of the ill-fated excursion. The board said a team of investigators has been sent to St. Johns, Newfoundland, to gather information and conduct interviews. U.S. officials said they too, were opening an investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a major marine casualty and will lead the investigation. The NTSB has joined the investigation and will contribute to their efforts. The USCG is handling all media inquiries related to this investigation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Friday in a tweet. The Polar Prince lost contact with the Titan an hour and 45 minutes after the submersible began its descent Sunday. Responders rushed equipment to where remains of the Titan were found. Five major fragments of the 6.7-meter Titan were located in the debris field left from its disintegration, including the vessel's tail cone and two sections of the pressure hull, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. No mention was made of whether human remains were sighted. OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement the five people on the vessel were company CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Since the submersible went missing with an approximately four-day air supply, questions about it its safety have grown. I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen, said Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now. According to an Associated Press report, David Lochridge, a former OceanGate director of marine operations, raised questions in 2018 about the methods the company used to insure the structural viability of the hull. Filmmaker James Cameron, who directed the 1997 Academy Award-winning film Titanic and who has made several dives to the ocean liners wreckage aboard other deep-sea submersibles, said in an interview with the BBC that he was sure an extreme catastrophic event had happened when he heard the submersible had lost communication and navigation. For me, there was no doubt, he said. He told the BBC the news about the air supply and underwater noises were a prolonged and nightmarish charade to provide false hope to the families of the passengers. Cameron said that once a remotely operated vehicle reached the depth of the vessel, it was likely to be found within hours ... probably within minutes. Arthur Loibl, a passenger on the Titan two years ago, described his trip to the Titanic as a kamikaze operation. The retired German businessman said, Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You cant stand. You cant kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other. Scientist and journalist Michael Guillen, who survived an expedition in 2000 that ran into some challenges, said, "We need to stop, pause and ask this question, why do you want to go to the Titanic and how do you get there safely?" Some information is from The Associated Press and Reuters. Newly declassified intelligence on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic appears to cast doubt on theories that the outbreak that killed millions around the world began at a research laboratory in Wuhan, China. A report issued late Friday by U.S. intelligence agencies and shared with members of Congress said that despite concerns about biosafety measures at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), and despite its history of work with coronaviruses, there is no intelligence that indicates COVID-19 was present in the lab before the outbreak. "We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARS-CoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic," according to the report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The report further states that the available evidence indicates the lab did not get possession of the COVID-19 virus until late December 2019, "when WIV researchers isolated and identified the virus from samples from patients diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown causes." The newly declassified intelligence also seems to reject concerns that one of a handful of researchers at the lab who fell ill in November 2019 might have been patient zero. "This information neither supports nor refutes either hypothesis of the pandemic's origins," the report said. "The researchers' symptoms could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19." Yet despite the lack of evidence to support the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic originated at the lab in Wuhan, the U.S. intelligence report makes clear that neither of the leading theories natural transmission from animals or a lab incident can be ruled out. "All [U.S. intelligence] agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection," the report said. And it said almost all intelligence agencies assess the virus "was not genetically engineered," while noting that while "most agencies assess that SARS-CoV-2 was not laboratory-adapted; some are unable to make a determination." As for how the pandemic did start, there is less agreement. The National Intelligence Council and four of the intelligence agencies continue to assess patient zero contracted SARS-CoV-2 as the result of exposure to an infected animal. The FBI announced this past February that its analysts assess with "moderate confidence" that the pandemic began at the research lab in Wuhan, China. Intelligence analysts at the Department of Energy have concluded, although with "low confidence," that the virus spread as a result of a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Two other intelligence agencies, including the CIA, have not been able to determine a precise origin for the pandemic. The new disclosure by the U.S. intelligence community comes three months after President Joe Biden signed legislation ordering the agencies to declassify as much information as possible about the pandemic's origins. But the newly declassified information, in some ways, reflects few changes from the initial intelligence assessments shared in 2020, when U.S. agencies said that their information supported "the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified," but that more work was needed to determine how the initial transmission of the virus took place. Since the World Health Organization first declared a global health emergency in January 2020, COVID-19 has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide, with some officials suggesting the true death toll could be as high as 20 million. Chinese health officials have repeatedly defended their handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, criticizing any suggestions that they should have shared more information sooner as "offensive and disrespectful." As recently as March, leading U.S. intelligence officials noted collecting additional information on the COVID-19 virus has been difficult due, in part, to China's refusal to cooperate. In a statement late Friday, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic praised the newly declassified report, saying, "The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese People's Liberation Army have some serious explaining to do." "Everyone deserves to know the truth, and the declassification of this report is a promising step toward full transparency," said Republicans Mike Turner and Brad Wenstrup. "Based on the classified information that we received, we suspected right away that the coronavirus was not a natural phenomenon," they added. "We've been pushing for years to make this information available for all to see." Last summer's flooding in Pakistan killed at least 1,700 people, destroyed millions of homes, wiped out swaths of farmland, and caused billions of dollars in economic losses. All in a matter of months. At one point, a third of the country was underwater. Pakistani leaders and many scientists worldwide blame climate change for the unusually early and heavy monsoon rains. A year on, the country hasn't fully recovered. The aftermath runs the length of the country; survivors living in makeshift huts where their homes used to be, millions of children out of school, damaged infrastructure waiting to be repaired. Pakistan's national disaster authority said most people have returned to their towns or villages, but its flood records stop in November 2022. Almost 8 million people were displaced at the height of the crisis. But there is no information on how many people remain homeless or live in temporary shelters. Aid agencies and charities provide up-to-date pictures of life, saying millions remain deprived of clean drinking water and that child malnutrition rates have increased in flood-affected areas. And the impact of recent heavy rainfall augurs ill for Pakistan should there be more flooding this year. Torrents have caused rivers to overflow, flash floods, fatalities, infrastructure damage, landslides, livestock loss, ruined crops, and property damage in parts of the country. UNICEF estimates around 20 million people, including 9 million children, still need humanitarian aid in flood-affected areas. Many of the hardest-hit districts were already among the most impoverished and vulnerable places in Pakistan. What little people had was washed away, forcing them to start their lives over again. This journey through Pakistan looks at how the unprecedented flooding of 2022 affected everyday life - and future generations. Restoring water The high altitudes and sharp peaks of the Hindu Kush Mountains mean that heavy rains barrel down through the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. That's good because the waters quickly drain to lower lying areas. But it's bad because of the damage they wreak along the way. Last summer's raging floods were so powerful that some rivers changed course. They wrecked more than 800 drinking water supply systems across nearly half of the province's 34 districts, damaging pipelines, supply mains, storage tanks and wells. The impact on residents living by stagnant water and forced to rely on contaminated water for drinking was seen around two weeks after the flooding. Health care teams started receiving thousands of patients with diseases like dengue, malaria, acute diarrhea, cholera and skin infections. Villagers often had to walk several kilometers to find water. With access more difficult, water consumption dropped drastically, from 30 liters (8 gallons) per person per day before the floods to as low as 10 liters (2.6 gallons) after, according to the UK-based charity WaterAid. The use of unprotected water sources and poor sanitation were the primary causes of morbidity in some areas, it said, especially among infants and children. Damage to health facilities and disruptions to vaccination campaigns compounded the crisis. Rizwan Khan, 48, said last August was a nightmare for him and his family. He lost his home, belongings and crops. He was moved to a camp in the town of Charsadda, but it didn't offer enough medical services. It wasn't long before he and others were suffering stomach illnesses, skin infections and fevers. WaterAid said the scale and scope of the 2022 floods would have challenged any government's capacity in every field. But over the past year, residents with the help of local government have succeeded in repairing most of the wells and water supply systems, and the situation has improved in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But last year's floods won't be the last or the worst disaster the province could face in the future. The province is "burdened with an alarming and diverse portfolio" of potential weather and water disasters because of its geography, said Taimur Khan, spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has eight major rivers running through it, as well as mountain ranges, hills, flat green plains and arid plateaus. That makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, flash flooding, glacial lake outburst floods and melting glaciers. Climate change, global warming and shifting monsoon patterns increase the frequency and impact of such disasters. Authorities are taking some steps to prepare. They have installed an early warning system on seven of the major rivers to monitor water levels, and a monsoon contingency plan is being put in place to minimize loss of life and damage to property. Embankments were strengthened last year ahead of the flooding, helping to avert a bigger disaster, and riverbanks breached by floods have been repaired and reinforced. Lucky break for agriculture It wasn't the flooding that nearly killed 80-year-old Razia Bibi and her family, it was the hunger. They used to donate wheat to needy people, but the floods washed away the wheat they'd stored for the whole year in their home in Rojhan, Rajanpur district. Then they had to wait for weeks, scrounging for food, before food supplies arrived from the government and aid groups. "The government did not give us enough rations and no relief team could reach our village because of a dam breaking," she said. A $175 cash give-out from the government helped ease their ordeal, she said, adding that it was thanks to God that none of her family became sick. Last year's images of vast stretches of farmland underwater in Punjab province raised alarm over potential massive food shortages. Punjab is Pakistan's biggest agricultural producer and its most populated province. Millions of acres of crops nationwide were destroyed by the waters, and a major international aid agency warned that the loss could be felt for years. In the end, Punjab was spared, largely by luck rather than preparation. Authorities installed pumps that got rid of some of the standing water on farmland, but most of the waters drained on their own, some flowing down into Sindh province, some spreading into deserted, open areas. Waters receded in time for Punjab farmers to do the October sowing season and the result was a bumper crop. In fact, the crop was boosted because the floods also brought with them good quality soil, a blessing in disguise, and enabled expanded planting in usually barren areas. Still, the relief came after months of real food scarcity that followed the floods and that risks being repeated in future disasters. Across Punjab, stores of grain were wiped out along with at least a half-million acres of crops and orchards. Irrigation channels and roads connected farms to markets were wrecked. At the peak of the crisis, food prices rose sharply, as did those of everyday items like tea and sugar, which doubled. Vegetables were scarce. The government scrambled to help the agricultural industry, a key driver of national growth and a major employer, through the distribution of seeds and fertilizer. But infrastructure like roads and bridges remain unrepaired in the Punjab, which contributes more than half of the national GDP. Ghulam Nabi, 42, lost everything when the floods swept through his town of Fazilpur. At first, he, his wife and five children moved into a school that had been turned into a public shelter for the homeless. But when it became overcrowded, they moved to a tent. "Me and my pregnant wife were just living on water with no food available to us. It wasn't even enough for our four children," he said. "Living anywhere after being displaced is not easy. I pray that no one faces this situation." Left without schools Situated downstream from Pakistan's other provinces, Sindh suffered a heavy blow from last year's flooding and has been slow to recover. One impact that residents fear will be long-lasting is the destruction of the province's schools. Around half of Sindh's 40,356 schools were either fully or partially damaged, affecting 2.3 million of its 4.5 million students, according to local education official Abdul Qadeer Ansari. One reason for the scale of the damage was the age of the school buildings, between 25 to 30 years old, he said. Another is that they weren't climate resistant or built to withstand flooding, despite the province suffering from some of the most extreme weather conditions in Pakistan. So far, only around 2,000 schools are being rebuilt, with hefty contributions from the Chinese government and the Asian Development Bank. Ansari estimates reconstruction will take at least two years, with the new schools intended to be climate resistant. In the village of Maskran Brohi, 115 students take classes in a temporary learning center in a tent. The 72-square-meter tent has no electricity, so it has neither lights nor fans. There are also no toilets and no clean water. The only teacher, Zarina Bibi, worries what the summer will bring, when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), and the heat inside the tent will become unbearable. UNICEF has supplied some books, but most students must make do with old books if they have them. Many lost their books in the deluge. At first after the floods, Bibi held classes under the shade of a tree. She doesn't see most of the 87 kids she taught before the flooding_families scattered when the floods came_and rain flattened the roof and walls of the single-room primary school she used to teach in. Her only colleague quit last January, months before the monsoon season, in protest at the lack of facilities. Even before the floods, primary education in Sindh was below par, said Noorul Huda Shah, an activist and writer. Government schools could only accommodate around half of the province's school-age children, and there was already a high dropout rate among girls after grade 5 as middle schools couldn't take all students. Now after the damage, it's even worse. "The long-term impact of this loss on future generations is a critical concern," Shah said. Starved for energy Pakistan's biggest province is also its most energy-starved. Much of Baluchistan's population relies on solar panels, not because of their green credentials but because they are the only way to power fans, lights and cell phones. Outside cities like Quetta and Gwadar, there is almost no central electricity. The largely rural population is scattered over the mountainous landscape, crippled by an entrenched feudal system, under-development and neglect by the local and central government. They faced losing what little they had in last year's flooding. Last year was the wettest in Baluchistan since 1961, and August alone saw a 590% jump in its average rainfall for that month. Even those fortunate enough to have access to central electricity suffered as the floods destroyed 81 grid stations and downed power lines. Many who lost their homes also lost their solar panels, and local authorities haven't distributed replacements. Flood survivors living in temporary shelters repeatedly cited a lack of electricity or light as a major concern, the U.N.'s migration agency said in a report late last year, months after the rains stopped. It affected people's safety, privacy, and comfort. Some of those interviewed for the report said electricity had never existed in their area. "Even now, more than 4.5 million people (nationwide) are forced to drink dirty water while the limited supply of electricity and gas in these areas has increased the feeling of deprivation or neglect," said Syed Waqas Jafri, the secretary-general of Pakistani charity Al-Khidmat Foundation. Some made rescuing their solar panel a priority as they fled their homes in the face of the rising floods, wading with their panel through stagnant water. Muhammad Ibrahim, a 32-year-old father of five, managed to save his panel from his roof. Still homeless a year later, he uses it in the tent camp where he lives in Sohbat Pur district. "It is so hot. We use solar panels to run fans to get some cool air," he said. "Otherwise living in these tents is not possible." He doesn't feel prepared for the next major flood. "We're scared of what will happen. But if it comes, we will run far away." Iranian American activists who staged a rare sit-in outside the State Department to oppose potential U.S. monetary incentives to Iran to slow the progress of the Iranian nuclear program say they are optimistic about a dialogue they started with the Biden administration. In a statement sent to VOA on Friday, the nonpartisan and nonprofit National Solidarity Group for Iran (NSGIRAN) said it is optimistic that the State Department has opened a channel of communication with us, and hopeful that hearing the concerns and perspectives of Iranians inside and outside Iran will help the U.S. craft policies toward the Islamic regime that take those concerns and perspectives seriously and consequentially into account. NSGIRAN said its organizer, Siamak Aram, and another member of the group attended a Thursday meeting at the State Department with an official of the departments Iran desk, whom the group declined to identify. It was the second meeting that NSGIRAN said it had with the U.S. official since it began a sit-in outside a State Department entrance on June 3. It said the first meeting took place at the State Department on June 5. The activists ended the 14-day sit-in on June 16, a day after a State Department spokesperson publicly acknowledged the protest for the first time and confirmed the groups first meeting with the U.S. official. "Its safe to say that everyone who works in the State Department is aware of the demonstrations. We all drive by them or walk by them every day when we come into the building," spokesperson Matthew Miller told a June 15 news briefing in response to a question about the sit-in. "We will continue to engage with them as appropriate," he added. In a Friday statement shared on Twitter, NSGIRAN said it used the second meeting with the U.S. official to reiterate demands chanted by Iranian diaspora protesters in the U.S. and around the world in the nine months since the start of a protest movement in Iran against authoritarian Islamist rule: NO to the revival of the JCPOA and NO to any other agreements with the Islamic Regime that might infuse the Regime with funds. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a 2015 agreement that Iran reached with world powers to limit its nuclear activities that could be weaponized in return for international sanctions relief. The U.S. withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who said it was not tough enough on Iran. His successor, President Joe Biden, has sought to revive the deal through diplomacy with Iran, which retaliated for Trumps pullout by starting to exceed the agreed limits on Iranian nuclear activities in 2019. Tehran denies Western and Israeli allegations that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian energy program. NSGIRANs Aram discussed the impact of the groups latest protest in this weeks Flashpoint Iran podcast. He spoke to VOA at the protest site on the final day of the sit-in. The following transcript of Arams interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: How receptive are State Department staff to your message? Siamak Aram, National Solidarity Group for Iran: It is very clear for this building now, who we are and why we are here. On the third day of the sit-in, we asked for a meeting with the director of the Iran desk and we had a conversation. I questioned the reason behind this dialogue that they have [with Iran]. While the regime in Iran keeps oppressing the Iranian people who are fighting against them, why are you [the Biden administration] helping them and trying to give some funds to them? VOA: The Biden administration has said it is using diplomacy to reduce the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon and to address Iran's other malign behaviors, rather than to help Iran oppress its own people. Is this the kind of response that you got from them? Aram: We had some sources that they [the administration] are going to release some funds [to Iran]. They did not accept or reject [this possibility] at that [first] meeting. VOA: Are you referring to a $2.7 billion Iraqi debt that the U.S. said on June 14 it would allow Baghdad to repay to Iran in relation to their energy agreements? Aram: I questioned that as well, asking how are you going to make sure that the [Iraqi payment] is not going to violate U.S. sanctions [against Iran], and that Iran will not have access to the actual money. And the State Department said it will make sure that it follows all the regulations related to the sanctions. VOA: You are concerned that any money Iran gets from other countries can be used for malign purposes rather than humanitarian purposes. You also have another meeting coming up at the State Department. What do you realistically hope to achieve? Aram: It looks like this building bases its decision-making on some Iranian diaspora organizations that help the Islamic regime. We wanted to make sure they hear another voice to explain to them what is happening in Iran, because we believe they have no good analysis about the protesters in Iran. I believe that we were successful. This was the first time that a group like us actually did something like this. We know that some other opposition groups and individuals tried to communicate with this building, and especially the Iran desk, and had no success. But now, we want to keep this channel open and inform the State Department about what is happening in Iran and the diaspora. They told us that they monitor all of our statements and social media accounts. So they know us and our concerns. But we wanted them to make sure they hear us from this close to this building. Late last year, investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani published an article looking at the tax records and assets of a former Pakistan army chief. The journalist said he uncovered alleged corruption and thought that authorities would investigate the apparent wrongdoings. But, he told VOA, instead, they are investigating me. One month after his report, Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency filed a First Information Report the first step in bringing legal charges against Noorani, saying that the tax documents he reviewed in his coverage were illegally obtained. The Pakistan army's Public Relations Department has denied the claims in Nooranis report. And a statement that the minister of information and broadcasting shared with VOA said that journalists are not exempt from legal obligations related to data protection and privacy. Noorani acknowledged that accessing tax records is not permitted but said that if someone leaks information to the media that is verified and of interest to the public, then a journalist should be free to use it. In Pakistan, military and intelligence officials enjoy unbridled power, said Noorani, who is based in the U.S. He added, This situation makes reporting on corruption a very risky assignment. Works in exile Noorani published his work in FactFocus, an outlet that he runs from exile in the U.S. with a team of journalists. The news website covers corruption, bad governance and human rights violations, mainly in Pakistan. But even before starting FactFocus, Noorani had been reporting on organized crime, politics, corruption, fraud and human rights in Pakistan for over 15 years. Noorani has been declared a proclaimed offender in the case, which means that if he surrenders, Pakistani officials can initiate a process to confiscate his properties and assets. A second journalist, a freelancer, Shahid Aslam, is also named in the case. Describing the charges against him as baseless, Noorani said that the threat of legal action is a tactic used against media in Pakistan. False cases have been registered against journalists in Pakistan before, for example, if a journalist reports against a politician or a bureaucrat, Noorani said. When journalists are retaliated [against] for public interest stories, they have to exercise self-censorship most of the time. This ultimately affects the quality of journalism, and in such situations, investigative journalism become[s] impossible, Noorani said. The case has been condemned by rights groups including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Committee to Protect Journalists or CPJ. The rights commission said on social media that the action was disproportionate and it urged the High Court to grant relief. The CPJ in its statement said the targeting is a clear intimidation and [a] threat to press freedom. The statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said assertions that Noorani and Aslam were subjected to harassment is totally uncalled for, unsubstantiated and untrue. The statement added that the journalists are being investigated for leaking personal data and that legal proceedings should not be characterized as harassment or intimidation. Bribery accusation Aslam has been accused of offering a bribe to officials to obtain the tax data. He has denied the allegation. The Lahore-based journalist used to work for the privately owned broadcaster BOL News. But, he said, after the recent case he lost that job. For now, the journalist said, he is working for BBC Urdu and running a YouTube channel, "Xposed with Shahid Aslam. The tax case has made him more cautious. I have stopped working on important stories, he said. I always fear that I may be harassed, chased, intimidated again. Umar Cheema, a prominent investigative reporter for the national Pakistani paper The News, said that targeting a journalist only because he or she reported about a government official doesnt make sense. Pakistan has never been a safe place for practicing accountability journalism, but this shouldnt be a reason to stop practicing journalism, Cheema told VOA. Matiullah Jan, a well-known journalist in Islamabad, said such cases create a chilling effect on media and society. Jan, who currently broadcasts on YouTube, has been attacked, kidnapped and harassed for his work. When journalists are targeted due to their stories, it destroys peoples fundamental right to know and free speech, he said. Sources avoid giving information, journalists are scared to report it, government officials are reluctant to investigate and prosecute. Despite a small improvement in 2023, Pakistan ranks poorly on the World Press Freedom Index, coming in at 150th out of 180 countries, where No. 1 shows the best media environment. In its assessment, Reporters Without Borders said any journalist who crosses red lines dictated by the intelligence agencies is liable to be the target of in-depth surveillance that could lead to abduction and detention. Improvement cited Pakistans Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, however, has said that the seven-point improvement on the 2023 index shows Pakistans commitment to the freedom of media. We believe that freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly and within the legal framework, the statement added. Noorani said he would fight the legal case. While he has not faced charges before, his reporting has resulted in threats and attacks. While working as a journalist in Pakistan in October 2017, gunmen forcibly stopped his vehicle in Islamabad, dragged Noorani out of the vehicle and tortured him, he said. But the journalist said he would still report from exile and would challenge the action against him. We always exercise caution and take all kinds of measures which can save us and our families from this harassment, he said, adding that with the legal case, we will be more cautious while performing our journalistic duties. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for late July. This story originated in VOAs Urdu Service. Islamic extremists killed eight farmers and abducted 10 in an attack in northeastern Nigeria, officials said Friday the latest in a volatile region that is a key part of the country's breadbasket and where militants have threatened food supplies. The farmers were ambushed in the bush in the Borno state's Mafa district Thursday. The attackers slit their throats, authorities said. Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said the attack was an attempt to "sabotage the successes of the government" as it struggles to have those displaced in Borno return to their villages and rebuild their lives. He said the security forces need to rise to the challenge but also urged residents to take individual precautions. "We must rise to our responsibility and address the situation," Zulum said. "I've told the people to be resilient, and they should be security-conscious and avoid remote locations." Islamic extremist rebels launched an insurgency in Borno in 2009 to establish their radical interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in the region. At least 35,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million displaced because of the violence by the militant Boko Haram group and a breakaway faction backed by the Islamic State group. Borno's farming communities have been frequently targeted in recent months, raising fears of extreme hunger as U.N. agencies continue to warn of famine. On Friday, local villagers are mourning the slain farmers while also decrying inadequate security measures in remote and volatile areas. Modu Ibrahim, a resident, said there were no security forces where the farmers' bodies were found. The extremists spared one teenager whom they asked to "deliver the message" about the attack to other villagers, Ibrahim said. The Islamic insurgency in the northeast has also overstretched Nigeria's security forces as they continue to battle other crises across the country, including continuing clashes between nomadic cattle herders and farming communities in northwest and central regions of the West African nation. Under the tall prairie grass outside this southwestern Minnesota town lies a precious seam of dark red pipestone that, for thousands of years, Native Americans have quarried and carved into pipes essential to prayer and communication with the Creator. Only a dozen Dakota carvers remain in the predominantly agricultural area bordering South Dakota. While tensions have flared periodically over how broadly to produce and share the rare artifacts, many Dakota today are focusing on how to pass on to future generations a difficult skillset thats inextricably linked to spiritual practice. Id be very happy to teach anyone and the Spirit will be with you if youre meant to do that, said Cindy Pederson, who started learning how to carve from her grandparents six decades ago. Enrolled in the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Nation, she regularly holds carving demonstrations at Pipestone National Monument, a small park that encompasses the quarries. In the worldview of the Dakota peoples, sometimes referred to as Sioux, the sacred is woven in the land where the Creator placed them, said Iyekiyapiwin Darlene St. Clair, a professor at St. Cloud State University in central Minnesota. But some places have a special relevance, because of events that occurred there, a sense of stronger spiritual power, or their importance in origin stories, she added. These quarries of a unique variety of red pipestone check all three starting with a history of enemy tribes laying down arms to allow for quarrying, with several stories warning that if fights broke out over the rare resource, it would make itself unavailable to all. The colorful prayer ties and flags hung from trees alongside the trails that lead around the pink and red rocks testify to the continued sacredness of the space. It was always a place to go pray, said Gabrielle Drapeau, a cultural resource specialist and park ranger at the monument who started coming here as a child. From her elders in the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Drapeau grew up hearing one of many origin stories for the pipestone: In time immemorial, a great flood killed most people in the area, their blood seeping into the stone and turning it red. But the Creator came, pronounced it a place of peace, and smoked a pipe, adding this is how people could reach him. Its like a tangible representation of how we can connect with Creator, Drapeau said. All people before you are represented in the stone itself. Its not just willy-nilly stone. Pipes are widely used by Indigenous people across the Great Plains and beyond, either by spiritual leaders or individuals for personal prayer for healing and thanksgiving, as well as to mark rites of passage like vision quests and the solemnity of ceremonies and gatherings. Pipestone has a particular relationship to our spiritual practice praying with pipes, we take very seriously, St. Clair said. The pipe itself is thought to become sacred when the pipestone bowl and the wooden stem are joined. The smoke, from tobacco or prairie plants, then carries the prayer from a persons heart to the Creator. Because of that crucial spiritual connection, only people enrolled in federally recognized tribes can obtain permits to quarry at the monument, some traveling from as far as Montana and Nebraska. Within tribes, theres disagreement over whether pipes should be sold, especially to non-Natives, and the pipestone used to make other art objects like carved animal figures. Sacredness is going to be defined by you thats between you and the Creator, said Travis Erickson, a fourth-generation carver whos worked pipestone in the area for more than two decades and embraces a less restrictive view. Everything on this Earth is spiritual. His first job in the quarries, at age 10, was to break through and remove the layers of harder-than-steel quartzite covering the pipestone seam then about six feet down, now more than 18 feet into the quarry, so the process can take months. Only hand tools can be used to avoid damaging the pipestone. Taken out in sheets only about a couple of inches thick, it is then carved using flint and files. The stone talks to me, added Erickson, who has fashioned pipe bowls in different shapes, such as horses. Most of those pipes showed what they wanted to be. Growing up in the 1960s, Erickson recalled making pipes as a family affair where the day often ended with a festive grilling. He taught his children, but laments that few younger people want to take up the arduous job. So does Pederson, some of whose younger family members have shown interest, including a granddaughter who would hang out in her workshop starting when she was 3 and emerge pink from head to toe from the stone dust. But they believe the tradition will continue as long as they can share it with Native youth who might have their first encounter with this deep history on field trips to the monument. On a recent trip, Pedersons brother, Mark Pederson, who also holds demonstrations at the visitor center, took several young visitors into the quarries and taught them how to swing sledgehammers and many asked to return, she said. Teaching the techniques of quarrying and carving is crucially important, and so is helping youth develop a relationship with the pipestone and its place in the Native worldview. We have to be concerned with that as Dakota people all cultural messages young people get draw away from our traditional lifeways, St. Clair said. We need to hold on to the teachings, prayers, songs that make pipes be. From new exhibits to tailored school field trips, recent initiatives at the monument undertaken in consultation between tribal leaders and the National Park Service are trying to foster that awareness for Native youth. I remind them they have every right to come here and pray, Drapeau said a crucial point since many Native spiritual practices were systematically repressed for decades past 1937, when the monument was created to preserve the quarries from land encroachment. Some areas of the park are open only for ceremonial use; the 75,000 yearly visitors are asked not to interfere with the quarriers. The National Park Service is the newcomer here for 3,000 years, different tribal nations have come to quarry here and developed different protocols to protect the site, said park superintendent Lauren Blacik. One change brought through extensive consultations with tribal leaders is the parks decision to no longer sell pipes at the visitor center, though other pipestone objects are like small carved turtles or owls. Pipes are available at stores a few miles away in Pipestones downtown. Tensions over the use of sacred pipes by non-Natives long predates the United States, when French and English explorers traded them, said Greg Gagnon, a scholar of Indian Studies and author of a textbook on Dakota culture. Nobody wants to have their world appropriated. The more you open it up, the more legitimate a fear of watering it down, he said. But theres also a danger in becoming entrenched in dogmatic ways of understanding traditions, Gagnon added. For carvers like Pederson, good intentions and the Spirit at work in both those practicing the craft as well as those receiving the pipestone are reasons to be optimistic about the future. Grandma and Grandpa always said the stone takes care of itself, knows whats in a persons heart, she said. Nigeria's state security service has warned the public of possible terrorist attacks on houses of worship ahead of the June 29 Islamic celebration of Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice. The Department of State Services says operations this week against armed men recovered improvised explosive devices, indicating plans to launch attacks before and during festivities. The security advisory was contained in a statement released by Nigerias secret police Thursday evening. It's the first such warning by the Department of State Services, or DSS, since Nigerian President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May. The DSS said the warning was based on the intelligence and recovery this week of improvised explosive devices found during counterterrorism operations in the central Kogi and Nasarawa states near the capital. DSS officials said operatives killed a notorious gang leader and arrested a gun dealer during the raids Monday and early Thursday. Secret police spokesperson Peter Afunanya did not respond to requests for further comments, but retired DSS officer Mike Ejiofor said the threat should be taken seriously. "It's an advisory from the state security service for people to be on the watch out and, you know, such advisories are based on intelligence gathered or available to the service, so it's important that people are conscious of their environment, he said. The security agency said it will work with the military and police to disrupt the terrorists' plans. Security issues have created major problems for past administrations. Nigeria has been battling an insurgency that has lasted nearly 14 years, along with armed gangs who often kill or kidnap for ransom. Worship centers are often targets of terror attacks. During his inauguration on May 29, Tinubu promised his government will prioritize restoring security. Monday the president fired all service chiefs and the head of the police and appointed new ones. Ejiofor said it is a step in the right direction. "To me it was a very welcome development, he said. Security is paramount, there's need for them to also meet immediately and start strategizing on methods of handling the security challenges in the country." In June 2022, heavily armed men invaded St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, a town in southwest Nigeria, and killed 41 worshippers. Authorities blamed the attack on the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. A month later, ISWAP claimed responsibility for a massive jail break near Abuja that freed hundreds of inmates including terrorism suspects. Security experts say threats of terror have increased since the incident. Kabir Raji, national youth secretary of the Nasrul-Lahi-il Fathi Society of Nigeria, a Muslim prayer group, said the society is already undertaking additional security measures at various mosques. "A meeting is going on on this now; the various zonal security secretaries have been engaged, security checks, inviting the police [and] the DSS to every worship center before the Eid, [and] during [the Eid], ensuring proper car parking, scanning machines and checks, we all have this in our various locations, Raji said. For now, many citizens will be more vigilant as they attend celebrations. How reporters were expected to behave while in China covering U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip was spelled out in advance: The Chinese side did not want anyone shouting questions. Ahead of covering the camera sprays of Blinkens meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday, U.S. journalists were told that if any member of the U.S. traveling press decided to shout questions, they would be kicked out of the media availability immediately. They could also end up being denied a visa for future reporting trips to mainland China. Not shouting questions is standard practice for reporters working in China, but it is a dramatic change from the United States, where journalists routinely yell out questions to senior U.S. officials in public. The Beijing government has not granted a visa to a Voice of America journalist to cover news in China since 2020. As I traveled with Blinken to cover his Beijing meetings, authorities made an exception for me. Digital security For security reasons, I was instructed to bring different iPhones and a spare laptop to use while on the ground in China. Journalists were also encouraged not to leave laptops in their hotel rooms. During previous trips, members of the U.S. delegations reported having their electronic devices accessed while they were out of their Beijing hotel rooms. Chinas massive internet firewall blocks many non-Chinese apps and websites, including Gmail, many VOA webpages, and other news and government websites. So I had to install a reliable VPN to maintain access to communication tools. Blinkens 35-minute meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Monday was the highlight of his trip. It was not formally announced until less than one hour before the two officials met. Media access to film their handshake was even more restricted: Only one U.S. TV producer and one still photographer were allowed to cover it. The scene of Blinkens other meetings was Beijings Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a diplomatic complex where Chinas leaders often receive foreign delegations and security is extremely tight. U.S. press covering the camera sprays were scrutinized by security personnel and were asked to show passports at least three times within the perimeter. No standups are permitted inside the compound. An attempt to mend ties? For all of the restrictions and security, there were also some friendlier interactions that pointed to efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship. On Sunday, Qin Gang walked to the entrance of the meeting venue, waiting to greet Blinken. It was seen as a warm gesture since Qin usually stands at the flags position inside the room, waiting for foreign dignitaries to come to him for handshakes and photos, according to a local reporter. On Monday afternoon, Blinken announced Qin was invited to Washington on a reciprocal visit. To continue dialogue on these and other important issues, I would expect additional visits by senior U.S. officials to China over the coming weeks. And we welcome further visits by Chinese officials to the United States, said Blinken during a solo press conference in Beijing. The diplomatic results from Blinkens long-delayed trip were still unclear as he left the country, but if both sides pull off reciprocal visits in the coming months it will count as an improvement in ties that have been under severe strain for years. Activists and politicians are marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a nationwide right to abortion by both bashing and celebrating it. Rallies on both sides were scheduled for Saturday in Washington and across the country. In a statement, President Joe Biden pledged to protect access and decried the court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The court's conservative majority on June 24, 2022, overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which had been in place for nearly a half-century. "States have imposed extreme and dangerous abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide," Biden said. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel praised the ruling, which was made possible by former president Donald Trump's adding three conservative justices to the Supreme Court during his term in office. "The decision has saved countless lives and set America on a positive course after decades of shameful abortion on-demand practices that put us in a category with China and North Korea," McDaniel said in a statement. The decision made abortion an unavoidable campaign issue and deepened policy differences between the states. Most Republican-controlled states have imposed bans, including 14 where laws in effect now block most abortions in every stage of pregnancy, with varying exceptions for the life and health of the women and for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. Most Democrat-led states have taken steps to protect abortion access, particularly by seeking to protect doctors and others from prosecution for violating other states' abortion bans. While there's far from a universal consensus among voters, public opinion polls have consistently found that the majority oppose the most restrictive bans but also oppose unchecked abortion access at all stages of pregnancy. Biden has pushed for a national law to reinstate abortion access. Republicans have called for a national ban. This week, former vice president Mike Pence, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, is calling for his party's presidential candidates to join him in backing a ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But with Democrats controlling the presidency and U.S. Senate and Republicans holding the House, no federal change is imminent. Because of that, the abortion fight has played out mostly in state legislatures and courts. The policies have vast practical implications. In states with the deepest bans, the number of abortions has plummeted to nearly zero. There have been more abortions in states where access has been maintained especially those closest to those with bans, as women travel for care they used to be able to get closer to home. There's also been a rise in use of networks that distribute abortion pills. But while abortions have continued, advocates say there's an equity problem: Black women and lower-income women especially, they say, are those who were expected to lose access. Pakistan said Saturday that "unprovoked" cross-border shelling by India had killed at least two civilians and "critically" injured another inside the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed Kashmir region. The alleged incident comes more than two years after the nuclear-armed rival South Asian nations agreed to fully adhere to a 2003 cease-fire along their de facto Kashmir frontier, the Line of Control. A Pakistani military statement said the Indian army Saturday "opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in the Sattwal sector, resulting in the death of two civilians while another was critically" injured. "While a strong protest is being launched with (the) Indian side, Pakistan reserves the right to respond back in the manner of its choosing to protect Kashmiri lives in the LoC belt," the statement warned. The foreign ministry said later that it had summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires to register Islamabad's "strong protest over the cease-fire violation" and condemn the "deplorable" targeting of civilians. Pakistan called on the Indian side to investigate the deadly incident and underscored that "such senseless acts are in clear violation" of the cease-fire deal, according to the statement. There was no immediate reaction from India to the allegations. The February 2021 truce effectively stopped almost daily skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops that killed more than 70 people in 2020 alone. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India. Both claim all of it and have fought two wars over the area since the two counties gained independence from Britain in 1947. New Delhi accuses the Pakistani military of backing militant attacks in India and separatists fighting Indian rule in the majority Muslim Kashmir. Islamabad rejects the accusations as an attempt to divert attention from what it says is Indian suppression of Kashmiris. "Driven by a newfound geopolitical patronage, Indian forces have embarked on a plan to take innocent lives to satiate their false narratives and concocted allegations," the Pakistani military asserted in its statement Saturday. The remarks were targeted at a joint statement issued Thursday after talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, calling on Pakistan to ensure its territory is not used as a base for militant attacks. "They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks," said the U.S.-Indian joint statement. On Friday, the Pakistani foreign ministry, in its formal response, called the joint statement "unwarranted, one-sided and misleading." The reference to Islamabad was "politically motivated" and "contrary to "diplomatic norms," it added. The ministry said that India was using the allegations of extremism against Pakistan to deflect from the situation in Kashmir and the treatment of Indian minorities. Bilateral tensions have worsened since August 2019 when Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked the semiautonomous status of its administered Kashmir and broke it into two federally controlled territories. Pakistan denounces the moves as illegal and wants them reversed. Islamabad has rejected a joint call by the U.S. and India for Pakistan to act against perpetrators of cross-border terrorism, calling it unwarranted, one-sided and misleading. In a joint statement issued by the White House on Thursday after talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a state visit to Washington, the two sides strongly condemned cross-border terrorism and the use of terrorist proxies. The statement called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks. In its response, Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the reference politically motivated, saying it was surprised by the reference given Pakistans close counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S. The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations, the foreign office said in a written statement. The ministry called India a state sponsor of terror that habitually uses the terrorism bogey to deflect attention from its human rights abuses. Earlier in the day, other key Pakistani ministers condemned the statement. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistans bicameral parliament, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif called Modi the butcher of Gujarat, referencing the communal riots of 2002 in which nearly 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Modi was the chief minister of his home state of Gujarat at the time and was widely accused of turning a blind eye to the violence. According to the BBC, Modi has repeatedly rejected accusations of responsibility for the deadly riots. An Indian Supreme Court panel in 2013 ruled that it found insufficient evidence to prosecute him. Asif blamed the U.S. for terrorism in his country, saying Pakistan invited it by providing support to the U.S. in Afghanistan. Pakistan supported the U.S. in the last 40, 45 years in two wars [in Afghanistan], Asif said. In both, Pakistan was a front-line state in a war that was not ours. As a result of that, we dragged terrorism into our home. Asif lamented there was no acknowledgement of the estimated 80,000 lives Pakistan claims to have lost to fighting terrorism. The country has seen a rise in terror attacks against security personnel by the Pakistani Taliban since Kabul fell to the Afghan Taliban in August 2021. Calling on Pakistan to bring to justice those responsible for the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks in India, the White House statement said both sides reiterated the call for concerted action against all U.N.-listed terrorist groups including al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh [also known as the Islamic State, IS and ISIL], Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul-Mujahideen. Although Pakistan has put a few alleged perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks behind bars, including one previously believed to be dead, Islamabad blames New Delhi for not cooperating in bringing the accused to justice. Pakistans Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the global powers were not paying attention to the issue of terrorism because they were distracted by Russias war in Ukraine. Their primary focus is geopolitics, and all other problems are secondary. We believe terrorism is an issue that should not be made controversial by big powers, Bhutto Zardari said on the floor of the National Assembly. They shouldnt make it a victim of geopolitics. During Modis state visit, the U.S. and India also announced a list of defense deals, including signing off on an agreement between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. to manufacture fighter jet engines in India. Under a maritime agreement, U.S. Navy ships in the region will be able to stop in Indian shipyards for repairs, and India will buy 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones worth over $3 billion and locally assemble them in a plant that U.S.-based General Atomics will build in Gujrat. Kamran Bokhari, senior director for the Eurasian security and prosperity portfolio with the Washington-based New Lines Institute, told VOA the deals represent a pivotal moment in U.S.-India relations. Washington is embracing New Delhi as an emerging power and seeks to integrate it as a key component into its international security architecture, Bokhari said in written comments to VOA. Pakistans former high commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, told VOA that Pakistan should be worried about the cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistans archrival India. At the end of the day, Indias [defense] capability will be used against China or Pakistan, said Basit. Along with a 75-year-old territorial dispute with Pakistan over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, India has also been engaged in a decades-long border dispute with China that has intensified in the last four years. In the U.S. calculus, it cannot stand up to Chinese malign activities in the Indo-Pacific without India the only country that is of the size, population and location to counter China, Tamanna Salikuddin, director of South Asia programs at the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace, said in written comments to VOA. She said such remarkable defense deals are usually reserved for only treaty allies, which the U.S. and India are not. This, she said, is the clearest sign for Pakistan that the United States is firmly in a defense, economic and broader partnership with India. Basit believes the defense deals are pushing South Asia to an interminable arms race but that they would not necessarily push Pakistan closer to China. Diplomacy is all about creating space, he said. Pakistans foreign minister downplayed the growing U.S.-India defense ties. I dont believe there is any reason for Pakistan to be insecure in its relationship with the world or its bilateral relationship with America as a result of increasingly close cooperation between [the] United States and India, said Bhutto Zardari. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas recently visited Beijing, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and expressed support for China's treatment of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang. His endorsement of China's policies and denial of the mistreatment of Muslims in Xinjiang drew criticism from politicians and rights activists. During their meeting Wednesday, in which Abbas sought economic aid, he and Xi issued a joint statement in which Abbas endorsed China's domestic and foreign policies while dismissing the human rights concerns in Xinjiang as Western concepts. The United States and some other countries have designated China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang as genocide, and the U.N. human rights office has stated that China's actions in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. China denies these allegations and considers them fabrications by anti-China forces. Abbas said in the joint statement that China's actions in Xinjiang have "nothing to do with human rights" and are aimed at countering extremism and terrorism. He also emphasized Palestinian opposition to using the Xinjiang issue to interfere in China's internal affairs. Xi expressed his willingness to support the Palestinians in achieving internal reconciliation and facilitating peace talks with Israel during their meeting in Beijing. "The fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," Xi said, according to Chinese state media. 'Criminal, disgraceful' On Tuesday, Abbas' endorsement of China's actions in Xinjiang faced criticism from Devlet Bahceli, chair of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party, which is an ally of the ruling Justice Party (AKP). Labeling Uyghur Turks as terrorists is unjust, false, sinful, criminal, disgraceful, malicious and a blatant display of disrespect towards the Turkic nation, Bahceli said during a meeting in Ankara. Uyghur activists also expressed concern over Abbas' endorsement, noting the absence of Palestinian organizations rejecting his stance. Kuzzat Altay, a Uyghur activist and former president of the Uyghur American Association, said on Twitter that Abbas statements further legitimize Uyghur genocide. According to Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow and director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute, China's repression of the Uyghur population undermines its ability to portray itself as an advocate for Islam or human rights. Chinas interests in Israel-Palestine and in the region more broadly are strictly transactional rather than ideological whether in terms of enhancing [its] international standing or its potential trade and other economic ties. The same goes for Abbas and other regional leaders, for whom China represents an important counterweight to the United States, Elgindy told VOA in an email. Elgindy said China is unlikely to play a significant role in mediating peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians because of its limited influence with both parties. Chinese-sponsored peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians would be a major diplomatic breakthrough. However, there is no chance of that happening. China simply does not have the kind of influence with both parties particularly the Israeli side needed to broker such an agreement, Elgindy said. Posturing seen China's overtures and Abbas' visit to China, according to Elgindy, are posturing to enhance China's global standing and express dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's approach to the Palestinian issue. Ghulam Yaghma, president of the East Turkistan Government in Exile in Washington, views Abbas' visit as part of China's broader objective to secure leverage over Israel and establish a stronger presence in the Middle East. East Turkistan is another name for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. "The broader strategic goal of China is no secret, as its aspiration to strengthen its position among the Arab world and gain dominance in the Persian Gulf is an essential part of its Belt and Road Initiative, aiming for global economic and political superiority, Yaghma told VOA. Salih Hudayar, prime minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile in Washington, told VOA that China's support for the Palestinian cause is a deliberate strategy to divert attention from China's own occupation and alleged genocide in Xinjiang. The support rendered by China to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian cause serves as a smokescreen to camouflage the Chinese occupation and genocide carried out in East Turkistan, Hudayar said. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wagner Group mercenaries Saturday that armed mutiny is treason and anyone who takes up arms against Russia would be punished. Putin promised, in an emergency televised address, to take decisive action to stabilize Rostov-on-Don, a southern Russian city where Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces had taken control of all military installations. Earlier Saturday, Russia said that an anti-terrorist operation regime is up and running in Moscow, after Prigozhin vowed to overthrow Russias military leadership. Russia is appealing to the mercenaries of the Wagner Group to abandon the organization and its leader. Russias Defense Ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram that was directed to the mercenary fighters, that they had been deceived and drawn into a criminal adventure orchestrated by Prigozhin. British officials said Saturday they are monitoring the situation in Russia. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britains Defense Ministry said in a tweet. Prigozhin, said early Saturday his forces had seized control of the Russian armys headquarters in southern Russias Rostov-on-Don and that his forces were in control of the citys military sites. "We are inside the (army) headquarters, it is 7:30 a.m. (0430 GMT). Military sites in Rostov, including an aerodrome, are under control," Prigozhin said in a video on Telegram. Earlier Saturday, Prigozhin and his fighters had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and entered the city of Rostov facing no resistance by border guards. Prigozhin said his men were ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military and would destroy anyone who stood in their way. Rostov officials have asked residents to stay home and not travel to the city center. In an audio recording posted on the Telegram messaging app, Prigozhin said young conscripts at checkpoints stood back and did not fight, adding that his forces "aren't fighting against children." Meanwhile, officials in Voronezh are reporting a military column moving on federal highway M4 Don, but it was not immediately clear which direction the column is moving. In addition, the mayor of Moscow has announced that anti-terrorist measures are being implemented in the capital, with checkpoints possibly being set up on the roads. Prigozhin said Friday that Wagner field camps were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the military's General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov. He charged that Gerasimov issued the order after a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhin's claims. Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB, opened a criminal investigation on Friday against Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, an arm of the FSB. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russia's chief prosecutor. Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya told The Associated Press that this may well be the last of Prighozin. Now that the state has actively engaged, theres no turning back, she posted on Twitter. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. ... Confrontation seems totally futile. Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting round-the-clock updates from all relevant state security agencies on actions taken to thwart the attempted armed mutiny, the Tass news agency reported Saturday. Military vehicles have been seen on Moscow streets, Reuters reported. The White House is monitoring the standoff between top Russian military officials and the Wagner force and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said Friday. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin that the Russian Defense Ministry conducted airstrikes against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters. Prigozhin said the Wagner Group commanders' council has vowed to punish Shoigu. "The evil that the military leadership of the country is responsible for must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers, they forgot the word 'justice,' which we will bring back," he said. "Therefore, those who killed our guys today, those who killed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished," he said, announcing that his forces would march to secure justice for the lost fighters. General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, appealed to Wagner's leaders, commanders and fighters. Together with you we have passed a difficult, hard way, we have fought together, taken the risks, suffered losses, we have won together. We are the same blood, we are warriors, he said. I call you to stop. The enemy is only waiting for our domestic political situation to deteriorate. We must not play into the hands of the enemy at this difficult time for the country. According to Tass, the FSB is calling on Wagner fighters "not to follow Prigozhin's criminal orders" and to detain him. Early Saturday, according to audio posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said he and his men had crossed into Russia without resistance. "Everyone who will try to put up resistance ... we will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately, including any checkpoints that will be in our way and any aircraft that we see over our heads. I am asking everyone to remain calm and not succumb to provocations, stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our movement," he continued. "After we finish what we started, we will return to the front to defend our Motherland," Prigozhin said. "There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to figure out why this country is in such a mess. Twenty-five thousand are expected as a tactical reserve, and the strategic reserve is the whole army and the whole country. Everyone who wants to join. We must end this disgrace," he said. Earlier Friday, Prigozhin said the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months openly accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of gross incompetence. "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO," Prigozhin said in a video clip released on Telegram by his press service. He went on to accuse Shoigu: "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," he added. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine." The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraine's Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who turned his Wagner Group fighters against the military leadership in Moscow, will move to Belarus and the criminal charges against him for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped, the Kremlin said Saturday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko negotiated the deal with the Wagner Group chief, his office said, with the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko said he has known Prigozhin personally for 20 years. The negotiations also guaranteed that Wagner fighters will not be prosecuted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. We have always respected their heroic deeds at the front," he said, adding that Moscow was grateful to Lukashenko for his role in de-escalating the crisis. Those fighters who did not participate in the rebellion, Peskov said, would be offered contracts with the Defense Ministry, which has been seeking to bring all autonomous volunteer forces under its control by July 1. Asked if there would be any personnel changes in the Russian Defense Ministry as part of the deal, Peskov said "These matters are the sole prerogative and within the competence of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Putin) in accordance with the constitution of the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is unlikely that these topics could have been discussed in the course of the above-mentioned contacts." The Russian spokesman did not reveal whether there were any concessions made to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw all his forces, other than the guarantees for his safety something he said Putin had given his word on and for the safety of Prigozhin's men. He called the events that unraveled since Friday, "tragic." Earlier Saturday, Prigozhin and his fighters got within about 200 kilometers of Moscow before he ordered his men to halt their advance, turn their convoy around and return to their bases in Ukraine to avoid bloodshed. In an audio message released by his press service, Prigozhin said: "They wanted to disband the Wagner military company. We embarked on a march of justice on June 23. In 24 hours, we got to within 200 kilometers of Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of our fighters' blood. "Now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Understanding responsibility [for the chance] that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our columns around and going back to field camps as planned, he said in the audio message on his channel on the messaging app Telegram. Prigozhin didnt say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu or what, if anything, Lukashenko had promised him in their negotiations. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander. And Putin had vowed he would face harsh consequences. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. By Saturday evening, the Russian mercenary fighters were seen pulling out of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people near the border with Ukraine that they had taken control of a day earlier. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents had milled about, recording on mobile phones, as Wagner Group mercenary fighters in armored vehicles and battle tanks took up positions, Reuters reported. U.S., allies react U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday, the White House said. "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Biden was briefed about the unfolding situation in Russia by his national security team on Saturday morning, the White House said, adding that the president will continue to be briefed throughout the day. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the EU to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia, according to a statement issued Saturday by the State Department. Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change and added that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter, " Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves. ... For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Criminal investigation In announcing the rebellion Friday, Prigozhin said he wanted to punish Shoigu after he accused Russian government forces of attacking Wagner field camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He claimed that a huge number of our comrades got killed. "The Minister of Defense arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)," he wrote on his Telegram social media channel. Russias Defense Ministry has denied the allegations. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Appearing to defuse a growing crisis with Moscow, Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his mercenaries Saturday to stop their advances toward the Russian capital and return to their field camps in Ukraine. Prigozhin said he wanted to avoid shedding Russian blood. He didnt say whether the Kremlin has responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. This is a breaking story; please check back for updates. Russian mercenary fighters were seen passing the Russian city of Voronezh, rapidly advancing toward Moscow Saturday after they apparently took control of Rostov-on-Don, a city of more than a million people close to the border with Ukraine. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about, recording on mobile phones, as Wagner Group mercenary fighters in armored vehicles and battle tanks took up positions, Reuters reported. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that his fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a shot fired and that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. His claims could not be verified. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush what he called an armed mutiny, which he compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago. A Reuters journalist saw Russian army helicopters open fire at an armed Wagner column, with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck, while advancing past the city of Voronezh. The city is about 520 kilometers south of Moscow. In Moscow, there was increased security on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. "Excessive ambitions and vested interests have led to treason," Putin said in a televised address, comparing the insurrection at a time of war abroad to Russia's revolution and a civil war unleashed during World War One. Putin warned Wagner Group mercenaries Saturday that armed mutiny is treason and anyone who takes up arms against Russia would be punished. "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people said Putin, calling the Wagner groups action a stab in the back. A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had spoken by phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a tweet that he offered Putin support and was ready to help resolve the standoff between Russia and the Wagner Group. US, allies' reactions U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the EU to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia, according to a statement issued Saturday by the State Department. Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change, and added that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation continues to develop. British officials said Saturday they are monitoring the situation in Russia. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britains Defense Ministry said in a tweet. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter, "Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves. ... For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Criminal investigation On Friday, Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation Friday against Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russias chief prosecutor. The NAC, which is part of the FSB, insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin earlier Friday that the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted an airstrike against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters. Prigozhin accused the Russian military, acting on the orders of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of shelling his troops positions in Ukraine. "The Minister of Defense arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)," he wrote on his Telegram social media channel. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Latest developments: EU officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraines war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, the Financial Times reports. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. The statement also said they are calling for respect for international law, principles of the UN charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty. President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is heading to Denmark this weekend to to discuss basic principles of peace," in Ukraine, a U.S. official said Friday. Some of the participating countries have refused to condemn Russias invasion. Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) opened a criminal investigation Friday against mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, accusing him of armed mutiny, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to Russias chief prosecutor. The NAC, which is part of the FSB, insisted there is no basis to the allegations made by Prigozhin earlier Friday that the Russian Ministry of Defense conducted an airstrike against Wagner bases, killing 2,000 of his fighters. Prigozhin accused the Russian military, acting on the orders of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, of shelling his troops positions in Ukraine. "The Minister of Defense arrived specially in Rostov to carry out an operation to destroy the Wagner PMC (private military company)," he wrote on his Telegram social media channel. An unverified video posted on the "Razgruzka Wagner" (Wagner's Combat Vest) Telegram channel showed a scene in a forest where small fires were burning and trees appeared to have been damaged by explosions. Prigozhin said the Wagner Group commanders' council has vowed to punish Shoigu. "The evil that the military leadership of the country is responsible for must be stopped. They neglect the lives of soldiers, they forgot the word justice, which we will bring back," he said. "Therefore, those who killed our guys today, those who killed tens, many tens of thousands of lives of Russian soldiers, will be punished," he said, announcing that his forces would begin a march to secure justice for the lost fighters. Early Saturday, according to audio posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said he and his men had crossed into Russia. "Everyone who will try to put up resistance ... we will consider it a threat and destroy it immediately, including any checkpoints that will be in our way and any aircraft that we see over our heads. I am asking everyone to remain calm and not succumb to provocations, stay in their homes. It is advisable not to go outside along the route of our movement," he continued. "After we finish what we started, we will return to the front to defend our Motherland," Prigozhin said. "There are 25,000 of us, and we are going to figure out why this country is in such a mess. Twenty-five thousand are expected as a tactical reserve, and the strategic reserve is the whole army and the whole country. Everyone who wants to join. We must end this disgrace," he said. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected Prigozhins claim, and the NAC said it has opened a criminal inquiry into Prigozhin on charges of calling for a military coup. According to Russian state news agency TASS, the FSB is calling on Wagner fighters not to follow Prigozhins criminal orders and to detain him. Military vehicles have been seen on Moscow streets, Reuters reported. In Washington, the White House said it is monitoring the situation and consulting with allies, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said Friday. The Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the developments and "necessary measures are being taken." Earlier Friday, Prigozhin said the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months openly accused Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of gross incompetence. "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO," Prigozhin said in a video clip released on the Telegram messaging app by his press service. He went on to accuse Shoigu: "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," he added. The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine. The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraines Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Latest Developments: Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner mercenary group, told his fighters on Saturday to stop their advance toward Moscow and return to their field camps in Ukraine. Prigozhin said he wanted to avoid shedding Russian blood. EU officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraines war effort and reconstruction. The European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, The Financial Times reported. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. The statement also said they are calling for respect for international law, principles of the U.N. charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty. Three people were killed and eight injured during a Russian missile attack on Kyiv Saturday, local officials said. It was Russias eighth attack on the Ukrainian capital in June, said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. He added that falling debris from a Russian missile attack in Kyiv resulted in a fire on several floors of a 24-story building. He also said that air defenses had shot down more than 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv. Officials in Ukraine said Russia launched missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities Saturday, causing damage to buildings and casualties. Meanwhile, 11 people, including three children, were injured in a missile attack on the city of Dnipro that destroyed four homes, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Seven of them are hospitalized, officials said. In Kharkiv, a city of more than 1 million people just south of the Russian border, a fire was started when a gas line was hit, Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. Terekhov said three missiles were fired at the city. Explosions were also reported in Kremenchuk, RFE/RL reported. Russian military losses The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported Saturday that Russia has lost 223,910 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, with an estimated 580 casualties Friday, The Kyiv Independent reported. According to the report, Russia has also lost 4,024 tanks, 7,804 armored fighting vehicles, 6,731 vehicles and fuel tanks, 4,015 artillery systems, 619 multiple launch rocket systems, 383 air defense systems, 314 airplanes, 308 helicopters, 3,460 drones, and 18 boats. Reacting to Russias political turmoil since Wagners revolt Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in a tweet Saturday that Russia's weakness is obvious. The longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. We keep our resilience, unity and strength, he said. The White House on Saturday released a statement, saying President Joe Biden spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia and also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, the statement said. Ukraine counteroffensive Three Ukrainian senior officials signaled Friday that the main part of the counteroffensive has not yet begun. "Offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Formation operations are underway to set up the battlefield," presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show, he said. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn." Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said the "main events" of the counteroffensive were "ahead of us." "And the main blow is still to come. Indeed, some of the reserves these are staged things will be activated later," Maliar told Ukrainian television. General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavria front, said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armored personnel carriers. A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south one of two main theaters of operations, along with eastern Ukraine. While Ukraine officials boast retaking eight villages so far, Zelenskyy said this week that gains had been "slower than desired." Moscow claims the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure, saying Kyiv's forces have suffered heavy losses. Ukraine says Russia has lost many soldiers in heavy fighting since the counterattack began. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the situation on the battlefield but has reached two of the villages recaptured by Kyiv. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. The Scottish National Party (SNP) will fight the next general election in the United Kingdom with independence "front and center" of its campaign, First Minister Humza Yousaf said on Saturday. Addressing a conference of Scotland's governing party in the city of Dundee, Yousaf vowed he would seek fresh negotiations with the U.K. government about independence if the SNP wins the most Scottish seats in the election expected next year. "Let me be clear, if the SNP does win this election, then the people will have spoken," he said. "We will seek negotiations with the U.K. government on how we give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent nation." Yousaf's remarks come as public support wanes for the SNP after the arrest of its former leader and first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the key figurehead of the independence movement in recent years. The Dundee meeting is the first in-person conference since Yousaf, 38, replaced her in March, and the party started to see a drastic slide in its popularity. Sturgeon, who came to power after the last -- failed -- 2014 referendum on Scotland breaking away from the U.K., unexpectedly announced her resignation in February, saying she lacked the "energy" to carry on. She was arrested and interviewed by police earlier this month over claims of mismanagement of SNP finances, weeks after her husband, the party's former chief executive, had also been detained. Both have denied any impropriety and have been released without charge. The SNP has been the dominant force in Scottish politics for nearly two decades. It currently has 64 members of the Scottish parliament (MSPs), out of a total of 129 -- and governs in a coalition with the pro-independence Greens. Meanwhile, it currently represents 48 of Scotland's 59 constituencies in the U.K. parliament in London. But in the wake of the funding scandal, polls show sharp drops in support for the party. A recent YouGov survey suggested it would hemorrhage seats if a general election were held now, losing nearly half its seats. Labour -- which wants Scotland to remain part of the U.K. with along England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- would gain 23 seats there to bring their tally north of the English border up to 24. The Scottish Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, also pro-union parties, would each take four seats, according to the poll. Patrick English, an associate director at YouGov, said it confirmed that the recent bad news stories have hit SNP support. "Not since 2010 have either the Scottish Nationalists failed to win more than 30 seats at a general election contest, or Labour surpassed seven (in Scotland)," he noted. But support for independence has not been dented in the same way, complicating the picture. "The level of support for independence is still running at 48 percent... and Scotland continues to be divided almost down the middle," polling expert John Curtice told BBC radio on Saturday. The U.K. government has insisted the 2014 referendum settled the independence question for a generation. But Sturgeon reinvigorated the issue after the Brexit vote two years later, when most Scots opted to remain in the European Union, while a majority across the U.K. voted to leave. She pushed successive U.K. prime ministers to allow another independence vote, and after repeated refusals took the issue to the U.K. Supreme Court. In November 2022, judges at the country's top court blocked the Scottish government's attempt to hold another plebiscite, ruling that the power to do so was a "reserved" matter for the U.K. government only. Sturgeon said the SNP-led government would look to use the next U.K. general election as a "de facto referendum" on separating after more than 300 years. Yousaf, who appears set to continue that tactic, avoided addressing the SNP's funding scandal in his speech, referring only to facing "a few challenges in the first 12 weeks" of his tenure. The hajj pilgrimage has given Sudanese citizen Kamal Kabashi a brief respite from his country's bloody conflict. Having safely arrived in Islam's holiest city, he was praying for peace. Only weeks ago his home in North Darfur state, in Sudan's west, was hit by shelling, as a power struggle between rival generals spiraled into an all-out war. Kabashi, his wife and their five children were unharmed as they had relocated to a safer neighborhood of El Fasher, the state capital, days before. Now, after a perilous four-day journey by land and sea, Kabashi has joined more than one million worshippers on the annual pilgrimage to the Saudi holy city of Mecca. "I am very afraid for my family and children," said the 52-year-old government employee, dressed in the simple white robes worn by hajj pilgrims. "I raise my hands to God almighty and ask him to solve the problem of Sudan," he told AFP from Mecca's Grand Mosque, the world's largest. Fighting since mid-April between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has claimed more than 2,000 lives. It has largely been concentrated in greater Khartoum and in Darfur, a vast region on Sudan's western border with Chad. The conflict has plunged Sudan into chaos, with combatants occupying homes, looting property and committing other abuses. Artillery "shells fell inside my courtyard... severely damaging my house," Kabashi said. Travelers from around the world have been pouring into the modernized airport in Saudi Arabia's coastal city of Jeddah before hajj rituals begin on Sunday night. But pilgrims from Sudan are mostly arriving by boat because Khartoum's airport the country's main aviation hub has been out of service because of the deadly fighting. To make it to Mecca, Kabashi risked a more than two-day road trip to Port Sudan in the east. There he boarded a ship that took him across the Red Sea to Jeddah, a journey that lasted nearly two more days. Kabashi, who has performed hajj once before, was accompanied by his friend, Ahmed Jaber, who was making the pilgrimage for the first time. Jaber, a 62-year-old merchant, said he paid more than $4,300 in fees and had been preparing for months for the hajj one of the five pillars of Islam which must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. He thought his loved ones would be the main subject of his prayers, but "now I do not only pray for my family, I pray for all Sudanese," he said, fighting back tears. "We only dream of peace." The International Organization for Migration says almost 600,000 people have fled Sudan for neighboring countries and more than two million are displaced inside Sudan, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Those who have made it to Mecca walk in groups, their country's flag printed on their white robes. For math teacher Haram Ali, arriving in the holy city meant being able to relax for the first time in months. "I am mentally at ease and I pray for peace for all Sudanese so that they too can feel the same comfort," said the 49-year-old, calling her pilgrimage "a gift from God." "I have recovered from the fatigue of Sudan," she said, raising her hands to pray as tears streamed from her eyes. Standing nearby, Maha Abdullah, a 50-year-old housewife, said "the situation is difficult" back home. "It needs God's intervention to change things." British police said Saturday they had charged an Egyptian man accused of masterminding the smuggling of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Europe, following an international investigation. Officers from the U.K.'s National Crime Agency arrested Ahmed Ramadan Mohamad Eibd, 40, near his west London home on Wednesday, after a probe which also involved Italy's prosecutors, coast guard and financial crimes investigators. Eibd appeared in a west London magistrates' court early Saturday, where he was charged with facilitating illegal immigration. The court ordered he remain in custody until his next appearance at Southwark Crown Court in south London on July 24. He is suspected of masterminding, from his home in the U.K., the smuggling of thousands of people across the Mediterranean from Libya into Italy. The NCA alleges he worked with people-smuggling networks in north Africa to organize boats to bring over hundreds of migrants at a time and was maintaining communication with criminal associates during the crossings. Several of the journeys led to search and rescue operations by Italian authorities, the U.K. police agency noted, calling the boats used "death traps." "People smuggling is an international problem and tackling this at every step of the route is a priority for the NCA," Darren Barr, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said. "The type of boats organized crime groups use for crossings are death traps and sadly many people have died after incidents in the Mediterranean, which demonstrates the level of danger," he added. "We will continue to share intelligence and take action with partners to prevent crossings and arrest people smugglers here and overseas." Latest developments: Russia accused mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin of mutiny after the Wagner chief vowed to punish military brass whom he accused of killing 2,000 of his fighters. During the standoff between Prigozhin and the military top brass, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him, calling on his fighters to ignore his orders and arrest him, the Tass news agency reported. European Union officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, the Financial Times reported. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. The statement also said they were calling for respect for international law, principles of the U.N. charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty. Officials in Ukraine say Russia launched missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities Saturday, causing damage to buildings and casualties. Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, said falling debris from a Russian missile attack in Kyiv resulted in fire on several floors of a 24-story building. He added that air defenses had shot down more than 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv. The cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro also came under missile attacks. Three Ukrainian senior officials signaled Friday that the main part of the counteroffensive against the Russian invasion had not yet begun. "Offensive operations of the armed forces of Ukraine continue in a number of areas. Formation operations are underway to set up the battlefield," presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "The counteroffensive is not a new season of a Netflix show. There is no need to expect action and buy popcorn." Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar told Ukrainian television that the "main events" of the counteroffensive were "ahead of us." "And the main blow is still to come. Indeed, some of the reserves these are staged things will be activated later." General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavria front, said Russian forces had lost hundreds of men and 51 military vehicles in the past 24 hours, including three tanks and 14 armored personnel carriers. A top Ukrainian general reported "tangible successes" in advances in the south one of two main theaters of operations, along with eastern Ukraine. While Ukraine officials boast retaking eight villages so far, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that gains had been "slower than desired." Moscow contends the Ukrainian counteroffensive is a failure, saying Kyiv's forces have suffered heavy losses. Ukraine says Russia has lost many soldiers in heavy fighting since the counterattack began. Reuters said it had not been able to independently verify the situation on the battlefield but had reached two of the villages recaptured by Kyiv. Ukraine financial support In his nightly video address on Friday, Zelenskyy hailed the London Ukraine Recovery Conference for its support of Ukraine. He thanked the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union for long-term support programs. He said that about 500 international companies were interested in investing in the country. Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine had received clear support for Ukraine's EU membership: We are already perceived as an EU member politically. Separately, we are working on the mechanism for the confiscation of the assets of the terrorist state and its associated persons. European Union foreign ministers will approve a boost of $3.81 billion to a military aid fund used to bankroll weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, officials said Friday. Ukraines financial results have improved this year, with budget revenues increasing by 45% in May compared with the same period a year ago, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said Friday. "In 2023, we have much better financial results than a year ago. Thanks to strong financial support and comprehensive measures implemented by the government, we ensure a balanced budget and financing of critical expenditures, primarily in the social sphere," Marchenko said in a statement. Government shake-up Earlier, Zelenskyy said officials responsible for unfit bomb shelters in Ukraine would be punished. In a Telegram video post Friday, Zelenskyy said there would be personnel changes after an inquest revealed that a quarter of the bomb shelters in the country, a third of them in Kyiv, were unfit for use. Three people were locked out on a street in Kyiv and killed during an air raid, which prompted a public outcry. Prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's Municipal Department for Security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted some responsibility but said others were also to blame, especially appointees of the president. Additionally, Zelenskyy ordered the creation of a special commission Friday headed by General Oleksandr Pavlyuk to audit the heads of military draft offices across the country. He said Ukraines top security chiefs and top government officials discussed how to implement judicial and anti-corruption reforms that are a prerequisite to Ukraines accession into the European Union. Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper to own property and cars worth millions in Spain. He also said on Telegram that he'd ordered creation of a commission that with law enforcement units and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention would "check all the heads of military draft offices in all regions of Ukraine so that they do not disgrace our state and the memory of heroes who die at the front." Zaporizhzhia nuclear risk Zelenskyy said Thursday that he believed Russia might be preparing for an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, involving a release of radiation. On Friday, Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure Ukraine does not shell the nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting in Kaliningrad with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who visited the plant last week. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, while international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Latest Developments: Wagners mutiny against Russian military leadership and the subsequent negotiations between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin for the de-escalation of the revolt, has exposed fresh "cracks" in the strength of the Kremlins leadership that may take weeks or months to play out, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday. "I don't think we've seen the final act," Blinken said on ABC News, in one of a series of interviews after the aborted mutiny by forces led by Prigozhin. Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal negotiated by Lukashenko, ending Wagners armed mutiny against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin said Saturday. China supports Russia in maintaining Russias national stability, said the Chinese foreign ministry in a statement Sunday, after Wagners aborted rebellion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday discussed in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden the current battlefield situation in Ukraine. Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine, including through continued security, economic and humanitarian aid, according to a White House statement released Sunday . The leaders also discussed recent events in Russia, the statement said. "Yesterday's events exposed the weakness of Putin's regime," Zelenskyy said during his phone call with Biden. The Ukrainian president said the world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored. The two discussed ways to implement the Ukrainian Peace Formula and their positions on the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. US, Ukrainian reaction to Russia turmoil The unprecedented challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin by fighters from the Wagner paramilitary forces has exposed fresh "cracks" in the strength of Putins leadership that may take weeks or months to play out, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in a TV interview on the NBC program Meet the Press. Blinken characterized Wagner Groups mutiny and its subsequent crisis as a Russian internal matter. He added, This is a challenge coming from within to Putin, and thats where his focus has been. Our focus is resolutely and relentlessly on Ukraine making sure that it has what it needs to defend itself and to take back territory that Russia has seized. Blinken said that although it is too soon to tell what Russias internal turmoil meant, Putins distraction is to the advantage of Ukraine. He also said that at the end of the day, the reason Ukraine will prevail is that this is about their land, this is about their future, this is about their freedom, not Russias. Zelenskyy also held a phone conversation on Sunday with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with the two leaders discussing the security situation in Russia. "Volodymyr, Canada is committed to standing with Ukraine and providing Ukrainians with the support they need," Trudeau wrote on Twitter. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said he discussed the turmoil in Russia in a phone call with his U.S. counterpart Sunday, describing the Russian authorities as "weak" and saying things were "moving in the right direction." In a brief readout of the call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reznikov said they also discussed Ukraines counteroffensive and steps to strengthen Ukraines armed forces. "We agree that the Russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the Kremlin," Reznikov wrote on Twitter. Kyiv death toll The death toll from an attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Saturday has risen to five, according to the citys mayor, Vitali Klitschko. Rescuers discovered two more bodies under the rubble of a 24-story apartment block in the citys Solomyanski district, Klitschko said in a post on the messaging app Telegram on Sunday. It was Russias eighth attack on the Ukrainian capital in June, said Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. He added that falling debris from a Russian missile attack in Kyiv resulted in a fire on several floors of a 24-story building. He also said that air defenses had shot down more than 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Here's a summary of Uyghur-related news around the world from the past week: Fast Retailing, Inditex and Skechers Face Lawsuit Over Xinjiang Human Rights Abuses Apparel firm Uniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing, along with Zara-owner Inditex and Skechers are facing a lawsuit filed by the European Uyghur Institute in Paris, accusing them of human rights abuses in Chinas Xinjiang region. The institute alleges the companies are involved in surveillance and camp construction and benefiting from forced labor. The lawsuit follows the dropping of a previous inquiry by French authorities. Evidence, including video recordings, supports the allegations. The European Uyghur Institute criticizes the dropped charges as self-censorship. The companies assert their commitment to preventing forced labor. The institute aims to convince the European Parliament to take a tougher stance on goods made with forced labor, citing the success of the U.S.' Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. China's Security Chief Urges Using Law to Tackle Terrorism in Xinjiang Chen Wenqing, the head of China's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, advocates the use of legal frameworks to address "terrorism and extremism" in Xinjiang. During his visit to the region, Chen underscores the importance of "scientific" legislation and the normalization of counterterrorism initiatives. Despite global scrutiny, Beijing asserts that security measures in Xinjiang are crucial to preventing terrorist activities. The human rights situation in Xinjiang continues to be a significant topic in diplomatic engagements involving China. Uyghur Brothers Detained in India for a Decade Seek Asylum in Canada to Avoid Deportation to China Three Uyghur brothers who escaped from China's Xinjiang Uyghur region have been detained in India for 10 years and are now, through their lawyers help, seeking asylum in Canada to avoid deportation to China. Despite being detained since 2013 and held in various Kashmir detention centers, the brothers hope to be released through a petition to the Supreme Court of India and get a chance to seek political asylum. The case sheds light on India's disparate treatment of Uyghur and Tibetan refugees, raising concerns about potential religious and discriminatory factors. Canada's commitment to resettling 10,000 Uyghur refugees provides a glimmer of hope for the brothers' asylum bid. Doubts Surround Volkswagen's Xinjiang Plant Audit Amid Forced Labor Concerns Investors question the upcoming audit of Volkswagen's Xinjiang plant and its ability to address forced-labor risks. Concerns over human rights abuses prompted the call for an audit, but details such as scope, auditing firm, and result disclosure remain unknown. Challenges faced by due diligence firms in Xinjiang raise doubts about the audit's reliability. Meanwhile, a rights group has filed a legal case against Volkswagen, demanding more evidence on the company's monitoring of forced labor risks in its supply chain. Backlash as Palestinian President Supports China's Policies Toward Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang During a recent visit to Beijing, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expressed support for China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, which has sparked backlash and criticism. Abbas endorsed China's policies and dismissed human rights concerns in Xinjiang as Western concepts, drawing condemnation from politicians and rights activists. Turkish Nationalist Movement Party Chair Devlet Bahceli criticized Abbas's endorsement as unjust and disrespectful to Uyghur Turks, while Uyghur activists expressed concern over the absence of Palestinian organizations rejecting Abbas' stance. The Turkish embassy of Palestine denied that Abbas made any comments on the Uyghurs during his visit, while experts suggest that China's support for Palestinian territory serves its own strategic goals and aims to divert attention from its alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. News in brief "From Fear to Freedom: A Uyghur's Journey" is a documentary that chronicles the experiences of Kasim Kashgar, a Uyghur exile and a journalist at Voice of America, as he recounts the escalating surveillance and persecution faced by the Uyghur community in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang region. The film follows Kashgar's escape to the United States and sheds light on the plight of the Uyghur people through interviews with experts, journalists and Kashgar himself. It portrays Kashgar's transformation from a life filled with fear and oppression under the Chinese government to a courageous individual who bravely raises his voice against injustice. Quote of note "I think it's important for the president of the United States to say that if you have Uyghurs in China being placed in mass camps and re-educated, quote-unquote, that's a problem, and that's a challenge to all of us and we have to pay attention to it. Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaking with CNNs Christiane Amanpour. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish "traitors" from the Wagner mercenary group, after its leader swore he would topple Moscow's military leadership. Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, released a series of messages from late Friday into Saturday, claiming that he and his mercenary troops had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and taken control of its military sites. Here is what we know so far: What sparked the rebellion? For months, Prigozhin has been locked in a power struggle with the military top brass, blaming them for his troops' deaths in eastern Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused them of failing to equip his private army adequately, of holding up progress with bureaucracy, while claiming victories won by Wagner as their own. On Friday, Prigozhin's anger appeared to boil over, as he accused Moscow's military leadership of ordering strikes on Wagner's camps and killing a large number of forces. He said they had to be stopped and vowed to "go to the end." He later claimed his forces had downed a Russian military helicopter. Hours later, the leader of the mercenary group said he had military sites in southern Russia's Rostov-on-Don "under control." How is Moscow reacting? The Kremlin had said overnight that "measures are being taken" against the mutiny. Russia has tightened security in Moscow and several regions such as Rostov and Lipetsk. Putin has called the Wagner mutiny a "deadly threat" to Russia and urged the country to unite. Branding the action by Wagner mercenaries as "treason", he vowed "inevitable punishment." Who are the Wagner troops? The private army had been involved in conflicts in the Middle East and Africa but always denied involvement. Prigozhin last year admitted he had founded the group, recruiting the soldiers from Russian prisons in exchange for amnesty. In eastern Ukraine, the mercenary unit has been spearheading Russia's costly battles. It had been at the forefront of the months-long assault for Bakhmut, capturing the site for Russia, but at huge losses. How this affects Russia's war The rebellion marks the most serious challenge yet to Putin's long rule and Russia's most serious security crisis since he came to power in late 1999. It would divert attention and resources away from the battlefields in Ukraine, at a time when Kyiv is in the midst of a counteroffensive to seize back territory. Ukraine's army has said it was "watching" the infighting between Prigozhin and Putin. Moscow meanwhile has warned that Kyiv's army was seizing the moment to concentrate its troops "for offensive actions" near Bakhmut. The significance of the mutiny was also not lost on world leaders, with leaders of the United States, France and Germany all saying that they are watching developments closely. Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. World Refugee Day The Inside Story This week on The Inside Story, World Refugee Day, we explore the complicated processes refugees face around the world and hear inspiring stories from refugees seeking asylum from countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan. Refugee or Asylum-Seeker in the US: What's the Difference? World Refugee Day, celebrated around the world every June 20, serves as a day to pay tribute to people who have been compelled to flee their homes. Those who leave their countries seeking safety are known as refugees or asylum-seekers. While the terms are often used interchangeably, in the United States there are significant differences under immigration law when pursuing these statuses. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story. Supreme Court Allows Biden Policy to Take Effect Focusing Deportations on Public Safety Risks The Supreme Court said Friday it will no longer stand in the way of a long-blocked Biden administration policy to prioritize the deportation of immigrants who are deemed to pose the greatest public safety risk or were picked up at the border. The Associated Press reports. Former Somali Refugee Turns Reclaimed Life Jackets Into Fashion One former refugee turned entrepreneur has sought to turn the refugees' stories into something inspiring that empowers others who have fled their homes. Mohamed Malim, 27, is the director of the fashion apparel brand Epimonia, a small Minnesota-based company that he founded in 2018. Story by Mohamed Olad Hassan. US Supreme Court Upholds Law Against Encouraging Illegal Immigration A federal law that makes it a crime for a person to encourage illegal immigration does not violate constitutional free speech protections, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday in upholding the decades-old measure defended by President Joe Biden's administration. Reuters reports. Immigration around the world VOA60 Africa - Amnesty International Accuses Spain, Morocco of Covering Up Racist Border Practices Amnesty International on Friday accused Spain and Morocco of a cover-up for failing to properly investigate events at the border of the Spanish enclave of Melilla last year, when tens of migrants and refugees died during a mass attempted crossing. Disabled Syrian Refugee Dreams of Paralympics Glory Some of the Syrian refugees taken in by Spain have accomplished big things, including Adnan Almousa Alfermli. His eyes are set on winning a gold medal at the Paralympics. Miguel Amaya narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona. Camera: Alfonso Beato. External Pressures Increasing Suicide Risk at Refugee Settlement in Uganda Palorinya refugee settlement in Uganda is reporting high numbers of suicides and suicide attempts by the people who live there. Organizations and individuals who work with the refugees say denial of food and a failure to meet basic needs are the main causes. Halima Athumani reports from Obongi District, Uganda. Camera: Francis Mukasa Frustration Growing Among Young Palestinians at Refugee Camps The U.N. classifies more than 900,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank as refugees, meaning they or more often their parents or grandparents were displaced from their homes in what became the State of Israel in 1948. About a quarter of them live in refugee camps that are crowded and poor and have frequently been the scene of clashes with Israeli soldiers. VOA visited the Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank and filed this report. Camera: Ricki Rosen Escaping Conflict, Ukraines Refugee Women Go It Alone The U.N. says that among 8 million refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine, 90% are women and children. With martial law prohibiting most men from leaving the country, many of Ukraines women who go abroad have no choice but to take care of their families alone. As part of VOA World Refugee Day coverage, Warsaw reporter Lesia Bakalets heard from some of the women who have taken refuge in Poland. VOA footage by Daniil Batushchak. Refugees in Kenya Pursue Entrepreneurship Amid UNHCR Funding Shortfall More than a half-million refugees in Kenya will not receive assistance from the U.N. refugee agency because of a lack of funding. Amid the tough conditions, a refugee-led organization in Nairobi Youth Voices Community is helping thousands of refugees through education in business and learning new skills to earn a living. Mohammed Yusuf reports. News in brief The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that he applauded the Supreme Courts ruling on immigration enforcement. DHS looks forward to reinstituting these Guidelines, which had been effectively applied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to focus limited resources and enforcement actions on those who pose a threat to our national security, public safety, and border security. The Guidelines enable DHS to most effectively accomplish its law enforcement mission with the authorities and resources provided by Congress." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted Saturday to the situation in Russia, where the mercenary Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, seized control of the Russian military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Zelenskyy said in a Twitter post, For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a message to the international community, urging it to abandon what he called false neutrality concerning Russia and supply Ukraine with the weaponry it needs to defend itself against the Russian incursion. The White House said it is monitoring the standoff between top Russian military officials and the Wagner force and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge told VOA Friday. The British Defense Ministry said Saturday the loyalty of Russias security forces and especially the Russian National Guard will be key factors in how the extraordinary events playing out in Russia will eventually unfold. In France, President Emmanuel Macrons office said the president is focused on support to Ukraine. Germany's foreign ministry has advised travelers to avoid Rostov and Moscow until further notice. We are monitoring the situation, Hodge told NBC News, and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. Foreign leaders from Central and Eastern Europe countries reacted in social media on Saturday (June 24) to the news from Russia. In Poland, President Andrzej Duda held consultations with the prime minister and defense ministry about the situation in Russia. Duda said in a tweet Warsaw was monitoring the situation. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in a tweet his government has strengthen border security and urged citizens not to travel to any part of neighboring Russia. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said his government is following the situation in Russia closely. In a tweet he added, "I see my summer holiday in Crimea is getting closer." In the Middle East, Qatar expressed concern over the crisis in Russia. A statement from the foreign ministry called for maximum restraint from all parties, warning that escalation in Russia and Ukraine will negatively impact international peace and security. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. LUSAKA, ZAMBIA Zambia said it reached a long-awaited deal to restructure $6.3 billion of its debt, including its loans from China, its largest private creditor. Zambia was the first African country to default on its debt during the coronavirus pandemic and analysts say the deal paves the way for developing countries in debt distress. Zambian lawmakers Friday hailed the deal. They were in a jovial mood as they sang the national anthem during a parliamentary session, setting aside their political affiliation to celebrate the agreement. National Assembly Speaker Nelly Mutti congratulated lawmakers in parliament for singing the national anthem with vigor and strength. She joked that even the leader of the opposition joined in the jubilation. SEE ALSO: Zambians across the country, including online, joined in the celebration. Zambia Defense Minister Ambrose Lufuma welcomed the debt restructuring deal when he addressed lawmakers in parliament Friday and congratulated President Hakainde Hichilema. It is a done deal, Lufuma said. We have fortunately a visionary leader, a leader of commitment, a leader of love, who went through a lot of hardships. Hichilema said on Twitter Thursday that the deal is a major milestone in the countrys journey toward economic recovery and growth. In a statement released in Lusaka Thursday, Secretary to the Treasury Felix Nkulukusa said under the agreement, the official creditors will provide a debt restructuring plan on Zambias debt-carrying capacity at the end of the fund-supported program. Nkulukusa said the terms of the agreement will be described and formalized in a memorandum of understanding between Zambia and its official creditors. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, in a statement Thursday, congratulated Zambia on the deal. Having successfully restructured its debt means Zambia will be able to receive another $188 million tranche of money from the IMF. Trevor Simumba, a senior economist with the Economic Association of Zambia, told VOA Friday that the agreement is a game changer for Zambia. Simumba said now the hard work starts to get the $6.8 billion that is still outstanding with private creditors. It signifies a significant step. It signifies that the international community is 100% behind Zambia, and I think its very good news for Zambia, Simumba said. What is important now is to understand that theres going to be a lot of work now that has to go into the nitty gritty of the deal. The Ministry of Finance says Zambia owes China more than $6 billion, while other bond holders are owed $3.5 billion. Government data indicates Zambias total external debt as of the end of 2022 is estimated at $18.6 billion. Latest developments: EU officials are backing the idea that proceeds from more than $230 billion in frozen Russian assets should finance Ukraines war effort and reconstruction. But the European Central Bank cautioned the European Commission against the move because it could harm the euro and hurt financial stability, Financial Times reports. A joint statement issued by U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both leaders have expressed their deep concern over the conflict in Ukraine and mourned its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. The statement also said they are calling for respect for international law, principles of the UN charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty. President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is heading to Denmark this weekend to to discuss basic principles of peace," in Ukraine, a U.S. official said Friday. Some of the participating countries have refused to condemn Russias invasion. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday the Kremlin's reasoning for invading Ukraine is based on lies fabricated by the army's top brass. Prigozhin has for months been openly accusing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of gross incompetence. In a video clip released on the Telegram messaging app by his press service, Prigozhin said, "The Defense Ministry is trying to deceive society and the president and tell us a story about how there was crazy aggression from Ukraine and that they were planning to attack us with the whole of NATO." He went on to accuse Shoigu: the war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal, he added. The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine. The Wagner chief also attacked the ruling elite, saying greed fueled its desire to absorb the assets from Ukraines Donbas region. "The task was to divide material assets [in Ukraine]," he said. "There was massive theft in the Donbas, but they wanted more." Ukraine government shakeup Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said officials responsible for unfit bomb shelters in Ukraine would be punished. In a Telegram video post Friday, Zelenskyy said there would be personnel changes after an inquest revealed that a quarter of the bomb shelters in the country, a third of them in Kyiv, are unfit for use. Three people were locked out on the street in Kyiv and killed during an air raid, which prompted a public outcry. Prosecutors put the head of Kyiv's Municipal Department for Security under house arrest following an audit of air raid shelters. After the bomb shelter incident, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko admitted some responsibility but said others were also to blame, especially appointees of the president. Additionally, Zelenskyy on Friday ordered the creation of a special commission headed by General Oleksandr Pavliuk to audit the heads of military draft offices across the country. He said Ukraines top security chiefs and top government officials discussed how to implement judicial and anti-corruption reforms that are a prerequisite to Ukraines accession into the European Union. Zelenskyy said he had ordered the urgent dismissal of the head of a draft office whose family was reported by the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet to own property and cars worth millions in Spain. "I gave an urgent order to create a commission ... and together with law enforcement units and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention to check all the heads of military draft offices in all regions of Ukraine so that they do not disgrace our state and the memory of heroes who die at the front," Zelenskyy said on Telegram. In his statement, he said he also discussed the situation on the front lines, weapons supplies and the pace of production of Ukrainian defense companies. Zaporizhzhia accusations Zelenskyy said Thursday he believes Russia may be preparing for an attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, involving a release of radiation. On Friday Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure Ukraine does not shell the nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. FILE - A general view of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting in Kaliningrad with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who visited the plant last week. The IAEA said this week the power plant was "grappling with ... water-related challenges" after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam emptied the vast reservoir. It also said the military situation in the area had become increasingly tense as Kyiv launched a counteroffensive against the Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, while international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around it have so far failed. Ukrainian counteroffensive Overall, the counteroffensive appears to be slow-moving. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine's army had advanced 7 kilometers and had retaken territory that included eight villages during the past two weeks. "As the president of Ukraine said yesterday, the counteroffensive is not a Hollywood movie. It's not an easy walk," Shmyhal told reporters at a Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. "The counteroffensive is a number of military operations, he said. Sometimes it's offensive, sometimes it's defensive. Sometimes it could be tactical pauses. Unfortunately, during our preparation for this counteroffensive, Russians were preparing, too. So, there are so many minefields, which really make it slower." Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. By Nyasha Chingono HARARE, June 23 (Reuters) - Eleven candidates will run for the Zimbabwean presidency in an August election, the electoral commission has said, after several hopefuls were disqualified for failing to raise the $20,000 needed to appear on the ballot. The election is expected to pit Incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, of the ZANU-PF party, against pastor and lawyer Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who is seen as the strongest challenger. The commission said late on Thursday that 11 hopeful candidates had been disqualified from the Aug. 23 election, several of whom, including Linda Masarira, failed to pay the $20,000 to secure a slot on the ballot by Wednesday, dashing hopes of a female candidate for the top office. "I have been clear that the $20,000 is exorbitant, it is discriminatory in nature and violates the section that speaks to non-discrimination in the eyes of the law," Masarira said. Zimbabwe will vote for a new president and parliament on Aug. 23. While Mnangagwa and Chamisa remain top contenders to revive the southern African country's waning economic fortunes, an independent candidate for president has emerged in recent weeks. Self-exiled Saviour Kasukuwere, a former minister in Robert Mugabe's cabinet, will run as an independent candidate, who political analysts say is expected to attract votes in ZANU-PF strongholds. Kasukuwere, who fled the country during a coup that deposed Mugabe, has harboured presidential ambitions before. Mnangagwa, 80, is seeking another term amid an economic collapse, with the Zimbabwe dollar plunging more than 50% this month against the U.S. dollar. Mnangagwa hailed the democratic process as he filed his nomination at the High Court on Wednesday. "Countrywide the process is going very well and it shows that Zimbabwe is now a mature democracy. This process is so peaceful and that is what we want," he said. Chamisa, who narrowly lost the last election in 2018, has said his party is poised to take over government this time. (Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Bhargav Acharya) Every time we ask for lesbian media, we either get The Handmaiden or First Kill. Ethan Coen and Tricia Cookes upcoming lesbian road-trip comedy Drive-Away Dolls wants to make something in the middle of this extreme spectrum a more centrist lesbian work, lets say. Over the past 20 years, weve been writing this lesbian B-movie trilogy, co-writer Cooke said in an interview with Collider. Not really a trilogy, but the idea was to write three queer B-movies that I always thought would just kind of sit in the drawer and our kids would look at one day when they were old and get some laughs And we have another one written. In the new trailer, we see, or rather hear, Margaret Qualley bemoan her recent breakup with one of the most disturbing southern accents I have ever laid my ears on, and later embark on a cross-country road trip with her bestie, the poindexter played by Geraldine Viswanathan. Theres no way Qualley can lick her wounds, though. Somehow, they end up with a stolen briefcase that a couple of dim criminals lost. These guys are portrayed by Matt Damon, Colman Domingo, and Pedro Pascal. Beanie Feldstein is the cop in the middle of them, together with Bill Camp and Joey Slotnick. Drive-Away Dolls, perhaps the first in the lesbian B-movie series, parks in theaters September 22. Jeremy Allen White as Carmy. Photo: Chuck Hodes/FX Planning to devour FXs new serving of The Bear this weekend? The owner of the real-life restaurant that inspired the show cant relate. Chris Zucchero, who owns Chicagos Italian beef shop Mr. Beef, told Variety that he hasnt even seen the first season. Its more embarrassment for me, he explained. I just feel weird. Food people are not the same as actors or musicians. You know what I mean? Thats the same reason why I dont really promote anything with The Bear. I dont want to be the guy thats like, Look at me. Im the fucking Bear guy. We guess thats Jeremy Allen Whites job. Zucchero, who made a cameo in the shows pilot as Carmys meat dealer, is a childhood friend of show creator Christopher Storer. All of the dining-room scenes in The Bears pilot were shot at Mr. Beef, and Zucchero said his restaurant was later replicated down to the stains on the wall in a studio set built for the show. But film crews still shot part of the second season outside and in the front of the real Mr. Beef, which has now become a photo op for fans. For his part, Zucchero displays only one promotional Bear poster way in the corner of his shop. I try to distance myself from it, because somebodys got to wake up the next day and make beef, he said. I try to just keep everything and myself the same. Its what Ive known my whole life. The only thing Ive ever known in my life is that restaurant. So would Zucchero ever try to turn his restaurant into the kind of Michelin-starred, upscale establishment that Ayo Edebiris Sydney dreams of? Abso-fucking-lutely not, he said. Heard, chef. Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images Our delightful little British bear is expanding his inner circle. Variety reports that Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer are all in talks to join Paddington for his next amusing adventure, Paddington in Peru, the third installment in the heartwarming series. The film follows the talking bears journey to the South American country to visit his sweet Aunt Lucy in the Home for Retired Bears. Though Paddington himself is rendered in CGI, all of the human actors will film on location in the U.K., Peru, and Colombia. In the upcoming film, the stuffed animal and his adoptive family set out on an unexpected trek through the Amazon Rainforest and the mountain peaks of Peru for reasons that are currently under wraps. Mortimer is set to take the place of Sally Hawkins, who previously played Mrs. Brown in the two previous films. Colman, on the other hand, will join the cast as a brand-new character: the bear retirement homes lead, guitar-playing nun. Banderas is reportedly set to portray a savvy riverboat captain who helps lead the rainforest journey. Rounding out the new additions is Zegler, who will play the captains daughter. Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin will also star in Dougal Wilsons directorial debut. Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont wrote the screenplay. Lets see if they can top that train-top battle from the last installment, a.k.a. Hugh Grants self-professed best film. FO: About $20,000. Fitz. And it could have been used on the Titan, as just one easy safety measure among many, but wasnt? FO: Yes. They went in a completely different direction. They proudly stated on their website that they chose to focus on hull strength as the whole basis for the safety of their submersible which is tragically ironic, given what appears to have happened. They had these gauges on the hull continuously measuring the strains on it as it changed depth, which they said were better than anything, and therefore we dont need anything else. Frank Owen with the Australian submarine rescue vehicle Remora, which was designed, built, certified and tested in 23 weeks. Fitz: Was that madness? FO: It was complete madness to ignore previous accidents and previous systems and all the knowledge that has been built up on how things can go wrong, and what needs to be done to limit those risks. Fitz: But if it is that obvious that having no safety systems beyond a strong hull was crazy, how did it escape them? FO: Because they started from the precepts that the classification and certification systems were too bureaucratic and stodgy and would take years to get through. Their approach was: Were innovative and cutting-edge, and we cant afford to wait, weve got to get on with this. And so well focus only on the strength of the hull, using carbon fibre and not steel or titanium. And by the way, when carbon fibre does collapse, it takes about 20 milliseconds. It just goes, instantly. Another design failing is that if you wanted to go to 4000 metres depth like this, youd design it to be able to go to 50 per cent more than that, so about 6000 metres. But this submersible was able to go to a depth of 4000 metres and was going to 3800 metres. Fitz: So your best estimate is that the submersible imploded in just 20 milliseconds? FO: Yes. From what we know now, it looks like started to delaminate and Fitz: Delaminate? FO: Peel back. The carbon fibre is made up of many layers bonded together. Under the pressure and the strain the outer layers likely started to lose structural integrity. Fitz: So all the alarms you mentioned would have started to beep? FO: Their alarms would have started to go off, and it seems they likely dropped their clump weights to start up to the surface, but it was too late. When it happened and it imploded, it would have been instantaneous. Fitz: Whats the explanation for the knocking sound that confused everyone? Loading FO: That is a complete mystery to me, and will likely be discussed for years to come. All the reports had regular knocking, not just the regular noise that the ocean is full of. But when you get regularity, that suggested it was man-made. Fitz: All right. All up you make it sound like a catch-as-catch-can affair. I mean, there was one report from someone who had been down on the Titan previously saying something that broke was fixed up with zip-ties. Are they cowboys? FO: Yes. The tourist submersible industry sprang out of the offshore oil and gas industry, and it isnt mandated to comply with any of these certification rules because ultimately, they are operating in international waters beyond the reach of much law. And the CEO of this company, who was in the submersible, said he had no interest in certification because that takes years and years, while they were innovative. He said he wouldnt employ 50-year-old white men because theyre not inspirational. Well, I can tell you that what we did building the Collins Class rescue system was completely innovative and never been done before. [The Australian submarine rescue vehicle Remora] was designed, built, certified and tested in 23 weeks. I think that was inspirational, and innovation is not limited by age. In fact, age actually helps you understand what can go wrong and how you can innovate to avoid it because youve got so many bent knees and bruised shins that you actually dont want to go through that again. Fitz: OK, this is delicate, but what are the ethics of this? There has been some criticism of the commercial enterprise of the Titan diving on a grave site. Will we see future commercial missions diving on the Titanic, then going over the 400 metres to see the Titans effective grave site too? The latter would certainly seem to me to be ghastly, ghoulish, horrible and unimaginable paying money to gaze at the aquatic graveyard of those who had died while paying money to look at another aquatic graveyard. How soon is too soon to look at such things? Loading FO: Its too soon to say. The biggest ethical problem is if you take action to interfere with either site. But beyond the Titans remains being a grave site, it is also a monument to folly and will act as a warning to all who might follow. It says: you are involved in a risky business here, and all the evidence points to the need to do things the proper way and not the way these cowboys did it. There is good reason to go through an oversight process, or review by others who have experience in this area. And while that might take time, haste can come at the terrible price now strewn on the ocean floor next to the Titanic. Fitz: Thank you for your time. Whatever the rights and wrongs, vale the dead. Quote Of The Week Twitter appears to have dropped the ball on tackling hate. Australias eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Tweet Of The Week We should call Australian crime dramas Yeah, noir. Dr Nathan Kilah, @ChemistryNathan Joke of the Week I met a fairy today who granted me one wish. Each morning, walking into court past a throng of journalists, Roberts-Smith had radiated confidence, his suit impeccably pressed, his chin held high. Whenever I caught Roberts-Smiths eye, he would coolly hold my gaze. If I cocked my eyebrow, he would do the same. This had made me wonder if he was enjoying the contest unfolding in courtroom 18D and if it would destroy his reputation or mine. As I rose to follow Levitan out of the court, every fibre in my body was telling me that it would be the latter. If Levitan was saying something bad had happened, it meant we were in deep trouble. At that very moment, Roberts-Smith was in the witness box, his deep and authoritative voice rebuffing question after question from our counsel, Nicholas Owens SC. Even I had to acknowledge his manner was both impressive and believable. I turned my head and Levitan indicated that I should follow him out of the courtroom. His face looked pale and as I noticed this, a surge of panic felt like it was twisting up my stomach. The whisperer was Dean Levitan, a 30-year-old media lawyer who, through a combination of timing and circumstance, had come to lead the small legal team representing me and journalist Chris Masters in what the press had dubbed the defamation trial of the century. War hero and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith v the two of us and our employer newspapers, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Nick. Come with me now. Something bad has happened. I felt a hand grip my shoulder and a voice whisper into my ear as I sat in the Federal Court. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Masters and I had both received threats of violence from veterans who didnt know Roberts-Smith but believed our reporting amounted to a treasonous attack on the Anzac legend itself. We had countered publicly that the concern about alleged war crimes wasnt a product of our imaginations, but of hundreds of conversations with Defence Force insiders, including men who had served on the ground with the SAS in Afghanistan. A public relations company geared to protect Roberts-Smith had easily drowned out this response, briefing reporters from conservative outlets all too willing to attack us. Brendan Nelson, the then Australian War Memorial director and ex-defence minister, went fiercely into bat for Roberts-Smith, as did billionaire businessman Kerry Stokes, the chairman of Seven West Media, where Roberts-Smith had landed a plum executive role after leaving the SAS in 2013. The decision to carefully publish stories throughout 2018 that, at first, didnt even name Roberts-Smith had led to Masters and me being pilloried by politicians and radio shock jocks. My decision in 2017 to investigate Roberts-Smith and rumoured allegations of war crimes had sent my anxiety into overdrive. When I had told my former editor that Masters and I were coming close to corroborating allegations of battlefield misconduct that we believed the public deserved to know about, hed responded: Do you really want to shoot Bambi? Three years on, I was glad I had. He was ferociously intelligent and intensely serious. Even more, Levitan had given up his life for the Roberts-Smith case, becoming as invested in it as Masters and I were. He also had a rare ability to stay calm when things went wrong. Unlike me. When Id first met Levitan in 2018, after we were first sued by Roberts-Smith, Id pushed back at the suggestion from his legal firm, MinterEllison, that a 27-year-old lawyer with a boyish face should play a key role in a case that was not only threatening to swallow up my career but also my mental health. Hes very, very good, Levitans boss had told me. Give him a chance. The news was grim. Our key witness, the man upon whom the fate of a large part of the trial would likely rise or fall, would not be coming to testify. Without this witness, a veteran named Jason Andrews*, we would have no chance of proving the war crime allegation at the centre of the case. I had reacted to this growing list of problems with despondency and countless exasperated calls to Levitan. He would respond with a calm assurance belying his age. Id come to appreciate Levitan in a more profound way. This junior lawyer, 10 years younger than me, had become a calming influence in a never-ending storm. But, at this moment, Levitan didnt look calm; he looked as panicked as I felt. Nick McKenzie (left) and Chris Masters, the journalists at the heart of the case. Both had received threats of violence from veterans who saw their reporting as a treasonous attack on the Anzac legend. Credit: AAP This wasnt all. Our brilliant senior counsel, Sandy Dawson, had been diagnosed with brain cancer on the eve of the trial, prompting a scramble to find a replacement in Owens, a barrister who, while equally brilliant, had never run a defamation case. My anxiety had reached fever-pitch by the start of the trial in mid-2021 and the realisation that, despite our best efforts and a defence that, on paper, was compelling, key SAS witnesses were refusing to cooperate. The young lawyer didnt reply and I followed him out of the room and back into the court, making sure I didnt catch the eyes of Roberts-Smiths parents or legal team. If they were watching me, they would surely see that something was terribly wrong. I sat back in my seat as everything in the courtroom the lawyers, the barristers, the government officials turned into a blur, a sea of eyes that needed avoiding. Roberts-Smith was also waging a covert war to silence those soldiers he feared knew the truth. He had sent them anonymous threats and briefed journalists against them. Now, it seemed like his campaign was working. But while they might have been willing, or in some cases compelled, to disclose this to authorities, the traumatic prospect of taking to the stand to testify against a brother soldier was hardly enticing. Roberts-Smiths decision to sue Masters and me was our fight, not theirs. I couldnt let him know I thought he was right, and that maybe the decision Id made four years earlier to start investigating him was one I should never have made. Andrews was one of several of our SAS witnesses who we were worried would resist taking to the witness box. This was understandable. They had bravely served their country in the best tradition of the Australian military, only to witness Roberts-Smith engage in atrocities. We had revealed this allegation in an article that detailed how Roberts-Smith had kicked a handcuffed civilian off a cliff in the southern Afghan village of Darwan on September 11, 2012, and then overseen his execution. The risk now looming in court was that Australians would, in time, be left with a singular, inescapable conclusion: Roberts-Smith had been stitched up by the media, a war hero unjustly tarnished. Whenever a story Id written that had already sparked legal threats and an editors intervention was about to hit newsstands and porches in Melbourne and Sydney, Id lie in bed, legs sweaty and restless, mind racing with the question: What have I got wrong? I slipped my shoes on and crept out of the house. It was still cold and dark, but I couldnt sleep. As I ran past Californian bungalows and 1950s red-brick houses towards a local creek, I was reviving an old tradition. I forced myself to look at him, but immediately looked down before his gaze could meet mine. Roberts-Smith sounded like a man sure he was winning. I couldnt let him know I thought he was right, and that maybe the decision Id made four years earlier to start investigating him was one I should never have made. Was I having a panic attack? I could feel sweat running down my back. I tried to write in my notebook, but couldnt think of any words to put down. All I could hear was Roberts-Smiths voice, calmly dismissing each question from our counsel. As if searching for a slip-up, Id log on to the newspapers online system at 2am and re-read my copy, cursing grammatical errors as I searched for anything seismically flawed. My copy would have already passed through three or more editors, but Id log in again at 3am and check. Just in case Id stuffed up. When I still couldnt doze off, Id put on my sneakers and a hoodie and run into the dark morning, a ghostlike figure pounding his worry out of existence. That morning, I headed out at 5am. My story about Roberts-Smith was short, fewer than 1000 words, carefully penned and even more carefully legalled. I had written about Roberts-Smiths first seminal battle and first major decoration, a Medal for Gallantry for what the official record described as courage, tenacity and sense of duty to his patrol. My story also detailed how Roberts-Smiths medal citation had not dealt with all the events of that historic day. The article described how Chris Masters had, while researching his book on the Afghan war, uncovered conflicting accounts from Roberts-Smiths own patrol team about the death of an Afghan teen. According to Roberts-Smith, jealousy was the reason for his colleagues misgivings over the teens death, the subsequent battle and his supposed bullying of a fellow soldier. He believed his comrades were bitter that he had won not just a Medal for Gallantry but also a Victoria Cross for an heroic action in 2010. The bullying is what they do to me, he had told Masters in a tense interview months earlier for No Front Line, the journalists book that was due to be released in late 2017. My copy would have already passed through three or more editors, but Id log in again at 3am and check. Just in case Id stuffed up. As I ran, the pre-dawn light illuminated my path. Warehouses to my left, the swollen creek to my right. I wondered why Roberts-Smith had reacted so defensively to my efforts to engage with him. Weeks earlier, Id sent him a LinkedIn message requesting a meeting or interview. My message was polite and respectful, but had also flagged the fact of the ongoing Brereton inquiry into rumours of unlawful conduct in Afghanistan. Id also written that it was clear that Roberts-Smith was a target for some complainants. Loading With Masters help, I had made contact with several Defence Force insiders, obtaining a complaint about Roberts-Smith signed by a small number of SAS patrol commanders. It detailed concerns from a 2012 mission about Roberts-Smiths bullying and attempt to cover up and blame a bungled mission on a junior trooper. My LinkedIn message was a genuine attempt to speak to Roberts-Smith, open to the possibility he was being unfairly criticised by his old comrades. But rather than a response, Id received a blistering email from a defamation lawyer, Mark OBrien, known for his aggressive tactics on behalf of his clients. Any hint in print that Roberts-Smith was under investigation for any alleged misconduct or breach of duty in Afghanistan will be a most despicable and indefensible defamation, OBrien had written. On behalf of his client, OBrien had not only threatened to sue me for defamation without further notice, but wrote that if Roberts-Smith learnt I had made false allegations while talking to people during my journalistic research, Id also be in legal trouble. The story that The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald had printed and was going out into the world as I ran along the creek, the sun rising, was titled, The fog of war and politics leads to controversy over Afghan war mission. With my editors breathing down my neck, and OBrien breathing down theirs, Id made no suggestion Roberts-Smith was implicated in war crimes, even though the truth seemed somewhat murkier. Masters and I had by now spent weeks hitting the phones. In whispered conversations with SAS insiders, including soldiers and support staff, the conduct of Roberts-Smiths patrol had come up again and again. It was evident that these opaque tales were eating away at some SAS members, fuelled by stories told in jumbled snippets at barbecues, pubs and, increasingly, during veterans debriefings with psychologists. None of our sources was a direct eyewitness to any execution, but many had expressed a genuine concern that Roberts-Smith, or those close to him, had crossed moral lines on the battlefield. As I began to run back towards home, my thoughts turned to the loudest whisper about Roberts-Smith. It involved a story about an Afghan prisoner who had been pushed, thrown or kicked from a great height in a village called Darwan in the badlands of southern Afghanistan in September 2012. I was deeply sceptical about this allegation. To me, it seemed too far-fetched, too ugly, too brutal, even for soldiers whod endured endless deployments to an endless war. At times, Masters and I felt like two men stuck in quarantine, too contagious to meet. But the story had stayed with me over the following months, as Masters and I tried to speak to members of Roberts-Smiths patrol teams. Our intent was clear. We wanted to find eyewitnesses to back up the allegations wed heard. Responses ranged from gruff hang-ups to polite no-comments. I know exactly what you are talking about, one soldier had stammered. I knew he was close to Roberts-Smith and I had, seconds before, explained I was investigating allegations of war crimes. But I cant talk to you. For hours we waited in hotel rooms, bars and coffee shops for a call back, only to hear nothing. At times, Masters and I felt like two men stuck in quarantine, too contagious to meet. But in time, calls began to be returned. A junior officer who had been deployed to Afghanistan on multiple occasions agreed to meet us at a Perth cafe overlooking the Indian Ocean. He arrived, covered in sweat, carrying two weights hed held tightly as hed run several kilometres to meet us. An exhibit in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, showing the village of Darwan. The X marked with B and an arrow is the cliff from which Ali Jan was kicked by Roberts-Smith. This officer appeared on edge as he described the mental state of a small number of soldiers who appeared to relish killing. Attack dogs and light switches that cant turn off, he called them. Those with truly dark interiors were in the minority, outnumbered by the honourable. But these few functioning psychopaths had embedded themselves in the regiment, forming cliques that operated like bikie gangs, black holes that had sucked in junior soldiers. When soldiers hinted at witnessing atrocities committed by their own, the officer had told them to alert the chain of command. But higher-ranking officers had taken a dont know, dont care attitude, fuelling a lack of oversight and accountability. Masters finally mentioned the elephant in the room. Roberts-Smith had come up in plenty of hushed conversations, the officer responded. The VC recipient was polarising loved and hated, a walking embodiment of entitlement and arrogance. Have you ever heard of a mission to a village called Darwan? I asked him. He nodded. He had heard something bad had been covered up. But he knew no more. One Afghanistan veteran spoke as his wife served us tea and biscuits. Another downed wine after wine. Different versions of our conversation with this officer were repeated over the next two days in meetings at bars and coffee shops. One Afghanistan veteran spoke as his wife served us tea and biscuits. Another downed wine after wine. The picture they painted was complicated. Many were proud of their own service and that of their mates, of missions conducted with bravery and honour. But as our week in Perth neared its end, the story firmed of what had taken place at Darwan in 2012. It wasnt yet corroborated, but there was a consistency to the accounts disclosed by SAS soldiers. Loading At the very last compound on a ridge in the village, shortly before the SAS was due to fly back to base, Roberts-Smiths patrol had been keeping watch over a small number of Afghan prisoners. One of the men had annoyed Roberts-Smith. Hed been taken to the edge of a small cliff above a dry creek bed and, without warning, kicked over the edge and, then, summarily executed. After this, Roberts-Smiths patrol had agreed to cover up the crime by claiming the prisoner was an insurgent with a radio. But the cover-up had been compromised. One patrolman in particular, wed been told, couldnt rid his mind of an image of the Afghan hurtling over the edge, his face meeting rock, teeth exploding from his mouth. The patrolman was Jason Andrews. Andrews was one of those who held the key to unlocking the secrets of Darwan, but he was also one of those who hadnt taken our repeated calls. Melbourne, May 2018 Ali Jan. His name is Ali Jan. I sat at my desk as Afghan journalist Rashid Ghulam spoke excitedly from his base in Kandahar in the south of the country. His wife is Bibi. His children are seven in number. He farmed the almonds, and was shepherd to the animals and picked the firewood. Are you sure? I asked. Are you sure thats him? Rashid responded fiercely, proudly. Of course I am sure. I am a journalist just like you. The villagers told me many times. Ali Jan is the one who was kicked. Ali Jan is the one who was killed. When Id asked Rashid if he could find locals from a tiny village visited by Australian forces almost six years before, the freelancer responded cautiously. The Talibans influence in southern Afghanistan was growing again and journalists were not welcome. Afghan villager Ali Jan was marched to a cliff edge with his hands tied behind his back. Credit: Matt Davidson From three or four metres away, Ben Roberts-Smith walked forward and kicked the man, catapulting him backwards. Credit: Matt Davidson By the time I called Rashid to see if hed made any progress, Masters and I had mapped out the key details of the mission to Darwan by talking to those from the SAS whod been on the ground that day, and other confidential sources. We confirmed the SAS had swept into the village on September 11, 2012, detaining dozens of men as soldiers searched for a rogue Afghan Army soldier who had a fortnight earlier murdered three Australian soldiers. If the days manhunt had started with promise, it was ending with failure, the SASs quarry long gone if he had ever been in Darwan at all. As helicopters thundered into the village to take the SAS back to their base in Tarin Kowt, dozens of Afghan detainees were crammed into a compound and issued a blunt warning by SAS soldiers. If you come outside before the helicopters are gone, youll be shot. The Afghans waited, some with their heads bowed, listening for the whir of rotor blades that would signal the end of their ordeal. Then a radio communication crackled into SAS earpieces, relaying a message from Roberts-Smith. The famous soldier was with his patrol at a compound cluster on the end of a steep ridge overlooking a dry creek bed, out of sight of most of the other soldiers: One spotter EKIA [enemy killed in action], he said over the radio. One of the SAS members on the ground, a respected and experienced operator, told us of feeling a distinct pang of suspicion. I thought to myself, Somethings not right. But if it wasnt an insurgent who was KIA, who was it? A short time after the mission, another SAS soldier had approached two senior regiment members separately with an answer. Chris Masters and I had confirmed this soldier was Jason Andrews, a member of Roberts-Smiths patrol team. Wed also confirmed that Andrews had later disclosed to other soldiers a scene hed witnessed that was playing on an endless loop in his head, haunting his dreams. It began with a handcuffed prisoner from a compound at the furthest end of the ridge being led to the edge of a small cliff. Id asked Rashid to seek more information on the ground in Afghanistan. I was searching for further corroboration and I wanted to put a name to the victim, to hear his story. After a few days, which Id spent pressing my hesitant bosses in Sydney and Melbourne to fly me to Afghanistan, Rashid called me from Kandahar. Hed contacted a network of tribal elders to locate villagers whod been at Darwan on September 11, 2012. The villagers described how Ali Jan, a farmer from a nearby village, had arrived in Darwan on September 10 to collect flour and firewood, and shoes for one of his children. The villagers who spoke directly to Rashid hadnt witnessed what had happened to Ali Jan, but they insisted others had. What were the chances that SAS soldiers had made up a story of a man being kicked off a cliff and that villagers on the other side of the world had conjured up the same tale? As Rashid continued, I felt a surge of adrenaline. I was hearing again what Id heard from soldiers in Australia. The Afghans had claimed Ali Jan had been kicked by a foreign soldier over a manda, a small cliff. Ali Jan had then been executed. What were the chances that SAS soldiers had made up a story of a man being kicked off a cliff and that villagers on the other side of the world had conjured up the same tale? Critically, Masters and I had confirmed that at least two men working with the SAS had witnessed Ali Jans last moments alive. Those who spoke to Rashid claimed to be among the villagers who had attended to Ali Jans body. They described how a young boy was dispatched to Ali Jans house, in a neighbouring village, with the grim news. Expecting her husband to return home to the hills with the goods and gossip from Darwan, Ali Jans wife Bibi Dhorko instead received word that he was dead. Then the screams started, Rashid said. Bibi Dhorko, Ali Jans wife, and his brother, Abdul Ahmad, who had to comfort her and her children after news of his death. Credit: Scott Morelli/60 Minutes Ali Jans brother, Abdul Ahmad, was among the villagers Rashid had spoken with. He had comforted Bibi and her children after the news arrived. His two elder daughters were screaming and running after their grandmother in a state of bewilderment, pleading to be told their father was alive, Ahmad recalled. Ali Jans mother was crying day and night for a week, he said. Ahmad told Rashid that Ali Jans death had left Bibi struggling to put food on the table. His family could no longer afford meat or to send the children to school. I asked Rashid for the ages of Ali Jans children. When he came to the youngest child, I felt a pang of doubt. Ali Jans youngest child was born after his death. I immediately challenged Rashid and he could tell by the tone in my voice that I was sceptical. I could also tell that he was offended. Of course I asked about this, Rashid said. When Ali Jan died, Bibi was pregnant. After death had come life. Three months after the man fitting the description of Roberts-Smith kicked Ali Jan off a cliff, Bibi gave birth to a baby girl. Ali Jans youngest daughter was now five. Afghanistan, April 2019 An armed guard outside the Kabul hotel patted the cameraman and me down, before opening a reinforced door and herding us into a small guarded antechamber. Once the door behind me was bolted shut, another door was opened and I walked into a large courtyard with terracotta walls lined with tired pot-plants. Ali Jans wife, three of their children and her brother-in-law were waiting, along with Rashid. Bibi Dhorko, 34, was wearing a bright-green shawl that covered her head and most of her face. Her two sons wore traditional Afghan shirts, each a different shade of green, while her daughter was dressed in a bright, colourful tunic. As I spoke, thanking them for making the journey from Oruzgan province, Rashid translated. The children stared at me, eyes wide, but when I looked back at them, they averted their gazes nervously. I guessed I was one of the few foreigners they had ever met. Bibi avoided eye contact, as was the custom, but I occasionally caught her glimpsing at me with wariness. Her face looked worn, her eyes dark and sad. Rashid ushered us to a room and when we were seated on an old carpet, he filled our cups with sweet tea. My conversation with Bibi was slow, stilted and solemn, lightened only by the giggles of the children as they played with marbles. After we moved outside, in front of our camera, I asked Rashid if Bibi could tell me what had happened on the day Ali was meant to return to his home, a three-hour donkey-ride from Darwan. As she spoke, Bibi dabbed at her eyes with her green shawl. She had finished the morning chores and was preparing lunch to be ready for his return. She had taken her time. No one was in a rush. The kids had their playground of rock crevices and mountain paths to explore. She had supposed Ali would ramble up one of these on his donkey at any moment. But then an hour passed. And then another. Bibi was at first unconcerned. Ali was a man who avoided trouble, no easy task in southern Afghanistan. He didnt side with anyone and never had a gun, she told me. Another hour had passed. It was well into the afternoon when Bibi finally heard someone approaching. It wasnt Ali, but a young boy from Darwan, sweating and panting, who raced up with the news. I started crying, shouting, Bibi said. My legs were numb. I couldnt breathe. I want justice because I have been widowed my children are now helpless. Bibi Dhorko, Ali Jans widow, and mother of their seven children Bibi remembered clearly the last time she saw Ali alive, and the last time hed seen his children: Guldasta, 8; Sharifa, 7; Sidiqa, 4; Muzdalifa, 3; and their two babies, Mohmmadullah and Nematullah. She remembered him telling her to tend to their plot of land while he was gone. She remembered how Ali then turned to face her and say goodbye. She also remembered dashing down the rocky path towards Darwan, retracing her husbands last steps, until she was finally convinced by relatives to turn back. It was too late, they told her. She remembered seeing blood on the floor of her hut, realising shed badly cut her feet while running but had not noticed the pain. She was pregnant at the time with her seventh child, a girl who would never meet her father. Before the interview ended, I asked Bibi if she had a message for Australia. I want justice because I have been widowed my children are now helpless, she said. Seven years after Ali Jan was murdered, she was still in mourning, clinging to old memories. She recalled Ali Jans donkey, led by a relative, returning home after his death. The childs shoes Ali Jan had promised to bring back from his trip to Darwan were strapped to its side. Sydney, February 2022 The details Chris Masters and I had gathered about the war crime at Darwan were, after weeks of wrangling with editors and lawyers, published in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and, a year later, broadcast on 60 Minutes. The revelations and continued reporting prompted Ben Roberts-Smith to make good on his promise to sue us for defamation and, over several weeks in mid-2021, take to the stand to tell his version of events to Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko. Loading During his defamation case, Roberts-Smith had forcefully denied that anything sinister had occurred at Darwan. He testified that the villager who we claimed had been kicked off a cliff and executed was, in fact, an insurgent discovered in a cornfield, and shot because he was carrying a radio and posed a risk to soldiers. Afghan eyewitnesses from Darwan who we had called to testify via video link had disputed Roberts-Smiths version of events, alleging Ali Jan was detained, beaten, kicked off a precipice and murdered. But then, Justice Besanko adjourned the trial because of COVID-19 lockdowns. It wasnt until February 2022 that it resumed and I took up my familiar position in the back row of the court, closest to the door and just metres from Roberts-Smith. Our hope of proving the Darwan execution claim came down to one man: SAS veteran Jason Andrews. Andrews had, prior to Besankos lengthy adjournment, made it clear he was too unwell to appear. But in the months that had passed, our hope of getting Andrews to testify had slowly grown. In early 2022, we got news that he might be open, begrudgingly, to making the trip from Perth to the Federal Court in Sydney. As I waited for Andrews to be called to the stand on February 28, I once again turned to face Roberts-Smith. We hadnt said a word to each other, despite sitting only metres apart for days on end. Instead, we exchanged occasional stares and facial gestures. He now appeared to me as an oversized boy in a suit who, having made his vow of innocence to Kerry Stokes or his father or whomever else he had lied to about what hed done in Afghanistan, was too arrogant or proud or scared to back down. On this morning, as we locked eyes, I raised my brows and he did the same, mimicking me. But something had changed. I saw something I had never seen in Roberts-Smith. He now appeared to me as an oversized boy in a suit who, having made his vow of innocence to Kerry Stokes or his father or whomever else he had lied to about what hed done in Afghanistan, was too arrogant or proud or scared to back down. Hed walked himself to the edge of a cliff. If Andrews testimony pushed him over, his lies would be exposed. I almost felt sorry for him. Then my mind turned to the man actually kicked off a cliff, Ali Jan, and his donkey loaded with flour, wood and shoes for one of his and Bibis children, whom Id met in Kabul three years earlier. On day one of the trial, the war heros barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, had used a very descriptive term in describing the picture our case had painted of Roberts-Smith. McClintock was making the point it was egregiously unjust, but his term was perfect. Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG, would have to have been an ostentatious psychopath to do what wed alleged. I was certain of this characterisation because of everything that had preceded Andrews impending appearance in court. It wasnt just the years of journalism. Contrary to the expectations of Roberts-Smiths legal team, our witnesses civilian and SAS had shown up in droves. They had to be forced to court with subpoenas, but once in the stand they had nearly all exceeded our expectations. Roberts-Smiths barristers Arthur Moses SC and Bruce McClintock had largely been ineffectual, their jocularity and guffawing fading as the days passed. One of Roberts-Smiths lawyers, Monica Allen, now seemed nervous when she entered the court, staring at her shoes. Moses still appeared smug, but it was clear that his clients great hope regarding Jason Andrews would not be realised. Roberts-Smiths worst nightmare was taking shape: Andrews had arrived in Sydney. The heart of the journalism that had landed us in court in the first place, and the core of our war crimes defence against Roberts-Smiths lawsuit, was what happened in Darwan. It was why we had spent the best part of four years battling to get Andrews into court. But until I saw him enter the courtroom, I wouldnt breathe out. Even then, it depended on what he said. Would he back up his old friend, the man he once regarded as a brother? Our barrister Nic Owens would often tell me about the nerves of various witnesses hed had to prod forward in the box. But that day, prior to court, he disclosed that it was he who was feeling nauseous. Ive never felt so nervous, Owens said. The journalists barrister, Nicholas Owens SC. Credit: AAP If I hadnt already spent weeks watching Owens on his feet, I might have been worried. But he had performed flawlessly, week in week out. Essentially, though, whether or not Andrews would testify honestly was outside of Owens control. For weeks, Id sought to gather intelligence. Were Andrews and Roberts-Smith still not speaking? Had anyone got to Andrews? Had they secretly conspired to defeat our case? The witness door opened and a besuited man with a greying beard strode towards the witness box. Andrews. The building tension was almost too much to bear. Dean Levitans face was ghostly pale, his jaw clenched. He looked as nervous as me. I thought briefly of all those years of his life hed poured into the case. Owens guided Andrews through his memory of the Darwan mission, leading him slowly to the final compound on the ridge, the place where Roberts-Smith insisted he had arrived with Andrews and a second soldier, Vincent Jelovic*. Jelovic, Andrews and Roberts-Smith were the only SAS soldiers with Ali Jan when he died. We knew Jelovic was a loyal friend of Roberts-Smith who would back Roberts-Smiths account when it was his turn to testify, for a reason that went beyond mateship. According to our account, Jelovic was also a co-accused. We just needed to prove it. It wasnt just me who looked anxious. The whole courtroom was on edge. Dean Levitan turned around to look at me and nodded. This was the moment of truth. Our case would rise or fall on what happened next. Andrews took three sips of water and continued, directing his answers to Justice Besanko. According to his recollection, the far compound wasnt empty. He recalled an Afghan male and a donkey draped in a red rug. The donkey man was detained by Roberts-Smiths patrol team. A translator was then called for and an interrogation commenced. I tried to make notes, but I was squeezing my pen so hard my hand cramped. Andrews was already drastically diverting from the account given by Roberts-Smith. Along with the man and the donkey, Andrews recalled at least one other Afghan detainee in the compound that Roberts-Smith had insisted in his testimony was empty. I stopped writing and focused on Andrews, my heart pounding. The soldier questioning the donkey man with the help of an interpreter was Roberts-Smith, Andrews said. A short time later, he watched as Jelovic moved towards a large drop-off. Andrews sighed audibly. His face looked pained. Gently urged forward by Owens, he pressed on. Jelovic wasnt alone. He had guided the handcuffed man to the edge of the cliff and was holding him still, his hand upon his shoulder. Andrews described the Afghan to the court using the military terminology for a detainee in Australian custody: a person under control. Which person under control are you talking about? Owens asked quietly. The individual that had arrived with the donkey the person under control had his back towards the large slope, Andrews answered. Next, Andrews noticed Ben Roberts-Smith. He had walked to a position, maybe three or four metres away. And as I was trying to understand what was happening, he turned around, walked forward and kicked the individual in the chest. The donkey man was catapulted backwards over the cliff edge. As he fell, Andrews saw the individuals face strike a large rock He knocked out a number of his teeth, including his front teeth. Roberts-Smith with former defence minister Brendan Nelson in 2013 at the Australian War Memorial, and right, part of the Memorials Roberts-Smith exhibit, which is now a subject of some debate. Credit: Andrew Meares/Alex Ellinghausen Andrews described feeling shocked, but still followed Roberts-Smith and Jelovic as they manoeuvred down a track towards the creek bed where the donkey man had landed. Might be an obvious question, but why were you in shock? Owens asked. Cause it was something Ive never encountered before, Andrews said, his face ashen. When you say youd never seen this before, youre referring to someone being kicked off a cliff? Absolutely. The three soldiers found the donkey man lying in the dry creek bed, dazed and bleeding from the mouth. He attempted to sit up and then fell back down again, recalled Andrews. Was he still handcuffed or not? Yes. Andrews described Roberts-Smith ordering him and Jelovic to drag the donkey man to the base of a large tree and the pair following the command. Next, Andrews testified that he walked away from the tree, searching for other members of the SAS. Then he turned back in the direction of the donkey man. The Afghan was now standing, still in handcuffs, so Andrews looked away again. He didnt want to see what happened, but he knew it had been done when gunshots rang out. He turned back again, this time to see Jelovic still in a position with his rifle in his shoulder. The donkey man was dead. And did you observe anything about it that struck you? Owens asked. Id never seen the courtroom so still. Justice Besanko watched Andrews like a hawk as he described noticing that a radio had appeared next to the donkey mans body. It was slightly wet, he recalled. It was then that Andrews realised the radio had been taken from an insurgent Roberts-Smith had earlier waded across a river to kill and then planted on the donkey man. [Roberts-Smith] came back into our room and said, This is what the story is Jason Andrews*, witness But the cover-up wasnt complete. After they returned to the base, Andrews said that Roberts-Smith met with his small patrol team in their room and invented a false story about killing a Taliban member in a cornfield. He came back into our room and said, This is what the story is , said Andrews, adding, Your Honour, it was words to the effect of the story is that we engaged a spotter. A spotter was an insurgent with a radio. As I waited for Arthur Moses to stand and begin the cross-examination, I wondered what else might fall out of Andrews testimony. I also slipped off my suit jacket. It was convention to keep it on in court, but Id been so anxious Id been sweating. During the proceedings, Moses had already drawn out information that had helped, or at least hadnt harmed, our case. He wouldnt disappoint with Andrews. Moses pushed Andrews on his relationship with Jelovic, pointing out that hed been the best man at Jelovics wedding. And hes upset with you, is that right? Moses asked. I guess so. Do you know that hes upset with you because he feels that you have, in effect, accused him of being a murderer? Id suggest so. I watched this line of questioning in bewilderment. It seemed to serve no purpose other than to reinforce the discomfort Andrews so evidently felt in testifying. The same occurred when Moses accused Andrews of being jealous of Roberts-Smiths Victoria Cross. Andrews had fought alongside Roberts-Smith at the famous battle of Tizak in 2010, but Andrews had won a Medal for Gallantry, a lesser but still revered award recognising bravery. Roberts-Smith had found fame and fortune, but Andrews had left the army years later, a relative nobody. The Medal for Gallantry is awarded for acts of gallantry in action in hazardous circumstances. So what? I thought. Again, the questioning seemed to fall well short of its intended mark, highlighting only the anguish faced by Andrews in entering the witness box. I loved him as a brother, he said to Moses of Roberts-Smith. Theres no resentment there. But now you hate him, dont you? Of course, I dont hate him. And its the case, isnt it, that youre jealous of him? Believe me Im not jealous of him. Loading To highlight the incongruity of Andrews claim that Roberts-Smith had later talked openly about the cliff kick after initially trying to cover it up, Moses pushed the Afghan veteran to recall what it was Roberts-Smith had precisely said. Is that what he said, I kicked the individual off the cliff? Moses asked. No, he didnt say that. What did he say? I kicked the c--- off the cliff. I noticed a Commonwealth lawyer observing proceedings wince as Andrews recalled the words. Most in the courtroom had now watched my 60 Minutes story about Ali Jans alleged execution, care of Moses decision to repeatedly replay it on a screen to various witnesses. As a result, they knew the executed donkey man had a name. They knew the c--- kicked off a cliff had a wife and several children. Andrews knew it, too. As Moses forced him to watch the program featuring Ali Jans family calling for justice, Andrews wept silently. * Jason Andrews and Vincent Jelovic are not their real names, which have been suppressed by court order. Other names have been altered for security reasons. In a special deal for subscribers, you can order a copy of Nick McKenzies new book, Crossing the Line, from QBD Books for the discounted price of $23.85 with the coupon code TRUTH or by using the barcode at the end of this article in store. This offer is available until July 28. Shipping fees apply for online purchases. To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. Good afternoon. Its been a frenzied 24 hours or so in Russia, with Vladimir Putin appearing to have staved off a rebellion. Heres your catch-up at a glance. How did this go from potential coup to non-coup? The head of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared a march for justice, took control of military headquarters at the towns of Rostov-on-Don and sent a convoy of mercenaries through the town of Voronezh. Putin responded, declaring it an act of treason and a stab in the back. Wagners military column reportedly got within 200 kilometres of Moscow when it was turned around, as Prighozin ordered his men to stand down and struck an agreement with Putin, brokered by Belarus president Alexsandr Lukashenko. Read more from Europe correspondent Rob Harris here. What were Wagners movements? What happens to Prighozin? The Wagner boss has agreed to exile in Belarus. He departed Rostov-on-Don as the Wagner troops retreated, while charges against him for organising the uprising will be dropped, as part of the deal. And what about Putin? This will be the question that fascinates most: have these events weakened Putins grip on power, and what does it mean for his future? The answer, according to columnist James Kilner, is that Putins been permanently damaged and his Kremlin days are numbered. Putins aura of invincibility and control, badly fractured by his misguided and failed invasion of Ukraine, will now be shattered. Read more here. The 141st/142nd Sessions of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council, the highest decision-making body of the Organization, were held at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium from 22 to 24 June 2023. The Sessions saw the participation of Directors General of Customs representing the WCOs 185 Members. Under the guidance of Mr. A. Al Khalifa, Director General of Bahrain Customs and outgoing Chairperson of the WCO Council, the 2023 Council Sessions reviewed the work carried out by the WCO throughout the year. The discussions covered international standards, guidance documents and recommended practices developed by the different WCO working bodies with a view to enhancing the management of cross-border trade. The Council focused its deliberations on various areas of Customs work, including Capacity Building, Rules of Origin, Valuation, Nomenclature and Classification, Compliance, and Trade Facilitation, as well as on budgetary and financial matters. The Council took note of the progress made in implementing the Strategic Plan 2022-2025, particularly in the key focus areas of Technology and Innovation, Green Customs and Governance and Accountability. Regarding Technology and Innovation, the Council acknowledged the efforts of the Data and Statistics Working Group in implementing the WCO Data Strategy, and took note of the establishment of a Data Scholarship for capacity building. Recognizing the urgent need for Customs to address environmental concerns, the Council endorsed the Green Customs Action Plan. Additionally, the Council adopted three Harmonized System (HS) recommendations aimed at improving the monitoring of the movement of waste oils, certain substances controlled under the Rotterdam Convention, and substances controlled under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Delegates expressed their support for the newly developed WCO Action Plan on Fragile Borders and Conflict-Affected Situations, emphasizing the importance of Customs adapting to such contexts. In the area of Governance and Accountability, the Council took note of the progress made in developing a WCO Modernization Plan and endorsed the WCO Secretariat Equality and Diversity Work Plan. The Council endorsed the Implementation Plan 2023-2024, along with the activities planned for the next financial year, and supported the budgetary recommendations of the Finance Committee. These decisions enable the Secretariat to continue its work in supporting its Members. During the sessions, the Directors General of Customs elected Mr. Ian Saunders from the United States as the new WCO Secretary General for a five-year term as of 1 January 2024. They also elected Mr. Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, as the Chairperson of the WCO Council. Furthermore, new regional Vice-Chairs were appointed. Regarding accessions to WCO instruments, the Council witnessed the Gambia depositing its instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC), thus becoming the 134th Contracting Party to the Convention. The Council delegates also witnessed the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), including: MoU on the formalization of the establishment of the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) in the United Arab Emirates. MoU on the recognition of Regional Dog Training Centres in Australia, Hong Kong (China), and Indonesia. MoU on the recognition of the Regional Customs Laboratorys Professionals Programme in India. On a lighter note, the Customs Administration of Algeria won the annual WCO Photo Competition. The winning photo showcases how Customs officers adapt to the changing landscapes and climatic conditions while carrying out their missions to protect borders in cooperation with other border agencies. On Saturday 24 June, Customs Directors General representing the 185 Members of the World Customs Organization (WCO) elected Ian Saunders as the Organizations new Secretary General for a five-year term as of 1st January 2024. The WCO Secretary General is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the WCO Secretariat. The election, which saw two candidates vying for this top position, took place during the annual Council Sessions in Brussels from 22 to 24 June 2023. Mr. Saunders, nominated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, assured the Organizations Members of his commitment to driving Customs towards a safe, prosperous and inclusive future. He said, While respecting the WCOs rich past, there is a need to innovate and adapt to modern challenges. I intend to lead the Organization by forging strong and enduring public-private partnerships, leveraging technology, promoting inclusivity for effective global Customs cooperation, and ensuring transparency and openness as fundamental principles of good governance. Incumbent Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, whose term of office expires at the end of December 2023, welcomed Mr. Saunders appointment and said, I congratulate the winner on his election and I wish him well when he assumes his duties. Dr. Mikuriya added, The WCO has withstood the test of time, and despite changes in global trade and the recent pandemic we have stayed relevant and proactive, and have accompanied our Members with clear and precise standards promoting certainty, predictability and security of the global supply chain. However, many challenges remain ahead of us and I am confident that my successor, with the support of the WCOs membership and the staff of the Secretariat, will rise to the occasion and steer the Organization in the right direction for the next five years. Ian Saunders is a proven and principled leader with more than 20 years of Customs experience and 30 years experience in international relations. As a member of the U.S. Government Senior Executive Service since 2008, Mr. Saunders has a record of addressing complex challenges and elevating organizations to excellence. He has served the public and the international community in diverse and challenging roles focused on various facets of trade such as: Customs, commercial policy, travel, and infrastructure. Collaborative in style, considered in communication and accomplished in delivery, Mr. Saunders has led the implementation of programs, the formulation of policies and the forging of partnerships that have advanced facilitation and security in trade worldwide. Today A mix of sun and clouds; warm and humid with a t-storm possible late in the day, though much of the day remains dry. Tonight Becoming mostly cloudy, warm and muggy with a few showers and thunderstorms; a heavy downpour or two. Tomorrow Clouds mixing with some sun, warm, and humid. A shower or thunderstorm may linger early in the morning, and one or two may pop up during the day. EMMAUS, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the residents of all 36 units affected by Saturday's fire in Emmaus. The Red Cross said it has opened a shelter for affected residents at Emmaus High School, 500 Macungie Ave. The Red Cross Disaster Action Team will provide "food, care and comfort" at the shelter, the press release said. Disaster assistance is free for all residents affected by the fire. Those who choose not to stay overnight at the shelter can still come for meals and other assistance. The fire tore through the first floor of an apartment building at 1025 Cold Stream Circle just after 3 a.m. on Saturday. The Red Cross will work with community officials to coordinate resources for fire victims, the press release said. Those in need of Red Cross assistance can call 1-800-733-2767 , or follow @RedCrossGPA on Twitter for updates. JERUSALEM (AP) A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank on Saturday before being shot and killed, Israeli police said. Elsewhere in the occupied territory, settlers rampaged through a Palestinian village, hurling stones, spraying bullets and setting fire to homes, the latest in a series of settler attacks this week. The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli troops stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem early in the morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire, the Israeli police said. Israeli security forces said they shot back, killing the suspected assailant. According to the Israeli rescue service, two security guards in their 20s were hospitalized with minor wounds at least one from bullet fragments. There was no immediate word on the attacker's identity. Later on Saturday, residents of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa said that some 50 Israeli settlers armed with rifles and flammable liquid stormed through the streets and tried to set fire to at least five homes with people inside. The Israeli military said it sent security forces to the scene and arrested an Israeli citizen. Palestinian rescue teams said they evacuated small children who were suffocating and trapped inside a burning house. Some settlers also opened fire at civilians and medics. A local station, Palestine TV, said settlers fired at Mohammed Radi, its correspondent covering the attacks, shattering his camera. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that one of its medics was wounded by gunfire. Another two medics were wounded when settlers threw a large rock at an ambulance, which crashed through the windshield. Israeli settlers also shot and killed a horse in the village, said resident Ibrahim Ebiat. This is pure terror, he said. People are scared and angry. Young Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli security forces who opened fire and unleashed tear gas at them, witnesses said. The Israeli military said it was working to disperse the friction." One soldier was wounded by a thrown stone, it said, denouncing the violence. The head of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn this disgrace and deal with it properly. Settler violence has crossed every line," he said. Top Israeli security officials condemned the settler violence late Saturday. They constitute, in every way, nationalist terrorism, and we are obliged to fight them, Israels military chief, police chief and the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency said in a joint statement. They said the army will divert security forces to prevent further rampages while the Shin Bet will carry out an increased number of arrests. We call on the leaders and educators in the communities to publicly denounce these acts of violence and to join the effort to fight against them, they said. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a separate statement condemning the settler violence. The events capped a bloody week in the West Bank that left 16 Palestinians and four Israelis dead. An hourslong gun battle between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants in the northern Jenin refugee camp killed seven Palestinians and wounded eight Israeli soldiers earlier this week. Two Palestinian gunmen then killed four Israeli civilians at a gas station before being shot and killed. Then, a rare Israeli airstrike by a pilotless drone killed three Palestinian militants in a car. Israeli settler attacks in revenge for the deadly Palestinian shooting left one Palestinian dead, many wounded and a trail of destruction through Palestinian towns. The settler violence has drawn international criticism, including from Israel's closest ally, the United States. In a conversation with his Israeli counterpart, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed deep concern over the settler violence, the White House said. He reiterated the importance of holding accountable those responsible for such acts of violence. On Saturday, Palestinian health officials also said that a 39-year-old man, Tariq Idris, died of wounds sustained in confrontations with Israeli security forces in the northern city of Nablus the day before. The Israeli military had raided Nablus to arrest three suspected Palestinian militants and fired at residents who shot at them and threw Molotov cocktails, it said. The spiraling violence has increased pressure on Netanyahu's far-right government, with its hard-liners calling for a broad military operation against Palestinian militants, as well as on the Palestinian Authority, which has come under criticism for failing to protect Palestinian civilians. This year has been one of the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank in years. At least 137 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem so far in 2023, according to a tally by The Associated Press, nearly half of them affiliated with militant groups. As of Saturday, 24 people on the Israeli side have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them civilians. Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) Voters in Sierra Leone were deciding Saturday whether to give President Julius Maada Bio a second term amid high unemployment and growing concern about the state of the West African nation's economy. A dozen candidates hoped to unseat Bio, though experts predicted his main competition likely would be Samura Kamara, the head of the All Peoples Congress Party. In the 2018 presidential election, Bio beat Kamara in a runoff by a margin of less than 5 percentage points. To win in the first round of voting and avoid a runoff, the top contender must secure 55% of the vote. Bio has faced increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions that Kamara pledged to improve. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leones population of more than 7 million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa. Deadly anti-government protests have rocked the country during Bio's presidency. The most recent one, fueled by the high cost of living, left dozens of people dead in August 2022, including members of the security forces. Margaret Ngegba, a trader in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, said she hoped for a winner who feels for us and provides our children jobs. Right now, things are so hard that if you buy something today for 25 leones, the next day you go its 50, she said. "Imagine that. How can our businesses survive in this situation? I have to pay rent and I have six children to take care of. A former military head of state, Bio came to power promising to end rampant corruption. Analysts say he invested in improving education in the country and took steps to fight rampant corruption. At the beginning of this year, he signed a landmark women's rights bill. But the weak economy eventually propelled Sierra Leoneans into the streets to protest widespread poverty. Kamara, Bios strongest challenger, has served in various government positions, including as foreign minister. On the eve of the election, he sharply criticized the incumbent government and called for voters to support him. We have one chance, the chance to drive away this difficult regime that has put us through suffering in the last five years and added to our misery, he said in a video message released by his campaign team. Saturday's vote is the countrys fifth presidential election since the end of a brutal 11-year civil war more than two decades ago. Allentown, PA (18103) Today A mix of sun and clouds; warm and humid with a t-storm possible late in the day, though much of the day remains dry. . Tonight Becoming mostly cloudy, warm and muggy with a few showers and thunderstorms; a heavy downpour or two. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund, Inc. (NYSE:MQY Get Rating) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,900 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $34,000. Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MQY. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund by 6.2% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 133,511 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,841,000 after purchasing an additional 7,852 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 20,281 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 5,142 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new stake in BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $353,000. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund during the 1st quarter worth about $171,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund by 26.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,963 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 15,860 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.00% of the companys stock. Get BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund alerts: BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund Stock Up 0.5 % NYSE:MQY opened at $11.45 on Friday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $11.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.71. BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.48 and a 52-week high of $13.42. BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund Announces Dividend About BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.0435 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. (Get Rating) BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund, Inc is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests in long-term municipal obligations the interest on which is exempt from federal income taxes. The fund also invests in short-term securities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT Get Rating) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 687 shares of the utilities providers stock, valued at approximately $27,000. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 184.2% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 790 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 512 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its position in Chunghwa Telecom by 848.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,877 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC grew its stake in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 2,475 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 832 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Chunghwa Telecom by 155.3% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,369 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom in the 1st quarter valued at $182,000. 2.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Chunghwa Telecom alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chunghwa Telecom from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday. Chunghwa Telecom Stock Performance NYSE CHT opened at $40.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46 and a beta of 0.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $40.88 and a 200 day moving average of $38.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. has a twelve month low of $32.90 and a twelve month high of $43.71. Chunghwa Telecom (NYSE:CHT Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter. Chunghwa Telecom had a return on equity of 9.54% and a net margin of 16.92%. The business had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter. Chunghwa Telecom Cuts Dividend The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 29th will be given a $1.5291 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. Chunghwa Telecoms dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.68%. Chunghwa Telecom Profile (Get Rating) Chunghwa Telecom Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Taiwan and internationally. It operates through Consumer Business, Enterprise Business, International Business, and Others segments. The company offers local long distance services comprising of local calls, cloud switchboard, and value-added local calls. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CHT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Chunghwa Telecom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chunghwa Telecom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Argo Group International (NYSE:ARGO Get Rating) in a report released on Wednesday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock. Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Argo Group International from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research report on Friday, May 26th. Compass Point cut shares of Argo Group International from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of Argo Group International from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Get Argo Group International alerts: Argo Group International Stock Down 0.2 % NYSE:ARGO opened at $29.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of -4.73 and a beta of 1.03. Argo Group International has a twelve month low of $19.00 and a twelve month high of $40.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The companys 50 day moving average is $29.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.34. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Argo Group International ( NYSE:ARGO Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($1.11). Argo Group International had a negative net margin of 9.98% and a positive return on equity of 0.06%. The business had revenue of $419.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.90 million. Analysts anticipate that Argo Group International will post 2.85 EPS for the current year. Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARGO. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of Argo Group International by 2.3% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,288 shares of the companys stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Argo Group International by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,680 shares of the companys stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Argo Group International by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,760 shares of the companys stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Argo Group International by 334.7% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 926 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Suisse AG increased its stake in Argo Group International by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 31,591 shares of the companys stock valued at $817,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.92% of the companys stock. Argo Group International Company Profile (Get Rating) Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. engages in the provision of underwriting property and casualty insurance and reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Operations, International Operations, and Run-off Lines. The U.S. Operations segment include distribution through retail, wholesale, and managing general brokers/agents in the specialty insurance market. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Argo Group International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argo Group International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE Get Rating) had its price target boosted by Bank of America from $17.00 to $18.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, The Fly reports. Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $18.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research note on Monday, March 20th. They set a neutral rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $13.00 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $16.50. Get Hewlett Packard Enterprise alerts: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Stock Performance Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock opened at $16.52 on Wednesday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $15.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.33 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.23. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a 1-year low of $11.90 and a 1-year high of $17.74. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Dividend Announcement Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( NYSE:HPE Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 30th. The technology company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.03. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a net margin of 3.46% and a return on equity of 5.05%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is currently 61.54%. Insider Activity at Hewlett Packard Enterprise In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, SVP Kirt P. Karros sold 33,417 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.00, for a total value of $534,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,776 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $156,416. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, SVP Kirt P. Karros sold 33,417 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.00, for a total value of $534,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,776 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $156,416. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tarek Robbiati sold 159,180 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.01, for a total value of $2,548,471.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 159,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,546,758.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 433,504 shares of company stock valued at $6,954,746. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hewlett Packard Enterprise Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HPE. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 21,641,979 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $345,406,000 after buying an additional 8,116,822 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 12.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 59,288,867 shares of the technology companys stock worth $944,472,000 after purchasing an additional 6,572,347 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 184.9% during the first quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 8,114,000 shares of the technology companys stock worth $129,256,000 after purchasing an additional 5,265,487 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise during the first quarter worth approximately $66,663,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 3.2% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 129,262,655 shares of the technology companys stock worth $1,548,566,000 after purchasing an additional 4,029,860 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.69% of the companys stock. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Profile (Get Rating) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It operates in six segments: Compute, HPC & AI, Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other. Featured Stories 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. Barclays (LON:BARC Get Rating) had its price objective hoisted by Jefferies Financial Group from GBX 300 ($3.84) to GBX 320 ($4.09) in a report released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services providers stock. Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Shore Capital reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Thursday, April 27th. UBS Group set a GBX 238 ($3.05) price objective on Barclays in a report on Monday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Barclays from GBX 240 ($3.07) to GBX 200 ($2.56) and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Barclays in a report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 270 ($3.45) price objective on shares of Barclays in a report on Friday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Barclays has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 240.89 ($3.08). Get Barclays alerts: Barclays Trading Down 1.2 % LON:BARC opened at GBX 145.22 ($1.86) on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average is GBX 155.17 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 161.44. Barclays has a 12 month low of GBX 128.12 ($1.64) and a 12 month high of GBX 198.86 ($2.54). The company has a market capitalization of 22.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 440.06, a P/E/G ratio of -1.09 and a beta of 1.36. Insider Activity at Barclays Barclays Company Profile In related news, insider Anna Cross sold 68,659 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 154 ($1.97), for a total transaction of 105,734.86 ($135,297.33). 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. (Get Rating) Barclays PLC provides various financial services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through two segments, Barclays UK and Barclays International divisions. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Barclays Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Barclays and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Becle (OTCMKTS:BCCLF Get Rating) in a research note published on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the stock. Separately, Scotiabank downgraded shares of Becle from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Get Becle alerts: Becle Price Performance OTCMKTS BCCLF opened at $2.45 on Tuesday. Becle has a 12-month low of $1.70 and a 12-month high of $2.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.34. Becle Company Profile Becle, SAB. de C.V. manufactures and distributes spirits and other distilled beverages in Mexico, the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company offers tequila under the 1800, Jose Cuervo Especial, Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Reserva de la Familia, Gran Centenario, and Maestro Dobel brand names; whiskey, including North American whiskey under the Stranahan's, Tincup, and Pendleton brands, as well as Irish whiskey under the Bushmills, Proper No. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Becle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Becle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Begbies Traynor Group plc (LON:BEG Get Rating) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 133.58 ($1.71) and traded as low as GBX 130 ($1.66). Begbies Traynor Group shares last traded at GBX 131.50 ($1.68), with a volume of 271,122 shares trading hands. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BEG shares. Shore Capital reiterated a house stock rating on shares of Begbies Traynor Group in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 180 ($2.30) price target on shares of Begbies Traynor Group in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. Get Begbies Traynor Group alerts: Begbies Traynor Group Stock Down 0.4 % The stock has a market cap of 202.87 million, a P/E ratio of 6,550.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 128.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 133.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.88. Begbies Traynor Group Cuts Dividend Insiders Place Their Bets The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th were paid a GBX 1.20 ($0.02) dividend. This represents a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 6th. Begbies Traynor Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20,000.00%. In related news, insider John M. May acquired 31,221 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 120 ($1.54) per share, with a total value of 37,465.20 ($47,940.12). Company insiders own 26.07% of the companys stock. Begbies Traynor Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Begbies Traynor Group plc provides various professional services to businesses, professional advisors, large corporations, and financial institutions in the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments, Business Recovery and Financial Advisory Services; and Property Advisory and Transactional Services. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Begbies Traynor Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Begbies Traynor Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH Get Rating) by 6.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,037 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 4,685 shares during the period. Laboratory Co. of America accounts for about 1.0% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Laboratory Co. of America worth $16,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 131 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 13,133 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $3,093,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,125 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Laboratory Co. of America by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,845,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the companys stock. Get Laboratory Co. of America alerts: Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America In other news, CEO Paul R. Kirchgraber sold 4,300 shares of Laboratory Co. of America stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.91, for a total transaction of $932,713.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,808,116.86. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, COO Mark S. Schroeder sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.77, for a total value of $325,155.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 6,687 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,449,540.99. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul R. Kirchgraber sold 4,300 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.91, for a total transaction of $932,713.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,946 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,808,116.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 9,697 shares of company stock valued at $2,137,850. Insiders own 0.65% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Laboratory Co. of America Stock Performance Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a report on Thursday. They issued a buy rating for the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $260.00 to $235.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $277.00 to $257.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $285.00 to $275.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group dropped their target price on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $304.00 to $288.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Laboratory Co. of America currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $273.50. Shares of LH stock opened at $234.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Laboratory Co. of America Holdings has a 52 week low of $200.32 and a 52 week high of $263.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $223.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.52. Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The medical research company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.99 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $3.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.70 billion. Laboratory Co. of America had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 6.78%. Laboratory Co. of Americas revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.11 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Laboratory Co. of America Holdings will post 16.83 EPS for the current fiscal year. Laboratory Co. of America Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.72 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 17th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Laboratory Co. of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.13%. About Laboratory Co. of America (Get Rating) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics and Labcorp Drug Development. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Laboratory Co. of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Laboratory Co. of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY reduced its position in The Progressive Co. (NYSE:PGR Get Rating) by 28.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 396,579 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 157,193 shares during the period. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned about 0.07% of Progressive worth $56,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Markel Corp raised its stake in Progressive by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Markel Corp now owns 750,750 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $85,578,000 after buying an additional 29,750 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC raised its stake in Progressive by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 49,086 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $5,595,000 after buying an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Progressive by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 6,693 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $763,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in Progressive by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 3,081 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Progressive by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,022 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 3,571 shares during the last quarter. 83.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Progressive alerts: Progressive Stock Up 0.8 % PGR opened at $132.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.16. The Progressive Co. has a 52 week low of $109.42 and a 52 week high of $149.87. The company has a market capitalization of $77.72 billion, a PE ratio of 94.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Progressive Dividend Announcement Progressive ( NYSE:PGR Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 13th. The insurance provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.79). The company had revenue of $14.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Progressive had a net margin of 1.64% and a return on equity of 13.95%. Analysts forecast that The Progressive Co. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. Progressives dividend payout ratio is 28.37%. Insider Activity In other news, Director Philip Bleser sold 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.86, for a total transaction of $279,720.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,761.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Philip Bleser sold 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.86, for a total transaction of $279,720.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,761.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John P. Sauerland sold 12,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.55, for a total transaction of $1,530,600.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 333,507 shares in the company, valued at $42,538,817.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,930 shares of company stock worth $1,938,465. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PGR shares. Credit Suisse Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $143.00 price objective on shares of Progressive in a research note on Friday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Progressive from $145.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Progressive in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an equal weight rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Progressive from $124.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Progressive from $140.00 to $133.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $147.87. About Progressive (Get Rating) The Progressive Corporation, an insurance holding company, provides personal and commercial auto, personal residential and commercial property, general liability, and other specialty property-casualty insurance products and related services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, and Property. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Progressive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Progressive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A Colorado Springs-based venture capital fund and a state agency have partnered to create a $34 million financial arsenal that will invest in up-and-coming aerospace, defense, homeland security and other related businesses with a goal of adding jobs in Colorado and strengthening the nations defenses. The Colorado Venture Capital Authority and the states Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced this week that the authority will invest up to $17 million over five years in the Colorado ONE Fund, a for-profit venture capital fund. In turn, the Colorado ONE Fund composed primarily of current and former employees of The ONeil Group, a Springs private equity company whose projects include the downtown Catalyst Campus business park will match the Venture Capital Authoritys $17 million to create the $34 million fund, say ONeil Group and ONE Fund officials. The ONE Fund is raising its share of the money, which it hopes to complete as soon as possible, said Scott Lamphear, The ONeil Groups chief operating officer and a fund manager for the Colorado ONE Fund. In addition to aerospace, defense and companies in related industries, the ONE Fund and Venture Capital Authority will seek to invest in companies led by and that employ veterans, have minority and women ownerships and are in enterprise zones areas targeted for business investments. The authority now has entered into four such investment partnerships around the state, which are designed to expand access to capital in Colorado and in communities that have historically encountered barriers to funding, according to an Office of Economic Development news release. Were investing in critical technology that supports national defense, Lamphear said in an interview. These small businesses tend to be the most innovative because they dont have restrictions of large companies. So infusing them with the capital needed to pursue these innovative solutions to serious problems is what we do. Its what weve done as The ONeil Group and the Catalyst Campus. Its what were doing under the Colorado ONE Fund. Office of Economic Development executive director Eve Lieberman said in the release that many of Colorados more than 400 aerospace companies have a presence in the Springs. As this important industry continues to grow and introduce innovative new technologies, the (Venture Capital Authority) and Colorado ONE Fund are poised to provide an important source of early-stage funding focused in southern Colorado that will support the creation of new good-paying jobs and contribute to a thriving economy, Lieberman said. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Money being invested into the Colorado ONE Fund by the Venture Capital Authority comes via the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which was awarded to the state by the U.S. Treasury Department in August 2022, according to the release. The State Small Business Credit Initiative focuses on making investment capital available for businesses with fewer than 10 employees and that are led by individuals that identify as coming from under-resourced communities and geographies, the news release said. This is going to advance small businesses with our focus on aerospace and defense, said Patrick Stephens, The ONeil Groups chief financial officer and who also is a ONE Fund manager. To help the industry, to help the federal government, to help create jobs in the state of Colorado. Its really all those things. To be eligible for funding from the Colorado ONE Fund and authority partnership, businesses must be Colorado based or have a majority of their operations in the state, said Andy Merritt, The ONeil Groups chief strategy officer. Investments will be eyed for businesses in southern Colorado and not just Colorado Springs, he said. The partnerships investments will be intended for companies in the early stages of their technology and product development, Stephens said. For example, Lamphear said, a software company might use a ONE Fund and authority investment to pay software developers to design a first version of a software product. Or a company might use the money to cover research and development costs that go into building a prototype product or, if its already developed the prototype, use the money to advance it to the next stage, he said. Its typically to move from one milestone to the next, Lamphear said. The ONE Fund and authority partnership expects to identify and approach companies to invest in or will accept proposals from interested companies, he said. A ONE Fund committee will make recommendations on companies that are investment candidates. Our team of experts, with over 250 years of combined experience in the Department of Defense and tech, are thrilled to offer our knowledge and networks to support the growth of small companies in Colorado, yielding an increase in jobs, economic sustainability and community development, Kevin ONeil, The ONeil Groups managing partner and CEO and ONE Fund principal, said in the news release. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY lifted its holdings in Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Get Rating) (TSE:CP) by 0.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,351,271 shares of the transportation companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,536 shares during the period. Canadian Pacific Kansas City accounts for about 2.1% of Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NYs investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned approximately 0.15% of Canadian Pacific Kansas City worth $103,967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 750.0% during the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 928.6% during the 4th quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Romano Brothers AND Company bought a new position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.84% of the companys stock. Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have recently issued reports on CP. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $78.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $90.00 to $89.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $92.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $89.40. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Trading Down 0.8 % CP opened at $80.05 on Friday. The firms fifty day moving average is $79.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $74.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.02. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a twelve month low of $65.17 and a twelve month high of $83.44. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE:CP Get Rating) (TSE:CP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The transportation company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.07). Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 40.22%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 3.28 EPS for the current year. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.141 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio is 18.54%. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Company Profile (Get Rating) Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada and the United States. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; and merchandise freight, such as energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals and consumer, automotive, and forest products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL Get Rating) by 37.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,676 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after selling 33,382 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for 1.9% of Buckley Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Buckley Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $5,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 3.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 719,460 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $66,852,000 after purchasing an additional 23,204 shares in the last quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at about $233,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,645,264 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $338,718,000 after purchasing an additional 21,143 shares in the last quarter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at about $410,000. Finally, Gibson Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at about $201,000. 43.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Oracle alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 354,837 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.39, for a total value of $43,783,337.43. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,543,033 shares of the companys stock, valued at $313,784,841.87. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 1,837,101 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.86, for a total transaction of $172,430,299.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $104,991,045.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Edward Screven sold 354,837 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.39, for a total value of $43,783,337.43. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,543,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $313,784,841.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,052,544 shares of company stock valued at $686,725,797. Insiders own 43.70% of the companys stock. Oracle Stock Down 1.6 % Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded down $1.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $118.64. 19,734,336 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,698,344. The stock has a market cap of $320.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.54. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $60.78 and a 12-month high of $127.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $104.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.87. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Monday, June 12th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $13.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.74 billion. Oracle had a negative return on equity of 470.73% and a net margin of 17.02%. Oracles quarterly revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year. Oracle Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 12th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. Oracles dividend payout ratio is currently 52.29%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Societe Generale downgraded Oracle from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Oracle from $120.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Oracle from a sell rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. 92 Resources restated a maintains rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Oracle from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $115.21. Oracle Profile (Get Rating) Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Echelon Wealth Partners reiterated their speculative buy rating on shares of Canaccord Genuity Group (TSE:CF Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, PriceTargets.com reports. Echelon Wealth Partners also issued estimates for Canaccord Genuity Groups FY2024 earnings at $1.15 EPS. A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CF. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Canaccord Genuity Group from C$11.00 to C$10.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Cormark raised shares of Canaccord Genuity Group from a tender rating to a market perform rating and decreased their price objective for the company from C$11.25 to C$10.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Finally, Fundamental Research set a C$10.15 price objective on shares of Canaccord Genuity Group and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Canaccord Genuity Group currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$9.91. Get Canaccord Genuity Group alerts: Canaccord Genuity Group Stock Down 1.5 % Canaccord Genuity Group stock opened at C$7.98 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of C$793.05 million, a P/E ratio of -6.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.62. Canaccord Genuity Group has a 1-year low of C$6.24 and a 1-year high of C$11.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$9.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$10.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.64. Canaccord Genuity Group Dividend Announcement Canaccord Genuity Group ( TSE:CF Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 16th. The financial services provider reported C$0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$0.28 by C($0.21). The company had revenue of C$430.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$406.30 million. Research analysts anticipate that Canaccord Genuity Group will post 1.285489 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.085 per share. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Groups dividend payout ratio is presently -29.31%. Canaccord Genuity Group Company Profile (Get Rating) Canaccord Genuity Group Inc, a full-service financial services company, provides investment products, and investment banking and brokerage services to institutional, corporate, and private clients. It operates in two segments, Canaccord Genuity Capital Markets and Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Canaccord Genuity Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canaccord Genuity Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE grew its holdings in BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ Get Rating) by 530.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 160,873 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 135,341 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DEs holdings in BJs Wholesale Club were worth $12,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in BJs Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in BJs Wholesale Club by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,222 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new stake in BJs Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in BJs Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Cambridge Trust Co. grew its holdings in BJs Wholesale Club by 39.5% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 749 shares of the companys stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.02% of the companys stock. Get BJ's Wholesale Club alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have commented on BJ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $65.00 to $62.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $89.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $88.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Roth Capital restated a neutral rating on shares of BJs Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of BJs Wholesale Club from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Friday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJs Wholesale Club has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $74.40. BJs Wholesale Club Stock Performance Shares of BJ stock opened at $62.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $8.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.49. The companys 50 day moving average price is $68.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.70. BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.33 and a 52 week high of $80.41. BJs Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. BJs Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 53.66%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. On average, analysts expect that BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. BJs Wholesale Club Company Profile (Get Rating) BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates warehouse clubs on the eastern half of the United States. It provides perishable, general merchandise, gasoline, coupon books, promotions, and other ancillary services. The company sells its products through the websites BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, and Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the mobile app. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BJ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for BJ's Wholesale Club Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BJ's Wholesale Club and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wirecard (OTCMKTS:WRCDF Get Rating) is one of 257 publicly-traded companies in the SoftwareApplication industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Wirecard to related businesses based on the strength of its earnings, profitability, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends. Insider and Institutional Ownership 55.4% of Wirecard shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.1% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by institutional investors. 28.4% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Get Wirecard alerts: Dividends Wirecard pays an annual dividend of $0.09 per share and has a dividend yield of 88,356.0%. Wirecard pays out 10.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, SoftwareApplication companies pay a dividend yield of 1.4% and pay out 59.4% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Wirecard is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Wirecard N/A N/A 0.00 Wirecard Competitors $846.99 million -$100.98 million 487.82 This table compares Wirecard and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Wirecards rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Wirecard. Wirecard is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings for Wirecard and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Wirecard 0 0 0 0 N/A Wirecard Competitors 428 2080 4634 58 2.60 As a group, SoftwareApplication companies have a potential upside of 30.58%. Given Wirecards rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Wirecard has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Profitability This table compares Wirecard and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Wirecard N/A N/A N/A Wirecard Competitors -33.94% -130.09% -6.39% Summary Wirecard beats its rivals on 6 of the 10 factors compared. About Wirecard (Get Rating) Wirecard AG, a technology company, provides outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Payment Processing & Risk Management, Acquiring & Issuing, and Call Center & Communication Services. The Payment Processing & Risk Management segment offers products and service for the acceptance or transactions, and the processing of electronic payments and associated processes. The Acquiring & Issuing segment provides settlement services for credit card sales for online and terminal payments, as well as current accounts with prepaid cards and Girocard/Maestro debit cards; processes payment transactions in various currencies; and issues prepaid and debit cards to private and business customers. The Call Center & Communication Services segment offers value added services, aftersales services to customers, and mailing services. The company also provides payment processing solutions that include Wirecard Payment Page, a payment page; credit card processing; direct debit; online banking payment; alternative payment; international payment processing; tokenization; point of sale terminals; and Wirecard Checkout Portal, a payment portal. In addition, it offers mobile payment solutions; risk management solutions, such as fraud prevention, credit worthiness checks, and individual solutions; integration and testing solutions, including enterprise integration, transaction testing, payment hub, customer self-select PIN, and secure mailer solutions; and communication services. The company serves the consumer goods, digital goods, and travel and mobility sectors. Wirecard has strategic partnerships with Poynt, CreditPilot PLC, SunExpress, and Emonvia. Wirecard AG was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Aschheim, Germany. Receive News & Ratings for Wirecard Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wirecard and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B (NYSEARCA:BDCZ Get Rating)s share price was down 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $17.17 and last traded at $17.17. Approximately 2,091 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 4,446 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.38. ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B Stock Performance The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $16.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.02. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B stock. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new position in ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B (NYSEARCA:BDCZ Get Rating) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,496 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $195,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC owned 0.40% of ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B at the end of the most recent quarter. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ETRACS Linked to the Wells Fargo Business Development Company Index ETN Series B and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Novozymes A/S (OTCMKTS:NVZMF Get Rating) is one of 125 public companies in the Specialty Chemicals industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Novozymes A/S to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, earnings and institutional ownership. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Novozymes A/S and its rivals revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Get Novozymes A/S alerts: Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Novozymes A/S N/A N/A 5.79 Novozymes A/S Competitors $3.99 billion $403.85 million 12.90 Novozymes A/Ss rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Novozymes A/S. Novozymes A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Novozymes A/S 0 0 0 0 N/A Novozymes A/S Competitors 999 3570 4401 22 2.38 This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Novozymes A/S and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat. As a group, Specialty Chemicals companies have a potential upside of 120.27%. Given Novozymes A/Ss rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Novozymes A/S has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals. Dividends Novozymes A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. Novozymes A/S pays out 22.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Specialty Chemicals companies pay a dividend yield of 3.4% and pay out 88.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Novozymes A/S is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Institutional & Insider Ownership 20.4% of Novozymes A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 36.6% of shares of all Specialty Chemicals companies are held by institutional investors. 22.6% of shares of all Specialty Chemicals companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability This table compares Novozymes A/S and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Novozymes A/S N/A N/A N/A Novozymes A/S Competitors -15.19% -16.26% -0.72% Novozymes A/S Company Profile (Get Rating) Novozymes A/S produces and sells industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and probiotics in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company offers baking, beverages, dairy, starch, and protein solutions for the food and beverage industry; laundry, dishwashing, and professional cleaning solutions for the household care industry; agriculture solutions, including crop production, and animal health and nutrition solutions; bioyield and biocontrol solutions for crops; and grain and technical processing solutions, as well as bio energy solutions for liquefaction, saccharifaction, fermentation, fiber conversion, and biomass conversion. It also provides textile solutions, such as biopreparation, biopolishing, bleach clean-up, denim abrasion and finishing, and desizing solutions. In addition, the company offers solutions for pulp & paper, including fiber modification, bleach boosting, deposit control, starch modification, and deinking; leather solutions comprising acid bating, area expansion, bating, degreasing, soaking, and unhairing and liming; and water and waste management solutions, which consist of bioaugmentation, biogas, and sludge management. Further, it provides pharmaceutical solutions, including lipases, immobilized lipases, and proteases for biocatalysis, as well as rTrypsin for cell culture; and human health and protein solutions. The company was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Receive News & Ratings for Novozymes A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novozymes A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Software Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:STWRY Get Rating) is one of 125 public companies in the SoftwareInfrastructure industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Software Aktiengesellschaft to related businesses based on the strength of its dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and risk. Dividends Software Aktiengesellschaft pays an annual dividend of $0.13 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Software Aktiengesellschaft pays out 37.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, SoftwareInfrastructure companies pay a dividend yield of 4.1% and pay out 2,765.0% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Get Software Aktiengesellschaft alerts: Valuation and Earnings This table compares Software Aktiengesellschaft and its rivals revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Software Aktiengesellschaft N/A N/A 25.23 Software Aktiengesellschaft Competitors $420.79 million -$36.53 million -172.51 Profitability Software Aktiengesellschafts rivals have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Software Aktiengesellschaft. Software Aktiengesellschaft is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. This table compares Software Aktiengesellschaft and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Software Aktiengesellschaft N/A N/A N/A Software Aktiengesellschaft Competitors -1,185.71% -88.28% -12.96% Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent recommendations for Software Aktiengesellschaft and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Software Aktiengesellschaft 1 5 0 0 1.83 Software Aktiengesellschaft Competitors 303 1406 2652 41 2.55 Software Aktiengesellschaft presently has a consensus price target of $26.75, indicating a potential upside of 209.25%. As a group, SoftwareInfrastructure companies have a potential upside of 160.66%. Given Software Aktiengesellschafts higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Software Aktiengesellschaft is more favorable than its rivals. Insider and Institutional Ownership 0.2% of Software Aktiengesellschaft shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.4% of shares of all SoftwareInfrastructure companies are held by institutional investors. 28.0% of shares of all SoftwareInfrastructure companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Summary Software Aktiengesellschaft rivals beat Software Aktiengesellschaft on 7 of the 13 factors compared. Software Aktiengesellschaft Company Profile (Get Rating) Software Aktiengesellschaft provides software development, licensing, maintenance, and IT services in Germany, the United States, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Digital Business, Adabas & Natural, and Professional Services. The company offers Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics solutions comprising Cumulocity IoT for integrating digital equipment and sensors through an IoT device management and application enablement platform, as well as provides streaming analytics for big data analytics in real time and solutions for predictive analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning; and TrendMiner, an intuitive web-based analytics platform for visualization of industrial processes and process data. It also provides webMethods that integrate systems, applications, and processes through application programming interfaces or direct connections and orchestrate them in the form of microservices; ARIS for modeling, documenting, and optimizing business processes; Alfabet, which enables enterprise architecture mapping and optimal decision making for IT investments; Adabas & Natural for transaction processing; and CONNX for data integration, virtualization, and replication. In addition, the company offers professional services, which include implementation, development, and upgrade/migration services. Software Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany. Receive News & Ratings for Software Aktiengesellschaft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Software Aktiengesellschaft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Greystone Housing Impact Investors (NYSE:GHI Get Rating) and Sprott (NYSE:SII Get Rating) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings and risk. Risk & Volatility Greystone Housing Impact Investors has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sprott has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its stock price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500. Get Greystone Housing Impact Investors alerts: Dividends Greystone Housing Impact Investors pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 9.2%. Sprott pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Greystone Housing Impact Investors pays out 66.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sprott pays out 135.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Greystone Housing Impact Investors is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Greystone Housing Impact Investors 64.62% 17.22% 3.68% Sprott 14.13% 6.75% 4.94% Earnings and Valuation This table compares Greystone Housing Impact Investors and Sprotts net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This table compares Greystone Housing Impact Investors and Sprotts top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Greystone Housing Impact Investors $81.04 million 4.51 $65.56 million $2.22 7.24 Sprott $145.18 million 5.68 $17.63 million $0.74 42.95 Greystone Housing Impact Investors has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Sprott. Greystone Housing Impact Investors is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sprott, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Greystone Housing Impact Investors and Sprott, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Greystone Housing Impact Investors 0 0 2 0 3.00 Sprott 0 0 0 0 N/A Greystone Housing Impact Investors currently has a consensus price target of $20.00, indicating a potential upside of 24.46%. Given Greystone Housing Impact Investors higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Greystone Housing Impact Investors is more favorable than Sprott. Insider & Institutional Ownership 9.4% of Greystone Housing Impact Investors shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 25.3% of Sprott shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Greystone Housing Impact Investors shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 18.3% of Sprott shares are held 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. Summary Greystone Housing Impact Investors beats Sprott on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks. About Greystone Housing Impact Investors (Get Rating) Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP engages in the acquisition of a portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide construction and permanent financing for affordable multifamily and student housing and commercial properties. It operates through the following segments: Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments, Multifamily (MF) Properties, Public Housing Capital (PHC) Fund Trusts, and Other Investments. The Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments segment consists of the partnerships portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds which have been issued to provide construction and permanent financing for the residential properties and a commercial property. The MF Properties segment consists of indirect equity interests in multifamily, student housing, and senior citizen residential properties which are not currently financed by mortgage revenue bonds held by partnership but which the partnership eventually intends to finance by such bonds through a restructuring. The Public Housing Capital Fund Trusts segment consists of the assets, liabilities and related income and expenses of the PHC Trusts. The Other Investments segment consists of the operations About Sprott (Get Rating) Sprott, Inc. provides investment advisory services. It operates through the following segments: Exchange Listed Products, Lending, Managed Equities, Brokerage, and Corporate. The Exchange Listed Products segment provides management services to the companys closed-end physical trusts and exchange traded funds. The Lending segment provides lending activities through limited partnership vehicles, as well as through direct lending activities using the companys balance sheet. The Managed Equities segment provides asset management and sub-advisory services to the companys branded funds and managed account. The Brokerage segment includes the activities of Canadian and U.S broker-dealers. The Corporate segment provides capital, balance sheet management and enterprise shared services to the companys subsidiaries. The company was founded by Eric Steven Sprott on February 13, 2008 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Greystone Housing Impact Investors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Greystone Housing Impact Investors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First Farmers and Merchants Co. (OTCMKTS:FFMH Get Rating)s stock price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $25.80 and traded as high as $27.23. First Farmers and Merchants shares last traded at $27.00, with a volume of 2,200 shares trading hands. First Farmers and Merchants Stock Performance The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.53. About First Farmers and Merchants (Get Rating) First Farmers and Merchants Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Farmers and Merchants Bank that provides various banking and financial services in Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama. The company's deposit products include personal and business checking and savings, and individual retirement and investment accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for First Farmers and Merchants Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First Farmers and Merchants and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A swelling wave of legal action against social media companies picked up momentum last week when Aspen's public schools joined 40 other school districts across the country suing to hold the platforms accountable for a youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit, the first filed in U.S. District Court for Colorado, blames several social media companies, including YouTube, TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for creating addicting algorithms and platforms that are willfully causing harm to Aspens 3,000 students. The algorithms of Meta, YouTube and TikTok fill users feeds with increasingly harmful, destructive, and potentially abusive content in order to keep users, like Plaintiffs students, on its platform at the expense of the users safety and wellbeing, according to the Aspen lawsuit. If the evidence thats in the complaint is true, it is one of, if not, the most important lawsuits to be filed during my lifetime, Derek W. Black, an education law professor at the University of South Carolina, told our news partner Chalkbeat. This new wave of action against social media companies started when two Seattle school districts filed suit in January saying company practices have led to increased anxiety, depression, eating disorders and bullying among children. At the same time, now more than 2,000 individual families have filed suit against these companies alleging mental health impacts, as well. But Black believes school districts could have higher odds of success than individual families in holding social media companies accountable. Black drew comparisons to the case against the tobacco industry, which grew more successful as governments pursued lawsuits based on the harm caused to state healthcare systems. It was tougher to prove an individuals problems were caused by tobacco, but broader trend data over time showing widespread health risks to whole populations of people made the argument against tobacco companies more compelling, he said. Because it stretches across so many states. This case is potentially a huge turning point that is equally significant for the entire nation, he said to Chalkbeat. Both the U.S. surgeon general and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, among others, have singled out social media companies as a driving force behind the youth mental health crisis. We know that teen mental health is at a crisis point and the rising concerns are correlated with increased use of social media platforms that display harmful content. It is critical that we thoroughly investigate these concerns and do all we can to ensure that we are protecting our kids mental health, stated Weiser. In response to the lawsuits around the country, social media companies have issued statements saying they prioritize teen safety and have created measures to protect young users. And they repeatedly point out that the research linking social media to the mental health crisis is far from settled. A lot of product marketers would love to addict their customers and do everything in their power to do so thats called product marketing, Eric Goldman, a technology and marketing law professor at Santa Clara University, told Chalkbeat. We dont hold many services or products liable for addicting customers. Casinos, for example, arent held liable for gambling addictions, he said. So what do schools hope to get out of this? Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. Money, for one thing, to pay for the prevention, education and treatment programs they must fund to handle the surge of mental health issues in their classrooms. But school districts also want the conduct of social media companies to be declared a public nuisance so that their practices change. The lawsuits may play a larger role in the court of public opinion than they do in actual courts if they signal a shift in general attitudes toward social media akin to the shift in attitudes toward smoking a couple decades ago. When I was a teenager, smoking was one of the coolest, most rebellious things you could do, and now it is considered a public health menace. What if these lawsuits begin to push American attitudes in the same direction concerning social media, becoming the tipping point at which parents, schools and finally even kids start to see them as social evils to be carefully managed and avoided rather than embraced 24 hours a day as the coolest, newest thing? At the end of the day, individuals are the ones who are going to make the biggest difference by stepping away from the constant onslaught of social media to take back their mental health. I recently spoke to an old family friend, Charlie Ganote, a 21-year-old college student, about all this. Charlie decided a few years ago to forgo all social media and trade in his smartphone for a flip phone. He did it for three years right after the lockdown. It was awesome, Charlie reports. He said he came to realize that his smartphone and the bombardment of information coming at him all day long, demanding he react, was really lessening my impact on other people. He got off the hamster wheel at a time he was studying and traveling a lot and wanted time to learn about the world and himself in a more authentic, unmediated way. I got to see what impact social media and my smartphone were having, he said. A flip phone gave me an opportunity to take control of what I wanted to do, all the little patterns dictating my day. My smartphone was not really allowing me to be bored. And boredom is such a wonderful thing. I think my friend Charlie is onto something. You want to be able to spend time with yourself, time for reflection," Charlie said he found. "Social media can be kind of substitute for interacting with the world. Its isolating really. For children and kids in college, that sacred time with themselves without distraction offers them the opportunity to experiment with the kinds of pursuits that feel fulfilling and interesting to them, for self-creation, for becoming the unique people they were intended to be. An article I read in Psychology Today points out that social media upends our relationships by connecting us with intimate strangers. We lack the empathic capacity to relate to these intimate strangers as actual human beings, the article explained. This conflict between empathy and antipathy almost seems to cause our social intelligence to short-circuit, breeding dysfunctional relationships we just arent equipped to manage healthily." Time away from all the omnipresent doom-scrolling machinery of social media allows our young folks time for real human relationships with others and themselves to develop organically, and really take root. It allows for friendships, for self-exploration, for sifting through emotions and idiosyncrasies and figuring out a way to relate to the world. It allows for mental health, in other words. AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO Get Rating) Research analysts at Wedbush boosted their FY2023 earnings per share estimates for shares of AutoZone in a report released on Wednesday, June 21st. Wedbush analyst S. Basham now expects that the company will earn $131.87 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $130.79. The consensus estimate for AutoZones current full-year earnings is $130.28 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for AutoZones FY2024 earnings at $147.36 EPS. Get AutoZone alerts: AutoZone (NYSE:AZO Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 23rd. The company reported $34.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $30.84 by $3.28. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.45% and a negative return on equity of 62.38%. The company had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $29.03 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. AutoZone Trading Down 0.6 % Several other analysts also recently commented on AZO. Bank of America upgraded AutoZone from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and raised their target price for the company from $2,120.00 to $2,465.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 1st. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on AutoZone from $2,425.00 to $2,340.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on AutoZone from $3,125.00 to $3,020.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $2,725.00 to $2,800.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $2,716.00. NYSE:AZO opened at $2,423.73 on Thursday. AutoZone has a 12 month low of $2,050.21 and a 12 month high of $2,750.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $2,555.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2,486.59. Insider Activity In related news, VP William R. Hackney sold 2,724 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,394.45, for a total value of $6,522,481.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,420 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,573.04, for a total value of $3,653,716.80. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 379 shares in the company, valued at $975,182.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP William R. Hackney sold 2,724 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,394.45, for a total value of $6,522,481.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,964 shares of company stock valued at $19,647,954 in the last ninety days. 2.59% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoZone A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 5,037.7% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,392,892 shares of the companys stock valued at $58,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365,781 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 107,977.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 699,260 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,724,500,000 after acquiring an additional 698,613 shares during the period. Gateway Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 250,309.8% during the first quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 535,877 shares of the companys stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 535,663 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 368.0% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 411,450 shares of the companys stock worth $841,242,000 after acquiring an additional 323,536 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 241,813.5% in the first quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 304,811 shares of the companys stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 304,685 shares in the last quarter. 98.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. AutoZone Company Profile (Get Rating) AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. See Also Receive News & Ratings for AutoZone Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AutoZone and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (OTCMKTS:GJNSY Get Rating) and Swiss Life (OTCMKTS:SZLMY Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Life, as reported by MarketBeat. Get Gjensidige Forsikring ASA alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Gjensidige Forsikring ASA 1 2 1 0 2.00 Swiss Life 0 2 2 0 2.50 Gjensidige Forsikring ASA currently has a consensus target price of $226.67, suggesting a potential upside of 1,339.15%. Swiss Life has a consensus target price of $584.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1,868.01%. Given Swiss Lifes stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Swiss Life is more favorable than Gjensidige Forsikring ASA. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Gjensidige Forsikring ASA N/A N/A N/A Swiss Life N/A N/A N/A Valuation and Earnings This table compares Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Lifes net margins, return on equity and return on assets. This table compares Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and Swiss Lifes gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Gjensidige Forsikring ASA N/A N/A N/A $8.72 1.81 Swiss Life N/A N/A N/A $1.19 24.97 Gjensidige Forsikring ASA is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Swiss Life, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Dividends Gjensidige Forsikring ASA pays an annual dividend of $10.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 67.9%. Swiss Life pays an annual dividend of $0.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Gjensidige Forsikring ASA pays out 122.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Swiss Life pays out 20.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Institutional and Insider Ownership 0.0% of Gjensidige Forsikring ASA shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Summary Swiss Life beats Gjensidige Forsikring ASA on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks. About Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (Get Rating) Gjensidige Forsikring ASA engages in the provision of insurance services. It operates through the following segments: General Insurance Private, General Insurance Commercial, General Insurance Denmark, General Insurance Sweden, General Insurance Baltics, and Pension. The General Insurance Private segment offers insurances related to motor, property, accident and health, and leisure. The General Insurance Commercial segment provides general insurance products to the commercial, agriculture, and municipality markets. The General Insurance Denmark segment engages in the provision of general insurance products to the private, commercial, and municipal markets in Denmark. The General Insurance Sweden segment consists of motor, property, accident and health, and other insurance products. The General Insurance Baltics segment supplies general insurance products to the private and commercial markets in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. About Swiss Life (Get Rating) Swiss Life Holding AG engages in the provision of life insurances, pensions, and financial solutions. It operates through the following segments: Switzerland, Germany, France, International, and Asset Managers. The Switzerland, France and Germany segments provide life insurance operations and distribution units. The life insurance operations offer a broad range of life, pension, health, annuity and investment-type policies to both groups and individuals, including disability coverage. The International segment includes cross-border insurance operations in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Singapore, and Swiss life select units in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The Asset Managers segment represents the management of assets for institutional clients, groups insurances business, and consulting services. The company was founded by Conrad Widmer in 1857 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Receive News & Ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. GMS (NYSE:GMS Get Rating) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.21, Briefing.com reports. GMS had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 34.16%. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.09 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. GMS Stock Performance Shares of GMS stock opened at $67.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 1.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $62.25 and a 200-day moving average of $57.74. GMS has a one year low of $38.31 and a one year high of $69.96. Get GMS alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have recently commented on GMS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of GMS from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on GMS from $55.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday. Loop Capital lifted their price target on GMS from $63.00 to $72.00 in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on GMS from $68.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on GMS from $70.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $69.14. Insider Activity Hedge Funds Weigh In On GMS In other news, major shareholder Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 201,213 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.93, for a total value of $13,668,399.09. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,135,360 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $416,775,004.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, COO George T. Hendren sold 800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $48,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 23,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,406,220. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . Also, major shareholder Coliseum Capital Management, L sold 201,213 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.93, for a total value of $13,668,399.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,135,360 shares of the companys stock, valued at $416,775,004.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 1,082,084 shares of company stock valued at $71,920,348 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders. A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in GMS by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,909,372 shares of the companys stock worth $276,444,000 after acquiring an additional 163,593 shares during the last quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC boosted its position in GMS by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 6,336,573 shares of the companys stock worth $253,526,000 after acquiring an additional 205,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in GMS by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,242,989 shares of the companys stock worth $209,773,000 after acquiring an additional 154,926 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in GMS by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,552,203 shares of the companys stock worth $147,743,000 after acquiring an additional 40,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in GMS by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,903,763 shares of the companys stock worth $110,209,000 after acquiring an additional 181,514 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.57% of the companys stock. About GMS (Get Rating) GMS Inc distributes wallboard, ceilings, steel framing and complementary construction products in the United States and Canada. The company offers ceilings products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings. Read More Receive News & Ratings for GMS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for GMS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA Get Rating) had its price objective upped by Truist Financial from $325.00 to $340.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of HCA Healthcare from $300.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $325.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on HCA Healthcare from $283.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $280.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $283.00 price target on shares of HCA Healthcare in a report on Friday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HCA Healthcare currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $298.79. Get HCA Healthcare alerts: HCA Healthcare Stock Up 0.4 % Shares of HCA Healthcare stock opened at $295.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 157.23, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.64. HCA Healthcare has a 52-week low of $164.47 and a 52-week high of $296.98. The companys 50 day moving average price is $277.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.38. HCA Healthcare Announces Dividend HCA Healthcare ( NYSE:HCA Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 21st. The company reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.94. The business had revenue of $15.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.26 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 9.42% and a negative return on equity of 1,157.58%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that HCA Healthcare will post 18.1 EPS for the current year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. HCA Healthcares payout ratio is 12.04%. Insider Activity In related news, SVP P. Martin Paslick sold 2,539 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $685,530.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 24,643 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,653,610. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other HCA Healthcare news, SVP Kathryn A. Torres sold 4,473 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.38, for a total value of $1,289,923.74. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 22,243 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,414,436.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP P. Martin Paslick sold 2,539 shares of HCA Healthcare stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $685,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 24,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,653,610. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,733 shares of company stock worth $3,518,389 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HCA. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of HCA Healthcare by 162.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 105 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of HCA Healthcare by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 122 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in HCA Healthcare by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 132 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. 62.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About HCA Healthcare (Get Rating) HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides health care services in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy. Read More Receive News & Ratings for HCA Healthcare Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HCA Healthcare and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NAVER (OTCMKTS:NHNCF Get Rating) is one of 115 public companies in the Internet Content & Information industry, but how does it compare to its peers? We will compare NAVER to related businesses based on the strength of its profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation. Dividends NAVER pays an annual dividend of $587.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 510.6%. NAVER pays out 4.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Internet Content & Information companies pay a dividend yield of 26.7% and pay out 4.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. NAVER is clearly a better dividend stock than its peers, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Get NAVER alerts: Institutional and Insider Ownership 31.2% of shares of all Internet Content & Information companies are held by institutional investors. 30.6% of shares of all Internet Content & Information companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score NAVER 1 0 0 0 1.00 NAVER Competitors 527 2253 4010 87 2.53 This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for NAVER and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat. As a group, Internet Content & Information companies have a potential upside of 85.09%. Given NAVERs peers stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe NAVER has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Profitability This table compares NAVER and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets NAVER N/A N/A N/A NAVER Competitors -16.95% -14.98% -1.83% Valuation and Earnings This table compares NAVER and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio NAVER N/A N/A 0.01 NAVER Competitors $6.70 billion $1.09 billion -91.23 NAVERs peers have higher revenue and earnings than NAVER. NAVER is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. Summary NAVER peers beat NAVER on 7 of the 13 factors compared. About NAVER (Get Rating) NAVER Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides internet and online search portal, and mobile messenger platform services in South Korea, Japan, and internationally. The company offers Naver, a search portal that offers various content topic boards; LINE, a messaging application; Naver Clova, an integrated AI platform; Papago, an automated interpretation application; WHALE, a web browser; Naver Map, a navigation application; Webtoon, a promotion system for mobile comics; SERIES, a paid content platform; SNOW, a camera; BAND, a mobile community platform; NOW, an audio shows to listen to on NAVER app; and NAVER WORKS, which provides features necessary for work, such as Message, Mail, Calendar, and Drive. It also provides IT platforms, BIZ platforms, advertising services, and NAVER SQUARE for business; NAVER Webtoon, NAVER Webnovel, NAVER AudioClip, Series, Premium Contents, NAVER Influencer Center, Creator Advisor, VIBE, NAVER TV, NAVER Post, and Grafolio for creators; and NAVER D2 Startup Factory, DEVIEW, NAVER D2, NAVER Open Source, CLOVA Platform API, NAVER Maps API, papago API, and NAVER login for developers. In addition, NAVER Corporation is involved in the manufacture of cosmetics; electronic financial business; film production and distribution; real estate rental; investment and information business; and character and doll wholesale and retail activities. The company was formerly known as NHN Corporation. NAVER Corporation was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Seongnam-si, South Korea. Receive News & Ratings for NAVER Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NAVER and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft (OTCMKTS:HBGRF Get Rating) is one of 148 publicly-traded companies in the Specialty Industrial Machinery industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft to similar businesses based on the strength of its earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends. Insider and Institutional Ownership 22.8% of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.5% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies are owned by institutional investors. 24.7% of shares of all Specialty Industrial Machinery companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Get Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft alerts: Profitability This table compares Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft N/A N/A N/A Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Competitors -19.10% -4.02% -1.45% Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft 0 0 0 0 N/A Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Competitors 1019 3715 4929 65 2.42 This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat. As a group, Specialty Industrial Machinery companies have a potential upside of 79.19%. Given Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschafts peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft and its peers revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft N/A N/A 49.92 Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Competitors $4.40 billion $350.03 million 618.20 Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschafts peers have higher revenue and earnings than Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Summary Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft peers beat Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft on 5 of the 8 factors compared. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Company Profile (Get Rating) Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, sells, and deals in printing press and other print media industry products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia/Pacific, Eastern Europe, North America, and South America. The company operates through Print Solutions, Packaging Solutions, and Technology Solutions segments. It offers printing machines, including digital, offset, narrow web, screen, and inline-flexo printing, as well as remarketed equipment; and finishing equipment comprising cutting, die-cutting and embossing, folding, inspection, folding carton gluing, hot foil stamping, and shingled folding. The company also provides technical services, such as installation and relocation, maintenance and cleaning, remote support, repair, and overhauling services, as well as service parts; and performance services consisting of performance evaluation, color management, training, upgrades and retrofits, monitoring, output optimization, print shop optimization, and investment planning. In addition, it offers financial services; and consumables, such as plates, films, chemicals, proofing, glues, digital and analog engraving, blankets, inks, dampening rollers, coatings, varnishes, blankets, rollers, pressroom chemicals, cutting knives, banderoles, ink duct foils, wash-up cloths and spray powders, dispersion glues, binding glues, stitching wires and sealing threads, and folding carton gluing supplies. Further, the company provides software solutions. The company was formerly known as Schnellpressenfabrik AG Heidelberg and changed its name to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft in 1967. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1850 and is based in Heidelberg, Germany. Receive News & Ratings for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM Get Rating) by 62.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,868 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of IWM. Miller Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $16,055,000. First Manhattan Co. raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 1,026 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 88.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 402 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 214.6% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 17,172 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,994,000 after purchasing an additional 11,714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. USAdvisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,935 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,621 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.87% of the companys stock. Get iShares Russell 2000 ETF alerts: iShares Russell 2000 ETF Stock Performance Shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF stock opened at $180.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $50.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 1.15. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a one year low of $162.50 and a one year high of $201.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $178.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $180.45. About iShares Russell 2000 ETF iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (TSE:BAM Get Rating) (NYSE:BAM) Director Brian William Kingston sold 150,000 shares of Brookfield Asset Management stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$33.86, for a total value of C$5,079,000.00. Brookfield Asset Management Stock Performance Shares of BAM stock opened at C$41.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50 day moving average of C$43.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$43.89. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. has a 52 week low of C$36.65 and a 52 week high of C$48.19. The company has a market cap of C$17.23 billion and a P/E ratio of 6.03. Get Brookfield Asset Management alerts: Brookfield Asset Management (TSE:BAM Get Rating) (NYSE:BAM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The company reported C$0.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$0.45 by C($0.02). Brookfield Asset Management had a net margin of 53.06% and a return on equity of 19.57%. The company had revenue of C$1.31 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. will post 5.0100001 EPS for the current year. Brookfield Asset Management Increases Dividend About Brookfield Asset Management The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st will be paid a $0.434 dividend. This is an increase from Brookfield Asset Managements previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 30th. Brookfield Asset Managements payout ratio is presently 25.11%. (Get Rating) Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. provides alternative asset management services. It serves institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, endowments, foundations, financial institutions, insurance companies, and individual investors. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is based in Toronto, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Brookfield Asset Management Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookfield Asset Management and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Beacon Financial Group increased its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG Get Rating) by 69.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,210 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 2,542 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Groups holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF were worth $581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EFG. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 11.9% in the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,254 shares of the companys stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 34.0% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,468 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 2,657 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 5.9% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,076 shares of the companys stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF by 81.0% in the first quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,319 shares of the companys stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF in the first quarter valued at $266,000. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Trading Down 1.7 % Shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF stock opened at $93.35 on Friday. iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF has a twelve month low of $67.58 and a twelve month high of $85.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.89. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $95.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.47. About iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (BATS:EFG Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM Get Rating) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,965 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 2,822 shares during the quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $1,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 125,500.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 144,937,968 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $5,493,149,000 after buying an additional 144,822,572 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 79,056,643 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,757,495,000 after buying an additional 2,120,629 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 39,172,754 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,484,647,000 after buying an additional 6,765,030 shares during the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter worth about $324,358,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 779.9% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 8,239,022 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $325,111,000 after buying an additional 7,302,610 shares during the last quarter. 82.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF alerts: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Stock Performance iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF stock opened at $39.18 on Friday. The firms 50-day moving average is $39.30 and its 200-day moving average is $39.39. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 1 year low of $33.49 and a 1 year high of $42.53. The company has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 0.74. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index). Read More Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. A Colorado Springs-based national textbook organization received a first-of-a-kind accolade for its newly released biology program. Curriculum developed by BSCS Science Learning, a center for research and development in science education, is the first and only high school science program to receive all-green ratings from nonprofit instructional reviewer EdReports. The ratings indicate BSCS meets EdReports highest quality standards across the board in three areas: coherence and scope, usability and alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards and a curriculum standard adopted by 20 states and the District of Columbia. Districts and states are reviewing curriculum materials more carefully than I think they did historically. A lot of schools and districts dont have the resources to conduct these thorough reviews themselves, so they rely on EdReports and other organizations to do so, BSCS Executive Director Daniel Edelson said. EdReports is an acknowledgement that we succeeded in what we set out to do. Its going to be very powerful in getting these materials into the hands of teachers and students. The program, titled BSCS Biology: Understanding for Life, marks a shift from the traditional teaching approach, said instructional material developers Cindy Gay and Lindsey Mohan. Rather than framing lessons around teacher lectures and memorization, BSCS begins each unit by investigating a current real-world phenomenon. Why, for example, do antibiotics sometimes not work in treating infections? Students ask questions and lead the discussion on why these sorts of events occur, and through the course of investigation they discover concepts of natural selection at play in bacteria. Students learn not just the words and definitions attached to biology, but also how to talk about these concepts and apply them to their daily lives. We move away from a culture of one right answer, said Gay, BSCS senior science educator. If you were a really good student in a traditional classroom, and you were used to the teacher telling what you needed to know, and you could memorize and spit it back, and suddenly the teachers not giving you the answer anymore, and youre having to figure out and revise your thinking, that could potentially be really uncomfortable for you. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. After formal schooling, youre never going to be asked to read a textbook and memorize definitions again. Thats not a useful skill to have in your life, added Mohan, the project director for the programs development. But you are going to need to have conversations with your doctor. You are going to be prescribed antibiotics, and you are going to need to understand how and why you need to take those antibiotics. The program pulled input from 60 experts across a range of specialties, from educators to doctors to experts on inclusive language and imagery. BSCS began field testing its work in the spring of 2020, when COVID threw a wrench into its collaborative and discussion-based method by forcing classes online. Still, the developers found enough teachers, schools and districts interested in testing out their new program and pushed forward. Student voice was critical, too, as they provided feedback as to which of their key questions were left unanswered and which real-world examples most caught their eye. Program redesigns better aligned units to kids interests and curiosities to give them ownership over their lessons, Mohan said. Engaging biology courses are critical for all students regardless of their post-secondary aspirations, Edelson said. Traditional science education has failed in that it focused primarily on preparing students for college and careers while undervaluing its use in their personal lives. BSCS considers both, he said. We are facing challenges in our society that require scientific understanding, and we have a lot of misinformation circulating currently, Edelson said. People need to be informed both for decisions they make in their personal lives and decisions they make in their civic lives. Dani Booth, a science teacher who teaches emerging bilinguals at Colorados Steamboat High School, said the programs accessible approach to contemporary issues embeds literacy strategies for students who are learning English as a secondary language and those who read below their grade level. Her students are communicating about school topics in ways she has never seen before, she said, and synthesizing information in other subjects. On this little planet, our problems are increasingly complex. Our resources are finite, and the challenges we face are getting bigger and bigger all the time, and we often seem more and more divided about solving these problems and making decisions. The green light from EdReports confirms the path this program is taking in order to give students the skills and understanding they need to tackle these solutions, Gay said. It gives me huge hope for the future of these problems. Kessler Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Timken Company (NYSE:TKR Get Rating) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,645 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $216,000. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Timken by 39.1% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 26,335 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,599,000 after buying an additional 7,408 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Timken by 10.8% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,312 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Timken in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,059,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Timken by 33.2% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 44,547 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,704,000 after purchasing an additional 11,093 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its holdings in Timken by 10.5% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 25,300 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,536,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. 91.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Timken alerts: Timken Price Performance Shares of NYSE TKR opened at $85.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $78.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.23. The Timken Company has a 1-year low of $50.85 and a 1-year high of $89.40. The company has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.54. Timken Increases Dividend Timken ( NYSE:TKR Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The industrial products company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.23 billion. Timken had a return on equity of 20.72% and a net margin of 8.88%. Timkens revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Timken Company will post 7.25 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 16th were given a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from Timkens previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 15th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Timkens dividend payout ratio is presently 23.61%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CEO Richard G. Kyle sold 23,232 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.77, for a total value of $1,713,824.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 383,082 shares in the company, valued at $28,259,959.14. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Timken news, CEO Richard G. Kyle sold 24,851 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.74, for a total value of $1,832,512.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 383,082 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $28,248,466.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Richard G. Kyle sold 23,232 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.77, for a total value of $1,713,824.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 383,082 shares in the company, valued at $28,259,959.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TKR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Timken from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised Timken from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Timken from $89.00 to $83.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $90.78. Timken Company Profile (Get Rating) The Timken Co engages in the engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of bearings and industrial motion products. In addition to bearings, it offers drives, belts, chains, lubrication systems, couplings, industrial clutches, and brakes. It operates through the Mobile and Process Industries segments. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TKR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Timken Company (NYSE:TKR Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Timken Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Timken and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mirador Capital Partners LP trimmed its stake in ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE Get Rating) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 32,656 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 2,182 shares during the period. Mirador Capital Partners LPs holdings in ONEOK were worth $2,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of OKE. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ONEOK by 275.5% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,850 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 2,091 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in ONEOK by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,339 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in ONEOK by 500.5% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 167,226 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $11,812,000 after purchasing an additional 139,379 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its position in ONEOK by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 161,711 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $11,422,000 after purchasing an additional 27,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC bought a new stake in ONEOK during the 1st quarter valued at $614,000. 68.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get ONEOK alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have weighed in on OKE. StockNews.com began coverage on ONEOK in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating for the company. Raymond James lifted their target price on ONEOK from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Mizuho lifted their price target on ONEOK from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Barclays cut their price target on ONEOK from $71.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded ONEOK from a neutral rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the company from $71.00 to $72.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $73.45. ONEOK Stock Down 0.9 % ONEOK stock opened at $57.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.18. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $61.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.40. The company has a market cap of $25.81 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.68. ONEOK, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.50 and a fifty-two week high of $71.57. ONEOK (NYSE:OKE Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.13 billion. ONEOK had a return on equity of 36.54% and a net margin of 11.09%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that ONEOK, Inc. will post 5.48 EPS for the current year. ONEOK Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 1st were issued a $0.955 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 28th. This represents a $3.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.62%. ONEOKs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.08%. About ONEOK (Get Rating) ONEOK, Inc engages in gathering, processing, fractionating, transporting, storing and marketing of natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas Pipelines. The Natural Gas Gathering and Processing segment offers midstream services to producers in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding OKE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for ONEOK Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ONEOK and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mirador Capital Partners LP lowered its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK Get Rating) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,245 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 84 shares during the quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LPs holdings in American Water Works were worth $768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AWK. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in American Water Works by 5.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 623,854 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $103,268,000 after purchasing an additional 30,316 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 33.1% in the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 78,509 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $12,996,000 after acquiring an additional 19,512 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 53.1% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,079 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 721 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,960,717 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,635,157,000 after acquiring an additional 434,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of American Water Works by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 2,186 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.05% of the companys stock. Get American Water Works alerts: American Water Works Trading Down 1.8 % AWK stock opened at $145.76 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.37 billion, a PE ratio of 32.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.58. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.77 and a 12 month high of $162.59. The firms 50-day moving average is $146.81 and its 200 day moving average is $148.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. American Water Works Increases Dividend American Water Works ( NYSE:AWK Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $938.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $903.84 million. American Water Works had a net margin of 21.40% and a return on equity of 10.22%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 4.77 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is an increase from American Water Workss previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 8th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. American Water Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.20%. Analysts Set New Price Targets AWK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Water Works from $134.00 to $140.00 in a report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of American Water Works in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $156.00. Insider Buying and Selling at American Water Works In other American Water Works news, Director Michael Marberry bought 1,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $142.35 per share, with a total value of $199,290.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,673 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $522,851.55. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock. American Water Works Profile (Get Rating) American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,600 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.4 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for American Water Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Water Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MS INTERNATIONAL plc (LON:MSI Get Rating) declared a dividend on Thursday, June 22nd, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 6th will be given a dividend of GBX 13 ($0.17) per share on Friday, August 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. This is a positive change from MS INTERNATIONALs previous dividend of $2.00. The official announcement can be accessed at this link. MS INTERNATIONAL Trading Up 2.9 % LON:MSI opened at GBX 630 ($8.06) on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.40. The stock has a market capitalization of 103.57 million, a PE ratio of 1,465.12 and a beta of -0.01. The firms 50 day moving average is GBX 528.06 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 558.88. MS INTERNATIONAL has a 12 month low of GBX 268 ($3.43) and a 12 month high of GBX 746.60 ($9.55). Get MS INTERNATIONAL alerts: MS INTERNATIONAL Company Profile (Get Rating) Further Reading MS INTERNATIONAL plc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services specialist engineering products in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, and internationally. The company operates through Defence, Forgings, Petrol Station Superstructures, and Corporate Branding divisions. Receive News & Ratings for MS INTERNATIONAL Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MS INTERNATIONAL and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mullen Group Ltd. (TSE:MTL Get Rating) declared a monthly dividend on Thursday, June 22nd, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.06 per share on Monday, July 17th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. Mullen Group Trading Down 1.6 % TSE MTL opened at C$15.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of C$1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 8.43, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.70. Mullen Group has a 12 month low of C$10.83 and a 12 month high of C$16.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$15.40 and a 200-day moving average of C$14.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 80.76. Get Mullen Group alerts: Mullen Group (TSE:MTL Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported C$0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.18 by C$0.15. Mullen Group had a net margin of 8.52% and a return on equity of 18.99%. The company had revenue of C$497.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$479.00 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Mullen Group will post 1.2751236 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Mullen Group Company Profile A number of research firms recently weighed in on MTL. CIBC boosted their target price on Mullen Group from C$15.50 to C$16.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Mullen Group from C$15.00 to C$15.50 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Mullen Group from C$17.50 to C$18.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. National Bank Financial reiterated an outperfrom under weight rating on shares of Mullen Group in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Finally, TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Mullen Group from C$16.00 to C$17.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, April 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$16.85. (Get Rating) Mullen Group Ltd. provides a range of trucking and logistics services in Canada and the United States. The Less-Than-Truckload segment delivers general freight consisting of smaller shipments, packages, and parcels; and pharmaceutical and package products. The Logistics & Warehousing segment offers full truckload, specialized transportation, warehousing, and fulfillment centers that handle ecommerce transactions and transload facilities for intermodal and bulk shipments; technology solutions, including transportation management, inventory management, and warehouse management systems; and warehousing and distribution services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Mullen Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mullen Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW Get Rating) by 161.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 353 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $79,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SHW. Wealth Alliance lifted its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 119.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 2,472 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. General Partner Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams in the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. Alpha Paradigm Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $373,000. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 27,602 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $6,551,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aureus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Sherwin-Williams by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC now owns 132,579 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $31,465,000 after buying an additional 1,199 shares during the last quarter. 75.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Sherwin-Williams alerts: Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance NYSE:SHW opened at $247.04 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.03. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $235.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.09. The stock has a market cap of $63.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.07. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a twelve month low of $195.24 and a twelve month high of $265.64. Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend Sherwin-Williams ( NYSE:SHW Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 86.29%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 8.7 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 19th were given a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 18th. Sherwin-Williamss dividend payout ratio is currently 29.69%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Sherwin-Williams in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $263.00 to $268.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Citigroup started coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. They set a buy rating and a $283.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sherwin-Williams currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $261.26. Sherwin-Williams Company Profile (Get Rating) The Sherwin-Williams Company engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of paints, coating, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: The Americas Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group. The Americas Group segment offers architectural paints and coatings, and protective and marine products, as well as OEM product finishes and related products for architectural and industrial paint contractors, and do-it-yourself homeowners. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Sherwin-Williams Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sherwin-Williams and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mirador Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW Get Rating) by 2.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,441 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the period. Mirador Capital Partners LPs holdings in Pinnacle West Capital were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 153.6% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Pinnacle West Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 128.3% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 411 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Pinnacle West Capital during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 14,875.0% during the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 599 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.46% of the companys stock. Get Pinnacle West Capital alerts: Pinnacle West Capital Trading Down 2.2 % Shares of NYSE:PNW opened at $80.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.46. Pinnacle West Capital Co. has a 1 year low of $59.03 and a 1 year high of $84.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Pinnacle West Capital Announces Dividend Pinnacle West Capital ( NYSE:PNW Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.06). Pinnacle West Capital had a return on equity of 7.50% and a net margin of 10.33%. The business had revenue of $944.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $808.33 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Pinnacle West Capital Co. will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year. The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.865 per share. This represents a $3.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 31st. Pinnacle West Capitals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.60%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $85.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, May 20th. Bank of America raised shares of Pinnacle West Capital from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and upped their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Friday, May 26th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group raised shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $77.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $75.73. Pinnacle West Capital Profile (Get Rating) Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the state of Arizona. The company engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity using coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and solar generating facilities. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PNW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Pinnacle West Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinnacle West Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS Get Rating) rose 3.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $26.00 and last traded at $25.86. Approximately 5,792,399 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 11,784,114 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.90. Analysts Set New Price Targets PINS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 888 reissued a maintains rating on shares of Pinterest in a report on Friday, April 28th. Credit Suisse Group cut their target price on shares of Pinterest from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 28th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Pinterest from $32.00 to $28.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on shares of Pinterest from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Pinterest from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 28th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pinterest currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $27.96. Get Pinterest alerts: Pinterest Stock Up 0.4 % The stock has a market cap of $17.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -58.31 and a beta of 0.99. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $24.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.20. Insiders Place Their Bets Pinterest ( NYSE:PINS Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by $0.04. Pinterest had a negative net margin of 10.58% and a negative return on equity of 4.83%. The firm had revenue of $602.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $593.96 million. As a group, analysts expect that Pinterest, Inc. will post -0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year. In other Pinterest news, SVP Naveen Gavini sold 11,185 shares of Pinterest stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.95, for a total transaction of $312,620.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 350,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,796,670.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Pinterest news, CFO Todd R. Morgenfeld sold 60,537 shares of Pinterest stock in a transaction on Monday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.32, for a total transaction of $1,714,407.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 512,820 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,523,062.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Naveen Gavini sold 11,185 shares of Pinterest stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.95, for a total transaction of $312,620.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 350,507 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,796,670.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 579,105 shares of company stock worth $14,729,792. Corporate insiders own 6.85% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pinterest Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cohanzick Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pinterest in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in shares of Pinterest in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of Pinterest by 315.3% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,142 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Pinterest during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CI Investments Inc. lifted its position in Pinterest by 114.2% during the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 1,634 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.66% of the companys stock. About Pinterest (Get Rating) Pinterest, Inc operates as a visual discovery engine in the United States and internationally. The company's engine allows people to find ideas, such as recipes, home and style inspiration, and others; provides video, product, and idea pins; and offers organizing and planning tools. It shows organic recommendations and advertising engine based on pinners tastes and preferences; and enables pinners with shoppable product pins, which include price, color, and size that redirect to retailer websites. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Pinterest Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pinterest and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG Get Rating) had its price target upped by Raymond James from $2,100.00 to $2,300.00 in a research note published on Tuesday, The Fly reports. A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on CMG. Credit Suisse Group increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,050.00 to $2,200.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,900.00 to $2,050.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,000.00 to $2,100.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,940.00 to $2,050.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,970.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $2,066.93. Get Chipotle Mexican Grill alerts: Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Down 0.3 % Shares of CMG stock opened at $2,043.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $56.39 billion, a PE ratio of 55.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $2,017.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,719.76. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $1,233.61 and a twelve month high of $2,139.88. Insider Buying and Selling Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The restaurant operator reported $10.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.89 by $1.61. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.34 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 45.01%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 43.87 EPS for the current year. In related news, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,023 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,695.00, for a total transaction of $1,733,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at $39,573,165. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CMO Christopher W. Brandt sold 1,013 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,795.00, for a total transaction of $1,818,335.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 8,125 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $14,584,375. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,023 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,695.00, for a total value of $1,733,985.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at $39,573,165. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,346 shares of company stock worth $24,704,401. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,620,725 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $3,938,320,000 after acquiring an additional 114,699 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,966,428 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $2,955,068,000 after purchasing an additional 23,107 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,058,549 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $1,590,745,000 after purchasing an additional 5,450 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 565,479 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $963,779,000 after purchasing an additional 9,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 507,232 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $703,779,000 after purchasing an additional 2,012 shares during the last quarter. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. About Chipotle Mexican Grill (Get Rating) Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It offers burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SAF-Holland SE (ETR:SFQ Get Rating)s share price shot up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as 11.72 ($12.74) and last traded at 11.68 ($12.70). 78,419 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 141,316 shares. The stock had previously closed at 11.50 ($12.50). Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts recently weighed in on SFQ shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a 14.00 ($15.22) price objective on shares of SAF-Holland in a research report on Friday, March 31st. Hauck Aufhauser Investment Banking set a 24.00 ($26.09) price objective on shares of SAF-Holland in a research report on Friday, March 31st. Finally, Warburg Research set a 13.00 ($14.13) price objective on shares of SAF-Holland in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Get SAF-Holland alerts: SAF-Holland Stock Performance The stock has a market capitalization of $530.16 million, a P/E ratio of 7.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 2.03. The companys 50-day moving average is 12.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is 11.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 161.40. SAF-Holland Company Profile SAF-Holland SE manufactures and supplies chassis-related assemblies and components for trailers, trucks, semi-trailers, and buses. The company offers axle and air suspension systems, fifth wheels, hweel systems, coupling systems, kingpins, and landing gears, as well as ball races, braking and EBS systems, lighting systems, and disc brakes. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for SAF-Holland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SAF-Holland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Colorado lawmakers open every morning of the legislative session with a group prayer on the chamber floor, recognizing their religious beliefs and often asking for guidance from their respective God before beginning policy work. But a growing number of legislators spend this designated prayer time waiting in the hall. Of Colorado's 100 state lawmakers, 24 identify as nonreligious, including atheists, agnostics, humanists and more. That's according to a first-of-its-kind survey by Colorado Politics, featuring 73 direct responses from lawmakers, as well as public identifications from campaign websites, religious caucuses and legislative debates. When looking at population and affiliation, the data shows legislators in Colorado's General Assembly are considerably more religious than the constituents they represent. More than 1 in 3 Coloradans, 34%, are religiously unaffiliated, according to a 2022 audit by the Public Religion Research Institute. This roughly aligns with the most recent data from Gallup, which found that 38% of people in the Rockies region were not religious in 2017, and Pew Research Center, which found that 29% of Coloradans were not religious in 2014. The disparity between Coloradans and their legislators is the most stark for the nonreligious, with a difference of minus 10 percentage points. Colorado's Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations are all proportionately represented or overrepresented among lawmakers. Religion in the halls of power Rep. Judy Amabile, an atheist, said when people learn of her beliefs, they often ask if she is at least spiritual. The Boulder Democrat said many seem disappointed when she tells them no. But Amabile believes religion isnt necessary to be a good lawmaker, saying she doesnt need to believe in something mythical to keep me going on the path that I'm on in terms of trying to solve problems. Amabile said she has a friend across the aisle in the legislature who has encouraged her to convert to Christianity. During one floor debate on Amabile's bill to provide housing vouchers to homeless foster youth, the friend fought against the bill, arguing that once foster kids turn 18, they're responsible for themselves. "When the hearing was over, I said to this person, I think I have better Christian values than you do," Amabile said. "I was kind of only kidding, but we somehow equate religion with morality or good values and they're not related. You shouldn't have to be religious for people to think you are a moral person." Aside from the morning prayer, religion is often present in the Legislature. A Bible study for lawmakers is held in the Capitol every Tuesday, lawmakers frequently quote Scripture during policy debates, and, last session, party leadership feverishly worked across the aisle to negotiate the end of stall tactics to give lawmakers the day off to attend Good Friday and Easter services. House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, a Christian, said recognizing religion in the legislative process helps lawmakers to remember the foundations of religious freedom that founded the United States. And for religious lawmakers like him, it honors the influence that religious beliefs have on their policy work. I don't make any decisions, especially ones that involve morals, without checking my faith first, Lynch, R-Wellington, said. It's so integral to every decision that I make. I would never legislate anything that I felt went against my biblical knowledge or my biblical beliefs. Rep. Iman Jodeh, Colorados only Muslim lawmaker, said her faith similarly guides her legislative work. It colors both specific policy positions and her general values particularly regarding advocating for marginalized groups. "The values that my religion believes in very much coincide with what it is to be a progressive Democrat, Jodeh, D-Aurora, said. Sometimes, I am a state legislator who happens to be Muslim, and there are times where I am a Muslim who happens to be a state legislator. It's so interchangeable. Jodeh often speaks about her faith on the House floor, making announcements to celebrate holidays, such as Ramadan and World Hijab Day, and giving the morning prayer herself numerous times. But Jodeh said shes intentional about not crossing any lines, never quoting religious texts in debates and using language that is inclusive to all religions in the morning prayer, such as saying, In his many names we say amen. Democrats make up almost all of Colorados lawmakers who are nonreligious, and who are religious but not Christian. Of the 31 Republicans in the Legislature, 29 are Christian, one is Jewish, and one is nonreligious. Rep. Ryan Armagost of Berthoud is the sole nonreligious Republican. Armagost, who is agnostic, said he believes in a higher power but doesnt put a name or religion to it. While Armagost said "nonreligious" is an accurate description for him, he said he appreciates many different religions. Armagost said the morning prayer and other religious activities in the Legislature dont bother him, pointing to freedom of religion. "Faith in one form or another is good," Armagost said. "I think it's something that we all need at the start of each day. If people are uncomfortable with it, I think those are more the people that are just anti-religion." Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Christian, said he doesn't think religion is incorporated in the Legislature "in a meaningful way." While Jodeh steers clear of citing the holy books, Lundeen said he uses religion as a source of wisdom to inform his policy work, as one might do with philosophy. "I have, in the course of debate in the well, quoted the Torah, the Quran, Kahlil Gibran and the Bible all what I would describe as wisdom literature," Lundeen, R-Monument, said. "The use of wisdom as people derive it is fundamental to successful policy on behalf of the people." Lundeen said the morning prayer is similar, representing numerous kinds of faiths to share differing perspectives on wisdom. As an atheist, Amabile said she finds the morning prayer uncomfortable, which is why shell sometimes wait in the hallway during it. But shes not interested in trying to get rid of it, saying she doesnt want to get involved in a culture war. When told the survey showed roughly a quarter of her colleagues are nonreligious, Ambile said she isn't surprised. She said the group waiting just outside during the chamber's morning invocation has grown substantially since she took office. Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat who is nonreligious, said she has questioned the need for the prayer with her colleagues and House leadership. She said she's always told it is a matter of tradition. It doesn't make sense to me. I think it's a waste of time, Garcia said. "An entire third of the population doesn't pray. If you're going to pray, pray on your own time. Jodeh said the morning prayers contribute to the richness of the chamber by featuring leaders of all different faiths and occasionally even of no faith. Lynch pointed out atheists have read aloud poems in place of the prayer before. But Jodeh said not all of the speakers are as inclusive and sensitive as others. There were definitely times where it felt like I was getting a sermon rather than a policy perspective, Jodeh said of the most recent legislative session. I think that sentiment was shared among quite a few of my colleagues, unfortunately. If tomorrow we decided no opening prayer, I would honor that. I would understand." Identifying boundaries for expressing religious beliefs has been a longstanding battle under the Gold Dome of the Capitol. In 2017, during a memorial speech on the House floor for former Colorado U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong, then-Rep. Lori Saine led the chamber in chants of "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Praise Jesus." Saine declared Jesus is "the only name that saves" and offered pastors to "pray over" any lawmakers who felt a "tugging at their heart." Afterward, lawmakers were given pins with the chant "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" on them. Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who is Jewish, said this is one of many examples when lawmakers have crossed the line when it comes to religion. Michaelson Jenet was a brand new lawmaker at the time, and she made an announcement to the chamber about how the chants made her and other non-Christian lawmakers feel uncomfortable. "We dance perilously close to lack of separation (of church and state) in some of the ways that we work," Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, said. "This should be a place where many religions or no religions feel free to state their values and do their work." Lynch said religious beliefs are necessary for someone to be a good lawmaker, adding it is "shocking" that 24 legislators identify as nonreligious. "Having the humility of understanding you are not or cannot be a god gives you a perspective that I believe is necessary to do good legislation," Lynch said. "The humility of that acknowledgment of a higher being allows you to be a better legislator. ... I could not fathom doing this job without the level of faith that I have." Garcia said religious lawmakers have at times challenged the motivations or policies of nonreligious colleagues based on their own faith. "We are being attacked by someone who is deeply, devoutly committed to their faith, using their faith book," Garcia said. "I mean, God, how many times was the Bible quoted during debate? That is not going to sway anybody. That's not the reason why we're here making these policies." Faith on the campaign trail Identifying as nonreligious was once seen as a death sentence for politicians. In 1958, only 18% of Americans said they would vote for a qualified presidential candidate who was an atheist, according to a Gallup poll. That number raised to 60% in 2019, but its still the lowest approval for any religious identification: 95% of Americans would vote for a Catholic president; 93% would vote for a Jew; 80% would vote for an evangelical Christian; 66% would vote for a Muslim. Nationally, only two members of Congress are openly nonreligious, less than 0.4% a far cry from the nearly 27% of Americans who were religiously unaffiliated in the 2022 audit. "That's part of the formula for a politician: straight, Christian, white, man," Garcia said. Matthew Server, associate director of the Colorado Catholic Conference, said religious people may be more likely to want to get involved in politics to shape the community because of their faith. Sign up for free: News Alerts Stay in the know on the stories that affect you the most. Sign Up For Free View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. From the Catholic perspective, there is a moral obligation to participate in public life and participate in the shaping of public discourse," Server said. He added: "The Catholic Church has long stated that Catholic values belong in the public sphere, and that separation of church and faith does not necessarily require division between belief and public action. ... Forming your conscience based on Catholic social teaching and the scriptures is incredibly important." Dheepa Sundaram, a religious studies professor at the University of Denver, said the overrepresentation of religion in politics comes from the sheer prevalence of religion in the United States, particularly Christianity. She said people of different religions, or people who are not religious but raised in close proximity to Christianity, are often conditioned to believe Christian values align with the public interest. When voters favor religious candidates for these reasons, it can create a sort of cycle of stigma, Sundaram said. Without identifiable representation of certain religions or nonreligious communities, voters perceive the differences between them as more substantial than they are. Even when there is nonreligious representation in politics, voters often aren't aware of it, making it easier for biases against nonreligious politicians to persist, said Ron Millar, political coordinator for the Center for Freethought Equality, a nonprofit that advocates for the atheist community. While 24 Colorado lawmakers are nonreligious, they shared this information with Colorado Politics with the promise of anonymity, except for those who agreed to be interviewed for this article. While a number of the nonreligious lawmakers are open about their beliefs, this information is rarely available to the public. Only six Colorado legislators are registered on the Center for Freethought Equality's list of elected officials who are nonreligious all of whom are House Democrats. Garcia and Armagost bring the public tally to eight, after going on record as nonreligious in this article. "People have to recognize that the nonreligious are their neighbors, friends, relatives and just regular Americans," Millar said. "And one of the best ways to do that is to have elected officials who publicly identify with our community." Colorado is still ahead of most of the nation in terms of nonreligious political representation. Only New Hampshire and Vermont have more openly nonreligious state lawmakers, eight each. But they have much larger legislatures, meaning Colorado has the highest percentage overall. This tracks with Colorado's status as the state with the fifth-highest religiously unaffiliated population in the country, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. As a Republican, Armagost said he was frequently questioned about his agnostic beliefs when campaigning for office, but when he explained that he believes in a god, most people were understanding. I think being an atheist and a conservative is a lot more of a stretch. But I do come across that a lot, Armagost said. He continued: If there's somebody in my political party that believes that I don't fit into their ideology because of my religion, then they themselves are the anomaly of our party of freedom of religion. That's a Republican way of life, to appreciate freedom of religion, not to impose religion on others. Garcia and Amabile both said their lack of religion hasn't been an issue with constituents. Amabile is on course to become the only openly atheist member of the Colorado Senate, as she has announced a run for an open seat in a heavily Democratic, Boulder-based district. She holds fundraising and name recognition advantages over any potential competitors for the nomination. "It should be OK to not be religious, and that's part of why I don't want to hide my own lack of belief," Amabile said. "We're supposed to be embracing diversity and allowing for all kinds of identities. ... Religious belief or a lack of one is part of that expression of how we represent people." Sundaram applauded that approach, noting when all religious and nonreligious populations aren't adequately represented in politics, lawmakers lack valuable perspectives that fluctuate between belief systems and may be unaware of how legislation will influence different faith communities. We miss out on seeing the other perspectives that other religious communities would bring and the ways in which they approach issues that might be important to all Coloradans," Sundaram said. Jodeh and Michaelson Jenet said they've both provided context to legislation based on their backgrounds. Jodeh said she persuaded bill sponsors to exempt hookah from legislation seeking to ban flavored-tobacco products because of its cultural significance, and Michaelson Jenet said she used Torah teachings to support a bill eliminating the death penalty. Rep. Richard Holtorf, a Roman Catholic, argued that though the nonreligious community is technically underrepresented in the Legislature, their influence is not lacking. Holtorf, R-Akron, said while the Legislature is 61% Christian, lawmakers are not passing Christian legislation. He pointed to recent bills that protect and expand abortion rights as examples. "Legislation, to be quite honest, is not driven by religion right now with the majority party at all," Holtorf said. "It has nothing to do with it." Michaelson Jenet raised the same criticism against the minority party. Michaelson Jenet, who often attends the Capitol's Bible study, said a Christian representative once asked her to read the Book of Matthew. Michaelson Jenet then quoted the book's teachings on feeding the hungry when presenting a bill to make reduced-price lunch free for middle schoolers. The representative voted against her bill, saying he believes in "hand-ups not hand-outs." "Where does following your Scripture stop? If your Scripture says feed the poor, let's feed the poor," Michaelson Jenet said. "I started attending Bible study so that I could relate and learn and hear how they talk about different issues from a faith perspective. But there's definitely a line at the door where those values don't seem to come upstairs." Sundaram said lack of political representation for any group can also lead to discrimination against communities for being viewed as "un-American." "When we have a legislature that predominantly represents one particular religious community, the implication is that other religious communities wouldn't as much reflect our values," Sundaram said. "This can translate into these kinds of biases." Some who spoke to Colorado Politics for this story alluded to that, noting attacks were at times intentionally derogatory to the nonreligious. Earlier this year, Holtorf called lawmakers supporting abortion legislation "godless heathens." Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Colorado Springs Republican and Christian pastor, said "listening to God, truth, righteousness and freedom" hurts the souls of lawmakers in favor of gun control. Lynch articulated similar views to Colorado Politics when recounting how an atheist member read a poem during the morning prayer in the session before last. "I don't remember the content of that prayer, because I was so disgusted that I couldn't focus," Lynch said. Terrance Carroll, a Baptist minister, served as Colorados House speaker in 2009 and 2010. During his time in the role, Carroll said he briefly considered eliminating the morning prayer. Carroll, who also holds a master of divinity degree, said he thinks the prayer started off as well meaning, but I dont know if it works anymore because it is often centered on Christianity specifically. Carroll said his decision not to get rid of the morning prayer was based on politics, not faith. He feared that it would reflect poorly on Democrats for a Democratic speaker of the House, even one who is a minister, to remove the morning prayer. "I like to say I'm a Baptist of the old school, Carroll said. We believe that every person has freedom of the soul, and that we all have to stand before God on our own one day. That means that I'm free to participate fully in a public square, but I also should not impose my beliefs or dare to speak for God in terms of laws that God would want to have made. Lundeen argued that enough concessions have already been made regarding the prayer. In addition to featuring many different faiths, he pointed out that the prayer is now held before the chambers officially convene, allowing lawmakers to be absent: "It's absolutely appropriate." Future of faithlessness in politics When Millar joined the Center for Freethought Equality in 2016, the organization knew of five state legislators in the entire country who publicly identified as nonreligious. Today, they're up to 73, plus two members of Congress. The Colorado Llegislature's openly nonreligious population has risen from one to six in that same time frame. The total now stands at eight. Millar said he expects the trend to continue in the coming years. "The stigma is going away, but it's not completely gone yet," Millar said. "The obvious goal is, at some point, this shouldn't be an issue at all. We shouldn't care what someone's religion or lack thereof is. But for us, for now, it's important because it's one of the most effective ways to get rid of the lingering bias. He believes it's yielded a strong track record so far. Millar said none of the Center for Freethought Equality's candidates have ever lost office after publicly identifying with the group. Though, their candidates are almost entirely Democrats, many of whom hold safe seats. Server, of the Colorado Catholic Conference, said his organization works with all legislators who promote their values, regardless of the legislator's individual religious identity. "It is not prerequisite to make good policy to believe and have a religious affiliation," Server said. "There are contributions to the common good from individuals of faith and with faith backgrounds and without faith backgrounds." Despite this progress, Sundaram said it's hard to know if the Colorado Legislature will continue to become less religious in time. On one hand, younger generations are becoming less religious. This suggests that as members of Generation Z begin to vote and run for office, those offices will become similarly secular. But Sundaram said Colorado's ethnic makeup might make an even bigger difference. Colorado has sizable and growing Latino and Native American populations, groups that are statistically more religious than the general population. Plus, she said, progressive Christian organizations are working hard to expand their outreach in response to younger generations turning away from religion. "It's really going to depend on what the electorate looks like," she said. While the nonreligious are underrepresented in the General Assembly compared to the general population, Colorado is nonetheless leading the nation in nonreligious political representation. Whether the rest of the country is ready to move in that direction, Amabile said she's not too concerned. Good thing I'm not running for president!" she said with a laugh. SignalPoint Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,458 shares of the retailers stock after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.3% of SignalPoint Asset Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. SignalPoint Asset Management LLCs holdings in Walmart were worth $4,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. My Personal CFO LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. JDM Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 105.3% in the 4th quarter. Ulland Investment Advisors LLC now owns 195 shares of the retailers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 387.8% in the 1st quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 200 shares of the retailers stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. 31.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Walmart alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Walmart from $160.00 to $164.00 in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Walmart from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Walmart from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $160.00 to $166.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Walmart from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Friday, May 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $166.91. Walmart Price Performance Walmart stock opened at $155.46 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.89 and a 12 month high of $158.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $151.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.37. The company has a market cap of $418.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.49. Walmart (NYSE:WMT Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.15. Walmart had a net margin of 1.82% and a return on equity of 21.30%. The business had revenue of $152.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $147.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 6.21 EPS for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart In other Walmart news, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,506,227 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.16, for a total transaction of $217,137,684.32. Following the sale, the insider now owns 250,724,886 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,144,499,565.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 1,183,630 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.52, for a total value of $184,078,137.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 240,230,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,360,649,848.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,506,227 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.16, for a total value of $217,137,684.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 250,724,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,144,499,565.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,917,280 shares of company stock valued at $1,618,585,049 in the last 90 days. 46.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. 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. Further Reading 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. Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE:SQSP Get Rating) CEO Anthony Casalena sold 37,515 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.91, for a total transaction of $1,122,073.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,819,178 shares of the companys stock, valued at $144,141,613.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Anthony Casalena also recently made the following trade(s): Get Squarespace alerts: On Thursday, June 8th, Anthony Casalena sold 34,517 shares of Squarespace stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.13, for a total value of $1,039,997.21. Squarespace Price Performance NYSE SQSP traded down $0.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $28.91. The stock had a trading volume of 3,112,566 shares, compared to its average volume of 739,318. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $29.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.46. Squarespace, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.86 and a 1 year high of $34.38. The stock has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a PE ratio of -24.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 0.32. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Squarespace by 438.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,169,388 shares of the companys stock worth $100,691,000 after buying an additional 2,580,712 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Squarespace by 56.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,645,279 shares of the companys stock worth $93,392,000 after acquiring an additional 1,313,755 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Squarespace during the third quarter valued at approximately $23,478,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in Squarespace by 1,608.1% during the first quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 526,100 shares of the companys stock valued at $16,714,000 after purchasing an additional 495,300 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Squarespace by 390.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 579,029 shares of the companys stock worth $12,113,000 after purchasing an additional 460,967 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.38% of the companys stock. SQSP has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Squarespace from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Squarespace from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Squarespace from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Squarespace from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Squarespace from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $31.33. About Squarespace (Get Rating) Squarespace, Inc operates platform for businesses and independent creators to build online presence, grow their brands, and manage their businesses across the internet. Its suite of integrated products enables users to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, e-commerce, marketing tools, and scheduling, as well as tools for managing a social media presence. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Squarespace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Squarespace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Get Rating) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,829 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 35 shares during the period. Cascade Investment Group Inc.s holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth approximately $66,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,505.1% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,300 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $13,633,000 after purchasing an additional 38,727 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 18.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,609 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $39,153,000 after purchasing an additional 18,540 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 79.4% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 827 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 118.3% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. 76.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently issued reports on GS. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $384.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $339.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $420.00 to $390.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Credit Suisse Group reissued an outperform rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $429.00 to $414.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $389.17. Insider Activity at The Goldman Sachs Group The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 9,000,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total value of $105,570,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 51,676,439 shares of the companys stock, valued at $606,164,629.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . In other news, insider Kathryn H. Ruemmler sold 7,277 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.67, for a total transaction of $2,420,839.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,441,791.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . Also, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 9,000,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.73, for a total transaction of $105,570,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 51,676,439 shares of the companys stock, valued at $606,164,629.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 33,833,500 shares of company stock valued at $646,620,506 over the last 90 days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Shares of NYSE GS opened at $314.71 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $277.84 and a 12-month high of $389.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The company has a market cap of $104.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $330.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $341.20. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The investment management company reported $8.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.14 by $0.65. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.66 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 13.23% and a return on equity of 9.84%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.76 EPS. The Goldman Sachs Groups quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 31.57 EPS for the current year. The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 1st will be issued a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $10.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.60%. The Goldman Sachs Group Profile (Get Rating) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Total Wealth Planning LLC decreased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Get Rating) by 19.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,477 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 4,188 shares during the quarter. Total Wealth Planning LLCs holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VWO. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 108,287.1% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 296,468,035 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $11,556,324,000 after purchasing an additional 296,194,508 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 272.4% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 8,568,232 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $329,037,000 after acquiring an additional 6,267,408 shares during the period. Betterment LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 71,776,690 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,797,855,000 after acquiring an additional 5,650,398 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 843.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 4,898,835 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $178,758,000 after acquiring an additional 4,379,584 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 55,758,981 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,173,478,000 after acquiring an additional 3,909,063 shares during the period. Get Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF alerts: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Stock Down 1.4 % VWO traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.15. 8,339,869 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,789,574. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $40.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.41. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a 52-week low of $34.88 and a 52-week high of $43.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.47 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.69. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Profile The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VWO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO Get Rating). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE:UTI Get Rating) Director Coliseum Capital Management, L bought 262,658 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.70 per share, with a total value of $1,759,808.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 928,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,038.70. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Coliseum Capital Management, L also recently made the following trade(s): Get Universal Technical Institute alerts: On Wednesday, June 21st, Coliseum Capital Management, L bought 26,315 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.46 per share, with a total value of $169,994.90. On Thursday, March 30th, Coliseum Capital Management, L purchased 112,390 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.97 per share, with a total value of $783,358.30. On Tuesday, March 28th, Coliseum Capital Management, L purchased 6,282 shares of Universal Technical Institute stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.74 per share, with a total value of $42,340.68. Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 2.4 % NYSE:UTI opened at $6.76 on Friday. Universal Technical Institute, Inc. has a twelve month low of $5.27 and a twelve month high of $8.31. The company has a market cap of $230.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Universal Technical Institute ( NYSE:UTI Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.06. Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 1.98%. The business had revenue of $163.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $153.00 million. Analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute, Inc. will post 0.12 EPS for the current year. UTI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Argus downgraded Universal Technical Institute from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $9.75. Institutional Trading of Universal Technical Institute Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UTI. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,760,000. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 13.3% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,038,082 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,086,000 after acquiring an additional 238,614 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 209.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 351,032 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,503,000 after acquiring an additional 237,478 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 19.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,362,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,411,000 after acquiring an additional 222,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 341.2% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 281,792 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,010,000 after acquiring an additional 217,918 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.38% of the companys stock. About Universal Technical Institute (Get Rating) Universal Technical Institute, Inc provides transportation and technical training programs in the United States. It offers certificate, diploma, or degree programs under various brands, such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Universal Technical Institute Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Universal Technical Institute and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Westhampton Capital LLC lowered its holdings in shares of TransDigm Group Incorporated (NYSE:TDG Get Rating) by 12.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 350 shares of the aerospace companys stock after selling 52 shares during the period. Westhampton Capital LLCs holdings in TransDigm Group were worth $258,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in TransDigm Group in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in TransDigm Group in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC grew its holdings in TransDigm Group by 1,675.0% in the 4th quarter. Kistler Tiffany Companies LLC now owns 71 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Column Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in TransDigm Group in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in TransDigm Group by 2,666.7% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 83 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.10% of the companys stock. Get TransDigm Group alerts: TransDigm Group Stock Performance Shares of TransDigm Group stock opened at $850.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.70 billion, a PE ratio of 50.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.37. TransDigm Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $499.63 and a 52-week high of $858.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $792.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $729.68. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades TransDigm Group ( NYSE:TDG Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The aerospace company reported $5.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.98 by $1.00. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.53 billion. TransDigm Group had a net margin of 17.57% and a negative return on equity of 34.11%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 20.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that TransDigm Group Incorporated will post 21.49 EPS for the current fiscal year. TDG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of TransDigm Group from $840.00 to $930.00 in a report on Sunday, May 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of TransDigm Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $767.00 to $960.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $725.00 to $840.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on shares of TransDigm Group from $830.00 to $841.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $834.71. Insider Transactions at TransDigm Group In other news, COO Joel Reiss sold 3,000 shares of TransDigm Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $812.68, for a total value of $2,438,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,600 shares in the company, valued at $2,925,648. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Joel Reiss sold 3,000 shares of TransDigm Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $812.68, for a total value of $2,438,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,600 shares in the company, valued at $2,925,648. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director W Nicholas Howley sold 3,250 shares of TransDigm Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $812.77, for a total transaction of $2,641,502.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 21,548 shares of the companys stock, valued at $17,513,567.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 37,477 shares of company stock worth $29,498,594 over the last three months. 7.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. TransDigm Group Company Profile (Get Rating) TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally. Its Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading and handling systems. See Also Receive News & Ratings for TransDigm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for TransDigm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. White Pine Investment CO boosted its stake in BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE:BWA Get Rating) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,603 shares of the auto parts companys stock after buying an additional 748 shares during the period. White Pine Investment COs holdings in BorgWarner were worth $4,106,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BWA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in BorgWarner by 25.2% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 371,687 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $14,458,000 after buying an additional 74,902 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in BorgWarner by 86.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 22,086 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 10,257 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in BorgWarner by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 65,231 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $2,537,000 after buying an additional 12,257 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its stake in BorgWarner by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 32,082 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,987 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in BorgWarner by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 46,314 shares of the auto parts companys stock valued at $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.84% of the companys stock. Get BorgWarner alerts: BorgWarner Stock Performance Shares of BorgWarner stock opened at $45.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.56 and a 200-day moving average of $46.00. BorgWarner Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.14 and a 1-year high of $51.14. BorgWarner Announces Dividend BorgWarner ( NYSE:BWA Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The auto parts company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $4.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. BorgWarner had a net margin of 5.97% and a return on equity of 14.85%. BorgWarners revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that BorgWarner Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 31st. BorgWarners payout ratio is 16.63%. Insider Activity at BorgWarner In related news, Director Alexis P. Michas sold 7,173 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.45, for a total value of $318,839.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 76,441 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,397,802.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other BorgWarner news, Director Alexis P. Michas sold 7,173 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.45, for a total value of $318,839.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 76,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,397,802.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Stefan Demmerle sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.61, for a total transaction of $238,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 177,614 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,456,202.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,383 shares of company stock valued at $566,697 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.45% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have issued reports on BWA. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of BorgWarner from $53.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of BorgWarner from $56.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of BorgWarner from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $50.00 in a report on Monday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of BorgWarner from $45.00 to $51.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of BorgWarner from $58.00 to $56.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $52.73. BorgWarner Profile (Get Rating) BorgWarner Inc provides solutions for combustion, hybrid, and electric vehicles worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Air Management, E-Propulsion & Drivetrain, Fuel Injection, and Aftermarket. The Air Management segment offers turbochargers, eBoosters, eTurbos, timing systems, emissions systems, thermal systems, gasoline ignition technology, smart remote actuators, powertrain sensors, canisters, cabin heaters, battery modules and systems, battery packs, battery heaters, and battery charging. See Also Receive News & Ratings for BorgWarner Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BorgWarner and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Reports of a suicidal woman drew authorities to the Van Buren Bridge on Friday, June 23, according to a Corvallis Police Department news release, in what appeared to be an all-day response. Corvallis police were alerted to a woman on the Van Buren Bridge at 9:27 a.m., according to the release, which said the woman had climbed up the steel girders to the top of the bridge when police found her. The Police Department gave the all clear just after 5:30 p.m. "The situation has been resolved and the woman is safe," a CPD update said. When they first arrived on scene, officers blocked bridge access for safety and called in Benton County Behavioral Health staff to help engage with the woman, according to the release. The Benton County Sheriffs Office marine patrol deployed to the water below while Oregon Department of Transportation workers assisted with traffic control. As of 3 p.m., the situation was considered unresolved but stable, according to CPD. The bridge reopened for traffic. The 3 p.m. news release said: The woman remains on the bridge but is in a location where she is not in any danger from passing traffic. Law enforcement and mental health professionals remain on scene, however, and may need to quickly stop traffic should the situation change. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal feelings, the national suicide prevention lifeline is 988. The 110-year-old steel and timber bridge serves as the outgoing connector between downtown Corvallis and Highway 34. The state estimates nearly 11,000 vehicles cross the single-lane bridge on average each day. Stay up to date on mid-Willamette Valley news, wherever you go Easily access the latest Corvallis, Philomath and Benton County news in an app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you. In late May, a contractor began installing temporary platforms for workers and detouring traffic in preparation for the bridges demolition and replacement. Grant funding secured in 2017 will fund the effort that now has snowballed into an $85.1 million project to build a span that will carry modern trucks. The state rolled back the maximum weight it allows on the bridge from 40 tons to 12 tons in 2021, trying to keep commercial trucks from punching through the road surface. Weather Alert ...FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. * WHERE...Portions of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri, including the following areas, in southern Illinois, Alexander, Franklin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Perry IL, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union and Williamson. In western Kentucky, Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Todd and Trigg. In southeast Missouri, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Mississippi, Perry MO and Scott. * WHEN...Until 7 PM CDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Additional thunderstorms may move over the area this morning and afternoon. Any rainfall of significance may lead to renewed flooding in locations that experienced torrential rainfall this week and where the ground is already saturated. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. && Do you have household chemicals you'd like to get rid of? The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency along with the Jackson County Health Department is hosting a free, one-day household chemical collection. The second round of Greeces general election takes place Sunday with the conservative New Democracy (ND) expected to win. The first round was held in May and despite ND winning with a landslide 20 percent margin over the opposition Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left), Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis party fell just short of an overall majority in the 300 seat parliament. From left to right SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras, Greek Solution leader Kyriakos Velopoulos, and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis , leave Presidential palace after a their meeting in Athens, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. The leaders of the top three parties in the May 21 elections returned the mandate to form a government, saying there was no prospect of forming a coalition. [AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis] In the second round, ND is expected to win by a similar margin and even increase its lead. The average of the latest polls has ND on 42 percent and Syriza on 20 percent. Finishing in first place in the upcoming round, which is based on a semi-proportional representation with a sliding scale seat bonus, would see ND allocated up to 50 extra seats. It is projected that ND could take 155 to 166 seats in the next parliament, allowing Mitsotakis to form a government without the need for coalition partners. Were this round not to confirm a majority of seats for ND, Mitsotakis said he would not seek to form a coalition, but instead green light a third round of voting to be held in August. The government was forced to delay Mays election by a month due to the widespread outrage felt by millions of workers and youth at the preventable deaths of 57 people in the Tempi valley train crash. Syriza attempted to make political capital out of the event, but failed abysmally as the population knew that this rotten party was just as implicated in the running down of safety standards on the rail network as ND. Indeed, it was Syriza that sold off the state rail system in 2017, keeping staff numbers as low as possible in the years prior in order to make the deal as lucrative as possible for the profiteers who bought it at a knockdown price. The social crisis in the country is so acute, and the government so brutal, that another mass death eventover 600 refugees on an overcrowded boat on June 14, off Greeces south-western coasthas overshadowed this election round. A handout image provided by Greece's coast guard on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, shows scores of people covering practically every free stretch of deck on a battered fishing boat that later capsized and sank off southern Greece, leaving at least 79 dead and many more missing. [AP Photo/Hellenic Coast Guard via AP] Under conditions in which a growing body of evidence points to the culpability of the Hellenic Coast Guard in this crimewith some survivors claiming the vessel was sunk by the coastguard to deter other refugeesthe government has released virtually no information, with none of the 80 bodies recovered from the sea identified, let alone the names of 104 survivors. The survivors were first locked in a fenced compound with highly restricted mobility and access to communications. Spanish daily El Pais noted this week that the coast guard commander did not clarify why the survivors were subjected to limitations more typical of a prison regime than an aid post for shipwreck victims. They are now being held in a detention camp near Athens under similarly repressive conditions. The deaths of hundreds of refugeesthe latest of thousands who have died in the Mediterranean Sea in the last decadeprompted mass protests, with tens of thousands demonstrating in Athens and 20 cities around the country. Among the banners denouncing the Hellenic Coast Guard, the EU and its Frontex border protection force were ones reading murderers. Syriza again sought to politically gain, with leader Alexis Tsipras visiting Kalamata and speaking to survivors. He shed more crocodile tears as Syriza raised the deaths in parliament. As with the train crash deaths, no-one bought this fraud either, given the role of Syriza as the chief jailer of Fortress Europe when in power from 2015-19 and its barely concealed anti-immigration stance. Doubling down on its anti-immigration agenda, the ND government is only continuing the dirty work carried out by Syriza. Mitsotakis has made central to his campaign a pledge to lengthen a five-metre high steel fence to cover almost the entire length of Greeces 192-km border with Turkey, promising to contract another 100-km by 2026. The prime minister said he hoped this would be mainly funded by the EU but stated at a campaign rally, The fence in Evros will be finished with or without European money. Syriza and ND share the same closed-borders policy. In response to Mitsotakis asking of Syriza, Will they tear down the wall that we have already built and return to a policy of open borders? Or will they preserve it and help secure Greeces borders?, Syrizas European Parliament Vice President Dimitris Papadimoulis replied, We are not going to tear down anything And of course, we support EU funding for border security needs, like funds for night vision cameras and coast guard vessels. Prior to gaining power in a landslide in 2015, Syriza routinely appealed to mass anti-austerity sentiment. After ditching its promises and imposing even more savage attacks on the working class than the governments it replaced, the party will no longer permit even any public discussion of its pre-power period. In the weeks running up to the latest round, Greek conservative daily Kathimerini reported, All the cadres who have been associated with SYRIZAs tumultuous period between 2012 and 2015 are in a peculiar state of supervision by the party president [Tsipras] and his press office. They will not be able to appear in the media without prior permission from the party. This was required, said the newspaper in an effort to reassure the centrist audience that voted en masse for New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis in May. An earlier attempt to appeal this constituency, especially voters of the right-wing, pro-austerity social democratic PASOKand bolster chances of a future coalition government with themsaw Syriza change its name in 2019 to Coalition of the Radical Left-Progressive Alliance. Tsipras responded to his partys defeat in Mays election with another step to the right, hiring the anti-communist political scientist and professor Nikos Marantzidis as Syrizas head of communications for the June poll. Marantzidis was previously a supporter of the pro-capitalist, EU-supporting To Potami (The River) party and has been a leading figure in a right-wing historians tendency in Greece. A slew of enemies confronts the working class in the upcoming elections. There is no political alternative representing the interests of workers, setting up the widely hated ND for another four years in office. Thanks to Syrizas betrayals and sharp lurch to the right over the last decade, ND was able to win the support of every demographic in the May election. Voting is compulsory in Greece, yet the last two general elections (2019 and May this year) have seen around 40 percent of the electorate abstain in disgust. But no matter the scale of opposition against the crimes of the political eliteas evidenced by the movements which erupted in revulsion at the murderous policies responsible for the Tempi deaths and mass drownings of refugeesthese will inevitably dissipate in the absence of a socialist perspective and organisation. All experience of the last decades, including the strategic lessons of the pseudo-left in power, points to the urgency of Greek workers and youth building their own revolutionary party: a Greek section of the world Trotskyist movement, the International Committee of the Fourth International. Some 1,400 members of two United Electrical Workers (UE) locals went on strike Thursday at the Wabtec locomotive plant in Lawrence Park, outside Erie, Pennsylvania after rejecting the companys final offer. Facebook videos showed spirited picketing following the contract rejection. Workers can be heard shouting corporate greed and workers fight back. Many passing cars honked their horns in support during the day. UE Local 506 and Local 618 did not call a strike when the previous 4-year contract agreement expired on June 10. Instead, they agreed to bring managements insulting contract proposal to a vote this week. The company had offered a $3,000 signing bonus, a one-time raise of 3.4 percent to legacy employees and a $1 across-the-board raise to in progression workers, followed by annual 2.5 percent raises. The UE had called for cost-of-living protection as well as an initial 11 percent raise followed by annual increases of 6 percent. The union had also opposed a management scheme for expanding the number of subcontract workers in the plant and for the restoration of the right to strike over grievances and elimination of tiers. According to a UE statement, health care is also a major issue. Workers picket Wabtec plant outside Erie, Pennsylvania on June 22, 2023 (Photo United Electrical Workers) [Photo: United Electrical Workers] Following the contract rejection, management issued a statement declaring, 'We made every effort to reach a new agreement that would, at a minimum, not further degrade the competitive position of the Erie facility. In the days leading up to the contract vote, Joe Cavalier, vice president of operations for the Erie plant, wrote a letter to UE leaders offering to rescind the companys plan to bring in subcontractors that could lead to the permanent layoff of up to 275 union members. Workers were clearly in no mood to accept managements paltry offer after suffering through a four-year pay freeze agreed to by the union in 2019 following a 9-day strike. That strike followed the sale of the plant by General Electric to Wabtec and ended without a settlement. The 2019 contract also imposed a two-tier wage structure under conditions where a considerable portion of the workforce is made up of temporary workers. Workers also took cuts to pensions and healthcare, amounting to some $42 million in cost savings for management. Providing critical assistance to the UE in imposing that miserable deal was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who provided a socialist cover to the UE while it proceeded to call off the strike in 2019 without a contract in place. The two-tier system eventually put in place in 2019 imposed a starting wage averaging $22 per hour with a ten-year progression to reach the then current top pay of $35 per hour. In its public pronouncements about the ongoing strike, the UE has portrayed the struggle as a fight for the right to strike, downplaying workers economic grievances. According to the company website, Wabtec operates in 50 countries and employs 25,000 people, producing 20 percent of all freight locomotives in current use globally. The company, founded as Westinghouse Air Brake in 1869 and with headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also builds components for freight cars and transit systems. Last year, rail maintenance workers in the UK struck a Wabtec rail maintenance facility in Doncaster against a real terms wage cuts and a reactionary fire and hire scheme. Wabtec operates another, nonunion, locomotive manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, that employs about 900 workers. It has periodically used threats to shift work to Fort Worth in efforts to extort concessions from workers at its Erie plant. Wabtec bought the entire GE locomotive division, GE Transportation, in 2019 as GE continued to struggle financially in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. The purchase included the Erie operation. As of 2012, the Erie plant employed some 5,000 workers, but GE steadily shifted work away from the plant, leaving just 700 workers by 2019. Since buying the facility, Wabtec has brought in new work, including production of biodiesel locomotives and work related to mass transit, doubling the workforce to approximately 1,400. Last year Wabtec announced it had won a contract from Union Pacific railroad worth $1 billion to upgrade 600 locomotives to meet new environmental standards. The company had called the deal the largest investment in modernized locomotives in rail industry history that would cut fuel usage by 25 percent and emissions by 70 percent. The UE has touted the benefits of green locomotive manufacturing at the Wabtec plant in Erie in partnership with various academic institutes and the office of US Democratic Senator Bob Casey as part of a corporatist scheme to locate additional manufacturing work in the facility. Part of that depends on the ability of the union to suppress workers wage demands and provide a low cost yet highly skilled workforce. In a statement following the contract rejection, UE Local 506 President Scott Slawson made no mention of workers demands for better living standards, instead touting its green manufacturing initiative. While the union is working hard to bring new work into the plant and new jobs to Erie through our Green Locomotive Project, the company is refusing to work with us on this project, and is instead holding the community of Erie hostage with the threat of moving work. The UE website likewise featured a statement touting green jobs, claiming, The members of both locals are on strike for a contract that will allow them to move forward with green locomotive production. The UE highlighted a union lobbying campaign demanding the US Environmental Protection Agency impose stricter rules on locomotive emissions that it claimed would create good union jobs. Whatever the advantages of more fuel efficient and environmentally sound locomotives, no benefits will flow to workers as long as industry remains in the stranglehold of capitalist private ownership. This is shown by the experience of Erie, Pennsylvania, an area which has suffered a devastating industrial decline over the past several decades. During the 19th century, Erie was an important shipbuilding, railroad and fishing center. Since the early 20th century, GE Transportation had been a major employer in the Erie area, beginning operations in 1910. It founded the Lawrence Park neighborhood in 1911. However, according to a 2019 report in the Wall Street Journal, the city had lost 30 percent of its population since 1960, falling below 100,000, and nearly 27 percent of its population subsists on below-poverty-level incomes. In fact, one zip code in the city is the fourth poorest in the United States. Unemployment is nearly double the national average. Like many former Midwest industrial centers, drug addiction and drug deaths have skyrocketed over the last two decades. Erie County reported 100 drug-related deaths in 2022, 85 percent related to fentanyl. That number was actually a decrease from some prior years. Port of Los Angeles, May 2023. Following a series of slowdowns and other job actions by rank-and-file dockworkers on the West Coast, in opposition to a Biden-brokered no strike pledge, Senate Republicans have introduced a bill which would severely limit the right to strike on the ports. The bill introduced by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) known as the Preventing Labor Union Slowdowns Act of 2023, shortened as PLUS Act of 2023, was co-sponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.). It proposes an amendment to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Labor Management Relations Act to classify work slowdowns at ports as an unfair labor practice. The bill would entitle corporations to sue workers for restitution equal to twice the amount of the revenue loss caused by any labor action deemed a slowdown. Given that it has been widely reported that a strike on the West Coast could result in the loss of $1 billion in economic activity a day, even a short work stoppage could quickly lead to billions in fines. The language of the bill is extremely broad. It opens by amending a paragraph to the NLRAs Findings and declaration of policy section to commit the US government to eliminat[ing] the causes of any disruptions to the ports, on the grounds that they pose a threat to the United States competitive standing in the global stage. It identifies as a threat to the economic health of the United States any actions interfering with the free flow of domestic and international commerce. In addition to profit interests, the geopolitical considerations of US imperialism are also at stake. If the control of the docks is lost, the ruling class will find it impossible to move military equipment such as cruise missiles and tanks to the front lines of the Ukraine war. The bill would illegalize any action to reduce [workers] productivity or efficiency in the performance of any of their duties, an extremely vague definition which could presumably include all strikes of any kind. In particular, it singles out any attempts to impede modernization efforts. The bill cites as an example refusing to service automated, crew-less vessels, showing that the bills authors have in mind not just the present day opposition but those in future years and even decades. This is a major assault on workers democratic rights, and if passed, would essentially criminalize strikes on the docks. What is more, it is only the latest in an ongoing bipartisan attack on the right to strike. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that employers had standing to sue for financial compensation for economic losses incurred as a result of damages incurred as a result of a strike. That ruling was made by an 8 to 1 majority, in which the courts right wing was joined by most of its nominal liberal wing. Last December, the Democrats spearheaded a bipartisan vote in Congress to ban a strike on the railroads and impose a contract which workers rejected. As of this writing, there has been no official response Democratic politicians to new bill. However, the issue of banning strikes is not a partisan issue as far as the two capitalist parties are concerned. The pursuit of war and defense of profits requires that such police-style discipline be imposed on workers. The PLUS act is part of a worldwide assault on democratic rights, including the right to strike. Last November in Ontario, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) called off the strike of 55,000 education workers, after the Canadian government threatened to ban the strike using the anti-democratic notwithstanding clause in the Canadian Bill of Rights. In Britain, anti-strike legislation is moving swiftly through Parliament. In France, President Emmanuel Macron relied on the reactionary Constitutional Council to bypass a vote in Parliament and unilaterally impose his hated pension cuts, and has deployed riot police against mass protests against the move. By keeping its 22,000 members at West Coast ports on the job nearly a year after their contract expired last July, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union bureaucracy has played the role of the enforcer, for not only the port operators, but the corporate political establishment including both parties. Except for a few short statements with no substantive information, workers have been kept in the dark on the progress of contract talks with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been heavily involved in talks from the start. On June 14, the ILWU and the PMA suddenly announced a tentative agreement, reached under the direct intervention of the Biden administration after a 72-hour self-imposed deadline. While the union has largely kept the specifics of the agreement confidential, a few elements have come to light, including wage and benefit proposal that fall far short of workers demands. This has sparked outrage among port workers, and the union bureaucracy is in damage control mode. Shortly before the agreement was announced, one ILWU local president in San Diego threatened to blacklist dockworkers for speaking with WSWS reporters. The ratification process itself is being dragged out in order to bleed off momentum against the deal, with workers having to wait several weeks before they are able to vote on the contract. There is a distinct possibility that the sellout contract could be rejected, as a similar deal was on the railroads last year. Moreover, the series of job actions have already had serious disrupted port operations and demonstrated that the bureaucracys ability to contain the rank-and-file is breaking down. Therefore, the ruling class is developing anti-strike laws to use against workers as the next line of defense. What the ruling class fears the most is the prospect of workers uniting their struggle with their brothers and sisters across national borders and across industries. To prevent this, it will continue to mobilize the state apparatus, in addition to the union bureaucracy. To oppose this, workers have to organize their independent strength and prepare for a fight not only against management, but the corrupt union bureaucracy and the violations of their democratic rights by the government. Attend the online meeting, Unite the working class against layoffs and budget cuts in education! on Saturday, June 24, hosted by the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee! On Thursday, June 22, the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee organized a campaign during a shift change at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant just outside of Detroit. Members of the committee, including current and former teachers and paraprofessionals, distributed hundreds of leaflets to rank-and-file autoworkers and which called for the unity of educators and autoworkers in Detroit this summer in a common fight against layoffs and cuts. Contracts for all Big Three autoworkers at Stellantis, Ford and General Motors expire on September 14, and Warren Truck is one of several Stellantis plants (formerly Chrysler) which are set to go to critical status for 90 days starting July 5 in order to stockpile vehicles in anticipation of a strike. This means workers can be forced to work seven days a week and up to 12 hours a day. The Warren Truck Rank-and-File Committee is fighting against the imposition of critical status and calling for the building and the expansion of the network of rank-and-file committees in opposition to both management and pro company UAW apparatus. Meanwhile, contracts for thousands of teachers and other workers in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), the largest school district in Michigan, will expire on June 30. The DPSCD school board is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget this year on behalf of the Democratic Party, which runs Detroit and which claims there is no money for education. Kay Thomas, a music teacher at Bates Academy in Detroit, campaigns for the unity of teachers and autoworkers at Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan on June 22, 2023 Both teachers and the autoworkers face ongoing threats to their jobs. About one hundred DPSCD workers including paraprofessionals, nurses, and other critical support staff are being laid off this summer, while about 200 others will be forced to accept new roles. In the auto industry, the layoffs are sparked by the switch to electric vehicle (EV) production, which requires considerably fewer man hours compared to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle production. The companies are seeking to make workers pay for this technological advancement. At the shift change, teachers learned about the conditions facing Detroit autoworkers, many of whom were carrying chairs and coolers of water into the plant for long shifts without proper breaks and accommodations. These are some hard workers! said Kay Thomas, a Detroit music teacher. She noted both the large numbers of mostly young workers, some of them right out of high school, as well as the substantial number of workers that look like they are past retirement age, but they still have to work. Its heartbreaking. Kay is one of the hundreds of DPSCD teachers and other workers being transferred against her will as part of the budget cuts. She pointed out that in the Detroit area, there are a lot of parents who are autoworkers, as well as a lot of households have both autoworkers and teachers. It just makes sense, to unite them, she said. Many autoworkers felt the same way. Yes to uniting teachers and autoworkers! said one Temporary Part Time (TPT) worker on her way into the plant. We all need more money. We all need to live. Everything has gone up, food prices, insurance, gas, all of it! How do they expect you to live when its like this and your pay stays the same? Warren Truck workers on May 25,2023 When teachers explained that the laying off of paraeducators and support staff in Detroit schools was part of the turn by districts across the country to a temporary teaching workforce in order to hire and fire at will, she said, Its just like us TPTs! You know its hard for us to work two jobs because of the hours and high demand here. They pay us less, we have absolutely no job protection, and they get away with pushing us harder because they know so many of us are desperate for work and are looking to be rolled over. Tell me how a temp worker starting at 15 an hour can make ends meet! A maintenance worker at the plant said, We should absolutely unite with the teachers, and school workers too! He spoke about the unsanitary conditions in the plant, which resemble those in the public schools. We have had a sewage leak in the plant for over two years, He explained. It is in three different spots. But they wont do anything to fix the damn thing. We just keep getting told to drain it when it gets really bad. They wont spend the money to break up the floors and fix it. An autoworker with eight years said, I agree with supporting the teachers. Its crazy that teachers have to worry about their classroom being shot up, and now the stress of even the thought of arming teachers. At the end of the day, we are all fighting for the same thing. We all want equality, we all want safety, we all want a good paying job. Another worker said, The whole thing is messed up. Im in support of teachers and autoworkers getting together. Ive been at this plant for a long time and this is the worst Ive seen it. The conditions are so bad in there, with overwork and low pay for the majority of workers. They [the company] have so much money and hardly any of it goes to us [the workers]. The leaflet handed out by members of the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee at Warren Truck Assembly Plant on June 22, 2023. Jacob, a member of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at Wayne State University, also came to the auto plant to help build the rank-and-file committees. It was a great experience being able to get in touch with the workers at the plant and learn about their grievances, he said. The biggest take away for me was that auto workers are extremely tired, frustrated, and fed up with their current conditions. And some of them were not even aware of the upcoming 12-hour, 7-day work week starting soon. The uniting of not only auto workers through rank-and-file committees, but teachers as well, will serve as means to oppose the worsening conditions facing all workers, he said. The IYSSE fights to turn students and young people toward the international working class in order to fight for socialism and equality. To join the fight to build rank-and-file committees to unite the working class, fill out the form at wsws.org/workers. Under the title No third world war! Stop the rearmament! the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) held a meeting at Berlins Humboldt University on Monday to kick off its election campaign for the Student Parliament (StuPa). The IYSSE is advancing a socialist programme against war and is standing five candidates in the elections, which take place on July 4. IYSSE meeting at Humboldt University Berlin on July 19, 2023 Candidate Gregor Kahl pointed out that the IYSSE, as a youth and student organisation of the Fourth International, was fighting all over the world to build a mass movement of youth and workers against war. He said the IYSSE StuPa election campaign at Humboldt Universitya central institution of German militarismnow gains the greatest political significance under the conditions of the escalating Ukraine war. Our meeting takes place in a situation where the danger of a nuclear war between Russia and the imperialist NATO powers grows every day. Hundreds of thousands have already died in Ukraine, with no end in sight. In the last few days alone, tens of thousands have been killed in the course of the Ukrainian military's spring offensive. Now, NATO countries are preparing a further escalation to defeat the Russian military on the backs of the Ukrainian people. IYSSE candidate Gregor Kahl In his presentation, Johannes Stern, editor-in-chief of the German-language edition of the World Socialist Web Site, elaborated on these issues, explaining the historical, economic and political background to the war, and developing an international socialist perspective on this basis to stop it. First, Stern stressed that the IYSSE and its parent organisation, the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party), and the International Committee of the Fourth International had condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the beginning. On February 24, 2022, for example, the WSWS had issued a statement titled Oppose the Putin governments invasion of Ukraine and US-NATO warmongering! For the unity of Russian and Ukrainian workers! Johannes Stern, editor-in-chief of the German-language WSWS, speaks at Humboldt University Putin's invasion is reactionary and serves the interests of the ruling oligarchy in Russia, which emerged from the restoration of capitalism, Stern declared. We oppose it, but from a left socialist standpoint, not a right-wing pro-imperialist standpoint. It is becoming increasingly clear that the NATO powers provoked the Russian invasion in order to unleash an all-out war against Russia. Stern cited reports and testimony from the front that vividly described the mass deaths in the spring offensive and drew a parallel with the First World War. As then, governments and military brass showed a complete indifference to human life. It was estimated that about 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are already dying on the front lines every day. But instead of stopping the offensive, the NATO powers had responded to the debacle with further escalation. What is the next red line that NATO will cross in Ukraine? asked Stern, warning that several possibilities were conceivable. The establishment of a no-fly zone, the deployment of NATO troops and the deployment or even use of tactical nuclear weapons by NATO to avert a Russian victory. Drawing on statements by leading NATO representatives and strategic documents of the military alliance, Stern demonstrated that all these options were already being concretely discussed and prepared behind closed doors. In order to avert a catastrophe and build a conscious anti-war movement, a clear Marxist understanding of the causes and background of the development of war was necessary, Stern argued. First, the connection between capitalism and war must be understood, he said. Stern quoted from the 2016 ICFI statement Socialism and the Fight Against War: The essential cause of militarism and war lies in the deep-seated contradictions of the world capitalist system: 1) between a globally integrated and interdependent economy and its division into antagonistic national states; and 2) between the socialized character of global production and its subordination, through the private ownership of the means of production, to the accumulation of private profit by the ruling capitalist class. Stern then placed the proxy war being waged by the NATO powers in Ukraine against Russia in the context of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATOs more than 30-year war campaign led by the US, its eastward expansion and the return of German militarism. As in previous wars, the Ukrainian war is not about democracy, freedom or human rights, but about capitalist interests, Stern said. The aim of the imperialist powers, he said, was to tie Ukraine to the NATO powers and subjugate Russia economically and politically. In reality, the war had already started in 2014 with the right-wing coup in Kiev. Stern explained: At that time, Washington and Berlin intervened in Ukraine to overthrow a government that was more Russia-oriented and unwilling to accept the terms of the Association Agreement with the European Union. To organise this coup, they worked with openly far-right and fascist forces, which have since been massively strengthened. In this context, the coup in Ukraine had been part of a truly fundamental change in German foreign policy. Stern referred to the 2014 Munich Security Conference, at which the German government, then a Grand Coalition of the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats, had announced that it would return to an aggressive foreign and great power policy. Prior to that in 2013, leading politicians from all parties, journalists, academics, military officers and business representatives had developed a new foreign policy strategy under the auspices of the government-affiliated Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) under the title New PowerNew Responsibility, which culminated in the demand that Germany must once again play a global leading role politically and militarily because, as a trading and exporting nation, it was dependent on demand from other markets as well as access to international trade routes and raw materials like hardly any other country. The return of German militarism, which is now being pushed to extremes with the war against Russia, also has an ideological dimension, Stern continued. At this university, professors have played down and continue to play down the crimes of German imperialism in the First and Second World Wars and even rehabilitate Hitler himself in preparation for new crimes. Stern mentioned, among others, the Eastern European historian Jorg Baberowski, who in 2014 had described Hitler as not vicious in Der Spiegel, and the political scientist Herfried Munkler, who calls for Germany to once again become the task master of Europe as a power in the middle [of Europe]. At the end of his talk, Stern explained that the war in Ukraine was not a temporary phenomenon but had become an existential issue for all warring parties. The war had entered the gravitational field of total war, in which all aspects of social life were subordinated to the needs of making war. Germanys most recently published National Security Strategy, from which Stern quoted at length, openly expressed this and was a blueprint for the concretely emerging development of a third world war. But the same capitalist contradictions that produce war also create the conditions for socialist revolution, Stern concluded. Throughout Europe and around the world, class struggles are developing and strikes and protests are increasing. What is crucial is the question of political orientation and perspective. A central lesson of the 20th century, he said, was that the struggle against imperialist war can only be waged successfully through the political mobilisation of the working class on the basis of an uncompromisingly anti-capitalist, socialist programme. This, he said, was the importance of the IYSSEs election campaign. There was a strong response to the lecture. One participant asked whether Russia and China could be described as imperialist. Stern firmly refuted this and elaborated on the historical development of both countries and the betrayal of the October Revolution by Stalinism and the restoration of capitalism. The designation of Russia and China as imperialist served to ideologically justify the war policy of the NATO powers, he explained. Referring to the letter from a Russian Trotskyist to David North, the chairperson of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, Stern explained that unlike the imperialist powers, the capitalist regime in Russia was not concerned with the redivision of the world, but seeking a deal with the imperialists and the defence of the status quo. To state this was neither a justification of the Russian regimes war policy nor an accommodation to the capitalist oligarchy. Comrades of the IYSSE and the ICFI were active both in Ukraine and Russia, where they were waging a principled and independent political struggle at great risk to mobilise the working class against imperialism and the war policies of their respective governments, Stern explained. IYSSE candidate Christopher Khamis Other IYSSE candidates also participated in the long and intense discussion, which included the right-wing pro-war stance of the official left. Christopher Khamis, who studies library and information science at Humboldt, emphasized in the discussion the importance of the IYSSEs campaign to win youth and students to socialism and orient them to the growing working class movement. War cannot be stopped by diplomatic maneuvers or appeals to the rulers because it grows out of capitalism itself. Khamis stressed, The alleged peace initiatives of capitalist governments like the Lula government in Brazil or the Ramaphosa government in South Africa are doomed to failure and are also aimed at fomenting illusions among workers and youth. The IYSSE is the only organization in the German capital that is organizing an event against the war development. Now we need your support. Kahl ended the event with a strong appeal to join the IYSSE and actively support the election campaign. The next event, How the return of German militarism was prepared at Humboldt University, will take place on June 26 at 6:30 p.m. More information can be found here. Details have emerged that experts made many warnings about the unsafe condition of the OceanGate submersible that suffered an implosion in the North Atlantic and killed all five people on board shortly after it submerged last Sunday. The submersible Titan. [Photo: OceanGate Expeditions] Major pieces of debris from the 22-foot-long Titan vessel, including the tail cone, were found on the ocean floor on Thursday morning about 1,600 feet from the bow of the steamship RMS Titanic, which sank to the bottom of the ocean in 1912 and was the subject of the OceanGate expedition. The debris field of the OceanGate submersible was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and was consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber, according to Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard. When asked about the possibility of recovering the bodies of the victims of the disaster, Admiral Mauger said he did not have an answer to the question but added, This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor. Following a Twitter post by the Coast Guard about the discovery by the ROV, OceanGate released a statement saying company co-founder and CEO Stockton Rush, 61; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19; British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58; and deep sea explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, have been sadly lost. The discovery of the debris ended a five-day, around-the-clock international rescue effort to find the vessel. The search for the submersible included the US Coast Guard, US Navy, the Canadian Coast Guard and numerous private entities that covered an area twice the size of Connecticut in water that was two and a half miles deep. As of this writing, the website of OceanGate could not be accessed online and KPTV of Portland, Oregon, reported that the Pacific Northwest offices of the company in Everett, Washington, have been closed indefinitely, while the staff copes with the tragic loss of their team member. While neither the Coast Guard nor OceanGate has provided details about the implosion of the vessel, experts on deep sea exploration and the impact of the water pressure at 12,500 feet below the surface where the Titanic wreck sitswhich measures at approximately 400 atmospheres, or 6,000 pounds per square inchhave given statements to the media on what likely happened. Bob Ballard, a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and member of the team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, told ABC News, I dont think people can appreciate the amazing energy involved in the destructive process of an implosion. It just takes out and literally shreds everything. Eric Fusil, director of the Shipbuilding Hub at the University of Adelaide in Australia, also told ABC that the Titan had a composite hull with inbuilt sensors that could withstand high pressures near the seafloor, but any defect could result in a near instantaneous implosion in less than 40 milliseconds. Questions have been raised about the unconventional cylinder-shaped design of the Titan, which is a departure from the sphere-shaped cabins used by most submersibles. The sphere is considered the perfect shape of a craft that must withstand the immense water pressure exerted equally on all areas of the vessel, while the elongated cabin space increases the pressure load in the midsection and increases fatigue and delamination of the hull material. Additionally, the use of carbon-fiber with titanium endcaps in the construction of the vessel, which OceanGate promoted as a feature making it more efficient to mobilize than other deep diving submersibles, as opposed to complete titanium or other metals, has been pointed to as a significant source of the failure of the structure. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that experts inside and outside OceanGate began ringing alarm bells in January 2018 about the safety of the Titan just as the company was preparing to hand the vessel over to its crew for its initial voyages. Around that time, OceanGates director of marine operations, David Lockridge, began working on a report in which he said the craft needed more testing and stressed the potential dangers to passengers of the Titan as the submersible reached extreme depths. Lockridge alleged in a counterclaim lawsuit against OceanGate that he was hired to ensure the safety of all crew and customers of the company during the operations of Titan, but when he expressed concerns about the submersibles hull, his employment was terminated. Meanwhile, in March 2018 a group of three dozen industry leaders, deep-sea explorers and oceanographers warned OceanGate CEO Rush that the experimental approach of the company and the decision to forgo a traditional assessment of the vessel could lead to potentially disastrous results. In a letter from the Marine Technology Society, Rush was criticized for refusing to follow industry safety standards while at the same claiming in marketing material published to advertise the Titan that the vessel was compliant with DNV-GL safety standards. The industry representatives wrote, Your representation is, at minimum, misleading to the public and breaches an industry-wide professional code of conduct we all endeavor to uphold and that it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third-party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants. On Friday, the New York Times published the comments of submersible expert Karl Stanley, who was a passenger on OceanGates Titan with company CEO Rush off the coast of the Bahamas in April 2019. Stanley said he heard a cracking noise that got progressively louder during the two hours it took for the submersible to plunge more than 12,000 feet during that trip. The following day, Stanley wrote an email to Rush and urged that future expeditions of the vessel be cancelled. In his email, Stanley wrote, A useful thought exercise here would be to imagine the removal of the variables of the investors, the eager mission scientists, your team hungry for success, the press releases already announcing this summers dive schedule. Further he stated, Imagine this project was self-funded and on your own schedule. Would you consider taking dozens of other people to the Titanic before you truly knew the source of those sounds?? In another development which raises questions about what was known early on by the US government about the fate of the OceanGate vessel, the US Navy disclosed that a top secret military acoustic detection system first detected what it suspected was the implosion of Titan hours after the submersible began its voyage. In response to questions from the Wall Street Journal, an unnamed senior Navy official said, The U.S. Navy conducted an analysis of acoustic data and detected an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost. The statement went on, While not definitive, this information was immediately shared with the Incident Commander to assist with the ongoing search and rescue mission. The Journal then reported that the Navy asked that the specific system used not be named, citing national security concerns. It is normally used to detect enemy submarines. A Small Light, an eight-part National Geographic mini-series, now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, recounts the extraordinary and little known story of Miep Gies, the woman who helped hide Anne Frank, her family and friends for two years during World War II. It is a drama of resistance to fascism and Nazism, at a time when those political abominations have once more lifted their heads. A Small Light is powerfully and artistically done, with the hearts and minds of everyone involved clearly engaged. In that regard, it is the latest in a series of television projects that is historically and socially acute and aesthetically intriguing. Important thoughts and feelings, at conscious variance with the official lurch to the right, are finding expression and attracting an audience. Billie Boulet as Anne Frank and Bel Powley as Miep Gies in A Small Light Starting in 1942, the German-Jewish Frank family hid from the Nazis during the occupation of the Netherlands. After two years of utter seclusion, the family and their friends were captured. Anne perished in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Her story became immortalized through the diary she kept while in hiding. One of the worlds most widely read and inspiring books, the diary was recovered by Gies who kept it safe until she could deliver it to Annes father Otto after he was liberated from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Miep was born February 15, 1909 in Austria as Hermine Santruschitz. Due to food shortages after World War I, she was sent to live in Holland and taken in as a foster child by a Dutch family in Leiden at the age of 11. In 1933, Miep began working for Otto Frank, a Jewish businessman who had moved with his family from Germany to the Netherlands in the hope of escaping Nazi persecution. A Small Light deals primarily with the years the Franks are secretly cloistered in an annex above Franks business office in Amsterdam. Miep Gies: We are all ordinary people. ... But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room. Created by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, the miniseries opens in 1942 as Miep (Bel Powley) steers the elder Frank daughter, Margot (Ashley Brooke), through Nazi-infested Amsterdam, complete with checkpoints, and eventually into the familys hiding place. In the course of their death-defying journey, Margot dejectedly tells Miep that Annes only thirteen and she wants to be a famous writer, and Im sixteen, and I dont have any idea who I want to be. Joe Cole, Preston Nyman and Bel Powley in A Small Light The series flashes back to 1933. Miep is a 24-year-old, at loose ends, who is hired by Otto (Liev Schreiber) to work as a secretary for his company, pectin manufacturer Opekta. Concerned about her future, her parents urge Miep to wed her stepbrother Cas (Laurie Kynaston), who isnt a blood relativebut, we learn, is a closeted gay man. Following the German invasion and occupation of the Netherlands in 1940, Miep refuses to join a local Nazi group. In retaliation, German officials invalidate her passport, and she is ordered to return to her native city of Vienna within 90 days. At the time, Austria had been annexed and made part of Hitlers Third Reich. Miep meets Jan (Joe Cole), a social worker, whom she will marry in part to avoid being deported. It is not long before Jan joins the anti-Nazi Resistance. In 1942, Otto asks Miep to help his family, now concealed in the annex, with obtaining food and supplies. The Franks are Otto, his wife Edith (Amira Casar), Margot and the rambunctious Anne (Billie Boullet). Ottos business partner Hermann Van Pels (Andy Nyman), his wife Auguste (Caroline Catz) and son Peter (Rudi Goodman) arrive a week later. They are soon joined by Dr. Fritz Pfeffer (Noah Taylor), a dentist who was acquainted with the Franks and Van Pels. (Otto: If we turn away someone we know we can help, well, we become people we dont recognize.) A Small Light Behind an entrance later covered by a large, heavy bookcase, the hiding place consists of two small bedrooms, a common space that doubles as a kitchen during the day and a bedroom at night, a bathroom and an attic. In her memoir, Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family, Miep Gies describes the Nazi terror: All summer a rash of anti-Jewish edicts were published, one after another. First, on June 3, 1941, it was ordered that a large black J was to be added to the identity cards of all persons who had registered during the census as having two or more Jewish grandparents. Everyone in Holland, Jew and Christian alike, had been forced to carry an identity card at all times. During the late summer and fall of 1943, she goes on, the Germans had begun to round up non-Jewish Dutchmen between the ages of sixteen and forty. These men were being shipped to Germany foras they called itlabor service. Some were called up, and some were just going about their business out in the street when a military truck would pull up, Green Police with a rifle would jump down, and the man would be told to get into the truck. I knew that the stores of food staples were running out. Whatever food I could find was now sometimes half-rotten. A Small Light, based on this memoir, effectively conveys the atmosphere prevailing under the German occupation of the Netherlands. In episode five of the series, Jan joins other Resistance fighters planning to bomb the Amsterdam civil registry and thus thwart the Nazis ability to identify persecuted citizens. For the annex refugees, Miep is the only pipeline to the outside world. To avoid arousing suspicion, she must constantly vary her routine and shop at different stories as she seeks food and suppliesfor eight people! (Im gonna start getting a reputation as the woman wholl do anything for a sausage.) She is also the hideaways only conduit for news of the war. Tension for those both inside and outside the annex is excruciating. Miep: Every time the doorbell rings, I think its a Nazi here to arrest me. To which Jan replies matter of factly: A Nazi wouldnt ring the bell. All of the conspirators, including Opekta employees Bep Voskuijl (Sally Messham), Victor Kugler (Nicholas Burns) and Johannes Kleiman (Ian McElhinney), risk their lives daily to protect those in hiding. As a social worker, Jan has more freedom to move around the city than most. Besides being involved in the Resistance, he is able to acquire ration cards and illegal papers. Miep and Jan struggle to maintain a loving relationship while aiding the Dutch Resistance movement and helping other Jews, including children, escape the Nazi dragnet. With every unexpected turn of events, the stress becomes more heart-stopping. On the fateful day of August 4, 1944, the Gestapo arrests the Franks, the Van Pelses and Dr. Pfeffer, as well as Kugler and Kleiman. Miep is only left behind because, having recognized the Viennese accent of one of the Nazis, she engages him in conversation and he decides to spare her. At the end of the war in 1945, Jan starts working at an aid center for those returning from the camps. He is particularly concerned with the fate of our friends. On June 3, Otto appears at his office, where his employees have kept things going. Miep, Edith is not coming back, he says. But I have great hope for Anne and Margot. This hope fades in July, when Otto received the heart-breaking news of his daughters deaths. At this point, Miep recalls Annes diary, tossed on the floor by the arresting Gestapo officers, and hands it to the devastated Otto. Bel Powley in A Small Light Having never examined the diary so as not to violate Annes privacy, Miep eventually reads it in one sitting at the time of its second printing in 1947. In her memoir, she writes: When I had read the last word, I didnt feel the pain Id anticipated. I was glad Id read it at last. The emptiness in my heart was eased. My young friend had left a remarkable legacy to the world. But always, every day of my life, Ive wished that things had been different. That even if Annes diary had been lost to the world Anne and the others might have somehow been saved. Not a day goes by that I do not grieve for them. Otto, the only annex survivor, lived with the Gieses for seven years (he died in 1980). Miep died in 2010 at the age of 100. Elegantly directed by Phelan, Susanna Fogel and Leslie Hope, the series was written by Rater, Phelan, William Harper, Ben Esler and Alyssa Margarite Jacobson. They deserve considerable credit. Moving, intelligently done with understatement and humility, A Small Light displays sincere, deeply felt respect for its historical figures, both the persecuted Jews and the resisting Dutch, all of them facing almost unrelenting horror. The filmmakers create an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere in which one false move can lead to instant death or a lingering one in a concentration camp. The eerie, disturbing soundtrack was composed by Ariel Marx, and executive produced by Este Haim, who oversaw the production of cover versions of songs from the 1930s and 1940s, performed by her sister Danielle Haim, Kamasi Washington, Angel Olsen, Weyes Blood and others. The soundtrack album was released May 23. Numerous sequences stand out. In one especially frightening scene, following the fateful arrests in August 1944, Miep dares, against all odds, to enter Gestapo headquarters in Amsterdam, housing a small army of murderers and torturers. She seeks out the Austrian officer who arrested the Franks and offers him a bag of money to buy their freedom. It is deeply unsettling to watch the courageous, vulnerable woman roaming around this vipers nest. In the end, a high-level Gestapo official steals the money and has her ejected her from the building. (In 1963, Karl Josef Silberbauer, then an inspector in the Vienna police, was exposed as the commander of the 1944 Gestapo raid on the Secret Annex who arrested Anne Frank, her fellow fugitives and two of their protectors, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman. A police review board ultimately exonerated him of any official guilt, and he remained on the Vienna police force.) In one of the films most searing moments, the annex inhabitants celebrate Hanukkah. Hermann Van Pels, leading the ceremony, explains that in lighting this candle, we are connecting to thousands of years of bravery and survival. Just as our ancestors, the Maccabees, rebelled against the Greeks, we are rebelling in our own way, right now, in this annex. Because despite their attempts to get rid of us, Mr. Hitler, his army of godless officers were here ... living and celebrating that life, right under their noses, with friends who risk their lives every day to protect us. Jan and Miep Gies [Photo by Marcel Antonisse / Anefo - Nationaal Archief / CC BY 3.0 The overtones of dread and strain are nearly remorseless throughout the series. Fascism attempts to crush everything human in its path, and the filmmakers create this reality for the viewer. Driven no doubt in part by todays political realities and dangers (including such right-wing attacks as the recent removal of a graphic novel based on Anne Franks diary from a Florida high school library), the cast is uniformly excellent. The series themes clearly resonated with all involved in the production. Remarkable lead actress Powley, stunning in her humility and decency, castigated rapper Kanye West for his pro-Nazi comments: All the Kanye West stuff was going on while we were in the middle of filming. And we had been hearing Nazi rhetoric and Hitler rhetoric in our scripts, and then hearing it in real life come from a public figure like him, it was really quite scary. Series creator Phelan also noted that the Holocaust was not that far in the past. He told Paste Magazine that when we were scouting locations in Amsterdam, we discovered there was a survivor living there who came and showed us his Auschwitz money. When we went to scout locations in Prague, a quarter of the train station had been taken over with refugees, and you are kind of like this is happening now. Its the same thing. In her memoirs, Miep writes: I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or moremuch moreduring those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the hearts of those of us who bear witness. Never a day goes by that I do not think of what happened then. More than twenty thousand Dutch people helped to hide Jews and others in need of hiding during those years. I willingly did what I could to help. My husband did as well. It was not enough. Im told that every night when the sun goes down, somewhere in the world the curtain is going up on the stage play made from Annes diary. My story is a story of very ordinary people during extraordinarily terrible times. Times the like of which I hope with all my heart will never, never come again. At least 46 inmates were killed at the main womens prison in Honduras on Tuesday in a massacre that has horrified millions worldwide. According to survivors and relatives of the victims, in the early morning, members of the Barrio 18 gang were allowed by guardsall of whom were unharmedto enter another wing presumably inhabited by rivals. Xiomara Castro (center) marches with the military leadership during the 197th anniversary of the Honduran armed forces, December 9, 2022. [Photo: @poderpopular022] Death threats escalated over several weeks, as the perpetrators managed to make careful preparations and smuggle in a significant arsenal, including 18 pistols, an AR-15 rifle, two Uzi submachine guns, two grenades, machetes and flammable liquid, found at the scene. The attackers reportedly shot and hacked at inmates to force them into a cell, which they proceeded to shut with new locks and burn down. Piles of burned bodies, some of which could take months to identify, were found in the bathroom as women sought refuge from the flames but were entirely trapped. Most victims were burned to death. The gruesome details are only as stunning as the frequency with which such incidents take place, with at least a dozen killings in Honduran prisons yearly for the past six years. The worlds deadliest prison disaster took place in 2012 at the Comayagua prison in Honduras, where over 360 men died. Despite self-contradictory attempts by officials to point to human failures or guards being overrun, the incident at the womens prison could not have happened without the criminal involvement of the security apparatus. President Xiomara Castro was compelled to acknowledge that the attack was planned by gangs in plain sight and with the acquiescence of the security forces. The following day, however, she announced 10 measures to allow the same security apparatus to respond with an iron fist. Experts and rights advocates have responded with sharp warnings. After citing the well-known complicity of the police and military with organized crime, Valencia University researcher Joaquin Mejia Rivera tweeted: it is a collapse before the military power, which has controlled the prisons during the last decade and is directly responsible for their current crisis. The measures include indefinitely placing the military in control of security across the entire country. Castro will also renew and expand nationally a state of exception she launched last December that suspended democratic rights and sanctioned mass warrantless detentions ostensibly to combat organized crime. Leaders of criminal organizations will be sent to a prison in the Cisne Isles in the Caribbean, while a vague request was made to the courts to find alternatives for women currently jailed without being convicted. A significant majority of women and men in Honduran prisons have never been convicted of any crime. She named the chief of National Police, Gustavo Sanchez, a US-trained career policeman, as security minister. Just like her predecessors, Castro will also hand over control of all prisons to the military, specifically the Military Police (PMOP), and charge it with training at least 2,000 new guards. The current head of the PMOP, Ramiro Fernando Munoz, was charged in 2020 by relatives of inmates at one of the three military prisons and the Committee of Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH) with abusing, torturing and refusing to provide prescribed medicines to prisoners. One inmate, Angelo Lopez, was allegedly threatened with death and beaten unconscious by three officials, including Munoz, who bit the mans ears. And finally, in a point largely unreported by the media, she cancelled ceremonies to commemorate the military coup of June 28, 2009. That day, 200 armed troops with masks kidnapped President Manuel ZelayaCastros husbandand sent him in his pajamas on a military plane to Costa Rica. The coup was overseen by the Obama-Biden administration and was aided by US military officials. Castro remained in the US embassy during the coup and subsequently gained popularity for convoking and participating in several anti-coup demonstrations and denouncing the regime. In May 2011, Zelaya himself helped re-legitimize the coup regime by signing a National Reconciliation Agreement, which allowed him to return to the country to tend to his significant land and business interests. Washington had opposed Zelaya for aligning with President Hugo Chavez, who offered Honduras cheap Venezuelan oil. One of Castros most popular campaign promises was to send the military back to the barracks. She also suggested dissolving the PMOP. In 2015, she said the unit was created to terrorize the people and persecute oppositionists. At the same time, she made constant reassurances to the local oligarchy and US imperialism. Washington celebrated her election and then requested the extradition of her opponent and incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez to face charges for working for the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for millions of dollars. The drug trafficker Hernandez, who was installed by the same coup regime in fraudulent elections, did not only create the PMOP and several other special units, but much of the current military and police leadership was promoted under his two terms in power. The ties of the Honduran state and the local business elite to the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels were drastically strengthened as the United States used trafficking routes and resources to smuggle weapons and train the fascist Contra militias in their dirty war against the petty-bourgeois nationalist Sandinista government in Nicaragua throughout the 1980s. During that period, the CIA also trained and sponsored death squads formed by Honduran police and soldiers to kidnap, torture and kill left-wing workers, students and activists. Many of these death squads were organized under Battalion 3-16, which disappeared at least 184 people. Zelaya had named several Battalion 3-16 veterans to top posts, including the retired general Alvaro Romero as his security minister and Billy Joya as a security adviser, with the latter playing a prominent role in the 2009 coup. Similarly, Castro has maintained Jackeline Foglia Sandoval, a West Point graduate who also belonged to Battalion 3-16, as head of the National Council of Investments, an influential liaison of the government with the private sector. Roland Valenzuela, a minister under Zelaya, accused Foglia as the person in charge of coordinating and operating the coup in 2009. The main purpose of the interventions of US imperialism in Honduras has been to safeguard corporate interests in the region while crushing opposition from below against rampant poverty and social inequality. US imperialism and its partners in the local oligarchy have created a hell for the vast majority of Hondurans. Todays main gangs in El Salvador, Honduras and GuatemalaMara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18were founded in Los Angeles. They spread and thrived in the dire conditions of Central America as a result of mass deportations targeting gang members under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. According to the National Statistics Institute, 73 percent of Hondurans live under official poverty and a majority under extreme poverty. Reaching a quarter of the countrys GDP, remittances sent by migrant workers have become a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of households, but the waves of deportations under Obama, Trump and Biden700,000 of the 1 million Honduran migrants in the last decade have been deportedhave had a devastating effect. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has partnered with Castro to deploy troops with US advisers to contain migration and turn the country into an open-air prison. Pro-corporate policies have created a situation, according to the UN, where 72 percent of families with children lack access to social assistance and less than one in 10 of the elderly receive a pension. In 2019, Puerto Rico, Honduras and Myanmar were declared by the Global Climate Risk Index as the most affected countries by climate change, which is driven by the greenhouse gas emissions of the largest corporations and militaries globally. This classification was made even before the back-to-back Hurricanes Eta (Category 4) and Iota (Category 5) that caused billions of dollars in damage across Nicaragua and Honduras. Droughts worsened by global warming and El Nino in 201516 sent hundreds of thousands fleeing the country as crops failed, while another Super El Nino is expected to wreak havoc in 202324 given that emissions and warming have continued to accelerate. As the coup regime launched a wave of privatizations, regulatory cuts and social austerity, the security forces killed at least 20 demonstrators and participated in the selective murder of anti-coup activists like environmentalist Berta Caceres in 2016. After its creation in 2013, the PMOP crushed demonstrations against Hernandez second electoral fraud in 2017, killing 23 people, and it has used lethal force against demonstrators repeatedly since. In 2019, mass strikes and revolts against layoffs and a privatization of healthcare and education were brutally crushed, leaving at least six dead. On June 24 of that year, the PMOP invaded the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) and sprayed a crowd of students with live ammunition. Then, in 2020, as the poorest Hondurans blocked streets across the country to demand economic assistance to shelter from COVID-19, the government again responded with brutal repression and the premature reopening of workplaces. In these conditions of military dictatorship and economic and social devastation, US imperialism and the ruling elite advanced Xiomara Castro to provide a democratic and left fig leaf as they continue to plunder the country and prepare to crack down on future social explosions. This maneuver was enthusiastically supported by the pseudo-left internationally, particularly Jacobin magazine of the Democratic Socialists of America, which promoted Castro as a socialist who had defeated neoliberalism and its brutal foreign instigators and who is trying to revive democracy. Cornel West speaking at Arizona State University, January 2018. [Photo by Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 Professor and author Cornel West launched his presidential campaign, with much fanfare and even more platitudes, on June 5. In his campaign video, he pledged to reintroduce America to the best of itself and to fight for truth and justice. His campaign website explains that justice is what love looks like in politics. West has been living off his reputation as a black intellectual, based on his early academic work, accumulating awards and honorariums. As the years have passed, the actual connection between his real achievements and reputation has grown increasingly indistinct and tenuous. He has become the sort of person who is, to use the words of Lincoln, famous for being famous. But however celebrated he may be, Wests hopelessly impressionistic politics will produce nothing and go nowhere. Trotsky once wrote of a type of intellectual semi-bourgeois that staffs publications such as the Nation and the New Republic. They feed upon half-thoughts and half-feelings. They wish to cure society by half-measures. Regarding the historical process as too unstable a phenomenon, they refuse to engage themselves more than fifty percent. Thus, these people, living by half-truths, that is to say, the worst form of falsehood, have become a genuine brake upon truly progressive, i.e., revolutionary thought. Changing what needs to be changed, this is an apt description of Cornel West. In his interviews and remarks, West makes certain points that are generally ignored or excluded from the medianoting, for example, that the war over Ukraine was provoked by the expansion of NATO up to Russias borders. But these are washed over by the overpowering wave of vague generalities and moralistic slogans in which nothing is worked through in a systematic way. Everyone, it seems, no matter how rotten his or her politics, is his dear brother or dear sister, with whom West proclaims deep sympathy and agreement on many things, from the Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and the Green Jill Stein, to the fascistically inclined RFK, Jr. and Joe Rogan. Everyone is his friend because he has no firmly held views of his own. West elevates unseriousness and pragmatic maneuvers to the level of a principle in and of itself. He is a jazz man in world politics, West proclaims in his campaign video, and the jazz man is always about improvisation, always about compassion, always about style, and always about a smile. From the Peoples Party to the Greens The character of Wests campaign is evident in its beginning. On June 5, West released a video on Twitter declaring himself the presidential candidate of the Peoples Party, a decision he said elsewhere had been arrived at in discussions between himself and Peoples Party Chair Nick Brana. The Peoples Party, founded in 2017, is largely dominated by Brana, a former Democratic Party operative and staffer for Bernie Sanders. Over the past year, the party, which has no real program or policies, has focused its efforts entirely on forging a close political alliance with the far right, in particular, the Libertarian Party, with which it co-organized the Rage Against the War Machine Rally in February and a follow-up event, the Independent National Convention, in April. Both were politically dominated by right-wing and even fascistic individuals and organizations, on the basis of the call for a left-right political alliance. On June 13, just over a week after his initial campaign launch, West announced that he was no longer running as the candidate of the Peoples Party, but rather would be seeking nomination for the Green Party, an organization that has long operated as a pressure group oriented to the Democratic Party. The switch was reportedly made after consultations with journalist Chris Hedges, himself a participant in Peoples Party-organized events and someone at least as politically confused as West himself. Whether the change was made due to unease over the ever more openly right-wing character of the Peoples Party, concerns about the sexual scandals surrounding Brana, or pragmatic considerations relating to the Green Partys access to ballot lines in more statesor some combination of theseis unclear. Regardless, the rapid flitting from one party to another speaks to the absence of any semblance of political coherence to the campaign. Wests United Front In announcing his campaign, West declared it to be in the spirit of a broad United Front and coalition strategy, centered around demands such as create true democracy, revitalize our economy, advance Medicare for all, end the war, expand civil liberties and protect the environment. Who is to be included in Wests United Front he does not say, but in his interviews and statements he leaves the door very wide opencertainly to the Peoples Party, the Green Party, and various individuals in and around the Democratic Party, including the DSA and Socialist Alternative, which has written a statement supporting him. Though West has not called for a left-right unity, as the Peoples Party does, he has spoken favorably about RFK, Jr., an extreme-right COVID-19 denialist who is running in the Democratic Party presidential primaries with the encouragement of figures like Trumps former adviser Steve Bannon. West notably says nothing in his announcement or on his campaign website about the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 21 million people due to the criminal subordination of human life to profit by capitalist governments throughout the world. In an interview earlier this week with a prominent supporter of a left-right alliance, Craig Pasta Jardula of The Convo Couch, West adapted entirely to the far-right positions on the pandemic. Jardula, who had previously touted his relationships with fascistic figures like Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, opposed masking, vaccines and all mitigation measures to stop the spread of the virus. Jardula denounced Dr. Anthony Fauci, a favored target of the extreme right, for crimes against humanity for his advocacy of vaccination. West responded to this right-wing rampage by thanking his dear brother and assuring Jardula that he would not be dogmatic on any of these issues. He also said that he was open to theories that the virus was the product of a lab leak or a bio-weapon produced by the Chinese government in alliance with Fauci, a fascistic conspiracy theory also promoted by RFK, Jr. In an interview with Chris Hedges, West sought to give an explanation for why he is not running in the Democratic Party primaries, despite previously campaigning for Bernie Sanders and supporting Biden and Obama. A jazz man in the world of ideas, West replied, repeating what has quickly become a trope of his campaign, has to be improvisational, cant be dogmatic. As evident in his statements on the pandemic, West has already elevated this non-dogmatic principle into a legitimization of the extreme right. A history of promoting the Democratic Party West has implemented a series of such improvisations, from which he draws no lessons, throughout his long and meandering political history in and around the Democratic Party. He entered politics in the early 1970s through an interest in liberation theology and black nationalism. In the early 1980s, he was close to Michael Harrington and was an early member of the organization Harrington founded, the Democratic Socialists of America, which he joined in 1982. Harrington, an acolyte of ex-Trotskyist Max Shachtman, defined the politics of the DSA as the left wing of the possible, by which he meant the left wing of what the Democratic Party and the ruling class considered acceptable. West later referred to the DSA as the first multiracial, socialist organization close enough to my politics that I could join. He became an honorary chair for the organization, a position that he held for many years, as it backed one Democratic Party politician or another and what was possible moved steadily to the right. During the 1980s, West campaigned for Jesse Jackson during his two campaigns as a Democratic Party candidate for president, in 1984 and 1988. Later, in 2000, he backed New Jersey Democrat and Senator Bill Bradley. In 2008, West supported the Democratic Party campaign of Barack Obama, whom he referred to in 2007 as my brother companion and comrade. Upon Obamas election, West said that he hoped that Obama would be a progressive Lincoln and that he, West, aspired to be the Frederick Douglass to put pressure on him. When Obama inevitably proceeded to implement the dictates of the ruling class, West became critical, calling him a war president with a [Nobel] peace prize and a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs. In 2016 and again in 2020, West supported and served as an adviser for Bernie Sanders in his own bid for nomination in the Democratic Party primaries. When Sanders backed Hilary Clinton in 2016, West chose to support Green Party candidate Jill Stein. In 2020, however, he joined Sanders in lining up behind Biden, declaring that a vote for the now-president was a necessary part of forming an anti-fascist coalition. Asked in interviews why the same considerations do not apply in the 2024 elections, West replies that he has now concluded that it is impossible to defeat fascism through the milquetoast neo-liberalism of the Democratic Party or to advance except through a fight against the corporate duopoly. The form of Wests current political intervention has somewhat altered, but the essential content remains the same. While he has announced a plan to run on the Green Party ticket, his overall orientation is firmly in the orbit of what he refers to as the corporate duopoly. In one interview given in recent days, West explained that he hoped that his campaign could be used to put the pressure and bring to bear so that the politicians who are on the inside have spaces to breathe. Wests latest improvisation will prove no more fruitful than his earlier ones, if it succeeds in getting off the ground. Wests prophetic pragmatism Wests philosophical conceptions relate directly to his political positions. In his books as in his political statements, West is an extreme eclectic, claiming affinity but never quite agreement with everyone from Marx to Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Foucault, Du Bois, Derrida and Wittgenstein. He draws from everything and everyone in creating a philosophical outlook that has no definite form, takes no position on anything, and cant seem to make a clear and precise statement as to what he actually stands for. In essence, however, Wests philosophy belongs to the school of American pragmatism as it was developed in particular by Richard Rorty, with whom West studied while at Princeton in the early 1970s. Pragmatism has different varieties, all revolving around a denial of the possibility of objective truth, and, bound up with this, a rejection of history as a law-governed process. In its modern forms and especially in the writings of Rorty, pragmatism is directed explicitly against Marxism and Trotskyism, which insists that the working class is an objectively revolutionary force, that the same contradictions that led to revolution in the 20th century persist at a higher level in the 21st, and that the basic task is to build a socialist leadership in the working class. The time has come, Rorty wrote in 1998, to drop the terms capitalism and socialism from the political vocabulary of the Left. It would be a good idea to stop talking about the anticapitalist struggle and to substitute something banal and untheoreticalsomething like the struggle against avoidable human misery. More generally, I hope that we can banalize the entire vocabulary of leftist political deliberation. I suggest we start talking about greed and selfishness rather than about bourgeois ideology, about starvation wages and layoffs rather than about the commodification of labor, and about differential per-pupil expenditure on schools and differential access to health care rather than about the division of society into classes. Responding to this statement, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North wrote in 2005: What Rorty calls banalization would be better described as intellectual and political castration. He proposes to banish from discussion the achievements of more than 200 years of theoretical thought. Underlying this proposal is the conception that the development of thought is an arbitrary subjective process. Words, theoretical concepts, logical categories and philosophical systems are merely verbal constructs, pragmatically conjured up in the interest of various subjective ends. The claim that the development of theoretical thought is an objective process, expressing mans evolving, deepening, and evermore complex and precise understanding of nature and society is, as far as Rorty is concerned, nothing more than a Hegelian-Marxian shibboleth. West has borrowed much from Rorty in his own philosophical and political outlook, including the removal of any reference to capitalism and socialism from his political vocabulary. This is replaced with terms such as the corporate duopoly, big tech, big pharma and the like. In his book, The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism, West defined his own variant of what he calls prophetic pragmatism, which, he stated, worships at no ideological altars. Prophetic pragmatism, West wrote, counterposes the precious ideals of individuality and democracy to all those power structures that lack public accountability, be they headed by military generals, bureaucratic party bosses or corporate tycoons. Nor is prophetic pragmatism confined to any preordained historical agent, such as the working class, black people or women. Rather, it invites all people of good will both here and abroad to fight for an Emersonian culture of creative democracy in which the plight of the wretched of the earth is alleviated. Wests banishment of the working class as a preordained historical agent is an explicit rejection of Marxism and the understanding that capitalism and all it producesinequality, war, dictatorship and repressioncan only be opposed through the development of a revolutionary and socialist movement of the working class. In contrast, all people of good will are to be brought together in a campaign for creative democracy that does not touch the organization of social and economic life. Under conditions of unprecedented capitalist crisis, West is now developing this conception in his proposal for a United Front presidential campaign for truth and justice. For the ruling elites, such campaigns as Wests play the valuable role of serving as safety valves, hence the professors sympathetic treatment in the media. What one has in the end is a complete pragmatic mess that can serve no other function than to spread confusion and undermine the development of a political movement in the working class. In a word, a muddle. [Source] More than 40% of California's residents are considering moving out of state, according to a new statewide survey. The results: While 70% of residents said they are happy living in California due to the states diversity, enjoyable lifestyle and economic opportunities, more than 40%, or about 4 in 10 residents, reported that they are considering leaving. Cost of living: About 61% of respondents said the reason they would leave the state is due to the high cost of living, with about 71% of them identifying as either Black or Asian/Pacific Islander. While 35% of those surveyed noted living comfortably, 46% said they are struggling to save money or pay for unexpected expenses, and 18% said they are finding it hard to make ends meet monthly. More from NextShark: Yelp sees steep rise in racist reviews targeting Asian-owned businesses Political views: Another 30% of respondents pointed to Californias policies and laws that do not align with their political views as the reason for their considering leaving the state. Conservative respondents and self-identified Republicans were reportedly much more likely to cite politics as the reason for their consideration than Democrats. Among those who identified as Republicans, 83% said the states direction was on the wrong track, while only about 20% of Democrats said the same thing, according to the Los Angeles Times, who noted that white residents had a more negative view of the state than people of color. Where are Californians moving?: The top three places where residents are moving to are Dallas, Seattle and Portland, respectively. More from NextShark: Sri Lankas president says government will not oppose bill to decriminalize homosexuality According to the Los Angeles Times, California residents who moved out of state reached a record of 407,000 between July 2021 and July 2022. The state has reportedly been losing residents to other states every year since 2000. About the poll: The California Community poll surveyed 1,354 Californians over the age of 18, online in English or Spanish. The poll, which was conducted from June 6 to 16 by Strategies 360 in partnership with the Los Angeles Times, was sponsored by three community organizations, including the Los Angeles Urban League, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality and the Center for Asians United for Self-Empowerment. Story continues More from NextShark: Lawmakers renew calls for release of American 'wrongfully detained' in China for 10 years Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Philippine Senate approves bill to grant citizenship to Canadian vlogger 'BecomingFilipino' CNN political commentator and former U.S. representative Adam Kinzinger said Friday the rebellion being waged in Russia by the Wagner military group is a massive blow to people like Tucker Carlson, who he said have been advancing arguments and propaganda favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago. Its a massive blow to the people here in the United States, like, say, Tucker Carlson, who have been parroting Putin talking points, Kinzinger said to Kaitlan Collins on CNN Friday. To have Prigozhin, the head of Wagner himself, say those have been lies. There have been a lot of people parroting those Putin lies, and the head of Wagner even just said those are lies. Kinzinger was referring to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, who said in a Telegram post Friday that Putins reasoning for invading Ukraine was based on falsehoods spun by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Watch the full video below: Kinzinger: This is a massive blow to the Russian republic and a massive blow to their military effort and I will also say, it is a massive blow to the people here in the United States like Tucker Carlson, who have been parroting Putin talking points pic.twitter.com/KUyrhMSJG9 Acyn (@Acyn) June 24, 2023 Carlson, now broadcasting his views via a show posted on Twitter after being fired by Fox News in April, has for nearly a decade expressed clear support for Putin and the Russian government. Since the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 he has consistently promoted Russias version of events. Also Read: TCMs UK Channel to Be Shut Down in July For instance, Carlson once blamed the administration of President Joe Biden for theinvasion of Ukraine, referring to it was a regime-change war against Russia. Story continues It may be worth asking yourself what is this really about? Why do I hate Putin so much?, Carlson later said on his Fox News show last February. Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he ever threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia? Did he manufacture a worldwide pandemic that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years? Does he eat dogs? These are fair questions, and the answer to all of them is no. Vladimir Putin didnt do any of that. Carlson has also called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator who has no interest in freedom or democracy. Meanwhile the Wagner Group is a private mercenary army that has been a pillar of Russian foreign policy since its founding in 2014. Technically, such companies are illegal in Russia, but Prigozhin is a close friend of Putins who made a fortune from a catering business that received preferential contracts from the Russian government. Wagner Group is also classified as a criminal organization by the U.S. government. The company sent approximately 50,000 soldiers as part of the invasion of Ukraine, most of whom are convicts offered clemency in exchange for fighting as part of Wagner. But in the 30-minute Telegram post Friday, Prigozhin said Putins justification for invading Ukraine the claim that Ukraine was planning to launch an offensive against Russian-controlled territories within its borders, was based on lies. There was nothing extraordinary happening on the eve of February 24, Prigozhin said, referring to the date of the invasion in 2022. The ministry of defense is trying to deceive the public and the president and spin the story that there was insane levels of aggression from the Ukrainian side and that they were going to attack us together with the whole Nato block. Also Read: The Perfect Find Star Gabrielle Union Says Netflix Rom-Com Is About Embracing Vulnerability and Self-Love As of Saturday morning, the military group has apparently captured facilities in two Russian cities, Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, and Putin claims the rebellion may be headed toward Moscow next, per CNN. Also Read: The Party Report: Indiana Jones, Mission: Impossible, Asteroid City, Oh My! Former Eight Is Enough child star Adam Rich died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, an autopsy report obtained by TMZ on Friday determined. Richs body also contained nontoxic levels of alcohol and the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam, the outlet reported, citing the Los Angeles County medical examiner report. Rich, who charmed fans of the 1977-81 family dramedy as the mop-topped Nicholas, was found dead in January at his Brentwood, California, home. He was 54. The cause of death was not considered suspicious at the time, The Associated Press reported. Rich struggled with drug and alcohol problems and said he suffered from depression. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2002 and for an attempted break-in at a pharmacy and an alleged hospital theft of a syringe in 1991, the AP reported. Adam Rich, pictured in 2002 and in 1981. Adam Rich, pictured in 2002 and in 1981. Rich landed a regular role on the firefighter drama Code Red (1981-82) and appeared in two Eight Is Enough reunion TV movies in the late 1980s, but parts mostly dried up as the years went by. Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline. The post Frederic Forrest, Actor in Apocalypse Now and The Rose, Dead at 86 appeared first on Consequence. Frederic Forrest, the character actor known for his roles in The Rose, Apocalypse Now, and several other Francis Ford Coppola films, has died at 86. Friend and fellow actor Barry Primus told The Hollywood Reporter he passed at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness. Born on December 23rd, 1936 in Waxahachie, Texas, Forrest served in the Army and studied radio and television studies and theater arts at Texas Christian University before beginning his acting career. In 1966, he appeared in an off-Broadway production of Viet Rock, while he made his film debut in 1972s When the Legends Die, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1979, Forrest appeared in Francis Ford Coppolas Vietnam War epic, Apocalypse Now. He portrayed Jay Chef Hicks, an aspiring chef from New Orleans who ends up getting drafted. The role made him a favorite of Coppola, who went on to cast him in 1974s The Conversation, 1982s One from the Heart and Hammett, and 1988s Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Apart from Apocalypse Now, Forrests other most memorable role came in 1979s The Rose, starring Bette Midler in her feature film debut. In the film, Midler portrayed a Janis Joplin type a rock star with addiction problems while Forrest portrayed her limo driver, who tried to keep her alive. He was nominated for the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the role. Before retiring in 2006, Forrest appeared in the likes of Quo Vadis?, Lonesome Dove, and Die Kinder. He also portrayed Captain Richard Jenkins in the early episodes of Twenty One Jump Street before being replaced by Steven Williams. His final film was the 2006 remake of All the Kings Men, which starred Sean Penn and Jude Law. Story continues After Forrests passing, Midler honored her co-star on Twitter, calling him a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being. I was lucky to have him in my life, she said. He was at peace. The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace. bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 24, 2023 Frederic Forrest, Actor in Apocalypse Now and The Rose, Dead at 86 Carys Anderson Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. Toyota Century Toyota confirmed rumors of a luxurious SUV called the Century at the reveal of two new minivans for Japan. The Toyota Century SUV is expected to resemble the highest echelons of luxury SUVs, but be available at a considerably lower price. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it'll be a true counterpart to the ultra-luxury Century sedan, but rather a competitor to the likes of the Genesis GV80. The vehicle was hinted at by Toyota board member Simon Humphries after presenting the new Alphard and Veilfire minivans, which are not sold in the United States. "The Century is the ultimate chauffeur experience, but it too will have to evolve as we move to the future," Humphries stated as a dimly lit outline of a vehicle filtered in on the screen behind him. "Later in the year, I hope to have the chance to share the outcome of that story with a new edition to Toyota's chauffeur series... It will certainly be an impressive step in our mission to change the future of cars." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgNwmqNdL-g\u0026t=730stion=edit The image of the vehicle wasn't clear in the video, but lightened versions in Japanese media have confirmed it to be the side profile of an SUV. This confirms the rumor that Toyota will produce an SUV with the Century luxury sedan's nameplate. According to Best Car, the Century SUV is less an equivalent to the exclusive luxury sedan than it is a more affordable alternative. Its styling is reported to resemble that of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, while its length of 204.7 inches puts it firmly in full-size territory between the 300-series Land Cruiser and 2023 Sequoia. With a price range said to span $70,000 to $105,000, it'll also stand above the Grand Highlander, as well as bridge the gap between the Lexus RX and LX. Toyota Century SUV tease. Toyota While the Century sedan uses a 5.0-liter hybrid V8, the Century SUV is said to use a lesser 3.5-liter V6, akin to the LS500H and LC500H. It'll reportedly pair with electric motors on each axle for all-wheel drive, and a system output of around 454 horsepower. The engine is said to be mounted transversely however, indicating the Century SUV won't share a platform with Toyota's new-gen trucks or full-size Lexus luxury models. Production of the Century SUV is expected to begin later this year, with an official launch coming in early 2024. As the Century badge only carries weight in Japan, it's likely not coming to the United States, despite the Crown nameplate finally returning. It'd also stand to cannibalize the company's own sales, with the full-size SUV segment being already covered between the Sequoia, Land Cruiser (Prado), LX, and GX. That just means you'll have to wait 25 years to get your hands on one, should you catch feelings for the SUV rather than the superior sedan. There's no accounting for taste, as they say. Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com Summer movie blockbuster time is here! Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, the seventh in the film franchise running since 1996, took over Rome for its premiere, while Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John Williams celebrated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in Hollywood and not one of those Tinseltown OGs used a walker to get around! In New York, Katie Holmes and Mick Jagger danced into the ABT ballet gala, and director Wes Anderson brought a horde of A-list stars to his Asteroid City premiere. The writers are still on strike, but everyone whos anyone is traveling the world this summer to promote something! Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One The Spanish Steps, Rome Tom Cruise (Center), a bevy of beautiful cast members, and Cary Elwes (Left) attend the global premiere of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at The Spanish Steps in Rome. (Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) It was a gorgeous day on the Spanish Steps in La Bella Roma, as Paramount Pictures got rid of the mobs of summer tourists usually found here and rolled a red carpet all the way down the 135-step staircase to celebrate the global premiere of Mission: Impossible Dead Reeckoning Part One. Of course Tom Cruise was front and center, as hes the now 60-year-old face of the franchise that he began when he was 35; this one is the seventh in the series, and as usual is also filled with beautiful, much younger women. They were all in Rome, too, including Rebecca Ferguson (39), who is a veteran of the M:I flicks, as is Vanessa Kirby (35), along with franchise newcomers Hayley Atwell (41), Pom Klementieff (37) and Mariela Garriga (34). Our favorite Farmboy, Cary Elwes, also stars (hes 60 too, if you were wondering) and joined the glitzy celebration, as did the flicks other male co-stars Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Henry Cznery and Shea Whigham, along with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. And the first reviews from the premiere screening are in, and if those are an indicator, Cruise the sexagenarian has another big action hit on his hands. Tom Cruise rules the Spanish Steps in Rome at the global premiere of Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance in Italy. (Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) Asteroid City Special Screening and U.S. Premiere Alamo Drafthouse; Alice Tully Hall and Sardis, New York Story continues Jason Schwartzman and Wes Anderson strike a pose at the Asteroid City premiere in New York. (Focus Features) The Asteroid City premiere hit New York City like a meteor itself with a two-day takeover. The festivities kicked off at Manhattans Alamo Drafthouse Theater with a special screening, where guests posed for Asteroid City-themed photo ops in set-ups that transported them into director Wes Andersons quirky world. Anderson and star Jason Schwartzman joined the happy crowd (all clutching their fabulous Asteroid City-themed lunch boxes) in the theater for a quick chat. Anderson, a University of Texas Austin alum, reflected on his long-standing partnership with Austin-founded theater chain. Owen Wilson was my roommate, my one friend I made there, said Anderson. I wouldnt be making movies if it wasnt for the time we spent together there. Scarlet Johansson and Margo Robbie got the matching clothes memo at the Asteroid City U.S. premiere in New York. (Focus Features) The following evening, Anderson and Schwartzman celebrated the U.S. premiere of the film at Lincoln Centers Alice Tully Hall alongside a whos who of the stars Anderson recruited for the comedy: Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody, Maya Hawke, Bill Murray, Rita Wilson, Jeff Goldblum and more. After the screening, guests and VIPs hopped on buses and tried to make their way to the after party at Sardis. However, everyones excitement to celebrate was harshed by the city traffic. Thats when Sofia Coppola decided to make the bus driver stop and we all walked the final blocks to the legendary NYC restaurant. The inside of Sardis read like Asteroid City, as a play within a film. Look to stage right: Margot Robbie and husband Tom Ackerley, Tom and Rita Hanks, Barbie director Greta Gerwig and partner Noah Baumbach all giggle in a group. Stage left: Ethan Hawke who came out to support daughter Maya chats with Bill Murray. Meanwhile, center stage, Scarlett Johansson wistfully makes her entrance holding hands with husband Colin Jost, as Adrien Brody grabs his mothers hand and walks her through the chaos. It was a mind-boggling set of scenes, for certain. If you get an email from Wes Anderson asking you to film in Spain, you go, star Jake Ryan told us. And it seems like everyone in the room is awaiting the next email, based on the turnout of the evening. Emily Vogel Stephen Park, Tom Hanks, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston make the stat-studded scene at the Asteroid City U.S. premiere in New York (Focus Features) Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. Premiere Dolby Theatre, Hollywood (Left to Right) Stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, big man Olivier Richters and Mads Mikkelsen attend the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) The Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny premiere descended into the heart of Hollywood to the delight of fans, many of whom were all dressed in their best Indy-inspired attire. And they were not disappointed, as composer John Williams led an orchestra in his created for the five films while five-time producers George Lucas, Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg happily looked on. Harrison Ford was all smiles as he shared his heartfelt praises for Spielberg, who for the first time in the series was not behind the directors chair (James Mangold helmed this final chapter in the storied franchise). Ford expressed his admiration of the Hollywood legend, saying, Steven has brought so much to the world of filmmaking, his presence was felt every day on set. Fords costar Olivier Richters (hes 72) towered above the rest of the cast on the red carpet, as he joined Karen Allen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann and Toby Jones in the celebration. Jones might have revealed another project in the works to us, expressing his enthusiasm for the potential Harry Potter TV series. Jones playfully remarked, I would absolutely play Dobby in the Harry Potter TV series! adding that fans should push for it, vote for it! Elijah Gil Toby Jones joins costumed fans at the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Secret Invasion Launch Event El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood (Left to Right) Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Colman and Jonathan Schwartz attend the Secret Invasion launch event at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) The Secret Invasion launch event at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood was a dazzling affair, as the Marvel Universe brought out their Oscar-winning and nominated stars to celebrate the highly anticipated Disney+ series. Lead actor Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle (both Academy Award nominees) were all smiles on the red carpet, along with Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, along with Cobie Smulders, Dermot Mulroney and Game of Thrones favorite Emilia Clarke. Bad guy Kingsley Ben-Adir (hes a Skrull) took a moment to discuss his upcoming project with TheWrap, a biopic on the legendary Bob Marley. Ben-Adir shared his dedication to portraying the iconic musician, explaining that the Marley family was on set to give insight into the life of the icon. They were there every day, I saw Ziggy every day on set, they were all there, it was a mad experience. Elijah Gil The Secret Invasion gang turned out in force at the El Capitan Theatre launch event in Hollywood: (Left to Right) Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ben Mendelsohn, Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Don Cheadle, Cobie Smulders, Dermot Mulroney and executive producer Ali Selim. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney) Downeys Dream Cars Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles (Left to Right) Dax Shepard and Robert Downey Jr. bring Maxs Downeys Dream Cars to the Tastemaker Event at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Max) What do you do when you can do anything you want? If youre Robert Downey Jr, you set out to save the world, one car at a time. Downey was in fine form at the Petersen Automotive Museum premiere party for his new Max series, Downeys Dream Cars, arriving on the arm of his wife and Team Downey president, Susan Downey, he swept onto the scene and commanded the red carpet, laughing, philosophizing and selling the soap as he calls it. The reality series takes classic cars and transforms them into electric vehicles, while still keeping the original look. We happened to be with Lino Bruni on the carpet, one of Downeys oldest friends from growing up in Santa Monica, who pointed out an obvious fact to Robert. Youve come a long way since Uncle Jims Datsun B210, Bruni said with a chuckle. Oh man! Uncle Jim! Downey exclaimed as the two embraced. I went outside to Uncle Jims car one morning. He had his finger through the ring of a glass jug of Almaden wine, with about a quarter inch of liquid left in it. I asked him, Hey Uncle Jim, whatcha doing? He said, Im just sittin here getting down with my badass self. He was supposed to drive me to school. I didnt make it that day! Inside the screening, Robert munched on carrots as Susan spoke about the eco-mod concept of the show and its world-changing ideas. She explained, We want it to be entertaining, informative and compelling, but we also want to do something with deeper meaning. We have to change energy in this world right now, this is part of our Footprint Coalition mission. Dax Shepard appeared for the post-screening Q&A, joking with Downey about their mutual love of motor vehicles of all types, then the after party we ran into Brigadier General Curt Taylor of Fort Irwin, who told us about the U.S. militarys role in the shows first season, saying, We are moving toward electric troop transport vehicles in the army and jumped at the chance to work with the production when they approached us. Robert, Susan and Team Downey stayed late into the event, happily talking and joking with everyone who wanted to discuss the shows, the cars and their vision for a more sustainable future. Jeff Peters Producer Susan Downey still laughs at husband Robert Downey Jr.s jokes as the two speak onstage at Maxs Downeys Dream Cars Tastemaker Event at Petersen Automotive Museum Los Angeles. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Max) The White Lotus VIVID Conversation With Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge ICC Aware Super Theatre, Sydney, Australia Jennifer Coolidge headed to Sydney, Australia, to have a chat with her The White Lotus director Mike White during the VIVID Sydney 23-day extravaganza of art and light. (Destination NSW) Is The White Lotus heading to Australia to do a prequel to Season 2, so that Jennifer Coolidge can return to her Emmy, SAG, CCA-award winning role as Tanya McQuoid? That was the rumor swirling around the jam-packed ICC Aware Super Theatre in Sydney as Coolidge and show creator-director Mike White took the stage in front of 8,000 screaming fans as part of the VIVID Sydney 23-day celebration of all things creative. We never got an answer to that burning question, but nevertheless got a raucously funny hour-plus of those two best friends who clearly love to work together, despite the fact that Jennifer was hesitant at first to take the job. I said to my friend, Theres no way Im going to be wearing a bathing suit on the beaches in Hawaii!' she recalled. And she goes, Theyre not going to make you wear a bathing suit! You have to do this.' I wrote it for her, White added, That was part of the fun of doing it for me. If she had bailed, I would have literally dragged her by the hair all the way to Hawaii! The rest is history, and despite Mike Whites admission that I have never had a show thats gone more than two seasons, so I had it in my head that the second season, wed go out with a bang [and it would be over], he admits that he is very sad that he killed off Tanya at the end of Season 2. Were sad, too, and hope that this funny duo does find a way to do a The White Lotus prequel in Oz. But until then, as White reminded us, Theres a writers strike on right now, which I support, of course. So we may not be doing anything for a while. The White Lotus duo of creator Mike White and star Jennifer Coolidge drew 8,000 fans to their VIVID Sydney chat in Sydneys Darling Harbour. (Destination NSW) The American Ballet Theatre June Gala Lincoln Center, New York Mick Jagger and Melanie Hamrick attend the American Ballet Theatre 2023 June Gala at Lincoln Center in New York. (BFA) Manhattans elite stepped into their freshly pressed tuxedos and floral gowns for the American Ballet Theater (ABT) June Gala, which launched the New York City premiere of the new ballet Like Water for Chocolate and honored Laura Esquivel, who wrote the novel. Mick Jagger danced his way into the bash, along with Katie Holmes, Misty Copeland, Wilson Cruz and many more lovers of the art. As the curtain closed, actor Chris Lowell (who was so great in GLOW) seated next to his partner, Kiwi actress Kerry Bishe, in the second row, squeezed her hand in excitement. We typically go to the opera, but this is such a fun event, they told TheWrap. Its our first ABT Gala. Actress/dancer Julianne Hough also told us she was thrilled to be in attendance. This is my second time at the ballet, and Im so excited! she gushed. During the dinner reception, Hough and friends danced alongside Mick Jagger to DJ tunes by Abba and Avicii as everyone sipped their signature watermelon margaritas. No pressure there, dancing with Jagger and Hough! Emily Vogel (Left) Kerry Bishe and Chris Lowell; Julianne Hough (Right) all happily make the scene at the American Ballet Theatre 2023 June Gala at Lincoln Center in New York. (BFA) Please send party and event invites to Jenny.Peters@thewrap.com The search for the missing Titan submersible fully captured the worlds attention, from reports of mysterious banging noises to estimates of how much oxygen may have been left in the underwater vessel. On 18 June, the OceanGate Expeditions submersible Titan was beginning its trip to visit the Titanic wreckage at a depth of 12,500ft. About one hour and 45 minutes into its deep dive, the submersible lost communications with its surface ship, the Polar Prince, and was believed to have suffered a catastrophic implosion. Aboard the Titan were CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here On 22 June, it was announced that debris was discovered near the site of the Titanic shipwreck the first possible sign of the Titan submersible since it vanished. Later, OceanGate said it believed the passengers of the Titanic-bound submersible have sadly been lost. The US Coast Guard said officials were still working through a timeline of the submersibles failure. The search for the submersible captured the attention of millions, as phrases such as Titan and hashtags like #OceanGate dominated Twitters top trending and TikTok For You Pages. According to Dr Justin DArienzo a clinical psychologist in Jacksonville, Florida and former US Navy psychologist the reason the public has been so invested is down to our desire to relate to others that sustains our obsession. We all can relate to that feeling of being trapped somewhere or being in the water or experiencing that level of uncertainty, he tells The Independent. What makes it so relatable is that we all could imagine being helpless with other humans and not know what to do. Of course, many people would argue the opposite. OceanGate Inc, the company that owns and operates OceanGate Expeditions, offers people the chance to join a crew in a five-person submersible for the price of $250,000 a number that very few people have just lying around. Story continues On the RMS Titanic, which famously sank in 1912 after it struck an iceberg, some passengers paid up to 870 pounds for a first-class cabin, which is 105,000 or over $130,000 today. Much like the Titan submersible, access to the RMS Titanic was in many cases granted to those for a hefty price. People paying $250,000 to go into a tube thats going to go underwater, there is some obsession with rich and famous people. Were sensitized to voyeurism in that regard, says DArienzo. We quickly follow people who we see are powerful; we give them more leeway. Theres a reason that we follow the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Its the rich and famous whove recently ventured into uncharted territory too, such as space. In 2021, Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos flew into space with a rocket his company Blue Origin built. Sir Richard Bransons space tourism company Virgin Galactic will launch its first commercial flight this summer, with seats starting at $450,000 (352,000) per person. Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist who specializes in social cognition and decision-making, told Insider that one reason theyre willing to spend so much money, just to be put in great danger, is to break free from the mundanity of their everyday lives. And the reason why some people sign on to high-risk travel, Dr DArienzo says, is because they believe the venture is almost too big to fail. We would not be on the moon, we would have not explored the ocean, wed probably still be in Africa if there was no element of overconfidence and courage. I think thats part of our nature to push, he says. But then we hear stories of people that have an extreme element of that trait, where they are very courageous, overly confident. I think what happened here was a fallacy of overconfidence, or the confidence bias, where humans feel like things that are complex and run by rich and smart people are too big to fail. When it launched in April 1912, the Titanic was deemed the largest ship in the world at 882 feet long and 92 feet wide, perhaps also considered too big to fail. Many people have since pointed to the undeniable mystery and force of the sea amid the Titan disaster. Scientific research has helped us better understand the elaborate nature of the ocean, but still much of it is unknown. Now, the search for the Titan submersible has delivered catastrophic results. And while relatability may have aided our fixation on the Titan submersible, its hard to ignore that both wealth and the unfathomable power of the ocean are the same two factors that led to the defeat of both vessels. Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images On Monday I sat with a senior White House official who said of the war in UkraineBarring a major unexpected turn of events, theres every reason to expect Putin will try to draw the war out until the U.S. 2024 elections to see if we have a change of leadership that works in his favor. The major unexpected turn of events took place on Friday. When Yevgeny Prigozhin, once Vladimir Putins caterer, the man whose Internet Research Agency was behind many of the Russia hacks during the 2016 election, led his notorious Wagner Group mercenaries out of Ukraine into Russia to begin an armed insurrection against the government of his former patron it changed the Eurasian strategic landscape overnight. Even if the insurrection was short-lived, as appears to be the case as of this writing, its impact will be felt for a long, long time. The first hours since the onset of the Prigozhin insurrection served as a clear reminder of why we speak of the fog of war. Disinformation, rumors and half-truths clouded the air as did the half-baked analyses of many instant and not-so-instant experts on Twitter and cable news who felt compelled to draw conclusions about events they could not see and actors whose ultimate motives were unclear. In the first stages of this Russian crisis, we felt the high cost of television networks having gutted their foreign news operations over the past two decades. In search of breaking news from reliable sources, many turned once again to Twitter as an information source. But Twitter too had become less reliable and more difficult to use as a source of good information since Elon Musk took it over and stripped away the ability of users to determine who was a verified, reliable source and who was not. As reports spread that at the request of Vladimir Putin, Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko had negotiated a halt to Wagners march on Moscow, for all the confusion and uncertainty about the future, several points became clear. The two most important were these: even if the duration of the insurrection was less than a day, Vladimir Putin and Russia were made weaker by it and Ukraine will gain a further advantage in its battle with a divided, depleted, confused Russian military. Story continues Wagner Group Forces Weakened Putin to Back Down In the twinkling of an eye, the Wagner Group mercenaries who had been the front line troops in Russias brutal if futile battle for Bakhmut had gone from being one of the principal targets of Ukraines much vaunted, somewhat delayed Spring counteroffensive to being, if only for a matter of hours, its de facto leaders. Every gain they made in Russia in support of Prigozhins stated goals of bringing down the leaders of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its armed forces, was a blow to Putins credibility. Each kilometer down Russias M4 highway that Wagner forces traveled was an unintentional advance on behalf of Kyiv and the Western nations allied to support it. This was clearly not Prigozhins goal, he hates the West as much as any Russian extremist, but he had clearly let his previously stated personal animus against Russias top defense officials and officers overtake any sense of patriotic duty to the motherland he may once have had. Confirming that a deal was reached in negotiations with Lukashenko, Prigozhin issued a statement that made his motives clear. He felt Wagner has become a target of the Russian government. But what also became clear was that he lacked the appetite for the ultimate fight that he would have had were his troops to have entered Moscow as they threatened to do. In this respect, Prigozhin not only damaged Putins credibility but he undercut his own. The text of Prigozhins statement tried to make him look like a patriot, but of course, given his actions, it came up short. He said, They were going to dismantle PMC Wagner. We came out on 23 June to the March of Justice. In a day, we walked to nearly 200km away from Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. Thats why, understanding the responsibility for spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan. But much damage to Russia had already been done. The fact that Prigozhin quickly and relatively easily took control of the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh demonstrated that the Russian military had finally found an adversary they could defeatthe Russian military. (On Twitter, one wag wrote that Russias military had gone from being the second best army in the world to the second best army in Ukraine to being the second best army in Russia.) Vladimir Putin was nowhere to be found during the first hours of this insurrection. But when he did speak, he did not mince words. He called Prigozhin a traitor. (To which Prigozhin replied, No you are.) Putin went on to describe Prigozhins actions as a stab in the back and called upon Wagner mercenaries and others who may be supporting them to stand down. He promised to destroy anyone who does not do so. Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished, said the embattled Russian leader. The Russian government announced criminal investigations into Prigozhin, ordered his arrest and raided Wagner Group offices. This was no doubt a manifestation of the threat to Wagner that Prigozhin mentioned in his statement announcing he was standing down. Meanwhile around Moscow, the Russian military built-up fortifications and were visible in and around the city in numbers that no doubt echoed for citizens of the Russian capital past unrest in 1991 and 1993. In Washington, the Biden Administration said it was monitoring the situation closely. The same status reports came from other Western capitals. Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that for a long time Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government but that now its failings were becoming clear. Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. While the situation in Russia is still fluidwe dont know the specifics of the deal Prigozhin reached or how either side in the dispute will behave in the days aheadthere is nonetheless no question that it weakened Russias position in Ukraine in manifold ways. Prigozhin prefaced his insurrection by directly contradicting the rationale Putin gave for his invasion of Ukraine. The Wagner Group, a significant force for the Russians, pulled out of that country. Will they return? If so, how will they perform? How many Russian military resources must now be directed toward preventing a repeat of Prigozhins march? Russias high military command is under attack and it is, as of now, unclear what changes may take place and how those will be received within the armed forces and across Russia. The result seems likely to be a further downturn in morale among Russian troops whose mood had already been thought to have hit rock bottom. Rest assured none of this would have happened if Putins war in Ukraine was going well. And none of what happened will strengthen Russias position in Ukraine or in the world. Surely, the nations that chose to cozy up to Putin following his assault on his neighbor are wondering yet again whether they made the right choice. Surely, among those made most uncomfortable are the Chinese who have watched their embrace of Putin cause them nothing but grief for the past year and who must be making some serious recalibrations about where the alliance goes from here. And, finally, surely, the Putin caucus in the U.S. Congress and their leader Donald Trump, who perhaps thought more Putin intervention might help save him from the consequences of his legal problems, must be watching all this with their hearts in their throats. Betraying your country is one thing. Doing so in support of a monster war-criminal who is also a big time loser with rapidly diminishing credibility and status is quite another. Trump and Putin Are in Deep Trouble and Need Each Other More Than Ever The odds against Prigozhin unseating Putin via this insurrection were always long, however swift his early gains may have been. Further, even if Putin survives this for now as it appears he has, the success Prigozhin has enjoyed to date has further punctured the illusion of Putins strength and preeminence within Russia. Already paranoid, he will have to sleep with one eye open every night from now on unsure from where the next attack on him might come. (Prigozhin will have to do so as well, obviously.) Those around him will no longer view him as invulnerable as they once did. The foundations of Putins rule have deep cracks in them. The end for Putin now appears much closer than many of his opponents had dared hope. In the hours and days ahead the world will be watching to see whether the deal that was reportedly struck holds and what it entails. What will become of Russias military leadership? Will it change? How will it react to this harsh repudiation of its strategies and tactics in Ukraine? What will become of Prigozhin and Wagner? Close attention will be paid to whether other voices critical of Putin may emerge. Naturally, a special focus will be on whether these events lead to more heavy-handed tactics on the part of Putin. Constant watch will be directed to whether Russias nuclear arsenal remains secure. And, in Ukraine, expect military leaders to swiftly seek to test Russian resolve, how these unexpected events have weakened Russian positions, and then to move to take advantage of the opportunity delivered to them by Russias dysfunction. The unexpected has happened. Now, as is so often the case in history, the edge will go to those who are best prepared to take advantage of 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. Its really about [an] existential angst: Scarlett Johansson in Wes Andersons Asteroid City (Universal/iStock) Wes Anderson is dressed like one of his movies. The visionary behind The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom has arrived for our interview dressed in a Riviera-appropriate pinstripe suit coloured in white and light blue. All he needs is a parasol and he could be ready to stroll down the Croisette. Were in Cannes, at the film festival, where his 11th feature Asteroid City has just played in competition. Co-written with Roman Coppola, the film feeds directly off Andersons love of actors. Ive never been a part of a play, the fresh-faced 54-year-old explains. But when I go to the theatre, I wish that I could be a part of a company like that. And when Im making a movie, it is quite like that. Some of [my] actors who have done plays have told me this but to me, this movie, the subject matter, is about whya people do theatre. Why do I feel this mystifying, mystical attraction to the backstage? What is it about putting on a show and performing?a This being Anderson, Asteroid City ais no ordinary backstage drama. Its another beautifully crafted work from the Texas-born filmmaker, and studded with stars hes worked with before (including Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Stephen Park and Jason Schwartzman), and ones he hasnt (among them Tom Hanks, Hope Davis, Maya Hawke and Margot Robbie). As film critic Geoffrey Macnab rightly wrote in his five-star review of the film in these very pages: Asteroid City is Andersons most enrapturing feature since The Grand Budapest Hotel nearly a decade ago. Set in the 1950s, the behind-the-scenes sequences, all in black and white, present a theatre troupe on the East Coast readying a play called Asteroid City, penned by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) and directed by the Elia Kazan-alike Schubert Green (Adrien Brody). When the film bursts into colour, we see acts I, II and III of the play all set in an American desert town called Asteroid City, population 87, which is mostly famous for a gigantic meteor crater and a celestial observatory. Story continues As families descend on the town for a junior stargazing contest, theres even an extraterrestrial encounter its a beautiful stop-motion scene by Andy Gent, whom Anderson calls the Laurence Olivier of animators. Anderson sank us to the bottom of the ocean, Jacques Cousteau-style, in 2004s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissoua and took us inside canine minds for 2018s Japan-set Isle of Dogs. So whats this? His first attempt at a B-movie? I think theres definitely an aspect of that, he tells me. Like The Day the Earth Stood Still. Movies like that. Because its a play within the movie, its a theatrical interpretation of [that]. And I think the science-fiction part of it is something from the Fifties. The same way they were obsessing about the communists, there was a lot going on about aliens. Even Schwartzmans war photographer Augie Steenbeck has the air of a pre-2001: A Space Odyssey aStanley Kubrick about him. A father of four coping with the recent loss of his wife and impending arrival of his father-in-law (Hanks) Schwartzmans character gives the film its emotional ballast. We went into it with a sense of it being about how you face things beyond your control, Anderson explains. And how you respond to a world that is so much bigger than you and is a mystery. And grief was at the centre of it. Always. Death was at the centre of it. Asteroid Citya might be charmingly decorated (primary colours, geometrically exact camera moves), but its the underneath that counts. The Life Aquatic was a very, very big production. I just didnt like it Wes Anderson To me, the film is about so many different things, says Davis, who plays Sandy Borden, mother to one of the stargazers. Its really about [an] existential angst What are we doing here? How are we supposed to do this? Is it worth it? How do we do it? Does anyone know what theyre doing? She recites a line from the film thats stuck with her, in which Nortons playwright is asked: Am I doing it right? That kills me, Davis says. Because thats what everybody thinks, right? Am I doing this life-thing the way Im supposed to do it? And the playwright says, Its just right. Just keep going. Still, its Andersons eclectic style that has come to define his work. Arguably cemented more than 20 years ago in The Royal Tenenbaums, it is recognised by its use of symmetrical close-ups and meticulously composed shots, saturated colours and impeccable costume and set design. A love for architectural models and cutaways, like the research vessel in The Life Aquatic, also became a favourite. Admittedly, its these aesthetics that have made him ripe for parody. Recently hitting the headlines were trailers made by AI, which imagine Anderson takes on franchises such as Game of Thronesa and Star Wars. Theyve had a very mixed response. Has Anderson been told about them? Im aware, he nods. I havent seen [any of] it. Its weird. And its one of those things where Im not sure what good it does me to inform myself about it. I dont want to look at a computers version of anything Im doing just because I dont want to say, Is that what Im doing? I think its best not to. Plus, if it were so easy to make a Wes Anderson movie, its doubtful so many big names would be queuing up to take part in them no matter the size of the role. I heard Margot Robbie lobbied to work with him, says Park, the crime-solving chef in The French Dispatcha and an Asteroid City resident this time around. I mean, [she] sent him letters. Anderson confirms this: I had gotten a little communication from her. Thankfully, Robbies schedule allowed her to come to Spain, where filming took place, to shoot one key moment. The scene she plays, to me, is one of the most important scenes in the whole movie, says Anderson. She was great. You really felt it on the set. Everyone was really just riveted. In his element: Wes Anderson on the set of Asteroid City (Roger Do Minh/Pop.87 Productions/Focus Features) Just about the only missing face is long-time collaborator Bill Murray, who came down with Covid and had to drop out. Steve Carell replaced him, playing a motel clerk. Otherwise, Anderson was in his element, surrounded by friends old and new in the town of Chinchon, near Madrid. Nobodys on their phone between takes, or in the evening alone in their room, says Davis. Everyone is together. As Park notes, this approach to filmmaking stems from Andersons experience on The Life Aquatic. I think he was working more traditionally on that [film], where people were living separately, he says. I think that was when he decided to work differently and have everybody live together. Anderson confirms this. The Life Aquatica was a very, very big production, he explains. I just didnt like it. I felt like we were paying to create this machine that wasnt doing what we wanted it to do. On Life Aquatic, everyone got the nicest places in Rome [to live in]. We were working an hour and a half from Cinecitta [Studios], and half the day was spent getting to and from [there] and having long lunches and things like that. None of that went into the movie in a good way. For his following film, 2007s India-set odyssey The Darjeeling Limiteda with Brody, Schwartzman and Owen Wilson Anderson changed his way of working. Darjeeling, we stayed together and we never left the set, he remembers. Ever since, hes encouraged this convivial, communal feel. No wonder actors love it. I think Wes probably has a penchant for picking [actors] who are good, decent human beings, [who] understand that youre not some sort of higher being because you work in this business, says Davis. I dont think he would tolerate people who were behaving badly. Even when the cameras arent rolling, Wes World feels all-encompassing. Davis remembers one particular lunch break in the cabin that served as her dressing room. I peeked out. People were lying down on the picnic tables. And Wes was standing just outside my window with this beautiful large straw hat, and someone brought him the most perfect little espresso cup. It looked just like one of his movies. It was all quiet on set, she continues. Nobody was talking. And there he was, with this perfect little espresso, looking up. Asteroid City is in cinemas, and an immersive exhibit inspired by the film runs at Londons 180 Studios until 8 July Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian paramilitary organization known as Wagner Group, said he will end an attempted coup d'etat against Russian President Vladimir Putin, turn his mercenary group around from Moscow, and start heading in the opposite direction. Despite months of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, Prigozhin has grown increasingly critical of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its efforts to support the war. Tensions boiled over on Friday after Prigozhin said his Wagner mercenaries would lead a "march of justice" against the Russian army. The Wagner mercenary group came within 200 kilometers of Moscow on Saturday, before agreeing in the evening to turn around because Russian "blood might be shed," Prigozhin said. In an address to the nation Saturday morning, Putin vowed to punish Prigozhin and the Wagner troops supporting the "attempted armed rebellion." "Those who organized and prepared the military uprising, who took arms against their military comrades, have betrayed Russia and will pay for it," Putin said. This is what you need to know about the Wagner Group and its leader: What is the Wagner Group in Russia? Wagner boss to withdraw troops from Bakhmut The Wagner mercenary group is a paramilitary organization founded by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a longtime close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin recently admitted to founding the Wagner Group in 2014 to support Russia in its annexation of Crimea and provide military assistance to pro-Russian separatists fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. In the years since, the Wagner Group has been suspected of operating in at least 30 countries to further Russian interests, including in Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic. The split between the Kremlin and Prigozhin's Wagner forces raises questions about the future of the group's influence in those regions. The split between Putin and Prigozhin also raises questions about how long Wagner forces will continue to prop up Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Nicolas Maduro's in Venezuela, and some governments in Africa, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Story continues After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, Prigozhin sent his Wagner troops to the frontlines of the war. He has also visited Russian prisons to fill the group's ranks, promising freedom to Russian inmates between the ages of 22 and 50 if they choose to serve in the mercenary outfit for six months. The exact size of the group is unclear, but Prigozhin has previously claimed that he leads a force of more than 20,000 soldiers. Who is the Wagner Chief? Prigozhin, 61, is the head of the Wagner mercenary group that was supporting the Russian government in its war against Ukraine before Prigozhin turned against the Russian Ministry of Defense. After months of becoming increasingly critical of the Russian military and its efforts in the war against Ukraine, Prigozhin is now waging a campaign against the same people his group spent months fighting alongside in Ukraine. Prigozhin was born in the former Soviet Union and served ten years in prison when he was younger. After he was freed from jail, Prigozhin ran a hot dog stand before he became the owner of several fancy restaurants in Saint Petersburg. His restaurants drew the attention of the Russian elites and brought Prigozhin into close contact with Putin. The Russian president dined at Prigozhins restaurant with former French President Jacques Chirac and former U.S. President George W. Bush. Earning the nickname Putins chef, Prigozhin found other ways to make himself useful to Russias president. Prigozhin has admitted to being the founder of the Internet Research Agency, a network of companies that interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He was indicted in 2018 by a U.S. grand jury for interfering in American political elections. In 2021, Prigozhin was placed on the FBIs most wanted list. Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Wagner turn on Russia? What we know about the mercenary group No matter how much you enjoy your career, many of us would probably be lying if we said we never daydreamed about having a job where you can make a lot of money for comparatively little work. While most of the jobs that come to mind for that category like "nepo baby model" or "executive at a company your rich dad owns" are pretty difficult to get without the right connections, there are some surprising, more accessible options out there. A while back, Redditor u/rabahi asked, "Whats a low effort job with a surprisingly high salary?" Here are 17 of the top answers: 1. "Owning a parking lot." u/thatgreengentleman_ "My aunt and uncle own a fairly large field right outside of a small town. They do all of their harvesting by the end of August. Come the second week of September, a HUGE harvest festival is held. The town sees, like, half a million visitors in a weekend. They clean the fuck up every year for it by charging $12 a day to park. They even let people camp there and charge $45 a night for camping. They don't even do anything they have a bunch of kids volunteer to park cars as a part of school community service. They donate maybe a quarter of the earnings and pocket the rest for 'operational costs.'" u/Tlr321 Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com 2. "I.T. Manager at a university. The techs know their jobs and their users, and they manage their own schedules and workloads among themselves. Managers basically just have to rubber-stamp timecards, confirm parts orders, and make sure the techs don't all take vacations at the same time." 3. "I worked as a massage 'model' at a massage school. My job was to lay there and be massaged for a few hours while the students did their lessons or took their exams. It was 30 an hour, which isnt loads, but better than the 10 an hour office job I had before." "Just to clarify, this wasnt a full-time job. It was fairly casual, probably between four and 10 hours a week depending on how busy the school was that week, and only for maybe three or four months." u/scenecunt NBC / Via Max 4. "Business intelligence/data analyst. Do you know how to use Excel? Can you write basic SQL? Are you able to express yourself clearly and deal with getting variations of the same 10 questions for the rest of your career? Congrats, welcome to making $100K." u/Goddamnpassword Nitat Termmee / Getty Images 5. "International pilot! I make $200K a year as a widebody first officer. None of the decisions fall to me. I fly one leg to Europe (I get a couple hours to nap on each leg). I get 2448 hours in a cool city, then I fly one leg home (couple hour nap again on the way home). When I'm home, there is nothing I could conceivably do for work so I just get to enjoy my many many days off." "Don't get me wrong, the training was intense, but man, my job now is stupid easy. In the US, I got my ratings at a flight school, worked at a regional airline, then got hired at a major. It took a while to get here, but I'm in my 30s with so much time off, and work is so easy. Love it." u/Greedodode ABC / Via youtube.com 6. "When I was backpacking, I signed up to a temp agency in Sydney that would hire 'well presented' front of house staff for corporate firms who liked to have a pretty, young, well-dressed person manning the reception desk whilst their clients came. I often got paid $3040 an hour to welcome clients, show them to their meeting room, pour some water, and order their catering. And that's all I did in fancy, beautiful offices overlooking Sydney Harbor bridge, etc." "Once their regular receptionist got back from leave, I'd be popped onto the next one. I did a stint at Sydney University at one of their newly built research centers. All I did was direct people to the lifts and the right part of the building for their meeting. I made enough money doing this to backpack through the entire east coast of Australia over three months." u/Suzettebishop89 Sony Pictures Releasing / Via youtube.com 7. "The bulk of my job is essentially helping ICU nurses get through annual basic life support. Now that it's all on computerized dummies, I basically just click the link for them, adjust hand position now and then sit back. I watched Jurassic Park today because everyone is up-to-date. I make $120K." u/Roaming_Pie Pepmiba / Getty Images 8. "I do basic admin work for a city government. No degree required, $85K a year after three years (starting base is a little lower than that), full medical/dental/vision, and tons of PTO plus paid holidays. The work itself isn't particularly hard, but it is constant." 9. "Project manager for a US-based Fortune 200 Company. It's permanent work from home. I make six figures, and I do maybe four hours of actual work each week. I have my home office set up where I have two gaming monitors connected to my gaming laptop sitting on my desk directly in front of me. Then I have my work laptop sitting to one side that's got the volume turned up so I hear if I get an email or message. When I do, I handle that, then go back to my personal laptop." "Most days I'm either playing video games, watching movies, browsing Reddit, studying for new certifications, or doing stuff around the house like laundry, dishes, cleaning rooms, food prep, etc. People on my team constantly say things like, 'Man, this workload is insane.' I've got the same and even more than some. It's so boring. But, they're paying me to dick around most days." u/[deleted] Xavierarnau / Getty Images 10. "I sell granite and quartz countertops. At first, it was go go go to get fabricators to buy from me, but now that I'm established, I just sit here on my computer, answer a call, and submit the order, and [then it's] right back to Reddit." "I actually have a Nintendo Switch hookup for my PC for when I have to work on Saturdays." u/SnooChipmunks5572 NBC / Via youtube.com 11. "My next-door neighbor works in a power station. His job is to sit in front of a monitor and make sure everything is working well. If something goes wrong, he calls the appropriate workstation and they fix the problem. Because an alarm sounds if something is out of sync (which rarely happens), he is able to play games or read a book 99% of the time. He is on $150 per hour to basically play games and chill at work." u/spetzie55 Tero Vesalainen / Getty Images/iStockphoto 12. "If you can land it (which is very difficult), architectural 3D modeler and render guy. Usually, firms hire out the work, or they have interns do it. Some firms never have this set up so I become that guy. I make around $90K in LA. Usually, I model buildings in 3D, texture, then render. It's fun, and no one bugs you." "I have everything sort of automated, except for the building part. I give them around a week so I can get the renders out." u/omnigear Westend61 / Getty Images/Westend61 13. "Call center management. Not even something high up like operations or quality assurance, even being middle management can be lucrative. I've worked a few call center jobs. The people on the bottom absolutely get fucked over, overworked, stressed out...but once you get to management, it's fucking easy. Last call center job I worked, I got promoted to management just due to how long I had been there. After the promotion, I was paid $50K per year to sit at home, listen to people do their job, fill out paperwork, and have the occasional web meeting. I spent more time playing video games and working out than anything else while on the clock." "Funniest part to me is that when I gave my notice, they tried to offer me a promotion to stay because I was such a hard worker. I was super tempted to laugh and tell them how little work I actually did in a day." u/TheTrueGoldenboy NBC / Via youtube.com 14. "I do admin work for the government. My pay is $55K. At best, I get five emails a day with about two that actually concern me. No BS...On a super busy day, I have about 45 minutes worth of work to do." 15. "Driving the massive dump trucks that serve mines. Starting salary is like $70K, and all you do is drive back and forth all day." u/Wyrdeone Doug Berry / Getty Images 16. "Senior Full Stack developer." u/[deleted] "This, so much. I'm really confused why they keep paying us all this money. I chatted with a recruiter from another company last week who says his company would start me at a quarter mil USD if I pass the interview, and it's fully remote I can live anywhere. This is not a hard job." u/[deleted] USA Network / Via youtube.com 17. And finally: "Security project manager here for a global tech company. My job is to meet with my stakeholders once per month to collect updates on risks and write reports every now and then. Six figures, and I'm interviewing next week for a position that is $180200K/yr." "I was actually having an existential crisis about this last night because I realized how income inequality is so fucked up. My job honestly doesn't matter or benefit society, but teachers and caregivers do, and it's just not fair. I worked 10x harder while in retail and customer service than I do now." u/rainsoaked88 Xavierarnau / Getty Images Have you ever worked a surprisingly low-effort, high-paying job? Share your experiences in the comments! Some responses have been edited for length/clarity. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is apparently on its move to fire a medium-range missile in its southeastern region, officials were quoted as saying by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Danielle Herrington was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Wyoming. Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Danielle Herrington was featured as a rookie in the 2017 SI Swimsuit Issue after being photographed in Fiji by Yu Tsai. The California native landed the magazines cover just a year later, having worked with visual artist Ben Watts in Harbour Island, Bahamas. She returned to the publication each year through 2021 for a consecutive five photo shoots with the brand. Herrington previously told SI Swimsuit that she believes beauty radiates from within, and divulged that becoming part of the brand allowed her to accept and embrace herself more than she ever had before. Becoming a part of the [SI Swimsuit] family has been such a positive thing in my life, personally, Herrington stated. They kind of helped me feel a little bit more comfortable with myself, because thats all they were promoting, like diversity whatever you are, like embrace it, own it. Today, the 30-year-old model is also a mom. She and partner Geron McKinley welcomed a baby boy in August 2021. In addition to her work with SI Swimsuit, shes also posed for notable brands like SKIMS and Savage X Fenty. Below are eight of our favorite photos from Herringtons 2020 photo shoot in Wyoming with Ruven Afanador. Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube! (Photo credit: inside-studio / Getty Images) 98 dogs rescued from a puppy mill in the Midwest have arrived in Michigan. The pups deplaned at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport on Friday afternoon. The large group of canines represents just under half of the animals recovered from the puppy mill. Animal advocates welcome 98 dogs rescued from puppy mill Authorities are not releasing further details about the puppy mill, but according to WZZM 13, they recovered 225 dogs in total. Rescuers are spreading the dogs across the country in the hope of finding forever homes for them. The Bissel Pet Foundation stepped up to transport the pups by plane to The Great Lakes State. These dogs have lived in pretty tragic circumstances, Brittany Schlacter of the Bissel Pet Foundation said. Theyre from locations where they didnt really receive human interaction. They were with other dogs and crowded conditions. They likely never received medical treatment of any kind, very little grooming, and they were just bred. The group of rescues is a wide range of dog breeds, though most of the pups are on the smaller side. They are primarily over 1 year old. The dogs were used for breeding. Some had multiple litters of puppies. Dogs lived in horrendous conditions Prior to their rescue, the dogs lacked basic care and socialization. They never have walked on grass, said Jen Self-Aulger, the executive director of Harbor Humane Society. Her organization took in 28 dogs. They dont know how to jump down from furniture. They havent been used to having regular meals, toys, things like that. The Harbor Humane Society will place dogs in foster homes for several weeks to just really kind of have that decompression period and acclimate, Self-Aulger said. Then well work on finding them adoptive homes. Because these dogs will need all kinds of care to recover from their pasts, the Bissell Pet Foundation and the National Mill Dog Rescue are accepting donations. Support their efforts here. The post 98 Dogs Rescued From Puppy Mill Arrive in Michigan appeared first on DogTime. A 90-minute flight from Vancouver, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest coastal temperate rainforest left on Earth. Kim Brown Seely Hey, you two ready? Marven Robinson, a member of the Gitga'at First Nation and owner of Gitga'at Spirit Tours, asked as we lashed our dinghy to a log in a forested cove. We were 90 miles south of the Alaska border, the morning sky was steel blue, and the water wed just crossed was cold, dark, and deep. Marven gathered his things: a radio, a thermos, extra socks. He pulled on his muck boots. Lets go find the white bear, then. We hurried behind him through the dense woods. The three of us were on an uninhabited island off the coast of British Columbia, in the middle of the Great Bear Rainforest. Id long dreamed of seeing a spirit bear, also known as a Kermode bear, a subspecies of black bear whose white fur is the result of a double-recessive gene. But I had no idea how wild our adventure and misadventures would turn out to be. Kim Brown Seely My husband and I had spent weeks navigating ourselves by boat from Seattle to this remote stretch of wilderness, researching my book, "Uncharted: A Couple's Epic Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from One Life to Another." On this far-west coast of Canada there are no roads, but its possible to join one of several outfitters and explore the Great Bear Rainforest in the company of knowledgeable local guides, which I highly recommend. Seeing bears is all about waiting, we were learning. And quiet. Spirit bears are extremely rare; recent population estimates put their numbers at between 100 and 500. By comparison, population estimates for wild pandas are just over 1,800. Hours crept past. We saw a black bear trailed by two cubs approach the river. We saw a second black bear. Another cub. Marven grabbed my elbow. All of a sudden, there it was! A giant. He was thickset, probably weighing at least 400 pounds, alabaster-pale. At the sight of him, I was paralyzed with happiness; it was the white bear, not 30 feet from us, down to the cinnamon-fur stripe tracing its spine, its thick, cream-colored coat seeming to glow. Story continues Kim Brown Seely He was so close we could hear him huffing slightly as he crossed a log in slow motion. Then he was past, and we watched him amble up the river, paws crunching gravel, until the forest swallowed him. Ive been wildlife-watching everywhere from Africa to the Arctic to Antarctica, but witnessing a white spirit bear in its dark-green forest habitat, remains one of the most extraordinary days of my life. A 90-minute flight from Vancouver, B.C., the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest coastal temperate rainforest left on Earth. Grizzlies, black bears, white bears, wolves, whales, salmon, and bald eagles thrive here as they have for thousands of years. These are the traditional lands of Coastal First Nations and you will learn about their rich culture while exploring fjords, islands, and river estuaries teeming with wildlife. Here, read about the best ways to experience the magnificent Great Bear Rainforest. Kim Brown Seely Maple Leaf Adventures leads lovely ship-based journeys including fall spirit bear trips in coastal British Columbia aboard three small expedition yachts, May through October. Tim Irvin's Wildlife Journeys, in collaboration with Marven Robinson of the Gitgaat First Nation, are designed for people passionate about wildlife, photography, and First Nations culture. Traveling with Tim you will be in the heart of spirit bear country, staying in the small, friendly village of Hartley Bay, B.C. Spirit Bear Lodge, owned and operated by the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation, offers terrific lodge-based tours out of Klemtu, B.C. Local First Nations guides share knowledge of their traditional territory and the wildlife that calls it home. Kim Brown Seely Pacific Yellowfin is a beautifully restored 1943 motor yacht that offers six-day rainforest safaris, accompanied by a local Gitgaat spirit bear guide, September and October. Excerpted from "Uncharted: A Couples Epic Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from one Life to Another" (Sasquatch Books), by Lowell Thomas award-winning author and former Travel + Leisure senior editor Kim Brown Seely. Also available on audiobook, narrated by the author. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Carrie Ann Inaba is overcoming a tough few months, and she's cluing folks in on the impact it's had on her life. Over the years, the Dancing With the Stars judge has been vocal about ongoing medical issues that span back to 2021. She has also spent less time on social media as of late, which left fans concerned for her well-being. But most recently, in an Instagram Live uploaded on Carrie Ann's account on June 7, she gave her followers an update on how she's been holding up behind the scenes. "So, I know I 'm very random. I haven't been here in a long time," she said in the clip. "I 'm doing actually really good. It's taken me a long time because what I realized is I've been kind of dealing with health situation after health situation. I have not been able to be here and it's been kind of hard for me." Carrie Ann then detailed some of the health crises she endured this year, which included a fractured rib and contracting COVID-19 for a second time. As she discussed how her health affected her, she also thanked fans for sticking by her amid an emergency bout of appendicitis in April. "Thank you for all the well wishes," she continued. "I can't tell you how touched I was when I had the appendicitis. I may have had some problems in my health, but never in my stomach... I was able to go and fix [the appendicitis], thank god, and it's taken me this long to just get normal. I have a little bit of a belly, which is part of the healing process... So, I 'm getting there." When the Dancing With the Stars fandom heard Carrie Ann's important update, they immediately reached out with kind words. "Its so good to see you back and feeling much better. I continue to keep you in my prayers for your complete and full recovery. ," one person wrote in the Instagram comments section." Hope [you 're] feeling better!!" another added. "Good to see you back. Missed you!" a different follower agreed. Story continues Fortunately, appendicitis is a relatively common procedure, and Carrie Ann is not alone in experiencing symptoms post surgery. The University of Rochester Medical Center writes that some patients may feel bloating in their abdomen due to residual carbon dioxide gas left from performing a laparoscopic appendectomy (a minimally invasive surgery which removes the appendix via small incisions instead of a more invasive procedure). Materials shared by URMC further indicates that pain may last a few days, but this will subside as the patient gets further away from the procedure. We're glad to see Carrie Ann is on the mend! What's more, we're counting down the days until she's back at the judges panel when season 32 of Dancing With the Stars premieres later this fall on both Disney+ and ABC. You Might Also Like Ukraine's counteroffensive is still in its early stages, and morale is high despite limited territorial gains. Wojciech Grzedzinski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images NATO hesitation to give Ukraine weapons is one aspect of the snagging counteroffensive. The timing prevented Ukraine from taking full advantage of Russia's weaknesses, analysts said. One analyst said it also "gave the Russians a lot of time to build up their defenses." The US and its Western allies hesitated in their rollout of weapons and defense systems to Ukraine and it could be one aspect hindering Kyiv's highly-anticipated counteroffensive, analysts told Insider. "Because we staggered the debates for all of these different systems and didn't implement them as part of a cohesive strategy," said George Barros, a geospatial intelligence team lead and Russia analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, "We also gave the Russians a lot of time to build up their defenses, do their own retrospective thinking, learn from mistakes and incorporate lessons learned." Earlier this month, Kyiv launched a counterattack against Russian forces on the front lines. And while the operation is still in its early stages as troops achieve partial success and new positions, according to an update from The Institute for the Study of War it's hit a snag against Russian defenses, which run deep with artillery and landmines. On Friday, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak addressed the slow start to the counteroffensive, tweeting: "The time lost in convincing our partners to provide the necessary weapons is reflected in the specific Russian fortifications built during this period, the deeply dug defense line, and the system of minefields." The US and NATO have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars of aid, including Western weapons, air defense systems, tanks, artillery, and combat vehicles. But the actual timing of these assets hasn't always aligned with when Kyiv's requested them and Western leaders have often flip-flopped on how and when to send aid, such as US President Joe Biden's reversed stances on F-16s and US Abrams tanks and Germany's concerns over authorizing Leopard tanks. Story continues According to Barros, debates around "a particular system for a certain number of months" before "finally agreeing we can send them with an approach that doesn't take into account how you actually have to integrate these systems to make them maximally effective" ultimately "has protracted the war and made the task at hand for the Ukrainians more difficult for no good reason." Hesitation around providing Ukraine with certain weapons may have prolonged the war For months, Western allies have shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons systems and ammunition to Ukraine with an urgency to get the supplies to Kyiv in time for an anticipated counteroffensive. AP Photo/Libkos, File In January, the Institute for the Study of War assessed that certain "delays in provisions to Ukraine of Western long-range fires systems, advanced air defense systems, and tanks have limited Ukraine's ability to take advantage of opportunities for larger counteroffensive operations presented by flaws and failures in Russian military operations." While it's not the only aspect hindering Ukraine's ability to break staunch Russian defenses, Barros said more advanced weapons systems could've been mobilized more effectively to Ukraine as early as the beginning of the war. "I see no compelling reason why the Western coalition would not have decided to send everything that we're sending Ukraine now any later than it became clear that the Ukrainians defeated the Russian attempt to decapitate their state after the battle of Kyiv," he told Insider, adding that the resources could've helped Ukraine "exploit" Russian weaknesses throughout the summer and fall of 2022. Part of Biden and NATO's concern for sending some assets such as tanks and F-16s was Russian escalation. Since the beginning of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. But while Putin's saber-rattling may have given Biden and Western leaders pause, his threats have so far proven hollow, according to Seth G. Jones, senior vice president, Harold Brown chair, and director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "At virtually every stage of this war, concerns about escalation have proven unfounded," Jones said, "And really there's not much the Russians can do at this point other than threaten." That's not a complete guarantee and Putin's deployment of tactical nukes in neighboring Belarus earlier this month sends a strong message to the West but the chances of Russia using nuclear weapons against NATO members and in Ukraine are still unlikely, Barros said. "There's no world in which Putin can drop one tactical nuke and then that fundamentally changes the outset of the war," Barros added. Read the original article on Business Insider Elva Etienne - Getty Images "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." July 4 is, without a doubt, the biggest backyard barbecue date of the year. But summer calls for grilling all season longand with good reason. Barbecues are one of the most fun, most delicious ways to enjoy the good weather. But they're not without their challenges. More important than remembering who wants a burger and who'll take a hot dog is ensuring that youre grilling with fire safety top of mind. Cooking over an open flame inevitably comes with some risks. Grills, hibachis, and barbecues are involved in 10,600 home fires every single year, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, and July is the top month for these types of fires. That being said, employing some proper safety precautions can help you minimize fire risks so that your cookout proceeds as planned (and without an urgent visit from your local fire department). Curious about how your grill can start a fireand how you can stop it before it starts? Heres five signs that your grillor your surroundingscould go up in flames, according to experts ranging from butchers to firefighters. Youre Grilling Too Close To Your Home One of the worst grilling safety mistakes you can make is having your grill pushed up against the siding of your home or next to a shed because jumping embers or flames could spark a structure fire. To minimize risk, designate a specific safe grilling zone that's at least 10 feet away from your home, deck rails, shed, or other structures, suggests King Jerome, a Wisconsin firefighter who runs the industry resource site Firehouse Heavyweights. Also make sure there are no tree branches close to your grill. Jerome also suggests placing your grill on a non-combustible surface like concrete or pavers. Also, he says, make sure that flammable objects like extra propane tanks, paper plates, and stacks of napkins aren't close to your grilling station. Story continues Johnrob - Getty Images Your Grill is Dirty A common mistake that backyard barbecue enthusiasts make is not properly cleaning and maintaining their grills, Jerome says. When grease and burnt burger bits are left behind, it means that your grill will cook food unevenly and it can also be an invitation for pests and rodents. But food safety and quality aside, your dirty grill can also be a major fire hazard. "Built-up grease can ignite, causing flare ups that can lead to uncontrolled fires," he says. You should clean your grill grates after each use. To get rid of the debris, Jerome recommends using a steel grill brush and soapy water. Dont forget to clean your grilling accessories regularly, too, like the drip trays because they can also accumulate debris. He suggests referring to the manufacturer's instructions for proper cleaning protocols. SEAN GLADWELL - Getty Images Your Grill Produces Excessive Smoke Some smoke is normal when youre grilling; in fact, it's what gives your food that smoky barbecue flavor. But if you start to notice a large, dark plume of smoke originating from your grill, it's problematic, says grilling expert Asim Choudhry, the co-founder of The Halal Butchery. "If your grill is producing a lot of smoke that is thick and dark, it could be a sign that the grease or fat from previous cooking sessions has accumulated and is at risk of catching fire as grease is super flammable," Choudhry says. Again, this is a sign that your grill is due for a proper cleaning of those grates and the drip tray. Karine PIERRARD - Getty Images Flames Keep Shooting Up If a little bit of fat from your steak, bacon, or other meat drips on the coals or the gas burner, it's normal for flare ups to occur. But if you're noticing flames from your grill are consistently shooting up (and higher than usual) or are unevenly distributed across the cooking area, consider it a red flag, says home fire safety expert John Smith, director of the Fire Risk Assessment Network. The culprit could be a grill maintenance issue (like a clogged burner) or a gas leak (more on this below!) or, you guessed it, grease build-up. Smith's advice: Inspect your grill regularly for any signs of damage, such as worn-out hoses, loose connections, or rusted components. Also, he says, have a fire extinguisher readily accessible in case the flames get out of control and contact emergency services if needed. You Smell Gas Foul odors, like the scent of gas, can indicate a leak, Smith says, which can be extremely dangerous and pose a risk for a fire or explosion. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recommends checking your grill tank house for leaks before using it for the first time each year with the soapy water test. Charbroil, a grilling resource, has a tutorial on how to do the test: Mix a 50/50 solution of water and liquid dish detergent and put the solution in a dish or spray bottle. Use a spray bottle, clean sponge, or paintbrush to spray or brush the soapy solution onto the gas valve, the hose, and the regulator. If theres a gas leak, soap bubbles will form; if there's not, there wont be any bubbles. Here's what the NFPA says to do next: "If your grill has a gas leak, by smell or the soapy bubble test, and there is no flame, turn off both the gas tank and the grill. If the leak stops, get the grill serviced by a professional before using it again. If the leak does not stop, call the fire department." Smith also says it's important to safely store your propane tanks. "Keep them in a well-ventilated area outdoors, away from direct sunlight, high temperatures, and open flames," he says. Jay B Sauceda - Getty Images You're Not Letting Coals Cool Completely Got a charcoal grill? They require extra care due to the fact that you'll be handling hot coals, Smith says. Always allow the coals to cool down completely before disposing them in a metal container thats designated for ash disposal, he says, and keep that container away from combustible materials (i.e. like wood, paper, oil, cleaning solvents) and never store it indoors. You Might Also Like After months of off-screen drama, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has finally addressed Kevin Costners exit and the end of the modern western dramas original narrative. Word broke in February that the back half of the latest Yellowstone season could be the shows last with Costner as John Dutton. Scheduling conflicts with Costners multi-part western movie epic Horizon precluding the star from continuing his role as patriarch of the Montana ranch family. Paramount confirmed in early May that Yellowstone would indeed end in its current form with the final episodes of season 5. However, a sequel show is said to be in the works that could feature a few familiar faces from the flagship series. Now, Sheridan has shown a peek behind the curtains in his interview with the Hollywood Reporter. Heres what the North Texas native said about Costner, Yellowstone ending and the legendary Four Sixes Ranch: Taylor Sheridan has no ill will for Kevin Costner Despite Costner leaving Yellowstone to work on his movie project, Sheridan said his opinion on the actor hasnt changed. [Costners] creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful and Ive never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldnt work out on the phone, Sheridan said. But once lawyers get involved, then people dont get to talk to each other and start saying things that arent true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I dont know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it and that its a good one. There are ongoing discussions to try to convince Costner to come back and film a few scenes to wrap up his arc as Dutton family patriarch. However, the scripts arent complete quite yet. Sheridan said his last conversation with Costner was about the Horizon movie project. Costner and Paramount were arguing about when the actor could be done with Yellowstone, to which Sheridan said they could work towards a preferred exit date. Story continues When asked by the Hollywood Reporter if Sheridan could have done anything differently to prevent the Costner situation from blowing up, the Yellowstone creator answered honestly. I didnt do anything to begin with! Sheridan said. I dont dictate the schedule. I dont determine when things start filming. I dont determine when things air. Those decisions are made by people way above me. My sphere of control is the content thats it. No production of mine has ever waited on me. Believe me, I begged [for more time] with 1883. I begged with 1923. Begged. Nope, Airdate locked; for what we pay you, figure it out. And I dont stand in a corner and go, Im not going to do it. Nevertheless, Sheridan said John Dutton was never going to be around for the very end of Yellowstone anyhow. While Costners exit seems like a surprise to many, Sheridan knew Dutton wouldnt be the last man standing, but he didnt know it would end so soon. Im disappointed, Sheridan said. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesnt alter it, but it truncates it. Yellowstone spinoff with Matthew McConaughey is a go With Costner on his way out, Yellowstone in its current form is ending with him as well. Paramount announced in May that Yellowstone would return in November, but that seems unlikely with the Writers Guild of America strike ongoing. Sheridan, a WGA member, has put his pen down to support the guilds efforts. But there is some good news for fans of the Dutton saga. The last remnants of season five could be longer than the originally planned final six episodes. If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, theyll give me 10, Sheridan said. Itll be as long as it needs to be. As for the Yellowstone sequel series, Sheridan has only the broadest strokes of the show figured out. When asked if Kelly Reillys fan-favorite character Beth Dutton would make the jump to the new show, Sheridan said his idea of a spinoff is the same as his idea of a prequel. In other words, a stand-alone story. There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different, Sheridan said. There are a lot of places you can tell this story. While hes still working the story kinks out, Sheridan did confirm that the new spinoff of the main show would feature Yellowstone in its title. In addition, Sheridan confirmed that Texas actor Matthew McConaughey is in late-stage negotiations to lead the new chapter in the Yellowstone saga. [McConaughey] seems like a natural fit, Sheridan said. We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, I want to do that. And by that he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, Buddy, that we can do. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has bizarrely weighed in on a possible cage fight between tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Last month, while reacting to rumours Meta was developing an app to rival Twitter, Mr Musk tweeted: Im sure Earth cant wait to be exclusively under Zucks thumb with no other options. One user quipped the Tesla founder better be careful as Mr Zuckerberg is trained in Brazillian jiu-jitsu. Im up for a cage match if he is lol, Mr Musk replied. Responding to the challenge, Mr Zuckerberg shared a screenshot of the tweet on Instagram, and captioned it: send me location. Since then, a spokesperson for Meta has confirmed its founder is serious about fighting Elon Musk in a statement to The Verge, adding: The story speaks for itself. Replying to a tweet about Mr Zuckerbergs confirmation, Mr Musk suggested the fight should take place at Vegas Octagon, or the UFC Apex in Nevada. Dana White, the president of UFC, has also indicated both Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg are dead serious about going head-to-head in a cage match. On Thursday (22 June), Mr Abbott retweeted a post about Mr Whites statement, with the caption: Do it. The biggest fight in UFC history, his tweet read. This cant be serious, one user reacted to Mr Abbotts post, while another wrote: Thatll fix the electric grid! Several commenters urged Mr Abbott to focus on infrastructure issues plaguing the Lone Star state, as Texans suffer through power outages amid an unprecedented heat wave this year. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Texas grid operator was expecting record electricity consumption as temperatures soared into the triple digits in some parts of the state. Story continues Mr Zuckerberg competed in his first jiu-jitsu tournament in May, marking the occasion with an Instagram post. Competed in my first jiu jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu team, the 38-year-old wrote captioned the carousel, including photos of him from the competition. Meanwhile, Mr Musk, who claims he doesnt exercise, recently explained his strategy to defeat Mr Zuckerberg during a podcast appearance. I have a move called The Walrus, which I used on a friend of mine whos very agile, he told the Full Send podcast. But I was like, let me explain to you why there are weight classes in MMA. Im going to use a move called The Walrus, where I just lie on you and you cant get away. Across the globe, garment workers are some of the most poorly paid. And for those with as easily correctable of a condition as Presbyopia, the possibility of losing ones job for not being able to thread a needle is a real concern. Many dont have access to corrective eyewear, and even those who do may not want to be seen wearing them, fearful of management glimpsing any sign of weakness. Add to that a workforce dominated two-to-one by women, who typically have even less access to basic necessities, and VisionSprings mission supplying 10 million pairs to manual laborers in the apparel, coffee and cocoa industries takes on new urgency. More from Sourcing Journal Its a new product introduction for a 700-year-old technology, VisionSpring CEO Ella Gudwin told Sourcing Journal of the company whose backers include Levis and Supreme and Vans owner VF Corporation. Its simply an unknown issue and our job has been to begin to raise awareness about it. Its super-exciting because its super-fixable. There are a lot of really expensive problems, and this is not one of them. Workers at a garment factory in Bangladesh are screened by representatives from VisionSpring. Gudwin said 30 percent of the more than 400,000 garment industry workers VisionSpring has screened in Bangladesh, India and Vietnam have Presbyopia, meaning they have difficulty seeing clearly things within arms reach. Its a normal part of aging caused by weakening lenses, and easily treated without a prescription. The distance vision glasses require a prescription, but the near vision correction is a simple magnifying glass, Gudwin said. Theyre just ready-made reading glasses that you and I can get in any pharmacy, book shop or the train station, but in Bangladesh, theyre simply not available in a mass-market way. Gudwin said this problem hiding in plain sight tends to come as a surprise to factories and the major brands supporting them. Often, she said, the management in offices surrounding the factory floor will be filled with people wearing glasses, but not so the assembly-line workers. She recalls talking to a production planner of 15 years who said he was ashamed to realize the discrepancy had never occurred to him. Story continues Most of the brands have never thought about it, Gudwin said. Whats been so productive about the relationships with the brands is they basically gave us funding to be able to do demonstration sites. Since starting the push for brand sponsorship of screening in 2018, VisionSpring has visited 280 factories in four countries. A condition of these visits is that factories promise to ensure no punitive measures are taken against employees who wear glasses. Even if the company has zero intention of firing anybody, even if the company is genuinely like, were here to help our workers, the workers can be afraid that if they wear glasses theyll lose their jobs, Gudwin said. So having a safe environment for everybody in the factory to wear their glasses is really important. Workers surveyed in 15 garment factories in Bangladesh reported a 97 percent increase in confidence after being given reading glasses to combat Presbyopia. If workers are able to maximize their performance by being able to see clearly to thread needles, run a straight pin or make buttonholes, bottom-line profits can grow significantly, Gudwin said. A survey in 15 Bangladesh factories found that 97 percent of workers who received glasses reported an increase in confidence, 79 percent reported a decrease in frustration and 45 percent experienced a reduction in headaches. You cant really ask people about depression and things like that, but asking about things like frustration is a precursor for overall wellness, Gudwin said. There is very strong evidence of the connection between vision correction, depression and mental health in studies done outside the garment sector. VisionSpring and its 330 employees rely on a funding formula composed mostly of philanthropic sources. It began as the passion project of New York optometrist Dr. Jordan Kassalow, who upon doing charitable screenings in developing countries realized that in many cases, people didnt need full examinations as much as they needed reading glasses to correct Presbyopia. Thats like flying dentists halfway around the world to dispense a toothbrush, Gudwin said. Two decades since the founding of VisionSpring, Gudwin said the problem could be solved before it reached its third. If you about think it, theres about 4 million garment workers in Bangladesh, 65 percent of them are women, responsible for 80 to 87 percent of [the countrys total exports] and a third of them cant see clearly, Gudwin said. Theyre geographically concentrated around factories where we can screen 40,000 people at a time. We could solve the problem in five years if everybody got on board. The preponderance of women in the workforce goes beyond the factory floor of today. Automation and mechanization requires the ability to read instructions, and already, Gudwin says, women are being left behind, in part because of the vision issue. With everything from laser cutting of jeans to no water wash cycles and things like that, when that mechanization is happening, the need for vision correction doesnt go away, she said. Theres a trend toward men managing those machines rather than the women but women can run those machines, too. Click here to read the full article. The U.S. and Europe are closely watching an unfolding conflict between Russian President Vladimir Putin and chief of the private mercenary group Wagner that sparked in earnest early Saturday morning, with leaders describing an apparent armed rebellion as chaos, and intelligence saying the infighting poses the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out, the U.K. Ministry of Defense tweeted on Saturday. The ministrys assessment said forces that are part of the Wagner Group and headed by the groups leader, businessman and former caterer to Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, have almost certainly occupied key security sites in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters which runs Russias military operations in Ukraine. Prigozhin said later on Saturday that he was turning around a military convoy that was heading towards Moscow, a decision that followed negotiations with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenka, a close ally of Putin. More coverage of Russia-Ukraine war from The Hill In an audio message posted to his Telegram channel, the Wagner head said that his military assets were returning to field camps to avoid an outbreak of conflict between Russian forces, according to a translation posted by the Russian-language news site, Meduza. The dramatic events that unfolded in Russia from Friday night to Saturday were closely watched in the U.S. and in European capitals, prompting a flurry of high-level phone calls and meetings, assessing how the volatile situation could threaten Europe or provide an opportunity for the Ukrainians conducting a counteroffensive to push out Russian troops from their territory. Story continues The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning Western countries against undertaking even the slightest attempts to use the domestic Russian situation for their Russophobic goals, referring to propaganda painting Europe as aggressive against Moscow. President Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, discussing the events in Russia and reaffirming support for Ukraine, the White House said. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here Biden was also briefed by his national security team, including top officials from the CIA, Office of National Intelligence, the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs, State Department, National Security Council and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Foreign ministers of the Group of 7 nations also held a call, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, adding that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with member states, to include Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the European Union. National Security Spokesperson Adam Hodge said in a statement to The Hill that we are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former CIA analyst, called the events in Russia breathtaking and described the unfolding fighting as the clearest public confirmation of the folly of Putins invasion of Ukraine. Remember: Wagner, a private military force, was brought into Ukraine and put on the frontlines because of the failures of Russias regular military. This would be the equivalent of the U.S. military depending on an armed defense contractor, and that contractor then turning on U.S. leadership and marching to Washington. The weakness of the once-formidable Russian military is stunning, she said in a statement. FILE - House Homeland Security Committee member Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., asks a question during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 15, 2022. House Democrats will be forced to replace one of their top House candidates next year in Slotkin, who will run for an open Senate seat in the state. Her exit opens one of the countrys most competitive districts in a year where every seat matters for Democrats, who look to overcome the Republicans five seat majority in the U.S. House. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File) House Homeland Security Committee member Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., asks a question during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Worldwide Threats to the Homeland at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 15, 2022. The congresswoman called for the U.S. to watch events closely, assist Ukraine in exploiting any battlefield opportunities and to stay flexible and alert at an unpredictable moment in history. Last, while any challenge to Putins dictatorship is historic, we should remember: Prigozhin and Wagner are not good guys coming to liberate Russia and make it a blooming democracy, she said. Wagners apparent coup against parts of the Russian military on Saturday follows months of public feuding between the groups mercurial leader Prigozhin and Russias top military officials, including the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Prigozhin has accused the generals and the Russian Ministry of Defense of holding back weapons and ammunition for his private military company and launching attacks against them. Wagner mercenaries are on the front lines of Russias nearly 16-month war of aggression against Ukraine and have led and participated in some of the deadliest battles, with U.S. officials describing those fighters as being fed into a meat grinder. Late Friday, the mercenary group leader posted an extraordinary video challenging the Kremlins propaganda and saying that Russias war in Ukraine was based on lies. Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) opened a criminal case against Prigozhin within hours. Putin, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant for war crimes committed in Ukraine, delivered a speech referring to Prigozhins actions as betrayal and treason. The Kremlin posted on its Telegram channel that Putin held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the initiative of Ankara, to discuss the situation of an attempted arm rebellion. Erdogan expressed full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership, the Kremlin said. Turkey, a NATO ally, has maintained ties with Moscow despite its war in Ukraine, holding back from international sanctions imposed by the majority of members of the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted early Saturday that Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. In countries bordering Ukraine and Russia, European leaders are describing the civil fighting in Russia as chaos, consulting with allies and are convening emergency meetings to assess the situation. Polish President Andrzej Duda said the situation in Russia prompted consultations with the prime minister and the Ministry of National Defense and allies. The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis, he tweeted. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also said she was in touch with international allies, during a press conference alongside Austrian Karl Nehammer at the Europa-Forum Wachau, Italian media reported, describing the situation inside Russia as chaos and saying it is not easy to establish what is happening inside Russia. Meloni has called for an emergency meeting of the government and intelligence services. European officials hawkish on support for Ukraine are holding up the chaos in Russia as a key step in helping Kyiv to victory. For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscows brutal banditocracy, knowing its only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion, Lithuanias Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tweeted. We are not distracted. We see clearly in the chaos. The goal, as ever, is victory and justice for Ukraine. The time is now. Simon Schlegel, senior Ukraine analyst with the International Crisis Group, said that its unclear whether the chaos unfolding in Russia will work towards Ukraines advantage in their defensive war against Russia. He pointed out that Russian forces launched air-missile attacks on Kyiv at the same time Prigozhin began carrying out his revolt. Under constant threat, Ukrainians have long hoped there would be a shortcut to victory through a collapse of Russias military machine, he said. That scenario is still far-fetched, but it has become a lot likelier than just a day ago. If Russian soldiers feel their commanders are not in control, their trenches will be much easier to take for advancing Ukrainian troops, Schlegel added. Updated at 2:16 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Rudd Public Library is starting a new chapter, with plans for a new building at a new location following a December 2021 tornado. There will be a groundbreaking in the lot next to the Rudd Gym at 10 a.m. Sunday. The location at the corner of Sixth and Floyd streets was sold to the library by the Rudd Community Betterment Committee for just one dollar. The library will then partner with the Lions Club for a luncheon fundraiser to support efforts to rebuild after the twister that caused destruction throughout the town. The event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 25 at the Rudd Fire Station will serve up Maid-rites, hot dogs, potato salad, beans, chips and bars for a free-will donation. Its funny, but we dont really have a lot of open property here in Rudd. There are a couple spots on Main, but they werent right. The museum made the decision to rebuild where they were, and we took the donated land, Sharp said. On Dec. 15, 2021, Library Director Shelly Sharp made the decision to close the library early due to a high wind warning. At 4 oclock, she dutifully locked the doors and went home. By 7:15 that evening an EF1 tornado had roared through the rural town, leaving a path of devastation. Dan and Amy Leaman were among the first on scene at the library after the storm. Dan Leaman is a City Council member and Amy Leaman sat on the library board at the time. Its something you never forget. I dont even know how to describe it. Surreal. I can still hear the sound of the tin hanging and clanging on the wires, she said. This has been a long road. The project has brought a lot of stress to a lot of people, so its good to finally see the light of day on it. Kelly Leaman, (no relation to Amy and Dan) grew up in Rudd and was terrified by the news of the tornado she saw online. Once we verified that my grandma was okay and hadnt had any property damage, we got online and started looking at the news and the photos of the aftermath. It was surreal to see. She decided to start a GoFundMe to be as much help as she could. I thought of my younger self, sitting on the floor, spending hours turning all those pages. I wanted to do it for her, but also for other young kids like her who found their happy place inside a book, she said. The Rudd Historical Society Museum was heavily damaged by the storm and its collections scattered to the four winds. We were fortunate, in that there was no loss of life. What we did lose is nothing compared to that, said Joyce Navratil, president of the historical society. The old church building blew right over into the neighbors yard. Folks are still finding items around town and returning them to us, she adds. Sharp estimates that the library lost about 60% of its collection of books. The public library is currently housed in City Hall. A significant reduction in space means the majority of books that were saved are still boxed up in storage. Those that are on the shelves have been commemorated with a small tornado sticker on the upper spine. The decision to relocate the library meant the city had a space it could put to other use. The conclusion was to continue using the space for children, this time as a splash pad and playground. Construction is well underway and should be completed by the end of July. The museum is hoping to complete construction by this fall with the sorting and display of the remaining collection to follow. Navratil says she and the committee are unsure of what is still in display condition as volunteers packed up and stored everything they could find the day after the tornado. Its unknown still whats there. We havent been in to go through everything since it happened, she said. Construction of the library should be complete in about 10 months. Amy Leaman is looking forward to the library having a dedicated space again. It hasnt been too much for our older residents, but the kids are used to a kid space. They arent as comfortable at City Hall, she said. Sharp is grateful for the support of the Rudd community, people across the state and even donors from across the country. Our tornado siren was destroyed in the storm, and someone from Oklahoma sent us a new one, she said. Stanley Johnson is a Lions Club member and wanted to make an impact for the library. He and others collaborated to provide seven Lenovo computers and a high quality printer. Its a nice printer, but we were a few dollars short. I pitched in some and others pitched in some and we got it for them, he said. Its that community spirit that has buoyed organizers of the rebuilding efforts. Johnsons wife, Lynne, is mixing up five gallons of potato salad for the fundraiser, and folks are already signed up to greet and serve 200 or so guests expected Sunday. Im looking forward to seeing the new library, and I hope it can become a place where future little kids can make their own memories like I did, said Kelly Leaman. Organizers welcome donations of newly published materials for the library, historical items for the museum and cash donations. At this time, only new books are being accepted due to storage concerns. Checks may be sent to P.O Box 305 for the library and P.O. Box 282 for the museum. Both are Rudd, Iowa 50471. Rudd Fire Station is located at 60 Floyd St. For years, it was shrouded in secrecy, then infamy, and after 48 hours of confusion and claims of a "rebellion" in Russia, questions about the notorious Wagner Group and the intentions of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin were still swirling Monday. The group has been a key piece of Russia's strategy in Ukraine, with Wagner forces being used to hold cities like Bakhmut. Prigozhin had sharply criticized Russian military leaders for weeks, calling the top brass incompetent, even traitorous. Tension between Russia's defense ministry and Wagner escalated dramatically Friday when Prigozhin alleged that Russian forces had attacked Wagner camps in eastern Ukraine, killing dozens of his men. Late Friday, Prigozhin issued video taped remarks that appeared to call for a rebellion against Russian military leadership, but he was characteristically vague in defining his plans. In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. / Credit: Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File Prigozhin's Wagner forces left Ukraine and marched into Russia Saturday, seizing control of the Russian military headquarters for the southern region in Rostov-on-Don, which oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Wagner boss, "Putin's butcher," says Russia at risk of facing "revolution" Russian President Vladimir Putin called the uprising "a stab in the back" in a televised address Saturday morning. "All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin said. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." What is the Wagner Group? Wagner is actually a group of entities that operate as a private military company, or PMC. These PMCs can be hired by governments for security or combat services. They aren't uncommon: The United States has used private military companies during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, there are differences between the commonly accepted definition of a PMC and Russia's version of the companies. "In NATO countries, in Western countries, the main logic behind using private contractors when it comes to security and defense policy has been the flexibility of resources," said Dr. Andras Racz, a Russian expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations. "However, on the Russian side, the logic has been different. Russia, from the beginning, perceived these companies as a way of exerting state power in a covert way." Story continues Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? A file photo shows Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. / Credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP As Wagner's publicity has grown, so has that of its shadowy founder, Prigozhin. His work running a catering company with Kremlin contracts earned him the nickname "Putin's chef," but Prigozhin long denied any connection to the group before finally admitting to being its founder last year. "Prigozhin is a mastermind of media and also is the mastermind of social media," said Kateryna Stepanenko, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a public policy research based in Washington, D.C. "While Putin and his propagandists have been dominating the Russian television and traditional outlets, Prigozhin is innovative because he had weaponized a network of military correspondents, military correspondents and bloggers." Prigozhin is wanted by the FBI for "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States." The federal law enforcement agency is offering a $250,000 award for information leading to Prigozhin's arrest for allegedly overseeing the political and electoral interference of the St. Petersburg, Florida-based Internet Research Agency from 2014 to 2018. The agency, for which Prigozhin was the primary funder, worked to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the FBI alleged. Prigozhin openly and increasingly criticized Russia's top military commanders as the country failed to make significant gains in Ukraine. Meanwhile, he has positioned himself as a hero. "He knows that his key differentiator from the Kremlin propaganda is that level of criticism, level of honesty, you know, that things are not really going as well, and criticism sells," Stepanenko said. "And I think that that's the platform that he's really trying to advance on and solidify himself as a prominent figure in Russia." Now, after seemingly squaring off against Putin in the brief weekend "rebellion" and being banished to Belarus, what's next for Prigozhin? "People keep saying that he's marked for assassination," Jeff Hawn, a Russia expert at the London School of Economics, told CBS News on Monday, as the Kremlin tried to show it was business as usual after the chaotic weekend. "There's a very good chance," said Hawn, adding that if there was an attempt on Prigozhin's life, "I don't think it might come from the Kremlin. I think it might come from the Ministry of Defense, because he embarrassed them hugely. But then again, he's been marked for assassination since the nineties." Where else has Wagner worked and how does it make money? Wagner first popped up in Ukraine in 2014, when soldiers in unmarked uniforms appeared to help pro-Russian forces illegally annex territory for Russia. Before that the group is believed to have been involved in supporting Russian forces in Syria. In 2022, the private army became a major part of Russia's invasion, even recruiting fighters from Russian prisons and promising them pardons to beef up numbers on the battlefield, though Prigozhin said in February that the practice would be stopped. In addition to deploying Wagner troops to Ukraine, the Wagner Group has been active in Africa, where some nations have turned to the private army to fill security gaps or prop up dictatorial regimes. "In most cases, they provide training for local military forces, local security forces, but they are also engaged in VIP protection, also in guarding. And if necessary, they are able to conduct also high intensity operations, I mean real combat," said Racz. Wagner Group accused of using rape and murder to control African mining town In some countries, like the Central African Republic, Wagner exchanges services for almost unfettered access to natural resources. A CBS News investigation found that Russian cargo flights stopped in the country twice a week, possibly smuggling billions of dollars' worth of gold back to Russia. In addition to gold, CBS News also found Wagner was involved in illegal timber harvesting in CAR, another lucrative source of income. Putin said on June 27, just after the failed Wagner uprising, that the Russian government had paid more than $1 billion to the Wagner Group during over the last year. "The state paid to the Wagner group 86.262 billion rubles (around $1 billion) for salaries for fighters and incentive rewards between May 2022 and May 2023 alone," the Russian president said in a televised meeting with law enforcement officials. Wagner Group charged with war crimes As the operations of the once-shadowy group have become more public, so have their tactics. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of atrocities, including mass murder and rape, across Africa and alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. In Ukraine, fighters have been charged with thousands of war crimes. When previously asked for comment, the Wagner Group dismissed questions from CBS News as boorish and provocative, and insisted the company did not commit these crimes. In addition to their actions on the battlefield, military experts say Wagner recruits have been poorly equipped or even used as cannon fodder. U.S. officials estimate that about 30,000 Wagner fighters have been killed or wounded so far in Ukraine, all while Russia's advance has stalled or been pushed back, raising questions about the future of the group, and its leader, Prigozhin. Experts said it's possible the group could be replaced by Putin. "I think that Wagner, insofar as it's been useful in Ukraine, could certainly be replaced by others. Where you start to have much more of an issue in replacing Wagner and in replacing Prigozhin is in a place like sub-Saharan Africa," said Catrina Doxsee, an associate director and associate fellow for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As the U.S. and other Western countries, including in Europe, try to dislodge Russia's influence and try to make the argument against Wagner, there really needs to be this conversation about viable alternatives," for countries in the developing world to meet their security and development needs. Where does the Wagner Group's name come from? The group's name appears to come from a man credited with co-founding it, Dmitry Utkin, a former officer in Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU. Utkin retired from the Russian security services but went on to serve as a senior military command for the Wagner Group, a role he's believed to still hold. A nationalist with Nazi sympathies, Utkin's callsign in the Russian services was said to have been "Wagner" a nod to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's love for the 19th century German composer of the same name. Reporting contributed by Andy Triay and Cara Tabachnick. Putin calls Wagner Group "traitors" but won't bring criminal charges Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and New York Giants great Eli Manning talk "Merch Madness" FILE Cosmic Crisp apples are seen in bins at Andy Judd's orchard at the foot of Naches Heights near Naches, Wash., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. You are the owner of this article. WORSHIP SERVICE Tarpley Baptist Church, 16156 Mount Cross Road, Dry Fork, will hold worship service at 10:45 a.m. Sunday with the Rev. Robert L. Divens Jr., senior pastor. ANNIVERSARY Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church Choir, 2900 Toshes Road, Chatham, will celebrate its anniversary with a musical program at 5 p.m. today at the church. Pastor is Rev. Prence Anna Craft. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL Hillcrest Baptist Church, 4401 Westover Drive, will hold vacation Bible school from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday with classes for all ages. MEN'S DAY New Ephesus Baptist Church, 375 Ephesus Church Road, Semora, North Carolina, will celebrate its annual Men's Day beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday during morning worship service. The guest preacher will be elder Austin Harris, associate minister at Faith Temple United Holy Church in Roxboro, North Carolina. If worshipping in person in the sanctuary, masks are available. Attendees also may choose to participate using Facebook Live, by conference call at 978-990-5000 and access code 197724 or in the church parking lot at 107.3 FM. WELLNESS MINISTRY Shockoe Missionary Baptist Church, 857 Java Road, Java, hosts a monthly Wellness Walking Ministry from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., meeting every fourth Saturday. All ages are welcome to participate. The Health and Wellness Ministry will meet at 9 a.m. before each walking session. For information, contact Kathy B. Ramsey at 434-251-0379 or atbjrk@gmail.com. IN PERSON/ONLINE SERVICES Ascension Lutheran Church, 314 West Main St., worships Sundays at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and live on Facebook at www.facebook/ascensionlutherandanville. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church offers in-person services at 10 a.m. each Sunday as well as online worship services every Sunday at mtvernonumc.org or www.facebook.com/MountVernonUMC. IN-PERSON SERVICES Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1172 Franklin Turnpike, will have in-house worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Free books available anytime from a Little Free Library located on a post next to the driveway. Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 406 Gay St., has in-person services at 10 a.m. for hour of power on the first and third Sundays. North New Hope Baptist Church, 123 Old Piney Forest Road, has resumed in church worship services at 11 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 p.m. Mount Sinai Glorious Church of God, 716 Jefferson St., will hold services in the sanctuary with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. The service also will be streamed on Facebook. Mount Freeman Baptist Church, 2100 Laniers Mill Road, hosts in-person service at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school. ONLINE WORSHIP SERVICES Sacred Heart Catholic Church will livestream worship service at 9 a.m. Sundays in English and noon in Spanish at www.facebook.com/sheartchurch. DRIVE-IN SERVICES Staunton River Baptist Church, Long Island, will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. each Sunday. ONGOING SERVICES Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebrates Mass every weekend with a vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday in English and noon in Spanish. Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church holds Sunday worship services each week at 11 a.m. Because of COVID-19, a face mask is required for all attendees and social distancing is mandatory. Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 2450 Franklin Turnpike, from 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday, will hold Ladies Need Encouragement, an hour of worship and prayer. Participants are asked to bring a Bible and practice social distancing. The event is for ages 10 and up with adult supervision. For more information, call 540-907-8836. Mount Zion Temple, now located at 503 Hughes St., presents The Word Homelitic Institute at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Transportation is provided by calling Bishop David K. Fuller at 434-429-8960. UPDATE: Unul din soferii implicat in accidentul de pe Epureanu a avut alcoolemie! (FOTO) UPDATE: CIUDATENII LA VOLAN De la IPJ Vaslui am primit o informatie, care ne arata ca soferii nu respecta toti cea mai importanta regula: Sa NU bea cand pleaca cu masina! Accidentul de astazi, produs pe B-dul Epureanu din [citeste mai departe] The art of photography transcends mere documentation and becomes a powerful tool for storytelling. It is not just about freezing a moment in time but about crafting a visual narrative that stirs emotions and preserves cherished memories for a lifetime. Keeping the same in mind, Birdlens Creation is planning to expand its horizons in wedding filmmaking and create new songs specifically tailored for weddings. In today's fast-paced world, capturing precious moments has become a crucial aspect of our lives, to reminisce in the future. From glamorous fashion shows to intimate weddings, photography has evolved into an art form that allows us to relive the cherished memories whenever we please. Kolkata-based, Birdlens Creation is one such company that excels in this realm. It stands as one of the best wedding photography companies dedicated to creating lifelong memories for couples across the nation. The company is led by Subhajit Banik, formerly a renowned supermodel, with a remarkable portfolio that includes prestigious print ads for top brands like "Idea," "Nokia," "Star Cement," "Khadims," and "7up,". With participation in esteemed fashion weeks such as Mumbai Fashion Week, Kolkata Fashion Week, and Lakme Fashion Week, he holds a strong background in modeling. cre Trending Stories Banik has been an ardent admirer of photography, ever since his modeling days. His curiosity for the art led him to take it up professionally. As an assistant photographer, Subhajit had the privilege of working alongside numerous professional photographers, honing his skills and gaining invaluable insights into the world of photography. Through these collaborations, he was able to refine his skills and acquire knowledge about the multifaceted realm of photography. Equipped with the practical training and experience he acquired, he laid the foundation of his company which now strives to exceed clients' expectations and delivers stunning photographs that tell a story. Aiming to immortalize the true spirit of weddings, Subhajits company goes beyond traditional photography. It recognizes the ever-increasing importance of photography in today's society and believes that each photograph has the power to encapsulate a lifetime of memories. It specializes in wedding photography, ensuring that no precious moment is missed. From the radiant smiles during the pre-wedding preparations to the heartfelt emotions exchanged during the ceremony, every aspect is meticulously captured with an artist's eye. By composing unique and personalized songs, the company aims to add an extra layer of emotion and significance to the already magical atmosphere of a wedding celebration. This innovative approach will further enhance the overall experience for couples and their loved ones, creating memories that are both visually and musically enchanting. New Delhi: All three global investors at Byju's confirmed on Friday that their representatives had resigned from the board of the once high-flying Indian startup that has been battling pressure from lenders amid a steep drop in its valuation. The resignations of GV Ravishankar of Peak XV Partners, earlier Sequoia Capital India, Russell Dreisenstock of Prosus, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Vivian Wu mean Byju's board now only comprises the founder's family. Byju's was valued at $22 billion in 2022, but investors have in recent months cut their valuation estimates as the edtech grapples with lawsuits, auditing issues and layoffs. Blackrock slashed its internal valuation of the company by more than 60% to $8.2 billion, disclosures show. cre Trending Stories In a statement to Reuters on Friday, Byju's said it is in discussions with investors about reshaping the board, including the addition of independent directors. A "few" investors had to vacate their board seats as their shareholding dropped below the required minimum threshold, necessitating a board reshuffle, it said. "We want to reassure all stakeholders that we are actively working towards constituting a diverse ... board commensurate with the company's size and scale," a Byju's spokesperson told Reuters. The confirmation of the resignations comes after Reuters and other media outlets reported on Thursday that three Byju's board members had quit recently. Later that day, Deloitte disclosed it was resigning as the company's auditor because Byju's had delayed financial statements for 2021-22 and not provided documents, even after sending several letters to its board. On Friday, sources told Reuters that the edtech was asking its three global investors to reconsider their decision to quit its board. Peak XV Partners in a statement to Reuters said, "we are committed to supporting the company for bringing on board an independent director in order to strengthen business processes and internal control mechanisms". New Delhi: Mrs. Nita Ambani, the Founder & Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, graced the prestigious State dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in honor of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dressed in an exquisite handwoven Banarasi brocade, Mrs. Ambani showcased the rich cultural heritage of Varanasi, the sacred land renowned for its artistry. By choosing this ensemble, Mrs. Ambani emphasized her commitment to promoting Indian artisans and their exceptional talents. Artisans Take One Month To Create This Banarasi Masterpiece The Banarasi brocade is more than just a fabric; it weaves together the stories of culture and splendor that have been passed down through generations. The attire served as a tribute to the skill and craftsmanship of traditional Indian artisans, Mohammad Yasin and Jabbar Ahmad, who dedicated over a month to create this magnificent piece. cre Trending Stories Nita Ambani Promotes Patola Saree In Another State Lunch The celebration of Indian artistry continued at the State lunch co-hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, where Mrs. Ambani donned an ethnic Patola saree from Patan, Gujarat. This handwoven masterpiece represented a contemporary rendition of an ancient Indian craft. Crafted meticulously from pure Indian silk, the Patola saree boasted vibrant hues, captivating animal patterns, and geometric precision, all of which required six months of dedicated craftsmanship by skilled traditional artisans, Dushyant Parmar and Vipur Parmar. Several Prominent Leaders Attend The Dinner The Dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden in honour of PM Narendra Modi on the occasion of latters US Visit was attended by several Indian business personalities including Anand Mahindra, Nikhil Kamath, and Ambanis. Along with that, India-Americans such as Sundar Picha, Satya Nadella, Indra Nooyi, and many more were also invited for the State dinner . Because this section is free of charge, community events are subject to run based on available space. Religion items are published on the Saturday church page. Email events to news@registerbee.com. TODAY, JUNE 24 DANVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY HALF-PRICE YARD SALE: The Danville Area Humane Societys half-price yard sale will be held at the Community Market from 7:30 a.m. to noon. COMMUNITY DAY: Cascade Volunteer Fire Department, 5497 Cascade Road, will hold Community Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See equipment, visit facility, meet and speak to volunteers, view on-site landing of medical transport helicopter and hear the announcing and awarding plaque to the winner of the Honorary Mayor's Race. Refreshments will be served. SUNDAY, JUNE 25 ART EXHIBIT AND RECEPTION: Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, 975 Main St., will host an opening reception for the Robert Marsh Retrospective exhibit. Free and open to the public. Go to EventBrite.com to reserve a spot. MONDAY, JUNE 26 DAN RIVER-BLAIRS CIVIC LEAGUE TO MEET: The Dan River-Blairs Civic League will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. in the Bethel Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 6620 Old Richmond Road, Danville. COATES DAY CAMP-STEAM WEEK: Camp held at Coates Recreation Center June 26-30 from 7:30 to 6 p.m. for first through sixth graders at cost of $125 per child with a $10 fee for field trip to the Danville Science Center. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch. Registration is required, call 434-799-5150. ADVENTURE CAMP II: Camp held from June 26-30, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at cost of $175 per person. Prepare for an outdoor day-camp consisting of hiking, kayaking, zip lining, high ropes adventures and climbing wall challenges. This camp will also consist of one out of town trip to Hanging Rock State Park, arts and crafts, environmental education, and outdoor games. A supply list will be sent out, all campers are responsible for all gear on the supply list. This camp is for ages 12-14. Call 434-799-5150. TUESDAY, JUNE 27 ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION AGING IN YOUR COMMUNITY: This event provides a platform for seniors in the Danville area to hear from expert panelists on resources, services and programs available to them. A panel discussion, followed by a question and answer session. To register, call 800-272-3900. SUNDAY, JULY 2 CLASSICAL CONCERT: Schoolfield Village presents a free Classical Concert at 917 W. Main Street in Danville at 7:30 p.m. Brothers Kevin and Bryan Matheson, violin and viola, and Judy Clark, piano, will entertain the audience with an All-American program. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Make a free reservation for the concert at https://SchoolfieldClassical.eventbrite.com. ALL-AMERICAN PROGRAM: The Chatham Concert Series will hold its annual an All-American program at 3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Concert series favorites Kevin and Bryan Matheson, violin and viola and Judith Clark, piano will entertain the audience. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support the concert series. MONDAY, JULY 3 COATES DAY CAMP-LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION WEEK: Camp held at Coates Recreation Center July 3-7 (no camp on July 4) from 7:30 to 6 p.m. for ages first through sixth graders. Cost is $100 per person with $6 for a field trip that includes a movie, popcorn and drink. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch. Registration is required by calling 434-799-5150. TUESDAY, JULY 4 JULY 4 CELEBRATION: Free celebration kick off at 6 p.m. at the Carrington Pavilion; Danville Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m.; fireworks at dusk (weather permitting). Vendors and concessionaires will be on site with items for purchase. For more information, call 434-857-3384. THURSDAY, JULY 6 PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY NAACP TO MEET: Pittsylvania County NAACP will meet at 6 p.m. at the PCCA building, 348 N. Main St., Chatham. MONDAY, JULY 10 ADVENTURE CAMP III: Camp is held July 10-14 and consist of hiking, kayaking, zip lining, high ropes adventures and climbing wall challenges. This camp will also consist of one out of town trip to Smith Mountain Lake State Park, arts and crafts, environmental education and outdoor games. A supply list will be sent out, all campers are responsible for all gear on the supply list. This camp is for ages 12-14 held from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at cost of $175 per person. Call 434-799-5150 to register. THURSDAY, JULY 13 MUSIC AT THE MARKET-SHELTON AND WILLIAMS BAND: Free Music at the Market concert series held at the Danville Community Market's outdoor stage, 629 Craghead St., from 7 to 9 p.m. In event of rain, concert will be moved inside the Community Market. Bring a chair or blanket. FRIDAY, JULY 14 CAMPFIRE FRIDAY: Join for a summer campfire under the stars from 8 to 9 p.m. There will be smores, campfire games, and ghost stories. Bring blanket and chair and enjoy a true camper experience for ages 5 and up; parents are required to stay with their kids. Call 434-799-5150. No fee. MONDAY, JULY 17 COATES DAY CAMP-ART APPRECIATION WEEK: Coates Day Camp - Art Appreciation Week will be held at Coates Recreation Center from July 17-21 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for ages 1st through 6th graders at cost of $125 per child, plus $5 fee for field trip. Camp will be exploring different art mediums, talking to a local artist, and visiting the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack and their own lunch if desired. Participants registration is required, call (434) 799-5150. MONDAY, JULY 24 HANGING ROCK OVERNIGHT CAMP: Join us as we travel to Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina to spend four nights under the stars. Overnight camp is for ages 12 to 14 at cost of $300 held July 24 to July 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This camp is perfect for beginners and experts seeking new thrills. Due to the nature of this camp, registration ends June 30 at 5 p.m. A supply list will be sent out, all campers are responsible for all gear on the supply list. Call 434-799-5150. MONDAY, JULY 31 COATES DAY CAMP: Coates Day Camp - Splish, Splash Week, July 31-Aug. 4 at Coates Recreation Center. Spend your summer building friendships, exploring the outdoors, and participating in healthy activities in a quality camp program. Breakfast and lunch are provided through Danville Public Schools. Participants will need to bring an afternoon snack. This program is for rising 1st graders through 6th grade. Participants are welcome to bring their own snacks and lunch. Registration is required, call (434) 799-5150. In our last week of camp we'll be going swimming at North East Park, learning about water safety, and enjoying our Fun Wagon. Cost is $125 per person and $10 per person for field trip. THURSDAY, AUG. 10 MUSIC AT THE MARKET-OLD 97 BAND: Free concert held at Danville Community Market's Outdoor Stage at 7 p.m. Bring a chair, blanket, and picnic basket. In the event of rain, concert will be moved inside the Community Market. Call 434-857-3384 for more information. TUESDAY, AUG. 15 CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages six to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful! We'll be starting off by making dishcloths. We will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call (434) 799-5150. TUESDAY, AUG. 22 CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages six to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful! We'll be starting off by making dishcloths. We will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call (434) 799-5150. THURSDAY, AUG. 24 THURSDAY PADDLE: Thursday Paddle meets at the boathouse and will travel on the Dan River in hopes to catch glimpses of river otters, blue herons, and turtles. Registration is required. Must be at least 8 years old; all children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. From 6 to 8 p.m. at cost of $17 per person. Call (434) 799-5150 or email brownmc@danvilleeva.gov TUESDAY, AUG. 29 CROCHET FOR KIDS: Crochet for Kids at Coates Recreation Center for ages six to 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at cost of $10 per person. Get wrapped up in crochet and learn something new, while making something useful! We'll be starting off by making dishcloths. We will learn basics during the first class and then continue working on skills the next two classes. All yarn and crochet needles will be provided in the first class. Registration is required. Call (434) 799-5150. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 STRIKING UP THE BAND: The Hows, Whats & Whys of a University Band Program will be presented at 7 p.m., Averett University Student Center Multipurpose Room; free admission. Dr. Janet Phillips, associate professor of music, started a brand new band program. Through photos, videos and stories, she will show how it was done and how the program looks moving forward. New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with executives from several global firms in an effort to improve Indo-US cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacture, space, and other key areas. The CEOs of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other tech juggernauts were met by PM Modi as part of the signature "Innovation Handshake" campaign. In these discussions, PM Modi emphasised the latest steps the Indian government has done to address the regulatory barriers preventing a partnership between the two nations. Here's what India gained from PM Modi's visit to the US and their "Innovation Handshake" with CEOs of US-based technology majors: cre Trending Stories Google Investment In India Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Friday that Google is spending $10 billion in India's digitisation fund and that PM Modi's goal for Digital India serves as a model for other nations after meeting with him in Washington, DC. Micron Investment In India Micron Technology has committed to invest more than $800 million in the construction of a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and testing facility in India, with the country providing the remaining funding. ISRO-NASA Joint Mission India ratified the Artemis Accords, a framework for international collaboration in space exploration among nations taking part in NASA's aspirations to explore the moon. Additionally, it was decided to launch a cooperative trip to the International Space Station in 2019 between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation. GE-HAL Deal In a significant announcement timed to coincide with Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US, GE Aerospace revealed that it has signed an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. Amazon Following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, DC, Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy pledged to create more jobs in India. A senior Amazon official recently revealed that the e-commerce behemoth intends to increase its $26 billion overall investment in India by another $15 billion. (With inputs from Agency) New Delhi: Richard Branson, the renowned entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, has become an iconic, inspirational, and gigantic figure in the business world. By challenge his struggle with dyslexia, he not only achieved tremendous success but also created a legacy in the name of Virgin empire, comprising Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Publishing, Virgin Games, and many more. This is the story of a dyslexic boy turned into a business tycoon after defeating all odds and challenges. What I lacked in spelling and maths skills, I made up for in creativity, intuition, and problem-solving. Richard Branson Branson's determination, innovative thinking, and ability to turn adversity into opportunity have made him an inspiration to many. Let's explore his success story, highlighting his triumph over dyslexia. cre Trending Stories Richard Branson's Early Struggles Brandson was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disorder that made reading and writing difficult for him, when he was mere 2 years older. He struggled in academics and extra-curricular activities throughout his life, facing criticism and mock over his poor performance. Richard Branson's Entrepreneurial Spirit Despite his academic struggles, Branson possessed an innate entrepreneurial spirit. At the age of 16, he started his first business venture, a magazine called Student, which laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial endeavors. He wrote an article on this worlds dyslexic day talking about how its unfair to judge each and every person with the same set of standards. Its foolish to judge everybody by the same set of metrics, without considering their unique strengths. Richard Branson's Virgin Records In 1972, Branson launched Virgin Records, a small record shop that eventually grew into a successful record label. He embraced his dyslexia as a catalyst for creativity, focusing on his strengths rather than dwelling on his weaknesses. Branson's ability to spot emerging talent and his innovative marketing strategies propelled Virgin Records to great heights. Richard Branson's Expanding the Virgin Empire Building upon the success of Virgin Records, Branson expanded his business empire. Virgin Group diversified into various industries, including aviation (Virgin Atlantic), telecommunications (Virgin Mobile), and leisure (Virgin Holidays), among others. Branson's vision, coupled with his willingness to take calculated risks, allowed Virgin to disrupt traditional industries and redefine customer experiences. Richard Branson's Philanthropy and Social Impact Branson's success extends beyond business ventures. He has dedicated significant time and resources to philanthropic initiatives. Through organizations like Virgin Unite, he addresses global challenges such as climate change, poverty alleviation, and social entrepreneurship. Branson's commitment to making a positive impact on society showcases his belief in using business as a force for good. Richard Branson's Championing Dyslexia Awareness Branson has been a vocal advocate for dyslexia awareness and support. He has openly shared his personal experiences with dyslexia, aiming to inspire and empower individuals facing similar challenges. By showcasing his achievements, Branson proves that dyslexia does not define one's capabilities or limit their potential for success. The ongoing war in Ukraine has not only inflicted disastrous consequences for Russia but has also exposed a bitter power struggle within the country's military leadership. At the center of this rivalry is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken chief of the paramilitary Wagner group. His recent explosive remarks have laid bare the tensions and discord at the highest levels of Russia's military establishment, even questioning the ability of the military to defend Russian territory. This article delves into the complexities of the rivalry between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Wagner Mercenary Group, shedding light on the infighting, blame games, and potential implications for Putin's regime. 1. Prigozhin's Scathing Criticism: Yevgeny Prigozhin did not mince words when he labeled Russian commanders as "stupid" and accused them of issuing "criminal orders." His frustration was amplified by the slow delivery of ammunition, leading him to film himself beside the bodies of fallen Wagner fighters and unleash a furious tirade against Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and its chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov. Prigozhin's emotional outbursts reflect a deep-seated dissatisfaction within the ranks. cre Trending Stories 2. Challenging Putin's Leadership: In an astonishing move, Prigozhin indirectly aimed his criticisms at Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, referring to him as the "happy grandfather" who was oblivious to the challenges faced in the war in Ukraine. This audacious move raises questions about Prigozhin's audacity and the extent of his confidence in challenging Putin's authority. 3. Wagner vs. Russia's Military: A Public Spectacle: The rivalry between Wagner and Russia's military has turned into a public spectacle, captivating a global audience. Recent reports have revealed alleged contact between Prigozhin and Ukrainian military intelligence, where he supposedly offered information on the positions of Russian forces in exchange for the Ukrainian military's withdrawal from a contested area. If substantiated, this revelation could have severe repercussions for Prigozhin and his standing within the Kremlin. 4. Putin's Waning Control: Putin's historically firm grip on the Kremlin's various factions appears to be slipping, as his ability to rein in Prigozhin's audacity is called into question. The dynamics suggest a potential weakening of Putin's authority, especially considering his deliberate positioning as the central figure within the Russian state without an apparent successor. A vulnerable Putin raises significant concerns about the future of his regime and stability in Russia. 5. The Narrative of Success and Blame Games: Authoritarian governments like Putin's regime rely on narratives of success to maintain control over the population. However, when faced with failures, scapegoats must be identified and punished to deflect blame from the leader. This blame game is currently being played out between Russia's armed forces and the Wagner group, as both factions attempt to shift culpability onto each other. 6. Evaluating the Blame Game Outcome: The outcome of the blame game hinges on the influence these factions wield within Russia's complex power structure and their value to Putin. Prigozhin, viewed as an outsider, lacks a broad power base in Moscow and has limited support from key courtiers and security council figures. On the other hand, Wagner, with its close ties to the Russian state and its expanding global activities, remains a valuable asset to Putin. Conclusion: The rivalry between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Wagner Mercenary Group represents a significant power struggle within Russia's military establishment. Yevgeny Prigozhin's open criticisms and his Rekha Meena, a 'lady don' from Karauli in Rajasthan, has been detained by police. In connection with a murder attempt, Rekha was on the run. The Jaipur Ramnagaria Police arrested her. In Karoli, a charge of attempted murder was filed against Rekha and her accomplices. Lady Don Rekha Meena regularly challenged her rival gang in her social media clips. Rekha Meena, 19, reportedly preferred the nickname "Lady Don." Even the area's largest criminals were afraid of her. On social media, Rekha Meena used to provide updates on every move. On November 29, Yogesh Jadaun, a resident of Karauli, reported to the police that he was on his way home from school. Two girls and four guys were drinking near the Anjani Mata temple at around 2:30 p.m. He tried to stop them from drinking, and a youngster started shooting at him, which resulted in his severe injury. Rekha was also implicated in the crime and had already fled. Rekha Meena, a resident of Nangla Lat in Todabhim, was charged after receiving information that she was in Jaipur from a source, according to Jaipur East DCP Rajiv Pachar. She was taken into custody by the police after a raid in Ramnagariya. Lady don Rekha Meena will now be turned over to the Karauli police after being sought in a case involving a murder attempt. The 19-year-old is a local of Nagal Lat village in Todabhim in the Karauli district. Her mother has passed away, and her father, Kamal Meena, is a labourer. The 'Lady Don,' made headlines in January 2020 after her video went viral on social media where she was found threatening to kill history-sheeter Pappulal Meena. Rekha Meena was taken into custody by the police after this video became popular. Rekha Meena began to be referred to as Karauli's Don after that day. There are numerous accounts and pages on Facebook with the name Rekha Meena since she first attracted attention in January 2022. All of these accounts have pictures of Rekha Meena. Rekha publicly challenges her enemies by broadcasting live on social media. cre Trending Stories New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Cairo on Saturday for a two-day state visit at the request of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He was warmly welcomed by Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the airport and inspected a guard of honour. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years since 1977. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought and lost their lives in Egypt and Palestine during World War I on his first visit to Egypt, which began on Saturday. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997 and he has been invited by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. PM Modi's Two-Day Egypt Visit Schedule Mr Modi will have discussions with President Sisi and other senior Egyptian dignitaries, as well as some prominent Egyptian personalities and the Indian community in Egypt. Mr Modi will also visit the Al-Hakim mosque from the 11th Century, which was renovated by the Bohra community. He will also visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I. cre Trending Stories Also Read: Extraordinary Impact...': US VP Kamala Harris Praises PM Modi, Indian Diaspora In Washington The cemetery's entrance features pavilions housing the Heliopolis Port Tewfik Memorial, a tribute to the brave Indian soldiers. Tragically, the original memorial at Port Tewfik was destroyed during the Israeli-Egyptian conflict in the 1970s. What PM Modi On His Departure From India? In his departure statement on June 20, Modi said, "I am excited to pay a State Visit to a close and friendly country for the first time." "We had the pleasure of receiving President Sisi as the Chief Guest at our Republic Day celebrations this year. These two visits in a short span of time are a reflection of our rapidly evolving partnership with Egypt, which was elevated to a 'Strategic Partnership' during President Sisi's visit. Also Read: US To Return Over 100 Antiquities That Were Stolen From India: PM Modi "I look forward to my discussions with President Sisi and senior members of the Egyptian Government to impart further momentum to our civilizational and multi-faceted partnership. I will also have the opportunity to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Egypt," Modi said. New Delhi: Amazon.com Inc will invest an additional $15 billion in India, the company's Chief Executive Andy Jassy told Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his meeting on Friday. The investment will take the e-commerce giant's total India investment across all businesses to $26 billion by 2030, he said. Modi and Jassy spoke about supporting Indian startups, creating jobs, enabling exports, digitization, and empowering individuals and small businesses to compete globally, an Amazon blog post said. (Also Read: PM Modi US Visit: Check What India Got From Major-Tech Giants) This announcement follows Amazon's cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services (AWS) saying last month it will invest 1.06 trillion rupees ($12.9 billion) in the country by the end of 2030. (Also Read: World's Wealthiest Professor Who Became The Richest Man In China With Net Worth Of Rs 1,96,120 crore, Failed University Entrance Exams 3 Times) cre Trending Stories Separately, Google will open a global fintech operation center in GIFT City in India's western state of Gujarat, CEO Sundar Pichai told reporters in a video shared on Twitter by Reuters partner ANI company. "We shared Google is investing $10 billion in the India digitization fund, and we are continuing to invest through that," Pichai said. Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on further details of the new center, outside of business hours. On the final day of his Washington trip, Modi met with U.S. and Indian technology executives, including Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella and appealed to global companies to "Make in India". Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is known for his culinary adventures at the places he visits, recently visited Harris Park in Western Sydney, Australia, where he tried out some delicious Indian street food. Impressed by the experience, he recommended it to his Australian counterpart, urging him to explore the flavours himself. In a display of diplomatic camaraderie, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese honoured PM Modis request and ventured to the area on Friday, immersing himself in the world of Indian street food. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the Australian PM also shared a video and pictures of his visit to the area where he can be seen interacting with shop owners and enjoying a few delicacies. Albanese was also seen taking pictures with the locals, present at the food joints. He was accompanied by Andrew Charlton, Member of Parliament for Parramatta. In the video, the PM can be seen digging into a plate of chaat and then relishing a piece of jalebi. "Great Friday night in Little India, Harris Park with Andrew Charlton. We tried out Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recommendations of chaat at Chatkazz and jalebi at Jaipur Sweets - a winner!" he captioned the post. Great Friday night in Little India, Harris Park with @Charlton_AB. We tried out Prime Minister @narendramodi's recommendations of chaat at Chatkazz and jalebi at Jaipur Sweets - a winner! pic.twitter.com/biy3Fo4aKQ Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 23, 2023 In another tweet, he also shared pictures with Charlton as he posed with the staff of Jaipur Sweets. A winner indeed, like the India-Australia friendship, said PM Modi. PM Modi who was too quick to react to the post reshared the Australian PM's video on Twitter and called the moment a "winner" just like the "India-Australia" friendship. "Sounds like a memorable Friday night, imbibing the best of Indian culture and culinary diversity. A winner indeed, like the India-Australia friendship," he wrote. cre Trending Stories Sounds like a memorable Friday night, imbibing the best of Indian culture and culinary diversity. A winner indeed, like the India-Australia friendship. https://t.co/ySAiGBzgjJ Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2023 Harris Park, a little hub in Western Sydneys Parramatta city, is home to a large Indian community where the locals celebrate festivals and events, and even run Indian-owned businesses. This is not the first time when PM Modi has reacted to foreign leaders' appreciation for Indian food. Earlier, Japan's ambassador to India, Hiroshi Suzuki on his visit to Pune in Maharashtra, enjoyed Indian street food including vada pav and misal pav. To that, PM Modi expressed delight and wrote, "Good to see you enjoying India's culinary diversity and also presenting it in such an innovative manner." NASA is known for sharing some of the most interesting pictures and videos from outer space to keep people informed and aware of what is happening outside our planet. Among all the things that NASA shares on social media, some breathtaking and captivating images and videos often leave viewers surprised and sometimes in disbelief about how the universe can come up with several possibilities. In one such example, the American space agency shared a video that includes the astonishing sonification of a supermassive black hole that will definitely leave viewers in a state of wonder. Providing details of the phenomenon, NASA playfully acknowledged that the sonification might not be a rival to the Beethoven bangers of that time, but is still considered a one-hit wonder. As stated in the description of sonification, it is an audio representation of the supermassive black hole that is situated at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy, also known as Sagittarius A*, further noting that the ancient celestial giant woke up approximately 200 years after remaining dormant and is now on a cosmic feast to consume gas and other celestial matter in its gravitational reach. Check: NASA shares new evidence of sonification of the supermassive black hole While sharing the video on its Instagram handle, NASA gave details on the new evidence that it has gained about the ancient black hole. It further noted that the combined images of the Milky Way galaxy allowed researchers to adapt visual information data from the organisation's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and NASA Chandra Xray into sound, which helped to create this sonification. It also gave a detailed description of the image and wrote, An arched line ripples across the image, starting at the lower righthand corner. As it passes over the orange-tinted IXPE data, sounds like digital winds are triggered, particularly where those orange areas are brightest. When the traveling line passes over the blue-tinted Chandra data, the resulting notes resemble steel drums. In the meantime, social media users took to the comment section and shared their amazement over the discovery. While one user wrote, Poetic rizz of space, another said, Enjoying the color & sound. Interesting process. Radio Sagittarius will be a blast of music. This is beyond poetic, a third user commented. New Delhi: Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Indian car company Mahindra Group, recently attended the Tech Handshake meeting at the White House. In a tweet, he expressed his appreciation for the frank and open discussions, which he attributed to the direction set by Gina Raimondo, the United States Secretary of Commerce. Mahindra's optimism regarding closer technology cooperation stems from the shift towards mutual benefit rather than a one-way request from India. Anand Mahindra Catches Up With ChatGPT Founder Sam Altman During the meeting, Mahindra had the opportunity to catch up with Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI. Altman and Mahindra discussed the 'challenge' that C.P. Gurnani, CEO of Tech Mahindra, had accepted. The challenge, which garnered attention after Gurnani's acceptance, was related to ChatGPT, the innovative language model developed by OpenAI. cre Trending Stories Altman Clarifies About Being Misunderstood In India The Tech Handshake meeting this morning at the White House, was refreshingly frank, thanks to the direction of @GinaRaimondo My optimism about closer technology cooperation is because mutual benefit is now involved rather than just a one-way request from India. On the sidelines pic.twitter.com/SNsm9blx4V anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) June 24, 2023 Mahindra clarified that Sam Altman had been misunderstood regarding his views on Indian abilities. Altman reiterated his confidence and belief in the capabilities of Indian talent. This clarification highlights the positive and encouraging outlook towards Indian innovation and expertise. A few weeks ago, Sam Altman had visited India. During an interaction event with economic times, he triggered a heated debate by replying that it was "hopeless" for a young team of India to create foundational lanugage model similiar to OpenAI. PM Modi's US Visit Anand Mahindra, known for his leadership in the Indian business landscape, was recently invited by U.S. President Joe Biden to a state dinner organized in honor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States. This invitation further underscores the significance of Mahindra's presence at the Tech Handshake meeting and the importance of India-U.S. technology cooperation. As Chairman of the Mahindra Group, a prominent Indian conglomerate, Anand Mahindra continues to drive innovation and collaboration in various sectors, including automobiles, aerospace, technology, and more. His engagement with key global players like Sam Altman signifies his commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relationships and exploring new avenues for technological advancement. Writtern By Dr Kirit Shelat: With Indias demographic dividend, we have the potential to develop our wealth of knowledge and technical skills for the future generations to lead. Discourse over education sector reforms often circle back to the need for greater infrastructure and investments in regions of disparity. This not only makes quality education more accessible, but also potentially minimizes the economic drain we face due to a lack of quality infrastructure. Historically, India held a pole position in higher education sector with centre of excellence like Nalanda University that attracted scholars and students from different parts of the world for multiple disciplines like philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and political science etc. Turn to this decade, when India is poised to become the 3rd largest economy of the world, the higher education sector still remains sombre. As of 2022, over 7.5 lakh Indians went abroad for higher education and this number is expected to grow to 20 lakhs by 2024. As per Parliamentary discussions, money spent by Indian students abroad exceeds the education budget of India, and the cost of migration for higher education only increases every year. By 2024, the forex drain due to spends on tuition and other expenses is expected to cross a staggering 80 Bn US dollars. cre Trending Stories Aside from international migration, another issue that plagues the education sector is that of regional migration. Migration for higher education within India can also lead to disproportionate development. According to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR, 2014), when the youth migrate internally in search of education and employment, poorer states assume the roles of feeders, while states with premier institutions benefit from the inflow of students. Investment in higher educational institutions, therefore, becomes key. The need for state-of-the-art educational institutions in regions with high internal migration rates is the first step to eradicating these inequalities. Secondly, investment by private players, who possess an adequacy of both capital and know-how in specialized fields, should be encouraged. When we look at the United States, the best of the universities had been developed with the aid of private grants. Be it Carnegie Mellon University established by Andrew Carnegie or University of Chicago founded by John D. Rockefeller, the US philanthropies have played a critical role in developing US as the most preferred destination for higher education, attracting best of the global talent. In India, we have our shining examples in the efforts made by Jamsetji Tata in setting up of Indian Institute of Science and JRD Tata for the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. As we step into a multifaceted dynamic world, the need of the hour is focus on quality liberal arts education, which is crucial for entrepreneurial roles and interdisciplinary jobs. It equips individuals with multidimensional thinking enabling them to adapt and thrive in diverse and ever-evolving professional environments. An audacious step in this direction is the proposed Vedanta University by the philanthropist Anil Agarwal. This is envisioned to be a state-of-the-art university in the heart of an important state like Odisha. If the University is given a green signal from the Apex Court, it can be a start of a movement towards augmenting higher education infrastructure in India, particularly for the East of India. This will also set a positive trend of the much-required investments in the education sector, instilling hope for India to reclaim its lost glory and emerge truly as a Vishwaguru. Time is of great essence and India must not lose this golden opportunity to transform itself into a developed country. (Views expressed in the article are personal opinion of the author. Dr Kirit Shelat, Retired IAS Officer who has worked for the government of Gujarat, India as head of various government departments and public undertakings.) On a shady street in the heart of Lincolnton sits a century-old brick warehouse with a small porch, a garage door left ajar and a gravel drive Kitchens can harbour all sorts of germs and bacteria. These can arrive via humans, pets, uncooked food, or even plants, meaning that a high proportion of foodborne infections are acquired directly within the home. An important cleaning aid in most kitchens is the tea towel, also known as a dishcloth. Usually made of cotton or linen, they are used to dry wet hands and kitchen implements as well as wiping down surfaces - so they play an important role in kitchen hygiene. But, because hands and uncooked fresh produce are often rich in a diverse variety of germs, tea towels are prone to picking up the bacteria they come into contact with. Indeed, in a study that used tea towels to wipe down chopping boards that had been used to prepare raw chicken with salmonella (which can cause diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps), 90% of the cloths became contaminated with salmonella, too. Several studies have looked at the germs tea towels typically carry in domestic kitchens. One study sampled 100 used tea towels and found a marked presence of staphylococcus aureus, which is often found on the skin but is also a pathogen that can cause a variety of issues such as abscesses, joint infections, and even pneumonia. Tea towels are good at picking up germs which is important as another study of 46 kitchens found a wide range of harmful bacterial species living on kitchen surfaces, which are often cleaned by tea towels. Surfaces were found to have Enterobacter (which can cause respiratory tract infections, skin infections, urinary tract infections, and heart, bone, and eye infections), Klebsiella (which has been linked to serious infections of the lungs, bladder, brain, and blood), and E. Coli (which can cause upset stomachs and urinary tract infections). cre Trending Stories Several kitchens also had Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause lung infections. Bacillus subtilis, which can lead to eye infections and abscesses, was also found in more than half of the kitchens sampled. And all of the samples from the kitchens were found to have Staphylococcus and Micrococcus. In people with weak immune systems, Micrococcus has been linked to lung infections, such as pneumonia and septic arthritis along with eye and heart infections. The levels and types of germs found on these tea towels were influenced by how they were used, how often they were washed, and how long they were dried for. Rinsing tea towels in hot water at 60 degrees Celcius was found to reduce levels of bacteria later spread by contaminated cloths, which is important as infection likelihood is often related to how many bacteria you ingest. Clean Your Cloths These studies suggest there is an infection risk from tea towels and that most kitchen cloths may be contaminated with high levels of bacteria. It's easy, then, for these germs to transfer onto food preparation surfaces, potentially causing serious food poisoning. The infection risk of using tea towels is well-recognised by the medical profession. Indeed, in UK hospitals, fabric tea towels are not allowed. Instead, patient crockery, cutlery, and food preparation work surfaces are cleaned and dried with disposable paper towels. One of the reasons tea towels act as such good microbial reservoirs is that they are often damp as they are used to absorb moisture and mop up spills. Water enables germs to grow. And so a moist tea towel left in a warm kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply. This is particularly the case if food traces are present, too. So what's the best way to sanitise your used tea towel? Tea towels that are hung up in the air tend to dry faster than cloths stored and squeezed into balls, which can affect levels of bacteria in the towels. Laboratory experiments that involved covering tea towels in salmonella, found that the bacteria multiplied in all types of cloths that were crumpled. But levels of bacteria were reduced by 1,000 times if the tea towels were hung to dry for 24 hours at room temperature. Reduce The Germs To avoid tea towels spreading germs around the kitchen, it's recommended that the cloths are washed regularly and when they get wet, are allowed to dry completely before being used again. Using disposable cloths or paper towels for heavily contaminated areas, such as those involving raw meat, could also help to stop the spread of bacteria. . The UK government recommends that tea towels should be sanitised by washing them in a washing machine with laundry detergent on a hot wash cycle of 90 degrees Celcius. Laundry detergents contain hard water softeners, surfactants (which increase the wetting effect of water by reducing its surface tension), detergents, bleaches, and digestive enzymes. Food stains on tea towels will probably be a mixture of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which the enzymes degrade. And the detergent helps to dissolve the stains, which are released into the washing water. Since proteins and fats are also involved in the attachment of bacteria to surfaces, laundry detergents will help to detach and so reduce bacteria levels in tea towels. If you wash tea towels by hand, ensure any obvious food and dirt are removed by rinsing in hot water with detergent before disinfection. After washing, you can sanitise any microbes remaining using boiling water or a disinfectant such as bleach, diluted as per the manufacturer's instructions. Ironing tea towels in a hot setting will also effectively sanitise as the temperature is above 90 degrees Celcius. You should also store your laundered tea towels in a dry, clean area, away from any uncooked food and grubby hands. New Delhi: After the three hour-long all-party meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on violence hit Manipur, the Congress once again questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who attended the meeting, said: "Today Home Minister organised one meeting about Manipur at national level. I was there as a Congress representative. This is most unfortunate on my part that they are not giving time. I started thanking Shah for organising this meeting after a gap of 50 days and said that we hope that this type of meeting will be appropriate if the Prime Minister chairs it." He said that he thought Manipur despite being a small state is strategically important as it shares borders with other countries too. Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, Ibobi Singh, who is the CLP leader in the Assembly, said that even now, he has not made a single tweet or expressed one word even after 50 days, when Manipur is burning. "Why he has not mentioned a single word for Manipur?" Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that it is saddening that a Chief Minister who governed the state for 15 years did not get enought time to speak during the three hour long meeting as he got only seven to eight minutes. Also Read: Amit Shah Chairs All-Party Meet Over Manipur Violence "If someone knows Manipur well, it is Ibobi Singh and he is still a MLA. Manipur was burning in 2001 June, when Atatl Bihari Vajpayee was Chief Minister and after that Manipur came back to track as Ibobi Singh gave a stable government. And out of three hours meeting giving only 7-8 minutes is saddening and disrespectful," the COngress leader said. Maintaining his party`s eight-fold demands, Ramesh said: "This all-party meeting should have been chaired by the Prime Minister, who has not said a single word on Manipur in the past 50 days. This all-party meeting would have been better if it had been chaired by the Prime Minister and had been held in Imphal. This would have sent a clear message to the people of Manipur that their pain and distress is also a matter of national anguish." He also demanded that all armed groups must be disarmed immediately without any compromise. Also Read: Mob Torches Manipur Minister's Private Godown, Plastic Pipes Worth Rs 120 Cr Burnt Hitting out at the BJP-led government in Manipur, he said: "The Chief Minister should be replaced immediately as the state government has failed miserably in providing effective governance when it has been needed most. The Chief Minister himself has admitted publicly twice his failure to handle the situation and deal with the crisis. He has also asked for forgiveness of the people." He further said that on March 11, the Chief Minister unilaterally withdrew the state government`s commitment to the tripartite Agreement on Suspension of Operations with certain militant groups claiming to be upholders of Kuki interests. "This move of his was later rejected by the Union Home Ministry but by then enough damage had been done. This is one glaring example in a series of blunders," the Congress leader said. The Congress leader also demanded that the unity and territorial integrity of Manipur should not be compromised with in any manner, while grievances of each and every community must be heard and addressed sensitively. He also asked the Central government to ensure that steps are to ensure availability of essential commodities by keeping the two national highways open and secure at all times and a package of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement, and livelihood for the affected people must be prepared without delay. Ramesh said that the relief package announced is grossly inadequate. The remarks from the Congress leaders came after the all-party meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister here to discuss the situation in Manipur and what steps the government has taken. cre Trending Stories WASHINGTON: Concluding his maiden State Visit to the United States on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation. "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. Before emplaning for Egypt, PM Modi interacted with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC and compared the meeting with a "sweet dish" at his farewell address. Upon arrival in Egypt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora there. cre Trending Stories Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. PM Modi during his first Egypt tour will also visit Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. Moreover, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. Marking the ninth International Day of Yoga, renowned spiritual leader Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, addressed a packed auditorium at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris on Wednesday on the theme Crafting a Conscious Planet. Emphasizing that Yoga belongs to humanity, Sadhguru said, It's a great pride for all of us that yoga originated in India. Yoga originated in a land that was referred to as Bharat. But everybody must understand, I know some people will disagree with very strong national feelings, but Yoga belongs to humanity. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctwp28-Pgl0/ https://twitter.com/SadhguruJV/status/1671593083266543616 cre Trending Stories Explaining this further, he added, Anything that we discover cannot belong to any group of people. What we invent can belong to people. What we make up can belong to a certain group of people. What we discover as a reality cannot belong to me or you. It is the right of every human being to find a way for their own fulfillment. Talking about the International Day of Yoga, the mystic said, International Day of Yoga is not a day of celebrating it, it is a day of commitment. You remaining physically, mentally in the best possible way is the best contribution you can make to the world. Watch the Full Event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81J_pa88Mi4 Sadhgurus address was followed by an in-conversation with Dr Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace. To Ms Kessouss question on the need of yoga to be passed on as a living heritage to humanity, Sadhguru talked about the dire situation in the United States. He shared, Recently, the Surgeon General of the United States said, one in every two Americans, one in every two is feeling lonely. So just look at this, one in two is feeling lonely in the most affluent nation. When our population is bursting at 8.4 billion, we're feeling lonely. What is it? That is, we are building walls of individuality. Walls that you yourself cannot break. You build a wall that you yourself cannot break because these walls are built as self-protection. The walls of self-protection that you built today, tomorrow will turn into walls of self-imprisonment. He further added, So just imagine in a country every second American if they're feeling lonely, loneliness is the first step towards mental illness. You've taken one step, next will come. So Yoga (Union) means you're not lonely anymore because only you exist in the universe. Everything is you. Wherever you see, it's just you. So when you see too much of yourself, you'll close your eyes and sit. Guiding the audience to take up a simple 15-minute meditation practice called Isha Kriya, which is available for free on Sadhguru app, he led them into a meditative process. Answering a question from the audience on how youngsters can use technology but not get into the loneliness trap, Sadhguru shared that he will be launching a particular aspect of the Conscious Planet Movement in 2024 which will focus on exploring the miracle of the mind through yoga, meditation, art forms like dance, classical martial arts and music. If two to three billion people use this for a sustained period of time, you will find a much better mental situation in the world, he said. The event also saw an address by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Vishal V Sharma and a cultural performance by Isha Foundations home-grown band Sounds of Isha and a captivating dance performance by Project Samskriti themed around Yoga. Over 1,500 people attended the event including the ambassadors from Angola, Albania, Palestine, Peru, Morocco, Costa Rica, Romania, Uzbekistan, Santa Lucia, Czech Republic, and Lithuania, dignitaries from the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO, the staff members from the UNESCO, global leaders from the world of fashion, music, and business, and the general public. In a shocking case, a London-based Indian-origin psychiatrist has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment by a UK court for his active involvement in operating a dark web child abuse site. Dr Kabir Garg, 33, was identified as one of the moderators of the site known as "The Annex," which had a staggering 90,000 members worldwide, where hundreds of links to child abuse material were shared on a daily basis. Moderator Turned Criminal Mastermind: Dr Kabir Garg, previously trusted in his profession, pleaded guilty in January to eight charges related to facilitating the sexual exploitation of children. These charges included distributing indecent images of children, possession of prohibited images, and making child abuse material accessible to the online community. His abhorrent actions were unveiled during an investigation led by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). cre Trending Stories Sentencing and Consequences: Following his guilty plea, Dr Kabir Garg was sentenced to six years in prison by Woolwich Crown Court in London. In addition, he will be subject to a Serious Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life. The severity of the punishment reflects the gravity of his crimes and the significant scale of child sexual abuse he facilitated. The Dark Web's Disturbing Underbelly: Garg's active involvement in "The Annex" highlights the dark side of the internet, where individuals with malicious intent gather to exploit vulnerable children. Members accessed the site using Tor, a dark web browser known for its anonymity. The NCA revealed that an alarming 40% of the searches conducted through Tor are related to child sexual abuse material, emphasizing the urgent need for continued efforts to combat such heinous crimes. Unmasking the Criminal Network: During a coordinated operation with international partners, law enforcement officers arrested Dr Kabir Garg at his residence in Lewisham, south London. The arrest took place while Garg was logged into his moderator account on "The Annex," which was actively running on his laptop. Subsequent analysis led to the seizure of his devices, providing critical evidence of his involvement and confirming the explicit nature of his actions. The Organized Operation: Investigations revealed that "The Annex," which is now defunct, operated as an organized entity, resembling a company structure. The site employed a team of approximately 30 administrators who worked round the clock to ensure its smooth functioning. Dr Kabir Garg successfully gained trust within the community and became a moderator responsible for enforcing site rules, removing non-compliant members, and even providing guidance on evading law enforcement. The Impact and International Collaboration: The National Crime Agency's Adam Priestley emphasized the devastating impact of child abuse, particularly highlighting Garg's role as a doctor of psychiatry, which should have made him acutely aware of the trauma inflicted on children. Garg's arrest is part of a larger effort to dismantle global child exploitation networks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has already apprehended and convicted five individuals involved in operating "The Annex," with one of them receiving a hefty prison sentence of 28 years. Conclusion: Dr Kabir Garg's sentencing highlights the relentless pursuit of justice against those who exploit innocent children. This case serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat the dark corners of the internet where such criminal activities thrive. Law enforcement agencies, both within the UK and internationally, remain committed to dismantling these networks and ensuring the safety and protection of children worldwide. Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a cheerful Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government's decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India. PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time). "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said, "These antiquities of Indian origin had reached the international market through right or wrong paths, but America's decision to return them to India shows the emotional bond between the two nations." In a bid to rejuvenate India's cultural and spiritual heritage, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing back antiquities and artefacts from across the world. "Over centuries, innumerable priceless artefacts, some with deep cultural and religious significance, had been stolen and smuggled abroad. The government adopted a proactive approach to 'bringing back Indian artefacts and cultural heritage," said a government release. On numerous foreign visits, Prime Minister discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions and total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, out of which 238 were brought back since 2014. cre Trending Stories In 2022 also the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million USD. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr had announced in October 2022 that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor, a statement said. Subhas Kapoor had assisted in trafficking the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. According to the statement, "Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office's investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi." All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India's Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau. Among the pieces being returned was the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000. The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement read. Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added. In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. "The untiring efforts of the Government of India have led to the repatriation of our rightful artefacts that reflect and epitomise the glory of our ancient civilisation," the release read . Amitabh Bachchan Accident: Throughout his career, which spans over five decades, Amitabh Bachchan has played countless characters. But nobody can ever forget his 1983 movie Coolie, which was released on December 2, 1983, 40 years ago. The infamous disaster that occurred on the movie set and nearly placed Big B on his deathbed is also a contributing factor, in addition to the movie's commercial success. The accident, in fact, sent the entire nation into a panic and frenzy. All of this happened during an action scene when Amitabh confronted Puneet Issar, who played an antagonist in the movie Coolie. However, due to miscalculations on the part of both actors, Puneet delivered a punch to Big B's stomach that was so powerful that it seriously hurt the actor. The Unfortunate Incident Amitabh Bachchan nearly lost his life while filming a fight scene with co-star Puneet Issar at Bangalore University on July 26, 1982. This injury made the movie famous even before it was released. Bachchan jumped awkwardly during the battle sequence, missing the opportunity to land on a table. This resulted in an internal abdominal injury. He was transferred to a Mumbai hospital, where, according to media reports, he went into a 'haze and coma-like situation', and was 'clinically dead for a couple of minutes'. Due to the damage and internal bleeding, doctors at the time were unsure he would survive, and the entire nation virtually came to a stop in prayer for the recovery of the biggest star in Hindi cinema. cre Trending Stories Aftermath Of Accident There were reports of widespread sadness while he was in the hospital, and many Indians both at home and abroad offered prayers. Rajiv Gandhi reportedly postponed a trip to the US in order to be with him. From 200 donors, one of whom had the Hepatitis B virus, Bachchan received 60 bottles of blood. Bachchan bounced back from the mishap, miraculously recovered from the serious injury and started filming again on January 7, 1983. But in 2000 he learned that the virus had caused cirrhosis of the liver, which had damaged around 75% of his liver. Later, Bachchan came out about his experience promoting the Hepatitis B vaccine. Negative Impact Being his first film, this incident made Puneet feel guilty, but Big B encouraged him to calm down, and they started filming. His health deteriorated the following day, forcing him to be hospitalized, where he underwent surgery 72 hours after the tragedy. Amitabh Bachchan's condition had gotten worse with each hour that went by, and he had dropped 40 kg. Even though the incident shocked everyone and painted Puneet in everyone's eyes as a real-life monster, Big B held no ill feelings towards him. In an interview, Puneet revealed that Mr. Bachchan had told him not to worry because it was not his fault when he and his wife visited him in the hospital. According to Puneet, Bachchan wrapped his arm around him and led the way to the gate. As per reports, Puneet Issar's wife also gave blood for Amitabh. Puneet was blasted by the media and Amitabh's supporters over the haunted episode, and thus, even though Coolie was a superhit, it didn't help him. Additionally, it had an effect on his career because he was almost unemployed for 6-7 years following the event, and the public was quite hostile towards him. In the following years, he continued to work in B-Grade films like Chandaal, Superman, and Purana Mandir. Nevertheless, he was successful in landing the part of "Duryodhan" in the Mahabharata television series by B.R. Chopra. He was initially brought in to play Bhim, but he was eager to play Duryodhan. He won the part after memorizing Duryodhan's lines of dialogue. The rest is now history. In the world of crime, where wielding a gun and having a menacing glare can instill terror, there is a lady don in Gujarat who keeps on making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Asmita Ba Gohil, a notorious figure in Gujarat, is known for intimidating businessman, cops and even the common people. Asmita Ba Gohil: What Makes Her 'Lady Don' With a mix of weapons, fights, threats, and a stint in jail, the story of this don from Gujarat is captivating. Popularly known as "Bhuri," Asmita Gohil is merely 22 years old but has already experienced the harsh reality of prison life. The name "Bhuri" carries a sense of fear in Surat, Gujarat, making not only ordinary people but also criminals tremble. A few years ago, Asmita was even accused of murder, and numerous other criminal cases have been registered against her. cre Trending Stories The Origin of "Bhuri": You may wonder how such a young girl gained so much power at such a tender age. Who is this Bhuri, and how did she acquire the name? Until a few years ago, Asmita Ba Gohil was an ordinary girl living in Una village in Gujarat. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she met Surat's infamous don, Sanjay Bhura. Sanjay Bhura was notorious for spreading terror in Surat. Asmita started living with Bhura and became involved in extortion, violence, and robbery. Gradually, people began recognizing Asmita as Bhura's girlfriend. Nobody dared to mess with Bhura's girlfriend, and slowly, Asmita became known as "Bhuri." Bhuri's Reign in Surat: The reign of Bhuri grew to such an extent that even her name instilled fear in people. The Bhuri gang, consisting of several criminals from Surat, became infamous. Bhuri herself is so dangerous that she doesn't even spare her own gang members. Once, Bhuri stabbed one of her gang members, Prakash Bamania, to death. Prakash was a close associate of Bhuri, but an intense argument led her to fatally attack him. Regardless of her actions, nobody has the audacity to report Bhuri to the police. Despite being involved in multiple criminal cases, Bhuri spends some time in jail, only to be released soon after. Asmita Ba Gohil, known as Bhuri, is a unique figure in the criminal world of Gujarat. Her short journey, filled with violence, power, and fear, has made her a notorious presence in Surat. People tremble at the mention of her name, and even the police are reluctant to confront her criminal activities. Bhuri's reign continues to thrive, leaving a trail of terror and an indelible mark on the landscape of crime in Gujarat. New Delhi: US-based business software giant Anaplan has reportedly started mass layoffs, affecting hundreds of employees. According to The New York Post, the total number of Anaplan layoffs "is believed to be significant," while remaining workers are now "worried about internal politics and job security". cre Trending Stories At least 119 employees were laid off at the company's San Francisco headquarters. According to the report, layoffs affected at least 300 employees overall. The job cuts occurred across the company, affecting software engineers, copywriters, security analysts and various other roles, according to the report."One Anaplan employee claimed on Blind that more than 500 workers were impacted across offices in the US and the UK," it added. In 2022, private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired Anaplan for $10.4 billion.Some impacted workers were quoted as saying that Thoma Bravo has "destroyed the company" since taking it private."The people doing the hard work and driving the product and revenue and supporting customers are being laid off, without any evaluation of the C-level leaders," an impacted Anaplan employee told The Post.A major player in software investment, Thoma Bravo had more than $127 billion in assets under management (as of March end).Both Thoma Bravo and Anaplan representatives did not comment. Some Anaplan employees confirmed they were asked to goAon LinkedIn."That was quick. Unfortunately, yesterday my journey with Anaplan was cut short due to company layoffs," one former executive wrote on LinkedIn. "I know many people have been here before, especially recently. It's shocking, disappointing, and filled with a sense of loss."Several Anaplan employees also wrote about mass layoffs on Blind, which is an app that provides an anonymous forum and community for verified employees to discuss issues. New Delhi: A 24-year-old hacker behind the massive July 2020 Twitter hack where he along with others attempted to take control of at least 130 famous Twitter accounts has been sentenced to federal prison in the US. Joseph James O'Connor attacked several celebrity accounts including US President Joe Biden, American socialite and model Kim Kardashian and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. O'Connor was sentenced in a New York federal court to five years in prison, after pleading guilty in May to his role in cyber stalking and computer hacking that targeted several high-profile social media accounts. In the court, he said his crimes were "stupid and pointless", and apologised to his victims, reports TechCrunch. O'Connor, known by his online handle PlugWalkJoe, was part of a group that broke into dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts, including Apple, Binance, Bill Gates, Joe Biden and Elon Musk, to spread cryptocurrency scams in July 2020. He was extradited to the US from Spain in April this year, where he awaited trial for harassing, threatening, and extorting his victims. O'Connor, in July 2020, wrote on Biden's account: "All Bitcoin sent to the address below will be sent back double! If you send $1,000, I will send back $2,000. Only doing this for 30 minutes. Enjoy!" Twitter then responded at that time by deactivating all verified accounts and disabling the tweet feature in an attempt to target the hackers. As part of his guilty plea, O'Connor has agreed to pay restitution to all of the victims and forfeit just over $7,94,000. cre Trending Stories Aggressive bears charged at hikers and attacked a dog, prompting part of a trail to close in the North Carolina mountains, officials said. The dog had to be euthanized after being attacked off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service told McClatchy News in a June 23 email. The bear encounters were reported from mid-May to early June along the Bull Mountain Trail. Now, a half-mile portion of the trail is shut down at mile marker 381, near the parkways Asheville Visitor Center. Though the trail is expected to be closed through Friday, June 30, the road that runs through the area remains open. Rangers have urged visitors to review bear safety tips, as the animals look for food amid increased visitor traffic on park trails and in park campgrounds. During the first aggressive encounter in the Bull Mountain Trail area, rangers said an unleashed dog provoked a bear to attack a leashed dog that sustained serious injuries. The injured dog was taken to a veterinarian and euthanized. In another instance, a bear bluff charged a hiker and her leashed dog, the Blue Ridge Parkway wrote in its email. In the third instance, a lone male hiker was bluff charged by a large bear, but he was able to scare the bear off. Experts say bluff charges happen when a bear tries to intimidate someone. When a bear bluff charges, it will have its head and ears up and forward, the National Park Service wrote on its website. The bear will puff itself up to look bigger. It will bound on its front paws toward you (moving in big leaps), but then stop short or veer off to one side. Often bears retreat after a bluff charge, or they may vocalize loudly. The three Asheville-area bear sightings werent the only ones along the parkway, which stretches 469 miles through the mountain scenery of North Carolina and Virginia. Several bear encounters have also been reported in campsites at Peaks of Otter Campground near Bedford, Virginia, officials wrote in a news release. There are currently no closures in this campground, and campers are educated upon check-in with bear safety information. North Carolina is home to black bears, which live in the western and eastern parts of the state but often avoid contact with people, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. What to do if you see a bear Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space. There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack. Identify yourself:Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize youre a human and nonthreatening. Stay calm: Bears usually dont want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear. Dont scream: Screaming could trigger an attack. Pick up small children: Dont let kids run away from the bear. It could think theyre small prey. Hike in groups:A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people. Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Dont make any sudden movements. Dont drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection. Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out. Again, dont run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would. Dont climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb. In todays digital era, technology continues to advance and provide endless possibilities. However, the advancements also come with their own share of drawbacks. As more aspects of our lives become digitised, the concern for security and protection of personal and sensitive information increases. Cyber frauds are occurring frequently across the country, from fraudsters luring people with fake job offers to hacking users' accounts Given these circumstances, it has become crucial to take action to safeguard our privacy and prevent fraudulent activities. Among the multitude of online services, Google accounts are widely used by thousands of people, serving as gateways to applications such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. However, the platform is no longer safe as hackers can now easily access Google accounts to misuse information. If you also have an active Google account and are concerned about unauthorised access to it, read on to know about it in detail. Is your Google account safe? It is very important to identify any sort of unauthorised access to your Google accounts in order to protect personal information. This can be done by monitoring and detecting signs of unfamiliar activity on an account. It is also important to ensure that no such access has been done in the past. How to check unauthorised access to a Google account? 1. Go to your phone or desktop's Google settings and search for 'Manage your Google account'. 2. Slide to the left side of the screen to find the 'Security' section. 3. Click on the same and scroll down to find the 'Your devices' section and tap on it. 4. Here you will find the 'Manage all devices' option from where you will be able to see the details of all devices that are logged into your Google account. 5. Go through the list and check if any unknown device has logged into your Google account. Remove the account if you find any. cre Trending Stories How to secure your Google account? Apart from checking the unauthorised logins in your account, you can make your Google accounts more secure by adding a strong password and also enable the 2-Step Verification feature. You can also mark your device as trusted on your account. With this, only trusted computers and mobile phones can be used to sign in the Google accounts without a verification code. Mumbai: Actor Salman Khan is all set to host his first 'Weekend Ka Vaar' of 'Bigg Boss OTT 2'. And guess what? Rakul Preet Singh will join him on the sets. Rakul will be seen promoting her recently released film 'I Love You' on 'Bigg Boss OTT' which is currently streaming on Jio Cinema. "I'm really excited to be a part of the first Weekend Ka Waar on Bigg Boss OTT. I'm a huge fan of the show and always try to catch the weekend episodes! I'm eagerly looking forward to meeting all the contestants and having a fantastic time with Salman sir. It's going to be a lot of fun to see Salman sir in action, and I'll bring some love-filled excitement to the vaar by adding my own special twist," Rakul said. The second season of 'Bigg Boss OTT' strated from June 17. The contestants who are locked inside the house are Avinash Sachdev, Palak Purswani, Bebika Dhurve, Jiya Shankar, Aaliya Siddiqui, Falaq Naazz, Akanksha Puri, Jad Hadid, Cyrus Broacha, Manisha Rani, Abhishek Malhan, and Pooja Bhatt. It was the first time on Bigg Boss that a contestant got evicted just within 24 hours of the show's premiere. Social media influencer Puneet Superstar, known for his comic videos, got evicted He was shown the door by the makers of the show just hours after his arriva. This occurred following Puneet getting strong warning from Bigg Boss for allegedly using bad language towards the producers and destroying house property. cre Trending Stories New Delhi: Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing a southern city overnight, with Russia's military firing on them from the air but seemingly incapable of slowing their lightning advance. Facing the first serious challenge to his grip on power of his 23-year rule, President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush an armed mutiny he compared to Russia's Civil War a century ago. The fighters of the Wagner private army run by former Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin were already most of the way to the capital, having captured the city of Rostov and set off on an 1,100 km (680 mile) race to Moscow. Reuters saw troop carriers and a flatbed truck carrying a tank careening past the city of Voronezh more than half way to Moscow, where a helicopter fired on them. But there were no reports of the rebels meeting any substantial resistance on the highway. Russian media showed pictures of small groups of police manning machine gun positions on Moscow's southern outskirts Authorities in the Lipetsk region south of the capital told residents to stay home. More than 100 firefighters were in action at a fuel depot ablaze in Voronezh. Video footage obtained by Reuters showed it blowing up in a fireball shortly after a helicopter flew by. Prigozhin accused Russia's military of hitting civilian targets from the air as it tried to slow the column's advance. cre Trending Stories Also Read: EXPLAINED: Vladimir Putin vs Wagner Mercenary Group Rivalry - 5 POINTS on Latest Russia Crisis Prigozhin says his men are on a "march for justice" to remove corrupt and incompetent commanders he blames for botching the war in Ukraine. In a televised address from the Kremlin, Putin said Russia's very existence was under threat. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, for the right to remain Russia, a state with a thousand-year history," he said. "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people." A defiant Prigozhin swiftly replied that he and his men had no intention of turning themselves in. Also Read: 'Betrayal': Russian President Putin Vows To Crush Down Wagner Rebels "The president makes a deep mistake when he talks about treason. We are patriots of our motherland, we fought and are fighting for it," Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We don't want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Prigozhin, whose private army fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as he feuded for months with the top brass, said he had captured the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District in Rostov without firing a shot. In Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russia's entire invasion force, residents milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. One tank was wedged between stucco buildings with posters advertising the circus. Another had "Siberia" daubed in red paint across the front, a clear statement of intent to sweep across the breadth of Russia. In Moscow, there was an increased security presence on the streets. Red Square was blocked off by metal barriers. In a series of hectic messages overnight, Prigozhin demanded thata Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov should come to see him in Rostov. Western capitals said they were closely following the situation in nuclear-armed Russia. The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," Britain's defence ministry said. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out." Putin's grip on power may depend on whether he can muster enough loyal troops to combat the mercenaries at a time when most of Russia's military is deployed at the front in southern and eastern Ukraine. The insurrection also risks leaving Russia's invasion force in Ukraine in disarray, just as Kyiv is launching its strongest counteroffensive since the war began in February last year. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a social media message. "And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later." PRIGOZHIN'S REVOLT Prigozhin, a former convict and long-time ally of Putin, leads a private army that includes thousands of former prisoners recruited from Russian jails. His men took on the fiercest fighting of the 16-month Ukraine war, including the protracted battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut. He railed for months against the regular army's top brass, accusing generals of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters. This month, he defied orders to sign a contract placing his troops under Defence Ministry command. He launched the apparent mutiny on Friday after alleging that the military had killed many of his fighters in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied it. "There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country," he said, promising to destroy any checkpoints or air forces that got in Wagner's way. He later said his men had been involved in clashes with regular soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider. "Only the president has the right to appoint the top leadership of the armed forces, and you are trying to encroach on his authority," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. He called Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason." He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility. An armed rebellion at a time like this is a blow to Russia, to its people, the president said. Those who plotted and organized an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it, Putin said. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister confirmed Saturday morning that he and his troops have reached a key Russian city after crossing the border from Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry denounced the actions as a criminal venture and called on Wagner fighters to return to their deployment point. The ministry said it would ensure their safety. cre Trending Stories Yeveny Prigozhin posted a video of himself in Rostov-on-Don at the Russian military headquarters that oversees the fighting in Ukraine. He claimed that his forces had military facilities in the city under their control, including the air field. Other videos posted on social media showed military vehicles, including tanks, on the streets outside. Prigozhin said early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, adding that they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. We are moving forward and will go until the end. Russia's security services had responded to Prigozhin's declaration of an armed rebellion by calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin took the threat, authorities declared a counterterrorist regime" in Moscow and the capital's surroundings, allowing enhanced security and restricted freedoms, and security was heightened in Moscow. It was not immediately clear how he was able to enter the southern Russian city or how many troops he had with him. Prigozhin alleged that Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, following a meeting in Rostov with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at which they decided to destroy Wagner. He also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 troops under his command and would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion, and urged the army not to offer resistance: This is not a military coup, but a march of justice. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort as Kyivs forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to prevail, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front. The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russias war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russias military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. On Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, charged Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting armed conflict. Putin was informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. On Saturday morning he added that Putin would address the nation shortly. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even with the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russias enemies, who are waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin. Now that the state has actively engaged, theres no turning back, she tweeted. The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile. Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhins move as madness that threatens civil war. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia, he said. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine was concentrating troops for an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of Prigozhins provocation. It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared an offensive. In Washington, the Institute for the Study of War said, The violent overthrow of Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov would cause irreparable damage to the stability of Putins perceived hold on power. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said: We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments. In Kyiv, a Russian missile attack killed at least two people and injured eight Saturday when falling debris caused a fire on several floors of a 24-story apartment building in a central district, Serhii Popko, the head of the citys military administration posted on Telegram. He said more than 20 missiles were detected and destroyed. Video from the scene showed a blaze in the upper floors of the building and the parking lot strewn with ash and debris. New Delhi: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, a Russian private military company, announced Saturday that he has called off his mercenaries' advance on Moscow and ordered them to return to their bases in Ukraine, news agency AP reported. He said he wanted to avoid 'spilling Russian blood' in a confrontation with President Vladimir Putin's government. The move seemed to ease a tense standoff that posed the biggest threat to Putin's rule in his more than 20 years in power. Moscow had prepared for the arrival of the rogue mercenary force by setting up roadblocks with troops and armored vehicles on its southern outskirts. Red Square was closed, and the mayor asked drivers to avoid some roads. Prigozhin said his men were only 200 kilometers (120 miles) away from Moscow when he decided to call them back. He didn't say if Moscow had answered his demand to remove Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Kremlin didn't comment immediately. The announcement came after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's office said that he had brokered a deal with Prigozhin after talking to Putin. Prigozhin agreed to stop the march in a proposed agreement that offers security guarantees for Wagner troops, Lukashenko's office said. It didn't give details. cre Trending Stories Also Read: Who Is Yevgeny Prigozhin, Nicknamed Putin's Chef, Head Of Wagner Mercenary Group, Now Calling For Armed Rebellion Against Russia? Vladimir Putin Warned Of Harsh Consequences Facing the first serious challenge to his 23-year reign, President Vladimir Putin vowed to crush a mutiny by armed mercenaries that he compared to the Civil War in Russia a hundred years ago. In a national address on Saturday, Putin promised to protect the country and its people from the rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former ally and the owner of the Wagner private military company. Putin said the uprising was a mortal danger to our statehood and pledged harsh measures in response. All those who plotted the mutiny will face inevitable justice. The armed forces and other state agencies have been given the necessary commands, Putin said. He denounced Prigozhins actions, without naming him directly, as a treachery and a treason. He appealed to those who are being lured into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, one-of-a-kind mistake, to make the only correct decision to stop taking part in criminal acts. Also Read: EXPLAINED: Vladimir Putin vs Wagner Mercenary Group Rivalry - 5 POINTS on Latest Russia Crisis Moscow Mayor Declares Off On Monday Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that some parts of the city could see traffic restrictions and declared Monday a day off for most residents. Workers tore up sections of roads to hinder the advance of the Wagner mercenaries. Red Square was closed off, two major museums were cleared and a park was shut. Wagner Group Seizes Rostov The Wagner fighters, who had fought the bloodiest battles in Ukraine even as they fell out with the top brass for months, were already nearing the capital, having taken over the city of Rostov and embarked on an 1,100 km (680 mile) dash to Moscow. Prigozhin, who claimed to have seized the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov without a single shot, said he was close to the capital. In Rostov, which serves as the main supply base for Russias entire invasion force, people walked around calmly, filming on their phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and tanks took positions. The head of the private military contractor Wagner called Friday for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. Russian security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin. He has previously bashed the country's military leadership for failures in the war in Ukraine, and is known for his long-running feud with the Defense Ministry. A look at the 62-year-old Prigozhin and Wagners role in the war: WHAT DID PRIGOZHIN SAY? Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagners field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. cre Trending Stories This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The FSB urged Wagners contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported. WHO IS YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN? Prigozhin was convicted of robbery and assault in 1981, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Following his release, he opened a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. It was in this capacity that he got to know now-President Vladimir Putin, then the citys deputy mayor. Prigozhin used that connection to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He later expanded into other areas, including media and an infamous internet troll factory that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. In January, Prigozhin acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company. WHERE HAS WAGNER OPERATED? Wagner was first seen in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, in the weeks following Russias annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Engaging private contractors in the fighting allowed Moscow to maintain a degree of deniability. Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for brutality and ruthlessness. Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali. Prigozhin has reportedly used Wagners deployment to Syria and African countries to secure lucrative mining contracts. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said in January the company was using its access to gold and other resources in Africa to fund operations in Ukraine. Some Russian media alleged that Wagner was involved in the 2018 killings of three Russian journalists in Central African Republic who were investigating the groups activities. The slayings remain unsolved. WHAT IS WAGNERS REPUTATION? Western countries and U.N. experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. In 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. Video has surfaced purporting to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagner's fearsome reputation. A 2017 online video showed a group of armed people, reportedly Wagner contractors, torturing a Syrian and beating him to death with a sledgehammer before mutilating and burning his body. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate. In 2022, another video showed a former Wagner contractor beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was repatriated. Despite public outrage and demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye. WHAT'S WAGNERS ROLE IN UKRAINE? Wagner took an increasingly visible role in the war as regular Russian troops suffered heavy attrition and lost territory in humiliating setbacks. Prigozhin toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. In the interview in May, he said he had recruited 50,000 convicts, about 10,000 of whom where killed in Bakhmut; a similar number of his own fighters have died there. He said he had 50,000 men at his disposal in the best times, with about 35,000 on the front lines at all times. He didnt say whether these numbers included convicts. The U.S. has estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts. A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagners troops in Bakhmut. The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight. In December, Washington accused North Korea of supplying weapons, including rockets and missiles, to the Russian company in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Both Wagner and North Korea denied the reports. HOW HAS PRIGOZHIN CRITICIZED RUSSIAS MILITARY? If the U.S. accusation is true, Wagners reach for North Korean weapons may reflect its long-running dispute with the Russian military leadership, which dates to the companys creation. Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar in Ukraine and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut and threatened to pull out his men. Troops purported to be Wagner contractors in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses and accusations of failing to provide ammunition. Prigozhin also has singled out Shoigu for withering criticism while accusing Russian military leaders of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism. John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said last month that Prigozhins remarks critical of the war could be a sort of morbid way of him ... claiming credit for whatever theyve been able to achieve in Bakhmut, but also trying to publicly embarrass the Ministry of Defense further that the cost was borne in blood and treasure by Wagner, and not by the Russian military. Once a shadowy figure, Prigozhin has increasingly raised his public profile, boasting almost daily about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mocking his enemies and complaining about the military brass. Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped, I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland. RUFFIN Rockingham County vice narcotics detectives arrested two men and seized a large amount of cocaine, marijuana, cash and firearms on June 16 during a search of a home here. Detectives charged Michael King, 40, of the searched home at 391 Cannon Road with the following: * Trafficking cocaine * Maintaining a dwelling for drug sales * Possession of a stolen firearm * Possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana King is being held in the Rockingham County Detention Facility on a $50,000 secured bond. Junious Alphonza Blackwell, 37, also of 391 Cannon Road, was charged with: * Trafficking Cocaine * Maintaining a dwelling for drug sales. * Possession of a stolen firearm * Possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana * Possession of a firearm by a felon * Possession of drug paraphernalia Blackwell was placed in the jail on a $750,000 secured bond. The sheriff's office said in a press release that one of the guns recovered during the search was reported stolen in 2013 in Rockingham County. Officials said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information on illegal drug sales in Rockingham County to call the Rockingham County CrimeStoppers Hotline at 336-349-9683. All callers remain anonymous and can receive up to a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to arrests. GREENSBORO In a move expected to free up police officers for more serious crimes, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill into law that allows civilians to investigate minor traffic accidents. Municipalities could employ civilians to investigate accidents involving only property damage and to only issue citations. They would not be authorized to arrest people, nor would they be issued a weapon of any type, the new law says. Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan praised the law, which was part of the citys legislative agenda. Obviously Im thrilled, Vaughan said. The fact that its statewide shows how impactful its been. Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines also was excited. We plan on implementing this as soon as we can the program set up, Joines said. We havent set up those specifics yet. The new law specifies that funding for the civilian investigators cannot supplant that allocated for sworn law enforcement officers already employed by the city. Agencies throughout the state have struggled to fill vacant law enforcement positions, leaving many severely short-staffed. When a similar measure was introduced during last years legislative session, it died in the Senate amid fears that it was a move to defund the police, Vaughan and Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Whitsett, said. Hardister co-sponsored the latest bill with Reps. John Faircloth, R-Greensboro; Donny Lambeth, R-Winston-Salem; and Stephen M. Ross, R-Burlington. Faircloth recently told Lee Newspapers that the law allows sheriff offices to utilize the investigators as well. Though some in law enforcement were skeptical about the proposal, Hardister said, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police was in favor of it. This is good news for law enforcement, Hardister said. Sworn officers can concentrate on more serious crimes like assault and robberies, he said. Civilian traffic investigators were allowed under previous legislation, but limited them specifically to the cities of Fayetteville and Wilmington. In its recently passed budget, Greensboro included money to accommodate hiring civilian investigators, Vaughan said. Greensboro police spokeswoman Josie Cambarari said the department may start with five such investigators, though that number is not yet final. Before civilian investigators can be deployed, Joines said a state certification training program must be developed by the N.C. Justice Academy. After this training, civilian investigators must spend four weeks in the field training with a law enforcement officer experienced in traffic crash investigations, the law states. Under the law, Civilian investigators will not be issued badges, but will be required to produce agency-authorized credentials upon request. Vehicles issued to them will not have law enforcement symbols and cannot use blue lights, though amber and red lights are permissible. They are authorized to have vehicles removed that are obstructing a street or highway. Vaughan praised Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson for bringing up the idea when she did a ride-along with him when he was deputy chief. Thompson could not be reached for comment late Friday. " " How worried should you be about that lingering pain you've been having? Sally Anscombe/Getty Images Most of us have experienced random, mysterious and sometimes lingering pain at some point in our lives. Some of shrug it off. And if we're lucky, the pain leaves the same way it arrived on its own and without explanation. These pains aren't so different from the strange sounds your automobile makes from time to time. Something clicks, whirrs or squeals, and then the noise vanishes as quickly as it arrived. If you're not mechanically inclined, you think nothing more of it. Advertisement However, just like your car, your body's aches and pains often get worse over time, or they signal a much larger underlying problem. In these cases, ignoring the warning signs could be at our own peril. While not every pain you feel isn't indicative of an emergency, there are other mysterious pains you simply shouldn't ignore. Which ones? Keep reading to find out. Two Montana Republican legislators have received suspicious letters in the mail containing a white powder, Legislative Services Director Jerry Howe said Friday in an email to lawmakers. As of Friday night, neither were reporting any adverse health effects and law enforcement is investigating and will be testing the substance, according Howe. The incidents follow similar reports elsewhere in the country of state lawmakers receiving letters containing white powder. Rep. Rhonda Knudsen, R-Culbertson and Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, both received a letter in the mail that contained a white powder, Howe, director of legislative services, said in an email to legislators Friday. Rep. Knudsen gave the letter to the sheriff who is currently testing the substance, Howe wrote. Although both Rep. Knudsen and Rep. Durham do not have any adverse effects, it would be wise not to open any suspicious letters or packages until we better understand the nature of the substance contained in these letters. Duram's envelope included a letter warning him "it is important not to choke on your own ambition," according to an image of the letter shared with Lee Newspapers. Those who received a suspicious letter or package were urged to leave it where it is and call local law enforcement immediately. The letters had a return address from Montana but were stamped with a Kansas City Post Office mark, according to Howe. "Other threats may not be the same, so please be cautious," Howe wrote. In an interview Friday night, Duram said he received the letter at his P.O. box and opened it in his home. Neither he nor his wife, who was also home at the time, were feeling any ill health effects as of 9:30 p.m., he said. "I dont have any stress," Duram said. "My gut tells me its just flour. Its just harassment." He said the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office responded to the incident and that he had been in touch with the state Division of Criminal Investigation. This appears to be a deliberate attempt to deliberately stoke public fear and interrupt our government process," Bryan Lockerby, DCI administrator, said Saturday in an email. "Were working very closely with the FBI and our local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our elected officials and the public." An FBI spokeswoman said on Saturday they were aware of the incident in Montana, but she was unable to comment further because it is an ongoing investigation. Attorney General Austin Knudsen said Friday on Facebook that his mother, Rhonda, received the letter at her home address. Rep. Rhonda Knudsen, who serves as speaker pro tempore, referred inquiries to a GOP spokesperson Friday night. She said she "would not be intimidated by these kinds of tactics," according to spokesperson Kyle Schmauch. She thanked the quick response by the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office. She said a deputy secured the letter and removed it from her home immediately. Gov. Greg Gianforte said Friday night on Twitter that the "state will bring to bear whatever resources are needed to support law enforcement officers as they investigate." Earlier this week, more than 100 state lawmakers in Kansas were targeted letters containing a white substance. Law enforcement said no injuries to the legislators had been reported as of Friday, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. And on Thursday, officials reported that multiple Republican state lawmakers in Tennessee had also received letters containing a white powder. Reports of white powder in the mail are reminiscent of a time after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 when there were reports of anthrax sent in the mail, killing five Americans and sickening 17, according to the FBI at the time. In the months that followed, hundreds of hoaxes were reported worldwide. Even as summer temperatures soar and states wrangle with protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat, Texas recently enacted a law that axes city rules mandating water and shade breaks for construction workers. In state after state, lawmakers and regulators have in recent years declined to require companies to offer their outdoor laborers rest breaks with shade and water. In some cases, legislation failed to gain traction. In others, state regulators decided against action or have taken years to write and release rules. Heat causes more deaths in the United States each year than any other extreme weather. And in Texas, at least 42 workers died of heat exposure between 2011 and 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, though labor advocates say the number is much higher because other causes are cited in many deaths. A 2021 investigation by NPR and Columbia Journalism Investigations found nearly 400 workers had died of environmental heat exposure in the previous decade, with Hispanic workers who make up much of the nations farm and construction workforce disproportionately affected. Climate change has brought more days of extreme heat each year on average, and scientists say that number will grow. Yet only three states California, Oregon and Washington require heat breaks for outdoor workers. Minnesota has a rule that sets standards for indoor workers, and Colorados heat regulations cover only farmworkers. The new law in Texas nullifies a slew of local ordinances in an ongoing battle between the conservative Legislature and left-leaning cities such as Austin and Houston. The law, touted as pro-business by supporters, strips local authority in eight codes of law: agriculture, business and commerce, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources, occupations and property. Affected ordinances include rules on matters such as tenant evictions and wage practices. But one of the laws most significant actions is to nullify ordinances in Austin and Dallas that mandated 10-minute breaks every four hours for construction workers to get water and shade. San Antonio had been considering a similar ordinance; now no city may impose such a rule. Texas union leaders immediately drew attention to the potential consequences. Construction is a deadly industry. Whatever the minimum protection is, it can save a life. We are talking about a human right, Ana Gonzalez, deputy director of policy and politics at the Texas AFL-CIO, told the Texas Tribune. We will see more deaths, especially in Texas high temperatures. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as OSHA, urges companies to protect workers from heat-related illness, but for now has no federal heat standard. Several labor firms advise companies that they can run astray of OSHAs general duty clause, which tells companies they should protect their workers from a known severe hazard. Still, many union and migrant advocates have called on states to write more stringent regulations. California laid the basis for worker protections in 2005 with emergency standards, since made permanent and amended, requiring access to shade and water, along with training and emergency response standards. In 2021, Oregon and Washington state set temporary emergency standards after the heat wave across the Pacific Northwest killed hundreds of people. Oregons have since become permanent; Washington is working on setting permanent rules. Months after that heat wave, President Joe Biden directed OSHA to begin rulemaking for a federal heat-protection standard. It takes seven years on average to go through the process, and a rule could be stalled depending on who wins the 2024 presidential election. In Minnesota, where air conditioning is less common than in more southern states, state rules require indoor temperatures to remain below certain levels depending on the intensity of the work. Other state-based efforts have not become law. New York legislation that would have required worker protections including shade and water breaks for outdoor laborers in extreme weather died in committee earlier this month. In Nevada, the Senate passed a similar bill after language requiring hourly 10-minute breaks was changed to periods throughout the workday so workers could hydrate, as needed. The bill was last heard in a May committee meeting in the states Assembly. Bipartisan efforts in Florida to set heat standards for worker safety have failed the past three years, including in the most recent legislative session that ended in May, according to the Miami Herald. The Virginia Safety and Health Code Board surprised some observers in 2021 by narrowly rejecting proposed heat-safety standards for outdoor laborers just two years after voting unanimously to develop the rules. Opponents cited the potential federal OSHA rule currently being developed. Maryland passed a bill in 2020 requiring a new rule, but those standards are still being written as business and environmental advocates weigh in. Last November, for example, the Natural Resources Defense Council wrote that the proposed rule was too weak and unenforceable to have much effect. 64% of Americans are now exposed to extreme heat. Here's why that's worrying 64% of Americans are now exposed to extreme heat. Here's why that's worrying Heat waves have become more frequent across major US cities Current heat wave seasons last 49 days longer than they did in the 1960s The average heat wave lasts about 4 days, a day longer than in the 1960s Temperature increases are now more extreme Dehydration and weather-related deaths are on the rise Agriculture and energy: a point of no return Preparation is key to facing extreme temperatures In a sharply-worded letter to legislative leadership Friday, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen accused a Democratic lawmaker of fraudulently double-voting in multiple veto override polls, but leaders from both parties characterized the actions as an honest mistake. Sen. Kathy Kelker, a Billings Democrat, appears to have submitted two sets of responses to polls that Jacobsens office conducts for legislation vetoed by the governor after the Legislature adjourned last month. The yes-or-no polls are sent to all 150 lawmakers for such bills that initially received at least the minimum two-thirds vote needed to override the veto. Jacobsens office received Kelkers responses for eight of those override polls on June 1, her letter states, and then received a duplicate set of the eight poll responses on June 19. Attached to the letter are examples of the two versions of responses, with obvious differences in formatting. Both versions appear to bear the same signature from the lawmaker, and both were voted the same way. None of them amounted to a deciding vote on whether to override the veto. A legislator who knowingly creates false and fictitious ballots, with the purpose of them being used as her genuine official ballots, compromises the safety of the legislative process and raises ethical concerns, Jacobsen wrote in the letter, addressed to the top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. Kelker didnt respond to a request for comment Friday, but the top Democrat in the chamber, Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, said he spoke with her and largely confirmed Jacobsens account. He said Kelker apparently forgot she had already voted on the eight poll responses and later thought she hadnt received them. With a looming deadline to get her vote counted, she attempted to reproduce a poll response to mail in. Its as simple as this, she made a mistake, Flowers said. There was no ill intent to be fraudulent, there was no intention to counterfeit. She made a mistake. She was trying to be responsive on veto overrides. Flowers noted that because the Secretary of States office also publishes the results of each poll with how every legislator voted, theres no way that Kelkers duplicate votes could have somehow both counted toward the end result. His Republican counterpart, Senate President Jason Ellsworth, echoed that assessment. In her letter Jacobsen, also a Republican, urged legislative leaders to hold Kelker accountable for actions that compromise the safety of the process. Ellsworth dismissed the suggestion that discipline is necessary. I think this is human, he said. Were a citizen Legislature, we are citizens. We are not professional politicians, so I can see how it would be easy for someone to try to fix a problem that wasnt a problem that they thought was a problem. A train trestle over the Yellowstone River collapsed early Saturday morning sending a passing freight train into the Yellowstone River. The trestle is about five miles east of Reed Point and collapsed at about 6:45 a.m., said Stillwater County emergency officials. At least eight tanker cars from the Montana Rail Link train plunged into the river along with twisted railroad tracks, steel beams and concrete from the trestle. No injuries were caused by the collapse, said emergency officials. Several of the tanker cars ruptured on impact sending molten sulfur and asphalt into the river. "Both substances solidify rapidly when exposed to cooler temperatures," said Montana Rail Link in a statement Saturday. Sulfur is a common ingredient in detergents, fungicides and fertilizers. It is shipped in a molten state to prevent it from crystallizing, which would make it difficult to load and unload. Several other tanker cars were also carrying toxic petroleum products, but apparently didn't spill, said Stillwater County Emergency Services Director David Stamey. How much of the contents of the burst tankers were discharged into the river hasn't yet been determined, he said. Montana Rail Link hazardous materials crews were onsite Saturday afternoon assessing the damage and contamination. At least two tanker cars involved in the crash were carrying hydro sulfate," MRL said. "Neither of these cars have entered the water and initial air quality assessments have been performed and confirmed that there is no release associated with the two cars," the railroad said. The train was traveling westbound when it derailed while on the bridge. "The present focus of operation is safely responding to the emergency, controlling all releases and mitigating impacts," the railroad said. "MRL will work with local, state and federal partners to assess impacts to natural resources and to develop appropriate cleanup, removal and restoration efforts." On an offramp from Interstate 90 near the crash site, a long line of trucks carrying heavy equipment was staging Saturday to help clear the trestle and the train cars from the river. It's unclear what caused the bridge to collapse. The wreckage from the fallen train and bridge is so mangled, and much of it now underwater, that it will take a lengthy investigation to determine what failed, said investigators at the scene. Water-users along the river have been encouraged to shut off their flood gates and public access locations along the river have been closed. Because of the high volume of water and swift current in the run-off swollen river, trapping the containments with a boom across the river was impossible, said Columbus Fire Rich Cowger. But, the high water is also helping to dilute and disperse the chemicals, he added. "The chemicals will be fairly benign with the river as high as it is," Cowger said. The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office said early Saturday morning there was no immediate threat to the county. Water treatment plants, irrigation districts, and industrial companies are taking appropriate precautions, officials said. In Billings, Public Works Director Debi Meling said she expects the chemicals that washed into the river would pass through the city at about 8 p.m. City workers planned to test the water upstream to determine what may have spilled in the river and when exactly it would pass through Billings, Meling said. "Out of a super, extreme, amount of caution, we may shut down the water treatment plant briefly just to make sure whatever it is has passed us," she said. The city has enough treated water in storage to last the city 12 to 18 hours, she said. The Yellowstone River remains closed to boat traffic until the crash is cleared. On Saturday morning, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials also closed the Stillwater River from White Bird Fishing Access Site to the confluence with the Yellowstone River. From Twin Bridges Road to Buffalo Mirage FAS, the public should avoid the water due to potential contaminants, FWP said. This story will be updated Following another legislative session where Republican lawmakers saw fit to impose their will on wildlife management, we saw the passage of SB 295. Like so many other Republican efforts to privatize wildlife and destroy predator species, the bill is heavy on rhetoric and light on science. Grizzly bears have not recovered in Montana. Lawmakers want you to believe they are, but facts do not match rancher and outfitter-infused talking points. What has been lost in this conversation is the fact that grizzly bears should never be hunted, period. At what point is Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks willing to enter the 21st century? At what point is our governor, who lives to kill wildlife, willing to accept that certain species are so vital, so rare, that Montana has a responsibility never to allow them to be hunted? Such is the case with grizzly bears. Grizzlies reproduce far too slowly to allow any hunting. Like wolves, allowing our state to manage a grizzly season will result in the wholesale slaughter of this iconic species. The drive to kill wild predator species must be extinguished in our state. Predators are crucial to the health of all species. The state has proven it cannot manage wolves; they cannot understand that wildlife have feelings and pain and suffer; instead, they continue to cling to an 1880s approach to wildlife management. It is a disgrace and makes our state resemble a backwoods hollow rather than the modern state it has become, where wolf viewing brings more than $80 million to the state annually. Saying no to the killing of grizzlies is not a radical position. What remains radical in the 21st century is allowing species to be trapped, to be killed for prizes, and to enable faux science that allows such slaughters to continue. Trappers want a trapping season on grizzlies. What world are we living in that would allow such sadism? No, we have reached a tipping point; Martha Williams, who lacks the educational credentials to run U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is once again slow-walking a response to the grizzly situation; in the past, she was all for a hunting season. She must hear loud and clear We do not want any hunting season on grizzlies! We must put down a marker; if wildlife in our state are to have a future, we cannot continue to allow the destruction of such beautiful creatures. We cannot allow outside interests like the Safari Club, NRA, Don Peay and the Congressional Sportsmens Caucus to dictate wildlife management in Montana. Their goal is simple trophy elk and deer in a landscape devoid of predators, creating a sterile landscape prone to disease. I have hiked and camped in grizzly country for years. Never have I carried a gun. I have encountered bears within yards and awoke one night with a grizzly sitting on the edge of my tent in Alaska. The concept of killing a bear never crossed my mind; I was awed by their presence, something akin to a spiritual experience. You are a coward if killing one is your goal. Montana has made a grave mistake in handling wolves; we have a chance to get it right for grizzlies. To do that means never allowing this great bear to be hunted. "Altgeld's Castles" are buildings in the Gothic Revival style in five Illinois universities, all built at the initiative or inspiration of Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, pictured above. Altgeld served as the 20th Governor of Illinois from 18931897. During his term as governor, Altgeld expressed certain opinions on how buildings should be erected in the state of Illinois. In his second biennial message to the state legislature, he discussed how buildings were being constructed without consideration for their outward appearance. He stated that it was time for buildings to become more aesthetically pleasing in addition to being functional, and he suggested the "Tudor-Gothic style" as the most inexpensive way to do this. Consequently, several of the state universities in Illinois erected buildings which resembled castles in his honor. (Wikipedia) New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Plentiful sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 104F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low around 75F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. China's Jiangsu debuts first low-voltage DC emergency rescue room People's Daily Online) 17:31, June 21, 2023 The first low-voltage DC emergency rescue room in Jiangsu Province became operational on June 1, 2023. The facility, a joint effort by Jiangsu Women and Children Health Hospital and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Research Institute, marks an innovative advancement in the provinces medical sector. (Photo provided to People's Daily Online) The emergency room operates on a DC48V system, replacing the traditional AC system. "Hospitals typically use a 380-volt AC system, while monitoring equipment generally requires 5, 20 or 48 volts or other DC voltage levels. This necessitates various adapters to convert electricity to the required DC voltage, leading to higher costs, increased waste, and added inconvenience," explained Dr. Shi Mingming, director of the Distribution Network Technology Center of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Research Institute. Medical equipment is vital to patients' health and survival. The DC48V system, classified in the second safety voltage range according to the IEC standard, can meet the needs of such equipment. In August 2022, State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Research Institute selected the emergency rescue room of Jiangsu Women and Children Health Hospital to build a 48V low-voltage DC system and install a smart monitor to guarantee system safety. Compared to rooms equipped with traditional AC systems, the low-voltage DC emergency rescue room is safer and features more space-efficient, energy-efficient medical equipment. (Photo provided to People's Daily Online) "After the upgrade, the low-voltage DC interface can be securely locked, mitigating the risk of mishandling during the rescue process, enhancing safety and reliability," remarked Zhang Yubin, hospital director responsible for the upgrade project. In contrast to traditional systems, monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps and other medical equipment can connect directly to the DC interface via a wire, eliminating the need for power adapters. This redesign reduces the size of medical equipment by 10 percent on average, nearly doubling usable space and creating a safer, more comfortable environment for medical staff. Various types of medical examination and treatment equipment operate on DC power. Converting smaller medical devices to DC power provides a new research focus for the hospital's DC power distribution system and the downsizing of large medical equipment. The low-voltage DC emergency rescue room also reduces energy consumption and improves energy efficiency by 2 percent. (Photo provided to People's Daily Online) According to Yuan Yubo, chief engineer of the State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Research Institute, if all wards in Jiangsu Province adopted DC power, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by over 20,000 tons per year. This offers a new pathway for the medical industry to meet the nation's "dual carbon" goals. With costs rapidly decreasing, low-voltage DC technology displays considerable development potential in utilities, industry, commerce, and residential applications. The cost of a low-voltage DC system has been reduced to 0.5 yuan per watt. (Photo provided to People's Daily Online) After the conversion, Jiangsu Women and Children Health Hospital and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Research Institute will gradually try applying DC technology in other hospital spaces, and help it become a "green and low-carbon" hospital. (Photo provided to People's Daily Online) (Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming) Photo: Richmond News In her 43 years with the BC SPCA, Eileen Drever has never heard of police being needed to protect a doxxed dog owner. The senior protection officer was referring to Hugo the dog and the viral social media campaign that targeted its owner, resulting in the Richmond RCMP being stationed at the house. The RCMP have warned they are investigating this mischief after people were driving to the house and harassing the owner. I find it so frustrating when I know weve attended and theres no concern, Drever said. Haters continue to hate and theres nothing we can do. This all followed a poster and online campaign, identifying the address of the owner as well as giving out the phone number of the mayors office, that appealed to the public to report supposed neglect of Hugo. The BC SPCA investigates all complaints they receive of animal neglect, and they will issue notices if they find any abuse or neglect. While Drever couldnt talk about details about Hugo, she said no notification has been issued to the owner. While the Richmond News was visiting with Hugo and its owner on Thursday afternoon, a black truck drove by the home and the driver hurled insults out of his rolled down window. It was the third car that drove by in the 10-minute span the News was there, slowing down to look for the dog. Unfortunately, a mob mentality has taken hold of Hugo's situation, with police reporting the owner was being mercilessly harassed. Despite the warning from police, and the citys and SPCAs statements saying the dog is fine, the harassment has continued online and at the owners home. Drever said peoples love of animals is a double-edged sword on the one hand, its good that people are passionate, on the other hand, it can go overboard. To keep hounding an animal owner after an investigation has been closed is totally unacceptable, she added. Hugos owner didnt want to be interviewed for the story nor give his name. But he did say hes not keeping Hugo outside anymore as hes worried the dog will be stolen. The SPCA investigates for both physical and psychological abuse, relying on experts such as certified animal behaviourists and veterinarians to assess any animal thats the subject of a complaint. After investigating, the BC SPCA gives the owner the opportunity to rectify the situation. But, if theyre not cooperative, they can apply for a warrant to seize the animal. Part of the problem might be that Hugo is an outside dog, Drever said, and many people dont believe dogs should be kept outdoors. But its more stressful for Hugo to be indoors, she added. Thats just his nature. Targeting someone on social media goes against guidelines Animal welfare stories resonate with the public, explained an SFU media expert. They appeal to the public even more when the animal is named and has had interaction with humans, said Ahmed Al-Rawi, SFU associate professor of news and social media with the School of Communication. These two elements create the perfect breeding ground for a viral story. He cited the examples of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe, and the Norwegian walrus Freya, both of which were euthanized because of interaction with people. Subsequently, there was broad outrage from the public over both these cases. Hugo the dogs case seems to have particular appeal to people because the dog, like Harambe and Freya, is named and it has interacted with people. After the News published the story, comments on social media platforms continued to include more accusations of neglect. Not only is such a social media campaign illegal, its immoral, even if someone were mistreating an animal, said Al-Rawi. Even if that person was wrong, you cant disclose (the address) because it can endanger their life, he added. It also goes against social media guidelines, he said, but, unfortunately, social media companies dont often go after small, local stories, only focusing on misinformation if it's high profile, such as Donald Trumps election claims or anti-maskers. Despite social media companies having the money and resources to shut down such misinformation, in the end, theyre not doing enough, Al-Rawi said. If anyone thinks an animal is in distress, Drever encourages them to call the animal helpline at 1-855-622-7722. The BC SPCA gets 8,000 complaints a year, and they take each and every one seriously, Drevers explained. Please trust us when we say theres no problem that theres no problem, she added. CLINTWOOD, Va. Ballad Health recently held a trauma training seminar for first responders at Spearhead Trails in Dickenson County. Members from the Ballad Health Trauma Network provided AED (automated external defibrillator), first aid and CPR training, in addition to donating tourniquets and trauma response kits, to the staff of Spearhead Trails and several local emergency response agencies, including Clintwood EMS and Fire Department, according to a written statement. Spearhead Trails is a popular tourist spot in Southwest Virginia and attracts people from across the country, especially during summer. It consists of about 600 miles of hiking, biking and off-road recreational trails, as well as archery and firearm ranges. Remote and rural areas of Southwest Virginia are part of the regional Ballad Health Trauma Network, and we want to do all we can to take care of patients in this community, said Shannon Showalter, chief executive officer for all Ballad Health operations in Wise, Lee and Dickenson counties. We want to make sure the team here is prepared in case of a medical emergency and help familiarize them with response protocols through tabletop drills and various training scenarios. We want to help teach the team about all the resources available to them and encourage them to start thinking about how, together, we can be better prepared to respond. Showalter added that receiving prompt treatment and proper assessment is crucial in rural and remote areas like Spearhead Trails. We want to ensure first responders and staff members are properly trained to assess and prepare a patient, he said. That way, they can get the appropriate level of care at the right time and the right location, whether that means treating them in the field, sending them to a local emergency department or having them transferred to one of our three trauma centers. In addition, the Virginia State Police flew its helicopter to Spearhead Trails. Trooper Pilot Robbie Hamilton and Flight Paramedic Earl Carter reviewed procedures for medical emergencies and situational protocols for search, rescue and medical evacuations. Carter and Hamilton also discussed the capabilities of the different helicopters the Virginia State Police use and the resources they have available to respond. They had never flown a helicopter into the property before, so this really helped us educate the team at Spearhead Trails on how to prepare a patient for a helicopter arrival, Showalter said. This exercise brought awareness to what the helicopter can and cant do and the appropriate way of calling in air rescue resources. BRISTOL, Tenn. The Bristol, Tennessee Police Department and the Marsh Regional Blood Center hosted the first-ever Battle of the Badges Blood Drive on Friday alongside the Bristol, Virginia Police Department. The Bristol, Tennessee Fire Department and Bristol, Virginia Fire Department also participated in the event, which took place in the Bristol, Tennessee City Hall parking lot. BTPD Senior Patrol and K-9 Unit Officer Chesney Roark, explained that the Battle of the Battles is a challenge between the various departments from both sides of Bristol to see who can bring in more community members to donate blood. "It's just a challenge to get the most donors possible. So each donor, whether they're associated with a department or not, can pick the team that they're rooting for," Roark said. "The winner of the team gets bragging rights." Roark emphasized how important blood drives are to the departments, as well as for Bristolians in need. "If we have no blood, we have no lifesaving skills," Roark said. "This is the most important gift you can give to your community." Steffanie Sukel, director of Marsh Regional Blood Center, explained that Marsh serves every cancer center in the region, as well as 21 hospitals and five area rescues. All of the blood that they collect via their various blood drives stays in the area. "Blood collected here goes to help all the local patients. We don't send it anywhere else," Sukel said. "Basically, everything that we collect in a day is usually shipped out within a couple of days. So we constantly have to replenish the supply." To meet the needs of the region, Sukel calculates that they need around 30,000 units of blood a year. Sukel explained that the donation process takes around 45 minutes and emphasized that each donation potentially saves up to three lives. "The total time is about 45 minutes. The total time of actually donating blood is around seven minutes," Sukel said. "It doesn't take a lot of time to do, doesn't cost a thing and you can save up to three lives with one donation." The overall goal of the Battle of the Badges was to collect around 100 units of blood. During the summer is when blood donations from the community are needed the most. Sukel explained that during the rest of the year, high school students make up 30% of all blood donations. "The summer months are difficult for us with inventory because people are on vacation," Sukel said. Bristolians interested in donating blood to the Marsh Regional Center this summer can find their mobile schedules and fixed location schedules online. Marsh operates a collection center 1996 W. State St., in Bristol, Tenn. A total of 139 Bristolians donated blood in Friday's Battle of the Badges, which was won by the BTPD. At 9:42 a.m. June 12, Virginia State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash in Wise County. The crash occurred on Route 23 at the 60 mile marker. A tractor-trailer was traveling south on Route 23 when it ran off the right side of the highway and struck the embankment. The impact of the crash caused the trailer to overturn. The driver, Shandrick D. Ellis, 47, of Round Tock, Texas, died at the scene. A state police Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety trooper responded to the scene to assist with the ongoing crash investigation. ABINGDON, Va. Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia officials presented a $1 million check to Virginia Highlands Community College Friday to support construction of its advanced technology and workforce development center. The 20,000-square-foot center, which is under construction on the campus behind the Southwest Virginia Higher Education center, is designed to house expanded versions of the schools existing welding and diesel mechanics programs plus its workforce development efforts. The Wellspring Foundation feels very strongly that part of helping to assure the well-being of our community is economic strength, CEO Sean McMurray said after the presentation. The programs that are going to be housed in this building have for a long time produced a really meaningful element of the workforce. They train people for good jobs that are much needed in our community especially among manufacturers. This provides them the opportunity to build on that success and expand their program and we think thats very promising, McMurray said. The award comes on the heels of a recent $4 million Wellspring Foundation gift to the United Way of Southwest Virginias new regional workforce development and childcare facility near Interstate 81s Exit 17 in Abingdon. Our board members live in this area and are very committed to the well-being of the area, McMurray said. They are committed to doing the right thing with these funds and making sure were investing in meaningful, long-term impact is what theyre really looking for. They see a lot of value in this project. While substantial, the $1 million grant doesnt assure completion of the building. The estimated cost of the building fully equipped is about $8.5 million and Fridays donation brings the total raised to $6.02 million, leaving about a $2.47 million funding gap. The Virginia Highlands foundation recently launched its Close the Gap Campaign to complete the final phase of fund raising. We see this as a big boost that draws the community in to help us complete the investment, VHCC President Adam Hutchison said. The difference it will make for students and the industries we serve will be remarkable. It grows the diesel program in both square footage and technology as were currently housed in the old bus barn for Washington County schools. Nearly half of the structure is designed for diesel education, including high-door garage bays, and will allow for greater access. Another large segment of the structure will increase the space for the welding program by about 30%. Weve got technology, were ready to move into the building as soon as its done, Hutchison said. Among those attending the ceremony were officials from Wolf Hills Fabricators, an Abingdon-based firm that does large scale, custom fabrication including building flood gates, locomotives and box girders. We look to see if the student has gone through a welding program, HR Director Laci Brickey said. We work closely with the instructor so he knows the exact type of welding were looking for. Its been successful. Weve hired many students out of this program. And were looking for students who are certified. A crew from BurWil Construction recently resumed work on the structure. You just never know about a person. Its the old never judge a book by its cover thing. I met Sue Hooper of Stony Point in a yoga class. Id never have guessed that one of her passions is motorcycle riding. Must have been the yoga clothes. Had she worn leather to class and carried a helmet under her arm ... well, you get what Im saying. Sue heard me say I write a weekly human-interest column for the Hickory Daily Record. Almost immediately, she said she had a story idea for me: Motor Maids, a U.S. and Canada organization of women motorcycle enthusiasts. Sues been a member for decades. We exchanged phone numbers, and before long, wed made a date to meet with Sues friend and fellow Motor Maid Phyllis Stone of Raleigh. Phyllis and her husband, Baltimore Stone, rode their Harley Road Glides to Claremont for our get-together at Boxcar Grille. Sue arrived on her 2007 Honda Gold Wing trike, a three-wheeler. Her husband Geoff Hooper, who has a 2004 Honda Gold Wing (two wheels), made his way to the restaurant in Sues Tahoe, attached to which was a trailer holding the couples tough-looking Razor ATV, which they take all over the place to ride. Baltimore and Geoff kindly kept to themselves, so Phyllis and Sue could talk about their backgrounds and Motor Maids. Background first. Sues retired. Her last job, which lasted 25 years, was parts specialist at Great Western Motorcycles in Statesville. Years ago, Geoffs interest in motorcycles rubbed off on Sue. She said the first time she rode a motorcycle was on a track in back of a motorcycle shop. The owner put Sue on the front of a 125 Moto Guzzi, she recalled. Then he got onto the bike and controlled it around Sue. Next, he hopped off without warning, leaving Sue going around the track, not knowing what to do. I could keep [the bike] upright, but I knew nothing about the controls except the gas, she said. Sue yelled to the guy, who finally jumped back on and stopped the bike. In 55 years, Sue and Geoff have had 29 motorcycles, and Sues covered half a million miles. She and Geoff have ridden in 48 states and many Canadian provinces. Phyllis spent much of her life in Colorado. I raised three kids in Aspen, Colorado, she shared. I was a waitress and then owned a restaurant for 15 years. I also helped open and manage a Starbucks for three years the first one in town. Phyllis also worked some office jobs. She said shed owned the restaurant with her first husband who died of cancer. After Phyllis married Baltimore, who built custom homes, the pair constructed a couple of houses together. Like Sue, Phyllis became interested in motorcycles because of the man who interested her. Baltimore was the motorcycle buff before Phyllis. He started riding in 1959 when he was in college. Her first time alone on a bike, an FXR Harley, which is no longer made, was on a Colorado freeway 33 years ago. Trouble was, explained Phyllis, she didnt know how to lean and turn. Determined, she finally got the feel for it. Since then, said Phyllis, whos 78, Ive ridden 800,000 miles. Shes traversed roads in every state except Hawaii, nearly every Canadian province, and Mexico. She and Baltimore rode from Colorado to Alaska in 2012, camping along the way Sue said she and Geoff started off riding dirt bikes and later took up street bike riding. Phyllis has been riding regular big touring bikes Harley-Davidsons from the beginning. I learned how to do the curves, she said. There are lots of curves in Colorado. She explained that the goal was to scrape metal, which she did on the kickstand side. Baltimore said she needed to try it on the other side. When youre in a curve, the faster you go, the more you have to lean it, Phyllis explained. She not only mastered the curves, but she also began doing stunts trick riding. Baltimore was into trick riding as well, and the couple appeared in parades. Phyllis shared some photos. In some, shes standing on one leg on her motorcycles seat, lifting the other leg into the air and holding onto the handlebars. Another trick, she described, was bringing both feet over to one side. Once, Phyllis hit the brake by accident and fell, but she got right back on and continued in the parade. Phyllis rode in her last parade at age 70. Afterward, she decided her knees werent what they used to be. No more tricks, but shes definitely still riding her Harley. Both women are members of Motor Maids, Inc., the longest continuously operated motorcycle club for women in North America. According to information at www.motormaidsinc.org, a young woman and motorcycle enthusiast named Linda Dugeau [a Massachusetts native] came up with the idea of a womens motorcycle group in the late 1930s. The website reads, Linda wrote to dealers, riders and anyone she thought might know of women motorcycle riders. After this extensive search, she compiled a list from which the Motor Maid organization was founded with 51 charter members in 1940. The American Motorcycle Association Charter #509 was issued to the club in 1941. Sue pointed out that some of the original members became stateside couriers during WWII. Sue also suggested, It was hard for women back then. They werent supposed to wear pants much less ride motorcycles. Another founding member, Dot Robinson, who was born in Australia but moved to Michigan as a child, was more than a fan of motorcycle riding; she competed in endurance runs, pitting herself against men. Some raised a stink about a woman competitor, but Dot persevered and began collecting trophies. She became the first woman to win in AMA competition when she secured the Jack Pine Endurance Run in the sidecar class. The Motor Maids website credits Dot with setting a standard for women motorcyclists. She proved that you can be a lady and still ride a motorcycle. According to Sue and Phyllis, Dot always wore makeup and fashionable clothes. To this day, Motor Maids wear helmets whether its the law or not. Currently, the 83-year-old Motor Maids Inc. has more than 1,300 members in 37 operating districts. Sue has been a member since 1979; Phyllis, since 2000. Both have won awards during annual conventions. Sue was victorious during the Dot Robinson Rode Run, a timed event, during the 1980 convention in Daytona Beach, Florida. Phyllis has taken multiple high-mileage awards. I got first place in the Linda Dugeau High Roller contest 11 different years, said Phyllis. I got 43,000 [miles] one year and 41,000 another but mostly around 35,000. Phyllis is district director of the North Carolina Motor Maids. Sue served in the same capacity for 25 years. Interestingly, members must ride their bikes to the conventions. They can show up in cars, but they wont be able to vote or be in the group photos. Sue said many members, including herself, are their own mechanics to a certain degree. Sue and Phyllis will ride to the next convention, July 11-13 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Sue will be on her trike, having switched from a two-wheeler due to arthritis. Phyllis said, Its amazing how far women have come. Men used to be so against women riding. Now its much more accepted. One member, a 99-year-old whos given up riding, but continues to participate in Motor Maids, learned how to ride as a child when her brothers insisted she master a motorcycle. Another member rode from Arizona to a convention in Cherokee, North Carolina, when she was in her 70s. By herself, Sue pointed out. Phyllis, who always was riding with Baltimore and other men, joined for the purpose of meeting and riding with other women. You pick up new friends from all over the United States, she reported. Sue felt the same. I was looking for women friends to ride with, she stated. Husbands sometimes go along to conventions, wearing T-shirts that read, Protecting the public from Motor Maids since 1940. Hmm. A South Carolina tire retailer is the new owner of the piece of land on U.S. Highway 70 that was once the location of the Buffalos sinkhole. The Hickory City Council approved the $500,000 sale of the 1.66-acre property to Rims USA earlier this month. The sale comes four months after a Hickory company, CPM Enterprise LLC, made a $250,000 offer the land. Rims USA then made a bid for $300,000. CPM countered that with a bid for $314,950, which was $100 below the amount they would have needed to offer for a qualifying bid. In April, the city council voted to reject the qualifying high bid from Rims USA and to keep the bidding process going. City staff had recommended the action by arguing that CPM made a good faith error in calculating the bid, adding also that continuing the bidding could yield a higher price for the land. Ultimately, Rims USA won out with a bid that was double that of the initial offer in February. The property in question gained notoriety in 2002 when a sinkhole opened in the parking lot of Buffalos Southwest Cafe. A yellow Corvette famously fell into the hole around the time it first formed. Sinkholes would be become a recurrent problem at the site for years. The city ultimately took over the land and finished repairs in 2018 as part of a $4.8 million partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Earlier this year, Mayor Hank Guess said city leaders received assurances the land is safe to build on while Councilwoman Jill Patton said she felt confident the site was suitable for building following the repairs. Rims USA and Barney Gosnell, who signed the purchase agreement for the company, did not respond to multiple requests for interviews to discuss the purchase. CATAWBA The Drum and Wilkinson families had an unbroken 75-year tradition of gathering for an annual reunion until interrupted by COVID in 2020. That tradition will once again be renewed with a gathering on Sunday, June 25, at Pisgah Methodist Church, 4950 Little Mountain Road, Catawba. Registration for the event will begin at noon with a covered-dish dinner beginning at 1 p.m. at the arbor on the church grounds. No formal program is planned, just a brief update of family news and business since the last meeting in 2019, including a report on the status of the Drum Wilkinson Educational Foundation. Reunion organizers said it has been a long four years since the last reunion and this is a time to meet and reminisce and enjoy good food with family and friends, to commemorate those weve lost and give thanks for what we have. Recently and on behalf of the Texas Panhandle, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission plans to play a significant role in facilitating a project that could enhance the economic development of the area. "It is rare to see the Texas Panhandle viewed in a nationwide lens by the federal government," explains Alex Guerrero of PRPC, "it will prove to be a great responsibility but one that comes with great potential reward." The Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Program is one that area leaders are exploring and involved in to benefit the communities of the Texas Panhandle region. "The primary intent for this program is to assist entities in accelerating projects through innovative financing and strategies." Alex Guerrero, Local Government Services Director for PRPC told the HPO, "we're in the process of compiling information that was due May 30 for the application (RIA) on this funding program." Spearman Mayor Tobe Shields serves as the Chairman of the PRPC Board and says, "we are just in the startup stages of this effort. Rail would be great for our local economy, but it's going to take a lot of research and discussion to see how viable it is for a comeback." Guerrero hopes to "bundle" the region and coordinate efforts on a large scale to assist in anything involving transportation with major players such as US DOT. The City of Spearman lost its rail system when a trestle fire destroyed the bridge to Shattuck, Oklahoma. Below is an original story written by Ron Antalek in 2006: by Ron Antalek (2006) Most of us would never think much about a fire two counties away having much impact on our community, but this is exactly the situation today. A wildfire near Darrouzett in Lipscomb County consumed approximately 350 acres on Monday afternoon, June 19, burning not only many acres of grassland but also a trestle for the Southwest Railroad. Strange as it might seem the grass was ignited by a train traveling through the community. The fire fanned by high winds quickly spread from approximately 2 miles east of Darrouzett to the timbers of the trestle, which eventually was a complete loss. Several fire departments were summoned to try and control the fire, but weather conditions prevented a quick extinguishment. Southwest Railroad owns the rail and trains are seen occasionally in Spearman. Most of the time the trains we see have numerous grain cars for moving grain to market from our elevators. After the fire in Lipscomb County, it may be quite a while before we see trains with grain cars again. Sources tell HPO that repair of the trestle is in question and may not ever happen. A meeting in Denver with the railroad company representatives and the Top of Texas Rural Rail Transportation District was scheduled for June 29, and the outcome of the meeting was not available at press time. The Top of Texas Rural Rail Transportation District is comprised of three counties that SWRR serves, these counties are Lipscomb, Ochiltree and Hansford. The composition of the Top of Texas Rural Rail Transportation District is three members from each county appointed by that County's Commissioner's Court through a commissioner's court order. The Board of Directors for the District were appointed in November and December 2005. The first organizational meeting of the District Board of Directors was held January 11, 2006. The Board membership includes Clay Wynn, Ron Hillbig and J.D. Latham from Lipscomb, Clay Schnell, Richie Thompson, and Charles Shieldknight from Hansford, Kirk Courson, Benny Deal and Shaun Hughes from Ochiltree. The Board asked Ochiltree County Commissioners to appoint David Scott to the board as an "at large" member and to serve as President of the District. Shaun Hughes was elected Vice-President and Clay Schnell serves as Treasurer. J.D. Latham serves as leader from the Lipscomb delegation. The District is commonly known as TOPTEX in the traditional rail abbreviation. Negotiations for the sale of the rail and rail bed to TOPTEX were being considered at the time of the fire. Until the results of the Denver meeting are known, these negotiations are in limbo. Meantime, there will be no rail traffic west of the trestle east of Darrouzett. T his affects most of the grain elevators, including Cargill, Equity, and some oil service companies, such as DOW and Haliburton of Perryton. The loss of the trains also put a larger burden on the highways in the area do to forced movement of product to trucks. HPO was unable to interview any of the affected companies about the economic effect this loss has created, due to lack of time before the story posted. HPO will attempt to interview some or all of the affected companies to determine the economic effect to our communities. Related stories to this problem are to be included in future editions of HPO. Below are interesting links and information about the RIA Program Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Program " " This satellite image shows North Sentinel Island on March 5, 2018. Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images The inhabitants of North Sentinel Island may be the last uncontacted people on Earth. And they'd sure like to keep it that way. For centuries, the island's reclusive, Indigenous people (known as the Sentinelese) have rejected most attempts by the outside world to infiltrate their tiny tropical home in the Bay of Bengal. In fact, anthropologists have no idea how many Sentinelese people live on the secluded island estimates vary between 50 and 500. Advertisement In 2018, North Sentinel Island made the news when a young American missionary named John Allen Chau was killed on the island after repeatedly ignoring the Sentinelese's warnings to stay away. Chau was only the latest in a long line of unwelcome outsiders merchants, escaped convicts, fisherman and filmmakers whose intrusions onto the island have been met with an angry volley of arrows. But the few tantalizing glimpses of life on isolated North Sentinel Island paint an intriguing picture of an untouched society of hunter-gatherers. The islanders live in basic structures, spearfish from dugout canoes and wear no clothing at all. What's amazing is that this almost Neolithic society exists less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from neighboring islands where Indigenous cultures have mixed with the modern world, not always with happy results. "[These tribes] have been living on the islands for centuries without any problem. Their troubles started after they came into contact with outsiders," said Madhumala Chattopadhyay, an Indian anthropologist, in an interview for National Geographic. She was the first woman to visit the isolated tribe in the 1990s but has vowed never to go back. "The tribes of the islands do not need outsiders to protect them, what they need is to be left alone." The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld evidence collected through a warrantless search in a child pornography case from North Carolina. Appellate judges agreed that police were able to conduct the search as part of their community caretaking functions. The case against Alexander Hillel Treisman stemmed from a May 2020 incident in Kannapolis. A local bank manager contacted police after noticing that a van had parked in the banks parking lot overnight. Looking into the vans front cabin, police spotted an assault rifle, handgun box, ammunition box, and a container of a product that could be used both for legal target shooting and to make explosives. A side door to the vans rear cargo area was slightly ajar, according to the Appeals Court opinion Friday from Judge Marvin Quattlebaum. Officers discussed the situation. They all felt that, while not illegal, it was highly unusual for a van containing a high-powered rifle, a pistol, ammunition, and explosives in plain view to be left overnight and unattended in a bank parking lot. The bank manager expressed safety concerns to the officers about the contents of the van, the 4th Circuit opinion continued. Police also questioned whether there might be someone inside the van needing help. They noted that state law would permit a search addressing an urgent medical situation. After pulling the handle of the door that was already open, they saw more gun cases. [C]ombined with what they had seen in the front seat, the officers felt these additional guns in an abandoned, and unsecure, vehicle presented a public safety concern, Quattlebaum wrote. All the officers worried that visible firearms, ammunition, and explosives might entice someone to break in and steal those items and use them to harm others, according to the opinion. The officers also agreed that they needed to safekeep the valuable items for the owner of the van. Police planned to take inventory of items in the van before towing the vehicle from the bank lot. A large amount of cash banded and sealed in bank bags caused officers to suspect the van owner of criminal activity. They secured search warrants and detained Treisman when he returned to the bank and asked about the van. Later, FBI agents secured a federal search warrant for Treismans phone. Though the phone included no evidence of criminal activity related to the guns, explosives or cash, it did contain child pornography images, Quattlebaum wrote. And based on those images, a grand jury indicted him for possession of child pornography and for transportation of child pornography. The defendant tried to suppress evidence tied to the search. Treisman argued that the officers did not have an objectively reasonable belief that an emergency existed that required them to immediately enter the van without a warrant to see if anyone was in medical distress inside, the 4th Circuit opinion explained. He also argued that the officers did not have legal authority to tow the van. Last, he argued that the inventory search was a pretext for a warrantless criminal investigation. A trial judge rejected Treismans arguments. The trial court held that the officers searched the back compartment of the van as a reasonable exercise of their community caretaker functions and not for the purpose of a criminal investigation. The judge ruled that the officers were presented with an unusual situation that raised significant public safety concerns. The defendant entered guilty pleas on the child pornography charges but reserved his right to appeal the judges ruling on the warrantless search. In his appeal, Treisman accused police of using a pretext to undertake a warrantless search that violated his constitutional rights. Treisman does not meaningfully challenge the district courts alternative conclusion that the officers entered the back of the van to help ensure public safety, Quattlebaum wrote. U.S. Supreme Court precedent tells us that warrantless searches of vehicles in the interests of public safety carried out as part of officers community caretaking functions, if reasonable under the circumstances, do not violate the Fourth Amendment. We find no error on the district courts determination that the officers searched Treismans van in exercising those community caretaking functions and not as a pretext for a criminal investigatory search, the 4th Circuit judges determined. We likewise conclude that the district court did not err in holding the search was reasonable. Judges Robert Bruce King and James Wynn joined Quattlebaums opinion. Photo: OceanGate Experts warned OceanGate dangers of its experimental submersible Titan, which imploded near the wreck of the Titanic with five people aboard. Years before the Titan submersible made its doomed final journey to the wreck of the Titanic, diving experts at North Vancouvers Nuytco Research warned OceanGate founder Stockton Rush his experimental submersible plans werent safe and told him not to proceed. Rush, the CEO of the company which made the experimental sub and one of the five people who died in it this week when it imploded underwater, met with Nuytco founder Phil Nuytten and chief submersible pilot Jeff Heaton many years before this weeks expedition ended tragically, said Heaton. We had meetings with Stockton here at our shop in North Van many years ago, said Heaton. While Rush didnt disclose that he planned to go to the Titanic, He was talking about designing a deep-water submarine to go to great depths with an experimental carbon fibre hull, said Heaton. We listened to what he had to say. We said Thats not a good idea. We dont agree with how you intend to do that. Thats not safe. Rush told the local experts he was trying to innovate and push the industry forward. Heaton said he and Nuytten both told Rush there were safer ways to do that and implored him not to go ahead with his plans. When Rush insisted, the local company refused to be involved any further, said Heaton, telling Rush, Were not going to be a part of it. This week, it was revealed that the warnings from the Canadian submersible experts, among the pioneers of submersible diving craft, were among many that had been issued by leading experts with similar concerns in recent years. Multiple times people from our industry had asked them to do proper testing, said Heaton. They refused. Their own employees asked them not to do this. Submersible imploded in deep ocean On Thursday, remote-operated undersea vehicles discovered pieces of the ill-fated submersible on the sea floor near the Titanic wreck, indicating the sub had been destroyed in a catastrophic implosion. Authorities said the five people aboard would have died instantly. The news came after an exhaustive search for the submersible gripped the world for several days after the submersible abruptly lost all contact with a surface vessel and disappeared while descending 13,000 feet to the wreck of the famous ocean liner June 18. It was later revealed that the US Navy had picked up an underwater sound anomaly consistent with an implosion. Heaton said those in the submarine industry had got wind of that last week and suspected the possible cause. It doesnt make it any easier once you get verification that your worst fears have been realized, he said. Its still horrible. When he saw reports that a square piece of white floating debris had been spotted in the Atlantic, Heaton said he knew that at least part of the sub had imploded. The white object would have been syntactic foam typically used to add buoyancy to deep water submersibles, he said. Heaton said when the hull failed, it would have imploded inwards under the force of tremendous pressure. Their deaths would have been instantaneous, he said. Industry is safe, if rules followed, says submersible pilot Heaton said since the fate of the submersible became known, hes followed the suggestion that the industry needs more regulation. Heaton said he feels the industry is well-regulated, but OceanGate was an outlier in not following the rules. They chose not to follow the standard engineering practices of our industry. They chose not to follow the codes for design and construction of submersibles. They did not do adequate testing. There have been many manned expeditions to the Titanic since the wreck was discovered in 1985. But all other submersibles are built to class and certified by a marine classification company, he said. Heaton acknowledged its difficult to tell if all the passengers knew what risks they were taking, even after signing waiver forms. Most people dont understand the physics and the design behind what we do, he said. You should have the expectation that due diligence has been done. One of the people on board the submersible, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, is a submersible pilot who is very well respected in the industry and had taken submersibles to the Titanic more times than anyone else, said Heaton, who met Nargeolet and spoke with him. He was a passionate guy and an advocate for the manned submersible industry. Heaton acknowledged for those in the industry, its been an intense week. I get questions from my family, Is this going to happen to you? he said. Heaton said he is still confident the industry is safe. Were a highly regulated industry, he said. We are safe. If you follow the rules ELLIS GROVE Travel up the hill into Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site and you will pass a sign at the site of the French fort, built in 1759. The site, a 200-acre park near the southwestern Illinois city of Chester, includes the remains of the fort, a large campground, a scenic Mississippi River overlook and Garrison Hill Cemetery, established in 1891 to protect the graves of early settlers. It was long believed that the fort was occupied by French or U.S. troops until 1807, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Today, we know a second fort, an American fort, was located on Garrison Hill, thanks to the work of the Center for Archaeological Investigations Summer Field School at SIU. Students are working this year to find the walls of the American fort and are having some success. They located the corner of the south and west walls, finding holes for the wood posts used to construct the fence. Students found the south wall of the fort in 2022 using a magnetometer and ground penetrating radar to find anomalies. They then excavated the anomalies to find the location of the wall. Were finding really cool stuff, but most importantly, we are looking for the walls (of the American fort), said Kaleigh Best, who is finishing her doctorate at SIU. When the Summer Field School first began digging at Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site, no portion of a fort was believed to have remained there. The French fort is marked at the site with raised earth outline of what was believed to be the fort and a sign. Students began digging at the site, expecting to find artifacts from both French and American soldiers. Students found artifacts, like French buttons and fragments of pottery, but the only American artifacts were found outside the fort in what is believed to have been a trash pile. Students started digging in the French fort, but did not find any American artifacts, Best said. During the summer of 2017, they uncovered part of a wall of the French fort. The wall had a stone base and would have held wood on top of that base. They spent several years digging to find more American artifacts. Last summer, they found the south wall of the American fort in an unexpected place the top of Garrison Hill next to Garrison Hill Cemetery. On Thursday, they were getting close to finding two more walls of the American fort. Best explained that what they know from historical documents is that the walls were 125 feet long. She said they used that information to estimate where the corner of the south and west walls would be. When they found the corner, they realized they were off on the location of the west wall and changed locations. SIU student Paulo Mendes was digging in the new location Thursday morning when he began to see a discoloration in the dirt. It went from a reddish-brown color to more gray. That color change indicated he was digging at the site of the wall. Were finding lots of interesting things, Mendes said. They also were close to finding a portion of the north wall of the fort, after again changing locations. The first dig for the north wall uncovered what they believe was the kitchen of the fort. They found part of a knife, pottery, parts of a tea tin, pieces of a soup pot and animal bones at that spot. The have also found numerous buttons. Most are from the 2nd Regiment, which inhabited the American fort. The buttons were made through 1802. One has an eagle and stars. It was made in 1803. They also have found buttons of ghost regiments. Those were regiments needed to fight in a French-American war, but the war never happened. One of the buttons is larger and marked with "GLT." Best said that button was only worn by the artillery officer. It probably belonged to Amos Stoddard, who was the forts longtime artillery officer. The only other person who could have worn the button was famous American explorer William Clark, but he only spent three days at the fort. They found part of a neck clasp which held a leather sheath that protected a soldiers neck from saber blows, according to Best. The pottery fragments range from redware to porcelain to creamware and pearlware. The east wall of the fort and part of the north wall were disturbed when the park paved the road and a parking lot at the top of Garrison Hill. Best hopes they can find the walls so they can be protected from further development. Summer Field School has eight students and seven teaching assistants from New Hampshire, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as SIU students. Back in May, Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters that his administration had given lawmakers seven options to rein in costs of a healthcare program for undocumented immigrants which was growing well beyond affordability. Pritzker told reporters at a more recent event that he had originally budgeted the program for a $220 million increase, but since then the program was projected to actually grow by $1.1 billion in the coming fiscal year. So, he said, the state needed to limit the growth to $550 million. Pritzker said his administration believed we could manage the program with the number of people that are in it now to keep those cost increases at $550 million, which was a clear sign that an enrollment cap was coming. The administration has been meeting with the Legislative Latino Caucus about the unexpected growth in the program since March. And it's been pretty clear from the beginning that enrollment would have to be capped and other cost-cutting measures put in place to prevent the program from eating up even more limited state resources. Even so, some Latino legislators were enraged during the final briefing about the solutions the governor decided to put into place: Pausing new enrollment for those aged 42-64; establishing co-pays; implementing managed care; clawing back some over-payments to the Cook County Hospital System and limiting or eliminating backdated medical coverage. The plan was called racist by at least one person on the Zoom call. Several hours later, the Latino Caucus issued a toned-down press release, calling the governors announcement disappointing. They did, after all, vote for the Medicaid omnibus bill which enabled the emergency rulemaking authority. Others werent so muted. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez sponsored the original bill to create the program for senior citizens when she was still a state legislator. Ramirez and others predicted at the time the program would only cost a few million dollars a year. After Pritzker acted, she called the governors decision to impose the limits a false choice built on fearmongering and anti-immigrant rhetoric, which will put thousands of hard-working, taxpaying immigrants' lives in danger. But the sharpest criticism came from activists. The Healthy Illinois Campaign, which lobbied hard to expand the program even further this year despite the exploding costs, issued a press release back in May supporting the new state budget, and thanked the General Assembly for protecting existing coverage for undocumented immigrants who are 42 and older. But then the reality of what it really takes to save $550 million out of a projected cost increase of $1.1 billion within the span of one fiscal year fully set in when Pritzker issued his emergency rules. The governor went to Florida last week to receive an award from two prominent immigration groups, but the Healthy Illinois Campaign called on the groups to rescind the honor. It is absolutely scandalous that Governor Pritzker will be receiving an immigrant leadership award while in the state of Illinois he has rejected and perverted the idea that immigrants have the right to healthcare, the Healthy Illinois Campaigns statement claimed. Governor Pritzker is not different from Ron DeSantis hurting the most vulnerable immigrants, they continued. A billionaire governor so willfully causing pain to the hardest working people - is that any different from Ron DeSantis? Is this the standard now for opportunistic politicians running for president? Ouch. The Healthy Illinois Campaign has never accepted the governors cost projections, but it has yet to fully explain why they believe the expected costs are not nearly as high as the administrations estimates. The governor, for his part, seemingly contradicted himself when he told reporters a few weeks ago that the state saves money when it invested in the healthcare program. If they don't get basic health care, they end up in an emergency room and we all end up paying for that at a much higher cost than if we have preventative care. This is obviously an unusual position for the governor to be in. Hes been a darling, even a hero, of the progressive wing of his party since Day One. But, at least for now, hes taking some real heat. This is a welcoming state, progressive Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) thundered during Thursday's die-in demonstration at Chicagos Federal Plaza. Always, he said, Not only when it's convenient. And Democratic Socialist Chicago Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa recently tweeted that, while he had previously called Pritzker arguably the best Illinois governor since progressive John Peter Altgeld, he now believes that the decision to impose the emergency rules is Criminal. Q: Ive got a lot of old documents, tax returns, receipts from charitable donations, some 1099 and W-2 forms and the like. How long should I hold on to them? M.P. Answer: Different documents should be held for various lengths of time. According to the Internal Revenue Service, Generally, you must keep your records that support an item of income, deduction or credit shown on your tax return until the period of limitations for that tax return runs out. Keep records for three years unless you dont report income thats more than 25% of the gross income that you reported. Keep those records for six years. If you dont file a return or you file a fraudulent return keep the records permanently. Lechelle Yates of the Better Business Bureau of Central and Northwest North Carolina provided information about the retention of other types of documents. Keep these records permanently: Major financial records. Birth and death certificates. Social Security cards. Marriage licenses. Divorce papers. Military discharge documents. Life insurance policies. Wills and living wills. Keep the following documents for one year: Regular statements, pay stubs. Keep either a digital or hard copy of your monthly bank and credit card statements for the last year. You should also hold on to pay stubs so that you can use them to verify the accuracy of your Form W-2 when tax season arrives and receipts for large purchases. The Federal Trade Commission suggests holding on to your paid medical bills for a year before throwing the bills away. The organization recommends keeping documents that support the information that you provided on your tax return for three to seven years. They also recommend brokerage statements, tuition payments and charitable donation receipts for three to seven years. The BBB also recommends keeping utility bills, and bank deposits and withdrawals for a month until you can verify that the transactions have cleared. AARP has these suggestions about storing the documents so you can find them. Keep the documents in an organized fashion as opposed to thrown in a box or drawer. If you need them, itll make it easier to find the necessary documents if the IRS contacts you. Theres nothing wrong with saving your records longer than the legal limits if it gives you peace of mind and you can stand the clutter. You might consider storing some records in the cloud remote computer storage space that you rent. Although many people keep paper records, its also smart to have the documents converted to electronic files and stored in the cloud. Its a good idea to have two sets, in case one is destroyed. AARP recommends that if you have your taxes prepared by a tax professional, such as an accountant, or enrolled agent, you should keep a copy of the tax return and accompanying documentation. Although the tax preparer has a copy, you are ultimately responsible for the return. Q: My husband and I have a 1999 Volkswagen convertible we want to give to our daughter as a gift. It has a clear title, has been inspected and we have insurance on it because it is drivable. We live in Winston-Salem and she lives in Raleigh. How do we go about transferring the car to her, such as what forms to fill out, etc.? S.J. Answer: According to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, to transfer a vehicle title between family members, the following documents are required: Vehicle Title Lien Release if liens are shown on vehicle title Title Application (MVR-1) Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVR-180) Damage Disclosure Statement (MVR-181) Highway-Use Tax Exemption Certificate (MVR-613) if being transferred between certain family members. If transferring a vehicle between spouses, a parent and child or a stepparent and stepchild, the recipient is exempt from the highway-use tax upon completion of the Highway-Use Tax Exemption Certificate (MVR-613). The exemption is applicable to North Carolina residents transferring a North Carolina title to another North Carolina resident, according to NCDMV. Take the completed documents to a DMV license plate agency, pay the appropriate fees, and the title will be transferred. The forms are available on the DMV website on the Title Documents and Forms page. Q: When I was at the grocery store recently, the cashier asked me if I wanted to round up my total to the next dollar and donate the change to a charity. I told her no. Do the charities really get the money or does the store keep it? D.B. Answer: "Checkout charity" as it is known has been around for a long time. Sometimes it involves giving a dollar and putting your name or pet's name or on a shamrock, a heart or other item, depending what the charity was, and the store would put it up on a wall. And yes, charities get the money from the campaigns, which have proven successful for the donors, charities and retailers. Several years ago, N.C. State University released a study about charitable donations at checkout and discovered that the round-up method worked well. "We found that people feel less perceived pain when asked to round up versus when they are asked for a donation," said Stephane Robinson, an assistant professor of marketing at N.C. State, who helped with the study. "But we still don't understand why that is the case. That's a question for a future study we have some ideas." Q: Where can I dispose of a broken television? K.R. Answer: Televisions are banned from landfills. In Forsyth County, residents can drop-off old televisions at the 3RC EnviroStation at 1401 S. Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Winston-Salem at no charge. It is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. You must provide proof of Forsyth County residency such as a driver's license. There is a limit of two televisions per household per year. Guilford County residents can drop off televisions at EcoFlo Inc. at 2750 Patterson St., Greensboro at no charge. The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. You will be asked for your home address to verify that you are a resident of Guilford County. Imperial Brands Plc said Friday it has paid $82.6 million to acquire 14 oral nicotine pouch styles from a Canadian manufacturer that will be placed into the portfolio of Greensboro-based ITG Brands LLC. The pouches will continue to be produced by TJP Labs. Imperial said ITG Brands will relaunch this pouches in 2024 under a new brand, which will be supported by the companys sales force. ITG has about 900 employees in Greensboro, plus 775 field sales employees nationally. About 70% of Imperials traditional cigarette sales, including Winston, Salem, Kool and Maverick in the U.S., come from the U.K., U.S., Australia, Germany and Spain. Todays transaction is aligned to our focused, challenger approach in next-generation products and to our disciplined capital allocation framework, said Stefan Bomhard, Imperials Group chief executive. While it will take time to build our presence in this category, the proposition we are acquiring is clearly differentiated within the U.S. market and has tested strongly with consumers. Kim Reed, ITGs president and chief executive, said the TJP pouches will enable ITG to offer our legal adult consumers a wider range of product options. Imperial said the acquisition is consistent with its capital allocation policy to invest in the business strategy through small bolt-on transactions. Imperial already markets modern oral products in selected European markets under the Zone X and Skruf brands. The manufacturer added that it continues to be committed to an on-going, multi-year share buyback. Imperial said May 15 it projects completing a $1.25 billion share-purchase program by the end of fiscal 2023. The companies said the total compensation to TJP for the pouches could include an additional deferred sum based on sales volumes over five years. Imperial reported May 15 that it is on track to meet full-year 2023 financial projections, foremost low single-digit net revenue growth. Imperial had $19.23 billion in first-half revenue, up from $19.17 billion for the first half of fiscal 2022. Operating profit was up 33.5% to $1.91 billion, while post-tax profit rose 12.4% to $1.45 billion. Imperial reported a near 20% gain in its noncombustible product lines that feature heated cigarette products Pulze and iD in seven European countries and blu eCigs in the U.S. Imperial joins Philip Morris International in making a major acquisition in the smokefree tobacco product category. PMI affiliate, Philip Morris Holland Holdings B.V.1, closed in November a $16 billion all-cash offer for controlling interest in nicotine snus and pouch manufacturer Swedish Match Inc. Swedish Match made tobacco industry history in October 2019 when eight General Snus styles made it through the Food and Drug Administrations lengthy gauntlet for gaining authorization as a modified-risk product. Its Zyn oral nicotine product holds the top U.S. market share in that category. A modified-risk tobacco product application seeks FDA approval to advertise those products as reduced-harm or reduced-risk compared with cigarettes. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.s Camel Snus products has held the top U.S. market share for snus since 2006. Snus, which became popular first in Sweden, are teabag-like pouches of loose tobacco that users stick between their cheek and gum, but that dont require spitting. They are marketed in part for use in places where smoking is prohibited. A California real-estate investment firm has paid $1.43 million for a Winston-Salem retail property that has a Bojangles as its tenant, according to a Forsyth County Register of Deeds filing Thursday. The 0.88-acre tract at 3652 Reynolda Road contains a 3,562-square-foot building. The buyer is FCPT Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Four Corners Property Trust of Mill Valley, Calif. The company said in a news release that it is "primarily engaged in the ownership and acquisition of high-quality, net-leased restaurant and retail properties." It said Bojangles has a 10-year lease remaining on the property. The seller is J2 Reynolda LLC. Two people were shot and wounded in separate shootings overnight Friday into early Saturday in Winston-Salem, authorities said. Winston-Salem police responded shortly before 9 p.m. to 5 Inverness St. after their ShotSpotter alert system indicated gunfire at that location, police said. When officers arrived, they found damaged property, shell casings and blood droplets that pointed to a shooting, police said. However, there were no victims at that address and no other 911 calls, police said. Several hours later, Carlos Olivas Orellana, 42, arrived at the home and told officers that he and his roommate, Felix Leon Salinas, 33, were standing in front of their home when someone in the distance fired a gun at them, police said. Orellana told officers that he wasnt harmed, but Salinas suffered a gunshot wound to his upper rear thigh, police said. Salinas then drove away from the scene in his vehicle, and he didnt seek medical treatment at any local hospital, police said. Police havent found Salinas. A third roommate of Orellana, Heather Nicole Cross, 33, was in the home when the gunfire happened, but she also wasnt hurt, police said. Nearly six hours later, police responded at 2:43 a.m. to the 800 block of Bethabara Point Circle to investigate a reported shooting, police said. When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old male juvenile who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his back and arm, police said. The juvenile was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. The juvenile is in critical, but stable condition at the hospital, police said. This shooting doesnt appear to be random act, police said. Police are investigating both incidents. Anyone with information about these shootings can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County is on Facebook. The Text-A-Tip program at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police. A man accused of concealing another mans body on an old horse farm is now charged with murder, Winston-Salem police said Friday. Kenneth Evan Cox, 48, of Spainhour Mill Road in Tobaccoville is accused of killing Aaron Lee Wood, 43, whose body was found 15 days ago on the property at 400 Everidge Road, Winston-Salem police said. Cox also is charged with concealment of human remains believed to be from an unnatural death, police said. He was being held Friday in the Forsyth County Jail with no bond allowed. Cox was arrested June 9 in Tobaccoville by a SWAT team. Woods remains were found the same day on the 13-acre farm after a five-day search. Investigators dug up several areas near a barn on the property. An autopsy was performed to confirm the remains belonged to Wood and determine his cause of death, police said. Authorities had been investigating Woods disappearance since July 2020, police said. Wood was working on the property at the time of his death, and investigators believe he was killed there, police said. Police learned that Wood had not been seen or communicated with anyone since April 2019. His acquaintances believed that Wood had left North Carolina for a construction job, police said. His acquaintances told police that it was unusual for Wood not to contact any of his family members for long periods of time, police said. Jennifer Chaney, whose mother was once married to Aaron Woods father, Ronnie Wood, told the Journal on June 9 that Aaron Wood would frequently drop out of sight, only to turn up later in a new location. I think he did a little bit of everything, whatever he could make fast cash on, Chaney said. I know he was in pest control at one time. I think he just went wherever the wind took him. PHOTOS & VIDEO: Investigation at former horse farm on Everidge Road 400 Everidge Rd 400 Everidge Rd 400 Everidge Rd Aerial view of search at 400 Everidge Road 400 Everidge Rd 400 Everidge Rd 400 Everidge Rd 400 Everidge Road 400 Everidge Road A forensics unit at 400 Everidge Road Services Ardmore Baptist Church, 501 Miller St., Winston-Salem, will have services at 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday. The 10:45 service will be live streamed on YouTube and Facebook. Pastor Tyler Tankersley will continue his sermon series about Promises with a sermon titled God has Heard. Summer church office hours through Aug. 11 will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, closed on Fridays. The schedule of summer classes, seminars and camps is available online. For more information, go to www.ardmorebaptist.org. Mount Carmel United Methodist Church, 4265 Ebert Road, Winston-Salem, will have worship at 10 a.m. Sunday. Sunday school is at 8:45 and childrens church starts at 9:30 a.m. There will be a New Beginnings dinner church for all ages from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of June, July and August. Everyone is invited for a free meal, a message and music in the church fellowship hall. Victory on the Frontline Church and Event Center, 4307 Welcome-Arcadia Road, Arcadia, Sunday morning starts at 9:30 with a light breakfast. Sunday school for all ages starts at 10. Victory worship service with Pastor Michael Duffield begins at 11. Victory@pm starts at 6 with Preacher Don Faulkner. Wednesday evening choir practice is at 6, the fellowship meal is at 6:30. The Just As I Am casual and family service with Pastor Mike Duffield is at 7. For more information, please call 336-577-2873 or email mktvfl@att.net. Green Street United Methodist Church, 639 S. Green St., Winston-Salem, will have an in-person service at 8:45 a.m. Sunday. The 11 a.m. service is held in-person and is streamed online via Facebook and YouTube and is a blended service featuring jazz and blues musicians as well as hymns, spirituals and elements of social gospel. The 8:45 a.m. service is a quiet, contemplative space including prayer, scripture, preaching and communion. Masks are optional in the building for services with some exceptions. For more information, go to www.greenstreetumc.org. New Unity Missionary Baptist Church, 2946 Ivy Ave., Winston-Salem, invites you to join Pastor Willie Davidson and the New Unity Church Family each Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for in-person worship service. Let us praise the Lord together. Masks are available. Trinity United Methodist Church, 3819 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, invites you to worship with us at 10 a.m. each Sunday. The Rev. Doug Miller is the lead pastor. During worship there will be special music, busy bags for children plus a message for kids each Sunday. There are two Sunday school classes for adults. One is at 9 a.m. and the other is at 11 a.m. You are invited to the Connection Cafe which consists of a continental breakfast at 9:15 a.m. in the fellowship hall. For more information, call the church office at 336-765-0150. First Baptist Church East, 700 N. Highland Ave., Winston-Salem, will have a worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday. The service is available on Facebook and YouTube. For more information, go to fbcwinston.org. Parkway United Church of Christ, 1465 Irving St., Winston-Salem, worships at 11 a.m. Sunday. The sermon series on Touchstones for Building Trustworthy Community will continue. For more information, go to www.parkwayunited.org, or call 336-723-1395. Lewisville United Methodist Church, 6290 Shallowford Road, Lew-isville, will have contemporary worship at 9 a.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. and traditional worship is in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. For more information, go to lewisvilleumc.org. Unity Moravian Church, 8300 Concord Church Road, Lewisville, will have adult Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday. The service at 11 is in-person and live streamed. A nursery is provided. Childrens church is offered during the worship service. For more information, go to www.unitymoravianchurch.org or call 336-945-3801. Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, 3543 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem, offers two Sunday services: 9 a.m. modern worship in the Alspaugh Worship Center, and 11 a.m. traditional worship in the sanctuary. Both services are available online at http://youtube.com/MountTaborUMCVideoStreaming and the Mount Tabor United Methodist Church Facebook page. Persons not fully vaccinated, immune-compromised or uncomfortable without a mask, are encouraged to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing. For more information, visit www.mttaborumc.org or call 336-765-5561. Winston-Salem Friends Meeting, Quaker church, meets at Fairview Moravian Church, 6550 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem. Sunday morning live services begin with Unprogrammed (silent) Worship at 9:15, First-Day (Sunday) school for adults at 9:30, and Meeting for Worship at 10:30. Cheryl Bridges will bring the message Sunday. We are a community of seekers who meet together to worship God. We seek to express our faith through action, focusing on peace and social justice. We seek to find the Light of God in ourselves and in others. We seek to treat all persons with equality and integrity. For more information, email mary.simmons51@icloud.com. New Philadelphia Moravian Church, 4440 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, will meet in-person at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Sunday and will live stream its 9:30 service on Facebook.com/newphiladelphiamoravianchurch. You do not need a Facebook account to view the service. If you are unable to view the live stream, a recorded version is on the churchs YouTube page. Shallowford Presbyterian Church, 1200 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, Lewisville, offers a service in-person and live stream via YouTube at 10 a.m. Sunday. For more information, go to www.spcnc.org or call 336-766-3178. Ardmore United Methodist Church, 630 S. Hawthorne Road, Win-ston-Salem, has a traditional service at 10 a.m. and a contemporary service at 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Neill Shaw and the Rev. Katy Medinas-Lockley welcome all and lead the worship service. Both services are streamed on Youtube. For more information, go to ardmo-reumc.org or call the office at 336-723-3695. Lewisville Baptist Church, 125 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, Lewis-ville, invites all to celebrate Jesus Christ at 10 a.m. Sundays. Services are live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Sunday school is at 9 a.m. There will be midweek activities for all ages at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. For more information, go to lewisvillebaptist.com. Olivet Moravian Church, 2205 Olivet Church Road, Winston-Salem, will have Sunday school at 9 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall and an inside worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday. The worship service will also be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. For more information, call the church office at 336-924-8063. Salem Creek Friends Meeting (Quakers) meets in the parsonage of Fries Memorial Moravian Church, 271 N. Hawthorne Road, Winston-Salem. The unprogrammed meeting for worship starts at 10 a.m. each Sunday. For more information, email clerk@salemcreekfriends.org. Burkhead United Methodist Church, 5250 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, invites you for worship at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday a.m. Sunday school classes begin at 9:15 and 9:30. The service is also available on the website and the Facebook page. For more information, go to www.burkheadumc.org or call 336-765-6590, ext. 3. Konnoak Hills Moravian Church, 3401 Konnoak Drive, Winston-Salem, will have a worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday. The church receives a drive-thru food offering for Sunnyside Ministry each Sunday. Drop off non-perishable donations from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Primary needs are canned vegetables, crackers, pasta, rice, cereal, dry/powdered milk and bread. For more information, call 336-788-9321. Union United Methodist Church, 8935 Shallowford Road, Lewisville, will have a Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday school following at 10:45 a.m. Clemmons First Baptist Church, 3530 Clemmons Road, Clemmons, will have Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. At 11 a.m. Sunday there will be an in-person worship service. The Rev. David Pace will deliver the message. The service will be live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. For more information, call 336-766-6486 or go to cfbctoday.org. First Waughtown Baptist Church, 838 Moravia St., Winston-Salem, front doors open at 8 a.m. Sunday for Sunday school at 8:15. This weeks lesson is Renewed in Gods Love (Devotional Reading 2 Corinthians 5: 12-21; Background Scripture Zephaniah 3: 14-20). The worship service begins at 9:45 with devotion and announcements. Senior Pastor Dennis W. Bishop will continue The Love Series message with Luke 6 as the reference scripture. Face masks are optional. People who wish to worship virtually can find services on YouTube, www.youtube.com (First Waughtown); Facebook, www.facebook.com/FirstWaughtown/; and the First Waughtown website, www.firstwaughtown.org. Services posted online are a one-week delay. Home Moravian Church, 529 S. Church St., Winston-Salem, will have in-person and live stream worship at 10 a.m. Sunday. Bible dis-cussion via Zoom and in-person will be held after the service using the adult programing link on the churchs website. Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, 1905 N. Jackson Ave., Winston-Salem, will have in-person services each Sunday morning at 11. COVID protocols are practiced. Paul W. Hart is the pastor. Pfafftown Christian Church, 3323 Transou Road, Pfafftown, invites everyone to worship in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. each Sunday. The Rev. Rodney Stilwell is the pastor, and the Rev. Timothy Shoaf is the minister of Music and Programs. Other events and ministries are listed online at www.pfafftownchristian.org. For more information, call 336-692-5214 or the church office at 336-924-9925. New Friendship Baptist Church, 4258 Old Lexington Road, Win-ston-Salem, will have Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. A morning worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call the church office at 336-788-3112. Clemmons Presbyterian Church, 3930 Clemmons Road, Clemmons, invites you to worship at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Leigh Wisner will preach the morning message. The service will be in-person and streamed on YouTube at youtube.com/ClemmonsPresbyterianChurch. For more information, go to www.clemmonspresbyterian.org or call 336-766-4631. Kingswood United Methodist Church, 6840 University Parkway, Rural Hall, will have in-house Sunday school at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. Sunday in the sanctuary. The Rev. Bruce Updyke will lead the service which includes live music. Masks are optional for Sunday school and the worship service. The service will also be available on Kingswoods Facebook page. Visitors are welcome. For more information, email bruceupdyke@yahoo.com or call 336-969-5437. Rural Hall Christian Church, 280 Bethania-Rural Hall Road, Rural Hall, will hold the following in-person services on Sundays: The BLEND at 10 a.m. with Christian classes for all ages and congregational worship at 11 a.m. Youth ministries will continue at 6 p.m. Sundays, unless otherwise announced. For more information, go to RuralHall-Church.org and the churchs social media pages. Shallowford Presbyterian Church, 1200 Lewisville Clemmons Road, Lewisville, offers a service in-person and live stream via YouTube at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. For more information, go to spcnc.org or call 336-766-3178. Central Tabernacle Church, 715 Waughtown St., Winston-Salem, invites you to worship with us. Sunday school for all ages is at 10 a.m. Morning worship begins at 11. Sunday. The youth will be sharing their experience from the Forward Conference. Following will be an uplifting sermon from Pastor Sandra Bovender. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4055 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem, the 10:30 a.m. service Sunday will be held in-person, and also livestreamed at uufws.org/virtualworshipservice. Frank Benedett and Gary Trowbridge will present Comfort Zones and the Rise of Tribalism. The Forum will be at 9 a.m. Rob Volpe will discuss Activating Empathy for a Better World. The Forum will be in person, and also live streamed at https://uufws.org/virtualforum. For more information, go to www.uufws.org. St. Philips Moravian Church, 911 S. Church St., Winston-Salem, is worshipping regularly in the brick church in Old Salem at 11 a.m. Sundays. All are welcome for traditional Moravian worship in the historically African American church. Union Cross Baptist Church, 4350 High Point Road, Kernersville, invites you to Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. and morning worship led by Adam Woods at 11 a.m. each Sunday. Bible Fellowship Baptist Church, 4950 Warner Road, Pfafftown, will have services at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. The topic at 11 a.m. will be Discovering the Beautiful Son of God, based on the Gospel of John. The topic at 5 p.m. will be Unusual Things in the Bible. There will be Bible study at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The topic will be Doing the 52, studying 52 chapters, 52 verses, in 52 weeks. For more information, go to BFBCnow.org or call 336-462-4844. Faith and Family Baptist Church, 105 Nathan Ave., Winston-Salem, schedule of services: Sunday worship services are at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday school is at 9:45 a.m. and the midweek service is at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The church live streams all services at www.facebook.com/faithandfamilybaptist. A Facebook account is not required to access the video, scroll down for the live stream. Archive services are available there if you are unable to watch live. For more information, contact Pastor Robert Hutchens at 336-782-3747. Liberty Baptist Church, 1548 Old Hollow Road, Winston-Salem, is open for all services and also broadcasts all services on Facebook Live on Pastor Gary Styers Facebook page. Masks, gloves and hand sanitizer are provided. The entire facility is sanitized each week. For more information, go to www.libertybaptistnc.org. Rural Hall Moravian Church, 7939 Broad St., Rural Hall, has in-person Sunday School for all ages at 10 a.m. Sundays, followed by worship service at 11 with the Rev. Andrew Craver. Worship services are also available via online streaming at https://www.youtube.com/user/RHMoravian. For more information, go to www.rhmc.org. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 357 Old Hollow Road, Winston-Salem, will have Sunday school at 10 a.m. and worship with Pastor Emily Schlaman Larsen at 11 a.m. Sunday. The nursery is open. Weekly sermons are available on YouTube for people who prefer to join worship remotely. Search for: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Winston Salem NC. For more information, go to www.standrewsnc.org. First Christian Church, 2320 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem, will have an in-person worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday. Childrens worship and youth worship are available. A noon-day prayer service will be held at noon Wednesday. Worship services are also available by online streaming at www.wearefcc.church. For more information, go to www.wearefcc.church or call the church at 336-722-2714. St. Paul United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, will live stream its 11 a.m. worship service Sunday at www.facebook.com/stpaulumcws/live. Facebook does not require an account for access to the page. Additional information regarding prayer services and Bible study may be found on the churchs website www.stpaulumcws.org or by calling the church at 336-723-4531. Vacation Bible School New Friendship Baptist Church, 4258 Old Lexington Road, Winston-Salem, will have its annual Vacation Bible School with the theme, Twist and Turn from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday for ages 3 through rising 6th grade. Dinner will be served for the students in attendance. To register in advance, go to the churchs website nfbcws.com. For more information about VBS, call 336-407-0776. Union Cross Baptist Church, 4350 High Point Road, Kernersville, will hold a one-day Vacation Bible School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 15th. The program will be Gods Living Word. There will be games, Bible lessons, singing, and crafts. Lunch will be served. For ages 4-12. Fundraiser Bible Fellowship Baptist Church, 4950 Warner Road, Pfafftown, is accepting donations for its roof replacement project. For more information, call Pastor Loyd Taylor at 336-462-4844. Special events Vessels of Honor Church, 3608 Ogburn Ave., Winston-Salem, will have a community day from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. There will be health care screenings, food and clothing giveaway, hot dogs, and activities for children. Honoring Pioneer Pastors, at 3 p.m. Saturday at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 1201 New Hope Lane, Winston-Salem, a service honoring pastors with 40 or more years of pastoring. Long time musicians and ushers will also be recognized. Mayor Allen Joines has recognized Saturday as Honoring Pioneer Pastors Day. Ardmore Moravian Church, 2013 W. Academy St., Winston-Salem, will celebrate its 99th anniversary Sunday. The Rev. Kevin Frack, a former senior pastor, and Jason Clubb, a former youth pastor at the church, will lead the worship service at 10:30 a.m. There will be a cookout following the service with hamburgers, hot dogs, side items and dessert. The cookout is free, but reservations are recommended and can be made by emailing office@ardmoremoravian.org or calling 336-723-3444. Mount Carmel United Methodist Church, 4265 Ebert Road, Winston-Salem, will have its MAD (Music Arts Drama) Camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. It is for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Before and after camp care is also available. A Friday night performance and autograph party will conclude the camp at 7 p.m. Children with special needs are welcome. For more information go to www.mtcarmelumc.org. Union United Methodist Church, 8935 Shallowford Road, Lewisville, invites you to celebrate Independence Day from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 2. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and desserts will be served at 12:30. There will be live bluegrass music by The Tarheel Travelers. There will also be games and fun for kids and adults including a bounce house, slide, corn hole, and face painting. Come out and celebrate. Burkhead United Methodist Church, 5250 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, will have its next Third Thursday Health and Wellness at 11:30 a.m. July 20. The program will be bird watching at Miller Park. The August Third Thursday program will be line dancing at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 17. Bring a bag lunch and join us. For more information, go to www.burkheadumc.org or call 336-765-6590, ext. 3. Civic Nebraska hosts Civic Saturdays a civic analog to a faith gathering four times a year in Lincoln, joining more than 120 cities across the nation. The goal is to provide an inspiring hour of civic power, a gathering of friends and strangers alike to reflect on and wrestle with our nation's ideals while recommitting to being powerful citizens. The next Civic Saturday with the theme "Play Deep" is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, July 1, inside the climate-controlled gathering space at Van Dorn Park, Ninth and Van Dorn streets. There will be live music from Jack Rodenburg, original poetry from Omaha's Pat McEvoy, readings of "civic scripture" courtesy of Astrid Munn and Laura Uridil, and a "civic sermon" from national Civic Saturday Fellow Steve Smith. There will be plenty of snacks, drinks and time for socializing. Civic Saturday is free and open to all. Register at https://bitly.com/ CivSatNeb. Photo: Mike Wakefield / North Shore News files The B.C. Supreme Court has tossed out a Residential Tenancy Branch fine handed down to a North Vancouver landlord. The B.C. Supreme Court has overturned a $34,180 penalty handed down by the Residential Tenancy Branch to North Vancouver landlords who evicted their tenants. Colin and Shirley Louw began renting the upstairs unit in the home in 2018, the written decision released by the court last week notes. In June 2021, Milad Hefzi, son of the registered owners, told the tenants that his father, who was living in the downstairs unit, had been diagnosed with cancer and that they would be breaking the lease so family members could stay there periodically and help with his fathers care. Under provincial law, tenants can be evicted if a landlord or a member of their family wishes to occupy the unit. In the eviction notice, Hefzi indicated the apartment would be taken over by the landlord or the landlords spouse, and signed his own name as the landlord/agent. After some negotiation, the tenants moved out in November of that year, but early in 2022, they took Hefzi to the Residential Tenancy Branch, alleging he failed to move in. Under the law, the branch can award tenants a full years rent if they were evicted in bad faith $34,180 in the case of the Lowes. The arbitrator sided with the tenants. Hefzi attempted to have the matter reviewed by the branch, which rejected his request to show evidence that he had in fact moved in. He then sought a judicial review of the matter in B.C. Supreme Court. Justice Anita Chan sided with Hefzi, finding the decision of the Residential Tenancy Branch arbitrator was patently unreasonable. Under the legal definition, there was no question Hefzis parents were to be considered landlords, Chan found, adding an agent or someone acting on behalf of the landlord cannot take back the property for [their] own use. The evidence that the arbitrator was looking for evidence that Mr. Hefzi had moved in was irrelevant to the issue, and Mr. Hefzi was not required to produce it. Mr. Hefzi was not the landlord, she wrote. In my view, an agent for the landlord can sign the s. 49 notice. However, s. 49(3) makes clear that it must be the landlord who must occupy the unit after the tenants have vacated. Chan ordered the matter to be heard again by a Residential Tenancy Branch arbitrator to determine if the evidence shows Mr. Hefzis parents had moved in and occupied the property for at least six months after the tenants had vacated it. Compass, a provider of faith-based foster care and family services based in Kearney, has announced expansion plans to provide foster care services in Lincoln. With 554 children in out-of-home or trial home placement in Lancaster County, Compass is committed to providing local solutions for families in need. As stated in the March 2023 quarterly report by the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office, there is a need for foster care services in the Lincoln area. Compass aims to bridge this gap by offering its services and support to foster families in Lincoln and surrounding areas. Compass recognizes the challenges that come with foster care and is committed to providing faith-based support to local families who open their homes and hearts to children in need. The organization focuses on strong values and community support for families who are looking to make a difference in children's lives. "We are thrilled to bring our expertise and support to the families in Lincoln," said Ryan Stanton, CEO of Compass. "Our team is dedicated to providing compassionate care and a stable environment for children in need. We believe that every child deserves a loving and supportive home, and we are committed to helping make that a reality." Compass plans to partner with local organizations, churches and individuals to provide a comprehensive network of support for foster families. The organization is now accepting applications for individuals interested in joining its staff team, as well as people interested in becoming a foster parent who would like to have faith-based support from a foster care agency. For more information about Compass and its foster care services, visit compassnebraska.org or contact info@compassnebraska.org. Dr. Jennifer Janousek, professor of health and human performance, Jill Beisel, physician's assistant, Dr. Sarah Matthias, pediatrician, and nine Concordia University students including Seanna Patterson of Lincoln and Ian Fiala of Seward went on a medical mission trip to Guatemala for a week in May. Janousek has been leading this mission trip for the past 15 years to Santa Cruz Lutheran Church and Medical Clinic in Amatitlan, Guatemala. For these past years, the group has hosted medical clinics, a health fair, health educational sessions and conducted Kids Club, which is essentially a one-day Vacation Bible School. The students planned, developed and led the health education sessions and helped lead Kids Club. This year, however, was the first that the group hosted health education sessions about diabetes care and prevention, chronic pain relief and stress management. Janousek found that this was the most fulfilling part of the trip for her. "As important as it is to provide medical care, education on health topics lasts much longer than a five-day antibiotic," she said. The sessions were very well attended and received, which was a significant part of the trip for junior Rebecca Gebhardt. "Once we taught them what to do, many of them started doing the exercises, and that made me realize how open these people were to try the things we were saying," said Gebhardt. While the students and professors taught health skills to Guatemalans, the most significant moments seemed to be in what the volunteers learned from the people they were helping. "On this trip, I learned that we could choose to be happy," said Gebhardt. "We tend to envy others and compare ourselves to those who have a better living situation than we do." Reece Snodgrass, a sophomore who went on the trip, elaborated: "Everyone we met had such a strong faith, and they were grateful for everything," said Snodgrass. "They didn't have many material things, but they have so many things we could all learn from that are more important." For more information about Concordia University, visit cune.edu. The Nebraska Homeowner Assistance Fund (NHAF), established in February 2022 to prevent mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and displacement for Nebraska homeowners, will close its application portal Friday, June 30. Homeowners who visit the portal after Friday will be referred to an online waitlist. Nebraska has distributed over $30 million for the program thus far from the U.S. Treasury to assist income-qualified, pandemic-impacted homeowners. NHAF provides up to $40,000 in relief per household to homeowners who experienced a COVID-19 related financial hardship that began or continued after Jan. 21, 2020. Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA) aims to help as many impacted homeowners as possible before the NHAF dollars are exhausted, said Shannon Harner, executive director of NIFA. This fund has helped 2,568 homeowners stay in their residence with 48.91% of those assisted classified as socially disadvantaged. Waitlist Homeowners visiting the application portal after Friday will be referred to an online waitlist where they will provide contact information, answer pre-qualification questions and identify what type of assistance they are seeking. Priority will be given to applications completed before June 30 that are already in the program queue, then waitlist applications for those facing an active foreclosure, and then waitlist applications by date received. If funds become available after June 30, waitlisted applicants will be contacted and given a secure login to the NHAF portal to complete their application for homeowner assistance. Because all applications completed prior to June 30 will be processed first, it is difficult to estimate when, and how many, waitlist applicants will be notified to complete the full application process. Those on the waitlist who need immediate assistance after applying should speak to a HUD-certified housing counselor. Qualifications Household income must be equal to or less than 100% Area Median Income for the county of residence to be eligible for assistance. At least one member of the household must have been financially impacted by the pandemic after Jan. 21, 2020. Assistance can only be provided for the homeowners primary residence. How to apply Nebraskans can apply online through June 30 at NebraskaHAF.com. A call center (1-844-565-7146) is also available to provide assistance Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Nebraska Investment Finance Authoritys (NIFA) mission is to grow Nebraska communities through affordable housing and agribusiness. NIFA leverages its resources, data, knowledge and technology with statewide partnerships and collaboration to promote vibrant Nebraska communities through affordable housing solutions and agribusiness. For more information, visit nifa.org. "My purpose is to empower, live and lift my life out. The process is more valuable than the product," TRACKS member JaLeah Loudermilk told her fifth-grade peers, family, community members and area educators. Loudermilk's presentation was part of culminating activities where each TRACKS scholar shared their experience takeaway. The 2023 Belmont Elementary School edition comprised 10 scholars, identified by their school educators, who met from late March through May. Weekly they engaged in sessions focusing on servant leadership and the pillars of accountability, learning, service to others, and bolstering their overall purpose and that of others. Founded and established by Peter Ferguson in 2006, TRACKS is a blueprint and strength-based mentoring experience for at-promise youth. Each engagement compliments scholars' understanding of their self-identity, self-advocacy, leadership, vision and investment in self, with an overarching purpose to empower each participant to reach their academic and life potential. I look forward to seeing their growth each week and their continued desire to find spaces to elevate their voices for self and on the equity pillars of equality, justice, civility and kindness," said Ferguson, TRACKS facilitator and coordinator of Culture, Inclusion and Scholar Development at Lincoln Public Schools. Daniel Turner, a former TRACKS scholar and 2023 Southwest High School graduate, shared inspiring words, urging each scholar as a leader not to shy away and to "take their place." Belmont fourth grade educators encouraged those in attendance through the words of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967 speech "My Life's Blueprint": "Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are." The celebration concluded with scholars receiving a certificate of completion to applause by their peers and other attendees. Recent and other TRACKS alums will have opportunities to engage in summer and 2023-2024 offerings. 2023 fourth grade Belmont TRACKS Empowerment scholars are: Naima Acosta, Lukas Colon, Luna Doss, Jaztus Fisher, JaLeah Loudermilk, Brynn Murray, Sunny Ramirez, Jahziel Ramos-Vicharra, Avah Rogers and JR Rosas. At an emotionally charged hearing that, at times, became unruly, a Lancaster County judge gave a Lincoln woman probation and a fine for her role in a September 2022 crash that killed Jeffery Zeiger, a motorcyclist whose friends and family were largely outraged by the judge's ruling. "My dad's life is worth $1,000?" shouted one of Zeiger's daughters in the aftermath of the hearing, which transpired in front of a packed courtroom at the Lancaster County courthouse Friday morning. "Seriously? Seriously? And 24 months of probation?" the teen shouted, referring to the sentence that Judge Joseph Dalton had just given 33-year-old Marciyanna Nielsen for her role in the crash that killed the 45-year-old man. The outburst was one of many Friday morning in Courtroom 20, where more than 50 supporters nearly all of whom had attended in support of Zeiger's family formed a standing-room-only crowd for Nielsen's sentencing. Nielsen, who pulled her Hyundai sedan into Zeiger's path on West O Street at about 2:30 p.m. Sept. 24, pleaded no contest in April to motor vehicle homicide, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Many of the onlookers wept throughout Friday's hearing as Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Eric Decker centered his monologue on who the 45-year-old motorcyclist was to his friends and family. "A father, a husband, a brother, a coworker," Decker said. "I think one of the victim impact statements describes him best: as a superhero to these folks." "Jeff earned that title," the prosecutor added. "He was that superhero to those people. He was there, not just in title, but he was there every day for those folks. And that, judge, is why that's a monumental loss to those folks." When Zeiger collided with Nielsen's sedan that day, Decker said, he had been on his way home to build a shelf for one of his daughters and work on a car for another. He had been with his wife, Marissa, for 20 years. "I think what those folks would like you, judge, to remember the most of is and what's so tragic to them is that they won't have a father to walk them down the aisle, to be there for holidays," Decker said, as once-quiet cries grew louder in the courtroom. Both Decker and Andrew Joyce, Nielsen's attorney, noted that police investigators, including a drug recognition expert, detected no signs of drug or alcohol use playing a role in the crash a fact that drew the ire of some attendees, who seemed not to believe either lawyer. Joyce opened his comments Friday by acknowledging the outpouring of emotion from Zeiger's friends and family for the 45-year-old, who he said was "truly loved" and "a great man." Then, the attorney repeatedly described the crash in many of the same terms Dalton would later use in his ruling: an unintentional action, a horrible tragedy, an accident. "Nobody wanted this to happen," Joyce said. He described Nielsen as a former employee of Nebraska Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Office a fact that drew scoffs from the crowd of observers. She wasn't on her phone or driving distracted, her attorney said, and didn't dart her way from Northwest 19th Street into Zeiger's path. She had stopped for eight seconds before pulling onto West O Street, he said. "I sincerely believe that she never saw the motorcyclist," Joyce said. Nielsen, reading from prepared remarks, repeatedly apologized to Zeiger's loved ones even as she acknowledged that "nothing I can speak of can bring Mr. Zeiger back." "I can only imagine the suffering the family is experiencing as a result of this accident and will continue to experience on every holiday, birthday or a random Tuesday in perpetuity," she said. "I am so sorry you're going through this. I'm so sorry." Then came Dalton, the judge, who noted Nielsen's lack of criminal record and lamented the accidental nature of the crime committed the kind of "very difficult case" the judge seemed to dread. "This is one of those cases, unfortunately, that this court typically refers to as: 'but for the grace of God go I.'" he said. "This could happen to anybody." Dalton described what statute allows up to a year of incarceration for the motor vehicle homicide charge that defendants used to be able to have dismissed through diversion court. Then, the judge said he saw Nielsen as a suitable candidate for probation, prompting outcries from the crowd of attendees some of whom hurled expletives toward the judge as others stormed out of Courtroom 20 in tears. "Understand this folks: This is a court of law and you will be dignified in this courtroom," Dalton said, before threatening to clear the entire courtroom. "If you cannot act in a dignified in a manner I will have you excused." Less than a minute later, the judge sentenced Nielsen to two years of probation and the $1,000 fine, adjourning the matter as Zeiger's family wept. Remembering Lincoln's homicide victims of 2023 1. Julian A. Martinez 2. Rudy Requejo Jr. 3. Ronald Gonzalez Rivas 4. Christopher Karmazin 5. Damien Brave 6. Mark Kruger Four basics systems of economics are communism, fascism, socialism and capitalism. All systems are controlled to some degree by government. Economics is the system of control of the means and production of wealth and its distribution. We in the United States are lucky to have a capitalist system, which allows for unlimited success depending upon individual motivation and desire to succeed. Capitalism doesnt work for everyone, especially those in the lowest economic status, but it is best for most. Our capitalist society is democratic in nature, which provides for freedoms and privileges not available, in most cases, to those in other forms of government. We are in danger of losing our democracy. My greatest fear is that the potential exists for fascism to replace our democracy. What is fascism? It is a dictatorship in the control of a single individual and their loyal supporters. A fascist system controls all aspects of society: government, business, social order, books we read and school curricula and tends to be nationalist and racist in nature. There is little room for individualism. Thinking of our current situation, Trump advocates elimination of parts of our constitution, the Justice Department and the FBI. If successful this would clear the way for absolute control without a justice system and police force to maintain social order. Think of the first half of the 20th century and recall Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. Also, think currently of Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Venezuela, Hungary, North Korea, Vietnam and China. I am sure you, like me, would not want the United States to go in that direction. Tonight, go to bed worried and concerned and tomorrow awaken with hope and resolve that we can maintain our democracy. Remember to vote. Bob Hardy, Lincoln This bonus episode of Hot off the Wire looks at the state of abortion access in the United State one year after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Stories include: A year after the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, 25 million women of childbearing age now live in states where the law makes abortions harder to get. Saturday is the one year anniversary of the courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling, which struck down Roe v. Wade. Abortion law is now in the hands of state lawmakers and courts. Most Republican-led states have restricted abortion. Fourteen ban abortion in most cases at any point in pregnancy. Twenty Democratic-leaning states have protected access to abortion. Many women are traveling across state lines to end their pregnancies. Because of reporting lags and gaps in data, the number of abortions across the U.S. since Dobbs is not completely clear. Many maternal care doctors in states that have restrictive abortion laws are facing the choice of whether to stay or leave after last year's Supreme Court decision. The doctors are weighing tough questions about medical ethics, their own families and whether they can provide good care without risking their careers or winding up in prison. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a law to protect doctors in the state who prescribe abortion pills to patients in other states where the procedure is outlawed. The law was signed Friday, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion. It bars New York officials from cooperating with certain legal actions initiated in states where abortion is banned, such as arrests or extraditions. President Joe Biden is banking on reproductive rights to be a galvanizing issue for voters in 2024. The Democrat is collecting three top-level endorsements, issuing an executive order to bolster access to contraception and hosting a rally Friday ahead of the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned federal abortion protections. The endorsements are from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emilys List. The Associated Press About this program Host Terry Lipshetz is a senior producer for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate. Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here. For more than four decades, the U.S. government has been paying cities and states to move homeowners away from areas that are at high risk of severe flooding. When a hurricane or major flooding event devastates an area, a neighborhood can send a request for the local or state government to buy the impacted land and give residents money to start over someplace else. The Federal Emergency Management Agencys buyout program is a form of so-called managed retreat a long process that relocates people, businesses, homes and infrastructure to an area thats safer from the impacts of climate change-fueled weather events. But until recently, little was known about where people ultimately moved and whether their new location actually reduced their flood risk. A new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters which coincides with a managed retreat conference unfolding in New York City this week provides a clearer picture of these home buyouts. Data from thousands of home buyouts shows people arent moving that far from their original homes and often they are moving within the same floodplain. But overall, their risk of flooding decreased after the move, a nod to the programs success. Researchers also found that race has played a role in who is moving and where theyre relocating to. As climate change and rising insurance costs increase the pressures to retreat from the coast and flooded areas, we need to pay more attention to where people are going, James Elliott, a professor of sociology at Rice University and a co-author on the study, told CNN. The findings point to how the program plays out differently in different types of communities and neighborhoods across the country, he said. A program for white flight? Using flood risk estimates, housing values, race and income data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and FEMA relocation data between 1990 and 2017, researchers from Rice University built a nationwide database to map out where nearly 10,000 Americans sold their flood-prone homes and where they moved. They found people who have taken advantage of the FEMA buyouts typically did not move that far to reduce their risk, and usually stayed within the same floodplain. On average, buyout participants reduced their future flood risk by up to 65%, Elliott said. The average driving distance between their former homes and their new ones was around seven miles, with almost 74% of homeowners remaining within 20 miles of their old, flood-damaged homes. The findings were also racially segmented, Elliot said. About 96% of homeowners who relocated from a predominantly white neighborhood ended up moving to another majority white community. In contrast, residents of predominantly Black and Hispanic communities were far more likely to relocate to a new neighborhood with a different demographic: Only 48 percent of Black homeowners who go through the buyout moved to predominantly Black neighborhoods. The study also found that buyout areas with predominantly white homeowners had a nearly 90% chance of flooding by 2050, while majority-Black buyout areas had a roughly 50% chance, suggesting that white residents tend to only participate in buyouts when flood risk is much more intense. Though the data suggests that homeowners in white neighborhoods have a higher tolerance for flood risk, 80% of the people who took advantage of the FEMA program previously lived in majority-white neighborhoods. This could be because white communities are more successful at winning the opportunity and money to participate in the FEMA program, Elliott said. The home buyout program, which is the largest managed-retreat initiative in the country so far, is disproportionately targeted toward whiter residential areas, Elliott said. Communities of color and lower income areas just have fewer options to move nearby, so they are less likely to participate in the managed buyout, Elliott said. In Houston, he found in a previous study that most of the people participating in buyouts in racially diverse communities tend to be white homeowners. Its sort of the last wave of white flight in those neighborhoods, he added. And when flood risks come, the final white residents begin to pull up stakes through the buyout program and move further out. Alexander de Sherbinin, a senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School and deputy manager of NASAs Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, said its not clear from the study that white homeowners are reluctant to move to racially diverse neighborhoods, and noted that there is evidence to the contrary. De Sherbinin pointed out that there is a process of climate gentrification playing out in areas that have experienced climate disasters, whereby more affluent households are moving into ethnically diverse neighborhoods that are less at risk of flooding, and are even displacing local residents. He pointed to Miamis Little Haiti neighborhood as an example of this phenomenon, where higher ground helps protect the neighborhood from sea level rise and higher storm surges. The research findings make sense in one regard, which is that whiter, more affluent neighborhoods are more likely to have the insurance coverage and resources to stay in place, despite rising risks, de Sherbinin told CNN. In other words, theyre able to rebuild, and possibly accommodate risks by raising their houses above flood lines. As the climate crisis advances, more homeowners and businesses will be forced to relocate, adding stress and vulnerability to new regions. Previous research has shown that climate migration will become more likely as the planet warms and people seek places they consider safer and more stable. We really need to think about how people relocate locally, what the options are, and how the ongoing racial segregation, especially in urban environments, is affecting those local retreats and peoples decisions and abilities not to retreat, because all we see are the people who actually say yes to the program, Elliott said. Thats the classic thing with climate change its not about if people have to move from these places, but when and how. ___ How the flood risk has changed in your state, according to FEMA How the flood risk has changed in your state, according to FEMA Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge yet to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin and calling for his arrest. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin claimed Saturday that his forces had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and adding that his forces arent fighting against children. But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way, he said. We are moving forward and will go until the end. He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagners convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. He also said his rebelling troops downed a Russian military helicopter that fired on a convoy. Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. Prigozhin said his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. This is not a military coup, but a march of justice, Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his criminal and treacherous orders. It called his statements a stab in the back to Russian troops and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. Russias chief prosecutor said the criminal investigation was justified and an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and all the necessary measures were being taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. Wagner's forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition, but with his accusations and calls for armed rebellion Friday, he appeared to go a step too far. The Russian Defense Ministry required all military contractors to sign contracts with it before July 1, but Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply. In a statement issued late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise with the Defense Ministry, but they have treacherously cheated us. Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed, he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then cowardly fled. This scum will be stopped, he said of Shoigu. The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped, he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to restore justice. Security also was heightened in Rostov-on-Don, Tass reported. Its correspondent said military and law enforcement personnel were seen on the streets, with at least one armored personnel carrier and aerial patrols. Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia's enemies, who are "waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation. Another top military officer, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, denounced Prigozhins move as madness and threatened to unleash a civil war in Russia. Its a stab in the back to the country and the president, he said. Its impossible to imagine a stronger blow to the image of Russia and its armed forces. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia. Follow live updates: Vladimir Putin's history of conflict with former Soviet nations: the timeline and human cost Vladimir Putin's history of conflict with former Soviet nations: the timeline and human cost 1999: War of Dagestan 1999-2009: Second Chechen War 2008: Russo-Georgian War 2009-2017: War in the North Caucasus 2014-present: Russo-Ukraine War This story is part of a larger package examining a loophole Seward County uses to seize millions from motorists without convicting them of crimes. The main story can be found here. Records related to civil forfeiture are scattered across multiple state and federal agencies, and are sometimes incomplete. To get as full a picture as possible of asset forfeiture in Seward County and Nebraska, the Flatwater Free Press: * Spoke to nearly three dozen experts, law enforcement officers, former lawmakers, defense attorneys and drivers who have been pulled over in Seward County. * Requested a county-by-county breakdown of civil forfeitures from the Nebraska Judicial Branch, finding that Seward County accounted for 1 in 3 forfeitures in the past 10 years. According to division researchers, this number could be a slight undercount. * Used a federal Department of Justice database and annual forms submitted by law enforcement agencies to calculate five years of forfeiture profits for all Nebraska agencies. This number includes both civil and criminal forfeitures. An analysis by the Institute for Justice found that from 2000 to 2019, 16% of DOJ forfeitures were processed criminally. From 2000 to 2016, 2% of Treasury forfeitures were. * Used county financial records to calculate how much civil forfeiture money went into the countys drug and education fund over the past five years. An initial records request sent by reporter Natalia Alamdari to the Seward County Sheriffs Department was denied the department pointed the Flatwater Free Press to annual forfeiture reports it files with the state auditor. But those reports, dating back to 2016, were either incomplete or missing entirely. Instead, Alamdari read a decades worth of court records in Seward County, combing through documents to answer the following questions: What agencies were involved? 78 times out of 90 87% of stops a state civil asset forfeiture stop was initiated by the Seward County Sheriffs Department. Three other times, Saline or York County Sheriffs deputies were making stops on the interstate in Seward County, working as task force members. Did the person sign a notice of abandonment? In 68 cases out of 90 75% of stops drivers and passengers signed a form agreeing to abandon any claim to the money seized. Did they go through a separate criminal case? In six of the 90 forfeiture cases, a passenger or driver was also going through a related criminal case. How much money was seized from motorists? The money seized in the 90 cases totaled $2.17 million. Did they get their money back? 80 drivers never got their money back. In total, $2 million was split between a county fund and a fund for Nebraska education. How did we calculate that $7.5 million was hauled in by Seward County? Equitable sharing allows local law enforcement agencies to seize and forfeit money or vehicles under federal law. Local agencies can receive up to 80% of the proceeds. Every year, law enforcement agencies are required to submit an Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification to the federal government, listing the money received from equitable sharing and how it was spent. These forms list funds from both the Department of Justice and Treasury equitable share programs. From 2018 to 2022, the Seward County Sheriffs Department and county attorneys office received a combined $7.1 million through equitable sharing, according to each departments federal forms. To calculate money from civil forfeitures at the state level, the Flatwater Free Press used county financial records from 2018 to 2022. Every deposit into the countys Drug Enforcement and Education Fund that was labeled with a civil case was added up to a total of $364,792.10. $364,792.10 (state forfeitures) + $7,130,952.46 (federal) = $7,495,744.56 (combined) Top Journal Star photos for June 2023 Seward County routinely seizes money from motorists on Interstate 80, keeps the cash and never convicts the drivers of a crime. The countys sheriffs department and county attorney use this practice, known as civil asset forfeiture, so often that a third of all cases of this kind in Nebraska state courts come from Seward County, population 17,962, a Flatwater Free Press analysis of court records shows. The county has hauled in $7.5 million in forfeited cash in the past five years, some of it from civil forfeitures that state lawmakers thought they banned in 2016. In Seward County, nearly all civil forfeitures begin when a deputy stops an out-of-state driver on the countys 24-mile stretch of Interstate 80. Much of this money ends up in law enforcement hands, after drivers faced with a split-second choice between money or jail often sign a form and abandon their cash. Many in law enforcement say civil forfeiture is an important tool to take money out of criminal hands. The point is that were trying to dismantle these criminal organizations if you take their money, youre crippling their ability to conduct their criminal activity, said Amy Blackburn, an assistant U.S. attorney. Some defense attorneys and advocates say civil asset forfeiture is little more than a law enforcement money grab. The practice allows police and prosecutors to go after individuals who may not have done anything wrong, they say. Citizens can have their property taken from them without ever being accused of a crime, or convicted of a crime, and that is simply not our American system of justice, said Louis Rulli, a University of Pennsylvania law professor. Christopher Bouldin, pulled over in August 2020 for following too closely, didnt know anything about civil asset forfeiture when he stood with his dog on the westbound shoulder of I-80. Seward County Sheriffs deputies had just searched his rental van, finding no drugs or guns, but locating $18,000 in cash rolled in a blue sleeping bag. They alleged it was drug money. He argued that it was for his trip to Colorado he was driving west from Virginia and for the potential purchase of a car. Deputies zipped the cash in an evidence bag and then produced an abandonment form. They gave him a choice, Bouldin said. Sign this form, give up the cash and continue toward Colorado. Dont sign, and youre subject to felony charges. I cant believe Im getting robbed, Bouldin said he remembers thinking. In the past decade, Seward has seized money in at least 90 state civil forfeiture cases, nearly double any other Nebraska county. In those cases, they initially seized a total of $2.2 million from motorists. (Other cases are tied to partnerships with federal law enforcement, while still others result in criminal charges, often when guns and drugs are also located.) The $2 million eventually kept by the county was split, half to a state schools fund and half to a county law enforcement fund. That fund bought stun guns and bulletproof vests for the Seward and Milford Police Departments, a sheriffs cruiser and an $18,000 drone for the Nebraska State Patrol. It recently spent $15,000 on two ballistic shields after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The highway seizures that net this money often start when a Seward County deputy alleges a traffic violation speeding, improperly changing lanes, or like Bouldin, following too closely. The deputy then asks the stopped driver basic questions. Where are you headed? What do you plan to do there? Deputies note if the person seems nervous, how much luggage they have and if the vehicle smells of drugs. Theyre looking for indicators of criminal activity, said Seward County Sheriff Mike Vance. Sometimes, you ask them where theyre headed to, they dont knowthey borrowed the car, they dont know the name of the person who owns the car. Things like that will raise flags, he said. Defense attorneys and advocates argue those indicators can be weak. One case in Seward County cited a large amount of fast food wrappers in the vehicle as an indicator. Another cited a six pack of Red Bull energy drinks. What theyre really describing is totally innocuous things that lots of people do, said Dan Alban, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice. A controversial form In the past decade, 75% of Seward Countys state civil forfeiture cases happened after a driver signed a form similar to the one Bouldin was handed, according to the Flatwater Free Press analysis. These abandonment forms are constitutionally questionable, critics say. In the Omaha area, the Douglas County Sheriffs Office no longer uses them. Five states, including Wyoming, have banned them. They have to decide right then and there: Do they want to risk being prosecuted for a felony? said Daniel Stockmann, a Nebraska defense attorney who specializes in interstate drug cases. I think a lot of people make the decision on the fly to just abandon the money and move on. Wendy Elston, Seward County attorney, said that a motorist who signs an abandonment form is given a court date where they can fight to get their money back. I just look at it as a piece of evidence, she said. Its just a piece of paper to me, its not determinative. But it may not look that way to a driver signing the form on I-80. One version of the Seward County form says a person must abandon all claims to the above-described merchandise, and waive any further rights or proceedings. This can confuse motorists, Rulli said. How many motorists never challenge it, never go to court, because theyve signed a document giving up their right to contest and go to court? he said. Vance disputes the idea that Seward County uses the form as a pressure tactic. Drivers often readily admit guilt, even before the form is introduced, he said. In 2016, a man pulled over with $14,000 told deputies: I know youre going to take the money and let me go, so just get it done. Ive been through this with Homeland Security before, so just give me the disclaimer, according to court records. Losing cash in exchange for avoiding a felony is the cost of doing business for some of these drug dealers, said Joe Jeanette, a University of Nebraska at Omaha criminal justice professor. Other Seward County court records show that sometimes the form startles motorists and sometimes they claim feeling pressured to sign. One driver said he signed an abandonment form out of fear, when deputies brought up Homeland Security and possible felony charges in 2015. He later fought for the seized $10,400 in court. Another, arrested for drug money in January 2022, said prosecutors told his lawyer that if he abandoned the money, the criminal case would go away. In August 2020, Bouldin refused to sign the abandonment form as he stood on the shoulder of I-80. The Seward County deputies didnt arrest him, as they had said they might. But they did seize his cash while charging him with a misdemeanor for possessing drug money charges that were later dropped. The county attorney continued with the seizure in civil court to keep the $18,000. Bouldin received only a warning for a traffic violation. A loophole the size of Seward County Less than 3 miles off the interstate sit two aluminum buildings surrounded by corn and soybean fields. This is headquarters for Sewards interdiction task force, where it trains K-9 units for counties throughout Nebraska and stores specialized equipment and seized cars. Last year, using forfeiture funds, the department bought the building for $806,000. Sewards history with highway seizures goes back to 2004, when county leaders asked former Sheriff Joe Yocum to look for new revenue. He learned about highway interdiction. He knew Seward County is bisected by I-80. That there was an opportunity, Yocum said. Seward deputies have since regularly seized pounds of drugs, stolen guns and vacuum-sealed stacks of cash. Theyve rescued human trafficking victims, Vance said, and pulled over murder suspects. But they also encounter drivers like Bouldin drivers with no drugs but cash that deputies then seize. Its patently wrong when you take peoples assets without charging them (with) a crime, said former state Sen. Tommy Garrett. If law enforcement is doing their job, and really think that this is drug-related, then by God, they should charge the person and convict the person. In 2016, Garrett, a Republican from Bellevue, passed a law that he, other state senators and civil liberties advocates believed abolished civil asset forfeiture. The bills statement of intent said it required a criminal conviction to seize money. But the Legislature left two loopholes. Seizures over $25,000 could circumvent state law by being adopted into federal court. And law enforcement could still seize assets under state law if evidence connected the cash to drugs even if there were no drugs present. That allowance, unnoticed by bill supporters, left an opening for Nebraska police to continue with civil forfeiture, said Lee McGrath, senior legislative counsel for the Institute for Justice. Its the legal tactic Seward County now uses far more often than any other Nebraska county. Its absolutely frustrating, said Laura Ebke, a Libertarian and ex-senator who sat on the Judiciary Committee in 2016. To think that we got part way there, and then missed it because of this one little loophole Seward Countys use of civil asset forfeiture has grown since Vance was elected sheriff in 2018. Seward joined a new Department of Homeland Security task force focused on spotting crime on interstates and highways. In 2021 alone, Seward County seized a combined $2.3 million through civil forfeiture in state and federal court, according to a report to the state auditor. On a single September 2022 morning in the Seward County Courthouse, Judge James Stecker approved the civil forfeiture of $83,187 from five separate cases, all from people not convicted of a crime. We return very little money because we make very good cases, said Blake Swicord, coordinator of the Seward-based Homeland Security task force. If its not rock solid, were not going to take it. Money seized by civil forfeiture in Seward County is also rarely returned because its difficult and costly to fight. If someone tries, the burden of proof shifts to them, not the state. Because the case is civil, theres no right to a public defender. Bouldin fought, maybe harder than anyone ever stopped in Seward County. He contested the decision in district court and lost. He spent an additional $3,500 on a lawyer. He appealed all the way to the Nebraska Supreme Court. He lost again. Seward County kept the money. I was just angry, Bouldin said about learning hed lost the $18,000 for good. Imagine a volcano erupting, thats how I felt. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Most dangerous cities in Nebraska Dangerous Cities in Nebraska 6. South Sioux City 5. Scottsbluff 4. North Platte 3. Lincoln 2. Grand Island 1. Omaha A note about the numbers The pension plan covering current and former Omaha Public School employees closed out 2022 with more than $1 billion of unfunded liabilities. That represents the largest shortfall in nearly a decade and a $269 million jump in one year, according to a state audit and management letter released Thursday. The reports also cited significant weaknesses in the plans financial management, prompting State Auditor Mike Foley to express concerns about the error-ridden system that handles the retirement accounts of more than 15,000 current, inactive and retired OPS staff. Not only have serious findings from last years audit remained uncorrected, but also new, no less significant, problems with (system) operations have been discovered, he said in a statement. Shane Rhian, OPS chief financial officer and the pension plan administrator, offered reassurance about the districts commitment to a strong and stable retirement system for the dedicated staff of Omaha Public Schools. He said the audit findings would not affect employees eligibility, contributions or retiree benefits and pledged that the district would continue to make additional contributions to the pension system to fulfill its obligations. The Omaha School Employees Retirement System has faced troubles before. In 2021, the fund had an almost $1 billion shortfall that an Omaha World-Herald investigation traced largely to mismanagement and investment blunders by the plans trustees. OSERS is the only single-district pension plan in Nebraska and one of only a handful nationally. Starting next year, the system will be managed by the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems, the state agency that already runs pension funds for state employees, employees of other school districts and county workers. The responsibility for investing OSERS funds already has been transferred to the Nebraska Investment Council. The audit cited overall unfavorable market conditions for last years losses. The OSERS losses were comparable to those for other funds managed by the state council. Rhian also cited market conditions for the losses, noting that people with personal investment accounts saw the same results in their accounts. The state audit did not say how much additional money would be needed to make the plan healthy. However, an actuarial study dated May 19 called for a $29.4 million contribution from the district this year, with larger amounts in the future. Foley noted that the district has made $128 million of additional contributions to the plan over six years in an attempt to catch up with future needs. But even including the $29.4 million contribution, last years investment losses left the plan at only 57.7% funded, its lowest level in nearly a decade. The highest level was 67.13% for 2021. By contrast, the school employees retirement plan managed by the state and covering teachers and other school employees outside of OPS is 94.55% funded. Rhian said the district would continue to make the additional contributions to build the long-term health of the plan. OPS officials have committed to making the payments needed to cover its past liabilities, even after management switches to the state. The management letter pointed to several other problems with the Omaha system. Most significant was the retirement of two key employees, who took 31 years of experience with them, along with turnover among OPS accounting staff who provide support to the pension plan. In addition, the OSERS Transition Board of Trustees met only twice during the year. The combination led to significant delays in providing information to auditors, failure to address and correct problems found in the 2021 audit and several additional errors in financial accounting for the system, the auditors said. One issue arose late last year, when changes were made to the computer application used to update member accounts. The changes produced inaccuracies in how interest was calculated for member accounts. The inaccuracies were not caught during testing and were only corrected after being found by the auditors. The inaccuracies in interest calculations affected 24 of 25 sample accounts checked by the auditors. They estimated the errors added about $8.4 million total to account balances and, in some cases, meant that departing employees were refunded the wrong amounts. Among other accounting issues were errors in financial statements, deaths of members not being caught in a timely manner and incorrect service credits posted to accounts. In responses included with the audit and management letter, OSERS officials said they would review each of the issues and address them. Top Journal Star photos for June 2023 There is no guitar or violin case in which to throw a few bucks. Instead, Eric De Los Santos uses a yellow, 5-gallon bucket. The lone marimba street musician in Madisons Downtown also faces more logistical challenges for each of his outdoor gigs compared to those with smaller, more portable instruments, like the kazoo Art Paul Schlosser uses to accompany his guitar. For De Los Santos, his first order of business is assembling his marimba after removing it, in 15 pieces, from his 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara, a compact sport utility vehicle he typically parks in a Downtown parking ramp. On this day it was on the second level of the State Street Capitol Parking Garage, which meant rolling it down the ramps (with the bucket on top of the keys) exiting on to the North Carrol Street sidewalk and then turning on East Dayton Street for a one-block walk, across State Street to his favored spot in front of the Overture Center for the Arts. Thats when he searches for a pebble to place in front of one of the marimbas four wheels to insure it doesnt roll away while he uses mallets of yarn to bang away and bring a unique sound to a street flush with personalities and its own vibe. This is how, since 2016, De Los Santos, 45, has been making a full-time living after leaving a delivery job. I feel awfully blessed and in a way undeserving of the past seven years, De Los Santos said on a recent Friday evening outside the $200 million concert and performing arts center. People told me when I was at the delivery job that you should take that marimba and you should go on State Street and just play. The only way that Ive thought of to say thank you to everyone, to this city and everybody who has ever just stayed for a little while and listened, is to just keep learning new tunes. De Los Santos grew up in San Antonio, Texas. In his late teens, he came to Milwaukee for three straight summers to play with the Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps. He attended UW-Whitewater, has been an instructor with the Oregon Marching Bands summer program, spent some time on the Green Bay Packers drum line and has taught private piano and drum lessons. He lives on Madisons Southeast Side but is most at home behind his mobile keyboard, playing a wide range of songs that can include renditions of David Bowies Space Oddity to French composer Claude Debussys Clair de Lune, published in 1905. How did you become a musician? I started learning music in middle school when I was 11 years old in sixth grade, middle school band. I felt like I picked it up pretty quickly right away. When I was 19, I joined Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps in Milwaukee. I thought I was pretty good at this before I did that, but that just made me even better. It was not easy. It was pretty intense. I also knew while it was happening, and I did it for three summers, that I was having the three best summers of my life. For 10 weeks out of the summer we didnt worry about anything other than playing. We just became better players and better people, too. Its a little cliche, but theres something surreal about being away from home for weeks as a teenager. What other kind of things have you done in Madison? I play in a Taiko group. Its Japanese drums. Theyre pretty rare here in the Midwest. I just like it because its a musical ensemble, because its all drums the size of barrels. Its not something I can traditionally hold. How many songs on your marimba do you know by heart? Its probably 42 or 43. How many of them I can play well might be a different story. But all the tunes, even though theyre not perfect, I like ones that challenge me. I like to go out and try things that are a bit out my reach. What are the challenges of playing marimba in an outdoor, urban environment? Its a lot of ignoring the bus that just went by, its a lot of ignoring that someone is having a loud conversation and people screaming for no good reason on State Street. There are challenges to playing indoors, but I feel outdoors its a little more free, its a little more liberating. Indoors, its a little more intimate, and I feel like a lot more attention is drawn to you. But I wouldnt want to change any of it. I create a 2-, 3-foot bubble around me, and everything else outside that bubble while youre playing doesnt exist. Drum corps taught me that. Do you have a favorite place to busk? Its pretty darn familiar right here (in front of the Overture Center). I play here most frequently. The markets, for sure, specifically the Downtown (Saturday Dane County Farmers Market), Monroe Street (Farmers Market) and the Northside (Farmers Market). I cant remember the last time I played a farmers market and it wasnt a good time. Why is this a good town to be a busker? Ive tried busking in Milwaukee, which is probably why I didnt hang out there for very long. Ive tried Pewaukee, Whitewater, the (Wisconsin) Dells, as well. Its more lucrative here. I feel people appreciate the arts more here in Madison than in other places. People here also appreciate good art, as well. Tell us about your marimba? Its a Musser 300 series, I believe. I say believe because I dont know how old this marimba is, actually. I got this from Oregon High School. I taught marching band for a number of summers there, and my first summer there we used this instrument, along with the rest of the boards, and it was dragging down the rest of the section because it couldnt keep up. The (school) district told the band director, who was my good friend from college, that he should call White House of Music to have them take it away after they got a new marimba. My friend called me and said if you can get it in your truck, its yours. Hows the sound? Its meant for the outdoors. This is not rosewood, its synthetic with a little bit of wood in it. Its meant to take a beating. What do you enjoy about busking? That Im finally out playing again. I get to make a living just coming out here whenever I want. The whole time when I was teaching, I was always thinking that I want to be out playing again. The fact that I can come out here and play is pretty satisfying. Only once out of every 100 times someone will tell me to shut up. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. 1. Yes. Voters across the city filled the seat in the first place. Voters should decide again. 2. Yes. An election is much preferable to back-room decisions among council members. 3. No. The charter calls for the council to fill the vacancy by appointment. Follow the rules. 4. No. An election would be expensive, both for the city and for the potential candidates. 5. Unsure. An election seems more transparent, but its not the perfect answer. Vote View Results Photo: The Canadian Press A controlled burn is seen on the edge of a wildfire numbered 334 near Mistissini, Que., in a June 6 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Genevieve Poirier Officials in northwestern Quebec have ordered residents of two villages near the Ontario border to leave their homes as a wildfire continues to spread in the area. Residents of the villages of Val-Paradis and Beaucanton, home to around 340 people, were given an hour and a half to evacuate on Friday night due to the approach of a nearby fire. Officials said earlier in the day the blaze was around 12 kilometres from Val-Paradis, but poor visibility and high winds made operations with waterbombers impossible. Over the previous two days, more than 6,000 people were ordered to leave their homes in northwestern Quebec due to heavy smoke from the fires. The province's wilderness firefighting agency is asking Quebecers not to launch fireworks or light bonfires as part of their celebrations of the provincial Fete Nationale holiday today. Outdoor fires are banned in much of Quebec, except for some regions south of the St. Lawrence river and the island cities of Montreal and Laval. Nearly two dozen people from Kenosha, Racine and the communities in between gathered at Civic Center Park, 900 57th St., Saturday morning for a rally to discuss the impact of the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade one year ago. Members of Leaders of Kenosha, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and the LGBT Center of Southeast Wisconsin, along with Assembly member Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, and leadership from Voces de la Frontera and FREE-Reclaiming Womens Freedom spoke about the importance of access to reproductive care, gender-affirming care and overall reproductive rights. The historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022, resulted in reduced or completely eliminated abortion rights in several states. In Wisconsin, an 1849 law, a criminal abortion ban, remains on the books. Neubauer led the discussion at the rally, remarking it has been a year since people in Wisconsin lost a right they had relied on for decades. We are feeling the impacts every day in Wisconsin, she said. I often talk to people who are worried about their daughters or other family members who dont have access to the same rights that they did. Executive Director of FREE-Reclaiming Womens Freedom Peggy West-Schroder raised additional issues in forced birth, with incarcerated women in Wisconsin being forced to induce labor. West added that abortion is part of the full spectrum of reproductive care. She suggested that people can make a difference. Lauren Lasry, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsins Chief of Staff, said although there was a loss to abortion access in the state, the doors to Planned Parenthood remain open to other services, including gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy. We are not closing. In fact, were providing expanded access to gender-affirming hormone therapy services, Lasry said. Were not going anywhere. To close the rally, Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, emphasized the importance of talking to young people about whats at stake with no abortion access, and the importance of voting. Who knows what the fight will be? It will always be something, she said. It is all our responsibility to keep women safe and keep fighting for them. Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong got a surprise when the presidents of Korea and Vietnam congratulated him on his birthday during a state dinner in Hanoi this week, the presidential office said Saturday. Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong hosted a state dinner for Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the International Convention Center in Hanoi, Friday. Lee, who is part of a 205-member business delegation accompanying Yoon on his state visit to Vietnam, was among the attendees. "During the dinner, it became known that it was Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong's birthday, and a surprise birthday celebration was arranged," senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye said. Lee, who turned 55, Friday, received a birthday cake from the Vietnamese hosts, while Yoon, first lady Kim Keon Hee, Thuong and his wife Phan Thi Thanh Tam raised their glasses in his honor. (Yonhap) CHARMING 2-STORY TOWNHOME FEATURES: OPEN CONCEPT GREAT RM W/LOVELY FIREPLACE (DISPLAY/TV SPACE), MODERN KITCHEN (2-TIER BREAKFAST BAR, QUARTZ, STAINLESS APPLCS, SUBWAY TILE), AMPLE DINING, CONVENIENT MN FLR LAUNDRY, SOLID SIX PANEL DRS, 9' CEILINGS, SPACIOUS MN FLR BR, COVERED PATIO TO ENJOY MORNING COFFEE, ENERGY EFFICIENT, ATTACHED GARAGE W/BUILT-IN STORAGE. COMMUNITY AMENITIES: SNOW REMOVAL, LAWN CARE, ON-SITE MAINTENANCE, NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY CENTER (HOST YOUR OWN PARTY OR BUSINESS MTG), FITNESS CENTER-FULLY EQUIPPED; SKIP THE GYM MEMBERSHIP, BBQ/PICNIC PATIO). EVERYTHING IS WITHIN REACH: DINING, WALKING TRAILS, UNIVERSITIES, HOSPITALS, SHOPPING & MORE! NO MORE SHOVELING OR MOWING-IT'S TIME TO ENJOY SIMPLE LIFE IN THE 5TH WARD CONDO TOWNHOMES! LEGISLATURE | ASSEMBLY Pharmacists would be able to prescribe birth control and Wisconsin's alcohol industry would undergo a massive revamp under two bipartisan bills the Assembly approved on Wednesday. Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Assembly also approved a measure to increase testing of Wisconsin students in an effort to address lagging reading proficiency scores. The bills are now headed to the Senate. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would likely sign into law the birth control and alcohol industry bills. He's still reviewing the reading bill, spokesperson Britt Cud-aback said. Birth control Proponents of Assembly Bill 176, which passed 82-11, with all Democrats in favor and 11 Republicans against, say the measure would lead to fewer unplanned pregnancies and abortions in Wisconsin. Under current law, only doctors can prescribe hormonal birth control. The proposal would allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptive patches, other "self-administered oral hormonal" contraceptives or birth control pills, according to the bill. Pharmacists only would be able to provide birth control to individuals who are at least 18 years old and only after the patient has completed a self-assessment and blood pressure screening. Pharmacists would have to notify the patient's primary care provider after a prescription has been approved. Legislative debate surrounding birth control has amplified in the state since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer, a ruling that dealt a considerable blow to abortion rights advocates across Wisconsin. It's unclear if the measure will pass the Senate. The Assembly passed the bill last year but it didn't get a vote or public hearing in the Senate. Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego, who voted against the bill, said birth control was unhealthy and led to sexually transmitted infections. Hormonal birth control methods are safe for most women, sometimes offering health benefits, though some versions can lead to side effects and increase the risk of some health problems, according to the federal Office of Women's Health. Alcohol industry revamp Another bill the Assembly passed would make significant regulatory changes for Wisconsin's alcohol industry. The bill, which passed the Assembly 90-4, is supported by a long list of producers, retailers and wholesalers that brew, supply and sell beer, wine and spirits. Assembly Bill 304 would, among other measures, transfer all alcohol beverage regulations to a newly created Division of Alcohol Beverages within the state Department of Revenue. The new division would enforce state laws that pertain to breweries, wineries and distilleries, as well as retailers and distributors of alcoholic beverages. The lawmakers voting against the bill were Democratic Reps. Clinton Anderson, of Beloit; Marisabel Cabrera, of Milwaukee; and Jenna Jacobson, of Oregon; and Republican Rep. Rick Gundrum, of Slinger. Currently, alcohol in Wisconsin is distributed and sold through a roughly 90-year-old, three-tier system in which producers of beer, wine and spirits sell to wholesaers, who then sell the products to retailers to sell to consumers. The three-tiered system was created in the 1930s to prevent monopolies by barring any one company from producing and selling alcohol at the wholesale level. The framework has been a point of criticism over the years for failing to keep up with the changing industry and growing businesses in craft beers or wedding barns. Under the bill, the new division would be able to appoint "special agents" and other employees to carry out permitting, as well as audits, enforcement, education and legal functions. The bill stipulates that any agents employed by the division cannot have any financial interest in the alcoholic beverage industry. The bill would allow brewers to operate retail locations without tap rooms to sell beer and expand hours of operations for wineries, allowing those establishments to stay open as late as bars. Another component in the bill would require wedding barns, or venues that sell or provide alcohol for special events, to secure a permit or alcohol license to operate. People operating wedding barns said the bill would effectively eliminate their businesses. STARBUCKS: Workers at 150 Starbucks locations will strike in the coming week over what their union said is a clash over decor supporting LGBTQ+ causes, Starbucks Workers United said Friday. Workers United said store managers around the country curtailed or removed displays celebrating LGBTQ+ pride. ABORTION: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law Friday to protect doctors who prescribe abortion pills to patients in states where the procedure is outlawed.Coming a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion, the law bars New York officials from cooperating with certain legal actions initiated in states where abortion is banned. INDIA: President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday opened the final day of the Indian prime minister's four-day U.S. visit by meeting top American and Indian executives as the leaders look to increase cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductor production and space. RUSSIAN SANCTIONS: The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence officers who supervised other officers who were indicted by the Justice Department for their involvement in the Kremlin's attempts to influence a local election in the United States. MINERS DEAD: At least 31 illegal miners are believed to have died in a gas explosion in a shuttered gold mine in South Africa that happened more than a month ago but is only now coming to light after people reported their relatives missing, authorities said Friday. MURDER INDICTMENT: A grand jury indicted an Ohio man accused of shooting and killing his three young sons on murder charges, which could carry the death penalty. Chad Doerman, 32, was indicted Thursday on charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping and assault for the June 15 deaths of his sons, according to court records. Churches in Wisconsin and Minnesota are on the rebound post-COVID as people either continue to worship online from the comfort of home, or return to church in person but will it be enough to combat the decades-long decline in church membership and religious affiliation in America? A recent flurry of new women-owned businesses in downtown Galesville continued this week with Thursdays opening of The Groovy Grind cafe at 19873 W. Gale Ave. Carley Green-Easterday owns the new cafe, in the former location of Jungle Juice, a smoothie, boba tea and hot tea bar that closed in May. Green-Easterday also owns the Green Girl Co., which started in 2020 and provides a full bartending service (as well as glassware rental and party planning) for parties and other events from a cocktail camper -- a 1964 Trailblazer camper. The Groovy Grind serves all things coffee, smoothies and sandwiches, Green-Easterday explained in a post on the cafes Facebook page. We do sandwiches, scones, cookies, things like that, and not just coffee she said in an interview Tuesday. The Groovy Grind will always have a sandwich with meat, a vegetarian sandwich and a breakfast sandwich. Vegan cheese and gluten-free items also are available. Besides a variety of coffee drinks and smoothies, beverages include such things as cold refreshers drinks and soda pop, and Green-Easterday hopes to be brewing her own kombucha tea by late summer. She uses Wonderstate Coffee from Viroqua and her cafe also sells bags of Wonderstate Coffee, as well as such things as coffee accessories, mugs, cocktail kits, earrings, charcuterie boards and other handcrafted products. Hours are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, call the cafe at 608-863-8186 or visit www.thegroovygrindcafe.square.site (which Green-Easterday hoped would be operating by this weekend) or the cafes Facebook page. For more information about Green Girl Co., call Green-Easterday at 715-419-3640. After operating her full-service travel agency from her rural Blair home for two years, Lisa Bourget opened her Quiet Meadow Travel office on June 6 at 16935 N. Main St. in downtown Galesville. Its in part of a building that houses a State Farm Insurance agency, and is across the street from the Express Mart convenience store/gas station. Summer walk-in hours at the travel agencys downtown office are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and at other times by appointment. Quiet Meadow Travel also is available by telephone or Zoom from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. And its available to help with client travel emergencies at all times. I wanted to have a place where people could walk in and speak in person, Bourget said of her decision to open the Galesville office. My goal is to be flexible and meet in the manner that the client is most comfortable with. Bourget said she probably will expand walk-in hours at the office to five days a week this fall because of the busy November-to-March travel months, for clients who want to go someplace warm. Her agency handles domestic as well as international travel. For more information, call 715-340-4004 or visit the agencys Facebook page. Rich Evans opened Northside Ink Tattoo & Art Studio on June 16 in the former Salon Zeyta location at 1824 George St. in La Crosse, next to Neuies Vogue Bar and Grill. Besides being a tattoo studio, the new business displays and sells artwork created by local artists, including Evans. Ive been tattooing since I was 16, said Evans, who now is 40 years old. He had been working at other area tattoo studios since he returned to the La Crosse area from Florida three years ago. Its been a lifelong dream to have my own shop, Evans said. Evans was born in La Crosse and his family moved to Florida when he was 2 years old. Right now Im by appointment only, Evans said. Appointments are available for Monday through Saturday. Evans plans to celebrate the grand opening of his business as part of a small block party July 8. For more information, call 608-881-6003 or visit Northside Inks Facebook page and other social media pages, which Evans hoped would be operating by this weekend. A new McDonalds restaurant that replaced the previous one will open Thursday at 2015 N. Superior Ave. in Tomah. March 5 was the old restaurants last day open, said Rick Lommen, president of Courtesy Corp., the Onalaska-based franchisee that owns and operates 64 McDonalds restaurants in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. That building was razed to make way for the new McDonalds. The old McDonalds had opened in January 1985, was the first McDonalds at that location, and it was time to replace it, Lommen said. Lommen said the new building has an updated drive-thru, kiosks, mobile ordering, curbside pickup and new decor. Hours at the new McDonalds are 5 a.m. to midnight daily. Places of the past: 30 La Crosse area restaurants you'll never eat at again (part two) Edwardo's Embers Restaurant Cheddar 'n Ale Mai-Tai Supper Club Winchell's Donut House Taco Bell 1976: New Villa Mr. D's Donuts 1975: Bodega Lunch Club McDonald's Taco John's Taco Village Ponderosa Steak House Shakey's Pizza Fireside Restaurant 1972: Hoffman House Restaurant 1972: Louie Bantle's Restaurant Royale Pie Shop Chicago Beef & Etc. 1971: Kewpee Lunch Bridgeman's Ice Cream 1965: Dog House Restaurant Swiss Chateau Henry's Drive-In 1954: Triangle Cafe 1952: Harmony Cafe South Avenue Cafeteria The Penguin Drive-In TGI Fridays Fat Porcupine Burger Fusion NEW YORK The outgoing head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says her reasons for stepping down were complicated, driven in part by a desire to take a break from the frenetic pace of the job during a pandemic. Dr. Rochelle Walensky surprised many in public health circles last month by announcing her departure after two years and five months one of the shortest tenures for a CDC director in recent decades. She resigned as the pandemic's national public health emergency was winding down. "I did what I came to do which was get us through the darkest days of a pandemic, she said in an interview Tuesday. Walensky, 54, described her time at the agency as intense, but stopped short of saying she was burned out. She said she had looked for a quiet moment to withdraw from a job that gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment but also led to criticism, protests outside her home and threats of violence. That (the threats) wasnt the straw that broke the camels back, she emphasized. But is also wasnt something she expected when she took the job her first time running a government public health agency. I never expected that when I am trying to run to be an aid to somebody, that they would actually be turned off by my very existence," Walensky added. She spent the first year of the pandemic treating COVID-19 patients as an infectious disease doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. She became CDC director in January 2021, on the first day of the Biden administration. It was near the beginning of a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign that was expected to turn the tide, but saw additional waves of illness and death as new versions of the coronavirus emerged. There were also a variety of other outbreaks and crises, including an unexpected mpox outbreak last year. Counting her time at Massachusetts General during the pandemic, "it was 3 years at that pace an extraordinary pace, she said. Walensky's last day at CDC is June 30. She does not have a new job or other role lined up, she said, saying she wanted to spend some time with her family, living at a slower pace. At CDC, she has taken fire, mainly but not only from Republican legislators and critics of vaccination and masking campaigns. That was on display last week, when a GOP-led congressional subcommittee questioned and criticized Walensky about her tenure and accused her of misleading the public. Your leadership has fractured the American publics confidence in the CDC, said Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa. But she was also cheered by other legislators, mostly Democrats, who said she helped safely reopen schools, promote lifesaving vaccinations and build up the agencys ability to forecast new outbreaks. Walensky acknowledged problems during her tenure. One example: In the spring of 2021, early in her tenure, Walensky said fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks in many settings, only to reverse course as the then-new delta variant spread. But the initial statement was perceived by many as an attempt to game us or push us (into getting vaccinated) in ways that were not quite fair, said Gil Eyal, a Columbia University sociology professor who studies the mistrust of experts. Walensky said she was extremely proud of what the CDC and other public health workers had accomplished in the past couple of years, citing the 676 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine given to Americans. She also initiated a reorganization of the 12,000-employee health agency in Atlanta. Last week, the White House announced it had chosen Dr. Mandy Cohen, a former North Carolina health official, to be the next CDC director. Walensky said she has known Cohen for years and has had several conversations recently about the job and the challenges ahead. Jeff Levi, professor of public health policy and management at George Washington University, said her earlier-than-expected departure from the job is understandable. She walked into a horrible situation and 2 years in a job like this, with this intensity of both the public health and political pressures, is an immense amount of time, Levi said. She is totally entitled to want to be moving on." 9 ways coworking has changed since the pandemic upended everything in 2020 9 ways coworking has changed since the pandemic upended everything in 2020 Flexibility is king Workers are looking for a sense of community Tech support is a key benefit Private offices within coworking spaces are becoming increasingly popular Many workers see coworking as a means of professional development Wellness amenities are also in demand More employers are exploring coworking for their staff Coworking spaces will likely become even more customizable Coworking spaces could take a larger share of commercial real estate LE BOURGET, France (AP) Just a dot on the horizon at first, the bug-like and surprisingly quiet electrically-powered craft buzzes over Paris and its traffic snarls, treating its doubtless awestruck passenger to privileged vistas of the Eiffel Tower and the city's signature zinc-grey rooftops before landing him or her with a gentle downward hover. And thus, if all goes to plan, could a new page in aviation history be written. After years of dreamy and not always credible talk of skies filled with flying, nonpolluting electric taxis, the aviation industry is preparing to deliver a future that it says is now just around the corner. Capitalizing on its moment in the global spotlight, the Paris region is planning for a small fleet of electric flying taxis to operate on multiple routes when it hosts the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer. Unless aviation regulators in China beat Paris to the punch by greenlighting a pilotless taxi for two passengers under development there, the French capital's prospective operator Volocopter of Germany could be the first to fly taxis commercially if European regulators give their OK. Volocopter CEO Dirk Hoke, a former top executive at aerospace giant Airbus, has a VVIP in mind as his hoped-for first Parisian passenger none other than French President Emmanuel Macron. "That would be super amazing," Hoke said, speaking this week at the Paris Air Show, where he and other developers of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft or eVTOLs for short competed with industry heavyweights for attention. "He believes in the innovation of urban air mobility," Hoke said of Macron. "That would be a strong sign for Europe to see the president flying." But with Macron aboard or not, those pioneering first flights would still be just small steps for the nascent industry that has giant leaps to make before flying taxis are muscling out competitors on the ground. The limited power of battery technology restricts the range and number of paying passengers they can carry, so eVTOL hops are likely to be short and not cheap at the outset. And while the vision of simply beating city traffic by zooming over it is enticing, it also is dependent on advances in airspace management. Manufacturers of eVTOLs aim in the coming decade to unfurl fleets in cities and on more niche routes for luxury passengers, including the French Riviera. But they need technological leaps so flying taxis don't crash into each other and all the other things already congesting the skies or expected to take to them in very large numbers including millions of drones. Starting first on existing helicopter routes, "we'll continue to scale up using AI, using machine-learning to make sure that our airspace can handle it," said Billy Nolen of Archer Aviation Inc. It aims to start flying between downtown Manhattan and Newark's Liberty Airport in 2025. That's normally a 1-hour train or old-fashioned taxi ride that Archer says its sleek, electric 4-passenger prototype could cover in under 10 minutes. Nolen was formerly acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. regulator that during his time at the agency was already working with NASA on technology to safely separate flying taxis. Just as Paris is using its Olympic Games to test flying taxis, Nolen said the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics offer another target for the industry to aim for and show that it can fly passengers in growing numbers safely, cleanly and affordably. "We'll have hundreds, if not thousands, of eVTOLs by the time you get to 2028," he said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Paris show. The "very small" hoped-for experiment with Volocopter for the Paris Games is "great stuff. We take our hats off to them," he added. "But by the time we get to 2028 and beyond ... you will see full-scale deployment across major cities throughout the world." Yet even on the cusp of what the industry portrays as a revolutionary new era kicking off in the city that spawned the French Revolution of 1789, some aviation analysts aren't buying into visions of eVTOLs becoming readily affordable, ubiquitous and convenient alternatives to ride-hailing in the not-too-distant future. And even among eVTOL developers who bullishly talked up their industry's prospects at the Paris show, some predicted that rivals will run dry of funding before they bring prototypes to market. Morgan Stanley analysts estimate the industry could be worth $1 trillion by 2040 and $9 trillion by 2050 with advances in battery and propulsion technology. Almost all of that will come after 2035, analysts say, because of the difficulty of getting new aircraft certified by U.S. and European regulators. "The idea of mass urban transit remains a charming fantasy of the 1950s," said Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consultancy. "The real problem is still that mere mortals like you and I don't get routine or exclusive access to $4 million vehicles. You and I can take air taxis right now. It's called a helicopter." Still, electric taxis taking to Paris' skies as Olympians are going faster, higher and stronger could have the power to surprise pleasantly so, Volocopter hopes. One of the five planned Olympic routes would land in the heart of the city on a floating platform on the spruced-up River Seine. Developers point out that ride-hailing apps and E-scooters also used to strike many customers as outlandish. And as with those technologies, some are betting that early adopters of flying taxis will prompt others to try them, too. "It will be a total new experience for the people," said Hoke, Volocopter's CEO. "But twenty years later someone looks back at what changed based on that and then they call it a revolution. And I think we are at the edge of the next revolution." ___ Photos of the 2024 Olympics, Paralympics mascots More than 1 million people have been dropped from Medicaid in the past couple of months as some states moved swiftly to halt health care coverage following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Most got dropped for not filling out paperwork. Though the eligibility review is required by the federal government, Presidents Joe Bidens administration isnt too pleased at how efficiently some other states are accomplishing the task. Pushing through things and rushing it will lead to eligible people kids and families losing coverage for some period of time, Daniel Tsai, a top federal Medicaid official, recently told reporters. Already, about 1.5 million people have been removed from Medicaid in more than two dozen states that started the process in April or May, according to publicly available reports and data obtained by The Associated Press. Florida has dropped several hundred thousand people, by far the most among states. The drop rate also has been particularly high in other states. For people whose cases were decided in May, around half or more got dropped in Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia. By its own count, Arkansas has dropped more than 140,000 people from Medicaid. The eligibility redeterminations have created headaches for Jennifer Mojica, 28, who was told in April that she no longer qualified for Medicaid because Arkansas had incorrectly determined her income was above the limit. She got that resolved, but was then told her 5-year-old son was being dropped from Medicaid because she had requested his cancellation something that never happened, she said. Her sons coverage has been restored, but now Mojica says shes been told her husband no longer qualifies. The uncertainty has been frustrating, she said. Arkansas officials said they have tried to renew coverage automatically for as many people as possible and placed a special emphasis on reaching families with children. But a 2021 state law requires the post-pandemic eligibility redeterminations to be completed in six months, and the state will continue to swiftly disenroll individuals who are no longer eligible, the Department of Human Services said in statement. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has dismissed criticism of the states process. Those who do not qualify for Medicaid are taking resources from those who need them, Sanders said on Twitter last month. But the pandemic is over and we are leading the way back to normalcy. More than 93 million people nationwide were enrolled in Medicaid as of the most recent available data in February up nearly one-third from the pre-pandemic total in January 2020. The rolls swelled because federal law prohibited states from removing people from Medicaid during the health emergency in exchange for providing states with increased funding. Now that eligibility reviews have resumed, states have begun plowing through a backlog of cases to determine whether people's income or life circumstances have changed. States have a year to complete the process. But tracking down responses from everyone has proved difficult, because some people have moved, changed contact information or disregarded mailings about the renewal process. Advocates fear that many households losing coverage may include children who are actually still eligible, because Medicaid covers children at higher income levels than their parents or guardians. A report last year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services forecast that children would be disproportionately impacted, with more than half of those disenrolled still actually eligible. That's difficult to confirm, however, because the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services doesn't require states to report a demographic breakdown of those dropped. Medicaid recipients in numerous states have described the eligibility redetermination process as frustrating. Julie Talamo, of Port Richey, Florida, said she called state officials every day for weeks, spending hours on hold, when she was trying to ensure her 19-year-old special-needs son, Thomas, was going to stay on Medicaid. She knew her own coverage would end but was shocked to hear Thomas coverage would be whittled down to a different program that could force her family to pay $2,000 per month. Eventually, an activist put Talamo in contact with a senior state health care official who confirmed her son would stay on Medicaid. This system was designed to fail people, Talamo said of the haphazard process. In Indiana, Samantha Richards, 35, said she has been on Medicaid her whole life and currently works two part-time jobs as a custodian. Richards recalled receiving a letter earlier this year indicating that the pandemic-era Medicaid protection was ending. She said a local advocacy group helped her navigate the renewal process. But she remains uneasy. Medicaid can be a little unpredictable, Richards said. There is still that concern that just out of nowhere, I will either get a letter saying that we have to reapply because we missed some paperwork, or I missed a deadline, or Im going to show up at the doctors office or the pharmacy and theyre going to say, Your insurance didnt go through. Best and worst states for health care Best and worst states for health care The 10 states with the best health care The 10 states with the lowest rank for health care Additional findings: Outcome, cost and access data rankings Depending on state, Americans' cost for care can vary significantly Methodology The Wisconsin Department of Justice has released the names of a Vernon County Sheriffs deputy and the man he fatally shot during a June 16 traffic stop. William S. Boardman, 61, died after he was shot by Deputy Jonathon Brown, the DOJ said in a statement Friday. Brown has since been taken off patrol duties, per the county departments policy. At about 5:55 p.m. June 16, deputies were sent to a residence near Highway 35 and Gianoli Road in Genoa for a welfare check. When deputies arrived, Boardman was leaving the home, and the deputies made a traffic stop a short distance away, according to the DOJs Division of Criminal Investigation. During the traffic stop, Boardman turned on his vehicle and began to drive away at high speed with Brown hanging on to the side of the vehicle. Brown fired and hit Boardman, who died at the scene, DCI said. Brown was not injured, DCI said. Vernon County deputies were wearing body cameras during the incident, DCI said. DCI handles investigations of officer-involved critical incidents. Once DCI completes its investigation, it will turn over its reports to the Vernon County district attorney, who will make a decision on whether any charges will be filed. Seven men have been sentenced to federal prison in the sex trafficking of a Dane County girl to dairy farm workers in Green Lake County, authorities said Friday. All seven pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad said in a statement. According to court documents, on multiple dates from June through November 2019, Julio Cesar Veleta Veleta took a 16-year-old girl who was in foster care in Madison to Green Lake County for her to perform commercial sex acts for dairy farm workers, and Evis Garcia Rivera paid for sex with the girl and promoted her availability for commercial sex within the Guatemalan national farm worker community in Green Lake County, Haanstad said Eventually, the girl began living with Garcia Rivera and several of the other defendants, who would loan the victim to other groups of farm workers in the area for her sexual services, Haanstad said. The seven men convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and their sentences in federal court are: Veleta Veleta, 36, of Sun Prairie, 87 months; Garcia Rivera, 33, of Manchester, 87 months; Avelino Sarceno Sarceno, 42, of Manchester, 30 months; Samuel Martinez Corado, 29, of Markesan, 28 months; Abilio Corado Gonzalez, 37, of Markesan, 27 months; Belter Arana Bautista, 36, of Brandon, 24 months; and Oscar Martinez Corado, 21, of Markesan, 24 months. All seven also received five years of extended supervision when their prison sentences conclude. The Green Lake County Sheriffs Office uncovered the conspiracy on Thanksgiving night 2019, when the girl called 911. Several of the men were arrested that night at the house where the girl had been living, while others were arrested elsewhere as the investigation unfolded, Haanstad said. In addition, in Green Lake County Circuit Court, Rolando Corado Gonzalez, Edwin Rivera Salguero, Ember Rivera and Esler Rivera pleaded guilty to exposing genitals to a child and were sentenced to 18 months in state prison and two years of extended supervision, Haanstad said. The convictions and sentences of the defendants in this case are the direct result of the hard work and excellent collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, Haanstad said in a statement. Along with our partners, we are committed to protecting and supporting victims of human trafficking, and our enforcement efforts necessarily will include not only the primary traffickers but also others who assist in these trafficking efforts, including those who seek to drive the demand for this type of victimization. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Security Investigations, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Green Lake County Sheriffs Office. The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica J. Lounsberry and Abbey M. Marzick. R. Kelly sex trafficking trial: What to know and expect WHAT IS R. KELLY KNOWN FOR? WHERE IS R. KELLY CHARGED? WHAT IS THIS SPECIFIC TRIAL ABOUT? CAN I WATCH THE R. KELLY TRIAL LIVE? COULD R. KELLY SERVE PRISON TIME IF CONVICTED? WHAT IS THE MANN ACT? IS R. KELLY IN JAIL RIGHT NOW? HOW LONG HAS R. KELLY BEEN IN JAIL? WAS R. KELLY ATTACKED IN JAIL? WHO IS ON THE JURY? HOW LONG IS THE TRIAL EXPECTED TO LAST? IS THERE ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE TRIAL? THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME R. KELLY'S BEEN IN LEGAL HOT WATER, RIGHT? A bill to direct $125 million in funding to help address PFAS contamination is making its way through the Wisconsin Legislature. Supporters of the bill say it would provide much-needed aid to help communities impacted by so-called forever chemicals, but it could end up leaving Wisconsinites worse off. Thats because the bill contains troubling provisions that would let PFAS polluters off the hook by limiting the states enforcement authority under Wisconsins Spills Law. Unless the bill is amended to remove those provisions, fewer contaminated sites will be cleaned up and too many costs will be shifted from polluters to taxpayers. As drafted, the bill 2023 Wisconsin Senate Bill 312 would make it harder for the state to hold PFAS polluters accountable for the damages they have caused to the environment and for the associated adverse health impacts that comes with exposure to these hazardous substances. Shifting responsibility away from polluters could come at an extraordinary cost to taxpayers. Just look at the extent of the contamination caused by Johnson Controls International in Marinette. JCI, parent company of Tyco Fire Products, reportedly set aside $140 million in 2019 to address what is one of the largest sites of PFAS contamination in the state. In late 2022, JCI reportedly increased those reserves by another $255 million. That totals nearly $400 million to address a single contaminated site. When you consider that more than 100 sites of PFAS contamination have so far been identified in Wisconsin, it is easy to see how remediation costs could quickly exceed $125 million. And while it may not be the authors intent, Tyco and other PFAS polluters could point to provisions in the bill to avoid responsibility for those costs. This attempt to undermine the Spills Law in the Legislature comes at a time when the same law is also under attack in the courts. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the most powerful lobbying group in the state, has filed two different lawsuits against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to limit the states ability to investigate PFAS contamination and require polluters to pay for cleanup. For decades, Wisconsins Spills Law has been critical to protecting the environment and the people of this state from hazardous contamination. Given the significant health risks associated with PFAS exposure, we simply cannot allow an important regulatory tool like the Spills Law to be undermined. Unfortunately, that is exactly what would happen under this bill. Unless significant changes are made to remove limitations on the states enforcement authority, Gov. Tony Evers should use his veto pen to reject it. FALL OF ROE | ONE YEAR LATER One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rescinded a five-decade-old right to abortion, prompting a seismic shift in debates about politics, values, freedom and fairness. Twenty-five million women of childbearing age now live in states where the law makes abortions harder to get than they were before the ruling. Decisions about the law are largely in the hands of state lawmakers and courts. Most Republican-led states have restricted abortion. Fourteen ban abortion in most cases at any point in pregnancy. Twenty Democratic-leaning states have protected access. Much has changed since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling. Last summer, as women and medical providers began to navigate a landscape without legal protection for abortion, Nancy Davis' doctors advised her to terminate her pregnancy because the fetus she was carrying was expected to die soon after birth. But doctors in Louisiana, where Davis lived, would not provide the abortion due to a new law banning it throughout pregnancy in most cases. Davis became one of the women whose stories, told on news sites and network news, in newspapers and blogs, illustrated the shifting ground doctors and their patients tried to navigate. At the same time, abortion opponents who worked for decades to abolish a practice they see as murder cheered the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling. Anti-abortion groups said the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide was undemocratic because it prevented states from enacting bans. "The Dobbs decision was a democratic victory for life that generations fought for," said E.V. Osment, a spokeswoman for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a major anti-abortion group. While some states scrambled to pass new restrictions, others already had enacted laws that were designed to take effect if the court overturned Roe. More than 25 million women ages 15 to 44, or about 2 in 5 nationally, now live in states where there are more restrictions on abortion access than there were before Dobbs. More than 5.5 million more live in states where restrictions have been adopted but are on hold pending court challenges. Bans on abortion no later than 12 weeks into pregnancy are on the books in nearly every state in the Southeast though some are not in effect. Many laws that make exceptions for medical emergencies do not clearly define those situations. After Davis went public with her challenges last year, Louisiana lawmakers debated whether doctors in the state were right to deny her an abortion under a law that has exceptions for "medically futile" pregnancies and when there's a substantial risk of death or impairment for the woman. But the Legislature made no changes to clarify the law. Davis got help from a fund that raises money for women to travel for abortions and went to New York for a procedure. The whole experience was heart breaking, she said. "A mother's love starts as soon as she knows she's pregnant. That attachment starts instantly," she said. "It was days I couldn't sleep. It was days I couldn't eat." As some states restricted abortion, others locked in access. Clinics moved across state lines, added staff and lengthened hours to accommodate women leaving their home states to end their pregnancies. In 25 states, abortion remains generally legal up to at least 24 weeks of pregnancy. Twenty of them have been solidified abortion rights through constitutional amendments or laws. Women have flocked to states with legal access. CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health had for decades treated patients seeking abortions in Memphis, Tennessee. After Tennessee's abortion ban kicked in last year, the clinic opened an outpost three hours away, in Carbondale, Illinois. "They're coming from Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and even Texas," said CEO Jennifer Pepper. "But now they're having to travel much farther." With lags and gaps in official reporting, the impact of the Dobbs ruling on the number of abortions is not clear. A survey conducted for the Society of Family Planning, a non-profit organization that promotes research and supports abortion access, has found that the number has fallen to nearly zero in states with bans and risen in neigh-boring states with fewer restrictions, and on balance the number of abortions is declining. But the survey does not capture self-managed abortions outside the traditional medical system, usually done with through a two-pill regimen. Before the Dobbs ruling, pills were already the most common method of abortion in the U.S. Now, there are more networks to provide access to pills in states with abortion bans. Some abortion opponents are calling for the abortion drug mifepristone to lose its government approval. The Supreme Court has preserved access for now. More than 50 lawsuits have been filed over abortion policy since the Dobbs ruling. Many challenges rely on arguments about the rights to personal autonomy or religious freedom. A Texas lawsuit alleges women were denied abortions even when their lives were at risk. Bans or restrictions are on hold in at least six states while judges sort out their long-term fate. The only states where the top court has permanently rejected restrictions since the Dobbs ruling are Iowa and South Carolina. There's little evidence that doctors, women, or those who help them get abortions are being prosecuted. The Mississippi attorney general's office says no charges have been brought under a new law that calls for up to 10 years in prison for anyone who provides or attempts to provide an abortion in cases where it wasn't to save the woman's life or to end a pregnancy caused by rape or incest. Progressive prosecutors across the country, including in states with bans, have said that they would not pursue abortion-related cases, or that they would make them a low priority. The political table has been reset, with Republicans entering a new election season weighing how to balance the interests of a base that wants the strictest bans possible against the desires of the broader electorate. Polling has consistently found that most Americans think abortions should be available early in a pregnancy, but that most also favor restrictions later in a pregnancy. Last year, voters sided with abortion-rights advocates in all six states with abortion-related ballot measures. The issue was also a major factor in why Democrats performed better than expected in 2022 elections. It's emerged as a key issue in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. KYIV, Ukraine Ukraine wants other countries to heed its warning that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week. Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to "give appropriate signals and exert pressure" on Moscow. The Kremlin's spokesman denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces. On Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. A spring theme counters the dark elements of the historic Wheaton building in which Maypole is located. The restaurant opened June 22, 2023. (Meagan Shuptar/Meagan Shuptar/Getty Images for ) Chad and Alicia Hauge and Mike Melazzo hadnt really planned on opening a restaurant. The teams hands were full with Common Good Cocktail House in Glen Ellyn, which theyd been running since 2018 with inventive and fun cocktails and a desire to create deeper connections. But then chef Bridget Vanaman said yes. There was a group of people in the Glen Ellyn community who were interested in seeing us do something else, said Chad Hauge, Alicia Hauges husband and beverage director and co-owner of the new Wheaton restaurant Maypole. We reached out to Chef Bridget and when she responded positively, we were so surprised and excited to work with someone so incredible. Advertisement Vanaman met the Common Good team members back in 2013 when she was working at Ruxbin restaurant in West Town and helped open the restaurant Mott St., also in West Town. Dishes rooted in executive chef Bridget Vanamans memories and experiences are the backbone of the Maypole menu. (Kyle Petit Media/Kyle Petit Media) Vanaman has family in the western suburbs and now has a toddler so was looking to move out of the city. When she visited the Maypole space and instantly felt inspired, it wasnt long before she signed on and had a menu ready. The restaurant opened Thursday at 121 W. Front St. in downtown Wheaton. Advertisement Seeing how big the community was out here and how welcoming everyone was, it was meaningful to me, said Vanaman, Maypoles executive chef and co-owner. Their philosophy behind hospitality was right in line with what I wanted to do with food, so it just kind of clicked. Vanaman, who was born in the Philippines and grew up in the United States, created a menu that is representative of her heritage. She hopes itll lay the groundwork for community gatherings and celebrations, so youll find meals served family style and even set meals for two. Vanaman recommends ordering fried chicken thighs in a sandwich dressed with Asian slaw, spicy pickles and garlic aioli. (Kyle Petit Media/Kyle Petit Media) The must-order item is the fried chicken thighs marinated in toyomansi, a mix of Filipino soy sauce and calamansi juice. Although you can order the chicken as part of a rice bowl, on a bao or even on an ube waffle during brunch, Vanaman recommends ordering it in a sandwich dressed with Asian slaw, spicy pickles and garlic aioli. Its her homage to the chicken sandwich from Filipino chain Jollibee, a sandwich Vanaman says is perfection. Like in most forms of art, the more specific you get, the more universal it becomes, said Alicia Hauge, director of operations, co-owner and designer of the space. Words like ube or longganisa or pancit might be unfamiliar to the western suburbs, but theres an opportunity to connect with it because it was very specifically comforting to chef. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Dishes rooted in Vanamans memories and experiences are the backbone of the menu. Youll find a pork belly adobo with bold flavors that made Chad Hauge cry a little bit in joy because it reminded him of American comfort food. The teams favorites include calamansi pie and the lumpia spring rolls, which come from a recipe passed down through Vanamans family and are often hand-crafted by her mother and sister. I want to gather people and expose them to foods that are super important to me and at the same time be approachable and fun for people who might not be too familiar with the flavors of the Philippines or Southeast Asia, Vanaman said. The lumpia spring rolls, front, come from a recipe passed down through Vanamans family and are often hand-crafted by her mother and sister. (Kyle Petit Media/Kyle Petit Media) Although the large cocktail menu at Common Good changes seasonally and leans experimental, youll find a tighter beverage selection at Maypole that draws inspiration from the menu, such as a calamansi margarita, an ube lemongrass aviation cocktail or a clarified dragon fruit cosmo. Beer and wine are available, and if youre a part of Maypoles members-only Subourbon whiskey bar, you can nosh on Vanamans creations in the basement beverage club. Its fun to try and be inspired and match the energy of someone elses creative work, said Melazzo, a co-owner. Advertisement Maypole is in a historic building, but the interiors play with a spring theme that counters the dark and heavy elements of the building to instead feel playful and relaxed with pops of color, funky wallpaper and block printing. Like with its other projects, the team hopes Maypole is a place where the community can gather comfortably around food and drink without it feeling pretentious. In fact, the restaurants name is inspired by the maypole located in the center of communities erected during springtime celebrations, a European tradition that was adopted globally. We dont want to be caught up in making our product precious and elevated above the community but creating something that focuses on people gathering and people coming together and celebrating, Alicia Hauge said. We open our doors because its from the heart and we want people to experience and enjoy life together. WASHINGTON U.S. officials released an intelligence report Friday that rejected several points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, instead reiterating that American spy agencies remain divided over how the pandemic began. The report was issued at the behest of Congress, which in March passed a bill giving U.S. intelligence 90 days to declassify intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Intelligence officials during the Biden administration have been pushed by lawmakers to release more material about the origins of COVID-19. But they repeatedly argued China's official obstruction of independent reviews made it perhaps impossible to determine how the pandemic began. The newest report angered some Republicans who argued the administration is wrongly withholding classified information and researchers who accuse the U.S. of not being forthcoming. John Ratcliffe, who served as U.S. director of national intelligence under former President Donald Trump, accused the Biden administration of continued obfuscation. The lab leak is the only theory supported by science, intelligence, and common sense, Ratcliffe said in a statement. There was newfound interest from researchers following the revelation this year that the Department of Energy's intelligence arm issued a report arguing for a lab-related incident. But Friday's report said the intelligence community has not gone further. Four agencies still believe the virus was transferred from animals to humans, and two agencies the Energy Department and the FBI believe the virus leaked from a lab. The CIA and another agency have not made an assessment. Located in the city where the pandemic is believed to have began, the lab has faced intense scrutiny for its previous research into bat coronaviruses and its reported security lapses. The Wuhan lab genetically engineered viruses as part of its research. But the report says U.S. intelligence "has no information, however, indicating that any WIV genetic engineering work has involved SARS-CoV-2, a close progenitor, or a backbone virus that is closely-related enough to have been the source of the pandemic." Reports of several lab researchers falling ill with respiratory symptoms in fall 2019 are also inconclusive, the report argues, saying some of their symptoms weren't consistent with COVID-19. U.S. intelligence, the report said, "continues to assess that this information neither supports nor refutes either hypothesis of the pandemic's origins because the researchers' symptoms could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19." Responding to the report, the Republican chairs of the House Intelligence Committee and a select subcommittee on the pandemic jointly said they gathered information in favor of the lab leak hypothesis. Reps. Mike Turner and Brad Wenstrup, both of Ohio, credited the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence for taking a promising step toward transparency. While we appreciate the report from ODNI, the corroboration of all available evidence along with further investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must continue, Turner and Wenstrup said. But Alina Chan, a molecular biologist who has long argued the virus could have originated in the Wuhan lab, noted the public version of the report did not include the names of researchers who fell sick or other details mandated by Congress. The bill requiring the review allowed intelligence officials to redact information publicly to protect agency sources and methods. Its getting very difficult to believe that the government is not trying to hide what they know about #OriginOfCovid when you see a report like this that contains none of the requested info, Chan tweeted. Yes, its really true! Funded by Winona area businesses and individuals, the College Opportunity Program is making it possible for Class of 2023 Winona graduates who live in the Winona Area Public Schools district to have access to a college education at Minnesota State College Southeast. The program will cover the cost of tuition and fees for up to 70 credits and provide a stipend for books, supplies and tools. But the College Opportunity Program is about much more than money. Its about helping students chart a direct route to college success. To help incoming students find their path, two new employees at Minnesota State College Southeast have been named as College Opportunity Program navigators. Pam Zimmerman has been with MSC Southeast since 2005, most recently serving as director of financial aid. She is transitioning to a new role as College Opportunity Program navigator, where she will be responsible for program coordination and promotion, as well as hands-on student support. Pams long history at the college and her ability to connect with students will be some of her greatest strengths in this position, said Kate Parsi, director of Academic Support and Advising. Her Winona community connections and involvement will also be an asset. Kattie Sacia is also a new College Opportunity Program navigator. She previously worked at Winona State University as the College of Business advising coordinator. Kattie has been in higher education since 2004 and brings tremendous knowledge and experience with her to MSC Southeast, said Parsi. Her Winona business connections will help our students find jobs in the community after they graduate. As navigators, we will meet students where they are and help them navigate the entire process including admission to the college and financial aid all the way through the enrollment and registration process, said Sacia. A new graduate of Winona Senior High School, Alaina Hemmelman plans to study automotive technology in the fall. She recently met with Zimmerman to go over her college options. I always planned to go to MSC Southeast, but I didnt know how I was going to do it I thought Id have to take out loans, she said. Carver Heiring attended Cotter High School in Winona and will also study automotive tech at MSC Southeast this fall. I had originally planned to attend another college, but when I heard about the College Opportunity Program I switched my plans almost immediately, he said. Had the program not been announced, I most likely would have taken out college loans, something I no longer have to worry about. Not every student is as certain about what direction theyre going to take. Some inbound students are intimidated by having to choose a program. The navigators will help students walk through their options and make the right decisions for themselves, whether that be a two-year degree, a diploma or a certificate program. Students feel like they have to choose a path immediately that theyre going to stay on through college and the rest of their lives. The reality is that the student has to start somewhere, but the process to change majors is really simple, and the support is available to help make those crucial decisions, Sacia explained. Zimmerman said they have been meeting with a lot of students on campus lately. If we can get them in the door to give them a tour and talk with our instructors, it helps them make a decision about what program is right for them. But its not enough to set sail. Students need help to stay on course. Sacia pointed out that without support, theres no retention. If you cant retain students all the way through graduation, then youre setting them up to fail. You have to give students resources to be successful. The whole idea of this program is to give students an opportunity that they wouldnt have had otherwise. Zimmerman said that the college is dedicated to helping meet students basic needs. If they need a part time job while theyre here, we might help them find one. We might help with issues that are outside of the classroom, like transportation or access to our food pantry. We want to do anything thats needed to get them through. Although its only June, more than 120 area high school students have expressed interest in the College Opportunity Program at MSC Southeast. More than 60 have already registered to start this fall in 20 different programs, ranging all the way from cosmetology to construction technology to transfer pathways. The staff at MSC Southeast are very knowledgeable and interested in seeing me succeed, Heiring said. They have been helpful and are able to answer all of my questions. To learn more about the College Opportunity Program, go to www.southeastmn.edu/opportunity. Scientists have discovered finger flutings as the oldest known Neanderthal engravings, the Catholic Church is facing a flurry of abuse cases in the U.S., and more of today's top videos. The fatal shooting that occurred in the parking lot of an Uptown church last week was likely sparked by a drug deal gone wrong. Three men were charged Friday in Kenosha County Circuit Court for their alleged roles in the June 13 incident, including one man accused of accidentally shooting his brother in the head with friendly fire. Twenty-one-year-old Kevin B. Alvarez, of Zion, Ill., is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, possession with intent to deliver psilocybin and possession with intent to deliver THC. Kenosha men Anthony T. Santana and Tayvion M. Taylor, both 20, are charged with felony murder while attempting to commit robbery while armed. Alvarez and Taylor made their initial appearances at Intake Court Friday afternoon where Court Commissioner William Michel imposed a $500,000 cash bond on Alvarez and a $250,000 cash bond on Taylor. Their preliminary hearings are set for next week. A $500,000 arrest warrant was issued for Santana. Kenosha Police spent days investigating the incident that occurred the night of June 13 after three people turned up at separate local hospitals with gunshot wounds. One of the three, 19-year-old Mauricio Alvarez, who was shot in the right parietal scalp, died of cardiac arrest before he could be flown to Milwaukee for treatment. According to prosecutors, the Alvarez brothers drove to Kenosha from Zion to sell drugs to Santana and Taylor in the parking lot of Grace Lutheran Church, 2006 60th St., around 10 p.m. that night. Upon arrival, Santana and Taylor allegedly attempted to rob the brothers using fake currency. When Mauricio Alvarez saw that the money was fake he confronted Santana, according to the criminal complaint. According to reports, firearms were pulled out by both parties and shots fired. While attempting to fire at Santana and Taylor, Kevin Alvarez allegedly accidently shot his brother in the head. In the moments following the exchange, Kevin Alvarez allegedly attempted to hide evidence at the scene before driving to Aurora Medical Center for treatment. Kevin Alvarez suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, what appeared to be a through and through wound to his left thigh, and a wound to his right upper thigh area. His injuries were not life-threatening. Mauricio Alvarez was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. at the hospital. Taylor suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his back left arm or upper shoulder area and was taken by family to Froedtert Kenosha Center, an urgent care clinic, in Downtown before being driven to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital. In the days following the shooting many in the community expressed fear and anger about the gun violence at the start of summer. Grace Lutheran is surrounded by houses and apartments, and a city bus stop sits in front of the church. A vigil was held a few days later. On Friday, members of the Alvarez and Taylor families sat in the Intake Court gallery while their loved ones appeared before the court commissioner. Alfonso Alvarez, father of both Mauricio and Kevin Alvarez, spoke before the court with an interpreter and asked for a low-cash bond for Kevin Alvarez so he could grieve with the rest of family. Kevin Alvarezs defense attorney Carl Johnson said it appears that the violence in this incident is instigated by the other people who are involved who initiate this robbery, who appear to be the ones who first draw guns and begin shooting. Johnson said Kevin Alvarez shot his brother while defending each other. District Attorney Michael Graveley, however, said high cash bonds were warranted for those facing charges stemming from the incident based on the seriousness of the alleged crimes and potential for lengthy prison sentences. Graveley said Kevin Alvarez cannot use a self-defense claim in court because in our research at the D.A.s office before entering this charge of first-degree reckless homicide you are not able to claim self-defense in a situation where a third party is the victim of that case. So that will not be available to Mr. Alvarez at any time. Michel agreed with prosecutors. This is clearly a tragedy, what is alleged in this criminal complaint. But this should have never happened, Michel said about Kevin Alvarez. Its very concerning. Michel said someone was killed due to the events that took place and it put this community at substantial risk. Michel said Taylors alleged actions also put the community at risk. When initially questioned by police all those involved were reportedly uncooperative. Clearly, this is very concerning, Michel said. On 60th Street theres a lot of people and to put this community at risk with this type of behaviorand I understand this is allegations, but we have a decedent, we have a person who was killed in this situation. Its very concerning. The court does believe that a substantial cash bond is warranted. A disagreement between a conservative state Supreme Court justice, who sometimes acts as the courts swing vote, and his colleagues over a decision not to expedite a Madison case concerning student gender issues has sparked a sharply worded written exchange that appeared to lay bare a fracture in the courts conservative majority. In dueling statements filed with an order to deny immediate state Supreme Court acceptance of the case, Justice Rebecca Bradley told colleagues who voted to deny the order they should resign if they couldnt work in defense of peoples liberty. Fellow conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn, who sided with liberals in the vote, accused Bradley of knives-out bluster that doesnt serve the law. On May 19, the court decided 4-3 not to allow a parent who sued the Madison School District in 2020 over its guidance on transgender and nonbinary students to bypass the state Court of Appeals and take the case directly to the Supreme Court. The case had been dismissed after Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington ruled the sole remaining plaintiff in the case did not have standing to sue. The plaintiff, represented by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Alliance Defending Freedom, is appealing. Hagedorn sided with the courts liberal minority, which will become the majority later this summer with the election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz. The original May 19 decision includes a dissent by Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, who chided the courts majority for not taking the case on bypass, saying it fails the parents of Wisconsin and abdicates its responsibility, for the second time in this case, to decide some of the most important issues of our time. In his concurrence, Hagedorn wrote that despite the importance of the case, taking it through the normal procedure first to the Court of Appeals before the Supreme Court was the path to take, arguing that too often in recent years, the high court has become the court of first resort. It is no wonder our Supreme Court races are seen as high stakes affairs when this court is seen as willing even eager to dispense with standard procedures and forcefully insert itself into the latest hot-button political issues. This case presents a prime example, Hagedorn wrote. On June 14, the courts order on the bypass petition was amended, adding a second dissent written by Bradley. She roundly criticized Hagedorn for what she said were vaguely sexist suggestions that three of his colleagues get caught up in the fervors of the moment and would intervene in dramatic fashion rather than give the law dispassionate attention. Setting aside those insults, Bradley wrote, anyone who actually takes the time to read our dissents in the identified cases would readily understand our concerns focus on declaring the law so that the other branches of government will follow it. Those cases included matters related to the 2020 presidential election and the response of governmental bodies to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bradleys dissent was joined by Justice Patience Roggensack. Bradley closed by writing that discussions of values have crept into our judicial elections over the last five years which have seen the elections of liberal justices Rebecca Dallet and Jill Karofsky, along with Protasiewicz, though Bradley did not mention them. She called that a calamitous development for the rule of law, (which) entails judges and justices aligning themselves with one political party and its policy positions. Judges instead, Bradley wrote, should espouse one overriding value on the campaign trail supporting the constitutions of the United States and Wisconsin in defense of peoples liberty. The majority should revisit the judicial oath and resign if unwilling to fulfill it. Hagedorn updated his concurrence on June 14 to write in a footnote that he saw no need to substantially change his original concurrence in response to Bradleys dissent. I also do not respond to this supplemental writing because of its abandonment of basic judicial decorum, Hagedorn wrote. Knives-out bluster may scratch the itch of political activists lusting for the fight, but it does not serve the rule of law. While he said there are important debates to be had over the courts operations, I will not, however, further dignify a writing that engages in personal attacks rather than a respectful debate over ideas. The City of Lake Geneva has revised and updated its impact fee ordinance for the first time in about 20 years. Members of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved the revised impact fee ordinance, June 12. Impact fees are financial contributions developers pay to municipalities to help fund projects that are needed because of their development. Funding from impact fees may be used to help pay for traffic control signals, police and fire stations, parks, libraries, sewage treatment facilities, medical facilities and roads. The updated impact fees include a sanitary sewer impact fee of $4,513 per residential equivalent unit and a water impact fee of $2,662 per residential equivalent unit. Other impact fees that were approved include a parks impact fee of $1,407 per residential unit, public works impact fee of $2,870 per residential unit and a library impact fee of $756 per residential unit. Lake Genevas previous impact fees included a sanitary sewer impact fee of $1,865 per residential equivalent unit, a water impact fee of $1,690 per residential equivalent unit and a parks impact fee of $230 per residential unit. Edward Maxwell of Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. the company that conducted the impact fee study for the city said Lake Genevas impact fees have not been updated for about 20 years. These fees have not been increased for approximately 20 years, Maxwell said. So, I think thats worth keeping in mind. The fees have not kept pace with the cost of new construction. As a result, there has to be a significant increase to really reflect current construction costs. Maxwell said Lake Genevas impact fees have been lower than other surrounding communities impact fees. With the length of time the city has gone since updating the fees, it has created a significant gap compared to what other communities have increased during that time, Maxwell said. Twenty years is a long time to go without updating. Former Lake Geneva Alderman Bill Huntress said, during a public hearing regarding the impact fees, that he feels it is time that the city updates its impact fee ordinance with the growth that has occurred in the community during the past several years. Every single house thats built in this town, its costing the city money because theyre not paying their share, Huntress said. Weve been dragging our feet on this for a long time. The sooner you get this done, the better off its going to be for the city and the taxpayers. Doug Wheaton, representative for the Lakes Area Realtors Association, said he is concerned that increasing the impact fees will cause less homes to be built in the City of Lake Geneva Given the magnitude of these proposed fee increases, it almost seems like the goal is to make it as hard as possible for someone to build a home, Wheaton said. People who live in new homes typically pay a lot of money in property taxes. If the city imposes huge, new fees that further reduces home construction. Property taxes that otherwise would be paid by people living in new homes will instead have to be paid by people living in existing homes within the city. U.S. Senators Call for Extending NATO Article 5 to Ukraine in Case of Russian Nuclear Attack June 23, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a resolution yesterday demanding that if Russia either uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine or theres a major incident at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant resulting in the spread of radiation contamination, that NATO view such incidents as an attack on NATO itself under Article 5. This, they say, is a response to the Russian deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. Senator Blumenthal and I want to put everyone on notice that the threat of the use of a nuclear device by Russia is real. And the best way to deter this threat is to give themthe Russiansclarity as to what happens if they use nuclear weapons, said Graham. Our message is to those around Putin. If you do this and follow his order, should he give it, you can expect a massive response from NATO. You will be at war with NATO. It is meant to send a message, said Senator Blumenthal, to Vladimir Putin, and even more directly, to his military. They will be destroyed; they will be eviscerated if they use tactical nuclear weapons or if they destroy a nuclear plant in a way that threatens surrounding NATO nations. Anatoly Antonov, Russias ambassador to the U.S., warned that the new resolution threatens to push Washington and its NATO military alliance closer to a nuclear exchange with Moscow. He told Newsweek in an exclusive interview yesterday that the resolution exemplifies those who really pursue the course towards a direct global conflict between Russia and NATO countries led by the United States. Antonov derided what he saw as yet another manifestation of blind hatred for our country. He argued that the authors of the new initiative are eager to drag the United States even more deeply in the conflict in Ukraine. International public opinion is force fed with a provocative point of view that Russia intends to launch a nuclear strike on the territory of Ukraine, and maybe even to destroy some nuclear facility, Antonov said. Is this phraseology hiding an intention to prepare the world for a provocation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP such as planting a dirty bomb there and, of course, pinning all the sins on the Russian Federation? Antonov stressed that the speculations about Russias possible use of TNWs (tactical nuclear weapons) are absurd. By using such cheap rhetoric, the local elite demonstrates its absolute incompetence in strategic matters, Antonov said. The provocative and short-sighted remarks of the U.S. lawmakers only serve to escalate tensions and increase the risk of the situation sliding to an even more dangerous point. He asserted that it is time to realize that in the event of a direct armed conflict between Russia and NATO countries, the United States will not be able to hide behind the ocean. Kyiv Threat of Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant Provocation Escalating June 23, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The increasingly strident talk about nuclear weapons in Ukraine comes as the threat of provocations around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is escalating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed yesterday that Russian forces were preparing a terrorist act at the plant. Ukrainian intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporozhye nuclear planta terrorist act with the release of radiation, Zelenskyy said in a video address released on social media June 22, reported the Washington Post. They have prepared everything for this. Zelenskyy did not provide further details but said Ukraine will share all the evidence with Kyivs international partnersall of them. He also warned that radiation knows no borders and who it hits will depend on the direction of the wind. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov immediately denounced Zelenskyys claim. Zelenskyys words that Russia is allegedly preparing an act of terrorism at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant are another lie, he said. The hysteria around the ZNPP, which Zelenskyy had joined, brings us to a conclusion that it is a preventive information campaign related to consequences of their violent takeover [of the plant], said Renat Karchaa, advisor to the chief of Rosenergoatom, the Russian nuclear power plant operator, reported TASS. According to my forecast, the likelihood of a violent takeover of the plant has increased significantly. But it is not the takeover that should be feared, it is the risk of nuclear contamination of tens of thousands of square kilometers that may occur as a result of the use of force. Their real masters incite them to continue hostilities, and the mad Ukrainian regime may try to regain control over the NPP by force, under the false pretext of saving the world from the nuclear disaster. That is why they have been spreading false news and fanning hysteria, Karchaa said. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov charged that Zelenskyys claim is another attempt to smear Russia and cover up Kyivs own criminal terrorist activities. In this case, what we have is yet another attempt to smear Russia, to attribute non-existent intentions to us, and at the same time to cover up their own criminal and, in fact, terrorist actions, which pose a serious threat to the environment and to the protection of the population of vast territories from a potentially serious incident, he said. Ryabkov stressed that Moscow has warned Kyiv against instigating any potentially serious incidents at the Zaporozhye NPP. We have warned Kyiv against such actions, he said. And we once again call on the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and its leadership to use the onsite presence of the agencys experts directly at the plant to record all cases of attacks by the Ukrainian side, not to turn a blind eye to them, and clearly state who is to blame for what is happening, and where the real threat to this facility is coming from. In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don. (Uncredited/AP) The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Advertisement After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. Advertisement The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. A rebellious Russian mercenary commander said Saturday he ordered his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, appearing to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. Moscow had braced for the arrival of forces from the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that has been fighting alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine, by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the citys southern edge. Red Square was shut down, and the mayor urged motorists to stay off some roads. But Prigozhin announced that while his men were just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, he decided to turn them back to avoid shedding Russian blood. He did not say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from Putins government. The turnaround followed a statement from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos office saying he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after discussing the issue with Putin. Prigozhin agreed to halt the advance in a proposed settlement including security guarantees for Wagner troops, Lukashenkos office said, without elaborating. Putin had vowed harsh consequences for organizers of the armed uprising led by his onetime protege, who brought his forces out of Ukraine, seized a key military facility in southern Russia and advanced toward Moscow. Advertisement In a televised speech to the nation, Putin called the rebellion a betrayal and treason. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders. It wasnt immediately clear what concessions, if any, Putin may have made to Prigozhin. If he accedes to Shoigus ouster, Prigozhin would emerge from the crisis as a clear winner in a major blow to Putins authority. If Prigozhin drops that demand, Putin could award him with more lucrative government contracts like those on which he has built his fortune. However, it would be awkward and politically damaging for Putin to backtrack after branding Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor. Some observers speculated that Prigozhin could make concessions such as putting the Wagner Group under federal authority, or he could shift the forces activities back to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in recent years. Advertisement Early Saturday, Prigozhins private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britains Ministry of Defense said. A nighttime video from the city posted on Russian messaging app channels showed Wagner troops getting ready to withdraw, hailed by shouts of thank you! and well done! in an apparent expression of relief following expectations of a bloody battle. Earlier videos had showed some residents yelling at Wagner mercenaries to leave. Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow. Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in Moscow and its surrounding region, enhancing security and restricting some movement. On the southern outskirts, troops erected checkpoints, arranged sandbags and set up machine guns. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital and declared Monday a non-working day for most residents. The dramatic developments came exactly 16 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europes largest conflict since World War II, which has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and reduced cities to rubble. Advertisement Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for its army to take back territory seized by Russian forces. Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that even with a deal, Putins position has probably been weakened and these events will have been of great comfort to the Ukrainian government and the military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals. Switching into Russian in his daily video address, Zelenskyy said the man from the Kremlin was very afraid. He repeated his calls for the West to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, called for Prigozhins arrest Friday night after he declared the armed rebellion. It was unclear whether those charges would be dropped. Prigozhin had vowed earlier that his fighters, whom he said number some 25,000, would not surrender because we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Advertisement Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland, he said in an audio message on his Telegram channel. He posted video of himself at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don and claimed his forces had taken control of the airfield and other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. The rebellion came as Russia is fighting the toughest battle for its future, Putin said, with the West piling sanctions on Moscow and arming Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. State-controlled TV networks led their newscasts with Putins statement and reported the tense situation in Rostov-on-Don. Broadcasters also carried statements from top Russian officials and lawmakers voicing support for Putin, condemning Prigozhin and urging him to back down. Chechnyan strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who in the past has sided with Prigozhin in his criticisms of Russias military, also expressed support for Putins every word. Advertisement The mutiny needs to be suppressed, Kadyrov said. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery, killing a huge number of our comrades. Prigozhin alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the camps. The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has longstanding ties to Putin and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. Advertisement He gained attention in the U.S. when he and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. Wagner has sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine. Even with the confrontation seemingly defused, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscows war effort in Ukraine, as Kyivs forces probed Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Orysia Lutsevych, the head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the infighting could create confusion and potential division among Russian military forces. Russian troops in Ukraine may well now be operating in a vacuum, without clear military instructions, and doubts about whom to obey and follow, Lutsevych said. This creates a unique and unprecedented military opportunity for the Ukrainian army. Western countries monitored developments closely. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in the other G7 countries and the European Unions foreign affairs representative, his spokesman said, adding that Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. Latvia and Estonia, two NATO countries that border Russia, said they were increasing security at their borders. Advertisement ___ Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed. Today we are talking about Andrew Johnson. Johnson was vice president under Abraham Lincoln, and became president in 1865 after Lincoln was killed. His name sounds like that of an earlier president, Andrew Jackson, and also like a later president, Lyndon Johnson. But Andrew Johnson served in the years just after the Civil War. You can remember Johnson this way: He was the first U.S. president to be impeached. Early life Andrew Johnson grew up in a poor family in the southern state of North Carolina. As a child, Johnson had little formal education. Instead, he trained to be a tailor. When he was a young man, Johnson moved to Tennessee, another southern state. He opened a tailoring business, where he made, repaired and sold clothing. When he was 18 years old, he married. His wife, Eliza McCardle, was only 16. They went on to have five children together. Eliza McCardle Johnson did not come from a wealthy family, either. But she was better educated than her husband, and she helped him develop his reading and writing skills. She also supported his gift for public speaking. Johnsons speeches were especially popular with workers in their community. They liked his criticism of the states wealthy planters. The workers also liked his politics. At the time, Johnson supported measures that permitted slavery to expand across the country. He was clear in his speeches that he did not support equality between whites and African-Americans, whether enslaved or free. In time, Johnson held many political offices: mayor, Tennessees governor, state legislator, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives. When the Civil War began, he was a member of the U.S. Senate. Although he was a Southerner, he did not believe the Southern states had a right to withdraw from the Union. When the other Southern senators resigned from the U.S. Congress, Johnson stayed. As a result, most Southerners considered him a traitor. But most Northerners considered him a hero. Election of 1864 By 1864, the American Civil War was three years old. The conflict was becoming increasingly fierce and bloody. That year, the states that remained in the Union held their presidential election. The president, Abraham Lincoln, wanted to win re-election and continue directing the Unions war effort. But he was not sure that voters in the opposition Democratic Party would support him. So he turned to Andrew Johnson to be his choice for vice president. Johnson was a pro-slavery Democrat. Lincoln was an anti-slavery Republican. In the U.S. tradition, presidential candidates do not usually choose someone from a different party to serve as vice president. But in this case, Lincolns Republicans did. They called the Lincoln-Johnson partnership the National Union Party. Political leaders hoped Johnson would appeal to Democrats who supported the war effort, to workers and to small farmers. The plan along with several military successes for the Union helped carry the National Union Party to victory. The swearing-in ceremony the following March, however, suggested some of the difficulties ahead. Johnson was sick. To feel better, he had a lot of alcoholic drinks the night before the ceremony. The next morning, he drank some more. When Johnson stood to give his speech, he appeared unsteady. He talked about his poor family and his simple beginnings. Then he spoke angrily about wealthy Southern planters who had withdrawn from the Union. He became increasingly confused. Other people in the crowd wrote later that they felt embarrassed by Johnsons behavior. And some Republicans began calling already for his resignation or even impeachment. Those critics could not have predicted that in a few weeks, Johnson would be the president. Presidency A few very important events happened in the weeks after Lincoln and Johnson were sworn-in. In April, Lincoln was shot and killed. Johnson took office as the new president. The following month, the Civil War officially ended. The Confederate States of America was no more. And that December, a majority of states approved the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment ended slavery across the country. President Johnson, therefore, guided the process of re-uniting the North and South, and supervised the transition of many African-Americans from slavery to freedom. That period in U.S. history is called Reconstruction. Members of Congress from the Northern states had been thinking for a long time about how to carry out Reconstruction. The most extreme lawmakers, the Radical Republicans, wanted to punish former Confederate officials and extend political and civil rights to African-Americans. Johnson had different ideas. In the first months of his presidency, before Congress had met, Johnson pardoned many former Confederate officials. He also let Southerners rebuild their state governments as they wished. Those governments quickly passed laws called Black Codes. Black Codes restricted the freedom and rights of African-Americans. They permitted white land owners to control African-Americans labor, much as they had when the workers were slaves. The laws were enforced by all-white police and militia. Radical Republicans in Congress as well as African-Americans objected strongly to the Black Codes. When Congress finally did meet, Republican lawmakers voted for a measure to help and protect formerly enslaved people. But Johnson vetoed the measure. He said the bill would give the federal government too much power. Johnsons veto was one move in a political war between the president and many Republicans. In time, lawmakers got the upper hand. The Republican Congress soon took control of Reconstruction. Against Johnsons wishes, they succeeded in passing several major pieces of legislation. One was the Civil Rights Act of 1866. It recognized that everyone born in the United States including African-Americans, although not Native Americans was a citizen. Another was the extension of the Freedmans Bureau Act, the measure that Johnson had earlier vetoed. For two more years, the federal government was authorized to help people displaced by the Civil War. Finally, lawmakers passed a measure barring the president from dismissing any top officials without the approval of Congress. President Johnson ignored the measure. When he believed the secretary of war did not treat him respectfully, the president ordered that man's dismissal. In answer, members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson. In other words, they charged him with a crime. It was the first time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached. But impeached does not always mean removed from office. The case moves to the Senate. There, senators act as a jury. They decide whether the president is guilty. Two-thirds of the Senate must agree to convict the president. In the case of Andrew Johnson, 54 senators considered his case. For him to be removed from office, 36 would need to find him guilty. But only 35 did. His position was saved by a single vote. Legacy Although Johnson survived impeachment, he was not nominated as a candidate for president in the next election. Instead, he returned to his home in Tennessee, then competed for a seat back in Congress. On the third try, he succeeded. Johnson is the first and only so far former president to serve as a senator. He did not stay in the position long, however. A few months after returning to Congress, Johnson died suddenly after suffering a stroke. He was 66 years old. Today historians have mixed feelings about his presidency. Johnsons supporters approve of his limits on the federal government and belief in a firm separation of powers among Congress, the president and Supreme Court. But most historians believe Johnsons Reconstruction policies were extremely damaging. They did not help re-unite the North and South. And they extended the suffering of African-Americans and the countrys history of racial oppression. Im Kelly Jean Kelly. Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Editor's note: The original story mistakenly said that 20 senators had to find Johnson guilty for him to be removed from office, but only 19 did. In fact, a majority at that time would have been 36 senators. Only 35 found Johnson guilty.] ____________________________________________ Listening Quiz See how well you understand the story by taking this listening quiz. Play each short video, then choose the best answer. Quiz - America's Presidents: Andrew Johnson Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story impeached - adj. charged a public official with a crime while in office formal - adj. received in a school tailor - n. a person who makes clothes ticket - n. a list of the candidates supported by a political party in an election unsteady - adj. not standing or moving in a steady and balanced way embarrassed - adj. made uncomfortable by foolish behavior transition - n. a change from one state or condition to another convict - v. to prove that someone is guilty of a crime in a court of law stroke - n. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel in your brain suddenly breaks or is blocked A European business group says foreign companies are increasingly pulling investments and operations out of China. A report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China says the changes are linked to government rules for foreign businesses, a slowing economy and rising operating costs. Foreign companies are also concerned about government protections for Chinese companies and a lack of action on promised reforms. Chinas ruling Communist Party has attempted to increase interest in the worlds second-largest economy since the end of restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. But many companies are reconsidering their Chinese operations because of new security controls and other business environment policies. Jens Eskelund is president of the European Chamber. He told reporters the groups report suggests business confidence in China is pretty much the lowest we have on record. Eskelund added there seems to be no expectation that the regulatory environment is really going to improve over the next five years. About 66 percent of the 570 companies that took part in the European Chambers research said they felt doing business in China had become more difficult. And three out of five companies said the business environment had become more political. Earlier this year, police raided two advisory companies, Bain & Company and Mintz Group. Chinese officials gave no public explanation for the raids. They only said foreign companies are required to obey the law, without commenting on any possible violations. Companies also are worried about efforts led by the government of Chinese President Xi Jinping that seem to favor Chinese businesses over foreign competitors. Those efforts have pressed manufacturers, hospitals and others to use Chinese suppliers even if it raises their costs. Foreign companies worry they might be shut out of markets in China. Last month, the Chinese government placed a restriction on products from the biggest U.S. maker of memory chips, Micron Technology Inc. The products were banned in computers that process sensitive information. Officials said Micron had security issues, but did not provide additional details. One in 10 companies taking part in the European Chamber report said they had pulled investments out of China. Another one in five said they were delaying or considering moving their investments. The European Chamber noted that foreign companies were not the only ones making changes. Two out of five businesses taking part in the research reported that Chinese customers or suppliers had also decided to move investments out of China. A separate group, the British Chamber of Commerce in China, has also expressed concerns about the current business environment in China. It said last month its members were waiting for greater clarity about anti-spying, data security and other rules before making new investments. The European Chambers Eskelund said the biggest concern is the ruling partys wide definition of national security. This currently includes Chinas economy, as well as food, energy and politics. What does qualify as a state secret? Where does politics begin and the commercial world stop, Eskelund told The Associated Press. He added that such definitions create unknowns about where we can operate as normal businesses. The European Chamber report said the top place for companies moving their Asian headquarters out of China was Singapore, with 43 percent of companies moving there. The next popular nation was Malaysia. Only 9 percent went or plan to go to Hong Kong. Top Chinese economic officials have promised to improve operating conditions for foreign companies. But businesses say that, so far, they have seen few clear changes. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story confidence n. the feeling or belief that someone or some group is good or able to succeed at something regulate v. to control an activity or process, especially by rules customer n. a person or company that buys goods and services clarity n. the quality of being clear and easy to understand qualify v. to meet a required standard commercial adj. related to business or the part of a business or service aimed at making a profit ___________________________________________________________________ What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The U.S. Department of Education expressed concern about long-term learning loss among teenagers who missed class time during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools closed. The department released the scores from a national math and reading test, given to 13-year-olds, on June 21. Eight thousand seven hundred students took the test in both math and reading in late 2022. The results showed a drop of nine points in math and four points in reading compared to 2020, the last year the test was administered. The departments information shows that those are the largest point decreases between tests recorded since 1973. The test asks students to read short passages and identify the main idea or some facts. In math, students need to do simple multiplication and geometry. Peggy G. Carr is the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the Department of Education. In a news release, she said the scores show that there are still worrisome signs about student achievement two years after most returned to in-person school. Carr said she was hoping to see green shoots of academic recovery, but did not. Green shoots is a term officials use to describe signs of improvement. The results of a similar test, given to younger students, came out in 2022. They also showed learning problems connected to missed class time for fourth and eighth graders. Education officials said test scores were falling in the 10 years before the pandemic. However, they were mostly higher than the lows of 20 to 30 years ago. The latest test scores show that American 13-year-old students are back to their lowest level in math since 1990 and lowest reading level since 2004. An international reading test given to younger students in 2021 suggested some learning loss. However, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study showed that most students reached basic reading standards. The test results showed that, of the countries taking part, more than one-third of test-takers reached high standards on average. The test, which is administered every five years, was given in 57 countries, mainly in Europe and the Middle East. There was a big difference in results between some countries. In the U.S., officials say time away from school during the pandemic continues to affect students who were already having problems. Those students scored 12 to 14 points lower than others in their group in 2020. Stronger students also saw lower scores, but their scores dropped only six to eight points. Minority students struggled the most. The lowest scores came from American Indians, whose scores dropped by 20 points. Black students scores were lower by 13 points. White students saw losses of six points and Asian students remained almost the same. The scores of all groups decreased. Denise Forte is president of a nonprofit group, the Education Trust, based in Washington, D.C. She said the test shows the deep effect of the pandemic on Black, Latino and poor students. She said all students want to do well, attend college, and get a job. But they cant if they continue to lose ground, she said. The learning problems of the pandemic continue in the U.S. although the federal government has spent billions of dollars to help students catch up. Schools received money to offer extra help, hold classes in the summer and start other programs. But Carr said the nations 13-year-olds, who were just 10 when the pandemic started, are still having trouble. We need to keep at it, she said. It is a long road ahead of us. Miguel Cardona is the U.S. Secretary of Education. He said the national test shows what the government had feared that it would take years of investment to reverse the damage. But he said several states are making progress on their own reading and math tests and are returning to levels that existed before the pandemic. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a story by The Associated Press. Quiz - Math, Reading Test Scores in US Continue to Drop after Pandemic Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story passage n. a piece of writing that is chosen and taken from a longer written work or report multiplication n. a math operation where you add a number to itself many times achievement n. the process of reaching a higher level of ability standard n. a basic level of work that is expected of someone, such as a student reverse v. to move something back to where it was ____________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Do you think Americas students will eventually recover from pandemic learning losses? Here is how our comment system works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Westbound traffic on East 63rd Street from South Cornell Avenue in Chicago is congested on June 23, 2023, due to construction in the area. Traffic was diverted off of southbound Cornell Drive. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) City officials said they will permanently close a roadway through Jackson Park in preparation for the looming Obama Presidential Center in Woodlawn. A half-mile stretch of Cornell Drive between the Midway Plaisance and East Hayes Drive will close to vehicle traffic for good on June 30, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced Friday. Advertisement The long-expected road closure is part of a plan to create more than 5 acres of new green space by turning portions of roadway into parkland. The city has been working on numerous roadway changes and transportation improvement projects in and around Jackson Park in support of the Obama Presidential Center and the Chicago Park Districts South Lakefront Framework Plan with the goal of strengthening and refreshing Jackson Park and the surrounding area. Advertisement Following the closure, traffic patterns in the area will continue to change starting July 1, including reopening another part of Cornell Drive, from Hayes Drove to Marquette Drive. Hayes Drive from Stony Island Avenue to Cornell Drive will also be temporarily closed. Southbound drivers coming from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Stony Island Avenue are recommended to take DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Hayes Drive to Cornell Drive then to Stony Island Avenue. Northbound motorists should take Stony Island Avenue back the opposite way through Cornell and Hayes drives to get to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Drivers are asked to pay close attention to construction workers and signage when in the area and to follow posted speed limits. The planned closure of Cornell Drive, which slices through the Obama and Museum of Science and Industry campuses, has long been a controversial topic, with some residents complaining the closure will push traffic to neighboring streets. Once road construction is complete, drivers will be able to use Hayes Drive to enter DuSable Lake Shore Drive. DOBBS DECISION | one year Later In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that ended nearly a half-century of a nationwide right to abortion, states have enacted contrasting policies on the issue. The Dobbs decision overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that protected the right to an abortion until fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks of pregnancy. Lawmakers, governors, courts and voters are all shaping policies and more changes are in the pipeline. Here's a state-by-state breakdown of where things stand: States where abortion is banned throughout pregnancy Alabama: Law adopted in 2019 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Woman's life or health. Arkansas: Law adopted in 2019 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Woman's life. Idaho: Law adopted in 2020 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Rape, incest and life of the woman. A judge has blocked enforcement in cases of medical emergencies. The state also has a law making it a felony to transport a minor for the purpose of obtaining an abortion without parental consent. Kentucky: Law adopted in 2019 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Health or life of the woman. Kentucky voters in 2022 defeated a ballot question for an amendment that would have declared there to be no right to abortion in the state constitution. Louisiana: Law adopted in 2006 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Life or health of the woman. Mississippi: Law adopted in 2007 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Rape and the life of the woman. Missouri: Law adopted in 2019 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Life or health of the woman. North Dakota: A new law was adopted in 2023, replacing one that was blocked by a court. Exceptions: Rape, incest and health or life of the woman. Oklahoma: Law adopted in 2022 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Life of the woman. South Dakota: Law adopted in 2005 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Life of the woman. Tennessee: Law adopted in 2020 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Health or life of the woman. Texas: Law adopted in 2021 took effect after Dobbs. Exceptions: Health or life of the woman. West Virginia: Ban adopted in 2022 after the Dobbs ruling. Exceptions: Rape, incest and health or life of the woman. Wisconsin: Ban is from an 1849 law. There's litigation over whether it should be in effect. Exceptions: Woman's life. States where abortion is banned after 6 to 15 weeks of pregnancy Arizona: A ban on abortion after 15 weeks' gestation was adopted in 2022 and took effect after the Dobbs ruling. Exceptions: Health or life of the woman. A state court has ruled that a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy does not apply to doctors; there's a legal dispute about whether it is in effect for "helpers." Georgia: Law adopted in 2019 bans abortion once cardiac activity can be detected, generally around six weeks into pregnancy and before women often know they're pregnant. Exceptions: Rape, incest and health or life of the woman. Nebraska: Law adopted in 2023 bans abortion at 12 weeks' gestational age. Exceptions: Rape, incest and life of the woman. States where bans have been adopted but are not yet in effect Florida: A ban on abortion after 15 weeks' gestation was adopted in 2022 and took effect after the Dobbs ruling. Exceptions: Health or life of the woman. If a court finds the current ban to comply with the state constitution, it is to be replaced with a more stringent one adopted in 2023 that would ban abortion after six weeks and add exceptions for cases of rape and incest. North Carolina: A ban on abortions after 20 weeks is in place until July 1, when a ban after 12 weeks, with exceptions for the health and life of the woman, rape and incest takes effect. States where bans or restrictions have been put on hold by courts Indiana: A ban on abortion after 22 weeks' gestation is in place. A law to ban abortion at any point in pregnancy was adopted in 2022 after Dobbs, but the Indiana Supreme Court put it on hold. Montana: Abortion is banned after viability. A Montana judge has put on hold enforcement of a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and one on the most commonly used procedures in the second trimester, dilation and evacuation, after 15 weeks. Ohio: A ban on abortions after 22 weeks is in place. A county judge put on hold a ban on abortion after cardiac activity can be detected. The state Supreme Court is reviewing that decision. Abortion-rights groups are pursuing a measure for the November ballot that would enshrine in the state constitution a right to make one's own decisions about a variety of reproductive care issues. South Carolina: A ban on abortions after 20 weeks is in place. A judge has put on hold enforcement of a ban after cardiac activity can be detected. Utah: A ban on abortions after 18 weeks is in place. A state court has put on hold enforcement of a ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancy. A ban on abortion clinics is also on hold. Wyoming: Abortion is banned after viability. A state court has put on hold enforcement of two different bans at all stages of pregnancy. The state has also adopted a specific ban on medication abortions that is set to go into effect in July. States that have moved to protect abortion access California: Abortion is banned after viability. Since last year, the state has adopted an executive order, laws and a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion access. Colorado: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. An executive order and laws to protect access to abortion and one to bar "deceptive practices" by anti-abortion centers have been adopted since last year. Connecticut: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order signed last year protects access to abortion. Delaware: Abortion is banned after viability. A law has been adopted since last year to protect access. District of Columbia: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. A law has been adopted since last year to protect Hawaii: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order and law have been adopted since last year to protect access. Illinois: Abortion is banned after viability. A law has been adopted since last year protecting access. Maine: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order has been signed since last year protecting access. Maryland: Abortion is banned after viability. A law has been adopted since last year protecting access. Massachusetts: Abortion is banned after 24 weeks. A law has been adopted since last year protecting access. Michigan: Abortion is banned after viability. A constitutional amendment was adopted in 2022 to protect abortion access. Minnesota: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order and law have been adopted since last year to protect access. Nevada: Abortion is banned after 24 weeks. An executive order and law have been adopted since last year to protect access. New Jersey: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. A law has been adopted since last year protecting access. New Mexico: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. An executive order and law have been adopted since last year to protect access. New York: Abortion is banned after viability. Laws have been adopted since last year to protect access. Pennsylvania: Abortion is banned after 24 weeks. An executive order has been signed since last year protecting access. Rhode Island: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order has been signed since last year protecting access. A 2023 law expands coverage for abortion for state workers and Medicaid enrollees. Vermont: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. A constitutional amendment and law protecting access have been enacted since last year. Washington: Abortion is banned after viability. An executive order and law have been adopted since last year to protect access. States where key abortion policies are unchanged since Dobbs Alaska: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. Iowa: A ban on abortion after 22 weeks' gestation is in place. Kansas: A ban on abortion after 22 weeks' gestation is in place. Voters in 2022 defeated a ballot question that would have found no right to abortion in the state constitution. New Hampshire: Abortion is banned after 24 weeks. Oregon: Abortion is not banned at any point in pregnancy. Virginia: Abortion is banned after the second trimester, around 26 weeks. Three Ukrainian immigrants are opening a restaurant in the Union Corners development on Madisons East Side, with the support of the projects developer, whos sponsoring one of them. Two of the partners are refugees. The third, who was a lawyer in Ukraine, moved here just before the Russian invasion started 16 months ago. We all have different jobs in Zaporizhzhia, but here we are, starting from the beginning. Were starting all over again, our lives, said Kateryna Katya Temchenko, whos a partner in the restaurant with Inesa Zolotarenko, the lawyer, and Zolotarenkos mother, Tetiana Yermolova. Until Russian soldiers began blowing up buildings around her, Temchenko, 38, worked for the largest producer of bread and baked goods in Ukraine. She was an administrative manager there for three years, and before that was an assistant to the chief operating officer. Yermolova will be the chef at the new restaurant, Touch of Ukraine, at 2438 Winnebago St., which will open for lunch and dinner serving traditional Ukrainian foods and some American sandwiches, soups and salads. We kind of built it around her cooking knowledge and abilities, said Temchenko, who will be the manager, a server and bartender. Zolotarenko said in Ukraine her mother was in charge of food services at a factory. Borsch will be a main focus at the restaurant. Its like the main dish of Ukrainian cuisine, Temchenko said. Other specialties include varenyky, Ukrainian handmade dumplings with various fillings, and nalysnyky, Ukrainian crepes. The dinner menu will offer mustard brown sugar glazed salmon, chicken Kyiv, and desserts such as Napoleon cake, made with puff pastry and whipped cream filling; profiteroles with custard; and honey cake. The partners hope to have the restaurant open by July 6 if they can get the necessary city permits. Zolotarenko is married to Travis Spencer, a senior member of Union Corners developer Gorman & Co.s property management group. When the war started, Spencer talked to founder and board chairman Gary Gorman about helping to bring Inesas parents here from Zaporizhzhia, where its massive nuclear plant has come under attack. Zolotarenko, formerly a lawyer for an agro-industrial company in Ukraine, will bartend at the restaurant. She said she met Spencer in Ukraine in 2018, and they married the following year. She began working for Gormans company on Feb. 7, 2022, 17 days before the war began. She said she and Spencer began to look for ways to get her parents out of Ukraine. Gorman not only offered to help her parents, but also to sponsor her friends, she said. I am immensely grateful to him for this, she said. He is a magician. Zolotarenko said her husband sponsored her and her parents, while Gorman sponsored Temchenko and 11 others. Gorman said by bringing the Ukrainians here he could give them jobs hes had trouble filling because of the labor shortage. He said he tried to sponsor 18 Ukrainians, but six of them couldnt wait the five months it took the U.S. State Department to approve their visas. Meanwhile, three went to France, three went to Canada, and 12 came to Wisconsin. He said some are working for Gorman & Co. in the Milwaukee area. The company, based in nearby Oregon, operates in 12 states, with offices in six, and manages roughly 9,000 apartments around the country, Gorman said. Union Corners Brewery opened in the space in the summer of 2019, but closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic. He lost his staff, Gorman said about the brewerys owner, Eric Peterson. Thats the biggest problem right now with the restaurant business, just keeping staff. Gorman said hes participated in some practice meals at Touch of Ukraine and the food is great. Temchenko said they didnt need to make renovations to the space, but have added touches of her homeland with pictures and symbolic objects. She said its painful to talk about the situation in Zaporizhzhia and her mother, who is still there. Im constantly worrying about her. The situation there, its not getting better, she said. The nuclear power station is 45 kilometers from our city. So its very near in case something happens there. Temchenko said shes hoping to bring her mother to Madison and is in touch with her every day. Thank God we have internet. Madison has been welcoming, she said. Im enjoying the weather because the weather is very similar to Ukraine, actually. The nature of plants, the trees, everything is very familiar. I like that its situated on the banks of these lakes. We have places where we can go for a walk. I love that Madison is a very green city. Its been tough to leave behind everything shes known and start over, Temchenko said, adding that shes also full of hope. American people were very kind to us, and we want to show them our gratitude, she said. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the address of the restaurant. Photos: Ukrainian refugees safe, but not at peace Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees APTOPIX Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees Russia Ukraine War Refugees A Dane County supervisor is calling on law enforcement to investigate how a naked girl ended up participating in last weeks World Naked Bike Ride in Madison, but police say theyve found no state law that would apply in the case. Dane County Sup. Jeff Weigand, of Marshall, said he filed an online report about the incident with Madison police on Thursday after a county resident sent all County Board members an email about the girl. Our law enforcement officers need to investigate this matter and enforce our laws, Weigand said in a statement, first posted by conservative blogger David Blaska. If a child was allowed to participate in this naked bike ride, any and all adults who supported and condoned this need to be arrested immediately. About 150 people participated in the June 17 event, now in its 13th year in Madison. Their route included State Street and two loops around Capitol Square. Also staged in other cities around the country, the ride is aimed at encouraging body-image positivity and reducing dependency on petroleum. Weigand said a photo the Mount Horeb resident later sent him appeared to show a nude girl who was less than 10 years old. A Wisconsin State Journal reporter who covered the event also saw the girl there, and a different photo of the girl appears on the Facebook page of a World Naked Bike Ride participant. Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer on Wednesday said police received a complaint on Sunday about an image of the girl posted to social media, and on Tuesday a complaint from someone who saw the girl at the ride. She said the departments Special Victims Unit was assigned to the case and detectives looked at the states statues on possession of child pornography and exposing a child to harmful material or narrations, but that based on the image observed and city-sanctioned event status of the bike ride, it was determined at this time that neither statutes are applicable. She said Friday that police received another report the day before about the incident and that we are in the process or reaching out to let him know this was already investigated by our SVU detectives. Weigand rejected the notion that state criminal law wouldnt apply in the incident, pointing to state statutes that, for example, bar sexual exploitation of a child, causing a child to view or listen to sexual activity or causing a child to expose genitals. However, those laws seek to protect minors from engaging in sexual conduct or causing sexual arousal, something the organizers of the bike ride have said the event is not intended to do. In a Friday email to the Mount Horeb resident, Madison World Naked Bike Ride organizer Peter Keating said the participation of children in the event is not an issue at all and that it has always been our position that minors are perfectly welcome to participate as they please, as long as they are accompanied by parent or legal guardian. The man who posted the girls photo on Facebook did not respond Friday to messages sent to him through that site. Thirty-five of the County Boards 37 supervisors did not respond when the State Journal asked via email whether theyd taken any action in response to the residents complaint. Sad behavior, said Sup. Dave Ripp, referring to the decisions adults made to allow the child to participate in the ride. But doubtful if the majority of the County Board would care, he said. Photos: 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison 2019 World Naked Bike Ride in Madison Prosecutors filed a 27-count criminal complaint against a 31-year-old Rochester, Minnesota, man accused of a drive-by shooting that injured eight people early June 17 in downtown La Crosse. Deandrew Seneca Grant was charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court with six counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, five counts of substantial battery/intent to cause bodily harm, 15 counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of a felon in possession of a firearm. The criminal complaint outlines a timeline of the events that led up to the gunfire. The complaint picks up the narrative at 1:47 a.m. Video reportedly shows Grant standing on the sidewalk outside La Crosse Bier Haus on Third Street South, where he appeared to be talking with patrons. Four males walked past and interacted with him. He followed the four males to Press Break Sandwich Shop. At 1:49, Grant continues to talk with the four males in front of Press Break before he took his sweatshirt off and threw it on the sidewalk. At 1:50, three people join the original four male subjects. At 1:51, Grant entered Press Break and exited two minutes later. A man followed Grant outside and attempted to punch him in the face. Grant dodged the swing and then blocked another attempt to hit him before he ran from the scene. At 1:59, Grants vehicle was observed traveling west on Jay Street from Fifth Avenue. The vehicle turned northbound onto Third Street, where it proceeded the wrong way on the one-way street. The video reportedly shows Grant using his left hand to drive the vehicle and his right hand to fire a gun from the drivers window. The shots were directed toward Politos, where several people were gathered. The video reportedly shows Grant driving away on Third Street at a high rate of speed. The complaint says video shows Grant exiting his vehicle at Dees Muffler Shop, where he appeared to throw an object toward the building. Police say a 9 mm Ruger handgun was recovered from the roof of the business and that the weapon matched the shell casings at the shooting scene. Grant reportedly ran back to his vehicle and locked it but didnt get back inside. The complaint says video shows him walking past La Crosse City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce building until he reached an area where surveillance cameras werent present. He was arrested without incident six hours later in downtown La Crosse. Seven people sustained gunshot wounds, and an eighth sustained injuries from shattered glass. Prosecutors say six of the injured had no role in the original confrontation. Grant was free on a $2,500 signature bond he signed the previous day after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Grant is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $1 million cash bond. During Wednesdays initial appearance, he told Judge Todd Bjerke, I dont know nothing about courts, your honor. After Bjerke advised Grant to read the 18-page complaint, Grant replied, I have a disability. I cant read. He also told the court, Ive been trying to get medications. Court records show Grant has a 2011 conviction from Illinois for unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to two years probation. Grant has yet to be assigned a public defender. Bjerke scheduled a calendar call for June 28. RAYMOND Establishing residence for the purpose of voting is sometimes a balancing act that includes a voters state of mind, state election officials said in a dispute with the village of Raymond. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is responding to a civil lawsuit that the village filed in a disagreement over the villages decision to deny voter registration to a couple building a house in Raymond. The wife, Jillian Berman, was running for Raymond School Board at the time, and the question of her residence had become an issue in the campaign. Berman lost the election, but state election officials later ruled that the Village of Raymond had wrongly rejected voter registration for both Jillian and Mitchell Berman while their house was under construction. The village responded by filing suit against the Election Commission, in a case pending in Racine County Circuit Court before Circuit Judge Mark Nielsen. No hearing date has been set. In its response filed June 5, the commission asserts that the Bermans established residence in Raymond not only by starting construction of a home on Eight Mile Road, but also by paying taxes, enrolling their kids in school, receiving mail, getting new drivers licenses and registering their dogs at that address. The couple had sold their previous home and were sleeping at friends houses, after construction of their new house in Raymond fell behind schedule. Citing legal precedents for voter registration, state election officials said a persons place of residence is often a combination of their physical presence and a certain state of mind. In short, a voters residence or domicile is where her lifes center of gravity is located, the state wrote. Physical presence need not be continuous to establish or maintain a residence. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is representing the Election Commission in the matter. The village of Raymond filed the suit last October on behalf of then-Village Clerk Linda Terry, who made the decision to invalidate the Bermans voter registration as part of her election administrative duties in the April 2022 elections. Jillian Berman was on the ballot as a school board candidate, but neither she nor her husband were allowed to vote. Terry, who has since retired, said she stands behind her decision on the Bermans. I feel I still did the right thing, she said. Village President Kari Morgan declined to comment about the dispute, citing pending litigation. The village has hired the Waukesha law firm of Arenz Molter Macy & Riffle to fight the lawsuit. Village officials contend that Terry was correct to invalidate the Bermans voter registration, partly because the couple at the time acknowledged having never slept overnight at the Eight Mile Road address. In response, the state called Terrys conclusion legally untenable and practically unworkable. The village clerk failed to demonstrate that the Bermans lived outside the village, so denying their residence left them with no place where they could vote, the state said. There was nowhere else their residence could plausibly be, the state wrote. If Terry gets her way, the Bermans wont be eligible to vote anywhere. Photos of Racine County residents voting at the polls, spring Election Day 2023 Caledonia voters Sonya Johnson Maricela Carranza Kelly Glass Caledonia voting Caledonia voting sign Caledonia voters at the polls Caledonia voting line Voting Voting Turning in the ballot Voting Waiting in line Husband and wife election working duo Poll worker Mike Pinter directs voter inside Veteran Terrace on election day April 20203 Poll worker Sherry Coburn hands out a ballot Tuesday during April 2023 election in Burlington Voters cast their ballots in Burlington's Veterans Terrace April 2023 election Women across the country woke up one year ago Saturday with fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers had generations ago. Our country was taken back 50 years in time and in some states such as Wisconsin, we were taken back 173 years. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Wisconsin was one of 14 states that quickly had a previously unenforceable abortion ban go into effect. Our law was the archaic 1849 abortion ban, which means that abortion is banned in almost all cases including rape and incest. The one exception for life of the mother is so precariously defined that doctors and medical professionals are afraid to administer lifesaving care in fear of criminal prosecution. In 1849, our states 1-year-old Legislature voted on this ban. Exactly zero women were there to debate the misguided law, let alone vote for or against it. In fact, it would be 70 years before women even had the right to vote. So what does this ban look like in Wisconsin? What have been the real ramifications of abortion rights being left up to the states? One Wisconsin couple had been trying to get pregnant for years something many can relate to. But 13 weeks into the pregnancy, they were devastated by the news that their baby developed a rare condition that caused the skull to not fully develop. The fetus could not survive an absolute nightmare for expecting parents. Instead of being able to get immediate care and mourn their loss, the couple had to figure out the logistics to travel out of state to get the health care they needed. Another Wisconsin woman bled for more than 10 days from an incomplete miscarriage after emergency room staff would not treat her because they didnt want to be criminally prosecuted for providing lifesaving care. They waited until she was near death to save her life because thats what the law required. And one Wisconsin womans water broke at 17 weeks. She went to the doctor and was sent home without the abortion care she needed, only to return two days later with a life-threatening infection. These women are our family, friends, loved ones and neighbors. These situations are not rare. This is the reality for women in Wisconsin. Despite this assault on our freedoms, Wisconsinites are not sitting back. And I promise Im not sitting back, either. Until our freedoms are restored, Im going to keep fighting for women in Wisconsin and every corner of our nation to have the right to an abortion. Overturning Roe v. Wade isnt enough for anti-choice extremists. In Wisconsins past two elections, we saw the GOP put out the most radical anti-choice candidates who ran on platforms that embraced the 1849 ban and defied the will of the people. In Washington, we have Republicans in Congress who are looking to ban abortion nationwide. And anti-choice extremists in states across the country are continuing their crusade by pushing bills that include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care. Thats why Im proud to continue fighting for my Womens Health Protection Act with a record number of my colleagues. This legislation restores access to abortion for Wisconsin women and safeguard against the medically unnecessary bans and restrictions that are being placed on reproductive health care throughout the United States. Reproductive health decisions should be made by women and their doctors not the government. My bill will restore freedom for women in states such as Wisconsin, and will make sure that no politician or activist court can take our freedoms away again. As Im leading the charge to codify into federal law the right to choose, Im also supporting legislation that will ensure Wisconsinites can get the health care they need in the meantime. I am fighting to make sure that no one will get in the way of a Wisconsinites right to travel to another state to receive the reproductive health care they need. As soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, I helped introduce the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, which protects womens rights to travel across state lines if abortion is illegal in their state. This legislation also provides legal protections for health care providers in pro-choice states who treat individuals traveling across state lines for reproductive health care. I want to acknowledge the hard work of Wisconsinites over the past year. Youve done the work day in and day out. Youve organized, had the tough conversations and voted in historic numbers to restore our rights and freedoms. Ive been proud to be with you every step of the way. We need to keep fighting harder than ever. We need to keep Wisconsin accountable as the Forward State and keep our country accountable for upholding the will of the people. I promise I will be right alongside you in this fight until we win back the rights and freedoms we deserve. Three Ukrainian immigrants are opening a restaurant in the Union Corners development on Madison's East Side, with the support of the project's developer, who's sponsoring one of them. Two of the partners are refugees. The third, who was a lawyer in Ukraine, moved here just before the Russian invasion started 16 months ago. "We all have different jobs in Zaporizhzhia, but here we are, starting from the beginning. We're starting all over again, our lives," said Kateryna "Katya" Temchenko, who's a partner in the restaurant with Inesa Zolotarenko, the lawyer, and Zolotarenko's mother, Tetiana Yermolova. Until Russian soldiers began blowing up buildings around her, Temchenko, 38, worked for the largest producer of bread and baked goods in Ukraine. She was an administrative manager there for three years, and before that was an assistant to the chief operating officer. Yermolova will be the chef at the new restaurant, Touch of Ukraine, at 2418 Winnebago St., which will open for lunch and dinner serving traditional Ukrainian foods and some American sandwiches, soups and salads. "We kind of built it around her cooking knowledge and abilities," said Temchenko, who will be the manager, a server and bartender. Zolotarenko said in Ukraine her mother was in charge of food services at a factory. Borsch will be a main focus at the restaurant. "It's like the main dish of Ukrainian cuisine," Temchenko said. Other specialties include varenyky, Ukrainian handmade dumplings with various fillings, and nalysnyky, Ukrainian crepes. The dinner menu will offer mustard brown sugar glazed salmon, chicken Kyiv, and desserts such as Napoleon cake, made with puff pastry and whipped cream filling; profiteroles with custard; and honey cake. The partners hope to have the restaurant open by July 6 if they can get the necessary city permits. Zolotarenko is married to Travis Spencer, a senior member of Union Corners developer Gorman & Co.'s property management group. When the war started, Spencer talked to founder and board chairman Gary Gorman about helping to bring Inesa's parents here from Zaporizhzhia, where its massive nuclear plant has come under attack. Zolotarenko, formerly a lawyer for an agro-industrial company in Ukraine, will bartend at the restaurant. She said she met Spencer in Ukraine in 2018, and they married the following year. She began working for Gorman's company on Feb. 7, 2022, 17 days before the war began. She said she and Spencer began to look for ways to get her parents out of Ukraine. Gorman not only offered to help her parents, but also to sponsor her friends, she said. "I am immensely grateful to him for this," she said. "He is a magician." Zolotarenko said her husband sponsored her n and her parents, while Gorman sponsored Temchenko and 11 others. Gorman said by bringing the Ukrainians here he could give them jobs he's had trouble filling because of the labor shortage. He said he tried to sponsor 18 Ukrainians, but six of them couldn't wait the five months it took the U.S. State Department to approve their visas. Meanwhile, three went to France, three went to Canada, and 12 came to Wisconsin. He said some are working for Gorman & Co. in the Milwaukee area. The company, based in nearby Oregon, operates in 12 states, with offices in six, and manages roughly 9,000 apartments around the country, Gorman said. Union Corners Brewery opened in the space in the summer of 2019, but closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic. "He lost his staff," Gorman said about the brewery's owner, Eric Peterson. "That's the biggest problem right now with the restaurant business, just keeping staff." Gorman said he's participated in some practice meals at Touch of Ukraine and "the food is great." Temchenko said they didn't need to make renovations to the space, but have added touches of her homeland with pictures and symbolic objects. She said it's painful to talk about the situation in Zaporizhzhia and her mother, who is still there. "I'm constantly worrying about her. The situation there, it's not getting better," she said. "The nuclear power station is 45 kilometers from our city. So it's very near in case something happens there." Temchenko said she's hoping to bring her mother to Madison and is in touch with her every day. "Thank God we have internet." Madison has been welcoming, she said. "I'm enjoying the weather because the weather is very similar to Ukraine, actually. The nature of plants, the trees, everything is very familiar. I like that it's situated on the banks of these lakes. We have places where we can go for a walk. I love that Madison is a very green city." It's been tough to leave behind everything she's known and start over, Temchenko said, adding that she's also full of hope. "American people were very kind to us, and we want to show them our gratitude," she said. Read more restaurant news at: go.madison.com/ restaurants The Bankers Association of the Philippines said Saturday it welcomes the appointment of Monetary Board member Eli Remolona as the new governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Remolona brings with him a wealth of experience in the financial industry in his new role in the BSP, with 14 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and 19 years at the Bank for International Settlements. With his extensive global experience and expertise in financial markets and regulations, we are confident that Dr. Remolona will anchor the Philippine banking industry not only towards continuous stability of the financial system, but also to growth and competitiveness in the regional stage, said BAP president Jose Teodoro Limcaoco. The BAP looks forward to working with incoming Governor Remolona on various initiatives impacting the banking industry and its stakeholders, whether it be in the areas of financial market development, cybersecurity or sustainability, Limcaoco said. The BAP also lauded outgoing BSP Governor Felipe Medalla for his steadfast leadership of the financial industry and for laying the foundations to help Filipino navigate and address their financial needs during this time of global challenges and uncertainties. Dr. Medalla ascended in his role as BSP governor in a period wherein the economy is facing various macroeconomic headwinds. We applaud Dr. Medalla for steering monetary policy towards achieving the twin goals of promoting economic growth and price stability, Limcaoco said. Dr. Medalla is notably a pillar of a strong and resilient Philippine banking system not only for his term as BSP governor, but also for his 12 years of service in the Monetary Board. The BAP wishes him the very best in his future endeavors, Limcaoco said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Home Credit Philippines renews this commitment to support the LGBTQ+ community with the establishment of Pride Club, an employee resource group that will lead and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the workplace . At Home Credit Philippines, DEI and workplace inclusion is important for us. We have always championed these causes as integral for how we take care of our people and build safe spaces where our employees can be themselves and thrive, said Home Credit Philippines chief people officer Alpha Omega Aquino. Many companies in the Philippines have adopted DEI as a key tool to harmonize the workplace creating a culture of respect and appreciation amongst the workforce. In this Pride Month of June, Home Credit celebrates employees of diverse genders. Home Credit Philippines has earned recognitions such as the Asia CEO Awards- Circle of Excellence Diversity Company of the Year, United Nations Women Empowerment Principles (UN WEPs) Awards 2022 for Transparency and Reporting, and 2023 Gold Stevie for Diversity and Inclusion. DEI is also a focus of the companys environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs, where in a workforce of 14,000 employees, 52 percent are female and 5 women executive are also sitting as company board members. Home Credit has been proactively collaborating with advocacy partners to strengthen its DEI policies and programs. In 2022, the company joined the Philippine Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) and the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (PLCC) to further cement its commitment to workplace inclusion. The establishment of our Home Credit Pride team signals a more collaborative approach in creating equitable and inclusive policies and practices for our organization. This also allows our employees to be more empowered in advocating for causes that matter to them, Aquino said. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Every five years, Congress reauthorizes a multiyear law that funds an array of agricultural and food programs known as the Farm Bill, including nutritional assistance or food stamps. This summer, Congress is set to pass a new version of the bill. Chicagos very own Puerto Rican Cultural Center is seizing this opportunity with its request for including a Puerto Rico Food Sovereignty Program in the Farm Bill. The proposal seeks to dedicate a significant portion of the funds allocated to Puerto Rico for nutritional assistance to support the islands local farmers in a culturally and linguistically competent way. Advertisement Food insecurity is among the most vexing challenges our siblings in Puerto Rico face. Currently, the island imports more than 80% of its food. By relying almost exclusively on food coming from outside the island, Puerto Ricos nutritional system lacks the necessary sustainability to support itself, especially in an emergency. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the lack of a robust local agriculture system resulted in thousands of Puerto Ricans going hungry as ships were unable to dock at the storm-battered ports. A George Washington University survey shows that 40% of Puerto Ricans experience food insecurity, thus necessitating congressional action to address this crisis. Under the cultural centers Puerto Rico Food Sovereignty Program, all activities would be conducted in Puerto Rican Spanish and all materials and resources used in connection with the program would also be in the islands native language. This would ensure all eligible organizations and farmers can take full advantage of the program and its resources. Advertisement Puerto Ricans and allies are clamoring for change, and the Farm Bill is the vehicle to make it happen. Puerto Rico has been recovering from natural disasters since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017. Now is the time for the island to move from mere recovery to achieving a sustainable model that will ensure that no Puerto Rican should face the hard decision between affording food or paying for other services. That is why we fully support the inclusion of the Puerto Rico Food Sovereignty Program in the Farm Bill. State Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas and Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes Time to change farming practices Regarding the story about the deadly Interstate 55 dust storm: Im an Illinois resident and avid local food and soil health advocate. The tragic incident in early May sticks out in my mind and broken heart daily. I am sure the follow-up and interviews were difficult and demanding given the seriousness of the topic. I want to thank the Tribune for publishing the well-written synopsis and making solutions for Illinois clear for readers. I spend the majority of my week involved in volunteer and paid food-system efforts and believe education and collaboration are crucial pieces in the climate challenges we are facing. Good, honest journalism plays just as important of a role. The photo of the soybeans emerging through a cover crop of cereal rye and corn residue on Richard Lyons farm is spot on about what could be happening on all fields (specialty crops included) if the food and farming system moves toward closing the loop. Im a huge advocate for the follow the food and know your farmer movements. Id add that the soil will save us is something we can all agree on. The story on the dust storm rings true for certain. Regenerative farming practices, farmer training opportunities and a transition away from conventional agricultural operations are all on the other side of these repeated hardships in this climate emergency. Advertisement The matter is whether or not we get there soon enough, and alive. Amy Bartucci, Park Ridge Resilience of our food system My father, who started farming in 1920 at the age of 12 on his familys rented farm, farmed all his life. I was 12 in 1965 when he told me the following, the same year he was driven off his rented farm: We take care of the soil, and the soil will take care of us. I want to thank the editors of the Tribune and journalists Jonathan Bullington and Jake Sheridan for their important and informative article of June 19, Focus on farmers: Planting methods getting reexamined after fatal I-55 dust storm crash. Today, when so many are disconnected from the land, there is a gap in understanding of where our food comes from and why soil matters. It is important for people to know there is a difference between soil and dirt. The dust storm that caused the crash was dirt because that soil was sick; it was debilitated. When I grew up on the farm in Henry County, Illinois, we never grew the same crop on the same field two years in a row. We always rotated our crops, growing corn one year, then oats, then a clover/alfalfa mix with animals grazing and fertilizing, then soybeans and finally three years later, corn again. We never left the ground uncovered. Advertisement I grew up practicing land stewardship without calling it that. We were just farming the only way my father knew how to farm. He ended school at sixth grade. He did not know there was an agricultural college. He did not know the name of the secretary of agriculture. Im not sure if he knew there was one. Yet, it was the get big or get out policies set in motion by the Department of Agriculture that drove him off his land. He could not afford to get big, even though he worked nights as a night watchman so he could farm by day. Civilizations live or die by the strength and resilience of their food systems. And our food system, for Chicago, Illinois and the U.S., depends on healthy soil. Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > Thank you for reporting on this. I hope the Tribune will continue to provide more information for city people to learn where their food comes from and that we are only as healthy as our soil is. Dan Kenney, DeKalb Government has a role to play I am writing to praise the recent series of articles looking at the fatal Interstate 55 dust-storm crashes and Illinois farmers. This awful tragedy could have been avoided if we had learned from the past. Following past dust storms and the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, there were efforts to change farming, with a focus on conservation. The article does an excellent job telling this history and offering possible solutions to the current crisis. We call on farmers and state and federal governments to adopt conservation practices that can prevent future tragedies. Raising livestock on pasture and focusing on regenerative approaches to farming are good for the environment, farmers, animals and consumers. Adopting these practices is a win-win for all involved. Advertisement Harry Rhodes, executive director, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Chicago Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Editors note: Calendar items must be submitted at least six days before an event. Items are only guaranteed to publish once prior to the event. To guarantee placement in the paper on a particular day, organizations can purchase an ad by calling 315-720-9694. Email all items to news@mcdowellnews.com. MONDAY, JUNE 26 The McDowell County Board of Education will meet on Monday, June 26, at 6 p.m. for a special called meeting and regular work session in the boardroom at the District Office. McDowell Democrats will hold their monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 26, at the Marion Community Building. The guest speaker will be Keith Buchanan, president of Connect McDowell. He will give a status report on broadband development in McDowell County and take questions. A meal will be served before the meeting. A small donation to offset costs is appreciated. McDowell Dems T-shirts will be available and are $20 each. Attendees are asked to help the Friendship Home For Women & Children by bringing a nonperishable food item for donation. For more information, visit mcdems.com. TUESDAY, JUNE 27 MATCH and Marion East Community Forum will host a Community Health and Resource Fair at the Marion Tailgate Market on Tuesday, June 27, from 3-6 p.m. The first 100 guests will receive a $10 gift certificate to be used at the Farmers Market. In addition to the Market vendors, over 30 community organizations will be present. Free hot dog dinner and cleaning supplies will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call 828-659-5289. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 The Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League will offer a class in making a wooden acrylic pour mermaid with Lisa Hines as the instructor. The class will be taught Wednesday, June 28, from 5-8 p.m. The cost is $25 for AGS members, $35 for nonmembers, plus a $15 supply fee. Learn acrylic pour techniques used to paint these 17-inch x 11-inch mermaids. To register, visit Arrowhead Gallery, 78C Catawba Ave., Old Fort, or call 828-668-1100. FRIDAY, JUNE 30 The Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League will offer a class in making a framed wire tree with Catherine Bruggeman. The class will be taught Friday, June 30, from 1-4:30 p.m. The cost is $30 for AGS members, $40 for nonmembers, plus a $12 supply fee. Here is a unique twist on wire wrapping. Students will select from different color wire and construct a bent (bonsai) tree and learn to attach to frames. Wood frame and all wire supplies included. To register, visit Arrowhead Gallery, 78C Catawba Ave., Old Fort, or call 828-668-1100. The Glenwood High Alumni will have a dinner meeting on Friday, June 30, at 5 p.m. at Hook & Anchor. All high school attendees and teachers welcome. For questions, call Richard Buchanan at 828-460-2655 or Jeanette Jarrett at 828-460-9641. TUESDAY, JULY 4 On Tuesday, July 4, all seven convenience centers and Transfer Station and Public Service office will be closed in observance of the Fourth of July. On Wednesday, July 5, they will resume normal operating hours. All seven convenience centers will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the Transfer Station will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For questions, contact Pam Vance at 828-659-2521 or 828-460-9715. You can also reach Dewayne Riddle at 828-925-2062. The Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort will have free ice cream scoops and watermelon slices, bluegrass music and a Ducky Derby at the annual Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, July 4. The event will be held from 2-4 p.m. on the museums grounds at the intersection of Catawba Avenue and Water Street in Old Fort. This year, the museum welcomes the Old Fort Ruritan Club, which will be operating the Ducky Derby during the event as a fundraiser. Tickets for the Ducky Derby are being sold now. Each duck costs $3. To purchase a ticket, contact David Blackwelder at 828-925-2095 or Cathy Herron at 828-460-8164. Possum Creek, a local bluegrass band that leads a free music jam most Sunday afternoons at Mountain Gateway Museum, will perform on the museums front porch from 2-4 p.m. Marions Independence Day Celebration is Tuesday, July 4. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. A special spot will be reserved at the beginning of the parade for Anything That Rolls. Skaters, bicycles and skateboards are welcome and are not required to preregister. Parade marshals will be McDowell County veterans. Fox and Company will perform at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks will be at 9:30 p.m. For more information, call 652-2215. The Moroccan government has denounced the latest Israeli attacks against Palestinians and decision to expand Israeli settlement in the West Bank, saying these are obstacles to peace and the two-state solution. Morocco follows with concern recent worrying developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, said Foreign minister Nasser Bourita at a joint press briefing held Friday in Rabat with his Swiss peer Ignazio Cassis on a working visit to the country. Morocco reiterates its rejection of all Israeli violations and unilateral actions that inflame the situation, negatively impact appeasement efforts and undermine the chances of re-launching the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis, underlined Mr. Bourita. Rabat denounces the recent Israeli attacks on the West Bank town of Jenin, which resulted in several victims and injuries, added the minister, expressing Moroccos total solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people. The Kingdom also rejects the Israeli governments recent decision to expand settlements in the West Bank and notes with satisfaction the international reactions against Israels settlement policy, added Mr. Bourita. Morocco remains convinced that negotiations and dialogue are the only ways to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region, within the framework of the two-state solution; an Israeli State and a Palestinian State, established on the 1967 borders, with East Al Quds as its capital, living side by side in peace and security, said the Minister. He also affirmed that Morocco remains ready to host the 2nd Negev Forum this autumn to foster dialogue and ease tensions, stressing the need for the appropriate and favorable political context to ensure success of such event. Morocco views the Negev Forum as the appropriate framework for bolstering regional cooperation and dialogue, offering positive responses to a number of challenges, said the minister. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A diagnostic study on the detection of occlusal caries from a clinical photograph using a deep learning algorithm will be presented at the 101st General Session of the IADR, which will be held in conjunction with the 9th Meeting of the Latin American Region and the 12th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry on June 21-24, 2023, in Bogota, Colombia. The Interactive Talk presentation, "Automated Detection of Occlusal Caries Using Deep Learning Algorithm," will take place on Saturday, June 24 at 4:25 p.m. Colombia Time (UTC-05:00) during the "Prevalence of Health Conditions and Risk Factors" session. The study by Chukwuebuka Elozona Ogwo of Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, U.S. sought to determine the accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of the YOLOv7 object detection algorithm in occlusal caries detection from clinical photographs and (2) develop software for occlusal caries detection. Only consenting adults (>=18 years old) with permanent dentition receiving care at the Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry were included in the study. 300 intraoral photos of the occlusal surfaces of both mandibular and maxillary arches were collected by 4th-year dental students using the Coolpix L840 cameras. The images were annotated using Roboflow V4. After data preprocessing and augmentation, 845 images were generated and randomly split into three sets: training, validation, and testing70:20:10, respectively. The data was then analyzed using the YOLO v7 at 100 epochs, with a batch size of 1 and image size of 1280x640. The algorithm performance metrics were mean average precision (mAP), recall (sensitivity), and precision (Positive predictive value). The final algorithm was used to create software on Flask and deployed it on Heroku. The algorithm resulted in 79.5% precision, 83% recall, an 81.2% F1-score, and 80% mAP@0.5 score in the detection of occlusal caries on a clinical photograph of both the mandibular and maxillary arches. The study yielded a promising result of AI in automating the detection of the carious lesion from a clinical photograph. When deployed as a phone app, it may serve as an important tool for teledentistry and improve access to care. Provided by International Association for Dental 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: Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a press conference with U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, left, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, right, to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges on Friday against four Chinese companies and eight individuals for allegedly trafficking the chemicals used to make the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl in the United States and Mexico. The three separate indictments unsealed in federal court in New York represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical companies and Chinese nationals with illegally selling the chemicals used to make fentanyl, which has been blamed for a deadly overdose crisis. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy condemned the charges, accusing the U.S. government of seeking to shift the blame for its domestic drug problem. Federal prosecutors said the companies marketed the fentanyl precursor chemicals on their websites and social media accounts, advertised that they accepted payment in cryptocurrency and shipped them to drug traffickers including Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. "When I announced in April that the Justice Department had taken significant enforcement actions against the Sinaloa Cartel, I promised that the Justice Department would never forget the victims of the fentanyl epidemic," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release. Garland said those actions include stopping Chinese chemical companies from "supplying the cartels with the building blocks they need to manufacture deadly fentanyl." Attorney General Merrick Garland walks to the podium at a press conference to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf In a statement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, charged U.S. prosecutors with imposing a "long-arm jurisdiction," adding that the move could harm counter-narcotics operations between the two countries. "The incident was a well-planned entrapment operation by the US side, which seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights of relevant enterprises and individuals," the spokesperson said. "China strongly condemns it." An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court charges the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech Co. as well as three company executives with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation and money laundering. Prosecutors said Amarvel Biotech used deceptive practices to evade authorities, such as advertising that it could disguise its products as dog food, nuts or motor oil to ensure "safe" delivery to the United States and Mexico. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a press conference to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf Two of the Amarvel Biotech executives were arrested earlier this month and appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Honolulu. They will be brought to New York to appear in Manhattan federal court. The third has not been arrested. Two additional indictments unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charge five other executives or employees and three Chinese companies, identified as Anhui Rencheng Technology Co., Anhui Moker New Material Technology Co. and Hefei GSK Trade Co., with offenses including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl and customs fraud conspiracy. None of these individuals has been arrested. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the defendants "knowingly distributed the chemical building blocks of fentanyl to the United States and Mexico" and provided advice on "how they should be used to manufacture this dangerous drug." DEA Administrator Anne Milgram speaks at a press conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf U.S. Attorney Breon Peace speaks at the press conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland, left, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, right, to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, center, speaks at a press conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland, right, and U.S. Attorney Damian Williams to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain with on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf U.S. Attorney Breon Peace speaks at the press conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland, left, and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, right, to announce arrests and disruptions of the fentanyl precursor chemical supply chain on Friday, June 23, 2023 in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf Anne Milgram, administrator of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, said the companies and individuals supplied drug traffickers "with the ingredients and scientific know-how needed to make fentanyla drug that continues to devastate families and communities across the United States, killing Americans from all walks of life." Information on attorneys for the defendants was not immediately available. 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain White people and people of color with alcohol use disorder generally have similar, elevated levels of suicide ideation, but people of color receive less suicide prevention care when visiting emergency departments, according to a new study by researchers in the University of Arizona College of MedicineTucson. Alcohol use disorder, or AUD, is a top risk factor for suicide. The study, "Alcohol Use Disorder Visits and Suicide Ideation Diagnosis: Racial/Ethnic Differences at Emergency Departments," was recently published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Suicide rates among persons of color have risen in recent years, making it important to go upstream and examine the suicide prevention care they receive at emergency departments," said lead author James Cunningham, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UArizona College of MedicineTucson. "The findings should be a wake-up call, alerting administrators and policy makers to disparities in suicide-related care that need to be addressed." The researchers examined emergency department visits by people with AUD and found that about 9% of visits by white people received a suicide ideation diagnosis versus 7% of visits by Black people, 5% of visits by Latino people and 5% of visits by American Indian/Alaska Native people. When patients did get a suicide ideation diagnosis, about 50% were hospitalized, though that fell to 32% for American Indian/Alaska Native patients. Researchers examined 33 million visits to approximately 1,000 emergency departments throughout the U.S. in 2019 and considered related variables such as patient insurance type, age, sex, income and medical comorbidities. Indian Health Service and Veterans Administration facilities were not included in the study. "American Indians/Alaska Natives have the nation's highest suicide rate. We didn't expect them to also have the lowest level of hospitalization when diagnosed with AUD and suicide ideation," said co-author Teshia Solomon, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and director of the American Indian Research Center for Health. The study noted that reasons for fewer suicide ideation diagnoses among people of color are probably complex and could include issues such as stereotyping, biases and lack of cultural familiarity on the part of health care providers. Also, some patients of color might be less likely to disclose suicidal thoughts due to language barriers, lack of trust in the medical system or varying views as to whether suicide ideation is a medical issue, for example. The study also noted that medical schools typically provide little training on how to best consider behavioral health issues among people from various racial and ethnic groups. "We know that American Indians/Alaska Natives experiencing suicide ideation are at higher risk for a completed suicide. Implementing emergency department quality improvement solutions and ensuring inpatient or follow-up behavioral health care with tribal, urban or Indian Health Service can be a matter of life and death for these patients," said co-author Jamie Ritchey, Ph.D., MPH, tribal epidemiology center director for the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Inc., an Arizona nonprofit that provides its member tribes with a united voice and the means for united action on matters that affect them collectively or individually. "Over the course of my career I've had the opportunity to work at hospitals and clinics that provide care to American Indians and Alaska Natives. I must say I was surprised by the findingsa real eye-opener that could change the way emergency departments provide care," said co-author Barry Weiss, MD, professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. More information: James K. Cunningham et al, Alcohol Use Disorder Visits and Suicide Ideation Diagnosis: Racial/Ethnic Differences at Emergency Departments, American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.06.011 Journal information: American Journal of Preventive Medicine The Morganton City Council unanimously approved its budget Monday night. No one spoke during the public hearing on the budget, which included a 50 cent per $100 of property value tax rate. Other highlights from the budget include: A 12 cent per $100 of property value rate for the special downtown tax. Water and wastewater rates raised by 5% each, or about an extra $1.85 per month for water and $2.31 per month for wastewater for customers who use 5,000 gallons. Electric rates will drop by an average of 1.75%. CoMPAS rates will not be affected, though some internet speed plans will be combined. You can read more about the budget online at rb.gy/z5km3. The budget wasnt the only topic of conversation Monday night. Council members also approved receiving another grant for the Bethel Park stream restoration project. This grant, $424,744 from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, will assist with phase II of the project, which will address Fiddlers Run Creek. The council approved receiving the grant, as well as awarding a contract for up to $112,542 to Wildlands Engineering, which the city has been working with on the project, for design and permitting services for Phase II. City council members also agreed to hire a company to find out if there are better ways to disinfect wastewater. The city currently uses chlorine gas to disinfect wastewater, but rising costs, supply shortages and the need for safer technologies to be used, the city will be working with Garver Engineering on a disinfection study at the wastewater plant. The upcoming budget already included $50,000 for the study, but Garvers bid came in under budget at $38,830. Any recommendations would have to come before the city council before changes to the wastewater treatment process were made. The wastewater treatment plant also will be the subject of a capacity study after the council approved a capacity analysis for the plant. The study will determine if the wastewater treatment plant has infrastructure capable of addressing any challenges in treating the waste stream, like new industries and increased flow from future city growth. Garver Engineering also will handle this study, with the contract coming in at $146,057. City staff members have been discussing the Silver Creek Sewer Pump Station upgrade project for years, and now its time for the design process to begin. This pump station is the largest in the citys system and handles all the wastewater generated in the western part of the city. Council members voted to award a $388,500 contract to Highfill Engineering for design verification, bid phase services and construction administration for the project. The contract is being funded by an appropriation from the state. Some curb and gutter improvements will be coming down the pipe soon after council members also approved awarding a contract worth $45,987 to install 300 feet of curb and gutter, plus 140 feet of sidewalk along Stoney Place. Council members also entered an agreement with Legal Entity Alpha LLC, owned by Jeff Francis, to accept payment for and install about 115 feet of sidewalk along three properties the company owns on Stoney Place. The LLC will be paying for the sidewalk, and City Attorney Louis Vinay said Monday night Francis already had dropped off the check for $11,670 to cover the entire project. Morgantons parking ordinance also was updated, making another block of street parking on South Sterling Street between McDowell and Erwin streets two-hour parking instead of all-day parking. The recently opened Foothills Gear Garage is located in that block, and business and property owners on the block requested the change. Other items approved Monday night were: Closing a portion of Plainview Street which was never actually used as a road. Awarding a contract for permitting and code enforcement software. Adding McGill Engineering Services to the citys list of on-call service providers. The council is not scheduled to meet again until August. A man who describes himself on his Facebook page as a semi-professional volunteer was given the governors highest award for volunteer service. Morganton resident Dave Tubergen recently received a North Carolina Governors Volunteer Service Medallion Award for his many years volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans Morganton Chapter No. 43, the Burke County Disaster Action Team of the American Red Cross and the AMOREM hospice agency. The Medallion Awards are given to only 20 people across the state each year for outstanding volunteer service. He traveled to Raleigh to have Gov. Roy Cooper present him with the medallion, and then was recognized a second time at a ceremony organized by Volunteer Burke for all the Governors Volunteer Service Award winners for Burke County held May 23 at First United Methodist Church of Morganton. Tubergen is a native of Illinois, but moved to Morganton in 1963 when his father took a teaching position at the North Carolina School for the Deaf. He achieved a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, serving from 1971-91 and advancing to the rank of master sergeant. During his time of service, he flew EC-121 Constellation radar aircraft, worked with NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), served as senior Air Force NCO in the Netherlands on a NATO assignment and worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. He was an air operations supervisor and a member of the Space Shuttle Support Team. Last year, Tubergen received a Governors Volunteer Service Award for his 26 years volunteering with the Burke County Disaster Action Team of the American Red Cross, according to a previous News Herald article. As a DAT member, he responds to local disasters at all hours of the day and night, issuing vouchers for housing, food and other necessities as needed. The most challenging part is getting a phone call at 2 a.m. from the American Red Cross dispatcher sending me out to a house fire call (for a) family with children who has nowhere to go, Tubergen said. I will help them with their immediate needs and ensure they are cared for. Sometimes the call could be in Cleveland County, Catawba County, Caldwell County (or) Burke County. A 25-mile drive is common. But that is what I volunteered for, to help in an emergency situation the best I can. He also gives presentations on safety issues and disaster preparedness to local schools on behalf of the Red Cross. Tubergen joined the Morganton chapter of the Disabled American Veterans in 1996. He started out as legislative representative with the organization. Since then, he has served as adjutant, treasurer, junior vice commander and commander. Brownie Rochefort, who introduced Tubergen at the ceremony at FUMC, noted that while he was commander, he helped the chapter exceed its membership goals during the coronavirus pandemic and raised enough funds in three months to have the parking lot of the chapter headquarters paved. The Morganton DAV and Tubergen in particular are well-known in the community for championing the rights and needs of veterans. Tubergen is a Level 2 Service Officer, meaning he is trained to help veterans apply for their benefits and navigate any problems that may arise during the claims process. We try and improve all veterans style of life by putting in claims and having meetings to discuss changes to the entire system, Tubergen said. Veterans may visit him at the DAV headquarters at 2779 DAV Ave. in Morganton on Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. with their DD-214 forms and take advantage of this free service. Membership in the chapter is not required. Just takes a few minutes of your time, (and) it may be well worth it, Tubergen said. Just because you are turned down once does not mean you should give up. He said he has encountered veterans who do not think they are entitled to anything, wanting to save money for the more disabled veterans. They dont realize that they, too, are entitled to their disabilities, no matter how minor they may seem, he said. Another problem is lack of documentation. We can get the documentation from the National Archives. It just takes a bit of time, sometimes years, but we dont give up. We continue to pursue the compensation that is deserved. In addition, Tubergen is part of the Volunteer Transportation Network for the Charles George VA Medical Center near Asheville, meaning he provides free transportation to and from the hospital for local veterans who lack the ability to travel there on their own. He also takes them to doctors appointments. After going through the training, I started driving back in 1999 and have gone through several vehicles during the years, Tubergen said. We recently bought another chapter van to assist more veterans on trips that would not be available to take normally. I have probably drove over a quarter million miles transporting our veterans to their appointments. He was inspired to volunteer with Burke Hospice and Palliative Care (now AMOREM) several years ago after the hospice agency helped to care for his mother during her final days. I was asked as a veteran if I would be willing to help with other veterans, Tubergen said. His visits to veterans in hospice care include a ceremony described as a final recognition of service to their country. We have veterans all over the community, and traveling to them is an honor, Tubergen said. The family is normally there when I visit, and they seem to get as much out of the ceremony as the veteran. Even when the veteran was in a deep sleep, we still performed the ceremony for the attending family members, including the slow salute. He said he feels honored to receive a Medallion Award for his volunteer service. It was truly an honor to meet with the governor, Tubergen said. My wife, daughter and grandson were there to observe. He encouraged people to give volunteer service a try. Giving back to the community is very rewarding, helping your neighbors to improve their way of life, Tubergen said. There are a lot of folks in this community that can use a hand up, not a handout. A popular outdoor Burke County adventure is set to return this August with more wet and wild thrills than ever before. The Ohana Family Mud Run, which is held jointly by Alivecubed and The Rotary Club of Morganton, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Bennick Compound a private moto cross facility at 5372 Roy McGalliard Ave. in Morganton. Alex Garcia of Alivecubed said the two groups came together four years ago to help plan an event to raise funds to help the community, while also strengthening family bonds. We came together as we had mutual interests to lift the community, he said. Alivecubed had created some great events in the past, and The Rotary has so many great people serving both the club and the community, it was an easy match. Named Ohana, which is Hawaiian for family, the word extends beyond biological lines to include work families, organizational families and friends. The untimed event is performed at each groups comfort level and teams are encouraged to vie for prizes for best costumes. Throughout the event, participants help one another through a variety of muddy obstacles and finish the course as a team, a powerful way to bring each family closer while forging indelible memories, according to a press release from event organizers. Now in its fourth year, Garcia said the event keeps adding new challenges and, of course, mud to the event. They will cap this years event at 2,000 participants. This year, we have new spinner medals, a beefed up dress-up contest, more food trucks, and an even muddier course, he said. We encourage all to sign up prior to July 15 to ensure a medal, and shirt. The last three years have sold out, so we encourage those (who) want to participate to sign up early. Funds from the fun-filled day of family and team building will go to support a variety of good causes throughout the Unifour area. This past year we donated over $24,000 from the 2022 event to local needs, these needs include backpack food/hygiene programs, kindness initiatives, student advancement, and overall welfare of the community programs, Garcia said. Some of the 2022 fund recipients included: Burke County Public Schools STEPS Academy: Hearing and Vision Screening Equipment Catawba Science Center: Little Scientist Program Grace Episcopal Church: Hygiene Backpack Program Blue Ridge HealthCare Foundation: 500 Swaddle Kits for Postpartum Mothers YMCA-Summer Afterschool Program: STEAM Kits/Activity Busses for 2 Summer Field Trip Garcia said they will look for different ways to help the community with proceeds from the 2023 event. This year, we look to extend our reach into foster care programs and kindness projects, he said. There is also a nomination form to nominate families who may want to participate but could use a lift to enable participation, as well as a nomination form for needs to be met in the community at www.ohanamudder.com/sponsor. Aside from helping to support good causes in the area, the event also offers the opportunity for families to make memories and enjoy a day of muddy fun. Its such a fun event and I feel that it serves as an opportunity to laugh, to grow closer, and create memories, Garcia said. The combination of mud, giant sprinklers, lazy river, and overall great feel make this a super unique event. Ive also seen it challenge families, uniting in team work to overcome challenges, which can serve as a catalyst for everyday life. My favorite part is seeing the joy on the kids faces when mom and dad get in the mud. It brings the kid out in everyone. I love the philanthropy but truly it is the event itself that holds the greatest intrinsic value. Its a highly memorable event that holds value for many years to come. Its one of those moments in life that families and friends can reminisce about decades to come. As the event has continued to grow since its inception, so has the need for volunteers and sponsors. Its an undertaking. It takes over 80 volunteers to pull off the event, Garcia said. With 16 obstacles, registration, safety, parking, it truly takes a village. We have also been supported by West End Fire Department, and Burke County Rescue, taking our volunteer count to above 100. We couldnt do this event without our volunteers. Individuals or groups currently are needed to volunteer their time manning the 16 obstacles, start, finish and water stations. Volunteers also have the important responsibility of guiding, cheering and encouraging the course participants, according to a news release from Ohana Mud Run. More than 100 volunteers are needed. Shifts are in two-hour increments starting at 8 a.m. Those interested in volunteering can contact Kim Van Sickler at kimvansickler@gmail.com or 704-953-1560 to discuss options for their organization. In addition to volunteers, event organizers also are seeking sponsors to support this growing and popular summer event that continues to bring notoriety to the area. Sponsorship levels range from $2,500 for Headline Sponsor to $250 for Muddy Sponsor. Each sponsorship level comes with its own perks including your company logo on participant T-shirts, tags in social media posts and free passes. This years Title Sponsor is SanStone Health and Rehab. To become a sponsor, visit www.ohanamudder.com/sponsor or contact Tyler Barnhardt at tyler.barnhardt@edwardjones.com for more information. Contact Barnhardt for more information or go to the website at www.ohanamudder.com to register. The first wave for participants starts at 9 a.m. at the Bennick Compound. Xi Story: Spirit of ancient poet resonates in modern China Xinhua) 09:11, June 24, 2023 This aerial photo taken on June 18, 2023 shows a nighttime dragon boat race held to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Sanxi Village of Changle District, Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong) BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival, a day dedicated to commemorating Qu Yuan, whose legacy of patriotism and perseverance has influenced the country and its people for thousands of years. Qu was a loyal statesman and a patriotic poet in Chu, a major state in the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.). He was unjustly exiled by the king of Chu, who disregarded Qu's policy advice. Heartbroken by the news of rivaling forces seizing Chu's capital, Qu eventually chose to end his life, by plunging himself into the river of Miluo clutching a heavy stone. Hearing Qu's tragic death, local people rushed to boats to search for his body. Over time, this practice evolved into a millennia-old tradition of dragon boat racing in memory of the poet. Throughout his lifetime, Qu wrote a great number of poems expressing his love and concern for his country and people. Perhaps his most famous line is "Long as the way is, I will keep on searching high and low," which embodies the poet's ceaseless spirit of exploration. The famous verse has been recited by generations of Chinese people, including President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. In 2016, Xi quoted the line in his address at a ceremony marking the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC, calling on all Party members to preserve the Party's tradition of struggle and have the courage to change and innovate in the continuing test of history. This is an example of the president's quoting of Qu's impassioned verses, which have inspired the entire Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to put the ancient poet's legacy into action and brave challenges through reform and innovation. The sense of mission and the endeavors to surmount all difficulties for achieving the goal can be seen in various fields. For example, regarding China's reform, Xi called on people to "act with courage while moving forward with steady steps," to push reform forward on the right track. In the battle against poverty, the Chinese leader led the Party and the people to forge ahead against all odds and manage to lift the remaining 98.99 million rural poor people out of poverty in about eight years. To tackle the bottlenecks in scientific and technological innovation, Xi called for making breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. Through a decade of efforts, China ranked 11th overall in the Global Innovation Index 2022, moving up 23 places from its ranking in the 2012 edition of the index. On the economic front, Xi has led the country in taking the initiative to shift from high-speed to high-quality development. And his exploration of the country's economic development has paid off. In 2022, China's per capita GDP was 12,741 U.S. dollars, nearing the level of high-income countries. "The spirit of Qu Yuan not only exerts a profound influence on China's past, but also exemplifies great value for the country's present," said Zheng Jiaming, a professor at the College of History and Culture at Hunan Normal University. "It is also universal and can last forever." Xi also invoked Qu's words when addressing a global audience. At the CPC and World Political Parties Summit in 2021, he said that with national rejuvenation and the progress of humanity in mind, the CPC will lead all the Chinese to "search high and low" and work with determination to create an even better future for all. (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Activists for and against abortion rights march on separate sides of West Adams Street in Chicago on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed state governments to ban abortions on June 24, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) On the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, 130 pro-abortion rights protesters assembled on the east side of South Dearborn Street on Saturday, holding signs and chanting through bullhorns. Across Dearborn, a similar sized group of anti-abortion advocates rallied in celebration of the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision that gave states the authority to legislate abortion policy. Aside from cross talk between both sides, the event stayed peaceful as dozens of vehicles and officers lined the street outside Chicagos Federal Plaza, separating the groups. Advertisement The fact that (the anti-abortion supporters) were only able to fill maybe a tenth of Federal Plaza is a good sign, said Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network, which stands in solidarity with the pro-abortion rights movement. But we cant be complacent because they have the courts and so many of the legislators behind them. Thats why we have to be in the streets. An hour into the rally, the pro-abortion rights group, billing their event as a counter protest, followed the anti-abortion supporters on a brief march from Federal Plaza to other locations in The Loop, including Daley Center Plaza and City Hall. Police cars and dozens of biking police rode beside the two groups as they headed down city sidewalks, chanting and singing songs to the beat of the marching band led the pack. Advertisement Sharon Parke, center right, holds a sign while marching through the Loop with abortion rights activists on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed state governments to ban abortions on June 24, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) During the march, a brief skirmish broke out between opposing members, triggering police to rush between them as they shouted expletives at each other. One held a Stop Abortion Now sign while the other was dressed in black and wore a mask that concealed most of their face. Pride flags and cardboard signs decorated the east side of Federal Plaza. Two, four, six, eight, abortion rights in every state! protesters chanted. Many attendees came from neighboring states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, with some traveling as far as Georgia. The pro-abortion rights gathering featured speakers from Stop Trans Genocide, the Gay Liberation Network and Chicago for Abortion Rights. One year later, and our rage is still raw, said Nora Dolan of Stop Trans Genocide before the crowd. One year later, and were all still here. Folks across the street, you should agree with me that if a woman does not want an abortion, she should not have to get one, Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, said pointing toward the pro-abortion rights supporters. His nonprofit was joined by Illinois Right to Life and Simply Pro-Life as well as several other local anti-abortion advocacy groups. An activist against abortion rights dances while holding signs across the street from abortion rights activists during opposing rallies at Federal Plaza on June 24, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Beneath Alexander Calders Flamingo statue in Federal Plaza, local leaders in the anti-abortion community, including Peter Breen, a former state representative of DuPage County and current vice president of Thomas More Society, spoke with frustration about the work Illinois lawmakers are doing to expand access to abortion care. The elected officials in Illinois are trying to turn us into the abortion capital of the middle of the country, he said. [ The first year without Roe v. Wade: How abortion access has shifted in Illinois and beyond ] Members of the Thomas More Society, a legal nonprofit for conservative causes, said the group is drafting a free speech lawsuit they plan to file if Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill on his desk that would allow the attorney general to fine clinics that dont offer abortions and use deceptive practices to dissuade patients from seeking the procedure. Advertisement I dont want to give those people any air. I dont think they deserve it. I think they are hateful and cruel, said Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, which increases womens health care accessibility for out-of-state-patients. But I think its important for us to publicly say that youre not welcome in the city of Chicago. Megan Carlson, a 35-year-old from the Ukrainian Village, stood among the crowd, holding a sign reading For abortion and full reproductive rights. Human rights are under attack right now, she said. We need to show up to stuff like this to show that we are the majority. LGBTQ groups aligned themselves with the pro-abortion rights group, arguing that this protest was about more than abortion. Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network took the microphone to express the importance of solidarity between differing social groups. Were really talking about autonomy, bodily autonomy for all and our right to make our own decisions, he said. I, as a cis gay man, need to stand up for abortion rights. Were speaking with one voice today, said Chicago For Abortion Rights spokesperson Linda Loew. Advertisement Scheidlerwhose father created Pro-Life Action League which has become a leading anti-abortion advocacy group in the statesaid LGBTQ issues are not relevant to the abortion argument. Theyve got various kinds of pride flags. This issue has nothing to do with that. Same-sex couples cant even get pregnant, he said. It suggests to me that they dont really get the issue. Eric Scheidler, executive director of Pro-Life Action League, attends a rally and march on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed state governments to ban abortions, at Federal Plaza on June 24, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Pro-abortion rights organizers expressed the importance of garnering visibility for their cause. I also think anytime we are in the street, and in public and in our communities, saying the word abortion, we move the needle, said Jeyifo. We are demanding that we dont use euphemisms, we dont say reproductive health or womens rights. We actually say abortion, we want access to abortion. A Pritzker-run Illinois is an Illinois that doesnt care about life, said Birjan Crispin, of Wheaton. Were here to let the governor and a democratic controlled state know that we are here to stay and we are here to fight and protect for the unborn. While Scheidler said his anti-abortion group doesnt expect Illinois to become a pro-life haven, he hopes the state will come to its senses and enact policy that he feels is more representative of the interests of residents, such as ending taxpayer funding to abortion clinics and abortion in the second or third trimesters of a pregnancy. Advertisement I dont think Illinoisans are excited about the idea of Illinois becoming a destination state for abortion the way it has, said Scheidler, of Aurora. In the year since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Illinois has kept abortion care highly accessible while neighboring states such as Kentucky and Missouri have implemented some of the most restrictive policies in the nation, according to the Guttmacher Institute. As a result, Illinois has experienced a rise in abortions from out-of-state residents. Around 20,000 to 30,000 abortions are performed in Illinois on out-of-state patients each year, according to loose predictions from Planned Parenthood of Illinois. In the past year alone, we have strengthened legal protections for providers and patients, increased Title X funding, and removed copays for birth control and medication abortions, Pritzker said in a statement provided to the Tribune, adding that the upcoming budget carves out $18 million for reproductive health initiatives. As long as I am Governor, abortion will remain safe and legal in Illinois. [ One year post-Roe, a wave of abortion providers has come to Illinois. A doctor at one new clinic calls the work life-changing. ] Jennifer Welch, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said Chicago residents probably have not seen a change in their (abortion) care since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But whats happening is theyre sitting in a waiting room with somebody who has traveled from another state, she said. Some of the patients with them in the waiting room will have driven hundreds of miles for care. Advertisement Scheidler sees it as a good sign that both sides squared off at the same place. That suggests to me that they can see weve got a strong message and weve got an important message to deliver, the fact they want to counteract it in some way, Scheidler said. So, I welcome their presence as a sort of mark of what were doing. An abortion rights activist blocks police officers on bicycles from moving past his space during a protest across the street from Federal Plaza on June 24, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) A group of pro-life senior citizens from Aurora and Arlington Heights told the Tribune they accomplished their mission of celebrating the Dobbs decision and educating the public about their views. It was laughable when they said you want babies to die, said Bill Brucks. His friend Mike Schoenwald continued his thought by saying half the people that walk into an abortion clinic are going to die. Pro-abortion rights organizers said they felt the event went positively. I think todays event was an amazing showing of solidarity, said Lisa Battisfore, founder and president of Reproductive Transparency Now. This is just the first of many, many, many actions that we will be taking to make sure that Illinois stays a place for abortion access. Advertisement Chicago Tribunes Jeremy Gorner contributed. hsanders@chicagotribune.com jsmith@chicagotribune.com Milestones Cafe and home-delivered meals Milestones Community Cafes are serving in-person lunches in most areas. Serving hours are 11 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. All meals are served on a contribution basis to people 60 years and older. To find the Community Cafe nearest you, or to make a reservation, please call 855-410-6222. For questions or concerns, please call Heather at 563-260-9921. Milestones Area Agency on Aging is located at 117 W 3rd St. (ground floor of Clark House) in Muscatine. To inquire about home-delivered meals, call 855-410-6222. The suggested donation for a meal is $5. Income and ability to contribute do not determine eligibility. Persons younger than 60 may attend; however, the charge is $10.85 per meal. Menus are available at milestonesaaa.org. June 26-30 Monday: Roast turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans with onions, lemon bar, wheat roll. Tuesday: Beef patty with cooked onions, mashed potatoes, baked spinach casserole, baked apples, garlic wheat roll. Wednesday: Chicken pasta salad, corn salad, sliced cucumbers, fruit, wheat crackers. Thursday: Cook's choice with dessert: meat sauce, spaghetti noodles, carrots, fruit, garlic bread stick, chocolate pudding. Friday: Beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, chopped green salad, dressing, mandarin orange cake. The senior nutrition program is sponsored by Milestones Area Agency on Aging. ANCHORAGE, Alaska The cruise ship with about 1,000 passengers anchored off Nome, too big to squeeze into the tundra city's tiny port. Its well-heeled tourists had to shimmy into small boats for another ride to shore. It was 2016, and at the time, the cruise ship Serenity was the largest vessel ever to sail through the Northwest Passage. But as the Arctic sea ice relents under the pressures of global warming and opens shipping lanes across the top of the world, more tourists are venturing to Nome a northwest Alaska destination known better for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and its 1898 gold rush than luxury travel. The problem remains: There's no place to park the big boats. While smaller cruise ships are able to dock, officials say that of the dozen arriving this year, half will anchor offshore. That's expected to change as a $600 million-plus expansion makes Nome, population 3,500, the nation's first deep-water Arctic port. The expansion, expected to be operational by the end of the decade, will accommodate not just larger cruise ships of up to 4,000 passengers, but cargo ships to deliver additional goods for the 60 Alaska Native villages in the region, and military vessels to counter the presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic. It's a prospect that excites business owners and officials in Nome, but concerns others who worry about the impact of additional tourists and vessel traffic on the environment and animals Alaska Natives depend on for subsistence. The expansion will "support our local economy and the local artists here, the Indigenous artists having access to the visitors and teaching and sharing our culture and our language and how we how we make our beautiful art, said Alice Bioff, an Inupiaq resident of Nome. Bioff was a tour guide who greeted the Serenity's passengers when they arrived in 2016. One of the guests admired her cloth kuspuk, a traditional Alaska Native garment similar to a smock, and wanted to know if it was water resistant. It wasnt, but the interaction inspired Bioff to create her own line of waterproof jackets styled like kuspuks. She now sells to tourists and locals alike from her own Naataq Gear gift store, a retail spot in the post office building, where about 20 Alaska Native artists offer ivory carvings, beadwork or paintings through consignment. Studies show that cruise ship passengers typically spend about $100 per day in Nome, city manager Glenn Steckman said. With the expansion, hes hoping guests on larger cruise ships will extend their stays to experience more of Nome and the tundra, to view wild musk ox, or to sip a drink at the 123-year-old Board of Trade Saloon. Climate change is making this all possible. Nome, founded after gold was discovered in 1898, has seen six of its 10 warmest winters on record just in this century. The Bering Strait shipping lanes have gotten only busier since 2009, going from 262 transits that year to 509 in 2022. Were going to be the first deep-draft Arctic port but probably not going to be the last, Nome Mayor John Handeland said. The Bering Sea ice on average reaches Nome in late November or December, about two or three weeks later than it did 50 years ago, said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2019, mushers in the Iditarod, who normally drive their dog teams on the Bering Sea ice to the finish line in Nome, were forced onto the beach because of open water. The ice season will only get shorter, Thoman said. The existing port causeway was completed in the mid-1980s. The expansion will be completed in three phases and effectively double its size. The first part of the project is funded by $250 million in federal infrastructure money with another $175 million from the Alaska Legislature. Field work is expected to begin next year. Currently three ships can dock at once; the expanded dock will accommodate seven to 10. Workers will dredge a new basin 40 feet deep, allowing large cruises ships, cargo vessels, and every U.S. military ship except aircraft carriers to dock, Port Director Joy Baker said. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, said the expanded port will become the centerpiece of U.S. strategic infrastructure in the Arctic. The military is building up resources in Alaska, placing fighter jets at bases in Anchorage and Fairbanks, establishing a new Army airborne division in Alaska, training soldiers for future cold-weather conflicts and has missile defense capabilities. The way you have a presence in the Arctic is to be able to have military assets and the infrastructure that supports those assets, Sullivan said. The northern seas near Alaska are getting more crowded. A U.S. Coast Guard patrol board encountered seven Chinese and Russian naval vessels cooperating in an exercise last year about 86 miles north of Alaskas Kiska Island. Coast guard vessels in 2021 also encountered Chinese ships 50 miles off Alaskas Aleutian Islands. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last year warned that Russia and China have pledged to cooperate in the Arctic, a deepening strategic partnership that challenges our values and interests." Still, the prospect of Nome welcoming more tourists and a greater military presence bothers some residents. Austin Ahmasuk, an Inupiaq native, said the port's original construction displaced an area traditionally used for subsistence hunting or fishing, and the expansion won't help. The Port of Nome is development purely for the sake of development, Ahmasuk said. Hawaii, Alaska lead states with the most public beaches per capita Hawaii, Alaska lead states with the most public beaches per capita Northern states offer the most public beaches per capita #25. Illinois #24. Maryland #23. Louisiana #22. Virginia #21. Texas #20. California #19. Ohio #18. Mississippi #17. New York #16. New Hampshire #15. Minnesota #14. Oregon #13. Connecticut #12. North Carolina #11. Delaware #10. Florida #9. Wisconsin #8. Rhode Island #7. New Jersey #6. Michigan #5. Massachusetts #4. Maine #3. Washington #2. Alaska #1. Hawaii SACRAMENTO, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says theres no chance on Gods green earth hes running for president in 2024, but he wants to make clear that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running, is weak and undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump. DeSantis, meanwhile, likes to mock Newsoms apparent fixation on Florida while insisting that the Democratic governors leftist government is destroying California. Welcome to one of the fiercest rivalries in U.S. politics, featuring dueling term-limited governors who represent opposite ends of the ideological spectrum from two of the nations largest and most influential states. Newsom and DeSantis will not face each other on any ballot in 2024, but in many ways, they are defining the debate from their corners of America as the presidential primary season gets underway. Newsom addressed his contempt for DeSantis and his loyalty to President Joe Biden in a recent interview just as the Florida governor launched a two-day fundraising trek across California. The Golden State has become one of DeSantis favorite punching bags as he tries to avoid a direct confrontation with his chief Republican presidential rival, Trump, and his escalating legal challenges. Hes taking his eye off the ball, Newsom said of DeSantis escalating attacks against him. And thats not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls. Representatives for DeSantis did not make the governor available for an interview. Beneath the war of words, however, strategists in both parties suggest there may be a mutually beneficial dynamic at play. As they jab at each others policies and personalities through comments in the press and on social media, the governors are scoring points with their respective political bases, raising money and expanding their national brands. But its not all helpful. Newsom, in particular, is facing nagging questions about his presidential ambitions less than a week after DeSantis dared him to stop pussyfooting around and launch a primary challenge against Biden. Newsom, whose second and final term concludes at the end of 2026, has seen his national profile grow since he easily beat back a recall attempt in 2021 and cruised to reelection last fall. He finished the midterm campaign with roughly $16 million in the bank. And in March, he channeled $10 million to a new political action committee hes calling the Campaign for Democracy. All the while, Newsoms team has been moving deliberately to avoid the perception that hes running a shadow presidential campaign just as Biden ramps up his political activities. For example, Newsoms new PAC is initially focusing on challenging Republican leaders in deep-red states that are largely irrelevant in the 2024 presidential race. He campaigned in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi in April on his first trip associated with the PAC. Newsom will avoid battleground states or key presidential primary states for the foreseeable future, his allies say. At the same time, the California governor and his team have been in regular contact with Biden and his top aides, including Jen OMalley Dillon, who managed the presidents 2020 campaign and serves as deputy White House chief of staff. A Biden campaign official said that the presidents team coordinates closely with Newsom. Newsom is not going to run against Joe Biden and never would. But life is long, and Newsom is one of the prominent national Democrats. Its part of that role to have these big national battles, longtime Newsom adviser and friend Nathan Ballard said of the feud with DeSantis. There is the 2024 election, and then there is a 2028 election, Ballard added. Indeed, veteran Democratic consultant Roy Behr, whose clients included former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, said the two governors are engaged in what could become an early preview of the 2028 presidential contest. Its not inconceivable that four years from now, these two guys could be their respective parties nominees, he said. In tangling with DeSantis, who is 44, the 55-year-old Newsom is building his national brand and visibility and is certainly trying to create opportunities for himself. Recently in Nevada, DeSantis noted that hes seen a surge of disgruntled Californians moving to Florida. Why would you leave like a San Diego to come to say, Jacksonville, Florida? I see people doing that, DeSantis told thousands of conservative activists at a gathering close to the California border. Its because leftist government is destroying that state. Leftist government is destroying cities all over our country. Its destroying other states. Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who hosted the event and leads the pro-DeSantis super PAC, said the policy contrast between the leaders of Florida and California is a debate that our whole country needs to have. California has been the model for many leftist policies. I would take the contrast between Floridas policies and its results led by Gov. DeSantis and the California policies, any day of the week, Laxalt said in an interview. We can already see what leftist policies do. The 2024 presidential field, in the order they've announced Donald Trump, Republican Nikki Haley, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican Marianne Williamson, Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Democrat Larry Elder, Republican President Joe Biden, Democrat Asa Hutchinson, Republican Tim Scott, Republican Ron DeSantis, Republican Mike Pence, Republican Chris Christie, Republican Doug Burgum, Republican Francis Suarez, Republican Will Hurd, Republican NEW YORK Outside a Harlem subway station, Yusef Salaam, a candidate for New York City Council, hurriedly greeted voters streaming out along Malcolm X Boulevard. For some, no introductions were necessary. They knew his face, his name and his life story. But to the unfamiliar, Salaam needed only to introduce himself as one of the Central Park Five one of the Black or Brown teenagers, ages 14 to 16, wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the rape and beating of a white woman jogging in Central Park on April 19, 1989. Now 49, Salaam is hoping to join the power structure of a city that once worked to put him behind bars. Ive often said that those who have been close to the pain should have a seat at the table, Salaam said during an interview at his campaign office. Salaam is one of three candidates in a competitive June 27 Democratic primary almost certain to decide who will represent a Harlem district unlikely to elect a Republican in Novembers general election. With early voting already begun, he faces two seasoned political veterans: New York Assembly members Al Taylor, 65, and Inez Dickens, 73, who previously represented Harlem on the City Council. The incumbent, democratic socialist Kristin Richard Jordan, dropped out of the race in May following a rocky first term. Now known to some as the Exonerated Five, Salaam and the four others Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise served between five and 12 years in prison for the 1989 rape before a reexamination of the case led to their convictions being vacated in 2002. DNA evidence linked another man, a serial rapist, to the attack. The city ultimately agreed in a legal settlement to pay the exonerated men $41 million. Salaam, who was arrested at age 15, served nearly seven years behind bars. When people look at me and they they know my story, they resonate with it, said Salaam, the father of 10 children. But now here we are 34 years later, and Im able to use that platform that I have and repurpose the pain, help people as we climb out of despair. Those pain points are many in a district that has some of the citys most entrenched poverty and highest rent burdens. Poverty in Central Harlem is about 10 points higher than the citywide rate of 18%, according to data compiled by New York Universitys Furman Center. More than a fourth of Harlems residents pay more than half of their income on rent. And the district has some of the citys highest rates of homelessness for children. Salaam said he's eager to address those crises and more. His opponents say he doesnt know enough about how local government works to do so. No one should go through what my opponent went through, especially as a child. Years later, after he returns to New York, Harlem is in crisis. We dont have time for a freshman to learn the job, learn the issues and relearn the community he left behind for Stockbridge, Georgia, Dickens said, referring to Salaams decision to leave the city after his release from prison. He returned to New York in December. Taylor knows that Salaams celebrity is an advantage in the race. I think that folks will identify with him and the horrendous scenario that he and his colleagues underwent for a number of years in a prison system that treated him unfairly and unjustly, Taylor said. But his is one of a thousand in this city that we are aware of, Taylor added. "Its the Black reality. During a recent debate televised by Spectrum News, Salaam repeatedly mentioned his arrest, prompting Taylor to exclaim that he, too, had been arrested: At age 16, he was caught carrying a machete a charge later dismissed by a judge willing to give him a second chance. We all want affordable housing, we all want safe streets, we all want smarter policing, we all want jobs, we all need education, Salaam said of the candidates' common goals. What he offers, he said, is a new voice that can speak about his community's struggles. I have no track record in politics, he conceded. I have a great track record in the 34 years of the Central Park jogger case in fighting for freedom, justice and equality. All three have received key endorsements. Black activist Cornel West has backed Salaam. Dickens has the backing of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former New York U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel. Taylor is supported by the Carpenter's Union. At a campaign rally for Dickens, Rangel recounted that Salaam had called to say he was entering the race. Rangel then quipped that Salaam had a foreign name." Salaam responded pointedly on social media. I am a son of Harlem named Yusef Salaam. I went to prison because my name is Yusef Salaam," he tweeted. "I am proud to be named Yusef Salaam. I am born here, raised here & of here but even if I wasnt, we all belong in New York City. Rangel and Salaam later talked and resolved the matter, according to a spokesperson for the Dickens campaign. Unlikely is an apology from Donald Trump, who in 1989 placed newspaper ads before the group went on trial with the blaring headline, Bring back the death penalty. The ads did not specifically mention any of the five, but Salaam said the context made it clear. When Trump appeared in a Manhattan court in April on charges of falsifying business records, Salaam mocked him with his own ad on social media that visually mimicked Trumps from long ago. Over 30 years ago, Donald Trump took out full page ads calling for my execution, Salaam tweeted above the ad, headlined: Bring Back Justice & Fairness." The persistence of anti-Black hate crimes is an American tradition: What more than 30 years of federal data tells us The persistence of anti-Black hate crimes is an American tradition: What more than 30 years of federal data tells us Over 60% of all reported hate crimes are racially motivated At least 1,500 anti-Black hate crimes have been reported every year since 1991 Complete data based on official hate crime reporting is limited There are 3 main reasons why hate crimes go unreported Opportunity for nuanced conversation and data The desperate search to find the missing Titan submersible turned into a recovery effort Thursday after officials announced the vessel imploded sometime this week, killing all five aboard, near the Titanic shipwreck. Deep-sea robots will continue searching the sea floor for clues about what happened deep in the North Atlantic. The pilot and four passengers died in the catastrophic implosion. The Titan, owned by undersea exploration company OceanGate Expeditions, had been chronicling the Titanic's decay and the underwater ecosystem around the sunken ocean liner in yearly voyages since 2021. Many questions about what occurred underwater remain: Exactly when and why did the implosion occur? Will the victims' bodies ever be found? How could this tragedy have been prevented? Here's what we know so far: WHEN AND WHERE DID THE TITAN GO MISSING? The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard. The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland, according to Canada's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Titan was launched from an icebreaker that was hired by OceanGate and formerly operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The ship has ferried dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site, where the Titan has made multiple dives. WHAT HAPPENED ABOARD THE TITAN? The vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five aboard, sometime this week after it submerged Sunday morning. It's not clear exactly when or where the implosion occurred. But a senior military official said Thursday that a U.S. Navy acoustic system detected an "anomaly" Sunday that was likely the Titan's fatal implosion. The Coast Guard announced that debris from the submersible had been found and the end of rescue efforts Thursday, bringing a tragic close to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. "The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District, said in a news conference Thursday. A deep-sea robot discovered the debris, near the Titanic shipwreck, that authorities say came from the submersible. The senior military official said the Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data after the Titan was reported missing. That anomaly was "consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost," the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive acoustic detection system. The Navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the Navy did not consider the data to be definitive. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday first reported the Navy's involvement. WHAT'S NEXT AND WHO WAS KILLED? The Coast Guard will continue searching near the Titanic for more clues about what happened to the Titan. Officials say there is not a timeframe for when they will call off the massive international search. Mauger said that the prospect of finding or recovering remains was unknown. The victims are: Oceangate chief executive and Titan pilot Stockton Rush; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. "These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," OceanGate said in a statement. "We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew." WHO REGULATES DEEP-SEA EXPEDITIONS? The Titan's voyage down into the North Atlantic highlights the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It's a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now. The Titan's fatal implosion has drawn attention to how these expeditions are regulated. The Titan operated in international waters, far from the reach of many laws of the United States or other nations. It wasn't registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety, nor was it classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. Stockton Rush, the OceanGate Expeditions CEO and Titan pilot who was among the dead, had said he didn't want to be bogged down by such standards. Experts say wrongful death and negligence lawsuits are likely in the Titan case and they could be successful. But legal actions will face various challenges, including waivers signed by the Titan passengers that warned of the myriad ways they could die. HOW MUCH DID THE SEARCH COST? The cost of the search will easily stretch into the millions of dollars for the U.S. Coast Guard alone. The Canadian Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and other agencies and private entities also rushed to provide resources and expertise. There's no other comparable ocean search, especially with so many countries and even commercial enterprises being involved, said Norman Polmar, a naval historian, analyst and author based in Virginia. The aircraft, alone, are expensive to operate. The Pentagon has put the hourly cost at tens of thousands of dollars for turboprop P-3 Orion and jet-powered P-8 Poseidon sub hunters, along with C-130 Hercules, all utilized in the search. Some agencies can seek reimbursements. But the U.S. Coast Guard is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement pertaining to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a U.S. attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law. The first priority in search and rescue is always saving a life, and search and rescue agencies budget for such expenses, said Mikki Hastings, president and CEO of the National Association for Search and Rescue. Rescue agencies don't want people in distress to be thinking about the cost of a helicopter or other resources when a life is in danger. "Every person who is missing they deserve to be found. That's the mission regardless of who they are," Hastings said. ___ The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow says he was responding to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by rival forces from the Russian military. The U.S. had intelligence that Yevgeny Prigozhin was building up his Wagner forces near the border with Russia for some time. Officials have briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight on the buildup earlier in the week. The military preparations raise questions about Prigozhins explanation for why he seemingly spontaneously sent his forces into Russia and whether he had instead long been planning a challenge to Russias military leadership. LE BOURGET, France F-16 fighter jets hurtle pilots through the sky at up to 1,243 miles per hour. In tight turns or sudden climbs, gravity is pressing so hard on their bodies that some of them might even pass out. Even so, its an experience Ukraine is seeking for its own pilots after getting U.S. approval to train and eventually receive the American-made jets to bolster its more than year-old fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long pressed Western allies for the planes to gain an advantage in the sky. But to be a Top Gun, you need more than just the aircraft: You need the training to get you there. Speaking at the Paris Air Show this week, the worlds top aerospace trade show, U.S. Air Force Capt. David Spicy Brown, an F-16 pilot, said training takes about a year for American military pilots. Its not clear how long it will take Ukrainian pilots to learn to fly the aircraft. This jet is incredibly easy to fly, said Brown, a pilot instructor with over 1,000 hours of flight time who is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. Its all of the other stuff that goes along with the flying. He said that you dont have to worry about it going out of control. The main thing is being able to work the sensors, being able to work your radar and the other systems of the jet. President Joe Biden announced in May at the summit of the Group of 7 major economies that the U.S. will allow shipment of the American-made jets to Ukraine and help provide training, although no official plans or dates have been discussed publicly. Now, Ukraine is relying on older aircraft such as Russian-made MiG29 and Sukhoi jets. While they are similar in many ways, F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. The appeal of the F-16s also lies with their versatility and sustainability, said George Barros, a Russia analyst for the Institute for the Study of War. Theyre made to adapt to different weapons systems such as heat-seeking missiles and any spare parts needed will be easier to get because Western allies use the same jets. In the long term, its just more sustainable, he said. The debate about whether to send jets to Ukraine has been raging since the early days of the war. Originally, the U.S. was concerned that it would provoke Russia to attack Western allies. And while the U.S. has changed its mind, the F-16s wont be available in time to help Ukraines counteroffensive. Russia has been able to fly aircraft like attack helicopters and bombers in the south where Ukraine is trying to retake ground, Barros said. The Ukrainians dont control the airspace where theyre attacking, Barros said. Those are extremely difficult conditions under which to wage offensive operations. And that reduces the effectiveness of other weapons systems that the West has provided, such as tanks, he said. Photos: Scenes from an active-duty aircraft carrier Children including Matilda Sagan, 7, center, take part in the Kids Day Parade Friday during Geneva's Swedish Days festival. The fest runs through Sunday. (Linda Girardi/The Beacon-News) Children on bicycles - some decked out in traditional blue and yellow colors - stepped off from Campbell and Fifth streets for the annual Swedish Days Kids Day Parade in downtown Geneva Friday. It was all part of the 73rd edition of Genevas Swedish Days, a five-day festival featuring a variety of events including music, food, a carnival and more that runs through Sunday. Advertisement The weather could not be better, Geneva Chamber of Commerce Communications Director Laura Rush said Friday. Good crowds have attended the live musical performances on the Central Stage across from the Kane County Historic Courthouse on South Third and James streets and at other events so far during the annual festival, she said. Advertisement Organizers are hoping to see a return to pre-pandemic attendance numbers when Swedish Days would draw some 200,000 festival-goers to the downtown, Rush said. An estimated 50 to 60 children participated in the annual Kids Day Parade Friday, she said. Children gather to take part in the Kids Day Parade Friday during the annual Swedish Days festival, which runs through Sunday in Geneva. (Linda Girardi/The Beacon-News) Everyone likes being in a parade and having people wave back, Rush said. The Kids Day Parade route covered two blocks and ended in the Geneva Public Library parking lot in the 200 block of South Seventh Street. The Geneva Public Library partnered with the Chamber of Commerce by offering to host a variety of interactive games and face-painting spread across the parking lot. The School of Rock Geneva House Band performed classic and current rock favorites for the crowd as well at the event. Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce for Kids Day was a natural fit for the library, Geneva Public Library public relations specialist Chazmin Baechler said. Kids make up some of our largest constituent groups. Geneva mother Emily Sagan was with her daughter, Matilda, 7, at the event. Matilda rode her bicycle in the parade and wore blue and yellow in honor of Swedish Days. My daughter seems to be intrigued about being in her own little parade with friends. Swedish Days tends to bring out a great sense of community spirit for all ages, Sagan said. Advertisement Geneva mother Georgia Chavez has three daughters ages 6, 3 and 1. Sofia, 6, participated in Fridays Kids Day Parade. My daughter is enjoying all of this, Chavez said. While bicycles were big on Friday, another mode of conveyance took center stage Thursday night at Swedish Days with a vintage car show on South Third Street. The event brought out dozens of car aficionados and plenty of spectators. Geneva resident Austin Newcomb showcased his fathers red 2002 Dodge Viper at the event. Its a final edition. The automaker produced only 360 of the red cars with white stripes. This is the 110th car, Newcomb said. Its considered an historic muscle car, he said. Advertisement It rides rather rough. Its a muscle car so it has a lot of horsepower. Its built just to be a fun and rough car, he said. Geneva High School student Saed Porcayo showcased his 1972 Volkswagen Beetle at the car show. I have always been attached to the Beetle. My relatives have always had one. The Beetle symbolizes love and peace, Porcayo said. The Geneva student will be a senior next school year. The Beetle keeps my happy and people rarely see these. Hopefully it will be my forever car, he said. The vintage car show was an opportunity for people to share their passion for cars with others, Jim and Mary Miles said. Advertisement The car show is a humble environment where we share equally admiring one anothers cars, Jim Miles said. The West Chicago couple has been coming to Swedish Days for the past 30 years. We enjoy Swedish Days every year. The festival is a big part of our summer. We love our proximity to Geneva, Miles said. St. Charles sisters Lexie and Ellie Sutter were with their friend Lucy Martinez of Batavia at the festival. The girls are in high school. We have always come to Swedish Days. We appreciate the liveliness of the festival, Lexie Sutter said. Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News. KYIV, Ukraine Under the plaintive painted eyes of the holy, a volunteer team of two United Nations-backed engineers watched as a whirling laser took a million measurements a second inside Kyiv's All Saints Church. The laser swept quickly across the church, part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, while taking a series of incredibly high-resolution photographs. Those images will be stitched together with navigational data to create a perfect three-dimensional rendering of the holy site, part of a project to protect and preserve historical places across Ukraine now in as much in danger as its people amid Russias war on the country. Its a critical moment, said Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, who oversees Ukraine for UNESCO, the U.N.s cultural agency. If its not protected now, we really risk that this heritage is lost forever. Since Russia launched the war in February 2022, at least 259 cultural and historic sites have been damaged by the fighting, according to UNESCO. They include religious sites, museums, monuments and libraries. It remains common to see statues across the country surrounded by sandbags or scaffolding to protect them from airstrikes or other attacks. Meanwhile, Ukraine is pouring money and the donations of Western nations backing it into its military as it tries to claw back more territory as the summer fighting months begin. That leaves little money for preservation of its historic sites, which already have faced cycles of destruction in the past from czarist Russia, the Nazis during World War II and the Soviet Union in the decades after. That's where the work of Emmanuel Durand, a French engineer based in Geneva, and Serhii Revenko, a Ukrainian architect who has taken 3D models of other sites during the war, comes into play. In recent days, the two men, who volunteer through UNESCO, worked at All Saints Church, built between 1696 and 1698 at the Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves. The men used a donated device called a Zoller & Frohlich Imager 5010X, which has two rectangular boxes connected by a high-resolution, rapidly spinning camera in the center. The imager, as well as required software and supporting equipment, together cost about $70,000. The two placed the imager atop a tripod, then slipped away from it as the device measured the heights underneath the churches golden domes. The camera then whirled to life, spinning around to capture the inside so closely that even the textures of the brushstrokes will be recorded. If due to the war, the church would be bombed in the next week or next month, it would be terrible, of course, but at least we would have this digitalization and it would help a lot in rebuilding the church, Durand said. That danger is real. Revenko earlier shot 3D images of the Library of Youth in Chernihiv, about 80 miles northeast of Kyiv. That library, opened in 1902 in a building bearing the style of the Gothic revival with pointed arches, was targeted by a Russian airstrike on March 11, 2022. The 3D image shows the massive hole torn into the side of the building, debris scattered everywhere. It also shows the depth and the power of the bomb that struck the site. That can be vital for historians as well as for prosecutors or investigators who later want to see such scenes long after any repairs. This is important to preserve because what the enemy and the Russians are trying to destroy is who we are and what our identity is," Revenko said. "Our identity really is the heritage and culture that we can preserve and give to the next generation. The men began their work at the All Saints Church in part because of its relative safety during the war. The Lavra's gates bear the blue shield emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention, in theory providing the protection of international law to the site. But the site on a hill overlooking the Dnieper River is only about a mile from Ukraine's presidency and other buildings in Kyiv that could be targets for Moscow. In recent weeks, Kyiv has come under repeated missile and drone attacks by Russia, raising the risks of a strike or damage from falling debris. Russia's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment about its targeting practices regarding historical sites. Durand and Revenko also traveled to the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, far closer to the front lines, to create images of other cultural sites. As an architect, its like rediscovering your country, really, and rediscovering your culture, Revenko said, gesturing toward the artworks within the All Saints Church. For Durand, who also volunteered at the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the recent earthquake that struck Turkey, doing the 3D scanning in Ukraine offers him a chance to use his talents when people are in need. Im not a doctor. I cannot go to Kherson or places and heal people. Thats not my skill, Durand said. Im not a good cook. I cannot give food, but Im an engineer. I have this 3D skill and other structural assessment skills that I give. 50 fascinating cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world 50 fascinating cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt Machu Picchu, Peru Hierapolis, Pamukkale, Turkey Spis Castle, Slovakia Potala Palace in Tibet Petra, Jordan Ksar of Ait Benhaddou, Morocco Chefchaouen, Morocco Pompeii, Italy Meteora, Greece Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City Stonehenge, England Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Thailand Mausoleum of First Qin Emperor China Teotihuacan, Mexico Bryggen, Bergen, Norway Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France Hawa Mahal Palace, Jaipur City, India Meroe Pyramids, Kabushiya, Sudan Djenne, Mali, West Africa Amarbayasgalant Monastery, Mongolia Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Great Wall, China La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain Palmyra, Syria Kew Gardens, London England Sintra, Portugal Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Bete Giyorgis, Lalibela, Ethiopia Masada, Israel Skellig Michael, Ireland Douro Valley, Portugal Palpa Geoglyphs, Peru Bamiyan Buddhas, Afghanistan Borobudur Temple, Indonesia Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg, Austria Khiva, Uzbekistan Kizhi Pogost, Kizhi Island, Russia Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA Old City Prague, Czech Republic Cappadocia, Turkey Thingvellir, Iceland Struve Arc Triangulation Point, Hammerfest, Norway Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Taos Pueblo, New Mexico Alberobello, Puglia, Italy Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, Miyajima, Hiroshima Our Lady of the Rocks, Kotor Bay, Montenegro Venice, Italy Ha Long Bay, Vietnam A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials searched the ocean floor for evidence and grappled Friday with vexing questions about who is responsible for investigating the international disaster. A formal inquiry was not yet launched because maritime agencies were still searching the area where the vessel fell apart, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday. Debris was located about 12,500 feet underwater near the Titanic wreckage the sub was on its way to explore. The U.S. Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission. It was not entirely clear Friday who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, which owned and operated the Titan, is based in Everett, Washington, but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas; the company closed when the Titan debris was found. Meanwhile, the Titan's mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada, and the people aboard the submersible were from England, Pakistan, France and the U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that the U.S. Coast Guard declared the loss of the submersible to be a "major marine casualty" and the Coast Guard will lead the investigation. NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said Coast Guard officials provided that information to senior management of the NTSB, which joined the investigation. The Coast Guard had not confirmed it will lead the investigation. Coast Guard headquarters said the Coast Guard First District in Boston will discuss future operations and plans, but did not say when. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Friday that it will launch an investigation into the Polar Prince, the Titan's mother ship and support vessel. Seventeen crew members and 24 others were on the ship during the Titan's journey. How the overall investigation of the tragedy will proceed is complicated by a lack of regulation. The Titan was not registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety, and it wasn't classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. Bob Ballard, a member of the research team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, called the lack of certification by outside experts "the smoking gun" in the Titan implosion. "We've made thousands and thousands and thousands of dives to these depths and have never had an incident," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America." The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars, experts said Friday. The search area spanned thousands of miles and in waters 2 miles deep, with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, other agencies and private entities. Some agencies can seek reimbursements, but the U.S. Coast Guard whose bill alone will hit the millions of dollars is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement pertaining to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a U.S. attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law. The Coast Guard, as a matter of both law and policy, does not seek to recover the costs associated with search and rescue from the recipients of those services, the Coast Guard said Friday. The massive international effort by aircraft, surface ships and deep-sea robots began Sunday when the Titan was reported missing. Searchers raced against a 96-hour clock in the desperate hope to find and rescue the vessel's occupants before their oxygen supply ran out. All hope was extinguished Thursday when officials announced the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion that killed all five aboard: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; British adventurer Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. A scaled-back search remained in place Friday as the robots remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs continued to scan the sea floor for evidence that might shed light on what happened. One question that seems at least partially resolved is when the implosion likely happened. After the Titan was reported missing Sunday, the Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data and found an "anomaly" consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the vessel was operating when communications were lost, said a senior U.S. Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Lawsuits are expected, but filing them will be complex. Plaintiffs will run into the problem of establishing jurisdiction, said Steve Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer and director of Northeastern University's Global Resilience Institute. The implosion happened "basically in a regulatory no man's land," Flynn said. At least 46 people successfully traveled on OceanGate's submersible to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022, according to letters the company filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, that oversees matters involving the Titanic shipwreck. A former company employee and former passengers raised questions about the submersible's safety. James Cameron, who directed the blockbuster movie "Titanic" and has made multiple dives to the iconic ship's wreckage, told the BBC he knew an "extreme catastrophic event" happened as soon as he heard the submersible lost navigation and communications at the same time. "For me, there was no doubt," he said. The American Library Association's annual conference is underway in Chicago, where librarians are discussing topics including countering book challenges, fighting legislative censorship, and ensuring information access and the freedom to read. Authors, scholars and librarians have gathered as several states push to restrict access to books in schools and libraries overwhelmingly those about race, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ topics. The association in March released data showing a record 1,269 demands to censor library books in the U.S. in 2022, a 20-year high. The Iowa Supreme Court dismissed claims against Gov. Kim Reynolds and a former communications director in a wrongful termination lawsuit, but allowed a claim against the state to proceed. Polly Carver-Kimm sued the state of Iowa, Reynolds and the governor's former communications director Pat Garrett in 2020, alleging she was fired from her position as the communications director for the Iowa Department of Public Health for fulfilling records requests from journalists. A district court previously denied a motion to dismiss the case, and the defendants appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled on Friday. The court did not decide whether Carver-Kimm was, in fact, wrongfully terminated. The case was sent back to the district court to decide on that claim. A spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to comment. Reynolds, Garrett and the state asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing Carver-Kimm had no grounds to justify a wrongful termination. Reynolds and Garrett also argued they had no legal authority to discharge Carver-Kimm. Lawyers for Carver-Kimm argued that Reynolds and Garrett exerted influence over her termination. Justice Matthew McDermott wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Justices Thomas Waterman and Edward Mansfield. The majority sided with Reynolds, saying Iowa law grants the department director full authority over employment decisions, while no law grants that authority to the governor. The justices said Carver-Kimm may pursue her claims against the state, which involve two claims of wrongful termination: that her firing violated Iowas whistleblower-protection law, and that her firing violated a clearly defined public policy, specifically Iowas open records law. The public records law outlines which records maintained by state agencies must be provided to the public upon request, and what information can remain confidential. Carver-Kimm said she faced retaliation after responding to records requests early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Carver-Kimm, who was in charge of responding to records requests to the department, said in court filings Garrett and supervisors at the department directed her to hold responses to records requests and advised her that all press releases should be routed through the governors office. Carver-Kimm said she was removed from responding to all records requests in June of 2020 after she informed certain news outlets that they could modify their requests and receive the requested information more quickly. She also complied with a request for responses to all open records requests by any other media organization. According to her petition, she fulfilled some requests after that was removed as part of her job duties. In July, Carver-Kimm was asked to resign or be terminated, and chose to resign, according to court records. The state had previously argued the public records law is not well-recognized public policy. But the court disagreed, saying the law could support a wrongful termination claim. When Carver-Kimm was the custodian of records at the department, she was under a statutory duty to fulfill proper requests for public records If Carver-Kimm was discharged for complying with that duty which is what she alleges in her petition those circumstances could support a claim, McDermott wrote. The court also allowed Carver-Kimms claim of wrongful termination under whistleblower protections to advance. In a separate opinion penned by Justice Christopher McDonald and joined by Justices Dana Oxley and David May, they agreed with most of the majority opinion but argued the open records law does not support a wrongful termination claim based on a violation of public policy. Because Iowas open records law allows individuals to pursue civil lawsuits for violation, it does not create a cause of action for wrongful termination, McDonald argued. The justices also argued Carver-Kimm did not have an obligation to respond to open records requests after her superiors removed it from her job responsibilities. If she was fired for responding to records after that point, they said it would not constitute a wrongful termination. In sum, Carver-Kimm alleges she resigned in lieu of termination after producing records she no longer had the statutory responsibility or authority to produce, McDonald wrote. Tom Duff, a lawyer representing Carver-Kimm, said they were disappointed the court dismissed their claims against Reynolds, but they were satisfied with the overall decision. He said the decision that Iowas public records law can serve as a basis for a wrongful termination claim is promising, and it has broader impacts for free access to government information. In the broader scheme of things, beyond Polly's case, it sends a message to other public information officers that they can do their job, disclose lawfully requested records, and the employer cannot retaliate against them for doing so, he said. This morning's top headlines: Thursday, June 22 Evan Gershkovich detention; Titanic sub update; NBA Draft preview; and more morning headlines. Nation & World Search for missing Titanic submersible passes critical 96-hour mark for oxygen supply. Follow live updates. The search for the missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic neared the critical 96-hour mark Thursday when breathable air is expected to run out. The around-the-clock search for the missing Titan submersible engrossed the world for days, but after news of the catastrophic implosion that killed the pilot and his four passengers near the Titanic shipwreck, investigators are focusing on how it happened and if it could have been prevented. Deep-sea robots will continue searching the North Atlantic sea floor for clues. Investigators in Canada are looking at the Titan's Canadian-flagged support ship. U.S. authorities are looking into other aspects of the tragedy. The Titan, owned by undersea exploration company OceanGate Expeditions, had been chronicling the Titanic's decay and the underwater ecosystem around the sunken ocean liner in yearly voyages since 2021. Authorities and experts are seeking answers: Exactly when and why did the implosion occur? Will the victims' bodies ever be found? What lessons are there for the future of undersea exploration? Here's what we know so far: WHEN AND WHERE DID THE TITAN GO MISSING? The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard. The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. Johns, Newfoundland, according to Canadas Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Titan was launched from an icebreaker that was hired by OceanGate and formerly operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The ship has ferried dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site, where the Titan has made multiple dives. WHAT HAPPENED ABOARD THE TITAN? The vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five aboard, sometime after it submerged Sunday morning. It's not clear exactly when or where the implosion occurred, but a U.S. Navy acoustics system detected an anomaly Sunday that was likely the Titans fatal implosion. The Coast Guard announced that debris from the submersible had been found and the end of rescue efforts Thursday, bringing a tragic close to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. A deep-sea robot discovered the debris, near the Titanic shipwreck, that authorities say came from the submersible. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OCCUPANTS WHEN THE TITAN IMPLODED? Maritime researchers called an implosion the worst possible outcome of all the scenarios envisioned during the desperate round-the-clock search to find the missing vessel. Experts had cautioned that under intense pressure at extreme depths the Titans hull could implode, which would result in instant death for anyone aboard. While OceanGate Expeditions, which owned and operated the craft, touted the Titans roomier cylinder-shaped cabin made of a carbon-fiber, industry experts say it was a departure from the sphere-shaped cabins considered ideal because water pressure is exerted equally on all areas made of titanium used by most submersibles. The 22-foot long (6.7-meter long), 23,000-pound (10,432-kilogram) Titans larger internal volume while still cramped with a maximum of five seated people meant it was subjected to more external pressure. The water pressure at 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface at the site of the Titanic wreck is roughly 400 atmospheres or 6,000 pounds per square inch. WHO WAS KILLED? The Titan victims are: Oceangate chief executive and Titan pilot Stockton Rush; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Worldwide condolences have poured in, offering tributes to the men and support for their families. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the worlds oceans, OceanGate said in a statement. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew. WHO REGULATES DEEP-SEA EXPEDITIONS? The Titans voyage down into the North Atlantic highlights the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. Its a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now. The Titan operated in international waters, far from the reach of many laws of the United States or other nations. It wasnt registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety, nor was it classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction. Stockton Rush, the OceanGate Expeditions CEO and Titan pilot who was among the dead, had said he didnt want to be bogged down by such standards. WHAT'S NEXT? The Coast Guard will continue searching near the Titanic for more clues about what happened to the Titan. Officials say there is not a timeframe for when they will call off the effort, and the prospect of finding or recovering remains is unknown. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Friday its launching an investigation involving the loss of the Titan that will focus on the cargo vessel Polar Prince. Polar Prince is a Canadian-flagged ship that served as mothership to the Titan submersible. The Transportation Safety Board will investigate the Polar Prince in its role as a support vessel and will conduct a safety investigation into the circumstances of the operation, the agency said. Experts say wrongful death and negligence lawsuits are also likely next in the Titan case and they could be successful. But legal actions will face various challenges, including waivers likely signed by the Titan passengers that warned of the myriad ways they could die. HOW MUCH DID THE SEARCH COST? The cost of the search will easily stretch into the millions of dollars for the U.S. Coast Guard alone. The Canadian Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and other agencies and private entities also rushed to provide resources and expertise. Theres no other comparable ocean search, especially with so many countries and even commercial enterprises being involved, said Norman Polmar, a naval historian, analyst and author based in Virginia. The aircraft, alone, are expensive to operate. The Pentagon has put the hourly cost at tens of thousands of dollars for turboprop P-3 Orion and jet-powered P-8 Poseidon sub hunters, along with C-130 Hercules, all utilized in the search. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin. In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces probe Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces crossed into Russia from Ukraine and reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces "aren't fighting against children." "But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings on social media beginning late Friday. "We are moving forward and will go until the end." He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner's convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles. Prigozhin also said his forces shot down a Russian military helicopter that fired on a civilian convoy, but there was no independent confirmation. Despite Prigozhin's statements that Wagner convoys entered Rostov-on-Don, there was no confirmation of that yet on Russian social networks. Videos showed heavy trucks blocking highways leading to the city, long convoys of National Guard trucks were seen on a road outside Rostov-on-Don and armored vehicles roamed the streets. Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov after a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner. The Wagner forces played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition. Prigozhin, who said he had 25,000 troops under his command, said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his "criminal and treacherous orders." It called his statements a "stab in the back to Russian troops" and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia. President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and "all the necessary measures were being taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic. But even amid the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance. Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but "they have treacherously cheated us." "Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed," he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps. Prigozhin claimed Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then "cowardly" fled. "This scum will be stopped," he said of Shoigu. "The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped," he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to "restore justice." Thursday afternoon, dozens upon dozens of kids took to the pool at Makai Swim School on Elm Street in Napa. They were leaning to swim while taking part in a global event at the same time. Known as the Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson, these local swimmers joined tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world for the 14th year in a row to spread the word that swimming lessons save lives, said a news release. The Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson took place over the course of 24 hours at hundreds of aquatic centers, swim schools and waterparks on six continents. This issue is truly a matter of life and death for all kids and families, regardless of race, economics or geography, said the release. I think its amazing, said Tami Nixon, owner of Makai Swim School. Nixon has been teaching swimming lessons for almost 50 years, including 40 years in Napa. Its awesome to be a part of a worldwide community, happening like this, she said. Nixon has about 500 students enrolled in her swim school, which is located behind Congregation Beth Shalom. Recent studies show that the Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson event continues to make a difference. According to the American Red Cross, data from 2020 shows an increase in childrens water competency and in the overall number of people taking swimming lessons. Research released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2021 shows drowning has become the leading cause of unintended death for U.S. children ages 1-4 ahead of car accidents, birth abnormalities and cancer. And drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death throughout the rest of the world. Makai Swim School served as a local host location facility for the event. We are definitely celebrating swimming in our community, said Nixon. Photos: Napa kids jump into pool for 'Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson' Nothing makes a first impression like a giant tiki sculpture. A more than 25-foot-tall replica of such art is whats currently greeting visitors at the Napa Valley Museum in Yountville. The statue is just one of more than 400 tiki-related items on display for the museums new exhibit Tiki Dreams. Yet this show is about much more than just Mai Tais and swizzle sticks. According to museum Executive Director Laura Rafaty, Tiki Dreams depicts how Californias iconic tiki lounges and restaurants, including many in the Bay Area, inspired a global art and design movement. She said the idea came to mind after talking with colleagues at the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco who had presented very popular tiki-themed exhibits and programs. Rafaty then paired that idea with the connection between tiki culture and World War II veterans, many of whom live on the same property as the museum at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville. Tiki is so many different things to so many different people, she said. I thought it was a real natural, to create a tiki exhibit in Yountville, she said. Rafatys best decision could have been connecting with tiki experts Otto and Baby Doe von Stroheim, of Alameda. The couple produces Tiki Oasis, billed as the longest-running festival in the world for lovers of island lifestyle and purveyors of Polynesian pop. According to Rafaty and Otto von Stroheim, tiki is an art, design and cultural movement dating back to the pre-World War II era, when visionary California restaurateurs created lavish tiki rooms evoking mysterious exotic lands, and which saw growing interest when soldiers brought home souvenirs from the South Pacific, and commercial air travel to Hawaii became common. Tiki style carried over into other areas of popular culture, including residential and commercial architecture, cuisine, cinema, theater, music, fashion, fine and graphic arts, and housewares, they explained. Much of the history of the golden age of tiki was written in the Golden State, in tiki lounges from Southern Californias Don the Beachcomber to iconic Bay Area outposts like Trader Vics and the Tonga Room, said Rafaty. This exhibition, curated by the von Stroheims, "illustrates Californias leading role in creating and defining tiki as an American pop-culture phenomenon, showcasing artifacts from Northern California tiki bars and restaurants, many of which have never been exhibited before. Some of the artifacts include original wooden tiki carvings, furniture, menus, matchbooks, mugs, album covers, dishware, a vintage Trader Vics neon sign and an animatronic bird reminiscent of Disneylands Enchanted Tiki Room. Iconic restaurants that have dedicated displays include the Zombie Village of Oakland, Trader Vics of Oakland and San Francisco, The Tonga Room of San Francisco, Skipper Kents in San Francisco, the Lanai in San Mateo, The Tropicana Village in San Jose, and The Islander in Stockton. Works by contemporary tiki artists, celebrating the movements enduring influence and exciting future, are also featured. Rafaty said one of the challenges of presenting an exhibit about tiki culture included being mindful of cultural appropriation. A sign at the start of the exhibition states that the artifacts do not intend to represent the history, people or cultures of Indigenous Pacific Islanders. Some of the artifacts may contain imagery or text that is considered sexist, racist or otherwise offensive by today's standards. "We do not support these dated views but present them in a historical context, Rafaty said. Unlike some museum shows, the exhibit will also evolve over time, she noted. Monthly events featuring speakers from the worlds of art, design and mixology will accompany the exhibition, including curated tastings showcasing current tiki bars from the Bay Area. New items could be added to the displays. And for those who cant visit in person, a companion exhibition in a virtual gallery invites the community to share their favorite tiki art, decor and memories. Fittingly, the Napa Valley Museum store has been restocked with tiki-themed gifts including mugs, shirts, barware, posters, books and more. Tiki Dreams ends Dec. 31. Rafaty noted that some of the artwork on display will be for sale at the end of the show. Tiki Dreams: From Far-Away Fantasy to Pop-Culture Phenomenon Now on display through Dec. 31 Napa Valley Museum 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville 707-944-0500 napavalleymuseum.org WednesdaySunday: 10 a.m.4 p.m. Closed Monday-Tuesday PHOTOS: New "Tiki Dreams" exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's words about Ukraine's prospects for joining the alliance demotivate the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an interview with the BBC. He published a video of the interview on his Telegram channel, RBK reports. "Stoltenberg knows my position - it, as in any issue, is always absolutely direct and open. My position: I think it's to ditch our state and our military, it's to demotivate our army," Zelensky said. He urged not to knock the country's "foundation out from under its feet" because joining NATO is a motivation for Ukraine. In June, Stoltenberg said Ukraine would not receive an invitation to the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12. Nevertheless, they are ready to discuss how to "bring Ukraine closer to NATO," Stoltenberg added. He stressed that all member states of the bloc agreed that Ukraine would become a member of the alliance. Zelenski said Ukraine would like to hear at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July "something more" than the alliance's "open doors," even though the country understands it cannot join NATO while hostilities continue. The Ukrainian leader applied to join the alliance in September 2022. A new country would need the consent of all members to join the bloc. The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) charged the head of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin with calling for an armed rebellion, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) reports. The ministry stressed that all the allegations spread by the founder of the group have no basis, RIA Novosti reports. In this regard, the FSB initiated a criminal case on the fact of calling for an armed rebellion. We demand an immediate stop to illegal actions, the committee said in a statement. PMC Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking a mercenary camp, Meduza reports, citing Prigozhin's press service. A missile attack was carried out on the camps of PMC Wagner. There were many victims. According to eyewitness fighters, the blow was delivered from the rear, which means from the side of the military of the Russian Defense Ministry, said Prigozhin. On the morning of June 23, Prigozhin published a video in which he criticizes the Ministry of Defense and accuses the department of deceiving the president. According to Prigozhin, the Russian military in Ukraine are "washed in blood," the Armed Forces of Ukraine are successfully advancing, and there is no control in the Russian army. In turn, the Ministry of Defense reported that all the information published on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin about "strike" on the rear camps of the Wagner group is not true. The ministry called these accusations an informational provocation. "President Putin is aware of all the events happening around Prigozhin. Necessary measures are being taken," Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, said. Some Orland Park public works employees say theyre suffering what they describe as a toxic work environment, and have been subjected to bullying and retaliation by management. A few of them spoke at a recent Village Board meeting, claiming morale in the department has suffered and has resulted in several employees leaving the department even though they were not nearing retirement. Advertisement The village denied any bullying or intimidation of workers has taken place, but promised a comprehensive evaluation of concerns, according to village manager George Koczwara. Its basically a toxic environment, said Tim Lynch, president of Local 368 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Advertisement Lynch said he has worked as an electrician for 21 years with the village and is an Orland Park resident. He was threatened with firing late last year after having an unblemished work record. Ive never been written up, never had a verbal warning before then, he said at the Village Board meeting. The bargaining unit has about 50 members who work in public works, but the union local also represents police telecommunicators, he said Christian Hainds, AFSCMEs staff representative to Local 368, said about 10 grievances have been filed by the union with the village over roughly the past year. Union members believe concerns they raise about working conditions are not being heard, and that there is a climate created where management has exhibited clear examples of bullying and harassment, targeting people who speak up, ask questions, Hainds said. People should be treated with dignity and respect, he said. One employee who spoke at the board meeting said workers are overworked and placed in unsafe situations. Another, Kevin Arnold, who identified himself as a 22-year employee with the Water Department, said morale is the lowest Ive ever seen since Ive been here. Safety concerns for workers and residents were raised regarding snowplowing of village streets, with workers required to take on 16-hour shifts that resulted in drowsy drivers and unsafe conditions, Lynch said. Advertisement Lynch said turnover has been abnormally high, with seven employees who were not of retirement age or years of service having left the department since late last year. He said the village has hired 10 people in the last six months, although some of them, roughly half, are still in the probationary stage. Koczwara said any claims of retaliation made recently are patently false since they go against the leadership philosophy that is being developed within the organization. The Village values all of the hard working men and women of its organization. Without their dedication, the Village would not be able to fulfill its mission of enhancing the quality of life to those who live in, work in, and shop in Orland Park, he said in response to media inquiries about the concerns raised. Koczwara said that an evaluation of concerns raised will be made. It is anticipated that a full reporting will be provided to the Village Board in the coming weeks, but I am confident that what will be demonstrated is a continued adherence to professionalism and accountability, he said. Advertisement Hainds said that concerns raised by workers have nothing to do with contract negotiations, and that the unions current contract is in place until April 2026. Lynch said that he had recently sought a meeting that included some public works employees and Mayor Keith Pekau and trustees to discuss some issues that we feel strongly are hurting this organization, and creating a disservice to the Village of Orland Park and the residents. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy > In a response to Lynchs June 5 email to the mayor, Pekau, the following day, responded that he and the board were declining the request for a face-to-face meeting and that there is a chain of command in place, and we ask that you respect that chain of command and bring any concerns you might have through appropriate channels. Last December, Lynch was issued a warning by Koczwara and faced firing after he was accused of coercion and intimidation of fellow co-workers, and insubordination toward public works management. He had been accused of yelling at and berating co-workers, which Lynch denied, and was issued a warning cease all bullying and harassment of co-workers and insubordination toward your supervisors, according to the ruling, issued by the village manager. Koczwara said that six people have left the Public Works Department in the past year, with four taking jobs outside of the village and two leaving involuntarily due to performance reasons. Advertisement Change in personnel always occurs in organizations, and while losing someone with institutional knowledge has an impact, there are also positive effects that include opportunities for innovation, new ways of thinking or perspective, improved productivity, improved morale and additional opportunities for others to get promoted, he said. Koczwara said six people have been hired in the department, which has 85 employees, 65 of them full-time positions. mnolan@tribpub.com Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseev, First Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and Sergei Surovikin, Commander of the Joint Group of Forces in the Special Military Operation zone, addressed the fighters and commanders of the Wagner PMC. Joint Group of Forces Commander Surovikin said that the Wagner group needed to stop the columns and return them to their permanent deployment points. Before its too late, and is necessary and must be done, obey the will and order of the popularly elected President of the Russian Federation, stop the columns, return them to their permanent deployment points and concentration areas, solve all problems only by peaceful means under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation [Putin]," Surovikin's appeal says. What is happening now is a glaring fact, which I can only describe as insanity. Now our country is in a most difficult situation, when the entire Western world has taken up arms against us, when ammunition for weapons is coming from all over the world. What you have now begun to carry out according to someone's provocative plan will lead to huge losses, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseev said. He also noted that only Russian President Vladimir Putin has the right to appoint the highest leadership of the Armed Forces, and asked the fighters and commanders of PMC Wagner not to encroach on his power. This is a stab in the back of our country and our people. This was stated in the address to the nation by Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the situation around PMC Wagner, TASS reports. "I appeal to the citizens of Russia, to the personnel of the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies and special services, to the soldiers and commanders who are now fighting in their combat positions, repulsing enemy attacks, doing it heroically - I know, I spoke to the commanders of all directions again tonight. I also appeal to those who, by deceit or threats, were dragged into a criminal adventure, pushed onto the path of a serious crime - an armed rebellion. Today Russia is fighting a hard battle for its future, repelling the aggression of neo-Nazis and their masters. Virtually the entire military, economic and information machine of the West is directed against us. We are fighting for the life and safety of our people, for our sovereignty and independence. For the right to be and remain Russia - a state with a thousand-year history. This battle, when our peoples fate is being decided, demands unification of all forces, unification, consolidation and responsibility, when everything that weakens us, any feuds that our external foes may use and use to undermine us from inside, should be thrown aside. And therefore any steps that split our unity, this is in fact backsliding from their own people, comrades-in-arms, who are now fighting on the frontline. This is a stab in the back of our country and our people. It was such a blow that was dealt to Russia in 1917, when the country fought during the First World War. But the victory was stolen from it. Intrigues, squabbles and cheap politics behind the back of the army and people turned into a great shock, the destruction of the army and the split of the state, as well as the loss of huge territories. In the end - the tragedy of a civil war. Russians killed Russians, brothers killed brothers, various carpetbaggers and foreign forces derived selfish profits as they divided the country and tore it apart. We won't let this happen again. We will protect both our people and our statehood from any threats. Including - from internal betrayal. And what we are faced with is exactly that - a betrayal. Exorbitant ambitions and personal interests led to treason. To betray our country, our people, and the cause for which, side by side with our other units and subunits, the soldiers and commanders of the Wagner group fought and died. The heroes who liberated Soledar and Artyomovsk, the cities and towns of Donbass, fought and gave their lives for Novorossiya, for the unity of the Russian world. Their name and glory were also betrayed by those who are trying to organize a rebellion, pushing the country towards anarchy and fratricide. To defeat and in the end - to surrender. I repeat, any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood, to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia, to our people. And our actions to protect the Fatherland from such a threat will be tough. All those who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, embarked on the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both before the law and before our people. I believe that we will save and defend what is dear and sacred to us, and together with our Motherland we will overcome any trials, we will become even stronger, the message reads. The Russian Federation reaffirms its intention to contribute to the restoration of normal life in Nagorno-Karabakh Artsakh President assures: All decisions will be made jointly Armenia requests OSCE Permanent Council speacial meeting: Mirzoyan made a speech We should specify the cartographic basis of demarcation activities in the near future. Pashinyan Brussels meeting brought no concrete results in opening Lachin Corridor, resolving humanitarian crisis in NK.Pashinyan Armenian Foreign Ministry welcomes Canadas initiative to join European monitoring mission Artsakh residents hold a protest near the UN office in Yerevan EU foreign ministers to discuss Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement in Brussels Armenian-French cooperation will continue to strengthen. Nikol Pashinyan received French Ambassador The process of the program of formation of Digital Society and Economy discussed at Government State minister: We may have situation when we cant wait for the 7 days noted by Karabakh President The Prime Minister hosts Aram Arzumanyan, disabled as a result of the 44-day war Nikol Pashinyan, Mikhail Mishustin hold phone talk Nersisyan. The more Armenia lowers bar on Karabakh issue, the harder it will be for people of Artsakh to raise it Karabakh official: Armenia has only one thing to do in discussions with Azerbaijan Artsakh state minister: Many illogical things are happening on European platform; is it serious conversation? Karabakh minister of state: We managed to make our voice heard by all to which nationwide movement was directed Lachin corridor has no alternative: Several Armenia NGOs issue joint statement on Charles Michel statement Karabakh state minister: We are in disaster but we will never surrender Karabakh ex-official Vitaly Balasanyan is charged on 4 counts Analyst: Armenia has not recognized Azerbaijan territorial integrity with Karabakhs inclusion Armenia PM is briefed on plan to establish EHL Hospitality Business School branch in Gyumri Our link should be with Armenia only: Karabakh residents comment on their blocking of Askeran-Aghdam road Missing servicemens parents reopen Yerevan major intersection, but on condition Armenia army General Staff chief meets with US Air Force chief of staff (PHOTOS) Parents of missing soldiers close off major avenue in Yerevan Edmon Marukyan: Azerbaijan has no plan to integrate Christian Armenians Azerbaijan MFA responds to Armenia FM with series of absurd accusations Livestock sector is in much worse situation in besieged Karabakh, agriculture minister says Agriculture minister: Scheduled power outages, lack of diesel fuel also cause problems in Karabakh irrigation system Karabakh MoD: Defense Army did not carry out fortification work in Askeran Region Newspaper: What 'tougher actions' Karabakh will take? MoD: Armenia army did not fire at Azerbaijan positions Worlds most expensive iPhone is sold in US US returns 105 antiquities illegally exported from India to latter David Babayan: Karabakh grandpa who fought at Stalingrad, took Berlin never imagined he could die of hunger Russia, Iran FMs interested in consultations with participation of Armenia, Azerbaijan Austria FM: Lachin corridor blockade must be stopped immediately Deputy PM Grigoryan's office: Armenia, Azerbaijan have not made decision on any map Armenia FM briefs OSCE Secretary General on situation in Karabakh Armenian Foreign Minister expresses Yerevan's readiness to hold talks with Turkey in Vienna Armenia is not going to become a space where sanctions could be bypassed: Ararat Mirzoyan Dollar, euro increase in Armenia Armenia FM: Regrettable that instead of engaging in dialogue, Azerbaijan pursues policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh FMs sign protocol on implementation of Armenia-EU readmission agreement between Armenia, Austria (PHOTOS) Karabakh residents block Askeran-Aghdam motorway, with concrete barriers (PHOTOS) Armenias Pashinyan receives ex-MP Francois Rochebloine of France Yerevan municipal election events schedule announced Karabakh NGOs: Support being provided to Artsakh people cannot be at cost of trampling on their dignity American University of Armenia has new president Hyundai releases first photos of new generation Santa Fe crossover Public Television to present dire situation in Karabakh every day live from capital Stepanakert's Renaissance Square Teen found dead in Armenia river European Parliament committee calls on Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide Armenia FM visit to Vienna kicks of with private talk with Austria colleague Karabakh operational headquarters chief: Presidents sit-in could be beneficial European Parliament accuses Azerbaijan of bribing PACE lawmakers, some other offenses Karabakh presidential advisor warns of taking extreme measures Iraqi Kurdistan leader visits Azerbaijan In support of Karabakh demonstration participants march to US Embassy in Yerevan US embassy: Passengers are denied entry to Armenia for possession of drugs Azerbaijan continues to settle occupied Berdzor-Lachin town of Karabakh Armenia army chief attends US National Guard State Partnership Program 30th Anniversary conference (PHOTOS) Public transport to not operate in Karabakh capital Stepanakert as of today Karabakh interior ministry: No vehicle passed through Askeran police checkpoint to Akna-Aghdam Azerbaijan FM repeats proposal to use Aghdam road to Karabakh Protests in support of Karabakh continue in Yerevan Grigory Karasin responds to accusations against Russia from Azerbaijan Armenia PM: It will be very good if we do European track and field tournament in Artashat Newspaper: More Armenia military commanders to be arrested soon Karabakh minister of state: Today nationwide movement will continue awareness actions started in Yerevan Karabakh parliament speaker joins Presidents sit-in Armenia MoD: Azerbaijan again disseminated disinformation MFA spox: Armenia demands lifting of illegal blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan Karabakh President: People of Artsakh are facing real threat of physical destruction Russia MFA confirms readiness to hold Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs meeting in Moscow Karabakh presidential adviser on Azerbaijan proposal to transport humanitarian goods to Artsakh: This is greatest danger Armen Grigoryan presents humanitarian crisis in Karabakh to Matthias Luttenberg Karabakh capital Stepanakert public transport to operate in very limited capacity Armenia ex-ruling party official Armen Ashotyan to remain in custody The president was deeply mistaken regarding the betrayal of the motherland. This was stated by the head of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin. We are patriots of our Motherland, we fought and are fighting, we are all the fighters of PMC Wagner. And no one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else, because we do not want the country to live on in corruption, in deceit and bureaucracy. When we fought in Africa, we were told that we needed Africa, and after that they abandoned it, because they stole all the money that was supposed to go there for help. When we were told that we were at war with Ukraine, we went and fought. But it turned out that ammunition, weapons, all the money that was put on them, are also stolen, and the bureaucrats sit and save them for themselves, just for the case that happened today - when someone comes for Moscow. Now they are not sparing anything, with airplanes and helicopters they hit the columns where the civilians are walking, they hit anywhere. We are patriots, and those who oppose us today are those who have joined the lowlifes, he said. On June 23, statements appeared on the Telegram channel of the PMC Wagner that an air attack had been carried out on the PMC. The blame was placed on the Russian military leadership. Wagner Head Yevgeny Prigozhin promised to "restore justice." The Russian Defense Ministry denied the attack allegations, and the Federal Security Service opened a criminal case against the Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed rebellion. A loud bang was heard at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, which was cordoned off by the fighters of the PMC Wagner group, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports from the scene. The bang sounded at the intersection of Budennovsky Prospekt and Pushkinskaya Street, where the headquarters of the Southern Military District is located. It is possible that it was the sound of a thunderflash. Eyewitnesses also reported several shots fired into the air from automatic weapons. Some of the local residents who had gathered on the spot and followed what was happening began to disperse. PMC Wagner seized the headquarters of the Southern Military District on the morning of 24 July. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the rebels a criminal reckless scheme, a stab in the back of Russia and a betrayal, which led to exorbitant ambitions and personal interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the situation in Rostov-on-Don remains difficult. On June 23, statements appeared on the Telegram channel of the PMC Wagner that an air attack had been carried out on the PMC. The blame was placed on the Russian military leadership. Wagner Head Yevgeny Prigozhin promised to "restore justice." The Russian Defense Ministry denied the attack allegations, and the Federal Security Service opened a criminal case against the Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed rebellion. Held telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of the G7 countries, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on Twitter. Had a call with G7 Foreign Ministers to exchange views on the situation in Russia. Ahead of Mondays EU Foreign Affairs Council, I am coordinating inside the European Union and have activated the crisis response centre. Our support to Ukraine continues unabated, he said. The Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, confirmed that Secretary of State Blinken discussed the situation in Russia with his G7 colleagues and the EU Foreign Affairs Chief Borrell. G7 includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, the USA, and Canada. On June 23, statements appeared on the Telegram channel of the PMC Wagner that an air attack had been carried out on the PMC. The blame was placed on the Russian military leadership. Wagner Head Yevgeny Prigozhin promised to "restore justice." The Russian Defense Ministry denied the attack allegations, and the Federal Security Service opened a criminal case against the Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed rebellion. Prigozhin later said he had taken control of Rostov's military facilities, including the airfield. Later, there were reports that all key facilities in Voronezh were also taken under the control of PMC Wagner. In order to build a real and lasting peace in the region, Azerbaijan and Armenia should find mutually acceptable solutions to all existing problems in the negotiation process, preventing further manifestations of hatred and enmity, says the statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. "These problems include, among others, the establishment of solid legal foundations for the demarcation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to the Alma-Ata Protocols and the most recent maps of the Soviet region, the unblocking of the transport infrastructures of the region, based on the sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality, and reciprocity of countries, and the clear guarantee of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, we are convinced that the best way in the latter case is direct and substantive discussions between Baku and Stepanakert with international participation. Meanwhile, the non-stop statements filled with hostility and hatred, the threat of force and provocations by the Azerbaijani authorities towards both the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh seriously question the sincerity and political will of the top leadership of that state to achieve peace in the South Caucasus. Moreover, Azerbaijan's actions are not only not aimed at addressing the many existing problems through constructive dialogue with Stepanakert, but on the contrary - consistently lead to ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The most recent evidence of this is the installation of concrete barriers by Azerbaijan in the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor on June 22, 2023, and the blockage of any movement of people, goods and transport. As a result, the supply of food, medicine and basic necessities to Nagorno-Karabakh and the transfer of seriously ill patients have been completely stopped, even [under supervision] by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Along with the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor, the supply of gas and electricity to Nagorno-Karabakh has been disrupted for more than 6 months. The targeting of citizens carrying out agricultural works and subversive actions by the members of the Azerbaijani armed forces do not stop. In the conditions of the worsening humanitarian crisis, the extremely necessary access of international humanitarian and fact-finding missions to Nagorno-Karabakh continues to be hindered. In this context, it is also necessary to remember the intimidation of the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan through social networks, as well as through local loudspeakers; the deliberate neglect of the obligation to ensure the return of displaced persons from Hadrut and Shushi regions; the capture and complete depopulation of Khtsaberd, Hin Tagher and Parukh settlements after the ceasefire was established on November 9, 2020; the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the Armenian settlements that came under the control of Azerbaijan, among others. These actions are being carried out in defiance of the legally binding decisions of the UN International Court of Justice and numerous calls from the international community. Under these conditions, the international community cannot pretend to be blind and have illusions that the rights and security issues of the NK people can be addressed without special and urgent international attention, involvement and efforts. Addressing the rights and security of the 120 thousand Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of the international mechanism through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue is necessary and vital. We consider it necessary to emphasize again that the Republic of Armenia will continue making sincere efforts to establish peace in the region," the message reads. Fontanka media outlet reported that law enforcement officers in St. Petersburg, near the Wagner center, found a Gazelle car with boxes of cash worth approximately 4 billion rubles inside. The head of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, commented on the matter: Not one Gazelle was found in my possession, but a Gazelle and two buses were found, in which there was money allocated for the issuance of wages, the so-called "Cargo 200" compensation and other issues. PMC Wagner is 10 years old, exclusively uses cash - this is written in the contract and I carefully observe it. When we were doing work in Africa, in Ukraine and in other countries, when we were terrifying America, everyone was satisfied with cash, and now they have come with searches. It's okay, the cash was indeed found." On June 23, statements appeared on the Telegram channel of the PMC Wagner that an air attack had been carried out on the PMC. The blame was placed on the Russian military leadership. Wagner Head Yevgeny Prigozhin promised to "restore justice." The Russian Defense Ministry denied the attack allegations, and the Federal Security Service opened a criminal case against the Prigozhin on charges of inciting an armed rebellion. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the rebels a criminal reckless scheme, a stab in the back of Russia and a betrayal, which led to exorbitant ambitions and personal interests. Mary Perkins, center, Elgin Community College dean of liberal, visual and performing arts holds the Legends Award presented to the school by the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. To the left are Mary Hatch, retired ECC dean of liberal, visual and performing arts and EYSO Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard. To the right are Patrick Parks, an ECC Board trustee and Cindy Gaspardo, manager of performing arts. (Jen Pierce/HANDOUT) ECC recieves Legend Award from Elgin Youth Symphony The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra has presented its inaugural Legends Award to the Elgin Community College in recognition of the decades-long partnership between two organizations. The awards goal is to honor an organization thats made an exceptional contribution and commitment to advancing EYSOs mission, a news release from the organization said. Advertisement When we created this award, ECC was top of mind because of the longevity of support and your strategic partnership over the years, EYSO Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard said in the release. Simply put, EYSO would not be possible without ECC; this partnership makes it possible for our students to study and perform music at the highest level. As an in-residence ensemble at ECC, the college provides space and resources to more than 400 students participating in symphony orchestra annually, the release said. Its one of five community in-residence ensembles at the college, all of which offer credit and noncredit courses in partnership with the school. Advertisement Elgin Area Chamber awards five college scholarships The Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and its economic development program, Elgin Development Group, have awarded five $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors pursuing further education. The scholarships were presented to Litzy Melchor, Elgin High School; Jordan Green, South Elgin High School; Zoie Adamson, Larkin High School; Andrea Jimenez, Elgin High School; and Laura Mata, Elgin High School. Scholarship selections were based on the applicants scholastic achievement, interest in continuing education, career goals and participation and leadership in school and community activities, a news release said. State Sen. Cristina Castro Sen. Castro launches summer book club for kids To emphasize the importance of learning during summer, state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, is hosting a Summer Book Club to encourage students to read and continue their education during their vacation break. The Summer Book Club requires students to read eight books of their choice during the summer break, record the names of the books on a form and return the form to Castros office by Aug. 18, a news release said. Every student who completes the book club challenge will receive a gift card and a certificate from Castro. Reading helps students continue to stay engaged during summer vacation, Castro said. I encourage families in the area to make reading a habit by participating in our Summer Book Club. Book club forms are available to download at www.SenatorCristinaCastro.com. For more information, call 847-214-8864. Advertisement East Dundee seeking volunteer chalk artists The East Dundee Arts Council is looking for volunteers to create colorful sidewalk chalk designs to decorate the downtown during Motor Monday cruise nights set for July 17 and Aug. 21. Chalk will be provided, and volunteers are welcome to bring guests to assist them, a new release said. To volunteer or for more information, email publicart@eastdundee.net. The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is holding evening programs on nocturnal animals and insects, such as the firefly. (Maryland Biodiversity Project by Katja Schulz) Kane forest preserve programs to focus on nature at night Kane County Forest Preserve District is offering programs during which the nocturnal world of nature can be explored with a naturalist at forest preserves around the county. Firefly Flash will be held from 8 to 9 p.m. July 27 at Campton Forest Preserve, 4N379 Town Hall Road in St. Charles. Participants will learn about the science behind a fireflys glow, the life cycle of a firefly and the threats to firefly populations. Advertisement The other programs planned are: The Wonder and Beauty of Fireflies is scheduled for 8 to 9 p.m. July 29 at Hampshire Forest Preserve, 44W880 Allen Road in Hampshire. Moth Mania will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Aug. 2 at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve at 37W700 Dean St. in St. Charles. Perseid Meteor Shower Viewing is being offered from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 13 at Camp Tomo Chi-Chi Knolls at 40W095 Freeman Road in Gilberts. The cost to participate is $2 and advance registration required. To register, call 630-444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com. Sanitary sewer smoke testing being done in St. Charles The city of St. Charles is testing its sanitary sewer system to look for potential faulty lines or connections where water runoff from rain or snow enters the system or where sewer gases may escape, officials said. Advertisement Smoke testing will take place on the west side of the city through June 30. Its required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, city officials said. All affected residences and businesses are notified prior to testing. Signs also will be posted in the neighborhoods. Smoke testing pushes air combined with liquid smoke into sewer lines to disclose the location of leaks and faulty connections. The smoke is non-toxic, and safe for humans and pets, city officials said. The smoke has no odor, is non-toxic and non-staining. It does not create a fire hazard and will dissipate in a few minutes, city officials said. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh made a comment on the Adoption of PACE Resolution Ensuring Free and Safe Access through the Lachin corridor. We consider it necessary to note that on 22 June 2023 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), by an overwhelming majority of votes, adopted a resolution on Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor calling on Azerbaijan to ensure free and safe movement through the Lachin Corridor in accordance with the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, as well as to implement immediately the interim measures indicated by the ECtHR on 21 December 2022 and the Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023. Recognising the fact of the use of force by Azerbaijan in 2020, the unilateral actions of this country to block the Lachin Corridor, which led to the violation of the rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, for the first time, PACE recorded the violation by Azerbaijan of its statutory and convention obligations to the Council of Europe, as well as the commitment taken upon joining the organisation to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exclusively by peaceful means. We consider important the Assembly's conclusion that the situation caused by Azerbaijan may well lead to the fact that the Armenian population will be forced to leave their homes, if the conflict is not resolved by political means. In this regard, we emphasise that the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have repeatedly drawn the attention of international organisations and the community of States as a whole to the fact that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor is part of a broader policy of Azerbaijan, the purpose of which is to carry out ethnic cleansing. We also attach importance to the fact that in its resolution PACE clearly stated the situation created in the Republic of Artsakh as a result of the illegal blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and the deliberately caused energy crisis, as well as their catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and called on Azerbaijan to immediately restore gas and electricity supplies from Armenia to Artsakh. We fully share the concern expressed in the resolution about the hostile and threatening rhetoric used by the top leadership of Azerbaijan in relation to ethnic Armenians. We support the call of the PACE to send a Council of Europe fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and the Republic of Artsakh, as well as to ensure unimpeded access to Artsakh for international organisations, including relevant UN agencies. We note the call in the resolution for a peaceful dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku under an international mechanism, and reaffirm the consistent position of the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh to discuss all disputes and differences based on the principles of co-operation and equal rights of the parties, within an internationally recognised negotiation format, and to seek a fair, dignified and comprehensive settlement of the conflict with Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations. In view of the total inhuman blockade, the ongoing illegal and criminal actions of Azerbaijan in conditions of complete permissiveness, and as a result, the sharply deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, we urge the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Committee of Ministers to immediately respond to the undeniable facts of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor and urgently launch the mechanisms of the organisation to hold Azerbaijan accountable and prevent further violations of the individual and collective rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the comment reads. Biden speaks with leaders of main western allies President Biden discussed the situation in Russia. File photo: AFP US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday as mutinous Russian mercenaries barrelled towards Moscow after seizing a southern city overnight, the White House said. "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine," a readout said. Biden was briefed about the unfolding situation in Russia by his national security team on Saturday morning, the White House said, adding that the president will continue to be briefed throughout the day. A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that during the conversation, the four leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also spoken to counterparts from G7 nations. The move by Wagner Group mercenaries presents Russian President Vladimir Putin with the first serious challenge to his grip on power in his 23-year rule. (Reuters) NewsVoir New Delhi [India], June 24: TERI breathes and lives sustainability every single day, underscored R Mukundan, Member - Governing Council, TERI and Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals Limited as TERI enters its 50th year of institution. "The world is undertaking a huge amount of transition. We know that there is a humungous opportunity, a humungous work ahead in terms of transition," he added urging TERI and India to be at the forefront of driving a responsible, inclusive, and innovative solutions for sustainable development and climate action. With the foundation of the organization laid down by JRD Tata and Darbari Seth in 1974, TERI in its long, eventful, and accomplished journey, has toiled tirelessly to mainstream sustainability in India and the Global South. At a time when the world was still debating the life altering effects of climate change, TERI was spearheading policy, advocacy, and technological innovation regionally, nationally, and internationally. Geopolitical shift, sustainability, technology, and AI are the four transitions that TERI and India needs to be at the forefront of as we move ahead to tackle the bourgeoning highlighted Mukundan in his Keynote Address. By forging partnerships and collaborations with governments, multilateral organizations, philanthropies, and corporations for the last fifty years, our work across the fields of energy, climate, sustainable agriculture, sustainable habitat and infrastructure, nano and biotechnology has been driving transformational change to realise a green, inclusive, and resilient future for all. Birthed at a time when the world was grappling not just with political turmoil in the face of a cold war but also an accentuating oil and gas crisis, TERI has become a leading voice with an unwavering focus towards finding answers to the planet's present and future crises. Reflected in the organization's ethos is a steadfast dedication to cultivate holistic solutions to entrust a much more resilient planet back to the youth than what was borrowed from them. "Fifty years ago, TERI was set up by the TATAs as an energy research institute. Led by Dr Pachauri over most of these years it broadened its reach to cover climate change and several other sustainable development issues in its advocacy, analytical research, and technology development. Over the next fifty years its strength must extend its reach to all emerging challenges to sustainable development which will be the greatest challenge to human well-being in India and elsewhere," said Nitin Desai, Chairman - Governing Council, TERI. From providing policy recommendations to help the country chart pathways for responsible growth to bringing together heads of large corporates and steering them towards carbon neutrality, TERI has impacted lives both within and beyond national boundaries, underscored Desai. Highlighting the organisation's pioneering work, visionary leadership, and unmatched human resource, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI stressed, "Throughout this incredible journey, TERI has been at the forefront of driving sustainable solutions and catalyzing positive change. Our success is a testament to the dedication and unwavering support of our 1000 plus employees, partners, and stakeholders." "As we look ahead, we remain committed to pushing boundaries, finding innovative solutions, and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future," added Dr Dhawan. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), based in India, is an independent, multi-dimensional research organization with capabilities in policy research, technology development, and implementation. An innovator and agent of change in the energy, environment, climate change and sustainability space, TERI has pioneered conversations and action in these areas for nearly five decades. Headquartered in New Delhi, it has centres in six Indian cities, and is supported by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, sociologists, economists, engineers, administrative professionals, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 24: In an exciting development for the education technology (EdTech) industry; Class24, a promising EdTech startup, has announced successful completion of Pre-series A round of funding at a valuation of USD 10 Mn led by Plutus Wealth Management LLP and its Managing Partner, Arpit Khandelwal. Founded by Bhunesh Sharma in July 2022; Otsadda Private Limited (www.Class24.study ) is a hybrid learning platform which provides online & offline learning solutions to k12, competitive exams / test preparation and skill development aspirants. Previously, Bhunesh had co-founded Wifistudy (one of the largest educational youtube channel in Asia) which was acquired by another leading edtech company in 2018. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the company's journey which is poised to accelerate its expansion plans and further enhance its innovative tech backed solutions/platform to shape the future of education in India. The funds will be instrumental in fuelling product development, expanding offline schools & colleges network/collaborations, and attracting top talent to drive innovation. "Traditional educational models have often struggled to adapt to the changing needs of students and educators. As a result, innovative startups like class24 have emerged to bridge the gap between traditional education and technological advancements, offering a range of accessible and personalised learning experiences/solutions that empower learners and teachers alike. Unlike its peers, Class24 has been rapidly scaling up in just 1 year owing to its sharp focus on in-house training, premium content, strong internal processes & systems instead of basing the company's foundations on only Educators. Currently, Class24 has reached over 1.3 million students app downloads in just 1 year" stated Bhunesh Sharma, Founder & CEO of Class24 "Class24 is well placed with its experienced team, sustainable expansion strategy and win-win approach for its partners to scale up aggressively in edtech in India. We are excited to participate with the highly seasoned team of Class24 in its transformative tech based journey" stated Arpit Khandelwal, Managing Partner at Plutus Wealth Management LLP. http://www.class24.study (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 24: Blue Sphere's My Eduquer, an educational organisation that works to empower students, has awarded Madhukumar G, a two-year scholarship for the MSW programme. Bangalore-based My Eduquer is a company that specialises in helping students with college admissions and offers career assistance so they can follow their ambitions. myeduquer.com, a renowned centre for information and skill development, maintains international standards for learning processes. They offer a wide variety of educational programmes that satisfy the needs of students in Middle Eastern and Indian schools. My Eduquer provides training to teaching professionals and students with an emphasis on education and growth, assisting them in enhancing their abilities and identifying their hidden talents and interpersonal skills. These activities help students perform better and provide them a competitive edge in their personal, academic, and professional lives. My Eduquer has grown significantly in the field of education owing to the inspiring guidance of its directors, Afsal Azeez and Binoy Hezakiel, as well as it's managing director Sreenu A Sreekumar. Their specialised training programmes are designed to help students succeed academically and advance in their jobs. My Eduquer has graciously chosen to support Madhukumar G's tuition for the MSW programme at S.E.A COLLEGE OF SCIENCE COMMERCE & ARTS as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The scholarship is evidence of Madhukumar G's remarkable merit and the organization's dedication to helping deserving students further their education. Bangalore resident Madhukumar G, who has demonstrated exceptional talent and determination, is a worthy winner of this prestigious scholarship. Madhukumar G is certain to benefit from this chance and be able to flourish in his chosen career and make a significant contribution towards society. The scholarship programme at My Eduquer inspires other students to pursue achievement by not simply recognising but rewarding academic excellence. My Eduquer strives to have a good influence on students' lives by supporting education and developing young talent, persisting their goals of paving the way for a better future. For more information: https://myeduquer.com/ (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 24: As a leading educational institution in India with students from more than 15+ nationalities, Sigma University is proud to announce the launch of its new academic offerings in Fashion Design, Animation, VFX, and Gaming. With the introduction of these programs, Sigma University aims to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in these industries and provide students with specialised education and training that meets international standards. Sigma University's new programs include Masters, Bachelors, and Diploma courses in Fashion Design, Animation, VFX, and Gaming. These courses are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to excel in their chosen profession and make a significant impact in the industry. Some of the specialisations offered include: - 3D Modelling and Animation - Fashion Design and Merchandising - Fashion Photography - Styling - Visual Effects and Compositing - Game Development and Design Sigma University India has always been at the forefront of providing comprehensive and industry-relevant programs, and this expansion is a testament to its dedication to nurturing talent and meeting the evolving needs of the job market. By introducing specialised courses in Fashion Design, Animation, VFX, and Gaming, the institution is creating a pathway for students to explore their passion, unleash their creativity, and build a rewarding career in these thriving industries. Partnering with True False, a leading name in the fashion industry, Sigma University India's Fashion Program offers students a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts and gain hands-on experience. From design fundamentals to textile technology, the program covers a wide range of topics that equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the dynamic world of fashion. In collaboration with Free Bird Animation, an acclaimed studio renowned for its exceptional work in animation, VFX, and gaming, Sigma University's Animation, VFX, and Gaming Programs provide students with access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology. Students will delve into the world of animation, visual effects, and game development, learning from industry professionals who have worked on renowned projects. This hands-on experience ensures that graduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of these rapidly expanding industries. Sigma University India's expansion into these captivating fields reinforces its commitment to providing students with a holistic educational experience. With a focus on practical learning and industry collaboration, students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops, internships, and industry projects, ensuring they acquire the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in their chosen careers. Dr Harsh Shah, the President of Sigma University India, expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter, stating, "We are extremely excited about the launch of our Master's, Bachelor's and Diploma Programs in Fashion Design, Animation, VFX, and Gaming. This expansion reflects our dedication to empowering students with the tools they need to succeed in highly competitive industries. We believe that this collaboration with True False and Free Bird Animation will be a game-changer, providing students with unparalleled opportunities to unleash their creativity and embark on rewarding professional journeys." Enrolment for these programs is now open, and prospective students are encouraged to seize this remarkable opportunity to unlock their creative potential and redefine their educational journey. By choosing Sigma University India, students will benefit from a supportive learning environment, a distinguished faculty, industry connections, and state-of-the-art facilities. Visit the website to know more: https://bit.ly/3XlDjbI (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) PNN New Delhi [India], June 24: In an era defined by pressing environmental challenges, the Save Earth Mission, led by Sandeep Choudhary, has emerged as the world's biggest mission. With its ambitious goal of eradicating carbon emissions from the planet by 2040, this global movement is dedicated to creating a sustainable and eco-friendly future for Earth. Let's explore why the Save Earth Mission holds such prominence and what makes it a force to be reckoned with. The Save Earth Mission stands apart due to its unmatched scale and worldwide reach. With millions of dedicated participants spanning countries, cultures, and backgrounds, this mission has rapidly grown into the fastest-growing community committed to combating climate change. Operating in 69 countries, the Save Earth Mission showcases its global presence and its ability to connect people across borders in pursuit of a sustainable future. Its global community of 10 Million+ people demonstrates the significant scale of its movement. Furthermore, the mission targets to achieve a community of 1 Billion people in the coming 3 years, highlighting its aim to mobilize even more individuals in the fight against climate change. At the heart of the Save Earth Mission lies its audacious objective: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. This ambitious target is grounded in a comprehensive plan that encompasses multiple aspects of sustainability, ranging from energy transition to waste management and conservation. The mission's goal to achieve World Netzero Carbon emissions by 2040 showcases its dedication to addressing climate change on a global scale. By setting such an ambitious goal, the mission challenges the status quo and encourages society to take immediate and decisive action to protect our planet. What sets the Save Earth Mission apart is its multi-faceted approach to addressing the challenges of climate change. Sandeep Choudhary and his team recognize that combating carbon emissions requires a holistic strategy. Consequently, the mission focuses on various fronts, including renewable energy adoption, sustainable transportation, circular economy practices, and reforestation efforts. This comprehensive approach ensures that no aspect of sustainability is overlooked, enabling the mission to make a profound impact. The mission's dedication and commitment are clear: they will not stop until they achieve their goal. The Save Earth Mission has garnered significant support from international leaders, organizations, and celebrities who share a common vision for a sustainable future. Through strategic collaborations and partnerships, the mission has amplified its reach and influence. This global support serves as a testament to the urgency and relevance of the mission's objectives, transcending geographical boundaries and uniting diverse stakeholders in a common cause. The Save Earth Mission has successfully organized impactful events and initiatives that raise awareness, drive action, and inspire change. These events serve as platforms to showcase innovative solutions, share knowledge, and mobilize resources towards sustainable development. The upcoming event in Ahmedabad, India, promises to be a momentous gathering, featuring renowned personalities, global celebrities, and musicians who will lend their voices to the mission's cause, further fueling its momentum. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Save Earth Mission is its emphasis on individual empowerment. The mission recognizes that meaningful change begins with each person's actions and choices. By promoting sustainable practices in daily life, encouraging eco-friendly habits, and providing resources for education and engagement, the mission enables people to become agents of change in their communities. This focus on individual empowerment is pivotal to driving widespread transformation and creating a sustainable future. Conclusion: The Save Earth Mission, led by Sandeep Choudhary, has earned its reputation as the world's biggest mission due to its unmatched scale, ambitious goals, global support, and multi-faceted approach. By uniting millions of individuals, organizations, and governments in a shared commitment to combat climate change, the mission has become a powerful force driving the transition. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Taking to Instagram, she wrote, "A truly iconic meeting between the US President and our Hon PM Modi ji. So many issues discussed snd sorted out and the world watched in awe as Modi ji got standing ovations throughout his speech addressing the US Congress. A totally proud moment for all Indians as we witnessed the sea of approval that Modi ji's address invoked as also by the number of autographs he signed! A true leader indeed." https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct22IiGoT4v/?hl=en She also shared several visuals of PM Modi from his US visit. During his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. PM Modi is now all set to embark on his first-ever state visit to Egypt. Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' (ANI) The update has been shared by The Hollywood Reporter. Ben Whishaw has long voiced the titular bear, who in past films was seen getting into adventures with the Brown family. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps but the movie will see Paddington travel from his home in London to his native home of "darkest Peru." The outlet reported that Olivia's character will run a retirement home for bears in Peru. Paddington in Peru will be the feature debut of Dougal Wilson, the award-winning commercial and music video director. Heyday and StudioCanal are producing the feature. The shooting will take place in London and Peru. StudioCanal, which is fully backing the movie, will release Paddington in Peru in the U.K., France, Germany, Benelux, Australia/New Zealand and Poland. Sony Pictures holds rights for the rest of the world, excluding Russia, China and Japan. (ANI) Actor Salman Khan is all set to host his first 'Weekend Ka Vaar' of 'Bigg Boss OTT 2'. And guess what? Rakul Preet Singh will join him on the sets. Rakul will be seen promotig her recently released film 'I Love You' on 'Bigg Boss OTT' which is currently streaming on Jio Cinema. "I'm really excited to be a part of the first Weekend Ka Waar on Bigg Boss OTT. I'm a huge fan of the show and always try to catch the weekend episodes! I'm eagerly looking forward to meeting all the contestants and having a fantastic time with Salman sir. It's going to be a lot of fun to see Salman sir in action, and I'll bring some love-filled excitement to the vaar by adding my own special twist," Rakul said. The second season of 'Bigg Boss OTT' strated from June 17. The contestants who are locked inside the house are Avinash Sachdev, Palak Purswani, Bebika Dhurve, Jiya Shankar, Aaliya Siddiqui, Falaq Naazz, Akanksha Puri, Jad Hadid, Cyrus Broacha, Manisha Rani, Abhishek Malhan, and Pooja Bhatt. It was the first time on Bigg Boss that a contestant got evicted just within 24 hours of the show's premiere. Social media influencer Puneet Superstar, known for his comic videos, got evicted He was shown the door by the makers of the show just hours after his arriva. This occurred following Puneet getting strong warning from Bigg Boss for allegedly using bad language towards the producers and destroying house property. (ANI) Bond was set at $100,000 Friday for a Florida man arrested by Elmhurst police following a high-speed chase that looped along Route 83 from North Avenue south to 16th Street and back June 22. Omar Castro, 22, of Riverview, Florida, appeared at a bond hearing Friday morning where DuPage County Judge Michael Reidy set bond at $100,000. Castro is charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, a Class 4 Felony, and multiple misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses, including two counts of aggravated speeding in a construction zone, reckless driving and driving with a suspended drivers license, all class A misdemeanors. Advertisement The incident began about 8:28 p.m. Thursday when an Elmhurst police officer responded to a call of a stolen vehicle near Route 83 and North Avenue. According to a release from DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin, as an Elmhurst officer approached the vehicle, Castro drove away southbound on Route 83. As the officer pursued, Castro allegedly reached speeds of 107 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone. Near 16th Street, Castro made a U-turn and continued north on Route 83, again at speeds of approximately 100 mph, including through a 35 mph construction zone where the pursuing officer lost sight of Castro. Advertisement A short time later, the vehicle was found abandoned in a school parking lot. Officers responded to the area and soon took Castro into custody after a brief struggle about a block from the school. The type of behavior alleged against Mr. Castro is extremely dangerous and poses a threat not only to the driver, but also puts the police officers involved and motoring public at great risk, Berlin said in a statement. Thankfully, no innocent motorists or bystanders were injured or worse as a result of Mr. Castros alleged actions. Once again, I want to remind the public, if you hear sirens and see flashing lights behind you, pull over. Leading police on a high-speed chase is not the answer and will only make matters worse. Berlin thanked police officers from both Elmhurst and Villa Park for stopping Castro. Castros next court appearance is scheduled for July 27 for arraignment in front of DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Brian Telander. Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. After landing in Egypt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at a hotel in Cairo amid a rousing welcome and chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Modi Modi'. Jena, a young Egyptian woman welcomed PM Modi with the song 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge' from the film Sholay in Cairo. She said, "I've never been to India before. I've been singing an Indian song since I was like six years old. So it's like 11 or 12 years. It was so good to meet PM Modi. He told me that we look like we are from India. There's no difference." She added, "It was so good. Like, when I saw him smiling and I think he loved what I did. So I was so honoured to meet him." Several members of the Indian community were present at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to welcome PM Modi. The Indian diaspora displayed their enthusiasm by waving the Tricolour and chanting "Modi Modi" and "Vande Mataram" slogans. Many children were also present in the diaspora. Many people also sang Indian songs and presented cultural programmes to welcome PM Modi. Prime Minister Modi also greeted and interacted with the people of the Indian community, who were standing to welcome him.Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' The Prime Minister will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora during his visit here. He is set to hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly and also meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte said that a round table meeting will take place for the first time between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister. Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo.During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War.The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. Moreover, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues.India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt.Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008.High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013.On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.India cleared a shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. (ANI) Tamil Nadu Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian on Friday said that Minister Senthil Balaji was transferred to a private hospital based on his wife's request. Speaking at a press briefing in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district, Minister Ma Subramanian said, "Minister Senthil Balaji is under doctor's observation after surgery. Those who have doubts can go to the hospital and find out how many blockages Minister Senthil Balaji had, and what kind of treatment he is undergoing. Senthil Balaji was transferred to a private hospital based on the request of his wife to be treated in a private hospital." Minister Ma Subramanian on Friday inaugurated new Urban Primary Health Centres, Sub-Primary Health Centres, Public Health Laboratories and Health Centre Additional Buildings constructed at a cost of Rs 6.34 crores in Madurai district on behalf of the Department of Health and Family Welfare and the National Welfare Group. Minister Subramanian also slammed the central government regarding the funding of AIIMS to be constructed in the Madurai district. While addressing to media, Minister Ma Subramanian said, "The central government announced AIIMS Madurai but there is no financial contribution from the Centre. AIIMS announced across India has central government funding but for Madurai, it should be obtained from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)." Further, the minister said, "A few months ago we went to Japan and went to the JICA head office in Tokyo and met the JICA vice president to request the release of AIIMS funds. JICA said that the work will start in 2024 and the building will be completed in 2028." Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere, as of now, with the Madras High Court order allowing Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji to be moved to a private hospital in Chennai and entertaining a habeas corpus petition filed against his arrest. The Minister for Electricity as well as Prohibition and Excise, Balaji, was arrested on June 14 and admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain. He was allowed by the Madras High Court on June 15 to be shifted to a private hospital of his choice. He was later taken from the Tamil Nadu government Multi Super Speciality Hospital to Kauvery Hospital at Alwarpet. Doctors attending to him have recommended bypass surgery. (ANI) In anticipation of the increased influx of visitors during the G20 summit in the national capital, the Delhi government has permitted the registration of BS-VI buses. Since 2015, the registration of diesel buses has been prohibited in Delhi due to a ruling by the National Green Tribunal, which cited heightened pollution levels in the city. However, a recent Supreme Court order has allowed for the registration of light and heavy diesel BS-VI vehicles used for public utility and essential services. "The Registering Authorities are directed to verify the authenticity of requisitions regarding engagement of such vehicle(s) for the purpose of G-20 Summit submitted by the registered owner, before registering the vehicle," the order stated further. The order for the same clearly stated that registration is allowed for the vehicles, subject to submission of a proof of requisition by appropriate authorities such as the Ministry of External Affairs or Embassies or Ministries or any other authority regarding the engagement of such vehicles for the purposes related to G-20 Summit. (ANI) The Indian pharma industry should strive to maintain the reputation of India as the 'Pharmacy of the World' which was established during the Covid-19 crisis, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday at the closing ceremony of IPA's 8th Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit. Day two of the summit witnessed industry leaders shedding light on industry advancements, continuous manufacturing, regulatory expectation, digital technologies in pharmaceutical manufacturing and learnings from other industries. "The country could achieve this feat with the shared responsibility of the Government and pharma industry during the global crisis. The industry relentlessly worked to follow all instructions given by the Government, knowing the huge responsibility on them and made all the medicines required for treatment of Covid-19 available. They also supported the Government to produce the various vaccines", Mandviya said. The Union Health Minister also pointed towards the importance of the quality of the medicines. He said that no country complained about the quality of the medicines as the Indian pharma industry never compromises with the quality of the medicines. "We know that like all the other sectors there are few people who try to compromise with the quality of the products. But they should always remember that the government has a zero-tolerance policy against these elements," Mandaviya said. He further informed that the government is taking stringent actions against the companies involved in such types of malpractices. He urged the pharma industry to establish a self-regulatory body to monitor the quality of pharma products. He also added that the country is marching ahead in the field of research and innovation as the government has opened its research facilities to all including the private sector. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Shri. Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, said, "The Indian pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in shaping the health outcomes of patients globally. India is known for providing quality-assured affordable medicines worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry demonstrated resilience and is now known as the pharmacy of the world. Quality is the fundamental tenet of the pharmaceutical sector. Continuous investments in quality -systems, technology and talent - is fundamental as the overall healthcare landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. IPA is committed to making India a global benchmark in quality." The theme for the 8th edition of the Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit was, 'Patient Centricity: New Paradigm of Manufacturing and Quality'. The two-day Summit brought together industry leaders, global regulators, quality experts and stakeholders to foster knowledge exchange and deliberate on areas of importance in shaping the pharmaceutical landscape in India. The event was inaugurated by Mr Samir Mehta, Chairman, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and President, IPA. Ms S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, delivered the keynote address during the inaugural session. The first day highlighted the importance of the future of manufacturing and building quality as a culture in the pharmaceutical industry. Regulators from around the world - US FDA, MHRA, EDQM and CDSCO discussed the regulatory affairs highlighting recent inspection observations and trends. The day concluded with discussions on technology architecture, exploring best-in-class engineering controls to ensure excellence in pharmaceutical production. (ANI) BJP has won 38 out of 39 seats for the post of Chairman of Uttar Pradesh District Cooperative Bank. Notably, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Congress couldn't open thier accounts. Apart from this, 32 out of 33 seats for the post of Deputy Chairman of the District Cooperative Bank have also come in BJP's bag. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated all the victorious leaders after BJP's landslide victory in the district cooperative banks elections. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Hearty congratulations to all the candidates on the huge victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the election of the year 2023 for the post of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Uttar Pradesh District Cooperative Bank." "This colossal victory is proof of the public's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's developmental and all-inclusive policies. Best wishes to all the newly elected Chairman-Deputy Chairman for a bright tenure," the tweed added. (ANI) Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday expressed his inability to attend the all-party meeting which will be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Manipur situation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will convene an all-party meeting on June 24 in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur, Home Ministry Spokesperson said. The meeting is scheduled at 3 pm in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur. As Manipur is still witnessing incidents like arson, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace. The data services have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state. Sharad Pawar expressed his desire to attend the meeting to discuss Manipur violence but due to some important prior commitments, he has designated Narendra Verma, National General Secretary, NCP, and Soran lboyaima Singh, President, Manipur State NCP, to attend the meeting. "I am in receipt of your letter dated 22nd June 2023, regarding the meeting of the Union home minister with various political parties, on June 24, 2023, to discuss the situation in Manipur. Although I wanted to attend this meeting, however, due to some important prior commitments, it would not be possible for me to do so, Shri Narendra Verma, National General Secretary, NCP and Shri Soran lboyaima Singh, President, Manipur State NCP, will represent Nationalist Congress Party in this meeting," Pawar said in a letter to Union MoS for Home Nityanand Rai. Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal also came down heavily on PM Modi over his silence on the situation in Manipur. "For the last 53 days, Manipur is burning. PM Modi has not uttered a single word yet. A delegation from Manipur was here for the last 10 days but the PM was not ready to meet them," Venugopal claimed Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah to chair an all-party meeting today in the national capital to discuss the situation in Manipur. The meeting is scheduled for 3 pm. As Manipur is still witnessing incidents like arson since May 3, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace. The data services have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Questioning the timing of the all-party meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24, to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur in the wake of ethnic violence and clashes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it is being convened at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a State visit to the United States, which shows that the meeting isn't important to him.Rahul tweeted, "Manipur has been burning for 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. An all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Clearly, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister." Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday also came down heavily on PM Modi over his silence on the situation in Manipur."For the last 53 days, Manipur is burning. PM Modi has not uttered a single word yet. A delegation from Manipur was here for the last 10 days but the PM was not ready to meet them," Venugopal claimed.(ANI) "Acting on specific intelligence, the AIU officers of Tiruchi intercepted the two passengers at the airport exit gate. On examination of their checked-in luggage, the officers found small-sized live turtles concealed in small boxes inside the stroller bag of each passenger," officials said. Foreign currency equivalent to Rs 57,441 was also recovered from one of the passengers, they added. According to the customs officials, the Live wild turtles were attempted to be illicitly imported into India without valid import documents or licenses to carry the wildlife into India. The process is on to deport back the Red-eared slider turtles to their country of origin. The officials have registered the case under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and the two arrested will be produced before the Judicial Magistrate. Further investigation is underway. (ANI) Three female devotees hailing from Haryana who came to Kedarnath temple were taken to the hospital after their health conditions deteriorated, informed officials on Saturday. "Three female devotees from Haryana, who came to Shri Kedarnath temple were taken to Shrikedar Base Hospital in the middle of the night on the information that their health condition was not good," said State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Uttarakhand Police officials. https://twitter.com/uksdrf/status/1672420399190257665?s=20 Meanwhile, in the ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, over 30 lakh pilgrims have visited Char Dham and more than 10 lakh pilgrims have visited Kedarnath, Ashok Kumar, Director General of Police, said on June 22. Efforts are being made to provide a safe and smooth darshan for the devotees, he further said. "Uttarakhand police personnel are dedicated to smooth darshan and a safe Chardham Yatra for the devotees. So far, more than 30 lakh (Gangotri- 5,35,327; Yamunotri- 4,65,295; Kedarnath- 10,17,195; Badrinath- 8,98,221; Hemkund Sahib- 88,455) devotees have left for their destinations after visiting Char Dham. Shri Kedarnath has been visited by more than 10 lakh devotees," said Ashok Kumar, Director General of Police. In a precautionary measure, ahead of the coming monsoon season and amid the ongoing Char Dham Yatra, the Uttarakhand government issued a notice on Friday, June 17, prohibiting all State services employees from going on strike for the next six months. "Under the sub-article (1) of the article (3) of the Uttar Pradesh Essential Services Maintainance Act (1966), the Lieutenant Governor forbids strikes under state services for the six months starting from the date of issuance of the notice", said the official statement. On May 17, CM Dhami inaugurated the Registration Office cum Transit Camp for Char Dham Yatris in Rishikesh at a cost of about Rs 22.25 crore. The Char Dham The Char Dham Yatra consists of the four holy shrines: Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The Kapat (door) of the Gangotri and Yamunotri opened for devotees on April 22, on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya. The doors of the Kedarnath Dham opened on April 25 and Badrinath Dham on April 27. (ANI) The deceased identified as Shardul Sanjay Aarolkar was immediately rushed to Shatabdi Hospital but was declared brought dead by the doctors. The incident happened under Dindoshi Police Station area and local police have confirmed the incident and subsequently further investigation is underway. However, a couple of days back in a similar kind of incident, lifeguards at Mumbai's Aksa Beach saved the lives of 10 people from drowning while they were taking a bath in the sea on June 18 evening, said police. A large crowd thronged to Aksa Beach in the Malad area of the city on Sunday. While many were taking baths, 19 people started drowning in the sea. Lifeguards rushed for rescue and fetched 10 people safely. While the rest of the nine people managed to come out on their own. (ANI) As Arlington Heights, Waukegan and Naperville hope to lure the Chicago Bears to their towns, and Chicago hopes to keep them at Soldier Field, some might wonder if that talk might reignite plans to extend the Illinois Route 53 expressway north to Belvidere Road in Lake County. Though creating a 15-mile expressway through the middle of Lake County could ease traffic congestion for people going to and from a Bears game in Arlington Heights or Waukegan, the fate of the 1,100-acre parcel appears headed in a different direction. Advertisement State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, and state Rep, Dan Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, are among Lake County legislators trying to turn the land once designated for an expressway into a greenway for environmental and recreational purposes. After decades of discussion of extending the road, the legislature created the Illinois Route 53 Expansion Land Alternative Use Task Force in 2021. Late last year Didech said it recommended turning the land into a greenway. Advertisement It appears an expressway is not feasible, even if the Bears move north. This is the same issue thats been going on for 30-plus years, Didech said. Its overly expensive and is problematic, with enormous conservation and flood prevention concerns, he added, referring to a project estimated to cost $2.5 billion in 2021. [ [Don't miss] Breaking down the Chicago Bears growing number of options in their stadium search ] [ [Don't miss] What to know about the Chicago Bears possible move from Soldier Field and what other suburbs are vying for the stadium ] Currently owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Didech, a task force member, said he and his colleagues overwhelmingly recommended the land go to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to become a greenway.Breaking down the Chicago Bears growing number of options in their stadium search Dias said during the current session of the legislature, DNR officials eventually said they could turn it into a greenway for approximately $1 million. Though it could not be included in the current budget, she is hopeful it will happen later this year or next. The Bears stadium is an ongoing conversation, Dias said. No decisions have been made. Im going to focus on the recommendation of the task force. Lake County Board member Marah Altenberg, D-Buffalo Grove, said in a text the longer it takes for the legislature to appropriate the money to enable the DNR to take possession of the property for a greenway, the possibility of a highway looms. This leaves me concerned that there could still be a future extension of Route 53, a possibility that is not welcome to myself and many of our residents. Altenberg said in the text. I will continue to push to eliminate any possibility of a Route 53 extension. Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz, another member of the task force, wants IDOT to keep the land for now. He said the need for additional highway unforeseen now can occur in the future. The Route 53 corridor from Lake Cook to Belvidere roads should remain as is. Advertisement Lentz said a stadium in Arlington Heights or Waukegan would add to already existing congestion. Before a new stadium is built in either community, significant research and preparation is necessary. A traffic study would be beyond important, and its accuracy would have to be beyond question, Lentz said. How do you know you will never, ever need the corridor for north-south traffic? Lake County Board member John Wasik, D-Grayslake, was a task force member. He said he has heard nothing about keeping the land under IDOT control in the event a stadium is built in Arlington Heights or Waukegan. He wants the legislature to continue pursuing the task forces recommendation. The idea of turning it into a highway is not happening Wasik said, If it did, 1,100 acres of wetlands and forest would be lost forever. County Board member Ann Maine, R-Lincolnshire, said it makes no sense to change course, because of a maybe. She believes the municipalities should have a say about the precise type of park or recreational land use along the greenway. A greenway can take a lot of different forms, Maine said. Advertisement Theres been a lot of discussions over the years, Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, D-Lake Bluff, added. Lake County supports the recommendation that the land remain a greenway for the enjoyment of Lake County residents and others. Former Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader from Kottayam, Nikhil Thomas, who is accused of forging his degree certificates, was taken into custody by police in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. According to police sources, Nikhil, who had been absconding for the past five days, was taken into police custody from the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus depot in Kottayam. The case against Nikhil Thomas is that he allegedly produced a fake degree certificate from Kalinga University for getting PG admission at MSM College, Kayamkulam. It is alleged that Nikhil did not pass the course and he produced a fake certificate for getting admission to the PG course. Nikhil was taken to Kayamkulam police station in Alappuzha district. Congress-led UDF had earlier declared to stage statewide protests alleging delay in action against him. Nikhil Thomas was expelled from SFI earlier this week. A statement issued by the student's organisation has said that when allegations surfaced related to SFI former Kayamkulam area secretary Nikhil Thomas's degree certificate, he was kept away from all units of SFI. "We have sought an explanation from him and he gave an explanation misleading the organisation. Among the certificates that he gave SFI could only check the eligibility certificate of him provided by Kerala University. While checking the eligibility certificate, we found that the Kerala University eligibility certificate was original," SFI said in a statement. In a statement, SFI State Secretary PM Arsho and State President K Anusree said that the party had concerns as to how Nikhil Thomas could complete his studies at Kalinga University as a regular student and raised this concern with the media also. "Nikhil Thomas has become one among the many youths who produce fake certificates with assistance from mafia groups that indulge in such nefarious activities. He has been removed from the primary membership of SFI. This will be a lesson for all SFI workers," they said. (ANI) In a major breakthrough, the Crime Branch team have arrested a notorious member of human trafficking gang from Fatehabad Road, Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The accused has been identified as Vishal Singh, involved in human trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls. "Cases were registered against the accused in several sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)," said Crime Branch officials on Saturday. According to the Crime Branch, a case was registered on November 21, 2019, wherein the complainant stated that two daughters had gone missing from the house in Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Delhi. "During the investigation, the younger daughter (Victim "A") was traced and it was revealed that both the girls were abducted by a gang of human traffickers and sexually abused in Uttam Nagar, Delhi," said officials. Four smugglers were apprehended on the statement of the younger daughter. "On the statement of the victim "A", four smugglers 1. Naresh Shailesh Tamchikar, 2. Raju Kumar @ Raj Chowdhary, 3. Shashi Mala @ Ruby and 4. Kiran were arrested. Later the elder daughter (victim "B") was also traced. Raids were conducted at all the places of the main accused Vishal Singh but the accused could not be traced," said Crime Branch officials. The Karkardooma Court later declared Vishal Singh a proclaimed offender and announced an award of Rs 50,000 on his arrest. "Later he was declared proclaimed offender by Karkardooma Court, Delhi in FIR No. 349/2019, 363/342/354/366/370/370A/372/376D/120B/34 IPC and 6/10 POCSO Act. A reward of Rs 50,000/- was also announced on his arrest," informed officials. Vishal was wanted in cases of different states- Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. "FIR No. 768/22, Section 323/504/506/376-D/498-A IPC and 3/4 POCSO Act, PS Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. FIR No. 214/10, Section 324 Indian Penal Code, PS Bartola, Kolkata, West Bengal (proclaimed offender is also there in this case)," said officials. On interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was involved in human trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls. "Since 2019 he was evading his arrest and kept changing hotels, lodges and houses in different cities of different states in India and Nepal and Bhutan. He conspired with his accomplices and forced the victim girls into the flesh trade. He used them as bar dancers and prostitutes to earn money. On the pretext of marriage, Vishal made physical relations with innocent girls against their will," informed officials. During interrogation, it was also revealed that both the victim girls were kept by the members of his trafficking gang in Uttam Nagar, Delhi. "Vishal bought victim "B" from Raju Kumar for Rs.2 lakh and took her to Kolkata for prostitution in 2019. After dropping her in Kolkata, he again came to Delhi in 2020 to buy victim "A" but his associate Raju Kumar demanded more money for her, so he could not buy her," said officials. Inquiries revealed that his family members are also involved in human trafficking. "Other members of his family are also wanted in FIR No. 768/22, Section 323/504/506/376-D/498-A Indian Penal Code and 3/4 POCSO Act Police Station Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh," officials said. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Ahead of an all-party meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, Congress on Saturday renewed its attack on the BJP-led Central government, accusing it of failing the people of Manipur. It also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Manipur violence. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter on Saturday, and said, "52 days after Manipur started burning the HM has finally seen it fit to call an all-party meeting on Manipur at 3 pm today. This meeting should actually have been chaired by the PM who has kept silent all this while. It should have been held in Imphal as a demonstration of national anguish," the Congress leader said while questioning the PM's silence on the Manipur situation. Jairam Ramesh said, "The BJP has failed the people of Manipur miserably." "Even so the man who brought Manipur back on the path of peace & development as CM for 3 terms between 2002 & 2017 Okram Ibobi Singhji will represent the Congress at HM's meeting. He should be listened to in all seriousness given his vast experience and deep knowledge," he added in his tweet. Amit Shah had appealed for peace and warned of strict action against miscreants during his four-day visit to the violence-wracked state earlier in May. Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state. The trigger was provided by a Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider including the Meitei community in the Scheduled list. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. (ANI) Members and leaders of Congress in Kerala are observing 'black day' on Saturday, as a mark of their state-wide protest against the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K Sudhakaran, alleging that the arrest was part of a political conspiracy by the CPI (M) led government in Kerala. Kerala Police Crime Branch on Friday recorded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran as being arrested in an alleged fraud case related to fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. The KPCC chief was however released after getting anticipatory bail in the case. Congress Party workers also staged protest marches across the state on Friday night against the arrest. Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that the arrest of K. Sudhakaran in a "false case" is part of a political conspiracy. "Today is a black day in the democratic history of Kerala," V D Satheesan said on Friday. V D Satheesan said that Congress and the UDF would strongly resist the move to file "false cases" against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the state government. "Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) will strongly resist the move to file false cases against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the Kerala government. The government can not silence the opposition through fake cases. What Pinarayi is doing in Kerala is a carbon copy of what Narendra Modi is doing in Delhi," said V D Satheesan in a statement. The Congress also came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying the CM and his party proved that "they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country". The arrest came barely hours after CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress heavyweights Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge attended a joint Opposition meeting in Patna. The meeting was aimed at creating a roadmap for a national front against the BJP at the Centre. (ANI) According to Chorasi Station Incharge, Amritlal the deceased boy was returning from a marriage with his parents on a bike, when some miscreants started pelting stones near Pohri Khaturat. "While the family was returning from the marriage miscreants tried to stop the bike and pelted stones yesterday. The stone hit the child's head, resulting in his death. The police have registered a case of murder and started searching for the miscreants," said Amritlal. The injured was taken to Pohri Hospital in critical condition. "The police are looking for the miscreants who pelted stones. The post-mortem of the deceased was done and the body was handed over to the family," said officials. Further investigation is underway and details are awaited. (ANI) Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government and has said that BJP is doing politics of misleading the tribal and their thinking is to exploit the tribal. Nath made the remark while addressing the media persons in Mandla district on Saturday. "BJP is doing politics of misleading the tribal and their (BJP) thinking is to exploit the tribal. For example, why did they (BJP) take 18 years to implement the PESA Act? Scam was also done in the implementation of PESA Act, every scheme for BJP becomes a medium of scam," Nath said. The statistics of the central government show that Madhya Pradesh is at the top position in atrocities against tribal people in the country, he added. Nath further attacked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and said, "The people of Mandla are witness to the false announcements made by CM Chouhan. For example he (Chouhan) had made an announcement about the medical college here but I had approved the medical college when I was the chief minister." "Today, there is no 'Shiv Raj' but a 'Bhrasht Raj' (corrupt rule) in the state. There is corruption right from low level to high level in the state. There is a situation of 'Give money and take work'. Recently, corruption occurred in the construction work of Mahakal Lok in Ujjain. Hollow idols were made by the hollow government," Nath alleged, elaborating that 22,000 announcements were incomplete in the last 18 years in the state. Besides, talking about the action taken against the police personnels over the lathi charge incident on Bajrang dal workers in Indore, the congress leader said, "Whatever happened with the police personnel in Indore is very unfortunate. I always say that the police should respect their uniform and we all should respect the police uniform." Reacting to the purported posters of 'wanted corruption Nath' pasted in the state capital, Nath said, "BJP has nothing left to say against me, so they have adopted the gimmick of putting up posters. But the public knows that my 47 years of political journey has been spotless, no one can raise its finger on me." Meanwhile, union minister of state for steel and rural development Faggan Singh Kulaste said, "Kamal Nath should tell what corruption is coming to the fore and bring it into light, we are not stopping it. While making corruption an issue, it is important to prove it, only then it will come in the investigation frame. No action is taken in it until it is certified. If we talk about the corruption of Congress, we can give many examples. There are many such subjects that we can attest to. It is not so, Congress is neck-deep in corruption and therefore Congress does not have the courage to fight against corruption." (ANI) Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden State visit to the United States as a "significant landmark" that "reaffirmed his stature as a global leader". "I have been a career diplomat over so many years and looking back at our history, I can say that there have rarely been more significant and landmark visits than this one," the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas said with reference to PM Modi's US visit. Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Saturday, the senior BJP leader also invoked the rousing reception accorded to PM Modi at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City on June 21. PM Modi led a special Yoga session, featuring participants across nationalities, at the UN headquarters to mark the 9th International Yoga Day. Puri recalled how the members of the US Congress, including the presiding officer and the House Speaker, lined up to take PM Modi's autograph as he arrived to address a special joint session in his honour. "He met with business leaders, thought leaders and other dignitaries during his high-profile visit", Puri said, adding, "That is a testament to his stature as a global leader. But it is more than that." Also during his maiden State visit and the sixth overall, Prime Minister Modi met top Indian and American CEOs at a ceremonial dinner hosted in his honour by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. He also received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour upon his arrival at the White House. Apart from a State dinner, PM Modi was also hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris at a State luncheon. In his address to the diaspora in Washington DC, PM Modi said the partnership between India and the United States will make the world a better place in the 21st century. He said the India-US partnership is driven by conviction and compassion and also has bipartisan support. After what is being seen as a hugely successful and significant US visit, PM Modi departed for his first-ever visit to Egypt on Saturday morning. He is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in January when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest'. (ANI) Days after the Calcutta High Court order to requisition central forces for deployment in panchayat elections to the West Bengal State Election Commission, Central Forces on Saturday held a route march in Bolpur town of Birbhum district to instil confidence in the voters. The administration and Bolpur police also joined hands with the central forces to ensure that the election process could be done peacefully in the Panchayat elections. Meanwhile, one company of paramilitary forces reached Jalpaiguri on Friday evening. The company of the Central Paramilitary Force has been lodged at the Panchayat Training Centre in the Mohitnagar area of Jalpaiguri. Earlier on Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court ordered the West Bengal SEC to requisition the Central Forces within 24 hours for deployment in panchayat elections. The court's directive specified that the number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies should not be less than those requisitioned for the 2013 panchayat polls. The decision by the court came amidst allegations from Opposition parties that the ruling Trinamool Congress is employing violence and intimidation tactics to discourage their candidates from filing nominations for the upcoming July 8 elections. The court observed that there are more districts now compared to 2013, and it is going to be a single-phased election, while in 2013 there were five phases of elections. The court's order was in response to the contempt plea filed by the BJP and Congress. Ahead of the Panchayat elections, scheduled to be held on July 8, the state witnessed continuous clashes in various parts of the state, including a violent incident at the Block Development Office in Birbhum's Ahmadpur, where crude bombs were reportedly thrown. Also, a TMC worker was beaten to death in the Malda district. The election will be held in a single phase on July 8, with vote counting scheduled for July 11. Panchayat polls in West Bengal will witness a fierce contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress as they will be seen as a litmus test ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI) Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent announcement about the establishment of a Tamil Studies Chair at the University of Houston, US, Tamil Nadu Health Minister M Subramanian on Saturday said that the State government has has already taken steps and "let the Prime Minister do it from his side as well". "Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has taken steps to establish Tamil chair by allocating funds for Houston University and in this process he wrote five letters to the University. Let the Prime Minister do it from his side as well," the Minister said while speaking to reporters after he paid floral tribute to the statue of late Tamil Poet Kannadasan on his 97th birthday in Chennai. During PM Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC on Friday, he announced that a Tamil studies chair will be established at the University of Houston with the Indian government's help and told the audience to be proud of the fact that Tamil is the "world's oldest language". Highlighting the rich history of the Tamil culture and language, the Prime Minister revealed that the Indian government is going to partner with the University of Houston in establishing a Tamil Studies chair with an aim to expand the teaching of the world's oldest language, literature and culture. Mewnahile, Subramanian said he paid tribute to Tamil Poet Kannadasan on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government and talked about the legendary achievements of the poet. "I have paid tribute to Poet Kannadasan's statue on his 97th birth anniversary on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Government. Kannadasan, who got the Sahitya Akademi award, wrote more than 5,000 film songs. we feel proud to honour him," Subramanian said. (ANI) A meeting will be held between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal and BJP's Organization General Secretary BL Santosh on Saturday evening at BJP's Central Extension office here, sources said. Meanwhile, an all party-meeting called by Amit Shah to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur is underway in the national capital. The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders are present in the meeting. Amit Shah had appealed for peace and warned of strict action against miscreants during his four-day visit to the violence-wracked state earlier in May. The opposition has slammed BJP and questioned the BJP government on the issue in Manipur. As Manipur is still witnessing incidents like arson since May 3, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace. The data services have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state. The trigger was provided by a Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider including the Meitei community in the Scheduled list. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. (ANI) A Gary man was sentenced to just over 24 years for a bank stickup. Anthony Day, 55, was convicted in January at the U.S. District Courthouse in Hammond in connection with an Oct. 8, 2019 bank robbery where he wore an elaborate disguise. Advertisement He and co-defendant Omarr Williams stole $4,800 from First Financial Bank, 2705 169th St., in Hammond. Both wore hats, sunglasses, and fake beards. During that robbery, a GPS tracker was attached to the money, which let police track them to the 500 block of Burr Street in Gary, where Day was arrested. Williams was arrested two blocks away. Advertisement Williams pleaded guilty in November 2021 and was sentenced to just under 20 years, according to court documents. Court records show Day is charged with murder and attempted murder in Lake County for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend and killing her boyfriend in 2017. His trial is currently set for August. The cases first trial ended in a mistrial in June 2019. He was out on bond when the bank robbery happened. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin M. Padula and Special Assistant United States Attorney Patrick D. Grindlay. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra who is in-charge of North East on Saturday said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured all the parties to ensure peace in Manipur which is witnessing ethnic clashes since last month. Patra, while talking to ANI after the all-party meeting called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked Manipur, said that the government is making efforts to establish peace in Manipur as soon as possible. "After listening to everyone, Union Minister Amit Shah assured everyone to have a discussion on suggestions made by all party members. All the members also appreciated the efforts made by the home minister regarding Manipur. They appreciated how the HM spent three days and three nights in the state which is witnessing ethnic clashes. Home Minister has assured that we will move towards peace as soon as possible with the co-operation of everyone," Patra said. He further said that members of all the parties gave their suggestions positively in the meeting. "Before the meeting started, a detailed presentation was presented on the situation of Manipur such as what causes the violence, what measures have been taken to control it to date etc. Members of all the parties gave their suggestions positively," the BJP leader added. The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders are present in the meeting. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. During home minister Amit Shah's recent visit to Manipur, he appealed to the public to hand over all weapons and ammunition to the administration for maintaining peace and order. The appeal came with a warning about a 'search-and-combing operation' plan, which also mentioned that anyone found to possess weapons during the operation would be prosecuted. Notably, the BJP is under fire from the Opposition and other quarters over the continuing violence in Manipur, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state. The trigger was provided by a Manipur High Court order directing the state to consider including the Meitei community in the Scheduled list. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. (ANI) DMK MP Tiruchi Siva slammed the central government on Friday saying that the situation in Manipur is not a breakdown of law and order but a failure of governance in the state and the union government. "It is not law and order breakdown to be controlled by police and army or Assam Rifles. It is a failure of the governance in the state and the union government," Tiruchi Siva said after the all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur on Friday. Speaking about the all-party meeting, Siva said, "We expressed our concern about the incidents that are going on in Manipur for the past more than 50 days. Hundreds have been killed, thousands injured, and around 60,000 were displaced. The situation is getting worse and worse there." Commenting on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's response in the all-party meeting which he chaired, the DMK MP said, "The Home Minister just listened to every one of us. He said that he is looking after the issue and asked us to trust him in restoring peace. 'Trust me', is all he had to say." Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not expressing a word of condolence on the situation in Manipur, Tiruchi Siva said, "The PM has not expressed his concern. This is more saddening." The DMK MP said that the opposition had requested for an all-party delegation to be sent to Manipur. However, Home Minister Amit Shah responded to it saying that the central government has deployed more police forces to contain the situation. "We requested that the all-party delegation has to be sent to Manipur. He said we have deployed more police," Tiruchi Siva said. (ANI) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday took a jibe at the opposition meeting held in Patna calling it a "psychological photo session". While speaking to ANI, Giriraj Singh, referring to RJD leader Lalu Yadav's suggestion to Rahul Gandhi to get married, said that the meeting was nothing but a photo session. "I want to tell you that it was nothing but a photo session. Someone told me that Lalu ji was feeding 'litti' and showing it. Rahul Gandhi is being told to get married. If it was not a photo session, then what was it?" Giriraj Singh asked. Singh further said, "What will Farooq Abdullah do after going to Bihar? What will Lalu ji and Nitish ji do after going to J-K? And what will Stalin do after coming to Bihar? The meeting was a psychological photo session." Earlier on Friday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is known for his witty remarks, suggested to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get married with his remarks evoking smiles from the leaders present. "You (Rahul Gandhi) did not pay heed to our advice to get married. You should have got married. Time has still not passed, get married and we will join the procession (shadi kariye aur hum log baraati chale)," Yadav said. Reacting to this Rahul Gandhi said," If you say so, it will happen (aaapne kehdia toh hojaega). Seeking to put up a common front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, senior leaders from opposition parties met in Patna on Friday to deliberate a roadmap but fissures emerged as Aam Aadmi Party said that Congress' refusal to act as a "team player" on the Delhi ordinance issue, "would make it very difficult" for it be a part of any alliance that includes the party. The mega event was attended by Chief Ministers of several opposition-ruled states including Mamata Banerjee and some other prominent leaders from parties opposed to the BJP. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, who had convened the meeting of opposition leaders, said at the joint press conference that opposition parties decided to fight the elections together. "It was a good meeting where it has been decided to fight the elections together. Another meeting will be held soon," Kumar said. BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani took a swipe at the Opposition meeting in Patna, saying that Congress has admitted that they cannot defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone. "I especially thank Congress for publicly announcing that they cannot alone defeat PM Modi and that they need the support of others to do so," she said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the next meeting of like-minded parties will be held in Shimla next month. "We will meet again in July in Shimla to prepare an agenda on how to move ahead together while working in our respective states to fight BJP in 2024," Kharge said. (ANI) According to the police, a case has been registered against them and an investigation is underway. "Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Azad Maidan unit Crime branch, Mumbai arrested two drug peddlers with 150 grams of MD (Mephedrone) worth Rs 30 lakhs approx in the Sewri area of Mumbai. A case has been registered against them and both were arrested. Further investigation is underway", said the Police. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Saturday said that the party stands with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K Sudhakaran after he was arrested in a cheating case. Talking to ANI, Venugopal said, "Indian National Congress, All India Congress Committee is totally with the president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has no moral right to criticize KPCC chief K Sudhakaran. The entire CPI-M in Kerala is immersed in corruption. They are promoting criminals all over Kerala. They don't have any moral right to ask for his resignation or anything." Venugopal further hit out at the CPIM-led government in Kerala saying that those who question the government are facing criminal charges. "Those who are fighting against the CPIM government are facing criminal charges. Those who fight against the corruption of the CPIM are facing the charges. This is happening", he added. The Congress General Secretary added that it is unfortunate to witness Kerala CPIM trying to appease the Modi government at a time the entire opposition is joining hands in a fight against the Modi government. "Kerala CPIM is behaving totally different from national CPIM. When the entire national political parties are joining hands to fight against the Modi government in India, unfortunately, the Kerala government and the CPIM in Kerala are trying to appease the Modi government. That is why they're moving against Congress leaders", Venugopal added. On Saturday, Congress party workers across Kerala staged protests against the KPCC chief's arrest on Friday. Meanwhile, members and leaders of Congress in Kerala are observing 'black day' on Saturday, as a mark of their state-wide protest against the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K Sudhakaran, alleging that the arrest was part of a political conspiracy by the CPI (M) led government in Kerala. Kerala Police Crime Branch on Friday recorded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran as being arrested in an alleged fraud case related to fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. The KPCC chief was however released after getting anticipatory bail in the case. Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that the arrest of K. Sudhakaran in a "false case" is part of a political conspiracy. "Today is a black day in the democratic history of Kerala," V D Satheesan said on Friday. V D Satheesan said that Congress and the UDF would strongly resist the move to file "false cases" against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the state government. "Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) will strongly resist the move to file false cases against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the Kerala government. The government cannot silence the opposition through fake cases. What Pinarayi is doing in Kerala is a carbon copy of what Narendra Modi is doing in Delhi," said V D Satheesan in a statement. The Congress also came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying the CM and his party proved that "they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country". The arrest came barely hours after CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress heavyweights Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge attended a joint Opposition meeting in Patna. The meeting was aimed at creating a roadmap for a national front against the BJP at the Centre. (ANI) Kartarpur Sahib got out of hand due to the mistake of Congress during partition, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Chandigarh on Saturday. Singh was in Chandigarh to attend Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) public outreach 'Sampark Se Samarthan' to mark the completion of nine years of the Modi government at the Centre. "When the country got independence, the line of partition was drawn on the chest of Punjab. At the time of partition, Congress leaders were in such a hurry to gain power that they let go of Shri Kartarpur Sahib. Our Prime Minister has constructed the Kartarput Sahib Corridor," he said. "If anyone has understood this pain for the first time, it was only Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because of his efforts, Kartarpur Sahib has been reconnected with Punjab. People know better what the BJP government has done in 9 years," he added. Speaking on law and order in Punjab, he said, "As far as Punjab is concerned, development here has been BJP's top most priority. Punjab is a border state and when Captain Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister, there was good coordination in matters related to security." "Punjab is our top priority, whenever there are law and order issues it is a major concern for us. Everyone knows about the present government of Punjab," he added. "I am the Defense Minister of the country and I am well aware of Punjab and Punjabiyat. When it comes to the security of the country, the people of Punjab, especially the people of the Sikh community, forget all grievances and stand together. They are one of the most patriotic and brave societies found in the world," he further remarked. "Whichever party is included in NDA or even separated, there was never any distance from the heart. Today, I am missing Parkash Singh Badal, one of the tallest leaders of not only Punjab but of the country. I pay my respects to him," Singh said. Lauding PM Modi, Rajnath Singh said, "Prime Minister Modi is called Boss by the Prime Minister of Australia. The President of America wants his autograph, and the President of Papua New Guinea touches his feet. It is an expression of the world's respect for him." This area of Chandigarh is Tri Junction of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab and these three states, together make the biggest contribution to the Indian Army. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Manipur is returning to normalcy as no life was lost since June 13. "The situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal. Since the late night of June 13, not a single person has died in violence in the state. So far 1,800 looted weapons have been surrendered," Shah said after chairing an all-party meet in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing situations in Manipur. Talking about the measures taken regarding the situation in Manipur, he further said that 36,000 security personnel are deployed in the state, 40 IPS officers and 20 medical teams have been sent to the state and the supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured. "Fencing work of 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, tendering work for 80 km of border fencing has been completed and survey of remaining border is underway," he added. The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders were present in the meeting. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Union Home Minister also said that all political parties sensitively and apolitically gave their suggestions for restoration of peace in Manipur and the government will consider these suggestions with an open mind. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur since day one and guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to this problem. "Modi government is committed to solve the Manipur problem by taking everyone together. The priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state," the minister added. The Home Minister solicited the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda said that all possible steps are being taken by the central government for a quick solution to the Manipur problem. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been keeping an eye on this whole incident since day one. Manipur issue is very sensitive and needs to be handled with sensitivity. We discussed with an open mind the useful suggestions given by all political parties and assured the government will take all possible steps to solve the Manipur problem," Nadda said. The BJP chief also said that the issues of Manipur are rooted in many old factors which have also led to the flare-up of the present violence. "Home Minister Amit Shah himself discussed in detail with all the different groups in Manipur for 4 days. The Home Minister also visited the relief camps there, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stayed there for more than 20 days. The Modi government is making every possible effort to normalize the situation. We are confident that peace will return to Manipur very soon," he added. (ANI) In a historic first, Indian Navy on Saturday successfully carried out a Navigability Assessment of Yamuna in Delhi, by taking the Work Boat that it had recently brought from Kochi, from Signature Bridge to ITO Barrage, a distance of 11km, an official statement said. Such trials were earlier planned and contemplated but could never be taken to a conclusion due to various problems associated with Yamuna like lack of required depth, floating debris in the water and the unhygienic bank conditions. The Boat has been brought to Delhi by the Naval Authorities on the initiative of the LG, who has been actively monitoring the Rejuvenation of Yamuna as the Chairman of the NGT-appointed HLC, the statement added. Delhi LG VK Saxena, in his efforts at cleaning the Yamuna, has often stressed the common citizen's participation in the same and has ensured several initiatives to bring the residents of Delhi closer to the river. It is in this direction that using Yamuna, in limited stretches, as a mode of transportation with boats plying in it, was envisioned, the statement further said. After successfully completing the physical cleaning of the river and its floodplains between Signature Bridge and ITO Barrage, and a personal inspection thereof, the LG decided to undertake this venture by officially requisitioning a Navy Boat. The Navy Work Boat which is 11m long with a draft of 1.7m, displacement of about 12 Tons, cruises at a speed of 14 Knots and has a capacity of 35 passengers. It was brought by Road from Kochi on June 3, 2023, and moored at Signature Bridge Jetty, the statement said. Thereafter, a detailed hydrographic survey was carried out by the special Naval team from Karwar and Dehradun. The survey revealed that in certain patches, depth of the river was less than the required 1.7m. Thereafter, locally available amphibious desilting equipment were deployed for carrying out the desilting of the identified patches and a channel of approx 30 m width was created by June 20. The channel was further given a proper finish by June 22. Accordingly in the wee hours of June 24, the trial run was undertaken. Initially, the trial run was planned only on a three km stretch between Signature Bridge and Boat Club. However, since the conditions were suitable even beyond that, in a bold on-the-spot decision, it was decided to exploit the prevailing conditions and the motivation of initial success to take the Boat upto ITO Barrage. The Boat has been successfully moored at a special Jetty created for it at ITO Barrage. It will continue to operate from there carrying out further detailed Navigability trials in Yamuna so as to earmark proper channels on which boats carrying passengers and goods could successfully run in the near future, the statement added. (ANI) Kerala Pradesh Mahila Congress on Saturday staged a protest in the state capital against the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran in a cheating case. Speaking to the media during the protest, Mahila Congress Thiruvananthapuram district president Lekshmi said they will continue protests against the KPCC chief's arrest in the coming days. "Mahila Congress staged the protest here because after the Pinarayi government came into power for a second term, the government started acting like the Modi government, with a motto of Congress-less government. The government is targeting Congress leaders by imposing cases against the opposition leader and the KPCC president", the Mahila Congress president said. Lekshmi further said that they are protesting against the Pinarayi government which is smashing democracy. "We protested against the Pinarayi Government which is smashing the democracy. LDF government is destroying all other areas", she added. The Mahila Congress president further slammed the state government for not addressing the fever situation in the state. "Our issue is not just that the government has arrested the KPCC president but that it is fever everywhere in Kerala now. What action does the government take to handle this? The government is not addressing any issues of ordinary people but doing foreign trips. The government is trying to destroy the Congress party. If the government is thinking that they can destroy Congress by arresting K Sudhakaran, that will not work. Mahila Congress will continue to protest in the coming days", she added. Meanwhile, members and leaders of Congress in Kerala are observing 'black day' on Saturday, as a mark of their state-wide protest against the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, K Sudhakaran, alleging that the arrest was part of a political conspiracy by the CPI (M) led government in Kerala. Kerala Police Crime Branch on Friday recorded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran as being arrested in an alleged fraud case related to fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal. The KPCC chief was however released after getting anticipatory bail in the case. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Congress Party workers also staged a protest in the Kannur district blocking the National Highway in Kannur Caltex premises. Kerala opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that the arrest of K. Sudhakaran in a "false case" is part of a political conspiracy. "Today is a black day in the democratic history of Kerala," V D Satheesan said on Friday.V D Satheesan said that Congress and the UDF would strongly resist the move to file "false cases" against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the state government. "Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) will strongly resist the move to file false cases against the leaders who are constantly criticizing the Kerala government. The government cannot silence the opposition through fake cases. What Pinarayi is doing in Kerala is a carbon copy of what Narendra Modi is doing in Delhi," said V D Satheesan in a statement. The Congress also came down heavily on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying the CM and his party proved that "they are not a worthy ally for anyone in the fight against the fascist rule in the country". The arrest came barely hours after CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress heavyweights Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge attended a joint Opposition meeting in Patna. The meeting was aimed at creating a roadmap for a national front against the BJP at the Centre. (ANI) Anti-Narcotics cell (ANC) of Mumbai police on Saturday arrested two drug peddlers from the Sewri area, recovering MDMA drugs worth Rs 30 lakh, said the Mumbai police. One of the arrested accused belongs to Uttar Pradesh's Gonda and is studying in HSC while another one is from Maharashtra's Jalna and is an auto driver in the city. "Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Azad Maidan unit Crime branch, Mumbai arrested two drug peddlers with 150 grams of MD (Mephedrone) worth Rs 30 lakhs approx in the Sewri area of Mumbai," Mumbai police said in a statement. "There were reports of some peddlers running the drug smuggling racket in the Sewri area of Mumbai. In this area, the abandoned old buildings of some of the closed mills are used for selling drugs to consumers. Also, peddlers are hiding in the nearby bay area. The ANC of the Azad Maidan unit planned to patrol this area during night hours to catch these peddlers and on Friday, the ANC team was patrolling the area in disguise, they apprehended 20 yrs aged two suspected persons on their suspicious movement near the Minerva Mill compound area," police further said. As per the police, when the search was conducted, 150 grams of MD (Mephedrone) worth 30 lakhs approx was recovered from their possession with one weighing scale and plastic pouches. The police further said that a case has been registered into the case and further investigation is underway. However, the ANC dedicated to combating drug trafficking syndicates in Mumbai, has made 103 arrests in 2023, including 9 foreign nationals. ANC Mumbai Police, have also seized drugs worth Rs 25.52 cr. (ANI) You are here: Business People experience Chinese endoscopy provider Healnoc's endoscopy system featuring an innovative image sensor and monitoring solution during the 31st congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) in Rome, Italy, on June 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Multiple Chinese medical equipment providers showcased their innovative products at a leading European congress on surgical techniques held here this week. The 31st congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) ran from June 20 to 23, and brought together companies worldwide to exhibit and carry out clinical trials. Chinese companies highlighted their latest advancements in endoscopy and surgical equipment. Chinese endoscopy provider Healnoc conducted a surgical trial in Milan, with its latest endoscopy system featuring an innovative image sensor and monitoring solution. Surgeon Luigi Boni from Policlinico in Milan, who led the trial, expressed his enthusiasm for Healnoc's endoscopy system. "I must say that the video quality is extraordinary, even in full-screen mode. This is one of my favorite things about it," he said after the trial. Boni also highlighted the camera's lightweight design and durability. "We have been adhering to independent research and development, aiming to achieve breakthroughs in every key technical aspect of imaging," Lihui Du, vice general manager of the company, said. The six districts namely Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak have been in talks of creating an Autonomous Council. The meeting is scheduled to be held on June 30, 2023, at the State Banquet Hall, Kohima. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, alongwith the Deputy Chief Ministers, Speaker, all the Ministers, MP Lok Sabha, MP Rajya Sabha, Chief Secretary and senior officials of the State Government will attend the meeting. Further, the meeting will also be attended by Advisors and MLAs, while it has also requested the Tribal Bodies/Organizations to make it convenient to attend the meeting. Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), which represents the seven Naga tribes, has been demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland state since 2010. (ANI) Hours after the all-party meeting, convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, ended, the Congress, which was represented by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, said he was "not allowed" to put forward his points". It also called the meeting an "eye-wash and a formality". Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it is a matter of "insult" that the only leader from Manipur at the all-party meeting was not allowed to put forth his views on the situation in the Northeast state. "As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur. He was the only leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting today, and it is an insult not only to the former CM and the Congress party, but the people of Manipur, that their representative was not allowed to fully put forth his point of view," Ramesh tweeted. He also shared eight points on behalf of his party, which includes the immediate removal of the Manipur CM, without which, according to him, "no progress can be made towards peace and normalcy in Manipur". "The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality," he added in his tweet. The meeting, chaired by the Union Home Minister, was called to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders present in the meeting. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. The ruling BJP has come under fire from the Opposition over the continuing violence in the state. Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi had earlier said the "unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation". She urged all stakeholders to work for the restoration of peace and harmony in the state. Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the violence erupted in the BJP-ruled state. (ANI) DMK MP Kanimozhi on Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in US on minorities rights in Indi and said that eversince Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, divisiveness is getting deeper within people. "If he says there is no religious divide they (USA) will welcome his statement. But the truth and the fact is known to all," she said adding, "After this present BJP government came to rule, divisiveness is getting deeper within people." Speaking on whether the Americans do not know the situation that prevails in India, she said, "It is not possible for anyone not to know what the truth is. We are living in the times of the internet and the news is known to all. So everyone knows the truth." Commenting on Prime Minister Modi's visit to America, Kanimozhi said that Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi had earlier said that without ascertaining the basic needs in the country there cannot be anything accomplished by speaking in foreign countries. "I want to remind everyone again that if religious divisions and caste divisions are not corrected and everyone is seeing the country burning, there is nothing much to do in a foreign country. This is not said by me but by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi," the DMK MP said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday highlighted "India's unity in diversity," at the historic address to the joint sitting of the US Congress. "India is the home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, today the world wants to know more and more about India," said PM Modi. PM Modi in US said, "The US and India have overwhelming respect for each other because we are democracies and it is in US and India's DNAs to expand democratic institutions". Interacting with reporters at a joint media conference after bilateral talks with President Joe Biden on Friday, PM Modi spoke at length about democracy in India as he responded to a question from a US journalist. Asked what India will do to improve the rights of religious minorities, PM Modi said, "I am surprised at what you said. We are a democracy. Democracy is part of our spirit, our blood. We live and breathe democracy. And it is in our constitution" (ANI) At the all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the violence in Manipur on Saturday, he gave an assurance of restoring peace in the state while the opposition parties questioned PM Narendra Modi's 'silence' on the matter. The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders are present in the meeting. Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. Union Home Minister, after the meeting, said that all political parties sensitively and apolitically gave their suggestions for restoration of peace in Manipur and the government will consider these suggestions with an open mind. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur since day one and guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to this problem. "Modi government is committed to solve the Manipur problem by taking everyone together. The priority of the Modi government is that no more lives should be lost due to violence in the state," the minister added. The Home Minister solicited the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest. However, Congress has claimed that its representative--former CM of the state Okram Ibobi Singh-- was "not allowed" to present his points and called the meeting an "eye-wash and a formality". Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that it is a matter of "insult" that only the leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting was not allowed to put forth his point of view. "As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur. He was the only leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting today, and it is an insult not only to the former CM and the Congress party, but the people of Manipur, that their representative was not allowed to fully put forth his point of view," Jairam Ramesh tweeted. He also shared eight points on behalf of his party which includes the immediate removal of the CM of Manipur, without which, according to him "no progress can be made towards peace and normalcy in Manipur". "The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality," he added. Notably, the BJP is under fire from the Opposition and other quarters over the continuing violence in Manipur. Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has "left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation" while appealing for peace and harmony in the state. Congress has been vocal on Manipur since the outbreak of violence started in the BJP-ruled state. However, Shah also said that the situation in Manipur is normal as there was no life lost since June 13. "The situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal, since the late night of June 13, not a single person has died in violence in the state, so far 1800 looted weapons have been surrendered," Shah said after chairing an all-party meet in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing situations in Manipur. Talking about the measures taken regarding the situation in Manipur, he further said that 36,000 security personnel are deployed in the state, 40 IPS officers, and 20 medical teams have been sent to the state and the supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured. "Fencing work of 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, tendering work for 80 km of border fencing has been completed and survey of remaining border is underway," he added. Those who attended the meeting included BJP president J P Nadda, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh (Congress), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Singh (NPP), Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha), Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad), M Thambi Durai (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Pinaki Misra (BJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena). (ANI) Manipur Police on Saturday said that the investigation into an explosion in Kwakta village in Bishnupur district earlier this week has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency as involvement of insurgents "is highly suspected." "Since the involvement of insurgents operating in the state and across the border in the above-mentioned case is highly suspected, the case is being transferred to NIA (National Investigation Agency) in the interest of National Security," the Manipur Police said in a statement. Earlier on 21 June at 7.10 pm, an explosion took place in a SUV over a bridge located at the adjoining area of Phougakhegao Ikhai Awang Leikai and Kwakta along Tiddim Road. According to the police statement, the explosive was fitted inside a Mahindra Scorpio which was parked over the bridge by unknown miscreants. Following the blast, some portion of the bridge on the Western side got badly damaged and three boys sustained minor injuries before they were evacuated from the spot for medical treatment. A suo-motu case was registered at Phougakchao Ikhai police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosive Substances Act, and PDPP Act for further investigation into the matter. Officials added that a preliminary investigation has revealed that the vehicle came from Churachandpur's side. Earlier, at the all-party meeting convened by the Centre on the violence in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah gave an assurance of restoring peace in the state while the opposition parties questioned PM Narendra Modi's 'silence' on the matter. The meeting was called by Amit Shah to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and CPI(M) MP John Brittas among other leaders are present in the meeting. Union Home Minister, after the meeting, said that all political parties sensitively and apolitically gave their suggestions for restoration of peace in Manipur and the government will consider these suggestions with an open mind. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur since day one and guiding us with full sensitivity to find a solution to this problem. The Home Minister solicited the cooperation of all the political parties to help defuse the situation and restore peace and trust among various communities in Manipur at the earliest. However, Shah also said that the situation in Manipur is normal as there was no life lost since June 13. "The situation in Manipur is slowly returning to normal, since the late night of June 13, not a single person has died in violence in the state, so far 1800 looted weapons have been surrendered," Shah said after chairing an all-party meet in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing situations in Manipur. Talking about the measures taken regarding the situation in Manipur, he further said that 36,000 security personnel are deployed in the state, 40 IPS officers, and 20 medical teams have been sent to the state and the supply of all essential items including medicines is being ensured. "Fencing work of 10 km of Myanmar-Manipur border has been completed, tendering work for 80 km of border fencing has been completed and survey of remaining border is underway," he added. Those who attended the meeting included BJP president J P Nadda, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh (Congress), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Singh (NPP), Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha), Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad), M Thambi Durai (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Pinaki Misra (BJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena). Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list. (ANI) Upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the US, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said that these past few days have underscored how the spirit of possibility defines now the US-India relationship, adding that the two nations can define the course of the 21st century. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) event in Washington, DC on Friday (local time), Blinken said India and the US are two great nations, two great friends and two great powers. He added, "We are two great nations, two great friends, two great powers that can define the course of the 21st century. The many deals, and agreements that are coming out of this state visit illustrate just how comprehensive our partnership has become." We see the mutual benefits of this relationship when Air India purchases 200 Boeing aircraft supporting over a million American jobs, Blinked added. PM Modi met Boeing CEO David L Calhoun in Washington DC today. After meeting him, David L Calhoun in an exclusive interview with ANI said, "The most important takeaway is the PM's passion for India's development. He does have a specific interest in aviation, in aerospace. It is a big vision." Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken further underlined that both nations are investing in their countries' people. At the USISPF event, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We are investing in our people. Our countries' educations system have collectively trained the leaders of trailblazing companies in both the US and India..." "These past few days have underscored how the spirit of possibility defines now the US-India relationship. Our governments will continue to do our part. But I am asking all of you to do yours," he added. Blinken, while addressing the gathering at the USISPF event where PM Modi was also present, said, "Mr Prime Minister this has truly been a historic visit to Washington." Earlier today, PM Modi held one-to-one meetings with top business leaders in the US. He met Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Amazon, Andrew Jassy and Boeing CEO David L Calhoun. Prior to that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended State Luncheon where he was hosted by US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (ANI) Five gold bars weighing one kilogram each worth a combined USD 275,000 were found in a hidden compartment in a Palestinian bus returning from Jordan, on Thursday. The Allenby border crossing serves as a land border between Israel and Jordan, mainly for the Palestinian population, tourists of various nationalities, diplomats and residents of eastern Jerusalem. The Palestinian bus driver denied having any money or goods to declare, but a sum of USD 1,500 wrapped in foil was found in his possession, prompting a more comprehensive search of the bus. Customs officials then found a hidden compartment inside the air conditioning duct where the gold was hidden. The gold and the bus that was used to transport it were seized. After being questioned by Israeli investigators, the driver was turned to the Palestinian Authority for further investigation. According to the Tax Authority, the tax on gold is around 180,000 shekels (almost USD 50,000). (ANI/TPS) Former Commissioner of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Johnnie Moore has said that "America can learn a lot from India" adding that India is the most pluralistic country in the whole world. Moore's reaction came in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC held on Friday (Local Time). Speaking to ANI, the former commissioner of US Commission on International Religious Freedom said, "I met the Prime Minister. I thanked him for not only coming to the US but also bringing together Americans." "America can learn a lot from India. India is the most pluralistic country in the entire world. It is a laboratory of religions. I went to India to learn about religion and one of the remarkable things about India is, there are more languages and more religions and more diverse people in that single democracy that any example in human history - something we should be celebrating every chance that we can get," Moore added. US Congressman Shri Thanedar also hailed the Prime Minister's address saying he was very proud of PM Modi. After PM Modi's address to the Indian diaspora, US Congressman Shri Thanedar, said, "Very exciting. I have never seen this kind of enthusiasm for any visiting PM. I am very proud of PM Modi. He is enormously popular. I am looking forward to working with him to broaden and deepen our relationship." Satnam Singh Sandhu, convenor of IMF (Indian Minority Foundation) also attended PM Modi's event and underscored the Prime Minister's efforts in strengthening India-US relations. Sandhu said "PM Modi has given new heights to the relationship between India and the United States. All Sikhs are extremely happy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work in the last 9 years. We all want him to take India ahead always. The outcomes of this partnership will be beneficial for India." Following his interaction with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building, PM Modi emplaned for Egypt for a two-day visit to the Arab nation. (ANI) Indian community in Egypt is ecstatic and upbeat about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to the country. The community members said that they were waiting for PM Modi for the last nine years ever since he became the Prime Minister of India and are excited to welcome him. After concluding his four-day State visit to the United States, PM Modi on Friday (local time) departed for Egypt. This will be a two-day and his first tour to Egypt. Speaking to ANI, Deepti Singh, President of the Indian Community in Egypt, said, "It's going to be great to have PM Narendra Modi here, and we are very excited to welcome him. The Indian community in Egypt has been waiting for him to visit Egypt ever since he became the Prime Minister. Everyone is preparing for this visit." "People of Egypt like India because of civilization and Bollywood. We are proud of the work done by PM Modi, starting from infrastructure to COVID-19 vaccine. Modi ji has proved his mettle and is one of the most powerful leaders of the world. Our image in Egypt has got better due to PM Modi. We now feel proud and honoured when people tell us that you are coming from the biggest economy," she said. Speaking to ANI, Udham Singh, Ex-President of the Indian Community in Egypt, said, "I have been living here for 20 years. The growth made by India in the last 9 years. The impact is felt across the world, Egypt too is not untouched. India has made progress in infrastructure, industries, and every aspect of life and technology. Due to the global image of PM Modi, we know that his visit, discussions and our presence in Egypt will further strengthen the ties between the two nations." He further said, "Egyptians are very warm to us. I am sure the visit will enhance the warmth and the tourism between the two nations will increase." Speaking about the Indian diaspora's excitement about PM Modi's visit, he said, "300-400 community members will attend the programme. Singh said that 100-200 members of the Indian community are expected to receive PM Modi." Udham Singh also noted that they are "proud" that PM Modi is respected on global stages, like the US Congress. Yashveer Singh, another member of the Indian community, said that he is really "proud" of PM Modi. "This will be the first time I will see my Prime Minister. I am feeling very good that I will in-person see a well-respected person from India. I am happy to get a glimpse of him," he said while speaking to ANI. Yashveer Singh noted that the ties between the two nations will be strengthened by the visit of PM Modi, and said, "Both countries are old civilizations and work in similar ways." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for Egypt for a two-day visit. He tweeted, "Concluding a very special USA visit, where I got to take part in numerous programmes and interactions aimed at adding momentum to the India-USA friendship. Our nations will keep working together to make our planet a better place for the coming generations." Upon arrival in Egypt, PM Modi will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora there. He will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Notably, PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Furthermore, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. (ANI) American President Joe Biden has reiterated US support for India's permanent membership in the reformed United Nations Security Council The US also reaffirmed its support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and committed to continue engagement with like-minded partners to advance this goal. Biden welcomed India's candidature as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2028-2029 considering India's significant contribution to the UN system, commitment to multilateralism and active engagement in the intergovernmental negotiation process on Security Council reforms. In the joint statement released by India and the US, the two nations reaffirmed their commitment to counter any attempts to subvert the multilateral system unilaterally. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the need to strengthen the multilateral system. The joint statement released by India and US reads, "In this context both sides remain committed to a comprehensive UN reform agenda, including through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership of the UN Security Council." "Sharing the view that global governance must be more inclusive and representative, President Biden reiterated US support for India's permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council(UNSC)," the joint statement read. It further said, "In this context, President Biden welcomed India's candidature as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2028-29 term, in view of India's significant contributions to the UN system and commitment to multilateralism, as well as its active and constructive engagement in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations process on Security Council reforms, with an overall objective of making the UNSC more effective, representative, and credible." PM Modi and US President Biden underscored the important role nuclear energy plays in global decarbonization efforts and affirmed nuclear energy as a necessary resource to address the climate, energy transition and energy security needs of the nations. The two leaders noted ongoing negotiations between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) for the construction of six nuclear reactors in India. In the joint statement, Biden and PM Modi reiterated their commitment to a "free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous India-Pacific region" with respect to territorial integrity and sovereignty, and international law. The two leaders raised concern over "coercive actions and rising tensions" and oppose unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force. The two sides emphasized the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as mentioned in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the maintenance of freedom of navigation and overflight, in addressing challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the East and South China Seas. Earlier this week, PM Modi in an interview with The Wall Street Journal called for reforms to global institutions like the United Nations to make them more representative in the multipolar world order and of the world's less affluent countries from the consequences of climate change to debt reduction. When asked whether India would like to be a permanent member of the 15-member Security Council, PM Modi said there has to be an evaluation of the current membership of the council and "The world should be asked if it wants India to be there." PM Modi sought to portray New Delhi as the natural leader of the global South, in sync with and able to give voice to developing countries' long-neglected aspiration, according to The Wall Street Journal. "India deserves a much higher, deeper and wider profile and a role on the world stage," the Prime Minister said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. He said, "We do not see India as supplanting any country. We see this process as India gaining its rightful position in the world." (ANI) The Indian High Commission in Ottawa marked the 38th anniversary of the tragic terror attack on Air India flight 182 Kanishka in which 329 passengers were killed. The Indian High Commission in Ottawa called the tragedy as the "worst-ever" in Canadian aviation history and stressed that it shall remain an unbearable loss for families of the victims and humanity as a whole. "On 23 June 1985, Flight no. AI 182 Kanishka flying on Montreal, Canada-London, UK-Delhi, India route, operated by Air India, the then India's national carrier, exploded mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland, as result of a cowardly act of terror, carried out by Canada based Khalistani terrorists," the High Commission of India in Ottawa said in a statement. It further said, "329 innocent passengers were killed - victims being Canadian and other foreign nationals, including many Indian nationals; and including children. This tragedy is the worst ever in Canadian aviation history on date and shall remain an unbearable loss for not only the families of the victims, but also for humanity as a whole." According to the statement, the High Commission of India in Ottawa and the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver along with family members of the victims and members of the Indian Diaspora participated in solemnly remembering the victims of this terror attack in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver on June 23. High Commissioner of India to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma paid homage to the victims of Air India 'Kanishka' flight in Ottawa. Family members and friends of the victims, members of the Canadian Parliament, officials of the Canadian government including the RCMP Commissioner, and a representative of the Embassy of Ireland participated in the occasion. Indian High Commission in Ottawa tweeted, "High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma paid homage to the victims of Air India flight 182 Kanishka in Ottawa. The flight was brought down in a dastardly terrorist attack in 1985. Family members and friends of the victims, Members of the Canadian Parliament, officials of Government of Canada incl the RCMP Commissioner, and representative of the Embassy of Ireland, attended the solemn occasion. India shares the sorrow and pain of the victims' near & dear ones and stands at the forefront to counter the global menace of terrorism." The High Commission of India in Ottawa statement noted, "While thirty-eight years have passed since the cowardly act, terrorism has unfortunately assumed proportions of an existential threat to international peace and security today. It knows no borders, nationality, or race, and is a challenge that the international community faces and needs to combat collectively." It further stated that India with the support from like-minded nations has led from the front to counter terrorism. The High Commission of India in Ottawa called any act of glorifying terrorism "deplorable" and added that it should be condemned by all peace-loving nations. "Over the years, India has led from the front to counter-terrorism, with support from like minded countries. India's External Affairs Minister has stated: "Combating terrorism is a battle in which there is no respite. The world cannot afford attention deficit or tactical compromises." Spirit of this statement is the best tribute to the victims of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka," the High Commission of India in Ottawa said in the press release. It further said, "Any act of glorifying terrorism is deplorable and should be condemned by all peace-loving countries and people," it added. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a cheerful Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government's decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India. PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time). https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1672400816744054785?s=20 "I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said, "These antiquities of Indian origin had reached the international market through right or wrong paths, but America's decision to return them to India shows the emotional bond between the two nations." In a bid to rejuvenate India's cultural and spiritual heritage, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is bringing back antiquities and artefacts from across the world. "Over centuries, innumerable priceless artefacts, some with deep cultural and religious significance, had been stolen and smuggled abroad. The government adopted a proactive approach to 'bringing back Indian artefacts and cultural heritage," said a government release. On numerous foreign visits, Prime Minister discussed the matter with global leaders and multilateral institutions and total of 251 antiquities have been brought back to India, out of which 238 were brought back since 2014. In 2022 also the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million USD. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr had announced in October 2022 that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor, a statement said. Subhas Kapoor had assisted in trafficking the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. According to the statement, "Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office's investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi." All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India's Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau. Among the pieces being returned was the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000. The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement read. Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added. In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. "The untiring efforts of the Government of India have led to the repatriation of our rightful artefacts that reflect and epitomise the glory of our ancient civilisation," the release read . (ANI) Russian Ministry of Defence on Saturday urged Wagner forces to "safely return to their points of permanent deployment," CNN reported. The statement of the Russian Defence Ministry comes after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed to have taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities. In the statement released on their official Telegram channel, the Russian Ministry of Defence said, "You were tricked into Prigozhin's criminal adventure and participation in an armed rebellion," according to CNN. It further said, "Many of your comrades from several squads have already realized their mistake by asking for help in ensuring the ability to safely return to their points of permanent deployment." Russian Ministry of Defence noted that Moscow has already provided such assistance to all the fighters and commanders who applied for it. It further said that it would "guarantee everyone's safety." Wagner on Saturday claimed to have taken control of Russian military facilities in Voronezh. Earlier on Saturday, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces have taken control of military facilities, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don. "Military facilities in Voronezh are taken under the control of the Wagner PMC. The army switches to the side of the people," Wagner said in a statement on the Telegram channel, according to CNN. Prigozhin noted that planes that leave for combat work have no problems and the medical flights were also leaving, according to CNN. He further said, "All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction." Russian security forces have cordoned off the building of the Wagner Center in St Petersburg, CNN reported citing RIA Novosti. Speaking to reporters, the Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said that the information circulating on social media networks regarding the Russian strike on the Wagner military camp is "false" and called it "information provocation." The Ministry of Defence said, "All the messages and video footage distributed on social networks on behalf of E. Prigozhin about the alleged strike by the Russian Defense Ministry against the 'military camps of the Wagner PMCs' do not correspond to reality and are an information provocation," CNN reported citing TASS. As per the ABC News report, Russia has accused Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny. (ANI) An Afghanistan-based journalist died by suicide in Islamabad, Pakistan, after the US government turned down his application for refugee status, Khaama Press reported on Saturday. According to local authorities, the Afghan asylum seeker died by suicide after the US government rejected his application for refugee status. Saim, a journalist, waited nearly two years for his case to be processed because he had a P1 referral case to the US. According to the report, the cause for his "suicide" was the United States' denial of his asylum plea. Asking the UN for refugees and the government of Pakistan, the former Pakistani Senator, Afrasiab Khatak, tweeted, "Why are these Afghans, who have been displaced from their country after the collapse of the former government and the humanitarian crisis in their country, not being recognized as refugees by United Nations High commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Government of Pakistan? Cannot They?" according to Khaama Press. Samiullah Jahesh was ready to sell his kidney to put food on the table for his family because he had been jobless for over a year after he fled Afghanistan. Jahesh, a former reporter for Afghanistan-based TV channel, told local media, "I had no other option. I had no money or food at home." Jahesh is one of several exiled Afghan journalists still living in deplorable conditions more than 18 months after the Taliban gained control of the country and drove hundreds of thousands of Afghans from their homes, as per Khaama Press. Among those who fled were many journalists who left the nation as the Taliban crushed the once-vibrant independent media environment. While some journalists were able to seek shelter in Europe or the United States, those who were unable to escape are now in a dire predicament. Their visas are soon to expire, and they are unable to find work due to the lengthy transfer process into a third nation, Khaama Press reported. (ANI) During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's farewell address to a gathering of the Indian-American diaspora on the last day of his four-day historic visit to the US, he said meeting them all was like "having a sweet dish after a meal." During his hour-long address at the Ronald Reagan Centre in Washington DC, the PM thanked the Indian community for turning up in large numbers and said "I can sense a mini-India converging here. I thank you all for coming here. I have received unprecedented love and affection during my stay in the US." Stating that the India-US partnership will be beneficial in the 21st century, PM Modi said, "You all play a crucial role in this partnership.... meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after a meal." During his address, the Prime Minister said, new US consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad and also it has been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself. He said people from India need no longer to go outside the US to renew H1B visas, which he said will majorly help IT professionals. The Prime Minister also lauded the role played by the Indian community in deepening the ties between US and India. The Prime Minister said it is a matter of pride for the Indians to see Made in India products in the US and witness India's talented individuals leading global companies, and observe the world dance to the tune of the Oscar-winning song 'Nattu Nattu'. PM Modi also appreciated the huge footfall witnessed on the International Day of Yoga at the UN Headquarters. He said, "You get delighted with every achievement of India. You feel proud that such a large number of countries of the world come together at the UN HQ for Yoga Day. You feel proud when you see Made in India at the supermarkets here. You feel proud when you see Indian talents leading the companies. You feel proud when the whole world dances to the tunes of 'Naatu Naatu..." "The partnership between India and the United States will make the world better in the 21st Century. You all play a crucial role in this partnership. I will be leaving for the airport straight from here, meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after food," said PM Modi while interacting with a cheerful Indian diaspora. The address and interaction with the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Centre was PM Modi's last scheduled programme during his four-day historic State visit to the US. Earlier, he had interacted with the Indian diaspora following his address at the Kennedy Centre. The hall began reverberating with the chants of "Modi-Modi" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". PM Modi headed towards the airport directly from the Ronald Reagan Centre, from where he emplaned to Egypt. Upon arrival in Egypt, PM Modi will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora there. He will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque and will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday (local time), Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. After PM Modi arrived at Cairo International Airport, Bagchi took to Twitter and shared his self-made video where he was speaking that PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and received by his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly at the airport. In Egypt, he will hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM. Later on, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community. PM Modi is scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, today and will also interact with Egyptian thought leaders. On Sunday, PM Modi will visit Al-Hakim Mosque. The Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. During his Egypt tour, PM Modi will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Furthermore, India and Egypt share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. Meanwhile, in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. (ANI) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for his first State visit to Egypt, Ajit Gupte, the Indian ambassador to the African country, said the ties between the two countries go back over 4,000 years. He expressed hope that PM Modi's ongoing visit would yield "very concrete outcomes". PM Modi, who was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on his arrival at Cairo and was accorded a ceremonial welcome, became the first Prime Minister to visit the country since 1997. Speaking to ANI, Gupte said, "India and Egypt are two of the greatest ancient civilisations in the world and our ties go back more than 4000 years. Actually, emperor Ashoka referred to Egyptian king Ptolme II in the 3rd century BC. In recent years, the relationship has gone from shrinks to shrinks, particularly after Prime Minister Modi and President Sisi came to power." He said the people of Egypt were very familiar with the Indian culture and want to build ties with India. "Everyone in Egypt is familiar with the Indian culture. They have been watching Bollywood movies for decades. They know that India and Egypt came together to form the Non-Aligned Movement. Their people closely associate with our values and want to be close to India," he said. The Ambassador affirmed that the visit will result in concrete outcomes. "On June 24, we are having a round-table for the first time between our honourable PM and the Egyptian PM. After President Sisi's very successful visit to India in 2023, both countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. Upon his return, President Sisi also constituted an 'India committee', which was tasked to improve ties with our country. I am sure this meeting will also result in concrete outcomes. On June 25, the Prime Minister will pay a visit to the historic Al-Hakim mosque. After that, he will visit Heliopolis War Memorial," Ambassador Gupte added. PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' The Prime Minister will have various engagements with the leaders and Indian diaspora during his visit here. He is set to hold a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly and also meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Gupte on Friday said a round table meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister will take place for the first time. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypt's fifth-largest trading partner between April 2022 and December 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. India and Egypt also share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18, 1947. Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the Arab Spring uprising in 2011 and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. (ANI) President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Subhrakant Panda, on Saturday, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States was "successful" and this is the start of a "new chapter in the bilateral relationship." While talking with ANI, Panda said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to the United States has been very successful with several substantive outcomes relating to semiconductors, defence acquisitions, access to critical technology, the Artemis Accord for space cooperation, and resolution of six outstanding trade disputes." "I am very confident that this is the start of a new chapter in the bilateral relationship with mutual trust and convergence of views on strategic issues. It will benefit not just the two nations but the world at large," he added. The Prime Minister, who was in the United States for four days, had attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. He also addressed the joint sitting of the US Congress on Thursday at the US Capitol Hill, which is the first time that any Indian leader addressed twice. PM Modi's nearly hour-long address to the US Congress evoked multiple standing ovations, applauses and cheers from American lawmakers and chants of 'Modi, Modi' from members of the diaspora community sitting in the grand House Chamber at the US Capitol here. During his address, PM Modi said, "There are millions here, who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. There is one behind me, who has made history." Modi was referring to Kamala Harris, the first Black, South Asian, and woman to be elected to the post of Vice President. Harris' mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist, hailed from Chennai. As Modi made this comment, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi smiled and looked over at Congressmen Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi sitting across the aisle from her and applauded and acknowledged them. Both are US lawmakers of Indian origin. (ANI) Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the Wagner group for their "armed rebellion" and vowed to punish those who were on the "path of treason", Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group, said that the Russian President is "deeply mistaken" and the group is a patriot, the Washington Post reported. He was referring to Putin's remarks alleging that the Wagner group betrayed Russia by "staging hostilities" inside the country. In an audio message posted by his press service, Prigozhin said on Saturday, "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president is deeply mistaken". Calling Russia, a country of "corruption, deceit and bureaucracy", he said that the group will continue to fight. "We are patriots of our motherland, we have been fighting and continue to fight, all Wagner fighters, and no one plans to go and confess at the request of the president, the FSB [Federal Security Service] or anyone else, because we do not want the country to continue to live in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy," the Post quoted Prigozhin. Earlier in the day, Russia's President Vladimir Putin in a televised address to the nation said that the "armed mutiny" by the Wagner Group is a "stab in the back" and vowed to punish those who were on the "path of treason" or anyone who takes up arms against the Russian military. He said in a televised address, "Renegade actions against those fighting in the front is a stab in the back of our country," CNN reported. Putin also pledged a harsh response and punishment to those who plan "an armed rebellion". "We will defend both our people and our statehood from any threats, including internal treachery. What we have been confronted with can be precisely called treachery. The unbounded ambitions and personal interests have led to treason and a betrayal of the country and its people," Putin was cited by TASS. This comes after, Prigozhin, the alleged head of the Wagner mercenary group, in a series of recordings released on social media on Saturday, announced that his troops had taken control of military facilities in two Russian cities. Wagner on Saturday claimed to have taken control of Russian military facilities in Voronezh, including the airfield in Rostov-on-Don. Prigozhin noted that planes that leave for combat work have no problems and the medical flights were also leaving, according to CNN. He further said, "All we did was to take control so that the attack aviation would not strike us but strike in the Ukrainian direction." (ANI) On his maiden State visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered several powerful addresses and speeches. Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre in the grand finale of his historic journey to the United States, PM Modi was greeted with chants of "Modi, Modi" and "Vande Mataram". PM Modi became the second Indian Prime Minister after Manmohan Singh to be honoured with a State Visit to the United States. In his address to the diaspora on Friday, he outlined the historic agreements reached between India and the United States and laid out the plan for the future: Here are the top quotes of PM Modi on his maiden State visit to the US: "Standing here seven Junes ago, when Hamilton swept all the awards, I said that the hesitations of history were behind us. Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. Through the long and winding road that we have travelled, we have met the test of friendship." "A lot has changed in the past seven years, but the commitment to deepen friendship between India and the US remains the same. In the era of AI, another AI (America-India) has seen more developments." "There are millions here, who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. There is one behind me, who has made history. I am told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavour of the House." "Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. It has evolved over a long time, and taken various forms and systems. Throughout history, however, one thing has been clear. Democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity." "Being a citizen of a vibrant democracy myself, I can admit one thing, Mr Speaker - you have a tough job. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. I am happy to help out whenever you need a strong bipartisan consensus." "When I first visited the US as prime minister, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Today, India is the 5th largest economy. India will be 3rd largest economy soon. When India grows, the whole world grows." "The spirit of democracy, inclusion and sustainability defines us. It also shapes our outlook to the world. India grows while being responsible about our planet. Indian culture deeply respects the environment and our planet. Our vision is pro-planet progress, our vision is pro-planet prosperity." "With the Ukraine conflict, war has returned to Europe. It is causing great pain in the region. Since it involves major powers, the consequences are severe. As I have said, this is not an era of war. It is the era of dialogue and diplomacy." "More than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain a pressing danger for the world. These ideologies keep taking new identities and their intentions are the same. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs and buts in dealing with it." "As we emerge out of the pandemic, we must give shape to a new world order. That is why I firmly believe that the African Union be given full membership of G20. We must revive multilateralism and reform multilateral institutions. When the world has changed, we must change too." "The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership." "When I was here in 2016, I had said that our relationship is prime for a momentous future. That future is today." "We are focusing on infrastructure development. We have given nearly forty million homes that provide shelter to over hundred and fifty million people. That is nearly six times the population of Australia." "India's vision is not just of development which benefits women. It is of women-led development, where women lead journey of progress." "We have worked on building Digital India. Today, there are more than eight hundred and fifty million smart phones and internet users in the country." "We all must do what we can to stop bloodshed and human suffering." "Terrorism is an enemy of the humanity and there can be no ifs and but in dealing with it." "Two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers. Cheers" "Bharat aur America ke sambandhon ki madhur geetmala, people to people ties ke suron se piroyi gayi hai" "India-US partnership is not just of convenience, but a powerful alliance driven by conviction, compassion, and shared commitment for a better world" "India-US collaboration is not just about policies and agreements, but about transforming lives, dreams, and destinies." "Today, India is investing a record more than $125 billion on infrastructure. There are limitless possibilities for America in this growth story of India. It's Time For you guys to take that First And Fast Mover Advantage" "Today's new India is the India that knows its path, it knows its direction, it is the India which does not have any confusion on its decisions and resolutions, it is the India which is converting its potential into performance" "The self-confidence of 140 crore citizens is fueling the growth of India. The New India in front of us knows its direction, and has no confusion about its decisions. This is a New India which is turning its potential into performance" "It is a moment of pride and celebration when so many countries come together for International Yoga Day. When Made in India products are sold in the international market" "In the last 3 days, we have taken the India-US partnership on a new journey. This is the journey of Make in India, Make for the world; technology transfer, and better coordination in the industrial supply chain" "India has the solution to a major global challenge, ageing. Today India has the biggest talent pool of young people. India also has the biggest skilled and professional workforce" "The India-US partnership is beneficial to both the nations and their citizens. We have taken major decisions to make India-America the most reliable partners." (ANI) Hailing the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, the Chairman of IN-SPACe, Pawan Kumar Goenka said that the trip has taken the relationship between the two countries to a new level and led to some pathbreaking deals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his maiden state visit to the US from June 21-24. Speaking to ANI, Chairman of IN-SPACe, Pawan Kumar Goenka said, "PM Modi's visit brings the US-India relationship to a new level, a level that has not been seen before. It also reinforces that our Prime Minister is one of the tallest leaders in the world. What has been achieved in this single visit, has not happened before ever to any country". He said that a wide spectrum of issues was discussed during PM Modi's state visit. "If you look at the areas covered, it is a wide spectrum. Geopolitics, democracy, India-US relations. But I would say the biggest impact probably is an impact on technology cooperation, telecommunication and even in space," he said. Goenka further called the HAL-GE jet engine deal and the signing of the Artemis Accords significant and 'pathbreaking' moments. "If you look at the HAL-GE deal, it is pathbreaking. This kind of technology has not been made available to India. If you look at the need for nuclear reactors. That could also be a very big thing for India to have clean energy in future. I didn't have access to this technology before. The Artemis Accord is a big deal, and the meeting with Elon Musk can be a path breaker for the automotive industry also in the space area. We have seen some very positive things coming out," the IN-SPACe Chairman added. PM Modi, during his US visit, met top Indian and American CEOs at a ceremonial dinner hosted in his honour by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. He also received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour upon his arrival at the White House. Apart from a State dinner, PM Modi was also hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris at a State luncheon. In his address to the diaspora in Washington DC, PM Modi said the partnership between India and the United States will make the world a better place in the 21st century. He said the India-US partnership is driven by conviction and compassion and also has bipartisan support. After what is being seen as a hugely successful and significant US visit, PM Modi departed for his first-ever visit to Egypt on Saturday morning. He is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in January when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest'. (ANI) Taking to Twitter, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information of the Indian Army said, "The exercise has strengthened mutual confidence and enabled sharing of best practices." The 12th edition of the joint military exercise "Ex Ekuverin" between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force has taken place at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023, reported the Ministry of Defence. Ekuverin meaning 'Friends' is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives. A platoon strength contingent from Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force has participated in a 14-day long exercise. The exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability in Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism Operations under the UN mandate and carrying out joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. The focus was to share best practices and enhance coordination and cooperation between both the forces at tactical level, according to the Ministry of Defence. The 11th edition of the exercise was held in Maldives in December 2021. The defence cooperation between the two countries extends from joint exercises to assisting the Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements. Both nations have very close and friendly relations in economic, cultural and military cooperation. 'Ex Ekuverin' will assist in further bolstering these ties between the two nations. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US will elevate the already existing bilateral ties between the two countries to greater heights, Confederation of Indian Industry President R Dinesh said. Calling the Prime Minister's visit to the US "exceptionally successful," Dinesh said that this trip highlights the commitment of the two sides to pursue common goals and address global challenges together and assumes great significance amidst the rapidly changing global economic and geopolitical framework. "The two leaders covered diverse areas of cooperation including bilateral trade and investments, defence cooperation, technology, semiconductor, clean energy, MSMEs, skill development, and cooperation on the Indo-Pacific, among others that add new dimensions and infuse greater energy to the India-US strategic partnership. The multiple outcomes present many opportunities for India as well as for the world," the CII statement read. The technology partnership between India and the USA was a defining feature of the bilateral meetings, as the two countries committed to expanding the bilateral technology partnership further with a focus on greater technology sharing and technology co-development as well as co-production opportunities. The visit gives a further push to the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), which was launched in January 2023 and has gathered momentum since then. As emphasized by the Prime Minister in his departure statement, the iCET is set to widen collaboration across sectors including defence industrial cooperation, space, telecom, quantum and Artificial Intelligence (AI), telecom and biotech sectors and will add new dimensions to the partnership. "Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's four-day state visit to the US is the most historic by any Prime Minister - in fact by any global leader, and marks a significant milestone for the India-US partnership. "On behalf of CII, I congratulate and thank the Hon'ble Prime Minister on this unprecedented achievement. There is not one but many defining features of the outcomes this time, which is rather unique. Technology partnerships are one of them," Dinesh said. "iCET - which started in January 2023 has picked up steam and CII had the privilege of being associated with a dialogue recently, which was most productive. Sectors like biotechnology, space, semiconductors, telecom, AI and quantum, and defence would get a huge fillip through this arrangement of cooperation. Partnership in space is another defining feature. As also the institutionalised framework for trade talks, since the potential for augmenting bilateral trade - including in hi-tech areas is huge", he added as the Prime Minister left for his two-day state visit to Egypt after concluding his US visit on June 24. (ANI) The partnership between the US and India focuses on fostering open and inclusive digital economies through the development and deployment of DPIs in developing countries, leveraging India's successful implementation, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) said. In a statement, NASSCOM said, "The partnership between the US and India focuses on fostering open and inclusive digital economies through the development and deployment of DPIs in developing countries, leveraging India's successful implementation." The technological partnership between India and US not only shapes a world that is open, prosperous, secure, and resilient but also paves the way for India to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape, driving innovation and transforming industries. "Nasscom appreciates and commends this fostering of an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem built on mutual confidence and trust. This collaboration not only shapes a world that is open, prosperous, secure, and resilient but also paves the way for India to thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape, driving innovation and transforming industries," it added. "Together, we are embarking on a journey to make this decade a remarkable era of technology-led advancement," the statement added. This statement came after several technological deals that were signed between India and US. One of them is the General Electric Company (GE) Aerospace on Thursday announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines in India. The statement further said the mutually beneficial policy formulation and intervention, and adapting regulations that encourage technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities among industry, government, and academic institutions must be for the foundation of this collaboration across defence, clean energy, telecommunications, emerging technologies like AI, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, sustainability, biotechnology, space technologies, and semiconductors. "Specifically on AI, both countries will work responsibly on AI, aiming to advance AI education, foster commercial opportunities, and address concerns related to discrimination and bias. Nasscom has been working closely with the entire ecosystem to leverage and propel AI-led technological advancements, driving innovation and growth across sectors," the statement read. PM Modi, who was in the US for four days, had attended various events and met top Indian and American CEOs including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He received a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the White House upon his arrival. He was hosted by US President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner at the White House, as well as a State Luncheon by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Vice President Kamala Harris. He also addressed the joint sitting of the US Congress on Thursday at the US Capitol Hill, which is the first time that any Indian leader addressed twice. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his maiden state visit to Egypt, on Saturday met the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Allam on Saturday. Earlier, he also held a roundtable meeting with the Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly. In his first engagement in Cairo, PM Modi held a meeting with the newly setup India Unit in the Egyptian Cabinet, headed by Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly. Seven Cabinet Ministers and senior officials were present in the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs said. During the meeting, discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade and investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties. He also thanked Egypt for setting up this dedicated high-level India Unit and appreciated the government's approach towards boosting bilateral ties between the two countries. After the meeting, PM Modi interacted with the members of the Indian community. PM Modi, who was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on his arrival at Cairo, and was accorded a ceremonial welcome, became the first Prime Minister to visit the country since 1997. PM Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India's Republic Day celebrations as the 'Chief Guest.' Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said for the first time, a roundtable meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister is taking place. On Sunday, Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al-Hakim Mosque-- a historic and prominent mosque in Cairo named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021), the 16th Fatimid caliph. The mosque of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo. During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War. The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time. The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. India and Egypt share close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues. The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made on August 18, 1947.Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt. Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009. From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008. High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohamed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013. On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier. India cleared a shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022. (ANI) NEW YORK Ten e-bike shops across the city have been cited for unsafe handling of lithium-ion batteries since a blaze Tuesday blamed on e-bike batteries killed four Manhattan residents, FDNY officials said Friday. The shops were hit with 11 civil law violations, three civil court summonses and two criminal court summonses for inappropriately storing and charging combustible e-bike and scooter batteries, FDNY Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said, speaking at a public safety briefing at City Hall. The Fire Department was tipped off to the bike shops by 311 callers, news reporters and public officials since Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday vowed a crackdown on sketchy e-bike vendors and bike repair shops that fix lithium-ion batteries, Flynn said. The Fire Department did not share the addresses of the shops nor provide a breakdown of the violations Friday, citing the ongoing investigations. A FDNY source said the criminal court summonses were filed against one shop for excessive battery storage and for using power strips to charge lithium-ion batteries careless practices that can spark battery fires. The same shop previously was cited for using power strips, the source said. A lithium-ion battery sparked a deadly inferno inside the HQ E-Bike Repair shop early Tuesday on Madison St. in Chinatown, the FDNY said. The fire and smoke quickly billowed through the building after starting inside the street-level business and the flames were so intense they burned through the stores roll down gates, witnesses said. Four building residents died from smoke inhalation. Two others were hospitalized with critical injuries, but are expected to survive. Authorities said the Chinatown business was twice cited by the city since 2021, with a failed inspection last year leading to a $1,600 fine. Fire marshals said the e-bike business violations included charging batteries stacked next to each other and plugged into extension cords. Lithium-ion batteries have been responsible for 110 fires that resulted in 71 injuries and 13 deaths so far this year, Flynn said. The death toll so far in 2026 is already more than double the six deaths reported in 2022. If the current pace holds, deaths blamed on burning lithium-ion batteries in 2023 will be quadruple the 2022 toll. Only four deaths were linked to e-bike battery fires in all of 2021, FDNY officials said. Its a new problem and its a big problem, Flynn said, explaining that fires caused by the batteries spread rapidly. Fires traditionally start small and become large, he said. These fires they go from zero to 100 in a second. Four of the 10 e-bike shops cited this week were reported to the FDNY through the 311 system, Flynn said. Eight of the locations were already on the citys radar as being trouble spots and were inspected before, he said. Besides inspections, the FDNY and the citys Department of Small Business Services have been going to local bike shops that sell or repair lithium-ion batteries to make sure employees know how to properly store, plug in and charge the batteries. We are not trying to vilify anyone who uses them or sells them, he said. We just want them to be used safely. The mayor on Wednesday urged New Yorkers to remain alert to warning signs in stores such as the sale of refurbished batteries, mazes of extension cords and lack of proper licenses. Any suspicious spots should be called in to 311 and local firehouses will investigate complaints within 12 hours, Mayor Adams said. Since e-bikes came on the scene, the FDNY has completed 220 inspections of e-bike stores, charging areas and repair shops across the city that have resulted in 495 summonses for building and fire code violations with fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, Flynn said. The civil summonses are adjudicated by the citys Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Of those 495 summonses, 139 were issued for more egregious and hazardous violations, Flynn said. A shooting that officials say occurred at a large street party in Saginaw, Michigan, left two people dead. In all, 15 people were injured. According to a news release from Michigan State Police, the shooting happened at the party near Fourth St. and Johnson St. after the event was promoted on social media. Police agencies throughout Saginaw County dispersed the large crowd "multiple times in different locations throughout the city" prior to the shooting, the news release said. Police were nearby when multiple 911 callers reported that people were shooting into the crowd around midnight. A preliminary investigation uncovered that a fight broke out between partygoers, which resulted in gunshots being fired, the news release said. In response, others began shooting into the crowd, hitting "several victims," the release said. CBS affiliate WNEM reported that there were more than 300 party-goers. As people fled, many were injured after being struck by vehicles that were fleeing, the release said. Detectives later found "at least five different caliber weapons" that were used in the incident. Fifteen people were injured by gunshots or being hit by vehicles, the release said. Two victims a 19-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman have died, the release said. All 15 victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment, but the medical status of the surviving victims is unknown. There are no suspects in custody, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. Anyone with information is being asked to call the Saginaw Major Case Unit at 989-759-1605. REPORTERS NOTEBOOK: Margaret Brennans trip to China Full interview: Cindy McCain, World Food Programme executive director Halting Ukrainian grain exports risks "starvation and famine," warns Cindy McCain, World Food Programme head Two drug dealers who supplied fentanyl that killed a 15-year-old girl in Carrollton last week have been federally charged, Leigha Simonton, announced through a news release on Friday. Simonton is U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The victim is the fourth child to die of a fentanyl overdose in the Carrollton area since September 2022, according to Simonton. I am deeply saddened by the loss of life, said Carrollton Police Chief Roberto Arredondo. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims family. We continue to work tirelessly to make it difficult for drug dealers to operate in our city by arresting them, and bringing them to justice. We will continue to do all we can to keep this poison out of our city. Lizbeth Prieto, 19 also known as Lizbeth Escamilla and Christian Lopez, 24, were charged via criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. A criminal complaint is an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Prieto made her first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Ramirez on Friday. Lopez, who is currently in state custody, will have his first appearance in the coming days. Four young lives, lost in an instant. Four families, heartbroken, said Simonton. Fentanyl continues to creep its insidious way through the teenage population, and no kid is immune. The Justice Department will continue to take traffickers off the streets. But our efforts alone are not enough. As soon as one trafficker is put behind bars, another rises up to take his place. Parents, teachers, and friends: Please, educate your kids on the dangers of counterfeit pills. Unless prescribed by a doctor, no pill is safe. Even tablets that appear to be prescription painkillers or other types of medications may well be laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl. This is well beyond a Carrollton problem. This is a you and me problem as it affects us all. This is a problem that we must join all facets of our community to educate, treat, prevent, and enforce the law to help those struggling and hold responsible those who deal drugs to the fullest extent of the law, said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency in Dallas. Just one pill can change so many lives forever. We will never stop seeking justice. According to the complaint, Lopez supplied fentanyl pills to Prieto, who then provided them to the victim, a 15-year-old student at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, identified in court documents as J.G., Family members called 911 when they found J.G. unresponsive, face down on her bed on June 13. She was transported to the hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after. Knowing the death was likely fentanyl-related, the family gave law enforcement consent to search J.G.s bedroom and her cell phone, according to Simonton. Inside her room, agents found ten counterfeit Percocet pills inscribed with M/30, which later tested positive for fentanyl. On J.G.s Instagram, they found communications between the girl and Prieto from about 24 hours before her death, according to Simonton. In the messages, Prieto allegedly offered to sell J.G. 13 fentanyl pills for $100 dollars, confirmed she could pay with cash, and asked for her address. A short while later, Prieto allegedly advised J.G. that she was pulling up to the home to deliver the pills. An undercover officer immediately reached out to Prieto and asked to purchase M/30 fentanyl pills. The next day, Prieto allegedly arranged to meet the undercover officer. Prior to the transaction, officers saw Prieto get into Lopezs car, according to Simonton. She then exited the car, met with the officer, and handed over several pills. In return, the officer gave her marked bills. Shortly after the transaction, she got back into Lopezs car. Officers pulled Lopez over after he departed and found five out of the six marked bills in his possession. He allegedly admitted he had supplied Prieto with the counterfeit pills she gave the undercover officer, which tested positive for fentanyl. Prieto allegedly admitted that Lopez was her supplier and confessed that she sold J.G. a dozen M/30 pills. She said she did not know J.G.s exact age, but knew that she was young, Simonton said in the news release. If convicted, Prieto and Lopez could each face up to 20 years in federal prison. The Drug Enforcement Administrations Dallas Field Division and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert and Phelesa Guy are prosecuting the case. Illicitly produced, fentanyl-laced pills often look similar to legitimate prescription pills like Oxycontin or Percocet, but can pose significantly more danger. Fentanyl pills are often referred to as M30s a reference to the markings on some of the pills blues, perks, yerks, china girls, or TNT. Six out of ten pills laced with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose, according to research by the DEA. For more information about fentanyl, visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill. 46 women were savagely killed at a prison in Central America, after a rival female gang locked them in cells and set fire to them A relative cries after she receives the body of a loved one who was killed in the riot. Emilio Flores/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A brutal prison female gang war left 46 women dead after rivals set fire to their cells, reports say. The gang members, armed with guns and machetes, locked the women in their cells. A police spokesperson said some bodies were burned so badly it was "difficult to identify them." Fourty-six women were killed in a horrific prison riot in Tamara, Honduras, on Tuesday after a rival gang gained access to their cell block. Some of the women were burned to death after being locked in their cells, according to The Guardian. The rival gang members wielded guns and machetes as they opened fire and slashed away at the inmates, The Guardian reported. "A group of armed people went to the cellblock of a rival gang, locked the doors, opened fire on those inside," Juan Lopez Rochez, the chief of operations for the country's national police, said, per the report. He said they then "used some kind of oil to set fire to them," adding that that was still under investigation. Yuri Mora, a spokesperson for Honduras' national police investigation agency, said that some bodies were burned so badly that it would be "difficult to identify them." The attack is thought to have been carried out by members of the notorious Barrio 18 gang against the rival Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13. Elvia Valle, the director of the National Committee for the Prevention of Torture, said they "were killing selectively," according to El Pais. It was "like a horror movie," Valle said, adding that "this tragedy should never have happened." Honduran President Xiomara Castro said that the attack was planned "with the knowledge and acquiescence of security authorities," per The AP. Castro has since declared that she intends to take "drastic measures" and has already fired her security minister Ramon Sabillon. Honduran prisons have long suffered from gang violence, with riots and retaliatory strikes commonplace. It is also not the first time inmates in the country have been killed in a fire. In February 2012, hundreds of prisoners were killed in a fire in an overcrowded prison in the town of Comayagua. As of October 2022, there were around 20,000 prisoners in Honduras, despite the official capacity of the prison system being just 13,000, per the World Prison Brief. Read the original article on Insider 6 incredible facts about the Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth Just as Earths land surface has enormous peaks and valleys, the oceanic world has similarly varied topography. Perhaps the most intriguing of these features is the Mariana Trench a chasm in the western Pacific Ocean that spans more than 1,580 miles (2,540 kilometers) and is home to the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earths surface that plunges more than 36,000 feet (about 11,000 meters) underwater. Thats nearly three times deeper than the site where the wreckage of the RMS Titanic lies in the Atlantic Ocean, and its deeper than Mount Everest is tall. Here are some fascinating facts about this deep-sea phenomenon. 1. Titanic director James Cameron is one of the few people who have visited Few human expeditions have ventured to the Challenger Deep. The first came in 1960 with the historic dive of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a type of free-diving submersible. During the dive, passengers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh said they were stunned to see living creatures where scientists once imagined it was impossible for anything to survive. Right away, all of our preconceptions about the ocean were blown out the window, Dr. Gene Feldman, an oceanographer emeritus at NASA, previously told CNN. He spent more than 30 years at the space agency. Deep-sea explorer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron sits in a scale model of the Deepsea Challenger's pilot chamber at an exhibition about his history-making ocean expeditions in Sydney on May 28, 2018. - Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images James Cameron, director of the 1997 film Titanic, was the next deep-sea explorer to follow. He piloted a submersible one that he personally had helped design to about 35,787 feet (10,908 meters), setting a world record in 2012. 2. A plastic bag was found in the trench Another explorer who returned to the site was Victor Vescovo, a Texas investor who journeyed 35,853 feet (10,927 meters) down and claimed a world record in 2019. Vescovo gave depressing insight into humankinds impact on these seemingly untouchable remote locations when he observed a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. A handful of explorers have trekked to the Challenger Deep since then, but the expeditions are not common and the journey is extremely dangerous. Explorer and Texas investor Victor Vescovo said he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. - Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel For every 33 feet (10 meters) traveled beneath the oceans surface, the pressure on an object increases by one atmosphere, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An atmosphere is a unit of measure thats 14.7 pounds per square inch. A trip to the Challenger Deep can put a vessel under pressure that is equivalent to 50 jumbo jets, Feldman noted. 3. It lies in the hadal zone, named for the god of the underworld Much like the Earths atmosphere, the ocean can be described in terms of layers. The uppermost portion is called the epipelagic zone, or the sunlight zone, and extends just 660 feet (200 meters) below the waters surface, according to NOAA. The mesopelagic zone, or the so-called twilight zone, stretches from the end of the sunlight zone to about 3,300 feet (1,000 meters). ROV Deep Discoverer images a newly discovered hydrothermal vent field at Chamorro Seamount, which is located west of the Mariana Trench. - NOAA Office of OER/2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas Then theres the bathypelagic zone, also called the midnight zone, and, beneath that, the abyssopelagic zone as in, the abyssal zone that extends from 13,100 feet (4,000 meters) to 19,700 feet (6,000 meters). Thats nearly 4 miles underwater. Within the abyssal zone, few life-forms can survive, the water is completely devoid of light, and temperatures are near freezing. But the Challenger Deep lies even further in the hadalpelagic zone, or the hadal zone. Its named for Hades, the Greek god of the underworld thought to rule over the dead. 4. Its home to unique aquatic life and mud volcanoes The hadal zone is one of the least explored habitats on Earth. At bone-crushing depths with no sunlight, it was long thought that nothing could survive there. But that belief has been dispelled. Even at the very bottom, life exists. In 2005, tiny single-celled organisms called foraminifera, a type of plankton, were discovered in the Challenger Deep, according to NOAA. A hydrothermal-vent chimney belches nutrient-rich fluid, which appears as dark smoke (center) due to its high levels of minerals and sulfides. The chimney is crawling with Chorocaris shrimp and Austinograea wiliamsi crabs. - NOAA Office of OER/2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas Discoveries at the Challenger Deep have included colorful rocky outcrops and bottom-dwelling sea cucumbers. A series of undersea mud volcanoes and hydrothermal vents in the Mariana Trench also support unusual life-forms, according to NOAA. Despite the highly acidic and infernally hot water produced by hydrothermal vents in mud volcanoes, exotic species and microscopic organisms there are able to survive. In the absence of sunlight, the creatures instead benefit from the nutrient-rich waters belched out from hydrothermal vents. The life-supporting medium results from chemical reactions between the seawater and magma rising from beneath the ocean floor. 5. The Mariana Trench was designated as a US national monument in 2009 The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument was established in 2009, in part to protect the rare organisms that thrive within its depths. Objects of interest include the submerged ecosystem and its life-forms, such as deep-sea shrimp and crabs, and higher up in the water column stony coral reefs. A great diversity of seamount and hydrothermal vent life (is) worth preservation, according to NOAA. The entire national monument protects about 95,000 square miles (246,049 square kilometers). This stunning sea jelly was seen while exploring the Enigma Seamount at 12,139 feet (3,700 meters) in the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. - NOAA Office of OER/2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas 6. Its difficult to know just how deep the trench goes The ocean floor remains one of the most mysterious places in the universe. In fact, we have better maps of the moon and Mars than we do of our own planet, Feldman previously told CNN. Though people have been exploring the oceans surface for tens of thousands of years, only about 20% of the seafloor has been mapped, according to 2022 figures from NOAA. Given high interest in the Mariana Trench, however, researchers have made several efforts to give increasingly detailed pictures of its features. But thats not easy: Due to the vastness and deepness of the bottommost ocean zone, scientists must rely on sonar, or acoustic, technology to attempt to give a full picture of whats below. Because instrumentation and technology are constantly improving, the estimated depth of the Challenger Deep has been updated as recently as 2021 to about 35,876 feet (10,935 meters). For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Chinese premier calls for int'l efforts to solve problems facing developing countries Xinhua) 09:14, June 24, 2023 Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, June 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) PARIS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- In the face of the global development financing gap, China calls on the international community to sincerely cooperate and work together to solve the problems of developing countries, especially vulnerable countries, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Friday. In a speech at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and attended by more than 60 heads of state, government and major international organizations, Li put forward a three-point proposal in this regard. First, firmly advance the reform of global financial governance and create a stable financing environment for developing countries. China stands ready to work with all parties to build a just and efficient global financial governance structure and strengthen international macroeconomic policy coordination. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and other international financial institutions should implement the consensus reached by G20 leaders, complete a new round of quota and voting rights reform, and increase the voice of emerging markets and developing countries. Second, build a global development partnership and provide more development resources to developing countries. Developed countries should earnestly honor their commitments to providing assistance and funds to developing countries. Developing countries should enhance their capacity for independent development. China will continue to provide various forms of support to other developing countries with practical measures to the best of its ability. Third, firmly advance economic globalization and free trade to inject fresh growth impetus into developing countries. China is ready to work with the international community to promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and unequivocally oppose trade protectionism and decoupling and severing supply and industrial chains in any form. In a world full of disputes and uncertainties, Li stressed, China and Europe should seek common ground while reserving differences, expand convergence while narrowing divergence, promote more creative cooperation, cope with the uncertainty of the international situation with the stability of China-Europe relations, and jointly promote the sustainable development of mankind. In his speech, Li noted that China has always attached great importance to global development and global governance issues. In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, which resonate widely within the international community. As a major engine of the global economy, China has injected continuous impetus into its growth. No matter how the world changes, China will unswervingly promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening-up, align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and let other countries share the opportunities of China's development, Li said. As a responsible major country in the world, China has earnestly implemented the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement and made great efforts to address climate change. As a contributor to global development, China has provided strong driving forces and made great contributions to the international cause of poverty alleviation and development, he added. Leaders at the summit noted that all parties should work together to reduce inequality and poverty across the world, respond to climate change, protect biodiversity, settle the debt problems facing developing countries and promote global sustainable development. It's necessary to uphold multilateralism, respect different national conditions, coordinate poverty alleviation, development and environmental protection, and push for common prosperity, they said, noting the importance of improving global economic governance, sharing responsibilities fairly, promoting cooperation between multilateral development banks and commercial creditors, and better meeting the development financing needs of developing countries. Leaders of developing countries at the summit called on developed countries to earnestly honor their commitments to providing assistance and funds to developing countries. On Thursday evening local time, Li attended the working dinner of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact and made introductory remarks on energy transition. Li said that China actively promotes the green and low-carbon energy transition, and responsibly participates in promoting the global energy transition and tackling climate change. China is ready to work with other countries to forge a global partnership for clean energy cooperation under the principles of mutual benefit and common but differentiated responsibilities, with technological innovation being the core driving force, and jointly build a clean and beautiful world, said the Chinese premier. During the summit, Li also held separate discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the IMF's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and others. Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, June 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) 7 gang members convicted of breaking into 50 cars across Cherokee County A group of seven people prosecutors say are affiliated with gangs are heading to prison, according to the Cherokee County District Attorneys Office. Prosecutors say that on two nights in June and July 2019, approximately 50 cars were broken into in neighborhoods across Cherokee County. The group stole five guns, three cars and other personal items. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Six people were arrested when they returned early one July morning to continue the crime spree: Tyjuan TK Shecorn Burch, 22 Quinn Chucky Chajuan Dawson, 23 Jacquez Joc Daquan Ivey, 23 Darell Rell Marrion, 21 Two juveniles While prosecuting them, the Cherokee County DAs office says they learned about three more suspects: Johnmarvalious Wixked Givens, 22 Quanjavis Boochie Jawayne Jones, 21 Detravious Trey Long, 22 All seven adults pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act. Its unclear if the two juveniles were tried. Burch pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and was sentenced to 20 years with the first 10 to serve in prison. Dawson pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to 20 years with the first 15 to serve in prison. Ivey pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and theft by taking. He was sentenced to to 20 years with the first 10 to serve in prison. Marrion pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and was sentenced to 20 years with the first 12 to serve in prison. TRENDING STORIES: Givens pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and theft by taking. He was sentenced to 20 years with the first 10 to serve in prison. Jones pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and was sentenced to 20 years with the first 10 to serve in prison. Long pleaded guilty to violating the RICO Act and was sentenced to 20 years with the first 12 to serve in prison. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images) States from every part of the country are racing to pass new legislation barring young users from accessing social media and other online services without first obtaining consent from their parents. From Texas to New Jersey, lawmakers are preparing to enforce strict, constitutionally dubious laws that could fundamentally alter the way young people interact online all in the name of supposedly protecting them from social medias most harmful effects. Most, if not all of these laws, will face multiple rounds of legal challenges. In the end, 2023 could be remembered as the year the US decided to age-gate the internet. The logic behind the bills holds that exposure to social media exposure at a young age could lead to deleterious mental health outcomes. It has evolved in recent years from an understandable, but data-deficient theory to a field of study supported by some of the nations top health authorities. Child safety advocates point to dozens of recent studies appearing to link prolonged exposure to social media at young ages to increasing rates of teen depression and anxiety. Just last month, the US Surgeon General, who has taken a relatively conservative stance towards ascribing blame for a noted rise in teen mental health issues, released a public advisory noting there are ample indicators that social media poses a profound risk of harm to childrens mental health and development. Read more States across the country are taking action, though often in profoundly different ways. While some lawmakers have called have opted to use a scalpel when crafting careful social media regulation, others have opted to bust out the chainsaw. Multiple states, including Arkansas and Louisiana, have proposed legislation flat-out banning children under the age of 18 from using certain services without parental consent. Lawmakers justify this siloing of internet access because they believe delaying social media exposure, similar to delaying the age people can drink or smoke cigarettes, could offset some of the worst potential harms. Texas Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images) Texas recently passed one of the countrys most expansive online age-gating laws to date. The law, called the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment, forces digital services providers to explicitly gain the consent of a parent or guardian before opening an account for any user under the age of 18. Though the law was passed with social media in mind, the definition of digital service providers is so broad it could theoretically apply to nearly any online service that requires users who create accounts. Parents or guardians are granted vast power over young users data as part of the law. Once theyve granted consent, parents can review and download personal identifying information associated with the minor and likewise request its deletion. They can also request service providers ban targeted advertising toward the minor in question and prevent them from making online purchases. Utah ov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a pair of bills into law in March requiring social media companies like Instagram and TikTok to verify users ages and obtain parental consent before offering services to users under the age of 18. Bizarrely, one of the laws also sets a digital curfew, restricting anyone under the age of 18 from using social media between 10:30 P.M. and 6:30 A.M. One of the other bills making up Utahs Social Media Regulation Act gives the account holder (the parent) the ability to sue social media companies and collect damages if they can prove the products caused them physical or emotional harm or were addictive. Louisiana Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards speaks during a press conference to update the public on FEMAs disaster recover and temporary housing programs on August 19, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both chambers of Louisianas legislature voted unanimously in favor of HB61, a new bill that would force online platforms to obtain parental consent before offering services to users under the age of 18. Like the Texas law, Louisianas version is written broadly to wrap up social media companies, video game makers, and really any other online company that requires users to create accounts in order to share text, photos or videos. The bill, which awaits Governor John Bel Edwards signature to become law, would also let parents cancel terms of service contracts of minors who already created online accounts prior to the bills passage. Arkansas Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the Republican response to the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden on February 7 In April, Arkansas Governor and former Donald Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law the countrys second law requiring parental consent for minors to access social media platforms. Unlike some other state proposals, Arkansas law specifically targets social media platforms and forces them to contract with third-party companies to verify the ages of new users. If those users are under the age of 18, they will need to obtain consent from a parent or guardian before creating an account. Companies found to violate the law could face fiend of up to $2,500 per offense when its slated to take effect in September New Jersey Photo: Chris Jackson (Getty Images) New Jersey lawmakers are currently considering a pair of new bills that would require parental consent for users younger than 13 to access social media and punish companies found to be engaged in addictive practices. The parental consent bill, called AR167, was proposed by Assemblyman Herb Conaway as a type of follow-up to the failed federal bill called the Kids Online Safety Act. A separate bill called A5069 would force social media companies to conduct quarterly audits and hire an independent third party to determine whether or not the services practices, designs, [or] features, carry a risk of addicting a child. Maryland Photo: Chris Jackson (Getty Images) Though theres no shortage of states vying to completely restrict minors use of social media without parental consent theres also a handful of other states like Maryland taking a slightly more nuanced approach. A recently proposed bill called HB901 would still let minors between the ages of 13-18 freely access social media but would require social media companies to restrict the data collection, profiling, and geolocation services for young users accounts. In general, the bills would force social media companies to identify young users and give them high privacy settings by default, something major tech firms like Meta say they are already working towards. What we need to do is just make sure theyre actually able to access those positive spaces, that theyre able to realize the benefits as opposed to just saying outright were going to put a ban in place that we know, frankly, wont work, Maryland Delegate Jared Solomon, said in a recent interview with NBC Washington. Ohio Photo: Sean Gallup (Getty Images) Oho lawmakers are considering a new bill called the Social Media Parental Notification Act which would require social media companies to obtain parental consent before signing up users under the age of 16. The law would require social media sites like Instagram and TikTok to create a separate splash page where users identify whether or not they are above 16. If the users say they are under 16, the app would then be required to obtain parental consent before granting the user access. The bill would apply to social media companies as well as companies that offer gaming services but it wouldnt apply to e-commerce or other online shopping sites. So, presumably, it wouldnt apply to Amazon. The bill still has to make its way through both chambers of the legislation but it already has the vocal support of Lt. Governor Jon Husted. Minnesota Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. A new bill approved by Minnesotas House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee earlier this year seeks to prevent social media companies from using algorithms to recommend contnet to any users under the age of 18. Unlike other bills, HF3724 doesnt require parental consent. Instead, it would force social media platforms with more than one million users to identify users 18 simply turn off algorithmic recommendations for them. Companies that fail to abide by those vague rules could be held liable with a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation. California Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images) Californias recently passed Age-Appropriate Design Code has served as a model and inspiration for other states looking to enact their own legislation strengthening young users privacy protections without resorting to full-on parental consent demands. The law, which is scheduled to take effect in July 2024, would require tech companies to apply the highest level of privacy settings by default for users identified as under the age of 18. The law prohibits companies from using sneaky dark patterns techniques to keep young users on its site and limits the amount of data that can be collected from them. Supporters of the law hope it could lead to a California Effect where social media firms opt to apply its high standard by default in other states too rather than annoyingly forge a complicated patchwork or state-by-state rules. Tech groups representing major firms like Meta and Google, however, have come out swinging and say they plan to battle the legislation on First Amendment grounds. Bonus: Montana Photo: Garrett Turner (AP) Montana hasnt tried to ban social medias youngest users yet, but it is keeping them off their favorite social network. The state has banned TikTok entirely, effective January 1, 2024, the first in the nation to enact such restrictive legislation. Influencers reliant on the app to support their businesses have found themselves in legal limbo, cut off from their communities and unsure about major life decisions. Multiple Montana TikTokers have filed a class action suit against the state. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. The fall of Roe v. Wade a year ago has made it more difficult for people in abortion-hostile states to access this crucial care. But ending a pregnancy is still an option, even if you live in the South, thanks in no small part to grassroots networks of abortion funds. One year later, abortion funds are fielding more calls than ever, and they are supporting more people than ever, Oriaku Njoku, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, said last week. Abortion funds have been around for decades long before the Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization because their work is vital. The groups help pay for costs associated with an abortion, assisting people with fewer resources access essential health care that wealthier people can obtain with relative ease. Some funds will help pay for the abortion procedure, while many others focus on the practical expenses that quickly add up, such as travel and accommodation. But organizers have been forced to contend with the possibility that conservative lawmakers may try to criminalize every single aspect of abortion care, including efforts to provide financial aid. Theres a good chance theyll come after people like us, Chasity Wilson, executive director of the Louisiana Abortion Fund, said on a conference call. Several states have already passed laws imposing prison time on medical professionals who perform an abortion outside of very narrow limits set by conservative lawmakers. Texas bounty law which permits private citizens to sue their neighbors for helping someone get an abortion is in effect after legal challenges against it failed, and it stands to inspire copycats. Multiple groups told HuffPost they have been working closely with lawyers. Several also said they were hiring more full-time staffers in some cases double or triple their previous number to carry a workload that has required new partnerships with more health care providers. Njoku acknowledged that the logistics around the work of abortion funds are now more complex. The Supreme Court, having abandoned its 1973 landmark decision protecting abortion at the national level, transformed the U.S. into a state-by-state patchwork of abortion access practically overnight. People who may otherwise have simply needed help paying for a ride to an abortion clinic now have to cross state lines. So many of our clients many of them have never left their county, let alone crossed state lines, Serra Sippel, interim executive director of the Brigid Alliance, told HuffPost. Some have never flown in an airplane, and are suddenly tasked with organizing and paying for a trip that impacts the course of their lives. The burden of travel translates to higher average costs. Some people are spending every dollar they have just to get to a clinic, making the work of financing abortion care even more critical. It feels often like our broader movement philanthropy, government are not understanding the magnitude of this crisis.Chelsea Williams-Diggs, interim executive director of the New York Abortion Access Fund Brigid Alliance, which focuses on later-term pregnancies, helped one patient who had to travel from Florida to New York. The organization provided $600 for round-trip plane fare, $300 for child care, $450 for a two-night stay at a hotel and $100 for food while traveling a total of $1,450, which did not include the cost of the abortion procedure itself. Typically, abortion funds operate with some combination of individual donations and grants from larger organizations or, post-Dobbs, from local governments. California, for example, announced late last year that it would put $20 million toward a fund that helps people access abortion in the state, even if they come from other states. And Megan Jeyifo, the executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said the group was able to meet increased demand its on track to spend $3 million this year, up from around $600,000 last year thanks in part to support from the city. But other funds are rapidly running dry, even after a spike in donations that followed last summers shock court decision. Chelsea Williams-Diggs, interim executive director of the New York Abortion Access Fund, said the group was now providing about $1,000 per person on average. NYAAF is the only fund in all of New York state, putting immense pressure on Williams-Diggs, the only paid staffer. Eighty percent of their funding comes from donations an unsustainable model that Williams-Diggs says puts the organization on track to run out of money by October. We are in a national crisis and abortion funds across the country are all feeling it, Williams-Diggs told HuffPost. It feels often like our broader movement philanthropy, government are not understanding the magnitude of this crisis. Theyre not understanding just how bad things have gotten and, honestly, how bad things are going to continue to get. The DC Abortion Fund, one of the largest and oldest abortion funds in the country, has been overwhelmed by the increase in callers since Roe fell, said Jade Hurley, the funds communications manager. Like every other fund HuffPost spoke with, it has seen an increase in how much people are spending on average to receive abortion care. DCAFs average pledge per person was $260 before Dobbs, but now its closer to $710 per person a 173% increase. Abortion fund volunteers are increasingly having to prepare callers before they tell them the full cost of obtaining their procedure. Hurley recalled one patient whose full abortion care cost not including travel or lodging was around $25,000. Our funding gap grew exponentially after Dobbs came down, [and] funds like ours found that our funds were drained much quicker, Hurley said. There really is a lack of secure abortion funding in this country right now. And patients are scared. Theyre worried about criminalization and have more concerns about security, Hurley said. Some are afraid theyll be pulled over by police and interrogated about their plans. Case managers at DC Abortion Fund report that its more and more common for callers to cry on the phone. Dreith said she has noticed patients are far more likely to sign up for the first appointment they can find even if its further away out of concern that someone close to them will notice the pregnancy. A lot of times, were the only ones that theyre telling about their decision to have an abortion, Jeyifo said, noting that people are not always aware whether someone in their social circle would support them. Areas like California, New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C, have become safe havens for abortion care for people across the country, and funds in those areas have especially felt the strain of patient demand. Much of the time, abortion is a simple procedure that can be performed in a clinic. But a small number of pregnant people end up needing the resources of a hospital particularly those experiencing pregnancy complications that doctors in their home states are no longer legally permitted to address right away. Seeking abortion care in a hospital drives up the cost. Hospital care makes up just 2% of the Chicago Abortion Funds callers, Jeyifo said, but around 20% of its expenditures. Alison Dreith, partnerships director for the Midwest Access Coalition, said the group doubled the number of clients it helped from 2021 to 2022, and is now on track to set a whole new record, averaging 50 more clients per month than last year. Most of the increase comes from callers in the South, she said. Similarly, around half of callers to the DC Abortion Fund come from Southern states like North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, although the fund caters primarily to patients from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. In the year since Roe was repealed, it has worked with 3,381 callers and given over $2.28 million for abortion care. With previous strongholds like North Carolina and Florida passing ever-stronger abortion bans, Hurley said the fund is bracing for an even bigger influx of callers. As Wilson put it, Republican-led states keep imagining and enacting new, harsher ways to prevent people from ending a pregnancy. Each new law puts additional stress on abortion providers and funds that are often stretched thin just trying to serve their surrounding area. This work is hard, Wilson said. It takes a toll. In New York, NYAAF spent $1.7 million on behalf of 2,000 abortion seekers since the Dobbs decision an increase of over 200% in donations from the year before. Most of their callers are from the area, but NYAAF has served patients from 29 states and Washington, D.C., as well as eight countries. Most of the groups out-of-state callers are coming from places like Texas, Florida and Georgia, Williams-Diggs said. It always feels like theyre on the brink of having to close up. We cannot claim New York as an access state when this entire apparatus feels dependent on a one-staff organization thats running out of money, Williams-Diggs said. That doesnt make sense. And were not unique. Abortion funds across the country are really struggling in this moment. Even those at funds that are more secure wonder about the future. When youre doling out funding in the way that we have to, Jeyifo said, youre not going to have enough one day. And peoples attention is not going to be on this for as long as it takes to fix it. Related... Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington, June 23, 2023. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times) WASHINGTON In a speech one year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, former Vice President Mike Pence challenged the entire 2024 Republican presidential field to support a national abortion ban at 15 weeks, demanding that the party go further than its primary front-runner, former President Donald Trump, has so far been willing to go. Pence issued the call at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, a major two-day evangelical gathering in Washington, D.C., that drew Trumps leading challengers and at the same time showcased the steep climb ahead of them. Trump was a focus of attention for candidates and attendees alike. Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was booed for rebuking the former president for his lack of leadership. Pence settled for drawing contrasts with Trump without naming him. And Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Trumps leading yet still far behind rival in the polls, gave a speech that was well received, in part because he referred to his disagreements with Trump only implicitly. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Everyone is running to bring Trump down, not to be the nominee, said Veronica Steinkirchner, 75, who came to the conference from the Pittsburgh area and supports Trump. If you look at the polls, theyre not going to catch him. DeSantis recently signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida that Trump said some in the anti-abortion movement considered too harsh. Both DeSantis and Pence have seized on that phrase to criticize the former president, though neither did so by name Friday. It was the right thing to do, DeSantis said Friday of signing the law. Dont let anyone tell you it wasnt. It was revealing that some of the loudest cheers at the conference came not for any of Trumps rivals but for Mark Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina who is running for governor and who made a surprise endorsement onstage of the former president. This nation is at war, Robinson said. We need a warrior. Still, the Republican candidates present, including Pence and DeSantis, see abortion as providing an important political opening on Trumps right flank and a chance to appeal to evangelical voters, who are an especially large voting bloc in two of the early-voting states, Iowa and South Carolina. In a sign of the sway Christian conservatives are expected to have in the partys primaries, the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference is the first gathering to draw the top candidates for the Republican nomination to the same event. Seven Republican candidates addressed the crowd in the windowless ballroom of the Washington Hilton on Friday; others will speak Saturday, including Trump, who will headline an evening gala. There is no path to the nomination that doesnt run through the evangelical community, Ralph Reed, who is the chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and a decadeslong fixture on the Christian right, said in an interview. DeSantis, who is Catholic, recently sat for an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, telling him, Our household is a Christ-centered household. He recounted that his son, then 4, had wanted a slingshot for Christmas to be like David slaying Goliath. The long-running tension in Trumps relationship with the evangelical right is between the New York businesspersons personal behavior and the policies he pursued as president. He is both a three-times-married celebrity who was indicted in Manhattan, New York, this year over a hush-money payment to an adult-film actress and a former president who rarely hewed from the policy preferences of conservative evangelical leaders while in office. While Trump has repeatedly taken credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, he has so far resisted embracing a federal ban and has blamed backlash surrounding the abortion issue for some of the partys losses in 2022. Pence, who has sought to position himself as a leading opponent of abortion, pressed that point, declaring, Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard. He told the audience that we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state. Trump has repeatedly avoided taking a clear stance on whether he would support a national abortion ban that would curb access to the procedure even in Democrat-controlled states. In his CNN town hall earlier this year, Trump said he would strike some type of undefined deal on abortion if he returned to the White House. What Ill do is negotiate so people are happy, Trump said at one point. Make a deal thats going to be good, he said at another. At the conference, Trump also received pressure on the issue from supporters, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has endorsed Trump and is the sponsor of a 15-week ban in the Senate. Graham urged all the candidates to support the proposal. I challenge everybody wanting to be the standard-bearer for the Republican Party to be proudly pro-life, Graham said. You should want to talk about this. You need to talk about this. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who has not endorsed in the race yet, told reporters after his own speech Friday that a 15-week ban was a consensus position. The deal ought to be 15 weeks, Hawley said. There, made it easy. While abortion was a dominant topic on the eve of the Dobbs decision anniversary at the evangelical gathering, there was also an intense focus on transgender policies in almost every speech. Pence, who received a polite reception, also spurred cheers when he vowed, We will end the gender ideology that is running rampant in our school. Some of the candidates mixed the messages on abortion and transgender issues. God is real. Unborn life is life. There are two genders, Vivek Ramaswamy, another Republican candidate for president, said in his speech, which received louder applause than some more prominent Republican candidates. But if there were loud cheers for every mention of gender ideology, it was a different story when candidates talked about Trump, including when Christie criticized him for blaming aides for his own shortcomings. That is not leadership, everybody, he said, That is a failure of leadership. The crowd hissed, with some shouting, We love Trump! You can love him all you want, but I can tell you, doing that kind of thing makes our country smaller, Christie retorted. Like many in the crowd, Billy Walkowiak, who is running as a Republican for county commissioner in Gastonia, North Carolina, said he still liked Trumps message. But with all the legal threats facing Trump he was indicted this month for the second time this year and accused of obstruction and of mishandling classified documents Theres a lot of uncertainty of whats going to happen with him. The door for Trumps rivals, Walkowiak said, is ajar. c.2023 The New York Times Company A new poll says 61% of American voters oppose the Supreme Courts decision to roll back abortion rights, signaling the issue will remain a powerful force for Democrats in the coming 2024 election. On the eve of the first anniversary of the top courts controversial ruling, three in five voters disapprove of the justices move to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide, the NBC News poll shows. A whopping 80% of women between 18 and 46 years old say they oppose the ruling, along with two-thirds of all suburban women, a key demographic voting group. Even about a third of Republicans disagree with the decision, which effectively allowed states to regulate abortion or ban it altogether. A CBS News poll found similar results with 57% of voters saying the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs case was bad for the country. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden issued a new executive order Friday aimed at protecting access to birth control, the third such edict in the year since the Supreme Court ruling. The survey results bolster Democrats resolve to use abortion rights as a key issue in the 2024 elections, just as they did in the 2022 midterms, when pro-choice energy helped cap Republican gains in what should have been a #RedWave year. A year after the ruling, voters remain angry about GOP efforts to restrict or ban abortion outright in the roughly half of states that they control. Without a doubt, the issue of abortion will continue to shape our countrys political and electoral landscape moving forward, said pollster Aileen Cardona-Arroyo, who worked on the NBC survey. Opposition to the ruling has even ticked up by a couple of points since the ruling as at least 61 clinics have been forced to close in red states nationwide. Pro-life Republican state legislators are even pushing to ban medication abortion, which enjoys even broader public support than surgical abortion. A conservative federal judge in Texas recently overturned the Food and Drug Administrations approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, even though its been safely used in the U.S. for two decades. If a higher court, also controlled by conservatives, upholds that ruling the ban would apply nationwide, even in blue states like New York where overwhelming majorities support the abortion right. On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill providing legal protection for licensed state medical care providers who send abortion pills to states where abortion is banned. Despite being a clear political loser for them, Republicans continue to press the pro-life cause, with all of the partys presidential candidates supporting the courts rollback of Roe. Top Republican candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence celebrated the ruling at the pro-life Faith & Freedom Coalitions conference Friday, with former President Donald Trump expected to give a keynote address on Saturday. The main dispute on the GOP side is over just how strict the limits on abortion should be, and whether they should apply nationwide or be left to the states, as Republicans themselves had demanded for decades. An An-24 military transport aircraft has crashed in Russias Voronezh Oblast, and a fire broke at an oil depot in the same area. Source: Russian Telegram-based news outlet Baza Quote: "An An-24 aircraft crashed in Voronezh Oblast. It was probably shot down. The plane went down near the village of Kantemirovka. Preliminary reports indicate that at least 3 people were killed." -24 - BAZA pic.twitter.com/C1NveWP6tL (@ukrpravda_news) June 24, 2023 "A major fire at an oil depot in Voronezh. What caused the fire is still unknown." Background: Reuters, citing a source in the Russian secret services, reported that mercenaries of the Wagner PMC had seized military facilities in the Russian city of Voronezh. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! This old Belfast-built Skyvan PA-51 cargo plane was used by Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship for "death flights" (WALTER MONTEROS) A cargo plane used by military henchmen during Argentina's "dirty war" to fly leftists over the ocean and push them to their deaths has been brought back to the country, where it may go on display in a museum on the horrors of dictatorship. The Belfast-built Skyvan PA-51 cargo plane landed in Buenos Aires on Saturday, AFP confirmed, after sleuths traced it to the United States, where for much of the last decade it had been ferrying skydivers with few aware of its gruesome history. An official ceremony on Monday will mark the plane's return, amid a push to exhibit it at the Museum of Memory dedicated to victims of the rightist military regime that convulsed the country from 1976 until 1983. Flight records and other documentation show that a military crew took the aircraft up on the night of December 14, 1977. Among those aboard, bound and drugged, were three members of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group that protested the disappearance of their children by the military, two French nuns and seven other people. All were shoved out the door of the aircraft into Atlantic waters. "The plane is something dark for us, but having found and identified it, we cannot allow it to continue flying," Mabel Careaga, one of the promoters of the repatriation of the aircraft that belonged to the Naval Prefecture, told AFP. Careaga is the daughter of Esther Ballestrino, who was thrown into the ocean from the plane, along with the other founders of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, Azucena Villaflor and Maria Ponce. "It is too horrifying to imagine my mother there," says Careaga, who together with Cecilia de Vicenti, 62, Villaflor's daughter, hopes the aircraft will be exhibited on the grounds of the Navy Mechanics School in Buenos Aires, the site of a clandestine death camp where some 5,000 prisoners were held and which today is the Museum of Memory. The initiative has the support of the government but some human rights organizations object, saying it's too gruesome. "The airplane is part of the story, which is painful, but it has to be told as it was," De Vicenti said. All the victims of that flight were singled out by a former sailor, Alfredo Astiz, who infiltrated the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. He's now serving life in prison. - 'An appalling thing' - A survivor of the Navy Mechanics School, journalist Miriam Lewin, helped launch the campaign to comb military flight records to reveal the history of the "death flights." The premise, she said, was "if there were 'death flights,' there had to be airplanes." The group located six aircraft mentioned by former navy officer Adolfo Scilingo, the first to admit having participated in the "death flights." In 2005, Scilingo was convicted in Spain for crimes against humanity and is serving a 30-year jail term. Three of the aircraft were in Argentina but beyond salvage. "Of the other three, the most accessible was in Miami. Another paradoxically was in the hands of the British armed forces and the last was in Luxembourg," Lewin said. The Florida plane was the Skyvan PA-51 that operated that fateful December 14, 1977, flight. In 2007, it was used to transport mail between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas. Commercial pilot and film director Enrique Pineyro studied the flight logs and found 10 to 15 suspicious entries. He took the records to prosecutors. "The aircraft is... six, seven meters (20 to 23 feet) long. There, they piled up all the bodies half anesthetized with pentothal," Pineyro told AFP. "It is an appalling thing. When you look at that box, that plane, you say: 'My God, what this must have been like.'" Some 30,000 people disappeared during the Argentine military's "dirty war" against leftist subversion. The Skyvan aircraft made some 200 unexplained night-time flights between 1976 and 1978, according to Naval Prefecture records. Military officials sought to obliterate all trace of those taken on the flights. But that December 1977 night, strong winds blew the bodies of five of the victims to the shoreline. Forensic specialists determined they had suffered fractures corresponding to falls from a great height. The bodies were buried in a common grave south of Buenos Aires but exhumed and positively identified in 2005. ls/sa/nn/cjc/tjj/acb Alito said Dobbs would lower the temperature. Instead, it fanned the flames of abortion extremism. When the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion a year ago, Justice Samuel Alito suggested that returning the issue to lawmakers might alleviate extremism on both sides of the issue. Roe v. Wade and other rulings protecting abortion, Alito wrote, had enflamed debate, deepened division, and prevented a national settlement of the abortion issue. But one year later, abortion-related crime seems to be on the rise. The Justice Department is prosecuting a record number of abortion opponents with abortion-related crimes, including arson and clinic blockades, according to data from the Prosecution Project, a nonpartisan organization that tracks and analyzes federal criminal cases related to political violence. In the year since the Dobbs decision, at least 30 abortion opponents have been charged federally with such crimes a dramatic increase from just four people who were charged in 2021. The 30 post-Dobbs federal defendants represent nearly a third of all people charged with abortion-related federal crimes over the past three decades, according to the projects data. At the same time and perhaps for the first time DOJ has also charged a few supporters of abortion rights with some of the same conduct that was traditionally associated with the anti-abortion fringe. Before this year, the Prosecution Project (which is sponsored financially by the Peace and Justice Studies Association at Georgetown University) found zero federal abortion-related charges against abortion rights advocates. But since last June, six supporters of abortion rights have been charged. One was accused of firebombing an anti-abortion group. Four were accused of vandalism. And one allegedly tried to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The vast majority of federal prosecutions identified by the Prosecution Project involve crimes against abortion providers. Yet the FBI says that most of its abortion-related domestic terrorism probes involve crimes against anti-abortion groups. Some Republicans argue this apparent disparity between investigations and charges means federal prosecutors are being more aggressive about prosecuting extremism on the right. Theres a double standard at the Justice Department, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the head of the House Judiciary Committee, told POLITICO. I dont mean to be saying the same thing we always say, but it further confirms theres a double standard. But some experts say the comparatively large number of prosecutions of abortion foes rightly reflects the greatest threats. Rita Katz, the head of SITE Intelligence Group, made that case. Her group tracks terrorism threats and shares information with law enforcement agencies. For the far right, the Roe v. Wade overturn was never a signal to sit back and bask in victory, she told POLITICO. It was a green light to inject more vigilantism and violence into their culture wars, which is why it seems they are carrying out more anti-abortion attacks now than they did pre-Dobbs, per these numbers. They believe they can do whatever they want now. Attacks unfold On May 3, 2022, POLITICO reported that the Supreme Court had voted privately to overturn Roe v. Wade. The disclosure sparked immediate outcry and public protests from abortion rights supporters and, in some corners, more militant acts. Within days, dozens of so-called crisis pregnancy centers organizations that oppose abortion and have been criticized for misleading pregnant patients were sprayed with graffiti reading some version of the message, If abortion isnt safe, then you arent either. A group known as Janes Revenge which The Atlantic called both a pro-abortion rights group and a prominent bogeyman on social media took credit for a spate of attacks. At least seven buildings housing these centers were targeted for arson or firebombing, according to the FBI, which offered $25,000 for information leading to identification of any suspects. Arsonists also targeted at least two other buildings housing anti-abortion political groups, according to the same FBI material. Decapitated animal bodies were left outside one anti-abortion pregnancy center in Orlando, according to a local report. And in a particularly ugly episode, a 75-year-old man in Michigan shot an 84-year-old woman who came to his door advocating against abortion rights, as the Associated Press detailed. The woman received medical treatment, and the man was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Meanwhile, attacks on abortion facilities in a decades-long pattern of violence continued. Just last week, the Justice Department charged two men, including an active-duty Marine, with firebombing a California Planned Parenthood clinic. The National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers, has tracked attacks on its members facilities for decades. Its 2022 report showed that burglaries tripled in the year Dobbs was decided: from 13 in 2021 to 43 in 2022. Since the group started tracking burglaries in 1977, only 2016 had more, with 66. Stalking also skyrocketed, from 28 episodes in 2021 to 92 in 2022. There were also four arsons in 2022 (compared with two in 2021 and five in 2020). Another threat also materialized: For the first time in more than a decade, facilities reported receiving suspicious envelopes containing a white powdery substance, the report reads. Abortion providers received four total mailings in 2022, three of which came after the Dobbs news. In the same stretch of time, some types of anti-abortion crimes dropped. There were fewer than half as many instances of trespassing in 2022 than there were in 2021 395 instances, compared to 977. The group attributes this in part to the fact that dozens of clinics closed after Dobbs. Melissa Fowler, the chief program officer at the National Abortion Federation, said anti-abortion activists sometimes use social media while harassing providers. We see people livestream themselves invading clinics, she said. They use social media to plan invasions, to invite other people to attend, and to boast about their activities. But I think all of it is really part of this environment where people are really emboldened. This year, she added, the threats have persisted. We know that these activities are continuing and people are being harassed and things are continuing to feel really intense, she said. The feds respond As the threats unfolded in 2022, the FBI opened 28 abortion-related domestic terrorism investigations more than the four prior years combined, according to the Justice Department. An FBI spokesperson told POLITICO that 70 percent of those probes involve attacks on institutions that oppose abortion rights. More than two thirds of the FBIs FACE Act or abortion-related domestic terrorism assessments and investigations involve some type of offense against a pro-life facility or a religious institution, the spokesperson said, referring to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a 1994 federal law that protects access to reproductive health facilities. At the FBI, the focus is on violence and threats of violence, the spokesperson added. The FBI will vigorously pursue investigations into violence or threats of violence, regardless of ideology. Most of the Justice Departments prosecutions charge people for crimes against abortion providers and facilities. At least four people, including the Marine, have faced arson charges for targeting abortion clinics. And more than two dozen people have been charged with violating the FACE Act by blockading the entrances to abortion clinics. In the wake of the ruling, the Justice Department created a task force focused on protecting abortion rights and access. The Dobbs decision was and is devastating for people and communities across this country, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta told POLITICO in a statement. We established the Reproductive Rights Task Force to bring a whole-of-department approach to protecting access to reproductive health care. And we remain committed to utilizing every tool at our disposal to protect reproductive freedoms in the days ahead. Theres been a significant change since Dobbs in how the Justice Department prosecutes abortion-related crime: For the first time, DOJ has used the FACE Act a law previously used only to protect facilities that provide abortions to prosecute people who vandalized pregnancy centers opposed to abortion. Prosecutors charged four people in Florida with violating the statute by vandalizing several centers. This new use of the FACE Act came with support from the top of DOJ; Kristen Clarke, the head of the departments Civil Rights Division, joined a U.S. attorney and a top FBI official to announce the charges. The move has drawn criticism from people who support abortion rights. The history of reproductive healthcare in the US, especially that involving abortion, is a story of undue violence, threats, and intimidation targeting health care workers and volunteers, said Michael Loadenthal, the head of the Prosecution Project. Given this history and the need to protect providers, it is concerning to see the FACE Act designed to ensure safe access to health care used to prosecute individuals accused of vandalizing a site whose function is to muddy the waters for those seeking to terminate a pregnancy or explore their reproductive health care options. Meanwhile, Jordan and other Republicans say the Justice Department isnt doing nearly enough to combat abortion-related extremism on the left. The stark discrepancy between the number of investigations into attacks on pro-life centers and the lack of legal action taken further confirms the bias against pro-lifers at the DOJ and FBI, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the vice chair of the House Republican Conference, said. Amazon plans to more than double its investment in India in the next seven years, the e-commerce group said, joining a roster of other high-profile American giants ramping up commitment to the South Asian market after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week. The e-commerce group has invested about $11 billion in India to date and plans to pour $15 billion more by 2030, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Friday. The vast majority of the new capital is likely earmarked for AWS expansion in India. The company said last month that it plans to invest $12.7 billion into its cloud business in the South Asian nation by 2030. Productive meeting with Prime Minister @NarendraModi. Discussed Amazons commitment to invest $26B in India by 2030; working together we will support startups, create jobs, enable exports, and empower individuals and small businesses to compete globally. pic.twitter.com/yEgy0TVqpK Andy Jassy (@ajassy) June 23, 2023 India is a key overseas market for Amazon, even as the firm has closed many businesses in the country in recent quarters. Walmart, Amazons global rival, has also spent over $2.5 billion in India this year. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Friday that the company will open a global fintech operation center in GIFT city (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) in the state of Gujarat. Modi's visit to the U.S. has attracted a number of other high-profile commitments this week. U.S. memory chip firm Micron said it will invest up to $825 million in its first DRAM and NAND assembly and test facility in India, whereas Applied Materials pledged to invest $400 million over four years in a new engineering center in the country. Another lithium-ion battery fire at Manhattan e-bike shop as workers clean site of deadly Chinatown blaze that killed four Residents of Manhattans Chinatown were rattled again Saturday when a fire blew the lid off a barrel filled with lithium ion batteries outside the e-bike business where a raging blaze left four people dead. No one was injured in the blast, which happened as contractors hired by the city were removing the dangerous batteries outside the HQ E-Bike Repair at 80 Madison Ave. around 12:30 p.m., said FDNY spokesman Jim Long. An eyewitnesses said the barrel lid popped three stories into the air before landing as the cleanup from Tuesdays deadly fire continued. Authorities later placed the removal of batteries on hold until further notice. I heard the explosion, said Thiy Alsaidi, who works at a nearby deli. Its the third time the fire reignited. Its very dangerous. I was really scared. Its a dangerous scenario. The fire began as the barrel was loaded onto a truck, with pressure likely created by lingering heat from the batteries blamed for the incident that brought 20 firefighters to the scene, officials said. The FDNY quickly doused the blaze before spraying down the other barrels to prevent any further problems. Similar fires occurred there on Thursday and Friday. There shouldnt be e-bike stores in residential neighborhoods, said one unnerved local man. They way they run these stores should be regulated ... Thats really scary. Firefighters on the scene were drilling holes into the remaining barrels to decrease the pressure and prevent a recurrence. Four Chinatown residents were killed early Tuesday after the 12:15 a.m. e-bike fire tore through the repair shop previously cited for unsafe conditions. Two senior citizens were severely injured but expected to recover from injuries they suffered in the blaze, which began inside the business on the ground floor of of the six-story retail and residential building. HQ E-Bike Repair was targeted twice by authorities since 2021 and fined $1,600 last year for violations including charging batteries stacked alongside one another and plugged into extension cords. According to city officials, 13 New Yorkers were killed and another 71 injured in lithium ion battery fires so far this year. In contrast, only four deaths were linked to the batteries in 2021. Ten other e-bike shops were cited in the last week, with four inspected after calls to the 311 hotline. In the Tuesday fire, flames and billowing smoke quickly spread through the building above the business, with panicked residents fleeing into the darkness outside. Its very shocking, very nerve-wracking, said a local man after the Saturday scare. Theres so many barrels with batteries in them. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) issued an executive order Friday banning the states 15 county attorneys from prosecuting abortion-related crimes. The move centralizes prosecution power with the states Attorney General Kris Mayes, who, like Hobbs, campaigned for office last year on protecting abortion rights. I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental right Arizonans have to make decisions about their own bodies and futures. I will continue to fight to expand access to safe and legal abortion in any way that I can, Hobbs said in a statement Friday. The executive order applies to all future and pending county-level prosecutions related to any state law restricting abortion access. In Arizona, abortion is banned at 15 weeks under a measure that Hobbs Republican predecessor Doug Ducey signed into law in March 2022. The executive order does a number of other things, including barring Arizona authorities from extraditing people to other states for alleged abortion law violations that are legal in Arizona and establishing an advisory council on reproductive freedom with members appointed by Hobbs. Republicans quickly pushed back on Hobbs efforts. At a minimum, this order shows disrespect and contempt for the judiciary. Arizonas abortion laws are still in litigation in light of the Supreme Courts historic Dobbs ruling, state House Speaker Ben Toma (R) said in a press statement. The governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizonas 15 county attorneys to the attorney general. Abortion opponents in Arizona are currently trying to revive an outright abortion ban originally written in 1864 by asking the Arizona Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that the states 15-week ban supersedes the more extreme one from nearly 160 years ago. Related... Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona delivers her State of the State address, flanked by Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, left, and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, right, at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an order blocking county attorneys from prosecuting abortion-related cases. Hobbs has shifted the authority of such cases to the Arizona attorney general's office. Local Republican prosecutors in the state have decried the move, with some mulling legal action. Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona on Friday signed an executive order that bars local prosecutors from pursuing abortion-related crimes, a move that seeks to fortify abortion rights in the politically-competitive swing state. In the executive order, the Democratic governor has stripped the authority of prosecutors and subsequently shifted powers to the state's attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes. The governor's office contends that centralizing the prosecutorial authority with the attorney general would prevent one jurisdiction from interpreting the law in ways that might be vastly different from that of another locality. "I signed an Executive Order protecting Arizonans' reproductive freedom," Hobbs tweeted on Friday. "I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental rights of Arizonans." Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) June 23, 2023 "I have directed state agencies to not assist in any investigations relating to providing, assisting, seeking or obtaining reproductive health care that would be legal in Arizona," she continued. "Moving forward, Arizona will decline extradition requests from other states seeking to prosecute individuals who provide, assist, seek or receive abortion services legal in Arizona." Hobbs' move was praised by abortion-rights activists and groups, including Planned Parenthood of Arizona. After the US Supreme Court last June overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, the issue of abortion has returned to the states, with has led to a hodgepodge of strict rules and bans that have been put into place in Republican-heavy states while many Democratic-leaning states have put into place laws that maintain access to abortion services. However, several Republican prosecutors in Arizona have criticized the move while they continue to review the document, with some floating the possibility of a lawsuit to block the governor's order. "Is she going to say I can't prosecute drugs or homicide cases?" Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer told The New York Times. "For the governor to take that authority from me and say, 'We're going to outsource that to the big city' that's highly problematic." While speaking with The Times, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell blasted Hobbs' move as "outrageous." The Arizona legislature is still controlled by Republicans, with Hobbs serving as a check on any conservative legislation that comes to her desk. During Hobbs' gubernatorial campaign last year, she vowed to protect abortion rights, so the order represents one of her most realistic opportunities to make good on that promise, given the current political makeup of the state. Read the original article on Business Insider Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D). Carmen Mandato/Getty Images Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed an executive order on Friday that effectively stops county attorney generals in the state from prosecuting abortion cases. The order strips the power of Arizona's 15 county attorney generals from prosecuting any abortion-related crimes. The order gives Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, sole discretion "over criminal prosecutions of medical providers, other entities, or individuals for violations of Arizona's abortion statutes," Axios reported. Hobbs' order also took additional steps to protect abortion rights in Arizona, including barring state agencies from assisting with criminal abortion investigations, as well as the blocking of extraditions to other states for abortion violations that wouldn't be illegal in Arizona. Hobbs also established a Council on Protecting Reproductive Freedom to "expand access to sexual and reproductive freedom health care in Arizona." "I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental rights of Arizonans," Hobbs wrote in a tweet announcing the order. She added that the consolidation of prosecuting powers under Mayes will help to "ensure differences in application of the law by county attorneys do not restrict access to legal abortions." Mayes released a statement saying that "Arizona has leaders that are committed to clarity and sanity." She added that "anti-abortion extremists will stop at nothing in their attempts to impose their radical beliefs on the rest of the country. I don't accept that." The order was signed nearly a year to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, bringing the issue of abortion rights back to individual states. It comes as pro-choice activists continue to campaign for additional protections in Arizona. A state appeals court overturned an abortion ban throughout Arizona in December 2022, in a case that also protects doctors who perform abortions. The case is pending before the Arizona Supreme Court. You may also like Problematic Ford Explorer recall prompts federal investigation James Cameron says Titan submersible was 'critically flawed' Arizona governor bars county attorney generals from prosecuting abortion cases Photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following the statement made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are being set up at entrances to Moscow. Source: Meduza; Rostov media outlet 161.ru; Russian Telegram channels; BBC Russian Service Details: Sources of the Rostov outlet 161.ru confirm that Operation Fortress has been announced in Rostov Oblast: "There is an order to bring the entire staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Guard to combat-readiness and to strengthen the posts on the border with the LPR and the DPR [Luhansk and Donetsk Peoples Republics]." 161.ru has also posted photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of Rostov-on-Don. According to sources of the media outlet Vot Tak, conscripts are being armed in Rostov Oblast following Prigozhin's statement: "I am in the reserve, my 30 people have already been sent to get their armour [receive equipment Vot Tak]. They are getting armour and weapons, and waiting for armoured personnel carriers." Another source from a Russian border unit has confirmed the information about the arming of personnel. However, both servicemen insisted that they do not understand exactly what they are being prepared for and what exactly is happening. Their command has not given them any explanation. Prigozhin said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had flown to Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to eliminate the mercenaries. According to him, 25,000 of his mercenaries are going to "restore justice". He is also asking people not to call this a "military coup". In addition, Russian media outlets are reporting that security forces have been put on high alert in the city of Moscow. Astra, citing sources, says that employees of law enforcement agencies in Moscow have received an order to "keep in touch with everyone, don't go anywhere." According to the BBC, the FSB (Federal Security Service), supported by Special Rapid Response units of the National Guard, have set up checkpoints on the Don highway (the Moscow Voronezh Rostov-on-Don road). Those on duty there have been ordered to open fire "in the event of a threat". Vehicles are on standby, but the unit has not yet received an order to advance. Several other media outlets have added that Operation Fortress, a plan to protect Interior Ministry facilities, is being implemented in Moscow. The exact actions that personnel are to take under this plan are a state secret, but it is openly known that the entrances and exits to the Interior Ministry building are blocked. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin added that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has now fled Rostov like a coward and "that creature will be stopped". Russias Ministry of Defence called this statement a provocation. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been informed of the conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister. A criminal case is being brought against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Prigozhin has criticised Shoigu and the General Staff for the failure of the hostilities, stating that Ukraine had not planned to attack Donbas in 2022. He said that Russian officials wanted to use the war to promote themselves and the oligarchs wanted to make money. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ascension Via Christi has told St. Francis and St. Joseph nurses who have planned a one-day strike on Tuesday that, if they dont work that day, they will not be able to work again until July 1. The same goes for nurses who werent already scheduled to work that day. Ascension told the nurses and also their counterparts who are also striking at a hospital in Austin, Texas that the company is contractually required to hire replacement registered nurses for at least four days. The nurses, who are in the middle of negotiating their first-ever contract with the health care giant after unionizing, say it is a scare tactic. Management absolutely does not have to extend this strike for an additional three days with a lockout, Whitney Steinike, a registered nurse at the St. Joseph adolescent psychiatric unit, said in a news release. But they seem to think itll scare the nurses if they threaten to, but all this truly confirms is the power our organizing is building to make our hospitals better. In the union news release, Shelly Rader, a registered nurse in the St. Francis emergency room, said the extra three days is forcing nurses away from patients in the same way Ascension is forcing nurses away from the bedside every day with their mismanagement of our hospitals. Ascension declined to say who it is contracting with or provide a copy of the contract. Representatives also referred any statement to what was in the June 16 email nurses received. The email went out the day after the National Nurses Organizing Commission announced the one-day strike. The NNOC, an affiliate of the National Nurses United, the countrys largest registered nurses union, said in the news release that four-day lockout is a ploy to intimidate nurses from speaking out and demanding action on the conditions they decided to strike over. Ascension said it would have preferred not to use the contracted services. Ascension Via Christi would prefer not to have to utilize these extended contracted services, particularly given the current challenges the healthcare industry, including our ministry, is facing, but we must make every provision for ensuring the health and safety of our patients, families, providers and associates, the email said. Nurses were told they would have to notify management by Friday if they intended to work the day of the strike. If they work, they will also be able to work their normal schedule during that four days. Ascension also said the strike is disconcerting and disappointing given that there have only been five contract negotiation meetings with St. Francis and one with St. Joseph. Ascension has previously said there were other meetings scheduled through August. The NNOC says it represents more than 650 nurses at St. Francis. In different news releases, the NNOC has said it represents 300 and then over 350 at St. Joseph. St. Joseph nurses voted in March, a few months after St. Francis voted, in favor of joining the NNOC. The unionizing comes amid a nationwide shortage of nurses. Ascension is a Catholic, not-for-profit health care system. Ascension is one of the largest health care systems in the country, with roughly 139,000 employees and hospitals in about 19 states. In December, a New York Times investigation into Ascension found the staffing shortages at its hospitals were caused by years of staffing cuts in order to increase profits. (Bloomberg) -- Australia placed sanctions on three individuals involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, after two were convicted in the Hague late last year for the attack that killed all 298 people on board. Most Read from Bloomberg The financial sanctions and travel bans target Russian Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty in 2022 alongside a third perpetrator, Igor Girkin, who was previously sanctioned by Australia in 2014 for supporting separatist activity in eastern Ukraine. Australia also sanctioned Russian Armed Forces colonel Sergey Muchkaev, whose unit supplied the Buk-TELAR missile that downed Flight MH17, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Saturday. The three people sanctioned today actively supported actions and policies that threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Wong said. Working closely with our partners, in particular the Netherlands, Australia is steadfast in our commitment to seek truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17. Most of the victims of the flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch citizens. The Netherlands has held Russia liable for the incident on July 17, 2014, after a multi-year probe by a five-country investigation team concluded that the missile that downed the plane belonged to Russias 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade in Kursk. Ukraine has accused Russia-backed separatists in its east of shooting down the plane. Embassy Standoff The sanctions come as the Australian government faces a standoff over the site of Moscows proposed new embassy in Canberra, with local media reporting a Russian diplomat is squatting on the land despite the lease being canceled. An unidentified Russian diplomat has been living for several days in a portable building on the land previously held by Moscow, The Australian newspaper reported, adding that the man couldnt be evicted as he holds diplomatic immunity. A Russian embassy spokesman declined to comment about the diplomat when contacted Friday by Bloomberg News. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced earlier this month that he was canceling Russias lease because of security risks arising from the sites proximity to parliament. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 15 that Australia was engaging in Russophobic hysteria in canceling the lease, the state-run TASS news agency reported, adding there may be reciprocal actions taken by Moscow. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Bangladesh police escort Shamin Mahfuz (second left) and his wife (second right) after his arrest in the capital Dhaka (Munir uz zaman) Bangladesh police have arrested the leader of an Islamist organisation at his hideout in Dhaka, officers said Saturday, months after the launch of a crackdown against the group. Shamin Mahfuz, the founder of Jamaat al Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya, is accused of helping to run militant training camps in the country's restive Chittagong Hill Tracts. Police said Mahfuz was arrested late Friday along with his wife in an industrial suburb of the capital, where they were found with a pistol, explosives and bomb-making materials. "An anti-terrorism case has been filed against Mahfuz. We seek 10 days of remand to question him," Mohammad Asaduzzaman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism unit told reporters. Lawyers for Mahfuz could not be reached for comment. Asaduzzaman said the Sharqiya founder had first been detained in 2014 and came into contact with other outlawed extremist groups while in prison. He said Mahfuz had brokered a deal for the organisation to use training camps run by the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), a mainly Christian tribal insurgent group. Last October the country's elite Rapid Action Battalion security force said it had launched an assault on KNF and Sharqiya encampments in three remote hill towns near the Indian border, arresting dozens of people. The crackdown forced hundreds of villagers to flee across the border and take refuge in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram. Fresh clashes between the KNF and the Bangladesh military killed at least five soldiers in the last four months, the army has said. The KNF rejected any connections with Sharqiya in a Facebook post last year. Bangladesh security forces launched a nationwide drive against Islamist extremists last decade after a series of high-profile terror attacks that killed nearly a dozen atheist writers, secular and gay activists and minorities. In the deadliest incident, members of an Islamic State-linked group killed 22 civilians including 17 foreigners during a siege at an upmarket restaurant in Dhaka in 2016. Bangladesh police shot dead more than 100 people in nationwide raids on extremist hideouts and arrested thousands of alleged members of extremist groups. mma/sa/gle/leg Behind-the-scenes look at construction inside Sumner Tunnel as 8-week closure begins We are getting a behind-the-scenes look at a $160 million renovation project happening inside the Sumner Tunnel. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, and other elected officials joined the media in a tour inside the tunnel. The Sumner Tunnel was one of the first tunnels in Massachusetts for car travel, one of the oldest tunnels in the country at nearly 100 years old, and its due for a major restoration and renovation, said Driscoll. The Sumner Tunnel will be closed for construction from July 5 to August 31. During that time, crews will replace the ceiling of the tunnel, update the lighting and communications systems, and install new cameras and radio systems, among other things. Gulliver said 40,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel daily. Now, they are encouraging those drivers to utilize other modes of transportation whenever possible. There will be free Blue Line service for riders coming from north of Boston, discounted Commuter Rail rates along the North Shore, and expanded ferry service from East Boston, the Seaport, Lynn, Winthrop, and Salem. We are really hoping that people will get out of the cars, ditch that drive, and like it, Driscoll said. Maybe they will stay using the commuter rail or public transportation even afterwards. While traffic is expected to worsen all throughout Boston, it will be especially backed up for drivers headed to and from Logan Airport. During the shutdown, Massport officials are encouraging people to leave for their flight four hours before boarding. This suggestion is based on the usual recommendation that passengers arrive at the airport two hours before their flight, then add an additional two hours for expected backups getting to the airport. They are also urging people to consider taking public transportation to Logan. To accommodate that, there will be free service on the blue and silver lines and more capacity on the Logan Express buses. Our advice to drivers, especially if youre going to the airport or if you have a time-critical appointment, is really give yourself as much time as possible, Gulliver said. MassDOT officials said the Sumner Tunnel will have to close again next summer likely for another two months -- for the next phase of the repair project to replace the driving surface. Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Behind-the-scenes look of construction inside Sumner Tunnel ahead of 8-week closure Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Belarus expressed support for Russia amid the armed uprising from the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group on Saturday. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has led his fighters from Ukraine into Russian territory following a breakdown in the relationship between his group and the Russian military. Prigozhin said the group intends to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom he blames for the way the war in Ukraine is being carried out, from power. Prigozhin has said Wagner has reached the town of Rostov-on-Don, where the military headquarters for Russias southern region is located. The headquarters oversees the Russian war effort against Ukraine. The Security Council of Belarus said in a statement that Belarus is remaining an ally of Russia as the Wagner Group appears to be making its way toward Moscow. Belarusians and Russians are fraternal peoples, our states are bound by a political union. And we cannot remain aloof from the events that are taking place in the south of Russia, the statement reads. The council said any provocation or internal conflict will be a gift to the West, even if Western countries are not responsible for it starting. It said the conflict could cause disaster, as has happened before in Russian history. The council said the rebellion is not worth the consequences and called for a voice of reason to settle the conflict. In this difficult time, everyone who is today involved in an unacceptable confrontation within a military brotherhood united for their own purposes is needed where the future of the Slavic world, the fate of millions of our people is being decided. The Belarusian people have always been and will be with Russia, the council said. Meanwhile, Ramzan Kadyrov, who leads the Chechen Republic in southern Russia, said his paramilitary forces were prepared to help stop the rebellion using intense methods if needed. He said Chechen troops are moving into zones of tension and would defend Russian troops. Kadyrov had joined in Prigozhins criticisms of top Russian military leaders over how the war in Ukraine was being conducted, but he has distanced himself from Prigozhins sharp attacks on the Russian Defense Ministry recently. The Kremlin also reported in a Telegram post that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express full support for the steps Moscow has taken in response to the rebellion. Putin had declared his support for Erdogans government during a failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Turkey has been in a critical position throughout the war between Russia and Ukraine as a member of NATO. While most of the alliances members are supporting Ukraine, Turkey has maintained its ties to Russia and refrained from imposing sanctions on the country. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. MOSCOW (Reuters) - The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday that he had brokered a deal with mutinous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin who had agreed to de-escalate the situation. The announcement, carried on the official Telegram channel of the Belarusian presidency, said Prigozhin had agreed to halt the further movement of Wagner fighters across Russia. Prigozhin said later on Saturday that he had ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed. The Kremlin later confirmed a deal had been struck and that Prigozhin would have all charges against him dropped and move to Belarus. "The president of Belarus, having further clarified the situation through his own available channels, held talks with the head of the Wagner PMC (private military company), Yevgeny Prigozhin, in coordination with the President of Russia," the Belarusian statement said. "The talks lasted for an entire day. As a result, they came to an agreement on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloodbath on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the offer of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of Wagner's armed men on Russian territory and to take further steps to de-escalate tensions." (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn) A 22-year-old Belleville man surrendered to police Wednesday and has been charged in connection with a bank robbery on June 13 on Carlyle Avenue in Belleville, police said. Nathaniel A. Holmes Jr. was charged Friday with financial institution robbery and aggravated robbery indicating a firearm, according to the Belleville Police Department and St. Clair County court records. On June 13, a man entered the Bank of America at 1911 Carlyle Ave. and handed a note to a teller demanding money and indicating that he was armed, according to a release earlier this month from the FBI office in Springfield. The man fled with an undisclosed amount of money and headed west on Carlyle Avenue in a black four-door Hyundai sedan with tinted windows and a missing front license plate. No injuries were reported in the robbery. Belleville police officers, working in conjunction with the FBI, turned the case over to the St. Clair County States Attorneys office for review late Thursday afternoon, the Belleville Police Department said in a news release. Holmes bond was set at $175,000. St. Clair County online records do not list a defense attorney for Holmes. As humans, we seek to explore the unknown. This motivation, propelled by curiosity and the quest for knowledge, is why we venture beyond the familiar spaces of our everyday lives. The beginning of humanity was marked by migration. Many early humans began their trek out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, eventually settling in just about every corner of the planet. Different cultures carved and built boats to cross Earths oceans and reach distant lands. Over time, human ingenuity has taken us to the most far-flung destinations even to the moon. So often, exploration is connected with awe and discovery. But the tragic deaths of five people on a Titanic-bound submersible this week served as a difficult, poignant reminder that such undertakings are not without risk. Ocean secrets A bioluminescent jellyfish is shown in an image taken during exploration of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. - NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration/AP The deep ocean is an alien landscape that scientists have only just begun to understand. Miles beneath the waves, the seafloor is home to life that doesnt exist anywhere else on the planet, including organisms that glow with bioluminescence and cluster around hydrothermal vents for food and energy. Only an estimated 20% of the seabed has been mapped so far, and humans have spent more time on the moons surface than exploring the wonders of Challenger Deep, the deepest known point of Earths ocean floor. So much remains to be explored because reaching the bottom of the ocean is an incredibly difficult task. Deep-sea vessels must be able to navigate intense darkness, pressure, cold temperatures and challenging terrain. But the ocean depths have much to offer, including lifesaving compounds and the secrets of how life on Earth evolved. Solar update The event is nearly 10 months away, but people are already anticipating the total solar eclipse that will pass over Mexico, the US and Canada on April 8, 2024. For those able to be within the path of totality, the moon will completely block the face of the sun, turning daytime surroundings into night for a few minutes. While the eclipse presents a celestial spectacle for many, researchers are taking advantage of the opportunity to study the sun and its hot outer atmosphere, called the corona. Scientists plan to chase the eclipse using high-altitude research planes and capture images from 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) above Earths surface. We are family The Trumpington Cross found at the burial site was believed to have been unearthed for the first time since the seventh century. - University of Cambridge When a teenage Anglo-Saxon girl died in England about 1,300 years ago, she was laid to rest in a way that suggested she was an aristocrat or royalty. Her grave was uncovered in 2012 near the village of Trumpington, but researchers are still trying to unravel the mysteries surrounding her identity. So far, chemical analysis of her bones has helped UK researchers determine that she traveled to England from the Alps in what is now southern Germany sometime in the seventh century. She was buried with a rare gold and garnet-encrusted cross. Now, a forensic artist has created a facial reconstruction that seemingly allows us to meet someone from the past. A long time ago Abortion hasnt always been the controversial quagmire of conflicting opinions, politics and legalities that it is today. Instead, the practice was more common than people might think in premodern times, appearing in Greek plays, on Roman coins, within the medieval biographies of saints and inside Victorian pamphlets. The first known written references about abortion appeared in a 3,500-year-old Egyptian papyrus, and the medical text included instructions. Across time, different plants were associated with ending unwanted pregnancies. The first recorded extinction in world history was traced to such a plant, which disappeared due to its value, in ancient Rome. Across the universe The Geminid meteor shower streaks across the night sky over the Lhasa River in Tibet on December 14, 2022. - Jiang Feibo/China News Service/Getty Images On the cold, clear nights of mid-December, glowing yellow meteors can usually be seen streaking across the sky. Astronomers consider the Geminid meteor shower to be one of the scintillating highlights of the year, but the origin of the shower has posed a bit of a cosmic mystery. Rather than a comet, the celestial event seems to stem from an odd type of asteroid. Now, NASAs Parker Solar Probe has shed more light on the initial cause of the shower: a sudden collision between space rocks. Meanwhile, an international team of researchers searching for the source of a gamma-ray burst traced it back to an ancient galaxy, where an unusual clashing of stars appears to have sent the bright light jetting across the cosmos. Curiosities These intriguing stories may catch your eye: Thousands of snails recently flew from England to Bermuda, complete with a tasty in-flight meal, as part of a critical quest to save an entire species. A glowing green light spotted on Jupiter turned out to be a lightning bolt within a swirling vortex, and NASAs Juno spacecraft captured the phenomenon on camera. Lines, swirls and dots found on the walls of a cave in France are believed to be the oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals. A 3,000-year-old octagonal sword uncovered by archaeologists in Germany is so well-preserved that the rare artifact is still gleaming. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com World leaders and foreign ministers weighed in on the news that the mercenary Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, have started a march towards Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to crush any rebellion. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team this morning about the latest developments in Russia, according to a White House spokesperson. Participants included National Security Advisor Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, and U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The President and Vice President will continue to be briefed throughout the day, the spokesperson added. Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine. Blinken tweeted on Saturday, "Spoke today with G7 Foreign Ministers and the E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop." WAGNER GROUP: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RUSSIAN MERCENARY GROUP IN UKRAINE The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement Saturday warning all Western countries "against any hint of possible use of the domestic situation to achieve their Russophobic goals." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP "Such attempts are futile and will not find a response either in Russia or among sane political forces abroad," the statement read. "We are convinced that in the near future the situation will find its solution, worthy of the age-old wisdom of the Russian people and the Russian State." The Wagner Group has made its way 60 miles into Russia, claiming to have taken control of the city Rostov-on-Don, from which Russian military command has coordinated its attack on Ukraine. Prigozhin initiated the march after claiming on Friday that the Kremlin had authorized an attack on his forces, which had killed a "huge amount" of his troops. Prigozhin demanded that military command speak with him in Rostov-on-Don, or he will continue his "march for justice" towards Moscow. Members of Wagner group inspect a car in a street of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. President Vladimir Putin on June 24, 2023, said an armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a "stab in the back" and that the group's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had betrayed Russia, as he vowed to punish the dissidents. Prigozhin said his fighters control key military sites in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. The world continues to watch as the situation develops, with many foreign officials sharing their thoughts on social media. National Security Council Spokesperson Adam Hodge on Friday night said, "We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments." WAGNER GROUP FORCES SAID TO BE ADVANCING TOWARDS MOSCOW AFTER CAPTURING RUSSIAN MILITARY FACILITIES: REPORTS Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves." "For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it," Zelenskyy added. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later." A man speaks with fighters of Wagner private mercenary group deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. A sign on a tank reads: "Siberia." REUTERS/Stringer Sunak told the BBC during an interview Saturday morning that his government was keeping "a close eye on this situation, as its evolving on the ground as we speak." "The most important thing Id say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and thats about as much as I can say at this moment," he added, saying that he is "in touch with our allies." PUTIN VOWS TO DEFEND RUSSIA AGAINST ARMED REBELLION LED BY MERCENARY CHIEF: THEY WILL ANSWER FOR IT British Foreign Minister James Cleverly tweeted a similar sentiment, adding that the U.K. is also "liaising closely with our allies." China, which has grown increasingly close to Russia, and specifically Putin, since the start of the Ukraine invasion, has remained silent following Wagners march towards Moscow. TOPSHOT - Members of Wagner group detain a man in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. President Vladimir Putin on June 24, 2023 said an armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a "stab in the back" and that the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had betrayed Russia, as he vowed to punish the dissidents. Prigozhin said his fighters control key military sites in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images) Belarus, a close ally of Russia throughout the invasion of Ukraine, called the internal dispute "a gift to the collective West." Germanys Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has "discussed the situation with the foreign ministers of the G7" as the government's crisis team meets, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said of the situation. "For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscow's brutal banditocracy, knowing it's only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter. "We are not distracted. We see clearly in the chaos. The goal, as ever, is victory and justice for Ukraine. The time is now." Lavias Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that his country strengthened border security and "visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events wont be considered," adding that the country has determined "no direct threat to Latvia at this time." Estonia similarly stressed that the country determined there is "no direct threat to our country" and has also strengthened border security, urging citizens "not to travel to any part of Russia." Meanwhile, Macron merely said his government was following the situation closely and used the moment to stress a need to "stay focused on the support to Ukraine." Fox News Digitals Chris Pandolfo and Reuters contributed to this report. American intelligence agencies dont know how the Covid-19 pandemic started, declassified intelligence says. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence in a report released today said that all agencies of the government continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection. The report acknowledges that researchers at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists conducted coronavirus research in the city where Covid first emerged, fell ill in the fall of 2019, shortly before the pandemic began. The Wall Street Journal, confirming reporting by journalists at the Substack blog Public, reported last week that one of the sick researchers, Ben Hu, had worked on coronaviruses with U.S. funding. Advocates of the lab leak theory seized on the news as near-definitive proof that their hypothesis was correct. But the intelligence report says its not so certain. While several Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers fell mildly ill in Fall 2019, the report acknowledges, they experienced a range of symptoms consistent with colds or allergies with accompanying symptoms typically not associated with COVID-19, and some of them were confirmed to have been sick with other illnesses unrelated to COVID-19. The report does confirm that the Wuhan lab did not always adhere to safety protocols in studying coronaviruses. The intelligence agencies also say that institute researchers have genetically engineered coronaviruses, but the agencies do not have information showing the researchers worked on the strain that led to the pandemic. The report says the Wuhan institute is known to have collaborated with the Chinese Army, but only on defensive projects related to improving Chinas biosecurity and early disease warning capabilities. The report also confirms the disagreement among U.S. agencies, with the National Intelligence Council and other intelligence agencies favoring the natural origin theory, while the FBI and Energy Department favor the lab leak hypothesis. The CIA has not taken a position. The intelligence was released to comply with a law Congress passed unanimously and President Joe Biden signed in March. Why it matters: The congressional advocates of the March law, including its sponsor, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), had hoped it would shed new light on the pandemics origins. Republicans in Congress have increasingly pushed the lab leak theory, and accused the Biden administration of trying to cover it up because the U.S. funded research at the Wuhan lab. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who leads the Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, called the release of the report, which comes almost a week after the legal deadline, a promising step toward full transparency. They called for the corroboration of all available evidence and further investigation into the Covid-19 origin to continue. Jordain Carney contributed to this report. Biden briefed on unfolding armed rebellion in Russia as US officials consult with allies US President Joe Biden has been briefed and his administration is closely monitoring fast-moving developments in Russia as Vladimir Putin vowed decisive actions to suppress mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his armed rebellion. We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments, according to a statement on Friday night from National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge. Prigozhin once a longtime ally of Putin is accused of treason for mounting what Russian officials have called an armed rebellion with his Wagner paramilitary group, fuelled by allegations that Russia failed to adequately support his forces in Ukraine. He also has accused Russias military leadership of striking against his forces. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and European Union officials to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop, he added. Russian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation. In a televised address on Friday, Putin called Prigozhins maneuvers a stab in the back of our country and our people. The Wagner group was designated a transnational criminal organization by the US in January. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the group had an estimated 50,000 personnel inside Ukraine -- made up of 10,000 contractors and 40,000 people enlisted from Russian prisons. Prigozhin was among 13 Russians indicted by a federal grand jury for interfering in the US elections in 2016, allegedly using his Russia-based Internet Research Agency to wage information warfare with false social media accounts promoting bogus statements and messages that supported Donald Trump. He has denied wrongdoing but remains wanted by the FBI. Biden discusses situation in Russia with Scholz, Macron and Sunak US President Joe Biden has held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron. Source: as reported by European Pravda with reference to the White House press service It is noted that the countries leaders discussed the situation regarding the armed rebellion in Russia. Quote: "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine," the statement said. Background: On the evening of 23 June, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagner mercenaries rear camps. He has therefore deployed 25,000 of his mercenaries "to restore justice". On the morning of 24 June, Prigozhin announced that the Wagner Group had taken control of the headquarters building, military facilities, and airfield in Rostov-on-Don. Mercenaries from the Wagner PMC also captured military facilities in Voronezh. Vladimir Putin in an emergency appeal said that Russia is "fighting for survival", and a rebellion "is being organised in the country". UK Defence Intelligence reported that Wagner Group fighters are aiming to reach Moscow. The leaders of several European countries said that they are closely following the developments of what is happening in the Russian Federation. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! President Joe Biden President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have highlighted their commitment to reproductive freedom ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and its national guarantee of the right to abortion. President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamentaland who have made their voices heard at every opportunity since the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, said a statement released by the White House Friday. As the President has made clear since the day of the Dobbs decision, the only way to ensure women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade. There was an attempt to do that last year after a draft of the Supreme Court decision was leaked in May 2022. A bill writing Roe's provisions into federal law passed the U.S. House, which then had a Democratic majority, but failed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. The final decision was released June 24, 2022. Since the Dobbs decision, in which the high court upheld a restrictive Mississippi abortion law and revoked the protections of Roe, at 18 states have banned or severely restricted abortion, by the White Houses count. More than 23 million women of reproductive age one in three live in one of those states, according to the White House statement. Of course, transgender men and nonbinary people also sometimes need to access abortion. They have been turned away from emergency rooms, forced to delay care, and made to travel hundreds of miles and across state lines for needed medical care, the statement says of the affected population. Despite this devastating impact on womens health, Republican elected officials continue to advance these bans at both the state and national level. The Biden-Harris administration has vowed to fight back. Shortly after the Dobbs ruling, the president issued two executive orders aimed at protecting access to reproductive health care, including abortion. Friday it issued another executive order, one designed to improve access to high-quality contraception. The Friday order directs federal agencies to consider new guidance to assure that private insurers cover contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration without cost sharing by those insured. It also calls for strengthening coverage under Medicare and Medicaid and steps to improve access to over-the-counter contraceptives. Earlier actions by the administration aim to make sure veterans, service members, and people in emergency situations have access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. It also has defended reproductive rights in court, including in a case involving the FDA approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion. A lawsuit seeks to have that 23-year-old approval revoked, and a federal judge in Texas ruled that it should be, but his ruling is on hold while it is appealed. If the drug is no longer FDA-approved, it would be unavailable nationwide. Biden informed on development of events in Russia after statements by Head of Wagner PMC US President Joe Biden has been informed about the development of the situation in Russia after the statements made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC). Source: CNN, citing National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge Quote: "We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments." Details: He said that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the development of the situation in Russia. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries As he said, 25,000 Wagnerites are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked not to call it a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called the information a provocation. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been informed of the conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister. A criminal case is being initiated against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following the statement made by Prigozhin about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are set up at entrances to Moscow. CNN, quoting an American official, said the United States was closely following the events in Russia after the latest statements by Prigozhin. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! President Biden Hosts India Prime Minister Modi For State Visit US President Joe Biden, left, and Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, toast during a state dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Biden and Modi announced a series of defense and commercial deals designed to improve military and economic ties between their nations during a state visit today. Credit - Al Drago-Bloomberg Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received VIP treatment at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue this week, including a state dinner with President Biden and an address to Congress. Modis red-carpet treatment was a significant endorsement of his governance, and one few world leaders have received. However, under Modis premiership, India has moved away from shared values and democratic norms, embracing Hindu nationalism and scapegoating religious minorities. While President Biden and Congressional leaders spoke about human rights and religious freedom, talk alone will not move Modi to change course. Modi accomplished much during his brief time in Washington, at little cost to his political agenda. The Joint Statement from the United States and India covers a laundry list of Indian priorities. While the document references human rights at the beginning, its 58 paragraphs overwhelmingly focus on technology and trade in ways hugely beneficial to India. Modi also scored a renewed pledge to permanently include India in a reformed United Nations Security Council and joint slap down of archrival Pakistan for terrorism. But did Modi deserve this treatment? The U.S. secured little in hard security commitments from him or other items that could bolster democracy and human rights in the region. For instance, Modi has been lukewarm at best regarding support for Ukraine. During the White House press conference, Modi could only vaguely speak of ending the dispute through dialogue and diplomacy. There was no joint condemnation of Russian aggression, a low bar to meet. In contrast, Modis visit vastly exceeded Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks recent trip, who received neither coveted invitation of a state dinner or congressional speech, special relationship notwithstanding. In fact, when Modi took the rostrum before Congress on Thursday, it was his second address before a joint session, while the last British Prime Minister spoke in 2006. But in the contest with Beijing, commitment to shared values was a constant refrain to justify Modis lavish treatment. Indeed, a democratic India would be a powerful partner in countering authoritarian China, but these values are under attack in India. Indian activists and political analysts I contacted all expressed deep concern about the state of affairs, most only agreeing to talk off the record. One highlighted, Serious violations of human rights, especially of Muslims, Christians, and other minorities, and of human rights defenders and dissenters, have been increasing in India over the past years, some becoming widespread and systematic. Another analyst described the defamation case against opposition leader Rahul Gandhi as pure vendetta politics. A third activist spoke of the ongoing desecration, destruction and torching of over 300 Churches in Manipur [that] is unprecedented in the history of religious violence in India, which continues in Indias far east. Read More: India Isnt An Ally and Never Wanted to Be When a journalist asked Modi at the White House about declining respect for human rights and democracy, he dodged, saying, Im actually really surprised that people say so. While Biden acknowledged our shortcomings, demonstrating humility but a commitment to civil rights, Modi offered no such concession, saying Indian democracy has delivered for all regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender. He added, Theres absolutely no space for discrimination, which would surprise religious minorities in India. As the visit approached, many feared officials would overlook these issues, and 75 Democratic Members of Congress wrote Biden to urge him to raise human rights. To his credit, the President did so repeatedly, but always as a joint endeavor. For instance, he said, Equity under the law, freedom of expression, religious pluralism, and diversity of our peoplethese core principles have endured and evolved, even as they have faced challenges throughout each of our nations histories, and will fuel our strength, depth, and future. At another point, he noted, Indians and Americans are both peoples who cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights, which face challenges around the world and eachand in each of our countries but which remain so vital to the success of each of our nations: press freedom, religious freedom, tolerance, diversity. While understandable Biden wouldnt be too pointed with his guest, Modi is savvy enough to know that nods towards human rights will be shunted aside for commercial and military relations. Hes seen it before, as silence towards problems in India is not unique to this administration. Then-President Trump ignored riots against Muslims in New Delhi during his 2020 visit, and his administration resisted calls to designate India a country of particular concern for the persecution of Christians. Consequently, to counter Indias drift away from shared values, the U.S. must decide to visibly support Indian civil society, publicly discuss our concerns, and establish consequences for abuses. Aakar Patel, Chair of Amnesty Internationals India Board, stressed to me the importance of U.S. human rights advocacy. Amnestys India office was forced to close in 2020, and the Indian government tried to prevent him from traveling internationally in 2022. Patel underscored how Indias friend must press it to do the right thing because often it works. Jesuit Priest Cedric Prakash, a long-time human rights and peace activist, also agreed. Despite our complicated history in the region, Fr Prakash said, its imperative that the U.S. raise these sensitive issues with the PM and stop pretending that all is well in India. India is too important for U.S. policymakers to ignore these trends, and Modis damaging policies should not lead to self-censorship. The U.S.s recent criticism of important partners like Poland, Bangladesh, and Israel demonstrates we can raise concerns and deepen relationships simultaneously. In addition, we can learn from our disastrous all-carrots-and-no-stick approach to China in the early 2000s. Many believed preferential trade could encourage China in a positive direction when the Senate voted for most-favored-nation status in September 2000. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party gained technology and resources while nose diving on human rights and consolidating power. Modis windfall of trade policies absent consequences for rights abuses risks repeating the same mistake. Only the U.S. has the ability and global influence to move India. At the arrival ceremony, President Biden noted that we face an inflection point where the decisions we make today are going to determine our future for decades to come. An inflection point is approaching, not on trade but on human rights, as India dangerously shifts towards illiberalism and the victimization of minorities. If the U.S. says human rights matter in the Indo-Pacific, they should matter, fully integrated into every engagement with friends and foes alike. Should the Indians balk, thats their sovereign right, but a genuinely bilateral relationship must go in two directions, with human rights embedded in a consequential way. US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting hosted by Emily's List, a group that works to get women who support abortion rights elected to public office (Brendan Smialowski) A year after the US Supreme Court scrapped the constitutional right to abortion in the United States, President Joe Biden on Saturday vowed to fight against the "extreme and dangerous" effort by Republicans to curb access to the procedure nationwide. The high court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision passed the regulation of abortion back to individual states -- some of which have since moved to drastically restrict the procedure. "State bans are just the beginning," Biden said in a statement on the anniversary of the ruling. "Their agenda is extreme, dangerous, and out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans." Pro- and anti-abortion groups were holding rival events in the American capital on Saturday, and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the health care "crisis" regarding reproductive rights in a speech in the southern state of North Carolina. Some 20 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, have prohibited abortion outright or severely restricted access while others, mainly on the coasts, have moved to protect it. The closure of abortion clinics in about a dozen states has forced tens of thousands of women to travel elsewhere to terminate a pregnancy. Biden also warned that Republicans were working to enact a nationwide abortion ban. "Congressional Republicans want to ban abortion nationwide, but go beyond that, by taking FDA-approved medication for terminating a pregnancy, off the market, and make it harder to obtain contraception," the president said, referring to the Food and Drug Administration. At one small rally in Washington, protesters carried signs and T-shirts bearing phrases like "I am the post-Roe generation," and "Unborn Lives Matter," urging national-level restrictions on abortion. Steve Karlen, an anti-abortion campaigner, and his wife, Laura, traveled to the capital from the Midwestern state of Wisconsin to "celebrate" Roe's reversal, which also fell on their wedding anniversary. "It's a blessing to have the abortion decision going back to the states," said Laura, a stay-at-home mother to five children. "But ultimately what we want is the unborn children to be protected (nationally) -- that everyone in our country will have the right to live." With a divided US Congress, there is little Biden can do. Still, he said he would push for federal-level protections. "My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all," he said. Abortion rights proved a key issue for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, and are likely to be just as important in the 2024 presidential race. They've also become an animating feature in Republican campaigns. Primary candidates are currently trying to outflank former president Donald Trump, the current frontrunner for the party's nomination, who has been criticized for flip-flopping on his position. Speaking in Washington on Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hailed the six-week abortion ban he signed into law in his state, while ex-vice president Mike Pence challenged every candidate to back a nationwide prohibition. "It was the right thing to do -- don't let anyone tell you it wasn't," DeSantis said in a veiled swipe at Trump, who has criticized the Florida law as "too harsh." The same day, Biden won the endorsement from the nation's leading abortion-rights groups, including Planned Parenthood, NARAL and Emily's List. nro/md/st Flash Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, June 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] In the face of the global development financing gap, China calls on the international community to sincerely cooperate and work together to solve the problems of developing countries, especially vulnerable countries, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Paris on Friday. In a speech at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and attended by more than 60 heads of state, government and major international organizations, Li put forward a three-point proposal in this regard. First, firmly advance the reform of global financial governance and create a stable financing environment for developing countries. China stands ready to work with all parties to build a just and efficient global financial governance structure and strengthen international macroeconomic policy coordination. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and other international financial institutions should implement the consensus reached by G20 leaders, complete a new round of quota and voting rights reform, and increase the voice of emerging markets and developing countries. Second, build a global development partnership and provide more development resources to developing countries. Developed countries should earnestly honor their commitments to providing assistance and funds to developing countries. Developing countries should enhance their capacity for independent development. China will continue to provide various forms of support to other developing countries with practical measures to the best of its ability. Third, firmly advance economic globalization and free trade to inject fresh growth impetus into developing countries. China is ready to work with the international community to promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and unequivocally oppose trade protectionism and decoupling and severing supply and industrial chains in any form. In a world full of disputes and uncertainties, Li stressed, China and Europe should seek common ground while reserving differences, expand convergence while narrowing divergence, promote more creative cooperation, cope with the uncertainty of the international situation with the stability of China-Europe relations, and jointly promote the sustainable development of mankind. In his speech, Li noted that China has always attached great importance to global development and global governance issues. In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, which resonate widely within the international community. As a major engine of the global economy, China has injected continuous impetus into its growth. No matter how the world changes, China will unswervingly promote high-quality development, expand high-level opening-up, align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and let other countries share the opportunities of China's development, Li said. As a responsible major country in the world, China has earnestly implemented the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement and made great efforts to address climate change. As a contributor to global development, China has provided strong driving forces and made great contributions to the international cause of poverty alleviation and development, he added. Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the closing ceremony of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, June 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Leaders at the summit noted that all parties should work together to reduce inequality and poverty across the world, respond to climate change, protect biodiversity, settle the debt problems facing developing countries and promote global sustainable development. It's necessary to uphold multilateralism, respect different national conditions, coordinate poverty alleviation, development and environmental protection, and push for common prosperity, they said, noting the importance of improving global economic governance, sharing responsibilities fairly, promoting cooperation between multilateral development banks and commercial creditors, and better meeting the development financing needs of developing countries. Leaders of developing countries at the summit called on developed countries to earnestly honor their commitments to providing assistance and funds to developing countries. On Thursday evening local time, Li attended the working dinner of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact and made introductory remarks on energy transition. Li said that China actively promotes the green and low-carbon energy transition, and responsibly participates in promoting the global energy transition and tackling climate change. China is ready to work with other countries to forge a global partnership for clean energy cooperation under the principles of mutual benefit and common but differentiated responsibilities, with technological innovation being the core driving force, and jointly build a clean and beautiful world, said the Chinese premier. During the summit, Li also held separate discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the IMF's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and others. Billy Porter remembers a friend pulling him into his first Pride march back in 1989. "He threw a shirt over my head that said, 'Silence equals death,'" Porter tells TODAY.com in a sit-down interview. "All of a sudden, I found myself marching down the street, chanting, 'Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS,' and I was in the middle of Act Up. I didn't even know what it was." Even so, it left an indelible mark on the 19-year-old. "That was what shaped me as a queer man overall," Porter says. "Specifically in the Pride Month protest space." A space, he says, that was motivated by anger back in the '80s. "I remember it when we were going through the AIDS crisis. The energy was rage that fueled the movement, the whole thing, and we have to understand how to get back to that," he says. At 53, the actor, writer, producer and musician, has earned a dazzling array of accolades, including being named to Times list of the 100 most influential people, two Tony awards, a Grammy and a lead-actor nod for his portrayal of Prey Tell in the TV drama series "Pose," making him the first openly-gay black man to win an Emmy in history. If you aren't doing the math, the collection puts Porter merely an Oscar away from joining the ranks of luminaries like Viola Davis, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend in the ultra-elite EGOT club. However, it's not only his considerable talents that have made him a household name, but also Porter's groundbreaking fashion. From the 2020 blue velvet Grammy outfit, paired with a jeweled curtain-closing hat, to the legendary tuxedo gown he wore to the 2019 Oscars (now in a museum), Porter's style puts him in a league all his own. Billy Porter at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, CA. (Dan MacMedan / Getty Images) When asked about it, he tells TODAY.com that having always been a person "on the fringes," the freedom to unabashedly be himself is transcendent. "My ideas have always been questioned. My worth has always been questioned. My humanity has always been up for legislation," says Porter. "So, in my 53 years on Earth, I have found the space to simply just be. He calls the ability to "just show up and be myself," "magical." "Thats my work. Thats what I get to do. Its just be. It doesn't matter what anybody else says. I don't care about what anybody thinks," he says. "Ive done it when nobody was listening," he continues. "And Im grateful that Ive lived long enough to see the day where now folks are listening." Marking Pride in 2023 More than three decades after his first march, Porter is leading New York's Pride march this year as Grand Marshal. Much like the first time he participated, Porter says the time has come for the movement to once again embrace its true spirit. "Pride has always been a march and a protest for me. We've made some strides, a lot of strides, I keep saying the change has already happened, because it has, and therefore there's now a lot of pushback again. And so Pride must be about protest again," he says. That 'pushback' includes an unprecedented amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation, including the passage of more than 70 new laws (this year alone), leading the Human Rights Campaign to declare its first-ever state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans. "We forget this is the fight. This is what its always been. There aint nothing new about this," Porter says. "But theres a whole generation of young people that were birthed into these rights that our generations, and the generations before us, fought for. So, now its time for the young people to step up, get back in the arena and make sure that we dont go back." While he'd like to see younger generations step up to the plate as threats against their rights grow, at the same time he says he's awestruck by the autonomy of todays LGBTQ movement, especially given that he spent decades trying to be perceived as "masculine enough" just to put food on the table. (These kids), I am mesmerized by their existence, by their freedom. Theyre already free. Thats what we fought for. And it cant go back. You cant put the toothpaste back in the tube. You can slow it down, but the change has already happened. Billy Porter attends the WorldPride NYC March on June 30, 2019 in NYC. (Roy Rochlin / Getty Images) But the change has ushered in backlash and along with anti-LGBTQ laws, there's also been an alarming rise in hate crimes. In fact, according to a recent bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. is at a "heightened threat environment" with LGBTQ individuals marked among "likely targets of potential violence." Rather than being intimidated by it, Porter says he's angry. "My existence has been up for legislation from the moment I could comprehend thought. F--- that," he says. " I'm infuriated. I'm not scared. I'm not terrified. I'm enraged. And that rage is what fuels the work that has to be done." What that work looks like still needs to be figured out in real time, he says. "It's not 1963, so have to find different ways of engaging, use what we've learned and move forward." Social media is one tool, which Porter says "means nothing and everything" given that it "elected Barack Obama and Trump at the same time." While he doesn't have all the answers, Porter says one thing he does know how to do is engage. I do know how to show up and make sure that we make our voices heard. We are the people that have the power," he says. 'My art is my voice' "How do we motivate everybody?" he asks. "Its not just queer people. Its everybody. Weve seen what has happened. The things that could never happen have already happened. So, what are we going to do about it? To start, every person can put one foot forward, every day, and show up in our truths and speak them out loud is the first step, he says. I have my art. Thats how I engage, Porter says. My art is very present. My art is very political. My art is in your face. My art is my voice. Having begun his career in music, Porter is releasing a new album later this year entitled "Black Mona Lisa," and he says that the return to where he started is something that makes him emotional. "I've been able to circle back to this mainstream music space, with 27 years in between, and the world has changed. It has. I was not possible in the '90s as I am now." Billy Porter accepts the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award for 'Pose' onstage during the 71st Emmy Awards (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Of the 14 songs that comprise the record, Porter wrote 13 and says that all of them are a reflection of his life. "Look at me. I was told 'no.' I was put out for a long time. Not a couple of years. For decades. Now, all of a sudden, my black gay a-- is a superpower. They told me my queerness would be my liability and it was." But no longer. "We win," he says. "That's the greatest feeling of all, is that I get to sit in the space where folks can look at me and go, 'OK, I can win, too.' (It) took me a long time. It's not easy. You've got to put in the work." For those who feel as though that work is "insurmountable," Porter reminds that while the ongoing challenges can lead to fatigue, "continuing to show up in our truths and speak them out loud" is the first step. "We have to do that with everybody in our lives. We have to hold our people accountable first. Families who reject us, whatever. Its like, no, were here. Were queer. Get used to it and get over it. Cause were not going anywhere ever." This article was originally published on TODAY.com The Blue Ridge County Magazines Best of the Mountains reader poll recognizes the best cities, towns, attractions and activities in the Blue Ridge Mountain areas. Readers voted on the area consisting of the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia in 28 different categories. ALSO READ: Carowinds makes list of top 25 amusement parks in America In the 2023 edition, Blowing Rock was commended in eight of the possible 28 categories. The town was awarded first place in two categories including best main street local shopping town and best walkable town. Their second place accolades included best arts town, best theme park, and best outlet shopping highlighting the Tweetsie Railroad and the Tanger Outlets. The Blowing Rock Winterfest, Price Lake, and the Tweetsie Railroad landed third place praise for the categories of best holiday festival, best paddling lake, and best family destination. VIDEO: Things to see and do in Blowing Rock and Boone Body of New York man, 37, recovered from Washington lake after kayaking trip with fiancee Body of New York man, 37, recovered from Washington lake after kayaking trip with fiancee The body of 37-year-old Travis Valenti was recovered Wednesday night from a lake in a Washington State national park. The National Park Service said that Valenti was pulled from Lake Crescent at Olympic National Park at approximately 6:25 p.m. PT. The agency said non-profit organization Christian Aid Ministries had begun searching the lake at around 8 a.m., using boat-mounted sonar technology. The Berlin, Ohio, group acquired a high-possibility find of Valenti's body, upon which the park was notified, and rangers were dispatched to meet the group on the lake. NEW YORK MAN PUSHES FIANCEE TO SAFETY BEFORE DROWNING IN KAYAKING INCIDENT TWO DAYS AFTER ENGAGEMENT: FAMILY View of Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula in the Olympic National Park in Washington State. A remote-operated vehicle was utilized to locate the Massapequa man, who was found at a depth of 394 feet. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Christian Aid Ministries used the vehicle's grabber tool to bring the body to the surface. The coroner's office was notified, in addition to the family of the victim. On June 9, Valenti and his fiancee Marlene Junker a nurse were kayaking when his kayak started to take on water. He was forced to abandon the kayak and enter the water. While his fiancee attempted to rescue him, her kayak overturned and she entered the water. While she was able to swim to shore, Valenti could not. "Join me in praying for the family of Travis Valenti - from Massapequa - who tragically lost his life while kayaking at Olympia National Park in Washington state. May he rest in peace," Joseph Saladino, the Town of Oyster Bay supervisor, wrote on Facebook on Thursday. Neither of them was wearing a life jacket, according to officials. "Travis gave [Marlene] the extra little push that she needed to get safe, and they still havent found him since Friday at 2 or 3 p.m.," Austin Valenti told News 12 Long Island earlier. Valenti, whose Facebook showed he was a Miami Dolphins fan and dachshund-lover, had proposed to her just two days earlier, his brother noted. MAN FALLS MORE THAN 4,000 FEET FROM GRAND CANYON SKYWALK TO HIS DEATH One of the cabins at Lake Crescent's Log Cabin Resort is viewed on September 15, 2021, in Lake Crescent, Washington. Nearby Log Cabin Resort staff who responded were unable to find Valenti, and searchers were also unable to locate him during a second effort. The National Park Service notes that Lake Crescent is very deep and very cold, with surface water temperatures near 50 degrees this time of year. "Sudden immersion into cold water will impact a persons breathing and over time, their ability to move extremities," it warned. Swimmers are encouraged to use a buddy system and boaters should always wear a life jacket, the agency added. People in a canoe landing on the beach of Lake Crescent Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula in the Olympic National Park in Washington State. Valenti's family posted statements of gratitude for the prayers they had received and the successful efforts of Christian Aid Ministries. "We are grateful our prayers were answered, and well have him back in New York soon," cousin Valerie Trompeter posted on Facebook. Diana Rose, who is in a relationship with Valenti's sibling, updated a GoFundMe to help fund search and recovery efforts to thank those who had sent in kind words, donated and worked to find Valenti. The page had raised more than $62,000. "This is still a very sensitive and emotionally charged time for his beautiful fiancee, parents, siblings, family and countless friends who care about and love Travis," she said. "Thankfully, Travis will be able to eventually come back home and be laid to eternal rest. This will still require time and logistical coordination. Your kind donations received will be assisting immensely with this endeavor and funeral preparations," wrote Rose. Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. Bojangles, a North Carolina favorite long known for its famous chicken and biscuits, is making big changes to its business. This is going to sound weird or controversial, CEO Jose Armario told QSR Magazine for its June 2023 edition. But Id like to get out of the chicken business. I want to get into the experience business. ALSO READ: Bojangles teams with Appalachian Mountain Brewery to launch alcoholic sweet tea The restaurant chain is pivoting toward a strategy that emphasizes service and aims to make Bojangles into a national powerhouse brand, he said. That includes rolling out a new store prototype and testing an updated menu in certain locations that doesnt include bone-in chicken. Keep reading here. (WATCH BELOW: Charlotte Checkers bring playoff action to Bojangles Coliseum) Boston Police seek publics help in finding missing 14-year-old girl last seen on Monday Boston Police are seeking the publics assistance to locate 14-year-old Merilyn Ordonez Buelto of South Boston. Merilyn was last seen at about 5 p.m. Monday in the area of Linsky Barry Court, police said. Police described her as a Black Hispanic female, about 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen wearing a light blue crop top sweater, matching sweatpants, and new balance sneakers. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Boston detectives at 617-343-4742. The public may also share information anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463). This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday urged the European Union and the Mercosur to set aside arrogance and negotiate the long-awaited trade agreement between the blocs with common sense. "It's important to remember that we need the EU and they need us very much. So it's important that we put a little bit of arrogance aside and we try to use common sense for us to negotiate. And that goes for us and that goes for them," Lula said to journalists in Paris. The leftist Brazilian leader said he discussed with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, the differences in the stance of the two sides on the agreement. "I think it's normal that France tries to defend its agriculture," Lula added. "It may be a more difficult inflection point, but it is normal that they also understand that Brazil cannot give up government purchases," he said referring to an unwanted procurement clause of the deal allowing European companies to sell to Brazil's public sector. The clause was agreed upon by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to speed up the deal. Lula, however, has held a firm stance on removing it since he took office in January. He stated, however, that "no matter how much disagreement there is, it is possible that we will end up with an agreement. This is the law of nature, and this is what we will manage to do." His remarks come a day after he described an addendum included in the deal by the EU attaching climate change commitments and introducing penalties for nations failing to comply with the climate goals as a "threat" to Brazil. The agreement was struck in 2019 after lengthy negotiations but was then put on hold largely due to European concerns over Amazon deforestation. (Reporting by Alexandre Caverni; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: The ruling of the courts in favour of the Governments authority to make such a unilateral decision to restrict these rights raises existential questions regarding the adequacy of the constitutional guarantees that Unionists have for 25 years expected to rely upon as British citizens - Liam McBurney/PA The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said that the imposition of an unacceptable Brexit settlement on Northern Ireland raises existential questions about the adequacy of the Good Friday Agreement. In the foreword to a report setting out proposals to abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warns that the deal has denied firms and consumers the full orbits of economic rights given to people living in other parts of the UK. The report, by the Centre for Brexit Policy, is due to be launched on Tuesday and is also backed by MPs including David Jones, deputy chairman of the European Research Group. It calls for a system of mutual enforcement, under which the EU and UK would each implement the other sides trading rules in order to avoid checks at an invisible border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Sir Jeffrey suggests that such an arrangement could lead to the restoration of power-sharing at Stormont, to which the DUP have been refusing to return as a result of the Brexit settlement. Absence of cross-community consent Sir Jeffreys foreword states: The imposition of trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the absence of cross-community consent has led to the subjugation of Article 6 of the Acts of Union in respect of Northern Ireland. It denies local businesses and consumers the full orbit of economic rights those provisions confer upon, and guarantee, citizens in all parts of the United Kingdom. The ruling of the courts in favour of the Governments authority to make such a unilateral decision to restrict these rights raises existential questions regarding the adequacy of the constitutional guarantees that Unionists have for 25 years expected to rely upon as British citizens. This cannot be ignored as part of any framework for resolving the issues and getting Northern Ireland back on track. The plan set out by the Centre for Brexit Policy would involve abandoning the Protocol and Windsor Framework, negotiated by Rishi Sunak earlier this year. Under the proposals, UK exporters to the EU who flouted Brussels rules would be punished by UK courts, while EU exporters to the UK would be policed by EU officials. The report states: Mutual enforcement, under which the UK and European Union take on the enforcement of each others import and export regulations and standards, is based on existing international trade practice and endorsed in the Governments July 2021 Command Paper. It protects both the UK and EU trading blocs, returns sovereignty to NI as part of the United Kingdom, and enables the return of the invisible border on the island of Ireland. It cuts through NIs Gordian knot of post-Brexit sovereignty, trade, and governance issues. It unlocks the return of the DUP to Stormont. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The brutal trade in enslaved people within the US has been largely whitewashed out of history A trade card with printed black type for the domestic slave traders Hill, Ware and Chrisp. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture For my book, The Ledger and the Chain, I visited more than 30 archives in over a dozen states, from Louisiana to Connecticut. Along the way, I uncovered mountains of material that exposed the depravity of the men who ran the largest domestic slave trading operation in American history and revealed the fortitude of the enslaved people they trafficked as merchandise. But I also learned that many Americans do not realize that a domestic slave trade existed in the U.S. at all. Mentioning my research to others repeatedly provoked questions about Africa, not America. They obviously assumed that a scholar working on the slave trade must be working on the trade that brought millions of Africans to the Western Hemisphere via the terrifying Atlantic Ocean crossing known as the Middle Passage. They did not appear to know that by the time slavery ended in 1865, more than 1 million enslaved people had been forcibly moved across state lines in their own country, or that hundreds of thousands more had been bought and sold within individual states. Americans continue to misunderstand how slavery worked and how vast was its reach even as the histories of race and slavery are central to ongoing public conversations. Indifference to suffering Enslaved people were bought and sold within the boundaries of what is now the United States dating back to the Colonial era. But the domestic slave trade accelerated dramatically in the decades after 1808. That year, Congress outlawed the importation of enslaved people from overseas, and it did so at a moment when demand for enslaved laborers was booming in expanding cotton and sugar plantation regions of the lower South. Two posters advertising the services of slave traders L.C. Robards, top, and Silas Marshall and Bro, bottom, Lexington, Ky. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Growing numbers of professional slave traders stepped forward to satisfy that demand. They purchased enslaved people primarily in upper South states like Maryland and Virginia, where a declining tobacco economy left many slaveholders with a surplus of laborers. Traders then forced those enslaved people to migrate hundreds of miles over land and by ship, selling them in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and other states where traders hoped to turn a profit. The domestic slave trade was a brutal and violent business. Enslaved people lived in constant fear that they or their loved ones would be sold. William Anderson, who was enslaved in Virginia, remembered seeing hundreds of slaves pass by for the Southern market, chained and handcuffed together. Years after he fled the South, Anderson wrote of wives taken from husbands and husbands from wives, never to see each other again small and large children separated from their parents, and he never forgot the sounds of their sorrow. O, I have seen them and heard them howl like dogs or wolves, he recalled, when being under the painful obligation of parting to meet no more. Slave traders were largely indifferent to the suffering they caused. Asked in the 1830s whether he broke up slave families in the course of his operations, one trader admitted that he did so very often, because his business is to purchase, and he must take such as are in the market. So wicked Domestic slave traders initially worked mostly out of taverns and hotels. Over time, an increasing number of them established offices, showrooms and prisons where they held enslaved people whom they intended to sell. By the 1830s, the domestic slave trade was ubiquitous in the slave states. Newspaper advertisements blared Cash for Negroes. Storefront signs announced that dealers in slaves were inside. At ports and along roads, travelers reported seeing scores of enslaved people in chains. An 1852 letter from James B. Hargrove quotes the market prices for enslaved men, women and children. Library of Virginia Meanwhile, the money the trade generated and the credit that financed it circulated throughout the country and across the Atlantic, as even European banks and merchants looked to share in the gains. The more visible the trade became, the more antislavery activists made it a core of their appeals. When abolitionist editor Benjamin Lundy, for example, asked white Americans in the 1820s how long they could look at the slave trade and permit so disgraceful, so inhuman, and so wicked a practice to continue in our country, which has been emphatically termed THE HOME OF THE FREE, he was one among a rising chorus. But abolitionists made little headway. The domestic slave trade ended only when slavery ended in 1865. Propaganda obscures history Vital to the American economy, important to American politics and central to the experience of enslaved people, the domestic slave trade was an atrocity carried out on a massive scale. As British traveler Joseph Sturge noted, by the 1840s, the entire slaveholding portion of the United States could be characterized by division into the slave-breeding and slave-consuming States. Yet popular historical knowledge of the domestic trade remains hazy, thanks largely to purposeful forgetting and to a propaganda campaign that began before the Civil War and continued long past its conclusion. White Southerners made denial about the slave trade an important tenet in their defense of slavery. They claimed that slave sales were rare, that they detested the slave trade and that traders were outcasts disdained by respectable people. Kentucky minister Nathan Lewis Rices assertion in 1845 that the slave-trader is looked upon by decent men in the slave-holding States with disgust was such a common sentiment that even white Northerners sometimes parroted it. Nehemiah Adams, for example, a Massachusetts resident who visited the South in 1854, came away from his time in the region believing that Negro traders are the abhorrence of all flesh. Franklin and Armfield slave trading company partner John Armfield watching over enslaved men and women chained together who he and several employees were moving south from Virginia. John Murray/Library of Virginia Such claims were almost entirely lies. But downplaying the slave trade became a standard element of the racist mythology embedded in the defense of the Confederacy known as the Lost Cause, whose purveyors minimized slaverys significance as they discounted its role in bringing about the Civil War. And while the Confederacy may have lost on the battlefield, its supporters arguably triumphed in the cultural struggle to define the war and its meaning. Well into the 20th century, significant numbers of white Americans throughout the country accepted and embraced the notion that slavery had been relatively benign. As they did so, the devastations of the domestic slave trade became buried beneath comforting fantasies of moonlight and magnolias evoked by movies like Gone With the Wind. Recent years have seen monuments to the Confederacy coming down in cities and towns across the country. But the struggle over how Americans remember and talk about slavery, now perhaps more heated and controversial than ever, arguably remains stuck in terms that are legacies of the Lost Cause. Slavery still conjures images of Southern farms and plantations. But the institution was grounded in the sales of nearly 2 million human beings in the domestic slave trade, the profits from which nurtured the economy of the entire country. Until that history makes its way more deeply into our popular memory, it will be impossible to come to terms with slavery and its significance for the American past and present. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It was written by: Joshua D. Rothman, University of Alabama. Read more: I do not currently receive any external funding, but fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, Virginia Humanities, and numerous other institutions did help fund the research that produced the scholarship reflected in this piece. California birdwatchers watched a bald eagle adopt a baby hawk a behavior that's been recorded in the wild only 4 other times Bald eagles adopting hawks is so rare, the behavior has only been recorded by experts four other times. Regis Duvignau/Reuters A female bald eagle abducted Tuffy, a baby hawk, from his nest and began caring for him as her own. This behavior has only been spotted in the wild four other times, the Los Angeles Times reports. Even though bald eagles prey on hawks, avid birdwatchers say they're hopeful for Tuffy's survival. Birdwatchers in California been enthralled for the past month with a rare phenomenon unfolding right before their eyes: A female bald eagle stealing a baby hawk straight from his nest and caring for him as one of her own. This behavior strange, according to experts, because eagles prey on hawks is even more exciting for bird enthusiasts because it has only been seen in the wild four other times, the Los Angeles Times reports. Doug Gillard former Olympian hammer thrower turned birdwatcher was the first to spot the strange family in a Bay Area forest, and has nicknamed the baby hawk Tuffy. He now lives with his adoptive parents and their child, whom Gillard nicknamed Lola, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tuffy despite living with two dangerous predators appears to be thriving, receiving food and successfully flying to and from the nest, observers told the outlet. The female bald eagle likely plucked Tuffy from his home to feed him to Lola, but instead got confused and began caring for him too once he was in her nest, avian experts told the Los Angeles Times. It hasn't been smooth sailing for Tuffy since his abduction, though. A week after Tuffy arrived, his parents brought another baby hawk to the nest that second hawk disappeared the next day after the male eagle saw him, Gillard told the outlet. Yet, despite all odds, Gillard says he's hopeful for the young Tuffy's survival. Read the original article on Business Insider Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) outside the House chamber Wednesday after the Republican majority voted to censure him for comments he made years ago about investigations into President Trump's ties to Russia. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Officially, House Republicans censured Rep. Adam B. Schiff this week. What they actually did was give a YUGE in-kind contribution to the California Democrats campaign for the Senate. That was just one example in recent days of the Republicans clown car backfiring in the partys bumbling drive to weaponize the government against political foes the very crime it inaptly projects onto Democrats. Separately, Republicans trumpeted a House hearing into a recent report widely derided as a dud except in their parallel, fact-free, Fox-friendly MAGA universe that tried to show Democratic bias in the origins of the government investigation, ultimately led by Robert S. Mueller III, into the 2016 Trump campaigns dalliance with Russian operatives. Predictably, Democrats, including Schiff, humiliated the Republicans star witness, special counsel John Durham, a Trump holdover and the reports author, as they confronted him with the fact that he found no Deep State shenanigans and won no convictions. And in a third episode, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) had to scramble to prevent one of his caucus most incendiary troublemakers, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, from forcing a House vote on a resolution to impeach President Biden. That contretemps included a nasty face-off on the House floor between Boebert and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, sponsor of a competing impeachment resolution. (The term cat fight is loathsomely sexist, but in the case of these right-wing rivals, if the fur fits .) All of these goings-on add up to a big waste of time and money. The Durham investigation alone took four years and more than $6.5 million to end with a whimper. Sure, the battling satisfies former President Trump and serves up red meat for a party base that likes vengeance as much as he does. But the Republican carnivores are doing nothing to advance a positive agenda for the country and expand their partys appeal beyond the bloodthirsty true believers. Read more: Calmes: Republicans attack the DOJ and the FBI, but it's Democrats who should have a beef with the feds Which is just the point Schiff made in a fundraising email about his censure: These political smear tactics divert the resources of the House away from the pressing priorities that Congress should be addressing, and that I want to tackle as your Senator. Are the Republicans so blinded by Trumpian sycophancy that they didnt realize what a gift they gave Schiff by singling him out for supposedly misleading voters about Trump? Its not just the money Schiff no doubt is raising for his race against Democratic Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein. By making a victim of Schiff, the Republicans polished the otherwise colorless congressmans image and established him as one of Congress' most effective anti-Trump figures. For anyone grounded in reality, the censure was downright comical. The resolution charged that Schiff, as the former lead Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and a Trump impeachment manager, spread false accusations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. But the accusations werent false. However much the Republicans malign the Mueller investigation, its account of a Trump Tower meeting, shared polling data, WikiLeaks and more establishes that. Forget the semantic or legalistic debate over the word collude and call it by another name: The Trump campaign and Trump himself were cooperating, encouraging and welcoming any help from Russia. (Russia, if youre listening ....") Read more: Column: For Adam Schiff, censure is a gift from House Republicans Also, how rich that McCarthy, from the speakers dais, would cite Schiffs alleged falsehoods, misrepresentations and abuse of sensitive information. Youd think he was describing Trumps 37-count indictment for hoarding and hiding hundreds of classified documents. Then, speaking of misrepresentations, theres this: The Republican sponsor of the censure was freshman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who hails from the Rep. George Santos school of self-creation, according to a deep dive the Washington Post did into her background. (Speaking of Santos, why havent Republicans censured him for his lies and admitted fraud?) Luna charged that Schiff had ripped apart American families across the country with his falsehoods about Trump. Has she followed the former presidents career? Read about the Thanksgiving dinners nationwide disrupted by his divisiveness? Forgotten the families literally ripped apart at the border by his policies? The Durham hearing was supposed to dovetail with Schiffs censure. Yet try as they might, the Republicans on the House committee could not spin their way out of the facts: Durham found no criminal wrongdoing by high-level Justice and FBI officials (let alone former President Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden), no Deep State conspiracy to get Trump, nothing prosecutable on the part of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of Torrance mockingly said at one point, I dont actually know what were doing here. Neither did the Republicans, it turns out. The House is such a circus under their (mis)management, one can hardly wait for the jesters to bring their half-baked Biden impeachment resolutions back to the floor. If you want to weaponize the levers of power, you need facts, not pop guns. @jackiekcalmes Get the latest from Jackie Calmes Commentary on politics and more from award-winning opinion columnist. Sign me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A Canadian government agency is opening an investigation into the OceanGate Titan submersible and the cargo vessel which provided support from the surface. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced on Friday that it will be investigating the fatal incident involving the submersible Titan and Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince. "In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB, as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel involved in the occurrence, will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince," a deployment notice states. "A team of TSB investigators is traveling to St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, to gather information, conduct interviews, and assess the occurrence. In the coming days, we will coordinate our activities with other agencies involved." The Titan lost contact with its surface vessel on Sunday, and its debris were found on Thursday, according to the Coast Guard, stating that all passengers and crew members are presumed dead. This file image provided by OceanGate shows the Titan submersible descending into the ocean. "The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said to reporters. "On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families." Fox News' Michael Ruiz and Bradford Betz contributed to this report. Dozens of central Pennsylvania farmers have come together to form a cooperative, christened Kinfork, that serves a two-fold purpose keeping families on farms and offering both businesses and individual consumers products that they might not find anywhere else. By pulling our resources together, were hoping that everyone will win, said John Esh, a member of Kinforks executive board and the co-ops marketing director, as well as owner of Goot Essa. The consumer will win by having an excellent-quality product and the farmers will win by having a market for their product. Kinfork got its start in 2018 but discussions starting about a year before that, Esh said. We were noticing the amounts of family farms that were no longer economically viable. ... We were concerned how that might affect our values in the next generation or two, he said. Theres a group of us who feel very strongly that maintaining the values that come with working in agriculture getting some soil between your fingers, working with animals and teaching our children at a young age how to be responsible by giving them some chores on the farm is very important. Currently, Kinfork offers grass-fed beef and dairy products to retail consumers, primarily in bulk quantities, while offering the same, plus produce, to wholesale customers, including restaurants, supermarkets and boutique liquor stores. Beef and cheese can be directly shipped to consumers homes, while a retail shop is also open for business every day of the week at 4657 Brush Valley Road in Madisonburg. The beef is raised without the hormones that a lot of beef lots use. Its raised in a very natural environment. We know these animals have been cared for. They have access to pasture, Esh said. The milk we use to make the cheese is also produced right here in Centre County. (The cheese) is made in smaller batches and we age it perhaps a bit longer than the cheeses in the grocery store. Again, this milk is produced on family farms where the husbandry of the animals is very important to us. We like our cows. We care for our cows. They have names. They get a lot of special attention. While the co-op also sells its beef products at the farmers market that takes place Saturday mornings at State College Assembly of God, 2201 University Drive, Esh noted that its often just not viable for the co-ops individual farms to attend regional farmers markets on their own. Most of these farms are busy with the production side of things taking care of the animals, taking care of the crops, the produce, he said. Devoting a half a day a week at the farmers market and another half a day or so to prepare and clean up after youre done is just taking more time than they had to offer. Theres also the marketing aspect. In agriculture, a lot of us are geared toward producing a product, but not many have experience with marketing a product. Most of Kinforks co-op members which totals approximately 40 farms are located in Centre County, with a handful in western Clinton County. Looking to the future, Kinfork aims to expand its product line and market, in order to help as many family farms as possible. Today, consumers can place orders online, at kinfork.com (or go direct to Kinforks e-commerce platform, choplocal.com/kinfork), or at the Saturday State College Assembly of God farmers market. Delivery orders are shipped within a few days. Orders can also be picked up at the Kinfork retail shop in Madisonburg. Kinforks cheeses can also be purchased locally from Centre County retailers including Long Lane Farm Stand in Centre Hall and Burkolders Market in Spring Mills. Holly Riddle is a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer. She can be reached at holly.ridd@gmail.com. Chechen leader says his forces are ready to help put down Wagner mutiny MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Saturday his forces were ready to help put down a mutiny by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. Kadyrov in a statement posted on Telegram called Prigozhin's behaviour "a knife in the back" and called on Russian soldiers not to give in to any "provocations." He said that Chechen units were moving towards the "zones of tension" and would act to "preserve Russia's units and defend its statehood". Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin who commands extensive military forces in Chechnya, had previously been seen as a Prigozhin ally, sharing some of the Wagner boss's criticisms of the Russian military hierarchy. In recent weeks, however, Chechen commanders aligned with Kadyrov had begun criticising Prigozhin's regular outbursts against the defence ministry. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn) A year has passed since Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell's 18-year-old brother, Christian, was fatally shot in Chicago, and no suspects have been named in connection with his murder. Christian was one of three victims shot the night of June 24, 2022, on the South Side the other two of whom were wounded, according to the Chicago Police Department. The other victims, a 31-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, were unknown to Christian, who was out with friends at the time. "Today marks one year since the murder of my innocent baby brother Christian, and I am calling on the FBI to take over this investigation," Caldwell told Fox News Digital. "Like many others, I do not trust my hometowns county prosecutor, Kim Foxx, to properly prosecute, or the Chicago Police Department, which has had ample opportunity to solve this case, including with recent evidence." Chicago, which has a population of nearly 2.7 million people, recorded 291 murders and 1,137 shooting incidents at the same time last year, compared to 271 murders and 1,074 shootings so far this year. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has solved about 50% of homicide cases annually, on average, over the last several years. FOX NEWS ANALYST GIANNO CALDWELL LAYS BROTHER, FATALLY SHOT IN CHICAGO, TO REST: THE FLAME HAS BEEN IGNITED Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell is looking for answers after his 18-year-old brother, Christian, was fatally shot in Chicago. "A year has passed and there is no confirmed progress that ensures those responsible for murder are held to account under the highest penalty of law," Caldwell said. "I am also calling on Congress to hold soft-on-crime prosecutors across our country to account those who refuse to do their job out of politics and radical ideology which is endangering the lives of Americans." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP FOX NEWS ANALYST GIANNO CALDWELL REMEMBERS BROTHER, 18, FATALLY SHOT IN CHICAGO: ALL I WANTIS JUSTICE The lead detective on Christian's case did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. Eugene Roy, who was a CPD officer for more than 30 years, shared his thoughts on why 50% of homicide cases go unsolved, and why no suspects have been named yet in Christian's case. Gianno Caldwell and his brother, Christian, in their last photo taken together. Roy said in a case like Christian's, there are "no witnesses coming forward" with information to give to police, despite the fact that there were two other injured victims and despite the fact that the crime scene was near a club on a Friday. $15K REWARD OFFERED IN CHICAGO SHOOTING OF FOX ANALYST GIANNO CALDWELL'S BROTHER AFTER MONTH WITHOUT ANSWERS An unidentified male offender entered a black sedan and fled the scene eastbound after the shooting, according to CPD. The department has not shared any updates since the incident occurred. Gianno Caldwell is one of nine siblings and said his younger brothers are more like his sons. "You have to understand the predicament witnesses find themselves in. They just saw three people shot one of them fatally. Maybe acquaintances, maybe friends, maybe family," said Roy. "But there's a message in there. They know that the police can't protect them. They know the system can't protect them. They know that if they identify somebody and come to court and testify that they're putting themselves and their families at risk." AMERICAS MOST WANTED' HOST JOHN WALSH, FOX NEWS' GIANNO CALDWELL SHARE PSA Roy said there is no "viable" witness assistance program in Cook County. Gianno Caldwell and John Walsh deliver a PSA in Chicago. The second reason a case like Christian's does not get solved, he said, is because of "the diminished proactive policing here in Chicago now" and "the lack of cooperation from the state's attorney" with CPD. BLACK LIVES MUST MATTER TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY: GIANNO CALDWELL When Roy was with CPD, if officers caught an "armed felon," that suspect would not be "on probation or parole, he would be going back to the penitentiary," and investigators could make efforts to work with the suspect and the state's attorney to get more information from the suspect about other crimes. Former CPD officer Eugene Roy said there is no "viable" witness assistance program in Cook County. Now, he said, repeat violent offenders "know they are not going to be sent back to the state penitentiary." Repeat offenders "know that, at worst, they're going to get some sort of token sentence," which "actually gives them street cred." But the relationship between CPD and the state's attorney's office "has sailed," Roy explained. The former officer added that "proactive policing is discouraged politically" in Chicago and significant "manpower shortages" have contributed to the souring of that relationship. CPD has lost more than 1,400 officers since March 2020, according to a CWB Chicago analysis of data from the Inspector General's office. Caldwell knows his family is one of many in Chicago holding out hope that their loved ones will see justice. Gianno Caldwell's brother, Christian, was the youngest of nine siblings and had just turned 18 before he was killed. "Its been a long painful year but I will not rest until theres complete and total justice for my brother," he said. "Please join me in praying for the too-many other families whose loved ones have been murdered across our country and have yet had any promise of justice. We are all in this together and will never stop believing that God will help provide justice for all such families." Caldwell and his brother were two of nine siblings who grew up poor in Chicago. He has repeatedly criticized the city's soft-on-crime policies that allow repeat offenders back on the streets. Born in 2004, Christian was the youngest of the siblings and had just turned 18 in 2022. Caldwell previously told Fox News Digital that Christian and his other younger brothers are like sons to him as the oldest sibling. The City of Fort Worth announced on Saturday that its website was hacked, according to a report from Star-Telegram partner, WFAA-TV. The city said in a news release that its information technology solutions department was made aware on Friday of a claim that the citys website had been hacked. Data later posted online from the hack had come from an internal information system, not the city website, city staff said in the release. According to Kevin Gunn, Fort Worth IT Solutions Director, the information collected by hackers was not sensitive in nature and was the type of information the city would release through Public Information Act requests including work orders and emails between staff. The hackers gained access to the information through stolen login credentials of the city system, said Gunn, who added that the city does not know how hackers got the credentials used to gain access to the city system. The attack comes about two months after The City of Dallas website suffered a ransomware attack, compromising police and other city services. There has not been a ransom demanded of the City of Fort Worth, according to Gunn. The investigation into the hack is ongoing and the city is working with law enforcement and computer forensic experts, Gunn said. The citys IT department has removed the websites access from the external intranet and has forced users to reset their passwords. Melting Point The Himalayas are going to look quite different once a large chunk of its glaciers melts away in less than 80 years if climate change continues like a runaway train, a global group of scientists and researchers warn in a new alarming report. As much as 80 percent of glaciers could vanish by the year 2100 if global temperatures rise by four degrees Celsius. These huge deposits of ice and snow are already melting at an "unprecedented" rate, changes that are "largely irreversible," according to a new report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The scientists are warning that when the glaciers melt, this slow-moving disaster will send a tidal wave of destructive floods, landslides, and avalanches that will destroy fragile ecosystems, infrastructure, and precious farmland in the larger region. All told, an estimated two billion people in the area, both up high in the mountains and downstream, could be put in harm's way if global warming stays on its current projected path. "This is a lot, this is alarming," Philippus Wester, lead editor of the report and the agency's chief scientist on water resources management, told CBS News."On human time scales, we have never seen glacial melt this rapid, this fast this is unprecedented." No Turning Back The Hindu Kush Himalayan region, a more than 2,1oo mile stretch of breathtaking landscape, is incredibly important because it contains "the largest volume of ice on Earth outside of the polar regions" and is often called the "Third Pole," according to the report. Water from its glaciers feeds some of the most well-known rivers on Earth: the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtse, and Yellow all of which are and have been important sources of water for major civilizations throughout history. The melting glaciers may also indirectly impact places as far as the United States and perhaps the whole world, Izabella Koziell, deputy director general of ICIMOD, told CBS News. "The people who are losing their livelihoods, of which there are 2 billion people that's a quarter of the world's population where will they go?" Koziell said. More on climate change: Climate Change Linked to Increased Pirate Attacks Cobb County teacher fighting to save her job after reading book to students Katie Rinderle, a teacher at Due West Elementary School in Cobb County finds herself at the center of a controversial battle that could cost her career. Recent laws leaning toward a more conservative learning environment have raised concerns about a book she read to her fifth-grade class, which is believed to challenge the states new divisive concept laws. Rinderles attorney, Craig Goodmark, a champion of educational civil rights, said shes an exceptional teacher. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] However, a book she purchased at a Cobb County school book fair stands in her way. Rinderle told Channel 2s Veronica Griffin shes dedicated to embracing diversity and valuing unique differences in a video with the Southern Poverty Law Center, further fueling her determination to keep her job. Rinderle was placed on administrative leave after reading the book My Shadow is Purple to her students. The book is a collection of rhymes that challenges gender norms. The power of embracing your unique differences and abilities and valuing those in others, she said. Goodmark said the significance of this case, pointing out that the laws used to censor Georgias public school teachers are confusing, hard to understand, and vague. And said this case raises important questions about inclusive education and the freedom of expression within the classroom. The Cobb County Association of Educators supports Rinderles fight to retain her position. TRENDING STORIES: They condemn the districts actions, stating that it sends a chilling message to all teachers. Jeff Hubbard, President of the Cobb County Association of Educators, expressed confidence that Rinderles impressive career will eventually help her to keep her teaching career in the state of Georgia. Despite feeling alienated by the district, Rinderle finds solace in the support she receives from some parents, students, and fellow teachers who stand by her side during this challenging journey. Goodmark believes that Rinderle may face termination but remains optimistic about her future as an educator in the state. Channel 2 Action News reached out and received the following response from Cobb County School: Without getting into specifics of the personnel investigation, the District is confident that this action is appropriate considering the entirety of the teachers behavior and history. However, as this matter is ongoing, further comment is unavailable. The District remains committed to strictly enforcing all Board policy and the law. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Storm moves in over coast. by wildestanimal/Getty Images. Warming Pacific Ocean waters periodically unleash extreme weather around the globe, and climate change may make it worse. Here's everything you need to know: What is El Nino? It's a natural, cyclical warming of Pacific Ocean waters that makes global weather more extreme. The phenomenon was named back in the 1600s, when Peruvian fishermen noticed that waters sometimes warmed around Christmastime in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting their catch and the weather. They named the phenomenon El Nino "The Boy" after the infant Jesus. The effects of an El Nino vary throughout the world: Some regions experience severe drought and wildfires, while others get massive downpours and flooding. The last full El Nino ended in 2016 the hottest year on record. A new one was detected this month forming in the Pacific, and some meteorologists warn that this could be a "Super El Nino," dramatically raising global temperatures for a year or more. Why would this one be stronger? Global ocean temperatures already have smashed records in four of the past five years. The WMO predicts a 66% chance that this El Nino will temporarily raise global temperatures by roughly 0.7 degrees on top of previous warming of about 2 degrees, sending atmospheric temperatures zooming past the 2.7-degree Fahrenheit (1.5-degree Celsius) threshold established by the Paris climate agreement as a tipping point for more severe consequences. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is predicting that there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record. "We're in unprecedented territory," said Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. How does an El Nino form? In the Eastern Pacific, near the equator, trade winds usually flow from east to west, pushing warm surface water toward Australia and Asia and letting cooler water rise to the surface near the Americas. For reasons scientists don't fully understand, during an El Nino period, those winds tend to die down or reverse, allowing the warm surface water to flow eastward and preventing cold water from rising. The moisture of the warm water evaporates into the atmosphere, causing the global temperature to rise, currents to shift, and local weather systems to depart from their usual patterns. Forecasters generally wait until sea surface temperatures rise 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit for at least three months before declaring an El Nino's arrival, which usually occurs every two to seven years. What happens then? El Nino usually strikes first in the Southern Hemisphere from July to September (their winter). North America then experiences the impact from December through January. In the southeastern third of the U.S., that often means downpours, flooding, and landslides. But areas further north in the Americas tend to see warmer, drier conditions, which create prime conditions for wildfires such as the 400-plus blazes now burning across Canada. The 1997-98 El Nino caused an estimated 23,000 deaths. El Nino-fueled fires in Southeast Asia alone contributed to as many as 100,000 deaths in 2015 and 2016. Dartmouth researchers recently estimated that each El Nino saps an average of $3.4 trillion from the global economy, destroying crops and preventing the flow of goods and services. What can we expect from this El Nino? Scientists can only guess, because it arrives to a changed world. We've just seen the end of an abnormally long La Nina a countervailing phenomenon in which strong Pacific trade winds periodically increase the upwelling of cold, deep water, producing many of the opposite effects of an El Nino. That La Nina began in 2020 and lasted for most of the past three years before ending in March but its normal cooling effect did not materialize. Instead, ocean temperatures continued rising, and 2020, 2021 and 2022 remained hotter than any El Nino year before 2015. Though the U.S. is usually given a reprieve from strong, frequent Atlantic and Caribbean hurricanes during El Ninos, that's not expected to be the case this time. Why not? The world's oceans have absorbed more than 90% of the warmth generated by fossil fuels. As a result, North Atlantic temperatures which reached nearly 73 degrees this month are now higher than at "any day in recorded history," according to UCLA climatologist Daniel Swain. The Pacific also appears to be warming in a lasting way. Warm waters make for frequent and powerful hurricanes and cyclones, and forecasters expect an above-average season this year. Marine heat waves also speed up the melting of ice sheets and kill off fish stocks and wildlife. The severe warming of the 2015-16 El Nino destroyed nearly a third of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef. A recent Australian study suggests El Nino/La Nina temperature shocks have grown 10% more extreme since 1960. The double whammy of this El Nino on top of climate change, scientists warn, could trigger weather extremes and disasters of unprecedented scope and scale. "There's a huge amount of heat stored below the surface that's ready to erupt," said NOAA senior scientist Michael McPhaden. "The escalator is only going up." Peru as ground zero The cyclical pattern of current and weather changes Peruvian fisherman named El Nino actually dates back thousands of years, at least to the last Ice Age, geological research has determined. The phenomenon may have even played a role in the collapse of ancient civilizations such as the Inca. Every region in the world is affected differently by El Ninos; for Peru, they usually bring a major increase in rainfall and storms. Over recent decades, the country has been severely battered during El Nino, with whole villages sliding off sodden mountainsides. In 2017, heavy rain and flooding displaced some 300,000 Peruvians. And this year's El Nino is already being blamed for downpours and a consequential outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever that has sickened nearly 140,000 people. "The increase in temperature is going to continue, and diseases like dengue are one of the results," said Dr. Luis Pampa of Peru's National Health Institute. "We don't have to be fortune tellers to say that, if we do not not take this problem seriously, it could get worse." This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here. You may also like The future of 'Doctor Who' James Cameron says Titan submersible was 'critically flawed' Meta to block news access for Facebook and Instagram users in Canada The Kremlin must not be allowed to drag the entire world into nuclear Armageddon Firefighters work on extinguishing a fire after reports of an explosion at a fuel depot in Voronezh, south of Moscow, on June 24 - Andrey Arxipov/Kommersant Publishing House As Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putins chef, attempted yesterday, at least for a few hours, to serve a cold dish to the tyrannical Russian leader, it was time to cross our fingers. The Kremlin, we must remember, controls the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet. The control of these strategic military assets will always be one of the most important issues for global security. For we were dealing with military insurgents who are undoubtedly cruel and morally defunct. Military strategists across the West would have been asking: what if a group of ex-convicts including its leader Prigozhin, who served time in a penal colony were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction? What were the possibilities that they could sell these assets to terrorist groups or hostile states, in their grubby chase for money? Could it happen again and, if so, how secure is the Russian nuclear arsenal? Are we sure that we understand the procedure for activating them? For all the talk of Vladimir Putin launching a nuclear war in recent months, it now appears his grip on power may not be eternal and that this might now pose the biggest threat. Moreover, Ukraine still faces the biggest nuclear threat. It has been clear for some time that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could be a target for Putin. It would have been a small jump for him to go from killing Ukrainians with missiles to killing them with the implosion of a massive nuclear power station. The United Nations should have been more active in preventing this, perhaps by stationing peacekeepers permanently for we have had several warnings from Ukrainian authorities that Russian plans could reach this level. Now, however, with the Russian president under extreme strain, he is surely more likely to follow through. Indeed it would prove a distraction from the embarrassment hes now suffering. Do we have a plan for the fallout from such a scenario? With Wagner now emboldened, there is also the risk of poisonous weapons being leaked to various forces. They may be easier to transport, easier to activate and less jealously guarded. Putin watched on in Syria as chemical weapons were deployed, continuing to support the Assad regime. Now the deployment of nerve agents in Ukraine could also prove an attractive distraction. Yesterday we came close to it ending up in the hands of Wagner, who have plied their trade in African nations, and whose men and leaders are clearly traumatised by what they have witnessed in Bakhmut. They may see no problem in using such assets as weapons of war. Again, we must have a plan for blocking the movements of nerve agents. Their use would provide images we have never seen in Europe in our lifetimes. Of course, these questions should not distract us from the fight at hand. The Ukrainian military must continue fighting; they must win and the current dysfunction in Russia is likely to help in that cause. Russias military strategy remains in turmoil, leaving a gap that Kyiv would do well to exploit. As I have argued in these pages before, Ukraine has taught us all every Western army a lesson in how to resist and fight back against the abhorrent fighting style of the Russians, who disregard any sense of humanity or fair play. The film The Eastern Front shows just how harrowing the invasion has been, including the abduction of children. But clearly, this weekends events present big problems for Nato and Western governments. We are dealing today not with a crisis in a rag-tag government, but we can foresee the potential dissolution of a nuclear-armed state with access to deadly poisonous weapons, such as that used to attack dissidents on British soil. While some will be overcome with schadenfreude at Putins growing problems and while we must continue to support Ukraine there are dangers lurking just under the surface that we must confront too. The necessity now is to ensure that Russias crisis does not drag the rest of us into Armageddon. Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is former Commanding Officer of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. City officials said they will permanently close a roadway through Jackson Park in preparation for the looming Obama Presidential Center in Woodlawn. A half-mile stretch of Cornell Drive between the Midway Plaisance and East Hayes Drive will close to vehicle traffic for good on June 30, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced Friday. The long-expected road closure is part of a plan to create more than 5 acres of new green space by turning portions of roadway into parkland. The city has been working on numerous roadway changes and transportation improvement projects in and around Jackson Park in support of the Obama Presidential Center and the Chicago Park Districts South Lakefront Framework Plan with the goal of strengthening and refreshing Jackson Park and the surrounding area. Following the closure, traffic patterns in the area will continue to change starting July 1, including reopening another part of Cornell Drive, from Hayes Drove to Marquette Drive. Hayes Drive from Stony Island Avenue to Cornell Drive will also be temporarily closed. Southbound drivers coming from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Stony Island Avenue are recommended to take DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Hayes Drive to Cornell Drive then to Stony Island Avenue. Northbound motorists should take Stony Island Avenue back the opposite way through Cornell and Hayes drives to get to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Drivers are asked to pay close attention to construction workers and signage when in the area and to follow posted speed limits. The planned closure of Cornell Drive, which slices through the Obama and Museum of Science and Industry campuses, has long been a controversial topic, with some residents complaining the closure will push traffic to neighboring streets. Once road construction is complete, drivers will be able to use Hayes Drive to enter DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Countries in the Americas call on Nicaragua to end rights violations The government of President Daniel Ortega has been accused of rights violations (INTI OCON) The Organization of American States (OAS) called Friday on Nicaragua to "cease all human rights violations" and to release its political prisoners, in a resolution adopted unanimously during its annual meeting in Washington. The United Nations and Western governments have repeatedly accused President Daniel Ortega's government of human rights abuses and illegally attempting to crush any and all opposition. Hundreds of people were arrested in Nicaragua following anti-government protests in 2018. Several would-be challengers to Ortega were jailed ahead of presidential elections in 2021, while more than 2,000 associations, NGOs and trade unions have been barred from operating since 2020. The OAS resolution -- supported by the United States, Canada, Chile and Costa Rica -- calls on Nicaragua to "cease all human rights violations and respect civil and political rights, as well as religious freedoms and the rule of law, and to refrain from all forms of intimidation" against the press, religious communities and NGOs. It also urges Nicaragua to "immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners" and to "rescind the rules" that strip opponents of their nationality, including more than 200 people exiled this year to the United States. Nicaragua requested to leave the organization, a move due to be finalized in November, in protest against the OAS's refusal to recognize the 2021 elections. The OAS has previously adopted similar resolutions against Ortega following reports of religious persecution in the country. erl/dga/atm/dhw/axn Dallas man added to Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives over kidnapping, sexual assault A 41-year-old Dallas man has been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List for aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault of a child and kidnapping, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced Friday. DPS is offering $10,000 in reward money for information that leads to Leonard Lamar Neals arrest. Both Texas Crime Stoppers and North Texas Crime Stoppers are also each offering cash rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous. Neal has been wanted since June 13, when the Dallas County Sheriffs Office issued warrants for his arrest. Neal is suspected in the kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy that prompted an Amber Alert in south Dallas on June 11. Both children were later located. He has prior arrests for violent offenses including aggravated robbery and aggravated assault, according to the DPS. Neal is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds, with tattoos on his neck, right ear, and left arm. He has ties to DeSoto, in addition to Dallas, according to the DPS. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, view Neals wanted bulletin. To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of three methods: Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the Submit a Top link (under the About section) DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders Lists. Current lists with photos can be found on the DPS website. The DPS urges people to not attempt to apprehend these fugitives as they are considered armed and dangerous. Defiant Wagner chief Prigozhin claims he has 25,000 'patriot' soldiers who will not surrender despite Putin's demands. 'All of us are ready to die.' Defiant Wagner chief Prigozhin claims he has 25,000 'patriot' soldiers who will not surrender despite Putin's demands. 'All of us are ready to die.' Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks inside the headquarters of the Russian southern army military command center, which is taken under control of Wagner PMC in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. "Concord"/Handout via Reuters Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has defiantly responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin had said that the "armed mutiny" was a "betrayal" and vowed that Russia would defend itself. Prigozhin said his men were patriots and will not surrender, despite the president's requests. Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has defiantly rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments accusing mutinying Wagner troops of "treason." Prigozhin said the Russian president was "deeply mistaken" and that he and his men were "patriots" in a voice note posted to his Telegram channel on Saturday. "Nobody is going to turn themselves in and confess at the order of the president, the FSB (security service), or anyone else. Because we don't want the country to continue to live any longer in corruption, deceit, and bureaucracy," he said, per a Reuters translation. The comments mark the most direct challenge to Putin that Prighozin has ever made. The fiery Wagner chief has openly slammed the Russian Ministry of Defense and military leadership but has avoided naming the president, his former ally. Prigozhin and scores of Wagner fighters entered southern Russia from occupied Ukraine and claimed to have taken control of several military sites. While Putin did not name Wagner or Prigozhin in a televised address to the nation on Saturday morning, he said that the events were a "betrayal" and vowed that Russia would defend itself. Prigozhin launched the unprecedented rebellion after slamming Russia's "evil" defense ministry in a series of Telegram posts on Friday and accusing them of orchestrating a missile strike that killed a number of his fighters. "All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000," he said about his troops in a social media post, per an Al Jazeera translation. The UK Department of Defense said on Saturday that Wagner forces are now "almost certainly" aiming to march to Moscow. Read the original article on Business Insider Democrats vow to take action on abortion one year after Roe v. Wade overturned We have an obligation to unwind this decision made by a corrupt Supreme Court so that we can go back to protecting the lives and health care of women and Black women in this country, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove says Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Courts landmark ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The courts decision granted state governments the power to enforce their own abortion laws. While many were shocked by the courts ruling, GOP leaders saw the decision as an opportunity to propose strict abortion bans. So far, 14 states have enacted abortion bans, and 12 other states are working on anti-abortion legislation. In April, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which prohibited abortions after six weeks of gestation. Weeks prior, North Republican Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum had signed a similar bill into law. The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, on Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Kara Gross, legislative director for the ACLU, has described the ban in Florida as extreme because it restricts abortion care before many people even know that they are pregnant. This will disproportionately harm Black and brown individuals, people who have fewer resources, and those who live in more rural communities, she added. One year after the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts has introduced the Abortion Justice Act to protect Black and brown women from anti-abortion laws nationwide. [The] Supreme Court overturned the will of the people and obliterated the right to abortion care across our nation, Pressley said. Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California also spoke out against tough restrictions being placed on womens right to choose. Given the likelihood that so many women, Black women, are likely to be raped, or to have a complicated pregnancy, or need an abortion in order to stay alive, it seems terribly unjust that that same woman can now be criminalized, she said. A protester holds up a sign as she takes part in a Rally to Defend Abortion Rights after the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Boston on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the Dobbs decision in a press conference last week. Jeffries told reporters that, Democrats believe in a womans freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions and he wants to ensure the framework that was in existence under Roe v Wade is restored. Republicans want to criminalize abortion care and impose a nationwide ban and were going to stop that from happening, he said. Alencia Johnson, former public engagement director at Planned Parenthood, previously told theGrio, that these bans harm Black women. The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet, Black women continue to die at higher rates in childbirth than any other race, said Johnson, who is founder and Chief Impact Officer of the social impact agency, 1063 West Broad. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Democrats vow to take action on abortion one year after Roe v. Wade overturned appeared first on TheGrio. DeSantis Warns Of 'Woke' In Bizarre Speech Claiming He Saw 'People Defecating' In Public Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) claimed he recently saw people defecating on the sidewalk an act he chalked up to woke ideology during a speech at a Faith & Freedom Coalition event Friday. The 2024 GOP presidential candidate, who spoke at the conservative groups Road to Majority conference, discussed so-called wokeness a popular Republican boogeyman as he warned of the mindsets impact on the criminal justice system. When woke overtakes our criminal justice system like it has in San Francisco, like it has in Los Angeles the average person becomes less safe in their communities as a result, said DeSantis, who vowed to leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history. Dont tell me it doesnt affect peoples lives. I was just in San Francisco. I saw in 20 minutes on the ground people defecating on the sidewalk. I saw people using fentanyl. I saw people smoking crack right there in the open, right there on the street. It was a civilization in decay. DeSantis: Dont tell me it doesnt affect peoples lives. I was just in San Francisco. In 20 minutes on the ground, I saw people defecating on the sidewalk. I saw people using Fentanyl. pic.twitter.com/Tlwi6Wbonl Acyn (@Acyn) June 23, 2023 DeSantis, who recently dropped a campaign video criticizing the collapsed city over its leftist policies, received pushback from San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D), who called his comments part of the oldest playbook in politics to get attention. Twitter users similarly slammed the Florida governor over his remarks, pointing to reports of people pooping in public in the Sunshine State and noting that Florida has significantly higher drug overdose mortality rates than California. Imagine a Dem politician talking about, like, Arkansas like this https://t.co/N48xQaMHV2 ettingermentum (@ettingermentum) June 23, 2023 Look its going to take him 20 minutes just to get out of SFO. Plus I promise you if he wore his white boots it took him longer. https://t.co/GdH522BEr6 Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) June 23, 2023 I could barely enjoy my clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl! https://t.co/FDLV7MpX7Q Chris Regan (@ChrisRRegan) June 23, 2023 And DeSantis knows for a fact that the Cities of Miami and around greater Orlando are also struggling with these same issues, issues that are rooted in the Republican Partys refusal to commit to programs to assist ~ they would rather lower taxes for their donors An Academic View (@academicviews) June 23, 2023 Hold up. I thought that was due to a homelessness epidemic and lack of safety net support for mental health & shelter support. So it's all due to cancel culture and gender pronouns? Hmm. Who would've thought? idea trader (@needless_input) June 23, 2023 Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline. Related... Despite promise of total transparency, secrecy will be a big part of Ken Paxton impeachment trial Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who promised transparency for the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, recaps the regular session of the Legislature at the Texas Public Policy Foundation headquarters in downtown Austin on May 30. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has promised maximum transparency in the impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, but trial rules recently adopted by the Texas Senate came after an opaque process and provide for plenty of secrecy going forward. Any pretrial motions, including requests from Paxtons legal team to toss out articles of impeachment, will be kept confidential. A special committee of senators will review each pretrial motion behind closed doors and issue written recommendations for how it should be addressed, but those recommendations are to remain confidential as well. When senators vote on pretrial matters or cast the deciding votes on whether to convict or acquit on each article of impeachment there can be no debate or comments beyond yea or nay. Even the witness list that each side must file before Aug. 22 will be kept from the public. After all the evidence is presented and closing arguments are made, senators will meet in private to deliberate like any jury in a civil or criminal trial. Finally, the rules require the trials presiding officer at this point it is Patrick, though he can appoint a replacement to issue a gag order as soon as practicable after adoption of the rules. The rules do not state who would be barred from speaking or what they would be prohibited from speaking about. The Senate approved the rules without public debate Wednesday night, following two days of closed-door deliberations over them. That came after a rule-making committee worked in secret for three weeks, drafting proposed rules without telling the public when and where they were meeting. Just comparing this process to other processes [in state government], it hasnt been transparent, said Adrian Shelley, executive director of Public Citizen Texas, an Austin-based government watchdog group. Not even knowing when the committee is meeting is pretty disappointing. Even if the process and rules are similar to past impeachment trials or similar legal proceedings, Patrick had promised a high level of transparency. Let me just say this: If there is a trial if there is there will be total transparency and it will be handled properly, Patrick said in a radio interview Monday. Patrick said from the Senate dais Wednesday night that he was proud senators could come together to craft the rules, and he reminded them of the rules against discussing the case. He later issued a written statement acknowledging their adoption after 2 days of thoughtful deliberation but otherwise has not commented on the rules or the issues of transparency. Patricks office did not respond to a request for comment. A spokespersons email account said they were out of the office until Monday and did not provide an alternate media contact. The Senate approved the rules Wednesday night in a 25-3 vote without debate on the floor, and text of the rules was not publicly available until afterward. One of the senators who voted against the rules, Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, cited the lack of transparency for her opposition. The Rules are unprecedented in their presumption for opacity and closed deliberation, Eckhardt wrote in the Senate Journal afterward. She pointed to Rule 10 in particular, which provides for the gag order, among other things. An opaque rule-making process The process of making the rules was opaque from the start. On the last day of the regular legislative session, May 29, the Senate passed a resolution creating a seven-member committee to draft rules and present them to the full Senate on June 20. Patrick named five Republicans and two Democrats to the panel and made GOP Sen. Brian Birdwell of Granbury the chair. The resolution gave the committee the power to meet at the call of the chair and to meet in closed sessions. Otherwise, it did not exempt the committee from any Senate rules. No information about the committee, its membership or anything else related to it was ever published on the official Senate website. The committee never gave public notice for its meetings, despite Senate rules that require committees to provide 24-hour notice for meetings, even if they intend to meet privately in executive session. Paxtons lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, said in a podcast interview that the committee spent the days before its June 20 deadline holed up at an Austin-area resort. The rules are developed by a rules committee appointed by the lieutenant governor, who Im told are in Austin as we speak, at a resort in a room working out what the rules are, Buzbee said. Asked which resort, Buzbee said he did not know, but Im told its on Lake Travis. Not only are Senate committees normally required to give prior notice of meetings, they also have to adopt their own rules and keep minutes of their meetings. The rule-making committee was established as a special committee, but Senate rules do not exempt special committees from any rules unless the resolution forming them says so. While [the resolution] makes it clear they can meet in executive session, it does not make really clear theyre exempt from the Senate rules that they have to provide 24-hour notice and adopt rules and keep minutes, said Bill Aleshire, an Austin lawyer who specializes in government transparency. A closely watched debate The rules debate was closely watched because state law gives the Senate wide latitude to set the ground rules for an impeachment trial and because there were important questions to answer like whether McKinney Republican Sen. Angela Paxton, Ken Paxtons wife would be able to participate. The Senate ultimately settled on a rule that requires her to attend the trial state law mandates that every senator must be present but bars her from voting or deliberating. Still, the rules were silent on other conflicts of interest. Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, is alluded to in the articles of impeachment as a straw requestor for an attorney generals office legal opinion that Ken Paxton sought to help a campaign donor. And Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, employed a staffer who was reportedly involved in an extramarital relationship with Paxton that is mentioned in the articles. The opaque rule-making process means the public does not know if additional recusals were contemplated. Not knowing whether that was discussed, Shelley said, it undermines confidence in the process. Disclosure: Tony Buzbee has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Go behind the headlines with newly announced speakers at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, in downtown Austin from Sept. 21-23. Join them to get their take on whats next for Texas and the nation. Hunter Biden swinging on the scales of justice Illustrated / Getty Images / Shutterstock Hunter Biden reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors this week, agreeing to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses and avoiding jail time. Biden will be sentenced to probation for failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes on time. He also will avoid being charged with lying about his drug use when he bought a gun, as long as he complies with rules set by the Justice Department. He has to remain drug-free for two years, and can never own a gun again. Republicans immediately accused the Justice Department of going easy on President Biden's son, letting him off with a "slap on the wrist" while aggressively prosecuting former President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents. Trump likened the deal to a "mere 'traffic ticket." "If you're Biden's leading political opponent, the DOJ will try to put you in prison," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) tweeted. "If you're Biden's son, the DOJ will give you a sweetheart deal." But some legal experts said Hunter Biden was treated fairly. "The laws were enforced as if it had been anybody else," Maggie Abdo-Gomez, a Miami tax attorney and former IRS lawyer, told Politico. "I would say probably a little stricter, because failure to pay is very common." Attorney General Merrick Garland said he kept his promise to "leave this matter in the hands of the United States attorney who was appointed by the previous president," Trump, and gave him "full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate." Did the Justice Department go easy on Hunter Biden, or treat him like anyone in his situation? DOJ is protecting the Bidens This deal "reeks of political favoritism," said Margot Cleveland at The Federalist. Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss announced this sweetheart deal for Hunter Biden "only weeks after Americans learned that a 'highly credible' confidential human source had reported that the Ukrainian owner of Burisma paid the father-son duo each $5 million in bribes." It seems "like an obvious attempt to quell the growing scandal that threatened to engulf the president." Hunter Biden's failure to pay taxes on two years of income, and his illegal gun purchase, were slam dunks. Weiss should have filed these charges in 2019, before President Biden's election, but he didn't, because of "politics." This kind of "weaponization and political favoritism of the DOJ and FBI" has to stop. "Must be nice," said the Boston Herald in an editorial. This cushy deal really put "the perks of being a fortunate son" on "full display." It's true that a deal this good, sparing someone who admittedly broke serveral laws any jail time, "isn't unheard of." But it's not the kind of free pass that's available to "ordinary people." The gun charge felony possession of a firearm by a drug user can carry a penalty of 10 years in prison. But "nepo babies, especially those with political clout," get special treatment. "What's particularly galling about Hunter Biden's deal is that his dad Joe continues to talk tough about guns." Hunter Biden got no special treatment President Biden "appears to have been true to his promise that he wouldn't interfere in the probe," said The Washington Post in an editorial. The president and his attorney general let Weiss who was appointed by Trump "make his own prosecutorial decisions at the end of a five-year investigation, and a federal judge still needs to approve the agreement." And even though Hunter Biden won't spend any time behind bars, this is "by no means exoneration." Hunter Biden is admitting misdemeanors and now prosecutors won't have to pursue "a smorgasbord of charges that might or might not have stuck." And he's "still under scrutiny" for lots of "questionable behavior" that came to light when his abandoned laptop became public, including his "dealings with a Chinese energy company." Republicans are the ones playing politics by trying to conflate Hunter Biden's case with Trump's, said Matt Ford at The New Republic. "Misappropriating national secrets and showing them to random Mar-a-Lago guests is, generally speaking, a graver offense than failing to pay taxes." But the "deeper truth about Republican frustration over the Hunter Biden plea agreement" is that the GOP is pushing investigations not to "actually find evidence of criminal activity, as much as they would have welcomed it, but to create an aura of corruption and criminality around the 2020 and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate in much the same way they did against the party's 2016 nominee. To their immense frustration, Republicans haven't yet succeeded in that enterprise against Biden." You may also like The future of 'Doctor Who' James Cameron says Titan submersible was 'critically flawed' Meta to block news access for Facebook and Instagram users in Canada IRS whistleblowers told Congress that a Justice Department official dissuaded investigators from talking to President Biden's grandchildren as part of the federal probe into Hunter Biden to avoid getting into "hot water." On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee released transcripts of interviews with two IRS whistleblowers who claim decisions made during the probe by DOJ, FBI and IRS officials seemed to be "influenced by politics." Testimony of IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley Jr., who oversaw the investigation, and an unnamed IRS special agent who claims to have opened the initial probe alleges investigators were told not to interview President Biden's grandchildren. Investigators said interviewing the grandchildren would have been customary under normal circumstances because some of the payments Hunter Biden made that they were investigating involved his children, including a $30,000 tuition payment to Columbia University. President Biden, left, and his son Hunter Biden. DOJ, FBI, IRS INTERFERED WITH HUNTER BIDEN PROBE, ACCORDING TO WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY RELEASED BY GOP According to the whistleblowers, Hunter Biden was fraudulently claiming such amounts as business write-offs on his tax returns, thus they wanted to speak to the grandchildren involved as part of their probe. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP But Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf told the investigators in a meeting it would "get us into a lot of hot water if we interview the President's grandchildren." "I don't remember what ultimately happened with the grandchildren. I know I have never interviewed them, and we have not interviewed them," he said. The unnamed whistleblower said that his supervisor suggested documenting meetings between IRS and officials in U.S. Attorney David Weiss' office, who were running point on the probe. "My supervisor felt it necessary when some of the inappropriate comments that were being made to start documenting them," the whistleblower said. HUNTER BIDEN EXPENSED PROSTITUTES, SEX CLUB TO 'CONSULTING' BUSINESS ON 2018 TAX RETURNS: IRS WHISTLEBLOWER "There were a lot of times to where they would discuss the election or discuss politics, and I had to say, on multiple occasions, that I felt that it was inappropriate that they were saying it," he said. The whistleblower described other investigators referencing individuals surrounding the matter as to how they were related to President Biden for example, Joe Biden's brother, James Biden. "James Biden, we would call him the uncle. So that's how we referred to him, as the uncle," the whistleblower stated. At another point, the whistleblower said Venmo transactions were paid to "family and friends" of Hunter Biden that were deducted on his returns. President Biden walks with Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen after having lunch in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Nov. 25, 2022. HUNTER BIDEN USED HIS FATHER'S NAME TO EXTORT CHINESE BUSINESS PARTNER: IRS WHISTLEBLOWER "So I continually asked, 'Can I go and interview them? And can we understand what these payments were for? If they made other payments?" And those were always met with no. And I think one of them was Valerie Owens that we talked about that I wasn't allowed to go and do that interview. I believe that Valerie is a relative of Joe Biden. It might be his sister. I dont all I know is she's a relative of his," the whistleblower said. During a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland denied the whistleblower allegations of DOJ interference into the Hunter Biden probe. "As I said at the outset, Mr. Weiss, who was appointed by President Trump as the U.S. attorney in Delaware and assigned this matter during the previous administration, would be permitted to continue his investigation and to make a decision to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to. Mr. Weiss has since sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee confirming that he had that authority," Garland told reporters. The unnamed whistleblower claimed in his testimony that "while the impression was that the U.S. Attorney in Delaware has essentially the powers of special counsel in this case, free rein to do as needed, as is clearly shown, this was not the case." "The U.S. Attorney in Delaware in our investigation was constantly hamstrung, limited, and marginalized by DOJ officials as well as other U.S. Attorneys. I view that a special counsel for this case would have cut through the toughest problems that continues to make problems for this case," he said. The whistleblower interview was recorded on June 1, and released publicly on Thursday. On Tuesday, Weiss announced that the DOJ and Hunter Biden struck a plea deal in which the president's son will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax. Hunter Biden also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Weiss said the investigation remains "ongoing." Christopher Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, claimed in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday that the whistleblower claims are misleading. "Biased and politically-motivated, selective leaks have plagued this matter for years. They are not only irresponsible, they are illegal. A close examination of the document released publicly yesterday by a very biased individual raises serious questions over whether it is what he claims it to be. It is dangerously misleading to make any conclusions or inferences based on this document," Clark said. "The DOJ investigation covered a period which was a time of turmoil and addiction for my client." FBI BIDEN BRIBERY DOC NEVER MADE IT TO IRS INVESTIGATORS, WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS: 'INFLUENCED BY POLITICS' Clark also said that "[a]ny verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family." Life reconstruction of Olympicetus thalassodonArt by Cullen Townsend British military intelligence revealed earlier this week that Russia has weaponized dolphins to assist in their government's invasion of Ukraine. They appear to be trained to "counter enemy divers" who may target the country's main military base in the Black Sea, diligently guarding the port of Sevastopol. These militarized sea mammals are hardly the only cetaceans to make international news in 2023: Millions have watched in awe as orcas have attacked and even sunk ships near Europe. It seems that, no matter where humans turn, their news cycles have been brimming with the briny antics of these hyper-intelligent animals. "Some of these ancient, very early dolphins still retained teeth. They were more like their ancestors' teeth, that are more complex in terms of their shape and features." Now there may be even weirder news on the marine biology front: A new paper from the scientific journal PeerJ details crucial new information about the ancient ancestors to these odontocetes, or "toothed whales." In the process, the paper has raised provocative new questions about the forebears to modern cetaceans and highlighted the importance of maintaining comprehensive fossil records. Related The killer orcas aren't winning. They could be self-sabotaging The new study authored by Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Department of Mammalogy analyzed fossils of three ancient odontocetes, which are completely new species to science. In the process, Velez-Juarbe learned that their teeth were very different from the smiles sported by many modern cetaceans. In a way, they are eerily similar to the teeth found in human mouths, at least in terms of diversity and not shape. "Some of these ancient, very early dolphins still retained teeth," Velez-Juarbe told Salon. "They were more like their ancestors' teeth, that are more complex in terms of their shape and features." Just as humans can look at their own teeth and distinguish between incisors, canines and molars, "this is what we see in these early toothed whales." The same is not true, however, for today's odontocetes, which include dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales and orcas. This can tell us much about how these animals hunted and fed, with some perhaps using suction feeding like a vacuum on the ocean floor versus hunting prey like raptors. Olympicetus thalassodon, for example, may have switched between hunting strategies. "In modern ones, all the teeth are the same," Velez-Juarbe explained. "They're like copies of one other. And they're very, very simple. They're usually like this kind of cone shape with very simple points. The teeth of these ancient whales, though, have many different points. The front ones have a particular shape, and as we move along the tooth line they change." This was not the only notable difference between ancient toothed whales and their contemporary counterparts their nostrils were also in strange positions. "The other one is that the nostrils are located in front of the eyes," Velez-Juarbe pointed out. "This is more like land animals, where the nose is pointing forward. In some of the early whales, the nose is all the way on the tip of the snout. With these new fossils, the nostrils are closer to the eyes than we would expect, but they're not above the orbit or behind the orbit, like in the living species." Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist. "There is still a lot that we need to discover about the early evolution of ancient whales. One aspect is we don't know they were echolocating." Velez-Juarbe, who described the three fossilized species as "like the great-great grandfathers or grandparents of modern dolphins" and "one of the oldest known toothed whales, which is what we'll call them in general," concluded that "to me, it's a very cool combination of features. It's like a step in between early whales and more modern ones." The report includes an understated, but nonetheless pointed, criticism of the paltriness of scientific literature about North Pacific odontocetes species from the Oligocene epoch, which lasted roughly from 33.7 to 23.8 million years ago. The lack of info has left scientists in the dark about the full evolutionary story of these creatures. Fossils that last millions of years are hard to make in the first place and especially in the ocean. While odontocetes from this period are not entirely missing from the scientific literature, Velez-Juarbe and colleagues write that they are often vaguely "identified informally as 'non-squalodontid odontocetes', 'agorophiid' or 'Agorophius-like,'" referring to Agorophius, an extinct genus of toothed whale that lived during the Oligocene period. "However, given their importance, most of these have yet to be properly described, and our understanding of species richness and relationships between Oligocene odontocetes from the North Pacific is not fully understood," the authors write. With more information about these early cetacean ancestors, researchers "can potentially advance our understanding of the origins and early diversification of odontocetes, as well as acquisition of some of their distinguishing features, such as echolocation." As Velez-Juarbe insisted when speaking with Salon "there is still a lot that we need to discover about the early evolution of ancient whales. One aspect of this early group I've been working on is we don't know if as adults they were echolocating if they were using bio-sonar, which is the way modern species find a way around their environments. They have some features of the skull that hint at the presence of some key elements for echolocation." Velez-Juarbe also stressed the urgency of preserving accurate and thorough fossil records, without which his own research would have been impossible. "I could highlight the importance of museum collections because these fossils have been in our collections for several decades," Velez-Juarbe told Salon. "It takes time for people to study them, and the fossils being in a museum collection ensures that someone at some point in history will be able to study them, or we will have the expertise to study them, as opposed to if the specimens were not in a collection and would be lost to humanity and lost to science. We wouldn't be able to tell these types of stories." Read more about dolphins and whales LOS ANGELES Members of the Los Angeles City Council expressed doubts Friday about suspending a colleague facing criminal charges as they put off a decision on the matter. Curren Price, who represents a district in South Los Angeles, has been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney with embezzlement of public funds and perjury. He would be the third council member suspended pending the outcome of criminal charges in recent years. All three members of the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee agreed to continue discussion on the motion until Aug. 25. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson said he was uneasy with removing Price based on the charges filed by District Attorney George Gascon since no evidence has yet been revealed. Our government is set up with checks and balances, judiciary, executive, legislative, theyre supposed to be checks on each other, Harris-Dawson said. We cant just say, oh, because they decided to point the finger at somebody, well, that means somebody did something. Councilmember Paul Krekorian also cautioned against immediately suspending Price, arguing it would deprive his district of leadership and echoing Harris-Dawsons concerns about lack of details provided by the DAs office. Krekorian cited the decision not to suspend Councilmember Richard Alarcon after he was charged with perjury and voter fraud in 2010. He was allowed to serve during the trial and his 2014 conviction was ultimately overturned by an appeals court. We made the collective decision to let the justice system play out, and, in fact, he was ultimately acquitted of all charges, Krekorian said. I think its important that we learn lessons from those experiences, and we also look at the consequences that might come from suspension. The delay raises the possibility that Price will not be removed. The decision to put the motion through a committee hearing was a departure from recent procedure, as council members have over the last few years immediately suspended three colleagues Mark Ridley-Thomas, Jose Huizar and Mitch Englander after they were indicted on federal corruption charges. Price in a statement said that he was pleased by the committees decision to delay the vote, and that he has not had the opportunity to answer the unwarranted charges. I hope that the committee, and the full Council, will extend to me the same presumption of innocence that the law extends to me, and I look forward to proving my innocence, he said. The decision followed nearly two hours of public testimony almost entirely in opposition of the motion, as a large group of Price supporters packed the committee hearing chambers and an overflow room on the fourth floor of City Hall. Prosecutors allege that Price violated conflict-of-interest laws with several votes that he cast in favor of low-income development projects built by companies that employed his wife, Del Richardson Price. The council member is also charged with perjury for failing to list his wifes income on government disclosure forms. He was charged with embezzlement for allegedly securing city medical benefits for Richardson Price from 2013 to 2017 while he was still legally married to another woman. Court records show that Price filed for divorce from his first wife in 2011, but the process wasnt finalized until 2018. Harris-Dawson, who council members earlier this week elected to the president pro tempore position that Price resigned from after the indictment was announced, has said that he and others in city hall are scratching their heads over the charges. Its just unclear. Ive not seen a felony charge for this type of activity. Ive seen ethics violations for this type of activity, Harris-Dawson told reporters Tuesday following the pro tempore vote. Saying it is unconstitutionally vague, a federal judge on Friday blocked a new Florida law aimed at prohibiting children from attending drag shows, Operators of Orlando restaurant Hamburger Marys, which has run family friendly drag shows for 15 years, filed a legal challenge shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law restricting children from attending adult live performances. In part, the challenge alleged the law prohibits protected speech based on the identity of the speaker and is vague and overbroad. READ MORE: Undercover agents saw nothing lewd at Orlando drag show. Florida is going after venue anyway U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnells ruling Friday rejected a state motion to dismiss the case and granted the restaurant operators request for a preliminary injunction to block regulators from enforcing the law, which was championed by DeSantis and Republican legislative allies. We are extremely pleased with this first win, Melissa Stewart, a Memphis-based lawyer who represents the restaurant, said in a statement. This law is unconstitutionally vague, over-broad, and clearly targeted at drag performers. This preliminary injunction will protect the First Amendment rights of not only our clients, but of the LGBTQ community across Florida while we move forward with the next steps in this litigation. What the law would do The law, dubbed by sponsors the Protection of Children bill, would prevent venues from admitting children to adult live performances. It defines adult live performances as any show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts. Regulators would be able to suspend or revoke licenses of restaurants, bars and other venues that violate the law. Also, it would prohibit local governments from issuing public permits for events that could expose children to the targeted behavior. But Presnell said the state already has statutes that provide protection from obscene behavior. Rather, this statute is specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers, he added. The judge found that lawmakers failed to narrowly tailor the law, as required for government-imposed restrictions on speech. The law does not define child, lewd conduct, lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or live performance, which could conceivably range from a sold-out burlesque show to a skit at a backyard family barbecue, Presnell wrote in the 24-page ruling. The judge said one must resort to state jury instructions to find any definition of lewd conduct. Such jury instructions, Presnell added, serve only to further broaden the scope of what may be covered by using terms like wicked, lustful, and unchaste. Such terms are vulnerable to broad subjectivity, which ultimately leaves an individual of common intelligence to guess at their meaning, the judge wrote. A fully clothed drag queen with cleavage-displaying prosthetic breasts reading an age-appropriate story to children may be adjudged wicked and thus lewd by some, but such a scenario would not constitute the kind of obscene conduct prohibited by the statutes in previous case law, Presnell wrote. Prosthetic emphasis creates many concerns The laws focus on prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts raises a host of other concerns not simply answered what are the implications for cancer survivors with prosthetic genitals or breasts? It is this vague language dangerously susceptible to standardless, overbroad enforcement which could sweep up substantial protected speech, Presnell, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton in 2000, added. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, praised Presnells decision, calling it a legal win for the people of Florida and the First Amendment. The United States should not be hindering free speech or erasing communities, Eskamani said in a statement. In deep contrast, we should respect different cultural identities and embrace freedom of expression. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the measure after the DeSantis administration cracked down on venues in South Florida and Central Florida where children attended drag shows. As an example, the administration targeted the liquor license of the Hyatt Regency Miami hotel and Orlandos Plaza Live for hosting Drag Queen Christmas events in December. In the Hamburger Marys lawsuit, attorneys for the DeSantis administration argued that blocking the law would harm the public by exposing children to adult live performances. But Presnell said the states concern rings hollow because minors accompanied by parents or guardians are allowed to attend R-rated movies that routinely convey content at least as objectionable as that covered by the law. Also indicative of the Legislatures failure to narrowly tailor the law is its inevitable clash with the Parents Bill of Rights and other laws, Presnell wrote, referring to a a state law mandating that all parental rights are reserved to the parent of a minor child in this stateincludingthe right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child. Presnells ruling was the second legal win for the LGBTQ community in Florida this week. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that a state prohibition against Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy was unconstitutional, calling the policy invidious discrimination against transgender people. During the last attempted coup in Russia, ballet dancers alerted citizens of the turmoil. As the Wagner mercenary boss turns on the Russian military, Tchaikovsky's swans may dance again. Vladimir Putin (left), Yevgeny Prigozhin (right), and ballet dancers performing Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" Getty Images During the 1991 August Coup in Russia, the ballet Swan Lake played on a loop on state TV. The unusual broadcast alerted Soviet citizens that something was catastrophically wrong in Moscow. On Friday a new attack on the Russian military began, led by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. In August of 1991, Soviet citizens knew something was seriously wrong in Moscow when they turned on their televisions. Playing on endless repeat was a Russian ballet company performing Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." The famous ballet became known as an omen of governmental instability after Soviet officials aired the unusual broadcast while selecting a new leader after the death of Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, NPR reported, presenting a serene calmness to the masses while chaos ensued within the government. As the August Coup began, with tanks and soldiers rolling into the Russian capital, the swans and their discordant projection of peace returned. During the attempted coup, extreme members of the Soviet Union's Communist Party, including then-Vice President Gennady Yanayev, attempted to seize control from the then-Soviet President and General Secretary of the party, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev was arrested as hardliners attempted to roll back reforms he implemented and prevent the USSR's New Union Treaty from being signed. But instead of Yanayev taking control, one of Gorbachev's political rivals, Boris Yeltsin, urged the Soviets to resist the attempted coup and fight back. And they did. Three protesters died in a tense, three-day standoff against the army, but Yanayev and the others behind the attempted coup eventually relented. Gorbachev was freed. The swans stopped dancing. A few months later, under Gorbachev's leadership, the USSR dissolved an event Putin called "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century." Now, as nostalgia for the Soviet era grows in Russia and Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin stages a mutiny against Russia's defense ministry, the stage is set for the delicate dancers to retake their places. On Friday, Prigozhin appeared to openly declare taking up arms against the Russian military. The infighting between the mercenary leader and the Russian military comes after months of Prigozhin feuding with Putin over the treatment of his for-hire army. "PMC Wagner Commanders' Council made a decision: the evil brought by the military leadership of the country must be stopped," Insider previously reported Prigozhin said, according to a translation of his statement. "They neglect the lives of soldiers. They forgot the word 'justice,' and we will bring it back." He accused Russia's defense ministry of carrying out a missile attack on Wagner Group positions, claiming a "huge amount" of his mercenaries were killed. Insider has not been able to confirm Prigozhin's claims. While there have been reports that internet access has been throttled in Russia amid the conflict, and GeoConfirmed reported Russian state television aired a special "emergency" broadcast about the Prigozhin armed rebellion, there have not yet been any indications of "Swan Lake" being broadcast. Representatives for the Government of the Russian Federation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider When 20 House Republicans joined with Democrats last week to reject a partisan censure of California Congressman Adam Schiff, along with a $16 million fine, for his handling of the first impeachment of Donald Trump, there was hope that the nonsense was dead. But seven days later, the Republicans dropped the fine and got everyone in their conference on board. Following the 213 to 209 vote on Wednesday, as is the long custom, Schiff was directed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to present himself in the well of the House, where McCarthy read the censure. It was shameful. But the shame is not on Schiff, who broke no rule or law or practice, but McCarthy and the GOP, who have now politicized the punishment power of the House. Censure, the most serious sanction short of expulsion, is supposed to be for major breaches of the norms of the national legislature, not to settle political scores. Harlems Charlie Rangel was properly censured a dozen years ago for a host of violations related to financial improprieties. The overwhelming vote was bipartisan. Paul Gosar of Arizona was properly censured in 2021 for posting a video showing himself killing AOC and attacking President Biden. The vote was narrowly bipartisan, with only the two Jan. 6 committee Republican stalwarts, Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheny, joining the Democrats. Even so, there is no dispute that Gosar published the video and it was wrong. With Schiff, there is nothing like either the Rangel or Gosar cases, or a centurys worth of censures, stemming from crimes or serious ethical violations. This is politics, so there will always be fights and disputes and bruised feelings. But censures arent meant to be part of the political tussles, but rather to punish wrongdoing. Trump didnt like being impeached, as he correctly was, and his toady Republicans decided to slam Schiff, who is running for Senate. If Schiff is successful and, God forbid, so is Trump, Sen. Schiff will be able to vote for Trumps conviction in his third impeachment trial. ___ FILE PHOTO: Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon logos are seen near a counter at Hong Kong International Airport HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eleven people were injured on Cathay Pacific's flight CX880 at Hong Kong's international airport early on Saturday after the carrier aborted takeoff due to a technical issue, Cathay said in a statement. The flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles was carrying 17 crew and 293 passengers. It performed "an aborted takeoff in accordance with standard procedures after a technical issue was detected by the crew." The injuries occurred during a precautionary evacuation back at the gate, when passengers exited the aircraft using five door escape slides, Cathay said. "Nine of the eleven passengers who received treatment at hospitals have been discharged," it said. "Our colleagues will continue to provide support to the two hospitalised passengers and their families." Cathay said it sincerely apologised for the disruption to customers. One of the plane's tyres overheated causing it to burst, public broadcaster RTHK reported, citing police. (Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Sandra Maler and William Mallard) Erdogan offers to mediate to resolve the situation in Russia Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkiye, has said that his country is prepared to make a contribution to resolving the situation in Russia. Source: European Pravda, citing the Office of the President of Turkiye Details: Erdogan stressed the importance of acting with common sense. The Turkish president also emphasised that no one should take advantage of the events in Russia. "Turkiye is ready to make its contribution to the speedy resolution of the situation in Russia," Erdogans office quoted him as saying. Previously: Earlier on 24 June, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkiye, to discuss the armed rebellion in Russia. The Kremlins press service said the phone call was initiated by Erdogan. Since the evening of 23 June, a de facto power struggle has been unfolding in Russia between Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and the official Russian leadership. In a special address, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of civil war and rebellion. A number of European leaders said that they are closely monitoring developments in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! European Union EU member states have approved a project that envisages expanding the production of artillery shells to one million units per annum, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Twitter on June 23. The approval of the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) was confirmed. Read also: Bulgarian president speaks out against transferring ammunition to Ukraine According to the announcement, this decision will significantly boost production capabilities within the EU for manufacturing ammunition. It will facilitate the ramp-up of the EUs ammunition production capacity, allowing its defense industry to better support Ukrainian and Member States armed forces, the message said. Read also: US gives Ukraine $325 million in air defense, ammunition, and armored vehicles, including Bradleys & Strykers On May 5, the EU decided to allocate one billion euros from the European Peace Fund towards joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton is meeting with executives of big tech platforms during a visit to San Francisco (Josh Edelson) The EU on Friday cautiously welcomed efforts made by Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to prepare for new European rules on content moderation that kick in on August 25. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg "was very involved and knew exactly where we stand," EU commissioner Thierry Breton told reporters after talks at the social media giant's California headquarters. "Now we expect the promising commitments I heard today to translate into results. I will be particularly vigilant on progress regarding disinformation and child protection," he said. Breton said that more than 1,000 people were working on implementation at Meta of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and that the company had agreed to carry out a "stress test" in July to ensure it was prepared for the new rules. The test would take place at Meta's EU headquarters in Dublin, with video app TikTok also signed up to carry out the procedure with EU officials. The EU commissioner made a two-day visit to San Francisco eight weeks before the DSA comes into full force for the world's biggest platforms, including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok and Twitter. The DSA is one of the most ambitious legislations on controlling online content since the advent of social media, putting major obligations on how platforms deal with the free flow of speech. To meet the new rules, Twitter, Meta, TikTok and other platforms will have to invest heavily on building compliance teams at a time when big tech companies have been cutting staff, including their content moderation workforce. In a tweet following the talks, Meta's head of public policy Nick Clegg welcomed a "constructive discussion" with the EU. Meta, with platforms that reach billions of users worldwide, continues to come under fire for its failings in taking down toxic content. A report earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal found that Instagram is the main platform used by pedophile networks to promote and sell content showing child sexual abuse The meeting with Zuckerberg followed a similar meeting with Elon Musk at Twitter headquarters, where the commissioner also welcomed the efforts made ahead of the DSA's entry into force. But Breton told Musk and his new CEO Linda Yaccarino that the company will have to have adequate resources in place to meet the new rules, or risk being in infraction with EU authorities. Major violations of DSA rules could see tech giants slapped with fines as high as six percent of annual turnover and, if violations persist, be banned outright from the EU as a last resort measure. arp/tjj 24 hours of chaos: A full timeline of the Wagner military coup Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER Rebel mercenaries advancing towards Moscow were turned around by Yevgeny Prigozhin in a shock twist after a day of escalating military tension. The head of the Wagner group said he had called off the advance of troops to the Russian capital to avoid bloodshed late on Saturday. Prigozhin said his fighters had advanced to within 124 miles of Moscow over 24 hours, with the capitals mayor telling Russian residents to remain home as they braced for their arrival. The short-lived military coup marks the most serious challenge to Vladimir Putins rule since he came to power in late 1999. Here is how the chaotic 24 hours unfolded from start to finish: Wagner chief calls for uprising The rapidly escalating events begun with an extraordinary announcement on Friday night by Prigozhin, who called for an uprising against Russias military leaders. He claimed that Russian generals had ordered an airstrike on his fighters in Ukraine and claimed a huge number had been killed, though he provided no evidence. In a Telegram message he promised to go to the end to stop the Russian leaderships evil. Prigozhin said he had 25,000 fighters ready to battle the Russian army and called on regular Russian soldiers, including the National Guard, to join his coup attempt. He called the move a march for justice against the Russian military leadership but, importantly, not against Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin insisted the action was not a military coup and does not interfere with the troops in any way. Instead, he said he is targeting Russias top brass, including Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu. Wagner fighters pose for a picture as they deploy in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia Prigozhin said: We dont fight children. Shoigu kills children. He put 18-year-old boys against us. These guys will live and go back to their mothers. But we will destroy everything that gets in the way. The Wagner bosss troops then marched into Russias Rostov region, with Prigozhin promising that his soldiers would destroy everything that gets in the way. Russia goes on high alert Russian troops were put on high alert across the country. The Russian army deployed forces at key sites in Moscow and Rostov and there were unconfirmed reports of dozens of Russian aircraft flying towards Rostov. The Kremlins security service, the FSB, opened a criminal case against Prigozhin and declared him to be a foreign agent. The case accuses the Wagner boss of launching an armed rebellion inside Russia and said his actions were a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces. Russian law enforcement officers stand guard outside PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia - ANTON VAGANOV They said Prigozhin was trying to start a civil conflict and officials called on Wagner group members to arrest him. Gen Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy head of Russias military intelligence agency, urged Prigozhins fighters not to join a rebellion, while the deputy commander of Russias Ukraine campaign, General Sergey Surovikin, ordered Wagner troops to stand down. Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) officers patrol an area around the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday On Saturday morning, Rostovs governor told residents to remain calm and stay indoors. Troops enter Rostov-on-don Prigozhins troops entered Rostov-on-don, a southern city not far from the frontline in Ukraine. Photographs appear to show members of Wagner group detaining a number of people in the city. Prigozhin claimed that his soldiers shot down a Russian helicopter after it opened fire on civilians. This has also not been confirmed but residents in Rostov reported on Friday that military helicopters were flying over the city. Wagner also captured the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov, which serves as the main rear logistical hub for Russias entire invasion force. Mr Prigozhin reportedly told military officers to continue work. Members of Wagner group detain a man in the city of Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER Another individual is detained - STRINGER Prigozhin said 60 to 70 Russian soldiers joined his coup attempt and he claimed skirmished have taken place between Wagner fighter and Russian troops, though this has not been confirmed. He also threatened troops will take control of Rostov-on-Don and blockade the city. Video footage later showed him in talks with two Russian generals. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in Rostov-on-Don - STRINGER On Saturday morning officials in Russias Voronezh region urged residents to avoid the M4 north-south motorway that connects Moscow to southern regions because a military convoy was on the move there. Britains ministry of defence said more Wagner troops were likely heading to the Russian capital. Russian army helicopters are reported to have opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on the M4 highway outside the city of Voronezh on Saturday, according to a Reuters witness. A truck transporting fighters of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities - STRINGER Putin responds Putin told the nation that Prigozhins ambition had led to treason in a speech that vowed to crush the former Kremlin caterer on Saturday morning. The Russian president said the mutiny was a knife in the back of our people and a betrayal . Putin admitted that it was a complicated situation and that the rebels had taken control of military sites around the southern Russian city of Rostov. As a citizen of Russia, I will do everything to defend the country. Decisive action will be taken, he said. He announced a counter-terrorism regime was in place in Moscow and other Russian cities. Later on Saturday, the Kremlin denied the Russian president had fled Russia by plane. One of several planes that Putin uses for official visits took off from Moscow at 2.15 pm local time, according to Flight Radar, which tracks aircraft in real-time. Prigozhin then responded to Putins statement saying he was deeply mistaken to call him and his forces traitors, adding that he and his men would not surrender. Mr Prigozhin described himself and Wagner forces as true patriots in his most direct comments made against Putin since the start of the war in Ukraine. The world reacts US and European officials were reportedly caught off guard by the military coup. Joe Biden was briefed on the situation while US officials described it as serious. A US official told CNN this crisis was real but the Pentagon and White House were waiting to see how it developed. The US has since said it was concerned about what would happen to Russias nuclear weapons during the armed coup. Spy agencies reportedly picked up intelligence in mid-June that the Wagner chief was planning an armed action, according to an official speaking to the Washington Post. Despite the growing tensions between Prigozhin and the Russian military hierarchy, few had predicted how far he would go. The UK Government has held an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the ongoing situation. James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, said Britain is liaising closely with our allies. Following events overnight involving the Wagner group and the Russian military, we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies. James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) June 24, 2023 Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that his forces are ready to help put down a mutiny and to use harsh methods if necessary, in a show of support for Vladimir Putin. Qatar has called for maximum restraint following news. Ukraine takes advantage Ukrainian forces are reported to have stepped up their attacks along the frontline in northern Bakhmut to take advantage of the chaos. Volodymyr Zelensky, the countrys president, said: For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Mykhailo Podolyak, one of President Zelenskys top advisers, said tumultuous times are coming for Russia. Kyivs defence ministry tweeted: We are watching. Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 23, 2023 An adviser to Ukraines defence minister told the BBC: We are little-by-little running out of popcorn. Troops advance on Moscow Residents in Moscow were urged to stay home as mercenaries advanced on the capital. The situation is difficult, said Sergei Sobyanin. I ask you to refrain from travelling around the city as much as possible, he added, warning that roads may also be closed. Anti-terrorist measures were launched in the Russian capital, including additional checks on roads, to reinforce security. Law enforcement officers watch traffic at a checkpoint in Moscow, Russia June 24 - STRINGER Prigozhin calls off the attack On Saturday evening, Prigozhin turned his fighters around after a truce was struck with Putin. We are turning our columns around and going back to field camps, he announced. He said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to spill Russian blood. It came after Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, said he had brokered a last-minute truce that involved the Kremlin dropping plans to abolish the Wagner military company. It also included an agreement for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and the criminal charges against him being dropped. This article is being kept up to date with the latest news Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. NEW YORK While still serving as New York Mayor Eric Adams chief of staff last year, Frank Carone held stakes worth at least $1.5 million in three different companies, according to a new financial disclosure form that appears to be at odds with public statements about his holdings. The form, which was released by the city Conflicts of Interest Board to the New York Daily News on Friday, is supposed to provide details on all assets held by Carone between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 26, 2022, the date he resigned as Adams chief of staff. In the form, Carone reported he held at least a $500,000 stake in CHC Holdings, a company with a similar name to a Brooklyn surgical center he used to co-own and that has faced legal issues. Carone reported holding at least another $500,000 in Financial Capital Group, a business involved in medical insurance lending, and yet another $500,000 in AF Premier Group, an investment firm. Those holdings appear to contradict an Adams spokesmans claim in early 2022 that Carone was divested from all of his business interests while at City Hall. But when contacted by the Daily News on Friday, Carone said he didnt actually hold any of those stakes in 2022. Even though the form specifies at several junctures that the period that should be covered is Jan. 1, 2022 through the last date of your city service, Carone said he filled out the disclosure in March 2023 with his current investments in mind. I wanted to file it accurately and for it not to be false, said Carone, who is a lawyer by trade and has taken on the job of running Adams 2025 reelection campaign since exiting City Hall. I didnt want to file a false instrument. Carone said that if he erred in the filing, he would amend it. Last year, Carone amended his first Conflicts of Interest Board form after the Daily News discovered that he had failed to disclose that he had in 2021, prior to becoming chief of staff, done legal work for a scandal-scarred homeless shelter provider with business before the city. The issue of whether Carones many business interests would pose a conflict reared its head days after Adams Jan. 1, 2022, inauguration, when the Daily News reported on a rent dispute between the Brooklyn-based CHC Surgical Center, which Carone used to co-own, and that companys landlord. At the time, Max Young, a spokesman for Adams, said Carones divestment from all of his business including CHC had been completed and that most of his assets had been placed in a blind trust. On Friday, Young stood by his statement from January 2022. What I said at the time was true, he said. Frank divested from all his businesses, including CHC, while he was in government. When asked about any connections between CHC Surgical and CHC Holdings on Friday, Carone said in a text that they are different entities with different partners same type of industry hence the name. The blind trust in which Carone kept all his assets in during his time as chief of staff was dissolved upon his departure from City Hall, he said. He said thats why he reported the stake in the three companies on his latest Conflicts of Interest Board disclosure because those assets were back in his personal portfolio by the time he filled out the form. Financial Capital Group, one of the other entities Carone listed on his asset list in the 2022 form, has a similar name to Financial Vision Group, a company he co-founded that advances money to medical providers as they are waiting on insurance payouts. Financial Vision Group has faced a number of legal issues, including being sued last year by SL Green, a major commercial real estate firm, for nearly $1 million in unpaid rent on a Manhattan office space. When the Daily News reported on that rent debt in February, Carone said he no longer had anything to do with this litigation or entity. Asked Friday what the difference is between Financial Vision Group and Financial Capital Group, a spokesman for Carone said they do similar things but are not the same entity, actually. In addition to his company assets, Carone reported in his disclosure that he received upward of $250,000 in deferred income in 2022 from old legal cases involving clients he represented as an attorney. He said the cases originated prior to my dates of services in City Hall but matured (without my involvement) and which came to me during that period. Since exiting Adams administration, Carone has launched Oaktree Solutions, a global consulting firm. The Carone firm has picked up at least one client with business before Adams administration Lightstone Group, a major real estate developer thats facing legal issues over the construction of its Moxy Hotel in Brooklyn. After Carone got involved with representing Lightstone, the hotel last month secured a new temporary certificate of occupancy from Adams Department of Buildings, even though a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge had weeks earlier ruled the Moxys zoning invalid. Carone said earlier this week that he has not spoken with anyone in Adams administration about the Moxy matter. Ex-high school math teacher in Fresno sentenced for having sex with former student A former Central West High School math teacher was sentenced Friday to one year in the Fresno County Jail and two years of probation for having sex with an underage girl. Michael Dean Morton, 46, was arrested March 16, 2017 after sheriffs detectives received a report that he had been involved in a sexual relationship with a former student. The alleged activity took place in 2015, shortly after the 17-year-old girl had graduated from Central West. Further investigation by detectives found a total of four alleged victims, ages 16 to 17. Morton was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse, child molesting and two counts of showing pornography to a minor. Morton had been with the district since August 2006. In May, he agreed to plead no contest to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse. The remaining charges were dropped. During Mortons sentencing hearing before Judge Samuel Dalesandro, Deputy District Attorney Justine Keel explained that a plea agreement was offered, in part, because of several procedural and evidentiary issues with the case. Keel proposed two years of probation, one year in the county jail and no registration as a sex offender. Mortons attorney, Linden Lindahl, asked the judge if his client could be referred to the adult offender work program instead of spending one year in jail. He has already paid a price, Lindahl said. First he has lost his career, and that will not return. He has expressed remorse for his poor judgment and he is paying child support, so he needs to keep working. The judge denied Mortons request to stay out of jail, calling the charges against him extremely concerning conduct. Morton was sentenced to two years probation and a year in jail. The judge also issued a 10-year criminal protective order for the four women involved. You took advantage of a position of trust and you engaged in grooming, which was entirely inappropriate and there are consequences for that type of conduct especially with someone in your position, Dalesandro said. Morton asked the judge if he could turn himself into the jail on Monday so he could get his affairs in order. The judge said no and remanded him into custody. Have you experienced racism or discrimination? The city of Olympia wants to know Olympias Social Justice and Equity Commission has a big goal: eliminating racism and discrimination, and ensuring human rights are protected throughout the city. In its first step toward that goal, the city and consultant Truclusion have launched a public survey to find out if, where and how discrimination is happening. The survey launched June 15 and will be available online until July 16 at surveyolympia.com. Its available in five languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog. Ashley Gardner, with Truclusion, said the survey ranges from 17 to just over 30 yes/no questions, depending on how theyre answered, and it takes 3 to 8 minutes to complete. For example, a question may ask if youve experienced discrimination in a certain setting, and if you answer yes, there will be more multiple choice questions after. At the end of the survey, Gardner said respondents will be asked if they want to participate in a follow-up interview over email, phone or Zoom. Thats when people will have the chance to share their personal experiences of racism and discrimination in Olympia. Dane Wolfrom, Truclusions senior manager, said his team is looking to survey 10% of adults in Olympia, or roughly 4,250 people. Of those, theyd like to conduct at least a couple hundred follow-up interviews. Gardner said the follow-up interviews not only give Truclusion an idea of what people are experiencing in Olympia, but it also makes the data from the online survey more reliable and valid. And there are incentives for participating in both: Truclusion is offering more than $2,000 in prizes. One random survey respondent will win $1,000, and smaller gift cards will be given out to others. The first 200 people to do a 15- to 20-minute interview will get a $25 gift card. Gardner said Truclusion doesnt give out any private or identifying information on survey respondents to the city. She said the team boils down the information it will collect over the next month into a data-driven report that will be sent to the Social Justice and Equity Commission in the fall for discussion. Wolfrom said Truclusion doesnt just need responses from people who have experienced discrimination. We need not only people who have experienced discrimination, but we need people who havent experienced it, too, he said. We need everyone in Olympia to take the survey so we can pinpoint who is and who isnt, and where they are and where they arent. Wolfrom said the Truclusion team will be doing a lot of boots-on-the-ground work over the next month to get people to take the survey. He said they plan to be at every in-person event until July 16, and Truclusion has taken out some online radio ads. There are fliers posted around the city with QR codes that lead to the survey, and the City of Olympia will be frequently posting it on its social media. Tobi Hill-Meyer, the citys Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs manager, said there are 26 different organizations the city is partnering with to reach community members. There are 11 race-based or anti-racism organizations, three LGBTQ+ organizations, five organizations that address homelessness or poverty, two government agencies, and five organizations that focus on disability, seniors, or veterans. The survey website includes a list of resources for those interested in learning more about their rights when dealing with discrimination, as well as for support. U.S. Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, makes statements to the press at the U.S. Coast Guard Base Boston on Thursday. (Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Long before the OceanGate Expeditions Titan submersible embarked on its final, doomed voyage, oceanographers, engineers, industry experts and a former employee set off alarms about the vessel, warning that its design could lead to serious consequences without standard, rigorous testing. The role those factors may have played in the vessel's catastrophic implosion during its journey to the sunken wreckage of the Titanic, which killed everyone on board and brought a tragic end to a days-long search that became a national fixation, is now in the crosshairs of an unfolding investigation that is likely to focus in part on industry safety standards, officials have said. Few official details have emerged about the scope of that investigation. It remains unclear what country will take the lead in probing the catastrophe, which happened in international waters and affected different nations. There's a lot of questions about why, how and when this happened, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger told reporters Thursday. Read more: 5 aboard Titanic tourist sub are dead after 'catastrophic implosion' But for those familiar with the Titans design and operations, safety concerns long predated the disaster. OceanGate declined to provide any additional comment beyond the company's statement Thursday. In 2018, an OceanGate employee raised flags about the vessel in litigation with the company, particularly its refusal to undergo external review and subject passengers to dangers. That same year, dozens of submersible industry experts warned company chief executive Stockton Rush in a letter that the vessels experimental approach could have minor to catastrophic consequences. They pressed him to undergo a rigorous review from classification societies like the DNV or the American Bureau of Shipping for the Titan. While this may demand additional time and expense, it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third-party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants, the letter stated. Liz Taylor, president of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, or DOER Marine, which designs and builds remotely operated vehicles, said that the submersibles industry has maintained an unblemished safety record while accomplishing many firsts. "The way you do it is you do the work, you do the testing," Taylor said. But Rush did not want to hear it, she added. "He ostensibly felt that he had done enough or knew better," she said. Rush openly pushed back against criticism. Safety regulations helped the industry avoid accident or injuries, he said, but they also stifled growth and adventure. One of the jabs that gets thrown at us is: Hey, you arent certified. But how can you do something new and get certified? Rush asked in a 2022 article in Maptia. Referring to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, he added: I think it was MacArthur who said, You are remembered for the rules you break. We try to break the rules intelligently and intentionally. Rush was the pilot of this week's expedition. Officials said he died along with four passengers: Hamish Harding, chairman of Action Aviation, a Dubai-based aircraft dealer; Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a veteran and accomplished diver with more than 30 trips to the Titanic wreck site; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman. Read more: What caused the 'catastrophic implosion' that killed 5 on Titanic tourist sub? It's not just that you get certified once and you just keep using your craft and taking it on any number of expeditions," said Dawn Wright, a marine geologist and chief scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute who traveled to the deepest known point of Earth's seabed last year aboard the Limiting Factor submersible. "Its like getting an oil change for your car. You maintain it, you give it tuneups and oil changes. You keep it safe and keep it in proper working order." Submersibles are typically made using titanium, steel and, depending on how deep they're planned to travel, acrylic. All those have been proved to withstand changes in water temperature and the crushing pressure of the ocean depths. Vessels are commonly sphere-shaped to more evenly distribute that pressure, which multiplies rapidly the further down you dive. By contrast, the 21-foot Titan had a carbon fiber composite hull with titanium end caps and was shaped like a tube an approach that was more affordable and accommodated more passengers, at the price of around $250,000 a head. Experts say that the Titan's unconventional design did not undergo a meticulous external review process left it vulnerable and dangerous. The water pressure at the depth of the Titanic, which is about 12,500 feet, is nearly 400 times greater than that at sea level. Carbon fiber, which can maintain internal pressures, can be unstable under external pressure, susceptible to experiencing small cracks that can become catastrophic. The combination of various materials, which risked responding differently to the ocean's changes in pressure and temperature, were also a concern. You have this thing that is supposed to stick together and keep the ocean out, but [the materials are] shrinking at different rates, said Harvard marine scientist Peter Girguis, who has been on several deep sea dives throughout his career. Read more: Frozen feet, cramped quarters: What it's like in the Titan submersible Ships and other vessels adhere to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, a global treaty established in 1914, in a grim sort of irony, in the immediate aftermath of the Titanic. But there is no global standard for submersibles, which means they operate in a gray area when they're in international waters, said Salvatore Mercogliano, an associate professor of maritime history at Campbell University in North Carolina. Its the wild, wild west, he said. The Titan departed from Canada, was loaded onto a Canadian ship and launched into a remote area of the North Atlantic. As such, it did not need to register with a country, fly a flag or observe regulations set for other kinds of vessels, according to Mercogliano. Its kind of like putting a boat on the back of a trailer and towing it with your car, he said. A police officer who pulls you over might ask to see license and registration for the car or trailer, he said, but they don't care about the boat, because it's not their jurisdiction." That is also why the 1993 Passenger Vessel Safety Act, an American law that essentially lays out the requirements for when a submersible carrying passengers needs to register with the Coast Guard, does not cover the vessel, he said. Read more: He took an OceanGate sub trip to the Titanic. Now he has 'survivor's guilt' In 2019, OceanGate published an online blog post, Why Isnt Titan Classed? According to the post, which appears to have been deleted, industry standards focus only on validating the physical vessel. They do not ensure that operators adhere to proper operating procedures and decision-making processes two areas that are much more important for mitigating risks at sea, the blog post stated. Some experts, though, said the Titan did not have even basic contingency plans. Most vessels that conduct high-risk operations will have a type of emergency locator beacon that could send a signal to anyone with access to that frequency, including the Coast Guard, and allow them to respond, according to Aaron Davenport, a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer. The Titan did not appear to have such a beacon, he said. Taylor said classing submersibles also addresses standard operational and emergency procedures. One such standard, especially when working in remote areas, was to have a self-rescuing capacity on site, ready-to-go, she said. "There was none of that, in this case," she said. The vessel did not even file a plan with the Coast Guard, which she called normal procedure." Before Taylor launches a sub, she makes calls to different assets in the area to inform them of her plans and learn what resources might be available. If we can't check all the boxes off, then it's a no-go, Taylor said. Read more: OceanGate co-founder responds to James Cameron's criticism of the Titan submersible Another critic has been "Titanic" director James Cameron, who spent more than 30 days down at the ship's wreckage and helped design a submersible he later piloted to the deepest point in the worlds oceans. He told Reuters he wished he had sounded the alarm earlier, adding that he had been skeptical when he heard OceanGate was making a deep-sea submersible with a composite carbon fiber and titanium hull. I thought it was a horrible idea, Cameron said. I wish Id spoken up, but I assumed somebody was smarter than me, you know, because I never experimented with that technology, but it just sounded bad on its face. OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein has appeared on various news outlets defending the company and responding directly to Camerons comments. There are a multitude of opinions on how to build submersibles and operating dives, he said. He called it "impossible" for anyone not involved in OceanGate's processes to speculate. "This was a 14-year technology-developed program, and it was very robust and certainly led to successful scientific expositions to the Titanic in the last few years," he said in a separate interview on BBC Radio 4 on Friday. The Coast Guard said Thursday they discovered wreckage from the Titan using remote-operated vehicles capable of searching the seafloor. The debris was consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," said Mauger. Robots have continued to comb the seafloor for debris in an effort to construct a timeline of the vessels final hours. Regulations and standards are likely to be the focus for future review, Mauger said. Read more: Commentary: As those aboard the Titan submersible suffered, social media laughed Coast Guard officials said they found several major pieces of the vessel in a debris field about 1,600 feet away from the bow of the Titanic, including the nose cone, the front end of the pressure hull and the back end of the pressure hull. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in Everett, Wash., but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. The Polar Prince, the vessel that launched the Titan, is from Canada, and the people on board the submersible were from England, Pakistan, France and the U.S. A government official familiar with the investigation, but not authorized to discuss it, said Canada was likely to take a leading role. The Coast Guard declined to comment. Times staff writers Noah Goldberg and Jonah Valdez in Los Angeles contributed to this story. The Associated Press also contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks in the headquarters of the Russian southern army military command center in the city of Rostov-on-Don (Reuters) -Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has flown into exile in Belarus under a deal that ended a brief mutiny by his Wagner fighters in Russia, as President Vladimir Putin praised his own army for averting a civil war. Following are some facts about the businessman and founder of the Wagner Group. * With aggressive PR, foul language and a frequent presence near the front lines, the shaven-headed Prigozhin is one of the most visible faces of the war, having recruited thousands of Russian prisoners to fight for Wagner and feuded openly with the defence ministry over military plans and ammunition supplies. * Prigozhin, 62, has for decades been known as "Putin's chef" due to his company's Kremlin catering contracts. It's unclear how friendly he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are, but they know each other and both men were born and raised in St Petersburg. * After serving a long prison sentence in the 1980s for robbery, Prigozhin started out selling hotdogs in his hometown. He soon began to build up a stake in a chain of supermarkets, and eventually opened his own restaurant and catering company. * His restaurant gained a reputation for its fine food and was soon hosting city dignitaries including then-deputy mayor Vladimir Putin. * From there, Prigozhin's catering firm Concord began to win government supply contracts, taking its operations to a much bigger level. * Prigozhin admitted last September that he had founded the private military group in 2014, the year Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It was his first public confirmation of a link he had previously denied and sued journalists for reporting. The Wagner Group has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali, among other countries. * The group also provided support to Russia-backed separatists who seized a chunk of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in 2014. * Last month, the group seized the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after some of the war's most brutal fighting. During the onslaught, however, Prigozhin broke the taboos of Putin's tightly controlled political system with foul-mouthed insults of Moscow's top brass. * Afterwards, he issued a video thanking the Kremlin, even as he launched into his favourite rant: The alleged treachery of the top brass, in particular Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. * In Prigozhin's most memorable video, on May 5, he showed a field of dead Wagner mercenaries who he said had perished due to a lack of munitions caused by Shoigu and Gerasimov. * The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Prigozhin for his role in Wagner. They also accuse him of funding a troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency that Washington says tried to influence U.S. elections. * He shocked the world by leading an armed revolt against Russia last Saturday, an event that numerous Western leaders saw as exposing Putin's vulnerability after invading Ukraine 16 months ago. Prigozhin then abruptly called the uprising off under a deal that allowed him and some of his fighters to go to Belarus. (Compiled by Hugh Lawson) Kremlin Putin's regime in Russia now seeks to establish its legitimacy by appealing to "past glory." Regarding the so-called economic forum in St. Petersburg, it is striking that there was everything except economics. There were "Jewish studies" from a bunker grandpa, there were many discussions about war and "gender threats," there were ruptures of heating pipes, but there was no economy. Becausewhat economy? It is not relevant now. Now the "great and beautiful Russia" must defeat the West, and gender, establishing itself in its glory. Everything that happened there was a statement of the civilizational stagnation in which modern Russia found itself. There is a way of development and a path of stagnation. Development is science, thinking, and technological progress. Currently, Putin's regime in Russia seeks to establish its legitimacy by appealing to "past glory." A glory that, of course, never existed. There was only creeping expansion for the purpose of exploitation. It was very primitive, ineffective, and wasteful. Read also: The empire was an embodiment of how to destroy potential: people, nations, and epochs. The empire built in this way was a culmination of it all. "Parallel import" is left as the only way to satisfy the needs of the economy of a "great power." Parallel import for the political elite from a parallel reality, which the elite proves with their own "economic forums," which resemble the benefits of old and unfunny comedians who learned only one joke, repeating it constantly. Did the bunker grandfather say something about the "shame of the Jewish people?" Well, he is obviously proud of being Russian. It embodies all the appropriate virtues: limited thinking and unwillingness to overcome this limitation, pride in non-existent victories, envy and hatred of everyone. This explains Putin's popularity over the years, which even the crisis he created in his own state cannot overcome. Rulers before him often tried to at least "raise" their subjects above themselves. Putin allowed them to be themselves and be proud of it. He allowed them not to learn, think, or strive for better. He is one of them. He believes in conspiracy theories, lives with xenophobia, and dreams of his greatness. What a perfect leader, isn't he? Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Explosions in Kharkiv: Mayor reports at least 3 strikes A series of explosions occurred in Kharkiv on the night of 23-24 June, with Mayor Ihor Terekhov reporting at least three strikes in the city's Slobidskyi district. Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram Quote: "At least three strikes in the Slobidskyi district. Preliminary reports indicate that S-300 missiles were used. In one case, a gas pipe was hit and a fire broke out. Units from the State Emergency Service are working at the scene. Details: The mayor stated that there was no information on casualties yet. Previously: An air-raid warning was issued throughout Ukraine for the third time on the night of 23-24 June. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! With an eye toward China, Biden goes all-in for Modi India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden embrace hands during a meeting with senior officials and CEOs in the East Room of the White House (Brendan Smialowski) Laser-focused on countering China, US President Joe Biden has embraced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he has few other world leaders, casting aside any concerns about the Hindu nationalist's authoritarian streak. Biden offered Modi the full pomp of a state visit with two dinners -- one intimate and one gala -- a meeting with top CEOs, and a long list of concrete takeaways including agreements on US engines for India's new home-grown fighter-jets and a major semiconductor factory. Biden is "trying to tell the world that America is back. We've got partners and allies and we've got India on our side of the ledger," said Aparna Pande, a South Asia expert at the Hudson Institute. Biden hopes to "send a message to China -- you have your people and I have my people and India is among mine," she said. Tamanna Salikuddin, a former State Department official, called the joint statement for Modi's visit "remarkable" in its scope with the defense deliverables on par with what the United States would give a NATO or other treaty ally. "The depth and breadth of what we're committing to with India is really putting them in a totally different basket. And I think that is what Modi wanted," said Salikuddin, now director of South Asia programs at the US Institute of Peace. The Biden administration considers China the most serious long-term challenger to the United States, despite renewed efforts to manage tensions. Both Biden and Modi publicly played down the China factor but Modi made a clear allusion in his address to the US Congress where he backed a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," winning knowing applause from lawmakers. India, a fast-growing economy which has surpassed China as the world's most populous country, has a long-running territorial dispute with China, which the Indian public widely sees negatively. - Sidestepping rights concerns - Modi enjoyed more obvious kinship with fellow right-wing populist Donald Trump, for whom the prime minister arranged a packed stadium rally in his home state of Gujarat, a scene hard to imagine with Biden, who is not known for exciting the masses. But US presidents across party lines have been seeking a closer relationship with India since Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, seeing alignment between the world's largest democracies after Cold War estrangement. Modi, the most powerful Indian leader in decades, comes with particular baggage. Before he became prime minister in 2014, the United States refused to issue him a visa due to his alleged role in anti-Muslim riots as leader of Gujarat. The US State Department in its latest religious freedom report spoke of vigilante violence against minorities after incitement from Modi's base. Indian authorities have also raided media offices and parliament expelled the opposition leader. At least six lawmakers boycotted Modi's speech but Biden made clear that rights concerns would not impede ties with India and offered carefully chosen words about both countries facing challenges to democracy. Modi, who has not held an open press conference at home in his nine years in power, was coaxed to take two questions as part of the state visit and denied discrimination against minorities. "There's an irony in that the Biden administration seeks to contrast democratic India with authoritarian China," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center. But Biden "doesn't appear to worry too much" about accusations he is ignoring democratic backsliding in India, Kugelman said. "The two leaders definitely got what they wanted: They brought the most prestige possible to a partnership they're keen to showcase," he said. - Still nonaligned? - Ashley Tellis, a prominent India scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, offered a contrarian view in a recent essay in Foreign Affairs. He pointed to India's refusal to join the West in isolating Russia over Ukraine and doubted that India, hesitant at formal alliances, would provide any meaningful support in a US conflict with China. But paradoxically, even as Modi faces criticism on rights, his anti-elite pedigree has led him to reject some vestiges of the proud nonalignment of India's post-independence leaders and to work more closely with the United States. Salikuddin said that Modi, with his enthusiastic domestic base, was not seeking personal "validation" in Washington on his record -- but that he was seeking results, which he received aplenty. "He's going to go back and say -- look, I have delivered. I have put India on the world stage and made India an indispensable partner in the Indo-Pacific," she said. sct/tjj Fans wish Wiz Khalifa a speedy recovery on social media after the rapper revealed he has a 'small rip in the cartilage of my pelvis' Wiz Khalifa invested in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). L.E. Baskow/Reuters Wiz Khalifa told fans he is recovering from an injury on Friday. He said he sustained a "small rip in the cartilage" of his pelvis. Khalifa is a mixed martial artist, but it's unclear if his injury is related to his training. Fans rallied behind Wiz Khalifa after he sustained a "small rip in the cartilage" of his pelvis. The "See You Again" rapper shared the health update in a series of tweets on Friday when he told his followers that his injury "fuckin hurts and pain medicine ain't helpin." Khalifa is a practitioner of mixed martial arts, but it's unclear if his injury is related to his training. "Told the lady i ain't need no help then proceeded to fuck my back up," he added in a separate tweet. Khalifa later shared two videos of him wearing kinesiology tape and taking steps assisted with two canes. He then retweeted and responded to several fans who sent him well wishes. "Wishing you the best recovery," one person wrote. "You're always spreading positive vibes so I'm trying to spread some to you!" He later reassured fans that he was being cautious, saying he was "watchin movies till this swelling go down." "The pain isn't from the actual tear so soon as the spasms stop i should be Gu Wop," he wrote in one tweet before adding, "Ima finna have super hips after this." On Saturday, he updated fans by sharing two more videos of himself walking at a faster speed without assistance. "4 legs was cool but i like two better," he wrote. Khalifa, who shares a son with Amber Rose, often shares videos of himself training on his social media accounts. In April 2021, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) told Insider that Khalifa had invested in the league and would serve as an advisor. "I'm so proud to join forces with the Professional Fighters League," Khalifa said in a statement. "I've been doing MMA training for years now, and am also the biggest MMA fan." In 2022, Khalifa told Logan Paul how he became interested in mixed martial arts. "It's cool to learn new shit. I think the older you get, you just get into different things like your body just tells you what's cool and what's not cool," Khalifa said. "I started lifting and I went to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer and just naturally, they just put me on this program. I'm kind of just open for whatever. Jiu-jitsu, wrestling, striking, it's whatever, if you want to teach me some shit, I'm down to learn." Read the original article on Insider LGBT rights activist Cuneyt Yilmaz works at an office before an interview with Reuters in Istanbul Fear among Turkey's LGBT community after hostile election campaign LGBT rights activist Cuneyt Yilmaz works at an office before an interview with Reuters in Istanbul By Burcu Karakas ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Campaign speeches targeting Turkey's LGBT community during last month's election have left some living in constant fear of police raids and even planning to leave the country. Ahead of the first vote and runoff, which President Tayyip Erdogan won, he repeatedly attacked "perverse" LGBT groups and vowed to strengthen and protect traditional family values. Some worry that such intimidation will be amplified during Erdogan's new five-year term, including a possible legal crackdown. Detentions are again expected at Sunday's Pride parades, which draw hundreds of people onto the streets despite being banned. Bekir, 21, a law student, said that unlike in previous years he and his gay partner now lived in fear that a complaint by a neighbour in their apartment complex could lead to a police raid. The discrimination faced by the LGBT community has convinced the couple to plan to leave Turkey, he said. During the campaign, Erdogan's Islamic-rooted AK Party accused the opposition alliance, which pollsters had tipped to win, of being "pro-LGBT". "The opposition lost and our fears came true. Fleeing looks like the only solution, which is so upsetting," said Bekir, who declined to give a full name. Reuters spoke to seven other people recounting similar plans to leave and citing LGBT friends who had already left. AK member of parliament Rumeysa Kadak said LGBT people were protected in the country. "When it comes to LGBTQ people living in Turkey, we have never interfered in anyone's lifestyle or personal choices, which is also guaranteed by the constitution," she said on television after the runoff vote. However, some rights defenders say that hatred against Turkey's LGBT community has grown since 2015, the year that the Istanbul Pride parade was banned over what the authorities called "security and public concerns". More people are leaving due to increased government pressure, feeling their lives are in danger, said Mahmut Seren, a lawyer and LGBT rights defender, without giving detailed numbers but citing anecdotal evidence from his work. "Turkey has never been the perfect country for the LGBT community but now people feel insecure," Seren said. 'MORAL VALUES' Community members and activists who Reuters spoke to said discrimination had never been so intense and open. On June 7, police shut down the screening of the film "Pride", about solidarity between gay activists and striking miners in 1980s Britain, by cordoning off the Istanbul street where the Science Aesthetics Culture Art Research Foundation had invited people to view it. Cuneyt Yilmaz, a rights advocate, was preparing to make opening remarks that day when he said he found himself trapped inside the building. He said police officers threatened to arrest him and three others when they wanted to exit. Outside the building, eight were detained, Yilmaz said. The district governor said that the screening was against "national and moral values" and could damage the public peace. Matthew Warchus, the British director of "Pride", said he felt solidarity with Turkey's LGBT community. The film, he told Reuters, "is a hymn to courage, compassion, and tolerance. My message to those opposed to it being viewed is simply 'There is nothing to fear except fear itself'". Rights advocates said the campaign rhetoric amounted to hate speech and they worry about possible legal changes that could criminalise LGBT activism, as well as more physical violence against the community - despite no attempt to revamp legislation since Erdogan's win. Last year, authorities blocked hundreds of people from gathering for Istanbul Pride and detained dozens. Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said on Twitter this month that any activity threatening the traditional family structure would not be allowed. A picnic organised by UniKuir, an LGBT group opposed to discrimination based on sexual orientation at universities, was banned and two students were detained this month in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir. The New Welfare Party, a small Islamist party that endorsed Erdogan in the election, targeted the event on social media. Melih Guner, its youth branch leader, said it would stand against all "deviant structures" and "never allow this immorality". Some pro-government media outlets call some LGBT organisations "terrorist groups" and criticise the European Union for funding them. Any closure of LGBT organisations is a "real threat" for Turkey's civil society, a European diplomat told Reuters. Yilmaz, the LGBT rights advocate, said they had never been targeted like this before. "We are frightened but we will not leave the streets," he said. (Reporting by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Alison Williams) Liz Thomas, moved to Friston, near Leiston, Suffolk, 12 years ago A woman says plans for a electricity substation and cable work near her home is proving a blight on the community and has hit house prices. National Grid, which is behind the plans for the substation , says it is needed to bring off-shore wind power energy from the East Anglian coast. Liz Thomas, of Friston, near Leiston, Suffolk, has joined a group campaigning against the plans. BBC Politics East is holding a special debate on the "energy coast" on Sunday. New substations and pylons are needed to serve the major wind farms off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk Mrs Thomas, who has lived in the village for 12 years, said the National Grid plans could see a cable trench running straight past her house. The power lines would come ashore at Aldeburgh from the large windfarms off the Suffolk coast, in the constituency represented by Environment Secretary Therese Coffey. She said homes in the village have lost value due to the plans. "I have close neighbours living down the road from me," said Mrs Thomas, who is part of Suffolk Energy Actions Solutions (SEAS) - which is campaigning against the plans. "They wanted to move but had to cut the price of their home by 75,000 and that was a direct result of the development that is going to happen in the village. "They were advised by an estate agent [that the plans for the substation] was an influential factor." Fiona Gilmore, who is also involved in SEAS, said instead an offshore electricity grid should be built, similar to one already operated by Belgium. She said the National Grid should not be "desecrating unspoilt countryside" at Friston for "power needed in London". Asher Minns, executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said there is still time to cut carbon emissions The shallow waters and sandbanks off East Anglia are in line for huge expansion of wind power. Separate to the proposed substation at Friston, National Grid plans to build a new line of pylons, more than a hundred miles long through Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, in a project formerly known as East Anglia Green, but now known as Norwich to Tilbury. There has been huge opposition. All three county councils have condemned the plans. Most progress has been made in the energy sector as polluting coal-fired power stations were shut down. In 1990, some 22.2% of our electricity came from relatively low-carbon or renewable sources. That rose to 54% in 2022. However, delays have made the ongoing job of cutting the UK's carbon emissions harder, according to one of the world's leading climate change research centres at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Regardless of whether the cables are put on land or carried down to south Essex and London via an offshore route, Asher Minns, executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said: "There is still everything to play for and it's not too late either, but we have to speed up work." Bailey Woolston, a second year apprentice studying in Lowestoft, hoped to be involved in wind power construction The boom in offshore wind also presents huge economic opportunities too. Especially for students at East Coast College in Lowestoft in Suffolk. Bailey Woolston, a second year apprentice with Scottish Power who is studying at the college, said: "I'm really excited for the future. "There are many windfarms in the pipeline and I would like to be involved in the construction of the next one." Rachel Bunn, of East Suffolk College, is also a director of the energy industry group EEEGR (East of England Energy Group) Rachel Bunn, who runs the college's commercial training and is also a director for the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), said: "These are very exciting times. "I have lived in this area for 46 years and I have never known so much opportunity for young people, but also for adults wanting to retrain." She said with any developments there was a "balancing act" between the need for the infrastructure and the concerns of communities. "The energy sector is working with the communities and giving back to the communities," she said. A spokesperson for National Grid said: "The country's electricity transmission network needs a number of major reinforcements to meet the government's net zero ambitions to connect large volumes of wind and nuclear generation. "We look at a number of options when considering any new reinforcements, and we will consider and evaluate offshore alternatives where appropriate. "As the cost of all connections ultimately goes onto the electricity bills of domestic and business consumers, the UK government and our regulator Ofgem require us to develop proposals which represent value for money to consumers." Politics East will have a special debate on developing the " energy coastline" on Sunday, 25 June at 10:00 BST on BBC One and available after broadcast on the BBC iPlayer. Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830 An unnamed Baton Rouge officer is seeking damages against activist DeRay Mckesson on claims that Mckessons negligent organization of a 2016 protest resulted in the officer being injured by a suspect who remains unidentified. An anonymous Louisiana police officers lawsuit against a prominent Black Lives Matter activist has been furthered after a federal appellate court last week upheld that if a person sustains injuries due to a demonstrators actions during a protest, the victim may sue the organizer of the protest for negligence. The unnamed Baton Rouge officer is seeking damages against activist DeRay Mckesson on claims that Mckessons negligent organization of a 2016 protest following the death of Alton Sterling resulted in the officer being injured by a rock thrown by a suspect who remains unidentified, Reuters reported. DeRay Mckesson. (Getty Images) The court on June 16 ruled that because Mckessons plans for the demonstration reportedly included the state crime of blocking off a public highway, violence against police was foreseeable, per the report. This is the Fifth Circuits latest action to further the case after it was initially struck down in 2017 by a federal district court, as previously reported by theGrio. As previously reported, the case was revived by the Fifth Circuit in 2019 only to be voided in 2020 by the Supreme Court, who ruled 7-1 that it needed further review by the Louisiana Supreme Court due to novel issues of state law. According to Reuters, Louisiana Supreme Court justices have since ruled that organizers may legally be responsible for how protesters act under state tort law, opening the door for the Fifth Circuits latest ruling. Critics of the lawsuit have deemed it inconsistent with basic principles of free speech. Following the Supreme Courts voiding of the case in 2020, the American Civil Liberties Unions national legal director David Cole stated: The Supreme Court has long recognized that peaceful protesters cannot be held liable for the unintended, unlawful actions of others. If the law had allowed anyone to sue leaders of social justice movements over the violent actions of others, there would have been no civil rights movement, he added. The lower courts ruling is a threat to the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Federal court ruling in Louisiana puts protesters, activist groups at risk appeared first on TheGrio. ORLANDO, Fla. A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Florida law that he says is aimed at limiting the rights of drag performers. U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell of Orlando wrote in his order that this statute is specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers. In the words of the bills sponsor in the House, State Representative Randy Fine: ... HB 1423 ... will protect our children by ending the gateway propaganda to this evil Drag Queen Story Time,'" Presnells ruling said. Fine, a Republican from Brevard County, declined to comment. The court battle was initiated by the Hamburger Marys restaurant in Orlando over a law that contains penalties for any venue allowing children into a sexually explicit adult live performance. The law includes potential first-degree misdemeanor charges for violators. Of course, its constitutional to prevent the sexualization of children by limiting access to adult live performances, said Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the law in May. We believe the judges opinion is dead wrong and look forward to prevailing on appeal. Hamburger Marys filed a lawsuit in May against DeSantis, the state, and Melanie Griffin, secretary of Floridas Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DeSantis and the state have since been dropped as defendants, with Griffin remaining. The downtown restaurants lawsuit argued the law would have a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of the citizens of Florida. Hamburger Marys, which opened in 2008, has hosted drag performances that include bingo, trivia and comedy. After the law was signed, the restaurant restricted children from drag shows and then lost 20% of its bookings, according to the lawsuit. Presnells order prevents the state agency from enforcing the law pending the outcome of a trial. He also denied the states motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Hamburger Marys is represented by Brice Timmons, the same civil rights attorney who represented the Friends of Georges theater company in a case that led to federal judge ruling a Tennessee law restricting drag shows was unconstitutional. Its wonderful that yet one more court has vindicated the rights of people, especially drag queens, to express themselves, Timmons said Friday. Timmons said the owners of Hamburger Marys just changed the world for queer people everywhere. The judge today protected the rights of every single person in the United States to be who they are and to express themselves in ways that dont hurt other people, Timmons said. In his order, Presnell expressed concerns about vagueness in the law, particularly lines about lewd conduct and lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts. Not only does the statute fail to define these terms, but one must resort to state jury instructions to find any definition of lewd conduct,' Presnell wrote. Presnell, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, questioned what the line about prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts would mean for cancer survivors. It is this vague language dangerously susceptible to standardless, overbroad enforcement which could sweep up substantial protected speech which distinguishes (the new Florida law) and renders Plaintiffs claim likely to succeed on the merits, Presnell wrote. State lawyers had argued Floridas Protection of Children Act does not target drag shows. The Act does not prevent establishments from continuing to stage adult live performances or deny access by adults to those performances, the states argument read. It merely requires the exclusion of children for whom the performance would not be age-appropriate. And contrary to (Hamburger Marys) implication, the Act does not target drag shows; by its terms, it protects children from exposure to any kind of sexually explicit live performance that is obscene for the age of the child present. But that claim received pushback from Timmons and Presnell at a June 6 hearing, with the part of the law that read lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts being called out. Timmons said there were only two people who would have prosthetic breasts: women who had undergone mastectomies or drag performers. (Orlando Sentinel staff writer Steven Lemongello contributed to this report.) Special Counsel Jack Smith has asked that former President Donald Trump stand trial beginning in December on the federal indictment charging him with illegally retaining national security secrets and obstruction of justice. In a court filing Friday night, prosecutors said the involvement of classified information in the case makes an earlier start for the trial unrealistic and they recommended beginning jury selection on December 11. U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order earlier this week calling for Trumps trial to open August 14, but the document appeared to be largely boiler-plate and lawyers immediately said there was virtually no chance of the trial beginning that soon. Indeed, most of the debate among legal experts has revolved around whether a trial before the November 2024 presidential election is feasible. Trump has mounted a campaign to return to the White House and is vastly ahead of the field of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Defense attorneys for Trump and his personal aide who is a co-defendant in the case, Walt Nauta, agree that the August trial date should be put off but disagree with the prosecutions proposed schedule, according to the governments filing. An attorney for Trump declined to comment on the governments proposal. Last week, Trump pleaded not guilty to the historic charges: 31 felony counts of willful retention of national defense information and six counts of obstruction of justice. Prosecutors told Cannon that the case isnt complex by most measures, arguing that it involves straightforward theories of liability, and does not present novel questions of fact or law. However, the government lawyers said the legal procedures surrounding the use of classified information in a criminal case require some delay. The case does involve classified information and will necessitate defense counsel obtaining the requisite security clearances, Assistant Special Counsel David Harbach and other prosecutors wrote. Cannon previously ordered defense attorneys to begin the process of seeking security clearances by this week. However, as of Friday, Nauta still had no attorney formally representing him in the case. Prosecutor Jay Bratt, a counselor to Smith, said federal officials have committed to significantly expediting the security clearance process and should be able to grant interim clearances to the lawyers within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the proper paperwork. However, Bratt said some classified information in the case is so sensitive that the lawyers will need full security clearances that are expected to take 45 to 60 days to grant. Prosecutors proposed that Trump and Nauta submit any motions seeking to dismiss some or all charges in the case in about five weeks, by July 31. That could prove to be an aggressive timetable given some issues raised by the first federal criminal case against a former president. FILE PHOTO: Move Forward Party holds a press conference on May 18 in Bangkok on talks with coalition party (This June 24 story has been corrected to show the number of alliance seats is 312, not 321, in paragraph 6) BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's newly elected lawmakers will meet for the first time in a parliamentary session on July 3, a royal decree published on the official royal gazette website said on Saturday. The decree sets a motion for the formation of a new government, following the general election in May, with the vote to elect a new prime minister likely to be held in July. The country's election commission on Monday certified the winners of all 500 seats of the lower house which must convene within early July to elect a speaker and two deputies. The speaker will then call for a joint session of parliament between the elected lower house and the appointed senate to vote on a new prime minister. The progressive Move Forward party pulled off a stunning victory in the May 14 ballot, closely followed by the populist Pheu Thai party, thrashing conservative rivals allied with the royalist military after nine years of government led or backed by the army. An eight-party alliance made up of the opposition is expected to back Move Forward's Harvard-educated leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister and form a coalition government, likely within the next month. The alliance has control of 312 seats, still short of the 376 needed in the vote for the next premier. To elect Pita prime minister the alliance will have to must a majority of the 500 seats in the lower house and the 250 seats in the senate. The senators were appointed under military rule after a 2014 coup. The Move Forward Party won the election on an anti-establishment platform that has put it on a collision course with conservatives royalist generals and old-money business elite that have long controlled Thai politics. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Tom Hogue) A Putnam County fugitive was arrested on Monday afternoon after stealing multiple sexual enhancement items from a Target in Palm Coast. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Upon arriving at the Target, FCSO deputies found David Romero backing out of a spot in the parking lot. He was driving a white truck matching the suspect vehicle description. The vehicle had a felony warrant for arrest in Putnam County for 3rd Degree Grand Theft. After deputies conducted a high-risk traffic stop, Romero was successfully taken into custody. While placing Romero in the back of a patrol car, a pink vibrating device fell out of Romeros pants. It was later revealed that Romero had stolen it from Target. Target provided deputies with surveillance video showing Romero stuffing several personal care items inside tan shapewear he had picked up inside the store. These items included the vibrating device Romero later dropped, condoms, sexual enhancement products, personal lubricant, and a t-shirt. Romero is then seen picking up a few items from the grocery section and only paying for the food before walking out with the other items. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] After taking Romero into custody, deputies searched his vehicle and recovered all the stolen articles. Romero was placed under arrest and is facing one count of Petit Theft, and four counts of 1st Degree Larceny for Property Worth Between $100-$300. He was also arrested on the Putnam County warrant. Romero was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and being held on $3,000 bond. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Romero is no stranger to FCSO. He was charged in 2012 with Resisting an Officer Without Violence, Child Abuse Without Great Harm, Simple Assault, and Disorderly Intoxication. Our message is loud and clear for criminals and fugitives. If you set foot in Flagler County as a fugitive or to commit a crime, we will find you and arrest you, said Sheriff Rick Staly. It doesnt matter where theyre running from, our team is always on alert looking for fugitives and criminals. If youre thinking of committing a crime enjoy your stay at the Green Roof Inn. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Flights leaving Moscow sell out as Wagner troops descend, and unconfirmed reports say Putin might have left the capital for St. Petersburg People are seen around Red Square amid escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, in Moscow, Russia on June 24, 2023. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Flights from Moscow have sold out amid reports Wagner troops are marching on the city, per Der Spiegel. The mercenary Wagner Group launched an unprecedented mutiny in Russia on Saturday. There have been unconfirmed reports that Vladimir Putin has fled from the capital to St. Petersberg. Direct flights out of Moscow have sold out, following speculation that Moscow's elite would flee amid the Wagner Group mutiny, German outlet Der Spiegel reported. Scores of Wagner fighters entered Russia from occupied Ukraine on Saturday morning and claimed to have taken control of crucial security sites. Reports have suggested they are now heading to the capital. Flights from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, Astana, Kazakhstan, and Istanbul, Turkey, are now no longer available, a Der Spiegel reporter confirmed. There have also been unconfirmed reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has fled the capital, based on data from Flightradar24, which reportedly showed a government plane often used by him depart from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport towards St. Petersberg and then disappear from radar, per Der Spiegel. However, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the president had left Moscow, per the Russian news agency TASS. Some outlets have also reported that Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov has fled to Turkey, but this is also unconfirmed. Several other private flights from Russia were also tracked on the Flightradar24 platform, Der Spiegel said. Putin has condemned the mutiny, which he has described as a "betrayal," and has vowed that Russia will defend itself. Read the original article on Business Insider A 13-year-old Florida boy shared his harrowing account after an alligator grabbed his leg while he was playing with friends at a creek near Orlando this week. Gabriel Klimis told FOX 35 that after he jumped from a rope off a bridge that crossed Howell Creek in Winter Springs Tuesday, "one of my feet was on the sand and then the gator got my other one and then pulled me back." He said once the alligator grabbed onto his right leg, "I knew that if he didn't let go, there was no getting him off because his jaw was so tied on. There's no getting out of that." Klimis, sitting next to his mom at his home for the interview Friday, explained that he held onto a stick on the shore to keep from being pulled in. 12-FOOT ALLIGATOR ATTACKS DOG AT FLORIDA PARK, OWNER REPORTEDLY FREES PET BY JUMPING ON GATORS BACK Gabriel Klimis fought back after he was attacked by an alligator this week. "He kept pulling, so then I just tried to hit him and then he let go and then I ran up as fast as I could," Gabriel said. READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP The 13-year-old went to the closest house and called his mother for help. Allison Klimis said she told Gabriel to call 911, admitting his revelation left her in "complete shock. Terror, of course. Super scared." Gabriel, however, appeared calm during the call he placed to 911, telling the dispatcher, "Yeah, I can walk. I just got bit by a gator." "It just stings a bit but Im good," He added in the call, saying his wound wasnt "bleeding too bad, but my skins like open pretty good." When asked by the dispatcher where the alligator was "now," he answered, "I dont know. I got out of the water as fast as I could." FLORIDA SPEARFISHERMAN SURVIVES BULL SHARK ATTACK: HE WANTED ME The teen was taken to a hospital where he received stitches on his leg. His mom, a doctor, told FOX 35, "In the end, I'm just blessed, grateful, thankful that the angels were watching over him and God was there because I know without that, my son could definitely be gone." But Gabriel said the incident wont deter him from enjoying more summer fun. "It's not going to stop me from swimming somewhere else, like in a different creek or something, with my friends and having fun," he explained. The family told FOX 35 a nuisance trapper killed an alligator in Howell Springs after the attack, but they didnt know if it was the one that bit Gabriel. In February, an 85-year-old woman was killed by a 10-foot alligator while walking her dog near her retirement community Fort Pierce, Florida. And last month a mans arm had to be amputated after he was attacked by an alligator near a pond outside of a bar in Fort Pierce, Florida. Florida organization celebrates in Orlando after AAPI education bill passes A Florida organization will be recognized Saturday for its significant milestone in education. Make Us Visible Florida is part of a nationwide coalition to present solutions to anti-Asian American bullying, hate and violence, starting in schools. The coalition sponsored a bill to require Asian American and Pacific Islander history in K-12 curriculums. MUV-FL fought to pass the AAPI bill in the Florida legislature for two years, which became law in May. Photos: Brightline completes construction of tracks connecting Orlando to South Florida Orlando Mayor Jerry Demings will present MUV-FL with a proclamation at the celebration. Guests can enjoy refreshments, guest speakers, a lion dance and a kung fu performance from the Wah Lum Temple. People can also learn more about APPI education in schools from Central Florida community members. Read: Just asking for inclusion: Movement aims to make Asian American history taught in schools According to MUV-FL, Florida is now the fifth state to include the requirement of teaching AAPI history. MUV-FL Director Mimi Chan started a Florida petition in 2021 that garnered over 15,000 signatures. Other Florida senators and representatives are expected to attend the event, including Sen. Linda Stewart, Rep. Rene Plasencia and Rep. Anna Eskamani. The event will start at 3 p.m. at the Wah Lum Temple on Goldenrod Road. Click here for more information. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. People lined the Mills 50 District to see Sundays 11th annual Central Florida Dragon Parade. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Footage appears to show Russian attack helicopter bombing one of its own oil depot to deny Wagner mercenaries fuel supply Unverified footage appears to show an Russian helicopter attack at an oil depot in Voronezh. @wartranslated Twitter screenshot Footage appears to show an explosion at an oil depot in Voronezh after strikes by a Russian helicopter. It comes as Wagner fighters seized military facilities in the city, Russian sources told Reuters. On Saturday, Russian mercenaries began an armed rebellion in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Video footage circulating on social media appears to show a Russian attack helicopter attacking an oil depot as the Wagner group takes up positions in the Russian city as a part of a dramatic armed mutiny on Saturday. The clip appears to show a massive explosion at an oil depot in the city of Voronezh after a Russian Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopter targeted the area. The footage has not been independently verified by Insider. Emergency services are working to put on the fire, with more than 100 firefighters and 30 units of equipment at the site, officials said, per Al Jazeera. Other unverified footage appears to show Russian air forces deflecting a Wagner group anti-aircraft missile system. Local sources reported that the mercenary fighters had tried to seize the oil depot to supply their convoys with fuel, according to a report by Defense Blog. A Reuters witness also said Russian military helicopters had opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on the M4 highway just outside the city. This comes after Russian sources told Reuters that Wagner fighters had also seized military facilities in Voronezh as they advanced north from Rostov-on-Don where Russian mercenaries fighters started their rebellion against Putin. The group appears to be making their way farther north towards Moscow, the country's capital city. The events mark a significant intensification of the feud between Yevegny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief, and Russian officials over fighting in the war in Ukraine. On Saturday, Putin called the actions of the Wagner group a "betrayal" and vowed the country would defend itself and punish those involved in the insurrection. Read the original article on Business Insider A former Russian official claimed on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the chief of the private mercenary group Wagner are just gangsters fighting for their piece of pie, after the Wagner chief rebelled and moved his troops on Moscow. These guys are all of the same kind of league, all of the same gang rather, former Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev told CNN. They are gangsters fighting for their piece of pie, and [the] pie is becoming thinner because of the war, because of the sanctions. Kozyrev, who served as foreign minister under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, called Putin the godfather of the whole arrangement and suggested that the Russian leader created Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Absolutely, Kozyrev said, when asked whether he includes Putin among the gangsters. He is probably godfather of the whole arrangement. You know, Prigozhin was his creature. He created Prigozhin. He owns the Russian dictator who depends totally on his support because people, they are against the dictator, the former official added. Prigozhin and his troops began advancing toward Moscow on Friday, as he called for an armed rebellion to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power. He ultimately turned his troops around on Saturday, after Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko reportedly helped broker a deal to defuse the rebellion. As part of the deal, the Wagner chief will head to Belarus, and he and his troops will not face prosecution, the Kremlin said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Fort Worth owner of oil and gas companies was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for running a multi-million dollar fraudulent scheme, announced Leigha Simonton, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Billy Marcum, Jr., 67, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to wire fraud. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 210 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who also ordered Marcum to pay more than $16 million in restitution. Marcum the owner of multiple oil and gas companies, including Navarro Minerals, Caddo I, Bluecreek Operating, Fullspike Energy, Viejo Services, and Viejo Exploration solicited money from investors, telling them their funds would be used to purchase oil and gas leases and to pay for well oil repairs, according to plea papers. He also told investors that returns would be paid out of profits from the ensuing oil and gas sales. Instead of purchasing the leases, Marcum used money from new investors to fund earlier investors returns, lulling them into believing their investments were sound and that they should continue investing with him, said Simonton in a news release Friday. Marcum also used some of the investment money to pay personal expenses. Marcum fabricated reports about oil production and sales and sent those reports to investors. The false run statements noted purported lease names and numbers, the gross volume of product taken, sales value, taxes paid, dates, and net amount to be paid to the operator. Marcum also recorded false lease assignments related to his scheme in counties throughout Texas to disguise his crime. Around September 2018, Marcum realized he lacked sufficient revenues and could no longer raise sufficient funds to pay existing investors, said Simonton. Marcum conspired with a man, Jay Taylor, to solicit investor funds on behalf of several of his companies. Marcum knowingly supplied false information to Taylor, who used the information to successfully solicit additional funds. In April 2022, Marcum admitted to FBI agents that he concocted false run statements about oil and gas sales and sent them directly to some investors and indirectly, through Taylor, to others in order to entice investments. He also admitted that he used new investor funds to pay off other investors and represented to them that the returns were from oil sales. At sentencing, prosecutors said Marcum defrauded over 150 victims, collecting nearly $30 million in investor funds and inflicting over $16 million in losses. Taylor also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced in April to eight years in federal prison. The Federal Bureau of Investigations Dallas Field Office Fort Worth Resident Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy Larson, John de la Garza, and Beverly Chapman prosecuted the case. Anti-abortion and pro-choice posters A year ago, the US Supreme Court delivered a historic ruling that ended the nationwide right to abortion, impacting the lives of millions of women and transforming the political landscape. On 24 June, 2022, America's top court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which had guaranteed women the right to an abortion up until the point of foetal viability, which is about 24 weeks. In its Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, the conservative majority on the court turned over the power to regulate abortion - or ban it outright - to individual states. The anti-abortion movement celebrated a landmark victory, while pro-choice activists warned of a looming public health crisis. Here are four ways the US has changed in the year since: 1. Millions of women lost the right to an abortion After spending almost half a century fighting to overturn Roe, opponents were prepared to take advantage when the moment finally came. Thirteen states had passed "trigger bills" that enabled them to begin the process of banning abortion immediately after the Dobbs decision. A year on, 14 states, including most of the South, have enacted near-total bans from the moment of conception. Georgia banned abortion after six weeks, which is before most women know they are pregnant. That means that about 22 million women of reproductive age live in a state that has banned abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, representing about a third of the total childbearing population. Another five states have introduced bans after 12-20 weeks gestation, while court challenges against stricter abortion limits are still pending in five others. Millions more women will see their access to the procedure reduced. "There's this sense that the end of Roe is catapulting us into an abortion-free future," Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins told the BBC last January during the annual March for Life protest. But what access a woman has to abortion, depends on where she lives - and which party is in power in that place. While many, if not all, Republican-controlled states have restricted access, lots of progressive states run by Democrats, such as California and Colorado, have introduced stronger legal protections. 2. American women had fewer abortions Almost a million abortions were carried out in the US in 2020, the last year there is full data for, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The anti-abortion movement wants to get that down to zero eventually, but hopes the state-wide bans and tighter restrictions will dramatically reduce the total. We do not know the full impact of the laws introduced so far. However, data provided by WeCount, a research initiative funded by the pro-choice Society of Family Planning, suggests a significant impact already. According to WeCount, there were 24,290 fewer legal abortions overall between July 2022 and March 2023, compared to an average calculated in the months before the Dobbs decision. The project tracked abortions provided by clinics, private medical offices, hospitals, and virtual-only clinics, but did not track self-managed abortions. Unsurprisingly, states with abortion bans showed the biggest declines. In contrast, legal abortions increased, but to a lesser degree, in neighbouring states where the procedure was protected, notably Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina. 3. Women travelled farther to get abortions As illustrated by the WeCount data, many women in states who wanted an abortion chose to travel across state lines. As more states pass bans, the nearest clinic providing abortion services can be hundreds of miles away. That led to longer journeys overall, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found. The study mapped the average travel time from census tracts to the nearest abortion clinic. Before Dobbs, the average journey to a clinic took between 10.0 to 27.8 minutes. After Dobbs, getting to the nearest clinic almost quadrupled, with upper-end travel times averaging over 100 minutes. Dr Judy Levison, a Houston doctor who has been practising for four decades and is part of a lawsuit challenging Texas's ban, worries that is a barrier for low-income women who make up the majority of those who have abortions. "Where were they going to get an abortion? How were they going to afford travelling, getting childcare, risking two days not working and risking their employment perhaps?" she told the BBC. 4. Support for abortion has increased Support for abortion in the US has been steady over the past 30 years, with about 60% of Americans believing abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research. Overall, the think tank found that people's support for abortion goes down as a pregnancy continues. But in the year after the Supreme Court decision, public support for abortion has actually gone up. And that's been the case, too, even in places which have instituted bans. In 2019, about 31% of people in states that would later institute bans believed that abortion should be easier to access. But in 2023, after those bans were put in place, 46% of the population thought it should be easier, according to surveys conducted by Pew. How people view abortion is still largely shaped by their politics - 84% of Democrats believe abortion should be legal in most cases, compared to 40% of Republicans. But when proposed abortion restrictions were directly on the ballot in conservative states, they have failed. During the 2022 midterm elections, ballot measures failed in Kentucky and Montana, presenting a quandary for Republicans. Bans and restrictions are popular with the conservative base, but they risk turning off more moderate voters who believe abortion should remain legal. With reporting from Nada Tawfik and Holly Honderich A friend said he warned Stockton Rush about possible defects on the Titan in 2019 after hearing 'cracking' noises OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush died in the sub implosion. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters A friend of Stockton Rush told CNN that he heard "cracking" sounds after a Titan trip in 2019. Karl Stanley emailed Rush to say that the noises "sounded like a flaw/defect," CNN reported. Rush told him to be prepared for the sounds that the sub's carbon fiber makes before his dive. A submersible expert and friend of Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, said he tried to warn him that the Titan sub was flawed years ago. Karl Stanley told NewsNation that he heard "cracking" sounds when he went on the sub in April 2019. Stanley said Rush told him to be prepared for the cracking sounds he heard on the Titan's first dive, which Rush said the vessel's carbon-fiber material produced. Stanley said he heard the "sound of the cracking getting louder" after they took the sub deeper on the Titan's second dive in the Bahamas. The next day, he emailed Rush about possible defects. "What we heard, in my opinion sounded like a flaw/defect in one area being acted on by the tremendous pressures and being crushed/damaged," Stanley told Rush in emails seen by CNN. "From the intensity of the sounds, the fact that they never totally stopped at depth, and the fact that there were sounds at about 300 feet that indicated a relaxing of stored energy /would indicate that there is an area of the hull that is breaking down/ getting spongy," he wrote. Stanley asked Rush if he was considering taking passengers on it to see the Titanic before he knew what was causing the sounds, CNN reported, but that he didn't get a response. Stanley said he first met Rush about a decade ago and that he "liked him as a friend." A former OceanGate employee also warned the company about inadequate "quality control and safety" protocols in a lawsuit filed in August 2018. David Lochridge, the former director of marine operations, said that Rush asked him to carry out a quality inspection of the sub, and found there was a lack of testing carried out on the hull. He made the claims in a countersuit against OceanGate after it accused him of breach of contract. The case was settled out of court in November 2018. Lochridge said that he'd raised his concerns with OceanGate's management and that he was fired after the meeting. OceanGate did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation called on the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC) militants not to obey the orders of Yevgeny Prigozhin and detain him, while General Sergei Surovikin recorded a video message, calling on the mercenaries to "stop." Source: Interfax news agency; Medusa outlet; Russian Telegram channels Quote: "We urge the PMC fighters not to make an irreparable mistake, to stop any force actions against the Russian people, not to comply with Prigozhin's criminal and treacherous orders, and to take measures to detain him." Details: General Surovikin also addressed the Wagner militants: "I urge you to stop." Surovikin was previously appointed mediator between the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the Wagnerites. This happened after Prigozhin began to complain about the lack of ammunition and criticise Minister Sergei Shoigu. It is noteworthy that he recorded his video message with a weapon in his hands. "I just arrived from the forefront, from the front line, by order of the leadership of the Ministry of Defence, where our troops fight the enemy to the death with superior enemy forces, suffer losses, but hold their positions. I appeal to the leadership, commanders and fighters of the Wagner PMC. We fought with you, suffered losses, won together. We are of one blood, we are warriors. I urge you to stop, the enemy is just waiting for the domestic political situation to worsen. You can't play into their hands. Before it's too late, you need to obey the will and order of the popularly elected president of the Russian Federation, stop your convoys, and return them to their permanent locations. Only solve all problems peacefully, guided by Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin added that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "that creature will be stopped". Russias Ministry of Defence called this statement a provocation. Prigozhin has criticised Shoigu and the General Staff for the failure of hostilities, stating that Ukraine did not plan to attack Donbas in 2022, and said that the Russian officials wanted the war, and the oligarchs wanted to make money. The FSB has opened a criminal case against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are being set up at entrances to Moscow. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Furious Putin calls Wagner coup treason: This is a stab in the back to everyone in Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin has given a televised address, accusing the Wagner group of a stab in the back and saying Russia is facing treason. Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has said he wants to oust the leadership of the Defence Ministry over its purported incompetence and has posted videos of himself in the southern Russian city of Rostov where the Russian army has one of its headquarters. An audio message on the social media app Telegram detailed Prigozhins fighters had crossed the border and were ready to die in confrontation with those in their way. Vladmir Putin carried out a speech on Saturday morning All of us are ready to die. All 25,000, and then another 25,000, he said, after earlier accusing the Russian top brass of launching strikes against his men, he said. We are dying for the Russian people. However, Putin was quick to double-down on those working outside his regime and warned of inevitable punishment for anyone dividing Russian society. Putin went on to say some of his countrymen had been tricked into a criminal adventure without specifically referring to those under Prigozhin. He also said high treason was the result of certain ambitions that are underway. This is a criminal campaign. It is equivalent to armed mutiny, Putin said. Russia will defend itself and repel this move. We are fighting for the life and security of our citizens and our territorial integrity. In the face of those who are fighting on the front, this is a stab in the back of the troops and the people of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin has said he wants to oust the leadership of the Defence Ministry (AP) Putin acknowledged the situation was very complicated and unfolding at speed. Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict, he said. These people will be brought to justice on behalf of our people. Prigozhin currently claims to have more than 25,000 fighters under his command. In one video, Prigozhin said he was at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov and demanded Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the countrys top general Valery Gerasimov come meet him. We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said in the video. Unless they come, well be here, well blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow. Wagner chief shares video from Rostov-on-Don as he claims to control military HQ (GREY ZONE TELEGRAM, PRIGOZHIN PRESS SERVICE) He earlier accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops in a series of explosive claims. The alleged attacks include the bombing of a training camp in Bakhmut, Ukraine, which killed dozens. Prigozhin said in another video multiple military sites in Rostov, including the airfield, were under the Wagners control. In a statement, Russias Defence Ministry said the Wagner mercenary fighters had been deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure by Prigozhin. Wagner fighters have played a central role in Russias efforts so far, including taking the Bakhmut which involved some of the longest war battles taking place. Attorney General Merrick Garland denied allegations of political interference in the Justice Departments investigation into Hunter Biden, reiterating that the U.S. attorney overseeing the case had full authority to decide what charges to bring. Garland said during a press conference on Friday that he had said early on that David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware who was appointed by former President Trump, would be allowed to continue his investigation during the Biden administration and decide what he wanted to prosecute any way he wanted to. Hunter Biden reached a deal with prosecutors on Tuesday to plead guilty to two minor tax charges for failing to pay taxes on income in 2017 and 2018 and enter a pretrial diversion agreement on a charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm while having an addiction. The settlement will likely allow Biden to avoid jail time and only receive probation. Republicans have railed against the deal in the days following, arguing that it was too lenient and shows evidence of a two-tiered justice system in which Trump is facing much more serious charges. Garland said Weiss has also sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee confirming his authority to make prosecutorial decisions in the case. I dont know how it would be possible for anybody to block him from bringing a prosecution given that he has this authority, he said. The attorney general was responding to a question about two whistleblowers who told the House Ways and Means Committee that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommended felony charges against Biden and prosecutors slow-walked the investigation. One IRS supervisory special agent, Gary Shapley, told the committee that the IRS recommended felony tax evasion charges and felony charges for filing false tax returns against Biden, but he received preferential treatment. A second unnamed special agent from the IRS criminal investigation team said prosecutors slowed down the case and their conduct has honestly been appalling. Garland said Weiss never asked for special counsels to be appointed, and he had more authority than a special counsel would have, with complete authority to bring any case he wants. President Biden and Garland have both said they would allow the investigation to proceed without any interference from them, and Weiss was kept on to continue the probe despite presidents typically asking U.S. attorneys to step down once they take office. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Georgia man arrested after restaurant patrons, undercover cop claim they were drugged, deputies say A man was arrested after officials say restaurant patrons complained about being drugged at a local restaurant. Wayne County Sheriff officials said within the last two months, the sheriffs office and Jesup Police Department had received multiple complaints of individuals believing they were drugged after visiting local restaurants. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to the investigation, individuals reported having very few drinks and suffered symptoms such as extreme intoxication, dizziness, disorientation and waking up the next morning with no memory. Deputies have not said how many victims there are in this investigation. Authorities then conducted an undercover investigation that resulted in one undercover officer being hospitalized after consuming a drugged beverage. Deputies confirmed that the undercover officer could return to work after being hospitalized. TRENDING STORIES: On June 22, authorities arrested 57-year-old John Yonkosky after executing a warrant at a restaurant on West Cherry Street in Jesup. Authorities did not specify Yonkoskys connection to the restaurant or if this was where the incidents took place. Yonkosky was charged with reckless conduct, distribution of a Schedule II controlled substance, sexual battery and criminal attempt to commit rape. Additional charges are expected, according to officials. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Wayne County Sheriffs Office at 912-427-5970. The investigation remains ongoing. IN OTHER NEWS: Girlfriend of dentist who killed his wife on their African safari is sentenced to 17 years in prison The girlfriend of an American dentist and big-game hunter who was found guilty of murdering his wife on an African safari was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Friday, court records show. Lori Milliron, the girlfriend of Lawrence Rudolph, was tried alongside him in July 2022. A jury found her guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury based on her testimony before a grand jury, according to the Department of Justice. On Friday, she was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined $250,000, according to federal judge William J. Martinezs sentencing order. The judge denied Millirons motion for non-guideline sentencing. Martinez instead granted the federal prosecutors motion for a longer-than-usual sentence. In their motion, federal prosecutors had argued that Even now, Milliron has expressed no remorse. Lori Milliron encouraged Lawrence Rudolph to kill his wife for her. She told him to divorce Bianca Rudolph. When he said he couldnt afford to do that, Milliron responded by helping Rudolph procure propofol a lethal anesthetic drug that could be used as a poison before he took the trip where he did what she had wanted: get rid of Bianca, their motion read. Millions attorney, John Dill, told CNN that the defense plans to appeal both the sentence and the jurys verdict. Lawrence Rudolph was a big-game hunter. - From Facebook We believe the sentence is excessive and bears no reasonable relationship to the two counts of perjury before the grand jury that formed the basis of the charges of obstruction and accessory after the fact, Dill said. The answers she gave before the grand jury were not false. () Ms. Milliron had no involvement in the death of Bianca Rudolph and she sympathizes with the family as victims of that tragedy. Rudolphs sentencing was to take place earlier this week but has been postponed, according to court documents. A federal jury found Rudolph guilty of murdering Bianca Rudolph and of defrauding multiple life insurance companies. Husband said gun discharged accidentally The killing occurred in Africa but Milliron and Rudolph were tried in Denver, where the insurance companies are based. Bianca Rudolph was killed in 2016 while she and Lawrence Rudolph were on a hunting trip in Zambia. She suffered a fatal shotgun blast in their hunting cabin at dawn as she was packing to return to Phoenix, federal prosecutors alleged in court documents. Rudolph maintained his innocence and said he believes the gun fired accidentally. I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife, Rudolph told jurors when he took the stand in his own defense at his trial. But federal prosecutors described it as a premeditated crime. Prosecutors argued Rudolph killed his wife of 30 years for the insurance money and to be with his girlfriend, Milliron. Rudolph cashed in more than $4.8 million in life insurance payments after her death six years ago. Zambian law enforcement ruled the shooting an accidental discharge, an investigating FBI agent wrote in an affidavit. American investigators reopened the case after a friend of Bianca Rudolph contacted authorities and said she suspected foul play. CNNs Faith Karimi contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Japan's plan to dump nuke-contaminated water into sea stokes real-life Godzilla fears Xinhua) 09:21, June 24, 2023 * Despite ongoing opposition from both home and abroad, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, raising growing anger and stoking real-life Godzilla fears among the global community. * According to a Research View survey of 1,000 South Korean adults conducted last month, 85.4 percent of the respondents opposed Japan's contaminated water discharge, and 72 percent said they would reduce the consumption of marine products if the wastewater is released into the ocean. * Amid Japan's reckless discharge push, local fishery industry and seafood businesses, whose livelihoods are at stake, reiterated their opposition and grave concern. TOKYO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Despite ongoing opposition from both home and abroad, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, raising growing anger and stoking real-life Godzilla fears among the global community. People rally to protest against Japan's planned discharge of nuclear-contaminated water in Seoul, South Korea, June 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang) Tokyo Electric Power Company(TEPCO), the plant's operator, began trialing the equipment for discharging the nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific on June 12. The test run of the discharge facility is expected to finish on June 26. The nuclear wastewater release led by the Japanese government seems to have entered the countdown. While the radioactive, 50-meter-tall Godzilla depicted in one of the highest-grossing films may be fictional, symbolizing the consequences of underwater nuclear tests, the Japanese government's reckless discharging, likewise disastrous, is evoking fears that the allegory of humankind's wrongdoings will come true. WORLDWIDE FURY "Nuclear-contaminated water must not be discharged into the sea. It is a crime, a crime against all living things on earth!" shouted Tatsuko Okawara outside the Fukushima Prefectural Government Office, where a mass rally was held last week to voice strong opposition to the Japanese government's wastewater dumping move. "The mountains and rivers will never return to the past, and the radiation will not disappear easily. But this country puts making money first compared to life and love," the Fukushima resident from Tamura city recited a line from a puppet show she created, unveiling the hidden truth behind the government's relentless push. Among the nearly 100 protesters who gathered for parades, rallies and petitions on Tuesday was Chiyo Oda, one of the rally's organizers and co-representative of Koreumi, a Japanese citizens' conference to condemn further ocean pollution. "The government says every day that the trial operation will end soon, making everyone feel that the ocean discharge is a fact, and wants us to give up. But it is wrong to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and there are still places for the water storage tanks, so it has not reached the point where it must be discharged," she told Xinhua. A sign that reads "Do not dump contaminated wastewater into the sea" is pictured during a protest near the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Company in Tokyo, Japan, March 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) Masuko Eiichi, from the prefecture's Koriyama city, also criticized the discharge plan at the gathering, saying, "These storage tanks for nuclear-contaminated water can be stored for a long time as long as the government and TEPCO want to. But they have chosen the cheapest way to deal with them by discharging the wastewater into the sea." Regarding the government referring to the diluted nuclear-contaminated water as "treated water," Sakurai from Niigata Prefecture said it is a fraud to confuse the public. According to Eiichi, nuclear-contaminated water can be diluted, but the total amount of nuclear pollutants discharged remains unchanged. "Moreover, there are not only the radioactive element tritium in the water but also 57 kinds of radioactive substances such as cesium and strontium that cannot be removed," he added. In the petition submitted to the Fukushima prefectural government, the participants said, "In the absence of a quantitative determination of all radioactive substances in the contaminated water, discharging the water into the sea will cause many radioactive substances to spread to the entire Pacific Ocean through the coastal waters of Fukushima, and then pollute the global marine environment ..." Countries in the region have also expressed their vehement opposition to the discharge plan. In South Korea, thousands of fishermen took to the streets to protest against Japan's disposal plan on June 12, when the test run of the discharge facility started. They rallied near the parliamentary building in Seoul, holding signs that read "Desperately oppose the Fukushima radioactive contaminated water discharge into the sea" and "SOS!! Pacific Ocean!" During the 53rd regular UN Human Rights Council session on Thursday, a Chinese representative urged Japan to earnestly address the international community's legitimate concerns. The representative emphasized that Japan's unilateral decision violates its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Japan has yet to provide convincing evidence regarding the discharge's safety. Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Japan for failing to demonstrate the desired level of openness on the wastewater disposal. Given Japan's history in nuclear safety, she said that Russia could not allow the situation to develop without proper scrutiny. People protest against the Japanese government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea in Fukushima, Japan, June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) WIDESPREAD PANIC According to a Research View survey of 1,000 South Korean adults conducted last month, 85.4 percent of the respondents opposed Japan's contaminated water discharge, and 72 percent said they would reduce the consumption of marine products if the wastewater is released into the ocean. On rising worry about Japanese fishery products ahead of the planned discharge this summer, local media reported South Korea's import of Japanese seafood plummeted for the second consecutive month. The import of Japanese seafood, including live, refrigerated and frozen fish as well as shellfish, dropped 30.6 percent over the year to 2,129 tons in May, after sinking 26.0 percent in April, Yonhap news agency said Monday, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. On fears that Japan would push ahead with its discharge plan, salt demand in South Korea has soared over the past months. Online transactions of salt products increased by 817 percent between June 7-13, compared to the same period a week earlier, according to online price comparison service provider Danawa. Offline sales of salt also surged. As reported by the Korea Herald, data from South Korea's largest supermarket chain E-mart revealed that its salt sales from June 1 to 14 increased by 55.6 percent compared to last year, while sea salt sales jumped 118.5 percent. A statement issued by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Tuesday confirmed the second technical dialogue on Fukushima wastewater was held on June 9 between the PIF independent scientific experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Experts expressed concerns about TEPCO's need for more research on the impact of water discharge from Fukushima on marine species in the Pacific region. This prevented them from providing informed decisions to PIF members regarding the impact on the surrounding ecosystem and food security. This photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant seen from Futabacho, Futabagun, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) HARM TO LIVELIHOODS Amid Japan's reckless discharge push, local fishery industry and seafood businesses, whose livelihoods are at stake, reiterated their opposition and grave concern. Masanobu Sakamoto, president of the national federation of fisheries cooperatives known as JF Zengyoren, on Thursday handed over a request opposing the release plan to Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, local media reported. Sakamoto said the federation's opposition to the discharge would not change, and the government should take full responsibility. However, despite the fishery workers' concerns, Nishimura reportedly maintained that the release is unavoidable. Earlier Tuesday, local seafood business owners in Fukushima questioned government officials during a study session at Iwaki city's central wholesale fish market, demanding a sufficient explanation about the discharge. An attendant in the sector said the government and TEPCO should think closely about why people are skeptical about the safety of marine products caught in waters near the plant. Another participant said fish stores would face questions from consumers about the safety of seafood, according to the NHK. Koji Suzuki, head of a fishery company who organized the session, said he opposes the plan. Stakeholders in the industry, who continue to wait for an explanation of the release plan, need additional information that can be shared with the customers who doubt the safety of seafood. Fishermen wait for fishing boats on a bank in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) In a recent interview with Xinhua in Suva, Fiji, Kalinga Seneviratne, a visiting lecturer at the University of the South Pacific, said Japan should respect the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, inked by PIF members in 1985, which explicitly prohibits activities such as testing, manufacturing, and stationing nuclear explosive devices and dumping nuclear waste within the zone. "The contamination will also affect the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty areas when it eventually flows there. Also, since fish stocks are migratory, contaminated fish could be caught within the treaty area," he said. "If Japan wants to protect a rules-based order, they need to subscribe to the principles of these rules and respect the wishes of the people in the Pacific who argue the treaty is there to stop something like this happening," Seneviratne said. "Japan should refrain from contaminating the sea with nuclear waste." (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Its going to be hot: Maryland cannabis firms stockpile and staff up for big demand starting Saturday Along a flat road in rural Cecil County, where the sky is big and the towns are small, stands a long, nondescript building. Inside is one of the most important cultivation and processing operations for Marylands new cash crop cannabis. SunMed Growers and its 150 employees are harvesting, testing and packaging as many products as they can in preparation for Saturday. Thats when any individual 21 or older will be able to buy vapes, gummies, pre-rolled joints, edibles and more from about 100 dispensaries statewide. Dispensaries are preparing for a flood of customers, ranging from lifelong users stepping out of the illicit market to curious newcomers, plus shoppers from states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania that dont have recreational markets. Long lines at dispensaries are expected, and SunMed owner Jake Van Wingerden wants to make sure no stores run out of product. That means stockpiling flower, adding a shift for packaging, buying more delivery vehicles, and building a $16 million, 25,000-square-foot facility to make edible products. We cranked it up, Van Wingerden said of production. We believe that demand will skyrocket for those first couple months. Maryland is setting up its recreational marijuana industry in just a matter of months. Voters approved it in a referendum in November and lawmakers settled on a framework for the business in April. The state is doing do so partly by piggybacking on the existing medical cannabis industry, which was legalized in 2014 but didnt see its first sales until 2017. Industry insiders feared it would take years for lawmakers and regulators to approve and set up the recreational industry, too, especially after the 2022 legislative session, when the General Assembly pushed the legalization ballot question to voters. After two-thirds of Maryland voters approved it, cannabis dispensaries, processors, cultivators, trade groups and other related businesses spent $1 million on lobbying as the specifics were drafted into law in Annapolis, according to a review of state records. Lawmakers faced a tall order, said Del. C.T. Wilson, a Charles County Democrat who helped shepherd the recreational cannabis legislation into reality. They wanted to create a recreational cannabis industry with affordable products available statewide, he said, putting the illicit market out of business. But Wilson said lawmakers also studied the launch of the medical cannabis industry, which was dominated by white-owned businesses. The goal, again, is to make sure this is fair and equitable, he said. But we need to have product available on the market July 1. They decided to allow businesses in the existing medical market to pay a fee and join the recreational industry, while carving out funds and licensing opportunities for Marylanders from disadvantaged communities. Van Wingerden praised lawmakers for getting the legislation done this session. Its a heavy lift and they did it fairly quickly. Hats off to the General Assembly and the people behind the scenes, he said. They got it all done and I think its going to be a model for the rest of the country. According to Van Wingerden and other industry insiders, Marylands recreational cannabis rollout might look a lot like Missouris. Both states have about 6 million residents, established medical cannabis industries, and voted overwhelmingly Nov. 8 to legalize recreational cannabis. It took Missouri fewer than 100 days to get its recreational industry up and running, with sales beginning in early February. Almost instantly, total monthly cannabis sales in Missouri tripled and theyve stayed at roughly that level. Marylanders are expecting a similar trajectory, meaning annual revenue from the cannabis industry could top $1.5 billion. The states medical cannabis business experienced several years of rapid growth and consolidation until last year, when the market appeared to mature and sales flattened. Almost every existing medical cannabis dispensary, processor and cultivator in Maryland has been approved to join the recreational industry, according to state regulators, paying fees that typically range between $100,000 and $2 million based on their revenue. Anticipating future growth, the legislature roughly tripled the number of licenses for dispensaries, processors and growers, while adding micro licenses for smaller operations. Since the inception of the industry, the states regulator has been the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, which oversaw inspections, product testing, and regulatory enforcement. Will Tilburg has been its executive director since 2019. Under the cannabis law passed this year, the commission became the Maryland Cannabis Administration, with Tilburg as its acting director. Tilburg was not available for comment, but with the license conversions issued and a public education campaign underway, regulators are working toward the impending Saturday rollout. The administration has taken steps to educate the consumers, including making informational videos, a list of frequently asked questions, and a list of participating dispensaries. As the new top regulator, the cannabis administration will award the new cannabis business licenses in the coming years. Many are reserved for social equity applicants. That designation is based largely on whether an individual has lived in an area disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis. This designation also allowed Hope Wiseman to pay a smaller fee to convert her medical cannabis dispensary to a recreational dispensary. Wiseman owns Mary & Main in Prince Georges County. For years, she has been one of relatively few Black women business owners in the cannabis industry. Wiseman said this is the first time her business has received a material benefit because of her background. Its just the latest attempt by lawmakers and regulators to diversify an industry dominated by white-owned businesses. Historically, Black people have been disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis. Despite having a population that is nearly one-third Black, Maryland awarded all 15 of the original cultivation licenses to white-owned businesses. Adding licenses for social equity applicants will diversify the industry, Wiseman said, but she compared the situation to starting a race when the other competitors are 10 laps ahead. At the end of the day, these are going to be the strongest businesses, at least for the foreseeable future, she said, adding that new participants will struggle to get the capital to compete. While a chef can get a loan backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration to open a restaurant, a budding dispensary owner has far fewer options because cannabis is illegal under federal law and most banks wont lend to cannabis companies. The General Assembly did create a program to encourage more lending to the cannabis industry. The state will back loans of $500,000 for dispensaries and $1 million for processors and growers if the owner is a social equity applicant. But industry experts say starting these businesses can take several million dollars sometimes tens of millions of dollars. Were not going to give you a license and all the money to start, Wilson said. This is not a golden ticket and not every dispensary owner is a millionaire. Chris Chick is the chief operating officer of CFG Bank, a Baltimore County-based bank that lends to the cannabis industry. Even though the bank is positioning itself to lend more to cannabis companies, Chick said there still are strict underwriting rules that make it almost impossible for lenders to provide the funds needed to start a cannabis business. For people to be successful, you have to have access to that private capital to get up and started, Chick said. Even then, it can take more than a year to build a cultivation facility, Chick said. Some existing cannabis companies in Maryland have been preparing for recreational cannabis for two years or longer. Culta, a vertically integrated cannabis company with a Federal Hill dispensary, recently bought the licenses of two other medical dispensaries, one in Frederick County and another in Ellicott City, and has increased staffing at its stores by 20% to 50%, according to Chase Lessman, the companys director of sales. Adding dispensaries was always a goal of Culta, Lessman said, but rules passed by the legislature put us under the gun to acquire Greenhouse Wellness and Kannavis. Starting Saturday, there will be a five-year moratorium on buying and selling existing licenses. A similar rule at the outset of the medical cannabis industry discouraged consolidation in the industry. Surrounded by densely populated states without recreational cannabis, Maryland will benefit initially from some canna-tourism, Lessman said, but that will subside as neighboring states start their own programs, pushing competition to a regional level. Mitch Trellis said his company, Remedy, has spent years preparing for this new normal. Remedy has two locations, in Baltimore Countys Windsor Mill and in Columbia; both are larger than most medical dispensaries. Trellis said each store is more than 9,000 square feet and has hundreds of parking spots and at least 20 registers. We now have two superstores, said Trellis, comparing the legalization of adult-use cannabis to throwing gasoline on a fire. On a typical day, the stores see 300 to 600 patients, he said, but starting Saturday, that number could hit 2,000 or more. Eventually, he said, the winners in the new marketplace will be the dispensaries that rely on traditional retail principles such as convenience, experience and variety. But on the first day, Trellis expects it will be gangbusters everywhere. Expect long lines at most places. Its going to be hot, he said. People are definitely excited. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has appeared to suggest that an announcement about the fate of the missing Titan submersible was somehow planned to distract from accusations against the presidents son Hunter Biden. If the U.S. Navy suspected that the Titan Submersible imploded just hours after it began its voyage, why did the Coast Guard wait until Thursdaythe same day the IRS whistleblowers testified before Congressto make their announcement to the public? asked the senator in a Friday night tweet. Authorities searching for the Titan said Thursday afternoon that the vessel seemed to suffer a catastrophic failure not long after launching into the North Atlantic on Sunday, killing all aboard. It took several days to mobilize high-tech equipment and locate any sign of the sub. After a debris field on the ocean floor turned out to be remnants of the Titan, the U.S. Navy revealed that it had detected what was likely the sound of the vessel imploding Sunday, although the Navy said it could not be sure at the time. Also on Thursday, the GOP-led House Ways and Means Committee convened behind closed doors and voted to release IRS whistleblower testimony criticizing a federal investigation into Joe Bidens son. If the U.S. Navy suspected that the Titan Submersible imploded just hours after it began its voyage, why did the Coast Guard wait until Thursdaythe same day the IRS whistleblowers testified before Congressto make their announcement to the public? Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 24, 2023 The interviews with the two whistleblowers had taken place weeks ago, not the same day as the Titan announcement, as Blackburn suggested. The pair alleged that the Justice Department improperly interfered with the investigation of Hunter Biden, which began as a tax probe and expanded to look at his business dealings. Attorney General Merrick Garland staunchly denied accusations of wrongdoing. The younger Biden who has long been a target of Republican ire reached an agreement with prosecutors on two tax-related charges and one gun charge Tuesday. Republicans have been calling it a sweetheart deal. Conspiracy theories about the Titan have abounded on social media in the days since the submersible vanished on its expedition to see the sunken Titanic. While some questions about the Titans doomed voyage still remain, such as precisely why it imploded, there is no evidence to back up Blackburns suggestion that its discovery was planned for political reasons. Related... Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said an effort to impeach President Biden now lacking due process would be dead on arrival in the Senate. Graham said during a Friday appearance on The Hill on NewsNation that Republicans argued that Democrats did not give former President Trump the right to due process during the impeachment proceedings against him in 2019 and 2021, and he does not believe anyone should be impeached without a hearing being held. Graham noted that the impeachment against former President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s went through a process that allowed him to defend himself. But whats being done in the House to go straight to the floor with articles of impeachment we criticized the Democrats for not giving Trump any due process. I think this is dead on arrival, he said. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) introduced a privileged motion in the House this week to force a vote on impeaching Biden over his handling of federal immigration policy and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. But the motion caught many of her own colleagues by surprise and did not have support from several notable GOP members in the House and Senate, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Senate Republicans raised questions about the effort, and some said they considered it to be frivolous and not meeting the level required for impeachment. The motion was ultimately referred to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, avoiding the vote for now. McCarthy said on Boeberts motion that impeachment is one of the most serious things you can do as a member of Congress and an investigative process needs to occur first to move forward. Throwing something on the floor actually harms the investigation that were doing right now, he said. Republicans have been pushing to impeach various members of the Biden administration, including Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced articles against all of them and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves. Some Republicans warned after Boeberts effort failed that the attempt will give Democrats the ability to paint the GOP as extreme, with one Republican strategist calling Boeberts effort frankly stupid. Graham said impeaching any president without some process in place is irresponsible. Its important that we follow the process, and if you believe that President Biden has done something this impeachable, take it through the committee, give him a chance to respond, and well see what happens, he said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Renee Maltezou and Angeliki Koutantou ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece's conservative New Democracy party stormed to victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday with voters giving reformist Kyriakos Mitsotakis another four-year term as prime minister. With most votes counted, centre-right New Democracy was leading with 40.5% of the vote and 158 seats in the 300-seat parliament, interior ministry figures showed. It was more than 20 points clear of Syriza, a radical leftist party that won elections in 2015 at the peak of a debilitating debt crisis and ran the country until 2019, when it lost to New Democracy. "This freely given support only increases my responsibility to respond to peoples' hopes. I personally feel an even stronger obligation to serve the country with all my abilities," Mitsotakis told cheering crowds at New Democracy headquarters in downtown Athens. Sunday's vote was a humiliating defeat for Syriza, which lost more than 30 MPs. Fringe parties of the political left and right - including an anti-immigrant party calling themselves the Spartans - got a foothold in parliament. "This result is negative for democracy and society," Tsipras said, referring to far-right parties winning votes. For Syriza, he said, a "great and creative historic circle had closed." "We have to look upon that with pride," he said. Mitsotakis, 55, a former banker and scion of a powerful political family, has promised to boost revenue from the vital tourist industry, create jobs and increase wages to near the European Union average. Mitsotakis, who was prime minister from 2019 until stepping down in favour of a caretaker premier following an inconclusive May vote, has vowed to push ahead with reforms to rebuild the country's credit rating after the debt crisis that wracked the nation for a decade. Sunday's vote was the second in the past five weeks, as a first poll on May 21 held under a different electoral system failed to give a single party absolute majority in parliament. The system used in Sunday's poll gave the leading party bonus seats depending on voter support. Zoe Constantopoulou, a leftist politician who spent hours regaling Greece's lenders at the height of the country's debt crisis in 2015 when she was parliamentary speaker, saw her party, Plefsi Eleftherias, gain 8 seats in parliament. "Whether we are eight or nine MPs, I'm good enough for 100 (MPs)," she said. The COVID-19 pandemic and a deadly rail crash in February exposed shortcomings in Greece's health and public transport systems. But a cost-of-living crisis and economic hardship have more recently topped voters' concerns. "I expect a lot (from the new government)," pensioner Giorgos Katzimertzis told Reuters. "The main thing is the health system, the economy, so we can live (decently) because things are difficult. I am a pensioner, I was on the fire brigade, and now I dont have a dime." Sunday's election was held in the shadow of a migrant shipwreck this month in which hundreds are feared to have perished off southern Greece. One of the worst such disasters in years, it has exposed the parties' divisions over migration. The Spartans party, which said Greece was threatened by uncontrolled migration, was the surprise of the campaign. It was set to gain 4.7 of the vote and up to 13 seats in parliament, based on the early results. The group was catapulted from relative obscurity after support from Ilias Kasiadiaris, the frontman of the now-banned Golden Dawn far-right party. His own party was barred from the elections and he endorsed the Spartans from jail. A Twitter post from Kasidiaris showed him beaming, wearing a t-shirt with a Spartans logo and giving the thumbs up, super-imposed against jail bars. (Reporting by Gina Kalovyrna, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Lefteris Papadimas and Angeliki Koutantou; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Frances Kerry, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Giles Elgood and Mark Porter) Solar farms are part of the Green Party's national energy policy in England and Wales Solar farms and the Green Party. Given the party's environmentalist credentials, these are two things you would expect to be inseparable bedfellows. And yet in some rural areas of England where support for the Greens has surged at recent local elections, the reality is more complicated. Despite the party's zeal for sources of renewable energy, some of its councillors in England have opposed solar farms locally. While these councillors say they had good reasons to reject solar farms, their resistance sits uneasily alongside their party's national energy policy, which envisions a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewables. The apparent contradiction has not gone unnoticed by the party's critics, who have accused some Greens of hypocrisy for blocking clean energy. A huge expansion of solar is needed to meet the UK government's target of net-zero emissions by 2050. As the party in government, the Conservatives bear the most responsibility for this. The Greens aren't entirely off the hook, though. Their decisions to oppose some solar farms shape our energy system, and give the impression that local objections have more weight than national missions. Hot topic Frank Adlington-Stringer is one Green councillor who has opposed a solar farm in the past. In 2021, before he was elected to North East Derbyshire Council, Mr Adlington-Stringer wrote an article explaining why he could not support a solar farm in the county. He said "the loss of green space" and the restriction of "already limited habitats" were among his main concerns. In the end, the application was rejected by government planning inspectors. At the time, one local Green councillor said "younger generations are very concerned about the effects of climate change, and might see things differently". In this case, at least, Mr Adlington-Stringer, 25, did not. He says while he is open to solar farms, he believes such projects should not be a "priority". "We shouldn't be exchanging green energy for green spaces," he says. Julia Hilton is another Green councillor who campaigned against a solar farm in Hastings, before she was elected in 2021. Although it didn't have any councillors at the time, the local Green Party rallied against proposed solar panels within agricultural fields in Hastings Country Park. The Labour-led council then abandoned the project after the government's environmental adviser, Natural England, said the scheme "would result in significant landscape and visual impacts". The label of NIMBY - an acronym for "not in my backyard" - is sometimes applied to those do not want something visually unappealing to be built near their home. Ms Hilton, now the Green group leader on Hastings Borough Council, bristles at the suggestion of the "NIMBY argument" in these circumstances. The proposed site, she says, was "not compatible with a solar farm, which would industrialise this very precious landscape habitat". Aiming high Whatever the merits of individual solar proposals, the optics of Green politicians objecting to renewable energy have thrown up awkward questions for the party's leadership. Green Party of England and Wales co-leader, Adrian Ramsay, insists Greens "see an important role for solar farms as part of the mix". "It's not about being ideological," he tells the BBC. "The [solar] application has to be considered on its merits." He denies solar farms are a political problem for his party, and says there are Greens supporting them in Oxfordshire, Lancaster and Kent. You need to look at the full impact" Green party co-leader Adrian Ramsay says factors such as biodiversity need to be considered after #BBCLauraK asks about cases of local Green parties opposing solar farmshttps://t.co/nNbmQPjgUU pic.twitter.com/ODF7T5cSyW BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) April 30, 2023 Mr Ramsay says the Greens want to see 100 gigawatts (GW) of UK energy generated from solar over the next 10 years, with three quarters coming from panels on rooftops, and a quarter from farms. More solar on rooftops. It's a plea we hear a lot from the Green Party, which has been campaigning to make solar panels mandatory on the roofs of all suitable new homes. But will rooftops alone really fill our solar-shaped hole? Simon Evans, the deputy editor of Carbon Brief, says "restricting cheap, utility-scale solar" would make the challenge of net zero "even more difficult". The government's energy security strategy talks of expanding UK solar capacity to 70GW by 2035. "It would not be possible to build that much solar capacity on the UK's rooftops," Mr Evans says. In a report, the government's climate adviser estimated a maximum potential of 37GW on rooftops. "Even if it were possible to reach 70GW of solar on the UK's rooftops, it would be significantly more expensive to do so," Mr Evans says. This kind of assessment has not stopped some Greens and other parties standing in the way of solar farms in Suffolk. Growing pains Earlier this year, two Green councillors sided with four Tories on Mid-Suffolk Council to block a solar farm near Somersham. And on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, a plan to build one of Europe's largest solar farms - with the potential to power 172,000 homes - has been met with fierce resistance. Andrew Stringer - the first Green district councillor to be elected in Suffolk in 2003 - says the proposed Sunnica Energy Farm is a "symptom of a wider problem". He blames the Conservatives for failing to legislate to put more solar on roofs. A solar farm has to "make sense", he says, adding if it doesn't, and a Green councillor can't reconcile their opposition with their party's national policy, "we embrace that". "It's called democracy," he says. There has been local opposition to the proposed Sunnica Energy Farm on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border Democracy served the party well in May's local elections, with the Greens making records gains, notably in some rural areas with a history of voting Conservative. This pivot to the countryside has expanded the party's base beyond its core voters in urban areas. The party has built "a potentially unstable coalition, requiring some degree of hypocrisy, like their NIMBY stance", said Dr James Dennison, a political scientist. On solar farms, the Greens "are in danger of letting this narrative of hypocrisy spread and more so than for other parties given their environmental ideology," said Dr James Dennison, an expert on the party. "This would hurt their national performance more than local." As the Greens seek to add parliamentary seats to their council ones, is there a temptation to a focus on wooing the type of rural voters who dislike the idea of solar farms? "We put across our values for the local elections just gone and people came behind them very strongly, including in Suffolk and many rural areas around the country," says Mr Ramsay, who's eyeing up a seat in the Suffolk countryside. "It will be the same at the general election." Guatemala will vote for new president but critics say many anti-corruption candidates were weeded out Guatemalans head to the polls on June 25 to pick a new president, as regional watchers warn of a downward spiral of kleptocracy and weakening rule of law in Central Americas most populous nation. Social democrat Sandra Torres, the right-wing Zury Rios and center-right Edmont Mulet lead the pack of more than 20 presidential hopefuls in the general elections. Other candidates have been blocked from running, including leftist indigenous leader Thelma Cabrera, and most recently, former frontrunner Carlos Pineda sparking accusations of political meddling against the countrys electoral court. One thing we can say about Guatemala right now is this Supreme Electoral Tribunal has a very suspicious pattern of eliminating any candidate who is publicly supportive of anti-corruption, Will Freeman, a fellow in Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN. One of the expelled candidates, the rightwing Roberto Arzu, was a vocal critic of President Alejandro Giammattei. Another disqualified candidate, Cabrera, had been outspoken critic about corruption in Guatemalan politics. Pineda ran as an outsider to Guatemalas entrenched power structure, frequently sharing his anti-establishment position on Tik Tok. After his disqualification, he concluded on Twitter: Corruption won, Guatemala lost. The Constitutional Court said in a statement to CNN that it adheres to the law, and acts with due diligence, impartiality, objectivity, independence. CNN has also reached out to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal for comment. Employees of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) arrange ahead of the general elections in Guatemala City on June 20, 2023. - Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images Its not the first time that Guatemalas electoral tribunal eliminates presidential hopefuls, but this years cycle is happening in rapidly shrinking civic space. The reason why it feels very important this year is because weve seen a real backlash in Guatemala over the past few years against a movement to battle corruption, Carin Zissis, a central America expert and editor-in-chief of Americas Society/Council of the Americas, told CNN. Failing battle against corruption Rights groups say graft and impunity accelerated in the country after former President Jimmy Morales dissolved a United Nations-backed anti-corruption commission in 2019. The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) had been set up in 2006 to help dismantle influential criminal networks in the country. It assisted in hundreds of convictions, exposed a corruption scandal, and has been attributed for helping reduce the countrys homicide rate. Since CICIGs removal, corruption has spread through the countrys justice system, experts say. A large part of Guatemalas justice system has been co-opted by a network of corrupt political, economic, and military elites seeking to advance their own interests and carry out corrupt practices with impunity, concludes a 2022 report by the Washington Office on Latin America, Latin America Working Group, and Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA. Prosecutors and judges associated with CIGIG have been arrested, investigated, and many have been forced to flee the country under the countrys current President Alejandro Giammattei. When the countrys attorney general Consuelo Porras Argueta was reappointed in 2022 by the president, she was sanctioned hours later by the US for her involvement in significant corruption, says Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, in a press statement. Prominent Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora is escorted by police in handcuffs to court for a hearing related to his trial on May 30, 2023. - Moises Castillo/AP During her tenure, Porras repeatedly obstructed and undermined anticorruption investigations in Guatemala to protect her political allies and gain undue political favor, the statement added. Members of the media that took on corruption have also faced legal consequences. Prominent Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora founder of the countrys leading investigative newspaper that was shut down this year was sentenced to six years in prison for money laundering on Wednesday. Press rights groups have called it an attack on free speech. Corruption and poor governance are important factors that drive migration, say experts, which is clearly in play in Guatemala home to the largest economy in Central America yet the second-highest source country for migrants encountered at the US border, according US Border Patrol figures. Giammatteis press secretary rejected allegations that his administration was interfering in the judicial process. The government of Guatemala respects and strives to guarantee freedom of journalism in the country, Kevin Lopez, Press secretary of the President Giammattei, said in a statement to CNN. The candidates The US and Western allies have raised concerns about the exclusion of presidential candidates in Guatemala. But regional watchers speculate an excess of caution, a lack of focus on the Central American region and other foreign policy concerns have shifted priorities. With migration a top concern in Washington as the US heads into the 2024 election cycle, Freeman said the Biden administration has had to balance Guatemalas position as a regional ally, especially over efforts to curb migration, over concerns about democratic backsliding in the country. The Biden administration has been caught between a rock and a hard place,Freeman said. In April, the USs Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols stressed the USs support for Guatemalans right to free, fair, peaceful elections, saying that democracy depended on citizens being able to choose leaders without arbitrary barriers, exclusion, or intimidation. Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei (L) and Guatemala's Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras attend the presentation of the annual report of the Public Ministry in Guatemala City on May 17, 2023. - Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images At least one of the remaining candidates appears willing to speak up about graft. The 72-year-old centrist Mulet has taken a vocal anti-corruption stance in recent months. The technocrat, who has held legislative and diplomatic roles, including a stint at Guatemalas ambassador to the United States, led United Nations bodies on Haiti and chemical weapons. His background has added to the sense that he is someone who could build on that experience in Guatemala, according to Zissis. He warned that Guatemala was marching towards an authoritarian model like Nicaragua, telling Agence-France Presse on Tuesday that Guatemalas public institutions were contaminated. Analysts say the centrist, who has proposed universal pension and youth unemployment projects, looks in a strong position to advance to the second round of voting slated for August 20 as hes not seen as one of these deeply corrupt and entrenched machine politicians, said Freeman. From left, Guatemalan presidential candidates Sandra Torres, Edmont Mulet and Zury Rios. - Getty Images/Reuters He will have to beat Torres and Rios, who have both advocated for tough mano dura polices to tackle crime in the style of El Salvadorean leader Nayib Bukele. Torres appears to be leading the pack, according to polling. She holds support among rural voters, garnered when she helped get more cash transfers and benefits when she was first lady alongside former President Alvaro Colom, say analysts. Despite heading one of the countrys oldest and well-resourced parties, there is a hardcore, consolidated anti-vote against her over her decision to divorce Colom in 2011, in a conservative, family-orientated country, Freeman said. Polls show nearly a third of the country will not vote for her. Rios is the daughter of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who was convicted of genocide in 2013. She is popular among Guatemalas strong evangelical community while advocating for progressive causes like womens rights. Rios has denounced corruption during the race, with a focus on incumbent Giammattei. Although, analysts stress she holds the support of the countrys military and economic elite and she had previously condemned CICIG before it lost its mandate. But its anyones guess as to whether any of these candidates will be able to address Guatemalas erosion of rule of law once in power. Commentators have lamented their proposals have been lacking and overly simplistic, said Zissis. And as a result, in a country that has such big challenges, the question ends up being, what are these candidates going to do to solve the problems? This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Carin Zissis name. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Prigozhin Calls Off Coup On the second day of an attempted coup that has the world watching warily, Wagner boss and now enemy of the Russian state Yevgeny Prigozhin and the core of his forces remain entrenched in Rostov, while other elements are now holding Voronezh, which sits between Rostov and Moscow along the M4 highway. Additional Wagner forces are said to have splintered off and continued on a push to the Russian capital. Now, it appears that some of those elements have come under fire. Author's note: See latest updates, including regarding the supposed deal that was reached to end Prigozhin's coup, at the bottom of this article. https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1672554522319757312?s=20 You can and should get up to speed on the situation, including a full explainer on how it begun and rapidly evolved, by checking out our previous rolling coverage here. A column of Prigozhins forces with troop carriers and at least one tank on a flatbed truck passing by the southern city of Voronezh has come under fire by Russian attack helicopters, according to a Reuters journalist who witnessed the event. https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1672548069584371712 https://twitter.com/sotiridi/status/1672580234128896002 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672562860113666050?s=20 It appears that some heavy roadblocks put on the highway have been breached by Wagner forces. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1672603233351610368?s=20 The city of Voronezh more than halfway along the 1,100-km (680-mile) highway from Rostov to Moscow was supposedly the scene of brief fighting earlier in the day between Wagner troops and Russian forces. Putin has vowed to brutally crush what he is calling an act of treason and betrayal. It appears that Russian military and security forces are beefing up their presence near there ahead of what could be a far more intense clash. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672602725706616832?s=20 Residents of Voronezh are said to be in a state of panic, unable to leave, and are queuing up for gas and food, and for train rides out of the area, but the central part of the city has so far not seen any major fighting between Wagner and Russian troops, according to a witness there. Wagner says they seized the city and its military installations hours ago. https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1672611825152819203?s=20 https://twitter.com/SaadAbedine/status/1672581788282023936 https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672542244522586112?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A Prigozhin was able to seize the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don with virtually no resistance, going directly to the headquarters of the Southern Military District and taking control of it. In an impromptu address, Prigozhin said he would not interfere with military operations against Ukraine, but his control of the Southern Military District and its installations in the area of Roston would make sure Russian military capabilities aren't used against him. He also said he had fired nobody and everyone can continue to do their jobs. There are also widespread reports that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrovs troops are now in or very near Rostov on behalf of Putin. Kadryrov publicly sided with Putin shortly after his national address where he deemed Prigozhin and his Wagner forces traitors. In a statement, Kadyrov described Prigozhins behavior as a knife in the back and called on Russian soldiers not to give in to any provocations. Prigozhin, aware of those approaching forces, said he anticipates a violent clash. "A battle is expected for Rostov-on-Don between PMC Wagner and [Kadyrov], he said on his Telegram channel. They want to arrange a bloody massacre. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672611975065370624?s=20 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672562762457726976?s=20 Pushing back against the comments from Putin, for whom he once famously served as a chef before his meteoric rise as a global mercenary warlord, Prigozhin said the Russian president was deeply mistaken in calling him a traitor. No one is going to turn themselves in at the request of the president We dont want the country to continue to live in corruption and lies, he added. We are patriots, and those who are against us are the ones who gathered around the bastards, Prigozhin said. You can read a full translation of that message in the tweet below. https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1672536701997072384?s=12\u0026t=BQRSNakUKt7_8ssZiGBW-A Meanwhile, RIA Novosti reports that Putin today signed a law on fines and administrative arrest for up to 30 days for violating martial law in places where it has been imposed. According to TASS, while citizens can be fined up to 1,000 rubles (almost $12) or face administrative arrest of up to 30 days, for officials, the fine can be doubled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, obviously paying close attention to the unfolding drama, called it a sign of Russian "weakness." For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government," Zelensky said on Twitter. "And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. And all this is one person, who again and again scares by the year 1917, although he is able to result in nothing else but this." Russias weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. It is also obvious. Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos. We keep our resilience, unity, and strength." And despite what's playing out with Prigozhin, the war still rages on. The Russian Defense Ministry has maintained a measure of command and control, ordering airstrikes across Ukraine that resulted in at least two deaths in Kyiv according to authorities there. https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1672543858863767552?s=20 There is a swirl of other activity as part of this rapidly evolving situation. Footage yesterday showed Russian KA-52 attack helicopters bombing a fuel depot in Voronezh, a move seemingly aimed at starving Wagner of fuel, although that would take some time regardless of the depot being hit. Now we are seeing more KA-52 operations, including one that may have narrowly missed being shot down by a surface-to-air missile. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672555835526897666?s=20 This appears to be the engagement from another angle. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1672551747212935170?s=20 Russian airpower is quite active over the Voronezh area, with additional KA-52s and Su-27/30/35s seen in the skies. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1672577841639112707?s=20 https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1672566738464956417?s=20 Wagner is setting up it's own roadblocks in Rostov ahead of what could be an incredibly bloody fight. https://twitter.com/g900ap/status/1672572246345367552?s=20 Tensions are also growing outside the seized Southern Military District headquarters and in greater Rostov following Putin's speech. https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1672571671562141699?s=20 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672611286436200449?s=20 https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1672558519109980160?s=20 https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1672591543205601280?s=20 Flight-tracking data indicates the movement of a Russian military presidential transport aircraft departing Moscow in the direction of St. Petersburg, although this could also be a routine flight. https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/1672590045495148544?s=20 The events of the next few days have wide ramifications. Ukraine has already attempted to take advantage of the chaos, with reported attacks in the Bakhmut area. But beyond that is the troubling issue of an internal fracture in a nation with the worlds largest nuclear arsenal. This is a dangerous and extremely fluid situation. We will update this story as more information comes in. Update: 10:20 p.m. EST The Washington Post is stating that U.S. intel knew by mid-June that Prigozhin was planning an insurrection and had shared that assessment with the White House and other government agencies. The Russian MoD's early June declaration that all Wagner forces would have to be contracted with the MoD was a major catalyst (as we have posited). Once again, what about Russian intel? How did they miss it? Or did they? According to this report, Putin was alerted that he was planning something, as well, but how long in advance is not clear. https://twitter.com/lookner/status/1672775920128589825?s=20 https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1672791627709001729?s=20 The New York Times has a similar report, saying by Wednesday of last week U.S. intel had become aware that a plan was in motion, although they likely were tracking that possibility much earlier. The main worry was Wagner's armed fight against the Russian Ministry of Defense could destabilize an enemy country armed with thousands of nuclear weapons. https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1672440991276736512?s=20 The U.S. limited its messaging on the Wagner insurrection over the weekend because they didn't want to give Putin fodder for claiming it was backed by Western intelligence agencies. There is now the question about Prigozhin's big claim that many of his Wagner troops got decimated by a Russian missile strike in Ukraine on Friday. That was his big call to action, remember? Now Russia whacking tons of its own mercenaries near the front is all forgotten and forgiven? That seems unlikely. Clearly he had been planning this for some time, and U.S. intel confirms that, so that 'blue on blue' attack was either manufactured or extremely convenient. That is unless Russia tried to take him out before he moved and missed. Still, all seems forgotten now. And now Prigozhin thinks he will live out his golden years in peace in Belarus. That too seems very unlikely. ABS News is also reporting the following regarding the confusion over how this all went down and it seems the fate of General Shoigu remains in play: "A senior U.S. official says it is a mystery as to why Yevgeny Prigozhin stopped his march to Moscow given that he was seemingly in a dominant position. The official said he was greeted as a hero in Rostov-on-Don. However, the senior official told ABC News that Prigozhin is in an "emotional state," and perhaps did it because he thought this would destroy Russia, or because he glimpsed his own end. It is impossible to tell whether Prigozhin thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will actually honor their deal which included allowing Wagner group soldiers to be folded into the Russian military. The official said that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was very effective, telling Prigozhin and Putin that this was all a misunderstanding and that they are both patriots and aligned for the same goals. Putin is said to be completely shocked by how fast Wagner Group moved through Russia. For now, he is just trying to secure his position. He does not want to be seen negotiating over his defense minister, but the official says the U.S. believes concessions were made over Sergei Shoigu's future as well as others." Update: 4:45 p.m. EST The deal Putin cut with Prigozhin includes the following terms, based on Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov: All criminal charges against Prigozhin are dropped Wagner fighters involved in insurrection will not be prosecuted Prigozhin will move to Belarus (possible exile?) Wagner troops who didn't take part in the insurrection will have to sign contracts with the Russian MoD (this could be the end of Wagner or at least as we knew it) No word on any change in Russian military leadership Still many unanswered questions, but those are the terms they are disclosing at this time. Unless Putin has a plan for him of some kind, it would be hard to imagine Prigozhin living out a peaceful existence in Belarus, but we will just have to see how this plays out. https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1672694353796513793?s=20 https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1672695355559800832?s=20 Prigozhin got a rock star farewell in Rostov. This is also the first sight of him since taking the Southern Military Distract HQ. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1672705682389315584?s=20 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672702985636306946?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1672711700586323970?s=20 https://twitter.com/aldin_aba/status/1672701944069062658?s=20 The Ukraine factor also looms large at this moment. With thousands of fighters, many of which are hardened, taken off the battlefield, some degree of chaos/disarray/distraction throughout Russia's command hierarchy, and a probable hit to Russian troops' morale, now is as good a time as any to do something big. Of course many other battlefield factors also exist, but this seems like the best opportunity yet, based on external factors, for Ukraine to make a major move. And the window for this opportunity is already quickly shrinking. We should see if anything comes of it in the next 24 hours. Update: 3:22 p.m. EST One of the biggest questions is how didn't Moscow see this coming? Prigozhin has been getting increasingly aggressive in his accusations against the Russian MoD's leadership and other power players in Moscow. He had made threats before. Bluster? Sure, OK. But this operation took major planning, vast communications, and logistics to accomplish. Thousands were involved. How didn't Russia know? Or maybe they did but leadership decided not to act. If so, why? Then they moved on a known route through a war zone in territory that Russia controls. It was all over social media for hours. He proclaimed what he was doing. Yet he rolled right into Russia and onto the headquarters of the Southern Military District. While moving across eastern Ukraine unopposed can maybe be better explained than not seeing it coming at all, making it into Russia with ease hours after declaring his intentions is puzzling. There is also the question of the state of Wagner going forward. Who will run it? Will its mercenaries be forced to sign contracts with the Russian MoD, which was a looming demand that largely set this chain of events into action? These are just some of the questions, of which there are many, that will surely be discussed in the days ahead. Moving on, it looks like Wagner troops are following through with leaving. https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1672676707793268736?s=20 https://twitter.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1672674002811121667?s=20 Another scene in Rostov had locals cheering Wagner and taking pictures with them. https://twitter.com/revishvilig/status/1672682698761019392?s=20 https://twitter.com/RoINTEL/status/1672674290318163970?s=20 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1672691593852203008?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1672677069539483648?s=20 That tank that got stuck between those two gate pillars in Rostov has now been freed. https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1672691684323328000?s=20 Russian troops appear to be heading back from some checkpoints, as well. https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1672686360304533506?s=20 Roads are being cleared. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1672671523889467392?s=20 This is Dmitri Alperovitch's take on the whole end of the ordeal. https://twitter.com/DAlperovitch/status/1672680055326089216?s=20 Zelensky was back on camera trolling Putin. https://twitter.com/Sprinter99880/status/1672687550777925632?s=20 Fighterbomber telegram channel is claiming the aviation losses, and the lives lost in connection to those losses, were more than what they seem. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1672645251880701954?s=20 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1672679552223510528?s=20 Update: 2:30 p.m. EST There are a number of still unconfirmed rumors flying around as to what this deal actually included. The biggest includes the stepping down of Russia's top military officers Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Army chief of the general staff. The are the two key figures that Prigozhin derided for months and demanded their dismissal and worse. Once again, this remains unconfirmed on an official level, but it would be hugely significant and a stunning win for Prigozhin. For instance, this was posted on the widely popular Russian milblogging channel Two Majors: "His is a message that an agreement has been reached to prevent bloodshed. After that, Prigogine stopped Wagner's movement, can only mean one thing. Prigozhin received guarantees. that Shoigu and Gerasimov will at least resign. The political configuration is seriously changing. Persons associated with Prigozhin are brought to the fore - Turchak, Kovalchuk, Likhachev, Kiriyenko Two majors" There are additional claims that Prigozhin will focus his work on operations outside of Ukraine, specifically Africa as part of this deal, although once again, this is not confirmed. Even without the demand of firing Putin's top generals being met, Putin making a deal with a man that personally betrayed him, just took over an entire military district at gunpoint with his private army, shot down Russian aircraft, called the reasons for going to war baseless, and was deemed an outright traitor shows you the state of Russian affairs at the moment. Amazing and telling turn if indeed this all pans out to be true. And that is a very big if. It is hard to see how Prigozhin survives this. Getting all of his men out of Russia or disarmed before dealing with him is one possible play. This is very much a wait and see situation. Update: 2 p.m. EST Yevgeny Prigozhin is ending his march to Moscow and returning his forces to their bases, he said in a message posted on his Telegram channels according to Russian media outlets TASS and RIA Novosti. Realizing all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be shed on one of the sides, we turn our columns around and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan, he said, according to TASS. Prigozhins change of heart, which came after his forces were fired upon during their move to Moscow, was brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, according to his press service. After being briefed by Putin, Lukashenko entered negotiations with Prigozhin, according to Lukashenkos press service. Negotiations continued throughout the day. As a result, they came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted the proposal of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to stop the movement of armed persons of the Wagner company in Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions. At the moment, on the table is an absolutely profitable and acceptable option for solving the situation, with security guarantees for the Wagner PMC fighters, according to Lukashenkos press service. Once again, we remind you this is a rapidly evolving situation. While the sentiments stated here are a major shift in this story, major questions remain and we will have to see if the supposed plan agreed to is matched with actions. Update: 1:34 p.m. EST President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team this morning about the latest developments in Russia, according to a White House press pool report. Participants included National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, and Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The president and vice president will continue to be briefed throughout the day. Update: 1:12 p.m. EST Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, has postponed a trip to the Middle East because of the current situation in Russia, his spokesman tells The War Zone, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters. Update: 11:50 a.m. EST Kyiv is watching the unfolding events with an eye toward how they benefit its defense against Russias all-out invasion, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Saturday on her Telegram channel. Calling the coup attempt "predictable" and the inevitable degradation of the Russian state, Maliar said they were a window of opportunity for Ukraine. Should we be happy? she asked rhetorically. It is better to be careful and prepare for any scenarios, she said. Therefore, let's not relax. We continue to work on our strengthening and victory. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-WAGNER This photograph shows two grenade launchers in a car as local residents pose for a photograph with a member of the Wagner group in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. Credit - AFPGetty Images Troops led by Wagner mercenary group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, withdrew from the southern Russian regions of Lipetsk and Voronezg steadily and without incident on Sunday after negotiations between Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russia led to a deal and Wagner forces agreed to stand down. The group had taken over the city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday and threatened to march toward Moscow in an armed rebellion before a deal was struck. Prigozhin said he decided to turn back to avoid shedding Russian blood and will now go to Belarus as part of the deal. Under the negotiations, the criminal case against Prigozhin will be dropped after the Russian national security sector FSB opened a case against Prigozhin for organizing an armed rebellion, according to a Kremlin spokesperson. Wagner troops will also not be charged, and will also have to sign contracts with Russias Ministry of Defense as part of the negotiations. Prigozhin also ordered the force to return to their field camps in Ukraine, the AP reports. On Friday, Prigozhin originally demanded that several key military figures come speak with him, threatening to keep control of the city of Rostov-on-Donwhere there was an alleged clash between Wagner and Russian forcesand take his troops to Moscow in what he called a march for justice. More from TIME However, in a turn of events later on Saturday, the convoy of Wagner vehicles traveling along a northbound highway halted just 124 miles from Moscow. Prigozhin has long criticized the countrys military leadership over the long battles in Ukraine that have been plagued with supply shortages, but things came to a boiling point Saturday after taking over Rostov. Putin initially vowed to quash the insurgency, calling it a rebellion and a stab in the back. What led to the rebellion? Originally a successful businessman before becoming a mercenary leader, Prigozhin was a close ally of Putins. Over the 16 months since Russia invaded Ukraine, Prigozhins criticisms against Russian military leadership have compounded. The Wagner leader lost fighters in vast numbers during the bloody campaign to seize Bakhmuta battle that Russia claimed full victory in, but that Ukraine refutes. Prigozhin has blamed the military for supply shortages and other leadership failures on social media, but avoided criticizing Putin directly. Prigozhin has emphasized that his issue is not with soldiers, but rather with military leadership. Prigozhin had denied starting a military coup and called himself a patriot. Wagner did not attempt to seize power from the governmentthe main hallmark of a couphowever, Prigozhin claimed to have widespread support among the armed forces. A threat to Putin In Russia, this armed rebellion by the Wagners marked the most recent hit to Putins power. His authority has already been affected by Russias invasion of Ukraine, though the country refuses to characterize their actions as a war, instead opting to refer to it as a special operation. The Kremlin now faces a deeply unstable equilibrium, the Institute for the Study of War said in a public statement. The Lukashenko-negotiated deal is a short-term fix, not a long-term solution, and Prigozhins rebellion exposed severe weaknesses in the Kremlin and Russian [Ministry of Defense]. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky also called Russias weakness obvious, referring to the chaos with Wagner. Zelensky claimed that Putin is very afraid of the Wagner group, but added that [Putin] himself created this threat. On Saturday, Russian authorities declared a state of counterterrorism after Rostov, a major grain-producer in the region and home to the military headquarters that oversee the invasion of Ukraine, was taken. Wagner fighters were also said to have seized nearby military facilities in the city of Voronezh. Residents throughout the region had been advised not to travel and to stay in their homes. Wagners forces are about 25,000 strong, and did not stand down after appeals from military generals Friday to resign their mission. Prigozhin claims that his forces were able to take over Rostov without firing a single shot. Prigozhin previously said that Wagner fighters would not turn themselves in. We do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy. Russian media said that Wagners troops moved towards the capital relatively unhindered, and then downed several helicopters and a plane, according to the AP. Prigozhin has considerable public support across Russia, and the country has come to rely on his mercenaries in the war. Hes maintained that his qualm doesnt lie with the presidents leadership, however, Putin is taking the crisis seriously. The president delivered a five-minute-long broadcasted speech condemning Wagners actions on Saturday. Everyone who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, chose the path of blackmail and terrorist methodsthey will suffer inevitable punishment, Putin said. International Response Since the crisis began, Russia has continued strikes on Ukraine, firing over a dozen missiles at Kyiv. Ukrainians are welcoming the dispute as a distraction for Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky called Russias weakness obvious, referring to the chaos with Wagner. Zelensky also claimed that Putin is very afraid of the Wagner group, but added that [Putin] himself created this threat. U.S. government officials announced theyre watching the situation closely and the U.K. described it as the most significant challenge to the Russian state as of late. President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the rebellion on Saturday, according to the White House. The leaders also affirmed their ongoing support for Ukraine in the war. Russian officials warned Western countries not to use the crisis as an opportunity to achieve their Russophobic goals. On Saturday, prior to the Wagner halt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he offered Putin Turkeys help seeking a peaceful resolution. Iranian officials announced that they recognized Russian rule of law and that the events in Russia were an internal matter. Just west of Russia, Latvia moved to tighten border security after the conflict broke out. The foreign minister also announced that Latvia would cease admitting Russians into the country altogether. Several countries, including the Czech Republic, Israel, and Estonia urged their citizens to reconsider travel to Russia. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy backs push by MTG and Elise Stefanik to 'expunge' the impeachments of Trump House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana Speaker McCarthy is backing a GOP-led push to "expunge" the impeachments of former President Trump. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elise Stefanik have introduced resolutions to absolve Trump. Legal scholar Jonathan Turley told Reuters that the Constitution doesn't list provisions for expunging impeachments. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Friday threw his support behind a conservative-led effort to "expunge" the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. In backing the effort, led by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Elise Stefanik of New York, McCarthy is putting his weight behind their goal of removing the charges against Trump from the impeachments of 2019 and 2021. "I think it is appropriate, just as I thought before, that you should expunge it, because it never should have gone through," the California Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill. McCarthy said that the 2019 impeachment was "was not based on true facts" while adding that the 2021 vote was taken "on the basis of no due process." But the speaker later remarked that the resolutions introduced by Greene and Stefanik would need to proceed through the committee process. In 2019, the then-Democratic-led House voted to charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress regarding his alleged efforts to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 presidential election. And two years later, the House voted to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" over his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The Senate acquitted Trump after both of his impeachment trials. Trump last November launched his bid to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and remains the frontrunner in the race, with candidates like Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina so far struggling to dethrone the former president from his perch at the top of the party. And the GOP-led resolutions to "expunge" charges would give Trump a major talking point as he continues to campaign in the run-up to next year's primary contests. The House has a slender 222-212 Republican majority, which gives the most ardent conservatives in the GOP conference a substantial amount of leverage in what passes with McCarthy at the helm of the chamber. And it puts added pressure on the speaker as Trump continues to wield power among many Republicans in the chamber, some of whom have already backed his 2024 campaign. Still, McCarthy has not yet said when the proposals from Greene and Stefanik would move forward, and the speaker also stated that he had not yet spoken with Trump about the expungement push. And questions remain about whether there is even the possibility of removing an impeachment from the record. Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, who before his election to Congress served as the lead Democratic counsel in the 2019 impeachment, criticized the GOP-led effort in an interview with Reuters. "The legality of doing it is highly questionable," he told the news outlet. "That won't stop the Republicans from doing it, and it's just further placating Donald Trump." Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School, told Reuters that the Constitution doesn't list any provisions for expunging impeachments. "It is not like a constitutional DUI. Once you are impeached, you are impeached," Turley remarked in an email. Read the original article on Business Insider Editors note: Details about the antisemitic group and their rhetoric will not be published in order to prevent spreading their hateful messages. Our reporting will focus on the community response. Hundreds of Maconites gathered on the steps of Temple Beth Israel in downtown Macon Saturday afternoon to show their support of and solidarity with Macons Jewish community. They met with purpose, carrying signs, passing out bottles of water and greeting each other with hugs and handshakes, in response to what had happened on the same sidewalk fewer than 24 hours before, when a handful of people claiming to be members of an antisemitic hate group gathered outside of the synagogue Friday afternoon. Shouting from a bullhorn and hanging an effigy from a street sign, the extremist group broke up after one of their members was arrested by Bibb County Sheriffs deputies on charges of disorderly conduct and public disturbance. Flyers covered in antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric were thrown in neighborhoods in Warner Robins and Macon Friday, according to the Warner Robins Police Department and Macon residents. The flyers were inside plastic bags weighed down with what police believe were pine pellets. Temple Beth Israel was founded 163 years ago, and long-time members said the extremist groups rally was the first of its kind in the synagogues long history. It prompted an almost immediate response. Hundreds of people hold hands around Temple Beth Israel Saturday afternoon for a counter-protest after an antisemitic hate group gathered outside the Temple Friday. Jason Vorhees/The Telegraph Mike Kaplan, a Macon native whose family has attended the synagogue for five generations, said he was saddened to see the antisemitic protest. He and his sister Jaime Kaplan were at the synagogue early Saturday afternoon. I knew it wasnt people in Macon-Bibb, because the Christians, Jews and various other religions have had an extremely peaceful coexistence in this town forever, Kaplan, who is the chair of the county election board, said. This congregation was established in 1859, and weve never had this happen. Were more grateful for the response than we are saddened by the actions of these few people who came from out of town and brought hate to Macon. Attendees included many members of Macons Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities, Mercer students and professors, as well as Bibb County district attorney Anita Howard and Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. This is sacred ground. We must not let it be defiled ever by hatred. That cannot happen, not here, not in Macon, not as long as we are here, Jim Crisp Jr., whose social media post kickstarted Saturdays event. I think when that kind of hatred rears its ugly head, our response has to be swift, immediate and powerful. And look at this, there were 10 people yesterday spouting their hate. Look at all of you! This is who we are. This is who Macon is. Deborah Adler has lived in Macon for 43 years. Her mother, Eda Yardeni Tavor, who is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, survived the Holocaust. The foundation of what happened yesterday was hate, she said. I used to have debates with my mother, who survived Auschwitz, she said, How could they let neo-Nazis march? And I said, In America, even those that have hate speech are allowed to speak, because otherwise, who would choose what you could say and who could say it? So you have to give them allowances, but we must answer back. We must fight back against the hate. The demonstration was sidetracked when members of the antisemitic group showed up again and began shouting hateful rhetoric. A circle formed around the group, with Maconites chanting Not here! and Go away! Eventually, Maconites clasped hands to form a circle around Temple Beth Israel and began to sing songs, including This Little Light of Mine. By 3 p.m. most people had left, although a small cadre of antisemitic protesters were still across the street from the synagogue. Canary in the coal mine Hundreds of people chant after an antisemitic hate group showed up a for a counter-protest at Temple Beth Israel Saturday afternoon. The counter-protest was scheduled after the antisemitic hate group gathered outside the Temple Friday. Jason Vorhees/The Telegraph Temple Beth Israels Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar told the Telegraph that the synagogue is planning a service for Sunday, July 2 that will be open to the public. Fridays antisemitic protest began shortly before the Friday evening Sabbath service. Im obviously saddened to find Macon being the unexpected target of these extremists, she said. This organization, theyre interested in air time and attention, but on the flip side, I feel that I must confront antisemitism when it rears its ugly head. She noted that protests like the one outside of Temple Beth Israel Friday night are the the canary in the coal mine, a sentiment shared by many of the counter-protesters Saturday afternoon: that while coming from a small group, the extremist rhetoric is indicative of wider sentiment. In this moment of darkness, lets strive to highlight the light and warmth that Shabbat can provide as we come together to reaffirm the values that define us as a warm, welcoming, loving Jewish congregation, Bahar wrote in an email to her congregation. I encourage you to reach out to one another, to offer each other support as we stand in solidarity and navigate these challenging times together. Let us draw upon the strength from our sacred texts, the resilience that our ancestors have demonstrated and the love that binds us together as the sacred community. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Peter Leary, released a statement in response to the antisemitic group. The events in Macon and Warner Robins targeting the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities are deeply troubling. I strongly condemn acts to intimidate and threaten people based on their faith, race, ancestry, or LGBTQ+ identity, Leary said. Our office will defend the civil rights of all citizens. Learys office recently conducted training in Columbus for how to respond to antisemitism. People are urged to report antisemitic incidents and hate crimes to the local authorities first and then contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or tips.fbi.gov and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia at 478-752-3511. Hundreds of people gather at Temple Beth Israel for a counter-protest Saturday afternoon after an antisemitic hate group gathered outside the Temple Friday. Jason Vorhees/The Telegraph Grant Blankenship of Georgia Public Broadcasting contributed to this story. A bank account linked to President Biden's son Hunter Biden received more than $5 million in August 2017, shortly after his threatening messages in which he said he was "sitting here" with his father to a Chinese associate revealed this week by an IRS whistleblower, according to documents released by congressional investigators. On Aug. 4, 2017, Chinese firm CEFC Infrastructure Investment wired $100,000 to Hunter Bidens law firm Owasco, according to a 2020 report published by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Then, days later on Aug. 8, 2017, CEFC Infrastructure Investment sent $5 million to Hudson West III, a firm Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates. The two transactions totaling $5.1 million came within 10 days of messages uncovered Thursday by the House Ways and Means Committee. In the messages shared to the panel via IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley Jr., who oversaw the agency's probe into Hunter Biden Hunter Biden blasted business partner Henry Zhao for not fulfilling his "commitment" and said his father was with him. "I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight," Hunter Biden wrote in a WhatsApp message to Zhao, the CEO of Beijing-based asset management firm Harvest Fund Management, on July 30, 2017, according to documents released by House Republicans. HUNTER BIDEN'S ATTORNEY SLAMS IRS WHISTLEBLOWER'S 'ILLEGAL' RELEASE OF WHATSAPP MESSAGE TO CHINESE BUSINESSMAN "I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled," Hunter Biden wrote to a Chinese business associate days before receiving $5.1 million from a Chinese firm. "And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction," Hunter Biden added in his messages to Zhao. "I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP In addition, the 2020 Senate report revealed that, beginning on Aug. 14, 2017, Hunter Biden initiated a string of 20 wire transactions from Owasco to Lion Hall Group, a consulting firm linked to President Biden's brother James Biden and his wife Sara. The transactions continued through Aug. 3, 2018, and totaled $1.4 million. FBI BIDEN BRIBERY DOC NEVER MADE IT TO IRS INVESTIGATORS, WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS: 'INFLUENCED BY POLITICS' The federal probe into Hunter Biden's "tax affairs" began in 2018, amid the discovery of suspicious activity reports regarding funds from "China and other foreign nations." The investigation codenamed "Sportsman" was opened as an "offshoot" of an IRS investigation into a "foreign-based amateur online pornography platform," Shapley testified to the House committee. Hunter Biden appears at Carlingford Castle in Louth, Ireland, on April 12, 2023. Shapley claimed in his testimony that decisions in the case seemed to be "influenced by politics." "Whatever the motivations, at every stage decisions were made that had the effect of benefiting the subject of the investigation," Shapley said. "These decisions included slow-walking investigative steps, not allowing enforcement actions to be executed, limiting investigators line of questioning for witnesses, misleading investigators on charging authority, delaying any and all actions months before elections to ensure the investigation did not go overt well before policy memorandum mandated the pause. These are just only a few examples," he added. On Friday, the White House refused to answer reporters' questions about Shapley's allegations and repeatedly directed further concerns to the White House Counsel's Office. "As it relates to anything related to Hunter Biden, I am just not going to respond to it from here," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said. Christopher Clark, an attorney for Hunter Biden, attacked the whistleblower allegations in a statement released Friday evening. "Biased and politically-motivated, selective leaks have plagued this matter for years. They are not only irresponsible, they are illegal. A close examination of the document released publicly yesterday by a very biased individual raises serious questions over whether it is what he claims it to be. It is dangerously misleading to make any conclusions or inferences based on this document," Clark said. "The DOJ investigation covered a period which was a time of turmoil and addiction for my client." Clark also said that "[a]ny verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family." "An extensive, five-year long investigation conducted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded this week, which resulted in my client taking responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments, as well as a firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement. As his attorney through this entire matter, I can say that any suggestion the investigation was not thorough, or cut corners, or cut my client any slack, is preposterous and deeply irresponsible," he added. Clark didn't immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment on the millions of dollars Hunter Biden received in August 2017. Fox News Digital's Jessica Chasmar, Cameron Cawthorne, Brooke Singman and Adam Sabes contributed to this report. Second District Judge John Judge denied several media outlets request to dismiss the broad gag order attached to the criminal trial against Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students last November. But Judge did revise the document, first issued by Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall and later amended by her, and acknowledged that the nondissemination order was overbroad and vague in places. The most significant revision to the order thats now in place is that law enforcement personnel are no longer barred from speaking to the media about the quadruple homicide that took the lives of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21; and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20. The four students were found stabbed to death on Nov. 13 in an off-campus Moscow house on King Road. As currently drafted, the Amended Nondissemination Order is arguably overbroad and vague in some areas, Judge wrote in a 29-page order denying the request from media organizations, including the Idaho Statesman, challenging the gag order. However, it does serve legitimate purpose, and restricting the speech of attorneys participating in the case is reasonable. In the order, Judge addressed the legal principles that allow the court to prohibit involved attorneys from making statements to the press outside of the courtroom, as long as its clear what attorneys arent able to discuss and that they are provided notice of what is prohibited speech. In his revised nondissemination order, Judge outlined several particular instances in which attorneys may speak to the media, including information thats a public record, to request assistance from the public in order to obtain additional information, or evidence or any statements that a reasonable lawyer would need to make to protect their client from the substantial undue prejudicial effect of recent publicity. He also clarified what cant be discussed, including the identity of witnesses, expected testimony of a victim or witness, and any comment on possible plea discussions or defendant statements. More than two dozen media outlets last month resubmitted a lawsuit asking Judge to strike down the gag order, arguing that it suppressed the medias First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was initially filed with Idahos Supreme Court, but it was rejected after the justices said it didnt meet the extraordinary circumstances that needed to skip the district court level, according to previous Statesman reporting. In a separate filing, Judge denied a request made by Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the Goncalves family, to allow attorneys for the victims families to speak to the media. While the speech of the victims families is not and will not be restrained by court order, this case is indisputably high-profile and the law requires the case to be tried in court of law and not in the press or the public, Judge said in the order upholding restraints on attorneys. Fragments of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter allegedly shot down by Wagner Group fighters have been shared on Russian Telegram channels. Source: Astra and Baza, Russian Telegram channels; RT, a pro-Kremlin Russian Telegram channel Details: Baza said that the pictures were shared by a Russian military reporter. Astra reported that the helicopter was downed near the village of Talovaya in Voronezh Oblast. The photos show that the helicopter has been completely destroyed. The crew are most likely dead. Earlier, a video capturing what appeared like an attack on a Russian military helicopter in Russias Voronezh Oblast was shared on Russian social media. The video shows the helicopter firing decoy flares to escape the attack. That is when the video stops: the person recording it was likely afraid of being hit by decoys or projectiles. In another video, the person holding the camera is saying that a grenade launcher was firing at the helicopter and that it has finally been shot down. Previously: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on 24 June that his mercenaries shot down a Russian army helicopter. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Will impeachment trial of AG Ken Paxton be fair and just? Its all up to Dan Patrick | Opinion Even the most carefully crafted rules and procedures are only as good as the people using them. So, two cheers for the Texas Senates outline for Attorney General Ken Paxtons impeachment trial. The plan, approved on a 25-3 vote Wednesday, creates the framework for a fair, thorough proceeding. The Houses lawyers have praised it, and if Paxton and his defenders are complaining, theyre doing so quietly. The real test, though, is yet to come. The rules leave a lot to the discretion of the Senates presiding officer, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Hell have tremendous power to shape the trial, including in resolving conflicts and deciding questions of evidence. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick presides in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol in May in Austin. (Jay Janner-USA TODAY NETWORK) Paxton stands accused of bribery, abuse of power and dereliction of duty in 20 articles of impeachment that the House approved at the end of May. (For now, the Senate will set aside four of those, mostly related to Paxtons ongoing securities fraud case). These are serious charges against a statewide official, just the third impeachment trial in Texas history. The Senate must get it right. The approved rules are thorough, covering everything from what the senators who serve as jurors can have at their desks to the font and margins for submitted documents. The basic procedures and evidence rules are sound, as is the time allotted to the presentation of the case. These allay initial concerns that the Senate might try to immediately drop the case or consider nothing deeper than whats in the impeachment articles themselves without hearing evidence. That said, the rules do allow for consideration of pre-trial motions to dismiss charges. It would be a travesty to not have a full airing of each of the accusations against Paxton. At least such motions would have to be considered by all Senate jurors; Patrick cant make such decisions himself. The issue thats probably gotten the most attention, the role played by Sen. Angela Paxton, was resolved as well as could be hoped. The attorney generals wife, a McKinney Republican, will sit in on the trial, as state law requires. But she will not be able to deliberate or vote as a juror. Some have decried that the rule deprives Angela Paxtons 1 million constituents of a say in the trial. Thats lamentable but, under the circumstances, unavoidable. Her vote, almost surely to acquit, is of less consequence than the fact that a juror could share details of deliberations over the dinner table. Other conflicts will be trickier. Senators may have to be witnesses, as might Patrick. The rules stipulate that senators or the presiding officer can only be called to testify if they possess information that is otherwise unobtainable. Patrick will have the power to decide if senators can be called. If the witness is Patrick himself, the committee that drafted the rules would make a recommendation to senators, who would vote. That committee, of course, was hand-picked by the lieutenant governor. This mess could be avoided if Patrick would defer and appoint, say, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht to preside. But Patrick is not one to voluntarily give up power and control. On the presentation of evidence, another area that seemed ripe for chicanery in the rule-making, its good that the Senate will proceed under the state courts established rules for evidence. But here again, if questions arise, Patrick is the decider. The trial will be open to the public and the media and streamed online. Thats important for transparency, which Patrick and senators promised was a priority. Its too bad that they didnt hew to that in developing the rules, which was an entirely closed process. Texans must be able to observe this monumental proceeding for themselves, and no disruptions to an open process can be tolerated. The trials credibility with voters of all stripes will come down to Patrick. If he chooses, he could nudge the proceeding in Paxtons favor, which his base GOP voters would surely want him to do. He must strive for impartiality and, if any conflict of interest? arises, defer a decision to someone else. Patrick raised concern recently when he stressed that the Senate must deal directly with the charges against Paxton, telling Dallas-Fort Worth radio host (and Star-Telegram contributor) Mark Davis: If not, they could keep Ken Paxton away from doing his job forever. We hope that was a poorly worded way of saying that impeachment charges could linger unresolved and not a hint of his goal for the trial. Impeachment is inevitably political. Everyone involved will have electoral considerations in the backs of their minds. But Texas needs a process that inspires confidence no matter the verdict. The Senate, for the most part, has come up with one. Now, Patrick needs to allow it to work. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a State Visit Luncheon at the State Department, Friday, June 23, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) CAIRO (AP) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit to Egypt on Saturday, a trip that underscores the growing ties between the two countries. Modis flight landed at Cairos international airport Saturday afternoon, coming from a four-day trip to the United States where he held talks with President Joe Biden, delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress, and met with top American and Indian executives. Its the first state visit to Egypt by an Indian prime minister since 1997. Modi was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, and the two inspected an honor guard and listened to the national anthems. Modi took to Twitter to thank Madbouly for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport," and added, May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations. Modi and Madbouly then held talks on strengthening Egyptian-Indo ties, according to Egypt's state-run MENA news agency. The talks were attended by senior government officials from both countries, MENA reported. Modi also discussed countering extremism and radicalization with Grand Mufti Shawki Allam, Egypts Islamic jurist, said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for India's External Affairs Ministry. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday. The two countries would also sign a set of memorandums aimed at solidifying their ties. Also on Sunday, Modi will visit a historic mosque, Al-Hakim, in Islamic Cairo, which was recently renovated with the help of the India-based Dawoodi Bohra community. He is also scheduled to visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay tribute to Indian soldiers who fought in World War I. Modis visit comes six months after el-Sissi attended Indias Republic Day parade as an official guest. In January, el-Sissi and Modi agreed on measures to increase the two-way trade in five years to $12 billion, up from $7.3 billion in 2021-22. During el-Sissis visit, the countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cyber security, information technology, culture, and broadcasting. India is one of the top five importers of Egyptian products, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery. More than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to Indias External Affairs Ministry. Demonstrators crowd the heart of Tel Aviv as they keep up their protests against the hard-right government's controversial judicial reforms (JACK GUEZ) Israelis kept up their months-old protests against the government's judicial overhaul Saturday, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press on with the controversial programme. Brandishing banners reading "Israel is burning" and deeming Netanyahu an "enemy of democracy", demonstrators thronged the heart of the commercial hub of Tel Aviv. While there was no immediate turnout figure, the weekly rallies have regularly drawn tens of thousands. Demonstrators have been protesting since January against the government's proposals to weaken the Supreme Court and grant politicians more powers in the selection of judges. After a brief general strike prompted the government to halt the legislation in March, Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to get the reform package back on track and "begin the practical measures". His announcement, lacking in detail, came after opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz pulled out of cross-party talks on the reform. Netanyahu returned to power in December at the head of a coalition with ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right parties. rsc/kir New Jerseys attorney general files civil rights complaints against three school districts alleging discrimination against LGBTQ+ students Just days after three New Jersey public school systems simultaneously enacted policies requiring educators to notify parents of changes in their childrens gender identity, the state is pursuing legal action. New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced the complaints against the Middletown Township, Marlboro Township and Manalapan-Englishtown Regional boards of education, all in Monmouth County. In a series of complaints filed in a New Jersey Superior Court, the state alleges policies requiring staff to notify parents when students express desire to change names, pronouns or bathroom and/or locker accommodations target transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender non-binary students by singling them out for differential treatment, requiring parental notification for those students but not their peers. In separate companion legal briefs, Platkin also petitions the court to temporarily halt the policy changes from taking effect while legal challenges play out. In New Jersey, we will not tolerate any action by schools that threatens the health and safety of our young people. Without question, the discriminatory policies passed by these Boards of Education, if allowed to go into effect, will harm our kids and pose severe risk to their safety, said Attorney General Platkin in a statement. Simply put, these policies violate our laws, and we will not relent in protecting our LGBTQ+ community especially our children from discrimination. When contacted by phone on Friday, a representative of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District declined to comment on the matter. CNN has reached out to the Middletown Township Public School District. Marc H. Zitomer, who represents the Marlboro Townhip Board of Education, told CNN he disagrees with the attorney generals argument that schools are discriminating against LQBTQ+ students. We also have an exception in our policy if such notification would endanger the health or safety of the child, Zitomer says. However, it is our position that keeping parents in the dark about important issues involving their children is counterintuitive and contrary to well established Supreme Court case law that says that parents have a constitutional right to direct and control the upbringing of their children, adds Zitomer. During a Tuesday school board meeting, Valentina Mendez, who chairs Marlboro Township Schools policy committee, defended the changes as taking a family-centered approach. Because Marlboro Public School District is a PreK-8 District with no high school, said Mendez, the board believes that greater parental involvement is important and required because of the age and maturity of the student body. During public remarks, a member who identifies as part of Marlboros LGBTQ+ community expressed concern that children will feel forced to out themselves before they are ready and erode the confidence they have in their teachers. Students have very delicate relationships with their teachers now more than ever before, said the community member. My teachers are in this room. I trusted them with my life. Were going to break that trust. Were going to shatter that trust. Other Marlboro community members expressed support for the changes, saying they are practical and will strengthen trust between teachers, students, and their parents. In May, state officials also filed a civil rights complaint after similar changes were enacted at the Hanover Township Board of Education. The litigation challenging that policy remains pending. A Superior Court, however, issued a temporary restraining order barring that board of education from enforcing that policy while it considers the matter. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Jobs are now requiring experience with ChatGPT and they'll pay as much as $800,000 a year for the skill Here are the nine types of roles companies are hiring for that require AI chatbot expertise. Hannes P Albert/Picture Alliance via Getty Images Experience with ChatGPT, OpenAI's buzzy AI chatbot, could help you land your next job. Insider reviewed job listings to see which companies are seeking candidates with ChatGPT-experience. Here are the nine types of jobs companies are hiring for that require AI chatbot expertise. Expertise in ChatGPT could help you land your next job. A recent study from the job site ResumeBuilder found that 91% of companies with open positions were looking to hire workers who knew how to use OpenAI's buzzy chatbot. Respondents said ChatGPT helped boost productivity, save time, and bolster the company's bottom line. Companies are already using the chatbot to generate marketing materials, develop code, and write court briefs. That doesn't mean artificial intelligence is set to replace human labor. "AI won't take your job," the economist Richard Baldwin said during a panel at the 2023 World Economic Forum's Growth Summit. "It's somebody using AI that will take your job." Insider reviewed dozens of job postings on job board sites like Indeed and LinkedIn to see which companies are looking to hire workers with ChatGPT experience. Here are nine types of jobs that companies are looking to fill with ChatGPT experts and what you can get paid doing them: Marketing professionals Lasso MD, FloWater, and Protein Milkshake are hiring marketing professionals with ChatGPT expertise. dowell/Getty Images Companies are looking for workers with knowledge of ChatGPT to fill their marketing roles, with the hope that the skill will juice up marketing strategies. Lasso MD, a San Diego-based health-technology company, is hiring a full-time social-media product manager with an annual salary from $50,000 to $70,000. According to the job listing, the role requires "direct experience designing ChatGPT prompts for unique post captions." Lasso MD CEO Eric Bunnell said the company had "already deeply integrated" GPT-4 ChatGPT's latest language model into its product workflows. "We want candidates who are not only capable of executing our AI-enabled workflows, but can also bring new learnings and efficiencies to the table from their own experience with generative AI," Bunnell told Insider. FloWater, a Denver-based tech company that purifies tap water, is hiring a full-time marketing coordinator to help plan and execute its marketing campaigns. FloWater CEO Rich Razgaitis said one of the job qualifications includes using ChatGPT to boost lead generation and enhance social media and influencer-marketing tasks. "Marketing is all about generating hyperbolic growth, and candidates with ChatGPT expertise bring a competitive advantage by being able to create marketing systems at scale," he told Insider. Some firms are even hiring for ChatGPT-specific roles. Protein Milkshake, a female-nutrition company, is looking to hire a "Klaviyo + ChatGPT email marketing super expert" a remote contractor will earn from $18 to $50 an hour and use the chatbot to help run its email-marketing campaigns. AI and machine-learning engineers Scratch, Interface.ai, Prescriber Point, and Steneral Consulting are hiring AI and machine-learning engineers familiar with large language models. Me 3645 Studio Businesses are also seeking to hire AI and machine-learning engineers with experience using ChatGPT to build their products in novel ways. The HR firm Scratch is hiring a remote senior machine-learning engineer for a client. The position comes with a salary of $120,000 to $185,000 a year and requires "familiarity with current AI tools" such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, an AI-image generator. Interface.ai, a conversational AI tool for the finance industry, is looking for a remote machine-learning engineer an entry-level role that pays from $130,000 to $170,000 a year to integrate cutting-edge models like GPT into its products. The job requires "experience with natural language processing and large language models" behind ChatGPT. "Experience with LLMs is a key requirement for the role," Interface.ai CEO Srinivas Njay told Insider. "Ultimately this helps our customers banks and credit unions become more efficient in engaging with their customers." Prescriber Point, a digital-health startup, and Steneral Consulting, an IT-consulting firm, are also looking to fill engineering roles with candidates who can integrate ChatGPT into their workflows. Software developers Workera AI, Inside.com, and ZINFI Technologies are hiring software developers who know how to use ChatGPT. Luis Alvarez/Getty Images Software developers looking for new jobs may have the upper hand if they know how to use ChatGPT to improve the quality of their work. Workera AI, an AI-powered skills-training platform, is hiring an assessment developer with "experience using ChatGPT" to develop its cybersecurity models and skills assessments Workera AI CEO Ted van den Berg told Insider that knowing how to "fine-tune" ChatGPT prompts would help improve the quality of Workera's skill tests. "By using ChatGPT and similar AI technology, assessment developers can spend less time developing competency models and assessment questions from scratch, and more time leveraging their subject matter expertise to refine them, increasing the efficiency and scale of assessment development," he said Earlier this month, Inside.com, a social platform for business leaders headquartered in San Francisco, closed its application for a ChatGPT and AI developer a remote, full-time position that pays $125,000 a year who could develop and integrate AI tools like virtual assistants into its products and services. "Experience with ChatGPT" and other large language models was a requirement. ZINFI Technologies, a cloud-based marketing platform, is looking to fill its ChatGPT-integrated support-chat-tool-development role with someone who will use ChatGPT's language model to build the company's own chatbot. AI-model trainers Crystal Equation, DealDriver AI, and GetIt are hiring ChatGPT-enthusiasts to train large language models that underlie the chatbot. Nicolas Maeterlinck / Getty Images Tech companies are hiring workers familiar with ChatGPT to train their own AI models to produce the best outputs. Crystal Equation, an IT-staffing agency, is hiring a data-labeling analyst who would be responsible for identifying "potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities" in its large language model. The job pays $13 to $18 an hour, and experience using ChatGPT and its rival Google Bard is required. "Use of these language models enable increased collaboration and execution across implementation teams," Christine Terman, the president and CEO at Crystal Equation, told Insider. DealDriver AI, an AI-powered car-buying service, is looking for a remote, full-time AI data operations specialist to fine-tune its personalized ChatGPT-powered chatbot that helps its customers negotiate prices with car dealerships. "Our ops specialists make sure that the AI is able to continue adapting and handle new conversations as we experience them," Alex Chung, the head of buying experience at DealDriver AI, told Insider. GetIt, a service for job seekers, seeks to fill a full-time, remote role to train ChatGPT's language model to answer finance-related questions. Copywriters Slalom, Tock, and Century Communities are hiring copywriters with ChatGPT skills. Olga Rolenko/Getty Images Copywriters who know how to use ChatGPT to efficiently produce content are in demand. Earlier this month, Slalom, a Portland-based tech-consulting firm, was seeking a full-time senior copywriter to produce content for its marketing campaigns for $80,000 to $100,000 a year. Candidates familiar with AI tools such as ChatGPT had a competitive edge, according to the job listing. An understanding of ChatGPT helps candidates "contribute innovative ideas and solutions that can help our teams better explain the benefits of AI to our customers," Ted Zahn, the creative lead for global partner marketing at Slalom, told Insider. "Candidates with AI-chatbot experience often also possess skills in natural language processing, conversation design, and user experience, which can enhance their ability to create engaging and user-friendly content," he added. Tock, a restaurant-reservation service, also looked for workers with experience using ChatGPT and other AI tools to fill its B2B marketing copywriter position, a freelance role that pays $45 to $55 an hour. "ChatGPT surfaces fresh ideas, creates initial drafts, and boosts productivity," David Widger, the head of marketing at Tock, told Insider. Century Communities, a Colorado-based real-estate firm, is hiring a full-time, on-site copywriter familiar with generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's Bard for $65,000 to $75,000 a year. Teachers Oliver Scholars and Coursemojo are hiring teachers who can use ChatGPT in the classroom. Jon Feingersh Photography Inc/Getty Images Education organizations are looking for teachers who can use ChatGPT to aid student learning. Oliver Scholars, a nonprofit that prepares underserved students in New York City to attend prestigious schools, is hiring a part-time summer history instructor for $5,200 to $10,200 over the semester. Oliver Scholars CEO Danielle Cox told Insider that the instructor would be responsible for teaching students how to use ChatGPT for learning purposes. "We want our students to understand the opportunities and limits of this emerging technology," Cox said. "We also need teachers who are savvy enough to help students avoid plagiarism and to discern what information is reliable and what is not." Coursemojo, an education-technology company, is hiring full-time psychology and computer-science teachers, each with a salary range of $53,600 to $76,000 a year. The education platform is also looking for part-time ASL and health-science teachers for $11,000 a year. Candidates with an "aptitude" or "willingness to learn" to apply AI tools like ChatGPT to course design are preferred, according to the job listings. Product managers Real Chemistry, Integrated Projects, and Crossover seek product managers who can integrate ChatGPT into their workflows. Nitat Termmee/Getty Images Product managers who can use ChatGPT to streamline their workflows and increase efficiency may have an edge at landing their next gig. Real Chemistry, an AI-healthcare firm, is hiring a senior product manager for its generative-AI division, a remote full-time job that pays from $150,000 to $175,000 a year. The job listing said the candidate must have a "deep interest" in generative-AI tech and would help build out the company's AI-product roadmap using tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion. "Generative AI will help us focus more on creative and storytelling skills and less on repetitive tasks and simplistic content generation," Romain Bogaerts, the director of AI-solutions engineering at Real Chemistry, told Insider. Integrated Projects, a digital platform for architects, is also hiring a senior product manager to improve its product suite. Familiarity with tools like ChatGPT is required for the gig, which comes with a salary of $140,000 to $160,000 per year, according to the listing. Integrated Projects CEO Jose L. Cruz Jr. said the chatbot could be an asset to his team because it produced structured content well. "A strong candidate knows how to balance the efficiencies of ChatGPT with a discerning eye for detail and curation," Cruz Jr. told Insider. Earlier this month, Crossover, a search engine for remote jobs, closed its applications for a senior director of product management and a chief product officer. Both positions offered $800,000 salaries and required that applicants apply ChatGPT to their work. Recruiters Moderna Therapeutics and Integrated Projects are looking for recruitment professionals to use ChatGPT to help attract the best talent. Andrey Popov/Getty Images Recruitment teams are looking for employees interested in using ChatGPT to hire the most qualified workers. Moderna Therapeutics, the Cambridge-based biotech company, is hiring a hybrid, full-time global head of talent acquisition to help the company develop a strategy that would attract the best talent. Moderna is looking for candidates with a "digital-first mindset" who feel comfortable applying technology like ChatGPT to enhance the company's bottom line, according to the job listing. Christopher Ridley, a spokesperson for Moderna, told Insider that the vaccine-maker was focused on using AI technology to "propel the organization forward" and "better the lives" of its patients. Similarly, Integrated Projects, the digital platform for architects, is looking for someone with "strong ChatGPT prompt skills" to fill its talent acquisition and support role. Read the original article on Business Insider A Thurston County Superior Court judge rejected a request for a temporary restraining order to block the sale of assault weapons in the state of Washington on Friday. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the states assault weapons ban bill on April 25 and due to an emergency clause in the bill it became effective immediately. Guardian Arms v. Inslee was filed that same day in Grant County, but the lawsuit was later moved to Thurston County. Guardian Arms, a gun store in Moses Lake, is listed as lead plaintiff in the case along with other gun stores and plaintiffs. Judge Allyson Zipp will file a written order after Fridays oral ruling, according to a press release from the Washington Attorney Generals office. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Seattle denied a request for a preliminary injunction in a U.S. District Court case aimed at blocking the new law. Another case is pending in federal district court in Eastern Washington, the AGs office noted. HB 1240, the assault weapon ban, prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, or offer for sale of any assault weapon in Washington state. Some exceptions for licensed firearm manufacturers and dealers are baked into the legislation, allowing law enforcement agencies to continue to purchase from firearms dealers and manufacturers, for instance. Exceptions are included for those who inherit an assault weapon, and the law does not regulate possession for Washingtonians who owned assault weapons before the bill was signed. Violations of the law are a gross misdemeanor, which can include jail time for up to 364 days and/or a fine of no more than $5,000. Nine other states including Hawaii, California and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, have passed general assault weapons bans. Justice Department asks to delay criminal trial for Trump's handling of classified documents to December Trump arrives at Trump Tower on Monday April 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston) The DOJ indicted Donald Trump for his handling of classified government documents. A federal judge overseeing the case set an initial trial date of August 14. Prosecutors say they need more time to give Trump's lawyers security clearance to review documents. The Justice Department asked a judge on Friday night to postpone until December the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump for retaining classified documents. US District Judge Aileen Cannon set an initial trial date of Aug. 14 for Trump, who faces 37 felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and obstructing Justice Department efforts to get them back. DOJ prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith's team asked Cannon to reschedule the trial for Dec. 11. They said the delay was necessary because the case involves classified information and will require Trump's lawyers to obtain security clearances, a process that is underway. The Justice Department said this week that it has begun sharing evidence relevant to the case with the Trump legal team. But, they said in their Friday filing, "Even with the prompt production the government has arranged, the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate." The Justice Department said Trump's lawyers do not object to pushing the trial date back. The judge will ultimately set the trial date. Trump, who is also in the throes of a 2024 presidential campaign, is accused of violating the Espionage Act for retaining classified documents, among other charges. On top of the federal indictment, Trump also faces 34 felony charges in New York in connection to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Read the original article on Business Insider Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnia, has said that the actions of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier of the Wagner PMC, were a "treason", "a backstabbing" and "a real coup d'etat". He added that his fighters are ready to help the Ministry of Defence of Russia suppress Prigozhin's rebellion. Source: Kadyrov on Telegram Quote: "Friends, the night seemed difficult, and the flights did not give me much time to voice my position here regarding this despicable betrayal! Everything that is happening is backstabbing and a real coup d'etat! I fully support every word of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin! I appeal to the soldiers, patriots of our Motherland. Do not be provoked. No matter what kind of goals they set for you, no matter what they promise you the security of the state and the cohesion of Russian society at such a moment are above all else! Look how our enemies in the West are taking advantage of this situation. How many threats, how many lies, how many false appeals that frighten our citizens, create the danger of a destabilising situation. And these are the expected consequences of Prigozhin's treacherous march. What is happening is not an ultimatum to the Ministry of Defence. This is a challenge for the state, and amidst this challenge, it is necessary to rally around the national leader: the military, security forces, governors, and the civilian population. The fighters of the Ministry of Defence and the Russian Guard have already left for the tense zones in the Chechen Republic. We will do everything to preserve the unity of Russia and protect its statehood! The mutiny must be suppressed, and if it takes tough measures, we are ready!". Details: Kadyrov said that war is not the time for arguments in the rear: "The rear must always be calm and reliable. Imagine what the guys in the trenches feel right now, with the enemy in front of their faces and a treacherous adventure behind them." Quote: "History shows that such actions can lead to bloody consequences. Don't we have enough losses in the SVO (special military operation, i.e. the war in Ukraine ed.)? Do we still have to create problems inside the country? We have a Supreme Commander-in-Chief, elected by the people, who knows the entire situation, every tiny detail, better than any strategist, especially any businessman; he calls the commanders "on the ground" himself and fully controls the course of the SVO. And the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's decisions are taken carefully and scrupulously. Each of us sees only one part of the map, and he sees all at once! And Vladimir Vladimirovich absolutely rightly noted in his address to the nation: this is a military mutiny! There is no justification for such actions." Kadyrov also sent thousands of his fighters to the war in Ukraine. Previously, he criticised Prigozhin because he publicly stated the lack of ammunition. According to him, such problems had to be solved quietly with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries. Prigozhin's 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked not to call this action a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called the information a provocation. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Moscow. Prigozhin claimed that his mercenaries had shot down four Russian army helicopters; later, many Telegram channels in Ukraine and Russia reported that an An-26, a Russian Defence Ministry transport aircraft, has been downed. On the morning of 24 June, the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don was surrounded by tanks and people in military uniforms, although at the moment, it is not known whether these were Russian army personnel or mercenaries from the Wagner PMC. In an emergency address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is "fighting for survival" and Prigozhins mercenaries are trying to "organise a rebellion" in the country. On 24 June, Sergey Sobianin, the mayor of Moscow, announced that a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) had been introduced in the capital. On the morning of 24 June, Putin called Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, and told him what was happening in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Kadyrov and Prigozhin during a meeting in 2023 The actions of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin are "treason," "a stab in the back" and "a real military coup, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's puppet leader in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said in his Telegram channel on June 24. Kadyrov added that his militants are ready to help the Russian Defense Ministry put down Prigozhin's rebellion. Read also: Military expert reveals Prigozhins hidden motives, and why he may even want to see Ukraines victory The Chechen warlord called on Russian soldiers "not to fall for provocations." "What is happening is not an ultimatum to the Ministry of Defense," wrote Kadyrov, who explicitly expressed support for Vladimir Putin. Read also: Prigozhin vows to end Shoigu, FSB charges Wagner with inciting insurrection updated This is a challenge to the state, and everyone must unite around the national leader against this challenge.K adyrov said that soldiers of the Chechen Defense Ministry and the Russian Guard had allegedly already left "for the tension zones." "The rebellion must be suppressed, and if it is necessary to take tough measures, we are ready," he wrote. The leader of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 23 declared the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry. He accused the Ministry of Defense of deliberately attacking a mercenary camp in Rostov-on-Don, although he has already had a long history of conflict with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Read also: Prigozhin declares that he has seized control of Rostov's military headquarters, airbase As of June 24, Wagner mercenaries had taken control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh. Prigozhin is demanding access to Russia's top military leadership, threatening to "advance to Moscow" if this is denied to him. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Kentucky deputy jailer charged with recording inmates performing sexual acts for better treatment A Kentucky county deputy jailer was charged with sexual abuse for allegedly recording a female inmate performing sexual acts for preferential treatment. >> TRENDING: Man killed in motorcycle-car crash in Harrison Twp. The Boone County Sheriffs Office reportedly received a request from the Boone County Jail to investigate a possible criminal activity by deputy jailer Trenton Westfall, WCPO stated. An investigation found that the 28-year-old would befriend female inmates using the jails phone calls and text messaging system to communicate with them. During calls and text messages, Westfall allegedly requested female inmates to perform sexual acts in a manner that would allow the deputy jailer to view, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office said. Westfall used a phone to record an inmate performing the requested sexual act on at least two occasions, the spokesperson continued. For video footage of the requested sexual act, Westfall gave preferential treatment. Westfall was charged with two counts of video voyeurism, two counts of sexual abuse, and four counts of official misconduct. He was booked into Boone County Jail. His arraignment schedule was yet to be released. Adam Kinzinger declared that Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhins call for an armed rebellion in Russia is a massive blow for federal lawmakers and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson who have gravitated toward Russian President Vladimir Putins messaging. The CNN senior political commentator and former GOP congressman made rounds on the network on Friday after the mercenary bosss call directed at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom he accused of ordering a rocket strike on Wagners Ukrainian field camps as his troops fight for Russia. Kinzinger, in an interview with CNNs Kaitlan Collins, highlighted Carlsons apparent admirationfor Putin in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ill also say its a massive blow to the people here in the United States like, say, Tucker Carlson, who have been parroting Putin talking points to have Prigozhin the head of Wagner himself say those have been [Putins] lies, Kinzinger said. (H/T Mediate) Kinzinger, in a later appearance on CNN, predicted that there will be some instability in Russia even if a whole supposed coup fails in the country. Russias Defense Ministry has pushed back against Prigozhins claims on its rocket strike while the Russian Federal Security Services National Anti-Terrorism Committee said Prigozhin would face an investigation for his call for a rebellion, The Associated Press reported. Troops from the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary force, have reportedly moved into the Russian city of Rostov while Kremlin forces have also increased security in Moscow, according to AP. Kinzinger went on to call out Carlson as well as members of the Senate and House, generally far-right backers of former President Donald Trump, who have been parroting Putins lies in the wake of Prigozhins call. Theyve been parroting the lies that this was a war brought on somehow by NATO, that Ukraine deserved it, because Prigozhin himself again, head of basically a terrorist organization said to the Russian people tonight that Russia has been lying to them about the cause of the war, Russia has been lying to them about whos the aggressor in the Donbas, Kinzinger said. Thats something to remember when American commentators are saying that Vladimir Putin is actually an honorable man whos telling the truth. Kinzinger continues to call out Tucker Carlson and others in the Senate and the House who have been parroting Putins lies pic.twitter.com/I6OTKNVNgH Acyn (@Acyn) June 24, 2023 Related... Misha Japaridze/Reuters Let the history books show that on the 485th day of Russias war against Ukraine, the countrys next civil war may have been put into motionby a foul-mouthed hotdog-seller-turned-warlord who once had Vladimir Putins ear. Russias usual delusional boasts about battlefield successes on Friday were suddenly eclipsed by its two rival armies going to waragainst each other. Military vehicles rolled out in Moscow and checkpoints were set up on a highway leading from the countrys border with Ukraine to the capital, though the security measures werent meant to protect against Ukraine. Instead, they were apparently meant to hold back a convoy of angry, armed Russian mercenaries arriving to settle a score with military officials they accuse of treason. An emergency late-night broadcast on state-controlled television called out the man said to be responsible for the brewing mutiny: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the same mercenary boss Putin had tasked with bringing him a win in Ukraine just months earlier. Do not carry out the criminal, traitorous orders given by Prigozhin, the Channel One host told viewers, relaying a message from the security services for Wagner fighters to detain their boss and hand him over to authorities. Just a few hours earlier, Prigozhin had called on all patriots to join him and 25,000 of his men in ousting evil from the Russian Defense Ministry. An armored personnel carrier next to a shopping mall in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24. Reuters The Kremlin, meanwhile, said Putin had been briefed on his one-time pal suddenly being wanted for trying to stage an armed uprising. After news broke that he was a wanted man, Prigozhin scoffed at attempts to detain him, saying in a furious audio message: If someone gets in the way, we will destroy everything that gets in the way. We reach out a hand to everyone, no need to spit in that hand. We are going all the way. In another, he declared that he was on his way to Moscow, bellowing: Were all ready to die, all 25,000! And then there will be another 25,000! For those watching the chaos unfold, all bets were off. Did Prigozhin, a longtime Kremlin ally, simply lose his mind? Could the whole conflict have been staged as a pretext to introduce martial law and a full wave of mobilization? Or is Russia truly on the brink of civil war? And how long before Prigozhin accidentally falls from a window? Even veteran Russia experts admit theres no way to answer these questions, and Prigozhins motives seem increasingly unclear. But the back story only makes the current standoff more unpredictable. From Kremlin Caterer to Troll to Mercenary Boss Prigozhin may be known worldwide now for storming front and center in the war against Ukraine with the Wagner Group, a private military force linked to Russian military intelligence. He gained more notoriety with his prison-recruitment scheme, which set free thousands of Russian inmates to go kill Ukrainians. But its important to remember hes also an excellent shit-stirrer. Before he became the public face of Russias infamous mercenaries, he founded and financed the so-called troll factory that churned out heaps of disinformation, propaganda, and bogus news articles. He was sanctioned by the U.S. over that information warfare effort in 2018 and charged with interfering in the presidential election. Even now, after stepping out from the shadows and demanding credit for doing the Kremlins dirty work, Prigozhin controls a vast network of trolls and media publications, many of which he has clearly used to target foes in the Russian Defense Ministry and increasingly portray himself as an anti-elitist crusader determined to fight for the rights of the little guy. (It would appear hes come a long way from where he started out, selling hot dogs and then launching a catering business that would enjoy several contracts with the Kremlin). 1230134715 Yevgeny Prigozhin shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin his school lunch factory outside Saint Petersburg on Sept. 20, 2010. Alexey Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Political analysts have speculated that the once-camera-shy businessman may be laying the groundwork for a political campaign, but Prigozhin has consistently denied that. Though he does appear to have considerable popular support: Fliers have been spotted in areas near the border with Ukraine in recent weeks lauding Prigozhin for having the courage that others in the Russian government do not. Another theory for his increasingly public role is that he realizes the more support he has, the harder it will be for the Kremlin to get rid of him when hes no longer needed. As long as hes on a stage, its harder to kill him By attracting maximum attention, hes increasing the expensiveness of his murder, political analyst Yekaterina Shulman told iStories last week. Is Prigozhin Acting on Behalf of Putin? The Wagner founder has long boasted of his close ties with the Russian president, and he even used that in his recruiting pitch to prison inmates for the war, reportedly telling them last July: I have special authority from the president, I dont give a fuck, I need to win this damn war at any cost. Nearly a year later, its abundantly clear that the man once dubbed Putins Chef may have flown too close to the sun. The general consensus among experts is that the Kremlin allowed Prigozhin to do as he pleased as long as he was useful to the president. Less plausible, perhaps, is the possibility Prigozhin was used to keep in line the hardline, nationalist groups who have long pushed for more brutal tactics in the war. Yevgeny Prigozhin poses with mercenaries during a statement on the start of withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut in May. Press service of Concord via Reuters Whatever the case, it seems clear he has finally overstayed his welcome. Even before he became the subject of a federal manhunt on Friday, there were signs the Kremlin was growing increasingly exasperated: Wagner was sidelined from prison recruitment, and Putin has demonstrated he is sticking with the Defense Ministry even as the Wagner boss angrily rails against it. The charges against Prigozhin announced Friday night appear to be the surest sign yet that the Kremlin is ready to throw him overboard. And they seem to be hoping the Wagner boss will soon be a distant memoryall social media posts by Prigozhin were blocked within Russia late Friday as prosecutors ordered him scrubbed from the Russian internet. Is He a Walking Dead Man? The jurys out on whether Prigozhin may accidentally fall out a window soon in what would likely be described as a drunken accident or suicide. Tellingly, there were no statements of support issued Friday by any establishment politicians, and the same state-run media outlets that had previously published gushing profiles of the Wagner Group went all in on portraying Prigozhin as enemy No. 1. The Kremlin has also previously (perhaps preemptively) laid out plausible deniability in case Prigozhin is killed. Asked in January about the possibility of Ukrainian spooks taking out the Wagner boss, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was quite likely. As for assassination attempts, Ukraine is involved in both assassination attempts and an absolutely monstrous murder The involvement of the Kyiv regime in such assassination attempts is obvious, so there is such a danger to our citizens, Peskov said at the time. With the criminal charges against him, there is also the chance Prigozhin could be sent to wither away in prison like many of Putins staunchest foes (i.e. Alexei Navalny). He might even find himself at home there, having served prison time himself for assaulting a woman when he was 18, according to records from St. Petersburgs Primorsky District Court (then known as the Zhdanovsky District Court of Leningrad). And he could always avail himself of the prison-recruitment scheme he made famous. 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. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is seeking to block transgender residents from changing the sex on their birth certificates by asking a judge to void portions of a years-old federal court order. Kobachs office filed a motion in federal court Friday night asking U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree to modify a 2019 consent judgment that ordered the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to allow the birth certificate changes. The court filing comes a week before a new state law is set to go into effect on July 1 that Kobach, a Republican, contends directly contradicts the order. SB 180, called the Womens Bill of Rights, was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature over Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys veto this spring and requires Kansas to issue IDs and other state documents based on an individuals sex at birth. Since the bill was passed, LGBTQ advocates have warned it would likely prohibit trans residents from changing their birth certificate with the Office of Vital Statistics housed in KDHE. The consent judgment was the result of an agreement between state officials and trans residents who had sued in federal court seeking the ability to change their birth certificates. Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ-oriented legal firm that represented the plaintiffs in that lawsuit, promised to fight Kobachs motion. Todays action represents yet another unnecessary and cruel move to target the transgender community with animus and discrimination for political gain. We will vigorously oppose this gimmick by Attorney General Kobach, Lambda Legal counsel and health care strategist Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, who was the lead attorney in the lawsuit, said in a statement. Let us be clear, Lambda Legal will not allow the Attorney General to nullify a binding, years-old federal judgment. In the meantime, lest there be any doubt, the states Office of Vital Statistics cannot refuse applications to correct gender markers. Kobachs office didnt publicly announce the court filing, but has called a news conference for Monday where he is expected to discuss a currently unreleased legal opinion on SB 180. SB 180, the first law of its kind in the nation, is a sweeping measure that requires trans individuals to use public accommodations, including restrooms, consistent with their sex at birth. Though the bill doesnt include an enforcement mechanism, it has caused widespread anxiety among trans residents and calls in Lawrence and elsewhere to establish sanctuary cities protective of trans rights. Advocates for trans Kansans have been urging them to change their birth certificate and other documents before July 1. Documents obtained by The Star through an open records request show that in May, KDHE completed 112 transgender amendment requests. Daniel Burrows, Kobachs chief deputy attorney general, contends in a court document filed Friday that the legal basis for the consent judgment has eroded over time and that it is impossible to comply with both the judgment and SB 180. Defendants may have been free to enter into a stipulated judgment allowing them to issue non-conforming birth certificates four years ago, in the absence of any definitive legislative statement on the matter, Burrows writes. But now that the legislature has spoken, the agency is bound to execute the law as written. Kellys administration has previously declined to say whether it intends to follow the consent judgment come July 1, saying it was reviewing the matter. A parade was held in Moscow on the 9th of May In Russia, a mechanism for legally recruiting prisoners is under development. Read also: Explosions rip through Russian ammo dump in Kherson Oblast, detonations captured on video The State Duma and Federation Council approved the draft law "On the peculiarities of criminal responsibility of persons involved in a special military operation." This legislative act is a logical continuation of the regulations adopted at the end of 2022, which allow conscription for persons with unreleased or unpaid convictions. In fact, in Russia, they are not just trying to legalize the use of prisoners and ex-cons in war, but to create conditions under which "prisoners" will become the basis for the first wave of any new mobilization measures. The Logic of the Process In November 2022, the Russian authorities expanded the list of citizens who can be called up for military service through mobilization. In particular, a person with an outstanding conviction (with a few exceptions) could receive a summons to be mobilized (including those who have served their sentences). However, the mass recruitment of convicts remained outside the legal field. But using this category of persons allowed the Kremlin to postpone the announcement of mobilization until the autumn - from July to October. The lack of personnel was made up for with so-called "volunteers," PMCs, and the mass use of convicts for criminal offenses (at the initial stage as part of the PMC, and later - in the Russian army). Initially, the structures associated with the Wagner PMC were the "monopolist" in developing this technique. Recruitment under conditions of virtually direct legislative prohibition of the use of prisoners of war was based on "informal" grounds connected to two broad groups: Putin's entourage and organized crime (without which it was difficult to achieve such through the prison system). A "purge" of low-level "thieves in law" (ranking members of organized crime syndicates) emerged - this war is "not ours." As a result, the Kremlin managed to delay the mobilization announcement and, to some extent, lower the loss felt by Russian society in Ukraine. Imprisoned individuals are "less noticeable" to the average person. The bodies of the Wagner PMC soldiers are buried (mostly) far from their homes - in peculiar "special cemeteries" in relatively small settlements. In addition, one of the "positives" for the Kremlin is the ability to use such units in the most challenging areas of the front, regardless of the level of losses. Prisoners can only "gain freedom" after being wounded or after the end of their contract. Therefore, the options for "refusal" to follow orders are fewer than units recruited through mobilization. Finally, losses among prisoners "relieve" the FSVP system - places are being freed up in the prison system, and money is saved on maintaining the "contingent." Read also: Ukrainian ombudsman accuses Hungary of violating international law by holding Ukrainian POWs It's no wonder that the military leadership decided to use the experience of Wagnerites and began recruiting in places of detention. However, the conflict between Prigozhin and the military leadership, which escalated, created new challenges: - The need to withdraw some prisoners (as part of the PMC "Wagner") to the rear. - Emphasis on the high level of losses due to the storming of Bakhmut, particularly due to the (according to Prigozhin) attitude of the Russian Ministry of Defense. - The recruitment policies jeopardized the informal agreements with the criminal world - a "purge" of a number of "thieves in law" appeared with a statement that this war is "not ours." Such a situation may complicate recruitment into other units, particularly those created under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The above complications required the creation of conditions under which, on the one hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense received legal recruitment opportunities for prisoners, and, on the other hand, coercive mechanisms were created that would partially bypass the influence of organized crime bosses. Read also: Previously adopted laws (November 2022) allowed for the mobilization and conscription of Russian Federation citizens with criminal records (except for categories convicted of sexual offenses, treason, espionage, etc.) for military service. The new amendments change the procedure for exemption from criminal liability (and expunging criminal records). This includes receiving a state award, completing the term of service (contract), or demobilizing due to injury. These "exemption from liability" standards apply to those mobilized and those who have a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Finally, the contingent of recruits is expanding - persons who have not yet been convicted are added to the roster those for whom a "pre-trial investigation is being carried out." However, there is a funny warning - the innovations do not apply to those imprisoned in the occupied part of Ukraine. After the bill's final adoption ("third reading," Putin's signature), a mechanism for the legal recruitment of prisoners is being formed in Russia. There is both an element of coercion and an element of incentives within it. Currently, prisoners with outstanding convictions can be summoned and mobilized for military service, but the issue of lifting convictions or exempting them from liability is very ad-hoc. Or as a result of informal agreements (as with Prigozhin). So there are no guarantees - there is only a probability of resolving the issue. Under the new rules, there is an option for guaranteed exemption from criminal liability and/or conviction after completion of service. And there is an option of concluding a contract for service with the Ministry of Defense with specified conditions. Thus, the Kremlin creates a system that allows convicts to choose: sit in prison for several years or go to war for a shorter term. The Potential of Mobilization and What the Kremlin Gets In 2022, Russian courts issued over 614,000 verdicts. Of this number, 160,000 received "conditional" verdicts, 78,000 were given fines, and about 162,000 cases were terminated (due to statutes of limitations, reconciliation, etc.). 182,000 people were imprisoned. Read also: Russia recruiting fighters from Iraq to stave off mobilization at home, reports claim But let's turn to the statistics of the FSIN. It records the presence of slightly more than 433,000 prisoners (of which over 90% are men) as of the beginning of 2023. The numbers show a net decrease in the "contingent" in the FSIN system by more than 30,000 in 2022. At the same time, no mass amnesties were conducted in 2022. Considering that fewer sentences involving deprivation of liberty were handed down in 2020-21, one could have expected a reverse process - an increase in the number of prisoners. But the statistics show a decrease in the number of "inmates," with the peak of their release from colonies falling in the second half of 2022. The figures allow us to estimate the "mobilization" potential of recruiting for PMC Wagner in 2022 at no less than 30,000 people. In reality (considering the number of new verdicts handed down), we can talk about 40-50 thousand mercenaries from various types of prisons and at least another 20 thousand people who had an outstanding conviction (but were not in prison). However, even taking into account the work of Prigozhin, there remains significant mobilization potential in the FSVP system. It is constantly replenished with new guilty verdicts. Based on statistics (90% men), the Ministry of Defense of Russia can count on at least 380,000 people. At least another 400,000 have "conditional" verdicts. And finally, 200-300 thousand have outstanding convictions (served sentences, but the conviction has not been lifted). That is, the total potential is up to 1 million people. But let's try to model how many of them can be conscripted (or hired under contract). - 100 to 120 thousand - convicted in prison. This figure is not accidental. The recruitment of the Wagner PMC without guarantees of release and lifting of the conviction resulted in 10-12% of those in prison. In case of "mobilization" or hiring with guarantees of release from liability, the figure may increase at least two times. Read also: Propagandist from Medvedchuks television network sentenced to 10 years in prison SBU - 50,000 to 70,000 - citizens of the Russian Federation who have "conditional" sentences. These are primarily residents of depressed regions and the unemployed who will gladly respond to a contract proposal. For reference, over 370,000 (out of 614 convicted in 2022) were unemployed. 15-20,000 are people with outstanding convictions. Those who have served their punishments are unlikely to be the most active recruiting pool for mercenaries. Still, the opportunity for wages (remembering unemployment) and clearing their "record" may allow up to 10% of such a contingent to be hired. Therefore, in total, we estimate the number to be between 165,000 and 210,000 people. And this is with minimal use of coercive tools (without declaring mobilization). The number is still being determined and can be doubled without declaring mobilization. Why? To understand the process, let us recall the persons "subject to pretrial investigation." In other words, these are persons placed in detention until a verdict is reached. Based on statistics from the courts and the Federal Penitentiary Service, there may be at least 300,000 such persons per year. Investigators can make a simple choice: a very long investigation, the prospect of a trial, or the opportunity to "serve" and become free. Thus, around 100,000 people from Russian pre-trial detention centers can be added to the abovementioned mobilization potential assessment. This is if the Russian government does not carry out the "fight against crime" campaign - that is, it does not artificially increase the number of citizens in detention centers. Read also: Ukrainians not being released from prisons in Belarus even after their term ends As a result, we come to a figure of about 300,000 people who can be quickly and, most importantly, relatively unnoticed by society, involved in the war against Ukraine. In addition, the death of most of them will be less noticeable than the death of "ordinary" citizens called up from civilian life to the ranks of the Russian army. Read also: Political analyst says Kremlin may have sabotaged Kakhovka dam out of fear of Ukrainian counter-offensive Therefore, the Kremlin is creating a legal framework for conducting a new wave of mobilization, with no less than 300,000 people called up to the army. But this mobilization will be "invisible" to the average Russian, allowing Kremlin propaganda to develop further the ideas of "colossal losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and minimal losses of the Russian Armed Forces." This confirms their claims that "Russia has not carried out mobilization - therefore, there are enough soldiers in the army." Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Kremlin tries to negotiate with Prigozhin, but he refuses Russian media The administration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has attempted to reach an agreement with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner PMC, but he refused to accept the Kremlin's terms. Source: Russian Telegram channels; Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian website focused on investigative journalism Quote: "The Kremlin tried to negotiate with Prigozhin yesterday. He received a call from the Presidents Administration (not from Putin) and was offered to backtrack and explain all his messages as hacking and voice faking." Details: A source close to the Putin administration informed the Russian media of this incident. The source said that after Prigozhin refused to accept the administration's conditions, Putin ordered to initiate a criminal case against him and deal with him harshly. After Prigozhin's first messages, several Russian pro-government telegram channels began to report that all of the Wagnerite leader's allegations were "fake" and resulted from hacking. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries. Prigozhin's 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked people not to call this a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called this information a provocation. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Moscow. In his address to fellow citizens, Putin said that Russia was "fighting for survival" and that there were attempts to "organise a rebellion" in the country. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Kyiv says F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots could start in July An F-16 fighter jet is seen at a maintenance hangar in Volkel KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's defence minister said on Saturday that an international programme to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets could begin next month. Kyiv, which has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces, has repeatedly said it needs new Western aircraft to successfully counter Moscow's aerial dominance. NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands are leading efforts by an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine. In comments published to an official military platform on Saturday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said he hoped training would begin as soon as the programme, which is currently being drawn up, is approved. "The designated persons have been identified, the programme will be prescribed by the beginning of July, it will be announced, (and) I can optimistically say that training will begin in July already," he said. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters earlier this month that training could begin as soon as this summer. (Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Helen Popper) TOMS RIVER - A Lakewood man was sentenced Friday to a total of 14 years in state prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of a 20-year-old Little Egg Harbor man, announced Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Jahvontae Debose, 26, had also previously pleaded guilty for being a certain person not to possess a weapon, possessing a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense and marijuana possession with intent to distribute. Related: Lakewood man pleads guilty in shooting death of Little Egg Harbor resident The victim, Dajour Randolph, identified Debose as the shooter just before he died of a gunshot wound to his chest on Feb. 21, 2021, after an altercation on Tudor Court in Lakewood that authorities described as a drug deal that went bad. Lakewood Police found Randolph lying in the street about 7:20 p.m. on that date and he was taken to Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, in Lakewood, where he died. Randolph also suffered gunshot wounds in his back and shoulder, according to investigators. Ocean County Sheriff's officers confer with a Lakewood police officer Monday morning, February 22, 2021, outside a Tudor Court home in the township where a man was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest Sunday evening. Two days after the crimes, Debose was apprehended during a motor vehicle stop in Pleasantville, in Atlantic County, from where he was taken back to Ocean County by detectives from the Narcotics Strike Force of the Prosecutors Office. Since then, Debose has been held in the county jail in Toms River. State Superior Court Judge Lisa A. Puglisi sentenced Debose to seven years for the manslaughter charge and seven years for the marijuana possession with intent to distribute charge. These sentences are to run consecutively, according to a statement released from the Prosecutors Office. How we got here: 20-year-old Little Egg Harbor man fatally shot in Lakewood Sunday night As part of a plea agreement with the Prosecutors Office, Debose will serve concurrent seven-year sentences to each charge of being a certain person not to possess a weapon and possession of a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense, according to the statement. Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni represented the state of New Jersey in the case. Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ man sentenced in drug deal that turned into fatal shooting Need a laugh? Yoga classes at KC cafe help local yogis embrace the silliness of life Walk into Cafe Gratitude on the second Monday of each month and its hard not to laugh. In fact, its encouraged. Laughter yoga at Cafe Gratitude gives participants the tools they need to approach life in a joyful way and connect with others through the practice of laughter. Yoga instructor Zipporah Kalima, founder of Terra Shakti Healing Arts Services, has been teaching the practice for nearly three years now. Kalima encourages her students to let their guard down and engage with the silliness of life. A lot of people believe that something has to be funny for them to laugh. In laughter yoga, were taking our power back from the idea, Kalima said. The cause of laughter is not outside of me, its within my own choice. Laughter yoga students pretend to be laughing trees at Cafe Gratitude on Monday, June 19, 2023, in Kansas City. Students of laughter yoga can leave their yoga mats at home because this practice only requires laughter. Each session starts out with a guided meditation to ground participants in the moment. Then, attendees engage with a series of laughing exercises that are intended to relieve stress and promote healing. The practice of laughter yoga includes pretending to laugh like superheroes or villains, imagining what animals laughs sound like, to quiet laughs and sad laughter. Laugher yoga students stretch and laugh together at Cafe Gratitude on Monday in Kansas City. The purest human is the child, the baby, Kalima said. So when we get in contact with that aspect, it reminds us what it felt like to be trusting and to be joyful hearted. Sometimes laughter shakes up some old emotions weve been holding on to and its a really great avenue for releasing those things, Kalima said. Which is a great way to heal ourselves on a very deep and full level that allows us to connect with other people. I think thats beautiful. Laughter yoga instructor, Zipporah Kalima, introduces herself to a class of yoga students at Cafe Gratitude. Kalima hosts laughter yoga the second Monday of each month at the cafe. Laughter yoga is hosted the second Monday of every month at Cafe Gratitude and costs $15 each session.Terra Shakti Healing Art Services also offers individual laughter yoga sessions for students who want a more intimate and private experience. More information on Terra Shakti Healing Art Services and laughter yoga can be found on their Facebook page. Laughter yoga students participate in a laughing role play performance at Cafe Gratitude. Laughter yoga requires no yoga mat and is accessible to all ages and body types. Leader of Wagner PMC asserts his units have army helicopter shot down Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC), said that his mercenaries allegedly shot down a helicopter of the Russian army. Source: audio recording published by Prigozhin's press service on Telegram Details: On the record, Prigozhin claims that Wagner militants shot down a helicopter that opened fire on a civilian convoy. At the same time, the leader of the PMC did not specify exactly where it happened. Earlier, Prigozhin said that his "army" crossed the state border of the Russian Federation "everywhere" and entered the city of Rostov-on-Don, and the General Staff of the Russian Federation ordered army units to "open fire." Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin added that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "that creature will be stopped". Russias Ministry of Defence called this statement a provocation. Prigozhin has criticised Shoigu and the General Staff for the failure of the hostilities, stating that Ukraine had not planned to attack Donbas in 2022. He said that Russian officials wanted tgw war, and the oligarchs wanted to make money. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been informed of the conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister. A criminal case is being initiated against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are being set up at entrances to Moscow. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Lenexa Police are warning Taylor Swift fans to be wary of fraudulent tickets in the weeks before her Kansas City concert after one Swiftie fell victim to a $1000 scam. Authorities reported Saturday that one fan who purchased four tickets through a non-verified seller paid $1000 to see the popstar in July at Arrowhead Stadium, according to the departments social media. But the tickets were not real. Dont be Enchanted by a deal thats too good to be true, the department said on Facebook. Shake it Off and use reputable venders only! The fan discovered the tickets, which claimed to be on sale, while searching Facebook Marketplace. They paid the vendor through Venmo, a mobile payment service, and received the fraudulent tickets over email, according to the department. Tickets on verified sites are starting at $1000 or more each, the department said. Police urged those hoping to attend the July 7 and 8 shows to not buy their tickets from re-sellers or private parties. Scammers are creating Bad Blood out there but we hope Karma catches up with them soon, the department said. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey previously warned Missouri residents of potential ticket scams after learning Swifties in other states had lost thousands of dollars attempting to attend the celebritys Eras Tour. Bailey encouraged ticket buyers to know the vendor theyre buying from is trusted before providing financial information and to research the seller on either the Better Business Bureaus website for past complaints. The highly anticipated tour, which features songs from all 10 of Swifts albums, sold out stadiums across the country and caused major technical issues and outages for Ticketmaster users. We want to ensure that consumers have the right tools at their disposal, Bailey said in a Thursday statement. This is not your parents library, with the fines for overdue books, or the Dewey Decimal System or the schoolmarmish librarian who shushes you for clearing your throat or unwrapping a Jolly Rancher. Todays library is a cooling center when its 98 degrees in Hunts Point, a place to get a vaccine during a pandemic, a food pantry in a needy neighborhood or a community center where immigrants can learn English as a second language. And they have lots and lots of books you can borrow. For free. Mayor Adams calls libraries the citys Swiss Army knives. But Adams has a different knife, a sharper knife, a more dangerous knife. And hes using it to cut the citys library budget. Adams said New York Citys migrant crisis has impacted money for essential services across the five boroughs. But one of the first places asylum seekers go after getting set up in a hotel is the public library, where they can get an ID card for free and help with various government paperwork. We have lines that start at 6:30 a.m. for an opening that starts at 9:30, said Melissa Davis, associate director of central Bronx neighborhood libraries for the New York Public Library. We were like,Wow, whats going on? We really didnt know what was happening. Then we were able to put the pieces all together. Dennis Walcott saw the same thing going on at the Jamaica Central Library in Queens, where he works. When I get here early in the morning, theres a line wrapped around the block, said Walcott, president and CEO of the Queens Public Library. Were always there. Thats our role in addition to our traditional programs. If were going to be all-in on asylum seekers greeting them at Port Authority, getting them rooms in hotels, helping them find jobs then we have to be all-in. That means preserving the city services that will help them make better lives. That means no library cuts. Adams has already backed off a spending plan that would have left the New York Public Library, Queens Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library with a nearly $53 million budget gap. The next chapter doesnt read much better. Now, the cuts are down to about $36.2 million, which would still result in Saturday closures, restricted weekday hours, cuts to educational programs and a freeze on new branch openings. The library cuts have emerged as an especially contentious provision of Adams blueprint, and City Council Democrats are expected to fight tooth and nail to reverse them before a final budget must be passed by July 1. Last week, the New York Public Library, which covers Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island branches, put out a petition urging Adams to back off the cuts. These cuts will hurt all New Yorkers, particularly those in vulnerable communities still reeling from the devastation of the pandemic, the petition said. Our public libraries are the beating hearts of New York Citys neighborhoods. They welcome all, from babies attending their first storytime to asylum seekers who are adjusting to the city. They connect us, whether through free computers and wifi, English-language classes, or simply offering a safe, free space to be, which is important for all New Yorkers, but our teens and youngsters in particular. Libraries expand our worlds and transport us to new ones through books, through author talks, through job support and tech classes. And they do all this for free. Walcott has seen the library budget fight from both sides of the bookshelf. Before running the libraries in Queens, Walcott was a deputy mayor under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the citys schools chancellor. But the library system has turned a page even since then. The library I grew up with is not the library that exists nowadays, Walcott said. Were an open city. Were an open library system. Our doors are open to all, including asylum seekers. Letters to the Editor: Censuring Adam Schiff is disgraceful -- and entirely on brand for House Republicans Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) speaks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on June 21. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) To the editor: Just when you think that the House Republican majority has reached the highest level of hypocrisy, its members find a way to reach a higher echelon. ("House Republicans censured Adam Schiff. He couldnt be happier," June 21) Rep. Anna Paula Luna (R-Fla.) justified her motion to censure Rep. Adam Schiff on the grounds that the Burbank Democrat misled the public regarding cooperation between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian government agents. The facts, however, show that Trump campaign operatives were providing Russian agents with internal campaign polling. Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III's investigation was unable to find evidence of coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. It did find that the Trump campaign benefited from Russian efforts to help Trump win the presidency in 2016. So, it boils down to a matter of semantics. This is a far cry from misleading the public. If Rep. Luna wishes to assume the mantle of defender of House ethics, then she should turn her attention to Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). To a large extent, the fault for this Republican clown show in the House rests squarely on the shoulders of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield). Instead of working on legislation to improve our lives, McCarthy allows his members to waste taxpayer money on frivolous investigations. Let's grab our popcorn and watch the McCarthy clown show for another year-plus before the voters get their say. Andrew C. Sigal, Valley Village .. To the editor: The rogues gallery of divisive politicians may be headed by former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but Schiff has now earned equal billing. For only the 25th time in U.S. history, the House has censured one of its own members. As Schiff claims it as a badge of honor, the causative partisanship is a stain on his character not to be ignored. The dysfunction that permeates Washington and the nations politics has at its core extreme partisanship. Moderate Democrats and Republicans are drowned out by those extremes, led by the likes of Trump, DeSantis and, now officially, Schiff. Raymond Roth, Oceanside .. To the editor: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called her Republican colleague Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado an obscenity on the House floor, and the Republican House censured Schiff? We are truly down the rabbit hole. Catherine Babington-Plake, Long Beach This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Funding for St. Joseph County health needs is crucial; dont be swayed by empty ideologies. As a resident of St. Joe County since 1965, whose children and grandchildren have been educated to great advantage in this fine community, I ask you to urge your County Council members and commissioners to opt into Gov. Holcombs Public Health Commission funding. The golden rule of Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you is fundamental in every traditional religion. Love thy neighbor, as as you love yourself is the second of the greatest commandments. Maternal and infant mortality in Indiana is rated among the worst states in the country a true scandal! The money will enable increased per capita public health spending by supporting services such as reducing infant mortality, smoking, obesity, diabetes, gun violence and suicide deaths, plus shoring up our emergency preparedness. How can we not want that?The well-being of any community is judged by that of its neediest members; new potentially thriving entrepreneurs look for the metrics that indicate a community of healthy citizens. For our own well-being, opting into the funding offered by Holcombs Public Health Commission is vital. E. Jane Doering South Bend Safeguard wetlands On March 25, the Supreme Court ruled against anglers, paddlers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. In Sackett v. EPA, the highest court drastically curbed protection of our waters, putting at risk vital wildlife habitat, drinking water and those wetlands that help mitigate devastating floods that put human and wildlife at risk. The loss of wetlands that will come from this ruling will endanger those wetlands that are vital in the mitigation of destructive floods that have become ever more frequent throughout Indiana. As we continue to develop flood plains, straighten waterways, and drain fens, bogs and marshes, we not only decrease the safety of our drinking water, but destroy vital habitat for wildlife as well. Indiana is no stranger to wetland loss. Our state was once home to our countrys largest, and most vibrant wetland, the Grand Kankakee Marsh. This often-forgotten jewel was larger than even the Everglades, and home to wildlife diversity that is nearly impossible to imagine in our state today. While the Grand Kankakee may never be returned to its former glory, we must demand that those wetlands that remain today do not meet a similar fate. The Supreme Courts ruling has returned protection of Hoosier wetlands to our legislators. It is our job to make sure all of our elected officials understand the importance of our natural heritage to their constituents. The Indiana Wildlife Federation calls on all Hoosiers to stand up for water and demand that our elected officials help safeguard this vital resource for future generations. Dan Boritt Executive director, Indiana Wildlife Federation Traffic fix The intersection of Colfax Avenue and Walnut Street has to be one of the most dangerous in South Bend. It would be good if a four-way stop were put there before someone gets killed, rather than after. Peter SeeleySouth Bend This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County needs money from increased public health funding Lexington police unions lawsuit over city ban on no-knock warrants to get another hearing The Kentucky Court of Appeals says a lower court needs to take another look at the Lexington police unions lawsuit over the citys ban on no-knock warrants. The local Fraternal Order of Police sued the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in June 2021 to try to stop the city from enforcing a prohibition on no-knock warrants without first engaging in collective bargaining. The ban was enacted after the urban county council voted to outlaw that particular type of warrant. The police union argued the ban affects the health and safety of officers and puts them at an enhanced risk of serious physical injury and death. So, they argue, the city should have been required to bargain with the union over the change. In November 2021, Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell ruled that the city had the authority to enact the policy changes without first bargaining with the Fraternal Order of Police and dismissed the unions complaint. The police union appealed, and on Friday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeals sent the case back to Fayette Circuit Court, saying the union should have the right to argue its case before the court. We reverse the order dismissing those claims and remand for additional proceedings, the opinion states. The appeals panel, made up of judges Pamela Goodwine, Glenn Acree and Susanne Cetrulo, said they were sending the case back to allow the parties to flesh out the merits of the arguments and, after doing so, allow the circuit court to rule accordingly. The parties must have ample opportunity to explore discovery if desired and then present their arguments to the circuit on what constitutes conditions of employment, effects of employment, home rule, administrative versus legislative action, whether the Ordinance disturbs a comprehensive scheme of legislation, and whether injunctive relief is warranted, the judges ruled. Scott Crosbie, an attorney who represents the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge #4 in the litigation, said Friday afternoon that we were pleased with the decision. We look forward to having the opportunity to address these issues on their merit before the court, he said. City spokeswoman Susan Straub declined to comment Friday afternoon, saying the city does not comment on open lawsuits. The ordinance enacted by the urban county council bans no-knock warrants and requires Lexington police executing a warrant to knock, announce themselves as law enforcement with a warrant and wait a reasonable amount of time before entering. Lexingtons urban county council passed the ordinance enacting the ban on no-knock warrants a year after Louisville put a similar ban in place in response to the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by Louisville police during a raid at her apartment. There likely won't be any winners in Russia's coup but it will give Ukraine an opportunity to step up its attacks while Putin watches his back There likely won't be any winners in Russia's coup but it will give Ukraine an opportunity to step up its attacks while Putin watches his back Vladimir Putin (left) has long relied on Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) for his Wagner Group of mercenaries to fight in the invasion of Ukraine. Getty Images On Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin sought to overtake the Russian military after months of infighting. Military strategist Mick Ryan told Insider it will sow chaos in Russia, no matter the outcome. Ukraine could use it to their advantage but "this is the kind of thing where no one wins," he said. Regardless of whether the Wagner Group leader ousts Russian military leadership in an apparent coup attempt that began Friday, the outcome of Yevgeny Prigozhin's bid for more control will have chaotic consequences for the war in Ukraine, according to a military strategist. Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian military and fellow for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider that while exactly what is happening on the ground in Russia remains unclear, "this is the kind of thing where no one wins everyone loses something." On Friday, the Wagner mercenary group leader issued a statement that said Russia's "evil" defense ministry "must be stopped." Early local reports from Russian media indicated Wagner troops had taken control of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Russian state security is pursuing a criminal case against Prigozhin in response to his calls for "armed rebellion." The infighting between the mercenary leader and the Russian military leadership comes after months of Prigozhin feuding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the treatment of Prigozhin's for-hire army. "Prigozhin is likely to be the biggest loser," Ryan told Insider. "But Putin and his inner circle will look like they don't have their hands on all the levers of power in a way that some Russian elites would expect them to. And the Russian army will be looking forward at the Ukrainians attacking them and looking behind themselves and their nation, seemingly in chaos whether that's a reality or not and it will cause deep disquiet among senior Russian leaders." Ryan said the deep unease felt by Russian troops after hearing a regime-affiliated official disparage military leadership could be used to Ukraine's advantage as they continue to fend off Russian attacks. "There will be distraction at that level and the Ukrainians will clearly be wanting to put the pressure on the Russians in a tactical sense," Ryan said. "So we're going to see stepped-up attacks, or at least attempts to advance in the East and in the South from the Ukrainians if that's not already occurring." He added that even if the reports of the coup are exaggerated and "knowing Russia we'll never know all the details" the statements from Prigozhin will add "more uncertainty and more chaos at different levels of the Russian system, regardless of the physical realities on the ground." "I think Prigozhin probably crossed a Rubicon of some type. This is probably the end of the tolerance for his outbursts and demands of the military," Ryan told Insider: "I think it's most likely that things won't turn out well for him. I certainly wouldn't be booking or reserving places in an old people's home if I was him." Read the original article on Business Insider Lithuanian prime minister compares Wagner mutiny in Russia to 'spiders in a jar' as neighboring countries secure borders Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company guard an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. AP Photo Rebelling Russian mercenary forces marched all the way to the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhin then stopped short of entering Moscow to avoid bloodshed, he announced. The Lithuanian prime minister compared the conflict between Prigozhin and Putin to 'spiders in a jar.' As the mercenary Wagner Group marched toward Moscow on Saturday a move against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defense neighboring countries compared the uprising to a cage match. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group and a former Putin ally, said he was leading 25,000 soldiers on a "march for justice" to overthrow Russia's military leadership amid its ongoing war in Ukraine. As all eyes were on Russia during the Wagner Group's stunning advance, Lithuania's prime minister compared the rebellion to poisonous spiders trapped in a jar. "Spiders in a jar is an unpleasant spectacle but the end result is always a reduced amount of poison, whatever the outcome," Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte tweeted on June 24. "The more 'World's 2nd strongest army' is preoccupied with the 'counteroffensive' among its own ranks, the less work is left for Ukraine." However, one of the spiders in Simonyte's metaphor might have escaped. Putin's presidential plane was spotted fleeing Moscow on Saturday. It appeared to be en route to St. Petersburg before disappearing from radars. Russian officials denied Putin had left Moscow. Russian security forces meanwhile took positions inside Moscow to protect against a looming Wagner advance. The city announced it would set up anti-terror measures like checkpoints along roadways into the city. Putin called the uprising a "betrayal" on Saturday and a "stab in the back." Prigozhin announced on Telegram later on Saturday that he was ordering his forces to turn around after reaching the outskirts of the capital. It remained unclear if the Wagner boss managed to strike some kind of deal with Putin. NATO allies on Russia's border said they are securing their borders in light of the insurrection inside Russia. Leaders in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Norway said they were monitoring the situation on Saturday and strengthening security measures. Read the original article on Business Insider In this image from video, a man sits atop an armored vehicle in the street as residents of the southern Russian city talk with military personnel on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Earlier in the day, the head of the Wagner group, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had ordered his personnel to halt their march on Moscow to avoid shedding Russian blood. (AP Photo/APTN) The latest on the armed rebellion declared by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin: The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow said he was responding to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by rival forces from the Russian military. The U.S. had intelligence, however, that Yevgeny Prigozhin was building up his Wagner forces near the border with Russia for some time. Officials briefed congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight on the buildup earlier in the week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN. The military preparations raise questions about Prigozhins explanation for why he seemingly spontaneously sent his forces into Russia and whether he had instead long been planning a challenge to Russias military leadership. Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions. Russian media reported late Saturday that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops during the short-lived uprising. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin previously said his forces had taken control of the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, as well as other military facilities in the city without any deaths or even a single gunshot. The Kremlin referred the question about the losses to the Defense Ministry, which has kept mum. The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhins troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those who did not will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the deal was reached, Prigozhin said he was ordering his troops to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian troops. KEY DEVELOPMENTS: Russia says charges against mercenary chief who mounted an armed rebellion will be dropped Prigozhin, the Wagner Group leader who urged an uprising, has long ties to Putin Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Yevgeny Prigozhins announcement of his retreat, that Saturdays events showed that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. The Kremlin, he said, showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs that it is easy to capture Russian cities and, probably, arsenals with weapons. Switching into Russian during his daily video address, Zelenskyy claimed that the man from the Kremlin was very afraid." Zelenskyy used the backdrop of the situation in Russia to urge allies to give Ukraine F-16 fighter aircraft and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, as well as underlined the importance of Ukraine joining NATO. The head of the Wagner group said Saturday he has ordered his mercenaries to halt their march on Moscow and retreat to their field camps in Ukraine to avoid shedding Russian blood. The announcement from Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putins leadership in his more than two decades in power. Moscow had braced for the arrival of the private army led by the rebellious commander while Putin had vowed that Prigozhin would face harsh consequences. Prigozhin didnt say whether the Kremlin had responded to his demand to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. The announcement followed a statement from the office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko saying that he had negotiated a deal with Prigozhin after previously discussing the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday about the situation in Russia. According to a statement from the White House, the four leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine during the conversation. However, the White House said U.S. officials were wary of weighing in further on the situation and "wanted to avoid any comment that could be misconstrued to suggest the U.S. was taking a side in the apparently internal conflict. The governor of the region surrounding Russia's capital has suspended mass public events outdoors and at educational institutions until July 1. Gov. Andrei Vorobyov issued a decree with the bans on Saturday as the chief of private Russian military company Wagner said his mercenaries were heading to Moscow in an armed rebellion against Russia's defense minister. The governor's decree doesn't apply to the city itself but the surrounding areas. However, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned that traffic could be restricted in parts of the capital as part of the counter-terrorism operation prompted by the rebellion. The counter-terrorism operation allows authorities to tighten security, impose curbs on traffic and communications, and to conduct searches without warrants. There was no immediate word of whether a curfew would be imposed. The mayor also declared Monday a non-working day for most people, with the exception of public servants and employees of some industrial enterprises. A senior Kremlin official has warned that a successful rebellion by the Wagner group would mean the mercenaries getting ahold of Russias vast nuclear arsenal, which would raise an existential threat to the entire world. The history of mankind hasnt yet seen the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons under control by bandits, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. Such a crisis will not be limited by just one countrys borders, the world will be put on the brink of destruction. He added that we wont allow such a turn of events. Medvedev has frequently used hardline rhetoric since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, regularly reminding the West about Russias nuclear arsenal in a bid to discourage the U.S. and its allies from ramping up weapons supplies to Kyiv. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned the West against trying to take advantage of the rebellion led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The ministry said in a statement Saturday that we are cautioning Western countries against even a hint of using the internal situation in Russia for achieving their Russophobic goals. It argued that the mutiny plays into the hands of Russias enemies and said that the Russian public stands behind President Vladimir Putin. The ministry said that Moscow appreciates its allies and partners voicing their understanding of the situation. Security in a number of Russian regions was tightened as authorities sought to thwart an armed rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. There was tighter security particularly in areas between the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where Prigozhins Wagner group appeared to control military headquarters, and Moscow. The governor of the Lipetsk region asked residents to stay at home and refrain from traveling. Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that Wagner had entered the province but the situation is under control. In the neighboring Tambov region, mass events were canceled Saturday. The governor of the Kaluga region, just south of the Moscow region, said that movement on roads in areas on its western, southern and eastern borders had been restricted. Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram that people should refrain from traveling by private vehicle on these roads unless absolutely necessary. In the capital, traffic on the Moscow River was suspended. Police officers in bulletproof vests and with machine guns were seen near the entrance of the major highway that links Moscow with Voronezh and Rostovon-Don. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Turkey was ready to help resolve the stand-off in Russia with the mercenary Wagner group. The Turkish presidency tweeted that, in a phone call with Putin, Erdogan underlined the importance of acting with common sense and said Ankara could help resolve events as soon as possible. It did not specify how Turkey could help. Turkey has retained close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv during the war. Ukraines deputy defense minister says the political crisis in Russia provides Kyiv with a window of opportunity. Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram Saturday that Moscows erroneous decision to start a war in Ukraine had brought about the inevitable degradation of the Russian state. The rebellion by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Kyivs forces have been probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. Speaking in Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that a coup is taking place in Russia, led by Prigozhin and his Wagner troops. Any coup, any problem that emerges in enemys rear aligns with our interest." He added that "it is early to estimate consequences. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial powers conferred Saturday on the situation in Russia after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. The U.S. State Department and German Foreign Ministry gave few details of the discussion, which also included the European Unions foreign policy chief. The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change. It said that the U.S. will stay in close coordination with allies and partners as the situation develops. The G7 comprises the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the U.K. The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to several foreign leaders on Saturday following the armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and informed his counterparts of the situation. Putin also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A Kremlin statement said the Russian leader informed Erdogan about the situation in the country related to an attempted armed rebellion, and the Turkish president expressed full support for the steps of the Russian leadership. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claims that his troops entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don without a single shot and says that no one was killed during what he calls a march of justice. Prigozhin said in a new audio statement on Saturday that we didnt touch a single conscript, we didnt kill a single person on our way. He added that the Russian air force targeted his troops, but they still managed to seize military headquarters in Rostov without a single gunshot. His claims could not be independently verified. The Russian authorities havent reported any casualties so far, either. Estonia and Latvian officials say their countries have stepped up border security following an armed rebellion in neighboring Russia by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Both nations are NATO members and strong backers of Ukraine, and have tense relations with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wrote on Twitter that Estonia is closely following developments and exchanging information with allies. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of neighboring Latvia wrote in an English-language Twitter post that his country's border security also has been strengthened and visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events wont be considered. Both Kallas and Rinkevics said there was no direct threat to their respective countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekenskyy says it is clear that Russia is suffering from full-scale weakness after mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion. Zelenskyy said in comments posted on his Telegram channel Saturday that anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself. He said that for a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. Officials across Russia have rallied behind President Vladimir Putin, publicly reiterating their allegiance to the Kremlin and urging mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to back down. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, the State Duma, said that lawmakers stand for the consolidation of forces and support Putin after his address to the nation on Saturday. Maria Zakharova, Russias Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a Telegram post that we have one commander in chief. Not two, not three. One. And he urged everyone to unite. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya who has previously sided with Prigozhin in his criticism of the military leadership, also expressed his support for Putin. He said that the mutiny needs to be suppressed. So far, no Russian official has spoken out in support of Prigozhin. Unexpected support for mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhins endeavor came from exiled tycoon turned opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky said in a Facebook post that Prigozhins rebellion is the strongest blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins reputation, and that helping him get to Moscow would be helping our country. He said Prigozhin had repeated word for word what we, the anti-war opposition, have been saying since the beginning of the war that the purpose of the war is theft and no one believes in the official reason for the war in Ukraine. A video that appeared on Telegram on Saturday showed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin meeting with Russias Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and deputy chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alexeyev. In the video, whose origin couldnt not be independently verified, Prigozhin claimed that he and his troops were saving Russia and demanded that Russian authorities give up Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. We want to get the chief of the General Staff and Shoigu, Prigozhin said. Until they are here, we are here, we are blocking the city of Rostov and go toward Moscow. In the video, Yevkurov and Alexeyev tried to persuade Prigozhin to withdraw his forces from Rostov-on-Don, but to no avail. Prigozhin, a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has a long-running feud with the Russian military leadership. Ukraines head of military intelligence says the conflict between the Russian military leadership and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian television on Saturday that the conflict stands out because Prigozhin, whether you like him or not, he mainly says (the) truth while Russias Defense Ministry tells mainly lies. He said that the conflict is not fake. Budanov said that while senior Defense Ministry officials talk of advances with young and brave soldiers, Prigozhin points to miscalculations, poor equipment, lack of training and other problems. He said: This is a frontal clash of lies and truth. Even though both completely work in the interest of the Russian Federation, we need to remember this. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation Saturday and vowed to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Putin said the mutiny amounted to a deadly threat to our statehood and vowed tough actions in response. All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment. The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders, Putin said. He called Prigozhins actions, without referring to the owner of the Wagner private military company by name, a betrayal and a treason. He urged those who are being dragged into this crime not to make a fatal and tragic, unique mistake, to make the only right choice to stop participating in criminal acts. Putin condemned the rebellion at a time when Russia was fighting the toughest battle for its future with its war in Ukraine. The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us, Putin said. ___ Nomaan Merchant contributed to this report from Washington. Take a look at the first images of Wagner mercenaries descending on strategic Russian city in an apparent armed rebellion against Putin Take a look at the first images of Wagner mercenaries descending on strategic Russian city in an apparent armed rebellion against Putin Wagner group troops descended on Rostov-on-Don in Russia in an apparent armed mutiny. Images show the armed fighters on armored vehicles in the streets of the strategic Russian city. The soldiers appear to be heading north from the city towards Moscow, the UK Ministry of Defence said. Russian mercenary troops marched into a Russian city in an apparent armed rebellion, and they may be on the move towards the country's capital. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Wagner group's actions a "betrayal," and vowed to quell the mutiny. Videos on social media appear to show Wagner group soldiers descending on the strategic Rostov-on-Don on Saturday after the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Russia's defense ministry "must be stopped." Rostov-on-Don is a critical military hub in southern Russia for the fighting in Ukraine. Located 60 miles from the Ukraine border, the city of more than one million people hosts the HQ of the Russian Southern Military District command, which according to unconfirmed reports, has been seized by Wagner fighters. Take a look at the first images of the Wagner fighters descending on the city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. Fighters from the Wagner group marched into Rostov-on-Don, Russia from occupied Ukraine on Saturday, and claimed to have taken control of security sites. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are seen atop of an armoured vehicle in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Reuters The fighters were deployed after Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin called for "payback" against Russia. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pose for a picture as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023 Reuters There has been an ongoing feud between Prigozhin and Russian leadership throughout the war in Ukraine. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Reuters In an address on Saturday, Putin vowed Russia would defend itself and promised to punish those involved in the events. Wagner fighters deployed in Rostov-on-Don. REUTERS/Stringer Russian citizens in the city have been warned to stay inside and urged not to leave their homes. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed near a local circus in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS Reuters captured supporters and opponents of the Wagner group having a dispute in the streets on Saturday. Supporters and opponents of Wagner private mercenary group have an argument as Wagner fighters are deployed in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin met with Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in the city, a video released on Telegram appeared to show. The Russian officials tried and failed to convince Prigozhin to withdraw his troops, ABC News reported. Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin meets with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, at the headquarters of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in this screen grab from a video released on June 24, 2023. REUTERS The armed soldiers appear to be heading north from the city towards Moscow, the UK Ministry of Defence said Saturday. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group stand next to an armoured vehicle while being deployed in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS The Wagner group fighters are making their way north, past the city of Voronezh, on a highway towards Moscow. A military column of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway, which links the capital Moscow with Russia's southern cities, with smoke from a burning fuel tank at an oil depot seen in the background, near Voronezh, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS Emergency services tried to put out a fire at an oil depot in the Russian city of Voronezh on Saturday. Footage appears to show a Russian military helicopter targeting the area as Wagner troops made their way north. Emergencies ministry members work to extinguish fire at a burning fuel tank of an oil depot in Voronezh, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS Read the original article on Business Insider Canadair CL-6002B19 Challenger 850 A business jet used by high-ranking officials and family members of the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has landed in Turkey, having taken an unusual route, the Belarusian media outlet Reform.by reported on June 24. It is not known if the Belarusian dictator was on the plane. It is also used by his sons. Read also: Belarusian opposition urges ICC to issue arrest warrant for Lukashneko Reform.by cited data on the planes flightpath from the Radarbox service, which tracks flights. The Canadair CL-6002B19 Challenger 850, number EW-301PJ, reportedly took off from Minsk at 00:01 local time on June 24 and landed on the Turkish Mediterranean coast in Bodrum at 05:15, having made a big "detour." According to the map, the plane tried to bypass Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais, flew over the Caspian Sea and then reached the Turkish resort via Georgia. Read also: Ukrainian intelligence confirms Lukashenko has health problems Belarusian propaganda media also report that Lukashenko held a brainstorming session with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. According to the media, Putin himself called Lukashenko and informed him about the situation in Russia. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Modesto Police on Friday evening released video from a June 3 incident in which an officer exchanged gunfire with a fleeing suspect. Video from Officer Raihil Sharmas body camera and the dash camera of his patrol car, as well as from the departments new airplane, captured how the incident unfolded. Sharma, a nearly two-year veteran, pulled over Gordon Massey on his bicycle just after 10 p.m. in the area of Phoenix and Glendale avenues. The video does not say why Massey was pulled over and a department spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment Saturday morning. Chief Brandon Gillespie, who provides narration during the 16-minute edited video, said Massey was initially cooperative with Sharma. But as Sharma ran his name on the patrol car computer and learned he had warrants for DUI and drug offenses, Massey rode away and Sharma drove after him. Sharma followed Massey for about a minute, through a nearby shopping center, then into an adjacent neighborhood, where Massey allegedly fired three shots at Sharma. Sharma notified dispatch, Im taking shots, then gave a description of Massey, who allegedly fired two more rounds at him. One shot hit the front passenger headrest in Sharmas patrol car, Gillespie said. Sharma followed Massey for about a minute and 50 seconds as he rode through the neighborhood. He then stopped the vehicle, held his gun out of the window and fired three shots at Massey. Massey rode around the corner and into an alley. When Sharma caught up with him, Massey was on the ground lying next to his bicycle. Sharma held Massey at gunpoint and ordered him to keep his hands visible and stay still as more officers arrived at the scene. Officers can be heard questioning Massey about where his gun is and discussing among themselves whether anyone has a shield to use to approach Massey. The video cuts to airplane footage then back to officer body camera as they approach Massey. Officers handcuffed, then provided medical aid to Massey, who was bleeding from his right arm. They cut off his clothes to check other parts of his body for gunshot wounds and applied a tourniquet to his arm. After being treated at a hospital, Massey was booked into jail. Officers found a stolen .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun in the entrance to the alleyway. Massey was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm; shooting at an occupied vehicle; negligent discharge of a firearm; being a felon in possession of a Smith and Wesson semiautomatic firearm; being a felon in possession of 9 mm ammunition; and possession of methamphetamine while in the immediate possession of a firearm. He also faces enhancement on several of the charges for using a firearm. Massey is being held without bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on July 10. A previously convicted sex offender who held a teenage girl captive in a small trailer in a junk yard north of Bellingham for more than a week in 2020 and repeatedly sexually assaulted her has been sent to prison. Darrin Scott Moseley, 42, was sentenced June 14 in Whatcom County Superior Court to 7 years in prison, with three years probation. As part of his sentencing, Moseley will be required to register as a sex offender, will not be allowed to have contact with the victim or any minors, will have to undergo a psychosexual evaluation, and must comply with sexual deviancy treatment, according to court records. Moseley pleaded guilty March 27 to one count of indecent liberties and one count of second-degree assault. He entered an Alford plea, which means he agreed prosecutors had sufficient evidence to convict him at trial, but he does not admit guilt for his crimes. Moseley has maintained that he had consensual sex with the girl, who was 16 at the time, the court records state. Moseleys charges were amended down as part of a plea deal. He originally was charged with three counts of first-degree rape with a deadly weapon, one count of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation and with a deadly weapon, and one count of felony harassment with a deadly weapon and sexual motivation, court records show. All of his original charges included aggravating factors that stated Moseleys conduct during the commission of the crimes manifested deliberate cruelty to the victim and that Moseley knew or should have known the victim was particularly vulnerable or incapable of resistance, the records state. Both Moseley and the victim are severely developmentally delayed and mentally ill, which presented challenges to reaching a conviction during trial, Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Sigmar said in a statement sent to The Bellingham Herald. The plea bargain mitigated the risk of acquittal and avoided subjecting the victim to additional trauma in court, Sigmar said. The plea deal was support by the victim through a court-appointed advocate, by law enforcement, by Moseleys defense attorney and by the Washington State Department of Corrections, he added. We are pleased that the court followed the recommendation. The court provided accountability, imposing substantial prison time followed by community custody, sexual deviancy treatment, and sex offender registration. The Moseley case represents what can be achieved when parties within the adversarial criminal justice system come together and compromise in the best interest of the victim, the community, and the offender, Sigmar said. The Herald reached out to Moseleys defense attorney for comment, but did not hear back. An undated photo shows Darrin Scott Moseley, 42, of Whatcom County, Washington. A 10x10-foot trailer About a month before Moseleys mid-November 2020 arrest, Moseley told one of the owners of the property he was living on in the 4700 block of North King Mountain Road that he had met a nice girl. Moseley asked whether he could bring the girl to the property, which was described in police and court records as a junk yard with many vehicles and heavy machinery. The property owner allegedly told Moseley no. Moseley had been living on the property since his release from prison in 2019. He originally was living in a tent, but was later allowed to live in a 10-foot by 10-foot cab trailer. Both Moseley and his father lived on the property and would help the property owners rebuild cars, according to court records. The property owner told Whatcom County Sheriffs Office detectives and a private investigator for Moseleys defense attorney that he recalled a noisy car coming onto the property between 4 and 5 a.m. about a week before Moseleys arrest on Nov. 18, 2020. The car was later confirmed to belong to the man who dropped the teenage girl off to stay with Moseley at the property, according to court records. That man has not been charged in connection with this incident, court records show. A flurry of 911 calls Between Nov. 16 and Nov. 18, 2020, there were at least 13 calls placed to 911, all of which were later associated with Moseley, according to court records. Sheriffs deputies responded to the North King Mountain Road address multiple times during those two days and learned Moseley lived in a trailer on the property. At the time of Moseleys arrest, Whatcom County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Herald that even though Moseley had active warrants out for his arrest, they were unable to arrest him due to COVID-19 booking restrictions at the jail. Slater also said while deputies learned Moseley was on the property several days prior to his arrest and they had made several attempts to contact him, they could not find him. In two 911 calls Moseley made on Nov. 16, he told dispatch that a young girl had been tied up and was being raped. Moseley was reportedly frantic during the 911 calls, the court records state. The following day, on Nov. 17, there were five calls placed to 911, including two hang-ups. During some of the calls, Moseley alluded to a man named Jasper and said the man was raping young girls. The property owner also approached deputies on this day and told them he believed there was a young girl in the trailer with Moseley, according to court records. Deputies attempted to speak to Moseley, but could not get him to come out of the trailer. The deputies then left the property, due to Moseley refusing to exit the trailer and because no one else identified themselves as being inside the trailer, court documents state. The teenage girl later told detectives that she had heard deputies asking for anyone else in the trailer to announce themselves, but that Moseley told her to keep quiet and later said he would hurt her if she tried to leave, the records show. The girls sister told detectives that she, too, had received a call from Moseley on this day. The sister said Moseley talked about living in Oregon, being a contractor in Washington, and did not mention the girl, court records state. On the day of Moseleys arrest, on Nov. 18, 2020, six calls were made to 911. One of those calls came from the 16-year-old girl. Shortly after 5 p.m., dispatch received a call from a young girl. The girl gave her name and said, I just need to go home, before hanging up the phone. Dispatch attempted to call the number back, but the calls went unanswered. Dispatch learned the North King Mountain Road address was the location associated with the call and sheriffs deputies responded for a welfare check. When deputies responded and knocked on the trailer door, Moseley answered. Deputies saw the teenage girl standing next to him in the doorway. Moseley was arrested. Girl held captive In an interview with a detective, the 16-year-old girl said she ran away from her home in Bellingham after a man her mother brought home repeatedly sexually assaulted her. That man, Victor James Savchuk, 25, of Bellingham, has been charged with two counts of second-degree rape, one count of third-degree rape, one count of indecent liberties, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of intimidating a witness. His case is still pending, court records show. The girl said when she left home, she went to stay with an adult male she met in the parking lot of a Whatcom County hotel. The girl said she called the man her stepdad because he would take care of her and buy her things, according to court records. The girl said the man dropped her off with Moseley roughly 10 days prior to her being found by deputies. The three smoked methamphetamine together before the man left the girl with Moseley. The man later told detectives that he and Moseley had grown up together and recently reconnected. The man said he thought that Moseley was a good guy and that the property was a safe place to leave the girl, court records state. The man told the teenager to text or call him every night. The first night after leaving the girl with Moseley, the man said she messaged him and told him she was uncomfortable with Moseley and wanted to leave. She sent another message saying she was afraid Moseley would hurt her. After the man received more text messages, the man blocked the number. He told detectives he believed Moseley had written the subsequent messages and they were whacked out, which is why he blocked the number, according to court records. The teenager told detectives that Moseley gave her methamphetamine, alcohol and cannabis brownies. She said Moseley raped her every night, court records state. The girl told detectives that she told Moseley she didnt want to have sex with him, but he continued to sexually assault her. During the time she was held captive, Moseley also threatened to stab her to death, held a knife to her throat while she slept, choked her, took her phone, deleted her contacts and broke the cameras on it and would stand in front of the door to prevent her from leaving. Moseley also did not feed the teenager during the time he held her captive, except for giving her an occasional weed brownie, court records state. The girl told detectives that she only left the trailer two times during the roughly 10-day period she was with Moseley once to get coffee with Moseley and his father and once to go to the grocery store, where Moseley forced her to hold his hand, the court records show. The girl told a nurse at St. Josephs hospital that on the day she made the 911 call, she was so scared she was able to call the police. The girl said she waited until Moseley went outside to use the bathroom and then grabbed a phone and called 911. Moseley returned, told her not to speak to anyone and she hung up the phone. Deputies arrived shortly after, documents show. The teenager was then taken into protective custody. During an interview with detectives after his arrest, Moseley said he was trying to protect the girl. Moseley kept referring to Jasper and said he was a threat to the girls safety. Moseley said he believed the girl was 20 and denied holding her against her will. He told the detective he was falling in love with the teenager. Moseley admitted to detectives that he held a knife to the girls neck and admitted to sexually assaulting her multiple times, court records show. Extremely vulnerable During an interview with Child Protective Services, the girl said that living on the streets was better than living at her home due to the abuse she suffered there. The CPS investigator screened the teenager for commercial sexual exploitation of children. The screening did not confirm the girl was a victim of commercial sexual exploitation, but the screening did have many indications of it, according to court records. Documents in the court records show that the teenager frequently ran away from home, experienced unstable housing and periods of homelessness, relied on emergency or temporary assistance to meet basic needs and was physically, sexually and emotionally abused and witnessed domestic violence. Detectives and CPS workers said the teenager does not appear to function at her actual age level, and communicated as if she was 12 years old or younger, court records show. Detectives learned that the girl, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, schizophrenia and a developmental disability, had been enrolled in special education classes since elementary school. Since the time of Moseleys arrest in November 2020, the girl has experienced a significant decline in cognitive function and mental health, the court records state. In late May 2023, a Washington State Department of Corrections evaluator spoke with a court-appointed advocate for the girl regarding the impacts of Moseleys actions. The child advocate said the teenager has been placed in approximately 10 different care facilities across Washington and Idaho, with the most time being spent at a childrens home in Idaho. The advocate said the girl has run away from the facilities on numerous occasions and was unable to care for herself, and its suspected that she was sexually assaulted again, according to court records. The teenager is now legally an adult, but has been placed in extended foster care until she turns 21 in about two years. After that, she will continue to receive care through the Developmental Disabilities Administration, court records state. The court-appointed child advocate said in late May the girl is extremely vulnerable because of her mental health diagnoses and cognitive dysfunction, adding that the full history of abuse and trauma experienced by (the teenager) may never fully be known. Presentence investigation A presentence investigation conducted by the state Department of Corrections prior to Moseleys June 14 sentencing showed that he has been involved in the criminal legal system since before age 10 and had a troubled home life. Moseley reported he was first arrested at age 8 after he stole a check from a mailbox. In the mid-to late-1990s, Moseley was convicted at age 14 of first-degree child molestation. He was then convicted at age 17 of first-degree child rape, according to court records. Moseley was sentenced to spend more than two years at a now-closed medium security detention facility in Southwest Washington. Moseley has four convictions as an adult between 2002 and 2014 for failing to register as a sex offender. He also has previous convictions for second-degree robbery and telephone harassment, court records show. As a child, Moseley experienced neglect, sexual abuse and was denied food. Moseley has an intellectual disability, unspecified schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorder, depressive disorder, stimulant use disorder and cannabis use disorder, court documents state. During an interview with detectives after his arrest in November 2020, he was described as physically imposing, but his demeanor was child-like. Court documents show Moseleys cognitive abilities are below average. He was found competent to stand trial in the case in April 2022. Moseleys previous crimes against other children show a continued deviant interest, which was not properly addressed during his sexual deviancy treatment as an adolescent. The teen-age girl will never fully recover from what he did to her and Darrin must be held to account for his crimes. If Darrin does not have sufficient support and programming upon release from custody, his behavior could pose a serious risk to community safety, court records state. Resources available If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support: Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org. Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015. Tlils Taaaltha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips. WWU Survivor Advocacy Services at the Counseling & Wellness Center: 360-650-7982 or https://cwc.wwu.edu/survivorservices. Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org. A man found a giant megalodon tooth that experts say belonged to a shark the size of a semi-truck Jaws of Carcharocles megalodon, an extinct species of shark that lived about 23 to 3.6 million years ago. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace A charter boat captain found a whopping 6.25-inch long megalodon shark tooth in Florida. The tooth probably belongs to a giant megalodon that would have measured around 50 feet in size. A well-preserved megalodon tooth can be worth thousands of dollars, but this one is not for sale. Florida was a very different place millions of years ago. Many parts of the region were completely submerged, and the waters were infested with giant, ancient sharks including the megalodon the largest sharks that ever lived. That's why today, the Sarasota County coastline in Venice, Florida, is known as the shark tooth capital of the world. Recently, a charter boat captain discovered one of the largest fossilized shark teeth ever from a megalodon shark. One of the largest megalodon teeth ever discovered Michael Nastasio, who has been hunting shark teeth in Florida for 12 years, discovered a fully-intact megalodon shark tooth that was 6.25 inches (15.87 cm) long only about an inch smaller than the largest megalodon tooth on record. A megalodon tooth. Megalodon's bladelike, serrated teeth were ideal for preying on fleshy marine mammals like whales and dolphins. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace The tooth was one of two he recently discovered. The first was less intact and broken from the top. "When I found the second one and it was complete, my mind was blown," Nastasio told The State. To date, no one has found a complete fossilized skeleton of a megalodon shark. So scientists can only speculate how large a shark with a 6.25-inch tooth would be. But Jack Cooper, a megalodon researcher at Swansea University, said in this case, "we can instantly say we have a very big shark here." Megalodon teeth are similar to great white shark teeth, and it's thought the two species may have been close relatives. That's why scientists use great white sharks as a way to estimate megalodon size. A prehistoric megalodon alongside a great white shark. Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library/Getty "These methods rely on the relationship between tooth size and body length in the living great white shark to predict the hypothetical body length of the megalodon," Victor Perez, a shark fossil expert and visiting assistant professor of Environmental Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland, told Insider. "The tooth here looks to me to be an upper anterior tooth [near the front of the mouth] and so that 6.25-inch size probably translates to a shark that would've been at least 15 meters long, well over 50 feet," Cooper said. Emma Bernard, curator of the Fossil Fish section at the Natural History Museum in London, further confirmed: "Based on the size of the tooth, it would have belonged to one of the larger megalodons. Estimates have the largest megalodon at about 15 to possibly 18 meters in length. The 15-meter mark is the most appropriate." These estimates suggest that Nastasio's tooth likely came from a megalodon that was around the size of a semi-trailer. A megalodon tooth is worth thousands of dollars Nastasio runs a company named Black Gold Fossil Charters under which he regularly organizes underwater trips for people who want to hunt for shark teeth either for business or pleasure. Turns out, there's some money to be made in the megalodon business. "Megalodon teeth are sold and bought, and often for very high prices too. People who buy these teeth tend to be budding scientists or enthusiasts who either have their own private collections or wish to own the biggest tooth they can find," Cooper said. The price of a megalodon tooth depends on its size, color, and the quality of the fossil, and there are websites where you can find megalodon teeth selling for over $7,000. The shark experts we spoke with wouldn't put an exact value on the giant tooth Nastasio found, but they hinted that a megalodon tooth this big in size and also complete could be sold for thousands of dollars. Nastasio has already put some of the shark teeth he found in the past on display for sale in a shark fossil store named Shark Frenzy, but he's not going to do the same for his rare 6.25-inch megalodon fossil, WTSP reported. He recently told WTSP that he won't sell his biggest shark tooth he's keeping it for himself. Read the original article on Business Insider Man shot and killed Friday night in downtown Kansas City; person of interest in custody A man was fatally shot in downtown Kansas City on Friday night, according to police. Officers were dispatched around 9:15 p.m. to 10th and Locust streets and found the gunshot victim in the parking lot of the Express Stop gas station, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman. He was unresponsive when officers arrived, Becchina said. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Preliminary findings of the investigation pointed to an interaction in the parking lot of the business between the victim and one or more suspects, Becchina said. Kansas City police were investigating a fatal shooting Friday night at the Express Stop gas station at 10th and Locust streets. Witnesses gave police information that led them to a person of interest who was taken into custody a few blocks away near 10th and Grand Boulevard. Detectives were still working to determine that persons level of involvement Friday night, Becchina said. The killing Friday night marked Kansas Citys 94th homicide of 2023, according to data maintained by The Star. Last year, the city saw its second-deadliest year on record with 172 homicides. Of Kansas Citys growing number of homicides this year, Becchina highlighted a need for peaceful ways to resolve conflicts. He said a large portion of city violence stems from some type of argument. If more people settled arguments with words and discussion, and did not pick up a firearm, there would be significantly fewer homicides in Kansas City, Becchina said. I can say that for sure. Kansas City police were asking that anyone with information about Friday nights fatal shooting call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. NEW YORK Protesters arrested on misdemeanor charges during demonstrations over Jordan Neelys killing last month will not face prosecution in Manhattan, the district attorneys office said Friday. Prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against an unspecified number of protesters at multiple court appearances that concluded last week, according to Doug Cohen, a spokesman for DA Alvin Bragg. He said the decision followed a thorough evaluation that included combing extensive CCTV footage of the arrests. After a comprehensive review, the Manhattan district attorneys office has declined to prosecute or dismissed all misdemeanor cases related to Jordan Neely protests, Cohen said. These matters are now sealed. Prosecutors will proceed with cases against three people arrested during the protests on felony charges. After authorities let 24-year-old Long Island man Daniel Penny walk free after putting Neely in a fatal chokehold aboard a northbound F train on May 1, demonstrators took to the streets some to the subway tracks to protest his death. Viral footage of the incident shows the former Marine sergeant with his arm clenched around Neelys neck as he struggled to break free for several minutes and then stopped moving. Police questioned Penny and released him, with the city medical examiner ruling 30-year-old Neelys death a homicide two days later. As calls for Pennys arrest reached a fever pitch, Braggs office charged him with manslaughter on May 11 and began presenting the case to a grand jury, which returned an indictment on June 14. Penny, who is out on $100,000 bail, is expected to plead not guilty to manslaughter charges at his State Supreme Court arraignment next week. Prosecutors say Penny approached from behind and subdued Neely as he was making threats and scaring passengers on the train. Neely has not been accused of physically attacking or attempting to attack anyone before he was taken down. He boarded the subway at Second Avenue and was on the floor with Penny when it reached the next stop. Five passengers who called 911 before and during the encounter gave conflicting reports, according to NYPD sources. One said Neely was harassing and threatening people. Two others incorrectly stated he had a knife or a gun and had been attacking people. Neelys relatives say he battled severe mental illness and was homeless at the time of his death. When he was on steadier footing, he was recognizable to many New Yorkers as a moonwalking Michael Jackson tribute artist. In statements taped by his attorneys, Penny, an architecture student living in the East Village, forcefully denied that racism informed his actions. He said he restrained an erratic Neely out of fear he would attack him or women and children on the subway and believed he had done the right thing. Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have gone to bat for Penny, hailing him as a hero on the campaign trail and generating millions of big-dollars donations toward his legal defense. Pennys lawyers initially pointed to Neelys arrest record and mental health history in defending his actions. Neely, arrested dozens of times for primarily low-level offenses, had been accused in recent years of violent encounters, such as punching a 67-year-old woman in the face. But Neelys relatives, supporters, and various civil rights leaders have refuted that argument because Penny could not have known Neelys background. The Manhattan grand jury saw right through his false narrative by voting to move this case forward, the Rev. Al Sharpton said after Pennys recent indictment. While they should be saluted for this righteous step, we wish the charge would have reflected what this really was: murder. Manhattan woman reunited with fathers World War II ID, found on NYC subway months after it went missing Months after she lost it at a film screening last year, Manhattan resident Stephanie Carrolls cherished heirloom her fathers identification card as a World War II naval aviator was returned to her on Friday via the MTAs lost and found system. I lost this months ago, in the fall. I never thought Id see it again, Carroll said. A production designer in the film industry, Carroll had brought the ID issued in 1943 to a Midtown showing of Top Gun: Maverick in October. He actually lived that life, Carroll said of her father. He trained pilots. He was very accomplished. So I brought [the ID] to show friends. Cmdr. Robert Carrolls service as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II was the beginning of a long career in aviation that included 21 years of active and reserve military service. Over that time, the elder Carroll flew humanitarian missions in the late 1940s Berlin Airlift, which broke the Soviet blockade of West Berlin. He was also on active duty in the Korean War. Carroll, a longtime Winchester, Mass., resident, also flew commercial planes as a pilot for Northeast Airlines and later for Delta Air Lines. He died in 2015 at the age of 95, his daughter said. Carroll said the ID went missing at some point during the October screening. I was devastated, she said. But months later, in May, her fathers ID somehow showed up at the HoytSchermerhorn subway station in downtown Brooklyn. Each station in the system allows riders to turn in found items, which end up at the MTAs lost-and-found headquarters at Penn Station. Thats where Robert Carrolls ID ended up in the hands of lost-and-found clerk Veronica Santana. When it came across my desk, I had to [find a way to] return it, said Santana, a native Brooklynite and self-described Army brat. It was a mission. This was a personal thing, being from a military family, Santana added. I couldnt see this thrown by the wayside. Two years ago, my brother, a Marine, died. I felt him in my ear, saying, I know youre going to do right dont disappoint me. Santana said she called a slew of military facilities, looking for more information on the commander that could be used to find a family member. Fort Hamilton was a big help, she said of the Brooklyn army base. Finally, Santana said, she had narrowed down possible relatives of the commander when she found a social media post from Carroll, lamenting the loss of her fathers ID. Soon after, Carroll had an email from the office of NYC Transit President Rich Davey, asking if the errant ID was hers. Carroll hugged Santana on Friday, as she gave back the small ID card. I dont know what to do to thank you, Carroll told Santana. Santana was modest. It was meant to be with you, she said. A side by side of two images of Mars captured by NASAs MAVEN spacecraft. NASAs Martian explorer, MAVEN, captured Earths neighboring planet in fascinating detail, revealing the changing seasons on Mars as it orbits around the Sun. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission, MAVEN for short, views the planet in ultraviolet light (which has wavelengths shorter than that of visible light). Using its Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument, the spacecraft snapped global views of Mars in 2022 and 2023, when the planet was near opposite ends of its elliptical orbit. NASA released two of the images on Thursday, showing Mars southern and northern hemispheres in beautiful new shades. Read more Image: NASA/LASP/CU Boulder The first image was taken in July 2022 of Mars southern hemisphere during its summer season. Mars takes roughly twice as long to orbit the Sun compared to Earth, so seasons on the red planet last about double the time that they do on Earth. In this view of Mars, one of the planets deepest craters (known as Argyre Basin) appears at the bottom left covered with an atmospheric haze that appears in a pale pink shade. At the top left of the image are the deep canyons of Valles Marineris, while the southern polar ice cap, which was shrinking from the summertime warmth, can be seen at the bottom of the image in white. MAVENs ultraviolet camera measures wavelengths between 110 and 340 nanometers outside the visible spectrum. In order to help us see the images, NASA renders them with the brightness levels of three ultraviolet wavelength ranges that are represented as red, green, and blue. Within this color scheme, atmospheric ozone appears purple, clouds and hazes appear white or blue and the surface can appear tan or green. Image: NASA/LASP/CU Boulder The second image of Mars was captured in January 2023, when the planet was at its farthest point in orbit from the Sun. MAVEN provides a stunning view of Marss northern hemisphere, where the planets harsh winter season has caused a buildup of the planets ozone at the top, shown as a vibrant magenta in this rendering. The ozone is destroyed in the northern spring as it reacts with the water vapor in the planets atmosphere, which is restricted to lower altitudes during the wintertime. NASAs MAVEN spacecraft launched in 2013 with a mission to study the planets upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and its interactions with the Sun in an effort to understand how Mars lost its atmosphere millions of years ago. Seeing Mars in ultraviolet light provides a new perspective on the planet, even losing its signature red hue in these wavelengths. When it comes to the planets of the solar system, I always say that Jupiter is the most photogenic, but Mars is definitely giving the gas giant a run for its money with these new images. For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on Twitter and bookmark Gizmodos dedicated Spaceflight page. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Two people are in the hospital after a shooting and a crash in south Charlotte on Saturday afternoon. ALSO READ: Fight leads to shooting in NoDa, CMPD says The incident happened just before 6 p.m. on West Arrowood Road off I-77. According to MEDIC, two people were hurt and taken to the hospital. One person suffered serious injuries after being shot near the Popeyes restaurant on Nations Ford Road. A second person suffered minor injuries after a crash in the same area. At the scene, there were two cars with front damage on the side of the road, and officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department put up crime scene tape and blocked off traffic. Channel 9s Jonathan Lowe spoke with local barber Michael Wingate, who was working when the shooting happened. I heard some gunfire and a car skid off, and I saw two guys jump out of the car still shooting guns, Wingate said. The guy that was in the white car, I think they were robbing each other or something; I think the guy had the gun and he was robbing him. A little over a week ago, Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the same parking lot after a shooting near the entrance to Compare Food Express. Violent crime in the area is pushing the Charlotte City Council to discuss and vote on a $450,000 contract with the Urban League of Central Carolina to run Charlottes violence interruption program in that area. Its hard, a lot of crime and stuff; were trying to work with the kids on the guns and stuff, so were trying to stop the violence, Wingate told Lowe. The citys violence interruption services focus on youth between the ages of 14 and 25. The services work to identify conflicts, connect people with jobs and educational opportunities, and provide substance abuse resources, driven by the goal of preventing more acts of violence. (WATCH BELOW: 3 hurt in shooting in north Charlotte parking lot, CMPD says) Mercenary group launches armed rebellion in Russia: How we got here Mercenary group launches armed rebellion in Russia: How we got here The Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor organization, turned against the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday, launching an armed rebellion intended to remove Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power. Yevgeny Prigozhin has had a yearslong relationship with the Russian military as the leader of the Wagner Group, and his forces have been crucial to Russian successes in the war against Ukraine, but relations have broken down rapidly over the past few months to the point where Prigozhin and his fighters are taking up arms to try to get Russia to change course. The tensions began over the Russian military performance, Wagners recruitment of convicts and the amount of supplies and ammunition that the Wagner Group received to help the Russian military in Ukraine. Now, the strained relations have expanded to Prigozhins accusations that the Russian military is attacking his forces. Hes also denounced Russias justification for the war. Heres how we got to the point where an armed rebellion was launched in Russia, before the Wagner chief halted his troops and made a deal: Wagner Group begins work with Russian military in 2014 In this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. The owner of the Wagner private military contractor who called for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russias defense minister has confirmed in a video that he and his troops have reached Rostov-on-Don. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) The Wagner Group was first seen fighting in 2014 as a conflict broke out in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. This came after Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula and annexed in in a referendum internationally denounced as unfair. Separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, which make up Donbas, fought the Ukrainian government to declare independence from Ukraine. The Russian government supported the separatists and sent troops and weapons to support them, despite Russia denying it sent aid. Related coverage from The Hill Moscow turned to the Wagner Group as private contractors to help with the fighting in Donbas while allowing the government to maintain a level of deniability about its involvement. Russia also sent Wagner to Syria as part of the nations support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. The group also fought in multiple African countries. Western countries have accused the group of human rights abuses and destabilizing activities in Africa and Ukraine. Prigozhin criticizes military during siege of Bakhmut 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. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) 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. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Russia has increasingly relied on the Wagner Group during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as Russian forces struggled to make gains in Ukrainian territory. Wagner came to focus on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut during a monthslong siege and was critical to Russia taking the city last month. But Prigozhin lobbed harsh criticism on the effectiveness and management of the war from Russias military and Defense Ministry during the siege. He accused Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the commander overseeing the war effort, of failing to manage the war and not providing enough ammunition to soldiers. Wagner chief to move to Belarus in deal to defuse rebellion as Russia drops charges He said Russias plan to invade Ukraine completely backfired and suggested Russia could lose the war and that the nation change its top leadership last month. Prigozhin did achieve a significant political victory once the Wagner Group successfully captured Bakhmut, making his organization responsible for the only two significant Russian victories since last summer. The group took the town of Soledar near Bakhmut in January. But Wagner took on heavy casualties to win over Bakhmut, with Prigozhin saying he lost about 20,000 fighters over the months. Half of them were his employees and half were Russian prisoners. Wagners recruitment of convicts has also increasingly frustrated the Russian Defense Ministry, as did Prigozhins decision to pull his forces out of Bakhmut to regroup from the losses. Russia requires allied fighters to sign contract to give Moscow more control (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/AP Photo) As a result of the rising tensions, the Russian government took action to try to rein in the Wagner Group and increase its control over the organizations actions. The Kremlin began to require all fighters allied with the Russian military to sign a contract that would grant the government greater authority over their activities. The deadline for the groups to agree to sign the contract is July 1. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov signed the order on behalf of his forces, but Prigozhin refused to sign it. The declaration from the Kremlin did not specifically name the Wagner Group but was seen as targeted to concern the organization. Prigozhin argued that Russia is distorting facts about the losses during the war, saying that victory was impossible when his forces joined the fighting last spring. Prigozhin rejects Russian rationale for war In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. Prigozhin, the millionaire owner of the Wagner Group military contractor, assailed the Russian military top brass, accusing it of downplaying the threat posed by the Ukrainian counteroffensive. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File) In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, speaks during his interview at an unspecified location. Prigozhin, the millionaire owner of the Wagner Group military contractor, assailed the Russian military top brass, accusing it of downplaying the threat posed by the Ukrainian counteroffensive. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File) Prigozhins comments grew even more bold and defiant of the Russian military on Friday after he openly rejected what has been one of Russias original justifications for going into Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that what he called a special military operation was necessary to demilitarize Ukraine and protect ethnic Russians in Russian-speaking parts of the country from persecution by the Ukrainian government. He also said Ukraine was acting on behalf of the West by serving as a battering ram against Russia. But Prigozhin accused the Russian government of lying about the true purpose for the war, which he said was to install a pro-Russian ally of Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk, as president of Ukraine and divide its assets. Sign up for the latest from The Hill here He said Russian forces were stealing loads in the Donbas region but wanted more. He also blamed Russian oligarchs for starting the war and asserted that they were practically ruling Russia. Prigozhin avoided directly criticizing Putin and his role in the war, but the Russian president is ultimately the one who made the decision to invade Ukraine and who has led the attempted justifications for the war. Prigozhin also accused the Russian military of attacking Wagners camp and killing many of his soldiers. He said Shoigu and Gerasimov met and decided to eliminate Wagner. Russia pursues criminal case against Prigozhin Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with a delegation of African leaders and senior officials in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (Evgeny Biyatov/Photo host Agency RIA Novosti via AP) The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin shortly following his comments, looking into allegations that he was inciting an armed rebellion. The committee called for Prigozhin to immediately end all illegal activities. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said after the probe was launched that Putin was aware of the ongoing situation surrounding Prigozhin and necessary measures were being taken. Putin vows to put down armed mutiny by Wagner chief The Federal Security Services hours later formally charged him with armed rebellion and called on his forces to arrest him and refuse his criminal and treacherous orders. It said his statements are a stab in the back to Russian troops. Prigozhin leads forces into Russian territory This handout photo was taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on Friday, March 3, 2023 of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, addressing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP, File) Prigozhin said early Saturday local time that his fighters left Ukraine and instead moved into Russian territory to remove Shoigu from power. He vowed that the group would destroy anyone who stands in our way. The forces have reached the town of Rostov-on-Don, the location of Russias military headquarters in the southern region, which is overseeing the Ukrainian war effort. The United Kingdom Defense Ministry reported that Wagner has almost certainly occupied key security sites and is aiming to move toward Moscow. The ministry called the rebellion the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times. Prigozhin has said he has 25,000 soldiers under his command and called on the Russian army to not resist. Putin pledged to put down the armed mutiny and accused Prigozhin of treason and betrayal, saying the rebellion is pushing Russia toward anarchy and defeat in Ukraine. The U.K. ministry said the loyalty of Russias security forces, especially the Russian National Guard, will be critical to determining how the situation will play out. Prigozhin moves on Moscow File - Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles drive along the embankment next to the Kremlin wall after the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II. File Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles drive along the embankment next to the Kremlin wall after the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, marking the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II. After capturing a Defense Ministry regional headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, Wagner troops began moving north towards Moscow. This resulted in the mayor and regional governor of Moscow announcing a counter-terrorism operation in the region, placing security forces on high alert. The Red Square was barricaded and Russian forces set up numerous checkpoints and armored vehicles around the city. Forces got as far north as Lipetsk, about 250 miles from Moscow. Belarus negotiates peace, Prigozhin backs down Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the resort city of Sochi, Russia, Friday, June 9, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the resort city of Sochi, Russia, Friday, June 9, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) As Wagner forces advanced north, a deal was announced between Prigozhin and the Russian government that led Prigozhin to order his troops back to their bases. We [are] turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan, Prigozhin said Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko took credit for the deal, which provides security guarantees for Wagner troops, according to The Associated Press. Wagner troops are now on the move to Belarus to be stationed there, Prigozhin said late Saturday. Troops who joined Prigozhin will not be prosecuted, and those who did not will be offered roles in the Russian military. The Hills Nick Robertson and Julia Shapero contributed to this story. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Reuters) -Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters surged most of the way to Moscow before their leader said they had agreed to turn back to avoid bloodshed. Here is a timeline of events as they have unfolded over the last 24 hours. FRIDAY Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private army called Wagner, releases a video stepping up his feud with Russia's military top brass and for the first time rejects President Vladimir Putin's core justification for invading Ukraine. - In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. - Russia's FSB security service responds by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin, saying he has called for armed mutiny. - The deputy commander of Russia's Ukraine campaign, General Sergei Surovikin, urges the Wagner militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. SATURDAY - Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - The White House says it is monitoring the situation involving Russia and the Wagner force, and will be consulting with allies and partners on developments. - The governor of southern Russia's Rostov region adjoining Ukraine tells residents to remain calm and stay indoors as it becomes clear that Wagner forces have taken control of the city of Rostov. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - A Russian security source tells Reuters Wagner fighters have taken control of all military facilities in the city of Voronezh, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Moscow. - Putin makes a televised address vowing to crush what he calls an armed mutiny. He accuses Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back". - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, says his forces are ready to help put down the revolt by Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. - European governments including Britain, France, Germany and Italy issue statements saying they are closely watching developments in Russia. During the day, numerous other governments around the world issue similar statements. - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight. - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says "Russia's weakness is obvious" and the longer Moscow keeps its troops and mercenaries in Ukraine, the more chaos it will invite back home. - Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, says it is clear that Prigozhin's attempt to destabilise society and ignite a fratricidal civil war has failed, the TASS news agency reports. - Russian soldiers set up a machine gun position on the southwest edge of Moscow, according to photographs published by the Vedomosti newspaper. Photographs also show armed police gathering at the point where the M4 highway - which mutinous Wagner mercenaries are moving along - reaches the Russian capital. - President Tayyip Erdogan speaks by telephone with Putin and urges him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency says. Belarus issues a statement reaffirming its alliance with Russia. - The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden has spoken with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and that they have affirmed their support for Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also says he has spoken with G7 foreign ministers and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs. - Putin signs a law permitting 30-day detentions for breaking martial law in places where it has been imposed, the RIA news agency reports. - Wagner mercenaries have been promised an amnesty if they lay down their weapons "but they should do it fast", the TASS news agency cites lawmaker Pavel Krasheninnikov as saying. - Russia's Foreign Ministry issues a statement warning Western countries against using the Wagner group's mutiny "to achieve their Russophobic goals". - The office of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he has brokered a deal with Prigozhin who has agreed to de-escalate the situation. - Prigozhin says he has ordered his fighters advancing on Moscow in convoy to turn around and return to their bases to avoid bloodshed. (Reporting by Reuters reportersEditing by Gavin Jones, Helen Popper, Frances Kerry and Giles Elgood) The headquarters of the Southern Military District in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don is surrounded by tanks and men in uniform, while it is not known for certain who exactly surrounded the headquarters servicemen of the Russian army or mercenaries of the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC). Source: Russian publication Meduza; Telegram channel Astra Details: According to Meduza, an open photo bank of the Russian state-owned news agency TASS indicated that the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don has been encircled by the militants of Wagner PMC. At the same time, the newspaper notes, the founder of Conflict Intelligence Team Ruslan Leviev suggests that the armed men in the centre of Rostov are servicemen of the Russian Ministry of Defence. "They are not surrounding their own troops but take up positions around the building to defend it. At the same time, the enemy may already be nearby, so it is necessary to control the situation around roofs of houses and windows," he said. On the night of 23-24 June, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Head of the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC) stated that his army crossed the state border of the Russian Federation "everywhere" and entered the city of Rostov-on-Don. Background: Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin added that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "that creature will be stopped". Russias Ministry of Defence called this statement a provocation. Prigozhins 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly on their way "to restore justice." At the same time, he asks not to call it a "military coup." Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been informed of the conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister. A criminal case is being initiated against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following the statement made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are being set up at entrances to Moscow. Prigozhin has criticised Shoigu and the General Staff for the failure of hostilities, stating that Ukraine did not plan to attack Donbas in 2022, and said that the Russian officials wanted the war, and the oligarchs wanted to make money. Prigozhin claimed that his mercenaries allegedly shot down a helicopter of the Russian army. Russian security officials have been regularly reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the measures taken to counter the "armed rebellion" started by Prigozhin. There are now issues with accessing the news in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Theres a new Miss SC Teen for 2023. See who won Sixteen-year-old Margaret Turner was named the new Miss South Carolina Teen Friday night at the Township Auditorium in Columbia. She was Miss Lakelands Teen and is from Greenwood, where she attends Greenwood High. When she was 14 she won Miss Junior High School America on an anti-bullying platform. She calls it Building Respect and Values for Everyone B.R.A.V.E. She continued the work as MIss Lakeland because she was a victim of bullying when she was in 7th grade via a type of electronic communication. She runs an anti-bullying, web-based app called onlykindwords.com. Turner is also an advocate for blood donation, known as #Banking of Heroes. She danced to I Felt the Earth Move during the talent competition. She said during her on-stage, drawn-at-random question that of the four points in the Miss South Carolina Tenn crown representing style, scholarship, success, service she felt the most important was style. She said she was passionate about it and felt it important to have her own sense of style. Turner won $10,000 from the Miss America Organization. Her parents are Drs. John and Jennifer Turner, who are dentists. The Index-Journal in Greenwood reported when she won Miss Junior High that she began competing when she was 7 years old and began dance lessons at 2 years old. First runner up was the 17-year-old Miss Columbias Teen, Mary Elle Marchant. Others in the top five represented Clemson, Simpsonville and Hilton Head. There were 34 contestants. The 2023 Miss South Carolina competition will be held Saturday night with 47 contestants. This is the 86th year the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization has hosted the event. Saturday night ends the reign of Miss South Carolina 2022 Jill Dudley, who used her year to advocate for rape survivors. A Socastee native and rape survivor, Dudleys focus has been on examining the myths of rape culture, share stories of survival and encourage bystanders to get in the fight. Her platform is called Shatter the Cycle. Moscow is gearing up for a possible showdown with Wagner Group fighters Officers stand on the highway on the outskirts of Moscow on June 24, 2023. Associated Press Photos show security personnel gathering in Moscow as Wagner Group fighters head toward the city. A Russian newspaper posted photos of armed, uniformed men in Moscow's southern region. Moscow's mayor said the city was taking anti-terror measures to protect the capital. Security forces in Moscow began taking positions on Saturday as fighters belonging to Russia's Wagner Group continued their apparent march toward the city. Vedomosti, a Russian daily newspaper in Moscow, published photos of Russian security forces with automatic rifles standing near a highway in the southern part of the city, according to a translation by CNN. The photographs show the armed and uniformed men on Lipetskaya Street, which is near the entrance to the highway that connects Moscow with the cities of Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don, according to CNN. Earlier on Saturday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his mercenaries took a military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don without firing a single shot. Prigozhin called his mutiny a "march of justice" in a Telegram audio message and claimed to have broad support from the Russian people. A column of his fighters have been moving toward Moscow ever since. A former ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin has, in recent months, clashed with Russia's top military brass. He now appears to have gone totally rogue in what some are characterizing as a possible coup attempt. In a speech on Saturday, Putin called Wagner's mutiny a "betrayal." Without naming Prigozhin, Putin said that those behind the mutiny were guilty of "high treason," according to a translation from The Telegraph. As security forces begin to patrol the southern part of the capital, Russian police and security personnel have also set up vehicle traffic checkpoints in Moscow, according to Reuters. Moscow's mayor announced Saturday that the city would be taking anti-terror measures to protect the capital. Law enforcement officers at a checkpoint in Moscow. Reuters Photos from Reuters show traffic police checking cars next to large armored vehicles on the streets of Moscow. A traffic police officer checks a car next to an armored personnel carrier in Moscow. Reuters Read the original article on Business Insider Moscow gives citizens Monday off and urges them not to travel around the city Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has declared Monday, 26 June a non-working day and urged residents to refrain from travelling around the city. The decision was taken amid news that Wagner Group militants are approaching the Russian capital. Source: Sobyanin on Telegram Quote from Sobyanin: "In order to minimise risks, I have decided to declare Monday a non-working day within the operational headquarters with the exception of authorities, continuous production factories, the defence industry, and municipal services." Details: Sobyanin stressed that the situation remains difficult and urged people to refrain from travelling around the city. He also said that traffic may be blocked in certain neighbourhoods and on certain roads. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Moscow makes bizarre claim that the US is planning bio-warfare against Russian troops in Ukraine as fears of disease grow after dam destruction Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov speaks during a briefing on the review of documents related to the US military-biological program in Ukraine in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP A top Kremlin official claimed the US is mosquitoes dropped from drones against Russian troops. Russian Lt. Gen . Igor Kirillov said the mosquitoes are meant to infect the military with malaria. The outlandish claim comes amid health concerns after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine. A Kremlin official made an outlandish claim earlier this week after he accused the US of planning to supply Ukraine with drones with mosquitoes on Russian fighters. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the country's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, said in a statement recorded on video the aim was to infect Russian soldiers with malaria. "Russia has wheeled out Igor Kirillov, the lt. gen who made the baseless 'dirty bomb' claims against Ukraine, once again," Max Seddon, the Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times, wrote in a tweet. Kirillov has previously claimed that the US had developed biological weapons in Ukraine, a claim a White House official told Yahoo News was "bogus." "Now he is accusing the US of supplying Kyiv with special drones carrying 'infected mosquitos' that will spread malaria among Russia's invading forces," Seddon added. During his address, Kirillov said that the "flooding of the region planned by the Kyiv regime can complicate the situation, including with regard to arbovirus infections," according to Metro. The bizarre claim comes after the destruction of a major dam near Kherson caused flooding along the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine earlier this month. Russia is heavily suspected of having orchestrated the destruction of the dam to disrupt Ukrainian military operations in the area, Insider previously reported. "After a drop in the water level, it is possible to form foci of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, primarily West Nile fever," Kirillov said in his statement, adding that the US has a "patent for a drone designed to spread infected mosquitoes in the air." While he didn't go into detail about the "patent," he added, "In accordance with the description, the drone must deliver a container with insects to a given area and release them." "When bitten, mosquitoes can infect military personnel with a dangerous infection, such as malaria," he said. A flooded residential area in Kherson on June 8, 2023. Alex Babenko/Getty Images While the bizarre claim appears to have little basis, the dam's destruction has caused fears over subsequent disease and health concerns. The country is preparing for an outbreak of waterborne diseases, like cholera, after the immense floods from the Nova Kakhovka dam, Ukraine's health minister recently told Politico. A military partisan movement said the Russian army has recently suffered a cholera outbreak after the destruction of the dam, Newsweek reported. The group said "informants" from military hospitals in the Kherson region said that Russian soldiers are being admitted daily with suspected cases of the bacterial disease. There are also concerns about the water being contaminated by chemicals, fertilizers, and sewage, per Politico, after the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this month that the effect on the "region's water supply, sanitation systems, and public health services cannot be underestimated." Read the original article on Business Insider Check out our LIVE UPDATES on the Wagner Groups armed rebellion in Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin declared a state of emergency in Russias capital, adding that counter-terrorist operation measures have been declared. Sobyanin said Moscow residents, with the exception of authorities, must stay home. The Wagner Group has entered Russias Lipetsk Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast Governor Igor Artamonov said. Artamonov claimed the situation in the region is under control, adding local law enforcement is taking the necessary steps to ensure the populations safety. Lipetsk Oblast, located around 450 kilometers south of Moscow, is the second Russian region Wagner has entered after Voronezh Oblast. Wagner vehicles reach Lipetsk Oblast, 400 kilometers south of Moscow A column of Wagner military vehicles en route to Moscow have reached Lipetsk Oblast, putting them within around 400 kilometers of the capital. Reuters reported that Wagner vehicles were moving toward Moscow at top speeds, not encountering significant resistance along the roads. The Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov Reuters reported that Wagner vehicles were moving toward Moscow at top speeds, not encountering significant resistance along the roads. At the current pace, they can be there by nightfall. The Russian capital is preparing for a siege, according to Ukraines miltiary intelligence, which said that any military vehicles that can be spared are being pulled toward Moscow, where law enforcement and the military were authorized with emergency powers. Moscow residents ordered to stay home from work on Monday as Wagner mercenaries march on the Russian capital Moscow residents ordered to stay home from work on Monday as Wagner mercenaries march on the Russian capital People are seen around Red Square amid escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, in Moscow, Russia on June 24, 2023. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Residents of Moscow have been ordered to stay home on Monday. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said authorities are on "high alert" as Wagner force approach the capital. Sobyanin urged residents to stay home "as much as possible." Residents of Moscow are being urged to remain indoors and stay home from work on Monday following reports that heavily-armed mercenaries loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin are just hours from the city. In a message posted on Telegram, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that he had ordered Monday a "non-working day" with an exception for security services and other authorities amid what he termed a "counter-terrorist operation." "I ask you to refrain from traveling around the city as much as possible," Sobyanin wrote. Authorities are on "high alert," he added, describing the situation in Moscow as "difficult." The stay-home order comes after Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group appeared to seize control of Rostov-on-Don, a port city of more than one million people, earlier on Saturday. The apparently bloodless capture of the city was followed by reports that Wagner forces are marching toward Moscow. Video posted to social media later on Saturday appeared to show an oil depot in Voronezh, about halfway to the capital, on fire after an attack from a military helicopter. Wagner forces then made it to the region of Lipetsk, according to the local governor, just a few hours' drive from the capital. Large swaths of the main road between the region and Moscow, the M4 highway, are now closed, according to Google Maps, with photos on social media appearing to show construction equipment tearing up portions of the roadway to obstruct Wagner's progress. Prigozhin, who claims to control a force of some 25,0000 men, has said he is leading a "march for justice," the culmination of a months-long feud with Russian military authorities who he accuses of undermining the war in Ukraine. In an address early on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Prigozhin formerly a close ally of treason. Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider A highway into Moscow was blocked by police (AP) The mayor of Moscow has told residents not to travel around the city, with troops from the mutinous Wagner group now just hours away. Sergei Sobyanin also said that Monday would be a non-working day for most and that the measures were needed to minimise risks. He added that the situation was "difficult and that a counter-terrorist operation regime has been declared in Moscow. Yevgeny Prigozhins men are reportedly receiving a mixed reaction from Russians as they journey through the country to launch an assault on the capital after the leader of the mercenary group spoke out against the war in Ukraine. Protections have been put in place around Moscow with the Wagner group reportedly around four hours from its boundaries as its soldiers look set to pose the biggest threat to the rule of Vladimir Putin so far. Troops have also blocked off a motorway into the city while all mass outdoor events have been cancelled until July 1. Posters encouraging residents to join Wagner are being taken down. Armed vehicles have also been filmed passing the Kremlin while it has been reported that the presidential plane has flown from Moscow to St Petersburg. Although the Kremlin denied Vladimir Putin had fled, saying he continued to work in the city. Servicemen walk past the GUM, State Department store, in the centre of Moscow (AFP via Getty Images) Moscow residents have shared their fears of the impending potential conflict. It's frightening, of course, Muscovite Nikolai told the Mail Online. You sit at home thinking about what might happen. It's disturbing both for you and your loved ones. Another resident, Sergei, added: I think everything will turn out fine, but if they're preparing to bring in [anti-terror measures] then it means there's a reason for that. A military column of Wagner private mercenary group drives along M-4 highway (REUTERS) Reuters reported that outside Moscow Russian media showed small groups of police manning machine gun positions on the southern outskirts. A source close to the leadership in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Donetsk province said the convoy nearing Moscow had about 5,000 fighters, with a similar number in Rostov. Overall, Wagner has fewer than 25,000 men at its disposal, said the source. The source said Wagner's plan for Moscow was to take up positions in a densely built-up area. Mother and daughter charged in connection to fentanyl-related December overdose A mother and daughter were charged in connection to the overdose death of a 43-year-old woman inside her Belmont-Hillsboro home last December. Tamara Sue Morales, 56, of Portland, Tenn., and her daughter Alexandra Guerriero, 31, of Nashville, face second-degree murder charges following the death of Jamie Hughes. Also charged is Guerriero's boyfriend Maxewell Delancy, 33, of Nashville. An MNPD investigation found the three conspired to sell Hughes her a powdered substance containing fentanyl, a powerful opiate. The sale is believed to have taken place at a Wallace Road motel Dec. 21. Hughes was found dead the following day, according to MNPD. Delancy was taken into custody Thursday at a Hermitage-area motel after detectives located him at an area gas station. As Delancy was being arrested, Morales was arrested at he Portland home, while Guerriero was taken into custody at a Hermitage-area apartment complex. Bond for Morales, Guerriero and Delancy was set by a Criminal Court judge at $125,000 each. Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Three charged in December overdose death It's a scene you'd associate with the Alps - cable cars full of tourists snaking their way up mountains. But could it soon be on the way to Northern Ireland? Nestled close to the south Down coast, the majestic Mourne Mountains attract their fair share of visitors. But it would be fair to say the area doesn't quite have the same pull internationally as the likes of the Giant's Causeway or Titanic Visitor Centre. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council hopes the 44m Mournes Gateway Project will be a gamechanger. The ambitious project would see gondolas or cable cars going along a 1km route through the mountains from Donard Park. Their destination would be a new visitor centre erected at Thomas Quarry, 230m up. The council said it aims to cater for 350,000 visitors annually and hopes the project would be completed in 2029. The council believes the project would bring hundreds of thousands more visitors to the Mournes However, not everyone is on board the gondola plan - the National Trust has said it has "significant concerns" about the environmental impact, while one local assembly member has described it as a "vanity project". Earlier this month the council debated an Alliance Party motion to halt it - instead a Sinn Fein motion was passed that will see the project proceed while further consultation is carried out and possible alternatives considered. Alliance Party assembly member Patrick Brown said his party has concerns about the environmental and visual impact of the project, as well as doubts about it financially. "I think we're actually running the risk of damaging our most valuable natural asset in the Mournes by building this metal monstrosity on it," he said. "So I think in the long run it's actually damaging for the area and for the environment. "It's very hard to put a financial figure on that, but I'd say it well exceeds 44m and we shouldn't sacrifice the environment on the altar of economic growth." He said the town of Newcastle, which sits in the shadow of the Mournes, "is already full to bursting in the peak summer months" and questioned "spending a huge amount of money on a vanity project like this one". 'Significant opportunity' South Down SDLP assembly member Colin McGrath disagreed and described the project as a "significant opportunity" for the area. "It would be naive to say we're not in competition with the Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, with the Titanic Centre, the Marble Arch Cave," he said. "I am lucky in my life to have travelled to a number of places in these isles and in Europe and beyond and it's features like this that people want to come and see. "You think of a gondola half way up a mountain to a visitor centre with an interpretive centre, a cafe and other facilities - I think that would be an exciting energiser to bring people into the area." The DUP abstained in this month's council vote - councillor Glyn Hanna explained they want to see exactly what the final project will look like before fully committing to it. "I think there's so many advantages, I would just like to see all the environmental impact assessments," Mr Hanna said. "I think done correctly it will have substantial economic impact. I actually think this is transformative, transformative in generating tourism for south Down. "It would be something that Portrush or Portstewart [on the north coast] don't have." He added: "You have to remember as well there are a lot of disabled people who can't get up the mountain, this gives them access to it." Glyn Hanna said if done properly the project could be transformative for south Down Of the 44m envisaged for the project, 30m is to come from the Belfast Regional City Deal - UK government money for regional projects - and the remaining 14m from Newry, Mourne and Down Council. Colin McGrath said the Treasury's involvement should reassure people. "You're talking about a very robust economic case that's been scrutinised by Treasury Department officials in London," he said. "If something wasn't correct in there I think they would have found it, we're not talking about back of cigarette paper figures." The DUP's Glyn Hanna said the money is specifically for the Gateway Project. "If this project doesn't go ahead, the 30m's lost - it goes back," he said. It's not the economic details that has the National Trust concerned. "We have consistently expressed our significant concerns to Newry Mourne and Down Council about the potential environmental impacts of this project," the trust told BBC News NI. "Given the environmental impact already caused by increased visitor numbers, we believe any new proposals for this area must have sustainable tourism at its heart, ensuring the community, environment and local economy can thrive now and in the future. "Our understanding is the project is still in the conceptual stage and we would hope that all of our concerns, which we have consistently stated, will be considered fully." The seaside town of Newcastle lies beneath the Mournes Mr McGrath said environmental concerns are understandable. However, he added: "There is a robust process, there are a number of various strands of environmental protections that are being assessed. "I'm quite satisfied that the council isn't leaving any stone unturned in terms of it ticking all the boxes environmentally." The DUP's Mr Hanna said he had been assured that "not one tree" would be removed as part of the project. "If it [the visitor centre] was taken away the next day there would be no footprint whatsoever left because it's all up on stilts, it's very environmentally friendly," he said. The council said the project will provide a "standout experience" for visitors. "The building has been specifically located to allow views over both the existing site features including waterfall and rock formations as well as over Newcastle, the Irish Sea, Scotland and the Isle of Man," it said. Alliance's Patrick Brown said people would be taken to the visitor centre then back down again, and won't be able to get out and explore the mountains themselves. "It's the sort of thing that once you do it, you don't go back again," he said. "This does not have the same draw as the Giant's Causeway." Whatever the differing opinions on the project, it's clearly some way from being more than just a concept. The council envisages submitting a planning application in 2025 and if approved, work would begin in 2026. The debris of a Russian air target shot down on the night of 23-24 June damaged a 25-storey building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district. Two people have been killed and eleven injured, three of them have been hospitalised. Source: Serhii Popko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "Building structures were partially destroyed on the 15th, 16th, 16th and 18th floors due to debris hitting a 25-storey building in the Solomianskyi district. Clusters of fires occurred on several floors. The fire was contained at 04:40 and extinguished at 06:30. Eleven people sustained injuries of varying severity in the attack, with three of them hospitalised. Two bodies were found." Details: Popko reported that 24 people were rescued, including 3 people rescued from under the rubble and another person stuck in the lift. Previously: On the night of 23-24 June, Ukraine's air defence units shot down over 20 Russian missiles in the airspace around Kyiv. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! 24 hours of mutiny, mayhem and panic on the streets of Moscow Russia appears to have stepped back from the brink of a full-scale armed mutiny after the Wagner Group, one of the worlds most powerful private armies, halted a march on Moscow started by a vow for revenge. While the immediate threat seems to have been averted, the unprecedented attack on the Russian military establishment marks the most serious challenge to President Vladimir Putin in the 23 years he has ruled with an iron fist and the crisis is unlikely to just disappear just because the military convoy halted about 200km (125 miles) from the Russian capital. Earlier in an extraordinary day, a visibly angry Mr Putin made an emergency address to the nation railing against the attempted coup and said the very existence of the Russian state was at stake. "We are fighting for the lives and security of our people, for our sovereignty and independence, he said, comparing the Wagner mutiny to the 1917 revolution that led to the collapse of imperial Russia. The source of his ire was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken leader of the Wagner mercenary group, who had vowed to avenge attacks he claimed were perpetrated by the Russian military against his men in eastern Ukraine. Mr Prigozhin vehemently denied accusations of treason and spent the day vowing to fight until the end. However, late on Saturday his band of mercenaries halted their march and would turn back to avoid shedding Russian blood in a deal broken by Belarusian president and Russias closest ally Alexander Lukashenko. In a day, we marched to nearly 200km outside of Moscow. In this time, we did not spill a single drop of blood of our fighters, Mr Prigozhin said in audio messages shared to his Telegram channels. Now, the moment has come when blood may spill. Thats why, understanding the responsibility of spilling Russian blood on one of the sides, we are turning back our convoys and going back to field camps according to the plan. It was unclear on Saturday night exactly what the agreement to halt the Wagner convoy entailed. But the Kremlin later confirmed that neither Mr Prigozhin nor his troops would face criminal charges over the insurrection in a humiliating climbdown by Mr Putin who had earlier vowed revenge on those responsible. The Kremlin did not confirm Mr Prigozhins whereabouts but said he would be moved to Belarus, a close ally of Russia. In a day of dramatic developments: Moscows mayor urged all residents to stay in their homes Authorities declared a counterterrorist regime in the capital enhancing security and restricting some movement Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the movement of the Wagner convoy There was confusion over Mr Putins whereabouts, with the Kremlin denying he had left the city in a plane A Wagner convoy makes their way towards Moscow along the M4 (Reuters) There were also unconfirmed reports that a number of Russian officials had left the capital, with suggestions that Denis Manturov, a deputy prime minister, may have flown to Turkey. The crisis ignited on Friday night when Mr Prigozhin, a former hotdog seller turned warlord, issued a string of expletive-riddled audio and video messages. He accused the top Russian military brass of bombing his camp in the eastern region of Donbas, lying about the motivations for invading Ukraine, and rampant corruption. As tensions mounted, Mr Putin responded by saying his former confidante was guilty of armed insurrection and treason and promised to punish those behind the stab in the back. Wagner forces deployed along some of the toughest battle lines in Ukraine crossed back into Russia, captured the logistical hub of Rostov in the south, and then set off on a 1000km (620 miles) race to the capital. Videos shared on their channels purportedly showed a column of tanks mounted on armoured cars and an advanced Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system making its way north accompanied by as many as 5000 men, or a fifth of Wagners claimed total forces. Desperate to halt an advance, Russia's military fired on the column with helicopters, deployed tanks and even tore up key motorways with diggers according to videos posted online. Russian servicemen in central Moscow yesterday (AFP) We will destroy anyone who stands in our way, Mr Prigozhin originally vowed. We are moving forward and will go until the end, he added. The spectacular eruption of violence in Russia, came after searing tensions within the countrys top command since President Putin invaded Ukraine last February. Mr Prigozhin, once a shadowy figure who denied his role with private military companies, has fast become the most outspoken and powerful figure in Mr Putins war. His forces which first appeared in Russias initial invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014 were stationed in some of the bloodiest battlefields like Bakhmut. There he would frequently post videos criticising the Ministry of Defence and top Russian generals for poor battle plans or not providing enough ammunition. This claim, his former troops say, was a ruse to allow him to stockpile weapons he ultimately used in Russia on Saturday. Speaking exclusively to The Independent, a former Wagner soldier, who was stationed near Bakhmut in November but managed to escape to Europe with the help of dissidents, said Mr Prigozhin was a skilful manipulator. Yevgeny Prigozhin will be moved to Belarus but will not face criminal charges the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday night (AP) The soldier said he had gained so much power due to the war in Ukraine. Everyone should understand and realise that the regular army and those who serve in Wagner now are under the rule imposed by Prigozhin. He said that Mr Prigozhin ruled by fear in a dictatorial regime and so people remain loyal to survive. They are frightened [of] reprisal if they speak out or fail to follow orders, he said, asking to remain anonymous for his own security. He added that Mr Prigozhins hysterical statements and actions were aimed at garnering support and creating the image of a strong leader. Even to this day, some people continue to view him favourably, he added. In Ukraine, commanders, officials and foot soldiers watched with amusement, confusion and trepidation, at the events as they unfolded. The extraordinary disintegration of Russias top brass signalled an unprecedented opportunity on the battlefield, but many on the ground feared what forces were supporting Mr Prigozhin and the dangers of a President Putin backed into the corner. If Prigozhin starts destroying aeroplanes and helicopters and makes it to Moscow, it means a big deal, one Ukrainian intelligence source told The Independent. Wagner Group fighters in Rostov-on-Don (Reuters) He cant be doing this on his own, he must be supported by someone, some oligarch, someone who wants to remove Putin and put him in power. We dont know who that is, and that is worrying, the source added. President Zelensky said that Saturdays events showed the world that the bosses of Russia do not control anything. Nothing at all. Its complete chaos, he wrote on his Twitter account. There is complete absence of any predictability, he added urging the West to give more support to oust Russia from Ukrainian lands. Ukrainian soldiers said Ukraine made modest gains on Saturday as the situation in Russia disintegrated. Without a doubt, we will take advantage of this, as you will see in the near future, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesperson for the armed forces in the east, told The Independent. Anupgiri Gosain was given away to a warlord by his impoverished widowed mother He has been depicted as a fearsome commander, leading a private army of dreadlocked, naked warriors on foot and horseback, armed with cannons to the battlefield. But Anupgiri Gosain was also an ascetic - a man devoted to Hindu god Shiva - or a Naga sadhu, one of the revered holy men of India. These naked, ash-smeared ascetics with matted hair form a prominent sect and are often seen at the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival. Gosain was a "warrior ascetic", according to William R Pinch, author of Warrior Ascetics and Indian Empires. To be sure, the Nagas had a "fearsome and unruly" reputation. The obvious difference is that the 18th Century Nagas were "extremely well-armed and disciplined", and were said to be "excellent cavalry and infantry troops", Mr Pinch, a historian at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, told me. James Skinner, an officer of the East India Company, commissioned a portrait of a Naga soldier in the early 19th century. It portrays a man, barefoot and clothed only in a leather belt that supports his sabre and pouches filled with gunpowder, ammunition, and flint. His hair, thick and matted, is intricately wound around his head resembling a protective helmet. Grasping a long-barrelled musket with his left hand, he displays a vermillion tilak, an emblematic symbol, on his forehead. "The Nagas had a good reputation as shock troops and in hand-to-hand close-quarter combat. Under Anupgiri, they developed into a full-fledged infantry and cavalry army that could compete with the best," Mr Pinch said. In the late 1700s, Anupgiri - and his brother Umraogiri - commanded more than 20,000 men. By the late 18th Century, the number of ascetic soldiers, carrying cannon and rockets, increased dramatically. Author and historian William Dalrymple has described Anupgiri as a "fearsome Naga commander" who was given the Mughal title Himmat Bahadur or 'Great of Courage'. In The Anarchy, a history of the East India Company and how it came to to wield dominion over India, Mr Dalrymple writes about the army of Mirza Najaf Khan, a Mughal commander, being joined by a different class of soldiers: the "dreadlocked Nagas of Anupgiri Gosain" who arrived with 6,000 of his naked warriors and 40 cannon. There's also a reference to Anupgiri's services - a force of "10,000 gosain [generic term for ascetic] on horse and foot, as well as five cannon, numerous bullock carts full of supplies, tents and 12 lakh rupees [almost 16m in 2019] in money". A shadowy figure, Anupgiri has been described as possibly the most successful "military entrepreneur" - or mercenary - of the late 18th Century. It is an appropriate appellation: nearly all private armies hired by kings were mercenaries in those days. "A native speaking of Anupgiri said he was like a man who in crossing a river kept a foot in two boats, ready to abandon the one that was sinking," noted Thomas Brooke, a judge in the city of Banaras (now called Varanasi). Not surprisingly, the charismatic warrior ascetic was omnipresent. "Anupgiri was ubiquitous because he was the kind of person everyone needed. He was reviled because he was the kind of person everyone hated needing. He was the inside operator people turned to when they wanted troops, an ear to the ground, a deft negotiator, or a dirty job done quietly," writes Mr Pinch. Anupgiri fought his battles on all sides. In the battle of Panipat in 1761, he fought on the side of the Mughal emperor and the Afghans against the Marathas. Three years later he was present with the Mughal forces against the British in the Battle of Buxar. Anupgiri also played a key role in the rise of Najaf Khan, the Persian adventurer, in Delhi. Later, he turned his back on the Marathas and joined forces with the British. At the end of his life in 1803, he enabled the defeat of the Marathas at the hands of the British, and helped in the British capture of Delhi, an event which catapulted the East India Company into the role of paramount power in southern Asia - and the world, according to Mr Pinch. "The more one examines the succession of events that marked the Mughal and Maratha decline in the late 18th Century and the concomitant rise of British power, the more one sees the outline of Anupgiri Gosain in the background," said Mr Pinch. Born in 1734 in Bundelkhand, a strategically important province in northern India, Anupgiri - and his elder brother - were given away to a warlord by his impoverished widowed mother, after his father's death. There are stories - possibly apocryphal - that he spent his childhood playing with clay soldiers. Oral traditions suggest that men like Anupgiri were given permission to arm themselves in the 16th Century to fend off attacks by Muslims. But, as Mr Pinch found, Anupgiri served Muslim employers including Mughal emperor Shah Alam and even fought on the side of Afghan king Ahmed Shah Abdali at Panipat in 1761 against the Marathas. Poems celebrating his life talk about Muslim soldiers in his entourage. "Anupgiri's genius lay in his ability to parlay his indispensability into power. He was not high born and he knew how and when to fight - and when to run," said Mr Pinch. "He knew how to convince opponents and allies alike that he had nothing to lose." A world where armed ascetics could operate with a wide licence was a world in which they were "held or feared to be what they claimed to be: humans who had conquered death". In Mr Dalrymple's dramatic telling of the decisive Battle of Buxar which confirmed British power over Bengal and Bihar, Anupgiri, badly wounded in the thigh, persuades Shuja-ud-Daula, the governor of Avadh, to escape the battlefield. "This is not the moment for an unprofitable death," he says. "We will easily win and take revenge another day." They retreat to a bridge of boats across a river, which Anupgiri orders to be destroyed behind him. And the warrior ascetic survives to fight another day. BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features. Read more India stories from the BBC: NASCAR Chicago Street Race: What to know about the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course around the city in July CHICAGO Welcome to the new rush hour in Chicago. The city will transform the Grant Park environs into the first NASCAR Chicago Street Race on July 2, with separate events on July 1 as well. The televised Cup Series event will have NASCAR drivers weaving through the park on closed-off streets lined with temporary fences, grandstands and what promoters hope will be thousands of fans. Heres everything you need to know about the race including the course map, road closures and how to watch (or avoid) it all. Has Chicago hosted a NASCAR race before? Yes, Soldier Field hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in July 1956. A quarter-century later, an ambitious plan by then-Mayor Jane Byrne to hold a Formula One race on Lake Shore Drive in summer 1981 never made it to the starting line. This time, the course will stay north of Soldier Field and south of the infamous S-curve on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Why is the city hosting this race now? The event is expected to draw 100,000 attendees, and NASCAR estimates it could generate more than $3 million in tax revenue for the city. This is actually going to be our first race on a street course in our 75-year history, said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing development and strategy. Its going to be a very unique course. NASCAR is building the track and will pay rental fees to the Chicago Park District for the use of Grant Park, but terms of the three-year agreement with the city were not disclosed. Its going to be one of the most iconic racecourses maybe ever and introduce a whole new fan base to what NASCAR is about in the city of Chicago, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on July 19, 2022. The opportunity to really ignite our tourism with a new, iconic event on the calendar was a no-miss opportunity. But not everyone is happy with the disruption. The races that are coming up in the next few weeks in Chicago certainly have a lot of our constituents excited, said 1st Ward Ald. Daniel La Spata, the chair of the City Councils Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. They also have a lot of our constituents confused, frustrated, angry. Another concern for constituents and businesses is the noise level, which can be 96.5 to 104 decibels at 150 feet from the track according to NASCARchronicle.com. According to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race website, special mufflers will be used on the cars that successfully lowered sound levels by as much as 10 decibels earlier this year at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. What other events are happening around the race? In addition to 40 race cars driving 200 mph, the two-day event will feature full-length concerts ranging from country to electronic dance, headlined by Miranda Lambert, The Chainsmokers and The Black Crowes. There also will be an Xfinity Series race, the second tier of NASCAR competition, on July 1. Whats the route? The 12-turn, 2.2-mile course is the first street race in NASCAR history. Drivers will make 100 laps for 220 miles total. We want to put drivers through some of the toughest challenges we can, and this track will do that, Hall of Fame driver-turned-NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after a test drive of the course. Therell be some guys that really like it. There will be some guys that find it really challenging and miserable. The pop-up course will start on Columbus Drive in front of Buckingham Fountain, taking in stretches of DuSable Lake Shore Drive and South Michigan Avenue in a lap filled with sharp turns, bottlenecks and an urban backdrop. Earnhardt said drivers should top 140 mph on straightaways such as DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Some turns will force the cars to slow to about 40 mph, he said, while others will accommodate much higher speeds. The fastest turn will likely be No. 2, from Balbo Drive onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive, with drivers hitting 90-100 mph, he said. One of the most challenging spots will be Turn 7 from Balbo onto South Michigan Avenue. Much like regular rush-hour traffic, Earnhardt expects something of a traffic jam. Whats the timeline for road closures before and after the race? Well, from now until July 13. The southbound lanes of the major lakefront thoroughfare will close from Randolph Street to the Museum Campus beginning Wednesday. Lane reductions will extend farther: Traffic will be reduced to two lanes at North Avenue, then to one lane at Chicago Avenue. Downtown traffic will be directed to exit at Michigan Avenue, and through traffic will be directed to exit at Grand Avenue. Between Grand and Randolph, only local traffic will be allowed. Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed along the same downtown stretch beginning July 1. Traffic will be reduced to two lanes at 47th Street, then one lane near 31st Street. Northbound traffic will be required to exit at I-55. The northbound lanes are expected to reopen July 2, and the southbound lanes are anticipated to reopen by July 4. All other roads are expected to reopen between July 2 and July 13. And dont forget: Theres construction on the Kennedy Expressway to complicate your commute too. City officials are encouraging drivers to take alternate routes, walk, bike or take public transportation to reach downtown, and they said Metra and CTA would provide additional service during the NASCAR race. CTA buses around Grant Park will be rerouted for the race. Beginning Monday and lasting through the event, more than a dozen lines will be adjusted, including: #1, #2, #3, #4, #x4, #6, #7, #10, #J14 Jeffery Jump, #26, #28, #126, #143, #147 and some evening #148 buses The weekend of the event, 18 bus routes will detour around downtown, including: #3, #4, #6, #10, #12, #J14, #18, #20, #22, #36, #56, #60, #62, #126, #130, #146, #147, and #151. Buses serving the north end of the Loop will generally let passengers off near the State/Lake Red Line L station, buses serving the west end of the Loop will drop passengers off near the LaSalle L stations, and buses serving the south end of the Loop will take passengers near the Roosevelt train station. The #151 will travel through downtown, but will be detoured off Michigan Avenue to avoid the closed road. From Thursday through July 5, regular service on #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express will be replaced by a shuttle bus between the Roosevelt L station and the Museum Campus because of road closures along Roosevelt. The shuttle will run every 15 minutes. CTA, Metra and Pace also are offering service to the race. On July 1 and 2, Metra will run extra trains on the BNSF line to Aurora and the Rock Island line to Joliet. Pace cautioned riders to expect longer travel times and delayed pickups and said the designated ADA Paratransit drop-off area for Pace is at Columbus and Monroe. Lollapalooza will shut down portions of the Grant Park area over the course of roughly 25 days, whereas NASCAR will close various downtown areas for about 35 days, according to Lollapalooza and the city. Can I still go to Museum Campus during all of this? Yes, but some of the museums have adjusted their hours. Access will remain open to Navy Pier and the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and other attractions. To access the museums, drivers must reach either DuSable Lake Shore Drive south of downtown or arrive via I-55. From DuSable Lake Shore Drive, they can exit the northbound lanes at 31st Street, then take Fort Dearborn Drive along the lakefront to 18th Street. Those heading to the museums from I-55 can take DuSable Lake Shore Drive north and exit at 18th Street. Wait, isnt the Taste of Chicago this weekend? Usually, but that has been moved to September to accommodate the race. The Taste, a summer tradition established in 1980 and typically held in early July, welcomes tens of thousands of visitors to Grant Park for food, beverages, live music, dancing, karaoke and kids activities. It will now be held on Sept. 8-10. OK, Im going. Where can I park and whats the schedule? Theres two-day event parking starting at $65 at the Grant Park North Garage (25 N. Michigan Ave.) and Millennium Park Garage (6 S. Columbus Dr.). Gates for all things NASCAR open at 9 a.m. both days. Saturday, July 1 10 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series Practice and Qualifying 12-12:30 p.m.: Prerace concert featuring the JC Brooks Band 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Prerace concert featuring The Black Crowes 4 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series race 7-8:30 p.m.: Postrace concert featuring The Chainsmokers Sunday, July 2 12-1 p.m.: Prerace concert featuring Charley Crockett 1:30-3 p.m.: Prerace concert featuring Miranda Lambert 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series race As with most events, attendees are limited to one clear bag no larger than 12-by-12-by-6 or a small clutch or fanny pack that are 6-by-6 with one pocket. Backpacks and bags with multiple pockets are prohibited. Who are the drivers to watch? Its no surprise Bubba Wallace, the second Black driver to win in the Cup Series, is soon to become a Chicago favorite he drives the No. 23 Toyota Camry for Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing. Hes also hosting a pre-race party Wednesday at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center at which Lupe Fiasco will perform. For those thinking local, the White Sox are sponsoring Ty Dillons No. 77 Chevrolet complete with team branding, colors and logos on the car and fire suit. Beggars Pizza will be on the rear quarter panel and TV panel of the car. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson came out of retirement to compete in the Chicago Street Race driving a No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro a reverse of the No. 48 he formerly used. Jenson Button, a British Formula One driver, is making his stock-car debut this season. He will drive the No. 15 Ford Mustang. A water intake point on the San Juan River in Mexican Hat, San Juan County, is pictured on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. The San Juan River makes up much of the northern border of the Navajo Nation and serves as the tribes primary source of Colorado River water. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow of sorts to the Navajo Nation over its access to clean, running water because the conservative majority said the ask from the nation went beyond treaty obligations enshrined in 1868. It wasnt what the Navajo Nation had hoped for. The nations president, Buu Nygren, called it a sad day but a motivator. So, it will be an exciting time to put up a good fight. So, I know that as Navajo people, we dont just lay down and let people tell us how things are managed, he said Friday afternoon in a Zoom conference. We continue to survive and we continue to make the best for our families and our communities. So, thats how I feel, for I feel that were going to come out stronger. The Navajo Nation has long claimed that the federal government is required by the treaty to do more to meet the reservations water needs, where an estimated 30% to 40% of residents lack access to clean running water. But the court ruled water rights and providing water infrastructure are two different things, emphasizing it is not the governments role to take an affirmative step to provide that benefit of delivery, under the treaty. Related Nygren lamented the decision as disappointing because Navajo should not have to rely on so many rudimentary means to get access to clean water. Theres so many families that are tired of hauling water, so many families that are still drinking at a windmill water (pump), which is just the way I grew up. And thats unfair. But as your president I will continue to move forward, and always protect Navajo sovereignty, he said. Related Shay Dvoretzky, an attorney in the case representing the Skadden Arps law firm in Washington, D.C., said the decision did not grant the relief the Navajo Nation sought yet still provided a number of silver linings in the nations favor. The Supreme Court had held that when the federal government creates an Indian reservation and (it) also reserves water rights to go with the land. And in yesterdays opinion, all nine justices reaffirmed the continued vitality of that doctrine. That means the reservations have the right to use needed water from various sources such as groundwater, rivers, streams, lakes and springs that are on border crossings or encompassed on land within the reservation, Dvoretzky said. Related He emphasized that some in the media have wrongly reported that this was a water rights case when it actually encircled access to that water via delivery systems. Both the majority opinion and the dissent in the 5-4 decision unequivocally upheld tribal water rights. Also, he said the court left open the possibility for more negotiations, especially via the Navajo Nation pursuing congressional action that could put it on solid ground in terms of infrastructure needs. The majority opinion said Congress and the President may update the law to address modern water needs and the Navajo people, he said. Although we didnt get the relief that we wanted from the court in this particular case, that doesnt end the nations fight for the water that it needs, he added. And in fact, there are a number of opportunities I think this opinion creates. Dvoretzky clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court, has litigated 17 cases before the justices, heads up his firms Supreme Court and Appellate division and was named litigator of the year in 2019 by American Lawyer. NC sheriffs deputy terminated, charged with solicitation of prostitute A North Carolina sheriffs deputy has been fired after being arrested and charged with solicitation of a prostitute, officials told ABC Affiliate WLOS. READ: NC trooper arrested while with prostitute, warrant says The Asheville Police Department on Thursday arrested and charged Buncombe County Deputy Chad Drew Walker, 40, authorities said. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said in a news release that Walker was terminated, effective immediately. VIDEO: Prostitution network defrauded around $500K billing sexual services as healthcare coverage Nebraska groom dies of a blood clot less than hour after exchanging vows, report says A Nebraska groom's unexpected death this week turned a bride into a wife and a widow in less than an hour, friends say. Monday was meant to be a moment of celebration for Toraze Davis, 48, and Johnnie Mae Dennis as Juneteenth also marked Dennis grandmothers birthday. But shortly after making their vows to each other at their Omaha ceremony, Davis collapsed to the ground and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to local news station KETV. He died of a blood clot, according to KETV. Davis collapsed shortly after preparing to take wedding photos outside the church, KETV reported. Both Johnnie Mae & Toraze planned on living the rest of their lives together. Unfortunately, Toraze gave his last breath shortly after saying I Do. All our hearts are aching for Mrs. Davis and her children, read the GoFundMe page for Dennis created by her friend Monica Miller. As you know, Johnnie Mae always helps others; this is our time to help her. Miller, who is also Dennis coworker at a health care service business, told KETV that the wedding was the happiest day of Davis' life. "I could just see the smile on his face and how happy he was. And it's just his energy. I just knew that he was just, it was a great day for him, Miller said. Jewel Roberson, Dennis friend, said Davis' heart stopped just an hour after the ceremony began. She said the blood clot was not survivable. Within a second. It happened within a second, Roberson told KETV. She's been widowed and married in a 10-minute span. Roberson said that the wedding was beautiful prior to the incident. KETV reported that Dennis father died a few weeks prior to the wedding. The GoFundMe page has reached over $12,000 as of Friday afternoon. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska bride married, widowed within hour after husband's collapse Photo by Volusia Sheriffs Office/Facebook Jon Minadeo Jr., the leader of neo-Nazi group Goyim Defense League, was reportedly arrested on Friday evening. In Bibb County, Georgia, his group was allegedly live streaming when Minadeo was handcuffed and taken into a police car. The charges are pretty minor, reports The Informants Nick Martin, with one listed as disorderly conduct and the other as miscellaneous. His bond is set at $910. Jon Minadeo Jr., leader of the neo-Nazi group Goyim Defense League, appears to have been arrested today in Bibb County, Georgia. His group was livestreaming when sheriff's deputies handcuffed him and put him into a patrol car. The charges are not yet known. pic.twitter.com/dRLWiIpteA Nick Martin (@nickmartin) June 23, 2023 Minadeo, along with a handful of other GDL members, have recently adopted sovereign citizen tactics to escape legal dilemmas. The sovereign citizen movement is a far-right, anti-government extremist group who claim that the American government has no authority over them. Those involved with this movement say they can divorce themselves from the government. In a video posted on June 15 to Telegram, Minadeo and his GDL associate Colby Ace Alexander Frank explained how they would be skirting charges from a May 21 incident where the pair were arrested in Martin County, Florida. I actually submitted a jurisdictional challenge because I come in common law, Frank said. He went on to say that this is the difference between the all caps name that youll find on your birth certificate, on your drivers license, on your credit cards, versus your lower case, Christian name. The pseudo-legal technique argues that any reference to humans written in all capital lettersas names are regularly stylized in most legal documentsare not a legal reference to them. Frank and Minadeo claim that these are artificial entities created by the government for nefarious reasons. Minadeo has yet to confirm whether or not he will attempt to use this tactic to evade his new arrest in Georgia. This is not the first time Minadeo has been arrested. Along with the recent arrest in Florida, in September 2022, Minadeo was arrested in Poland for posing with an antisemitic banner at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. He and one other suspect were caught after they illegally burst into the site but escaped immediately after taking photos of the messages on the banners. Greenblatt suck 6 million dicks, read Minadeos message, referencing Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. Last year in October, the GDL made headlines when they displayed a banner over Los Angeles 405 interstate that read: Kanye was right about the Jews and Honk if you know. This came after Kanye West remarked that he was going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE. Minadeo has also been active in Florida. In February earlier this year, Minadeo was cited for littering as he distributed a handful of antisemitic flyers on cars throughout Palm Beach County. After a string of more antisemitic incidentslike hanging more banners in Jacksonvillearound Florida for the first half of the year, the police decided to step in. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood stated that we are not going to tolerate this before laying out a plan to take down GDL, who spent their days in the state declaring that Hitler was right. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=745746397121476 It appears that Florida has received its wish to remove Minadeo and his GDL group as they now take on Georgia. After the news broke, GDLs Twitter account shared a photo of Minadeo, saying he was unbothered and flourishing. GDL members have been accused of stalking, aggravated assault, murder, terror threats, threatening public officials, and defacing a memorial for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in Florida. Still, leader Minadeo claims to preach nonviolence. 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. By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) -U.S. intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, a report declassified on Friday said. The four-page report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said the U.S. intelligence community still could not rule out the possibility that the virus came from a laboratory, however, and had not been able to discover the origins of the pandemic. "The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both (natural and lab) hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting," the ODNI report said. The report said that while "extensive work" had been conducted on coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute (WIV), the agencies had not found evidence of a specific incident that could have caused the outbreak. "We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic," the report said. The origins of the coronavirus pandemic have been a matter of furious debate in the United States almost since the first human cases were reported in Wuhan in late 2019. U.S. President Joe Biden in March signed a bill declassifying information related to the origins of the pandemic. Biden said at the time of signing that he shared Congress' goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of COVID-19. The debate was refueled by a Wall Street Journal report in February that the U.S. Energy Department had assessed with "low confidence" in a classified intelligence report that the pandemic most likely arose from a Chinese laboratory leak, an assessment Beijing denies. FBI director Christopher Wray said on Feb. 28 his agency had assessed for some time that the origins of the pandemic were "most likely a potential lab incident" in the Chinese city of Wuhan. China said this claim had "no credibility whatsoever". As of March 20, four other U.S. agencies still judged that COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two were undecided. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Jacqueline Wong) No end in sight for searing Texas heatwave as grid operator urges residents to conserve power A record-breaking heat wave in Texas is likely to continue through the Fourth of July holiday and expand across eight states, weather forecasters warned. Texas has been hit by historically-high temperatures for more than 10 days, with dozens of records broken in the past week. San Angelo hit 114 degrees Fahrenheit (F) on Tuesday and Wednesday, beating the previous all-time record high by three degrees. Rio Grande Village reached a temperature of 118F, two degrees off the all-time state record. As much as we dont want to tweet this We did hit 114 here at the office in San Angelo today. So that means we have tied our all-time record high, set approximately 24 hours ago, the local National Weather Service (NWS) office said. The death of a postal worker in Dallas, where the heat index reached 115 degrees, has been blamed on the brutal heat. Around 50 million people were under heat alerts stretching from Arizona to Arkansas on Saturday. Computer models suggest the heat will expand into Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri and also eastward into Arkansas and Louisiana. Scientists say that a historically intense heat dome over northern Mexico is responsible for trapping heat underneath is and causing the heatwave. There is really no end in sight for the excessive heat that has plagued particularly Texas/southeastern New Mexico in recent days, the NWS said on Friday. And it added: Temperatures over 100F and heat indices much higher will continue expanding east into the Lower Mississippi Valley and north toward the central Plains next week. Last week Texass power grid operator asked residents to voluntarily cut back on electricity due to anticipated record demand caused by the heat. The request by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which serves most of that states nearly 30 million residents, was the first it has made this year. Climate change is making heatwaves five times more likely, according to data from Climate Central. Human-caused climate change made the extreme and extremely unusual temperatures in Mexico and the southern US much more likely. Heat this intense, this early in the year will create stressful conditions for millions of people, said Andrew Pershing, vice president for science at Climate Central. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed on Friday the General Assemblys annual farm measure and another bill that would prevent state government activities like pension investing from being directed based on environmental or social justice concerns. The vetoes bring the Democratic governors total for the year to eight. Next, the two latest likely will be subjected to override votes by Republicans, who now hold veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate. Both measures also received some votes from Democrats on the way to reaching Coopers desk earlier this month. READ MORE: Annual North Carolina farm measure, with wetland protection limits, gets final OK The annual farm bill covers more than 30 topics. But Cooper, like conservation groups and other Democrats, focused on a provision that would limit wetlands protections when combined with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and existing state law. Opponents of the wetland language have said it would result in a massive amount of wetlands important for absorbing flood waters and pollution being open for development, harming water quality. In his veto message, Cooper wrote it would leave about half of the states wetlands unprotected. READ MORE: North Carolina governor vetoes limits on politics, race discussion in state workplaces The provision means more severe flooding for homes, roads and businesses and dirtier water for our people, particularly in eastern North Carolina, Cooper said, adding that while state government works to protect the state from flooding and stop pollution from contaminants, this bill reverses our progress. Environmental groups on Friday praised the veto and urged it be upheld. Supporters of the provision say the impact of the language is overstated, affecting isolated wetlands, like those that turn into streams only when it rains. Sen. Brent Jackson, a Sampson County Republican and chief bill sponsor, said he hoped the veto would be overridden and that the measure supports the states top industry in agriculture. Coopers objection fails to consider our obligation to comply with federal law and regulations, Jackson said. The 2023 Farm Act ensures North Carolina is in compliance with federal laws. READ MORE: North Carolina Senate acts quickly to seek to override 4 of Gov. Coopers vetoes The other vetoed bill would ban state agencies from using environmental, social and governance standards to screen potential investments, award contracts or hire and fire employees. It also says the state could not weigh how a company promotes sustainability, engages with its community or structures its leadership to support those goals. The measure stems from Republican efforts nationwide to counterweight a focus by big business on environmental sustainability and workplace diversity that they say is so extreme that it harms shareholders and pensioners. At least two other states have already enacted laws banning such criteria, and elected officials in several other red states have derided them or proposed similar policies to stop investors who contract with states from adopting them. READ MORE: Gov. Cooper says GOP teacher pay, voucher plans a public education disaster And on state investments like those in pension funds, the bill says the state treasurer could solely consider factors expected to have a material effect on the financial risk or financial return of an investment. This bill does exactly what it claims to stop, Cooper wrote. For political reasons only, it unnecessarily limits the Treasurers ability to make decisions based on the best interest of state retirees and the fiscal health of the retirement fund. State Treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, supported the bill. SEE MORE: Despite higher costs, Charlotte City Council approves solar farm project Cooper also announced he signed seven bills into law, including one that would allow any city to hire civilian traffic investigators to respond to traffic crashes that only result in property damage. He declined to sign a measure that would prohibit local governments from adopting rules preventing the expansion of certain energy services based on fuel type such as natural gas. This means the measure, which also creates a method to follow when decommissioning solar energy projects, will become law once his 10-day window to act upon the bill expires late Sunday. (WATCH: BirdSong Brewery uses solar power to craft beer) A Greensboro police officer was fired Friday and charged in the sexual assault of a person who has a mental disability, police officials said. After a two-week investigation, police charged 24-year-old Officer Miguel Garcia with second-degree forcible sex offense Friday, and Police Chief J.W. Thompson fired him, according to a Greensboro Police Department news release. Garcia was charged after police presented initial findings of an internal investigation to the Guilford County District Attorneys Office Friday, according to the police statement. Per standard protocol, Garcia was placed on administrative duty June 8 when the investigation began into a May 31 incident involving the officer. Garcia finished his work shift that day, left in his police vehicle and was in uniform when he met with the victim, whom he knows, according to police. Police announced the charge against Garcia at a news conference at department headquarters Friday night. Garcia was jailed just after 7:30 p.m. Friday and remained in custody Saturday, Guilford County jail records showed. Sensitive data about 45,000 New York City public school students as well as information about staff and school service providers were compromised in a worldwide cyberattack, city education officials said Friday. The attackers targeted a vulnerability in the popular file-transfer software MOVEit, which New York public schools has used to share documents and data internally and with third-party vendors that include special education service providers. The safety and security of our students and staff, including their personal information and data, is of the utmost importance for the New York City Department of Education, said public schools spokesman Nathaniel Styer in a statement. We will provide impacted members of the DOE community with more information as soon as we are able, he added. The security flaw was previously unknown by MOVEits software company, Progress, or its users, according to the NYC Cyber Command. No public school data had been published as of Friday, nor was the agency facing a threat or ransom demand. The massive ransomware operation has hit several state and federal agencies, from the federal Department of Energy and states of Maryland and Illinois, to Louisianas and Oregons departments of motor vehicles and transportation, respectively. Working with NYC Cyber Command, we immediately took steps to remediate, and an internal investigation revealed that certain DOE files were affected, said Styer. Currently, we have no reason to believe there is any ongoing unauthorized access to DOE systems. The hack impacted fewer local students than a breach last year estimated to be the largest-ever of K-12 student data nationwide but is hitting more sensitive information. Personal data that was impacted ranged from Social Security numbers for some students and teachers, to roughly 19,000 documents including student evaluations and related services progress reports, Medicaid reports, and internal employee leave records. Hackers also accessed student and employee ID numbers, and dates of birth. The data impacted per person may vary. Education officials will notify students whose confidential information was compromised beginning this summer. Those families will be offered access to an identity monitoring service. Cybersecurity experts suspect the hackers are a Russia-affiliated ransomware group known by the acronym CL0P. The city worked with an e-discovery firm to do a full review of the impacted files, with preliminary results released Friday, and has taken down the impacted server. An investigation by the NYPD and FBI is ongoing. Over the last month, the hackers have used a software vulnerability to steal files from roughly 100 organizations, according to Axios, and demand ransom from some for not publishing them on its website. Last year, the personal data of 820,000 current and former city public school students were compromised in the hack of a widely used online grading and attendance system from the company Illuminate Education. That breach prompted a weeks-long shutdown of the systems and wreaked havoc on the citys schools. The attackers gained access to a database containing students names, birthdays, ethnicities, home languages and ID numbers since the 2016-17 school year. In some cases, they extracted information about whether students get special education services and economic status information. At the end of the school year, the city called it quits with Illuminate Education, which again caused disruption for many teachers and families. A replacement grading and attendance system developed by the city has been slow to roll out, and throughout the fall left some parents without a sense of how their kids were performing in school. The state student privacy law was passed nearly a decade ago, in 2014, with rigorous security provisions, said Leonie Haimson, who co-chairs the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. To this day, DOE does not comply with the law when it comes to protecting student data and sadly, the State Education Department with oversight responsibility has done very little to ensure that they do, she added. With News Wire Services "Titanic" director James Cameron had criticized the Titan's submersible design as "too experimental to carry passengers." (Pat Martin / For The Times; Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein is defending his former company against criticism from "Titanic" director James Cameron about the tourist submersible Titan's design after it imploded this week, killing all five of its passengers. The submersible had been on a dive to the Titanic wreck site when it was reported missing Sunday after losing contact with a research vessel on the surface. After news of the tragedy broke, Cameron, a longtime member of the diving community who famously dove to the deepest known point on Earth and who has visited the Titanic wreck more than 30 times, told ABC News on Thursday evening that the carbon-fiber design of OceanGate's submersible was "too experimental to carry passengers and that it needed to be certified." He has since appeared on various news outlets repeating his concern about the sub's lack of certification and has called for greater regulation of similar sea vehicles. Sohnlein, who co-founded the deep-sea tourism company in 2009, responded directly to Cameron's comments on the U.K.'s Times Radio on Friday, explaining that in the diving community, "there are completely different opinions and views about how to do things, how to design submersibles, how to engineer them, build them, how to operate in the dives." Read more: James Cameron says Titan submersible passengers likely had warning just before implosion "But one thing thats true of me and the other experts, is none of us were involved in the design, engineering, building, testing or even diving of the subs," Sohnlein continued. "So its impossible for anyone to really speculate from the outside." In a separate interview on BBC Radio 4's "Today," Sohnlein echoed his defense and mentioned Cameron by name, saying that the film director wasn't there for the submersible's construction and "rigorous test program." He added, "This was a 14-year technology-developed program, and it was very robust and certainly led to successful scientific expositions to the Titanic in the last few years." Sohnlein co-founded OceanGate Expeditions with Stockton Rush, who piloted the failed Titan and died on board. He and Rush led several dives in the early days of the company. Sohnlein served as its CEO before leaving the company in 2013, remaining a minority equity owner, with Rush taking over as chief executive. The company had been using the Titan sub for expeditions with citizen explorers to the Titanic since 2021. Read more: 5 aboard Titanic tourist sub are dead after 'catastrophic implosion' "I was involved in the early phases of the overall development program during our predecessor subs to Titan, and I know from firsthand experience that we were extremely committed to safety, and risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture," he told Times Radio. During a Thursday-evening interview with CNN, Cameron described the certification process by oversight groups, such as the American Bureau of Shipping or Norway-based DNV, as an essential part of diving safety. "I think it was unconscionable that this group did not go through that rigorous process," Cameron said of OceanGate, adding that the incident was preventable. When pressed by BBC Radio 4's Martha Kearney on whether he thought greater certification standards and regulations were needed to prevent other underwater tragedies, Sohnlein deferred to policy experts and said it is a common question across the underwater exploration industry, as well as in space tourism. Read more: He took an OceanGate sub trip to the Titanic. Now he has 'survivor's guilt' "It's a matter of what happens when technology innovation outpaces regulations," he said. "And oftentimes the people developing the technology innovations are in a better position to understand the risks and figure out ways to best minimize them." Representatives for Cameron did not immediately return The Times' requests for comment, while Sohnlein could not be reached Friday afternoon. Also in the ABC News interview, Cameron said the diving community had been concerned about OceanGate's submersible for years, with the community's top engineering figures writing letters to the company expressing concern. The Times obtained a 2018 letter, privately written to Rush, stressing the need for a third-party safety review of OceanGates submersibles. Also in 2018, David Lochridge, a former OceanGate employee, sued the company for terminating him after he raised safety red flags about the submersible and the company's alleged refusal to put its hull through certain critical nondestructive testing. Read more: How The Times covered the sinking of the Titanic: 'The annihilated Leviathan' "Im struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result," Cameron continued, referring to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 in which more than 1,500 died. For us, its a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded. To take place at the same exact site with all the diving thats going on all around the world, I think its just astonishing. Its really quite surreal. Around the time communications were lost, the U.S. Navy had picked up the sound of the submersible imploding. The detected sound was kept secret as the rescue and recover efforts continued over the next four days. The detection wasn't known to the public until the Wall Street Journal reported the event on Thursday, which was later confirmed by The Times. But Cameron claimed that he had also known of the detected "loud bang" days before the public. He told Reuters that his sources in the tightknit submersible community had notified him of the sound and had already suspected that the submersible had imploded. Cameron had begun to email colleagues as early as Monday, writing that "we've lost some friends" and "it's on the bottom in pieces right now." While testing is underway to determine the exact cause of the implosion, Cameron has repeatedly homed in on the Titan's carbon-fiber composite hull as among the likely contributing factors to its demise. "You don't use composites for vessels that are seeing external pressure," such as in deep-sea diving, the "Avatar" director said Friday on "Good Morning America." "They're great for internal-pressure vessels like scuba tanks, for example, but they're terrible for external pressure, so this was trying to apply aviation thinking to a deep submergence engineering problem." Read more: What caused the 'catastrophic implosion' that killed 5 on Titanic tourist sub? Yet OceanGate co-founder Rush believed that the carbon-fiber material, which is commonly used in the aerospace industry, is what would propel deep-sea research and his company forward. The new material allowed them to design sea vehicles that allowed for more space within the hull, giving scientists more room to operate, or for tourism, to carry more enthusiast passengers. Rush knew research was expensive and hoped to offset its costs with high-end adventure tourism, such as the Titan's dives to the Titanic wreck site. He also looked to collaborate with other industries such as oil and gas, mapping the sea floor for dig sites, as well as inspection of bridges or ship hulls. The long-term value is in the commercial side, Rush told Fast Company in 2017. Adventure tourism is a way to monetize the process of proving the technology. Times staff writers Alexandra E. Petri and Noah Goldberg and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Sign up for L.A. Goes Out, a weekly newsletter about exploring and experiencing Los Angeles from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. OceanGate is 'done' and could get sued even though Titan passengers signed waivers, lawyer says OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush also died in the implosion. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press Families of the dead Titan submersible passengers could sue OceanGate, a lawyer said. If investigators find gross negligence, lawsuits will get filed "pretty quickly," William Mack said. The families' lawyers will argue the risk waivers were void if there was gross negligence, he said. OceanGate could be sued by families of the Titan submersible passengers if investigations into its implosion find gross negligence even though they'd signed waivers, a lawyer said. "The enforceability of those types of liability waivers will be tested by the families of these deceased people," William Mack, a commercial litigation lawyer and partner at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, told Insider. He expected that their legal representatives would "make whatever arguments they can that this liability waiver will not apply if there's gross negligence." Mack also expected the families of the passengers who died to appoint an expert to conduct an independent review into the implosion. It's possible investigators conclude that OceanGate concealed material risks and made misrepresentations about the safety of the sub, he added. US and Canadian officials are investigating the implosion that killed all on board. Canada's Transportation Safety Board said its probe would include the Polar Prince mothership, which is Canadian-registered. The US National Transportation Safety Board will assist the US Coast Guard in its investigation, the NTSB tweeted. "If they determine the deaths were as a result of some sort of negligence outside the liability waiver then we could see litigation filed pretty quickly," Mack said. A former OceanGate employee claimed in a 2018 lawsuit he was wrongfully terminated after voicing concerns about the submersible's poor "quality control and safety" protocols that "paying passengers would not be aware" of, per court filings. David Lochridge, who was director of marine operations, claimed OceanGate refused to carry out "critical, non-destructive testing of the experimental design." OceanGate cofounder and CEO Stockton Rush also died in the incident. The company could now be wound up and bankruptcy was a possibility, according to Mack. "This company, in my opinion, is done," he said. "Can you imagine them ever having another customer or investor? They're through." The passengers' families may be able to collect life insurance payouts despite signing waivers, two legal experts told Insider's Erin Snodgrass. OceanGate did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours. Read the original article on Business Insider Ohio father accused of executing 3 young sons could face death penalty for incomprehensible act of horror An Ohio father accused of fatally shooting his three young sons earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to 21 counts included in a grand jury indictment, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty for the incomprehensible act of horror. Chad Doerman, 32, appeared in court for arraignment on the indictment, composed of nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. The filing also includes numerous specifications, such as the victims preteen ages, and use of a firearm during the alleged crimes, that could make the father eligible for death if Doerman if found guilty. Clermont Countys top prosecutor, Mark Tekulve, said outside a courtroom Friday that he hopes surviving family members are able to someday find peace. He also declared the prosecutions mortal goal with certainty. This is a death penalty case, Tekulve said. And my goal is to have this man executed for slaughtering these three little boys. It is an incomprehensible act of horror. The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7. A lawyer for Doerman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chad Doerman appears in court on June 16, 2023. (WLWT) Bail was initially set at $20 million, but the Clermont County judge in the case granted the prosecutions request for no bond pending the next hearing on July 5, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. The prosecution alleges the father lined up his sons in a residential yard and executed them by opening fire with a rifle the afternoon of June 15. It happened at a home in Monroe Township, about 25 miles southwest of Cincinnati, authorities said. The Clermont County Sheriffs Office said in a statement deputies responded to the location after receiving two alarming calls after 4 p.m. that day. A woman reported her babies had been shot, the office said. And a motorist reported a girl was running down a road saying her father was killing everyone, the sheriffs office said. The 34-year-old mother of the boys grabbed the defendants rifle in an attempt to stop the shooting, David Gast of the Clermont County Prosecutors Office said during a court hearing June 16, and was shot in the hand. One of the boys was then able to flee to a nearby field, he said, but Doerman allegedly hunted that boy down, drug him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses. The boys were declared dead at the scene by first responders. The mother was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati with a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. An older sister was unharmed, according to the sheriffs office. Doerman was arrested at the scene without incident, sheriffs officials said. He was found sitting on a step outside the residence, they said. Possible motive has not been revealed. Court documents viewed by WLWT of Cincinnati said Doerman confessed that he had been planning the killings for several months. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Abort The Supreme CourtMichael Currie/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images One year ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court made the unprecedented decision to end the constitutional right to abortion, striking down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Last year's decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization upheld a Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The decision gave each state the individual right to enforce their own abortion restrictions, many of which had so-called "trigger laws" with six-week abortion bans. Chaos ensued as many state statutes made providing an abortion illegal, rather than prosecute those getting them. Depending on the state, the result could be penalizing abortion care providers with a high fee or sometimes, slapping on prison sentences. While there were some exceptions, such as cases of life endangerment for the mother, the language in many states was intentionally vague. Related Muddled abortion laws confuse doctors Today, the status of abortion care continues to vary state by state, creating a fractured and dangerous landscape for maternal health care. Access to abortion can change often, as legal appeals and legislation passing shifts the permissible. According to a new KFF survey of about 570 OBGYNs across the nation, 64 percent think pregnancy-related mortality has worsened post-Dobbs, while 42 percent of OBGYNs say they are "somewhat" or "very" concerned about their own legal risk when it comes to making a decision about abortion necessity. However, this figure rises to 59 percent in states with gestational limits and 61 percent in states with abortion bans. More than half of the OBGYNs surveyed said they have seen an increase in patients seeking some form of contraception including 43 percent who sought sterilization. One in five said they have personally felt constraints on their ability to provide care for miscarriages. Last year, right after Dobbs, Salon spoke with Dr. David Hackney, a Cleveland-based maternal fetal medicine specialist and chair of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Ohio chapter. He expressed concerns about one particularly troubling scenario: What if an otherwise healthy pregnant person found out their fetus had a lethal fetal anomaly, and would not be able to survive outside of the uterus? Would that person be forced to carry that pregnancy to term, despite knowing the fetus wouldn't survive? Salon caught up with Hackney again, nearly one year later, to see how those predictions panned out. This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist. First, tell our readers what you do as a maternal fetal medicine specialist. We manage high-risk pregnant patients. But high-risk is not always cleanly defined. It can be a little bit more gray in terms of how we define risk, but globally, we manage patients who are pregnant, and there's either a health problem with moms such as pregnant patients who have diabetes, high blood pressure or lupus. Basically, any health problems that a human has, or there's some sort of fetal problem or fetal concern birth defects or genetic disorders. Last year when we spoke, you said you felt like the legal ground had "entirely changed beneath my feet." How are you feeling today, one year later? Well, SB23, the law which went into effect on the day of the Dobbs decision itself was in effect for about a three month period, and has been under injunction ever since. And then we have a ballot initiative coming up in November here [in Ohio], so I feel like after Dobbs, one national story became fifty different stories with a different story in every state. I feel as though our story in Ohio is very unique, in the sense that we were under a lot between between a three and four-month period. But then we've also been out of it for several months and are not under it now. So we both experienced a life under that law. We know how bad it was. We know what it feels like, but we're not under it now. And we're also the only state that's going to have a ballot initiative in 2023. We are sort of both actively in the middle of a fight in that regard, and have a potential light at the end of the tunnel. "There's no medical need for a 24-hour waiting period." I feel like when I talk to colleagues from other states, people are in one of two boats. Either they're in a very safe blue state and they're doing work and they're concerned, but there's not sort of an active, if you will, fight going on at that time. Or there are states in which the scenario is far worse than ours, both they're under laws and we're currently fortunately under injunction or they may not have a clear path forward, like a ballot initiative. When the Dobbs decision came down, I felt as though Ohio was a particularly rough state to be in, especially that day since a lot of change that very day, right? Now, I'm actually quite happy to be here because we're both not under SB 23, and we have an active path forward. We have an active fight on our hands. So, currently, abortion is still legal up to 22 weeks in Ohio? Yes. Of course, all the laws which existed before Dobbs are still in place many of which are harmful or not needed. The world under Roe, before Dobbs, was certainly not an optimal circumstance itself. We have a 24 hour waiting period. You have to offer patients to listen to the heart rate. We have a ban on procedures for the intent of Trisomy 21 [one of the characteristics of Down syndrome], and the 22 week limit. So I would definitely not want to characterize things as exactly as good as they should be here. But SB 23 is not under enforcement at this time. "You enter obstetrics, certainly aware of the potential for civil liability. And that always is a concern that hangs over your head." So are you concerned about your own legal risk, as many OBGYNs are in the country? Right now, I'm not concerned about my own legal risk. Certainly we had a tremendous quantity of concern about our legal risks while we were under SB 23. Specifically, it was vague and a lot of the exceptions or areas in which we have to be under in an affirmative defense for maternal health conditions were unclear, and the risks that we face and that many of my colleagues in high risk obstetrics and other states right now face, are criminal charges. And criminal charges is very much a zebra of a different stripe. You enter obstetrics, certainly aware of the potential for civil liability. And that always is a concern that hangs over your head. But from a sort of emotional psychological standpoint, you get used to it over time. You learn about it, you do your best to prepare for it, yourself or colleagues may go through it. But then when the potential for criminal liability comes along, that's something totally different and totally new. And so we don't have a background. We don't have a track record. We don't have case law. The consequences are greater. So that specter has been incredibly stressful to be under. Can you share more about those three months what was that like for you? Yeah, you can divide a lot of the cases where our care maternal-fetal medicine intersects with abortion into fetal or maternal cases. Of course, sometimes it's both. For the fetal cases, the circumstances were tragic, but legally straightforward. The law SB 23 made no exceptions for any fetal conditions, including birth defects which are lethal. In those cases, it was stressful and it was tragic, but there was no question about what we could do and what we were able to do. We did try our best in those circumstances to get those patients out of state. Of course, out of state care is complicated, especially because a lot of other states have waiting periods. "The law SB 23 made no exceptions for any fetal conditions, including birth defects which are lethal." There's no medical need for a 24-hour waiting period. And especially if the patient has to go out of state, especially if the 24-hour clock will not start until the patient is out of state and standing in an office, then you're usually going to look at a day of travel and then start the 24 hour clock when they arrive. And then often they'll need cervical dilation or surgical preparation procedures, which may take 24 hours. And then you have the procedure after that. So between travel and administrative boundaries, that can turn into days. And if it turns into days, then even patients who have the economic means to do so may not be able to do so, if it means time away from family or time away from work. But that's the fetal half. The maternal half was stressful and not straightforward. If you're looking at the potential need to end a pregnancy for maternal health indications, those are usually circumstances in which the patient's not going to be able to travel. SB 23 listed five maternal health exceptions. There was language regarding health and life, but the language was vague and certainly we did not receive a lot of specific guidance. For example, what would we do if we had a pregnant patient who had cancer? The word "cancer" did not appear anywhere in SB 23. The Attorney General issued a "explainer" on SB 23 also did not include the word cancer. So what you do with patients who have cancer is unclear. And likewise, there was an affidavit which was issued in conjunction with a ruling from the judge in Cincinnati placing the injunction on SB 23, which detailed two patients in the states who were pregnant and had cancer and did not receive cancer care. That's so horrific. Last year, going back to the fetal part, you said going down the path of being forced to carry a fetus with a lethal anomaly would be an "unequivocal nightmare" for you. It sounds like you had to face that nightmare scenario within those three months then? "It's not some sort of cruel mistake. It's difficult to even conceive of. It really does feel like there's a legal definition of torture. It feels like it would meet that bar." I can't really talk about specific patients or circumstances, but I can say definitely that my colleagues in Ohio did. In media reports, which are public, there were reports of patients with birth defects, serious ones, as well as publicly available cases of the old birth defects in other states, such as Florida and Texas and other areas where they had to be forced to continue. And I certainly know talking to colleagues in many of those similar states and those have been in the circumstances that they have been in. It's definitely occurring. We definitely knew that it would occur. Again, this was explicitly written into the law. It's not some sort of cruel mistake. Or something along those lines. It's difficult to even conceive of. It really does feel like there's a legal definition of torture. I'm not a lawyer, but it feels like it would meet that bar. What do you wish more people understood about where we are one year post-Dobbs? Everything that we worried about would come true. SB 23 was debated in Ohio back in 2019. It was passed in 2019. And then it was just held up in injunction until the Dobbs decision. I wrote an editorial against it in 2019, which was published in the Columbus Dispatch and I was curious the other day, and I pulled my 2019 editorial, I read it and everything came true. All of the bad things which we said would happen, happened. Read more about reproductive justice The Once-Dead Law At The Center Of The Next Abortion Battle, And The Anxiety That Drove It The Comstock Act, named for anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, is now at the center of abortion rights battles. The Comstock Act, named for anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, is now at the center of abortion rights battles. In mid-April, a group of evangelical ministers and local New Mexico elected officials stood on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to announce a new lawsuit that they hoped would soon be heard by the justices inside. After neighboring Texas outlawed abortion, a handful of communities in eastern New Mexico enacted ordinances banning the importation or distribution of materials used to perform abortions within their city limits in an attempt to prevent abortion providers from relocating across the state border. The eastern New Mexico communities justified the ordinances by pointing to a federal law passed in 1873 known as the Comstock Act. The Victorian-era anti-vice and obscenity law made it illegal to use the mail to send anything obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy or vile, and any device or medication meant for contraception. And it also banned the mailing of [e]very article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion and [e]very article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion. On the steps of the Supreme Court, the New Mexico local officials argued that the federal Comstock Act overrode an abortion rights law signed by the states Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, that prevented local governments from enacting ordinances to effectively ban abortion within their bounds. Madame Governor, consider yourself Comstocked, David Gallegos, a Republican New Mexico state senator, said while announcing the lawsuit. The sudden resurrection of Comstock not only raises legal questions about a law once presumed dead but also unearths a long-buried history of the nations battles over abortion policy. Invoking the 150-year-old Comstock Act before the Supreme Court would have been seen as foolish a year ago. The law was considered an anachronism of a forgotten age a prudish and out-of-touch extinct species, fossilized by court rulings and legislation that had rendered large portions of it moot. It largely existed as subject matter for students to learn about a long-lost era of social and political repression and the movements that led to its demise. Weve been teaching about this for years and implicitly its understood by students as ancient history and rather bizarre, but ancient, said Leslie Reagan, author of When Abortion Was A Crime and a historian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But in June 2022, with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned its precedent in Roe v. Wade that granted the right to an abortion. Suddenly, the Comstock Act and its abortion provisions, never repealed by Congress, came back to life and into the center of the abortion debate. Republican attorneys general cited Comstock in a Feb. 1 letter to pressure Walgreens and CVS to stop providing abortion drugs to patients. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk invoked the act in his April 7 decision pulling the abortion drug mifepristone from the market, which was later blocked in part as the case continues to be appealed. And now the lawsuit out of New Mexico seeks to put the law squarely before the court. The sudden resurrection of Comstock not only raises legal questions about a law once presumed dead but also unearths a long-buried history of the nations battles over abortion policy and the cultural fears that stand behind them. Anthony Comstock And 19th Century Fears Anthony Comstock was disgusted by what he saw when he was a Union soldier during the Civil War. But it wasnt the gruesome reality of war that disgusted him; it was the sexually explicit literature and pictures that his fellow soldiers shared with each other. After the war, he was similarly disgusted upon his move to New York City about the obscenity and prostitution he saw throughout the city. In New York, Comstock connected with the wealthy donors who had founded the nascent Young Mens Christian Association to help suppress this vice. For these self-described Anglo-Saxon elites, a great disruption was underway that threatened their view of the family, the role of women and the future of their children. With their money, Comstock would found and lead the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, the point of the spear for the anti-vice movement. An illustration by L.M. Glackens depicts An illustration by L.M. Glackens depicts "St. Anthony Comstock, the village nuisance" from Puck magazine, 1906. The upheaval of industrial capitalism promised new opportunities for women and different possibilities for youth. The elites funding Comstock worried that this change could result in the loss of their status in society or the failure of their children to reproduce their social position. Sexual and gender roles were also in flux. The womens suffrage movement pushed for political and social equality, including the vote and married womens control of their own finances and labor. The temperance movement, which was largely women-led, railed against the drunken abuse and marital rape women suffered at the hands of men. Meanwhile, a fringe free love movement aimed to give women control over their bodies, including the power to limit reproduction, by teaching sex education and selling contraceptive products. To men like Comstock and the elites who funded him, all of this threatened the stability of the home and the family, which served together as enduring symbols for Americans during the 19th century. The world, they believed, was divided into separate spheres, with men to lead at work and in politics while women were meant to be mothers and tend to home and hearth. Comstock is playing on these fears of the effects of changing sexuality on the youth, said Nicola Beisel, a retired sociology professor and author of Imperiled Innocents: Anthony Comstock and Family Reproduction in Victorian America. This belief led Comstock first to Albany, where he pushed for the passage of anti-vice legislation, and then to Washington. Before Congress, he paraded an array of rubber devices condoms and sex toys that he had seized from stores and mail vendors. Aghast, Congress enacted a sweeping anti-vice law that banned obscene material from the mail, but also information or materials that could be used for, or to educate about, contraception and abortion. This law came to be known as the Comstock Act. What stood out about it is how it linked obscenity and pornography with contraception and abortion. Its very telling, Reagan said. And key to this connection were the anxieties about cultural change and the disruption of the family that undergirded it all. Upon Their Loins Depends The Future Destiny Of The Nation Despite what Justice Samuel Alito thinks, abortion wasnt always illegal or necessarily frowned upon. In most states, abortion was legal up until quickening, when a woman could feel the fetus move, usually around four or five months. Prior to quickening, women were free to use their knowledge of their own bodies to maintain or end a pregnancy. Midwives and other female medical practitioners often served as abortion providers, with recipes to bring on menstruation. In the decades leading up to the passage of the Comstock Act, male physicians waged a crusade to make abortion illegal. This was, in part, a way to consolidate their profession and drive out the women who were taking business from them by providing reproductive care that sometimes included abortions. It was also driven by elite anxieties about race and changing gender norms for women that they believed threatened both the family and the nation. Abortion came to the fore because middle- and upper-class families, particularly those of Anglo-Saxon descent the only ethnic group considered white at the time saw decreasing birth rates in the middle of the 19th century. This decline in birth rates signaled an increasing use of abortion or other contraceptive techniques. This trend threatened the family, contemporaneous physicians like Dr. Horatio Storer argued, because a womans role in life was, in their minds, entirely tied to her biological ability to reproduce. A woman, Storer explained, was what she is in health, in character, in her charms, alike of body, mind and soul because of her womb alone. Were woman intended as a mere plaything, or for the gratification of her own or her husbands desires, there would have been need for her of neither uterus nor ovaries, nor would the prevention of their being used for their clearly legitimate purpose have been attended by such tremendous penalties as is in reality the case, Storer wrote. The mid-19th century and now are moments of major change in terms of gender and gender roles.Leslie Reagan, author of "When Abortion Was A Crime" The physicians were arguing that womens biology determined everything about their position and social role, Beisel said. If you try to stop conception or thwart conception you are going to violate and morally harm women. If they have an abortion it will destroy their character and soul because they messed with mother nature. In addition to threatening the family, women, specifically middle- and upper-class Anglo-Saxon women, threatened the American nation by undertaking abortions to reduce their family size. In a familiar tune, Storer lamented that it seemed that immigrant women of the time were having more children than were native-born American women. [I]t has been found of late years that the increase of the population, or the excess of the births over the deaths, has been wholly of those of recent foreign origin, Storer wrote in 1867. Much like individual wealthy families feared for their childrens ability to reproduce the social position they were born into, Storer worried that Anglo-Saxons would lose their status at the top of American society due to their decreasing birth rate and the higher birth rate among immigrants like the Irish. It was womens biological and patriotic duty to stop this great replacement. Storer asked whether the unpopulated frontier areas in the West and South were to be filled by our own children or by those of aliens? This is a question that our own women must answer; upon their loins depends the future destiny of the nation, he wrote. This physicians crusade succeeded in increasing bans on abortion across the country and driving women out of the field of obstetrics. That didnt mean that abortion ceased to be performed, but rather that it was driven further out of sight, making it oftentimes more dangerous. A salacious 1871 expose in The New York Times sought to shine a light on abortion providers in the city. Not long afterward, a womans decomposing body was found in a trunk that was then connected to a doctor who the Times reported performed abortions. An uproar ensued. The scandal raised the abortion issue to local and national prominence and helped lead to the inclusion of abortion in the Comstock Act. Victoria Woodhull, the first female candidate for president, with her arm raised after breaking into a polling station and demanding to be allowed to vote. She would later be targeted by Comstock. Victoria Woodhull, the first female candidate for president, with her arm raised after breaking into a polling station and demanding to be allowed to vote. She would later be targeted by Comstock. Attacks On Womens Freedom After the laws enactment, Comstock used it to target women and men who promoted different social and political roles for women and alternative relationships within and outside of marriage for both men and women. As Amy Sohn details in her book about Comstock and the people he prosecuted, The Man Who Hated Women, he went after Victoria Woodhull, a Wall Street entrepreneur, free love advocate and the first woman to run for president, for exposing the affair of preacher Henry Ward Beecher. He prosecuted Madame Restell, New Yorks most famous abortion provider, which ended when she killed herself rather than be sent to prison. He hounded and jailed the free love activist Ezra Heywood for publishing tracts that questioned the traditional social roles of men and women. Near the end of his life in the early 20th century, Comstock targeted anarchist Emma Goldman and contraceptive activist Margaret Sanger. At the heart of all these prosecutions, whether targeting men or women, was the same impulse that led to the criminalization of abortion and the passage of the Comstock Act: the desire to control and limit womens lives in order to protect the traditional family structure and ensure the preservation of both individual family social status and the racial composition of the nation. These were elite movements, said Tamara Kay, an abortion rights expert and professor at the University of Notre Dame who has written with Beisel about the physicians crusade. And it was about controlling women, as abortion is about in general. By targeting the fringe free love and anarchist movements, which held as close as you come to a pro-reproductive rights feminist position, at the time, according to Beisel, Comstock aimed to shut down any talk that taught women to control their reproductive decisions. Some states went so far as to ban the transmission of materials that even promoted the withdrawal method of contraception. This is an effort really by Christian organizations white Yankee groups to suppress that discussion and make it illegal and censor and ban it, Reagan said. They ultimately failed, but the anti-abortion movement that sprang up in the 1970s after Roe v. Wade and powered the conservative judicial movement to overturn Roe a year ago gets its power from the same sentiments as the movement that led to the Comstock Act. The movements against abortion are movements against womens freedom and womens place in the world, Kay said. The More Things Change Abortion rights activists gather at the White House to denounce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end federal abortion rights protections. Abortion rights activists gather at the White House to denounce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end federal abortion rights protections. The resurrection of the Comstock Act shows the direct connection between 19th-century history and the threats to womens freedom today. The mid-19th century and now are moments of major change in terms of gender and gender roles, Reagan said. Birth rates are at a record low, particularly among the educated elite. Conservatives who once bemoaned that young people were having too much sex now worry they arent having enough. Just like with the 19th-century physicians crusade, high rates of immigration have led the political right from Pat Buchanan to Tucker Carlson to worry that white Americans are being replaced by non-white foreigners. And just like the efforts by 19th-century suffragists, feminists and temperance activists to criticize male sexual behavior, the Me Too movement raised similar concerns. Marriage rates continue to fall, while new forms of partnership have been legalized, like same-sex marriage, or legitimized, like cohabitation. There are also great upheavals in the economic and political arenas. Women outpace men in graduating from colleges and universities. Fewer married households than ever have a male breadwinner. In politics, weve seen the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket (and win the popular vote) and the first woman to become vice president. What is different is that in the 19th century, only the fringe free love movement directly challenged Comstock and the anti-abortion movement. But 150 years later, the feminist movements that have followed the suffragists and the free lovers have political power to demand womens freedom and equal relations between the sexes. And these movements have become increasingly unapologetic following the Dobbs decision. Whats different is we have very strong social movements where people can talk about reproductive control and talk about sexual freedom and talk about human rights to define your own sexuality and behavior, Reagan said. That is much stronger than in the 19th century. Theyve lost in terms of the discourse. Theyve lost in terms of public opinion. But ... theyve won in terms of how these decisions get made in the courts.Tamara Kay, abortion rights expert and professor at the University of Notre Dame On the other side, another picture is coming into view a year after the Supreme Courts conservatives ended abortion rights in the country. Polls consistently show at least 60% of the public is opposed to the courts decision in Dobbs. The issue powered Democrats to victories in key states during the 2022 midterm elections, and it remains an albatross around the necks of Republicans. This is a losing fight, Kay said. I think a lot of whats happening is a last gasp by these conservative movements. Without public support, these movements have retrenched to the judiciary, the least democratic of the three branches of government and one that has been steadily shifting rightward in recent decades, thanks to the long-game efforts of the conservative movement. Theyve lost in terms of the discourse. Theyve lost in terms of public opinion. But because they were very smart and strategic and for 50 years have been putting all this in place, theyve won in terms of how these decisions get made in the courts, Kay said. The courts will now decide what comes next for the resurrected Comstock Act. Conservative jurists like Kacsmaryk have already shown their hands in terms of this Victorian-erahistory. The Supreme Court will need to do the same soon enough, whether in the mifepristone case or the one beginning in New Mexico. In the meantime, those whove studied this history and thought it was long-buried remain stunned. I think I wrote the first book on Comstock in 50 years, Beisel said. Honestly it was easier for me to think about Comstock because a) he was dead and b) he was anachronistic. If you have that attitude about something it gives you all kinds of emotional distance. And the reason I didnt write about abortion is because I knew I had no emotional distance on the current abortion movement. But the 19th century, that I can get some distance on. That its back amazes me. CORRECTION: This article initially named Lyman Beecher when referencing his son, Henry Ward Beecher. It also incorrectly identified Victoria Woodhull as Virginia Woodhull. Related... Demonstrators in from of Supreme Court One year after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights nationwide, the legal landscape is as bad as reproductive rights advocates expected, with many conservative states banning or severely restricting the procedure and most of the same states, not coincidentally, targeting other rights that involve bodily autonomy. But there is reason for hope: Americans are fired up to restore or defend those rights, perhaps more so than ever. Its been a harrowing year, says J.J. Straight, deputy director of the liberty division at the American Civil Liberties Union. By her count, 20 states have enacted abortion bans or major restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization June 24, 2022. While she expected such actions from the moment the Dobbs decision was leaked, several weeks before it became official, at an emotional level, its still a gut punch, she says. In Dobbs, the court upheld a Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and declared that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, was no longer in effect. Under Roe, states could not ban abortion; they could impose some restrictions, but only late in pregnancy. Now they are free to do as they please, and right-wing state legislators are pleased by bans. It should be noted that the right to abortion is an issue not just for straight and cisgender people but for LGBTQ+ people; members of the LGBTQ+ population can and do become pregnant, and sometimes those pregnancies are unwanted or go wrong. Indeed, cis lesbians and bisexual women seek abortions at higher rates than exclusively heterosexual women. And just as the right to abortion involves control over ones body, so do the rights to use contraception, access assisted reproductive technologies, receive gender-affirming health care, and have sexual relations with the partner of ones choice. Restrictions on those rights often fall disproportionately on the poor and people of color, and resistance to such rights is informed by the same ultraconservative worldview across the board. You cant miss the fact that the folks who are opposed to reproductive rights are also opposed to LGBTQ rights, says Cathy Renna, director of communications for the National LGBTQ Task Force. The contrast between the world these folks want and what we fight for is very distinct, Straight adds. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, Justice Clarence Thomas said the rulings that established nationwide rights to contraception, same-sex relations, and marriage equality should be overturned. No case involving those rights has come to the court yet, but the threat is there, with conservative justices holding a 6-3 majority. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion in Dobbs, claimed the ruling was limited to abortion, but hes on record as saying the court should overturn the marriage equality decision. Congress and President Joe Biden safeguarded marriage equality with the Respect for Marriage Act, which wrote protections into federal law, but efforts to pass legislation doing the same for abortion rights havent succeeded. Meanwhile, in state legislatures there is an unprecedented attack on LGBTQ+ rights, especially the rights of transgender youth. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced at the state level in 2023, and more than 75 have been passed and signed into law, according to the Human Rights Campaign. That includes bans on gender-affirming care for trans minors, enacted in 20 states so far. Theres a great deal of overlap between those states and the ones that have banned abortion or imposed draconian restrictions on the procedure, including Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and many more. Members of the far right are taking their cruel playbook from abortion and applying it to health care for transgender kids, creating health care refugees who have to flee their repressive home states just to get medical care, says Julianna S. Gonen, federal policy director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. We should mark June 24 not as an anniversary but as a grim reminder that we can never take our rights for granted. Activists note that right-wing politicians are chipping away at trans health care much as they chipped away at abortion rights pre-Dobbs. With abortion, it was parental notification and consent laws, regulation of clinics in ways that had nothing to do with patient safety, and harassment of providers to the point that they were rare in some states. With gender-affirming care, its banning it for young people and other vulnerable populations, such as those covered by Medicaid. Banning it for all trans people is within the realm of possibility. And just living in a blue state doesnt keep people safe from restrictions on either type of care. A conservative federal judge has ruled that Food and Drug Administration approval of the abortion drug mifepristone should be revoked, even though the approval took place more than 20 years ago and the drug is safe. If his decision holds up on appeal, mifepristone wont be available anywhere in the U.S. And Republicans in Congress would like to ban or restrict both abortion and gender-affirming care nationwide. But there are hopeful signs. Since Roe was struck down, Americans who never thought the right to abortion would be taken away have been shocked into political engagement. Kansas citizens, for instance, voted to keep the right in the states constitution, and there were positive actions in Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont, and California too. Voters repudiated every attempt to restrict abortion that was put to them since the Dobbs decision, Gonen says. Gender-affirming care may be a harder sell, but trans youth and their families are speaking out and winning court cases, and liberal states are declaring themselves safe havens for people seeking this care. And people are waking up to the possibility that contraception, assisted reproduction, and other bodily autonomy rights may be threatened, and theyre getting politically involved. What gives me hope every single day is that the people of our country are standing up, Straight says. Reproductive freedom advocates around the country have worked tirelessly over the last year and long before to ensure that as many people as possible continue to have access to the abortion care that they need, HRC President Kelley Robinson adds in a press release marking the anniversary. To keep up the fight, activists recommend that citizens educate themselves on the issues, engage with their elected officials and hold them accountable, volunteer with and/or donate to organizations working on these matters, and, of course, vote. Every election thats in front of you on the calendar is the most important election of your life, Straight asserts. The Task Force has been emphasizing the connection between reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights for years, Renna says, and that view is becoming widespread. The group launched a video series ahead of the midterm election last year, Ban the Reproductive Binary, featuring queer and straight, trans and cisgender men speaking about why cis men should care about reproductive freedom. Both the Task Forces executive director, Kierra Johnson, and the HRCs Robinson have experience in the reproductive rights movement, Renna notes. And many LGBTQ+ Pride events are seeing surges in attendance this year, likely informed by the surge in intersectional activism, she says. Perhaps LGBTQ+ Americans are taking to heart something Robinson puts into words in her prepared statement: Now is the time to fight for full bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom without exception. White carnations representing each of the 1,746 unborn babies that were aborted in Utah in 2022 are displayed during an anti-abortion memorial service at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News A year after the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi law restricting abortion, voting 5-4 to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade and give states the power to enact abortion restrictions or enshrine protections, the impact of those decisions has not been fully realized in Utah. Enforcement of Utahs trigger law, passed by the Utah Legislature in 2020 in anticipation of the Supreme Court overturning Roe, remains on hold as Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and the ACLU Utah chapter challenge the constitutionality of Utahs laws. Oral arguments on the states interlocutory appeal are scheduled before the Utah Supreme Court on Aug. 8. Sen. Dan McCay, sponsor of SB174, colloquially referred to as the trigger law, said in a statement that Utah leaders will continue to fight to protect life and defend the unborn. In Utah, we value all human life. Prohibiting elective abortion except for rape, incest or medical emergency protects our most innocent population. My hope is that we can safeguard both children and women with the legislation weve passed in Utah, McCay said. HB467, passed earlier this year, would require abortions to be performed in a hospital (with some exceptions) and would prohibit licensing abortion clinics after May 2, 2023, allowing licenses to certain clinics based on certain standards. That law remains on hold as well as pending legal challenges. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah President and CEO Kathryn Boyd said in a statement Friday that the association is committed to ensuring that the people of Utah do not lose vital access to abortion services. We refuse to stand idly by as reproductive rights are undermined. We will continue to advocate tirelessly for the autonomy and well-being of every individual in our state. In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Utah Sen. Mike Lee praised the Dobbs v. Jackson decision as restoring sanity and compassion to the laws that guide our nation. Now were positioned to acknowledge that every life from conception to natural birth deserves our protection, and our compassion and our care and yes, in some states, theyre going to do that differently than others, he said. Related For now in Utah, a 2019 law that prohibits abortion after 18 weeks but allows some exceptions after that point, remains in place. The Utah Attorney Generals Office, which is defending the Utah laws, had no comment other than referencing the upcoming oral arguments before the Utah Supreme Court in August. According to data from The New York Times, 14 states now ban most abortions. Polls conducted for the Deseret News and the University of Utahs Hinckley Institute of Politics suggest majority support for Utahs trigger law but less so for the clinic ban legislation passed earlier this year. Kenyan girl guides holding U.S. and Kenyan flags await the arrival of the U.S. ambassador at a site supported by PEPFAR, the U.S. program to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, at the St Johns Community Centre in the Pumwani area of Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 10, 2018. | Ben Curtis, Associated Press I sometimes succumb to thinking that our federal government is a distant monolith that cannot or will not respond to my concerns. I stand corrected. I volunteer with some citizen advocacy organizations (RESULTS, USGLC, ONE Campaign), and recently went to Washington, D.C., to meet with Utahs two senators and four congressmen and their staffs to urge them to reauthorize and continue to fund PEPFAR (the Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief). Since its inception in 2003 by President George W. Bush, this program has saved 25 million lives from HIV/AIDS. Currently, PEPFAR provides daily life support for 20 million persons (including 5 million children) in 50 of the worlds poorest countries. With the recent debt ceiling negotiation, the funding for U.S. international health aid is at risk. I urged our representatives to view any decision to cut back the PEPFAR funding with all the dire seriousness of a decision to withdraw life support. Stopping that daily antiviral pill is pulling the plug on someones life. Our representatives and their staffs clearly understand the seriousness and the need to continue to support the PEPFAR program. Sen. Mitt Romney cosigned a letter with 19 other senators urging the State Department to reauthorize PEPFAR. I would like to take credit for Romneys decision, but I know that it was my voice added to a chorus of other concerned citizens voices that both informed and supported his decision. Thank you, sir. Our countrys democratic process is often frustrating, but it feels good to know that my opinion is heard and can make a difference. Try it. Call your congressman. William Cosgrove Cottonwood Heights Orange County man gets prison sentence for attempted murder of two state troopers MONTICELLO - An Orange County man was sentenced Friday to 80 years to life in state prison for the attempted murder of two state troopers in 2021. Patrick Hermanowski, 41, of Westbrookville, was sentenced by Sullivan County Court Judge Jim Farrell. Hermanowski was convicted on March 24 of two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count each of attempted first-degree robbery and second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies, following a four-day jury trial. Acting Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty said that the jury found that Hermanowski intentionally possessed and fired a nine-millimeter "ghost gun" pistol at two on-duty members of the state police on Sept. 12, 2021. State police said that at about 2:50 p.m. on that day, they responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute on Route 209 in Westbrookville, a hamlet in the town of Deerpark in Orange County. By the time state and town of Deerpark police arrived, Hermanowski had fled into a wooded area with a firearm. State police said Hermanowski tried to hide from police by entering an abandoned Airstream trailer on Jagger Lane in the Sullivan County town of Mamakating. New flights: Stewart Airport to offer nation's first nonstop service to the Faroe Islands As two responding state troopers approached the trailer, Hermanowski fired at them from inside. The troopers returned fire and Hermanowski came out of the trailer after he was hit by the gunfire and was taken into custody. He was found to be in possession of more than two ounces of methamphetamine at that time. Hermanowski was provided immediate aid at the scene by other responding troopers and then taken to a local hospital for additional treatment. "The defendant's attempt to kill on-duty police officers warrants the stiffest penalties provided for under law, and justified the lengthiest prison sentence this office has asked for in decades," Conaty said in a statement. The name of Hermanowski's attorney was not available. Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845. This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Orange County man gets 80 years to life for attempted murder of police My Parents Hid The Truth Of My Birth From Me. I Almost Did The Same To My Own Daughter. The author as an infant with her adoptive parents. The author as an infant with her adoptive parents. The first time my 7-year-old daughter asked me about her ancestry, I froze at the kitchen cutting board, overwhelmed with dread. If youre Italian and Swedish, and Daddys Italian and Polish, she asked, as she dropped her flowered backpack onto the floor, does that mean Im part Swedish, Polish and Italian? Well, not exactly I motioned for her to pick up her backpack and tried to think on my feet. Clearly it was time to explain some complicated things. My daughter was conceived by using an egg donor. I carried her to term, but she inherited all her genes from my husband and the donor. Any similarities we share are a result of nurture rather than nature. Having grown up in a family that kept secrets about my birth, Id promised myself Id be open with my daughter. My husband and I had gotten as far as letting her know that we tried for a while to have a baby and needed some help. But telling the whole story was proving harder than Id expected. Are we French? She asked excitedly (wed been reading the Madeline books together before bed). I hope were French. I love the Eiffel Tower. And croissants. Upstairs there was a DNA kit in an unopened box. We had planned to test our daughter and share the results with her when the time was right. That time just hadnt come yet. I did some quick research and found arecent study on third-party reproduction. Results showed families have better outcomes when parents tell kids about their conception early on, ideally by the time theyre 7 years old. The longer we waited, the more anxious I became. If we didnt do it soon, I feared it could do lasting damage to our family. I should know. When I was my daughters age, I believed I was the biological daughter of my doting mom and dad, who said they tried to have children for more than 10 years until, at last, I arrived. But I always sensed that something was amiss. There were no pictures of my mother pregnant or stories about my birth. Nobody in the family had my crooked smile or blue-green eyes. Id overheard some whispered conversations about adoption, but whenever I asked my parents, they shut it down. By the time an older cousin confirmed that I was adopted, I was in my early 40s and both my parents had passed away. This midlife discovery left me with tangled emotions and no way to work through it with the two people Id loved and trusted most. Its possible that my parents thought they were saving me from stigma or that they feared Id abandon them in lieu of my biological family. Im sure their years of fertility struggles played a role. I didnt agree with my parents decision, but my journey to have a child of my own softened my resentment. When I finally brought home a healthy baby, I cradled her on our back-porch swing and felt an overwhelming need to protect her from every danger in the universe. I also experienced something I hadnt anticipated a sense of shame, as if I had cheated nature. At 44, maybe I wasnt supposed to be a new mother, and by extension, this beautiful baby wasnt truly mine. During the first few months, I carried her wrapped against my chest to mommy-and-baby coffee dates, feeling like an imposter, somehow less legit than the other moms. I feared I wouldnt have the instincts that came naturally to others or that the baby would know something was different. I wondered if my parents had felt that way, too. My husband and I agreed that we wanted our daughters identity to be something she felt shed always known. We didnt want to end up having a serious sit-down when she reached her teens or for her to stumble on the truth after learning about genetics in school. Most of all, we didnt want the information to come from anyone but us. Up until now, Id told myself it was too soon to explain donor conception to a child who was too young to understand how a baby was made. But, in truth, I had mixed emotions. I feared that my daughter would feel disconnected or pull away from me once she knew the truth. As long as we lived in a bubble of secrecy, we belonged to one another and no one else. The author with her husband and daughter in 2018. The author with her husband and daughter in 2018. As soon as she started asking about her ancestry, I bought a book called You Began as a Wish by Kim Bergman, which talks about all the different ways kids are conceived. My husband and I planned for all of us to read it together, but my daughter preempted that by pulling the book out of a box of Amazon purchases after school. My whole body tensed as she began reading aloud and asking questions: So all kids are made up of sperm, an egg, a womb ... The timing wasnt perfect, but I needed to interject. Remember we told you that Mommy had trouble getting pregnant at first? I said matter-of-factly.Well, an anonymous donor gave us an egg so that we could have you. We talked a little longer about the different kinds of families we knew, including ones that have two dads or two moms, and even how kids can grow inside someone other than their mommy. After a while, I could see recognition in her warm brown eyes, different in color and shape than my own. So, Im related to somebody else, she said. Yes, I said, and held my breath. OK, she said and skipped away. Then she turned back, her face contemplative. Could I be French? I thought back to the Ethnicity column on the donor application. Actually, I think you are a little bit French. Yes! She pumped her fist in the air. My shoulders relaxed. I could breathe again. For now. The next day she came home from school and said proudly, I told all my friends that I have a donor. Everybody thinks its cool. Lizzy asked if that means I have two mothers. Ouch. I felt my heart clench as I explained, You have a mother, and you have a donor. Oh, right, she said. Can I have some M&Ms? I know that this is only the very beginning of these conversations, and they will no doubt get harder as years go by. Well have to get into what it means to have limited information about family health history, just as I did as an adoptee. Well have to be prepared for her to ask questions about her donor and half-siblings that might be out there. Who knows what other questions shell have or what emotions shell experience over time. I didnt have the opportunity to do that with my own parents. As loving and attentive as they were, they chose to hide the truth, either out of shame or an overwhelming need to shelter me. While I was in the dark, we all lived in that same bubble of secrecy Id had with my daughter. But now I know that living with a lie is painful. I can only imagine how hard it was for my mom and dad to do so for decades. There was always a risk that I would uncover the truth with tremendous repercussions. That fear must have become all the more palpable as I grew. Life for my family probably would have been more complicated if Id known I was adopted growing up. And things may be more complicated for my family from now on. Telling the truth isnt always the easiest option. But I had the right to know who I was, just as my daughter does. And this way we get to work through whatever complications arise together, without secrecy or shame. Do you have a compelling personal story youd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what were looking for here and send us a pitch. Former Vice President Mike Pence said he believes pushing for greater abortion restrictions is a winning issue for the Republican Party, as he calls on other GOP presidential candidates to support a national 15-week ban. Its so much more important than politics to me, but I also think its a winning issue. I did this week call on every other candidate for the Republican nomination to support a minimum standard of a 15-week ban on abortion at the national level, Pence said during an interview on Fox News Sunday that will air this weekend. His remarks come after he called on all Republican candidates seeking the partys nomination for president in 2024 to at least back a 15-week national ban. He made the call on Friday during the annual conference for the Faith & Freedom Coalition and a day before the first anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which declared a constitutional right to abortion. We must not rest, and we must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country, Pence said. Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard. About two dozen states have taken action to significantly restrict abortion through either trigger bans that went into effect upon Roe being overturned or other legislation, most of them banning the procedure almost entirely. Abortion became one of the major issues of the 2022 midterm elections following the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization opinion which returned abortion access decisions to the states and many political analysts and commentators viewed the overturning of Roe as key to the disappointing results for the Republican Party on Election Day. The presidents party typically loses seats in Congress during the midterms, but Democrats were able to hold onto and slightly expand their majority in the Senate and only narrowly lost control of the House in 2022. Republicans mostly led in the generic congressional ballot before Roe was overturned, but Democrats began to take a lead after. Exit polls indicated that abortion was one of the most important issues to voters during the midterms, and those who listed it as their top issue overwhelmingly voted for Democrats. Pence argued during the Fox interview that instituting a 15-week ban would align the United States with most of the countries in Europe. Most European nations permit abortion on request at least through the first trimester, but some allow for longer than that. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who introduced a bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in September, said Friday that he hopes for a 15-week ban and called on Republicans to not be afraid of the abortion issue. Dont be afraid of this issue if youre a Republican, he said on The Hill on NewsNation. The extreme position is the Democratic position. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke on Saturday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Courts overturn of Roe v. Wade, claiming to truly be pro-life in America you must be pro-adoption. Pence gave the speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial for National Celebrate Life Day, the one year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision which overturned a constitutional right to abortion, returning access decisions to the states. The former vice president and 2024 presidential candidate remarked that he is a devout christian and has made his faith and belief in anti-abortion issues a large part of his political life. He specifically lauded the courts action last year, encouraging states to continue passing laws to make abortion illegal. We will work and we will pray and we will do so as never before to advance the cause of life and the laws of the land in every state in America, he said on Saturday. We will support women in crisis pregnancies with resources and support for their care, for the unborn and for the newborn as never before. We will advance the cause of adoption in America, for to be pro-life you must be pro-adoption, Pence added. And we will work every day to elect leaders at every level that will stand without apology for the sanctity of human life. Pence has called abortion the winning issue for Republicans in 2024, despite some political experts blaming the prevalence of the issue on underwhelming results for the GOP in the 2022 midterms. On Friday, Pence once again backed a national abortion ban after 15-weeks of pregnancy and challenged other GOP presidential candidates to back it as well, calling it a minimum nationwide standard. This is our cause, Pence said in the speech Saturday. I believe the cause of life is the cause of our time. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Getty Images Conservative parents and Christian advocacy groups based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania managed to generate enough outrage to remove a handful of books from a local school district. In May, after parents called for the Central Bucks School District to remove LGBTQ+ friendly titles from the public school, the library coordinator gave into their demands and requested a few titles to be pulled from shelves. All copies in the schools were to be removed within 24 hours, Reuters reports. Two books were named in the email: Gender Queer, a graphic novel by Maia Kobabe that detailed sexual encounters, and non-fiction title This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, which featured illustrations for LGBTQ+ students. This came after a new book-challenge policy was put into place in July 2022 in the school district. Republicans have a majority of six to three on the school districts board of directors. Under this new policy, parents have the right to challenge a book in a school library if it depicts nudity or sexual acts. District staff then reviews the challenge. The school board reportedly worked to draft Policy 109.2 with advice and legal counsel from Christian non-profit orgs associated with the Family Research Council, a group that advocates against LGBTQ+ rights. The democratic board members were allegedly not aware of the involvement of any Christian or anti-LGBTQ+ groups. What Bucks County has become is really this microcosm of the division that we see across the country, where people on both sides are so sure that they're right, Democrat Tabitha DellAngelo, one of few members of the school board who voted against the policy, said. On the flip side, Republican board chair Dana Hunter said the policy was very reasonable. Hunter reportedly worked with the Independence Law Center and the Pennsylvania Family Institute on a pro bono basis. Because of that, Hunter says she was under no obligation to tell any other board members of their involvement. The Central Bucks County School Board also made headlines in September 2021 for more divisions. Former Board Vice President John Gamble resigned after alleged death threats were made on his name due to his stance on mask requirements in school. After originally voting against masks, Gamble then switched his stance after Pennsylvania required them in schools. The news rocked the board, which is now undergoing a new disagreement as a result of the banned books. 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. He performed abortions. Now he's pro-life and dedicated to Christ: 'You have to change the human heart' He performed abortions. Now he's pro-life and dedicated to Christ: 'You have to change the human heart' The date June 24, 2023, marks one year since the United States Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. It came nearly 50 years after the high court made the right to an abortion the law of the land. The ruling one year ago in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization didn't make abortion illegal. It put the question of its legality and limits back to each state in the Union. ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED: REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, OTHERS REACT TO SIGNIFICANT ABORTION RULING "I remember the moment I heard," said Dr. John Bruchalski in a recent phone interview with Fox News. "My wife and I were visiting our son-in-law and our grandchildren, our granddaughter, in The Woodlands, Texas, [last] June 24. And we were praying at Mass and all of a sudden, my phone just blew up. People were calling and texting." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, as of this week, exist in 14 states. Other states such as California, New York, Colorado and most Democrat-controlled states, according to the Associated Press, "are positioning themselves as abortion safe havens." Last year's decision thrust the abortion battle into a new phase, in which the opponents are more equally positioned legally. For ardent abortion supporters, the change is a tragedy beyond measure. For those who vehemently oppose abortion the decision was an answer to years of fervent prayers. Bruchalski is in that latter group. Lest anyone, however, think he is a pro-life man with no clue as to what women endure in pregnancy or when giving birth his personal story has changed thousands of lives. BLACK CONSERVATIVE FATHER AND FAITH LEADER HOMESCHOOLS 6 KIDS TO GET GOD IN: WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT? Bruchalski is a walking, talking embodiment of the entirety of the debate over abortion. As an internist, he performed abortions. He believed it was a way to offer women the best health care possible. His compassion for the poor and needy is what brought him into the medical field. But now he talks about how God was gracious enough to let him face a critical juncture early in his career, as those two worldviews supporting abortion and opposing abortion, each passionate and unyielding in their stance collided in him. He experienced what one might call a self-quake. Just as in an earthquake, the foundations crumbled, and what he thought was something to hold onto and steady himself turned out to be not all that sturdy. He knows all the arguments for the right to an abortion because be believed them. He knows the reasons to oppose abortion, too, because he now lives them. Bruchalski is founder and director of Tepeyac OB/GYN, "a pro-life, faith-based obstetrics and gynecology practice serving the metropolitan D.C., North Virginia and Maryland area." He recounted his conversion from abortion doctor to pro-life medicine in his book, "Two Patients: My Conversion From Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine." APP CRASH DURING LENT LEADS HALLOW CEO TO HEAR GOD SAY, GIVE UP AND LET ME HANDLE IT On an episode a few months ago of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, he talked about the pivotal moment that split him in two, figuratively speaking. It was 1989, and he was an internist at a hospital in Virginia. In one examining room, a woman who was 22 weeks pregnant was trembling on the birthing bed. She was in pre-term labor but at that gestational age, the baby lacked the lung development to survive outside the mother's womb, even with all the life-saving technology available then. Bruchalski gave her some options to try to stop the contractions to give the baby a greater chance of survival. Dr. John Bruchalski, in his book, describes treating a woman who was 22 weeks pregnant (not pictured) and trembling on the birthing bed. She was in pre-term labor but at that gestational age, the baby lacked the lung development to survive outside the mother's womb, even with all the life-saving technology available then. Bruchalski gave her some options to stop the contractions to give the unborn baby a better chance of survival. He left the woman to check on another patient who was also pregnant, appearing perhaps to be five or six months along. Bruchalski said the woman was mumbling her responses. From her reply to his initial questions, she was either 21 or 22 weeks pregnant. In his book, Bruchalski explained how the woman's most direct words to him were, "I just want it out." CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM OBSESSION BY SOME ON THE LEFT AIMS TO MARGINALIZE PRO-LIFE CHRISTIANS: RADIO HOST He took note that the woman wanted to terminate the pregnancy and began to proceed. When he removed the baby from her body, something felt different. The fetus was heavier than most at that gestational stage, he said. So he put it on the scale. As he described in his book, "The red numerals flashed 505 grams [17.8 ounces]." The staff were required to resuscitate born-alive fetuses weighing over 500 grams. "My stomach drops," wrote Bruchalski. "I lunge toward the emergency button to alert the neonatal intensive care unit and immediately turn on the warmer." Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2022, after the high court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and wiped out the constitutional right to abortion. He realized the woman was further along than she admitted maybe 24 weeks, maybe more. The limit of viability was considered to be 24 weeks, "meaning abortion is illegal in Virginia after this point because the fetus would have at least a 50% chance of survival outside the womb." HISPANIC FAITH COMMUNITY IN AMERICA: POLLS AND NUMBERS DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY But the searing stab in his spirit came when the neonatologists on staff yelled at him, saying, "Stop giving me tumors, John! Stop treating these babies like they're tumors!" Bruchalski's sincere desire to be a good doctor, to give women the best health care and listen to their needs all of that came crashing down on him. He had heard the woman speak but hadn't listened to her heart. "I believed her. And she wasn't an ideologue ... It was in her pain, in her brokenness, and the fact that she was probably in her maybe 50th relationship or 10th relationship that was bad and not loved. And she couldn't do this. She couldn't go through with this. And she was feeling that tension." He realized that he hadn't asked her enough intake questions. He didn't find out about her. Said Bruchalski, "When you decide the life of the child is based on the desire of the mother, guess what? I didn't take a good history." Bruchalski's conversion started with the two women and their contrasting desires and went from there. He continued a sort of double life, performing abortions during the day while also volunteering at a pregnancy help center. But the next phase of his transformation came during a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. It was there that he said the Virgin Mary spoke to him. But he struggled to distinguish whether what he saw and heard was reality or his imagination. DISNEY ALTERNATIVE PROVIDES WHOLESOME FAMILY AND FAITH ENTERTAINMENT THAT'S MISSING IN TODAY'S CULTURE Then, a later trip to Medjugorje, the cite of apparitions of the Virgin Mary since 1981 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, completed the conversion to his being a pro-life advocate and medical professional forever. There, the message was loud and clear. He recounted in the book, "What happened next is nearly indescribable. I saw an image of a man standing in front of me wearing a white robe, with wounds on his hands and feet. I got the sense that I was on holy ground and that Jesus had invited me here. He was seeking me." Said Bruchalski, "You have to change the human heart where children become wanted and that women deserve integrated compassionate care." Through a holy messenger, he said he was told, "Mary said three things: to be the best doctor you can be, always to see the poor and see them daily, and to follow the teachings of her Son's church." On his return home, Bruchalski informed his supervising doctor that he would no longer be able to perform abortions. He knew this would mean a much lower salary and that his career options would be limited. But his conversion to "life-affirming medicine" would not waver. Lauren Green is chief religion correspondent at Fox News Channel. She interviewed Dr. John Bruchalski for his thoughts on why he stopped performing abortions and why he is now fervently pro-life. His personal story has changed thousands of lives. That is why the name of his clinic is Tepeyac. It's the site where tradition holds that Saint Juan Diego met the Virgin of Guadalupe. One year after Roe, Bruchalski said he believes the real struggle will not be in the courts. It's not about winning legal battles. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER Said Bruchalski, "You have to change the human heart where children become wanted and that women deserve integrated compassionate care." Bruchalski said he is no longer devoted to a cause but to serving Christ, the risen savior, whose blessed mother appeared to him in Mexico and Medjugorye. Eliza Anderson, Deseret News I was raised by a single, working-class mother until she remarried when I was 10. Given her own upbringing plagued by fatherlessness, its no surprise that I was conceived out of wedlock. She had every reason to end that pregnancy. But she told me she loved me the very moment she knew I was there. Im alive because of the tenderness of a good womans heart. Its been one year since the Supreme Courts holding in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization that abortion is not a constitutional right. Though I am against abortion, I recognize that changing hearts on the matter will require more than just changing laws. As philosophy professor David McPherson has recently written, to move the abortion debate forward in our post-Dobbs world, we need more than argument. McPherson says that differences in the abortion debate are not so much differences in values as they are differences in vision. Related I think he is right. Arguments in favor of protecting the unborn cannot rely solely on appeals to responsibility, restraint or logic, as valuable as these may be. A truly sustainable path toward ending abortion requires a positive vision that cultivates a reverence for human life and shines a light on the way abortion oppresses, rather than liberates, women. A cynical solution Most of my friends who support abortion rights have no personal preference for abortion. They just dont want to interfere in the lives of women who may be facing unique hardships, and they believe that education and contraception are better than removing the option of abortion altogether. I get the sense that they see many abortion opponents as being less concerned about human life and more concerned about punishing women for their sexual choices. I share the larger concern for vulnerable women and the resulting caution about unfairly burdening them. Thats why its so important to recognize that abortion punishes women. It is a cynical solution to a sexual culture that harms women. In the U.S., contraception use is high and yet abortion is not rare. Despite the fact that 88% of women not seeking pregnancy use contraception, about 15% of all pregnancies are aborted (not including miscarriages). Half of all women seeking abortions were using contraception when they conceived. This points to an important but overlooked flaw in our sexual culture, which abortion allows us to ignore: that women disproportionately bear the costs of our cultures embrace of the lie of inconsequential sex. If the #MeToo movement has shown us anything, its that the supposed benefits of uncommitted sex have failed to materialize for the vast majority of women. In contrast with the Hollywood invention of the self-assured woman enjoying guilt-free one-night stands, the reality of hook-up culture for many women is one of coercion, bad sex and emotional disappointment. Most women are having sex sooner than they want and receiving less commitment in return. Rates of single motherhood have concurrently risen dramatically, exposing growing numbers of women and children to increased rates of poverty, incarceration, educational underachievement and poor mental and emotional well-being. The best way to ensure that men bear the responsibilities of sex equally with women is marriage. Its not a coincidence that this is the option chosen by many in the middle and upper classes. At the same time, abortion is too often the option we proffer to the poor and less educated women who lack the resources to get commitment from men. When viewed in this light, abortion is not a boon to women; it is a way to cover up the injustices of our destructive sexual culture. Related Responding to the real hardships which our culture imposes upon women by offering to terminate their babies is not progress or liberation, no matter what rights-based language we use to frame it that way. Abortion is not painless or inconsequential, its not rare, and while its most often defended by the most educated, its most often endured by the poor and uneducated. Valuing life is progress When Christ is asked how to obtain eternal life in the 10th chapter of Luke, he gives the two great commandments: love God and love your neighbor. When his interrogator tries to justify himself by asking Who is my neighbor? what hes really asking is Who is it OK not to love? Christs answer, in the form of the parable of the good Samaritan, is essentially your neighbor is whoever needs you. Asking who is my neighbor? confines us to loving only those who serve our interests, which is perhaps not love at all. To ask instead, who needs my love? is to see loving others as its own goal. Many abortion questions are similar. To ask, when does personhood begin? or until what point is it OK to end a life? misses the whole point. If a unique human life has entered the world and we are asking when its OK to end it, then our vision is missing something important. If we cannot see that a zygote is a precious, wondrous miracle, then to what other truths will we remain blind? While a word like miracle evokes religious imagery, as McPherson points out, valuing all human life is not and should not be limited to the religious. And to be clear, reducing the meaning of a life to its physical components is a philosophical choice, not a biological conclusion and one that truncates our humanity. By asking instead what can be done to save this life? we assume that life is inherently valuable. That is a question from which miracles can proceed. Placing value on human life from the moment it begins will help us order our lives and our society toward the well-being of women and children. Valuing human life as a supreme good does not mean that there arent exceptions, but it will ensure that those exceptions remain exceptional. This is, once again, not something that can be proven or argued. It has to be cultivated. Overturning Roe was a step in that direction. And I believe construing abortion as a constitutional right is incompatible with a moral vision capable of bringing about real progress for vulnerable women and children. Meagan Kohler is a Latter-day Saint convert and writer who studied philosophy, French and Latin at BYU. She lives in Utah with her husband and four sons. She writes on Twitter @TresClare. Phoenix police ask for help in identifying 2 teens connected to May shooting Phoenix police are asking for the publics help in identifying two teens believed to be connected to a shooting in May that left a man, a toddler and an infant injured. According to police, the shooting took place around midnight on May 5 at a bus stop on the southwest corner of 43rd Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix. Security footage released by Phoenix police shows two teens running from the scene of the crime. Police describe the teens as both Hispanic and around 18 years old. Still images pulled from security camera video, police say, shows two teenage suspects running from the scene of a shooting in Phoenix May 5, 2023. The man was sitting at a bus stop when he has approached by both suspects and shot several times, police said. From the shooting, a stray bullet hit a nearby car that was passing by on Thomas Road. The bullet struck both an infant and a toddler, police say all three are recovering from their injuries. Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS, 480-TESTIGO, or online at silentwitness.com. OFFER FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS: $1 per month for 12 months of access to azcentral.com. Subscribe at azcentral.com/NewsSale. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police ask for help finding 2 teens connected to May shooting Photos show the wildest hats worn at Royal Ascot 2023 Racegoers attend Royal Ascot 2023 wearing wild and colorful hats. Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty Images; Alex Pantling/Getty Images Royals and the elite of British society gathered at Royal Ascot 2023 this week. The five-day horse-racing event at England's Ascot Racecourse is known for its over-the-top fashion. Photos show the most elaborate and eye-catching hats from the event. Royal Ascot is underway in Berkshire, England, which means members of the British royal family and elite society are stepping out in their best race-going looks and wildest hats. The five-day horse-racing event kicked off at Ascot Racecourse on Tuesday and finishes on Saturday. While the dress code is strict, many race-goers choose to show off their personalities with creative, often outrageous, hats and headpieces. Here are 12 of the wildest hats worn to Royal Ascot 2023. One Royal Ascot racegoer wore a headpiece inspired by a butterfly. A racegoer attends the first day of the Royal Ascot 2023. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images The headpiece featured sheer green butterfly wings, while orange, yellow, and pink flowers adorned the racegoer's chic updo. Designer Isabell Kristensen attended day one of Royal Ascot 2023 in a large tulle hat in varying shades of blue. Isabell Kristensen attends day one of Royal Ascot 2023. Dave Benett/Getty Images The Monaco-based fashion designer continued the blue motif with her outfit and bag. A racegoer arrived on day two of Royal Ascot 2023 wearing a sunflower hat. A racegoer with a sunflower hat during day two of Royal Ascot 2023. David Davies/PA Images/Getty Images Three small bees were gingerly placed in the center of the large sunflower. Another attendee also chose a sunflower motif for her headpiece. A racegoer wearing a yellow dress and sunflower-and-bee-themed hat leaves day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty Images The large blue disk of the fascinator acted as a backdrop for the cartoonish bumblebees and sunflowers. This racegoer attended day two of Royal Ascot wearing a pink pillbox hat with orchid flowers apparently sprouting from underneath. A racegoer attends day two of Royal Ascot 2023. Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images The feminine hat perfectly complemented the attendee's pink A-line dress and white gloves. Another attendee wore a bold red fascinator with large red feather plumes. A racegoer attends day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty Images The opulent hat coordinated with her red dress. This racegoer's hat featured ombre feathers of orange, pink, and purple. A detailed view of a racegoers hat during day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Alex Pantling/Getty Images The sky-high hat certainly stood out among the crowd of Royal Ascot attendees. In perhaps one of the most out-there looks from the week, a racegoer wore a headpiece featuring miniature teacups. A racegoer attends day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty Images The ornate hat even featured a tiny teapot that appeared to be pouring into the cups. One hat featured boldly colored flowers and a hoop covered in tulle. A detailed view of a racegoers hat during day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Alex Pantling/Getty Images You could barely see who was underneath the massive headpiece. One racegoer wore a pink fascinator with tulle detailing and a giant bow. Amanda Macor attends day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images The eye-catching hat featured bold colors of pink, black, orange, and neon green. Designer Savannah Miller attended day three of Royal Ascot wearing pastel-colored, fuzzy pom-poms on her head. Savannah Miller attends day three of Royal Ascot 2023. Dave Benett/Getty Images The British-American fashion designer wore a pink puff-sleeved dress that complemented her bold headpiece. One hat looked like a galaxy of planets and stars. A detailed view of a hat during day four of Royal Ascot 2023. Alex Pantling/Getty Images It stood out from the boldest hats of the day, which mostly incorporated flowers and feathers. Read the original article on Insider FILE - A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle is parked outside the LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on July 8, 2022. On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the Supreme Court of California ruled that police are not immune from civil lawsuits for misconduct that happens during investigations. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) FILE - A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle is parked outside the LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on July 8, 2022. On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the Supreme Court of California ruled that police are not immune from civil lawsuits for misconduct that happens during investigations. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Police in California are not immune from civil lawsuits for misconduct that happens while they investigate crimes, the state Supreme Court ruled this week, overruling a precedent made by lower courts that had helped protect law enforcement from litigation for decades. The justices on Thursday unanimously rejected an argument by Riverside County that its sheriffs deputies couldnt be sued for leaving a mans naked body lying in plain sight for eight hours while officers investigated his killing. California law protects police from being sued for any harm that happens during a prosecution process even if the officer acted maliciously and without probable cause. Now, the Supreme Court says police can be sued for misconduct during investigations. The ruling cites previous case law that defined investigatory actions as those before charges are filed. The potential for factual overlap between investigations and prosecutions does not justify treating them as one and the same, Justice Leondra Kruger wrote in the ruling. Kruger noted the court issued a similar ruling in 1974. But in 1994, a state appeals court adopted a broader interpretation to shield police from lawsuits stemming from conduct during investigations. Lower courts have been relying on that ruling to dismiss misconduct lawsuits against law enforcement that did not involve prosecutions. A lawyer representing Riverside County in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. This particular case centered on Jose Leon, who was shot and killed by a neighbor in 2017 southeast of Los Angeles in Riverside County. Shortly after sheriffs deputies arrived at the shooting, they heard several gunshots nearby and dragged Leons body behind a police vehicle, causing his pants to fall down and exposing his genitals, according to the lawsuit. His wife Dora Leon sued the county for negligence and emotional distress, saying police had left her husbands naked body in plain view for hours. The case was dismissed by lower courts that ruled state law provides immunity to law enforcement officers and agencies for police conduct during investigations. The Supreme Court reinstated Dora Leons lawsuit. Kruger wrote that the lower courts decision was wrong, saying police investigations cannot be interpreted as part of the prosecution process. Many local police departments have routinely argued that they are immune from damage claims the moment a police officer arrives on the scene of a crime, said Richard Antognini, a lawyer representing Leon. If the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the county, it would have essentially immunized them for almost anything, he said. The recent ruling helps remove an obstacle for victims seeking damages from police misconduct, Antognini said. California laws still provide immunity to certain aspects of police investigations. The ruling was praised by John Burris, a California civil rights attorney who has represented more than 1,000 victims of police misconduct across the country. This should have a positive impact on police reform, because now the law has spoken, Burris said. Police should be trained and be better informed as to what their obligations are. ___ Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to the report. Missing Roxbury man has been found, police say A 57-year-old man from Roxbury who was reported missing for about two weeks has been found, police said Saturday. Patrick Assibong was reported missing after he was last seen at about 11 p.m. on Friday, June 16 in the area of 1 Federal Street in downtown Boston. CANCEL - BPD Missing Person Alert: 57-Year-Old Patrick Assibong of Roxbury has been located https://t.co/HRLQ6vK5NV Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) July 1, 2023 This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Polish President Duda Says De-Escalation Under Way in Russia (Bloomberg) -- The situation in Russia appears to be de-escalating, which bodes well for Polands security, President Andrzej Duda said. Most Read from Bloomberg Everything indicates theres de-escalation in Russia, Duda told reporters after a meeting of the countrys National Security Bureau on Saturday. The conclusion from this is clear there is no increased risk for Poland from this internal Russian affair. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Red Square, Moscow Ukraines ongoing offensive is now creating a new "moral climate" in Russia, which could hit the aggressor country even more than the dynamics of advances by Ukrainian troops, well known Russian expert Mark Feygin told NV in an interview on June 22. Feygin, a Moscow lawyer expelled from the profession and ousted from Russia, is also a former member of Russias State Duma. He is now a popular video blogger. The interview was recorded before the events of June 23 in Russia, when the FSB opened acriminal case against the chief of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accusing him of calling for "armed civil conflict." On June 24, Prigozhin claimed his forces had seized control of several military facilities in Russia. When asked whether the summer and autumn events at the front could "push" the war to a certain result, Feygin replied: "Yes, definitely. You see, it does not work purely arithmetically: we have captured some part of the territory or, on the contrary, we have been losing some territory, and there is still a lot left, there is time and reserve. No, it could be a political aftermath that leads to decisions that change the whole picture." Read also: All Ukrainian commanders optimistic about Ukrainian counter-offensive, Zelenskyy says According to Feygin, despite the fact that the Russian Defense Ministry denies there are any prospects for success for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, it is indeed under way. "It is not easy, yes, but it couldn't be any other way the Russian army is prepared, Fegin said. Now the Russians have lost, in my opinion, 200 square kilometers of territory. That's how it is, they haven't retreated themselves, but they have also been suffering losses and so on," he said. "A different moral climate is being created. It is not yet known what will happen next by the end of June, at the beginning of July. For now, this is an open question." Feygin also said he believes that raids by pro-Ukrainian volunteers from the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) in Russia's Belgorod Oblast had not so much a military but political effect. "Thanks to them, the Russian Federation understood that war could come to the territory of Russia, he said. Second, it can be conducted by Russians themselves. This is a strong change in the idea ofwhat is possible and what is not possible; what is effective and what is not." "And the thesis that peaceful protest is effective has vanished. It became clear to everyone: the only thing that the authorities are really afraid of and that, in principle, they cannot cope with, is this very military resistance, which turns into a revolution." Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Kansas City riverfront cleanup is now in the hands, uh, mouths of these new workers A herd of 70 goats and sheep will be hanging out along a stretch of the Missouri River for about four weeks, chewing up overgrown weeds and invasive plants. Their visit to Kansas City, which began Saturday, is thanks to an ordinance unanimously approved by the City Council this month. The port authority of Kansas City, or Port KC, pushed for the new law. The animals will be located between the Town of Kansas pedestrian bridge to the west and the Heart of America Bridge to the east. Starting east of the Town of Kansas bridge, goats and sheep will graze in areas of roughly three quarters to one acre along the Missouri River. Starting east of the Town of Kansas bridge, the animals will graze in areas of roughly three quarters to one acre, according to Margaret Chamas, the project manager for Port KCs effort. Theyll cover about three acres total by moving to a new section of land every three to five days. This way they dont get hungry and try to escape the fencing. Or, in contrast, they wont spend more time wandering than eating in a larger area. Some of the land on the riverfront is steep with treacherous rocks and some is very, very, very dense brush and weeds, Chamas said. Goats and sheep can often handle difficult terrain better than people or machinery, and they offer a vegetation management alternative to human labor, chemicals or burning. The company Goats on the Go uses goats to clear off weeds and brush on areas that are hard to mow. Goats on the Go is supplying the goats and sheep for the project. The company has a growing group of affiliate businesses that provide grazing services around the country. Chamas used to own the Goats on the Go KC North affiliate, but recently sold the business. Current owner Elizabeth Parker explained that goats are transported in a livestock trailer to the grazing location and then contained on site by portable solar-powered electric net fencing. Kansas City joins a growing trend of using goats to manage invasive species. Lenexa started using goats to manage invasive plants in Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park a few years ago. Lawrence and Webster Groves, outside of St. Louis, tried using goats in the summer of 2021. This month, Wichita is piloting the use of 130 goats to clear five acres of brush in a city park. Rex Rutledges goat herd, which does business as Restoration Grazing LLC, clears poison ivy and other underbrush. Rutledge said this before and after photo of a poison ivy infested area shows what his goats are capable of doing in Wichita city parks. Kansas City had prohibited keeping livestock within 200 feet of a building used by humans. The only way around it was an appeal to the Property Maintenance Appeals Board. The new law creates a formal application process. The City recognizes that livestock may be used for an environmentally-friendly means of vegetation management and brush clearing and wants to create an avenue for people to apply to use animals for this purpose, according to the ordinance. The director of neighborhood services will review applications and approve or deny the temporary use of livestock for up to 30 days, with the chance to renew for an additional 30 days. An application is available on the citys website. Two Port KC attorneys, Brian Rabineau and Megan Elder, worked with the city to rewrite the ordinance, according to Meredith Hoenes, the organizations communication director. We hope this encourages other people, she said. Were hoping it kind of ignites a domino effect. Hoenes said the cost to bring in goats for Port KCs project is $3,000. Goats began the work of clearing land near the Missouri River on Saturday. The cost to use goats for vegetation management, though, depends on a number of factors such as vegetation density and size of the area. Angela Sokolowski, invasive species coordinator at Missouri Department of Conservation, said goats are a good tool to have in the toolbox when it comes to vegetation and invasive species management. They can do a lot of initial defoliation before turning to other approaches like mowing, fire or herbicides. Repeat treatments are needed with invasive species, Sokolowski said. You can repeatedly use goats, kind of like you would repeatedly use mowers Its not a one and done. The city of Lawrence learned about the need for repeat treatments when it used about 50 goats to clear out invasive honeysuckle in an acre of Prairie Park as a trial in 2021. The actual clearing part looked great. They did feed on the vegetation, knocked everything back, said Tyler Fike, Lawrences horticulture and forestry manager. But the following year, the invasive honeysuckle grew back quickly and the city chose not to bring back the goats. Fike knew the plants would regenerate to some degree. We just didnt see that it was really cost effective for the results that it produced, he said. Along Kansas Citys riverfront, Chamas said that the sheep and goats will create a big visual impact, because the vegetation will transform from tremendously thick and nasty to very clean. Some of it will grow back by the end of the summer, Chamas said. But unless there is a lot of rain, the improvement should last through the end of the growing season. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Facebook Three weeks before the Fathers Day quadruple murders, the little town of Kellogg, Idaho, became a landmark in the culture wars. That was at the start of June, after 18-year-old Travis Lohr was told that he would not be allowed to walk in the local high schools upcoming graduation ceremony because of a statement he made at an assembly where seniors were invited to impart words of wisdom to the younger students. Boys are boys and girls are girls, he famously said. There is no in-between. Word of Kellogg High Schools sanction quickly spread through social media and beyond. The local sheriff, Holly Lindsey, who happens to be the first woman to hold the position and also happens to live with a woman teacher at the same school, alerted administrators of possible mass protests in support of Lohr and accompanying trouble. The Shoshone County Sheriffs Office has informed the Kellogg School District of concerns regarding the safety of students, staff and families due to a number of outside groups and agitators, the school district announced. Based on the information provided, the decision has been made to postpone the graduation ceremony scheduled for June 3, 2023. When it is determined that the ceremony can be held safely, that information will be shared. We regret having to make this very difficult decision but the safety of our staff, students, their families and local law enforcement is our top priority. As it happened, the only protests were 100 locals who picketed outside the school for an hour and a half. An off-duty school bus driver was fired after he joined them, waving an American flag. The graduation went ahead at the school gymnasium on June 3, as originally planned, though Lohr was still not allowed to walk. But there was actual dire danger brewing in Kellogg that involved sexual crime and guns and had nothing to do with trans kids and pronouns and protesters. One senior who was permitted to join the procession was 18-year-old Devin Smitheven though numerous classmates attest that he had a long history of inappropriate and harassing behavior with girls at Kellogg High. The school was apparently unable or unwilling to address the ongoing problem. Threats Force School in Gender Flap to Suspend Graduation He was a child. He needed help and he wasnt receiving it, Amanda Rae Hooker, the mother of a classmate, told The Daily Beast. Afterwards, Devin posed for a family photo with his 41-year-old mother, Kenna Guardipee; his 16-year-old brother, Aiken Smith; and his grandfather, 65-year-old Kenneth Guardadipee. Devin wore a black cap and gown and a yellow stole with 2023 on one end and the schools logo, a wildcat, on the other. He held his diploma in his left hand. Just before graduation, Devins family had moved into the lower apartment in a two-family house on West Brown Ave. in Kellogg, across from the assisted living facility where his mother worked as a cook. The upper apartment had long been occupied by 31-year-old Majorjon Kaylor, his wife Kaylie Kaylor, their two pre-teen daughters, and a younger boy. We share a backyard, Kaylie posted on a Facebook page that she has since made private. My kids stay on their side but they are out there a lot. They jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler. Almost every single time the older boy goes outside on his porch and seems to be watching them. I tried to brush it off since its their yard too but my momma gut couldnt shake it. On June 13, 10 days after the graduation, Kaylie called police to report that Devin had exposed himself to her girls. She subsequently posted an account of the incident on Facebook. She said she was outside with the girls when one of them said she saw a boy in a downstairs window. I say yes its their house, its fine and she goes no mom the boy, hes shaking his penis!, Kaylie wrote. This dude was staring out the window directly at my girls and I and beating his d#$% off. I saw his naked body jump up on his bunk bed and scoot back. I immediately ran to get Major who went down to go bang on the window, he was gone so Major went to the front door and had to knock several times before he got an answer. I am freaking distraught. She wrote that she and her husband called the police. I don't take stuff like this lightly, her post continued. I just want to protect my children but people always act like you are being dramatic Now my kids cant play outside like theyve been able to for years when there was just a sweet old lady living below us. Target Disappeared a Book for Toddlers During Anti-Pride Fury Kaylie added that when police had responded, Devin began crying and insisting that he had just been getting dressed. Well never in my life had I seen someone get dressed in that manner, Kaylie wrote. He knows what he did and so do we. The police took the case to the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney with a recommendation that Devin be charged with indecent exposure. Nothing was done for reasons only the prosecutors office can explain, and so far it has not. In the meantime, Kaylie cut and pasted an image of Devin in his cap and gown from the graduation that caused a social media uproar about all things transgender. This is the sicko who made eye contact with my daughter while masturbating and exposing himself, she wrote. A half dozen of Devins former classmates replied that he had been behaving similarly at school for years. No transgender kid is known to have ever hurt a kid at Kellogg High. This transgressor kid was a whole other story, one that the powers that be had failed to effectively address for year after year. I went to school with him for kindergarten all the way up to sophomore year, Farren Fields wrote. He is a creep and will not stop. He has been doing this kind of thing for a long ass time now. The police department needs to lock his ass up for life. He is disgusting? I went to school with him too and can absolutely attest to him being a creep, Scott Schultz wrote. Definitely need to have something done about him. I've had issues with him in the past as well, Savannah Higgins wrote. I tried getting the school to do something, but all they did was give him a slap on the wrist Hed take pictures of girls at our school and so much worse. Its scary and disturbing, especially now that hes out in society. Keep your kids safe. I tried getting a restraining order against him years ago when I first had issues with him and it got denied because I cant deny a kid the right to an education. Stay safe. On June 18, Kaylie posted a testament to her husband, who was spending Fathers Day working underground as a miner. Happy Fathers Day to the best dad ever. I see all that you do for your kids and I. You work hard and stand your ground and dont give up. Youre the exact person I want our kids looking up to. Our life together is the greatest and Im so amazingly lucky to have someone like you as the father to my children. The kids and I love you. Cant wait for you to get home from work. [heart emoji] A state police affidavit says that when Majorjon did arrive home, he went inside the familys upstairs apartment and emerged with a .45 caliber Hi Point semi-automatic pistol in a holster on his hip. Kellogg was about to become a landmark in the saga of gun violence shrugged away by the same folks who call themselves pro-life and go into fury about people choosing their preferred pronouns. After the shooting was done, Majorjon made what was apparently a call to the police. [Kaylie] overheard him talking on the phone, saying he had killed four people, the affidavit says. [He] handed her his phone, keys and wallet and asked her to hold onto them. [He] said he did what he had and to tell their kids he protected them. The police arrived at 7:24 p.m. Majorjon had holstered his pistol, unhitched his belt and put it in his black Dodge pickup truck. There were what appeared to be blood and tissue on the pistol, the affidavit noted. There was one round in the chamber and five in the magazine, meaning he must have reloaded at one point. The affidavit says that Majorjon told police that during the argument preceding the shooting he became upset they didnt seem to take his concerns with Devin Smith seriously. [Majorjon] said he snapped, lost it, and did something about it, the affidavit says. [Majorjon] referred to Devin Smith as a pedophile. Majorjon was arrested and arraigned on four counts of murder and ordered held without bail. His next hearing is on July 3. The prosecution filed court papers saying it will not be seeking the death penalty. Nowhere in the affidavit does Majorjom express remorse for killing Devins brother. Aiken was as well regarded as Devin was disliked. Aiken reported in a social media post late last year that he was a member of his schools Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. One friend reported online that he had spoken with Aiken shortly before the shooting. The friend said Aiken had talked about how bad his brother was. Other kids had been saying until it all ended the way things too often do when a firearm is involved. On Friday, Amanda Rae Hooker, whose daughter graduated with Devin in the delayed ceremony that briefly made Kellogg a focus of the culture wars, did not attribute Fathers Day bloodshed to a righteous gun owner forced to stand his ground against lawlessness and leftist grooming and indoctrination. Hooker instead spoke of a child who needed help he never got. But thats no cause to kill four people, she said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Prigozhin claims to have taken control of military targets in Rostov and be heading for Moscow Yevgeny Prigozhin, Head of the Wagner Private Military Group (PMC), has claimed that he has taken control of the military facilities of Rostov-on-Don, including an airfield, and that his soldiers have already shot down three Russian helicopters; he says they are now "heading for Moscow". Source: Prigozhin, in a video message Details: He announced that the Wagner Group has taken control of the local headquarters building, military facilities, and the airfield. Meanwhile, Telegram channels have posted a video in which, as the caption says, the Head of the Wagner PMC is talking with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defence Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vladimir Alekseev. Prigozhin informs Yevkurov that the Wagnerites allegedly shot down a third helicopter and "will knock down everyone if they are sent [to obstruct the Wagner Group from advancing ed.]." He says that the PMC came to Rostov to "get the chief of the General Staff [Valery Gerasimov] and [Defence Minister Sergei] Shoigu." Quote: "Until they get here, we are blockading the city of Rostov and heading for Moscow." Meanwhile, Russian media have reported that the Wagner PMC office in St. Petersburg is ostensibly being searched. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has stated that "counter-terrorist measures aimed at strengthening security measures are being carried out" in the Russian capital. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. According to him, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to destroy the mercenaries. Prigozhins 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly on their way "to restore justice." At the same time, he asks not to call it a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and that "this creature will be stopped." The Russian Defence Ministry called the information a provocation. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been informed of the conflict between Prigozhin and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister. A criminal case is being brought against Prigozhin for incitement to armed rebellion. Photos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following the statement made by Prigozhin about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints are being set up at entrances to Moscow. Prigozhin claimed that his mercenaries allegedly shot down a helicopter of the Russian army. Russian security officials have been regularly reporting to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the measures taken to counter the "armed rebellion" started by Prigozhin. There are now issues with accessing the news in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Chinese medical equipment praised at leading surgical congress in Rome Xinhua) 10:07, June 24, 2023 Photo taken on June 22, 2023 shows Chinese endoscopy provider Healnoc's endoscopy system featuring an innovative image sensor and monitoring solution exhibited during the 31st congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) in Rome, Italy. (Xinhua/Zhou Xiaotian) ROME, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Multiple Chinese medical equipment providers showcased their innovative products at a leading European congress on surgical techniques held here this week. The 31st congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) ran from June 20 to 23, and brought together companies worldwide to exhibit and carry out clinical trials. Chinese companies highlighted their latest advancements in endoscopy and surgical equipment. Chinese endoscopy provider Healnoc conducted a surgical trial in Milan, with its latest endoscopy system featuring an innovative image sensor and monitoring solution. Surgeon Luigi Boni from Policlinico in Milan, who led the trial, expressed his enthusiasm for Healnoc's endoscopy system. "I must say that the video quality is extraordinary, even in full-screen mode. This is one of my favorite things about it," he said after the trial. Boni also highlighted the camera's lightweight design and durability. "We have been adhering to independent research and development, aiming to achieve breakthroughs in every key technical aspect of imaging," Lihui Du, vice general manager of the company, told Xinhua. People experience Chinese endoscopy provider Healnoc's endoscopy system featuring an innovative image sensor and monitoring solution during the 31st congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) in Rome, Italy, on June 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhou Xiaotian) (Web editor: Zhao Tong, Liang Jun) Prigozhin replies to Putin: No one is going to come and surrender Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner PMC, has said that none of his fighters would surrender at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Source: Prigozhin's audio message Quote from Prigozhin: "The president is wrong about the betrayal of Motherhood. We are the patriots of our homeland; we fought before and we are fighting now. All the fighters of Wagner PMC. And no one is going to surrender at the request of the president, the FSB or anyone else. We do not want the country to continue to live in corruption, deception and bureaucracy... When we were told that we were at war with Ukraine, we went and fought. But it turned out that ammunition, weapons, all the money invested in them are being stolen, and the officials are saving them for themselves just for the case that has come today when someone is taking it to Moscow ("someone" must be Prigozhin's reference to the Wagnerites ed.). Reminder: Putin said that the Russian Federation is fighting for survival, and they are trying to "organise a rebellion" in the country. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries appear to be on the march towards Moscow Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS Russia's Wagner paramilitary forces appear to be headed toward the capital, Moscow. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claims to be leading a "march for justice." Speaking early on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused his former ally of "treason." Wagner mercenary forces appear to be headed toward Moscow after a stunning overnight seizure of a regional capital home to more than a million people and a key Russian military base. Following the seemingly bloodless capture of Rostov-on-Don, a strategically important port city, Wagner forces commanded by their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin headed north to the region of Voronezh, where Russian state media reported Saturday that an oil depot was on fire. Video posted to social media, which has not been independently verified, appeared to show a Russian Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopter attacking the facility. Photos and videos now appear to show Wagner forces and their armored vehicles in the region of Lipetsk, which is a roughly eight-hour drive from Rostov-on-Don and less than six hours from Moscow. The governor of the region, Igor Artamonov, had earlier announced that highway traffic was blocked, The New York Times reported, and that a military convoy was moving through the area. He later confirmed that Wagner forces were moving through the area, state media reported, and urged civilians to stay in their homes. Prigozhin, a former ally of President Vladimir Putin, claims to be leading some 25,000 men, characterizing his day-old rebellion as a "march for justice" aimed at overthrowing Russia's military leadership, which he accuses of misleading the president and mismanaging the war in Ukraine. The "march" began Friday after Prigozhin accused Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, of ordering an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused Shoigu and other military leaders of undermining Wagner forces in Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence unit on Saturday said that Prigozhin's forces now appear to be on their way "towards the capital," with Russian military equipment that had been in reserve or deployed near the border now "being withdrawn to Moscow." Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has also pledged to combat Wagner and help Russia "defend its statehood." The apparent march toward Moscow comes after the city's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, earlier on Saturday morning said that the capital was adopting new "counter-terrorism measures" to reinforce security, according to the state news agency TASS. The British Ministry of Defense had also said earlier that Wagner units were moving north from Rostov-on-Don through the Vorenezh Oblast, "almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow." Igor Girkin, a former Russian military commander who has been critical of both Wagner and Russia's leadership, said Saturday that Prigozhin appeared to be throwing his "most combat-ready shock units" into "a raid on Moscow." By tomorrow morning, he posted on Telegram, "we will find out" if the strategy worked. Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com Read the original article on Business Insider Prosecutors seek death penalty for Ohio father accused of executing 3 young sons in 'incomprehensible act of horror' An Ohio father accused of fatally shooting his three young sons earlier this month pleaded not guilty Friday to 21 counts included in a grand jury indictment, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty for the "incomprehensible act of horror." Chad Doerman, 32, appeared in court for arraignment on the indictment, composed of nine counts of aggravated murder, eight counts of kidnapping, and four counts of felonious assault. The filing also includes numerous "specifications," such as the victims' preteen ages, and use of a firearm during the alleged crimes, that could make the father eligible for death if Doerman if found guilty. Chad Doerman appears in court on June 16, 2023. (WLWT) Clermont County's top prosecutor, Mark Tekulve, said outside a courtroom Friday that he hopes surviving family members are able to someday find peace. He also declared the prosecution's mortal goal with certainty. "This is a death penalty case," Tekulve said. "And my goal is to have this man executed for slaughtering these three little boys. It is an incomprehensible act of horror." The boys were ages 3, 4 and 7. A lawyer for Doerman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bail was initially set at $20 million, but the Clermont County judge in the case granted the prosecution's request for no bond pending the next hearing on July 5, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. The prosecution alleges the father lined up his sons in a residential yard and "executed" them by opening fire with a rifle the afternoon of June 15. It happened at a home in Monroe Township, about 25 miles southwest of Cincinnati, authorities said. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office said in a statement deputies responded to the location after receiving two alarming calls after 4 p.m. that day. A woman reported "her babies had been shot," the office said. And a motorist reported a girl was running down a road saying her father "was killing everyone," the sheriff's office said. The 34-year-old mother of the boys grabbed the defendant's rifle in an attempt to stop the shooting, David Gast of the Clermont County Prosecutors Office said during a court hearing June 16, and was shot in the hand. One of the boys was then able to flee to a nearby field, he said, but Doerman allegedly "hunted that boy down, drug him back to the property, and executed him in front of witnesses." The boys were declared dead at the scene by first responders. The mother was taken to University Hospital in Cincinnati with a non-life-threatening injury, authorities said. An older sister was unharmed, according to the sheriff's office. Doerman was arrested at the scene without incident, sheriff's officials said. He was found sitting on a step outside the residence, they said. Possible motive has not been revealed. Court documents viewed by WLWT of Cincinnati said Doerman confessed that he had been planning the killings "for several months. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Prosecutors in a court filing Friday asked the federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trumps classified document case to push the trial date back from mid-August to December in Fort Pierce. Just earlier this week, the start date for the two-week trial was scheduled for Aug. 14. The government is now asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to begin with jury selection on Dec. 11, according to the motion. Legal experts this week told the South Florida Sun Sentinel the August date was too soon and would likely be moved. Because the case involves classified documents, Trumps defense counsel is in the process of getting the necessary security clearances in order to view them, the motion said, and associated legal processes under the Classified Information Procedures Act will require additional time before trial that otherwise would not be involved. Related Articles Jay Bratt, Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division, wrote in another filing Friday that neither Trumps attorneys or attorneys for his co-defendant Waltine Nauta, currently have the necessary security clearance. Their attorneys cannot review any of the documents marked as confidential, secret or top secret without it. The government started turning over unclassified documents in discovery Wednesday and have already provided a significant amount of those materials, including evidence from subpoenas and warrants, transcripts of grand jury testimony, witness interviews, closed-circuit television footage and a reproduction of key documents that in the governments view are pertinent to the case, the motion said. Even with the prompt production the government has arranged, the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate, Special Counsel Jack Smith wrote. Trumps attorneys are not opposed to moving the current trial date, according to prosecutors motion, though his attorneys are expected to file an opposing motion to object to other pre-trial deadlines proposed by the government in their motion. As thousands of his supporters gathered outside of the federal courthouse in Miami last week in campaign-rally fashion, the former president pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts in the indictment. Nauta has not yet been arraigned or made any plea, prosecutors motion said. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who presided over Trumps hearing last week rather than Judge Cannon, said Trump and Nauta are not allowed to talk to certain witnesses about the case, except through attorneys. Prosecutors gave the defense a list of those witnesses, totaling 84 people, on Thursday and are asking that it be sealed. The Purple Parade will be held in Atlantic Beach to honor those who lost family due to Alzheimers The Florida Alzheimers Association is hosting a Purple Parade in Atlantic Beach. It is to honor caregivers and those living with and lost to people with Alzheimers. The parade starts at 10 a.m. The parade will begin at the City of Atlantic Beach police station and end at ABBQ. Residents are encouraged to wear purple along the route to show their support. On July 15, the gala will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Read: Jacksonville Jaguars home stadium will once again be known as EverBank Read: Shark research group to build new global headquarters in Jacksonville with help from state funding [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. This is the end of the road for Putin Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2010 - Alexei Druzhinin For Vladimir Putin, this is the end of the road. He may just survive an armed rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries but he will be permanently damaged and his Kremlin days are numbered. Putins aura of invincibility and control, badly fractured by his misguided and failed invasion of Ukraine, will now be shattered. Russians like their leaders to be tough. Any sign of weakness can be terminal and the rebellion, as well as Putins pleading address to Russians for their support, has made him look weak. Millions of Russians who had once looked up to Putin as their indomitable saviour, a man they cheered for restoring Russian pride after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the humiliation of the 1990s, will instead see a damaged and failed man. Formerly obsequious Russian officials who had crawled over one another to please Putin in the hope of currying fortune and favours will now look to others. And there is form. Russian and Soviet leaders rarely survive for long after a coup, even if it initially fails. Locked up in a villa in Crimea, Mikhail Gorbachev sat out a coup by Kremlin hardliners in August 1991 but his power ebbed away and within five months he had lost his position as Soviet leader. Boris Yeltsin with Putin, his successor - REUTERS Two years later, Boris Yeltsin turned his tanks on the Russian parliament after they tried to dislodge him from power. It worked and shored up his presidency but the chaos that his coup unleashed ate up Yeltsin, who turned to drink. By New Years Eve 1999/2000, bloated and in ill health, he had given up after a chaotic six years as president and quit in favour of Putin. And Putin appeared to recognise his historically precarious position in his pleading morning address from the Kremlin when he compared the coup to 1917, the year of two revolutions in Russia that allowed the Bolsheviks to seize power and set up the Soviet Union. The beneficiaries were various political chevaliers of fortune and foreign powers who divided the country, and tore it into parts. We will not let this happen, he said. The hyperactive Prigozhin has insisted his move was not a coup but instead a rebellion against Sergei Shoigu, Russias Minister of Defence, and Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian military, who he accuses of incompetence that has killed thousands of Russian soldiers. But, however the rebellion is dressed up, Putin is the head of the Russian state. If Russian soldiers are fighting Russian mercenaries in Russia, his leadership will be permanently compromised. And this also appears to be a well-planned rebellion by Prigozhin and his private army. Reports have said that they have captured key military sites around the cities of Rostov and Voronezh and they were driving up a main highway towards Moscow. There appeared to be only a handful of feeble police checkpoints on the road and the rebellious mercenaries could have arrived in Moscow in hours. All week, Prigozhins video rants against the Russian military had been getting increasingly personal throughout the week and on Friday he drifted from well-worn criticism of Russian military tactics to challenging the motivations for the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine, which he also described as unnecessary and a failure. Although he blamed lies peddled by the Ministry of Defence, this was dangerous territory because everybody understands that Putin gave the order to invade. Prigozhin has said that he has recruited 25,000 loyal fighters to his cause and it is unclear if the Russian army, which is better armed but is low on morale would be able to stand up to a smaller but well-motivated and determined force. In any case, it is shocking to see Wagner fighters patrolling the streets of Rostov-on-Don, the southern city seized by Prigozhin, sipping coffees and lounging on benches. Prigozhin has also appealed to members of the National Guard, one of the biggest armies inside Russia, and other soldiers to join him. Whether they will is a key question. General Sergei Surovikin, known as General Armageddon and someone seen as closely tied to the Wagner group, has told Russian soldiers to stay loyal to the Kremlin. But even if they do stay loyal, the Kremlin will be worried. Its forces have been decimated and are demoralised after 16 months of war in Ukraine. Reports from the front line have said that Ukrainian forces have pushed their counteroffensive as Prigozhins coup unfolded, testing the mettle of already brittle Russian soldiers. And then there was Putins curiously low-key response. He disappeared for 12 hours before issuing a 6-minute statement mid-morning on Saturday calling the rebels traitors and asking for support from ordinary Russians. He looked pale, drawn and disbelieving and shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. This is the greatest threat to his 23-year reign as Russias leader and yet he seemed curiously unprepared and surprised. Paranoid and out of touch, Putins first reaction to the coup challenge from Prigozhin had been to hide, leaving a leadership vacuum. Later, the Kremlin said that Putin phoned former Soviet states and other allies. But if he was hoping for support and advice, he didnt receive much. According to Kazakhstans Presidential Administration, Kassym Jomart Tokayev, the Kazakh leader, told Putin politely that the coup was an entirely internal Russian problem. Prigozhin has played many roles for Putin, his patron for two decades. He has been his chef, sommelier, fixer and mercenary warlord but his most consequential will be his final one Putins Judas Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. After being silent for almost half a day, the Kremlin announced that a video address by Russian President Vladimir Putin will be broadcast on Saturday, 24 June. Source: Kremlin-aligned news agency TASS Details: Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said that Putin would deliver an address "shortly". There is no information on the topic of his speech, but it is expected to be related to the events involving Yevgeny Prigozhin, Chief of the Wagner Private Military Company. Putin has been silent since the evening of Friday, 23 June, when Prigozhin announced a "war" against Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries. Prigozhin's 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked not to call it a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called the information a provocation. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Moscow. Prigozhin claimed that his forces had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, including the air base, and were heading "to Moscow" and that his soldiers had shot down three Russian helicopters. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Putin described Wagner mutiny as 'betrayal' and vows Russia will defend itself Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Reuters Wagner Group fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in an apparent armed rebellion. Putin vowed to punish mutineers and called the actions a "betrayal." This is the latest dramatic escalation in Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's ongoing feud with Russian leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the actions of mutinying Wagner fighters as a "betrayal" and "a stab in the back" in a video address on Saturday morning. Without naming his former ally Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian president said those behind the recent events were guilty of "high treason" and betraying Russia out of "personal ambition." He added that Russia would defend itself and mutineers would be punished. He said such actions were "a stab in the back for our troops and the people of Russia," per a translation by The Telegraph. "Those who mutiny have betrayed Russia and I urge anybody involved in it to cease any kind of participation in armed conflict." Vladimir Putin (left) has long relied on Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) for his Wagner Group of mercenaries to fight in the invasion of Ukraine. Getty Images Fighters from the mercenary group marched into the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don from Ukraine on Saturday and Prigozhin claimed his fighters had taken control of all military installations. In his speech, Putin noted that the situation in Rostov is "very complicated," amid reports that security has been heightened in the city and also in Moscow. Prigozhin has said that the actions of his fighters are not a mutiny but a "march for justice." The move is an alarming escalation in the fiery Wagner chief's ongoing feud with Russia's military leadership over his criticisms of them for failures in Ukraine and allegations that his mercenary fighters were deprived of needed military resources. On Friday, he slammed Russia's "evil" defense ministry in a series of social media posts and accused them of orchestrating a missile strike that killed a number of his fighters. He said that in response 25,000 of his fighters were prepared to take on those in Russia leading the war effort. According to an intelligence update from the UK Department of Defense on Saturday, further Wagner units appear to be moving north, "almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow." Read the original article on Business Insider Reuters Is there reason to wager that Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin and their mischief of rats are on the verge of exterminating themselves after 23 years in power? The Kremlin storyline going forward reads like a Russian production of Succession, a drama in which the bodies are riddled with bullets instead of barbs, a fitting conclusion to Putins reign of chaos, with viewers left hanging to discover which member of the inner circle becomes the Kremlins Tom Wambsgans. Prigozhin announced Saturday night that he was standing down. His apparent coup attempt at an end. Believe that at your peril. Brian Cox, who played Succession patriarch Logan Roy, told me during one of his trips to Moscow in the 1980s that hed always been drawn to the mysteries of Russian culture. I imagined a largeness, a grandeur, the actor explained and yet, when he got closer, he discovered that the reality was mundane and prosaic. Freaked Out Russia Shocked by Military Coup Against Putin Theres always sleight of hand in Russia. You can never quite believe what you hear. The past 24 hours, however, have revealed a huge amount about the battle for power in Moscow. My Kremlin source was puffing on a cigarette, the Signal connection between Paris and Moscow so crisp that I could hear the tobacco crunching between his lips. His life, too, has been dreary and banal. Theres something concrete going on, Trushika said flatly. Too many accidents in different parts of Russia over the past few months, way too many. Unexplained fires, explosions, lots of unreported serious disturbances, and now Putin is frightened his rat Prigozhin is preparing to march on Moscow. I asked: From where you sit, from what youre seeing, would it be mistaken for me to describe Putin as more terrified now than hes ever been before? There was a short silence as Trushika exhaled his smoke at the other end of the line. The existence of an organized resistance movement against Putin within the military has always been speculative, the veteran apparatchik added in a blurred and throaty whisper. Its now accurate to say it is no longer speculation. Putin regularly cites Russian history in his speeches with twisted romantic flourish but the sweeping cinematic extravaganzas audiences witnessed in Dr. Zhivago are long gone, replaced by gritty film noir. This is a cheap crime movie with squeamish attitudes and motivations in which the only reality more macabre than Putins 16-month effort to eradicate Ukraine is decoding the ghoulish andperhaps stagedquarrels between Putin and Prigozhin. Still, watch Putins lifeless five-minute Saturday speech to the nation as if you were in a movie theater. His eyes are coal tar, dull and lightless; his lips crumpled and scratching at each other. Then look at any of Prigozhins many cameo appearances alongside his leading man, and remember he once choked a woman and stole her earrings and shoes, and spent a decade behind bars for armed robbery, burglary, fraud. Hes also had people executed with a sledgehammer. And only then ask if Prigozhins ongoing gang war Putin described as an armed mutiny augurs an end to the butchery in Ukraine, or is it yet just another episode in the day-in-the-life of the indisputable Kremlin crime boss and his warring cronies? Think nothing of it, think everything of it, a Russian military intelligence analyst in Washington said shortly after Putin accused his former marionette Prigozhin of treason on Saturday morning. The Kremlin watchers voice is stiff and tired. He and his agencys colleagues have been here too many times before. Theres complete fear and confusion throughout Russia, he explained. Theres also no accurate way to measure the extent of the anger, discontent or armed the resistance against Putin. Prigozhin announced that he was standing his men down from their march on Moscow after negotiations with Putins comrade Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus. It is unclear what Prigozhin was offered but Moscow speculation abounds about the futures of Valery Gerasimov, the head of the armed forces, and Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, both of whom have been the frequent targets of Prigozhins outbursts. Russian strategic analyst Velina Tchakarova at For A Conscious Experience, a think tank, insists that all the fuss was a political stunt. This is not a coup by Prigozhin, says the FACE boss. This is an inner war between the St. Petersburg gang of Putin and the Moscow gang of Gerasimov and Shoigu. This is the beginning of Putins election campaign to get re-elected on March 17, 2024. What to Know About Prigozhin and Putins Twisted Relationship Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital and head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, said that there are no good guys in this fight. Putin is a mass murderer and Prigozhin is also a mass murderer Browder said. Minute-to-minute coverage of the ersatz Russian revolution on Twitter, Telegram and other social media platforms hit us in the face like a fusillade of spitballs doing 90 miles an hour. The tales were enthralling, exhausting and, as one Western intelligence operative advises, ultimately babble on stilts until Putins entire beastly cast is slaughtered or arrives in the Hague for interrogation in front of the International War Crimes Tribunal. For now he says the only legitimate information on what might happen next will come from spy satellites monitoring Russian troop movements. We really have to wait to see if they start shooting each other before we can make any realistic, cogent analysis, he says. Back in Moscow, Trushikas breathing is deep. He says Moscow mayor and Putin toady Sergei Sobranin has issued an emergency order making Monday a no-work day. Military helicopters remain in the air. Roads leading into the capital are pocked with roadblocks. Armored vehicles continue to patrol the streets, despite Prigozhins promise to stop the movement of his troops and, according to reports, de-escalate the crisis. But the story is not over yet. No one is certain who theyll kill next, Trushika says. This is Russia. 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. Vladimir Putin Yesterday morning, an unusually solemn President Putin warned state television viewers that Russia was facing an armed mutiny. However, he revealed the depth of his anxiety that this could be more than just an armed mutiny by invoking history in his referral to a millennial challenge. In less febrile circumstances, an armed mutiny might be seen off by the deployment of loyal troops, but Putin would seem to fear now that this is potentially more than an armed mutiny, possibly the opening moves of a determined coup to remove him from power. On whom can he count today to maintain himself in power? He may be running out of options. Events over the next few hours and days will decide whether this is a little local difficulty or an existential threat to the Putin regime. On any analysis it can be concluded that there are three principal power groups in Russia today Vladimir Putin and his elite group of self-interested supporters, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group, and the Russian army under Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The overriding issue that has brought the current chaos in Russia is, of course, the failing special military operation in Ukraine. Only days into the illegal attack on Ukraine it was quite clear that Putin had fallen victim to his own hubris the FSB had failed to undermine the Kyiv regime and the Russian army proved to too incompetent to topple it. From there his problems have escalated. While initially he might have been grateful for the Wagner groups support, as he had been in Africa and Syria, that support began to turn sour when Prigozhins boast last September to capture Bakhmut, which the Russian army had failed to do, descended into seven months of bloody attritional fighting and a bitter argument over the supply of ammunition. Prigozhin was at expletive-ridden daggers drawn with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Gerasimov, laying the deaths of thousands of his troops at their feet. Given Prigozhins attempt to humiliate the regular Russian army this bitter argument over ammunition supply should not have been a great surprise. Hitherto, Prigozhin has been careful not attack Putin directly, but the Rubicon was crossed in the last twenty-four hours and Prigozhins march on Moscow looks now much more like a coup than a mutiny. There is another sub plot. Over the last fifteen months the group of Russian leaders most disenchanted with the special military operation was probably the generals themselves, led by Gerasimov. They have watched their army being disastrously mishandled by Putin in Ukraine and the reputation that they had sought to restore after the humiliation of the Cold War, destroyed. It was therefore not beyond the bounds of possibility towards the end of last year that it could have been Gerasimov, supported by the army, which could have moved against Putin. Was it therefore a surprise when Putin sent Gerasimov out of Moscow to take command of the operation in Ukraine? Objectively to most military minds this looked like a most unusual thing to do, but pragmatically for Putin it might have been an act of self-survival. Today, it is not Gerasimov in the Kremlin wielding the Brutus knife in Putins Julius Caesar moment but his once most loyal Yevgeny Prigozhin whose troops are advancing on Moscow. The Russian army could oppose Prigozhin, or it could choose, at Gerasimovs direction, not to do so. FSB and interior ministry troops, loyal to former KGB Colonel Putin, could oppose Prigozhin but the outcome is uncertain. With most of the Wagner soldiers being liberated convicts, they have little to lose on a personal basis. Their loyalty to Prigozhin may prove stronger than their loyalty to Putin and the Russian state that imprisoned them. Having crossed that Rubicon, Prigozhin may have left himself no room for negotiations. For him, it may well be do or die. And what of the war in Ukraine? If the operations to probe the Russian defensive lines have found weaknesses, this would be the ideal time for the Ukrainians to commit their well trained and equipped attack brigades. To create a rout amongst the Russian troops like events around Kharkiv and Izium last autumn might be the final catalyst to sweep Putin out of power. This would open the way for Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Lavrov or one of several others to seize the presidency. And there could be successive coups in the volatility of the Kremlin. Whatever happens, there will be many twists and turns before peace and security returns to Ukraine and Europe and an inevitable huge loss of self-esteem in Russia. That, in itself, could pose severe future threats to the West. General Lord Dannatt is a former Chief of the General Staff Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Russian military As Yevgeny Prigozhin astonished the world by calling off his march on Moscow, Vladimir Putin, it seems, has narrowly avoided his 1917 moment. Russia has had a varied experience of coups and mutinies, from palace revolutions in the 18th century, an abortive mutiny in 1825 by liberal army officers who had tasted freedom in the West fighting Napoleon and, most importantly, in 1917, when the army high command told Nicholas II that his time was up. Putins hope will be that Prigozhins bizarre about-turn means that this becomes perhaps the shortest-lived major mutiny in Russias long history. It would be a grave mistake to believe that Putin is out of the woods. He stands gravely weakened. In the simplest terms, mutineers tend to end up dead, although Prigozhin believes that he will survive to win another day. One thing that Russian armies under various regimes seem to have in common is the brutality with which their men are treated, the brutality with which they behave in response, and their lack of loyalty to their superiors. These events merely remind us that nothing ever changes in Russia. Stalin who still provides a kind of template for Russian government shot most of the military high command during the late 1930s, but when Hitler invaded in 1941 he realised he needed the surviving generals, and restored their privileges, including ranks and badges from the tsarist army. Since then, every Russian regime has linked its prestige with the Great Patriotic War, and treated the army with a show of respect. But, at the same time, a large internal paramilitary force has been there to balance the power of the regular army. And for the generals, the memory doubtless persists of thousands of their predecessors who ended with a bullet in the back of the head. Remember the most disastrous failed coup of recent history: the army plot against Hitler in 1944, by conservative officers who knew he was leading the army and the country to disaster. But when Hitler survived the bomb that was meant to kill him, the coup collapsed and the plotters were soon dead. We shall soon find out if Putin has similar personal authority. The sainted incompetent Nicholas II did not. It is worth meditating on his fate, and that of Russia following his downfall. In 1914 he was a popular leader in a patriotic war, commanding an army regarded as formidable. In reality, it was badly trained and equipped, with commanders preferred for their loyalty to the regime, and soldiers who were badly treated and unmotivated. Almost immediately there began a succession of military humiliations, soon blamed on the Tsar and his entourage. Even when the military situation was stabilised, it was too late to regain prestige. Huge numbers of soldiers were killed, but huge numbers surrendered more than in any other army. Revolution began in February 1917 when junior officers and ordinary soldiers refused to crush popular riots, and then in early March senior army and navy commanders unanimously insisted that the Tsar must abdicate to prevent catastrophe. But of course catastrophe was not prevented: there followed defeat by Germany, years of civil war and decades of horrific tyranny. Yesterday, even Putin was talking of a 1917 moment. Arguably, the conditions for a peaceful transition of power were far more favourable in 1917 than today. A powerful liberal opposition seemingly poised to take over. But they, in turn, were brought down by further military disasters, economic hardship, internal division, and the seizure of power in October 1917 by extremists Lenins Bolsheviks. The only thing that might possibly have saved Russia in March 1917 was a rapid end to the war. That might just save it today. Ultimately, power grows out of the barrel of a gun, as Mao put it bluntly. Many political thinkers have reflected more subtly on this point. The German social theorist Max Weber defined the very essence of the state as its monopoly of legitimate violence. Edmund Burke wrote that unless people felt a voluntary loyalty to established authority, governments could only rely on force, and hence would be at the mercy of the army. For a state to exist at all, the men with guns have to be willing to obey it. After the fiasco of the past few hours and months, how long will this apply to Putin? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Putin ordered to neutralize the organizers of the Wagner rebellion (archive photo) The Russian Armed Forces have been ordered to "neutralize those who organized the rebellion, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said in an address on June 24, after news emerged overnight that Wagner mercenaries had crossed into Russia. Wagner mercenary company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 23 launched another furious tirade against the Russian Defense Ministry, claiming his forces camps had been attacked by Russian missiles. Read also: Prigozhin claims purpose of Russia's war on Ukraine was gain promotion for Shoigu, not deter NATO In the morning, Prigozhin claimed his forces had seized control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don in Russia, including a military airfield. Putin called the situation with the armed rebellion a "stab in the back of the country and the people" and a "betrayal." He said that "the government will not allow the split in Russia to happen again." "All those who prepared the armed rebellion will be inevitably punished," he said, without mentioning Prigozhin's name. Read also: Prigozhin vows to end Shoigu, FSB charges Wagner with inciting insurrection updated Actions against the rebels will be tough... The Russian Armed Forces have received orders to neutralize those who organized the armed rebellion. At the same time, Putin acknowledged that the work of civil and military authorities in Rostov-on-Don was virtually blocked, so the situation "remains difficult." The leader of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared on June 23 the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry. As of June 24, he claimed his forces had taken control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh. He demanded access to the highest military leadership of the Russian Federation, and if he was denied this, threatened to "go to Moscow". Read also: Ukrainian intelligence predicts more conflicts in Russia after RDK raids into Belgorod Oblast Prigozhin accuses the Russian Defense Ministry of deliberately attacking mercenary camps in Rostov-on-Don. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Vladimir Putin makes many false statements about Russia's military successes Putin's logic is actually very simple, and, by and large, he never hid it. Read also: Zelenskyy tells G7 principle of preventive security will protect democracies from aggressor states About the information thrown about in Western media as a point of view, as an assumption - in Russian telegram channels and Ukrainian ones - supposedly Russia is going to end the war, supposedly Russia is going to negotiate - I will frankly state what I think. From my point of view, the logic of Putin's actions, the logic of the actions of the Russian authorities, the Russian aggressors, is such that I have never even seen a hint that they will negotiate something. And actually, what Putin voiced at the economic forum in St. Petersburg only confirms this. Putin's logic is actually very simple, and by and large, he never hid it: he needs Ukraine as a subordinate territory. He wanted a simple and, as he thought, easy option for himself, namely the physical capture of part of the territory, the overthrow of the current government, and the establishment of a controlled regime - but this did not happen. He is playing the long game and does not hide it. Read also: The Kremlin is changing the rules of mobilization. Whom does Putin plan to call up for war His position is as follows: Russia is a large country with more significant mobilization resources and a larger economy that has adapted to sanctions one way or another. There are no serious internal coups, riots, or resistance in Russia. Even those who oppose this war still quietly keep their opinions to themselves and remain silent. Consequently, he is prepared to win in the long run, believing that a prolonged war will sooner or later bleed our economy, weaken our armed forces, and instill fatigue among Ukrainians and weariness towards Ukraine in the West. In other words, he is willing to bloody and weaken Ukraine enough to impose his will and force some agreement that will be signed on his terms. He certainly does not today believe in the possibility of capturing all of Ukraine or even a significant part of it, but he hopes to win in this way eventually. He radiates confidence that this is how it will go. Ukrainian offensive operation has dramatically encouraged him Furthermore, I noticed why he started making statements recently, as he rarely and reluctantly comments on the war. As far as I understand, an unfavorable development in the , so he allowed himself to express this confidence publicly. In my opinion, Putin's logic has not changed since April of last year. He is convinced that he will win this war, he will win it in the long term, sooner or later, and he is ready to fight for years, if necessary. That's his logic. Overall, what he said confirms these ideas and their logic. Whether Putin is right here - no one knows the answer to this question. If we purely consider mathematical criteria, we have to look at the number of weapons and equipment, the scale of the Russian economy, even despite the sanctions, Russian mobilization resources, the territory, the reserves of natural resources, and so on and so forth. It is clear that the war between Russia and Ukraine is arithmetically advantageous for Russia. But this war has been ongoing for 16 months, and Russia has no significant territorial gains. It suffers losses greater than those of Ukrainians, although we also feel substantial losses. That is why it is challenging to approach it very linearly and arithmetically. When the first package of sanctions was introduced, the most discussed issue was how quickly the Russian economy would fall. Only a few experts said it would not be clear how they would start working until February-March of 2023. Sanctions only started working, more or less effectively, very recently. But now, the gaps are already visible, and it is still being determined how they will undermine Russia's strength in the medium and long term. Read also: Russian economy sliding towards deindustrialization, Finland says I will give a simple example. At this economic forum, Putin talked for a very long and lively time about the advantages of the Russian economy and the achievements of the Russian economy. He gave an obvious example from his point of view - almost a record-low unemployment rate in Russia; this is an excellent argument in favor of the fact that the Russian economy is alive, Putin said. Partly he is right, they really do have an almost record-low unemployment rate, but there is a reverse side to this fact. Because when part of the people left, part died, and part was mobilized, it is clear that unemployment is low in an unnatural way. But, according to experts, at least 35%, i.e., more than a third of Russian enterprises (this applies to light industry, heavy, processing, military, any), have a massive shortage of specialists. This applies not only to industry, so to speak, their foolish Tasty and Point, which they created instead of McDonald's, even they need more people due to migration and mobilization. They will have to violate their own rules, change legislation and hire migrants without passports and students under the age of 15 because they don't have enough workers. Read also: Russia recruiting fighters from Iraq to stave off mobilization at home, reports claim And so you can talk about any other criteria and indicators. On the one hand, Russia has learned to bypass sanctions and survive under sanctions. Its financial system has proven to be flexible enough and endures. But it is challenging to say how long this will last and whether it will withstand further sanctions or adapt to more complex challenges. Today Russia's biggest problem, apart from the shortage of workers, is the lack of equipment. Russia does not produce machines or presses for anything; it simply does not manufacture them. And this means that they will have problems with making anything. They get out of the situation through third parties, through third countries, buying used devices, machines, and presses. But in the long run, it is unlikely to work. Then they have to develop new markets, which is a very long and complex process. Russia needed decades to master the European market, and she lost it in a few months. And now, to fully replace this piece of the economy in Asia, Africa, or Latin America, they will need time, experts, of which they do not have enough, and money, which they lack. They have it, but not enough to constantly offer discounts on different products. All of these are very difficult processes. Talking about whether Putin is right or wrong, he has such logic. He believes that he can win in the long run, and we believe that he will lose in the long run. Here is the crucial moment: provided that our partners' support does not decrease, but increases. This is already a challenge for them, sorry, not for me to judge how they will respond to this challenge. Is Ukraine ready for a long game? So far, all objective and subjective indicators, despite all the huge losses we have suffered and continue to suffer. Unfortunately, the war has not ended yet, and this is a huge blow not only to the armed forces, but to the economy, infrastructure, financial system, and our citizens' psychological and physical health. Many predicted that the fatigue from the war would be felt by Ukrainian society, elites, and armed forces somewhere at the end of last year. Read also: Ukrainian command making right decisions at the front, says NATO chief For now, if we are talking about any objective markers, more or less accessible indicators, it seems that Ukrainian society, Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the Ukrainian authorities are ready to fight for a long time. But we have yet to determine how we will live on and what challenges and threats are still waiting for us. Today it is possible to talk about the fact that the mood of Ukrainian society, the intention of Ukrainian society, and the forces of Ukrainian society are sufficient to prepare and adapt to the war, which, unfortunately, may last a long time. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is "fighting for survival" and that there are attempts to "organise a rebellion" in the country. Source: Putin, during his video address Quote from Putin: "I am addressing those who have been drawn by deception or threats into a criminal adventure, onto the path of the grave crime of armed rebellion... This is a stab in the back of the country and the people. This is exactly the blow dealt to Russia in 1917 when the country was fighting the First World War. But the victory was stolen from it. Intrigues, squabbles, and politicking behind the backs of the army and the people resulted in the most significant upheaval, the destruction of the army and the collapse of the state, and the loss of vast territories. It resulted in the tragedy of the civil war... We will not allow this to happen again. We will protect our people and our statehood from any threats. In particular, from domestic betrayal. And treason is exactly what we have faced. Excessive ambitions and personal interests have led to treason... I repeat that any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and our nation. This is a blow to Russia, to our people." Details: Putin stated that Russia's government will "act tough", and the Armed Forces and other governmental authorities have received the necessary orders. He acknowledged that the situation in Rostov "remains complicated; the work of civilian and military authorities has been effectively blocked". He asked those "who turned their weapons against their brothers-in-arms" to "stop participating in criminal actions". Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Putin vows to defend Russia against armed rebellion led by mercenary chief: 'They will answer for it' Putin vows to defend Russia against armed rebellion led by mercenary chief: 'They will answer for it' Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Saturday to defend the country and its people from an armed rebellion declared by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, describing the call to action as a treasonous decision that puts the countrys survival in peril. In a televised address Saturday morning, Putin said the mutiny amounted to "a deadly threat to our statehood," vowing there will be "tough actions" in response. The Kremlin's calls for action come after Prigozhin said on Saturday that he had taken control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don in an attempt to oust the defense minister. "It is a blow to Russia, to our people," Putin said. "And our actions to defend the Fatherland against such a threat will be harsh." "All those who deliberately stepped on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed insurrection, who took the path of blackmail and terrorist methods, will suffer inevitable punishment, will answer both to the law and to our people," Putin continued. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders." RUSSIAN WARLORD THREATENS KREMLIN MILITARY OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGED ATTACK ON HIS TROOPS: REPORT While he did not call Prigozhin out by name, he described the rebellion as a "criminal adventure, a grave crime, an armed mutiny" and encouraged those involved to "stop participating in criminal acts." READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP He said participating would be a "fatal and tragic, unique mistake" and the "only right choice" is to not get involved. Prigozhin swiftly responded with an audio message on Telegram, denying Putin's accusations of treason. "Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland," Prigozhin said. The Wagner Group leader said his fighters would not turn themselves in as Putin demanded, saying, "we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy." Putin's condemnation of the rebellion comes during a time when he claims Russia is "fighting the toughest battle for its future" with its war on Ukraine. RUSSIAN MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV CAUSES FIRE AT APARTMENT BUILDING, KILLING 2, INJURING 8 "The entire military, economic and information machine of the West is waged against us," Putin said. "This battle, when the fate of our people is being decided, requires the unification of all forces, unity, consolidation and responsibility," the Kremlin said. "Those who plotted and organized an armed rebellion, who raised arms against his comrades-in-arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for it." On Friday, Prigozhin accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of launching a deadly attack on his private militia, which is fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia. Russian authorities denied the attack, prompting Prigozhin to promise retaliations during a series of angry audio clips posted on social media site VKontakte (VK). RUSSIAN MERCENARY CHIEF SAYS HIS TROOPS HAVE REACHED ROSTOV-ON-DON FOLLOWING CALL FOR ARMED REBELLION "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared. "The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped." Prigozhin stepped in new territory by suggesting that Putin's rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass, including Shoigu. "The war was needed ... so that Shoigu could become a marshal ... so that he could get a second 'Hero' [of Russia] medal," Prigozhin said in a video clip. "The war wasn't needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine." Fox News' Peter Aitken, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. The News The leader of the mercenary Wagner group said he is standing his coup attempt down and turning his forces around from his march to Moscow. Yevgeny Prigozhin said, "Right now the moment has come when blood could be spilled. Therefore, understanding all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our convoy around and going back to our basecamps, according to the plan." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped negotiate a deal between Wagner and the Kremlin, Lukashenkos office said. As part of the deal, Prigozhin will not be prosecuted but will leave Russia for Belarus. Russia also retains control of nuclear arms stationed in Belarus, Russian state media TASS reported from the Kremlin. Wagner fighters who participated in the rebellion will not be prosecuted. The announcement came hours after soldiers from the Russian private mercenary group Wagner clashed with Russian troops even after Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed to punish those on a "path of treason" in his first televised address to the nation following the uprising. "Those who carry deliberately on a path of treason, preparing an armed rebellion when you were preparing terrorist attacks, will be punished," Putin said. The president also said there would be "decisive actions" for those inciting what the Kremlin is calling an armed rebellion. Prigozhin claimed control of the southern city Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, which is halfway between the southern city and Moscow. The New York Times reported Saturday that it had verified videos of fighting near Voronezh. Putin did not mention Prigozhin by name in his speech, but said that "exorbitant ambitions and personal interests have led to treason." The longstanding feud between the Russian military and Prigozhin over how to wage war in Ukraine appears to have fueled the insurrection by the notorious mercenary group. Know More In his speech, Putin said the rebels who were "pushing the country toward anarchy and fratricide" would face "unavoidable punishment." "Those who organized and prepared the armed rebellion, those who raised weapons against comrades in arms, betrayed Russia. And they will answer for this," he added. He also appealed to Wagner's forces saying they were "pushed into the provocation" and called for "unity, consolidation, and responsibility." In a video, Prigozhin said he would blockade the southern Russian city of Rostov, CNN reported, and move on to Moscow unless Russia's defense minister met with him in the city. Putin said he was taking action to stabilize the situation in Rostov, adding, "As president of Russia and the commander in chief, as a citizen of Russia, I will do everything to defend the country." Prigozhin responded in another Telegram video Saturday that "the president is sorely mistaken. "Were patriots of our motherland. Weve fought and well continue fighting. All Wagner Group fighters. And none of us is going to turn himself in at the demand of the president, the FSB, or anybody else," he said. The Kremlin is apparently attempting to mitigate the coup by directly neutralizing Prigozhin, independent news outlet Meduza reports, with one member of Russia's legislature now proposing amnesty for Wagnerites who lay down their arms, given their past service in Ukraine. The View From Rostov-on-Don Our partners at Meduza, the independent Russian news outlet that can also be read in English, spoke Saturday to residents of Rostov-on-Don, which is about 1,000 kilometers south of Moscow and close the the Ukrainian border. The city is the regional headquarters of the Russian military, and the center of operations for the Russian military in Southern Ukraine. One, identified only as Anastasia, said everything was pretty much "as usual" in the heavily militarized border city: "helicopters always fly here and military personnel walk around, nothing new. But in the center, of course, everything is different. I cant say that helicopters somehow flew more often today... Residents in the city center are standing around taking pictures of tanks." Another Rostov-on-Don resident, Daria, said she was frightened as the noise of military equipment grew louder than usual. "At that moment, I thought about what it was like for the people of Ukraine, for whom such a rumble is probably almost silence... I went to bed at about three in the morning, but hardly slept." Meduza also reported that an explosion has been reported near official military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. The View From Kiev Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted Saturday that Russia's chickens are coming home to roost. "Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself," he wrote, citing the 1917 collapse of Russia's external war effort amid the Russian revolution. "The longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later." Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Maliar said on Telegram that the civil conflict presents a "window of opportunity" for Ukraine. The View From Moscow Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Saturday declared a "counter-terrorist operation regime" in the capitol. Police now have authority to detain anybody regarded as suspicious, and the internet can be shut down if the situation escalates. While access in and out of Moscow has not yet been restricted, Meduza reports that the city is apparently preparing for a potential invasion: armored vehicles are reportedly patrolling the streets, and authorities are inspecting bunkers. The Kremlin is also reportedly debating whether to enact a curfew, but no decision has yet been made. The View From The White House President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team Saturday morning, the White House said. Biden also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is considering scaling back some sanctions against Wagner in an effort to keep them antagonized against Moscow. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a phone call with the G7 foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the EU on Saturday, reaffirming the United States' support for Ukraine during Russia's security crisis. "The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop," a State Department spokesperson said. Blinken also spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "Ukraine remains focused on achieving the goals of its counteroffensive in the territory of Ukraine with the steadfast support of our American allies," Kuleba tweeted after the call. The View From Congress We are closely monitoring what appears to be a significant internal conflict among Russian forces. We are in touch with the Intelligence Community and Administration as this situation unfolds," said an initial statement from Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, who lead the Senate Intelligence Committee. Rubio later tweeted that Russia is now significantly weaker following the attempted coup. The View From Riga Latvia has closed its borders to Russians seeking to enter the country, the president announced. The View From The Gulf For much of the world, the main consequence of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been the threat to supplies of grain and other commodities. The Qatari foreign ministry called for maximum restraint from all parties Saturday, according to Al Jazeera. The foreign ministry warns that escalation in Russia and Ukraine will have negative consequences for international peace and security and will impact food and energy supplies, it said. The View From Fox News The American right has shifted increasingly toward opposition to Western support for Ukraine. Saturday morning, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy speculated "that we could be behind this attempted coup with the Wagner group, or NATO." Campos-Duffy said that when the U.S. invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, "I was one of those people who just sort of believed everything that came out of my government, and now I dont believe a lot of it." "So many lies have been told to us about the war in Ukraine," she said. "This is why the American people are so weary of our involvement in these conflicts abroad and just want us to wind these things down." Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to put down the armed mutiny by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after his forces appeared to take control of a Russian military headquarters responsible for overseeing the war in Ukraine. Putin said in an address on Saturday that any action that divides the country betrays the Russian people and soldiers who are fighting, as Russia must be unified to fight Ukraine. He said ambition and personal interests have led to treason against the country, people and cause that soldiers for the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor, had been fighting for. Putin said the attack betrays the memory of Wagner Group soldiers who died in key battles and is pushing the country toward anarchy and defeat in Ukraine. It is a blow to Russia, to our people. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh. All those who have consciously chosen the path of betrayal, planned an armed mutiny and taken the path of blackmail and terrorism, will inevitably be punished and will answer before the law and our people, he said. Prigozhins Wagner Group has played a key role in the invasion of Ukraine, spearheading Russias seizure of the city of Bakhmut last month. But the groups relations with the Russian military have broken down as Prigozhin has criticized military officials and others and accused them of not providing the supplies needed for success. Tensions reached a boiling point on Friday after Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his groups camp, killing many of his fighters. He also denounced attempted Russian justifications for the war, saying that Ukraine was not threatening Russia nor was it persecuting ethnic Russians in its territory at the time Russian forces invaded last year. He blamed Russian oligarchs for the war and said they are practically ruling the country. Prigozhin called for an armed rebellion to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power, accusing Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, of deciding to destroy Wagner. Early Saturday local time, he said Wagner Group fighters had crossed from Ukraine into Russia and reached the town of Rostov-on-Don, home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region. He declared that Wagners actions are not a military coup but a march for justice. Putin said counterterrorism measures are in effect in Moscow and other regions, and action will be taken to secure Rostov. Intelligence from the United Kingdom Defense Ministry states that Wagner forces have almost certainly occupied key security sites in Rostov, including the headquarters for running the war in Ukraine. The ministry said Wagner fighters are moving north toward Moscow, and some Russian security forces have likely not fought back against Wagner based on very limited evidence of fighting. Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russias security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how the crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the ministry said. The Russian Federal Security Service, the successor agency to the Soviet Unions KGB, has called for Prigozhins arrest on a charge of inciting an armed rebellion. This came only hours after a criminal case was opened against him. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also said his forces were prepared to help put down the rebellion, using whatever tactics are necessary, Reuters reported. Kadyrov had been an ally of Prigozhin and criticized Russias military, but more recently turned against Prigozhins denunciations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership in response to the attempted arm rebellion during a phone call with Putin that was initiated by Ankara, the Kremlin said in a post on its Telegram channel. Turkey has maintained ties with Russia amid the Ukraine war and has not imposed international sanctions on the country like the majority of its fellow NATO members have. Updated at 9:23 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses his country on Saturday. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) As columns of mercenaries appeared to be moving with lightning speed towards Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to strike back hard against Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, who launched an extraordinary assault on his own government. In remarks on Saturday morning from the Kremlin, Putin denounced Prigozhins criminal adventure as an armed mutiny that would be met with a response from regular Russian troops. Any actions that split our nation are essentially a betrayal of our people, of our comrades-in-arms who are now fighting at the frontline. This is a knife in the back of our country and our people, Putin said, invoking the bloody legacy of the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh, he said. Video footage on social media showed defensive positions being hastily erected on the approaches to Moscow. Later in the day Saturday, however, Prigozhin announced that the column of troops would be halting its advance on Moscow. He said his goal was to avoid "shedding Russian blood"; he did not say if the Kremlin agreed to his demand for replacing Russia's military leadership. Who is Prigozhin? Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, in March. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP) Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, only to see what he and his generals thought would be a quick war descend into a quagmire. Despite lacking military experience of his own, Prigozhin was one of the few Kremlin functionaries willing to seize the initiative. The catering magnate turned mercenary leader recruited his Wagner forces directly from Russian prisons, promising freedom in exchange for service. Lacking training, Wagner troops died by the thousands but also made critical gains around the southern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin has long feuded with the Ministry of Defense, which he has accused of poor military and logistical leadership. That rivalry exploded on Friday, when he charged regular Russian forces of shelling Wagner positions in occupied Ukrainian territory. He had made similar accusations earlier this month. The comments represented the eruption of a rare public feud between the Kremlin and Prigozhin, who used to be known as Putins chef because of his close relationship with the Russian leader. A native of St. Petersburg, like Putin, Prigozhin served time in prison for assault in the 1980s. He later opened a hot dog stand and eventually a catering business before becoming, improbably, one of Putins closest advisers. Founded in 2014, the Wagner Group had previously supported despotic regimes in Syria and several African nations, operating in a kind of extralegal territory. Even if he seemed to frequently overstate Wagner gains, and to show little regard for the thousands of men he sent to their deaths, Prigozhin emerged throughout the first months of 2023 as a charismatic and energetic commander in a landscape filled to a large extent with bland incompetents afraid to speak honestly to the Kremlin. Until now, he appears to have had Putins sanction. Wagners stunning advance People gather in the street as fighters of the Wagner Group of private mercenaries are deployed in the city of Rostov-on-Don. (Reuters/Stringer) Moscow seemed taken aback by his offensive. In the chaotic hours that followed, Wagner troops captured Russian military sites in Rostov-on-Don, a large city south of Moscow. Footage shared on social media on Saturday morning showed Wagner armored vehicles moving quickly north on the M-4 highway toward the capital and encountering little resistance from regular Russian forces, which have been sapped by the grinding war in Ukraine. Putin praised the thousands of Wagner mercenaries who died on the battlefields of Ukraine as heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the unity of the Russian world. But he described the forces following Prigozhins lead towards Moscow as traitors who are attempting to stage a revolt and are pushing the country towards anarchy and fratricide and ultimately, towards defeat and surrender. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen warlord and Putin ally, is reportedly on the way to Rostov with fighters of his own, but Kadyrov is known for exaggerating his forces and battlefield advances. A looming confrontation near Moscow Military vehicles along the M4 highway to Moscow amid escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group. (Boris Alekseev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Already dealing with a slow but determined Ukrainian counteroffensive, Putin now has to contend with what could have erupted into a full-blown insurrection, especially if Prigozhin has tacit support within the Kremlin or the armed forces. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times, the United Kingdoms defense ministry said in a social media message. I will take every effort to defend the country and protect the constitutional order as well as the lives, security and freedom of our citizens, Putin said in his remarks. Putin wants to eliminate Prigozhin and promise amnesty to Wagner Group fighters Russian media have reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to avoid direct clashes with Wagner Group in Moscow and has ordered law enforcement to kill the groups leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Source: Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), an online Russian investigative journalism outlet, citing a source close to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Details: Vazhnye Istorii reported that the Russian Armed Forces do not have sufficient forces that could prevent Prigozhin from entering Moscow. The Russian Armed Forces are currently gathering all forces that have not been deployed to the front in Ukraine, including Chechen military units, the Russian National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service. Quote: "Putin doesnt need dramatic shootouts so his top priority is to eliminate Prigozhin and to wrestle the backbone of the Wagner Group away from him by promising [Wagner Group fighters] amnesty for this mess." Previously: It was reported earlier that the Office of the President of the Russian Federation anticipates that Yevgeny Prigozhins Wagner Group fighters will likely reach Moscows outskirts in the next few hours, with fighting expected near Russias capital. Earlier, the Kremlin appeared confident that the armed forces it controls would be able to repel the Wagnerites. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Putin's clashing warlords are on the verge of full-blown violence that could weaken his grip on power Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin attends the funeral of his fighters at the Beloostrovskoye cemetery outside St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 24, 2022. AP Photo The ongoing feud between Putin's warlords came to the brink of violence on Friday. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin went on a tirade against the Defense Ministry, prompting calls for his arrest. The FSB opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin and armored vehicles were spotted in Moscow. While much of the world is still wondering what exactly went wrong with the Titan submersible, Russian President Vladimir Putin may be wondering the same thing about the implosion currently happening among his warlords. The escalating feud between Russia's Ministry of Defense and the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin turned into an all-out brawl late Friday and into Saturday that had some in Russia worried about the prospect of a coup that could start to destabilize Putin's authoritarian regime. Prigozhin, the mercenary boss and former close ally of Putin's, posted a tirade on Telegram in which he said Russia's Defense Ministry "must be stopped," accused them of ordering deadly missile strikes on his forces, and called for retaliation. Russia denied his claims and the supposed strikes have not been independently verified. Prigozhin called for Russians to join him and his cadre of seasoned fighters many thousands strong in the most shocking suggestion that he was leading an armed rebellion, later claiming he was entering Russia. "The evil carried by the country's military leadership must be stopped," Prigozhin said, adding that his 25,0000 mercenaries were ready to stand against Russia's Defense Ministry. He also claimed Russia's justification for invading Ukraine was a "racket" and that the war was initiated to profit Russian elites. The FSB, Russia's security service and successor to the Soviet-era KGB, quickly responded by opening a criminal case against Prigozhin for "calling for an armed rebellion." Russian generals pleaded with Wagner Group mercenaries to stop an apparent coup or show of force underway, warning it could ignite a civil war. A Kremlin spokesperson told the media Putin was aware of Prigozhin's comments and that "necessary measures are being taken." The FSB also called on Wagner mercenaries, who played a key role in Russia's efforts in Ukraine, to ignore orders given by Prigozhin and work to help arrest him, according to the news site Meduza. The development has sparked alarm in Russia. Meanwhile, videos shared by Meduza showed armored military vehicles on the streets of Moscow Friday evening. It's still unclear if the feud will translate into fighting among Russians, but it's the most intense infighting among Russian military forces to occur since the invasion of Ukraine in February of last year and comes as Ukrainian forces continue with their counteroffensive. It may also be the most instability experienced in Russia in all of Putin's rule. The stakes of the fighting are high for Putin, whose reliance on warring warlords has previously come under scrutiny. Insider's Ryan Pickrell previously reported that Putin plays Prigozhin and the Defense Ministry against each other, escalating tensions between those factions and attempting to deflect blame off himself. "Putin has been an effective user of divide-and-rule until now, but this seems like it's gotten to a point where not intervening somehow calls into question the ability of the center to control things to an uncomfortable degree," Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, told Insider on Friday. Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, also said Friday that many Russian elite will blame Putin "for letting the situation escalate to such extremes and for his lack of a timely, adequate response when to many it was evident that Prigozhin was pushing the limits of Kremlin's tolerance." "Therefore, this entire saga is also an undercut to Putin's standing," she said. Prior to his tirades Friday, Prigozhin was bashing Russia's Defense Ministry for months, especially targeting Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov. He has issued scathing statements criticizing the Defense Ministry's failures on the battlefield and lack of support for his Wagner forces, prompting many to wonder how he was getting away with the outward hostility in a country that was heavily censoring commentary around the war. It appears his statements on Friday finally went too far. Read the original article on Business Insider Prigozhin was once seen as a close ally and known as "Putin's chef" (Handout) President Vladimir Putin has long profited from the actions of the Wagner mercenary group, but the mutiny led by its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presents the Russian strongman with a challenge that could irreparably damage his authority, analysts say. During its decade-long existence, Wagner's operations in Africa, Syria and eastern Ukraine have served Putin's political interests, with the president appearing to relish, rather than fear, the internal rivalries created by its success. But now the organisation, whose development was encouraged by Putin, has turned against him. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin -- once seen as a close ally and known as "Putin's chef" due to past Kremlin catering contracts rather than culinary prowess -- has moved into open revolt. The speed and severity of Putin's address to the nation after Prigozhin said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and bases in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, shows how seriously he regards the threat. While the Russian state maintains the military might be able to put down the rebellion and even crush Wagner, the crisis risks inflicting permanent damage to Putin, who for two-and-a-half decades has prided himself on standing on top of an unchallenged vertical power structure. "Putin's unambiguous position is to put down the rebellion. And hard," Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the R. Politik political analysis firm, said on her Telegram channel, arguing that Prigozhin was "doomed," even it it could take "a long time" to bring him down. But she added: "Many inside the elite will personally blame Putin for the fact that everything went so far and that there was no proper reaction from the president in good time. Therefore, this whole story is also a blow to Putin's positions." The UK ministry of defence said in its daily intelligence update that the "loyalty of Russia's security forces... will be key to how the crisis plays out." - 'Usefulness to Putin' - The Wagner outfit had taken a prime role in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, taking on the most dangerous frontline work, as the regular army appeared to falter, while sustaining what Western sources have described as colossal losses. "For a long time, Prigozhin was allowed to attack the elite due to his usefulness at the front, as well as for some usefulness to Putin himself," said Alexander Baunov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. But the war also emboldened Prigozhin, who for the first time openly admitted he had founded the group after years of denial, and openly recruited new members in Russian prison camps. He also took to launching brazen verbal attacks against the Russian defence ministry. His posturing was seen initially as a boost to the Kremlin's war effort but then as a rare and open challenge to Putin, who appeared to keep the group at arm's length and never held a public meeting with Prigozhin during the conflict. Prigozhin waged what grew into a personal vendetta against Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, widely seen as one of Putin's few personal friends within the Russian elite, who has hosted the president for holidays in his home southern Siberian region. Baunov argued that the moment Prigozhin resolved to "cross the line" came on June 13 when Putin announced that mercenary groups like Wagner would have to be subject to control of the defence ministry, something the mercenary boss had long opposed. In Putin's icy address on Saturday he pointedly did not refer to Prigozhin by name, a tactic he also uses concerning the jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny. - 'Frankenstein's monster' - James Nixey, director of the Russia-Eurasia Programme, at UK thinktank Chatham House, described Prigozhin "as something of a Frankenstein's monster" who may have had "a licence at some point to shock the Russian army into more effective warfighting." "However, that has gone way beyond anything that Putin would ever have envisaged now," he told AFP. While Prigozhin does not have the "manpower, troops or support" to take Moscow, let alone the entire country, it still "is the first direct serious challenge to Putin's authority in 24 years" of rule. Prigozhin's conduct contrasts with that of the strongman of the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who also built up his own private militia force but has remained staunchly loyal to the Kremlin. He has already vowed to send Chechen units to put down the revolt saying that if "harsh measures are necessary, we are ready." "Moscow has every chance of regaining control," said the prominent French political scientist Anna Colin Lebedev. "But this unprecedented situation confirms to the elites that the time for stability is over, and that the state that we thought was all-powerful has flaws. The seat of power today is a slightly more shaky chair than it was yesterday," she said. sjw/fb A doll depicting the head of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at an event on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, February 25 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's plane left Moscow on the afternoon of June 24 amid an ongoing rebellion led by PMC Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Belarusian Hajun monitoring project said on Telegram on June 24, citing data from the Flightradar24 service. Read also: Lukashenko's business jet lands in Turkey media The Russian governments Il-96300PU aircraft took off from Vnukovo Airport at 14:16 local time and headed for Valdai, one of Putins residences, it said. However, Hajun said it was not known who was on board the plane, although it was an aircraft which has been used by the Russian dictator several times. The plane reportedly disappeared from radars near the Russian city of Tver (about 150 kilometers from Valdai), the independent Russian website Important Stories (IStories) said on Telegram on June 24. The media outlet claims that the plane is equipped to control the armed forces. While commenting on Putins whereabouts to the state-controlled TASS news agency, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov said his boss is working in the Kremlin. The Ukrainian online publication Ukrainska Pravda cites an unnamed source in the Ukrainian special services who states that Putin is leaving Moscow, he is being taken to Valdai. The Insider, a Russian investigative journalism project, also writes that as of 3 p.m. local time, another Russian special forces aircraft had landed in St. Petersburg. The independent news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit, in turn, reports that Russian officials are fleeing from Moscow on business jets at least three flights served by the Special Flight UnitRossiya of the Russian Presidents Administration have already departed for St. Petersburg. Read also: Prigozhin vows to end Shoigu, FSB charges Wagner with inciting insurrection updated On June 23, the chief of PMC Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin declared war on the Russian Defense Ministry after an alleged attack by the Russian army on his mercenaries military camp. As of June 24, according to media reports, Wagner mercenaries took control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh. Prigozhin demands access to Russias top military leadership, threatening to "advance towards Moscow." Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin onboard a plane in December 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik via REUTERS Russian President Vladimir Putin's plane left Moscow Saturday morning, according to flight data. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had not fled and "is working at the Kremlin." Wagner mercenaries appear to be headed for Moscow in what some are calling an attempted coup. Russian President Vladimir Putin's plane took off from Moscow early Saturday morning, heading towards St. Petersburg before disappearing from flight tracking radar. Putin's presidential plane left at 14:16 Moscow time, according to FlightRadar data retrieved by NEXTA. While it's not clear where the plane was headed, it disappeared from tracking systems near Tver, a major city north of Moscow. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Putin had fled the city, saying he "is working at the Kremlin," according to The Independent and Ukrinform. The news comes as Wagner forces appear to be descending on Moscow. On Friday, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against Russia's military leadership, accusing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering an air strike on Wagner troops in Ukraine. Prigozhin claimed to be leading 25,000 men in a so-called "march for justice" to overthrow Russia's Ministry of Defense. He said military leadership had been misleading Putin about the war in Ukraine and mismanaging military resources and assets. The dramatic "march" follows months of tensions between Prigozhin and Russia's top military leaders. Read the original article on Business Insider Q&A: Amid disinformation, new Maryland elections head says we have to be that trusted source in democracy BALTIMORE -- For the first time in more than two decades, Maryland is poised to welcome a new elections administrator with the selection of Jared DeMarinis to replace longtime administrator Linda Lamone. DeMarinis, 49, of Annapolis, is a familiar face inside election circles he previously headed the Maryland State Board of Elections Division of Candidacy and Campaign Finance but hes largely unknown to the general public. If the state Senate approves the boards choice next year, giving DeMarinis the job on a permanent basis at an annual salary of $144,000, hell be responsible for mounting at least a statewide primary and a general election every other year. Hell also oversee buying voting equipment and implementing a roster of ever-evolving election laws approved by state legislators and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. As an 18-year employee of the state elections board, DeMarinis is a student of elections both locally and abroad. When he wasnt helping Maryland candidates navigate campaign finance law, he served as an international election monitor, traveling to places like Armenia, Azerbaijan and North Macedonia to observe elections and bring overseas expertise back to the United States. The Baltimore Sun sat down Tuesday with DeMarinis to talk about his vision for the job and the challenges the role brings as elections across the country face intense scrutiny. Editors note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What kind of elections administrator do you envision yourself being? Do you expect to be a vocal advocate or operate more quietly? I think that right now you need good communication and transparency. Were facing a threat not just in election administration, but in democracy with disinformation. We have to be that trusted source, but you cant be passive. You have to do outreach. You have to be proactive in this battle. What kind of change can we expect to see from the Board of Elections under your leadership? Im my own person. Im replacing a person who was here for 25 years, so I think we have a solid foundation. But the challenges are different and require some more understanding of how much outreach is needed. Traditionally, election administrators were there but not heard. You helped process it, but the fights, the policy arguments were all done with the partisan actors. We were in the background. Thats changed and its changed fundamentally to rock the core of the foundation of democracy. Now my counterparts are getting death threats. Election judges in this area are get doxxed. You cant be on the sidelines. Its a fine line, though. We were never an advocate type of entity, but we are advocates, in a sense, making sure that everyone can have the right to vote, that you can trust the process, that you can trust the results. And were playing a little catch-up now because the disinformation took hold. Maryland has experienced a tremendous increase in voters casting mail-in ballots, fueled initially by the pandemic. What do the next 10 years look like in terms of that continued transition? We have to look at our resources and see where we can go and move forward. If that means shifting or expanding early voting or looking at what we need to do on Election Day, these are things we have to look at with strong data. I dont think weve established a true baseline. You cant talk about options until you establish that baseline. Pre-COVID, we saw where the data was starting to fill out on early voting. COVID was a game changer. We used to have 6% vote by mail; now its much higher (in November 2022, 27% of participating voters cast mail-in ballots). But at the same time, weve had one gubernatorial election. We havent had a full presidential with all the different systems there. Its too early to say. The General Assembly has spoken loud and clear, however. They want to make sure whatever decisions we make that we understand the nature of affecting historically disenfranchised communities. Would you change how election results are communicated to the public? We just passed a bill allowing early counting of ballots. I was a supporter of that. One of the things I enjoy is the flexibility for local election boards. It recognized that certain counties need more time due to volume of ballots. Other counties dont necessarily have the volume or the staff. The bill allows for flexibility. If a county comes in and says, We only have X number of ballots and we can do that in a day, the state administrator can waive that requirement. But if a third of your ballots are coming through the mail, then no, you start earlier. Youve observed elections abroad conducted entirely online. Would you ever consider moving to an online voting system in Maryland? Thats something that would be a huge policy shift, and thats 100% within the domain of the General Assembly and the governor. Maryland has a closed primary system, but there are active third-party candidates and groups. What can the state do to be more inclusive? Some of that is also a policy initiative that needs to come from the General Assembly, and I think its important they weigh in on this. As election administrators, we implement their policy to ensure people have access to the polls and make it as accessible as possible. But the General Assembly is controlled by two major parties, leaving little incentive for change. Online petition gathering has been brought up before our board (by third-party officials), and its one of those things we looked at. We allowed it for COVID and it was successful, but over time, its definitely a policy shift that is in the domain of policymakers. Marylands election judges and poll staff are an aging group. Whats your plan to reach out to younger employees? I think getting into middle schools and engaging. One of the things that gets lost is the struggle behind winning voting rights. They have to understand all the hardships and how that was fought for from generation to generation. Engaging in and starting the process a little bit earlier is something that I want to do. Its a long-term concept I have, but I dont believe theres an election museum in the United States. I would like to start something. Having raised two daughters, they like to see things. You can tell them about struggles. Thats conceptual. Its very hard to show them This is what an old voting system looked like, Heres what the 2000 case was about, These are hanging chads. Marylands passed a law, often dubbed the Linda Lamone for Life Law, protecting election administrators during the tenure of your predecessor. It was repealed just this year. Do you want to be election administrator for life? Wow, yeah. I just got in here. Ive been overwhelmed with the amount of support, emails, texts, now letters. Im wanting to hit on challenges here, but Im not thinking that far. Maybe my election museum idea, but thats about it. R.I. men facing charges after allegedly trying to steal car at gunpoint, hurting girl in New Bedford Two Rhode Island men are facing felony charges after allegedly trying to carjack a woman at gunpoint in New Bedford early Thursday morning. One of the men is facing additional charges for allegedly assaulting a girl found with them that police say was being held against her will. A woman told police that she was at a gas station near Acushnet Avenue and Phillips Road around 2:30 am when another vehicle pulled up alongside the gas pump and attempted to open her door. The victim says she shouted at the man, causing him to speed off in his car away from the station. Immediately after, the same car allegedly attempted to block her in while she was sitting at a red light. The two men emptied out of the vehicle, brandishing firearms at her, police say. The victim then raced to a New Bedford police station where she informed Officer Sullivan what had just happened. Shortly after Officer Sullivan noticed a vehicle matching the description the victim provided parked in the Satellite Village housing development. Police removed the two men, Fabio Da Silveira, 21, of Providence and Muhammed Abdur-Razzak, 22, of Pawtucket from the car. A juvenile girl was also in the car with the two men. According to police, she told officers that she was held against her will by the two men and Da Silveria had struck her in the face repeatedly; even threatening to cut off her fingers. Police say the vehicle the two men were driving had an illegally attached license plate and was reported stolen a week earlier. Other license plates were found in the back of the car. Da Silveira is facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, reckless endangerment to a child, threats to commit a crime, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, and other traffic offenses. Abdur-Razzak is being charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and assault with a dangerous weapon. I want to commend Officer Sullivan and his fellow patrol officers for their swift and decisive actions in apprehending the suspects involved in this harrowing incident. Their vigilance and professionalism resulted in the rescue of a young female victim from a truly dangerous situation. Their efforts exemplify the commitment of our police officers to ensuring the safety and well-being of our community, said New Bedford Police Cheif Paul Oliveria in a statement. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW What the race to replace Rep. Chris Stewart means for the nation and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif. speaks to reporters outside his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 7, 2023. | Andrew Harnik, Associated Press Utahs special election to replace retiring Rep. Chris Stewart holds national significance, given the narrow Republican majority in the House and Speaker Kevin McCarthys tenuous hold on his conference, experts told Deseret News. The special election to fill Stewarts 2nd Congressional District seat is expected to be the only special election to take place in a red district this year and will be the first since McCarthy and his aligned Congressional Leadership Fund PAC agreed not to get involved in any open primary election for a safe Republican seat. The deal was made as part of McCarthys protracted, but successful, bid for the speakership in January, which included a number of concessions made to placate the House Freedom Caucus. Related A spokesperson for the Congressional Leadership Fund confirmed with the Deseret News that as Utah is considered safe Republican territory, its unlikely to see the Congressional Leadership Fund participate in its races. While McCarthys hands may be tied in regards to influencing Utahs special election, experts say he and other Republican leaders in the House will be watching the race closely, likely hoping that a certain type of candidate will emerge as the winner. Leadership will be keenly honed in on this race, former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz said in a phone call with the Deseret News. They want somebody they can work with, and when the votes are close, go get their vote. With such a slim majority this is even more pivotal to how votes will ultimately go. Chaffetz, who represented Utahs 3rd Congressional District from 2009 to 2017, when his own resignation prompted a special election, mentioned the pressure that Stewarts replacement will feel to toe the party line. But, he said, At the end of the day, you also have to recognize that you work for the people of Utah and the 2nd Congressional District, not for leadership and not for anybody else. So, thats why this vote is so important. More than anything, McCarthy will want the seat to be filled quickly to bring his majority up from nine to 10 seats, according to Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. His interest is, one, that its a Republican, and two, that the Republican comes quickly, Perry said, because the issues before Congress are significant and he wants to keep his majority as large as he can. While there is little doubt that the winner of the special election will be a Republican, whether that candidate will demonstrate the same willingness to work with House leadership as Stewart is still unknown, said BYU political science Prof. Kelly Patterson. The real question is, Is the person who emerges from the 2nd Congressional District seen more as somebody who is more aligned with the Freedom Caucus, which is sort of the group that gives Speaker McCarthy fits, versus someone whos seen as a more mainstream Republican, Patterson said. However, Patterson, who is also a senior scholar at the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at BYU, said that regardless of tone or rhetoric during campaigns, newly elected members of Congress are pulled in certain directions by the House Speakers strong center of gravity. Patterson said it is also important to keep in mind what Utah loses with the resignation of Stewart, who is the most senior member of Utahs delegation to the House, where he sits on the powerful intelligence and appropriations committees. Immediately you lose seniority and influence, Patterson said. And it takes time for a new representative to build relationships, gain the trust of leadership in order to move into those exclusive committee assignments. And its not to say that the person who emerges wont be competent, its just theyre starting over. Chaffetz made a similar point, saying that Stewart will be sorely missed being in critical roles such as he was. Chris Stewart understood Utah, but he had established relationships for more than ten years. And having the relationships is really important when crafting legislation, Chaffetz said. Im sure whoever wins will represent Utah well, but its going to take a while to figure out how it actually works back there. In Tuesdays and Thursdays GOP debates, the 11 candidates present tried to convince delegates that they have the experience necessary to hit the ground running as a freshman member of Congress entering office partway through a term. Related Both Greg Hughes and Becky Edwards spent a decade or more in the Utah House of Representatives, with Hughes serving as House speaker from 2015 to 2018, and Edwards as chair of the Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee from 2013 to 2016. During Thursdays debate in St. George, Celeste Maloy said she is familiar with the 2nd Congressional District, having worked as Stewarts chief legal counsel for the last four years and as an attorney in Washington County before that. Stewart endorsed Maloy on Tuesday, saying she is the one person in the race I know for certain is ready to serve on day one. Bruce Hough, who serves on the Republican National Committee and is the cofounder of Nutraceutical Corporation, held up his decades of experience with Republican politics, including two terms as chairman of the Utah GOP. Meanwhile, Scott Reber said he was the only candidate to have worked in both the House and the Senate as a policy adviser. Former vice chairman of the Utah Republican Party Jordan Hess cited his experience as the director of coalition building at the conservative Heritage Foundation, in addition to his work as Sen. Mike Lees reelection campaign manager and a policy adviser to prominent conservatives like Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, as reasons why he was qualified to take Stewarts place. The other Republican candidates include: Kathleen Anderson, the former communications director for the Utah Republican Party and a previous congressional candidate. R. Quin Denning, the founder of Denning Construction and Impact Mobile Apps who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives in 2022. Henry Christian Eyring, an assistant professor of business administration at Duke University and a business consultant in Utah. Scott Allen Hatfield, a control point operator at the Utah Department of Corrections and a Master of Public Administration student at Utah Valley University. Bill Hoster, the mayor of Leeds, Washington County, and retired business executive. Ty Jensen, a self-described political commentator who ran for Stewarts seat in 2020 and ran as a write-in candidate in the 2018 Senate election. Related Saturdays Republican convention will be held at Delta High School. If there are candidates who meet the signature-gathering requirement, a special primary election will be held Sept. 5, and the special general election will be held Nov. 21. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, (AP) Tampa Bay's Wander Franco homered in his first at-bat Saturday and added an RBI single one inning later after the Rays benched him for two games in response to his handling of frustrating situations this season. Franco was second in the batting order for Saturday's game against the Kanas City Royals and homered on on a 2-1 cutter from Jordan Lyles, a 417-foot drive to center. He put the Rays ahead 3-0 on his 103.8 mph single to center during the second inning. Big home run, big base hit up the middle, Rays manager Kevin Cash said after a 9-4 loss. There's no denying he's a really good player, and he really makes our team, a good team that much better. After being sent home Thursday, the first of the two games he didn't play, Franco was in uniform and in the dugout for Friday night's game. It's been hard, really hard, not being with team, the 22-year-old said through a translator. I'm happy to be back. It's been difficult. Cash has declined to discuss specific incidents. Franco has at times not run out grounders. After an at-bat on Wednesday, he shattered his bat on the dugout bench. I think they're doing a good job in the way they've controlled the situation, Franco said. I've been with this organization a long time, and I think they've controlled the situation well with the errors that I've made." Be better to control my emotions, and just find a way to help the team, France added. I've just got to be able to control the situations because I know they're my problem. I'm just here to play baseball and I've got to control my emotions." Franco is hitting ,290 with nine homers, 36 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He is in the second season of a $182 million, 11-year contract. It's not a flip a switch," Cash said. "We're going to support him. Wander's going to put good work in, confident in that. And this will take shape over the course probably of our season. Franco has reached out to a number of people, including Rays pitcher Zach Eflin. Kind of explained that everybody's on his side, Eflin said. Everybody cares about him, everybody loves him. I'm not going to give up on him, nobody's going to give up on him." ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ROSTOV-ON-DON/VORONEZH, Russia (Reuters) -Heavily armed Russian mercenaries withdrew from the southern Russian city of Rostov under a deal that halted their rapid advance on Moscow but raised questions on Sunday about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy's foreign minister said it had shattered the "myth" of Russian unity. Putin has not commented publicly since the deal was struck to de-escalate one of the biggest challenges since he rose to power more than two decades ago. He said he was giving top priority to the conflict in Ukraine in excerpts from an interview aired by state television on Sunday, but it appeared to have been recorded before the mutiny and he made no reference to Saturday's events. State television said Putin would attend a meeting of Russia's Security Council this coming week, without elaborating, and Belarus' Belta news agency said Putin and Lukashenko spoke again on Sunday, after at least two calls on Saturday. Prigozhin, 62, was seen leaving the district military headquarters in Rostov, hundreds of miles south of Moscow, late on Saturday in a sport utility vehicle. His whereabouts on Sunday were not known. A former Putin ally and ex-convict whose forces have fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, Prigozhin said his decision to advance on Moscow was intended to remove corrupt and incompetent Russian commanders he blames for botching the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed the events in Russia in separate phone calls with U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Biden and Trudeau both expressed their ongoing support of Ukraine as it pursues a counteroffensive to recover territory seized by Russia, according to official statements. "The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored," Zelenskiy said on Twitter. 'CRACKS' IN THE FACADE Western leaders expressed concern over the events in Russia, which has the world's largest nuclear arsenal. "We've seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade," U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" program on Sunday. China, a key ally of Putin, made no initial public reference to the turmoil, eventually saying after talks with a visiting senior Russian diplomat on Sunday that it supported Russia in maintaining national stability. After capturing Rostov, the main rear logistical hub for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the mercenaries began what Prigozhin called a "march for justice" on Saturday, transporting tanks and armoured trucks hundreds of miles north and smashing barricades set up to stop them before the deal to stand down. Videos shared on social media from Rostov that night purportedly showed the mercenaries withdrawing in a convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and coaches to the sound of cheers, chants of "Wagner" and celebratory gunfire from residents. Reuters was able to verify the location of the video but not the date that it was filmed. "Take care of yourselves," shouted one woman. The show of support for Wagner's short-lived insurrection was striking in a country that is increasingly intolerant of public criticism of Putin and his rule. The mood on the streets of Rostov on Sunday was mainly one of relief. "It was scary... Everyone is glad that nothing bad happened... It did not come to an armed clash," said resident Dmitry, who declined to give his surname. "There are very serious problems in the country, and they need to be solved." In Moscow, where there was little evidence on Sunday of increased security, some expressed a measure of understanding for Prigozhin's position. "The opinions of a person who has a certain weight in society should probably be heard by the authorities," said Oleg, a Moscow resident who also did not provide a last name. Monday has been declared a non-working day in the Russian capital to allow time for things to settle. DEAL BROKERED Under the deal, brokered late on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a criminal case opened against Prigozhin for armed mutiny would be dropped, Prigozhin would move to Belarus, and Wagner fighters who rallied to his cause would face no action, in recognition of their previous service to Russia. Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin's approval, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. In a televised address during Saturday's drama, Putin said the rebellion put Russia's very existence under threat, vowing to punish those behind the revolt and drawing parallels with the chaos of 1917 that had led to the Bolshevik revolution. Prigozhin has for months accused Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, of incompetence and of withholding ammunition from his fighters as they battled to take Bakhmut in Ukraine. This month, Prigozhin defied orders to place his troops under Defence Ministry command. He launched the rebellion on Friday after alleging the military had killed some of his men in an air strike. The Defence Ministry denied this. Wagner, whose men in Ukraine include thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian jails, has grown into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East. Dr Marina Miron, from King's College London's Defense Studies Department, told Reuters it would take time to find a replacement for these operations so Prigozhin might continue to lead them for a while. She said the swift ending of the turmoil indicated that Putin's rule would not be undermined by it alone. Other outsiders said Saturday's events had weakened both Putin and Russia's fighting force in Ukraine. "The myth of the unity of Putin's Russia is over... It's the inevitable outcome when you support and finance a legion of mercenaries," Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was quoted as saying by Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. Brian Taylor, professor of Russian studies at Syracuse University, said the events would have shocked members of the public and the elite and weakened Putin. Russia's ministry of digital affairs recommended that IT, telecoms and media companies give employees the day off on Monday. "Saturday was a very emotional and tense day," the ministry said. (Reporting by Reuters journalistsWriting by Gareth Jones and Philippa Fletcher;Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Jane Merriman and Chris Reese) A Fijian scholar has slammed Japan's planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, saying it's "quite irresponsible." Produced by Xinhua Global Service New report reveals the troubling reason more men own electric vehicles than women: You have to think [it] through Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular in recent years, with more manufacturers releasing their own models and more buyers making the switch. However, according to S&P Global, 72% of EVs are purchased by men and only 28% by women even though overall car purchases are split 50/50. Whats causing the split? Several factors play into the EV purchase gap, according to Inside Climate News. One is price: while EVs tend to be cheaper to maintain than gas-powered vehicles, they cost more upfront. Since women make less money than men on average, women are less likely to buy an expensive vehicle. White buyers are also more likely to choose an EV than people of color for the same reason. Theres also the fact that women said that they have less familiarity with the fundamentals of owning an [EV], said Quinta Warren, associate director of sustainability policy at Consumer Reports, which surveyed 8,000 people about the divide between male and female EV owners. So I think a way to address all of this, obviously, is some exposure, some education, to create more familiarity. But perhaps the largest factor is safety. Unlike gas-powered cars, which can be filled up in just a few minutes, Inside Climate News points out that EVs take as much as half an hour to charge, meaning the driver is stuck at the charger for at least that long. While gas stations usually have attendants close at hand, EV chargers can often be isolated at the far ends of parking lots or in unpleasant neighborhoods. This creates a safety issue for women, who are likely to be more worried about being vulnerable to assault while charging their cars. As usual, because men were making most of the decisions, they were not walking through the scenarios, Andrea Colomina, the sustainable communities program director at Green Latinos, told Inside Climate News. You have to think through what is the experience of every potential user. Why is it important to make EVs more available to women? EVs are generally cheaper to drive and maintain than traditional cars. At the same time, theyre healthier for our planet. Where gas-powered cars release heat-trapping gases into our atmosphere when driven, EVs dont. A widespread shift to electric vehicles would make a massive difference in cooling down the planet, but that cant happen if only half of the population can use these vehicles safely. The Biden administration recently devoted over $900 million to building a network of EV charging stations across the U.S. Hopefully, some thought will be given to putting them in safe, accessible locations. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. House Speaker of the House Kevin holds a news conference after the House passed The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 on May 31, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla) WASHINGTON Heading into a summer of spending fights, House Republicans are planning to use the same strategy that proved successful in raising the debt ceiling. That approach crafting legislation that satisfies GOP members without regard for what might be palatable to the Democratic-led Senate and White House in order to strengthen their hand at the negotiating table will be put to the test a second time as Congress comes under pressure to pass funding legislation to avoid a government shutdown in the fall. Before leaving for a two-week congressional recess, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy huddled Friday afternoon with a group of key lawmakers that included conservative hard-liners, lawmakers responsible for making spending decisions, and allies who helped negotiate deals to seal his speakership and raise the debt ceiling. Weve obviously had our difficulties along the way, and we have much more work to do, said Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., one of the hard-liners, as he walked out of the meeting on Capitol Hill. Bishop and other conservative bomb throwers in the House Freedom Caucus have been agitating for steeper spending cuts than the ones negotiated between McCarthy and President Joe Biden as part of last month's deal to raise the debt ceiling and avert the nation's first-ever default. This month, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and a handful of other rabble rousers ground legislative action on the House floor to a weeklong standstill making clear that they are prepared to blow up the GOP majority unless McCarthy accedes to their demand that funding return to last year's spending levels, or even lower. The hardball tactics appear to be paying off. Top appropriators, who typically dont like colleagues meddling with the purse strings of the House, said shortly after the standoff that they support introducing all 12 annual appropriations bills at funding levels lower than the Biden-McCarthy deal. And they reiterated that strategy on Friday. I think we should get the best spending deal we can. I regard the debt ceiling deal as a ceiling, not as a floor, Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., a senior appropriator who is not a member of the Freedom Caucus, said after the meeting with McCarthy. That idea was echoed by Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., one of the people McCarthy appointed to negotiate the debt ceiling deal. Making cuts that go beyond those agreed to in the deal with the White House, he said, is not about satisfying members of the House Freedom Caucus. Its about rightsizing government, Graves said. Its about trying to back out some of the government programs and dollars that have been spent that quite frankly have nothing to do with government obligation or responsibility. Conservatives push to cut spending below levels spelled out in the debt deal is putting the House and Senate on a collision course just months before lawmakers need to fully fund the government. Money will run out on the last day of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, unless Democrats and Republicans reach an agreement and pass funding legislation. Senate appropriators this week said they plan to stick to the levels negotiated by Biden and McCarthy last month. Were heading toward trouble. OK? Thats clear, said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., an appropriator. McCarthys strategy appears to mimic his approach during the debt ceiling fight: draft legislation with the input of the entire GOP conference as a base for negotiating before considering any legislation that would require Democratic support. The tactic is born somewhat out of necessity since angering too many members of the conservative flank could result in a rebellion against his speakership. What hes really trying to do is make sure that were successful as a conference, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a Freedom Caucus member, said when asked about McCarthys message in Fridays meeting. The most conservative Republicans are agitating for steep cuts that Democrats argue will drastically reduce or hinder government services. Donalds said he personally believes agencies should return to spending levels from the 2019 fiscal year, prior to the pandemic. Even before Covid-19, its not like the agencies were lean, mean fighting machines. I mean, they were bloated too. So I think the first step here is getting back to...that level. But in order to do that, youre gonna have to have the members roll up their sleeves and staff members do some extra work and really examine line items, he said. Five of the eight appropriations bills that have been released by the House Appropriations Committee were written to spend less than the 2022 fiscal year, Graves said, and another two were written to spend less than 2019. Donalds also insisted that conservatives would not agree to pass an omnibus spending bill, which rolls together all 12 spending bills into one package to make it easier and faster to move those bills through the Capitol. We are not going to support an omnibus. We are not supporting that, Donalds said. So the Senate better wise up and get right because its a new day here on Capitol Hill. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters this week that House Democrats are completely ceding the appropriations process to the Senate, which is writing spending bills using the numbers agreed to during the debt limit negotiation and suggested McCarthy would be responsible if theres a government shutdown in the fall. This is just to get the votes so Speaker McCarthy can remain Speaker McCarthy. He has to make every promise he can, whether its censures, resolutions, all of that, or undisclosed pieces of paper that had promises made on them, Aguilar, D-Calif., said. That doesnt make me feel good because it clearly shows that House and Senate numbers will be in very different places. Even Senate Republicans are skeptical of the path their House counterparts are taking. The chance of passing all the appropriation bills where the House and Senate agree on numbers is almost zero, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., an appropriator. Republicans are facing a tough timeline to pass their spending bills. After seven straight weeks in session, House lawmakers will be home for two weeks for the July 4th recess; they're also set to take the entire month of August off. Emerging from McCarthys office, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who controls the floor schedule, said the 12 spending bills will eat up much of the House schedule as lawmakers file amendments. The defense appropriations bill alone will probably have hundreds of amendments filed, he said. So each of these bills takes days on the floor, Scalise said before walking out of the Capitol. And were gonna go one step at a time and work with our members every step of the way, including during this two-week break. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Dictator Vladimir Putin speaking at SPIEF 2023 Why Putin chose an inertial path. Read also: Russia places ICC judge on wanted list for issuing Putin arrest warrant Someone from the Russian commentariat very aptly described Putin's speech at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum-23 as a self-hypnosis. There is a well-known expression in Russia, such a metaphor: "Potemkin villages." Putin's speeches about the economy, about successes in the war - this is the same "Potemkin village." In general, between Putin's speeches and this metaphor, they are identical. This is an attempt to show a parallel reality. It is very symbolic that, at the same time, Russians on different channels, including through some African countries, are actually promoting the idea of reducing and limiting sanctions against Russia. If everything is so good and fine, why is Russia striving to lift sanctions? Therefore, the problem is apparent. Russia has always had such projects, and this is a feature. They are always connected to money laundering and other crimes. But they are all Russian chauvinists and Putin's oligarchs. And they make money on it. Read also: Ex-Google CEO buys superyacht abandoned by Russian oligarch Guryev Regarding the Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China, China has recently limited its consumption of Russian gas and is attempting to balance. While China does purchase a lot of Russian gas and oil, it also signs contracts with other suppliers to not wholly rely on Russia. Many in Europe and China have come to understand that Russia is a very risky business partner, as many things can go wrong and problems can arise. Therefore, in my opinion, this approach is questionable. Russia has entered a phase of tension due to the current war , and this tension is increasing and becoming excessive. The elites are the first to feel it. Regarding the economy and socio-political development, the elites think that the country is not just at a dead end; it is on the brink of an abyss. There are risks of a crisis that may occur in both political and economic terms. The logic works a little differently here. Or, you can remember Chernomyrdin's famous phrase: "They wanted the best, but it turned out as always." That's how it is with Putin. He wanted one thing, but it turned out completely differently. Therefore, instead of the greatest victories in the history of Putin's rule, Putin will ultimately receive the most significant crisis for himself and Russia. Is it profitable for Putin to end the war? The situation for Putin is a deadlock. It became apparent last year when, even in Russia, they concluded that they are unlikely to win this war. Konstantin Zatulin, a longtime Ukrainianophobe since the 1990s, admitted that the current war against Ukraine would not lead to a change in the political regime in Ukraine. Whoever is in power in Ukraine will act in the interests of Ukraine. They will not be friends with Russia, let alone Putin's Russia. Zatulin acknowledged this. And in principle, representatives of Putin's elites understand this. And that is why the situation is deadlocked for Putin; he cannot win this war. Read also: This is already beginning to be understood both in his circle and among the Russian elites, but he does not want to lose. For him, defeat in the war can end simply with the loss of power and shame. Instead of being a historical conqueror, which he sought, as a "great Russian commander," a "multiplier of Russian lands," he may end up disgraced, like, for example, Nicholas II. This is a problem for him. That is why he does not want to lose. What to do in this situation? He has chosen an inertial path. He cannot activate the war because he lacks the strength and economic resources. Therefore, the war continues on inertia. Read also: European Parliament calls for NATO to invite Ukraine to join alliance He is waiting for some event like Trump winning the election in the United States and wanting to negotiate with Putin. The mood may change in Europe, where there will be elections to the European Parliament next year. Ukraine and the West will eventually go to negotiations on Putin's terms, potentially freezing the conflict and obtaining the consolation prize of the occupied Ukrainian territories. It may be a plan of salvation for him, which he is trying to promote through some of his partners. Meanwhile, in African countries that offer a peace plan, the idea of freezing the conflict seems more suitable for Putin. In any case, Putin will not win this war, and his only salvation are options that at least provide some personal way out, and give him a chance to avoid a humiliating defeat. Nevertheless, the risks of defeat for Putin remain. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The results are in: NC Zoo reveals giraffe name following vote Weeks ago, the North Carolina Zoo asked its social media followers for help naming their newest giraffe. More than 100,000 responses later, and he finally has a name. SEE PREVIOUS: Help name a baby giraffe at the NC Zoo Introducing Fenn! Fenn is named in honor of the founders of @Save_Giraffe, Julian and Stephanie Fennessy. He was born on May 20, weighing 145 pounds and standing at 6 feet, the zoo reported. After more than 100,000 responses, our male giraffe calf officially has a name. Introducing Fenn, the 4-week-old, 220-pound heartbreaker!#WorldGiraffeDay pic.twitter.com/yULtwxDQTP North Carolina Zoo (@NCZoo) June 21, 2023 The other names offered were: Nelson: After Nelson Mandela. Mosi: African name used for firstborn son. Tamu: Swahili for sweet Jackson: The calfs dad is named Jack, Son of Jack. Bongani: This Zulu name means grateful, thankful. The parents are Leia (first-time mom), born in 2009 at Zoo Miami and arrived at the Zoo in 2014, and Jack, born in 2008 at Dickerson Park Zoo and arrived at the Zoo in 2009. (WATCH: Tiger World zoo voicing opposition after Big Cat Public Safety Act passes) Retired US general says Wagner uprising may force Russian soldiers to rethink their mission in Ukraine Retired US general says Wagner uprising may force Russian soldiers to rethink their mission in Ukraine Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges says the Wagner uprising may cause Russian soldiers to "think long and hard" about their motivations in Ukraine. Baz Ratner/Reuters Russia's soldiers may lose motivation in Ukraine if Wagner mutiny progresses, retired US general says. "No soldier wants to die in a war that he thinks might already be lost," Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Insider. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to be leading his fighters to Moscow in a move some are describing as a coup. The Wagner Group uprising may impact the allegiances and motivations of Russian soldiers moving forward, a retired American general told Insider. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said the apparent Wagner mutiny launched by leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday will likely have a significant effect on the rank-and-file soldiers that make up the Russian army. "I imagine a lot of those soldiers currently deployed in Ukraine will be thinking long and hard about how enthusiastic they should be fighting against Ukrainians in a situation that must look increasingly clear to them that it is for a losing cause," Hodges said. Prigozhin and his mercenary fighters appeared to be marching towards Moscow as of Saturday afternoon, according to local news reports and photos and videos circulating online. The move follows the group's capture of Rostov-on-Don, a key port city in Southern Russia and home to an important Russian military headquarters. "If the High Command appears to waver or be vulnerable, they will question their own motivation and survival and sense of purpose for the war," Hodges said. "No soldier wants to die in a war that he thinks might already be lost or to be killed/terribly wounded when it's almost over." Putin described the Wagner uprising as a "stab in the back" and said Russian forces would fight back against the mercenary group. "This mutiny reveals the terrible state of the war for Russia...and it'll soon be increasingly apparent to Russian civilians how badly things are really going, how many Soldiers have actually been lost, etc.," Hodges said. Read the original article on Business Insider As of next week, Rihanna will no longer be the CEO of Savage X Fenty. The 9-time Grammy-winning performer and fashion mogul announced Friday that shell step down from the helm of the lingerie brand she founded in 2018. Hillary Super, the former CEO of Anthropologie Group, has been named the new chief executive of the membership-based e-commerce line that has revolutionized the fashion business. Rihanna, meanwhile, will move away from the day-to-day business and serve as executive chair. Its been beautiful to see our vision for Savage X Fenty impact the industry at such an incredible magnitude over the last five years, the 35-year-old expectant mother said in a statement. This is just the beginning for us, and were going to continue to expand in ways that always connect with the consumer. Im so grateful and excited to welcome Hillary Super as our new CEO she is a strong leader and is focused on taking the business to an even higher level, she added. Super previously held leadership roles at Guess, American Eagle, Gap, and Old Navy. Im thrilled to join the Savage X Fenty family, Super said. The brand is a major powerhouse in the lingerie and apparel industry, and its unwavering commitment to celebrating inclusivity and fearlessness is inspiring. Vogue Business reports that the handover will take place on June 26. Rihanna also launched the uber-successful Fenty cosmetics brand in 2017, which reportedly earned $558 million in its first year. The foundation of her business models appeal to a more diverse and inclusive consumer base, largely ignored by competitors. From darker shades of makeup and larger sizes of underwear to gender neutral garments, the Barbados-born beauty blazed a trail in the beauty and fashion spaces. Savage X Fenty, a partnership with California-based TechStyle Fashion Group, reached a valuation of $1 billion in 2021. Rihanna currently has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, according to Forbes. A bridge across the Oka River on the Simferopol Road near the town of Serpukhov in Moscow Oblast has been blocked, and people are asked to refrain from travelling. Source: regional branch of the Russian Ministry of Transport in Moscow Oblast, on Telegram Quote: "Please note that the bridge over the Oka River on the Simferopol Road near Serpukhov is blocked." Details: The agency also urged residents to avoid travelling on the M-4 Don and M-2 Crimea Roads on 24 June. Serpukhov and blocked bridge on the Simferopol Road screenshot from GOOGLE.MAPS Moscow Region Governor Alexei Vorobyov has urged residents to be understanding of the inconveniences caused by the counterterrorism operation in the region. Background: Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that the regular Russian army had launched a missile strike on the Wagnerites rear camps. Prigozhin claimed that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had arrived in Rostov, where he personally conducted an operation to wipe out the mercenaries. Prigozhin's 25,000 mercenaries are allegedly going to "restore justice". At the same time, he asked not to call this action a "military coup". Prigozhin added that Shoigu had fled Rostov like a coward and "this creature will be stopped". The Russian Defence Ministry called the information a provocation. Photos and videos of armoured vehicles on the streets of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don are being posted on Russian social media following Prigozhins statement about a de facto declaration of war against the Russian army. Checkpoints have been set up at entrances to Moscow. Prigozhin claimed that his mercenaries had shot down four Russian army helicopters; later, many Telegram channels in Ukraine and Russia reported that an An-26, a Russian Defence Ministry transport aircraft , has been downed. On the morning of 24 June, the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don was surrounded by tanks and people in military uniforms, although at the moment, it is not known whether these were Russian army personnel or mercenaries from the Wagner PMC. In an emergency address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is "fighting for survival" and Prigozhins mercenaries are trying to "organise a rebellion" in the country. On 24 June, Sergey Sobianin, the mayor of Moscow, announced that a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) had been introduced in the capital. On the morning of 24 June, Putin called Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, and told him what was happening in Russia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Abortion rights protesters demonstrate outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in downtown Manhattan. Abortion rights protesters demonstrate outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in downtown Manhattan. One year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, obliterating abortion access for millions of patients around the country, providers in states where the procedure remains legal say theyve become oases for reproductive care just as they knew they would. In the lead-up to that decision last year, HuffPost spoke to abortion providers in the Midwest and Mountain West two regions where the Supreme Courts decision left a patchwork of states where abortion access varies widely after it became clear the justices would vote to overturn Roe. We followed up on the one-year anniversary of the courts 6-3 vote in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization to see how things panned out. Heres what they had to say. Demand at clinics skyrocketed in states where abortion remains legal. All three of the Planned Parenthood branches HuffPost checked in with have seen the surge in patients they were anticipating as more than a dozen states have enacted strict limits on abortion or outright banned it. Its terrible. Were at a 50% increase just in the year, said Adrienne Mansaneres, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, or PPRM. Her branch oversees about 20 health centers in Colorado, New Mexico and Southern Nevada three states where abortion access remains broadly protected. While out-of-state visitors comprised around 20% of PPRMs patients before the Dobbs decision, that population now makes up more than half of its patients, Mansaneres said. Around 90% of them are coming from Texas, with large swaths traveling from Oklahoma, Idaho and Wyoming as well. The average distance for a patient traveling to the region for care, she said, is 650 miles. Its pretty scary how we knew what was going to happen, Mansaneres said. Those predictions have come true. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told HuffPost: The abortion infrastructure was already so fragile, and it continues to really be stressed with fewer and fewer clinics available. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told HuffPost: The abortion infrastructure was already so fragile, and it continues to really be stressed with fewer and fewer clinics available. Abortion migration affects residents of states where the procedure remains legal, too. People are moving north from Texas to get care, and its displacing local patients, Mansaneres said, noting that shes heard from health centers in California that theyve received patients from the Rocky Mountains who couldnt get into their local Planned Parenthood clinics. Jennifer Welch, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, or PPIL, said things have unfolded similarly within her jurisdiction. It panned out like we expected, she said. We have seen a dramatic increase in patients. Illinois, in fact, is the number one incoming state for abortion patients in the country meaning more Americans are traveling to Illinois for abortion care than to any other state. Whereas PPIL had about 7% of patients come from out of state a year ago, around 25% of patients now come from out of state. Weve seen hundreds of patients from Texas, patients from as far away as Florida and North Carolina and South Carolina. Weve seen patients from 34 different states, Welch said. Before, PPIL would typically see patients from around 10 other states. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, or PPSLR, oversees her branchs clinic just over the Illinois-Missouri border in Fairview Heights, Illinois opened in 2019 in anticipation of Missouri outlawing abortion once Roe fell. The state was the first to enact its trigger ban one year ago, forcing PPSLR to move all of its abortion care to the Fairview Heights clinic. Ahead of the Dobbs decision last year, an anti-abortion supporter sits near a sign stating that Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic is still open in Jackson, Mississippi. Abortion is now completely outlawed in the state. Ahead of the Dobbs decision last year, an anti-abortion supporter sits near a sign stating that Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic is still open in Jackson, Mississippi. Abortion is now completely outlawed in the state. Pre-Dobbs, about 7% of the patients that we saw at Fairview Heights came from outside of our bistate area, McNicholas said. Now, almost 45% of our patients are coming from somewhere other than Missouri or Illinois. That clinic has also seen a more than 30% increase in the number of patients accessing care in the second trimester, something McNicholas says is a direct consequence of there just being fewer places to go for abortions. While first-trimester abortions can be performed with a series of pills taken at home, second-trimester abortions typically require a much more invasive dilation and evacuation procedure, commonly called D&E. The abortion infrastructure was already so fragile, McNicholas said, and it continues to really be stressed with fewer and fewer clinics available. One of the most heartbreaking changes her staff has encountered, McNicholas added, is an increase in the number of child sexual assault victims traveling to Fairview Heights for abortion care. We know [child sexual assault] happens across the country, and when folks dont have access to abortion care in their state regardless of the circumstances in which they need it they, too, will travel for care, she said. We had a patient who drove one way for 17 hours straight, and she was afraid to take her cell phone. She left it at home, afraid that she was being followed.Adrienne Mansaneres, CEO of the Planned Parenthood of Rocky Mountains Abortion patients are terrified and frustrated. Patients who travel across state lines for abortions an expensive and time-consuming undertaking are often scared, confused and exasperated, providers say. We had a patient who drove one way for 17 hours straight, and she was afraid to take her cell phone, Mansaneres said. She left it at home, afraid that she was being followed. Returning to states where abortion is banned is a terrifying prospect for many patients, Welch said. Theyre afraid because theyre worried about whats going to happen to them when they go back to their home state, she said. What if they need follow-up care? Will their future doctors be able to tell if theres an abortion, especially in states that are leaning towards criminalization? When those questions arise, she continued, they remind patients that medically, its not possible to tell the difference between an abortion and a miscarriage. Patients who need to travel for medication abortion a series of two pills that can terminate pregnancy in the first trimester are especially dispirited, providers say. Folks are frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of work and logistics that went into getting there, especially for folks who are coming to us for the very simple care of medication abortion, McNicholas said. Almost every single clinic session, Im interacting with a human who drove 10-plus hours to get to their medication abortion visit, only to turn around and drive 10-plus hours back. A Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois, which has been inundated with out-of-state patients following Roe's downfall. A Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois, which has been inundated with out-of-state patients following Roe's downfall. Many patients are stunned by the supportive, non-judgmental abortion care they receive, Mansaneres said. Its sad to think about the kind of health care that folks have been receiving all their lives, she said. Even before the Dobbs decision, many states made receiving abortion care a grueling, shame-filled process by legally requiring patients to undergo medically unnecessary ultrasounds and sit through counseling designed to discourage abortion. I did not have any idea of the level of fear, poverty, shame, stigma, hatred that people were experiencing in Texas, where many PPRM patients are coming from, she said. Operating in a post-Roe America requires strategic planning. The influx of patients has necessitated expanding business hours, clinic space, staffing and the way providers administer care, clinics say. In the past year, weve made significant operational decisions, Mansaneres said. Weve increased our health center hours and the days of the week that were providing care. We have rolled out medication abortion care in every one of our health centers. PPSLR based in Missouri, where abortion is banned now operates a clinic just over the border from St. Louis in Fairview Heights, Illinois. PPSLR based in Missouri, where abortion is banned now operates a clinic just over the border from St. Louis in Fairview Heights, Illinois. PPRM has also invested in more advanced technology this past year, including better, faster ultrasound machines, she said, and expanded telehealth offerings to reduce the number of in-person visits, especially for basic needs like birth control or treatment for urinary tract infections. McNicholas says a logistics center PPSLR opened early last year has been key in helping patients traveling for abortion care. The centers staff is trained in navigating the complex web of abortion funds and arranging for patients travel needs. Weve served more than 5,000 patients through the regional logistics center since it opened last year, she said, and through our partnership with abortion funds, we have provided nearly $3 million of assistance for direct procedural care and an additional almost $1 million for other practical support management, including airfare and the costs of lodging and child care. McNicholas said the logistics center is planning to hire more people, especially as they brace for more states to enact abortion bans. Welch also praised the collaboration with abortion fund networks, saying the biggest operational changes really have been the partnerships. But its not a solution without frustrations. Its clunky, but its much better a year out than it was, Mansaneres said of PPRMs own abortion funds navigator program. The statewide approach is flawed, she continued, referring to the Supreme Courts decision to let states legislate around abortion as they please. It doesnt work that way. Its a national problem that needs a national solution. Workers at a family planning clinic in Chicago get emotional as thousands of abortion rights demonstrators march past their clinic chanting their support. Workers at a family planning clinic in Chicago get emotional as thousands of abortion rights demonstrators march past their clinic chanting their support. A few things make them hopeful about abortion access. Abortion providers have long pointed to polling that shows most Americans support some access to abortion, but recent votes around the country are hammering that point. In Novembers election, voters in deep red Kentucky rejected a ballot measure denying constitutional protections for abortion. That same election, voters in swing-state Michigan approved a measure codifying abortion protections in the states constitution. The people of Kansas, a state thats gone to the Republican presidential nominee every election since 1968, voted overwhelmingly last August to keep abortion protections in their state constitution. People are really starting to grasp the idea that as we rebuild something, we have to rebuild something better than what Roe provided.Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri We dont have to just take the polls word for it, Welch said. Were seeing it in elections all over the country. Young people give McNicholas hope. Theyre fierce, and they are demanding things that I think previous generations were scared to, she said. Abortion access has always been shaky across the U.S., she added, with states like Texas and its pre-Roe, six-week abortion ban proving that abortion justice has long been out of reach for many. People are really starting to grasp the idea that as we rebuild something, she continued, we have to rebuild something better than what Roe provided. Related... This story was originally published by St. Louis Public Radio, a BND content partner. One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, which for five decades legalized the right to abortions nationwide. Within minutes of the high courts decision, Missouri officials banned the procedure, and several states in the South and Midwest soon followed suit. Since the high courts ruling last June, clinics in the Metro East that offer abortions have become a destination for thousands of patients seeking the procedure. In the months after the decision, a report found the number of abortions performed in Illinois increased more than 30%. Planned Parenthoods Fairview Heights clinic has increased its workforce and hours to try to keep up with increased patient loads. St. Louis Public Radios Sarah Fentem asked Kawanna Shannon, Planned Parenthoods director of patient access, and Dr. Colleen McNicholas, its chief medical officer, what the organizations Fairview Heights clinic has seen in the past year. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Jeff Roberson/AP Kawanna Shannon, director of patient access at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region & Southwest Missouri (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Jeff Roberson/AP Sarah Fentem: We spoke last summer about the surge in patients coming to the Metro East. And since we talked, another abortion clinic has opened in Southern Illinois, in Carbondale. Are patients still coming to the Fairview Heights clinic in the same numbers from states that have banned or restricted abortions in the past year? Colleen McNicholas: What we have seen over the last year, especially as additional states have gone down, is that there is still far more demand than our health center, HOPE Clinic [in Granite City] or even the new clinic, Choices, in Carbondale, can accommodate. Kawanna Shannon: There has been a surge after Roe, and its actually constantly increasing. So we havent seen any type of slowdown of patients coming; weve only seen an increase due to more restrictions in others in other states and more bans. Fentem: In the last year, weve seen legal efforts to ban the use of the abortion pill mifepristone. Do you envision other attempts to restrict reproductive health care access in the region now that Roe has been overturned? McNicholas: Look, weve always known that overturning the federal right to abortion was never the end game for anti-abortion extremists. And they have now gone after the abortion pill. Probably and most likely because it is a method of abortion that people can control in their own home, that they dont need to have a clinic space to go to in order to successfully complete an abortion. But weve also seen year after year in Missouri [there have been] attacks on birth control. Theres some recent data out that suggests that Missourians dont even know if birth control is available to them and legal in the state. And we expect that those attacks on reproductive and sexual health care more broadly will continue. Fentem: I was going to mention that survey. How much do patients know about this rapidly changing policy landscape? Shannon: We have a lot of patients who call, who are really shocked by the fact that they even had to leave their state to get an abortion. We are grateful that we are in Illinois, where were able to serve and help people traveling all over the United States. They dont have the knowledge, theyre very confused. McNicholas: You know, every day I see patients who are traveling from other states here in Illinois, who didnt know abortion was illegal in their state until they tried to schedule one. And so you know, people [have] busy lives. They dont live day-in and day-out, every minute of the day in the abortion landscape like we do. Fentem: Speaking of birth control, I know Planned Parenthood mentioned a surge in interest in vasectomies after the Supreme Court overturned Roe last year. Has there been an increased demand for birth control among Planned Parenthood patients, even beyond vasectomies? McNicholas: Absolutely. So one of the maybe more surprising trends that weve seen over the last year is the increased demand for sterilization across all genders, increases of more than 100% in our vasectomy care services. And we expect that to continue. You know, some of the things we heard from our vasectomy patients, especially those who are coming in right after the the Dobbs decision, was that they felt threatened, going back to what I think is very reasonable fear from Missourians, and others, which is that abortion isnt the end, that they really felt like and still do feel like their access to pregnancy prevention and birth control is also on the table. Fentem: Advocates said at the time, the decision would disproportionately affect Black women, what demographics are traveling to Illinois, the most to get abortions at this clinic. Shannon: It is very clear that our poor communities, our Black communities, are being hit harder than any other communities. Our patients are already suffering with housing, the lack of access to food, other types of medical care, and this just puts another barrier on, and we hear those things when they are calling us. So definitely the other populations and poor populations are being affected by this. Fentem: The Missouri legislature, spurred in part by last years decision, has extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year after someone gives birth. How does that decision affect Planned Parenthood patients? McNicholas: Well, it is absolutely the right decision. You know, we know that the postpartum period is one of the most vulnerable times for new moms and for families. And so I absolutely applaud the legislature for getting that across the line. But the truth is, despite the fact that Planned Parenthood is one of the largest safety net providers of sexual reproductive health care for Missourians, we are excluded from that right. We have continued year after year to be defunded by the legislature for the very services that we know help prevent pregnancy that help prevent abortion and help keep people healthy. We will continue to litigate that, while we also continue and commit to seeing Medicaid patients. You know, we are not getting reimbursed from the state for the care that we provide for folks for their cancer screenings and their birth control for their STD care. Fentem: In the year ahead, what do you envision will happen? Shannon: At this moment, we do see that [the legislative challenges are] going to increase, the patient volume is going to increase, and the help that the patients need is going to increase. Were in here for the long haul. On Wednesday, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall called those who want to mitigate the already catastrophic effects of our global environmental crisis climate demagogues. If Biden thinks he can send his climate demagogues to Kansas & tell us which cars we can drive, hes in for a rude awakening, he tweeted. The Preserving Choice in Vehicles Act will protect consumer choice & free market competition that drives down costs. We were going to point out that he only needs to consult Kansas farmers to learn how serious climate change is, right here and right now. But on Friday, Marshall inadvertently made that point himself, and then said Washington should come to the rescue. The 1200-year drought across the west has hit wheat farmers in Kansas especially hard, he tweeted, in support of his bill, introduced with Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, to strengthen crop insurance. The historic drought has the forecast for wheat yields looking very bleak. While this bill cant make it rain, it does provide flexibility to wheat farmers who need all the help they can. Hey Senator, do you seriously not see the connection here? Also, you are wrong about the Preserving Choice in Vehicles Act. It wouldnt keep Bidens climate demagogues from crossing state lines. Instead, it tells the Environmental Protection Agency that it cant allow California to impose strict clean air standards to push the states conversion to electric vehicles. In other words, youre all for federal intervention in the form of telling California what it can and cannot do, because you dont agree with that states eagerness to respond to our worsening climate. You also seek federal intervention in the form of aid to Kansas farmers, even as you call those who see whats happening to our world demagogues. This obtuse incomprehension is especially confounding because you know whos going to benefit from all those new electric vehicles California wants? Workers at the new Panasonic battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, of course. And by extension, the states economy as a whole. Californias a vast market, and its policy choices do have ripple effects on our consumer choices here. But as usual, Marshall isnt arguing against Californias policy choices on the merits, or even truthfully. When he says hes for keeping Bidens climate demagogues out of Kansas, what he really means is that the federal government should tell California what to do. Thats different. And its the definition of demagoguery. A visitor patronizes a stall at a winter food festival in Canberra, Australia, on June 24, 2023. A winter food festival was held on Saturday to provide street food and other products by local cafes, food trucks, wineries and breweries for customers. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua) People season their snacks at a winter food festival in Canberra, Australia, on June 24, 2023. A winter food festival was held on Saturday to provide street food and other products by local cafes, food trucks, wineries and breweries for customers. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua) People attend a winter food festival in Canberra, Australia, on June 24, 2023. A winter food festival was held on Saturday to provide street food and other products by local cafes, food trucks, wineries and breweries for customers. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua) People attend a winter food festival in Canberra, Australia, on June 24, 2023. A winter food festival was held on Saturday to provide street food and other products by local cafes, food trucks, wineries and breweries for customers. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua) People attend a winter food festival in Canberra, Australia, on June 24, 2023. A winter food festival was held on Saturday to provide street food and other products by local cafes, food trucks, wineries and breweries for customers. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua) Russian internet service providers have cut off access to Google News after President Vladamir Putin accused Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, of organizing an armed rebellion. According to internet monitor NetBlocks (via The New York Times ), at least five Russian telecoms, including Rostelecom, U-LAN and Telplusl, are blocking web users inside the country from accessing the news aggregator. Google did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request. Confirmed: Metrics show that the Google News aggregator platform has become unavailable for many users in #Russia; the incident comes amid heightened tensions between the Wagner paramilitary group and Moscow pic.twitter.com/wXyzM0M79k NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 23, 2023 On late Friday, Wagner Group mercenaries crossed the border from Ukraine into Rostov-on-Don, located 20 miles from the Sea of Azov, and appeared to take the city, which is home to Russias southern military headquarters, without much resistance from the regular army. As of Saturday, BBC News is reporting Wagner forces are moving north toward Moscow. Prigozhin has vowed to topple Russias Defense Ministry in response to a missile attack he claims the regular army carried out against Wagner personnel stationed in Ukraine. In addition to being the founder of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin is the funder and creator of the Internet Research Agency, the troll farm behind Russias 2016 US election interference campaign . Putin, framing Prigozhins rebellion as a deadly threat to Russian statehood, has promised harsh consequences for any who join the paramilitary group. Everyone who deliberately embarked on the path of betrayal, who prepared an armed rebellion, chose the path of blackmail and terrorist methods they will suffer inevitable punishment, he said Saturday, according to The Washington Post. Passers-by take photos of an ice sculpture representing a krill in Santiago on June 19, 2023 as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources met to discuss three new proposed marine protected areas (MARTIN BERNETTI) Members of a multinational group on Antarctic conservation failed to agree Friday on a roadmap for the creation of three new marine protected areas -- a goal that has proven elusive for years. "No agreement was reached. It was not possible to obtain... a road map" for protected areas in the seas around Antarctica, Cesar Cardenas, a member of the Chilean Antarctic Institute and part of the Chilean delegation, told AFP. Cardenas said Russia and China resisted new protected areas. The bid to create the sanctuaries around Antarctica to counter climate change and protect fragile ocean ecosystems would safeguard nearly four million more square kilometers (1.5 million more square miles) of ocean from human activities. The areas are home to penguins, seals, toothfish, whales and huge numbers of krill -- a staple food for many species. Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) met to discuss plans for three new marine protected areas (MPAs): in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula. There are two in Antarctica now: around the South Orkney Islands, comprising an area of 94,000 square kilometers, created in 2009, and one of 2 million square kilometers in the Ross Sea region, established in 2016. Activists voiced disappointment at the lack of action. "Unfortunately this special meeting ended as the previous six annual meetings have done: with two countries blocking the will of the other 25 CCAMLR members to move towards a network of Southern Ocean MPAs," Andrea Kavanagh of the nonprofit Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy said in a statement. Beijing and Moscow have been key in blocking the expansion scheme since it was first floated by Australia, France and the EU in 2010 before being scaled down in 2017 in an attempt to win greater support. Antarctica is particularly threatened by global warming. "One of the biggest threats to this area is climate change, which is causing sea ice to decrease significantly. The presence of sea ice is essential to the life cycle of Antarctic krill," said Rodolfo Werner, scientific and political adviser to the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Coalition (ASOC). "The creation of marine protected areas is very important, because above all it protects the biodiversity... by removing the stress of fishing in these areas," he added. Studies have shown that the melting of western Antarctica's biggest glaciers, which contain enough water to raise the oceans by several meters, appears irreversible. The CCAMLR, which regulates fisheries, is comprised of 26 member countries plus the EU. They include the United States, Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Japan, host Chile, Brazil and South Africa. The CCAMLR will again address the topic of marine reserves at a meeting in October in Hobart, Australia. ps/pa/sf/mlr/tjj/acb Russia comes to the brink of civil war: How we got here and what it means Visually, the scene was a familiar one. Russian armored vehicles emblazoned with the Z logo in the central streets of a once peaceful city, masked soldiers standing at key intersections, and confrontational conversations with bemused local civilians. But this wasnt a Ukrainian city in the first days of Russias full-scale invasion. It was the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, overrun on the morning of June 24 by its own countrymen. An armed insurrection began in Russia the day before, and, before it abruptly came to an end, looked poised to soon break out into open, large-scale violence. The notorious Wagner mercenary force, once often called Putins private army, occupied two major regional capitals and began a march on Moscow. Its leader, outspoken war criminal Yevgeny Prigozhin, turned his sights not only on his arch-rivals, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and head of the Russian General Staff Valerii Gerasimov, but, de facto, on the entire Russian regime including dictator Vladimir Putin. No one is planning to come and surrender at the request of the president, the FSB, or anyone else, said Prigozhin in an audio recording published by his press service around midday on June 24. We are patriots, and those who are resisting us are those who have rallied around the bastards (Shoigu and Gerasimov). Having occupied Rostov-on-Don, columns of Wagner troops, tanks, and armored vehicles were spotted driving north along the M-4 highway from the city of Voronezh on the way to Moscow normally an 8-hour drive. In the afternoon, Igor Artamonov, governor of Lipetsk Oblast, sitting between Voronezh and Moscow, reported Wagner equipment moving through the region. Having not publicly responded to the launch of the coup attempt when it began on the previous night, Putin finally gave a video address to the nation, looking tired and visibly angry. This is a stab in the back of our country and our people, said Putin, who compared the events to the Russian revolution of 1917, which ended the Russian Empire and stole Russias victory in the First World War. The rest of Russias security architecture, publicly loyal to the regime, committed to defend the Russian capital from Wagners march. Video posted on social media over June 24 showed Russian troops and armored personnel carriers placed in and around the southern entrance to Moscow, but there have not yet been reports of heavy ground fighting. Then, less than 24 hours after it began, Wagners march on Moscow was declared over. At 20:30 p.m. local time, Prigozhin announced that he was turning his forces around, and returning to base. Now, the time has come when blood may be spilled. Understanding all the responsibility for the fact that on one side, Russian blood will be spilled, we are turning our columns around. Prigozhins immediate future moves are unknown, but the man who leads what was once Russias most feared and effective fighting forces has few good options. Still, whatever his final fate may be, it is likely to be end of what has been the darkest actor in Russia's war against Ukraine. Prigozhin says Wagner will stop march on Moscow Wagner Groups founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on June 24 that the mercenaries would stop their march on Moscow and withdraw to military camps. The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query Rise of Wagner The Wagner mercenary company joined Russias full-scale war against Ukraine in its first weeks, having already fought for years on the side of Russian proxies in Donbas. After the Russian military suffered an embarrassing defeat in Kyiv and northern Ukraine, Wagner began to play a more prominent role in Russias assault on cities in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. Provided with top-of-the line equipment including T-90 tanks, Wagner soon gained a reputation for being one of the most effective fighting forces at Moscows disposal, especially when on the attack. Starting in July but ramping up over autumn last year, Wagner began recruiting tens of thousands of convicts from Russias prison system into its ranks. Videos showed Prigozhin making personal recruiting pitches to hundreds of prisoners at a time, promising them an official pardon after finishing a six-month contract with the mercenary group, but warning that their chances of survival on the battlefield in Ukraine would be low. While Ukraine found success in counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson, humiliating the Kremlin but especially the Defense Ministry, Wagner stepped up its offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast, taking the lead in the Russian assault on Bakhmut. Over months of brutal winter fighting in Bakhmut and the surrounding countryside, Wagners tactics developed a unique signature. Using its combination of highly-trained mercenaries and disposable prisoners, Wagner inched forward against Ukrainian positions in small, methodical, squad-sized infantry assaults backed by sustained artillery fire. Over this period, Wagner also became notorious for systematic war crimes against both Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians, with two Wagner fighters confessing to the mass execution of civilians after giving orders to clean up captured areas in interviews to independent Russian journalist Vladimir Osechkin. A screenshot of a video posted by Evgeny Prizgozhin in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Concord Group/Telegram) In mid-January, Russian forces led by Wagner took the salt-mining town of Soledar north of Bakhmut, marking the first major settlement taken by Moscow since the previous summer. In a message announcing the victory, Prigozhin emphatically claimed that no other Russian forces had taken part in the attack other than Wagner, evidence of the growing internal competition for favor from the Kremlin. Another early sign came in February, when Prigozhin reported that Wagner had ceased the recruitment of convicts, having had access to the prisons presumably blocked by the defense ministry, which soon began recruiting from them itself. Then, in what proved to be the beginning of an ongoing gripe over ammunition, on Feb. 21 Prigozhin accused the ministry of being directly responsible for the deaths of Wagner fighters having starved Wagner of the artillery and rocket rounds needed for the fight. Please, tell me who I need to apologize to so that my guys will die at half the rate they are now! said Prigozhin at the time. Later, the mercenary boss claimed to have received more ammunition, but it proved to be only a temporary ceasefire in a dispute that would quickly spiral into open conflict. This Week in Ukraine Ep. 7 Why Russia relies on private militaries, like Wagner, for its war effort This Week in Ukraine is a video podcast hosted by Kyiv Independents reporter Anastasiia Lapatina. Every week, Anastasiia sits down with her newsroom colleagues to discuss Ukraines most pressing issues. Episode #7 is dedicated to Russian private military companies, how they operate, and the role The Kyiv IndependentAnastasiia Lapatina After Bakhmut As winter turned to spring and Russias assault on Bakhmut continued, Prigozhins relationship with the defense ministry was understood to be tense, yet manageable, as Wagner continued to coordinate operations with regular military units, which had taken over front-line positions on the flanks of the city. On May 5, standing in the dark in front of dozens of corpses laid neatly in rows, Prigozhin delivered his angriest and most confrontational outburst yet at the Russian defense ministry. Shoigu, Gerasimov, where is the f***ing ammunition? he shouted at the camera, before threatening to withdraw Wagner from Bakhmut if his forces werent given more supplies. Prigozhin didnt follow through on his threat to leave the city, with Wagner forces completing the capture of the last streets of Bakhmut by May 20. By then, Wagner was understood to have suffered extremely heavy losses over the months of fighting, with Prigozhin himself declaring that around 20,000 of his men had been killed in the battle for Bakhmut. Wagners mission to take the city had been accomplished, and holding it would now be the Defense Ministrys job, as Prigozhin withdrew his mercenaries back to base to lick their wounds and prepare for their next deployment. With Wagner returning to base and regular Russian units bracing for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, there seemed to be a chance that Prigozhins conflict with the defense ministry would gradually die down, though Wagners future role in the war remained murky. In fact, the feud only escalated after Wagners withdrawal from the front. In a May 24 interview with pro-war Russian journalist Konstantin Dolgov, Prigozhin slammed the failure of Russias special military operation, and threatened that if elites continued to vacation overseas while ordinary soldiers were being killed en masse, Russia could face revolution. In early June, Wagner fighters kidnapped Roman Venevitin, the commander of Russias 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade which had been fighting nearby around Bakhmut, forcing him to confess that his troops had shelled Wagner forces near the city. As Prigozhin continued to accuse the Defense Ministry of corruption amounting to outright treachery, Shoigu hit back in an attempt to end Wagners relative independence once and for all. On June 10, he decreed that all soldiers fighting for volunteer detachments, including private military companies like Wagner, must sign a contract directly with the Defense Ministry by the end of the month, an order which Prigozhin immediately refused to comply with. When Putin publicly endorsed the new rule four days later, Prigozhin likely realized he was running on borrowed time. In a final outburst before launching his coup attempt, on the morning of June 23, Prigozhin publicly tore apart Russias main propaganda justification for launching its full-scale war against Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine were not going to attack Russia with the NATO bloc, he said, further adding that Ukrainian forces did not shell civilians in Donbas for eight years, as Russian state-backed mouthpieces constantly repeat. By the evening, the coup had begun, with Prigozhin accusing the military of striking a Wagner base in the rear with missiles. The location wasnt specified, though open-source intelligence outlet Bellingcat said that clues from the video suggest it was in occupied Ukrainian territory. The Russian defense ministry immediately denied the strike, which cannot be independently verified. By then, however, Wagner was already on the move. Wagner a shadow of what it once was: Russia security expert on the rage of mercenary boss Prigozhin After seeming to have calmed down over early spring, the internal conflict between Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry has escalated dramatically. In the early morning of May 5, Prigozhin recorded a video in front of what he claimed to be the bodies of doz The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell Moving forward In a war that has regularly thrown up moments which shocked and surprised the world, this is perhaps the most astounding. Speculation of an elite coup in Moscow was popular in the frantic first months of the war, but soon dissipated as oligarchs, generals and officials alike towed the line and stayed loyal to Putin, who has spent over two decades designing Russias security structure to protect himself from exactly such a moment. But in Prigozhin, who built up a reputation as one of the only people capable of battlefield success in Russias war against Ukraine and was rewarded with more resources, Putin likely created the only player that could ever realistically mount such a challenge. A perfect storm of a coup leader, Prigozhin is an undoubtedly charismatic and ambitious leader at the head of a hardened, loyal, and well-armed military force, with a habit of speaking about the war with a brutal honesty that violates many aspects of Kremlin propaganda. Although the lack of a stronger response from the Russian air force raises questions and some individuals seem to be lying low, Russias military and internal security structure all looked to have backed Putin. Taking small regional capitals by storm was one thing, but marching on Moscow, a city of 15 million and the center of Russian power, with no airpower, was always going to be an incomparable challenge. Had Wagner troops made it to the outskirts of the city, it is difficult to picture what the fighting could look like, nothing of the like has been seen before. Wagner forces were making quick progress towards Moscow, and if able to keep moving, were expected to reach the capital by the late evening on June 24. The speed of Wagners advance leaves little doubt that the coup attempt was planned. Wagner Group mercenaries stand on the balcony of a building in Russia's Rostov, on June 24, 2023. The mercenary group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed on June 24 that his forces control all military sites in the city. (Roman Romokhov/AFP via Getty Images) Even if this bizarre yet entertaining episode of the war is over, the focus of the Russian leadership was jerked away from the war against Ukraine to an unprecedented and formidable internal threat. The city of Rostov, briefly occupied by Wagner forces, serves as the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District, and is a key logistical and command center for the Russian war effort. However, there has been no evidence so far of significant Russian ground units guarding the front line in occupied Ukraine being redeployed to quash Prigozhins mutiny. Along with the rest of the world, Ukraine watched the chaos unfold closely. Though some Ukrainians on social media egged on Prigozhins coup wishing maximum chaos for Russia, others reminded them of the scale of the death, destruction, and suffering that Wagner has brought to Ukrainians. The most disgusting fact is that the civil war in Russia started over a dispute about how to kill Ukrainians more efficiently, Ukrainian journalist Maksym Shcherbyna wrote on Twitter. In the words of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the brief coup attempt was an inevitable consequence of Russias all-out aggression against Ukraine. Everyone who chooses the path of evil destroys himself, the president wrote on social media. (Those) who send columns of troops to destroy the lives of another country and cannot stop them from fleeing and betraying when life resists. Russia's weakness is obvious, the text continued. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later. Note from the author: Hi, this is Francis Farrell, the author of this piece about this extremely weird day. Whether Russia stabilizes or continues on its path of self-destruction, we will be right there to bring you all the insane news. Please consider supporting our reporting. Vladimir Putin The world watched, aghast, as a remarkable sequence of events unfolded in Russia and, once again, an army marched on Moscow, before it was suddenly called off. Regardless of the accommodation reached, this is undoubtedly a disastrous moment for Vladimir Putin: his ambitions yesterday were turned on their head. The Russian president initiated his barbaric invasion last February to implement regime change in Ukraine, but found himself defending his own regime from a mutiny attempt by Russian mercenaries. Putin has only himself to blame for the internal strife that will continue to grip Moscow. His attempt to dissolve a nations borders, and gut its identity absurdly claiming that Ukraine, a country led by a Jewish president, had been taken over by Nazis was an insult to humanity. His attacks on Ukrainian cities were depraved. He over-reached horrendously, his hubris costing thousands of lives and ruining those of millions. As the perpetrator of a monstrous war on freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the right to self-government, he must be brought to justice. Yet the mercenaries who challenged him were cut from the same cloth. The Wagner Groups soldiers are hardened criminals with a brutal indifference to casualties, be they Ukrainians or young Russian conscripts. The advance battalion on Moscows outskirts was led by Dmitry Utkin, well known for his apparent SS tattoos. Wagners nefarious influence on the world extends far beyond Europe: it was accused of stirring the recent conflict in Sudan, having reportedly sought out its large gold reserves. In the Central African Republic, around 2,000 Wagner personnel are said to be providing support to government troops in the ongoing civil war. Across the Middle East and Africa, Wagner stands accused of human rights abuses, propping up authoritarian regimes and plundering mineral resources. At the start of this year, Prigozhin declared Wagner as probably the most experienced army in the world today. Analysts had increasingly come to believe that, with the war progressing so badly and the Wagner chief having amassed so much influence, he could be planning to challenge Putin in presidential elections next year. In the end attempted a faster, more violent route, but his efforts ended almost as quickly as they started. Nevertheless, this episode represented a catastrophic humiliation for the Russian president, the first real challenge to his power in his long rule. It is remarkable that the situation reached such a febrile state. As Putin will be well aware, leaders who are built up as strongmen can quickly fall once their authority is challenged. This has especially been the case in Russian history a country whose powerful rulers are tempered by violent deposition. Now, with Russia looking more unstable, the consequences of its turbulent politics, with its 6,000 nuclear warheads, should not be taken lightly. This weekend a truly disastrous outcome whereby weapons of mass destruction would be in the hands of mercenaries was all too easy to imagine. We must hope now that an anxious Putin does not lash out by triggering a major calamity on Ukrainian soil. These are surely matters that Western governments should urgently be considering as the situation develops. Earlier this week, President Zelensky said that the counter-offensive was going slower than desired. This was leading to a sense of nervousness among some Western allies. But the recent disarray within Russias military ranks, with thousands of Wagner troops deemed untrustworthy, could give Ukraine an advantage. In one recent video, Prigozhin contradicted the Kremlins claims that the Ukraine counter-offensive is failing. The Russian army is retreating in the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Ukrainian troops are advancing. This will be a message that many Russians will hear loud and clear, regardless of last nights events. The Western alliance must now redouble its efforts to secure Ukraines sovereignty and the eventual withdrawal of Russian forces. We must not just continue the flow of weapons but accelerate it, and in this the Americans will need to take the lead. We need a plan to help Ukraine in the air, whether by supplying jets or through other means. Given the risk of further instability in Moscow, the West also needs a well-thought-through strategy to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation. The world is once again entering a period of radical uncertainty, as a nuclear power grapples with political failure at home and military failure abroad. It is time for calm and resolve. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Wagner mercenary group's march on Moscow has revived an old fear in Washington: what happens to Russia's nuclear stockpile in the event of domestic upheaval. An agreement on Saturday by Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to order his fighters back to their camps quelled immediate worries of major conflict inside Russia. But the episode signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin's grasp on power is weakening. Images of tanks on Russian streets brought to mind the failed 1991 coup by communist hardliners that raised concerns about the security of the Soviet nuclear arsenal and the possibility of a rogue commander stealing a warhead, said former U.S. intelligence officials. "The IC (intelligence community) will be super-focused on the (Russian) nuclear stockpile," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA officer who oversaw the agency's clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. "You want to know who has control of the nuclear weapons because youre worried that terrorists or bad guys like (Chechen leader Ramzan) Kadyrov might come after them for the leverage they can get," said Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA officer who served as the agencys Moscow station chief. Kadyrov dispatched thousands of his own militiamen to Rostov-on-Don, the southern city seized and then abandoned by Prigozhin's fighters, vowing to help put down the revolt. To be sure, U.S. officials say they do not see an immediate threat to the security of Russia's strategic and tactical weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the deal that sent Wagner fighters back to their camps was aimed at avoiding confrontation and bloodshed. "We have not seen any changes in the disposition of Russian nuclear forces," said a National Security Council spokesperson in response to questions from Reuters. "Russia has a special responsibility to maintain command, control, and custody of its nuclear forces and to ensure that no actions are taken that imperil strategic stability." But the safety of these weapons is a persistent worry for Washington. U.S. intelligence agencies said in their 2023 Annual Threat assessment that "Russia's nuclear material security ... remains a concern despite improvements to material protection, control, and accounting at Russia's nuclear sites since the 1990s." NUCLEAR CHAIN OF COMMAND A congressional aide noted that the Kremlin has pumped extra resources into modernizing its arsenal in recent years, adding that, "Russias strategic forces have generally been in ship-shape." The scenario worrying planners now may be the possibility of a rogue military faction gaining decision-making ability over some of the weapons should divisions over the war in Ukraine exposed by Prigozhin's mutiny erupt anew. The United States and its allies would be left to wonder how any new authority would use the weapons, said Hoffman. Its the ability to extort the West for whatever you want. And they might not play by the same sort of rules that Putin has, he said, noting how the Russian leader has not acted on nuclear threats he has made in response to the Wests support for Ukraines fight against Russian occupation forces. Russias nuclear arsenal is the worlds largest, estimated in 2022 at 5,977 warheads by the Federation of American scientists, compared to an estimated 5,428 held by the U.S. Collecting information on Russias strategic forces command structure and the security and other aspects of the stockpile long has been among U.S. spy agencies highest priorities, the former CIA officers said. That work became harder with Putin's August 2022 decision to halt U.S. inspections of Russia's nuclear sites under the New START treaty, which allowed the sides to inspect and monitor each other's strategic nuclear forces. That decision left Washington highly dependent on spy satellites to assess the security of nuclear weapons sites and movements of warheads, and communications intercepts to monitor the loyalty of Russian commanders, said Polymeropoulos. This has always been a super-high (U.S.) intelligence collection priority and the command and control of nuclear weapons in Russia, said Hoffman. We all know its dangerous, which is why we had all these treaties, where we had a lot of transparency, which is now gone. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis) A Russian government agency is opening a criminal investigation into Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after he called for an armed rebellion on Friday, which was aimed at removing the country's defense minister. In a series of video and audio recordings, Prigozhin angrily accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on the private military contractor's field camps where the group is fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared. "The evil embodied by the countrys military leadership must be stopped." "This scum will be stopped," Prigozhin said, referring to Shoigu. Russia's Defense Ministry denied executing the rocket attack. RUSSIAN WARLORD THREATENS KREMLIN MILITARY OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGED ATTACK ON HIS TROOPS: REPORT READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery before the funeral of a Russian military blogger who was killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe, in Moscow, Russia, April 8, 2023. According to state news agency Taas, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, part of the Federal Security Services, will be opening a criminal investigation on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The report states that Russian President Vladimir Putin was kept informed of the situation. "The allegations circulated on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin are groundless. In connection with these statements, the FSB of Russia has initiated a criminal case into the call for an armed rebellion. We demand an end to illegal actions," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee siad in a statement, according to Russian state television Channel One. Moscow appears to be taking the threat seriously, as the National Guard and riot police were sent to provide security for key facilities in Moscow, which includes transport infrastructure and government agencies, according to Taas. In a statement to Fox News, National Security Council Spokesperson Adam Hodge said "We are monitoring the situation and will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments." He added that President Biden has been briefed on the situatuon. RUSSIA IS TARGETING THE US HOMELAND WITH ITS STRATEGY OF CYBER ARMAGEDDON Taas also reported that police checkpoints have been set up on Russia's M-4 highway after Rostov-on-Don towards Aksay, and cars are being turned around back into the city. In an audio file posted to telegram on Friday, Prigozhin said that "We go to war only with professionals. If anyone stands in our way, we will destroy everything thats in our way." Law enforcement vehicles are seen in front of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in central Moscow, Russia June 24, 2023. Rebekah Koffler, a Russian-born former DIA intelligence officer told Fox News Digital that the Wagner Group chief has gone too far in a fight with the FSB. "It appears that Prigozhin has crossed the line in his fight with the Russian security bureaucracy. The FSB, Russian domestic security service has opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin, following his calling for a military rebellion, according to the National Counter-terrorism committee," Koffler said. "This has to be a major headache for Putin now." This photograph taken on June 19, 2023 shows flags, including those of the Wagner private mercenary group, for sale on a road outside Moscow. "While the situation is fluid, it is clear that the Russian government fears a social unrest, in light of the Wagner Group Commander Yevgeniy Prigozhin accusing Putins regime of lying about the war in Ukraine," Koffler said. Ukrainian soldiers ride on a BMP infantry fighting vehicle toward Bakhmut, on May 20, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine on May 20, 2023, said it retained some ground control in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russia's Wagner group claimed to have captured, with fighting ongoing and the situation "critical". She added that "a civil conflict developing in Russia is not in anyones interest." "Zelenskys government is likely to want to take advantage of the situation and fuel an unrest in Russia. Many US leaders foolishly have called for Putins ouster, something that would likely cause a major civil unrest," Koffler added. "The Pentagon ought to be watching this potential crisis very carefully. President Biden, who just a few days ago re-stated that the threat of Russia unleashing a Nuclear Armageddon is real, must think carefully how to react to this one. He suggested a strategic defeat of Russia would be a good thing. He should really think of the consequences of such a scenario." Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital that he doesn't "think Putin ever realized is that is failed war in Ukraine is an existential threat to Prigozhin because he lost at least 20,000 man in Bakhmut." Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as he stand next to Wagner fighters in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Bakhmut, Ukraine, in this still image taken from video released May 20, 2023. "He has to answer to those guys, his identity is as Wagner Chief. Yes, hes the head of the Internet research agency, but really its all about the Wagner guys and if he doesnt blame the ministry of defense, then he has to stand before his own guys and take the blame," Hoffman said. "So hes feeling that pressure and I think thats why hes taking his guys to Moscow. Know what happens if anybodys guess but my experience in Russia things dont usually get better." This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Russian attack on Dnipro: number of injured rises to 11, three of them children The number of civilians injured as a result of a recent Russian attack on the city of Dnipro has increased to 11, including three children. Source: Volodymyr Orlov, First Deputy Chairman of Dnipropetrovsk blast Military Administration at a briefing at the scene, quoted by Ukrinform news agency Quote: "Currently, 25 houses are damaged, 4 have been destroyed. 11 people are in hospital, three of them children two are being treated as inpatients, one is being treated on an outpatient basis. Seven people are now in hospital due to this strike". Details: Orlov added that it is not yet certain how many people will need to be provided with temporary housing but noted that the situation is under control. All services are working, and a special commission has been set up, he said. Background: The city mayor, Borys Filatov, said that on the night of 24 June, Russians attacked a private residential area in Dnipro. "There are no military targets there. Several houses were razed to the ground. A huge crater after the explosion. There are casualties. All services are at work, " he wrote on social media. Note: Russia fired 51 missiles at Ukraine and launched 2 Iranian-made kamikaze drones on the night of 23-24 June. Air defence units destroyed 41 of the Russian missiles and both drones. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Russian citizens warned to stay indoors are filming within spitting distance of Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don Russian citizens warned to stay indoors are filming within spitting distance of Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on a Russian military building on Saturday. Videos on social media show troops from the Wagner mercenary group crowding the streets. Citizens can be seen filming from close distances despite being told to stay off the streets. Videos on social media show soldiers from Russia's mercenary Wagner Group descending on Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning after the group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin proclaimed that Russia's defense ministry "must be stopped." One clip from Saturday morning verified by the Washington Post shows tanks rolling through the streets of Rostov-on-Don and surrounding Russia's Southern Military District headquarters. Multiple people can be seen watching and filming the military vehicles and soldiers. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pose for a picture as they get deployed near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023 Reuters Another clip verified by the Post shows dozens of soldiers marching through the city center with weapons in hand. One video posted on social media shows a group of young people filming the scene downtown some within feet of soldiers setting up automatic rifles despite the region's governor, Vasily Golubev, urging citizens not to leave their homes unless necessary. On Friday night, Prigozhin began what Russia is calling an "armed rebellion" after he accused the country's defense ministry of killing scores of his troops in a missile strike. Insider could not immediately verify Prigozhin's claims, and Russia's defense ministry has denied his accusations. As of Saturday morning, Prigozhin said his troops successfully took control of Rostov's airfield and military headquarters while assuring that his actions would not interfere with the fighting in Ukraine. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Reuters Meanwhile, Russia's state-owned news agency TASS announced Russian President Vladimir Putin would be addressing the country at some point, per his spokesperson. A spokesperson for the Kremlin did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Russian dictator said to have ordered warlord Prigozhins elimination, but amnesty for Wagnerites media A puppet of Putin at the Cologne Carnival, February 14, 2023 Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is said to have ordered the killing of Wagner mercenary company leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, while an amnesty may be granted to his fighters, the independent Russian website Important Stories (iStories) said on June 24, citing a source. The publication's source, said to be close to Russias General Staff, claims that Putin wants to avoid clashes with the Wagnerites in Moscow and ordered the security forces to eliminate Prigozhin only. According to the source, the Russian dictators plan is to divide the Wagner Groups key members from Prigozhin, promising them an amnesty. Read also: Videos of fighting between Wagner and regime troops pop up on social media "The Russian Federations army has no serious forces that could block Prigozhin's advance towards Moscow. Now a major grouping is being formed from all units not employed at the front: the Chechen (Kadyrov) formations, the Russian National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB," iStories source claims. Read also: Putin orders army to neutralize those who organized insurrection Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence reported that preparations are being made for a siege against the background of PMC Wagner's actions in Moscow military equipment is being brought there, the Russian capital city has been practically isolated by security forces. In his address on June 24, the Russian dictator said that the military had received an order to neutralize those who organized the insurrection. On June 23, Prigozhin declared war on the Russian Defense Ministry after an alleged attack by the Russian army on his mercenaries military camp, against the background of his long-standing feud with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to media reports, Wagner mercenaries took control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh on June 24. Prigozhin demands access to Russias top military leadership, threatening to advance towards Moscow. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine TOKYO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The defense buildup on Okinawa highlighted in Japan's new security and defense strategies has caused anxiety among local people, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said Friday. Tamaki made the remarks in a peace declaration issued at a memorial service for the victims of the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, saying that military buildup would remind the residents of the bloody ground battle 78 years ago. He urged the Japanese government to ease regional tensions through dialogue and reduce the size of U.S. military bases in Okinawa. Okinawa's role as a military fortress has been enhanced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration, while locals repeatedly warn the government that war must never happen again, as reported by Japanese media. On March 26, 1945, the U.S. Army attacked Okinawa. During the three-month battle, 25 percent of the prefecture's population was killed. A ceremony has been held every year to mourn the victims. Russia fired 51 missiles at Ukraine and launched 2 Iranian kamikaze drones on the night of 23-24 June. Air defence units destroyed 41 of the Russian missiles and both drones. Source: press service of the command of the Ukrainian Air Force on social media Details: Russia launched a missile strike on the territory of Ukraine on the night of 23-24 June, firing air-launched cruise missiles from Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers, as well as sea-launched Kalibr missiles and Shahed-136/131 attack drones. 10 strategic bomber jets launched 40 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea. 8 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers fired 9 Kh-22 missiles from the northern, southern and eastern directions. The Russians launched two sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea. From the south, they attacked using two Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 attack drones. Ukraine's air defence forces reportedly shot down all 40 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, one Kalibr cruise missile and two Shahed-136/131 attack drones. Units from anti-aircraft missile forces, aircraft, and mobile fire groups under Air Commands Tsentr (Centre), Pivden (South), and Skhid (East) of the Ukrainian Air Force were involved in repelling the air attack. Russian terrorists fired Kh-22 missiles, targeting Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih. Local administrations will report on the aftermath and casualties later. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Fragments of Russian missiles hit a high-rise building in Kyiv Three civilians have been killed after fragments of a Russian cruise missile hit a 25-story building in Kyivs Solomyansk district in the early hours of June 24, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on Telegram on June 24. Kyiv's Military Administration said another 11 people received injuries of varying degrees of severity. Three of them were hospitalized. Read also: Air Force says Russian ballistic missile surprise attack on Kyiv misjudged Ukrainian air defenses The 18th floor of the building that was hit was partially destroyed, and the 16th, 17th and 19th floors of the building were also damaged. A fire broke out there, which has already been extinguished. At least 40 cars parked near the house were also damaged. The Interior Ministry also said 24 people had been rescued, of which three people were unblocked from under the rubble and another from an elevator. Ninety rescuers are working at the site, 22 units of equipment are involved. Search and rescue operations in the building are ongoing, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Read also: Russian night missile strike at Kyiv kills three, including child, injures at least 11 The Russian military launched another missile attack on Ukraine in the early hours of June 24. Most of the missiles launched were aimed at Kyiv. Loud explosions were heard in the capital at around 3 a.m., as air defenses engaged the incoming Russian missiles. Kyivs authorities reported that all 20 missiles launched by the enemy had been destroyed over the capital. Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Consequences of a missile attack on the city of Dnipro Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine on early June 24, with the city of Dnipro in the southeast taking hits that injured eight, including two children, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration Serhiy Lysak reported on Telegram. The children injured in one strike on the city of Dnipro were two boys, boys aged 9 and 16. Read also: Russian missile debris hits high-rise building in Kyiv, three civilians dead Four people were hospitalized, regional governor said. The strike caused a fire, which rescuers have already extinguished. Four private houses were completely destroyed. Another 25 were damaged, and five outbuildings were smashed. Almost two dozen cars and a gas pipeline were also damaged. Read also: Biggest drone strike on Kyiv, Russian peace conditions, medical clinic bombed in Dnipro Lysak added that there was another hit on an infrastructure facility, which also caused damage. Reports of the damage are currently being verified. The Russian army also shelled Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts Nikopol District several times with heavy artillery. The community of Marhanets and the town of Nikopol came under fire. Two private houses were damaged in Nikopol. There were no casualties. According to preliminary data, nine cruise missiles and three drones were shot down in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast by fighters from East Air Command. Read also: Minute-by-minute account of Russian missile attack on Kyiv during South African president's visit Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Russian security forces have begun to conduct massive raids on the residences of current and former mercenaries of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) and are threatening them with being held accountable for joining Yevgeny Prigozhins militants heading for Moscow. Source: Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) Details: It is reported that FSB operatives and officers have staged raids in several cities of Russia in search of former and current fighters of the Wagner PMC. Police officers and FSB officers have been visiting the mercenaries homes with weapons, looking for men and threatening them with a criminal article on "treason" if the militants join Yevgeny Prigozhins rebellion. The publication reports, in particular, on a nighttime visit by the security forces to the mother of a wounded Wagnerite in Ryazan Oblast. Her son was taken away without charge. Security forces also visited the mother of a militant recruited from a penal colony in Voskresensk at night. Her son was not at home, and now he fears persecution. Quote: "Security officials have already called him, and he told them that he would not join [the PMC - ed.]. But he contacted his guys [in the Wagner PMC - ed.], or so they [the security services - ed.] think. When he leaves the house, he wears a hoodie so that the Wagner tattoo on his neck is not visible," said the mother. Also, the wife of a Wagner PMC fighter from a small village in Bryansk Oblast who returned in April told the news outlet that the district police officer also came to her place of residence. "They asked Where is your husband? In Moscow? In Rostov? Is he going to join the Wagner PMC again? A PMC flag was hanging at our house, and they forced it to be removed. He said that if they find out that he swears allegiance to Prigozhin and goes to Moscow, then he will automatically become a traitor to his homeland, he will be imprisoned for 20 years, and our family will no longer live here," she says. Her husband was found at another address and forced to sign a document stating that he undertakes to comply with the laws of the Russian Federation, and if he switches to the "enemy side," that is, swears allegiance to Prigozhin, "he will be considered a neo-Nazi, a traitor to the homeland." Similar raids took place in Orenburg, Orel, Voronezh Oblasts and Krasnodarskiy Krai. Men who refused to sign documents guaranteeing non-alignment with the PMC were detained. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A 71-year-old man died in the Russian shelling of the Nikopol district on Saturday. Source: Mykola Lukashuk, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Council, on Telegram Quote: "Today, the enemy struck Nikopol district four times. Nikopol was shelled twice with barrel artillery. Six residential buildings, three facilities, seven farm buildings, a car, a gas pipeline and power lines were damaged. A 71-year-old man died as a result of the shelling." Details: Lukashuk also reported two attacks on Pokrovsk hromada [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories ed.]; there were no casualties. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Russia's downfall has begun, says Ukraine's top security official Oleksiy Danilov Russia's war against Ukraine will end where it began inside the aggressor state, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said on Twitter on June 24, as Russias Wagner mercenary company launched a rebellion against the Kremlin. "The Ukrainian formula for sustainable peace provides for returning to the 1991 borders and starting the process of russias self-destruction," Danilov wrote. Read also: Shape of Ukraines counteroffensive to be decided just before it begins, official says As the war began, so it will end inside russia. The process has begun Wagner PMC rebellion against the Russian Defense Ministry - what is known Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on June 23 that the units of the Russian Defense Ministry had launched a missile attack on a mercenary camp, killing a large number of his fighters. He also said that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had allegedly fled Rostov. Read also: Prigozhin declares that he has seized control of Rostov's military headquarters, airbase In another address, Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry and called on Russians not to resist. The Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against Prigozhin. Russian media reported that following statements by Prigozhin that he intends to remove the leadership of the Defense Ministry, Russian security forces were put on high alert. Weapons were issued to conscripts, and military equipment appeared on the streets. Prigozhin said that his units had shot down a Russian helicopter that was trying to attack his mercenaries. Several videos of military columns reaching the center of Rostov-on-Don and surrounding the Russian Defense Ministry building there were posted online. There is currently no confirmation whether the military and equipment belong to Wagner PMC or to the regular Russian army. The United States said it was monitoring the uprising and considered it "serious." Prigozhin said that he had taken control of military facilities in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters of the Southern Military District and a military airfield. Read also: Ukrainian intelligence predicts more conflicts in Russia after RDK raids into Belgorod Oblast Due to Prigozhin's armed rebellion, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee of the Russian Federation announced that a counterterrorist operation was introduced in Moscow and Moscow Oblast in order to "stop possible terrorist attacks". Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Sam Altman is AI's compelling preacher. The world is ready to bow down. Sam Altman finished a global tour in June to sell AI as a force for good to leaders. Skye Gould/Business Insider Sam Altman is a man on a mission: Sell the world on AI. The OpenAI chief completed a global tour this month akin to a mission. Insider spoke to people who met or saw Altman during his tour, who say the CEO was a convincing preacher. Sam Altman knows he's at an inflection point. On June 9, at a fireside chat in Seoul, Korea, the OpenAI CEO acknowledged he was on a "diplomatic mission." It's closer to a religious mission, one that's seen Altman and his team whiz across 16 countries in the space of three months, including, recently, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, India and Korea. In Tel Aviv, as his OpenAI commanders attended a dinner with a group of techies and entrepreneurs introduced as the "Templar Knights of Innovation," Altman prepared to meet the country's president, Isaac Herzog. He's also met with Narendra Modi in India, Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea, Emmanuel Macron in France, Rishi Sunak in the UK and influential lawmakers. It's a reception more fitting for a world leader than a startup CEO. But Altman knows he's the man of the moment. ChatGPT has sparked a new AI era that leaders are scrambling to understand. This is a fork-in-the-road moment as they decide what's most politically expedient encouraging AI through funding and a friendly regulatory regime, or to regulate it into oblivion. OpenAI's goal is to cement AI's future importance to humanity. According to people on the ground during Altman's tour, he achieved what he set out to do. OpenAI declined to comment for this story. Pitch 1: You can be included or excluded from the AI revolution Altman's sales pitch has rested on two central pillars. The first: AI will only work for you if you work with it. The second: AI is inevitable so get onboard before it's too late. During his pit-stop in Delhi, Altman's audience heard how a tool like ChatGPT could adapt to "a land of languages like India," said Varshul Gupta, founder of AI startup Dubverse. This may be a smart way to overcome Indian wariness towards US tech firms. India has more than 100 languages and significantly more dialects, though its lingua franca remains English. The country has suffered from years of brain drain as technical and mathematical talent leave for the US, exemplified by both Google and Microsoft's CEOs being India-born. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has taken an increasingly nationalistic approach to technology and remains wary of sharing its citizens' data with US companies. Additionally, AI is a potential risk to India's outsourcing economy which dominates the IT sector and accounts for 8% of the country's GDP by replacing human customer sales reps with chatbots. Gupta said OpenAI's underlying AI model, GPT, would need to be trained on vats of foreign-language data; as it stands, the vast majority of the data GPT is trained on is in English. "The Indian government will have hoards of data which will not be there on the internet, which OpenAI will not have access to," Gupta said. "That might be why Sam is interested in doing some sort of high-level partnership, to get that data so they can make something for India and do some custom stuff." Pitch 2: This is the next internet Survival shouldn't be the focus, the OpenAI chief claimed in Seoul, when humanity is "about to enter the greatest age of human possibility, technological development, economic growth" thanks to AI. For Dovi Frances, a US-Israeli venture capitalist and founding partner of Group 11 who met with OpenAI, that much is already apparent. He thinks no nation can afford to ignore apps like ChatGPT. "If you have artificial intelligence at the highest level, if you have a workforce of people who are proficient with it then you have a competitive edge in 2030," he said. Droobi Health chief executive officer Jacob Mathew, who saw OpenAI in Doha, recalled a "memorable exchange" during a panel at the Qatar National Library where a high school student asked a question about the role ChatGPT could play in diplomacy. The response? "Sam replied that he did not know and asked the student to tell him in ten years," Mathew said. Altman's approach is working, both in terms of winning over opinion and in tangibly influencing policy despite warnings about the harms of AI for the labor market and misinformation. Time reported this month that OpenAI successfully lobbied the European Union to water down rules governing ChatGPT in its EU AI Act. And Elyas Felfoul, director of policy development and partnerships at WISE, an education initiative in Qatar, said he feels Altman was "genuine about raising awareness" on AI having hosted a panel with him. "He's humble about the fact that they created something much bigger than them," Felfoul said. "There is a serious commitment to try to broaden the conversation." Altman seems to be setting the conversation's tone. But for now, he seems to have people's trust. Or as Felfoul puts it: "The first impression is positive. I hope I'm not wrong about this." Read the original article on Business Insider Three San Antonio police officers have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Texas woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time, police said. The deadly gunfire erupted Friday at an apartment complex on the citys southwest side, KWTX reported. Sgt. Alfred Flores, Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos were responding to reports of vandalism when they arrived on the scene around 12:30 a.m. They encountered Melissa Perez, who was cutting wires to an alarm panel inside the building, Chief William McManus said during a press conference. The officers determined that the cutting of the alarm wires was a felony and tried to approach the woman, the police chief added. It appears that Ms. Perez was having a mental health crisis, McManus said. Officers attempted to get her to walk toward their patrol car, but she ran back to her apartment and she locked the door. Video released by the department appears to show an officer then climbing over a railing onto the patio of Perezs first-floor apartment. Then, attempting to arrest the woman, officers open the screen to the window that was already open, according to Lt. Michelle Ramos. Perez then allegedly picked up a hammer and started to swing it in the officers direction, shattering a window. She also threw a glass candle at one of the cops, leaving him with minor injuries. One officer responded by firing in her direction, but she was not struck in the initial gunfire. Police said Perez briefly retreated inside her unit, and then headed back outside toward the officers, hammer still in hand. At that point, three police officers fired their weapons at Perez. She was pronounced dead on the scene. All three officers were suspended following a review of the shooting, the department said in a statement late Friday. Their actions are not consistent with SAPDs policy training and they placed themselves in a situation where they used deadly force which was not reasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them, McManus said. Sargassum seaweed clears away but could still create problems for south Florida beachgoers MIAMI BEACH, Fla. Levels of sargassum seaweed in south Florida were originally expected to be historic, but now experts say the seaweed is decreasing. Earlier this year, scientists had warned beachgoers of a 5,000-mile-long stretch of seaweed possibly taking over Florida beaches this spring and summer. After recent assessments, however, that forecast may not come to pass. In an aerial view, boats pass through sargassum floating on the surface of the ocean on May 18, 2023 in Marathon, Florida. Satellite imagery taken this week shows the sargassum seaweed having mostly disappeared from the eastern Atlantic, along with the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. "It's very, very discreet pieces of seaweed, very discreet blobs, and almost nothing on the shoreline at all," South Beach Helicopters pilot Lisa Landsman told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell. SURPRISE DROP IN SARGASSUM SEAWEED FOR FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE, SATELLITE DATA SHOWS Despite decreasing levels of sargassum, scientists still caution beachgoers and others who may come into contact with the seaweed of potential complications. Beachgoers walk past seaweed that washed ashore on March 16, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "We cultivated about almost 2,000 Vibrio bacteria from sargassum, from plastics and also from larvae that live in those areas," said Tracy Mincer, project lead and Wilkes Honors College professor. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER Mincer and his team found 15 known types of Vibrio bacteria and one unknown type from samples collected between 2010 and 2013. According to the Florida Department of Health, some types of Vibrio bacteria can cause diarrhea, vomiting, primary septicemia or wound infections. Mincer noted that his team did not find a strain of Vibrio bacteria that is commonly referred to as "flesh-eating." South Carolinas junior U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, one in a crowded field of Republicans vying for the presidential nomination, said he would sign the most pro-life legislation if he became president in an op-ed published Friday by the Des Moines Register. He also wrote he would begin with a 15-week federal ban on the procedure, making one of his clearest statements to date on what abortion actions hed take as president. Its a slight shift in Scotts stance on the issue since mid-April, when he told WMUR he would definitely sign a 20-week ban and then dodged questions about the issue days later, including skirting a question about whether he would enact a federal six-week ban in an Axios interview in May. While Scott has remained consistent in promoting his pro-life messaging, his specifics on legislation have so far been vague. Saturday marks one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that allowed constitutional rights to abortion. Republican presidential candidates have been ramping up their rhetoric on the issue, though many have stuck with vague language when it comes to what, exactly, they would do if elected. Scott has been somewhat unclear about his exact stance on abortion legislation the past few months, but in Fridays Des Moines Register op-ed, Scott affirmed he was 100% pro-life and eager to sign the most pro-life legislation the House and Senate can put on my desk if elected president. He then wrote that the country should begin with a 15-week national limit. When Scott announced his run in late May, he was asked about the issue and took a more equivocal approach. In his first few days of campaigning, Politico reported that Scott pivoted, deflected and avoided specifics around his stance on federal abortion bans. He dodged questions from local and national media outlets on April 12 when asked whether he would support a federal abortion ban, according to Politico. The next day, he said he would definitely support signing a 20-week federal ban, a measure he supported in the Senate, but then again deflected questions on the federal ban later at a diner in Manchester and expressed concern about the notion by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that access to abortions could increase the African American workforce, Politico reported. Scott continued to use unspecific responses when pressed in late April and May. He was asked on NewsMax if he would support Lindsey Grahams 15-week abortion ban and said yes, but he also said he would also sign the most conservative pro-life legislation you can bring to my desk. Scott said South Carolinas recently passed six-week ban was good news, but then when asked by Axios reporter Sophia Cai in an interview on May 31 whether he would support a national six-week ban, he skirted the question and redirected it toward Cai on whether she agreed with someone getting an abortion at 40 weeks. He then reaffirmed his stance on a 15-week limit. While Scott has spoken relatively consistently in support of a 15-week ban, he has been unspecific about whether he would pursue stricter limits federally. I will never pretend to know what a woman goes through when making this difficult decision, but I have provided a listening ear when dear friends of mine have experienced this life-changing choice themselves, Scott wrote in his June 23 op-ed. In one friend, I saw the sadness and regret that followed in abortions wake. In another, I saw the peace and joy that came with choosing life. Watching both sides of that choice play out firsthand opened my eyes even wider. He continued the piece by expressing his views as a Christian and conservative, saying the country needs to change hearts and minds and rebuild an American culture of life that applies before, during, and after birth. Asked by The State about Scotts apparent equivocation on abortion specifics, the Scott campaign pointed to previous comments about how he would sign the most pro-life legislation that would reach his desk if elected. Abortion access has proved to be a touchy subject for a number of Republican presidential candidates, including former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both of whom have yet to announce whether they support a federal ban. DeSantis, however, signed a six-week ban into law in Florida and has spoken more about abortion in recent months than Trump. DeSantis said this week during a campaign stop in South Carolina that states like South Carolina and Georgia have done well, but he sidestepped whether he supported a national ban on abortion. Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley has not been clear either. She has said a federal abortion ban is not realistic, on CBS Mornings, but she also didnt specify whether she supported it. She has affirmed she is unapologetically pro-life and has called for the elimination of late-term abortions. Former Vice President Mike Pence has stood by his support of a 15-week federal ban. KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's central bank or Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has asked the United Nations for cooperation to unblock billions of U.S. dollars in the country's foreign reservoirs, the bank said in a statement on Saturday. In a meeting with the UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan Feridun Sinirlioglu, DAB Governor Mullah Hedayatullah Badri discussed issues including the removal of banking restrictions and calling on the UN for cooperation to free billions of U.S. dollars in the country's foreign exchange assets, the statement added. Meanwhile, Sinirlioglu assured that the world sought good interactions with Afghanistan in all sectors. The United States blocked billions of U.S. dollars in Afghanistan's foreign reservoirs after the Taliban took over the power of the country in August 2021. Scarborough: The seaside resort where swimming is not advised Visitors are met with warning signs advising against bathing when they reach South Bay The mineral rich waters of Scarborough's spa are reputed to have made the North Yorkshire town England's first seaside resort more than 350 years ago. But today it's sea water, rather than spa water, which is the subject of discussion. Residents and holidaymakers alike have been advised to not swim in either of the town's bays due to poor water quality. BBC News went along to find out how the bathing 'ban' has gone down. For John Dalton a swim in the sea is nothing to worry about and very much something to look forward to. The 69-year-old doesn't believe the water he bathes in is dirty. "The water is really clear, you can see the bottom, there are seals and dolphins out there. "When people tell me the bay is dirty, I don't believe them," he tells me as he enjoys a coffee in a cafe near the beach after his second dip of the day. "I do think it's disgraceful that companies can discharge effluent and toxins into the sea."The media will put people off. You should trust your own senses and the fact that sea life is abundant here. "Now people don't want to go into that beautiful sea, which is crystal clear today, because of something they have heard." Keen swimmer John Dalton said he had never experienced any health problems from the water in Scarborough When we meet it's a hot and sunny day in Scarborough. Perfect beach weather. But looking out across the wide sandy crescent of South Bay there is no-one swimming in the invitingly cool water. An isolated paddleboarder breaks the scene as they slowly move away from the shore. The reason for the lack of activity could be the stark warning signs peppering the entrances to the sand, setting out the area's poor water quality rating. A short walk past the arcades, ice cream sellers and harbour reveals a similar picture in the town's North Bay. While the signs have been a familiar sight in South Bay since 2018 the advice to stay out of the sea here only came into force following a "pollution incident" on 20 June. Normally rated excellent, Yorkshire Water says the plunge in quality is explained by a damaged screen at a storm overflow allowing sewage and debris to spill out into the bay. A temporary repair was quickly carried out, the firm says, but the guidance will remain in place pending further tests. The South Bay beach latest bathing water quality rating came in 2022 Steve Crawford, who runs the Fluid Concept Surf School in the South Bay, believes the poor water rating has had a "profound" impact on his business, resulting in thousands in lost income. The 54-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I don't do much work in winter because it is colder, and this is the time of year when I pay my winter bills, prepare for next year, and replace stock, but I've barely made a penny. "As a business, I can't teach and the lifeguards are actively telling people to not go in the water." Another business owner pointed me to an area just offshore and said they had seen what they believed to be a brown sewage spill on the water last week. While they said the warning against swimming had not had a direct impact on their customers it was "a big issue" in the town. Christine Sykes and Carol Voakes said they worried about their dogs getting sick if they swam in the sea On the sweeping Marine Drive, which joins the two bays, visitors Christine Sykes and Carol Voakes are looking at an information board installed some time ago by Yorkshire Water. Across the top it reads 'Making Yorkshire's beaches the best in Europe' and explains how 50m was spent in the area between 2011 and 2014. It explains how the investment means the firm is able to "store more storm water at times of heavy or prolonged rainfall when the sewerage system can become overwhelmed". The pair, who are walking their dogs, tell me they would have second thoughts about letting their pets swim in the water. "We think it's dreadful that this has happened. "We worry about the dogs getting in the water and it's a shame for the little kids, all they want to do is get in the water," Christine explains. "The water quality should be good, we pay enough in water rates," Carol adds. A Yorkshire Water sign on Marine Drive details past work to improve water quality Hotelier Lynn Jackson, from Scarborough Hospitality Association, says members of the group haven't seen a dip in bookings so far but fears families planning summer breaks could think twice. "It's one of the risks that you take going into any water sadly, I don't think there's any bit of water in the UK that doesn't get sewage, it's a calculated risk. "I'm very well aware of it, I'm friends with surfers, I have been to the meetings [about it], it seems that whatever we do and whatever we say, nothing changes." However, she warns against pinning the blame solely on water companies, adding that litter on the beach can get washed into the water, while waste, oil and fuel spillages from boats could also have an impact. Back on the South Bay, a man who is renting out deck chairs pointed out the bathing water warning signs, and then two poles which he said mark a safe swimming area. He describes it as "confusing" for visitors. Sue Emms and Val Humphreys said they would avoid going in the water due to the warning Charity shop volunteers Sue Emms, 79, and Val Humphreys, 88, say they have swum in the sea in Scarborough since they were children, but that people were now becoming more aware of water quality. Sue told me: "There's a lot more information nowadays. I don't think I would be very happy going in now, I wouldn't go in it myself personally. "People come to Scarborough with their children so I would have thought maybe they will go somewhere else now." North Yorkshire Council says the water quality in the South Bay has been an issue for a number of years and requires a "multi-agency response". Councillor Derek Bastiman from the authority explains how a "dedicated business growth hub team" is in the process of contacting firms directly affected by the bathing water quality status to see if they can provide support. He says it is "obviously disappointing" that the water quality was again rated poor in 2022 but the council continues to encourage visitors to the coast. Yorkshire Water says agricultural and industrial inputs, wildlife, birds and road drainage have an impact on water quality A Yorkshire Water spokesperson tells me a number of factors have an impact on water quality, including sewage, agricultural and industrial inputs, wildlife, birds and road drainage. They say it can be "complex" to identify the cause of poor bathing water quality. "In the 2022 bathing season, Scarborough South classification fell from 'sufficient' to 'poor' despite the number of sewage discharges on Yorkshire's coastline reducing by half," the spokesperson adds. Nationally, campaign group Surfers Against Sewage has called for an end to sewage discharges into UK bathing waters and a 90% reduction in sewage discharges by 2030. The Environment Agency says it is working to protect and improve bathing waters by regulating and holding polluters to account. For people like surf school owner Mr Crawford action can not come soon enough. "This is going to hit a lot of people," he said. "It's just that I've been hit hardest first." Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Scooter is held up after winning first place in the "World's Ugliest Dog" contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. AP Photo/Noah Berger A 7-year-old bald pooch with backward-facing legs has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog." Scooter, a Chinese crested dog, was nearly euthanized after he was born with a deformity. His owner told "Today" the pup is just like any other dog and has a special love for sausage. A bald Chinese crested pooch with backward-facing legs has been crowned the "World's Ugliest Dog" nearly a decade after he was saved from certain death. 7-year-old Scooter won top honors at the annual ugly dog contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, Friday, much to the joy of his owner Linda Celeste Elmquist, the "Today" show reports. Scooter whose pink tongue often hangs haphazardly out of his mouth was adopted by Elmquist seven months ago after his previous owner could no longer care for the pup, per the outlet. His rise to fame comes after Scooter faced the prospect of euthanasia. Born with a deformity that has left his two hind legs facing backward, a breeder brought Scooter in to be euthanized in Tucson, Arizona, according to "Today." Luckily, the Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) rescue group, which Elmquist is a part of, intervened to save his life. According to his bio on the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds website, there were initially doubts that Scooter would ever be able to crawl or walk freely by himself. But he soon proved skeptics wrong by improvising and using the strength of his front legs to propel himself forward, albeit with a wobble. Scooter struts across a stage while competing in the "World's Ugliest Dog" contest. AP Photo/Noah Berger Elmquist told "Today" that Scooter simply sits back on his backward-facing legs whenever he gets tired, which he uses like a tripod. But years of relying on his front legs means Scooter now requires some help to get around. As outlined in his bio, Scooter uses a wheeled cart to literally scoot from place to place, bought for him with funds donated by friends and rescue groups. Deformity aside, Elmquist said that the "World's Ugliest Dog" winner is much like any other pooch, except for an extreme liking for Braunschweiger sausage. Scooter is the latest victor of the quirky competition that's been running for 50 years. According to the website, the event seeks to celebrate the "imperfections that make all dogs special and unique." Contestants are often from rescue shelters and puppy mills. Last year's champion, a 17-year-old Chinese crested Chihuahua called Mr. Happy Face, was also adopted after he was saved from a hoarder's house and ended up at a shelter in Arizona. Representatives for the "World's Ugliest Dog" contest did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Insider Second rare tornado in less than a month touches down in eastern Idaho A rare weather event happened Friday in eastern Idaho, marking at least the second such occurrence in recent weeks. Around 12:30 p.m., a tornado touched down on flat land between Soda Springs and Grace, two towns in eastern Idaho near the Wyoming and Utah borders. The tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service. Viewer video of Friday's tornado west of Soda Springs. It's a good thing it touched down where it did instead of the middle of town. Paul Lopez#tornado #eastidaho #Idaho #idwx pic.twitter.com/DZUZ9URbXH Doug Iverson (@DougIWeatherGuy) June 24, 2023 Tornadoes consist of quickly rotating air in a narrow column, and often appear dramatic. They are usually caused by storms with rapidly increasing wind speeds or when storms change direction, meteorologist Greg Kaiser with the Weather Services Pocatello office told the Idaho Statesman. Kaiser said that tornadoes are rare in Idaho. In May, another tornado touched down southeast of Twin Falls. Kaiser said he thinks tornadoes sometimes go unreported because they occur in unpopulated areas, and nobody sees them. Security Service of Ukraine detains right-hand man of Russian billionaire who exported titanium for Kalibr missiles from Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine has detained Alexander Fedoseyev, the "right-hand man" of the sanctioned billionaire Mikhail Shelkov, who supplied Ukrainian titanium raw materials for the Russian defence industry. He was apprehended in Dnipro. Source: press office of the Security Service of Ukraine; a UP source in law enforcement agencies Details: According to the materials owned by the special service, these persons organised a scheme for the hidden export of titanium raw materials from Ukraine to Russia. It is widely used in the military industry, for example, in the production of Kalibr missiles, MiG-35 and SU-35 combat aircraft, and Ka-52 helicopters. The detainee's official position is an adviser to the general director of the VSMPO-AVISMA metallurgical corporation, which a Russian billionaire owns. It was through this corporation that Shelkov arranged the supply of minerals to the Russian Federation from the deposits of the Demurinsk mining and beneficiation plant that he ran in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. On Shelkov's behalf, Fedoseev arrived in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 to control this illegal business. According to available data, the organisers of this "scheme" transported almost 11 tonnes of minerals with a total value of US$2 million to Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine documented the incident and carried out comprehensive measures to bring the organisers to justice. Fedoseev was hiding from justice, but as a result of operational actions, the Security Service established his location and detained him (according to the UP, this happened on 22 June ed.). During the search, a Russian passport and documents with evidence of illegal activities were found in his possession. Background: The Security Service of Ukraine investigators served Shelkov and Fedoseev with notices of suspicion of financing actions that aim for violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power, change of the borders of the territory or state border of Ukraine. It is reported that currently, the court has chosen detention as a preventive measure in Fedoseev's case. He faces up to eight years in prison. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Sen. Mike Lee calls Dobbs a turning point during a speech on the first anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is pictured at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 14, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Mike Lee commemorated the first anniversary of the Supreme Courts landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which handed power back to the states over abortion policy. Lee, a Republican from Utah, has defended the Dobbs v. Jackson decision and the justices who wrote it. In his speech, he said the Dobbs decision was a turning point. Now were positioned to acknowledge that every life from conception to natural birth deserves our protection, and our compassion and our care, and yes, in some states, theyre going to do that differently than others, he said. He said the Dobbs decision restored sanity and compassion to the laws that guide our nation. Lee also signed on to a resolution sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, that celebrates the Dobbs anniversary and the millions of lives that will be saved as a result of the ruling in Dobbs. It also says the Senate commits to supporting families, including new and expectant mothers and their children; and ... commits to proclaiming the humanity of the unborn, consistent with the findings of modern science and the unswerving demands of justice. Lee clerked for Justice Samuel Alito, the lead author of the Dobbs decision. When a draft of the decision was leaked last year to the press, Lee wrote in the Deseret News that the leak was an attack on the court. A leak of this nature has never happened before, he wrote. It is a threat to the free flow of information and ideas within the Supreme Court. It is also a threat to the trust that justices share with their colleagues and the clerks who allow the courts oppressive workload to churn forward. He also has spoken out about threats of violence and harassment toward the justices who signed on to the decision, asking Attorney General Merrick Garland at a hearing earlier this year why he hadnt done more to protect the justices, particularly in light of an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He also pressed Garland about attacks on Catholic churches and pregnancy resource centers in the wake of the decision. Garland said attacking the pregnancy resource centers was a horrible thing to do. Voters on Saturday are faced with a choice between the same two leading presidential candidates as in 2018 Early results from Sierra Leone's presidential election have been branded "daylight robbery" by the main opposition challenger Samura Kamara. He alleges that his electoral agents were not allowed to verify the ballot counting. With the votes from 60% of the polling stations tallied, the electoral commission says that the incumbent Julius Maada Bio has a 56% share. He has called on Sierra Leoneans to reject violence and "keep the peace". Mr Kamara, of the All People's Congress (APC), is currently trailing on 42%. In order to win in the first round a candidate needs more than 55% of votes. Mr Bio's success can likely be attributed to a series of strategic electoral alliances he made in the course of the campaign, including in opposition strongholds. But European Union observers have criticised the electoral commission for a lack of transparency, and noted incidents of violence in some regions during the vote on Saturday. The APC had previously made complaints about the conduct of the election and the electoral commission. On Sunday, Mr Kamara said live ammunition was fired into his party's headquarters as he held a news conference. A woman there was reportedly wounded and there are fears for her life. On Wednesday, Mr Kamara's All People's Congress (APC) alleged that one of its supporters was shot dead by police, which the police have denied. Supporters of both main parties have been accused of attacking opponents. Accusations of election irregularities were also being thrown on Saturday, after Mr Kamara alleged ballot stuffing and voter suppression in some parts of the country. However, the electoral body had insisted, in a press conference, that it had mechanisms in place to ensure a fair vote. Local media reports that arrests were made. Saturday's vote saw a high turnout, with voters telling the BBC the process was smooth despite polling stations opening hours late in many areas. The election took place against the background of a troubled economy, the rising cost of living, and concerns about national unity. The voters were choosing a president, MPs and councillors in the West African country's fifth election since the civil war ended in 2002. The 11-year conflict cost an estimated 50,000 lives, but since then the country has a tradition of largely peaceful, free and credible elections, according to Marcella Samba Sesay, chairperson of the NGO National Elections Watch. With strong party loyalty among the 3.3 million registered voters, the campaigns have focused on shoring up their parties' bases rather than articulating and debating policy issues. However, voters have told the BBC they want to see concrete change in the country. "I want a responsible government that will provide jobs, education, improve healthcare and also ensure food security. I expect the new president to work for the nation," Solomon Beckley from Freetown said. Additional reporting from Azeezat Olaoluwa in Lagos and Natasha Booty in London Supporters attend the annual 'Pink Dot' event at Hong Lim Park in Singapore (Roslan RAHMAN) Hundreds of people wearing pink attended Singapore's annual "Pink Dot" LGBTQ rally on Saturday, the first to be held since the city-state decriminalised gay sex last year. Brandishing rainbow flags and sporting glittery makeup, participants gathered in a downtown park -- the only place in Singapore where protests are allowed without a police permit. "I'm celebrating today because it's been a really long fight," said Ernest Seah, a gay 58-year-old artist and teacher, while sitting on a pink inflatable couch. "And you know, it's great that love wins and the government understands that." Singapore's parliament last year repealed a British colonial-era law that penalised sex between men with up to two years in jail, although the statute was not actively enforced. But at the same time lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment bolstering the existing definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. The amendment essentially closed the door on any future legal challenges that could establish equal marital rights for LGBTQ people. Describing the mood as one of "celebration and joyousness", Pink Dot's spokesperson Clement Tan said it was a "relief" to hold the rally with the law no longer on the books. He declined to specify what Pink Dot, one of Singapore's leading LGBTQ advocacy groups, would focus on next. "We recognise that post repeal, people need a moment to breathe," he said. "Our goal has always been about slowly progressing, and LGBTQ equality, whatever form that looks like," he added. "So repeal was something that was important to us, but it's by no means the end of the work that needs to happen. There's a much longer road ahead of us." The theme for Saturday's rally -- "A Singapore for All Families" -- sought to push back against pressure from conservative groups who fear decriminalising gay sex will erode "family values". "It shouldn't really matter what families look like in Singapore. Most certainly not what the government defines as worthy of recognition. We believe that everyone should stand in the sun," Tan said. Later in the night, participants waved pink torches and formed the word "family" using multicoloured umbrellas as a performer sang Katy Perry's "Unconditionally". Shaun Pei, a 43 year-old Youtuber, said he hopes for greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community and more legal recognition for same-sex couples. "More could be done ... we really hope that there will be a greater acceptance level in terms of a wider cross section of the society in Singapore." Singapore's "Pink Dot" gay rights rally started in 2009 and has regularly attracted sizeable crowds despite a backlash from some quarters. Organisers did not release figures on the crowd size Saturday, but an AFP reporter estimated more than a thousand attended. Open support for gay rights is growing, aided by changing social norms among the younger generation. The percentage of Singaporeans who agree that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry has increased to 32 percent, up from 27 percent last year, a survey released this month by market research firm Ipsos found. cla/axn/st There were plenty of plunging necklines at Dries Van Noten this week (Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT) Plunging necklines, short-shorts and bottoms peaking out -- this has been a menswear week in Paris with plenty of skin on show. From upstart brands such as Egonlab to fabled houses Hermes and Loewe, designers have been keen to lay things bare for a more liberated male clientele. Tiny shorts were the signature look at the Hermes show Saturday. "Guys have nice legs too," creative director Veronique Nichanian told AFP. "It's time to see their legs!" The backless look -- already sported on red carpets by a few celebrities such as actor Timothee Chalamet -- cropped up on a few catwalks this week. Loewe gave it an ironic twist, with an outfit that featured a completely bare back, but a huge rectangular bag carried like a shield on the front. Things were particularly spicy at Egonlab, the young label by French duo Florentin Glemarec and Kevin Nompeix, who are known for their genderless aesthetic. They had suit jackets with a square neckline revealing the whole chest and very low waist trousers that offered a shot of the bottom. "There's a lot of skin this season," Glemarec told AFP. "We wanted to free ourselves from all the codes, especially in tailoring, to replace it with something more creative, more fun," added Nompeix. The idea, they said, is to encourage people "to no longer be afraid of their bodies, to no longer hide behind clothes and instead use them to transcend who we are". It was also about bare feet at Dries Van Noten on Thursday, where everything from sequined shorts to formal coats and suits were paired with flip-flops. "I like having this naked side, with transparencies, plunging necklines, but also on feet," the Belgian designer told AFP backstage. It represents "a new form of elegance", he added. Buyers were impressed. "Dries Van Noten never disappoints, but this season was an exceptionally strong collection," said Simon Longland of British department store Harrods. - 'Carnal being' - There was a similar vibe with the hotly tipped new Franco-Turkish designer Burc Akyol, showing for the first time as part of the official fashion week calendar. One of his signature pieces -- the slitted, baggy trousers left plenty of hairy leg on show. "I've always found that people who hide the body in their design are in body denial," he told AFP. "I like to exist as a carnal being." Spain's Arturo Obegero had his models bare-chested or in a sort of jumpsuit ending mid-thigh. He imagined an "evening surfer" on the River Seine with a "romantic and seductive silhouette", he told AFP. There were also flashes of skin at Bluemarble and Givenchy. "This nudity is very telling of this moment when there is a lot of talk about gender fluidity," said Olivier Gabet, a fashion historian at the Louvre. "Young designers do not compartmentalise. Their collections are often a mixture of men and women," he said. This not, however, necessarily about truly genderless clothes, he added, but also a commercial move to hit multiple markets at once. neo/er/jj Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House GOP want to expunge Donald Trump's two impeachments. What it means House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., expressed support Friday for a symbolic resolution to expunge former President Donald Trump's two impeachments from the House record. McCarthy told reporters he would back House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in their effort to expunge both impeachments. However, he said their resolutions would need to go through the committee process first before getting a vote on the floor. McCarthy's decision to back the resolution demonstrates that Trump, who was impeached twice in office and indicted twice since departing office, still maintains broad support among House Republicans as he stages a bid for the 2024 presidential nomination. Why was Trump impeached? President Donald Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy arrive at Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 30, 2020. Trump was first impeached in 2019 after encouraging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up political dirt on then-White House rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential campaign while Trump was withholding U.S. military aid to Ukraine as it faced Russia. He was impeached a second time for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, but McCarthy denied that supporting a resolution to expunge the impeachments was an attempt to gloss over Trump's role that day. After both impeachments in the House, Trump was acquitted by the Senate. McCarthy reminded a group of reporters that he voted against both impeachments of the former president and said the second impeachment had "no due process." Can you expunge an impeachment? The House GOP wants to expunge, or remove, Trump's two impeachments, but there are questions as to whether that's possible. They can't undo the congressional record of the votes that happened, according to experts, and the House wasn't the only chamber involved. The Senate, which is still led by Democrats, held the impeachment trials. George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley told Reuters the U.S. Constitution contains no provision for expunging impeachments. "It is not like a constitutional DUI. Once you are impeached, you are impeached," Turley said to Reuters in an email. Currying favor with Trump? Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who served as lead counsel for the Democrats during Trump's first impeachment, dismissed the resolutions as an attempt by Republicans to earn the former president's support. "It is just a further continuation of the House Republicans acting as Donald Trump's taxpayer-funded lawyers," Goldman told CBS News. "Its telling who is introducing them and its essentially whoever is trying to curry the most favor with Donald Trump," he added. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can you expunge an impeachment? House GOP wants to do that for Trump Submarines have gone missing numerous times over the years but not all have been recovered. Here are 7 vessels that were lost and never found. The USS Scorpion in Claywall Harbor, Naples, Italy. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command/ASSOCIATED PRESS Searches for lost submarines haven't always succeeded. As recently as 2021, underwater vessels have gone missing during routine training exercises. There is an abundance of reasons that submarines may go missing. For the past five decades, we've been losing and looking for submarines with varying degrees of success. But losing a submarine is more common than it seems and finding one is a lot harder. Navies around the world have been regularly losing submarines in the ocean since they started using them. Though submarines and their captains take extensive measures to not get lost, despite their best efforts, there's a lot that can go wrong with a submarine and a lot more we don't know about the ocean. Important piping can bend, periscopes can get crushed by passing boats, torpedoes can get loaded wrong, and, in a very specific case, a lucky totem may get removed. In 1968 alone, four submarines from four different countries became lost within months of each other. The search for these submarines lasted days, but in some cases, the wreckage wasn't found until decades later. The loss of submarines is not something of a bygone era nor is it taken lightly. As recently as 2021, a submarine was lost in Indonesia during a training exercise, prompting an international search-and-rescue attempt involving seven different countries. Despite the best efforts of public and private entities looking for missing submarines, the oxygen limit on board the crafts and the vastness of the ocean can prove to be insurmountable barriers. Here are the times we've looked for missing submarines and come up short. On April 9, 1963, the SS Thresher, a navy submarine doing training off the coast of Cape Cod to see how far it could dive, made its preparations for its descent. The SS Thresher is launched bow first into at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. AP This was not the first time the Thresher would be going to its depth limit, but as it was making its descent, the boat above received a jumbled radio communication of a "minor problem." That was the last time there would be communication with the Thresher. The Thresher's last communication was at 9:17 a.m., and it wasn't until 7 p.m. of the same day that the families of the men aboard the submarine were notified that it was presumed missing. A search began for the missing sub, but when debris from the submarine was recovered, it became clear what had happened. It wasn't until two months later, on June 27, that the Navy was able to find the debris field from the missing sub. To this day, the cause of the wreck has not been determined, but the leading theory is that flooding in the engine room led to it sinking, according to the US Naval Institute. Source: US Naval Institute The USS Scorpion, along with its crew of 99 men, was one of four other submarines to go missing in 1968. The USS Scorpion in Claywall Harbor, Naples, Italy. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command/ASSOCIATED PRESS The Scorpion last made contact with the surface on May 21, 1968, and caused alarm when it did not resurface six days later as it was scheduled to. The declaration that the submarine was missing came on May 27, though the Navy became aware of its failure to respond to classified correspondence on May 24. The search lasted only a few hours when the Navy detected the Scorpion below its crush depth, or the limit a submarine can dive into before succumbing to the pressures of the ocean. However, the wreckage wouldn't be found until five months later in October, at a depth of 11,000 feet. Sources: Popular Mechanics, Discovery UK Theories abound as to what caused the sinking of the Scorpion, but it is still impossible to know for sure. Underwater image of a portion of the damaged snorkel-exhaust piping from the USS Scorpion. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images The leading theory for years has been that one of the torpedoes ignited while in the chamber and blew a hole in the craft. Before the USS Scorpion, the INS Dakar and its crew of 69 men went missing on January 25, 1968. The crew of the Israeli submarine Dakar boards the craft in a photo taken at the sub's commissioning. Bettmann / Contributor/ Getty Images Ships from Britain, the US, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon aided in the search efforts for the INS Dakar, but found nothing. The search was officially declared over on February 4, 1968, 10 days after it went missing. The wreckage wouldn't be found for another 30 years. Departing from England after receiving upgrades before it joined the Israeli Navy, the sub went down somewhere between Crete and Cyprus. The reasons for the INS Dakar's disappearance, as with the other four subs in 1968, are unclear. Theories range from hostile attacks to internal damage, but most likely, it was due to human or mechanical error. The INS Dakar was originally the HMS Totem, a ship in the Canadian Navy that received a special totem they kept aboard to keep the ship safe during voyages. After the ship was re-fitted and prepared for the Israeli Navy, the totem was removed and put into a museum. Though this is not the reason for the ship sinking, it plays a role in the superstitions and conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of the ship. Sources: Naval Historical Society of Australia, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz It wasn't until 31 years later that the Dakar was finally found in the depths of the ocean between Crete and Cyprus. A team of Israeli former naval officers watch TV footage taken by the US search team that found the INS Dakar south of Crete. IDF/AFP via Getty Images The wreck was located about 497 miles away from Israel at a depth of 9,800 feet. Sources: Naval Historical Society of Australia, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz The K-141 Kursk from Russia sunk in August of 2000 with 118 of its members on board. The Russian nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk docked at a northern Russian home base port. Laski Diffusion/Liaison/Getty Images The Kursk sunk as a result of a torpedo-room explosion while it was submerged. The blast killed 95 members of the crew aboard, while 23 survived in the back rooms. Sources: The Guardian, The Navy Times Crew members were originally estimated to have survived for three days after the explosion. Russian sailor Maxim Rvanin sits at his workspace inside the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk. Newsmakers/Getty Images But upon further investigation, they were assumed to have died from carbon-monoxide poisoning within the first eight hours after the explosion. Sources: The Guardian, The Navy Times Though teams made rescue attempts to save the remaining 23 crew members, families who felt that the Russian Navy didn't act quickly enough were outraged. Russian and Norwegian sailors discuss efforts to recover the bodies of the 118 sailors from the sunken Russian submarine K-141 Kursk. Newsmakers/Getty Images In October of that same year, Russian and Norwegian sailors continued efforts to recover the bodies of the 118 sailors. In November 2017, the ARA San Juan from Argentina and its crew of 44 sailors disappeared. The ARA Sarandi sails off to take part in the search for the missing submarine ARA San Juan. EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP via Getty Images It made its last contact with the surface to communicate a mechanical breakdown on November 15, 2017. Sources: BA Times, USNI News The disappearance of the ARA San Juan prompted an international search party. A member of the US Navy walks by the pressurized-rescue module, which would take part in the search-and-rescue efforts of the missing submarine ARA San Juan. MAXI JONAS/AFP via Getty Images Aid came from the UK, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Peru, and Uruguay. The submarine was equipped with enough food and water to last crew members 90 days on the surface but only enough oxygen for seven days when submerged. Sources: BA Times, USNI News Ultimately, the search-and-rescue attempts were unsuccessful, failing to locate the submarine within the seven-day window. Relatives and comrades of 44 crew members of the missing submarine at an Argentinian naval base. EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP via Getty Images During their search, the Argentinian Navy heard a sound "consistent with an explosion" near where the San Juan was thought to be, believing it to have imploded after reaching a critical depth. Sources: BA Times, USNI News The wreckage of the San Juan wasn't found until a year later at a depth of 2,600 feet. The working theory for the event is that a faulty valve led to the implosion of the submarine. Press conference at the headquarters of the Navy confirming the discovery of the San Juan. Manuel Cortina/NurPhoto via Getty Images Sources: BA Times, USNI News Most recently, on April 21, 2021, an Indonesian submarine, the KRI Nanggala (402), went missing during a training exercise. An Indonesian Navy patrol boat arrives at a naval base to aid in the search for the missing submarine. SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images There were reports of oil on the surface of the water near where the submarine went missing, but it was unclear if it was from the KRI Nanggala itself. Sources: Associated Press, Geopolitical Monitor Similarly to the missing ARA San Juan, there was an international attempt to locate the missing KRI Nanggala. A US Navy aircraft takes off to join the search mission for the missing Indonesian navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402). Johanes Christo/NurPhoto via Getty Images Australia, the United States, Germany, France, Russia, India, Turkey, and South Korea offered to assist in locating the missing craft. At one point during the search for the submarine, there were 20 Navy ships, two submarines, and five aircraft searching the area where the submarine was last detected, Reuters reported. Sources: AP News, Reuters, Geopolitical Monitor The search ended on April 24, just three days after the Nanggala and its 53 occupants went missing. Onlookers pay tribute to the crew members of the sunken KRI Nanggala (402) submarine. Xinhua/Kasidia via Getty Images Search teams found debris believed to belong to the missing submarine. At the time of the sinking, the Indonesian Navy believed the sub to be at 2,000 to 2,300 feet, which is much further than its estimated collapsed depth. Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Geopolitical Monitor Read the original article on Insider SHENYANG, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese navy vessel "Qijiguang" returned to the port city of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province Saturday after a 41-day training voyage. The vessel, with 476 navy cadets and officers on board, has sailed more than 8,500 nautical miles since it set off on May 15 and visited Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines, according to the navy sources. Besides finishing a series of training programs, the vessel held joint exercises with navy vessels from Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines, and received more than 6,000 visitors during the voyage, the sources said. The "Qijiguang" is a naval training ship named after Qi Jiguang, a Chinese hero best known for leading Ming forces to defend China's eastern coastal regions from raids by Japanese pirates in the 16th century. How the submersible's 'catastrophic implosion' and 4-day rescue effort was years in the making The Titan submersible in water. OceanGate Parts from the Titan submersible were found on the sea floor, indicating a "catastrophic implosion." New details reveal an ill-equipped submersible and an inventor who shrugged off safety regulations. Here's how the search-and-rescue mission for the Titan unfolded over the last week. Five years ago, a prominent deep-sea explorer warned OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush that his efforts to ferry tourists 12,500 feet down to the wreck of the RMS Titanic in an uncertified, unclassed submersible vessel would meet the same fate as the doomed ocean liner. The Titan, named after the shipwreck it was designed to visit, failed to meet safety and stability standards set by prominent marine organizations, and it was crafted from an experimental carbon-fiber material known for tearing under stress, Rob McCallum explained to Rush in a series of 2018 emails, according to the BBC. "You are mirroring that famous catchcry: 'She is unsinkable,'" McCallum told Rush. But the OceanGate CEO did not appreciate the criticism. "We have heard the baseless cries of 'you are going to kill someone' way too often. I take this as a serious personal insult," Rush told McCallum at the time. The Titan and its five passengers dipped below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean for the last time at about 8 a.m. on June 18. Roughly one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the Titanic wreckage, the vessel lost communication with its command ship, the Polar Prince. What followed was a frenzied multinational search-and-rescue effort over four agonizing days as the world watched and waited for news. The fates of the five men aboard became fodder for a macabre debate were they already dead from a pressure leak? Or were they huddled at the bottom of the ocean inside a 22-foot watercraft, slowly running out of oxygen? On Thursday, Rush and his four passengers were presumed dead after a remotely operated underwater vehicle found a debris field with parts from the Titan resting on the seafloor, just 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. Officials told reporters the debris was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion of the vessel" that would have killed the men aboard instantly. In the aftermath of the implosion, a host of industry leaders, deep-sea experts, oceanographers, and even former Titan passengers came forward to describe major flaws with the vessel's construction and safety features, and fatal hubris on the part of the man who created it. Together, their stories and complaints paint a picture of a disastrously ill-equipped submersible created and operated by a CEO who gloated in his disdain for safety regulations. "I think it was General [Douglas] MacArthur who said, 'You're remembered for the rules you break,'" Rush said in a 2021 interview with vlogger Alan Estrada. "And I've broken some rules to make this." Bizarre details about the Titan submersible As word spread that the Titan was missing, news that the submersible was equipped with 96 hours of oxygen prompted a feverish countdown for the mission to rescue the five men aboard. Accompanying Rush on the trip to the bottom of the ocean was Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a famous French diver who'd visited the Titanic dozens of times; Hamish Harding, a British billionaire and explorer who has journeyed to the deepest part of the ocean and traveled to space on a Blue Origin flight last year; Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood, who had grown up with a keen interest in the Titanic; and Dawood's 19-year-old son Suleman, whose relative later told NBC News that the young man had been "terrified" to board the submersible but wanted to please his father. Search-and-rescue officials at first presented an optimistic front, emphasizing that the mission was first and foremost to rescue the five men rather than recover the Titan's remains. Vessels from the US, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom arrived to scour the ocean's surface, searching through an area twice the size of Connecticut. US and Canadian military officials also sent multiple aircraft to the scene, deploying sonar buoys that can detect underwater noise up to 13,000 feet deep. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane searches for the 21-foot submersible, Titan. US Coast Guard via Associated Press As scrutiny over OceanGate and the Titan intensified, each new detail revealed about the watercraft seemed more shocking and disturbing than the last. The vessel was piloted with a modified Logitech gaming controller, outfitted with an interior light from Camping World, and sealed with 17 bolts that could only be removed from the outside. It had lost communication with its command ship on every mission it had taken and was once even lost for two-and-a-half hours while CBS filmed a TV segment from the command ship. The vessel seemed to have a "MacGyver jerry-riggedness," CBS correspondent David Pogue noted in his segment last year. On land, the response to the crisis was no less bizarre. Amid the public curiosity about Harding, the British billionaire aboard the Titan, his 37-year-old stepson Brian Szasz made headlines of his own, tweeting a photo of himself at a Blink-182 concert amid the ongoing search-and-rescue efforts. Szasz then began feuding with the rapper Cardi B, who criticized him for attending a show instead of staying home and comforting his mother. Public criticism of OceanGate's CEO also increased as old interviews from Rush began resurfacing, showing him laughing off safety concerns and flaunting his rule-breaking. "You know, at some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything," Rush told Pogue in an interview. "At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question." Experts and former passengers had sounded the alarm about the Titan June 18 was not OceanGate's first trip to the Titanic with a submersible vessel, and several of its former passengers have spoken up about mishaps on their journeys. "The Simpsons" showrunner Mike Reiss told multiple media outlets he took four trips with OceanGate, one of which was to the Titanic wreckage. He told ABC News his submersible lost communication with the command ship on all four trips. "Every time they lost communication that seems to just be something baked into the system," he said. Reiss recalled being asked to sign a "massive waiver that lists one way after another that you could die on the trip," noting that the word "death" was mentioned three times on the first page of the waiver. The safety concerns far predated the Titan's initial journeys. In January 2018, some three dozen industry experts sent Rush a letter expressing "unanimous concern" about OceanGate's approach to developing the Titan. The letter urged Rush to subject the Titan to third-party testing and accused him of misleading the public about its safety features. "The current 'experimental' approach adopted by OceanGate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic) that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry," the letter warned. A boat with the OceanGate logo is parked on a lot near the OceanGate offices in Everett, Washington. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press Karl Stanley, a submersible expert, told The New York Times he made one 12,000-foot descent in the Titan in 2019, off the coast of the Bahamas, and heard a cracking noise that grew louder over a period of hours. He pleaded with Rush in an email the next day to cancel planned expeditions to the Titanic. The noises "sounded like a flaw/defect in one area being acted on by the tremendous pressures and being crushed/damaged," Stanley wrote, adding that the sounds revealed there was "an area of the hull that is breaking down," according to emails obtained by The Times. Stanley told The Times he never received a response from Rush, but the CEO did call off the planned dives that year and built a new hull. The deep-sea explorer and Oscar-winning director James Cameron was among those skeptical of the Titan's capabilities. Cameron said he even declined an invitation directly from Rush to dive to the wreck on the Titan this season. Cameron, who has dived to the Titanic 33 times himself, told Reuters that OceanGate "shouldn't have been doing what it was doing." He said he regretted not speaking up more vehemently against the submersible's carbon-fiber hull and lack of certifications. "Now there's one wreck lying next to the other wreck," he said. "For the same damn reason." Read the original article on Insider Sudanese soldiers stand next to their vehicles during a military exercise in the Maaqil area in the northern Nile River State, on December 8, 2021 The Sudanese army's infantry battalions have hardly been present on the streets of Khartoum during the two months-long conflict that has raged in the country, leaving much of the capital under the control of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This is despite the fact that the army is made up of about 200,000 soldiers, roughly twice the size of the RSF. Yet the army is heavily outnumbered on the streets of Khartoum, as well as the two cities across the River Nile - Bahri and Omdurman. RSF fighters were initially moving around the three cities in their armed pick-up vehicles, but they now mostly use ordinary cars. Huge numbers of people have complained on social media about the RSF stealing their cars from their homes. The suspicion is that the RSF is using them to avoid being hit by air strikes. With its airpower being its greatest strength, the military has been constantly carrying out strikes to weaken the RSF. Although they are believed to have killed hundreds of civilians, they have not prevented the paramilitaries from advancing in Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman. In a serious blow to the army, RSF fighters carried out an assault earlier this month on al-Yarmouk, one of Sudan's biggest military complexes, where arms were manufactured and stored. While a fire raged at the complex for days, the RSF declared that it had seized control of it, which was confirmed by local residents. The military, however, has not confirmed the loss of the complex. It launched a counter-offensive, but could only manage in briefly wresting control of a vitally important bridge that linked RSF fighters in Omdurman to those in Khartoum and Bahri. The RSF is also in control of other key sites in and around the three cities, including: the main oil terminal, which the paramilitaries have turned into their base the state media's headquarters, giving the RSF control of its radio airwaves, although the army has managed to retain control of the TV station by broadcasting from elsewhere a large part of the presidential complex much of the international airport, which has been shut since the conflict started. The headquarters of the spy agency was also said to have been occupied by the RSF early in the conflict, but it is unclear who is currently in control of it. The military is known to have held on to a few key places - the most important of which are its headquarters and the airbase in Wadi Saeedna, from where its fighter jets fly to hit the RSF. Troops have dug long and deep trenches to prevent the paramilitaries from overrunning the two locations. "Their attempt to attack us does not have any effect now. The shells they fire fall on trees, or are cold by the time they land on our side," an officer said. History of racism About two million residents, out of around 10 million, have fled the once-peaceful cities, abandoning their homes, shops and offices. Some of them have been shelled and bombed, others have been occupied and ransacked, with air-conditioners and furniture among the items carted away by the RSF. For some, the failure of the infantry battalions to make significant battlefield gains is not surprising, as Sudan is not a democratic state with a well-trained professional army. The army - like many other sectors of society - is still bedevilled by Sudan's history of racism, slavery and colonialism. It dates back more than two centuries when Ottoman and Egyptian conquerors established an army of slaves. Recruitment from mostly poor black African communities continued under British rule, and has remained so throughout the post-independence era. Some of the soldiers are, in fact, descendants of slaves. Under the three decades-long rule of ex-President Omar al-Bashir, black Africans were rarely accepted in Sudan's military college, with applicants required to mention their ethnic groups. As a result, only a few have risen to senior ranks, with the army largely under the control of generals from the Arab and Nubian elites bordering Egypt. Both residential and commercial areas have been devastated by the fighting Soldiers earn a mere $11 (8.5) to $16 a month, in contrast with the generals who have enriched themselves by setting up companies and factories that have given them control of 80% of the economy, according to Sudan's short-lived civilian Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok. Because of their low pay, some soldiers even joined the RSF to fight - at one point, as part of the Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen, in exchange for vast sums of cash. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo became a big gold trader when his forces took over Sudan's most lucrative gold mines in 2017, and control of the border with Chad and Libya. Sudan's army chief of staff did not like it - he wanted the money from the gold trade to go to strengthening the regular forces, but Bashir had confidence in the RSF, giving Hemedti the nickname "Himayti", meaning "My Protector". Training camps were set up near Khartoum. Hundreds of Land Cruiser pick-up trucks were imported and fitted with machine guns. With an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 men and more than 10,000 armed pick-up trucks, the RSF became Sudan's de facto infantry. Arabs from Darfur form the backbone of the RSF. They appear to believe that it is now their turn to rule - especially after their pivotal role in helping the military fight the Darfuri rebels in the 2000s. One of the RSF's greatest strength lies in the fact that many of its "battalions" are made up of members of the same family or ethnic group, so they fight ferociously to protect each other. In contrast, the defence minister has been forced to call for the mobilisation of retired officers and soldiers to beat back the RSF. His appeal was met with derision by many Sudanese, who saw it as further proof of the army's weaknesses. The reality is that Sudan's army, rather than fighting wars on its own, has long relied on militias. This is something it did in the decades-long civil war, which ended with South Sudan gaining independence in 2011, and more recently in Darfur, where Arab militias were accused of committing a genocide. Now those militias - heavily armed by the military - have come back to haunt it, plunging Sudan into its latest crisis. While most Muslim pilgrims travel to Mecca by air, Sudanese faithful risk land and sea journey as fighting affects Khartoum airport (Sajjad HUSSAIN) The hajj pilgrimage has given Sudanese faithful Kamal Kabashi a brief respite from his country's bloody conflict. Having safely arrived in Islam's holiest city, he was praying for peace. Only weeks ago his home in North Darfur state, in Sudan's west, was hit by shelling as a power struggle between rival generals spiralled into an all-out war. Kabashi, his wife and their five children were unharmed as they had relocated to a safer neighbourhood of El Fasher, the state capital, days before. Now, after a perilous four-day journey by land and sea, Kabashi has joined more than one million worshippers on the annual pilgrimage to the Saudi holy city of Mecca. "I am very afraid for my family and children," said the 52-year-old government employee, dressed in the simple white robes worn by hajj pilgrims. "I raise my hands to God almighty and ask him to solve the problem of Sudan," he told AFP from Mecca's Grand Mosque, the world's largest. Fighting since mid-April between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has claimed more than 2,000 lives. It has largely been concentrated in greater Khartoum and in Darfur, a vast region on Sudan's western border with Chad. The conflict has plunged Sudan into chaos, with combatants occupying homes, looting properties and committing other abuses. Artillery "shells fell inside my courtyard... severely damaging my house", Kabashi said. Travellers from around the world have been pouring into the modernised airport in Saudi Arabia's coastal city of Jeddah before hajj rituals begin on Sunday night. But pilgrims from Sudan are mostly arriving by boat because Khartoum's airport -- the country's main aviation hub -- has been put out of service by the deadly fighting. - 'Dream of peace' - To make it to Mecca, Kabashi risked a more than two-day road trip to Port Sudan in the east. There he boarded a ship that took him across the Red Sea to Jeddah, a journey that lasted nearly two more days. Kabashi, who has performed hajj once before, was accompanied by his friend, Ahmed Jaber, who was making the pilgrimage for the first time. Jaber, a 62-year-old merchant, said he paid more than $4,300 in fees and had been preparing for months for the hajj -- one of the five pillars of Islam which must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives. He thought his loved ones would be the main subject of his prayers, but "now I do not only pray for my family, I pray for all Sudanese," he said, fighting back tears. "We only dream of peace." Almost 600,000 people have fled Sudan for neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration says. And more than two million are displaced inside Sudan, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Those who have made it to Mecca walk in groups, their country's flag printed on their white robes. For maths teacher Haram Ali, arriving in the holy city meant being able to relax for the first time in months. "I am mentally at ease and I pray for peace for all Sudanese so that they too can feel the same comfort," said the 49-year-old, calling her pilgrimage "a gift from God". "I have recovered from the fatigue of Sudan," she said, raising her hands to pray as tears streamed from her eyes. Standing nearby, Maha Abdullah, a 50-year-old housewife, said "the situation is difficult" back home. "It needs God's intervention to change things." ht/ho/th/ami A private mercenary groups rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin and the burgeoning Republican field in the 2024 presidential race are likely to dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend. The Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor organization, began advancing toward Moscow on Friday, after its chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called for an armed rebellion to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of killing scores of his fighters in a strike on a Wagner camp site and denounced the Kremlins justifications for launching the war in Ukraine as false. In an address on Saturday, Putin vowed to put down the armed mutiny, suggesting that any action that divides the country betrays the Russian people and soldiers who are fighting. It is a blow to Russia, to our people. Our actions to defend the Fatherland from this threat will be harsh, Putin said. All those who have consciously chosen the path of betrayal, planned an armed mutiny and taken the path of blackmail and terrorism, will inevitably be punished and will answer before the law and our people. However, Prigozhin said later on Saturday that he had ordered his troops to return their bases to avoid shedding Russian blood. We [are] turning our columns around and going back in the other direction toward our field camps, in accordance with the plan, he said in a message on Telegram. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is set to make the rounds on several of the Sunday shows this weekend, spoke with his Group of Seven (G7) counterparts on Saturday about the ongoing situation in Russia. Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop. John Sullivan, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, will also join CBS Face the Nation to discuss the turmoil in Russia and its potential impacts on the war in Ukraine, while former CIA director and retired Army Gen. David Petraeus will make an appearance on CNNs State of the Union. The ever-growing field of candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will also likely be a topic of discussion on the Sunday shows. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who is set to join ABCs This Week, became the latest Republican to join the race on Thursday. The critic of former President Trump said on Friday that he would not sign a Republican National Committee (RNC) pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee, which is a requirement to appear at the first Republican primary presidential debate in August. Fellow GOP presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another Trump critic, has also pushed back on the loyalty pledge, calling it a useless idea. Christie will make an appearance on ABCs This Week on Sunday. However, as the first debate nears, it remains unclear whether the leading candidate will even appear on stage. I like to debate. I probably am here because of debates. I dont mind it at all, Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier in an interview that aired earlier this week. But when youre 40 points up . Why would I let these people take shots at me? An Emerson College poll released on Thursday showed Trump leading the field with 59 percent support among Republican primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely viewed as the former presidents biggest competition for the GOP nomination, trailed behind with 21 percent support. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is set to join Fox News Sunday this weekend, sat in third place with 6 percent support. Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this weeks Sunday talk shows: ABCs This Week Secretary of State Antony Blinken; former Texas Rep. Will Hurd and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Republican presidential candidates; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) NBCs Meet the Press Blinken; Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) CBS Face the Nation Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas); Cindy McCain, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program; John Sullivan, former U.S. ambassador to Russia CNNs State of the Union Blinken; Klobuchar; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican presidential candidate; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.); former CIA director and retired Army Gen. David Petraeus Fox News Sunday Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential candidate; Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.); Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist; Peter Schweizer, president of Government Accountability Institute For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A suspect is in life-threatening condition after an early-morning police shooting in downtown Boise. After 2 a.m. Saturday, Boise police officers approached a suspicious vehicle with people inside it as part of an investigation, according to a news release. The vehicle was near 5th and Main streets, just adjacent to a stretch of the citys popular late-night bars. After officers attempted to make contact with the vehicle occupants, one person fled on foot toward Idaho Street holding a firearm, according to the release. Officers chased the suspect and gave commands for the suspect to stop, which were disregarded, according to the release. One BPD officer fired his duty weapon. The suspect was struck and injured. A firearm was recovered next to the suspect. Police administered medical care after the shooting, according to the release, and Ada County paramedics took the suspect to a Boise hospital. Police contacted three people in connection with the suspicious vehicle, police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Statesman in an email. One person was arrested on a narcotics-related charge, a second was released at the scene and the third is the individual who was shot, she said. The hospitalized suspect has not been charged because they are still receiving medical care, she added. No officers were injured in the incident, according to the release. The officer who fired his weapon was placed on administrative leave, per standard practice. The Ada County Sheriffs Office has begun a Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the shooting, according to the release. A Minnesota man faces 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for a crash in Minneapolis that killed five people last Friday. Derrick John Thompson, 27, faces two charges for each victim, one for operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and one for causing a collision and leaving the scene of the crime. A Minnesota State Police trooper testified in an affidavit he followed the SUV Thompson was allegedly driving, and witnessed the vehicle speeding and moving erratically on Interstate 35W when the driver suddenly crossed all the lanes and exited onto Lake Street. Thompson did not heed a red light at the end of the off-ramp and collided violently with a Honda Civic, the troopers testimony alleges, crushing the car and pinning it against the wall of a bridge. All five people inside the Civic were killed. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released the names of five female passengers in a fatal collision at that address on that date: Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, 20; Sahra Liban Gesaade, 20; Sagal Burhaan Hersi, 19; Siham Adan Odhowa, 19 and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, 17. Men mourn the five women killed in a car crash, during the funeral at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Monday, June 19, 2023. - Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune/Getty Images The deaths of these five young women is devastating for their loved ones and has shaken our community, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. Thompson appeared in court Friday afternoon, but was not asked to enter a plea or make a statement on the case, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Public defender Marecca Smith Vertin did not respond to a request for information from CNN Friday. Hennepin County Jail records Friday listed Thompson in custody at the Hennepin County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 21. Investigators say Thompson fled the scene and was discovered nearby sitting in the parking lot of a Taco Bell, bleeding. Police said the SUV was a rental vehicle, and they tied the crash to Thompson using a rental receipt found near the SUV, surveillance footage from the Hertz rental location, and testimony from a witness. The rental receipt indicated that the car was rented roughly 24 minutes before the crash, the complaint states. The criminal complaint states police found a loaded handgun in the SUV, along with fentanyl, MDMA, and cocaine. Toxicology results for Thompson are still pending. The complaint also notes Thompsons conviction for a felony hit-and-run in California in 2020. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the 2018 crash, which left a woman in a coma with permanent injuries, the Ventura County Star reported at the time. Local Minneapolis outlet the Star Tribune reported Thompson was released from prison early in January 2023. Just a few months before he was arrested in connection with last Fridays crash, his charging documents state, Thompsons Minnesota license was reinstated after a 5-year revocation for fleeing a police vehicle. Mr. Thompson has repeatedly engaged in extraordinarily dangerous criminal driving conduct related to apparent large-scale drug dealing, Moriarty said. He has caused immeasurable pain and suffering in multiple states and we will seek a significant sentence that appropriately reflects the devastation he has caused and ensures a lengthy period of incapacitation. The U.S. Attorneys office said Thursday that Thompson also faces three federal counts relating to drug trafficking and illegal gun possession in connection with the Minneapolis crash. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Police have arrested three suspects suspected in over 200 separate burglaries over the last two years across Western Washington. The trio of suspects were taken into custody in Seattle on Thursday by detectives with the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office, Lynnwood police, King County Sheriffs Office, and Homeland Security. Its believed that theyre responsible for taking over $4 million in cash and jewelry as part of an organized crime ring out of South America. Investigators have traced the crimes back to November of 2021, starting with 20 very similar burglaries targeting the homes of Asian-Americans in Snohomish County. At the time, detectives had a main suspect who had left the area months later. The burglaries stopped once he had gone, and then drastically increased again when he came back in 2022. Agencies in other counties began reporting similar burglaries around that time with homes from Bellingham to South Seattle reportedly targeted by the ring. The suspects were booked into King County Jail for multiple counts of first degree residential robbery and second degree robbery. Theyll be transferred to Snohomish County Jail over the weekend. Military vehicles are proceeding along the M4 highway towards Moscow, the Russian media outlet Mediazona is reporting. Source: Mediazona with a link to a video provided by a subscriber Details: The video is reported to have been filmed in Lipetsk Oblast. . pic.twitter.com/uRhe4sZAS6 (@ukrpravda_news) June 24, 2023 Several tanks and several covered trucks are visible in the convoy. Previously: Russian Defence Ministry aircraft have struck the M4 Don highway, along which the Wagner vehicles are likely to be travelling. It was also reported that a Wagner convoy was attacked in Voronezh Oblast. Background: Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! A 17-year-old boy was arrested Thursday after making threats to a Seattle nightclub Thursday, according to the Seattle Police Department. Shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of threatening statements made online regarding an event at a nightclub in Pioneer Square. An officer spoke to the caller who told police they had just returned from the Gorge Amphitheater, where a shooting had recently taken place, and was concerned about a recent social media post that frightened them. After the officer determined the threats on the social media post were credible, the 17-year-old Tacoma boy was arrested and taken into custody. During the arrest, police located a handgun in his possession. After a search warrant, police also found a semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm drum magazine with ammunition. The boy was booked into the Youth Services Center for the threat and unlawful possession of firearms. The electric vehicle (EV) war between Tesla and Ford has just taken a surprising turn. Electrek reports that the competing companies have announced a partnership that will see Ford install Tesla-style charging ports on its EVs moving forward. Tesla had previously branded its proprietary charging port as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Now, it appears that the EV pioneering company has willed that name into reality. Ford will provide current customers with an adapter that allows its existing EVs access to the Tesla Supercharger network and will add the NACS plug on future models. Starting early next year, Ford EV customers will have access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada, the company said in a news release. In 2025, Ford will offer next-generation electric vehicles with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector built-in, eliminating the need for an adapter to access Tesla Superchargers. Electrek speculated that with one of Teslas main competitors now a partner, other automakers might be forced to follow suit and make the NACS the true standard for EVs in North America. Responding to Electreks coverage, commenters agreed that this move is a win for the EV industry as a whole. Great news, maybe? Having two competing charging standards is toxic for EVs in North America. Like the rest of the world has already done, North America needs to pick one standard and run with it, one commenter wrote. Elon has always said that Tesla does not intend to use the Supercharger network as a moat. Its nice to see that was more than just empty talk, another added. Of course, this charging port detente does not mean the two companies will stop competing for customers. A price war has been brewing in the EV industry, with increasing competition resulting in both companies lowering prices on some of their models. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. CHANGSHA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Ceramics exports from central China's Hunan Province to Africa have regained momentum, after a COVID-19-affected slump, according to the Zhuzhou subsidiary of the customs authorities in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan. Li Shuming, of Zhuzhou Customs, said that, affected by the pandemic, the exports of ceramics made in Liling, a county-level city administrated by Zhuzhou, which boasts a long history of porcelain production, have declined. Liling exported ceramic products worth 1.26 million U.S. dollars to Africa last year. He said the customs cleared an export of 15,408 pieces of ceramic tableware produced by Liling Jingtao Ceramic Corporation Ltd. in May, which was destined for South Africa. He expected the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo to be held in Changsha from June 29 to July 2 this year to help local exporters further explore the African market. As the permanent host of the biennial event, the city of Changsha will host visitors from 53 African countries, eight international organizations, and over 1,500 centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, business associations, and financial institutions at this year's session. Li said ceramic exports to Africa are mainly household porcelain items such as coffee cups, which are destined for African countries, including South Africa, Tunisia, and Morocco. Hunan's trade ties with Africa can be traced back over 1,000 years ago, when porcelain wares made in an ancient kiln in Changsha were exported to Africa through the Maritime Silk Road. In 1998, a German salvage company discovered the shipwreck and named it "Batu Hitam." Over 67,000 pieces of treasure were found on the ship, 85 percent of which came from a kiln in Changsha. Qu Wei, director of the Tongguan Kiln Museum in Changsha, said that the kiln was a center of a porcelain-making cluster in the Tang Dynasty, which produced artifacts that have been found to have reached about 30 countries and regions, as far away as northern Africa. Many made-in-Changsha porcelain relics carry designs and patterns that were ordered by foreign customers, such as paintings of "foreign women figures" and tropical plants like "palm trees." "The porcelain wares from the Changsha kiln were 'high-end customized' products from over 1,000 years ago," said the curator Qu. Nowadays, in addition to Chinese ceramic makers' efforts to reach out, more and more African business people are seeking business opportunities through trade ties. Karim Nyanzi runs a kitchenware store in Uganda. He told Xinhua over the phone that in his shop, 10-inch plates imported from the Hunan Hualian China Industry Co., Ltd. based in Hunan are the best seller. Nyanzi said that the size of the plate is suitable for holding meals in Uganda. The porcelain wares are good in quality and cost-effective, which makes them popular among locals in Uganda. Nyanzi took over the business from his father. He has since expanded the import volume and types of ceramic products from Hunan, introducing more Chinese porcelain wares such as bowls and pots to Uganda. "Chinese ceramics have a long history and a good reputation. Using Chinese porcelain wares can increase the exquisiteness of life," Nyanzi said. Xu Lingfang, a regional general manager of the Hunan Hualian China Industry Co., Ltd., said the company entered the African market in 2017, which benefitted from a series of pragmatic measures under the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. The company's products have since been exported to African countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Morocco. "We have kept developing designs of ceramic products to cater to African culture and living habits. Through participating in the previous sessions of the China-Africa economic and trade expo and other domestic and foreign exhibitions, our products have been recognized by more and more African customers," said Xu. To better facilitate the China-Africa trade, the industrial hub of Zhuzhou launched a sea-rail transport service to Africa in January last year, linking cities in Hunan and south China's Guangdong Province by rail transport before the exported goods are transferred to offshore shipping to Africa. The cargo transport service is one of five international logistics channels in the planning and building to connect Hunan with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Phillis Wheatley High School in the Houston Independent School District on Nov. 14, 2019. Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune Mike Miles, the new state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, started his tenure in a manner eerily similar to how he ended his embattled time in charge of Dallas Independent School District: with everyone asking where he was. During the first Houston ISD school board meeting led by the board of managers that the Texas Education Agency appointed as part of the states recent takeover of the district, many community members were upset they didnt see Miles until he came in the very end. Eight years ago, after a tumultuous three years as superintendent of the Dallas ISD, Miles didnt show up to his last board meeting. Already, the manner in which Miles has begun his new position in Houston is drawing comparisons with his short-lived stint in Dallas. Within a week of being appointed to lead Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas, Miles announced an overhaul of certain campuses and a new program that will pay teachers more to work with students struggling academically, steps that resemble his approach during his last superintendent gig. But while his management methods laid the foundation for some future success in Dallas ISD, they also left behind various scandals, caused veteran educators to leave the district and ultimately scores remained largely flat on state's standardized test. [What happens when Texas takes over a school district like Houston ISD] The TEA announced earlier this month it would place Miles at the helm of the states largest school district after years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus in the district, Phillis Wheatley High School; allegations of misconduct against school board members; and the ongoing presence of a conservator whos been overseeing the district for years. Despite community opposition, the agency says state law required it to intervene and respond to those problems by taking over the school board and replace the elected members with temporary, hand-picked board members. Miles was charged by the TEA to get the district back on track. Already, the former Dallas ISD superintendent has announced sweeping changes to 29 schools that historically serve some of Houston ISDs lowest-performing students. Wheatley is among this crop of schools. These schools will be placed under Miles so-called New Education System, which he describes as an innovative staffing model that puts the focus on classroom instruction and improved student outcomes. At the schools that will be included in the program, all teachers and other employees will need to reapply for their jobs. For those teachers hired in these campuses, the average salary pay could reach $95,000 a year once incentives based on test results and stipends are thrown in. Such paychecks would represent a 61% increase in pay from the average teacher salary in Texas. Under the program, Miles will also relocate librarians from those schools to other campuses, saying that his staffing priorities will be on those employees who will help students read, write and do math, according to the Houston Press. Miles plans to cut 200 jobs from the districts administrative offices to pay for these higher salaries. We will be aligning our resources especially our most effective teachers and principals to better serve students in underserved communities, Miles said in a statement. For students who need to catch up and in schools that have failed for years, we will be offering more instructional time. Miles did not respond to an interview request. He intends to host several community meetings to explain his plan. Miles vision and his plan to get there align with the emphasis that TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and some lawmakers have put on grading school districts in part based on scores from State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests. Morath himself served as a Dallas school board member when Miles was in charge of Dallas ISD and was one of the few board members with whom Miles had a good relationship. Miles plan for Houston ISD is similar to a program he started in Dallas before he resigned with two years left on his contract. That program, which launched after Miles resigned, gave teachers huge pay bonuses if they boosted standardized test scores in some of the campuses with the biggest needs. Some low-rated campuses saw improvements as part of the program, but scores fell again once funding dried up and teachers left because they werent getting paid the same. Other school districts across the state implemented the program after its early success in Dallas. Miles also was the driving force behind revamping the school districts teacher evaluation system, which was used to calculate teacher pay based on a mix of test results, student feedback and performance rather than experience. Miles plans to implement a similar teacher evaluation system in Houston. Dallas still uses this evaluation system but questions over equity have arisen as most of these high-qualified teachers were not going to the schools that needed them the most. Similarly, lawmakers passed the Teacher Incentive Allotment program in 2019, which rewards teachers with salaries of up to six figures based on their students performance. About 13,000 teachers, or about 4% of the states educators, are currently part of the program. In Dallas, the program received support from the majority of the board, including Morath, and from then-Mayor Mike Rawlings. But many teachers warned that they would leave the district if they received pay raises only based on tests taken once a year. Miles called his system the most rigorous in the U.S. at the time. David DeMatthews, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin who has followed Miles career, said that while he believes testing is important, he hopes Miles doesnt solely focus on getting standardized test scores up as it could lead to another exodus of teachers at a time when Texas schools are struggling to find and retain teachers. In Texas, students STAAR test results are used to score schools on how well they are educating children. Studies commissioned by TEA have concluded the test produces valid and reliable assessments of a students achievement, but critics of the test say it is not a great indicator of how well a child knows a subject and that its high-stakes nature adds undue pressure to both test-takers and teachers. Its not an effective management tool to say that test scores are going to be the driver of reforms, DeMatthews said. Test scores dont predict all that much about what happens to students in the future. Scandal after scandal in Dallas Miles arrived in Dallas in 2012 after a successful stint with a small school district in Colorado. He spent six years with the Harrison School District and led its schools to academic success, applying a similar teacher evaluation program as the one he used in Dallas and is now trying to implement in Houston. He spent only three years at Dallas, leaving after he failed to negotiate changes in his contract, according to The Dallas Morning News. He wanted to forbid school board members from searching for a new superintendent while he finished out his last year and wanted access to a retention bonus. The Morning News described his time at the district as turbulent, saying it brought disruption" and controversy. His tenure was overshadowed by his administration picks and the scandals they brought along. He hired employees from Colorado and paid them six-figure salaries, more than twice what they were making before. Jerome Oberlton, Miles chief of staff, resigned after facing a federal indictment and later pleaded guilty to taking kickbacks in a prior job in Atlanta Public Schools. Miles head of human resources, Carmen Darville, resigned after instant messages between her and another executive became public, which poked fun at race, religion and age and discussed ways to get rid of employees. Darville worked at Houston ISD before going to Dallas to work under Miles and is now the chief operating officer at YES Prep Public Schools, a charter school operating in Houston. Also, an investigation found that Tonya Sadler Grayson, an executive director in Dallas ISDs human resources department, lied about her criminal history, bullied a co-worker and falsified a report that was given to trustees. She was hired during Miles tenure. Miles himself also violated district policy, according to the Morning News. In 2012, Dallas officials found that Miles and other managers broke human resources rules by hiring people before those positions were publicly posted and before those candidates had undergone criminal background checks. He also didnt have a great relationship with many school board members. The Morning News at the time revealed that Miles secretly helped write a resignation letter for a district employee that gave him praise but disparaged other members, creating friction between Miles and the board. And one time, Miles had Dallas police remove Bernadette Nutall, then a school board member, from a middle school she was visiting. Nutall had gone to see what was going on at the school after Miles replaced the principal, two assistant principals and 10 teachers. Nutalls removal from the school prompted a district investigation. According to a Dallas Morning News analysis, Dallas ISD consistently met the standards set by the states accountability system but failed to show any significant gains in standardized test scores under Miles' tenure. Only some subject areas saw slight increases. In others, test scores slightly decreased. The number of schools that were in good standing with the state also dropped, while the number of failing schools increased. The district did show gains in the math portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress most commonly known as the Nation's Report Card while the reading scores remained flat. Since Miles took over, the district's NAEP math scores increased. But the NAEP assessment doesn't test students on the state curriculum like the STAAR does and only a representative sample of children take it. The turnover rate for teachers increased from 12% to 22% during Miles first two school years at Dallas. Miles approach created a ton of controversy in Dallas ISD and it did lead to an increased rate of teacher turnover relative to the rest of the state, DeMatthews said. Hopefully, he learned his lesson in Dallas. Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Go behind the headlines with newly announced speakers at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, in downtown Austin from Sept. 21-23. Join them to get their take on whats next for Texas and the nation. This week in style, Lori Harvey saddles up for Good American, Solange debuts glassware, African fashion enters the Brooklyn Museum and more. This week was a big one for Black women in the fashion industry particularly in fashion media, as Marie Claire announced veteran journalist Nikki Ogunnaike as the publications new editor-in-chief. Starting August 8, Ogunnaike will lead the publications print, digital, and social editorial strategy. Nikki Ogunnaike attends The Fifteen Percent Pledge Benefit Gala at New York Public Library on April 02, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) With her skillset, Ogunnaike will work on expanding fashion and luxury coverage across the publications various platforms, enhancing content strategy, and drawing in a more diverse audience. For nearly 30 years, Marie Claire has been the go-to source for women who seek to lead a life of purpose and power, said Ogunnaike in a statement on Instagram. As a long-time admirer, Im thrilled to join the Marie Claire team and lead this brand into a new era. Women who are passionate about their careers, personal style, and the world around them will find a new destination that speaks to their entire identity. I cant wait to begin this new chapter! Ogunnaike has had an extensive career in media. Since starting her career, she has worked with Elle, GQ, InStyle, Glamour, and, most recently, as senior digital director at Harpers Bazaar. Here at theGrio, were always rooting for everybody Black we cant wait to see what Ogunnaike has up her editorial sleeves! Rihannas Savage X Fenty names a new CEO After five years, Rihanna is reportedly stepping down from the chief executive officer role at her Savage X Fenty brand. As reported by the Guardian, Rihanna has chosen former Anthropologie CEO Hillary Super to take over the helm of her popular lingerie and activewear brand. Rihanna attends the 2023 Met Gala Celebrating Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue ) Although Super will work as the brands CEO starting June 26, Rihanna will remain in the companys leadership as its executive chair. Its been beautiful to see our vision for Savage X Fenty impact the industry at such an incredible magnitude over the last five years, Rihanna said in a statement, per the Guardian. This is just the beginning for us, and were going to continue to expand in ways that always connect with the consumer. Im so grateful and excited to welcome Hillary Super as our new CEO she is a strong leader and is focused on taking the business to an even higher level. Given the stars many responsibilities as a multi-brand mogul and expectant mother, were all for this working mom doing whats best for her. Solanges Saint Heron drops a glassware collection Crown Royal Golden Apple celebrates its partnership with Solange Knowles for Saint Heron on June 20, 2023, in Galveston, Texas. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Crown Royal ) For those still waiting for Solanges highly anticipated Ikea collaboration to drop, she may have just given you a holdover. Taking inspiration from the late, great Luther Vandross and pioneering women of design, the artist has just released a limited glassware line. According to Elle, the collection, titled Small Matter Art Objects: Handblown Glassware 001, features sculptural glasses in a range of earthy tones and sleek round silhouettes Solange has designed through her collective, Saint Heron, with Philadelphia-based glassblower Jason McDonald. Solanges launch event for the line was themed around Luther Vandross hit song A House is Not a Home. She told Elle the song inevitably comes to mind when she thinks of home and the items in her collection eventually making it to the homes of others. In tune with Solanges style, McDonald made 198 pieces by hand for this already sold-out first drop, but per Elle, another collection is on the way. Africa Fashion x The Brooklyn Museum The Africa Fashion exhibition is now at the Brooklyn Museum (Photo: Industrie Africa) Following its tenure at Londons V&A Museum, the Africa Fashion exhibition is taking over the Brooklyn Museum. From now until October 22, visitors can celebrate the creativity and global impact of African fashions through the decades. Described by the museum as one of the largest-ever presentations of the subject, the exhibit features over 180 creative works organized in sections, each representing different pivotal moments in African fashion and history. In a multisensory manner, the immersive experience presents various pieces, from haute couture to photography, sketches, film, jewelry, fabrics, and more. While you may not be able to afford a trip to the motherland this summer, get the next best thing during your next trip to the Big Apple. Lori Harvey gets in the saddle for Good Americans latest campaign Lori Harvey (photo courtesy of Good American) Lori Harvey is getting back to her equestrian roots and getting back in the saddle for Good American as the star of the brands summer denim campaign. According to a release to theGrio, the moody western campaign was styled by Zerina Akers and capitalizes on Harveys lifelong love of horses and her background in competitive riding. The collection includes jeans, jumpsuits, denim bralettes, shorts, and tube dresses in a mix of light wash, black, and white. The collection is available now and ranges in price from $69 to $179. The return of Aveenos accelerate program Left to right: Arielle Brown, Founder of Beas Bayou Skin Care, Sabrina Henry, Aveenos Chief Principal Scientist and Brand Ambassador, and entrepreneur/influencer Jewel Burkes join forces at CultureCon LA, representing Aveeno and celebrating the launch of The Startup Collective by Aveeno accelerate program. (Photo courtesy of Aveeno) Aveenos Accelerate program is back! Renamed The Startup Collective by Aveeno, the program is designed to empower Black female entrepreneurs in the beauty industry. Since its launch in 2021, the program has helped these businesses thrive by offering resources and grants. As a part of Aveenos commitment to the well-being of people of color, The Startup Collective helps bridge the gap in healthcare and retail representation by uplifting brands that cater to the specific needs of Black consumers. This year, The Startup Collective by Aveeno will disperse $100,000 and $50,000 in grants to two lucky winners. Applications close on August 13, 2023; click here to learn more. Taye Diggs, Tinashe, Nicco Annan, and more star in ViiV Healthcares Me in You, You in Me campaign Taye Diggs and dem Caption: (L-R) Taye Diggs, Nicco Annan, Nicky Champa, Villano Antillano, Tinashe, Rafael De La Fuente star in ViiV Healthcares Me in You, You in Me campaign. (Photo courtesy of ViiV Healthcare) With the deadly virus far from eradicated, what stops us from talking openly about HIV? ViiV Healthcare, the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on HIV, is getting to the bottom of this question with celebrities and influencers Taye Diggs, Tinashe, Nicco Annan, Villano Antillano, Nicky Champa, and Rafael De La Fuente, who star in the second installment of the companys Me in You, You in Me campaign. According to a release to theGrio, this years campaign focuses on normalizing HIV prevention and boosting awareness among communities disproportionately affected by the disease, which includes Black women, who led in new cases, Latinx/e men, Black queer and gay men, and trans women. For the campaign, Diggs and the others went through a social experiment in which they spoke openly and honestly about HIV anonymously with one another and then were filmed as they met each other. According to the release, the experience Saw them all finding empathy for each other and overcoming bias which is something that keeps many still from getting the resources/info they need to protect them from HIV. Karen Pittman shares her thoughts on representation in Hollywood Karen Pittman is proud to represent all women on And Just Like That and The Morning Show (Photos courtesy of Karen Pittman Starring on And Just Like That and The Morning Show, actress Karen Pittman takes pride in representing women of color on the big screen. In HBOs And Just Like That, Pittman plays Dr. Nya Wallace, who she describes as a real reflection of what a woman of color, a Black woman, looks like in Brooklyn, New York City. Like an honest-to-God reflection. Feeling privileged to be a part of reviving the hit series Sex and The City, it was essential to Pittman that her character be seen wearing different, unique natural hairstyles. The shows creator, Michael Patrick King, imagined Nya Wallace as having a bohemian vibe and wearing braided hairstyles, even going so far as to reference her hair when introducing the character in the series first season. As an advocate for natural hair, Pittman worked closely with the shows costume designers so that every iteration of the character [allows viewers to] see her in her natural hair. I will be very happy when we can get to the point where were just looking at a variety of women and sharing their experiences and feeling like, Oh, yeah, thats me. Ive had that same experience,' said Pittman in a press release shared with theGrio. But having said that, I know that it is really, really important that all women see themselves represented in this show and on this platform in this particular way. It gives us permission to dream. It gives us permission to allow ourselves to experience vicariously what our lives could look like. And its actually really liberating and meaningful. Pittman also revealed her collaboration with Doves CROWN Coalition. As an advocate for the normalization of Black womens natural hair, the actress plans to work with the brand on its advocacy for the CROWN Act in the United States. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrios Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to Writing Black with Maiysha Kai. The post theGrios Style Guide: Marie Claire names Nikki Ogunnaike editor-in-chief and Rihanna names a new CEO appeared first on TheGrio. Energy secretary Grant Shapps appears to be listening - Stefan Rousseau/PA Rishi Sunaks first Cabinet reshuffle saw the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Both objectives are admirable; the consequences of energy insecurity have been made painfully clear by Putins invasion of Ukraine, and we have a moral responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations of Britons to enjoy. But too often, these objectives appear to be in conflict. Energy security is not just a matter of cutting dependence on foreign suppliers, but ensuring that our new sources are reliable and affordable. Yet our approach to net zero seems to demand that the public pays higher prices for less reliable fuels. This is not a sustainable state of affairs. It is reassuring that Energy Secretary Grant Shapps appears to acknowledge this. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Shapps has indicated that he does not want to fund the expansion of the hydrogen industry through either general taxation or additions to our energy bills. This would be a much-needed dose of realism. Yet the Government will need to go much further if it wishes to fully resolve the tension between its objectives of secure and affordable energy supplies. We should of course aim to cut carbon, but it is a bizarrely punishing approach to insist on the pursuit of an artificially imposed 2050 deadline at great expense even while Beijing continues to approve dozens of new coal power plants. This is particularly true when many businesses and consumers are independently moving towards greener practices simply through market forces, as the costs of eco-friendly technologies fall and the profit motive continues to drive innovation. Centrally imposed solutions that drive up bills and lack the flexibility to accommodate new technological developments often fail to work in other policy areas without great cost; why would they succeed now? There is an opportunity here for the Government to create a new dividing line in British politics, to be on the side of the ordinary voter by prioritising cheap energy and reliable supplies. The Tories could present themselves as a party that combines environmentally friendly policies with economic realism. Mr Sunak can take inspiration from Labours Green Prosperity Plan U-turn. When Rachel Reeves downgraded the 140 billion commitment to a mere ambition, it did not generate a backlash consistent with the scale of the announcement. The British people are already facing great financial hardship, and the parlous state of the economy means this is likely to continue in the months leading up to the next election. Reconsidering the ruinous approach to net zero is a chance for the Government to show that it is taking this seriously. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The Titan tragedy will join the Byford Dolphin accident as one of the most gruesome deep-sea incidents in history The Titan accident will go down in history as a horrific tragedy. OceanGate The Titan tragedy joins the Byford Dolphin accident in history's most gruesome deep-sea incidents. Officials said the Titan submersible likely suffered a "catastrophic implosion" from a breached hull. 1983's Byford Dolphin incident was likely from faulty equipment that caused explosive decompression. On Thursday, US officials confirmed they found debris that belonged to the missing Titan submersible. The debris was consistent with loss of the pressure chamber resulting in a "catastrophic implosion" that killed all five passengers aboard, officials said. The Titan incident will go down in history as a deep-sea tragedy. It joins the Byford Dolphin accident of 1983 another deep-sea chamber compression incident but with a very different set of circumstances that killed five and injured one. The Byford Dolphin incident On November 5, 1983, four divers Edwin Coward, Roy Lucas, Bjrn Bergersen, and Truls Hellevik returned from a deep-sea commercial mission near the Byford Dolphin oil rig. Saturation divers conduct construction or demolition work at 1,000 feet below the surface or deeper, according to Atlas Obscura. They work in hazardous conditions, including breathing in pressurized air that dissolves gases such as nitrogen inside their blood and tissues. Similar to some other deep-sea or scuba divers, saturation divers need to allow that nitrogen gas time to leave the body before resurfacing. Otherwise, if a diver resurfaces too fast, the rapid reduction in pressure triggers the nitrogen gas to form bubbles in the blood and tissues that cause decompression sickness, aka "the bends." If a saturation diver traveled 650 feet below sea level, for example, it would take eight days for them to safely resurface, according to Divers Alert Network. Because of that lengthy process, saturation divers often spend weeks deep underwater. That's exactly what the four divers involved in the Byford Dolphin incident were doing. They were staying in two connected, compressed living chambers for weeks while completing a mission, IFLScience reported. When the four returned from the dive, diving tender William Crammond began the process of balancing the chamber pressure between the main living chambers and a room called the diving bell. Graphic showing the layout of the living chambers and the diving bell where the Byford Dolphin accident happened. An Explosive Decompression Accident", J.C. Giertsen et al., American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology But on November 5, 1983, during one of these usual procedures, something went horribly wrong. It's not entirely clear what happened and why. A combination of faulty equipment and human error is likely. Ultimately, it's thought that Crammond released the diving bell clamp, that sealed off the diving bell from the main living chambers, too soon. This rapidly changed the pressure in the living chambers from nine atmospheres to one, according to The Science Times. The immediate change in pressure caused what is referred to as an explosive decompression. The nitrogen gas in the men's blood burst into bubbles. The four divers were "boiled from the inside" and died instantly, per The Science Times. The accident is considered one of the most gruesome in history. Crammond also died in the accident. Martin Saunders, another diving tender, was the sole survivor but had devastating injuries and was in critical condition, according to Daily Science Journal. A catastrophic implosion When US officials discovered the debris of the Titan submersible, they noted that it looked as though a "catastrophic implosion" had occurred due to the "loss of the pressure chamber." It's likely that the pressure hull was breached, but what caused the breach in the first place is unclear. Stefan Williams, a professor of marine robotics at the University of Sydney whose lab works with uncrewed submersibles, told Insider earlier this week that such an implosion could be due to a leak, power failure, or small fire from an electrical short circuit. The submersible's design has also raised questions about its safety. Director and explorer James Cameron even said that reusing the submersible could "lead to catastrophic failure." Explaining that "Each dive adds more and more microscopic damage," Cameron told Good Morning America on Friday. "So yes, they operated this sub safely at Titanic this year and the year before, but it was only a matter of time before it caught up with them," he added. Cameron told ABC News that the vessel's censors warned the passengers of the danger. "We understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency," he said. It's too early to tell if the likely implosion happened when the submersible lost contact with its mothership, about one hour and 45 minutes after launch, or later in its descent to the RMS Titanic. Either way, the pressure around the submersible would have been tens to hundreds of times greater than at sea level. Unlike the divers near the Byford Dolphin oil rig, the Titan passengers didn't have any excess nitrogen in their blood. They probably died from the submersible imploding under the crushing pressure, which would have been the equivalent of the weight of the Eiffel Tower, experts told NBC. In both scenarios, however, the men would have died almost instantaneously. "It would happen quite quickly, and there would be little chance of surviving," Williams said. Read the original article on Business Insider Next week, repair work will begin on a water main that dropped into the Anna Maria Sound on Monday from hangers beneath the Manatee Avenue Bridge. The Manatee County government said in a press release Friday that lane closures and periods of one-way traffic would be necessary from Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30 to make repairs to the water main along the Manatee Avenue bridge to Anna Maria Island. One lane of the bridge will be blocked to traffic as contracted workers begin their work Monday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be alternating one-way traffic across the drawbridge while the closure is in place. Although it will be limited while work is being done, pedestrian access to the southern sidewalk will still be available, the release said. On Tuesday through Friday, crews will get an earlier start from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and close the same lane and sidewalk. The county said the work cannot be done at night due to safety concerns and warned residents that more lane closures will be required in the coming weeks until repairs are complete. Drivers should avoid the construction area and consider using the Cortez Bridge to reach Anna Maria Island. When traveling beneath the bridge, boaters should stay in the channel and keep clear of the warning buoys. The county also said they do not expect people to be without water while the repairs are being made. According to the release, residents will be alerted if service will be interruptioned. Questions are swirling around whether former President Trump will participate in Augusts Republican primary debate. Trump, who is leading the crowded GOP primary pack by a large margin in most polls, has been coy about whether he will be on stage with the other candidates come August. I like to debate. I probably am here because of debates. I dont mind it at all, Trump told Fox Newss Bret Baier in an interview that aired earlier this week. But when youre 40 points up . Why would I let these people take shots at me? Yet some Republicans believe Trump will be itching for the spotlight. It will also serve as an opportunity for him to go toe to toe with his top rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Given his previous performances at GOP debates, its hard to see how he would miss an opportunity to connect with Republican primary voters, said Ford OConnell, a Republican strategist. Meanwhile, its unclear who will even make the debate set to take place in Aug. 23 in Milwaukee besides Trump and DeSantis. To qualify, candidates will have to be polling at a minimum of 1 percent in at least three national polls, or at 1 percent in two national polls and one early state poll from two of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is one of Trumps most outspoken critics in the Republican field, tried to goad the former president into debating on Thursday. Trump says he doesnt think its fair for him to have to debate. Crybabies and losers say life isnt fair. And Trump is both, Christie tweeted. Want to be President? Then get in the ring pal. Some Republicans speculate that Trump might be hesitant to go toe to toe with the former New Jersey governor, who has helped Trump prep for his debates against President Biden in 2020. If Chris Christie wasnt on the debate stage, I think he would be more likely to debate, said Greg Manz, who worked as a strategic communications adviser during Trumps 2020 campaign. Christies good and he knows that, Manz said. Thats why Christie was a part of our debate prep team in 2020. Christie knows Trumps style and his strategies and tactics because he was the one prepping him on what to do. Christie made this point speaking to conservatives at the Faith and Freedom Coalitions Road to the Majority Policy Conference in Washington on Friday, pointing out that during Trumps debate prep, he played Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Biden 2020. You wont be able to sleep thinking about that one tonight, Christie quipped. Others argue that Trump has some justification in not wanting to debate. I think the key here is, right now no one outside of DeSantis is pulling above six percent, OConnell said. Why would you go up against people that at this point honestly have zero chance of facing you? The only one who could make noise about this is DeSantis and is anyone really going to listen? Plus, Trump has a history of defying precedent with little-to-no political damage. This is my 12th presidential campaign and I feel like the natural laws governing the universe that existed prior to June of 2015 dont always seem to apply as crisply as they once did, said Ralph Reed, an influential conservative and evangelical figure. He did things and has done things repeatedly that I was sure he couldnt get away with and he did. Reed pointed to the last GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses in 2016 that then-candidate Trump decided to skip. Trump announced that he would boycott the debate amid tension between him and then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly. The move was met with criticism, with many Republicans at the time arguing that Trump was depriving Iowa caucus-goers of their last time to see him before the contests. I was sure he was making a mistake, but he got away with it, Reed said. Instead, the presidents campaign quickly put together an event to raise funds for veterans at Drake University in Des Moines. The Trump campaign said the event brought in $6 million for the Trump Foundation and that the proceeds would be given to 22 organizations. The gathering even drew visits from two of Trumps lower-polling campaign rivals, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee. While Trump went on to lose Iowa, he ended up sweeping the GOP primary. The 2024 Republican presidential primary contenders, including Trump, were all on hand on Friday and Saturday for the Faith and Freedom Coalition confab. Candidates do what they think is best for them. From his standpoint, if he goes, theyre all going to take shots at him, Reed said. On the other hand, there is a sense in which if you want to be the standard bearer and want to be the nominee, you gotta show up, which I think is why hes coming here this weekend. However, Reed noted that he has no idea whether Trump will actually take part in Augusts debate. During his sit-down with Baier earlier this week, Trump seemed much more focused on the idea of taking President Biden on the debate stage. He and I have to definitely debate. Thats what I love, the former president said. There are also questions surrounding what a general election debate between Trump and Biden would like if they do end up facing off for a second time. The two men met on the debate stage twice in 2020, though three debates were originally scheduled. The second forum was canceled after Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 and refused to appear virtually. And fewer debates took place during last years midterm election debates, with candidates in some races only meeting once, and some debates not even taking place. Then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, for example, refused to debate her Republican opponent Kari Lake, citing Lakes election denialism. Hobbs went on to win that race. The future of major political debates is really in question, OConnell said. But theres no doubt among Republicans that Trump will get his message across to GOP primaries voters with or without a debate. Hes not a wallflower. Hell get out there and do whatever he has to do, Reed said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty Republicans dont want to eliminate the Deep Statethey want to be the Deep State. Thats the thinking behind support for Donald Trumps attacks on the Justice Department and the FBI. Many Republicansranging from candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Pence, and also the conservative-leaning think tank the Heritage Foundationare all seeking to piggyback on Trumps claims that he is a victim of a politically weaponized DOJ and FBI. Youre Going to Miss the Deep State When Its Gone Backbench GOP candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamywho co-founded an investment firm devoted to opposing environmental and social governanancedeserves a special shoutout for being unabashedly all-in on Trumps claim that Biden is directing the federal prosecution in order to get rid of Trump as a political rival. Of course, what Trump and these Republicans really want is to control the DOJ and FBI themselves so that they can deploy law enforcement against their political enemies. Donald Trump raises his fist while walking to a vehicle outside of Trump Tower in New York City on Aug. 10, 2022. AFP/Getty We know that is their real goal because they propose making the DOJ and FBI less independent as a solution for what they claim is politically weaponized federal law enforcementaimed at Republicans. Their illogicnot to mention hypocrisyis perfectly illustrated by Gov. DeSantis argument that Republican presidents have accepted the canard that the DOJ and the FBI are independent. They are not independent agencies. They are part of the executive branch. They answer to the President of the United States. Accordingly, DeSantis promised to fire people at these agencies upon his becoming president. Similarly, Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel seemed to talk out of both sides of her mouth when she claimed the indictment of Trump over mishandling of national defense information is a partisan prosecutionpresumably directed by President Joe Bidenbut also criticized Biden for not speaking out about the Trump charges in an effort to unite the country. McDaniel doesnt seem to understand that if she had her way, Biden would be more involved with the Trump indictment, not less involved. But she likely just means she would want a Republican president permitted to be directly involved in directing criminal prosecutions against political rivals. That is what she and DeSantis want: the power to do exactly what they falsely accuse Biden of doing. Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and the Apocalyptic Centrists But DeSantis, McDaniel, and the rest of the wannabe reformers of the DOJ/FBI seem ignorant of history and law. First, the independence of the Justice Department varies widely depending on the administration, and second, the position of the FBI director is, by law, meant to be independent by the length of the positions fixed 10-year term. But history suggests that efforts to insulate the DOJ and FBI from political interference often fail. The Watergate scandal itself exemplifies both the DOJs lack of true independenceas well as its efforts to apply the law impartiallyand the FBIs susceptibility to direct partisan commands. During the Watergate crisis, President Richard Nixon sought to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was investigating him. But when Nixon ordered his attorney general, Elliot Richardson, to fire the Watergate special prosecutor, Richardson refused and resigned. In what became known as the Saturday Night Massacre the next in line at the DOJ, Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus, also resigned when Nixon asked him to be the special prosecutor. Former U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Upon the resignations of the attorney general and deputy attorney general, FBI agents sealed off their offices acting at the request of the White House and Solicitor General Robert Bork then faithfully carried out Nixons order to fire the special prosecutor. The post-Watergate era DOJ does seek to insulate itself from political influence through guidelines like its 60-Day ruleinformal guidance that prohibits the department from taking investigative steps close to an electionarbitrarily set as within 60 days, that might influence the election. Senior DOJ leadership also encourages reliance upon the counsel of career prosecutorsversus political appointees. Attorney General Merrick Garland Was Actually Pretty Harsh on Hunter Biden In my own time as counsel to the attorney general, that meant relying upon the input of career prosecutors like the legendary David Margolis, who had served at the DOJ since the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. But even these practices hardly guarantee an independent Justice Department. No better example of DOJs lack of independence exists than Trumps own Attorney General Bill Barra shameless partisan who withheld the Mueller report so that he could first distort it favorably for Trump, tried to shut down a case against Trumps national security adviser Michael Flynn after Flynn had already pled guilty, and overruled the sentencing recommendations made by career prosecutors in the Roger Stone case. U.S. Attorney General William Barr leaves his home on March 25, 2019, in McLean, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty As to the FBI, Republican accusations and promises to scratch it and rebuild it are long on wind and short on details. And these criticisms ignore the fact that the FBI directors ten-year term is meant to insulate them from presidential interference of the kind Trump falsely claims Biden is wielding. Congress implemented the fixed term of a decade in the post-Watergate era as both a check on the power amassed by Edgar J. Hooverthe original FBI directorwho stayed as director for nearly a half-century, as well a check upon the influence a corrupt president like Nixon might wield over the FBI, if allowed to install his own choice upon election. Jack Smith Should Have Waited a Week to Indict Donald Trump But the independence of the FBI also carries with it the danger that FBI directors may wield unchecked authority, given that presidents and attorney generals alike may be reluctant to reign them in by firing them for fear of being accused of acting for political reasons. Even though the FBI is a division of the DOJ and the director answers to the attorney general, I saw in my time as counsel to the attorney general that the deference accorded to the FBI by DOJ leadership was much more akin to an equal than to a subordinate. Such deference is likely what allowed former FBI Directors James Comey announcement about the investigation of Hillary Clinton only days before the 2016 election. (So much for DOJs 60-Day rule.) The dangers of the FBIs independence also figure prominently in recent reporting revealing how the FBI resisted opening a probe on Trumps Jan. 6 actions for more than a year, despite numerous prosecutors who wanted to commence investigations of Trump and close associates for their roles in the effort to overturn the 2020 election results. Reporting also showed FBI pushback against executing a search warrant on Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence. Americas Tragedy Is Its Culture of FearArmed With Millions of Guns Coupled with Attorney General Merrick Garlands concerns over avoiding any actions that might make the DOJ vulnerable to criticism for looking political, the FBIs resistance caused a delay in commencing investigations of Trump that likely will make resolution of any criminal charges impossible before the next election cycle. Trump and Republicans daily attacks on the DOJ make plain the failure and futility of Garlands efforts to protect the department against criticisms of being partisan. Moreover, Garland seems painfully blind to the fact that being overly concerned about being criticized for being political is, in itself, a politicization of the DOJ. So Trump and his Republican supporters may be right about the DOJ and FBI needing to be revamped, but not for the reasons they think. We just might need an attorney general who isnt afraid to be taunted by GOP insults, and an FBI that is less independent and less able to dictate the pace of criminal investigations and prosecutions. 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. Trump Trial Delay to Dec. 11 Sought by US in Documents Case (Bloomberg) -- The US Justice Department has proposed delaying until December the trial of former president Donald Trump over his retention of classified documents due to the sensitive nature of some evidence. Most Read from Bloomberg Trump is accused of unlawfully holding on to national security information after he left the White House in January 2021 and of obstructing the governments efforts to identify and retrieve the records. The judge handling the case had scheduled the trial to begin in August. Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a filing Friday night that a Dec. 11 start will allow more time for Trumps lawyers to obtain required security clearances and to look at all evidence held by prosecutors. Prosecutors have turned over evidence including transcripts of grand jury testimony, witness interviews, and key documents, Smith said. The delay is reasonable and appropriate to give defense lawyers time to review and digest the material, and make their own decisions about any production to the government, according to the filing. While Trumps lawyers dont object to a delay, they have requested a hearing to discuss the trial schedule and their objections to Smiths proposed dates, according to the filing. Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House in the 2024 presidential election, has denied wrongdoing and claims the case is politically motivated. Read more: Trump Trial Date Hinges on Fight Over Classified Documents The case is US v. Trump, 23-cr-80101, US District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami). (Updates with evidence turned over) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2023 Bloomberg L.P. Trump's team are using the rat emoji to refer to former chief of staff Mark Meadows amid testimony fears, report says Former President Donald Trump and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Alex Wong/Getty Images Some of Trump's team have started referring to Mark Meadows with the rat emoji in private. They are concerned that Meadows might be cooperating with special counsel Jack Smith. Smith is investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. People close to former President Donald Trump have been using the rat emoji to refer to his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, amid fears he might be helping prosecutors, a report says. Some Trump aides and allies have been using the emoji in private communications as they fear Meadows might be cooperating with special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents, a person with knowledge of the matter told Rolling Stone. Trump's team has been left in the dark over whether Meadows has been cooperating with authorities and what information he may or may not have given them, Rolling Stone reported. The former president reportedly sent some of his lawyers and political advisers on a "small fact-finding mission" to answer the question: "What is Mark doing?" They returned empty-handed, said the Rolling Stone report. Meadows and his lawyer stopped communicating with most of Trump's circle months ago, the outlet reported, adding that this had further aggravated Tump's team. The New York Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, reported earlier this month that Meadows had testified before a grand jury, but few details have been revealed about his testimony. George Terwilliger, a lawyer for Meadows, gave only a vague response when asked about his client, saying: "Without commenting on whether or not Mr. Meadows has testified before the grand jury or in any other proceeding, Mr. Meadows has maintained a commitment, to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so." While some of Trump's team have sought to console the former president, urging him not to overanalyze Meadows' silence, others have made their feelings clear by using the rat emoji when referring to Meadows in private conversations, a source told Rolling Stone, which viewed a screenshot. Meadows served as Trump's White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021. Meadows had been close with Trump, but the relationship soured after his advisors and legal team suspected Trump's team was going to set him up as a "fall guy" as the Capitol riot investigations continued, per Rolling Stone. Read the original article on Business Insider LAGOS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's Chief of Defense Staff Christopher Musa has vowed to step up the fight against terrorists, bandits and other criminals in a bid to stabilize the populous west African country. Speaking at a defense meeting on Friday in the capital city of Abuja, Musa said the military under his command would go all out to ensure Nigeria's security and the safety of its citizens. "I will assure every Nigerian to feel safe that the armed forces are up and running, are highly professional, and will be there for them," he said. Musa also promised to prioritize the welfare of military personnel as "a soldier that is well-fed and well taken care of will give his best." (Reuters) -Following are reactions from foreign governments to the news from Russia, where President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to crush what he called an armed mutiny after rebellious mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had taken control of a southern city and then barrelled toward Moscow. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY "Anyone who chooses the path of evil destroys themselves. "For a long time, Russia used propaganda to mask its weakness and the stupidity of its government. And now there is so much chaos that no lie can hide it. "Russia's weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have for itself later." U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN "The United States will stay in close coordination with Allies and partners as the situation continues to develop," Blinken wrote on Twitter. Blinken said he spoke with G7 foreign ministers and the EU high representative for foreign affairs. WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT "President (Joe) Biden spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom. The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine." GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY "Foreign Minister Baerbock has just discussed the situation with the foreign ministers of the G7," said a ministry spokesperson, adding that the German government's crisis team was also meeting. OFFICE OF TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN Erdogan's office said the president spoke by phone on Saturday with Putin and "underlined the importance of acting with common sense". "In the conversation, it was emphasized that no one should exploit the situation in Russia. President Erdogan stated that we, as Turkey, are ready to do our part to resolve what is going on in peaceful and calm manner as soon as possible." BRITISH PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAK, IN EXTRACT FROM BBC INTERVIEW "Well, we have been monitoring for a while now the potentially de-stabling impacts of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. We are keeping a close eye on the situation as it is evolving on the ground as we speak. We are in touch with our allies and in fact I will be speaking to some of them later today. But the most important thing I would say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians." BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTRY, IN A REGULAR INTELLIGENCE UPDATE "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out. This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times." NATO SPOKESWOMAN OANA LUNGESCU NATO is "monitoring the situation" in Russia, she said in an email. LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EDGARS RINKEVICS "Latvia is closely following the developing situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. Border security has been strengthened, visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered. No direct threat to Latvia at this time." LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT GITANAS NAUSEDA "I have no doubt that we will have to assess the new circumstances at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Those conclusions, which I have repeated to my colleagues more than once - that the security situation on NATO's eastern flank is not improving, that it continues to be complicated and that it is related to Russia's own deepening internal problems - will encourage further strengthening of the alliance's deterrence and forward defense capabilities. Our decisions must be decisive and adequate. Today's events in Russia may mean a moment of respite for Ukraine. For us, it is necessary to prepare for the most unexpected scenarios." LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS "For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscow's brutal banditocracy, knowing it's only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion. We are not distracted. We see clearly in the chaos. The goal, as ever, is victory and justice for Ukraine. The time is now." CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN LIPAVSKY "We are closely following the situation in the Russian Federation. With regard to the ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the possible threat of erosion of the security situation in the country, especially for citizens of EU and NATO countries, our strong warning against travel to the Russian Federation is still in place." ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER KAJA KALLAS "Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. I can assure that there is no direct threat to our country. Border security has been strengthened. I also urge our people not to travel to any part of Russia." POLISH PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA, ON TWITTER "In connection with the situation in Russia, this morning we held consultations with the prime minister and the ministry of defence, as well as with allies. The course of events beyond our eastern border is monitored on an ongoing basis." KAZAKH PRESIDENT'S OFFICE Said in a statement that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke by phone with Putin who informed him about the situation in the country. It said he noted that the ongoing events "are an internal affair of Russia. Constitutional order and the rule of law are a sine qua non for the maintenance of law and order in the country". It added that Putin "expressed gratitude for Kazakhstan's understanding of the current situation in the Russian Federation". BELARUS SECURITY COUNCIL Said in a statement that Minsk remained an ally of Russia and that internal disputes were "a gift to the collective West." FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE The Elysee Palace said President Emmanuel Macron is following the situation in Russia closely. "We stay focused on the support to Ukraine," the Elysee said. ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI'S OFFICE "Prime Minister Meloni is closely following events in Russia, which show that its assault on Ukraine is causing instability within Russia." (Reporting by Reuters bureausCompiled by Frances Kerry Editing by Hugh Lawson, Frank Jack Daniel and Ros Russell) In the two years since his familys condominium was destroyed in the collapse of Champlain Towers South, Gabe Nir has moved 10 times. He has been unable to find a new home, and, worse, he cannot find peace. Nir, 27, was one of only four people living in the Surfside condo who escaped before their section of the building fell. Three others were rescued from the rubble. When the 12-story tower came down at 1:22 a.m. on June 24, 2021, likely as a result of 40-year-old design and construction flaws, 98 people ranging in age from 2 to 92 died. Read More: How decades of problems converged the night Champlain Towers fell Nir, his mother and his sister ran for their lives. The terror revisits each of them at unpredictable moments and most often at night. I feel like my body and my brain are still in a state of shock and Ive never really processed what happened, he said. I feel numb. Ive been hospitalized five times with vertigo. Some days I cant even go out because Im too dizzy. That feeling of imbalance and disorientation has been exacerbated by all the moving. The Nirs have lived like nomads in hotels, apartments and now a rented house in Aventura, sometimes pushed out of their temporary quarters by rental rates that are the highest in the country. Theyre still living out of suitcases, filled with the clothes theyve acquired since they lost everything. Theyve lost any sense of home, what it means to be home. When one of them says, Ill see you at home, it sounds strange, false. Well-meaning people tell us we should be thankful were alive and assume after two years weve recovered, Nir said. Its the opposite of that. It infuriates me when people say were a miracle family. Survival comes with a high price. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder, headaches, flashbacks especially when he enters buildings or elevators: The Champlain South survivors will never be the same. The Nir family has been homeless before. Five years ago their house in Atlanta caught fire and burned to the ground. They barely got out. Nir remembers waking up in the middle of the night, coughing and blinded by smoke. When Champlain went down, I asked my mom, Is this Round 2? Nir said. Im afraid of darkness. Im afraid to sleep. I stay up at night to make sure were safe. On the night of the collapse, Nir, his mother Sara and his sister Chana were awake inside unit 111, right next to the pool deck. Gabe was cooking salmon, Chana was in the shower after a babysitting job and Sara was typing on her cell phone. They heard banging noises from above and a boom-boom-boom sequence, like someone was moving furniture or hammering picture hangers into the walls, Nir said. There was rumbling under the floor. Sara went to the lobby to complain to security guard Shamoka Furman. While they were talking, the pool deck collapsed into the parking garage below, setting in motion the progressive structural failure that would break the columns supporting the building. Seven minutes later, two sections of the tower fell. A federal investigation of the causes of the disaster is ongoing and projected to be completed in 2025. Gabe Nir, 27, was one of only four people living in the Surfside condo who escaped before their section of the building fell two years ago. But during that seven-minute gap, Sara managed to dash back down the hall to her kids, shouting, Earthquake! Weve got to get out! Hurry! They ran through the lobby, telling Furman to call 911 and set off the alarm system. Furman, who was new on the job, asked them the address, which was 8777 Collins Ave. The Nirs went out the glass front doors and ran down the street as a huge ball of white dust and smoke chased them. Nir called 911 twice on his cell phone. He looked back and saw people streaming out of the section of the building that stayed intact. He saw a woman pushing a stroller and screaming. Nir ran in Crocs and his sister wore a bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her head. Sara knocked on doors, yelling Earthquake! Evacuate! When the rescue teams arrived and the streets were blocked, the Nirs were told to go to the Surfside Community Center, which is where they spent the next three days. Then two years adrift. In May 2021, Nir graduated from Georgia State with a chemistry degree and planned to apply to dental school. His career has been put on hold. He tutors students but has been unable to hold down a full-time job because he was calling in sick too often. Nirs father Eyal (who was in Atlanta at the time of the collapse) is a jeweler. His mother is a teacher at a Jewish school. Chana, 17, will be a high school senior. Its hard to explain. I feel stuck, Nir said. Im not ready to go back to school. I need to work on myself. Its a hard climb up from rock bottom. Nirs family and other survivors believe their ordeal was made much more difficult by what they consider an unfair distribution of money from the $1.1 billion settlement of the class-action case against various defendants the Champlain South condo board, engineering firms, companies involved in the construction of a luxury condo next door, the security company that maintained Champlain Souths alarm system, which acknowledged that Furman was not adequately trained. The Nirs were renting their unit so were not entitled to the compensation owners received. The relatives of those who died received the bulk of damage awards decided by Judge Michael Hanzman, who retired in April. Nir received the minimum award, $50,000. His mother received $100,000 and Chana $100,000. Owners were unhappy with awards that were far less than the market value of their condos, leaving them unable to buy anything comparable in Miami Beach or Miami. The highest wrongful death award of about $35 million based on projected lifetime earnings went to the family of a victim aged in their mid-20s. Hanzman had warned throughout the process that it would be impossible to decide on a value for each individual that would please everyone but that the awards were fair, similar to what a jury would have awarded, and in accordance with the law. Nir was upset by how lawyers and the judge congratulated themselves on a huge settlement that left many survivors and family members of victims embittered. Survivors who are struggling emotionally and financially felt they deserved a bigger piece of the pie once the billion-dollar settlement -- much higher than initially expected -- was reached with the defendants insurance companies. Not in the range of the families of those who died, but closer to covering their losses and the trauma treatment they will require for years, if not a lifetime. The judge was called a hero but he did a horrible job. The lawyers didnt fight for us and wound up getting paid more than us, Nir said. All of us from the building were very close and supportive after the collapse but since the settlement we dont talk, theres a lot of resentment and anger. The judge did not treat people equally. I want to tell the judge, Look what you did to us, you made us hate each other. Two years on, Nir is still trying to heal. We havent recovered, he said. Dont forget about us. UK holds emergency meeting to review safety of its citizens in Russia LONDON (Reuters) - The British government's emergency committee, known as COBR, met on Saturday to discuss the latest developments in Russia and the risks to British citizens there, a government spokesperson said. Mutinous Russian mercenary fighters barrelled towards Moscow on Saturday after seizing the southern city of Rostov overnight, presenting President Vladimir Putin with the first serious challenge to his grip on power in his 23-year rule. "The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia," a government spokesperson said. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also took part in a meeting with counterparts from the Group of Seven major advanced economies. Earlier in the day Britain updated its travel advice to warn that following military action in the southern Russian city of Rostov - where mercenaries have seized control - there was "a risk of further unrest across the country". Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC that he wanted "all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians". Britain also repeated its advice that its citizens should not travel to any part of Russia and that those already there should leave. "If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes," the ministry said in its travel advice. Britain's defence ministry said the move by Wagner Group mercenaries "represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times". (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Toby Chopra and Ros Russell) UK man who pleaded guilty to celebrity Twitter hack gets five years in prison Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters A British man who took part in schemes to hack the Twitter accounts of celebrities, including Joe Biden and Elon Musk, was sentenced to five years in prison, the US attorneys office announced on Friday. Related: Texas governor signs bill rescinding water breaks as deadly heat grips state Joseph James OConnor, 24, pleaded guilty to cybercrime charges last month, nearly three years after he and others in his hacking group hijacked more than 130 Twitter accounts as part of a Bitcoin scam, including those of Apple, Uber, Kanye West, Bill Gates and Barack Obama. He also pleaded guilty to stealing $794,000 in virtual currency from a New York cryptocurrency company. OConnor was arrested nearly two years ago in Spain for the July 2020 hack and extradited to the US in April. The charges he pleaded guilty to include conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and stalking two victims, among others. Under the most serious of the charges, OConnor faced up to 20 years in prison. In addition to serving five years in a US prison, OConnor was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $794,000. OConnors criminal activities were flagrant and malicious and his conduct impacted multiple peoples lives. He harassed, threatened and extorted his victims, causing substantial emotional harm, Kenneth A Polite Jr, an assistant attorney general in the US justice departments criminal division, said after OConnor pleaded guilty last month. Like many criminal actors, OConnor tried to stay anonymous by using a computer to hide behind stealth accounts and aliases from outside the United States. Two others have also been charged with federal crimes in the incident, including Nima Fazeli of Florida, and Mason Sheppard, who is from Bognor Regis in the UK. The alleged mastermind of the hacking group, the Florida teen Graham Ivan Clark, was sentenced to three years in juvenile prison in July 2021, the maximum allowed under state law. The attacks, which unfolded over the course of several hours in July 2020, rocked Twitter and prompted the company to take the unprecedented measure of stopping all verified accounts from tweeting. LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's defence ministry said on Saturday that the Russian state was facing its greatest security challenge of recent times, following what it said appeared to be a move by Wagner Group mercenary forces towards Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an emergency televised address on Saturday that an "armed mutiny" by the Wagner Group was treason, and that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out," Britain's defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," it added. Britain said Wagner Group forces had crossed from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia in at least two locations, and had "almost certainly" occupied key security sites in Rostov-on-Don, including the headquarters which runs Russian military operations in Ukraine. "Further Wagner units are moving north through Voronezh Oblast, almost certainly aiming to get to Moscow," Britain said. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the defence ministry added. (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Toby Chopra) Ukraine managed to gain ground in Ukraine as Russia faced off against Russia in Russia Wagner forces were just hours from Moscow when they suddenly reversed course. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Stringer TPX/Reuters Russian forces spent Saturday preparing to defend Moscow from a paramilitary uprising. But Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his fighters to turn around just before reaching the capital. Meanwhile, officials in Ukraine said their forces made advancements in Russian-occupied territory. While Russia scrambled to defend itself from its own paramilitary forces on Saturday, Ukrainian leaders said their own forces managed to make advancements in Russian-occupied territory. The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization led by Yevgeny Prigozhin a former ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin marched across Russia on Saturday, coming within hours of Moscow. Prigozhin then ordered his fighters to turn around, claiming he wanted to avoid bloodshed. His point was apparently made. Meanwhile, far from the internal drama unfolding in Russia, Ukraine's counter-offensive which began earlier this month continued. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense, said Saturday that Ukrainian forces launched new counter-offensives in the country's east and were holding Russian forces in defensive positions in the south. "The eastern group of troops today began an offensive in several directions simultaneously," she said on Twitter, according to a translation. Those advances have yet to be independently confirmed. The BBC reported that Ukraine has made advances since launching its counter-offensive on June 4, including in the days and hours before the Wagner Group's apparently brief insurrection. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has called the progress "slower than desired." While Ukraine continued its efforts to retake territory, Russia was forced to defend itself from itself. Before the Wagner Group fighters turned back, Russian security officials were gearing up to defend Moscow. The capital's mayor said the city was imposing anti-terrorism measures and ordered residents to stay home from work on Monday. Prigozhin called his advance on Moscow a "march for justice," claiming without evidence that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had ordered an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine on Friday. Tensions between the Wagner boss and Russia's top military leaders had been simmering for months. Amid the chaos in Russia, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, and the vice-chair, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, said Saturday they were monitoring "what appears to be a significant internal conflict among Russian forces," CBS reports. Read the original article on Business Insider Prigozhin openly opposed Putin The rebellion against the Russian military leadership led by the head of Russias Wagner mercenary company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is a consequence of conflicts between various groups in Russia, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson said on June 24. Speaking to public broadcaster Suspilne, the spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, that the current turmoil in Russia had been sparked by Russias full-scale war on Ukraine. "Today's events are a continuation of the internal Russian conflicts that are the result of (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin's criminal full-scale military aggression against Ukraine," he said. Read also: Prigozhin vows to end Shoigu, FSB charges Wagner with inciting insurrection updated And, in fact, (this is) a sign of the collapse of this regime, which is still ruling on the territory of the so-called Russian Federation. Conflicts within the Russian Federation will only intensify in the near future, Yusov said. "We can say that these processes will continue to gain momentum and intensify," he said. Prigozhin on June 23 announced the beginning of an armed conflict between his forces and the Russian Defense Ministry. Read also: Prigozhin declares that he has seized control of Rostov's military headquarters, airbase He said he was acting because the Ministry of Defense had deliberately attacked a mercenary camp in Rostov-on-Don, although he did have a long history of conflict with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. As of June 24, Wagner's militants had taken control of Russian military facilities in Rostov and Voronezh. Prigozhin is demanding access to Russia's top military leadership. Otherwise, he said he was prepared to "advance to Moscow." Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron! Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Joe Biden during the G7 in May (Brendan SMIALOWSKI) Denmark on Saturday hosts a meeting organised by Ukraine bringing together several nations -- including those who have remained neutral on the Russian invasion -- to discuss a path towards peace. Few details have leaked about the meeting. However a Western official speaking on condition of anonymity said that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan would attend. The meeting in Copenhagen aims to discuss ways of achieving a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine, the source said. The invitees include top security officials from the United States, the European Union and other countries that have backed Ukraine since Russia invaded last year, as well as those that have not condemned the invasion, the source added. They did not specify which countries. "We have worked very hard inside (the) G7 on a peace formula," said a European diplomatic source, also speaking on condition of anonymity. "So the idea is to go beyond that and involve key actors like Brazil and India. We frankly expect and wish that China will be there." The meeting was first reported by the UK's Financial Times. It cited sources familiar with the plans as saying the meeting could include officials from Brazil, India and South Africa, although the list of attendees had not been finalised. - Path to peace summit - Those three states, along with China, are part of the BRICS bloc with Russia, and have not joined the West in sanctioning Moscow. The FT cited a source saying that Kyiv had asked Washington to encourage Brazil, India and South Africa to attend, as well as China and Turkey -- a NATO member that has kept good ties with Russia. At a Saturday morning press conference, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his foreign policy advisor Celso Amorim was "at this moment" in Copenhagen "where he was taking part in a meeting with several other countries to try to start peace talks". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington on Thursday, where he said in a joint statement with US President Joe Biden, that he backed the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine. The discussions in Denmark are expected to be informal, without a resulting official statement. But they are seen as a milestone on the path to a peace summit organised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A date has not yet been set for this summit, which could be held in Copenhagen or Paris in the coming months, but the EU has said "substantial" preparation was necessary. "We consider that it is fundamental to have as broad support as possible from the international community," said the European diplomat. Obtaining new support is crucial for Kyiv, whose counteroffensive, which began in early June, has so far only seen modest gains. This week, foreign donors at an international conference in London pledged 60 billion euros ($66 billion) in new financial support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. bur-cbw/phy/fb/gil/smw/giv/yad Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the world to not be afraid of the events that are currently unfolding in Russia and stressed that Ukraine can protect Europe from Russian forces as long as the world stands united in supporting Ukrainian people and supplying Ukraine with all the weapons it needs. Source: President Zelenskyys video address Quote from Zelenskyy: "[T]he world should not be afraid. We know that only our unity can protect us. Ukraine will definitely be able to protect Europe from any Russian forces, regardless of who commands them. We will protect [Europe]. The security of Europes eastern flank depends only on our defence [capabilities]. And that is why every time [Europe] supports our defence [forces] it is supporting [its own] defence, [and the defence of] everyone in the free world. Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian guns, Ukrainian tanks, and Ukrainian missiles are protecting Europe from charges like the one happening today in Russia. And when we ask for F-16 fighter jets or ATACMS, we are working on enhancing our common defence [capabilities]. Real and necessary defence. Now is the time to provide all the weapons [Ukraine needs] for defence." Details: Zelenskyy also said it was time "for everyone in the world to frankly say that all of Russia's criminal actions against Ukraine were and are unprovoked" and to address the issue of Ukraines NATO membership during the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. "NATO is not just a word or a set of formal promises. These are robust guarantees for everyone that peace will not be destroyed. Without Ukraine, these guarantees are worthless. The July summit in Vilnius is a historic opportunity to make real decisions without recourse to [what] Russia [might think or do in response]. All nations that share a border with Russia staunchly support this," Zelenskyy stressed. The Ukrainian President also thanked Ukrainian soldiers who continue fighting Russian occupation forces and Ukraines Air Force, which is protecting Ukraines skies. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!